18 feb, 2015

Falgun 6, 1421 Rabius Sani 28, 1436 Regd No DA 6238 Vol 2, No 314

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2015 | www.dhakatribune.com | SECOND EDITION

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

TREEHOUSE

7 | LONG FORM

11 | OP-ED

12 | SPORT

PERUVIAN PERKS

WILL MODI REALISE HIS SUPERPOWER ASPIRATIONS?

THE NEW KING OF DELHI

BANGLADESH’S SELF-ESTEEM AT STAKE

Khaleda key accused in blast case Crude bomb explosions at a rally led by Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan gives rise to Khaleda being named, for the first time, as prime accused in a violence-related case

n Mohammad Jamil Khan BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has been named the prime accused in a case filed over a crude bomb attack on a street rally Monday led by Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan in the capital’s up-market Gulshan neighbourhood.

Although Khaleda has been tagged in two other violence-related cases over the last month, she had previously only been named an abettor.

This is the first time that Khaleda has been named a prime accused in a violence-related case.

The case was filed with Gulshan police station around 11:45pm on Monday

by Ismail Hossain Bacchu, chairman of Talkora union parishad under Choddogram police station, Comilla district, accusing the BNP chief and 13 other leaders and activists of the party for the attack.

According to the case statement, the other accused BNP leaders are Vice-Chairman Selima Rahman, 65, BNP women’s front Secretary Shirin Sultana, 45, Khaleda’s Personal Secretary Shimul Biswas, 50, BNP Deputy Press Secretary Maruf Kamal Khan Sohel, Joint Secretary General Salahuddin Ahmed, 50, Khaleda’s Advisor Khandaker Mahbub Hossain, BNP Vice-Chairman Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, 65, central committee member Humayun Kabir Khan, 50, former ward councillor Abdul Kaiyum, 50, former MP of Savar Dewan Salah Uddin, 50, Mostafa, 45, Mamun, 45, and Manik, 35.

Case no 25 was filed with Gulshan police station under penal code sections 143, 323, 324, 326, 307, 109 and

VIP cells at Kashimpur jail’s female section getting a facelift Jamil Khan and n Mohammad Raihanul Islam Aknond

the case was recorded under section 3/6 of the Explosives Act. The case against the three-time former prime minister is being filed for unlawful assembly, various clauses of voluntarily causing hurt, hurt with explosives and grievous hurt with explosives, and intentionally committing an act that results in injury or death.

The highest penalty is ten years in

prison if no fatalities result from the incident; if a victim dies, the accused may face life in prison.

Contacted, Rafiqul Islam, officer-incharge of Gulshan police station, told the Dhaka Tribune that Ismail Hossain Bachchu filed the case with Gulshan police on Monday night.

“Our officials are investigating the case and action will soon be taken

against those responsible,” he said.

At least seven people were injured when two crude bombs went off in the middle of the procession in the highly guarded Gulshan neighbourhood in the capital.

Meanwhile, the VIP buildings of the female section of the Kashimpur High Security Jail in Gazipur are being  PAGE 2 COLUMN 4

For about a week now, the authorities at the Kashimpur high security jail in Gazipur are renovating and repairing the two VIP buildings in the female section of the prison.

These two special blocks – Rajanigandha 1 and Rajanigandha 2 – each comprising six rooms are generally used for housing high profile political prisoners.

Although authorities said it was just routine work, the matter has been fuelling a rumour that BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, who has been holed up in her Gulshan office for a month and a half, might be arrested at any time.

On Monday, she was sued for the crude bomb blasts in a procession led

by Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan in Gulshan. She was then inside the office about half a kilometre away from the spot, but the 69-year-old three-time former prime minister was charged with conducting the blasts.

Although Khaleda has been tagged in a couple of other violence-related cases over the last month or so, none of those cases made her the prime accused; her name came up only as an abettor.

According to the jail authorities, the female section is capable of holding up to 200 prisoners. At present, there are 257 inmates in Kashimpur but the authorities have never used the two VIP blocks despite the overcrowding in the general section.

The last VIP prisoner to have dwelled in one of these cells is former BNP law-

maker Shammi Akhter; she was released on bail on January 22 last year. Since then, the VIP blocks have remained unused.

The two two-storey blocks now have new colours and new furniture have been recently brought in. The utility connections to the buildings have also been repaired recently to ensure interrupted power and water, prison sources said.

The two-storey buildings get new paint, furniture and repaired utility connections Once before in December last year, the Kashimpur high security jail saw renovation works before Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina went there on the occasion of the National Prison Week.

Seeking anonymity, a high official from the prison authorities said the renovation works are going on for an something “very urgent.”

When contacted, Umme Salma, jail super of the female section at the prison, told the Dhaka Tribune: “No renovation work is going on here. Some repairing are being done as part of a routine work in the jail. We do these kind of works regularly.”

She also denied having received any special instruction from the higher authorities. l

Bernicat eager to work with government opposition

Bangladesh brace for Afghan challenge

Subhan’s war crimes case verdict today

n Minhaz Uddin Khan

n Ahmed Zayeef

n Sheikh Shahariar Zaman

Bangladesh will begin their 2015 ICC World Cup campaign today against Afghanistan at Manuka Oval in Canberra. Star Sports 1 will transmit the Pool A game live from 9:30am.

The Tigers will be desperate for a winning start although it will be anything but easy against the dangerous Associate side. The two sides have met each other only once before with the Afghans beating their illustrious opponents by 32 runs in the 2014 Asia Cup in Fatullah.

Afghanistan’s win created a stir in the cricket world as it was not only their maiden appearance in the Asia Cup but their victory over Bangladesh came in just their fourth ODI against a Test-playing nation. Afghanistan’s win was lauded in many quarters, considering that they only took four matches before registering their first competitive victory compared to Bangladesh’s first triumph in 28 attempts.

In that eventful Asia Cup encounter, Bangladesh were dismissed for 222 with 13 balls remaining, chasing 254.

From a relatively comfortable position of 161/4, the Tigers lost four wickets for just four runs, a morale-shattering de-

The newly appointed US Ambassador to Bangladesh Marcia Stephens Bloom Bernicat has set her tone to improve the bilateral relation between Dhaka and Washington, DC. She said both President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry had given her a guideline to do everything in her power to help strengthen, broaden and deepen the bilateral relationship between the two countries.

‘The US views on Bangladesh election are well known’ “I pledged to you that I would do that,” she said yesterday at her first press conference in Bangladesh, at the American Club in the capital.

Bernicat, who sought to be posted in Bangladesh for 30 years, presented her credentials to President Abdul Hamid on February 4.

“I am eager to work with the government, the opposition and the civil society on our vital and common interests over the coming years of my tenure,” Bernicat said.

About the US views on the last general elections, on January 5 last year, she said: “The US views on Bangladesh election are well known and on the record.”

feat staring right at their faces. National discard Ziaur Rahman tried his best to change the situation with a quickfire 22-ball 41, but it proved to be inadequate at the end.

This time, however, Zia is not a part of the Tigers’ World Cup setup. A bad run of form saw the all-rounder losing his place in the side after the ODI series at home against India last year.

Zia, currently busy with the ongoing National Cricket League, might not be playing today but he is closely following his teammates on television and in the newspaper.

And ahead of their crucial opener, the 28-year old told Dhaka Tribune that Bangladesh should not worry as he thinks that the Tigers are a much better side than Afghanistan. Zia also believes their loss against the Afghans was an upset.

“I think everyone will agree that Bangladesh are far better than Afghanistan, both on pen and paper. That day (Asia Cup), we did a few things wrong while they made sure of not doing anything silly. Actually, it was an upset,” he said yesterday. “(Sohag) Gazi got injured while fielding so he was unable to bowl and bat properly. Both our bowling and batting were hampered that day through

The war crimes tribunal is set to pronounce its verdict today in the case against Maulana Abdus Subhan, a senior leader of Jamaat-e-Islami, more than two months after the case proceedings ended.

Subhan was made accused in 1972 by a special tribunal for collaborating with the Pakistani occupation forces and summoned. But he had already fled to Pakistan with former Jamaat chief Ghulam Azam, according to the prosecution.

The three-member International Crimes Tribunal 2, led by its Chairman Justice Obaidul Hasan, yesterday fixed the date.

Incumbent Nayeb-e-Ameer (vice-president) of Jamaat Subhan, 77, is facing nine charges of crimes against humanity including genocide and murders of unarmed people, mainly Hindus, along with looting and setting houses on fire in Pabna during the 1971 Liberation War. The charges are based on separate incidents taken place between April 13 and October 30 in which about 450 unarmed people were killed.

Son of Sheikh Naimuddin and Nurani Begum of Tailakundi village of Sujanagar upazila in Pabna, Subhan in 1971 was the founding ameer of Pabna unit Jamaat and Majlish-e-Sura member of the erstwhile United Pakistan Jamaat.

As the war began, Subhan was made general secretary of Pabna unit Peace Committee and later promoted to vice-chairman post of the associated body of the Pakistani Army.

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INSIDE 3 | News

5 | News

4 | News

6 | Nation

A proposal to sign on a joint venture of USbased ConocoPhillips and Norwegian Statoil ASA to carry out oil and gas exploration will go before a cabinet committee today.

A petrol bomb victim succumbed to his injuries at Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH) yesterday evening, after being critically burnt in an arson attack at Potiya upazila in Chittagong on February 11.

Patients of Khulna Medical College Hospital (KMCH) have been suffering very badly as its two elevators had remained out of order for one month.

Production at more than 100 brick kilns in Natore district has been at a standstill for the past four months as the kilns are running low on their stock of coal, resulted by India’s tighter monitoring of coal supply.

8 | World

Jubilant throngs gathered around gigantic letters spelling “NEWBORN,” when Kosovo declared independence from Serbia seven years ago.

15 | Entertainment

Dhallywood actor Porimoni is set to debut on silver screen with “Bhalobasha Seemahin,” which is scheduled to be released on February 27.

2

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

BLOCKADE VIOLENCE

Death toll now at 73 n Tribune Report After six days another petrol bomb victim died at the Burn and Plastic Surgery unit of Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH) yesterday.

The death toll in political violence since January 5 now stands at 73.

The victim Idris,18, died in the afternoon with 30% burn injuries in his face, chest and two hands, confirmed Mrinal Chowdhury, a doctor of the burn unit. Idris was from Pekua upazila, Cox’s Bazar.

He was injured on February 11 at Shah Mirpur area while returning from his village home. The auto-rickshaw he was on was attacked with a petrol bomb. Another passenger of the vehicle Titu Acharjee, 35, is still under treatment at the hospital.

A total of 73 people died in the nonstop countrywide blockade and spells of shutdowns by the BNP led 20-party alliance. Of them 39 died in arson attacks.

The alliance enforced the latest spell of hartal from 6am on Sunday protesting repression on its leaders and activists and also demanding fresh parliamentary election under a neutral government.

On Monday night a pick-up van driver and his two helpers were burnt critically by petrol bombs in Chittagong’s Rangunia upazila. A CNG-run auto-rickshaw driver received splinter injuries from a crude bomb in the district’s Hathazari upazila in the early hours yesterday.

The pick-up van driver Ali Hossain, 45, his helpers Mohammad Selim, 40, and Dulal Mia, 30, were admitted in the burn unit of CMCH. The CNG driver Sahabuddin, 28, was admitted to the hospital’s Casualty ward, said police sources.

Rangunia Police Station Officer-inCharge (OC) Mohammad Waliullah said some miscreants hurled the bombs at the sand-laden pick-up van at Mohajon Bottol area under Chandraghona union of the upazila on Monday at around 11pm.

The three were admitted into CMCH

at around 12 midnight, said CMCH Police Outpost’s Nayek Jahangir Alam.

At Hathazari the auto-rickshaw driver Sahabuddin was injured by splinters when some miscreants hurled crude bombs on the road at around 2am, said Nayek Jahangir.

Bakalia Police nabbed three Shibir men, Sarwar Kamal, Shahidul Islam and Mafizur Rahaman Rasel, with five petrol bombs and five crude bombs from Chittagong city’s Landmark Residential Area at around 2:30am following a tip-off.

Our Jessore correspondent reports that rickshaw puller Nur Mohammad, 25, was injured by crude bomb at Doratana area around 11:30pm Monday.

He was admitted to a local hospital.

Activists of BNP-Jamaat torched two trucks in Moulvibazar Sadar upazila around 6:05am but no one was hurt, said Abdus Salek, officer-in-charge of Moulvibazar Sadar Police Station. No one was yet arrested in this connection.

From Dhumsadda road, Feni police seized 10 crude bombs from a rickshaw but its two riders fled the scene. Police arrested the puller for interrogation.

In Keraniganj of the capital, miscreants torched Aganagar unit BNP office and two buses of Chandra Paribahan at Kodomtoli Intersection in separate incidents early yesterday. Fire fighters were able to bring both the incidents under control.

Jamal Uddin Mir, Officer-in-Charge of South Keraniganj Police Station, said they were investigating to find the arsonists. A man was detained as suspect.

Meanwhile, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) seized seven crude bombs from Sabujbagh in the capital in the morning yesterday.

At around 10am miscreants exploded several crude bombs on the premises of the trial court in the old part of the capital.

Police picked up at least 16 BNP, Jamaat and Shibir men from different parts of Dhaka on charges of plotting subversive activities in 24 hours till 9am yesterday. l

44 madrasa students held n FM Mizanur Rahaman,

14 parties: Dialogue initiators want to save killers

Chittagong

Police in a raid yesterday detained 44 madrasa students from an orphanage in Kadom Mobarak area in Chittagong city, for allegedly pelting stones on a procession of Bangladesh Chhatra League, the ruling party’s student wing.

CMP Assistant Commissioner (Kotwali Circle) Shah Mohammed Abdur Rauf said police had recovered a number of books and other documents related to Shibir during the two-hour long raid at Kadam Mobarak Madrasa which is also an orphanage.

Police sources said miscreants had pelted stones on a Chhatra League procession around 5pm from the rooftop of the madrasa.

On receiving information, police raided the madrasa around 5:30pm and detained 44 students suspecting them as the Shibir activists, said AC Abdur Rauf.

Legislative measures are being taken against the Shibir men, the police official said. l

n Abu Hayat Mahmud

The Awami League-led 14-party alliance has said those who continue asking the government to sit with the BNP-Jamaat alliance for a dialogue are trying to protect terrorists and militants.

The 14-party leaders made the statements at a press conference following a discussion with notable personalities of different professions at Awami League’s politicsit in al office in the capital’s Dhanmondi area yesterday.

Denying possibilities of talks with the BNP-led 20-party alliance at the conference, the 14-party leaders also urged BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia to stop the violence and ask the country’s people, especially the arson victims and their families, for forgiveness.

Addressing the briefing, Health Minister Mohammad Nasim said: “No dialogue will be held with the terrorists, militants and killers of the BNP-Jamaat alliance. No dialogue can take place

Representatives of the European Parliament’s subcommittee on human rights meets BNP chief Khaleda Zia at her Gulshan office in the capital yesterday

Amu: Law and order in country normal n Tribune Report

Although the law enforcement agencies have been directed to conduct drives on a large scale against the attackers, Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu yesterday claimed that law and order in the country was normal.

“The law enforcers have managed to stop further deterioration of the situation. Hence, the law and order in the country is now normal.

“Although criminal activities are still being carried out in some places, the government is satisfied with the present situation,” Amu, also president of the Cabinet Committee on Law and Order, said while talking to reporters after a meeting at the Secretariat.

Referring to the recent arson at-

between humans and terrorists. The BNP-Jamaat alliance’s activities are same as that of the Islamic State. The government will never sit with them for a dialogue, nor will the 14-party alliance.”

Speaking about the members of the civil society who asked for the dialogue a week ago, Nasim said such dialogue would do little to restore the country’s peace and would only add fuel to BNP-Jamaat’s violent cause.

“Before asking us to have a dialogue with the terrorists [BNP-Jamaat], they should ask BNP-Jamaat to stop terrorism,” he said.

Nasim, also Awami League’s presidium member and the spokesperson of the 14-party alliance, also confirmed 14 parties’ nationwide mass rally on February 20 protesting BNP-Jamaat’s violence.

He urged the country’s people to come out on the streets and join the procession to resist BNP-Jamaat. In the capital, the procession will start from

Subhan’s war crimes case verdict today  PAGE 1 COLUMN 1

He was elected unopposed a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan in late 1971. He resumed political career after the assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1975.

In 2001, Subhan became a member of parliament from Pabna 5 constituency when the BNP-Jamaat-led four-party alliance came to power.

Law enforcers arrested Subhan on September 20, 2012. The tribunal 1 indicted the alleged war criminal on December 31, 2013. The case was later shifted to the tribunal 2 for quick disposal.

The prosecution placed 31 witnesses to testify against Subhan while none gave deposition defending the Jamaat leader. However, the tribunal had allowed three witnesses for him and the defence first said they would place two people.

First prosecution witness ATM Shahiduzzaman Nasim, then a secretary of the Bangladesh Students’ Union in Ishwardi, in his deposition told the tribunal that addressing a war criminal as a “Maulana” (religious scholar) was a sin.

Third witness Md Abu Asad claimed that he had been forced to join Mujaheed Bahini – a group of collaborators forced by Subhan and the Pakistani occupation forces.

“The accused [Subhan] took us to the army camp near the Hardinge Bridge in Ishwardi and said ‘I am Subhan from Pabna. As a Muslim, like me, you have to protect East Pakistan from today. If anyone tries to ignore this directive, he will be shot dead,’” the witness told the tribunal.

Asad also said he had witnessed many rapes. “I saw how the collaborators violated a woman in front of her husband and shot her dead. We used to encircle the villages at the time of atrocities so that none of the villagers could escape the place.”

Showing wounded spots on his body before the tribunal, fourth prosecution witness Rustam Ali alleged that it was the Jamaat leader who had shot him twice during the war. “Subhan was like an Azrail [angel of death in Muslim theology] and robber to us. I have been passing an uncomfortable life physically only because of him.”

Abdul Baten, the 25th prosecution witness, told the tribunal that Subhan had helped the Pakistani Army men to identify the Hindus in Sujanagar and asked to kill them for supporting the country’s independence.

The charges

According to the case, on May 12 of

DHAKA TRIBUNE

1971, 300-400 people mostly Hindus were killed by the Pakistani Army and its local collaborators allegedly under Subhan’s leadership at several villages in Satbaria union of Sujanagar upazila.

At Juktitala village in Ishwardi, five people were killed and three others injured on April 13 in his presence and under his leadership.

Accompanied by local Jamaat leaders and the Biharis, Subhan allegedly abducted three persons, who had taken shelter in a local mosque, on April 17-18. They were later killed.

Led by Subhan, the Pakistani Army raided Sahapur village in Ishwardi on May 2, killed five people and looted several houses before setting those on fire.

Subhan allegedly abducted two persons from Arankhola cattle market in Ishwardi on May 16. The hostages were tortured at District Dak Bungalow in Ishwardi.

The Jamaat leader also led the Pakistani Army in alleged attacks on Kulniya and Dogachhi villages in Pabna on May 11. Five people were killed and several houses torched at that time.

On May 20, under the leadership of Subhan, the Pakistani Army allegedly picked up 18 people from Bharara village and killed one of them instantly.

Others had been tortured at Nurpur Power Plant. Later, some of them were

tacks, he said: “Although the blockade and hartal enforced by the BNP-led 20-party alliance had little impact on the lives of the public, a vested quarter, which is patronising militancy, wants the chaos to continue.”

Asked why the SSC exams are not being held timely, if the situation was normal, he said: “We have taken this decision considering the students’ safety. The militants may launch attacks on them.”

Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed, Health Minister Muhammad Nasim, Expatriates and Overseas Employment Minister Mosharraf Hossain, Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon, Information Minister Hasanul Haque Inu, Law Minister Anisul Haque, Water Resource Minister

Bangabandhu Avenue at 4pm and end at the Suhrawardy Udyan.

At the discussion, Panna Kaiser, wife of martyred intellectual Shahidullah Kaiser and mother of TV actor Shomi Kaiser, suggested that the government put Khaleda Zia on house arrest similarly as Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi, terming Khaleda the mastermind behind the blockade and hartal violence.

Earlier on the day, Nasim made the same statement while addressing a protest rally organised by the 14-party alliance in Uttara.

Addressing the rally, Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon said: “Those who are asking for a political dialogue are seeking backdoor ways to gain state power.”

Presided over by Awami League presidium member Sahara Khatun, the rally was also addressed by the party’s Dhaka city unit General Secretary Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya, among others. l

killed near Debottar Bazar. At least 18 people were killed in the incident.

In the first week of September, Subhan, accompanied by local razakars, allegedly abducted two pro-liberation persons from Dublia Bazar under Pabna sadar and killed them inside a temple at Kuchiamara village.

On October 30, Subhan and local razakars allegedly attacked Betbaria village in Ishwardi and looted several houses before setting those on fire.

Four people were also abducted from the village and later killed. l

Khaleda key accused  PAGE 1 COLUMN 4

renovated and repaired, giving rise to speculation about Khaleda’s possible arrest.

Authorities have said it is just routine work but rumours abound that Khaleda, who has been holed up in her Gulshan office for a month and a half, may be arrested at any time.

At the time of the attack, she was inside her office about half a kilometre away from the spot, but the 69-yearold three-time former prime minister has been charged with carrying out the blasts. l

Anisul Islam Mahmud, State Minister for Home Affairs Assaduzzaman Khan, senior officials of several ministries, and the law enforcement agency chiefs attended the meeting.

Amu said: “The hartal and blockade have not been observed everywhere in the nation. Some places have seen damage by militants. This damage is against our nation’s interest. But overall, our country’s situation is healthy and good.

“Law enforcement agencies have a role to strictly control bombings, violence, and sabotage.”

So far, more than 70 people have died and scores have been injured in different parts of the nation in handbomb and arson attacks during the blockade enforced by the BNP-led

20-party alliance.

Law enforcers have been carrying out crackdown on the alleged perpetrators in different parts of the country.

Meeting sources said the heads of BGB, RAB and police were asked to exercise their full power to control unrest, especially in the areas dominated

by BNP-Jamaat supporters.

The law enforcers were also directed to ensure that no innocent citizen suffers during the drives.

When the top officials of law enforcement agencies said they were suffering from transport crisis and lacked logistic supports, the home state minister assured them of providing everything necessary to bring the situation under control. l

Bernicat eager to work with government, opposition  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

The ambassador at a US Senate hearing had termed the last general election “undeniably flawed.”

“What I want to emphasise is that our intent is to move forward with our bilateral relationship; keep in mind that we believe very strongly that Bangladesh is a democratic country,” she said at the press conference.

Asked about the recent meeting of UN Assistant Secretary-General Oscar Fernandez Taranco and US Department of State’s Assistant Secretary Nisha Desai Biswal on Bangladesh, she said: “I cannot speak to the details of the meeting. But let me just say that Bangladesh’s friends are all concerned about the situation and we stand ready to help if that help is requested.”

About the recent political violence, she expressed concern and said the US deplored the unconscionable attacks, including bus burnings and train derailments, which killed and wounded a good number of people.

“We have condemned in the strongest terms the use of violence for political objectives, believing that there is simply no justification for such actions in a democratic Bangladesh.”

She said everyone had a role to play in stopping the violence, to resolve their differences through non-violent and responsible political expression.

She also emphasised that the US does not back any particular political force or party in Bangladesh.

“Our intention is to work with all Bangladeshis, including a government that is receptive to a broader and deeper bilateral relationship with the United States.”

About dialogue among the political parties, she said the solutions and the means to address the political differences exist in Bangladesh and Bangladeshis will decide about it.

“I have every hope that Bangladesh will find a way to resolve this crisis. I can’t predict what that will be, I don’t want to predict what form it will be,” she said.

She considered improving business climate as one of the biggest challenges in Bangladesh. “One of the challenges we both face together is going back to the question of business climate, how we make sure that there is a fully conducive atmosphere for doing business not just for American businesses, but for Bangladeshi businesses as well.”

She also lauded Bangladesh’s role in the fight against terrorism and extremism.

EU parliamentary team meets Khaleda

A six-member European Union Parliamentary delegation met with BNP chief Khaleda Zia at her Gulshan political office yesterday evening.

The delegation reached Khaleda’s office at 6:40pm.

The team, led by Cristian Dan Preda, vice president of the human rights sub-committee of the EU parliament, reached here on Sunday and will stay until Friday.

Sent by the EU sub-committee, the delegation are here observe the human rights situation in Bangladesh amid the ongoing violence around the country.

The committee members will also meet Jatiya Sangsad Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury, Law Minister Anisul Huq and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam.

This is the first time the sub-committee has dispatched a team to Bangladesh.

They will discuss the overall human rights situation including labour rights, RMG sector, Chittagong Hill Tracts and Rohingya, among other issues.

The EU embassy in Dhaka has also arranged meetings with civil society, media and think tanks for the delegation, a foreign ministry official said.

The team will submit a report to the sub-committee after it returns to Brussels. l

Bangladesh brace for Afghan challenge  PAGE 1 COLUMN 5

no fault of our own. This time, we have all the important players available,” he added, alluding to the absence of Tamim Iqbal, Shakib al Hasan and Mashrafe bin Mortaza in that game.

“They (Afghanistan) play power cricket whereas Bangladesh play sensibly. I will expect the Bangladesh players to be sensible on the day, play their role well and stick to the basics. Then, we will win for sure.”

The Tigers are heading to their opening game on the back of four consecutive losses in warm-ups but Zia is of the opinion that once they take the field today, normalcy will return.

“Preparation was never 100 percent as we lost all the practice matches but I believe once we take the field, everything will be fine. We are determined to give our best in the tournament and I hope we will be able to pull out some wins,” he said. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

3

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

US-Norway deep sea oil, gas hunt awaits approval n Aminur Rahman Rasel A proposal to sign on a joint venture of US-based ConocoPhillips and Norwegian Statoil ASA to carry out oil and gas exploration will go before a cabinet committee today.

The Energy and Mineral Resources Division (EMRD) will place the proposal to contract the joint venture to explore three deep-sea blocks in the Bay of Bengal before a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs to get approval to sign production sharing contracts (PSCs) with the international oil companies.

“We sent a proposal for the signing of the PSCs and sought the necessary approval from the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs. After getting the committee’s approval, we will sign the companies to operate in blocks 12, 16 and 21,” EMRD Secretary Abu Bakar Siddique told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

On February 19, 2014, Petrobangla recommended that EMRD sign the PSCs following necessary approval from the cabinet committee. That recommendation is being implemented a year later.

An earlier decision by the government to sign over exploration rights for just two deep sea blocks per company or consortium had stalled the signing of the PSCs with the ConocoPhillips – Statoil joint venture.

In reply to a question, Abu Bakar said: “Although we had earlier decided that we would sign only two instead of three blocks with them, we have changed our decision.”

According to the amended PSCs, Petrobangla will purchase gas from the blocks at a rate of $6.5 per unit.

A top EMRD official, asking not to

be named, recently told the Dhaka Tribune that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is also the minister for power, energy and mineral resources, had directed the division not to award more than two blocks to a single company or venture.

In January 2014, ConocoPhillips and Statoil jointly submitted bidding documents to explore for oil and natural gas in three deep-sea blocks in the Bay of Bengal – 12, 16 and 21 – under the amended Model PSCs 2012.

The two companies will conduct mandatory 2D seismic surveys on a 1,412 line-kilometre area of block 12; 775 line-km of block 16; and 1,376 linekm of block 21 over three years.

Over the next two years, they will conduct 2,000 line-km of 2D or equivalent 3D seismic surveys and drill an exploratory well at each of the three blocks.

ConocoPhillips and Statoil will spend $109m for the exploratory well and other work in each block and deposit the amount as bank guarantees as per the bidding proposal.

After the initial five-year period, the two companies will drill another exploratory well in each block.

Petrobangla had first put a total of 12 blocks up for international bidding on December 17, 2012 under the Bangladesh Offshore Bidding Round 2012.

Nine of the blocks were in 51,589 square kilometres of shallow sea and three in 10,041 square kilometres of deep sea.

According to the PSC, each contractor will be allowed 20 years to work on an oil field and 25 years on a gas field from the date of approval of the development plan.

They cannot export oil and gas, but they can sell gas to a third party inside Bangladesh. l

Law enforcers catch a man named Jahangir red-handed while he was exploding a crude bomb at Suhrawardy Udyan in the capital yesterday

EC: Logistics preparations done for split DCC polls n Munir Momtaj

The Election Commission has already taken the necessary logistic preparations for holding the long-overdue elections for the bifurcated Dhaka City Corporation that remains pending due to complications over demarcation.

“It is a big election. There are over 40 lakh voters in the two city corporations. So, we need to take huge logistic preparation and we have already taken it,” said Election Commission Secretary Sirajul Islam.

“We have completed updating voter

list, and sought budgetary allocation from the Finance Ministry for the election,” he told reporters at his office in the capital’s EC secretariat yesterday.

But the election cannot be held until complications over demarcation of the Dhaka South City Corporation is resolved.

“We will go forward after the LGRD ministry completes the delimitation and sends gazette notification to us,” the secretary said.

Replying to a question on whether the elections would be possible during such a volatile political situation, Sirajul said: “The commission will defi-

nitely consider the issue of political situation while declaring schedule.

“Besides, we always keep in mind some public affairs like SSC and HSC examinations in preparing any election schedule,” he added.

The last election to an undivided DCC was held on April 2002 and its tenure expired on May 2007. On November 4, 2011, the government split the DCC into two and appointed administrators to run the respective local governing bodies.

At a weekly cabinet meeting on Monday, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina asked LGRD Minister Syed Ashraful Is-

lam to take steps for holding the DCC elections. Earlier at a cabinet meeting on December 8 last year, the premier had also announced that the elections would take place in early 2015.

Meanwhile, on another note, Sirajul Islam also told journalists that the Chittagong City Corporation election is also likely to be held in the first or second week of June.

The tenure of the office bearers of the Chittagong City Corporation will expire on July 26. As per electoral law, the poll must be held within 180 days prior to July 26, said EC officials. l

Khaleda in defamation suit for calling AL atheists

Govt to take up new plan for environmental developments

n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu

n Tribune Report The government plans to take up the Country Investment Plan (CIP) for environmental, forestry and climate change sectors in order to initiate development measures in an integrated way for the best output, Dr Kamal Uddin Ahmed, secretary incharge of the Ministry of Environment and Forest, said yesterday.

“The country has many policies on the issue but the enforcing agencies often feel there lies gap in their implementation,” he said, adding that introducing an integration plan such as CIP could address these gaps.

He said this during a workshop on CIP on Environment, Forestry and Climate Change organised by the Food and Agriculture Organisation and held at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel.

Janina Jaruzelski, USAID mission director in Bangladesh, said CIP is a valuable roadmap that will coordinate all programmes in Bangladesh that protect the environment, including programmes focusing on preventing pollution, developing clean and renewable energy, or addressing the emerging threat of climate change.

Bangladesh sits at the forefront of countries that will be affected by climate change. It ranks first on the 2014 Climate Vulnerability Index and experts believe by 2025, the country will have suffered more from climate change than any other country.

“The country has to take adaptive measures in an integrated manner in order to tackle the negative impacts of global warming such as rise in sea level, salinity intrusion, drought, erratic rainfall and gradually increasing tidal surge,” the secretary said, adding that CIP could be the best tool to accommodate the issue in a calculative way.

USAID Mission Director Janina added: “The plan will also align efforts and investments made by the government, donors and non-governmental organisations to maximise resources, in turn maximising the positive impact of programmes that protect the country and its people.” l

MEHEDI HASAN

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina cannot hold her tears as she watches a documentary narrating the tales of some arson victims at the National Museum auditorium in Dhaka yesterday BSS

Hasina: Stand up against BNP and Jamaat’s terrorism n

Abu Hayat Mahmud

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday urged all to be united against mindless violence unleashed by the BNP-led 20-party alliance.

“I urge all conscious people, especially those who believe in the country’s Liberation War and independence, to get united against BNP-Jamaat’s terrorism and militant acts.”

The premier was speaking at an exhibition on countrywide violence at the National Museum in the capital.

Central Publicity and Publication Sub-Committee of ruling Awami League organised the programme with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Political Advisor HT Imam in the chair.

“I ask those, who requested the government to sit with BNP-Jamaat alliance, to tell the BNP leader (Khaleda Zia) to stop burning and killing people.”

Several arson victims, their relatives, government ministers, diplomats from India, China, Russia, US, representatives of the European Union and Red Cross, newspapers editors, lawyers, public and private university vice-chancellors, among others, joined the function.

The event titled ‘BNP-Jamaat’s Arson Violence-Blood Stained Bangladesh’

screened a documentary on people burnt in the ongoing countrywide blockade and shutdowns.

The emotion-choked premier several times broke down in tears as the documentary progressed.

Burn victims and their relatives at the discussion described their harrowing tales to the audience.

I ask those, who requested the government to sit with BNP-Jamaat alliance, to tell the BNP leader to stop burning and killing people A somber silence descended upon the audience as Maisha’s mother Marufa Begum was narrating the story of the hell she along with her family members had to get through.

Marufa’s voice cracked several times because of strong emotion as she described how all the hell broke loose upon her family.

Marufa’s daughter Maisha died in an arson attack when she was on her way

back home from a Cox’s Bazar tour with her father and mother.

In the attack 11 people including Maisha and her father were burnt to death on the spot while 30 other seriously injured. Marufa too received grave burn injury in the petrol bomb attack.

The prime minister addressed the audience after the documentary ended.

Mentioning that her government would do whatever needed to safeguard the lives and property of people, Sheikh Hasina sought cooperation of people to contain the mindless violence of BNPJamaat alliance.

Sheikh Hasina, also the Awami League president questioned: “If people are killed who Khaleda Zia will do politics for?”

The premier said those who were killed in the arson attack by BNPJamaat men are innocent people and should be treated as martyrs.

The BNP-led 20-party alliance has been enforcing an indefinite blockade and intermittent shutdowns since January 06 to press for a snap poll.

As per the government statistics 55 people have been killed in arson and petrol bomb attacks since then with another 556 injured.

The unofficial figure, however, put the death toll at more than 100. l

A Dhaka court yesterday fixed May 18 for the submission of a probe report against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia in a defamation case filed for alleging that the Awami League is a “party of atheists.”

“Khaleda’s remarks, in which she said secularism is the Awami League’s mask and that it is a party of atheists, has hurt the religious sentiment of the people of the country,” the complainant claimed.

According to the complaint, BNP chief Khaleda Zia made “false, derogatory and instigative” remarks over religious issues involving the Awami League, while addressing a function marking the Shubho Bijoya at

the Engineers Institute in the capital on October 14 last year.

Metropolitan Magistrate Md Shamsul Arefin fixed the date after Shahbagh police station failed to submit the probe report yesterday.

On October 21 last year, a case was filed against Khaleda under section 153 (A), 295 (A) of the Penal Code with the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court, by AB Siddique, president of the Bangladesh Jananetri Parishad, a pro-Awami League organisation.

After recording the case statement of the complainant, Metropolitan Magistrate Md Mustafizur Rahman directed Shahbagh police station to investigate the case and submit a probe report before it by November 19. l

MATARBARI POWER PLANT

Indo-German-BD venture likely to be hired as consultants n Asif Showkat Kallol A joint venture of consultancy firms based in India, Germany and Bangladesh is likely to be awarded the job for consulting for the construction of the proposed 1,200MW Matarbari power plant, Power Division sources have said.

A proposal in this regard by the Power Division, signed by Power Division Secretary Monowar Islam, is scheduled to be placed today before the Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase.

According to the proposal – a copy of which has been obtained by the Dhaka Tribune, the evaluation committee gave its highest points to the joint venture of STEAG Energy Services (India) Ltd, STEAG Energy Services GmbH Essen (Germany) and BCL Bangladesh for a consultancy fee of Tk20.5 crore.

Other international firms who participated in the tender are M/S Black & Veatch Corporation (USA), Fichtner GmbH & Co KG (Germany) in association with Murhsed Associates Ltd (Bangladesh); and Tractebel Engineering Pvt Ltd (India) in association with Tractebel Engineering (Belgium) and IIFC (Bangladesh).

As part of the government’s master plan to turn Maheshkhali into a power hub, the state-owned Bangladesh Power Development Board will set up a

1,200MW coal-fired power plant there, an official of the Power Division told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

Seeking anonymity, the official also said the Matarbari plant was getting the top-priority among the three coalbased power plants the government had already started work on setting up at different sites in the country.

The two other plants are a 275MW plant at Barapukuria and another 1,320MW plant at Rampal.

Talking to the Dhaka Tribune yesterday, Secretary Monowar said the Matarbari project will start this year and is expected to finish by 2023. A township will also be developed near the Matarbari power plant, he also said.

Meanwhile, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) has already confirmed its financial support for the Matarbari power plant project as well as setting up a port there.

In August last year, the government approved a Tk36,000 crore project to set up a deep sea port for handling imported coal for the proposed 1,200MW Matarbari power plant at Maheshkhali island in the Bay of Bengal.

Of the Tk36,000 crore project, Jica will finance Tk29,000 crore, while the rest of the fund will come from the government exchequer and a firm who will conduct the construction work, the Power Division official said. l

4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Burn victim dies in CMCH after six days n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong A petrol bomb victim succumbed to his injuries at Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH) yesterday evening, after being critically burnt in an arson attack at Potiya upazila in Chittagong on the night of February 11.

He had 30% burn injuries to his body, with his face, chest, and hands being seriously blistered, resulting in his lung system also being blistered Edris, 20, of Cox’s Bazar district, his two friends Abdur Rahim, 17, and Sajjad, 18, and Titu Achahrjee, 35, were entering the city from Pekua upazila of Cox’s Bazar in a CNG-run auto-rickshaw driven by Amjad Hossain, 30, that night, when pickets hurled bombs at

the vehicle, leaving all with burn injuries, police said.

CMCH Burn and Plastic Surgery Unit Head Dr Mrinal Kanti Chowdhury told Dhaka Tribune that Edris succumbed to his injuries at around 5:45pm, as his condition had deteriorated.

“He had 30% burn injuries to his body, with his face, chest, and hands being seriously blistered, resulting in his lung system also being blistered,” he said, adding that though doctors had provided Edris with Intensive Care Unit facilities, he had died.

Titu Achahrjee, an electrician at BSRM factory, was also in critical condition, while Abdur Rahim, Sajjad, and Amjad had also been admitted to CMCH, police said.

Karnaphuli police station SubInspector Ismail Hossain lodged a case with the police station against 13 known Jamaat-Shibir leaders and several unidentifiable others, but none have been arrested thus far in this connection, said Karnaphuli Police Station Officer-in-Charge Mohammad Mohiuddin. l

Actor Helal Khan on two-day remand n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu A Dhaka court granted two days’ remand to National Film Award winning actor Helal Khan yesterday in a case filed with Badda police station for torching a bus on January 26.

Metropolitan Magistrate Sabrina Ali passed the order after Abu Jahed Md Nazmun Nur, a DB police sub-inspector and also the case investigation officer, produced Helal Khan before the court with a 10-day remand prayer.

Defence counsel Md Sanaullah Miah filed the remand rejection petition with bail prayer, and sought his bail. After hearing both pleas, the court allowed the remand, rejecting bail and remand rejection prayer.

According to the case details, on January 26, miscreants set an Anabil Paribahan bus alight at the RFL Group head office, opposite to the Apex showroom on Link

Road in the city, amid the countrywide blockade sponsored by the BNP-led 20-party alliance.

In this connection, Md Jamir Uddin, supervisor of Anabil Paribahan, filed a case that same day with Badda police station against 28 identified faces, including BNP Dhaka city joint convener and ex-MP MA Kaiyum, Jahangir Mollah, Rezaul Karim, Mannan Mollah, and 15-20 unidentified people.

On Monday, the Detective branch of police picked up Helal Khan from Judge Court in the capital, when he arrived home in the area around 4pm after meeting BNP Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi in court.

Rizvi was produced before court for an arson attack case in Jatrabari during his party’s ongoing blockade.

Actor Helal Khan is affiliated with Jatiyatabadi Samajik Sangskritik Sangathan (Jasas), the BNP cultural wing. l

Youth’s body found in Kiraniganj n Tribune Report Police recovered the body of a youth from Kiraniganj, on the outskirts of the capital, early yesterday.

The body of Mohammad Yasin,27, was son of Siraj Mia of Danorkathi village under Damudda of Sariatpur, was found in Aganagar Bashpatti area around 2am, and it was sent to Sir Salimullah Medical College morgue for autopsy, police said.

Yasin had been missing since last Sunday. In the evening on that day, he went out of his house, but did not return, said Yasin’s brother-in-

law Nasir, who identified the body at the morgue.

The family members of the deceased filed a general diary with South Keraniganj police station on Monday afternoon as they failed to trace Yasin’s whereabouts.

The police station’s Sub-Inspector Syed Habibur Rahman said the body had injury marks in the right eye and throat.

A woolen cap was found stuffed inside of his mouth and his hands were tied up, he said.

“It seems that it was a planned murder. We are looking into the matter,” he added. l

AIUB establishes quality assurance cell n Tribune Report The American International University-Bangladesh (AIUB) has recently launched an Institution Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) at the university.

The AIUB is one of the 13 public and private universities selected by the University Grants Commission (UGC) to establish such a cell to ensure quality education, said a press release.

On the occasion of launching of the IQAC, the AIUB organised a workshop for its

key officials on February 12, it said.

AIUB Vice-Chancellor Dr Carmen Z Lamagna, Prof Dr Charles C Villanueva, and Dr Ramatullah, among others, spoke on the occasion.

The AIUB-IQAC team is consist of eight regular members and headed by the university’s vice chancellor. Several committees have been formed to perform various tasks at the cell.

Under HEQEC-World Bank Funded Project, the UGC has taken steps to establish the IQACs in the universities. l

Broom demo near Khaleda’s Gulshan office n Tribune Report

A RAB official sets up a close-circuit camera inside the Central Shaheed Minar premises prior the observation of Language Martyrs Day and International Mother Language Day yesterday RAJIB DHAR

A group of people, led by a female ruling party MP, staged a demonstration with brooms near BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s Gulshan office yesterday, demanding withdrawal of the ongoing hartal and transport blockade.

Nearly 150 people under the banner of “Amra Mirpurbasi” brought out the broom procession from Banani road and took position at Gulshan 2 circle around 12 noon.

At one stage, the group led by AL MP Sabina Akhter Tuhin marched towards Khaleda’s Gulshan office, where she has been staying since January 3.

However, police intercepted the procession in front of the Landmark Tower, near Khaleda’s office.

Later, the protesters staged a demonstration, urging the BNP chief to call off the hartal and blockade programmes and stop violence.

They left the area around 12:50pm chanting slogans against Khaleda and protesting the ongoing violence in the name of movement.

A number of workers’ organisations and some students, teachers and ruling party bodies have been staging demonstrations near the BNP chief’s office for the last few weeks protesting the hartal, movement and violence. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

5

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Patients suffer poorly due to dysfunctional elevators n Our Correspondent, Khulna Patients of Khulna Medical College Hospital (KMCH) have been suffering very badly as its two elevators had remained out of order for one month.

Of them, the emergency patients and elderly people were the most struggling sections of the untoward situation.

Besides, the physicians have been struggling to run surgery timely when walking towards the operation theatres consumed excess time in absence of the lift service.

It was learnt that there are four floors in the building and the surgery department is situated on the second floor. The hospital is called a divisional treatment centre where critical patients from the surrounding districts come to get better medical service.

While visiting the correspondent talked to admitted five-year-old kidney patient Jesmin’s father Kalom who said he had to rush to various places from the third floor on treatment purpose

and unavailability of the lifts made his movement very troublesome.

One piles patient namely Omar Faruk admitted on the second floor said any family members of him was not staying with him and that was why he had been facing big hurdles in movement without the elevators.

When contacted, KMCH Superintendent Dr Md Abdus Samad acknowledged the matter, telling they have already sent a letter mentioning the sorry state of the elevators to the local public works department, but no response was yet to appear in this regard.

Sub-Divisional Engineer of Khulna Public Works Directorate Md Abdullah Al-Masum said: “We are trying our best to renovate the lifts although there is a great shortage of necessary equipment in the country. That is why we have contacted to the elevator supplying company to get the tools.”

In a query on period in case of solving the problem, the engineer, however, could not state any time-frame in this regard. l

A member of the bomb disposal unit of the Rapid Action Battalion shows how to dispose a bomb during a practice session at RAB’s office in the capital yesterday MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Shipping minister: No talks with perpetrators n

Tribune Report

Shipping Minister Shahjahan Khan said the government would not hold any talk with the people who are who are creating anarchy, destroying national economy and killing innocent people in the name of movement.

The minister said the Jamaat with Pakistani occupation forces had killed innocent people of Bangladesh during the Liberation War in 1971 and now the BNP with the supports of the Jamaat was killing people of the country in order to assume power.

He was addressing as the chief guest a protest rally organised by 14-party alliance Polashbari upazila unit and Transport Owners’ Sramik Union at the playground of SM Pilot High School yesterday afternoon.

Pointing fingers at BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, the minister said: “After trying hard and soul, you will not

save the Jamaat. If you do not leave Jamaat-Shibir immediately, you will fall in a trap.”

In his speech, the Shipping Minister said the BNP-Jamaat-led 20-party alliance has been conducting violence and killing innocent people, including women and children, through hurling petrol bombs breaking their commitment for peaceful movement.

Failing to be educated, Begum Khaleda Zia has called blockade and hartal for hindering the SSC examinations and killing innocent people with the Jamaat-Shibir clique to turn Bangladesh into a failed state for taking revenge on their defeat in 1971.

State Minister for Rural Development and Cooperatives Moshiur Rahman Ranga, Abul Kalam Azad MP, Yunus Ali Sarker MP and Divisional Commissioner Muhammad Dilwar Bakht addressed the occasion as special guests.

Acting President of district Awami League (AL) Mamtaz Uddin Ahmed, its Vice-president Chhayadat Hossain Bakul, President of Pirganj upazila AKL Motaharul Haque Bablu, its General Secretary Tazimul Islam Shamim and Pirganj upazila Vice-chairman Monayem Sarker Manu addressed the rally.

Earlier, the minister addressed a discussion organised in observance of the death anniversary of famous spiritual poet of the middle ages Heyat Mamud at Jharbishla Hayatul Ulum Alim Madrasa under Pirganj upazila in Rangpur as the chief guest.

The the programme, Head of the Department of Bengali of Rangpur Government College Professor Atahar Ali khan and noted literary personality Advocate MA Basher Tipu delivered two separate presentations on the life and deeds of famous poet Heyat Mamud. l

The three-day long “Jibanananda Utshab,” to observe the 116th birthday of Jibanananda Das, started at Ashwini Kumar Hall in his ancestral town of Barisal yesterday afternoon, calling for more research to be carried out on the great Bengali poet.

The festival was organised by Barisal district administration and included a discussion, book fair, and cultural functions at the same location.

Shohidul Alam, Barisal deputy commissioner, presided over the inaugural session, which was addressed by divisional commissioner Md Gaus, issioner, Barisal Education Board Chairman Professor Md Ziaul Huq, Additional Deputy Commissioner Abul Kalam Azad, and poet Asma Chowdhury, among others.

As in previous years, Jatiya Kabita Parishad Barisal unit organised a programme at Poet Jibanananda Memori-

WEATHER

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18 18 16 16 17 18 16 18

n Tribune Report

09.1ºC Srimangal

Source: Accuweather/UNB

PRAYER TIMES Fajr Sunrise Zohr Asr Magrib Esha

5:15am 6:31am 12:13am 4:17pm 5:54pm 7:10pm

Condemning the assault, the speakers said some unruly students carried out the attack as part as a conspiracy to destabilize the congenial atmosphere at the university. The teachers also demanded that the authorities concerned arrest the culprits soon, and expel them from the university to ensure a congenial academic environment.

However, police arrested two CFC men, who carried the arms during the fight, from the CU campus after seeing the photos of the clash.

Hathazari police station Officer-inCharge Md Ismail Hossain said they arrested one Nasim Siam and CU BCL dissolve committee’s human resources affairs secretary SM Allauddin Alam in a case filed over a gunfight between CFC and the VX men at Shahjalal dormitory on September 27 last year.

Siam was arrested from the university Railway Station area, while Alam was arrested from his house in CU Gate Number 2 area, he said. l

SourceL IslamicFinder.org

al Hall in the poet’s parental home on Kobi Jibanananda Das Sarak in the city yesterday morning.

A flower wreath was placed around the poet’s portrait, and there were poetry recitations and a discussion with Tapankar Chakraborty, Moshtaq Al Mehedi, Partha Sarathi, Mukul Das Asma Chowdhury, and Aroop Talukdar.

Speakers and participants of both programmes agreed the works of Jibanananda Das are meant to be felt with a sense of time and history, encountering references to olden times and places, events and personalities, rather than merely read or heard.

Jibanananda Das has remained anchored in his own soil and time, successfully assimilating experiences both real and virtual, and producing hundreds of unforgettable lines. His intellectual vision is thoroughly embedded in Bengal’s nature and beauty, they said.

His success as a foremost modern

Ansar member, school teacher killed in Ctg

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

31.0ºC Cox's Bazar

The Chittagong University Teachers Association (CUTA) yesterday formed a human chain on the campus demanding exemplary punishment to Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) men who assaulted the university’s assistant proctors during a factional clash.

Some 80 teachers took part in the programme before the CU administration building around 11:30am.

On Sunday, Choose Friend with Care (CFC), a shuttle train compartment based fraction of BCL of CU unit, locked in a clash with Varsity Express (VX), another shuttle train based faction of BCL, at Shahjalal dormitory.

With CUTA President Prof Benu Kumar Day in the chair, its General Secretary Prof Mustafizur Rahman Siddique, Shahjalal Hall’s Provost Prof Dr Sultan Ahmed, Prof Dr Mohammed Abul Mansur, Prof Dr Mohammed Jasim Uddin, among others, were present on the occasion.

n Our Correspondent, Barisal

Khulna University authorities have cancelled their fifth convocation programme which was scheduled on March 4.

The decision came at a meeting of the university’s convocation related steering committee chaired by Prof Dr Md Fayek Uz Zaman. l

FORECAST FOR TODAY

n CU correspondent

3 snatchers held with 19 mobile phone sets

n Our Correspondent, Rajshahi The Detective Branch (DB) of Rajshahi Metropolitan Police (RMP) detained three members of a snatching gang in possession of 19 mobile phone sets of the city early yesterday.

Conducting a drive in Haragram area of the city, police detained them.

The detainees were Iftar Alam of Haragram, Sabbir Hossain of Vatapara and Farid of Mashisbathan of the city.

DB officials at a press meeting yesterday afternoon at their office produced Iftar, Sabbir and Farid. DB official said they are the main culprits of a strongest snatching syndicate in the city adding that police had been searching for them since long.

“Tracking a mobile snatched earlier we conducted a drive and nabbed them,” said Assistant Commissioner of DB Ifte Khayer Alam. The detainees, however, sent to jail after producing before a Rajshahi court, Alam confirmed. l

Jibanananda Utshab starts in Barisal

KU convocation cancelled n Our Correspondent, Khulna

Dhaka Chittagong Rajshahi Rangpur Khulna Barisal Sylhet Cox’s Bazar

CUTA protests BCL assault on teachers, 2 BCL men held

An uncovered hole lying unattended in Mirpur’s Kalshi area in the capital might lead to accidents anytime SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

An Ansar man was crushed to death under train wheels at Mirsarai uapzila and a primary school teacher was killed in a road accident in Fatikchari upazila in Chittagong yesterday.

The deceased was Abu Bakkar, 50, son of Ahmedur Rahman, a resident of Uttar Hadi Fakirhat of Mirsarai upazila and Md Jasim, 45, a teacher of Haludia Primary School of Buhpur union of Fatickchari uapzila, said police sources.

Officer-in-Charge (OC) Himangshu Das Rana of Government Railway Police (GRP) of Chittagong Railway Station Police Outpost said Abu Bakkar was on patrol duty on the railway track in Hadi Fakirhat area of Mirsarai upazi-

la while he was crushed to death under the train wheels around 6:30am.

Locals spotted the body and informed the police. Later, the body was recovered from the spot, said the OC. An unnatural death case filed in this regard.

Sub-Inspector (SI) Mir Kashem, InCharge (IC) of Datmara Police Outpost said Jasim was killed and one other was injured in a head on collision between two motorbikes at Bhujpur in Fatickchari upazila.

The motorbike with Jasim collided head on with Belal’s motorbike around 11pm on Feni- Khagrachari road of Bhujpur union leaving Jasim dead on the spot, said the SI, adding that Belal was admitted to a local hospital. l

Bengali poet in post-Tagore era may be attributed to the facts that Jibanananda Das in his poetry not only discovered the tract of the slowly evolving 20th-century modern mind, both sensitive and reactive, full of anxiety and tension, the speakers said.

Jibanananda Das also invented that in his own diction, rhythm and vocabulary, with an unmistakably indigenous rooting, and he maintained a selfstyled lyricism and imagism, mixed with an extraordinary existentialist sensuousness, perfectly suited to the modern temperament in the country’s context, the participants said.

Programme participants also demanded implementing the Dhanshiri River eco-park project and excavating the Dhanshiri River to establish a museum, memorials, and sculptures of the poet in places connected with his life, works, and memories and carrying out further studies and research on his life and achievements. l

Student beaten for not recognising BCL man at RU n Our Correspondent, Rajshahi A Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) activist of the Rajshahi University (RU) unit allegedly assaulted a student for failing to recognise him on campus yesterday.

The BCL activist, Tawshik Taj, is an old first-year student of the Bangla department. Rasel Ahmed, a freshman of the Bangla department told the Dhaka Tribune that a group of BCL members had called to him while he was passing them at Tukitaki Chattar on campus at around 1:30pm.

Taj started slapping me in front of a huge crowd of students, as I had failed to recognise him as a fellow departmental senior brother and had not given him ‘Salam,’” Rasel added. l

6

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Nation

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Brick kilns out of action without coal in Natore Around 90% of the brick kilns in the district depend on the coal imported from India n Our Correspondent, Natore Production at more than 100 brick kilns in Natore district has been at standstill for the past four months as the kilns are running low on their stock of coal, resulted by India’s tighter monitoring of coal supply to Bangladesh as well as a price hike of nearly 140%.

Owners of the brick kilns said the Indian authorities now strictly regulates coal supply across the border, setting up scales near the border entrances to measure the coal before allowing the coal-carrying trucks to enter Bangla-

desh, aiming to prevent excess supply.

Before, truckloads of coal were simply allowed to cross over to Bangladesh and weighed here.

Owners now have heaps of clay bricks in their fields prepared to be fired, but they are unable to do so without coal, facing huge loss.

Mizanur Rahman Milton, general secretary of Natore Brick Manufacturers’ Association, said: “Around 90% of the brick kilns in Natore depend on the coal imported from India. India’s strict monitoring over coal supply has naturally stemmed the previous inflow.

“Moreover, this year, they have increased the coal price to Tk22,000 per tonne, as oppose to Tk9,000 last year.

The overprice and the insufficient supply has put us in big trouble.”

Turning to the local source did not prove to be effective either. “We applied to the authorities of Boropukuria in Dinajpur, the sole coal pit in the country, but they did not respond as we had expected,” Milton said. “Only a handful us were delivered with coal from Boropukuria, which amounts to roughly 20% of the total coal we all need.

“They have increased the price as

well – Tk13,700 per tonne, whereas it was Tk9,200 last year. Also, they are selling coal mixed with water to increase its weight, causing us further loss of around Tk3,000-4,000 per tonne.”

Alhaj Shariful Islam Ramzan, president of the association, said: “Only 25% of the kilns have been able to fire bricks so far. But they have failed to make satisfactory sale as the increased price of coal has caused them to raise the price of bricks too, in order to cover the cost.

The present rate stands at Tk9,0009,500 per 1,000 blocks of brick, which was Tk6,000-6,500 last year. Naturally,

the sale has declined substantially.

“But the rest of us have not been able to produce any bricks at all. We all collectively invested around Tk300 crore in brick fields this season, but now we are counting heavy loss every day. We are not exempted from paying taxes either.”

The kiln owners are not the sole sufferers; the lack of coal has put around 30,000-40,000 kiln labourer out of job in Natore.

Sources at the manufacturers’ association said there are more than 100 brick kilns all over Natore, and each has

Allegation of gobbling stipend reported n Our Correspondent, Barguna The headmaster of Lemua PK High School in Sadar upazila has allegedly collected money from the pupils in exchange for distributing the public books.

Besides, headmaster Md Humaion Kabir cut off Tk300 from every student.

Around 50 students of class VII-X alleged the matter to the district education officer.

When contacted, Humaion acknowledged the accusation, saying since it was illegal, he did it for the sake of ensuring smooth session charge in advance from the students.

Barguna Secondary Education Officer Sukuma Chandra Halder said he had received the allegation and he would look into it. l

Train derailment halts rail service n Our Correspondent, Jessore

Farmers of Bagmara upazila in Rajshahi are busy harvesting potatoes. Although farmers of the district have got a bumper yield, they are unhappy as a huge quantity of harvested potatoes are affected with late bright disease. The photo taken yesterday from Suryapara village shows a farmer stockpiling potatoes at field since he could not take the agri produces to market for sale AZAHAR UDDIN

Schedule disruption causes woes for train passengers Correspondent, n Our Brahmanbaria Three rail routes have been disrupted in the last three weeks in the Brahmanbaria area of the Dhaka-Chittagong-Sylhet-Noakhali railroad, leading for the rail schedule on this route to be heavily disrupted.

On the other hand, without rail officials reportedly have not taken any step other than merely forming a probe committee, and are blaming the current political violence for this disruption.

Sources say between Jan 25 and February 13, there were three rail accidents

at least 300 workers. Since most kilns are shut down, these workers have no job. Because of the nationwide nonstop blockade, they cannot seek out other options to earn livelihood as well.

As a result, thousands of kiln workers and their families are passing their days in half or full starvation.

The owners said the government must step in and find an alternative way for the brick manufacturers to survive the loss they are facing. “Otherwise, we will have to launch a tough movement for our own welfare,” they said. l

in the Brahmanbaria section.

On Jan 25, six compartments of a Dhaka-bound train were detached in Brahmanbaria’s Paghachang Rail Station area, leading for a temporary railroad shut-down in Chittagong, Sylhet and Noakhali, which did not revive until 11pm that night.

On February 7, the detachment of a compartment from a Chittagong-bound train led to the temporary halting of the Dhaka-Chittagong and Chittagong-Sylhet rail routes.

On Feb 13, the engine and three compartments of a Dhaka-bound train got detached, leading again to a temporary halt in train services.

Following these incidents, there were massive delays from the Brahmanbaria rail station some stretching as long as 15-hours and 11-hours.

Brahmanbaria Rail Station Master Mahidur Rahman said: “Following continuous derailment of trains, the schedule has been upside down. It will take a few more days to bring back the regularity.”

Akhaura Railway Jail Police Officerin-charge Yasin Faruk Majumder said: “These accidents are happening due to problems in the lines. There is no reason to blame political violence as we have law-enforcers at close intervals along the rail routes. l

Local people gather in front of a bus that turned turtle in Bhaterchar area of Munshiganj yesterday. At least 10 people were killed in the accident DHAKA TRIBUNE

NEWS IN BRIEF Robbery committed in Savar

One killed in road accident

A daring robbery was committed in a house of a businessman in Bashbari area under Savar, outskirt of Dhaka yesterday. Gopal Saha, owner of the house said a gang of robbers entered the house breaking open the door. They tied up the inmates with ropes and committed robbery at gun point. The robbers looted Tk40 lakh, 4 tolas of gold ornaments and valuables. At least three persons were injured critically as they tried to resist the robbers. Mostofa Kamal, officer-in-charge of Ashulia police station confirmed the incident.

– Our Correspondent, Savar

A man was killed in an accident in Alutila area of Khagrachari district yesterday. Police and local sources said Subal Tripura,38, became critically injured while a motorcycle coming from opposition direction hit a battery run auto-rickshaw in the area. Subal was going home by the auto -rickshaw. He was sent to Khagrachari Sadar Hospital where on duty doctor declared him dead. Md Mizanur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Sadar police station confirmed the incident.

– Our Correspondent, Khagrachari

Housewife found dead A housewife was found dead at Bagherpara upazila in Jessore district yesterday. Kayum Ali Sarder, officer-in-charge of Bagherpara police station said locals found the body of Anjana Biswas,32, in a field of Bakrigram village and informed police. Later, the police recovered the body and sent it to hospital. The police suspected the woman might have been killed at night and dumped the body in the field.

– Our Correspondent, Jessore

24 fishermen held with current nets Members of law enforcers arrested 24 local fishermen along with their 2 fishing trawlers and 875 kg current nets at Sharankhola upazila in the district yesterday. Fisheries Department officer Khondokar Sydur Rahman said the fishermen were arrested while they were fishing in the Baleshwar River in the morning. The law enforcers recovered the banned current nets from the two fishing trawler named AFB Choto Hujurere Doa and AFB Ema. The fishermen would be produced before mobile court soon, Sydur said.

– Our Correspondent, Bagerhat

Rail communications of the district with the rest part of the country remained halt following the derailment of a goods-laden train in the district yesterday morning.

The district railway stationmaster Manik Chandra Sarker said the train heading for Parbatipur upazila of Dinajpur from Khulna veered off the tracks in Shindia area of Bashundia due to overloading.

The derailment halted the train service between Jessore and other parts of the country for an hour, the stationmaster said. None was injured in the incident, he said.

A rescue train already reached the spot from Khulna and started to salvage the operation, the railway official said. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Long Form

7

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Will Modi realise his superpower aspirations?

The Trimurti of his foreign policy could be his greatest strength. This is the first part of a two-part long form.

REUTERS

Enam Khan and n Shahab Parvez Karim Abbasi

T

he Latin term “Imago Dei” relates to a long held Judeo-Christian theological belief that God created man in his own image. Descending from the lofty realms of theological speculation to the worldlier arena of Indian foreign policy, pundits and analysts have entered into a frenzy of speculation trying to gauge the possible policy changes and course corrections emanating from South Block during Narendra Modi’s prime ministerial tenure.

It can be safely said that the effects of the economic and foreign policy changes of an emerging superpower will reverberate throughout the South Asian landscape. Any misplaced doubt regarding India’s preeminence in South Asia can be safely dispelled by the spectacle of Modi’s prime ministerial swearing-in ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi.

To the trial of the Italian marines related to the Enrica Lexie incident, India had been punching above its weight and souring relations with its Western allies

The sight of all the heads of state from the Saarc region attending the inauguration could be likened to a Rajya Abishek of a Chakravertin Samrat or the Delhi Durbar during the times of the British Raj. Economic diplomacy lies at the heart of Modi’s foreign policy. Foreign investment and trade opportunities are being assiduously sought, not only from traditional and familiar sources such as the Americans and the Japanese, but also from India’s perceived strategic competitor, China.

A case in point was Modi winning a $20bn pledge from Chinese President Xi Jinping even amidst the border flare-up that coincided uncomfortably during the Chinese president’s visit to India last September. The shrewd Gujarati business acumen has triumphed over saber-rattling and jingoistic nationalism that normally constitutes BJP rhetoric regarding China.

The success of Mr Modi’s “Make in India” campaign relies heavily on large-scale investments from China to revive the job-creating manufacturing sector. This is in line with his previous chief ministerial regime in Gujarat,

where he welcomed Chinese investment with open arms.

It remains to be seen if Modi manages to inject sustained double-digit growth in the Indian economy that forms a crucial component in realising its superpower aspirations. The fate of the long-delayed modernisation of Indian defense force and attempts to match Chinese military might is inextricably tied with the health of the economy.

Furthermore, Indian offers of duty reduction, trade facilitation, tied loans to improve transit and connectivity issues, and free trade agreements to its neighbouring South Asian countries are yet to materialise or deliver concrete results in many instances.

The long arm of Chinese trade and investment has made considerable inroads in the region at India’s expense.

The Chinese recently proposed the establishment of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the Maritime Silk Road – all of which is calculated to increase Chinese influence in smaller South Asian economies.

These economies, that had formerly courted Indian trade and investment have now more than one option to choose from. The largesse India will be able to offer pales in significance to the Chinese one. Thus, Modinomics, in one sense, is dedicated to retaining Indian economic hegemony in South Asia that the Indian analysts and policy planners had taken for granted.

Many analysts have dubbed the foreign policy regime under Manmohan Singh as the “lost decade” of diplomacy. The deft and subtle diplomacy that had been the hallmark of the land of Chanakya was replaced by a series of erratic, confrontational, and ham-fisted knee jerk reactions. From picking fights with the sole superpower (the unseemly row regarding the visa fraud allegations surrounding Devyani Khobragade) to the trial of the Italian marines related to the Enrica Lexie incident, India had been punching above its weight and souring relations with its Western allies.

The periodic, calibrated border incursions by the Chinese have literally kept the Indian policy-makers and defense establishment on their toes.

It has not only served to rein in Indian pretensions to parity with the Chinese, but have effectively prevented India from using the significant Tibetan exile population to fan anti-China unrest in Tibet.

The “Look East” policy of the UPA government, geared towards increased engagement in the Asia-Pacific region, had been largely overshadowed by increased Chinese presence in the Indian Ocean. “The String of Pearls” offensive by the Chinese is increasingly curbing Indian presence in its own backyard. It remains to be seen if Narendra Modi’s proposed transnational “Mausam” initiative can take the edge of the Chinese thrust in the Indian Ocean.

Nearer at home, the Congress-led UPA government was found woefully

lacking in combating high profile terrorist attacks such as the 26/11 attack on Mumbai by Pakistani members of LeT (despite having prior intelligence regarding an impending attack).

Lack of effective coordination amongst the various Indian intelligence agencies paved the way for yet another large scale LeT attack on Indian soil following the attack on parliament in New Delhi in 2001.

Despite international condemnation and incontrovertible proof of tacit ISI support for LeT operatives, the Pakistani diplomats managed to pull off a near miraculous escape – a show trial for the ringleaders of LeT was all that the Indian diplomats managed to wriggle out from the Pakistanis. It speaks volumes about South Block’s ineptitude that it could not make use of the proverbial “smoking gun.”

The UPA government can be partially exonerated from failing to solve a six-decade, complex, multifaceted, problem with its archrival Pakistan.

However, the sheer negligence it had shown to maintaining and fostering traditionally friendly relationships with neighbouring countries is wellnigh inexcusable.

It is mind-boggling to think that Manmohan Singh had never paid a visit to Bhutan, Nepal, or Sri Lanka during his prime ministerial tenure.

First on the list is Maldives, whose geostrategic importance far dwarfs its territorial size. Of late, the country has been warmly responding to increased Chinese trade and investment. This, in itself, should not be alarming in a globalised milieu.

However, the public dressing-down of the Indian ambassador of Maldives by the Maldivian political leadership and the termination of the $511m contract with a consortium headed by the Indian GMR group for maintenance of the international airport at Male, should not be brushed off lightly.

Mishandling by the South Block during the UPA period is partially to blame for the straining of relations.

The Indian support vacillated like a pendulum back and forth from Mohamed Nasheed to Mohammed Waheed Hassan, which further exacerbated ongoing political instability in the archipelago.

This inevitably led to a considerable erosion of Indian credibility in the country. The recent humanitarian relief effort by the Modi government in alleviating the drinking water crisis in Male, is a step in the right direction and will partially reduce anti-Indian resentment.

Sri Lanka provides the classic example of foreign policy bungling by the UPA government under the influence of coalition politics and personal prejudice. The Indian government had previously refused to sell weapons to Sri Lanka in their campaign against LTTE. This was done to appease the sentiments of the Tamil coalition partner of UPA, DMK. The Sri Lankans then

The ruling Awami League government under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was perceived to be friendly towards India and the Gandhi-Sheikh families also shared close ties

turned to China, Russia, and Pakistan to procure the necessary hardware.

This paved the way for increased presence of Chinese and Pakistani military personnel and advisors in Sri Lanka. Ironically, the UPA government then provided tacit consent to the combative President Rajapaksa’s final military campaign to decisively defeat the LTTE. The LTTE’s role in carrying out the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi may have influenced South Block’s limited involvement in this matter. The Chinese reaped rich rewards for their timely assistance. They have invested in key strategic sectors, ie infrastructure and services in Sri Lanka.

The docking of Chinese submarines in Colombo port is a portent of the increased strategic and commercial ties between Colombo and Beijing. Of late, the defeat of Rajapaksa by his onetime ally, Maithripala Sirisena in the presidential elections could well play in to the hands of the Modi government.

Sirisena, in his presidential campaign, had criticised the exponential increase in Chinese influence on the island nation. Rajapaksa had hinted at RAW involvement in fermenting revolt within his party ranks and orchestrating his electoral defeat.

The new government has stated that it would work to redress the lopsided tilt towards China. The ground reality, though, remains that substantial Chinese investment and trade links would provide it with considerable influence on Sri Lankan policy-makers in the foreseeable future.

Nepal illustrates yet another lost opportunity for a more pragmatic foreign policy involvement from the previous UPA government.

During its first stint in power, the UPA-1 government provided a certain amount of support to the Maoist insurgents or the Communist Party of Nepal.

Thus, South Block was hedging its bet between the traditionally India-friendly Nepali Congress and the Marxists. It was also done to prevent Marxist insurgency from spilling over into restive areas of India such as West Bengal and Bihar and to contain growing Chinese involvement in the

mountainous kingdom. It also helped foster agreement amongst the various Nepali political parties, who in turn then launched a concerted movement to bring an end to end to King Gyanendra’s unpopular direct rule.

However, it led things to slide from there. The ordinary Nepalese blamed Indian involvement behind the gridlock in the constituent assembly, delay in writing the constitution, tussle for control between the army and the Maoists, and agitation in the southern plains of Terai for autonomy.

Modi’s arrival on the scene may signal a more evenhanded and subtler approach in line with the Chinese. Modi and Sushma Swaraj’s visit to Nepal (the first by an Indian foreign minister in 23 years) did not show favouritism to any particular party – a gesture contributed in reducing palpable anti Indian resentment.

Bhutan, Nepal’s Himalayan neighbour would prove to be the least daunting of the checklists of Modi’s “neighbourhood first” policy. In fact, Narendra Modi made his first prime ministerial visit to Bhutan, where he again focused on strengthening and reemphasising business, trade (the hydro-electric deal) and strategic ties.

Bhutan also will continue to prove a valuable ally to India in combating anti-Indian insurgents from Northeast India.

Probably, the country that the UPA government let down most was Bangladesh during its 10-year-long tenure.

The ruling Awami League government under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was perceived to be friendly towards India and the Gandhi-Sheikh families also shared close ties.

India has provided strong support to the AL government of Sheikh Hasina since 2008. It had openly expressed its desire to see secular forces in power in Bangladesh as evidenced by former Indian foreign secretary Sujatha Singh’s visit to Dhaka in November 2013. l Shahab Enam Khan is Chair and Associate Professor, International Relations, Jahangirnagar University. Parvez Karim Abbasi is Assistant Professor, Economics, East West University.

8

DHAKA TRIBUNE

World

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Egypt seeks UN mandate for Libya intervention n BBC

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has called for a United Nations resolution allowing international forces to intervene in Libya.

There was no other choice, he told French radio yesterday. “We will not allow them to cut off the heads of our children.”

Egyptian jets bombed IS targets on Monday in response to a militant video of the apparent beheadings of 21 Egyptian Christians. Rival militias have been battling for control in Libya since 2011.

Numerous militia groups have battled for control and two rival governments are operating, in Tripoli and Tobruk.

Sisi called for weapons to be made available to Libya’s internationally recognised government, which fled to Tobruk after rival militias seized power in the capital.

“We abandoned the Libyan people as prisoners to extremist militias,” Sisi told Europe 1 radio. He was referring to the aftermath of the 2011 war in which

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was toppled with the help of an international coalition. That intervention was “an unfinished mission,” he said.

Egypt released video footage reportedly showing air strikes in eastern Libya.

Egyptian state TV said Monday’s air strikes had targeted Islamic State camps, training sites and weapons storage areas near the city of Derna.

Military sources said the strikes would continue but there was no need for ground troops at present. The attacks came hours after a video emerged on Sunday showing militants forcing a group of men to the ground and decapitating them.

The kidnapped Egyptian workers, all Coptic Christians, were seized in separate incidents in December and January from the coastal town of Sirte in eastern Libya, which is under the control of Islamist groups.

The BBC’s Jim Muir says anger has been felt throughout Egypt by Muslims and Christians alike, and the killings are being seen as an attack on national dignity. l

Ukraine truce fades n Reuters, Nikishine Pro-Russian rebels bombarded government troops encircled in east Ukraine yesterday and a plan for both sides to pull back their heavy guns stalled, pushing a fragile peace deal closer to collapse.

A Reuters witness near the front line said artillery rounds rocked the town of Debaltseve every five seconds and black smoke rose skywards, despite a truce that has eased fighting in many areas since the European-brokered deal took effect on Sunday.

The rebels said they had captured parts of Debaltseve, which sits on a strategic railway junction, and that some Ukrainian soldiers had surrendered, but Kiev denied this.

Hopes that the deal reached last Thursday would end a conflict that has killed more than 5,000 people were always low after a rebel advance in January scuppered an earlier truce.

But the ferocity of the fighting at Debaltseve was unexpected and has

heightened concerns in Kiev and the West that the separatists and Russian President Vladimir Putin want to cement the latest rebel gains before peace takes hold.

Military trucks and tanks came and went in the largely destroyed village of Nikishine as the rebels pounded nearby Debaltseve with Grad rockets, heavy artillery and mortar bombs.

Palls of smoke hung over Debaltseve, which has a peacetime population of about 25,000 and has been under fire for weeks.

Monitors from the OSCE security group were expected to try to reach the besieged town after Germany said it had agreed steps with the leaders of Russia and Ukraine to ensure they had “free access” in the east.

But a new call by Berlin for peace and for the withdrawal of heavy weapons to start as scheduled yesterday under the peace deal, reached at all-night talks in the Belarussian capital Minsk on Thursday, fell largely on deaf ears. l

Kaspersky: $1bn stolen from banks n AFP, Moscow

Wind blown snow swirls around a truck following a winter storm in Medford, Massachusetts on Monday. The US Northeast struggled to dig out on Sunday from the latest in a series of winter storms that made February the snowiest month in Boston’s history, where wind gusts of up to 60 miles per hour (97 kph) were predicted REUTERS

The ‘American Sniper’ trial n AP, Stephenville, Texas

Prosecutors in Texas have shown a videotaped confession by the former Marine accused in the fatal 2013 shootings of “American Sniper” author Chris Kyle and his friend.

“I’m just sorry for what I’ve done,” Eddie Ray Routh, 27, said in the interview with Texas Ranger Danny Briley, The Dallas Morning News reported.

Although he has confessed, Routh has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. Prosecutors are expected to rest their case on Tuesday.

Criminal law experts say the verdict hinges on whether the defence can prove Routh was insane at the time and did not know the killings at a gun range constituted a crime. Briley testified Monday that he believed Routh knew his actions were wrong.

The key points in the case are:

The crime

On February 2, 2013, Kyle, Littlefield and Routh drove to Rough Creek Lodge and Resort, which has a 1,000-yard shooting range. About 5 pm, a resort employee discovered the bodies of Kyle and Littlefield on the ground amid scattered weapons; each had been shot several times. About 45 minutes lat-

er, authorities say Routh pulled up to his sister’s Midlothian home in Kyle’s truck and told her he had killed Kyle and Littlefield before driving away.

On Thursday, prosecutors presented a video in which officers spoke with Routh as he sat in Kyle’s pickup. He refused to leave the vehicle and eventually sped off, with police in pursuit.

The video shows a police vehicle ramming the pickup, which became disabled along the side of the road.

Kyle and Routh

Kyle served four tours in Iraq and made more than 300 kills as a sniper for SEAL Team 3, according to his own count. He earned two Silver Stars for valor. After leaving the military, he volunteered with veterans facing mental health problems, often taking them shooting. He took Routh to the shooting range at the request of the troubled veteran’s mother.

The case has drawn intense interest, partly because of Kyle’s memoir.

An Oscar-nominated film based on the book has grossed more than $300 million in North America.

Family members say Routh suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder from serving in Iraq and in Haiti after the devastating 2010 earthquake. Defense attorneys say Routh, who was

taking anti-psychotic medication, was insane when Kyle and his friend, Chad Littlefield, took the former Marine to the shooting range to provide support and camaraderie. Routh, his lawyers say, believed the men planned to kill him.

In the confession played Monday, Routh said of Kyle, “If I did not take down his soul, he was going to take down mine,” The Dallas Morning News reported.

But prosecutors say Routh was a troubled drug user who knew right from wrong, even with a history of mental illness. Some of Routh’s psychiatrists at Green Oaks Hospital, where he was admitted in September 2012 and in January 2013, are expected to testify.

What’s at stake

Jurors have three options: find Routh guilty of capital murder, find him not guilty or find him not guilty by reason of insanity. If convicted, Routh faces life in prison without parole. Prosecutors aren’t seeking the death penalty.

Even if he’s acquitted, Routh could remain in custody. The Texas criminal code stipulates that in cases involving violent crimes where defendants are found not guilty by reason of insanity, the court can initiate civil proceedings to have them committed. l

A wave of cyberattacks since 2013 has cost banks around the globe up to $1 billion (870 million euros) according to a report by Russian computer security firm Kaspersky Lab released Monday.

The large-scale theft, which Kaspersky said was still going on, “indicates clearly the coming of a new era for cybercrime.”

About 100 banks – mainly in Russia but also in the United States, Germany, China and Ukraine – have been targeted.

It was too early to pin down the source of the attacks, although some evidence points to China, Kaspersky said, while warning that hackers sometimes plant clues intended to mislead investigators.

The goal of the attacks “appears to be financial gain rather than espionage,” the report said, adding that the attackers are “clearly familiar with the software and networks of financial services.”

Hackers commonly break into bank networks by tricking staff into clicking on links or email attachments in a process called “phishing.” In some cases the hackers follow targeted employees on video surveillance images. l

Appeal to jail Navalny for 10 years

n Reuters, Moscow Russian prosecutors called yesterday for Kremlin critic and protest leader Alexei Navalny be jailed for 10 years as they appealed against a suspended sentence he received last year in a theft case, arguing it was ‘too soft’.

Navalny and his brother Oleg were convicted last year of stealing 30 million roubles – nearly $500,000 at the current exchange rate – from two firms, including an affiliate of the French cosmetics company Yves Rocher.

Both were given 3-1/2-year jail sentences. Oleg is serving his time in jail, while Navalny, who led street protests against Vladimir Putin in 2011-12, was given a suspended sentence.

“We demand that Navalny be sentenced to 10 years in jail,” state news agency RIA quoted a prosecutor as saying at the appeal at Moscow city court.

The Navalny brothers were found guilty of defrauding companies by overcharging them for mail and parcel services provided by their business from 2008 to 2011. l

From joy to despair: Life in independent Kosovo n AP, Pristina, Kosovo Jubilant throngs gathered around gigantic letters spelling “NEWBORN,” when Kosovo declared independence from Serbia seven years ago. Today, there’s a new national symbol: The bus stop where hundreds of people gather every day to flee a country they’ve given up on.

High hopes have turned to despair as Kosovars yesterday mark the anniversary of their dream of nationhood coming true. Tens of thousands of people, including at least 5,000 schoolchildren, have already fled on the nightly bus journey through Serbia and into the European Union. The mass movement of people — which some describe as an exodus — is a sign of simmering discontent with the governing elites in Europe’s youngest, poorest and most isolated country. The departures, coupled with violent January protests, threaten to export Kosovo’s economic and social troubles beyond its borders.

“I am so disappointed with my own place, I just want to leave,” said Bislim Shabani, an ethnic Albanian heading to Germany with his wife and four children.

Shabani said he worked in a company that went bust in a botched privatization, leaving many workers mired in debt: “They owe me 12 months of wages. I couldn’t provide for my family any longer.”

Lured by promises of a secure future abroad, many are happy to turn their backs on a country with rampant unemployment and corrupt officials — who critics say enjoy the protection of a justice system that caters to the elite.

Mirsad Muliqi waved goodbye to his brother and his family boarding a bus to Serbia, then said: “They just want to get out of this filthy place.” The unemployed Muliqi said he would follow as soon as his brother settles down in Germany.

Europe’s richest country has borne the brunt of the flow of refugees, with some 18,000 Kosovars entering since

A street vendor displays Kosovo and Albanian flags along with other paraphernalia for sale in the Kosovo capital of Pristina on Monday AP the beginning of the year. Official figures in Kosovo show that at least 30,000 Kosovars have sought asylum, mostly in Germany, since August. The figure, however, does not include migrants that stay illegally and do not register with the authorities. Hungarian police say over 23,000 migrants have been detected crossing their border in 2015 alone, the vast majority coming from Kosovo.

Almost none has any chance of receiving asylum, German authorities say, because they are not considered political refugees. The usual fate of those who receive a rejection letter: deportation.

To stem the flow, German border patrols have been deployed to secure the border between Serbia and Hungary and help with passport controls of people from Kosovo.

Unemployment in Kosovo stands at 30 percent, according to official statistics. It is highest among young people aged 15 to 24 — at a staggering 56 percent. Some 30 percent of the population lives in poverty.

President Atifete Jahjaga toured Kosovo cities recently in a bid to halt the exodus. In some towns she was met by hostile crowds accusing politicians of getting rich at the ex-

pense of citizens.

Anger boiled over in the streets of Pristina twice last month as stone-throwing anti-government protesters clashed with police who fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd. The government blamed the unrest on opposition parties wanting to stage a coup.

But Ramush Haradinaj, an opposition leader who backed the protests, said the dissatisfaction is due to stalled economic and social progress.

“People are not satisfied merely by the most basic rights,” Haradinaj told The Associated Press. “They want to know when Kosovo can join the EU, in what time frame? When will it no longer suffer from corruption? We are not talking about the Kosovo citizen who just wants to be free. We are talking about a citizen that has higher expectations.”

Kosovo came under Nato control in 1999 after the alliance bombed Serbia for 78 days to make it end its onslaught on ethnic Albanians.

Since breaking away from Serbia, Kosovo has been recognized by 108 countries. Kosovo’s recent membership in sports organizations such as the International Olympic Committee has been welcomed as a major

victory in its road to full-fledged statehood.

But Serbia’s rejection of Kosovo’s independence has prevented further recognitions and helped to isolate it internationally. The country’s 1.8 million inhabitants are subject to strict visa requirements and can only travel visa-free to a handful of countries, mainly neighboring Albania and Turkey. Kosovars are able to flow into Serbia under an EU-brokered deal for Serbia to recognize Kosovo-issued identification papers without recognizing its statehood.

The ease of travel to Turkey has also encouraged hundreds of Kosovo Muslims to join the ranks of Islamic militants in Iraq and Syria.

Alarmed at the prospect of ending up with battle-hardened religious extremists, Kosovo lawmakers passed legislation to jail returning fighters for up to 15 years and rounded up over 50 suspected radicals, including imams.

Political analyst Dukagjin Gorani blames the simmering troubles on former rebel leaders who steered the province to independence from Serbia — but have become detached from their compatriots. He said they are now moving Kosovo toward “social revolt and political discontent.”

“Kosovo has ... been systematically robbed and enslaved in the name of liberation,” Gorani said, referring to officials from the Kosovo Liberation Army who fought the separatist war and are now in leading positions.

A European Union police and justice mission that helped local authorities fight corruption has launched a series of indictments and investigations against senior officials. But no sentences have been handed down — triggering claims that the accused have strong-armed the fledgling legal system.

Gorani said the situation could explode into unrest at any time.

“You know how it is with the Balkans,” he said. “It is always a powder keg and at the heart of which Kosovo remains with a very short fuse.” l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

World

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

9

Five dead in Lahore blast n AFP, Lahore A suicide bomber killed five people near police headquarters in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore Tuesday, an attack claimed by a Taliban faction as revenge for the execution of their comrades.

The blast hit just metres from an entrance to the police headquarters in the heart of the city, sending a column of black smoke rising above buildings.

Lahore, Pakistan’s second largest city and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s powerbase, has largely escaped the worst of the Islamist violence that has engulfed the country in the last decade.

Shuja Khanzada, home minister for Punjab province of which Lahore is the capital, said a policeman and four civilians were killed and 17 people were wounded.

City police chief Amin Wains told reporters the police HQ complex, known as police lines, was the intended target.

“The bomber wanted to enter inside the police lines but exploded prematurely,” he said.

“Police lines was the target but the bomber did not succeed to enter inside.”

Television footage showed several vehicles on fire after the explosion, which left the street littered with broken glass and debris from nearby buildings.

The hardline Jamat-ul-Ahrar faction of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) said they were behind Tuesday’s attack.

Spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan said the group dedicated the bombing “to

all the martyrs who were dragged out of prison and killed or hanged.”

“We want to make it clear to the rulers that we will take revenge for the blood of innocent Muslims – our operations will continue till Islamic system is imposed,” Ehsan said in an emailed statement.

Tuesday’s bombing comes just days after 22 people were killed in a gun and suicide attack on a Shiite mosque in the northwestern city of Peshawar.

The main TTP group claimed responsibility for Friday’s attack in Peshawar, saying it was revenge for a militant known as Doctor Usman who was hanged in December.

Pakistan has stepped up its fight against militants since Taliban gunmen massacred more than 150 people, most of them children, at a school in Peshawar in December. l

Taliban before the start of the so-called “fighting season.”

“This is a totally Afghan-planned and Afghan-led operation. It will continue until success is achieved,” said General Abdul Khaliq, who commands the operation.

The Taliban’s spokesman was not immediately available for comment.

The defence ministry said the assault, code-named “Zolfiqar,” was the first in a planned series of large-scale operations by Afghan forces after Nato ended its combat mission in December.

“This is not the first and will be not be the last operation against the Taliban and their allies,” said ministry spokesman General Dawlat Waziri.

Experts and Afghan military officials anticipate a surge in Taliban violence with the start of the traditional spring and summer fighting season in April or May. Some observers have warned that unusually early warm weather this year may have already encouraged militants to venture out of their hideouts in the rugged mountainous area along the border with Pakistan.

Highlighting the dangers to Afghan forces, at least 20 policemen were killed in Tuesday’s attack in Puli Alam.

Niaz Mohammad Amiri, acting governor of Logar province where the attack took place, confirmed the provincial police chief’s toll.

Taliban militants also carried out an ambush at an abandoned building in the Maiwand province of southern Kandahar Monday night, killing six policemen after luring them to the site by setting off a bomb.

“They fired as (police) arrived at the house. Unfortunately six police were martyred,” provincial police spokesman Zia Durrani told AFP. The US and its allies have reduced their military presence in Afghanistan to a contingent of about 12,500 who are mainly focused on training and support for the 350,000 Afghan troops and police.

Many have warned that the Nato withdrawal will embolden the Taliban to beef up their insurgency, still resilient more than 13 years after the US-led invasion ousted them from power in Kabul. l

Revenge attacks

26 Afghan police killed as army begins anti-Taliban drive n AFP, Kandahar At least 20 Afghan policemen were killed yesterday in a Taliban attack near Kabul, bringing to 26 the number of officers to die since the start of an army offensive aimed at weakening the insurgents.

The assault saw Taliban gunmen and suicide attackers strike police headquarters in Puli Alam city, south of Kabul.

Provincial police chief Abdul Hakim Ishaqzai told AFP that in addition to those killed, nine were wounded.

The attack came as police and troops, in their first major assault since US-led Nato forces ended their combat mission last December, began targeting militants on Monday in restive Helmand province, a hotbed of the Taliban insurgency and a hub for drug trafficking.

The defence ministry said 76 insurgents were killed on Monday, the first day of the operation, which will also target militants in six districts in neighbouring Kandahar, Farah, and Uruzgan provinces.

The offensive is designed to hurt the

A Pakistani resident reacts at the site after a bomb explosion near the police headquarters in Lahore. A bomb exploded close to police headquarters in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore yesterday, killing three people in a rare attack in the city that is Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s powerbase AFP

India PM slams religious violence after church attacks

China man gets $189,000 for six years on death row n AFP, Beijing n AFP, New Delhi A Chinese man who was freed after six years on death row following a wrongful murder conviction was paid $189,000 in compensation, state media said Tuesday, amid anger at the flawed legal system.

Nian Bin, a former food-stall owner who was convicted of poisoning two children and condemned to death in 2008, was finally freed after a court quashed his conviction last August.

A court awarded him 1.14 million yuan ($189,000) for loss of personal freedom and mental suffering, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

His case went through multiple appeals, with lawyers arguing that the evidence against him was insufficient and saying police had tortured him to obtain a confession.

Nian applied in December for 15 million yuan ($2.4 million) in compensation from the government at a court in the eastern province of Fujian which had upheld his death sentence three times, the China Daily reported at the time. He also requested the court make a public apology through the media, it added.

Acquittals in China’s Communist-controlled court system are extremely rare – 99.93 percent of defendants in criminal cases were found guilty last year, according to official statistics. l

Indonesia moving 2 Aussies, 5 other foreigners for execution n AP, Jakarta Eight convicted drug smugglers, including seven foreigners, will be transferred to an Indonesian prison island this week for imminent execution despite international appeals for clemency, an official said Monday.

Among the eight are Andrew Chan, 31, and Myuran Sukumaran, 33, the ringleaders of a group of nine Australians arrested in 2005 for attempting to smuggle 8.3 kilograms (18.3 pounds) of heroin to Australia from the Indonesian resort island of Bali. The seven other members of the group — dubbed the “Bali Nine” by Australian media — have received prison sentences ranging from 20 years to life. l

India’s Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday pledged a crackdown against religious violence and promised to ensure freedom of worship for all faiths after a series of attacks on churches.

Modi has been heavily criticised for not speaking out earlier against religious violence, especially in the wake of the attacks on at least five churches in the capital New Delhi since December.

But in a speech at a conference

organised by Christian groups, Modi condemned religiously motivated violence and promised that his government had equal respect for all faiths in a country that is officially secular.

“I condemn violence against any religion. We will act strongly against such violence.

“My government will not allow any group belonging to majority or minority to incite hatred against other communities,” he said.

Modi has also faced flak for remaining silent over a recent spate of mass “re-conversions” of Muslims

to Hinduism, and in in his speech, the prime minister said everyone should be free to practice any faith.

“My government will ensure complete freedom of faith and the undeniable right to adopt a religion of choice,” he said.

“Everyone has the undeniable right to retain or adopt the religion of his or her choice without coercion or undue influence,” Modi added in comments seen as condemning the mass conversions.

“We believe not only in religious tolerance but we accept all religions as true,” he said. l

Thousands shelter in monastery as Myanmar army battles rebels n Tribune desk

Fugitives from the escalating violence gripping northern Myanmar yesterday described fleeing airstrikes and gun battles between the army and ethnic rebels, as the country’s president vowed “not to lose an inch” of territory.

Clashes between Myanmar’s army and Kokang rebels in northeastern Shan state have uprooted tens of thousands in the past week, with Beijing saying it has stepped up its border controls after some 30,000 fled into southwestern Yunnan province.

A monastery in the Shan town of Lashio, some 140 kilometres (85 miles) south of the conflict zone, has become a makeshift shelter for thousands who have fled the violence, most with little more than a few plastic bags of belongings.

Many are temporary workers who have returned to their homes in other parts of Myanmar.

But at least 200 people are seeking refuge in the monastery’s cramped dormitary after fleeing intense fighting in the Kokang town of Laukkai, a now near-deserted border town and the epicentre of the fighting.

“We constantly heard the noise of firing – both from guns and big weapons. It was so loud. Sometimes I thought the bullets were flying by

my head,” Win Thaung Tun told AFP. The 28-year-old Mandalay construction worker said he had lived in Laukkai for five years, attracted by the higher wages paid in Chinese currency, before fleeing the town on Friday.

Clashes between the ethnically Chinese Kokang and government forces erupted on February 9, shattering six years of relative calm in the region.

The Myanmar military has launched a counter-offensive against rebels who tried to capture Laukkai in a series of brazen assaults that left nearly 50 government soldiers dead.

Dozens have now been killed on both sides in raging street battles as the military moved to retake the town and flush out rebel holdouts, although ascertaining exact casualty figures is difficult.

“We saw two helicopters and airplanes shooting... the situation got worse every day,” Thein Htike Soe, 33, who fled with his wife from their home near Laukkai to Lashio, told AFP. “We don’t know where to go or what to do,” he said.

Don’t give an inch

It is unclear what sparked the resurgence of conflict with Kokang rebels, which has undercut govern-

ment efforts to agree a nationwide ceasefire with the country’s patchwork of ethnic armed groups.

Myanmar’s President Thein Sein said the military was “protecting sovereignty and ensuring territorial integrity,” the Global New Light of Myanmar reported on Tuesday The former junta general “vowed not to lose an inch of Myanmar’s territory” during a visit to wounded soldiers in hospital, the report said.

Myanmar authorities have blamed local Kokang rebel leader Phone Kya Shin for stoking the violence and called on Beijing to rein in any local officials who might be helping the group on its side of the border.

Beijing yesterday said it was providing relief to the more than 30,000 people that have already fled into Yunnan province, and was also stepping up “patrolling and management of the border area.”

Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying called on conflicting parties in Myanmar to “prevent the situation from escalating and maintain security and tranquility of the border area.”

“In particular they should avoid affecting the security of the Chinese side of the border,” Hua told a briefing in Beijing. It was the first time the government had put a number on how many refugees it was having to deal with. l

10

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Editorial

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

CODE-CRACKER

Press must be free to report the news

T

he recent case filed against the editor of The Daily Star together with two staff for publishing a photograph of a poster circulated by the banned group Hizb ut-Tahrir, which calls upon the armed forces to topple the government, is regrettable.

It would have been better had the case not been accepted, as it is manifestly clear that the newspaper’s intent was merely to inform the public and to highlight the irresponsible and unlawful nature of the poster, not to endorse its content or to create unrest.

The relevant section of the penal code makes clear that, to be actionable, publication must be done with the intent or likelihood of causing public mischief, and the context of the photograph’s publication, including the accompanying text, demonstrates that such intent was absent.

Now that the court has taken cognisance of the matter, we would hope that the issue will be dealt with swiftly and that the unfairly impugned newsmen are exonerated as a matter of course, following the inquiry that has been ordered.

Such cases serve only to chill the freedom of the press and stand in the way of the media’s duty and responsibility to inform the public. While journalistic irresponsibility must be avoided at all costs, this was not such a case, and to suggest that it was does the newspaper in question a grave disservice.

The authorities must be able to distinguish between news published with the best of intentions and that published to try to stir up trouble, because, if they begin to confuse the two, then media will not be able to report on important news that the public needs to know.

The ultimate loser will not be just the press, but the entire citizenry, who will remain unaware of information they have a right and a need to know.

The recent case filed against the editor of The Daily Star is regrettable.

Such cases serve only to chill the freedom of the press

Build laboratories to secure food safety

A

ccording to experts at a recent food seminar, none of the laboratories used by the BSTI to certify and grade food materials for import and export, has international accreditation.

It is not acceptable that the country still lacks such facilities despite years of public concern about food contamination and safety issues.

The government should have made more progress in building world class laboratories by now. One result of its slow pace is that the government lacks a properly accredited laboratory to independently test the safety for human consumption of imported food.

Instead, it has to rely on tests and certifications prepared by exporting companies overseas, to authorise the safety of food consumed in our nation.

With Bangladesh importing 50,000 tons of wheat this month from Brazil, this matters because concerns have been raised about the levels of toxins found in last year’s Brazilian wheat crop.

Vomitoxin, a naturally occurring mold that causes food poisoning symptoms, is reported to have been found at average levels of up to 2.5ppm (parts per million) in Brazil’s wheat crop during 2014. This is more than twice the US Food and Drug Administration’s safety threshold of 1 ppm for vomitoxin tolerance for finished wheat products such as flour.

Consumers have a right to expect the government to build more accredited laboratories to improve the ability of our regulators to ensure a safe food chain.

Improving assurance systems is vital to increase public confidence. It will also help our own food producers by reducing the expense of certifying their food products for export to international markets.

Improving assurance systems is vital to increase public confidence and help food producers

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

Where is the rule of law?

February 1

Tasneem Ara Rea With what the Jamaat-e-Islami is doing in coalition with BNP, there is no other way than to violate “consumer rights,” to bring some sense into BNP regarding the safety of the country’s citizens and about the importance of the SSC board exams scheduled for early February.

A country that has been a historic example of economic success since its independence in 1971, there should be no tolerance for blockades and violence against innocent citizens with the start of the new year, that also impairs the economy and leaves the future of the youth uncertain.

There is no space for any religious extremism or violence in any definition of democracy, and therefore, there should be no tolerance for Jaamat-e-Islami. It is time the BNP, and Khaleda Zia in particular, realised this. It’s time Khaleda Zia recognised the basic needs of the Bangladeshi people before her own ego.

Anik Khan Tasneem Ara Rea: How exactly does the law work in your head? You cannot just assume someone is responsible and give a verdict like that on your own. The government is blaming every thing and everyone who doesn’t agree with their ways and is taking actions on its own, and that seems like a democratic system to you? If a government can behave this way with a former leader of our country, you don’t have to be a genius to understand how much rights and freedom of speech or conscience a normal citizen have here. You know who else behaved this way? The Pakistani government in 71.

First tender for metro rail floated February 1 Yukiko Tatewaki Amazing!

Shibir activist killed in Mirpur gunfight, 11 held

February 1 Nizam Ahmad Police are working as the political masters. This is an established fact. This is shameful and horrific at the same time.

Saudi Arabia lifts ban on Bangladeshi workers February 1 Nandita Very good news for Bangladeshis.

How to solve: Each number in our CODE-CRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 16 represents L so fill L every time the figure 16 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

Maruful Hasan Chowdhury Ms Tasneem Ara Rea: Why does only BNP have to come to its senses? Why aren’t you asking AL to come to their senses and stage a proper election?

According to AL, the people of Bangladesh are with them. So, surely they are supposed to cleansweep BNP in the election? They say Bangladesh was created (!) by them, so shouldn’t we expect that sense should come from their part? Although BNP does not claim to have created Bangladesh, they came to their senses and resigned in 1996 after incorporating the caretaker government and arranged a way for fair elections. AL did not stop calling hartals during the 1996 SSC despite their “creation” of this beloved country.

Tasneem Ara Rea Maruful Hasan Chowdhury: I am certainly not supporting all actions by the Awami League. But think of what will happen to this nation if the BNP comes to power after a re-election. The chances of a “fair” election is very slim. With re-elections, the BNP will find a way to curb election results. Just because AL did not stop calling hartals in 1996, it does not justify BNP blockades in early February affecting millions of youths. It is time the AL changed the course of history. There is no room for terrorists or religious extremists in my country.

Maruful Hasan Chowdhury Tasneem Ara Rea: BNP was in power previously, it’s not like they will be ruling for the first time.

Nothing will happen if they come again. Stop this rubbish and bogus fear of Bangladesh becoming Afghanistan or Pakistan. This is basically one of the few chetonised issues of AL and associates, which, unfortunately, people are not talking about anymore. We are not seeing any worries from people like you for the “Gono A Plus” result, which is destroying a whole generation. There is no bigger crime than the destruction of the educational system of a country. The result of this Auto A-plus is clear in DU as well as other public university admission tests.

PM: An educated nation can bring prosperity February 2 Dr Ahsan Habib Dear prime minister: Real prosperity comes from a country run by honest, dedicated politicians who are in it for the love of the country, not for the love of money and power. Also, real prosperity comes from a country run by solid institutions guiding elections, rules of operations, execution of law and order, etc. Ask yourself: “Have I offered any of these to the people of Bangladesh?”

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

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Poke (4) 6 Vigour (3) 7 Female horse (4) 9 Prophet (4) 10 Diminhed by (5) 11 Of the kidneys (5) 12 Uneven (3) 14 Corolla leaf (5) 17 Henhouse (5) 20 Beverage (3) 21 Mean dwelling (5) 23 Punctuation mark (5) 25 Repose (4) 26 Dry (4) 27 Spanish nobleman (3) 28 Agitate (4)

DOWN 1 Clergyman (6) 2 Carry too far (6) 3 Dreadful (4) 4 Pale (3) 5 Acceptance (3) 7 Distance measure (4) 8 Of the country (5) 10 Traveller’s aid (3) 13 Giver (5) 15 Natural gift (6) 16 Missive (6) 18 Given shoes (4) 19 Weight (3) 22 Love god (4) 23 Domestic animal (3) 24 Ignited (3)

M Sirajullah Dr Habib, I agree with you . That is why we need education. Education is the first Farz in Islam. More that 50% of our national budget should be allocated to enhancing education. Then we will have an educated parliament and an educated government. The country will automatically prosper.

CALVIN AND HOBBES Parts of Gulshan 2 still dead zones February 2

DPB The government supposedly knew nothing about it. However, the cellphone companies had written orders from BTRC officials to disconnect cellphone voice and data connections in Khaleda’s home-cum-office upon a request from the government on security grounds.

So, may I ask why those connections are not restored yet by the government? Right to utilities is a fundamental right related to right to life, no? And what have the neighbourhood folks done? Are they also a security hazard?

PEANUTS

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS CODE-CRACKER

CROSSWORD

Over-zealous cop might have cut Khaleda’s power February 2

deep purple blue Is the country being run by an SI from Gopalganj? What actions have been taken against those who inspired (hukumer ashami) the SI? Let us believe that it was the Gopalganj SI who did the wrong, but did it take 19 hours for the government to correct the mistake? Bengalis have three hands daan haath, baam haath, and ojuhath (right hand, left hand, and excuses)!

SUDOKU

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Op-Ed

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

11

Ukraine tries to heal n ATM Haidar Khan

M

REUTERS

The new king of Delhi

L

n Salil Tripathi

ate last December when I was in India, I met two friends who were leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

They were enthusiastic and serious, concerned about the state of the nation, and had left highly successful careers to become part of the change they wished to see in India.

They were sincere about their beliefs, but neither gave their party more than 17-18 seats in the assembly elections that were to be held in Delhi in early February. I had been in Delhi and seen the sleek posters and banners of the Bharatiya Janata Party coming up at important junctions.

The BJP has resources, and the Narendra Modi wave appeared to be invincible – it had made impressive gains in Jammu and Kashmir, and in Maharashtra its gamble of going it alone had also paid off.

Besides, the Congress had ruled Delhi for 15 years, and could hardly be disregarded. For AAP, it was clearly going to be an unequal battle, and my friends’ circumspection seemed entirely sensible.

But something changed in the few

weeks that followed, and in the end, AAP secured all but three of Delhi’s 70 seats in the Vidhan Sabha elections – perhaps the greatest electoral sweep of all time in India.

BJP supporters are making light of Arvind Kejriwal’s astonishing victory by claiming that a Delhi chief minister is the equivalent of a town mayor – if

It is ridiculous to see in these results the “end” of the Modi mystique. As some BJP supporters have correctly pointed out, Delhi sends less than 2% of India’s state legislators, and just over 1% of MPs. Its vote share – around a third of the city’s electorate – has stayed about the same.

Congress, on the other hand, needs

AAP has now ensured that it can credibly represent the aspirations of Indians who abhor BJP’s sectarianism

so, the blitzkrieg, in the form of buying the front page of every daily in Delhi in the days before the election, sending Modi on a barnstorming tour of the capital, deploying over a hundred members of parliament to campaign, was vastly disproportionate.

If the BJP lavishes such resources for a mere town mayorship, what would it do for the next parliamentary elections?

to worry – its vote share has collapsed utterly, and capping as it does a series of defeats in state legislatures, it faces serious existential questions.

Congress has enormous resilience, and is not about to roll over and die, but it simply cannot wait for the BJP to make mistakes and return to power.

AAP has now ensured that it can credibly represent the aspirations of

Indians who abhor BJP’s sectarianism and who like inclusive, egalitarian ethos that the Congress has long claimed. AAP won’t be a major force in the next parliamentary elections in 2019, but if it stays on its course and doesn’t disappoint voters – as many non-Congress alliances have done historically – it has the opportunity to reshape Indian politics.

This is because at heart, Indian voters shun extremes. BJP’s remarkable rise – from about 16% of the popular vote two decades ago, to nearly double that size now – shows the alignment of socially conservative Hindus. But it also shows that twothird of Indians reject it; for them, the default option tended to be the Congress.

That has changed, at least for now.

The Congress can reinvent itself, but to do that, it would have to discard its feudal practice of obeying the current leadership and its ancestors. l

ore than 5,000 people lost their lives in the RussiaUkraine conflict that actually started in April 2013, when the government of Ukraine decided not to sign the agreements with European Union.

The government’s decision of not signing these agreement was not welcomed by the people of Ukraine, especially Western Ukraine, and in fact a massive demonstration took place in capital Kiev.

The protesters justified this demonstration as a fight against corruption – they claimed that President Viktor Yanukovych was motivated by the Russian government, which didn’t want Ukraine to sign the the EU agreement, but Western Ukrainians believed that these trade and political agreements would open a new prospect for them.

When the situation turned violent, the parliament removed Viktor Yanukovych from presidential position and appointed a temporary president, Oleksandr Turchynov, who then formed a new government.

Though the United States and EU recognised Oleksandr Turchynov’s government, Russia was strongly opposed. Following the formation of the new government, another demonstration was launched in the eastern part of Ukraine, in the Crimean city of Sevastopo, by pro-Russian rebel groups and anti-government protesters.

In February 2014, the Russian government started to deploy their troops and heavy military equipment to the Ukraine’s eastern border with Russia where troops took a strategic position, and weeks later, men wearing masks occupied Crimea.

In April 2014, ignoring the warning of President Putin, the Ukraine government launched military action against pro-Russians, who captured a large part of Eastern Ukraine. Following the launching of military action, a civil war had started, and soon spread among the eastern part of the country. Within a month, the people of the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk declared their independence.

In May 2015, Petro Poroshenko took presidential power, followed by the presidential election. The new president is a billionaire and the richest business magnate of the country, who finally signed the agreement with the EU in the face of Russian opposition.

Salil Tripathi is a London-based Indian journalist and writer, currently serving as contributing editor for The Caravan and Mint.

His latest book is The Colonel Who Would Not Repent: The Bangladesh War and Its Unequal Legacy.

The people of Eastern Ukraine used to follow Russian culture; sometimes they even introduced themselves as Russians. Going against popular belief, Russia claims that Crimea is a part of Russia, not Ukraine.

So, what had started as the condemnation of signing an agreement has become a battle for the annexation of Crimea into the Russian Federation.

Despite worldwide opposition, Putin’s government did not step back.

With Russian aggression and ongoing civil unrest in the country, Ukraine became a valley of death. In September 2014, the Ukrainian government and pro-Russian nationalists agreed to a ceasefire, but weeks later, a convoy of Russian trucks entered Ukraine borders unauthorised, and messed up the deal.

Ten months of living in a violent environment made Ukrainians’ lives miserable. Due to the ongoing civil war, security of life for them has long since been destroyed, and the country has been moving towards an even greater catastrophic desolation.

In the very beginning of this month, German chancellor Angela Merkel and President of France Francois Hollande presented a peace proposal to the Russian president while the United States was debating to provide military assistance to Ukrainian military.

European leaders did not support the US initiative, by considering that this could cause even greater loss of life; they wanted a peaceful solution.

After 17 hours of long discussions on Thursday, February 11 (known as the Minsk marathon talks) between leaders from Germany, France, Russia, and Ukraine, they came up with the decision to sign a peace agreement that could put an end to the brutality.

The main terms of agreement included a run-up to the ceasefire, withdrawal of heavy military equipment in both sides, and release of hostages.

If this agreement is really implemented successfully, it is hoped that the ongoing violence will come to an end very soon. However, the world witnessed a similar peace agreement which was signed in September of last year, but did not come to any effect.

But the world can expect that this agreement will finally end the violent crisis, and soon Ukraine will be at peace again. l ATM Haidar Khan is a researcher on South Asian politics. He is based in the UK.

REUTERS

No aliens are human n Ikhtisad Ahmed

T

he immigrants are coming. The bottom-feeding, barbaric scum are a plague upon the civilised world, subduing and obscuring the shining beacon of development and progress. They are robbing and pillaging these unfortunate developed nations, leaving their coffers bare and halting their unbridled march towards Utopia.

This idle but effective rhetoric, one

of the founding pillars of the resurgence of the far right, came into being even before passports were issued under the auspices of Henry V in 1414. Unspoken at the time, nevertheless certainly felt, the seeds for the Westward orientation of the principal worldview were planted.

The hypocritical Caucasian male discoverer set sail, marking the dawn of the third world being judged by impossible, duplicitous, restrictive standards of freedom, morality, and

BIGSTOCK

justice.

The travels, concealed under the veil of the romance of adventure, may have manifested themselves as expansionism, but the objective was to benefit tourism. The key difference, however, was that the white man that rode the waves was not an immigrant.

Gun in holster, passport in pocket, cutlass in one hand and purse of coins in another, the adventurers were colonialists, not colonists. Unsurprisingly, their ulterior motives have informed the suspicions and prejudices of their descendants, some of whom continue to populate the corridors of power.

Thieves are convinced everyone else is a thief, but, being kinder to themselves, overlook their own indiscretions. This self-perpetuating immunity grants moral superiority.

Repeated often enough – and the civilised world has centuries of reruns under its belt – it becomes unequivocal moral authority. Spoken from its pulpit is the equally self-evident and indisputable message to the poorer nations that on Western shores lie better lives.

These derelict countries are condescendingly instructed to make themselves in the image of those shores, their citizen beggars are patronisingly pitied and tantalised with the prospect of refuge there.

The hordes that surrender to temptation are a level, perhaps two, above their ancestors, the slaves. Migration on terms proffered by these tramps does not sit well with the coloniser, demonstrated by the anti-immigration rhetoric.

Immigration and imperialism are the bastard children of the myth of the West

In his continued lust for imperialism, he does not wonder whether it is worth acting in the best interest of the third world rather than persisting with his interests on its soil.

It is precisely this contagious idiocy that sees emissaries of the USA and the UK ridicule the politics of developing countries, encouraging coups as solutions and adding the veneer of

democracy to them when successful.

They seek to rule, not serve, and in aspiring to replicate them, fledgling systems become dysfunctional as despots battle for supremacy.

If these nations were allowed strong foundations and tools to truly build, if good fortune smiled on them and accelerated their development, their citizens would look within. The ships carrying the thousands – portrayed as billions by the right-wing zealots ringing the citadel bells – who hope to fulfil the American and British dreams would instead believe in Digital Bangladesh.

This is not possible when their realities are dictated by self-serving autocrats incapable of empathy and altruism. Whenever a third world political crisis reaches boiling point, the West can always be relied on to tip it over the edge and make all the wrong choices in the aftermath, believing that to be the best course of action in aid of imperialism.

This is one of two true rules, the other being disillusioned displaced populations becoming single-minded to reach those elusive shores.

Sooner or later, the irreversible migratory pattern set by this deranged quest for survival, peace, and happiness sees them arrive. The aberrant

influxes provide vulnerable politicians with the perfect scapegoat, one that can both be blamed for all ills and distract from actual issues. The resulting rhetoric gifts the rising tide of bigotry a healthy façade of nationalism.

The solution is simpler than the convoluted politicking that gives rise to the problem – and it is just as much a problem for the third world countries as it is for the US and Britain.

It stems from respect becoming the overriding principle of the latter when dealing with the former. Assistance needs to be honest and in good faith, not the support of authoritarianism and military action that is disingenuously passed off as caring. It may be too much to ask from nations that neither take responsibility nor show remorse for centuries of sin.

Immigration and imperialism are the bastard children of the myth of the West. As Cain and Abel differed in their constitution, so too do these.

The values that are used to judge the world, and that are prescribed as panacea, decree consensual intercourse a heinous crime and celebrate rape.

Rejoice. l Ikhtisad Ahmed is a writer and an erstwhile lawyer. He can be contacted on Twitter via @Ikhtisad

12

DHAKA TRIBUNE Wednesday, February 18, 2015

UPCOMING MATCHES

TODAY Bangladesh v Afghanistan, 9:30 am TOMORROW UAE v Zimbabwe, 4am

14 Clarke return

has team’s ‘full support’: Johnson

14 The long haul

finally pays off for Khurram

Sport

Did you know?

Andy McBrine (41) has delivered the most dot balls at CWC15 so far, ahead of George Dockrell and Mohammed Shami (both 38)

Bangladesh’s self-esteem at stake The last thing a Bangladeshi fan needed was a demoralizing statement from the leader of the pack after the team went down to lowly rated Ireland in a warm up match. Whenever a captain publicly expresses his dissatisfaction over the lackadaisical attitude of some of his players, it is an indication that all is not well in the camp.

The team’s think tank on the tour could have easily spun this feeling of dejection and presented it to the public in a much more positive manner.

“We took this Ireland match lightly, which on hindsight we should not have, and paid the price. The team discussed this loss, learnt from it and we are mentally and physically prepared for our official matches,” should have been the statement from Tigers skipper Mashrafe bin Mortaza.

Afghanistan, on paper and on record, is not the team to beat Bangladesh. However, it is all about

Comparison does not bother Tigers n Minhaz Uddin Khan Losing their opening World Cup match to ICC Associate Member’s Afghanistan today will be an embarrassment and Bangladesh one-day international skipper Mashrafe bin Mortaza is well aware of the fact.

Bangladesh, who have been a member of the 10-nation Test family from the past 15 years, have often been compared to the rising Afghans since their only meeting last year in the Asia Cup where the Tigers, despite being a dominant team at home, lost by 22 runs.

The inconsistency of the Bangladesh cricketers have been the main reason behind the criticisms, though Mashrafe believes they will come out winners after today’s clash or else it will be a huge setback to their aim of reaching the second round from Pool A. Meanwhile Mashrafe, who has been asked every now and then whether this meeting is regarded as a revenge mission, also blew away the sentiment and said, “We are taking them seriously not because they are new comers (in the format) or that they beat us. They are a team and we respect them just like we respect every other nation.”

“We’ve played only one 50-over match against them (back in Asia Cup 2014) and we were beaten. Two weeks

later we met them in the World T20 where we won. We had our revenge there. Yes, we couldn’t beat them in Asia cup, but I don’t think it bothers us.

Hopefully we’ll do the best tomorrow,” said Mashrafe at Canberra yesterday.

“Comparisons can come at times and with any opposition. It depends how we take it. We don’t mind if someone compares them with us.”

So far the World Cup has seen team’s batting first easily reach the 300-run mark with the spinners battered all over the park in most cases. Bangladesh rely on their spinners mostly and Mashrafe backed them saying, “Back home the wicket is favoured for all the spinners so we rely on them, but we have some very good pacers too. Yes, they’re still young, but they have the potential and hopefully they’ll do their job. However, I feel our spinners are world class and can bowl on any wicket around the world.”

The only member to be still playing from the Bangladesh squad that had beaten Australia back in 2005 in the NatWest tri-series in Cardiff, England, Mashrafe was realistic in not looking for inspirations from that win almost a decade ago.

“That was in 2005, a long time ago.

Since then we have won many matches and we lost as well. We can’t take confidence from there. Hopefully we’ll do it tomorrow (today),” he said.

Other than an implosion self-belief and having the from within, I don’t see this desire to win. Afghaniteam losing to Afghanistan. I stan’s confidence comes once again reiterate the simfrom its own performance ple principle of Bangladesh’s over the past decade. This batting strategy – Tamim is a team that has gradually must bat long into the indeveloped into a team that nings. He needs to look at is challenging and winthis match as a Test Match ning against all Associate and play with a strike rate Members. This team now of 70 to 75. With the others has the audacious belief playing around him Banglathat they can win against desh should get to 270 plus, a Full Member country and which in my mind should the two teams that are in be a winning score. Banglatheir crosshairs are BanYOUSUF RAHMAN desh does have the bowlers gladesh and Zimbabwe.

(BABU) to contain the “Pathans” in Bangladesh on the other hand has been struggling through- the likes of Mashrafe, Shakib, Mahmudout with a few wins here and there. dullah and hopefully Taijul Islam.

For Afghanistan to create an upset, The overall performance has not only been disappointingly erratic, but over- they will require two factors to help whelmingly bizarre. While they have them. One will be Bangladesh’s self-dewon two ODI series at home against struct approach to the game (which the New Zealand in 2010 and 2013, they re- Pathans will pray for) and the other, gressed by losing to teams like Ireland, their own confidence. In Mohammed Scotland and Afghanistan, not forget- Nabi (the veteran) they have an astute leader and a useful all-rounder. Nabi ting the T20 loss to Hong Kong.

Shakib al Hasan must come to play has a fairly decent supporting cast that with his boots on, just as much as consists of successful utility players in Tamim Iqbal, Mahmudullah, Mominul the two Zadrans and Asghar Stanikzai.

Overall, it is team that does not have Haque and Mushfiqur Rahim must.

WORLD CUP HEAD-TO-HEAD

any headline makers but as a unit they are capable of creating a few headaches for the opposition.

Mashrafe and his men must come out of the negativity of the recent past and walk into this match in Canberra with a fresh mind set, exhibiting unity and confidence. The past does not matter and has no relevance to the matches that lie ahead. Bangladesh needs to win this match like no other match played ever before.

The win will restore the team’s confidence as they proceed into the tournament. A loss, while unthinkable, will be the beginning of a nightmarish journey into near oblivion.

Let us not have the “fear factor” rule the players’ minds. Having made my assessment of the two teams, I still believe Bangladesh will scrape through this one with full marks. l Yousuf Rahman (Babu), former national cricketer, vice captain and first centurion writes from New York for Bangladesh fans all across the globe.

Pressure on Bangladesh, says Afghan captain n AFP, Canberra

BANGLADESH 0

AFGHANISTAN Matches

0

OVERALL

1 0 222

Matches Wins Highest totals

1 1 254/6

BATTING

Mominul Haque (50)

Highest score

Asghar Stanikzai (90)

BOWLING

Arafat Sunny (2/44)

Best bowling

Hamid Hasan (2/26)

PROBABLE XI Anamul Haque, Tamim Iqbal, Mahmudullah, Shakib al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim (WK), Nasir Hossain, Sabbir Rahman/Mominul Haque, Mashrafe Mortaza (C), Taijul Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Rubel Hossain

Javed Ahmadi, Usman Ghani, Asghar Stanikzai, Najibullah Zadran, Samiullah Shenwari, Mohammad Nabi (C), Afsar Zazai (WK), Mirwais Ashraf, Dawlat Zadran, Hamid Hasan, Shapoor Zadran

PLAYER TO WATCH Compared to his own standards, Shakib has not really done justice to his talents in the biggest stage of them all. The maverick all-rounder will be desperate to kick off the World Cup with a great performance

SHAKIB

NABI

With his late hitting and slow right-arm off-spin, Nabi is the go-to-man for his side.

Born in a refugee camp in Peshawar, Nabi has made full use of his opportunities to rise to the very top. Will captain the Afghans in their maiden World Cup campaign

Afghanistan captain Mohammad Nabi is convinced the pressure will be on Bangladesh in their World Cup clash on Wednesday, saying his debutant side holds an edge over their Asian rivals.

Nabi reminded everyone ahead of the Pool A match at the Manuka Oval that Afghanistan had beaten Bangladesh on their own turf last year, winning the Asia Cup match by 32 runs to record their first win over a Test-playing nation.

“I am sure Bangladesh are under pressure for tomorrow’s match because they know we beat them the last time we played them and that too in their own country,” the off-spinner said.

“Hopefully we will beat them again.

The conditions in Australia suit us because we have quality fast bowlers and the good pitches enable our batsmen to play freely.”

Nabi, 29, said his boys were excited at taking part in the World Cup for the first time, although many of them have played in three World Twenty20 competitions.

“This is the big one for us, so everyone is thrilled and excited about the first match,” he said. “Hopefully we will enjoy every game.

“The players need to control their nerves and not put too much pressure

Tendulkar wary of South Africa threat n AFP, New Delhi

England captain Eoin Morgan accepts the Wero challenge during an official Maori welcome at Wellington yesterday

CRICINFO

Cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar has issued a warning to triumphant India about their upcoming World Cup match against South Africa, saying the Proteas were “far, far superior” to arch-rivals Pakistan.

Batting superstar Tendulkar helped India win the World Cup four years ago with victory over Sri Lanka at his Wankhede Stadium home ground in Mumbai and also played in six World Cups before retiring from international cricket in 2013.

India started the defence of their title with a convincing 76-run win over Pakistan in Adelaide last Sunday, with Virat Kohli - the new idol of his country’s adoring fans in Tendulkar’s absence - making a brilliant 107.

However, Tendulkar said India would need a strong opening partnership and careful running between the wickets to beat South Africa, one

of the pre-tournament favourites, in this coming Sunday’s clash at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

“It won’t be so easy to pick singles,” Tendulkar told Headlines Today TV on Monday.

“They (South Africa) are much faster, their throwing arm is more powerful and their outfielding ... they cover the area much better than Pakistan.”

Tendulkar singled out South Africa’s spearhead Dale Steyn as the man India’s batsmen needed to fear.

“Without any doubt he’s their strike bowler. He’s bowled unbelievably well,” he said.

“You can’t pre-decide how to play Steyn, he could also have a bad day, you have to decide in the moment but you have to respect Dale Steyn, you need to be watchful upfront but take your opportunities.”

Tendulkar also backed India opener Rohit Sharma to come good at the World Cup “I wouldn’t put any pressure on Rohit. Next time you’ll get it right,” said Tendulkar. l

on themselves so that they can perform to their potential. We have made plans and if we execute them well, we can beat any side the world.”

Englishman Andy Moles, the former Warwickshire opener who coaches Afghanistan, said he was as excited as the players to be at the tournament.

“It’s very exciting to be involved with any team in the World Cup, especially with Afghanistan on their debut,” he said.

“They’ve come a long way in the last 12 to 14 years. They’re very excited.

It’s an honour. They feel a real genuine honour to be here, and they want to do well for the public at home.

“It (the World Cup) is a massive inspiration for the players. The players have worked really hard, and from my point of view now, all the work and preparation has been done.

Moles, who took over as coach last September from former Pakistani international Kabir Khan, said Bangladesh will prove to a formidable opponent.

“We respect them, but we are certainly not scared of them,” he said. “We know what our recipe for success is.

The World Cup is a magnificent opportunity. It is also a great learning curve.

“If we can stay calm and the guys enjoy the occasion, we’ll play some good cricket.” l

India probes world cricket boss over IPL broadcast fee n AFP, Mumbai India’s top financial policing agency is probing world cricket boss Narayanaswami Srinivasan and others over an alleged $69 million “facilitation fee” paid over broadcast rights for the Indian Premier League, an official said Tuesday.

The Enforcement Directorate has issued “show cause notices” to Srinivasan, disgraced former Indian Premier League (IPL) chief Lalit Modi, the country’s cricket board and foreign media companies over the fee for the 2009 tournament, the official said.

Part of the fee was allegedly illegally siphoned off to unknown individuals, sparking the probe into the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) of which both Srinivasan and Modi were senior members, according to local media reports Tuesday.

“Srinivasan, Modi and the BCCI have been issued the show cause notices,” an enforcement directorate officer told AFP on condition of anonymity.l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

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Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Csorba shines for Sky Blues n Shishir Hoque Hungarian Szabolcs Csorba netted a brace on his Abahani Limited debut as the sky blues kicked off their Federation Cup campaign with comfortable 2-0 victory over Farashganj Sporting Club at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.

Farashganj came out with a draw in mind against their stronger rivals as their defensive strategy kept Abahani at bay, but once the Dhanmondi outfit found their rhythm it was hard to stop them.

Csorba, one of the two Hungarian recruits by Abahani’s Serbian coach George Kotan, broke the deadlock at the stoppage time of the first half. He often puzzled the defenders with his movement inside the opponent’s terrain before he finally beat the onrushing Farashganj goalkeeper Sujan Chowdhury receiving a cutback from Abdul Baten Majumdar Komol.

Komol almost doubled the lead seven minutes after the breather but the woodwork denied his left-footed volley.

Csorba, however, sealed the fate of the

match by scoring his and Abahani’s second of the evening in the injury time when he smashed home from middle of the box.

Meanwhile in the day’s other match, former national forward Enamul Haque’s double strike helped last season runner-up Muktijoddha SKC outplay Uttar Baridhara 4-0 in the first match of Group B. Muktijoddha’s attacking style right from the kick off saw them dominate the full 90 minutes as the lead was taken with only seven minutes on the clock. A long Zahed Parvez cross from the right flank was chested down by Senegalese striker Camara Sarba to Enamul who slotted home from the far post.

Egyptian midfielder Fekry Zeiada’s deflected volley hit the woodwork in the added time of the opening half before Mohammad Biplob doubled the margin in the 84th minute sneaking the ball home under a baffled Baridhara custodian Raju. Enamul scored his second in the 88th minute while Anwar added another in the injury time to complete the rout. l

Hungarian forward Szabolcs Csorba (R)shoots to score Abahani Limited’s opening goal in their Federation Cup opener against Farashganj Sporting Club at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

Sylhet veterans Alok and Rajin enter NCL record book n Minhaz Uddin Khan The second day of fourth round National Cricket League yesterday was marked with two records. Sylhet veterans Alok Kapali and Rajin Saleh recorded the highest partnership at any wicket in Bangladesh’s first-class history – 347 – while Dhaka Metropolis fast bowler Mohammad Shahid scored the first century batting at No. 10 in the tournament’s history.

Khulna v Rajshahi, SBNS

Sylhet division’s Alok Kapali (L) and Rajin Saleh take a run during their record 347-run partnership against Dhaka Metro at SBNS yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

Blanc unhappy at Ibrahimovic for publicity stunt n AFP, Paris Paris Saint-Germain coach Laurent Blanc said Monday that star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic was wrong to take his shirt off to celebrate a goal as part of a United Nations anti-hunger campaign.

After scoring PSG’s opening goal in Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Caen in Ligue 1, the Swede took off his shirt to reveal his tattooed torso.

Ibrahimovic picked up a booking for the celebration, although he explained on Sunday that the removable tattoos were the names of people around the world suffering from hunger.

The campaign is being organised by the UN’s World Food Programme.l

DAY’S WATCH BTV, Gazi TV, Maasranga TV, Star Sports 1 ICC Cricket World Cup 9:30AM Bangladesh v Afghanistan 4:00AM (Thursday) Zimbabwe v UAE

Star Sports 2 10:00AM Ranji Trophy 2014/15 Andhra Pradesh v Maharashtra 7:30PM Hockey India League Delhi Waveriders v Uttar Pradesh Wizards

Ten Sports

UEFA Champions League 12:45AM Basel v Porto 3:30AM ATP World Tour 500 Rio Open Round 3 Session 2

Ten Action 12:45AM UEFA Champions League Schalke v Real Madrid

Tushar Imran’s unbeaten double century paved the way for Khulna as they pile up a mammoth 560-6 before declaring their first innings against Rajshahi.

Resuming the day on 256-5, overnight batsmen Tushar and Ziaur Rahman went on to registier individual centuries. Zia failed to reach his double ton getting out on 164 but Tushar remained unbeaten on 203. The right-handed added 140 to his overnight 63 to complete his maiden double ton when he sent pacer Shafiul

Islam for a four through deep mid-wicket. After Rony Talukdar (two), Abdul Majid and Shahriar Nafees, Tushar struck double ton and inserted his name in the 19-man list who plundered double hundreds since the inception of the firstclass cricket in Bangladesh.

Dhaka v Sylhet, Fatullah

Riding on the record partnership between Alok and Rajin, Sylhet posted 500 runs on the board before losing all wickets. The 347 runs stand was broken

by Dhaka spinner Mosharraf Hossain.

Rajin in the process scored 181 runs, his highest first-class score. On the other hand, Sylhet skipper Alok scored 175 off 339 balls to surpass his previous first-class best 173. Mosharraf led the Dhaka bowlers claiming five wickets.

In reply, Dhaka finished the day with 53-2. Opener Abdul Majid was unbeaten on 33 with Raqibul Hasan on five.

Rangpur v Barisal, BKSP 3

Rangpur declared their first innings

on 518-9 against Barisal. Naeem Islam, complimenting Liton Kumar’s 175 on the first day, faced 340 balls to score 147 runs with 20 boundaries and a six.

Sohag Gazi and Nasum Ahmed snapped up four wickets a piece for Barisal before they batted 16 overs and scored 63 runs losing two wickets.

They trail by 455 runs. Rangpur skipper Sajedul Islam and Subhashish Roy claimed one wicket each.

Dhaka Metro v Chittagong, BKSP 2

Mohammad Shahid’s quickfire century allowed Dhaka Metro take the upper hand against Chittagong as the 110ball 102 saw them posting a strong 496 before being bowled out in the first innings. Shahid’s innings included eight boundaries and seven over boundaries.

Later, the side maintained supremacy claiming five Chittagong wickets at the expense of 98 runs. Saikat Ali and Elias Sunny picked two wickets each for Metro. Tasamul Haque was unbeaten on 43 for the port city side. l

BRIEF SCORES Dhaka v Sylhet Sylhet 500 allout in 161.1 overs Rajin 181, Kapali 175; Mosharraf 5/109, Sharif 2/85, Shahadat 2/92 Dhaka 53/2 in 16 overs Dhaka trail by 447 runs Rangpur v Barisal Rangpur 518/9 dec in 163.1 overs Naeem 147, Ariful 52, Dhiman 47; Gazi 4/137, Nasum 4/144 Barisal 63/2 in 16 overs Barisal trail by 455 runs Dhaka Metro v Chittagong Dhaka Metro 496 allout in 143.2 overs Marshal 113, Shohid 102, Sharif 45; Nur 6/150, Saifuddin 2/46 Chittagong 98/5 in 37 overs Tasamul 43*; Saykat 2/21, Elias 2/23 Chittagong trail by 398 runs Khulna v Rajshahi Khulna 560/6 dec in 159 overs Tushar 203*, Ziaur 164; Saqlain 3/164, Forhad 2/93 Rajshahi 63/2 in 24 overs Rajshahi trail by 497 runs

Real expect return to top form United to face Arsenal n Reuters Holders Real Madrid do not expect another goal bonanza at Schalke 04 in Wednesday’s Champions League Round of 16 first leg after their big win last season, with midfielder Toni Kroos warning not to underestimate the Germans.

Coach Carlo Ancelotti will be hoping his normally formidable attacking trident of Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema, known collectively in Spain as ‘BBC’, return to top form in time for the trip to Germany.

The trio each scored twice in the 6-1 victory at Schalke in last term’s Round of 16 first leg but Ronaldo, in particular, has been off colour since winning a third FIFA Ballon d’Or award last month.

The Portugal captain again failed to score in Saturday’s unconvincing 2-0 win at home to promoted Deportivo La Coruna in La Liga and has managed only four goals this year.

In that time, Real have been knocked out of the King’s Cup by Atletico Madrid while a 4-0 drubbing at their city

rivals in La Liga this month cut their lead over second-placed Barcelona to a point.

“We are top of La Liga and the reigning champions in Europe,” Ancelloti said on Saturday. “It’s true that we have not been brilliant in 2015, but I hope the return of the Champions League will bring out the best in us again.”

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Schalke 04 v Real Madrid FC Basel v FC Porto Another reason for Real’s stumble has been injuries to regular centre backs Pepe and Sergio Ramos.

Pepe should be available but Ramos is not due to return for about a month and their replacements, Raphael Varane and Nacho, have looked far from convincing.

“What was important was picking up confidence, and now we have to focus on Schalke. This win (Deportivo) is really good for our morale,” Real fullback Alvaro Arbeloa said.

Improving Schalke, fourth in the Bundesliga, are desperate to make amends for last season’s drubbing and hope Dutch striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, who missed training last week with a virus, will be fit.

Coach Robert Di Matteo will need to see whether keeper Fabian Giefer recovers from injury in time or else hand 19-year-old Timon Wellenreuther his Champions League debut.

Meanwhile, Basel’s Champions League tie against Porto on Wednesday pits two clubs who have mastered the art of nurturing the talent of little-known footballers and selling them on to Europe’s top teams.

Unable to compete with the financial power of the biggest clubs, both have instead been happy to accept a role as stepping-stones for players hoping to make their way to one of the leading five leagues.

Both have been highly successful at what they do and have managed to remain competitive despite allowing a succession of top footballers to walk through the exit door.l

in FA Cup quarter-finals n Reuters, London Joint record FA Cup winners Manchester United and Arsenal will meet in the quarter-finals of this season’s competition following the draw on Monday.

United beat League One Preston North End 3-1 to set up the last-eight clash with holders Arsenal who beat them in the 1979 and 2005 finals. Both clubs have won the famous trophy 11 times.

Giant-killers Bradford City of League One, who caused one of the biggest ever FA Cup upsets by beating Chelsea in the fourth round before seeing off Premier League Sunderland in the fifth, got the home tie their manager Phil Parkinson wished for.

The third-tier side will face Reading, struggling in 16th place in the Championship (second tier) and have a good chance of reaching the last four for the first time since 1911 when they won their only FA Cup. The draw was also kind to Liverpool, who were paired with mid-table Cham-

RESULT

Preston

1-3

Laird 47

Man United

Herrera 65, Fellaini 72, Rooney 88-P

FIXTURES Liverpool Bradford (III) Man United Aston Villa

v v v v

Blackburn (II) Reading (II) Arsenal West Brom

pionship side Blackburn Rovers.

England manager Roy Hodgson, who helped make the draw and has managed both clubs, did Liverpool the bigger favour.

Brendan Rodgers’s side are in a rich vein of form after a sluggish start to the season and will be favourites to reach the semi-finals for the first time since they lost the 2012 final to Chelsea.

However, Blackburn have beaten Premier League Swansea City and Stoke City in the last two rounds after coming from behind in both matches.l

‘Too many blacks’ in under-20 ranks: Sacchi

Fatullah Pilot High School win big n Raihan Mahmood

n Reuters, Milan

Fatullah Pilot High School registered the biggest victory on the opening day of the First Security lslami Bank Dhaka zonal qualifiers beating Barnamala Pathshala 12-0 at the Maulana Bhashani National Hockey Stadium yesterday.

In the other matches of the day, Zinjira PM Pilot High School beat Motijheel Govt. boy’s High School by 7-0 goals, Joy Gobinda High School and Rahmatullah Model High School played a 1-1 draw and Nahar Academy beat Poisha High School by 3-0 goals.

Syed Wasek M Ali, the managing director of First Security Islami Bank inaugurated the meet as the chief guest.

A total of 21 schools are participating in the event and among them six will qualify for the final round. l

Arrigo Sacchi has been widely quoted as saying there are “too many coloured players” in Italian youth teams but the former Italy and AC Milan coach said he was not being racist when he made the comment.

“Italy has no dignity or pride, it can’t be right to see teams with 15 foreigners,” Italian media quoted the 68-yearold as saying during an awards ceremony in Montecatini Terme.

Sacchi, whose memorable AC Milan side included Ruud Gullit and Frank Rijkaard, Dutch players of Surinamese heritage, said his observation was based on the annual Viareggio international youth tournament, held annual-

ly in Tuscany.

“I’m certainly not racist and my coaching history shows that, starting from (Frank) Rijkaard, but watching the Viareggio tournament brings me to say that there are too many coloured players, also in the youth teams,” he said.

Sacchi later told Gazzetta dello Sport: “I only wanted to underline that we are losing our national pride and identity.

“I’ve been misinterpreted, can you imagine that I’m really racist? All I said was I saw a game featuring a team who fielded four coloured players,” he added.

“My history speaks for itself, I’ve always coached teams with great players from every colour and I’ve brought in a lot, whether to Milan or (Real) Madrid.”l

An action from the opening day of the First Security lslami Bank Dhaka zonal qualifiers at the Maulana Bhashani National Hockey Stadium yesterday COURTESY

14

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

NZvSCO R

B

Scotland Coetzer c Elliott b Southee MacLeod lbw b Boult Gardiner lbw b Boult Machan c McCullum b Anderson Mommsen lbw b Southee Berrington c Milne b Anderson Cross c Ronchi b Anderson Davey not out Taylor st Ronchi b Vettori Haq c Taylor b Vettori Wardlaw lbw b Vettori Extras: (b 1, w 5)

1 10 0 1 0 1 56 79 0 1 50 80 14 18 11 19 4 6 0 2 0 1 6

Total: (all out; 36.2 overs)

142

Fall of wickets 1-1 (MacLeod), 2-1 (Gardiner), 3-12 (Coetzer), 4-12 (Mommsen), 5-109 (Machan), 6-117 (Berrington), 7-129 (Cross), 8-136 (Taylor), 9-142 (Haq), 10-142 (Wardlaw) Bowling Southee 8-3-35-2, Boult 6-1-21-2, Milne 7-0-32-0, Vettori 8.2-1-24-3, Elliott 2-0-11-0, Anderson 5-1-18-3 New Zealand Guptill c Cross b Wardlaw McCullum c Cross b Wardlaw Williamson c Cross b Davey Taylor c Taylor b Haq Elliott c Cross b Wardlaw Anderson c Wardlaw b Davey Ronchi c Gardiner b Davey Vettori not out Milne not out Extras: (lb 1, w 5)

R

B

17 15 38 9 29 11 12 8 1 6

14 12 45 14 31 16 10 4 3

Total: (7 wickets; 24.5 overs)

146

Fall of wickets 1-18 (Guptill), 2-48 (McCullum), 3-66 (Taylor), 4-106 (Williamson), 5-117 (Elliott), 6-133 (Anderson), 7-137 (Ronchi)

New Zealand spinner Daniel Vettori (R) appeals successfully for an LBW decision against Scotland batsman Iain Wardlaw during their 2015 Cricket World Cup match in Dunedin yesterday

AFP

Bowling Wardlaw 9.5-0-57-3, Taylor 4-0-27-0, Davey 7-0-40-3, Haq 4-0-21-1 Results: New Zealand won by 3 wickets Man of the Match: Trent Boult

demands Shaky Kiwis down brave Scotland McCullum improvement n AFP, Dunedin

a 97-run fifth-wicket partnership in a Scottish innings that featured five ducks -- four of them golden.

Corey Anderson and Dan Vettori took three wickets apiece as Scotland folded after 36.2 overs, with Trent Boult and Tim Southee coming close to snatching hat-tricks.

New Zealand made hard work of chasing 143 on pitch were they scored 360 against Sri Lanka last month, with Iain Wardlaw and Josh Davey both taking three wickets for Scotland.

The win was not pretty but man-ofthe-match Boult said New Zealand “got the job done”.

McCullum (15), Martin Guptill (17) and Ross Taylor (9) all went cheaply, leaving New Zealand 66 for three early in the innings.

Kane Williamson made a good start and reached 38 before he too suffered a

New Zealand limped to a three-wicket win over Scotland on Tuesday, maintaining World Cup momentum only after the minnows gave the cohosts’ much-vaunted batting line-up a bloody nose.

New Zealand skittled Scotland out for 142 after putting them into bat, effectively ensuring there would be no repeat of Monday’s match when Ireland, another non-Test nation, downed the West Indies.

While the Black Caps overhauled their target in 24.5 overs, they could have been in trouble if set a stiffer chase after a strong effort with the ball saw Scotland take seven wickets.

A rash of New Zealand batsmen threw away their wickets chasing glory with wild shots, showing none of the controlled aggression that has made them one of the tournament favourites.

Captain Brendon McCullum said they could not afford to be so wasteful in Wellington on Friday, when they face an England side desperate to bounce back from a 111-run loss to Australia.

The Black Caps fielded an unchanged line-up from their 98-run win over Sri Lanka, determined not to drop their standards against unfancied opposition.

They appeared set for a crushing win in perfect conditions at Dunedin’s University Oval, claiming early wickets to leave Scotland reeling at 12 for four.

Matt Machan (56) and Richie Berrington (50) were the standouts with

England ‘over’ Australia loss: Ali n AFP, Wellington

Scotland show Associates are at World Cup to play

Moeen Ali insisted Tuesday that England were “over” a crushing defeat by title-favourites Australia in their opening match of the World Cup. England were thumped by 111 runs in Melbourne on Saturday in a game where little went right for them from the moment they dropped Australia century-maker Aaron Finch off the fifth ball of the match.

“Obviously we were disappointed after the result, but we are over it now,” said England opener Ali, whose side now face another stiff Pool A challenge when they face New Zealand, the other host nation, in Wellington on Friday.

“We know we have to move on. The next game is very, very important for us,” said Ali. “Individually, everybody has done their own little bit. We have had a couple of days off and then we analyse it together and go from there.”

Ali said there was still plenty of time for England to recover and book their place in the quarter-finals.l

n Reuters Scotland’s bowling performance against New Zealand on Tuesday sent another warning to the major cricketing nations that the Associate members were not at the World Cup to make up the numbers.

A day after Ireland stunned the West Indies to chase down the Caribbean total of 304-7 in Nelson, Scotland had a sniff of a massive upset at University Oval in Dunedin when they reduced the World Cup co-hosts to 137 for seven, chasing 143 for a win.

With only Iain Wardlaw truly threatening of pace and Majid Haq a more than capable off-spinner, New Zealand were expected to canter to victory.

Too often, their batsmen went for risky shots as they attempted to increase the team’s net run rate and Mommsen said that had influenced the way they approached the run chase.

New Zealand had put Scotland on the back foot after Tim Southee and Trent

Boult had produced an outstanding spell of swing bowling and reduced them to 12 for four in the fifth over, though Mommsen took that as a positive.

I think from a batting point of view, it’s good we’ve been exposed to that sort of skill this early in the tournament,” Mommsen said.

“So it’s a massive learning day for us, especially for the top six. Hopefully we can use that to our strength as we look to improve as this tournament goes on.”

Mommsen added that Ireland’s victory over West Indies on Monday had crossed his mind and with their own recent victory over their Celtic neighbours, they would approach the rest of the tournament with a bit more confidence.

“I don’t feel we have anything to prove here,” he said.

“At the same time we realize the importance of showing in a good performance for Associate cricket and hopefully the performance we put on today it gets people talking and shows people that Associates belong at World Cups.”l

rush of blood to the head.

Luke Ronchi, who scored an unbeaten 170 against Sri Lanka at the venue last month, managed just 12 before he was dismissed trying to cart Davey out of the ground.

Scotland skipper Preston Mommsen, who was among those dismissed without scoring, said the poor start derailed his side’s chance of an upset win.

“Matt and Richie batted well and showed what they are capable of, but we couldn’t go on from there and were below par,” he said. “Unfortunately we couldn’t get the final three wickets, but I’m very proud of the performance.”

The loss leaves Scotland still searching for a World Cup win in their third appearance at the tournament. Their next match is against England in Christchurch on Monday. l

Cricket has always been a sport that has rewarded patience, even in the soupedup version of the one-day game, but few players at the World Cup have had to wait longer for their big break than the evergreen United Arab Emirates batsman Khurram Khan.

At 43, he and UAE captain Mohammad Tauqir are the oldest players in the tournament.

Opportunities are few and far between and only the most determined and dedicated survive. Khurram, who works as a flight purser for Emirates airlines, has often flirted with the idea of retiring but the lure of playing at the

World Cup proved irresistible.

There were no guarantees the UAE would qualify this time. The only previous time the UAE had appeared at the World Cup was almost two decades ago in 1996, but Khurram rolled the dice and pushed on, keeping himself fit by doing push-ups on long-haul flights when he wasn’t attending to passengers.

Born in Pakistan, he moved to UAE in 1999 and made his ODI debut for his adopted country in 2004. By the start of 2014, he’d only played four fully recognised ODI matches, such are the limited chances for countries with associate status. Khurram was the leading runscorer at the World Cup qualifying tournament in New Zealand, piling up

New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum insisted his team have batting improvements to make ahead of their next World Cup duel against England after labouring to a three-wicket win over Scotland on Tuesday.

The Black Caps reached their 143run target with more than half their overs left but lost seven wickets in the process against a team who were the 14th and last country to qualify for the World Cup. New Zealand’s late struggles at Dunedin’s University Oval were in stark contrast to the start of the Pool A match when Scotland were reduced to 12 for four, with seamers Trent Boult and Tim Southee taking two wickets each.

“It was a really good performance

with the ball -- with the bat, we showed glimpses but we have to improve,” said McCullum, whose side face England in Wellington on Friday.

“England will be a challenge they’re hurting (after losing by 111 runs to Australia), they’ll be tough to beat and we’ll have to play incredibly well.”

McCullum praised Scotland who posted a relatively decent total of 142 after their early slump, with Matt Machan (56) and Richie Berrington (50) putting on 97 for the fifth wicket.

“All credit to Scotland for the way they hung in there. But we’ve seen how effective Trent Boult and Tim Southee can be and they were outstanding,” he said.

Scotland skipper Preston Mommsen, one of five batsmen to be dismissed for nought, said his team never really recovered from their top-order slump.l

Two pipers play the bagpipes as New Zealand play Scotland during their 2015 Cricket World Cup match in Dunedin yesterday

The long haul finally pays off for Khurram n Reuters

n AFP, Dunedin

581 runs at an average of 72.62.

Then in November, he became the oldest player to score a ODI hundred, making an unbeaten 132 against Afghanistan, and moving to the top of a distinguished list of oldest centurions that includes Sanath Jayasuriya, Geoff Boycott and Sachin Tendulkar.

Despite having captained UAE for the last decade, the Emirates Cricket Board wanted a locally-born player to skipper the side at the World Cup, so demoted to Khurram to vice-captain and gave Tauqir the top job.

Unfazed, Khurram said he was just happy to have realised his lifelong dream by getting the chance to compete at cricket’s greatest spectacle.l

AFP

Clarke return has team’s ‘full support’: Johnson n Reuters The return of regular Australia captain Michael Clarke for the second World Cup match against Bangladesh has the team’s “full support” even if it will be tough to change a winning side, fast bowler Mitchell Johnson said on Tuesday.

On the comeback from hamstring surgery, Clarke is expected to pad up for Saturday’s match in Brisbane, meeting the deadline to prove his fitness or sit out the World Cup entirely.

Clarke’s return is likely to mean

stand-in skipper George Bailey is tipped from the side after leading them to a 111-run demolition of England in the opener in Melbourne and scoring a useful half-century.

“I love the captaincy that he (Clarke) brings,” Johnson told reporters.

“He has got so much experience and George does as well. But Michael Clarke has been the captain for a number of years now. I know he has the boys’ full support.”

Coach Lehmann said Clarke needed to do more tests this week, particularly in the field, to prove himself ready.l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Entertainment

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

SHUNNO’s inspiration for all cricket lovers

WHAT TO WATCH TELEVISION

n Shadma Malik

PORIMONI’s long wait to end n Entertainment Desk Dhallywood actor Porimoni is set to debut on silver screen with “Bhalobasha Seemahin,” which is scheduled to be released on February 27.

Directed by Shah Alam Mukul, the romantic drama also features Anisur Rahman Milon and Zayed Khan is lead roles.

The aspiring actor, who started her career with modelling, was expected to make her film debut 2013 title “Rana Plaza,” which did not get

Exhibition

Taste of Light and Darkness Time: 6pm – 9pm Alliance Française de Dhaka Road 3, Dhanmondi Light, Dark, Space

By MD Tokon Time: 12pm – 8pm Bengal Art Lounge, 60 Avenue Gulshan 1

the censor board’s nod.

Excited about her film debut, Porimoni said: “My long wait has come to an end at last. I cannot describe in words how thrilled I am right now.”

The film received the censor board’s approval on January 13.

“In the film, I play the role of a troubled girl who gets married to a man despite being in love with another,” Porimoni said about her debut role.

The film has six songs; Ali Akram Shuvo has directed the film’s music. l

The Paradoxical Now Time: 12pm – 8pm Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts Road 16, Dhanmondi

Film

Nanan Bhashar Nanan Chhobi - ‘Kuma the Second Wife’ Time: 6pm – 9pm International Digital Cultural Archive, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Shegunbagicha

LADY GAGA and Taylor Kinney are engaged

Popular pop-rock band Shunno’s inspirational song “Cholo Bangladesh” has created much hype among the cricket fans in the country as Bangladesh participates in the ICC World Cup this year.

This is the second track the band has released for the biggest event of cricket, the first being “Shoto Asha,” released in 2011.

Talking to the Dhaka Tribune, Shunno’s vocalist Imrul Karim Emil said: “Cricket is big in Bangladesh. Through this game, we can dream; Bangladesh is in a good position in cricket.

“Shunno loves cricket; we play the game and sing for it. Our players are working very hard. We also have a role to play – by inspiring them and boosting their confidence with our support.”

Asked about the song’s music video, he said: “It represents the pop culture and the song is an electronic rock music, which is our genre. The idea came from watching different international videos, and the song demanded the concept as well. The

LONDON BOULEVARD HBO Hits, 10:25pm Cast: Colin Farrell, Keira Knightley A man newly released from prison falls in love with a reclusive young movie star and finds himself in a duel with a vicious gangster.

video shows that Bangladesh has won the World Cup and now the fans are having an after-party.”

The song was released for online platforms such as YouTube and Face-

n Mosabber Rahman

Russian composer Tchaikovsky also committed suicide by slowly poisoning himself for the same reason (but few knew about it until recently as he had staged it as death-by-cholera).

But “The Imitation Game” is more

n Entertainment Desk While makeup artists and stylists are usually there to make stars look their best, sometimes roles call for their worst.

Taylor Swift in ‘Ew’

Swift showed off her geeky side in a skit for the “Tonight Show” with Jimmy Fallon (C). She transformed into Natalie with a band aid collection.

Emma Stone was just one of the many stars to perform on “Saturday Night Live’s” 40-year special. “The Help” star donned a frizzy black wig to play the late Gilda Radner’s famous “SNL” character Roseanne Roseannadanna.

Anne Hathaway

Before Anne’s “The Princess Diaries” character underwent a royal makeover, she was frizzy to a fault.

But the not-so-glamorous role still put her on the map.

Natalie Dormer

Natalie Dormer shaved half of her head to play “Hunger Games” character Cressida. But, audience prefers Dormer’s long locks and beautiful gowns of her “Game of Thrones” character Margaery Tyrell.

Former actress Twinkle Khanna wrote an article on censorship, particularly about the ongoing controversy about the comedy show “AIB.” She expressed her views on the matter in Times of India. In the article, Twinkle defended “AIB” and spoke about issues that should be a cause of concern- rather than jokes on a TV show.

Twinkle wrote for the column, “Shouldn’t we save

our strength to protest against things that really matter - like gangs of men still killing and raping women as they did again in Rohtak; that we spend $38.35 billion on warfare but are slashing our health care budget by 20% despite being a country whose public spending on health is already among the lowest in the world; that a bunch of us have been called ‘haramzade’ on a political platform from a member of the party that governs us and not from a standup comedian but no FIR is filed against the politician but is filed against the

WAR HORSE Star Movies, 6:30pm Cast: Jeremy Irvine, Emily Watson Young Albert enlists to serve in World War I after his beloved horse is sold to the cavalry.

THE GUILT TRIP

HBO Defined, 6:55pm Cast: Barbra Streisand, Seth Rogen As inventor Andy Brewster is about to embark on the road trip of a lifetime, a quick stop at his mom’s house turns into an unexpected cross-country voyage with her along for the ride.

THEATRE PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR 3D I ZERO DEGREE I ROMEO V/S JULIET I SEVENTH SON 3D I JESSABELLE @ Star Cineplex SEVENTH SON 3D I ROMEO V/S JULIET I EXODUS 3D I INTERSTELLAR I NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB I THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES I THE PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR 3D I ZERO DEGREE @ Blockbuster Cinemas

HBO may kill off GAME OF THRONES book characters n Entertainment Desk

Emma Stone

Cameron Diaz in Annie

Blonde beauty Cameron Diaz looked harsh for her role as Ms Hannigan in the “Annie” remake.

TWINKLE KHANNA backs AIB Roast n Entertainment Desk

of a war-thriller than a biopic and focuses on the way the secret Nazi code was cracked. And the best scenes are the ones where the tactless Turing is trying to brainstorm with his team.

Kiera Knightly shines in the film as the only woman code-breaker. The film reminded me of “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” (2011), another excellent British spy-thriller where Cumberbatch also appeared as part of a brilliant ensemble.

Alexandre Desplat’s soundtrack made it to my playlist, for the last two months I’ve only been listening to Hans Zimmer’s “Interstellar” (2014). I just loved the piano track in the opening credit as we hear Turing in the background: “Are you paying attention? Because I will not repeat this.”

This is how you hook the audience.

The film got eight Oscar nominations, including Best Actor for Cumberbatch. Both Tom Hanks, “Philadelphia” (1993), and Sean Penn, “Milk” (2008), had won Oscars for depicting homosexuals. l

Pretty stars who go gritty on film

n Entertainment Desk Mother Monster has some exciting news to share: She’s engaged!

“He gave me his heart on Valentine’s Day, and I said YES!” Lady Gaga wrote on Instagram Monday while showing off a photo of her heart-shaped ring longtime boyfriend Taylor Kinney presented to her while popping the question.

Shortly after the proposal, the betrothed duo were reportedly spotted inside her family’s Manhattan restaurant.

Gaga, 28, and Kinney, 33, have been dating for about four years, and the boundary-pushing singer has hinted at an engagement in recent months.

“I really can’t imagine being with anyone other than who I’m with right now,” she told Howard Stern in December while dodging questions about a possible engagement.

“He is the right guy,” she also said, and added that they bond over their mutually creative work. “I have that feeling. I just know it.” l

book.

The present line-up of Shunno is: Emil (vocals), Shaker Raza (guitar), Michael Gomes (bass) and Rafatul Bari Labib (drums). l

THE IMITATION GAME: Genius within and naïve without Let me just say that Benedict Cumberbatch is just outstanding as Alan Turing! Just as Andy Serkis has become the new face of screen-monster, Cumberbatch has become the new face of screen-genius. Moreover, this year he will also be portraying on stage the genius of all geniuses – Hamlet.

Alan Turing might be the sole reason the Allies (later called United Nations) were able to defeat the Nazis during WWII and yet it was classified information for 50 years. Turing was also among the pioneers who helped create the computer.

People who enjoyed “A Beautiful Mind” (2001) will also like this story of the troubled genius. But unlike John Nash, Turing was never recognised as a genius in his lifetime and ultimately had a very sad life story.

I did not know that Turing was sentenced for his homosexuality and ultimately committed suicide. The

15

AIB comedians instead.”

Following this, Twinkle gathered praise from several celebrities. Priyanka Chopra tweeted, “Such imperative questions! Well done!” Sonakshi Sinha was another one to support Twinkle. “STANDING OVATION”- the “Dabangg” actress tweeted.

“AIB” has been surrounded by controversies the day it hit Youtube. It has been criticised mostly by politicians- especially the Maharashtra government for allegedly using “filthy and abusive language.” l

Bad news for “Game of Thrones” fans who are sticklers to the books: the series’ author says characters who live on the page are going to die on the screen.

“A Song of Ice and Fire” series author George RR Martin revealed the news at the Writers Guild West Awards on Saturday, Showbiz411 reports. “Everybody better be on their toes,” Martin said, adding that the creators of the HBO show, David Benioff and DB Weiss “are even bloodier than I am.”

The popular show returns with a fifth season on April 12, and the network has already commissioned a sixth season. Martin is working on the penultimate book now, “The Winds Of Winter,” and will then finish the series with a novel entitled “The Dream of Spring.”

Considering that those two books will tally up to about 3,000 pages, it could be years before fans have a final death tally between the books and the show. l

16

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Back Page

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Ecnec okays project for 2 lakh prepaid gas meters in Dhaka Another project for stipend to 4.24 million poor schoolgoers approved n Tribune Report The government will install 200,000 prepaid gas meters for home users in 12 areas of Dhaka with an aim to reducing wastage of the scarce natural resource.

The areas are Badda, Gulshan, Tejgaon, Cantonment, Mirpur, Kafrul, Khilkhet, Uttar Khan, Dakkhin Khan, Uttara, Purbachal and Jhilmeel.

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) approved the Tk719 crore project titled “Installation of Prepaid Gas Meter for TGTDCL” at a meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair at the NEC conference room yesterday.

‘45MW power can be generated from the gas saved once entire Dhaka gets prepaid meters’ On January 11, 2012, some 4,500 household prepaid gas meters were installed in Mohammadpur and Lalmatia areas under a pilot project run with financial assistance from th.e Asian Development Bank (ADB).

After the Ecenec meeting, Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal told reporters that about 2.4 million more consumers in the capital would gradually be brought under the prepaid metering system. “This is expected to reduce system loss by minimising misuse.”

Of the total project cost, the government will provide Tk237 crore, Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) Tk45 crore and the rest will come from public agencies.

State-owned natural gas distribution and transmission company Titas will implement the project by 2018.

“Around 45 megawatt of power can be generated from the gas that will be saved once the entire capital city comes under the system,” the planning minister said.

The Ecnect yesterday approved five other development projects.

Under the Tk791 crore “Secondary Education Stipend Project (2nd phase),” the government will give stipend to 4.244 million poor students, aimed to prevent drop-out and child marriage. Thirty percent female and 10% male students in every grade will be given the stipend.

Sixth and seventh graders will get Tk100 per month, eighth graders Tk120 and ninth and tenth graders Tk150. In addition, sixth to eighth graders will get Tk15 per month for paying tuition fees and ninth and tenth graders Tk20.

Those appearing in the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) exams will get a bulk stipend of Tk750.

The Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education is entrusted to implement the project by June 2017 covering some 217 upazilas in 53 districts.

Planning Minister Kamal said for availing the stipend, students will have to obtain at least 33% marks in all annual exam papers at grade six and seven, 40% in grade eight and nine and maintain a minimum class attendance of 75% all through.

Students, whose guardians own less than seven decimal land and have less than Tk50,000 annual income, will be eligible for the facility.

The planning minister said the project will continue until 100% enrollment is achieved at the secondary level. l

Writers, publishers, and readers yesterday stage a demonstration at Dhaka University’s TSC, demanding immediate reopening of the stall of Rodela Prokashani at the Ekushey Boi Mela that was shut down on Monday for selling a title that allegedly hurt religious sentiments RAJIB DHAR

Publishers, writers protest Fewer translations at fair shutting down of Rodela stall n Nure Alam Durjoy

n Nure Alam Durjoy A number of writers, publishers, and readers staged a protest rally in the capital yesterday demanding immediate reopening of Rodela Prokashani’s stall at Amar Ekushey Boi Mela 2015, shut down by the book fair authorities on Monday.

Speaking at the protest rally in front of the fair entrance at TSC in Dhaka University, they said the step was a blow on the freedom of speech and expression, and the country’s progressive and free thinkers would not accept it.

The book fair authorities shut down the stall of Rodela Prokashani for selling and displaying the book “Nabi Muhammder 23 Bachhar,” the Bangla translation of “Twenty-Three Years: A Study of Prophetic Career of Muhammad” by famous Iranian writer Ali Dashti, published in 1985.

The fair committee’s Member Secretary Dr Jalal Ahmed said the stall was closed following the fair guideline, which stated that books with contents that could hurt religious sen-

timents are not allowed to be showcased and sold at the fair.

“This step by the Bangla Academy is a clear threat to the practice of free thinking,” said young writer Parvez Alam.

Robin Ahsan, owner of Srabon Prakashoni, said: “The stall was closed on Hefazat-e-Islam’s demand.

Where was the concern for religious sentiment when they set fire to copies of the Holy Qur’an at Baitul Mukarram in 2013?”

Meanwhile, Hefazat activists allegedly shut down Rodela Prokashoni’s office in the capital’s Banglabazar area.

Zubair Hossain, employee at Rodela Prokashoni, told the Dhaka Tribune: “They came here, shouting slogans against us, and locked up our storage. They even threatened us when we were at the book fair.”

Zubair further said Rodela owner Riaz Chowdhury issued a statement on Monday night, saying the book had been withdrawn and apologising if it hurt anyone’s religious sentiments. l

AMAR EKUSHEY BOOK FAIR 2015

While a good number of new arrivals have hit this year’s fair, there are far fewer translations than in the two previ-

ous fairs.

Visitors tend to look for translations of classic literary works, as well as current ones, but publishers haven’t fulfilled their need.

Visitors said, if classic literary works are not translated en masse, they feel deprived of reading and understanding the works in their own language, which they can understand.

The number of translations available is seven, thus far, according to data provided by Bangla Academy.

New arrivals now number at 2,218, with 120 arriving yesterday. There were 14 translations in 2014 and 19 in 2013 on the same day.

But the number of translations according to the academy differs from what Dhaka Tribune has learned, that 20 new translations have been availa-

ble these past 17 days.

No matter what the number is, sales have been higher for some publication houses, namely, Pathak Shamabesh, Journey Man Books, and Sahitya Prakash have sold the most translations, according to their respective attendants.

Pathak Shamabesh offers at least seven translations.

Pronoy Das, a Pathak Shamabesh attendant, said: “Sales of translations are satisfactory. The translation of Homer’s “Illiad” has attracted most readers, and is the highest-seller, at more than 200 copies.”

Sahitya Prakash offers “Poems of Tobias Biacone” by Shafi Ahmed, “Bay of Bengal (Memories) of Hamdi Bay” by Minakkhi Dutt and “Climate Variability” by Dara Shamsuddin.

Bangla Prakash offers James Joyce’s “A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man,”, translated by Sarkar Ali Manjur.

Fahim Ahmed, a Journey Man Books attendant, said the sale of translations is decent. They offer translations of “Niler Biswayon” by Pier Paul Darac and Velum Van Sendel. l

Two killed, one injured in ‘gunfights’ with lawmen Hartal extended by 48 hours n Tribune Report

At least two men have been killed and another injured in separate incidents of alleged gunfights between law enforcers and miscreants in Gaibandha, Jhenaidah and Satkhira.

Our correspondent in Gaibandha reports that a Shibir activist was shot and killed during what the local RAB claimed as a gunfight in the early hours of the day near Burirghar in Palashbari upazila.

The deceased was Mostafa Manzil, 32, who local police confirmed as an active Shibir member.

Ashraf Hossain Siddique, assistant director of RAB-13 Gaibandha camp, said a patrolling team of RAB was attacked with crude bombs on the Gaib-

andha-Palashbari Road at around 5am yesterday. A group of miscreants also opened fire at the RAB team, and the ensuing gunfight left Mostafa dead.

Gaibandha police station OC Raziur Rahman said Mostafa was the primary accused in the case filed in connection with the recent arson attack on a bus that killed eight and injured 23 others in Gaibandha’s Tulsighat.

In Jhenaidah, 40-year-old Rafik Uddin alias Choto Tarek – who the RAB claimed was a regional leader of the Purba Banglar Communist Party (PBCP-Janajuddah) – was killed in an alleged gunfight in the sadar upazila.

Squadron Leader of Jhenaidah RAB 6, Foysal Ahmed, said a RAB team carried out a raid in the early hours of yes-

terday following a tip-off that a PBCP group was holding a meeting near the Chutlia intersection. A gunfight ensued when the PBCP men sensed the presence of law enforcers.

After the exchange of bullets, the body of Rafik – who was reportedly an accused in eight cases including four for murder – was found at the scene.

However, the victim’s mother Nabirun Nessa told our Jhenaidah correspondent that her son was earlier picked up by RAB men and was later gunned down. Her claims were also corroborated by two other locals -Sujan Hossain and Sarwar Hossain - who said Rafik was chatting with them beside the Dhaka-Khulna Highway at around 11am on Monday when a RAB van picked up Rafik.

Local Awami League sources however claimed that Rafik was the vice-president of the Mahrajpur union union’s Juba League unit.

Elsewhere in Satkhira, an alleged robber - Shahidul Islam, 32 - was injured in a gunfight between his cohorts and police in Ramchandra area early yesterday.

Police said acting on a tip-off, a police team raided a gang of robbers at around 2:30am. Sensing the presence of law enforcers, the robbers hurled two crude bombs and opened fire on them, triggering a gunfight that left Shahidul injured.

Shahidul’s father Akbar Ali however claimed that the police had arrested Shahidul from the Judge Court area earlier on Monday and later shot him at night. l

n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

BNP-led 20-party alliance has extended its ongoing 72-hour hartal by 48 more hours.

Salahuddin Ahmed, joint secretary general of BNP yesterday in a press release announced that the countrywide general strike would now continue until 6am on Friday.

The alliance is observing the strike protesting what it said killings, mass arrests and torture on party activists.

Salahuddin, on behalf of party Chairperson Khaleda Zia, called upon the party leaders and activists to enforce the hartal peacefully.

The hartal is going on alongside the BNP alliance’s nonstop countrywide

transport blockade.

Earlier, the opposition alliance on Friday called a fresh 72-hour nationwide hartal from 6am on Sunday protesting what it said government’s repressive acts and growing incidents of extrajudicial killings’.

The hartal is also meant for registering the 20-party’s protest against mass arrest of opposition men and common people, interference in the judiciary, control over the media and torture on journalists and the plot to kill Khaleda Zia by stopping food supply to her office - where she has been staying - since February 15.

Since February 1 the country has witnessed nationwide strikes along with blockade except for Friday and Saturday. l

Today’s SSC exams postponed to February 27 n Our Correspondent, Sylhet Today’s SSC and equivalent examinations have been postponed to February 27 due to the extended hartal announced by the BNP-led 20-party alliance.

The rescheduled exams will begin at 9am and continue until 12 noon on the day. All other exams will be held as scheduled, said Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid at an emergency press conference yesterday at the Sylhet circuit house.

The exams that were scheduled for today are physics, history, Bangladesh’s history and world civilisations, finance and banking, and introduction to business.

On the matter of postponement of exams the education minister said: “The security of the lives of students is just as important as educational examinations. We cannot risk their lives in the prevailing situation. That is why we are having to postpone

exams again and again.

“BNP-Jamaat is causing a lack of self-esteem among the new generation with continuous hartals and blockades. We will have to pay the price for this over next 50 years.”

“We requested them [the BNP alliance] to withhold their movement for two hours before and after the exams each day and let us carry out the exams without incident. Not only did they not allow that, one of their leaders asked what the point of exams was!”

Nahid added that: “Because of their movement, the whole education sector is in jeopardy.

They are taking the country towards destruction. People have never before seen the cruelty the BNP alliance has shown with petrol bombs.”

The education minister said: “I still hope they will realise the inhumanity of their actions and not keep the students from getting a proper education.” l

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B3 Abe hopes BOJ keeps stimulus to meet inflation goal

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sustainable course after price rally

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2015 www.dhakatribune.com/business

Insurance firms flout rules in appointing CEOs The regulator asks strict adherence to appointment and removal rules panies before getting IDRA approval. n Jebun Nesa Alo According to the circular, the board of A section of insurance companies are appointing their respective Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) grossly violating the existing recruitment rules.

Insurance Development and Regulatory Authority (IDRA) has recently detected some irregularities in the appointment of the CEOs in insurance sector.

The country’s most of the insurance companies were found in a tendency to appoint managing directors even before getting approval from IDRA. Against such a backdrop, the insurance regulatory body (IDRA) has asked all insurance companies to strictly comply with the existing CEO appointment and removal rules.

The authority in a circular issued yesterday said: “Anybody cannot receive salaries and allowances as CEOs before getting formal approval or renewal by IDRA.” Any person is not allowed to serve the insurance company as CEO or receive salaries and allowances before getting approval from Insurance Development and Regulatory Authority (IDRA), according to the insurance act 2010.

The circular also instructed the insurance companies to use the CEO designation, instead of Managing Director, as the authority gives approval to the CEO position only.

The instruction came up following complications raised due to the refusal of some appointments of the CEOs, who already got salaries from the com-

directors of most of the companies had appointed the CEOs immediately after a decision to fill up the position. As a result, the high ranking officers start doing their jobs and getting salaries even before getting approval from IDRA. But complications emerge when the CEOs fail to get NOC (no objection certificate) from the regulatory body due to non-compliance with the requirements. Under these circumstances, a company has to ask the appointed employee to give back the money earlier given as salary, said the circular.

Progressive Life Insurance suffered such complications as the IDRA recently rejected appointment of the company CEO. The company appointed Abul Bashar Akond as CEO in October last year without getting any prior approval from IDRA. Abul Bashar Akond, who had earlier served the NRB Global Insurance, holding the same position, failed to submit the required documents to the authority.

As a result, IDRA rejected his appointment in December last year. In this perspective, the company asked the CEO to pay back the money that he received as salaries and allowances within three months.

IDRA also decided to cancel the re-appointment of Sunflower Life Insurance CEO Zakir Hosain and Fareast Islami Life Insurance CEO Hemayet Ullah for not following the proper procedures in appointing them as CEOs. l

Garment workers seen busy making clothes at a Dhaka factory

DHAKA TRIBUNE

EU team favours doing more for RMG workers’ rights n Ibrahim Hossain Ovi A visiting delegation of the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights has urged local RMG manufacturers to do more for ensuring workers rights and to continue progress in reaching at a sustainable level.

The team made the call at a meeting with the leaders of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), International Labour Organisaion (ILO) and representatives from Bangladesh Labour Institute of Labour Studies (BILS) held at EU mission office in Dhaka yesterday.

“Lots of things are yet to do to ensure labor rights in the RMG sector,” BGMEA President Shahidullah Azim told the

Dhaka Tribune, quoting Cristian Dan Preda, team leader and vice president of the human rights sub-committee of the EU parliament.

They expressed satisfaction over the changes in mind set of the factory owners on safety and workers’ rights issues, Azim said.

“We urged the team to ensure ethical buying from the EU buyers as the production cost scaled up sharply due to the implementation of new wages and implementation of corrective action plan by the Accord and Alliance,” said Azim.

He said the team wanted to know about the RMG progress, inspection update and labour rights status in the apparel industry. They also wanted to

Peninsula to build five-star hotel n FM Mizanur Rahaman, Chittagong

Peninsula Chittagong, a luxury hotel in the port city, will construct a five-star hotel near the Shah Amanat International Airport.

It will cost an estimated Tk170 crore as the construction works are expected to begin from December this year, said Managing Director of the Peninsula Chittagong Mustafa Tahsin Arshad.

He was addressing a press conference yesterday on the occasion of 10 years celebration of the four-star hotel.

MD said the political unrest had hit the hotel and tourism business hard.

He said despite the peak season of the year now, the business had dropped by 10% due to the turmoil.

Peninsula Chittagong was listed with the country’s stock market last year as a public limited company. It now plans to construct the five-star hotel raising fund from the stock market. l

They will discuss the overall human rights situation including, labour rights, RMG sector, Chittagong Hill Tracts and Rohingya issues.

The team will submit a report to the sub-committee after returning to Brussels.

BGMEA President Md Atiqul Islam and Vice President Reaz Bin Mahmood were, among other present at the meeting.

According to Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) data, in July-December period of the current fiscal year, Bangladesh earned $7.29bn from the EU markets through exporting apparel products, which was 3.5% higher compared to $7bn of same period last fiscal year. l

Goods transporters face Tk20cr losses in 40 days of blockade

10 BASIC Bank officers dismissed n Tribune Report BASIC Bank yesterday dismissed 10 of its officers on allegations of irregularities and certificate forgeries.

In an official order, the management of the state-owned bank terminated seven officers and canceled job agreements of three high officials. All of them were appointed during the tenure of former controversial chairman Sheikh Abdul Hye Bachhu.

Of the three, Deputy Managing Director Ajijur Rahman is a brother-in-law of Bachhu. The seven officers were dismissed on allegation of being appointed through producing fake certificates.

Earlier in April last year, the bank dismissed six high officials on allegation of being involved with the recent loan scam involving around Tk4,500 crore from the bank.

The dismissed officers are Deputy Managing Director A Monaiem Khan, General Managers Khondokar Shamim Hasan, Joynul Abedin Chowdhury and Mohammad Ali, Deputy General Manager Shetara Ahmed and Deputy Manager Jahid Hasan. l

know whether the amended labour law is being implemented effectively or not.

The team said there is no objection from the European people about the constructive trade union in the RMG sector, but if it is destructive it would not be welcomed, said Azim quoted the delegation members as saying.

The country’s RMG sector witnessed many changes after the safety inspection, but Bangladesh has to maintain the efforts in future, said Preda. On the other hand, ILO Country Director Srinivas Reddy endorsed the progress and workers rights issues to the delegation.

The delegation arrived in Dhaka on Sunday to observe the human rights situation in Bangladesh.

n Tribune Report

The file photos shows picketers overturning an auto-rickshaw on Dhaka street during hartal

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business to file writ with court seeking ban on hartal, blockade n Ibrahim Hossain Ovi In the wake current destructive political violence, the country’s business community has decided to file a writ petition soon with the High Court, seeking a ban on hartal and blockade for the sake of protecting their business activities.

The decision was made at the first meeting of the Coordination Committee for Clothing Sector formed to devise ways to face the ongoing political crises on behalf of the country’s business community.

Earlier on January 14, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) and Bangladesh Textile Mills Association jointly formed two committees to set next course of action to mount pressure on both the government and the political parties to end the ongoing political disturbance.

One of the committee is headed by former BGMEA president Shafiul Islam Mohiuddin while the other one by Abdus Salam Murshedy.

“We are observing the ongoing violent activities during hartals and blockades under name of political pro-

gramme, which is badly hampering the country’s regular business activities,” Shafiul Islam Mohiuddin, convenor of the committee, told the Dhaka Tribune after the meeting.

That is why, he said, “We’ve unanimously decided to go for legal action and to file a writ petition with the High Court, seeking ban on hartal and blockade.”

Regarding the possible date for filing the writ, Islam, however, said it would be fixed later on preferably in next week.

“Business people from all the industrial sectors are with us as it will be handled non-politically,” said Islam.

“We have to do everything for our survival and to protect our factories from becoming sick.’’

Explaining the content of the writ, BGMEA legal advisor Imtiaz Moinul Islam said, “On behalf of the business community, we will appeal to the court to declare hartal and blockade illegal.

We will also appeal to the court to know who will be responsible for the financial losses suffered due to political unrest and who will compensate the losers.”

“We will sit tomorrow (today) with the members of the committee and discuss the financial issues like losses, substandard loans, problems in open-

ing Letter of Credit (LCs) and paying loan installments,” said Exporters Association of Bangladesh (EAB) President Abdus Salam Murshedy.

After the meeting, the findings and recommendations would be informed to the Finance Minister AMA Muhith and Bangladesh Bank (BB) through a letter with a request to take immediate measures for giving a cushion to the business people, he added.

This tough move came following the ongoing political unrest that already took heavy toll on the economy disrupting production at the factory and delaying shipment of export oriented goods.

According to a FBCCI estimate, the country’s economy has suffered losses of Tk75,000 crore in 35 days, while the RMG sector suffered losses of about Tk22,000 crore.

On February 15, the High Court ordered the government to take effective steps to stop the violence that has been going on across the country in the name of blockade and hartal.

On February 8, FBCCI President Kazi Akram Uddin in human chain demanded laws banning hartal and blockade in the wake of current destructive political situation. l

Goods transporters in the capital city claimed to have lost Tk20 crore in the last 40 days due to non-stop blockade, transport owners said in a statement yesterday.

A total of eight vehicles loaded with commodities have been burnt and 60 damaged during the period, according to Dhaka Mohanagar Ponno Paribahan Agency Malik Somity.

They alleged that they did not get any assistance for security and compensation from administration.

“We are forced to file a case of only Tk5 lakh even if a goods-laden vehicle worth ranging from Tk50 lakh to Tk1 crore is burnt,” said Abdul Mannan, president of the association.

They will hold a rally tomorrow, demanding to stop hartals and blockade, keeping vehicles out of the purview of political programmes, compensation of their losses and police protection during transportation of goods. The non-stop transport blockade beginning from January 6, enforced by the BNP-led 20-party alliance, continued to set record, which entered into 44 straight days today. l

Robi launches simplified international roaming service n Tribune Report Mobile phone operator Robi has introduced a simplified international roaming service for travellers to 100 countries.

A single rate will be applicable for the countries. In 72 countries, there will also be a daily data roaming pack.

International roaming is a service, which enables a person to use his local mobile number in abroad.

Robi’s chief operating officer Mahtab Uddin Ahmed said as the economy grows, a large number of Bangladeshis are travelling abroad for business, tourism and medical treatment.

The service has been introduced in response to the increasing necessity of an easy

and affordable roaming service, he said while speaking at a press conference at a city hotel yesterday.

Besides, replying to a question about increasing trend of using communication applications like Viber, WhatsApp and Skype, Mahtab said the services are yet to become a threat for the country’s traditional telecommunication industry.

“Such services are emerging in the market, but have not yet come as a threat for the traditional telecom industry.” l

B2

Stock

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Stocks rise with lacklustre trading

DSE key features February 17, 2015

n Tribune Report

Number of Contract

tors, food & allied posted the highest gain of 2.5% while non-life insurance took the maximum hit, losing almost 1%.

Almost all sectors ended flat.

Bank, non-banking financial institutions, power, cement and pharmaceuticals closed marginally higher while telecommunication ended marginally lower.

Gainers outpaced losers as out of 312 issues traded, 167 closed positive, 98 declined and 47 remained unchanged.

IDLC Investments said market revived despite continuing political stalemate. “However, this enthusiasm was not widely held among all the market participants as reflected in the downturn in daily turnover.”

Lanka Bangla Securities said market started the morning with sell-off. However, after taking natural correction in last two trading sessions, index rebounded firm.

On the economic data front, the country’s overall imports fell substantially in this January, mainly due to the ongoing political unrest, it said.

Letter of credits against imports fell by more than 7% to $3.2bn in January, from $3.45bn in the corresponding month a year earlier, according to the central bank.

The remittance inflow to the country last month also fell marginally to $1234.85m from $1275m in December, 2014.

Aamra Technologies was the most volume of traded issues, followed by Beximco and Grameenphone, IFAD Autos, Summit Alliance Port Limited, Agni System and Square Pharmaceuticals. l

Stocks rose with low volume of trade yesterday, after profit-booking fall in the previous two sessions.

The market moved between positive and negative in the morning but started gaining from the mid-session, led by mainly small cap issues.

The benchmark index DSEX gained almost 31 points or 0.7% to close at 4,800.

Gainers outpaced losers as out of 312 issues traded, 167 closed positive, 98 declined and 47 remained unchanged The Shariah Index DSES moved up marginally over 4 points or 0.4% to 1,136. The comprising blue chips DS30 settled at 1,786, rising 11 points or 0.7%.

Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) Selective Categories Index, CSCX, soared 54 points to 8,905.

Volume of trade still remained low, indicating that some investors still did not feel comfortable in taking part in trading due to continued political turbulence in the country.

Turnover value at the Dhaka Stock Exchange was Tk280 crore, down more than 11% over the previous session.

Among the well performing sec-

Weekly capital market highlights DSE Broad Index : DSE - 30 Index : CSE All Share Index: CSE - 30 Index : CSE Selected Index : DSE LOSER Company Imam Button -Z Eastern InsurA Reliance Insur -A AIBL 1st Is. M. F.-A National Tea -A ISN Ltd. -Z Ifad Autos -N Apex Tannery -A Islami Ins.BD-A SummitAlliancePort.-A

Closing (% Change) -10.27 -5.54 -5.45 -4.17 -3.97 -3.60 -3.55 -3.31 -3.13 -3.09

CSE LOSER Company

Closing (% Change)

Shahjibazar Power-N Phoenix Insur -A FAS Fin. & Inv. Ltd-B Apex Foods -A Anlima Yarn -A Islami Ins.BD-A Rupali Life Insur.-B Eastern Cables-A AMCL 2nd MF-A Prime Islami Life -A

-9.94 -7.27 -6.94 -6.59 -6.31 -5.03 -4.62 -4.35 -4.17 -3.99

4800.40753

(+) 0.65%

1786.72070

(+) 0.65%

14646.94990

(+) 0.39%

11937.44990

(+) 0.40%

8879.49040

(+) 0.42%

Average (% Change) -3.70 -2.68 -1.11 -3.34 -3.44 -4.42 -4.44 -2.00 -0.99 -5.66 Average (% Change) -8.85 -7.27 -6.65 -8.25 -6.31 -5.27 -4.86 -3.35 -4.17 -3.94

ANALYST

ClosingAvg. 14.04 31.58 53.33 4.63 695.24 13.62 57.86 124.70 19.06 56.36

ClosingAvg. 161.64 30.60 16.15 93.50 20.79 18.89 47.42 109.80 4.60 55.30

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 248.99 155.05 65.21 302.58 114.42 257.31 0.78 235.33 271.80 13.17 107.46 16.42 5.58 44.30 246.08 23.40 31.84 141.14 38.39 164.17 3.30

DHIGH

13.10 30.70 52.00 4.60 691.40 13.40 57.00 122.70 18.60 56.40

Closing

16.10 31.90 52.30 4.90 720.00 14.00 60.00 127.00 19.00 59.50

DHIGH

163.00 30.60 16.10 93.50 20.80 18.90 47.50 110.00 4.60 55.30

164.00 30.60 16.70 94.30 20.90 20.00 47.50 110.00 4.60 55.30

Company

2,486.71 78,120,564 75,121

Traded Issues

314

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

106

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

201

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

7

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,579.01

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

31.26

CSE key features February 17, 2015 Turnover (Million Taka)

215.90

Turnover (Volume)

7,462,771

Number of Contract

14,588

Traded Issues

235

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

80

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

147

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

8

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,494.19

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

30.23

Turnover in Million

DLOW 13.10 30.50 51.00 4.60 690.00 13.20 56.60 121.00 18.60 55.90

Latest EPS

3.119 0.003 0.016 1.166 0.073 1.234 81.148 1.825 0.019 73.244

-1.48 2.31 3.79 0.11 -6.49 0.13 1.92 3.38 1.48 0.82

Turnover in Million

DLOW 157.30 30.60 16.00 93.10 20.70 18.60 47.20 108.50 4.60 55.30

% change 10.01 6.24 2.62 12.17 4.60 10.35 0.03 9.46 10.93 0.53 4.32 0.66 0.22 1.78 9.90 0.94 1.28 5.68 1.54 6.60 0.13

Million Taka 13.83 12.65 4.27 31.57 7.78 15.11 29.12 11.49 1.62 6.65 0.32 0.46 5.73 21.79 0.55 0.65 18.22 7.97 26.04 0.06

CSE

% change 6.41 5.86 1.98 14.62 3.60 7.00 0.00 13.49 5.32 0.75 3.08 0.15 0.21 2.65 10.09 0.26 0.30 8.44 3.69 12.06 0.03

Latest EPS

0.558 0.018 0.167 0.014 0.031 0.013 0.044 0.025 0.002 0.001

Million Taka 262.82 167.71 69.48 334.16 122.20 272.42 0.78 264.45 283.29 14.79 114.11 16.74 6.04 50.03 267.87 23.95 32.49 159.35 46.36 190.21 3.36

Meghna PET Ind. -Z EXIM Bank 1 MF-A Dulamia CottonZ In Tech Online -A Meghna Con. Milk -B Saiham Cotton-A Intl. Leasing-B Miracle Industries -B BD. Autocars -Z BEXIMCO Ltd. -A

Closing (% Change) 10.61 8.20 7.69 6.12 6.10 5.74 5.00 4.55 4.25 4.15

CSE GAINER

8.68 3.88 1.27 3.20 0.74 1.48 5.33 1.52 0.84 4.95

Latest PE -ve 13.7 14.1 42.1 -ve 104.8 30.1 36.9 12.9 68.7

Total

Company Anwar Galvanizing-B Peoples Insur -A In Tech Online -A Saiham Cotton-A Miracle Industries -B Fine Foods A AIMS First -A GreenDeltaInsu -A Intl. Leasing-B Phoenix Fin. 1st MF-A

Closing (% Change) 9.07 7.85 6.90 5.29 5.26 4.95 4.69 4.45 4.43 4.17

Average (% Change) 9.89 (100.00) 11.19 4.04 (1.01) 2.95 7.33 1.94 4.49 (0.38) Average (% Change) 7.28 8.35 4.59 3.69 4.19 2.14 4.41 5.20 1.58 1.67

ClosingAvg. 7.22 9.94 15.45 8.78 21.66 16.40 15.80 22.13 34.38

ClosingAvg. 37.87 20.64 15.48 21.66 15.91 10.48 28.91 68.61 16.08 4.88

Closing 7.30 6.60 9.80 15.60 8.70 22.10 16.80 16.10 22.10 35.10

Closing 38.50 20.60 15.50 21.90 16.00 10.60 29.00 68.10 16.50 5.00

DHIGH 7.30 6.60 10.00 16.00 9.00 22.20 17.00 16.20 22.80 35.40

DHIGH 38.50 21.00 15.90 22.10 16.10 10.80 29.70 70.00 16.80 5.00

DLOW 7.20 6.50 9.40 14.60 8.40 20.90 15.60 15.00 21.10 33.00

DLOW 37.10 17.50 14.60 20.70 15.00 10.20 28.50 67.50 15.30 4.80

Turnover in Million 0.513 0.000 1.007 16.366 0.629 24.226 42.489 6.475 0.121 101.577

Turnover in Million 0.087 0.012 2.552 1.518 0.320 0.095 1.252 0.036 2.873 0.037

Latest EPS -0.44 0.56 -4.02 -0.88 -4.42 1.68 -0.09 0.40 0.14 1.01

Latest EPS 0.64 2.25 -0.88 1.68 0.40 -0.36 1.70 1.68 -0.09 0.66

Latest PE -ve 0.0 -ve -ve -ve 12.9 -ve 39.5 158.1 34.0

Latest PE 59.2 9.2 -ve 12.9 39.8 -ve 17.0 40.8 -ve 7.4

News, analysis and recent disclosures ACIZCBOND: ACI Limited, Sponsor of ACI 20% Convertible Zero Coupon Bonds, has informed that the final redemption of 5th Series of ACI 20% Convertible Zero Coupon Bonds will mature on 4th March 2015 and there will be no outstanding bonds after the successful redemption of its 5th Series.

BATBC: As per Regulation 30 of DSE Listing Regulations, the Company has informed that a meeting of the Board of Directors will be held on February 19, 2015 at 4:30 PM to consider, among others, audited financial statements of the Company for the year ended on December 31, 2014.

MAKSONSPIN: (Q1 Un-audited) Net Profit after tax from Oct14 to Dec14 was Tk. 22.72 million with basic EPS of Tk. 0.11 as against Tk. 35.13 million and Tk. 0.16 respectively for the same period of the previous year. However, considering proposed bonus share 5% for the year 2014, restated basic EPS will be Tk. 0.10 as on 31.12.2014 and Tk. 0.15 as on 31.12.2013.

GREENDELT: As per Regulation 30 of

DSE Listing Regulations, the Company has informed that a meeting of the Board of Directors will be held on February 17, 2015 at 2:30 PM to consider, among others, audited financial statements of the Company for the year ended on December 31, 2014.

IPO Subscription: 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

NCCBLMF1: The Trustee Committee of the Fund has declared 3% cash dividend for the year ended on December 31, 2014.

Record date: 24.02.2015. The Fund has reported net profit of Tk. 35.06 million with earnings per unit of Tk. 0.32 for the year ended on December 31, 2014.

MAKSONSPIN: The Board of Directors has recommended 5% stock dividend for the year ended on September 30, 2014.

Date of AGM: 07.04.2015, Time: 9:30 AM,

Venue: Maksons Group Conference Hall, Factory Premises of the Company, Gouripur, Ashulia, Savar, Dhaka (Subject to approval of BSEC). Record date: 26.02.2015.

The Company has also reported EPS of Tk. 0.73, NAV per share of Tk. 19.78 and NOCFPS of Tk. 0.92 for the year ended on September 30, 2014.

FAREASTFIN: 10% cash and 2.5% stock, AGM: 25.03.2015, Record date: 26.02.2015.

GP: 65% final cash dividend (i.e. total 160% cash dividend for the year 2014 inclusive of 95% Interim cash dividend which has already been paid), AGM: 21.04.2015, Record date: 18.02.2015.

SAPORTL: 10% cash and 5% stock, AGM: 14.03.2015, Record Date: 18.02.2015.

CNATEX: 11% stock, AGM: 15.03.2015, Record Date: 18.02.2015.

RAKCERAMIC: 25% cash, EGM and AGM: 25.03.2015, Record date: 17.02.2015.

GSPFINANCE: 55% stock, AGM: 23.02.2015, Record Date: 05.02.2015.

Latest PE 18.6 7.9 12.7 29.2 28.1 12.8 8.9 72.2 5.5 11.2

The remittance inflow to the country last month also fell marginally to $1234.85m from $1275m in December, 2014

SECTORAL TURNOVER SUMMARY Sector

▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲

DSE GAINER

Turnover (Million Taka) Turnover (Volume)

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

DSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company

% change 9.72 6.21 2.57 12.36 4.52 10.08 0.03 9.78 10.48 0.55 4.22 0.62 0.22 1.85 9.91 0.89 1.20 5.90 1.72 7.04 0.12

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

aamra technologies-A BEXIMCO Ltd. -A Grameenphone-A Ifad Autos -N SummitAlliancePort.-A Agni Systems -A Square Pharma -A MJL BD Ltd.-A Intl. Leasing-B Beximco Pharma -A

BD Submarine Cable-A WesternMarine -N C & A Textile -N CVO PetroChem RL-A BDCOM Online-A CSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company BEXIMCO Ltd. -A Ifad Autos -N aamra technologies-A Grameenphone-A BD Submarine Cable-A C & A Textile -N Agni Systems -A National Feed-N WesternMarine -N UNITED AIR-A

FarEast Knitting -N LafargeS Cement-Z Rangpur Dairy-N People`s Leasing-A SummitAlliancePort.-A

VolumeShares 3,038,629 2,954,919 288,960 1,402,471 1,299,495 1,910,541 220,877 458,071 2,590,786 710,218

Value in Million 126.85 101.58 99.56 81.15 73.24 63.85 56.71 54.91 42.49 41.85

% of TotalTurnover 5.10 4.08 4.00 3.26 2.95 2.57 2.28 2.21 1.71 1.68

VolumeShares

Value in Million

% of TotalTurnover

358,735 883,679 1,975,933 83,175 1,241,298

473,378 207,728 245,298 26,878 77,475 388,941 233,677 266,367 141,980 670,612

177,642 37,025 173,020 168,277 60,437

41.58 41.21 40.67 39.47 35.74

16.28 12.00 10.24 9.26 8.96 7.97 7.82 7.80 6.63 5.84

4.71 4.59 3.59 3.51 3.43

1.67 1.66 1.64 1.59 1.44

7.54 5.56 4.74 4.29 4.15 3.69 3.62 3.61 3.07 2.70

2.18 2.12 1.66 1.62 1.59

ClosingP 41.70 35.10 344.10 57.00 56.40 33.50 256.80 120.60 16.80 59.50

117.00 46.50 20.70 474.20 28.40

ClosingP

35.00 57.00 41.90 344.70 116.70 20.70 33.60 29.30 46.80 8.80

26.00 124.30 20.70 21.00 56.60

Change % 2.71 4.15 -0.66 -3.55 -3.09 3.40 0.31 1.43 5.00 2.94

3.63 -0.85 -0.48 -0.19 0.71

Change %

3.86 -3.55 3.46 -0.06 3.37 0.98 3.38 0.34 -0.21 2.33

0.39 0.40 0.49 2.44 -2.25

ClosingY 40.60 33.70 346.40 59.10 58.20 32.40 256.00 118.90 16.00 57.80

112.90 46.90 20.80 475.10 28.20

ClosingY

33.70 59.10 40.50 344.90 112.90 20.50 32.50 29.20 46.90 8.60

25.90 123.80 20.60 20.50 57.90

DHIGH 42.60 35.40 347.40 60.00 59.50 34.00 258.00 121.30 17.00 59.90

117.90 47.40 20.90 479.80 29.40

DHIGH

35.30 59.80 42.80 345.90 118.40 21.00 33.90 29.80 47.30 8.90

26.90 125.00 20.90 21.20 58.10

DLOW 40.60 33.00 343.30 56.60 55.90 32.40 255.00 117.90 15.60 57.20

112.50 46.10 20.00 469.90 28.00

DLOW

33.30 56.70 40.70 342.60 112.00 20.00 32.60 28.60 46.00 8.50

25.60 122.60 20.30 20.30 56.00

AvgPrice 41.74 34.38 344.55 57.86 56.36 33.42 256.76 119.87 16.40 58.92

115.89 46.63 20.58 474.49 28.79

AvgPrice

34.40 57.77 41.76 344.52 115.61 20.49 33.47 29.29 46.69 8.70

26.52 123.84 20.74 20.85 56.69

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

Abe hopes BOJ keeps stimulus to meet inflation goal n Reuters, Tokyo Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Monday he hopes the central bank continues with its bold monetary easing campaign to achieve its 2% inflation target.

Speaking in parliament, Abe praised the BOJ’s aggressive stimulus program for helping revive the economy and wipe out the public’s “sticky deflationary mindset.”

He sidestepped a question from an opposition lawmaker on whether the government needs to be concerned about the demerits of excessive monetary easing, saying only that specific monetary policy measures were up to the BOJ to decide.

“I hope the BOJ continues to steadily proceed with bold monetary easing to achieve 2% inflation,” Abe said.

The BOJ has kept monetary policy steady since expanding its quantitative easing program in October last year to prevent slumping oil prices and a subsequent slowdown in inflation, from delaying achievement of its 2% price goal.

The central bank is in no mood to ease again any time soon on the view the economy is recovering steadily, which was underscored by Monday’s data showing that Japan emerged from recession in the final quarter of last year.

Abe and his associates have also signaled that they are comfortable with the BOJ standing pat, as opposition parties have criticized Abe’s stimulus policies for spurring an unwelcome sharp fall in the yen that drove up import costs.

Abe, speaking after Monday’s GDP data, acknowledged that some weakness has been seen in household spending due largely to the effect of last year’s sales tax hike.

Construction workers labour at a construction site in Tokyo on Monday. Japan's economy limped out of recession in the last quarter of 2014, official data showed on February 16, but annual growth was flat and the weaker-than-expected figures were likely to boost calls for more central bank stimulus AFP But he added that he saw signs of recovery in the economy, such as improvements in consumer sentiment.

“We’ll strive to ensure that wages keep rising this year and next, so that the warm breeze of recovery blows throughout the nation,” Abe said.

GDP data shows consumer spending recovery lagging

Japan’s top government spokesman said on Monday the country’s economic growth data suggests the pace of recovery in consumer spending is lagging behind because wages are not catching

up with price increases. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference that consumer sentiment also remains subdued and the government’s decision to postpone the second sales tax hike plan was right.

Data on Monday showed Japan’s

economy rebounded from recession in the final quarter of last year but growth was weaker than expected as household and corporate spending disappointed, underlining the challenge premier Shinzo Abe faces in shaking off decades of stagnation.l

Foreign private banks plan India headcount boost in revival of growth push n Reuters, Mumbai Foreign private banks are bulking up in India once again after downsizing in the past few years, anticipating new opportunities to advise Indian millionaires eager to cash in on an Internet start-up boom and on signs of an economic revival.

Bankers and consultants surveyed

by Reuters said foreign private banks will hire wealth managers this year and increase their headcount by a fifth,

compared to a 10-15 percent fall in each of the past two years.

Barclays, which runs one of India’s top private banks, said its headcount could rise by 15-20% in 2015.

Wealthy Indians are looking to put money in new-age technology companies after they watched savvy foreign investors such as Singapore’s Temasek Holdings and Japan’s SoftBank Corp scramble over the past few years to get a piece of Indian e-commerce companies, including Flipkart, valued by in-

dustry at around $11bn, and Snapdeal.

The start-ups offer a new investment route for the millionaires, who are using wealth managers to guide them on these investments.

So far, the rich in India channelled funds into traditional products such as equities, bank deposits and government bonds. And an annual cap of $250,000 on overseas remittances by onshore Indians effectively rules out significant investments overseas.

To tap into this demand, venture

B3

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

funds are being launched that seek to raise money from high networth individuals (HNIs) for investments in start-ups. At least two venture funds are currently raising a combined $160 million from Indian investors including wealthy individuals, to invest in startups, people involved in the matter said.

“In the first round, it was mostly foreign investors who were chasing the start-ups. Now the Indian HNIs are waking up to this opportunity,” said Atul Singh, India head for wealth man-

agement at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. India’s e-commerce firms last year attracted more than $5bn in investment, the bulk of it from overseas investors, compared to less than $2bn in 2013.

“The return from these investments could be double that of the public equity markets,” said a wealth manager at an European bank, declining to be named. “Of course, the risk is also higher and that’s why the clients need advice.” l

Euro down on Greece fears, equities mixed ahead of break n AFP, Hong Kong The euro weakened yesterday after the showdown debt talks between Greece and its creditors collapsed, raising the prospect the country will be dumped out of the eurozone.

However, many equity markets were unfazed by the trouble in Europe as trade begins to wind down in several Asian bourses before the Lunar New Year holiday at the end of the week.

Tokyo fell 0.10%, or 17.68 points, to 17,987.09 and Sydney lost 0.52%, or 30.5 points, to 5,858.2. But Seoul gained 0.16%, or 3.22 points, to 1,961.45, while in late trade Hong Kong was 0.25% higher and Shanghai added 0.82%.

The closely watched meeting Monday broke down without agreement on Greece’s debt after Athens refused eurozone finance ministers’ demand that it apply for an extension to its bailout.

Eurogroup head Jeroen Dijsselbloem said the country had the rest of the week to make the request, with the 240bn euro ($270bn) lifeline expiring at the end of the month. But an Athens source dismissed the demand to stick to its current bailout as “absurd”.

Greece’s new left-led government swept to power last month on a platform of overhauling the terms of the austerity-laden financial aid package, which it says has crippled the economy.

Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis is looking for a six-month bridging loan to give Greece time and financial help to negotiate a new deal.

However the 18 other eurozone nations, led by Germany, say any changes must be within the current programme.

The breakdown hit the euro, which sank to $1.1358 and 134.45 yen from $1.1390 and 134.53 yen in London.

It is also sharply down from the $1.1421 and 135.43 yen levels earlier Monday in Tokyo.

“Greece and Germany came to the talks with different preconditions, and the lack of compromise is weighing on the euro,” Yuji Saito, director of foreign exchange at Credit Agricole in Tokyo, told Bloomberg News.

The dollar bought 118.52 yen against 118.47 yen. US markets were closed Monday for a public holiday.

Oil prices moved higher after key crude producer Kuwait signalled that the recent rise in prices would hold, while resurgent violence in Libya also provided support. l

CORPORATE NEWS

IDCOL Solar Home System (SHS), an off-grid electrification programme has recently set up an advisory department for providing advisory services to senior government and private sector officials along with other country representatives and local. IDCOL’s CEO and executive director, Mahmood Malik recently expressed his satisfaction over the offered services Shahjalal Islami Bank Limited has recently signed a strategic business agreement with National Credit and Commerce Bank Limited for availing IME remittance service. MD of Shahjalal Islami Bank Ltd, Farman R Chowdhury and Golam Hafiz Ahmed, MD of NCC Bank Ltd have signed the agreement

A woman spreads Nutella on a slice of bread in Milan

All eyes on chocolate maker Ferrero’s next generation n Reuters, London

Digicon Technologies Limited has recently won ICT Achievement Award in Digital World 2015 for its success in business process outsourcing industry. The company’s MD, Wahid Sharif received the award from ICT advisor to the PM, Sajeeb Wazed Joy

Mercantile Bank Limited has recently played a cricket match with Interstoff Apparels Limited in Dhaka. The bank’s DMD, Mohammad Masoom and Mati-Ul-Hasan, chairperson and MD of Interstoff Apparels Limited were present on the occasion among others

Trust Bank Limited has recently opened its corporate head dffice at Shadhinata Tower in Dhaka Cantonment. The bank’s vice chairperson, Major General Md Mahfuzur Rahman inaugurated the office as chief guest

Coca-Cola and Dhaka Foodies have recently awarded top ten food photographers at its campaign named “Foodographer-2014”. Coca-Cola Senior Manager (Marketing) Imrul Karim, Head of Marketing of Microsoft Device Bangladesh, Shiblee Ahmed and Founder of Dhaka Foodies, Ashiqur Rahman were present at the award giving ceremony

REUTERS

The death of Italian billionaire Michele Ferrero could ultimately herald a deal involving the chocolate empire bearing his name, with the family’s third generation leading it into a future of increasingly hungry multinationals.

The maker of Nutella spread and Ferrero Rocher chocolates has long been viewed as an appetizing target for rivals such as Mondelez International, Nestle, Mars and Hershey. But given the strength of its brands, the high margins on chocolate and sluggishness of packaged food overall, the Italian business could feasibly be on the shopping list of any global food company.

“Certainly there’s more chance of a deal now than there was before; that absolutely must be true,” said Andrew Cosgrove, EY’s global lead analyst on consumer goods. “It was widely rumored that no deal would happen until this event.”

Ferrero International, a conservative and secretive 69-year-old company, has largely shied away from the dealmaking that has marked the consumer goods sector’s search for growth over the past decade.

But that could change, insiders say.

Sources familiar with the company say

that Ferrero had once considered a move on Cadbury but pulled back after the family patriarch rejected a push by his sons.

Similarly, there were reports in 2013 that it held talks about a takeover by Nestle.

“The idea of a tie-up with Nestle could come back,” a Ferrero manager told Reuters on condition of anonymity. “Giovanni (Ferrero, the CEO) always says the company is big but does not have critical mass to really be an international player, so sooner or later he could announce an acquisition. It was the father who blocked everything.”

Other sources also said Ferrero could turn acquisitive to balance its portfolio, noting that it had considered buying United Biscuits and U.S. chocolate company Russel Stover, which ended up going to Swiss rival Lindt & Spruengli.

Apart from Western confectionery groups, Ferrero could also attract the attention of Turkey’s Ulker Biskuvi, Korea’s Lotte or private equity firms such as 3G Capital, which teamed up with Warren Buffett to buy Heinz.

Giovanni Ferrero, the son who took over sole leadership in 2011 after older brother Pietro died suddenly, would need a majority of shares to give him a stronger hand in any mooted change of course, the manager said. l

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Wednesday, February 18, 2015

US shale on more sustainable course after price rally n John Kemp US shale producers have responded even more quickly to lower oil prices than analysts expected, which should ensure shale production hits a plateau

by May or June and is sustained rather than falling in the second half of the year.

The number of rigs drilling for oil in the United States declined by another 84 last week, according to oil field services company Baker Hughes.

The oil-directed rig count has now fallen by a total of 553, or 34 percent, since early October, the fastest decline since 1986.

Some analysts have questioned whether the decline in rig counts will really result in a slowdown in oil output.

The most basic lower rigs, those with the lowest horsepower and depth ratings, capable only of drilling vertically, are likely to be idled first, leaving more powerful units with horizontal capability still working.

And drilling will pull back from speculative frontier areas to concentrate on the most productive parts of well-established plays to maximise new output per well drilled.

But however the data is analysed a broad-based slowdown in drilling is now occurring across the entire US shale sector.

In two of the Big Three shale plays, Williston and Permian basins, the number of rigs drilling for oil has fallen by 34%, exactly in line with the national average.

Only the Eagle Ford play, where the rig count is down 28%, shows a slightly smaller-than-average percentage decline.

In terms of rig capability, the number of vertical rigs is down by 43 %and the number of directional rigs is down by almost 41%. (Directional rigs can drill slanted wells but not fully horizontal ones.)

But even the number of horizontal drilling rigs is down by 24%, taking 328 horizontal rigs out of operation since early October.

Samsung Electronics earmarking cash for growth n Reuters, Seoul Samsung Electronics Co Ltd aims to use its $56bn cash pile to fund growth including acquisitions, the tech giant’s investor relations chief said, even as more shareholders clamor for bigger dividends.

While the South Korean company’s profit declined in 2014 for the first time in three years as its lead in smartphones was challenged by Apple Inc, investors were cheered by a 40% dividend boost and its first share buyback since 2007.

But Robert Yi, Samsung’s head of investor relations, signaled that shareholders should not expect the same in 2015 as the company keeps its focus on growth. “Dividends and other forms of shareholder returns are responsibilities that the company has for shareholders, so we will make efforts to meet them.

But our primary objective is growth and that is what we are communicating to our shareholders,” Yi told Reuters in an interview.

Samsung has become an increasingly active shopper, striking 10 deals in two years. Even so, its purchases have been small, prompting calls from some investors for bigger deals to revive growth momentum.

“We are primarily focused on M&A deals for companies that would be good fits to Samsung’s current businesses, and we believe that know-how and experience accrued from such transactions will make bigger M&A deals possible going forward,” Yi said.

Samsung Electronics held cash of 61.8tn won ($56.14bn) at the end of 2014. Yi said more value fund managers had bought Samsung shares over the past year as its share price and earnings declined. “Their main interest is to increase long-term value through shareholder returns policies, so they have been calling for more dividends and share buybacks,” he said. l

An oil well pump jack is seen at an oil field supply yard near Denver, Colorado February Horizontal rigs (328) account for almost 60 percent of all units taken out of service since Oct. 10 (572), according to Baker Hughes.

The extent of the slowdown comes as no surprise. In December, Continental Resources, one of the biggest producers in the Bakken, announced it would cut the number of rigs operating from around 50 to 34 by the end of the first quarter (32%) and an average of 31

for the whole of 2015 (38%).

Nonetheless, the slowdown has occurred even faster than expected as ultra-low prices in January sent a shock through the entire production community.

The bravado with which shale drillers greeted falling prices in October and November, openly challenging to OPEC to do its worst, reminiscent of President George W Bush’s “bring ‘em

REUTERS

on”, has evaporated.

Now shale producers are focused on restructuring their operations and conserving cash to survive until prices recover.

The faster-than-expected response from producers has helped oil prices rise from their mid-January lows to a more sustainable level.

Front-month Brent prices are up 31 percent from less than $47 on Jan 13 to

Oil prices inch higher in Asia n AFP, Singapore Oil prices edged up in Asia yesterday following an upbeat outlook by key producer Kuwait, while investors are keeping tabs on Greece’s troubled debt talks with its creditors.

US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for March delivery rose 44 cents to $53.22, while Brent crude for April gained 68 cents to $62.08 in afternoon trade.

Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis said late Monday he was confident of reaching a deal with the eurozone on overhauling the country’s unpopular debt bailout programme in two days, despite crunch talks collapsing.

The new anti-austerity Greek government is aiming to win a six-month reprieve so it can renegotiate the terms of

its 240bn euro ($270bn) bailout, which it says has damaged the economy.

But its 18 eurozone partners, led by Germany, insist that any change to austerity terms must be within the current programme, which Athens refuses to continue.

“If no deal is reached, another emergency meeting will reportedly be held on Thursday,” said London-based research house Capital Economics.

“But the two parties will surely need to publish a statement implying that some progress has been made in the meantime if they are to avoid a more adverse market reaction and convince the European Central Bank to allow Greek banks continued access to ... funds,” it added in a commentary.

Analysts said dealers were also

digesting comments by Kuwaiti Oil Minister Ali al-Omair that world crude prices have recovered “faster” than expected and recent gains will likely hold.

“I think it will last... it started holding gains now and hopefully, in the second part of 2015, we will see better prices,” Omair told reporters Monday.

Kuwait, a member of the OPEC cartel, is the world’s 10th largest petroleum producer.

Crude has been on a rollercoaster for the past two weeks after prices fell by around 60 percent between June and January.

Market sentiment has been bolstered by cuts in output by North American shale producers that have raised expectations of a reduction in the current supply glut. l

OIL_A woman pumps gas at a station in Falls Church, Virginia

REUTERS

Green-car sceptics take note: Japan now has more electric vehicle charging spots than gas stations.

The country’s number-two automaker Nissan says there are now 40,000 charging units - including those inside

private homes - across the nation, compared with 34,000 petrol stations. While gas stations have multiple pumps and can service many more cars, the figures underscore efforts to boost green-vehicle infrastructure in Japan, long a leader in a sector that remains tiny globally.

Nissan is betting on growing de-

mand for electric cars, while rival Toyota said it has been swamped by orders for its first mass market hydrogen fuelcell car, the Mirai sedan.

Fuel-cell cars are seen as the Holy Grail of green cars as they are powered by a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen, which emits nothing

more harmful than water from its exhaust. But a limited driving range and lack of refuelling stations have hampered development of the green-car sector, which environmentalists say could play a vital role in cutting greenhouse gas emissions and slowing global warming. l

John Kemp is a Reuters market analyst. The article was initially published at Reuters.

Oil industry seeks opportunity in adversity n AFP, London The oil sector is restructuring after the collapse of oil prices and opportunities may emerge for larger players wishing to snap up distressed companies and expand into crisis-hit producer countries, according to key industry players.

An oversupply of oil in the market, caused by the boom in crude extracted from US shale rock, has contributed heavily to crude prices crashing 60% in value in the six months to January.

In response, the oil sector has begun to reorganise, as it has done every ten years on average. Big oil companies have begun to slash capital spending for the coming year. French multinational Total recently revealed a 30% cut in its exploration budget.

But the current environment still provides a chance for them to possibly buy smaller struggling rivals at bargain prices, suggested participants at the recent International Petroleum Week in London.

‘Vultures gathering’

More electric car charging points in Japan than gas stations n AFP, Tokyo

$62. WTI has risen 20% from $44 on Jan 29 to $53.

Plains Marketing posted prices for Bakken sweet are up 28% from just $28 on Jan. 28 to more than $36. Texas posted prices have risen by around 20% from $41 to $49 a barrel.

In January, oil prices had fallen to levels at or below breakeven levels for even the best parts of the major shale plays and obviously unsustainable.

But the rebound should ensure drilling in the best properties within the core areas of the Big Three is just about sustainable.

Based on a simple average of posted prices and WTI, wellhead prices in North Dakota have risen to almost $45 per barrel.

Wellhead prices are now at or above the breakeven levels needed in all four counties at the heart of the Bakken play (Dunn, McKenzie, Mountrail and Williams) according to estimates published last month by North Dakota’s Department of Mineral Resources (DMR).

These four counties together accounted for more than 1 million barrels per day of the state’s total production of 1.23 million in December.

Wellhead prices are now much closer to the level needed to sustain North Dakota’s output at around 1.2 million barrels per day throughout the rest of the year and 2016.

The same is true in Texas, where wellhead prices are close to $50 per barrel in much of the state.

Prices have responded faster than the Energy Information Administration (EIA) predicted in its January ShortTerm Energy Outlook (STEO).

EIA forecast Brent prices would gradually climb to around $54 by May and end the year at $70, with WTI recovering to $51 and $67 respectively.

The agency’s projected price rebound underpinned its prediction that crude production would end the year at about the same level as it began, after dipping between May and September.

In fact, prices have recovered slightly ahead of that timetable. Crude prices no longer appear severely undervalued or out of line with underlying supply and demand.

The faster-than-expected price recovery, if it is sustained, would help support oil production around current levels and ensure it hits a plateau, rather than declines, over the summer months and into the end of the year. l

In the United States, small producers have been hit particularly hard.

“There is an enormous (cash) liquidity squeeze in the US as we speak and it will come to a crescendo in the middle of this year,” said Anthony Hayward, chief executive of Anglo-Turkish producer Genel Energy.

This will mean “a lot of distress” among small operators in US shale, but will create growth opportunities for those with capital and capacity, said Hayward.

“The vultures are gathering.”

Opportunities are also emerging globally, including in OPEC producers Iraq and Venezuela, which will need funding to bridge the shortfall in their revenues from collapsing oil prices.

“For the major companies this is now a great time of opportunities, those who

DILBERT

are brave will seize the moment and will be able to acquire very good assets at knocked down prices,” Hayward said.

Norwegian oil major Statoil also sees the drop in oil as a source of opportunity, particularly on the trading side.

“I think it is challenging for an upstream company like Statoil to cope with these changes,” said Rune Bjornson, senior vice president at the company.

“But at the same time especially on the market and trading side which is becoming more and more important, it gives the market new opportunities.”

Demand side For Ian Taylor, head of oil trading giant Vitol, the oil sector may be overlooking the demand side of the story.

“We had an incredible year of growth last year, a two million barel per day (bpd) of non-OPEC increase in production... and we are all forecasting we are going to get another million barrels per day of growth this year,” Taylor said.

“However the real story that we are not talking about very much in the industry is the other side of the equation: demand.”

Taylor is unsure whether demand will rise to meet soaring production levels.

He added that he was not convinced by analysts’ predictions of growth in demand by a million bpd or more this year, after forecasts for 2014 proved too high.

“We are all trying to work out when the US production is going to slow down,” he said.

For now production is increasing, despite a drop in the rig count in the US. Production reached 9.226 million bpd last week, the highest level since 1983.

While crude prices have been stabilising, Hayward of Genel said that prices were set to remain weak for the next year or two amid market oversupply.

“A lot of oil can (still) come to market at less than 80 dollars a barrel,” he said. l