30 Oct, 2014

Kartik 15, 1421 Muharram 5, 1436 Regd No DA 6238 Vol 2, No 206

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For Nizami, it’s death penalty Out of eight proven charges, Jamaat chief gets capital punishment in four and life term in others n Julfikar Ali Manik and Udisa Islam A war crimes tribunal has sentenced to death Jamaat-e-Islami chief Motiur Rahman Nizami, who masterminded the intellectual killings of 1971, for committing crimes against humanity during the Liberation War in collaboration with the Pakistani occupation forces.

The verdict in the case against Nizami, 71, yesterday removed all speculations and concerns regarding the unexpected time lag of about a year for the judgement.

Nizami, the successor of Jamaat guru and the most infamous war criminal Ghulam Azam, has been found guilty of committing genocide by killing professionals and intellectuals, mass killing, rape, persecution and deportation, detention of unarmed civilians, and taking part in conspiracy of committing crimes in 1971.

He was at the helm of a “death squad” named al-Badr that worked as an auxiliary force of the Pakistan Army to kill around 30 lakh Bangalis, rape more than 2.5 lakh women, force over 1 crore people to take refuge in India and displace scores of others internally, and widely destroy properties.

Notorious force al-Badr was formed with the members of Islami Chhatra Sangha, then Jamaat’s student wing, to eliminate Bangali intellectuals in a planned way. In a judgement, a tribunal earlier termed Jamaat a “criminal organisation.”

VERDICT IN WAR CRIMES CASE AGAINST MOTIUR RAHMAN NIZAMI Charges

Incident

Punishment

1

Murder of freedom fighter Kasimuddin in Pabna

Life term

2

Killing and rape at Baousgari Ruposhi and Demra

Death

3

Torture and killings at Physical Training Institute, Mohammadpur

Life term

4

Mass killing, rape, looting in Karamja village

Death

5

Killing 21 unarmed civilians in Arpara and Bhuter Bari

Acquitted

6

Killing of more than 50 people in Santhia, Pabna

Death

7

Killing of Sohrab Ali in Brishalikha

Life term

8

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

Life term

9

Mass killing in Brishalikha village in Pabna

Acquitted

10

Torture of Anil and forcing family to flee

Acquitted

11-14

Inciting violence at several meetings all over the country

Acquitted

15

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

Acquitted

16

Planning and executing killing of intellectuals in Dhaka and elsewhere

Death

nal 1 said in the verdict yesterday.

“Considering the extreme gravity of offences committed, it is indeed indispensable to deliver justice to the relatives of brutally murdered intel-

lectuals, professionals and unarmed civilians.

“We are of the unanimous view that there would be failure of justice in case ‘capital punishment’ is not awarded for

n Udisa Islam

all the murders forming ‘large scale killings’,” the verdict says. “He [Nizami] be hanged by the neck till he is dead.”

Sixteen charges were brought

A prosecution witness, who used to be a member of Islami Chhatra Sangha of which Nizami was the chief in 1971, has given a first hand account of the mastermind’s role that the death row war criminal had played during the war.

Misbahur Rahman Chowdhury, now the chairman of a pro-Awami League faction of the Islami Oikya Jote, narrated in deposition before the International Crimes Tribunal how Nizami brained the formation of the al-Badr force that killed many intellectuals in 1971.

“In 1962, I used to go to the same school as Sirajul Islam Motlib, who became the president of Moulvibazar unit of Chhatra Sangha [Jamaat-e-Islami’s the then student front, now known as Chhatra Shibir]. He asked me to join the Pakistan Shahin Fouz and I did. At the same time, I also became a member of the Chhatra Sangha,” Misbah said. “[Sometime] after March 25, 1971, Sirajul gave me a handwritten letter that addressed me as ‘brother Misbah.’

It read that the Chhatra Sangha had decided that all its members ought to join the al-Badr force by August 10...I was asked to meet Maj Fakhrul Islam, local

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 4

AH MAMUN/DT INFOGRAPHIC

“No punishment other than death will be equal to the horrendous crimes for which the accused [Nizami] has been found guilty beyond reasonable doubt,” the International Crimes Tribu-

Former insider unmasked the ‘mastermind’

‘Nizami’s ministership slap on martyrs’ faces’

Tribunal: Jamaat abused Islam in ’71 in the name of protecting Pakistan

n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

n Julfikar Ali Manik

n Julfikar Ali Manik

Jamaat-e-Islami yesterday called countrywide hartals (shut-down) for today, Sunday and Monday protesting the death sentence awarded to party Chief Matiur Rahman Nizami for committing crimes against humanity in the Liberation War in 1971.

However, the Rangamati will remain out of the purview of the shut-down on the occasion of Kathin Chibar Dan, a religious festival of the Buddhist people in Rangamati.

Within an hour of announcement of the verdict, Jamaat acting Ameer Maqbul Ahmed and acting secretary general Shafiqur Rahman issued a press release announcing the shut-downs.

The International Crimes Tribunal 1 yesterday observed that appointing a notorious war criminal like Motiur Rahman Nizami as minister was a “great blunder” and a “slap” on the faces of martyrs of the Liberation war.

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia being a prime minister in her second fullterm tenure (2001-2006) appointed two leaders of anti-liberation party Jamaat-e-Islami as cabinet members.

One of them Nizami, also ameer (chief) of Jamaat, was convicted on charges of war crimes yesterday.

Another one was Jamaat Secretary General Ali Ahsan Muhammad Muja-

Jamaat calls three-day shutdown

heed. He was appointed as technocrat minister for Social Welfare Ministry.

Mujaheed has already been convicted on the same charge during the Liberation War in 1971.

Tribunal 1 chairman Justice M Enayetur Rahim, members justices Jahangir Hossain and Anwarul Haque yesterday in their verdict in Nizami’s case strongly criticised the acts of appointing war criminals as minister.

The tribunal awarded Nizami death sentence for genocide during the War of Independence in 1971.

The judges in the verdict said there had been no proof before the nation that Nizami had ever felt repentant for  PAGE 2 COLUMN 4

The International Crimes Tribunal yesterday vehemently criticised Jamaat-e-Islami for abusing Islam in a bid to foil the birth of Bangladesh from occupational Pakistan in 1971 and for committing the most heinous crimes in the name of Islam.

Tribunal 1 in its 204-page verdict in Jamaat Ameer Motiur Rahman Nizami’s case discussed elaborately how the party had misused Islam. The title of the section in the verdict was “Misuse of religion in politics by Jamaat-e-Islami during the War of Liberation of Bangladesh in 1971.”

The three-member tribunal of Tri-

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

P3 HUMILIATION AT DU The three-member tribunal said: “We have no hesitation to hold that during the Liberation War in 1971 the offences as crimes against Humanity, namely murder, extermination, torture, rape, arson and other inhuman acts committed by Jamaat-e-Islami, Islami Chhatra Sangha, Al-Badr and Razakar Bahinis,

n Tribune Report

Activists of Jamaat-e-Islami stage demonstration in Jurain in the capital yesterday, protesting verdict against Motiur Rahman Nizami.

The agitators also vandalised a good number of vehicles during the protest MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Unruly supporters of Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing Islami Chattra Shibir went on the rampage in the capital and some other parts of the country yesterday protesting the verdict that awarded death penalty to party Chief Motiur Rahman Nizami.

The unruly activists as a part of protest vandalised vehicles, blasted crude bombs and brought out brisk processions.

In the capital Jamaat-Shibir tried to bring out processions at Gulshan, Mirpur 10, Mugda, Motijheel while they blasted crude bombs at Rampura and vandalised at least a dozen of vehicles in Jurain area.

INSIDE 3 | News

5 | News

4 | News

6 | Nation

The unusual delay in delivering judgement in the case of war criminal Motiur Rahman Nizami has been a widely discussed issue.

Law enforcement agencies have beefed up security across the country ahead of the Jamaat hartal called for protesting the death sentence to party chief Motiur Rahman Nizami for committing crimes against humanity during the Liberation War of 1971.

are absolutely against the sanction of the Holy Qur’an and Hadiths.”

Tribunal said in the verdict: “Nizami being a renowned Islamic Scholar [as claimed by the defence] also violated the Quranic injunctions and prophetic traditions.”

They said Nizami had played anti-Islamic role by forming al-Badr force, the “death squad” and commanding, supporting, and encouraging the force in order to exterminate and kill Bangli intellectuals and pro-liberation people and also providing moral support and endorsing the barbaric activities of Pakistan Army.

“We are constrained to hold that  PAGE 2 COLUMN 6

Jamaat-Shibir men on the rampage

P2 QUICK EXECUTION SOUGHT The party will observe a 24-hour nationwide general strike for today and another 48-hour shut-down starting from 6am on 2nd November. The second spell of shut-down will end at 6am on 4th November.

The press release said the party will stage demonstration on 1st November protesting what it said the conspiracy of killing Matiur Rahman Nizami.

Meanwhile, Jamaat’s key ally the BNP remained silent over the verdict on war criminal Matiur Rahman Nizami.

The BNP, however, staged a demonstration across the country after the court awarded death sentence to BNP leader Salauddin Quader Chowdhury for his wartime crimes in 1971.

After the verdict, several attempts were made from the Dhaka Tribune correspondent to reach BNP leaders for their reactions to the verdict but they

bunal Chairman M Enayetur Rahim and members Justice Jahangir Hossain and Justice Anwarul Haque sentenced Nizami to death on four charges of crimes against humanity he had committed during the Liberation War of 1971.

Bangladesh needs to have proper policies and pricing to attract IOCs to explore mineral resources, said US Ambassador Dan Mozena.

Office of Strengthening Regional Cooperation Wildlife Project lies inoperative despite having 10 employees and an office in Sherpur a year ago, as the areas where they should run their activities were not delimited and funds were not allocated for their work.

7 | Juris

The right to information derives its origin from Sweden. Historically, Sweden was the first country in the world to adopt a ‘Freedom of Information Act’ in 1776.

9 | World

A landslide in hilly south-central Srilanka is believed to have killed more than 100 yesterday as it buried scores of houses, a government minister said, and the toll is likely to rise.

12 | Entertainment

‘Made in Bangladesh,’ a joint German-Bangladeshi theatrical production, is set to launch an 11-city tour in Europe kicking off later next month.

In Jurain Rail Gate area Jamaat-Shibir men brought out a procession around 2pm and vandalised over 12 vehicles parked there. Before police rushed to the spot they fled away, according to a witness.

“We have arrested two Jamaat-Shibir men while they were trying to bring out procession soon after the verdict at Gulshan 1 intersection around 2:30pm,” Rafiqul Islam, officer-in-charge of Gulshan police station, said.

“Police in Motijheel area arrested one Shibir man and four from Mugda area in the afternoon while they were planning to bring out a procession,” says Anowar Hossain, deputy commissioner of police of Motjheel Division.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 6

2

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Not for a while Nizami loses his composure

Pakistan Jamaat questions its govt’s silence over Nizami verdict n Ahmed Zayeef Jamaat Ameer Motiur Rahman Nizami, n Tribune Report sentenced to death for committing Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan has condemned the verdict and questioned Pakistan government’s silence about the death sentence for Bangladesh Jamaat Ameer Motiur Rahman Nizami.

In a statement published on Pakistan Jamaat’s website, its Ameer Sirajul Haq said it was most unfortunate that the Pakistan government was maintaining a “criminal silence” over the convictions of “patriotic Pakistanis who had sided with the Pak Army.”

“The decision of a fake court was the height of tyranny and death sentence had been given to a totally innocent person. He said that such measures could not prolong the rule of BD Premier Haseena Wajid [sic],” the website read.

Sirajul also claimed that Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had agreed to not have any war crimes trials. l

crimes against humanity in 1971, appeared calm and composed as the judge read out the verdict.

Almost all the time he kept his eyes shut with his right fist to his mouth reclining in his chair on the dock. He was seen muttering under his breath.

At 11am, police entered the court with Nizami, clad in glittering white panjabi-pajama, brown waist coat and shoes and sporting a chocolate-coloured Jinnah cap with a pair of dark chocolate-coloured old-fashioned glasses.

Police put him on the dock at the very back of the courtroom. No sooner had he sat on the only chair on the dock than he took his cap off.

A few seconds later, Justice M Enayetur Rahim, chairman of the three-member tribunal, along with the two other judges, stepped in.

Jamaat calls three-day shutdown  PAGE 1 COLUMN 1

declined to make any comment over the issue.

When the verdict was announced, BNP’s acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was at a discussion programme in the National Press Club. When reporters asked for his reaction Fakhrul kept silent.

Even other leaders who were accompanying Fakhrul namely Shamsuzzaman Dudu, adviser to the BNP chairperson, and Joint Secretary General Barkatullah Bulu also declined to make any comment.

Though it maintained silence the party on Tuesday all on a sudden shifted its public meeting scheduled to be held on October 30 in Natore due to “unavoidable reason”.

The decision came some few hours after the International Crimes Tribunal announced that the verdict of Nizami

would be delivered yesterday.

Usually Jamaat calls countrywide strike after each verdict on war criminals. Many believe that the meeting date was deferred taking into consideration the Jamaat’s hartal for today.

The prediction came true as the Jamaat called the general strike starting from Thursday protesting the verdict.

In the statement the Jamaat said: “The government has undertaken a master plan to kill the top leaders of the Jamaat-e-Islami in the name of trial of crimes against humanity in order to attain their ill political interest. The verdict deprived Nizami of justice.”

Meanwhile, the ruling Awami League has expressed its satisfaction over the verdict of war criminal Motiur Rahman Nizami.

“The verdict has fulfilled the expectations of the whole nation,” Awami League Presidium Member Syeda Sa-

Nizami stood up along with the other attendees, raised his right hand towards the judges for a while and again sank back into his seat as the judges on theirs.

After Justice M Enayetur Rahim ‘s introductory speech, when Justice Anwarul Haque started reading out the charges, the war criminal shifted his posture on the chair with arms crossed over his chest and eyes shut.

He then went back to his previous position. Most of the time he was seen rubbing his nose or stroking his beard with his right hand. Only once he looked up at the judges.

During the 75-minute reading of verdict, he opened his eyes only nine times and that too for just few seconds. When the death sentence was announced, he did not lose his composure.

At that time he rolled his eyes once as if to see the faces in the courtroom and Just after the verdict announcement he put his Jinnah cap on before he was escorted out of the courtroom. l

jeda Chowdhury said yesterday adding that the verdict had taken the country a step forward in the process of purifying the nation. Expecting a ban on the Jamaat-e-Islami politics Awami League Joint Secretary Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif said: “The verdict has once again proved that Jamaat was involved in war crimes with a political decision.”

Issuing strong note against the conspirators the leader said if anyone tried to hatch any conspiracy centring the verdict the government would handle it with iron hand.

Food Minister Advocate Quamrul Islam claimed that the tribunal had maintained neutrality while giving the verdict and the government had not interfered.” he said.

The ruling party associated bodies brought out joyous processions and distributed sweetmeat in the capital after the verdict. l

Thursday, October 30, 2014

‘Nizami’s ministership slap on martyrs’ faces’  PAGE 1 COLUMN 3

his anti-liberation activities nor had he ever paid his respect to the departed souls of three million martyrs.

Discussing Nizami’s infamous role against Bangladesh’s Liberation War and crimes in 1971, the judges said: “It is very much hard to believe that a person who actively opposed the very Liberation War of Bangladesh was appointed as a minister of the republic.”

The appointment of the accused as a minister by the then government who happened to be an anti-liberation leader was a great blunder as well as a clear slap on the face of the Liberation War as well as three million martyrs and two lakh women who sacrificed their chastity for the liberation of Bangladesh.

They continued: “And as such this shameful act was disgraceful for the nation as a whole.”

The judges also said: “We do not find any material in the record to show that the prosecution is for political purpose..... rather “the nation” has been discharging their unfinished task and obligation to million of martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the Independence of Bangladesh.”

It is true Motiur Rahman Nizami is at present the ameer of a political party – Jamaat-e-Islami – but it does not mean his trial was held driven by a political motif.

Law does not and cannot provide impunity to politicians for committing criminal offenses particularly the crimes against humanity, they went on to say.

A person can obviously not claim impunity if he advances with his political belief by resorting to criminal activities and if he does so he cannot allege that his trial is meant to serve a political purpose, the judges said. l

Former insider unmasked the ‘mastermind’  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

tion in the Madrassas. Holy Qur’an has become a rare thing to find and nobody recited it anymore.”

Ghulam alleged that freedom fighters had brutally killed around 40,000 people, who were involved in an “Islamic movement” with him, Misbah said.

He also said he had met an Islami Chhatra Sangha leader named Abdur Razzak in London and learned that he too was a member of the al-Badr force.

He is now better known as Barrister Abdur Razzak, leading legal counsel of the Jamaat leaders who are being tried or convicted for committing crimes against humanity in 1971.

Misbah said the members of Chhatra Sangha formed the al-Badr force in 1971 of which Nizami was the chief and another death row war criminal and Jamaat leader Ali Ahsan Muhammad Mujaheed was the second in command.

The members of this organisation were trained up and equipped with arms by the Pakistan Army. l

ed Jamaat leader.

For committing murders, rape and persecution in village Karamja: Between April 24-25, 1971, as per Nizami’s directives and planning, he himself with the help of local razakars including Razakar Afzal killed Habibur Rahman Sarder of Purbo Karamja at the bus stand for helping the freedom fighters.

Thereafter, sequence to his same plan, in the early morning on May 8, a member of al-Badr Bahini, Rafiqunnabi Bablu, along with razakars and the Pakistani occupation forces reached Karamja and surrounded the house of Megha Thakur and killed Megha Thakur, Sosthi Halder, Adu Halder, Daru Thakur, Kartik Halder, Suresh Chandra Halder, Deju Halder, Mohammad Fakir Chand, Santi Halder and Murali Das in that house by firing shots. Tara Halder was injured and somehow managed to escape. Later the members of the Pakistani Army with the help of razakars raped Shibani, the daughter of said Megha Thakur, his daughter-in-law and two other Muslim women. After the departure of the Pakistani Army, the razakars looted the belongings of Megha Thakur and torched the house of Wahed Pramanik.

Involvement and responsibility for murder of 22 unarmed civilians: Around 3:30am on November 27, 1971, Nizami along with razakars and members of the Pakistani occupation forces raided the house of Dr Abdul Awal and other adjacent houses in Dhulaura village on the pretext to capture freedom fighters. Around 6:30am, Nizami along with his accomplices got hold of a number of men, women and children, and placed them all together in the playground of Dhulaura School, where around 30 unarmed villagers were indiscriminately killed by gun shots.

For committing genocide by killing professionals and intellectuals: Throughout the period when atrocities committed in Bangladesh, convicted war criminal Nizami as president of the Islami Chhatra Sangha and head of alBadr, an auxiliary force of the Pakistani Army, committed atrocities all over Bangladesh over the period. But when their defeat was imminent, these two organisations mounted Gestapo-like attacks to devoid Bangladesh professionals and intellectuals, amongst others. They launched mortal blow to free and independent Bangladesh, by selective elimination of respected professionals and intellectuals, found their homes, dragged out, often blind-folded, tortured, murdered and their dead bodies then dumped in mass-graves and other places. Such well-orchestrated and finely-executed plans were implemented on or around December 14 to eliminate a group of individuals who were all members of a national, ethnic and racial group.

Life imprisonment in four charges

commander of Pakistan Army in Moulvibazar, and collect my joining letter,” he narrated.

Placing the letter at the tribunal during deposition, Misbah continued: “The letter also read that Motiur Rahman Nizami, the then president of Chhatra Sangha, would be pleased if I joined the al-Badr force.” However, instead of joining the force, he left the country.

In his deposition, he also talked about a meeting in Saudi Arabia after the Liberation War in which he heard Razakar kingpin Ghulam Azam saying that freedom fighters had destroyed many mosques in Bangladesh.

According to Misbah, war criminal Ghulam Azam, who recently died in jail, raised many allegations in that meeting against people who supported Bangladesh’s Liberation War in 1971.

In the words of the prosecution witness: “Ghulam Azam said pro-liberation people had stopped Islamic educa-

For Nizami, it’s death penalty  PAGE 1 COLUMN 5

against the former minister by the prosecution in 2011 for committing crimes during the nine-month-long bloody war. The three-member tribunal headed

by Chairman Justice M Enayetur Rahim unanimously found him guilty in eight charges and acquitted in eight others.

Justice Jahangir Hossain and Anwarul Haque are the two other members of the tribunal.

Of the proven eight charges in which Nizami has been convicted, the court awarded him death sentence in four and life-term imprisonment in the others.

However, the prosecution failed to prove eight charges, four of which were regarding incitement.

In the verdict that sheds light on the freedom struggle of Bangalees from Pakistan, the tribunal said: “In the light of evidence...we are led to hold that the accused [Nizami] as the chief of both ICS [Islami Chhatra Sangha] and alBadr Bahini had civil superior responsibility in the commission of offences of crimes against humanity and genocide pursuant to their plan and design.

“Motiur Rahman Nizami as the chief of both ICS and al-Badr Bahini for his acts, provocative speeches and culpable association with the ‘criminal organisation’ al-Badr, is criminally responsible for all criminal activities committed by al-Badr Bahini and shall also be liable to be punished because of his superior status.”

Examining oral, documentary and circumstantial evidence, the judges said: “We are fully convinced that during the War of Liberation of Bangladesh, the accused as the president of Islami Chhatra Sangha [now Islami Chhatra Shibir] as well as a high command of al-Badr Bahini actively participated in the atrocities committed in the occurrences...in Pabna and Dhaka in collaboration with razakars, al-Badrs and the Pakistani occupation forces.”

The tribunal described the killing of hundreds of unarmed civilians and numerous intellectuals and professionals as “massive human rights violations.”

“The fierceness of the events of ‘intellectual killing’ and the ‘mass killing of unarmed civilians’ were extremely detrimental to basic humanness. It deserves to be evaluated as ‘crimes of serious gravity’ intending to demean the human civilisation.

“Designed plan, pattern of such large scale killing of intellectuals, professionals and unarmed civilians... not only increases the magnitude of the crimes but it has imprinted untold trauma to the nation,” the verdict said. “Letters of law cannot remain non-active to the enormous colossal and unspeakable pains being carried for decades together by the relatives of martyred intellectuals, professionals,

unarmed civilians and the nation too.”

Further justifying the death sentence, the tribunal said: “...there would be failure of justice in case ‘capital punishment’ is not awarded for all the murders forming ‘large scale killing,’... as the same indubitably trembles the collective conscience of mankind.”

On the matter of superior responsibility, the tribunal said Nizami had exercised his superior position in transforming Chhatra Sangha into alBadr “knowing the consequence of his actions that substantially encouraged, approved and provided moral support to the members of al-Badr Bahini in committing crimes against humanity, genocide including intellectual killings all over Bangladesh.”

His superior power, a position and authoritative influence on al-Badr was a fair indication to hold that he had “causal relationship with the members of al-Badr” as his subordinates having effective control over them.

“Thus, he cannot be relieved from the responsibility for the planned crimes committed by the members of al-Badr Bahini with whom he had de facto superior-subordinate relationship.

“It is evident on record that during the Liberation War the accused gave a lot of provocative speeches before members of ICS [Chhatra Sangha]...On the other hand, the prosecution has successfully proved that the accused enjoyed superior status because of his position as the chief of Islamic Chhatra Sangha [ICS] and ex-officio chief of alBadr Bahini.”

About Nizami’s inaction to stop atrocities, the tribunal said: “It is evident that the accused as the ‘civil superior’ did never take any measure to prevent his subordinates i.e. members of al-Badr Bahini from committing the crimes against humanity and genocide in question.”

War criminal Nizami was made minister during the BNP-Jamaat-led four-party alliance government’s rule in 2001-2006. The judges in their verdict termed his appointment as a minister “a great blunder” and “shameful act” which was disgraceful for the nation as a whole.

In white panjabi, brown waistcoat, white pyjamas, chocolate Jinnah Cap and brown pump shoes, Nizami was sitting in the dock on a chair all through the 90 minutes the tribunal took to read out the shorter version of the 204page judgement.

He was wearing the cap while being taken to the courtroom on first floor of the tribunal building from lock up on the ground floor. But after reaching the dock he took the cap off and kept it on a tiny wooden shelf in the dock. He reclined on the chair and listened to the verdict keeping his eyes closed.

The judges began reading the judgement at 11:05am in an overcrowded courtroom and completed its delivery at 12:25pm.

Just after the judgement, police took Nizami to the lock up of the tribunal.

He had his lunch there.

Nizami’s son Nazibur Rahman brought Khichuri and omelette cooked at home, he told the Dhaka Tribune. He also brought shawarma and sandwich from Swiss snacks shop, orange, papaya and a bottle of water.

His son refused to make any remarks after the verdict and referred to the Nizami’s counsel.

The prosecution and justice seekers hailed the verdict while an unhappy defence said they would file an appeal against the verdict with the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court.

Though the tribunal sentenced Nizami to death separately for each of the four charges and life term in four others, the tribunal said: “However, as and when any one of the four ‘sentences to death’ will be executed, the other three sentences of death and the sentences to ‘imprisonment for life’ would naturally get merged into the sentence to death first executed.”

The convict will be able to appeal within 30 days from the verdict delivery, as per the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act, 1973. On the other hand, the prosecution can appeal against the acquittal of Nizami in eight charges for conviction and also seeking capital punishment in four charges if they believe the life term is inadequate.

Death on four charges

For committing conspiracy, murder, rape and deportation of the civilians of villages of Baousgari, Ruposhi and Demra: On May 10, 1971, Nizami invited the inhabitants of village Baousgari under Santhia police station of Pabna to gather at Baousgari Ruposhi Primary School around 11am for a meeting.

He addressed the villagers saying that soon the Pakistani Army would arrive there to secure “peace” in the area. Indeed, the army arrived between 6 and 6:30am on May 14 along with razakars and Asad, an accomplice of Nizami.

They surrounded the villages of Baousgari, Ruposhi and Demra, and picked up around 450 civilians who were all shot dead. The entire operation was carried out pursuant to pre-arranged plan to indiscriminately eliminate unarmed civilians. After killing them, the Pakistani Army and razakars then raped about 30-40 women, as a result of which, many of the raped victims were forced to leave the country and, as such, effectively deported to India as refugees. The razakars, comprised of the followers of Nizami, were organised under the direction of the convict-

For causing arrest, detention, torture and killing of three victims including Kasim Uddin: On June 4, 1971, Kasim Uddin, the head Maulana of Pabna Zila School and a social worker, was apprehended by the Pakistani invading force at the instigation of Nizami. Kasim was severely tortured in presence of Nizami in the army camp at Nurpur Wapda Power House in Pabna town as he was perceived to be a supporter of the Liberation War. On June 10, he was taken to the bank of Ichhamoti River along with two other persons and shot dead at the instance of Nizami.

For committing different international crimes at Physical Training Institute, Mohammadpur, Dhaka: As a leader of Chhatra Sangha, convicted Nizami along with other leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami started to pay visit to Physical Training Institute, Mohammadpur, Dhaka since early May 1971. The institute was turned into a training centre for various auxiliary forces including razakar and al-Badr. Subsequently, it was also used as a Detention Camp and Torture Cell. Here many victims were always liquidated after inhuman torture. It was also a centre in which many victims had been eliminated and executed in a pre-arranged manner. As the chief of al-Badr, Nizami conspired with the Pakistani Army officers in order to commit different crimes against Bangalees during his visit to the institute.

As a result, the auxiliary forces along with the Pakistani invading force committed different international crimes and crimes against humanity all over the country.

Complicity in torture and murder of Sohrab Ali of village Brishalikha: After the midnight on December 3, 1971, on receiving information from Nizami and the razakars, the Pakistani Army surrounded Brishalikha village and arrested Sohrab Ali from his house around 5:30am. Sohrab was taken to the road and tortured inhumanly and asked about the whereabouts of his son Md Abdus Selim Latif. Failing to extract information, he was shot dead in presence of his wife and children.

Killing of Badi, Rumi, Jewel and Azad at MP Hostel, Nakhal Para in Dhaka: On August 3, 1971, Nizami being the president of Chhatra Sangha as well as head of al-Badr force and accompanied

by Ali Ahsan Mujaheed, the secretary general of East Pakistan Chhatra Sangha, visited the army camp at Old MP Hostel in Nakhalpara area of the capital. Nizami verbally abused detained Jalal, Badi, Rumi, Jewel and Azad. He also asked the Pakistani Army officer to kill all of them before the proclamation of general amnesty by the president.

Following the instigation, all of them were killed, except one. l

Jamaat-Shibir men on the rampage  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

Jamaat-Shibir men also blasted a crude bomb at Polashbagh of Rampura around 1pm but no one was injured, said Mahbub Alam Tarafdar, OC of Rampura.

Besides, Jamaat-Shibir men exploded 10-15 home-made bombs near Central Law College at Bijoynagar simultaneously around 6:25 pm. However, there was nor report of casualty from the bomb blasts.

Jamaat-Shibir men also burnt tires on the roads in the area to create obstacle to vehicular movements. On information, police rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control, said Morshed Alam, officer-in-charge of Paltan police station.

“Police picked up a total of 10 Jamaat-Shibir men from across the capital yesterday,” said Masudur Rahman, DC (Media) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police.

Our Sylhet correspondent reports: Jamaat-Shibir men vandalised at least 20 vehicles and engaged in a chase and counter chase with Chhatra League activists around 1pm in the city’s court point area as the ruling party members tried to resist them from organising a procession.

Rahmat Ullah, additional deputy commissioner (Media) of Sylhet Metropolitan Police, said: “Being informed, police rushed in and fired rubber bullets and tear shells to take the situation under control.” No report of injuries or arrests were reported.

Our Satkhira correspondent reports: Police in a special drive have arrested 13 leaders and activists of the BNP and Jamaat-Shibir from five upazilas of Satkhira.

“Police conducting the drive in Tala, Debhata, Kaliganj, Shamnagar and Sadar Upazila made the arrest,” said Syed Modasser Ali, additional police super of Satkhira.

“All of them were sent to Satkhira district Jail,” he said.

Our Chapainawabganj correspondent reports: Police arrested 86 people – 30 from chapainawabganj Sadar, 22 from Shibganj, 22 from Nachol, eight from Gomostapur and four from Bholahat – from five upazilas of the district, said Bashir Ahmed, police super of the district.

Our Sunamganj correspondent reports: Jamaat-Shibir men brought out a procession at Kalibari intersection around 3pm that paraded different roads of the Sunamganj town. l

Tribunal: Jamaat abused Islam in ’71 in the name of protecting Pakistan  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

Motiur Rahman Nizami being educated in Islamic education had consciously and also deliberately misused the name of the Almighty Allah and the holy religion ‘Islam’ in 1971 during the Liberation War of Bangladesh in order to ruin and root out the ‘Bangalee Nation’,” said the verdict.

It said wrong messages, namely “Pakistan is the house of Allah,” “Hindus are always enemies of Muslims” and “Islam and Pakistan are one and indivisible” had been infused in the minds of young members of Razakar and al-Badr forces as the gospel of truth and inspired by the propaganda in the name of Islamic ideology they committed more atrocities vigorously in collaboration with the Pakistan occupation forces.

“The citations...are the classic instances of misuse of Islam in politics in the name of protecting Pakistan,” said the verdict.

The judges also said Nizami as the president of Islami Chhatra Sangha – now Islami Chhatra Shibir – as well as a High Command of al-Badr actively participated in the atrocities in Pabna and Dhaka in collaboration with Razakar, al-Badr and the Pakistan occupation forces.

“It has been proved by both documentary and oral evidence that Al-Badr Bahini was formed by the members of [Chhatra Sangha] over which the accused had exclusive control but he did not prevent his subordinates from committing atrocities and crimes against Humanity during the Liberation War, 1971,” said the verdict.

Considering all facts and evidence, the judges said: “We do not hesitate to observe that during the War of Liberation both Jamaat-e-Islami and its notorious student wing Islami Chhatra Sangha (now Islami Chhatra Shibir) functioned as a ‘communal’ as well as ‘criminal organisation’ to implement the plan and design of Pakistan occupation army which resulted in killing of innumerable unarmed civilians and Bangalee intellectuals in 1971.” l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Tribunal: Like you, we were also waiting for the verdict TIMELINE OF THE TRIAL AGAINST NIZAMI July 29, 2010 Nizami arrested August 2, 2010 Shown arrested in war crimes case December 11, 2011 Prosecution submits formal charge January 9, 2012 Tribunal accepts charges May 28, 2012 Tribunal indicts Nizami on 16 counts July 16, 2012 First prosecution witness November 3-6, 2013 Prosecution’s closing arguments November 7, 2013 Defence arguments November 13, 2013 Verdict kept waiting November 18, 2013 Defence submits written argument March 10, 2014 Fresh arguments begin March 24, 2014 Case kept for judgement June 23, 2014 Tribunal announces verdict date June 24, 2014 Verdict deferred October 28, 2014 Fresh judgement day announced

n Udisa Islam The unusual delay of delivering judgement in the case of war criminal Motiur Rahman Nizami was one of a widely discussed issues since November last.

When the three judges of the International Crimes Tribunal 1 yesterday morning sat on the bench to deliver the verdict, each and everyone present in the courtroom was curiously waiting to see the end of about a year-long wait for this verdict.

Before starting to pronounce the verdict, tribunal Chairman Justice M Enayetur Rahim gave a short speech on the issue of the delay. “As you – prosecution and defence – were waiting for this verdict since long, we were also waiting to deliver the verdict.”

He said different sections at different times talked about this issue. “[But] we do not have the scope to take those conversations into cognisance or reply as judges; it will not be right to respond too.”

The judge said to ensure justice, “no one should be condemned unheard.”

The court could not talk going to the streets. “Keep it in mind that we [judges] cannot respond if anybody blames us and comments about the court, trial proceedings and judges,” he said.

“We did not have any directive; we do not compromise with anything. We follow the directions shown by the constitution and the laws. We compromise with constitution and law,” he said.

The case would have ended much earlier had the defence not delayed it intentionally. The counsels of Nizami exercised many strategies to lengthen the trial proceedings apparently with

a view to save him as they believed the Awami League-led government would change following the January 5 election.

Moreover, last year’s lengthy restructuring of the tribunal dealing with the case and arranging the arguments afresh contributed to the delay.

The case would have ended much earlier had the defence not delayed it intentionally The simultaneous trial of Nizami in sensational 10-truck arms haul case in a Chittagong court, for which he had to be taken to the port city from Gazipur jail, also delayed the war crimes case.

It is necessary to place the accused during a trial.

Finally, after the verdict date was set, for the second time, to be pronounced in June this year, the tribunal had to postpone at the eleventh hour learning that Nizami had suddenly fallen sick. It took the tribunal four months to declare another date.

In November, when the International Crimes Tribunal 1 kept the case waiting for verdict, then chairman ATM Fazle Kabir went on retirement. The government took nearly two months to reconstruct the tribunal. It was reformed on February 20 and the closing arguments began afresh.

Following his arrest in a case for hurting religious sentiment, Nizami

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Thursday, October 30, 2014

was shown arrested on August 2, 2010 in connection with war crimes along with his party colleagues Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujaheed, Muhammad Kamaruzzaman and Abdul Quader Molla.

Nizami and Quader Molla were indicted on the same day – May 28, 2012.

Molla’s case ended in February last year when the prosecution only began placing witnesses in Nizami case – more than one and a half years of submitting the probe report.

Both Mujaheed and Kamaruzzaman have been awarded death penalty by the tribunal whereas the appeals case of Mujaheed at the Appellate Division is now awaiting verdict. Molla was executed in December.

The prosecution too was not well prepared when they began dealing with the case. The conducting prosecutor was changed three times.

With the Jamaat-Shibir men creating hype against the tribunal throughout the trial period, the defence remained absent on most of the hearing dates on “security grounds” or due to “unavoidable situation.”

The tribunal deferred the trial again and again though the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act of 1973 does not allow any adjournment after framing of the charges. The tribunal then said they had accepted the adjournment pleas of the defence for the sake of justice.

Asked about their intention to delay the trial process, defence counsel Tajul Islam said: “Is there any hurry? Why should somebody mention it as delay?”

Casting doubt over fairness of the trial process, he said the trial should continue whether the ruling government is changed or not. l

Prosecution: Nizami verdict establishes rule of law n Abid Azad A prosecutor yesterday said the verdict of Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Motiur Rahman Nizami established the rule of law in the country.

Terming Nizami’s verdict a historic one, prosecutor Mohammad Ali has said: “We are happy with the judgment as it established the rule of law and proper justice in the country.

“All Bangalee people now got their expected judgment against Nizami.”

The prosecutor made the comment while expressing reaction over the verdict on the tribunal premises yesterday.

He said: “Out of 16 charges, the Jamaat Ameer has been awarded death penalty under charges of 2, 4, 6, and 16 while under charges of 1, 3, 7, and 8 he was awarded life imprisonment.”

Asked about the delay in the verdict, Haider Ali, another prosecutor of the tribunal, said: “Media should not talk about judges without thinking so that the adjudication process does not get hampered.”

He further said: “The first judge resigned himself while the second one went to retiremen delaying the judgementt.”

About the next step, another prosecutor Turin Afroze said: “If the defence lawyers submit an appeal against the verdict then the tribunal can take its next step.”

Defence: Nizami verdict was emotionalised

Nizami’s lawyer Tajul Islam termed the verdict “emotionalised” and “per-

verse” while expressing reaction over the verdict of Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Motiur Rahman Nizami, who was sentenced to death for committing crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War. “The judgement was unjust and beyond the jurisdiction. The tribunal said it declared death verdict for fulfilling people’s expectations but tribunal can not say like this because the language of politics, politicians and court can not be same,” he said on the tribunal premise yesterday.

This defence lawyer of war criminal Nizami will appeal in the apex court against the verdict, he added.

“Soon we will appeal with the apex court,” he said.

“The court in its verdict said it was a great mistake to make Nizami a minister. But they have nothing to do about people’s choice.

People elected him a minister. The court should judge Nizami as an individual to find how much Nizami was involved in crimes.

“We proved that Nizami was in now way involved in any crimes. Moreover, he was not involved in killing intellectuals as Nizami was not involved in Chhatra Shangho,” he said.

“There was no witness who can say that Nizami was present but they argued that the al-Badr brought their family members on the instruction of Nizami. The prosecution presented false witnesses and false evidence which were not properly judged,” he argued.

“We did not get justice through this judgement,” he said. l

The meaning of ‘superior responsibility’ n Tribune Report A war crimes tribunal that handed down death sentence to Jamaat chief Motiur Rahman Nizami yesterday, said in its observation that he was “criminally responsible for all criminal activities committed by al-Badr Bahini and shall be liable to be punished because of his superior status.”

Tribunal also included in its judgment that “a civilian superior need not to be the official superior of the perpetrators rather a de facto command over the perpetrators is enough to hold someone responsible.

“Nizami being the president of ICS exercised his superior position in transforming Islami Chhatra Sangha [ICS] into Al-Badr Bahini knowing the consequence of his actions that substantially encouraged his fellows giving them moral support.”

Explaining how Nizami was responsible as a superior commander, the tribunal highlighted four things: “...an international crime has been perpetrat-

ed by someone other than the accused; [there] existed a superior-subordinate relationship between the accused and the perpetrator; the accused as a superior knew or had reason to know that the subordinate was about to commit such crimes or had done so; and finally the accused as a superior failed to take the necessary and reasonable measures to prevent such crimes or punish the perpetrator.”

In the words of the tribunal, Nizami’s ties with the al-Badr members was such that “the accused’s superior power, a position and authoritative influence on al-Badr is a fair indication to hold that he had causal relationship with the members of Al-Badr as his subordinates, having effective control over them.”

Explaining why Nizami had to be punished as he had been, the court said: “...he cannot be relieved from the responsibility for the planned crimes committed by the members of al-Badr Bahini with whom he had de facto superior-subordinate relationship. It is evident on record that during Liberation

War the accused gave a lot of provocative speeches before [the] members of ICS who ultimately became members of al-Badr Bahini and committed crimes against humanity at random.”

Referring to the International Criminal Tribunals in Yugoslavia (ICTY) and Rwanda (ICTR), the tribunal here said: “The doctrine of command responsibility is also applicable to the political leaders and other civilian superiors in position of authority. The crucial question is not the civilian status of the accused but the degree of authority he or she exercised over his or her subordinates.”

The tribunal also observed: “From the documents submitted by both the parties [prosecution and defence], it is an admitted fact that accused Motiur Rahman Nizami was the president of East Pakistan Islami Chhatra Sangha for three years, thereafter he became president of the All-Pakistan Islami Chhatra Sangha from 1969 to 1971. The accused himself admitted the above fact in an interview published in an Urdu book titled ‘Job Huh Nazime-Ala’. l

DU students humiliated Nizami n Ahmed Zayeef On May 27, 1991, it did not come as a surprise to many when students of Dhaka University beat up Motiur Rahman Nizami after the then Jamaat secretary general went to the DU, the first time he had set his foot inside the university since the war ended.

In a scene reminiscent of Jamaat guru and war criminal Ghulam Azam’s public humiliation just 10 years earlier, the students let loose their suppressed anger towards Nizami – who is to be hanged for his involvement in the systematic killing of many intellectuals including teachers of the DU. In 1981, in his first public appearance since returning to the country after the war, Nizami’s mentor Ghulam Azam was slapped with shoes by agitated people at the Baitul Mukarram mosque. Ghulam Azam was visiting there to attend a janaza for two Bangladeshis who died in Palestine.

A similar public outrage awaited Nizami, who succeeded Ghulam Azam as the Jamaat ameer when the latter stepped down in 2000.

Activists from different student organisations confined Nizami inside the then DU vice-chancellor Monirujjaman Mia’s office, before throwing chairs and punches at him. Several activists of Islami Chhatra Shibir, who accompanied Nizami, were also beaten up by the students who protested the presence of a razakar on the campus.

The following day, most national newspapers published the news on their front page with pictures.

According to those news reports, the university authority had arranged a meeting with different political leaders on that day to mitigate a deadlock that

persisted at the university.

Except leaders from the BNP, other invited political leaders including Nizami arrived at the VC’s office to attend the meeting.

However, when news about Nizami’s arrival spread across the campus, Jatiya Chhatra League – a student front of Baksal – brought out a procession from Modhur Canteen and went to the VC demanding that the Jamaat leader be kicked out of the campus within 15 minutes.

Protesting the presence of a collaborator on the campus, the agitated

The photo which was published in the Bangladesh Observer on May 28, 1991, shows agitated students beating up Motiur Rahman Nizami, the then Jamaat secretary general, on the Dhaka University campus

students chanted slogans like “Budhdhijibider Rokte Bheja Campus e Razakar er Thhai Nai” (there is no place for a collaborator on the campus stained with the blood of intellectuals).

The student leaders claimed that the university authority had arranged the meeting secretly without informing them who were coming.

As VC Monirujjaman Mia tried to pacify the students, the JSD’s Chhatra League and Awami League’s Chhatra League as well as the Chhatra Union joined the crowd that had already gathered outside the VC’s office.

In an attempt to bar the students from entering the office, Workers’ Party chief Rashed Khan Menon and Baksal leader Mohiuddin Ahmod tried to prevent the students from attacking Nizami. But the students forcefully entered the room.

They threw chairs, water glasses, tea cups, paperweights, telephone sets and whatever they could find nearby at Nizami while accusing the Jamaat leader for murdering students, teachers and intellectuals during 1971.

They also chanted slogans like “Motiur Razakar, Ei Muhurte Bangla Chhar” (collaborator Motiur, leave Bangladesh at once), as well as labelling Menon as a razakar for backing Nizami.

After around 20 minutes, the police arrived at the scene and rescued Nizami, who later had to receive five stitches on his head at the Ibn Sina Hospital.

Awami League leader Sheikh Selim was bitterly criticised for visiting the Jamaat leader at the hospital.

At the time, the students’ wrath was the only punishment Nizami had to face. However, 23 years after the incident, Nizami has finally been convicted and sentenced to death for the crimes that he committed during the war. l

Activists of Gonojagoron Moncho express their jubilation at the capital’s Shahbagh following the verdict against war criminal Motiur Rahman Nizami yesterday MEHEDI HASAN

Verdict hailed, but calls raised for swift execution n Ashif Islam Shaon The International Crimes Tribunal’s verdict against Nizami is a major step towards ridding the nation’s stigma of not being able to punish its enemies for the last 43 years, war crimes trial campaigners said yesterday, but cautioned that jubilation over the verdict would be complete only when the tribunal’s decision is upheld and executed.

The verdict against Motiur Rahman Nizami – former president of the then Jamaat student wing Islami Chhatra Sangha – was hailed by relatives of Liberation War martyrs, survivors, witnesses and freedom fighters.

Many of them gathered outside the tribunal premises ahead of the verdict against the Jamaat chief, and cheered together after the tribunal found Nizami guilty in eight out of 16 charges.

Charge number eight – one of the charges for which Nizami was found guilty – held the Jamaat leader responsible for killing Dhaka’s guerilla freedom fighters Rumi, Bodi, Jewel and Azad.

In his immediate reaction after the verdict, Nasiruddin Yusuff Bachchu, a freedom fighter and a friend of Rumi, said: “Nizami often visited the camp where Rumi, Bodi and Jewel were confined after their abduction by the anti-liberation forces. Nizami even told the Pakistani army captain to kill them.

“Nizami has been given the death penalty for that crime. As a freedom fighter I am happy with the verdict. We are waiting to see the execution,” he said.

Freedom fighter Zahir Uddin Jalal, also known as Bichchhu Jalal, who was detained with the four guerillas

but luckily escaped, said: “Nizami deserves the death sentence. If we could find him in 1971, we would not hesitate to kill him. We tried several times to kill him but missed... The family members of martyred intellectuals will also get relief after hearing the verdict.”

Jubilation at the verdict was also expressed by Bir Bikrom Abul Kalam Azad, who fought the war under sector 11.

However, he cautioned: “I am worried whether he [Nizami] will be saved by the apex court like Sayedee... Therefore, until I see him hanged to death, I will not be happy from the bottom of my heart.”

Muntassir Mamoon, vice-president of Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee, also expressed his satisfaction over the verdict and said people’s expectations were met.

“Against a brutal offender like Nizami, there is no other verdict in the country other than the death sentence. But we have to keep in mind that there are many culprits left in the country like him. They have been hiding behind the banner of the BNP and also the war criminal party Jamaat. We will be happy when we will be able to root out all of the Pakistani souls from the country, whoever they are or wherever they are hiding.”

“The souls of the martyrs will rest in peace once all of them are washed away,” he said.

Shyamoli Nasreen Chowdhury, a war crimes trial campaigner and widow of martyred physician Dr Alim Chowdhury, said families of the martyrs were happy as they had long been campaigning for the much expected verdict. The judges’ observations in the verdict were outstanding, she added.

“But we are very concerned. We saw that war criminal Delwar Hossain Sayedee escaped death penalty in the [appeal judgement by] apex court. If in the final judgement Nizami could escape the death sentence like him and was awarded with lifetime imprisonment, it will be like acquitting that heinous war criminal who killed my husband.”

“If it happens, he will live a luxurious life in jail and die a natural death or be freed if the government changes. It will be injustice to the families of martyrs,” Shyamoli Nasreen said.

KM Safiullah, chairman of Sector Commanders Forum, said: “This is a perfect verdict. The departed souls of 30 lakh martyrs will finally rest in peace once the verdict is quickly executed.”

Michbahur Rahman, a prosecution witness of the case, expressed his joy at the “historical” verdict, while another witness Abdus Salam Latif said: “We are in fear as the verdict date of Nizami had previously been deferred for three times and in future I fear that the verdict could be changed into a lifetime imprisonment.”

Meanwhile, hailing the death penalty, the Gonojagoron Moncho urged the government to implement the verdict soon. Moncho spokeman Imran H Sarker made the call at a rally in the capital’s Shahbagh.

“We welcome the verdict. Protests of the Gonojagoron Moncho and the people have succeeded... Now we demand rapid implementation of the sentence,” he said. Imran also urged the government to implement a new law which would make war criminals ineligible for presidential pardon. l

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Country under security blanket ahead of hartal n Mohammad Jamil Khan Law enforcement agencies have beefed up their security measures across the country ahead of the Jamaat-e-Islami enforced nationwide three days hartal protesting the death sentence to its party chief Matiur Rahman Nizami for committing crimes against humanity during the Liberation War of 1971.

“We shall not allow any one to carry out any destructive activities in name of hartal and necessary orders regarding it have already given to the law enforcers so that Jamaat-Shibir activists can not be able to harm any public properties,” Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, State Minister for Home Affairs told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

Detectives will also work with sophisticated cameras to track down trouble makers easily during any violence Sources said, a huge number of law enforcement officials along with water canons and APC have already deployed in sensitive areas in capital and elsewhere in the country. They also installed some security cameras to keep vigilance on the move of Jamaat-Shibir men.

Besides the detectives will also work with some sophisticated cameras to track down the trouble makers easily during any violence.

When asked, IGP Hassan Mahmood Khandker acknowledged the move, telling they have already adopted especial security plans ahead of the hartal.

In reply to a query whether police had any intelligence information about subversive activities, he said they were

prepared for all sorts of security threats.

On the other hand, members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) will remain alerted to prevent any kind of unwanted situations. Major General Aziz Ahmed, director general of BGB, said the BGB members who had been deployed ahead of the Nizami verdict would continue their duty until the hartal ends.

“However, BGB men have been instructed to increase patrolling across the country, especially in some specific areas during the hartal hours,” the BGB boss added.

Security was also lifted up in the port city, Chittagong. Abdul Jalil Mondal, Commissioner of Chittagong Metropolitan Police said they have some information that Jamaat-Shibir men might try to create anarchy and sabotage during the hartals but due to our extreme surveillance and preventive measures, they will not be able to make their conspiracy a success.

RAB members were also kept alerted. Major Rummon Mahmud, deputy director of RAB Media and Legal Wing said, in line with all other law enforcement agencies, RAB has taken some special preventive measures ahead of the hartal.

Besides, special surveillance was ensured in the Jamaat dominating districts. Chowdhury Monjurul Kabir, Police Super of Sathkira district, which is considered as a stronghold of the party, said they would not allow a single Jamaat-Shibir man to create any kind of violence there.

Feni SP Md Rezaul Haque said they deployed necessary policemen at the key points to bring any untoward situation under control promptly. Jamaat yesterday called the countrywide hartal for Thursday, Sunday and Monday. l

BSF to hand over bodies of 3 Bangladeshis today n Our Correspondent, Habiganj

Police and RAB stand guard outside the International Crimes Tribunal ahead of pronouncement of verdict against Jamaat-e-Islami chief Motiur Rahman Nizami yesterday MEHEDI HASAN

Three Indians return home after languishing in Sherpur jail n Our Correspondent, Sherpur Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) handed over three Indian nationals, who had been jailed for intrusion by a local court seven years ago, to the BSF authorities via Nakugaon immigration check post under Nalitabari upazila yesterday.

Sources said the release came to effect owing to initiative by local Red Crescent Society members.

The discharged were identified as

Selim Marak, Agoto Sangma and Nivel Marak. All of them hailed from Tura district under Meghaloya state of India.

The incident of handover took place at the check post around 3pm, where some senior officials of police, BGB and BSF were present, said Nalitabari police station SI Ariful Islam.

On October12, 2007, BGB members caught the three from a frontier area in Jhinaigati upazila of the district and produced them before a local court that

sentenced them three years’ of imprisonment for intruding Bangladesh territory.

However, the trio had remained languishing despite ending the punishment period as the jail authorities failed to contact with their family members to make them free.

In this regard, Sherpur Red Crescent Society General Secretary Fakhrul Majid Khokon said they came to know the matter and took steps for their release. l

Indian Border Security Force (BSF) will hand over today bodies of three Bangladeshis killed in mob beating in Tripura early Tuesday.

BSF and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) made the decision at yesterday’s flag meeting held at the Bala frontier under Chunarughat upazila.

Gazipur UP Chairman Tajul Islam who was present in the meeting confirmed the news, saying the authorities of BSF 10 battalion would hand over the bodies any time today to the members of BGB 46 battalion.

When asked, BGB 46 battalion Commander Lieutenant Nasir Uddin Ahmed and Chunarughat police station OC Omulla Kumar Chowdhury echoed the chairman.

An unruly mob in Bacaibari area of Khuai town under India’s Tripura state beat up Karam Ali, 40, Sujan Miah, 22, son of Samir Hossain, and Akkel Miah, 19, son of Sanu Miah, to death suspecting they were thieves. The trio are dwellers of Alinagar village of the upazila, who had intruded into the country to fetch a haul of cattle. l

Removal of OC demanded n Our Correspondent, Jessore Local transport workers yesterday brought out a procession with the corpse of a colleague in the district town demanding removal of the Kotwali police station OC. They blamed OC Enamul Hoque for not receiving the allegation regarding the attack on Tawhidur Rahman Taru who died of injuries at a city hospital on Tuesday.

The workers afterwards held a rally before the police station, where leaders of Poribahan Songstha Sramik Samity, saying that the OC did not play his role .

The OC denied the allegation. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

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Thursday, October 30, 2014

Mozena: Proper policies, pricing important to woo oil companies Dhaka and Moscow entered a deal to set a nuclear power plant in Rooppur, Pabna

n Sheikh Shahariar Zaman Bangladesh needs to have proper policies and pricing structure in place to attract international oil companies (IOCs) in exploring mineral resources, said US Ambassador to Bangladesh Dan Mozena.

“You go to next door, Burma, they have 30 IOCs, and I say Bangladesh should have 50 IOCs – all competing to engage here to explore, to produce because your own gas at the end of the day is the best bargain to create the energy that will drive this economy,” he said while addressing the First Bangladesh Sustainable Energy for All Investor Forum at a city hotel yesterday.

'They [IOCs] take decision when it makes commercial sense and sometimes when pricing is such, they might not proceed' Bangladesh, an energy-starved country, is trying to woo IOCs to explore gas and other mineral resources offshore and onshore.

Referring to US-based Conocophilips pulling out of offshore operations in the Bay of Bengal a few days back, the ambassador said energy exploration and energy production are commercial decision.

“They [IOCs] take decision when it makes commercial sense and sometimes when pricing is such, they might

not proceed,” he said.

US-based Chevron is the biggest gas producer in Bangladesh and it is expected that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate its new expanded facility next month, Mozena said.

Nuclear technology in Bangladesh

In response to a question on nuclear power technology persuasion by Bangladesh, the US ambassador said Bangladesh has unfathomable potential of hydropower as Bhutan and Nepal altogether have the potential capacity of over 100,000MW of such power.

“I would encourage Bangladesh to dynamically explore these options,” he said, adding that aggressive onshore and offshore exploration for gas and other mineral resources is also very cost-effective.

Dhaka and Moscow entered a deal to set a nuclear power plant in Rooppur, Pabna.

The same was reiterated by Mohinder Gulati, chief operating officer of Sustainable Energy for All, in response to the same question.

“Nuclear power is an expensive and difficult technology. It requires high quality of technology and technical people to manage,” he said. “From the economic point of view, in many cases it is not the least-cost option.”

About the power tariff rate in Bangladesh, he said: “No price is a good price and no price is a bad price.”

Price is a decision but cost is a fact and cost has to be paid by somebody – consumers or taxpayers, he said.

If the cost is not paid, the service will deteriorate, he added. l

Women are seen visiting a stall of PKSF Development Fair, 2014 in Bangabandhu International Conference Centre yesterday. The seven-day fair organised by the Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation where a total of 125 stalls were set up ended yesterday SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

Robbery, mugging goes unbridled in Sylhet n Our Correspondent, Sylhet

Incidents of mugging and robbery have marked a sharp rise in and around Sylhet city as a number of listed criminals have recently got bail.

Nazrul Islam, a resident of Sadar upazila, said a panic situation had been prevailing in the city. He said: “Recently my uncle faced mugging and he also got hurt during the mugging incident.”

Acting Metropolitan Police Commissioner SM Rokon Uddin said recently about 20 listed criminals got bail from the court and they had been involved in mugging and robbery again.

“We are trying to nab the culprits.

10 AL men held for extortion in Ashulia n Our Correspondent, Savar

Cancellation of lease of Jail Khal demanded n Our Correspondent, Barisal

Police arrested 10 Awami League men who were extorting owners of a transport company on Monday night in Nabinagar area in Ashulia.

The Arrested were Rasel Dewan, 32, General Secretary of Ashulia Thana Sramik League, Sun Sarkar, 28, Ripon Mahmud, 28, Asaduzzaman, 29, Jony Dewan, 18, Ujjal Biswas, 20, Raju Ahammed, 18, Nurul Islam, 28, Lalon Sheikh, 25, Najim, 28 and Biplob, 40.

Police sources said Rasel and his associates were extorting the transport companies in Nabinagar bus stand.

Police arrested them when they were extorting at Palash Paribahan’s office.

Officer-in-Charge of Ashulia police station Sheikh Badrul Alam said there are 21 cases lodged with Savar and Ashulia police stations against Rasel. l

WEATHER DRY WEATHER LIKELY

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 30 DHAKA TODAY TOMORROW SUN SETS 5:21PM SUN RISES 6:04AM FORECAST FOR TODAY 30 30 30 29 30 30 31 31

Dhaka Chittagong Rajshahi Rangpur Khulna Barisal Sylhet Cox’s Bazar

20 23 21 18 18 20 18 23

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

31.6ºC Sylhet

17.2ºC Srimangal

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

We have already arrested a dozen of muggers so far,” said Rokon Uddin.

Nizam Ahmed, a resident of Kazir Gaon area, said criminals were taking advantage of lax monitoring by law enforcement agencies. He also urged the authorities concerned to take the matter seriously.

On October 19, a gang of robbers cutting grill of a window entered the flat of a Qatar expatriate in Bonkolapara area and robbed 45 tolas of gold bars and Tk1 lakh in cash.

The police commissioner said muggers had adopted a new strategy of hunting bearers of large amount of money and that was they swooped

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina hands over a cheque to a family member of a Rana Plaza victim at Prime Minister’s Office in the capital yesterday FOCUS BANGLA

2 hacked in the capital n Tribune Report Two people were hacked by assailants in separate incidents in the capital yesterday. Both of them were admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) in serious condition.

Miscreants hacked and injured a witness of a case in front of Fatema Manjil adjacent to CMM court.

The victim’s name was Tawhidul Islam, 35, the son of Aiyub Ali. The injured Tawhid said: “We live in Jallad Bihari camp. We had a long dispute over land with Advocate Selim and his brothers. We filed a case against 10-12 people regarding the dispute.”

The victim’s cousin Salahuddin said: “Tawhid was going to court as a witness in that case.

Suddenly, a group of people surrounded him and struck him with

sharp instruments randomly.”

DMCH police outpost Inspector Mozammel Haque said: “Tawhid was attacked while going to court as a witness.”

Meanwhile, one Alamgir Hossain Bhuiyan, 55, was hacked by unidentified miscreants. Police recovered him from Arts Building area of Dhaka University around 6:30am. Alamgir is an accountant of Bangladesh Development Company.

His nephew Sohag said Alamgir came home from office on Tuesday and went out again to a saloon. His mobile was found switched off after a while. He could not say who attacked him.

Miscreants tried to cut his throat and vain of his legs, said Sohag.

No cases were filed regarding the incident till filing of this report. l

People from different sections including civil rights groups formed a human chain yesterday in front of Ashwini Kumar Hall in the town to cancel illegal lease of the entrance point of Jail Khal (Jail canal)at Amanatganj point.

Hatkhola, Fariapatty, Bazar Road Businessmen Welfare Association, civil rights groups and stake holders organised the programme where among others Ebaidul Huq Chan, Humayun Haoladar, Hafizur Rahman Tipu, Jahangir Hossain Manik, Mrinal Kanti Saha spoke on the occasion.

The speakers said that Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authourity re-excavated the entrance point of the canal in Amanatganj area expending Tk 60lakh for creating navigability.

But BIWTA leased that entrance-point of the canal hampering the interest of businessmen, citizens and environment activists, they alleged.

Md Shahudullah, deputy director BIWTA and Barisal port officer, alleged the lease was given to the ruling party lawmaker and upazila chairman illegally.

A division bench of the High Court consisted of Justice Moinul Islam Chowdhury and Justice Md Ashraful Kamal passed an order on 20 October to save the canal. l

Section 144 imposed n Our Correspondent, Kishoreganj Local administration imposed section 144 in Karimganj upazila as two factions of local Awami League called meeting at the same venue on same time yesterday.

Md Abul Hossain, officer-in-charge of Karimganj police station said a group of AL activists led by Nasirul Islam Khan Awlad, convenor of the upazila unit of Awami league, called a meeting at Nuabad and Baragaria unions school ground in the upazila in the morning while ABM Sirajul Islam, president of district Sramik League and chairman of Kadir Jangal Union Parishad and Abdul Qaium, mayor of Karimganj Pourasava called another meeting at the same venue on the same time.

The local administration imposed section 144 to avert any untoward situation, said he. l

people when they came out of banks after withdrawing money. Recently, three incidents happened in this way.

On 16 October, a gang of muggers snatched Tk6 lakh from two tea garden staff near Mazumdari Jame Mosque in Lechubagan area.

On October 14, snatchers mugged Tk1.16 lakh from a shopkeeper of city’s Kalighat area while he was returning from his shop after withdrawing money from Islami Bank, Taltola Branch.

Snatchers also took away Tk50,000 from an NGO activist Ratna Begum in city’s Dorgibond area, Tk7,000 from a CNG-run auto rickshaw driver Shamsul Haque in Badaghat area and Tk30,000

from a pharmacy owner Rashed Ahmed in Ragib Rabeya Medical College area recently.

On October 5, a gang bandits attacked three houses and looted Tk30 lakh cash, 135 grams of gold jewellery and other valuables in Doyarbazar area of Sylhet’s Companyganj.

Locals said the robbers came to the area on three boats using the Dholai River.

SM Rokon Uddin, acting commissioner of Sylhet Metropolitan Police, said drives were on to arrest criminals.

“Today we have detained Polash Ahmed, an alleged snatcher, in the city.” l

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Nation

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Fund crunch hits Sherpur forest office

The office does not have any activities except for rescuing animals of rare species

n Our Correspondent, Sherpur Office of Strengthening Regional Cooperation Wildlife Project (SRCWP) lies inoperative in spite of having 10 employees recruited and an office given in Sherpur a year ago, as the areas where they should run their activities were not delimited and funds were not allocated for their work.

According to SRCWP sources, an office of the project was launched last year on the second floor of Forest Department office in Sherpur.

A deputy forest officer (DFO), a ranger, a wild life officer, an accountant, three junior wildlife scout, a driver for the DFO, a peon and a night guard was recruited for the office from its inauguration.

The office was given the task of looking after the wildlife in the forest and Garo Hills in Nalitabari, Jhinaigati and Sreebordi upazilas of the district.

The office was supposed to teach the locals how to survive attacks by the

wild elephants and coexist with them in an area.

But even after one year, the office does not have any activities except for rescuing animals of rare species when they are caught in the district, and taking them to safe forested area or to Bangabandhu Safari Park. Currently, two non-government organisations (NGO) are surveying the areas where they should run their operations.

Ranger Mujibul Haque from Sherpur SRCWP office said the areas where they have to work were not specified yet.

The task of finding out the areas where wild elephants attack frequently was given to two NGOs named International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and HEED Bangladesh.

When they submit their report, SRCWP office will start its work properly.

Right now they do not have the manpower to operate in the field and no fund was allocated for the works assigned to them yet, added the ranger. l

Minor boy falls prey to gun fight n Our Correspondent, Narsingdi A minor boy was shot dead during a gun fight that took place between two groups of drug peddlers in Bokultola area of Narsingdi yesterday.

Quoting locals police said a gun fight had taken place between two groups of drug peddlers one led by Shafiq and another led by Bhuiyan Sohel over establishing supremacy in the area at 12 noon.

Swapan Mia, 12, son of Khorshed Mia, a resident of Satirpara area in the district was caught in crossfire during an hour-long gun battle. Seven people were also injured during the gun battle.

On receiving information, police rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control, but could not arrest anyone in this connection.

Of the injured, two have been sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital in critical condition. l

Farmers harvest radish from a field in Bolpukur area of Rajshahi yesterday. Farmers of Mohanpur, Bagmara, Taherpur, Durgapur and Puthia have witnessed a bumper yield of the vegetable this year. Growers are selling one maund radish at Tk600 and they are happy with the price AZAHAR UDDIN

Thousands suffer for lack of bridge over Shila river n

Our Corespondent, Mymensingh

Nearly 30,000 people of six villages in Gafargaon of Mymensingh face difficulties everyday to cross the Shila River in the upazila as only one boat is at the service of the commuters who have to cross the river everyday for different purposes.

Locals said villagers of Joshora, Bukhra, Muktapara, Atharodana, Shekhbazar and Pathorkata constructed a ramshackle bamboo-bridge over the river, but it broke down recently. Now there are only one ferryboat for general passengers and a rope tied across the riv-

NEWS IN BRIEF Juba Dal leader found dead in Kushtia

Two children drown in pond

Police recovered the body of a Juba Dal leader at Chandipur village under Bheramara upazila in Kushtia yesterday. The deceased was identified as Kismat Ali, 34, the son of late Abdur Shukur from the area. He was the general secretary of Juba Dal’s Chadgram union unit. Bheramara police station Officer-in-Charge Mamun Khan said: “On information, police recovered the body from a garden behind his house around 11:30am.” He said: “It seems that Kismat Ali was strangled to death as the body has injury marks on its throat.” The body has been sent to Kushtia general morgue for autopsy, added the official.

– Our Correspondent, Kushtia

Two children drowned in a pond near home yesterday morning at Noyani village under Charkawa union of Barisal Sadar upazila. The victims were identified as Rafi, 4, and Rupa, 5. Barisal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital (SBMCH) sources said the children went missing from 9am after they went to play outside and family members recovered their bodies from the pond around 9:30am.

When they were brought to SBMCH, the duty doctor declared Rafi dead at 10:30am. Rupa, who was admitted to child unit of the hospital, died at 11am, said hospital sources.

– Our Correspondent, Barisal

3 illegal drug traders jailed Three drug traders were sentenced jail by a mobile court in Mirzapur of Tangail yesterday after noon. The mobile court lead by executive magistrate Nasrin Sultana also upazila Assistant Commissioner (land) sentenced Mozammel Haque,40, son of Abdul Azij to one and half year imprisonment, Sahin,38, son of Habibur Rahman to six month imprisonment, Mozammel Hossain,22, son of Banej Ali to one year imprisonment. Later they were sent to Tangail jail. Meanwhile, Abdul Alim, 23, Anil Sarker, 34, Zahid, 21, Zahir, 22, Razib,19, and Kajol, 24, were fined Tk200 each for gambling by the mobile court. Abdur Rashid officer-in-charge of Mirzapur police station said police had conducted anti drug drive several places in the upaizla and arrested the accused and produced before the mobile court.

– Our Correspondent, Tangail

Young girl electrocuted in Barisal A young girl died from electrocution in Rupatali area of Barisal city yesterday morning. The victim was identified as Chhobi Begum, 22. Hospital sources said Chhobi was electrocuted while she alone in the house and boiling water on an electric heater around 10am.

– Our Correspondent, Barisal

One gets life term for murder A man was sentenced to life time imprisonment yesterday in the district for killing a businessman. The convict was identified as Shafique Mian,50, of Lanzapara village under Habiganj Sadar upazila. According to prosecution, Shafique murdered Hiredara Das, a business man in the village on 1 October over previous enmity.

– Our Correspondent, Habiganj

er for those who cross it by private boats.

Mozammel, a college student, said it was difficult to cross the Shila River everyday for attending college. Fahad, another student from Muktapara village said he crossed the river on a boat by pulling the rope tied across river.

Helim Uddin, owner of a pharmacy in Shibganj Bazar, said the political leaders promised many times to build a bridge across the river, but they never fulfilled it.

Jamal Uddin, a farmer from Joshora village, said he had to cross the river with his cows used for cultivation as his, and some other farmers’, farmlands

were on the other side of the river.

“Chairman and some other well dressed guys take measurements from time to time, but the progress in constructing the bridge never goes beyond that,” complained another farmer Tajul Islam.

UP Chairman Mujibur Rahman said Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) were working on the raelisation of the bridge construction project.

However, Upazila Engineer Tofazzal Hossain said he did not know anything about the construction of bridge across the Shila river. l

2 alleged thieves lynched in Barisal n Our Correspondent, Barisal Two alleged thieves have been beaten to death in Char Sharikal area under Gournadi upazila in Barisal yesterday.

The deceased are Mohammad Modasser and Md Rafik of Alimabad village under Muladi upazila of the district.

Sharikal police station Assistant Sub-Inspector Sarwar Hossain said: “A group of thieves entered into the house of Kamrul Islam, a retired BDR personal, around 2:30am on Wednesday.”

“Hearing the hues and cries of the residents, villagers rushed to the spot and chased the gang of thieves,” he said.

Later, the nabbed them and beat them up mercilessly. They succumbed to their injuries when rushed to the hospital. l

Juris

People’s right to know

Awareness building about the RTI law and its potentials is crucial

T n

Md Abdur Razzak

he right to information, meaning the people’s right to know or accessibility to information, derives its origin from Sweden. Historically, Sweden was the first country in the world to adopt a “Freedom of Information Act” in 1776. However, the democratic changeover in the Central and Eastern Europe following the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989 had heightened the urge for recognising the right to information as a human right.

Successive democratic movements in other parts of the world, later on, had given a notable impetus to the right to information campaigns worldwide.

Until today, as many as a hundred countries all over the world have adopted legislation on access to information which is certainly a milestone reached to secure people’s right to know. The political nature and context of this right entails the power of the people to participate directly or indirectly in the establishment or administration of the government, and, at this point the free flow of information deserves paramount recognition in a democratic polity. This view is, however, nothing new. James Madison, the fourth president of the United States and co-author of the First Amendment to the American Constitution observed in 1822: “A popular government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a prologue to a farce or a tragedy; or perhaps both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance: And people, who mean to be their own governors, must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.”

At this backdrop, almost every democratic state took the issue in seri-

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In order to revamp the present circumstances, the Commission should be furnished with sufficient financial, technical and human resources and be allowed to carry out its functions independently ous consideration and held meaningful constitutional debates to gauge opinions and assess the rationale behind such a right. With this move, the right to seek information from government bodies has secured its place in many democratic constitutions. Interestingly, in some democratic states this right has placed indirect constitutional anchoring. This is due to the fact that, the awarding of constitutional status to the right to information is vividly reflected in the courts’ interpretation of other recognised rights in various judgments, especially in the case of right to freedom of speech and expression.

In 1982, a petition was filed with the Supreme Court of India requiring that all correspondence between the minister of justice and the chief justice of the Supreme Court concerning the appointment of Supreme Court justice be disclosed. The government argued that the discretionary power regarding exposure (or non-exposure) of the respective documents remains in its hands. The court, however, rejected this position, thereby establishing the precedent that: “The concept of an open Government is the direct emanation from the right to know which seems to be implicit in the right to free speech and expression guaranteed under Article 19(1) (a) of the Indian Constitution.

Hence, revelation of information held by the government must be the rule and secrecy an exception justified only where the strictest requirement of public interest requires.”

Hence, the nexus between the freedom of expression and the right to information does not always remain confined within the periphery of academic discourse; rather the exercise of this right appears in the societal do-

main with practical implications. Notably, access to relevant information enhances the capacity of individuals, interest groups and organisations to actively take part in political debates.

In the same way, deciding issues on public agenda and the very prospect of placing those issues on the agenda is firmly plugged to their ability to obtain necessary information.

Speaking of its formal entrance in the jurisprudence of international law, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948 incorporated an article referring to the “right to seek, receive and impart information” while identical wording appears in Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) 1966. The provisions of these articles, however, fall short to grasp the wider scope and meaning of such a right and to outline the obligations of the duty bearers in guaranteeing its effective implementation. The international courts, tribunals and expert bodies, therefore, made extensive elaboration to these provisions from different viewpoints.

In line with this approach, the United Nations Commission on Human Rights appointed a Special Rapporteur on the issue of the right to information. The annual report prepared by the Special Rapporteur and submitted to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in 1988, rightly explained: “The right to seek and receive information is not simply a converse of the right to freedom of opinion and expression but a freedom on its own which imposes a positive obligation on the states to ensure access to information, particularly with regard to the information held by Government in all types of storage and retrieval system.”

Prompted by the longstanding and

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Thursday, October 30, 2014

combined efforts spurred by local NGOs, civil society organisations, media and law experts, Bangladesh finally entered into the regime of access to information law in 2009. The Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2009, is therefore, being considered as one of the landmark legislations of Bangladesh having the potential to serve the poor, disadvantaged people and improve their condition. It is in the sense that, Right to Information Act, through free flow of information, would work as an important tool to restore transparency and accountability in service delivery system at the Union Council level which is the lowest tier of local government system and closely connected with the people living in rural areas. In addition, a pro-bono approach in RTI Act implementation would help the marginalised people establish their rightful claims and reap the benefits of government services without facing any difficulties.

However, in respect to the proper implementation of the law, a plethora of challenges has appeared. A survey conducted by the Right to Information Forum on completion of two years of RTI Act reveals that the supply of information and effective delivery arrangements depend on the demand of information. But as a matter of fact, a considerable portion of the respondents were found to be unaware about the RTI Act and more surprisingly those who are aware, were mostly reluctant in using the RTI Act due to its associated hassles.

The authorities in most cases seemed less willing to provide full information or in some cases applicants receive incorrect information. The lack of awareness among the people about the legislative framework has been identified as one of the major challenges. Furthermore, absence of digital information management system, narrow level of obligation to recruit Information Officers (IO), lack of sufficient training for existing RTI officials, lack of voluntary adoption of disclosure policy by the concerned organisations and the culture of secrecy in government affairs are hindering its progress to a great extent.

Though the Information Commission held a number of capacity building workshops, public awareness and outreach events, these efforts proved to be insufficient to deal with the increasing number of challenges. In order to revamp the present circumstances, the Commission should be furnished with sufficient financial, technical and human resources and be allowed to carry out its functions independently.

Amidst a long practised culture of secrecy in governmental functions, which sidesteps the citizens in darkness about issues touching their legitimate interest, the adoption of RTI Act has indeed emerged like sunshine to lighten such darkness. There is no doubt that merely enacting law is not adequate. Successful implementation of it would largely depend on governments’ political commitment to make the law truly beneficial for the people.

However, it can be concluded by saying that, in its totality, not only the government but also the NGOs, civil society, media outlets and the people at large should share the responsibility to complement the government efforts in every possible way. l Md Abdur Razzak is a student researcher, mooter and human rights activist. The article was first published in the Dhaka Law Review Blog (dhakalawreview.org).

JURIS QUOTE It is not the enactment, but the observance of laws, that creates the character of a nation.

Conducting trial in absentia n Mohammad Nayeem Firoz

I

t is a peremptory norms enshrined in the principles of natural justice that no person should be condemned unheard. Nonetheless the law can never be in abeyance for any inordinate person. Moreover, the deterrent theory of punishment professes for prompt punishment of the wrong-doers for creating exemplary signposts for the citizenry to be refrained from committing any crime. The right to get justice of the victims of offences also imposes an undeniable influence on the judiciary to respond within a reasonable time.

So the gavel cannot be kept in rest for eternity. In the adversarial adjudication systems, some occasions arise when the courts hold trials in the absence of the persons complained against. The criminal law of our land permits in absentia trial considering the right of the accusers to get justice against fugitive criminals.

obligation to pass the second order for holding trial in absence of the said absconding person and accordingly shall fix a date for hearing under section 241A or 265C of the Code.

Trial in absentia in grave cases

The cases which are to be tried by a Tribunal constituted under Nari-OShishu Nirjatan Daman Ain, 2000, the Tribunal has the power to take necessary steps for holding trial in absentia. Such provision is contained in section 21 of the concerned law.

Therefore, in such a case, Judicial or Metropolitan Magistrates are not authorised to pass any order directing an accused person who could not be arrested or who remains absconded or concealed himself to appear before the Court by publishing any notice in the newspapers. Section 21 of the law says that the Tribunal is to form an opinion to hold trial in absentia. In order to form such an opinion, the Tribunal must have

Law’s black letters construed

In spite of issuing all processes, if some of the accused persons or all the accused persons do not appear or if the accused persons cannot be arrested, steps should be taken to hold trial in absentia for those fugitives both in complaint and police cases. Before passing any order for holding trial in absentia procedure as laid down in Section 87, 88 and 339B of the Code of Criminal Procedure is imperative to be adhered to. Before issuing processes under those sections, a court cannot proceed to hold trial in absentia in pursuant to the provisions of section 339B of the Code. Section 339B envisages that where, after the compliance with the requirement of section 87 and 88, the court has reason to believe that an accused person has absconded or concealed himself so that s/he cannot be arrested and produced for trial and that there is no immediate prospect of arresting her/ him, the court taking cognizance of the offence shall pass an order for publication of notices in at least two national Bangla dailies having wide circulation directing such a person to appear before it within a period as specified in the order. If after expiry of the date specified in the order, the person fails to comply with the direction of the court, that person shall be tried in his absence.

In section 339B, it has been clearly mentioned that the court can pass such an order when it has reason to believe that an accused has absconded or concealed her/him or that there is no immediate prospect of arresting her/him. It is pertinent to mention that publication of the notice in a local newspaper having negligible circulation will not be considered as adherence to the provisions of section 339B of CrPC. After publication of notice in the newspapers, if the person appears before the court in compliance with the direction, then the court may pass necessary order for sending him to the custody or may grant bail on consideration of any bail prayer placed before it.

However, if s/he does not appear in compliance with the direction, the Court is under an unyielding legal

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

some materials before it. Similarly, in cases which are to be tried by any Special Tribunal constituted under section 26 of the Special Powers Act, a court of Judicial or Metropolitan Magistrate can issue processes under sections 87 and 88 of CrPC, but cannot take steps for publishing notice in the newspapers giving a direction to the absconding accused to appear before the concerned court within a specified time. Such power is given to the Special Tribunal itself under Sub-section (6) of section 27 of the Special Powers Act, 1974.

Right to get justice not diminished

No steps are to be taken for holding trial in absentia in respect to an accused who absconded after obtaining bail from a court. Such power is given to the court in Sub-section (2) of section 339B of the Code and Sub-section 6A of section 27 of the Special Powers Act and Sub-section 2 of section 21 of the Nari-O-Shishu Nirjatan Daman Ain, 2000. It is worth mentioning that, trial in absentia is ordained after exhausting all the processes to compel the accused to appear in the Court for defending his case keeping in judges’ mind the cardinal principle of criminal law that is “let 100 accused persons be set free but not an innocent person be jeopardised by the Courts of law.” l Mohammad Nayeem Firoz is a Senior Assistant Judge, Chittgong.

Legal Apps

Bangladesh legislation

W

e live in an era of technology and almost everyone has a smartphone nowadays. Using apps is the go of the day and some apps are very useful in our daily lives. “Bangladesh Legislation” is an app available in the google playstore which provides a good number of legislations passed by the Bangladesh Parliament. People who are always on the go may access to some of the essential laws through this app.

Calvin Coolidge

29th President of the United States July 1872 – 5 January 1933

Send us queries for

Consult your counsel

and also your articles on any legal issues at: law@dhakatribune.com

Dhaka Tribune Visit our website at: www.dhakatribune.com Join our Facebook community https://www.facebook.com/DhakaTribune RIO SHUVO

Presently, there are 10 legislations available in the app. However, the developers of the app declared that they would continue to add new Acts. If anybody wants a particular piece of legislation to be added, he/she may send an e-mail to the developers. Please note that this app is supported by ads. l

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

World

Iraqi forces advance in new bid to end Baiji refinery siege n Reuters, Baghdad Iraqi security forces said they advanced to within 2 km (1.2 miles) of the city of Baiji yesterday in a new offensive to retake the country’s biggest oil refinery, besieged since June by Islamic State militants.

Backed by Shi’ite militias and army helicopters, government forces have swept through a desert area to the west of Baiji, aiming to recapture the city 200 km (130 miles) north of the capital.

They hope to cut off supply lines to militants encircling the refinery and gain control of a road leading to Mosul, the biggest city in the north, an army colonel told Reuters.

Islamic State fighters seized the city of Baiji and surrounded the sprawling refinery in June during a lightning campaign through northern Iraq. The group also controls a swathe of territory in neighbouring Syria and has proclaimed a caliphate straddling both countries.

Government forces inside the refinery complex have been surrounded by the Sunni insurgents who have failed to take it despite frequent attacks and suicide bombings.

The Iraqi government and its allies from the autonomous Kurdish region have been advancing to recapture territory in the north in recent weeks, aided by air strikes from a US-led coalition

against Islamic State targets in both Iraq and Syria.

“We have made good advances. We have taken over six villages and now we are only 2 km away from the city of Baiji,” said the colonel, who requested anonymity.

IS jihadists ‘execute 46 tribesmen’ in Iraq’s Anbar

n AFP, Baghdad Islamic State jihadists executed at least 46 members of a tribe that fought against them in Iraq’s Anbar province, a local leader and a doctor said yesterday. The men from the Albu Nimr tribe were killed in an area overrun by the militants last week north of the town of Heet, the sources said.

Islamic State has used roadside bombs and snipers to slow down the government forces’ progress.

“Since yesterday morning we have defused 300 roadside bombs planted by the terrorists to delay our advance,” the colonel said. The Baiji refinery was producing around 175,000 barrels per day before it was closed, a senior Iraqi official said in June. Iraq’s domestic daily consumption is estimated at 600,000-700,000 bpd.

Iraqi security forces said they had gained momentum elsewhere over the last week, retaking the Euphrates riv-

er town of Jurf al-Sakhar, just south of Baghdad, one of the places where the insurgents have come closest to the capital itself.

Government troops also retook parts of the Himreen Mountains overlooking Islamic State supply lines north of the capital, said another army colonel.

These accounts of government advances could not immediately be independently confirmed.

The gains have not eased violence across the country, which is at its worst since the 2006-2007 peak of the sectarian civil war that took place under US military occupation.

The government hopes to persuade Sunni tribes to turn against Islamic State fighters, as tribes did against al Qaeda during the US “surge” campaign of 2006-2007.

About 35 members of a prominent Sunni tribe in western Anbar Province were rounded up and executed by Islamic State in the Euphrates town of Hit on Wednesday, said local governor Naji Arrak and provincial council chairman Sabah Karhut.

Still, many Sunnis remain hostile to the Shi’ite-led government, accusing Shi’ite militias of kidnapping, torturing and killing members of their minority sect with impunity. Shi’ite militias deny committing atrocities and say they are tracking down Islamic State militants living among Sunnis. l

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Russian seeks normal ties with Ukraine n Reuters, Moscow Russia’s lower house of parliament is ready to cooperate with the new assembly in Ukraine, its chairman said yesterday, although it will be dominated by pro-Western forces. Parties that want to move Kiev further away from Moscow’s orbit towards mainstream Europe will lead the Verkhovna Rada after an election on Sunday, held despite fighting between government forces and pro-Russian separatists in east Ukraine.

“We hope that the newly elected

Verkhovna Rada will make its contribution to ending the civil war, resolving the crisis and de-escalating tensions,” Russian news agencies Sergei Naryshkin, the speaker of the State Duma lower house, as saying.

“Duma lawmakers are ready for any contacts, for the restoration of normal inter-parliamentary relations.”

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said Moscow will recognize the outcome of the election even though voting did not take place in rebel-held areas in the east and forces traditionally loyal to Moscow performed poorly. l

Yatseniuk expect stay as Ukraine premier n Reuters, Kiev Ukraine’s Arseny Yatseniuk said on Wednesday he expected to stay on as prime minister at the head of a new pro-Europe, reformist government as his party hung on to a slight lead in last Sunday’s election with the vote count nearly complete.

Power-sharing talks have been going on behind the scenes in Ukraine after the poll gave a resounding win to parties committed to European integration, shifting the ex-Soviet republic further

away from the Russian orbit despite rebellion by pro-Russian separatists.

Referring to his People’s Front party, Yatseniuk said: “The party which has taken first place in the elections has to begin the process of forming a coalition ... the leader of (this) party heads the government.”

People’s Front was still slightly ahead of the political group of President Petro Poroshenko, taking just over 22% of the vote for parties with more than 98% of the votes for parties counted. l

n Reuters, Ismalia Egypt

A Kurdish boy has his face painted with the US and the Kurdish flags as he waits to greet Peshmerga fighters near the border town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province yesterday. Iraqi peshmerga fighters arrived in southeastern Turkey on Wednesday en route for the Syrian town of Kobane to try to help fellow Kurds break an Islamic State siege which has defied USled air strikes. Kobane, nestled on the border with Turkey, has been under assault from Islamic State militants for more than a month and its fate has become a key test of the US-led coalition’s ability to combat the Sunni insurgents REUTERS

The unclassified Executive Office of the President network was attacked, according to the Washington Post.

US authorities are reported to be investigating the breach, which was reported to officials by an ally of the US, sources said.

White House officials believe the attack was state-sponsored but are not saying what - if any - data was taken.

In a statement to the AFP news agency, the White House said “some elements of the unclassified network” had been affected.

A White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Washington Post: “In the course of assessing recent threats, we identified activity of concern on the unclassified EOP network.

“Any such activity is something we take very seriously. In this case, we took immediate measures to evaluate and mitigate the activity.

“Certainly, a variety of actors find our networks to be attractive targets and seek access to sensitive information. We are still assessing the activity of concern.”

The source said the attack was consistent with a state-sponsored effort and Russia is thought by the US government to be one of the most likely threats.

“On a regular basis, there are bad actors out there who are attempting to achieve intrusions into our system,” a second White House official told the Washington Post. l

n Reuters, Lusaka Zambia’s Guy Scott became Africa’s first white head of state in 20 years on Wednesday after the president, “King Cobra” Michael Sata, died in a London hospital aged 77.

Scott, a Cambridge-educated economist born to Scottish parents, had been Sata’s vice president. He will be interim leader until an election in three months, making him the first white African leader since South Africa’s F.W. de Klerk lost to Nelson Mandela in the 1994 election that ended apartheid.

Scott, 70, is ineligible to run for the presidency in the election because of citizenship restrictions, leaving defence minister Edgar Lungu and finance minister Alexander Chikwanda the most likely contenders for the ruling Patriotic Front party’s ticket, analysts say.

“Elections for the office of president will take place within 90 days. In the interim I am acting president,” Scott said in a brief televised address.

“The period of national mourning will start today. We will miss our beloved president and comrade.”

Many Zambians welcomed Scott’s interim appointment.

Scott is a lively character who has caused diplomatic controversy in the past, describing South Africans as “backward” in an interview with Britain’s Guardian newspaper last year. l

Egypt clears Gaza border area to create security buffer

H O P E S H I G H , F U T U R E U N C E R TA I N

White House computer network ‘hacked’ n BBC

Zambia’s Scott becomes Africa’s first white leader in 20 years

Egypt began clearing residents from its border with the Gaza Strip on Wednesday to create a buffer zone following some of the worst anti-state violence since President Mohamed Mursi was overthrown last year.

A day after being ordered by the army to move, many in the area had already packed their belongings and begun to leave when an announcement from Cairo made the eviction official.

“If any resident resists leaving the area in a cordial manner, their property ... will be forcibly seized,” read the decree signed by Prime Minister Ibrahim Mehleb.

General Abdel Fattah Harhour, the governor of increasingly lawless northern Sinai region, told journalists the departing residents would be compensated for their lost homes.

Egypt declared a state of emergency in the border area after at least 33 security personnel were killed on Friday in two attacks in the Sinai Peninsula, a remote but strategic region bordering Israel, Gaza and the Suez Canal.

It also accelerated plans to create a 500-metre deep buffer zone by clear-

ing houses and trees and destroying tunnels it says are used to smuggle arms from Gaza to militants in Sinai.

A teacher at a border area school said the government, which approved the buffer zone plan at its cabinet meeting on Wednesday, should have given residents more notice and compensated them before asking them to leave.

“What is happening will reduce people’s love for their nation and make them lose trust in the government,” said the teacher, who declined to be named.

One resident said people in the area had been given three options: money to compensate for their property, an apartment in a nearby village or a plot of land on which to build.

Each displaced family is due to receive 900 Egyptian pounds($125) to help pay for three months rent elsewhere, Harhour said, while compensation for lost property is being calculated.

Border residents say about 680 houses are set to be demolished. Security forces have previously destroyed about 200 houses on the border after discovering entrances inside to smuggling tunnels leading into the Gaza Strip . l

Israeli leader lashes back France denies Russia warship at harsh US criticism delivery reports n AP, Jerusalem

Israel’s prime minister said yesterday that recent verbal attacks against him from the United States were merely because he was “defending Israel” and vowed to carry on with his policies despite the vitriolic rhetoric.

Benjamin Netanyahu’s remarks to parliament followed a report in The Atlantic this week in which unidentified US officials lambasted the Israeli premier for his settlement policies and for undermining American peace efforts. The officials derided Netanyahu as cowardly and recalcitrant, among other insults.

The report reverberated throughout Israel with some coming to prime minister’s defense while others pointing to them as an indication of just how bad relations between the two close allies have gotten under Netanyahu’s watch.

Netanyahu responded that those who attack him do so only because he defends Israel, and stressed that he was “not prepared to make concessions that will endanger our state.”

“Our supreme interests, with security and the unity of Jerusalem first and foremost, are not among the top concerns of those anonymous elements that are attacking us and me personally,” he said.

There have been growing concerns of a new crisis in Israeli-US relations after US officials said the Obama administration last week refused Israeli De-

fense Minister Moshe Yaalon’s requests to meet several top national security aides. The rejection followed negative comments Yaalon made about Secretary of State John Kerry.

The Obama administration has long has a tense relationship with Netanyahu for his close relationship with the Republican Party and for what is often perceived as a lecturing tone toward the president. Netanyahu, meanwhile, has been suspicious of US efforts to reach a diplomatic agreement over Iran’s nuclear program that fails to remove the threat of it acquiring a bomb.

Even within Netanyahu’s coalition there are those, like Finance Minister Yair Lapid, who have vocally expressed worry over the crisis with the United States and said it must be resolved before it endangers Israeli interests.

Among the greatest concerns are that the US may withhold its vast military aid to Israel and stop protecting it from diplomatic attacks at the United Nations.

Economics Minister Naftali Bennett called on the US to “distance itself from the rude remarks and reject them outright,” adding that such abuse not only targeted the prime minister but all Israelis.

However, opposition leader Isaac Herzog placed the blame on Netanyahu, accusing him of playing “political games” with the American administration. l

n BBC France has denied reports that it is ready to go ahead with the controversial delivery of a helicopter carrier to the Russian navy. Dmitry Rogozin, a senior Russian defence official, tweeted earlier that an invitation had been received to a November handover ceremony.

The Vladivostok warship was due to have been handed over in October.

But France had said conditions were “not right” for the deal - a reference to

Russia’s role in the Ukraine crisis.

The Vladivostok is the first of two Mistral-class amphibious assault ships that Russia had ordered from France in a contract worth $1.2bn euros ($1.6bn; £0.95bn).

Until recently, French President Francois Hollande resisted pressure to call off the delivery, saying that cancellation would prove too costly and that the deal was not covered by sanctions imposed upon Russia earlier this year.

US President Barack Obama had ex-

pressed concern over the deal, saying it would have been “preferable to press the pause button” over it.

When the deal was signed in 2011, the French president at the time, Nicolas Sarkozy, said it was evidence that the Cold War had ended.

However, tensions between Russia and the West were rekindled this year with Russia’s annexation of the Ukrainian territory of Crimea and its alleged support for pro-Russian rebels in the country’s east. l

UK’s Cameron rejects Scottish proposal on EU referendum n Reuters, London/Edinburgh Prime Minister David Cameron rejected yesterday a proposal by the Scottish National Party (SNP) that the United Kingdom should only quit the European Union after a future referendum if a majority in each of its four constituent parts vote to do so.

Cameron has promised a referendum in 2017 on the UK’s continued EU membership if his Conservative Party, which has grown increasingly Eurosceptical, wins a 2015 national election.

Incoming SNP leader Nicola Stur-

geon said earlier on Wednesday the United Kingdom’s EU exit should only go ahead if approved by a majority in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as well as in England, home to 85% of the UK population.

“We are one United Kingdom. There will be one in/out referendum (for the EU) and that will be decided on a majority of those who vote. That is how the rules should work,” Cameron told the UK parliament in response to Sturgeon’s proposal.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have varying degrees of autono-

my but the British government in London controls foreign policy and is not legally required to consult the regional administrations over issues such as EU membership. Cameron has adopted an increasingly critical stance on the EU as he tries to fend off an electoral challenge from the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP), which wants to quit the bloc. He says he wants Britain to stay in a reformed EU. Scots, who last month rejected independence in a historic referendum, are more likely to back EU membership than the English, polls show. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

World

Thursday, October 30, 2014

9

Pakistan army: Anti-militant China says Afghan president vows to help China fight militants offensive successful n AP, Peshawar, Pakistan

The Pakistani army declared yesterday that its four-month-long offensive against insurgents in a restive tribal region bordering Afghanistan has been a success, saying that the troops have so far killed 1,100 militants. But the military also accused neighboring Afghanistan of not providing “enough support” to the Pakistani operation in North Waziristan, and allegedly failing to take action against militants who have fled across the frontier to hide among the Afghans.

The army spokesman, Maj. Gen. Asim Saleem Bajwa, did not substantiate those claims but such accusations from Islamabad are common amid tense relations between the two neighbors. Afghan officials did not immediately comment on the remarks.

Bajwa told reporters in the northwestern city of Peshawar that the offensive in North Waziristan, which was launched in June, was going according to plan and that its impact is being felt across Pakistan, with a decrease in “terrorist attacks, extortion and kidnappings.”

Most areas and roads in North Waziristan have been cleared “Most areas and roads in North Waziristan have been cleared and reconstruction is underway,” he said, adding it was still unclear when the operation would be finished. He said troops seized 132.5 metric tons (146 tons) of

explosives, thousands of weapons and a large cache of ammunition.

The tribal region was considered a sanctuary for local and foreign militant groups until the military launched its offensive following a deadly militant attack on the country’s busiest airport in Karachi.

Bajwa said the results of the operation would have been even better if Afghan authorities had provided assistance. He said Pakistan informed Afghan authorities that militants and their leadership fled across the border and were camped out in Afghan territory from where they were launching attacks against Pakistani troops.

“Afghan authorities have not taken any action,” he said. “They have not killed or arrested and handed over any militants to Pakistan.” l

n Reuters, Beijing

Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani has pledged to help China fight Islamist militants, a senior Chinese official said on Tuesday, after Ghani met President Xi Jinping in Beijing on his first visit abroad since his September inauguration.

China, which is connected to Afghanistan by the narrow, almost impassable Wakhan Corridor, says militants seeking to set up a separate state called East Turkistan in its western Xinjiang region are holed up along the ungoverned Afghan-Pakistani border.

Leaders in Beijing, who have been bracing for more responsibility in Afghanistan as the bulk of US-led troops pull out, worry that ethnic Uighur separatists from Xinjiang will take advantage

More than 100 believed killed in Sri Lanka landslide n Reuters, Colombo A landslide in hilly south-central Sri Lanka is believed to have killed more than 100 people yesterday as it buried scores of houses, a government minister said, and the toll is likely to rise.

The landslide hit a village in the tea-growing area of Sri Lanka after days of heavy monsoon rain, with more than 300 people listed as missing.

“More than 100 people are believed to have died,” Disaster Management Minister Mahinda Amaraweera told Reuters from the disaster site in the village of Haldummulla, 190 km (120 miles) inland from the capital, Colombo.

“We have suspended the rescue operations because of darkness and inclement weather. There is also a threat of further landslides.”

Children who left for school in the morning returned to find their clay and cement houses had been buried. Nearly 300 children were gathered at a nearby school as night fell amid further landslide threats.

The Disaster Management Centre said 10 bodies had been found so far, at least 300 people were missing and 150 houses buried in the village, which lies south of a popular national park.

Amaraweera said the landslide was at least 3 km (2 miles) long. Villagers had been advised in 2005 and 2012 to move away because of the threat of landslides, but many did

A crowd gathers as an earthmover clears debris caused by mudslide at the Koslanda tea plantation in Badulla district, about 220 kilometers (140 miles) east of Colombo yesterday AP not heed the warning, he said.

“I was under the rubble and some people took me out ... my mother and aunt have died,” a woman who was being treated for injuries told media.

There have been a number of landslides since the start of heavy rains in mid-September resulting in

North Korea leader Kim Jong-un had surgery, says South Korea n BBC North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has had surgery to remove a cyst from his ankle, according to South Korean intelligence.

A spy agency briefing to lawmakers on Tuesday said that a foreign doctor operated on Kim in September or October.

Kim recently dropped out of public view for nearly six weeks leading to speculation that he was seriously ill.

He has been seen walking with a stick in recent official photographs.

One such photo, used by North Korean media, showed him using a stick on 14 October as he inspected a new residential district.

Kim had not been seen since September. South Korean intelligence says the cyst could recur because the North Korean leader is a smoker and leads a busy lifestyle.

South Korean politicians were told that foreign medical experts had been flown to the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, to remove the cyst from Kim’s left ankle.

The growth which materialised in May was caused by what is known as “tarsal tunnel syndrome” whereby a nerve is pinched, causing the ankle to swell. l

US court issues summons against Amitabh Bachchan in 1984 Sikh riots case

n Agencies

A US court has issued summons against Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in an alleged human rights violation case filed by a Sikh rights group.

The US District Court here issued the summons on a complaint filed by New York-based Sikh for Justice (SFJ) and two alleged victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

The victims Babu Singh Dukhiya is based in Delhi and Mohender Singh is based in California.

The court has directed Amitabh Bachchan to respond in 21 days after he is served with the summons. Running into 35-pages, the complaint alleges that Bachchan instigated people for violence after the assassination of the then prime minister Indira Gandhi.

In the past several years, SFJ has unsuccessfully tried to drag several Indian leaders to US courts in the alleged human rights violations cases. l

damage to roads, but there had been no casualties until Wednesday.

Some roads in the central districts of Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, and Badulla were blocked on Wednesday due to landslides, limiting public transport.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa tweeted that military heavy ma-

chinery had been deployed to speed up search and rescue operations.

The people living in the affected hilly area are mostly of Indian Tamil origin, descendants of workers brought to Sri Lanka from South India under British rule as cheap labour to work on tea, rubber and coffee plantations. l

China could ‘punish’ Hong Kong over protests, says ex-HK central bank chief n Reuters, Hong Kong A member of China’s central bank’s advisory body warned yesterday that Beijing will punish Hong Kong if pro-democracy protests that have paralysed parts of the Chinese-controlled financial centre for a month are allowed to continue.

Joseph Yam, executive vice president of advisory body China Society for Finance and Banking and a former Hong Kong central bank chief, said the city’s financial integrity and stability of its currency were also at risk.

“Hong Kong’s economic prosperity was built on its intermediary role between the mainland and overseas, especially in the financial realm,” said Yam, who urged student protesters to return to their homes. “(When) the intermediary is uncooperative, unreliable, trouble making, the mainland will for sure reduce reliance, make a fresh start at another place, have two strings to its bow and lessen preferential policies towards Hong Kong amid the economic reform process.”

His warning came hours before China’s top parliamentary advisory body expelled Hong Kong lawmaker James Tien Pei-chun for calling on the city’s embattled chief executive, Leung Chun-ying, to step down. Tien said after the news that he would resign as leader of Hong Kong’s Liberal Party.

Tens of thousands took to the streets at the height of the demonstrations to demand greater democracy in the former British colony, although their numbers have dwindled to hundreds in recent weeks, with tents scattered across the main protest site.

The protests were triggered by China’s imposition of a highly restrictive framework for a city-wide vote for its next leader

in 2017, which would only allow candidates pre-screened by a 1,200-strong committee stacked with Beijing loyalists.

The city’s powerful tycoons had warned prior to the protests that demonstrations could threaten the city’s financial stability, although they have remained largely silent since.

Yam’s statement came as Hong Kong Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury K.C. Chan told a Legislative Council session that the city’s financial system had functioned normally during the protests.

“The linked exchange rate system is robust, interest rates remain steady, and there is no evidence of abnormal fund outflow,” Chan said.

“As for the medium and long-term impact on Hong Kong’s financial industry, we do not have sufficient data yet to make an accurate assessment. However, any prolonged protests would inevitably affect the confidence of local and overseas investors, which would in turn increase the potential risk to our financial market,” he added.

Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule in 1997 under a “one country, two systems” formula that allows it wide-ranging autonomy and freedoms and specifies universal suffrage as an ultimate goal. But Communist Party rulers in Beijing are wary about copycat demands for democracy on the mainland eroding their grip on power.

China’s ambassador to Brazil said the protests, which have broken out on both sides of the famous harbour, did not enjoy popular support and were “a farce that is doomed to failure.”

China’s Foreign Ministry published an interview Ambassador Li Jinzhang gave to the Brazilian newspaper, Folha de Sao Paulo.

“At this stage today, (we) have reached a point where there is no choice but to clear the places,” Li was quoted as saying. l

if the country again descends into chaos.

“In the area of security, President Ghani expressed the readiness and staunch support from the Afghan side in China’s fight against East Turkistan Islamic Movement terrorist forces,” Kong Xuanyou, director general of the Foreign Ministry’s Asian Affairs Department, told journalists after Ghani and Xi met.

The two sides said in a joint statement China would give 2 billion yuan ($327m) to Afghanistan through to 2017, with 500 million yuan of that in 2014 and 1.5 billion yuan over the next three years. China also will help train 3,000 Afghan professionals over the next five years.

China says it does not seek to replace the departed Western troops in Afghanistan but has promised to play

a “huge” commercial role in helping rebuild the country.

Up to now, China’s commitment to Afghan reconstruction since the fall of the hardline Islamist Taliban regime in 2001 has been about $250m and its security support has been mostly limited to counter-narcotics training.

Xi has repeatedly urged Central Asian countries to step up the fight against religious militancy, which the Chinese government says helped incite a spate of attacks in Xinjiang and across China in which hundreds of people have been killed in the past two years.

Experts, however, dispute the influence of foreign militant groups in China, and argue that economic marginalisation of Muslim Uighurs, who call Xinjiang home, is one of the main causes of violence there. l

10

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Editorial

Thursday, October 30, 2014

CODE-CRACKER

Link wage changes to inflation and productivity

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recent pan-Asian survey notes that Bangladeshi professionals expect to see a salary hike of 11% in 2015. This would amount to an over 4% increase after accounting for inflation.

It is important not to let the economic growth, which builds such expectations, disguise institutional problems in the way wage rates are determined for most workers.

We strongly believe in the free market and recognise the economic benefits of tending towards a laissez faire approach on wage issues.

However, it is evident that the haphazard approach taken by many employers and industries can create injustice and labour unrest.

The harm caused by employers not regularly accounting for cost of living increases has been most evident in the RMG sector where it has often been a factor behind labour unrest.

Although the lack of a systematic approach is a consequence of Bangladesh having a very large supply of labour, more employers and industries need to adopt a regular and systematic approach to determining wage rises.

The government should set an example in its own affairs and by using its influence on wage boards to encourage more employers to review wage rates more frequently and systematically.

Of course, money needs to be available to pay for any wage rise. It would not be right to guarantee above inflation wage rises unless they are matched by improvements in profit and productivity.

With this in mind though, there is no reason why all employers should not automatically take account of rises in the cost of living and review minimum wages at least once every two years.

A systematic approach is fairer and creates more certainty for employers and workers

Control use of pesticides

U

nrestrained use of pesticides in crop cultivation is creating huge harm to biodiversity in the country. It is also increasing the risk of such chemicals contaminating the food chain.

The government must do more to improve awareness among farmers who use chemicals and insecticides about ways to reduce their use and help protect the environment.

Food businesses and traders have a duty to consumers to guarantee an uncontaminated food chain. They must show zero tolerance for dangerous chemicals and help farmers work to minimise pesticide use.

It is important to protect food crops, but not at the risk of endangering public safety.

With an increasing population and growing urbanisation, the country needs to continually produce food in a productive and sustainable manner. It is vital to discourage risky or unsustainable practices that could threaten human health or the future viability of land and nature.

Public demand for organically-produced foods shows that there is potential for farmers to gain by actively switching away from pesticides and even eschewing them altogether.

Non-chemical organic farming techniques using more manure, crop rotation, compost, and biological pest control, with stricter limitations on synthetic fertilisers, pesticides, antibiotics, and hormones, can be both hugely popular with consumers, and safer and more sustainable for the environment.

There is a lot to be said for suppliers and producers working together to reduce pesticide use and encourage more purely organic farming. It would do much to aid our sustainability, by helping promote and enhance our biodiversity and by maintaining ecological harmony.

Protect biodiversity and stop risks to the food chain

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

Hizb-ut-Tahrir making a comeback October 20

Vikram Khan Shows the failure of the government and all government services including police and intelligence agencies.

Hade Sheriff Hizb-ut-Tahrir is a well-disciplined, organised, nonviolent organisation; all infidel hypocrites hate them.

F138 Hade Sheriff: Bangladesh is a secular, democratic country. Any organisation attempting to turn it into an “Islamic State” is thus seditious. All members of such organisation are akin to traitors to the nation.

How to solve: Each number in our CODE-CRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 20 represents P so fill P every time the figure 20 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

Momoaswan Hade Sheriff: Take away the last five words of that sentence and it might be true as a statement. Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HT) doesn’t plant bombs, so they are formally nonviolent. I’m against banning nonviolent organisations. The MO of HT is brainwashing, that everything will be alright under the Caliphate, so they are nutters, however.

Andy Shah Everyone who knows about HT – and most people in the world do – knows that they are not a militant group and would never resort to violence. Ideas is their game. Which is something the government of Bangladesh can’t seem to deal with.

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.

Rule issued on Indian TV channels October 20 Anon “The bench of Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury and Justice M Ashraful Kamal passed the order.”

Good! Ban them!

Rashed Islam Make it happen, Allah. I do not ask for anything more important, since you have given Newton his apple (not referring to iPhones).

School transport?!

October 21

The gentle art of making enemies October 18

Osmania Cunningham’s law sounds great. As Wikipedia depends on interweb-crowdsourcing, it also seems to provide more practical benefits than Godwin’s law. (Although that’s useful as well for knowing when it’s time to log off and go and do something more interesting instead.) foxtrot Excellent, funny piece.

PM: Work for brightening country image October 18

Anon E Mous “Students cram inside a private school van to go to school in the capital’s Mohakhali area. The cagelike vans that pick and drop a number of children in the capital everyday not only lack space but also are fragile and risky to travel in.”

Whenever I see these vans, I feel afraid. But these have been plying on the roads of Dhaka city from my childhood. And nothing can replace them, as they are very cost-effective.

University BD News Good photography!

Stop the human traffickers October 21 Nazmul Khair “Send a clear message that zero tolerance will be shown to law enforcers who collude in enslavement.”

Our tolerance level has become too high, so it is not a problem for any corrupt person to continue what they’re doing.

CALVIN AND HOBBES

RS “She also calls for expatriates to contribute more for strengthening the economy of Bangladesh.”

It is indeed good to know that the prime minister has urged the expatriate Bangladeshis to uphold the image of Bangladesh. Let us hope that Bangladesh really becomes a developed country by 2041.

OM Given that Bhutan and Pakistan managed contested elections this year, there is an even easier way for the PM to brighten Bangladesh’s image. (She might even wrong-foot her opponents and win a mid-term election if she keeps to the promises made around January, but the longer she leaves it, the less likely that may be.)

How we look matters

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Remedies (5) 4 Fasting period (4) 7 United (3) 8 Not many (3) 9 Looks after (5) 12 Equipment (4) 13 Waits on (7) 15 Court (3) 16 Sphere (3) 18 Strange (3) 19 Spirit (3) 21 General break-up (7) 24 Musical instrument (4) 26 Sing, as birds (5) 27 Optic (3) 28 Drink (3) 29 Finds fault constantly (4) 30 Harsh (5)

DOWN 1 Deep sleep (4) 2 Combined (6) 3 Torn (4) 4 Limbs (4) 5 Female sheep (3) 6 Pulsate (5) 10 Early freshness (3) 11 Sleep noisily (5) 14 Hesitate to believe (5) 17 Revolving cylinder (6) 18 Frequently (5) 20 Spoil (3) 21 Periods of time (4) 22 Quote (4) 23 Dash (4) 25 Seek charity (3)

October 20

RE “The buyers have not left us; rather, they have come forward to ensure a safer and sustainable RMG industry.” Let us hope that our garment factories flourish more and more as days pass by, and also employ more people and assist in ending poverty. This would surely create a sense of jubilation for the people of our motherland.

Barely legal October 21

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS CODE-CRACKER

PEANUTS

Mesbah Uddin “Child marriage is considered a form of slavery by international aid agencies, and Bangladesh is trying to legalise it.

“At 13, Asma’s daughter was removed from the village school to marry a man in his 20s. It was a mutual decision, though her daughter previously showed more interest in studying than keeping house.”

Sadly, this is the truth.

Rawshan Iajdani At 16, one is not a child. If a girl doesn’t deliver her first child before the age of 22, she will have to go through a cesarean section to deliver a baby. This is natural.

Schoolgirl killed allegedly after rape October 18 SR A thorough investigation must be done of this case and the culprits be punished.

CROSSWORD

SUDOKU

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Op-Ed

11

Thursday, October 30, 2014

The heights of Simla n FS Aijazuddin

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Is our media keeping up with the technology?

BIGSTOCK

Thrills and grief

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n Syed Ishtiaque Reza adeem Qadir’s article “Media madhouse” (DT, October 24) raised valid points about the result of the mushroom growth of media outlets in Bangladesh. Nadeem bhai, as I call him, rightly raised the issue of ownership pattern that is largely affecting the healthy growth of this particular sector in Bangladesh.

Journalists who are to really enjoy freedom of expression to serve the people are deprived of many rights, including, as he said, their right to stay alive. The reason is that the media world here is occupied by people who command many other vested interests in society in the name of journalism. If we try to focus on the thrills and grief of contemporary Bangladesh news media, I think we will see pleasure on one hand, and regret on the other.

The pleasure is that the media in Bangladesh is the direct result of the people’s democratic movement. Till 1991, Bangladesh’s journalist community tried their best to be with people, irrespective of their political affiliations.

But the division in the journalist’s union in line with the political ideology of some of the union leaders threw the entire community and the profession into serious difficulty. The journalist union has two wings – one supports the Awami League and likeminded parties, and the other supports BNP, Jamaat, and similar parties.

Due to this division, audience and

T

H

readers also judge media houses and even top-ranking newspersons from party contexts.

There is a trend of vibrancy in media here that shows a reflection of the country’s stage of development, its economic growth, upward mobility, social possibility etc. This enthusiasm is not always matched by the quality of journalism. Many media houses rely on inexpensive young talent who fail to sustain in the profession and leave after a few years.

It is likely that the freedom of the news media will come under further pressure and threat

Owners are less interested in developing institutional set up, as they grabbed licences to support their business and political interests only.

Professional standards that come out of the careful nurturing of promising journalists are rare.

Nadeem Qadir tried to critically analyse the implications of the buoyant growth story. Bangladesh’s satellite television channels continue to be in growth mode. There is a huge appetite for news and opinions. But the mass

I

media in Bangladesh is still a class media that remains largely busy with coverage of events and issues in Dhaka and other big cities. News items on top leaders in government and opposition influence news and editorial coverage.

There are many good things in our media world. Some are investigative reports to expose political corruption, ministerial misconduct, and government misdeeds. In fact, corruption, in its tremendous scale, presents limitless investigative opportunities to our news media. But the problem is that good journalists cannot continue long here, as media houses do not move with an institutional approach.

When the economy is not moving as expected, the economics of both print and broadcast media hardens, gradually. The advertising market has tightened in the last few years. It has taken its toll in the media growth story. Many of our advertisements are now seen in Indian channels, giving a signal that the local channels are going to be dried up soon.

We are talking about digital form of media. Newspapers are trying hard to be online in addition to their print versions. TV stations are also going for real time live on the Internet. But these are yet to yield a viable revenue and business model for our media houses.

We know this is a digital time, and journalism is changing fast. But do we really care about this? Newspapers (maybe there are exceptions) are not thinking about new techniques through readership surveys.

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The same goes for TV stations.

There is no real push to learn these new skills that are so vital to the digital age. Media house owners and also top-notch journalist leaders do not make efforts to go for scientific audience surveys about the way digital technologies are transforming the media.

Institutional setup and corporate governance is not an option for the media owners here, although Bangladesh’s media houses are great advocates of good governance in their editorials and talk shows. The tradition of a strong and assertive political press has continued into four decades of independence.

Today, satellite television competes with newspapers aggressively, and often breathlessly, in trying to influence the political agenda of persons, parties, and groups.

Journalism here is facing increasing pressure from the owners, advertisers, marketing personnel, corporate houses, and even senior journalists to present and prioritise news in line with their sectarian interests, rather than highlight the reality prevailing in the country.

It is likely that the freedom of the news media will come under further pressure and threat, unless they move briskly to set their house in order.

They need to understand that governance and responsible operation are more than slogans. l Syed Ishtiaque Reza is Director of News, Ekattor Television.

D

t is a small desk, ornate but unexpectedly small. 42 years ago, it bore the weight of two hands that signed the 1972 Simla Agreement. Today, that desk bears the lighter burden of two framed photographs – one of the Indian and Pakistani delegations in congress, and the other of their leaders Indira Gandhi and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto signing a common document in the pre-dawn of July 3.

The desk in Simla’s Raj Bhavan has been made the focal point of a mini-shrine to commemorate the event, just as the Simla Agreement itself has become the source, the Gangadhara of India’s attitude to Pakistan vis-à-vis Jammu and Kashmir.

From the heights of that Simla accord flowed down-stream the Lahore Declaration, signed on July 2, 1999 by prime ministers Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Nawaz Sharif. It reiterated “the determination of both countries to implement the Simla Agreement in letter and spirit.” The letter of the agreement was public knowledge; its spirit remained amorphous, changing meanings into nuance.

Signing it, both Mrs Gandhi and Bhutto understood that Pakistan had conceded that the Line of Ceasefire had hardened into the Line of Control and that the undertaking to “settle their differences by peaceful means through bilateral negotiations” precluded any reference to third parties, particularly the United Nations.

According to PN Dhar (secretary to Mrs Gandhi), “When Mrs Gandhi, after recounting their points of agreement, finally asked Bhutto: ‘Is this the understanding on which we will proceed?’ he replied: ‘Absolutely, you can trust me.’”

Each subsequent Indian and Pakistani government has chosen to treat that clause as a malleable Rubik’s cube, rotating it to yield different patterns of meaning. The Lahore Declaration has fared no better. Its clause – that both countries “shall intensify their efforts to resolve all issues, including the issue of Jammu and Kashmir” – has given license to numerous interpretations. Some political cynics assert that cross-border sniping is hoping to do just that.

Voices that were once regarded as pro-Pakistan moderates are being denounced now as anti-Indian

The sanctity of all international protocols is underwritten by an enduring commitment to execute them, regardless of change in national governments. It is precisely because Nawaz Sharif was a signatory to the Lahore Declaration (and by association the seminal Simla Agreement) and because he was involved directly in letter, in body, and in spirit, that the Indian government finds his recent speech at the UN General Assembly so

E

discordant.

His advisor, Sartaj Aziz, went a step further. He contacted the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and asked him to retrieve the dust-laden UN Resolution 47/1948, which called for a plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir. Realists would give this appeal as much a chance of success as the South Korean Ban Ki-moon being able to reunify the two Koreas.

There is a sinister echo of a 1971 jingoism in the air. Saner ears prefer to recall the Simla Agreement

Nawaz Sharif’s volte-face at the UN took place after his avuncular trip to New Delhi to attend NarendraModi’s swearing-in ceremony. It has been perceived in India as an almost Kargil-style betrayal of the bonhomie generated by his earlier heart-warming gesture.

Five months have passed. Much has happened since. Nawaz Sharif has been beleaguered by demands from his opponents at home to resign, while Modi has received an invigorating mandate in the state elections in Maharashtra and in Haryana.

In Maharashtra, his BJP won 122 seats out of a total of 288. This was almost three times more than the seats the BJP garnered in 2009. In Haryana, he gained 47 seats out of 90, more than 10 times BJP’s paltry four in 2009. Modi is not one to gloat – at least not publicly. He has good reason to, though. Sonia and Rahul Gandhi’s Congress has been trounced in both states, dropping in Maharashtra from 82 seats (2009) to 42 now. If worse could be worse, BJP commands a majority in the bulging wallet of India – Mumbai.

Fortified by these results, the BJP can expect to be supported ideologically by Shiv Sena, which captured 63 seats, 21 more than Congress. But he that sups with Shiv Sena ...

Modi’s next steps at diplomacy are of vital significance to Pakistan.

Extremists have been heard on Indian television channels demanding that Modi should rescue the “oppressed people of Balochistan and Sindh” from their brutal “masters.” General Musharraf was dismissed by one rabid anchorman as being a “coward” for not answering yet another question about Kargil. And most frighteningly, voices that were once regarded as pro-Pakistan moderates are being denounced now as anti-Indian.

There is a sinister echo of a 1971 jingoism in the air. Saner ears prefer to recall the Simla Agreement and the Lahore Declaration. They spoke of hope, of a “durable peace and development,” to enable both peoples “to devote their energies for a better future.” l FS Aijazuddin lives in Lahore and is a columnist for Dawn, Pakistan’s main English-language newspaper. This article was previously published in Dawn.

Y

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Locally indispensable, globally incompatible n Mamun Rashid

I

taught entrepreneurship at IBA, Dhaka University. One of my students had just joined a leading telecom operator as a management trainee. He came to see me the other day. He planned to work for the company he was at for a couple of years, and then pursue his MBA in not just any business school, but a very good one in Europe.

After completing his MBA, he wants to spend a few more years in Europe or North America, working for the global biggies in the service industry, or for consultancy agencies. He completed school in a cadet college, cleared the entry exams for engineering at BUET, and got into IBA for his BBA degree in order to climb up the ladder fast.

I saw a little bit of myself from 30 years ago in him. Many joined the global corporations in Bangladesh in their early or mid-20s, were trained abroad at frequent intervals, had a few overseas stints, and many of them climbed up the ladder quite fast to become local production head first, then marketing head, sales head, CFO,

or even CEO. Most of them were business graduates, while some of them had a basic engineering or economics degree.

Their companies invested heavily in them, paid them well to work hard, and they often even exceeded their targets. According to their reporting seniors and regional heads, most of them were indispensable for Bangladeshi markets, playing significant roles in building businesses or establishing brand names. Bosses were able to sleep soundly, keeping them in command for Bangladeshi businesses. Businesses flourished under their leadership, and a few of them became role models in their respective sectors.

Where are they now? Many of them have retired and gone into consultancies, or are playing advisory roles. Some of them joined their next generation in the states and elsewhere, many joined local business houses and institutions, and some ventured into entrepreneurship. Only one or two could make it to the regional level or take up coveted roles within the corporations they served or were serving.

The number of local professionals being transferred to big jobs abroad is much higher for India, Sri Lanka, and even Pakistan. They are often endorsed as being globally compatible. When Bangladeshis are due for a move, they are considered either for the smaller or regional markets, or are given redundancies. Even the jobs in the Islamic world are being gobbled up

by Indian or Pakistani professionals – be it in banking, finance, or technology.

We often hear from our seniors how Bangladeshis are extremely hard-working and eager to learn. However, they cannot be considered for cross-border placements because the market they operated in does not have depth, or their management expertise is shallow, or they have not managed a cross-functional or diverse team of people.

A few even commented on how Bangladeshis are into mudslinging or pulling each other down. Their hearts command their heads. A few thought Bangladeshis were not loud or articulate enough or prepared to take up challenging roles outside their

country or markets. A few also thought Bangladeshis, being from a predominantly Muslim country, could only be placed in other Muslim countries.

Some referred to weak management education in Bangladesh too. Few HR managers also think many Bangladeshi professionals don’t want to go abroad on postings.

We want more Bangladeshis to be considered for global roles

Apart from a few exceptions in the world of technology, Bangladeshis in senior roles are very few. The number is even lower when you consider Bangladeshi executives are now being placed abroad or considered for re-

gional or headquarter roles.

What can we do to change the situation for many of my friends and students in business schools? My humble answers would be to make education more extensive, forward-looking, and globally compatible. Our boys and girls should apply for regional jobs in the Middle East and elsewhere more. Young managers or mid-level executives should pursue overseas placements just after three to a maximum of five years into their jobs. They should make the best use of overseas and local training, and try to arrest the attention of visiting seniors.

They should be participative in every business meeting and do their homework. He or she should be loud enough in each of the team presentations so that people can make out the difference. Their core competencies, or what they are good at doing, must be very evident.

Each one of them must remember not to take their homes to their office and force their colleagues to share his or her sorrows or difficulties. Anyone dreaming of senior global roles must be razor-sharp in their presentation.

Bangladesh is a very small place for most of the global biggies. People dreaming of having their presence felt in the larger markets must think big and act big. People management skills or nice presentations work better than technical skills in that world. Being a boss in local institutional politics does not help at all.

One must be a part of global organisational politics, and remain politically important for the seniors too. One has to be globally compatible, not only locally indispensible. The world is becoming smaller – if one is not globally compatible, he will soon be lost in oblivion. Even good local jobs will be taken away by professionals from regional countries, many speaking better Bangla and managing the Bangladeshis better than the home country stalwarts.

We want more Bangladeshis to be considered for global roles, and for that, they should be prepared ahead and make the best use of opportunities. l Mamun Rashid is a business professor and financial sector entrepreneur.

12

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Entertainment

Thursday, October 30, 2014

MARGARITA ESCARPA’s solo guitar concert at Dhaka n Entertainment Desk A solo Spanish guitar concert by the internationally acclaimed guitarist Margarita Escarpa will be held tomorrow at Goethe-Institut Bangladesh’s Berlin Hall at 7pm. the show is open for all.

The combination of a multiplicity of prizes and her talent have provided Margarita Escarpa with the opportunity to regularly participate in some of the most important music festivals in Europe, Asia and America.

As a soloist, she has recorded many CD’s. Furthermore, Margarita Escarpa also plays in chamber music formations. Specialist critics and audiences enthusiastically acclaim her artistic sensitivity and her technical competence, both guided by her extensive musical training.

Her versions of composers such as JS Bach, JP Rameau, el Padre Soler, S Alberto, I Albéniz, M de Falla and C Debussy have been showered with critic’s acclaims and have become a bench mark for contemporary performers, as far as transcriptions and performances are concerned.

Guitarist Margarita Escarpa visiting Bangladesh at the initiative of the Department of Spanish Language and Culture, University of Dhaka. l

In Time

Movies Now, 7:23pm

When Will Salas is falsely accused of murder, he must figure out a way to bring down a system where time is money.

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HBO, 7:15pm

A thief forms an unlikely alliance with a woman on the inside.

Red Eye

Zee Studio, 12:30pm

Made in Bangladesh embarks on Europe-wide tour n Shadma Malik “Made in Bangladesh,” a joint German-Bangladeshi theatrical production, is set to launch an 11-city tour in Europe kicking off later next month.

The show is scheduled to premiere in the southwestern German city of Ludwigshafen on November 26. Ectopia Dance Productions from Germany has teamed up with Shadhona Bangladesh to bring the show on stage.

In this regard, Lubna Marium, general secretary and artistic director of Shadhona, said: “Shadhona is now working on social issues and, as the title suggests, the production highlights the desperate plight of workers in our garments industry trying to make

Theatre

Dokkhina Shundori Time: 7pm – 9pm National Theatre Hall, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Shegun Bagicha

Exhibition

Searching Myself By artist Monjur Rashid Time: 11am – 6pm La Galerie, Alliance Francaise, Dhanmondi The Dhaka Print Club Show

n

ends meet.”

She further said: “They have to content with really low pays and unsafe work environment. The production is artistic tribute to their condition. It reflects on how the buyers and factory owners together contribute to creating and sustaining an environment in which cheap clothes are made at the expense of the workers.”

“Germany is one of the largest buyers of garments from Bangladesh, so we wanted to stage the production in the country.”

The multi-media show comprises interviews of workers involved with the garments industry and dance performances, among others, by twelve kathak dancers from Bangladesh.

Time: 12pm – 8pm Bengal Art Lounge, 60, Gulshan Avenue Stones

By Hamiduzzaman Khan Time: 11pm to 8pm Gallery Kaya, House 20, Road 16, Sector 4

Film

Annabelle Kistimaat , Amra Korbo Joy Into The Storm

EDWARD NORTON quit Hulk role for diversity Entertainment Desk

“Birdman” actor Edward Norton says he declined to play superhero Hulk in Avengers films as he wanted to do more diverse roles.

Norton played the character in 2008 movie “The Incredible Hulk” but Mark Ruffalo stepped in the green suit for “Avengers” movies.

“My feeling was that I experimented and experienced what I wanted to. I really, really enjoyed it. And yet, I looked at the balance of time in life that one spends not only making those sorts of films but then especially putting them out, and the obligations that rightly come with that,” Norton said.

“I think you can sort of do anything once, but if you do it too many times, it can become a suit that’s hard to take off, in other peoples’ eyes,” he added. l

Helena Waldmann, who has directed the production, said in a statement published on the Goethe Institut website: “When state theatres are still run in an early capitalist style and the independent scene receives its money as if it were alms, why shouldn’t I suggest to cultural policy makers and commissioning bodies that I produce my work based on the same criteria used to produce cheap clothes in Bangladesh?”

The production will tour across 11 cities in Germany, Luxemborg and Switzerland for more than a month.

An initiative is now in progress to bring the production to South Asia, including Bangladesh, where it draws its inspiration from, sometime early 2015. l

Lisa gets on a plane and is seated to Jackson who is assigned to kill Charles. He plans to make use of Lisa.

Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Martin split n Entertainment Desk Jennifer Lawrence and Coldplay rocker Chris Martin have reportedly ended their four-month old romance.

Lawrence began seeing Martin in late June, shortly after her split with “X-Men” co-star Nicholas Hoult while Martin announced his separation from ex Gwyneth Paltrow after more than ten years of marriage in March.

Lawrence, 24, was most recently seen with Martin, 37, when he performed with Kings of Leon at the Hollywood Bowl earlier this month. She was also in the audience when Martin took the stage in September at the iHeart Radio Music Festival. l

Hercules 3D Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3D, Valkyrie Most Welcome 2’ Blockbuster Cinemas Jamuna Future Park Guardians of the Galaxy (3D) How to Train Your Dragon 2 (3D) Million Dollar Arm Tarzan (3D) Pipra Bidda Star Cineplex, Level 8, Bashundhara City

Biography on Beyonce SHRADDHA in the works KAPOOR n Entertainment Desk Pop diva Beyonce is getting a biography by celebrity writer J Randy Taraborrelli. Slated to hit the bookstores by next year, the unauthorised biography will be published by Grand Central Books.

The untitled book will “explore all facets of Knowles’ life” beginning with her childhood performances, exploring her time with Destiny’s Child, her solo career and her marriage to Jay Z, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

“Beyonce has lived a most incredible, inspiring life. I know my readers will enjoy her journey,” Taraborrelli said in a statement.

The singer is not participating in the unauthorized book. Taraborrelli is relying on interviews with people “who have been pivotal to her personal and professional development.”

Taraborrelli has previously written biographies of Michael Jackson and Madonna. l

grooves to Dance Basanti n Entertainment Desk Bollywood actress Shraddha Kapoor has completely transformed herself from the de-glam avatar in the Shahid Kapoor-starrer to a glamorous item girl in Karan Johar production venture “Ungli”.

The music is composed by Sachin-Jigar and Vishal Dadlani and Anushka Manchanda have lent their voices for the song.

Speaking about the song, Shraddha said, “I don’t know whether to call it an item song or a promotional song, but yes, it’s a very different thing that I am doing.

Karan offered me the song and said: ‘You have never been seen like this before. It’s a very glamorous song.’ So all that excited me and I said yes to it. The moment I heard the song, I was all the more excited as it’s such a catchy song.”

“I guess, it’s definitely a take from original Basanti. It’s a modern day twist. I can’t compare myself with Hema Malini’s Basanti. She is the original legendary Basanti,” the actor said.

Dance Basanti is choreographed by Bosco-Caesar.

Film “Ungli” stars Emraan Hashmi, Randeep Hooda, Sanjay Dutt and Kangana Ranaut in lead roles and will hit the theatres on November 28. l

Did you know?

Liverpool have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last 10 League Cup ties at Anfield

Sport

Thursday, October 30, 2014

14 Maradona accuses 14 Domenech blasts

girlfriend of theft after video leaked

Mourinho, Ribery, Anelka in book

DHAKA TRIBUNE

13

15 Spin-hit Australia

look to bounce back in 2nd Test

Kalpage sees shades of Herath in Taijul, Likhon n Minhaz Uddin Khan Bangladesh assistant and spin coach Ruwan Kalpage compared Taijul Islam and Jubair Hossain with Sri Lankan left-arm spinner Rangana Herath and believes the youngsters have the potential to take Bangladesh to greater heights in Test cricket.

“Coming from Sri Lanka and seeing Rangana, I know for sure, Taijul and Likhon (Jubair) can take Bangladesh to the next level,” said Kalpage while talking to the media at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday.

The 44-year-old from Kandy thinks ace all-rounder Shakib al Hasan has a very positive impact on the rookies in the team while he also shed light on how the spinners are benefitted from the SG cricket ball which is now used in Tests.

He hailed Shakib’s performance on his return to the international arena following a disciplinary ban and said, “Yes I am very happy (to win the Test), especially Shakib played after a long time and got a six for he got his confidence back, also Likhon and Taijul getting eight wickets and winning the match for Bangladesh.”

“Taijul bowled a very good line which created a lot of pressure on the batsman. I think we played with Kookaburra balls earlier and now we moved

to SG, that helps spinners as well and that is one area we are looking forward to. We also have the top all-rounder as well in Shakib al Hasan which gives us an extra option.”

Kalpage, former spin consultant of the Sri Lanka team, had a bitter start to his tenure with the Tigers in West Indies where Bangladesh lost all matches in the Test and ODI series while the only Twenty20 was washed away.

But Kalpage, a right-arm spinner in his playing days, said he shared his experience with the players while the team management also worked intensively with the cricketers in order to restore their confidence.

“As past cricketer, I needed to share my knowledge, work with them, give them confidence,” he said. “We had certain plans for the batsmen. I think that helped them and also we can’t forget our domestic coaches, so experience matters definitely.”

“I know I shouldn’t tell myself, you should ask the players. Definitely working with me they can get the experience I shared with Rangana and all. You have to execute yourself on the ground whatever the planning is,” he added.

Kalpage knows Zimbabwe will come hard in the second Test in Khulna starting from November 3 but also insisted are well prepared to face the challenge. l

CHIRPY MOOD

(Left) Bangladesh cricketers Rubel Hossain shares a light moment with Jubair Hossain while (Right) Zimbabwe cricketers Sikandar Raza and Vusi Sibanda were also seen in a jovial mood during their respective training sessions, ahead of the second Test in Khulna on November 3, at the SBNS in Mirpur yesterday MUMIT M

Masakadza looking to bounce back n Minhaz Uddin Khan

Hamilton Masakadza laughs during training at Mirpur yesterday MUMIT M

Like captain Brendan Taylor and coach Stephen Mangongo, Hamilton Masakadza, who is one of Zimbabwe’s most experienced campaigners, knew before the start of the three-match Test series that Bangladesh’s spin department would be the main threat.

Masakadza, however, had little idea that the home side’s spinners would go on to scalp 18 out of the 20 wickets as Bangladesh registered a three-wicket win to take a 1-0 lead going into the second Test in Khulna on November 3.

Following the conclusion of a Test match, it is unusual for a team to resume practice the next day. It was a different story though for the Southern African nation. As they lost the Test inside the third day, they returned to the drawing board the following day.

Moreover, the Zimbabweans added a new dimension to their practice sessions yesterday, which was supposed to be the fifth and final day of the first Test.

The most interesting aspect of yesterday’s training session was when the batsmen had to face balls on a pitch that

BHF in the dark over Indian coach Bansal

had a piece of net attached to it due to which deliveries were doing unusual things – mainly spin and uneven bounce.

Masakadza gave his version as to why they resorted to such a practice.

“It helps to some extent,” said the 31-year-old at Mirpur yesterday. “It gives spin, bounce and do unusual things so I think it is a very good practice for the boys.

“You see we need to put a lot of work in because we realised that things didn’t come right in the Dhaka game.

Hope, we now know where to get things right when we are in Khulna,” he said.

Zimbabwe’s training session yesterday was a “closed-door-practice-session”. When queried to give reasons behind such a decision, the right-handed batsman brushed it aside.

“Was it closed door? I didn’t realise that (laughter),” he joked before adding, “Lot of different things are being thrown around. People are trying different things and we tried different stuffs in the nets today. So there is a lot of discussion going on at the moment and working hard to find the counter of what has been happening,” informed Masakadza. l

Real Madrid coach in Chittagong n Raihan Mahmood

Sk Jamal to face Mohun Bagan in King’s Cup

Pablo Gomez Revenga, the head coach of Real Madrid Foundation and the club’s camp technical director, is in Chittagong to conduct a three-day long coaching course at the port city starting today.

Revenga arrived in Bangladesh yesterday under the watchful eyes of YKK, the renowned zipper and other fastening accessories manufacturers. He conducted a similar course in Mumbai a few months ago. As part of YKK Asia’s CSR program, they invited the Real Madrid Foundation team to conduct a football clinic for the local coaches besides spending some time with the underprivileged children.

However, Revenga will not be scouting any player for the club nor will he engage in any talent developing activities. He will be conducting only the coaching course that will be participated by 30 coaches.

Maruful Haque, the technical director of Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club Limited, feels the local coaches will benefit from the programme. “Revenga has a lot of knowledge and the local coaches would learn a lot of new concepts about modern football,” he said. l

n Shishir Hoque Bangladesh Premier Football League champions Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club Limited have been placed in the same group with Indian league side Mohun Bagan from Kolkata in the King’s Cup scheduled to begin at Changlimithang Stadium in Bhutan on November 15.

Former star Sheikh Jamal winger and Haitian international Sony Norde will be reunited with his former club when they face each other. Norde signed for Mohun Bagan at the end of last season.

Four-time professional football league champions Abahani Limited have been pitted in Group B alongside India’s Assam Electricity, Nepal’s A-Division league champions Manang Marshyangdi Club, Osotspa FC from Thailand and Bhutanese club Ugyen Academy. While in Group A, Druk United from Bhutan and Nakhon Ratchasing Mazda from Thailand will compete alongside Sheikh Jamal and Mohun Bagan.

Abahani began their preparation camp for the King’s Cup four days ago while Sheikh Jamal started theirs three weeks ago. The Sky Blues formed a team mixed with youth and experience

as they recruited five players from their archrivals Mohammedan – Nahid, Babu, Wahed Ahmed, Arif and Obam Henry.

Abahani have also roped in the services of Mamun Mia, Shakil Ahmed, Atiqur Rahman Fahad, Aminur Rahman Sajib and Guinea’s Ismael Bangoura from different premier league clubs in order to bolster their squad for the upcoming season. To boost up their forward line, Abahani are likely to recruit Kingsley Chigozie from Muktijoddha but if they fail to recruit him they will opt for Victory Anthony of Brothers Union.

“We take this tournament as a preparation for the forthcoming season. Our primary target is to qualify from the group stages and then the semifinals. We will try to win the title if we reach the final,” said Abahani manager Satyajit Das Rupu yesterday. He also informed that the club will fly to Bhutan on November 10 or 11.

Meanwhile, after losing their best player Norde to Mohun Bagan, Sheikh Jamal also bolstered their squad signing Haitian international Vaniel Sirin who also plays on the wings. Their latest signing was expatriate midfielder Jamal Bhuiyan. l

n Raihan Mahmood

S Africa police release identities of Meyiwa killers n AFP, Johannesburg

Russia, Ukraine might be kept apart in 2018: Fifa n Reuters, Moscow

The Bangladesh Hockey Federation (BHF) is yet to receive any feedback from Ajay Kumar Bansal after recently appointing the Indian as the head coach of the national side on a threemonth contract.

The BHF wants Bansal to take charge of the national team for the World Hockey League Round 2 slated for next year in January in Singapore.

“We are yet to receive any feedback from Bansal. We will wait for the response till November 4. The governing body of hockey in the country will sit in a meeting on November 5. We will look for other options if Bansal is not available by then,” said Anvir Adil Khan, the joint secretary of the federation.

Meanwhile, the hockey federation is busy preparing for the AHF Under-21 Cup and the World Hockey League. As part of the preparation, the installation process of a new turf at the Maulana

South African police on Tuesday released the facial composites of two men wanted for shooting dead their national football captain Senzo Meyiwa, during a robbery at his pop-star girlfriend’s home.

The 27-year-old goalkeeper was killed late Sunday after burglars broke into Kelly Khumalo’s house near Johannesburg, making off with a cell phone.

No arrests have yet been made, but police have launched a manhunt and released sketches recreated from eyewitness descriptions of one dreadlocked man and another with a hoodie.

Police offered a reward of 250,000 rand ($23,000) for any information leading to his killer’s arrest and also appointed high-ranking officers to their own investigation team. A star ballistic witness for the state in the Oscar Pistorius case - captain Chris Mangena - is among the officers investigating the case. l

Russia and Ukraine might be put into different groups at the 2018 World Cup finals if the Ukrainians qualify and relations between the two countries do not improve, Fifa said on Tuesday.

However, Fifa denied a comment attributed to President Sepp Blatter, who was quoted by the R-Sport agency as saying “you can be sure about this” in reply to a question about whether the two countries would be kept apart.

“The President did not say that they would be kept apart or that such a decision has been made. It seems (there was) a translation mistake,” said Fifa in a statement to Reuters.

“What the Fifa president actually said was that, in any qualifying campaign, the aim is always to avoid problems as was done in the past between teams where high tensions can be anticipated. l

Bhashani National Hockey Stadium is already underway. The government has exempted taxes (around Tk4.4m) of the imported turf. The turf, provided by the International Hockey Federation, is likely to arrive within a few weeks.

The stagnant situation of the premier division hockey league, however, remains unchanged as the federation is yet to bring the revolting clubs into an understanding. Big names including Mohammedan and Mariners along with Wari boycotted the league last year. l

Syeda Jannat Ara, the additional superintendent of Dhaka Metropolitan Police speaks in a presser at the volleyball federation office yesterday COURTESY

Inter-District Volleyball begins November 5 n Raihan Mahmood The Popular Life Insurance Inter-District Volleyball comprising 14 district teams will get underway at Paltan Volleyball Stadium from November 5.

The tournament was scheduled to start today but due to the countrywide strike called by the Jamaat-e-Islami it was deferred for five days. All the leading female spikers of the country are ex-

pected to participate in the tournament.

In a press conference held at the volleyball federation office yesterday, Syeda Jannat Ara, the additional superintendent of Dhaka Metropolitan Police and the chairman of the tournament committee presented the event to the press. Volleyball federation general secretary Ashikur Rahman Miku and BM Yusuf Ali, the managing director of Popular Insurance Limited were also present on the occasion. l

14

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Balotelli inspires Liverpool, Chelsea tame Shrews n Reuters, London Mario Balotelli enjoyed a rare moment of ecstasy in a Liverpool shirt by inspiring a 2-1 win over Swansea City in the League Cup on Tuesday while Chelsea had to call for reinforcements to see off Shrewsbury Town.

On a night when Premier League West Bromwich Albion were dumped out by second tier Bournemouth, both Liverpool and Chelsea flirted with danger before reaching the quarter-finals.

Liverpool fans have seen precious little in Balotelli’s performances this season to convince them he could ride

LEAGUE CUP 2-1

Bournemouth O’Kane 49, Wilson 87

Fulham Dembele 27, 45

Liverpool

2-5 2-1

Swansea Emnes 65

1-2

Afobe 67-P

Shrewsbury

Derby

Martin 45-P, Russell 47, Dawkins 54, 65, Hendrick 62

Balotelli 86, Lovren 90+5

MK Dons

West Brom Elphick 85-og

Sheffield United Higdon 86, 90

1-2

Mangan 77

Chelsea Drogba 49, Grandison 81-og

to the rescue when the chips were down but he came off the bench to turn the clash with Swansea on its head.

Entering the fray on 79 minutes, the Italian took seven minutes to level the scores as he stole in front of his marker to prod home a cross from compatriot Fabio Borini after Marvin Emnes had put Swansea ahead midway through the second half with a superb volley.

A sustained roar erupted around Anfield as Balotelli’s effort found the net, as much in celebration of the goal as it was grounded in relief that the misfiring striker had finally found his range at a crucial time. It was the start of a dramatic finale that saw Swansea’s Federico Fernandez sent off for a late tackle and Dejan Lovren head home the winner after four minutes of stoppage time, to leave eight-times winners Liverpool well-placed to launch another assault on a trophy they last won in 2012.

Premier League leaders Chelsea will also fancy their chances of getting their hands on a cup they have won four times but they needed a wake-up call before ousting fourth tier Shrewsbury 2-1.

“I wasn’t expecting anything but a difficult match. I was ready for extra-time,” Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho told Sky Sports television, and he was not wrong. l

Liverpool’s Mario Balotelli (3R) celebrates with teammates after scoring against Swansea during their English League Cup match at Anfield Stadium on Tuesday

2018 WC official logo revealed at Space n Goal.com Clattenburg axed for concert dash n AFP, Londres Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has been temporarily sidelined for breaking protocol in order to attend an Ed Sheeran pop concert, according to a British newspaper report on Wednesday.

The Sun claimed that Clattenburg contravened regulations by driving home alone after refereeing West Bromwich Albion’s 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace on Saturday so he could watch British singer Sheeran perform in Newcastle.

The rules of the Premier League’s refereeing body, Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), state that officials must travel to and from matches together in the interests of their integrity and security.

Clattenburg, 39, is also reported to have broken another rule by speaking to Palace manager Neil Warnock on the phone after the game at The Hawthorns. l

The official logo for the 2018 World Cup in Russia has been unveiled in a ceremony on Tuesday.

Fifa president Sepp Blatter was joined by 2006 World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro and Chairman of the Local Organising Committee Vitaly Mutko in a specially-arranged live event in Moscow to mark the first official milestone on the road to the tournament.

Russian TV presenter Ivan Urgant hosted a special version of his late-

night show, with his band wearing the official jerseys of the eight World Cup-winning nations as his studio was converted to look like a stadium.

The logo itself was unveiled by three astronauts in the International Space Station, who held up a copy of the logo to the camera as a projection was beamed at the iconic Bolshoi theatre in Moscow.

“The launch of the Emblem is a wonderful event to kick things off and I’m certain that the World Cup will be a success here in four years,” Blatter said during the unveiling. l

Rummenigge calls for April World Cup in 2022 n AFP, Londres Leading European clubs want FIFA to hold the Qatar World Cup in April 2022, Bayern Munich chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said in a British newspaper interview published on Wednesday.

A task force set up by world governing body FIFA will meet in Zurich next week to investigate the feasibility of moving the tournament from its traditional mid-year slot, amid fears about soaring summer temperatures in Qatar.

FIFA and its European counterpart UEFA want the tournament to be staged during the Northern Hemisphere winter, but Rummenigge, who chairs the European Club Association (ECA), thinks it should take place in the spring.

“At the moment, there are two proposals on the table: the FIFA proposal in November and the UEFA proposal in January,” Rummenigge told The Times.

“Our proposal is a bit different. We will publish that in the next few days.

“We have made some research ... and the outcome of this research is that the best option would be to start the World Cup at the end of April, finishing in May. “It’s still hot, but it would be something like 35 degrees (Celsius) maximum. l

AP

Impossible to shut Blatter up: Ancelotti n AFP, Madrid Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has launched a stinging attack on FIFA president Sepp Blatter as he backed Cristiano Ronaldo’s case to win a second consecutive Ballon d’Or in January.

Ronaldo headed a 23-man list for the award announced on Tuesday including four-time winner Lionel Messi and six German World Cup winners.

Blatter said earlier this week that German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer should have been crowned as the best player of the World Cup rather than Argentine Messi - something Ancelotti sees as potentially influencing those whose Ballon d’Or votes will count.

And the former AC Milan and Chelsea boss said he believes Ronaldo’s goalscoring feats in Madrid’s Champions League success makes him the deserving winner for the Ballon d’Or. “It always surprises me what he does, but what are we going to do? It’s impossible to shut the mouth of the FIFA president,” said the Italian ahead of Madrid’s Copa del Rey game against UD Cornella on Wednesday.

“There isn’t much to think about. It is Cristiano’s year, he scored goals and won important titles. There should be

no doubt that he is the Ballon d’Or.” Madrid begin their defence of the Copa del Rey in fine form having swept Barcelona aside 3-1 at the weekend to register their ninth consecutive win in all competitions.

Ancelotti has left Ronaldo, Iker Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Luka Modric and Toni Kroos out of his squad for the visit to Catalonia with the security blanket of the second leg to come at the Bernabeu on December 2.

“It is a competition that has given us much success and we have good memories of. We will try to do the same as last year starting from today.

“We need to play a serious game and continue with our run of form. I also will give minutes to those that have been improving their physical condition.”

Another absentee from the Real squad is Gareth Bale as he continues to be sidelined by a gluteal injury, but Ancelotti retains some hope that he could be fit for the visit of Liverpool to the Bernabeu in the Champions League on Tuesday.

“He has had a strange muscle injury.

We will see if he is ready for next week in the game against Liverpool. We still don’t know when his expected return date is.” l

Maradona accuses girlfriend of theft after video leaked Relief for Dortmund as they cruise through in Cup n AFP, Buenos Aires

n

Reuters, Berlin

Borussia Dortmund bounced back after slumping to their fourth straight Bundesliga defeat against Hanover 96 at the weekend, cruising past second tier St Pauli 3-0 on Tuesday to reach the German Cup third round.

Ciro Immobile, under-fire for his lack of goals this season, tapped the visitors in front after 33 minutes before Marco Reus rifled in the second goal after a cut-back by the Italian a minute

Dortmund’s Kagawa celebrates scoring during their German Cup match against FC St Pauli in Hamburg on Tuesday REUTERS

before the break.

Apart from two early chances for the hosts, the second half was a subdued affair with Dortmund focused on holding on to their lead rather than adding to their goal tally.

They made it 3-0 when a bad clearance by keeper Philipp Tschauner fell straight to Shinji Kagawa and the Japanese made no mistake as he gave his side a boost of self belief ahead of Saturday’s league game with Bayern Munich.

“It was important to advance after the few weeks we have had,” Dortmund captain Mats Hummels told ARD television. “It is a matter of confidence for us but we can get it back.”

Dortmund, last season’s Bundesliga and German Cup runners-up, have suffered six defeats in nine games to slide to fourth from bottom in the table.

Werder Bremen coach Viktor Skripnik made a winning start as his new club eased past third tier Chemnitz 2-0.

Ukrainian Skripnik replaced the sacked Robin Dutt on Saturday, with the former champions anchored in last place in the league.

Hanover were handed a surprise 2-0 defeat at relegation-threatened second division club Aalen and Hertha Berlin fared even worse, crashing out to third tier Arminia Bielefeld 4-2 on penalties after a goalless 120 minutes.

Holders Bayern are in action on Wednesday against Hamburg SV. l

Former Argentine soccer star Diego Maradona on Tuesday filed a theft complaint against his girlfriend, Rocio Oliva, after a video was released that allegedly shows him hitting her.

“I spoke to Diego and he filed the complaint,” Oliva told Argentine television. Oliva, 22, has a turbulent relationship with 53-year-old Maradona.

He lives in Dubai and has a sports promotion contract.

Argentine television channels have released a short video supposedly shot

by Oliva in a room in Maradona’s home.

In the blurry footage, Oliva can be heard saying “Stop, stop” as if she is trying to stop an attack. Maradona has said he had knocked the phone from her hands but denies hitting Oliva, a female footballer.

Oliva said she was not responsible for the video being released and instead blamed an unnamed “nephew” of Maradona.

Maradona in March accused Oliva in Dubai of stealing jewelry and other valuable items. The couple are a staple of Argentina’s tabloid and celebrity press. l

Domenech blasts Mourinho, Ribery, Anelka in new book n AFP, Paris Controversial former France coach Raymond Domenech blasts Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho and former France internationals Franck Ribery and Nicolas Anelka in his new book, due out on Wednesday.

His book, called “Mon dico passione du foot” (My Passionate Football Dictionary) takes readers through an A to Z of his experiences in the game. He mocks Mourinho, pointing to the former Inter Milan and Real Madrid boss’s beginnings in football as a translator.

“That’s the problem with translators, there comes a time when they convince themselves they wrote the

text themselves,” he says.

Anelka is described as a “Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde” character while Ribery is treated particularly harshly.

Domenech accuses him of having “forced the national team to put up with his bad character, even his acts of stupidity, in South Africa and afterwards, but since then, Sir is in a mood because he wanted to win the Ballon d’Or”.

The former coach doesn’t spare France legends, although he gives Thierry Henry a favourable comparison to Zinedine Zidane.

He says that while Henry’s handball in a World Cup play-off against Ireland helped France qualify but damaged his image, Zidane’s head-

butt on Marco Materazzi in the 2006 World Cup final simply cost the country success.

Henry “sacrificed his image for the benefit of the France team” while Zidane “sacrificed the team’s chances for the benefit of his pride”.

He also attacks former players now working in the media for making criticisms of current players that “they would never have tolerated themselves”.

Finally he turns his attention to the Zahia Dehar affair, claiming the former former underage prostitute - whose clients included Ribery and Karim Benzema - was the only person to benefit from the scandal, turning herself into a celebrity. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

15

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Australia pick pacemen for South Africa ODIs in Perth n AFP, Sydney

QUICK BYTES

Mayor Football League begins in Bhola tomorrow Football is returning to the district of Bhola after a long hiatus with the Mayor Football League scheduled to get underway tomorrow at Gajnabi Stadium. The league, organised by Bhola District Sports Association, will comprise nine teams. The nine teams will be divided into two groups with the top two teams from each group progressing to the semifinals. The final of the league will be held on November 21. District Commissioner of Bhola, Mohammed Selim Reza will inaugurate the event as the chief guest while Police Super Mohammed Moniruzzaman will also grace the occasion as one of the guests.

–Bhola Correspondent

Balotelli in clear over ‘Ferrari row’ Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli will not face legal action over reports he threatened a woman for taking photographs of his Ferrari sports car, police announced on Tuesday. Greater Manchester Police were called to investigate last Thursday after reports of “threatening behaviour” involving the 24-year-old Italy international, who is thought to have been visiting his mother at the time. But after speaking to the woman who made the call, police found no reason to launch an investigation. “Police were called to Pewsey Road, Wythenshawe just after 3pm (1400 GMT) on Thursday 23 October 2014, following reports of threatening behaviour,” said a spokesman for Greater Manchester Police.

–AFP

Real Madrid sign deal with Abu Dhabi Spanish giants Real Madrid has agreed a long-term strategic partnership with a state investment fund from oil-rich Abu Dhabi that will help fund a planned stadium overhaul, the two parties announced Tuesday. The agreement with International Petroleum Investment Co (IPIC) also involves expanding the club’s football schools around the world, developing traveling museum exhibitions and creating digital media content.

Both sides had agreed not to release details relating to the length and value of the deal, IPIC said in a statement.

“This is the beginning of a long relationship and the start of a powerful alliance that could be key to us meeting one of our greatest challenges: turning the Santiago Bernabeu stadium into the greatest stadium in the world,” said Real president Florentino Perez.

–AFP

Club WC preparations on track, says Fifa Preparations for the Club World Cup in Morocco in December are going ahead as planned and have not been affected by the Ebola crisis although the situation is being monitored, Fifa said on Tuesday. Fifa also supported the Confederation of African Football’s (CAF) decision to avoid playing international matches in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia, the hardest-hit countries, as it issued recommendations for teams and players. “According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are currently no cases of Ebola reported from Morocco and therefore all preparations continue as planned,” said Fifa in a statement.

–Reuters

Lee to fly to Norway for doping test Malaysia’s badminton world number one Lee Chong Wei, who is reported to have failed an initial doping test, will travel to Norway on Sunday for follow-up testing, media said Wednesday. Malaysian sports officials have confirmed that one of the nation’s shuttlers failed a recent doping test but have declined to identify the athlete pending the test next week on a second urine sample. But Malaysian media have widely reported that Lee was found to have traces of dexamethasone in his system.

–AFP

Mitchell Marsh (L) and Brad Haddin stretch during Australia’s training session in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday

Spin-hit Australia look to bounce back n AFP, Abu Dhabi After failing another Asian spin test, Australia will strive to bounce back in the second and final Test against Pakistan starting in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.

The world number two team were all at sea against an inexperienced but effective Pakistan spin attack and suffered a crushing 221-run defeat in the first Test in Dubai. It was their fifth consecutive flop against spinners in Asia after being routed 4-0 in India last year.

Left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar, playing only his third Test, finished

with seven wickets in the match as did debutant leggie Yasir Shah.

Pakistan’s batsmen also had a field day. Veteran Younis Khan scored a century in each innings while Sarfraz Ahmed and Ahmed Shehzad chipped in with hundreds.

Pakistan will maintain that spin pressure as they look to win their first Test series against Australia since beating them at home in 1994. Australian captain Michael Clarke promised a fight back.

“Any time we lose a game it breeds fire in your belly. We don’t like losing, Australians in general don’t like los-

ing,” he said after Sunday’s defeat.

“We got outplayed and Pakistan deserve a lot of credit for the way they played over the whole five days. We know we can play a lot better and look forward to showing that in the second Test match.”

Australia’s top order of David Warner, who hit a hundred in the first Test, and Chris Rogers were steady. But the middle order, especially Clarke and Alex Doolan, failed in both innings.

Clarke was confident runs would come in the second Test.

“It doesn’t feel any different to any other Test match to me. My expecta-

tions are always very high for myself personally to make sure I’m scoring runs and for this Australian team to have success,” said the Australian skipper, who was the highest run-scorer in Tests in 2013 with 1,093.

“I don’t feel any more expectation or any more pressure. It’s about playing our best cricket over five days and if we do that I’m confident we can win the Test match.”

Australia have the option of bringing in Glenn Maxwell, who can also bowl off-spin, for either Mitchell Marsh or Doolan.l

Nepal, Uganda secure Div 2 promotion n Cricinfo Uganda sealed their place in the WCL Division Three final and secured a promotion into Division Two with a seven-wicket win over Bermuda in Selangor.

Uganda’s slow bowlers played a crucial role once again as the off-spin pair of captain Frank Nsubuga and Davis Arinaitwe, and left-arm spinner Henry Ssenyondo took three wickets each to tie Bermuda down to 140 in the 40th over. Bermuda’s innings was dotted with a few double-digit scores but Kamau Leverock was the only one to score more than 20, making a 25-ball 27.

Roger Mukasa, Uganda’s leading

run-scorer in the tournament, then scored his second fifty of the last three games to boost the side to victory in the 25th over. His 68-ball 86 had nine fours and two sixes.

Nepal also entered the Division Three final and secured their promotion into Division Two after beating Malaysia by 36 runs (D/L method) in a rain-marred match.

Paras Khadka led from the front, getting the first Malaysia wicket in the second over and quickly taking three more, even as opener Anwar Arudin kept the score moving with a brisk half-century. Arudin’s departure for 69 in the 32nd over triggered another col-

Champion Djokovic breezes through at Paris Masters n Reuters, Paris World number one Novak Djokovic began his Paris Masters title defence with a routine 6-3 6-4 win over German Philipp Kohlschreiber in the second round on Tuesday.

The top seed, who had a first-round bye, next faces 13th-seeded American John Isner or Frenchman Gael Monfils for a place in the quarter-finals.

Djokovic, who is in a race with Roger Federer to end the season on top of the rankings, quickly opened a 3-0 lead

playing some aggressive tennis at the Bercy arena.

Kohlschreiber pulled a break back but his opponent held firm to bag the opening set with a service winner.

Djokovic then broke in the first game of the second set as the German struggled to focus.

Kohlschreiber produced a series of beautiful backhand winners but could still not manage to unsettle the Serb.

Djokovic, who became a father for the first time last week, wrapped up victory on his first match point.l

DAY’S WATCH Ten Cricket 11:00PM Pakistan v Australia 2nd Test Day 1

Star Sports 2 7:30PM Indian Super League Pune v Kerala 1:45AM Italian Serie A Verona v Lazio

CRICINFO

Seamer Josh Hazlewood was one of six speedsters named Wednesday in Australia’s initial one-day squad against world number one South Africa in November, as selectors look to the 2015 World Cup on home soil.

The 23-year-old, who has played only two ODIs for Australia and has struggled with injuries, has earnt rave early season reviews for New South Wales.

“We are continuing to keep a close eye on players we feel could have a significant role to play in the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup and many of these players have been rewarded with selection,” said national selector Rod Marsh.

“At this stage, the squad is only for the first two matches of the series and balances out player preparation for long and short form cricket as we build into a big summer.”

Ashes avenger Mitchell Johnson leads the six quicks in Australia’s 13man lineup, but there is no specialist spinner for the two games on the fast and bouncy WACA track.

“Nathan Coulter-Nile has returned from injury after missing the Zimbabwe tour and along with Josh Hazlewood, finished in the top three wicket-takers in the (domestic) Matador Cup,” he said.

Mitchell Starc and James Faulkner, who were in the side that won the ODI series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates earlier this month, have been left out of the initial squad to face South Africa.

Wicket keeper Matthew Wade was called in to replace Brad Haddin who will be rested following the UAE tour.

Australia are expected to include only one keeper in their 15-man squad for the World Cup, which gets underway on February 14, and selector Trevor Hohns suggested Test vice-captain Haddin remains first choice.

“I’ve got the opportunity to play two more games for Australia and then Hadds will probably come back so I’ll just take it for what it is,” said 26-yearold Wade. l

Winners of the Fair & Lovely Max Fairness consumer promotional campaign “Confidence Jar Bike Tar” receive their sport bike from officials of Bangladesh Limited and Bronze Limited

lapse that saw the side lose its last six wickets for 31 runs.

Opener Naresh Budayair and Gyanendra Malla shared a 69-run second-wicket stand that helped Nepal negate the early loss of Subash Khakurel. Rain forced players off the field after 25 overs a couple of overs after Malla had fallen, but Nepal were ahead of the par score, ensuring their progress into the final.

USA were relegated to Division Four, after a middle-order collapse handed the hosts Singapore a 32-run D/L win in Kuala Lumpur. The result also sealed Bermuda’s fate, who too, like USA, were sent down to Division Four after losing four of their five games. l

Nepal captain Paras Khadka (R) receives the player of the match award from an ICC umpire

Sabatini statue left empty-handed n AFP, Buenos Aires Perhaps it was meant as a backhanded compliment.

Vandals have made off with the racket that was clasped in the hands of a newly unveiled statue of Argentine tennis star Gabriela Sabatini in Buenos Aires.

The miscreants left the artwork looking rather empty-handed just a few weeks after it was made public on the Rio de la Plata waterfront.

They severed the bronze-colored racket that was formerly clasped tightly in the statue’s hands, leaving Sabatini sans racket as she lines up for a back-

hand smash.

The statue is located among other tributes to Argentine sporting greats, such as tennis player Guillermo Vilas

and basketball player Manu Ginobili.

Officials are also planning statues of several other sporting stars including soccer gods Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona, and the golfer Roberto de Vicenzo.

The work by artist Carlos Benavidez was made with polyester resin and fiberglass, then reinforced with various paints, inks and oils that look like bronze and protect the statue from the weather.

During her 11 years as a pro, Sabatini, now 44, won 27 titles including the US Open, when she beat Steffi Graf in 1990.

She is the only Argentine to have won a Grand Slam singles victory. l

5 own goals result in ban of two teams n AFP, Jakarta

Trott eyes England return after Lions call-up

Two Indonesian teams have been disqualified from an end-of-season tournament after five own goals were scored in a single match, an official said Wednesday, as both sides sought to lose in a bid to avoid facing a team reportedly backed by gangsters.

Video footage showed goalkeepers from the two clubs, PSS Sleman and PSIS Semarang, making half-hearted attempts to stop shots and walking away from the goal as the ball approached.

Sleman eventually ‘won’ 3-2. The teams were both trying to avoid playing against Pusamania Borneo FC in the semi-finals of the Premier Division’s final rounds as the team is believed to be backed by gangsters, local media reported. l

n AFP, London Batsman Jonathan Trott said on Tuesday that he was hoping to earn an England recall after being named in the England Lions squad for their 2015 tour of South Africa.

South Africa-born Trott, 33, has not played international cricket since he withdrew from England’s Ashes tour of Australia last November due to a stress-related condition.

But after an aborted comeback attempt in April, he made a successful return to action with his English county Warwickshire and has been rewarded with a place in the provisional 14-man Lions squad.

“I seem to have found myself in a situation where I’m enjoying cricket again,” Trott told BBC Radio Five Live.

“I still have aspirations to play for England. If I do hopefully play for England again, I’ve got to earn my place back.

“I’ve had that mentality playing for Warwickshire this year and thoroughly enjoyed my season with them; mainly for the second half of the season, admittedly.

“Playing in successful teams like we had at the Bears this year always helps.

It’s a great place to be.”

Trott shone for Warwickshire in the second half of the 2014 season, scoring four centuries.l

16

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Govt to make fresh Golden Rice production bid

Back Page

Thursday, October 30, 2014

UNITED, WE CONQUER

The move to obtain fresh permission comes as officials were not satisfied with the results of the previous trial n Abu Bakar Siddique The government has again planned to produce a rice variety which is rich in vitamin A, after the first move failed to yield satisfactory results. The variety is known as Golden Rice.

Jibon Krisna Biswas, director general of Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI), told the Dhaka Tribune on Tuesday that permission had already been sought from the National Committee on Bio-safety to import the genetically modified rice seed from IRRI.

Similar researches and procedures to produce the variety are going on in the Philippines and Indonesia “BRRI is trying to obtain the permission for the second time as we were not satisfied with the first trial,” he added.

In 2003, the government and the International Rice Research Institute inked a deal to produce Golden Rice in Bangladesh by modifying the gene of the country’s most popular Boro variety BRRI 29. The government imported two grams of seed from IRRI in 2005.

“We can initiate the greenhouse trial of the seed by January next year, provided the permission is obtained in time,” the BRRI DG said, adding that the same amount of seed would be imported again.

Crop varieties like Golden Rice, Bt brinjal and potatoes are transgenic crops, and need special approval from the bio-safety authorities for use in re-

search, including field trials.

Solaiman Haider, deputy director of the Department of Environment and member secretary of the National Committee on Bio-safety, told the Dhaka Tribune that the application would be granted soon.

Golden Rice is reportedly capable of overcoming Vitamin A deficiency in pregnant mothers and children. The gene of the variety is extracted from a gene of maize that gives the rice grain a bright yellow colour – hence the name Golden Rice.

Jibon Krisna Biswas said producing the final seed for distribution among farmers would take another five years because of the number of processes involved, including greenhouse trial, confined laboratory trial and restricted field trial.

Similar researches and procedures to produce the variety are going on in the Philippines and Indonesia.

The objective to produce genetically modified crop varieties is to improve crop protection mechanism by introducing resistance against plant diseases caused by insects or viruses or through increased tolerance towards the use of herbicides.

In October last year, the government released four varieties of genetically modified brinjals – Bt Uttara, Bt Kajla, Bt Noyontara and Bt Isd 006 – with the condition of cultivating the crops on a limited scale.

Of the varieties, Bt Uttara was released in Rajshahi, Bt Kajla in Barisal, Bt Noyontara in Rangpur and Dhaka, and Bt Isd 006 in Pabna and Chittagong in compliance with bio-safety guidelines. l

The unique, united front of class III students in the photo above is in aid of their fellow, wheelchair-bound classmate. Everyday, they walk to their school, Kantapasha Government Primary School, which is around 1.5km from their homes at Chaitannapur village in Shibganj upazila, Chapainawabganj, so that they can wheel their disabled friend along to school and back – taking turns on the way. This instance of solidarity among children leaves a lot to learn for adults AZAHAR UDDIN

JU Shikkhok Moncho demands review on recent teacher appointment n JU Correspondent Teachers at Jahangirnagar University demanded review of the recent teacher recruitments in the university’s biochemistry and molecular biology department, where six applicants were given appointment against four vacant positions.

Under the banner of “Shikkhok Moncho,” around 20 teachers made the demand at a press conference at the university’s new arts faculty building yesterday afternoon.

At the presser, the teachers claimed that the current administration was fulfilling the incomplete goal of former vice-chancellor Professor Dr Shariff Enamul Kabir, who appointed unqualified and incapable candidates based on political consideration and nepotism during his three-year tenure, leading the university towards permanent damage.

The current administration include

VC Professor Dr Farzana Islam, who was elected in the position – the first female in the position in the country – from a panel that was backed by Dr Shariff ’s supporters, and approved some questionable appointment of teachers as well, sources said.

Raihan Rhyne, associate professor at the philosophy department and spokesperson of the Shikkhok Moncho, said the new recruits were far below on the merit list of the applicants based on their academic achievements, while the selection board disregarded applicants with first class first and first class second positions in honours and masters.

Referring to Kazi Russel Uddin, one of the recruits who is the nephew of Dr Shariff and husband of Assistant Proctor Selina Akter and was appointed under the freedom fighter quota, Raihan said: “From now on, the children of freedom fighters will come here

n JU Correspondent

n Our Correspondent, Comilla

The English department at Jahangirnagar University yesterday honoured Julian Francis, a friend of Bangladesh during the Liberation War, as part of the department’s ongoing celebration of English Week 2014.

British-born Francis, who coordinated Oxfam’s refugee relief operations in Kolkata during the war, was handed an honorary crest by the department chairman Dr Sanyat Sattar in a “luminary honouring ceremony” at a classroom in the department.

Francis – who was also awarded “Friends of Liberation War Honour” in 2012 by the government – shared his memories and experiences from the war with the audience.

Convener of the English Week and the department’s Associate Professor

Awami League lawmaker Tarana Halim applies turmeric to the face of Honufa Akhter Rikta, the bride-to-be of Railway Minister Mujibul Haque, at a ‘Gaye Holud’ ceremony. The function was held at the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute in the capital’s Farmgate area yesterday. Mujibul Haque and Rikta will tie the knot at Comilla tomorrow DHAKA TRIBUNE

GIZ, IFC to illuminate off-grid communities n Aminur Rahman Rasel

The GIZ and the IFC have jointly launched the Lighting Asia-Bangladesh programme with the aim of bringing electricity to 2.5 million off-grid people through solar appliances.

The programme is designed as a series of interventions to alter market behaviour, reach the off-grid people, and displace at least 76,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide by the end of 2017.

Lighting Asia-Bangladesh, a market-transforming collaborative initiative of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and International Finance Corporation (IFC), was launched at a ceremony at a hotel in the

do not take initiative to prevent these irregularities soon, we have to take tougher action against them,” he said.

Professor Naseem Akhter Hossain, convener of Shikkhok Moncho, said: “We urge the authorities to review the appointments in the biochemistry and molecular biology department because the recruitments had been questioned before the syndicate approved them.”

Otherwise, the platform will take hard stand against the authorities, he said.

The demand to review the recruitment decision was one of the seven points in the demand that the protesting teachers presented at the press conference. Other points include punishment against a teacher who physically assaulted teachers and staff in the anthropology department, stop the harassment of a philosophy teacher pursuing PhD degree, stop irregularities in promoting teachers, etc. l

Friend of Bangladesh honoured at JU

Railway minister all smiles at Gaye Halud The ‘Gaye Halud’ ceremony of Railway Minister Mujibul Haque and his brideto-be Hanufa Akter Rikta was held ritually at Sher-e Bangla Nagar Khamarbari Krisibid Institute in the capital yesterday.

The programme took place around 11am. The minister was dressed in golden coloured panjabi and red Uttariya draped round his neck while the garlanded bride was in a yellow saree.

Lawmaker Apo Ukil discharged the onus dressing the bride.

Three platforms were set up where the minister and his bride-to-be occupied one each, flocked by around 200 guests. The couple were beaming with joy.

On the third, a cultural programme took place where Singers Arefin Romie and Liza rendered beautiful songs mesmerising the guests.

Senior politicians, distinguished personalities and the minister’s family members were present.

The marriage will take place tomorrow at the bride’s home in Mirakhala village in the Chandina upazila of Comilla. l

to teach on the basis of their parents’ identities, not their qualifications.

“Teachers’ recruitment cannot be considered under any quota system, but it has happened during the recent recruitment in the government and politics department as well,” he said.

Speaking at the event, Dr ATM Atikur Rahman, professor at the history department, said: “We launched a movement against the authorities in 2012 in protest of recruitments based on political consideration and nepotism, because it went against the interest of the university and its students.

Now, the university authorities have launched their dangerous mission again, giving the teaching posts to the undeserving and rejecting the meritorious and promising candidates.

“The appointments that were made in last syndicate meeting should be reviewed immediately. If the authorities

capital city yesterday.

Addressing the programme, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid said the country was facing an acute shortage of energy and was not able to meet the growing demand in households as well as industrial and power sectors.

“I hope the Lighting Asia-Bangladesh initiative will address the problem by changing the use of fossil fuels with quality Pico PV solar lighting devices and other appliances,” he said.

Hamid said the country had made significant progress in promoting solar energy through the countrywide solar home system programme promoted by the Infrastructure Development Company Limited (Idcol) and other solar energy-related endeavours. He said the government would celebrate its

achievement in successfully installing three million solar home systems in the country under the Idcol initiative on November 5.

Lighting Asia-Bangladesh seeks to arrange lighting for poor people by catalysing the Pico PV system market in the country.

Pico PV solar lighting appliances are characterised by the portability of the device with the battery in the same casing as the luminaries which are usually light emitting diodes.

The typical wattage of Pico PV systems can range from 0.25 watt peak to 10 watt peak or more.

The objective of the initiative is to promote off-grid solar lighting sources in areas of the country that are not served by the national electricity grid.

“The strategy is to encourage people

to switch from traditional light sources like candles and kerosene lamps to environment-friendly, energy-efficient, cost-effective, healthier and safer options like solar lanterns,” Country Director of GIZ Bangladesh Tobias Becker said at the programme.

“The GIZ and the IFC will also work together to support companies that provide such off-grid lighting solutions to enter the Bangladeshi market,” he added.

Nearly 70 million people in the country do not have access to grid electricity while another 60 million have unreliable grid connections.

Operations Advisor of World Bank Bangladesh Christine Kimes and Mohinder Gulati, chief operating officer of Sustainable Energy for All Initiative also addressed the programme. l

Mashrur Shahid Hossain said: “Coincidently we have honoured a personality with such a close connection to our liberation war, on a day when a verdict of a war criminal has come out. We are really proud of being able to give tribute to such a friend of our country.”

Later, several films and documentaries on the Liberation War and Bangladesh were also screened.

On the sixth day of the department’s week-long programmes, education materials were also distributed to around ten street children.

Addressing the programme, Dr Sanyat Sattar said: “It is a wonderful incident that we started contributing to the education of underprivileged children on the campus. The initiative will certainly encourage others to be involved with the essential social works in our society.” l

Unmanned Nasa rocket explodes after lift-off n Reuters An unmanned US supply rocket exploded shortly after lifting off from a commercial launch pad in Virginia, the first disaster since Nasa turned to private operators to run cargo to the International Space Station (ISS).

The 14-storey Antares rocket, built and launched by Orbital Sciences Corp, blasted off from the Wallops Flight Facility at 10:22pm GMT on Tuesday, but burst into flames moments later and plunged back to the ground in a massive ball of fire and smoke.

No one was hurt in the crash, authorities said. The craft was carrying a Cygnus cargo ship bound for the station, a $100bn research laboratory owned and operated by 15 nations that orbits about 418km above Earth.

The loss of the Cygnus supply vessel posed no immediate problem for the orbiting team of six crew members – two Nasa astronauts, one from the

European Space Agency and three Russian cosmonauts – officials said.

“There was no cargo that was absolutely critical to us that was lost on that flight. The crew is in no danger,” said Nasa Associate Administrator William Gerstenmaier.

The cause of the mishap is under investigation, said Frank Culbertson, executive vice-president of Orbital Sciences Corp. Russia’s Roskomos space agency said it was ready to help ferry extra US cargo to the ISS if Nasa requested such assistance.

“If we get a request to urgently deliver some US cargo to the ISS with the help of our freighter, we will satisfy it,” RIA news agency quoted a senior Roskosmos official, Alexei Krasnov, as saying. “But there has been no such request for now.”

Cygnus had been due to loiter in orbit until November 2, then fly to the station so astronauts could use a robotic crane to snare the capsule and attach it to a berthing port. l

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B3 WB: China can cut

economic growth target to 7% in 2015

B4 Global consumer

confidence improves, India most bullish

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2014 www.dhakatribune.com/business

DOING BUSINESS REPORT 2014

Bangladesh performs worst in 3 areas which influence FDI Global ranking slips to 173 as indicators in starting business, paying taxes and enforcing contract deteriorate n Kayes Sohel Bangladesh’s global ranking has slipped in ease of doing business, standing at 173rd position among 189 nations as the country’s performance deteriorated on indicators, including starting business, paying taxes and enforcing contract where it was near the rock bottom.

According to the Doing Business Report 2014 – the flagship report of the World Bank and International Finance Corporation, out of 10 indicators, Bangladesh slipped on six, remained unchanged in three and one moved up.

Among the south Asian countries, Sri Lanka has been 99th, Nepal 108th, Maldives 116th, Bhutan 125th, Pakistan 128th and India 142nd.

For the first time, the World Bank has considered two major cities – Dhaka and Chittagong – while ranking Bangladesh like other countries that have population of more than 100m.

The fall in Bangladesh ranking from the last year’s 170th position is mainly because other nations performed much better and six new countries has been added this year, the bank officials said.

International investors make investment decisions after reviewing a country’s position on the Doing Business Index.

The report painted the gloomy picture at a time when Bangladesh is making desperate efforts to attract foreign investment to boost economy.

The deterioration in six out of 10 indicators and poor performance in the remaining ones portrays the challenges Bangladesh might face in attracting foreign investment, which was $1.29bn in the last year.

“The country slipped three notches due to inclusion of more countries that

have done better than Bangladesh,” Zahid Hussain, WB lead economist in Dhaka, told the Dhaka Tribune.

“However, that does not mean Bangladesh did not improve,” he said.

But the bad news is that Bangladesh performed worst in three indicators – property registration, getting electricity connection and enforcing contract – which is more important to attract overseas investment.

He said though electricity production has increased in the country, the complexity is still on as entrepreneurs feel uncertainty about getting power connection after application.

On getting electricity connection indicator, Bangladesh stood 188th position, just one notch up last year’s ranking.

In getting credit indicator, the country stood at 31th position, which is the

worst performance compared to any other country, also six notches below last year’s level.

On the indicator of enforcing contracts, though this indicator remained unchanged but the country performed poorly and ranked 188th. Bangladesh ranked 184th, one place below last year’s level.

Bangladesh made trading across borders easier by introducing a fully automated and computerised customs data management system, helping the country to remain unchanged this index. This reform that applies to both Chittagong and Dhaka has placed the country.

The country also slipped on the index of starting a business, standing at 115th place compared to 111th rank last year. On average, 19.5 days were needed to complete about a dozen proce-

Muhith: MFIs become creative n Tribune Report

Finance Minister AMA Muhith has said micro finance institutions are expanding their activities gradually, focusing on creativity with an aim to advance the country to a new level.

Micro finance institutions have come out their common tendency of only microlending and focused on education, health and infrastructure development, the minister said while addressing a seminar titled “Enrich, a new approach to development: a paradigm shift”.

Muhith attended the programme as the chief guest which was held yesterday in the capital. The seminar was arranged by Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) on the occasion of its 25th founding anniversary.

The finance minister said the main function of the micro finance institutions is to provide micro credit and some institutions also provide training

Export-import through Benapole port halted n Tribune Business Desk The loading and unloading of goods at Benapole land port came to a halt yesterday as five organisations using the port went on a work abstention programme following abduction of C&F agent and Sharsha upazila Jubo Dal vice-president Habibur Rahman Habi from the capital.

Mafizur Rahman Sajan, president of Benapole C&F Agents’ Association, announced the trade suspension at a press briefing at noon, reports UNB. Earlier, some miscreants abducted Habibur, also former chairman of Putkhali union parishad and son of Abul Kashem of Shikri village in Sharsha, from Kamalapur area in the capital on Tuesday night. He went to Dhaka for business purposes when he fell prey to kidnapping. A general diary was filed with Motijheel Police Station. l

along with offering credit facilities.

Grameen Bank entered into the market primarily with the philosophy of providing only micro credit, but BRAC identified itself in the market with a different philosophy. BRAC expanded its activities to education and health sectors along with offering micro credit.

PKSF was found as the competitor

of Grameen Bank with an objective of lending micro finance but now it has expanded its programmes to other areas like poverty alleviation programme which is appreciable, said Muhith.

He said NGOs have shifted their activities from their common business tendency to creativity.

“We do not put up any bar to creativity and so communism did not take root in the country. That is why our economy was not affected by world recession,” he said.

PKSF Chairman Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad said: “Around 2 crore people are still victim of poverty in our country and we need to alleviate poverty on sustainable basis.”

Presiding over the seminar, he said the main objective of NGOs is to provide service, not to do business.

If NGOs work in line with their commitment, the government will become NGO friendly, added Kholiquzzaman. l

dural requirements.

However, out of 189 countries, only eight economies including Bangladesh have successfully reduced the time to export and import by implementing computerised systems that allow webbased submission of documents.

World Bank Chief Economist Kaushik Basu admitted: “An economy can do poorly on ‘Doing Business’ indicators but do well in macroeconomic policy or social welfare interventions.”

Doing Business, measures a slender segment of the complex organism that any modern economy is, he added at the release of the rankings.

Singapore occupied the top position in the ease of doing business followed

by New Zealand, Hong Kong, Denmark and South Korea respectively. China ranked 90th and USA 7th. l

Falu fined Tk1 crore for 2010 share scam n Tribune Report BNP leader Mosaddek Ali Falu was fined Tk1crore and an individual investor Golam Mostafa Tk3 crore for their involvement with stock market scam in December in 2010 and January 2011, said securities regulator in a statement yesterday.

After investigation twice about the allegation of unusual manipulative share transaction brought by a share scam probe panel, led by Khondkar Ibrahim Khaled, the commission found that Mosaddek Ali Falu and Golam Mostafa had made massive profits by artificially influencing share prices of some issues, according to the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC).

The statement said issues manipulated by Falu are IFIC Bank Limited and Beximco Limited and by Mostafa are Eastland Insurance, Navana CNG, Olympic Industries, Union Capital, LankaBangla Finance and First Lease International.

“Moreover, they (Falu and Mostafa) inflated prices of those issues by spreading untrue and confusing appearances through their active trade and unusual share transaction,” it said.

The regulator had earlier called them for hearing to clarify the findings about them. But the clarification was not acceptable and there fines were imposed.

“Explanation given by them in hearing about share manipulation is not acceptable. That’s why, the commission has fined Falu and Mostafa,” said BSEC. The regulator had started investigation of share scam in line with Khondkar Ibrahim Khaled 320-page report submitted to the finance minister on April 7, 2011.

The probe body made a series of recommendations and cited 15 case studies as proof of extensive market manipulation. In January 2011, a three-member committee headed by Khaled, former deputy governor of Bangladesh Bank, was formed.

On April 11, the Finance Minister said the probe report on share-market scam identified some individuals and financial institutions as the main

Grameenphone has suffered declines both in revenue and profit during the July-September quarter this year compared to previous three months.

The revenue dropped to Tk2,560 crore in July-September period from Tk2,620 crore in April-June period when the net profit also came down to Tk530 crore from Tk540 crore.

According to the operator, floods in the northern parts of the country and FIFA World Cup when users were busy watching matches might have a negative impact on the earnings during the period.

“Mainly World Cup and sudden floods in the northern parts cast a negative impact on the revenue and profitability,” said Grameenphone CEO Vivek Sood at a press conference yesterday.

He said international interconnection revenue suffered a 50% decline in call termination rates, which also affected the company’s revenue earning.

In reply to a question, the newly appointed

‘Explanation given by them in hearing about share manipulation is not acceptable. That’s why, the commission has fined Falu and Mostafa’ players behind the recent stock-market crash.

The share-price index of Dhaka Stock Exchange hit 8,918.51 points, a record high, in December 2010 from 4,708 in January that year. In January 2011, the market saw a major collapse after the ’96 crash, as the bubbles burst. On one occasion, the main index of Dhaka bourse fell 600 points in just five minutes, resulting in the instant stoppage of trading.

In another decision, the commission has also fined Tk10 lakh each all directors of Sahajibazar Power Company Limited for inflating the financial statements of the company.

For similar reason, the company’s managing director also faced fine of Tk5lakh and the regulator asked its enforcement departments to take action against its chief executive officer. l

33% IPO fund allowed to repay loans n Tribune Report

The securities regulator has allowed listed companies to repay bank loans using one-third funds to be raised through IPOs (initial public offerings).

“No issuer of a listed security shall utilise more than 0ne-third of the fund raised through IPO for the purpose of loan payment,” said Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) in a statement yesterday.

The commission also imposed additional conditions on raising capital and issuing rights shares.

“No issuer of a listed security shall take decision to issue rights shares within two years from the date of publication of prospectus for IPO and before full utilisation of fund raised through IPO, previous rights issue or re-peat public offer (RPO),” the statement said.

And the companies which will be re-listed with any exchange from OTC market will not be able to issue rights shares before completing three financial years, it said.

As per further conditions imposed for capital raising, three-year lock-in will be imposed on the shares transferred by existing sponsors or directors to any person, other than existing shareholders, within 12 months of submitting application for capital raising or public offering.

And, all the money to be raised against allotment of shares or in the form of share money deposit will have to be deposited in a separate bank account.

According to another condition, no company and/or its sponsors, directors, employees or appointed agents shall approach to take share money deposit from any person, other than existing shareholders, for subscribing

Grameenphone Q3 earnings decline n Muhammad Zahidul Islam

Mosaddek Ali Falu

chief financial officer Dilip Pal said: “Generally third quarter is a seasonal quarter for us, and as we have shown tremendous performance in the second quarter, it seems third quarter was not a good time for us.”

Grameenphone, however, said it enjoyed 72% growth in the Internet service uses from last year’s third quarter as 5% of the revenue comes from the data service.

‘World Cup and sudden floods in northern parts are said to be the factors’ “We have a goal to achieve 5 crore Internet users in next three to four years, and we are on the way to that goal,” Vivek Sood said.

The average revenue per user fell to Tk165 in third quarter from Tk170 in second quarter and the average use per user declined to 243 minutes from 250 minutes in second quarter.

The data of first nine months of 2014, however, showed the profit after tax grew 48.64% to Tk1,592 crore compared to Tk1,071 crore

during the same period last year, driven by, the operator said, better revenue growth and higher efficiency in operating cost.

Officials said the revenue was Tk7,674 crore in the nine months with 6.10% growth from the same period last year.

Grameenphone said it got a net number of 42.5 lakh subscribers in the nine months, which helped the operator cross the landmark of 5 crore subscribers. It has now 42.4% market share in subscription.

“I am excited to inform our shareholders that Grameenphone managed to cross a monumental milestone of 50 million (5 crore) subscriber base through its enduring commitment of offering innovative and customer centric products and services. This was also possible in connivance with our countrywide robust and reliable network built over the years,” said Vivek.

The operator has invested Tk929 crore during the period for fast-track 3G roll-out in all 64 district headquarters, 2G coverage as well as capacity increase and other efficiency enhancement initiatives. l

shares of the company, before obtaining consent for raising capital from the securities regulator complying applicable securities rules.

The BSEC approved the IPO proposal of Zaheen Spinning to raise a fund worth Tk12 crore by offloading 1.2 crore shares with an offer price of Tk10 each.

According to the financial statement for the year ended on June 30 this year, the company’s earnings per share (EPS) and net asset value (NAV) are Tk1.01 and Tk12.59 respectively.

First Security Islami Bank will issue one rights share against two existing shares with an offer price of Tk10 each.

Prime Bank got approval to issue non-convertible subordinate bond worth Tk250 crore, Jamuna Bank Tk200 crore, Bank Asia Tk300 crore and Eastern Bank Tk250 crore for meeting regulatory requirements in line with the Basel-II. l

B2

Stock

DHAKA TRIBUNE

DSE GAINER

Stocks keep falling amid choppy trading

DSE key features October 29, 2014

Traded Issues

307

n Tribune Report

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

142

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

162

Pharmaceuticals and food and allied sectors also ended with marginal declines The Shariah index DSES dropped 4 points or 0.8% to 1,203. The comprising blue chips DS30 was down 14 points or 0.8% to 1,919.

Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) Selective Categories Index, CSCX, declined 29 points to 9,595.

The trading recouped slightly on DSE and amounted to Tk545 crore, registering an increase of nearly 18% over the previous session’s threemonth lowest value of Tk462 crore.

LankaBangla Securities said investors continued to take some profit off the table amid mixed corporate earnings declaration.

It said fear of political turbulence

Weekly capital market highlights DSE Broad Index : DSE - 30 Index : CSE All Share Index: CSE - 30 Index : CSE Selected Index : DSE LOSER Company Popular Life Insu. -A BD. Autocars -Z BD Fixed Income MF-A ACI Formulations-A Progressive Life-A Eastern InsurA Hwa Well Textiles-N EBL NRB M.F.-A Standard Ceramic -A AFC AgroBiotech-A

Closing (% Change) -21.46 -7.88 -5.63 -5.40 -5.25 -4.90 -4.90 -4.84 -4.80 -4.46

CSE LOSER Company

Closing (% Change)

Samata LeatheR -Z Provati Insur.-A Rupali InsurA ACI Formulations-A Prime Bank-A Hwa Well Textiles-N Bangladesh Lamps -A IFIC 1st MF-A Standard Bank -A IFIL Islamic M.F.1-A

-8.94 -6.99 -5.51 -4.80 -4.31 -4.10 -3.88 -3.70 -3.62 -3.39

ANALYST

5109.42854

(-) 0.38%

1919.32633

(-) 0.73%

15749.05950

(-) 0.30%

13008.73710

(-) 0.30%

9595.02110

(-) 0.30%

Average (% Change) -22.29 -10.68 -1.13 -5.68 -5.10 -4.03 -3.92 -4.31 -5.00 -2.61 Average (% Change) -5.61 -5.20 -5.24 -4.13 -4.60 -4.10 -4.37 -4.59 -3.41 -2.03

ClosingAvg. 173.25 21.83 7.00 153.74 99.22 35.28 45.15 6.00 47.50 54.18

ClosingAvg. 23.22 21.71 24.05 154.43 19.90 44.70 124.00 5.20 13.32 5.78

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 176.00 23.00 6.80 161.00 99.90 37.40 45.90 6.10 49.60 55.80

DHIGH

22.40 21.30 24.00 152.60 20.00 44.40 124.00 5.20 13.30 5.70

124,330,673

25.00 22.00 24.10 162.00 20.00 45.10 125.00 5.20 13.60 5.80

103,497

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

3

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,730.40

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

33.10

CSE key features October 29, 2014 Turnover (Million Taka)

430.59

Turnover (Volume)

11,420,003

Number of Contract

14,145

Traded Issues

222

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

109

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

108

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

5

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,635.71

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

31.95

Turnover in Million

DLOW 165.10 21.00 6.70 145.00 99.00 34.00 44.30 5.90 45.60 51.00

22.30 21.00 24.00 151.10 19.00 44.00 123.00 5.20 13.10 5.70

Latest EPS

42.923 0.298 0.014 76.380 0.256 0.497 12.889 0.054 0.095 49.888

Turnover in Million

DLOW

DSE Million Taka 582.72 297.80 54.29 497.95 266.46 1355.46 2.85 330.56 750.29 181.32 174.26 72.53 46.34 147.66 87.87 23.66 138.10 255.68 62.45 128.48 0.09

% change 10.68 5.46 0.99 9.13 4.88 24.84 0.05 6.06 13.75 3.19 1.33 0.85 2.71 1.61 0.43 2.53 4.69 1.14 2.35 0.00

Million Taka 26.36 19.12 1.98 65.15 11.41 92.14 46.33 57.24 30.02 26.28 11.31 4.89 16.60 26.16 0.48 2.65 10.73 13.23 16.53 0.00

CSE

% change 5.51 4.00 0.41 13.61 2.38 19.25 0.00 9.68 11.96 6.27 5.49 2.36 1.02 3.47 5.46 0.10 0.55 2.24 2.76 3.45 0.00

4.13 0.08 0.81 3.36 2.30 2.42 2.99 0.85 0.62 2.84

Latest EPS

0.070 0.076 0.106 5.884 0.006 1.185 0.012 0.003 1.798 0.110

Million Taka 609.08 316.93 56.26 563.10 277.87 1447.60 2.85 376.89 807.53 211.34 200.54 83.85 51.23 164.26 114.02 24.14 140.75 266.42 75.69 145.01 0.09

Desh Garments -B CVO PetroChem RL-A Shahjibazar Power-N SAIF Powertec-N Sonargaon Tex -Z Khulna Printing-N Shurwid Ind. -N GeminiSeaFood-Z Sinobangla Indu.-A Daffodil Computers -Z

Closing (% Change) 14.04 10.31 9.98 9.97 9.78 9.78 9.76 9.56 9.32 9.03

CSE GAINER

0.09 1.52 2.52 3.36 1.96 2.99 1.13 0.72 2.26 1.07

Latest PE 41.9 272.9 8.6 45.8 43.1 14.6 15.1 7.1 76.6 19.1

Total

Company SAIF Powertec-N Shahjibazar Power-N Shurwid Ind. -N Khulna Printing-N Kay & Que (BD) -Z Midas Financing-Z Anwar Galvanizing-B Bangladesh Welding -Z Daffodil Computers -Z BD Finance-A

Closing (% Change) 10.00 9.97 9.97 9.75 9.68 9.68 9.52 9.23 8.63 8.28

Average (% Change) 11.41 6.98 9.63 9.53 8.18 4.52 6.82 7.99 5.06 6.86 Average (% Change) 9.88 6.18 7.62 5.26 13.33 9.68 9.37 5.48 7.72 5.31

ClosingAvg. 85.52 590.27 190.09 72.84 10.05 29.36 40.88 145.79 29.70 15.42

ClosingAvg. 72.96 583.99 41.10 29.62 13.60 17.00 27.56 13.87 15.07 16.66

Closing 86.90 611.90 190.70 75.00 10.10 30.30 41.60 147.90 30.50 15.70

Closing 74.80 190.90 41.90 30.40 13.60 17.00 27.60 14.20 15.10 17.00

DHIGH 88.00 618.00 190.70 75.00 10.10 30.30 41.60 148.50 30.60 15.80

DHIGH 74.80 190.90 41.90 30.40 13.60 17.00 27.70 14.30 15.20 17.10

DLOW 76.50 530.00 175.00 66.50 10.00 27.10 37.50 140.00 27.70 14.40

DLOW 66.80 190.90 38.00 27.30 13.60 17.00 27.20 13.50 14.70 15.60

Turnover in Million 7.235 105.286 48.586 124.816 0.432 180.855 54.636 0.277 24.103 9.228

Turnover in Million 20.312 6.950 12.414 20.909 0.007 0.017 0.069 0.465 0.528 1.811

Latest EPS 0.96 -3.16 3.00 2.54 -0.96 2.13 1.64 -1.80 1.21 0.68

Latest EPS 2.54 3.00 1.64 2.13 -1.24 -6.91 0.27 0.34 0.68 0.26

Latest PE 89.1 -ve 63.4 28.7 -ve 13.8 24.9 -ve 24.5 22.7

Latest PE 28.7 194.7 25.1 13.9 -ve -ve 102.1 40.8 22.2 64.1

News, Analysis and Recent Disclosers BDCOM: 15% stock dividend, AGM: 25.12.2014, Record Date: 17.11.2014. EPS of Tk. 1.49, NAV per share of Tk. 15.91.

IMAMBUTTON: No dividend, AGM: 20.12.2014, Record Date: 19.11.2014. EPS of Tk. -1.80, NAV per share of Tk. 7.55.

JUTESPINN: No dividend, AGM: 20.12.2014, Record Date: 19.11.2014. NAV of Tk. -142.66 million, EPS of Tk. -43.64.

SAIHAMTEX: 15% cash dividend, AGM: 18.12.2014, Record Date: 16.11.2014. EPS of Tk. 2.81, NAV per share of Tk. 32.53.

HWAWELLTEX: 15% cash dividend, AGM: 18.12.2014, Record Date: 10.11.2014. EPS of Tk. 3.81, NAV per share of Tk. 24.61.

LIBRAINFU: 20% cash dividend, AGM: 28.12.2014, Record Date: 11.11.2014. EPS of Tk. 5.92, NAV per share of Tk. 1,572.00.

EMERALDOIL: 10% cash and 5% stock dividend, AGM: 28.12.2014. Record Date: 23.11.2014. EPS of Tk. 2.39, NAV per share of Tk. 14.26.

NORTHERN: 5% cash and 5% Stock Dividend, AGM: 14.12.2014, Record Date: 19.11.2014. EPS of Tk. 1.69, NAV per share of Tk. 77.60.

CVOPRL: 5% cash dividend to the ordinary shareholders, AGM: 22.12.2014, Record Date: 06.11.2014. EPS of Tk. -3.33, NAV per share of Tk. 9.32.

PREMIERCEM: 30% cash dividend, AGM:

27.12.2014, Record Date: 17.11.2014. EPS of Tk. 4.78, NAV per share of Tk. 28.62.

USMANIAGL: 11% cash and 10% Stock Dividend, AGM: 26.12.2014, Record Date: 20.11.2014. EPS of Tk. 3.62, NAV per share of Tk. 29.63.

BDAUTOCA: No dividend, AGM: 11.12.2014, Record date: 18.11.2014. EPS of Tk. 0.057, NAV per share of Tk. 5.73.

DSHGARME: 10% cash dividend, AGM: 28.12.2014, Record date: 17.11.2014. EPS of Tk. 1.05, NAV per share of Tk. 12.24.

ALLTEX: 10% stock dividend, AGM: 15.12.2014, Record Date: 19.11.2014. EPS of Tk. 2.56, NAV per share of Tk. 11.16.

Unaudited Financials:

RANFOUNDRY: (Q3): NPAT= Tk. 24.15 million with EPS of Tk. 2.42 as against Tk. 22.74 million and Tk. 2.27 respectively.

ICBIBANK: (Q3): NPAT= Tk. -351.95 million with EPS of Tk. -0.53 as against Tk. -414.13 million and Tk. -0.62 respectively.

PRIMEINSUR: (Q3): NPAT= Tk. 52.92 million with EPS of Tk. 1.36 as against Tk. 59.86 million and Tk. 1.54 (restated) respectively.

ACIFORMULA: (Q3): NPAT= Tk. 110.11 million with consolidated EPS of Tk. 2.45.

PRAGATILIF: (Q3): Increase in life insurance fund was Tk. 188.46 million as against

Tk. 303.31 million for the same period of the previous year.

UTTARAFIN: (Q3): NPAT= Tk. 805.32 million with EPS of Tk. 7.07 as against Tk. 705.38 million and Tk. 6.20 respectively.

BDTHAI: (Q3): NPAT= Tk. 38.83 million with EPS of Tk. 0.82 as against Tk. 26.17 million and Tk. 0.55 respectively.

IBNSINA: (Q3): NPAT= Tk. 60.57 million with EPS of Tk. 2.83 as against Tk. 45.39 million and Tk. 2.12 respectively.

STANDBANKL: (Q3): NPAT= Tk. 649.73 million with consolidated EPS of Tk. 1.14 as against Tk. 484.72 million and Tk. 0.85 respectively.

BANKASIA: (Q3): NPAT= Tk. 802.56 million with consolidated EPS of Tk. 1.05 as against Tk. 736.23 million and Tk. 0.96 respectively.

ARAMITCEM: (Q3): NPAT= Tk. 8.08 million with EPS of Tk. 0.24 as against Tk. 29.34 million and Tk. 1.73 respectively.

ARAMIT: (Q3): NPAT= Tk. 63.52 million with EPS of Tk. 10.59 as against Tk. 51.89 million and Tk. 8.65 respectively.

ACI: (Q3): NPAT= Tk. 249.01 million with consolidated EPS of Tk. 7.24 as against Tk. 33.83 million and Tk. 0.99 respectively.

GP: (Q3): NPAT= Tk. 15,922.37 million with EPS of Tk. 11.79 as against Tk. 10,714.32 million and Tk. 7.93 respectively.

Latest PE 258.0 14.3 9.5 46.0 10.2 14.9 109.7 7.2 5.9 5.4

Among the large cap sectors, fuel and power and non-banking financial institutions appreciated by 1.6% and 1% respectively

SECTORAL TURNOVER SUMMARY Sector

▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼

176.00 22.20 6.70 152.30 99.20 34.90 44.60 5.90 47.60 53.50

Closing

5,456.82

Number of Contract

after the war crimes verdict against Jamaat-e-Islami chief Motiur Rahman Nizami might have made the investors shaky.

IDLC Investments said market survived above 5,100 point-mark despite investors’ weak confidence and low flow of funds.

It said following the third quarter earnings and year-end corporate disclosures, investors continued to re-balance their portfolio position.

Among the large cap sectors, fuel and power and non-banking financial institutions appreciated by 1.6% and 1% respectively.

All the other sectors closed in red with telecommunication lost the most of 1.4%, followed by banks shedding over 1%.

Pharmaceuticals and food and allied sectors also ended with marginal declines.

Gainers, however, outpaced losers as out of 305 issues traded, 169 advanced, 104 declined and 32 remained unchanged on the DSE. Summit Purbanchol Power Company was the most traded stock with shares worth Tk27.8 crore changing hands, followed by Grameenphone, Khulna Power Company Limited, Mobil Jamuna Limited Bangladesh and Khulna Printing and Packaging Limited.

Desh Garment was the day’s highest gainer, posting a rise of 14% while Popular Life Insurance was the day’s worst loser, plunging by more than 20% following its price adjustment after record date. l

Stocks declined for the second straight session amid choppy trading yesterday, as the investors continued to take profit amid mixed corporate earnings declaration.

The market swung between positive and negative throughout the session, as investors played both sides of the fence.

The benchmark DSEX lost more than 19 points or 0.4% to close at 5,154, hitting the highest value, 5,139, in the morning.

Company

Turnover (Million Taka) Turnover (Volume)

Thursday, October 30, 2014

% change 10.26 5.34 0.95 9.49 4.68 24.39 0.05 6.35 13.61 3.56 3.38 1.41 0.86 2.77 1.92 0.41 2.37 4.49 1.28 2.44 0.00

Prepared exclusively for Dhaka Tribune by Business Information Automation Service Line (BIASL), on the basis of information collected from daily stock quotations and audited reports of the listed companies. High level of caution has been taken to collect and present the above information and data. The publisher will not take any responsibility if any body uses this information and data for his/her investment decision. For any query please email to biasl@bol-online.com or call 01552153562 or go to www.biasl.net

DSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company Summit Purbanchol P-N Grameenphone-A Khulna Power-A MJL BD Ltd.-A Khulna Printing-N Olympic Ind. -A Prime Bank-A Summit Power -A ACI Limited- A Square Pharma -A

Titas Gas TDCLA SAIF Powertec-N Ratanpur Steel -N CVO PetroChem RL-A Brac Bank -A

CSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company Ratanpur Steel -N Khulna Printing-N SAIF Powertec-N Summit Power -A Summit Purbanchol P -N Khulna Power-A Alltex Industries -Z AFC AgroBiotech-A BEXIMCO Ltd. -A Shurwid Ind. -N

MJL BD Ltd.-A FAR Chemical-N Square Pharma -A Grameenphone-A Shahjibazar Power-N

VolumeShares 4,691,965 629,800 3,010,674 1,293,274 6,160,500 678,904 8,362,060 3,804,555 303,223 483,256

Value in Million 277.17 236.17 196.89 184.18 180.86 174.38 168.85 164.40 140.81 133.49

% of TotalTurnover 5.08 4.33 3.61 3.38 3.31 3.20 3.09 3.01 2.58 2.45

VolumeShares

Value in Million

% of TotalTurnover

1,462,454 1,713,600 1,496,200 178,370 2,364,203

344,200 706,000 278,400 454,736 290,513 260,309 845,500 255,500 320,073 302,000

67,651 219,500 29,452 19,600 11,900

128.66 124.82 120.17 105.29 84.95

27.78 20.91 20.31 19.62 17.22 17.07 14.63 13.97 12.61 12.41

9.62 8.80 8.12 7.36 6.95

2.36 2.29 2.20 1.93 1.56

6.52 4.91 4.77 4.60 4.04 4.01 3.43 3.28 2.96 2.91

2.26 2.07 1.91 1.73 1.63

ClosingP 60.50 374.60 66.00 140.70 30.30 258.40 19.80 43.30 462.00 275.70

88.40 75.00 78.90 611.90 35.60

ClosingP

79.00 30.40 74.80 43.30 60.40 65.90 19.20 53.80 39.10 41.90

140.90 39.90 275.30 374.50 190.90

Change % 5.77 -1.34 3.77 -2.09 9.78 2.26 -1.49 2.85 -1.05 -0.90

1.49 9.97 0.13 10.31 -1.11

Change %

-0.38 9.75 10.00 3.10 5.41 3.94 100.00 -2.36 -2.49 9.97

-2.15 2.57 -0.58 -1.32 9.97

ClosingY 57.20 379.70 63.60 143.70 27.60 252.70 20.10 42.10 466.90 278.20

87.10 68.20 78.80 554.70 36.00

ClosingY

79.30 27.70 68.00 42.00 57.30 63.40 9.60 55.10 40.10 38.10

144.00 38.90 276.90 379.50 173.60

DHIGH 61.00 379.00 67.00 146.50 30.30 259.80 20.30 45.00 480.00 280.00

88.70 75.00 81.50 618.00 36.70

DHIGH

81.70 30.40 74.80 43.80 61.50 67.00 24.00 55.00 40.10 41.90

145.80 41.10 278.00 379.00 190.90

DLOW 52.00 372.70 57.50 130.00 27.10 235.00 18.90 38.00 435.00 254.00

79.00 66.50 78.70 530.00 32.40

DLOW

78.80 27.30 66.80 42.00 57.10 62.60 15.10 53.60 38.90 38.00

139.10 39.00 274.00 373.00 190.90

AvgPrice 59.07 374.99 65.40 142.42 29.36 256.85 20.19 43.21 464.38 276.23

87.97 72.84 80.32 590.27 35.93

AvgPrice

80.71 29.62 72.96 43.14 59.27 65.56 17.30 54.69 39.39 41.10

142.27 40.08 275.67 375.62 583.99

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

Thursday, October 30, 2014

B3

WB: China can cut economic growth target to 7% in 2015 n Reuters, Beijijng China can afford to cut its 2015 economic growth target to 7% and still keep its labor market healthy, the World Bank said on Wednesday, even as it urged Beijing to stop setting rigid growth objectives.

“Our policy message is the focus should be on reforms rather than meeting specific growth targets,” Karlis Smits, a senior economist at the World Bank office in Beijing, told reporters at a media briefing.

“In our view, an indicative target of around 7% for 2015 would meet ... the kind of indicative growth that is needed to maintain stability in the labor market,” he said.

After 30 years of breakneck, doubledigit economic expansion that lifted millions of Chinese from abject poverty but also polluted the nation’s air, land and waterways, China wants to retool its economy to generate slower but better-quality growth.

It aims to grow its economy by around 7.5% this year, though many analysts expect annual growth to hit 7.4%, the lowest in 24 years. Both the government and the central bank have rolled out a series of support measures so far to avert risks of a sharper slowdown.

A sweeping reform plan that is China’s most ambitious in 30 years aims to overhaul the economy to let market forces supplant central state planning in directing the world’s second-largest

economy. The World Bank on Wednesday encouraged China to focus on reforms.

“A prevalent concern is that a policy focused on meeting an ambitious growth target, similar to one set for 2014, would require macroeconomic policies to remain oriented to support domestic demand rather than on reforms,” it said.

While some Chinese analysts have argued that only by advancing reforms can China power its future economy, the World Bank cautioned that any growth impetus derived from reforms would not be as potent as those in the past. “’Second generation’ reforms are likely to have a smaller impact on growth than the ‘first generation’ reforms implemented over the last few decades,” the World Bank said in its thrice-yearly update on the Chinese economy.

A calculation made by the World Bank and the Development Research Center - a think-tank linked to the Chinese cabinet - showed that reforms would increase China’s potential growth by about 0.8 percentage points in the first year, the bank said.

Spread over five years, reforms would raise China’s growth potential by a total of 3.5 percentage points, it said.

“Implementing such a coordinated reform plan can accelerate China’s economic growth potential, but it will not reverse a moderation of growth over the next decade,” the bank said. l

Workers labour at a construction site in Beijing

REUTERS

The equity cult Dollar steady in Asia as Fed meet wraps up Oil prices up ahead of Fed alive and kicking, n AFP, Tokyo outcome, supply report despite deflation n AFP, Singapore threat n Reuters, London

Anyone betting on another “Great Rotation” of investment flows out of bonds and into stocks is in for disappointment: it’s not happening, and isn’t going to.

In a world where deflation, never the most fertile ground for equities, is a bigger concern for policymakers than inflation, that seems a pretty safe call - but the surprise is that this time around both asset classes may be on to a winner.

Bonds tend to do better than stocks when inflation is weak because the value of the fixed income payments investors receive is protected. In periods of deflation the real rate of return is actually enhanced. l

The dollar was steady in Asia yesterday as traders eye the outcome of a Federal Reserve policy meeting later in the day.

The greenback fetched 108.12 yen in afternoon Tokyo trade against 108.16 yen in New York.

The euro was nearly flat at $1.2737 from $1.2733 and 137.73 yen against 137.74 yen.

Currency markets were stuck in neutral ahead of an announcement by the US Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) later Wednesday following a two-day meeting.

The Fed policy-setting committee was widely expected to end its six-yearold quantitative easing programme, but investors were watching closely to see if the central bank offers any new information on raising interest rates.

Policymakers have suggested the first hike in the federal funds rate, pegged at a range of zero to 0.25% since

late 2008, could come in mid-2015, as the world’s top economy gathers pace.

“All eyes will be not only on the description of the economy in the body of the statement and the FOMC’s forward guidance. It seems likely they’ll retain their view that it will be a ‘considerable period of time’ before rate lift-off,” National Australia Bank said in a note.

Earlier Wednesday, fresh data showed that Japan’s September factory production posted its biggest rise in eight months, but the news failed to dispel doubts about the strength of the wider economy following a recent string of weak figures.

Worries about the Japanese economy have boosted speculation that the Bank of Japan, which holds a policy meeting Friday, will have to expand its stimulus sooner than later, which would tend to weaken the yen.

In a rare piece of upbeat news for the eurozone, the European Commission said Tuesday it had found no serious

US capital spending softens, but consumer confidence rises

Fed awards $219bn of term deposits n Reuters, New York

n Reuters, Washington Demand for US-made capital goods recorded its biggest drop in eight months in September, a cautionary note for an economy that otherwise seems to be moving forward at a steady clip.

A moderation in home price gains in August, also reported on Tuesday, offered a further suggestion the economy may have cooled a bit, although consumer confidence jumped to a seven-year high this month.

“The weak capital goods orders and house price data confirm the slowdown in activity, but the burst in consumer confidence suggests that US households are very optimistic about the outlook,” said Millan Mulraine, deputy chief economist at TD Securities in New York.

Non-defense capital goods orders excluding aircraft, a closely watched proxy for business spending plans, fell 1.7% last month, the Commerce Department said.

It was the largest drop in so-called core capital goods demand since January, and it surprised economists who had expected a 0.6% gain.

Some analysts blamed the weakness on slowing growth in China and the euro zone, but they said there was no reason for alarm, noting that an array of other manufacturing indicators have remained relatively strong.

“You have to look at the comprehensive evidence we have seen regarding manufacturing, and it tells you the manufacturing sector is doing fine,” said Anthony Karydakis, chief economic strategist at Miller Tabak in New York.

A second report showed the S&P/CaseShiller composite index of home prices in 20 metropolitan areas gained 5.6% in August from a year earlier. It was the slowest year-on-year increase since November 2012, and just the latest sign the housing sector continues to muddle along.

Separately, the Conference Board said its index of consumer attitudes increased to 94.5 this month, the highest reading since October 2007, from 89.0 in September.

Washers and dryers are seen on display at a store in New York The jump came despite a sharp stock market sell-off, with households cheered by a steadily firming labor market and falling gasoline prices.

The strong confidence reading and healthy corporate earnings boosted US stocks. Prices for US Treasury debt were trading lower, while the dollar fell against a basket of currencies.

The mixed data was unlikely to have much of an impact on US monetary policy, with Federal Reserve officials expected to show little sign of being in a hurry to start raising interest rates when they end a twoday policy meeting on Wednesday.

With core capital good orders declining, overall orders for durable goods - items ranging from toasters to aircraft that are meant to last three years or more - fell for a second straight month.

Orders have been volatile recently

fault with eurozone member states’ 2015 budget plans, clearing France and Italy after they made last-minute changes to meet EU demands.

That came as the European Central Bank’s chief economist said in a newspaper interview that he saw no signs of deflation or recession in the single currency area.

The dollar was mixed against other Asia-Pacific currencies yesterday afternoon.

It rose to 32.50 Thai baht from 32.44 baht on Tuesday, and to 12,152 Indonesian rupiah from 12,147 rupiah.

The dollar inched down to Tw$30.36 from Tw$30.39, to 61.28 Indian rupees from 61.36 rupees, to 44.71 Philippine pesos from 44.78 pesos, to Sg$1.2724 from Sg$1.2740 and to 1,047.45 South Korean won from 1,049.80 won.

The Australian dollar rose to 88.66 US cents from 88.17 cents while the Chinese yuan was at 17.66 yen against 17.61 yen. l

REUTERS

because of big swings in aircraft demand.

Aircraft orders dropped 16.1% in September, which came as a surprise as Boeing had recently reported 122 new orders, up from 107 in August.

Core capital goods shipments, which are used to calculate equipment spending in the government’s gross domestic product measurement, slipped 0.2% in September.

While the weakness in shipments suggested a slightly less robust pace of business spending in the third quarter, economists said they still thought business investment would provide a sizable contribution to third quarter economic growth.

The government’s advance GDP estimate today is expected to show the economy expanded at a 3% annual pace in the third quarter, according to a Reuters survey of economists, after the second quarter’s robust 4.6% rate. l

The Federal Reserve awarded $219.114bn of seven-day term deposits to banks, a record amount, at a test auction held on Monday, it said in a statement on Tuesday.

The US central bank allotted them to 69 banks which will receive an interest rate of 0.26%. This compared with the $171.86bn in deposits awarded a week earlier to 66 banks, which received an interest rate of 0.26%.

The Fed has ramped up testing of its term deposit facility after the 2008 financial crisis to help policymakers drain cash from the banking system when they decide to tighten monetary policy.

On Sept 4, the Fed said it plans to conduct a series of eight seven-day TDF operations starting in October. These tests will have an early withdrawal feature in which banks can enter into the TDF and pull the money out before the maturity date if they pay a charge.

In the first four operations, there is a $20bn cap per bank and the interest rate paid on the deposit is set at 0.26%.

The next four operations, the interest rate paid will rise “in small steps” but it will not go above 0.30%. l

German banks don’t need to take further steps after stress tests n Reuters, Berlin German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said on Sunday that the results of the European Central Bank’s stress tests confirmed that German banks did not need to take any further action. “Some undertook further capital measures in the course of this year so no further measures are necessary for German banks,” he said in a statement. He added that if banks needed to fill gaps in capital, state funds would be the last resort. l

Oil prices rose in Asia yesterday as dealers await the outcome of a US Federal Reserve meeting and the latest US supply report.

US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for December delivery rose 29 cents to $81.71 while Brent crude for December was up 38 cents at $86.41 in afternoon trade. “The focus is clearly on the Fed,” Singapore’s United Overseas Bank said in a commentary.

A statement on the two-day Fed meeting’s outcome will be released at 1800 GMT on Wednesday.

The US central bank is expected to announce an end to its vast asset-buying programme, which was credited with propping up the world’s biggest economy after the 2008 financial crisis.

Traders, having already discounted

an end to the “quantitative easing” programme, are more interested in what bank policy makers say about the future direction of US interest rates.

“We expect the Fed to maintain its forward guidance on policy interest rates, saying they will remain low for a ‘considerable time’ once quantitative easing ends,” UOB said.

The Singapore bank added that the Fed will likely wait until December before it alters its guidance on interest rates, pending the release of more economic data. Dealers meanwhile are also eyeing the latest US stockpiles report for clues about demand in the world’s top crude consumer.

US oil reserves are expected to have risen by 3.1 million barrels in the week to October 24, according to the consensus estimate of analysts polled by the Wall Street Journal. l

Facebook spending gets thumbs up from analysts - if not investors n Reuters Another day, another quarterly report from a technology company that disappointed investors.

Facebook Inc’s shares fell as much as 7.4% to $74.78 in early trading yesterday, a day after the company revealed aggressive spending plans for 2015.

But analysts were taking a more upbeat view, saying the heavy spending will drive long-term growth and

reinforce the social networking giant’s market dominance.

No brokerages cut their recommendation on the company following the release of its third-quarter results, and several said the price decline represented a buying opportunity.

At least 15 brokerages cut their price targets on the stock, by as much as $8 to as low as $78, mainly to reflect the company’s expense and revenue outlook. l

MediaVest Bangladesh has recently availed G&R Ad Manager Tool. Rakibul Hasan, general manager of MediaVest Bangladesh and Mirza Salman Hossain Beg, head of sales and marketing at Green and Red (G&R) Communication were present at the singing ceremony

UCB has recently signed an agreement with Singer Bangladesh Ltd. The singing ceremony was attended by the bank’s MD, Muhammed Ali and AM Hamim Rahmatullah, MD and CEO of Singer Bangladesh Ltd

B4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Back Page

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Global consumer confidence improves, India most bullish n Reuters, London Consumer confidence in the United States jumped in the third quarter and improved globally, although people were more optimistic about job prospects than their personal finances, a survey showed yesterday.

India remained the most bullish consumer market, while Italy became the most pessimistic, according to the survey by global information and insights company Nielsen.

The Nielsen Global Consumer Confidence Index rose 1 point in the third quarter to 98, according to the survey The survey showed that concerns about the economy and job prospects had eased globally from the second quarter, but in North America and Europe that had been replaced by rising worries about war and terrorism.

European countries generally were the most pessimistic, reflecting the conflict in Ukraine, faltering growth and the risk of deflation in the euro zone. Britain and Germany, however, saw consumer confidence improve.

The Nielsen Global Consumer Confidence Index rose 1 point in the third quarter to 98, according to the survey, conducted between Aug 13 and Sept 5.

The index has been steadily rising since the first quarter of 2012 and the latest reading headed closer to the 100

mark that signals optimism among consumers.

US consumers were the seventh most upbeat globally, with their score rising 4 points to 108 as optimism about job prospects continued to surge.

Americans were also slightly more upbeat about the outlook for their personal finances than they were in the second quarter, unlike Europeans, who were more pessimistic, reflecting persistently low wage growth.

“US consumers are now feeling far more confident than in previous years of the recovery due to consistently good job market trends, reflected in steady payroll growth and falling unemployment over the course of 2014,” said Louise Keely, a senior vice president at Nielsen.

“They are also benefiting from lower gasoline prices and a gradually improving housing market. In the coming months, as we start to see more people re-entering the workforce and meaningful wage growth, this is likely to translate into broad-based gains in consumer spending.”

Australia saw the biggest increase in confidence from the previous quarter, by 12 points, followed by Slovenia with a 9-point increase and Thailand with 8 points.

Chile posted the sharpest drop in confidence, by 7 points, followed by the Philippines with a 5-point decline and 4-point decreases for Italy and Ukraine.

The Nielsen survey was conducted online and covered more than 30,000 consumers across 60 markets. l

People shop for clothes at a store during a seasonal sale inside a shopping mall in Mumbai

Japan factory output posts surprise jump but recovery unclear n AFP, Tokyo Japan’s September factory production posted its biggest rise in eight months, official data showed yesterday, but the news failed to dispel doubts about the strength of the wider economy following a recent string of weak figures.

Industrial production rose 2.7% onmonth, reversing a drop of 1.9% in August, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said.

That reading beat the median market forecast of a 2.2% rise and is the highest rise since a 3.9% expansion in January.

However, the quarterly data were less rosy with output from Japan’s factories shrinking 1.9% in July-September from the previous quarter, as makers of cars and home appliances tried to bring

down their inventories after an April sales tax rise hit consumer spending.

The quarterly output drop followed a 3.8% fall in April-June, when the world’s number three economy suffered its biggest contraction since the 2011 quake-tsunami disaster.

Industrial output had grown at its fastest rate in more than two years in January as it caught up with stronger demand, before losing steam in the following months.

Retail sales also got a boost ahead of the April 1 sales tax rise - Japan’s first in 17 years - as shoppers made a last-minute dash to buy staples and big-ticket items such as cars and refrigerators before prices went up.

The industry ministry remained cautious despite the monthly upturn in manufacturing activity.

“Industrial production fluctuates indecisively,” it said in a monthly report, a more upbeat assessment than its August report, when the ministry said production “has weakened”.

A survey of manufacturers released with the data showed that they expected factory production to edge down 0.1% on-month in October and then pick up 1% in November.

“The surge in manufacturing output in September suggests that the sector has finally turned the corner, but a strong recovery is not on the cards,” Marcel Thieliant, Japan economist at Capital Economics, said in a note.

Despite the lacklustre production, however, Japan is likely to manage to post small growth in the third quarter as activity in other parts of the econo-

my such as the retail sector “seems to have picked up”, he said.

“Overall, we still expect GDP to increase by around 0.5% quarter-onquarter in Q3,” following a drop of 1.8% in the second quarter, he said.

Third-quarter GDP data due out on November 17 will be closely watched for clues as to how Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s economy growth blitz, known as “Abenomics”, is faring.

The data will be a key factor in whether Abe decides to raise the sales tax again to 10% next year - seen as crucial to Japan paying down a massive national debt.

The GDP data could also influence the Bank of Japan’s monetary policy, which has been aimed at stoking inflation, but which has had an adverse impact on private consumption. l

S&P: India’s plan to grant new bank licences to companies poses risks n Reuters, Mumbai India’s plan to grant new banking licences to companies could increase risks in the banking sector given the chance that new entrants could be lax about loan standards, Standard & Poor’s said in a report on Tuesday.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is cautiously opening up India’s banking sector to companies. The RBI awarded two new licences in April after a gap of 10 years in a country where only one household in two has access to formal banking services.

The central bank will come out with fresh set of guidelines for companies applying for on-tap bank licences, or rolling applications that are assessed as they come, in the current fiscal year ending March.

“The sector’s stability or risk appetite could be hit if any of the new players relax their underwriting standards or undercut prices to gain market share,” said S&P. The rating agency also highlighted the risks from a prolonged weakness in Indian banks’ asset quality, which could hurt economic recovery.

S&P said it expects gross non-performing loans to rise to 4.5% by the end of March 2015 from 4% in the previous year.

However, Indian banks fare better on potential economic risks compared with Brazil and China due to a conservative central bank, stringent capital regulations under Basel III, and moderate inflation-adjusted real estate prices, S&P said.

The rating agency recently upgraded the outlook for India’s “BBB-minus” rating to “stable” from “negative”, citing the prospect of government reforms. l

Reuters

Alibaba’s Ma says open to working with Apple on payments n Reuters Alibaba Group Holdings Ltd executive chairman Jack Ma said he’s open to working with Apple Inc on mobile payments, as China’s richest person prepares to call on Hollywood this week in search of media partners.

Alibaba affiliate Alipay is China’s largest payments service, while Apple just this month debuted its own version of a mobile wallet, letting iPhone 6 users make payments at retailers with their smartphones. Ma told a Wall Street Journal Digital Live conference on Monday that he has tremendous respect for Apple CEO Tim Cook.

“I hope we can do something together,” he said when asked if Alipay and Apple Pay might tie up.

Ma, who amassed a fortune estimated at $25bn partly through his stake in recent market debutante Alibaba, is a

frequent visitor to the United States.

This week, he plans to visit a number of Hollywood studios, reportedly to strike up content deals.

“I want to come here looking for partners,” he said, adding that China will eventually become the world’s largest movie market.

Alibaba, which handles more ecommerce transactions than Amazon. com Inc and eBay Inc combined, does not have much of a presence among American retail customers and Ma said his focus for now was on serving his Chinese clientele.

Ma added that he wanted to work on selling American and European products to China, reversing the typical flow of goods over the past 10 to 15 years.

Alibaba has acquired some smaller American companies such as niche online retailer 11Main and Ma said he will continue to invest in the United States. l

China, Singapore to start direct currency trading n AFP, Shanghai

The United States Federal Reserve Board building is shown in Washington

Reuters

Fed set to end one crisis chapter even as global risks rise n Reuters, Washington The US Federal Reserve yesterday is expected to shutter its bond-buying program, closing one controversial chapter in its crisis response even as it struggles to manage a full return to normal monetary policy.

The Fed is likely to announce at the end of a two-day meeting that it will no longer add to its holdings of Treasury bonds and mortgage-backed securities, halting the final $15bn in monthly purchases under a program that at its peak pumped $85bn a month into the financial system.

An important symbolic step, the end of the purchases still leaves the Fed far from a normal posture. Its balance sheet has swollen to more than $4tn, interest rates remain at zero, and, if anything, recent events have increased

the risk the U.S. central bank may need to keep propping up the economy for longer than had been expected just a few weeks ago.

The statement the Fed will issue at 2 pm (1800 GMT) will be read carefully for signs of how weak inflation, ebbing global growth and recent financial market volatility have influenced US policymakers. There is no news conference scheduled after the meeting and no fresh economic forecasts from Fed officials.

“They are worried about the economy, the global one,” and are likely to leave much of their language intact rather than signal progress towards a rate hike, Morgan Stanley analyst Vincent Reinhart wrote in a preview of the meeting.

Attention will focus on whether the Fed’s statement continues to refer to “significant” slack in the US labour market, and whether it retains lan-

guage indicating rates will remain low for a “considerable time,” as most economists expect.

Paul Edelstein, director of financial economics at IHS Global Insight, said the Fed may also need to acknowledge the inflation outlook is weakening.

“They have been kind of wrong about inflation lately,” Edelstein said.

“It would behoove them to do something - signal to markets they are not going to tolerate inflation and inflation expectations persistently below 2%.”

Fed officials have largely stuck to forecasts that the US economy will grow around 3% this year, with inflation poised to move gradually back to their 2% goal.

However, slower-than-expected global growth and falling oil prices have called that inflation outlook into question. l

China has recently began trading its yuan currency directly with the Singapore dollar, the national foreign exchange market operator said, in the latest move to promote international use of Beijing’s unit.

The Singapore dollar is being added to the China Foreign Exchange Trade System’s (CFETS) platform, which currently offers transactions between the yuan and 10 foreign currencies, it said Monday.

The market operator will keep on publishing a daily parity between the yuan and the Singapore dollar based on quotes from market makers and allow the currency to move three percent on either side of the central midpoint, CFETS said in a statement on its website.

It added the move is intended to “promote the bilateral trade and investment between China and Singapore, facilitate the use of (yuan) and (Singapore dollar) in the cross-border trade and investment settlement (and) meet the needs of economic entities to lower currency conversion cost”.

China has long had direct currency

DILBERT

trade with the United States, and in recent years has added the Japanese yen, the Australian dollar, the New Zealand dollar and the Malaysian ringgit.

It started direct exchange with Britain’s pound in June and trade between the yuan and the euro last month.

It started direct exchange with Britain’s pound in June and trade between the yuan and the euro last month Direct currency trade marks one of China’s efforts to promote greater use of the yuan, also known as the renminbi.

Beijing keeps a tight grip on the capital account - investment and financial transactions, rather than those related to trade - due to worries that unpredictable inflows or outflows could harm the economy and reduce its control over it. l