29 Oct, 2014

Kartik 14, 1421 Muharram 4, 1436 Regd No DA 6238 Vol 2, No 205

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014 | www.dhakatribune.com | SECOND EDITION

20 pages plus 8-page Treehouse children’s supplement | Price: Tk12

TREEHOUSE

B1 | BUSINESS

11 | OP-ED

13 | SPORT

THE ANCIENT CITY OF BABYLON

MUHITH HITS OUT AT DEVELOPED COUNTRIES

WHAT GHULAM AZAM WROUGHT

ANOTHER FEATHER IN THE CAP FOR MUSHFIQ

Verdict in Nizami war crimes case today Directors of n state-run banks doling out cash Udisa Islam

Professionals suggest bringing banks under one authority, instead of two n Jebun Nesa Alo The boards of directors of several staterun banks have continued to flout rules of lending credit despite severe criticism, in the wake of a number of loan scams that ravaged the banking sector in recent years.

Bangladesh Bank has found a series of anomalies committed by the boards of state-owned banks from January to June this year, but is yet to take any action other than warning the respective managements.

According to a central bank report, the boards of five state-run banks – Sonali, Rupali, Janata, Agrani and Bangla-

‘Despite risks, the common tendency is to centralise loans to major business groups’ desh Krishi Bank (BKB) – did not maintain any formality in terms of ensuring single borrower exposures, renewal of loans, taking compromise amounts at the time of new loan facilities, loan rescheduling and loan classifying.

The boards appeared to have centralised their loans to a number of similar groups, individuals and companies, violating the single borrower exposure limits and putting the banks into vulnerable situations.

According to the report, the board of directors of the state-run banks provided loans and extended limits repeatedly to same groups violating their respective single borrower exposure limits.

They also rescheduled loans to the

‘State-owned banks place false anti-fraud control measures’ n Kamran Reza Chowdhury The number of loss-making branches of six state-owned commercial banks shot up to 294 from 265 over the last year. State-owned banks account for 22% of total loans in the country’s banking sector.

The government says that the loss-making branches of five of six banks –Sonali, Janata, Agrani, Rupali and Basic – serve remotest areas where private banks do not operate.

All 28 branches of Bangladesh Development Bank Limited are not loss making.

The Finance Ministry on October 20 sent a report to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance Ministry saying the six banks in question were recommending loans to defaulters violating central bank guidelines.

The 10-member watchdog is set to discuss the report today.

Referring to a central bank field-level survey, the Banking Division in the report said these banks continued to hide the truth about bad practices.

The banks, he said, were more interested in giving big loans without proper background checks.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 6

groups that had already committed fraud with the respective banks and did not have the capability of paying installment of the rescheduled loans.

Moreover, loans were given to some companies that existed only on papers and did not have the necessary clearance from the central banks Credit Information Bureau (CIB).

There are also instances of manipulation of banking mechanisms for protecting some loan accounts from being defaulters.

Admitting that there was still indiscipline in the credit system of the staterun banks because of the directors, Sonali Bank Managing Director Pradip Kumar Dutta claimed that anomalies had been reduced to some extent.

He stressed transparency and accountability among the directors to rid the banks of the irregularities.

Pradip turned down the idea of privatisation to make the banks corruption-free, saying: “It is true that some time will be needed to make the banks free from corruption, but privatisation is not a solution.”

He also said: “Despite risks, the common tendency among the banks is to centralise loans to certain major business groups because in that way they can easily achieve credit targets.”

Rupali Bank MD Farid Uddin said professionals had to be recruited to the boards of directors to check irregularities.

Referring to state-owned BASIC Bank, he said: “The bank’s managing director had to be removed for his alleged involvement in corruption; but the board of directors was actually responsible for the irregularities.”  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

When the recent apex court verdict in war criminal Delwar Hossain Sayedee’s appeals case frustrated many, a war crimes tribunal is set to pronounce judgement in the case against Jamaat chief Motiur Rahman Nizami, the alleged al-Badr chief during the 1971 Liberation War. Jail Supernintendent Forman Ali last night told the Dhaka Tribune that Nizami had been shifted to Dhaka Central Jail from Kashimpur around 8:30pm. His physical condition was well.

There have been widespread speculation centring this verdict especially after it was stayed at the eleventh hour on June 24 due to Nizami’s sudden illness.

The prosecution claims that they have been able to prove beyond reasonable doubt 15 out of 16 charges pressed against the accused, the chief of key BNP-ally Jamaat-e-Islami. They did not place any witness in one charge.

On the other hand, refuting the charges, the defence alleged that the prosecution had presented many false evidence and fabricated many others to convict Nizami, who was allegedly the chief of notorious al-Badr during until September 1971.

“Nizami was not responsible for any alleged offences during the Liber-

When it comes to animal welfare, there are a lot of good stories coming out, and a few horrible ones. This brings me to Obhoyaronno. Some of the stories that have been shared by the great folks in this organisation are truly chilling to the bone.

3 | News

Bangladesh has for the first time publicly stressed the importance of combating Islamic State (IS), against the backdrop of a growing theatre of war against the terrorist movement.

Charges filed

1

June 1971, Pabna

Freedom Fighter Kasimuddin murder

Arrest, detention, torture and killing

2

May 14, 1971

Killing and rape at Baousgari Ruposhi and Demra

Murder, rape and deportation

3

From May

Torture and killings at Physical Training Institute, Mohammadpur

Complicity in torture, murder and rape

4

May 8, 1971, Karamja village

Mass killing, rape, looting

Murder, rape, looting and destruction of property

5

April 16, 1971, Arpara and Bhuter Bari

Killing 21 unarmed civilians

Murder and persecution

6

November 1971, Santhia, Pabna

Killing of more than 50 people

Murder

Killing of Sohrab AIi, Brishalikha

Torture and murder

7 8

Aug 30, 1971, MP Hostel Dhaka

Ordered killing of several youths including Rumi, son of Jahanara Imam

Murder

9

Brishalikha Village, Pabna

Mass killing

Genocide

10

Start of war

Torture of Anil and forcing family to flee

Persecution

11-14

All over the country

Inciting violence at several meetings

Incitement

15

Santhia Pilot School

Conspiracy to commit crimes specified in section 3(2)(g) of the Act

Conspiracy

16

Dhaka and other places in the country

Planning and executing killing of intellectuals

Murder

Another Huji-B man nabbed in Dhaka

Indian probe claims BD militants hiding in West Bengal n Tribune Desk

n Tribune Report

The Rapid Action Battalion arrested a Harkat-ul Jihad Al-Islami Bangladesh (Huji-B) operative from the capital’s Khilgaon area early yesterday.

The 43-year-old arrestee, from Noyani of Chandpur’s Haimchar upazila, used several aliases including Mufti Zubayer Abdullah, Khairul Hasan, Sazed Mohammad Kayez and Foyez.

RAB officials arrested Zubayer from the capital’s Shantipur area in South Goran. A laptop, different jihadi books and pictures of militant training were seized from his possession, said RAB 3 Intelligence Director Major Mohiuddin, also a deputy director of the force.

Zubayer confessed that he had been

an average for each of its 18 candidates.

On that count, the party spent a total of Tk51.31 lakh for election purpose.

For that election, in which at least 153 out of the 300 lawmakers were elected uncontested, HM Ershad’s JaPa also spent more money per candidate than its dominant partner Awami League.

Japa spent a total of Tk2.05 crore for its 86 candidates, averaging Tk2.38 lakh for each of them. The Awami League comes in next with a total expenditure of more than Tk2.53 crore for its 247 candidates, averaging only a little over Tk1.02 lakh for each.

These findings were made public yesterday by the Election Working Group in a policy paper titled “Bringing Transparency in Political Finance  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

INSIDE

7 | Long Form

Incident

2000, Nizami is already facing death penalty in 10-truck arms haul case for his involvement in the sensational incident while holding office as the industries minister in 2004.

Workers Party, Tarikat outclass AL, JaPa! A non-government research organisation has come up with an interesting finding that some of the smaller political parties have spent more money than the bigger ones in the January parliamentary elections.

Analysing the information that parties have provided and the Election Commission (EC) has put up on its website, the Election Working Group has found that the Workers Party of Bangladesh has spent more money per candidate than its bigger alliance partners Awami League and Jatiya Party (JaPa).

In the 10th parliamentary election held on January 5 which the BNP and the like-minded parties had boycotted, the Workers Party spent Tk2.85lakh on

Charges Date

During the indictment hearing, Nizami said: “I had no role other than politics in 1971. I was not involved with any thing [incidents of crimes against humanity].”

Jamaat ameer since November

ELECTION EXPENDITURE PER CANDIDATE

n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

CHARGES AGAINST NIZAMI AT A GLANCE

12 | Entertainment

Zero Degree, one of the most anticipated movies of the year starring Jaya Ahsan, Mahfuz Ahmed and Ruhee in lead roles, is all set to hit the cinemas soon. The film will be submitted to the censor board for certification shortly.

9 | World

India will soon be supplying naval vessels to Vietnam, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday, the first significant military transfer to Hanoi at a time when it is embroiled in a territorial dispute with China.

ation War. During the trial, we made our point clear that he faced the trial because of being the ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami,” defence lawyer Tajul Islam said after the announcement of the verdict date yesterday.

working as an active member of Huji-B since 1994. Under the alias of Abu Jihad, he held the post of principal at Khairun Kurun Madrasa in the capital’s Jatrabari, said Major Mohiuddin.

The RAB official said the arrestee used the alias Sazed Mohammad Kayez on his national identity card, Khairul Hasan on his passport and Zubayer Abdullah in the Islamic books that he wrote.

He claimed to be doing Allah’s work, Major Mohiuddin said, adding that a probe on Zubayer’s followers was under way and legal action against him was being taken.

On Friday, the Detective Branch (DB) of police also arrested four Huji-B members: their operation wing chief Rafiq Ahmed, bomb expert Umar alias

Fayzul, activists Nadim Ahmed and Salahuddin Ahmed.

Monirul Islam, joint commissioner of DB police, said the Huji-B members were planning to attack important persons of the state as well as hit major structures in Dhaka, Rajshahi and Chittagong.

The Huji-B members are now on sixday remand, with the DB police interrogating them.

They disclosed the names of three financiers, at least one of whom was a businessman, the DB chief said.

The financiers also reportedly promised the Huji-B men unlimited funds.

However, the DB joint commissioner refused to give any more detail as investigation was ongoing. l

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

A top Indian official has handed the Indian government a list of alleged Bangladeshi militants using West Bengal as a safe haven, preparatory to sharing investigation details with the government of Bangladesh, Indian media reported.

India’s national security adviser (NSA), Ajit Doval, handed over the list of 180 alleged Bangladeshi militants hiding in West Bengal after visiting the October 2 bomb blast site in Bardhaman, The Hindustan Times quoted sources as saying.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 5

2

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Fakhrul: PM’s UAE visit fails n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla The BNP yesterday claimed that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to the United Arab Emirate failed as no deal was inked between the two countries on manpower export.

“Our prime minister has visited the United Arab Emirates. What is the neat result? The result is that the housemaid export process will continue. But no agreement was inked on manpower export. It means the prime minister’s UAE visit has failed,” Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, acting secretary general of the party, said.

Addressing a discussion organised

by Jagpa at the National Press Club, the spokesperson of the party said whenever the prime minister went abroad, mass media published pictures of success and success.

“But the government did not take any initiative to mitigate people’s sufferings. Please let people live in peace, otherwise dire consequences have to face,” he said.

The BNP leader alleged that the government was harassing the opposition leaders and activists and filing false cases against them while it was politicising the administration and other institutions restoring one-party “Baksal” system.

“Case, case and case. There is hardly any union left where our leaders are spared of any case. Six cases filed against Khaleda Zia are baseless. But the government has withdrawn 7,500 cases filed against them.”

There was no alternative but to wage a movement to overcome such a situation. “All have to take to the streets to wage resistance movement against this government.” l

News

MUNSHIGANJ GIRL RAPE

Rapist, abettor placed on remand n Mohammad Jamil Khan

Police yesterday arrested the “socalled” boyfriend of a 17-year-old-college girl from Munshiganj whom he reportedly raped during her visit to Dhaka on Friday.

“We have arrested Ratan Lal alias Sumon, 40, from the staff quarters of Ramna Park area by using our technical support and investigation leads,” Sher-e-Banglanagar police station Sub-Inspector Jahirul Islam told the Dhaka Tribune.

Quoting his confessions, he said Sumon, who was once a cleaner at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. had sexually harassed the girl followed by a seven-day affair after meeting her at a bus stand in Munshiganj.

Sub-Inspector Jahir said they also ar-

Workers Party, Tarikat outclass AL, JaPa!  PAGE 1 COLUMN 3

to Bangladesh” at a programme in the capital’s Cirdap Auditorium.

Among others, Awami League leader Mahbub-ul Alam Hanif, JaPa leader GM Quader, BNP leader Osman Farruk and TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman were present at the programme.

The organisation also analysed the information available on the EC website regarding how much money the candidates have personally spent in the election.

In that comparison too, the Awami League candidates have been outclassed

by JaPa and Workers Party runners.

JaPa contestants came out on top in this table, each personally spending over Tk16.97 lakh on an average, followed

by Workers Party men, who spent over Tk10.15 lakh, and Awami League runners spending nearly Tk9.94 lakh on an average.

Their ally Jatiya Samajtantrick Dal, better known as Jasad, might have spent only a little over Tk4,000 for each of its 24 candidate; but the candidates’ average personal expenditure of Tk7.14 lakh was right up there. Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish and Bangladesh Islami Front, two other small partners of the ruling alliance, did not spend any money for the election. They had two and one candidates for the election respectively and one of them were eventually elected.

Interestingly though, the three candidates of Tarikat Federation, another minor component of the Awami League-led alliance, personally spent more than Tk13 lakh on an average. Only the JaPa candidates have spent more than them.

When contacted, Workers Party President Rashed Khan Menon, also civil aviation and tourism minister, said there was

no reason for his party’s per candidate election expenditure to be higher than those of the Awami League and JaPa. “There must be something wrong with the figure...Is it possible? It cannot be. We gave [financial] support to our candidates from the party; but the personal expenditure of the candidates should not be like this,” he told the Dhaka Tribune.

When asked how a small party like the Workers Party could outclass its bigger allies, TIB ED Iftekharuzzaman told the Dhaka Tribune over phone: “Yes, it is abnormal. But credit goes to the Workers Party. They have probably submitted

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

a truthful expenditure statement, while the other parties might have hidden their actual expenditures.”

In the first parliamentary election in 1973, the expenditure limit per candidate per constituency was Tk50,000. In this year’s 10th general election, the amount has been increased to Tk25 lakh.

As part of recommendations, the Election Working Group said public funding was essential for bringing transparency in election expenditure, disclosure provision must be made mandatory for parties and candidates during election campaign, and private donations along with sources must

rested a 40-year-old woman called Nazma Begum, who had abetted him in the rape, after extracting information from her during his primary interrogation.

He said Nazma had abetted Sumon by providing the latter space to have sex with the girl at a flat on Green Road in the capital. She had been renting space to local boys who wanted to spend their intimate time with girls or their girl friends.

The woman used to take Tk 500 to 100 from a boy for renting her flat space or depending on her relations with them, he added, quoting alleged rapist Sumon.

Also the case investigation officer, Sub-Inspector Jahir told the Dhaka Tribune: “We have turned the general diary filed with New Market police station into a rape case.

Both Sumon and Nazma were yes-

also be made public. Just like most of the speakers, JaPa leader and former minister GM Quader also said the recommendations sounded good but were far from reality.

“The first thing we need to think is whether we want democracy in the country at all? Do we want to ensure transparency and accountability? I think we do not want those. All we want is to assume office by any means and misuse power.

This is our politics and this is the reality,” Quader said at the programme.

Former BNP minister Osman Farruk said: “Politics should be based on donation. If donation stops, then politics will go into the hands of the rich and the businessmen...A strong Election Commission can prevent the entry of black money in politics. It is a reality that politics has become expensive.”

Awami League Joint General Secretary Mahbub-ul Alam Hanif said: “The necessity of money in politics cannot be denied.

If we are ready to spend money for people, we are called generous. If we do not, we are labelled misers. That is the reality.”

While speaking at the programme, Iftekharuzzaman said: “In the first parliamentary election in 1973, only 17.5% members of parliament were businessmen. But that ratio has now gone up to 59%. That has happened because politics and the political parties are now being used as a means to becoming rich.”

Regarding state funding of election campaign, he said: “I am not convinced with this recommendation. I also doubt whether the country is ready for that. I am not even sure whether the people are ready to shoulder such burden. So before taking any such decision, I think there should be a referendum on it.” l

terday placed before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court, seeking a seven-day remand for them in the case.

Magistrate Mollah Saiful Islam allowed only one day for placing them on remand.

The rape victim from a village in Munshiganj’s Sadar upazila came to the capital on the invitation of her “friend” Sumon on Friday.

Later, Sumon took the girl to the flat of Nazma where he raped her.

The next day, she was admitted by her family members at One Stop Crisis Center (OCC) of Dhaka Medical College Hospital. The medical report conducted on girl health condition found evidence of rape.

The Dhaka Tribune has published stories about the incident on Sunday and Monday. l

According to Mustafa Kamal Mujeri, director general of Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS), there is a regulatory ambiguity for the staterun banks, who operate under the dual control of the Finance Ministry and also the Bangladesh Bank.

“So, the central bank hardly takes action against irregularities committed by the directors,” he said.

Mustafa, also a director of the Bangladesh Bank, called for steps to bring the state-run banks solely under one authority to ensure accountability and transparency.

Between December and November 2012, loans worth around Tk4,424 crore were brought out of BASIC Bank my means of alleged forgeries by its directors.

Rupali Bank

Among the state owned banks, the biggest irregularities have been reported from the Rupali Bank. The central bank in its review report has even marked it as more risky than any other banks.

The board of directors of the bank approved loans to 11 institutions beyond the single borrower exposure limit which is 15% of the bank’s capital.

It allowed four subsidiaries of the S Alam group to hold Tk198 crore above exposure limit. The total exposure of

the subsidiaries is Tk350 crore, which is 34.72% of the bank’s capital.

The board of directors allowed Orion Power Khulna and one of its subsidiaries to hold Tk1,453 crore beyond the single borrower exposure limit. The central bank said in its review report that the bank’s capital would be negative if the group cannot pay the loan back.

The other companies that were allowed to hold loans in excess of the limit are Blue-Planet Knitwear and two of its subsidiaries Green-Planet Resort and Badar Spining; Shoagpur Textile; Virgo Pharmaceuticals; Japan Security Printing & Papers; and Galco Steel Bangladesh.

Rupali Bank MD Farid Uddin said the central bank’s approval had been taken for all the loans that were allowed above exposure limit.

The Rupali Bank board of directors have approved rescheduling proposal of two subsidiaries of SA group and four subsidiaries of the Nurjahan group, ignoring the respective branch manager’s objection that the clients were not capable of paying the installments of the rescheduled loan.

In December last year, the bank allowed SA Oil Refinary and Samannaz Super Oil under the SA group to reschedule classified loans of Tk102 crore by taking advantage of the central bank’s relaxed policy.

The Rupali board also approved rescheduling of Tk396 crore to four subsidiaries of Nurjahan group although there had been similar allegations.

Both these cases were reported from the Agrabad Corporate Branch of the bank in Chittagong. The manager had duly informed the board that both these groups had committed fraud in getting shipments cleared from the Chittagong port without informing the bank.

Moreover, the central bank has also found serious unresolved audit issues with the bank’s outstanding loans.

Bamgladesh Bank has recently asked the Rupali Bank board to explain how it had approved the rescheduling proposals from the subsidiaries of these two groups.

Apart from these, the board of directors have also renewed loans against OPI Enterprise and Tahmid Trading instead of rescheduling, although the accounts were classifiable.

Sonali Bank

The board of directors of the Sonali Bank, the biggest state-owned bank in the country, has approved project loans of Tk100.14 crore to Indigo Spining mills, a subsidiary of Thermax group, without taking CIB clearance.

As of June 2014, total loan balance of the group stood at Tk690.14 crore which is well beyond the single bor-

Verdict in Nizami war crimes case today  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

The three-member International Crimes Tribunal 1, led by Justice M Enayetur Rahim, will deliver the much-delayed verdict. Other members of the tribunal are Justice Jahangir Hossain and Justice Anwarul Haque.

Tight security measures have been taken in and around tribunal area as well as in the capital after announcement of the date.

This would be the 10th verdict by the two war crimes tribunals. Three more cases are kept for verdict.

The trial against Nizami began on May 28, 2012.

He was arrested on July 29, 2010

on charges of hurting religious sentiments. After three days, he was shown arrested in a war crimes case. The prosecution on December 11, 2012 brought specific charges against him.

The Jamaat chief is facing 16 charges of crimes against humanity including conspiracy, planning, complicity, incitement and active participation.

The charges against him include killing of 70 people and torching 72 houses in December 1971 at Brishalika village in Pabna’s Bera upazila; murdering 450 people in Demra and Baushia villages; killing of several people in front of a Hindu temple at Kormocha village of Santhia upazila as well as looting, rape

and abduction.

As per prosecution documents, Nizami was born in 1943 at Mohammadpur village of Pabna’s Santhia upazila. As the head of East-Pakistan Islami Chhatra Sangha, then student wing of Jamaat, he led al-Badr group – a para militia force blamed for the systematic abduction and killing of intellectuals – until September, 1971.

He was one of the alleged war criminals arrested in the very beginning of the war crimes trials in 2010. However, the case proceedings advanced in a snail’s pace mainly due to frequent adjournments and shuffle in the tribunal 1.

n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla The BNP-led 20-party alliance has rescheduled a rally in Natore from October 30 to November 1 due to “an unavoidable reason.”

In cases against Jamaat leaders, the party usually calls countrywide strikes the day after the verdict is given. Yesterday the International Crimes Tribunal 1 said Nizami’s verdict would be delivered today.

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s rally now coincides with the day after Jamaat-e-Islami chief Motiur Rahman Nizami’s verdict. “The rally was shifted from October 30 to November 1 due to an unavoidable reason,” said Syrul Kabir Khan, an official of the BNP chairperson’s press wing.

Although Jamaat is yet to call a hartal, the BNP has already shifted its programme.l

Indian probe claims  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

He told the West Bengal chief minister on Monday that the border district of Jalpaiguri had emerged as a new terror hub in the state, suggesting that the terror network extended beyond the south eastern town of Bardhaman and neighbouring areas.

The NSA and other top security and intelligence chiefs told chief minister Mamata Banerjee that operatives of the Jama’at-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) had taken refuge in the state for the past two years.

“Besides pointing out that Jalpaiguri has turned into yet another terror point for JMB, the central representatives also handed over a list of unrecognised madrasas in the state operating as terror-breeding hubs,” said a state government source on condition of anonymity.

“The central team also informed the chief minister that during the last couple of years the number of terror modules in West Bengal had gone beyond 50.”

The Mamata Banerjee government said it would cooperate with a central investigation into the Bardhaman blast, in which two JMB operatives were killed while making bombs in a rented house.

The chief minister initially resisted a probe by India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) into the incident that exposed a network of alleged Bangladeshi terrorists spread over several West Bengal districts, the report said.

“The chief minister and the West Bengal government have assured us that the Centre and the state will work together in unearthing the entire case,” Prakash Mishra, special secretary for

Directors of state-run banks doling out cash  PAGE 1 COLUMN 2

‘Unavoidable reason’ shifts BNP rally plans

internal security in the Union home ministry, told the media after the meeting with Banerjee.

The NSA and his team also referred to the alleged links of a Rajya Sabha member from West Bengal with two Bangladeshi militant groups – JMB and Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh.

An NIA report says that the JMB, a shadowy organisation formed in 2005, has plans to establish an Islamic state encompassing Bangladesh and Murshidabad, Nadia and Malda districts of West Bengal, according to the report.

Three people, including two women, were arrested in the Bardhaman case and questioned by the NIA which took over the probe after the state government faced a barrage of criticism for allegedly mishandling the investigation.

Opposition parties have accused Banerjee of allowing extremist elements to flourish in the state for vote-bank politics, the report said.

“It is clear that Trinamool Congress is allowing jihadi elements in Bengal.

Mere assurances will not drive them out,” the report quoted state BJP president Rahul Sinha as saying.

Apart from SIM cards, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), detonators and watch dials, some leaflets and papers with names of al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri and Chechen rebels were reportedly recovered from the Bardhaman house, which the suspected militants had rented a few months ago.

The central delegation’s visit to the West Bengal blast site has come as the Union government prepares to send a report on the issue to the Bangladesh government. l

State-owned banks rower exposure limit of Tk585 crore.

Despite objection from the bank’s credit section, the board approved the loan by merely taking a no objection certificate from the Bangladesh Bank.

Expressing dissatisfaction, the central bank warned Sonali Bank to not indulge in such irregularity in future.

The bank’s board has also extended the repayment tenure of a Tk58.66 crore loan to Base Papers Limited several times, just to make sure that the loan does not get classified, the central bank’s review report says.

Agrani Bank

The board of Agrani Bank approved loan of Tk210 crore to Sister Denim Composite, a sister concern of Thermax group, within just 13 days of its registration as a private limited company. The loan was approved without taking CIB clearance and credit rating.

The board has also extended the limit of a Tk40 crore loan by Tk10 crore to Jobida Karim Jute Mills. Because the tenure of that loan had expired seven months before that, it should have been classified as a doubtful loan.

The Bangladesh Bank has warned the bank’s management about these two irregularities.

The board of directors of Agrani Bank has also approved a loan of Tk357 crore against Mahid Textile by taking

Trial of the case ended in last November and the tribunal kept it for verdict. But due to the retirement of the then tribunal chairman on December 31 before delivering the judgement, it was delayed by several more months.

In February, Justice Rahim was appointed and the two tribunals shuffled.

The judge ordered fresh arguments in the case. On March 24, the tribunal kept the case pending for verdict again and later fixed June 24 for delivering the judgement.

But only hours before the verdict, the jail authorities claimed that they could not place the accused as he had fallen sick. The tribunal stopped pro-

an NOC from the central bank, violating the single borrower exposure limit, although there were internal objections.

 PAGE 1 COLUMN 1

Despite having negative capital, the bank allowed several concerns of the S Alam group to hold loan of Tk728.47 crore and Multazim Spining Mills Tk173 crore beyond the single borrower exposure limit. In its review report, the central bank said these irregularities should amount to penalties.

The bank gave the same facility to two subsidiaries of the SA group. The total loan status of the group stood at Tk184.82 crore, which was well beyond the single borrower exposure limit.

According to the Bangladesh Bank, these irregularities were also punishable offences. l

Sonali Bank granted over Tk4,500 crore to the Hallmark Group causing the worst financial scandal in Bangladesh history. Investigations found that the entire management of the bank was involved in the scam.

Basic Bank is also known to have similar malpractices.

The report said out of 1,204, the number of Sonali Bank’s loss-making branches is 65 as of June 30, 2014 compared to 52 the previous year. Of Janata Bank’s 900 branches, 93 are loss-making - it was 102 one year ago. At least 75 of Agrani Bank’s 905 branches are incurring losses, up from 58 last year.

Twenty-eight of 532 Rupali Bank branches are loss-making. A year ago, the number was 12.

Scam-hit Basic Bank has 68 branches of which 33 are counting losses.

The Banking Division in its report said Sonali, Janata, Agrani, Rupali and Basic Bank submitted “self-assessment of anti-fraud internal controls checklist” to Bangladesh Bank, but the central bank detected “massive” discrepancies.

“This means that the banks have continued with their previous practice of hiding the truth,” said the report.

The amount of classified loans atthe six banks stood at 25.4% of the total loans. The six banks maintained 48% of the total default loans in the country’s banking sector.l

nouncing the verdict and ordered the authorities concerned to inform it about the physical condition of Nizami.

Even though the jail authorities within one week confirmed that Nizami’s physical condition was stable, it took the tribunal several months to set the latest date.

In the meantime, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court in a verdict commuted the death penalty of Sayedee to life term imprisonment.

From justice seekers to the country’s prime minister feel that the sentence had not been enough.

Witness deposition in Nizmai’s case began in August, 2012 and ended in

October last year with the testimony of Investigating Officer Abdur Razzak Khan, the 26th prosecution witness.

The defence produced four witnesses including son of the accused Md Nazibur Rahman.

The prosecution began placing closing arguments in the case on November 3 and took four days to complete it. At that time, the defence repeatedly failed to appear before the court mentioning “personal difficulties.”

The tribunal 1 closed the case on November 13 and kept it for verdict. However, after the new chairman came, the defence was given the opportunity to place their closing arguments. l

Janata Bank

The board of directors of the bank renewed the loan limit by Tk205 to two subsidiaries of Thermax Group, taking its total exposure to Tk755.6 crore, which was Tk232.63 crore higher than the bank’s single borrower exposure limit.

The board renewed loan facilities against four companies – Pegasus Leather, Bashundhara Paper Mill, Shameem Composit and Shameem Spining Mills – although all these companies were listed as defaulters in CIB report.

Bangladesh Krishi Bank

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Dhaka acknowledges IS threat, favours UN-led intervention

Tribunal asks for probe report against Taher-Noni on November 20 n Udisa Islam

US likely to approach Bangladesh again to join the military coalition against IS to condemn all forms of terrorism n Sheikh Shahariar Zaman irrespective of who carries it out, and Bangladesh has for the first time publicly stressed the importance of combating Islamic State (IS), against the backdrop of a growing theatre of war against the terrorist movement.

Dhaka’s first public acknowledgement of the threat was made in a joint statement that followed a meeting between Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and UAE Vice-President and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in Dubai on Monday.

Bangladesh has joined the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund, an initiative to counter violent extremism “The two sides expressed deep concern about the growing phenomenon of terrorism and stressed the importance of combating it, including ISIS,” the statement said.

The United Arab Emirates, a major regional participant in the US-led coalition against IS, wants Bangladesh on its side as it fights against the malice in Iraq and Syria, Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque told the Dhaka Tribune.

Bangladesh has turned down a US request to join the military coalition it is leading against IS, saying that it would only join a UN-led humanitarian intervention.

It is Bangladeshi foreign policy

to uphold the territorial integrity, independence and sovereignty of Iraq and Syria, he said.

Bangladeshi diplomats expect that the question of joining the USled coalition will be raised again at the third Bangladesh-US partnership dialogue on October 28-29.

Islamic State – variously known as Islamic State in Iraq and ash-Sham, ISIS, and Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, ISIL – is a notoriously violent and well-organised jihadist movement that has created a rudimentary state that it calls a caliphate in parts of Iraq and Syria.

The joint statement said: “In regard to peace and security, the two sides discussed the situations in the Middle East and underscored the need for the maintenance of peace and stability for the sustainable development of the region.”

A threat to peace and security in the Middle East, IS has wrested control of a vast tract of Iraq and Syria. A UN Security Council resolution on foreign fighters and financing was adopted on September 25 and is binding on all member states.

Bangladesh has joined the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund, an initiative to counter violent extremism.

The fund is a public-private partnership intended to help communities become resilient to the threats of violent extremism.

The global fund, initiated by the US and Turkey in 2013, was supported by over 20 countries and a group of major corporations. It has initial plans to raise $200 million to support pilot projects. l

3

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Motorbike riders barely show any obedience towards the traffic laws as they often make illegal U-turns and penetrate the barricades placed on the roads according to their convenience. The photo was taken from capital’s Panthapath area yesterday SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

Security beefed up before Nizami verdict Karim, Jamil Khan n Mohosinul and Rabiul Islam Extra security measures have been taken up across the country since yesterday evening as the International Crimes Tribunal 1 is set to pass its verdict today on Jamaat-e-Islami chief Motiur Rahman Nizami on charges of crimes committed against humanity during the War of Liberation.

Maximum security measures were taken up in the capital where the tribunal is set up and in some other districts known as Jamaat strongholds and saw massive violence during the verdicts on its some top leaders in war crimes cases in the past.

Director General of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) told the Dhaka Tribune by phone yesterday: “We have deployed BGB in the capital and some districts ahead of Nizami verdict.”

Ten platoons of BGB members were deployed in the capital alone and

three to four platoons were sent to be deployed in the district level. They would remain standby and would swing into action as per government directives.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner (Media and Public Relations) Masudur Rahman said they would do everything on their part for the sake of security of all citizens.

The elite force RAB has also begun increasing their intelligence vigilance and patrolling across the county since Tuesday evening.

RAB’s Legal and Media wing Director Mufti Mahmud Khan said they had asked their force to remain alert in the streets, especially in Dhaka, to prevent any act of violence.

Seeking anonymity, a high official at the police headquarters told the Dhaka Tribune that security had been tightened in some Jamaat-dominated districts – Feni, Satkhira, Lakshmipur, Satkania and Lohagara of Chittagong, Rajshahi, Bogra and Nilphamari – as

well as in the capital.

Special security instructions were given to the police and other forces in the districts to remain alert during, before and after the pronouncements of the verdict on Nizami, he said.

To verify whether such instructions were given, the Dhaka Tribune contacted Feni Superintendent of Police (SP) Md Rezaul Haque.

Confirming about it, Feni SP Reza said BGB members were also deployed there.

Inspector General of Police Hassan Mahmood Khandker said: “We have made our security plan this time, taking in view the acts of violence having taken place centring the previous verdicts in war crimes cases.”

“Security measures will be taken up in the same way as were during the pronouncements of verdicts in other war crimes cases,” State Minister for Home Affairs Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal told reporters yesterday. l

The International Crimes Tribunal 1 yesterday asked the prosecution to submit on November 20, the investigation report on detained war crimes accused Obaidul Huq alias Abu Taher and Ataur Rahman alias Noni of Netrokona.

The three-member tribunal led by Justice M Enayetur Rahim set the date after going through the progress report of the investigation agency on war crimes accused Taher and another.

While submitting the progress report, designated prosecutor Mukhlesur Rahman sought more time mentioning that the investigation was at its last stage and the probe body had already recorded statements of 32 witnesses in connection with the case.

According to the prosecution, the investigation agency started investigation on June 6 last year. After hearing the prosecutor, the tribunal fixed the deadline for submission of the investigation report.

According to the prosecution, the accused allegedly killed Badiuzzaman Mukta, a valiant freedom fighter, during the Liberation War. Nephew of the martyred freedom fighter filed a case in 2010 with the judicial magistrate court of Netrokona accusing 12 antiliberation force members including Taher and Noni. The magistrate forwarded the case to the International Crimes Tribunals.

Police captured the accused hours after the tribunal issued warrants for their arrest following a prosecution plea in August.

Meanwhile, in another case against Abdul Jabbar Engineer, the prosecution’s witness number 17 was supposed be placed before the tribunal yesterday.

However, the tribunal fixed November 2 for further hearing on the case after telling both prosecution and defence that the tribunal required some preparations as Wednesday was fixed for delivering the verdict against Jamaat chief Motiur Rahman Nizami. l

80% aspirants fail in D unit test of CU

HC dismisses bail appeals for Ansarullah detainees

n CU Correspondent

n Tribune Report

Around 80 percent admission seekers have failed to obtain pass marks in the Monday’s admission test of “D” unit of first year honours for the 2014-15 session at Chittagong University.

The results was published yesterday morning while only 20.43% aspirants got pass marks in the test, said SM Akbar Hossain, deputy registrar of academic section of CU and also member secretary of the examination committee.

The registrar also stated that a total of 5,340 admission seekers from 30,861 secured pass marks in the unit of Social Science Faculty.

The faculty’s Dean Professor Abul Hossain said the viva-voce of the qualified aspirants will be held on November 15.

Meanwhile the written test of “F” unit was also held yesterday. l

The High Court (HC) yesterday dismissed bail appeals in three separate cases against the chief of Ansarullah Bangla Team, Mufti Josim Uddin Rahmani, and members, Abu Hanif and Asadullah alias Pias, because the bail petitions were not pressed before the court.

An HC bench comprised of Justice Muhammad Abdul Hafiz and Md Ruhul Quddus passed the order.

Deputy attorney general (DAG) Md Masud Hasan Chowdhury moved for the government side while advocate Gazi Towhidul Islam stood for Josim Uddin and advocate Md Noor Shikder stood for the other two petitioners.

DAG Masud told the Dhaka Tribune that Josim Uddin’s bail petition in a case filed in Barguna district under the ICT Act and the petitions of Abu Hanif and Asadullah in two cases filed in

Tired and tensed, two female garment workers of Hamim Sportswear Ltd sit by the side of the road with their babies, who came join a rally protesting sudden closure of the factory. The photo was taken in front of the National Press Club yesterday MEHEDI HASAN

Third-class employees demand Closed garment factory workers stage demonstrations new pay scale Karim and Md Sanaul n Mohosinul protesters urged the authorities to preIslam Tipu Afrose Jahan Chaity n vent workplace harassment and ensure n Mohosinul Karim Workers of Hamim Sportswear Ltd justice on such cases and job security.

State Minister for Home Affairs

Dhaka under the ICT and Anti-Terrorism Acts, were dismissed as the bail petitions were not pressed before the court.

The court issued a rule as to why Josim Uddin would not be given bail in two cases filed in Dhaka, he added.

Josim Uddin, along with 30 of his accomplices, was taken into custody while conducting a secret meeting at Dakshin Khejurtala village in Barguna on August 12 last year. Police filed a case against them on the day with Barguna police station.

On August 25 last year, police arrested Abu Hanif, Asadullah and seven others from different parts of Dhaka.

Police seized a huge number of jihadi books, militant training books, a computer, a laptop, a modem, handcuffs, a manual for making arms, a grenade and a sharp knife. Two separate cases were filed with Mohammadpur police station in this regard. l

Kamal: Court to decide on Latif

Third-class government employees demanded announcement of a new pay scale with a minimum salary of Tk15,000 from July 2014.

Leaders of the association for the third-class government employees yesterday submitted a six-point demand to the prime minister’s office.

A team led by association President Mahfuzur Rahman and Secretary General Lutfar Rahman submitted a memorandum of understanding on behalf of the association.

The other demands include 75% of basic salary as house rent, increasing medical allowances to Tk2,500 and conveyance and tiffin allowance to minimum Tk1,000.

They also demanded the retirement age of the government employees be raised to 60 years with 100% pension.

Earlier on the day, around 500 employees led by the association staged a demonstration at the capital’s Institute of Engineers. Association’s Joint Secretary Selim Mollah told the Dhaka Tribune that police officials obstructed their demonstration in Shahbagh area. l

under the banner of the National Garments Workers’ Federation yesterday called for reopening and paying its workers all due salaries and overtime-bills immediately.

They made the call staging demonstrations and forming a human chain in front of the National Press Club in the capital. Around 150 workers took part in the demonstrations.

The factory has been closed since October 13 without serving any legal notice and showing any reason behind it, leaving around 400 workers unemployed. The

The factory owner had allegedly rejected the workers’ demand to register under a trade union as one of its workers Alamgir told the Dhaka Tribune: “Our demand for registering under a trade union has been rejected three times by the authorities.”

Another worker called Runa said two female workers – Morjina and Shakil – were physically harassed and injured by the higher authorities after they had demanded their outstanding overtime bills. The factory was closed the next day – October 13. l

Mortar shell injures kids n Our Correspondent, Tangail

Three minor boys sustained severe injuries when an abandoned mortar shell exploded in the Maidar Chala firing range of Ghatail Shaheed Salahuddin Cantonment in Tangail yesterday afternoon.

The victims are Ashik,12, Tusher, 12, and Raihan, 13, all class six students of Brahmanshwashan High School in Brahmanshwashan upazila.

Fazlul Kabir, officer-in-charge of Ghatail police station, said while taking a tour inside the firing range area by a CNG autorickshaw, the three boys saw a mortar shell in an abandoned state. As they curiously touched object, it exploded leaving them injured.

The injured are now under treatment at the Ghatail Combined Military Hospital, of them, Ashik and Tusher were critical, he said. l

Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said law will follow its own course in the case of Abdul Latif Siddique terminated on October 12 as soon as he returns to the country.

The junior minister made the remark while replying to queries of the journalists at his office yesterday.

The government has received several orders from the court on his arrest. The ministry will take action against Latif as per the court’s direction, Kamal said.

Meanwhile, several arrest warrants were issued against Latif Siddique in a case filed for hurting the religious sentiment of the Muslims by making derogatory comments.

When asked about the government’s achievement on visiting United Arab Emirates from October 25 to 27, the junior minister said: “We have around 10 lakhs of Bangladeshi people in UAE. We are working to ensure their safety and security.”

“Around 1,019 Bangladeshi people are in the UAE jails at present. Of them, around 40 are convicted for their proven involvement in offences

and crimes. Of them 19 are death-row convicts,” he added.

“We have signed an agreement with the UAE government. We will take initiative to bring them back shortly in accordance with the agreement.”

When asked about JMB’s involvement with India’s West Bengal blast, Kamal said India provided no information over the matter.

He, however, said the government had engaged its own intelligence agencies to look into the issue. Several steps have already been taken to this end.

There is no room for militants in Bangladesh, the minister reiterated saying the government is identifying the finance sources of the outfits.

Meanwhile, a Dhaka court yesterday issued a warrant for the arrest of recently sacked minister Abdul Latif Siddique in a case filed for hurting religious sentiments of Muslims.

Metropolitan Magistrate SM Ashiquer Rahman issued the warrant as Latif did not appear before the court although the court earlier issued summon against him in the case.

On October 2, Advocate Abed Raja filed the case with the same court against the former posts and telecommunications and ICT minister.

Hearing the charges brought against Latif Siddique, the court issued a summon asking him to appear before the court on Tuesday (October 28).

With this, a total of three arrest warrants have so far been issued from three Dhaka courts against Latif Siddique for hurting people’s religious sentiment by his remarks.

Earlier on October 15, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Shahriar Mahmud Adnan issued the first arrest warrant while Magistrate Meher Nigar Shuchona issued the second warrant against Latif on October 20 from the Dhaka Court.

However, Latif was sued in some 30 cases for his derogatory comments on hajj, Prophet Muhammad (SM), Tablig Jamaat and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s son Sajeeb Wazed Joy during a programme in New York on September 28.

His disparaging comments sparked off widespread criticisms and street protests in Bangladesh and elsewhere and cost his job.

In the wake of his insulting comments, Latif was fired from the cabinet on October 12. Moreover, the Awami League Central Working Committee expelled him from the party presidium. l

4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

ACC grills six Sonali Bank officials n Tribune Report

DHAKA-CHITTAGONG FOUR-LANE PROJECT

Deadline likely to extend further n Asif Showkat Kallol Authorities concerned are planning to propose a two-year extension on the deadline for the Dhaka-Chittagong four-lane project, the Awami League government’s priority initiative, despite the road transport minister’s earlier assurances of finishing the project by this December.

Sources at the Roads and Highways Department (RHD) made the disclosure to the Dhaka Tribune, adding that the cost of the project would see a significant rise because of the latest decision.

The department has also reportedly decided to extend the contract with DevConsultants Ltd – an Indian joint venture engineering consulting service – for the construction of the Daudkandi-Chittagong portion of the four-lane project. The extension was made without floating any tender, the sources said.

DevConsultant submitted a second revised proposal in July to continue its involvement in the project after its original contract expired this February.

Following the proposal, the RHD reportedly decided to award a two-year extension to the same company with an added cost of Tk20.6 crore.

Seeking anonymity, an official of the RHD told the Dhaka Tribune that a proposal to award DevConsultant the work would be placed at the next meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase.

According to DevConsultant’s revised proposal, at least 51.47% physi-

cal progress has been achieved in constructing 10 packages (segments) of the road, while the progress in constructing two bridges under the assigned portion of the highway has been 59.2%.

Work on the Dhaka-Chittagong fourlane project has been going on for the past eight years, while the government listed the project as a fast-track development project at the start of this year.

Talking to the Dhaka Tribune yesterday, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said the project – despite being a priority one – had to face cancellations of tender twice and changes in the project director post for 11 times.

The project, however, would definitely be completed within the government’s tenure, the minister expressed hopes.

The duration of the four-lane project has so far been repeatedly extended as per the requirements of the project, the minister said. Asked about awarding the job without a tender, Obaidul said the work on carrying out the remaining construction work has been given to an eligible firm.

Earlier this month, Obaidul told a parliamentary watchdog that his ministry would do everything possible to finish the project early. He had also previously told the parliament that the project would end by December 2014 RHD sources said disorganised management and tender process had delayed the Tk3,200 crore project by at least four years, while revisions in the project had also increased the costs by Tk1,000 crore. l

One Liberia returnee cleared as Ebola risk free n Moniruzzaman Uzzal Directorate General of Health Services issued a certificate to declare a man, who returned from Liberia about a month ago, free from the risk of Ebola infection.

The man was one of the six people who had returned from the Ebola-hit country and passed through Shahjalal International Airport without screening.

DGHS sources said he was issued a certificate stating that he can live a normal life in the society. The man had to face a lot of trouble to stay with his family at Khulna and he was being avoided by his relatives and friends.

Professor Dr Be-Nazir Ahmed, director of the Communicable Diseases Control (CDC) and a member secretary of the national Ebola Monitoring Committee, confirmed this, and said the suspected man had already completed the 21-day observation period a couple of days ago and developed no symptoms of Ebola virus infection by this time.

Earlier, five others had already completed their 21day observation period, but none of them were given such a certificate, he added.

According to DGHS sources a total of 265 Bangladeshis had returned from Ebola affected countries. l

Members of Bangladesh Online Activists’ Forum burn an effigy of Pakistan Jamaat-e-Islami Naib Ameer Siraj Ul Haq in front of the National Press Club in the capital yesterday MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

‘Bangabandhu had FAKE FF CERTIFICATES no tendency to Another official replies to notice mal Abdul Naser Chowdhury returns run away’ n Mohosinul Karim home from abroad.”

“I’m doing only routine work in Another senior official has replied to Tribune Report n the show-cause notice issued by the absence of the secretary. Most of the RAB arrests four Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Public Administration Ministry for tak- officials are senior to me. So, I should dreamt about the country’s indepen- ing freedom fighter certificate from the not make any comment on the issue,” n Tribune report dence, so he wrote a letter about it on Liberation War Affairs Ministry by giv- he added.

March 25 in 1971.

“We have found at least two formats of that written speech,” Emeritus professor Anisuzzaman said at a memorial lecture organised by Asiatic Society Bangladesh yesterday.

Mujib in the first letter mentioned, “Bangladesh is independent. I call upon people of Bangladesh, wherever you might be and with whatever you have, to resist the army of occupation to the last.”

And in the second format, he wrote, “I appeal and order you all in the name of Almighty Allah to fight to the last drop of blood to liberate the country.”

Professor Anisuzzaman said he got the second version at that time and then he sent the copy to the newspapers. “I can’t find any reason for raising any question about the letter.”

He was suprised as some say that Mujib did not want independence and he refused to fight and preferred to be in jail.

At this point he disagreed with them and told the audience that the syndrome of runaway in a crisis was not found in Mujib’s political career. l

HOUSEWIFE’S DEATH IN TEKERBARI

Family: It was murder, not suicide n Tazlina Zamila Khan The family of Tania Akhter, whose body was found hanging at her in-law’s house last Friday, has claimed that the 22-year-old housewife was murdered by the family of her husband.

Tania had been living at her in-laws house in the capital’s Tekerbari since her marriage to Ratan Miji, an expatriate living in Bahrain, a year and a half ago. The victim’s family claimed that Tania had regular quarrels with her inlaws as Ratan wanted to arrange for her

AIUB gets certified

by SGS n Tribune Report Societe Generale de Surveillance (SGS) United Kingdom Accreditation Services (UKAS) awarded the American International University Bangladesh (AIUB) with ISO 9001:2008 on Monday.

The eight clauses of the certification are scope, references, terms and definitions, quality management system, management responsibility, resource management system, product realisation and measurement, analysis and improvement. l

DIU signs MoU with 16 universities n Tribune Report Daffodil International University (DIU) has signed 16 Memorandums of Understanding and two Memorandums of Agreement with 16 top universities of Asia at the 13th Asian University Presidents Forum 2014 held from October 22-25 in Bangkok, Thailand.

Universities from Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Philippines and Japanese signed the agreements with DIU Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr M Lutfar Rahman. l

to come live with him in Bahrain.

However, before Tania could make arrangements to travel to her husband, she was found dead. The in-laws, who had gone into hiding following the incident, notified the police after allegedly finding Tania’s hanging body on the early morning of October 24.

Tania’s parents – Md Barkatullah and Nurjahan – said Tania’s in-laws feared that Ratan, who was the sole breadwinner of the family with his brother Tuku being unemployed, would stop sending money if his wife went to live with him

in Bahrain. This issue triggered many fights, they claimed.

Only a day after Tania had sent photocopies of her passport to Ratan to arrange for her to join him abroad, she was mysteriously found dead, the victim’s family claimed, adding that Tania’s in-laws had hanged her body from the ceiling after killing her, in an attempt to stage the death as a suicide.

“There is no reason for her to commit suicide. We demand a fair investigation and want the culprits to be punished,” said Md Kausar, a cousin of Tania. l

Turkish food fest kicks off tomorrow n Tribune Report A 10-day Turkish fun food fest kicks off tomorrow at 6.30pm at the Garden Brasserie of Radisson Blu Water Garden Hotel in the capital.

The fest offers Turkish cuisine such as kebabs, koftes, stuffed dolmas along with the signature sweet delicacies Baklava, Revani and Lokma. Two chefs – Senem Aktaş and Kemal ENES – have flown from Turkey to spice up the food fest.

Chef Kemal, specialised in the art of

Ottoman Cuisine, will cater to the meat lovers, sweet savorers, syrup seekers as well as caffeine cravers while Chef Senem, known for her flair in culinary arts, will adorn delicacies with her unique touch and make sure the dishes are served dapper.

Turkish Airline is sponsoring two round trip tickets (Dhaka-Turkey-Dhaka) as the grand prize of the event while Dhaka Tribune, Daily Somokal and Ekattor Television are the media partners. l

BRAC Business School, Sapien Strategy Consulting ink MoU n Tribune Report BRAC Business School’s Centre for Entrepreneurship Development (CED) and Sapien Strategy Consulting and Research signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Monday.

As part of the MoU, CED and Sapien will launch advanced management courses for professionals and arrange various training programmes to cater to the need of the Bangladesh corporate sector.

The Anti-Corruption Commission yesterday questioned six officials of stateowned Sonali Bank in an inquiry into a loan scam of nearly Tk7,000 crore through opening fake letter of Credit (LC) accounts and forgery.

A team, headed by ACC Senior Deputy Director Mir Jainul Abedin Shibly, interrogated the officials at the ACC headquarter in the capital.

The bank officials are- M A Baten, general manager for local office foreign exchange department (export), Hosne Ara Begum, deputy general manager, M Amir Uddin, assistant general manager, Sakhawat Hossain Khan, senior principal officer, M Manjurul Islam, senior officer, and M Nazmul Alam, senior officer.

The alleged embezzlement took place in nine branches of the scam hit bank. The branches are – Hotel Ruposhi Bangla Branch, Motijheel foreign export corporate branch, Gulshan branch, Bangabandhu Avenue corporate branch, Agargaon branch, Local Office, Chittaong’s Agrabad Corporate Branch and Laldighi Corporate Branch, and Narayanganj Corporate Branch.

The alleged embezzlement was unveiled through different internal inspection and investigation reports, conducted between 2010 and 2013. l

Director CED and Current In-Charge BRAC Business School Rezaur Razzak and Chairman and Chief Advisor, Sapien, Mohammad Saif Noman Khan signed the MoU on behalf of their respective organisations.

BRAC Business School’s Professor Emeritus Dr Hafiz G A Siddiqi, Shamim Ehsanul Haque, senior research fellow, CED and assistant professor, BRAC Business School, Afshana Choudhury, programme manager, CED were also present at the signing ceremony. l

ing false information.

Public Service Commission’s Secretary AKM Amir Hossain gave the reply yesterday.

Earlier, Health Secretary Neaz Uddin Mia, former liberation war affairs secretary KH Masud Siddiqui, now officer on special duty and its former joint secretary Abul Kashem Talukder submitted the replies on Monday.

Public Administration Ministry’s Additional Secretary Shahjahan Ali Mollah, who is working as an acting secretary in absence of the ministry’s senior secretary, denied making any comment on the issue.

He said, “The decision in this regard will be taken after Senior Secretary Ka-

The Public Administration Ministry on October 13 served the show-cause notices to the four officials, asking them to reply within 10 working days. They received the notices on October 15.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) found them guilty of receiving the freedom fighter certificates. Former senior secretary to the Prime Minister’s Office Molla Waheduzzaman, now chairman of the Privatisation Commission, was also found guilty.

The Liberation War Affairs Ministry had already cancelled the certificates of the four officials and suspended the certificate of Molla Wahed allowing him to appeal against the ministry’s decision. l

The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) 3 arrested four alleged criminals, who used to trade in illegal drugs together, at Khilgaon in the capital yesterday.

The arrestees were named as Md Rajon, 28, Md Sohel, 31, Mirza Md Khalid, 39, and Md Saddam Hossain, 30.

RAB officials said the four were held from a house of Bottola area on Nandipara 2 School Road around 3:15am.

One foreign pistol, one magazine, 2 one revolver, one chapati, one knife, 82 pieces of yaba, cash Tk2977, Indian rupees 50, six mobile sets and one laptop – were recovered from them.

Rajon is accused in some cases filed with Khilgaon police station. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Nursing students vacate halls with tears in eyes

Muradpur-Lalkhan Bazar Flyover’s construction deal signed n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong

Students allege that police charged batons on them on Monday in presence of college principal

n Our Correspondent, Mymensingh Highly condemning the college authorities’ order and baton charge by police, the female students of Mymensingh Nursing College vacated their dormitories with teary eyes yesterday morning.

The students claimed that the authorities’ decision was 'inconsiderate' as they were holding “peaceful' demonstrations Amid students’ demonstrations on campus, the college academic council announced to close down the college for indefinite period and directed the female students to vacate the dormitories by 2pm on Monday.

As the students denied to follow the order, the college authorities informed police who charged batons in the dormitories around 4pm on Monday leaving 10 students injured.

Later, considering the inconvenience of the female students, the au-

BSF shoots two Bangladeshis on Thakurgaon edge Correspondent, n Our Thakurgaon

Two Bangladeshi citizens sustained bullet injuries in a firing by Indian Border Security Force (BSF) on the Indo-Bangla frontier near to Rotnai area of Baliadangi upazila early yesterday.

The victims are Edris Ali, 25, son of Kalij Uddin from Taltola village, and Chaino Miah, 30, son of Dudu Miah from Borsha village of the upazila.

Sources said a patrol team of the BSF shot the du0 around 5am while they were cutting fence of barbed wire on the border to enter Indian territory.

Hearing the sound of the firing, a team from Thakurgaon 30 Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) battalion rushed to the spot and conducted a drive in search of the duo with the help of the villagers, but finally in vain.

BGB sources said they had already sent a letter to the BSF camp protesting the shooting and urged a flag meeting to discuss the matter. l

WEATHER LIGHT RAIN WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29 DHAKA

TODAY SUN SETS 5:21PM

TOMORROW SUN RISES 6:03AM

FORECAST FOR TODAY

Dhaka Chittagong Rajshahi Rangpur Khulna Barisal Sylhet Cox’s Bazar

30 30 29 28 29 29 30 31

22 24 20 20 20 22 19 23

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

31.8ºC Bogra

19.4ºC Dinajpur

Source: Accuweather/UNB

PRAYER TIMES Fajr Sunrise Zohr Asr Magrib Esha

4:46am 6:01am 11:42am 3:46pm 5:22pm 6:38 pm

SourceL IslamicFinder.org

thorities extended time up to 10am today for the students to vacate the halls, said Principal of the college Monoara Khatun.

The students claimed that the authorities’ decision was “inconsiderate” as they were holding “peaceful” demonstrations.

Around 11am they vacated the halls following the new order.

The protesting students alleged that hostel keeper Nazmunnahar had physically assaulted three honours students over allocation of seats in the hostels on October 18. When the matter was informed to the Principal Monoara Khatun, she took the hostel keeper’s side.

Demanding removal of Principal Monoara Khatun and hostel keeper Nazmunnahar, the students took position in front of the college on Sunday boycotting all classes and examinations.

Currently there are around 400 students residing in the two female dormitories of the college.

Additional police forces have been deployed on campus to avert any untoward situation, said sources in the college. l

5

Aspirant students of Dhaka University stage demonstration in TSC area of the capital yesterday, protesting authorities’ decision not to allow students to appear in admission test twice SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

Woman dies as bricks fall on her n Ashif Islam Shaon

An elderly woman died and a rickshaw puller sustained injuries as bricks fell on them from an under-construction building which had no safety nets at Mohakhali in the capital yesterday.

“When Achhiya Begum, 65, a resident of Korail slum area, was passing the building riding on a rickshaw, a bunch of bricks fell on her and rickshaw puller Mostakim, 35, from the fourth floor of the building.”

Locals rushed them to nearby a clinic where on duty doctor declared her death. Later, the rickshaw puller was rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH).

Locals said construction of the building had been going on for the last few months, but owner of the building did not take proper measures to prevent the bricks and constructions materials from falling on the road.

Police could not arrest anyone as

owner of the building went into hiding soon after the accident.

“The building is owned by one Mazhar. We found that there was lack of safety measures according to the building code.

He installed nets but that did not cover the entire building,” said Sub-Inspector Ziaul Islam of the police station.”

He said they were looking for the owner and a case will be filed in this connection. l

An agreement for constructing a 5.2 kilometre long flyover from Muradpur to Lalkhan Bazar in Chittagong city was signed yesterday over a year after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina laid foundation stone of the flyover.

Chinese companies Max-Ranken (Joint Venture) and the Chittagong Development Authority (CDA) signed the contract in Chittagong Club around 1:30pm.

CDA Chairman Abdus Salam, who presided over the contract signing ceremony, said they had taken the project of constructing the flyover in a bid to ease traffic jam of the port city.

“From the very beginning of my taking charge of the CDA, I have been trying to develop the city by integrated development policy. I have completed all the development works in the city within stipulated time,” he said.

Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) approved the revised DPP on October 01, 2013 with Tk462.29 crore as the cost for project. The construction of the flyover would begin from this November and would end in June, 2016.

Max Chairman Engineer Golam M Alamgir, CDA Secretary Tahera Ferdous Begum and Chittagong Metropolitan Police Commissioner Abdul Jalil Mondal attended the agreement signing ceremony. The premier laid the foundation of the flyover on October 12, 2013 naming after late Akhtaruzzaman Chowdhury who was a presidium member of Awami League. l

6

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Nation

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Ailing schools force students to dropout

Chapainawabganj residents demand adequate vaccines, healthcare services

Students of 66 primary schools in Itna upazila are deprived of proper education because of teacher shortage and lack of infrastructure The students from rich families go but there are no sufficient teachers for stay in remote haor area,” he said. n Our Correspondent, Kishoreganj to their n Our Correspondent, Aujit Kumar Paul, headmaster of private tutors to complete the them.”

About 28,000 students of 66 primary schools in Itna upazila under the district are deprived of education due to teacher shortage and lack of infrastructure.

Shamsur Rahman and Saiful Islam, guardians of Elengjury Primary School said that they did not send their kids to the school as there were no regular teachers.

The school building was also vulnerable that might collapse anytime, they alleged.

Arif and Suman, Class IV students of the school said they could complete their curriculum in last 9 months as there were no teachers to guide them.

Elderly man dies of bomb attack injuries Correspondent, n Our Chuadanga

An elderly man has died six hours after he suffered fatal injuries during a bomb attack at Chotoputimari village of Alamdanga upazila in Chuadanga yesterday.

Seventy-year-old Musar Uddin of the village died at Sadar hospital around 7am, said Alamdanga police station Officer-in-Charge Moniruddin Molla.

Some 10 criminals were passing by his house around 1am when he curiously asked them who they were and came under a bomb attack by them, he said, quoting the victim’s family members. Police visited the place of occurrence and collected evidence items from there.

No case was filed the victims’ family with police until filing of this report at 5am. l

syllabus but the poor family cannot go to them, said the due.

Moni Begum, an assistant teacher of the school said there were only two teachers for 600 students.

“There is no time to teach the students after taking their attendance,” she said.

“Even sometimes we cannot complete their attendance sheets,” she added.

Maximum times the schools remain closed in the area in the name of taking model test and drawing scholarship money, allege some guardians.

Md Aminul Huq Bhuiyan, headmaster of P Horipur Government Primary School said: “ I have to run the school with 203 students in six classes

“We need at least four teachers but we have two,” he said.

“I have to run the school by Class V students. Many guardians have brought allegation in this regard but I have nothing to do. I repeatedly requested to the authority concerned for more teachers,” he added.

Pulak Kanti Chowdhury, headmaster of Aralia Government Primary School said: “I am not only the head of the school but also a sweeper and peon as there is no teacher and fourth class employee.”

“I have to teach 297 students.

Three teachers out of four had been transferred as they did not wish to

Uttar Raji Government Primary School Isaid: “There are three teachers. Of them, one is in deputation while another one in training . So I have to maintain 236 students.”

“The students show negligence to the school as the quality of education is decreasing day by day,” he added.

Monarangan Roy, headmaster of Salpa Hat Kabila Government Primary School said: “I have to face a lot of problems to maintain 148 students as there are no teachers.”

Itna UP chairman Abdul Kuddus said the students could not go to school due to bad shape of roads and communication system. l

Chapainawabganj

People of Chapainawabganj formed a human chain and staged a demonstration yesterday demanding adequate supply of vaccines and some other necessary healthcare services in Chapainawabganj General Hospital.

The protesters gathered under the banner of Sammilita Samajik Andolon in front of Shaheed Satu Hall yesterday morning.

President of the organisation Advocate Syed Shahjamal Mandal, Mushfiqur Rahman Titu, Faruk Ahammed, Badrul Alam and others spoke at the meeting. Speakers demanded that the government takes initiatives to provide the inhabitants of the district

with proper healthcare services. After the demonstration the protesters sent a memorandum through the district commissioner to the health minister.

In he memorandum it was mentioned that people suffer for the low supply of vaccines for snake bite and rabies, lack of facilities for gallbladder operation, absence of gynecologist, high price of blood, bribery demanded by the staff for allocating bed or cabin and the middlemen.

The protesters demanded that the authority takes steps to remove the obstacles and improve services of the hospital. They also threatened to wage tougher movements from November 30 if the government does not fulfill their demands by then. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Special

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

7

The Testimony of Sixty On the 43rd anniversary of the publication we publish why and how it was produced in 1971 and how Senator Edward Kennedy had it adopted by the United States Congress

O

n Julian Francis ctober 21, marked the 43rd anniversary of the publication of the “Testimony of Sixty,” a collection of eye-witness accounts of the tragic situation in Bengal (East and West) at that time, in 1971.

In addition, today marks the 43rd anniversary of the publication in the United States Congressional Record of the “Testimony of Sixty.”

As I am the only person, currently living and working in Bangladesh, who was personally involved, in 1971, with the collection of many of these eye-witness accounts, I thought that you will be interested to learn how and why we decided, in 1971, to publish this document.

In 1971, I had the responsibility of coordinating the relief efforts of OXFAM-UK which was assisting approximately six lac Bangladeshi in many refugee camps in the border areas of Tripura, Meghalaya, Assam, Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, Siliguri, West Dinajpur, Barasat, and Bongaon.

As we were unsure how long the tragic situation would last, at any one time we were always planning six months ahead, and in September 1971 we were assessing the future cost of assisting the refugees through the winter which, in many areas, would be severely cold. We needed regular and large sums of money each month.

This campaign meant that the fundraising effort and publicity had to be second to none. To raise funds for a crisis which appeared to be never-ending needed a sustained fundraising strategy using advertisements which would both inform but also shock people into giving.

As the winter of 1971 approached, and with it the need for blankets and warm clothing, OXFAM ran campaigns to “Take a Blanket Off Your Bed,” “Buy a new sweater for Christmas and Throw Your Old Ones to OXFAM,” “You know what a lot of people are praying for this Christmas? A swift and merciful death.”

The British Post Office, at the time, charged nothing for sending blankets and warm clothing by parcel postage if addressed to OXFAM and the Royal Air Force air-freighted the blankets to Kolkata.

For those of us who have forgotten or are too young to remember, there were an estimated 10 million Bangladeshis existing in about 900 refugee camps. The logistics of feeding and caring for such a large number of people even now, after so many years, are difficult to comprehend. How was it done? It was done through the heroism of so many, and these men and women never sought fame or credit but insisted that they were just doing what had to be done. Most of them were refugees themselves.

To those who, in 2014, still question if genocide, by the Pakistan Army and their collaborators, took place, I can only say that on numerous occasions,

In the camps where there was no supplementary support to the aid being given by the Indian government, the situation was much worse over a period of seven months, when I visited the refugees, I saw traumatised families who had witnessed the murder of their loved ones. On my visits to the refugee camps, I became used to seeing dead bodies, mostly children, lines of people queuing up to use latrines and some, with acute diarrhea, not making it in time.

In the camps where there was no supplementary support to the aid being given by the Indian government, the situation was much worse. I saw many refugees dying, mostly the very young and the very old. They did not die in peace or with dignity. They died of hunger, in the mud. They died of cholera and they died of cold.

It was difficult to keep the crisis on the front pages of the world’s newspapers. The news of the genocide of March 25, 1971 put it on the front pages, and with outbreak of cholera in May and June, the humanitarian crisis was front page news once more. Again, when the camps got flooded that year, it was front page news. By September 1971, the British newspapers had headlines of “Carry on dying,” “Can the refugees ever go home?” and “Pakistani famine is worse than Biafra.”

However, OXFAM, at its Oxford based Head Office, decided that it must find a way to shock the world’s leaders to an even greater extent, to make them open their eyes and wake

up. In a surprisingly short space of time eye-witness accounts of the tragedy were collected and published as “The Testimony of Sixty on the Crisis in Bengal.”

This carried statements and articles written by famous persons such as Mother Teresa and Senator Edward Kennedy and well-known journalists such as Anthony Mascarenhas, John Pilger, Nicolas Tomalin, Clare Hollingworth and Martin Woollacott.

I personally collected many of the statements from people in Kolkata and I remember one day sending a telex full of statements which took 75 minutes to send over the wires! Copies of “The Testimony of Sixty” were handed over to many heads of governments and its publication coincided with the opening of that year’s General Assembly of the United Nations where it was distributed to all ambassadors to the UN. The day before the official publication date, October 21, 1971, the British Post Office assisted with telephone directories from all over the UK to pile up 49 million names on the pavement outside an OXFAM shop which was situated at 49, Parliament Street, London. Nine million represented the number of Bangladeshi refugees at that time in India and the other 40 million names represented the number of people displaced inside (then) East Pakistan who were facing extreme hunger.

GENOCIDEBANGLADESH.ORG

‘This stark tragedy is not yet understood by the world. I can tell you that not until you see it first-hand can you begin to understand its immensity. For only by being there can you sense the feelings and understand the plight of the people, and the forces of violence which continue to create refugee and increase the toll of civilian casualties’ – Senator Edward Kennedy, Testimony of Sixty

It is interesting to record that although the USA was firmly supporting Pakistan in 1971, Senator Edward Kennedy, who had visited India and the refugee camps in August 1971, brought “The Testimony of Sixty” to the attention of the US. Senate and it was published in full on October 28, 1971 in the “Congressional Record,” only one week after it was published by OXFAM in UK. Introducing the “Testimony of Sixty” to the United States’ Senate, the Congressional Record states the following: “Mr Kennedy: Mr President, the crisis in East Bengal is a story of human misery on a scale unequaled in modern times. It is a story of systematic terror and military repression, of indiscriminate killing and the killing and dislocation of millions of civilians. It is a story of death and disease, of too little food and water, of fetid refugee camps without hope and a countryside stalked by famine.

And throughout it all the world has barely murmured a word.

Romano Cagnoni gave the use of this photograph for the Testimony of Sixty. He was loath to give others of the medical and horror aspects of suffering. “At least this picture leaves the people with some kind of dignity. Whenever I am in this sort of situation I try not to isolate the person in the photograph.” The photograph should, he says, try to show something of the culture, the sense of community that he thinks is captured here THE TESTIMONY OF SIXTY

Perhaps this is because we are conditioned in the world we have created to accept such suffering and injustice.

To many the plight of the Bengali people is just another link in the chain of war-ravaged populations stretching around the world in recent years.

But perhaps, Mr. President, the public is silent because it does not know.

To bring the facts more forcibly to the public’s attention, the noted British charity, OXFAM, has recently published an impressive brochure entitled ‘The Testimony of 60 on the Crisis in Bengal.’

No one who reads this document can remain unmoved or uninformed as the plight of the Bengali people.

To share this eloquent statement with Members of the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that it be printed at this point in the RECORD. There being no objection, the testimony was ordered to be printed in the RECORD.” It is important to place on record that, although the US government supported Pakistan at that time, there was a huge outpouring of generosity and concern by the American people.

In addition, over half a million dollars of medical supplies were donated by American companies for use in the refugee camps, and later, after Liberation, in Bangladesh.

In 2007, the Liberation War Museum brought out an English facsimile edition so that more people could learn more about the history of how this nation was formed and the pain and suffering that was involved, and on December 16, 2009, The Daily Prothom Alo published a Bangla facsimile edition which has reached many more readers.

This, then, is the story of how this

historical document was prepared and why it was prepared. As someone who witnessed the very painful birth of Bangladesh, I am astonished that there are many who deny that genocide took place in Bangladesh in 1971.

I strongly recommend that they read “The Testimony of Sixty” wherein the eye-witness accounts will bring tears to their eyes. l Julian Francis, who was OXFAM’s Special Representative in Kolkata in 1971, was awarded the ‘Friends of Liberation War Honour’ in March 2012 by the Government of Bangladesh.

8

DHAKA TRIBUNE

World

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Peshmerga troops set to join Kobane battle n Agencies Dozens of Kurdish Peshmerga fighters are preparing to leave Iraq for the besieged Syrian town of Kobane to help fellow Kurds in their battle against the ISIL. Kurdish official in the city of Erbil told Al Jazeera that more than 150 people were ready to depart and that a plane was being loaded with light weapons on Tuesday afternoon.

Supplies of heavy weapons were expected to be transported by road to Turkey later at night, the officials said.

Syrian Kurds have battled fighters of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group in and around Kobane since mid-September. Despite US-led air strikes supporting the Kurds, ISIL has kept up its assault.

Last week, the local Iraqi Kurdish government authorised about 150 Peshmerga to go to Syria to fight.

Turkey has been reluctant to join the US-led coalition against ISIL. But after pressure from its Western allies, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said last Wednesday that some Peshmerga fighters from Iraq would be allowed to transit through Turkey to Kobane.

Bahrain court suspends opposition party n Agencies Activities of Al-Wefaq suspended for three months less than one month before parliamentary elections are to be held. A Bahraini court has issued an order suspending the activities of the country’s main Shia opposition group just weeks before parliamentary elections are to be held, AFP news agency quoted a court official in the Gulf island kingdom as saying.

An administrative court in the capital Manama ruled on Tuesday that al-Wefaq, which draws most of its support from the Sunni-ruled kingdom’s Shia majority, had violated a law on associations.

Defence lawyer, Abdullah al-Shamlawi, told the Associated Press news agency that the verdict meant all of al-Wefaq’s activities would be frozen for three months.

Al-Wefaq had already announced that it would boycott a November 22 election along with other opposition groups.

The main Shia bloc believes that the Sunni monarchy has not engaged in genuine reconciliation efforts after widespread protests that began in 2011 and were led by the kingdom’s majority Shia population.

Al-Wefaq was established in 2002 after an announcement of political reforms the previous year. It had no immediate comment on the court’s ruling. l

Halgord Hekmat, the spokesman of the Kurdish ministry responsible for the Peshmerga, has said the fighters are “support forces” and will be armed with automatic weapons, mortars and rocket launchers.

The deployment is open-ended, with minister Mustafa Qader saying that: “They will remain there until they are no longer needed.”

ISIL has captured dozens of Kurdish villages around Kobane and now also control parts of the town. The battles have killed more than 800 people, according to activists, and sent more than 200,000 people fleeing into Turkey.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that the US-led coalition carried out three air strikes on Kobane on Tuesday, targeting a gathering of ISIL fighters.

The US Central Command said more air strikes were launched in Syria and Iraq on Monday and Tuesday.

In Syria, four air strikes near Kobane destroyed four ISIL fighting positions and a small ISIL unit, a US statement said.

ISIL has taken over large expanses of land in Iraq and Syria and been accused of grave atrocities in both countries. l

Twelve Nobel Peace Prize laureates are urging President Barack Obama to disclose the CIA’s use of torture on terror suspects since the attacks of September 11, 2001.

Obama, who won a Peace Prize himself in 2009, recognised in very direct terms in August that the United States had engaged in torture.

“We tortured some folks,” he said at the time.

But the White House is engaged in tough negotiations with lawmakers over how much of the report on CIA torture should be declassified, with the intelligence agency insisting that agents’ pseudonyms be blacked out.

“The open admission by the president of the United States that the country engaged in torture is a first step in the US coming to terms with a grim chapter in its history,” the Nobel laureates wrote in their letter to Obama.

“It remains to be seen whether the United States will turn a blind eye to the effects of its actions on its own people and on the rest of the world, or if it will take the necessary steps to recover the standards on which the country was founded, and to once again adhere to the international conventions it helped to bring into being.”

The laureates noted that many

REUTERS

Premier: Israel will build in all of Jerusalem Tunisia’s Ennahda ‘faces n AP

Israel’s prime minister pledged Monday to keep building in east Jerusalem, despite stiff international criticism and recent rising tensions between Jews and Arabs in the city.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government said it was advancing construction plans to build about 1,000 housing units in east Jerusalem, the part of the city the Palestinians demand for their future state.

Speaking to parliament, Netanyahu defended the stance saying there was a wide consensus in Israel to continue building throughout the city, just as ev-

ery Israeli government has done since Israel captured east Jerusalem in 1967.

“Even the Palestinians know that these places will stay in Israeli sovereignty under any agreement,” he said.

“The French build in Paris, the English build in London and the Israelis build in Jerusalem. To come and tell Jews not to live in Jerusalem — why?”

East Jerusalem is home to the city’s most sensitive Jewish, Christian and Muslim holy sites. Israel says the whole city will forever be its capital, citing historical, religious and security reasons. The international community, including the United States, does not recognise Israel’s annexation of the eastern sector of Jerusalem.

The Palestinians seek east Jerusalem as their future capital and oppose any Israeli construction there. Palestinian protesters have been clashing regularly with Israeli security forces in east Jerusalem for months, and violence has particularly risen in recent days at a key Jerusalem holy site.

In a bid to bolster claims in Jerusalem, the Palestinian prime minister paid a rare visit to the Dome of the Rock Monday. At the shrine on a hilltop compound revered by both Jews and Muslims, Rami Hamdallah declared that “there will not be a Palestinian state without east Jerusalem as its capital.”

The visit was coordinated with Israeli security and passed without incident. l

Russia backs rebel polls in east Ukraine n AFP Russia has announced plans to recognise elections scheduled for next weekend by rebels in east Ukraine, defying the government in Kiev and indicating that the crisis, which began nearly a year ago, is far from abating.

In an interview with the Izvestia newspaper on Tuesday, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced Moscow’s plans saying: “We expect the elections will go ahead as agreed, and we will of course recognise the results.”

Two pro-Russian separatist regions, the self-proclaimed people’s republics

Nobel peace laureates press Obama on torture n AFP

A convoy of Kurdish peshmerga fighters drive through Arbil after leaving a base in northern Iraq, on their way to the Syrian town of Kobine yesterday

among them had seen the effects of torture in their own countries, or were themselves “torture survivors.”

After the 2001 attacks, the CIA rounded up dozens of people suspected of having ties to al-Qaeda and used so-called enhanced interrogation techniques on them, including sleep deprivation, simulated drowning (waterboarding) or shackling detainees in painful “stress” positions for long periods of time while naked.

When he recognised use by the CIA of torture earlier this year, Obama also stressed that he had banned the use of the enhanced interrogation methods as soon as he arrived at the White House in January 2009.

He acknowledged that there had been “enormous pressure” on law enforcement and national security in the wake of the attacks on New York’s Twin Towers, the Pentagon and the crash of a plane in Pennsylvania that targeted Washington.

The letter’s signatories were: Oscar Arias, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1987, Mohamed ElBaradei (2005), Carlos Belo (1996), Leymah Gbowee (2011), John Hume (1998), F.W. De Klerk (1993), Adolfo Perez Esquivel (1980), Jose Ramos-Horta (1996), Desmond Tutu (1984), Muhammad Yunus (2006), Betty Williams (1976) and Jody Williams (1997). l

of Dontesk and Luhansk, are holding polls on Sunday to elect leaders and parliaments, exactly a week after Kiev completed general elections which the two regions refused to participate in.

“We are counting on it being a free vote and that it will go ahead unhindered,” Lavrov said, adding, that the elections would be “important from the point of view of legitimising the authority” of the regions’ rebel leadership.

He also said Moscow was likely to recognise parliamentary elections held by Ukraine on Sunday, although it would wait for the verdict of the OSCE observers.

Dmytro Kuleba, a senior official in

Ukrainian foreign ministry official, said Moscow’s announcement “undermines” attempts to end a six-month war there.

“Russia’s intentions directly contradict the Minsk (peace) accord, undermine the agreed process on deescalation and peaceful resolution, and continue to weaken trust in it (Russia) as a reliable international partner,” Kuleba told the AFP new agency.

Thousands have died in street battles between pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine and government troops in a crisis that was sparked by protests which toppled the Moscow-backed president V iktor Yanukovych. l

defeat’ in elections n Agencies Tunisian secular Nidaa Tounes party is emerging as the main winner in the 217-seat parliament election after Sunday’s vote, preliminary results show.

Led by Beji Caid Essebsi, Nidaa Tunis has won 83 seats (38 percent), according to official provisional results released on Monday.

The North African nation’s leading Islamist party, Ennahda, is in second place with 68 seats (31 percent).

Among the other parties, the provisional figures showed Free Patriotic Union and the Popular Front with 17 seats (seven percent) and 12 seats (five percent) respectively.

Essebsi said on Sunday night that there were “positive indications” Nidaa Tounes was ahead.

Ennahda’s head acknowledged late on Monday that his party had finished second.

“Ennahda president Rachid Ghannouchi congratulates B Sebsi [Beji Caid Essebsi] on his party’s win ... a few moments ago,” his daughter Soumaya tweeted.

Party spokesman Zied Laadhari earlier said that: “They [Nidaa Tounes] are ahead by around a dozen seats.”

“We will have around 70 seats and they will have about 80” out of 217 contested in Sunday’s election, he said.

Turkey burning, just as Assad warned n Reuters, Beirut When Sunni rebels rose up against Syria’s Bashar al-Assad in 2011, Turkey reclassified its protégé as a pariah, expecting him to lose power within months and join the autocrats of Egypt, Libya, Tunisia and Yemen on the scrap heap of the “Arab Spring.”

Assad, in contrast, shielded diplomatically by Russia and with military and financial support from Iran and its Shi’ite allies in Lebanon’s Hezbollah, warned that the fires of Syria’s sectarian war would burn its neighbors.

For Turkey, despite the confidence of Tayyip Erdogan, elected this summer to the presidency after 11 years as prime minister and three straight general election victories, Assad’s warning is starting to ring uncomfortably true.

Turkey’s foreign policy is in ruins.

Its once shining image as a Muslim democracy and regional power in the NATO alliance and at the doors of the European Union is badly tarnished.

Amid a backlash against political Islam across the region Erdogan is still irritating his Arab neighbors by offering himself as a Sunni Islamist champion.

The world, meanwhile, is transfixed by the desperate siege of Kobine, the Syrian Kurdish town just over Turkey’s border, under attack by extremist Sunni fighters of the Islamic State (IS) who are threatening to massacre its defenders.

Erdogan has enraged Turkey’s own Kurdish minority – about a fifth of the population and half of all Kurds across the region – by seeming to prefer that IS jihadis extend their territorial gains in

Syria and Iraq rather than that Kurdish insurgents consolidate local power.

The forces holding on in Kobine are part of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), closely allied to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has fought a 30-year war against the Turkish state and is now holding peace talks with Ankara.

Big risks

Meanwhile, Turkish tanks stood idly by as the unequal fight raged between the PYD and IS, while Erdogan said both groups were “terrorists” and Kobine would soon fall. It was a public relations disaster.

Assad warned that the fires of Syria’s sectarian war would burn its neighbors It drew criticism from NATO allies in the US-led coalition, which has bombed jihadi positions around the town in coordination with the PYD. It also prompted Kurdish riots across south-east Turkey resulting in more than 40 dead.

At the same time, Turkey’s air force bombed PKK positions near the Iraqi border for the first time in two years, calling into question the 2013 ceasefire declared by Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed PKK leader. PKK commanders warned that if Turkey let Kobine fall, they would go back to war.

Yet now that the United States has dropped arms to Kobine’s defenders, Erdogan has been forced to relent and

open a Turkish corridor for Peshmerga fighters from Iraq to reinforce Kobine.

Turkish officials fear this will provoke reprisals in Turkey by IS, activating networks it built during the two years the Erdogan government allowed jihadi volunteers to cross its territory to fight in Syria. Almost anything Turkey does now comes with big risks.

Polarised nation

The polarisation within Turkey along sectarian and ethnic lines - which analysts say Erdogan has courted with his stridently Sunni tone as communal conflict between Sunni and Shi’ite rages to Turkey’s south - is easy to detect in the poor and deeply conservative district of Fatih in Istanbul.

“I prefer to have IS than PKK in control of Kobine,” says Sitki, a shopkeeper. “They are Muslims and we are Muslims. (But) we as Muslims should be ruled by the Koran under Sharia law.”

Another local shopkeeper, Nurullah, 35, broadly agreed: “The only mistake the government has made is to open the door to Kurdish refugees. PYD and PKK are the same, both terrorists. How do (the Americans) have the nerve to ask us to help PYD?” “Of course Islamic State has sympathisers here because they are wiping out the PKK,” Nurullah continued.

Nearby, a bearded Arabic-speaking man who declined to be named said it made sense that “Turkey as a Sunni nation supports IS over the crusaders,” a hostile reference to the US-led coalition against IS of which Turkey looks an unwilling party. l

Lotfi Zitoun, a senior Ennahda official, conceded defeat and reiterated the party’s call for the formation of a unity government including Ennahda in the interest of the country, regarded as the birthplace of the Arab Spring.

“We have accepted this result, and congratulate the winner,” Zitoun told Reuters news agency.

The provisional results represent a setback for Ennahda, which had expected to fare much better by betting on its popularity among the poor in many of the country’s marginalised communities.

The party, however, is accused of mismanaging the economy and for inexperience when it led the government during the transitional period.

Ahmed Gaaloul, a member of Ennahda’s shura (consultative) council, said history showed that the first governments to lead countries after revolutions often had a difficult time.

“Most of the post-revolution governments faced difficulties, simply because people’s expectations are higher after revolution,” he told Al Jazeera.

“Governing is not an easy task in those conditions because you don’t want to prove powerful when people revolted against that.

“Winning the last elections put us in a very hard exam. With most of our leadership spent years in jails or exile, it was hard to govern.” l

Nigeria says Boko Haram negotiations are ‘ongoing’ n Agencies Nigeria says it is still holding talks with Boko Haram, two weeks after the government said it had agreed a truce with the Islamist militant group.

A presidential spokesman said he was optimistic that something “concrete and positive” would come out of the talks.

There has been no comment from Boko Haram, and violence in northern Nigeria has continued.

More than 200 schoolgirls are still being held by the group, which has been fighting an insurgency since 2009.

The military had said they were expecting their release by Friday, but only two of the girls have been freed, and the circumstances surrounding their release are unclear.

Boko Haram has killed at least 2,000 civilians this year.

‘Optimistic’ Boko Haram sparked global outrage six months ago when they abducted the schoolgirls from the north-eastern town of Chibok in Borno state.

The girls’ continued captivity has led to criticism of the Nigerian government’s efforts to secure their release.

Nigerian presidential spokesman Reuben Abati told the BBC that that the governments of Cameroon and Chad were also involved with the negotiations. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

India to supply Vietnam with naval vessels amid China disputes n Reuters India will soon be supplying naval vessels to Vietnam, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday, the first significant military transfer to Hanoi at a time when it is embroiled in a territorial dispute with China.

The announcement came after Modi held talks with his visiting Vietnamese counterpart, Nguyen Tan Dung, during which the two sides agreed to modernise the Vietnamese military as well as raise Indian involvement in Vietnam’s energy sector.

Both India and Vietnam have territorial disputes with China - India in the Himalayas and Vietnam in the South China Sea. New Delhi and Hanoi are beefing up defenses even as they ramp up commercial ties with China, the world’s second-largest economy.

“Our defense cooperation with Vietnam is among our most important,” Modi told reporters, adding it will be expanded.

Top of the agenda is the sale of four offshore patrol vessels that Vietnam wants to improve its defenses in the energy rich-South China Sea where it is locked in competing claims with China.

Talks on the naval craft have gathered pace since last month when India announced a $100 million credit line for defense purchases, an Indian government official earlier told Reuters.

“We will quickly operationalise the $100 million Line of Credit that will enable Vietnam to acquire new naval vessels from India,” Modi said.

Vietnam wants the craft for surveillance off its coast and around its military bases in the Spratly island chain in the South China Sea where it is building a credible naval deterrent to China with Kilo-class submarines from Russia.

Claims by an increasingly assertive China over most of the South China have set it directly against US allies Vietnam and the Philippines. Brunei,

Taiwan and Malaysia also claim parts of the waters.

Beijing’s placement of an oil rig in disputed waters earlier this year infuriated Vietnam but the coastguard vessels it dispatched to the platform were each time chased off by larger Chinese boats.

India and Vietnam called for peaceful resolution of the disputes in the region.

“They agreed that freedom of navigation and overflight in the East Sea/ South China Sea should not be impeded and called the parties concerned to exercise restraint, avoid threats or use of force,” a joint statement said.

The two sides also signed an agreement under which India’s state-run oil exploration arm, ONGC Videsh Ltd, will enhance cooperation with PetroVietnam.

“The agreement underlines Vietnamese invitation to OVL to expand its presence in Vietnam and further consolidate cooperation in exploration and other areas between the two countries in energy sector,” the joint statement said.

China has previously criticised India’s cooperation with Vietnam in the oil and gas sector, saying its exploration activities off the Vietnam coast are illegal.

On Tuesday, responding to a question on India and Vietnam exploring oil together in the South China Sea, Beijing said it would have no problem so long as it was carried out in waters that were not disputed.

“China has indisputable sovereignty over the Spratly Islands and its adjacent waters. We have no objection to countries who want to carry out legitimate and lawful oil and gas cooperation in waters that we have no dispute over,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said.

“But if such cooperation harms China’s sovereignty and interests, we will resolutely oppose it.” l

World

F O R T H E R I G H T TO S E L F - D E T E R M I N AT I O N

Protesters open their umbrellas, symbols of pro-democracy movement, as they mark exactly one month since they took the streets in Hong Kong’s financial central district yesterday. Hong Kong has been roiled by a tenacious, month-long student-led people’s movement demanding full democracy in the former British colony that returned to Chinese rule in 1997. Chinese characters read, ‘persevere, democracy’ REUTERS

Fadnavis selected Maharashtra CM n Agencies

India’s top court slams failure to form Delhi government

Devendra Fadnavis will take oath as Maharashtra’s new chief minister at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Friday following his selection as the leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislature party.

All newly elected BJP MLAs voted unanimously for him at Vidhan Bhavan during a meeting attended by home minister Rajnath Singh and party general secretary JP Nadda on Tuesday.

Senior state leader Eknath Khadse, who was also believed to be in the race, proposed Fadnavis’ name for the state’s top job. Sudhir Munganttiwar, Vinod Tawde and Pankaja Munde seconded the candidature.

The BJP approached governor C Vidyasagar Rao at Raj Bhavan at 6pm to stake claim to the government.

At 44, Fadnavis will be the second youngest Maharashtra chief minister next only to Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar. l

n AFP

n Reuters

A man cuts meat from a spit as he prepares kabab in a fast-food restaurant in Marseille REUTERS

“Kababisation”

But despite its rapid rise in popularity, the kabab has a lingering reputation perpetuated in part by hidden-camera TV shows that have exposed some insalubrious kitchen conditions - of greasy junk food served in dodgy corner shops by non-assimilated Muslim immigrants.

With food often used as a metaphor for French identity, the National Front has made a campaign issue of opposing the widespread supply of halal meat, something it sees as Islam impinging on French traditions.

The metaphor is not restricted to meat. One right-wing politician created a furore in 2012 by repeating an unsubstantiated anecdote about how a schoolchild had a ‘pain au chocolat’ - a quintessential French pastry snatched from his hands by Muslims who were fasting for Ramadan.

Campaigning for local elections last March, National Front candidates across the country criticised the rise of kabab shops, with one coining the phrase that France was undergoing a “kababisation.”

The contrast is sharp with Germany, where the ever-present doner kabab is viewed as a positive symbol of Turkish integration into German society.

Chancellor Angela Merkel has been photographed slicing a doner on at least three occasions, while British opposition leader Ed Miliband wrote

Sharif invited to Afghanistan conference n Agencies

France, kababs, and identity In a country whose national identity is so closely connected to its cuisine, France’s hard right has seized on a growing appetite for kababs as proof of cultural “Islamisation.”

Four kabab houses opened last month in Blois, bringing the total to over a dozen in the pretty Loire valley town where tourists come to see the castle. The far-right National Front party railed: “The historical centre of Blois, the jewel of French history, is turning into an Oriental city.”

The implicit message is clear: the now ubiquitous kabab, popular with the young and cash-strapped, is a sign that Middle Eastern culture has taken root in France, where not everyone is happy about the presence of 5 million Muslims.

“The kabab is a bit of a reflection of all the problems with immigration and integration in France,” says Thibaut Le Pellec, founder of KababFrites.com, a website that ranks kabab houses across the country and seeks to raise the reputation of the “kababistes” who make and sell the food.

Damien Schmitz, who runs a kabab shop in Paris, puts it more bluntly: by criticising the kabab, he says, “you can speak ill of Muslims without speaking ill of Muslims.”

Introduced by Turkish immigrants to Paris in the 1990s, the doner kabab - where meat is carved off an upright rotating spit and served in a flatbread with salad and spicy sauce - quickly found favour with France’s North African population raised on spiced halal meat in tagines and stews.

The dish adapted to the French palate, served in crusty bread, with the addition of a creamy white sauce and side of fries.

Now, some 300 million kababs at about 6 euros each are eaten in 10,200 outlets in France each year, putting the 1.5 billion euro ($1.9 billion) industry just behind burgers and pizza, according to Gira Conseil, a market research company. Kababs are everywhere - in cities and towns, in supermarket freezers and drivethroughs. One brand of potato chips is even kabab-flavoured, and advertised

by Yohan Cabaye, a white footballer who plays for France and Paris SaintGermain.

9

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

to industry website British Kabab hailing the “hard work and dedication of businesses in this industry to bringing high quality food at affordable prices.”

No French politicians have done anything similar.

Kabab chic

“We’re not asking anyone to sing the praises of kababs or to make kababs a French dish, as we know that will never happen,” said Ilhan Arslan, who in 2006 launched France’s first chain of kabab restaurants, O’Kebap, now with 13 outlets and growing.

“But it’s just like the image France has today with its own immigrants ... they bring a richness to France and yet France doesn’t embrace that,” added Arslan, whose father was a kabab shop owner in Izmir, Turkey. “It’s the same thing with kababs.”

Kabab shops that draw meagre foot traffic often arouse allegations of being fronts for money laundering, but such accusations are greatly exaggerated, say those in the industry.

More damaging are charges of rampant food safety violations. Yet one health inspector, who requested anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to the media, said those lapses were no more prevalent in kabab shops than in other restaurants. Still, more French are learning to trust their stomachs, rather than the hype. l

India’s top court lambasted top officials Tuesday for dragging their feet in forming a new government in the national capital more than eight months after the last administration resigned in chaos.

New Delhi, a city of some 17 million people, has been without a proper government since February, when the capital’s firebrand chief minister Arvind Kejriwal quit to protest the blocking of an anti-corruption bill.

The Supreme Court urged authorities and political parties to resolve the impasse, saying Delhi residents deserved a democratically elected government.

“We gave you enough time but nothing has happened so far,” Chief Justice H.L. Dattu, who heads a fivejudge bench, told the court.

“The people of Delhi have a right to have a democratically elected government and not be ruled by the pres-

ident,” he said.

The court was directing its criticism at Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung and the national government which have been running the city-state since Kejriwal quit as head of a minority administration.

Kejriwal, an anti-corruption campaigner and a self-described “anarchist,” had only taken power 49 days before his shock resignation.

He has since been demanding fresh elections in the capital, a move opposed by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has the biggest number of seats in the Delhi assembly.

Kejriwal’s upstart Aam Aadmi (Common Man) Party lodged a petition in the Supreme Court seeking new polls in the hope of strengthening its fortunes.

The court said Tuesday that President Pranab Mukherjee has now instead given his consent to a proposal to invite the BJP to form a new government. l

British Prime Minister David Cameron spoke with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday over the telephone and invited him to attend the Afghanistan Conference being held in London in the last week of November.

“The conference is being co-chaired

by Prime Minister Cameron and Dr Ashraf Ghani, President of Afghanistan. It will serve to reiterate the international community’s commitment to Afghanistan,” a spokesman for PM House, Mohiuddin Wani said.

Speaking with Premier Sharif, the British PM cited importance of Pakistan’s role for bringing peace and stability in the war-torn country.

“As one of Afghanistan’s most important neighbours, Pakistan’s participation at the highest level would serve to highlight its commitment to peace and stability in Afghanistan,” Cameron was quoted as saying over the phone. l

Nilofer intensifying n Agencies A ‘severe tropical cyclone’ about 1140km off Karachi is intensifying gradually and may hit parts of Pakistan and India in coming days, according to Met officials.

The cyclone Nilofar started developing in the northwest Arabian Sea five to seven days ago.

“Meteorological conditions in the region indicate that the severe tropical cyclone may further intensify into a ‘very severe tropical cyclone’ on Monday night. At present the estimated central pressure of the cyclone is 992hPa and the average sustained wind speed around is 65 to 75 gusting up to 85 knots,” it said.

“The sea conditions along the country’s coast will be rough to very rough from Wednesday to Friday. Fishermen in Sindh and Balochistan are advised not to venture in the open sea during the period.”

The severe cyclonic storm Nilofar is expected to hit Gujarat around Naliya on the morning of October 31st. l

10

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Editorial

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

CODE-CRACKER

Not above the law

I

t is completely unacceptable that vehicles used by ministers and other high-ranking government officials regularly flout traffic rules.

The sight of official vehicles driving down the wrong side of the road or blatantly disregarding other road users is commonplace on the streets of Dhaka.

Our overcrowded metropolis has one of the worst managed traffic situations in the world. The cause of the problem is not just the large number of vehicles or poorly managed road space, it is the callous disregard for traffic rules by many drivers.

For MPs and officials tasked with improving life for the public to exacerbate the traffic situation on a daily basis for their own benefit is a disgrace.

When ministers and other government officials flout rules for selfish reasons, they appear to give legitimacy to bad behaviour on the roads. This can only make it harder to enforce rules and regulations intended to improve traffic congestion.

High-ranking government staff travelling in flag-carrying cars are shielded as it is from the realities of traffic conditions. For them and their drivers to routinely break basic traffic rules only makes matters worse by causing huge inconvenience to citizens.

We must stop allowing VIP cars to break traffic rules. It is an unacceptable double standard, and the practice must cease. When government worthies are allowed to violate the rules, they cease to have the incentive to improve the situation for the rest of us.

No person, no matter how important, is above the law.

We must stop allowing VIP cars to break traffic rules

Aid website a step forward for transparency

T

he launch of Bangladesh Aid Information Management System (AIMS), a new website by the government’s Economic Relations Division, is a positive step towards transparency.

We agree with the finance minister, who launched the new domestically-developed web portal on Sunday, that the reduction of foreign assistance from accounting for 12% of GDP in 1977 to less than 1.8% now is evidence of real progress, and hope it can be reduced further.

Nonetheless, foreign aid totaled nearly $3bn last year. Even though it is a declining part of the economy, and less than a fifth of the 11% of GDP accounted for by remittances, it remains absolutely vital to underpinning development and infrastructure projects.

With key projects such as metro rail depending on overseas partners to get off the ground, it is as important as ever to build confidence that aid funds are fully accounted for and spent effectively.

The new portal aims to provide a single entry window for all foreign assistance-related information in Bangladesh and enable the public to assist stakeholders in tracking the management of aid flows.

It still needs enhancement to improve the level of public access, by providing a more detailed breakdown of how and where project monies are spent.

The amounts given to private firms and consultants, based both here and overseas, who are responsible for managing a large proportion of aid flows, should be publicly disclosed. This will help not only locals, but also the overseas taxpayers who fund aid agencies, to locate and track specific projects, and help ensure proper accountability.

This new website may help accountability by allowing the public to track project funds

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

The Bangladeshi Riviera October 20

Kevin Mansfield “Originally, riviera was an Italian word, meaning just coastline … and what better way to describe Cox’s Bazar District, as the wonderful coastline and backed by the outstanding hills of the Bandarbans?”

I have been to Cox’s Bazar once in 2012, and the place looks quite clean and serene, especially Inani beach; simply wonderful. Thanks for sharing this article.

Vishnu Deb I think tourists should avoid India and start visiting Bangladesh now. Every time, we hear news about foreign women being raped in India, and Indians not having any toilets in their houses, so you will see people defecating in the roads and open fields in India.

On the other hand, the beauty of Bangladesh is yet to be explored; the largest sea beach, largest mangrove forests, highest number of archaeological sites in the subcontinent, all these things are in Bangladesh!

Vikram Khan This author does not seem to be the person to write in an objective and correct manner about the tourist industry in Cox’s Bazar because

Rais, we need you here

October 20 nahiyan_dhaka1 “We need people like Rais Bhuiyan right here in Bangladesh in order to spread the message of love, forgiveness, friendliness, kindness, and empathy.”

Very inspiring indeed, masha’Allah!

State minister: 1 in 4 lives below the poverty line October 20

he is involved in the tourist trade. The tourist industry in Cox’s Bazar is dead. The total industry collapsed after two years of political violence, keeping tourists away.

Furthermore, the tourist industry in Cox’s Bazar is controlled by musclemen, illegally occupying protected beach areas (this also includes the author’s project). The complete area stinks like a public toilet, rubbish is littered everywhere, tourists are forced to pay ridiculous high prices for a total lack of even the basic services, the beach is unsafe in the daytime, and tourists are harassed by beggars, muggers, prostitutes, and drug traders.

While I totally understand the author’s wish for people to come and stay in Cox’s Bazar, his writing should present the truth and not an advertisement.

How to solve: Each number in our CODE-CRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 7 represents U so fill U every time the figure 7 appears.

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

Some letters of the alphabet may not be used.

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

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

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

Lalon Shah Vikram Khan: Let’s cut this guy some slack.

Of course, we may have, with Cox’s Bazar, the negatives you mentioned, but what the author is talking about is equally true. If his writing brings in a few more tourists, who knows; we may see gradual improvement in amenities. There’s nothing shameful about promoting the natural beauty that our country is endowed with.

Halt the hidden salt October 19

Aimee Raymond Normalise your omega 6:3 ratio. Both omega-3 and omega-6 fats are essential for your health.

Most people, however, are getting too much omega-6 in their diet and far too little omega-3.

Information minister calls for concerted efforts to fight cancer

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Sail support (4) 5 Storehouse (5) 9 Shrewd (6) 10 Before (poet) (3) 11 Avoid (4) 12 Wise men (5) 14 Boat hoist (5) 16 Region (4) 19 Wicked giant (4) 21 Helped (5) 24 Proverb (5) 27 Old stringed instrument (4) 29 Tear (3) 30 Vestiges (6) 31 Very hard mineral (5) 32 Orderly (4)

DOWN 1 Disguise (4) 2 Tree (3) 3 Atelier (6) 4 Fish (4) 5 Longed for (7) 6 Laundry item (3) 7 Metal-bearing rock (3) 8 Irritable (5) 13 Consumed (3) 15 Diversity (7) 17 Cite as pertinent (6) 18 Widen out bellwise (5) 20 Joke (3) 22 Dash (4) 23 Compass point (4) 25 Obscure (3) 26 Copy (3) 28 Beverage (3)

October 19

Mohdud Ul Huq Very shameful. Some politicians misuse and steal people’s money to satisfy their personal needs.

Fareed Wakil If the honourable minister says less and does more to stop the flow of toxic poisons into the food chain, which is causing the huge rise in cancer in our society, then we will be grateful.

Bangladeshi ‘slaves’ rescued from Thai jungle

CALVIN AND HOBBES

October 18

Kas So how are we upholding ekatturer chetona?

Now that we have opened ourselves to enslavement? We want to know what the government is going to do about this. If these were nationals of any other country, there would be war!

20 killed in Natore road accident

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS CODE-CRACKER

CROSSWORD

October 20 Sheikh Monir What a sad news this is!

PEANUTS

Which way will you go?

October 20

SUDOKU

Lutfur Arif “What to do in the aftermath of a break-up.”

Good suggestions for me at the right time by my favourite DT!

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Op-Ed

11

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

What Ghulam Azam wrought

A

n Sushovan Dhar year ago, Ghulam Azam was sentenced to 90 years of imprisonment. Turning down prosecutors’ appeal for the death penalty, he was spared due to his age. However, age did not spare him a year later. The death of this persona terrible raises several pertinent questions about the future of his brand of politics.

What would its impacts be in the short and medium terms? What ramifications are likely to extend across the South Asian region? His death has, of course, not orphaned his political child. And, its too premature to predict its course, since much of it depends on collective efforts more than Ghulam’s demise.

Many a protester, primarily the students and the youth, were seen triumphant, organising sporadic marches celebrating Ghulam’s passing.

That was certainly not unnatural or unexpected given his role during the Bangladesh liberation war. He evoked memories of the massacres which killed countless people, raped thousands of women, rendered many homeless, and turned innocent children orphans.

The Butcher of Bangladesh would have put any butcher to shame. Certainly, the young, celebrating brigade, at times exhibiting signs of zealotry and hyper-jubilation, can’t be held responsible for being unruly towards this particular deceased. They are expressing a sense of relief about those dark days and the shadows of the horror which Ghulam Azam essentially symbolised. Even so, a deeper concern still exists about the malady that he was able to successfully strengthen and spread. The current euphoria surrounding his death must gear up to resist it appropriately.

The religious-right asserts

Historically, religious politics surfaced immediately in the post-liberation days, gaining momentum after Ziaur Rahman’s coup d’etat, and acquiring complete ascendancy during the Ershad era. It can hardly be doubted that this dire emergence of Islamic fundamentalist forces has wedged the country towards an extremely grievous situation that is capable of pushing the nation towards an ugly civil war.

This painful journey from Bengali nationalism to an Islamic state has

included endless attacks and hostility towards religious minorities, women, and also against the progressive and secular sections of the society; all in the name of religion. Savage actions have claimed lives. The innocent and the lower strata of the society have been the worst victims. And to add to this, the rise of religious fundamentalism has had severe impacts on the overall security of the country and the region. This insidious growth of religious fundamentalism has violated the four cardinal founding principles of Bangladesh: Nationalism, socialism, secularism, and democracy.

Bangladesh is caught in a mess from which it needs to extricate itself.

The death of Ghulam Azam or a few others would not reverse the situation automatically. Neither would the hanging of leading collaborators bring any short-term solution. There is a need to seek a long-term solution to this problem which is deeply afflicting Bangladesh as well as the South Asian region. Competing fundamentalisms raise mutual hostility but emerge with reciprocity, jointly victorious.

The struggle against the Razakars is shifting to a new phase; the outcome will profoundly affect Bangladesh

South Asia

Pakistan’s 2013 elections brought Nawaz Sharif-led Pakistan Muslim League to power. His victory legitimised right-wing politics, and religious fanatics took advantage. Radical Islamic groups and networks, which were earlier banned, resurfaced once again – both covertly and overtly.

The Pakistani state, which had earlier been an onlooker, is now a bystander.

Women, human rights, and secularism activists, and free-thinking individuals including journalists are bearing the worst.

There are thousands of Malalas in the North-West Frontier Province now, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Baluchistan, where fundamentalists have gained

The butcher is dead control. The country is sitting on a simmering volcano ready to erupt. In the midst of this sinister condition, people are left alone to bank on their fate. Lives are squeezed out mercilessly, and the living are lumped with the dead.

A reinforcement of right-wing politics afflicts the big brother, India.

Narendra Modi’s ascendancy at the helm of national politics vitalised Hinduvta which had earlier been in the sidelines. A series of attacks on the members of the minority communities had set off after the elections. People were polarised along communal faultlines and exclusive religious identities provide fertile grounds for Hindu religious fundamentalism.

Camouflaged under a nationalist garb, the Hindutva brigade attempts to break the founding pillars of multiculturalism though various means: Manipulation of socio-cultural identities, defining nationalism using communal

NASHIRUL ISLAM

identities, and using the media and exploiting civil society organisations and institutions.

The rank corruption and inefficiency of the previous Congress-led government added fire to the fuel.

While we witness the resurgence of fascist Hinduvta politics, the BJP-led government is the latest protagonist of neo-liberal politics trying to wipe out previous gains made by the poor, the marginalised, and the working class.

The common feature in all religious fundamentalisms across the region is that it stresses on a dogmatic adherence to tradition and “glorious” history as a way out of the poverty and drudgery that millions of sub-continental masses are trapped in. We frequently hear about a certain mythical “golden era” to which society must return.

Upholding orthodoxy that breeds inflexibility and a rejection of modern society, Islamic fundamentalists

utilise the imagery of the “golden era of Islam” as a respite from the misery, the poverty, and other social problems we face.

What is to be done?

While religious fundamentalists, and the dangers posed by them, walk the ramps, we can’t afford to sit back, limiting ourselves to commentary and watch society be torn apart. Our inaction will only embolden them.

Let us remember that fundamentalism is a political challenge that can’t be countered administratively only.

While condemning violence, terror, and the attacks it unleashes on society we must develop strategies to respond to it.

Along with opposing fanaticism and defending victims of religious fundamentalism, an alternative agenda to empower the toiling masses needs to be brought to the centre-stage.

Religious fundamentalism, or any

other type of extreme communitarian politics, and exclusive cultural nationalism use the already existing discrimination and graded inequalities as fertile breeding grounds to further their interests.

A punitive measure alone would hardly suffice. Sincere considerations and remedies of distress, misery, and the penury in which the masses are immersed, are long-term antidotes which can effectively work.

The state should have no business with religion, as religious states can never handle religious fanatics meaningfully. The struggle against the Razakars is shifting to a new phase; the outcome of which will profoundly affect the future course of secularism, justice, and freedom in Bangladesh and elsewhere. This struggle is important. Let’s do it now. l Sushovan Dhar is an activist. He is based in Kolkata.

Dying on the wrong soil

How much longer do we wait?

n Mohammad Ali Sattar

n Nausheen Khan

E

ither we wail and cry over death, or thank the heavens for someone’s departure. History is replete with instances of valorous deaths and hangings of villains, or death in humiliation. Nations recall with the highest regards those valiant sons and daughters of the soil.

They light candles with fondness, and shed a few tears even hundreds of years later. For some, death cannot erase them from memories and the pages of history. How should we define the death of Ghulam Azam?

I can try to look into the world of Ghulam Azam, who lived beyond the age of 90. After his endeavours for a united Pakistan was lost, what did he think of the freedom fighters, a free Bangladesh, the green and red flag that adorns our sky? What were his thoughts about the home and land to which he originally belonged, and the freedom which he so strongly opposed?

He could have been the opposite of what he actually became. Even as a member of the Jamaat-e-Islami, he could have played a favourable role.

He could have tried to engage himself as a positive character for Bengalis and have favoured the legitimate demands of the people of East Pakistan.

His role in the 1952 language movement has reportedly been an inspiration for many. He was involved in active student politics. He occupied important positions. His intention was clear. He would climb the ladder of prominence and power, which he did. His religious beliefs should have guided him to be more virtuous in understanding things. Rather, his dogma turned out to be a carbon copy of that of the Pakistanis.

During the late 60s, things began to turn around for him, or he had undergone a deep metamorphosis. His thoughts went wild and he suddenly turned to play the religion card on the Bengalis of East Pakistan.

I still wonder what led Ghulam

Azam to think the opposite about the autonomy and rights issues key to the people and leaders of East Pakistan.

Instead of teaming up with the majority and losing the opportunity of a leadership role, he sided with the so-called saviours of Islam.

The notoriety of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Yahya Khan did not move him.

The political and constitutional heist committed in broad daylight by the Pakistan junta of military rulers and immoral politicians of Sindh and Punjab brought all the Bengali leaders under one roof. The line was actually drawn in the beginning of 1971.

While the drama (January-March, 1971) enacted by Bhutto, Yahya, and their henchmen went on, there were the dark forces at work who would later take up the killing mission along with the Pakistan occupation forces.

Being a hardcore Jamaati and follower of its bizarre beliefs, Ghulam Azam decided to uphold what he thought would be right for him and his party.

The stand he took was not on the principles of politics, the constitution, or rights. He took on the role of a leader who would plan and work to save Pakistan. For the West Pakistani rulers, the sovereignty of Pakistan was at stake. Mujib and his party men were planning to break up the country – an act of sedition.

Ghulam Azam played the lead role in stopping the rot. He thought he could come to Pakistan’s rescue, and took no time in organising the onslaught on the innocent Bengalis.

The freedom fighters were culprits for him. He created auxiliary forces – the infamous al-Badr, al-Shams, and razakars – who went ahead in committing the most heinous acts of killing.

Millions were brutally murdered.

The genocide committed by the Pakistani forces and their hordes shook the world. Innocent blood flowed down the Ganges and its many tributaries.

Wails of sisters and mothers came from dark dungeons, who were repeatedly violated by the hyenas.

At last, he and his cohorts had to flee their homes with humiliation. The defeat of his mighty forces led him to be more shrewd and crazy. He went on trying to undo Bangladesh. He lifted all stones to rewind history and bring back Pakistan. History had something else in store.

Leaders in Pakistan deserted him.

Rawalpindi or Karachi couldn’t be his home. He fought for a cause that was not there. The Pakistani citizens had to come back, or rather be allowed to return in 1978, to the land he so deliberately betrayed.

Somehow, he escaped the gallows, but he will never escape the people’s hatred

There were the beliefs that Ghulam Azam might realise his mistake and apologise to the nation for his role that is unparallelled in the history of genocide and violation of human rights. He did not. He lived in his world of Pakistan. He was a proud loner. His soul and spirit was never in Bangladesh; rather, he went on preaching the “right things” that he did in 1971.

He lived proudly in the midst of those people upon whom he committed the worst war crimes. He led a party that opposed the liberation of this land and people. But he also lived in the midst of intense hatred.

The land he died on despised him.

Somehow, he escaped the gallows, but he will never escape the people’s hatred. l Mohammad Ali Sattar is a journalist and a DT columnist.

W

e have been talking about gender equality for decades, but even in 2014, women are subject to social, political, and economic inequalities that reinforce their poverty and exclusion. This dire statistic highlights the urgency of the problem.

One of the worst forms of injustice is violence against women, which includes rape, domestic violence, early or child marriage, acid attacks, and eve-teasing. In the developing world, nearly one-third of girls are married before the age of 18, and of those, nearly one-third are married before the age of 15.

Although Bangladesh has made remarkable progress in reducing the proportion of girls marrying in their early teens, the problem is far from over. By the end of 2013, over half of the 3.7 million Bangladeshi women between 20 and 24 were married before they were 18. Early marriage not only perpetuates poverty, coupled with early pregnancies, it creates grave health risks for both the mother and the child.

Another critical challenge is universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). The Sustainable Development Goals that were finalised at the 13th session of the Open Working Group held in New York, have failed to advance on agreements made more than 20 years ago by not recognising that a truly transformative agenda must ensure the full respect, protection, and fulfilment of SRHR. Women’s sexual rights as part of her human rights are still not accepted, although this was introduced and prioritised as an international public policy issue at the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women (FWCW) held in Beijing. Bangladesh is one of the 189 delegations that adopted the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.

However, we have not yet achieved universal access to SRHR. In our part of the world, we see

primarily men making decisions about their sexual partners, preferences, and privacy. We also see that the perpetrators of sexual violence are mostly men. Is there a correlation? You can determine that. The lack of access to SRHR, including information, services, and supplies has had detrimental consequences on Bangladesh.

Illegal abortions have been rising in Bangladesh at a shocking rate, with more than 150 abortions on average taking place every day in Mirpur and Shyamoli areas alone. The combination of legal restrictions and unskilled procedures at unhygienic facilities negatively impacts the health of the abortion seekers who end up suffering from several complications, infections, haemorrhage, and other long-term health problems.

We need to make the decision-making process more equal so that women, like men, can have access to these rights. We need laws and public support to enforce sexual rights. This means that we also need access to the information and education to make these decisions. Comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) is a key area of action in this respect, that equips young people with life skills and empowers them to make healthier choices and autonomous, informed decisions.

Countries and regions perceived as conservative, including Tanzania and Malawi, have affirmed a landmark commitment, the Eastern and Southern Africa Ministerial Commitment, which aims at improving CSE and youth-friendly services in Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA). 20 countries in the region, having made this commitment, have been spearheading movements to support sex education and improve sexual and reproductive services for young people. Bangladesh cannot claim to be a progressive nation unless it adopts and implements desirable interventions that advance women’s rights similar to the ESA initiative.

Gender justice also relates to

climate. Bangladesh has been recognised globally as the most vulnerable country to climate change due to its geographic location and geo-morphological conditions. People from developing countries, especially vulnerable groups such as poor, rural women are the worst sufferers of the adverse effects of climate change. In developing countries and flood-prone and disaster-prone areas, during cyclone-related disasters, critical family planning services are not available for women in need, and pregnant women are at risk of death and injury.

Due to socio-cultural norms, women are also not taught how to swim, which can reduce their chances of survival in disasters. The design of cyclone shelters is not found to be gender-friendly, as reported by women who are vulnerable to coastal cyclones. The issue regarding the impact of climate change on human sexual and reproductive health is being ignored in the national policy of most of these developing countries. These are just some examples of the adverse impacts of climate change on women, specifically women’s health.

We need to end the silence and complacency around gender justice issues. This requires formulation and implementation of laws that enable women in developing countries to make decisions about their lives, for example the ability to make life-saving choices over their fertility. As we have seen in the case of Bangladesh, restricting safe abortions does not lead to lower abortion rates, it just pushes it to the illegal community.

We must break down barriers to women’s and girls’ opportunities.

We must take environmental actions to protect vulnerable communities.

This is the ideal time for us to act, so that we can ensure access to safe and healthy environments for all the people across the world. l Nausheen Khan is a democracy and human rights activist working in the development field.

12

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Entertainment

ZERO DEGREE all set to hit cinemas

Jaya Ahsan in a scene of Zero Degree

n Hasan Mansoor Chatak Zero Degree, one of the most anticipated movies of the year starring Jaya Ahsan, Mahfuz Ahmed and Ruhee in lead roles, is all set to hit the cinemas soon. The film will be submitted to the censor board for certification shortly.

In this regard, Animesh Aich, the film’s writer and director, told the Dhaka Tribune: “The film will be released upon getting the nod from the censor board, sometime later this year or early next.”

The makers have already started their promotions for the film, starting with Facebook posts. Since, Animesh

says, deadlines for most of the international festivals are over, they will begin by releasing it in local cinemas and may later plan its screenings in festivals taking place next year.

The movie weaves a complex story of love and lust, deception and revenge in ways that may surprise or shock most viewers.

Jaya Ahsan, known for her portrayal of unconventional characters, said she is not sure about how the audience is going to react to her role of a serial killer. “This character does not portray the typical protagonist or antagonist that you know, but lives in a morally grey area, and the audience

will have a hard time identifying it as a positive or negative role.”

“It was a challenging task to say the least. I will be seen as a deranged serial killer and playing such a role took quite some effort,” she added.

Mahfuz, who plays a central role in the movie, said, “The audience will discover me differently as I changed my looks for the film. I am playing the character of a person who neither forgets nor forgives and is vengeful in nature.”

Other actors in the thriller include Iftekhar Zaib, Mir Rabbi, Tarique Anam Khan, Teli Samad and Iresh Zaker. The movie was made under the banner of Playhouse Productions. l

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

PEYA gets threats of nude photo leak n Entertainment Desk Model and actress Jannatul Ferdoush Peya yesterday said she got a call from an unknown person threatening to leak private photos of her containing nudity.

In a post on her personal Facebook page, she wrote: “Well, I got a threat from this no 01854xxxxxx. I want to say, you bastard’s threat will run after you like a shadow. Do not try to mess up with me you cockroach!!!!!!”

The actress did not file any complaint against the caller who, she said, identified himself as Antu. When Dhaka Tribune approached her following the post, she said: “I will report the incident to the police if the caller persists in calling and threatening.”

“It has become a growing part of the girls’ lives to receive such calls. I used to get prank calls when I was relatively less known, but for the first time I got a call from someone using such intimidation tactic. I am surprised that someone could make such a threat in the first place.”

About the basis of the said photos, she said, “I am confident that no such photos exist. It’s plain harassment based on nothing.”

Former Miss Bangladesh 2007 Jannatul Ferdoush Peya, who made her Dhallywood debut with “Chorabali” in 2012, is currently busy with a number of film projects opposite the leading heroes of the industry. The drop-dead gorgeous Peya has recently signed for two films with Emon, titled “Prothom Dekha” and “Romance in America.” l

VICTORIA BECKHAM TISHA undergoes successful surgery named entrepreneur n of the year Entertainment Desk

n Entertainment Desk Victoria Beckham has topped a list of Britain’s top 100 entrepreneurs by Management Today magazine.

They praised her “finely tuned business acumen” for expanding her fashion empire into a business with a £30m turnover and a staff of 100.

Editor Matthew Gwyther accepted that some may “scoff ” at the fact that the former Spice Girl came top.

But he said she had created “a company that is both real and wildly successful”.

Gwyther admitted “some will say she’s never been taught how to cut a pattern, or iron a pleat on a fashion course... Doubters will claim she’s just the wife of the world’s most famously over-tattooed ex-footballer. It’s all come to her far too easily.”

But he pointed out that

“celebrity has long been a powerful commercial tool” and called her “an adept exploiter of her own celeb value”.

And he said doubters could not argue with the figures as she has achieved - a sales growth of 2,900% and employment growth of 3,233% over the past five years, adding “her numbers are impressive.”

The former Spice Girl launched her fashion label in 2008 and by 2011, she won designer brand of the year at the British Fashion Awards.

In September, she opened her first shop in London’s Mayfair.

Her company includes a lower-priced Victoria line and she also sells luxury handbags for prices up to £18,000 each.

The magazine estimated her wealth at £210m. l

Actress Nusrat Imroz Tisha has undergone a successful appendicitis surgery at the Square Hospitals in the capital after she was admitted there with abdominal pain on Monday.

A source close to the actress’s director-husband Mostafa Sarwar Farooki said that Tisha is in a better condition now and will be discharged from hospital tomorrow.

Farooki, in a Facebook post accompanied by a picture of Tisha on hospital bed rest, wrote: “This person confined to the bed used to take my sick family members to hospital and take care of them and give them courage. But this time, I am the

Farooki posted the photo of Tisha on Facebook wishing for his wife’s good health one taking her to hospital. Such a feeling of helplessness cannot be expressed. It’s not a big deal

though, a minor appendicitis complication, but the experience was unusual.” l

22-she Shrabon Channel i, 3:30pm

A bunch youngsters acted in the telefilm that features their quest to explore Rabindranath Tagore

Goal II: Living the Dream HBO, 7:13pm

When an English soccer player gears up to play alongside the field legends in Madrid, he has no idea that his actions would put his personal life at stake.

Gone in Sixty Seconds Zee Studio, 11:30pm

PK gets a release date n Entertainment Desk Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan has always preferred to bring in Christmas cheer at the box office with his big releases. His last few films like “3 Idiots,” “Ghajini” and “Dhoom 3” too saw a release towards to end of the year. And hence for “PK” too the actor booked Christmas. He posted on social networking site, “Hey guys, PK release date is finally locked. This Christmas. My lucky date!”

The Indian film industry considers the film as one of the most awaited this year and the makers are being very secretive about Aamir’s character. From the first look of it, Aamir Khan has managed to impress all with his quirky looks and Bhojpuri lingo. The film also stars Anushka Sharma, Sanjay Dutt and Sushant Singh Rajput.

Being the perfectionist that he is, Aamir Khan has put in a lot of efforts to perfect his character in

the film. Aamir’s character’s name is called PK, but a secrecy is maintained about the name. According to a report in The Times of India, Aamir Khan will be seen in nine different avatars and during the course of the film, the actor had to eat over 1000 paans. “In real life paan is not a habit, I have it once in a while but for this film I chew paan for every scene. I would at times eat about 100 paans in a day. We had a paanwala on the sets,” said Aamir Khan in the report. Apparently, for every take, Aamir had to eat a fresh paan to fill his mouth, also before beginning the shoot Aamir would eat at least 10-15 paans to get the right color inside his mouth and on his lips.

Aamir Khan took a bold move for the first look poster of PK. He posed nude with a transistor and the poster created a rage. However according to a report the poster was shot two years ago. The report stated that Aamir Khan wanted to be in

good shape to shoot the nude poster.

And that Aamir had done the photoshoot before the shooting of the film began, as he also had to prepare for “Dhoom 3.” Aamir surely got all the right amount of attention for his film, in the first shot itself.

The promotions of PK have always had a touch of Bhojpuri to it.

The film will apparently see Aamir mouthing in Bhojpuri dialogues, as the language plays an important role in the film. However to get into the skin of the character, Aamir did some intense training. According to a report on The Times of India, Aamir trained for two years under the guidance of Bhojpuri TV writer Shanti Bhushan.

Sanjay Dutt plays a vital role in “PK.” According to a bollywoodlife. com report, Aamir Khan had quickly allotted his dates to PK so that the film would not suffer and Sanjay Dutt could also complete shooting for the film. l

Randall Raines is capable of stealing any car that crosses his path.

While he decides to retire from his work his plans are interrupted by his younger brother Kip.

Taken 2

Movies Now, 3:35pm

Bryan Mills is targeted by a vengeance-seeking crimelord and he must employ his particular set of skills to protect his family.

Death Race

Star Movies, 3:30pm

Criminals with life sentences are allowed to race armoured cars.

Most of the participants die, but the winner is allowed to go free.

Did you know?

Aston Villa have become the ninth different side to lose five successive Premier League games without scoring a single goal

Sport

14 ‘People’s Player’

Tevez back in Argentina fold

15 Real to fight

DHAKA TRIBUNE

13

15 Watch the straight

over Zidane punishment

ball, Lehmann warns Australia

Another feather in the cap for Mushfiq

BFF outlines Bangabandhu Gold Cup in Jan n Raihan Mahmood The Bangladesh Football Federation is finally set to host the Bangabandhu International Gold Cup in the third week of January 2015. Channel 9, the satellite television, became the official title and TV right holders for the six-team event and agreed to provide a purse of Tk60m.

The Bangabandhu Gold Cup was last held in 1999 as the BFF failed to organise the tournament since then despite considering to revive the event from 2009. Though the football body was not able to organise any international tournament, they did host the AFC and Saff Championship meets.

The latest information regarding the Bangabandhu Cup was revealed to the press after an executive committee meeting of the federation yesterday.

Presided over by the BFF president Kazi Salahuddin, the meeting discussed the pros and cons of the proposed event that had been going on for the last four years.

However, Salahuddin looked rather hopeful this time as he said, “All the required preparations has been completed but we can’t declare it officially because we have to take the permission to use the name of Bangabandhu.”

“I think that’s the only clearance we are yet to get. We will go to the prime ministers office in a day or two, take the clearance and then officially declare the details,” he added.

BFF invited five teams – Malaysia, Bahrain, Laos, Singapore and Thailand – for the tournament who have already provided verbal assurance of participating. Observing the high tempo of the audience in the recent international friendlies outside the capital, the BFF plans to expand the tournament out of Dhaka with Sylhet likely to be the second venue.

Abdus Salam Murshedy, the senior vice president of BFF, described the financial deal with Channel 9, who was also the official broadcaster of the Bangladesh Premier League cricket. “They (Channel 9) will provide us a purse of Tk60m per year for the deal that will be signed for five years. The title sponsorship and the TV rights will belong to them, we will also avail the gate money,” said Salam.

“We are yet to go through the approximate expenditures and since we are thinking to host the tournament outside the capital we have many things under consideration. if all goes well the number of team might increase to eight,” Salam added.

Meanwhile it was learnt, Channel 9 expressed interest in organising a franchise based football league similar to the recently launched Indian Super League, after the Bangabandhu Cup. l

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

n Reazur Rahman Rohan

Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim rejoices after winning the first Test against Zimbabwe in the third day at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on Monday MUMIT M

Monday’s first Test win against Zimbabwe at Mirpur not only broke the Tigers’ 18-month winless drought but also gave Mushfiqur Rahim a little personal victory as the 26-year-old is now the only Bangladesh captain with the most number of wins in the longer version – two.

The wicketkeeper-batsman made his bow in the international arena at the tender age of 16 and was chosen to lead the national side three years back. After nine years in the national team, where he entered as a rookie before maturing into a senior cricketer amidst loads of ups-and-downs, Mushfiq has proved himself as a good leader, if not great.

He might have attracted the headlines at times for his decision-making and comments toward the cricket board or players, but slowly and eventually he is becoming a name that cannot be replaced.

Till date Bangladesh have won only five Test matches out of a total 86 and the latest victory that came in the first Test was their first win against a Full Member in 2014. The only other victories in this year have come against Nepal and Afghanistan in the ICC World Twenty20 earlier this year.

The first Test victory against the Southern African opponents has enabled Mushfiq to leapfrog previous captains with one win each – Habibul Bashar, Mashrafe bin Mortaza and

Shakib al Hasan.

Bashar, the highest Bangladeshi Test run scorer till date and currently a member of the national selection panel, led the Tigers to their first ever win that came against Zimbabwe back in 2005 in Chittagong.

In 2009, Mashrafe, statistically the most successful Test captain, guided Bangladesh to a victory against the West Indies in the Caribbean on his debut as captain. However, credit should also go to Shakib who took charge halfway through the match after the pace-bowling spearhead fell prey to an injury in the third day of the Test match at Kingstown and was subsequently ruled out of action for a long period of time.

Shakib was then made the captain and earned his share of the achievement in the following Test as Bangladesh picked up their maiden away series victory beating the West Indies 2-0.

Mushfiq etched his name on the list with their series-levelling win in the second Test away to Zimbabwe in 2013.

The diminutive batsman, who is just a run shy of Tamim Iqbal in the list of the highest run scorers among the current players, became the first captain for Bangladesh to have more wins and draws (five) under his belt after 17 Tests in charge.

Following the conclusion of the two upcoming Test matches against Zimbabwe, Mushfiq will have something more to cherish about as he will also become the first captain to lead Bangladesh in the most number of Tests leaving Bashar, who led in 18 Tests, at number two.

It is not only his leadership skills.

Mushfiq has also excelled with the bat after taking up the role of captaincy as he averages almost 50 compared to the mid-20s he averaged as just another player of the side. l

LIST OF BANGLADESH CAPTAINS IN TEST Naimur Rahman Khaled Mashud Khaled Mahmud Habibul Bashar Mohammad Ashraful Mashrafe Mortaza Shakib al Hasan Mushfiqur Rahim As captain Not as captain

Span Mat 2000-2001 7 2001-2004 12 2003-2003 9 2004-2007 18 2007-2009 13 2009-2009 1 2009-2011 9 2011-2014 17 Mat 17 24

Won 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 2 Runs 1244 1195

Lost 6 12 9 13 12 0 8 10

Tied 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 HS 200 101

Draw W/L %W 1 0.00 0.00 0 0.00 0.00 0 0.00 0.00 4 0.07 5.55 1 0.00 0.00 0 100.00 0 0.12 11.11 5 0.20 11.76 Avg 100 46.07 2 27.15 1

%L 85.71 100.00 100.00 72.22 92.30 0.00 88.88 58.82 50 8 6

Mangongo hoping to nullify spin threat BCB XI lose despite Imrul ton n Minhaz Uddin Khan Heading into the three-match Test series against hosts Bangladesh, both Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor and coach Stephen Mangongo had stated that the home side’s spin attack was their main worry.

And they were both proven right as the Bangladesh spinners accounted for 18 of the 20 wickets to fall in the just concluded first at Mirpur that ended on Monday – 16 of those taken by left-arm spinners Shakib al Hasan and Taijul Islam.

Shakib’s six-for in the first innings and Taijul’s record-breaking eight-wicket haul in the second innings troubled the Zimbabweans throughout the Test match as Bangladesh pipped the visitors to a narrow three-wicket win.

While talking to the media at

Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday, Mangongo reiterated his concerns and gave credit where its due. “(Bangladesh) have a very deadly combination. They can get wickets against any team in the world. Before it used to be just Shakib, but now those two other guys (Taijul and Jubair Hossain), they are serious operators,” said Mangongo. 19-year old leg-spinner Jubair had made his Test debut against Zimbabwe in the first Test and put in an impressive performance picking up two wickets – Taylor and opener Sikandar Raza - in the first innings.

“Bangladesh were the better team because their spinners bowled very well and they won the game. They had better skill than Zimbabwe and yes, definitely the better team won. Their spinners bowled very disciplined lines,

they spun the ball, they made it difficult for our batsmen and they got the wickets,” he said.

Mangongo, known for his authoritarian approach, said they are striving to improve in the remaining two Test matches.

“Rome was not built in a day. We will continue to learn and we will get better,” he said.

“We didn’t bat very well. We are a professional team. It is our job to improve and get better. Today (yesterday), in the training, it showed that we are determined to improve. That’s why we have come to training to rectify the mistakes.

“I admit they are very good bowlers with a lot of skill. But we are also an international side. We are learning to play in the subcontinent. We endeavor to improve and get better,” he added. l

n Mazhar Uddin Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) XI fell to their second consecutive defeat in the SK Acharya Memorial Challenger Trophy 2014-15 yesterday despite a ton from Imrul Kayes as the visitors lost by five wickets against Karnataka XI at Jadavpur University Ground.

Asked to bat first, BCB XI posted a challenging total of 260/9 in their 50 overs courtesy a brilliant century from opener Imrul. The left-hander smashed nine fours and three sixes in his 104ball knock while Naeem Islam chipped in with a half-century. S Arvind and SL Akshaya bagged three wickets each for Karnataka XI. In pursuit of 261, Karnataka XI barely broke sweat as they reached the target with 21 balls to spare and five wick-

Ronaldo voted La Liga’s best player Jamal sign Jamal n Goal.com

n Shishir Hoque

Cristiano Ronaldo took the top gong at the LFP awards as La Liga’s standout performers from the 2013-14 campaign were revealed on Monday night.

The Real Madrid star was named the best player from last season in Spain’s top flight after scoring 31 goals in just 30 league games for the European champions. The Ballon d’Or holder becomes only the second player to win the prize since its inception in 2008-09, with Lionel Messi having won all five of the previous titles.

“I have to thank my team-mates, Real Madrid, my family... it is a very good moment in my career,” Ronaldo said at the awards ceremony in Madrid.

“For me, the important thing is to win collective prizes, but I like the individual ones, too. I work every day, in training, to continue adding more to this.” l

Top flight champions Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club Limited have recruited Denmark-based Bangladeshi expatriate midfielder Jamal Bhuiyan yesterday. Jamal will receive Tk350,000 per month as wages.

The 24-year old defensive midfielder has a contract with Danish second division club Hellerup IK till December and is scheduled to fly to Denmark today for a meeting with the club slated for November 4. After a mutual agreement, Jamal is likely to return to Dhaka and join Sheikh Jamal on November 5.

After watching Jamal play for the national team against Sri Lanka last Mon-

AWARD

Cristiano Ronaldo and his girlfriend Irina Shayk arrive at the LFP awards

INTERNET

day in Rajshahi, Sheikh Jamal president Manjur Kader was impressed with his performance and offered him a contract.

“The club were impressed with his performance against Sri Lanka. As we have weakness in defensive midfield, we talked to him and made him an offer he cannot refuse,” said Sheikh Jamal manager Anwarul Karim Helal yesterday.

Jamal, who spent his youth career in FC Copenhagen, left Bangladesh at the age of five and made his debut for the national team against Nepal in August last year in the Saff Championship. He became the first non-resident to feature for the national team. Since his debut he has not missed a single international match for the national side. l

ets in hand. Shishir Bhavane blasted a blistering hundred from 105 balls. The left-hander’s knock featured 14 boundaries and two sixes. Mayank Agarwal provided valuable support scoring 70 off 72 balls.

BCB XI earlier lost their first match of the tournament against Mumbai by eight wickets last Monday. l

BRIEF SCORE BCB XI 260/9 in 50 overs Imrul Kayes 100, Naeem Islam 56 S Arvind 3/24, SL Akshaya 3/48 Karnataka XI 264/5 in 46.3 overs Shishir Bhavane 112, Mayank Agarwal 70 Naeem Islam 2/32, Shahid 1/33 Karnataka XI won by five wickets

BBA wins EWU Intra Soccer C’ship n Tribune Desk The department of Bachelor of Business Administration clinched the East West University Intra Soccer Championship defeating the department of Electronic Communication Engineering Department in the final at Bijoy Sarani Army Museum Field yesterday.

Prior to the grand finale, the quarterfinals and semifinals also took place at the venue. The final kicked off at 3:30pm.

With the score locked at 1-1 after regulation time, BBA sealed the tie 4-3 in tie-breakers.

Kibria from BBA was adjudged the player of the tournament. l

WINNER Cristiano Ronaldo (Real)

Player Coach Goalkeeper Defender Defensive Mid Attacking Mid Forward African Player S American Player

Diego Simeone (Atletico) Keylor Navas (Real/Levante) Sergio Ramos (Real) Luka Modric (Real) Andres Iniesta (Barca) Cristiano Ronaldo (Real) Yacine Brahimi (Granada) Carlos Bacca (Sevilla)

Revelation Goal Fair Play

Rafinha Alcantara (Barca/Celta) Cristiano Ronaldo (Real) Ivan Rakitic (Barca/Sevilla)

BBA department celebrate with the trophy after winning the East West University Intra Soccer Championship at Bijoy Sarani Army Museum Field yesterday COURTESY

14

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

PLAYER OF THE YEAR SHORTLIST

MARIO GOETZE Germany/Bayern

TONI KROOS

Germany/Real Madrid

PAUL POGBA France/Juventus

PHILIPP LAHM Germany/Bayern

GARETH BALE

THOMAS MUELLER MANUEL NEUER Germany/Bayern

EDEN HAZARD

Wales/Real Madrid

Belgium/Chelsea

Germany/Bayern

ANGEL DI MARIA

Argentina/Man United

SCHWEINSTEIGER THIBAUT COURTOIS Germany/Bayern

Belgium/Chelsea

MASCHERANO

LIONEL MESSI

Argentina/Barcelona

RONALDO

Portugal/Real Madrid

ANDRES INIESTA

Argentina/Barcelona

IBRAHIMOVIC

Spain/Barcelona

NEYMAR

Sweden/PSG

Brazil/Barcelona

SERGIO RAMOS

DIEGO COSTA

Spain/Real Madrid

ARJEN ROBBEN Netherlands/Bayern

Spain/Chelsea

JAMES RODRIGUEZ Colombia/Real Madrid

KARIM BENZEMA France/Real Madrid

YAYA TOURE

Ivory Coast/Man City

COACH OF THE YEAR SHORTLIST

CARLO ANCELOTTI Real Madrid

ANTONIO CONTE Italy

PEP GUARDIOLA Bayern Munich

JUERGEN KLINSMANN United States

JOACHIM LOEW Germany

JOSE MOURINHO Chelsea

MANUEL PELLEGRINI ALEJANDRO SABELLA Manchester City

Argentina

DIEGO SIMEONE Argentina

LOUIS VAN GAAL Netherlands

Germany dominate controversial Ballon d’Or list n Reuters, Berne Germany dominated the FIFA Player of the Year shortlist, with six nominees among the 23 candidates announced on Tuesday, while the 10-man coaching shortlist was full of anomalies and controversy.

Juergen Klinsmann was included among the coaches after leading United States to the last 16 of the World Cup but Jorge Luis Pinto and Jose Pekerman, who took Costa Rica and Colom-

bia respectively to the quarter-finals, were overlooked.

Jorge Sampaoli, whose hugely entertaining Chile side knocked out defending champions Spain on their way to the last sixteen, and Vahid Halilhodzic, who took an inspirational Algeria to the knockout stages, were also ignored.

On the other hand, there was room for Bayern Munich’s Pep Guardiola, even though his team’s most important match of the year, a Champions League

semi-final at home to Real Madrid, ended in a 4-0 defeat.

Almost inevitably, Chelsea’s Jose Mourinho also sneaked in despite failing to land a trophy on his return to Stamford Bridge.

The players’ list showed similar anomalies and appeared to be based more on European club football than FIFA’s flagship tournament.

Manuel Neuer, Thomas Mueller, Toni Kroos, Mario Goetze, Philipp Lahm and Bastian Schweinsteiger

‘People’s Player’ Tevez back in Argentina fold

Austin powers QPR to crucial victory n AFP, London

n Reuters, Buenos Aires

Charlie Austin eased the pressure on Harry Redknapp as the QPR forward struck twice to lift his side off the bottom of the Premier League with a 2-0 win over Aston Villa on Monday.

Redknapp’s side secured just their second victory of the season, and their first since August, thanks to the predatory finishing of Austin, who netted in either half to see off lacklustre Villa at Loftus Road.

Austin’s heroics ended QPR’s threematch losing run and helped the west London club move above Austin’s former club Burnley into 19th place, within two points of the teams directly above the relegation zone as they try to scramble to safety following a disastrous start to their first season back in the top-flight.

It was a crucial result for Redknapp, who had endured reports that QPR owner Tony Fernandes was considering sacking him after his team’s dismal run. l

Argentina’s forgotten man Carlos Tevez has been included in the squad for the first time in three years for next month’s friendlies in England against Croatia and Portugal.

The 30-year-old striker, dubbed the ‘People’s Player’ by former coach Diego Maradona, last played for his country at the 2011 Copa America on home soil and missed this year’s World Cup in Brazil despite scintillating form for Juventus.

Tevez was among four forwards, the others being captain Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero and Gonzalo Higuain, named in the squad posted on the Argentine FA’s website (www.afa.org.ar) on Monday.

Coach Gerardo Martino’s side play Croatia at West Ham United’s Upton Park ground in London on Nov. 12 and Portugal six days later at Manchester United’s Old Trafford where Tevez spent two years from 2007-09.

His last action in an Argentina shirt came when he missed the penalty that sealed their elimination by Uruguay in a Copa America quarter-final shootout after a 1-1 draw in July 2011.

Tevez’s recall could eventually mean the former Boca Juniors, Corinthians, West Ham, Manchester United and Manchester City striker will get a chance to help Argentina win the Copa America title held by Uruguay in Chile next year.

The forward, capped 64 times, played at the 2006 and 2010 World Cup but was overlooked by coach Alejandro Sabella for the tournament in Brazil this year when Argentina reached the final before losing to Germany.

Sabella resisted widespread calls to select Tevez who took Serie A by storm when he helped Juventus lift the title last season with 19 goals. He has also notched six in eight league games this term.

Media reports in Argentina said there was resistance to Tevez among the team captained by Messi. Sabella said his selections were down to tactics and squad harmony.

Others argued against Tevez, regarded by many as an individualist, and pointed to a mediocre international goal tally of 13.

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Sergio Romero, Wilfredo Caballero, Nahuel Guzman Defenders: Nicolas Otamendi, Cristian Ansaldi, Facundo Roncaglia, Marcos Rojo, Martin Demichelis, Pablo Zabaleta, Federico Fazio, Federico Fernandez, Ezequiel Garay Midfielders: Javier Mascherano, Ever Banega, Roberto Pereyra, Lucas Biglia, Angel Di Maria, Erik Lamela, Javier Pastore, Enzo Perez, Nicolas Gaitan Forwards: Carlos Tevez, Lionel Messi, Gonzalo Higuain, Sergio Aguero. l

were six players from world champions Germany to be included and beaten finalists Argentina had three, Lionel Messi, Angel Di Maria and Javier Mascherano.

Last year’s winner Cristiano Ronaldo was duly named along with his Real Madrid team mates Gareth Bale (Wales) and James Rodriguez (Colombia).

Manchester City and Ivory Coast midfielder Yaya Toure was the only African player short-listed, Neymar was Brazil’s sole representative, and

there were none at all from CONCACAF region or Asia.

Notable absentees included United States goalkeeper Tim Howard and Costa Rica stopper Keylor Navas, both outstanding in Brazil, and Costa Rica defender Giancarlo Gonzalez, who many critics saw as one of the tournament’s most influential players.

FIFA, who organise the award jointly with France Football, said the final three candidates for both awards, officially known as the Ballon d’Or, would

Queens Park Rangers’ Charlie Austin celebrates his second goal against Aston Villa during their English Premier League match at Loftus Road in London on Monday REUTERS

Juve look to hold lead, Milan eye win n AFP, Milan Juventus travel to Genoa looking to maintain their three point lead on Roma on Wednesday while AC Milan go in search of a win away to Cagliari that could see them jump up to third place in Italy’s Serie A. Champions Juventus extended their advantage at the top of the table with a 2-0 win over Palermo Sunday while Roma dropped two points in a 0-0 draw away at highflying Sampdoria the previous day.

Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri admits his side are still ‘looking for balance’ as they head to the Luigi Ferraris Stadium.

Carlos Tevez should be buoyed up following his first call-up to the Argen-

be announced on Dec 1 with the award ceremony in Zurich on Jan 12.

“The list of 23 male candidates has been drawn up by football experts from the FIFA Football Committee and by a group of experts from France Football,” FIFA said.

“The list of ten coaches has been drawn up by the committee for Women’s Football and FIFA Women’s World Cup and by the FIFA Football Committee, as well as by a group of experts from France Football.” l

tina squad in three years on Monday, while Alvaro Morata and Fernando Llorente are both in the running to start alongside the ‘Apache’ up front.

Llorente broke his league duck in Sunday’s win in Turin, although Morata could also be given the nod having shown plenty of promise in a 1-0 Champions League defeat away to Olympiakos last week.

FIXTURES Atalanta Cagliari Fiorentina Genoa Inter Palermo Roma Torino

v v v v v v v v

Napoli Milan Udinese Juventus Sampdoria Chievo Cesena Parma

Juventus will be without defender Patrice Evra after he was diagnosed with a hamstring strain which is expected to keep him out for a month.

Ghanaian Kwadwo Asamoah is expected to fill in, having mostly shared the left side position with Evra since the Frenchman arrived on a two-year contract from Man United in the summer.

Roma would be forgiven for feeling some nerves on their return to the Stadio Olimpico for the first time since the 7-1 Champions League drubbing by Bayern Munich last week.

The visit of promoted Cesena should, on paper, be no major problem for Rudi Garcia’s side as they look to get back to winning ways.

“The Bayern match is behind us,” insisted Garcia, who made light of his side’s failure to score a goal against Sampdoria. l

US icon Hamm joins Roma board n AFP, Milan American football icon Mia Hamm and Cam Neely, the president of ice-hockey club Boston Bruins, joined AS Roma’s board of directors on Monday.

The nominations were announced in a statement by the Serie A club to the Milan financial stock exchange.

The 42-year-old Hamm, who is now retired, helped the USA women’s team to two World Cup titles and has twice won the women’s FIFA player of the year award, in 2001 and 2002.

Neely, a former player with the Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins, is now a president with the former National Hockey League (NHL) club. Roma was taken over by a group of executives from Boston three years ago and is now led by president, American James Pallotta. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

QUICK BYTES

Pistorius families accept plan to appeal The families of “Blade Runner” Oscar Pistorius and the woman he killed have accepted the decision by South African prosecutors to press for a murder conviction and a harsher sentence for the athlete. Pistorius began a five-year prison stretch on October 21 after being found guilty of culpable homicide, a charge equivalent to manslaughter, for shooting his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

Prosecutors announced on Monday they would appeal both the verdict and the sentence handed down after a sensational eight-month trial which put an enormous emotional strain on both families. “We take note of the state’s announcement. The law must take its course,” the athlete’s uncle, Arnold Pistorius, said in a terse statement Tuesday.

–AFP

Blatter opposes Russia WC boycott World football boss Sepp Blatter on Tuesday opposed any boycott of the 2018 World Cup in Russia and backed the huge preparations undertaken

by President Vladimir Putin’s government for the mega event. “A boycott will never give any positive effect,” Blatter told the R-Sport news agency in comments translated into Russian. “We trust the country, its government.” “FIFA unconditionally supports the staging of the World Cup by Russia,” Blatter added.

Diplomatic sources said last month that European nations were discussing a possible boycott of the World Cup because of the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

Some politicians in Britain, Germany and the United States have called on FIFA to withdraw the World Cup from Russia.

–AFP

Uefa probe Slovan, Sparta over violence European football governing body UEFA on Monday opened disciplinary proceedings against Slovan Bratislava and Sparta Prague over violence between rival fans when the teams met Thursday in the Europa League.

The match was delayed for half an hour after rival fans battled. Around a dozen Sparta fans scaled a fence to attack Bratislava supporters, who fled on to the field of play after 40 minutes. Both sides are being investigated over their fans’ use of fireworks and their role in the violence, while hosts Slovan are also accused of “organisational failure”.

The case will be heard on October 30.

Another disciplinary proceeding has been brought against Metalist Kharkiv for “racist behaviour” by their fans, as well as use of fireworks and the unfurling of a banned banner during the Ukrainians’ Europa League clash with Legia Warsaw. That case will be heard on November 13.

–AFP

South African female boxer dies after two weeks in coma

A South African female professional boxer has died following a knockout punch two weeks ago that put her in a coma, the sports and recreation department said on Tuesday. Light middleweight Phindile Mwelase, 31, fell into a coma on October 10 after a fight against Liz Butler, who defeated her by a knockout. She died on Saturday at a Pretoria hospital. South Africa President Jacob Zuma expressed his “heartfelt condolences on the untimely death” of Mwelase. His office said in a statement on Tuesday. “She joined a sport that is predominantly male, and was proving that women can also succeed in boxing. “Her untimely passing has robbed us of a role model.” In a statement on their website Boxing South Africa added: “Boxing SA not only grieves at the passing of a wonderful and tremendous individual but also for the loss her family suffers. Our hearts and prayers go out to them at this difficult time.”

–Reuters

DAY’S WATCH Star Sports 2 7:30PM Indian Super League Delhi v North East 1:45AM Italian Serie A Genoa v Juventus

Star Sports 1 1:45AM Italian Serie A Cagliari v Milan

Ten Action 1:45AM Capital One Cup Manchester City v Newcastle

Ten Sports 1:30AM DFB Pokal (German Cup) SV Hamburger v Bayern Munchen

Sport

ICC backs chucking crackdown n AFP, Dubaï Cricket’s global governing body Monday justified its crackdown on bowlers with illegal actions, vowing to only allow unorthodox deliveries like the ‘doosra’ within the rules.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) in its major drive to root out the problem of illegal deliveries suspended high profile bowlers like Pakistan’s Saeed Ajmal, Sri Lanka’s Sachithra Senanayake, Zimbabwe’s Prosper Utseya and Bangladesh’s Sohag Gazi in the last four months.

New Zealand’s part-timer Kane Williamson was also suspended in this period while Bangladesh’s medium pacer Al-Amin Hossain was reported for suspect action.

Under the ICC rules bowlers are permitted to straighten their bowling arm up to 15 degrees, which has been established as the point at which any straightening will become visible to the naked eye.

ICC chief executive David Richardson said rules must be followed.

“The principle has always been to make sure that we try and stick to the law which says that you must bowl the ball and not throw it,” Richardson told reporters at ICC headquarters in Dubai.

Richardson said the majority of stakeholders do not agree on bending the rule to allow off-spinners like Ajmal to bowl the doosra, a controversial delivery which turns the other way than a normal off-spin.

“We had that debate that should we allow a change in the law, to allow them to straighten their arm to bowl the doosra, there were arguments but ma-

jority said ‘no’ and said stick to the law.

“If you want to promote the unorthodoxy then there are people in the history of the game like Johnny Gleeson (Australian spinner of 1967-72) who suddenly learnt how to spin the ball with his fingers, there are legitimate ways you can do something special without changing the principle, so we hopefully encourage the unorthodox action or deliveries but within the rules.”

“There was no question of penalising bowlers from some countries. The best thing in our cricket committee is that there are players from around the world in it who are doing everything for the good of the game and I don’t think there was any kind of underhand motive.

“The game as a whole has a problem, bowlers have been reported from a range of countries New Zealand, Pakistan, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh and I don’t think any country will be spared if they got bowlers with suspect actions.”

Richardson also refused to accept the timing of the crackdown, with the World Cup in February-March next year, was wrong.

“If something is wrong with the game why should we wait till after the World Cup,” said Richardson of the event to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand.

“We reached the stage where there were just too many bowlers starting to emerge (with suspect actions) that people were starting to worry about, its arguable that we could have taken this kind of action earlier, so we realised that we must draw the line sooner (rather) than later.” l

15

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Disgraced Nicolas Anelka makes comeback in ISL n Agencies, New Delhi

Former French striker Nicolas Anelka juggles with the ball during training prior to his ISL side Mumbai FC’s match against Chennaiyin in Chennai yesterday INTERNET

Disgraced French striker Nicolas Anelka returned to action on Tuesday after serving a five-match ban for a gesture deemed to be anti-semitic and known as a “quenelle”.

The 35-year-old former Arsenal, Chelsea, Juventus and Real Madrid star turned out for his Indian Super League team Mumbai FC against Chennaiyin FC in the southern city of Chennai.

Anelka missed the Peter Reid-coached team’s first three matches, in which they beat FC Pune City 5-0 but lost 2-0 to Northeast United and 3-0 to Atletico de Kolkata.

Reid will be relieved at Anelka’s return since Mumbai’s other top player, Fredrik Ljungberg of Sweden, is almost certain to miss the rest of the eightteam league due to a hamstring injury.

“We’ve got a few plus points for our next game, Nicolas Anelka will be in the side,” Reid, the former Manchester City and Sunderland boss, tweeted after the last match.

Anelka won 69 French caps and scored 14 goals in an international career which ended in disgrace when he was thrown out of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa following a row with coach Raymond Domenech. He was handed an 18-match ban for that bust-up, which effectively ended his international career.

Until he joined Mumbai for an undisclosed fee, Anelka had been without a club since he was fired by West Bromwich Albion early this year for the “quenelle” gesture.

The 10-week ISL is modelled along the lines of cricket’s cash-rich Indian Premier League, with veteran, if ageing, former international greats fronting each team. l

Real to fight over Zidane punishment Organisers confident n West Indies will be at WC AFP, Madrid

Former France playing legend Zinedine Zidane and his club European champions Real Madrid were embroiled in an embarrassing dispute on Monday with the Spanish Football Federation who according to influential Madrid-based sports paper Marca handed him a three month coaching ban.

The 42-year-old - who inspired France to the 1998 World Cup trophy and was also a member of the Euro 2000 title winning side - has been coaching Real’s reserve side Castilla but the federation claims he does not possess the required coaching qualifications.

Real have said they will appeal against the punishment by ‘all legal avenues open to them’. The reserve team’s assistant coach Santiago Sanchez was also punished.

Real issued a statement declaring

Proud dad Djokovic already feels ‘number one’ n AFP, Paris Novak Djokovic already feels ‘number one’ after becoming a father last week and says his battle with Roger Federer for the year-end top global ranking is no more than a luxury problem.

The 27-year-old Serb comes to the Paris Masters, which began on Monday, as defending champion but his lead at the top of the ATP rankings has been slashed to less than 500 points as the charging Federer looks to snatch another impressive milestone in an already glorious career.

With 2,500 points on offer at the year-ending tournaments in the French capital, closely followed by the World Tour Finals in London, both players

have it all to play for.

However, Djokovic says becoming a father has been the best moments of his life and while tennis is still a priority, it is now, not the only thing that counts.

“Honestly, the way I feel right now, I feel like I’m already number one with becoming a father last week,” Djokovic said on Monday, referring to his wife Jelena giving birth to a baby boy Stefan.

“For me, this is the most important moment in my life. At this stage, for the tennis, of course Roger is playing some great tennis, and he showed that before the US Open and then, of course, winning Shanghai and played a great match against me in the semi-finals and now winning Basel,” he added ahead of his opening match. l

their “total disagreement” with the decision taken against one of their former iconic players, who scored a wonder goal for the ‘meringues’ when they beat Leverkusen to win the 2002 Champions League trophy.

They pointed out that Zidane “has been authorised by the French Football Federation to work as a head coach in the category Real Madrid Castilla currently find themselves in”.

Spanish coaching school, the Cenafe, has submitted a complaint to the Spanish Federation against Real, claiming they are using assistant Sanchez’s name on the teamsheet to bypass the regulations.

The case has sparked controversy in Spain with national team coach Vicente del Bosque telling Cope radio that “everyone should have a coaching badge”.

Rayo Vallecano coach Paco Jemez used tougher language, describing Real’s actions as “shameful”. l

n Reuters, Melbourne Organisers are confident West Indies will take part at the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand early next year despite the crisis caused by their withdrawal from the tour of India earlier this month.

West Indies, who won the first two World Cup tournaments in 1975 and 1979 and reached the quarter-finals in India in 2011, are always among the most popular teams at the 50-over showpiece.

Caribbean cricket was plunged into turmoil on Oct. 17, however, after the series in India was aborted over a protracted payment dispute between the players and the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB).

India’s powerful cricket board

South Africa top ODI rankings after NZ series victory n Reuters

Chelsea’s Terry hits out at United ‘headlocks’

South Africa have moved to the top of the International Cricket Council (ICC) one-day rankings for the first time in five years, the Proteas climbing above Australia following their 2-0 series win in New Zealand.

The last time South Africa headed the ODI rankings was in September 2009 but they slipped down the standings after their first round elimination from the ICC Champions Trophy at home later that month.

South Africa trailed Australia by one point before the three-match ODI series against New Zealand and the 2-0 result was enough to take them up to the top of the table.l

Chelsea captain John Terry has said both he and team-mate Branislav Ivanovic were “double headlocked at every corner” during the Premier League leaders’ dramatic 1-1 draw away to Manchester United on Sunday.

Manchester remains the only location where Chelsea have dropped league points so far this season after they also drew with champions Manchester City. And the London club were denied an eighth league win of the campaign on Sunday when Robin van Persie’s injury-time goal cancelled out Didier Drogba’s header at Old Trafford.

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho made little secret of his unhappiness

n AFP, London

Watch the straight ball, Lehmann warns Australia n Reuters Australia’s batsmen need to concentrate as much on hitting the straight ball as worrying about movement when they face Pakistan’s spinners in the ongoing Test series, coach Darren Lehmann has said.

Australia, who topped the world rankings briefly earlier this year, face the prospect of a first series defeat against Pakistan since 1994 after a 221-run loss in the first of two Tests on Sunday.

Pakistan’s spinners Zulfiqar Babar and Yasir Shah took 14 wickets between them in Dubai, sometimes bamboozling the batsmen by skidding the ball straight on to the wickets when the Australians expected turn.

Conceding that they had been out-

played in the first test, Lehmann refused to blame the wicket and laid into his players for their failure to play the conditions.

“I think this was a really good crick-

(BCCI) responded by suspending all future tours involving West Indies as well as taking legal action against the WICB, which could have a devastating financial impact on cricket in the region.

John Harnden, the chief executive of the World Cup, said there was a contingency plan in place for a West Indies noshow but doubted it would be needed.

“We see that everyone’s very focused on resolving the situation as quickly as possible,” he told reporters on Tuesday.

“We’ve got 108 days until the World Cup and from our point of view I’ve no doubt the West Indies will be here and entertaining the crowd as only they know how.”

The World Cup runs from Feb. 14 to March 29. l

et wicket and we didn’t adapt well enough and didn’t play well enough, simple as that,” he told reporters in Dubai.

“I think when you are talking about

learning to play in these conditions ... we missed a lot of straight balls. I think five or six dismissals throughout the game.

“We need to get better at actually hitting straight balls, watching the ball for a start.

“We need to be sharper,” he added.

“A lot of wickets came from no spin, so maybe we’re trying to play for things that aren’t there.”

Of the Australian batsmen, only opener David Warner, who scored 133 in the first innings, and Steve Smith, who hit 55 in the second as Australia were battling to avoid defeat, made serious inroads into the Pakistan bowling.

Australia will be keen to limit the impact of Pakistan’s spin attack in the second Test, which starts in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.l

with referee Phil Dowd’s performance and Blues skipper Terry was even more explicit on Monday.

Terry said on Instagram that Chelsea had been hard done by.

“It shows how well we are playing when you come away from Old Trafford disappointed with 1 point,” Terry said.

“Thanks to all the travelling fans for your great support. JT (John Terry) and IVA (Ivanovic) got double headlocked from every corner.”

Prior to van Persie’s goal, it looked as if Drogba would be the centre of attention having marked his first Chelsea start since returning to the club with a powerful leaping header that belied the Ivory Coast striker’s 36 years. l

Pakistan retain winning squad for second Test n AFP, Dubaï Pakistan Monday retained the same 16man squad for the second Test against Australia which won the first match by a convincing 221-run margin.

Chief selector Moin Khan said the team has given a good performance and deserved to be retained for the second Test starting in Abu Dhabi from Thursday.

“The selectors are encouraged and delighted with the performance of the Pakistan side in the first Test and a lot of credit must be given to Younis Khan, who utilized all his knowledge and experience to score two centuries in the Dubai Test,” Khan said. l

16

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Chevron turns on enhanced Bibiyana gas

Back Page

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

WINTER APPROACHES!

The US oil giant has invested over $500 million to implement the expansion plan 99% working interest in Bibiyana. n Aminur Rahman Rasel The US oil giant has invested over US energy company Chevron yesterday announced that its Bangladeshi subsidiary had commenced natural gas production from the Bibiyana Expansion Project in the north eastern part of the country.

The project includes an expansion of the existing gas plant to process increased volumes of natural gas from the Bibiyana Field, additional development of wells and an enhanced gas liquids recovery unit.

“As the leading international investor in Bangladesh, Chevron values its partnership with the people of Bangladesh in support of the nation’s energy security and long-term economic development. The Bibiyana Expansion Project is a further example of our commitment to invest for the long term and create value for our partners and the communities that we serve,” Melody Meyer, president, Chevron Asia Pacific Exploration and Production said yesterday at a press release.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to formally inaugurate the newly refurbished Bibiyana Gas Field next month.

The project is expected to boost Chevron-operated natural gas production capacity in Bangladesh by more than 300 million cubic feet per day to 1.4 billion cubic feet per day.

In addition, the project is expected to increase its natural gas liquids production capacity by 4,000 barrels per day to 9,000 barrels per day.

Chevron’s Bangladesh subsidiary has a

$500 million to implement the expansion plan.

Chevron’s new gas supply will be delivered through the newly installed Bibiyana-Dhanua 137-kilometre 36-inch diameter transmission pipeline, implemented by the state-owned Gas Transmission Company Limited (GTCL).

Petrobangla says Bibiyana is the largest gas-producing field, currently producing 896mmcf gas per day.

The expansion programme, that was launched two years ago and is considered the largest foreign investment project in the history of the country’s energy sector, is expected to increase Bibiyana’s production by 35 percent.

“The Bibiyana expansion represents Chevron’s commitment to developing new resources to meet energy demand in Asia,” said Jay Johnson, senior vice-president, Upstream, Chevron Corporation. “The expansion is one of a spate of projects across the region that will deliver on Chevron’s strategy to grow profitably in core areas.”

Chevron is one of the world’s leading integrated energy companies, with subsidiaries that conduct business worldwide. The company is involved in virtually every facet of the energy industry.

Chevron explores for, produces and transports crude oil and natural gas; refines, markets and distributes transportation fuels and lubricants; manufactures and sells petrochemical products; generates power and produces geothermal energy; and develops the energy resources of the future, including bio-fuels. l

The capital was caught in a sudden bout of fog yesterday – a sign that winter is on its way. The atmosphere was chilly and gloomy until the sun finally made an appearance sometime in the afternoon. The photo was taken in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

800 newly posted upazila doctors to be transfered n Moniruzzaman Uzzal The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has decided to transfer 800 newly recruited BCS doctors posted in the country’s upazila health complexes to Sadar hospitals and public medical colleges very soon.

Dr Md Ehteshamul Haque Chowdhury, director of administration at the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), confirmed it to the Dhaka Tribune.

Study: Sexual harassment turns alarming in cities n

Rabiul Islam

Lives in the cities have become very difficult for women as they face various forms of sexual harassment by their male counterparts, according to a recent study.

Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) carried out the study in seven divisional towns including Narayanganj.

Financed by Action Aid Bangladesh the report was released at Spectra Convention Centre yesterday. The organisation also launched national campaign titled Safe Cities for Women.

BIDS Senior Research Fellow MA Mannan presented the findings.

A total of 1,200 people were interviewed. Of them 800 are women and girls, 200 men and 200 boys under 18.

As per the findings, 76% women and girls complained about sexual harassment and 44% women aged above 30 face similar harassment.

The study finds that women in the cities face various forms of harassment in public places; 86% of them face obnox-

ious comments while 48% eve teasing.

Of the interviewees, 97% women and 95% men consider the sexual harassment as violence against women.

The study finds that women generally do not make any complain unless it is unbearable. 50% victims suffer silently without registering any protest.

Only 16 women report to different agencies or organisations while 84% do not do so out of fear of reprisal considering the image of the family and complexity in the process of reporting and so on.

95% of the interviewees alleged that they had to endure harassment and overcome obstacles to receive assistance from police.

Action Aid Country Director Farah Kabir said: “If a woman cannot move freely in her cities then how she would contribute to the development.”

Speaking as guest of honour Narayanganj City Corporation Mayor Ivy Rahman observed that such survey would not bring any remedy to the victims unless the recommendations are not implemented properly.

She said 36 children were killed in a

year in Narayanganj. “What can I do? I cannot do anything as the administration and police are not with me?”

Under political back-up perpetrators are acquitted one after another. Under the name of various Leagues some quarters are committing crimes and go unpunished.

In exchange for bribe police never bring the criminals to book, she said.

Speaking as chief guest Hasanul Haq Inu said it is difficult to stop sexual harassment but not impossible.

Inu suggested nocturnal patrol team with female police along with male ones to stop such crimes.

The study recommends formulation of new laws, their proper implementation, providing services to victims and introduction of 24-hour help line at every upazila.

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for International Development of the UK lawmaker Lynne Featherstone spoke on the occasion.

Treasurer of Executive Board of AAB Hafizuddin Khan also spoke at the programme. l

Marking the ongoing Breast Cancer Awareness Month, volunteers of different organisations distribute leaflets to spread awareness of breast cancer. The photo was taken from capital’s Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue yesterday SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

“As per the public service law, all the newly appointed doctors have to work for a mandatory two-year period in the upazila health complexes. The 800 doctors in question, though recently recruited through the 33rd Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) examination, joined the health sector on an ad hoc basis in 2010 and 2011 and have already fulfilled the criterion,” he said.

“We will first provide doctors to the Sadar hospitals, and then to different public medical colleges,” he said, add-

ing that the DGHS had already sought the list of vacant posts of lecturers from the colleges.

The ministry is also going to repost 1,200-1,500 doctors to different union health and family welfare centres under the Directorate General of Family Planning, Dr Ehtesham said.

These doctors are among the 2,8003,000 doctors who were previously appointed at the union sub-centres.

Due to the lack of infrastructure in the sub-centres, these doctors left their

stations, and were later advised to join the nearest upazila health complexes.

All these doctors are among the 6,000 BCS recruits who were stationed in different health facilities across the country two months ago.

“We are closely monitoring the new recruits. Most have been regular on their duties so far. There have been a few problems, but we are working on them. Hopefully they all be resolved very soon,” Dr Ehtesham told the Dhaka Tribune. l

Three universities to take admission test on the same day n Syed Samiul Basher Anik

sities expressed their inability to reschedule the exams.

SAU Vice-Chancellor Professor Md Shadat Ulla said the university will ask other educational institutes to change the exam date. BUTex REGISTRAR Kaberi Majumder said it will not be possible for them to reschedule the exam date while MIST Director Academic (Dean) Brigadier General Habibur Rahman Kamal refused to make any comments in this regard.

However, a top MIST official said they had declared the admission test schedule prior to SAU and BUTex, so they will not change the exam date.

Admission test for reputation universities are highly competitive in the country.

BUTex is the only public university established to meet the growing need for advanced textile engineering education in Bangladesh. SAU is works in providing academic and research achieving sustainable agricultural development, economic progress and social development of the country. MIST is known as a hub of knowledge for military and civil professionals. l

Three universities, including two public universities, are set to take admission tests on the same day creating uncertainly among several thousands of admission seekers on appearing in the examinations.

Two public universities – Sher-eBangla Agricultural University (SAU) and Bangladesh University of Textiles (BUTex) – and the Military Institute of Science and Technology (MIST) have fixed November 14 for their admission tests.

“I wanted to appear for the admission test at MIST and Sher-Bangla Agricultural University, but now it will not be possible for me to attend both the exams as they are being held on the same day,” Mainul Islam, a fresh HSC passed student told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

At the same time, these respective educational institutions have separate questioning patterns for which a students needs to prepare properly. However, most students are finding it tough to prepare

themselves for the examinations due to time constrains.

The admission test for Bangladesh University of Textiles (BUTex) will start at 10:00am while Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University (SAU) admission test has been scheduled to be held at 3:00pm on the day.

Admission seekers of Unit A at Military Institute of Science and Technology (MIST) will sit for their exams at 9:00am and Unit B candidates will take their exams at 3:00pm.

Students, preparing to appear at BUTex will face questions of Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and English in a 200 marks MCQ questionare. Candidates of SAU will need to face General Knowledge, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Biology questions in a 100 mark MCQ questionare.

The students appearing for MIST A unit test will face Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Functional English questions for 100 mark written exam, while B unit candidates will face another 100 mark written question of Drawing and Architecture related topics.

When contacted, all three univer-

Muggers kill elderly woman n Tribune Report

Woman dragged to death by muggers

Unknown miscreants killed an elderly woman while looting money from her son’s house in the capital’s Mirpur Monday night.

The victim, Hosneara Begum, 65, lived with her two sons and a daughterin-law at Section-2 of Mirpur.

Her son Delwar Hossain said he along with his two younger brothers – Panna and Liton – were at their workshop at Gudaraghat the whole day. After returning home around 10pm, they found the main door of their flat locked from outside.

After breaking open the door, he found his mother lying on the bed with her legs tied up and a piece of cloth wrapped around her neck.

Later, locals came forward after he cried for help and informed police. Mirpur police station Sub-Inspector Imanuer told the Dhaka Tribune: “The woman was strangulated to death. The criminals also took Tk2 lakh from the house which was kept inside of an almirah. l

n Ashif Islam Shaon A woman died after muggers dragged her several feet on the street while trying to snatch away her hangbag near Sobhanbagh mosque in the capital’s Dhanmondi area early yesterday morning.

As the snatchers grabbed and pulled the handbag, they pulled Ayesha off the rickshaw too, and dragged her through the street The victim, Ayesha Ripa, 27, a resident of Lalmatia area, suffered severe injuries in her head and other parts of her body, police said.

Ibrahim Khan, a relative of the victim who was with her at the time of the incident, said Ayesha was on a rickshaw around 6:30am when a group of four or

five muggers riding a white microbus tried to snatch her purse, the handle of which was wrapped around her hand.

“As the snatchers grabbed and pulled the handbag, they pulled Ayesha off the rickshaw too, and dragged her through the street. The snatcher who had grabbed the purse did not let go until Ayesha’s grip on the bag loosened.

Then the muggers sped away, leaving her on the road,” he said.

When Ibrahim rushed Ayesha to the nearby Bangladesh Medical College and Hospital, the doctors pronounced her dead.

Nazrul Islam Mukul, Ayesha’s brother in-law, said Ayesha had dropped her eight-year-old daughter Raisa at her sister’s home in Tajmahal Road the night before and then went to the house of another sister in Dhanmondi. She was returning home in the morning when the incident took place. Nurul Islam, sub-inspector at Dhanmondi police station, confirmed the incident. l

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B4 E-waste inferno burning brighter in China’s recycling capital

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014 www.dhakatribune.com/business

BKB goes under Muhith hits out at developed countries LDCs begin 3-day talks to set strategy for becoming mid-income nations close BB watch n Tribune Report

The Krishi Bank loses financial strength due to widespread corruption of credit) limit against two subsidiaries n Jebun Nesa Alo of SA Group.

Bangladesh Krishi Bank has been brought under close monitoring of the central bank as its financial strength eroded due to widespread corruption for last several years.

Bangladesh Bank imposed conditions on almost all the banking activities under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed recently with the bank, said a senior executive of the central bank that forwarded the MoU last week to the bank for signing and sending back to BB.

The bank is restricted to loan disbursement of 15% of its total loans and advances at any point of time to the industrial sector According to the MoU, the bank’s total exposure of funded and non-funded facilities to a single borrower or group shall not exceed 15% of its paid-up capital to avert concentration of large loans.

By no means the bank should exceed the limit, otherwise a penalty will be imposed.

“We will strictly watch the single borrower exposure, the violation of which will impose penalty,” the BB executive, requesting not to be named.

The bank is restricted to invest in bonds other than the government ones.

The operating expense is also restricted to 10% higher than the previous years, according to the MoU. Bangladesh Bank asked the scamhit branches of BKB including those of local principal office, Dhaka, Karwan Bazar, Narayanganj corporate branch and Konabaree branch to regularise their banking operations.

According to another inquiry report, the central bank found that despite being defaulter, BKB renewed LC (letter

The bank extended LC limit of Tk80 crore and Tk65 crore respectively for one year against the two.

The board of the bank approved loan of Tk173 crore against the project of Multazim Spinning Mills violating single borrower limit. Even, the bank did not submit the report to the large loan section of the central bank.

The loan of Royal Plastic Industry amounting to Tk7 crore has been renewed after seven months of expiry though the loan was supposed to be classified as doubtful.

The bank board has also renewed back-to-back LC limit against Badhon Knit Fashion despite being classified account.

The MoU asked the bank to strictly follow the principle of “ability to repay” to ensure and develop sound credit culture. All other required formalities in regard to loan sanction, disbursement and documentation are to be complied with and properly observed in line with the regulator’s and bank’s own policies and procedures.

The bank also has been asked to strictly follow the HR (human resource) policy in case of recruitment and promotion.

The bank is restricted to loan disbursement of 15% of its total loans and advances at any point of time to the industrial sector.

The bank was asked to emphasise credit disbursement to agriculture sector and SME sector and to meet the limit of credit disbursement for these two.

The gross non-performing loan ratio will have to be brought down within 20% by June 30, 2015 which is now 27.86% as of June 2014.

The bank is restricted to take over any non-performing loan from other banks.

A special drive will have to be conducted to recover default loan amounting to Tk270 crore from the top 20 defaulters and Tk1,100 crore from other defaulters by June 2015, according to the MoU. l

Finance Minister AMA Muhith yesterday criticised developed countries for not playing due role to help Least Developed Countries (LDCs) graduate to middle-income countries.

“Unfortunately, LDCs fail to get sufficient response from developed countries,” he said, opening a three-day conference on Financing Graduation Gaps of the Asia-Pacific Least Development Countries at a city hotel.

Representatives from 12 Asia-Pacific countries are taking part in the programme.

The conference was jointly arranged

by Economic Relations Division (ERD), United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP) and United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) in Dhaka to find out a strategy to deal with fund deficit for coming out of LDCs. The Finance Minister said: “To get rid of LDC status, we need to improve on four areas – domestic resource mobilisation, human resource development, poverty alleviation and best use of technology.”

Bangladesh will be able to come out of the LDC status much earlier than 2021 as we have done satisfactory progress in poverty reduction, per capita income and Human Development Index, he said.

Muhith, however, stressed the need for preparation to achieve the target of other indicators, including maximum use of technology and Economic Vulnerability Index, which include indicators on natural shocks, trade shocks, exposure to shocks, economic smallness and economic remoteness.

Bangladesh’s present per capita income is $1,044, which is $146 lower than the minimum required level of gross national income of $1,190 to qualify for the graduation status.

It has fared well in the Economic Vulnerability Index, with a score of 32.4. LDCs which plan to graduate from the group must bring down their scores below 38.

In recent years, Bangladesh has made remarkable progress in human and social development, particularly in the areas of poverty reduction, reducing prevalence of underweight children, increasing enrollment in pri-

Tk832cr power project approved n Tribune Report

The government yesterday approved a project worth Tk832 crore for establishing three lakh new electricity connections in 41 upazilas under 21 south-western districts in the country.

The project will be completed by June 2018. Of the total project costs, the government will spend Tk788 crore from its own coffer while rest of Tk44 crore will be provided by the West Zone Power Distribution Company.

The project was one of the five projects with total outlay of Tk1,525 crore, approved by the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) at the NEC conference room with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

The demand for power will be increased by 230 megawatt for adding the new electricity connection to the national grid, said Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal after the meeting.

The government will meet this additional demand for power by rehabilitating the existing power plants and setting up new power plants as well.

According to this power distribution project, some 1,081 kilometer(km) new power distribution line will be set up while 777 km power line to be rehabilitated, three new power plants will be built and another 11 power plant will be repaired.

Of the total five project cost, Tk1,491 crore will come from the national exchequer, while Tk44 crore from the own funds of the respective organisations.

The ECNEC also approved Rajshahi BSCIC Industrial City Expansion project.

The total outlay of the project has been fixed at Tk53 crore for acquisition of 30 crores of land to set up new 200 industrial units. The government will complete the project by July 2017.

Of the total industrial units, 10% will be kept reserve for women entrepreneurs, said the Minister.

At present, Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) has 74 industrial cities in the country with a total of 10,338 units. Of them, different industries have been set up on 4,100 units.

The meeting also approved ‘Dhaka Central Jail (Keraniganj) project involving Tk406 crore under which two separate prisons, one for male and another one for female will be built.

These two jails will accommodate 600 prisoners along with a 20-bed hospital under the project to be completed

by June 2017.

The revised cost of the project increased 69% from its original cost of Tk317. The project was first taken in 2006.

The ECNEC meeting also approved a project worth Tk134 crore for saving Lalamohon upazila under Bhola district from river erosion and another project of Tk110 crore for constructing dormitories for the BUET students in the capital. l

Stress on larger Thai-Bangladesh trade n Tribune Business Desk Speakers at a discussion yesterday called for taking initiatives to increase business ties between Bangladesh and Thailand as they argued that a favourable condition is prevailing now with potentials of improved bilateral trade in a number of sectors.

Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) and Bangladesh-Thai Chamber of Commerce Industry (BTCCI) jointly organised the discussion meeting at the DCCI auditorium in Dhaka, said a press release.

Bangladesh Ambassador-Designate to Thailand Saida Muna Tasneem was present on the occasion.

DCCI President Mohammad Shahjahan Khan said Thailand is the 2nd largest economy in Southeast Asia. He said in the past fiscal year, amount of

import and export between the two countries was $393.6m and $39.62m respectively.

Shahjahan Khan said Thailand is a potential market for Bangladeshi products like frozen food, raw jute, jute goods, electrical and electronic equipment.

DCCI President also said investment climate of Bangladesh is now attractive for foreign investors.

He urged the new Bangladeshi ambassador to Thailand to take initiatives for the Thai investors to invest in textile, agro-processing, leather and leather goods, power, energy and tourism sectors in Bangladesh.

Ambassador-Designate Saida Muna Tasneem said private sector of Bangladesh made great contribution to the economic development of the country.

She stressed enhancement of pri-

vate sector relationship between the two nations. Sadia Muna also assured that she would urge Thai investors to invest in coastal and special economic zone in Bangladesh and recruit more fishermen from Bangladesh.

She said Bangladeshi products like jute, handicrafts, RMG and frozen food have huge demands in Thailand, urging the Bangladeshi traders to invest more in those sectors.

BTCCI president Sajjatuz Jumma urged the Bangladesh government to enhance investment facilities for the Thai Investors.

DCCI vice president Kh Shahidul Islam, directors Abul Humayun Rashid, S Rumi Saifullah, Abdus Salam, convenor M S Siddiki, Capt (Retd) Nurul Haque and woman entrepreneur Nadia Binta Amin took part at the open discussion session. l

Finance Minister AMA Muhith addresses the inauguration of a three-day conference on Financing Graduation Gaps of the Asia-Pacific Least Developed Countries at a city hotel yesterday MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU mary schools, lowering infants’ mortality rate and maternal mortality rate, improving immunisation coverage and reducing the incidence of communicable diseases, according to the latest Millennium Development Goal Progress Report.

Officer-in-Charge, Macroeconomic Policy and Development Division of UNESCAP, Aynul Hasan said Bangla-

desh per capita income might reach $22,00 in next five years if it grows in line with its plan.

State Minister for Finance MA Mannan sought international support for turning LDCs into mid-income countries.

Some 55 policymakers and senior officials from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Kiribati, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Nepal, Solomon Islands,

First Internet professionals’ conference on November 14 n Muhammad Zahidul Islam The Internet professionals are going to hold a conference on November 14, first of its kind in the country.

A social media organisation named Bangladesh Internet Professionals Community (BIPC) will organise the day-long conference at Mahanagar Natto Mahcha in the city.

Information and communication technology (ICT) experts will attend the event and share their experiences to the professionals who earn through providing Internet-related services.

BIPC said a series of sessions on networking, learning, fun and entertainment, sharing ideas, women empowerment and so on will be held at the conference.

More than 1,000 Internet professionals will participate in the conference to offer their services through Internet while different social media groups on Facebook and other platforms will also play their roles.

“We have a vision of organising the conference every year to bring all Internet activists who mainly work for marketplaces to a same platform,” Mobarak Hossain, a member of the BIPC, told the Dhaka Tribune over phone recently.  B3 COLUMN 4

Timore-leste (East Timor), Tuvalu and Vanuatu and relevant stakeholders are participating in the event titled Financing Graduation Gaps of the Asia-Pacific Least Development Countries.

State minister for foreign affairs Shahriar Alam, Member of the General Economics Division Shamsul Alam and ERD secretary Mohammad Mejbahuddin also spoke at the event. l

B2 Stocks slips back in red after rebounding n Tribune Report

33 remained unchanged.

Non-banking financial institutions ended their rally, tumbling nearly 3% on profit booking.

The bellwether bank continued to rally on revival of quarterly earnings with 0.2% return in its market capitalisation.

Most of other major sectors – with telecommunication, pharmaceuticals, textile, micro and small cap – stocks closed negative.

Lanka Bangla Securities said with sideways movement of index over last few trading sessions, market turned in mixed performance.

It said market experienced some early gains, where some stocks pulled back off their ground as investors remained cautious seeing corporate earnings of companies.

IDLC Investments said fear of further fall continued taking toll on investors’ sentiment as well as market.

“Hence, the bourse could not held its’ positivity longer and sequentially got sliced,” it said.

In spite of better earnings disclosures, market level negativity dwindled away market momentum, it said, adding that news on positive Q3 earnings disclosures by most of the banks and allowing of FDI in textile sector could not encourage investors much.

CVO Petrochemical Refinery Ltd topped the liquidity chart with turnover worth over Tk28 crore.

It was followed by Summit Purbanchol Power Company Limited, Grameenphone, BRAC Bank, Mobil Jamuna Limited Bangladesh, Square Pharmaceuticals, Khulna Printing & packaging Limited and Lanka Bangla Finance. l

Stocks slipped back in red with volatility yesterday, after rebound in the previous session as late profit booking cut early gains.

The market opened higher, gaining more than 70 points in red but started declining from second session on profit booking.

The Dhaka Stock Exchange benchmark index, DSEX, lost 28 points or 0.6% to close at 5,128, hitting highest at 5,193 in the morning and lowest at 5,123 in the wee hour.

It stood at Tk462 crore – lowest since August 3 this year and more than 8% lower over the previous session The Shariah DSES index fell marginally 6 points or 0.6% to 1,206. The DS30 index comprising blue chip issues was down 13 points or 0.7% to 1,933.

The Chittagong Stock Exchange Selective Category Index, CSCX, shed almost 52 points to 9,623.

Trading activities continued to slide as DSE turnover came down below Tk500 crore after two months.

It stood at Tk462 crore – lowest since August 3 this year and more than 8% lower over the previous session.

The market breadth also remained negative as out of 304 issues traded, 96 gained, 175 declined and

Weekly capital market highlights DSE Broad Index : DSE - 30 Index : CSE All Share Index: CSE - 30 Index : CSE Selected Index : DSE LOSER Company

Closing (% Change)

LankaBangla Fin. -A Zeal Bangla Sugar -Z CVO PetroChem RL-A Bangladesh Welding -Z National Polymer -A Beacon Pharma Ltd.-Z Shinepukur Cera-Z BD. Autocars -Z Rahim Textile -A People`s Leasing-A

-8.95 -7.50 -6.54 -5.88 -5.83 -5.52 -5.30 -5.12 -4.85 -4.84

CSE LOSER Company

Closing (% Change)

Beacon Pharma Ltd.-Z LankaBangla Fin. -A Anwar Galvanizing-B National Polymer -A JMI Syringes MDL-A Reliance1 M.F.-A Mithun Knitting -A The Ibn SinaA Marico BD Ltd-A Golden Harvest Agro-N

-8.72 -7.21 -6.67 -6.28 -6.06 -5.06 -4.79 -4.55 -4.47 -4.43

ANALYST

5128.84256

(-) 0.55%

1933.53684

(-) 0.67%

15796.21550

(-) 0.55%

13047.46510

(-) 0.75%

9623.99760

(-) 0.53%

Average (% Change) -4.72 -37.50 -7.75 -2.01 -4.49 -6.27 0.76 -3.51 -4.19 -2.23 Average (% Change) -7.54 -3.45 -6.67 -5.31 -6.09 -5.90 -4.57 -4.55 -4.47 -4.57

ClosingAvg. 46.88 5.00 551.78 13.14 59.18 13.61 14.53 24.44 319.06 24.09

ClosingAvg. 13.37 47.00 25.20 58.64 158.05 7.50 87.65 105.00 1,155.00 30.07

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

▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼

DHIGH

45.80 7.40 554.70 12.80 58.10 13.70 14.30 24.10 311.70 23.60

Closing 13.60 46.30 25.20 58.20 158.10 7.50 87.50 105.00 1,155.00 30.20

55.30 7.50 593.50 13.70 61.80 14.00 15.10 24.90 334.90 25.40

DHIGH 13.80 49.40 25.20 60.10 158.10 7.50 89.00 105.00 1,155.00 30.50

Company

Turnover (Million Taka)

4,625.94

Turnover (Volume)

108,823,497

Number of Contract

93,042

Traded Issues

305

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

144

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

152 9

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,741.40

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

33.23

CSE key features October 28, 2014 Turnover (Million Taka)

341.92

Turnover (Volume)

9,391,617

Number of Contract

12,324

Traded Issues

218

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

97

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

116

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

5

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,644.15

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

32.05

Turnover in Million

45.30 7.40 549.00 12.80 57.80 11.90 14.20 23.80 310.00 22.60

110.529 0.001 281.916 1.748 5.919 29.711 1.978 0.011 3.717 49.628

Turnover in Million

DLOW 12.00 46.00 25.20 57.80 158.00 7.50 87.50 105.00 1,155.00 28.50

DSE Million Taka 635.00 332.66 52.56 415.57 117.61 1061.18 1.76 289.28 653.69 115.60 154.17 46.40 39.45 118.86 63.28 21.88 117.42 211.86 49.81 127.53 0.38

% change 13.73 7.19 1.14 8.98 2.54 22.94 0.04 6.25 14.13 3.33 1.00 0.85 2.57 1.37 0.47 2.54 4.58 1.08 2.76 0.01

Million Taka 37.08 17.05 1.66 33.18 11.50 80.45 29.18 37.41 28.82 20.39 11.81 2.63 10.92 25.95 0.98 3.12 14.71 9.59 14.82 0.02

CSE

% change 9.48 4.36 0.42 8.48 2.94 20.56 0.00 7.46 9.56 7.37 5.21 3.02 0.67 2.79 6.63 0.25 0.80 3.76 2.45 3.79 0.01

Latest EPS 1.29 -30.63 -3.16 0.34 2.11 0.10 0.50 0.08 8.42 0.82

Latest EPS

4.311 8.436 0.025 0.715 0.158 0.015 0.175 0.011 0.058 0.916

Million Taka 672.08 349.71 54.22 448.76 129.10 1141.62 1.76 318.46 691.10 144.42 174.56 58.21 42.08 129.79 89.24 22.86 120.55 226.57 59.40 142.35 0.41

Shahjibazar Power-N Alltex Industries -Z Daffodil Computers -Z SAIF Powertec-N Modern Dyeing -Z aamra technologies-A Berger Paints-A Summit Purbanchol P-N Keya Cosmetics -A Shahjalal Islami -A

Closing (% Change) 9.96 8.89 6.67 6.56 5.75 4.42 4.23 3.81 3.67 3.39

CSE GAINER

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

DLOW

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

DSE GAINER

DSE key features October 28, 2014

0.10 1.29 0.27 2.11 4.50 1.38 2.69 3.54 55.10 1.19

Latest PE 36.3 -ve -ve 38.6 28.0 136.1 29.1 305.5 37.9 29.4

Total

Company Alltex Industries -Z Rupali InsurA SAIF Powertec-N aamra technologies-A Summit Purbanchol P-N Prime Bank-A Nitol Insurance -A Keya Cosmetics -A Hakkani P& Paper -B IFIL Islamic M.F.1-A

Closing (% Change) 7.87 7.63 6.42 4.42 4.37 3.98 3.74 3.69 3.66 3.51

Average (% Change) 9.96 4.67 5.56 3.10 5.21 3.95 4.16 3.37 4.41 3.73 Average (% Change) 3.78 7.77 3.07 3.08 3.82 3.99 3.74 4.46 3.83 3.51

ClosingAvg. 173.40 9.42 14.43 66.50 84.17 35.02 1,217.26 56.80 25.32 12.23

ClosingAvg. 9.34 25.38 66.40 34.85 56.83 20.86 30.50 25.27 25.50 5.90

Closing 173.40 9.80 14.40 68.20 84.60 35.40 1,218.20 57.20 25.40 12.20

Closing 9.60 25.40 68.00 35.40 57.30 20.90 30.50 25.30 25.50 5.90

DHIGH 173.40 9.90 14.80 69.70 87.60 35.70 1,221.00 57.80 25.80 12.50

DHIGH 9.70 25.50 69.60 35.60 57.90 22.00 30.50 25.70 25.50 5.90

DLOW 173.40 8.30 12.20 64.80 82.00 31.00 1,190.00 49.60 22.10 10.80

DLOW 8.50 25.00 64.40 30.60 49.50 20.00 30.50 22.00 25.50 5.90

Turnover in Million 9.364 20.147 1.390 101.706 0.202 45.701 20.450 196.264 102.057 11.481

Turnover in Million 3.064 0.030 17.011 4.286 17.027 0.065 0.015 6.340 0.026 0.006

Latest EPS 3.00 -1.24 0.68 2.54 1.56 1.52 53.82 4.60 1.93 0.48

Latest EPS -1.24 2.52 2.54 1.52 4.60 1.96 2.58 1.93 0.64 1.07

Latest PE 57.8 -ve 21.2 26.2 54.0 23.0 22.6 12.3 13.1 25.5

Latest PE -ve 10.1 26.1 22.9 12.4 10.6 11.8 13.1 39.8 5.5

News, analysis and recent disclosers KPPL: 5% cash and 10% stock dividend, AGM: 14.12.2014, Record date: 25.11.2014.

EPS of Tk. 3.75, NAV per share of Tk. 43.00. full dilution EPS and NAV for the year 2013-14 will be Tk. 2.13 per share and Tk. 17.00 per share respectively.

SAIFPOWER: 27% stock, AGM: 15.12.2014, Record Date: 10.11.2014. EPS of Tk. 2.54, NAV per share of Tk. 26.84.

SHURWID: 15% stock, Date of EGM & AGM: 20.12.2014, Record date for EGM & AGM: 20.11.2014. EPS of Tk. 1.64, NAV per share of Tk. 20.22.

GHAIL: 10% cash, Date of EGM and AGM: 15.12.2014, Record date for EGM and AGM: 13.11.2014. EPS of Tk. 1.19, NAV per share of Tk. 23.05.

MALEKSPIN: 10% cash dividend, AGM: 18.12.2014, Record Date: 18.11.2014. EPS of Tk. 2.33, consolidated NAV per share of Tk. 45.06.

BEACONPHAR: No dividend, AGM: 10.12.2014, Record date: 16.11.2014. EPS of Tk. 0.10, NAV per share of Tk. 12.41.

MONNOCERA: 5% cash dividend for public shareholders (excluding Sponsor/ Directors), AGM: 24.12.2014, Record Date: 17.11.2014. EPS of Tk. 0.11, NAV per share of Tk. 95.19.

MEGCONMILK: No dividend, AGM: 24.12.2014, Record Date: 07.12.2014. EPS

of Tk. (1.78), NAV per share of Tk. (25.48).

MEGHNAPET: No dividend, AGM: 24.12.2014, Record Date: 07.12.2014. EPS of Tk. (0.47), NAV per share of Tk. (1.99).

Unaudited Financials:

MERCANBANK: (Q3): NPAT= Tk. 943.23 million with consolidated EPS of Tk. 1.28 as against Tk. 791.95 million and Tk. 1.07 respectively.

EXIMBANK: (Q3): NPAT= Tk. 1,004.80 million with consolidated EPS of Tk. 0.78 as against Tk. 17.07 million and Tk. 0.01 respectively.

SHAHJABANK: (Q3): NPAT= Tk. 264.79 million with consolidated EPS of Tk. 0.36 as against Tk. 835.56 million and Tk. 1.14 respectively.

ONEBANKLTD: (Q3): NPAT= Tk. 732.46 million with consolidated EPS of Tk. 1.40 as against Tk. 346.39 million and Tk. 0.66 respectively.

UNIONCAP: (Q3): NPAT= Tk. 80.79 million with consolidated EPS of Tk. 0.67 as against Tk. 23.18 million and Tk. 0.19 respectively.

DHAKABANK: (Q3): NPAT= Tk. 579.61 million with consolidated EPS of Tk. 1.02 as against Tk. 424.45 million and Tk. 0.75 respectively.

JAMUNABANK: (Q3): NPAT= Tk. 327.05

million with consolidated EPS of Tk. 0.63 as against Tk. 264.07 million and Tk. 0.51 respectively.

LANKABAFIN: (Q3): NPAT= Tk. 212.90 million with consolidated EPS of Tk. 0.97 as against Tk. 429.16 million and Tk. 1.96 respectively.

LINDEBD: (Q3): NPAT= Tk. 439.93 million with EPS of Tk. 28.91 as against Tk. 492.29 million and Tk. 32.35 respectively.

GREENDELT: (Q3): NPAT= Tk. 92.06 million with consolidated EPS of Tk. 1.26 as against Tk. 127.15 million and Tk. 1.73 respectively.

PIONEERINS:(Q3): NPAT= Tk. 184.16 million with EPS of Tk. 3.62 as against Tk. 182.94 million and Tk. 3.59 respectively.

CITYGENINS: (Q3): NPAT= Tk. 72.75 million with EPS of Tk. 1.42 as against Tk. 69.40 million and Tk. 1.36 respectively.

RUPALIINS: (Q3): NPAT= Tk. 108.18 million with EPS of Tk. 1.89 as against Tk. 101.24 million and Tk. 1.77 (restated) respectively.

COMPANY NEWS: Western Marine Shipyard Limited: Trading of the shares of Western Marine Shipyard Limited will commence at DSE from November 02, 2014 under 'N' category. DSE Trading Code for Western Marine Shipyard Limited is "WMSHIPYARD" and DSE Company Code is 13236.

Latest PE 133.7 36.4 93.3 27.8 35.1 5.4 32.6 29.7 21.0 25.3

Most of other major sectors – with telecommunication, pharmaceuticals, textile, micro and small cap – stocks closed negative

SECTORAL TURNOVER SUMMARY Sector

Stock

DHAKA TRIBUNE

% change 13.40 6.97 1.08 8.94 2.57 22.75 0.04 6.35 13.77 2.88 3.48 1.16 0.84 2.59 1.78 0.46 2.40 4.52 1.18 2.84 0.01

Prepared exclusively for Dhaka Tribune by Business Information Automation Service Line (BIASL), on the basis of information collected from daily stock quotations and audited reports of the listed companies. High level of caution has been taken to collect and present the above information and data. The publisher will not take any responsibility if any body uses this information and data for his/her investment decision. For any query please email to biasl@bol-online.com or call 01552153562 or go to www.biasl.net

DSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company CVO PetroChem RL-A Brac Bank -A Summit Purbanchol P-N Grameenphone-A MJL BD Ltd.-A Square Pharma -A Khulna Printing-N LankaBangla Fin. -A Keya Cosmetics -A SAIF Powertec-N

Titas Gas TDCLA Delta Life Insu. -A Beximco Pharma -A BEXIMCO Ltd. -A ACI Limited- A

CSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company Khulna Printing-N Shahjibazar Power-N Summit Purbanchol P-N SAIF Powertec-N BEXIMCO Ltd. -A MJL BD Ltd.-A Grameenphone-A LankaBangla Fin. -A Jamuna Oil -A BSRM Steels-A

Khulna Power-A Square Pharma -A Keya Cosmetics -A N C C Bank -A LafargeS Cement-Z

VolumeShares 510,925 6,581,181 3,455,215 501,241 1,017,036 507,046 4,095,500 2,357,551 4,030,290 1,529,400

Value in Million 281.92 235.41 196.26 191.61 147.16 141.03 115.04 110.53 102.06 101.71

% of TotalTurnover 6.09 5.09 4.24 4.14 3.18 3.05 2.49 2.39 2.21 2.20

VolumeShares

Value in Million

% of TotalTurnover

1,091,415 460,383 1,287,785 2,112,557 154,595

657,500 32,600 299,627 256,200 326,814 85,344 24,600 179,500 27,800 66,230

103,791 23,282 250,900 475,980 42,500

95.29 87.72 85.60 85.52 72.59

18.50 17.93 17.03 17.01 13.19 12.45 9.37 8.44 7.12 6.98

6.59 6.46 6.34 5.70 5.57

2.06 1.90 1.85 1.85 1.57

5.49 5.32 5.06 5.05 3.92 3.70 2.78 2.51 2.11 2.07

1.96 1.92 1.88 1.69 1.65

ClosingP 554.70 36.00 57.20 379.70 143.70 278.20 27.60 45.80 25.40 68.20

87.10 187.70 66.00 40.00 466.90

ClosingP

27.70 173.60 57.30 68.00 40.10 144.00 379.50 46.30 252.90 104.60

63.40 276.90 25.30 12.00 128.60

Change % -6.54 3.15 3.81 -1.56 -2.18 -0.71 0.36 -8.95 3.67 6.56

0.00 -0.53 -0.30 -1.23 -2.28

Change %

1.47 9.94 4.37 6.42 -1.23 -1.44 -1.66 -7.21 -0.16 -0.10

-0.47 -0.43 3.69 0.84 -0.54

ClosingY 593.50 34.90 55.10 385.70 146.90 280.20 27.50 50.30 24.50 64.00

87.10 188.70 66.20 40.50 477.80

ClosingY

27.30 157.90 54.90 63.90 40.60 146.10 385.90 49.90 253.30 104.70

63.70 278.10 24.40 11.90 129.30

DHIGH 593.50 36.20 57.80 389.00 150.00 285.00 29.00 55.30 25.80 69.70

89.40 195.00 67.80 41.50 482.80

DHIGH

28.90 173.60 57.90 69.60 41.40 151.50 388.10 49.40 256.90 107.00

64.50 280.00 25.70 12.20 135.00

DLOW 549.00 31.50 49.60 370.00 135.00 268.00 27.10 45.30 22.10 64.80

78.50 173.00 60.00 36.60 445.00

DLOW

27.30 173.60 49.50 64.40 36.60 132.00 378.50 46.00 251.00 102.00

57.40 269.00 22.00 11.00 128.00

AvgPrice 551.78 35.77 56.80 382.28 144.70 278.15 28.09 46.88 25.32 66.50

87.31 190.54 66.47 40.48 469.55

AvgPrice

28.14 549.99 56.83 66.40 40.37 145.93 381.04 47.00 256.09 105.41

63.52 277.30 25.27 11.98 131.03

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

B3

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Goldman slashes 2015 oil price forecast n Reuters Goldman Sachs has slashed its 2015 oil price forecasts, making it the most bearish among major financial institutions, following a near 25% fall in crude prices over the past five months.

The US investment bank said rising output will outstrip demand - and its new numbers weighed further on benchmark Brent crude prices - as forecasters generally pare back estimates for oil due to slowing global growth, a strengthening dollar and ample supplies.

Goldman analysts said in a report released late on Sunday that they expect US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude to fall to $75 a barrel

'I personally think prices have room for declines though not as steep as Goldman' and Brent to $85 a barrel in the first quarter of 2015, both down $15 a barrel from their previous forecast.

WTI could fall as low as $70 in the second quarter and Brent as low as $80, when oversupply would be the most pronounced, before returning to firstquarter levels, Goldman said.

Goldman’s projections contrast with those of Standard Chartered Bank’s oil analyst Paul Horsnell, known for having called the market’s long rally a decade ago. He is sticking with a more bullish bias.

Last week, Horsnell and his team cut their first quarter Brent forecast to $98 but pared back their forecast for calendar 2015 by just $5, to $105 a barrel.

Brent crude futures dipped 0.3% on Monday to less than $86 a barrel, extending their decline despite a continued easing of worries over the global economic recovery, said Tomomichi Akuta, senior economist at Mitsubishi UFJ Research & Consulting.

“I personally think prices have room for declines though not as steep as Goldman,” Akuta said.

NYMEX crude for December delivery was up 4 cents at $81.05 a barrel by 0848 GMT, after settling down $1.08 on Friday following a spike up on Thursday.

If WTI fell to $70 a barrel next year, as Goldman Sachs is forecasting, it would be the US benchmark’s lowest level since mid-2010.

Goldman said production outside OPEC countries was expected to accelerate, led by Brazil and drilling in the Gulf of Mexico with the end of extensive deep-water maintenance following the 2010 Macondo disaster.

Non OPEC-production outside the US lower 48 states is forecast to increase by 412,000 barrels per day this year, 573,000 bpd in 2015 and 505,000 bpd in 2016. Output from Brazil’s Santos basin is forecast to start to pick up, increasing Brazilian output by 206,000 bpd in 2014 and 325,000 bpd next year.

Gulf of Mexico production is expected to increase by 155,000 bpd in 2015.

Among OPEC countries, Iraqi production is seen increasing by 200,000 bpd and Libya’s output stabilising at about 700,000 bpd, compared with recent production of about 900,000 bpd.

Iranian production and exports are unlikely to see further growth because Goldman analysts do not expect a resolution to the country’s nuclear dispute with the West by the Nov 24 deadline, meaning sanctions on Tehran will not be lifted.

On the demand side, growth has only averaged 630,000 barrels per day year-on-year so far, less than half Goldman’s initial forecast for 2014, the report said.

Global economic growth is forecast

by Goldman analysts to increase to 3.5% next year but there is a “risk that the historical relationship between global GDP growth and oil demand has weakened,” the report said.

In the United States, rising shale production is increasingly affecting global energy flows and eroding OPEC’s pricing power, Goldman said.

Anthony Jude, a senior adviser on energy and sustainable development matters for the Asian Development Bank, cited falling US oil imports as the primary reason for lower global oil prices. l

A fisherman rows his dinghy past oil refineries near port terminals in Singapore

Oil’s slide a blow, not a boon to Asian refiners n Reuters, Seoul

A 25% slide in crude prices since June should mean a windfall for Asian refiners, but instead they are facing a major drag on profits.

Although benchmark Brent and West Texas Intermediate crudes are just off multi-year lows, many refiners have previously agreed to pay higher prices for deliveries through to the end of this year and can not pass those costs on to fuel buyers.

Forecasts that crude prices will remain weaker-than-expected into next year have also raised the spectre of big writedowns on crude and product inventories on year-end earnings reports.

“As (the falls were) unexpected, they are causing earnings shocks,” said Andrew Yoon, a senior analyst at Daishin Securities, noting the knock-on impact that cuts in oil inventory values would have on end-of-year results.

Brent dropped to less than $83 a barrel on Oct. 16, its lowest in almost four years after falling from this year’s high of $115.71 in mid-June. The frontmonth contract has recovered some

lost ground and has held mostly above $85 since then, but it is not clear its four-month downtrend is finished.

“In terms of an impact on our inventories, cheaper oil price is a minus as it will lead to appraisal losses,” said Yasushi Kimura, head of the Petroleum Association of Japan and chairman of Japan’s biggest refiner JX Holdings.

A source at a Southeast Asian refiner said his company started the year with an oil complex based on a $106 price for Brent, and even if the benchmark recovers to $90, it is looking at a $16-abarrel loss on oil in tanks.

The refiner holds about 3 million barrels of crude at any time, yielding a paper loss of around $48m under this price scenario.

South Korea - with the fourth-largest refining capacity in Asia Pacific at 2.9 million barrels per day - held 29.5 million barrels of crude inventory by end -September, customs data shows.

That means every $10 drop in crude represents a $295m loss in South Korea’s inventory values.

South Korean refiners could also take a hit on lower values for more than

Call to expose potential of agro-industry

First Internet

n Tribune Report

He said senior officials of the government’s ICT division along with IT service businessmen and experts are expected to attend and address the conference.

An online registration for the participants is required to attend the event, the organiser said. The interested professionals can log on at http://bipcconference.com to get registered on “firstcome, first-served” basis.

The BIPC staff have already been divided into several groups and zones to accomplish the registration works which will cost each participant Tk300.

The organisation said in Bangladesh there are around seven lakh Internet professionals working currently. l

It is high time entrepreneurs took steps to expose potential of Bangladesh’s agro-industry to create employment opportunities and boost rural economy, experts said at a seminar yesterday.

They observed that the country has vast tracts of arable land conductive to growing a variety of crops as well as fruits.

The observation came at seminar titled “Expanding opportunities: promoting innovative ideas” at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in the city.

The agriculture experts called upon the entrepreneurs to come up with innovative ideas and apply those to boost

agro-based rural economy. Palli Karma Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) hosted the seminar marking its 25th founding anniversary.

NBR Chairman Md Golam Hossain, agriculture scientists and NGO representatives, among others, spoke at the seminar.

Dr MA Quashem of PKSF chaired the event which was also attended by the foundation’s Chairman, Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad, Managing Director Md Abdul Karim and other senior officials.

Executive Director Mir Al Mamun of Habitat and Economy Lifting Programme and Ayub Hossain of Jonobiggan Foundation made separate presentations.

REUTERS

In his presentation, Mamun said: “The land of our country holds out a huge potential to turn our agriculture sector into an agro-industry.”

“Bangladesh can produce fish fry, fish oil and different other food items from fish alongside producing testy rice crackers from local rice varieties, besides making candy and chips from jack fruits.”

All the produces have a high market value, said Mamun. With reference to Japan, the country that produces rice crackers, he said: “We can use the formula Japan does, as rice is our staple crop.”

The executive director called upon new entrepreneurs to be more innovative to transform the agro-based industry into a profitable sector. l

52 million barrels of oil products that state-run Korea National Oil Corp says they held at the end of last month.

SK Innovation Co Ltd, which owns SK Energy Co Ltd, South Korea’s largest refiner, said it is looking into ways to minimise position risks against falling crude prices.

Asian refiners usually do not hedge crude imports.

“We have already bought all the crude to be delivered through the yearend, considering it takes two months for most shipments,” said a Seoul-based refining source who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter.

Although margins at a complex refinery in Singapore - the benchmark value for Asia - have rebounded to above $5 a barrel from an average of $3.66 a barrel in August, with refiners still waiting for high-cost crude shipments to arrive, those improvements may not hold.

“Despite the substantially lower feedstock prices, the product prices have also fallen. So margins have not really improved,” said an analyst with an oil producer who declined to be

 B1 COLUMN 5

US Trade Representative Michael Froman (left) speaks at a press conference during the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) meeting of trade representatives in Sydney REUTERS

Pacific trade talks progress but gap remains between US, Japan n Reuters, Sydney

Jamuna Bank Limited has recently held its 251st board meeting. The bank’s chairperson Shaheen Mahmud presided over the meeting

Modhumoti Bank Ltd and Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board recently signed an agreement on allowing customers to pay their bills at the bank’s branch in Jinnahnagar

named because of company policy.

“If the demand was ‘solid’ we should have seen some relative strength in product prices versus crude,” he said.

Some Asian refiners have been striving to offset processing losses by cutting operating rates compared with a year ago, according to some sources and analysts.

Others have been holding rates flat to just slightly lower, looking to fill tanks with products refined from cheap crude that can be sold when the markets recover.

“Refiners will probably keep their runs cautious and just spoon feed, just buy enough and see how it goes,” waiting until it is clear that prices have hit bottom or processing margins have turned less volatile, said the oil producer’s analyst.

South Korea’s September refinery utilisation rate fell 6 percentage points from August, although run rates in the first nine months of the year were up 0.3 percentage point from the same period last year. Over January-August, Taiwan’s throughput was down 1.3% from a year ago. l

DPDC has recently signed an agreement with TBEA Company (manufacturer of power transmission and distribution equipment in China) on implementing project including Reinforcement. Rehabilitation and Augmentation of 33/11 kV sub-stations and Reinforcement and Augmentation of 132/33 kV Grid Sub-stations under DPDC area. The agreement was signed by Wang Young Gong, regional director of TBEA and Muhammad Munir Chowdhury, company secretary of DPDC

Southeast Bank Limited has recently opened its 107th branch at Teknaf in Cox’s Bazar. The bank’s additional managing director, Mohammed Gofran inaugurated the branch as chief guest

Negotiations for an ambitious trade pact among Pacific countries made significant progress over the weekend but there is still a gap between Japan and the United States over market access and other hurdles, trade representatives said on Monday.

The 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is central to President Barack Obama’s policy of expanding the US presence in Asia and the president has expressed hopes of concluding a deal by the end of the year.

But while all sides hailed the progress made during the latest round of talks, no breakthrough was forthcoming on the thorniest questions.

“There is no prospect for an agreement on market access (between Japan and the United States) at the moment,” Japanese Economics Minister Akira Amari told a news conference in Sydney.

“I expect we will reach results that satisfy both (countries),” he said, adding they would hold further talks.

An agreement between Tokyo and Washington is crucial to securing the broader pact as other partners are reluctant to commit until they see how those two resolve their differences, particularly over access to each other’s markets in sectors such as agriculture and automobiles.

Australian Trade Minister Andrew Robb, who hosted the meeting, said the shape of an “ambitious, compre-

hensive, high-standard and balanced deal” was forming.

“There is a real sense that we are within reach of the finish line and the prize does look very attractive,” Robb said, describing the negotiations as at the “compromise stage”.

“We are seeing a preparedness to make some of the difficult decisions.

This includes some of the key issues that we’ve been circling for a long time in the whole IP (intellectual property) area and market access and stateowned enterprises and other areas.”

The United States insists that Japan should lower barriers to agricultural imports, but Japan wants to protect sensitive products, including pork, beef, dairy and sugar.

U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman said that by definition the issues left at the end of any negotiation are those that are the most difficult to solve.

“We certainly have outstanding issues with Japan on market access - on agriculture, on autos and we are not done yet,” he told Reuters.

“And while we are making progress, we are not at a satisfactory resolution yet and that’s why the work is going to continue.”

Other major outstanding issues include intellectual property rights, particularly on products such as pharmaceuticals, environmental protection and country-specific issues around state-owned enterprises. l

B4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Back Page

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

E-waste inferno burning brighter in China’s recycling capital n AFP Mountains of discarded remote controls litter the warehouse floor. In a dimly-lit room, women on plastic stools pry open the devices, as if shucking oysters, to retrieve the circuitry inside.

In a narrow alley a few blocks over, a father and son from a distant province wash microchips in plastic buckets.

Men haul old telephones and computer keyboards by the shovelful off a truck.

Some items will be refurbished and resold, others will be stripped for components or materials such as copper or gold.

Business is booming in the Chinese town of Guiyu, where the world’s electronic waste ends up for recycling - and is set to get even better.

But the industry has a heavy environmental cost. Electronic remnants are strewn in a nearby stream, and the air is acrid from the burning of plastic, chemicals and circuitboards.

Heavy metal contamination has turned the air and water toxic, and children have high lead levels in their blood, according to an August study by researchers at Shantou University Medical College.

Much of the e-waste that passed through Guiyu over the past few decades came from outside China.

Western countries are now making a greater effort to process their own e-waste, but Chinese domestic supply will soon be more than enough to step into any breach, campaigners say.

China’s surging economy has transformed the country into a consuming power in its own right - it is now the world’s largest smartphone market - and use of electronic devices has soared.

“Before, the waste was shipped from other parts of the world coming into China -- that used to be the biggest source and the biggest problem,” said

ics. “You can make 4,000 or 5,000 yuan ($650 to $815) a month.” At the same time, the town has made worldwide headlines for the devastating health impact of its tainted environment.

“People think this cannot be allowed to go on,” said Leo Chen, 28, a financial worker who grew up in Guiyu.

The situation was better than a decade ago, he said, following authorities’ interventions, but the effects of years of pollution remain.

“In my memory, in front of my house, there was a river. It was green, and the water was very nice and clear,” he said. “Now, it’s black.”

‘Morally complicated’

Workers dismantle electronic waste at a workshop at Guiyu Township in Shantou City Ma Jun, director of the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, one of China’s foremost environmental NGOs. “But now, China has become a consuming power of its own,” Ma said. “We have I think 1.1 billion cell phones used, and the life of our gadgets has become shorter and shorter.”

“I think the wave is coming,” he added. “It’s going to be a bigger problem.”

‘This cannot be allowed to go on’

China currently generates 6.1 million metric tonnes of e-waste a year, compared with 7.2 million for the US and 48.8 million globally, according to the United Nations University’s Solving the E-waste Problem (StEP) Initiative.

But while US e-waste production has increased by 13% over the past five years, China’s has nearly doubled, set-

AFP

ting the Asian giant on track to overtake the US as the world’s biggest source as early as 2017.

Nowhere are the profit and environmental toll of e-waste recycling more on display than in Guiyu in the southern province of Guangdong, where some 80,000 of 130,000 residents work in the loosely-regulated industry, according to a 2012 local government es-

timate.

More than 1.6 million tonnes of ewaste pass through Guiyu each year, with recycling worth 3.7 billion yuan ($600 million) annually and attracting migrants from near and far.

“This work is tiring, but the salary is okay compared with the work in town,” said a 30-year-old surnamed Ma, who left a salesman’s job to dismantle electron-

Under full capital rules, 36 EU banks would have failed test n Reuters, London Europe’s banking health check has shown countries and lenders are implementing global capital rules at vastly different speeds, and 36 companies would have failed if new capital rules were fully applied.

The euro zone is lagging behind countries outside the bloc in implementing the Basel III capital rules that are due to come into full force in 2019, potentially adding another challenge for the European Central Bank when it takes over supervision of euro zone lenders next month.

“On a fully loaded basis, many banks have only passed the stress test by very thin margins or could be challenged in

'There is a sort of dual speed of implementation of Basel III capital rules' meeting the requirements, so they will be expected to do more,” said Carola Schuler, managing director for banking at ratings agency Moody’s.

Some 25 European banks failed a health check of whether they could withstand a recession, and another 11 would have failed if the full Basel III rules had been applied, according to data from the European Banking Authority released on Sunday.

Europe had gained credibility, said Karen Petrou, co-founder of Federal Financial Analytics in Washington. But a similar exercise by the US Federal Reserve was still tougher, amongst others because it requires banks to fully load Basel.

“It’s still an easier and different one than the Fed stress test in many, many respects,” she said. “The Fed’s test is very qualitative. You can get all the numbers right and still fail.”

The wider capital gap with fully implemented Basel rules could put pressure on more banks to improve the amount and quality of their capital, potentially impacting their profitability,

DILBERT

growth plans and dividend payouts.

Banks failed if they had common equity of 5.5% or less under a 2014/16 recession scenario. The EBA’s “stress test” was based on transitional capital rules, which vary by country, depending on how quickly they are phasing in rules.

But for the first time, so-called ‘fully loaded’ Basel III ratios - applying all the new global rules - were released across Europe’s top 130 banks for analysts and investors to compare their capital strength.

Banks’ common equity - as a percentage of risk-weighted assets - were on average almost 100 basis points lower on a full Basel III basis than the reported ratios under the 2014/16 recession scenario of the test, according to Reuters calculations.

Dual speed The divergence was substantial across countries.

Capital ratios for Greek banks were on average 7.8 percentage points lower under full Basel rules, and the difference for Irish banks was almost 7 percentage points. Ratios for Portuguese banks were 220 basis points lower on average and in Spain they were 100 bps lower.

On a full Basel III basis, five German banks, including HSH Nordbank and DZ Bank, would have failed, compared with just one - Muenchener Hypothekenbank - in the standard test.

But in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Britain, Poland and Hungary, there was almost no difference between the full Basel III rules and the transitional numbers, because national regulators have effectively fully implemented the rules already.

“There is a sort of dual speed of implementation of Basel III capital rules.

Different speeds and implementation standards will not go away anytime soon,” Moody’s’ Schuler said.

The pace at which Basel III is adopted is most relevant for big banks “where regulatory requirements are likely to put more and more pressure to build thicker and thicker capital buffers,” said Antonio Guglielmi, analyst at Mediobanca. l

Lai Yun, a Greenpeace researcher who has often visited Guiyu, said that while Beijing has tightened regulations enforcement is often lax, and the bottom line is that development cannot be obstructed.

“From the government’s perspective, e-waste gathering and processing is important for the local economy,” Lai said. “Research has shown that 80 percent of households are involved in this work. So, if they don’t expand this industry, these residents will need some other kind of employment.”

Central authorities including China’s powerful National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) have invested heavily in Guiyu’s recycling industry, pointed out Adam Minter, author of “Junkyard Planet”, on the economics of the global scrap industry.

The overall picture was mixed, he said.

“There is an environmental good happening there - they’re extending the life span of usable components, they’re pulling things out and recycling them, or sending them to Korea and Japan, something that’s very expensive to do in the US and the EU,” he said.

“Yet they do it in a way that’s not always good for human health and the environment,” he added. “Recycling is a morally complicated act.” l

Official: Oil-rich Saudi must invest in solar energy n AFP

A general view of the U.S. Federal Reserve building in Washington

REUTERS

Worried on low inflation, Fed seen offering soothing words n Reuters, New York The US Federal Reserve this week will likely reinforce its stated willingness to wait a long while before hiking interest rates after a volatile month in financial markets that saw some measures of inflation expectations drop worryingly low.

The reassurance will be all the more necessary given that the US central bank is all but certain to announce the end of its massive bond-buying stimulus when it wraps up a two-day meeting today.

With US inflation weak, the European economy stumbling and the dollar on the rise, the big question is to what extent Fed officials acknowledge risks to their expectations that the U.S. recovery will continue to strengthen and allow them to raise rates around the middle of next year.

The “overall tone of the communique should feel dovish as the Fed counters the implied tightening in monetary conditions resulting from the strong dollar and leans against the potential fallout from the current global growth

slowdown and disinflationary impulse,” TD Securities economist Millan Mulraine wrote in a client note.

The Fed will issue a policy statement at 2 pm on Wednesday. It will not update economic forecasts or rate projections, and Fed Chair Janet Yellen is not scheduled to address the media, leaving investors to scour the statement for clues on the direction of policy.

Several Fed officials want to stand by a pledge they will not hike rates for a “considerable time,” especially after the wild ride in financial markets that hit stocks and depressed market-based measures of inflation.

Still others, such as Boston Fed President Eric Rosengren, want to drop any reference to time and instead reinforce that any policy change will depend on economic data.

The Fed needs to fiddle with the language one way or another to drop a reference to asset purchases. While investors are now betting a rate rise won’t come until late next year, many Fed officials have said they are still eyeing a mid-2015 rate hike.

The US unemployment rate has fallen to 5.9% and economic growth is expected to run at a respectable 3% in the second half of this year and next, a strong domestic picture that has the Fed preparing to tighten policy.

But with Europe and Japan skating near recession, growth in China slowing, and the dollar strengthening, concerns have grown that US inflation will not continue to edge toward the Fed’s 2% goal.

The Fed could flag the risk that inflation might remain below target for longer than previously thought. In another move that would be interpreted as dovish, it could also highlight the threat that a global slowdown could pose to U.S. growth.

On the other hand, the swift decline in the jobless rate raises the question of whether the Fed will soften its view that there is “significant” underutilization of labor resources.

Despite a suggestion by St. Louis Fed President James Bullard to keep buying bonds through year end, the Fed is very likely to announce an end to its third round of asset purchases. l

Oil-rich and sun-blessed Saudi Arabia has no choice but to invest in solar energy, a senior official of the national electricity provider said on Monday.

“Solar energy is a must, not a choice,” Hamed al-Saggaf, an executive director with the Saudi Electricity Company, told a conference on sun power.

The kingdom is the largest producer in the OPEC oil cartel and is entirely dependent on oil and gas for its electricity production.

“If we continue to consume fuel at the same rate then there will be a great lost opportunity,” Saggaf told the 4th Solar Arabia Summit of industry players.

'The gateway for solar is the isolated areas' “At least we have to start now,” Saggaf said. The kingdom has a peak electricity load of 57 gigawatts, which is expected to increase.

A 2011 report by Chatham House said Saudi Arabia consumes more than one-quarter of its total oil production.

Saggaf outlined a plan to invest in hundreds of megawatts of solar energy over the next five years by focusing on isolated areas, in the country’s north and northeast, which currently rely on diesel power generation.

“The gateway for solar is the isolated areas,” he said. “The cost of transporting the diesel is much higher than the subsidised cost of the diesel itself.”

The conference was told that Saudi Arabia plans to invest $109bn to produce 41 gigawatts of solar energy by 2032 to cover 30% of its projected needs. “It is a dream right now,” said another conference speaker, Ali alMaashi, of petrochemicals giant Saudi Basic Industries Corp (SABIC).

“I think we have the capability”, but clear policies and frameworks need to be in place, Maashi said. l

Oil extends losses over weak price outlook n AFP, Singapore

Oil moved lower in Asian trade yesterday after Goldman Sachs slashed its price forecasts for the next two years owing to a global supply glut.

US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for December delivery fell 46 cents to $80.54 while Brent crude for December eased 59 cents to $85.24 in mid-morning trade.

“We continue to see oil prices drift

lower, and with nothing significant happening, the Goldman report is still on investors’ minds,” David Lennox, resource analyst at Fat Prophets in Sydney, told AFP. Goldman on Monday said it expects WTI to sink to $70 a barrel by the second quarter of next year before rising back to $80 in 2016. That was $15 a barrel lower than its previous forecast.

The Wall Street giant’s outlook on Brent is for it to fall to as low as $80

by the second quarter, staying weak through 2015 before returning to $90 level in 2016.

It pointed to the impact of strong US shale oil output as well as the inability of the OPEC oil cartel to act as a swing producer that can tighten global supplies and prices.

Given the rising glut on the global market, “US production growth needs to slow”, Goldman said in a client note.

Lennox said investors will be moni-

toring the latest US stockpiles report due on Wednesday.

The US Department of Energy (DoE) last week reported a 7.1 million barrel surge in crude reserves in the week to October 17. The surge, more than double market expectations, added to worries about a global oversupply, further dampening prices.

“Further increases in US stockpiles will reinforce the weak price forecast by Goldman and others,” Lennox said. l