02 Jan, 2015

Paush 19, 1421 Rabiul Awal 10, 1436 Regd No DA 6238 Vol 2, No 269

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015 | www.dhakatribune.com | SECOND EDITION

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WEEKEND

7 | LONG FORM

11 | OP-ED

12 | SPORT

GOBESHONA RAISES THE RESEARCH BAR

EDUCATION WEST OF THE BORDER

THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE

BFF STILL UNSURE OF BANGABANDHU GOLD CUP DATE

New books, new class, new year

B O O K I N G

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S M I L E

Record highest 326m books distributed among over 44.4m students ful because of the students’ presence n Abid Azad in uniforms, particularly after the disA joyful Ilina Jahan went to the capital’s Motijheel Government Boys’ High School premises with her parents yesterday morning to receive new textbooks for her new class distributed for free by the government.

To Ilina, getting new books at the start of every new class has been a matter of festivity since 2010. “I am so happy to get the new books in hand. I was eagerly waiting for this day since completion of my final examination last year,” she said.

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Her mother Afroza Begum said: “It is a great joy for the children to get new books at the beginning of a new year. It inspires the children. I found my child going through her new books with much curiosity.”

In addition to Ilina, several thousand students up to class IX of the nearby schools started gathering at the Motijheel school ground from around 8am amid the nationwide dawn-todusk hartal called by Jamaat-e-Islami, braving the cold.

The school ground turned colour-

tribution process was inaugurated by freeing colourful balloons. The happiness of the children touched their parents too.

Except for some allegations of mismanagement, the entire distribution programme conducted by the education and mass education ministries, for the sixth time this year, ended successfully throughout the country.

This year as many as 326,347,923 new books printed in four colours were distributed among 44,452,374 students of primary- and secondary-levels including those from madrasas across the country, according to the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB).

The government started the distribution of free books to students up to secondary level in 2010. This year the government has included in the list of free books two more books – Information and Communication Technology and Career Education of class IX and Work and Life-Oriented Education for class VIII. On December 30, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the free textbook distribution programme at  PAGE 2 COLUMN 2

Their schools are still in vacation, but these two young ladies from the Damkura indigenous village in Poba upazila of Rajshahi district cannot not wait to begin reading as they get their hands on the fresh textbooks that the government gave them yesterday AZHAR UDDIN

Padma bridge project well on track JCD gets permission but cancels today’s rally

Man gunned down in hotel room n Tribune Report n Shohel Mamun A businessman was killed at the capital’s Motijheel area yesterday when unidentified assailants entered his hotel room and gunned him down.

The murder of Abdul Hamid took place at Hotel Motijheel – located near the Dainik Bangla intersection – at around 7pm, said Proloy Kumar Saha, officer-in-charge (Investigation) of Motijheel police station.

Doctors declared him dead after he was taken to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Inspector Mozammel Haque of DMCH police camp said Hamid had a gunshot wound to his head.

Hamid, who hailed from Chittagong’s Sandwip, was renting room 201 of the hotel after reportedly arriving in the capital a few days ago.

The police said two young men came to the hotel yesterday evening looking for Hamid; the assailants opened fire using a small weapon when the victim – a businessman – opened his door to answer their knock.

However, Tofayel Ahmed, a boarder of the hotel claiming to be the victim’s friend, told reporters that Hamid was not a businessman, but used to work on a ship.

Tofayel claimed that he is also from Sandwip and checked in to the hotel while visiting Hamid. Police detained Tofayel.

No case has been filed so far in this connection. Sources said the body of the victim has been taken to the Dhaka Medical College morgue, while his family members have been notified. l

The construction of the Padma bridge – the biggest development project in the country’s history – is well underway with soil testing, dredging and river training progressing fast.

According to the Bangladesh Bridges Authority (BBA), around 24% of the project has been implemented until November this year; but physical progress has been 15%. The processes of awarding work orders to consultants and contractors for the six key components of the much-awaited bridge over Padma River have been finished.

As per BBA’s progress report, 28.5% of the approach road at the Mawa point and 20.5% of that at the Jajira point have been completed and the development of the service area is moving fast.

The works for the infrastructure

of the main bridge, river training and consultancy – the major components of much-talked-about project – started in full swing this month and all the works are progressing as quickly as expected.

‘Although technologies are being used, we are taking some added time for soil testing’ While visiting the project recently, the Dhaka Tribune reporter saw project officials with helmets on their heads giving directions to the workers for soil testing and building the connecting roads.

A construction yard has been built on a land of around one square kilometre area at the Kumarbhogh village.

Two mixer machines and a set of equip-

ment could be seen at the site, where around 500 workers had been working.

Some were crashing bricks and others erecting a building.

Workers could be seen working at the Jajira point in Shariyatpur district and Shibchar point in Madaripur district as well.

Shafiqul Islam, director of the Padma Multipurpose Bridge Project, told the Dhaka Tribune: “The work will be definitely completed in four years that is by 2018.”

On June 17, the government signed an agreement with the China Major Bridge Engineering Company (CMBEC), for the construction of around 6.15km main part of the bridge. However, on September 10, another Chinese firm Sinohydro Corporation Limited was appointed for the river training work.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 5

Despite getting the permission, BNP’s student wing Chhatra Dal has decided not to hold a rally in the capital today saying the permission given was too late for them to make preparations.

“We wrote to Dhaka Metropolitan Police on December 15 seeking permission for a rally on January 2 marking the founding anniversary of our organisation. On December 29, they [DMP] gave us verbal permission against some conditions. But it is not possible for us to arrange the programme within such a short time,” Abdus Sattar Patwari, office secretary of Chhatra Dal, told the Dhaka Tribune.

The BNP alleges that the adminis-

n Muhammad Zahidul Islam

Following seniors’ footsteps, Awami League’s student wing Chhatra League occupies private billboards ahead of its founding anniversary.

This photo of Dhaka’s Shahbagh intersection yesterday is just a glimpse of what is going on all over the city SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

With two days to go until the 67th anniversary of the founding of the Chhatra League, the group has illegally commandeered the use of a quarter of the capital’s billboards in a flurry of self-promotion.

The hijacking of billboard space by the ruling party’s student wing in the run up to January 4 defies both the prime minister’s instructions not to do so and an earlier decision by the group to abstain from using billboards and posters for the event.

In November last year, the Awami League youth wing, the Jubo League, took over 75% of the city’s billboards to celebrate its 42nd birthday.

At a Jubo League grand rally, Prime

5 | News

B1 | Business

INSIDE

3 | News

Ershad said Khaleda’s current situation is nothing but karma. He said what Khaleda is facing now is a punishment that history is giving her, for starting the politics of vengeance in the country.

tration has not been allowing it or any of its associate bodies to hold rallies in Dhaka. BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia was scheduled to address the Chhatra Dal rally.

Earlier this month, BNP backtracked from holding a rally on a college playground in Gazipur near Dhaka despite announcing that it was going to stage its programme at any cost even if the administration did not allow them to.

Gazipur district authorities enforced section 144 on the playground after ruling Awami League’s student front Chhatra League called a rally of their own at the same venue and time. None of the rallies were held in the end.

Later the BNP-led 20-party alliance  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

BCL grabs billboards, owners lose Tk50cr

Correction In yesterday’s front page lead story titled “Digital services take off in 2015,” it has been written several times that some mobile operators are going to launch 4G services in the new year. This information is not correct; only a Wimax operator is launching the services soon. We apologise for the mistake.

n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

The Detective Branch of Police (DB) recovered three fire arms and 1,000 bullets from Sabujbagh area of the capital after a drive early yesterday. A person named Saifullah Khan was also arrested during the drive.

8 | World

A passenger of AirAsia Flight 8501 became the first victim of the crash to be returned to family yesterday, one of many painful reunions to come, as search crews struggled against wind and heavy rain.

15 | Entertainment

Bangladesh has seen a number of fatal accidents in the RMG sector in the past few years. Lives have been lost in these tragedies, which have also left a horrifying effects on everyone in the country.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday sought the business community’s wholehearted participation to achieve $50 billion export target by 2021 to mark the 50th of Bangladesh’s independence.

Minister Sheikh Hasina warned the organisation about it and ordered it immediately to remove hundreds of billboards it had put up.

Chhatra League sources said despite the earlier decision not to assault the city’s visual landscape with a blizzard of posters and billboards, top leaders of the group, in a bid to assert their power inside the organisation, decided on the billboard blitz.

The Bangladesh Outdoor Advertising Establishment Owners Association (BOA) said the Chhatra League had “hijacked” at least 25% of the billboards in the city.

“Nobody sought our permission to use our billboards and we have nothing to do but see them as hijacked,” Hazi  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Friday, January 2, 2015

Maya: Many BNP activists joining Awami League Hanif warns that Khaleda may be dropped from politics too n Abu Hayat Mahmud Senior Awami League leader Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya yesterday claimed that many BNP leaders and activists were switching the side being disgruntled with the destructive political practices of their party.

Maya, also the disaster management minister, said they were scrutinising the BNP activists’ political records before inducting them in the Awami League.

‘Against Khaleda’s seven points, our one-point answer is: election will be held in 2019 as per the constitution’ “The BNP leaders who have contacted us do not like the BNP’s destructive activities. They want to join the Awami League. We will consider the requests of many others,” said the city unit general secretary while addressing a demonstration at Bangabandhu Avenue protesting yesterday’s hartal called

by BNP ally Jamaat-e-Islami.

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and several other senior leaders recently alleged that the government was trying to breakup the BNP-led 20-party alliance using the intelligence agencies. The Awami League, however, denies the allegation.

“Only the militants, thieves and robbers will stay with Khaleda Zia,” Maya said. Referring to the BNP chief’s seven-point proposals demanding mid-term national election, he said: “The BNP chief has put forward seven-point de-

Workers’ Party to observe Jan 5 n Tribune Report Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon yesterday said Bangladesh avoided a Thailand-like situation through the January-5 election last year.

He called upon all to observe the day as “Protection of Liberation War Achievements and People’s Rights Day.” l

mands. She can propose 700 points; but unless the BNP refrains from its destructive practices, none will be accepted.”

The next general elections would be held in 2019 as per the constitution. “It is our one-point answer to Khaleda Zia’s seven-point demands,” he quipped.

Maya claimed that the BNP chief was looking towards her “foreign masters” to help her come to power, “but her dreams will not be realised.”

Maya, however, declined to comment when contacted him over the phone to know details of the BNP leaders and activists interested to join the ruling party. “Come see me face to face, and I will give you the details,” Maya told the Dhaka Tribune.

Khaleda on Wednesday asked the government to sit for dialogue with a view to holding election under a non-partisan caretaker government.

But before declaring schedules, the former prime minister demanded that parliament and cabinet be dissolved, the Election Commission reconstituted, partisan government officials removed, deploying armed forces, releasing political prisoners, journalists and withdrawal of “false cases” and resuming operation of media outlets shut down during the Awami League government.

At another programme, Awami League Joint General Secretary Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif said Khaleda might be subtracted from politics if she took another wrong decision.

“Begum Khaleda Zia is not in Jatiya Sangsad for not participating in the January 5 national election. Now, she may be dropped from politics altogether if she makes more wrong decisions, and for her son’s [Tarique Rahman] remarks,” he told a discussion organised

by Jatiya Sramik League. l

 PAGE 1 COLUMN 2

the Ganabhaban by handing over new books to the students. The books had been sent to all the schools well before the formal distribution that began yesterday.

“The anti-liberation forces are observing shut downs to harm the education system of the country. They are trying to foil the festive mood of the innocent students,” Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid said at the book

staged a countrywide dawn-to-dusk hartal on December 29 protesting what they said was government’s plot to foil their programme. Sources said the party its allies have big plans for January 3 and 5 marking the anniversary of what they say was a “one-sided election.”

The programmes marking its 35th founding anniversary is seen as an acid test for the new committee of the Chhatra Dal. Soon after the committee was announced a few months ago, many leaders of the organisation who

thought they were deprived openly and loudly expressed their discontent.

According to a Chhatra Dal insider, as their president, general secretary, organising secretary and other leaders are facing arrest, the organisation has decided not to hold the rally.

“Some of our top leaders are now hiding fearing arrest. If we hold a rally, they will have to come out in the open.

This is not the right time to take any risk,” seeking anonymity, a Chhatra Dal leader told the Dhaka Tribune.

Meanwhile, the BNP has not yet got

Tribune Report

n Tribune Report The prosecution yesterday filed a petition with the International Crimes Tribunal-1, seeking the initiation of contempt of court proceedings against the Jamaat-e-Islami for calling ‘hartal’ programme over the verdict of war crimes convict ATM Azharul Islam.

They also sought such proceedings against Azhar’s defence counsel Tajul Islam, the Jamaat’s acting ameer Maqbul Ahmed, acting nayeb-e-ameer Mohibur Rahman, acting secretary general Shafiqur Rahman and its stu-

Md Rashed, the secretary of the BOA, told the Dhaka Tribune.

The BOA said last year, billboard hijacking for political programmes caused Tk50cr in losses to billboards operators.

The cost of the Chhatra League billboard grab across the capital – involving hundreds of billboards – is mostly borne by others.

This sort of publicity piracy, however, is nothing new.

The Jatiyo Party has also been guilty of billboard grabs over the last few days. It commandeered advertising spaces ahead of its founding anniversary grand rally as well.

On December 25, 2014 the central committee of the Chhatra League decided in an executive committee meeting not to use any billboards without the proper permission of its owners.

The meeting also decided that personal portraits would not be placed on posters or billboards, according to a press release signed by Sheikh Russell, organising secretary of the Chhatra League central committee.

Advertising industry sources said there are around 5,000 billboards in the capital which cost Tk150 per square feet plus 15% VAT which is paid over to

the city corporations.

The Chhatra League billboard blitz is especially evident in Dhanmondi, Farmgate, Russell Square, Kolabagan, Shahbagh, Mohakhali and on Mirpur Road.

The billboards previously carried the advertisements of various businesses.

Many leaders of the group have taken the opportunity to promote themselves. Banners, festoons and posters flooding the capital bear the portraits of Chhatra League men, from unit to central committee leaders.

Utility poles, roadside spaces, road dividers, foot bridges and building facades have been pressed into service for this self-promotion.

In some cases, local leaders get more prominence on the posters than do Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman or Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

But most billboards carry the pictures of Bangabandhu, the prime minister, and her son and ICT adviser, Sajib Wazed Joy. The Chhatra League also has built bamboo arches at different points of the capital, obstructing traffic.

City corporation officials say no one took their permission to do this.

At least nine billboards in the Shah-

dent wing Chhatra Shibir President Abdul Jabbar and General Secretary Md Atikur Rahman.

A prosecution team, led by advocate Rana Dasgupta, submitted the petition to the office of the tribunal registrar at about 3.30pm yesterday after they brought the matter to the knowledge of the first tribunal on Wednesday, when the court asked them to make the plea in writing.

Prosecution lawyers Sultan Mahmud Simon, Tureen Afroz, Rezia Sultana and Tapos Kanti Baul were present as members of the team during the submission of the petition. l

distribution programme.

“In 2010, we aimed at bringing all the children to schools. For this, 190 million books were distributed that year; later it was increased to 220m, 240m and then 270m. This year we have distributed the maximum number of books to the maximum number of students,” he added.

Syed Hafizur Islam, principal of the school, said: “It is a great contribution of the government to the education sector. Now all the students are able to

get new books at the beginning of every year. Once in hand, they get a whiff of what is to come and start reading the books.”

Such government initiatives are also very supportive for the lower-income people who cannot bear the costs of the books, he said. “It will eventually increase the number of students.”

Primary and Mass Education Minister Mostafizur Rahman and senior government officials attended the programme. l

DMP’s go ahead for holding a rally at the Suhrawardy Uddyan in the capital on January 5 to mark what is calls the “democracy killing day.”

Recently, a delegation of BNP, led by chairperson’s adviser Abdul Awal Mintoo, went to the DMP office to know the latest about their application for permission; but they did not get any answer.

Abdul Latif Jony, assistant office secretary of BNP, said: “We went to the DMP office but could not meet any high official. We were told that everyone was working in the control room

because of the [Jamaat] hartal.”

The party sought permission from the DMP and the Public Works Department (PWD) to hold rallies on January 3 and 5 either at the Suhrawardy Udyan, or in Nayapaltan or the Shapla intersection in Motijheel.

In a press briefing on Wednesday, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia labelled January 5 as the “democracy killing day” and said her party would stage demonstrations across the country.

She also asked the government not to bar their programmes. l

BCL grabs billboards, owners lose Tk50cr  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Contempt of court proceedings Three killed in road accidents sought against Jamaat n

New books, new class, new year

JCD gets permission  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

RAB members are on guard at the Sadarghat Launch Terminal during the second-day shutdown yesterday

bagh intersection feature Sheikh Anisuzzaman Rana, general secretary of the City South wing of the group.

“Actually I am not interested in billboard publicity for the anniversary.

But because City South wing president Anisur Rahaman Anis and both the president and general secretary of the City North wing have taken most of the billboards, there is nothing I could do.

To save my political career, I had to do it,” Sheikh Anisuzzaman Rana told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

He said he knew about the central committee decision but said there was more politics behind it.

Anisuzzaman Rana blamed Chhatra League Central Committee President HM Bodiuzzaman Shohag and General Secretary Siddiqui Nazmul Alam for playing dirty politics with this.

“When Anis and City North wing president and general secretary had taken care of their needs, they decided to try to create obstacles for me to get billboard publicity,” Anisuzzaman Rana told the Dhaka Tribune.

He said he would remove all of the banners right after the Chhatra League anniversary on January 4.

He claimed his men took permission verbally from the business houses that had rented the boards.

Despite many attempts by the Dhaka Tribune to contact Chhatra League President HM Bodiuzzaman Shohag, the student leader did not receive the call. General Secretary Siddiqui Nazmul Alam’s mobile was found to be switched off.

Requesting not to be named, a billboard businessman said: “It is not only this time – after the government won the maritime boundary dispute with Myanmar, we faced the same problem.

The Chhatra League, Jubo League, Swechchhasebak League and even Krishak League grabbed many billboards at that time.”

He said the current Jubo League Dhaka City South unit President Ismail Chowdhury Samrat began the culture of billboard hijacking after the government won the maritime boundary dispute with Myanmar.

“And with just this technique, Samrat become the president, so everybody took notice of this cheap, short cut to widespread publicity,” the businessman added.

Requesting not to be named, a former Chhatra League leader from Jagannath University and now a billboard businessman, said: “Everybody is getting involved in grabbing billboards.” l

Three people were killed and four others injured in road accidents in Comilla and Naogaon yesterday.

Our Comilla correspondent reports, two people were killed and four others injured a road accident in Burichang area.

The deceased are Roni,32, an auto-rickshaw driver; and Ibrahim Khalil,40. While the injured are Nilufar Aktar,27; her daughter Ankhi Aktar,13; Shurovi,13, daughter of Ameer Hossain of the same village. But the identity of another injured could not be known immediately.

Police said the accident took place as a bus and a CNG-run auto-rickshaw collided head-on in the area, killing the duo on the spot.

The injured were rushed to Eastern Medical College Hospital. Later, they were shifted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

Locals set fire on the bus after the incident.

Our Naogaon correspondent reports, a schoolboy was killed on the spot as a tractor ran him over after hitting his bicycle in Doaler Intersection area of Manda. The deceased, Abdul Barek Palash,16, was a class X student of Kushumba DB High School. l

Padma bridge project  PAGE 1 COLUMN 4

Both these firms have been held responsible for delaying project works in Bangladesh; Sinohydro delayed the upgradation of the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway and CMBEC delayed the upgradation work of the Joydebpur-Mymensingh Highway.

The cost of the main infrastructure of the bridge is Tk12,133 crore and the river training work, the second most costly component, will cost Tk8,707 crore. According to respective agreements, both projects are supposed to be completed in 48 months.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges inked a Tk383.15 crore agreement with joint-venture South Korean company Korean Expressway Corporation to supervise the construction of the main bridge and river training as a consultant. The Bangladesh Army is also working as a consultant in the project.

In 2007, the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) ratified the Tk10,162 crore project cost, although in 2011, the cost was re-estimated and nearly doubled to Tk20,570.

Because of a four-year delay after the World Bank pulled out of the project raising allegations of corruption, the cost of the project, now to be implemented solely with government funds, has increase by around Tk4,500 crore from the current estimate of Tk20,507 crore.

At present, the total estimated cost of the Padma bridge project stands over Tk25,000 crore including the shifting of a ferry terminal, river site protection and security issues, officials said.

Local company Momen Builders is now building an approach road for Tk193 crore. The firm is also building a service area at a cost of Tk209 crore.

According to the BBA, the government has already allocated Tk8,100 crore for its fast-track Padma bridge project in the budget for the current fiscal year and have already spent more than Tk6,000 crore.

The district administrations of Munshiganj, Shariyatpur and Madaripur have already received Tk1,070 for distributing among people who have sacrificed their lands for the bridge project.

The government has “pre-paid” 15% of the total costs to the CMBEC and Sinohydro. Around 70% of the cost will be paid by Dollars, which will be supplied by the state-owned owned Janata Bank.

Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader told the Dhaka Tribune recently: “I have assured people that

each of the contracts for the construction of the bridge, river training, etc will be done maintaining transparency and accountability and avoiding any kind of corruption.”

He said: “The government needs help from people for constructing the country’s biggest bridge with its own fund. By 2018, vehicles and trains will be using the bridge.”

Around 3,500 people are currently working for the bridge. Of them, 500 are from China and the rest from Bangladesh. Over 200 Chinese engineers, officials and laborers are now working for the project. In January and February, another 6,000 workers will join in.

The Mawa ferry terminal has already been been shifted to the Shimuliya village. Soil testing has already started at the Mawa point.

Abdul Kader, executive engineer of the project, told the Dhaka Tribune: “A Chinese firm had already brought construction materials to the Mawa point; some materials are waiting at the Chittagong port.”

He said: “Piling drive hammers are now being made in Germany. Those will be brought to Bangladesh by sea on December 27 and reach the constriction site in mid-January .”

Project officials said the engineer are now testing the condition of the soil, following which the piling will start.

Abdul Kader said: “Although modern technologies are being used in the project, we are taking some added time so that the soil testing can be done properly.”

The bridge will be two-storied – the uppoer one for vehicles and the lower deck for trains.

Officials said the the Padma bridge is one of the priority projects of the government and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is always kept updated about the progress.

They said the project is now a prestige issue for the government after the World Bank quit from it. The government also thinks the project, when completed, will give it a much needed political upperhand.

The feasibility study was done with support from Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica). The Asian Development Bank (ADB) helped in drawing the design.

The World Bank (WB), Jica, ADB and the Islamic Development Bank were the initial investors. But when the WB decided to pull out, the other three also quit, plunging the bridge into uncertainty. Then the government decided to build the bridge with its own money. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

3

Friday, January 2, 2015

A similar jovial atmosphere was found in many schools across the country yesterday as students burst into cheers upon getting fresh textbooks for year 2015 in hand. The photos were taken from Kamrunnesa Govt Girl’s High School, Dhaka, and Damkura Govt Primary School, Rajshahi yesterday RAJIB DHAR/ MEHEDI HASAN/DHAKA TRIBUNE

Ershad says Khaleda is now facing karma n Mohammad Al-masum Molla Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad has said Khaleda Zia’s current situation is nothing but karma.

“History never forgives anyone. You [Khaleda] sent me to jail and arrested my wife and son. When I was in jail, I could see my wife and children; but you do not know when will you see your sons again,” Ershad said while addressing a rally in the capital marking the 29th founding anniversary of his party.

The BNP boycotted last years January national election and in the process went out of parliament for the first time in 23 years. Khaleda’s sons Tarique Rahman and Arafat Rahman Koko are both living abroad now and facing several corruption cases.

The former military dictator also blamed the BNP chief for starting the politics of vengeance. “You started interfering with the judiciary; you formed a special court. You started imposing section 144 on rallies; you imposed section 144 on 142 of my rallies.”

Khaleda Zia has often accused Ershad of killing her husband Ziaur Rahman, the first military ruler of the country and the founder of BNP. Reminding Khaleda of the saying that what goes around comes around, Ershad said: “Now you are facing trial in a special court. Section 144 was imposed on your rally.”

Ershad’s JaPa is now the main opposition in parliament; but he himself is a special envoy to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and several lawmakers from his party are now ministers.

The BNP and the ruling Awami League, in a joint movement along with other parties, toppled Ershad’s military regime in 1990 after years of movement.

Ershad yesterday said: “I was blamed for killing Noor Hossain. Who killed Noor Hossain? If police killed him, then the bullet should have hit him from the front; but Noor Hossain was shot from the back. Noor Hossain was killed in a planned way because those who were in movement at that time needed a dead body. Noor Hossain is a victim of the politics of murders.”

Ershad, who is a special envoy to the prime minister, asked the government not to hike prices of gas and electricity. He said his party would stage walk outs in parliament if utility prices were hiked.

Expressing frustration with the prevailing political situation, Ershad said: “Could we not sit together? I, as the eldest politician of the country, am calling upon all the parties to sit together. Let us have talks, discuss how we can build a crime-free and bright Bangladesh.”

He came back to Khaleda saying: ““Bangladesh was champion in corruption four times. Do not you feel ashamed for making the country champion in corruption. Militancy flour-

21 illegal hospitals closed n BSS

ACC questions LDP chief on illegal wealth

The Ministry of Health and the Directorate of Health in joint eviction drives have so far closed 21 private hospitals, clinics and diagnostic centres across the country.

The illegal hospitals were shut down at the directives of Health Minister Mohammad Nasim, a health ministry press release said.

Some of the closed hospitals are Doctors’ Chamber, National Care General Hospital, Star Cure Medical Hospital, National Diagnostic Centre, Shahjalal general Hospital, Salema General Hospital, Mohna Clinic, Haven Dental Care, Jannat Dental care, Garden Dental Care and Al-Hera Dental Care.

Besides, 42 private hospitals accused of various allegations during sudden drives have been served show cause notices, the release said, adding the drive against such fake and illegal hospitals, clinics and diagnostic hospitals would continue. l

HM Ershad and his wife Rawshan wave at supporters during a rally of JaPa to mark its founding anniversary in the city yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

n Adil Sakhawat The Anti-Corruption commission yesterday interrogated Liberal Democratic Party Chairman Col (retd) Oli Ahmed on an allegation of accumulating wealth illegally.

Deputy Director Ram Mohon Nath questioned him at its headquarters from 10am to 1pm, an official confirmed to the Dhaka Tribune.

After finding proof of his accumulating wealth illegally in primary inquiry, the commission had asked Oli to submit the statements of his and his family members’ movable and immovable properties.

Oli submitted his wealth statement to the commission on September 25 last year. Emerging from the interrogation, the LDP chief yesterday denied amassing any illegal wealth. “Someone named S Ahmed Mia complained

ished during your rule. Do you think that you still have the dignity to stay in politics?”

While talking on Tarique Rahman’s statement that Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was a rajakar, Ershad asked the audience to chant “shame, shame.”

He said: “Is he [Tarique] a sane man?

Is he a sound politician?”

Opposition leader in parliament, JaPa presidium member and Ershad’s wife Raushan Ershad also spoke at the rally. She called upon those leaders, who had left the party, to come back.

“When election comes, all the parties get organised. But our party has always faced splits during elections. Four elections have been held so far; during each of them, we lost our leaders and activists,” Raushan said.

Mentioning the names of former JaPa leaders Anwar Hossain Monju, Kazi Zafar Ahmed and some others, the former first lady said: “Many left us just because of personal anger. We hope that they will come back to the party forgetting all sorts of divisions.” l

against me that I have illegal wealth.

“I believe that if anyone commits corruption or accumulates wealth illegally, he/she should be punished. As the commission is carrying out an inquiry against me, I have taken it as an order of the Almighty.”

He hoped that the ACC would not find anything illegal. “I never earned any illegal income and will not do so in the future,” he claimed.

After submitting his wealth statement, Oli earlier claimed that the inquiry was launched against him as he had refused to become a minister.

Now-defunct Anti-Corruption Bureau served him notice 18 years back to submit wealth statement. But Oli filed a writ petition with the High Court against the notice. After a long time, the court gave decision in favour of the ACC and ordered it to serve him notice again. l

Draft voter list to be made public for correction n Tribune Report Election Commission will publish the draft of the updated voter list today inviting people’s claims and objections.

The list can be found at three websites: www.ec.org.bd, www.ecs.gov.bd and www.services.nidw.gov.bd Around 46.72 lakh new voters have been registered in the electoral roll across the country, said EC Secretary Sirazul Islam at a press briefing at the EC’s media centre in the capital yesterday. Of the new voters, around 26.25 lakh are male and 20.46 lakh are female.

The new voter list will be available at district and upazila election offices, ward councillors’ offices in city corporations and municipalities as well as union parishad offices.

People will get the chance to correct their information and file any complains about the new list by January 17.

The correction and complains may include amending personal information and address, excluding names of died persons, appeal for migration from one area to another and any objection against any newly registered voters.

Besides, any person eligible to vote who could not be registered, can be included in the list by this time.

People will have to file application addressing to regional election officer or additional deputy commissioner or cantonment executive officers in city corporation and cantonment areas and to district or upazila election officers or up-

azila nirbahi officers in rest of the areas.

“After correcting information and resolving disputes by January 22, we will publish the final voter list on January 31,” the secretary said.

Quoting from an intelligence report, the EC Secretary told the reporters that despite taking special measures, around 46 Rohingyas were enlisted initially in the voter list with cooperation from Cox’s Bazar 4 constituency lawmaker Abdur Rahman Bodi.

After correcting information and resolving disputes by January 22, we will publish the final voter list on January 31 Following the report, the EC directed its officials to take necessary legal actions against the 46 accused and filtered them out of the list.

He urged people to inform the officials concerned in their respective zones if found any foreign citizen or Rohingya included in the electoral roll.

On May 15, the EC started the voter list updating programme and continued until November 15. Currently, there are around 9.19 crore voters across the country. l

Arrested SCC Mayor Ariful hospitalised n UNB Sylhet City Corporation (SCC) Mayor Ariful Haque Chowdhury was admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) yesterday after two days of his arrest in a murder case.

Earlier Ariful Haque, also a BNP central leader, had been taken to Dhaka Central Jail from Habiganj jail after he complained of chest pain at the dead of night.

Afterwards, he was admitted to DMCH Coronary Care Unit around 4am, said DMCH police camp in-charge Mozammel Haque.

On December 30, last year, a Habiganj court sent Ariful Haque in the former finance minister Shah AMS Kibria murder case when he surrendered before it seeking bail.

Earlier on December 21, Senior Judicial Magistrate Rashid Ahmed Milon, Judge of the Habiganj Cognizance Court 2, accepted the supplementary charge sheet filed against 35 people

by Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Police in connection with the killing of five people, including Kibria.

Three of the accused have been dropped from the charge sheet while 21 were shown arrested, eight on bail and 11 remained fugitive.

The charge sheet also included former State Minister for Home Lutfozzaman Babar, former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia’s political secretary Harris Chowdhury. l

A Jamaat man throws a crude bomb towards police after his group was dispersed while unleashing terror at the Shonadighi Moni intersection in Rajshahi’s Shaheb Bazar area yesterday during the second day of the Jamaat-enforced 48-hour nationwide strike AZAHAR UDDIN

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Friday, January 2, 2015

New year starts with hartal n Tribune Report The second day of Jamaat-e-Islami’s two-day dawn-to-dusk hartal ended yesterday amid sporadic violence across the country.

In the capital’s Gabtoli, pickets torched a stationary minibus at around 9:45am; no one was injured in the incident.

Darus Salam police station Officer-in-Charge Rafiqul Islam said the Gulistan-bound minibus was waiting to pick up passengers when the pickets set it ablaze. “We recovered three petrol bombs from the area,” he added.

Although no other major incident was reported in the capital, several hartal-related violence was reported from other districts.

In Narayanganj city, Jamaat-Shibir activists vandalised a bus and later torched it around 11am. A unit of firefighters rushed to the spot to douse the fire; no one was injured.

Officer-in-Charge of Fatulla Model police station Md Asaduzzaman said: “Hartal activists set fire to an Ananda Paribahan bus. The culprits fled the scene immediately and no one was arrested.”

In Rajshahi, Shibir activists hurled petrol bombs at the police in Monichattar area at around 10am. Police later hurled sound grenades and fired blank rounds to disperse the pickets.

Officer-in-Charge of Boalia police station Khandakar Nur Hossain said: “The Shibir activist lit a fire to block

Jamaat called the hartal protesting the death sentence given to its leader ATM Azharul Islam for his war crimes during the Liberation War the road. When the police went there, hartal activists hurled three petrol bombs. Chase and counter-chase took place.”

In Barisal, hartal supporters brought out flash processions early yesterday morning in Kawnia, C&B Road, Nabagram, Sagardi and Kashipur areas of the city. They also tried to block roads by felling trees and burning tyres, but

fled as soon as law enforcers arrived at the scene.

In Chittagong, the second day of hartal was observed loosely, with vehicular movement remaining normal throughout the district.

Chittagong Superintendent of Police AKM Hafiz Akhter said no major news of violence was reported. Additional police were deployed in Satkania, Sitakunda and Lohagora areas to avoid any untoward situation.

In Sirajganj, police recovered 10 cocktails, a pipe-gun, a pistol and 33 sharp knives from the shop of Imran Hossain, president of Shibir’s Ullapara municipality unit.

Ullapara police station Sub-Inspector Abdul Jalil claimed the weapons were kept there in order to create violence. A case was filed in this regard.

Jamaat called the hartal protesting the death sentence given to its leader ATM Azharul Islam for his war crimes during the Liberation War. BGB forces were deployed in the capital and other parts of the country to help other law enforcement agencies maintain law and order during the hartal. l

Defamation case against state minister Chumki n Court Correspondent

Moazzam Hossain Alal denied bail, sent to jail

A Tk50 crore defamation case was filed against State Minister for Women and Children Affairs Meher Afroz Chumki for terming BNP chief Khaleda Zia “the most failed leader” and her son Tarique Zia “ the most ill-mannered” of 2014.

Sabina Yasmin Chowdhury Bina, law affairs secretary of Jatiyatabadi Mohila Dal, a front of body of BNP, and also the joint secretary of Jatiyabadi Lawyer’s Forum (Dhaka), lodged the case with Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Court yesterday.

The court’s magistrate SM Ashikur Rahman recorded the deposition of the complainant around 2pm. Bina stated that Chumki made the derogatory remarks about the BNP leaders at a discussion in Gazipur on December 30. l

A Dhaka court yesterday rejected the bail petition of Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal, president of BNP’s youth wing Jubo Dal, and sent him to jail in a case filed for obstructing police from performing their duties during a recent clash in Bakshibazar area of Dhaka.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Ali Masud Sheikh passed the order after Md Ilias Ali, officer-in-charge (investigation) of Chawkbazar Police Station and also the investigation officer of the case, produced Alal before the court on completion of a three day remand.

Ilias Ali in his remand prayer mentioned that the accused need to put in custody for proper investigation in the case.

n Court Correspondent

The court fixed January 6 for hearing on the remand prayer. Earlier on December 28, the court granted a three-day remand for Alal. Meanwhile, defense counsel Md Sanaullah Miah filed a petition seeking bail of Alal.

On December 27, police arrested Alal from his Lalmatia residence in the capital.

On December 24, Md Delower Hossain, sub-inspector of Chakbazar police filed a case against 76 leaders and activists of BNP on charge of their involvement in a clash in Bakshibazar area.

The BNP leaders and activists clashed with activists of Chhatra League, a student body ruling Awami League, near a makeshift court in Bakshibazar ahead of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s appearance in the court in two corruption cases on that day. l

Without any major incident taking place during yesterday’s hartal by the Jamaat, these law enforcers at Farmgate have plenty of opportunity to chat as they sit leisurely on chairs placed on the pavement RAJIB DHAR

Snatchers held with firearms in Sylhet n Our Correspondent, Sylhet Police in a comb drive arrested four alleged snatchers along with two firearms and huge quantity of bullets from Shahporan area in the city yesterday.

During the drive conducted around 4am, police recovered huge materials used in snatching as well.

The reported snatchers are MA Kaher Belal, Atik Ahmed, Swapan and Rubel. Besides, police detained one caretaker named Farid and his son Manik for questioning in this connection.

When asked, Deputy Police Commissioner (North) of SMP Foysal Mahmud confirmed the drive, saying that they were trying to arrest the ringleaders of the snatchers. l

JS body wants to know how huge fertiliser disappeared from warehouse n UNB A parliamentary watchdog yesterday sought explanation from the authorities concerned over the recent ‘disappearance’ of 3,000 tonnes of fertiliser from a warehouse of Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation at Bhairab in Kishoreganj.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture at its 6th meeting at the Parliament Secretariat asked the three-member probe body formed in this regard to submit their report within a month.

Chaired by committee chairman M Mokbul Hossain, the meeting was

attended by Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury, members of parliament M Abdur Razzak, M Moslem Uddin, M Mamunur Rashid Kiron, AKM Rezaul Karim Tansen, M Nurul Islam Omar and Umme Kulsum.

At the meeting, the committee also asked the authorities concerned to conduct research on the depletion of groundwater tables in all the districts.

The committee expressed its satisfaction over the cultivation of rice, potato and wheat in the ongoing Boro season, and asked the Agriculture Ministry to take necessary steps to maintain the increase in the cultivation. l

Hospital launches year-long free service campaign n Tribune Report The Health and Hope Specialised Hospital in the capital’s Panthapath yesterday launched its campaign to provide free cleft-lip and palate services all this new year round.

Plastic and reconstructive surgeon Abdullah Al Tarik, according to a press release, will lead a team of surgeons to provide the services.

An assistant professor of the Green Life Medical College and Hospital, he also heads its Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

The campaign launching programme was inaugurated by Dr MH Choudhury

Lelin, chairman of Health and Hope Hospital and Health and Hope Specialized Hospital.

Prof Dr Quazi Billur Rahman, chairman of the Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, attended there as chief guest.

Dr Ismat Ara Haider, associate professor and head of the Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, Dhaka Dental College was present as special guest.

Cleft-lip and cleft-palate patients are requested to contact 01704742470 for registration all throughout this year. l

Petrobangla director asked to face ACC interrogation n Adil Sakhawat The Anti-Corruption Commission has summoned Petrobangla Director Zamil A Chowdhury and former managing director of Karnaphuli Gas Transmission Company Sanowar Hossain to face questioning on January 7 in connection with a recruitment scam.

Deputy Director Hrittik Saha sent two separate notices on Wednesday asking them to appear before the commission on that day.

They would be interrogated with regard to the allegation against former Petrobangla chairman Hossain Monsur of taking bribes in appointing 42

employees to 13 companies under the state-run agency. The commission on December 23 interrogated three deputy general managers of Karnaphuli.

It is the third team working on the allegations against Monsur. The immediate past inquiry officer, Assistant Director Sheikh Abdus Salam, submitted report recommending filing of case against the former chairman and 11 officials of Petrobangla and Karnaphuli.

But the ACC did not approve the report and formed the new probe team.

First inquiry officer Deputy Director Ahsan Ali was appointed by the commission on March 9. But he was sent to forced retirement. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

New Year celebration with new books

A total of 326,347,923 textbooks were distributed, free of cost, among 44,452,374 students n Tribune Report The air was festive in the primary, junior secondary and secondary schools around the country yesterday as students received their textbooks for the 2015 academic year.

The first day of the new year was especially excited for the school-goers as they received their free books despite the dawn-to-dusk hartal imposed by Jamaat-e-Islami.

A total of 326,347,923 textbooks were distributed, free of cost, among 44,452,374 school, madrasa and vocational students this year, the BSS reported.

In Barisal, the authorities started distributing around 18 million copies of textbooks among around 1.8 million students in the schools and madrasas across the division yesterday morning.

Barisal Divisional Commissioner Dr Gaus inaugurated the distribution at Binapani Model Primary School and Government High School auditorium

in the morning.

However, many teachers and students claimed that the number of textbooks supplied for yesterday’s distribution did not meet the total demand.

The total copies of secondary-level textbooks required in the division is 11,496,000, and the current stock of textbooks can cover only 90% of the demand, said Dr Mustafizur Rahman, divisional deputy director at the Barisal office of the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education.

Supply of the rest of the textbooks were delayed by the hartal, claimed sources at the Directorate of Primary Education’s Barisal office, while the teachers and students alleged that the books were still in press.

Mahbub Elahi, deputy director of Barisal DPE, assured that the remaining books would be distributed within next week. In Barguna, around 300,000 primary and secondary students in the district received around 2.24 million textbooks yesterday.

Barguna Deputy Commissioner Meer Zahurul Islam inaugurated the distribution at Barguna Government Girls’ High School and Barguna Zilla School.

Addressing the inauguration ceremony, the deputy commissioner said receiving the textbooks before the classes will motivate the students to work hard.

In Bhola, a total of 3,066,995 copies of textbook were distributed among the district’s primary and secondary-level students. Bhola Deputy Commissioner Md Selim Reza inaugurated the textbook festival in Bhola Government Boys’ High School, Bhola Government Girls’ High School, an Char Jangla Model Government Primary School.

In Daulatkhan upazila, the festival was inaugurated by Upazila Parishad Chairman Manjur Alam Khan. The inauguration was followed by a prize ceremony for extraordinary results and a cultural programme.

In Chapainawabganj, the textbook distribution was inaugurated by the district’s Deputy Commissioner Ja-

hangir Kabir at Model Government Primary School.

Addressing the ceremony as chief guest, Jahangir said education was the key to rid the country of poverty.

“The government is working to modernise the education system of the country. Getting the textbooks in the hands of the students before the term starts is a big achievement,” he said.

In Khagrachhari, the textbook festival was inaugurated at Khagrachhari Government Primary School, organised by the District Primary Education office with the assistance of Khagrachhari municipality. A total of 441,043 textbooks were distributed in 823 primary schools in the district.

After collecting their books, Class-V students Abida Sultana, Paisanu Marma and Nusrat Jahan said: “We are very happy about the books and will use them with care.”

Speaking at the ceremony, chief guest Kujendra Lal Tripura, a lawmaker from the district, said the government has

set a remarkable example by delivering textbooks to even the remote areas of the country on the first day of the year.

In Kishoreganj, 2,573,688 new textbooks were distributed among 567,900 primary-level students in the district.

In Kurigram, around 500,000 students across the district were going to get around six million textbooks this year.

In Naogaon, textbook distribution started around 11am at Naogaon Zilla School, inaugurated by Naogaon Sadar lawmaker Md Abdul Malek.

In Panchagarh, students were excited to receive new textbooks and enjoyed the winter morning by waiting for them.

Around 270,000 student in the district’s five upazilas received around two million textbooks.

In Sherpur, around 267,536 primary students received 1,240,886 textbooks.

In Thakurgaon, Deputy Commissioner Mukesh Chandra Biswas distributed around 3.1 million primary textbooks at Collectorate Public School and College. l

FM unveils book on late Ambassador Fakhruddin

WEATHER LIGHT RAIN

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2 DHAKA TODAY TOMORROW SUN SETS 5:22PM SUN RISES 6:42AM FORECAST FOR TODAY 26 27 25 26 24 25 27 27

Dhaka Chittagong Rajshahi Rangpur Khulna Barisal Sylhet Cox’s Bazar

21 21 18 16 19 20 19 22

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

29.4ºC Sylhet

10.8ºC Dinajpur

Source: Accuweather/UNB

PRAYER TIMES Fajr Sunrise Jumma Asr Magrib Esha

5:21am 6:41am 12:02am 3:47pm 5:23pm 6:44 pm SourceL IslamicFinder.org

Garment workers protest sacking of fellows in Savar n Our Correspondent, Savar Workers of a garment factory in Savar yesterday observed work abstention and staged demonstration in front of the factory protesting sacking of their fellows.

Police said workers of Alliance Knit Garments Ltd in Jirabo area staged the demonstration.

The workers found a notice in the factory’s main gate, which said retrenchment of 20 workers following a scuffle between some workers and the general manager of the factory.

On Wednesday, the factory’s General Manager Jahangir Alam verbally abused some workers for no reason.

At one stage, some workers attacked Jahangir. Later, authorities of the factory rescued him from the workers’ rage.

Mostafizur Rahman, director for industrial police in Ashulia, said additional force have been deployed to avoid any untoward incident. l

Kalim made Ctg Press Club president, Mohsin secretary n Tribune Report

n UNB Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali yesterday unveiled the cover of a book, ‘Regional Cooperation and Globalization: Bangladesh, South Asia and Beyond’, at his ministry.

The book, a compilation of articles written in memory of Ambassador Fakhruddin Ahmed and Prof Zillur R Khan, was edited by Dr Meghna Guhathakurta.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam and Ambassador Faruq Sobhan also spoke at the launching event held at Ambassador Fakhruddin Ahmed Memorial Hall of the ministry.

Speaking on the occasion, the Foreign Minister said, “This anthology of 11 articles attempts to explore the various issues and problems facing by South Asian nations, especially Bangladesh, from colonial times to its emergence as an independent nation.”

He paid tributes to late Ambassador Fakhruddin Ahmed for his sincere efforts for protecting the national interest and paving a smooth way for the country’s new generation foreign officials.

Fakhruddin Ahmed, a career diplomat of 1954 batch, had played a very crucial rule as Foreign Secretary in the early 70s and mid-80s.

He had also served as Bangladesh Ambassador to Itally and Yugoslavia and as High Commissioner to the UK. After his retirement, he was called to serve as Foreign Affairs Adviser to then acting President Justice Shahabuddin Ahmed in 1990-1991.

Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque and family members of late Ambassador Fakhruddin Ahmed were, among others, present at the function. l

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Friday, January 2, 2015

Furniture traders of the capital’s Panthapath area bring out a rally yesterday demanding immediate arrest of the murderers of Md Masud, a Panthapath based furniture trader who was killed on Wednesday RAJIB DHAR

The biennial election of Chittagong Press Club was held through picking Kalim Sarwar of the Daily Purbakon and Mohsin Chowdhury of the Janakantha as president and general secretary respectively.

The polls was held on Press Club premises on Wednesday and the results was announced by its election commissioner senior journalist Omar Kaisar in the evening.

The other office bearers were senior vice-president Kazi Abul Mansur, vice-president Salahuddin Md Reza, joint secretary Farid Uddin Chowdhury, treasurer Tapos Barua Rumu, cultural secretary Shahidullah Sahriar, athletics affairs secretary Golam Mowla Murad, library secretary Md Sawkot Osman, entertainment secretary Md Ayub Ali and office and publicity secretary Alomgir Sabuj. The other executive members were Faruk Iqbal, Moazzemul Haque, Shamsul Haque Hydori and Shahid-Ul-Alam. l

Bridegroom, four others burn injured

Ctg people celebrate first day of the year defying hartal

n Tribune Report

n Tribune Report

ATTACK ON GAYE HOLUD

At least five people, including a bridegroom and two children, were burnt as ‘miscreants’, threw flammable liquid on them during a pre-wedding function ‘Gaye Holud’ at Bhedarganj upazila in Shariatpur early yesterday.

Of the victims, bridegroom Selim Sarker, 28, and his five-year-old niece Rabeya Akter are undergoing treatment at the burn unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) in a critical state while other injured – Shahina Akhter, 22, Tohra Begum, 17, and four-year-old Siam – received primary treatment.

The wedding ceremony of Selim and Shiromoni of Shakhipur Anandabazar village, was scheduled for yesterday. When a pre-wedding ceremony was going on at Selim’s residence, a gang stormed into the house and threw flammable liquids

on the bridegroom and guests.

According to the doctors at the DMCH, one side of Selim’s face and around 30% of his body has been burnt while Rabeya suffered 6% injury of her body, including her one eye.

During a visit to the burn unit of the hospital, the Dhaka Tribune correspondent found that she was screaming because of severe pain. Her mother Sarola Begum was trying to console her.

Sarola Begum, cousin of Selim, said they had arranged electricity by hiring a generator as the area has no electricity connection.

“The Gaye Holud programme was almost finished around 12:30am and suddenly lights went off because somebody switched off the generator. Later, the miscreants threw the liquid on the stage in dark and my daughter and oth-

ers started screaming in pain,” she said.

“They will have to bear the sign of burns entire the lives as the chemical threw on them is dangerous,” said Partha Shankar Paul, residential physician of the burn unit.

Yunus Sarkar, brother of Selim, claimed that one local youth named Sifat threw the liquid.

“Sifat loved the bride and after Selim’s engagement with the girl, Sifat threatened him with dire consequences.

Then we assured him if the girl doesn’t want to marry Selim, we will not marry off Selim there,” he claimed.

“But the girl told us that Sifat is a stalker and she had no objection to marry Selim. So, we arranged the programme,” Police was looking for Sifat, but he went into hiding after the incident. l

The visitors thronged in the tourist spots in Chittagong city to celebrate the first day of New Year yesterday refusing the second day of dawn-to-dusk countrywide hartal enforced by Jamaat-e-Islami.

The city life remained as usual while no untoward situation was taken place in the city during enforcing the hartal.

Police and other law enforcing agencies’ personnel were deployed in the key points in the city to fend off any kind of violence during the hartal.

Police recovered a crude bomb in an abandon condition in front of Dr Khastagir School in Chittagong city’s Zamal Khan area at around 11am.

Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) Assistant Commissioner (Kotwali Circle) Shah Mohammed Abdur Rauf said they

deactivated the bomb adding that picketers might leave the bomb. Public transports were seen to ply in different routes in the city while a few private cars were running during the hartal hours.

No inter-district bound bus service was left the city for destination.

Despite the shutdown, people from different ages gathered in the tourist spots to celebrate the first day of New Year.

Sea-beach bound all the buses were seen to overcrowded where the readymade garment (RMG) workers were also seen to attend their workplaces.

The presence of the staffs and workers in government offices and other private companies’ office remained usual.

CMP Additional Commissioner Banaj Kumar Majumdar said BGB personnel were deployed in the city along with the other law enforcers. l

Police: Recovered arms, ammo to kill Jubo League leader n Tribune Report The Detective Branch of Police (DB) recovered three fire arms and 1,000 bullets from Sabujbagh area of the capital after a drive early yesterday.

A person named Saifullah Khan was also arrested during the drive.

Police claimed that the arms and the ammunition were collected from the Hili border area and brought in to the city to kill a central leader of Jubo League, the youth wing of the ruling Awami League.

However, the names of the Jubo League target and those who devised the plan were not disclosed for the sake of the investigation.

At a press briefing at Dhaka Metropolitan Police media centre yesterday DB’s Joint Commissioner Monirul Islam said they came to know that a group of criminals at Motijheel had planned to cash on the internal feud of Jubo League and murder the central leader.

“Acting on a tip off, we went on a drive and held Saifullah Khan, 40, from a house near Kodomtola bridge at Purba Basabo in the capital around 3:30am,” he added.

Following the information given

by Saifullah, they later recovered the arms and ammunition from the office of ‘Bangladesh Mobile Servicing Engineers’ Association of Bangladesh’ in the same area.

The arrestee told the DB that those were collected from the bordering area.

A man there gave him a total of five fire arms from which he gave two to one of his associates to gun down the Jubo League leader.

Monirul claimed that the arms were made in Brazil, Czech Republic and Slovakia. These arms are rare in Bangladesh.

“The group which collected the arms are not directly involved with Jubo League but they are closely associated with some Jubo League leaders. They actually work as a hired gang,” he said. l

Detective Branch officials present Saifullah Khan who was arrested with fire arms and bullets from the capital’s Sabujbagh area at Dhaka Metropolitan Police media centre yesterday MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

Nation

Friday, January 2, 2015

Use of tyres and logs in brick kilns posing threat to environment

A total of 69 brick kilns out of 127 running illegally in Brahmanbaria From the Sarail-Nasirnagar road, il- their kilns. The letter warned illegal act, any brick field with the old method n Our Correspondent, legal brick fields could be easily spotted brick field owners of legal consequenc- would be declared illegal.

Brahmanbaria

Despite a ban as per the environment preservation act, tyres and tree logs are being burnt to produce bricks in the illegal kilns in Brahmanbaria. The local administration is alleged to turn a blind eye to such activities instead of taking action.

According to the local department of environment, 69 brick kilns out of 127 in the district are illegal as they are still using the old method of fixed chimney.

Only 58 kilns are using the modern technology.

A recent visit to Sarail, Nasirnagar and Ashuganj upazilas found heaps of worn out tyres and logs in many brick kilns which are still using fixed chimneys.

by seeing the black smoke coming out of the chimneys.

People working at the brick fields said bricks produced by burning tyre and logs produce a better colour which is preferred by many buyers On November 6 of 2013, Nezarat Deputy Collector (NDC) on behalf of the deputy commissioner issued a letter to the illegal brick field owners to shut

es if their kilns were not upgraded to the 120-feet modern and environment-friendly ones.

Upon inquiry, it was learned that the owners were still operating their brick fields by ‘managing’ the administration.

Manager of Titas brick field of Sarail Abdus Sattar said: “We pay Tk1 lakh to the environment department to run the brick field.”

People working at the brick fields said bricks produced by burning tyre and logs produce a better colour which is preferred by many buyers.

The Brick Making and Kiln Establishment (Control) Act 2013 came into effect on July 1 of last year. As per the

Md Sayef Ullah Talukdar, deputy director of department of environment said: “We have certified 58 brick fields in the district so far. And we did not approve the ones with fixed chimneys dating from 2012.”

When asked how the illegal brick fields were still in operation despite the ban, he said the concerned authority would soon send mobile courts for a drive against them.

Deputy Commissioner of Brahmanbaria Dr Muhammad Mosharraf Hossain said: “An additional deputy commissioner has been given the responsibility to survey the situation. After that we will take legal action.” l

Ethnic people demand special budget Correspondent, n Our Khagrachhari Jatiya Adivasi Parishad and Bangladesh Indigenous Peoples’ Forum have demanded special allocation for the country’s indigenous population in the national budget.

They stated the demand at a seminar held at Rashahi’s Moonlight Garden Convention Centre yesterday, funded

by ActionAid. Speaking as the chief guest, Chief Adviser of Bangladesh Indigenous Peoples’ Forum Fazle Hossain Badshah said: “The disparity in budget allocation for indigenous people living in plain lands and living in the hills needs to be removed.”

“At least Tk100crore needs to be allocated for the plain land indigenous people, particularly women,” he said.

Demanding separate land commissions for the two groups, the local MP

also said government had failed to ensure constitutional rights of indigenous people.

Anil Marandi, presidium member of Jatiya Adivasi Parishad, said: “The government is playing a farce regarding budget allocation for the indigenous people. The villages of the indigenous people do not have electricity, tubewells or even markets. Government is only using them as source of votes.”

The speakers also observed that although the size of national budget expanded every year, the allocation for indigenous people remained the same.

Therefore, the little allocation was not making any improvements to their living standards.

They highly criticised the government for terming the indigenous people “ethnic minority” and called the indigenous people to stand united against such activities of the government. l

Three-day hartal takes toll on Bandarban tourism business n Our Correspondent, Bandarban A three-day hartal from Tuesday until Thursday has taken toll on the tourism business in Bandarban. BNP called hartal for Tuesday in Chittagong and Jamaat for Wednesday and Thursday across the country.

Hotels, motels and restaurants and transports businesspersons said they

15 pirates held in Barguna n Our Correspondent, Barguna Members of Border Guard Bangladesh arrested 15 pirates from Tekdia area in the Bay of Bengal under Barguna district yesterday.

The detained were handed over to Pathorghata police station. l

had been enjoying brisk business since October last year, but they had to face Tk3 crore in losses over the three days of hartal alone.

Hotel businessman Shahdat Ur Rahman said their business was hit hard hardly because all 50 residential hotels in the district town hardly had any tourists.

According to the Bandarban Jeep-Microbus Owners Association,

they faced around Tk12 lakh in losses each day of the last three days of hartal.

Jeep driver Abul Kalam said he could not earn even a little money due to hartal over the last three days.

Bandarban Hotel-Motel Owners Association General Secretary Md Siraj said: “We will have to close down our businesses if such hartals are called during the tourism season.” l

Jubo League man killed n Our Correspondent, Comilla A Jubo League activist was beaten to death by a gang of assailants in Lakshmipur Bazar area under Monoharganj upazila of the district on Wednesday night.

The deceased was identified as Shah Alam, 28.

Locals said, Shah Alam came under

attack by a group of miscreants on his way to home around 10pm.

The miscreants beat Alam with sticks, leaving him injured.

He died while he was being taken to Comilla Medical College Hospital.

Inspector (investigation) Sadequr Rahman of Monhorganj police station confirmed the incident. l

Chapainawbganj Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Jahangir Kabir inaugurates text book festival yesterday at Government Model Primary School in the district. The picture shows students in the school holding up with new syllabuses books DHAKA TRIBUNE

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Long Form

7

Friday, January 2, 2015

Education west of the border

An overwhelming majority of the Indian Union’s citizens have nothing to do with central boards or central universities

REUTERS

The disproportionate focus on Delhi-sponsored institutions and its undesired results – a cautionary tale for Bangladesh’s education culture

I

n Garga Chatterjee

t is always an interesting experience to watch televised “national news” beamed from National Capital Region (which is a short-hand for Delhi and the areas around Delhi that have been appended to meet the ravenous appetite for “cosmopolitan” living at the cost of devastating long-existing rural communities) studios, with “national” experts telling the viewers the most important issues of the day for the “nation.”

For most, not being able to talk in their mother tongue for a day is a source of discomfort. This discomfort is hard to explain to those who can afford to be rootless ‘world citizens’

The glitzy presentation and the earnest tone would make you believe what you saw is what matters. It set me thinking of the education-related and educational institution issues that have received greatest media highlight in recent times. Broad topics like replacement of German by sub-continental languages in Kendriya Vidyalaya schools, National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT) syllabi and textbooks and the battle over their ideological slant to more micro-issues like four-year degree programme in Delhi University, students union elections of universities in Delhi, dropping of an essay on Ramayans from the syllabus by the History department of Delhi University, library entry in Aligarh Muslim University and so forth are some of the things that gripped the “nation.”

What is common to these things that received maximum highlight?

To use a Bangla expression, all these issues belong to that super-subsidised set of institutions (compared to those funded by state governments) whose tiki/shikha/hair-tuft/choti is tied to the central government in Delhi. It just so happens that an overwhelming majority of the Indian Union’s citizens have nothing to do with central boards or central universities.

They do not get the kind of subsidies that are taken for granted by Delhi-sponsored institutions. They do the task of education based on

REUTERS

mettle alone, without the central subsidy props to heighten or brighten them. The disproportionate focus on Delhi-sponsored institutions tells you that the portrayers of reality also have a stake in the perpetuation in this skewed nature of things.

Hegemony is no omnipotent god – it needs committed cadres who understand that value of the shikha to themselves and hence have a stake in the perpetuation of this status-quo.

The present power of the Delhi ideology comes from years of centralised decision-making in education by the virulently rootless (intellectual roots situated in Europe of 1960 or in the River Ganga banks of 500 BCE are equally alien). We must identify the relationship between the beneficiaries of power/subsidy and the favourite media “concerns” in the education sector and also realise that the nature of what they are concerned about and what they aren’t concerned about isn’t accidental.

For instance, it is never about geographically differential resource allocation – Maharashtra, West Bengal, Karnataka, Kerala and Orissa together have as many central universities as Delhi. But in its purest form Delhi (less of a place and more of an ideology of power, being at the apex of clientelist networks like the USA), the concept is more powerful than the place, though the place and its people are an important part of the power of the concept.

There is a way in which Delhi ideology works that is quite interesting.

It is not as if everyone follows it, but due to subsidy-powered differences, it creates a hierarchy that forces others to align themselves with the ideology or be left out. Indeed, central government policies punish those state boards, institutions and universities that don’t fall in line. From that starts a trend to tend towards Delhi.

Language is a crucial component of this ideology. Deracination is the ultimate objective, well hidden under the Delhi ideology’s call for “national integration,” as if a Tamil, in Tamil Nadu, sticking to Tamil in daily interactions and considering herself only a Tamil is an inadequate human being, who needs to be reformed into something else.

The ideology first instills inferiority complex and then parades the fruits of converting. The elites of so-called “vernacular” origin are the easiest to sway. With their unassailable social locus and non-negotiable inherited privilege, they make the “cosmopolitan” quantum leap. They jump ship and still control the narrative about the deserted ship. It is just perfect.

I consider myself fortunate that my parents chose a school for me where learning Hindi was not mandatory.

Apart from my mother tongue, Bangla, there was some choice about what sub-continental language I have to learn. I came to know much later that in most other parts of the Indian Union and those schools in West Bengal who followed boards and syllabi imported from Delhi, this was not the case.

In fact, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu are among the very few states of the Indian Union where one can finish schooling without ever having to learn Hindi compulsorily. Everyone else learned Hindi in what is touted to be a diverse, multi-lingual nation-state!

By way of standard, the West Bengal board had a gradation in terms of First language, Second language and Third language – with first, second and third corresponding to a decreasing order in terms the breadth and toughness of the syllabus.

In my secondary and higher-secondary examination, my first language was Bangla and my second language was English. English was merely a “medium” in my school and in my head – a code to decipher certain kinds of knowledge, a tool of expression in certain settings. Those among us who are confident in the power of the limbs that gods have given us naturally, use the alien but useful tool not as a crutch for daily walking but for certain specialist functions – mostly for ensuring upward social mobility and communicating with people who don’t know our mother-tongue. For much else, there is the mother tongue.

A certain class faces immense discomfort and intellectual challenge to continuously talk in their mother tongue even for a day. But for most others, not being able to talk in their mother tongue for a day is a source of discomfort. This latter discomfort is hard to explain to those who can afford to be rootless “world citizens” by dint of affluence, connections, the bright light of tongue erudition and mobility, all of which act as filters, resulting in the creation of a largely homogenous contemporary liberal urban class.

This is the urban consumer class that has money as well as the right kind of “taste.” Big business, swadeshi and bideshi, loves them. This non-diverse crowd loves the subcontinent’s diversity in the same way that the very cooking-skill challenged me likes good biryani cooked by others. With the right kind of “erudition,” one can reinvent this skill-less self into a biryani “aficionado” or even “specialist.”

Deracination is the ultimate objective, well hidden under the Delhi ideology’s call for ‘national integration,’ as if a Tamil, in Tamil Nadu, sticking to Tamil in daily interactions and considering herself only a Tamil is an inadequate human being

Diversity-lovers consider it degrading to be comparable in any way to the diverse multitude. Knowledge is not power, distance is. Diversity is to be “celebrated” but not produced – Modi-lovers and haters are united in this attitude. They occasionally try to cover-up this unity by condemning each other. All the condemnations are Made in Delhi.

The vast number of the rooted “provincials” (that is the majority of the people) in whose names and with whose money this sordid, almost private spectacle is played out, are mere spectators.

For a plural Indian Union, a rebalancing of power is needed. Token, domesticated, tooth-less diversity needs to be replaced by an insurgent pluralism that would be for parity between languages and would work towards creating an equally subsidised playing field across all public institutions, whether controlled by the state government or the central government. Then we shall come to know which contemporary bright ones owe their “brilliance” to subsidised, focused light. l Garga Chatterjee is a freelance contributor.

He can be followed on twitter @gargac.

8

DHAKA TRIBUNE

World

Friday, January 2, 2015

First of nine bodies from AirAsia crash identified n AP, Surabaya

A passenger aboard AirAsia Flight 8501 became the first victim of the crash to be returned to her family yesterday, one of many painful reunions to come, as search crews struggled against wind and heavy rain to find more than 150 people still missing.

Hayati Lutfiah Hamid’s identity was confirmed by fingerprints and other means, said Col. Budiyono of East Java’s Disaster Victim Identification Unit.

Her body, in a dark casket topped with flowers, was handed over to family members during a brief ceremony at a police hospital in Surabaya, the Indonesian city where the plane took off. A relative cried as she placed both hands against the polished wood.

The coffin was then taken to a village and lowered into a muddy grave, following Muslim obligations requiring bodies to be buried quickly. An imam said a simple prayer as about 150 people gathered in the drizzling rain, and red flowers were sprinkled over the mound of wet dirt topped by a small white tombstone.

The Airbus A320 crashed into the Java Sea on Sunday with 162 people on board. Nine bodies have been recovered so far, including two yesterday. Remains are being sent initially to Pangkalan Bun, the closest town on Borneo island, before being transported to Surabaya, Indonesia’s second-largest city, where Flight 8501 had taken off.

In the thick of Indonesia’s rainy season, the weather has frequently prevented helicopters and divers from operating while strong sea currents have kept debris moving.

Singapore’s navy sent an unmanned underwater vehicle capable of surveying the seabed to try to pinpoint the wreckage and the all-important “black boxes” — flight data and cockpit voice recorders.

A relative weeps during the handover of the body of Hayati Lutfiah, one of the victims of Flight 8501, to her family at the police hospital in Surabaya, Indonesia, yesterday More than 50 ships, mostly from Indonesia, were scouring the area with hightech detection equipment. Aircraft with metal detectors also were deployed.

We are “focusing on finding the body of the plane,” Indonesia air force spokesman Rear Marshal Hadi Tjah-

janto told reporters. “There was something like a dark shadow once seen from a plane, but it cannot yet be proven as wreckage.”

Sonar images have identified what appeared to be large parts of the plane.

“It’s possible the bodies are in the

Hundreds rescued abandoned ship in Greek waters n

BBC

Almost 1,000 migrants have been rescued from a cargo ship found adrift in Greek waters, the Red Cross says.

The Blue Sky M, carrying 970 people, had been abandoned and left on autopilot by its crew, believed to be people traffickers.

Italian coastguards later brought it under control and safely docked it at the Italian port of Gallipoli.

The migrants, believed to be mainly Syrians and Kurds, have been taken to local schools and a gymnasium.

Thirty-five of them were taken to hospital, with some treated for hypothermia, Italian Red Cross spokeswoman Mimma Antonacci said.

“They [the migrants] are now in all the schools around Gallipoli and they are recording now and trying to find out the names, but we’re talking about Syrians,” she added.

The Italian Red Cross had previously said that four people were found dead on the ship. It later withdrew its report, and officials now say no-one is known to have died on the ship, Reuters reports.

The passengers of the Blue Sky M cargo ship have a strange, terrifying story to tell. Hundreds of migrants paid thousands of dollars each to smugglers to get them to Europe.

Mohammed from Iraq was one of the passengers. “One week we sleep in the ship,”

he said in broken English. “[We] don’t have clean water, don’t have food, don’t have doctor… women, children all sick.”

It would appear that the smugglers left the ship’s controls on autopilot and then abandoned ship - leaving the Blue Sky M to head towards the Italian coast. The migrants inside the boat did not know what was going on.

“Inside the room,” continued Mohammed, “[We] don’t have any information about life or death.”

The coastguard boarded the ship, disengaged the autopilot and steered it to port. In Gallipoli, the refugees are now being cared for in local schools.

“It’s an emergency, a real emergency,” says rescue volunteer Federica Palumbo.

Migrant surge Ambulance crews stood waiting as the ship docked in the early hours of New Year’s Eve. A local eyewitness in Gallipoli, Gilberto Busti, told the BBC World Service he had seen hundreds of people - who he thought could be Syrian and Kurdish refugees - disembarking from the vessel.

Italy has had to deal with a massive surge in migrants - many of them from the Middle East and the Horn of Africa - setting off on boats with hopes of reaching Europe.

The most common sea route for the clandestine voyages has been from Libya but this ship is said to have started in Turkey. l

fuselage,” said Vice Air Marshal Sunarbowo Sandi, search and rescue coordinator in Pangkalan Bun. “So it’s a race now against time and weather.”

The longer the search takes, the more corpses will decompose and debris scatter.

AP

Aviation expert Geoffrey Thomas in Australia said there’s a good chance the plane hit the water largely intact, and that many passengers remain inside it.

He added that bodies recovered so far would have come out with a

breach in the fuselage. “But most passengers still should have had their seat belts on, particularly as the plane was going into weather. The captain would have still had the seat belt sign on.”

It is unclear what brought the plane down about halfway into its two-hour flight from Surabaya to Singapore. The jet’s last communication indicated the pilots were worried about bad weather. They sought permission to climb above threatening clouds but were denied because of heavy air traffic. Four minutes later, the airliner disappeared from the radar without issuing a distress signal.

The black boxes hold data that will help investigators determine the cause of the crash but have yet to be recovered. Items found so far include a life jacket, an emergency exit door, an inflatable slide, children’s shoes, a blue suitcase and backpacks filled with food.

Relatives have given blood for DNA tests and submitted photos of their loved ones, along with identifying information such as tattoos or birthmarks that could help make the process easier.

The long wait, with its starts and stops, has been frustrating for Sugiarti.

Her 40-year-old sister, Susiyah, was a nanny traveling to Singapore for a vacation with her employers and their 2-year-old daughter.

“I hope that they can find her body soon. I feel sorry for my sister because it has already been five days,” she told reporters at a crisis center set up at a Surabaya police station. “I am trying very hard to be patient.”

Nearly all the passengers were Indonesian, and many were Christians of Chinese descent. The country is predominantly Muslim, but sizeable pockets of people of other faiths are found throughout the sprawling archipelago. l

Putin: Crimea annexation important milestone n Agencies President Vladimir Putin has commended Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea Peninsula, thanking his people for their bravery and loyalty in his New Year’s speech.

In his annual speech on Wednesday, Putin said that “this event will forever remain a most important

milestone in our history.”

He said that love for the motherland was what ensured that the Crimean peninsula joined Russia in March after a controversial referendum.

The pre-recorded speech has already been broadcasted in Russia’s far eastern regions, where the holiday was celebrated hours ahead of Mos-

Canada tries to make sense of mass slaying n AFP, Montreal Investigators in western Canada sought to unravel Wednesday what caused a depressed man to kill eight people – including two children – then commit suicide.

The killings took place between Monday and Tuesday in the city of Edmonton, in Alberta province, and have left residents of the snowy city reeling.

Investigators say the killings were carried out by a man of Vietnamese origin who had been living in Canada for a long time and had a lengthy criminal past.

He first went into a home, then shot and killed a 37-year-old woman, Cindy Duong, on Monday then traveled to a different part of the city and used a handgun to kill seven other people in a different home.

Edmonton Police Chief Rod Knecht has said the attack was planned, deliberate and the worst mass killing in the city’s history.

“In my 39 years of policing, I’ve never seen anything like it,” Knecht said.

“It’s chaotic, horrific,” he added when referring to the crime scene. “This a horrific event for the city.”

According to police, the suspect co-owned the house where the seven people were killed. The bodies of two children less than 10 years old were found there, along with the corpses of three women and two men aged between 25 and 50.

After the presumed killer carried out the attacks, he drove to a Vietnamese restaurant in Fort Saskatchewan, a northeastern suburb of Edmonton, and

killed himself.

Authorities indicated that the suspect had a business interest in the restaurant.

The man was 57, according to local media. Police have not yet released his name.

The tragedy is being classed as domestic violence, though police have not yet disclosed how the victims and the perpetrator may have been related.

After the presumed killer carried out the attacks, he drove to a Vietnamese restaurant and killed himself Investigators say the presumed killer had a history of police contacts dating back to 1987, including for domestic violence and sexual assault. He was also in deep financial distress.

Authorities plan to only release the identities of the other victims and the killer after autopsy results are available.

The killings were carried out with a 9mm handgun stolen in neighboring British Colombia in 2006, police said.

Mass killings and gun crime are relatively rare in Canada compared to the neighboring United States, where gun ownership is also much more widespread. l

cow because of the time difference.

But as the Russian president bid farewell to what he described as a historic year, he made no mention of the problems of Western sanctions, falling oil prices and the economic crisis that will possibly put Russia into recession in 2015.

Along with his message to Russian communities, Putin spoke to

heads of state and international organisations, including US President Barack Obama.

He mentioned the upcoming 70th anniversary of the allied victory in World War II, and said that should serve as a reminder of “the responsibility that Russia and the United States bear for maintaining peace and international stability.” l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

World

Friday, January 2, 2015

9

FAKE MONEY THROWN FROM BUILDING

Shanghai New Year’s Eve stampede kills 36 n Reuters, Shanghai

People watch a light show before a stampede incident occurred at the New Year’s celebration on the Bund, a waterfront area in central Shanghai on Wednesday. The stampede killed at least 36 people, authorities said, possibly caused by people rushing to pick up fake money thrown from a building REUTERS

Afghan army probed after mortars kill 20 at wedding n AFP, Kabul Afghanistan yesterday launched an investigation into whether the army was responsible for mortars fired into a wedding party that killed at least 20 guests in the restive southern province of Helmand.

Many of the dead were women and children and at least 50 people were injured in the incident late Wednesday in Sangin district, a Taliban stronghold where US and British troops were involved in years of fierce fighting.

The attack came during clashes in the area between Afghan forces and insurgents following the end of Nato’s combat operations on December 31 after 13 years of war.

“We confirm the attack on a wedding ceremony in Sangin last night,” deputy defence ministry spokesman Dawlat Waziri told AFP. “We have appointed a delegation to do their investigation. They went to the area where the attack took place. After their investigation, we will share its results.”

Karem Atal, head of the Helmand provincial council, said the Afghan army was to blame for the mistaken attack.

The Taliban issued a statement also saying the Afghan army was responsible.

“Last night, puppet security forces fired mortars from so many directions on a wedding ceremony,” the statement said. l

Palestinians face new diplomatic battle over ICC n AFP, Ramallah The Palestinians were facing a fresh diplomatic battle yesterday after taking steps to join the International Criminal Court in a move which was strongly condemned by both Washington and Israel.

The dramatic move to join the Hague-based court, which could pave the way for the Palestinians to sue Israeli officials for war crimes, came less than 24 hours after the UN Security Council rejected a resolution seeking to set a deadline for ending the occupation.

The resolution’s failure was hailed

by Israel as a success, but Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas quickly moved to sign a request to join the court, finally making good on a threat which has been in the offing for years.

The Palestinians hope that joining the court will pave the way for them to seek justice against Israel for its actions in the occupied territories.

The move drew a sharp reaction from the US State Department and a derisive response from Israel, setting the stage for a new confrontation over Palestinian diplomatic efforts to end the decades-long occupation.

“We will rebuff this attempt to force diktats on us just as we repelled the Palestinian appeal to the UN Security Council,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said late on Wednesday, insisting that the Palestinians had more to fear from the court than Israel.

“It is the Palestinian Authority that has formed a unity government with Hamas – an avowed terrorist organisation that, like the Islamic State (group), carries out war crimes – which should be concerned about the ICC,” he said.

State Department spokesman Jeffrey Rathke said Washington was “deeply troubled” by the attempt to join the ICC, warning it would only “push the parties further apart.”

“Today’s action is entirely counterproductive and does nothing to further the aspirations of the Palestinian people for a sovereign and independent state,” he said.

The ICC can prosecute individuals accused of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, committed since July 1, 2002, when the court’s founding treaty, the Rome Statute, came into force. To become a party to the court, the Palestinians must sign then ratify the treaty.

The request was signed by Abbas during a leadership meeting at his West Bank headquarters in Ramallah which was broadcast live on Palestinian television. At the same time, he also signed applications to join 20 other international conventions.

The applications were made less than 24 hours after the Security Council failed to pass a Palestinian-drafted resolution setting a 12-month deadline to reach a final peace deal and demanding a full Israeli withdrawal from the occupied territories by the end of 2017. l

N Korea’s Kim moots summit with South n AFP, Seoul North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un proposed the “highest-level” talks with South Korea yesterday, opening the way to a historic summit as his communist country battles to fend off UN prosecution over its human rights record.

The sudden move, made during Kim’s traditional New Year message, would clear the path for the first inter-Korean leaders’ meeting since a 2007 summit in Pyongyang.

“Depending on the mood and circumstances to be created, we have no reason not to hold the highest-level talks,” Kim said in the televised speech, calling for a thaw in icy relations between the two Koreas, which remain technically at war.

Seoul welcomed the overture as “meaningful,” coming after the North’s state media had previously used sexist and personal language in attacks on South Korea’s first female president, Park Geun-Hye. President Park has repeatedly said the door to dialogue with Pyongyang is open, but insists the North must first take tangible steps towards abandoning its nuclear weapons programme.

“Our government hopes South and North Korea will hold dialogue without further ado in the near future,” Ryoo Kihl-Jae, the South’s unification minister in charge of inter-Korean affairs, told a briefing.

Any talks should feature “practical and frank discussions on all issues of mutual concern,” he said.

Kim also urged Washington to take a “bold shift” in its policy towards Pyongyang and denounced the United States for leading an international campaign over the North’s dismal human rights record.

“The US and its followers are holding on to a nasty ‘human rights’ racket, as their schemes to destroy our self-defensive nuclear deterrent and stifle our republic by force become unrealisable,” the young leader said.

‘Make every effort’

He described nuclear weapons as the guardian of his country and vowed to sternly retaliate against “any provocations” threatening its dignity.

Pyongyang faces growing pressure over its rights record, with the UN stepping up a campaign to refer the North’s leaders to the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.

The isolated nation, meanwhile, suffered a mysterious Internet outage last month after Washington vowed retaliation over a crippling cyber attack blamed on North Korea against Sony, the studio behind a controversial film about a fictional plot to assassinate Kim. A US State Department official said after Kim’s speech: “We support improved inter-Korean relations.”

Kim said in his message that Pyong-

yang “will make every effort to advance dialogue and negotiations,” adding that the “tragic” division of the Korean peninsula should not be tolerated.

The leader’s tone was generally conciliatory, but he made it clear that South Korea should end its periodic joint military exercises with the US. “Needless to say, faithful dialogue is not possible in such a brutal atmosphere that war exercises targeting the other side are going on,” Kim said.

The last round of high-level negotiations was held in February and resulted in the North hosting a rare union of relatives separated by the 1950-53 Korean War. The two Koreas agreed to restart dialogue when a top-ranking North Korean delegation made a surprise visit to the Asian Games held in the South in October.

The trip raised hopes of a thaw in relations, but was followed by minor military clashes along the border that renewed tensions and talks never materialised.

Analysts said Kim was extending an olive branch after realising that Pyongyang could not end its isolation without first improving ties with Seoul.

“North Korea opted for a practical line after facing up to reality, because it is now difficult to improve ties with the United States and other countries,” Yoo Ho-Yeol, a Korea University professor, said. l

A stampede killed at least 36 people during New Year’s Eve celebrations in Shanghai, authorities said, possibly caused by people rushing to pick up fake money thrown from a building overlooking the city’s famous Bund waterfront district.

The government in China’s gleaming business capital said large crowds started to stampede in Chen Yi Square on the Bund just before midnight in the cosmopolitan city’s worst disaster since 58 died in an apartment building fire in 2010.

The trigger for the stampede has still to be confirmed, but state media and witnesses said it was at least partly caused when people tried picking up coupons that looked like bank notes.

A man who brought one of the 47 injured to hospital for treatment said fake money had been thrown down from a bar above the street as part of the New Year’s Eve celebrations. People rushed to pick up the coupons, triggering the stampede, said the man, who gave his family name as Wu. Cui Tingting, 27, said she had picked up some of the bank notes but had thrown them away when she realised they were fake.

“It’s too cruel. People in front of us had already fallen to the floor, and others were stepping all over them,” she said.

State television cited others as saying the fake bills came fluttering down “like snow.”

Shanghai police said they were not yet able to confirm whether the fake money was the cause of the stampede, adding that a probe was ongoing and asking people be patient, according to state television.

The glass doors to the bar, whose name appeared on the fake bills, was locked yesterday, though signs of the previous night’s party could be seen with debris strewn on the floor.

People inside the bar did not answer the door when a Reuters reporter knocked.

Another witness, who gave his family name as Wei, said there also had been a problem away from the area where the fake bills were thrown, with people trying to get on to a raised platform overlooking the river.

Xinhua news agency said that people had been trampled on after falling down on the steps up to the platform.

Some Chinese media outlets carried criticism of the authorities for lack of adequate policing and planning. l

Netanyahu reelected Israeli ruling party leader n AFP, Jerusalem

Court orders 14-day judicial remand for Lakhvi

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu won another term as leader of the ruling Likud party ahead of a snap election, his group said yesterday, easily defeating his lone hard-right challenger.

Netanyahu is seeking a third straight stint in office, and a fourth in total. He has been in power since 2009, following a first term in 1996-1999.

The primary win clears the way for Netanyahu to lead his rightwing party into battle for a general election in March.

In a previous primary in January 2012, members voted out three leading moderates, heralding a shift to the right. l

A local court in Islamabad yesterday sent Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, the alleged mastermind of Mumbai attacks, on a 14-day judicial remand in a sixyear-old ‘kidnapping’ case.

The order came as Lakhvi’s two-day physical remand in the kidnapping case expired today. The physical remand was ordered when Lakhvi was awaiting release as the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had suspended his detention under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) law.

Although the police had asked the judicial magistrate for a five-day physical remand, the court ordered Lakhvi to a 14-day judicial remand. He will be

n Agencies

presented in court again on Jan 15.

On December 29, a second First Information Report (FIR) was lodged against the alleged mastermind at the Golra Police Station in Islamabad. According to the FIR, Lakhvi was said to be involved in the abduction of a man named Anwar six and a half years ago.

Lakhvi’s counsel Advocate Rizwan Abbasi argued that his client has been imprisoned for the past six years and could not possibly be responsible for kidnapping Anwar.

He added that a false FIR had been registered against his client and a bogus case has been created as a result of India’s pressure on the Pakistani government. Abbasi added that the case against his client had no foundation. l

10

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Editorial

Friday, January 2, 2015

CODE-CRACKER

The human cost of hartals

T

he BNP’s day-long general strike last month – called in protest of the government’s decision to deny permission to the opposition for holding a rally in Gazipur – once again brings to light the true cost of political agitation.

It is not acceptable to endanger the lives of ordinary citizens in the name of protest. The news of a 37-year-old schoolteacher being killed in Noakhali after sustaining injuries from stones being hurled at her and her husband by opposition rioters is a reminder of how individual lives are devastated by this kind of hartal activity.

We believe that most Bangladeshis do not condone arbitrary violence, and do not see hooliganism and street violence as a proper way of doing politics. In hartal after hartal, we have seen that many victims have not been affiliated with a major political party, but were simply innocent bystanders.

Hartals adversely affect everyone – even school-going children are not safe from such attacks. The violence, or the threat of violence, is enough to keep many shops closed, costing many people their livelihood.

Participation in a protest such as hartal should be voluntary – it cannot be enforced through intimidation. If the true human cost of hartals is taken into account, it becomes clear that there are no winners, only losers.

If the true cost of hartals is taken into account, it becomes clear that there are no winners

Be heard Write to Dhaka Tribune FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Sukrabad, Dhaka-1207 Email letters.dt@dhakatribune.com Send us your Op-Ed articles: opinion.dt@dhakatribune.com www.dhakatribune.com Join our Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/DhakaTribune

The vision of 1971 is clear now December 22

Natasha “The values of 1971 should be a guiding principle – a map which will help us navigate forward in this world.”

Totally agree with the author. But, in addition to all those principles mentioned, I do believe that another important principle of our nation should be to embrace and preserve the cultures and traditions that define our strength, morale, and faith which have been instilled in us for several centuries. We should not lose that.

It is also interesting that people who lose this become rogue, disillusioned, misled, and hence “fundamental,” and they turn diametrically opposite to their culture. By maintaining this principle we can prevent fundamentalism, as such people turn away from the true values of religion, and do acts that highly contradict their religion and culture.

N Rabbee Natasha: So true. Culture is very important.

Get a grip on road accidents

B

angladesh’s road accident rate is among the highest in the world, with around 85.6 fatalities per 10,000 vehicles each year.

It is shocking that more is not being done to address this national crisis, as if trends are not reversed, road accidents threaten to become the country’s biggest cause of death.

At present, the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), collects its information regarding road accidents from monthly figures provided by the police through cases recorded via First Information reports. This is acknowledged to only record a proportion of the actual total number of road accidents and injuries which occur every month.

This results in a wide range of estimates for the number of deaths which occur each year, ranging from around 4,000 recorded through legal cases to around 18,000 estimated by the World Bank. Best estimates available from Buet’s Accident Research Institute (ARI) put the annual death toll from road accidents at around 10,00012,000 every year, with many times more people being injured.

Road safety organisations like Nirapad Sarak Chai are right to call for a uniform system to be put in place to collect data on road accidents. Improving monitoring of the scale and extent of accidents is essential to enable authorities to properly implement measures designed to reduce accident rates.

Ignoring or downplaying the problem is not going to help save lives.

The government must face facts and take a systematic approach to not only improving the state of the country’s roads and vehicles, but in ensuring comprehensive public education to ensure that road safety comes first.

If trends are not reversed, road accidents threaten to become the country’s biggest cause of death

Karl Hungus This piece proves that correlating our bloody fight for independence to the recent tragedy at Peshawar doesn’t necessarily have to be in bad taste. Kudos to you.

N Rabbee Karl Hungus: Karl, agreed . We must have the courage to make the link, and do so in the spirit of compassion and justice.

RS Yes, on the 16th of December, we should indeed check the condition of our country, and work towards its progress and betterment.

N Rabbee RS: Yes, we should do a health check every year!

How to solve: Each number in our CODE-CRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 13 represents C so fill C every time the figure 13 appears.

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

Some letters of the alphabet may not be used.

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

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

Lisa We should never let anything like what happened in Peshawar occur in our country. And I hope something like this never happens again, anywhere in the world.

N Rabbee Lisa: You are right – killing children en masse cannot be excused anywhere.

Mithun “Our principles are: Protection of human rights, democracy, secularism, economic empowerment, the right to vote, the right to speak our mother tongue, and maintain a progressive vision for our country.”

We need to work harder to instill these values in all citizens.

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.

N Rabbee Mithun: Thank you.

Shottikar Bangalee Great stuff from DT. The Peshawar thing is depressing is as hell though. Pakistan, Bangladesh, the US, whatever ... when children are killed, something is deeply messed up on a human level.

N Rabbee Shottikar Bangalee: So true Shottikar. We must stand up to violence and fundamentalism.

CROSSWORD 7 killed in Tangail road accident December 24

Muhammad Arshad Very sad.

SA Muhammad Arshad: Indeed. I feel terrible for the families who lost their loved ones in this senseless accident. How many more deaths must we suffer through before we start making changes ourselves, like choosing to follow the law, and not flouting it?

Sela made off limits to all vessels December 25

Maus Should have enforced the law that kept Sela off limits from the start! When greed goes too far, someone else, or something, suffers in the fallout.

We see this again and again. anon Maus: Agreed. Too many inflated egos runnin’ around here.

CALVIN AND HOBBES

Learning from others

December 23 “Only some of our intellectuals, who are living in the Stone Age, term some countries as tested friends.”

Mr Kahn Nice one from the author.

KH “Vietnam, after winning the war against America, approached France to mediate her opening of relations with the West. Where’s the East Asian country standing now, and where are we?”

This is one of the saddest, most sobering string of words I’ve ever read.

ACROSS 1 Gathering of witches (5) 4 Mineral spring (3) 6 Kiln for drying hops (4) 8 Sweetener (5) 9 Colour (4) 11 Part of the eye (4) 12 View (5) 15 Postpone (5) 18 Hindu garment (4) 20 Responsibility (4) 21 Conclusive (5) 22 Ego (4) 23 Make lace (3) 24 Diaphanous (5)

DOWN 1 Throws (5) 2 Indistinct (5) 3 Norwegian (5) 4 Agitate (4) 5 Enquires (4) 7 Venomous ill will (5) 10 African river (4) 13 Tribe (4) 14 Clamour (5) 15 Takes off (5) 16 Receiver of stolen goods (5) 17 Sovereign (5) 18 Malleable (4) 19 Corrosion (4)

LS It’s very interesting to see how the writer related so many important international issues in the context of Bangladesh.

SB “Ask not what your country can do for you ....”

Sigh. Our leaders would love that.

A view to a film December 22

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS CODE-CRACKER Tariq I would rather watch The Interview than another Bond movie!

CROSSWORD

TJ The conspiracy theory does sound compelling. Everyone wants to watch The Interview now for sure!

PEANUTS

NY Times condemns Bergman’s conviction

December 24 RM “The result is a deep chill on freedom of expression and inquiry.”

The #Bangladesh court flouts freedom of speech and inquiry by criminalising any disagreement with its view of history.

Child parliamentarians identify causes for early marriage December 22 rose Child marriage should be eliminated from this society, and children’s rights should be recognised.

SUDOKU

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Op-Ed

11

Friday, January 2, 2015

China steps in as world’s new bank n William Pesek

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n Zafar Sobhan ne way or the other, this coming year is going to be the big one. Things will never be the same again.

You heard it here first.

We are entering uncharted territory, and the relative peace and quiet of the past year will soon seem like nothing more than an aberration from the reality of political instability that has come to characterise our everyday lives in recent years.

2014 marked the end of the compact of co-existence that was forged between the AL and BNP at the end of the 1980s, and that has provided the pattern for the past quarter century of political life.

It was a deceptively quiet year, a welcome change from the havoc of the year before that had been the most violent, unstable, and harrowing one in recent memory.

But do not be fooled. Last year was, by no means, the template for the future direction that the country is likely to take – at least not before the building blocks of the new dispensation are put firmly in place and the ancient regime has been scattered to the winds.

The gameplan of the ruling AL is clear.

Don’t believe what you hear about them calling a snap election by the middle of the year. They never had any intention of doing anything other than ruling throughout their five-year term in office, whether they have received a mandate for such rule or not.

And with public demand for new

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elections waning, they see absolutely no reason to give credence to the argument that they are an illegitimate government by acceding to polls one day before they are constitutionally required to do so.

More to the point, they have made clear that they no longer recognise the BNP as a political party whose democratic rights they must respect.

The AL plan for the coming year is therefore straightforward: Continue to squeeze the life out of the BNP. Right now, the AL look to be holding all the cards and they will not be shy about going all in this year. If they succeed, the BNP will be wiped off the face of the Earth, or at least utterly decimated as a political force and the focal point for opposition to their

it would pay back the pain imposed upon it the past six years, plus interest.

But right now, those are distant dreams for them. The BNP is on the ropes.

Every day BNP lives to fight another is a good one for them. It’s not impossible that they can turn the tide, but they need to get a lot tougher and a lot nastier and most importantly a lot smarter if they are to survive the continuing onslaught.

The real danger of the BNP’s existential crisis is that it leaves the AL with no check on its power and ambitions, and the past year has shown that the party’s penchant for control and is matched only by its appetite for misuse of public resources and state machinery.

So where does this leave us, the long-suffering Bangladeshi people?

The country began last year a tinderbox, ready to explode. But in the end, the fever broke with the new year, and when the ruling AL put on their one-sided general election on January 5, the BNP no longer had the strength to meaningfully oppose them, either then or in the election’s aftermath.

What followed was a year of relative peace and quiet, a welcome change from the havoc of the year before. But, as 2015 dawns, it seems as though we are going back to the bad old days.

Things will not be so quiet this year, as both sides play one last, deciding round of winner-take-all.

We are coming to the endgame, and the stakes could not be higher. l

The AL plan for the coming year is therefore straightforward: Continue to squeeze the life out of the BNP

As far as the AL is now concerned, the BNP is a party founded in the cantonment, by the man they hold responsible for the massacre of August 15, by the party that rehabilitated the war criminals, and is nothing more than a rag-tag assembly of opportunists, criminals, and killers that created political space for itself at the point of a gun. It represents only those Bangladeshis who are enemies of the state.

There can be no compromise with such a party, no accommodation, no peaceful co-existence. After the grenade attack of August 21, 2004, the AL has come to the conclusion: It is us or them. There is no space in Bangladesh for both the AL and the BNP.

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dominance.

We can therefore expect the screws to be tightened in the coming year: More arrests, more court cases, more harassment. More deaths and disappearances, if necessary.

The hope will be that in the ever-opportunistic environment of Bangladeshi politics, where everyone likes to back a winner, that enough of the BNP rank and file (and a few of the leaders) will see that the game is up and jump ship in order to get a small share of the spoils, splitting the party.

It’s a fair bet.

There can be little doubt that the BNP shares the AL’s scorched earth approach to any opposition, and that if it were ever to return to power that

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hanks to China, Christine Lagarde of the International Monetary Fund, Jim Yong Kim of the World Bank, and Takehiko Nakao of Asian Development Bank may no longer have much meaningful work to do.

Beijing’s move to bail out Russia, on top of its recent aid to Venezuela and Argentina, signals the death of the post-war Bretton Woods world. It also marks the beginning of the end for America’s linchpin role in the global economy and Japan’s influence in Asia.

What is China’s new Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank if not an ADB killer? If Japan, ADB’s main benefactor, won’t share the presidency with its Asian peers, Beijing will just use its deep pockets to overpower it.

Lagarde’s and Kim’s shops are also looking at a future in which crisis-wracked governments call Beijing before Washington.

China stepping up its role as lender of last resort upends an economic development game that has been decades in the making. The IMF, World Bank, and ADB are bloated, change-adverse institutions. When Ukraine received a $17bn IMF-led bailout this year, it was about shoring up a geopolitically important economy, not geopolitical blackmail.

China’s President Xi Jinping’s government doesn’t care about upgrading economies, the health of tax regimes, or central bank reserves. It cares about loyalty. The quid pro quo – for our generous assistance we expect your full support on everything from Taiwan to territorial disputes to deadening the West’s pesky focus on human rights.

This may sound hyperbolic; Russia, Argentina, and Venezuela are already at odds with the US and its allies. But what about Europe? In 2011 and 2012, it looked to Beijing to save euro bond markets through massive purchases.

Expect more of this dynamic in 2015, should fresh turmoil hit the euro zone, at which time Beijing will expect European leaders to pull their diplomatic punches.

What happens if the Federal Reserve’s tapering slams economies from India to Indonesia and governments look to China for help? Why would Cambodia, Laos, or Vietnam bother with the IMF’s conditions when China writes big checks with few strings attached?

Beijing’s $24bn currency swap program to help Russia is a sign of things to come. Russia, it’s often said, is too nuclear to fail. As Moscow weathers the worst crisis since the 1998 default, it’s tempting to view China as a good global citizen.

Beijing’s move to bail out Russia marks the beginning of the end for America’s linchpin role in the global economy

But Beijing is just enabling President Vladimir Putin, who is now under zero pressure to diversify his economy away from oil. The same goes for China’s $2.3bn currency swap with Argentina and its $4bn loan to Venezuela.

In the Chinese century, bad behaviour has its rewards.

If ever there were a time for President Barack Obama to accelerate his “pivot” to Asia, it's now. There’s plenty to worry about, as China tosses money at rogue governments like Sudan and Zimbabwe, but there’s also lots at stake for Asia’s budding democracies.

The so-called Washington consensus on economic policies isn’t perfect, but is Beijing’s model of autocratic state capitalism with scant press freedom really a better option? With China becoming Asia’s sugar daddy, the temptation in, say, Myanmar, might be to avoid the difficult process of creating credible institutions to oversee the economy.

There could be a silver lining to China lavishing its nearly $4tn of currency reserves on crisis-plagued nations: It might force the IMF, the World Bank, and the ADB to raise their games.

Competition, as Lagarde, Kim, and Nakao would agree, is a good thing.

But more likely, China’s largess will encourage bad policy habits and impede development in ways that leave the global economy worse off. l William Pesek is a columnist. This article was first published in Bloombergview.

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Zafar Sobhan is the Editor, Dhaka Tribune.

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Sheikh Hasina’s year n Nadeem Qadir

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he year 2014 has been an eventful one, concluding with an ineffective nationwide general strike called by the fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami to protest the death penalty handed down by a court to one of their leaders, for crimes during Bangladesh’s 1971 War of Independence. That was one more score for the ruling Awami League-led alliance as the year ended.

The year also ended with BNP chief Begum Khaleda Zia’s press conference. There was nothing new in her statement or any directives for her followers.

To a question about complaints that the government was resorting to different kinds of “tactics” to stay in power, the BNP chief had no strong answer when told that politics was all about strategy and tactics.

Thus, it is was indeed an eventful year for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as her main opponent lost almost all grounds in political strategy and tactics.

What should be most appreciated is

that Sheikh Hasina, by pushing on for the January 5, 2014 general elections amid widespread violence and killings by opponents led by the BNP, saved the country from a major bloodbath.

It was very clear that her opponents had two things in mind: To unleash political killings if the elections were pushed back or if the constitution was amended according to their demands, and to invite the unconstitutional forces with the simple calculation that if one cannot eat the fruit, they will not allow a rival to enjoy the same.

Local and international critics eventually understood the need for the elections, and except for blind opposition supporters, people in general do not want violence, have no problem with the government, and do not support any general strikes which disrupts their lives.

The election ball is totally in the hands of the prime minister, as she has ensured a peaceful year, even according to some die-hard opposition supporters. She provided security, and general strikes were nothing but flops (however, we did witness the unfortunate death and injury of several

innocent people).

Speaking of the caretaker government as demanded by Begum Khaleda Zia, the episode of President Iajuddin taking charge of such an election-time government was the death of such an administration. You cannot reverse your decision to bring back to life something you yourself have killed, just for power.

Hawa Bhaban and its activities can never be forgotten, and its leader Tarique Rahman’s activities are no more a secret. The BNP has a lot to answer for, before it can even start dreaming of returning to power.

Strike for what? Just to go to power.

What does the BNP-Jamaat have to offer? Nothing but uncourteous threats and attempts to belittle the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. When the prime minister asked the BNP chief to rein in her son’s slander sitting in London, Begum Zia sadly did not do so.

On the international front, all major powers, including China and the United States, have finally bowed down to Sheikh Hasina’s stand. Interestingly, China, which vetoed Bangladesh’s

entry into the UN after independence and had been a great ally of BNP, has now become one of the best friends of the Hasina-led government.

We salute Sheikh Hasina for her courage, despite threats to her government and her life

The US has left the issue of polls to the prime minister with former US ambassador Dan Mozena’s campaign in favour of BNP was ignored. All the major powers are no friends of Bangladesh, including Russia, which was ignored by the BNP-Jamaat government because of its ties with the AL since the Liberation War. Sheikh Hasina has balanced her

international players to the great advantage of the country, as they are preparing to invest in Bangladesh. Her political opponents have been sending out baseless situational reports which are not selling any more.

There have been major developments in civil administration as well as the armed forces, which they did not see in the many years of BNP-Jamaat rule. The civil and military bureaucrats have taken a professional and patriotic decision to stand by the constitution, as well as support the country’s democratic process.

The Padma bridge conspiracy has fallen flat. The statesman prime minister is now allotting funds for the project and has already started its construction. Why strike against such efforts?

Speaking of the younger generation, I have talked to many whose families support the BNP, and they too are angry about BNP’s friendship with Jamaat, and strongly support the trial of war criminals. Without Sheikh Hasina, the capable daughter of Bangabandhu, the trial would have never taken place.

For those who have paid with

blood for Bangladesh, the trial is not a divisive issue, as claimed by some vested quarters, but an issue that we want and stand by. We salute Sheikh Hasina for her courage, despite threats to her government and her life. This generation is also grateful for the major development of the education sector.

Her determination for a digital Bangladesh is paying off, with many remote villages having internet services. That is a positive change, as it opens windows to the newer generation, preparing them to face the challenging world.

Sheikh Hasina has also brought many awards for Bangladesh, including the prestigious South South Award.

There may have been a few hiccups caused by some of her colleagues, but again, to err is human.

The year 2014 was “Year One” for Sheikh Hasina, let’s and pray that 2015 will be “Year Two” for her. Happy New Year to the prime minister, and to my readers! l Nadeem Qadir, a senior journalist, is a UNCA Dag Hammarskjold Scholar in journalism.

12

DHAKA TRIBUNE Friday, January 2, 2015

13 Pakistan’s Malik

voices World Cup hopes

14 Falcao on target

as United draw at Stoke

Sport

14 Lampard’s

decision angers New York fans

Did you know?

Peter Crouch now has 53 Premier League assists, moving him level with Robin van Persie

BFF still unsure of Bangabandhu Gold Cup date n Raihan Mahmood The official announcement of the Bangabandhu Gold Cup International Football schedule will be made once Bangladesh Football Federation president Kazi Salahuddin returns after attending the Asian Football Confederation Extra Ordinary Congress in Melbourne, Australia on January 9.

“I will confirm all the aspects after returning from Australia,” Salahuddin said while speaking to the media at the BFF office yesterday. “The Bangabandhu Gold Cup International Football will be held in January no doubt, but we never finalised the kick off date officially and we always said it will take place in the third week. It appeared in the media to kick off on January 16, 2015 but it was tentative, not final,” he added.

Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Bahrain Under-23 have confirmed their participation alongside the hosts which keeps the BFF busy in still trying to secure the last team in the six-nation event. It was learnt, Nepal responded positively to the call and they are set to complete the tournament line-up.

The Bangladesh national football, however, began their preparation camp

for the Bangabandhu Gold Cup under interim coach Saiful Bari Titu at the BKSP yesterday. Struck down with fever skipper Mamunul Islam did not join the camp while Jamal Bhuiyan flew to his home in Denmark and the midfielder will join his compatriots on Sunday.

Meanwhile, BFF also kept the return of coach Lodewijk de Kruif under a mystery as no air ticket was sent to the Dutch till yesterday. Earlier BFF sources said de Kruif, who was sacked in October 2014 from the position of head coach, is scheduled to arrive on January 3, tomorrow, but no movement inside the federation is diminishing the chances.

Interim coach Titu, however, is optimistic of leading the side at least to the semifinals irrespective of the calibre of their opponent. “We will work hard and tune up to face the hardest challenges, I have every hope that the players will gear up to put a good show in a major tournament like Bangabandhu Gold Cup, the motivation should me more.”

Though, Titu too was concerned about the kick off date and said, “A confirmed date is very important, we need to focus on the practice matches and I want two practice matches ahead of the tournament.” l

Bangladesh national footballers welcome 2015 while reporting for the residential camp of the Bangabandhu Gold Cup International Football at the Bangladesh Football Federation yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

DHAKA PREMIER DIVISION CRICKET LEAGUE

Mushfiq-less Doleshwar must win to keep Prime Bank at bay n Mazhar Uddin Prime Doleshwar SC skipper Mushfiqur Rahim injured his shoulder and was ruled out ahead of the crucial fourth round of the Dhaka Premier League’s super league stage starting today. The wicketkeeper-batsman collided with a teammate while playing football in their club practice session at the BCB Academy ground yesterday.

However, Bangladesh Cricket Board physician Debashish Chowdhury said the injury is not serious enough to keep him out of action for a long time, but he will need to rest for the time being meaning Mushfiq won’t be available for Doleshwar’s encounter with Shakib al Hasan’s Legends of

DHAKA PREMIER LEAGUE

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14 14 14 14 14 14

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+0.765 +0.678 +0.660 +0.385 +0.375 -0.070

Rupganj at Fatullah today.

“Mushfiq had the shoulder problem earlier and he does face problems while diving but there is nothing to worry about. We will do the MRI on Saturday and only after that we will get to know how serious his injury is,” said

Debashish who hinted Mushfiq should be fit by a week and there is no reason to think he might be in doubt for the World Cup. Mushfiq’s injury is a huge blow in Doleshwar’s title charge as the tied second team in the league must win to-

Last two rounds Today

Abahani Ltd v Kalabagan CA SBNS Rupganj v Prime DSC Fatullah Mohammedan v Prime Bank BKSP (3) Sunday, January 4 Abahani Ltd v Prime Bank Kalabagan CA v Rupganj Mohammedan v Prime DSC

SBNS Fatullah BKSP (3)

day to keep their hopes of winning the league alive.

They played some exquisite cricket in the past few days, winning all three of their super league games, to join Abahani limited in the second place with 20 points.

Meanwhile, Abahani must also ensure full three points against Kalabagan Cricket Academy at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium to stay in hunt.

The situation turns interesting as a slip up by both Abahani and Doleshwar and a win for Prime Bank CC in their match against Mohammedan SC will be enough for table toppers to secure the title with a match left. Led by Mahmudullah, Prime Bank are currently top of the table with 22 points.

The league is set for an intense finish as a win for the Sky Blues today will mean the DPL title will be decided on the last match day of the league when Prime Bank is scheduled to face Abahani. l

Ashraful in mix of trouble again n Tribune Desk

Banned Bangladesh national cricketer Mohammad Ashraful was pictured for his match fixing crimes by the Daily Mirror Sri Lanka who exposed his involvement in wrong doings in the short-lived Sri Lanka Premier League in 2013.

Ashraful had made a witness statement on May 23, 2013 to the Anti Corruption and Security Unit (Acsu) of the ICC confirming that he had been involved in fixing in the SLPL match between Ruhanu Royals and Wayamba United played on August 26, 2012.

The fixing issue has then created a major storm in SLC following information that SLC President Jayantha Dharmadasa had agreed with ICC at the ICC

Board meeting in November 2014 to refrain from taking further action on evidence provided by Ashraful.

SLC Executive Committee had been unaware of Dharmadasa’s action till ICC had forwarded the terms of the settlement agreement in December for a signature on behalf of SLC. When SLC ex-co learnt of the ICC’s request to sign the agreement, it had led to a heated discussion and the document had been referred to the SLC lawyers for advice. Though ICC had asked the SLC to sign the agreement, they had not made available the full details of the investigation or the statement made by Ashraful. SLC lawyers had advised the ex-co to refrain from signing the ICC document blindly without obtaining this vital information.

At a special ex-co meeting on Wednesday to untangle the confusion, several members had criticised Dharmadasa for keeping them in the dark over the issue. Dharmadasa had said he was waiting for the ICC board meeting to inform all matters to the members and had claimed that he agreed to sign the document on the request of Bangladesh Cricket Board President.

Ashraful was initially banned for eight years, but later the ban was reduced by ICC to five years, two of which are suspended, meaning that it will effectively be only for three years.

The reduction of the ban came after Ashraful had taken the matter to the International Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS). l

Siddikur Rahman, the champion of Gemcon Golf in all smiles while receiving his trophy at the Kurmitola Golf Club yesterday

BGB clinch 18th nat’l handball title n Raihan Mahmood

Academy cricket begins Sunday n Tribune Desk

Border Guard Bangladesh continued their legacy in the handball circuit by winning their 18th consecutive national title yesterday. They beat Bangladesh Police 41-31 in the competitive final of the Exim Bank 24th National Handball at the M Monsur Ali Handball Stadium.

Mir Khairuzzman of BGB was adjudged as the best player of the tournament.

Minister for health and family welfare Md. Nasim distributed the prizes as chief guest. Nurul Fazal Bulbul, president handball federation, Asaduzzman Kohinoor, and Hasanullah Khan Rana were also present during the final day.l

The Twenty20 Academy Cricket League with the participation of 12 Dhaka based cricket academies is set to begin from Sunday. ICC president AHM Mostafa Kamal and Bangladesh Cricket Board president Nazmul Hasan inaugurated the tournament yesterday.

BCB chief Nazmul welcomed the private initiative which he believed will have a positive impact on cricket.

Obsidian Bangladesh Limited managing director Sheikh Fazle Fahim, BCB chairman of media and communications Jalal Younus were also present during the opening ceremony.l

BGB, the champions of Exim Bank National Handball pose with the trophy at the handball stadium yesterday COURTESY

COURTESY

Siddikur lifts Gemcon Player’s Cup n Raihan Mahmood Bangladesh golfing ace Siddikur Rahman clinched the Gemcon Player’s Cup clubbing 18-under par at the Kurmitola Golf Club yesterday.

Meanwhile, rising golfer Mohammad Zakiruzzaman finished runner-up in the Tk 1m event.

The vice president of the club and the area commander, logistics area, Dhaka Major General Mizanur Rahman Khan distributed the prizes as the chief guest.

Kazi Nabil Ahmed, MP, the vice president of Gemcon Group, Arshi

Haider, the president of BPGA, Brig.

Gen. (Rtd) Selim Akhter, the vice president, secretary of Bangladesh Golf Federation Brig. Gen. Abul Fazal Mohammad Sanaullah and other officials were also present during the occasion.

The ace golfer Siddik went through lot of ups and downs in the international circuit in 2014.

He featured in 12 tournaments and earned a total $93,509 only compared to his earnings $495,967 in 2013. He also suffered from back injury which did not allow him to compete in few events. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

Lehmann demands improved Aussie catching in final Test

QUICK BYTES

More short balls please, says Haddin Australia’s vice-captain and senior pro Brad Haddin knows he looked ugly when turning his back on short-pitched bowling from India on Boxing Day. He doesn’t care. Haddin also knows there will be more short stuff coming his way should he survive any length of time at the SCG. He looks forward to it. The awkward evasive action Haddin took at the MCG was so pronounced that even after he swatted away another series of bouncers the following morning, India were adamant he would receive more of the same in future. “We really thought he had a genuine weakness over there,” said R Ashwin during the Test. “We continue to think he has a weakness over there. We will continue to target him in the next Test match as well.” A six down the ground from Ashwin was about Haddin’s only moment of poise that evening, and he said he had one thing on his mind - surviving until the second morning in the company of Steven Smith. “I think I’ve said for a while I feel in better touch with the bat than I did leading into last summer. It was good to contribute with the bat the other day but the big thing was we had to get through that night,” Haddin said. “We couldn’t expose our lower order late that night and that was the most pleasing thing from Steven and my point of view - getting through that uncomfortable 10 overs knowing the Indian bowlers had to back up the next day.

–Cricinfo

n AFP, Melbourne

Hull boss Bruce rules out Newcastle move Hull City manager Steve Bruce on Wednesday ruled himself out of the running to succeed Alan Pardew, who is believed to be on the verge of leaving Newcastle United. Pardew has been given permission to speak to Crystal Palace, who sacked Neil Warnock at the weekend, and is reported to have said his farewells to Newcastle’s staff and players at their training ground on Tuesday. Bruce, 54, was a boyhood Newcastle fan and has previously expressed regret over rejecting a chance to manage the club in 2004, but he says that he is fully committed to Hull.

“People know that I am from Newcastle, I was a Newcastle supporter as a boy and it has been regurgitated since I was a 22-year-old playing for Norwich and Gillingham,” he told a press conference.

–AFP

Nibali the champion of champions in Italy Tour de France winner Vincenzo Nibali was named champion of champions for 2014 by Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport on Wednesday. The Sicilian had been named top Italian the previous year when he won the Giro d’Italia.

For this title, he beat MotoGP champion Marc Marquez into second with Formula One winner Lewis Hamilton taking the third spot. Nibali took over the mantle from Jamaican sprint king Usain Bolt. The women’s award went to Slovenian skier Tina Maze, the Olympic champion in the downhill and giant slalom, ahead of Americans Serena Williams, the US Open tennis champion, and Katie Ledecky, the Olympic 800m freestyle swimming champion.

–AFP

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott (C) poses with India Test team captain Virat Kohli (R) and Australian captain Steven Smith during the afternoon tea hosted by PM Tony Abbott at Kirribilli House in Sydney yesterday AP

West Indies learning from South Africa: Ramdin n AFP, Cape Town West Indies captain Denesh Ramdin said on Thursday that the main benefit of playing in South Africa was the opportunity for his young side to absorb some of the lessons that have made the hosts the number one team in the world.

Speaking ahead of the third and final Test starting at Newlands on Friday, Ramdin said he hoped the West Indies would continue the improvement they had shown in the rain-hit drawn second Test after being beaten by an innings and 220 runs in the first contest.

“We made a slow start to the tour.

Now we are gaining momentum,” he said.

“Going into the third game, it is going to be a different atmosphere here, we can really enjoy it. It’s a new year, hopefully we can change some things.

We are playing against the number one team in the world. If we can take some of the things they do, we can probably move up against the rankings.”

Asked to identify specific areas where they could learn from South Africa, Ramdin said: “Their bowlers don’t bowl a lot of bad balls. Our bowlers bowl too many bad balls. Their batters don’t give many chances. You can’t give them opportunities because they score big hundreds. Sometimes our batters play too freely.”

“Playing six batsmen has worked for us,” said Ramdin. “It puts a bit more pressure on the batters. It did work for a bit because Marlon (Samuels) and Kraigg (Brathwaite) had a big partnership. Unfortunately Shiv (Chanderpaul) and myself didn’t get some runs.

It could have been different. If Shiv and myself score runs and the lower order chip in we can get 350.” l

DAY’S WATCH Star Sports 4 2:15PM T20 Big Bash League Hobart Hurricanes v Brisbane Heat

Ten Cricket 2:00PM South Africa v West Indies 3rd Test Day 1

Australia’s sloppy catching is down to a lack of confidence, coach Darren Lehmann said Wednesday, calling for better at next week’s final Test against India in Sydney.

The hosts drew the third Test in Melbourne on Tuesday to reclaim the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, but Lehmann said dropped catches in India’s first innings cost his team dearly.

Australia set the tourists a 384-run victory target off just 70 overs, but India hung on to be 174 for six when both captains called the match off with four overs left.

Lehmann was upset by a series of spilled catches in India’s first innings which enabled the tourists to restrict the first innings deficit to 65 runs.

Australia dropped three catches with spinner Nathan Lyon bungling a regulation two-handed head-high chance off his own bowling when Ajinkya Rahane was on 70. He went on to make 147.

Shane Watson put down Virat Kohli (88) at first slip off Mitchell Johnson and the vice-captain went on to score 169, while substitute fielder Peter Siddle dropped a two-handed chance off Lokesh Rahul, although the debutant was out off Lyon’s next ball.

“Shoddy at best,” Lehmann told reporters. “We’ve done a lot of work and I can’t complain about the work ethic from the lads, but the big ones that cost us were the first innings.

“We dropped Kohli and Rahane and

that cost us dearly in the back end of the game. Catches win matches.”

Lehmann said Australia’s drops in the field were not down to a lack of practice under fielding coach Greg Blewett, but rather confidence.

“It’s not volume or practice, they’re very good at that,” he said.

“It’s probably more confidence to be honest, I’ve been really pleased with the work ethic. They’re catching brilliantly in practice.” Lehmann said former Test batsman Blewett had been working the players hard in fielding drills to get an improvement.

“He’s done a really good job. (Injured skipper) Michael Clarke said he’s worked the boys as hard as we’ve ever seen anyone work them before,” the coach said.

“We missed a couple of run-outs we should have taken as well,” he added.

Lehmann said the addition of Ashton Agar to the squad for the Sydney Test was to give more spinning options if needed.

“He’s a left-arm spinner to take it away from the right-handers and depending on what we get in Sydney,” he said. “Traditionally the SCG has spun, last year it seamed, so just to give us some cover really.

“If it spins then we want the two options for the captain and then we’ll have to work out what we do with the bowling attack from there. But we’ve got to get 20 wickets.”

Agar, who scored a memorable 98 in his Test debut against England, could possibly bowl in tandem with frontline spinner Lyon at the SCG.l

S Africa strong favourite at happy hunting ground n Reuters, Cape Town That West Indies go into the final test against South Africa with an opportunity to draw the three-match series is probably more than they could have hoped for after a crushing defeat in the first game in Pretoria.

But as rain washed away any hope of a result in the second test in Port Elizabeth, there is still much to play for going into the series finale at Newlands in Cape Town on Friday.

It is a favoured venue for the Proteas as no side other than Australia has won there since New Zealand 31 tests ago in 1962, and the number one ranked home side will be heavy favourites again.

South Africa have freshened things up with the addition to their squad of uncapped off-spin bowler Simon

Harmer, who was left in tears in the middle of a supermarket having received the call to join the squad in Cape Town.

His inclusion is the result of another poor showing from leg-spinner Imran Tahir, who went for 92 off his first 21 overs in Port Elizabeth before collecting three for 16 in his next five.

If he plays, Harmer would be the fourth frontline spinner to feature for the side in the past 12 months along with Tahir, Robin Peterson and Dane Piedt - to go also with the part-time bowling of JP Duminy and Dean Elgar.

Captain Hashim Amla is confident of a series win for his new-look team.

“It feels like we are moving in the right direction, we have a lot of youngsters in the side,” Amla told reporters.

“During a transition period you are

going to go through ups and downs.

Fortunately we have been going through more ups than downs, so it is to be patient with the guys who are here, who have been identified as the future of South African cricket.”

West Indies are unlikely to change much having come out of the Port Elizabeth test buoyed by an improved performance with bat and ball from the defeat in the first test in Pretoria.

“We bowled in the right areas and created some chances,” captain Denesh Ramdin said. Hopefully we can do something good in the next test match. We have to look at our fielding and work on our catching.”

West Indies have lost the test series on each of their last three visits to South Africa. l

Pakistan’s Malik voices World Cup hopes n AFP, Karachi

Del Potro out of Brisbane event Argentine Juan del Potro has withdrawn from next week’s Brisbane International due to a persistent left wrist injury, tournament officials announced on Thursday. The injury-ravaged 2009 U.S. Open winner, who has not played since undergoing surgery last March, had hoped to return to competition in Brisbane in preparation for the Australian Open. Del Potro is the second U.S. Open champion to pull out of the Brisbane event in the past 48 hours following the withdrawal of Marin Cilic with a shoulder injury. Croatia’s Cilic won his first grand slam when he claimed the U.S. Open title last year. Del Potro’s withdrawal comes less than three weeks before the first grand slam of the year starts in Melbourne on Jan. 19. Despite losing two high-profile players, a strong field is expected for the event, including Roger Federer, Kei Nishikori, Milos Raonic and Grigor Dimitrov.

–Reuters

13

Friday, January 2, 2015

In this image released by the Mubadala World Tennis Championship, from left, Feliciano Lopez, Stan Wawrinka, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Nicolas Almagro pose at Al Maryah Island in Abu Dhabi yesterday AP

Wigan chairman Whelan gets six-week ban n Reuters, London Wigan Athletic chairman Dave Whelan has been banned from all football activity for six weeks and fined 50,000 pounds ($78,000), the FA said on Wednesday.

Whelan gave an interview to the Guardian last month in which he referred to Chinese people as “chinks” and said Jewish people “chase money”.

The 78-year-old accepted a charge of improper conduct but denied making racist comments.

“It was alleged Mr Whelan breached FA Rule E3 in that comments made to the media were abusive and/or insulting and/or constituted improper con-

duct and/or brought the game into disrepute,” the FA said in a statement.

“It was further alleged that this was an ‘Aggravated Breach’ as defined by FA Rule E3 as it included a reference to ethnic origin and/or race and/or nationality and/or religion or belief.”

The FA Disciplinary Commission said it was satisfied that Whelan was not a racist and did not mean to cause offence by his remarks.

Whelan, who has also been ordered to undertake a mandatory education programme, was defending the appointment of Malky Mackay as manager of Championship (second tier) club Wigan when he made his controversial comments. l

Blackpool end loan spell of joker Murphy n Reuters, London Blackpool have ended Jacob Murphy’s loan spell at the English Championship club after the 19-year-old winger made a joke on social media mocking his own team.

Murphy, on loan from Norwich City, posted a picture of himself on the photo messaging site Snapchat accompanied by the caption: “We are going to lose...Again.” Blackpool are six points adrift at the bottom of the Championship (second tier) table and the joke was not appreciated by the club’s fans.

“However, he realises that he made an error of judgement and understands why we have come to this decision.l

Discarded former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik Wednesday said he wanted to play in next year’s World Cup, but needed clarity on his role and must be told what is expected of him.

The 32-year-old played the last of his 216 one-day internationals in June 2013, but was included in Pakistan’s 30man preliminary squad for the upcoming tournament.

Pakistan’s selection committee is likely to announce the final 15-man squad on January 7 after watching some of the probables in the Pentangular Cup competition, which started in

Karachi on Wednesday. Malik said he wanted to play for Pakistan.

“The World Cup is a big event and every cricketer wants to play in it,” he told media. “It was portrayed that I don’t want to play, I was frustrated over being left out but I always wanted to play.”

Malik said he is not happy with the selection process.

“I have a problem with the system because we cricketers want clarity (on selection) and want to know what is expected of us and how many matches we are going to play because it increases confidence when a player knows how many matches he is going to play.” l

Sydney Thunder all rounder Jacques Kallis goes for a big shot against Perth Scorchers during their Big Bash match in Perth yesterday. The Protea legend thumped 70 off 49 balls as his team won the match by 20 runs CRICINFO

14

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

Friday, January 2, 2015

Falcao on target as United draw n AFP, Stoke-on-Trent

Manchester United’s Radamel Falcao celebrates his goal during their English Premier League match against Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium in Stoke-on-Trent yesterday REUTERS

Manchester United came through a test of character to draw 1-1 at Stoke City in the first Premier League game of 2015 on New Year’s Day. Louis van Gaal’s side had to bounce back from the shock of falling behind to a second-minute goal from their former defender Ryan Shawcross at the Britannia Stadium.

And they had to show great resilience to stretch their unbeaten record to 10 matches after Radamel Falcao had hauled them back on level terms with an opportunistic goal.

United may look back on this as a point gained rather than two dropped at a windswept stadium where the home side tend to make things uncomfortable for visitors.

Despite the fact that Stoke were robbed of their main attacking threat, Bojan Krkic, who was ruled out by injury, Mark Hughes’s men quickly imposed themselves.

United were clearly flustered by it and they were found wanting defensively when the home side were awarded a right-wing corner following honest endeavour by Steven Nzonzi.

Peter Crouch was picked out at the far post by Marko Arnautovic’s deep ball into the box and his goal-bound header was hooked into the roof of the net by the grateful Shawcross.

Although United composed themselves after the early shock by claiming the lion’s share of possession, their fi-

nal ball often let them down.

United captain Wayne Rooney fired a 30-yard free-kick off target after he had been fouled by Nzonzi.

The fragile nature of United’s defending was exposed again when their former striker Mame Biram Diouf outmuscled a hesitant Jonny Evans, only to shape his left-foot shot wide of the left-hand upright.

It proved to be a decisive moment in the contest because rather than finding themselves two goals down, United were back on level terms seven minutes later.

Like Stoke had done in the second minute, United secured their equaliser by way of a well-worked corner.

Michael Carrick got the faintest of touches to Rooney’s delivery from the left-hand side and the ever-alert Falcao finished with style from close range.

Neither side managed to carve out another clear-cut chance before halftime, although Falcao’s control let him down at a crucial moment when he threatened to break onto a through-ball from Ashley Young.

The typically wild Britannia conditions did not help either side as they endeavoured to build upon what had been a promising first half.

Van Gaal attempted to improve his side’s display with a double substitution, sending on Ander Herrera and Adnan Januzaj for Falcao and Luke Shaw, but it had the unintended effect of energising the home side.l

Tevez does not intend Time to deliver for Socceroos on home soil to extend Juve contract n Reuters, Sydney

n Reuters, Buenos Aires

The 49-year-old has his chance to deliver that objective on home soil in Sydney on Jan. 31 and much of the success of the 16th Asian Cup will depend on how close he comes to doing it.

Gone are all but three of the “golden generation” squad that got the Socceroos to the last eight of the Asian Cup in 2007 soon after Australia switched from the Oceania confederation in search of more competitive football.

Little more than a handful of players also now remain from the squad which got to the final at the second attempt in Qatar in 2011, only to lose in heartbreaking fashion to a Japan goal in extra time.

Postecoglou has a clear vision of

the sort of pressing, attacking football he wants his young team to play but the results so far have been less than impressive.

One win in 11 matches this year even if two defeats came after brilliant performances against Chile and the Netherlands at the World Cup in Brazil - makes pretty stark reading for Socceroos fans.

Starker still is the fact that eight of the 12 goals Australia have netted since Postecoglou took over have come from all-time leading scorer Tim Cahill.

Even if Cahill looks anything but on the wane even at the age of 35, reliance on one player for such an important element of footballing success opens up the hosts to the vagaries of injury and form in what is a short tournament.

Postecoglou’s job is among the toughest in world football given a majority of his players ply their trade in Europe and he will certainly relish having them together, and time-adjusted, in the pre-tournament training camp.

There is also home advantage, which can be a double-edged sword but will surely work in Australia’s favour if they can build up some momentum in their opener against Kuwait on Jan. 9 and second Group A outing four days later against Oman.

The draw was not kind to the Australians, however, and their blockbuster showdown with South Korea in Brisbane on Jan. 17 could go a long way to deciding whether they can be the first host nation to win an Asian Cup since Japan in 1992. l

Argentina striker Carlos Tevez, quizzed over the chances of him returning to Boca Juniors, has no plans to sign a contract extension with Juventus.

The Italian champions reportedly want to offer Tevez, whose contract runs until June 2016, a deal to stay in Turin to 2018.

“I said I wanted to fulfil my contract and that’s my idea, I’m not thinking of signing an extension because that’s not how I feel at the moment,” Tevez told reporters in Buenos Aires on Wednesday before returning to Turin from the year-end holidays.

“As I always said, my idea is to com-

plete my contract. Everyone knows I said so from the moment I arrived at Juve,” the 30-year-old former West Ham United, Manchester United and Manchester City striker said.

Tevez, who has been in fine form since joining Juventus from City last year and earned an Argentina recall in October after a three-year international absence, said it was too soon for him to think of returning to his first club Boca.

“I have a year and a half left on my contract and it’s complicated to leave when you’re playing well at this level,” Tevez said.

“I have to take things calmly and enjoy and not go crazy with the idea of coming back (to Buenos Aires).” l

Marseille ignore transfer window n AFP, Marseille

Lampard’s decision to stay with Sturridge set for January return: Rodgers Man City angers New York fans

Ligue 1 leaders Marseille will be ignoring the January transfer window which opens on Thursday, club president Vincent Labrune said.

“We’re staying as we are until further notice .. neither departures nor arrivals,” Labrune told the daily La Provence.

Marseille finished 2014 on top of the table two points ahead of Lyon, with Paris Saint-Germain a further point adrift in third. Four players will be out of contract at season’s end, notably inform Andre-Pierre Gignac, who scored 12 goals in 19 matches.

Winger Andre Ayew, who will compete with Ghana in the Africa Cup of Nations early this year, will also be out of contract in six months, although he has expressed his desire to remain to win the title with Marseille.l

After a year of sometimes painful transition and an encouraging yet ultimately pointless World Cup campaign, Australia enter 2015 knowing that promise no longer counts for anything and only results matter.

Ange Postecoglou, who has managed the overhaul of the Socceroos squad, was handed just one concrete results-based goal when he took over as coach on a five-year deal in October 2013: to make Australia the number one team in Asia.

n Reuters, London

n Reuters, New York

Liverpool’s Daniel Sturridge is set for a January return, according to manager Brendan Rodgers, who hinted he was unlikely to dip into the transfer market to solve the club’s current striker issues.

Sturridge last played for Liverpool in August after suffering a thigh injury on international duty with England and his absence has been keenly felt as the Merseysiders have struggled for goals and consistency in a disappointing start to the season.

With close-season signing Mario Balotelli failing to score a Premier League goal and Rickie Lambert, another summer arrival, struggling to cement a place in the side, Sturridge’s return to action cannot come soon enough for last season’s runners-up.

Former England midfielder Frank Lampard’s decision to stay with Manchester City until the end of the season has “outraged” fans of Major League Soccer team New York City FC. Lampard initially joined City on loan for six months from New York City FC after leaving Chelsea at the end of last season. But the deal with the English club, has been extended till May or June, which means the 36-year-old could miss the first three months of the MLS season.

“We would like to publicly denounce... Frank Lampard’s decision to extend his loan to Manchester City until the end of the Premier League season,” New York fans group the Third Rail said in a statement.

“He’s coming back into the country in early January to finalise his rehab here,” Rodgers told reporters on Wednesday.

“Hopefully at some point in January - the middle to end - he’ll be available to play.”l

“Many fans, including our members, decided to support the team, committed to season tickets, and bought merchandise under the impression that Frank Lampard would be playing for New York City Football Club, not Manchester City.

Many of those fans are rightly outraged by this decision, and we support any course of action they take to voice their discontent over this decision.

“We reject out of hand any suggestion that NYCFC is in any way secondary to Manchester City FC, regardless of the source, and are disappointed that City Football Group would give such an appearance.”

New York City are owned jointly by Manchester City and baseball giants New York Yankees and will play at Yankee Stadium when the 2015 MLS season gets underway in March. l

Pulis appointed West Brom manager OK for players to go down n AFP, London

Tony Pulis has been appointed as the new head coach of West Bromwich Albion on a two-and-a-half-year contract, the Premier League strugglers announced on Thursday.

The 56-year-old former Stoke City and Crystal Palace manager replaces Alan Irvine, who was sacked on Monday after a run of seven defeats in nine matches that left the club just a point above the relegation zone.

“I’m absolutely delighted to accept the job and I do so with a simple but important message for the Albion fans and everyone at the club,” the Welshman said in a statement on the club website.

“Every successful club is built on unity and that is what I shall strive to help bring to Albion. We need everyone together from top to bottom - the supporters, all the staff, the players, everyone who has an interest in the club’s welfare.

“With that, we can go forward together and hopefully take this club up the Premier League.”

Pulis was named the Premier League’s Manager of the Year for steering Palace away from relegation last season, but he left the club on the eve of the current campaign after falling out with chairman Steve Parish.

His first game in charge will be Saturday’s FA Cup third-round tie at home to fifth-tier Gateshead.

“We are delighted to secure a man of Tony’s calibre and proven ability,” West Brom technical director Burton said.

“He made it clear that this position excited him and that he was eager to get back into the business of winning Premier League points -- and there are few who know how to do it better.”

Irvine, 56, was the second Premier League manager to be sacked this season following Neil Warnock’s dismissal

by Palace last Saturday.l

to win penalties: Allardyce n Reuters, London West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce believes it is acceptable for players to “make a meal out of” contact if it helps them win penalties and free kicks.

Although the outspoken boss said it was wrong for players to dive, his comments are likely to spark debate with the issue of simulation once again making headlines in the Premier League.

Allardyce’s side were on the wrong end of two penalty decisions in Sunday’s 2-1 defeat by Arsenal.

West Ham defender Winston Reid was penalised for bringing down Santi Cazorla in the area, but Morgan Amalfitano later decided to stay on his feet when challenged by Kieran Gibbs and the hosts were denied a late spot kick.

Allardyce said if going to ground

is the only way to win a penalty, then players are justified in looking to bring fouls to the attention of officials.

“As long as it’s not simulation and you get the right decision from it then it’s fine,” Allardyce told reporters ahead of Thursday’s home clash against West Bromwich Albion.

“If you’re not touched and you go down because you’re not touched, that’s not the way forward. But if you can’t get what you ordinarily should get, then you’ve got to consider the fact that if you make a meal of it, you make a meal of it because the contact is sufficient enough...

“Referees are not brave enough to give those penalties because, in the atmosphere in the stadiums, it doesn’t look like one. But their job is to identify if it is one or not.” l

Gutierrez voted South American player of year n Reuters, Montevideo Colombia striker Teofilo Gutierrez has been voted South America’s footballer of the year and their Argentine coach Jose Pekerman the best coach for the third time in a row.

Gutierrez, who helped Colombia reach the World Cup quarter-finals in Brazil, was a key member of the River Plate side that won the Copa Sudamericana, the region’s equivalent of the Europa League, this month.

Argentina’s River boasted the top three players in the annual poll by the Uruguayan newspaper El Pais with Uruguay winger Carlos Sanchez second and midfielder Leonardo Pisculichi third.

The top three coaches were all Argentine with Alejandro Sabella second and River’s Marcelo Gallardo third. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Entertainment

15

Friday, January 2, 2015

Prachyanat’s tribute to RMG tragedies Break-up Break-down Maasranga TV, 7:50pm

n Hasan Mansoor Chatak

n Entertainment Desk Britto Arts Trust has organised a month long art project titled 1 mile2, which started on December 5 and will end today. The last day will be the open studio for the project to collaborate with communities to map their neighbourhood exploring biodiversity, cultural diversity, and aesthetic diversity (buildings and open spaces) of their local square mile.

Film

Meghmallar Ouija Interstellar Gone Girl Ek Cup Cha Into The Storm Blockbuster Cinemas Jamuna Future Park Meghmallar Brick Mansions Big Hero 6 (3D)

The programme brings together social and environmental sustainability via creative media. Forty artists are participating in the project with community and educational projects like video, film, photography, sound work, installation, performance arts and research in different locations of Old Dhaka. Britto is an international organisation based in Bangladesh. It has been working to promote young and emerging artists since 2002. l

Pipra Bidda Lavel 8, Star Cineplex, Bashundhara City

Exhibition

Artist Proshanta Karmakar Buddha, Café Mango Gallery Time: 10am – 10pm Café Mango Gallery House 3/A, Road 72, Gulshan 2 Nakshi Kantha: Zainul Abedin Time: 12pm – 8pm Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts, Dhanmondi

Nisho and Mehzabien are love-bird but they possess quite opposite characteristic. While mutually they decide to break-up, unexpected things started to happen.

Shostho Indrio Channel i, 2:45pm

Now used to the urban corporate life, the married couple, Rajib and Shoili discover different person in each other. While their marriage is about to shatter, an accident brings them to think twice.

KHAN HASAN MD RAFI

Britto’s 1 mile2 project on display

Bangladesh has seen a number of fatal accidents in the RMG sector in the past few years. Lives have been lost in these tragedies, which have also left a horrifying effects on everyone in the country, including those in the cultural arena.

To pay tribute to those victims, leading theatre troupe Prachyanat has produced a brand new play.

“Tragedy Palashbari,” the Prachyanat stage production, depicts the tragic collapse of a nine-storey factory at Palashbari in April 2005, when more than 70 RMG workers died. The play opened on Tuesday at the National Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.

Written and directed by Azad Abul Kalam, the story revolves around an RMG worker named Tarabhan, Facing dire situation at home – being married to a mentally challenged guy – Tarabhan moves to the capital from the northern part of the country and takes a job in Spectrum factory.

Eventually she overcomes her past and settles in her new life, even finding love in colleague Osman, the floor manager. They mutually decide to start a new life together, but just before the day of their wedding, the deadly incident occurs. Trapped in the wreckage of the collapsed building, Tarabhan shares her story with the audience, mostly in soliloquy.

Tarabhan’s life story may seem clichéd, but the director deliberately put it to help the audience connect more with the play’s subject.

A 27-minute documentary, made

by Saiful Islam Jarnal, is projected in the backdrop while the play is performed on the stage, which connects the audience with the fact extensively. The documentary is narrated from the point of view of a fictional Westerner named Mr West, who buys the RMG products but is mostly unaware of the situation because the businesspersons here do not want him informed of the reality. Mr West

learns, from the internet and news, about how the factory was literally a death trap for the workers.

The stage design and a specific presentation, which exhibits the debris of the factory including symbolic blood drops on the exit doorway of the theatre, give the play a “site-specific theatre” flavour, as the director is determined to have the audience emotionally connected with the play. l

Modern Times Movies Now, 9:30pm

The Tramp struggles to live in modern industrial society with the help of a young homeless woman.

NICOLE KIDMAN to star with AJAY DEVGN n Entertainment Desk

Slideluck Bangladesh starts its journey n Entertainment Desk An art collaboration of Slideluck Bangladesh and East West University Photography Club (EWUPC) took place on Monday at the Dhaka Art Centre in the capital.

After the inaugural speech, the hour-long display of photography

from 15 artists around the world as well as the members of EWUPC was held at the ground floor of the venue, visited by hundreds of photography enthusiasts. The visitors brought food as entry pass at the art event, and after the display they shared food with each other as it is a major part of Slideluck events around the world.

KANYE WEST

releases new track for New Year n Entertainment Desk

Kanye West released a sweet new single dedicated to daughter North West on New Year’s Eve. The 37-year-old rapper dropped the new song “Only One” that featured a keyboard accompaniment and backing vocals by Paul McCartney.

The sentimental ballad had an auto-tuned sound and opened with a hymn-like quality.

The Grammy-winnning singer referenced his wife Kim Kardashian in the tender song saying that he asked for one angel and “got two.” And Kim took to Twitter to reveal that it has quickly become her new favourite song and it makes her cry every time she hears it. She wrote: “People always ask me what my favorite Kanye song is and it’s Only One. Kanye feels like his mom sang through him to our daughter. I cry every time I hear this song.”

Kanye and reality star Kim, 34, welcomed daughter North in June 2013 and were married this past May in Italy. Their daughter goes by the nickname Nori and Kanye included it in the song. l

Slideluck, formerly known as the Slideluck Potshow, is a non-profit arts organisation dedicated to building and strengthening community through food and art. Since 2000, the organisation has been arranging events that combine a multimedia slideshow with a potluck dinner to over 85 cities and communities all over the world. l

The latest buzz in the Bollywood states that Ajay Devgn has approached Hollywood star Nicole Kidman for his next directorial venture “Shivay.” However, the Hollywood actress has yet not given her nod, but the talks are apparently on.

Devgn who was last seen in “Action Jackson” opposite Sonakshi Sinha described “Shivay” as his most ambitious venture. The “Singham” star will start shooting in Canada later this month. The big budget film also has an action director from “The Fast And The Furious” franchise aboard.

The film will also be a launchpad for veteran actress Saira Banu’s grand-niece Sayesha. l

GWYNETH PALTROW reveals regrets over split with CHRIS MARTIN n Entertainment Desk Gwyneth Paltrow has complex feelings about her relationship with her ex Chris Martin.

The movie star graces the cover of the February issue of Harper’s Bazaar UK and opens up about her relationship with her ex-husband — as well as occasional regrets about their “conscious uncoupling.”

Paltrow, 42, said that despite the amicable nature of their split in March, it hasn’t always been easy. “It’s painful, it’s difficult, it might be easier to say, ‘I never want to see you again,’ but what good does that do anyone,” she said.

To that end, she and Martin have prioritised spending time together with their children Apple, 10, and Moses, 8, including for family vacations and holiday celebrations.

But the fact that she and her ex-husband have been able to maintain a united front for the sake of their children has Paltrow occasionally regretting their split. “Of course, there are times when I think it would have been better if we had stayed married, which is always what your children want,” she said. “But we have been able to solidify this friendship, so that we’re really close.”

As for the reasons behind the split, Pal-

JOSEPH GORDONLEVITT marries girlfriend Tasha McCauley in secret wedding n Entertainment Desk Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a married man. The actor secretly wed his girlfriend Tasha McCauley at their home on Saturday, December 20, his rep confirms to Us Weekly. The “Don Jon” star, 33, is notorious for keeping his personal life extremely private, revealing only for the first time back in September 2013 that he had someone special in his life.

“I think I’m a pretty good person and a good boyfriend. Yeah, I just wouldn’t want to be with someone who was disrespectful to me,” he said to Howard Stern, without identifying his love. “She’s not in show business.”

“The Dark Knight Rises” actor also opened up about marriage, and whether or not he could stay in a monogamous relationship.

“I think that I could partner up with somebody -- I don’t know who that somebody is -- I could partner up with a woman and commit to we’re going to raise a family and that’s a project we’re going to commit to for 20-something years,” he said. “I like to not be too committed to any one future that’s really far away, necessarily, unless there’s a reason, which is why I’m saying if you’re gonna raise a family...I can make that commitment.”

This is the first marriage for Gordon-Levitt. McCauley is the founder and CEO of Fellow Robots, a NASA-based robotics company. l

trow attributed it in part to Martin’s age when the two married in 2003, a year after her father Bruce passed away from cancer.

She pointed out that he was only 25 when they met and that they had married “very fast,” which meant she had leaned on him while mourning the loss of her father.

“Men are very young at that age, and I was relying on him very heavily and I really expected him to keep being this grown man and pillar of strength — which he was and is — but it’s also quite an unfair set of criteria to give to someone who’s just 25 years old,” Paltrow explained. l

16

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Govt backtracks on grade-based varsity admission

Back Page A

S L I P

A W A Y

F R O M

Friday, January 2, 2015

D E A T H

Education secretary says earlier ministry order was issued without his knowledge n Tribune Report The Education Ministry suspended the order that directed all public and private universities to admit students based on their SSC and HSC grades yesterday, a day after the order was issued.

Sources in the ministry said the authority had postponed the directive in the face of severe criticism from various stakeholders. But no official of the ministry wanted to acknowledge the matter on record.

Confirming the suspension of the order, Nazrul Islam Khan, education secretary told the Dhaka Tribune: “We postponed the order as it had some linguistic mistakes. It seemed like we were directing the universities to follow the order, but we cannot do so as they are an autonomous body. We can only request them. We will take the next step after consulting all the stakeholders.”

He further claimed that the university section of the ministry issued the order without his knowledge.

However, Helal Uddin, additional secretary and the head of the university section of the ministry told the Dhaka Tribune: “We issued the order as per the directive of the higher authority and we also postponed it as they suggested.”

He however refused to make any comment on the “linguistic problem” as mentioned by Nazrul Islam Khan.

On Wednesday, the ministry issued a letter directing all the vice-chancellors of public and private universities

to enrol students on the basis of their SSC and HSC results instead of the existing procedure of admission tests.

Signed by Fatema Jahan, senior assistant secretary of education ministry, the letter read: “The existing admission process of the public and private universities of Bangladesh is very expensive for the students and they also face a lot of hassle. If the admission process is done on the basis of the results of the SSC and the HSC examinations, the sessions will start promptly and the harassment of the parents will also be resolve. In this context, all public and private universities are requested, as per the directive, to take necessary steps to enrol students on the basis of SSC and HSC results instead of the ongoing process.”

The ministry also requested the authority of the universities to inform the ministry after implementing the order.

In condition of anonymity, sources of the ministry said the order was met with strong opposition from the stakeholders who allegedly were not consulted in this regard.

When contacted, Vice-Chancellor of Dhaka University AAMS Arefin Siddiqui refused to comment as they were yet to receive any such letter.

Chairman of University Grant Commission AK Azad Chowdhury said they were not aware of any such decision until the report surfaced on the media.

In the meantime, Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid could not be reached as his mobile phone was found switched off. l

A woman risks her life by travelling illegally on the gangway connection that links two carriages of a train. The photo was taken from Gandaria area of the capital yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

Pay hike proposed for Armed Forces n Tribune Report In a pay rise proposal similar to that for the civil servants, the government has been recommended to implement significant raises to the salaries of Armed Forces personnel.

The eight-member Armed Forces Pay Committee, led by its chairman Lt Gen Anwar Hossain, submitted its recommendations yesterday to Finance Minister AMA Muhith at his secretariat office.

According to the recommendations, there would be 16 grades in the pay scale, with the lowest monthly salary for non-combatant enrolment or civil administration staff being Tk8,200; while the highest salary would be Tk100,000 for a general. A major general would get Tk84,000 and a lieutenant general would get Tk88,000 per month.

Lt Gen Anwar, chairman of the committee, said: “We have taken grassroots organisations’ recommendations on salary, allowance, pension and other benefits. Besides, the Armed Forces Pay Committee also met the National Pay and Services Commission several times over the past year.”

The committee recommended a vertical scale of calculation for the junior commissioned officers and non-commissioned officers, while salaries of major general and second lieutenant would be fixed similar to the national pay commission recommendations, he said.

Besides, the salaries of the FLS officials and staffs have been recommended to match the grades under Armed Forces Nursing Services Act 1952. Special allowances has also been recommended for commanders, para-commanders, paratroopers, and snipers.

It was also recommended that rent allowance stay the same even for the personnel stationed at remote areas of the country.

Asked how much money would be required to implement the proposed scale, Finance Minister Muhith said it would be similar to the raise that was made the last time.

There are currently 183,851 personnel working under the Armed Forces. l

Egyptian court orders retrial of Al Jazeera journos Two Hazaribagh cops to n face judicial probe Reuters, Cairo

Egypt’s highest court has ordered a retrial of three jailed journalists working for Al Jazeera television, citing procedural flaws in last year’s trial, defense lawyers said on Thursday.

Australian Peter Greste, Canadian-Egyptian Mohamed Fahmy and Egyptian national Baher Mohamed were sentenced to seven to 10 years on charges including spreading lies to help a “terrorist organization” -- a reference to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.

The trial was condemned by human rights groups and Western governments and prompted the United Nations to question Egypt’s judicial independence. The case has also contributed to tensions between Egypt and Qatar, where Al Jazeera is based.

The reporters’ imprisonment is a thorny issue for President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi as he seeks to prove his commitment to democratic reforms. He could pardon or deport them but has so far refused to intervene, citing the inde-

pendent judiciary.

Relatives’ hopes the retrial decision would include an immediate release on bail for the men, held for over a year in the tough Tora Prison, were disappointed, but their lawyers can apply for bail at the first retrial hearing. Two defense attorneys said the new proceedings could begin within a month although the judge had not set a date.

“They will not be released until they appear before the new chamber, which will decide whether to release them or not,” said Mostafa Nagy, who represents Greste and Mohamed.

The journalists say they were simply reporting the news when arrested in December 2013.

Greste’s parents, grim-faced, left quickly after the hearing at the High Court in Cairo. “We need some time to process. It’s not as positive as we had hoped,” his mother, Lois, said.

Australian ambassador Ralph King, accompanying them, told reporters: “Journalists should not be imprisoned for doing their job. I hope this trial will

be fair and transparent.”

In a statement, Al Jazeera reiterated its position that the trial was flawed and demanded the release of its journalists.

“The Egyptian authorities have a simple choice -- free these men quickly or continue to string this out, all the while continuing this injustice and harming the image of their own country in the eyes of the world. They should choose the former,” the TV channel said.

Human rights groups say repression has been growing in Egypt -- a strategic U.S. ally -- since then army chief Sisi toppled elected President Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood in July 2013 following mass protests against his rule.

Many Egyptians see Al Jazeera as a force determined to destabilize the country, a view that has been encouraged in the local media, which has labeled the journalists “The Marriott Cell” because they worked from a hotel of the U.S.-based chain.

Mursi’s ouster soured ties between Egypt and Qatar, which backed the Brotherhood. But recent Saudi-led

efforts to repair relations had raised hopes the journalists might be freed.

“I hope relations keep getting better (between Qatar and Egypt) for those poor, innocent journalists who got stuck in the middle,” Fahmy’s brother Adel said at the court.

Fahmy’s fiance, Marwa Omara, told reporters before the court ruling that she expected a political solution to end the journalists’ imprisonment, not a legal one.

Rights groups accuse courts of deepening a crackdown on dissent in Egypt, which has suffered from political turmoil since an uprising toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak in 2011.

While judges have handed down harsh sentences, including the death penalty, against Islamists, members of the old political elite are slowly being freed.

In November, a case against Mubarak over the killing of protesters in the 2011 uprising was dropped, dimming hopes that the end of his 30-year rule would bring a new era of openness. l

n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu A Dhaka court yesterday directed authorities concerned to conduct a judicial probe into a case filed against two policemen of Hazaribagh police station on charge of extortion and torture a man.

Metropolitan Magistrate SM Maksud Zaman passed the order after a hearing in the case filed against then sub-inspector Mizanur Rahman and ASI Abul Kalam Azad while the former has recently been transferred to Kadomtoli police station.

Businessman Md Faruk Hossain from Keraniganj filed the case with the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court against them earlier in the morning.

According to the case, police detained a local woman named Farul Begum on March 26 last year and showed her arrest in a theft case.

Being informed, Faruk Hossain, also a social worker, rushed to the police station and wanted to know the cause of her arrest.

Following the matter, a heated argument took place at the police station and at one stage police also detained Faruk and implicated him in the case and demanded Tk50 lakh bribe in exchange of his release.

However, Faruk’s family gave Tk20 lakh to the police officials but they allegedly tortured him after taking him on a two-day remand in the case.

Afterwards, the policemen implicated him in another case for the rest money and took him to remand again.

Finally, police gave final reports in the cases not finding any allegation against Faruk.

Recently he has came out from the jail on bail and filed the case in the morning. l

Tor’s most visited hidden sites host child abuse images n BBC

The second day of the two-day hartal by Jamaat was enforced in a lax manner in the capital. Like any other day, Dhaka streets stayed packed with different kinds of vehicles. The photo was taken from the capital’s Farmgate RAJIB DHAR

Most traffic to sites hidden on the Tor network go to those dealing in images of child sexual abuse a study suggests.

The six-month study sought to catalogue hidden services on the so-called “dark net” and work out which were the most popular.

It found lots of sites peddling illegal drugs but the most popular were those involved with abuse.

However, the researcher behind the study said it was hard to conclude that people were behind all the visits.

Tor, or The Onion Router, is an anonymising system that lets people use the web without revealing who they are or which country they are in. The anonymity offered by the network has encouraged many people to set up hidden .onion sites that offer content, services and goods that it is illegal to sell openly.

Carried out by Dr Gareth Owen from the University of Portsmouth, the study set up servers to join the Tor network and catalogued hidden services found on it. The system was also able to visit

the sites to download HTML content so they could be categorised and to track how many visits each one received.

Traffic to hidden services on Tor represents about 1.5% of all the data passing across the network on any given day.

Over the six months of the study, Dr Owen and his colleagues saw about 80,000 hidden sites on Tor. “Most of the hidden services we only saw once. They do not tend to exist for a very long time,” he said during a speech at the 31st Chaos Communications Congress in Hanover, where he presented his findings.

The top 40 hidden services were involved with controlling botnets networks of home computers compromised by malicious programs. Many of these botnets have been shut down which has left their client computers fruitlessly polling Tor seeking the now dormant command systems.

The study found that the biggest number of hidden services were dedicated to selling illegal drugs. Also in the top five were underground markets, fraud sites, mail services and those

dealing in the virtual currency Bitcoin.

Although the number of sites dealing in images of abuse on Tor is small, traffic to them dwarfs that going to other sites, said Dr Owen.

About 75% of the traffic observed in the study ended up at abuse sites, said Dr Owen.

“When we found this out we were stunned,” he said. “This is not what we expected at all.”

Despite the findings, Dr Owen cautioned against drawing too many conclusions since he did not know which visits were done by people and which by machines.

“It’s not as quite as straightforward as it looks,” he said. “It might look like there are lots of people visiting these sites but it is difficult to conclude that from this information.”

Roger Dingledine, one of the original developers of Tor, also said the methodology of the study - which only scanned long-lived sites to see what content they offered - made it hard to draw conclusions about what people did on the network. l

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B3 IIF: Investors make first

retreat from emerging markets since June 2013

B4 IMF: Anemic growth

warrants easy monetary policy

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015 www.dhakatribune.com/business

Housing loan limit raised to Tk1.2cr

Bangladesh Bank widens the credit ceiling due to increased construction material cost for the struggling housing sector

Nesa Alo with Ibrahim n Jebun Hossain Ovi Bangladesh Bank has extended single borrower credit limit for housing finance to Tk1.20 crore from existing Tk1 crore in the wake of price hike of construction materials.

The authority yesterday issued a circular to the bank’s chief executives in this regard.

The housing finance facility will be provided at a maximum debt-equity ratio of 70:30, said the circular.

“We have extended the credit limit, considering the current market situation,” said Chowdhury Md Feroz Bin Alam, general manager of Banking Regulation and Polity Department (BRPD) under the central bank.

Banks are usually discouraged by Bangladesh Bank from consumer financing to reduce loan inflow to unproductive sector, said a senior executive of central bank.

He said the authority was liberal about consumer financing in the year 2014 due to lack of demand in industrial sector.

“The year 2014 was not a good year for the real estate sector as the sales of apartments and plots were very down due to non-availability of loans, high bank interest rate and political unrest,” said Liakot Ali Bhuyan, vice-president, REHAB. The decision to extend credit limit will encourage buyers to buy flats, he hoped. Since 2010, the sales of flats and plots showed slow growth as the sector insiders accused a Bangladesh Bank circular that defined the sector non-productive, indirectly restricting loans to the prospective buyers of flats.

According to Rehab data, in 2014 sales of flats came down to 1,749, which is 11% down compared to 1,965 flats of 2013.

The numbers of unsold flats pile up in 2014, climbing up the number to 12,185, which was 5,514 in 2013.

On 8 January, 2014, Rehab urged the government to form a fund of Tk3,000 crore to provide long-term credit at single digit interest to the low- and mid-income people to buy flats as the real estate sector has plunged into a deep crisis due to the volatile political situation.

The developers also sought rescheduling of their existing bank loans having a one-year grace period without down payments.

Earlier in August last year, the central bank raised the credit limit for purchasing vehicles to Tk40 lakh from 20 lakh.

Borrowers’ equity has also been liberalised to 50% of the vehicle price from 70%.

Banks now finance half the amount of the total vehicle price and the borrowers pay the rest half, which was earlier 70%. l

Sales begin in Dhaka International Trade Fair on the first day after inauguration in the capital yesterday

MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

PM seeks business community support to achieve $50bn apparel export target by 2021 n Tribune Report Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday sought the business community’s wholehearted participation to achieve $50 billion export target from RMG sector by 2021 to mark the 50th of Bangladesh’s independence.

She expressed her firm conviction that Bangladesh would be able to become a middle-income country in the world much earlier than 2021 if its present export growth rate continues, report agencies.

The premier said this while inaugurating the 20th Dhaka International Trade Fair-2015 (DITF-2015) at Sher-eBangla Nagar in the city yesterday.

She said sites have been selected for eight Special Economic Zones across the country while around $6,823 million Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) came to Bangladesh over the last six

years since 2009.

“The export target for the current fiscal year (2014-15) has been set at $33.20 billion, and I call upon all to work together to achieve this target. I want the businesspeople to work in full spirit to achieve the target,” she said.

Hasina also expressed hope to take the export earnings of RMG items to $50 billion by 2021.

The prime minister said the average rate of export growth over the last five years was 14.90% which many neighbouring countries could not achieve.

She said various steps of the WTO taken for further liberalising trade to expand trade and commerce has at one hand created newer opportunities and facilities, but on the other hand created various challenges and competitions.

“Keeping that in mind the challenges of WTO, from now onwards our businesspeople will have to make

plans and take steps on how to expand trade and enhance exports.”

“We’ll have to go for exploring newer markets and newer products ...we’ll have to expand the export basket in a bid to enhance the export volume,” she added.

The premier noted that once Bangladesh becomes a mid-income country, it would not get due facilities as an LDC and for this the country’s industries would have to attain international standard.

Later, PM visited different pavilions and stalls set up at the DITF-2015.

The fair is being held at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar on the west side of Bangabandhu International Conference Centre.

Some 14 countries -- India, Pakistan, China, Malaysia, Iran, Thailand, the USA, Turkey, Singapore, Australia, the UK, the UAE, South Korea and Germany -- along with Bangladesh are taking

part in the fair that will continue till January 31.

The fair will remain open from 10am to 10pm every day, and each visitor will have to pay Tk30 as entry fee.

Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed, Parliamentary Standing Committee Chairman on Ministry of Commerce Md Tajul Islam Chowdhury, Commerce Ministry Senior Secretary Hedayetullah Al Mamoon, FBCCI President Kazi Akramuddin Ahmed spoke as special guests, while EPB Vice-Chairman Shubhashish Bose delivered the welcome address.

The PM said her government is trying its best to develop the country’s infrastructure to facilitate trade and commerce. She said the work for construction of four-lane Dhaka-Chittagong Highway will be completed by June next, which would be turned into six-lane later. l

Muhith urged to hold talks with political Import drops 29% in 11 months n parties for economic stability Tribune Report

n

Tribune Report

Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry has urged Finance Minister AMA Muhith to sit with opposition political parties for talks to end existing political crisis in the best interest of the country’s economy.

It said the country is at the endstage of recovery from economic retardation, starting from 2013 over national election. MCCI President Syed Nasim Manzur raised the issue at a meeting yesterday in the Finance Ministry auditorium, presided over by the minister.

The minister said: “Our economy is now at such a stage where there is no room for economic backwardness. So we are not in fear of fall in our future

economy.”

Nasim Manzur said local businessmen have expressed their concern that economic recovery may be stopped if political crisis starts again in this year.

He added that new local and foreign investments are not coming to the country due to that concern and investors always look into huge loss of wealth caused by political stalemate.

The MCCI president observed that it will take more time for a full economic recovery because of a six-month political turbulent period in 2013. “We have urged the government to invite opposition parties to dialogue to reduce political differences.”

MCCI Director Nihad Kabir said not only is local investment situation

bad, but foreign investment is also not good, and international brand, Samsung, withdrew its investment from Bangladesh.

“Now Samsung set up its industry in Vietnam and we became deprived of the investment,” she added. Without political dialogue with opposition political parties, local investment situation would not improve, observed Nihad.

In a reply, Muhith said it was a tragedy that Samsung withdrew investment from Bangladesh, but foreign investment will certainly come to Bangladesh in a large scale.

MCCI board of directors also demanded that profit rate of savings instrument and interest rate of commercial bank loans be reduced. l

The country’s import expenditures dropped by 29% in the last 11 months of the outgoing year compared to the same period of the previous year.

Import continued to remain sluggish since the beginning of the year 2013 as the business expansion got almost stuck up in the wake of political unrest over January 5, 2014 national polls.

Though capital machinery import increased slightly at the end of 2014, the overall import is yet to get any momentum as yet due to the lack of business confidence, said a senior executive of Bangladesh Bank.

According to the central bank data, the total import against LCs (letter of credits) settlement value stood at US$4bn in January to November 2014 compared to $5.6bn in the same period

Stock regulator fines four firms Tk18 lakh n Tribune Report Market regulator BSEC has levied a total of Tk18 lakh on two brokers, an issuer and an issue manager for violating securities regulations.

In an statement issued on Wednesday, Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission said a fine of Tk2 lakh has been slapped on EBL Securities for providing cash to its clients as margin loan.

It imposed a penalty of Tk1 lakh on MAH Securities for providing margin loan to its clients on non-marginable securities.

The regulator also fined MP Spinning Mills Ltd Tk10 lakh for breaking securities rules

by distributing shares beyond existing shareholders. First Securities Services, which acted as the issue manager of the company, also faced penalty of Tk5 lakh. Earlier, BSEC rejected its initial public offering proposal.

Two banks got BSEC nod for issuing bonds in line with the regulatory requirement to implement the Basel-II to strengthen their capital bases.

Standard Bank will issue Tk200 crore non-convertible subordinate bond at annual interest rate of 12%. The maturity period of the bond is six years from the date of its issuance.

Each unit price of the bond is Tk1,00,000.

Exim Bank will issue Tk250 crore Mudaraba Subordinate Bond with maturity period of seven years from the date of issuance.

Each unit price of the bond is Tk10,00,000 and profits of the bond will be paid semi annually with annual interest rate of 2.5%.

The BSE also approved capital-raising proposal valued more than Tk106 crore of Summit Power Limited by acquiring over 20 crore shares of its concern Summit Meghnaghat Power Company Limited.

More than 10 crore shares issued by the Summit Power will be locked in for three years and each share price will be Tk10. l

of the year 2013.

The import expenditure rose by around 6% to $3bn in November of the just concluded year compared to $2.8bn in the same period of the previous year.

Import of month to month basis, however, declined by around 4% compared to $3.1bn in October, 2014.

Price fall of oil in the global market played a key role in dropping the import in November, last year, said a senior executive of private bank.

LC values against petroleum oil dropped by 21% to $273m in November compared to $347m in October, 2014.

On the other hand, LC value of edible oil including refined and crude rose by 52% in November compared to the previous month. However, Bangladesh Bank is expecting that the import expenditure will be increased by 12% in the fiscal year 2015 from the previous fiscal year.

Import demand is also expected to rise in the coming years as in and out flows of foreign currency in different banks are also on rise, said a central bank statement on the country’s economic update. The central bank also apprehended the risk of rising inflation due to wage hike.

GDP growth is expected to cross 6.5% in the fiscal year 2014-15 if the demand, which has been created at the end of 2014, continues in the days ahead.

The central bank is also hoping for a 10% rise in remittance growth in the fiscal year 2015.

Bangladesh Bank said the last period of 2014 marked a new momentum in consumer and business confidence.

Imports and exports reflected an upward trend. So did remittance, and importantly foreign currency reserve has already registered a new record. l

No IPO application through banks from April n Tribune Report IPO (initial public offering) application system through banks will be abolished from April this year.

Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) has made the decision in its latest meeting held on Wednesday.

“Investors, who intend for IPO subscription, will only be allowed to apply through brokerage firms and merchant bankers but not through banks from April this year,” said an official of BSEC yesterday.

After launching the new IPO application method in July last year, BSEC has also kept previous system effective under which an IPO applicant is to submit application through banks.

In September last, Hamid Fabrics was the first company that began to

collect IPO fund from public through new method.

Under the new method, investors are allowed to submit their IPO applications through designated brokerage firms and merchant banks.

Retail investors need to apply for IPO shares allotment through their respective brokerage firms and merchant banks, and deposit money to their beneficiary owner’s (BO) accounts, according to the new method.

An individual also needs to convey his/her wish to participate in the IPO in a prescribed paper or electronic form to the stockbrokers or merchant banks with whom a beneficiary owner’s account is maintained.

The form should contain the customers’ ID, name, BO account number, number of securities applied for, total amount and category of the applicant. l

B2

Stocks welcome New Year with sharp gains n Tribune Report

market was triggered by steep gains across the heavy-weight sectors with cement leading the way rallying 5.5%.

Power sector came second, up by 1.3%. Banks rose 1.2% on the news that operating profits of most banks increased marginally in the year of 2014. Non-banking financial institutions, pharmaceuticals, food and allied, and telecommunications posted decent gains.

However, trading at the bourse remained weak as total turnover amounted to Tk230 crore, down more than 14% over previous session, as some investors still adopted wait and see policy. Fuel and power accounted for more than 19% of total trade value.

IDLC Investments said with the hope of reviving economic indicators, the maiden session of 2015 demonstrated robust gain.

Some positive news regarding financial sector encouraged investors to create pressure on large and mid cap, it said.

Besides, it said, increased level of volatility was also observed, fostering investors’ interest to some micro cap scrips.

“In spite of allowing same script netting facilities for A, B, G and N category securities, turnover declined, as most of the investors were in observing mood.”

Lafarge Cement that gained 7% was the most traded stock of the session with turnover of nearly Tk16 crore. It also featured third in the top ten gainers chart. l

Stocks began the New Year journey on optimistic note yesterday, as investors reacted positively to the securities regulator’s allowing share netting facility and activation of negative equity accounts.

The benchmark index DSEX neared the psychological level of 5,000-mark during the maiden session of 2015, showing investors remaining upbeat despite irritants on the political front.

Some positive news regarding financial sector encouraged investors to create pressure on large and mid cap As speculated earlier, stocks opened amid buying spree in mainly heavyweight cement, banks, pharmaceuticals and energy issues.

The DSEX settled at 4,941, surging more than 76 points or 1.5%, its highest single-day gain in recent months and hitting about two-week high.

The Shariah index DSES rose nearly 24 points or 2% to 1,174. The comprising blue chips DS30 closed at 1,843, rising 40 points or 2%.

Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) Selective Categories Index, CSCX, jumped 107 points to 9,165.

The overall positive movement of

Weekly capital market highlights DSE Broad Index : DSE - 30 Index : CSE All Share Index: CSE - 30 Index : CSE Selected Index : DSE LOSER Company

Closing (% Change)

Progressive Life-A BD Fixed Income MF-A Samata LeatheR -Z Shahjibazar Power-N Prime Islami Life -A Keya Cosmetics -A AB Bank 1st Mutual Fund-A R. N. Spinning-Z EBL NRB M.F.-A Islami Ins.BD-A

-8.70 -8.11 -7.46 -6.87 -6.68 -5.58 -4.76 -4.14 -4.08 -3.72

CSE LOSER Company EBL NRB M.F.-A Kay & Que (BD) -Z NCCBL Mutual Fund-1-A BDCOM Online-A Pragati Gen. I -A Shahjibazar Power-N Keya Cosmetics -A Reliance1 M.F.-A Aramit -A Hakkani P& Paper -B

Closing (% Change) -53.40 -9.33 -8.33 -7.69 -6.10 -6.05 -5.58 -5.19 -5.14 -3.28

4941.51504

(+) 1.57%

1843.18025

(+) 2.23%

15142.69020

(+) 1.26%

12269.37820

(+) 1.30%

9165.68350

(+) 1.08%

Average (% Change) -7.91 0.00 -4.84 -5.80 -3.84 -7.79 -2.90 0.32 -3.48 -5.60 Average (% Change) -53.17 -9.40 -8.33 -6.66 -6.10 -2.81 -7.84 -5.19 -5.13 -3.18

ANALYST

ClosingAvg. 80.53 6.82 21.64 191.87 74.19 21.43 6.02 28.66 4.72 19.90

ClosingAvg. 4.80 13.59 5.50 24.24 38.50 496.96 21.50 7.30 265.65 29.53

Closing

Bank NBFI Investment Engineering Food & Allied Fuel & Power Jute Textile Pharma & Chemical Paper & Packaging Service Leather Ceramic Cement Information Technology General Insurance Life Insurance Telecom Travel & Leisure Miscellaneous Debenture

DSE Million Taka 230.56 140.46 64.79 233.36 71.81 436.05 3.12 161.63 321.77 8.58 90.56 6.76 29.66 185.47 108.22 14.54 36.11 65.57 14.26 52.12 0.00

▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲

DHIGH

79.80 6.80 21.10 188.40 74.10 22.00 6.00 27.80 4.70 20.70

Closing

82.70 7.00 22.20 203.00 80.00 22.20 6.20 30.00 4.90 21.40

DHIGH

4.80 13.60 5.50 24.00 38.50 192.70 22.00 7.30 265.60 29.50

4.80 14.50 5.50 24.70 38.50 203.70 22.20 7.30 298.00 29.70

Company

Turnover (Million Taka)

2,275.41

Turnover (Volume)

56,390,929

Number of Contract

66,983

Traded Issues

308

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

257

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

45 5

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,641.03

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

32.01

CSE key features January 1, 2015 Turnover (Million Taka)

211.75

Turnover (Volume)

6,202,595

Number of Contract

11,429

Traded Issues

235

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

180

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

50

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

4

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,539.59

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

30.78

Turnover in Million

79.10 6.70 20.80 185.00 71.60 21.00 6.00 27.60 4.60 20.60

4.80 13.50 5.50 24.00 38.50 187.30 21.00 7.30 265.00 29.50

Latest EPS

0.562 0.072 0.014 8.034 0.664 37.930 3.926 12.249 0.802 0.012

Turnover in Million

DLOW

% change 10.13 6.17 2.85 10.26 3.16 19.16 0.14 7.10 14.14 3.98 0.30 1.30 8.15 4.76 0.64 1.59 2.88 0.63 2.29 0.00

Million Taka 23.74 8.43 4.46 26.77 6.18 27.41 19.20 22.70 4.22 13.88 3.06 4.60 17.11 6.52 1.54 1.90 15.07 3.26 9.52 0.02

CSE

% change 10.81 3.84 2.03 12.19 2.82 12.48 0.00 8.74 10.34 1.92 6.32 1.39 2.09 7.79 2.97 0.70 0.86 6.86 1.49 4.34 0.01

2.30 0.48 0.05 9.00 4.95 2.36 0.56 2.19 0.64 1.48

Latest EPS

0.005 0.696 0.025 0.038 0.004 1.590 5.293 0.037 0.014 0.295

Million Taka 254.30 148.89 69.26 260.13 77.99 463.45 3.12 180.83 344.47 12.80 104.43 9.82 34.26 202.58 114.74 16.08 38.01 80.64 17.53 61.65 0.02

Al-Haj Textile -A Daffodil Computers -Z LafargeS Cement-Z Jute SpinnersA Sonali Ansh -A Pharma Aids A Beximco Pharma -A Anlima Yarn -A Fareast Finance-Z Khulna Power-A

Closing (% Change) 10.05 7.03 6.99 6.98 6.27 6.19 5.79 5.66 5.52 4.91

CSE GAINER

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

DLOW

Friday, January 2, 2015

DSE GAINER

DSE key features January 1, 2015

0.64 -1.41 0.43 1.64 2.47 9.00 2.36 1.38 14.12 0.64

Latest PE 35.0 14.2 432.8 21.3 15.0 9.1 10.8 13.1 7.4 13.4

Company Kohinoor Chem -A Prime Islami Life -A LR Global BD MF1-A 7th ICB M F-A Fareast Finance-Z ACI ZERO Bond-A MeghnaCement -A Berger Paints-A LafargeS Cement-Z PrimeFin. 1st MF-A

15.70 9.86 8.51 8.49 7.50 6.64 5.88 5.86 5.80 5.59

Average (% Change) 15.70 3.73 7.04 7.83 6.32 6.67 3.86 5.86 5.30 4.47

ClosingAvg.

Closing

102.52 13.59 129.60 56.62 116.44 239.90 61.02 22.25 16.98 58.99

ClosingAvg.

102.90 13.70 131.60 56.70 117.00 241.90 62.10 22.40 17.20 59.80

Closing

350.00 73.65 5.02 91.46 16.98 996.00 123.50 1500.00 129.63 16.84

350.00 78.00 5.10 92.00 17.20 996.00 126.00 1500.00 131.30 17.00

DHIGH 102.90 14.00 132.10 57.00 121.00 247.50 62.60 22.60 17.40 60.50

DLOW 95.90 12.10 123.20 54.10 112.80 232.00 59.60 22.00 16.40 56.80

DHIGH

DLOW

350.00 78.00 5.10 92.00 17.50 996.00 126.00 1500.00 132.80 17.00

350.00 67.70 4.60 90.00 16.20 996.00 121.00 1500.00 127.00 16.70

Turnover in Million 8.548 0.676 159.121 0.053 3.071 21.361 76.220 0.914 7.656 38.754

Turnover in Million 0.004 0.024 0.148 0.017 1.019 0.014 0.025 0.008 14.759 0.194

Latest EPS 1.04 1.16 2.43 -43.64 0.60 9.88 4.19 0.84 1.08 6.36

Latest EPS 10.40 4.95 0.69 8.52 1.08 0.00 6.71 49.25 2.43 1.13

Latest PE 98.6 11.7 53.3 -ve 194.1 24.3 14.6 26.5 15.7 9.3

Latest PE 33.7 14.9 7.3 10.7 15.7 18.4 30.5 53.3 14.9

News, analysis and recent disclosures RUPALIBANK: The Company has informed that the Board of Directors of the Company has approved the revaluation of Land, Buildings and Motor Vehicle as follows: Land revalued from carrying amount of Tk. 468.13 crore to Tk. 1002.09 crore, Buildings revalued from carrying amount of Tk. 430.22 crore to Tk. 323.20 crore and Motor Vehicle revalued from carrying amount of Tk. 12.77 crore to Tk. 21.89 crore.

BDTHAI: The Company has informed that the Board of Directors of the Company has approved the revaluation of fixed assets (Land and Land Development) as of November 30, 2014 showing the depreciated current cost of Land and Land Development of the Company at an aggregate amount of Tk. 1,483,437,500.00 and a revaluation surplus at Tk. 917,501,724.00 over its depreciated historical costs thereof The Board also decided to incorporate the aforesaid depreciated current cost and revaluation surplus in the Companys financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2014.

SUMITPOWER: The Company has informed that after receiving BSECs consent the Board of Directors of Summit Power Limited (SPL) has approved further allotment of SPLs 10,67,91,361 Ordinary Shares of Tk. 10.00 each in favour of Summit In-

dustrial and Mercantile Corporation (Pvt.) Ltd. (SIMCL) in exchange for acquisition of 20,39,71,500 shares of Tk. 10.00 each of Summit Meghnaghat Power Company Limited (SMPCL), equal to 30% of the SMPCLs Equity, in the ratio of 1.91 SMPCL shares for 1 share of Summit Power Limited.

OLYMPIC: The Company has informed that the Board of Directors has decided to purchase a land measuring area of total 29.50 decimals at Lolati, Sonargaon, Narayanganj at a total consideration of Tk. 79.85 lacs only.

1STICB, 2NDICB, 3RDICB, 4THICB,5THICB, 6THICB,7THICB,8THICB: Investment Corporation of Bangladesh (ICB) has informed that Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) vide its letter dated October 30, 2014 has given consent to the Corporation to take decision regarding liquidation or conversion of the fund within December 2016.

IPO Subscription: Zaheen Spinning Limited subscription date 28 December 2014 to 05 January 2015, NRB upto 13 January 2015. @ taka 10, face value taka 10 and market lot 500. Asian Tiger Sandhani Life Growth Fund subscription date 11 to 15 January 2015, NRB upto 24 January 2015. @ taka 10, face value taka 10 and market

lot 500. United Power Generation & Distribution Company Limited subscription date 18 to 22 January 2015, NRB upto 31 January 2015. @ taka 60, face value taka 10 and market lot 100. Bangladesh Steel Re-Rolling Mills Limited subscription date 01 to 05 Febuary 2015, NRB upto 14 Febuary 2015. @ taka 35, face value taka 10 and market lot 200.

Dividend/AGM ECABLES: 10% cash, AGM: 26.02.2015, Record Date: 05.01.2015.

MPETROLEUM: 95% cash and 10% stock, AGM: 16.01.2015, Record date: 04.12.2014.

JAMUNAOIL: 90% cash and 10% stock, AGM: 07.02.2015, Record date: 11.12.2014.

PADMAOIL: 100% cash, AGM: 14.02.2015, Record date: 22.12.2014.

EASTRNLUB: 30% cash, AGM: 17.01.2015, Record Date: 25.11.2014.

SAMORITA: 20% cash and 10% stock dividend, AGM: 07.01.2015, Record Date: 19.11.2014.

POWERGRID: 10% cash, AGM: 17.01.2015, Record Date: 25.11.2014.

SPCL: 25% cash and 5% stock dividend, AGM: 29.01.2015, Record Date: 27.11.2014.

ANWARGALV: 7.50% cash dividend to the general shareholders, AGM: 12.01.2015, Record Date: 13.11.2014.

7.5 -ve 12.8 14.8 15.6 55.2 9.1 5.3 18.8 46.1

DSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company

Total

Closing (% Change)

Average (% Change) 11.47 6.01 5.47 6.83 5.42 5.61 3.20 4.85 4.49 3.80

Latest PE

With the hope of reviving economic indicators, the maiden session of 2015 demonstrated robust gain

SECTORAL TURNOVER SUMMARY Sector

Stock

DHAKA TRIBUNE

% change 10.19 5.97 2.78 10.43 3.13 18.58 0.13 7.25 13.81 0.51 4.19 0.39 1.37 8.12 4.60 0.64 1.52 3.23 0.70 2.47 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

LafargeS Cement-Z MJL BD Ltd.-A Agni Systems -A Beximco Pharma -A CVO PetroChem RL-A Grameenphone-A IDLC Finance -A DESCO Ltd. -A SummitAlliancePort.-A Active Fine Chem.-A

Jamuna Oil -A SAIF Powertec-N Khulna Power-A Summit Power -A Keya Cosmetics -A

CSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company LafargeS Cement-Z Grameenphone-A WesternMarine -N MJL BD Ltd.-A SAIF Powertec-N SummitAlliancePort.-A BEXIMCO Ltd. -A National Bank - A Square Pharma -A Keya Cosmetics -A

Aftab Auto.-A Jamuna Oil -A Agni Systems -A Hamid Fabrics -N RAK Ceramics-A

VolumeShares 1,227,821 861,909 2,489,812 1,249,193 133,672 155,125 683,282 694,480 518,340 581,290

Value in Million 159.12 109.96 83.44 76.22 65.89 56.34 51.76 49.23 43.76 43.16

% of TotalTurnover 6.99 4.83 3.67 3.35 2.90 2.48 2.27 2.16 1.92 1.90

VolumeShares

Value in Million

% of TotalTurnover

194,334 621,201 656,968 960,873 1,769,719

113,860 38,393 156,851 56,413 109,260 79,285 171,802 494,825 21,012 246,126

77,634 23,706 115,694 104,310 61,669

40.30 39.82 38.75 37.97 37.93

14.76 13.33 8.40 7.17 7.03 6.68 6.36 5.87 5.46 5.29

5.28 4.93 3.89 3.86 3.67

1.77 1.75 1.70 1.67 1.67

7.01 6.34 3.99 3.41 3.34 3.18 3.02 2.79 2.60 2.52

2.51 2.34 1.85 1.83 1.74

ClosingP 131.60 128.10 33.40 62.10 490.10 364.30 76.20 70.90 84.90 74.00

208.30 64.40 59.80 40.00 22.00

ClosingP

131.30 363.40 53.70 127.90 64.30 84.80 37.30 11.80 260.20 22.00

69.80 208.10 33.30 36.90 59.50

Change % 6.99 1.99 3.41 5.79 -3.24 0.66 2.01 2.01 2.41 0.14

1.17 3.37 4.91 4.44 -5.58

Change %

5.80 0.69 1.51 1.91 3.38 2.91 2.47 2.61 0.46 -5.58

4.02 0.53 3.42 0.27 2.76

ClosingY 123.00 125.60 32.30 58.70 506.50 361.90 74.70 69.50 82.90 73.90

205.90 62.30 57.00 38.30 23.30

ClosingY

124.10 360.90 52.90 125.50 62.20 82.40 36.40 11.50 259.00 23.30

67.10 207.00 32.20 36.80 57.90

DHIGH 132.10 129.10 34.30 62.60 505.00 365.00 76.40 71.60 85.80 75.00

208.90 65.00 60.50 40.20 22.20

DLOW 123.20 125.00 32.60 59.60 488.00 360.50 74.60 69.60 83.20 73.70

206.10 62.50 56.80 38.40 21.00

DHIGH

DLOW

132.80 365.00 54.20 129.00 65.10 85.10 37.50 12.10 261.00 22.20

127.00 343.00 53.00 121.60 62.90 81.30 36.20 11.60 257.50 21.00

70.00 210.00 34.20 37.30 60.50

67.20 206.10 32.80 36.70 58.40

AvgPrice 129.60 127.57 33.51 61.02 492.91 363.21 75.75 70.88 84.43 74.25

207.37 64.11 58.99 39.52 21.43

AvgPrice

129.63 347.33 53.57 127.09 64.31 84.31 37.03 11.86 259.97 21.50

68.00 208.07 33.61 36.98 59.43

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

B3

Friday, January 2, 2015

IIF: Investors make first retreat from Nifty heads for best gain since 2009 emerging markets since June 2013 yearly n Reuters, Mumbai

n Reuters, London

The first net outflow of foreign money in 18 months hit emerging markets in December as oil prices fell, risk aversion grew and investors anticipated a Federal Reserve rate hike, the Institute of International Finance said.

Portfolio outflows totalled $11.5bn with bond investment down $7.8bn and $3.7bn withdrawn from stocks, the Washington-based finance industry body said in its monthly report. This is the sharpest outflow since June 2013, when markets were caught off guard by Fed comments hinting at the prospect of winding down the supply of cheap money that investors had ploughed into higher-yielding emerging assets.

“Investor sentiment towards emerging markets appears to have taken a significant turn for the worse in the last few weeks,” said IIF economist Robin Koepke, lead author of the report published late on Tuesday.

“The weakness in flows is likely to reflect a general increase in risk aversion in the context of the Russian currency crisis and the remarkable decline in oil prices.”

Emerging Europe was hardest hit, followed by Africa/Middle East and Latin America. Only Asia recorded small overall inflows, with foreign purchases of Indian bonds offsetting a re-

Brokers trade on their computer terminals at a stock brokerage firm in Mumbai trenchment in equity flows.

A majority of economists in a Reuters poll expected the Fed to raise interest rates from near zero in the second quarter of next year, in turn making

CORPORATE NEWS

it more costly for emerging nations to raise funds in dollar-denominated debt.

A 50% drop in crude prices this year has inflicted much pain on oil and gas exporter Russia and the rouble has lost

Shahjalal Islami Bank Limited has recently signed an agreement with Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh (HAAB) on receiving deposits of Hajj & Umrah registration fee.

The bank’s SEVP, M Mushfiqur Rahman and Md Ibrahim Bahar, president of HAAB signed the agreement

around 43% against the dollar.

In October, the IIF estimated that total private capital flows to emerging markets would likely reach $1.162tn in 2014 and $1.158tn next year. l

Japan PM Abe pledges reforms to boost economy n AFP, Tokyo

National Bank Limited has recently opened its 179th branch at Rajendrapur Bazar in South Keranigonj. The bank’s managing director, Shamsul Huda Khan inaugurated the branch as chief guest

REUTERS

Indian shares edged up on Wednesday, capping a record-setting year with hopes that the momentum would sustain in 2015 should the government announce additional economic reforms and the RBI start cutting interest rates.

The Nifty has gained 30.8% this year as of Tuesday’s close, posting its best gain since 2009 in a year marked by a series of record highs. In dollar terms, the index was the second best performer in Asia after Shanghai, according to Thomson Reuters data.

The election of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and efforts by Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan to cut down inflation have been widely credited by investors as setting the stage for the strong show of shares.

Foreign investors were key to the rally, buying a net $16.1bn in shares so far this year, the biggest net purchase since buying $29.4bn worth in 2010.

Analysts say that with inflation under control, the RBI can now afford to ease interest rates while they are hopeful that Modi will introduce additional policy reforms after measures on land acquisition and insurance this month.

“In 2015, India will shine. Valuations are not that expensive,” said Sandeep Nayak, executive director and CEO of Centrum Stock Broking.

“Further, capital earmarked for

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe yesterday pledged to carry out crucial structural reforms this year as part his drive to kickstart the economy, while stressing the country remained pacifist as he pursues his nationalist agenda.

“This year we will once again make the economy the foremost priority, delivering the warm winds of economic recovery to every corner of the nation,” he said in his new year statement, weeks after winning a landslide election.

“We will decisively execute our growth strategy, carrying out economic (stimulus) measures at an early time,” he said, referring to reforms such as deregulation in the energy and farm sectors.

Since he first took office in December 2012 Abe said he has tackled various issues including revamping the country’s education and social security systems, and diplomatic and security policies.

“All of the reforms I am pursuing are the most drastic reforms since the end of World War II, with very challenging

roads ahead,” he said.

With a fresh voter mandate given by a general election victory last month, “this year I will push ahead with reforms even more boldly and with an even greater sense of speed”, he said.

Abe has embarked on a policy blitz - dubbed “Abenomics” to reinvigorate the economy, with a vast government spending and monetary easing programme. The third “arrow” in his armory are much-needed structural reforms.

Abe, 60, had billed the December 14 election as a referendum on “Abenomics”, which has helped exporters by sending the yen sharply lower and boosted stocks.

But his failure to implement some of the tough changes economists say are needed - freeing up the labour market and tackling an inefficient agricultural sector - has left Abe open to the charge that he is pursuing style over substance.

His speech also noted that this year marks the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II and that Japan - with “deep remorse” over its wartime atroci-

ties - “has walked the path of a free and democratic nation and of a consistently peace-loving nation”.

His comments come as he seeks warmer ties with old foe China, with which Japan has been engaged in bitter territorial disputes in recent years.

“A we reflect on the past... I wish to make this (year) a year in which we send out to the world a message about the kind of country we aim to be and get off to a dynamic start towards building a ‘new Japan’,” he said.

He did not detail what a “new Japan” would look like.

Abe last month pledged to pursue his nationalist agenda, including revising the post-war US imposed pacifist constitution and expanding the role of the country’s Self-Defense Forces.

Also Thursday, Japanese Emperor Akihito, 81, in his New Year statement stressed the importance of learning about World War II. “I think it is now extremely important that at this opportunity we fully learn from the history of this war... in thinking about the way Japan should be in the future,” Akihito said. l

emerging markets and BRICs in 2015 is likely to flow aggressively into India given its relative attractiveness,” The broader Nifty rose 0.31% to 8,273.2 on Wednesday. It had hit a record high of 8.626.95 on Dec 4.

The benchmark Sensex rose 0.28 percent to 27,480.09 in the last day of the year, having set its record high of 28,822.37 on Nov. 28.

'Further, capital earmarked for emerging markets and BRICs in 2015 is likely to flow aggressively into India given its relative attractiveness' Power and infrastructure stocks were among the gainers on hopes of reform measures. Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd gained 1.7%, while NTPC Ltd added 0.7%.

However, auto stocks fell on reports that the government will not extend tax breaks to auto makers beyond Dec 31. Mahindra and Mahindra was down 1.6% and Maruti Suzuki was 0.5% lower. l

Sylhet chamber elects officebearers n Our Correspondent, Sylhet Sylhet Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) elected Salah Uddin Ali Ahmed as its president.

The election held yesterday also picked Mamun Kibria Sumon as senior vice president and Masud Ahmed Choudhury as vice president.

Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of sadar upazila Mir Mahbubul Rahman administered the election at the SCCI building on Jail Road in the city.

Earlier on Wednesday, the chamber also elected 22 directors.

UNO Mir Mahbubul Rahman said president, senior vice president and vice president were elected uncontested.

Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) AZM Nurul Haque was also present on the occasion. The election was previously scheduled to be held on October 2, 2013. But two candidates for directorship Hafijur Rahman and Hasin Ahmed filed a writ petition with High Court against the schedule.

The court stayed the election for four weeks. Later, all parties sat in a meeting and agreed to hold the election, according to the sources concerned. l

Oil ends on a low after halving in 2014 n Reuters, New York

Sheltech, a real estate developer in Bangladesh has recently announced a fair called, “Sheltech Year Starting Housing Fair 2015” that is to be held at its corporate office during the first half of January. Sheltech’s managing director, Dr Toufiq M Seraj made the announcement at a press conference

Oil prices fell on Wednesday to a 5-1/2year low and ended with their secondbiggest annual decline ever, down by half since June under pressure from a global glut of crude.

Just before the close, Brent and US oil futures bounced off session lows.

But prices still settled at their lowest since May 2009. Weekly US data showed crude oil stockpiles fell more than expected, but inventories at the oil hub at Cushing, Oklahoma, grew, keeping prices depressed.

'We are sowing the seeds for a rally down the road, but it doesn’t look like any time soon' Midland Bank Limited has recently opened a new branch at Gulshan-2 in Dhaka. The bank’s managing director, Md Ahsan-uz Zaman has inaugurated the branch

Employees of EDISON Group has recently held an event called 'Celebration of Success' at Cox’s Bazaar in order to celebrate the successful business year. The event was inaugurated by the company’s director SHR, Ahmed Pasha while the MD of EDISON Group, Jakaria Shahid gave the closing speech

Oil prices have collapsed this year as the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries opted to maintain the same level of output despite a global glut caused by expanding US shale output and diminished demand growth from China.

Phil Flynn, an analyst at Price Futures Group, said the mood was “sour” and trade choppy as dealers continued to hunt for a bottom, with volatility exacerbated by thin holiday volume.

“We are sowing the seeds for a rally down the road, but it doesn’t look like any time soon,” he said.

Brent settled down 57 cents at $57.33 a barrel, bouncing off an intra-day low of $55.81 but closing below $60 for a fourth straight day.

A ship passes a petro-industrial complex in Kawasaki near Tokyo US crude fell 85 cents to settle at $53.27 a barrel, down 45% from a year ago.

Trading seesawed as traders balanced positions for the new year and digested a mixed report on US crude stockpiles from the Energy Information Administration [EIA].

US crude closed with its secondlargest annual decline on record. The biggest came in 2008, when prices collapsed in the wake of the financial crisis.

The last round of OPEC output cuts eventually brought them off lows near $30 a barrel.

In contrast, OPEC at a Nov 27 meeting this year decided against cutting output. Despite its own forecasts of a growing surplus, the group opted to defend its market share against shale oil and other rival supply sources.

Turmoil in Libya dented OPEC supply in December to a six-month low, a Reuters survey showed, although fore-

REUTERS

casts still point to a glut.

The EIA reported a weekly drawdown US crude inventory, along with small increases in demand for gasoline and heating oil and a rise in stocks for gasoline and distillate.

Oil prices came under further pressure from a survey showing China’s factory sector shrank in December for the first time in seven months. This should hurt energy demand in the world’s No 2 consumer. l

B4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Back Page

Friday, January 2, 2015

IMF: Anemic growth warrants easy monetary policy n Reuters, Rome Accommodative monetary policy will remain necessary for as long as global growth remains weak, IMF managing director Christine Lagarde said in a newspaper article published on Wednesday.

With the global economy in a fragile state, central banks from Europe to China have cut interest rates in 2014, and the possibility of printing money to buy government bonds looms large in some places.

“Accommodative monetary policy will continue to be necessary while growth remains anemic, although we must pay very close attention to the risk of potential spillover,” Lagarde wrote in an opinion piece for Italian business daily Il Sole 24 Ore. Six years after the 2008 financial crisis, the global economy risks falling into a prolonged period of slow growth

and scant job creation, Lagarde said, calling for fresh political impetus to activate measures agreed by G20 countries last month.

Lagarde said progress had been made in regulating financial services but that countries must now pursue reforms and improve banking supervision.

She called for tighter control over “shadow banking”, or non-bank credit and off-balance sheet bank lending, and said more effort was needed to “fill the shortfall” of data on the financial sector and allow for better regulation.

To rebuild public trust, the financial sector needs to change culturally and “behave ethically”, Lagarde said.

A boost to global trade could help unlock investment in 2015, she added, saying she was confident that a worldwide agreement on climate change is possible by the end of the year. l

International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde speaks to the media with Peru's President Ollanta Humala (not pictured) at the government palace in Lima

China manufacturing growth at lowest in 2014 n AFP, Beijing

China’s manufacturing growth dropped in December to its lowest level of 2014, an official survey showed Thursday, as the sector struggles with weak domestic demand.

China’s official Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) came in at 50.1 last month, down from 50.3 recorded in November.

The index, which tracks activity in factories and workshops, is considered a key indicator of the health of Chi-

na’s economy, a major driver of global growth. A figure above 50 signals expansion, while anything below indicates contraction.

“Growth momentum is still insufficient,” NBS said in a statement.

British bank HSBC said Tuesday that its own PMI figure for the month fell to 49.6, down from the breakeven point of 50 in November.

“The decline of both official and HSBC PMIs suggests that China’s manufacturing sector, especially those industries related to property market, is still struggling due to sluggish do-

mestic demand,” Li-Gang Liu and Hao Zhou, economists at ANZ Research, said in a note.

But some data suggest that “real activity indicators should have accelerated in the last month of 2014, supported by proactive fiscal policy”, they added.

China’s central bank surprised economists in November by cutting benchmark interest rates for the first time in more than two years, in a move interpreted as an attempt to shore up flagging growth.

The People’s Bank of China lowered its one-year rate for deposits by 25 basis

points to 2.75% and its one-year lending rate by 40 basis points to 5.6%.

The decision came after a string of disappointing statistics showed the Chinese economy is struggling with not just stalling factory growth, but also other problems including soft exports and the weakening property market.

Authorities had for months used various kinds of limited stimulatory measures such as targeted cuts in bank reserve requirements - aimed at freeing up funds for lending - and a cash injection into the country’s five biggest banks for re-lending. l

Brazil: Economy struggles as Rousseff begins 2nd term n AFP, Brasilia Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff will be sworn in for her second term yesterday before thousands of cheering supporters, but any moment of triumph will surely be short lived.

The world’s seventh-biggest economy - once booming - has barely grown during the left-wing former urban guerrilla’s first term, and she begins her next with her government dogged by scandal.

The ongoing probe investigation into a huge network of corruption at Petrobras, the state oil firm she used to chair, has tainted many of her allies and weakened her as she turns to the economy.

Rousseff won October’s hard-fought election thanks to voters reliant on the extensive social welfare programs put in place a decade ago by her Workers Party predecessor Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Her own term in office, however, saw mass street demonstrations that threatened to take the shine off even set-piece spectacles like the 2014 football World Cup. She nevertheless defeated her rightwing rival Aecio Neves, who won over the business community but failed to convince workers that he could revive growth without drastic cuts.

Around 32,000 Workers Party faithful are en route to Brasilia in around 800 coaches to attend her investiture, seeking to drown out potential antiRousseff demonstrations.

She will be driven in a Rolls Royce down the Ministries Esplanade to Congress, where she will take the oath of office before heading to her presidential palace to make a national address.

Credibility crisis

Workers at a construction site for a new subway station are seen in front of a chimney of a heating plant in Beijing

REUTERS

China service sector growth picks up in December

Russia’s 2014 inflation at 11.4%, highest since 2008

Growth in China’s services sector picked up slightly in December, a government study showed on Thursday, helping to offset further weakness in manufacturing which is weighing on the world’s second-largest economy.

The official non-manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index, or PMI, rose to 54.1 in December from November’s 53.9, well above the 50-point line that separates growth from contraction on a monthly basis. A similar activity study showed growth in China’s factory sector slowed as expected in December, underlining the challenges facing the government as it tries to avert a sharper economic slowdown. l

n AFP, Moscow

n Reuters, Beijing

Russia’s state statistics service on Wednesday estimated annual inflation at 11.4% for 2014, the highest level since the financial crisis of 2008.

The sliding ruble - hit by lower oil prices and Western sanctions - has significantly pushed up prices, with food up by 15.4% for the year, it said.

Inflation crept up 2.6% in December, a month when the ruble experienced a dramatic crash on December 18, falling by 20% in a single day and triggering fears of a full-blown bank run.

The currency has stabilised over the past week between 50 and 60 rubles to

the dollar - over 40% weaker than at the beginning of the year.

'The sliding ruble - hit by lower oil prices and Western sanctions - has significantly pushed up prices, with food up by 15.4% for the year' Russia’s inflation in 2013 was 6.5%.

The economy - sluggish for the past two years - was dealt a double blow this year as oil prices reached a five-year

low and Western countries imposed sanctions over Moscow’s involvement in the conflict in Ukraine, cutting off Russia’s banking system from foreign lending.

As a result, the economy shrank in November for the first time in five years, and is expected to enter recession in the first quarter of 2015. Russians’ real earnings also fell.

Analysts predict that Russia’s recession will last all of next year. President Vladimir Putin this month conceded tough times were ahead and did not issue any roadmap for recovery, merely saying that the economy will rebound by 2017 in line with global trends. l

REUTERS

“Rousseff starts the year laboring under a crisis of credibility - not just because of the mess with Petrobras but because the country has lost international credibility,” analyst Andre Leite of TAG Investments told AFP. The Petrobras scandal and the ongoing police investigation - dubbed “Operation Car Wash” - erupted just a few months before Rousseff won reelection.

So far suspicion has fallen on 39 people, including former Petrobras directors and pro-government politicians, a network which allegedly laundered around $3.8bn creamed off from inflated contracts.

Petrobras is facing legal action in the United States over investor losses ema-

DILBERT

nating from a scandal that has seen the firm’s stock plunge, and hit its creditworthiness and ambitious investment plans.

Aside from dealing with the crisis at the firm, Rousseff ’s priority will be to revive economic growth - although economists expect 2015 to bring little cheer.

“One of the first steps has to be to regain budgetary credibility, to make adjustments for growth,” says Leite.

A new economic team led by orthodox pro-market Finance Minister Joaquim Levy has set in motion moves designed to make savings, including a reduction in unemployment insurance.

The government also wants to attract more private investment to underpin investment in the country’s crumbling infrastructure.

Ministerial merry-go-round

In forming her new cabinet team, Rousseff has been careful to offer positions to coalition allies, but that has already caused displeasure within her own party.

To the horror of greens, the landless and indigenous groups, she named as minister of agriculture Senator Katia Abreu, a supporter of agrobusiness dubbed the “chainsaw queen” by Greenpeace.

Rousseff opponents accuse her of wanting to expand agrobusiness to the detriment of small-scale farming and the environment.

“Now the agro-foodstuffs sector has support at the heart of the executive and will put more pressure on indigenous peoples,” said Clever Buzatto, director of the Indigenous Missionary Council.

'They feel betrayed'

Another controversy arose with the nomination of new sports minister George Hilton, an evangelical priest from a small conservative party within the broad coalition.

Linked to the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, Hilton replaces communist Aldo Rebelo.

Several of Rousseff ’s leftist colleagues as well as members of the Athletes of Brazil organization, including footballers Kaka and Cafu and national coach Dunga, have protested.

Hilton, who will oversee preparations for the 2016 Olympics in Rio, South America’s first, was arrested in 2007 in possession of several suitcases containing $220,000 in cash - allegedly donations from his congregation.

His arrest saw him expelled from his former party. l