19 Jan, 2015

Magh 6, 1421 Rabiul Awal 27, 1436 Regd No DA 6238 Vol 2, No 284

MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015 | www.dhakatribune.com | SECOND EDITION

20 pages | Price: Tk12

B1 | BUSINESS

7 | LONG FORM

11 | OP-ED

12 | SPORT

POULTRY WANTS ESCORT SERVICE

THE SPECTER OF ITS FASCIST PAST HAUNTS EUROPEAN NATIONALISM

DEMOCRACY OR GROWTH?

AUS-NZ AWAIT TO SEE MOMINUL FLOURISH

3 Eden College girls fall victim to arson attack One killed in Barisal as hartal observed in many districts n Tribune Report Following two days of respite from blockade-related fatalities, a truck helper was burnt alive in Barisal yesterday by petrol bomb-hurling pickets, who were enforcing a local hartal along with the 20-party alliance’s ongoing countrywide blockade.

Several districts, including all in the Rajshahi division, also saw hartal being staged by the alliance. Incidents of violence that injured many more were

Clash between police, Awami League and BNP hurts 15 in Comilla also reported from across the country, while an arson attack in the capital also saw college students getting hurt.

Yesterday’s fatality occurred at a place between Bamrail and Shanuhar in Barisal’s Wazirpur upazila, when a moving truck was set ablaze by petrol bomb-hurling pickets around 6am, said Barisal’s Superintendent of Police AKM Ehsanullah. The torched truck veered into a ditch – from where the driver managed to escape but his helper – 18-year-old Sohag – became stuck inside the driver’s cabin and was burnt

to death, the SP said.

The driver – Ripon – received medical attention at the Faridpur General Hospital for mild burn injuries, reports our Barisal correspondent.

The 20-party alliance was staging a hartal in the district yesterday protesting oppression and arrest of its leaders. Meanwhile, local police also detained Sharif Taslima Kalam Poly, a reserve-seat councillor of Barisal City Corporation, on charges of plotting subversive activities.

Violence in the capital

Two students of Eden College received burn injuries when the bus they were on was attacked by arsonists in Dhaka’s Khejur Bagan near the Jatiya Sangsad.

Miscreants on a motorcycle hurled petrol bombs at a Bikalpa Paribahan bus around 1:30pm before fleeing the scene. The victims, Sharmin Akter and Sathi Akter, are first-year students of Islamic Studies under the National University and are now receiving treatment at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Maymuna Akhter, a friend accompanying them, was also hurt while trying to get off the burning bus in a hurry, hospital sources said.

Partha Shankar Pal, resident surgeon of the DMCH burn unit, said  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

Traffic sergeants and pedestrians taking Maimuna to hospital, a first year student of Eden College who sustained serious injuries in a petrol bomb attack near Sangsad Bhaban in the capital yesterday. Relatives try to console two other victims of the same incident at the Burn Unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital FOCUSBANGLA/MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Victims’ families say government has no right to remain in office n Mohammad Jamil Khan Families of the three Eden College students, who were injured in yesterday’s petrol bomb attack on a passenger bus, alleged that the government had failed to provide security to the people of the country.

“Our children cannot even go to their education institutions to get education. There is no life security for our children when they are outside. If the government cannot provide security for our lives, then it does not have the right to remain in office,” said Md Khokon Miah, the worried father of Sathi Akhtar, one of the victims.

The middle-aged man was waiting outside the Burn and Plastic Surgery

Institute at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) to receive updates on his daughter Sathi, 20, who was inside undergoing treatment along with another friend, Sharmin Akhtar Juthi, 19.

P16 LOSSES IN TRADE Talking to the Dhaka Tribune while waiting, Khokon said: “What more can we say about what happened? We have lost our strength to speak.

“It seems we have yet to gain the freedom to live; we cannot even move freely on the streets.”

Sathi, and Juthi, along with their friends Maimuna Akhtar, 20, and Afrin Akhtar Mukti, 20, - who is also Sathi’s cousin – were on their way home in

Harrowing tales of arson attack victims

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 4

BangladeshiAustralian IS fighter urges attacks on West n Tribune Desk An Australian man of Bangladeshi origin, believed to be fighting alongside Islamic State (IS) fighters in Syria, has called on Australian Muslims to “bring the war home” to the west, according to the Melbourne Herald Sun. Suhan Rahman, a student of building management at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, was born and raised in the suburbs of Melbourne by an electrical engineer mother and agricultural scientist father, both of whom are Bangladeshi immigrants.

In several messages sent to Fairfax Media from a Facebook account, a user claiming to be Suhan said he had joined Islamic State to defend Muslims from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

Facebook posts, purporting to be from Rahman, calling on Muslim  PAGE 2 COLUMN 5

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 5

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday asked the police administration to hunt down the petrol bomb makers and throwers, and those responsible for other arson attacks across the country.

She gave the order to IGP AKM Shahidul Haque and DMP Commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia while visiting Square Hospitals to see police constable Md Shameem Mia, who was injured in a petrol bomb attack in city’s Matsya Bhaban area on Saturday night.

The police officials were present during the PM’s visit.

Hasina enquired about the health condition of Shameem and asked the doctors to ensure his proper medical treatment. l

Now Viber, Tango get trapped in security net

n Mohammad Jamil Khan

“I only see a bleak future as I belong to a poor family which is run with the little money I earn by driving a truck,” lamented Arman lying on a bed in the burn and plastic surgery unit of the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH).

“I am now confined to hospital bed. Who would help us now?” Arman crumpled his face in excruciating pain and asked the million-dollar question.

The 45-year-old man, while taking to the Dhaka Tribune, yesterday said he had to collect money for his two young children – Shanto (12) and Sayem (10) – and his pregnant wife.

“I may pass a day without having any food but what would happen to my children and my pregnant wife?” he posed a question.

Arman lives in the capital’s Basila

Mirpur from their college – where they are first-year students at the Islamic studies department – in Azimpur, when their bus was attacked.

The miscreants came on motorcycles and hurled petrol bombs at the bus when it was crossing the Zia Udyan area around 1:40pm. As the entire bus caught on fire, Maimuna acted on instinct and tried to escape through a window, followed by Mukti. The both sustained minor injuries while jumping off the bus.

But Sathi and Juthi were not as lucky, as they could not escape the fire on time – Sathi received 5% burn injuries in her left leg, which Juthi received 8% burns in her left arm and leg.

PM: Hunt down bomb makers, throwers n UNB

n Muhammad Zahidul Islam

Nurjahan, lies on a bed at the DMCH burn unit with severe injuries on face while her son, who was also injured, is asleep beside her. The mother-son duo came under an arson attack by pickets in the capital’s Mohammadpur area on Saturday night MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

42% French against Muhammad cartoons n AFP, Paris Almost half of French oppose publication of cartoons depicting Islam’s Prophet Muhammad, according to a poll Sunday, as global debate deepened on the limits of free speech in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo killings.

The Ifop poll found 42% believe Muhammad cartoons seen as offensive by many Muslims should not be published. Fifty percent said they backed “limitations on free speech online and on social networks.”

However, 57% said opposition from Muslims should not prevent the cartoons being published, according to the poll, published in Le Journal du Dimanche.

The poll found overwhelming support – 81% – for stripping French nationality from dual nationals who have committed an act of terrorism on French soil.

Almost 68% favoured banning French citizens from returning to the country if “they are suspected of having gone to fight in countries or regions

controlled by terrorist groups,” such as Syria.

The same percentage backed bans on people suspected of wanting to join jihadist movements from leaving France.

However, 57% of respondents to the poll opposed French military intervention in countries including Libya, Syria and Yemen.

The poll was conducted last week in the wake of the slaughter at Charlie Hebdo’s office in Paris, where Islamist  PAGE 2 COLUMN 4

The government kept popular Internet calling and messaging services Viber and Tango blocked from early yesterday until late last night on security grounds.

At the same time, the government also kept third generation (3G) mobile data services suspended for 11 hours out of the same concern, sources from several mobile operators said.

Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) Secretary Md Sarowar Alam told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday afternoon: “The commission made the decision upon requests from the law enforcement and intelligence agencies.”

He also confirmed that it was a short-term decision and therefore will not be continued for a long time.

Sources said the BTRC has recently got a letter from a high profile intelligence agency which warned that militants are using different modern services with the help of 3G. “Terrorist groups, militants and anti-state elements are carrying out terror and subversive activities using the facilities of communication devices such as mobile phones and Internet technologies such as Viber, Skype, Tango and WhatsApp,” the letter reads.

Copies of the letter, sent to the BTRC in the last week of December, were sent to the state ministers for home and ICT asking them to take necessary actions.

The BTRC however denied receiving any such letter.

Political sources claimed that the move could be a measure to check street violence during the ongoing non-stop countrywide blockade enforced by the BNP-led 20-party combine.

They said several top political leaders have recently been using Viber instead of mobile phone voice call services for communication because the software cannot be tapped.

When contacted, State Minister for ICT Junaid Ahmed Palak also denied receiving any such letter; but said he was in favour of the observation that mobile phone apps were being used for planning subversive activities.

“There is no doubt that popular voice and non-voice services are not being monitored and hence they are  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

INSIDE 4 | News

The Election Commission has planned to begin issuing Smart National Identity Cards to the people at no cost from March 26.

5 | News

President Abdul Hamid yesterday stressed on boosting the knowledge of information and communication technology as well as improving the quality of higher education among the young generation to make them competitive at the global stage.

6 | Nation

The countrywide indefinite blockade along with several hartals and rampant violence has been taking a toll on the agriculture sector of the country.

9 | World

Sri Lanka expelled the Colombo station chief of India’s spy agency in the run-up to this month’s presidential election, political and intelligence sources said.

15 | Entertainment

Nancy will launch her third solo album, ‘Dushtu Chhele,’ in the capital today. The album features eight songs, seven of the artiste’s originals and a Nazrul Geeti.

01_FR 02_Ne 16_BA

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

Hasina: We cannot let our country be destroyed n UNB Wondering whether the BNP quarter wants to bring in a 2008-like government, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday called upon all to be vocal against the BNP-Jamaat men who were carrying out subversive acts across the country.

“I urge all to be united and vocal against those miscreants who are unleashing destructive acts, hurling petrol bombs at buses, auto-rickshaws, private cars and other vehicles and thus killing people. Those miscreants must be caught wherever they are found… we cannot let our country be destroyed before our eyes,” she said.

The premier said so while delivering her introductory speech at a meeting with senior officials of the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs and its various institutions at its conference room.

Recalling the countrywide destructive activities carried out by BNP-Jamaat activists before the January 5 poll last year, she said: “Who would have come to power had there been no continuation of the democratic process after that election? An emergency government like that of 2008 or Marshall Law? I do not know whether they [BNP-Jamaat] again want to bring such a government. But such things are no longer acceptable across the world.”

Noting that there is no need to be dependent on others, the prime minister said: “People are the main strength and their support should be gained.”

Hasina said: “There were some people who have failed to form any party, unable to gain public support and do not think of the welfare of people, always aspiring for any unconstitutional or emergency government to gain personal benefits.”

Referring to BNP, she said: “This political party has been out of parliament after taking a wrong political decision

of boycotting the January 5 polls, and is now trying to burn the country out of despair.”

Mentioning the horrific recent incidents of burning numerous people through petrol bomb attacks, including university students and seven-month pregnant woman, she said: “The BNP-Jamaat activists are carrying out such activities as they do not believe in the country’s independence and the Liberation War because their hearts are with their Pakistani lords.”

Hasina directed the Liberation War Affairs Ministry to widely publicise the true history of 1971 War of Independence.

Regarding the “self-confinement” of the BNP chief, Hasina reiterated that Khaleda has kept herself confined as she is unwilling to go back home. “She is taking food and other things from outside, giving directives to her party leaders and activities and attending telephone calls. So how could she say she is in confinement?”

Saying the BNP was born through illegal power grabbing after the assassination of Bangabandhu in 1975, the prime minister alleged that whenever the BNP went to power, it took the country backwards.

Hasina said when the newspapers ran stories about Bangladesh moving ahead and leaving Pakistan behind in all fields, including education, food security, social safety nets and use of technology, the BNP-Jamaat started killing and oppressing people in the name of a movement.

“What is the issue? When the country is moving in the right path of development in all fields, why is there a movement?” the premier questioned.

About the debate over proclaimer of independence, Hasina said many had to hear such debate, but the country’s independence came through a process and Bangabandhu had showed that path. l

News

Fifth JS session begins today n BSS The fifth session of the 10th parliament begins today, the first session of the year as well as the winter session.

The House will convene at 4pm.

Official sources said so far two bills were submitted for the fifth session – Formalin Control Bill 2015 and Financial Reporting Bill 2015.

President Md Abdul Hamid summoned the session on December 31.

As per the constitution, the president will deliver his speech based on government activities, especially highlighting development works. General discussion on thanks-giving motion on the speech will take place in the session.

The Business Advisory Committee of parliament will finalise the duration of the session at its meeting this afternoon. Besides, there are six bills pending with the Parliament Secretariat for this session. l

14-party to hold rally at Gabtoli tomorrow n Abu Hayat Mahmud The ruling Awami League-led 14-party alliance will hold a rally at Gabtoli Bus Terminal tomorrow as part of its programme to resist ambush attacks on people by BNP-led 20-party alliance.

Disaster Management and Relief Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya announced the schedule before a meeting of the Awami League’s Dhaka city unit in the capital yesterday.

Chaired by city unit President MA Aziz, the meeting was also addressed

by Food Minister Quamrul Islam and several other leaders.

Maya, also general secretary of city unit, said they would also hold several rallies at major bus terminals and entry points of Dhaka city.

Quamrul said: “All political crisis can be solved through talks. But, terrorism, violence, sabotage and secret attacks can not be stopped by holding dialogue. l

Now Viber, Tango get trapped in security net  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

threats for the nation because they can be used to promote militant attacks,” Palak told the Dhaka Tribune.

The government kept popular video-sharing website YouTube blocked from September 2012 to June 2013 following the emergence of an anti-Islam clip on the cyber surface.

In 2013, they government tried to put in place a monitoring system for popular social media platforms Facebook, Whatsapp, Twitter and Linkedin but failed.

On Saturday night, BTRC sent an e-mail to the six mobile phone, three wi-max, all International Gateway (IGW) and International Internet Gateways (IIG) operators in the county requesting them to block the two free voice and messaging services.

The Dhaka Tribune obtained a copy of the letter which was sent from the System and Service Division of the BTRC and signed an by an assistant director.

“I am directed to instruct you to kindly stop the Viber and Tango services in your network from 0001 hrs of 18th January 2015 till 1800 hrs of 18th January 2015,” the letter reads.

The BTRC, in a subsequent commu-

nication, asked operators to extend the restriction timing to 11:59pm yesterday.

After sending the e-mail, a BTRC team visited several offices to monitor whether the operators had complied with the directive.

Robi said they had done everything possible from their end to blocked Viber and Tango but it was very tough for an operator to fully block these “over the top” (OTT) services.

“Mobile operators are trying to block these two services; but technically, it is very difficult for them to block these services on their networks,” AKM Morshed, chief technology officer of Robi, told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday morning.

Morshed also said although they had blocked Viber and Tango on their networks, people were still using them on personal and local wi-fi networks and hotspots.

Grameenphone, the country’s leading mobile telecom operator, in a message on its website said sorry to its subscribers for not being able to provide the two services as per BTRC’s instruction.

Viber is an instant messaging and voice over internet protocol (VoIP) application for smartphones developed

by Viber Media. It works on both 3G/4G and wi-fi networks and has over 280 million registered users out of which 100 million are regular, says Wikipedia.

But there is no specific data on how many people use this app in Bangladesh.

Tango is a third-party cross-platform messaging application software for smartphones developed in 2009 that also offers video calls over both kinds of networks. It had more than 200 million registered users as of March 2014.

3G unofficially blocked

Although there was no official order from the authorities, mobile telecom operators were also requested to keep 3G services blocked from Sunday 1am to 12pm.

Operators said this was not the first time; they have done it several times in the past in different parts of the country upon requests from the telecom regulator BTRC. “As our regulators are not capable of monitoring all the modern services, sometimes they request us to suspend specific services,” a senior official of a mobile operator told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

According to BTRC, Bangladesh now

3 Eden College girls fall victim to arson attack  PAGE 1 COLUMN 2

Sharmin received 8% burn injuries on her legs while Sathi sustained 3% burn injury also on her legs. Sources said the students were heading for college and were sitting on the seats at the back of the bus when the attack took place.

Meanwhile, at least two people were injured in a crude bomb blast in Old Dhaka. One of the injured was identified as Shamsul Haque, 40, a rickshaw puller; while the identity of the other victim could be known.

Azizul Haq, officer-in-charge of Chawkbazar police station, said pickets exploded the crude bomb in front of Ashik Tower at Chawkbazar around 4pm.

Despite these sporadic incidents, no other major violence was reported in the city. Traffic movement remained moderate, while some long-route buses left the capital. Launch operation was almost normal but trains missed schedule at Kamalapur Rail Station.

Meanwhile, in a press release yesterday, the Border Guard Bangladesh said they have deployed BGB personnel at different parts of the capital in the evening to help law enforcers maintain the law and order situation in the city.

Incidents outside Dhaka

In Comilla town, at least 15 people in-

cluding five policemen were injured in a clash between law enforcers, and the supporters of the Awami League and the BNP. Police and witnesses said the clash was triggered when BNP supporters started hurling bricks at an anti-blockade procession by the Awami League in Kandirpar area around noon.

Khurshed Alam, officer-in-charge of Comilla Kotwali police station, said: “The police acted instantly when the Awami League supporters launched a counter-attack, while at least 10 people from both sides and five policemen including Sub-Inspector Salauddin and Constable Mofazzal Hossain were injured in the clash.”

The police fired around 50 blank shotgun shells, 45 rubber bullets and 20 tear gas canisters to bring the situation under control. Additional police forces have been deployed in the town to avert further violence.

Meanwhile, our Chittagong correspondent reports that a private bank official was injured in an attack allegedly by Shibir supporters in Notun Bridge area in the morning.

The victim, 52-year-old UCBL Bank official Mujibur Rahman, was attacked at 8:30am when around 20 Shibir men brought out a flash procession and pelt-

Monday, January 19, 2015

ed brick chunks at Mujibur, who was heading to work.

In Gazipur’s Sripur upazila, a bus driver suffered burns while trying to rush out of his vehicle that was set ablaze by miscreants near MC Bazar.

The driver, 48-year-old Abdur Rahman, was asleep inside the stationary bus when arsonists poured petrol and torched the vehicle at around 8pm yesterday. He received burn wounds to his arms and legs.

Violence in northwestern districts

The BNP-led alliance began staging a 36-hour hartal in Rajshahi division yesterday amid sporadic incidents of violence.

Iftekhar Alam, assistant police commissioner of Rajshahi Metropolitan Police, said Shibir activists brought out a procession in Rajshahi city and burned car tyres on the road in front of the Rajshahi Government College around 8am. A crude bomb was also hurled at a RAB car there, but no one was hurt in the incident.

No top or mid-level BNP leaders were seen on the streets during the hartal, our Rajshahi correspondent reports.

In Bogra’s Matidali, the police arrested 10 pickets around 10:30am from the Dhaka-Rangpur Highway. Protest-

Abu Taher, 75, lies in the DMCH Burn Unit, miserably burnt when pickets hurled petrol bombs at a bus carrying him in the capital’s Mohammadpur area on Saturday night. His relatives pass hours in anxiety by his bed MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Harrowing tales of arson attack victims  PAGE 1 COLUMN 1

area of Mohammadpur with his wife Shilpi Akther and two children.

“Leaders of both the major political parties sleep happily in their warm and cosy living rooms but we lose everything and pass our days in pain and sufferings. Please, do something to stop such inhuman acts. It is unbearable,” says Arman.

On Saturday night around 8:30pm, he was coming back home at Basila from Gabtali by brothers Paribahan.

Soon after the bus reached near the Basila of Mohammadpur, pickets threw two petrol bombs at their buses and in no time it went up in flame.

One bomb came through one of the front-side window as it was open while the other pierced through another glass-window. “I have jumped off the bus through a window but by the time the fire had caught me,” says Arman.

Arman suffered 12% burn injury in his back, abdomen and hands. Doctors said he was out of danger but needs a long-time treatment to heal.

In the same incident 75-year-old Abu Taher is sufferings from 12% burn injury in his face and his respiratory

has over 10 million 3G users. Stateowned mobile operator Teletalk first launched one of the world’s fastest wireless communication methods in October 2012. l

42% French against Muhammad cartoons  PAGE 1 COLUMN 4

gunmen killed 12 people, saying they were taking revenge for repeated publication by the magazine of Prophet Muhammad caricatures.

On Saturday, five people were killed and churches were set on fire in Niger in the latest protests by Muslims against Charlie Hebdo’s decision after the massacre to print another Muhammad cartoon.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius condemned the violence in Niger while President Francois Hollande called freedom of expression “non-negotiable”. l

ing the arrest, the local BNP unit said it would stage an added 12 hours of hartal in the district.

Elsewhere, Shibir and Chhatra Dal activists brought out processions at Shantirmore and Boro Indira intersections in Chapainawabganj, where the death of an alleged Chhatra Dal activist in a RAB “gunfight” prompted the hartal in the Rajshahi division.

On the Himchi Bypass Road in Joypurhat’s Puranapol area, pickets torched a truck after stopping it by puncturing its tyres with nails on the road. They also snatched Tk7,000 and a mobile phone from the owner of the goods that were on the truck. At the district’s Pachbibi area, pickets also torched a fish-laden truck.

Meanwhile, in Gaibandha, a trucker named Yasin Miah and his two assistants Masud Mia and Shahjahan Ali sustained injuries when pickets forced the truck to veer into a ditch in the morning. The pickets also vandalised two autorickshaws in the Shimultail area.

In the early hours yesterday, arsonists also torched a post office at Gobindaganj upazila’s Kochasahor union.

Since January 5, blockade-related violence has claimed the lives of at least 24 people and injured scores others throughout the country. l

system was affected too. Taher was shifted to the Intensive Care Unit of the burn unit.

Taher along with his son Abu Bakkar and wife Helena Begum came to the capital from Pabna on Saturday to see a doctor. But ill-fated Taher fell victim to the arson attack.

Abu Bakkar, a private car driver, too received burn injury in his left hand.

Morzina, daughter of Taher, told the Dhaka Tribune that they lived in Kamrangirchar.

“The only earning member of our family is my brother Bakkar and now he landed in the hospital with burn injury. We poor people are always victims of such attacks.”

The bus fire also burnt 25-year-old Billal who is undergoing treatment in critical condition at the ICU of the burn unit. He received 25% burn injury with his breathing system affected.

Billal works for a buying house. He comes from Lalmohon area of Bhola.

He has his wife Shima Akther and a two-month-old girl Sinha.

Billal’s uncle Fazlur Rahman said Billal was only the earning member of his family. If something bad happens to

him only God knows what was awaiting his family members.

A police constable Morshed (45) who has been serving his force for the last 19 years is now suffering with 8% burn injury in his face at the ICU of the burn unit.

Morshed was burnt after arsonists hurled petrol bombs at a police bus in the capital’s Matsyabhaban area.

At present a total of 18 patients are undergoing treatment while 34 have been released in the last 13-day countrywide indefinite blockade.

Of them, four persons are now undergoing treatment at the ICU in critical condition.

Prof MA Kalam, chief of the burn institute, said the prime minister is aware of the burn victims and “she said the government would bear the expenses of the burn victims”.

On Sunday morning, Director of the Prime Minister Office Julfiqar Ali Lelin came to the hospital to enquire about the burn victims.

Lelin said all kinds of facilities would be ensured for the burn victims and each of them has already been given Tk10,000 primarily. l

Bangladeshi-Australian IS fighter  PAGE 1 COLUMN 1

Australians to shed blood at home come after pictures emerged on social media of the Bangladeshi-Australian with Sydney jihadist Mohamed Elomar.

Lebanese-Australian Elomar gained international notoriety after tweeting pictures of himself grinning as he held up the decapitated heads of Syrian soldiers.

Suhan’s family has made a desperate plea to their son to return home after the 23-year-old’s father, Lutfur Rahman, alerted Australian authorities, the Melbourne Herald Sun reported on Thursday.

Lutfur said he had been told by the Australian Federal Police Counter-Terrorism Squad that his son’s movements abroad were being monitored.

His father, distraught after learning of his son’s decision to join IS, said: “We hoped that he would never get into this type of thing.

“Everything was OK then suddenly he just left the country.”

Police in the Australian state of Victoria are currently probing threats posted on Suhan’s Facebook page.

Facebook posts on Suhan’s page Thursday said: “I say stuf [sic] the peaceful protests. Spill blood young aussies [sic]. Dont [sic] be humiliated especially if u cant [sic] b here in sham [sic].”

Referring to the recent terrorist attacks in France, one post read: “May allah [sis] accept the french brothers who terrorised france [sic]. Allahu akbar [sic]. Day by day we will bring the war home to you.”

Along with the posts, Suhan’s Facebook page also featured an uploaded photograph of himself wielding a silver AK47 rifle.

Before the student’s sudden to turn to jihadist politics, posts on his Facebook page painted the image of a fun-loving young man who enjoyed Melbourne’s nightclubs, partying with friends, rap music and fast cars. l

Govt has no right to remain in office  PAGE 1 COLUMN 5

Maimuna and Mukti received primary treatment at the DMCH and were released.

The girls went to college to pay examination fees, Khokon said.

The Dhaka Tribune also talked to Harun-or-Rashid, Sathi’s uncle and Mukti’s father, who voiced similar sentiment as Khokon.

“We no longer want the leadership of those two women [Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia]. They are doing all this for their own personal interests, and we the common people are paying the price for their destructive activities, our children taking the brunt of it,” said Rashid.

Dr Partha Shankar Pal, resident surgeon at the burn institute, told the Dhaka Tribune that both Sathi and Juthi were out of danger, they would have to stay in the hospital for a while.

Habibunnabi, additional deputy commissioner of Tejgaon division at police, said: “The two pickets came at one side of the bus, threw the petrol bombs inside and feld. We are looking into the incident and trying to trace the attackers’ whereabouts.”

Earlier on Saturday, five policemen and nine others were injured in crude bomb explosion and petrol bomb attack at two different incidents in the capital. All were taken to the DMCH for treatment.

Nahid terms the attack ‘inhuman’

Visiting the burn victims at the DMCH yesterday around 3pm, Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid said: “This is

not an act of humans. These animals are killing students and teachers by setting them on fire.”

Addressing the pro-blockade activists, the minister further said: “Carry out your demonstrations in some other way; please stop these inhuman activities. The way you are running your demonstration is harmful for the nation as innocent children, who are the future of this country, are getting hurt.”

He further said: “These people showed similar brutality during this government’s previous term. Now they have started again, but all they have been able to do is kill people.”

Nahid’s visit was followed by a visit from Zahid Malik, state minister of health and family welfare. After visiting the two students, the state minister said police, Rapid Action Battalion and Border Guard Bangladesh were working to improve the situation in the country.

Asked if the law enforcement agencies were failing to control the situation, he said: “They have not failed yet as they are still working on it.”

He also said the armed forces could also join in to improve the situation, if necessary.

During the 13 days of the ongoing indefinite blockade by the BNP-led 20-party alliance across the country, at least 28 people have been killed in different incidence of political violence. A number of injured are burn victims, 30 of whom were taken to the DMCH burn institute. At present, 18 such burn victims are undergoing treatment at the hospital. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

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Monday, January 19, 2015

The train compartments at the Tongi Railway Station are hardly visible in the middle of a sea of devotees who poured in from across the country to join the Akheri Munajat or the final prayer of the Biswa Ijtema on the banks of Turag River yesterday. One side of the Kuril Biswa Road sees a gridlock while thousands of devotees return to the capital on foot on the other side of the road after attending the final prayer RAJIB DHAR

Rangunia tense after Sunni-Wahabi clashes n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong

A day after series of attacks and clashes between the followers of Sunni and Wahhabi Muslims, the common people in Chittagong’s Rangunia area were in panic even yesterday anticipating further violence.

Members of paramilitary Border Guard Bangladesh, police and Rapid Action Battalion were deployed in the area since Saturday morning to evade any kind of violence, Hathazari circle Assistant Superintendent of Police AFM Nizam Uddin said.

Meanwhile, police refused to take cases when both the groups wanted to sue each other blaming for the violence.

Amid such volatile situation, the Sunnis yesterday held a rally on Rangunia College playground on the occasion of Eid-e-Miladunnabi.

But noted Islamic scholar Syed Mohammad Taher Shah, the Pakistan-ori-

gin Awlad-e-Rasul, decided not to join the event, Gausia Committee Bangladesh’s Joint Secretary General Mosahed Uddin Bokhtiar said.

At least 40 people were injured in attacks and clashes that began Friday night and continued until Saturday afternoon.

Police said the clashes erupted after some Wahhabi followers had attacked a rally of Sunnis in the upazila’s Safarbhata area on Friday night as a speaker delivered speech criticising the Wahhabi ideology, leaving 16 people including upazila Vice-Chairman Akhter Hossain injured.

The attackers torched a vehicle and vandalised some others along with some shops and houses of the Sunni followers, police said.

The Wahhabi ideologists were holding another rally in adjacent Kajirkhill area. Police said neither of the groups had permission to hold the programmes.

Following the attack, Sunni and Wa-

habi ideologists locked into clashes in the upazila’s Shilok, Chandraghona, Mariamnagar, Buijjar Dokan, Habiber Gotta, Chowdhury Gotta, Roajarhat, Ichhakhali, Gochora, Godown and Shantirhat areas from Friday midnight to 8am on Saturday.

At least 24 people were injured in the overnight clashes. Police fired several hundred bullets to disperse the vandals and tamed the situation.

Locals and police sources said at least 15 houses and 30 shops, owned by followers of both sides, were vandalised while some of them torched.

Rangunia OC Mohammad Waliullah said the groups had agreed to not engaging in further violence when warned by the local administration.

Citing such clashes “disgraceful for Islam,” Rangunia upazila Chairman Muhammad Ali Shah urged all to exercise restraint as the common people were worried over the incidents. l

Special HC bench begins hearing on BDR carnage death references n Tribune Report

A special bench of the High Court has started hearing on the death references in the BDR carnage case.

The bench of judges Md Shawkat Hossain, Md Abu Zafor Siddique and Nazrul Islam Talukder started the hearing yesterday.

Attorney General Mahbubey Alam read out the first information report (FIR) from the paper book.

During the hearing, a defense lawyer, Md Aminul Islam, asked the court to hold it in presence of a few convicts, but the court denied it on the grounds of security concerns and space crisis.

Another defense lawyer, Shamim Sarder, sought a copy of the paper book during the hearing, when the court said: “We will try to provide the copy.”

In case of urgency, the court also suggested photocopying its own copy.

The special bench that held the hear-

ing was restructured by new Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha yesterday.

Immediate past chief justice Muzammel Hossain, formed this bench with judges Md Shawkat Hossain, Md Abu Zafor Siddique and Mustafa Zaman Islam on January 4.

In an unprecedented verdict on November 5, 2013, a Dhaka court sentenced 151 former BDR (now BGB) members and at least one civilian to death for killing 57 army officers and 17 civilians during a mutiny in the paramilitary force’s Pilkhana headquarters on February 25-26, 2009.

The court also awarded life term jail sentences to 161 others for their involvement in inciting and conspiring the mutiny.

Additional attorney general Murad Reja, deputy attorney general KM Jahid Sorwar and Gazi Mamunur Rashid also attended the court during the hearing yesterday. l

Bangladeshi shot dead in South Africa n Our Correspondent, Comilla A Bangladeshi worker was shot dead by miscreants in South Africa early yesterday.

The deceased was identified as Sohel, 22, son of Nurul Islam of Comilla’s Chandina.

According to the family source, a group of miscreants came to the shop Sohel was working and demanded money at around 12:30am Bangladesh time on Sunday.

When Sohel refused to give in to their demand, the miscreants shot him leaving him dead on the spot.

Sohel, hailing from Jamirapara village of Chhaykot, went to South Africa in 2010 and took up a job at his uncle Abu Yusuf’s store.

The news of his death reached his family yesterday morning.

The distraught family is yet to make any arrangement to bring Sohel’s body until filing of this report yesterday evening. l

‘Khaleda’s office needs to be moved Sylhet mayor denied bail n from the diplomatic zone’ Our Correspondent, Habiganj

n Abu Hayat Mahmud

Muhith: Long-term blockade may have serious impacts on the economy n Tribune Report Finance Minister AMA Muhith has cautioned that the BNP-led 20-party alliance’s blockade might have “dangerous” impacts on the country’s economy if it continued for a longer period of time.

Claiming that the BNP did not have enough public support to bring down the Awami League-led government, Muhith added that the party should consider altering its strategy on the current political movement.

The finance minister made the remarks yesterday following a meeting on amending the VAT Act 2012, which is one of the conditions for disbursement of two tranches of Extended Credit Facility programme of the International Monetary Fund.

The meeting was also attended by Finance Secretary Mahbub Ahmed and Bangladesh Bank Governor Atiur Rahman.

Talking to reporters, Muhith said the ongoing blockade was only managing to claim people’s lives and harm the economy.

Asked whether the government would revise its projected 7.3% GDP growth for the year, the minister said: “We will not immediately revise the current fiscal year’s projected GDP growth; but if the BNP’s blockade continues, the government will consider revising the [projected] GDP.” l

Khaleda Zia’s office needs to be removed from the diplomatic zone in order to ensure security for the diplomats and foreigners living here, said Awami League leader Hasan Mahmud.

Terming the BNP-led 20-party alliance a rehabilitation centre for terrorists and militants who are carrying out secret attack on women and children, the former minister said the office of the leader of terrorists and militants should not be located inside such an important area.

He made the remarks while speaking as the chief guest at a programme in the capital yesterday.

“Staying in the diplomatic zone, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia is leading secret attacks by petrol bombs on innocent people. Many ambassadors, diplomats and foreigners live in that area. So, I urge the government to remove Khaleda Zia’s political office from Gulshan,” he said.

Khaleda Zia has been staying inside her political office in Gulshan since January 3. BNP claims that she had been kept confined there by the

government. Several leaders from the ruling Awami League including Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina have said she was free to go home.

For several days earlier this month, Dhaka Metropolitan Police kept sand and bricks-laden trucks stationed in front of the office; they said they wanted to ensure Khaleda’s security.

Recently, DMP has decided to bring several areas in the vicinity including Gulshan, Baridhara and Niketon under 400 CCTV cameras. The BNP chief’s Gulshan office has already been put under CCTV camera surveillance. l

A Habiganj court yesterday rejected a bail petition by suspended Sylhet mayor Ariful Haque Chowdhury in the Shah AMS Kibria murder case.

Habiganj District and Sessions Judge Mahbubul Alam passed the order after a counsel for Ariful, who is currently receiving medical treatment at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital under police custody, submitted a bail petition in the afternoon.

The judge said Ariful was denied bail as his alleged involvement with the killing has been proved investigation.

Public Prosecutor Akbar Hossain Jitu said probe into the sensitive case was ongoing; so the court had denied

bail for Ariful after he recovers.

Defence counsel Chowdhury Ashraful Bari Noman said they would soon go to the High Court to seek bail.

On December 30, Ariful surrendered to a Habiganj court and was sent to jail.

On January 7, the Local Government Division issued a circular suspending the Sylhet city mayor.

On November 13, police submitted a supplementary charge sheet against 35 people including 11 new in the case. The freshly-indicted accused included Arif, Habiganj Mayor GK Gaus and BNP leader Harris Chowdhury.

On January 27, 2005, five people including Kibria were killed in a grenade attack after attending a rally in Boidyer Bazar of Habiganj. l

Maya calls for withdrawal of MRDI proposes revising section 7 of RTI Act Khaleda’s security cordon n Tribune Report

n BSS Relief and Disaster Management Minister and General Secretary of Dhaka city unit Awami League Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya called for withdraw al of the security cordon around Khaleda Zia. He was addressing a meeting of City Awami league at Bangabandhu Avenue.

Maya said: “I appeal to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to withdraw the

security cordon around Khaleda Zia because she [Khaleda] has transformed BNP into a conspiracy box.”

He said the way Khaleda Zia has made a hostage of the whole nation, the people are outraged and it will not be surprising if they attack her.

“Although Khaleda claims to be under siege, her leaders and workers are free to meet her and commit sabotage.”

Food Minister Kamrul Islam said that there could be no dialogue with terrorists. l

Chief Information Commissioner Mohammad Farooq yesterday said they would initiate revision of the Right to Information Act 2009 since some issues regarding section 7 that restricts disclosure of certain information needed to be reconsidered.

“Every law needs rational changes; the Right to Information Act is no exception. Several issues of section 7 need to be reconsidered and explained,” Farooq said at a programme in the city when the Management and Resources Development Initiative (MRDI) handed

over a set of proposals regarding this.

“We will take an initiative to revise the law in line with the recommendations put forward by the MRDI. Following scrutiny and revision of the suggestions, the commission will ask the ministry concerned for an amendment to the RTI Act,” he added.

Information Commissioner Nepal Chandra Sarker said: “We are thinking about analysing the whole law. Apart from section 7, we want to identify the other weak points in the law and propose for the amendment.”

Even though all authorities have been compelled to provide information

in line with the law, section 7 of the RTI Act prohibits distribution of 20 types of information.

The MRDI prepared the recommendations based on a perception survey conducted earlier in association with Manusher Jonno Foundation. The Information Commission was also involved in the survey.

MRDI Executive Director Hasibur Rahman said analysing hearings and examples, they had found evidence of wrong explanation and misuse of the RTI Act by some officials which were obstructing the establishment of citizen’s right. l

NBR to go harsh against errant TIN holders n UNB

Worried at the poor turnout of income tax returns even after extending the deadline twice for individual taxpayers, the National Board of Revenue has decided to be harsh on the errant tax identification number holders.

The deadline for income tax return submission was November 30 last year.

A little over 1 million out of the 1.8 million TIN-holders have filed submission The number of income tax return was 10,26,913 out of 1.8 million TIN holders till the last date.

“Yes, we hoped to get better revenue collection compared to the previous year, but the amount of income tax was lower than the last fiscal,” an income tax commissioner preferring anonymity told UNB. The amount of revenue collection from the 10,26,913 taxpayers was Tk 1,300 crore. The amount was Tk1,600 crore in the previous fiscal from 8,30,000 income tax return files.

“We were expecting almost double revenue from this year as the number of income tax returns increased

significantly,” the NBR official said.

He said the NBR is apprehending tax evasion and asked all taxes zones to submit their report after reviewing the overall situation.

The letter asked the zones to identify the reasons for not increasing the amount of revenue collection after reviewing 110 income tax return files.

NBR hoped that at least 1.3 million would submit their income tax return.

Of the total number 300,000 will be the new TIN taker.

Some 1,95,000 taxpayers have extended their return submission date by

applying to their respective tax zones individually.

NBR in its letter asked the tax zones to closely monitor the individual taxpayers who have applied to extend their time.

On the other hand, it also asked to monitor the taxpayers who have taken the e-TIN recently whether they submit their return or not.

It asked the zone offices to take actions as per law against the e-TIN takers who did not submit their income tax return in due time.

According to the Income Tax Ordi-

nance the punishment for not submitting income tax return is Tk 1000 for one time and Tk 50 for each delayed day.

NBR is thinking to be more stern against the errant taxpayers as it would be easier for them to catch the taxpayers as they have taken e-TIN that requires the National ID. The budget for the current fiscal set an overall revenue collection target of TK 1,82,954 crore. Of the target, the share of NBR is estimated at TK1,49,720 crore, up Tk 24,720 crore from the last fiscal. l

4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Monday, January 19, 2015

EC plans to issue smart national IDs from Independence Day n Munir Momtaj

The Election Commission has planned to begin issuing Smart National Identity Cards to the people at no cost from March 26.

People will have a chance to correct the present information of their present cards before the Smart NIDs are issued, said Director General of the NID registration wing Brigadier General Sultanuzzaman Md Saleh Uddin at a press briefing at the commission yesterday.

“At present, a total of 9.60 crore voters are registered with the commission and 13% of them may need to change their details. These people can do so by submitting applications both online and offline.

“People will be able to get the new smart NID cards by returning the existing laminated ones,” he added.

Acting secretary of the commission Md Sirajul Islam said the move to issue smart NID cards was aimed at preventing fraud.

“It is easy to commit fraud with the existing cards and many people are using it illegally. But smart NIDs will come with 25 security features and eight others that meet international standards, making it very difficult and costly to make fake duplicates,” he said.

“It might not be possible to issue cards to all the citizens on March 26 which is why we will start with the eminent citizens on the Independence Day,” he added.

Election Commission Secretary Sirajul Islam speaking at a press briefing arranged at the commission’s media cell in the capital yesterday FOCUS BANGLA

The authorities have taken the decision to provide smart NIDs as part of the Identification System for Enhancing Access to Services (IDEA) project.

With the approval of the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase, the Election Commission and Oberthur Technologies, a French company that provides digital security solutions, signed an agreement on January 14.

According to the deal, Oberthur Technologies will take Tk79626.78 lakh

to make 90 million smart NIDs. The firm will take 18 months to deliver all the cards, with six million cards to be delivered each month.

Smart NIDs will have some 25 uses, including obtaining TIN number, driving licence, passport, submitting job applications, selling real state, opening bank accounts, insurance, marriage registration and divorce, immigration and admission to educational institutions.

This is a Tk137,919 lakh project and

will be completed in June next year.

A committee was formed on this project which was comprised of teachers of Dhaka University and Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, and officials of Bangladesh Computer Council, Bangladesh Bank, Bangladesh Army, the NSI and the World Bank.

The commission says smart NIDs will lessen corruption in financial organisations and prevent child marriage. l

Nirmul Committee: Jamaat out to unseat government n Tribune Desk Jamaat-e-Islami’s spending crores of taka as part of its plot to uproot the incumbent government, led by pro-liberation Awami League, is the most crucial matter of concern for the nation, Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee has said.

“Since the inception of the International Crimes Tribunal in 2010, the trials of 16 top war criminals have been completed. We consider it as an initial triumph of the movement launched on January 19, 1992 by Sheheed Janani [mother of martyr] Jahanara Imam.

“The trial of the war criminals is under way despite having many limitations. But Jamaat and its aides have been desperate to foil the trials, take revenge of the defeat [of Pakistan and its auxiliary forces led by Jamaat] in 1971 by uprooting the pro-liberation government through terrorism and conspiracy, and turning the country into one like Molla Omar’s Afghanistan or Ziaul Huq’s Pakistan,” said a statement released yesterday by the platform campaigning for trial of the war criminals.

The Nirmul Committee was formed demanding trial of those involved in genocide and war crimes and seeking ban of politics by Jamaat and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir in the country.

The people’s movement spread quickly across the country and beyond border.

A people’s court (Gonoadalot) under the movement on March 26, 1992 sentenced Jamaat guru Ghulam Azam and other war criminals to death penalty.

Two days later Jahanara Imam was arrested and sued for treason.

The Nirmul Committee statement also reads: “The network of al-Qaeda and Islamic State has been spreading in Bangladesh with the help of Jamaat.

Now the country’s security and all the achievements from the 1971 Liberation War have been under threat. It is a challenge not only for the Nirmul Committee but also for the whole nation.”

To mark the day, members of the platform will place floral wreaths at the grave of Jahanara Imam in Mirpur at 8am. It has also announced a discussion for today in the capital’s WVA auditorium. l

Ex-UP member killed in Chuadanga n Our Correspondent, Chuadanga Unidentified miscreants hacked to death a former union parishad member at Choighoria village in Sadar upazila yesterday.

The murder incident occurred to Sirajul Islam, 45, a resident from the village.

Chuadanga Sadar police station SI Kamruzzaman said a gang of armed miscreants swooped on Sirajul in the village around 4:30pm.

Later, he died on the way to the district hospital, the SI went on. Being informed, police recovered the body and sent it to Chuadanga Sadar Hospital morgue for autopsy.

However, locals claimed that the culprits at first shot him and then hacked indiscriminately to ensure death.

The hospital’s on-duty doctor Mashiur Rahman said they found many hacking injury marks throughout Sirajul’s body, which led to the quick death. l

Sonali Bank general manager grilled for Khaleda’s Adviser Dudu sent to jail allegedly amassing wealth illegally n

Lighter vessels’ workers go on indefinite strike

n Adil Sakhawat

n CU Correspondent

Md Sanaul Islam Tipu

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) yesterday grilled ATM Mizanur Rahman, general manager of state-owned Sonali Bank Ltd’s Foreign Trade Division, for allegedly amassing wealth illegally.

ACC Assistant Director Masudur Rahman grilled him from 10 am to 12 pm at the anti-graft watchdog’s headquarters in the capital, a source told the Dhaka Tribune. While serving as a deputy general manager of the bank’s

Foreign Remittance Management Division between February 2011 and December 2014, Masud had allegedly lent Tk7000-8000 crore.

While lending from the bank, he had not allegedly taken any security money or any authentic document in exchange for huge amount of bribe, which runs against the rules of the bank.

Now Mizanur owns a house at Banani and a piece of land worth Tk5 crore and two cars worth Tk10 crore.

Allegedly, apart from these things, he

has huge amount of illegal wealth.

When General Manager Masud was asked about all these allegations yesterday, he denied it, saying he had not been involved in any such activity, the source said.

The anti-graft watchdog began an inquiry on December 31 after they received “specific” allegations against him on providing loan without security money. The commission sent him notice to appear before the commission on January 11. l

A Dhaka court yesterday sent Khaleda Zia’s Adviser Md Shamsuzzaman Dudu and two others to jail in a case filed for instigating destructive activities during the BNP-led alliance’s ongoing indefinite blockade.

Metropolitan Magistrate Md Rezaul Karim passed the order after Sub-Inspector Md Muniruzzaman of Mirpur Model police station, also the investigation officer of the case, produced Dudu before the court after completion of a five-day remand. The two other accused are –

Mirpur thana Jubo Dal Secretary of ward number 14, Md Rafiqul Islam Liton, and Islami Chhatra Shibir activist Md Dider.

On January 12, a Dhaka court placed Dudu on a five-day remand when the police produced him seeking a seven-day remand for interrogation in the case.

On January 11, Police picked up Dudu, also secretary of Jatiyatabadi Krishak Dal from Mirpur 2 in the capital.

Mirpur police filed a case against Dudu and 39 other leaders and activists of the BNP-led 20-party alliance under the special power act for their alleged involvement in violence. l

10 Ijtema devotees hurt in Tongi boat capsize

No significant progress in Oishee trial in almost one and a half years

At least 10 Biswa Ijtema devotees sustained injures as a trawler carrying them sank in the Turag River in Kamarpara area near the Prottaisa bridge in Tongi yesterday. The injured got admitted to different local clinics and hospitals.

Dhaka Lalbagh Fire Station Deputy Director Noimuzzaman who was assigned to Biswa Ijtema site fire service control room said the incident took place around 1:15pm when the trawler carrying about 60 passengers due to overload.

Being informed, three units from the unit rushed to the spot and traced the vessel after one and a half hours of frantic efforts. However, most of the passengers managed to swim ashore after the incident. None remained missing in the capsize, the official said. l

n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu

n Our Correspondent, Gazipur

Almost one and a half years have passed but there has been no significant progress in the trial of Oishee Rahman, who was accused of murdering her parents Mahfuzur Rahman and Swapna Rahman.

Oishee along with her two friends were accused in the case.

On November 12 last year, Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court shifted the case to Dhaka speedy Trial Tribunal 3 for quick disposal according to a Home Ministry decision.

After scrutinising case documents, Judge ABM Sajedur Rahman of the tribunal freshly framed charges against the accused on November 30.

The court also said a fresh trial in the case would begin on December 4 but that has not happened yet. The court fixed several dates after that but the trial could not be initiated for a number of reasons, including non-appearance of witnesses.

Special Public Prosecutor Mahabubur Rahman said efforts were underway for a quick disposal of the case.

He said the jail authorities failed to produce the accused before the court according to the schedule because of the blockade and the judge was also on leave, which was resulting in delays.

On July 8 last year, the trial of the three accused started at the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Md

Jahrul Haque and the court recorded deposition of 19 prosecution witnesses out of 57.

Oishee’s counsel Prokash Ranjan Biswas claimed the prosecution lawyers were not sincere about quick disposal of the case despite its transfer to the speedy trial tribunal.

“My client is innocent and she will be acquitted as the prosecution will not be able to prove the charges against her. This is why they are not sincerely considering quick disposal of the case,” he added.

According to the case statement, the bodies of Mahfuzur Rahman, an inspector of the Special Branch, and Swapna were found at their Chamelibagh residence in the capital on August

16, 2013.

Oishee surrendered to Paltan police station the following day, and police later arrested housemaid Sumi, Oishee’s friends Jony and Rony.

On March 9 last year, DB Inspector Abul Khair Matubbar, investigating officer of the case, submitted two charge sheets - one against Oishee, Jony and Rony, and the other against Sumi before the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court.

Sumi was chargesheeted separately because she is under 18 and a juvenile court in Dhaka is conducting her trial.

According to the charge sheets, Oishee alone killed her parents at the instigation of Jony while Rony provided her with shelter after the incident. l

Environment certificate for oil tankers recommended

Ziaur Rahman’s birth anniversary today n Tribune Report The BNP is going to celebrate the 79th birth anniversary of its founder Ziaur Rahman today amid “virtual confinement” of party chief Khaleda Zia and having most of the leaders and activists on the run during its nationwide blockade.

The scenario is different for the party as BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, who “virtually confined” at her Gulshan office since January 3, would not visit the grave of slain president and her husband Ziaur Rahman at Sher-e-Bangla Nagor in the capital to pay homage.

A press release issued yesterday by the party asked the party leaders and activists as well as its front and associate bodies attend Ziaur Rahman’s grave around 11am to place wreaths.

Meanwhile, Doctors’ Association of Bangladesh has chalked out programmes to mark the birth anniversary of the army chief-turned president of

Bangladesh. The events included distributing warm clothes among cold-stricken people, giving free medical services and blood donation camp in front of party office.

The national and party flags will be hoisted at all BNP offices.

Party sources said BNP would observe a small-scale celebration this year as a number of leaders either in jail or on the run to shun possible arrest.

Ziaur Rahman, born in Bagbari under Gabtoli upazila of Bogra, had played an important role during the 1971 Liberation War as a sector commander. Later, he made president in a turbulent political situation after the assassination of Bangladesh’s founding president Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in a military putsches on August 15, 1975.

He was killed in an abortive coup in Chittagong on May 30, 1981. On September 1, 1978, he founded Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). l

Workers of lighter vessels across the country have started an indefinite wildcat strike from today, protesting the withdrawal of 150 oil lighter vessels from operation, and the laying-off of around 3000 workers by government.

The decision was made in a meeting of Bangladesh Lighter Vessel Workers Union and Bangladesh Noujan Sramik Federation, held at its Pan Bazar office in Chittagong city’s Bangla Bazar area chaired by Bangladesh Lighter Vassal Workers’ Union’s President Abu Taher around 3pm.

Nabi Alam, secretary general of Bangladesh Lighter Vessel Workers’ Union, told the Dhaka Tribune that the government has taken a one sided decision that has made uncertain the lives of 3,000 workers’ lives.

“The Ministry of Energy has cancelled the loading and unloading permission of oil of the vessels on January 13 to modify the ships although they have fitness certificates, survey certificates and others relevant documents from authorities concerned,” said Nabi Alam.

“We urged the Shipping Minister to grant us time to modify the ships; our demands were unheeded. Hence, we will enforce the strike across the country,” said Nabi. The strike will continue until out demands are met.

At the meeting, Bangladesh Noujan Sramik Federation Joint Secretary Khorshed Alam, Md Allauddin, Parid Master, were present among others. l

n BSS

President Abdul Hamid offering prayers after inaugurating the Bongomata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Hall at Rajshahi University yesterday PID

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Environment and Forest recommended taking certificate from the Environment Department by the ships that transport crude oil inside the country.

To overcome environment disaster that recently happened in the Shela River in the Sundarbans, the JS committee recommended keeping the Coast Guard and the Mongla Port ready with necessary logistics support, said a Jatiya Sangsad release yesterday.

The recommendations were put in place at the 10th meeting of the parliamentary standing committee held at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban yesterday with committee chairman Mohammad Hasan Mahmud in the chair.

The meeting discussed effects on the biodiversity and ecology of the Sundarbans created recently due to the capsize of an oil tanker in the Shela River. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

5

Monday, January 19, 2015

President: Young generation needs to be savvy with ICT Abdul Hamid inaugurates the newly built Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Hall

n Tribune Report President Abdul Hamid yesterday stressed on boosting the knowledge of information and communication technology (ICT) as well as improving the quality of higher education among the young generation to make them competitive at the global stage.

“While upbringing our young generation, we have to ensure that they attain the international standard in the knowledge of information technology apart from traditional education so that they can win in global competitions,” he said.

I am happy to note that most departments of this university have large number of female students and many of them are doing very well The university chancellor said this while addressing the 9th convocation of Rajshahi University (RU) held on its campus. A total of 4,771 students received degrees at the convocation.

Suggesting assembling all branches of knowledge as well as modern curricula in the institutions of higher studies, he said: Teachers, researchers and students have to follow it. We have to ensure that nobody can question the quality of education.”

Pointing out that there is an inextricable link between education and research, Hamid said new knowledge had been created through research works which play an important role in fulfilling the existing demand of society.

“We have to chalk out a work plan, taking the reality in mind. We have to uphold our own culture though we are connected with the globalised world.

We have to make education a weapon to change the society,” the president added.

Referring to the government’s vision to make Bangladesh a developed country by 2041, he said: “I believe, the integrated efforts of all relevant people including the young graduates could help implement the vision successfully.”

He recalled Shamsuzzoha, who lost his life in the 1969 mass uprising, he said there was a great contribution of this university in achieving the liberation of the country and building it as a nation.

Stressing on the freedom of though, Convocation Speaker Prof Talat Ahmad, vice chancellor of Delhi’s Jamia Millia Islamia, said: “A university needs to develop such a situation where students and teachers can talk and debate together, generating knowledge.”

Expressing his happiness with Bangladesh’s remarkable achievement in woman emancipation, he said: “No nation can really progress or prosper if its women, which constitute half of its population, lag behind.

“I am happy to note that most departments of this university have large number of female students and many of them are doing very well.”

Earlier, Abdul Hamid inaugurated the newly-constructed Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Hall on the university campus. Six hundreds of female students could reside at the dormitory.

RU Vice-Chancellor Prof Muhammad Mizanuddin, Pro-Vice Chancellor Prof Chowdhury Sarwar Jahan, deans of different faculties, among others, spoke at the convocation. l

Graduates of Rajshahi University burst into cheers after receiving their degrees during the university’s ninth convocation held yesterday. The photo was taken in front of the Shabash Bangladesh sculpture on RU campus AZHAR UDDIN

Nasim: No compromise with those conducting subversive activities n Tribune Report Awami League (AL) Presidium Member and Health Minister Mohammad Nasim today said there will be no compromise with those who have been conducting terrorist and subversive activities affecting public life.

He said a vested quarter has become desperate and engaged their efforts in destabilising the peaceful situation and hindering development activities through conducting anarchy, terrorism, hurling petrol bomb and killing innocent people.

“The government with the common people will prevent those terrorists from conducting anarchy and subversive activities through talking stern actions to ensure normal dynamism in public life, peace and

tranquility in the society,” he said.

Mohammad Nasim said this while enquiring treatments of three critically burnt patients injured in the Mithapukur petrol bomb attack and Gobindaganj attack at the Burn Unit of Rangpur Medical College Hospital (RMCH) and talking to journalists there yesterday.

Principal of Rangpur Medical College Professor Dr Zakir Hossain and Director of RMCH Dr Abdul Kader Khan received and welcomed the Minister after his arrival at the hospital campus.

Organising Secretary of AL Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury MP, State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Alhaj Mashiur Rahman Ranga MP, Dr Yunus Ali Sarker MP and City Mayor and valiant freedom fighter Alhaj Sarfuddin Ahmed Jhantu accompanied the Minister.

n Our Correspondent, Jhalakathi

DRY WEATHER LIKELY MONDAY, JANUARY 19 DHAKA TODAY TOMORROW SUN SETS 5:35PM SUN RISES 6:43AM FORECAST FOR TODAY 24 26 23 25 23 25 24 25

Dhaka Chittagong Rajshahi Rangpur Khulna Barisal Sylhet Cox’s Bazar

16 16 11 11 10 14 13 15

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

25.7ºC Teknaf and Sitakunda

9.5ºC Chuadanga

Source: Accuweather/UNB

PRAYER TIMES Fajr Sunrise Zohr Asr Magrib Esha

5:24am 6:42am 12:09am 3:59pm 5:34pm 6:54pm

n Our Correspondent, Khulna

With the advent of Magh, the roadside hawkers cutting a good deal of profit on warm clothes. The photo was taken in front of the Rajshahi Press Club yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

BNP-led alliance slammed for arson attacks, vandalism

WEATHER

SourceL IslamicFinder.org

He said BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia has been ordering to carry out such barbaric killings of the innocent people through hurling petrol bombs, setting fire, anarchy and subversive activities out of her political vengeance.

He assured of ensuring peace in the society as the law enforcement agencies have been working sincerely and many terrorists have already been arrested and the others will be arrested soon to root out all of terrorism and anarchy involving common people.

Later, the minister attended and addressed a views-sharing meeting with the physicians, officials and employees at the auditorium of Rangpur Medical College as the chief guest with its Principal Professor Dr Zakir Hossain in the chair. l

Ansar deployed at 56 points in Khulna, Jessore and Jhenaidah

Jhalakathi chief jailer suspended Jhalakathi Chief Jailer was suspended yesterday for alleged negligence in duty.

On Saturday night, acting jail super Bulbul Ahmed suspended Chief Jailor Abdur Rob after an inmate fled the jail. On Saturday morning, a thief who was awarded with threeyears imprisonment, fled from the jail by climbing down a pipe and jumped onto the rooftop of the jailer’s house.

From there he took the stairs and fled away.

Bulbul Ahmed said: “A four-member probe body is yet to submit its report.

However, upon primary investigation, we have suspended the chief jailer and filed a case under section 224 against the fugitive thief Monir.” l

Secretary General of Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA) Dr M Iqbal Aslam, Acting President of district AL Mamtaz Uddin Ahmed, General Secretary of city AL Tushar Kanti Mandal, leaders of AL and its front organisations were present.

The Minister said Begum Khaleda Zia would achieve nothing through setting fire and hurling petrol bombs on the buses and her politics will end as the common people have been expressing severe hatred against her for conducting such heinous attacks.

“The terrorists have been burning innocent citizens as per order of Begum Khaleda Zia, killing and injuring the poor people who were going by bus for searching job to earn livelihoods. Such coward-like activities are not politics,” he said.

n DU Correspondent The Dhaka University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) yesterday slammed the BNP-led 20-party alliance for recent terrorism, including arson attack and vandalism, across the country.

“Leaders and activists of the BNPled 20-party alliance are attacking on public transport, law enforcers, school-going children indiscriminately to make Bangladesh a failure state before the world” Duta said this in a written statement.

The ruling party Awami Leaguebacked teachers’ panel also demanded exemplary punishment of the attackers and urged government to take stern ac-

tion against the perpetrators to ensure safety to people of the country and their property.

The statement was signed by Duta President Professor Farid Uddin Ahmed and General Secretary ASM Maksud Kamal.

In the statement, they urged the government to take initiatives so that the socio-economic development of the country would boost up smoothly.

The statement said BNP-Jamaat forces had already killed 27 people by throwing petrol bombs, setting fire on vehicles and destroying the country’s property.

It also called upon the government

to work with utmost sincerity for the development of the country.

Terming January 5 polls as fair, they said the election was held for developing the nation and democracy.

There is no option to assume in power without an election in a democratic country, they mentioned in the statement.

Besides, the BNP-Jamaat alliance has set shameful instances of fraudulent and hypocrisy by releasing false statement through fake signature of American Congressmen and lies over the telephone call of Bharatiya Janata Party Chief Amit Shah that damaged the image of the country’s people, said the statement. l

At least 448 members of Bangladesh Ansar, commonly known as Ansar Bahini, have been deployed at 56 highrisk points of Khulna, Jessore and Jhenaidah to ensure smooth train movement and provide security to the passengers.

120 Ansar members have been deployed at 15 points in Khulna, 184 at 23 points in Jessore and 144 members have been positioned at 18 points in Jhenaidah. These Ansar members have been on extra duty at these places since January 12.

A team of eight Ansar members under a Platoon Commander and an Additional Platoon Commander are patrolling the area in turn. Besides, Government Railway Police (GRP), railways security force and employees are also kept on alert.

Key areas like the Khulna rail station, engine and bogey depot, oil depot and other ares are also under constant surveillance.

The 15 areas that have been identified in Khulna as high-risk are Khulna rail station, Khalishpur junction rail crossing, Mujgunni rail crossing, Daulatpur BGB gate, power station, Daulatpur Bazar crossing, Railgate crossing, Fulbarigate crossing, Shiromoni station, Condom factory, Eastern jute mill gate, Fultola rail sttion, Garakhola railgate, Raripara crossing and Jugnipasha crossing.

In Jessore the 23 area are Rajghat, Taltola, Nowapara, Bhangagate, Chengutia bazar, Prembagh gate, Prembagh mor, Busondia, Bosun-

dia bus stand, Singthiya, Hatabila, Rupdia bazar, Gopalpur stand, Rajarhat rail crossing, Murali, Shangkarpur, Mujib sarak, Khoradhanga, Dhormotola, Churamonkathi rail crossing, Shantola, Barinagar and Mandartola.

The 18 points identified in Jhenaidah are Suadi rail bridge, Sabdarpur rail station, Shalkepa railgate, Rajapur railgate, Bidyadharpur railgate, Fulbari railgate, Boro Bamondah railgate, Rangiyar Pota railgate, Chandpara railgate, Sundarpur railgate, Barobazar rail bridge, Barobazar rail station, Chachra math, Radhunathpur bridge, Barobazar railgate, 27 no bridge Hajipur Mundiya, 25 no bridge Raghunathpur, Sundarpur rail bridge no 37 and Mobarakganj rail station.

Officer-in-Charge of Khulna GRP police station Molla Afzal Hossain said the Ansar members had been deployed as per a directive of the government to avert any untoward incident.

He further added that the decision came in the wake of violence that erupted across the country during the indefinite blockade enforced by the BNP-led 20-party alliance.

The rail communication of the country has been severely disrupted as anarchists have been removing fishplates and damaging the rail tracks during the blockade.

After the general election in 2014, fishplates of rail tracks at four points in Khulna were removed. Earlier in 2013, several attacks were made on the rail tracks injuring a train driver and disrupting rail communications. l

SUST sees no class due to low presence; BCL man held n Our Correspondent, Sylhet Despite opening after nearly two months, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) yesterday witnessed no class or examination owing to the unusual low presence of the students.

On November 20 last year, the SUST authorities shut the university as its

one student died following a clash between two factions of Bangladesh Chhatra League.

When asked, SUST Proctor Prof Dr Himadri Shekhar Roy said classes or examinations were not held due to low turnout of the students.

On the first day, police arrested a BCL activist named Doippayan Dutta Ru-

mon, a student of anthropology department, from the campus around 11am although earlier another activist namely Ruman was arrested in the incident.

Sources wishing not to be named said some BCL activists led by SUST Vice-President Anjan Purkayastha tried to make a showdown on the campus despite having a ban on any political

gathering there.

Additional police have been deployed to prevent further untoward situation, said Jalalabad police station OC Akhtar Hossain.

Foyez Mortuza, a 4th year student of public administration department, opined panic situation prevailing among the students caused low presence.

On the other hand, extra security measures were taken in front of the dormitories.

On Saturday, sharp weapons were found from the dormitories when SUST authorities and police jointly searched Shahporan Hall, Bangabandu Hall and Syed Mujtoba Ali Hall in the presence of executive magistrate, Kamal Hossain. l

6

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Nation

Monday, January 19, 2015

From left: A truck lies damaged after it lost control and fell into a ditch while being chased by pro-blockade activists at Sundarganj of Gaibandha. At least three people were injured at that time Pro-blockade activists torch a potato-laden truck on Joypurhat-Bogra Hichmi bypass after the truck’s tyres fell flat due to the locally made caltrops (spiked metal device) placed on the road by the activists. The photo was taken yesterday in Kadirpur’s Tin Mather Mor area DHAKA TRIBUNE

Tomato farmers incurring huge loss due to ceaseless blockade n Our Correspondent, Jamalpur The countrywide indefinite blockade along with several hartals and rampant violence has been taking a toll on the agriculture sector of the country.

The farmers, especially the ones who produce perishable goods, are the worst-hit of this political deadlock.

The tomato farmers of Jamalpur are facing a great loss as they cannot but sell their produce at nearly half the production cost. Due to non-availability of transportation due to the blockade, the traders are not willing to buy tomatoes causing a huge slump in the price.

Like every year, the greater shoal area along the Brahmaputra River of

Jamalpur yielded a good harvest of tomatoes. The unions of Sharifpur, Tulshirchar, Lakkhirchar and Ranagachha of Jamalpur Sadar upazila are the major sources of tomatoes in the district.

The high yield made the farmers hopeful of a good profit. However, the drop in the price wiped off the farmers’ smile. They are now not able to even cover the production cost.

Mohd Rafiq, Abdullah, Ishaque and Rabiul of Char Gojaria village in Jamalpur Sadar expressed deep frustration.

“We have not been able to recover the fertiliser, pesticide and labour cost. At the beginning of the season, we were able to sell tomatoes for

Tk1000 to Tk1100 per maund. But the price has now dropped to Tk400 to Tk450,” they said.

The farmers added that since tomatoes get rotten very easily and there was no proper storage facility, they were bound to sell the tomatoes at a lower price.

The tomatoes of Jamalpur are mainly distributed to the capital’s Karwan Bazar and other wholesale markets. But the traders are not being able to transport the tomatoes due to the blockade.

Wholesale tomato trader Chand Mia and Hurmuj Ali said: “Previously a truck from Jamalpur to Dhaka would cost Tk6000 to Tk7000. But due to the blockade and hartals, it

has doubled to Tk12000 to Tk14000.

Even then it is not possible to get a truck all the time.”

Truck owners do not want to operate their vehicles. Look at the arson and violence happening across the country. Why would they take risk? So what can we do but to buy tomatoes at a low price given the high transportation cost?”

Dr Mohd Rafiqul Islam Mia, deputy director of Jamalpur Department of Agricultural Expansion said tomatoes were cultivated on a total of 1400 hectares of land in Jamalpur this year. He agreed that the farmers were not getting due price because of a disrupted transportation system. l

Salish makes schoolteacher marry five months pregnant girl n Our Correspondent, Meherpur Passing through a series of unfortunate events, 28-year-old Topi Khatun was married off to school teacher Saiful Islam Sumon, 30, who earlier had

A number of locals attended the wedding and showered blessings for the couple impregnated her giving false hope of marriage.

Sumon, who already has a wife, went to Topi’s house to perform the marriage rituals on Friday night. Topi is

currently five months pregnant.

A former assistant teacher of Mohammadpur Ideal Secondary School and son of former police official Abul Hashem of Mohammadpur village under Meherpur district, Sumon kept denying the allegations made by Topi and her father for several days.

As the news of Topi’s pregnancy spread across the village, Topi’s father Azgor Ali made a complaint to the village heads. However, Sumon kept skipping the sessions called by salish (village court).

On January 12, Azgor committed suicide as Sumon was not penalised by the local court.

Following Azgor’s death, Sumon and his family members fled from their house and remained fugitive for next

two days.

On Friday, Sumon finally succumbed to the decisions of the village heads and married Topi. Sumon and his father made a promise in front of the village heads and locals to register one bigha land in the name of Topi and her mother by next Thursday. The alimony for the marriage was fixed at Tk1 lakh.

A number of locals attended the wedding and showered blessings for the couple.

Earlier Sumon was fired from his job following the claims made by Azgor.

A number of villagers told this correspondent that they frequently become victims of the complicated sessions called by the salish as they do not have the financial capability of running cases at courts. l

NEWS IN BRIEF 2 Natore youths jailed for felling guava trees Two men were sentenced to jail at Kalikapur area of Bagatipara upazila in Natore yesterday for cutting down guava trees in a private orchard. Brenjon Chambugong, magistrate of mobile court and upazila nirbahi officer, jailed Ratan, 24, for six months and Pintu, 23, for a year. Aminur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Bagatipara police station, said the two youths chopped down around 300 guava trees of the orchard owned by Abdus Salam on Saturday night and the loss was estimated to be nearly Tk2.5 lakh.

– Our Correspondent, Natore

Chandpur female teacher killed in road accident A female professor travelling by a CNG-run autorickshaw was killed, and another four were injured, when a truck hit the three-wheeler at Shahrasti area in Chandpur

yesterday morning. Umme Tamima, 38, was a teacher of Bangla at Shahrasti Suchipara Degree College. Police said the accident took place when the autorickshaw was about to overtake a car but was rammed by a wheat-laden truck bound for Chandpur, leaving Tamima dead on the spot.

Officer-in-Charge of Shahrasti police station Mozammel Haque Mamun said the truck and the autorickshaw were seized but the drivers fled. Students of the college blocked Chandpur-Comilla highway for nearly two hours and vandalised a number of vehicles in protest at their teacher’s death.

– Our Correspondent, Chandpur

Two bodies recovered from Meghna River Police yesterday afternoon recovered the bodies of two day labourers from the Meghna River in Munshiganj and Narayanganj. They were Iman Ali, 22, of Dayakanda village, and Shafiqul Islam, 32, of Chaitankanda village in Araihazar

upazila of Narayanganj. Sub-Inspector of Sonargaon police station Ajay Kumar Paul and that of Gazaria police station Shakhawat confirmed the recovery of the bodies.

Police said a Boktaboli-bound trawler carrying 13-14 day labourers capsized in the river on January 14, and Iman and Shafiqul remained missing since then. The others on board managed to swim ashore.

– Our Correspondent, Munshiganj

Five shops gutted in Sunamganj fire A fire reduced five shops to ashes at a market in Jagannathpur of Sunamganj early yesterday. Police and locals said the fire destroyed all the products in four general stores and a drug store. Owners of the store claimed the losses would be worth around Tk10 lakh. Officer-in-Charge of Jagannathpur police station Asaduzzaman said the fire might have originated from a mosquito coil.

– Our Correspondent, Sunamganj

Youth dies falling into a hole in Gazipur Correspondent, n Our Gazipur The body of a youth was recovered from a 30-foot deep hole seven hours after he fell into the hole in Kewa area under Sreepur municipality, Gazipur on Saturday night.

Quoting locals, police and fire service sources said three youths – Saidul Islam, 28, Milon Miah, and Ahsan Ullah – were trying to bring out the rejected tubewell’s pipe of one Jalal Uddin’s house by digging earth.

They started the work on Friday and dug about 30foot hole till Saturday afternoon. When Saidul was excavating the hole, suddenly a chunk of earth fell on him around 3pm on Saturday.

On information, fire service personnel from Mawna fire service station rushed to the spot and tried to rescue him alive with the help of local people. Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Sreepur Sadekur Rahman, councillor of Sreepur municipality Salam Mollah, Firoz Ahmed monitored the rescue operation. Hundreds of local people also gathered the spot.

But the rescue team recovered the body of Saidul, son of Abdur Rashid of Onarampur village in Jamalpur, seven hours after his fall. In-charge of Mawna fire service station Tasharaf Hossain said Saidul might have died within a few minutes after the eath chunk fell on him.

Sreepur upazila nirbahi officer Sadekur Rahman family to bury him. l

Verbally challenged girl raped in Naogaon n Our Correspondent, Naogon A verbally challenged girl was raped at Bhalkidanga village under Sapahar upazila, Naogoan yesterday.

Police arrested two teenage boys – Selim, 16, and Uzzal, 17 – in this connection.

Quoting family members police said the duo raped the girl when she went to a bridge

after dusk. After the incident, mother of the victim filed a case with Sapahar police station in this connection.

Officer-in-Charge of Sapahar police station Jahangir Alam said after filing the case, police had conducted a drive and arrested the duo. The arrested were sent to jail after being produced before a court yesterday morning. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Long Form

7

Monday, January 19, 2015

The specter of its fascist past haunts European nationalism

REUTERS

W

n Jacob Heilbrunn hen up to a dozen world leaders and roughly 1.5 million people gathered in Paris on Sunday to mourn the murder of 10 editors and cartoonists of the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo and seven other people by three French-born Islamic radicals, they wanted to demonstrate that Europe will always embrace liberal and tolerant values.

But the more telling event may turn out to be a counter-rally that took place at a 17th-century town hall in Beaucaire, France, that was led by Marine Le Pen, the leader of the farright National Front. In Beaucaire, the crowd ended Le Pen’s rally by singing the French national anthem and chanting, “This is our home.”

Le Pen is at the forefront of a European-wide nationalist resurgence – one that wants to evict from their homelands people they view as Muslim subversives. She and other far-right nationalists are seizing on some legitimate worries about Islamic militancy – 10,000 soldiers are now deployed in France as a safety measure -

leaders in Europe – qualify as fascist is questionable. The borderline between the kind of populism they espouse and the outright fascism of the 1920s and 1930s, when Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini espoused doctrines of racial superiority, is a slippery one. Scholars continue to debate whether Mussolini was even fascist – or simply an opportunistic nationalist.

The real aim of today’s would-be authoritarians – politicians who appeal to the public’s desire for an iron hand – is to present themselves as legitimate leaders who are saying what the public really thinks but is afraid to say.

And these far-right leaders are indeed increasingly popular.

The card they are playing is populism presented as an aggrieved nationalism. They depict Europeans as victims of rapacious Muslim immigrants. Le Pen, Britain’s Nigel Farage of the UK Independence Party and others aim to come across as reasonable and socially acceptable, while sounding dog whistles to their followers about immigrant social parasites who are either stealing jobs from “real” Europeans or living off welfare.

Unlike in the 1930s, Le Pen and her compatriots do not deliver spit-

Today, a new generation of leaders on the right has seized on Europe’s economic malaise to argue that the real culprit is Islamic immigrants taking jobs away from the native-born

in order to label all Muslims as hostile to traditional European cultural and religious values. Le Pen herself has likened their presence to the Nazi occupation of France.

Le Pen herself espouses an authoritarian programme that calls for a moratorium on immigration, a restoration of the death penalty and a “French first” policy on welfare benefits and employment.

Long after World War Two, fascism is a specter that still haunts the continent. But whether Le Pen’s stances – and those of other nationalist

tle-beflecked speeches calling for the extermination of other races. Le Pen avoids the kind of demagogic language used by her father Jean-Marie Le Pen, a former intelligence officer in France’s vicious war in Algeria, who called the Holocaust a mere “detail.”

Indeed, Le Pen is now wooing some Jewish voters frightened of terrorism.

She is essentially offering a slicker form of authoritarianism that brands Muslim immigrants as a new internal enemy. The new nationalist argument is that the individual countries of Europe must safeguard their traditional

values by rejecting the liberal chimera of a single, united Europe with open borders.

This has paid off for Le Pen’s Front National, which in May led the field in France’s European Union elections, drawing 25 percent of all votes. And these numbers are only predicted to increase.

After World War Two, nationalism went into remission in Europe. Until recently, nationalist parties were largely regarded as a noisy but fringe phenomenon. The notion that they would gain public respectability – let alone wield power – seemed outlandish. No longer.

In France, Germany, Greece, Sweden, the Netherlands and Britain, nationalist leaders are seizing on the tragic events in France to argue that they have been right all along.

They argue that the open borders and liberal tolerance championed by the European Union are allowing a virulent jihadist virus to infect their countries.

Le Pen insisted the day after the Paris attacks that Islam is an “odious ideology.” In that same Jan 9 address, she said: “The absolute rejection of Islamic fundamentalism must be proclaimed loudly and clearly” and called on French President Francois Hollande to suspend the Schengen Accords that allow for visa-free movement inside Europe.

Meanwhile, Alexander Gauland, a leading member of the libertarian party Alternative for Germany, maintains: “Everyone who has until now laughed or scoffed at the apprehensions of people of a looming Islamic threat are being punished by this bloodshed.”

And Farage, of the UK Independence Party, which wants to leave the European Union, says that a jihadist “fifth column” exists in France, one that is the result of multi-cultural policies. In the May EU elections, his party bested both the Conservative and the Labour Party, winning 28 percent of the vote, a big jump from its 16.5% in 2009, the last EU election.

Twenty years ago, it only drew one percent.

The vitality of all these parties is a direct result of the failure of mainstream political elites. Exhibit A is the self-destructive austerity policy that Germany under Chancellor Angela Merkel has espoused. Haunted by the memory of the soaring inflation that helped destroy Germany’s post-World War One democratic Weimar Republic – leading to Hitler’s rise – Berlin has demanded budget cuts and opposed stimulus programmes that could help revive the struggling economies of southern Europe.

This is perverse. It has had the

effect of miring the eurozone in unemployment and deflation – thereby helping create conditions reminiscent of the 1930s, when economic misery helped radicalise the middle and working classes.

Today, a new generation of leaders on the right has seized on Europe’s economic malaise to argue that the real culprit is Islamic immigrants taking jobs away from the native-born.

The underlying sentiment – the demonisation of an “out” group – recalls the wave of anti-Semitism that helped propel fascist political parties to triumphs during the 1930s.

The credo of nationalist parties today is that Europe, the cradle of Western Civilization, is directly threatened by a new influx of Muslims intent on reenacting the Islamic invasion of Europe that took place in the eighth century and was only stopped by Charles Martel at the Battle of Poitiers in 732. It’s a message that’s attracting new adherents – some of them Jews, who feel threatened by Muslims.

Skepticism of European unity and immigrants has also proved a potent political move in France’s neighbour, Germany. The anti-euro Alternative for Germany party has entered state parliaments in Thuringia, Saxony and Brandenburg in the past year and its leading figures are making common cause with anti-immigrant groupings.

In Dresden, for example, weekly rallies against immigrants are taking place under the rubric Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the Occident” or PEGIDA. Last October the turnout was roughly 500. At least 25,000 marched Monday – despite condemnations from mainstream politicians, including Merkel.

In the Netherlands, populist leader Geert Wilder’s Freedom Party is leading the polls. In Greece, the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn Party entered parliament in 2012 with the slogan, “So we can rid this land of filth.” In Sweden, the anti-immigrant Sweden Democrat Party vaulted to 13 percent of the vote in 2014.

Though parties of the right have a history of squabbling with one another, they have begun to cooperate in the European parliament. If Le Pen were to win the French presidency in 2017, it could spell the end of the European Union and perhaps return the continent to a collection of feuding nation-states.

Franco-German cooperation, which has been at the heart of and essential to the European Union since its inception, would come to an abrupt end. The European Union has functioned as a way for Germany to

Until recently, nationalist parties were largely regarded as a noisy but fringe phenomenon.

The notion that they would gain public respectability – let alone wield power – seemed outlandish. No longer

leave behind an assertive nationalism that led to two world wars and create a new and peaceful identity as part of a democratic Europe. If La Pen wins in 2017 many could view it as a repudiation of that vision. The long shadows cast by the Nazi past would make it too difficult for any German chancellor to work with an authoritarian leader like Le Pen in the heart of Europe.

Certainly Europe’s democratic institutions are far stronger than they were in the 1930s. But this is no reason for complacency.

A revived European leadership that addresses immigration and the economy is essential – or the decades-long dream of a united Europe will disintegrate, to be replaced by combative nation-states headed by nationalist leaders. Merkel and other leaders on the continent, for example, will have to allow Britain to opt out of the European Union’s insistence on free movement within EU borders.

For British Prime Minister David Cameron intends to strengthen his island-nation’s border controls. He wants to tightly restrict EU immigrants’ rights, prohibiting claims for British benefits or public housing for four years and deporting those who do not get a job within six months Otherwise, he will be outflanked on the right by Farage’s UK Independent Party, with the possibility of British voters approving a referendum for withdrawal from the EU. The demons that European leaders tried to suppress after 1945 are back. It won’t be easy to exorcise them. l Jacob Heilbrunn is the author of “They Knew They Were Right: The Rise of the Neocons” and editor at The National Interest. The article was first published in Reuters.

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

‘No link between Greece arrests and Belgium jihadists’ n AFP, Brussels

No link has been established between at least four people arrested by Greek anti-terrorism police and a jihadist cell broken up this week in Belgium, the Belgian prosecutor’s office said yesterday.

“There is no connection between these people and the enquiry” in Belgium, Eric Van Der Sypt, spokesman for the federal prosecutor’s office, said.

Two fugitives who left Belgium immediately after the attack have been arrested in France A Greek police source said investigators had sent DNA evidence and fingerprints to Belgium to establish whether Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the 27-year-old suspected mastermind of the Belgian cell, was among the four suspects.

Belgian authorities say the group targeted in a police raid Thursday in the eastern town of Verviers, in which two suspects were killed, was plotting to kill Belgian police officers.

The federal prosecutor’s office has refused to comment on local media reports that Abaaoud, a Belgian national of Moroccan origin, planned the foiled attacks from Greece or Turkey.

The reports say he made calls from

Greece to the brother of one of the two suspects killed in the shootout with police in Verviers.

According to Belgian media, Abaaoud spent time fighting alongside the Islamic State group in Syria.

He was already known to security forces after appearing in an Islamic State video, at the wheel of a car transporting mutilated bodies to a mass grave.

He is also known as the older brother of a 13-year-old boy dubbed Syria’s youngest foreign fighter by British media after photos surfaced of him posing with weapons.

Thirteen people were arrested across Belgium in connection with the Verviers cell, five of whom were later charged with “participating in the activities of a terrorist group.”

Weapons, bomb-making materials, police uniforms and fake documents were found during searches of their homes.

Two fugitives who left Belgium immediately after the attack have been arrested in France.

The Belgium raid came a week after Islamist attacks in and around Paris killed 17 people, rekindling fears in Europe about the threat posed by young Europeans returning home after fighting alongside extremist groups in the Middle East.

Belgium estimates that 335 of its people have gone to fight in Syria and Iraq in the last few years – making it the European country with the highest proportion of nationals enlisted with Middle Eastern jihadist groups. l

World

Monday, January 19, 2015

S E E YO U S O O N

A serviceman of Azov, the Ukrainian volunteer battalion, holds a relative during a ceremony in Kiev on January 17, before leaving to the east of the country to take part in ATO (antiterrorists operation). Fighting in eastern Ukraine has killed three soldiers, officials said Saturday, as an upsurge in clashes in recent days between the army and pro-Russian rebels centred around control of a battered airport. Ukrainian troops launched a ‘mass operation’ overnight and have retaken almost all the territory of Donetsk airport in eastern Ukraine lost to separatists in recent weeks, military spokesman Andriy Lysenko said yesterday AFP

Israel lobbies to cut ICC funding

IS jihadists free 200 elderly Yazidis n Reuters, Jerusalem in north Iraq Israel is lobbying member-states of the International Criminal Court to cut n AFP, Altun Kopri funding for the tribunal in response to The Islamic State (IS) group released more than 200 mostly elderly members of northern Iraq’s Yazidi minority Saturday who had been held for months, officials and activists said.

The Yazidis were freed on the front line southwest of the city of Kirkuk and met by Kurdish peshmerga forces who brought them to a health centre in Altun Kopri, on the road to the Kurdish regional capital of Arbil.

“These men and women had been held in Mosul,” Khodr Domli, a leading Yazidi rights activist told AFP at the centre. “We already have names for 196 and there could be some more.”

“Some are wounded, some have disabilities and many are suffering from mental and psychological problems,” he said.

According to officials from Kirkuk and Arbil, the group was moved from Mosul via Hawija and freed at the Khaled entrance to Kirkuk on Saturday.

Dozens of Kurdish doctors and nurses provided emergency care at the Altun Kopri health centre, where Yazidis who had heard the news started to mass at the gates, hoping to be reunited with missing relatives.

“We have dispatched laboratory teams to check their blood, to control for things such as polio and possible contagious diseases,” said Saman Barzanji, director general of the Arbil health department. l

its launch of an inquiry into possible war crimes in the Palestinian territories, officials said yesterday.

ICC prosecutors said on Friday they would examine “in full independence and impartiality” crimes that may have occurred since June 13 last year.

This allows the court to delve into the war between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza in July-August 2014 that killed more than 2,100 Palestinians and 70 Israelis.

The decision came after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in the ab-

sence of peace talks and against strong opposition from Israel and the United States, requested ICC membership, which comes into effect on April 1.

Israel, which like the United States does not belong to the ICC, hopes to dent funding for the court that is drawn from the 122 member-states in accordance with the size of their economies, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said yesterday.

“We will demand of our friends in Canada, in Australia and in Germany simply to stop funding it,” he told Israel Radio.

“This body represents no one. It is a political body,” he said. “There are a quite a few countries - I’ve already taken telephone calls about this - that also

German anti-Islam PEGIDA cancels rally over ‘IS death threat’ n AFP, Dresden Germany’s anti-Islamic PEGIDA movement said it has cancelled a planned march on Monday, citing a death threat against organisers from the Islamic State jihadist group.

“Cancelled! Dear friends, unfortunately we must cancel our 13th meeting due to security concerns,” the group “Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the Occident” said on its Facebook page yesterday.

“What in police jargon is called an

‘abstract threat’ has changed to a ‘concrete death threat’ against a member of the organising team. IS terrorists have ordered his assassination.”

Germany’s Der Spiegel news weekly reported Friday that foreign intelligence services had picked up communications by some “known international jihadists,” without giving specific details.

The intelligence, which was passed to German authorities, indicated they had discussed possible attacks on PEGIDA rallies.

“We take these leads very seriously,”

Netanyahu eyes Asia

Charlie Hebdo killer Cherif Kouachi n Reuters, Jerusalem buried near Paris Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday a wave of anAFP, Nanterre n ti-Semitism and what he called “IsCherif Kouachi, one of the two brothers who killed 12 people in an attack on France’s Charlie Hebdo magazine, has been buried in an unmarked grave near Paris under tight security, the local mayor’s office told AFP. Kouachi was buried late on Saturday at a cemetery in Gennevilliers, where he used to live, officials said.

No relatives attended the funeral and the grave was unmarked to avoid it becoming “a pilgrimage site” for Islamist militants, the official said.

“His wife did not wish to take part in the funeral. He did not have anyone. It was extremely calm,” the official added.

Cherif’s widow had asked for him to be buried alongside his older brother Said in the cemetery at Gennevilliers, about nine kilometres (5 miles) northwest of central Paris, but the local mayor Patrice Leclerc blocked the request since Said was not a resident of the area. l

think there is no justification for this body’s existence.”

He said he would raise the matter with visiting Canadian counterpart John Baird yesterday.

Another Israeli official told Reuters that a similar request was sent to Germany, traditionally one of the court’s strongest supporters, and would also be made to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who is separately visiting Jerusalem and whose nation is the largest contributor to the ICC. Islamist group Hamas, which is deemed a terrorist group by Israel and the West, on Saturday welcomed the ICC inquiry and said it was prepared to provide material for complaints against the Jewish state. l

lamisation” in Western Europe are factors in a Jewish state push to expand trade with Asia.

Europe is Israel’s biggest trading partner, but deepening diplomatic disputes over policy toward the Palestinians and anti-Jewish incidents such as a Jan. 9 attack by an Islamist gunman on a Paris kosher deli have triggered Israeli worries.

Netanyahu, who is also finance minister and a free-market champion, cast his courting of China, India and Japan over the past two years as a partial response to European developments.

He was due to host a Japanese government and business delegation led by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe yesterday.

“I put emphasis on markets to the East not because we want to give up on other markets. But we definitely want to reduce our dependence on certain markets in western Europe,” Netanyahu told his cabinet in remarks at which

reporters were present, without naming specific countries.

“Western Europe is undergoing a wave of Islamisation, of anti-Semitism, and of anti-Zionism. It is awash in such waves, and we want to ensure that for years to come the State of Israel will have diverse markets all over the world.”

Netanyahu, who is stressing his security credentials ahead of a March 17 election in Israel, said his government was also working to facilitate Jewish immigration. The Paris attack has stoked French Jewish interest in the option of moving to Israel.

According to Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics, Europe accounted for 45.8% of imports and 35.8% of exports in the first 11 months of 2014. Asia accounted for 22.5% of Israeli imports and 25.4% of Israeli exports.

Israel’s parliamentary TV channel aired the results of a poll in which respondents were asked “Can Israel do without exports to Europe and pursue policy that is liable to bring about an economic embargo?” Sixty-two percent of Israelis said no, 32% said yes. l

Spiegel quoted an unnamed high-ranking security official as saying.

PEGIDA said it had discussed the threat with state police and the internal security agency.

It had decided to scrap the event in the eastern city of Dresden as it could not guarantee the security of marchers and feared “collateral damage.”

Top-circulation daily Bild said in an online report that the threat targeted PEGIDA founder Lutz Bachmann.

Dresden police declined immediate comment. l

Police release three suspects arrested in French terror probe n AP, Paris French police have released three women arrested along with nine others Friday in an anti-terror sweep connected to the attacks in Paris by Islamic extremists that killed 17 people and put Europe on high alert.

Paris prosecutor spokesman Denis Fauriat said the other nine suspects will have their interrogations prolonged by 48 hours, a step allowed under France’s tough anti-terror laws.

Police in France, Germany and Belgium have arrested dozens of suspects in recent days as part of the anti-terror sweep sparked by last week’s bloody spree in and around Paris, in which brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi and their friend Amedy Coulibaly killed 17 people at the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, a kosher grocery, and elsewhere.

Fallout from the attacks has spread around the world. Demonstrations in support of the murdered Charlie Hebdo journalists have been held in countries from the United States to Brazil, and violent protests against the magazine’s depictions of the Prophet Muhammad have taken place in Niger, Pakistan and Algeria.

French, German, Belgian and Irish police rounded up dozens of suspects earlier this week as anxiety spread

across Europe and authorities rushed to thwart further attacks.

Belgian police launched a vast anti-terrorism sweep in and around Brussels and the eastern industrial city of Verviers Thursday, which left two suspects dead. Police say the suspects were within hours of implementing a plan to kill police.

The other nine suspects will have their interrogations prolonged by 48 hours On Saturday, soldiers fanned out to guard possible terror targets in Belgium while police in Greece detained at least two suspects as part of the widening counterterrorism dragnet across the continent.

Authorities say there was no apparent link between the foiled plots in Belgium and the terror attacks in Paris.

President Francois Hollande said France was “waging war” on terrorism and it showed on the streets of Paris and elsewhere, where 122,000 police and well-armed troops have been deployed to protect the country. l

Iran, world powers review nuclear positions at latest talks n Reuters, Geneva Iran and major powers met yesterday to take stock of their differences over its nuclear program, as the Obama administration lobbied to stave off fresh sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

The Geneva negotiations, held at the level of political directors, are the culmination of five days of talks in the Swiss city and Paris, including lengthy meetings between US Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

Helga Schmid, EU political director, chaired the closed-door talks at the EU diplomatic mission in Geneva, attended by officials from Iran and Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States.

Wendy Sherman, Acting Deputy Secretary of State, led the US delegation, while Iran was represented by deputy minister Abbas Araqchi. Nei-

ther spoke to reporters on arrival.

“Today is to take stock of where all the various meetings take us and how can we take this forward in a broad format,” a diplomat told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

US President Barack Obama warned lawmakers on Friday not to trigger new sanctions against Iran US President Barack Obama warned lawmakers on Friday not to trigger new sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program, saying such a move would upset diplomatic talks and increase the likelihood of a military conflict with Tehran.

“Time is running short and it’s the hope of Beijing that all parties will seize that historical opportunity by racing against the time and by doing two things: first is to adopt a pragmatic and a flexible approach with wisdom and secondly is to demonstrate with possible and maximum political will, with resolute political decisions,” China’s envoy Wang Qun told reporters in Geneva yesterday.

Negotiators failed in November to meet a self-imposed deadline for clinching an elusive agreement seen as crucial to reducing the risk of a wider Middle East war. The new deadline for a final deal is June 30, but officials hope to reach an understanding on key parameters by the end of March.

The major powers hope to persuade Iran to curb its nuclear program, which the West thinks is aimed at developing atomic weapons. Iran says the program is for civilian purposes. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

World

9

Monday, January 19, 2015

Did RAW’s Colombo chief play a role in Rajapaksa’s poll defeat? n Agencies Sri Lanka expelled the Colombo station chief of India’s spy agency in the runup to this month’s presidential election, political and intelligence sources said, accusing him of helping the opposition oust President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

An Indian foreign ministry spokesman denied any expulsion and said that transfers were routine decisions.

Rajapaksa, voted out of office in the Jan 8 election, told Reuters he did not know all the facts while the new government in Colombo has said it is aware of the reports but cannot confirm them.

But several sources in both Colombo and New Delhi said India was asked to recall the agent in December for helping gather support for joint opposition candidate Maithripala Sirisena after persuading him to ditch Rajapaksa’s cabinet.

A sketchy report in Sri Lanka’s yesterday Times newspaper on December 28 said that “links with the common opposition” had cost India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) station chief his job in Colombo.

India has often been involved in the internal politics of the small island nation off its southern coast - it sent troops there in 1987 in a botched effort to broker peace between the government and Tamil Tiger rebels.

Rajapaksa’s unexpected defeat after two terms in office coincided with growing concern in India that it was losing influence in Sri Lanka because of the former president’s tilt toward regional rival China.

The concern turned to alarm late last year when Rajapaksa allowed two Chinese submarines to dock in Sri Lanka without warning New Delhi as he should have under a standing agreement, the sources said.

Sirisena, the new president, has said he will visit New Delhi on his first foreign trip next month and has said India is the “first, main concern” of his foreign policy.

An Indian official said the RAW agent was recalled after complaints that he had worked with Sri Lanka’s usually fractious opposition parties to agree on a joint contender for the election. Then, he was accused of facilitating meetings to encourage several lawmakers, among them Sirisena, to defect from Rajapaksa’s party, the official said.

The agent was accused of playing a role in convincing the main leader of the opposition and former prime minister Ranil Wickremasinghe not to contest against Rajapaksa in the election and stand aside for someone who could be sure of winning, said the officer and a Sri Lankan lawmaker who also maintains close contacts with India.

The agent was also in touch with former president Chandrika Kumaratunga, who was a key player in convincing Sirisena to stand, said the officer and the lawmaker, who also confirmed that the agent had been asked to leave. “They actively were involved, talking to Ranil, getting those things organised, talking to Chandrika,” the lawmaker told Reuters.

‘Certain things you don’t talk about’

Wickremasinghe, who is now prime minister again in Sirisena’s government, met “two or three times” with the man identified as the agent in the months before the vote, as well as with the Indian high commissioner, or ambassador, the prime minister’s spokesman said.

“They discussed the current political situation,” Wickremasinghe’s spokesman said, but he denied that the Indians had advised him. “He does not know if he advised other politicians.”

It was not clear if Wickremasinghe was aware at the time that he was meeting with an intelligence official.

India’s RAW officers are usually given diplomatic posts when assigned to foreign missions.

Former president Kumaratunga did

Supporters of Sri Lanka’s newly elected president Maithripala Sirisena light fire-crackers as they celebrate after Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapakse conceded defeat in the country’s presidential election, on the streets of Colombo on January 9 AFP not respond to requests for comment.

Rajapaksa declined to confirm the involvement of India in the campaign against him.

“I don’t know, I won’t suspect anybody until I get my real facts,” he said at his party headquarters.

“There are certain things you don’t talk about,” a close associate of the

Rajapaksa family said, but added that “there were clear signs of a deep campaign by foreign elements.”

Sri Lanka’s then defence secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa - a brother of the former president - complained about the agent’s activities to Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval in November when Doval was visiting the island

nation for a defence seminar, the Indian official said.

Another Indian official, who monitors the region for security threats, said New Delhi had been watching Beijing’s growing influence and heavy investments in Sri Lanka under Rajapaksa, who visited China seven times since becoming president in 2005. But India

was stunned and angry last year when the Chinese submarines docked in Sri Lanka on two separate occasions, a step New Delhi saw as part of Beijing’s “string of pearls” strategy to secure a foothold in South Asia and maritime access through the Indian Ocean. “The turning point in the relationship was the submarines. l

Afghanistan warns Pak over Peshawar’s Christian community Wagah border access protests against blasphemous cartoons

Pope Manila Mass drew record crowd n Reuters, Manila

n Agencies

Pope Francis concluded his trip to Asia yesterday with an open-air Mass for a rain-drenched crowd in Manila that the Vatican and the government said drew up to seven million people, the largest ever for a papal event.

Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said the office of the president told the Vatican that between six and seven million attended the Mass in Manila’s Rizal Park and surrounding areas.

The 78-year-old pope, wearing a transparent yellow poncho over his white cassock, was driven through the ecstatic crowd in a “popemobile” modified from a jeepney, the most popular mode of transport in the Philippines which is based on a US military vehicle used in World War II. He stopped often along the route to kiss children and bless religious statues on the day the Philippines celebrates the feast of the infant Jesus. The faithful, also wearing ponchos, held up rosaries in a forest of uplifted arms as he passed by.

In his homily, the pope urged Filipinos to shun “social structures which perpetuate poverty, ignorance and corruption,” a theme he stressed when he held talks with President Benigno Aquino on Friday. Aquino attended the Mass. l

Afghanistan has warned it will stop trucks carrying cargo from Pakistan from entering its territory from January 20 if Islamabad does not permit Afghan trucks to go up to the Wagah land border crossing with India.

Pakistani officials had agreed during a transit and trade cooperation conference held recently in Islamabad that Afghan trucks would be allowed to travel directly to the Wagah border and Karachi sea port after January 20.

However, 500 containers with Afghan goods were currently held up in Pakistan, said Musafer Qoqandi, spokesman of the Afghan Ministry of Commerce and Industries.

If Pakistan does not allow commercial vehicles from Afghanistan to pass directly to the Wagah crossing by January 20, the Afghan government will begin stopping Pakistani trucks from passing through its borders, the ministry said.

“Pakistan officials have promised to let Afghan trucks go to Wagah port after January 20. Otherwise, (the) Afghan government does not have any other way but to give a similar response,” Qoqandi was quoted as saying by Tolo News, a leading Afghan channel.

Documentation issues, high fees and increased cost of Pakistani transit vehicles are among the problems that have stopped Afghan exporters from taking advantage of trade routes in Pakistan, officials said.

“We have said this several times that Pakistan is not committed to its promises and even after the president’s talks with their officials, Pakistanis still do not stand on their promises,” said Atiqullah Nasrat, Chairman of the Afghan Chamber of Commerce and Industries Board.

The Afghan officials pointed out that huge amounts of Pakistani goods are transported through Afghanistan to Central Asian countries every day.

Transit trade between the two countries is governed by the Afghan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement that came into force in June 2011. The pact, brokered by the US, allows Afghan trucks to carry goods up to the Wagah border crossing. However, Afghan trucks are barred from carrying Indian exports on their return journey from Wagah.

Pakistan recently refused to allow Afghanistan to transport its goods up to the Wagah border with India, claiming this was not permitted under the bilateral transit trade pact. l

n Agencies Peshawar’s Christian community yesterday staged protests against French magazine Charlie Hebdo in solidarity with Muslims around the world and demanded that the cartoonists behind the anti-Islam caricatures be brought to justice Christian Community staged rallies from different churches in the provincial capital, including the All Saints Church, which was targeted in a bomb attack on Sept 2013.

Holding placards and banners con-

Asylum-seekers in a detention centre in Papua New Guinea said yesterday that Canberra was holding them “hostage” in an effort to deter others from paying people-smugglers to bring them to Australia.

After days of hunger strike protests on PNG’s Manus Island, refugee advocates said asylum-seekers were continuing to protest against their 18 months of detention in the offshore location.

“The Australian government is planning to resettle us in PNG against our will, by forcing us,” asylum-seekers wrote in a letter distributed by the Refugee Action Coalition.

“We are not willing to be resettled in PNG because there is no safety (or) any future for us and our family.

“Today we consider us to be hostage for the Australian government so they can deter others not to come to Australia.”

Asylum-seekers who try to enter Australian waters on unauthorised

boats are sent to offshore detention centres on Papua New Guinea and Nauru in the Pacific with no prospect of being settled on the mainland – even if they are genuine refugees.

The policy is designed to stop the flow of boatpeople arriving in Australia, who had been arriving almost daily in often unsafe wooden fishing vessels, with hundreds drowning en route.

Australia has faced criticism for its treatment of asylum-seekers since the hardline policy was introduced in July 2013.

The Australian and Papua New Guinean governments have rejected reports that the protests on Manus had turned violent, but Australian Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said Friday the situation was volatile.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported yesterday that groups of asylum-seekers had barricaded themselves inside a compound at Manus and were not allowing staff to enter.

Amid conflicting reports about the extent of the protests, Deputy Prime

and concrete measures against such inciting steps.

Heavily armed men shouting religious slogans stormed the headquarters of the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo in Paris on Jan 8 killing 12 people, including the editor-in-chief.

The attack sparked global outrage as world leaders rallied in solidarity with the victims of the attack claimed by the Al Qaeda in Yemen.

Demonstrations were also held in Peshawar and Afghanistan’s province of Uruzgan paying tribute to the attackers. l

Take money from BJP, Congress, but vote for AAP, Kejriwal says n Agencies AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal yesterday urged voters in the national capital to ‘take bribe being offered by BJP and Congress, but vote for AAP.’ “Both BJP and Congress will come to you and offer money, don’t refuse, take it, but vote for AAP,” Kejriwal said at an

Asylum-seekers say they were held ‘hostage’ by Australia n AFP, Sydney

demning the blasphemous sketches and cartoons, the protesters marched to Peshawar Press club.

The demonstrators also chanted slogans against the French government.

The Christian community termed the blasphemous cartoons as serious threat to the religious harmony and world peace.

Such sketches promote intolerance, hatred, violence and extremism, according to the protesters.

The demonstrators also urged the world community to take solid

Minister Warren Truss said yesterday that “the flow of information is not always reliable.”

But he reiterated the government’s stance that asylum-seekers arriving on unauthorised boats would not be resettled in Australia.

“You won’t be able to get your way into this country through some kind of illegal people smuggling operation or by, for that matter, put up an argument that somehow or other you are being badly treated now and therefore should be granted access to this country,” Truss said.

Opposition Labor leader Bill Shorten said Australians were “sick and tired of the culture of secrecy surrounding Manus Island.”

“We’ve got to have the right policies in terms of deterring people smugglers but the people who come into the care of Australia must be treated properly,” said Shorten, whose Labor Party introduced the policy of sending asylum-seekers to Manus to be resettled in PNG. l

election rally in the national capital.

Asking voters to ditch the national parties, Kejriwal said, “Both the parties have looted the country, so take money from them.”

Kejriwal further said if some party does not come to you, go to their office and demand money.

BJP reacted strongly to Kejriwal’s

statement and said that AAP chief should retract his statement and apologise.

“It is ironical that an anti-corruption crusader is encouraging corruption,” BJP leader Sambit Patra said, adding, “AAP is rattled by the imminent win of BJP and is hence making such remarks.” l

Fury as Indonesia executes foreigners by firing squad n AFP, Jakarta Brazil and the Netherlands recalled their ambassadors from Indonesia and expressed fury yesterday after Jakarta defied their pleas and executed two of their citizens along with four other drug offenders.

The other convicts to face a firing squad were from Vietnam, Malawi, Nigeria and Indonesia. The six were the first people executed under new President Joko Widodo.

Indonesia has tough anti-drugs laws and Widodo, who took office in October, has disappointed rights activists by voicing support for capital punishment despite his image as a reformist.

He defended the executions, saying drugs ruin lives.

A spokesman for Brazilian President Dilma Roussef said she was “distressed and outraged” after Indonesia ignored her last-ditch pleas and put to death Marco Archer Cardoso Moreira, who was convicted of smuggling cocaine into Indonesia in 2004.

“Using the death penalty, which

is increasingly rejected by the international community, seriously affects relations between our countries,” the spokesman said in a statement.

The Brazilian ambassador to Jakarta was being recalled for consultations, the spokesman added.

Meanwhile Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders said the Netherlands had also recalled its ambassador over the execution of Dutchman Ang Kiem Soei, and in a statement described all six deaths as “terribly sad.”

“My heart goes out to their families, for whom this marks a dramatic end to years of uncertainty,” Koenders said.

“The Netherlands remains opposed to the death penalty.”

Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Prime Minister Mark Rutte had been in contact with the Indonesian president about the matter, he said, and the government had done “all in its power” to try to halt the execution.

Widodo yesterday defended the death penalty in a Facebook post. l

Afghan Cabinet pick investigated over Interpol wanted list

n AP, Kabul

Afghanistan is investigating a Cabinet nominee over allegedly being on an Interpol most-wanted list for tax evasion, a government spokesman said yesterday, a potential embarrassment for President Ashraf Ghani amid his pledges to root out corruption.

The probe focuses on Mohammad Yaqub Haidari, 52, the nominee to oversee the country’s Agriculture Ministry. Interpol lists an Afghan man with the same name resembling Haidari as being wanted in Estonia for “large-scale tax evasion” and “fraudulent conversion,” without elaborating.

The Associated Press could not immediately reach Haidari for comment.

Afghanistan’s private Tolo television station first reported on Haidari’s alleged appearance on the list Saturday night.

Nazifullah Salarzai, a spokesman for Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, said yesterday that if Haidari is wanted by Interpol, his nomination will be immediately withdrawn. l

10

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Editorial

Monday, January 19, 2015

CODE-CRACKER

Implement treaty to resolve CHT disputes

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

W

e are concerned by the rising level of communal conflict in the CHT region.

At least 30 people were injured on January 10 when a procession of the Hill Students Council protesting the inauguration of a new medical college came under attack from ruling party supporters.

Despite the imposition of section 144 in the area banning all gatherings, a group of Bangalis subsequently carried out attacks on Pahari homes and businesses, leading to a wider outbreak of communal violence.

The government needs to heed calls from local people and the Chittagong Hill Tracts Commission to support dialogue and action to put into force unimplemented provisions of the 1997 CHT Accord.

Key provisions designed to alleviate underlying tensions over land rights remain unfulfilled. The Land Commission chairman has been given scant resources and no budget allocation to undertake work and recent development activities in the region, including the building of the new medical college, have taken place without any consultation with the Regional Council.

As well as enforcing rule of law to eliminate discrimination and ensure compensation and justice for victims of violence, the government has to urgently progress full implementation of the CHT accord.

Fulfilling its conditions is absolutely imperative to tackle the root causes of communal tensions. As an original signatory, the prime minister has a special responsibility for ensuring the CHT Peace Accord is properly implemented to fulfill the state’s duty to protect the rights of all citizens and bring peace and prosperity to the CHT.

Fulfilling treaty is vital to tackle the root causes of communal tensions

We need our leaders to lead

T

he vast majority of people simply want to be able to live their lives without political disruption and fear of violence.

On Friday, the Dhaka International Trade Fair saw record crowds for this year. Amid reports that there was a relative reduction in violence on the 11th and 12th days of the nationwide blockade, it was a brief but welcome sign of normality.

With the UN and key trading partners expressing concern at the loss of lives and disruption inflicted during the blockade, it is more urgent than ever for the government and BNP to bring forth dialogue to end political violence and guarantee political stability.

Both sides must follow up some of the conciliatory statements officials from each side have made in recent days to indicate their preferred conditions for undertaking talks.

Neither side can afford to be inflexible. People of all ages from all backgrounds have been innocent victims of this month’s violence and the whole economy is needlessly hurting.

The path to a solution needs all parties to act positively. Now is not the time to harden their public stances. The public is acutely aware of the rising toll of injuries and death caused by the violence of the last two weeks. At least 14 people, including five policeman, were injured in bomb attacks in Dhaka on Saturday.

The government and BNP alliance both have a responsibility to listen to the public and show more responsible leadership. The government should stop preventing opposition rallies while the BNP must stick to purely peaceful and voluntary methods of protest.

Whether by responding to overtures for dialogue or making new gestures of their own, they must end the deadlock now.

Both sides must act positively. Now is not the time to harden their stance

May we speak freely?

January 7

sattar We need to stop being so totalitarian.

How to solve: Each number in our CODE-CRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 14 represents L so fill L every time the figure 14 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

pression as bad as it is in countries such as China, one does not need to possess the power of clairvoyance to see that we are on our way to such a future.

Dreampie sattar: Totally.

Karl Hungus “The very essence of life is to be able to speak our minds, to venture down a path that allows us to be ourselves.”

While it’s too soon to deem the state of free ex-

International Children Film Festival to begin on Jan 24

January 8

Zero-Agenda Karl Hungus: The ICT Act is an absolute blight to free speech; there is no confusion about that. The government needs to scrap this ridiculous law if it hopes to instill any sense of democracy in their rule.

Hanif: Khaleda doesn’t even care about Ijtema January 7

Fugstar “Pilgrims from home and abroad will be unable to join this holy congregation as BNP is creating chaos through their political programs and ongoing strikes.”

Said the guy whose colleague recently insulted the world’s Hajis and Tablighis.

Abdus Salam “Some 30 films made by Bangladeshi children will compete for awards this year.”

Awesome news. Hoping Bangladeshi children will be awarded for their creative talents.

Ban on Tarique’s speech: Justice’s house torched

January 8 Matiur Rahman “Miscreants have torched the village house of Justice Kazi Reza-Ul Hoque who passed an order banning the publication of speeches by BNP’s senior vice-chairman Tarique Rahman in the media.”

Very soon, angry people will want to burn the justice alive. This is because people think such politically-motivated and committed judges serve the party motive, and not their constitutional obligations.

Government caves in on Sela ultimatum

January 7 AH “Sela River waterway open to daytime use, but oil tankers barred from plying the route.”

Shahjahan is unfit to be an impartial official or a minister. Everything he does is geared to the interests of the union workers.

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.

‘BNP seeks India’s intervention’ January 8

sirajulmo@yahoo.com If this report is true, we should be ashamed as a nation that we are not declaring ourselves, nor acting, as a sovereign nation. In that case, the question of democracy does not arise.

Unfortunately, for this nation, no political party wants the election commission to be an independent body, because every party believes in hooliganism.

Whatever you parties do, please stop these hartals and picketing, and killing innocent people.

Where is the BNP blockade headed?

January 8

One Paris gunman surrenders

January 8 SY “Police are hunting three French nationals, including brothers Said Kouachi, Cherif Kouachi and Hamyd Mourad after suspected Islamist gunmen killed 12 people.”

These people are not Muslims at all. Islam never teaches violence except for self defense.

The French authorities should go for maximum punishment under their nation’s law.

SUDOKU

Dr Ahsan Habib “Despite the BNP’s determination to continue its countrywide rail, road, and waterway blockade, senior and mid-ranking leaders were conspicuous by their absence.”

I would say to people like Enam, MK Anwar, Tuku, Papia, Nilufar Moni, Moyeen Khan, etc: “Don’t be cowards. Either go onto the streets or hand over leadership to someone else.” Why should the people suffer while you get the rewards?

Shame on you.

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Employer (4) 5 Interior decoration (5) 9 Whole (6) 10 Hail! (3) 11 Close up (4) 12 Part of flower’s calyx (5) 14 Theme (5) 16 Branch of learning (4) 19 African river (4) 21 Plant secretion (5) 24 Frequently (5) 27 Ill nature (4) 29 Digit (3) 30 Worked hard (6) 31 Prophets (5) 32 Observes (4)

DOWN 1 Finest quality (4) 2 United (3) 3 Pollen-bearing organ (6) 4 Airtight grain store (4) 5 Longings (7) 6 Headwear (3) 7 Eggs (3) 8 Become less tense (5) 13 Newt (3) 15 Natural gifts (7) 17 Showing decay of old age (6) 18 Concretions of blood (5) 20 Choler (3) 22 Wading bird (4) 23 Resting places (4) 25 Enemy (3) 26 Golf mound (3) 28 Sheltered side (3)

Ensure rights of the third gender

CALVIN AND HOBBES

January 8

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS CODE-CRACKER

Rajeeb Great write up! Good to see a well-informed piece on the Hijra community.

PEANUTS

CROSSWORD

Second day of blockade claims three more lives January 8 SM People should stand up for the sake of their lives, security, and the damage caused to their property. These hartals and blockades must stop. It is immaterial to the public who calls these atrocities. None of the politicians give the public anything except more looting and oppression.

Democracy faces the gallows January 7 Evil People Politics An uncharacteristically level-headed article from the author; agreed with pretty much everything said here.

SUDOKU

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Op-Ed

11

Monday, January 19, 2015

Entrepreneurial cannibalism n Saif Kamal

I

Are we willing to pay the price for a better economy?

BIGSTOCK

Democracy or growth?

T

n Moazzem Hossain he incumbent government of our Honourable Sheikh Hasina took on a major challenge in turning the nation into a middle-income economy by 2021, the 50th anniversary of our independence. 2015 has just arrived and by the next six years, the middle-income goal has to be realised.

A popular ongoing debate is, given the political turmoil over the last year surrounding the general elections on January 5 of last year: Was it necessary to maintain stability in the political arena, whatever the cost, for the sake of achieving strong growth? The nation certainly is on the move now. Under such circumstances, was it necessary to take a strong stand against any political expediency to get the growth momentum going for at least a decade, even at the expense of remaining true to the spirit of democracy?

The answers to these questions are not easy to come by. One may, however, closely examine East Asia’s policies of the 70s and 80s for solutions. Let us take Singapore, for example: Certainly, Singapore made the concession towards gaining strong economic growth over political autonomy; in other words, the rulers managed stability in the political arena by all means in its early period of growth. In the early days of the South Korean growth trajectory, a similar approach had been adopted.

According to some development economists, it is now clear that genuine democratic rule can only be

enjoyed once a nation reaches middleincome status. For Bangladesh, the next 10 years will certainly be very crucial to that end.

Coming back to the subject of strong growth versus making the right political decisions (such as resolving conflicts between the government and the BNP's 20-party alliance), it looks as though the opposition has been struggling to come to terms with the outcome of the 2014 general elections.

in the present political condition).

It is clear that the government will move on with its growth goal and has apparently been taking all the steps necessary to make it happen. The major infrastructure projects currently in place in the capital and the relaunch of the mega Padma Bridge project are likely to contribute in pushing the growth rate beyond 7% per annum over the next decade.

However, given the low base of

Genuine democratic rule can only be enjoyed once a nation reaches middle-income status

Thus, it has been throwing one economically damaging program after another (shutdowns, general strikes, etc), and, frankly, they are not working for them at the moment. The government remains steadfast in taking strong actions against anarchy.

And the government’s stand works.

The public is in no mood to respond to the sporadic shutdowns, and realising this, the BNP leader has outlined her major grievances in the form of her party’s seven-point demand. However, there is nothing new in the list which can bring a breakthrough to the present conflict (some senior ministers termed the points as being ridiculous

the economy (with income at around $1,000 per capita) it would take a miracle to reach middle-income status by 2021. Miracles have happened in this part of the world, and a thus it is not unlikely for Bangladesh.

In this scenario, provided there is stability in politics, Bangladesh's economy has the potential to gain middle-income status within the next decade. The government’s target, in this respect, could have been achieved by 2021, had there been no debacle in the commencement of the bridge initially.

Having said this, the major setbacks to the economy over the next three to

five years would be non-economic in nature. I refer to the non-stop political turmoil due to hard-line approaches taken by both the opposition and the government.

For argument's sake, if the AL loses the next general election, the present momentum of growth is likely to be derailed for at least three years in the post-election era. In other words, political decisions driven by a change in government would certainly be at the expense of strong growth.

On the contrary, if the government sticks to its economic goals without giving in to the opposition’s economydamaging programs, the goal of becoming a middle-income nation by 2025 is certainly reachable.

It remains to be seen how the electorate behaves in the election due by 2019. Unfortunately, in the present political environment, there is no scope for a third strategy – a consensus between the two major alliances leading to a combination of strong growth and political freedom.

Political instability brings more suffering to the general masses and is a threat against Bangladesh becoming a middle-income nation in the foreseeable future. The ball remains well and truly in the court of the electorate, if and when the next general elections are held. It is important that the electorate does not throw the baby out with the bathwater. l Moazzem Hossain is an Associate Professor in the Business School at Griffith University, Australia.

n the last few years, I have seen a vigorous zeal for the startup movement in Dhaka, and it is now spreading to Chittagong. Bangladeshis are entrepreneurial by nature; the lack of big industries in our past, and the drive to survive, has led to the development of many small, medium, and large enterprises.

I personally don’t see the difference between today’s startups (except being a fancy term) and the old term of “bebsha shuru” (starting a business).

Is it the cool San Fran phrase that we are trying to adopt? I say, our endeavour here has passion, but no innovation. Innovation is at the core of successful startups. Innovations make your startup different from that of someone who starts a little shop round the corner.

Maybe that is why, in our startup support community, we bring in speakers from the West or the Far East and ask them to mentor our young Bangladeshis. So is it the San Francisco culture we are embedding into the system of the aspiring entrepreneurs?

I find a large mismatch in the whole puzzle of creating an ecosystem. Is there innovation? If so, where? If not, why not?

We have the international mentors who think it is normal to be innovative, as they often don’t measure the quality of education between us.

There are successful local businessmen who are too busy to mentor, or not really the kind to do so; after all, the wealth of our richest men were not built on innovative products, but rather a “me too” in the garment industry.

Then there is policy, which I think we rant too much about. And last but not the least, there is the financial aspect of investment.

There is a reason I call the current phenomenon “entrepreneurial cannibalism.” I was invited to sit through a number of pitches at startups. I hardly found any new idea or much innovation. “I want to open an online store,” “I want to open a food cart,” “I want to build an app” – as if we don’t have enough of those already.

And most “wow” ideas are copied from other parts of the world, which I personally do not mind if they are executed well. The ideators further expect an investor to invest in these ideas without any market information or proof of their entrepreneurial, technical, or leadership capabilities.

Obviously, we cannot blame them either. What we see is what we yearn for. Millionaires of the nation grew on such pillars of being copycats – you opened a garment factory and everyone else did. You opened a bank and then we had 56 others.

Obviously, the difference between them and the ideator is the current

disposable income. While there is a bandwagon of innovators who are building drones and winning global competitions, the ecosystem is unable to nurture them to build products and services that can be taken to the market.

Innovations make your startup different from that of someone who starts a little shop round the corner

So, don’t we have any innovators?

Yes, we do. However, innovation now is seen as a hobby that was like learning to sing or dance. To parents, it does not have career prospects no matter how good you are. Innovators are either forced to join the “real life” workforce with a big salary (where they are underemployed in comparison to their capability), or they are forced to immigrate.

An English daily last year quoted that half of the 12,000 skilled workers who migrate abroad are engineers. We are unable to give them an opportunity. The World Bank’s paper “Innovation Ecosystem in Bangladesh” mentions the lack of academic and technical skills given at universities as one of the major failures for innovations to grow.

We need to look at the education system, where seeds of innovation and exposure to markets take place.

Obviously, one might argue that most of the successful entrepreneurs are dropouts, which I would not beg to differ on. The challenge lies in what facilities and exposure we can give to young minds.

We will continue to have such “me too” products until we build a solid base for innovation. Let us go back to the slate and help draw the pillars of innovation and then move to startups.

It is an arduous task indeed, but to find the right investments, we need this, and the youth of this nation deserves this.

It will surely be a failure, but at least they will be excellent failures which we can learn from. It is fine with me if we just build an economy on “outsourced” work and cannibalism, but then let’s not call it a “startup” and stick to our age-old SME tag. l Saif Kamal is the founder of the Social Innovation Lab, Toru - the idea tree. Follow him on twitter @saifkamal.

Fighting for what? n Srabonti Ali

I

am not a political analyst, nor am I a sanctioned intellectual licensed to coherently explain the plague of violence and unrest that has hit our city.

I am simply a resident of Bangladesh, and with this statement, I suppose I will have to digress and make a slew of other disclaimers.

cocktail bombs and riots.

It’s nothing new, I know. This violence has been here forever. But maybe in the last few years it’s seemed worse to me because I’m a mother.

When you’re a kid, hartals mean no school, so who on God’s green Earth would complain about that? When you’re a college student, or what I like to call a pre-adult, hartals are fun

Two political parties, two bickering parental figures of Bangladesh. I don’t think they even want custody of us out of love anymore

I am not one of the underprivileged – the tired masses, the scores of people who live in poverty, the minorities, the forgotten. I am simply a woman who lives in Dhaka city, who was brought up to believe in Bangladesh with all her heart, and of course, I am a mother.

I watch TV for news about the violence on the streets, I check Facebook posts for what my friends and acquaintances are being subjected to day-in and day-out as they go about their daily lives, and get SMS updates from security companies and local newspapers on which areas there are

because there is no traffic.

But what the rose-tinted glasses of youth do not allow us to behold, unfortunately, is the instability – the hazard of walking out of your house, getting into your car, and going to work, or the fear you feel every time you travel with your children.

The blockades on non-hartal days are equally terrifying. You don’t know who is on your side, you don’t know who to trust, and I personally have been in situations in the past (not recently) where policeman have asked me to get out of the car (with my three-year-old son in tow), while they

conducted some “joruri check.”

This is what life has become. It is not, of course, as bad as other places like, most recently, Gaza or Afghanistan or Iraq. Okay, so maybe I’m delusional, but we haven’t reached a full-on war-zone situation – droneflying, grenade-hungry, brushfirehappy – just yet. But are we that far off ? I hear fireworks in the middle of the night and wonder if they are bombs.

When construction workers drop heavy steel rods outside my bedroom window, I think they are actually gunshots. An ambulance siren wails loudly, rudely disrupting the stillness of the night, and I automatically suspect someone is dying. It’s not a thought that comes with a sharp intake of breath in shock or surprise.

It’s a question that doesn’t come with much incredulousness.

Two political parties, two bickering parental figures of Bangladesh. A divorced couple fighting a massive custody battle over us, their children, for 43 years. I don’t think they even want custody of us out of love anymore.

They just want to spite each other. The kids, and what they want, don’t count.

We don’t matter.

I once heard a child talking about the two political parties; a twelveyear-old, whose chest-jutting cockiness made me wish I was that age, said, “basically one supports Pakistan and one supports India.” And his friend, younger and less sure of himself, timidly asked: “Who supports Bangladesh then?”

Our streets are not their battlegrounds Nobody. Not even us. Because we have become as indifferent and as immune to other peoples’ pain as (yeah, I had to bring this into it) Pakistan was with us in 1971. We feel things, but only as long as it serves our purpose. Case in point: The Peshawar attacks on over a hundred school children. Do you know how many people thought it was poetic justice that it happened on December 16?

How disgusting. I am ashamed of my people.

But again, I’m digressing. Back to the violence on our streets and the

DHAKA TRIBUNE

fact that nobody feels safe anymore: A few days ago, a political advisor of the opposition party was shot in his car.

Thankfully, he is still alive. However, he was tailed, his car set on fire, his windows broken, and then duly shot four times in the middle of a busy street, right in front of a five-star hotel on Gulshan Avenue.

The initial response was appropriate – outrage, anger, indignation, fear.

But then it set in and we couldn’t help ourselves. Less than 12 hours later there were Facebook arguments about who was to blame – finger-pointing,

defenses, and excuses. Oh my god!

People, someone got shot in the middle of an open street, and the miscreants (that’s the new buzz word, guys) managed to disappear in the midst of all those witnesses. How? And more importantly, why are people holding debates on the matter? Inappropriate much?

So, I’m asking the same question that timid little boy asked his very confident friend that day: Who supports Bangladesh? I can’t tell anymore. l Srabonti Ali is a freelance contributor.

12

DHAKA TRIBUNE Monday, January 19, 2015

13 Starc, Finch bring

Australia victory despite Rohit ton

14 Ronaldo double

takes Madrid four points clear

14 Uzbekistan

oust Saudi Arabia in thriller

Sport

Aus-NZ await to see Mominul flourish n Mazhar Uddin Mominul Haque has established his place as a Test batsman, no doubt, but he is yet to flourish when it comes to one-day cricket. Though the Bangladeshi played just 12 Tests and his achievements should not be compared to the greats of the game, but his staggering average of 63.06 in the longer version is only second to Sir Donald Bradman. However, it is his one-day average that needs to rise and what better opportunity can he get other than the World Cup. The 23-year-old smashed seven 100s and 12 fifties in his Test career, but much to everyone’s surprise he is yet to land a ODI century and averages only 25.66 in 24 matches. However, things will be tougher for the not-so-tall Cox’s Bazar lad as the wickets in Australia-New Zealand are not only fast but bouncy too which is likely to expose his weak point on short deliveries.

“In terms of my personal preparation for the World Cup as you all know the pitches in Australia has got the bounce so I am trying to get adjusted with the bounce both in the bowling (Top-bottom) Mahmudullah, Mashrafe bin Mortaza and Mominul Haque have a laughabout during training at Mirpur yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

machine and also in the nets and to be specific I am working on the back foot along with playing cuts and pulls,” said Mominul.

Tigers coach Chandika Hathurusingha is focused to make the batsmen habituate on bouncy tracks in the last minute preparations at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium and yesterday was no exception. However, the former Lankan cricketer is yet to decide a specific role for Mominul.

“To be honest I don’t have any favorite batting position, but if I bat at No 3 I will try to play a long innings and if I go towards the end of the innings I will look to score some quick runs,” said the left-handed Mominul who also bowls occasional left-arm spin.

Alongside adjusting with the batting tracks, Mominul is also aware of the big grounds in Australia where running between the wicket is very important.

A sweet timer of the red cherry, the left-handed knows it very well that boundaries will be hard to come and they need to run fast.

The ongoing cricket matches in Australia (their national team playing India and the Big Bash League) are now the only source of gaining a knowledge of the conditions and like others Mominul is also keeping a close eye on the television set before boarding for down under on January 24.l

The 16th edition of the National Cricket League, the premier first-class domestic competition of the country, is all set to get underway on January 25.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board yesterday announced the squads of the eight participating teams - seven divisions and the Dhaka Metropolis - and the fixtures of the first two rounds of the tournament.

In the first round starting from January 25, Dhaka will lock horns with Barisal at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.

Rajshahi will face Dhaka Metropolis at BKSP 3 while Rangpur will meet Chittagong at Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium. In the fourth game, Khulna will take on Sylhet at BKSP 2.

The competition’s next edition,

however, will see some changes, including the introduction of promotion and relegation.

The top four divisional sides from this year’s competition will play in the first tier while the bottom four teams will take part in the second tier. One team from each tier will gain promotion and relegation. Since its inception in 1999, there was no promotion or relegation in the NCL. According to the BCB, the reason behind the change of format is to make the league more competitive and attractive.

The prize money will be higher from the upcoming edition. The first-tier champions will be awarded Tk20lakh while second-tier champions will get Tk5lakh. It will be played under the home-and-away basis although this year the single-league format will be followed.l

n Reuters, Johannesburg AB de Villiers took 31 balls to smash the fastest century in one-day internationals as South Africa crushed West Indies by 148 runs at The Wanderers on Sunday.

The Proteas posted 439 for two wickets, their highest team total in this format, before restricting the tourists to 291 for seven in their 50 overs to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.

De Villiers blasted a record-equalling 16 sixes and nine fours in his blistering 44-ball knock of 149, bettering New Zealander Corey Anderson’s 36ball century against West Indies last year.

Hashim Amla (153 not out) and Rilee Rossouw (128) also picked up tons in the South African innings on a flat Wanderers wicket, before Morne

Jumman Lusai, may you find eternal peace n Raihan Mahmood

Jumman Lusai with his beloved hockey stick in his last match on December 16 last year MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

He remained unconscious on bed number 10 of the new Intensive Care Unit of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Medical University with the life support system highlighting “no response”. The shy eyes remained closed as the ever smiling face fared no sign of life, Jumman Lusai, the iconic name of Bangladesh hockey, had passed away. He was 59.

The big hearted defender, who was like an indomitable tiger with the hockey stick in the field, was rushed to Bangladesh Medical College Hospital after he suffered a brain haemorrhage at Abahani Club premises in Dhanmondi on Friday. He was later shifted to the BSMMU where he was kept on life support. The doctors said the kidneys, liver, and brain of the iconic sportsman had been seriously affected.

Marma ingenious Jumman hailed from Sylhet and he represented the heritage of a royal sports family with his cousins - Donnon Lusai and Rama Lusai - playing hockey and football at national level. He was in fact the last among the national level players in his family as his younger cousin Biyaka Lusai played in the top premier division hockey clubs but never made it to the national team.

Jumman’s playing career began with Bangladesh Police in 1980 and after two years he got his national call up. After featuring for seven years in the national side, Jumman last played in 1989, the year when he was selected in the World XI and

the achievement remains an untouched milestone till date.

In 1985, against Iran in the 2nd Asia Cup in Dhaka, he became the first Bangladeshi to score a hat-trick, all the goals coming from penalty corners, in international hockey. Jumman’s knot with Abahani was as strong as it gets. He wore the Sky Blue jersey for more than a decade and stood tall in the defence line as Abahani bagged numerous local titles before he retired from club hockey in 1994.

Hockey was his first love while Abahani was the second. He never played club hockey apart from Abahani and remained loyal to the sky-blues even after retiring and played various roles – sometimes an assistant coach, sometimes as a coach and even an adviser.

Shy and introvert in nature, Jumman always greeted others with a mild smile that will now be missed in the hockey arena. His wife and three children reside in Mizoram, India. His body will be taken to Sylhet for funeral today after Abahani club (10am) and the hockey federation (12pm) pay their final respect to the legend.

Jumman’s last appearance on the hockey turf was in December 16, 2014, in an exhibition match organised by the federation on the occasion of International Hockey Federation president Leandro Negre’s arrival. He still looked in fine tune, scoring a goal as his team won. A born winner, Jumman celebrated the victory but lost the battle against the inevitable destination of human life. Jumman, rest in peace. l

Adam Gilchrist is the only player to win all the three World Cups (1999, 2003 and 2007) that he has played in

STATS

149 off 44 balls

Majestic de Villiers celebrates his record-breaking century against the West Indies in the 2nd ODI in Johannesburg yesterday

Two-tier NCL begins Jan 25 De Villiers hits 31-ball ton in huge win n Minhaz Uddin Khan

Did you know?

Morkel and Vernon Philander picked up two wickets each with the ball.

Dwayne Smith (64) and Denesh

RECORDS TODAY 1. Most centuries (3) in the same innings 2. Anybody who faced a ball in the innings scored a century (minimum 3) 3. Fastest half century (16 balls) 4. Fastest century (31 balls) 5. Most sixes in an innings (joint, 16) 6. Most bowlers in an innings conceding more than 90 runs (joint, 2 bowlers) Ramdin (57) were the pick of the visiting batsman but no-one could match the explosiveness and De Villiers to give West Indies a chance at the win.

Earlier, Described by retired Australian stumper Adam Gilchrist as the “most valuable cricketer on the planet” earlier this week, de Villiers blasted 16 sixes and nine fours in his blistering knock.

The 30-year-old right-hander went down on his knees and slog-swept Jason Holder over deep mid-wicket for his 10th six to bring up his century before raising his bat and taking off his helmet with a broad smile on his face.

Coming out to bat after a 247-run opening stand between Hashim Amla (153 not out) and Rilee Rossouw (128), de Villiers set a new record for the fastest half-century as well.

He reached the milestone in 16 balls, improving the previous best mark of Sri Lankan Sanath Jayasuriya against Pakistan in 1996 by a delivery. l

Sarwar, Jimmy crush Mexico n Shishir Hoque Bangladesh rode on three goals from Sarwar Hossain to claim their first win in the Hockey World League round 2 in Singapore yesterday. The contribution from the midfielder along with a double strike from star forward Rasel Mahmud Jimmy, in his second match after serving a five-month suspension, saw Bangladesh crush Mexico 6-1.

They lost to Japan 5-1 in the opening game and Mexico’s lead in the second

quarter was not looking good at all before Sarwar equalised from a penalty corner in the following quarter. Jimmy, who’s last international goal came against Chinese Taipei in the Asia Cup in 2013, bagged the lead for his side in the 37th minute. Krishna Kumar extended the lead in the 43rd minute before Jimmy scored in the next minute to make it 4-1. Sarwar netted two more in the 50th and 60th minute to complete the rout.

Bangladesh will play their last Pool B match against Poland on Tuesday.l

31

Balls in which AB de Villiers got to his hundred, a world record.

The previous record was held

by Corey Anderson who scored a 36-ball hundred against West Indies in Queenstown in 2014.

16

Balls in which De Villiers got to his fifty, another world record. The previous record was held by Sanath Jayasuriya, who scored 50 of 17 balls against Pakistan in 1996.

16

Number of sixes hit by De Villiers, equaling the world record for the most sixes in an ODI innings, by Rohit Sharma during his innings of 209 against Australia in 2013.

17.2

The partnership run rate during the 192-run stand, off 67 balls, between Amla and de Villiers.

This is the highest run rate for a 100-plus partnership against any Test playing nation.

40

Minutes in which De Villiers got to his hundred. He needed only 19 minutes to reach his fifty.

339

De Villiers’ strike rate during his innings of 149, which is the highest strike rate for a 50-plus knock and the first time that a batsman has made a 100-plus score at a 300-plus strike rate.

3

Number of batsmen who scored centuries, Hashim Amla (153), Rilee Rossouw (128) and de Villiers (149). This is the first instance of three batsman scoring hundreds in the same innings in an ODI.

439

The total score posted by South Africa, the second highest in ODIs. The record is 443, by Sri Lanka against Netherlands in 2006.

SAvWI, SECOND ODI R

B

South Africa innings HM Amla not out RR Rossouw c Benn b Taylor AB de Villiers c Carter b Russell DA Miller not out Extras (lb 4, w 4, nb 1)

153 142 128 115 149 44 0 0 9

Total (2 wickets; 50 overs)

439

Fall of wickets 1-247 (Rossouw, 38.3 ov), 2-439 (de Villiers, 49.4 ov) Bowling Taylor 10-0-95-1, Holder 9-0-91-0, Benn 10-0-49-0, Russell 10-0-78-1, Sammy 4-0-26-0, Samuels 3-0-28-0, Smith 4-0-68-0 West Indies innings DR Smith c Duminy b Behardien CH Gayle c Behardien b Morkel LR Johnson lbw b Philander MN Samuels c Behardien b Philander D Ramdin c du Plessis b Morkel JL Carter c sub (WD Parnell) b Steyn AD Russell c du Plessis b Imran Tahir DJG Sammy not out JO Holder not out Extras (b 4, lb 8, w 10, nb 2)

R

B

64 19 1 40 57 40 0 25 21 24

65 13 15 48 55 39 1 41 25

Total (7 wickets; 50 overs)

291

Fall of wickets 1-36 (Gayle, 4.5 ov), 2-63 (Johnson, 9.5 ov), 3-122 (Smith, 21.2 ov), 4-148 (Samuels, 24.6 ov), 5-231 (Carter, 36.6 ov), 6-232 (Russell, 37.2 ov), 7-253 (Ramdin, 41.2 ov) Bowling Morkel 10-0-43-2, Philander 10-0-69-2, Steyn 10-0-29-1, Duminy 4-0-39-0, Tahir 10-0-60-1, Behardien 6-0-39-1 South Africa won by 148 runs; led the 5-match series 2-0

Kruif only for Bangabandhu Gold Cup n Shishir Hoque Dutch coach Lodewijk de Kruif will only get five days to prepare Bangladesh for the forthcoming Bangabandhu Gold Cup Football Tournament. A Bangladesh Football Federation official informed yesterday that De Kruif is expected to arrive in Dhaka this Friday with the international competition kicking off on January 29.

BFF vice-president and a member of the national team committee, Tabith Awal, said yesterday that they have already booked De Kruif’s air-ticket but as his father passed away last Tuesday, the Dutchman’s arrival date was deferred twice.

“There is no confusion surrounding his arrival,” Tabith said before adding, “He is expected to arrive this Friday but we are trying to bring him here before that.

“As his father died a few days ago, he has to stay with his family and com-

plete the funeral formalities.”

Tabith added that the national side are already preparing under the guidance of the Dutch coach, who is instructing interim coach Saiful Bari Titu over phone and email. The BFF vice-president also said De Kruif will be a stop-gap solution for the Bangabandhu Gold Cup. “After the Bangabandhu Cup, the

Bangladesh team will participate in many international tournaments — the AFC Under-23 Qualifiers, World Cup Qualifiers and the SAFF Championship,” he said.

“So, we have to appoint a coach who will work with the national team for a long period. We are searching for someone new.” l

BANGABANDHU GOLD CUP 2015 Date 29 January 30 January Bangladesh 31 January Football Federation 01 February yesterday announced the 02 February official fixtures of the Bangabandhu 03 February Gold Cup 2015 05 February which is scheduled 06 February to kick off on January 29 08 February

Team Vs Team Bangladesh Vs Malaysia Singapore Vs Thailand Malaysia Vs Sri Lanka Bahrain Vs Singapore Bangladesh Vs Sri Lanka Thailand Vs Bahrain Semifinal 1 Semifinal 2 Final

Venue Sylhet Sylhet Sylhet Dhaka Dhaka Dhaka Sylhet Dhaka Dhaka

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

Starc, Finch bring Australia victory despite Rohit ton

QUICK BYTES

Bangladesh U19s lose opening youth ODI Bangladesh Under-19 started the five-match youth ODI series against Sri Lanka U-19 on a losing note, suffering a seven-wicket defeat in Colombo yesterday. Bangladesh opted to bat first and posted 202 on the board losing all of their wickets in 49.5 overs with Nazmul Hossian top-scoring with 70. Nazmul’s 95-ball inning featured five boundaries and a six while Bangladesh U-19 skipper Mehedi Hasan chipped in with 48 off 61 balls. Charith Asalanka led the Lankan bowling department taking four wickets conceding 36 runs in 9.5 overs. In reply, Sri Lanka U-19 reached the destination in 44.2 overs with seven wickets to spare.

The home side’s opener, Lasith Laksan topped the inning with 69 runs followed

by Charith’s 65. Shawon Gazi bagged two wickets for the visitors. The two sides will lock horns in the second youth ODI on January 20.

–Tribune Desk

n AFP, Melbourne

Injured Del Potro pulls out of Australian Open Luckless Grand Slam winner Juan Martin del Potro on Sunday pulled out of the Australian Open after a recurrence of his troublesome wrist injury, but remains confident of resurrecting his career. The giant Argentine spent almost a year on the sidelines before making his return as a wildcard at the Sydney International last week, where he made the quarter-finals.

But he said he was not ready for gruelling five setters at Melbourne Park. “I didn’t feel prepared for playing in this big event.

My first Grand Slam after one year, fiveset matches, is very tough,” said Del Potro, who memorably won the US Open in 2009 at the age of 20 when he defeated Roger Federer. “It could be dangerous for my wrist. I think it was a tough decision, but could be a smart decision if I want to stay healthy and play for the whole year.”

Del Potro also had a long layoff in 2010, when he peaked at world number four, stemming from an injury to his right wrist before bouncing back and breaking into the top five at the end of 2013.

–AFP

Juve’s Giovinco set to join Toronto Juventus and Italy playmaker Sebastian Giovinco is set to join Major League Soccer side Toronto FC on a four-year deal, the Canadian and Italian media reported on Sunday. They said an announcement was expectedly imminently for the transfer of the 27-year-old ‘Atomic Ant’, who will be out of contract with the Serie A leaders in July. There was no comment from either club. Canadian media reported the deal would be worth US $7 million a year, making him the second highest paid player in the MLS after Orlando city’s Brazilian midfielder Kaka. The exact timing of the move remained unclear, with the MLS season starting in March. The former Parma player has been out of favour at Juve under coach Massimiliano Allegri, appearing in only six league games with two starts. However, he scored twice last Thursday in a 6-1 Coppa Italia win over Verona, after which Allegri said the player was not for sale and had not expressed a desire to leave.

–Reuters

Modric should be back in a month: Ancelotti Real Madrid should have Croatia midfielder Luka Modric back from injury in a month’s time, coach Carlo Ancelotti said on Sunday, suggesting he could be available for the holders’ Champions League last 16, first leg at Schalke 04.

Modric damaged a thigh muscle in a Euro 2016 qualifier against Italy in November and his place in the Real starting lineup has been filled by Spain playmaker Isco.

While Isco has performed admirably and is a favourite with the Real fans, Modric’s return will be a welcome boost and his reliable presence adds an extra level of control. Real play their first leg at Schalke on Feb. 18 and host the Bundesliga side for the return on March 10. “Modric needs more or less a month,” Ancelotti told a news conference after the leaders’ 3-0 La Liga win at Getafe on Sunday.

–Reuters

Australia’s Mitchell Starc (C) celebrates with teammates Brad Haddin (L), Glenn Maxwell (2R) and Shane Watson after taking a wicket against India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground yesterday AFP

Paceman Mitchell Starc took 6-43 to help Australia to a four-wicket victory over India on Sunday, their second in succession in the one-day international tri-series, despite a brilliant Rohit Sharma century.

Sharma’s 138 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground enabled India to post a competitive total of 267 for eight after winning the toss and electing to bat.

However, on a placid pitch it always appeared slightly less than required and Australian opener Aaron Finch countered Sharma’s century with a match-winning knock of his own.

Finch made 96 as Australia rattled up 269 for six, winning with six balls to spare.

He received great support from the in-form Steve Smith (47). The pair put on 101 for the third wicket as the home side appeared to be coasting to victory.

However, Finch fell when a century beckoned, caught behind by Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni from the bowling of Umesh Yadav, as the tourists made an unlikely late bid to snatch victory.

In an unexpectedly tense finish, Brad Haddin and James Faulkner got the Australians home with an unbroken 21-run stand.

Australian captain George Bailey, who faces a one-match suspension for slow over rates after his second breach in under 12 months, admitted he was disappointed the finish was so close.

In a blow to India, paceman Mohammed Shami was forced off the field with a leg problem after bowling the first ball of the 47th over.

India’s innings was dogged by a poor start and a disappointing finish.

Beaten by the host nation 2-0 in the recent four-Test series, they found themselves in early trouble at 59 for three.

As was the case in Australia’s big win over England in the series opener on Friday, left-arm paceman Starc claimed a wicket in the first over of the match -- Shikhar Dhawan caught by Aaron Finch at second slip for just two.

Fellow paceman Gurinder Sandhu, born in Australia to Indian parents, then made a dream debut when he claimed the wicket of Ajinkya Rahane in just his second over.

Virat Kohli could not summon up his incredible form of the Test series, making just nine before he was caught off the bowling of Faulkner.

Suresh Raina, who made a pair when recalled for the fourth Test against Australia earlier this month, then went out to join Sharma and they rebuilt the innings. l

INDvAUS India R. Sharma c Maxwell b Starc S. Dhawan c Finch b Starc A. Rahane c Haddin b Sandhu V. Kohli c Bailey b Faulkner S. Raina c Maxwell b Starc M. Dhoni b Starc A. Patel lbw Starc R. Ashwin not out B. Kumar b Starc M. Shami not out Extras (b1, lb3, w15, nb1)

R

B

138 2 12 9 51 19 0 14 0 2 20

139 4 22 16 63 31 2 20 1 3

Total (8 wickets, 50 overs)

267

Fall of wickets 1-3 (Dhawan), 2-33 (Rahane), 3-59 (Kohli), 4-185 (Raina), 5-237 (Dhoni), 6-237 (Patel), 7-262 (Sharma), 8-262 (Kumar) Bowling Starc 10-2-43-6, Cummins 10-0-52-0, Sandhu 10-0-58-1, Faulkner 10-0-63-1, Watson 8-0-33-0, Maxwell 2-0-14-0

R

B

Australia A. Finch c Dhoni b Yadav D. Warner c Raina b Yadav S. Watson b Patel S. Smith c Ashwin b Shami G. Maxwell c and b Kumar G. Bailey c Dhoni b Ashwin B. Haddin not out J. Faulkner not out Extras (lb3, w11)

96 127 24 22 41 39 47 52 20 23 5 11 13 11 9 9 14

Total (6 wickets, 49 overs)

269

Fall of wickets 1-51 (Warner), 2-115 (Watson), 3-216 (Smith), 4-219 (Finch), 5-230 (Bailey), 6-248 (Maxwell) Bowling Kumar 9.5-0-44-1, Yadav 10-1-55-2, Shami 8.1-0-44-1, Patel 10-0-45-1, Ashwin 9-054-1, Raina 2-0-24-0 Australia won by four wickets

Djoker, Fedex vie for 5 Aussie Open crowns n AFP, Melbourne A late double strike rescued Uzbekistan’s Asian Cup campaign and ousted three-time champions Saudi Arabia Sunday as Sun Ke’s brace enhanced China’s growing reputation.

The Uzbeks were headed out at 1-1 in Melbourne before Vokhid Shodiev’s header and Sardor Rashidov’s second of the night steered them into the quarter-finals with a thrilling win.

The 2011 semi-finalists are now into a quarter-final against South Korea but the result condemns the Saudis, winners in 1984, 1988 and 1996, to a second straight group stage exit.

“I can’t say this is a big tragedy,” said

Saudi caretaker coach Cosmin Olaroiu, pressed to explain the Gulf side’s recent fall from grace. “It is a big disappointment, but it’s too much to call it a tragedy.”

Away from the fireworks in Melbourne, Sun scored in just 45 seconds and then grabbed his third of the tournament as China beat North Korea 2-1 in Canberra to seal their best ever start.

Uzbekistan also made a lightning start and Saudi goalkeeper Waleed Abdullah was left red-faced when Rashidov raced clear and slotted through his legs in only the second minute.

The White Wolves needed a win to qualify behind China in Group B but there was dismay when referee Ben Williams pointed to the spot for a soft penalty on the hour-mark.

Williams’ top ranking under triple threat n AFP, Melbourne Serena Williams’ status as the world number one is under serious threat going into the Australian Open this week, with three players able to unseat her as the top ranked woman.

The American held on to the top ranking for the entire 2014 season and if she makes the final at Melbourne Park noone can take it away from her.

But if the 33-year-old doesn’t then it could be claimed by either Maria Sharapova, Simona Halep or Petra Kvitova, ranked two, three and four in the world respectively.

Sharapova is the leading challenger and a form player, having won the lead-up Brisbane International, with toppling her long-time arch-rival firmly in her sights.

Sharapova has two paths to be on top of the world, according to WTA Tour officials.

She can claim the distinction by reaching the final and for two other

things to happen - Williams falling before the semi-finals and Kvitova not beating Sharapova in the tournament decider.

A second way is by the Russian winning the title and Williams exiting before the final.

Halep, who geared up for Melbourne by winning the Shenzhen Open, and Kvitova, who won the Sydney International on Friday, can both become number one as well, but it’s much harder.

They both need to at least win the title -- Halep would also need Williams to be knocked out before the quarter-finals and for Sharapova to fall before the final, the WTA said.

Kvitova would also need Williams to exit before the semi-finals.

The prospect of losing the accolade has 18-time Grand Slam champion Williams fired up and in a fighting spirit.

She won the last of her five Australian crowns in 2010 and is frustrated that a sixth has eluded her for so long.

“I want it, I think, more than anyone else here,” she said. l

The Saudis had already missed twice from the spot but Mohammed Al Sahlawi made no mistake as he fired the equaliser which would have taken his team through.

But Shodiev rose for a brilliant headed goal to restore Uzbekistan’s lead, before Rashidov converted a terrific cross 11 minutes from time to secure the 3-1 win.

Tempers flared on the touchline as over-exuberant Uzbek substitutes danced for joy in front of the Saudi bench, bringing the game to an acrimonious close.

“Saudi Arabia will have to make changes and start building something solid for the future,” said Olaroiu, the Romanian manager of Dubai-based Al Ahli, hired on a part-time basis to lead

the side through the Asian Cup. “We conceded a very silly goal after one minute and that forced us to play a different way. Uzbekistan fought hard and deserved to go through.”

In Canberra, China were ahead after just 45 seconds -- close to Thursday’s Asian Cup-record, 14-second goal by UAE’s Ali Mabkhout -- when Sun raced through a static defence.

North Korean defender Jang Song-Hyok let an incoming high ball glance off his head and it fell perfectly for Sun, who jabbed it home with his right boot.

The North Korean rearguard were again at fault for Sun’s second, when a corner bounced in the six-yard box giving the unmarked midfielder an easy header at the back post.

But the Chollima (“Thousand-Mile Horse”) grabbed one back when Jong Il-Gwan’s shot ricocheted off Guangzhou Evergrande striker Gao Lin and into the net for an own goal.

The victory means China have won all three group games for the first time, earning a perfect nine points and a boost ahead of Thursday’s quarter-final with hosts Australia.

“Australia are a very strong team, they are the hosts and I’m sure the next match will be very difficult for us,” said Sun. “We just need to make sure we prepare well and stand tall.”

On Monday, Group C concludes with three-time winners Iran and UAE fighting it out for top spot -- a position which makes them likely to dodge holders Japan in the last eight. l

Wilder dethrones Stiverne in heavyweight clash n AFP, Las Vegas Deontay Wilder claimed the World Boxing Council heavyweight title with a dominating 12-round decision over Bermane Stiverne, becoming the first American to hold a major heavyweight crown since 2006.

Wilder won easily on all three judges scorecards Saturday in a fight that many were surprised went the distance instead of ending with the knockout finish that both fighters had predicted.

Wilder was able to back up his prefight trash talking by outpunching the Canadian champion and winning almost every round. Two judges scored the fight 118-109 and 119-108 while the third had it 120-107.

“I want to bring excitement back to the heavyweight division,” said Wilder, who became the first USA-born fighter to win a heavyweight world title since Shannon Briggs held the lightly-regarded World Boxing Organization belt for a brief time in 2006.l

Current Australian Open tennis women’s champion China’s Li Na holds the trophy as she stands next to her Madame Tussauds wax figure on Rod Laver Arena at Melbourne Park yesterday. The Australian Open tennis tournament begins today REUTERS

McIlroy feels like punching himself

DAY’S WATCH

n Reuters, Abu Dhabi

Star Sports 4

Rory McIlroy felt like punching himself after a dire performance with the putter in the third round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship on Saturday which all but ended his hopes of starting 2015 with a title.

The world number one began the day two strokes behind leader Martin Kaymer but come his final putt he was eight adrift of the German, who now seems certain to claim a fourth Abu Dhabi crown. McIlroy, 25, carded a oneunder-par 71, making two birdies and a bogey, despite missing just two fairways and one green in regulation.

“I feel like punching myself,” the Northern Irishman told reporters.

2:45PM T20 Big Bash League Melbourne Renegades v Adelaide Strikers 2:00AM English Premier League Everton v west Brom

Sony Six African Cup of Nations 9:30PM Ghana v Senegal 12:30AM Algeria v South Africa

13

Monday, January 19, 2015

Additional Director of RB group, FM Iqbal Bin Anwar Dawn (C), inaugurates the Walton Media Cup Badminton Tournament 2015 at the Mirpur indoor stadium yesterday. The three-day meet features 82 shuttlers from 21 media houses COURTESY

“I didn’t putt well at all. From tee to green I’ve never felt more comfortable.

I’m driving the ball great. It’s just a matter of capitalising on the chances you give yourself and I didn’t do that today.”

Among the Northern Irishman’s woes were a scuffed birdie chance on the ninth that lipped out and a bogey on 13 after chipping past the hole.

His rotten putting continued, missing birdie chances from 15-20 feet on three straight holes before dribbling an eight-footer wide on the final green to cap a miserable display with the short stick that left him looking away in disbelief.

“I tried to stay as patient as possible but it was very frustrating - I kept giving myself birdie chances and was not able to convert any of them.”l

14

Sport

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Monday, January 19, 2015

Ronaldo double takes Madrid four points clear n AFP, Madrid

Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo (R) congratulates teammate Gareth Bale after scoring against Getafe during their La Liga match at Colisseum Alfonso Perez stadium yesterday

REUTERS

Cristiano Ronaldo rounded off a week where he was named world player of the year for the third time scoring a double as Real Madrid opened up a four-point lead at the top of La Liga with a 3-0 win away to Getafe on Sunday.

The visitors had to wait 63 minutes to make the breakthrough before he fired home from Karim Benzema’s wonderful assist to set them on the road to victory.

Gareth Bale then doubled the visitors’ lead before Ronaldo rounded off the scoring with a trademark header from James Rodriguez’s cross.

The European champions finally started to get going after 20 minutes as Marcelo drove a fierce effort just over on his weaker right foot before Benzema was denied by Jordi Codina.

Isco then tested the Getafe ‘keeper with a piledriver from the edge of the box which Codina did well to turn over and Toni Kroos came even closer a minute before the break when he rattled the crossbar from long range.

Codina continued to frustrate Madrid at the start of the second period with good saves from Benzema and James Rodriguez.

However, his resistence was finally broken just before the hour mark with a brilliant team goal as Isco and Rodri-

guez combined to free Benzema and the Frenchman produced an exquisite piece of skill on the byline to cut the ball back for Ronaldo to slam home.

Just four minutes later it was 2-0 as this time Rodriguez was the provider with a fine low cross that Bale prodded past Codina with the outside of his left foot.

The winning margin could even have been greater for Ancelotti’s men as Ronaldo outfoxed Codina with a free-kick that whistled inches past the post with the ‘keeper beaten.

Getafe failed to force Iker Casillas into a single save, but did come within inches of a consolation goal when Alvaro Vazquez fired against the post from Alex Felip’s low cross late on.l

LA LIGA RESULTS 0-3

Getafe

Real Madrid

Ronaldo 63, 79 Bale 67

On Saturday Real Sociedad

0-1

Rayo Vallecano Manucho 80

Valencia

3-2

Parejo 11, Rodrigo 28, Negredo 83

Villarreal

Almeria Hemed 13, 33

2-0

Athletic Bilbao

Cheryshev 42, Bruno 83-P

Espanyol

1-0

Celta Vigo

Caicedo 90

Roma lose ground in title race after draw Van Gaal glosses over Man United fan dissent n AFP, Milan

n

AFP, London

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal played down the frustration expressed by his club’s supporters during their side’s 2-0 victory at Queens Park Rangers in the Premier League.

Van Gaal heard the first sounds of revolt from United’s fans towards the end of a dismal first half at Loftus Road on Saturday when they voiced their unhappiness with his favoured 3-5-2 formation by chanting: “4-4-2!”

“We changed the shape also. The players have to show it at the right time against the right opponent on the pitch and that is very difficult every week.

“That is something we have to decide every week: how we will play. With the other system against Tottenham (in a 0-0 draw), we created six or seven chances in the first half and didn’t score. It is always a question of whether you are effective enough. In football, it is not always the better team that wins.”

Despite the scoreline, United played their part in an error-strewn game, with Fellaini and Wilson riding to the rescue after Radamel Falcao had squandered a number of chances.

An ankle injury to Robin van Persie opened the door for Falcao at Loftus Road and although he failed to find the net, Van Gaal defended his performance.l

AC Milan transfer target Mattia Destro bundled home a second-half leveller in a 1-1 draw away to Palermo as Roma’s title hopes suffered a blow for the second consecutive week on Saturday.

Roma travelled to Sicily looking to get back to winning ways after battling for a 2-2 draw at home to Lazio last weekend.

But a quickfire opener by Argentinian Paulo Dybala had Roma trailing from the second minute and it took until nearly 10 minutes after the restart for Destro to equalise.

Roma’s fifth draw of the campaign left them in second place but their twopoint deficit on leaders Juventus will grow to five if the Serie A champions

account for Verona late on Sunday.

Juventus hammered Verona 6-1 in the last 16 of the Italian Cup in midweek, when Massimiliano Allegri rested strike pair Carlos Tevez and Fernando Llorente in anticipation of the Serie A clash.

With Roma hosting Empoli in the Italian Cup on Tuesday and an away trip to resurgent Fiorentina next weekend, Roma coach Rudi Garcia admitted to Sky Sport: “We’re going to have to grit our teeth.

With midfielders Daniele De Rossi and Radja Nainggolan suspended and captain Francesco Totti on the bench following a bout of flu, Roma coach Rudi Garcia was forced to hand rare starts to Kevin Strootman, Carlos Paredes and Destro.

Palermo started brightly but were practically gifted the opening goal when defender Davide Astori’s pass was intercepted by Franco Vazquez.

His through ball for Dybala allowed

SERIE A RESULTS Empoli

0-0

Palermo

1-1

Dybala 2

Inter Milan Roma Destro 54

the 21-year-old to waltz in and beat Morgan De Sanctis at his near post.

It was Dybala’s eighth goal in nine games and his 10th league goal of the season, further underlining his status as a major transfer target for several top English clubs.

Palermo came close to doubling

their lead minutes before half-time when a firm header from Osvaldo Barreto forced De Sanctis into a flying save at his top right-hand corner.

Roma came out firing in the second half and were repaid on 54 minutes when Destro slid in to bundle Kevin Strootman’s header from the right byline past Stefano Sorrentino in the Palermo goal -- his fifth strike of the campaign breaking a three-month scoring drought.

Earlier, strugglers Empoli dented Inter Milan’s Champions League qualifying hopes after holding Roberto Mancini’s side to a scoreless draw.

Inter remain in ninth position and are now 17 points behind Juventus ahead of the rest of the weekend fixtures, while Empoli remained 15th, four points above the drop zone. l

Uzbekistan oust Saudis in thriller n AFP, Melbourne

A late double strike rescued Uzbekistan’s Asian Cup campaign and ousted three-time champions Saudi Arabia Sunday as Sun Ke’s brace enhanced China’s growing reputation.

The Uzbeks were headed out at 1-1 in Melbourne before Vokhid Shodiev’s header and Sardor Rashidov’s second of the night steered them into the quarter-finals with a thrilling win.

The 2011 semi-finalists are now into a quarter-final against South Korea but the result condemns the Saudis, winners in 1984, 1988 and 1996, to a second straight group stage exit.

Away from the fireworks in Melbourne, Sun scored in just 45 seconds and then grabbed his third of the tournament as China beat North Korea 2-1 in Canberra to seal their best ever start.

Uzbekistan also made a lightning

start and Saudi goalkeeper Waleed Abdullah was left red-faced when Rashidov raced clear and slotted through his legs in only the second minute.

The White Wolves needed a win to qualify behind China in Group B but

ASIAN CUP RESULTS Uzbekistan

3-1

Rashidov 2, 79, Shodiev 70

China Sun 1, 42

Saudi Arabia Al Sahlawi 60-P

2-1

North Korea Gao 56-og

there was dismay when referee Ben Williams pointed to the spot for a soft penalty on the hour-mark.

The Saudis had already missed twice from the spot but Mohammed Al Sahlawi made no mistake as he fired the equaliser which would have taken his team through.

But Shodiev rose for a brilliant headed goal to restore Uzbekistan’s lead, before Rashidov converted a terrific cross 11

minutes from time to secure the 3-1 win.

Tempers flared on the touchline as over-exuberant Uzbek substitutes danced for joy in front of the Saudi bench, bringing the game to an acrimonious close.

In Canberra, China were ahead after just 45 seconds - close to Thursday’s Asian Cup-record, 14-second goal by UAE’s Ali Mabkhout - when Sun raced through a static defence.

The North Korean rearguard were again at fault for Sun’s second, when a corner bounced in the six-yard box giving the unmarked midfielder an easy header at the back post.

But the Chollima (“Thousand-Mile Horse”) grabbed one back when Jong Il-Gwan’s shot ricocheted off Guangzhou Evergrande striker Gao Lin and into the net for an own goal.

The victory means China have won all three group games for the first time, earning a perfect nine points and a boost ahead of Thursday’s quarter-final with hosts Australia.l

Uzbekistan’s Sardor Rashidov celebrates his goal against Saudi Arabia during their Asian Cup Group B match at the Rectangular stadium in Melbourne yesterday REUTERS

In-form Lacazette keeps Lyon top

Redknapp unfazed

by QPR sack talk n AFP, Paris n Reuters, London French strike sensation Alexandre LaUnder-pressure Queens Park Rangers manager Harry Redknapp says he does not fear for his job despite speculation that he could be sacked following a 2-0 home loss to Manchester United in the Premier League on Saturday.

British media reports had claimed that 19th placed QPR would show Redknapp the door if they were to suffer a third-straight defeat when United visited Loftus Road.

“I’m not worried at all,” Redknapp told reporters. “That’s the owner’s choice isn’t it, if they want to make a change.

“I spoke to (QPR chairman) Tony Fernandes this week, five times, and he’s never mentioned anything to me, he’s just said, ‘What a load of nonsense’. l

cazette scored his 20th goal in 21 league matches so far this season as Lyon won 2-0 away to Lens in Ligue 1 on Saturday.

This latest victory left Lyon four points clear of Marseille at the top with Saint-Etienne and Paris Saint-Germain two and three points further back respectively.

All three play on Sunday against Guingamp, Rennes and Evian respectively.

Lyon have now won 11 of their last 13 league games and Lacazette has been the steel-tipped spearhead of that charge. He is on track to eclipse the goals scored by Zlatan Ibrahimovic, top scorer in the last two Ligue 1 seasons with 30 and 26 goals.

The record is held by the Yugoslav Josip Skoblar who scored 44 for Mar-

seille in 1970-1971.

Lens’ 19-year-old central defender Jean-Philippe Gbamin scored an own

RESULTS Lens

0-2

Lyon Gbamin 22-og, Lacazette 26-P

Toulouse

1-1

Braithwaite 77

Lorient

Bastia Ahamada 48-og

1-0

Lille

Guerreiro 59

Metz

2-3

N’Gbakoto 20-P,

Monaco

Montpellier Barrios 17-P, 53, 69 Bussmann 38

1-0

Nantes

Silva 73

Caen

4-1

Roberge 3-og, Privat 8, Al. Yahia 29, Koita 76-P

Reims Charbonnier 27-P

goal with an astonishing back heel that left his goalkeeper Rudy Riou no chance after 22 minutes.

Nor was it any great surprise when Lacazette stepped up to send Riou the wrong way from the penalty spot on 26 minutes after provoking a defender into a handball with his tricky movement inside the box.

Dimitar Berbatov may not be so fast on his feet these days but the Bulgarian veteran’s defence splitting pass led to Bernardo Silva’s goal that gave Monaco a 1-0 win over Nantes, who hit the crossbar deep into injury time.

The three points lifted Monaco into fifth.

There was a hat-trick for Montpellier’s Argentine striker Lucas Barrios in a see-saw 3-2 away win over Metz, while Bastia, who beat PSG 4-2 last week, drew 1-1 at Toulouse as they continue to edge away from the relegation zone.l

Gabon win as hosts held in Cup of Nations n AFP, Bata Gabon seized control of Group A after the opening round of matches at the Africa Cup of Nations on Saturday, beating Burkina Faso 2-0 while hosts Equatorial Guinea drew with Congo Brazzaville.

Jorge Costa’s Panthers triumphed in Bata thanks to a goal in each half, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s opener after 19 minutes being followed by a Malick Evouna strike on 72 minutes.

Aubameyang, the Gabon captain who plays his club football in Germany for Borussia Dortmund, kept his cool to finish after initially being denied by Burkina Faso goalkeeper Germain Sanou.

That goal came on the break, with

the Stallions dominating the game, and the 2013 Cup of Nations runners-up were then denied an equaliser in the second half when Didier Ovono saved from Bertrand Traore.

Soon after, Evouna clinched the win for Gabon to leave Paul Put’s Burkina Faso already up against it in their bid to reach the last eight.

Earlier, the hosts’ dream of starting their campaign with a win were cruelly spoiled as a late Thievy Bifouma strike earned Congo Brazzaville a 1-1 draw.

Bifouma, of Spanish side Almeria, slid the ball under Equatorial Guinea goalkeeper Felipe Ovono three minutes from time to cancel out captain Emilio Nsue’s 16th-minute strike and ensure that the tournament’s opening game ended all square.l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Entertainment

Monday, January 19, 2015

Indian classical programme Mayar Madhuri tomorrow

15

How to Train Your Dragon Zee Studio, 9:30pm Cast: Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Christopher Mintz-Plasse

n Entertainment Desk In its continuous effort to offer top-notch Indian classical music to the audience of Bangladesh, Bengal Foundation will organise an event titled Mayar Madhuri at the Krishibid Institution Bangladesh auditorium in the capital’s Farmgate area tomorrow.

The musical event will commence at 6pm with a khyal performance by Priyanka Gope while Iftakhar Alam Pradhan will accompany her on tabla.

The performance will be followed by Pandit Uday Bhawalkar with dhrupad. Pratap Awalad will accompany him with pakhawaj. Later, Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar will perform khyal while Suresh Talwalkar will be on tabla.

The 60th birth anniversary of Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar will also be celebrated at this programme. l

n

Nancy will launch her third solo album, “Dushtu Chhele,” in the capital today.

The album features eight songs, seven of the artiste’s originals and a Nazrul Geeti. “We recorded as many as fifteen songs and eight have been chosen for the album,” she said.

She said: “It took around a year to record the songs. There were many challenges to bringing the album to market, but in the end it all came together.

“A number of new-comers have showcased their talent on this album, setting it apart from my other albums. I was accompanied by Niamul Hasan Putu on keyboard, Aku Noman Shojib on bass guitar, Shakilur Rahman Prince on lead guitar and Ahmed Sayeed on the drums.

The album was mixed and mastered by Pavel Arin from the band Chirkutt.

“Every artist experiments with dif-

Terminator 2: Judgment Day Star Movies, 6:30pm Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong

Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar

BADHON’s new TV series goes on air today

NANCY launches third solo album Shadma Malik

A hapless young Viking who aspires to hunt dragons becomes the unlikely friend of a young dragon himself, and learns there may be more to the creatures than he assumed.

n Entertainment Desk A brand new TV series “Shapludu” starring Badhon in the lead role will start airing from today on Boisakhi TV. The Lux Superstar plays the character of Sheuli in the TV series, which is based on the semi-rural milieu. Written and directed by Anjan Aich, the series also has Jayanta Chatyapadhaya, Faruque Ahmed, AKhM Hasan, Shila Shabi and others.

In the drama, Badhon portrays the role of a college teacher who stands up to help a girl continue her studies against the decision of the chief of the locality. The girl along with her family members moves to this new area in pursue of a better life. The TV series will be aired on every Monday and Tuesday at 11:30pm. l

ferent styles and I have tried some new things with my singing. I hope the audience appreciates my efforts,” she said.

“I am aware of the fact that the audio industry is disappearing. But as an artist and a listener I feel that there is a raw essence in handling a physical disc. It is fact that retail CD stores are closing down. But stores put a range of artists’ works on display, which is important for artists and for listeners,” Nancy said. “‘Dushtu Chhele’ is the album’s title track,” Nancy told the Dhaka Tribune.

This is the first time Nancy will sing a Nazrul Geeti titled “Tomar Akashe.”

Nancy became an enlisted artist with Bangladesh Betar in 2002 as a Nazrul Geeti singer.

The album’s other tracks are “Swapno Dana,” “Bhul Manush,” “Nirghum Raat,” “Megher Ullash,” “Monmali” and “Nekorer Gorjon.” l

Exhibition

Chaos & Order

By Jasna Boudard Time: 3pm – 8pm Dhaka Art Centre, Dhanmondi In Motion

By Bishwajit Goswami

Time: 12pm – 8pm Bengal Art Lounge, 60, Gulshan Avenue Film Game, Into The Storm, Ek Cup Cha, Desha: The Leader Blockbuster Cinemas

A cyborg, identical to the one who failed to kill Sarah Connor, must now protect her nine-year-old son, John, from a more advanced cyborg, made out of liquid metal.

Pearl Harbor Star Movies Action, 11:59pm Cast: Ben Affleck, Kate Beckinsale, Josh Hartnett

Pearl Harbor follows the story of two best friends, Rafe and Danny, and their love lives as they go off to join the war.

KAREENA KAPOOR: Saif and I will see the world with our children n Entertainment Desk Actress Kareena Kapoor Khan is in the mood for a family. And while her husband, actor Saif Ali Khan has fathered two kids Kareena perhaps is looking to have kids of her own. Saif has a son, Ibrahim and a daughter, Sara, from his ex-wife, actress Amrita Singh.

In an interview to the Femina magazine Kareena spoke about ageing gracefully. She said, “I think I am the biggest advocate of ageing gracefully. I love the lines of a face as they describe the life you have lived. Grey hair makes you look very elegant. I am happy to grow

IRINA SHAYK confirms her relationship with C RONALDO is over

n Entertainment Desk Irina Shayk has broken up with Cristiano Ronaldo. The 29-year-old Russian Sports Illustrated Swimsuit and Victoria’s Secret model and the 29-year-old soccer star, world player of 2014 who was Team Portugal’s forward in the most recent World Cup, had dated for five years.

The model’s representative confirmed the news to MailOnline on Saturday. Her spokesperson revealed: “We can confirm Irina Shayk has ended her relationship to Cristiano Ronaldo of five years.” The news followed recent breakup rumours.

The rep added that Shayk “has been close with his family through-

out the course of their relationship” and that “any negative rumours with regards to Irina and the Ronaldo family are completely false and have not been a factor in the cause of the spilt.”

According to some reports, the relationship soured after Irina, 29, refused to attend a surprise 60th birthday party for the Real Madrid striker’s mother, Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro.

During their relationship, the two often attended celebrity events together, such as the Professional Soccer League Awards gala in Madrid, Spain last October. Months earlier, they also posed for a racy, intimate cover for Vogue Spain. l

old naturally. Botox is just not for me.”

But while the rest of the read was about her being crowned the most beautiful what interested us was this: “I have been lucky to experience both professional success and a fulfilling personal life. So hopefully, I would be having a family of my own. Saif and I would continue to live in India. But we will see the world with our children. When I turn 70, I should be sitting in a large dining room with my family, and just laughing, eating and drinking.”

Family is clearly Kareena’s priority now but we are yet to see whether Saif is ready to be dad a third time. l

WHITNEY HOUSTON’s family blasts Lifetime biopic n Entertainment Desk Whitney Houston’s family says the singer’s fans should “brace themselves for the worst” if they watch Lifetime’s television movie about the late singer that premieres Saturday.

Pat Houston, president of the singer’s estate and her sisterin-law, issued a critical statement about the movie on Houston’s website on the eve of the movie’s airing. She said the movie was done without the family’s blessing and against the wishes of her mother.

“If you watch this movie, watch it knowing that Lifetime is notorious for making bad biopics of deceased celebrities and brace yourself for the worst,” Pat Houston wrote.

She said she didn’t think it entered the minds of anyone involved with the project that “what lifts up one person in the headlines may in fact destroy another.”

The movie was directed by Oscar-nominated actress Angela Bassett, identified only in the statement as “a woman who claimed to be Whitney Houston’s friend.” Pat Houston wrote that “misrepresenting the term friendship to advance an agenda is not only disrespectful and dishonest but a slap in the face to her true and loyal friends.”

“You should expect people will always rise to the occasion for prominence and profit — not love, respect or honour,” she wrote. “I question the morality of the making of this because of the lack of experience knowing Whitney’s life.”

It’s not clear who, if anyone, in Houston’s family saw the movie in advance, and the statement had no specific observations on the film, where Yaya DaCosta portrays the late singer. The statement said “selected members” of the family were denied an advance copy. l

THE X-FILES to be rebooted with original stars n Entertainment Desk FBI Special Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully never did get to the bottom of the spooky, supernatural events plaguing the US. Now it looks like the characters, played by David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, are to get another chance in a reboot of “The X-Files.”

Fox TV Group chairman Gary Newman yesterday confirmed that the network is in very early talks for a new installment of Chris Carter’s iconic cult drama that ran from 1993 to 2002.

The possibility of a limited series, similar to

Fox’s “24: Live Another Day,” was raised during a Q&A at Fox’s portion of the Television Critics Association press tour in Pasadena, California, according to Variety. “It’s true that we’ve had some conversations on X-Files,” Gary said. “We’re hopeful of being able to bring that back at some point.”

Later, fellow Fox TV Group chairman Dana Walden confirmed that a reboot would reunite David, 54, and Gillian, 46, adding they had not had creative discussions about the shape or direction of the possible new series. The hit series also spawned two spin-off films, “The X-Files” in 1998 and “The X-Files: I want To Believe” in 2008. l

16

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Monday, January 19, 2015

Chief justice: Make British-era laws fit for democracy n Tribune Report

Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha yesterday urged the government to overhaul the age-old obsolete laws enacted during the British colonial period to make them suitable for a democratic nation.

He also emphasised on doubling the number of judges and ensuring a more transparent procedure to appoint judges in the higher courts, in light with the constitution.

Justice SK Sinha made the remarks while speaking at a reception programme at his courtroom after Attorney General Mahbubey Alam and Supreme Court Bar Association President Khandakar Mahbub Hossain greeted him as the new head of the judiciary. Senior lawyers attended the programme at a jam-packed courtroom.

It was his first working day as the chief justice.

In his speech, Justice Sinha said: “Civil Procedure Code, Criminal Procedure Code, Evidence Code, Penal Code, Arms Act and many other laws were en-

‘Terrorism cannot be curbed without a mechanism which works effectively and ensures punishment’ acted when we had been under the then British colonial regime. That is why, in the existing laws of this land, there is no reflection of democratic values.

“As a democratic nation, we have by this time spent around 43 years. But unfortunately we could not enact essential laws making them suitable for a democratic nation. I urge upon the government to take immediate steps in that direction.”

He also advocated for immediately establishing affordable ICT infrastructure and integrating customised software for automation of judicial and administrative functions of the courts.

“To achieve those objectives, we have to scrap of all existing obsolete laws and rules and they are to be enacted by complete overhauling,” the chief justice added.

More judges needed

He said the number of judges at the country’s courts was small compared to the cases pending disposal.

“About 3,65,059 cases are awaiting disposal at the High Court and the Su-

Government to get rid of Tk1, Tk2 notes and coins n Tribune Report The government has decided to withdraw all Tk1 and Tk2 notes and coins from the market in order to smoothen financial transactions.

Talking to reporters at the Secretariat yesterday, Finance Minister AMA Muhith said: “Once these notes and coins reach the banks, they will never be circulated again.”

Among the existing bills, only Tk1 and Tk2 notes and coins are printed and made by the government. Everything above – from Tk5 to Tk1,000 bills – are all bank notes.

The government has also decided that from now on it is going to print Tk5 notes as its least denominate.

Muhith said they will be needing around Tk300 crore to gradually destroy all the existing Tk1 and Tk2 notes and coins.

However, sources from the Bangladesh Bank said although the thing about Tk5 notes was true, they have not made any decision about withdrawing Tk1 and Tk2 notes and coins from the market.

When asked why they have made the decision, the minister said: “People will be more benefitted than the government. Now they are having to carry useless money in their wallets.”

When asked what would happen to products such as candies that are priced Tk1 or Tk2, the minister replied: “Can you really find any candy for Tk1-2?”

A decision however is yet to be made on whether Tk5 will be made available as printed paper notes or metallic coins or both. l

preme Court while 24,95,944 in the district courts across the country. But, against such huge number of cases there are 94 judges employed at the High Court and the Supreme Court while 1,500 in the district levels.”

He also observed that the “cumbersome legal system and administration” of the country makes it difficult for a judge to take any short-cut approach in hearing and disposing the cases.

“In order to address the problem, we have no alternative but to increase the number of judges. The number of judges should be doubled at the least,” Justice Sinha said.

‘Make appointments transparent’

Mentioning that India has laws for appointment of judges, the chief justice said: “We will have to see whether our constitutional provision to appointment judges in the High Court can be done in a more transparent manner.”

Referring to the existing procedure of judges’ appointment in the lower courts, he said: “The process is transparent and independent. We have already established a method in this regard.

“The Supreme Court judges and university teachers examine the test papers of the judges. There is no shortcoming in the process. There is no instance of leaking question papers yet.

This will not happen in the future.”

Media coverage hampers trial

Criticising the law enforcement agencies for their tendency regarding media coverage, the chief justice said: “Nowadays, investigating agencies are found not sufficiently skilled and committed to the collection of evidence and materials in support of the charge made against an accused.

“Recently, after watching the trials of some sensational cases, it has occurred to me that an alleged offender cannot be convicted for the lack of legal evidence and materials which are supposed to be procured at the investigation stage.

“I have noticed a propensity among the officers entrusted with a criminal investigation having more interest in publishing the news regarding the arrest and action taken against an accused.”

Justice Sinha mentioned that broadcasting of such information hampers even the trial procedure.

He said: “Terrorism cannot be curbed without a mechanism which would work effectively and ensure punishment of actual offenders and perpetrators at minimum time and cost.” l

An elderly boatman shivers in the cold sitting in his boat by the banks of the Buriganga River in Old Dhaka as chilly winds swept across the country yesterday

Blockade causes Tk17,000 crore loss in trade and commerce in port city n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong Businesses and trades in Chittagong have incurred an estimated loss of about Tk17,000 crore at the beginning of this year due to opposition-sponsored blockade and shutdowns.

Speakers at a view-exchange meeting yesterday urged the authorities of Chittagong Port, Chittagong Customs House and other business organisations to run their activities during weekly holidays to minimise their losses.

They also reached a consensus on working together so that the country’s economic activities would not be disrupted during shutdowns and blockades.

Police high officials at the meeting vowed that police, RAB and BGB would take stern action against people involved in sabotage.

The meeting was held at the conference room of Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) in the morning with CCCI President Md Mahbubul Alam in the chair.

Chittagong Range Deputy Inspector General Shafiqul Islam said they were

forming committees comprising public representatives and administration officials in their respective areas to make lists of miscreants who carry out violence on highways.

“We are providing police escort to long-distance and goods-laden vehicles on the highways,” he said adding that they were conducting drives to arrest miscreants.

Chittagong District Deputy Commissioner Mezbah Uddin said street people and children are being used for sabotage in exchange for money while the key players are hiding behind the screen.

“Movement cannot be waged this way,” he said adding that violence in the name of movement caused huge economic loss for the country.

The CCCI president said about Tk150 crore loss was counted in SME sector, Tk100 crore in production sector, Tk68 crore in transport sector and Tk695 crore in export business due to the blockade and hartal in 2015 apart from other sectors.

“Products transportation cost has gone up three to four times due to

blockade. The export orders are being suspended as non-stop blockade programme delays the shipment resulting in huge loss in our GDP,” he said.

The economy of the country would face a long-term crisis if the present situation continues.

Bangladesh Garments Manufactures and Exporters Association (BGMEA) First Vice-President Nasir Uddin Ahmed Chowdhury said export-oriented ready-made garment sector is suffering the most because of political unrest.

“And this industry will have to face severe crisis in future for the negative feedback from foreigners.

Chittagong Metropolitan Police Commissioner Abdul Jalil Mandal said they would hunt down every single saboteur.

Chittagong Superintendent of Police AKM Hafiz Akhter said what is going on in the name of blockade is nothing but sabotage.

Apart from the speakers, businessmen and officials of the CCCI, BGMEA and government bodies were present in the meeting. l

Biswa Ijtema ends with prayer for unity and peace Alam Durjoy with our n Nure Gazipur Correspondent

Biswa Ijtema, the biggest Muslim congregation after Hajj, came to an end yesterday as its second and last phase was concluded with the Akheri Munajat.

Thousands of devotees converged on the Ijtema ground and its adjacent areas to pray together for the unity of Muslim Ummah and peace for humanity.

Indian Maulana Saa’d, also a senior scholar of Tablighi Jamaat, led the Akheri Munajat that began at 11:22am and ended at 11:54am.

Absolute silence descended on the Ijtema ground as the devotees raised their hands and the Maulana began delivering the final prayer in Arabic and Urdu.

The pin drop silence was only disturbed by devotees crying out loud with a sudden “Amin” as the Maulana prayed for forgiveness, divine blessings, prosperity and world peace.

In order to take part in the biggest Muslim congregation, especially in the final prayer, thousands of devotees braved the ongoing indefinite blockade and the cold wave that was sweeping across the country. Many people took position on the nearby footpaths, footover bridges and building rooftops finding no place on the Ijtema ground.

After the end of the Akheri Munajat, there was a heavy snarl on every roads and highways as devotees struggled to go home. Most of the devotees had to walk as there was no vehicles available.

Only a handful of pre-arranged reserved buses were seen to carry devotees.

“The blockade caused a lot of sufferings to the devotees. I came here by breaking my journey three times. But I don’t know what would happen now,” said Nasir Uddin, a devotee from Tangail.

Before the Akheri Munajat, a mass

MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

Temperature to fall further from today, says Met Office n Abu Bakar Siddique

Biting cold with chilly wind has been sweeping across the country since yesterday morning.

An on-duty meteorologist of Bangladesh Meteorology Department (Met) yesterday, said the temperature will further fall from today (Monday) morning which will continue for the next few days.

People across the country especially the Northern districts including Rangpur and Rajshahi will be the worst sufferers, he added.

He, however, said people began to experience the shivering cold from yesterday morning due to the presence of chilly wind in the atmosphere.

Terming the yesterday’s weather normal in winter, he said the temperature was above 10 degree Celsius yesterday across the country which is quite normal in the month of January in Bangladesh.

Only one single station at Chuadanga recorded the lowest 9.5 Degree Celsius, the met office said.

But, due to the chilly wind and heavy fog, people felt like cold wave sweeping.

According to the met office, mercury level between 8 and 10 degree is considered as mild cold wave, between 6 and 8 degree as moderate cold wave and below 6 degree as severe cold wave. l

CCTV camera installed in front of BNP chief’s Gulshan office n Tribune Report

Devotees engrossed in the Akheri Munajat on the final day of the second phase of the Biswa Ijtema, the second biggest Muslim congregation in the world, held on the banks of the Turag River in Tongi yesterday RAJIB DHAR sermon was delivered by Indiam Maulana Saa’d and later it was interpreted into Bangla by Maulana Zobaer.

During a visit to the Ijtema ground yesterday morning, it was found that Ijtema goers were suffering a lot because of the sweeping cold. The ground was covered with dense fog and mist.

Devotees who were not prepared for the cold and had no shed over their head were suffering the most.

The first phase of Biswa Ijtema began on January 9 and ended on January 11. With a 4-day break, the second

phase began on January 16 and concluded yesterday morning.

Four die on the last day

A police constable named Owaj Uddin, 45, died on the road near the Ijtema ground Saturday night while being on duty.

He suddenly fell ill and was taken to the nearby hospital where the doctor declared him dead, according to the police.

Meanwhile, three Ijtema devotees were crushed under the wheels of a train in separate incidents at Kuril and Tongi areas yesterday morning.

The identity of the deceased could not be known immediately.

Quoting the locals, Railway police station Assistant Sub-Inspector Sirajul Islam said: “The devotees might have fallen under the train while crossing the railway tracks in the morning.”

Being informed, police rushed to the spot and recovered the bodies, which were later sent to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital morgue, said the police official. A total number of 19 devotees, including the police personnel, have died during the Biswa Ijtema. l

Dhaka Metropolitan Police has set up a closed circuit television camera in front of Khaleda Zia’s office yesterday.

Constables Mahbub Hossain and Kamrul Ahsan around 9:30am were set up the camera in front of the office.

When asked about why the cameras were set up, Masudur Rahman, the Deputy Commissioner of DMP, said the installation is intended to ensure security of BNP chief Khaleda Zia and nothing else.

DMP Headquarters will now be able to monitor developments at the entrance of the BNP chairperson’s office round the clock.

When asked, Mahbub Hossain, said this was nothing but a step to ensure security of the area.

Apart from setting up the camera, the deployment of security personnel was also increased around the Gulshan Office yesterday.

Along with the regular forces, a number of riot police were also found on duty along the Northern and Southern sides of the premises.

The police officials allow residents and others in the house after checking their identity cards. l

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MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015 www.dhakatribune.com/business

Poultry wants escort service The farm owners demand their vehicles carrying poultry be escorted by law enforcers as they countinue to count losses in the nonstop political violence n Tribune Report Bangladesh Poultry Industries Coordination Committee (BPICC) urged the government to provide especial security for the vehicles carrying poultry as the sector has been incurring losses due to political violence that put a halt to transport of eggs, chicken and broilers.

The poultry business people also urged the political parties to consider their trademark vehicles outside the blockade and hartals’ purview and to come to a peaceful solution to the existing political crises.

They made the call at a media briefing held at the Dhaka Reporters Unity auditorium yesterday to present the status of poultry sector in the country.

In the last 15 months, the business sector has already incurred a loss of Tk4,500 crore due to political unrest and if the turmoil continues not only the poultry industry but also other industries will collapse, resulting in a slowdown in national economic growth, said Moshiur Rahman, convener of BPICC. He also said their business sector suffered a loss of Tk256 crore during the 14-day hartal and blockades that started on 5 January 2015.

According to the poultry producers, since January 5, poultry farmers produced 8 crore eggs, of which 30% remained unsold due to unrest and 99 lakh day-old-chicks could not be marketed.

On the other hand the fare of trucks rose to Tk80,000 from 25,000 and it has been totally impossible to transport eggs and chicken as the drivers are unwilling to run vehicles with risk, said MM Khan, secretary general, Bangla-

The poultry industry leaders address a press conference on effect of political unrest on the sector in Dhaka yesterday desh Poultry Industries Association (BPIA).

“We have to pay for police escort, but that is not enough because police do not provide support all through the route,” he added.

A memorandum was also submitted to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, seeking compensation and to take measures to ensure escort service for the vehicles carrying poultry products, Khan said, adding that they would place another memorandum to BNP Chair-

person Khaleda Zia, urging her not to announce violent political programme and to come to a peaceful solution for ending political cries.

Khan maintained that prices of eggs and chicken are on the rise very fast due to supply shortage while producers are incurring loss.

If the situation keeps deteriorating, small and medium farmers would be the biggest losers, he observed.

“We are losing our investment every day. Eggs and chickens supply chain

BB to refinance RMG factories in green scheme n Tribune Report

MEHEDI HASAN

has been completely disrupted due to lack of transport,” said Fazle Rahim Khan Shahriar, president of Breeders’ Association of Bangladesh.

“If we cannot do business, how shall we repay bank loan as we have incurred loss last year?” he posed a question.

Shahriar called upon the 20-party alliance to keep the egg, chicken, dayold chicks, feed, vaccine and other raw materials-laden vehicles out of the purview of every hartal, blockade and violent political programme. l

Bangladesh Bank has incorporated garment factories into its green banking refinance scheme to reform, restructure and replace fire equipment in all garment factories for ensuring a good working environment and safety of workers.

The member organisations of Bangladesh Garment Accessories and Packaging Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGAPMEA) and Bangladesh Terry Towel and Linen Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BTTLMEA) will be entitled to the scheme.

Bangladesh Bank issued a circular yesterday in this regard that will take immediate effect.

Currently, a total of 47 products in nine sectors are under the refinancing scheme benefit, said the circular.

The central bank launched Tk200 crore refinancing scheme in August 2009 to set up solar panels, bio-gas plants and industrial ETPs (Effluent Treatment Plants) to help reduce industrial pollution and increase power supply.

Under the scheme, Bangladesh Bank has provided loans to commercial banks at 5% to 12% interest rates for refinancing the green products.

According to the latest available data, BB has disbursed Tk9 crore of refinance fund during July-September period last year.

Under the scheme, refinancing goes to Participatory Financial Institutions (PFIs) that come into an agreement with BB. The total number of PFIs is 52 where 35 are banks and 17 are FIs till July-September quarter last year.

PFIs demand a total of Tk86.5 crore from BB for its five projects during the quarter.

The credit flow to the green projects

C&A textile to debut at stock Wednesday Referendum for WWA n held at DEPZ’s LZ Fashion Tribune Report

Share trading of C & A Textiles will begin at the stock markets from Wednesday, said Dhaka Stock Exchange in a statement yesterday.

Its initial public offering (IPO) was oversubscribed by 20 times against the total IPO size of Tk45 crore, according to the company.

Using the fixed price method, the company issued 4.5 crore ordinary shares worth Tk10 each. Of the funds raised from public, 69% will be spent for loan payment, 27% for capital investment and 4% to meet IPO costs.

At present, 37 textile companies are listed on the Dhaka Stock Exchange, accounting for around 5% of the total market capitalisation.

The company’s earnings per share stood at Tk1.78 and net asset value without revaluation surplus per share stood at Tk18.38 as of December, 2013.

Chittagong-based C&A Textiles carries out knitting, dyeing and printing

business and manufactures T-shirts, polo shirts, tang tops, shorts, sweat shirt, boxer, skirts, leggings and fleece jacket.

The company exports its products to the USA, Canada, Brazil, the UK, Italy and Germany, according to the company’s website.

The textile company’s 100% revenue comes from export and major domestic competitors are Envoy Textile, Resas Teksil, Huntsmam ( Singapore) and so on.

About the risk factor of the company, the Royal Capital in its analysis said due to very strong competition in woven and knit fabric industry, it may be difficult for the company to maintain its growth and to gain competitive advantage over the competitors.

Very high competition, exchange rate risk, political unrest and gas and power supply disruption can severely affect its prospect, it said.

It has no dividend history and cash flow appears to be volatile throughout last four years, it said.

On the company’s strength, the Royal Capital said low labour cost keeps the production cost low and holds water treatment plant and special electricity facility.

About opportunities, it said rising demand for quality garment products and scope to expand export to other markets like China and UAE are the opportunities in future.

National Feed Mill debut

Meanwhile, share trading of National Feed Mill will begin today at the stock markets. Using the fixed price method, the company issued 1.8 crore ordinary shares worth Tk10 each.

Of the funds raised from public, 45% will be spent for National Feed Mill’s business expansion, 40% for bank loan payment, 10% to meet IPO costs and 2% for working capital.

The company’s earnings per share as of June 2013 stood at Tk1.85, with a net asset value per share of Tk14.55 after revaluation. l

n Tribune Business Desk LZ Fashion Wear Limited is going to form Workers Welfare Association through a referendum held recently in Dhaka Export Processing Zone.

The Bangladeshi garment manufacturing industry, LZ Fashion Wear, witnessed a festive mood in voting by its workers, said a source.

The factory accommodates some 684 workers.

With the latest referendum, 86 of 102 operational units in Dhaka EPZ completed their referenda.

Major General Mohd Habibur Rahman Khan, ndc, psc, executive chairman of BEPZA, observed the poll at LZ Fashion on January 13, 2015.

According to the EPZ Workers Welfare Association and Industrial Relations Act 2010, permanent workers of eligible operating industries in EPZ

participate first in a referendum to form the association.

If more than 50% workers vote ‘Yes’, the welfare association will be registered by the BEPZA following all other formalities.

After the registration, workers of respective enterprises elect their representatives through executive committee elections.

Elected representatives act as the Collective Bargaining Agent (CBA). A total of 396 enterprises are eligible to form WWAs out of operating 435 enterprises of 8 EPZs under the BEPZA. Members of the referendum observation team Mr Md Ashraful Kabir, general manager, Dhaka EPZ, Mrs Nazma Binte Alamgir, general manager (Public Relations), BEPZA, and Mr Md Tanvir Hossain, DGM (CO & IR), DEPZ, were present during the LZ Fashion Wear referendum. l

FBCCI chief takes over Muhith: 15% VAT rate to continue, BCIM-BC chairmanship circular on law reform next month n Tribune Business Desk The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) President Kazi Akram Uddin Ahmed has taken over the chairmanship of Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Business Council (BCIM-BC) on behalf of Bangladesh for the next two years.

Bangladesh was given the responsibility at a discussion held in China on Thursday last, FBCCI Secretary General Mir Shahabuddin Mohammad said on Sunday, reports UNB.

Earlier, a 20-member high-level business delegation led by the FBCCI President visited China and attended BCIM (Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar) Business Forum and BCIM Business Council meeting from Tuesday last.

An agreement to set up a Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) Business Forum to strengthen cooperation in economic, trade and investment between the countries was signed by representatives of Chambers of Commerce from the four countries in February 2012.

Representatives of the FBCCI, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, the Confederation of India Industry (CII) and the Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry signed the deal. l

n Tribune Report Finance Minister AMA Muhith said the government would issue a circular on VAT law reforms next month with no changes in 15% VAT rate for products and package sale.

“We are not going to reduce the existing VAT rate. IMF feared that the rate would be cut. They set condition not to reduce it for releasing two tranches of ECF (Extended Credit Facility),” he told reporters yesterday after a meeting on amendment of VAT law 2012.

He said the businessmen had changed their first demand to reduce VAT rate and agreed with the continuation of the existing 15% rate.

VAT law reform is one of IMF conditions to release next two tranches of ECF. “The timely implementation of VAT law is directly related with disbursement of two tranches of ECF and future deals with IMF,” he said.

Finance Secretary Mahbub Ahmed and Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr Atiur Rahman also attended the meeting.

Muhith said the government would invite IMF team to discuss the progress

towards fulfilling the condition of VAT law reform.

He said other demands of businessmen on VAT reforms would be addressed in the next fiscal year’s budget announcement.

‘The timely implementation of VAT law is directly related with disbursement of two tranches of ECF and future deals with IMF’

Earlier, the government decided to resolve disputes over fulfilling two conditions set by the IMF before getting the release of two tranches of ECF fund.

The global lender is expected to disburse around $280m under the ECF.

The IMF conditions include extension of schedule to launch new VAT law and appointment of an international auditor for Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation.

The government high-ups recently asked the finance division to address those issues for expediting the disbursement of IMF credit.

On September 23, regarding VAT reforms, Muhith said the government would not be able to complete VAT reforms this year and that might extend till 2016.

“But I am not sure whether IMF will agree with me,” he added.

Last September, a six-member IMF mission headed by Rodrigo Cubero, deputy division chief, had expressed dissatisfaction over sluggish progress in VAT reforms.

Apart from the two tranches, a fresh deal between the global lender and the government is likely to be halted if the finance division fails to comply with a major IMF condition, apprehends NBR officials.

The fate of two instalments might be decided in March this year. l

from the refinancing scheme shows that the disbursement level has yet to reach a satisfactory condition due to reluctance of banks, said an official.

The products under the scheme include biomass based large bio-gas plant, poultry and dairy based large bio-gas plant, 1-mw or above solar PV plant, solar cooker assembly plant, solar water heater assembly plant, solar air heater and cooling assembly plant, solar driven cold storage, bio-energy driven power generation plant, power switch assembly plant for power saving, hybrid cook stove assembly plant, LED bulb or tube light assembly plant, power generation from municipal waste, compost generation from municipal waste, recyclable non-oven polypropylene yarn and baggage manufacturing, palm oil production plant, supplying and purifying of surface water project, pumping through solar pumps, establishing green industry and ensuring work environment and safety in the textile and garment industries.

The highest credit limit for supplying and purifying surface water project is Tk3 crore, it is Tk20 crore for establishing green industry while Tk1 crore for ensuring work environment and safety project in the apparel industry.

The Bangladesh Bank has issued the policy guidelines for green banking to the scheduled banks in February 2011.

All the 47 banks have their own green banking policy guidelines approved by their board of directors and have Green Banking Unit (GBU) for pursuing green banking activities.

They also have their own Green Office Guide for conducting in-house green activities.

The scheme was undertaken in line with the government’s plan to meet 5% of the total demand for electricity from green energy by 2015 and 10% by 2020. l

Tofail for corridor to boost trade with neighbours n Tribune Report Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed has laid emphasis on creating a corridor through India to boost Bangladesh’s trade with Nepal and Bhutan.

The minister discussed the issue as he met Indian President Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi yesterday, reports UNB. “Still, there is a barrier. Through mutual discussions, this problem needs to be resolved,” Tofail Ahmed said.

He also discussed various bilateral issues, including long-pending issues like ratification of Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) and signing the Teesta water sharing deal.

The Indian President showed positive approach about the issues during their around 40-minute meeting.

Commerce minister emphasised boosting trade between the two countries removing trade barriers and transit-related problems.

He also talked about the renewal of the Bangladesh-India trade deal and ways to increase Bangladesh’s trade with Bhutan and Nepal. l

BAB authorised to provide accreditation certification n Tribune Business Desk Bangladesh Accreditation Board (BAB), a wing of the Ministry of Industries, attained the authority of providing internationally accepted accreditation certificate to the testing laboratories in the country.

Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu yesterday revealed it while visiting the BAB office in the city.

The meeting of Mutual Recognition Arrangement Council of Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation held in Hong Kong recently conferred the authority on the BAB, reports BSS. Speaking on the occasion, Amir Hossain Amu said BAB was established under the directive of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to maintain the qualities of exported items as Bangladesh suffered image crisis while exporting shrimp in 1994-95 fiscal year. l

B2

Stock

DHAKA TRIBUNE

DSE GAINER

Stocks drop as political deadlock deepens

DSE key features January 18, 2015

Traded Issues

306

n Tribune Report

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

61

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

238

ly down by more than 24% over the previous session.

Fuel and power was the day’s most active sector, accounting for 28% of the total turnover.

Market fell across the board, as out of 306 issues traded, 49 gained, 223 declined and 34 remained unchanged.

Lanka Bangla Securities said market made a sharp loss amid cautiousness among investors.

Participation as reflected by turnover dictated that investors were shying away from taking long position of Bangladesh equities as political front remains unstable which is hampering business activities, it said.

“Businesses are suffering from blockades and costs are going up which is expected to hamper the bottom line of corporations.”

IDLC Investments said uptight political condition suffocated market sentiment. Getting concerned, investors have decided to stay on the sidelines and plummeted the turnover, it said.

“Short term economic outlook is gradually turning gloomy, amid rising cost of doing business caused by continuous blockade.”

Chittagong Vegetable topped the turnover’s chart accumulating Tk9.7 crore, followed by IDLC, BBS, Agni Systems, Lafarge Surma Cement, SAIF Powertec, Alltex and Grameenphone.

Samata Leather was the biggest loser plunging 7.6% while Renwick Jajneswar was the top gainer, rallying 8%. l

Stocks dropped amid lackluster trading yesterday, as investors’ worry deepened over ongoing political deadlock that began early this month.

The market opened the week losing around 30 points in the first half an hour of trade and then remained low for the rest of the session.

'Uptight political condition suffocated market sentiment' The benchmark index DSEX was down 39 points to 4,917, after remaining flat over the last two sessions.

The Shariah index DSES shed 12 points or 1% to 1,162. The comprising blue chips DS30 closed at 1,820, slipping 18 points or 1%.

Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) Selective Categories Index, CSCX, declined 63 points to 9,137.

All the large cap sectors closed in red with cement and textile leading the way by falling 1.7% each. Food and allied, and power sectors declined more than 1% each.

Telecommunication, pharmaceuticals, banks and non-banking financial institutions closed marginally lower.

Turnover took a dive as the DSE turnover went below Tk300 croremark to stand at Tk250 crore, sharp-

Weekly capital market highlights DSE Broad Index : DSE - 30 Index : CSE All Share Index: CSE - 30 Index : CSE Selected Index :

4917.37520

(-) 0.78%

1820.70352

(-) 1.02%

15070.64880

(-) 0.88%

12154.71660 9

(-) 0.60%

130.72510

(-) 0.78%

DSE LOSER Company

Closing (% Change)

Samata LeatheR -Z Shahjibazar Power-N Phoenix Fin. 1st MF-A National Tea -A Midas Financing-Z 2nd ICB M F -A R. N. Spinning-Z ICB AMCL 2nd NRB -A Dacca Dyeing-A Metro Spinning -A

-7.56 -4.88 -4.35 -4.19 -4.12 -4.10 -3.92 -3.75 -3.68 -3.60

CSE LOSER Company Reckitt Benckiser -A Aziz PipesZ National Polymer -A Nitol Insurance -A Reliance1 M.F.-A Prime Insur -A MutualTrust Bank-A DBH 1st MF-A Metro Spinning -A Sandhani Life -A

Closing (% Change) -15.06 -9.26 -6.18 -5.96 -5.56 -5.53 -4.81 -4.35 -4.32 -4.21

Average (% Change) -7.56 -5.73 -2.20 -1.38 -3.02 -4.49 -4.42 -2.14 -3.08 -1.45 Average (% Change) -14.23 -9.26 -6.21 -5.83 -5.56 -5.53 -4.82 -1.11 -3.38 -3.96

ANALYST

ClosingAvg. 22.00 197.73 4.45 727.27 16.38 258.82 29.62 7.77 18.56 13.62

ClosingAvg. 1,100.00 19.60 68.28 26.80 6.80 18.80 19.75 4.47 13.43 59.10

Closing

Bank NBFI Investment Engineering Food & Allied Fuel & Power Jute Textile Pharma & Chemical Paper & Packaging Service Leather Ceramic Cement Information Technology General Insurance Life Insurance Telecom Travel & Leisure Miscellaneous Debenture

DSE Million Taka 337.90 199.94 30.28 295.90 101.02 345.76 5.19 331.18 301.39 13.40 107.72 8.72 19.47 85.35 97.25 19.96 30.89 71.83 31.44 78.05 0.00

DHIGH

22.00 196.70 4.40 707.10 16.30 259.90 29.40 7.70 18.30 13.40

Closing 1,100.00 19.60 68.30 26.80 6.80 18.80 19.80 4.40 13.30 59.10

23.50 210.00 4.50 740.00 16.90 260.00 30.10 7.90 19.30 13.90

2,514.48 63,184,220

Number of Contract

72,160

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

7

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,620.94

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

31.77

CSE key features January 18, 2015 Turnover (Million Taka)

161.42

Turnover (Volume)

5,151,681

Number of Contract

9,591

Traded Issues

225

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

54

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

164

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

6

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,531.51

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

30.68

Turnover in Million

DLOW 21.50 193.20 4.40 703.50 16.10 258.10 29.10 7.50 18.20 13.30

DLOW

1,100.00 19.60 68.70 26.80 6.80 18.80 19.80 4.50 13.70 59.10

1,100.00 19.60 68.20 26.80 6.80 18.80 19.70 4.40 13.20 59.10

Latest EPS

0.143 11.404 0.229 0.016 0.138 0.088 11.094 0.826 10.279 4.705

Turnover in Million

DHIGH

0.006 0.024 0.034 0.008 0.002 0.008 0.011 0.057 0.741 0.012

% change 13.45 7.96 1.21 11.78 4.02 13.76 0.21 13.18 11.99 0.53 4.29 0.35 0.77 3.40 3.87 0.79 1.23 2.86 1.25 3.11 0.00

Million Taka 13.79 7.34 3.05 20.87 4.84 15.17 34.19 13.53 4.49 8.10 2.92 3.14 8.62 8.89 0.51 0.39 4.22 3.02 10.80 0.00

CSE

% change 8.21 4.37 1.82 12.43 2.88 9.03 0.00 20.36 8.06 2.67 4.83 1.74 1.87 5.14 5.29 0.31 0.23 2.51 1.80 6.43 0.00

Million Taka 351.69 207.28 33.33 316.77 105.87 360.93 5.19 365.37 314.92 17.88 115.82 11.64 22.61 93.98 106.14 20.47 31.28 76.06 34.46 88.85 0.00

Renwick Jajneswar-A Samorita Hospital -A CVO PetroChem RL-A Pharma Aids A Ambee Pharma -A Zeal Bangla Sugar -Z JMI Syringes MDL-A Bangladesh Welding -Z AB Bank 1st Mutual Fund-A BD Fixed Income MF-A

Closing (% Change) 8.76 6.61 5.02 4.96 4.30 3.90 3.71 3.43 3.39 3.08

CSE GAINER

0.05 9.00 0.84 -6.49 -7.00 71.88 2.19 1.20 1.04 0.72

Latest EPS 42.33 -0.37 2.76 2.79 0.62 1.81 2.45 0.56 0.72 2.12

Latest PE 440.0 22.0 5.3 -ve -ve 3.6 13.5 6.5 17.8 18.9

Total

Company Samorita Hospital -A Ambee Pharma -A Midas Financing-Z Wata Chemicals -A Bangladesh Welding -Z Janata Insur -A Rangpur Foundry -A JMI Syringes MDL-A GQ Ball PenA Anwar Galvanizing-B

Closing (% Change) 7.60 7.32 7.10 6.39 4.60 4.32 3.92 3.69 3.20 3.16

Average (% Change) 7.92 5.32 5.32 3.92 3.36 5.97 4.17 2.64 2.69 3.08 Average (% Change) 6.74 5.45 7.16 5.52 3.02 4.14 2.26 5.08 3.09 3.29

ClosingAvg.

Closing

228.12 84.37 536.33 280.42 272.60 8.16 177.57 17.89 6.10 6.70

ClosingAvg.

230.90 85.50 541.80 285.90 276.40 8.00 179.00 18.10 6.10 6.70

Closing

84.22 272.38 16.61 227.30 17.76 16.87 103.32 177.84 109.61 39.23

84.90 277.20 16.60 229.90 18.20 16.90 106.00 177.20 109.50 39.20

DHIGH 230.90 87.00 551.00 289.00 278.00 8.30 179.80 18.30 6.10 6.70

DHIGH 85.50 278.00 16.80 230.00 18.30 16.90 106.00 179.90 111.00 39.50

DLOW 217.90 83.00 519.50 272.60 266.00 7.70 172.00 16.80 6.10 6.70

DLOW 83.00 266.00 16.20 222.00 17.40 16.20 103.00 174.20 108.10 39.00

Turnover in Million 7.341 11.619 96.082 53.877 4.903 0.025 47.075 4.904 0.001 0.000

Turnover in Million 0.612 0.402 0.013 0.261 0.458 0.019 0.098 2.469 0.464 0.019

Latest EPS 1.64 2.32 5.24 9.88 4.68 -47.80 4.48 0.44 0.56 0.48

Latest EPS 2.32 4.68 -7.00 5.37 0.44 0.37 3.23 4.48 2.21 0.84

Latest PE 139.1 36.4 102.4 28.4 58.2 -ve 39.6 40.7 10.9 14.0

Latest PE 36.3 58.2 -ve 42.3 40.4 45.6 32.0 39.7 49.6 46.7

News, analysis and recent disclosures GHAIL: The Company has informed that Cash dividend for the year ended on June 30, 2014 has been dispatched to the respective shareholders Bank Accounts through Bangladesh Electronic Fund Transfer Network (BEFTN) System.

CVOPRL: The Company has informed that Cash dividend for the year ended on June 30, 2014 has been disbursed.

SAIFPOWER: Credit Rating Agency of Bangladesh Limited (CRAB) has announced the rating (Battery Project) of the Company as BBB3 and entity rating as BBB3 with a stable outlook based on audited financial statements up to 2014, bank liability (18 December 2014) and other relevant quantitative and qualitative information up to the date of rating declaration.

MATINSPINN: (H/Y Un-audited): Net Profit after tax from July14 to Dec14 was Tk. 195.51 million with EPS of Tk. 2.01 as against Tk. 128.60 million and Tk. 1.32 respectively for the same period of the previous year. Whereas net profit after tax

from Oct14 to Dec14 was Tk. 88.42 million with EPS of Tk. 0.91 as against Tk. 74.73 million and Tk. 0.77 respectively for the same period of the previous year.

Disbursement of Cash Dividend HWAWELLTEX: Hwa Well Textiles (BD) Ltd. has informed that they have already dispatched cash dividend warrant 2013-2014 to shareholders through Sundarban Courier Service (Pvt.) Ltd. on 12 January 2015.

National Feed Mill Limited: Trading of the shares of National Feed Mill Limited will commence at DSE and CSE from January 19, 2015 under N category. DSE Trading Code for National Feed Mill Limited is NFML and DSE Company Code is 99640.

CSE Scrip Id=32020, Scrip Code=NFML, Market Lot=1, Face Value=Tk.10.

BBS: The Company has informed that it has signed an agreement with VIYELLATEX Group. Under this agreement, the Company will construct the 1st phase project of Viyellatex Spinning Mill-2. The project is situated at Mulaid, Shreepur, Gazipur and the Contract value is BDT 610.00 million.

IPO Subscription: Asian Tiger Sandhani Life Growth Fund subscription date 11 to 15 January 2015, NRB upto 24 January 2015. @ taka 10, face value taka 10 and market lot 500. United Power Generation & Distribution Company Limited subscription date 18 to 22 January 2015, NRB upto 31 January 2015. @ taka 60, face value taka 10 and market lot 100. Bangladesh Steel Re-Rolling Mills Limited subscription date 01 to 05 Febuary 2015, NRB upto 14 Febuary 2015. @ taka 35, face value taka 10 and market lot 200.

Dividend/AGM ECABLES: 10% cash, AGM: 26.02.2015, Record Date: 05.01.2015.

MPETROLEUM: 95% cash and 10% stock, AGM: 16.01.2015, Record date: 04.12.2014.

JAMUNAOIL: 90% cash and 10% stock, AGM: 07.02.2015, Record date: 11.12.2014.

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.

Latest PE 26.0 -ve 24.7 9.6 11.0 10.4 8.1 8.0 18.7 27.9

Businesses are suffering from blockades and costs are going up which is expected to hamper the bottom line of corporations

SECTORAL TURNOVER SUMMARY Sector

▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼

Company

Turnover (Million Taka) Turnover (Volume)

Monday, January 19, 2015

DSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company

% change 13.12 7.73 1.24 11.82 3.95 13.46 0.19 13.63 11.75 0.67 4.32 0.43 0.84 3.51 3.96 0.76 1.17 2.84 1.29 3.31 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

Brac Bank -A CVO PetroChem RL-A IDLC Finance -A BD Building Systems -A Agni Systems -A LafargeS Cement-Z SAIF Powertec-N Alltex Industries -Z Grameenphone-A Pharma Aids A

JMI Syringes MDL-A Envoy Textiles Ltd-N WesternMarine -N Square Pharma -A DESCO Ltd. -A Pharma Aids A

CSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company Alltex Industries -Z WesternMarine -N LafargeS Cement-Z BEXIMCO Ltd. -A Shahjibazar Power-N Mozaffar H.Spinning-A Agni Systems -A aamra technologies-A SAIF Powertec-N Appollo Ispat CL -N

SummitAlliancePort.-A R. N. Spinning-Z Maksons Spinning-A Beximco Pharma -A Khan Brothers-N

VolumeShares 3,568,611 179,148 1,026,445 1,241,408 1,732,476 463,037 761,652 1,714,080 159,015 192,127

Value in Million 135.51 96.08 84.48 66.71 59.99 59.73 57.65 57.43 56.84 53.88

% of TotalTurnover 5.39 3.82 3.36 2.66 2.39 2.38 2.29 2.29 2.26 2.14

VolumeShares

Value in Million

% of TotalTurnover

265,111 769,940 788,098 162,251 574,595 182,020

254,176 141,763 58,772 182,153 9,040 146,075 126,633 108,880 51,255 178,868

45,798 114,200 205,612 42,325 72,619

47.08 44.64 43.76 41.93 41.45 47.73

8.51 7.86 7.56 6.38 4.82 4.75 4.38 4.14 3.87 3.59

3.50 3.43 2.90 2.58 2.49

1.87 1.78 1.74 1.67 1.65 1.57

5.31 4.90 4.71 3.98 3.01 2.96 2.73 2.58 2.41 2.24

2.18 2.14 1.81 1.61 1.55

ClosingP 38.00 541.80 82.10 53.90 34.50 128.70 75.00 33.20 357.00 285.90

179.00 57.80 55.20 258.20 72.20 263.80 ClosingP

33.00 55.10 128.20 34.80 197.50 32.00 34.50 37.60 74.90 20.00

76.10 29.80 14.00 60.80 34.10

Change % 1.06 5.02 -1.56 -1.64 -2.82 -2.13 -1.70 -1.48 -0.64 4.96

3.71 -2.36 -1.78 -0.62 -0.96 5.10

Change %

-2.08 -1.96 -2.66 -2.25 -3.09 -1.54 -2.54 -2.59 -1.58 -1.48

-2.56 -4.18 -2.10 -1.78 -2.85

ClosingY 37.60 515.90 83.40 54.80 35.50 131.50 76.30 33.70 359.30 272.40

172.60 59.20 56.20 259.80 72.90 251.00 ClosingY

33.70 56.20 131.70 35.60 203.80 32.50 35.40 38.60 76.10 20.30

78.10 31.10 14.30 61.90 35.10

DHIGH 38.00 551.00 84.70 55.50 35.50 131.40 77.00 34.50 358.10 289.00

179.80 59.00 56.00 259.80 72.90 269.80 DHIGH

34.30 56.70 130.50 35.70 203.00 32.70 35.50 38.50 77.00 20.30

77.50 30.50 14.30 61.50 35.00

DLOW 37.40 519.50 81.60 52.80 33.20 128.50 74.70 32.50 356.20 272.60

172.00 57.20 55.00 258.00 71.80 251.40 DLOW

32.60 55.00 126.60 34.10 195.00 31.50 34.00 37.00 74.70 19.90

75.50 29.60 13.80 60.10 34.00

AvgPrice 37.97 536.33 82.30 53.74 34.62 128.99 75.69 33.51 357.44 280.42

177.57 57.98 55.52 258.44 72.13 262.22 AvgPrice

33.47 55.42 128.55 35.02 533.55 32.53 34.57 37.98 75.52 20.05

76.46 30.07 14.08 60.99 34.29

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

Experts: Oil price slump puts at risk clean energy push n AFP, Abu Dhabi Falling oil prices could have a negative impact on global efforts to develop renewable energy sources, experts warned Saturday at a conference in Abu Dhabi.

Oil prices have fallen by almost 60% since June, crashing on worries over global oversupply and weak demand in a faltering world economy.

Participants at the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) conference that opened Saturday in the oilrich United Arab Emirates (UAE) said the trend could spell doom for plans to shift to clean energy.

The fall in oil prices could be a “game changer”, Italy’s Deputy Minister for Economic Development Claudio Vincenti told the two-day meeting.

Oil price rises in the past encouraged clean energy investments, said Vincenti, adding that a long-term fall in prices could shift the balance among various energy sources. He did not elaborate.

Salem al-Hajraf, representing oilrich Kuwait at the conference, agreed that falling oil prices posed a “major challenge” this year as was the case two decades ago.

“The fall of oil prices in the 80s was a main reason behind the collapse of many renewable energy projects,” he told participants.

Renewable energy, which relies on solar, wind and other sources, is essential for meeting global CO2 emission targets.

Delegates from more than 150 countries attended the opening session of the IRENA conference, including Israel with has no diplomatic ties with the UAE. Representatives from more than 110 international organisations are also taking part in the meeting.

“The story of renewables is rapidly evolving and as the importance of renewable energy grows, so does the relevance of the agency’s work,” IRENA director general Adnan Amin told the conference.

He said that total world investments in renewable energies had reached $264 billion in 2014, $50bn more than the previous year.

At the meeting, the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, in partnership with IRENA, will announce a series of loans for five renewable energy projects in developing countries, organisers said.

Abu Dhabi-based IRENA, with 137

Quantitative easing, deflation explained n

AFP, Frankfurt

The European Central Bank is expected to launch a programme of sovereign bond purchases, known as quantitative easing or QE, at its policy meeting Thursday to ward off deflation in the eurozone.

But QE, already used by other central banks around the world to stimulate their economies, is controversial in Europe because it is seen as a way of printing money to pay the way for governments out of debt, which the ECB is expressly forbidden from doing under its statutes.

And while consumer prices in the single currency area actually fell for the first time in five years in December, analysts and ECB officials insist that there is no sign of deflation in the region just yet.

What is deflation?

Deflation is defined as an extended period of falling prices where consumers begin to put off purchases in expectation they will fall further, sparking a damaging cycle of falling production, employment and prices.

Consumer prices in the eurozone fell by 0.2% year-on-year in December, the first drop in more than five years, driven down mainly by tumbling oil prices.

But a one-off like that is not synonymous with deflation, economists said.

“So maybe that Sunday car trip gets postponed because petrol could be cheaper next week ... Really? Of course not. For all the other stuff, prices are still going up, and that’s the key input in what households expect for future inflation,” said UniCredit chief economist Erik Nielsen.

In fact, he suggested that a “negative price shock, which raises real income is good news. This is good for Europe.”

His colleague at Berenberg Bank, Holger Schmieding, agreed, noting that consumer confidence remains high, which would not be the case in a deflationary scenario.

ECB officials, too, have repeatedly stated that they see no sign of the eurozone sliding into deflation for now, even if the central bank’s chief economist Peter Praet insisted that the ECB “could not afford the luxury” of sitting back and doing nothing.

Normally, central banks keep inflation (and deflation) in check by adjusting their key interest rates.

If the economy is in downturn and companies are nervous about the future and scaling back on investment, a central bank can reduce the overnight rate that it charges banks, reducing their funding costs and encouraging them to make more loans.

In the wake of the financial crisis, the ECB, like other central banks around the world, slashed their overnight interestrates to close to zero. But that still failed to spark a sustained recovery, so they resorted to more unconventional tools to encourage banks to pump money into the economy, including QE.

Does QE work?

Under QE, a central bank in effect creates money by buying securities such as government bonds from banks with electronic cash that did not exist before.

The aim is to stimulate the economy by encouraging banks to issue more loans: the banks take the new money and then buy assets to replace the ones they have sold to the central bank. That raises stock prices and lowers interest rates, which in turn boosts investment. l

Major General Mohd Habibur Rahman Khan, executive chairperson of BEPZA has recently observed a referendum to form Workers Welfare Association (WWA), that was held at LZ Fashion Wear Limited of Dhaka EPZ, a Bangladeshi garments manufacturing industry

member states and the European Union, aims to promote the sustainable use of all forms of renewable energy.

Future energy and water summits

The conference coincides with a series of events organised under the banner of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, including Future Energy Summit and an International Water Summit, both on Monday.

B3

Monday, January 19, 2015

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah alSisi is expected to attend Future Energy Summit while French Energy and Environment Minister Segolene Royal will take part in the water summit.

Abu Dhabi is to display a solar-powered plane, Solar Impulse 2, that does not use any fuel and which will fly out from the Emirati capital in March on a five-month tour, according to energy

company Masdar.

In March last year, Abu Dhabi opened the world’s largest operating plant of concentrated solar power, which has the capacity to provide electricity to 20,000 homes.

The Gulf region is one of the world’s richest areas in sunshine but lagging far behind several other countries in harnessing the energy. l

Saudi giant SABIC Q4 profit down 29% on lower oil n AFP, Riyadh Falling global oil prices dragged down the net income of Saudi petrochemical giant SABIC by 29% in the fourth quarter, the company said yesterday.

SABIC, the largest publicly traded firm in the Gulf, reported net profit of 4.36bn riyals ($1.16bn) for the three months to December.

That compared with 6.16bn riyals in the same quarter a year earlier.

“The decrease in net income is mainly attributable to lower average sales prices, partially offset by lower costs for certain feedstocks (raw materials),” a statement from Saudi Basic Industries Corp said.

The result was lower than the mean estimate of 5.39bn riyals forecast by seven analysts, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Full-year net profit was 23.43bn riyals, a drop of seven percent from the 25.28bn reported the previous year.

Mohamed Al-Mady, the company’s vice chairman and CEO, called the yearend profit figure “a good result for us.”

But he said the current environment of falling crude prices creates uncertainty for the firm, whose traditional markets are China and Europe as well as at home in Saudi Arabia.

“It’s going to be very difficult to judge the 2015 situation, just because of crude oil,” Mady told reporters, adding: “We are used to this cycle of petrochemicals.”

Falling prices are also affecting the steel sector, said the veteran executive, whose company operates wholly owned Saudi Iron and Steel.

Mady said the firm, which only sells steel domestically, had studied possible expansion in the sector but “any company would think twice” about such a move with steel prices sinking.

SABIC is one of the world’s largest petrochemical manufacturers, producing chemicals, fertilisers, plastics and metals.

Global crude prices have fallen by more than 50% since June on worries over global oversupply and weak demand growth. Saudi Arabia is the world’s largest oil exporter. l

ECB faces crucial test of ‘whatever it takes’ n Reuters, London The European Central Bank faces a crucial test of its resolve to do “whatever it takes” to preserve the euro when it decides this week on buying government bonds to combat deflation and revive the economy.

The EU top court’s adviser and the Swiss National Bank have smoothed the way for quantitative easing (QE), or printing money, but fierce opposition from Germany’s central bank, politicians and public may yet shackle the ECB. At issue is no longer whether the bank buys sovereign bonds, which has been widely flagged, but how the programme is designed and whether it is seen as credible and sufficient.

The risk is that the institution that has held the single currency area together through five years of debt crisis adopts a “QE-lite” plan that sends the wrong signal to markets, misses its target and jeopardises the bank’s credibility.

News that ECB President Mario Draghi met German Chancellor Angela Merkel privately last week highlights the acute political sensitivity of the decision. While the Bundesbank is opposed to the policy, which it sees as a back door to monetary financing of feckless governments, creating potential liabilities for German taxpayers, the ECB is hoping Merkel won’t denounce it and will restrain her conservative allies.

Some QE supporters fear Draghi may make too many concessions to Germany by framing a programme that is limited in volume and scope, doesn’t share risk across borders and excludes buying bonds of countries with the lowest credit ratings.

A draft plan circulated by ECB staff this month would cap purchases at 500 billion euros. Some market analysts say it may need to be twice that size or open-ended to reach its objective.

Draghi has a majority on the policymaking Governing Council but the two German members, Bundesbank president Jens Weidmann and ECB executive board member Sabine Lautenschlaeger, seem sure to vote against QE. A handful of other governors may join them.

One option seriously under consideration, ECB sources say, is to make each national central bank in the 19-nation Eurosystem shoulder the risk of default on all or most of its own country’s bonds that are purchased.

“This would be at best ineffective and at worst dangerous,” said Guntram Wolff, director of the Bruegel economic

The famous euro sign landmark is photographed outside the former headquarters of the European Central Bank (ECB) in Frankfurt, late evening REUTERS think-tank in Brussels. “(It) would be a strong signal that the ECB is no longer a ‘joint and several’ institution.”

Veteran Danish economist Niels Thygesen, one of the experts who designed original blueprint for the euro in the 1980s, told Reuters: “If these are the circumstances for some QE, it may not be worthwhile even for strong enthusiasts.”

It would be a limited programme designed by lawyers as much as economists.

Yet by declaring ECB bond-buying legal and urging courts to be cautious in challenging the central bank when they lack the expertise, the European Court of Justice’s advocate general last week effectively gave a green light for full-blooded action.

Although his opinion concerned a lawsuit brought by German Eurosceptics against a previous, as yet unused bond-buying scheme, it had a clear read-across to QE. In particular, he argued that announcing limits on bond-buying in advance would undermine its effectiveness, that the ECB should not be given seniority over private creditors in case of a debt restructuring, and that there

was no bar on it buying bonds of countries with low credit ratings.

This should give Draghi a free hand to buy bonds of all euro zone states proportionate to their contributions to the ECB’s capital for as long as needed to get inflation back up towards target of just below 2% from close to zero now.

But the politics may make that impossible.

Two routes

Economists distinguish two main ways in which QE, already used in the United States, Britain and Japan, works to revive an economy and raise prices - the “signalling effect” and the “portfolio effect”.

In layman’s terms, the former describes an unambiguous message to financial markets that a resolute central bank is determined to use unlimited resources to achieve its goal. The US Federal Reserve is the frequently cited model.

“Just as markets know never to fight the Fed, they need to understand that you don’t bet against the ECB,” said a senior Eurosystem official, who is not authorised to speak publicly.

The latter term describes the mecha-

nism through which a central bank creates money to buy bonds from banks, insurers and pension funds, who reinvest it in higher-return assets such as stocks or corporate bonds, often outside the euro zone. That exit of funds lowers the exchange rate, making exports cheaper and imports dearer, hence raising the inflation rate.

The euro has already fallen from nearly $1.40 in May 2014 to $1.15 last Friday, its slide gathering pace as expectations mount that the ECB will launch QE. Switzerland’s central bank lifted a hand-brake on the euro’s fall last week when it abruptly abandoned a threeyear-old cap on the Swiss franc’s exchange rate, which had forced it to buy tens of billion euros to defend the peg of 1.20 to the euro.

The shock move, which sparked global currency turmoil and inflicted heavy losses on some banks and brokers, showed how hard it is for central banks to tame volatile markets and how easy long-accumulated credibility can be put at risk.

That carries lessons for the ECB as it contemplates one of the toughest decisions in its 16-year history. l

B4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Back Page

Monday, January 19, 2015

Swiss lose battle in currency war that could spread n AFP, Paris Historically neutral Switzerland’s foray into the global currency war ended in defeat this past week after its central bank left markets shell-shocked by abandoning the franc’s exchange rate floor, analysts said.

But with major shifts in monetary policy under way, the currency war is hardly over and the front lines will move to other countries.

“The Swiss central bank was the first to throw itself into the currency war, (and) it is the first to capitulate,” said Christopher Dembik, an economist at Saxo Bank.

The capitulation amounted to abandoning the Swiss franc’s exchange rate floor of 1.20 francs to the euro, which the Swiss National Bank had imposed more than three years ago to stop the franc from appreciating too much against the European single currency.

But on Thursday the SNB raised the white flag and surrendered, letting the franc float.

The shock announcement was felt across the globe as the franc immediately strengthened by 30% against the euro. It has since settled at around parity with the euro, which is a 15% gain in value since the floor was removed.

The move caused plenty of collateral damage: stocks in Swiss companies heavily dependent on exports were devastated. It engulfed eastern European neighbours whose mortgage debt is denominated in the franc, and wiped out at least two international foreign exchange brokers.

Dembik said Switzerland beat a retreat on the currency battlefield before the European Central Bank at its meeting Thursday comes out “with a major weapon” - namely a massive sovereign bond-buying programme that would flood the market with euros and raise demand for the Swiss franc, a top safe haven currency.

“The central banks talk among themselves and the Swiss know that in the case of ‘quantitative easing’ (QE) by the ECB the floor is no longer tenable,” said Philippe Waechter, economist at Natixis AM. For Daragh Maher, a strategist at HSBC, “by removing the floor, the SNB is no longer compelled to intervene, a tactic which had become politically contentious.”

One Swiss franc coins are seen in a cash drawer in Bern The tactic was controversial because it was costly. The SNB had to buy massive amounts of foreign currencies to contain its own money, an astronomical cost equivalent to 85% of the country’s gross domestic product, according to Simon Ward, economist at Henderson Global Investors.

The SNB however did not totally desert the field: it dropped its key interest rate to below zero at -0.75% in the hope that it would discourage investing in the Swiss franc.

Asia, emerging countries next?

Switzerland may be a sign of currency battles to come.

“Given the general gloom over growth, the exchange rate is one of the last levers” that can be used to bolster the economic situation a country faces, said Dembik.

“The Asian countries will be on the frontline, for example, South Korea, Taiwan,” he said. These countries suffer from a strong fall in the yen, which in turn benefits their Japanese competitors.

“The big emerging economies, like Brazil, will certainly also need to play with the exchange rate,” he added.

The intensity of the global currency battles will depend a lot on the US Federal Reserve. The Fed has sig-

AFP survey: China growth hit 24-year low in 2014 n AFP, Beijing China’s annual GDP growth slowed to its weakest rate in more than two decades in 2014, according to an AFP survey, projecting further deceleration in the world’s second-largest economy this year.

The median forecast in a poll of 15 economists saw the Asian giant’s gross domestic product (GDP) expanding 7.3% last year, down from 7.7% in 2013.

That would be the worst full-year result since the 3.8% recorded in 1990 - the year after the Tiananmen Square crackdown.

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) releases the official GDP figures for the fourth quarter and the whole of 2014 on Tuesday.

For this year, the economists see growth slowing further to a median 7%, as Chinese leaders proclaim a “new normal” of slower expansion and emphasise economic reforms.

“China may introduce many restructuring and reform measures this year and this may have some negative impact on economic growth,” ANZ economist Liu Li-Gang told AFP. He said that they might include changes to state-owned enterprises, financial reforms such as interest rate liberalisation and looser restrictions on private banks.

China, a main driver of global growth, was beset last year by problems ranging from weakness in manufacturing and trade to financial worries over rising debt levels and falling real estate prices, which have sent shockwaves through the key property sector.

For October to December 2014, the survey saw GDP as having risen a median 7.2% year-on-year.

That would be marginally weaker

DILBERT

than the third quarter’s 7.3%, and the worst quarterly result since the first three months of 2009, when growth logged a 6.6% expansion during the global financial crisis.

Authorities appeared to take last year’s performance largely in their stride, sticking to a scenario whereby the country’s consumers take the lead in underpinning expansion in coming years, emphasising in public statements the quality of growth rather than its size.

“China has entered a new normal of economic growth,” Li Baodong, a vice foreign minister, told reporters on Friday, repeating a newly favoured phrase of the country’s leaders.

'China may introduce many restructuring and reform measures this year and this may have some negative impact on economic growth'

“That is to say we are going through structural adjustment and the structural adjustment is progressing steadily.”

Purveyors of high-quality consumer goods such as neighbours Japan and South Korea, as well as Europe and the United States, could stand to benefit from the remodelling of the economy.

But the implications of slowing Chinese growth for the rest of the world are already visible.

Commodity exporters such as Australia have suffered, after profiting

immensely from China’s boom years when expansion averaged 10%, hitting 14.2% as recently as 2007.

Growth target

There were limits to official nonchalance in Beijing, however, as a series of measures dubbed “mini-stimulus” by economists were put in place from April, while in November the central People’s Bank of China cut interest rates for the first time in more than two years to try to put a floor on the slowdown.

Economists are broadly expecting further monetary policy tinkering this year, but say the focus will be on structural reforms over the temptation of stimulus.

“This would be similar to economic policy making in the late 1990s, which resulted in a decade-long reform dividend,” Brian Jackson, Beijing-based economist with IHS Economics, said in a research note.

“Put together, that points to weakening growth in 2015.”

An official expansion target of “about” 7.5% was set for last year. The goal is traditionally pegged at a level that is easily achieved, and is usually approximated to provide wiggle room for positive spin just in case.

It has not missed its mark since 1998 and the Asian economic crisis, but Premier Li Keqiang, who oversees the economy and is the country’s second most senior official, has repeatedly dismissed concerns about undershooting the benchmark, emphasising instead the importance of indicators such as job creation -- a key factor in supporting consumer confidence.

“Slower growth is not a problem as long as the quality is high, which means for the same growth rate, more jobs are created while income distribution imbalances are reduced,” Shen Jianguang, economist at Mizuho in Hong Kong, told AFP. But ANZ’s Liu said that 2014 had shown it was now “relatively difficult” for China to achieve 7.5% growth.

“Premier Li will likely lower the growth target to 7% in March,” he said.

“Seven percent is a fairly good growth target, given China’s huge economic base and scale.” l

REUTERS

nalled a cycle of rising rates, while the ECB has been pursuing a policy exactly opposite to expansion, which has strengthened the dollar against the euro.

Until now Washington has been hands off the greenback but the Fed could, according to some experts, put the brakes on the US currency by delaying for several months its first rate rise, which the markets expect in early summer.

“The monstrous adjustment of the euro”, which just on Friday fell under $1.15 for the first time since November 2003, “forces one and the other to revise their positions,” said Waechter.

Some economists however don’t see the world’s currencies in conflict.

Agnes Benassy-Quere, a professor at the Paris School of Economics, said “it seems an exaggeration to talk about a currency war when one sees in the world floating exchange rates and the free movement of capital.”

She thinks the adjustments in the exchange rates of currencies often reflect a “good functioning” of the system in which Switzerland was an anomaly with its rate floor.

The Swiss “had taken a course that’s used infrequently” and “weren’t playing the game of financial globalisation,” she said. l

China central bank scholar sees GDP growth up to 7.3% in 2015 n Reuters, Shanghai China’s economic growth may be as high as 7.3% this year, partly due to falling commodity prices, the official Xinhua news agency quoted an academic advisor to the central bank’s monetary policy committee as saying on Saturday.

Song Guoqing was also quoted telling a forum that China’s consumer price index may rise in 2015 by about 1.6%, saying the sharp decline in prices of commodities including crude oil, iron ore and copper presented “a large bonus” for the economy.

Xinhua said Song’s views were echoed by Ma Jun, chief economist of the People’s Bank of China’s (PBOC) research bureau.

The central bank had said in a report seen by Reuters in mid-December China’s economic growth could slow to 7.1% in 2015 from an expected 7.4% last year.

China’s annual economic growth likely slowed to 7.2% in the fourth quarter of last year, the weakest since the depths of the global crisis, a Reuters poll in early January showed, which would keep pressure on policymakers to head off a sharper slowdown this year.

The expected slowdown in growth of the world’s second-largest economy, from 7.3% in the June-September quarter, means the full-year figure would undershoot the government’s 7.5% target and mark the weakest expansion in 24 years.

China’s reform-minded leaders have shown greater tolerance of slower growth, but a further slowdown could fuel job losses and undermine public support for changes.

The PBOC unexpectedly cut interest rates in November for the first time in more than two years, aiming to lower borrowing costs and support growth.

Later, it loosened loan restrictions to encourage banks to step up lending.

At the forum, Ma estimated annual gross domestic output growth would increase by 0.12 percentage point if the price of crude oil drops by 10% year on year, Xinhua said.

The government is expected to announce fourth-quarter GDP on Jan 20. l

Bloomberg: Large Everest Capital hedge fund closing after Swiss franc losses n Reuters, Washington Hedge fund manager Marko Dimitrijevic is closing his largest hedge fund, Everest Capital’s Global Fund, having lost almost all its money after the Swiss National Bank (SNB) scrapped its three-year-old cap on the franc against the euro, Bloomberg news reported on Saturday.

Citing a person familiar with the firm, Bloomberg said the fund had been betting that the Swiss franc would decline. The fund had about $830m in assets at the end of 2014, according to a client report cited by Bloomberg.

It said an Everest spokesman would not comment on the fund and Dimitrijevic did not return calls.

Everest Capital, based in Miami and specializing in emerging markets, still manages seven funds with about $2.2bn in assets, Bloomberg said.

The SNB triggered big losses around the globe on Thursday when it removed a three-year-old cap on the value of the Swiss franc against the euro, allowing it to soar. l

A chocolate design made by the XYZprinting 3D Food Printer is shown during a press event at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center for the 2015 International CES on January 4 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Users can upload any design or import them from the Internet to use in making cookies and cake decorations. CES, the world's largest annual consumer technology trade show, runs from January 6-9 and is expected to feature 3,600 exhibitors showing off their latest products and services to about 150,000 attendees AFP