09 Jan, 2015

Paush 26, 1421 Rabiul Awal 17, 1436 Regd No DA 6238 Vol 2, No 275

FRIDAY, JANUARY 9, 2015 | www.dhakatribune.com | SECOND EDITION

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WEEKEND

7 | LONG FORM

11 | OP-ED

12 | SPORT

DHAKA: CITY OF RECOLLECTION & FORGETFULNESS

WHERE IS INDIA HEADING UNDER MODI?

IS THE BNP FINISHED?

RUBEL’S WORLD CUP IN LIMBO

BNP’s future plans hinging on conceived rally Khaleda’s Gulshan office gate unlocked, then locked again n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla As the Biswa Ijtema gets under way, the BNP leadership is now mulling on the next step for reinvigorating their anti-government movement, with their decision reportedly hinging on whether the party would be granted permission for a rally next Sunday.

Despite many rumours and speculations, as well as requests from religious organisations to lift the ongoing blockade before the Ijtema, the BNPled 20-party alliance is sticking to its guns on continuing the countrywide blockade.

Moreover, the alliance is also planning to seek permission for a rally in the capital on Sunday, the day of the akheri munajat. If granted, the block-

The BNP considers whether to call a hartal if they are not allowed to hold rally on Sunday ade might be withdrawn; but if denied, the alliance might call a fresh hartal after the end of Ijtema’s first phase in order to intensify their movement.

Party insiders said some senior leaders – from their places of hiding – have discussed the issue of calling a hartal with the BNP chairperson, who has given her preliminary nod.

“If we are permitted to hold rally on the day of akheri munajat, then an announcement will be made for withdrawing the blockade programme,” a senior leader told the Dhaka Tribune seeking anonymity.

If permitted, Khaleda Zia would join the akheri munajat – or concluding prayers of the Ijtema – and then she would go to the rally venue directly, the leader added.

Another senior leader, who also preferred to stay unnamed, said the ongo-

ing blockade might be relaxed for half a day on the day of akheri munajat as the president, the prime minister and other important persons would join the prayer.

“If permission to hold a rally is not given, then Khaleda Zia will not join the prayers as she might be forced to return to her house [from the Ijtema grounds],” he said, adding that the BNP chief would become disconnected from party activists if she was forced to go back to her residence.

BNP leaders said they believed that unlocking the main gate of Khaleda’s Gulshan office was a strategy to give the BNP chief a scope to join the Ijtema, which would then give the government the opportunity to force her back to her home.

However, hours after their comments, locks were put again on the Gulshan office gate.

Sources also said an announcement might come any time from the BNP about lifting blockade restrictions on vehicles with banners stating that the transports were Ijtema-bound.

Casualties of the blockade - bus helper Murad (above) and autorickshaw driver Siddiqur Rahman (below) lie at the burn unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital yesterday after sustaining severe burn injuries in arson and bomb attacks carried out by pickets in Jessore and Mymensingh respectively MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU/DHAKA TRIBUNE

Set afire, blockade victims struggle to survive n Mohammad Jamil Khan It was nearly 2pm at the High Deficiency Unit of the National Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute of Dhaka Medical College Hospital and bus helper Murad Mollah is lying in bed number five with burn injuries covering 32% of his body.

He was found shouting for assistance repeatedly when the Dhaka Tribune reporter visited the ward yesterday, but there was nobody beside him to attend to him.

The attendants of another patient said his mother had gone outside to fetch water. Some minutes later his mother, Nurjahan, returned.

Asked why she left her son alone in the ward in such a serious condition, Nurjahan, with pain in her voice, replied: “What can I do? Murad’s father came with me from Magura after hearing about our son’s condition, but we belong to a very poor family and have

Unlocking and locking

Around 11:50am yesterday, the police unlocked the main gate of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s Gulshan office, where she had been confined for five days. Throughout the day, however, police personnel and riot vans remained parked in front of the office.

Later at 10:30pm, law enforcers again put locks on the gate of the Gulshan office.

The BNP chief has been kept confined to her Gulshan party office since Saturday midnight. Initially, four sand-laden trucks had also been parked on both sides of the office, but were moved later on.

On Monday, Khaleda attempted to come out of her office but failed to go out of the locked gate. Addressing the media from behind the gate, she  PAGE 2 COLUMN 3

French security forces close in on Charlie Hebdo massacre suspects n AFP, Paris

French soldiers patrol in Paris yesterday as the capital was placed under the highest alert after an armed attack on a French satirical newspaper left 12 dead AFP

A huge manhunt for two brothers suspected of massacring 12 people in an Islamist attack at a satirical French weekly zeroed in on a northern town Thursday after the discovery of one of the getaway cars.

As thousands of police tightened their net, the country marked a rare national day of mourning for Wednesday’s bloodbath at Charlie Hebdo magazine in Paris, the worst terrorist attack in France for half a century.

The discovery of the car, abandoned in the northern town of Villers-Cotterets, was a breakthrough in the frantic police hunt.

On the other hand, a “criminal” explosion occurred early Thursday at a kebab shop near a mosque in the eastern French town of Villefranche-surSaone, officials said, but left no casualties.

“It is a criminal act,” a local official

told AFP, adding that a police investigation has been opened. No link was suggested with the deadly attack on Paris magazine Charlie Hebdo a day earlier.

Earlier reports said that the two fugitives, still armed, had been spotted at a petrol station in the same area.

A source close to the case also said that Molotov cocktails and jihadist-style flags had been discovered in

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another vehicle used by the attackers that was abandoned in Paris soon after Wednesday’s assault.

With emotions running high, bells tolled across France at midday, public transport stopped and people gathered outside the headquarters of Charlie Hebdo in the pouring rain, holding aloft banners reading “Je Suis Charlie” (I am Charlie).

Thousands of people gathered in the  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

Houses of judges who banned Tarique’s speech attacked n Our Correspondent, Feni Miscreants have launched attacks on the houses of two Supreme Court judges who on Wednesday directed the government to stop publication and broadcast of statements by BNP Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman in print, electronic and social media.

Police yesterday arrested a local Jubo Dal leader for his alleged involvement in torching the village home of Justice Kazi Reza-Ul Hoque at Mohammadpur in Dholia of the district early yesterday.

No one was present at the house during the fire. However, the furniture in a room turned into ashes.

Meanwhile, miscreants hurled two hand bombs at the residence of another judge of the same bench Justice Abu Taher M Saifur Rahman around 6:30pm.

Rezaul Islam, assistant commissioner of Dhanmondi zone, said two persons riding a motorcycle hurled the bombs. Police retaliated with two rounds of bullets, but failed to catch the attackers.

Caretaker Khurshid Alam of Justcie Reza’s house said he had found two rooms of the house on fire in the morning. As he screamed, locals came and doused the fire. He lives in a small room beside the house.

Local lawmaker Nizam Uddin Hazari and high officials of police visited the spot. Police picked up Khurshid for questioning and later released him.

The lone arrestee, Nizam Uddin Patwary, is the general secretary of Dholia union Jubo Dal, BNP’s youth wing.

Until filing of the report at 10pm, police were preparing to file a case over the arson attack.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 5

INSIDE 4 | News

A CU department yesterday went through with the final examination of one of its courses even though more that two-thirds of the class failed to appear for it due to the unavailability of University transport services for students.

6 | Nation

Farmers cannot cultivate boro paddy on around 4,000 hectares of land due to water logging in Sunamganj, mostly in its Jamalpur, Tahirpur, Chhatak and Dirai upazilas this year.

5 | News

Wheat production has decreased by 17.4 percent on an average over the past few years due to drought occurrence in the country, according to a study.

8 | World

France’s PM said he feared Islamist militants who killed 12 people in an attack on a satirical newspaper could strike again as a manhunt for two men widened across the country.

15 | Entertainment

Theatre Folk, an Oxford-based theatre troupe, has arrived in the country to stage a play titled ‘Jamuna’ centred on the Liberation War heroines at two venues in Dhaka.

B1 | Business

Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed yesterday assured exporters of pharmaceutical products to recommend the government for providing cash incentives to boost exports.

already spent nearly Tk32,000. We have almost run out of money.

“For this reason, my husband Sohar Mollah, who is a rickshaw puller by profession, went out in the morning to pull a rickshaw and make money because there is no one left to help us,” she explained.

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“My elder son Samad also came with us, but because of our need for money, he went to Gazipur to earn some working as a bus helper. They say during the time of Biswa Ijtema, transport owners need more bus helpers than at regular times,” said the weary mother.

She continues: “When Murad was well, he used to send us Tk4,000–5,000 per month, while his elder brother Samad also used to send us about the same amount as both used to work as bus helpers. Their father, due to old  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

‘Sela containment know-how available but unused’ n Abu Bakar Siddique Although the government developed oil spill response capacities 12 years ago after a slick in the Sundarbans in 1994, it utterly failed to utilise its know-how in last month’s Sela River spill, experts said.

After the Sela spill, the harmful effects of which have been debated by members of cabinet, the government took a full 50 hours to decide what to do.

The government’s indifference to applying its own recommendations, made in 2002, to manage oil spills is responsible for prolonging the effect of the Sela River oil spill, according to Tanjimduddin Khan, a political ecologist who works on forests and ecosystems.

In response to the sinking of an oil tanker that contained 200,000 litres of heavy oil in the Passur River near Dhangmari forest station in the  PAGE 2 COLUMN 5

2 Shamsher Mobin arrested n Mohammad Jamil Khan Detectives yesterday arrested Shamsher Mobin Chowdhury, a vice-chairman of the BNP, from his residence in the capital.

Masudur Rahman, deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, confirmed the arrest to the Dhaka Tribune.

A team of Detective Branch of Police (north) picked him up from his residence around 11:15pm.

He was later taken to the Mintoo Road DB headquarters for question.

Asked about the charges on which the BNP leader was arrested, Masudur declined to make any further comment on the matter.

At the moment, several top leaders of the BNP are behind the bars on different charges while party Chairperson Khaleda Zia has been kept “confined” at her Gulshan office since January 3.

Party’s acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was arrested on Tuesday. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

The Anti-Corruption Commission is set to run a fresh inquiry against Qazi Faruque Ahmed, chairman of non-government organisation Proshika, for looking into his alleged involvement in embezzling Tk767,354 along with 10 others.

In its regular meeting yesterday, the commission approved an inquiry against the Proshika chairman and ordered the ACC’s Rajshahi divisional office director to appoint an official to run the probe into the allegations, said an ACC official requesting anonymity. The approval came after the ACC reportedly found specific allegation of embezzlement of over Tk7 lakh against Faruque and 10 others.

This is not the first time Faruque had been under the graft watchdog’s radar.

Friday, January 9, 2015

Tuhin Malik’s comment on Ijtema ‘unpardonable’

PM: Bangladesh to stand on own feet

n Tribune Desk

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday sought support of the country’s leading economists to take Bangladesh to a dignified position, saying economic prosperity was the only means to live with honour amidst world community.

“We want to take Bangladesh to a position when we would not need to beg or look to others for help to sustain our economy,” she told the inaugural ceremony of the 19th biennial conference of Bangladesh Economic Association at the IEB auditorium of the capital.

Hasina said Bangladesh would stand on its own feet and the countrymen should be confident about its own strength. “Bangladesh will follow homegrown policies and depend on own resources to build its economic future.”

She said it was a misfortune for the people that they had to face setback whenever proceeding to the path of growth.

Hasina said despite the limitation of

Criticising him severely for terming the Biswa Ijtema, the second largest congregation of Muslims after Hajj, a “picnic,” Islamic scholars as well as people in social media have demanded exemplary punishment to Supreme Court lawyer Tuhin Malik.

“The audacity he [Tuhin] has shown by terming the Biswa Ijtema a picnic is unpardonable,” Farid Uddin Masud, the imam of Sholakia Eid congregation, told a views exchange meeting in the capital’s Iqra auditorium in Khilgaon yesterday.

“The Tuhins are slaves of Jamaat-e-Islami. His remarks go against not only the Ijtema but also the image of the country. He must be punished as per the law,” said Masud, who is also the chairman of Jamiat-e-Ulama Bangladesh.

Proshika chief again under ACC scanner n Adil Sakhawat

News

On June 9, 2008, the ACC filed a money laundering case against the Proshika chairman for laundering funds worth Tk1.03 crore. In its charge sheet , the commission accused Faruque of laundering the money.

According to the case, Faruque had laundered the amount, funded by donor agencies for a Proshika project. But he allegedly transferred the amount to another foreign currency account with the permission of the NGO bureau.

However, the ACC in its investigation found that Faruque had laundered the amount to his child for the purpose of higher education abroad, said the ACC official who preferred to stay unnamed.

That case, meanwhile, has not seen any progress since the charge sheet was submitted on January 14, 2009. l

Asking the government and the 20-party alliance to not hindering the devotees from observing the Ijtema, Masud said: “It is an honour for the whole Bangladesh.”

Among others, Dhaka University teacher Maulana Husainul Banna and Maulana Arif Uddin Maruf also spoke at the function.

The three-day Ijtema, organised by Tabligh Jamaat, begins today amid the BNP-led 20-party’s indefinite blockade.

The second phase of Ijtema will be held on January 16-18.

Tuhin was recently summoned by a Dhaka court for making “derogatory” remarks about Islam, Bangladesh’s constitution and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at a meeting in London.

Jamaat, however, has demanded withdrawal of the “false” case, filed by a Chhatra League leader, terming it politically motivated.

Earlier, former Awami League minister Abdul Latif Siddique was sacked from the cabinet and the party for criticising Hajj.

Condemnation in social media website Facebook also reached high soon after Tuhin’s alleged remarks he made at a talk show on private television channel ETV on January 5.

Asking the BNP-led 20-party’s indefinite blockade not to postpone the programme, Tuhin reportedly said: “It will not be proper to suspend movement for the Biswa Ijtema. Islam will not be benefited if some people hold picnic on the bank of Turag River [in Tongi] while putting Pharaohs at the helm [of the country].

“Rather it will further strengthen the position of the Pharaohs while mosques-madrasas will be shut, Islami literature be seized in the name of jihadi books and the scholars be hanged.” l

n BSS

ACC to run inquiry against former Rajuk chairman again

PM condemns Paris attack n Tribune Report

n Adil Sakhawat

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday expressed profound shock at the terrorist attack on a media house in Paris, France which left 12 dead and many others injured.

In a condolence message sent to French President Francois Hollande, Hasina strongly condemned the act of terror and expressed her solidarity with the people and government of France.

“Terrorists are terrorists irrespective of their colour, creed or religion and must have no place in any civilised society,” said the prime minister in her message.

Hasina conveyed sympathy to the bereaved family members and to those who have been injured in the attack.

She also prayed for eternal peace of the departed souls. l

The Anti-Corruption Commission is set to run another inquiry against former Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) chairman Engineer Nurul Huda over allegations of corruption with plot distribution during his tenure.

The ACC approved the fresh inquiry against the former Rajuk chief at its regular meeting on Wednesday and appointed Deputy Director Julfikar Ali as the inquiry officer, an ACC official confirmed to the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

Another ACC source said this time the commission would investigate the plots Nurul had allotted to himself and his family during the distribution of Rajuk plots, following a complaint submitted in this regard.

In one such case, Nurul took a 10 katha (around 0.07 hectare) plot at Sector 9 of Purbachal New City project for himself, but then he took another plot there in his wife’s name, violated Rajuk’s

Nurul also allegedly cancelled allocation of plots for independent working women, disregarding the prime minister’s order policy which bars government officials from allotting government plots to their family members after they have been allocated said plots themselves, the ACC

official said, seeking anonymity.

Nurul also allegedly cancelled the allocation of plots for independent working women, disregarding the prime minister’s order, sources said.

A letter was sent to Nurul on September 27, 2010 to hand over the allocated plots to the women, and to make changes in the plot allocation policy, if necessary, in this regard. However, Nurul disregarded the PM’s instruction and cancelled all plot allocations for the working women between 1999 and 2005.

The ACC approved the other inquiry on June 17 last year, but he was discharged from the case in November.

Nurul was appointed Rajuk’s chairman on March 30, 2009 for two years, but his tenure was extended several times before finally ending April 20 last year. l

French security forces

BNP’s future plans

Houses of judges

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 PAGE 1 COLUMN 5

streets to mark a minute of silence and television footage showed children at a Muslim school in the northern city of Lille holding up sheets of paper emblazoned “not in my name”.

Across the world, crowds also gathered from Moscow to Washington under the banner “I am Charlie” to show support for the controversial magazine, which had angered Muslims by repeatedly lampooning the Prophet Mohammed and was seen by supporters as an emblem of free speech.

As police chased the gunmen, several incidents rocked the jittery nation, although it was not clear whether they were linked to Wednesday’s attack.

Just south of Paris, a man shot dead a policewoman and wounded a city employee with an automatic rifle – an act that prosecutors said they were treating as terrorism. There was an explosion at a kebab shop in eastern France, with no casualties immediately reported. And two Muslim places of worship were also fired at in the wake of Wednesday’s attacks, prosecutors said.

Declaring Thursday a national day of mourning – only the fifth in the last 50 years – President Francois Hollande called the Charlie Hebdo bloodbath “an act of exceptional barbarity.”

National television ran constant live coverage of the manhunt for the masked, black-clad gunmen, who shouted “Allahu akbar” (“God is greatest”) while killing some of France’s most outspoken journalists, as well as two policemen.

Arrest warrants were issued for Cherif Kouachi, 32, a known jihadist convicted in 2008 for involvement in a network sending fighters to Iraq, and

his 34-year-old brother Said. Both were born in Paris and are French nationals of Algerian origin. The two men were likely to be “armed and dangerous,” authorities warned.

Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said seven other people had been detained in the hunt for the brothers.

Prime Minister Manuel Valls, meanwhile, told French radio the two suspects were known to intelligence services and were “no doubt” being tracked before Wednesday’s attack.

Police were using forensic evidence and an ID car found in a car abandoned by the gunmen after the attack.

Mourad Hamyd, an 18-year-old suspected of being an accomplice in the attack, handed himself in, with police sources saying he had seen his name “circulating on social media.”

Hollande ordered flags to fly at halfmast for three days in France and convened an emergency cabinet meeting.

“Nothing can divide us, nothing should separate us. Freedom will always be stronger than barbarity,” said the president, calling for “national unity.”

As a sign of this unity, Hollande invited arch-rival and opposition leader Nicolas Sarkozy to the Elysee Palace, his first visit since losing power in 2012.

A massive rally for national unity is planned for Sunday.

Even before the attack, France was on high alert like many countries that have seen citizens leave to fight alongside the radical Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.

France’s main Islamic groups urged Muslims across the country to observe the minute of silence and for imams to condemn terrorism. l

announced a non-stop blockade protesting the police obstacle.

However, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, cabinet members, and police authorities have been denying that Khaleda was confined, claiming that the heavy police deployment was in response to Khaleda’s request for security.

Police return foods and fruits

The police personnel stationed at the Gulshan office yesterday allegedly barred members of Mohila Dal from entering the office carrying raw meat, vegetables and fruits meant for the party chief.

Mohila Dal President Noor-e-Ara Safa told the Dhaka Tribune that 15 activists went to Khaleda’s Gulshan office around noon with 25 chickens, 10kg beef, two Ruhi fishes, vegetables and fruits. “But the police barred us from entering the office and kept all the items with them.

Later, they returned those,” Safa added.

The police later allowed Safa and two other Mohila Dal activists to enter the office. However, later in the evening, Bikalpa Dhara President AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury was turned away from the gates when he went to visit the BNP chief.

Saying the police had also barred him from meeting Khaleda on Sunday, Badruddoza – a former president – claimed that he was acting on his capacity as a physician when he went to meet the BNP chief.

Interestingly, soon after Badruddoza’s visit, pro-BNP journalists were allowed to enter and meet Khaleda.

Call from BJP president

The president of India’s ruling Bharatiya

Set afire, blockade victims struggle to survive  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

age, can no longer work as a rickshaw puller. But fate has sent him to the street again,” said Nurjahan.

Partha Shankar Pal, resident surgeon at the institute, told the Dhaka Tribune that the condition of Murad was critical because his respiratory system had been damaged.

“We are trying our best,” he said.

Murad was burned early in the morning last Wednesday when miscreants set fire to the bus he was asleep in at the Jessore Khajura Bus stand.

“Doctors said Murad’s condition was not good and we have needed to borrow money for his medical expenses every day. We have asked for loans from different relatives but as we are poor no one is coming forward. What was my son’s fault? He wanted to work only to feed his old father and mother but some people, for their own inter-

ests, have brought my beloved son to the door of death,” Nurjahan said.

In another incident, auto rickshaw driver, Siddiqur Rahman, 45, after being injured in a petrol bomb attack, is struggling to survive in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the institute, with 17% burns, and serious damage to his respiratory system.

His wife, Sharifa Akther, who appears weakened by her family’s ordeal said in a low voice that she came to the capital three days ago.

Her three children, Sharifa Akther, 10, Sajedul Islam Sani, 4, and Sanjidul Islam Ramim, 3, are at their village in Mymensingh staying with their grandmother.

Sharifa said they would be frightened by the sight of their father’s disfigured face.

Asked about condition of her husband, Sharifa said he would be well

the resources Bangladesh can achieve economic emancipation through optimum utilisation of the resources, adopting a homegrown policy and holding the reign of lavish life in the society.

She said: “Country’s development faced a serious blow in 2001 with the change of power when the country was in a golden era in terms of economic development. And now attempts are again going on to hold back the economic advancement when Bangladesh is going ahead as a role model of development in the world.”

Chairman of Law Commission ABM Khairul Haque attended as the guest of honour in the inaugural session of the three-day conference being held with the theme “Rethinking Political Economic and Development.”

The prime minister and former chief justice Khairul Haque were given honorary lifelong membership of the BEA. Four renowned economists were also given “Arthonity Samity Gold Award.” l

soon and would go home shortly.

But doctors could not share her optimism.

Duty doctors have placed a red sign on bed number 9 of the ICU where Siddiqur is undergoing treatment.

The resident surgeon of the institute, Partha Shankar Pal, said that although Siddiqur’s burns cover only 17% of his body, his respiratory system is badly damaged.

“It is difficult to say how well he will heal, but we are hopeful,” he said.

He said: “Last year, we witnessed similar painful cases during the political unrest and it seems the situation has returned.”

Md Murad, brother of Siddiqur, said as he could not find any passenger on the deserted streets, Siddiqur was returning home with his auto rickshaw.

On his way home, pickets attacked him with petrol bombs around 5pm on

Janata Party, Amit Shah, had reportedly phoned BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia to inquire about her health. The call came in around 10:15pm on Wednesday, said the BNP chief’s Press Secretary Maruf Kamal Khan. Khaleda thanked the BJP president for his call, he added.

Maruf said many other global leaders have also phoned the BNP chief so far to inquire about her well-being.

Asked about the BNP chief’s health, the press secretary said the former Bangladesh prime minister was feeling better than before.

DAB’s allegation

The Doctors Association of Bangladesh (DAB), a body of pro-BNP physicians, yesterday alleged that the police had used pepper spray – a banned chemical weapon – on the BNP chairperson despite being aware of its health hazards.

“The incumbent unelected government has used poisonous chemical weapon on three-time prime minister Khaleda Zia. The pepper was sprayed immorally and inhumanly on an aged former prime minister with an ill motive,” Latiful Islam Bachchu, senior joint secretary general of the DAB, told journalists at the Dhaka Reporters Unity.

The physician claimed that pepper spray can cause breathing problems and could even be fatal for elderly people.

The DAB also claimed that the government betrayed the nation by using the pepper spray as Bangladesh was a signatory to the Chemical Weapon Convention which bans the use of the spray.

They also cited a January 21, 2013, ruling of the High Court that restricted the use of pepper spray in the country. l

January 5. The auto rickshaw was completely burned, he said.

“In the last couple of days, we have spent around Tk40,000 for his treatment and we do not know what we will do if something happens to my brother,” said Murad.

Contacted, Abu Md Fazlul Karim, officer-in-charge of Kotwali police station of Mymensingh, told the Dhaka Tribune they personally donated Tk10,000 to the victim’s family for treatment.

A case was filed in this regard and six suspects had been arrested, he added.

Since last week, seven people have been admitted to the burn institute.

Two have been released while four are being treated. Two are in critical condition.

In the final months of 2013, 30 people died after receiving burn injuries in attacks by pickets. Over 200 were treated for their injuries in hospital. l

On Wednesday, the High Court bench of Justice Reza and Justice Abu Taher ordered the government to prohibit all media (electronic, print, social) to publish any statement by Tarique “until he remains a fugitive in the eyes of law.”

Tarique, the elder son of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, is facing dozens of cases for corruption, criminal offence and making derogatory remarks about Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. A number of arrest warrant were also issued against him.

He has been staying in London since 2008 on parole for treatment.

The court on Wednesday also directed the foreign secretary to submit a

compliance report with regard to Tarique’s present status while the inspector general of police was asked to inform it about Tarique’s passport within 30 days.

Justice Reza’s cousin Rumel said the BNP-Jamaat supporters might be behind the attack since the same judge earlier gave verdict in the corruption case against Khaleda and Tarique, and also cancelling the registration of BNP’s key ally Jamaat-e-Islami. Rumel’s family resides in the same village.

Trials in the Zia Orphanage Trust and Zia Charitable Trust cases are under way while an appeal against the cancellation of Jamaat’s registration, by the High Court, is pending with the Appellate Division. l

Sela containment know-how  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

Sundarbans in August 1994, the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF), in association with Japan Oil Engineering Co Ltd, Fuyo Ocean Development & Engineering Co Ltd, and Consolidated Services Limited, carried out the Oil Spill Impact and Response Management Programme which trained forest department officials and made several recommendations on oil spill management.

Yet during the Sela River spill, in which an oil tanker containing around 358,000 litres of furnace oil sank inside the mangrove forest, the government failed to take any effective initiative for at least 50 hours after the incident.

Oil tanker Southern Star 7 sank in the Sela River at Mrigmari at 6am on December 09, causing a serious oil slick. It took the government two days to decide what to do, and ultimately barehanded residents of the area manually scooped up the spilled oil.

As a result of the delayed response, the spilled oil spread across a large area of the forest, harming the ecosystem and aquatic species.

On why the government did not use its own knowledge to tackle the accident, Yunus Ali, chief conservator of forests (CCF) told the Dhaka Tribune that the programme had been conducted by Mongla Port Authority and not by his department.

Refuting the report’s claim that several forest officials had been trained under the programme, he said only one forest department staff had been trained – and he had retired.

He acknowledged the need to formulate a contingency plan to respond to oil spills, as recommended by the project, but said the plan is yet to see the light of day.

“The existence of the project, which aimed to train forest officials to respond

to this type of emergency, proves that the government had had the capacity to respond to the Sela spill but did not use it,” Pavel Partha, ecology and biodiversity researcher, said.

He said the government had to take responsibility for the long-term damage to the forest ecosystem resulting from not treating the issue as an emergency.

According to the Oil Spill Impact and Response Management Program report, oil from the 1994 spill spread about 15 kilometres downstream from the stricken ship and affected a considerable part of the Sundarbans.

It said there had been no systematic study conducted on the level of toxic hydrocarbons in the soils.

Monitoring and surveillance facilities were not available to quantify the extent of the pollution, it said.

Chronic exposure to oil residue results in damages to aerial roots, reduction in litterfall, deformation of seedlings and reduced survival and reproduction, according to the report.

“They are sensitive to oil partly because oil films on the breathing roots inhibit the supply of oxygen to underground root systems. Sundari species are particularly more vulnerable than other flora species in the forest,” the report said.

According to a study conducted by the Environmental Science Department of Khulna University after the Sela spill last month, more than 500 square kilometres of the forest had been affected seriously by oil contamination.

However, a UN expert team disclosed its primary findings on December 31 saying the Sundarbans experienced a “limited” environmental impact.

Local people manually collected 68,000 litres of furnace oil from the river in exchange for cash payments from owner Padma Oil Company. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Blockade fizzles out in Dhaka Incidents of arson continue as sporadic violence is seen outside capital least 35 passengers of the train were inn Tribune Report jured in the incident.

News

Blockade disrupts train schedule on 3rd day n Shohel Mamun Only five of the 28 intercity trains left Kamalapur Railway Station on time while most inbound trains ran behind schedule yesterday, the third-day of 20-party’s indefinite blockade.

The trains left the station from one to six hours’ delay while the schedules of Sylhet-bound Kalni Express and another were cancelled by the railway authorities.

The schedule disruption put the passengers, mainly the women and children, in immense sufferings as they had to pass the hours on the platform without any preparations. People opted for trains as road connectivity remained almost paralysed due to the blockade programme.

Railway officials blamed derailment of trains at three points of the country including Kulawra of Moulvibazar for the disruption of schedule.

Meanwhile, the government yesterday issued a gazette notification saying that around 4,000 additional security personnel were deployed to ensure safety of the train passengers.

The passengers, however, claimed that they did not see any sign of addi-

Most Dhaka residents ignored the threat of arson and vandalism on the streets and went about their daily lives yesterday as the 20-party alliance’s blockade entered its third day.

“I was scared to take out my car in the last three days. But after seeing media reports on the blockade and the number of people on the streets, I decided to come out with the car today,” said Abdul Aziz, a businessman from Lalbagh, echoing the thoughts of many city dwellers.

Following few days of relatively empty streets, the capital started to regain its familiar traffic congestion and its accompanying noise yesterday evening.

The driver of a bus service on the Dhaka-Dhamrai route said: “I cannot afford to sit idle as I need to earn. So we resumed the service today. There were few Dhaka-bound passengers but as the day progressed, we found many passengers for Dhamrai.”

However, blockaders continued to torch vehicles throughout the day in Dhaka.

A passenger bus was set on fire at Banasree residential area around 12:30pm while another bus was torched at Nilkhet around 2:30pm.

In Motijheel, a stationary bus for bank employees was set on fire by miscreants at 6:55pm.

At 7:30pm, pickets disguised as passengers torched a bus on Babubazar bridge in Keraniganj. Around the same time, a bus of Unique Paribahan caught fire when pickets hurled petrol bombs.

Later in the evening, a CNG-run autorickshaw was torched in front of the Shilpakala Academy at Segunbagicha.

Outside the capital, there were some stray incidents of violence with no major injury.

Pickets once again targeted to disrupt rail communication by removing fishplates from rail tracks in Kulaura upazila of Moulvibazar.

Our Moulvibazar correspondent reported that Dhaka-Sylhet and Sylhet-Chittagong rail connections were suspended since the derailment of Udayan Express around 3:15am. At

Sayedur Rahman, assistant director of Bangladesh Railway, claimed that the pro-blockade supporters uprooted the line.

In the meantime, miscreants uprooted about 30-feet of rail tracks in Kuri Bridge area of Jaipurhat Sadar upazila in a similar sabotage attempt.

Authorities noticed the damage around 6:50am and repaired the tracks within two hours. Rajshahi-Khulna and Rajshahi-Dhaka rail communications were halted during that period, said Sayedur Rahman.

In Chittagong, a rickshaw puller was injured when miscreants set off a crude bomb at Bahaddarhat area.

Officer-in-charge of Chandgaon police station, Shah Mohammed Abdur Rauf, said miscreants hurled a crude bomb at Bahaddar intersection at around 9pm.

Meanwhile a parked bus of a wedding party was torched at GEC intersection area amid huge traffic. However, no causality was reported in this incident.

In Shibganj upazila of Chapainawabganj, a policeman sustained injuries when pro-blockade supporters hurled crude bombs.

Irtiza Hassan, upazila nirbahi officer of Shibganj upazila, said several fingers of Shibganj police station Constable Sohel Rana were blown off when he, along with other law enforcers, rushed to a scene where blockaders were torching a stone-laden truck in Shibganj upazila around 9am.

Moreover, pickets torched a Dhaka-bound truck by hurling petrol bombs at Shibtola of Sadar Chapainawabganj upazila around 11am.

In Noakhali sadar, pickets locked into a clash with the police at Pach Rastar Mor in the morning, prompting law enforcers to open fire that injured five men.

Police claimed they had fired four rounds of rubber bullets and teargas canisters as the BNP-Jamaat men hurled brick chips at them from a procession.

Officer-in-charge of Sudharam police station, Anwar Hossain, said they had arrested six activists from the spot. l

AL reschedules tomorrow’s rally n Abu Hayat Mahmud

Sedition case against Tarique, ETV CEO

The ruling Awami League has rescheduled its tomorrow’s rally to January 12 so that the Biswa Ijtema congregation is not disrupted.

The first phase of three-day Biswa Ijtema, the second biggest congregation after Hajj, begins today on the bank of Turag River in Tongi. The second phase will be held on January 16-18.

The BNP-led 20-party alliance, however, did not withdraw their indefinite blockade until yesterday.

Party President Sheikh Hasina, also the prime minister, made the decision at a meeting with the members of the Central Working Committee and Advisory Council at her official residence Ganabhaban last night.

The rally was organised for marking the homecoming day of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at Suhrawardy Udyan in the capital.

After the meeting, Joint General Secretary Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif told reporters: “Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has rescheduled the date because of the Biswa Ijtema discussing with the party’s senior leaders.”

A press release sent by the party president’s political office also confirmed the information.

Father of the Nation Sheikh Mujib returned to independent and war-ravaged Bangladesh on Janaury 10, 1972 after serving in jail of erstwhile West Pakistan.

Earlier this month, the ruling party suspended its rally at the Central Shaheed Minar scheduled for January 6.

Because of a last minute ban on gatherings in the capital, both the Awami League and the BNP failed to hold programmes on January 5.

The Awami League wanted to celebrate the day to mark “Victory Day of Democracy” while the BNP announced counter programmes for the same day terming it “Democracy Killing Day.” The BNP-led 20-party alliance did not participate in the 10th general election terming it one sided. The party demanded election under a non-partisan caretaker government. l

Islam Shaon, Md Sanaul n Ashif Islam Tipu and Tarek Mahmud A sedition case has been filed against BNP Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman and Chairman of private television channel ETV Abdus Salam for allegedly threatening sovereignty by circulating instigating words.

Assistant Sub-Inspector Borhan Uddin filed the case with Tejgaon police station yesterday afternoon, OC Mazharul Islam confirmed to the Dhaka Tribune.

On Wednesday, Borhan filed a general diary with the same police station against the accused for “circulating provocative and instigative speeches against the members of police, Border Guard Bangladesh and the Armed Forces.”

The GD says Tarique misguided the nation by delivering “provocative speech against the law enforcers which should be considered as a threat to the sovereignty of the country.”

Salam, now in jail in a pornography case, has committed the same offence by broadcasting Tarique’s “instigative speech,” the GD says.

Police forwarded the copy of the GD to the Home Ministry seeking permission to turn it into a case. After getting the approval of the ministry, the sedition case was filed against the duo.

In his speech given on Sunday night, BNP chief Khaleda Zia’s elder son Tarique asked his party members not to return home until toppling the present Awami League-led government.

Addressing a discussion on the “Democracy Killing Day” in East London, Tarique said: “The aim of our movement is ousting the Hasina-led government, restoration of democracy and election under an impartial election time administration.”

Tarique, from London, recently made various derogatory remarks on Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the history of Bangladesh.

Following his comments, a good number of cases were also filed in different courts across the country against him while several courts issued arrest

tional security measures.

“Pickets in Joypurhat removed fish plates while obstructed rail connectivity in Akhaura. These incidents stopped rail connectivity in Dhaka-Chittagong and RajshahiJoypurhat routes,” Kamalapur station master Nripen Chandra Saha told the Dhaka tribune yesterday.

‘But the blockade supporters are carrying out sabotage in the remote areas across the country making it difficult to run the trains properly’ During a visit to the station around 3:30pm, it was found that many people were waiting on the crowded platforms. They thought that the trains may delay by one or two hours; but more than that was beyond their imagination.

Risking their lives, some passengers were trying to get on an already-overcrowded train. Even there was no room

on the rooftop.

Talking to the Dhaka Tribune, many commuters said they had no other way but using the trains during the blockade days as there were urgency to reach the destinations.

“Most of the trains that reached and left the stations are overcrowded. The demand for tickets is also much higher than any other usual days,” said AR Ahmed, chief booking assistant, at Kamalapur.

Silk City Express came reached the station at 3:45pm though it was supposed to leave for Rajshahi 3pm.

Moreover, Chittagong-bound Suborna Express arrived at the station at 5pm. It is scheduled to start for Chittagong at 2:30pm.

After visiting the Ijtema ground in Tongi, Railway Minister Md Mojibul Haque said they had taken measures for smooth connectivity. “But the blockade supporters are carrying out sabotage in the remote areas across the country making it difficult to run the trains properly. But we are trying our best.”

He also claimed that around 4,000 additional Ansar members were deployed in more than 40 districts. l

Six coaches of an intercity train lies off track in Moulvibazar’s Kulaura upazila. The accident occurred during BNP’s ongoing countrywide indefinite blockade yesterday snapping Sylhet’s rail links with Dhaka and Chittagong DHAKA TRIBUNE

warrants.

On Wednesday, responding to a writ petition, the High Court banned publishing, broadcasting or reproducing speeches and statements of Tarique in print, electronic and social media as long he is absconding.

Tarique has been in London since September 11, 2008 on medical grounds after securing parole in various cases. He faces at least 14 charges, of which four, including the August 21 grenade attack case, are on trial and the rest are stayed.

Salam’s remand plea rejected

Dhaka’s Metropolitan Magistrate Meher Nigar Shuchona yesterday ordered interrogation of ETV Chairman Salam at jail gate within five working days in a case filed under “Pornography Control Act.” The court rejected the bail petition filed by Salam’s counsel Md Saidur Rahman after a hearing. It also rejected the remand prayer lodged by Investigation Officer and DB Inspector Shah Md Aktheruzzaman Ilias.

Salam was arrested on Tuesday.

In the remand prayer, the IO mentioned that Salam had assisted the people concerned to make a naked video and air it in a regular programme named “Ekusher Chokh” in the November 6 episode. A woman filed the case with the CMM court on November 27 against four people – her husband Shahjalal, Senior Reporter of the channel Mohammad Elias, Jahirul Haque Imran and Md Jakir Hossain.

Defamation case against Tarique

Awami Tourist League’s Central Committee Organising Secretary Md Bashir Hossain yesterday lodged a defamation case against Tarique for his “derogatory” remarks against Bangabandhu with the Chittagong Metropolitan Magistrate Court.

The court took the case into cognisance and kept it waiting for order.

The plaintiff lodged the case saying that Tarique delivered derogatory speeches in separate rallies in London on January 5 and December 15 last year. l

3

Friday, January 9, 2015

‘Inter-district bus services to resume under government protection’ n Tribune Report State Minister for Home Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal yesterday said buses and trucks would ply from night across the country despite the ongoing blockade under police protection.

But the president of Dhaka Bus Truck Owners Association, Faruque Talukdar Sohel, told the Dhaka Tribune it was not possible to fully restore public transport operations amid fear of vandalism and arson attacks.

After an emergency meeting at the ministry’s conference room, Kamal said the government had decided to take necessary measures for ensuring the security of people’s lives and properties during road journeys.

“Transport leaders and workers assured me that vehicles would return

on highways despite the nationwide blockade imposed by the BNP,” he said.

Kamal said police, Fire Service, Ansar and VDP officials would be deployed on highways to ensure security.

But Faruque argued that it was impossible for law enforces to protect all the vehicles that run across the country from possible attacks.

“We have to count huge losses when vehicles are vandalised and torched during blockades and general strikes,” he added.

Faruque, however, said a few vehicles would run.

Asaduzzaman also said the BNP chairperson did not consider the woes of devotees who would join Ijtema as the blockade would continue during the congregation. l

Intercity train derails as pro-blockade activists remove fishplates

n Tribune Report At least 35 people were injured as six compartments and the engine of a Chittagong-bound intercity train from Sylhet derailed in Kulaura upazila of Moulvibazar early yesterday after pro-blockade activists removed fishplates from the rail tracks.

Railway authorities claimed that fishplates were removed across a 42 feet stretch by pickets of BNP-led 20-party alliance in support of the blockade.

The incident occurred just a day before the start of Biswa Ijtema as many devotees from different parts of the country take the train route to reach Tongi in the outskirts of the capital Dhaka and join the second largest Muslim gathering in the world.

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia called the countrywide indefinite blockade from Tuesday in protest of her alleged confinement.

The derailment took place near Chak-Salon area between Monu and Tilagaon railway stations in the upazila around 3am. Out of the six derailed compartments, three of them fell into 10-12 feet deep ditches.

Three units of fire service from Sylhet and Moulvibazar came to the scene and rescued the passengers. The injured were later sent to Kulaura Upazila Health Complex and Moulvibazar Sadar Hospital. However, no casualty was reported in the incident till the filing of this report yesterday evening.

Train communications with Dhaka and Chittagong from Sylhet was halted immediately after the Chittagong-bound Udayan Express derailed.

A relief train from Kulaura railway station came to the spot after seven hours to recover the compartments and another relief train from Akhaura Junction joined later.

Safiqul Islam, deputy director of the Fire Brigade and Civil Defense of Sylhet, said the rescue operation was successful and now the railway workers were trying to recover the derailed compartments.

Till the filing of this report, only three compartments were recovered of the six. Railway sources said there was no possibility of restoring train communications with the night.

Kulaura Railway Station Master M Shamsul Alam said a four-member investigation committee headed by Nazmul Islam, divisional transport officer (eastern zone of railway), was formed to probe into the accident and submit a report within seven working days.

As a result of the accident, Sylhet-bound Parabat Express from Dhaka got stranded at Sreemangal station, the Dhaka-bound Surma Express was stuck at Kulaura station, the Chittagong-bound Jalalabad Express at Baramchal station in Kulaura and another Sylhet-bound train from Chittagong was waiting at Shayestaganj station in Habiganj till the filing of this report.

When asked about the incident, Jahangir Hussain, officer-in-charge of Government Railway Police (GRP), Kulaura, said whether the accident was a sabotage or not can be confirmed after investigation.

In another incident, miscreants removed fishplates from the rail tracks adjacent to Urir bridge in Joypurhut early yesterday, our Joypurhut correspondent reports.

Train communications were halted on the Khulna-Rajshahi and Rajshahi-Dhaka rail routes. Railway workers were trying to restore train communications till the filing of this report in the evening.

Abu Taher, a railway worker, said he had heard a loud noise around 6am after which he went to the scene and saw fishplates were removed. Railway authorities said fishplates were removed on a 36 feet span. l

Warrant of Precedence hearing Sunday n Tribune Report Even after disposal of the government’s appeal against the High Court order declaring the existing Warrant of Precedence “illegal,” the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has brought the matter for further hearing again.

The five-member Appellate Division bench headed by Chief Justice Md Muzammel Hossain on Tuesday disposed of the appeal saying “appeal disposed of with expansions, modifications, observations and findings” and uploaded the order on its website.

But the following day the matter was put in its cause list “for further hearing.” Yesterday the bench heard the petitioner’s lawyers and later set Sunday for hearing the state side.

Asked how a matter can be brought again for further hearing after disposal, Attorney General Mahbubey Alam said: “The court can hear a matter from all

the parties even just after pronouncing its order, if the judges feel so.”

After the order, many electronic and print media published news on it quoting the lawyers concerned. The lawyers made comments on the new formation of the Warrant of Precedence.

The court yesterday told the lawyer: “We disposed of the case with some observations. But we did not mention what the observations were. How did you say so elaborately? Do you get any copy of the order?”

Md Asaduzzaman, lawyer of the writ petitioner, sought unconditional apology before the court for his statements in the media. The court then said: “In the short order, we mentioned only four words...Who will shoulder the responsibility for the news reports already published? This is unexpected.”

The counsel then said they had made a mistake. The court at one point asked him to do less photo-sessions for

the well-being of the country. “Nothing should be said without the full order.”

After that, Abdur Rob Chowdhury, one of the state lawyers, also apologised.

“The way the reports were published is very embarrassing for the government.”

The court then wanted to hear from the attorney general. Mahbubey sought time as he was not prepared for submission.

Upon a writ petition, the High Court on February 4, 2010 directed the government to issue a new Warrant of Precedence for the republic’s officers, giving district judges and equivalent judicial officers precedence over the chiefs of armed forces and government secretaries. The existing Warrant of Precedence was declared illegal and void, as it does not conform to the country’s constitution. The government later appealed against the verdict.

The petition was filed in 2006 by Md Ataur Rahman, on behalf of Bangladesh Judicial Service Association. l

4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Friday, January 9, 2015

Invigilators, empty halls await exam candidates From 113 students, 82 could not appear because of the blockade, the exam went through as invigilators were present

n FM Mizanur Rahaman A Chittagong University department yesterday went through with the final examination of one of its courses even though more that two-thirds of the class failed to appear for it due to the unavailability of University transport services for students.

Just a day earlier, the same department canceled the exam scheduled for that day because the teachers could not come to work as the bus service for teachers remained closed due to the ongoing political turmoil.

As reason for treating the two exams differently, the department said the examination for Thursday went through as professors were available to invigilate, and because no postponement notice could be published in time.

In the incident, around 82 second-year students out of 113 from the Islamic History and Culture department of the university failed to appear for one their year-finals, held yesterday morning amid the ongoing 20-party blockade, sources said.

When the Dhaka Tribune contacted the department Chairperson Muhammed Shakhawat Ullah, he said the third-year examination for Wednesday was postponed as the teachers’ buses were not in service that day; hence the presence of teachers was very thin.

On the exam that went thorough yesterday, the head of the department said the students intentionally avoided the examination as they had no “preparation” for the examination. “Besides, we could not issue any postponement notice about the examination; the

teachers’ bus and shuttle train were plying between the campus and the city routes,” he added.

Dr Hasina Akhtar, chairman of the examination committee of the department, said there was no notice of the postponement, and 31 students sat for the examination.

“All the teachers were present and transport was running smoothly amid blockade as we took the examination,” said Dr Hasina. The absent students have an opportunity to sit for the exam again next year, she informed.

Expressing resentment, the absent students said although they were prepared, they failed to appear for the examination due to their professors insensitivity to their situations – the teachers have little regard for the students futures. l

A blockade supporter vandalises a CNG autorickshaw in the capital’s Science Lab area during the third day of countrywide indefinite transport blockade enforced by the BNP-led 20-party alliance MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Ex-journos of Daily Sun stage protests n Tribune Report

Hanif: It has been proven that BNP is a party of militants

Govt to form company to run power plants

Retrenched journalists of English daily Daily Sun staged a human chain in front of the National Press Club yesterday, demanding arrears and job benefits.

The aggrieved journalists and workers said the newspaper owned Bashundhara Group did not pay their arrears and benefits even after four years of retrenchment.

Speakers at the human chain said some journalists and workers filed cases demanding their arrears and benefits. The court in its verdicts ordered Bashundhara Group to pay all benefits of the journalists, but the company is yet to obey the court orders.

The aggrieved journalists warned that they would go for tougher movement if Bashundhara Group did not pay their arrears. Journalist leaders MA Aziz, Saiful Islam Talukder, Shohel Haider Chowdhury, Mehedi Hasan, Abul Kalam Azad, spoke among others at the human chain programme. l

n Abu Hayat Mahmud

n Aminur Rahman Rasel

BNP leader Khandaker Mahbub Hossain’s latest remarks – where he reportedly drew comparison between the broadcast of Tarique Rahman’s speech and video messages by Osama Bin Laden – has only proved that the BNP was a party of militants and criminals, the Awami League has claimed.

The comment came from the ruling party’s Joint General Secretary Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif, who also welcomed a recent court order against the broadcast of BNP Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman’s statements.

“We thank the High Court which has banned the publishing of Tarique’s speeches. After the High Court ruling, Khaleda Zia’s advisor Mahbub Hossain said Osama Bin Laden had sent video clips all over the world. So, why would Tarique not do that as well? Mahbub’s comment proves that the BNP is a

party of militants and criminals,” Hanif said.

On Wednesday, the High Court banned the publishing, broadcasting or reproducing speeches, statements of Tarique Rahman – son of BNP chief Khaleda Zia – in print, electronic and social media as long he was absconding.

Speaking at a joint meeting in the party’s Bangabandhu Avenue headquarters yesterday, Hanif also said Khaleda Zia would have to bear responsibility for all the losses of lives and properties during the 20-party alliance’s countrywide blockade.

Hanif said the BNP’s movement had caused nothing but the loss of lives and properties, adding that the BNP’s acting secretary general had hid himself inside the National Press Club, joint general secretary had gone to the hospital and other leaders had also stayed in hiding to avoid arrest. He also raised

ZUBAIR MURDER CASE

Chhatra League impedes general student movements at JU n JU Correspondent Chhatra League activists of Mir Mosharrof Hossain Hall unit at Jahangirnagar University threatened a group of students while carrying movement seeking justice for Zubair Ahmed on Wednesday night.

The Chhatra League activists barred the general students from sticking posters on the gate of the hall as the posters contained pictures of their brothers, said the students belong to the forum “Shontrasher Biruddhe Jahangirnagar.”

“While the students were sticking posters on the gate of the hall around 10pm on Wednesday, Ashfaq Sarker, general secretary of Chhatra League Mir Mosharrof Hossain Hall unit came out and said the posters contained pic-

Divisional Science Olympiad today

n Tribune Report The Divisional Science Olympiad 2015 will be held today at 25 locations in different divisions of the country and the National Science Olympiad will be held at Curzon Hall Auditorium of Dhaka University January 23.

In order to promote excellence in science education at Secondary and Higher Secondary Level, Bangladesh Academy of Sciences has been organising Science Olympiad since 2010.

It intends to organise the same every year on the second and fourth Friday of the month of January at divisional and national level respectively.

The academy has been working for promotion of excellence in science education, research and professionalism for the sustainable development of Bangladesh since 1973. l

tures of his elder brothers. Therefore he cannot allow the act,” said JU students’ union President Tonmoy Dhar and an activist of Shontrasher Biruddhe Jahangirnagar.

The posters contained pictures, names, batch numbers, departments and span of expulsion of the murderers of Zubair, said Tonmoy.

General students of Jahangirnagar University under the banner of “Shontrasher Biruddhe Jahangirnagar” yesterday demanded a quick verdict in the Zubair murder case and submitted a memorandum to JU Vice-Chancellor Prof Farzana Islam in this regard.

The protesting students claimed that police were still unable to trace the fugitive murderers while the murderers were openly roaming the campus.

The students formed a human chain and screened short films on life of Zubair Ahmed and the movement carried out by teachers and students in 2012 following the murder.

Zubair was beaten and stabbed mercilessly on the campus on January 8, 2012 by the 13 accused and their accomplices. He died at United Hospital the following day due to excessive bleeding.

The university authorities expelled the 13 students – all Chhatra League leaders and activists – after finding their direct involvement in the murder.

Of them, seven were expelled for life while the others for two years.

Witness testimony in the case ended last month. Now the court is recording closing arguments of both prosecution and defence sides. l

questions on who was leading the BNP at the moment.

Yesterday’s joint meeting was arranged by the Swechchhasebak League to plan on making a rally at Suhrawardy Udyan – to be organised for marking Bangabandhu’s homecoming day – a success.

Also present there, Awami League Dhaka city unit General Secretary Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya, also the disaster management minister, said: “When we were in the opposition, we moved on the field led by Sheikh Hasina. When we said no vehicle would move, then all vehicles stopped [operating].”

Meanwhile, Ganabhaban sources said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina met with Awami League leaders yesterday evening and decided to reschedule the January 10 Suhrawardy Udyan rally to January 12 in order to cause no disruption to the Biswa Ijtema. l

The government has decided to form a company to conduct the operations and maintenance of both the public and private power plants under the Power Division.

In a meeting yesterday chaired by Nasrul Hamid, state minister for power, energy and mineral resources, the officials concerned finalised the decision, following the directive that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had given in February last year. “We are working to form a company to run the operations and maintenance for the power plants,” Nasrul told the Dhaka Tribune.

A Power Division official said an inter-ministry meeting in this regard was held on December 3 last year, and within February the process of forming the company will be finalised.

The state minister directed the officials to expedite the process, the of-

ficial told the Dhaka Tribune, seeking anonymity.

He also said there is no designated company to monitor around a hundred power plants in the country. As a result, they depend on foreign companies for maintenance work, and in some cases lack in proper maintenance incurs loss.

“Considering these aspects, the government has decided to form a separate company, which will help prepare more experienced man power locally to reduce dependency on foreign companies,” he said.

A Power Development Board official, seeking anonymity, said the bidding process is the big problem in maintenance work of the power plants, taking from six months to a year.

“During that time, they need to shut down the power plants. If the maintenance work can be done as soon as required, the plants can produce power in time,” he said. l

Domestic help found dead n Tribune Report Police recovered the body of a domestic help from a residential house in the capital’s Gulshan area yesterday.

The deceased was identified as Haruna alias Runa, 25, daughter of Ibrahim Sarker from Shariatpur district.

Her body was recovered around

4:30pm and then sent to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital morgue for autopsy, Rafiqul Islam, officer-in-charge of Gulshan police station, told the Dhaka Tribune.

There were injury marks on the hands and back of the victim. A black spot was also found around her neck, he said, adding: “We primarily suspect

that she was strangled to death.

“We have come to know that she was in love with the caretaker of the house, who is now on the run. We are now in search of him,” he said.

The police officer refused to disclose the identity of the caretaker for the of the investigation.

A case was under way. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Friday, January 9, 2015

Wheat production falls by 17.4% in country Experts urge for more research on how to tackle the negative impact of climate change n Abu Bakar Siddique Wheat production has decreased by 17.4 percent on an average over the past few years due to drought occurrence in the country, according to a study.

Findings of the study titled “Climate Change and Wheat Production in Drought Prone Areas of Bangladesh: A Technical Efficiency Analysis” were presented at a conference on climate change in the capital yesterday.

Gobeshona, a knowledge network for researches on climate change in Bangladesh, organised the conference at the Independent University, Bangladesh.

Experts and researchers from home and abroad are taking part in the 4-day long conference.

Presenting the findings of the study, ASM Golam Hafeez, an associate professor of Bangladesh Agricultural University, said the quality of seed, pesticide, farmland, irrigation and fertilizer play a significant role in the production of wheat.

Of those, the irrigation is directly related to climate change, he said.

Speaking on the occasion, experts and scientists suggested that more researches should be conducted on how to tackle the negative impact of climate change in Bangladesh.

Extensive researches on producing new varieties of salinity and drought tolerant crops are urgent for the country to ensure its food security, said Dr Ainun Nishat, hydrologist and environmental expert.

The county is facing a great threat to ensure its food security because of global warming, he said.

Although the government has taken a number of initiatives to develop extreme climate tolerant crops varieties, the volume of the initiative is not satisfactory, he added.

Citing the example of Bari-37, a heat tolerant wheat variety, Ainun Nishat said the state-run Bangladesh Agricul-

Robber killed in reported gunfight n Tribune Report An alleged robber was killed in a gunfight with his rivals at Charandeep in Chakaria upazila over taking control of shrimp enclosures in the area early yesterday.

The deceased was identified as Jahed,23, a resident of the same village, reports UNB Police said two local robber gangs had long been at loggerheads over taking control of the shrimp enclosures in the area to commit robbery. Robbers belonging to his rival gang opened fire on Jahed’s gang at about 5:00am, leaving him (Jahed) dead on the spot.

Informed, police rushed to the spot and recovered the body while members of both the robber gangs managed to flee the scene.

Chakaria Circle Assistant Superintendent of Police Masud Alam confirmed the incident. l

WEATHER DRY WEATHER LIKELY

FRIDAY, JANUARY 9 DHAKA TODAY TOMORROW SUN SETS 5:27PM SUN RISES 6:43AM FORECAST FOR TODAY 24 25 23 23 24 25 26 25

Dhaka Chittagong Rajshahi Rangpur Khulna Barisal Sylhet Cox’s Bazar

14 15 11 11 10 12 12 15

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

28.8ºC Cox’s Bazar

09.2ºC Chuadanga

Source: Accuweather/UNB

PRAYER TIMES Fajr Sunrise Jumma Asr Magrib Esha

5:23am 6:42am 12:05am 3:52pm 5:28pm 6:48pm SourceL IslamicFinder.org

Experts and researchers from home and abroad take part in the 4-day long conference on 'Climate Change and Wheat Production in Drought Prone Areas of Bangladesh: A Technical Efficiency Analysis' at the Independent University, in the capital yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE tural Research Institute (Bari) has developed this wheat variety.

The cultivation of the wheat variety has yielded a good result in the Barind Tract which is considered as a drought prone area in the country, he said.

Another state-run research organisation Bangladesh Rice Research Institute has also developed many varieties of rices which can tolerate extreme climate like saline, drought and submergence, he said.

But the rice varieties are yet to get popularity among the farmers as most of those are beyond the current salinity level in Bangladesh, said Ainun Nishat who is also a professor emeritus of Brac University.

The salinity level is increasing day by day in the south-western part of the country, he added.

Echoing with Ainun Nishat, Water Resources Minister Anisul Islam

The govt can get climate funds by proving its capacity to spend those in a rational way

We need to bring the knowledge in a common platform to solve the problem collectively

Mahmud said the government has planned to increase the height of embankments the country’s coastal region.

“We are also planning to protect the mighty rivers like Brahmaputra by building embankments,” he said.

“But, we have lack of fund to implement the projects,” he added.

Regarding the fund constrain, Dr

Atiq Rahman, executive director of Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies (BCAS), though the industrialised countries responsible for global warming are yet to create big amount of funds, still there are some climate fund for taking adaptation measures.

The government can get the funds by proving its capacity to spend those in a rational way, he said.

Regarding the importance of research to tackle the negative impact of climate change, Dr Saleemul Huq, director of the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD), said: “We need to bring the knowledge in a common platform to solve the problem like climate change, collectively.”

According to the 5th assessment report of the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the production of crops and livelihood of many people may be affected badly of the country because of it’s exposure to sea-level rise and extreme calamities like salinity intrusion, drought, erratic rainfall and tidal surge.

In the Indo-Gangetic Plains of South Asia, there could be a decrease of about 50 percent in the most favorable and high yielding wheat area due to heat stress if CO2 levels are doubled, it said. l

Miscreants set fire to BNP leader’s launch n Our Correspondent, Barisal

Police dispersed a crowd of BNP and Chhatra Dal activists led by President of BNP Barisal unit Mojibur Rahman Sarwar yesterday morning gathered in Bhatikhana area.

One BNP activist was arrested from the rally while Faizul Islam, 26, another BNP activist was arrested from Laharhut Bazar on Wednesday night with a pistol and a blank magazine, said Kotwali police station Officer-in-Charge Sakhawat Hossain.

Road and water transports on short

and internal routes saw significantly less number of passengers during the second day of BNP’s indefinite blockade programme yesterday.

Aftab Hossain, president of Barisal Bus Owners’ Association and Barisal Sramik League, said vehicles on long routes will start operating under police protection if sufficient passengers are found.

Different commercial and educational institutions, judicial and administrative offices remained almost vacant yesterday. l

Unidentified miscreants set fire to a launch owned by a BNP leader at the Barisal River Port on Wednesday night.

The incident disrupted waterway communications on the long route.

Awami League backed miscreants tried to torch MV Janata, a passenger launch anchored at the Barisal River Port on Wednesday night, said Azizul Huq Akkas, owner of the launch and former chairman of Barisal sadar upazila.

Some seats on the upper deck were burnt, however, workers extinguished the fire immediately, he said.

Meanwhile, Islami Chhatra Shibir, student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami observed a half-day hartal in the city peacefully, protesting arrest of their 14 leaders including students of BM College recently.

However, scores of Shibir activists burnt tyres to block roads in Barujjerhut area in the outskirt of the city yesterday morning.

4 held with huge smuggled coal n Our Correspondent, Sunamganj

Blockade takes toll on commuters, goods-laden vehicles in Chittagong

Police detained four people along with 45ton of Indian smuggled coal at Sulemanpur village in Tahirpur upazila yesterday.

The alleged smugglers are Anwar Hossain, 23, Umakanto Sarkar, 50, Jamal Miah, 25, and Sohel Miah, 30. All of them hailed from different villages in Sreepur Uttar union of the upazila.

Being tipped-off, a team of police conducted a drive on the Patlai river in the village around 7:30am and seized the coal loaded on two boats, said Tahirpur police station OC Md Shahidulla. During the drive, the boats were also seized. A case was filed in this connection. l

n Tribune Report Although BNP-led 20-party alliance enforced countrywide indefinite blockade’s third consecutive day passed off yesterday without any major violent incident, the long-route commuters and goods-laden vehicles in the district became worst victim of it.

A rickshaw puller was injured in a crude bomb blas hurled by miscreants on Bahaddarhat Flyover around 9pm.

Besides, the unruly blockaders set a bus afire at GEC intersection at the same time.

Md Suman, 22, was admitted to

Chittagong Medical College Hospital, said CMCH police outpost ASI Pankaj Barua. However, no causality was reported from the second incident.

Bangladesh Sarak Paribahan Malik Samity’s Executive President Kafil Uddin said the owners of long-route and goods-laden vehicles got panicked due to sudden attacks of the blockaders on the highways.

CMP Additional Commissioner (Administration, Traffic and Finance) AKM Shahidur Rahman said CMP sat in a meeting with businessmen, highway police, transport owners and other stakeholders yesterday and decided to

give police protection for the smooth ply of the vehicles on the highways.

On the other hand, people flocked at railway station for tickets while many of them could not manage it as well owing to seat limit, said Bangladesh Railway (East Zone) Divisional Commercial Officer Mizanur Rahman.

No leader or activist of the 20-party alliance was seen in Nasiman Bhaban party office in the city’s Kazir Dewri area in fear of arrest.

Government and other private offices remained open though educational institutions were closed considering students’ safety. l

5 Woman shot dead in Chittagong, three held n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong A woman was shot dead by unknown miscreants at the residence of her daughter’s in-laws at Satkania upazila in Chittagong early yesterday.

Police recovered the body of the deceased, Anwara Begum, 38, of Brahmanbaria district and sent it to the Chittagong Medical College Hospital morgue.

Anwara Begum came to visit her daughter’s in-laws two months ago.

Satkania police station Officer-inCharge (OC) Mohammad Khaled Hossain told the Dhaka Tribune that they also nabbed three persons in connection with the murder.

He said: “Miscreants shot through the window of the house owned by Hafez Ahmed, father-in-law of Anwara’s daughter, at Shonkhola area under Eochia union of the upazila sometime between 1am and 3am. A bullet hit Anwara’s face, leaving her spot dead.”

Receiving the information, police rushed to the spot and recovered the body. Jashim Uddin, Rezaul Karim and Abul Kashem, who are associates of a local resident Manik were arrested subsequently. Manik had a land dispute with Hafez Ahmed and both the parties had been fighting several court cases in this regard, added the OC. The OC further said: “The killers might have targeted Hafez Ahmed or his family members but unfortunately Anwara was shot. We are looking into the matter.”

Earlier on January 3 night Gulchad Begum, 32, was shot dead by unknown miscreants at the upazila while an activist of Awami League, Jamal Uddin, was killed by masked miscreants at the Satkania upazila on January 2 night.

The OC said that they were increasing surveillance in the area to stop such crimes. “Apart from tight security measures, people have to be more tolerant and conscious about social issues,” OC Khaled said.

Satkania is locally known as a hub of Jamaat-Shibir men. l

Slack blockade in Rajshahi city n Our Correspondent, Rajshahi The blockade, called by BNP-led 20-Party alliance, was loosely enforced in Rajshahi city yesterday.

No major untoward incident took place in the city. People from all walks of life were present in the streets on large scale, but inter-district buses were seen moving to a limited extent.

Rajshahi Highway Transport Group General Secretary Manur Rahman Pitar told the Dhaka Tribune that they were running buses after having been assured of security measures.

Transport sources said five buses left Rajshahi city for Biswa Ijtema in the morning. Besides, a few trucks left the city bus terminals for other destinations at the same time.

All light vehicles, like rickshaws, auto rickshaws, motorcycles, CNG, human haulers and micro busses, were on the highway to a greater extent and rail communication was normal. Major shopping malls were also open and crowded with shoppers all over the day.

Rajshahi City Police Commissioner Muhammad Shamsuddin told the Dhaka Tribune that they had taken all-out measures to avert any untoward incident in the city. “Nobody would be spared if they tried to destablise the city. Stern actions would be taken against them,” he said.

Around 9am, a procession, led by the BNP’s city unit President Mizanur Rahman Minu, was brought out from Kadirgonj area and it ended at Vubonmohon Park in the city, where a brief rally was also held. l

10 hurt in Noakhali clash n Our Correspondent, Noakhali

At least 10 people were injured in a clash between members of law enforcers and 20-party activists in the district town during the daylong hartal yesterday.

The shutdown was called in the district by the BNP-led alliance protesting the killing of the Jubo Dal man Rubel.

Sources said a group of 20-party leaders and activists, led by district unit BNP general secretary and municipal mayor Harun-or-Rashid Azad, brought out a procession in support of the hartal in the district town around 7:10am.

The clash ensued as police obstructed the procession while the alliance leaders and activists were marching on the Circuit House Road and chased them.

A chase and counter-chase took

place between them at that time.

At one stage, police fired bullets to disperse the procession.

20-party leaders claimed that their 10 activists sustained injuries in the police action.

No long route buses left or entered the city in the morning.

Even no local bus was seen plying the town streets.

A large number of policemen and members of Border Guard Bangladesh remained deployed in the town to fend off any trouble.

Two people, including local Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal activist Rubel, were killed and 20 people were injured in firing by police during a clash at Chowmuhani Bazar in Begumganj upazila on Wednesday.

Later district BNP general secretary Harunur Rashid Azad announced the daylong hartal in the district protesting the killing of Jubo Dal man Rubel. l

Patients suffer most during a hartal or blockade progrmme. They face tremendous problems to reach hospital. The picture shows a patient is taken to the hospital yesterday by battery-run auto-rickshaw due shortage of vehicle or ambulance on the 3rd day of blockade called by the BNP-led 20-Party alliance. The picture was taken from in front of Rajshahi Medical College AZAHAR UDDIN

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

Nation

Friday, January 9, 2015

4,000 hectares of land out of boro cultivation n Our Correspondent, Sunamganj

Farmers cannot cultivate boro paddy on around 4,000 hectares of land due to water logging in Sunamganj, mostly in its Jamalpur, Tahirpur, Chhatak and Dirai upazilas this year.

The breakdown is: 40 hectares of land in Doarabazar upazila, 170 in Bishwambhapur, 1138 in Jamalganj, 95 in Jagannathpur, 800 in Tahirpur, 1005 in Chhatak, 650 in Dirai.

All 121 rivers going through the district have lost their navigability drastically, adding to water logging in the wetland ecosystem, locally known as haors in the low-lying district.

Locals said they had been often facing the water logging problem for decades, attributing it to huge siltation and

unplanned building of dams along the rivers and haors.

Deputy Director at the Department of Agriculture Extension Abul Hashem admitted this all and said water logging might go up if the rivers were not dredged soon.

Executive Engineer at the Water Development Board Sayeed Ahmed said there was a project to remove water logging from the Boulai and Rokti rivers. After the project was designed, tenders would be invited soon.

Thousands of farmers suffer almost every year since water does not get drained out of the rivers in time, he said and blamed too much siltation on the river beds for the prolonged water drainage in the wetland ecosystem. l

Vegetable growers in Rajshahi are incuring huge losses for non-availability of transport because of continuous hartals and blockades called by the BNP-led 20-Party alliance. The picture shows yesterday piles of tomatoes lie unsold in Nelipat field under Godagari upazila on the 3rd day of the programme AZAHAR UDDIN

Miscreants fell 325 guava trees in Natore 3 AL leaders hurt in rival attack n Our Correspondent, Natore

n Our Correspondent, Jessore

Some unidentified miscreants reportedly cut down 325 trees of a guava orchard in Koichorpara village of Bagatipara upazila at dead hours of the night yesterday.

The heinous incident pushed the orchard’s owner, Abdur Rahim, in a great distress, who had took lease the 3-bigha of land for yearly Tk45,000 to change his fate as well as his family members with selling the guavas.

Besides, Rahim who also a tea-stall owner took a smart amount of loan from different NGOs to develop the orchard. He dreamt of making a good number of profit by selling guava, each of which already became around 50 gram as well.

Bagatipara police station OC Aminur Rahman said police visited the spot and they were trying to arrest the culprits as early as possible. l

Three Awami League leaders were injured in an attack by rivals at Chaugachha upazila yesterday.

Joint Secretary of the upazila Awami League unit Sirajul Islam, President of Sharupdah union unit Sulaiman Hossain and Organising Secretary of Jagadishpur union unit Abdur Rahman were injured in the attack made at Chhutipur bus stop area over participation in an extended meeting of the party.

Sirajul was sent to Jessore General Hospital as his condition deteriorated.

Locals said a rival group assaulted the three leaders, who were on their way to

400 Bagerhat BNP men sued for attacking police n Our Correspondent, Bagerhat

Police on Wednesday lodged a case against 400 BNP activists, including the president and general secretary of the district unit, in Bagerhat for attacking police.

Bagerhat Model police station Sub-Inspector Mahin Uddin filed the lawsuit.

Thirty-one people have been named in the case, including Bagerhat BNP unit President MA Salam, General Secretary Ali Reza Babu, Joint Secretary Khadem Neyamul Nasir Alap and Organising Secretary Mozaffar Alam. Officer-in-Charge of the police station Ali Azam Khan said the accused blocked the Khulna-Bagerhat highway in Ranjiyopur by placing logs on Tuesday and attacked police, who went there to disperse them.

“The attack injured three policemen, including officer Mahin. The accused also vandalised vehicles at the time and police were forced to fire 10 rounds,” he added. l

NEWS IN BRIEF Eight shops gutted

Eight shops were gutted in a devastating fire in Bakali Potti area in front of Pourosuper Market in the district town yesterday.

Witnesses said the fire originated from an electric short circuit at the shop of Wasim in the area and soon engulfed seven other adjoining shops around 7:30pm. On information, a fire fighting unit rushed in and doused the fire after one hour of hectic efforts.

– Our Correspondent, Barguna

Two held with drug Members of Rapid Action Battalion in two separate drives seized various kind of drug from different area of the town yesterday.

They also arrested two persons including a woman for their alleged involvement in peddling drugs. RAB sources said, on a tip-off, a team of the force led by Company Commander Major Mojammel Hossain raided a house in East Khabashpur area and arrested Rita Akther, 25, with 40 bottles of phensidyl. On another drive, the elite force arrested one Nur Islam Biswas, 35, a resident of the same area and seized 4.8 kilograms of hemp and 10 yaba tablets from his possession.

– Our Correspondent, Faridpur

36 people arrested A total of 36 people, including seven Jamaat-Shibir leaders and activists and three BNP men, were arrested from different places in the district yesterday. Of them, the Jamaat-Shibir and BNP men were arrested in connections with various cases filed against them and for their alleged involvements with conducting subversive activities, vandalism and arson and other crimes in recent times.

The arrested persons also include General Secretary Shamsul Huda of Soyar union unit of Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh under Taraganj upazila in the district. Besides, police arrested 26 others in connections with different cases filed against them and for their suspicious movements from all eight upazilas and Rangpur city during the period.

– Our Correspondent, Rangpur

One held with firearms Police in a drive arrested an alleged terrorists and recovered a nine MM pistol and a magazine from Laharhat area under Sadar upazila of the district yesterday. The arrested was identified as Saidul Islam, 28, hailed from Somraji village of the upazila. On a tip-off, a team of police from Saheberhat Bandar thana conducted the drive in the area and arrested Saidul and recovered the firearms after searching his body, police said. A case was filed.

– Our Correspondent, Barisal

take part in the meeting organised on a college ground. The meeting was called

by Chaugachha upazila unit Secretary SM Habib. The injured claimed that supporters of advocate Monirul Islam, lawmaker of Jhikargachha-Chaugachha constituency, were behind the attack.

But Monirul denied this, saying that both the injured and the attackers were his supporters as he does not create any division within the party.

“I was informed of the attack by police. I heard that Habib called the meeting but did not inform President of the upazila unit Shahjahan Kabir. That is why Shahjahan’s supporters resisted those of Habib,” he added. l

Pakistan era bullets, bayonets recovered n Our Correspondent, Kishoreganj Police yesterday recovered 221 bullets and five bayonets dating back to the Pakistani era from Rupsa village in Pakundia upazila.

Workers found some bullet-like objects near freedom fighter Wahiduzzaman’s house while digging a field in the morning. The land owner called in police, who then recovered the bullets and bayonets. Zakir Rabbani, officer-in-charge of Pakundia police station, said the bullets and bayonets were made in 1967. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Long Form

7

Friday, January 9, 2015

Where is India heading under Modi?

Is India’s prime minister sanctioning those ‘anti-national’ and communal views in which explicit language of abhorrence against the minorities is being expressed?

The prime minister appears to be in favour of accountability for all. However, considering his government’s performance in maintaining a milieu of communal harmony, a sense of security for the minorities of the country and providing a secular and modern democracy, he has a lot to answer for REUTERS

T

n Avneesh Kumar he coming back of the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) government at the centre in India has unusually altered the balances of power. The transition for the BJP from protest to power and that too with a thumping majority has engendered a certain kind of eccentricity in the party, and has also emboldened them to do whatever they wish to. And perhaps therefore a party that was fiercely articulate in the days of campaigning, has gone back into the den of silence.

However, there is more to the silence of the BJP – the efforts of creating majoritarianism and spreading the dominance of Hindutva ideology.

And for this, the Modi regime seems to be operating through remaining in the background, condemning one statement, separating itself from the other and sometimes passing the buck. But some MPs of the BJP, and even ministers in the government, are openly floating the ideas of Hindutva

Plausibly, the attempt to make Sanskrit a mandatory read is another endeavour not only to inflict Hindutva on the country, but also to marginalise the minorities in a roundabout way

and majoritarianism. When Giriraj Singh during the electoral campaign of the party threatened to send the opponents of BJP to Pakistan, this was not perceived as an augury that will later become a pattern and the leaders of BJP and a cluster of other organisations, such as RSS, VHP, Bajrang Dal, Shiv Sena and other Hindutva forces,

will follow the manner of Giriraj Singh, to make the threat manifold for other communities of India except Hindus.

To comprehend the real transformation of events, however, we should go back to the days when Modi took oath as India’s prime minster. In his first speech, Modi insisted on proceeding by the constitution and talked about strengthening the democracy.

On the independence-day speech, he propounded putting a 10-year moratorium on communal violence.

At the same time, he also took a Ganga promise and bent down at the parliament, giving a bit of an indication that Hinduism has come back in the government.

On the other side, Modi’s party-men and ministers are expressing smuts in a way that force to believe that they have been handed over a script to follow. Also, they being frequently foul-mouthed is one thing and the prime minister not sternly condemning them is another. For example, Sushma Swaraj, foreign minister in the government, urged the centre to declare Bhagwad Gita a national holy book. And this was not an isolated incident. A continuous effort is on to rewrite history and saffronise it. Circumstances are this that Dinanath Batra while insisting on producing new history text-books to include more “Hindu” nationalists seems more powerful and confident than the various organisations dealing with deciding the syllabus of schools.

And this brings us back to a fundamental question. Is the prime minister sanctioning those “anti-national” and communal views in which explicit language of abhorrence against the minorities is being expressed? If not, why was Giriraj Singh included in the government and made a minister?

Why was Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti not dropped off after her execrable statement? And why was Yogi Adityanath not sacked after his hate speech in the parliament and the flaring up of the video that showed him saying hateful words for a particular community?

While the short-term aim of the BJP is probably to strengthen its political base by riding on the polarising

point of Hindutva by which it aims to polarise the electorates, the party also subtly appears to be working on the goals set by its masters in the RSS, who crave for eradicating the inherent diversity from India and making it a homogenous state by turning the country into a unified Hindu nation through diluting the identities of minorities, crushing dissent and reshaping the contours of Indian culture. And now this is no secret. The RSS is also emerging as an authoritative force, the chief of which gets his full speech broadcast on the government-owned TV channel, which had never happened in the history of Indian television. The same RSS chief, Mohan Bhagwat, “declares” India a Hindu nation and Hindutva as the religion of Hindus, bringing all Indians into the fold of Hindutva, projecting the Hindu religion in an entirely new form. A religion that thrived on its diversity and never underlined anything supreme is being shrivelled to underpin the wild ideas of a few in favour of majoritarianism.

The problem with the current government is that it is allowing the external bodies, who claim to be “cultural” and “religious” organisations, influence its policies. The direct interfering of them in the daily affairs of the government has significantly increased. And the government seems pathetically decrepit before them. This is why it was hurriedly determined that Sanskrit should be a mandatory read as the third language.

The immature attempt to popularise or rather “give another life” to a dead language is preposterous. And nobody is contending making the language an optional subject for students to choose from. However, imposing an “almost-dead” and irrelevant language, in context of the present world setting and advances in technology, on them is like pushing them into old, dark ages. This attempt is also inspired by the “logic” of bringing a language which is considered entirely Hindu. Plausibly, it is another endeavour not only to inflict Hindutva on the country, but also to marginalise the minorities in a roundabout way.

However, there is a very important

The government, the BJP and the RSS and its allied organisations need to understand that undermining the rights of minorities and separating them in a multi-religious country can never create a thriving and modern democracy

factor here. For the BJP, it has become remarkably easy to proceed with the Hindutva ideology because a large part of India responds positively to that. The people seething in anger for a while hoping to wipe out the ideas of “secularism” or the so-called “pseudo secularism,” as they like to call it, have now come into the open to scream their frenzied ideas of India with utmost confidence. The self-confidence of fanatics is on a high level because of the emerging feeling that they can get away with giving statements that are in violation of even the constitution of the country.

The venom spewing by the BJP leaders has, in reality, become a pattern now. A deviation here and there is the norm for a party that comes to power after remaining in opposition for a long time, and that too mainly on the promises of development and governance, since the exuberance of obtaining power rarely cares about customs and rules.

Instead, that beaming mood tries to create new ones, by propagating new rituals, invoking the failures of the previous governments and riding on the existing support wave.

It echoes lofty slogans for people to believe which, when scrutinised, lack substance. And amidst all these, the party tries achieving its agenda.

Though, there should be a word of caution here – one must not hurriedly reach to conclusions. However, a lot of recent unfortunate incidents do compel to nurture doubts and concerns about the working style and the priorities of the new government. And more so when the prime minister himself has set the standards at a very high level. The prime minister talks about accountability all the time, and appears to be in favour of accountability for all: from MPs to village leaders and from civil servants to the common people.

However, considering his government’s performance in maintaining a milieu of communal harmony, a sense of security for the minorities of the country and providing a secular and modern democracy, he has a lot to answer for.

The government, the BJP and the RSS and its allied organisations need to understand that undermining the rights of minorities and separating them in a multi-religious country can never create a thriving and modern democracy. Their involvement in encouraging and practising orthodoxy and politics of hate will only damage the country.

Partisan and “contaminated” politics lead to a weak, tainted democracy. l The author is a doctoral student at Aligarh Muslim University.

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

World

Friday, January 9, 2015

French policewoman killed in shoot-out Yakoob Qureshi: Ready n Reuters, Paris France’s Prime Minister said yesterday he feared Islamist militants who killed 12 people in an attack on a satirical newspaper could strike again as a manhunt for two men widened across the country.

A policewoman was killed in a shootout in southern Paris, but Police sources could not immediately confirm a link with Wednesday’s killings at the Charlie Hebdo weekly newspaper that marked the worst attack on French soil for decades.

National leaders and allied states described the assault on Charlie Hebdo, known for its lampooning of Islam and other religions as well as politicians, as an assault on democracy. The bells of Notre-Dame cathedral rang out during a minute’s silence observed across France and beyond.

Many European newspapers either re-published Charlie Hebdo cartoons or mocked the killers with images of their own.

Montrouge Mayor Pierre Brossollette said the policewoman and a colleague were attending a reported traffic accident when Thursday’s shooting occurred. Witnesses said the assailant fled in a Renault Clio and police sources said he wore a bullet-proof vest and had a handgun and assault rifle.

But one police officer at the scene told Reuters he did not appear to resemble the Charlie Hebdo shooters.

Prime Minister Manuel Valls was asked on RTL radio after an emergency

cabinet meeting with President Francois Hollande whether he feared a further attack.

“That question is entirely legitimate, that’s obviously our main concern, and that is why thousands of police and investigators have been mobilised to catch these individuals.”

Police released photos of the two French nationals still at large, calling them “armed and dangerous”: brothers Cherif and Said Kouachi, aged 32 and 34, both of whom were already under watch by security services.

Late Wednesday, an 18-year-old man turned himself into police in Charleville-Mézières near the Belgian border as police carried out searches in Paris and the northeastern cities of Reims and Strasbourg. A legal source said he was the brother-in-law of one of the main suspects and French media quoted friends saying he was in school at the moment of the attack.

French social media carried numerous reports of police helicopters across northern France. Police tightened security at transport hubs, religious sites, media offices and department stores.

There were scattered, uncomfirmed reports of sightings of the assailants and police increased their presence at entry points to Paris. One police source talked of a type of “psychosis” setting in with various reports and rumors, but police had to take each of them seriously.

France began a day of mourning for the journalists and police officers shot dead by black-hooded gunmen using

to pay Tk63cr reward to Charlie Hebdo attackers n Agencies

A call for witnesses released by the Paris Prefecture de Police yesterday shows the photos of two brothers Cherif Kouachi, left, and Said Kouachi, who are considered armed and dangerous, and are actively being sought in the investigation of the shooting at the Paris offices of satirical weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo on Wednesday REUTERS

Whoever dare show disrespect for Prophet will invite death like the cartoonists and journalists of Paris-based satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Haji Yakoob Qureshi has said.

“Rasul ke ashiq unhe saja de dete hai (followers of Prophet punish them),” the former Uttar Pradesh minister told HT yesterday, reacting to Islamic clerics’ views that the religion had no place for violence.

“Those who dare insult Prophet Mohammed deserve death and there is no need to initiate legal procedure against them.” The Meerut-based leader said the Prophet spread the message of peace and love.

Late on Wednesday, he had maintained the same line with journalists who sought his reaction to the attack on the magazine.

Qureshi had hit the headlines in 2006 after declaring a reward of Tk63 crore for anyone who would kill the Danish cartoonist who had created a controversial cartoon of Prophet Mohammed. He had made the offer at a public rally in Meerut.

Reacting to Wednesday’s attack on Charlie Hebdo, Qureshi said he was

ready to pay the reward money to the attackers. “I am ready to pay the money if they come and demand the declared reward.”

Qureshi’s statement is likely to come under police glare. Uttar Pradesh additional director general (law and order) of police Mukul Goel said, “We can initiate action against him only after examining his statement under the purview of law.”

Those who dare insult Prophet Mohammed deserve death and there is no need to initiate legal procedure against them

French President Francois Hollande, right, stands near the coffin during a funeral ceremony honoring Robert Chambeiron in honour of late French Resistance fighter Robert Chambeiron during his funeral at the Hotel des Invalides, in Paris yesterday AFP

condemned the shooting but some have expressed fears of a rise in anti-islamic feeling in a country with a large Muslim population.

France’s Muslim Council called on all French Muslims to join the minute of silence and said it was issuing a call for “all Imams in all of France’s mosques to condemn violence and terrorism wherever it comes from in the strongest possible way.”

Police sources said the window of a kebab shop next to a mosque in the central town of Villefrance-sur-Saone was blown out by an overnight explosion. Local media said there were no wounded.

Security services have long feared that nationals drawn into Islamist militant groups fighting in Syria and Iraq could return to their home countries to launch attacks - though there is no suggestion that the two suspects named by police had actually fought in either of these countries.

Britain’s Cobra security committee was meeting yesterday morning. London’s transport network was target of an attack in 2005, four years after 9/11.

There have been attacks in countries including Spain, Kenya, Nigeria, India and Pakistan that have raised fears in Europe.

Islamist militants have repeatedly threatened France with attacks over its military strikes on Islamist strongholds in the Middle East and Africa, and the government reinforced its anti-terrorism laws last year.

A total of seven people had been arrested since the attack, he said. Police sources said they were mostly acquaintances of the two main suspects.

One source said one of the brothers had been identified by his identity card, left in the getaway car. l

Polish, German scholars criticise Nazi stripping of titles

For Obama, Indian parade may be a bit too breathtaking

n AP, Warsaw

n Reuters, New Delhi

In a symbolic gesture, Polish and German scholars will condemn the Nazi-era decision by Germany’s former Breslau University to strip some 260 mostly Jewish academics of their doctors’ titles, a spokesman said Thursday.

Jacek Przygodzki, the spokesman for the southwest Wroclaw University, told The Associated Press that the Jan.22 ceremony being held with the German University of Cologne aims to condemn political meddling into academic life. The two universities will

declare Breslau University’s decision “non-existent,” he said.

The titles stripped under Adolf Hitler’s reign from 1933-45 were those of Hitler’s critics. Many were of Jewish scholars who taught in the then-German city of Breslau. In total, some 2,000 German scholars were stripped of their degrees.

Those attending the ceremony include Israeli Holocaust historian Gideon Greiff, a grandson of Elfride and Karl Danziger, whose degrees were voided in 1938. Other academics stripped of their titles included World War I fight-

Kalashnikov assault rifles. French tricolor flags flew at half mast.

Tens of thousands took part in vigils across France on Wednesday to defend freedom of speech, many wearing badges declaring “Je Suis Charlie” (I Am Charlie) in support of the newspaper and the principle of freedom of speech.

Britain’s Daily Telegraph depicted two masked gunman outside the doors of Charlie Hebdo saying to each other: “Be careful, they might have pens.”

Many German newspapers republished Charlie Hebdo cartoons.

The attack raised questions of security in countries across the Western world and beyond. Muslim leaders

er and renowned psychiatrist Siegfried Fischer and the former Catholic Archbishop of Chicago, George Mundelein, who had an honorary doctorate from the Frederick William Breslau University.

Wroclaw University, however, has no authority to reinstate the titles. It was founded on the premises of the Breslau academy, which closed down in 1945 when the city became part of Poland. Cologne University took over some of Breslau’s professors and students but is not its continuation either, Przygodzki said. l

It may not rain on President Barack Obama’s parade when he comes to New Delhi this month for India’s Republic Day celebrations at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

But, judging by the smog cloaking the Indian capital yesterday as motorcycle stunt men rehearsed for the Jan. 26 event, the city’s notorious air pollution could be a problem.

The US embassy denied media reports that the outdoor program for Obama’s visit, his second after a trip in

Britain says steps up border security after Paris attack n Reuters, London The British government said yesterday it had increased security at its borders, including at ports and at checkpoints it operates on French soil, in response to the deadly attack on the office of weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris.

Interior minister Theresa May said the extra security was not based on specific intelligence and that the country’s threat alert, which is already at its second highest level, had not been changed.

“Following the attacks we took the precautionary step yesterday of increasing security at the French-UK border,” May said. “Officers from border force, the police and other organisations operating at the UK border have intensified checks on passengers, on vehicles, and on goods coming from France and other parts of Europe.”

2010, would be curtailed if the bad air persisted.

The embassy’s monitoring station recorded an Air Quality Index reading of 252 yesterday, making the city’s air “very unhealthy,” according to a scale devised by the Environmental Protection Agency.

That’s enough, the EPA says, to cause “significant aggravation of heart or lung disease and premature mortality in persons with cardiopulmonary disease and the elderly,” and a “significant increase in respiratory effects in the general population.”

US coalition drops nearly 5,000 bombs on ISIL n Agencies US-led aircraft have dropped nearly 5,000 bombs against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) targets in Iraq and Syria, as Washington said it was reviewing several incidents in which civilians may have been killed.

According to statistics released by the Pentagon on Wednesday, the US and its allies dropped 4,775 munitions and carried out 1,676 strikes against the armed group.

More than 3,000 targets were either damaged or destroyed, it said.

At least 58 tanks, 184 Humvee armored vehicles, 303 pickup trucks, 26 armored vehicles and 394 other vehicles were struck.

Pentagon spokesman, Steven Warren, said he was “confident the destruction level is high.”

American commanders said the raids had halted ISIL’s advance in Iraq, but it remained unclear how many tanks or other vehicles the group still

has in its arsenal.

Most of the vehicles, many of them US made, had been seized by ISIL fighters from the retreating Iraqi army.

The figures come a day after US officials said for the first time they were investigating at least two incidents in which civilians may have been killed in air strikes in Iraq and Syria, with three other cases being assessed for possible probes.

The current probes involved one case that occurred as recently as December 26, defence officials told the AFP news agency.

The two formal investigations currently under way “are the direct result of our own internal review process and not the result of allegations received from outside of the Department of Defence,” Major Curtis Kellogg, a spokesman for US Central Command said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a group that monitors the fighting in Syria, said in October that at least 32 civilians were killed in the first month of coalition strikes. l

Four of France’s most famous cartoonists were among the dozen people murdered Wednesday when gunmen attacked the Paris offices Charlie Hebdo.

The magazine gained notoriety in February 2006 when it reprinted cartoons of Prophet Mohammed that had originally appeared in Danish daily Jyllands-Posten. l

A spokeswoman for Prime Minister David Cameron cited increased security at British checkpoints at the French port of Calais and at the Eurostar terminal in Paris as examples, saying Britain had sent a police counter-terrorism expert to France.

Earlier, Britain’s emergency response committee Cobra met to discuss the Paris attack in which 12 people were killed. Britain’s threat level indicates an attack on home soil is highly likely. Cameron has said militants returning from Syria and Iraq pose the biggest risk to the country’s security.

May chaired the meeting, which heard briefings from intelligence agencies and national security advisers.

Cameron’s spokeswoman said police experts were ready to talk to British media outlets who had concerns about their security. l

Weather forecasters expect the index reading to be around 200 when Obama visits, in line with recent years, although accurate predictions will not be available until three or four days before.

Indian defense and foreign ministry officials say there are no plans to change the parade, a military-dominated affair which stretches from the president’s palace to India Gate, a memorial to unknown soldiers.

“We are importing special masks for all,” joked one. “We can give you one too.” l

Ukraine PM seeks Western unity in pushing Russia on peace n AP, Berlin

Iraqi police special forces participate in a ceremony marking the police forces 93rd anniversary in the capital Baghdad yesterday.

The Islamic State jihadist group spearheaded a major June offensive that overran much of Iraq’s Sunni Arab heartland, and while progovernment forces have since regained some ground, swathes of territory are still outside Baghdad’s control AFP

Ukraine’s prime minister is calling for continued Western unity in pressing Russia to fully implement a much-violated peace deal.

Arseniy Yatsenyuk said Thursday that Russia is “desperately trying” to split European Union countries, “but they’re going to fail.”

Yatsenyuk is in Berlin to meet Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has been a key figure in trying to broker a diplomatic solution to the crisis in eastern Ukraine.

He said during an appearance at the German Council on Foreign Relations think-tank that the Minsk cease-fire agreement dating back to September is still viable and the most urgent priority is to seal the Russia-Ukraine border.

Yatsenyuk says that everyone including Russia must “execute all 12 points of this Minsk deal.”l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

World

9

Friday, January 9, 2015

Sony case statements could cause bind, depending on evidence n AP, Washington

Members of the South Korean Special Warfare Forces take their positions in frozen waters during a winter exercise in Pyeongchang yesterday. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said there was ‘no reason’ not to hold a high-level summit with neighbouring South Korea, speaking in a New Year’s address broadcast by state media last Thursday REUTERS

The Obama administration’s extraordinary decision to point fingers at North Korea over the hacking of Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. could lead to a courtroom spectacle in the event charges are ultimately filed against someone without ties to the isolated country, such as a disgruntled employee or an unrelated hacker.

Legal experts say potential complications illustrate why federal authorities rarely announce they’ve solved a case before an arrest.

“Once the government says it has good reason to believe North Korea did it, then that is good reason to believe that the defendant did not do it unless the defendant was an agent of North Korea,” said Jennifer Granick, director of civil liberties at the Stanford Center for Internet and Society.

US officials for weeks have been emphatic in blaming North Korea for the hack attack, citing similarities to other tools developed by the country in specific lines of computer code, encryption algorithms and data deletion methods. The Obama administration — reeling over persistent public skepticism whether North Korea was to

Crashed jet’s tail may be raised SUNANDA PUSHKAR Police deny Tharoor claim in hunt for AirAsia ‘black boxes’ n n Reuters, Jakarta

Indonesian search and rescue teams plan to start lifting the crashed AirAsia jet’s tail off the sea bed on Friday, officials said, raising hopes that “black box” recorders can be retrieved to reveal the cause of the disaster.

Scores of divers plunged into the Java Sea yesterday to search the wreckage of Flight QZ8501, which vanished from radar screens on Dec. 28 less than half-way into a two-hour flight from Indonesia’s second-biggest city of Surabaya to Singapore.

There were no survivors among the 162 people on board.

The cause of the crash remains a mystery, with hopes centering on the so-called black boxes - the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder - providing vital clues.

The plane was an Airbus A320-200, which carries the recorders near the tail section. Officials have warned, however, that the recorders could have become separated from the tail during the disaster.

The tail of the plane was found on Wednesday, upturned on the sea bed about 30 km (20 miles) from the plane’s last known location at a depth of around 28-32 meters.

“The weather prevented the operation to lift the tail today,” search and rescue agency coordinator Supriyadi told reporters in Pangkalan Bun, the southern Borneo town closest to the crash site.

Choppy seas, strong currents and poor visibility have dogged the search throughout.

“The operation using (a) balloon to lift the tail will start tomorrow,” Supriyadi added.

The head of Indonesia’s search and rescue agency, Fransiskus Bambang Soelistyo, said separately in Jakarta that a crane might also be employed to lift the tail and that finding the missing bodies was still the main focus of the operation.

Relatives of the victims have urged authorities to make finding the remains of their loved ones the priority.

A total of 84 divers were in ships in the vicinity of the wreckage yes-

terday and teams began searching the jet’s tail at 0645 local time (2345 GMT Wednesday), with visibility poor and strong currents still impeding efforts, officials said.

Ships with acoustic “pinger locators” designed to pick up signals from the black boxes were at the location but were no longer being used, in a possible sign of confidence among Indonesian officials that the recorders will be found soon.

According to Nurcahyo Utomo, an investigator at the National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC), the time taken to analyse what happened to the flight depended partly on the condition of the recorders.

The NTSC is leading the probe, with France’s BEA crash investigation agency officially participating.

Forty-three bodies and debris from the plane have been plucked from the surface of the waters off Borneo, but strong winds and high waves have been hampering divers’ efforts to reach larger pieces of suspected wreckage detected by sonar on the sea floor. l

BBC

Police in India have denied claims by former minister Shashi Tharoor that they pressured his domestic helper to confess that the two men had murdered his wife.

On Tuesday, Delhi police said they were treating the death of Sunanda Pushkar as murder, nearly a year after her body was found in a hotel room.

The police said Ms Pushkar’s death was “not natural and was due to poisoning.”

Tharoor will be questioned again in connection with the death, reports say.

He said on Tuesday that he never “thought of any foul play” in the death of his wife, and that he was “anxious to see this case is investigated thoroughly.”

A letter written by Tharoor to Delhi police chief BS Bassi in November in which he makes the allegation of coercion was leaked to the media on Wednesday.

In it Tharoor said a police officer had “repeatedly physically assaulted” his domestic helper during questioning and tried to “intimidate” him into “confess-

ing that he and I murdered my wife.”

He also referred to a conversation with Bassi and wrote: “As you graciously agreed, such conduct is completely unacceptable and illegal. It also amounts to the use of physical coercion in the attempt to frame an innocent man.”

“I would request you to take immediate and appropriate action against such unlawful misconduct of the officer concerned.”

Bassi told reporters that he had received the letter from Tharoor and investigated the allegation.

“I had spoken to my officers about the allegations made in the letter and learnt that even though the person (domestic helper) was summoned, he was never tortured,” he told reporters.

Tharoor, a Congress MP, married Ms Pushkar, a former Dubai-based businesswoman, in 2010. She was found dead in a five-star hotel in Delhi on 17 January last year.

The couple had became embroiled in controversy over a series of Twitter messages before Ms Pushkar’s death that appeared to reveal he was having an affair with a Pakistani journalist. l

Bosnia leads global search for missing with expertise on bones n Reuters, Tuzla Bosnia was still digging up the bones of its own when those of others began arriving in boxes from the tsunami-struck shores of Southeast Asia a decade ago.

It coincided with Kathryne Bomberger’s rise to head of the Bosnian-based International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP), created in 1996 on the initiative of Bill Clinton to unearth the secrets of gruesome death pits strewn across the Bosnian countryside following its 1992-95 war.

The ICMP sent a handful of staff to Thailand to set up a laboratory to collect blood samples from relatives of some of the 230,000 people who perished when a giant wave struck in December 2004, matching them with DNA from bone samples of the victims sent to Bosnia. It helped identify some 800.

“That was really a huge learning experience for us,” Bomberger told Reuters in an interview.

A decade later, what started as an ad hoc body devoted to the former Yugoslavia has become the world’s leading authority on missing people, a status enshrined last month in a treaty signed by five European governments – Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Sweden – that will see the organisation move its headquarters this year from Sarajevo to The Hague and become a permanent global body.

The move is recognition of the ICMP’s success not just in the ex-Yugoslavia, but in Thailand, the Philippines, Chile, South Africa, the United States, Iraq, Libya, Colombia and others, where its unique DNA-identification techniques have helped identify victims of natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina, of political repression, drug crime, apartheid and war.

Mexico is next, Bomberger says, while Syria - with tens of thousands missing - represents a looming challenge. The ICMP says it has proposed working with Syrian refu-

gees to collect data on missing relatives, and has met with opposition figures.

“Rarely in life can you change the world, and I think this treaty is something that does change the world,” Bomberger said, adding that other states were expected to sign up.

‘Can’t do it alone’ An American, Bomberger joined the ICMP two years after its creation, since when it has helped identify 70% of 40,000 missing people from the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s, including many of the more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys killed when the UN ‘safe haven’ of Srebrenica fell to Bosnian Serb forces in 1995.

Mass graves are still being unearthed in Bosnia, but the ICMP has effectively outgrown the former Yugoslav republic, a success-story hard to match in a country otherwise still coming to terms with the war’s legacy, deeply divided and dysfunctional. Most of ICMP’s 140 staff are Bosnians.

The ICMP owes its success to the DNA identification process it developed to tackle Srebrenica, where most victims were found in secondary graves, dug up from the pits they were first tossed into and moved to others in an attempt to conceal the crime, scattering remains, belongings and evidence.

“It was absolutely impossible to identify these mortal remains through any other means,” said Bomberger. DNA analysis has yielded the names of 98% of 6,900 Srebrenica victims identified so far.

Crucially, the organisation lobbied for and helped craft a legal framework and institutions in Bosnia to deal with an issue that frequently becomes politicised in the aftermath of war or the fall of a regime, left to the efforts of civil society and human rights groups to press a state into action.

“We look at DNA technology, but that technology does not work until a state

Forensic experts of the International Commission for Missing Persons (ICMP) work on trying to identify the remains of a victim of the Srebrenica massacre, in the ICMP centre near Tuzla in this June 1, 2011 file photo. Bosnia was still digging up the bones of its own when those of others began arriving in boxes from the tsunami-struck shores of Southeast Asia a decade ago REUTERS makes a decision to search for persons missing regardless of their ethnic, religious or national origin, in a non-discriminatory fashion,” Bomberger said.

Nura Beganovic is still searching for her only brother believed killed in Srebrenica.

“It means a lot to us when there is such an international organisation capable of helping us. We can’t do it alone,” she said adding that she was worried the ICMP’s

move might affect efforts to find the last of Bosnia’s dead.

Evidence collected at the ICMP’s identification center in the city of Tuzla, housed in a sport center, has been used in hundreds of criminal cases since the war.

Staff in masks work in sterile, white rooms, divided by glass walls. Blood and bone samples are stored in huge refrigerators, and data collected from every case the

ICMP has ever handled is stored in a vast and growing online database.

Hajra Catic is a frequent visitor, searching for the remains of her son.

“I can’t sleep at night, hoping I’ll be able to identify him,” said Catic, who lost her husband and 20 other relatives in Srebrenica, the worst massacre on European soil since the World War Two. “I wish just to have a little finger of his, so I can bury him.” l

blame — asserted its certainty again last week, announcing a new round of sanctions against North Korea that officials said will be just the first step of retaliation.

FBI Director James Comey told a cybersecurity conference in New York on Wednesday that the hackers “got sloppy” and mistakenly sent messages directly that could be traced to Internet addresses used exclusively by the North Korea. Comey said the hackers had sought to use proxy computer servers, a common ploy to disguise hackers’ identities and throw investigators off their trail by hiding their true locations.

“It was a mistake by them,” Comey said. “It made it very clear who was doing this.”

Though the FBI has repeatedly maintained that there’s no credible evidence suggesting anyone other than North Korea was responsible, that hasn’t stopped skeptics from challenging the government’s conclusion and raising questions about whether hackers or Sony insiders could be the culprits instead of — or maybe along with — North Korea. At least one firm claims to have identified a group of individuals it says may have attacked the company’s networks. l

No birthday celebrations for Kim this year n Reuters, Seoul Exactly one year ago, flamboyant NBA hall of fame star Dennis Rodman stepped up to a microphone in the centre ring of a North Korean basketball court and sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to leader Kim Jong Un, the world’s youngest head of state.

Kim is believed to have turned 32 yesterday, but this year there have been no reports of celebrations or even any public mention of the event so far in the reclusive nation. His age is apparently a state secret.

China, North Korea’s only major ally, however offered birthday wishes. Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told reporters at a daily briefing yesterday that China had “expressed congratulations” to North Korea on the occasion.

In the United States, which expanded sanctions against North Korea late last month after blaming Pyongyang for a hacking attack on Sony Corp, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said she had no message for Kim for his birthday. l

‘Sri Lankan vote largely peaceful’ n AP, Colombo Long lines formed in the capital Thursday and voter turnout was heavy in Sri Lanka’s Tamil heartland as President Mahinda Rajapaksa faced his toughest electoral challenge in years, with a former ally trying to unseat the leader who crushed a brutal Tamil insurgency and amassed immense power for himself and his family.

Some voters were prevented from casting ballots in the Tamil-dominated north, according to the Center for Monitoring Election Violence, and there were a handful of incidents of isolated violence, but no injuries were reported. Results were expected to be announced Friday.

Until just a few weeks ago, Rajapaksa was widely expected to easily win his third term in office. But that changed suddenly in November, when his former friend and health minister, Maithripala Sirisena, defected from the ruling party and turned the election into a referendum on the president and the enormous power he wields over the island nation of 21 million.

Sirisena gathered the support of other defecting lawmakers and many of the country’s ethnic minorities, making the election a fierce political battle.

Rajapaksa, though, will be difficult to beat. He controls the state media, has immense financial resources and is still popular among the Sinhala majority, some of whom see him as a savior for destroying Tamil Tiger rebels and ending a decades-long civil war in 2009.

But polling was notably strong Thursday in Tamil-dominated areas, where voting had been poor in previous elections. Many Tamils have felt abandoned since the war’s end, when Rajapaksa largely ignored Tamil demands to heal the wounds of the fighting and years of ethnic divisions. They were expected to vote heavily for Sirisena. l

10

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Editorial

Friday, January 9, 2015

CODE-CRACKER

Violence doesn’t make a case

W

e condemn the attack, carried out last Monday by a group of pro-BNP lawyers, on Justice Farid Ahmed’s car. Such acts of hooliganism have no place in our nation.

With the DMP having imposed a ban on any meeting, procession, or rally in the capital, and with BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia being kept imprisoned inside her Gulshan party office since Saturday night, we can understand the anger and helplessness of the proBNP lawyers.

However, under no circumstance does this justify attacking innocent bystanders. Because of their act of thuggery, the lawyers must be arrested and brought to book.

As members of the judiciary, lawyers should know that violence is never the way out of any quandary. Lawyers have a duty to follow the rule of law, under the oaths they took.

As we have editorialised before, it was inappropriate for authorities to use heavy-handedness in banning all political demonstrations on the anniversary of the January 5 election. But at the same time, this does not give BNP supporters the license to engage in violent attacks in retaliation.

Law enforcement authorities should allow political parties to hold rallies and solicit public support in a peaceful manner. And the government should give the BNP its political space.

However, violence solves nothing, only exacerbates the problem and holds the public – who suffers the most in this melee – hostage.

This is utterly unacceptable in a democracy, and nothing can justify it.

Lawyers should know that violence is never the way out of any quandary

Pedaling the right way

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icycles are experiencing a substantial resurgence in our country, particularly in Dhaka where cyclists are becoming an increasingly common sight on any given road of the busy metropolis, and groups such as BDCyclists are helping promote bicycling as an environmentally-friendly communal activity through organising various events.

Also of relevance is the fledgling bicycle manufacturing industry taking shape in Bangladesh, with numerous local companies making waves in international markets by having their products exported overseas.

It is now more important than ever for the government to recognise the potential of this particular sector, not just in terms of its economic and environmentalimprovement possibilities, but also to leverage this sudden popularity of bicycles into refining our city infrastructure.

Dhaka’s streets are in a perpetual state of congestion regardless of time or date. By endorsing the use of bicycles as a low-cost alternative to cars and other modes of transportation, a lot of progress can be made to curb the heavy road congestion and pollution caused by gasoline-run vehicles.

There are hurdles to be overcome in making cycling more popular. Road rage is a common factor in the average motorist in Dhaka and cyclists are particularly vulnerable to this end. Making way for dedicated bicycle lanes on roads would be an excellent way to sidestep this issue and encourage cycling to be adopted by more people as an alternative transportation method.

In a city as crowded as Dhaka, using bicycles makes sense. The government would do well to invest time and resources into this sector for its prospects at improving urban environment and the overall health of citizens.

In a city as crowded as Dhaka, using bicycles makes sense

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

Enough is enough December 27

Hafeejul Alam It’s the law of nature, dear author. Bangladesh might appear meek before India and India might appear so before China. However, China need not be meek, for it has enough teeth and claws to bite and scratch, or even swallow. Therefore, the militarily weak countries have only one alternative, that of resorting to a diplomatic solution to their various inter-country problems.

Bangladesh is no exception. It is as simple as that.

According to news reports, there are many Indians who are residing and working in Bangladesh illegally, and committing crimes.

Criminals are just criminals, and should not be branded by the name of any country.

Indian readers might also find it interesting to know that, according to UN observations, Bangladesh is progressing better than India, economically and socially.

Hiklin D Kemaal Hafeejul Alam: Can you tell me from where you have drawn the conclusion that Bangladesh is progressing faster than India? Please provide some source.

Neil Modi, or any Indian in general, is never against Bangladeshis since we have a lot in common.

Of course, with a population like ours, illegal immigrants from any country are the last thing we would like to see in our land. rose India should remember always and understand that it is also a developing country, just like Bangladesh.

Truth Guy Hasina’s government has been kept in power with Indian support. Why would they go against India’s wishes? ghandhi jee The BDR chief and all of his loyal subordinates who protested and took a strong stance against Indian aggression were murdered on February 25, 2009 in the BDR headquarters at Pilkhana.

Espionage is a dangerous weapon still being used by superpowers today. faisal Great write-up. Thanks.

Jihad found dead December 27 Sheikh Jinat Mahmid God, this is crazy.

Raakhy Uddin Really sad!

Nahid Hossen State Minister for Home Affairs Asaduzzaman Khan should resign right now, because he doesn’t care about life. The only thing he cares about is his own comfort.

Mahiuddin Prodeep What a fine example of government rescue management?!

Perchance “Modi’s insolence outraged liberals in India but Bangladesh quietly swallowed the insult.

Modi targeted Bangladesh in the run-up to the elections too.

But his new rant reveals that his attacks on Bangladesh while canvassing for votes wasn’t just poll rhetoric but emanated from a deep-rooted sectarian aversion which has been boosted by a landslide victory in the elections.”

How do you know for sure that what Modi said in the run up to the elections was indeed not just poll rhetoric? I haven’t heard him utter anything nearly as incendiary since he got elected.

That makes me wonder whether he just spewed a little bit of “crazy” in the run up to elections to strengthen his conservative base.

In the long term, I don’t think a terse relationship between the two countries benefits anyone.

There are way too many opportunities where the two countries could work together that will prove to be too difficult to ignore. The negotiation process when striking such deals would be tough, no doubt.

Could it be that India is taking a tough stance so as to be in a more dominating position when they come to the negotiating table on bilateral trade and miscellaneous issues?

If I were India, I too would be flexing my muscles in a similar situation. If Bangladesh throws back a few punches, I think they would most likely be ignored. I think India is almost expecting it, and if Bangladesh were to retort, I think Modi would play it safe. He would know better than to add fuel to the fire.

So, yes I think Bangladesh should punch back with some verbal abuse. India most likely would say nothing, at least anyone from India whose opinion really matters, least of all Modi. No harm, no fail.

The New Year dilemma December 27

How to solve: Each number in our CODE-CRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 15 represents R so fill R every time the figure 15 appears.

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

Some letters of the alphabet may not be used.

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

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

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

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Black deposit (4) 6 Forefront (3) 7 Circle of light (4) 9 Christmas (4) 10 Thickness (5) 11 Allude (5) 12 Strange (3) 14 Dogma (5) 17 Henhouse (5) 20 Do wrong (3) 21 Bird of prey (5) 23 Worked into a fabric (5) 25 Probability (4) 26 Part of the eye (4) 27 First woman (3) 28 Whirlpool (4)

DOWN 1 Of higher standing (6) 2 Carry too far (6) 3 Story (4) 4 Period of time (3) 5 In favour of (3) 7 Swift rodent (4) 8 Prise (5) 10 Permit (3) 13 Giver (5) 15 Required (6) 16 Reliable (6) 18 Perceives (4) 19 Tawny brown (3) 22 Fondness (4) 23 Hairpiece (3) 24 Vigour (3)

sattar “We need to have some fun when the whole world is celebrating. All work and no play will make us dull people.”

We want to party, but do we know how to party? And I don’t mean the BCL. Dreampie The government should recognise my right to get wasted and cause a minor public nuisance every December 31 … damnit.

The three Fs of freedom

CALVIN AND HOBBES

December 27 Sammy I don’t get this author: He is critical of the BNP, he is critical of the Awami League, and he is hateful of Jamaat. Where do you find such uniquely peculiar individuals to write! lol

PEANUTS

Karl Hungus Sammy: The author is a tough nut to crack, that’s for sure, but I don’t think there’s much confusion in realising that his allegiance is pledged to the country and its people, more than any “parties” – the very last line of this article testifies to that. “It is a tragedy of stunning proportions, however, that the wellmeaning detractors of this government are yet to tell us how their version of this democracy will be any more free than the one they seek to replace.

Like other Bengalis, I too await that explanation.”

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS CODE-CRACKER

CROSSWORD

Sneep Sammy: That was meant to be humorous, right? :) vhs Another good one from the author. Criticising all sides is the way to go.

Don’t return to violence

December 26 SM True, but what exactly is the solution when a government decides to use thugs (BCL) and police as simple bludgeons to stop public rallies, break up speaking engagements, and take over public university dorms?

SUDOKU

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Op-Ed

11

Friday, January 9, 2015

Climate change and a prosperous Asia n Takehiko Nakao and Yvo de Boer

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RAJIB DHAR

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Is the BNP finished?

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n Zafar Sobhan

s it too soon to start writing a political obituary for the BNP? As little as 15 months ago, polls and local election results suggested that the party enjoyed a commanding lead over the AL in terms of popularity with the public.

Even this time last year, had BNP contested the elections, it would most likely have won.

Can this kind of popularity evaporate so quickly?

Not entirely. Even today, according to the latest polling data, the BNP can command the support of perhaps some 35% of the public. Not bad for a party that has been virtually invisible for the past 12 months, is clearly utterly bereft of any ideas, and is complicit in the on-going maiming and killing of innocent civilians.

The one thing the BNP has going for it – the one thing all opposition parties have going for them in Bangladesh – is the heavy-handedness of the government. The popularity the party enjoyed through 2013 was solely a consequence of the public’s unhappiness with the incumbent government, and nothing to do with any excitement or enthusiasm it had generated of its own accord.

It is certainly possible that as the government becomes more authoritarian and less responsive to public opinion, that support for the BNP will begin to rise again, as happened in the aftermath of the 2008 elections.

In fact, this is exactly what happened in the aftermath of every election we

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have had since 1991.

But there is reason to believe that this time it will be different.

In the first place, this is the first time that a government has had two consecutive terms in office, with all the advantages that this brings in terms of consolidation of its power and patronage and the placement of its people throughout the government machinery.

the AL over the past eight years. Equally crucial, the Jamaat, which has long provided the spine of the BNP-alliance war machine, has been decimated by the combined weight of the war crimes trials and a sustained operation in the field.

It is a grim commentary on the state of our democracy when electability has more to do with how one can muster strength on the street than it has

heavy hand.

The reality is that the government suffers no penalty for its increasing authoritarianism against the opposition or indeed against the rest of us.

After all, who is going to bring them to book, if not the opposition, which it is successfully dismantling?

The government thus has absolutely zero incentive to do anything other than continue to crush the BNP under its heel. The only thing it has to fear is that the BNP will somehow survive.

But there is no cost to the government for running roughshod over the nation to ensure that this does not happen.

The only thing they stand to lose is the goodwill of the general public, but since the general public will only get a chance to voice its discontents four years from now, and there is a good chance that there will be no opposition worth the name standing then, it would appear to be a sound strategy.

As an added bonus, the more they squeeze, the more atrocities the BNP will commit. This will in turn continue to harm their popularity and give the government further grounds to crack down even harder (on the rest of us as well). It’s a winning strategy for the AL. The BNP is not finished. No party that can continue to attract upwards of one voter in three can be entirely written off as a spent force. But without a dramatic change – that seems increasingly unlikely under the present leadership – it is hard to see how they come back from here. l

The BNP is in shambles not because of the paucity of its ideas or indeed because of the violence of its tactics, but because it has been unable to press its argument in the street

This was why the AL’s gambit in 2014 to push through its one-sided election was so crucial. By succeeding, they fundamentally altered the political reality of the country, perhaps permanently.

In the second place, it could be that the violence perpetrated by the BNP and its allies in 2013 has finally put them beyond the pale for many voters, and the BNP seems to have no gameplan beyond continuing to burn buses and bring the nation to a standstill.

But, most importantly, the BNP party machinery lies in ruins after having been systematically targeted by first the care-taker government and then

E

to do with how many votes you can muster at the polling booth, but there you have it.

The BNP is in shambles not because of the paucity of its ideas or indeed because of the violence of its tactics (though both those would be ample grounds), but because it has been unable to press its argument in the street.

The dismal truth is that had it been able to create more havoc, then it would be in a far stronger political position. Which in turn is why the government comes down so heavily on them in what would appear to the casual observer to be an unacceptably

F

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Zafar Sobhan is the Editor, Dhaka Tribune.

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P

he plan agreed at the United Nations talks in Lima, Peru is a key first step toward a global climate change agreement due to be finalised a year from now. It would be none too soon. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recently warned again that the world must act now to avoid irreversible damage.

Despite such clear warnings, many people believe economic growth and climate action are incompatible. The fact is, we can cut greenhouse gas emissions to avoid climate catastrophe and still enable strong economic growth.

Countries that are vulnerable to floods, changing weather patterns, and other climate impacts like Bangladesh would be key beneficiaries even if they are not big carbon emitters themselves.

Many countries in Asia and the Pacific have put in place green growth policies. They have made strong commitments to pursue economic growth in a way that limits carbon emissions and ecological degradation. Contrary to perception, leaders of developing countries in the region understand the importance of such policies and wish to be a part of global efforts for mitigating emissions.

Three sectors stand out as crucial in the fight against climate change: Energy, cities, and land use and agriculture First, Asian Development Bank (ADB) data forecast Asia’s share of world energy consumption will increase from 34% in 2010 to 51% in 2035. This 51% would be in line with its share of global population. However, Asia has an opportunity to make a special contribution to global efforts for mitigation.

Greater investment in cleaner forms of conventional power, such as natural gas, or in renewable energy like solar and wind power, is needed to answer that demand.

Increasing the energy efficiency of buildings, transport, and industries would also curb energy demand. ADB estimates that investing just 1%–4% of overall energy sector investment in energy efficiency measures like better insulation in buildings and efficient home appliances, could meet 25% of developing Asia’s projected increase in primary energy consumption by 2030.

Second, more than 40% of the region’s population lives in cities. This will grow to around 65% by 2050. Asia needs to build better connected cities that use mass public transport. Cities also need to be more compact, with urban spaces incorporating homes, businesses, and leisure areas.

India offers the classic example of the city challenge. As the second largest urban system in the world after China, India is poised to have more than half a billion people living in cities by 2030. But the pace of growth in urban services and infrastructure lags far behind the population influx, resulting in serious environmental consequences.

This is what the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) in India is trying to address. By defining green growth in the city context, and draw-

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ing on existing best practices, GGGI is developing a framework for policymakers to integrate the green growth approach in their planning to simultaneously achieve multiple developmental objectives – economic, social, and environmental.

Third, demand for food in Asia is rising as populations grow and become wealthier. At the same time, almost all suitable agricultural land is already under cultivation. Therefore, Asia must improve agricultural supply chains so that better farm-to-market roads and storage facilities can reduce food waste. Innovative farming such as drip-fed irrigation will cut the amount of water and energy needed to produce food.

In the Philippines, ADB is helping farmers introduce new types of salt-tolerant rice so that land lost to saltwater intrusion may once again become productive. Restoring forest areas is another effective way of sequestering carbon and conserving biodiversity. Paying farmers to retain and maintain their forests can provide rural incomes.

Despite encouraging signs in many Asian countries, much remains to be done.

Some governments are employing policy measures such as subsidising gasoline while delaying much-needed investment in mass transit. Instead, they should phase out fossil fuel subsidies and use released resources to promote climate-friendly investment and innovation. Governments should also adopt well-designed regulations and predictable carbon pricing.

Green investment can be largely financed by Asia’s domestic investors and increasingly, by long-term institutional investors such as life insurance and pension funds. Asia should make more productive use of its own large pools of savings.

Investment from outside Asia should be encouraged too. The region needs to improve its investment climate and create more bankable projects, including through publicprivate partnerships. ADB and other multilateral development banks are also scaling up their green investment, and organisations like GGGI are increasingly assisting countries to develop projects that are ready for green investment.

Taking this opportunity, we would like to stress that a strong and equitable international climate agreement is essential to support ambitious domestic actions by both developing and developed countries.

Developed countries should show leadership by aggressively reducing emissions and by mobilising financial and technological support for developing countries.

In short, developing countries in Asia and the Pacific can grow and develop and still reduce the impact of climate change – but we must act now. l Takehiko Nakao is the President of the Asian Development Bank and a member of the Global Commission of the Economy and Climate. Yvo de Boer is the Director-General of the Global Green Growth Institute.

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The mother-son debacle

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n Nadeem Qadir

did not plan to write on this, but I am now forced to, after seeing such a political debacle made by a major leader, her party, and her son.

Opposition BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia got angry since she failed to pull enough support to organise a rally on January 5, marking year one of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s first year of her third tenure in office, as no such supporters were there to overcome a police restriction on rallies and demonstrations. It was not only the police’s decision to not allow her to go to Nayapaltan.

She refused to go home from her Gulshan office. The government has its reasons too, by citing security concerns for “restricting” her movement. However, one must remember that providing security to Begum Zia, or any other citizen, is a government duty, and all steps were taken based on intelligence reports.

One report that I gathered said that intelligence had sufficient proof that if the rally was allowed to be

held, then at the end of it, Jamaat and its student-wing Islami Chhatra Shibir would have created chaos like what Hefazat had tried to instigate sometime ago. Which government would ever allow something like that to be repeated? What citizen would like to see such violence and arson be perpetrated?

So the term “confined” for Begum Zia, in this context, is incorrect. The right word should have been “restricted,” as she was told repeatedly that she could go home, but not to her central office in the downtown Nayapaltan area. I say this as a journalist, because, from the first minute I had disagreed with the use of this word – which was eagerly gobbled up and widely-used by the media without even thinking if it was right or wrong.

The moment Chittagong police allowed BNP to hold its rally, the intelligence report came true – just when the Jamaat-Shibir, BNP’s best friends, joined up and unleashed terror, in which BNP leaders suffered too. Thus the government’s decision cannot be slammed just because Begum Zia felt sad when her plans fell

apart.

Then came her time to “go to downtown Dhaka at any cost” in her SUV. As was predicted, the vehicle stopped at the gates, and she gave a statement with no concrete message to the populace, except the message to join her campaign against the government. Why should the people join her anti-government campaign?

Just because she missed the election bus in 2014 due to a major tactical mistake?

Then came disaster. She ended her statement to the press and to the people courtesy of private TV channels. Two reporters, one of whom was a Chhatra Dal activist in his student life, kept pushing her, asking what her new campaign plan was. She did not have any. She did say that the blockade would continue. I was wondering, was a blockade already in force? If so, who was it called by?

Then comes the question: If the time was ripe for a non-stop blockade – was there public support for violence instead of peaceful politics by Sheikh Hasina? Hours later, when confusion reigned about the blockade within the

20-party alliance and also among the populace, Begum Zia’s press secretary had to explain how the blockade would be carried out.

Was there public support for violence instead of peaceful politics?

Then the blockade actually started, and I call it a Jamaat-Shibir-enforced and Khaleda Zia-called blockade. It was mainly the Shibir which went on a rampage in various places, resulting in the deaths of several people. Who will take responsibility for that?

Let us come to BNP – its leadership has failed to aide or guide Begum Zia at such a crucial hour, but I guess her elder son Tarique Rahman was guiding

her from London via telephone. He could also be seen online, delivering a speech as hollow and silly as a speech could be.

When I listened to parts of it, I thought to myself: “He was far away from reality and living in a fool’s paradise, while his speech was tantamount to inciting political violence and unrest within disciplined armed forces.”

Tarique Rahman was saying that the movement has started, and nobody should leave the streets. Who are these bodies? They are the handful of Jamaat-Sihbir activists and a few men from his own party. Would that topple an elected civilian government?

It seems to me that he was thinking it was a situation much like the last days in the reign of former president Hussein Muhammad Ershad in 1990.

I had covered the anti-Ershad movement and had interviewed Begum Zia and Sheikh Hasina on the streets of Dhaka for AFP. Then came Awami League’s campaign for a caretaker government, which fostered huge popular support.

Then why is Begum Zia’s call for a sim-

ilar government being ignored?

The reason is quite clear – as I had said earlier. Begum Zia killed the concept at the end of her last term in office by appointing Iajuddin Ahmed as chief advisor before it was overturned by the 1/11 developments.

The other reason is that the electorate has had enough experiments for some to go to power, and the other to stay in power, and have now opted for peace and life without terror threats, as was the situation during the BNP-Jamaat rule.

As political blogger Jyoti Rahman’s wrote in this newspaper: “As things stand, with Tarique Rahman in his current avatar as BNP’s chosen future, I am afraid the future is bleak, and we might soon be discussing BNP’s past.”

The whole episode has been a debacle for Begum Khaleda Zia and her son Tarique Rahman, and they now have to ask themselves how long they can sustain a four-year plus blockade in Bangladesh, when life almost returned to normal on the third day. l Nadeem Qadir, a senior journalist, is a UNCA Dag Hammarskjold Scholar in journalism.

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DHAKA TRIBUNE Friday, January 9, 2015

13 Aussies launch bid

to dethrone Japan in Asian Cup

14 India fight back

with Rahul, Kohli centuries

14 Enrique slams

reports of bust-up with Messi

Sport

Rubel’s World Cup in limbo n Minhaz Uddin Khan National cricketer Rubel Hossain was yesterday ordered to go behind bars

by Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Muhammad Anwar Sadat of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court. As a result, the right-arm paceman’s participation in the 2015 ICC World Cup in Australia-New Zealand has now been thrown into serious jeopardy.

A lower court yesterday sentenced Rubel to jail until the next hearing in a case filed under the Women and Children Repression Act. The order was passed after the 25-year old cricketer surrendered before the court and pleaded for bail. His plea, however, was rejected by the court.

The news came as a shock to the Bangladesh Cricket Board and the entire cricketing arena, especially with the World Cup knocking at the door.

Rubel is one of 15 members of the Bangladesh squad scheduled to depart for Brisbane on January 24.

It is no surprise, therefore, that questions are now being asked as to whether the board and its panel of selectors will think of a replacement in case Rubel fails to resolve the issue before the World Cup gets underway on February 14.

BCB CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury informed the media yesterday that it is too early to comment on the issue. The BCB high-up though said discussions on the issue have already

been initiated.

“We are discussing the matter so it is quite early to say what we are planning to do,” said Nizamuddin.

“But, so far he has been handling the matter personally. If he fails to join the squad in time, we have a contingency plan in place.”

According to sources, another paceman Shafiul Islam, who was named as a standby by the BCB, will come in if Rubel is unavailable.

Shafiul declined to comment on the is-

sue but said, “I believe I am ready to be a part of the team whenever the call comes.”

It all started on December 13 last year when Naznin Akter Happy, a film actress, filed a case against Rubel at Mirpur Model Thana.

She alleged that Rubel promised to marry her only to backtrack from his promise later on. She also alleged that she shared an intimate relation with the national cricketer.

The law enforcement authorities last month launched a probe after the

film actress lodged a complaint against Rubel. Following the filing of the complaint, a court ordered Happy to undertake medical tests and instructed both to undergo DNA tests.

Rubel is the fifth Bangladesh sportsman to be jailed. Former national footballers Kazi Salahuddin, Golam Rabbani Helal, Anwar Hossain and Ashrafuddin Ahmed Chunnu previously went behind bars in 1982 due to assaulting an assistant referee in a domestic game.l

Of the 33 players with 5+ Test centuries v Australia, Virat Kohli has the 3rd highest average behind G Pollock & H Sutcliffe

Bangladesh brace for tough Hockey World League campaign n Raihan Mahmood

Bangladesh cricketer Rubel Hossain (C) is led away after his bail plea was rejected yesterday following allegations that he went back on his promise to marry a film actress DHAKA TRIBUNE

Did you know?

Bangladesh fancies a chance of reaching the semifinal round of the Hockey World League given they pull an upset in the round-2 of the international event billed to start in Singapore from January 17-25.

The International Hockey Federation replaced Mexico and Fiji, who pulled out of the tournament at the last minute, with Oman and Ukraine to complete the seven-team line-up that will also see Poland, Malaysia, Japan, Singapore and Bangladesh.

Bangladesh were pitted alongside Poland and Japan and in order to reach the next round Bangladesh must beat either of their superior ranked opponent.

As preparation Bangladesh will play two friendlies, the first against hosts Singapore on January 12 followed by Oman on January 15.

In the second round of the HWL 2013 Bangladesh earned only one win against China (3-2) while they lost all the other matches with Ireland (5-2), Oman (4-1), Fiji (8-4) and India (5-1).

Coached by the Malaysian Gobinathan, who has Mamunur Rashid as his deputy, the Bangladesh hockey team has been going through intensive train-

ing at BKSP for the last two weeks. The mixture of youth and experience in the team and the fitness level has boosted the confidence of the coaches.

“The fitness level is international standard, I believe that the team will falter in the last two quarters as it happened in the previous international meets, we have a good number of options to play in the same area,” said Mamun.

In the second round of the HWL 2013, Bangladesh earned only one win against China (3-2) while they lost all the other matches with Ireland (5-2), Oman (4-1), Fiji (8-4) and India (5-1) Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Hockey Federation withdrew the suspension of four leading players and among them Russell Mahmud Jimmy, Quamruzzman Rana and Imran Hasan Pintu has forced their way into the team. With Jimmy back in action Bangladesh’s attacking strength has also increased and if he provides his true form, Bangladesh will be a team to consider. l

Gazi’s bowling test on January 24 n Mazhar Uddin Bangladesh off-spinner Sohag Gazi will appear for his second bowling test, at Sri Ramachandra University in Chennai on January 24 this year, informed Bangladesh Cricket Board’s cricket operations committee chairman Akram Khan yesterday.

The right-arm off-spinner’s bowling action was questioned by the International Cricket Council following the second ODI against the West Indies last year. Later, Gazi had his bowling action tested for the first time at Cardiff Metropolitan University in Wales on September 20 last year. Both the laboratories in Chennai and Cardiff are ICC-accredited.

However, following the first bowling test, footages showed that Gazi’s elbow still exceeded the 15-degree limit permitted by the ICC. Gazi then underwent remedial work on his action and was awaiting an available date for his second bowling test.

And following discussions with the ICC, the BCB has set January 24 for Gazi’s second bowling test.

“The ICC replied after we informed that Gazi is ready to give the bowling test and we asked for a date. They informed that he can have the test later this month and the board has decided to send Gazi to Chennai on January 24,” said Akram.

Meanwhile, the man in question, Gazi, is confident that he will pass the test. The 23-year old cricketer informed that he has worked on his foot-landing which will help him to correct his action.

“I have worked on my foot-landing which was the main reason of my excessive elbow-flex. I am confident of the bowling test this time. During this period, I watched my videos. I tried to rectify the problems. I also bowled with my corrected action in the Dhaka League matches. I am hoping for a better result so that I can return to international cricket and play for my country again,” said Gazi. l

(L-R) National cricketers Taskin Ahmed, Shafiul Islam and Arafat Sunny share a light moment during training in Mirpur yesterday

Imran Khan weds TV journalist

n AFP, Islamabad

Imran Khan’s official Facebook page shows the former Pakistan captain and politician standing beside his wife, BBC presenter Reham Khan, during their wedding ceremony in Bani Gala yesterday

Pakistani opposition leader Imran Khan wed a TV journalist in a simple ceremony at his Islamabad home Thursday, ending years of speculation surrounding the former playboy cricketer widely considered his country’s most eligible man.

Imran Khan, who is 62 and the father of two sons from his previous marriage to British socialite Jemima Khan (nee Goldsmith), tied the knot with Reham Khan, the 41-year-old host of a Pakistani political talk show in an Islamic ceremony before a handful of witnesses, a spokeswoman said.

“There are no wedding or valima receptions. Tomorrow food will be distributed amongst poor children,” Khan’s party spokeswoman Shireen Mazari said, referring to additional marriage events typical of traditional, elaborate Pakistani weddings.

Khan wore a cream-coloured Sherwani, the national dress of Pakistan, while Reham wore an off-white Peshwaz dress with red brocade border.

Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI) party won the third largest number of seats in the 2013 elections and governs the northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. He had first announced his intention to wed shortly after he began a movement to topple the government last August. l

Spidercam caught in web of controversy

MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

n AFP, Sydney

Second Indoor Cricket begins February 3 n Tribune Desk

Television’s “spidercam” found itself at the centre of controversy over a dropped Australian catch on the third day of the final Test against India on Thursday.

Australia skipper Steve Smith put down a skied chance off Lokesh Rahul on 46 before lunch, and then appeared to blame spidercam for missing the catch.

Smith was seen mouthing “fucking wire” to team-mates after his line of sight was affected by the cables connecting the aerial TV camera.

Cricket Australia and the Nine Network later confirmed that Smith had been “distracted by one of the wires in his eyeline”.

“We (CA and Nine) have spoken about the matter involving spidercam and the dropped catch before lunch and it’s clear the ball did not hit the camera or its supporting wires,” the joint statement read.

“Captain Steve Smith was distracted by one of the wires in his eyeline. Both CA and Nine will continue to work together on the use of spidercam in the broadcast coverage and will take on board any player feedback as necessary.

“As it stands, if any player has a concern about the placement of spidercam

The second edition of the Indoor Corporate Cricket organised by “3 Crics” is all set to begin on February 3 this year in Mirpur’s Shaheed Sohrawardi Indoor Stadium.

32 corporate houses of the country will participate in the five-day tournament. This was confirmed yesterday following an official meeting with the participation of the directors of “3 Crics” – Akram Khan, Khaled Mashud and Athar Ali Khan - and the captains and the managers of the participating teams. Playing conditions and other details of the competition were discussed in the meeting.

Former Bangladesh skipper Mashud yesterday informed that indoor cricket in Bangladesh gained huge recognition after the very first edition of the competition.

“It (first edition) gave us a boost and here, today (yesterday), we are set to unveil the competition, comprising the renowned corporate houses, for the second time,” said Mashud yesterday.

“This time the excitement will be doubled with the participation of more teams. I hope we will be able to execute a very good and fun-filled tournament,” he added.

Gazi TV (GTV) will transmit all the matches live from the venue.l

they can ask the umpires for it to be moved.”

Australia coach Darren Lehmann said that while he is a fan of spidercam, he thinks it is down its future positioning during games needs to be thought out.

“It wasn’t ideal where it was positioned for that particular ball,” he said.

“I like watching it, but I think they have to get the position right when the bowler’s bowling, particularly on the off-side which we are speaking to Channel Nine about it, making sure we get that right moving forward.”

Spidercam is a camera system which gives viewers a bird’s eye view of the action and uses cables to carry a camera-platform along a track between two mounting-points. It is also able to change its altitude at any given moment. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

Lampard v Gerrard set for MLS affair n AFP, New York

QUICK BYTES

Jesus and Savic banned for elbowing opponents Inter Milan defender Juan Jesus and Fiorentina’s Stefan Savic have both been given three-match bans for elbowing opponents, plus an extra game apiece for accumulation of yellow cards. Serie A’s disciplinary tribunal said that Jesus was caught elbowing Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini as they clashed waiting for a corner during Sunday’s 1-1 draw.

Although the referee did not report the incident, Chiellini was knocked to the ground, the incident was spotted using video evidence and the Brazilian was banned for “violent conduct”. Jesus was banned for a further game after picking up a fourth booking in the same match while team mate Mateo Kovacic was given an automatic one-match ban after he was sent off late in a bad-tempered clash. Fiorentina defender Savic was given the same sanction after he was dismissed during Sunday’a 1-0 defeat by Parma. The tribunal also fined Cesena 15,000 euros $17,720) because of “insulting chants based on territorial origin” by their fans during the 4-1 home defeat to Napoli.

–Reuters

Kramaric poised for Leicester move Premier League strugglers Leicester City have signed sought-after Croatia striker Andrej Kramaric from Rijeka on a three and a half year deal, the Croatian club said on Wednesday. “Now officially we can say that (Rijeka) has completed the transfer of Andrej Kramaric to Leicester City,” the HNK Rijeka website quoted sporting director Ivan Mance as saying of the 23-year-old. The Leicester Mercury newspaper reported that Kramaric passed a medical on Tuesday but the deal, reportedly a club record of nearly 10 million pounds ($15.1 million) with add-ons and bonuses, was subject to a work permit.

There was no official word from Leicester, who are three points adrift at the bottom of the Premier League and in urgent need of goals. Kramaric, who had also been linked to Chelsea, has form in that department and scored a Croatian record eight goals for Rijeka in a single domestic cup match in 2013.

–Reuters

Halep, Kvitova swing into Shenzhen semis Top seed and world number three Simona Halep, along with second seed Petra Kvitova, ranked four, both breezed past lowly opponents in straight sets Thursday to reach the semi-finals of the WTA Shenzhen Open. Romanian Halep, last year’s French Open runner-up, made short work of Serbian qualifier Aleksandra Krunic, winning through 6-3, 6-3 in 62 minutes. Double Wimbledon winner Kvitova needed slightly longer to dispose of her fellow Czech Tereza Smitkova but did so 7-5, 6-4. She will play Swiss number eight seed Timea Bacsinszky in the semi-finals, after former world number two Vera Zvonareva’s injury devils returned to haunt her and she retired in tears just 29 minutes into her first WTA quarter-final since 2012. The Russian reached the Wimbledon and US Open finals in 2010 but has since been plagued by injury and illness, dropping to 250 in the world, and was attempting to launch a 2015 comeback at the $500,000 tournament.

–AFP

Zimbabwe make major changes to WC squad

Australian football captain Mile Jedinak (C) yesterday leads the team’s final training session ahead of the Asian Cup in Melbourne. Australia and Kuwait play the opening match of the AFC Asian Cup today AFP

Steven Gerrard’s Los Angeles Galaxy and Frank Lampard’s New York City FC are set for an August 23 showdown in California under the Major League Soccer schedule announced Wednesday.

The two English stars, both planning on departing Premier League sides to join the North American league later this year, would meet only once under the match programme, which kicks off March 6 and concludes on October 25.

MLS will open its 20th campaign with 20 teams on March 6 when the defending champion Galaxy, seeking a fourth title in five seasons, play host to the Chicago Fire.

The next day will see six other matchups while March 8 marks the debut of two new MLS teams when Orlando will host New York City, the club backed by Manchester City and baseball’s New York Yankees.

Man City irked some supporters of the New York club by securing 36-year-old midfielder Lampard until the end of the Premier League campaign rather than sending him over for the March start of the MLS season as had been expected.

Lampard has been on loan from the fledgling club to its co-creator and produced six goals in 17 appearances for City, with the clubs now saying Lampard’s arrival date in America will be revealed “as the Premier League and MLS seasons unfold.”l

Aussies launch bid to dethrone Japan n AFP, Melbourne Australia will launch their attempt to reach new heights in football by toppling champions Japan and winning their first Asian Cup when they kick off the tournament on Friday.

A sell-out crowd is expected at the 30,000-capacity Melbourne Rectangular Stadium as Ange Postecoglou’s men take on Kuwait on day one of the 16-na-

tion extravaganza.

An eventual victory for Australia would put the country on top at both club and international level after Western Sydney Wanderers won the AFC Champions League in November.

And it would provide a further boost for football among the Australian public, which traditionally prefers the rugby codes, Australian rules and cricket.

Four-time winners Japan are one of their main rivals, despite a match-fixing case swirling around their coach, and Carlos Queiroz’s Iran also look like top contenders.

South Korea are looking to end a

Tiger eyes return to Phoenix after 14 years n AFP, Phoenix Tiger Woods is looking to play later this month at the PGA Phoenix Open, an event the former world number one has skipped since 2001, Golf magazine’s website reported Wednesday.

Woods has not played in the tournament, known for rowdy fans and loud cheers, since a spectator tossed an orange onto a green while he was putting. Woods was heckled by a spectator in 1999 who was later found to have a gun at the time.

Citing unnamed sources, the report said Woods has reserved a courtesy car for the event and booked rooms at a hotel in the area.

Tournament officials say Woods is not on the confirmed players list and the 14-time major winner, chasing the all-time record of 18 majors won by

Jack Nicklaus, has not announced any of his planned schedule for the year.

Last month, Woods made his return from a four-month layoff due to a back injury at the Hero World Challenge in Florida and said he was planning some different events than his usual schedule for this year, but would not be specific about his intentions.

The event in Scottsdale finishes on February 1, just ahead of the National Football League’s Super Bowl championship spectacle in another nearby Phoenix suburb, Glendale.

Woods would have until January 23, the Friday before the start of the event, to commit to the tournament, known for its boisterous crowds and an epic scene at the par-3 16th hole with fans cheering and yelling rather than the usual quiet decorum found at golf events. l

Zimbabwe have recalled several players to their squad for next month’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand marking major changes from the list for the Bangladesh series in November.

55-year title drought, but the draw has been unkind to 2011 semi-finalists Uzbekistan who are likely to face the Koreans or Australia if they reach the quarter-finals.

Among the minnows, Palestine have overcome major hurdles to qualify for the first time, and North Korea are trying to escape the group stage for the first occasion since 1980.

Australia joined the Asian Football Confederation in 2006 but have yet to lift the region’s most coveted trophy, after being edged out by Japan in a gripping final in 2011.

During Postecoglou’s rebuilding, the

side have slumped to 100th in the FIFA rankings, Asia’s 10th-ranked team, despite some eye-catching play at the World Cup last year.

But the coach said his players were itching to get started on what could be a defining campaign for football in Australia.

“To be honest, the boys can’t wait for Friday night,” Postecoglou said.

“We’ve been on the road for 12 months and to walk out to a sellout crowd on Friday night, it’s going to make the boys feel a couple of feet taller. I can’t wait to get the match started.” l

GROUPINGS Group A Australia South Korea Kuwait Oman Group B Uzbekistan Saudi Arabia China North Korea Group C Iran UAE Qatar Bahrain Group D Japan Jordan Iraq Palestine

Djokovic eases into Qatar quarter-finals n AFP, Doha World number one Novak Djokovic took a significant step towards winning a tournament in the opening week of the season for the first time in eight years when he brushed aside the challenge of Sergiy Stakhovsky.

The Serbian’s 6-2, 6-1 win over the Ukrainian carried him to the quarter-finals of the Qatar Open and enabled him to avoid a potential banana skin, especially in the aftermath of the illness which almost prevented him competing, Stakhovsky, who likes to attack the net much more than is fashionable these days, is unusually dangerous when the adrenaline is flowing, and is best known for his upset of Roger Federer at Wimbledon 18 months ago.

On Wednesday though there were only brief moments when something like that seemed possible -- in the sev-

enth game when Stakhovsky earned three break back points and might have pulled the first set back to parity.

But Djokovic played all three of them with excellent focus and nicely controlled aggression.

“I have never played here before but I shall definitely be coming back next year,” said the man who is playing in the first week of the ATP World Tour for only the third time. “And I’m feeling better.”

That medical news is probably the most important piece of progress for the man who has won the Australian Open four times and very much wants to win the title back this month after his shock loss to Stan Wawrinka in last year’s quarter-finals.

Djokovic next faces Ivo Karlovic for a place in the semi-finals.

“The key is to try to get as many returns back in play,” Djokovic said of facing the big-serving Croat. l

Novak Djokovic returns the ball to Sergiy Stakhovsky during the Qatar Open in Doha on Wednesday REUTERS

Elliott recalled to New Zealand WC squad

South Africa gamble on De Kock, Duminy fitness n Reuters, Cape Town n AFP, Wellington

Squad: Elton Chigumbura (captain), Sikandar Raza Butt, Regis Chakabva, Tendai Chatara, Chamunorwa Chibhabha, Craig Ervine, Tafadzwa Kamungozi, Hamilton Masakadza, Stuart Matsikenyeri, Solomon Mire, Tawanda Mupariwa, Tinashe Panyangara, Brendan Taylor, Prosper Utseya, Sean Williams –Reuters

South Africa are to gamble on the fitness of Quinton de Kock and JP Duminy, who were named on Wednesday in a 15-man squad for the Cricket World Cup in Australia and New Zealand next month.

De Kock, the exciting 22-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman, is only expected to recover from an ankle ligament injury in one month.

He was injured in last month’s first Test against West Indies and was initially ruled out of action for three months but has been undergoing intensive treatment.

“He’s been coming along nicely and we hope he’ll be able to bat in the opening game against Zimbabwe,” said coach Russell Domingo.

DAY’S WATCH Star Sports 4 2:10PM T20 Big Bash League Sydney Thunder v Hobart Hurricanes 1:45AM Spanish La Liga Levante v Deportivo La Coruna

Star Sports

Squad

5:30PM Chennai Open 2015

Star Sports 1 5:30PM (Saturday) Australia v India 4th Test, Day 5

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Friday, January 9, 2015

Ana Ivanovic of Serbia prays on her knees during her Brisbane International tennis match against Kaia Kanepi of Estonia in Brisbane yesterday REUTERS

AB de Villiers (captain), Hashim Amla (vice captain), Kyle Abbott, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock, JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Imran Tahir, David Miller, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Aaron Phangiso, Vernon Philander, Rilee Rossouw, Dale Steyn l

All-rounder Grant Elliott has been recalled to the New Zealand one-day side after 14 months in the wilderness to be the surprise in their World Cup squad named Thursday.

NEW ZEALAND SQUAD Brendon McCullum (captain), Corey Anderson, Trent Boult, Grant Elliott, Martin Guptill, Tom Latham, Mitchell McClenaghan, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Adam Milne, Luke Ronchi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Daniel Vettori, Kane Williamson His inclusion comes at the expense of Jimmy Neesham who performed creditably in the Test series against Sri Lanka won by New Zealand 2-0 on Wednesday.

Rising speedster Adam Milne won the fifth paceman’s slot over Matt Henry in an otherwise predictable line-up which features veteran spinner Daniel Vettori, selected for his fifth World Cup, and seven members of the successful Test squad.

The 35-year-old Elliott, who has a batting average of 29.79 and has taken 30 wickets at 27.25 in 51 ODIs, last played for New Zealand against Sri Lanka in November 2013.

His recall appears to be recognition of an impressive season of domestic cricket, especially with the bat.

“Grant’s inclusion assures us strong cover in the middle order. He brings a lot of experience and his record in New Zealand and Australia conditions is excellent,” coach Mike Hesson said.

The bowling unit is spearheaded

by Test new ball pair Tim Southee and Trent Boult, backed by Kyle Mills, Mitchell McClenaghan and Adam Milne.

Milne was preferred over Henry because of his ability to intimidate with deliveries consistently above 150 kilometres per hour (93miles per hour) although he does not have impressive wicket-taking figures.

Captain Brendon McCullum is expected to open the batting with Martin Guptill while Test opener Tom Latham will move to the middle-order and also provide back-up for wicketkeeper Luke Ronchi. l

14

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

Friday, January 9, 2015

India fight back with Rahul, Kohli centuries n Reuters, Sydney Lokesh Rahul hit his maiden century, Virat Kohli his fourth of the series but Australia’s Shane Watson hit back with two wickets in as many balls to leave India on 342 for five after the third day of the fourth Test on Thursday.

Kohli, who became the first player to score centuries in his first three innings as Test captain, was still at the crease on 140 when stumps were drawn after a hot, sunny day packed with incident at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

India, already 2-0 down in the four-

AUSvIND, DAY 3 Australia 1st innings 572 for 7 (S. Smith 117, D. Warner 101; M. Shami 5-112) India 1st innings (Overnight 71 for 1) M. Vijay c Haddin b Starc L. Rahul c and b Starc R. Sharma b Lyon V. Kohli not out A. Rahane lbw b Watson S. Raina c Haddin b Watson W. Saha not out Extras (b1, lb6, w1, nb4)

R

B

0 110 53 140 13 0 14 12

3 262 133 214 31 1 50

Total (5 wickets, 115 overs)

342

Fall of wickets 1-0 (Vijay), 2-97 (Sharma), 3-238 (Rahul), 4-292 (Rahane), 5-292 (Raina) Bowling Starc 21-4-77-2, Harris 23-6-63-0 (2nb), Hazlewood 20-5-45-0 (1w), Lyon 32-791-1 (1nb), Watson 15-4-42-2 (1nb), Smith 4-0-17-0

match series, had resumed on 71-1 in reply to Australia’s 572-7 declared and restored a great deal of pride as well as reducing the deficit to 230 runs.

Rahul had more to prove than most after his torrid introduction to Test cricket in Melbourne last week, where he scored four runs in two innings.

The 22-year-old rode his luck and was forced to dive bat-less into the Sydney dirt to prevent being run out soon after Rohit Sharma (53) had become the only batsman to fall in the opening session.

He was perhaps even more fortunate to escape with his wicket just before lunch when, on 46, he ballooned the ball into the air but Steve Smith failed to hold the catch.

The Australian captain, who later also dropped Kohli on 59 at second slip, made it clear he believed the wire that holds the overhead TV camera - Spidercam - in place had prevented him from dismissing Rahul. Rahul and Kohli batted cautiously through the second session in a partnership of 141, the opener reaching the century mark with his 11th four just before tea having faced 253 balls.

“I’d say I’m more relieved than proud of myself. It was a nightmare debut and it didn’t make my life easier coming here,” Rahul told reporters.

“I think we still have a chance (of a win) if we can bat really well tomorrow.”

He was gone soon after the break for 110 when he skied another pull shot to be caught and bowled by paceman Mitchell Starc but his captain soon joined him as a Sydney centurion with a drive down the ground for two runs.l

India captain Virat Kohli celebrates reaching his century during the third day of their fourth Test against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground yesterday

Atletico beat Real on Torres’s return n AFP, Madrid

Fernando Torres tasted victory against Real Madrid as an Atletico Madrid player for the first time as the La Liga champions downed their city rivals 2-0 in the first leg of their Copa del Rey last 16 tie on Wednesday.

Despite a disappointing performance from Torres on his first appearance since rejoining Atletico on loan from AC Milan, the hosts beat Real for the third time in four attempts this season thanks to Raul Garcia’s penalty and a thumping header from Jose Gimenez after half-time.

Last season’s Cup winners will now have it all to do when the two sides meet again for the return leg at the Santiago Bernabeu on January 15.

Both coaches signalled that their priorities lay elsewhere prior to kick off as Cristiano Ronaldo was left on the bench by Ancelotti, whilst Simeone made seven changes to the side that

beat Levante 3-1 at the weekend.

However, the hosts were indebted to one of those coming into the side after just two minutes when Jan Oblak brilliantly parried a towering header from Sergio Ramos, reminiscent of his equal-

KING’S CUP RESULTS

Villarreal

1-0

Real Sociedad

2-0

Real Madrid

Cheryshev 71

Atletico Madrid Raul Garcia 58-P, Gimenez 77

iser in the Champions League final between the two sides in May which swung the match in Real’s favour.

The visitors then had a goal rightly ruled out from another setpiece as Gareth Bale was flagged offside when he headed James Rodriguez’s free-kick into the far corner.

Straight from the free-kick, Atletico then had their first effort on goal

as Oblak released Antoine Griezmann with a long ball and his low effort was turned behind by Keylor Navas.

Real passed up a couple of half chances to go in ahead at the break as Benzema fired straight at Oblak before Sami Khedira headed over when unmarked inside the area.

However, it was Atletico who finally made the breakthrough when Garcia was adjudged to have been pulled down by Ramos and the midfielder composed himself to fire low into Navas’s left-hand corner.

Torres’s evening ended early as he was replaced by Koke, while Ancelotti quickly summoned Ronaldo from the bench in the bid for an away goal, with Rodriguez making way. Yet, the World Player of the Year made little impact on Atletico’s well-marshalled defence and centre-back Gimenez then proved to be a star at the other end as he rose highest to power home Koke’s corner 13 minutes from time. l

Bony closes in on Man City switch n AFP, London

Gerrard completes move to LA Galaxy

Wilfried Bony edged closer to a reported £30 million (38.3 million euros) transfer from Swansea City to Premier League champions Manchester City on Wednesday with his representatives expecting completion “in the next few days”.

The 26-year-old Ivory Coast striker moved to Wales from Dutch outfit Vitesse Arnhem in 2013 and just seven weeks ago extended his deal with Swansea until 2018. But his agent, Francis Kacou, said Wednesday: “Things will be sorted in the next few days.”

“Every player wants to play Champions League, World Cups. It is the wish of every player. When you get the opportunity... sometimes good ones, sometimes not, but I am just taking it step by step. I am focusing on my national team and wait to see the news like you,” Bony told. l

n Reuters

the Atlantic in the latter stages of their careers, most notably David Beckham.

Former Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool striker Robbie Keane will be a team mate of Gerrard at the Galaxy while former Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard has signed for New York City FC, although he is still in England on loan at Manchester City.

“I am committed to helping the LA Galaxy compete for trophies and to having an impact in Los Angeles and I will give my all for the club. In the meantime, I will continue to give everything for Liverpool for the remainder of this season before joining up with the Galaxy,” said Gerrard.

Gerrard has spent his entire career at Liverpool, making nearly 700 appearances and winning the Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup.l

Ancelotti concerned by passive Real n AFP, Madrid

Uruguayan defender Jose Gimenez (2R) celebrates after scoring during their Spanish Copa del Rey (King’s Cup) round of 16 first leg match against Real Madrid at the Vicente Calderon stadium in Madrid on Wednesday AFP

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard will join LA Galaxy in July on an 18-month deal, the Major League Soccer club announced on Wednesday.

“I’m very excited to begin the next chapter of my career in the United States with LA Galaxy,” Gerrard told the MLS club’s official website.

“The Galaxy are the most successful club in Major League Soccer history and I am looking forward to competing for more championships in future” he added.

Gerrard told the Liverpool Echo on Tuesday he would have agreed to continue his long Liverpool career had the club offered him a new contract.

Instead the 34-year-old will now join a growing list of high-profile former Premier League players to cross

REUTERS

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti believed his side lacked penetration as they left themselves with a mountain to climb if they are to progress to the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey after a 2-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid.

Ancelotti’s men have now suffered back-to-back defeats after a run of 22 consecutive wins to end 2014 and three of their five losses this season have come at the hands of the Spanish champions. Both sides meet again for the second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu on January 15.

“I think to call it a crisis is a bit exaggerated,” said the Italian.

“We controlled the game well until the penalty and then we didn’t play well in the final part of the game.

“We needed a bit more efficiency in the final pass in the first-half. We played a lot of square balls, but Atletico also defended well. They always defend together and compact so it is difficult to find a solution.”

Ancelotti had left Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench, but otherwise named a strong side including Gareth Bale, James Rodriguez and Karim Benzema.

The World Player of the Year was summoned after Raul Garcia had put Atletico in front from the penalty spot just before the hour mark, but made little impact as the hosts went onto double their lead through Jose Gimenez’s powerful header 13 minutes from time.

“Ronaldo was a bit tired, so it was a risk to play him for the full 90 minutes,” Ancelotti explained.

“We have a chance. It is clear that Atletico have the advantage, but at home anything can happen. The odds aren’t in our favour but we will try our best.”

Fernando Torres’s return to Atletico ensured there was a buoyant atmosphere at the Vicente Calderon throughout.

And he was delighted to register his first win over Real as an Atletico player despite a far from perfect performance on his part which saw him replaced after an hour.

“For the result, the atmosphere we experienced, the fans, for everything.”

“The result gives us a great chance, but 2-0 is never definitive at the Bernabeu. There 90 minutes can seem like a very long time.”

Atletico boss Diego Simeone insisted Torres will improve with more time to adjust to his new teammates and the Argentine reserved special praise for the fringe members of his squad after making seven changes from the side that beat Levante at the weekend.

“Fernando transmits excitement and energy to the fans. He is fast, strong, but he needs time to bed into our style of play.

“To compete with other teams you have to compete inside the squad.

Thanks to the work of the coaches those who don’t always play are always alert and ready.

“To compete in the competitions you have to use the whole group. It doesn’t matter if it is a friendly, the Champions League, Copa del Rey or La Liga we will try to compete.” l

Marseille aim to bounce Luis Enrique slams reports of bust-up with Messi back from Cup humiliation n Reuters, Barcelona

n

AFP, Paris

Marseille will look to put the disappointment of their shock French Cup exit behind them and extend their lead at the top of the Ligue 1 table when they go to Montpellier on Friday.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side endured a disastrous start to 2015, losing on penalties to fourth-tier Grenoble in the last64 of the French Cup after throwing away the lead three times.

It was bitterly disappointing for Bielsa, who took Athletic Bilbao to the Copa del Rey final in 2012 in his first season in Spain, and the Argentine accepted the blame for the exit.

OM took the symbolic title of autumn champions after ending 2014 two points clear of Lyon and three ahead of reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain.

An outstanding run of home form, featuring nine consecutive wins since a 2-0 loss to Montpellier in August, has been behind their rise, while their away form has been rather more patchy.

Marseille have now gone six away games without a win in all competitions before facing Montpellier at the Stade de la Mosson, which has not hosted a match since the end of September, when it was put out of action by serious floods.l

Barcelona coach Luis Enrique has described reports of a bust-up with Lionel Messi as “inaccurate and ill-intentioned” and said he has the backing of all the players in his squad.

Talk has been rife of disagreements and heated exchanges between the pair while rumours of a move to Chelsea have grown with Catalan radio saying the London club has contacted the players’ father and agent Jorge.

RAC1 radio claimed Premier League leaders Chelsea would be prepared to pay Messi’s 250 million ($295.80 million) buy-out clause.

“I have the same relationship with all the players since the start of the season. Obviously we know each other

better now but there is no change in the relationship,” Luis Enrique told a news conference ahead of Thursday’s King’s Cup last 16 clash with Elche.

“I feel I have the support of the club and the players. I have no doubt about that. I continue my work with the same professionalism as before and I am not here to deny stories.

“I am not going to comment about all the different media reports about what has supposed to have taken place.

There are so many varied reports which are inaccurate and ill intentioned,” added the coach.

On Monday, Messi then failed to attend a training session open to the public and a hospital visit to see sick children due to illness.

The fact that on the same day he

started following Chelsea on Instagram was interpreted as another indication of his state of mind.

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu gave Luis Enrique his backing, saying the coach had “a project in place” and that Messi was the team’s “leader”.

“He is rebuilding a team and working with the players. He is the right man,” Bartomeu told a news conference where he also announced presidential elections for the end of this season due to a boardroom crisis.

“Messi is the best player in the world without any doubts. Before the season started I said that we would build a new team and that the leader would be Messi. He is our leader, he has a contract and we are happy with him.” l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Entertainment

Oxford-based Theatre Folk brings play in Dhaka

n Entertainment Desk Theatre Folk, an Oxford-based theatre troupe, has arrived in the country to stage a play titled “Jamuna” centred on the Liberation War heroines at two venues in Dhaka.

The troupe, formed by the expatriate Bangladeshi students in the UK along with some foreign artistes, will stage the play at the Natmandal in Dhaka University premises today and tomorrow at 6:30pm, and at the Experimental Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy on January 11 and 12.

Desh Natok and BotTala, the two local troupe, have jointly invited Theatre Folk to stage the play in Bangladesh. The English play “Jamuna” is written by Selina Shelly and directed

by MA Haider. The play is inspired by

the true story of war heroine and also noted sculptor Ferdousi Priyobhasini.

The protagonist of the play joins the Liberation War of 1971 at an early age and is captured by the Pakistani army.

She is tortured and violated by the army men in the concentration camp. The play does not have any tragic end rather depicts the courage of the women to live again as a sculptor in the society.

Though actors from five different countries have acted in the play, only Bangladeshi expatriate actors will be featured in the Bangladesh staging.

Selina Shelly, Manoj Hussain Shamim, Nupur, Adita, Soma, and others, are the actors of the play.

“Jamuna,” which is the second production of the troupe after “Tale of Two Friends,” was premiered on April 20, 2012 at the Pegasus Theatre in Oxford. l

Alluvial Rhythm of Kalidas Karmakar on display Some breathtaking artworks by internationally acclaimed artist Kalidas Karmakar are on display at the La Galerie of Alliance Française in the capital.

The exhibition titled “Alluvial Rhythm” has been organised to celebrate the artist’s 70th birth anniversary on January 10.

Another solo exhibition titled “Alluvial Return”, which is the artist’s 70th solo, is also going on at the National Art Gallery of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.

Alluvial Rhythm displays 34 artworks, including prints, paintings and installations, of the versatile artist who has used an array of mediums like digital lithography , wood-block mixed media, etching, multimedia etching and aquatint.

By depicting human faces, gods and goddesses, human limbs, horse riders, geometrical structures and blurry human figures, Kalidas captures the viewers and at the same time creates an aura of mystery.

In one of the artworks, which is an Intaglio Etching done in 1977, Kalidas has depicted a dark square having human faces, and Hindu goddess Kali inside. However, the upper surface (or the roof) of the box has been depicted in orange colour and a chimney, vomiting dense, black smoke out in the air, is located on it.

A hand, which is wide open and trying to catch flying butterfly but cannot because of it being entangled with lashes, has been portrayed in colour in another work.

These pieces were also previously exhibited in different countries like

KHAN HASAN MD RAFI

Palakar stages its acclaimed production ‘Banglar Mati Banglar Jol’ at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy on Wednesday. Based on Rabindranath Tagore’s ‘Chhinnapatra,’ the play has been written by Syed Shamsul Haq and directed by Ataur Rahman

n Entertainment Desk Ben Affleck received the Favorite Humanitarian Award at the 41st Annual People’s Choice Awards at L.A.’s Nokia Theatre on Wednesday, January 7.

“The Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” actor was recognised for his work with the Eastern Congo Initiative, which he founded in 2010. The organisation focuses on working with and for those in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Thanks to Affleck’s help, the grant-making initiative has already provided 80 grants to Congolese groups.

“I’ve been called a lot of things in my life, but I’m not sure humanitarian until recently has ever been one of them,” Affleck, 42, said in his acceptance speech Wednesday night. “I’ve been privileged to work alongside so many people in Congo and those all around the world that I assure you are far more deserving. l

Hotath Biroti Maasranga TV, 7:40pm

n Nadira Sultana Ava Moumita (played by Nisa) helps Pavel (played by Apurbo) to hospitalise after an accident. Pavel seeks to find Moumita to send gratitude.

Once Upon a Time in Mexico HBO, 7:28pm

Hitman “El Mariachi” becomes involved in international espionage involving a psychotic CIA agent.

Identity Thief Star Movies Action, 8:30pm

Sandy Patterson travels from Denver to Florida to confront the deceptively harmless looking woman.

Poland, Japan, France, Korea and America.

Artist Kalidas Karmakar, born on January 10, 1946, is best known as an exceptional print-maker, painter, sculptor and installation artist. His continuous experiment with new mediums, themes and styles has brought him international recognition.

He has had exhibitions at numerous

“Haq-er Ghor,” a documentary depicting the life and struggle of Lalon followers, has been launched in the form of a DVD at the Liberation War Museum on Wednesday. Fakhrul Arefin, the director of the film who previously grabbed a National Film Award for his another documentary “Al-Badar,” depicted this time the lives of Lalon followers in “Haq-er Ghor.”

Hasanul Haq Inu, the information minister, unwrapped the cover of the DVD as the chief guest while Ranjit Kumar Biswas, secretary of the Cultural Affairs Ministry, filmmaker Morshedul Islam and Hasan Arif, secretary general of Bangladesh Sammilita Sangskritik Jot were also present on the occasion. The DVD is brought to the market by Laser Vision. l

A retired CIA operative is paired with a young FBI agent to unravel the mystery of a senator’s murder.

n Entertainment Desk January 8 marks what would have been Elvis Presley’s 80th birthday, and, to commemorate the King, Legacy Recordings have planned a yearlong celebration of Presley’s music for modern-day Elvis fans. First up, the singer’s The Complete ‘60s Albums Collection Vol. 1 has been released onto iTunes.

The set highlights all the LPs Presley recorded between 1960 and 1965 with newly mastered sound for the digital medium.

On Presley’s birthday, a new website called ElvisTheMusic.com will go live, featuring a comprehensive online database of all things Elvis.

Legacy Recordings will team with Spotify to reveal its own official music collection, the “#Elvis80: The Fan Favorites Playlist.” The label also promis-

AISHWARYA bowled over by fatherin- law’s Shamitabh trailer Aishwarya Rai is bowled over by the trailer of R Balki’s upcoming film “Shamitabh,” starring her father-in-law Amitabh Bachchan.

She says she’s looking forward to see the megastar in a different look on the big screen.

The makers of “Shamitabh” launched the film’s trailer at an event in Mumbai Wednesday. The film also stars southern superstar Dhanush in a key role.

When Aishwarya Rai was present at the launch of a beauty product here the same day, she was asked about her feedback on the trailer. “It’s incredible,” Aishwarya exclaimed, and added: “The idea is fascinating and I know more than that is revealed in the trailer. I’m very very excited to see this film. I think when Balki (R Balki) and Pa (Amitabh Bachchan) come together, it’s great to see them.”

R Balki and Big B had earlier collaborated for films like “Cheeni Kum” and “Paa”.

“As a creative person and as an artist, let alone a family member, I’m truly looking forward to this idea (the film) on celluloid,” she added “Shamitabh,” which also marks the debut of Kamal Haasan’s daughter Akshara Haasan, is set to release February 6. It features Amitabh in a new avatar. l

The Double HBO Defined, 8:55pm

venues in 50 countries and is the recipient of many national and international honours and fellowships. He has also studied at prestigious institutes in France, Poland, Japan and America.

Both of the exhibitions will remain open to all until January 16, 2015 in National Art Gallery of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy and in La Galerie, Alliance Française de Dhaka. l

Elvis Presley’s 80th birthday marked with reissues, new website

DVD of Haq-er Ghor launched n Entertainment Desk

Ben Affleck receives humanitarian award at People’s Choice Awards

15

Friday, January 9, 2015

es a new project coming this summer that “features Elvis like he has never been heard before.” More releases will follow throughout 2015. l

Exhibition

Nakshi Kantha: Zainul Abedin Time: 12pm – 8pm Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts Date Down Memory Lane

By Biren Shome Shilpangan Gallery Solo Art Exhibition

By Proshanta Karmakar Buddha Cafe Mango Gallery House 3/A,Rd 72, Gulshan 2

Film

Meghmallar Interstellar Gone Girl Ek Cup Cha Blockbuster Cinemas Jamuna Future Park The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 Penguins of Madagascar (3D) Desha: The Leader Star Cineplex, Bashundhara

SIENNA MILLER to follow in Emma Stone’s footsteps in cabaret n Entertainment Desk American-born British actress Sienna Miller is set to follow in Emma Stone’s footsteps and star as Sally Bowles in the final six weeks of Broadway’s Cabaret.

Sienna will play the fishnet-wearing and bowler-hat-loving chanteuse from February 17 opposite Alan Cumming, as he plays the lewd Emcee. This isn’t her first time treading the boards, after starring in

Patrick Marber’s “After Miss Julie” in 2009, and later in the 2011 West End revival of Terence Rattigan’s “Flare Path.”

Sienna will also be seen in forthcoming Clint Eastwood-directed movie “American Sniper,” which she stars alongside Bradley Cooper in as his wife. The casting announcement comes just days after it was revealed that Emma will be playing the role for an extra two weeks in the production, which is due to end on March 29. l

16

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Back Page

The baby-did-it defence n Mohammad Jamil Khan Arrests made yesterday unveiled a brand new manner of theft being used by gangs operating in the capital’s hospitals, with parents giving their infants a head-start in a life of crime.

Imagine a 20-something woman, carrying a one and a half year old child, shiftlessly wandering the hospital premises. She waits for a crowd of patients and their families to congregate, and then silently mills about the gathering crowd, hoping to make off with whatever valuables they carelessly drop or leave behind.

Crucially, her felonious technique hinges upon the child nestled at her breast. After pinching something of

value, she hands it over to the child so that if anyone asks, she can claim the child mistakenly took it.

Police officials, recently made aware of this novel style of thievery, arrested 12 members of an organised crime gang with the help of Ansar officials at Birdem Hospital yesterday.

The arrestees were identified as Sufia Khatun, 40, Rozina Akther, 25, Shahana Begum, 22, Jahanara, 30, Morium, 25, along with her 10-month old boy Shahin, Mafia Khatun, 30, Reshma Begum, 27, Tanzina, 25, Togura Begum, 23, Sultana, 20, Nargis, 27, along with her 14-month old girl Shirin, and Munni, 22.

All hail from Dhormontor village in Nasirnagar of Brahmanbaria.

Sayed Ibne Siddique, sub-inspector

Members of an organised gang operating at hospitals in the capital that uses babies to conceal their theft are arrested by police from Birdem Hospital DHAKA TRIBUNE

4 killed in Barisal road accidents n Our Correspondent, Barisal Four people, including a local Swechchhasebok League leader, were killed and ten others injured in separate road accidents of the district yesterday.

In Wazirpur upazila, three persons were killed and five injured when a bus collided head-on with a three-wheeler auto-rickshaw on the Barisal-Banaripara road in Narayanpur area around 11:20am.

Two were identified as Awlad Hossain, who worked at Barisal customs and excise and Hannan Haoladar, from Nazirpur upazila of Pirojpur.

The three-wheeler driver, Hanif, was admitted to Barisal Sher-e-Bangla Medical Collage Hospital (SBMCH) in a critical state.

However, driver of the bus managed to flee the scene. The bodies were sent to the SBMCH morgue for autopsy.

In Bandar area of the city, a bus run over a local leader of Swechhasebok League, associate body of AL, as well as five others and fell into a roadside ditch after losing control over its steering on the Laharhut-Charkawa road at Dinererpool around 12:10pm, leaving him dead instantly, said Bandar police station OC Rezaul Karim.

The accident killed Monowar Hossen Panna, 40, general secretary of Tungibaria union unit Swechhasebok League, whose bode was sent to the SBMCH morgue for autopsy. l

(SI) of Ramna police station, told the Dhaka Tribune that Ansar officials at Birdem Hospital handed the women over to them around 9am, after their movements at the hospital raised suspicions.

“In interrogation, they confessed that they had adopted this technique to steal from hospitals in the capital,” said SI Siddique.

Rozina, an arrestee, described their method. After surveying a hospital ward, they would select their target and start gossiping with them.

While talking with the patients’ relatives, they would pick something up and keep it in their possession before quietly slipping away, she said.

The infants were used to get sympathy, to provide an alibi if caught and to provide a quick escape.

The rest of the gang, pretending to be strangers, waited nearby at the ready, and stepped in to distract and cajole the targets if they grew suspicious, she said.

Their job was to try to convince the targets and extricate their fellows if at risk of being caught.

SI Siddique said Ansar officials had received several complaints and were on alert.

“We could not retrieve any of the stolen goods from their possession. A case was filed against them under section 77 of the DMP ordinance,” SI Siddique said.

According to section 77 of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) ordinance, whoever wilfully puts, presses, hustles or obstructs any passenger in any street or public place, or by violent movement, menacing gesture, screaming, shouting, wilfully frightening an animal or otherwise disturbs the public peace and order shall be punishable with fines.

Assistant Sub-Inspector Atowar of Ramna police station filed the case and produced the arrestees at the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate court, where magistrate Mostafizur Rahman awarded them bail after fining each of them Tk500. l

Friday, January 9, 2015

BEFORE PM CAME

AFTER PM LEFT

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina went to The Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB) to attend a programme of the Bangladesh Arthaniti Samity yesterday. Before she came, the organisers covered the plaques which had former premier Khaleda Zia’s name. At that time, only those plaques carrying Sheikh Hasina’s name were visible. However, after she left, the plaques having Khaleda Zia’s name were uncovered again. The current and the former prime ministers inaugurated the construction and renovation works of the IEB in several phases at different times of their tenures MOHAMMAD ZAHIDUL ISLAM

Rubel sent to jail as court denies bail Most fossil fuels n ‘unburnable’ Md Sanaul Islam Tipu

A Dhaka court yesterday sent cricketer Rubel Hossain to jail after rejecting his bail petition in a case filed on charges of raping film actress Naznin Akter Happy.

Metropolitan Magistrate Muhammad Anwar Sadat passed the order when the national team player surrendered before the court and sought bail in the case filed under the Prevention of Oppression Against Women and Children Act. The court also asked the investigating authorities to submit the probe report on January 11.

Rubel’s counsel Barrister Moniruzzaman Asad said during the hearing his client is one of the key players of the national team and is incidentally the accused in the case.

He said the High Court granted Rubel anticipatory bail and might allow continuation of the bail.

“The plaintiff claimed that she and Rubel got intimate on December 1 last year but Rubel was actually playing a match against Zimbabwe in Dhaka at the time. The case statement is hence false and fabricated, and the plaintiff tried to blackmail him. He is the victim of circumstances which is why his bail may be continued,” said Asad.

But Happy’s counsel Tuhin Hawlader argued that the case is under trial and the accused is a famous cricketer who could threaten the victim. “The

accused might also hinder the investigation. So his bail should be rejected and he should be sent to prison.”

Happy was present in the courtroom during the hearing.

On Tuesday, the High Court rejected a writ petition filed by Happy seeking directives to remove Rubel from Bangladesh’s World Cup squad.

Rubel was earlier granted a four-week anticipatory bail by the High Court in the case On December 31 last year, another metropolitan magistrate court in Dhaka granted a petition filed by Sub-Inspector Masud Pervez, the investigating officer of the case, seeking an order to carry out a DNA test to verify the authenticity of the rape allegation against Rubel.

On December 15, Rubel was granted a four-week anticipatory bail by the High Court in the case filed with Mirpur Model police station on December 13.

Doctors at Dhaka Medical College conducted a forensic test on Happy a day after she filed the case.

But the report submitted to Mirpur police on December 24 found no evidence of rape.

Police have collected some samples from Rubel’s Mirpur residence and sent those to the laboratory of the Criminal Investigation Department.

Allegation against Rubel

In the case, Happy accused Rubel of developing an affair with her by making a false promise of marriage.

She mentioned in the case statement that they had been physically intimate for the past nine months and were together as recently as December 1.

But the actress said the following day that she would withdraw the case if Rubel married her.

According to Section 9(1) of the Prevention of Oppression Against Women and Children Act 2000, whoever has sexual intercourse without lawful marriage with a woman with her consent obtained by fraud shall be said to commit rape.

The section also says whoever commits rape with a woman or a child will be punished with rigorous imprisonment for life and with fine.

Happy, who starred in Kichhu Asha Kichhu Bhalobasa, said she and Rubel first met through friends and stayed in touch on Facebook and via phone.

Rubel, 24, made his debut in international cricket in 2009 and has so far played 22 Tests, 53 ODIs and 11 Twenty20 internationals. l

n BBC Most of the world’s fossil fuel reserves will need to stay in the ground if dangerous global warming is to be avoided, modelling work suggests.

Over 80% of coal, 50% of gas and 30% of oil reserves are “unburnable” under the goal to limit global warming to no more than 2C, say scientists.

University College London research, published in Nature journal, rules out drilling in the Arctic.

And it points to heavy restrictions on coal to limit temperature rises.

“We’ve now got tangible figures of the quantities and locations of fossil fuels that should remain unused in trying to keep within the 2C temperature limit,” said lead researcher Dr Christophe McGlade, of the UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources.

“Policy makers must realise that their instincts to completely use the fossil fuels within their countries are wholly incompatible with their commitments to the 2C goal.”

Past research has found that burning all of the world’s fossil fuel resources would release three times more carbon than that required to keep warming to no more than 2C. The new study uses models to estimate how much coal, oil and gas must

go unburned up to 2050 and where it can be extracted to stay within the 2C target regarded as the threshold for dangerous climate change.

The uneven distribution of resources raises huge dilemmas for countries seeking to exploit their natural resources amid attempts to strike a global deal on climate change – The Middle East would need to leave about 40% of its oil and 60% of its gas underground; the majority of the huge coal reserves in China, Russia and the United States would have to remain unused; undeveloped resources of unconventional gas, such as shale gas, would be off limits in Africa and the Middle East, and very little could be exploited in India and China; unconventional oil, such as Canada’s tar sands, would be unviable.

The research also raises questions for fossil fuel companies about investment in future exploration, given there is more in the ground than “we can afford to burn”, say the UCL scientists.

“We shouldn’t waste a lot of money trying to find fossil fuels which we think are going to be more expensive,” co-researcher Prof Paul Ekins told the BBC. “That almost certainly includes Arctic resources. It will certainly include a lot of the shale gas resources in Europe, which have not really been explored or exploited at all.”l

Biswa Ijtema begins today Alam Durjoy with our n Nure Gazipur Correspondent

Muslims start gathering on the banks of the Turag River in Tongi yesterday to attend the Biswa Ijtema although an indefinite countrywide blockade enforced by the BNP-led alliance is going on MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

Millions of devotees from home and abroad have gathered on the bank of Turag River in Tongi to attend the Biswa Ijtema which begins today amid the indefinite blockade enforced by BNPled 20 party alliance in the country.

The devotees have taken their certain places at the Ijetma ground, said organisers.

People will continue to swarm the bank of Turag River till Akheri Munajat.

The first phase of the Ijtema will end on Sunday with the munajat, they said.

As per schedule, the second phase of the Ijtema will begin on January 16 and will end on January 18.

Gias Uddin Ahmed, an engineer who is responsible for preparing the Ijtema ground, said they have completed all preparations for the gathering.

During a visit to the Ijtema ground,

it was found that many devotees were engaged in preparing their makeshift shelters.

State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid Bipu, Railway Minister Mujibul Haque and local lawmaker Jahid Russel, among others, visited the Ijtema ground.

Deen Muhammad Nurul Haq, director general of health department, also visited the makeshift medical camps around 10:00am.

Briefing of RAB and Police

Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) Director General Benjir Ahmed briefed journalists about the security measures at the ground.

“We will reach the devotees at earliest possible time at any of their need,” he said.

“After the Akheri Munajat, we will try to provide the devotees with some transports facilities to help them reach-

ing the nearby bus stops,” he added.

Meanwhile, Police Deputy Inspector General Mahfujul Haque Nurujjaman also briefed journalists.

“We have set up a five-layered security system surrounding the ground,” he said. “We divided the ground into five zones. Some 12,000 law enforcers have been deployed to ensure the security of the devotees.”

Emergency phone numbers

The devotees can contact at the following phone numbers for any of their need: district administration control room at 9813401 and 9813402; police control room at 9813403; media centre at 9813408; RAB control room at 9815112, 9815113 and 9815114; health control room at 9813406, 9817514, 9817515, 9817516, information authority at 9816370-74, fire service at 9816369 and power control room at 9816379. l

Editor: Zafar Sobhan, Published and Printed by Kazi Anis Ahmed on behalf of 2A Media Limited at Dainik Shakaler Khabar Publications Limited, 153/7, Tejgaon Industrial Area, Dhaka-1208. Editorial, News & Commercial Office: FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka 1207.

Phone: 9132093-94, Advertising: 9132155, Circulation: 9132282, Fax: News-9132192, e-mail: news@dhakatribune.com, info@dhakatribune.com, Website: www.dhakatribune.com

B3 Singapore updates

B4 German factory orders

corporate tax guidelines to better align with West

slump in November

FRIDAY, JANUARY 9, 2015 www.dhakatribune.com/business

First half export growth lowest in five years ‘The overall export earnings remained low as the buyers placed less orders due to RMG restructuring’ n Tribune Report During the first half of the current fiscal year 2014-15, the country’s export earning has seen the lowest growth in last five year due to restructuring in the RMG sector and political unrest.

According to the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB), Bangladesh’s export earnings grew by 1.56% to $14.90bn on in July-December period of 2014, the lowest since 2010-11.

In the same period of last fiscal year, Bangladesh earned $14.68bn or 16.65% rise in export earnings.

In 2013, Bangladesh’s RMG sector faced several accidents, including the deadliest Rana Plaza collapse, which killed over 1,135 workers and intensified political violence and repeated labour unrests. These incidents have also affected the sector in 2014.

“Export earnings rose in December, which was a good sign, but the overall export earnings remained low as the buyers place less orders due to RMG restructuring,” Mustafizur Rahman, executive director of Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), told the Dhaka Tribune.

The sector people and the government have to concentrate on smooth implementation of restructuring, or else it would cast a long-term effect on the export-oriented industry, said Mustafizur.

He also expressed hope, saying the overall export would grow in July 2015.

The CPD official also called for concentration on south-south zone to boost export as the US market is dull.

“This is the real scenario of the industry as Bangladesh has witnessed some fatal incidents like Rana Plaza building collapse, fire at Tazreen Fashions and Standard Group and political unrest,” Abdus Salam Murshedy, presi-

dent of Exporters Association of Bangladesh (EAB) told the Dhaka Tribune.

“We would not also see robust growth in near future as RMG sector is going through relocation remediation and turning around from the trouble, but we are hopeful about good growth in mid-2016 if circumstances remain calm and in favour of business,” said Salam.

The production capacity of RMG has declined due to closure of factories, centring compliance and safety issues, said Salam.

According to the BGMEA, a good number of factories have faced music from the Accord and Alliance inspection over non-compliance issues regarding workers safety, causing adverse impact on the export earnings.

After the Rana Plaza disaster, a total of 220 small and medium factories were shutdown while Accord and Alliance closed 29 factories, following their inspection.

Meanwhile, the RMG sector, the highest export earner of the coun-

try, has also seen a meager growth of 0.77% in the first half of the current fiscal year, which was nearly 20% in the same period last year.

In July-December of 2014, Bangladesh earned $12 billion, exporting apparel products, which was $11.93 billion in the same period in last fiscal year.

The knitwear export during the period stood at $6 billion with a rise of 1.90% from the previous year’s $5.9 billion. Woven products earned $5.96 billion, registering a slight decline of 0.35% compared to the previous year’s value of $5.98 billion, EPB data shows.

In December 2014, export earning witnessed a 4.33% rise to $2.88 billion, which was 2.72 billion in the same period last year. But the earning failed to meet the target by 0.85% of $2.86 billion.

The government has set an export target of $26.9 billion from the RMG sector for the fiscal year 2014-15.

As per the BGMEA data, over 40 lakh workers are employed in the industry and 80% of them are women mostly from rural areas. l

BGMEA: Free RMG carriers from blockade n Tribune Report Expressing grave concern over the ongoing political unrest, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has urged all political parties to keep export-import vehicles carrying RMG products out of the purview of hartal and blockade.

“The ready-made garment sector, the highest export earner, is passing through a crucial time after being affected by the Rana Plaza disaster. The sector has undertaken remediation process as per the recommendation of global retailers’ platforms, Accord and Alliance,” said a statement of the apex trade body of the apparel sector.

If political unrest continues, buyers would show unwillingness to come to Bangladesh to place their orders, it added.

Following the progress in the safety standard, buyers’ confidence was restored and they started to place more orders.

According to the BGMEA, a one-day hartal causes a loss of about Tk250 crore and hampers 30% to 35% production. As a result, the owners have to pay more price discount and air freight, besides deferring payments and delaying shipments.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh has set a target of exporting RMG products of $50 billion by 2021 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh’s independence, which would not be possible if political turmoil continues.

The BNP-led 20-party alliance on Monday called nationwide rail, road and waterways blockade for indefinite period, protesting the concerned authority’s denial of holding its pre-announced rally in the capital and the confinement of alliance chief Khaleda Zia at her Gulshan office since Saturday night.

The country’s political situation heated up centering the two parties’ – Awami League and BNP – announcement of holding rally on January 5 in the capital, marking the one year of election that was boycotted by the BNP and other political parties. l

Political chaos feared to stoke up inflation The rate continues to decline in December and stands at 6.11% n Kayes Sohel Inflation slipped further to 6.11% in December last year as oil prices continued to fall in global market and domestic production was boosted, official data showed.

A month earlier the inflation was 6.21%.

Economists fear the current political turmoil, if continued, will disrupt supply chain of goods, which might stoke up inflation in months to come.

Despite downward trend in overall inflation, non-food inflation continued to rise for the fifth consecutive month in December to hit at 6.48% from 5.84% in the previous month, the according to the data released by Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics yesterday.

Food inflation was down further in December, dropping to 5.86% from 6.44% in November.

Oil prices have fallen more than 50% over the last one year on the global market and the early weeks of January, an indication that inflation rates are also likely to continue their long decline.

Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal told reporters that inflation continued to decline as food prices were falling both on global and local markets.

He said the government was optimistic of keeping inflation within the fiscal target of 6%.

Former finance adviser to caretaker government Mirza Azizul Islam attributed the slide in inflation to falling food prices on international market and better domestic production.

He, however, had no clue about rising non-food inflation. “I find no reason why non-food inflation climbed.

It needs commodity-wise analysis to figure out real cause.”

Mirza Azizul Islam also feared political turmoil might fuel inflation in months to come if supply chain is disrupted.

H1 ADP spending falls flat Tofail for cash incentive to boost

medicine export

n Kayes Sohel

The government’s spending on development to improve living standards remained poor in the first half of the current fiscal year despite efforts to make it faster.

In July-December of the fiscal year FY2014-15, except self-financing, the government spent only 28% or Tk22,443 crore out of total outlay Tk80,315 crore for development, according to latest Annual Development Programme implementation report.

It was 27% or Tk18,087 crore in the same period a year earlier.

The reading indicates that the remaining 72% of the total ADP size will have to be implemented in next six months, but it is quite unlikely, according to the analysts.

They said the traditional tendency for faster implementation in last six months of fiscal will bring same result like in previous years, which saw wastage of public fund and low quality of development works.

However, Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal was hopeful to spend 100% of entire ADP allocation by the end of the fiscal.

“It needs all-out efforts by all concerned if we want to fully implement development works by the fiscal,” he said while releasing ADP data at the ministry in the city yesterday.

To make ADP implementation faster, the minister said in a recent meeting the government had decided to take some steps.

They include efforts to be made during January-February every year for fi-

n Tribune Report

nalisation of revised ADP, preparation of land acquisition before project approval and procurement plan to be taken from the very beginning of fiscal year, he said.

The steps also include speeding up process of receiving foreign aid, making efforts to reduce number of projects at a reasonable level identifying less important and sick projects, and cutting development funds for those ministries or divisions which will fail to spend 100% of their allocated annual expenditure, Mustafa Kamal said.

Former finance adviser to last caretaker government Mirza Azizul Islam said it is not possible to achieve 100% ADP implementation considering the previous experiences.

He predicted that implementation will be below 90% in second half of this fiscal due to slow progress in first half  B3 COLUMN 3

Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed yesterday assured exporters of pharmaceutical products to recommend the government for providing cash incentives to boost exports.

“I will soon send a proposal to the finance ministry before discussing about the issue with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to increase export earnings as the government has prioritised the sector,” he told the inaugural function of “Asia Pharma Expo-2015” in the city.

Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceutical Industries (BAPI) organised the three-day fair on pharmaceutical technology and products at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) in collaboration with GPE Expo Private Limited.

Last fiscal year, the country earned US$69.24m by exporting pharmaceutical products, increasing from nearly $60m in the previous fiscal, according to Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) data.

In July-December period of the current fiscal year, however, the earning fell to $36.76m from $37.41m during the same period last fiscal year.

The government has set $73m export target in the pharmaceutical sector for the current fiscal year. Bangladesh’s pharmaceutical products currently go to 87 destinations worldwide.

“In the sixth five-year plan, the government has given importance on product diversification as well as the

Products are on display at the Asian Pharma Expo in Dhaka markets. That is why, we are giving priority on four sectors pharmaceuticals, shipbuilding, leather and information technology (IT), said Ahmed.

The minister also hinted that the government was working very sincerely to explore new markets especially in Latin America.

Now, the domestic pharmaceutical producers are able to meet 99% demands of medicine, which was 95% in few years back, said Salman F Rahman president of Bangladesh Aushad Shilpa Samity.

“Due to utilisation of the latest advanced technology, the production

of the sector witnessed a 10% growth yearly and it is possible by our young white color professionals,” said Rahman.

It is a good news that 10 to 12 pharmaceutical companies has got license from international organisations, which could help us to export medicine, he added.

Director General, Directorate General of Drug Administration Maj Gen Jahangir Hossain Mollik also urged this sector to play an important role in curbing doctors’ unhealthy practices.

BAPI Secretary General Abdul Muktadir also spoke on the occasion. l

Banks asked to assess money laundering risks by March n Tribune Report The country’s commercial banks will have to accomplish their risk assessment process on money laundering and terrorist financing within three months.

Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) of the central bank yesterday disclosed a guideline, issuing a circular titled “Money Laundering and Terrorist Financ-

ing Risk Assessment Guidelines for Banking Sector”.

This guideline will be treated as minimum instructions and indications to identify and assess the risk of Money Laundering (ML) and Terrorist Financing (TF) in their businesses and take effective measures to mitigate the identified risks.

Banks are allowed to use more stringent tools to identify and assess the risk of ML &

TF in their entities, according to the circular.

The guideline has been issued for effective implementation of AML & CFT measures as well as reinforces the current pace of financial inclusion.

According to the circular, the guideline will provide the basic ideas of identifying, assessing and mitigating money laundering and terrorist financing risks that banks may encounter in doing their businesses.

MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Generally, banks may face business risks arisen from their customers, products and services, delivery methods/channels, jurisdictions or geographical presence and/or regulatory risks.

“Firstly, banks do need to identify those business risks and regulatory risks. To treat those identified risks, banks shall assess the level of risks by blending likelihood and impact of the risks,” said the circular. l

AHM Mustafa Kamal “There may be uneven supply of goods both in rural and urban areas during political unrest.”

Centre for Policy Dialogue, in an analysis over the state of the economy of the current fiscal year, observed that a number of factors helped as regards to stabilisation of inflation at its current state.

First of the factors, it said, the international prices for almost all products experienced a decline in the recent time.

Second, the stable exchange rate also helped keep prices stable while the third is the lower consumer demand in the domestic market which arrested the upward pressure on prices, CPD said.

The low level of non-food inflation may be attributed to lower domestic demand, according to CPD. The wage growth, however, has fallen in December last year compared to the previous month (10.32%), BBS data showed.

Inflation rate eased to 6.99% last year from 7.6% in 2013. l

Bank Asia partners with Payoneer to ease freelancers’ payment n Tribune Report Bank Asia introduced online cross-border payment system through setting up alliance with one of the world’s largest Online Payment Gateway Service (OPGS) provider “Payoneer”.

The bank set the partnership with the OPGS providers to help Bangladeshi freelancers get payment quickly.

Bangladesh Bank Governor Atiur Rahman inaugurated the service in a function held yesterday in the capital while Bank Asia Chairman A Rouf Chowdhury was present.

The initiative of liberalising foreign exchange transactions are contributing towards creating business-friendly environment for service exporters, particularly for the freelancers, said the governor.

This will help Bangladesh earn a significant share in global service export market.

With supportive and innovative polices, Bangladesh has gained competitive advantage in the international arena, he said, adding that Bangladesh is ranked seventh among 186 countries in terms of earnings where online jobs are outsourced only in three years from 2011-2014.

He hopped that the partnership between Bank Asia and Payoneer will ease freelancers’ efforts to reap their hard-earned foreign exchange.  B3 COLUMN 3

B2

Stocks finish flat with continued volatility n Tribune Report

Lanka Bangla Securities said the index was creeping up towards the nearest resistance 5,000-mark backed by flow of fund in market generated by small and mid-cap stocks.

However, investors will remain cautious till political front gets stability, it said.

IDLC Investments said demonstrating strong volatility throughout the session, broad market settled in positive territory, finally. The news of spurring forex reserve, backed by surge in exports and remittance made some witty investors to reassess future economic possibilities, it said.

Participation remained stagnant too, putting overall turnover slightly below Tk300 crore as investors were waiting for perfect confirmation.

Gainers beat losers as out of 308 issues traded, 149 advanced, 113 declined and 46 remained unchanged.

Lafarge Surma Cement was the most traded stock for the fifth consecutive day with shares worth around Tk15 crore changing hands, followed by IDLC, Agni System, Alltex, RSRM Steel, DESCO and Square Pharmaceuticals.

Dacca Dyeing was the biggest gainer soaring over 10%, followed

by Alltex, Mithun Knitting, Shahjibazar Power Company, Al-haj Textile and Fu-wang Food.

Northern Insurance was the worst loser falling more than 4%, followed by Agrani Insurance, Standard Ceramics, Shyampur Sugar Mills, National Tea Corporation. l

Stocks closed flat amid continued volatility yesterday, as investors still remained worried in the wake of ongoing political unrest in the country.

The market was in negative territory almost throughout the session, but modest buying pressure in the final minutes pulled the market up marginally. The intra-day volatility was more than 27 points.

The benchmark index, DSEX, rose marginally 5 points or 0.2% to 4,968, after edging lower in the previous session.

The Shariah index, DSES, inched nearly 2 points or 0.2% down to 1,181. The comprising blue chips DS30 shed slightly 3 points or 0.2% to 1,854.

Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) Selective Categories Index, CSCX, gained 32 points to 9,224.

Participation in trading continued to fall as DSE turnover dropped by further 1.2% to Tk290 crore over the previous session. Textile and NBFI came at frontline of turnover chart, capturing 14.3% and 12.1% respectively.

Among the large cap sectors, cement witnessed correction of 1.65%.

Telecommunication and pharmaceuticals closed flat with no significant movement.

All the other major sectors gained with food and allied registering highest gain of 1.7%. Banks, non-banking financial institutions, power, gained marginally.

Weekly capital market highlights DSE Broad Index : DSE - 30 Index : CSE All Share Index: CSE - 30 Index : CSE Selected Index : Closing (% Change)

Northern Jute -Z Agrani Insurance -A Standard Ceramic -A Shampur Sugar -Z National Tea -A Bengal Windsor-A Ratanpur Steel -N Savar Refractories-Z Khan Brothers-N MutualTrust Bank-A

-4.40 -4.17 -4.09 -3.57 -3.46 -3.37 -3.19 -3.14 -3.01 -2.86

CSE LOSER Company

4968.71030

(+) 0.10%

1854.14184

(-) 0.16%

15254.77440

(+) 0.23%

12327.55490

(+) 0.42%

9224.24940

DSE LOSER Company

Stock

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Closing (% Change)

BD Fixed Income MF-A Berger Paints-A Saiham Tex.A Hwa Well Textiles-N Imam Button -Z Prime Textile -A Quasem Drycells -A ICB Sonali Bank 1 MF-A Ratanpur Steel -N Hamid Fabrics -N

-9.33 -5.93 -4.51 -3.59 -3.53 -3.21 -3.17 -3.08 -3.04 -2.74

Average (% Change) -2.28 -2.88 -4.00 -0.36 -3.43 -3.83 -4.07 -1.96 -1.89 -0.34 Average (% Change) -9.33 -5.93 -4.52 -1.62 -2.82 -3.21 -3.59 -3.08 -4.16 -2.48

ClosingAvg. 237.50 18.56 45.09 8.30 701.00 60.70 60.75 50.00 35.78 20.76

ClosingAvg. 6.80 1,411.09 27.48 38.28 8.26 18.08 72.85 6.30 60.80 39.38

▲ ▼ ▲ ▲ ▲

(+) 0.36%

Closing

DHIGH

232.60 18.40 44.50 8.10 701.00 60.20 60.60 49.40 35.40 20.40

Closing 6.80 1,411.10 27.50 37.60 8.20 18.10 73.20 6.30 60.50 39.10

250.00 20.00 47.00 8.20 701.00 62.90 62.00 49.90 36.80 21.00

DHIGH 6.80 1,450.00 28.00 38.50 8.40 18.20 73.60 6.30 62.50 40.50

DSE GAINER

DSE key features January 8, 2015

Company

Turnover (Million Taka)

2,942.93

Turnover (Volume)

72,424,346

Number of Contract

77,836

Traded Issues

307

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

132

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

164 11

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,652.23

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

32.15

CSE key features January 8, 2015 Turnover (Million Taka)

279.46

Turnover (Volume)

7,371,306

Number of Contract

12,844

Traded Issues

237

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

119

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

110

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

7

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,558.89

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

31.02

Turnover in Million

222.00 18.00 43.10 8.10 701.00 59.10 60.00 48.00 35.20 20.30

1.639 1.336 0.595 0.022 0.035 7.397 102.758 0.020 34.218 1.886

Turnover in Million

DLOW 6.80 1,407.20 27.30 37.60 8.10 18.00 72.00 6.30 60.00 38.80

0.001 0.078 0.118 0.077 0.014 0.060 0.825 0.013 5.387 6.529

Dacca Dyeing-A Progressive Life-A Alltex Industries -Z Mithun Knitting -A Dulamia CottonZ Shahjibazar Power-N Apex SpinningA Jute SpinnersA Bangladesh Welding -Z Agni Systems -A

Latest EPS 1.00 1.97 0.60 -52.72 -6.49 4.16 5.44 -0.44 1.36 2.45

Latest EPS 0.48 49.25 2.96 3.52 -1.72 1.04 2.24 1.04 5.44 3.12

Company Dacca Dyeing-A Midas Financing-Z Alltex Industries -Z Standard Ceramic -A Apex SpinningA Mithun Knitting -A Central Insur -A Grameen M F One-A Bata Shoe Ltd. -A NLI 1st M F-A

Sector 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 222.55 317.25 76.14 324.83 281.27 339.03 3.17 420.20 227.26 8.07 92.25 8.45 28.32 161.14 152.46 25.61 29.61 64.86 47.09 75.49 0.00

3.18 0.29 0.97 5.55 5.25 0.88 1.02 2.23 1.62 2.60 0.00

Million Taka 15.11 21.22 6.75 28.07 46.58 34.71 57.63 12.75 18.26 14.17 17.32 3.77 20.18 10.36 1.15 1.07 4.33 4.87 11.69 0.04

CSE

% change 4.58 6.43 2.05 8.51 14.11 10.52 0.00 17.46 3.86 5.53 4.29 5.25 1.14 6.12 3.14 0.35 0.32 1.31 1.48 3.54 0.01

Million Taka 237.66 338.47 82.89 352.90 327.84 373.74 3.17 477.83 240.01 26.33 106.41 25.78 32.08 181.32 162.82 26.76 30.68 69.19 51.96 87.18 0.04

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

Closing

15.98 77.78 30.99 74.42 7.83 217.18 72.19 54.55 16.14 35.04

ClosingAvg.

16.30 80.60 32.20 76.30 7.80 216.70 73.00 53.90 16.40 35.60

Closing

16.00 16.80 30.83 49.30 72.50 75.04 24.60 24.92 1169.00 8.10

16.20 16.80 32.10 49.30 72.50 75.00 24.60 25.00 1169.00 8.10

DHIGH 16.30 81.00 32.30 77.00 8.00 223.00 73.40 55.00 16.50 36.00

DHIGH 16.20 16.80 32.30 50.00 72.50 77.00 24.60 25.30 1169.00 8.10

DLOW 14.80 80.50 29.30 71.00 7.60 208.00 69.70 52.20 15.70 34.00

DLOW 15.00 16.80 29.50 46.10 72.50 73.80 24.60 24.30 1169.00 8.10

Turnover in Million 22.446 0.007 113.190 18.371 0.094 17.309 9.563 0.006 2.625 113.905

Turnover in Million 5.358 0.034 20.857 0.047 0.015 0.280 0.016 0.662 0.001 0.000

Latest EPS

Latest PE

1.04 2.30 3.28 3.40 -3.84 9.00 0.86 -43.64 0.44 1.32

15.4 33.8 9.4 21.9 -ve 24.1 83.9 -ve 36.7 26.5

Latest EPS

Latest PE

1.04 -7.00 3.28 0.60 0.86 3.40 2.96 3.40 52.96 2.12

15.4 -ve 9.4 82.2 84.3 22.1 8.3 7.3 22.1 3.8

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.

SAVAREFR: No dividend, AGM: 24.01.2015, Record Date: 23.12.2014.

DESCO: 5% cash & 10% stock, AGM 03.01.2015 Record Date: 13.11.2014.

237.5 9.4 75.2 -ve -ve 14.6 11.2 -ve 26.3 8.5

Latest PE 14.2 28.7 9.3 10.9 -ve 17.4 32.5 6.1 11.2 12.6

Olympic Ind. -A LafargeS Cement-Z IDLC Finance -A Agni Systems -A Alltex Industries -Z Ratanpur Steel -N DESCO Ltd. -A Square Pharma -A Grameenphone-A SAIF Powertec-N

Total

9.46 8.39 8.08 7.88 7.73 7.14 5.58 5.49 5.31 5.19

Average (% Change) 8.25 8.39 4.09 7.90 7.73 7.20 5.90 5.33 5.31 5.19

ClosingAvg.

Latest PE

The index was creeping up towards the nearest resistance 5,000-mark backed by flow of fund in market generated by small and mid-cap stocks

% change 7.66 10.92 2.62 11.18 9.68 11.67 0.11 14.46 7.82

Closing (% Change)

AL-HAJTEX: The Company has informed that it has credited the bonus shares for the year ended on June 30, 2014 to the respective shareholders BO Account on January 05, 2015. The amount from sale proceeds of fractional bonus shares will be credited to the Bank Accounts of respective shareholders through Bangladesh Electronic Fund Transfer Network (BEFTN).

Company

SECTORAL TURNOVER SUMMARY

10.14 9.36 9.15 8.07 6.85 5.50 4.89 4.46 4.46 4.09

Average (% Change) 8.27 6.10 5.44 6.48 7.85 7.29 3.36 4.28 0.81 1.24

News, analysis and recent disclosures

DSE TURNOVER LEADERS

ANALYST

Closing (% Change)

CSE GAINER

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

DLOW

Friday, January 9, 2014

% change 7.35 10.46 2.56 10.91 10.13 11.55 0.10 14.77 7.42 0.81 3.29 0.80 0.99 5.60 5.03 0.83 0.95 2.14 1.61 2.69 0.00

Prepared exclusively for Dhaka Tribune by Business Information Automation Service Line (BIASL), on the basis of information collected from daily stock quotations and audited reports of the listed companies. High level of caution has been taken to collect and present the above information and data. The publisher will not take any responsibility if any body uses this information and data for his/her investment decision. For any query please email to biasl@bol-online.com or call 01552153562 or go to www.biasl.net

MJL BD Ltd.-A Beximco Pharma -A Khulna Power-A SummitAlliancePort.-A WesternMarine -N Khan Brothers-N Hamid Fabrics -N AIMS First -A CSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company BATBCL -A Alltex Industries -Z LafargeS Cement-Z MJL BD Ltd.-A IDLC Finance -A SummitAlliancePort.-A WesternMarine -N SAIF Powertec-N Hamid Fabrics -N BEXIMCO Ltd. -A

Agni Systems -A Ratanpur Steel -N Dacca Dyeing-A Khulna Power-A BSRM Steels-A Khan Brothers-N aamra technologies-A

VolumeShares 869,759 1,104,049 1,780,311 3,251,002 3,652,201 1,691,591 863,196 231,312 157,434 722,416

Value in Million 207.04 147.48 139.18 113.91 113.19 102.76 62.47 60.12 57.47 50.68

% of TotalTurnover 7.13 5.08 4.79 3.92 3.90 3.54 2.15 2.07 1.98 1.74

VolumeShares

Value in Million

% of TotalTurnover

359,685 687,755 626,729 449,349 671,510 956,394 845,816 1,123,864

12,042 676,561 139,393 58,605 95,664 88,016 126,188 95,066 165,772 171,754

168,428 88,595 334,945 85,470 53,205 121,262 103,190

46.72 43.10 38.87 37.35 36.92 34.22 33.35 33.20

32.51 20.86 18.57 7.62 7.49 7.28 6.93 6.66 6.53 6.34

5.93 5.39 5.36 5.29 4.89 4.33 3.92

1.61 1.48 1.34 1.29 1.27 1.18 1.15 1.14

12.00 7.70 6.85 2.81 2.76 2.69 2.56 2.46 2.41 2.34

2.19 1.99 1.98 1.95 1.80 1.60 1.45

ClosingP 241.00 133.30 78.80 35.60 32.20 60.60 72.50 260.20 365.00 70.50

129.90 62.60 62.10 82.50 54.90 35.40 39.20 29.90

ClosingP

2701.10 32.10 134.10 130.00 79.10 82.20 54.80 70.30 39.10 36.80

35.60 60.50 16.20 61.80 91.50 35.40 38.10

Change % 1.95 -2.20 3.01 4.09 9.15 -3.19 -1.23 0.12 -0.03 1.59

-0.38 -0.32 0.98 -2.25 -0.90 -3.01 -2.49 3.10

Change %

4.73 8.08 -1.69 -0.08 3.81 -1.67 -0.90 1.88 -2.74 -0.81

4.71 -3.04 9.46 0.32 -1.40 -2.48 2.42

ClosingY 236.40 136.30 76.50 34.20 29.50 62.60 73.40 259.90 365.10 69.40

130.40 62.80 61.50 84.40 55.40 36.50 40.20 29.00 ClosingY

2579.20 29.70 136.40 130.10 76.20 83.60 55.30 69.00 40.20 37.10

34.00 62.40 14.80 61.60 92.80 36.30 37.20

DHIGH 242.00 138.00 79.20 36.00 32.30 62.00 73.10 261.00 365.90 70.90

132.90 63.20 62.50 84.90 55.90 36.80 40.50 30.20

DLOW 236.00 130.60 76.80 34.00 29.30 60.00 71.80 258.80 364.50 68.90

129.20 62.30 61.40 82.10 54.70 35.20 39.00 28.80

AvgPrice 238.04 133.58 78.17 35.04 30.99 60.75 72.37 259.90 365.05 70.16

129.89 62.66 62.02 83.11 54.98 35.78 39.43 29.54

DHIGH

DLOW

AvgPrice

2708.10 32.30 136.00 130.80 79.50 83.70 55.70 70.70 40.50 37.50

2698.00 29.50 131.00 129.50 76.60 81.80 54.50 69.00 38.80 36.70

2700.00 30.83 133.21 130.01 78.32 82.75 54.91 70.05 39.38 36.90

36.00 62.50 16.20 62.50 94.00 36.60 38.30

34.00 60.00 15.00 61.20 90.80 35.20 37.30

35.18 60.80 16.00 61.94 91.93 35.70 37.96

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

Singapore updates corporate tax guidelines to better align with West n Reuters, Singapore

The new guidelines are also much more specific about who is required to prepare transfer pricing documentation and its content

Singapore currency notes are seen through a magnifying glass among other currencies in this photo illustration taken in Singapore REUTERS Singapore sell products to a subsidiary in a higher-tax jurisdiction at a high price. This allows the company to book more of its profit in the low tax location.

From Jan 6, the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) will require related parties to keep contemporaneous records to support the pricing of

CORPORATE NEWS

prepare transfer pricing documentation and its content, said Henry Syrett, a partner at audit firm EY. Singapore has attracted many international companies thanks to generous tax incentive programmes, a reliable legal system, skilled labour and high living standards. l

Oil extends gains in Asia n AFP, Singapore

Race to define car of the future shifts into high gear

Bank Asia partners  B1 COLUMN 6

Toma taxi has signed an agreement with bKash Limited on accepting payment through bKash from passengers for paying their cab fare. Rezaul Hossain, chief commercial officer of bKash Limited and Brigadier General (retd) Mohammad Mustafa Kamal, CEO of Toma Taxi have signed the agreement

Modhumoti Bank Limited has recently held a “Customer Night-2015” at Kurmitola Golf Course Auditorium. The bank’s director Md Abul Hossain and managing director & CEO, Md Mizanur Rahman among others attended the programme

Md Golam Rabbani has recently joined Prime Bank as its deputy-managing director. Prior to his joining, he has been serving Al-Arafah Islami Bank Limited as the bank’s deputy managing director.

Rabbani started his banking career in the late 1977 as a ‘Fifth Grade’ officer in the then Bangladesh Shilpa Rin Sangstha (BSRS) and held important positions in various capacities before moving to private commercial bank, the then Al Baraka Bank Limited

Etihad Airways among top ten safest airlines n Tribune Business Desk Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has recently been recognised as one of the top ten safest airlines in the world.

The internationally-regarded website www.AirlineRatings.com selected Etihad Airways as one of the safest air-

lines for 2015, out of a list of 449 global airlines monitored, while only 149 of the 449 have the top seven-star safety ranking.

President and CEO for Etihad Airways, James Hogan, said, “All of our staff are accountable for the delivery of the highest level of safety performance.” l

The euro slid in Asia yesterday as falling prices in the eurozone boosted the prospect of European Central Bank (ECB) stimulus, while the Fed appears on track to hike interest rates by mid-year.

The single currency slipped to $1.1820 and 141.51 yen in Tokyo afternoon trade, from $1.1842 and 141.70 yen in New York. The euro dropped to 1.1802 at one point on Wednesday, its lowest since January 2006.

“The inflation data is taking a toll on the euro,” Naohiro Nomoto, an associate for currency trading at Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ Ltd. in New York, told Bloomberg News.

“I can’t think of any excuse for the ECB not to act in January,” he said.

Speculation of ECB action was spurred by news that eurozone consumer prices fell 0.2 percent in December, marking the first drop since October 2009, at the height of the financial crisis.

The data raise the risk of a spiral of deflation, increasing expectations the ECB will launch a bond-buying programme, known as quantitative easing (QE), to prop up the eurozone’s beleaguered economy.

Political turmoil in Greece also weighed on sentiment. The debt-hit country is holding elections later this month that could see a victory for a party opposed to austerity measures required under an international bailout.

The dollar - which rose to 119.79 yen from 119.17 yen - won support from data Wednesday that showed the US trade deficit shrank to its lowest level in nearly a year while the private sector added a higher-than-expected 241,000 jobs in December.

“I don’t see anything to suggest the US dollar bull market should get bucked,” said Matt Derr, a foreign-exchange strategist at Credit Suisse Group AG. Minutes of the Federal Reserve’s December meeting highlighted risks to the US economy from international developments, but policymakers also appeared willing to look past belowtarget inflation as they consider hiking interest rates.

“The... minutes from the December meeting did little to change investor views for the timing of the first rate rise in 2015,” National Australia Bank said.

The dollar was mostly stronger against other Asia-Pacific currencies.

It rose to Sg$1.3383 from Sg$1.3344 on Wednesday, to 12,719.30 Indonesian rupiah from 12,699.50 rupiah and to 45.05 Philippine pesos from 45.03 pesos.

It also strengthened to Tw$31.99 from Tw$31.97 and to 32.90 Thai baht from 32.87 baht, while it slipped to 63.10 Indian rupees from 63.42 rupees.

The Australian dollar rose to 81.10 US cents from 80.75 cents. The Chinese yuan bought 19.25 yen, up from 19.14 yen. l

such transactions.

The IRAS also detailed methods by which transactions are benchmarked to show that prices charged would be similar if the transactions had been with a party outside of the company.

The new guidelines are also much more specific about who is required to

Oil extended gains in Asia yesterday following a drop in US crude stockpiles that indicate stronger demand in the world’s biggest economy, but analysts said prices remain under pressure due to a global supply glut. l

Quazi ASM Anisul Kabir has recently joined Bangladesh Commerce Bank Limited as its deputy-managing director. Earlier he was serving as deputy managing director of Prime Bank Limited. Kabir started his banking career as a probationary officer at Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited in the year 1986

Euro weakens in Asia on ECB stimulus expectations n AFP, Tokyo

Singapore is updating guidelines on an accounting practice mired in controversy for helping multinational companies minimize their tax bills, as the city-state moves more in line with a crackdown by Western governments on aggressive tax avoidance.

International taxation has come under scrutiny since a quirk of “transfer pricing” was found to have helped

lower the tax bills of a number of multinationals, including Starbucks Corp, Google Inc and Amazon.com Inc. Such issues prompted the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development to call on governments to revise tax treaties, tighten rules and share more information, in a project due for completion by the end of this year.

In transfer pricing, a company sets a price for a good or service to be sold between two of its subsidiaries.

The company can use the price to minimise its tax bill by having a subsidiary in a low-tax jurisdiction such as

B3

Friday, January 9, 2015

In Bangladesh, more than 2.5 lakh freelancers are directly involved in exporting their services and routing their earnings more than $214m in a year through different channels.

They have to face difficulties to get payments from abroad against their exporting services. But from now, they will have easy access to online payment gateway service through Bank Asia with having an account with Payoneer.

A freelancer, small business or professional from a variety that wants to get the service will have to have a free payment account with the Payoneer.

Then they will withdraw fund received from any company in the world, via Payoneer card or local bank transfer.

The Online Payment Gateway brings opportunity of connecting Bangladesh’s businesses and professionals with international market, said A Rouf Chowdhuty.

He expected that remittance of $18m will be channeled through Payoneer annually in the form of cash payout and crediting bank accounts.

“The young generation earns foreign exchange against exporting IT services,” said Bank Asia Managing Director Mehmood Husain.

“We have introduced the service to meet the growing demand of our people.”

Payoneer supports millions of business and other professionals in more than 200 countries to reach their new audiences by facilitating seamless cross-border payment.

It is an online payment solution that allows users to transfer money and receive payment through internet. l

n Reuters, Las Vegas Automakers and Silicon Valley upstarts are kicking their efforts to define the car of the future into a higher gear, even though many of the players disagree about what that car should be.

The emerging autonomous vehicle technology sector is still in a turbulent stage akin to the old debate over “Betamax versus VHS” format. Standards are not yet defined, winners and losers are not sorted out and major players disagree sharply about the best way to bring the promise of safer, smarter cars to market.

Consider the contrasting visions of the automotive future put forward at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week by Mark Fields and Dieter Zetsche, the chief executives of Ford Motor Co and Daimler AG, respectively.

Ford’s approach, Fields says, is to focus initially on connecting cars and their drivers to the mobile Web, with apps as the building blocks, and work on sensors and software that eventually will enable the development of fully autonomous vehicles in the next decade. Ford wants to develop affordable technology for a broad swath of consumers — the philosophy behind founder Henry Ford’s Model T. Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz has a different idea from Ford - and worlds apart from Internet company Google Inc, which has jolted the automotive establishment with its high-profile effort to develop a fully self-driving city car.

Zetsche presented a futuristic Mercedes prototype at CES that could drive itself down city boulevards while passengers used hand gestures to call up information about restaurants along

the route or receive invitations to party from friends nearby.

Where Ford wants to make autonomous cars for “Everyman,” and Google envisions cars as pod-like appliances, Daimler presented robotic driving as part of a technology package that sets its premium cars apart from plebian rides. At the same time, Zetsche said Daimler could extend the self-driving concept to tiny “green” cars such as its Smart EV or into car-sharing programs such as its Car2Go enterprise - potentially challenging Google in that sphere.

“I hope you will still recognize us as being the inventor of the car,” Zetsche told Reuters. “But we should be defined by our future, not by our past.”

It is not clear, however, how automakers and such traditional technology suppliers as Continental AG (CONG.DE), Delphi Automotive PLC (DLPH.N), Robert Bosch GmbH [ROBG.UL] or Visteon Corp (VC.N), will welcome Google and other Silicon Valley companies looking to muscle their way between automotive brands and their customers.

Volkswagen, for example, announced at CES this week that it has partnered with Google rival TomTom to provide mapping data for its vehicles. Accurate maps are critical for autonomous driving, and they also provide richer information to drivers based on their location.

Sense of urgency

Investors are betting that whatever happens, the status quo will be upended. Enthusiasm is high for companies positioned to benefit from increased automation and digital connectivity including ride-sharing companies such as Uber, which aim to blow up traditional car ownership.

Valuations for some technology upstarts in the auto sector have soared above many of the industry’s stalwarts.

“You will see the Old Guard lose its (share price) multiples and the New Guard valued at crazy levels,” said Cathie Wood, chief executive of Ark Investment Management LLC, which invests in shares of companies it believes will benefit from the growth in connected and autonomous vehicle technology.

The traditional auto sector is also investing heavily to avoid being eclipsed.

“It’s protecting our future,” said Tim Yerdon, vice president of Visteon’s connected services. “We have to play in it one way or the other.” l

The urgency among the companies looking to profit from connected vehicle technology, including the hardware and software required for automated driving, is increasing. Several automakers, including Mercedes, General Motors Co and Volkswagen AG’s Audi, have said they want to have vehicles capable of significant levels of handsfree driving on the road between 2016 and 2020. That means contracts to supply hardware and software need to be signed now.

The head of Google’s autonomous vehicle project, Chris Urmson, is scheduled to speak next week at an industry conference in Detroit to send the message that Google wants to forge partnerships with traditional automakers and suppliers to get its technology on the road.

Research firm IHS Automotive has estimated that self-driving car technology will add more than $31bn in revenue for Google by 2040.

Shaking up status quo

H1 ADP spending  B1 COLUMN 2

and faster progress in second half, which hurts the quality of development works.

Moreover, ongoing political turmoil has added woes to development expenditure, as distribution of development materials transportation might be disrupted, Mirza Azizul Islam said.

Centre for Policy Dialogue, in its analysis on state of the Bangladesh Economy in FY15, said overrunning of cost and time while implementing ADP projects has become more pervasive in recent years.

It said poor implementation of ADP was a combined consequence of three factors: resource constraints, unrealistic targeting and lack of implementation capacity. l

The interior of the Mercedes-Benz F015 Luxury in Motion autonomous concept car is shown

REUTERS

B4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Back Page

Friday, January 9, 2015

German factory orders slump in November n AFP, Frankfurt German industrial orders, a key measure of demand for German-made goods both at home and abroad, fell unexpectedly in November, data showed on Thursday, but analysts insisted the uptrend remains intact.

Industrial orders dropped by 2.4% in November compared with the previous month, the economy ministry said in a statement.

In October, German factory orders had risen by 2.9%.

Domestic orders slumped by 4.7% and export orders slipped by 0.7% compared with the previous month.

Orders from the eurozone rose by 2.7% while those from outside the eurozone were down by 2.6%, the ministry calculated.

By sector, orders for semi-finished goods fell by 2.3% and those for capital goods slumped by 3.1%, while demand for consumer goods rose by 2.6%.

Analysts said the surprisingly steep drop in the headline number was no cause for outright concern.

“It was the first decline after two consecutive and strong increases.

Hence, there is no need for being disappointed,” said UniCredit economist Andreas Rees.

“We have to be a bit more patient.

In terms of business sentiment, there is more and more evidence that German companies already turned the corner. However, hard data typically lag behind such leading indicators. While economic momentum should have remained subdued at year-end 2014, an acceleration in the first quarter of 2015 is in the pipeline,” Rees said.

Commerzbank economist Marco Wagner agreed, noting that the strong increase in orders the previous month had been distorted upward by big-ticket orders for vehicles and aircraft.

German retail sales, a closely watched measure of household confidence, rose for the second month in a row in November, official data showed yesterday.

Retailers’ sales went up by 1% compared with October, the federal statistics office Destatis said in a statement.

The previous month, retail sales had increased by 2%.

On a 12-month basis, however, business decreased, slipping by 0.8% in November compared with the same month last year, the statisticians calculated.

But that was largely because there was one more shopping day in November 2013 than in November 2014.

Retail sales data are subsequent to frequent revision.

Taking the 11 months to November, German retail sales were up 1.1% over the year-earlier period, Destatis said.

And the statistics office said it expected retail sales for the whole year to have increased by 1.1-1.3% year-on-year. l

Gold dips on strong dollar n Reuters, London

An employee of German kitchen ware manufacturer Vorwerk assembles a multifunctional food processor “In all, orders in October and November were around 0.5% higher than in the third quarter, a positive signal suggesting that the German industry has overcome its soft patch,” Wagner said.

BayernLB economist Stefan Kipar said the weaker euro and falling oil prices “should provide a boost to the global economy in 2015. And the internationally competitive German industry should benefit from that.”

Fed worries about international risks to US economy n

AFP, Washington

The Federal Reserve worried about foreign risks to the US economy but could raise interest rates despite weakerthan-desired inflation, according to the minutes of the last meeting published Wednesday.

“Many participants regarded the international situation as an important source of downside risks to domestic real activity and employment,” said the minutes of the December 16-17 meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC).

The potential for weaker US economic growth would rise “particularly if declines in oil prices and the persistence of weak economic growth abroad had a substantial negative effect on global financial markets,” the minutes said, “or if foreign policy responses were insufficient.”

The outlook for growth in the eurozone, Japan and China has dimmed and slumping oil prices are battering the economies of Russia, Venezuela and other oil-exporting countries.

The final 2014 meeting of the Fed’s policy arm came amid a plunge in oil prices since June that has further deepened, more than halving the value of crude oil to below $50 a barrel currently.

The sharp fall in oil has roiled financial markets, especially in the first trading days of the year, as investors worry about weaker demand in a slowing economy and a global oil supply glut.

But the FOMC, in its December dis-

German retail sales rise in November n AFP, Frankfurt

cussion of when to start raising the federal funds rate, pegged near zero for six years to support the recovery from deep recession, saw a boon from lower oil prices. A few participants said the effect was likely to be positive on overseas employment and economic growth.

For the US economy, several participants expected slower economic growth abroad to curb the US economy, mainly through lower net exports.

“But the net effect of lower oil prices on US economic activity was anticipated to be positive.”

The policymakers saw “broad-based improvement” in the labor market since their October 28-29 meeting, with solid gains in job growth, a small reduction in the unemployment rate and increased hiring.

But despite the labor gains and the economy growing at a “moderate” pace, “most participants saw no clear evidence of a broad-based acceleration in wages.”

Inflation running well below the Fed’s longer-term 2.0 percent target was expected to rise gradually to the comfort zone as officials expected the labor market would continue to improve and the “transitory” effects of lower oil prices and other factors would fade.

“The risks to the outlook for economic activity and the labor market were seen as nearly balanced.”

Rate tightening track

The policymakers indicated that the Fed may raise rates even though infla-

Natixis economist Johannes Gareis was confident that the German economy would not “fall back into recession in the fourth quarter.”

Berenberg Bank economist Christian Schulz calculated that factory or-

ders “remained on a moderate uptrend in the fourth quarter, despite the sharp drop in November.”

The data “add to the upside risk to our fourth-quarter forecast for German growth,” he said. l

Sporty tech gadgets put data in users’ hands

tion remained below target.

“With lower energy prices and the stronger dollar likely to keep inflation below target for some time, it was noted that the Committee might begin normalization at a time when core inflation was near current levels, although in that circumstance participants would want to be reasonably confident that inflation will move back toward 2 percent over time,” the minutes said.

The central bank’s preferred inflation measure, the personal consumption expenditures price index, was up 1.2% in November from a year ago, while core PCE increased less than 0.1%.

“The Fed is determined to tighten, though several participants urged for more data-dependent criteria so that investors would get away from a conviction the hike will be in the middle of the year.

The Fed may hike rates even if headline inflation runs well below target for a time,” said Chris Low of FTN Financial.

According to the minutes, “most participants” agreed to adding language in the FOMC statement about being patient in deciding to raise interest rates, saying it indicated the process was unlikely to begin “for at least the next couple of meetings.”

That suggested the first rate hike could come earlier than expected, perhaps as soon as April, after the January and March meetings, said Omer Esiner of Commonwealth Foreign Exchange. l

n AFP, Las Vegas Olympic cycling medalist Dotsie Bausch is hooked on data, and she wants everyone to know it.

Showing up at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show as a spokeswoman for the medical technology group Masimo, Bausch offered a demonstration of her cycling skills and the data she uses to train.

Getting good physiological data for training is important in a sport marred by numerous doping scandals, said the 2012 Olympic silver medalist who kicked a drug habit before her sports career.

“I don’t dope because I don’t want to cheat. But you want to use every fairgame device available,” she said following the demonstration using Masimo’s fingertip monitor for oxygen saturation and pulse rate using infrared sensors.

“The goal is to get the most out of a workout and still recover so you can do it the next day.”

Masimo spokesman said the systems use “a hospital-grade device which we have brought to the consumer.”

One of the big themes at this year’s Las Vegas event was the marriage of technology and sports. The Consumer Electronics Association, which organizes the show, estimates Americans alone will spend $1.8bn on fitness and activity trackers this year.

But CES exhibitors were showing off devices and services that go far beyond the simple fitness band.

Unveiled at the show, the AmpStrip

by US-based Fitlinxx is a patch that sticks to the body for anywhere from three to seven days and measures heart rate, activity and stress.

“It was designed as an aid to fitness enthusiasts,” said Fitlinxx’s Doug McClure.

“The need has to do with understanding how you are training. Overtraining leads to injury. By wearing this 24/7 we can understand how much stress your body is under.”

Digital coaching

An eagle tops the US Federal Reserve building's facade in Washington

AFP

REUTERS

California startup Zepp Labs showed its device, the size of a bottle cap, which can be attached to a tennis racquet baseball bat or golf club to collect data to analyze one’s swing, and compare it to that of professionals.

The data is fed into a smartphone app that allows the user to visualize his or her motions.

“We’re not just giving you data, we want to help you get better,” said Zepp’s Bill Lucarelli, as he showed the product in Las Vegas.

While several similar trackers are on the market, Lucarelli said the quality depends on the expertise behind the app.

“It’s all about the software and the

algorithm,” he said.

California-based Blast Motion offers a device for baseball, basketball and other sports, also using a tracking device.

“You can play basketball and see your metrics,” said Blast’s Donovan Prostrollo. “And a great feature is that when you have a good score you can tweet it to your friends.”

Epson, the Japanese electronics giant, used CES to introduce its M-Tracer golf swing analyzer. The tracker, which slips onto a golf club, takes measurements of the golfer’s swing speed, backswing and other characteristics to offer advice.

“The target market is someone who is passionate about the sport, who already has good gold skills, or someone who is taking lessons,” said Epson’s Randy Bergstedt.

The shirt’s the thing

Garments meanwhile are also being developed with these same sensors, woven into the fabric, eliminating the need for other kinds of wearable activity trackers.

“The next hot wearable is the shirt,” said Ramon Llamas, analyst with the research firm IDC. “It’s a wearable that’s already wearable, and it’s useful for pro athletes or weekend warriors.”

Several activity-monitoring garments were on display at the show including shirts and socks.

British-based development firm Cambridge Consultants showed its connected shirt with sensors woven into the fabric, virtually unseen. The prototype can be adapted for use in sports including tennis or golf.

“There is a large gap between what you can collect with a wrist band and the system that professional athletes have,” said developer Martin Brock.

“With this you can measure one’s motion not just on your wrist but on your entire body.

The thin wire blended into the garment allows it to be “washable, waterproof and robust,” he said.

“It’s reaching toward the idea with wearables where there is no (visible) technology, it’s just the garment.”

French technology firm Cityzen Sciences meanwhile showed its connected shirt, the technology for which will be used by Japan’s Asics in future sportswear. l

DILBERT

Gold eased on Wednesday, ending a three-day winning streak, as the dollar and equities strengthened and minutes from the Federal Reserve’s policy meeting in December showed the US central bank maintaining the status quo on interest rates.

The minutes contained few surprises, with policy makers pressing ahead with plans to begin raising rates this year after a debate on how to communicate their intentions.

Spot gold was down 0.3% at $1,215.93 an ounce at 3:22 pm EDT (2022 GMT) after jumping to its highest since Dec. 15 at $1,222.40 in the previous session as equities fell on concerns over Greece’s future in the euro zone.

US gold futures for delivery in February fell 0.7% to settle at $1,210.7 an ounce. The Fed minutes were a “nonevent,” said Tai Wong, director of metals trading at BMO Capital Markets in New York.

“You saw a bit of liquidation this morning ... and then it’s been stable for the rest of the day,” he said.

Gold’s near-term resistance for the closing price is expected at $1,220, while a close above that would shift the focus to further gains, with a target of $1,250, technical analysts at ScotiaMocatta said.

The dollar rose 0.6 percent against a basket of major currencies, trading close to a nine-year peak and making dollar-denominated gold more expensive for holders of other currencies.

The market will now await US payrolls data on Friday for fresh clues on the timing of Fed rate rises.

Gold has benefited from years of increased central bank liquidity and a low rates environment, while higher US rates would encourage investors to put money into riskier assets such as stocks and bonds. l

Standard Chartered to axe further 2,000 jobs n AFP, Hong Kong Standard Chartered said yesterday it would close a swathe of its global equities business and axe 2,000 jobs around the world this year as it tries to make savings of $400m as part of a structural overhaul.

The Asia-focused British bank said it had already announced or completed 2,000 job cuts in its retail clients business in the past three months, but 2,000 more were “expected during 2015” in the same segment.

Closing its cash equities, equity capital market and equity research operations would lead to a further 200 job losses, it said in a statement.

“We are well on track to deliver at least $400m of cost saves for 2015, and we are now focusing on achieving further cost savings for 2016 and beyond as we continue creating capacity to invest in the group’s core businesses,” chief executive Peter Sands said.

Cuts in the retail clients business would contribute to around half of the planned $400m savings for 2015.

The closure of the equities operations would deliver around $100m in savings next year, it said. l