20 April, 2015

SECOND EDITION

MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2015

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Boishakh 7, 1422, Jamadius Sani 30, 1436

KHALEDA FACES AL SUPPORTERS’ WRATH

PAGE 3

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Regd No DA 6238, Vol 3, No 9

CHHATRA LEAGUE REINS IN ITS WOMEN PAGE 5

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www.dhakatribune.com | 32 pages | Price: Tk10

HOW DO YOU LIKE ME NOW? PAGE 25

Tigers too good for Pakistanis n Minhaz Uddin Khan Bangladesh had to wait 16 long years for their second limited-over win over Pakistan, but they had to wait only two days for their third triumph as opener Tamim Iqbal registered his second consecutive hundred to lead the Tigers to a comprehensive seven-wicket victory in the second ODI yesterday in Mirpur. In the process, the Tigers secured the three-match series with the final ODI still to be played.

The series success, Bangladesh’s first against Pakistan, was also the Tigers’ 17th overall as the visitors became the fourth Test-playing nation to concede an ODI series to the Tigers.

In pursuit of a modest 240, Bangladesh had yet to reach their destination when the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium crowd erupted in celebration. The weekday crowd was, of course, celebrating Tamim’s delightful hundred.

Tamim remained unbeaten on 116 while Shakib al Hasan was undefeated on seven as the Tigers romped to their target with 71 deliveries in hand.

Yesterday’s player-of-the-match Tamim was an absolute delight to watch. The left-hander exhibited his character in a typically beautiful display of shot-making, reaching his 50 off just 31 balls.

Bangladesh might have lost Soumya Sarkar and Mahmudullah early, but their departures hardly troubled Tamim. Rather, Mushfiqur Rahim’s arrival inspired Tamim to go for his shots.

The third-wicket pair of Tamim and Mushfiq, who put on a record-creating 178-run stand in the first ODI on Friday, carried on in the same vein yesterday adding 118 runs.

Even though Mushfiq started slowly, he ended up scoring 65 off 70 balls before being dismissed with Bangladesh close to their target.

From the other end, Tamim continued with his wide array of strokes and reached his sixth ODI hundred, taking 77 deliveries to go from 50-100. The opener coasted to his century in style; smacking a boundary off Junaid Khan before jumping in the air in delight and swinging his bat vigorously.

Earlier, Pakistan won the toss and went to bat first, but they were never comfortable with early blows laid by the home-side attack.

The first six overs showed the Pakistan openers settling to the ball coming slow to the bat and the odd bounces.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

PAGE 4 CEC: Army deployment decision in a few days

Tigers’ opener Tamim Iqbal follows the ball as it flies towards boundary contributing to his back-to-back century (116*) against Pakistan in their second ODI at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium at Mirpur yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

PAGE 5 Police downplay sexual assaults

PAGE 7 337 Bangladeshis return from Yemen

PAGE 8 Fruit bagging technology gaining popularity

PAGE 32 bandwidth export deal in cabinet

DT

2 NEWS

MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2015

Dhaka wants complete implementation of LBA n Sheikh Shahariar Zaman Bangladesh expects that India would honour the Land Boundary Agreement-1974 and its protocol signed in 2011 and implement those in full.

“We expect that those would be implemented as agreed,” State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam told the Dhaka Tribune.

Bangladesh and India had resolved the boundary issue after having intense negotiation for years and now Dhaka wants its full implementation agreed by both the parties.

In recent times, several media reports suggested that India is considering implementation of LBA at West Bengal, Tripura and Meghalaya borders but it does not want to execute the agreement on the Assam border keeping the provincial assembly in mind to be held next year.

The junior minister said the Indian government did not communicate with Bangladesh to implement the LBA partially.

“We have no knowledge about such any initiative. The Indian government did not communicate with us about any other alternatives,” the state minister said.

He said on several occasions Bangladesh was assured by the top Indian authorities that implementation of LBA would be a matter of time.

“It is not our concern what has been written in the Bangladesh and Indian newspaper about implementation of LBA,” he said.

Bangladesh and India signed LBA in 1974 and Dhaka ratified it in the same year but New Delhi is yet to do it.

The implementation of LBA will solve the problems related to enclaves, adversely possessed land and un-demarcated boundary between the two countries.

Bangladesh has 51 enclaves with 7,110.02 acres inside Indian territory while India has 111 enclaves with 17,160 acres of land in Bangladesh territory.

According to a LBA booklet published by the Indian foreign ministry, the Indian enclaves in Bangladesh are located in four districts - Panchagarh, Lalmonirhat, Kurigram and Nilphamari – while all of Bangladesh’s enclaves lie in West Bengal’s Kochbehar district.

According to a joint headcount conducted in 2011 determined the total population in the enclaves to be around 51,549. Out of them, 37,334 live in Indian enclaves within Bangladesh and 14,215 in Bangladesh enclaves within India.

Under the LBA, India agreed to lease in perpetuity to Bangladesh, an area approximately 3.74 acres to connect Dahagram and Angarpota with mainland Bangladesh at a token price of Tk1 per annum which has since been waived off.

India needs to amend constitution to resolve the issue of exchange of enclaves and redrawing of boundaries to maintain status quo in areas of adverse possessions involves the transfer of territories from one state to another but no amendment is required for a resolution of the un-demarcated segments of the land boundary.

“With regard to demarcation of the Lathitilla and Dumabari sector, the line drawn by Radcliff and actual position on the ground has been followed,” the booklet said. l

HC starts hearing on Khaleda’s petitions n Ashif Islam Shaon The High Court yesterday started hearing the pleas submitted by BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia in three corruption cases.

Earlier, the bench of Justice Md Nuruzzaman and Justice Zafar Ahmed rejected a defence plea to adjourn the proceedings.

The petitions were filed in connection with the Barapukuria coal mine, Gatco and Niko graft cases, filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission during the army-backed caretaker government.

Lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan stood for the plaintiff while Badruddoza Badal represented the accused.

Khurshid told the court that the defence

counsels had been wasting time by lodging time petitions repeatedly. Besides, the rules issued on different occasions by the High Court had already been disposed of by the Appellate division.

The court asked both the sides to complete the hearing by Wednesday.

The former three-time premier, her 10 ministers and six others were made accused of graft for awarding a contract of the Barapukuria coal mine. Charges were pressed against all the accused on October 5, 2008.

The ACC pressed charges against 11, including Khaleda, on May 5, 2008 in the Niko case and in Gatco case on May 13, 2008 accusing Khaleda and 12 others. The ACC recently decided to revive the cases. l

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Tigers too good for Pakistanis But the first change, Rubel Hossain introduced in the seventh over, saw start of a debacle. The right-arm pacer removed opener Sarfraz Ahmed caught at slips by Soumya. But it was Arafat Sunny’s removal of Mohammad Hafeez on duck in the last ball of the next over that set the momentum.

Pakistan lost three more wickets in a short span, reeling the score on 77 for 5 and hinting an early innings end. But all-rounder Saad Nasim’s maiden ODI half-century and a blistering inning by Wahab Riaz at the tail lifted Pakistan to a fighting total.

Nasim started his ODI career for a duck on Friday, scored an unbeaten 96-ball 77, and rebuilt Pakistan’s innings with a 77-run sixth-wicket partnership with Haris Sohail before finishing the innings explosively in Wahab’s company.

Left-arm pacer Wahab was the aggressor in the stand of 85 off 66 balls, and ended the innings unbeaten on 51 off 40. He was the key to Pakistan to turn the momentum of the game when he walked in the 39th over. Pakistan scored 85 runs in their last 11 overs, and 49 in their last five. l

Activists and supporters of the ruling party demonstrate with black flags when BNP Chief Khaleda Zia reached Uttara to campaign for Tabith Awal, the BNP-backed mayoral candidate for Dhaka North City Corporation yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

Dhaka made no complaint to Delhi about president’s security breach n Sheikh Shahariar Zaman Dhaka did not lodge any complaint with New Delhi authorities about the alleged security breach during President Abdul Hamid’s visit to India last December as was reported by several Indian and Bangladeshi newspapers.

“This is completely a false report,” State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

The state minister, who was a member of the president’s entourage, said Bangladesh thanked and expressed its satisfaction to the Indian government over the security arrangement.

Recently several Bangladeshi and Indian newspapers reported that Bangladesh had lodged a complaint with the Indian authorities about a string of security lapses during Hamid’s India visit.

“It should be investigated why such reports were published. But we are not confused or agitated,” the state minister said.

The respect and protocol the Indian government provided to the president was quite satisfactory, he added.

President Abdul Hamid visited Delhi, Jaipur, Ajmer, Kolkata and Santi Niketan during the December 18-23 visit.

It was reported in various media that some security lapses occurred during the visit.

On one such occasion, it was reported, the president was taken to the Taj Mahal by a regular battery-operated public vehicle – not by a private one usually used for VIPs and VVIPs. According to another allegation, the hotel the president stayed in in Agra had a faulty lift.

Moreover, when he visited Ajmer Sharif in Rajasthan, no appropriate arrangements were made to control the crowd, the reports said. l

Dhaka-Washington dialogue on April 29-30 n Tribune Report The fourth Bangladesh-US partnership dialogue has been scheduled to be held in Dhaka on April 29-30 to boost bilateral relationship.

“We are making preparations for the meeting,” a senior official of the Foreign Ministry told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

In the dialogue, Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque will lead the Bangladesh side while US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman is from the other side.

Dhaka is engaged with Washington in a wide range of areas including trade, investment, assistance, security cooperation and people-to-people contact.

In the partnership dialogue, it is expected that both the parties would discuss three broad areas – development and governance, trade and investment, and security cooperation.

In the two-day programme, investment climate, energy, labour and terrorism issues will also dominate the dialogue.

The last partnership dialogue was held in Washington in October last year. l

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NEWS 3

MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2015

Khaleda faces wrath of AL supporters n Tribune Report

Former prime minister and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia yesterday campaigned for Dhaka north mayoral aspirant Tabith M Awal for the second consecutive day, but faced resistance by ruling party men at least three times.

Khaleda came out of her Gulshan residence around 4:30pm and when her motorcade reached near Uttara 1 of the capital, some 2530 motorcycles joined in.

As they moved forward, Uttara unit Awami League president Tofazzal Hossain and General Secretary Habib Hasan along with several hundred leaders and activists staged demonstration with black flags in their hands.

They also tried to cordon off Khaleda’s motorcade. The ruling party leaders chanted slogans accusing the 20-party alliance chief of instigating the killing of people in the name of government-ouster movement since January 6.

Some of the slogans included “Killer Khaleda should reply why my brother was killed,” and “Ghost of Pakistan, go back to Pakistan.”

In such a situation, Khaleda’s personal security forces and police tried to bring the situation under control. But the demonstrators marched forward forcing Khaleda’s motorcade to leave the spot.

The BNP chairperson then went to Uttara 3 and sought votes for Tabith at shops and shopping centres. She distributed leaflets among them and urged to elect Tabith as a new generation candidate.

She again faced resistance near Amir Complex at Uttara 7. Around 100 ruling party leaders and activists staged demonstration on the street. The BNP supporters retaliated with counter slogans at that time.

Then Khaleda went to North Tower area under Uttara 7. After campaigning there, she was obstructed again at Sonargaon Jonopoth intersection.

Leaders and activists of ruling party’s student wing Bangladesh Chhatra League staged

For the second consecutive day, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia takes to the street to campaign for Tabith Awal yesterday as she visited various markets in the capital’s Uttara area DHAKA TRIBUNE agitations with black flags. They also engaged in a brawl with the BNP chairperson’s security personnel.

Khaleda with her supporters later went to Jamuna Future Park area for campaigning.

Regarding Khaleda’s campaign, Tabith said: “Madam Khaleda Zia’s popularity is huge. Her campaign has added new dimension to the campaign. If the election is held in

a fair manner, I will be the winner.”

The three-time former premier started campaigning for Tabith, son of her adviser Abdul Awal Mintoo, on Saturday. Tabith was endorsed by the BNP as Mintoo’s application had been scrapped by the Election Commission.

There have been discussions whether Khaleda’s campaigning for Tabith amounts to

a violation of the electoral codes since all local government elections are supposed to be “non partisan” as per the law.

While she heads one of the largest political parties, Khaleda is not a member of the parliament since she boycotted the last elections.

The BNP chief did not walk the streets seeking votes before any of the city elections in the recent past. l

Annisul, Khokon not bothered Mahbub, Hasan campaign

by Khaleda’s presence for respective party n Abu Hayat Mahmud

Awami League-backed mayoral aspirants Annisul Huq and Sayeed Khokon say they are not worried about BNP chief Khaleda Zia’s joining the city election campaigns for her party-supported candidates.

“The city dwellers will cast their votes for the capable candidates who are able to make a planned and environment-friendly Dhaka.

So it is not a major issue who joins the campaign,” Annisul said without mentioning about Khaleda during his campaigns at Nutun Bazar in Paikpara.

“I am running ahead of other candidates based on response of the city people in social media and the streets,” the Dhaka north mayoral aspirant said.

Three-time former premier Khaleda campaigned for Tabith M Awal on Saturday and yesterday.

Annisul said he hoped that people would not do a mistake after witnessing a long period of subversive acts in the name of political movement.

He observes that Khaleda’s campaign may create negative impression among the voters as “she has already lost her acceptability for masterminding the killing of over 120 people since January 6.”

Former FBCCI president Annisul went to Mirpur Sheer-e Bangla Cricket Stadium around 3:30pm and watched the cricket match between Bangladesh and Pakistan.

Bangladesh Cricket Board President Nazmul Hasan Papon was present at that time.

Annisul later campaigned in Pallabi and Mirpur areas.

Dhaka south mayoral aspirant Sayeed Khokon said he was not worried at all because of Khaleda’s presence during campaigns “because, I have been attached to the people of Dhaka since my childhood.”

While campaigning in Old Dhaka, Khokon said the BNP chief had ordered the killing of innocent people across the country including the capital only a few days ago.

“The city dwellers are peace loving. They will not accept anyone who masterminded killings.” l

hopefuls in Chittagong n FM Mizanur Rahaman BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s adviser Khandker Mahbub Hossain yesterday campaigned for M Manjur Alam, the mayoral candidate who the party backed for the upcoming Chittagong City Corporation polls.

Mahbub conducted campaigns in Riaj Uddin Bazar and Tin Poler Matha areas in the morning under the banner of Bangladesh Sammilito Peshajibi Parishad, Chittagong.

He told reporters that the campaign was aimed at saving the country’s democracy and professionals had come out on the street with the aim in their minds.

“People will vote for Manjur to uphold the law and democracy, and it will gear anti-government agitations up as well.”

Mahbub said only army deployment could remove the anxiety that exists among voters and it would also help them cast votes in a

free and fair environment.

He said he had urged the government to install CCTV cameras inside every polling centre to ensure fair voting.

“The Election Commission played the role of a silent spectator during the tenth general elections but people will resist any vote rigging attempts this time as they do not trust the commission. The city corporation polls are the biggest challenge for the commission to prove its neutrality.”

Meanwhile, Awami League Publicity and Publications Secretary Dr Hasan Mahmud also conducted campaigns on behalf of AJM Nasir, the 14-party alliance-backed candidate, in Lalkhan Bazar and Kazir Dewri areas.

He claimed that BNP-backed candidate Manjur had failed to fulfill his pledges despite receiving enough budgetary allocation from the government. Hasan urged voters to vote for Nasir to make Chittagong a livable city. l

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4 NEWS

MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2015

Afroza Abbas: Government want to influence election n Adil Sakhawat The wife of BNP-backed mayor candidate for Dhaka south Mirza Abbas yesterday claimed that the government did not want to deploy army during the April 28 elections in a bid to bring the results in their favour.

“The ruling party activists are creating obstacles during our campaigns in different areas. They also threatened our supporters,” Afroza Abbas told reporters in the capital’s Jigatola area.

Since morning, Afroza campaigned in Rayerbazar, Dhanmondi and New Market areas on behalf of her husband, the city unit BNP’s convener. City BNP’s Joint General Secretary Abu Sayeed Khokon and former lawmaker Nilufar Chowdhury accompanied Afroza at that time.

The other BNP-backed mayoral aspirant, from Dhaka north, Tabith M Awal on Saturday alleged that his supporters had been killed, kidnapped, tortured and threatened.

Afroza yesterday demanded installation of CCTV cameras inside polling centres and deployment of army to ensure fair election. “If the government realises that the people want the army to be in place, where is the problem to deploy them during the election?

“We want army personnel from at seven days before the election,” she said.

Afroza alleged that the government did not want to grant the bail plea of Mirza Abbas as “they are informed about the popularity of my husband.”

During a rally in Jigatola, Afroza also called the supporters to guard the polling centres to prevent fake votes. l

CEC: Army deployment decision within a few days n Tribune Report Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmed said the election commission would decide over Army deployment during the city corporations’ polls within a few days.

“The decision to deploy the armed forces will be made by the Election Commission at a meeting which will be held within a couple of days. Law enforcement agencies have assured the EC that the scenario of pre-election period is normal, so we are not convinced that the army needs to be deployed,” he said while talking to journalists at the election commission secretariat yesterday over security arrangements for the three city corporations ahead of the polls scheduled for April 28.

Inspector generals of Police, Ansar, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and Coast Guard, additional commissioner of Special Branch, National Security Intelligence (NSI) and other high officials of the Election Commission and the law enforcement agencies were present at

the meeting.

The CEC warned that if anyone used muscle during the elections, the commission will reply with double power.

He also told reporters that returning officers were taking action against violation code of conduct, and requested journalists to present objective reports about the elections.

About the violations of the code of conduct, the EC said no general allegation will be considered, candidates will have to lodge specific complaints to the returning officers.

Asked whether BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia’s and Jatiya Party chairman HM Ershad’s participation in the campaign violates the code of conduct, the CEC said the code applies to any minister or anyone of equivalent position.

At the meeting on law and order ahead of the city polls, held at NEC conference room, most of the representatives of law enforcement agencies opposed the proposal for deployment of troops during the city polls. l

BNP-backed ward councillor aspirant arrested n Kamrul Hasan Police arrested a BNP-backed councillor aspirant of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) from the capital’s Chamelibagh area on Saturday night.

The arrestee was identified as BNP leader Kazi Hasibur Rahman alias Shakil, Ward 13 councillor aspirant of DSCC. Officer in-Charge of Paltan police station Tofail Ahmed said police picked him up and two of his followers from near his house in the area. The two followers were later released.

Shakil is an accused in four cases including a case of sabotage and a case filed for attacking and injuring police men, the official said.

He is the second BNP-backed councillor aspirant arrested since the campaigns for the bifurcated Dhaka city corporation polls had begun.

Earlier, Mirpur police arrested another BNP-backed candidate Kayser Ahmed on April 16. l

Tabith thanks Khaleda for her campaign n Munir Momtaj

Tabith M Awal, the BNP-backed mayoral candidate for Dhaka North City Corporation, yesterday expressed his gratitude to party chief Khaleda Zia for giving his campaign a boost by canvassing for him on Saturday.

“Heartiest thanks to madam Khaleda Zia for taking part in this election campaign.

Madam has immeasurable popularity and it will add a new dimension to this election.

“We have seven more days of election campaigning and I hope that we will be able to reach all the people by this time,” said Tabith, son of BNP chairperson’s adviser Abdul Awal Mintoo.

With his election symbol of bus, Tabith began yesterday’s canvassing from the capital’s Taltola bus stand area.

Replying to a query, he said complaints have been filed against some candidates who were violating the electoral code of conduct.

He expressed hopes that the Election Commis-

sion would take rapid measures against them.

“We hope that the law enforcement agencies will control the law and order situation [during the election],” the mayoral aspirant added.

Many leaders of the 20-party alliance joined Tabith’s canvassing efforts yesterday, as did his mother Nasrin Awal.

Ahead of the April 28 election, the mayoral and councillor candidates for the Dhaka city polls will be allowed to seek vote from their constituents until the end of April 26. l

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NEWS 5

MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2015

Chhatra League reins in its women n Nure Alam Durjoy and Arif Ahmed The central leaders of Bangladesh Chhatra League – the student body of the ruling party – barred their female members from protesting against the Pohela Boishakh assault on women on Dhaka University campus.

For reasons unknown, the Dhaka University unit of the student organisation also cancelled its Saturday’s protest against the assault.

DU-based female leaders and activists of Chhatra League, along with general female students, were scheduled to hold the protest programme on the campus on Friday afternoon.

The presidents and general secretaries of Chhatra League’s female hall units had convened the other female students of the university through social media.

They talked to the senior leaders of the organisation’s central committee and university chapter and publicised the programme only after getting a positive response.

However, according to sources, around 12 noon on Friday, hours before the programme’s schedule, Chhatra League’s central General Secretary Siddique Nazmul Alam called up the female leaders and lambasted them for organising the protest.

Seeking anonymity, a DU-based leader told the Dhaka Tribune: “We cancelled the programme because we were asked not to stage it. We have no option but to comply with what the seniors say.”

On April 14 – Pohela Boishakh – a woman almost bare from the assault near the TSC roundabout ran towards the nearby Rokeya Hall and took shelter in its guest room. Eshat

Campaign against sexual assault mounting

n Nure Alam Durjoy and Arif Ahmed With every passing day, more and more people, mostly those without any political affiliation, are joining the string of protest against the recent sexual assault on women on Dhaka University campus.

Yesterday, several hundred students of the DU Department of Physics, covering their mouths with pieces of black cloths, staged what they said was a “silent human chain” on the campus.

Demanding immediate punishment for the assaulters, they stood in the human chain around the Doyel intersection on the campus from 1pm to 1:35pm.

They also carried placards, some of which read: “Do not play games, protect us,” “Administration, why are you silent?” “Do not blame the dress, change mentality” and “Stop violence against women.”

Before that, teachers and students of the Faculty of Fine Arts staged a human chain of their own and drew cartoons on the street.

DU unit of the Students’ Federation, Students’ Front and Bangladesh Chhatra Union brought out separate processions and marched around the campus in the morning.

In the evening, the Gonojagoron Moncho also brought out a process and circled around the Shahbagh intersection. l

Kashfia Era, general secretary of the hall unit Chhatra Leauge, helped her putting on her sari again.

Era, one of the organisers of Friday’s protest, yesterday said such assaults on women have become common in the TSC area during major programmes.

Asked why they cancelled the protest, Era said: “We must follow the senior leaders’ commands.”

On cancelling Saturday’s programme, Mehedi Hasan, president of Chhatra League’s DU unit, claimed that they had never planned any such programme.

“It [protesting the assault] is not Chhatra League’s duty alone,” said Omar Sharif, a close associate of Mehedi.

When contacted, Chhatra League General Secretary Siddique Nazmul Alam denied allegations that he had prevented the female leaders from holding protests.

“I do not know anything about this. We are very busy with the upcoming city corporation elections,” he said.

Bangladesh Chhatra Union, student front of the Communist Party of Bangladesh, has been leading the protests since Pohela Boishakh. It has scheduled a countrywide protest for today.

Several other political and non-political student and civil bodies have already staged various programmes protesting the assault.

Holding protests centring social and political issues is nothing new for the ruling party’s student body. That is why many have termed Chhatra League’s silence on the Pohela Boishakh assault issue strange. l

MEHEDI HASAN

Police downplay sexual assaults n Mohammad Jamil Khan

With little to report on six days of investigating the Pohela Boishakh sexual assaults on women on Dhaka University campus, police instead claimed that the media were exaggerating the story.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Asaduzzaman Miah yesterday said: “After analysing the two-hour long CCTV footage, we did not find any acute sexual harassment at the Pohela Boishakh event. It was just a mere scuffle.”

He criticised the media for rebuking the police and holding law enforcers responsible for the incident.

Addressing reporters at the DMP headquarters, the DMP boss said the video footage showed some scuffles breaking out near the Raju Sculpture causing a woman to fall down.

He did, however, confirm that some sort of abuse had taken place and said a case had been filed with Shahbagh police station.

Asaduzzaman requested victims and witnesses to come forward and share information to help with the investigation.

“We have spoken to some witnesses, but they could not offer concrete narratives and failed to provide details,” he said.

He claimed that police had the environs of

Wearing black masks, students of the physics department of Dhaka University lead a procession on the campus yesterday protesting the Pohela Boishakh sexual assaults MEHEDI HASAN

the Raju Sculpture under CCTV surveillance and had observed the pushing and shoving when it took place.

He said police immediately rushed to the spot and charged batons to disperse the crowd.

A DMP investigation team headed by Additional Commissioner Ibrahim Fatemi visited the TSC and Suhrawardy Udyan gate yesterday morning. They spoke to the Dhaka University acting proctor Amjad Ali, Chhatra Union DU unit President Liton Nandi and other leaders, several tea vendors and policemen who were on duty when the incidents took place.

Liton Nandi yesterday said police had asked him what he had witnessed.

A DMP official told the Dhaka Tribune, asking not to be named, that the only progress the police had made was to identify some of those involved in the scuffle. “We know that the four or five identified people belong to DU, but we are investigating them further,” he said.

Amjad Ali, however, said police detained and then freed a youth after taking his statement regarding the assault.

A university investigation committee headed

by Pro-Vice-Chancellor Nasrin Ahmed has also identified four youths, he said.

Meanwhile, confusion remains over the fate of Shahbagh Sub-Inspector Shamsul Alam blamed for negligence of duty. Shahbagh OC Sirajul Islam had said the SI had been closed, but the DMP commissioner denied it. l

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6 NEWS

MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2015

43 teachers of SUST may resign today n Our Correspondent, Sylhet Demanding removal of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology Vice-Chancellor Prof Aminul Haque Bhuiyan, 43 teachers of the university would resign today at 10:30am, the acting proctor of SUST Emdadul Hoque told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

With their resignation the proctorial and provost body of the university becomes vacant.

The tension was generated on SUST campus on April 13 when 19 teachers from physics department and geography and environment

department of the university went to hold a talk with the VC over space allocation between the departments.

Prof Dr Syed Badiuzzaman Faruque, head of physics department, and Prof Dr Sharif Md Sharafuddin, head of geography and environment science department, resigned on the same day following alleged misconduct of the VC. The teachers placed an ultimatum that at least 43 teachers of administrative departments of the university would resign on Monday if Vice-Chancellor Professor Aminul Haque Bhuiyan did not resign by Sunday.

The 43 teachers abstained from work yesterday as their demand was not met, however, the teachers are now determined to resign from their posts, said the proctor.

All the classes and exams were conducted in due manner yesterday. Joint convener of a pro-liberation war platform of teachers Prof Mostabur Rahman said: “The teachers would go for next course of movements after submitting their resignation letters tomorrow [today].”

The VC could not be reached over mobile phone yesterday for his comments. l

Infrastructural dev in cyclone-affected areas stressed n Shadma Malik

UN-ESCAP: Bangladesh’s Asian Highway routes not up to scratch

Speakers yesterday urged the government for taking on infrastructure development initiatives in the Sidr- and Aila-affected areas rather than focusing on human settlement.

They made the call at a seminar on climate change organised by International Centre for Climate Change and Development (Icccad) at Independent University, Bangladesh.

“For the first time, we are facing climate change effects. We do not adapt appropriately to climate change. We need to come up with ways to ensure full collaboration among the government, civil society and the community members,” said Professor M Omar Rahman, vice-chancellor of the university.

At the seminar, a presentation on climate change impacts in Bangladesh was shown.

It showed how people are still struggling to cope with the effects of Sidr and Aila.

“People do no die in cyclones, they die in poverty,” said Dr Atiq Rahman, executive director of Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies.

Naresh Sharma, senior agriculture economist at the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment in Nepal, spoke about Local Adaptation Plan for Action initiatives in his country.

“Climate change programmes start from the community level and then reaches the global platform, which is happening in Bangladesh. We learned how Bangladesh has focused on irrigation process as a way to cope with climate change impacts. “ l

Bangladesh’s portion of the Asian Highway fails to meet the standards of quality required of it, according to the transport division of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP).

A recently published report, a copy of which has been sent to the Road Transport and Highways Division, said two of the three local highways that are part of the Asian Highway network are supposed to meet international standards while the third should meet regional standards.

Yet not a single kilometre of the Bangladeshi roadways that are part of the Asian Highway meets the required standards, according to the UN-ESCAP report.

The report pointed to negligence on the part of the Bangladesh authorities as a cause of the sub-standard conditions of the local lengths of the highway.

But MAN Siddique, the secretary of the Road Transport and Highway Division, disputed this, saying: “We have not been negligent in constructing the highways. We are working to ensure that international standards are maintained.”

To encourage international and regional trade, UN-ESCAP has worked to improve Asia’s international highway network since 1959. Currently, the Asian Highway network spans some 32 countries, with Bangladesh signing on in 2009.

The network is divided into five classes –

n Shohel Mamun

Primary, I, II, III and Below III – that are determined according to road design standards.

Primary refers to access-controlled highways used exclusively by automobiles. Access to the access-controlled highways is at grade-separated interchanges only. Mopeds, bicycles and pedestrians are not allowed.

The Asian Highway runs along three routes for 1,741km in Bangladesh – but fails to meet international standards.

Highways AH 1 and AH 2 are considered international highways, while AH 41 is considered a regional highway.

Yet a mere 72 kilometres of the 1,741km Bangladeshi portion of the Asian Highway is a four-lane highway.

The four-lane portion does not meet the standards for the Primary category, but is regarded as the only stretch of class I highway in the country. The remaining 1,553km, or 89% of the highway, meets class II standards.

Highway AH 2 runs 805.59km from Banglabanda to Tamabil via Joydebpur, Dhaka, Kanchpur and Sylhet.

For 291.34km, the highway overlaps with AH 1, whose 514.25km route links Benapol to Myanmar via Kanchpur, Comilla, Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar and Teknaf.

Regional highway AH 41 has a length of 744.43km, connecting Khulna to Chittagong port via Kanchpur and Daudkandi.

Under the Asian Highway network, China, Japan, Iran, South Korea, Turkey, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia have built advanced highways that meet international standards. l

Kazi Farms to PM: Save poultry sector from goons n Tribune Report Kazi Farms, the leading poultry farm in the country, has sought Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s intervention to get rid of extortion by the local goons and the meddling of some trade union leaders in Thakurgaon.

“Kazi Hatchery Limited and Salander Feed Mill, sister concerns of the Kazi Farms, located at Habibpur village in Pirganj upazila of district, have appeared on the verge of closures due to the incessant extortion and criminal activists by some local trade union leaders and goons,” said Kazi Farms Managing Director Kazi Zahedul Hasan during a media briefing held at National Press Club yesterday.

The farm’s Executive Director Kazi Rezaul

Hasan as well as Directors Kazi Zahin Hasan and Kazi Zeeshan Hasan were also present in the press conference.

“As local police station did not give us any assistance in this regard, we seek help from the high-ups,” the MD continued.

Zahedul also alleged that the leaders and goons have been backed by an influential local who dominate police and the administration.

Being failed to realise their demands including pushing their chosen workers into the factory, the miscreants were threatening their employees, even they were creating various sorts of obstacle to enter the factory, he went on.

Meanwhile, though they sought cooperation from the local parliamentary member Romesh

Chandra, he failed to control the leaders.

“Police even refused to book a general diary (GD) in this regard,” said Zahedul adding that about 350 trucks used to carry materials and other products to the factory everyday, from which the miscreants were demanding extortion Tk200 from each truck.

When asked, Thakurgaon Kuli-Sramik Union Secretary Md Ahmed Ali denied the allegation of extortion, telling that they have been urging the Kazi Farms authorities to recruit some workers chosen by them.

According to the company, it contributes over 65% of poultry products to the country’s demand and provides 35% of parent eggs. Besides, it has recently exported 50,000 pieces of hatching egg to Myanmar. l

Charges pressed against eight war crimes suspects n Ashif Islam Shaon Charges of crimes against humanity including the killing and the torture of thousands during the Liberation War were pressed against eight suspected war criminals from Jamalpur.

Prosecutor Tapos Kanti Baul submitted five counts of charges against the men to the International Crimes Tribunal’s registrar office yesterday, also accusing the men of being involved with the al-Badr, the anti-liberation force mainly responsible for the killing of intellectuals.

After the formal charges were submitted, International Crimes Tribunal 2 led by Justice Obaidul Hassan fixed Tuesday to decide whether it would accept the charges against them.

On March 2, law enforcers arrested two of the eight war crimes suspects, hours after the tribunal issued arrest warrants against them all.

The detainees are Advocate Shamsul Haque, 75, and AKM Yusuf Ali, 83, who contested the 1970 national election from Jamaat-e-Islami for the posts of provincial assembly member and national assembly member respectively.

The other absconding accused are: Ashraf Hossain, 64, Prof Sharif Ahammed, 71, Abdul Mannan, 66, Abdul Bari, 62, Harun, 58, and Abul Hashem, 65. They were involved with Islami Chhatra Sangha and al-Badr, according to the investigators.

Also yesterday, the tribunal asked prosecution to submit charges, if there is any, on May 21 against three Cox’s Bazar war crimes suspects – Md Rashid, 84, Salamat Ullah Khan, 80 and Moulavi Jakaria. l

RAB to get tough on drug, arms dealers n Abid Azad The director general of RAB yesterday warned that the force would trigger magazines if anyone was found with narcotics and arms together.

Benazir Ahmed said the action would be taken irrespective of the person’s personal and political identities.

“Drugs are spoiling the lives of our promising youngsters,” he said while addressing a narcotics destruction programme at RAB 11 headquarters in Narayanganj.

State Minister for Home Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, who was the programme’s chief guest, said RAB has won the trust of the masses.

RAB 11 Commanding Officer, Lt Col Anwar Latif Khan, said his battalion had so far recovered 5,132kg marijuana, 23,334 bottles of phensedyl, 4,036 bottles of recodex, 2,160 bottles of foreign alcohol, 1,130 cans of beer, 27.6 litres of homemade liquor, 877 pethidine injections, and 5,275 yaba pills. l

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MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2015

Hasan: Battery-run rickshaws to return on Chittagong roads n FM Mizanur Rahaman Despite a High Court ban on battery-run rickshaws, Awami League Publicity and Publications Secretary Dr Hasan Mahmud yesterday assured owners and drivers that the vehicles would soon return to the roads in port city.

The former environment and forests minister was addressing a rally at Wasa intersection in Chittagong city organised by Chittagong Battery-run Rickshaw Owners-Drivers League.

Demanding that the restriction on battery-run rickshaws be withdrawn, the owners and rickshaw pullers held the rally blocking Wasa-Kazir Dewri Road in the city around 11am, which led to a tailback in the area that lasted for several hours.

Hasan said there was no restriction from the government on battery-run rickshaws but the High Court had imposed the ban last year.

“This is because we now have a fully independent and free judiciary. But the court might lift the ban if the sufferings of people which resulted from the restriction is brought to the court’s attention.”

The Awami League leader also urged the owners to fix the technical faults of the vehicles for the sake of passengers once the court lifted the ban. Jatiya Sramik League’s Chittagong city unit General Secretary, Nurul Islam, said some 50,000 families of battery-run rickshaw pullers had been leading a miserable life because of the court ban. l

WEATHER THUNDERSHOWER WITH RAIN

MONDAY, APRIL 20 DHAKA TODAY SUN SETS 6:22PM

TOMORROW SUN RISES 5:32AM

FORECAST FOR TODAY 32 33 35 31 36 33 29 33

Dhaka Chittagong Rajshahi Rangpur Khulna Barisal Sylhet Cox’s Bazar

24 27 24 23 25 26 22 23

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

35.5ºC Rangpur

23.3ºC Sayedpur Source: Accuweather/UNB

PRAYER TIMES Fajr

4:14am

Sunrise

5:32am

Zohr

11:58am

Asr

4:31pm

Magrib

6:22pm

Esha

7:41pm SourceL IslamicFinder.org

Three of the 337 Bangladeshis, rescued from a war-torn Yemen and brought home on a special Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight around 4:30am yesterday, seem quite relieved as they head out of Dhaka airport DHAKA TRIBUNE

337 Bangladeshis return home from Yemen, 136 more to arrive today n Adil Sakhawat Yesterday, 337 Bangladeshi citizens who were evacuated from Yemen returned to the country from Kochi port in Kerala, India and 136 more are scheduled to arrive today.

After an Indian naval ship evacuated them from Yemen, the Bangladeshis were taken to African country Djibouti and then were brought to Kerala on Indian passenger ships on Saturday.

Later, two Biman Bangladesh Airlines flights carried them to Dhaka early yesterday.

The first flight, carrying 190 of the evacuees, landed at Dhaka Airport around 4:30am and the second flight carrying the rest of them

landed around 5am.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam, who received the evacuees at the airport, said all of them were in safe condition.

“Indian ships have evacuated 508 Bangladeshis from Yemen so far,” he added.

The136 Bangladeshis include five women and four children and will return today via special flights of Biman, according to a press release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

They were evacuated from Hodeida city of Yemen and taken to African country Djibouti on April 16.

The Bangladeshi evacuees are being taken

to a shelter there, arranged by the the Bangladeshi diplomats stationed in Djibouti, led by Ambassador Maj Gen Mohammad Ashab Uddin, to ensure safe return home for the Bangladeshi citizens.

War-torn Yemen became a battleground with the rise of Shia Houthis who took over capital Sanaa six months ago and ousted President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

After the Saudi Arabia launched air strikes in Yemen, the situation became worse.

India has carried out massive evacuation operation – not only for its own citizens, but for other nationals as well – in Yemen for a month, before calling it off last week. l

ASSAULT ON VC OF RU

AL, BCL now unanimous against RU authorities n Nazim Mridha, Rajshahi The authorities of Rajshahi University are facing tougher stance from both the city unit Awami League and university unit Bangladesh Chhatra League, although vice-chancellor of the university have verbally assaulted by some leaders of the ruling party four days back.

Teachers and students of the RU yesterday continued their agitations on the campus for the third consecutive days, demanding punishment of the leaders of Awami League who assaulted RU VC. On Saturday, Rajshahi city Awami League leaders in a press conference claimed that the news of assaulting VC was not true. They also demanded apology from the VC and some senior teachers of the RU for misbehaving with them.

They also threatened to launch movement against RU VC for his removal, if he would not seek apology within seven days.

At the press conference, the ruling party men claimed that they had gone to VC’s office to inform him about irregularities which were going on at the university, but he along with some senior teachers misbehaved with them.

Rajshahi city unit Awami League General Secretary Dablu Sarker was present at the press where Vice-President Mahfuzur Rahman Loton read out a written statement.

Meanwhile, RU unit BCL also submitted a memorandum with seven points demand to the VC on Saturday and also threatened with tougher movement to remove him if their demands are not meet soon.

Several BCL leaders, however, wishing anonymity told the Dhaka Tribune that the BCL had submitted the memorandum to put the university authorities at stake as per order of Rajshahi city Awami League.

However, students and teachers of different departments and Progressive Teachers Association separately held a human chain and brought out a procession, protesting the assault to VC and demanding punishment to the AL leaders.

Speakers condemned the incident of assault on VC and demanded punishment of the responsible AL leaders.

They also urged the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to take action against ruling party leaders for their misdeeds and cancellation of parliament membership of Rajshahi 1 law-

maker Omar Faruk Chowdhruy.

On Thursday, a group of local leaders led by the ruling party’s Rajshahi city unit General Secretary Dablu Sarker and Vice-President Shahadat Hossain barged to the office of RU VC Prof Muhammad Mizanuddin. Then, they reportedly demanded recruitment of their preferred candidates as employees and officers in different posts of the university.

However, when VC said the recruitment process would take place as per the university rules, then ruling party men started hurling abusive words at the VC. During the incident, the leaders also physically assaulted science faculty Dean Prof Habibur Rahman and RU Students’ Adviser Prof Sadequl Arefin Matin while the teachers come forward to calm down them.

On Wednesday, Rajshahi 1 lawmaker Omar Faruk Chowdhury allegedly assaulted VC verbally and threatened to oust VC Mizanuddin over the university’s fine of Tk25 lakh to one of its affiliated institution Shah Makhdum Medical College for alleged irregularities in admission process. MP Faruk is the governing body chairman of the institution. l

DT

8 NEWS

MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2015

Fruit bagging tech getting popularity n Our Correspondent, Rajshahi Fruit bagging technology is going to be promoted in mango orchards in Rajshahi and Chapainawabganj commercially during the forthcoming pre-harvest season to protect fruits from pest attack and facilitating the farmers to get quality yield.

The technology was first introduced primarily last year and as it had been found effective, this year the technology has been introduced commercially, said Dr Saraf Uddin, Senior Scientific Officer of Scientists of Regional Horticulture Research Center (RHRC) in Chapainawabganj.

“The technology is used just before the pre-harvest period to protect mango from pest attack and snow-hit,” Saraf said. “It also reduces the use of harmful chemical insecticides and pesticides that will help to retain the quality and color of mango,” he also said.

According to Department of Agriculture Extension sources, there are about 30 lakh mango trees of different ages and varieties on some 32,816 hectares in the region with creation of many more new mango orchards and increased mango farming in the homesteads in recent years.

If the bags were used substantially, use of

harmful chemical insecticides and pesticides could be reduced to a greater extent on the huge trees. Thereby, the technology will open up a new door of exporting mango.

Scientists of RHRC have released the technology among the growers this year after attaining a remarkable success in this field last year.

Already, a private organization procured the specialized bags from China for supplying to the farmers at a cost of Tk3-4 per bag.

Dr Safar says pre-harvest fruit bagging is a useful approach for plant protection and improved post-harvest fruit quality as bagging of mango fruits for lower insect and disease damage in fruits This is a well-known practice in many of the mango-producing countries but information is lacking on its effects on the external and internal characteristics of the fruits, the appropriate bagging materials and the economics of its adoption.

Bagging with

Probe committee formed over trader’s death from alleged police torture Correspondent, n Our Gopalganj Police in Kotalipara upazila have been accused of torturing a man to death.

A three-member committee headed by the additional police super has been formed to investigate Saturday’s death of 32-year-old Juel Fakir.

On Saturday noon, Juel, son of Taiyab Fakir, fell in a pond and drowned after police had allegedly chased him in Barshapara village.

Juel’s brother Sohel Fakir claimed that police had severely beaten Juel for gambling and also stamped on him, which led to his death.

But Kotalipara police station Sub-Inspector, Md Sayem Sujan, said Juel and several men were gambling by the pond and they all ran to flee when police arrived there.

“While running, Juel slipped and hit a tree, thus falling in the pond. He was taken to the upazila health complex where doctors declared him dead,” he said.

Resident Medical Officer of the health complex, Dr Premananda Mondol, said police and several others brought Juel there but he could not be treated as he had died earlier.

“He had injuries in the forehead and legs but how he actually died could be known after the post-mortem,” he said.

Officer-in-Charge of Kotalipara police station, Md Abdul Latif, strenuously denied the allegation of involvement of police in Juel’s death. He said police do not use baton to beat up anyone for gambling as there are specific laws to deal with such cases.

“Police always follow those laws. We have detained many gamblers in the past and they all were sentenced as well as fined by mobile courts.”

Juel’s body was sent to Gopalganj General Hospital for autopsy and OC Latif said no one had lodged any formal complaint over the trader’s death.

Md Mizanur Rahman, superintendent of police in Gopalganj, termed gambling a social crime, and said Juel had died while running away from a gambling session to avoid being caught.

“We have formed the probe committee to look into the claim of Juel’s family that police were responsible for his death. Actions will be taken against any policeman if he is found guilty of the death.” l

different paper materials resulted in fruits with lower insect and disease damage and minimized fruits quality defects. Thick waxy magazine significantly prevented fruit fly damage with infestation ranging from zero to less than one percent.

Dr Alim Uddin, Principal Scientific Officer of Fruit Research Station in Rajshahi, said: “Mango is one of the commercially important fruit crops in the region but the important cash crop is prone to attacks of insect pests and diseases in all stages of development.”

If the technology is used, there will be no spot on mango in the bagged ones. Besides, the mango could be protected from all kinds of diseases and pests that will boost the volume of exportable mango. Apart from this, as

the market price of the bagged mango is lucrative the growers can sell their produce in high price of at least TK500 per mounds.

However, the concerned quarters viewed that this year the price of mango would be higher than earlier period because the use of bags would add an extra value a bit in market.

Taslim Uddin, a farmer of Kanshat of Chapainawabganj said: “ I have 50 hectares mango orchards and I have used the technology for about 15 heactares.”

Taslim however expressed fear that the use of the technology would impact the market prices of mango as it would add an extra production cost. Sanowa Haque, a farmer of Tanor in Rajshahi said: “I am aware of the technology as it is costly.” l

DT

NEWS 9

MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2015

Nor’wester kills seven in Kishoreganj, Mymensingh n Tribune Report

Classes are being held at Balua Choumohoni Government Primary School in Dholiya union under Feni sadar upazila yesterday although a major portion of its tin roof was blown down by the nor’wester on April 3 FOCUS BANGLA

Forestation project at Baikka Beel falls flat n Our Correspondent, Moulvibazar

shelter for the birds and enrich the ecology of the area. But we are frustrated with the Murta plants, which did not go as we planned. However, the Hijal-Korosh trees are still there.”

Meanwhile, Crel planted about three thousands trees in 2014. Moniruzzaman Chowdhury, an official of Crel, said they took utmost care during and after planting the trees.

“We placed a stick beside each sapling and ensured that they are well taken care of. We also planted heavy trees such as mangoes, banyans, arjun etc,” he added.

The Ministry of Land declared the 250-acre Baikka Beel as a sanctuary for fishes and birds in 2003. Since then fishing and collecting aquatic plants have been banned here.

Every year Baikka Beel turns into a heaven for migratory birds ushering in a number of tourists and nature enthusiasts. l

About two years ago, the Department of Forest took an initiative to plant a huge number of trees at Baikka Beel to provide shelter and food for the birds and also to preserve the environment.

However the forestation effort was not met with much success due to lack of planning and monitoring.

According to Climate Resilient Ecosystems and Livelihoods (Crel), an NGO working at Baikka Beel, the forest department planted various trees during the 2012-2013 fiscal year under the climate trust fund.

Hijal and Korosh trees were planted in 20 hectares of land spending Tk7 lac. And in 50 hectares a total of 12,500 Murta plants were planted spending Tk1,464,950.

A recent visit by this correspondent to this ecologically critical area could not find any Murta plant. Though some Hijal and Korosh trees were seen, Murta, a cane-like plant locally popular for weaving floor mats, was non-existent.

Md Shamsuddin, treasurer of Borogangina Wealth Management Association, an organisation involved in managing Baikka Beel, said Murta plants planted by the forest department did not exist any more.

“After the forest department planted the trees, they did not contact any of the private organisations associated with managing Baikka Beel. Hence there was no one to take care of them. Most of the Murta plants died within one to two years of planting,” he said.

Sylhet division forest official Md Delwar Hossain said: “The trees were planted to create

Two die in mudslide in Chapainawabganj n Our Correspondent, Chapainawabganj

7 get life term for Pirojpur lawyer murder

Two people were killed in a mudslide in Ujirpur village of Shibchar upazila, Chapainawabganj yesterday morning.

Chairman of Ujirpur union parishad Abdul Malek said: “Shirajul and Khudu, residents of Ujirpur village, went to put sand bank on a dam to stop erosion of the Padma River which has turned alarming in the locality over a few days.”

When they were putting sand bags, a big chunk of earth fell on them around 9am.

They died on the spot.

Later, the local people recovered their bodies from under the mud, he said.

Officer-in-Charge of Shibchar police station Moinul Islam told the Dhaka Tribune that he was aware of the matter. l

n Our Correspondent, Barisal

A Barisal court yesterday sentenced life term imprisonment to seven people for killing a lawyer from Pirojpur five years ago.

The convicts are Kamrul Islam Khan, Monirul Islam Santu, Rezaul Talukdar, Al-Amin Shikdar Rony, Mizanur Rahman Jamaddar, Azizul Huq Khokon and Soharab Khan.

Barisal Speedy Trial Tribunal judge Dilip Kumar Bhoumik gave the verdict and acquitted three from the charges. The court also fined them Tk20,000 each, in default, they will have to suffer one year more in jail.

Of the convicts, Rony, Mizanur, Khokon and Soharab had remained absconding during

the verdict announcement.

According to the case statement, the convicts gunned down Pirojpur district bar association member advocate Giasuddin Masud in Kachuakathi village in Kawkhali upazila here on October 11 in 2009.

Police later recovered the bullet-riddled body from Kawkhali bailey bridge area. In the incident, the lawyer’s brother Al-Amin Khan launched a murder case against ten people.

In 2011, local criminal investigation department filed the charge sheet in the case which in 2013 was transferred to Barisal Speedy Trial Tribunal.

The tribunal gave the verdict after examining 28 witnesses and evidence. l

Seven people have been killed and 15 others injured when nor’wester swept over Kishoreganj and Mymensingh yesterday.

The deceased are Hazrat Ali, 35, and his son Lijon, 10, Shitol Bormon, 45, Abdul Mannan and Rita Begum, 12, Abdul Karim and Jalal Uddin Bhutta.

In Kishoreganj: Five people were killed in the storm in four upazilas of the district.

Officer-in-Charge of Pakundia police station Hassan Al Mamun said Hazrat and his son Lijon were killed as a tree fell on their tinshed house during a storm in Jangalia village around 4am Sunday.

He said the bodies have been sent to Kishoreganj sadar morgue for autopsy.

Shitol and Abdul died in separate incidents when tree fell on them during the storm on Saturday night.

On the other hand, Rita died when a branch of a tree fell on her at night.

Additional Police Super, Koshoreganj Liton Kumar Shah confirmed the deaths of the five people to the Dhaka Tribune.

He said some 500 eshatblishments included houses, schools and madrasas were damaged in the nor’westers.

In Mymensingh: Two were killed and 15 others injured in the storm on Saturday night.

Fulbaria police station OC Refat Kamal Rajib said Abdul Karim died and five others were injured when a tree fell on a shop at Radha Kanai bazar at night.

Muktagachha upazila OC Kamal Hossain said: “Jalal died and 10 others were injured when a tree fell on them in Shontoshpur area.”

Besides, one Ilias Ali died in thunderstorm in Baliapara village under Trishal upazila. l

One killed in clash over gambling n Our Correspondent, Gaibandha A man was killed and 35 others got injured in a fierce clash over gambling in a local Pohela Boishakh programme at Tilakpara village in Sadullapur upazila here yesterday.

The deceased is Abu Taleb, 45, from Chaknadi village of the upazila.

Of the injured, nine were admitted to different local hospital and clinics in a critical condition.

Sources said there was a fair in Ragabendrapur village on the occasion of Pohela Boishakh in which some youths from nearby Tilakpara village lost money in gambling on Friday.

As sequel to the incident, people from both villages locked in clash, leaving 15 people injured. However, police later brought the situation under control.

Later yesterday, people from Ragabendrapur, Kathal Lakshmipur and Chaknadi villages, equipped with indigenous weapons around 9am, swooped on Tilakpara village triggering a fierce clash that left Abu Taleb dead on the spot.

When asked, Sadullapur police station OC Latiful Islam acknowledged the incident, saying they deployed additional police personnel to shun untoward incident further. l

DT

10 WORLD

MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2015

700 migrants feared dead in Mediterranean shipwreck n AFP, Rome

As many as 700 migrants were feared drowned yesterday after their packed boat capsized off Libya in what was described as the deadliest such disaster to date in the Mediterranean.

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and Italy’s coastguard said only 28 people had survived the wreck. Their testimonies suggested there had been about 700 people on board the 20-metre (70-foot) fishing boat, officials said.

“It seems we are looking at the worst massacre ever seen in the Mediterranean,” UNHCR spokeswoman Carlotta Sami said.

The European Union announced an emer-

gency meeting of foreign and interior ministers to discuss what Amnesty International blasted as an avoidable “man-made tragedy.”

Coastal authorities in Italy and Malta picked up a distress signal from the stricken vessel around midnight (2200 GMT) on Saturday, when it was about 70 miles (126 km) off the Libyan coast and 110 miles (177 km) south of the Italian island of Lampedusa.

The Italian coastguard instructed a nearby merchant ship to go to the scene and it was when the Portuguese-registered King Jacob arrived at the scene that the fishing boat capsized, most likely as a result of the terrified passengers stampeding to one side in their desperation to get off, the UNHCR’s Sami said.

A total of 17 boats scoured the area for survivors yesterday but only 24 bodies had been recovered so far, the coastguard said.

The disaster was the latest in a growing catalogue of mass drownings of migrants attempting to reach Europe on overcrowded, unseaworthy boats run by people smugglers who are able to operate out of Libya with impunity because of the chaos engulfing the north African state.

The most serious incident prior to yesterday occurred off Malta in September 2014. An estimated 500 migrants drowned in a shipwreck caused by traffickers deliberately ramming the boat in an attempt to force the people on board onto another,

smaller vessel.

In October 2013, more than 360 Africans perished when the tiny fishing boat they were crammed onto caught fire within sight of the coast of Lampedusa.

That horrific tragedy was described at the time as a wake-up call to the world but 18 months later there is no sign of a let-up in the numbers attempting the perilous crossing in search of a better life in Europe.

The latest disaster comes after a week in which two other migrant shipwrecks left an estimated 450 people dead.

If the worst fears about yesterday’s tragedy are confirmed, it will take the death toll since the start of 2015 to more than 1,600. l

DT

WORLD 11

MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2015

Khamenei says Iran nuclear weapons are a US ‘myth’ ‘The other side is methodically and shamelessly threatening us militarily ... even if they did not make these overt threats, we would have to be prepared’

n Reuters, Dubai Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told military commanders yesterday the United States had created the “myth” of nuclear weapons to portray Iran as a threat, hardening his rhetoric before nuclear negotiations resume this week.

Khamenei, the highest authority in Iran, has supported the talks but continues to express deep mistrust of the United States.

“They created the myth of nuclear weapons so they could say the Islamic Republic is a source of threat. No, the source of threat is America itself, with its unrestrained, destabilising interventions,” Khamenei said in a televised address to a hall of several hundred

military commanders.

“The other side is methodically and shamelessly threatening us militarily ... even if they did not make these overt threats, we would have to be prepared,” he said.

Iran and six world powers including the United States reached a framework accord on Iran’s disputed nuclear program this month and will resume negotiations in Vienna this week, aiming to reach final deal by the end of June.

The accord was a step towards a settlement that would allay Western fears that Iran could build an atomic bomb, with economic sanctions on Tehran being lifted in return.

Despite significant progress, the two sides still disagree on several issues, including how quickly international sanctions would be lift-

ed under a final deal.

Earlier this month, Khamenei insisted that all sanctions be lifted immediately on a deal being reached, a condition that the US State Department dismissed. He warned of the “devilish” intentions of the United States, even as he reaffirmed his support for Iran’s negotiating team.

Khamenei also criticised US support for a Saudi-led offensive in Yemen, where a coalition of Arab countries is bombing Iran-allied Houthi rebels who seized the capital Sanaa last year and took control of other parts of the country.

“Today these tragic events are happening in Yemen and the Americans are supporting the oppressor,” he said. l

ISIS or Taliban? Either way, fear stalks war-weary Afghans n AFP

Claims that the Islamic State group carried out a deadly suicide bombing in Afghanistan raise questions about whether the culprits are the real deal or Taliban turncoats now waving the ISIS black flag.

Either way, war-weary Afghans seem to be in for the bloodiest fighting season in a decade.

The bomb on Saturday ripped through a crowd of government officials waiting to draw their salaries outside the Kabul Bank in the eastern city of Jalalabad, killing at least 34 people and wounding more than 100.

It was the most lethal bombing in the country to be claimed by insurgents allegedly allied with ISIS, which has cap-

tured swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq but never formally acknowledged having a presence in Afghanistan.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani repeated the claim by the attackers in a speech on Saturday, intensifying fears that the IS’s brutal reign of terror was creeping into Afghanistan, already in the grip of a fierce Taliban insurgency.

But analysts - and even some officials within the Ghani administration - view the claim with caution. It remains unclear whether the self-styled IS attackers have the official sanction of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the self-proclaimed caliph of the Islamic State.

“There are two type of ISIS,” deputy Afghan intelligence chief Hesamuddin Hesam told parliament yesterday.

Rahul Gandhi attacks Modi, accuses him of being anti-poor

n Agencies

Projecting the government as “anti-farmer” and “pro industrialist,” Congress yesterday declared full scale war against it over Land Acquisition Bill with Rahul Gandhi accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of bringing ordinance on it to pay back ‘loan’ of industrialists.

The Congress vice-president, who just returned from a two-month absence from public life, said the new land bill is not only against the interests of farmers but also the tribals.

“I tell you how Modi ji won the election.

He took loans of thousands of crores from big industrialists from which his marketing was done. How will he pay back that loan now? He will do it by giving your land to those top industrialists. He wants to weaken the farmers, then snach their land and give it to his industrialist friends,” he said addressing a farmers’ rally here. l

“One that operates in Syria and one that is in Afghanistan. In Afghanistan they are the same old Taliban who have swapped their white flag with black, and have become more swift and deadly.”

The Taliban, which distanced itself from Saturday’s attack, have seen defections in recent months - with some insurgents apparently adopting the IS flag to rebrand themselves as a more lethal force as Nato troops depart.

“We’ve known that IS has been in Afghanistan for some time. (Saturday’s) attack ... may just reflect IS’s desire to appear active while it is under pressure in Iraq and Syria, but if we see follow-on attacks, a pattern may emerge,” said JM Berger, analyst and co-author of “ISIS: the State of Terror.” l

Indian farmers protest plans to ease land acquisition n AP, New Delhi Tens of thousands of flag-waving farmers rallied in India’s capital yesterday to protest a government plan to ease rules for obtaining land for industry and development projects.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said existing rules, established in 2013 to protect land owners from land grabbing and forced relocation, were creating obstacles that were spooking investors. He and industrial leaders say the rules should be simplified to entice foreign business and boost manufacturing in India.

Modi passed an executive order in December doing away with some of the rules. The unilateral move upset opposition parties and rights groups that had long fought for legal safeguards on land acqui-

sition, and they vowed to fight any effort to make the changes permanent after the order expired earlier this month.

Rights activists, labor unions and many among India’s hundreds of millions of farmers say the changes effectively trample the rights of the poor. They accuse Modi of catering to corporate interests, and worry changing the law will leave them vulnerable to poor compensation packages or forced relocation from ancestral lands.

“With the single-minded agenda of kneeling before the corporates ... this government has shown that it simply does not care for the poor and toiling people, for our land, agriculture and nature,” the National Alliance of People’s Movements said in a statement. l

DT

12 EDITORIAL

MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2015

Change attitudes to fight sexual harassment

I

t is not enough to condemn the outrageous sexual assaults which took place at the capital’s most prominent Boishaki celebrations last week.

As a society, we need to address the attitudes which embolden and encourage some men to harass women and which deter many from using public spaces in the first place.

Some mayoral candidates have proposed women-only buses as a way to make public transport safer for women. We welcome the intention of their pledges to make public transport more accessible and popular. Special buses will be especially welcome for the many hundreds of thousands of factory workers who have to walk at all hours to and from workplaces.

However, we must go further than merely alleviating the problems caused by sexual harassment and begin to address its root causes.

This means rooting out the prevalence of archaic and discriminatory attitudes which allows so many public spaces and streets to be dominated by men in ways which put many women off from using them equally.

There is no reason why cities should not generally be safer places for people of all ages. With more people out and about, everyone ought to feel safer moving around.

In order for this to happen, we have to end impunity for all types of sexual harassment. Attitudes must change so that it is perpetrators of sexual harassment and not its victims who are stigmatised.

We need make sure all women feel empowered and protected enough to ward off unwanted attention to make our streets safe for everyone.

Address the discriminatory attitudes which embolden perpetrators

Let private investors develop idle state land

I

t is encouraging to see continued Japanese interest in investing in new special economic zones in Bangladesh.

The indications made by the Japanese ambassador, follow the government’s purchase of land in Gazipur for allocation to Japanese investors.

We welcome the confidence being expressed by trade partners such as China and Japan in the future of the nation.

It is vital the government make best use of all the levers at its disposal to attract more private investment, from both home and abroad.

Competitor nations such as Cambodia and Myanmar are enjoying considerable success in attracting overseas investment. With our large market and youthful population, we have huge untapped potential to boost FDI and create the new higher-value jobs the economy needs.

As a bare minimum, the government must overcome some of the barriers relating to red tape, actions by land grabbers, and poor infrastructure which have hampered the growth of existing SEZs. The government should also go much further and faster with plans to set up new EPZs and industrial zones around the cuntry.

A start can readily be made by making better use of the significant amounts of often idle and unproductively used land which the government owns or control through state bodies and enterprises.

The opportunity cost of failing to productively use such resources are huge. The government should pro-actively lease or sell these lands for the development of new factories and industrial parks. This would help attract new investment and provide a stronger platform for future growth.

Use unproductive state land to attract vital investment

Be heard

Writeto toDhaka DhakaTribune Tribune Write Tower,8/C 8/CPanthapath, Panthapath, Sukrabad, Shukrabad,Dhaka-1207 Dhaka-1207 FRFRTower, Email letters.dt@dhakatribune.com Email letters.dt@dhakatribune.com Sendususyour yourOp-Ed Op-Edarticles: articles: Send opinion.dt@dhakatribune.com opinion.dt@dhakatribune.com www.dhakatribune.com www.dhakatribune.com Join our Facebook community: Join our Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/DhakaTribune

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Ansarullah planned blogger murder for 15 days April 3

Sujon This does not make sense. I have to say, I am doubtful about the government’s willingness to curb these outfits if they operate in our country. Ours is a densely populated country, people are law-abiding, tolerant, and have zero sympathy for terrorists. How difficult it is to bust the dens of any terrorists if they exist? I leave it up to

the readers’ imaginations as to where the government intends to take the country. I am worried about the future of my country.

Very worried.

Jaguar Ridiculous. I wonder who oversees this Detective Branch? Clearly a lack of oversight has transformed it into a total joke!

DT BNP demands army deployment in city polls April 1

Molla A Latif Blockade is on. Hartals are called. Petrol bombs are hurled. Innocent people are killed and burned to ashes. And why? First it was for the fall of the govt. Then it was for a fair and free election under a CTG. Then it came to for a meaningful dialogue.

Has any of these been achieved by that andolon? Or has the andolon failed and is now finished? The netri is still in her office.

But the delegation goes to the EC for army deployment in the CC polls! Is it the election BNP was doing andolon for? Does this man have any common sense?

Government needs sex education April 2

MoniraAli All our problems in a nutshell. The government pretends it is doing something progressive and unenlightened while actually reinforcing harmful prejudices.

Saleem Don’t we all!

Bazbanan Saleem: Speak for yourself

To catch a killer April 2

Trainee pilot killed in Rajshahi plane crash April 2

MITUL Well, as they are saying: “Tamanna tried to land the plane but ... blah blah blah ...” so WTF was the trainer, the retd lt colonel, doing? Sleeping?

12 mayor hopefuls face criminal cases April 2 Sam Looks like the EC are it again. If you want to pursue candidates with dubious credentials, why pick the BNP-wallahs? For God’s sake, be even-handed and go for the crooks from the other side as well. Everytime I pin my hope on a glimmer, it’s dashed by the thoughtless actions of the powers-that-be.

The govt must be castigated for putting up a tamasha with tax payers’ money. Do it by the book, or just install the govt’s chosen candidates and spare us from this spectacle of another make-believe election.

Shammislam Well said about the need for courageous citizens. But don’t single out the transgendered alone, other bystanders helped also.

Especially if you are going to make a fatuous party political point in praise of the AL -- the very party that talks of secularism while locking people up and disparaging them when they express it. They have not helped reduce the power of religious extremists, however much they say they are against them.

Candidates raise voice against violation of polls code April 2

Sammy Lol … as if the Election Code applies to BAKSAL!

DT

OPINION 13

MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2015

Might should not make right n Ibtisam Ahmed

T

he universal appeal of democratic consensus can be hard to argue against. In a world where unanimity is impossible due to free thought, the next best thing, logically, is allowing the majority to make decisions. On paper, it sounds good enough. In reality, it is a tyrannical concept made worse by its alleged value.

Majority rule -- or, more specifically, keeping the majority happy -- is the mandate being used to suppress the rights of large portions of the global population. It is the excuse bandied about when persecuting religious minorities in the Middle East.

This includes the campaign by terrorist organisation IS to kill Christians in Iraq and the legislation by the legitamised regime in Saudi Arabia to kill atheists. It is the same logic applied by Buddhist extremists in Myanmar in their relentless campaign against the Rohingya Muslims.

Securing and preserving democratic consensus is why LGBTQ+ individuals are still considered criminals in most of the world’s countries and why legislation like the Indiana Right to Discriminate Bill can pass in places where they are, nominally, citizens with equal rights.

Since they represent a minority of the population, their voices are always drowned out by the majority. This is why Indian Penal Code Section 377 was reinstated in 2012. Even in cases where minorities are allowed to have a say, such as the upcoming equal marriage referendum in Ireland, there is the obvious

risk of them being overruled by sheer force of numbers.

Particularly problematic is consolidating minority rights that might go against the accepted religious and social norms of the majority, even if these rights do not actually infringe on anyone’s way of life. In these cases, the ideal solution would be not to interfere, but the integrity of majority sentiments is likelier to overrule minority freedoms than not. Such is the reality of democratising rights.

As it is, true democracy and accountability do not exist even in the most watertight political system. When this flawed concept is then applied to rights, it is not only problematic, it is downright immoral. Rights, by definition, should be universal and unquestionable. Minority rights, in particular, need to be protected by these principles because they affect disadvantaged groups.

Yet, majority rule has always been used to deny them equal treatment. Part of the movement against women’s suffrage was based on framing the female population as a minority. Black civil rights movements were similarly stalled on the notion of disrupting the way of life for the many for the benefit of the few.

Legally, these notions should have no leg to stand on. This is why some judiciaries can be expected to uphold pro-minority rulings.

Section 377 had been repealed by a Delhi High Court after all, before popular demand brought it back. The same can be said of the 2010 Bangladesh Supreme Court ruling against the fifth amendment to the constitu-

BIGSTOCK

tion, effectively reinstating secularism but not really put in practice.

Even in the West, that bastion of democracy, it has been a rejection of majority consensus that has led to greater respect for minority rights. Anti-LGBTQ+ laws like Prop 8 were voted in by referenda but eventually overturned by legal means, though that has not stopped other laws from being proposed for future ballots.

Slovenia recently ruled that any rightsbased laws cannot be voted on as that goes against the spirit of universality. Unfortunately, this type of sense is very rare in the world.

As evidenced by the ineffectiveness of most judicial rulings, the entrenchment of democratic decision-making in the way society thinks means there needs to be a fundamental shift in the way people view rights and, indeed, democracy itself. Simply being part of a larger group should not give anyone a larger say. If that is how rights continue to operate, they can no longer legitimately be called so. l

60 joint secretaries, 163 deputy secretaries, and 271 senior assistant secretaries to the posts of additional secretary, joint secretary, and deputy secretary respectively when there were no required vacancies in these posts.

The latest round of promotions on April 6 was no exception. Prior to the promotions, the officials in the three ranks outnumbered the vacant posts. The additional officials were either passing their days as OSD in the public administration ministry or were working in the positions held by them prior to their promotion.

According to the Dhaka Tribune’s April 7 issue, before these promotions, there were 1,280 deputy secretaries against 830 approved posts. The number of joint secretaries is 869 against 350 posts and additional secretaries of 229 against 120 posts.

What may happen now? There will be competition among the promoted officials to get postings and they will end up involved in politics. Those who will fail to get postings in the promoted duty posts will pass their idle days as OSD in the public administration ministry or will continue to work in the positions they were holding before promotions. Both the methods go against the long established administrative discipline.

Our constitution says that parliament may, by law, regulate the appointment and conditions of service of persons in the service of the Republic (Article 33). In the absence

of such an Act of Parliament, the successive party governments in the past four decades have politicised appointments, promotions, and postings of government servants.

The AL-led alliance government that came to power in January 2009 said that it would enact a law in the parliament to regulate appointments, promotions, etc of officials in the administration. Even a draft law was prepared and comments were invited from the stakeholders and the people. But it did not see the light of day during the tenure of the AL-led alliance government. Enactment of the law has thus become uncertain.

The need for enacting a law to regulate appointments, promotions, and postings of government servants in the administration can hardly be over-emphasised. The enactment of an appropriate law will particularly mean a check on the “long arm” of the executive (ie the prime minister, ministers, state ministers, deputy ministers, and persons holding these ranks) to manipulate promotions in the administration.

This will help promote officials to higher posts in the administration on the basis of their efficiency, honesty, and seniority and prevent politicisation of the administration to a large extent. This will also lead to fulfilment of a constitutional obligation. l

Ibtisam Ahmed is a PhD student at the University of Nottingham, researching political utopianism and imperialism. He can be contacted on Twitter at @ ibzor.

Too many secretaries n M Abdul Latif Mondal

O

n April 6, the government promoted 873 officials to the posts of additional secretary, joint secretary, and deputy secretary in the Bangladesh Secretariat commonly known as “the seat of the government.”

Everybody would welcome the promotions of officials, provided they are made following the established rules and regulations in this regard. Two basic conditions for promotions are, a) the availability of vacant posts, and b) satisfactory service records of the aspirants. There was hardly any violation of these conditions not only during the Pakistan days but also in the first two decades of independent Bangladesh. But during the last 24 years or so, these conditions for promotions have been violated more than honoured.

Two major political parties, the BNP and the Awami League, have been ruling the country since the early 90s almost in successive politicised promotions to mid-level and senior-level posts in the administration. We first saw the large-scale politicisation of promotions to the different tiers of administration in early 1992. The mass upsurge against the autocratic rule of the Ershad government brought about its downfall in December 1990.

The BNP that came to power, following the national election of February 1991, promoted more than 700 officials of different cadres

of Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) in order to draw their sympathy to the new government even though there were no approved vacant posts.

As a result, many of the promoted officials had to wait for a year or so as officers on special duty (OSD) in the then Ministry of Establishment (now Ministry of Public Administration). These OSD had to be paid their salaries and allowances in the enhanced scales even though they were not required to perform any work. This was a breach of administrative and financial discipline.

The AL that came to power in 1996 meticulously followed the practice initiated by the BNP government in promoting officials in the administration. After coming to power in 2001, the BNP-led four-party government changed the promotion rules more than once to facilitate promotion of those officers who served their political purpose or who had good connections with the right people. This happened even though there were no vacant posts.

The AL-led grand alliance that came to power in January 2009 following the national election of December 2008 did not take much time in promoting officials to the ranks of deputy secretary and above in the secretariat on political consideration. This was done without taking into consideration the availability of approved posts. For instance, on September 7, 2009 the government promoted

M Abdul Latif Mondal is a former government secretary.

DT

14 OPINION

MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2015

MEHEDI HASAN

Will young Turks steal the show? n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

R

obin Reda became the youngest mayor of France when he was elected from Juvisy sur Orge. After the victory, which undoubtedly caught the attention of his countrymen, 22-year-old Reda got a phone call from no one less than former president Nicolas Sarkozy who urged him to build his career as a politician.

Not yet 40, Naheed Kurban Nenshi was reelected as mayor of Calgary in Canada’s Alberta with 74% votes in 2013. That he was successful is all but obvious.

There are dozens of other instances where voters are embracing the more youthful representatives, who in turn are changing things for the better. But in Bangladesh, barring a few exceptions like Zunaid Ahmed Palak, Shahriar Alam, and some others, there are no instances of young leaders coming to the fore.

Dhaka’s mayoral race, however, offers a refreshing change of scenario. The candidates are comparatively young. And more refreshingly, they have not been part of the noxious political machinery long enough to have become tainted themselves.

However, given all these examples, the reality in Dhaka may not be as romantic as some of these cities.

Local government elections here in Bangladesh are necessarily non-partisan in nature, meaning that political parties cannot directly nominate candidates unlike in the national

parliamentary polls; instead they can only extend their support to aspirants.

Despite that, since the inception of city corporations in the big cities, it has always been seasoned politicians -- Mohammad Hanif, Sadeque Hossain Khoka, Mohiuddin Ahmed, Badruddin Kamran, and Khairuzzaman Liton to name some -- who have enjoyed the necessary political backing to have eventually triumphed in competitive coting.

The air has turned poisonous; water in the rivers in and around the city has been polluted to such extents that fish – or for that matter most marine organisms -- cannot survive.

Hundreds of skyscrapers have shrouded the city’s skyline. If Dhaka had a voice, it would have cried out in sheer agony.

The seasoned politicians who have been at the helm of city administration for decades,

They are young and very enthusiastic. They have nothing to lose and nobody to fear. And they have a much better chance of taking down corruption for good than their experienced forerunners

But does that mean that these political stalwarts have succeeded in bringing in their decades of experience into the city administration and build truly livable cities? Nobody will dare say that they have.

Years of development rush (read uncontrolled and unplanned urbanisation) has robbed Dhaka of its heritage and prestige, turning it into one of the most densely populated and polluted cities in the world.

must take the blame for the ordeals of a city that could have had a better fate.

So, time has come to reorganise the capital, to build a more humanitarian capital; a green and livable city.

The young mayor hopefuls like Tabith M Awal, Mahi B Chowdhury, Zonayed Saki, Sayeed Khokon, and Abdullah Al Kafi do not have the experience that some of their predecessors had. Then again, experience has

never brought us anything good in the past.

These young turks who are running for mayor in the country’s capital have visited many modern, livable cities around the world and have seen what it takes to make a city livable.

Moreover, they are young and appear to be very enthusiastic. They have nothing to lose and nobody to fear. And they have a much better chance of taking down corruption for good than their experienced forerunners.

Of those five names already mentioned, Tabith, at 36, is the youngest, and none of the others is above 50.

This year’s city elections indicate another good thing about the country’s future. These young mayor hopefuls have stamped a slam on the face of those who believe that young guns are not interested in joining politics.

As the major political parties do not practice democracy within their fabric, these young leaders have taken this as a chance to come to the forefront and show people what the energy and aggression of youth can do.

Last year, Rosie Corrigan became the mayor of Selby at the age of 21 -- the youngest ever in the history of Britain. In 2008, Jeremy Yamaguchi, a college student, became the mayor of Placentia in California, at the age of 22.

Just Google their names and you will see that these two young people have not done bad at all. l Mohammad Al-Masum Molla is a political reporter at the Dhaka Tribune

16

Questions on India’s GDP keep coming for statisticians

17

IMF nations point to exchange rate, geopolitical risks

19

Stocks begin week flat with persisting volatility

Remittance inflow to see record high in 2015 Reopening of Saudi market will help earn higher remittance this year n Kayes Sohel Remittance inflow in Bangladesh is expected to see a record rise this year in the wake of recent reopening of labour market by Saudi Arabia and global economic recovery, says a World Bank report.

However, the country slipped one notch to eighth position, pulling US$15bn from its global migrant workers, among the top most 10 remittance-earning countries in the world, despite its 8% rise in remittances during the period, according to World Bank’s Migration and Remittances: Recent Developments and Outlook, which was released last week.

The top remittance recipient countries in 2014 are-India ($70bn), China ($64bn), the Philippines ($28bn), Mexico ($25bn), Nigeria ($21bn), Egypt ($20bn) and Pakistan ($17bn).

Other large remittance recipients are Vietnam ($12bn) and Lebanon ($9bn).

Migrants’ remittances to the developing countries are estimated to have reached at $436bn in 2014, a 4.4% increase over 2013 level and remittances to South Asia rose by an estimated 4.5% in 2014, compared to 2.5% in 2013, driven by sharp increases in remittances to Bangladesh, according to the World Bank study.

In line with the expected global economic recovery next year, the global flows of remittances are expected to be accelerated by 4.1% in 2016, to reach an estimated $610bn, rising to $636bn in 2017.

Remittance growth in South Asia region is projected to remain flat at 3.7% in 2015, supported by large scale construction activities (including preparations for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar) and fiscal expansion in GCC countries and improving economic prospects in the United States.

The level of remittance inflows to the developing countries is expected to reach $459bn in 2016 and $479bn in 2017.

“The resumption of migration of Bangladeshi workers to Saudi Arabia also portends well for remittance growth in that country,” said the study.

Fall in oil prices does not appear to have reduced remittances from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members, especially to India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, and several countries in the Middle East and North Africa.

“Remittances to South Asia Region grew despite concerns that lower oil prices might dampen remittance flows from the GCC countries. This may reflect the concentration of

20

DT

Business

15

MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2015

Supermarket owners demand uniform VAT rate for all stores

Commerce ministry asks for budget fund to end FBCCI building works

n Tribune Report The commerce ministry sent a letter to finance division recently requesting Tk10 crore allocation in the revised budget this fiscal year to complete the construction works of the country’s apex trade body’s headquarters, official sources said.

Earlier, the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry demanded a block allocation of Tk10 crore from the state coffers in the current fiscal year’s revised budget to complete the construction.

The 13-storey headquarters building is being constructed on some 14.43 kathas of land at Hatkhola close to Motijheel commercial area in the capital Dhaka.

Tk10 crore budget allocation was also made for the construction works last fiscal year

‘The resumption of migration of Bangladeshi workers to Saudi Arabia also portends well for remittance growth in that country’ the region’s migrant workers in the construction and services sectors, which are relatively less affected by falling oil prices.”

Remittances remain a significant contributor to the economy of the country as it accounted for more than 6% of GDP and 77% of forex reserves.

The Bangladeshi diaspora has the largest diaspora savings, among the low-income countries, with savings of about $9.5bn as bank deposits in destination countries. These savings build a strong case for issuance of diaspora bonds, that can be issued by the Bangladeshi government like other countries—India, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Ghana, Nepal and Ethiopia.

United States, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Russia and the United Arab Emirates remained as the top five migrant destination countries and apart from India, China, Philippines, Mexico and Nigeria are the top five remittance recipient countries in terms of value of remittances, said the report.

The remittance inflow stood at $11.25bn in

the first nine months (July-March) of the current fiscal year, an increase of over 7% in the same period a year earlier, according to the Bangladesh Bank.

In the last fiscal year, the remittance was $14.23bn, which is 1.61% down from the previous fiscal year’s $14.46bn due to the political turmoil and stagnant situation in manpower export.

“Stable exchange rate of the local currency against US dollars was one of the main drivers for the increased remittance inflow in the country,”said an official of the central bank.

The global average cost of sending $200 held steady at 8% of the value of the transaction, as of the last quarter of 2014.International remittances sent via mobile technology accounted for less than 2% of the remittance flows in 2013, according to the latest available data. l

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www.dhakatribune.com

The works are expected to end by June or July this year. The finance division letter said the fund allocation would facilitate the works to be completed by the stipulated time.

But a Finance Division official told Dhaka Tribune that the division had given Tk10 crore budget allocation in last fiscal year for the same purpose. He said the division thinks the allocation was enough to complete the works.

Joint commerce secretary Khandaker Fatema Begum signed the letter addressing to senior finance division secretary Mahbub Ahmed.

FBCCI laid the foundation stone of the building on May 6, 2012 with Finance Minister AMA Muhith attending the function.

Finance Division regularly provides financial support to the different business chambers and associations for the development of their infrastructures and capacity building.

The trade body provides necessary supports in favour of 54 district chambers and 215 associations across the country. l

DT

16 BUSINESS

MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2015

G20 powers fear volatile markets n AFP, Washington

A worker climbs up to a pillar of a metro railway under construction in Kolkata

REUTERS

Questions on India’s GDP keep coming for statisticians n Reuters, New Delhi Ashish Kumar, the head of India’s statistics office, has faced two months of questioning about how a new way of measuring GDP created the world’s fastest-growing major economy overnight.

It’s unlikely to end any time soon.

Until early February, when Kumar’s office changed the way it measures economic activity, India was enduring its weakest run of growth since the mid-1980s. Now it is outpacing China, having grown an annual 7.5% in the fourth quarter of last year.

Policymakers were flummoxed by the statistical transformation, particularly as the revised data was released without a historical series, making it hard to put the number in context or understand what it was saying about the economy.

“The day starts with a question and ends with a question,” Kumar told Reuters. “Almost every week we keep getting queries from RBI and the finance ministry about the data.”

“We are trying to compile a historical series and hope to provide it by the end of December,” he said.

Until then, the questions may keep on

coming - a state of confusion that is persisting to the point where it risks wrong-footing financial markets and even policymakers. The statistics office has set up an internal panel to audit the data and invited an International Monetary Fund team to review it. The IMF review starts on April 22.

Last week, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) pointed out several gaps in the new figures, which it said clouded an accurate assessment of the economy and could lead to poor policy.

Others have been more scathing in their criticism. Morgan Stanley’s Ruchir Sharma, for example, has called the new numbers a “bad joke” aimed at a “wholesale rewriting of history”.

The statistics office says the new calculation, which measures GDP by market prices instead of factor costs, is more in line with global practise and helps to better understand the structural changes taking place in the economy.

The RBI and finance ministry agree, and aren’t questioning the decision to change the methodology. But they can’t reconcile the data with other indicators showing less vibrant growth.

For example, the new, robust expansion doesn’t correspond to subdued corporate

earnings and weak industrial production and statisticians disagree over the way a new data set is used.

The statistics office attributes the divergence to the use of an improved database of hundreds of thousands of private companies.

Previously, a small sample of large firms was used.

But R Nagaraj, an independent member of a government-appointed panel that first suggested using the companies database to calculate GDP, says the mismatch reflects a decision to extrapolate the new data instead of taking it as a straight reading of output.

As a result, Nagaraj said, gross value addition in manufacturing is more than double the figure his panel’s suggested methodology would have produced.

Kumar, the head of the statistics office, said the rationale was to make the samples comparable over a period of time.

“There has to be some benchmarking so that you compare the comparable,” Kumar said. “We haven’t come across any defect in our methodology.”

“We don’t have any political agenda,” Kumar said. “Whatever questions are coming, we are answering them.” l

Finance officials from the G20 group of world economic powers expressed concern Friday about the risks of market and exchange rate volatility but avoided talk of Greece’s financial plight.

Meeting in Washington during the IMFWorld Bank spring gathering, G20 central bankers and finance ministers said the apparent strengthening in advanced economies “could support a stronger global recovery.”

But they warned the economy is still vulnerable to “important challenges” including exchange rate volatility, stubborn low inflation, high public debt and geopolitical tensions.

But the group avoided any official mention of the biggest risk to financial stability at the moment, the risk that Greece could default on hundreds of millions of dollars worth of debt and drop out of the eurozone.

“This was not discussed during the official sessions of the G20,” said Ali Babacan, the Turkish deputy prime minister and current G20 president.

Fresh fears that Greece will not secure more bailout funding from the European Union before huge loan payments come due in have sent European equity markets falling again Friday.

While the group avoided Greece, it did say that countries need to do more to boost growth for the near term, and that major central banks need to communicate clearly their policies not to add to market turmoil.

Babacan though said that the US Federal Reserve, whose plan for raising interest rates this year has sent shivers through global finances, is doing “a much better job” of communicating its intentions.

“Clear communication is very important not just for the US economy but globally because of the possible spillover effect,” he said.

The G20, meanwhile, said it wanted the IMF executive board to continue efforts to implement the 2010 package of quota and funding reforms, despite the continued lack of official ratification from the United States, the Fund’s largest shareholder.

The G20 said the IMF should seek alternate, interim measures to implement the 2010 reforms, to give large emerging economies like China and India greater voice at the Fund, rather than start a new process.

The refusal of the US Congress to ratify the reform package has angered other IMF members and warnings that Washington is eroding the fund’s effectiveness and credibility. l

‘Electric cars won’t spread even with rapid chargers’ n Reuters, Yokohama Battery-powered electric vehicles don’t have a practical future as a long-range alternative to conventional cars even if technological breakthroughs allow them to be charged quickly, a top engineer at Toyota Motor Corp said on Thursday.

Electric vehicle (EV) supporters have touted developing high-speed charging technology as the way forward for cars like Nissan Motor Co’s Leaf. But Yoshikazu Tanaka, chief engineer of Toyota’s hydrogen fuel-cell car Mirai, said that would guzzle so much energy at once as to defeat the purpose of the EV as an ecologically sound form of transportation. l

Runner Automobiles Limited has recently held an opening ceremony to inaugurate a caravan for displaying its products. The chairperson of Runners Group, Hafizur Rahman Khan was present on the occasion

DT

BUSINESS 17

MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2015

IMF nations point to exchange rate, geopolitical risks

Bank of Mexico Governor Agustin Carstens (L) and IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde attend a news conference at the conclusion of the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC) Plenary Session REUTERS

n Reuters, Washington The International Monetary Fund’s member nations on Saturday warned of risks to the global economy from exchange rate shifts and geopolitical tensions as they took note of “moderate” global growth and “uneven prospects.”

While economies in developed countries have strengthened, some emerging nations are being hit by weaker commodity prices and exports, the IMF’s steering committee noted in a communique.

With the United States poised to hike interest rates, the panel - speaking for the Fund’s 188 member nations - said moves toward “policy normalization” needed to be effectively communicated to reduce adverse impacts on other economies.

It also said the “possibility of lower growth potential” was becoming an important global challenge, a topic the panel’s chairman said was central to talks on Saturday.

“I came out of this meeting with a sense of optimism,” the chairman, Mexican Finance

Minister Agustin Carstens, said.

“The fact that a lot of the discussion basically rotated around how to increase growth ... and not only discussing risks - I think that was a very good sign.”

The spring meetings of the IMF and World Bank, which conclude on Sunday, have taken place amid growing concerns cash-strapped Greece will fail to reach agreement with its European Union and IMF creditors on reforms that would unlock bailout cash and stave off default.

At the same time, risks of a stronger dollar and low commodity prices have hit emerging markets as China’s blistering economic growth has slowed.

Low inflation remains a concern for many developed economies despite signs the European Central Bank’s quantitative easing program has boosted Europe’s ailing economy, and the communique called for easy monetary policies to be maintained where needed.

“Global imbalances are reduced from previous years, but a further rebalancing of demand is still needed,” the communique said.

That appeared to echo U.S. concerns over Germany’s huge current account surplus.

In the United States, the central bank’s moves toward a rate hike have sent the dollar soaring, and officials from nations around the globe warned of the risk of financial and economic disruptions as the path of major central banks diverge.

Canadian Finance Minister Joe Oliver said in a statement to the IMF panel that “among the most significant downside risks (was) the potential for financial instability associated with asynchronous monetary policy in systemic economies.”

While there has been little sign at the meetings of a renewed flare-up in the “currency wars” despite a surge in the value of the dollar against the euro and yen, China’s growing economic clout has overshadowed the talks.

Beijing has touted its own development bank, a rival to the established Washington-based institutions, and is pushing to include the yuan in the IMF’s currency basket to reflect its economic might. l

Germany still has some way to go to ‘smart factories’ n AFP, Hanover Collaborative robots and intelligent machinery may have wowed the crowds at this year’s Hannover Messe, but experts see German industry as having some way to go towards incorporating them on factory floors in what could become the fourth industrial revolution.

The undoubted star of the world’s largest industrial trade fair which closed its doors in the northern German city on Friday was YuMi, a collaborative dual-armed robot made by Swissbased automation technology group ABB. ABB says it developed YuMi primarily for the consumer electronics industry and it is capable of handling the delicate and precise parts of a wristwatch to components used in mobile phones, tablets and desktop PCs. But it will increasingly be rolled out to cover other market sectors as well, the company said.

And it is completely safe, so that YuMi and human co-workers can work side-by-side on shared tasks without protective fencing or cages.

Chancellor Angela Merkel put its safety features to the test when she visited the stand and placed her finger inside the gripper on YuMi’s right arm, causing it to stop.

At another stand, the German firm Beckhoff showed off its automated assembly line able to adapt itself seamlessly to handle different parts according to their shape, size and colour, while the human co-worker is equipped with a special smartwatch to monitor the process and intervene if necessary.

Digital revolution

Industry views the merging of production and online technology as the way forward for manufacturing, where “smart” factories use information and communications technologies to digitise their processes, boosting quality and efficiency at the same time as cutting costs.

Digitisation is being heralded as the fourth industrial revolution - hence the term widely used in Germany of “Industrie 4” - following the invention of the steam engine, mass production and automatisation.

With nothing less than Germany’s mighty industrial prowess at stake, politicians and business leaders are keen to wave the “Industrie 4” flag.

The government has even launched a new working group of businesses, unions and researchers to look into ways of moving digitisation forward and which will present its ideas and findings later this year. But German companies still have a long way to go, experts say.

A recent survey by the BITKOM federation for information technology, telecommunications and new media, found that currently four out of 10 companies in key industrial sectors use Industrie 4 applications. l

China to accelerate reforms to support yuan in IMF currency basket n Reuters, Washington Beijing will accelerate reforms to the country’s currency as part of a push for the yuan’s inclusion in the International Monetary Fund’s currency basket, China’s central bank governor Zhou Xiaochuan said on Saturday.

In a statement to the IMF steering com-

mittee, Zhou argued that Beijing had made strides toward making the yuan freely convertible, and that it should be included in the IMF’s Special Drawing Rights basket.

China has committed to further open its capital account and liberalize the way the exchange rate for the yuan, or RMB, is managed, including reducing currency market intervention.

“China is not far from achieving its goal of RMB capital account convertibility,” Zhou said.

Winning approval for the yuan’s inclusion in the IMF’s currency basket could raise China’s standing in the global financial system and mark an important step in Beijing’s emergence as a global power.

The United States, the IMF’s top share-

holder, has said China’s currency is not yet ready to join the SDR basket. A top IMF official said China does not want to bend the rules in its favor.

Zhou had earlier commented on the currency reform push in an interview with Xinhua reporters in Washington on Friday, where he was attending a meeting of the IMF. l

DT

18 BUSINESS

MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2015

News, analysis and recent disclosures AGRANINS: The Board of Directors has recommended 10% cash dividend for the year ended on December 31, 2014. Date of AGM: 30.05.2015, Time: 11:00 AM, Venue: Institution of Diploma Engineers Bangladesh, 160/A, Kakrail, VIP Road, Dhaka. Record Date: 29.04.2015. The Company has also reported EPS of Tk. 1.84, NAV per share of Tk. 15.56 and NOCFPS of Tk. 0.43 for the year ended on December 31, 2014.

SIBL: The Company has informed that Cash dividend for the year ended on December 31, 2014 has been disbursed to the respective shareholders Bank Accounts through Bangladesh Electronic Fund Transfer Network (BEFTN) System.

UNIONCAP: The Company has informed that it has credited the bonus shares for the year ended on December 31, 2014 to the respective shareholders BO Accounts through CDBL system on April 16, 2015.

SONARGAON: As per Regulation 30 of DSE Listing Regulations, the Company has informed that a meeting of the Board of Directors will be held on April 29, 2015 at 3:30 PM to consider, among others, audited financial statements of the Company for the year ended on December 31, 2014.

TAKAFULINS: As per Regulation 30 of DSE Listing Regulations, the Company has informed that a meeting of the Board of Directors will be held on April 30, 2015 at 3:30 PM to consider, among others, audited financial statements of the Company for the year ended on

December 31, 2014.

MERCANBANK: As per Regulation 30 of DSE Listing Regulations, the Company has informed that a meeting of the Board of Directors will be held on April 22, 2015 at 3:00 PM to consider, among others, audited financial statements of the Company for the year ended on December 31, 2014.

IPO Subscription: Olympic Accessories Limited Subscription 19.04.2015 TO 23.04.2015, NRB UPTO 02.05.2015. Offer Price per share Tk. 10.00, Market Lot (Shares) 500.

Dividend/AGM ABBANK: 12.50% stock, EGM and AGM: 17.05.2015, Record date for EGM and AGM: 23.04.2015.

IFIC: 15% Stock dividend, AGM: 17.06.2015, Record Date: 20.05.2015.

MERCINS: 10% cash dividend, AGM: 09.06.2015, Record Date: 22.04.2015.

NORTHRNINS: 10% stock dividend, AGM: 13.06.2015, Record Date: 22.04.2015.

CITYGENINS: 10% stock dividend, AGM: 15.06.2015, Record Date: 22.04.2015.

SHASHADNIM: 20% cash and 15% stock dividend, AGM: 21.05.2015, Record date: 23.04.2015.

POPULARLIF: 40% Stock dividend, AGM: 11.06.2015, Record Date: 23.04.2015.

BGIC: 12% cash dividend, AGM: 11.06.2015, Record date: 23.04.2015.

DHAKABANK: 14% cash and 10% stock, AGM: 13.05.2015, Record date: 21.04.2015.

Turnover (Volume) Number of Contract

Company Shahjibazar Power-N CMC Kamal Tex. -A Envoy Textiles Ltd-N Alltex Industries -Z Zahintex Ind.-N Khan Brothers-N Sonargaon Tex -Z Safko Spinning-A Khulna Power-A Zaheen Spinning -N

Closing (% Change) 9.97 9.93 9.89 9.83 9.70 9.61 9.57 9.57 9.45 9.31

CSE GAINER Company Khan Brothers-N Argon Denims Limited-A Sonargaon Tex -Z Zahintex Ind.-N Alltex Industries -Z Safko Spinning-A Janata Insur -A Khulna Power-A Prime Textile -A Paramount Textile Ltd.-A

Closing (% Change) 9.96 9.85 9.68 9.63 9.44 9.09 8.77 8.73 8.72 8.38

DSE LOSER Company Standard Bank -A Islami Bank BD - A Progressive Life-A IBBLMPB-A Jute SpinnersA Reckitt Benckiser -A BD Fixed Income MF-A Modern Dyeing -Z United Finance - A Global Insurance -A

Closing (% Change) -10.81 -9.28 -7.90 -7.01 -6.80 -5.75 -5.08 -4.96 -4.83 -4.76

CSE LOSER Company Standard Bank -A Islami Bank BD - A Pragati Gen. I -A City G Insu.-A Mercantile Insur -A IBBLMPB-A Phoenix Insur -A Reckitt Benckiser -A Union Capital -A Paramount Insur-A

Closing (% Change) -12.50 -8.85 -8.79 -8.21 -6.92 -6.48 -6.44 -6.21 -5.81 -5.34

SECTORAL TURNOVER SUMMARY

DSE key features April 19, 2015 Turnover (Million Taka)

DSE GAINER

Sector

5,633.85 135,474,340 141,331

Traded Issues

310

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

173

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

134

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

3

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,491.61

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

30.20

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 179.86 223.78 18.62 744.36 160.55 1608.61 4.93 799.72 698.18 21.10 325.04 12.02 56.24 132.34 122.85 20.11 58.01 133.69 152.48 159.79 1.58

% change 3.19 3.97 0.33 13.21 2.85 28.55 0.09 14.19 12.39 0.37 5.77 0.21 1.00 2.35 2.18 0.36 1.03 2.37 2.71 2.84 0.03

Million Taka 14.27 13.65 1.09 58.49 9.15 157.67 59.51 35.66 11.70 18.56 1.29 7.37 13.79 8.24 0.63 2.31 26.40 23.62 26.30 0.16

Average (% Change) 5.40 7.13 7.94 6.34 9.78 6.38 9.93 4.30 5.98 8.08

Average (% Change) 8.70 9.05 11.35 9.63 6.88 7.55 8.83 6.19 8.38 7.22

Average (% Change) -12.12 -6.83 -9.04 -7.00 -7.09 -4.79 -4.92 -5.45 -4.72 -4.71

Average (% Change) -12.85 -7.86 -5.33 -5.00 -6.69 -6.48 -6.44 -6.21 -5.61 -4.91

CSE

ClosingAvg. 163.94 16.22 50.58 24.99 14.70 24.68 10.30 19.87 64.70 21.66

ClosingAvg. 25.11 28.79 10.20 14.80 25.00 20.37 12.45 64.80 16.16 19.01

ClosingAvg. 9.79 17.60 71.95 901.50 41.81 1446.04 5.60 69.33 19.99 13.96

ClosingAvg. 9.70 17.47 31.24 12.73 12.13 902.50 21.80 1,461.30 14.63 12.40

% change 2.91 2.79 0.22 11.94 1.87 32.19 0.00 12.15 7.28 2.39 3.79 0.26 1.50 2.82 1.68 0.13 0.47 5.39 4.82 5.37 0.03

Closing 169.80 16.60 51.10 25.70 14.70 25.10 10.30 20.60 66.00 22.30

Closing

DHIGH 169.80 16.60 51.10 25.70 14.70 25.10 10.30 20.60 66.20 22.40

DHIGH

25.40 29.00 10.20 14.80 25.50 20.40 12.40 66.00 16.20 19.40

Closing 9.90 17.60 72.30 901.50 41.10 1422.60 5.60 69.00 19.70 14.00

Closing 9.80 17.50 30.10 12.30 12.10 902.50 21.80 1,461.30 14.60 12.40

Million Taka 194.12 237.44 19.71 802.85 169.69 1766.28 4.93 859.23 733.84 32.81 343.60 13.31 63.60 146.13 131.09 20.73 60.32 160.08 176.11 186.09 1.73

DLOW 154.60 15.10 46.40 23.50 14.70 22.90 10.30 19.00 60.50 20.10

DLOW

25.40 29.00 10.20 14.80 25.60 20.50 12.50 66.40 16.30 19.60

DHIGH

23.80 26.80 10.20 14.80 23.70 18.40 12.00 61.30 16.00 17.60

DLOW

10.00 18.10 73.00 901.50 42.00 1538.00 5.60 74.90 20.90 14.50

DHIGH 9.80 18.50 33.00 13.40 12.20 902.50 21.80 1,462.00 14.70 12.40

Total

9.60 17.50 72.00 901.50 40.10 1418.00 5.60 68.40 19.30 13.50

DLOW 9.60 17.30 30.00 12.20 12.10 902.50 21.70 1,461.00 14.50 12.40

% change 3.17 3.88 0.32 13.11 2.77 28.84 0.08 14.03 11.98 0.54 5.61 0.22 1.04 2.39 2.14 0.34 0.98 2.61 2.88 3.04 0.03

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

Turnover in Million

Latest EPS

63.171 12.480 22.012 46.173 0.869 36.635 0.008 13.811 317.418 28.102

Turnover in Million

8.68 1.43 4.84 2.02 1.03 1.18 -0.84 1.24 6.36 1.32

Latest EPS

3.867 1.144 0.000 0.186 5.196 0.114 0.019 16.824 0.040 1.943

Turnover in Million

18.9 11.3 10.5 12.4 14.3 20.9 -ve 16.0 10.2 16.4

Latest PE

1.18 2.89 -0.84 1.03 2.02 1.24 0.37 6.36 1.00 1.84

Latest EPS

5.415 9.138 0.059 1.577 0.024 6.043 0.017 0.026 3.864 0.119

Turnover in Million

Latest PE

21.3 10.0 -ve 14.4 12.4 16.4 33.6 10.2 16.2 10.3

Latest PE

1.85 2.46 2.30 0.00 -43.64 42.33 0.48 -0.50 2.10 1.12

Latest EPS

0.747 1.350 0.016 0.031 0.022 0.155 0.011 0.029 0.013 0.005

5.3 7.2 31.3 -ve 34.2 11.7 -ve 9.5 12.5

Latest PE

1.85 2.46 2.47 1.59 1.51 0.00 3.88 42.33 1.50 1.13

5.2 7.1 12.6 8.0 8.0 5.6 34.5 9.8 11.0

CSE key features April 19, 2015 Turnover (Million Taka) Turnover (Volume) Number of Contract

489.85 13,495,082 22,848

Traded Issues

228

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

137

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

87

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

4

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,410.87

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

29.22

DT

BUSINESS 19

MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2015

Stocks begin week flat with persisting volatility n Tribune Report

DSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company United Power-N Khulna Power-A Shasha Denims -N MJL BD Ltd.-A WesternMarine -N SAIF Powertec-N Ifad Autos -N ACI Limited- A SummitAlliancePort.-A Baraka Power-A

Square Pharma -A Grameenphone-A BEXIMCO Ltd. -A LafargeS Cement-Z C & A Textile -N

VolumeShares 2,839,384 4,905,860 5,130,859 1,767,830 4,111,356 2,261,291 2,090,994 285,295 2,455,359 3,501,873

Value in Million 603.06 317.42 238.54 235.36 211.41 172.98 164.93 153.79 140.25 114.61

% of TotalTurnover 10.70 5.63 4.23 4.18 3.75 3.07 2.93 2.73 2.49 2.03

VolumeShares

Value in Million

% of TotalTurnover

433,464 263,706 2,588,628 773,190 3,705,023

CSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company United Power-N WesternMarine -N UNITED AIR-A BEXIMCO Ltd. -A Khulna Power-A MJL BD Ltd.-A Grameenphone-A Ifad Autos -N Shasha Denims -N BD Submarine Cable-A

Shahjibazar Power-N SAIF Powertec-N LafargeS Cement-Z SummitAlliancePort.-A Hakkani P& Paper -B

432,349 358,148 2,298,690 540,953 259,644 118,575 42,268 166,789 263,697 102,372

58,893 120,907 86,899 157,510 400,700

111.53 89.65 83.21 82.27 76.44

91.04 18.40 17.59 17.38 16.82 15.80 14.30 13.29 12.23 12.10

9.54 9.30 9.27 9.00 8.69

1.98 1.59 1.48 1.46 1.36

18.59 3.76 3.59 3.55 3.43 3.22 2.92 2.71 2.50 2.47

1.95 1.90 1.89 1.84 1.77

ClosingP 199.30 66.00 46.10 132.40 51.40 76.60 80.10 529.00 56.30 32.60

255.90 339.00 31.90 105.20 20.70

ClosingP

Change % -4.09 9.45 3.13 0.84 4.47 2.82 6.09 -3.04 2.18 4.82

-0.89 -0.88 -0.93 -2.68 3.50

Change %

198.60 51.20 8.00 31.90 66.00 132.00 337.00 80.30 45.60 115.60

169.10 76.40 106.20 56.20 20.30

-4.20 3.85 8.11 -0.62 8.73 0.38 -1.43 6.78 2.01 -0.86

9.95 2.41 -2.21 2.74 -7.31

ClosingY 207.80 60.30 44.70 131.30 49.20 74.50 75.50 545.60 55.10 31.10

258.20 342.00 32.20 108.10 20.00

ClosingY

207.30 49.30 7.40 32.10 60.70 131.50 341.90 75.20 44.70 116.60

153.80 74.60 108.60 54.70 21.90

DHIGH 225.00 66.20 47.50 135.40 52.60 78.60 83.00 560.00 58.50 33.70

262.50 344.50 32.70 109.10 21.30

DHIGH

224.90 52.40 8.10 32.60 66.40 135.30 349.00 82.70 47.30 120.30

169.10 79.50 109.90 58.20 20.30

DLOW 190.20 60.50 45.10 130.50 49.50 74.60 75.60 525.00 55.30 31.40

255.30 338.00 31.50 104.90 19.90

DLOW

189.20 50.30 7.20 31.70 61.30 131.00 333.60 75.80 44.80 115.00

157.00 74.20 105.30 55.60 20.30

AvgPrice 212.39 64.70 46.49 133.14 51.42 76.50 78.87 539.05 57.12 32.73

257.30 339.97 32.14 106.40 20.63

AvgPrice

210.57 51.38 7.65 32.12 64.80 133.22 338.36 79.69 46.38 118.17

161.97 76.93 106.70 57.13 21.70

Daily capital market highlights DSE Broad Index : DSE - 30 Index : CSE All Share Index: CSE - 30 Index : CSE Selected Index :

4373.65684

(+) 0.01%

1656.29044

(-) 0.72%

13431.13060

(-) 0.21%

10991.33050

(-) 0.94%

8198.85740

(-) 0.04%

▲ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼

Stocks opened the week flat yesterday amid high volatility, extending the mood for the second consecutive sessions, as the political impasse continued to jitter investors.

The market lost around 34 points at open before recovering well in mid-session but failed to sustain as profit-taking sell-off cut all the gains.

The benchmark index DSEX witnessed a fractional rise of only 0.4 points to 4,373, hitting highest 4,396 in the mid-session and lowest 4,355 in the early trading.

The Shariah Index DSES was fractionally down 0.7 points to 1,060. The comprising blue chips DS30 shed 12 points or 0.8% to 1,656.

Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) Selective Categories Index, CSCX, closed at 8,208, rising 16 points.

“The market remained extremely volatile in recent days as current political situation is the only driver of the market,” said a leading stock broker.

“Investors always looked for short-term profit, mak-

ing the market instable.

Such sentiment might continue unless no positive development is seen in the political front.”

Strong selling and buying pressure helped turnover keep above Tk500-crore for the second straight session.

The turnover at the Dhaka Stock Exchange was Tk560 crore, up more than 4% over the previous session.

The newly listed United Power Generation and Distribution Company Limited finally declined over 4%, ending its the four-day rally. It was also the top traded shares for the 10th consecutive session with turnover worth Tk60.4 crore.

Almost all the sectors suffered marginally except power which advanced by more than 1%, driven by Shahjibazar Power Company Limited that soared nearly 10% – the biggest gaining company of the day.

Among the losing sectors, textile experienced the highest losses of 4.6%, followed by pharmaceuticals 1.3%, cement 1.2%, banks 1%, telecommunication 0.9% and non-banking financial institutions 0.4%. l

ANALYST

The market remained extremely volatile in recent days as current political situation is the only driver of the market

DT

20 BUSINESS

MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2015

Supermarket owners demand uniform VAT rate for all stores n Tribune Report

Bangladesh Supermarket Owners’ Association has requested the National Board of Revenue to ensure uniform Value Added Tax (VAT) rate for all stores by allowing them to pay VAT at a square foot-based package rate.

They said the existing VAT system is discriminatory as customers feel discouraged from buying products from superstores as there is 2% VAT on sales of super shops while other shops pay VAT at a flat rate.

The association General Secretary Md Zakir Hossain recently sent a proposal to the NBR headquarters in this regard.

“Currently, a 2% VAT is applicable for all sales in supermarkets while many departmental stores and large shops do not collect the same amount of VAT from their clients which leads the customers to discourage from buying products from supermarkets,” Zakir said, adding that this is hampering the growth of supermarkets.

He said renowned superstores like Nandan and PQS had to keep their shutters down over the last three years due to the government’s discriminatory policies.

The number of supermarkets has come down to 96 from 105 due to the political uncertainties while many more will also be closed further.

“The supermarket business is at risk as the supermarket authorities have to pay 70 times higher taxes than those by the departmental stores,” he said.

The representative, however, said they can pay VAT at a rate of 1% for supermarkets but for others, there should be package VAT system.

Currently, 2% VAT is applicable on sales of supermarkets like Agora, Shwapno and Meena Bazar while other shops including large ones and departmental stores enjoy package VAT facility under which shop owners pay VAT annually ranging from Tk3,000 to Tk12,000 based on their shops’ locations and sizes.

The association also demanded that NBR reduce duties on necessary capital machinery like electronic shelf, refrigerator, refrigerated

The file photo shows the inside of a superstore in Dhaka

van, Point of Sales machines etc as the higher tax is imposed on the products, which is 65% in an average.

Currently, supermarket owners are paying the highest 107.35% duty on cooling products like vegetable freezer, fruits freezer, ice machine, fish freezer, dairy freezer etc.

The association also demanded that the board reduce the duty imposed on the import of refrigerated vans, which are used to trans-

DHAKA TRIBUNE

port perishable goods like vegetables.

“We have to face around 30% wastage while transporting vegetables from rural areas to Dhaka. If the refrigerated vans are allowed to import with benefits, we can provide fresh vegetables to the clients in a cost-effective manner,” said Jakir Hossain.

The association’s other demands include withdrawal of 0.30% turnover tax and 9% VAT on shop rent in supermarkets. l

Call to address RMG workers’ reproductive health n Tribune Report The reproductive health and rights of RMG workers remain uncared for and are yet to be addressed properly in order to boost their productivity, speakers said at a seminar yesterday.

They said social barrier, inadequate treatment facility and service-providing agency, plus uncongenial working environment tell upon the reproductive health of the garment workers, particularly women, The speakers observed that apart from those issues, the unwillingness of women garment workers to go for health care services is also largely responsible for them to lag behind.

The observation came at a seminar organised by SNV Netherlands Development Organisation at BGMEA conference room yesterday.

The speakers said SNV Bangladesh is working on women project in order to provide

strategies for the garment factories to address the women health issues.

Several NGOs, private sector, service providers, buyers, RMG factory owners and management were present at the seminar.

Betterment of lives of lowincome group is what we all want. But due to huge gap in communication, we haven’t been able to make a big impact SNV Netherlands, a development organisation with financial aid from the Netherlands government, is trying to improve Bangladesh’s RMG workers’ reproductive health services.

“Betterment of lives of low-income popu-

lation is what we all want. But there is a huge gap in our communication and therefore, we haven’t been able to make a big enough impact,” said Paul Stevens, country director, SNV Bangladesh.

Working with Women Project not only seeks sustainability but also offers a platform for sharing the experience gained in order to provide better solution, he added.

“The objective of today’s seminar is to keep all stakeholders informed of the SRHR scenario in factories as well as to provide updates on what project is functioning for the betterment of current condition,” said Fartheeba Rahat Khan, team leader, Working with Women Project.

The project can help improve the lives of garment workers and thus it will help them increase productivity, said BGMEA Vice- President Reaz-Bin-Mahmood.

BGMEA looks forward to the success of the project, hopes Reaz. l

Bangladesh, WB to do more for infrastructural development

n Tribune Report

Bangladesh and World Bank have agreed to do more to develop the country’s transport and energy infrastructures.

They also decided to continue the dialogue on necessary reforms that would merit a Development Policy Credit, said a World Bank statement yesterday.

The decisions were made at a meeting on Friday in Washington DC. Finance Minister AMA Muhith and World Bank managing director and chief operating officer Sri Mulyani Indrawati attended the meeting held on the sidelines of the Spring Meetings of the Bank and International Monetary Fund.

“Bangladesh’s success in overcoming poverty is critical for eliminating extreme global poverty and boosting shared prosperity,” said Indrawati.

“Limited energy and poor-quality transport infrastructure are key constraints to growth. We will work with the Government of Bangladesh in removing these bottlenecks that slow economic growth and trap many of the country’s people in poverty.”

AMA Muhith said they had “an in-depth and intensive discussion” with the World Bank about the challenges Bangladesh faces and the huge potential of the country if these are overcome.

“We intend to work with the World Bank to improve the country’s infrastructure and to further discuss the possibility of a Development Policy Credit so that we can provide more opportunity for our people.

“In addition to giving high priorities to energy and transportation in recent years, the government is also giving equal importance and attention to education, health, sanitation and housing sectors,” Muhith added. l

Senior HSBC official visits Bangladesh n Tribune Business Desk Tim Evans, regional head of mid market enterprises, commercial banking, Asia Pacific, arrives here today on a three-day visit to Bangladesh.

D u r i n g the visit, Tim would meet colleagues from BanglaTim Evans desh, a number of HSBC clients and stakeholders, said a press release yesterday.

In his current role, Tim has responsibility over 19 markets in this segment. Before taking up his current role, Tim was regional head of trade and receivables finance for Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, which covers activities of 10 different countries.

During his career in HSBC, he has also served HSBC and its customers in various capacities in France, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). l

Oil’s well

DT

21

MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2015

T-JUNCTION

Photo: Bigstock

INSIDE

23

beauty bulletin

22

school survival

The rain

All you need to beat the rain

Foundation match: A step by step guide to finding your right shade

22

school survival

Beating rainy day blues

23

skin solution

Finding your foundation

24

dental health

All about wisdom teeth

DT

22 T-JUNCTION

MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2015

Schoologistics

school survival

Monsoon survival 101 As if procrastination was not bad enough

n Farhana Shahnaz You plan to take a five minute shut-eye and wake up six hours later. Yet again, your sad attempt to save your grades by pulling an all-nighter before the exam goes horribly wrong. Yes, that is very sad. Worse is when you look out the window and see ominous, gray clouds circling the sky. Oh yes, it is going to rain and it is going to rain hard!

What do you do now?

Beat the nuisance Sadly, praying to the rain Gods to make the rain go away won’t help. In an event of a

sudden downpour there are things you can do to minimise damage. For starters, keep those heels aside and wear sturdy shoes, preferably gumboots. Steer clear of anything white, the chances of getting mud splattered all over you are very high. You might also want to carry a durable, water-resistant bag to save your books from getting wet.

Think ahead Monsoon is here. Love it or loathe it, you simply can’t ignore it. So it may be a good idea to plan ahead. Every Dhaka dweller knows monsoon means traffic. When you have an important exam or class coming up, try to

news

Gitanjali Jewellers opens second showroom Renowned jewellery retailer, Gitanjali jewellers have recently inaugurated their second showroom at Mascot Plaza, in Uttara, sector 7. The chairman of Gitanjali jewellers Mrs Kusum and managing director Mr Pabon Kumar formally inaugurated the showroom. The event was graced by media celebrities, print and electronic media journalists, and other invited guests. This outlet of Gitanjali

will also offer their vast array of jewellery collection including necklace sets, finger rings, ear rings, nose pins, platinum rings, diamond lockets etc.

For details contact Gitanjali Jewellers Mascot Plaza branch at these numbers: Phone:02-8881759, 01678737707, 01711524955.

For further inquiries visit www. gitanjalijewellers.com l

start way ahead of time. This way even if you get stuck in traffic, you will have time to spare.

Monsoon care package What do you do when you are already out and about, returning home from class and down comes the rain. There is no use gritting or cursing. What you can do is take precautionary measures and carry a “Monsoon care package”. Ignore the fancy nomenclature, it is basically a kit containing amenities that will come to your rescue. In a zip-lock bag carry a change of fresh clothes, a small towel to wipe yourself, and some wet wipes. Last but not the least, an umbrella!

Health comes first Monsoon exponentially increases the chances of you getting sick. All your monsoon survival plans will fail if you are not fit and fine yourself. At night, make sure you use mosquito nets and repellents to keep mosquitoes at bay. Even if you have some twisted romantic fantasy about getting drenched with your partner, hand in hand – forget it! When you get sick later on and miss an important lecture, trust us when we say, you will not like it. Eat plenty of fruits and drink a lot of green tea to boost your immunity and beat the rainy day blues! l

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MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2015

skin solution

beauty bulletin

Moisturise me!

Getting it right

n Sabah Rahman Yes, everyone needs to moisturise their mugs externally. Did you know, however, that you may be getting this simple process all wrong?

A sloppy affair Slathering on some random goop at the beginning of everyday isn’t going to do your skin any favours. You need to figure out your what your skin type is and choose products accordingly. This step is very simple. If you kind of already know that your skin is on the greasy side, and are using a heavy cream-based product, you’re in for it. Not only will that formula make your face shinier than a disco ball to the point where even a whole package of tissues will fail you, it will also require you to prepare yourself for clogged pores.

For the spring chickens So, you’re still in your early 20s, but are using anti-aging creams anyway because you may think they’ll make you appear even more youthful? Not true! While using strong concoctions that promise to take years off your face won’t necessarily cause harm to younger skin, it’s really a waste of product and cash.

Eat cake, don’t wear it on your face

n Sabrina Fatma Ahmad We’ve all had moments where we look at some Facebook photo we’re tagged in and recoil in horror at the cake-face effect.

Unless you’re entertaining in Japan, or going for a culturally-insensitive Halloween costume, no one likes looking like a geisha because of foundation flubs. Here’s how to avoid these coverage cons:

High and dry Pay good heed to weather conditions. It’s one thing to have dead scaly patches on your skin in the dead of winter, but skin that still feels uncomfortably tight in hot, humid weather, is indeed dry skin. Keep clear of overdosing on harsh astringents and the likes.

What to use A light layer of extra virgin olive oil applied before bed could go a long way to soothe taut skin and help you wake up with a glowing face. You could also try Clinique’s Dramatically Different moisturising lotion, a fantastic potion that will smoothen your skin but will never feel too heavy.

What to use If you’re really worried about the appearance of fine lines in the future, your best bet is to use sunscreen religiously. This applies to all skin types. Go for a regular moisturiser that covers all bases when it comes to hydrating and protecting. Olay has a great range that you may try. l Where to buy You can find all the products mentioned above at banglashoppers.com. They also have an outlet in Banani. Call +8801559-222-444 for details.

I walk the (jaw) line The best place to check to see if the shade you’re buying is not on your wrist, but along your jawline. Apply the foundation tester in a stripe across your jaw. If you can’t see the stripe, you’ve found your shade. Another pro-tip; take a sample from the tester, paint the stripe, and then walk out and check the stripe in natural lighting. Sometimes in-store lighting may alter the way you see the colour.

Undermined by undertones So you’ve got a shade that’s light or dark enough to match your complexion. Before you fork out the cash for that coverage, take another look to see if it matches the undertone of your skin. Are you a Summer?

Buy something with a yellow undertone.

If your skin has a cooler undertone, reach for something more pinkish. Neutral undertones demand trials until you find your balance.

Formula for success Now that your shades and undertones are sorted out, take one last look at your skin before you buy. Is it oily? Look for something with a matte finish. Is it dry?

Go for something dewy. What you really want to do is not stress out your face with a formulation that exaggerates your skin

type instead of complementing it and/or off-setting its problems.

Primed for action All these BB-CC-DD labels on contemporary make-up may be confusing to the beginner, so you’re forgiven for wanting to do away with that beeswax entirely. If you want your foundation to sit naturally on your face, though, you should put some kind of primer on, even if it’s just moisturiser. If you’re using the cream moisturiser, wait a few minutes before it soaks into your skin before you start with the foundation.

Tools for the job So many brushes, so confusing! We hear you. Invest in a retractable kabuki brush (available on sites like BD shoppers and Kaymu) or a beauty-blender, and these usually guarantee a flawless finish.

Remember to wet your sponge before you apply your make-up, unless you want an obviously powdery finish.

Sequence matters A common mistake a lot of people make is to apply their concealer under the foundation. Unless you want to rub out half the concealer when applying other layers, do the primer first, followed by foundation and then apply concealer. You’ll even be using less product in the process.

Neck-deep in it What’s the quickest tell-tale that you’ve got a lot of make-up on? If your face doesn’t match your neck. When applying your foundation, spare some thought to your neck and throat as well. Remember to contour the sides of your neck, because foundation alone has a way of making it look wider. l

Photos: Bigstock

What to use Water or gel based moisturisers are the way to go in this case. There are also a whole lot of oil-control potions out there. A great bet for you would be The Body Shop’s Tea Tree Skin Clearing Lotion. This light lotion will provide the hydration you need, while fighting imperfections, as well as soaking up excess oil.

The cracks in our foundation

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Take Care

dental health

A whole lot of wisdom Dealing with the pain, removal and recovery of wisdom tooth

nAmreen Rahman Wisdom teeth appear somewhere between the age of 16 to 23 and almost always have a flair for making a grand entry. Sometimes symptoms involve a dull ache while other times it’s a full-fledged throb that leaves you with a swollen face and stuffed mouth.

However, if you’re lucky and your wisdom tooth is healthy and in the right position there is no cause for concern. It can grow right through without any intervention.

Regardless, it’s always advisable to instantly get it checked by a dentist to see which course your tooth is taking.

Signs of wisdom • Pain in the jaw, a stiff feeling on either side of the mouth • Crowding of teeth due to the growth of the wisdom tooth • A swelling in the gum tissue that may be infected • Pain due to a tooth growing in an uncomfortable angle, one that rubs against your cheek/tongue/ top or bottom of your mouth

What to do about it Visit a dental clinic to get it checked.

Depending on the severity of the situation, you may have to take the tooth out or even make an incision to make room for the tooth. Your dentist will order an X-ray before choosing a course of action.

Embracing wisdom • The tooth usually grows really deep into your mouth to the point that you have trouble cleaning it.

• They erupt in a crooked, awkward fashion • There’s not enough space for your tooth to grow • Your jaw lacks space for the extra tooth growth

Dealing with the pain The pain of wisdom tooth is often severe and may sound difficult to deal with. Given the right mouthwash, cleaning methods and antibiotics, you can reduce the pain to tolerable levels. You may use a mouthwash of moderately hot water with a teaspoon of salt to reduce soreness and inflammation. When gargling with this mixture, make sure you swish the water in and around your mouth so it can reach the areas that your toothbrush can’t.

Removal and what to expect If you must have your tooth removed, make sure you thoroughly discuss the details.

Ask your surgeon what kind of anaesthesia you will need and what the procedure will entail. Also, before the surgery, plan time off from work and school since you will need time to rest and recover. The surgery itself will take less than 45 minutes, and will entail anesthesia (local, general or IV sedation, depending on your tooth). They may have to cut the gums or teeth and there may be stitches as well. However, the stitches will heal and dissolve in a few days.

After the surgery, it’s advisable to eat soft foods such as pasta or rice and drink a lot of fluids. Gently open and close your mouth to exercise the muscles and if you have swelling you can use an icepack on your face. l

teen health

5 steps to your toothpaste moment Eat your way to fresher breath and just dip the bag in the hot water until it’s a nice golden brown colour, and drink that.

You know that garlicky pizza you had as a side? The tea will counteract it better than the breath mints will.

nSabrina Fatma Ahmad Long study hours, cups of coffee from that cool new lounge, and those cigarettes your folks don’t know you’re smoking...and before you know it, you can pull off a heist by the strength of your halitosis. Good oral hygiene is only part of the solution to the problem. Read on for five natural remedies for chronic bad breath.

A good ol’ cuppa The next time you’re planning an Algebra sesh in a café (or at least that’s what you told the parents), skip the java and reach for some tea instead. Forget the milk and sugar

Good bacteria Probiotics. Gotta love em. Not only do they do wonders for your digestive system, they also take on the bad-breath causing bacteria in your mouth. So the next time you feel peckish, reach for some sugar-free yoghurt, and over time, particularly if you have other

health concerns that cause the funky smells, this will subside.

Fresh green feeling There’s a reason why toothpaste ranges always have a mint option: it’s the world’s best natural breath freshener. Fresh herbs, such as pepper or spearmint, parsley, or spices such as cloves or cumin also zap the smells and make you more approachable.

An apple a day...

If you’re reaching for a snack, grab one with some crunch, such as an apple or a carrot

stick. The crunchy texture acts as a mini toothbrush, and also causes more saliva production, which keeps your mouth fresh.

Not to mention, they’re great options for those who want to lose weight.

Wash it away As is the case with just about any health concern, drink more water. There’s a reason why H2O is called a synonym for life itself. It flushes your entire system, keeps the pipes well watered, and is in general a friend to your oral hygien. l

Borussia Dortmund have named Thomas Tuchel to succeed Juergen Klopp as their manager on a three-year-deal, the Bundesliga club said on Sunday

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SKIPPER MASHRAFE HEAPS PRAISE ON HATHURUSINGHA

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DEJECTED AZHAR COMPLIMENTS CLINICAL TIGERS

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MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2015

MOURINHO HAILS SPARKLING MATCH WINNER HAZARD

How do you like me now? n Minhaz Uddin Khan

Ever since making his ODI debut against Zimbabwe back in 2007, Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal has experienced a roller-coaster ride. The swashbuckling southpaw has been able to mix the bad times with the good although there were two occasions when he bore the brunt of the criticism and was possibly on the verge of being ousted from the national side.

However, on both occasions, Tamim bounced back in some style.

In the 2012 Asia Cup at home, he was literally dropped from the squad. The decision to sideline Tamim came as a shock and the scenario took a turn for the worst when chief selector Akram Khan resigned.

Interestingly, Tamim was originally chosen for the squad by the national selection panel but the then Bangladesh Cricket Board president AHM Mustafa Kamal intervened and dropped Tamim, citing his omission as one of his personal decisions.

Following a lot of drama, Akram decided to backtrack from his decision to resign and Tamim was reinstated to the squad. Tamim knew he had to do something special and make a statement.

The left-hander did just that and how!

The 26-year old slammed four consecutive half-centuries and after reaching his fourth fifty, he celebrated by raising four fingers, indicating each of his half-centuries. The cricketer from Chittagong could not have asked for a more befitting reply to his critics.

The second time Tamim was under the spotlight was prior to the ongoing bilateral home series at home against Pakistan. Despite a match-winning knock of 95 against Scotland in the 2015 ICC World Cup, he was lambasted in some quarters for being unable to convert his starts into big scores.

His critics were alluding to scores of two, 13 and 25 that followed the 95-run knock against the Scots. Tamim’s place in the squad came into question again.

However, the man in question was nonchalant, knowing a good score was just around the corner. His anticipation proved to be correct as he showed his class and character once again, smashing a brilliant 132 in the first ODI against Pakistan last Friday. Tamim’s scintillating knock went a long way in ensuring the Tigers’ second ever limited-over win against their nemesis.

The show did not stop there.

Yesterday, Tamim hammered yet another hundred, remaining unbeaten on 116 to pilot the Tigers to a seven-wicket win in the second ODI and in the process, seal their first ever ODI series victory over their subcontinent rival.

Tamim’s message to his critics seems to be quite clear – criticise him at your own peril.l

TAMIM 116* 116 BALLS (17X4, 1X6)

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Skipper Mashrafe heaps praise on Hathurusingha n Mazhar Uddin

Ace Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib al Hasan (C) is the toast of his team-mates after the fall of a Pakistan wicket during the second ODI in Mirpur yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

SCORCARD PAKISTAN Azhar Ali c Rahim c Shakib Sarfraz Ahmed c Soumya b Rubel Mohammad Hafeez b Sunny Haris Sohail c & b Mortaza Fawad Alam b Nasir Mohammad Rizwan lbw b Shakib Saad Nasim not out Wahab Riaz not out Extras (b2, lb2, w5, nb2)

R 36 7 0 44 0 13 77 51 11

Total (for six wickets, 50 overs)

239

B 60 11 6 61 6 22 96 40

Fall of wickets 1-36 (Sarfraz), 2-37 (Hafeez), 3-58 (Azhar), 4-59 (Fawad), 5-77 (Rizwan), 6-154 (Haris) Bowling Mortaza 8-0-52-1 (1nb), Taskin 8-1-41-0 (1w), Sunny 10-0-41-1 (1w), Rubel 7-2-27-1 (1w, 1nb), Nasir 5-0-171 (1w), Shakib 10-0-51-2, Mahmudullah 2-0-6-0 (1w)

BANGLADESH Tamim Iqbal not out Soumya Sarkar c Sarfraz b Junaid Mohammad Mahmudullah b Ajmal Mushfiqur Rahim c Fawad b Rahat Shakib Al Hasan not out Extras (lb2, w15, nb1) Total (for three wickets, 38.1 overs)

R 116 17 17 65 7 18

B 116 11 28 70 5

240

Fall of wickets 1-22 (Sarkar), 2-100 (Mahmudullah), 3-218 (Rahim).

Bowling Junaid 9-0-61-1 (4w), Rahat 7-0-57-1 (2w), Wahab 8-0-36-0 (7w, 1nb), Ajmal 9.1-1-49-1 (1w), Azhar 3-0-20-0 (1w), Nasim 2-0-15-0 Bangladesh won by seven wickets, lead three-match series 2-0

Bangladesh ODI captain thanked head coach Chandika Hathurusingha following their seven-wicket win over Pakistan in the second ODI in Mirpur yesterday.

The victory enabled the Tigers to seal the series with the third and final match still to be played.

“I would like to thank the coach because a coach is the father of the team and when he gives everyone freedom, it becomes much more easy for us to perform. For instance, Tamim [Iqbal] was under pressure. He took time early but played well. So, I would like to give credit to the coach. He has asked everyone to play with freedom,” an elated Mashrafe told the media after the game.

The Tigers came into the bilateral home series against Pakistan on the back of an impressive campaign in the 2015 ICC World Cup and Mashrafe said it was important for them to continue the good work.

“We played well in the World Cup but the next step was always important for us.

Especially after coming back to the country, at one point I was thinking, are we getting too much importance from the people? The fact that they were supporting us so much, we needed to prove to them that they were doing the right thing. So, I am thankful to the boys for their changed attitude,” he said. l

Form is temporary, class is permanent n Mazhar Uddin “Form is temporary, class is permanent”; this old English adage best describes Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal as the dashing left-hander once again proved his mettle yesterday in the second ODI against Pakistan in Mirpur.

Tamim blasted his second consecutive hundred, his unbeaten run-a-ball 116 guiding the Tigers to a seven-wicket win and in the process sealing the three-match series with a game left.

The Chittagong lad remained undefeated and smashed as many as 17 fours and a six to propel the Tigers to their maiden ODI series over Pakistan. This was Tamim’s sixth ODI hundred and it enabled him to join Shakib al Hasan at the top of the list of the Bangladeshi batsmen with the most hundreds. Tamim also became the third cricketer after Shahriar Nafees and Mahmudullah to score back-toback centuries in ODIs. Tamim might have been suffering a dip in form prior to the start of the ongoing bilateral home series against Pakistan but it is a thing of the past now.

“In the last two-three months I could not play well so I was just looking to enjoy. When I was young, I used to play tennis-ball matches. I used to get up at 6am and the enjoyment factor was always there. Somehow, I missed that in the last few months. Thanks to my team-mates, I am enjoying myself again. I

Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal (L) receives the man-of-thematch award from Bangladesh Cricket Board president Nazmul Hasan (C) following the second ODI in Mirpur yesterday MI MANIK

just tried to enjoy as much as I could,” said a relieved Tamim after the game.

“Honestly speaking, I was under pressure but my team-mates always gave me belief.

So, I think my team-mates are a big factor behind my success. Mashrafe [bin Mortaza] and Mushfiqur [Rahim] supported me a lot,” he added.

The 26-year old, who is renowned for his generosity, did not forget to spare a word for the Mirpur groundsman who worked hard to prepare a sporting wicket offering lots of runs and encouragement to the bowlers at the same time. He indicated the ground-staff and asked, “Would you guys like to eat or do you want me to give you guys cash?” l

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MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2015

Dejected Azhar compliments Tigers

QUICK BYTES Man City close on United despite Silva injury blow

n Mazhar Uddin

Manchester City ended a difficult week on a high and climbed to within one point of third-placed neighbours Manchester United thanks to a comfortable 2-0 Premier League victory over West Ham United on Sunday. Champions City have 64 points, one behind United who lost 1-0 at Chelsea on Saturday, and two adrift of second-placed Arsenal who have a game in hand. Newcastle United sank to a sixth straight league defeat and are not yet safe from relegation after losing 3-1 to Tottenham Hotspur at St James’ Park with Harry Kane grabbing the third to reach 30 goals for the season in all competitions. Man City had cause for concern in the 67th minute, however, when playmaker David Silva was carried off on a stretcher after being hit in the head by Cheikhou Kouyate’s elbow. Spaniard Silva, who was treated for nearly 10 minutes on the pitch, was taken to hospital and City manager Manuel Pellegrini later said they were checking if he had broken a cheek bone.

–Reuters

Czech Republic beat France to reach Fed Cup final The Czech Republic reached their fourth Fed Cup final in five years when Petra Kvitova beat Caroline Garcia 6-4 6-4 to help the holders beat France 3-1 on Sunday. They will face Russia, who beat Germany 3-2 in the other semi-final, in the Nov 14-15 final. Lucie Safarova earned the first Czech point by beating Garcia 4-6 7-6(1) 6-1 on Saturday after saving five match points in front of a boisterous crowd at Ostrava’s CEZ arena. Kvitova swept aside Kristina Mladenovic 6-3 6-4 to make it 2-0. World number four Kvitova was barely troubled on Sunday by Garcia, who threatened a second-set comeback. But Kvitova was just too good and wrapped up victory with a forehand winner to give her team an unassailable lead.

–Reuters

Juve near title after dispatching Lazio Juventus defeated second-placed Lazio 2-0 at home on Saturday to take another huge step towards their fourth straight Serie A title and boost their confidence for Wednesday’s crunch Champions League clash in Monaco. First-half goals by Carlos Tevez and Leonardo Bonucci allowed Juve to open up a 15-point lead on Lazio, who saw their eight-game winning streak come to a grinding halt.

AS Roma could regain second place if they defeat Atalanta at home on Sunday but would still be 13 points adrift of Juventus with seven games left.

“I’m happy, not just for tonight’s game but for everything we’ve done so far,” Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri told Sky Sports Italia. “We’re a mature team, we know how to manage games.

–Reuters

Pakistan captain Azhar Ali ducks a ball during the second ODI match against Bangladesh in Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

Wedson, Emeka braces propel Jamal n Shishir Hoque Wedson Anselme and Emeka Darlington netted a brace apiece as Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club strolled to yet another comfortable victory in the Manyavar Bangladesh Premier League crushing bottom-side Chittagong Abahani 4-0 at Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.

It was Sheikh Jamal’s fourth straight win in the top flight and yesterday’s four goals took the defending champions’ tally to 12 for the season, an average of three goals per match.

The Dhanmondi giants continued their dominance in the domestic circuit as they are now unbeaten in their last 16 matches, winning 15 of them with the other game ending in a draw.

Wedson and Emeka, the foreign attackers of Sheikh Jamal, carried on with their demolition act over the opposition while Gambian

RESULT Sheikh Jamal

4-0

Chittagong Abahani

Wedson Anselme 50, 73 Emeka Darlington 76, 78

TODAY’S MATCHES Sheikh Russel v Muktijoddha Team BJMC v Abahani

4:15PM 6:30PM

midfielder Landing Darboe kept on contributing with his assists.

Although the first half ended goalless, Sheikh Jamal went close to breaking the deadlock at least four times. The holders almost took the lead in the 28th minute when

Landing crashed his 25-yard free-kick against the sidepost.

With two goals to his name from the first three matches, Wedson continued his purple patch, putting his side ahead five minutes into the second half.

Wedson, the in-form Haitian international, doubled the lead in the 73rd minute before Emeka made it 3-0 just three minutes later following a Landing cut-back.

Emeka completed the rout 12 minutes from time after receiving a fine pass from Mamunul Islam.

The convincing victory saw the Federation Cup champions extend their lead at the top of the points table to three. They have maximum 12 points from four matches while the port-city outfit are languishing at the bottom with zero points from the same number of games.l

Dhumketu win in Citycell Fed Cup Basketball opener n Raihan Mahmood

Reading keeper’s error sees Arsenal reach Cup final FA Cup holders Arsenal were taken to extra time before a horrendous goalkeeping error

by Reading’s Adam Federici brought the Championship side’s dream to an end in a 2-1 semi-final defeat on Saturday. Meanwhile, Aston Villa fought back from 1-0 down with goals from Christian Benteke and Fabian Delph to beat favourites Liverpool 2-1 in a pulsating FA Cup semi-final at Wembley on Sunday. Villa will play Arsenal in the final on May 30.

–Reuters

Skipper Azhar Ali praised Bangladesh on their maiden series win over Pakistan following the home side’s seven-wicket win in the second ODI in Mirpur yesterday. The Tigers registered a comfortable victory, chasing down their target of 240 with 71 deliveries remaining, and Azhar had no qualms acknowledging the feat achieved by the home side.

“Yeah, it is definitely a big victory for them. Pakistan are one of the best sides in the world. Whatever we say about our team, they played good cricket and we were outplayed in every form of the game,” Azhar told the media after the game.

“It’s a big blow for us. We are in a rebuilding process but having said that, we did not expect to lose here. We expected to win. I think the wicket was good, there is no doubt about it. It was good for batting. I think we lost wickets very quickly. I think the wicket was easily 300-plus. It was coming on to the bat nicely. We did not play well,” he said.

The 30-year old added that having lost the ODI series, the visitors will now target a win in the third and final match this Wednesday in order to gain some much-needed momentum heading into the two-Test series. l

The chief guest shakes hands with one of the teams during the inuguration of the Citycell Federation Cup Basketball at Dhanmondi Basketball Gymnasium yesterday COURTESY

Dhumketu started their Citycell Federation Cup Basketball campaign with a massive 10665 points win over Wraiths at Dhanmondi Basketball Gymnasium yesterday. The winners led the first half 52-16.

Director of Human Resources, Citycell Suman Bhattacharjee inaugurated the event as the chief guest. Bangladesh Basketball Federation president Dr. Mostafa Jalal Mohiuddin, Head of Corporate Communications and Public Relations, Citycell Taslim Ahmed and other officials of both the organisations were also present on the occasion. l

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MOMENTS OF THE DAY BANGLADESH v PAKISTAN, 2nd ODI, Mirpur

HAFEEZ’S DUCK DELIGHT

Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez’s dismissal for a duck in the ninth over provided a lot of momentum to the Bangladesh bowlers. Left-arm spinner Arafat Sunny came on to bowl as the first change bowler and accounted for the important wicket of Hafeez in the final delivery of his second over. Sunny’s arm-ball skidded through and shattered the timber as Hafeez was unable to bring down his bat in time. Hafeez continued his poor start to the series as he was dismissed for four in the first ODI last Friday.

Tigers raced to 50 inside the sixth over. A confident Tamim was the more aggressive of the two batsmen.

UMPIRE ENAMUL SCORES HALF-CENTURY

Former left-arm spinner Enamul Haque Moni became the first umpire from Bangladesh to officiate in 50 ODIs. The 49-year old reached the milestone yesterday in the second ODI between Bangladesh and Pakistan in Mirpur.

Enamul stood in his first ODI back in December 13, 2006, in the match between Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.

BANGLADESH’S FIERY START TO THE CHASE

The Tigers batsmen began the series in a dominating fashion and carried their form into the second ODI as well. Chasing a moderate 240 for a series victory, Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal and Soumya Sarkar gave their side a blistering start. Although Soumya departed after making 17, Tamim and Mahmudullah continued to play their strokes as the

–MINHAZ UDDIN KHAN

Bangladesh wicket-keeper Mushfiqur Rahim cuddles Humaira Mortaza, Mashrafe’s daughter, during the post-match presentation in Mirpur yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

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MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2015

Injury crisis threatens Real’s trophy aspirations n Reuters, Barcelona Real Madrid’s trophy aspirations could well depend on how well they cope with an injury crisis that sees Gareth Bale and Luka Modric in the treatment room.

Both were substituted during Real’s 3-1 victory over Malaga in La Liga on Saturday and tests are being carried out to establish the extent of their injuries.

Bale appeared to hurt his calf and Modric his knee, and at the very least they are both likely to miss Wednesday’s crunch Champions League quarter-final tie with city rivals Atletico Madrid with the contest tied at 0-0 from the first leg. Karim Benzema also missed the Malaga match with a knee problem but the club are more optimistic that he will be ready to face Atletico.

Real trail Barcelona by two points in La Liga with six matches still to be played and the loss of Modric as they looked to make up ground is particularly damaging. The Croatian has become a fundamental player linking the midfield with attack with his quick thinking and clever passes. Bale, meanwhile, has struggled for form in his second season at the club.

Meanwhile, Griezmann put Atletico ahead with a perfectly executed bicycle kick after Jose Maria Gimenez headed the ball back into the box with five minutes played and then doubled their advantage by slotting home a loose ball after 21 minutes.l

Ronaldinho (L) of Queretaro celebrates his second goal against America, during their Mexican Clausura match, in Mexico City on Saturday

Second-string Bayern edge closer to title BUNDESLIGA RESULTS

Pastore lifts PSG back to the top in Ligue 1 n Reuters, Paris

Borussia Dortmund

Javier Pastore’s double inspired a weary Paris St Germain to a 3-1 win at Nice as the French champions reclaimed top spot in Ligue 1 on Saturday.

PSG, who lost 3-1 at home to Barcelona in their Champions League quarter-final first leg on Wednesday, now have 65 points from 32 games and lead second-placed Olympique Lyonnais by one point.

The absence of the suspended Zlatan Ibrahimovic was barely felt as Argentine Pastore scored either side of the interval with Edinson Cavani netting from the penalty spot for his team’s third.

Nice, who are 11th on 41 points, levelled before the break through Mathieu Bodmer but were found out in the second half.

Lyon can move back to the top if they beat arch-rivals St Etienne at home in France’s hottest derby on Sunday but they will have then played a game more than PSG.l

Hoffenheim

DAY’S WATCH Sony Six 8:30PM Indian Premier League 2015 Delhi v Kolkata

Star Sports 1 12:45AM Spanish La Liga Elche v Real Sociedad

AFP

3-0

Paderborn 07

Mkhitaryan 48, Aubameyang 55, Kagawa 80

Bayer Leverkusen

4-0

Hanover 96

Toprak 20, Brandt 40, Papadopoulos 49, Kiessling 70

0-2

Bayern Munich Rode 38, Beck 90+3-og

Hertha Berlin

0-0

Freiburg

2-3

Mehmedi 81, Schmid 90+1

Augsburg Werner 7, Bobadilla 73

Cologne Mainz Okazaki 39, 45, Malli 84

2-1

VfB Stuttgart Ginczek 22

n Reuters, Berlin Injury-ravaged Bayern Munich beat Hoffenheim 2-0 on Saturday, shrugging off a string of absences and their midweek Champions League defeat at Porto to close in on the Bundesliga title.

Sebastian Rode scored in the 38th minute and Hoffenheim’s Andreas Beck added an own goal in stoppage time as Bayern opened a 13-point lead over second-placed VfL Wolfsburg, in action against Schalke 04 on Sunday, with five matches left.

The German champions were without half a dozen starters, including Philipp Lahm, Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery and Bastian Schweinsteiger.

They had more distractions this week with

Mourinho hails sparkling match-winner Hazard n Reuters, London Eden Hazard underlined his claims to be voted Player of the Year with another match-winning display as Premier League leaders Chelsea stormed 10 points clear with a 1-0 victory over Manchester United on Saturday.

The Belgium winger provided an effortless finish in the 38th minute, side-footing the ball between the legs of keeper David de Gea from close range to grab his 13th league goal of the season.

The 24-year-old Hazard has contributed eight goals and seven assists in his last 17 league matches and was unlucky not to add a second goal against United when he flicked the ball against the bar in the second half.

Manager Jose Mourinho, who has publicly endorsed his playmaker as the league’s best player, was elated by Chelsea’s ability to execute their plans and paramount to that was his number 10.

“The game was exactly what we were working for the game to be,” the Portuguese told reporters.

“The players were magnificent and at the top of that Eden had that magic that the top ones have, especially in big matches. I think the team was fantastic and I am the one who knows how fantastic it was because the game was exactly what we wanted. When you manage to play the game you want to play it is fantastic.”

Chelsea have built a seemingly unassailable 10-point lead over second-placed Arsenal.l

their long-time team doctor Hans-Wilhelm Mueller-Wohlfahrt quitting and saying he was made to blame for the Porto loss.

Bayer Leverkusen crushed relegation-threatened visitors Hanover 96 4-0 to jump into third spot on goal difference after Borussia Moenchengladbach, also on 54 points, drew 0-0 at Eintracht Frankfurt on Friday.

Borussia Dortmund eased past visiting Paderborn 3-0, in their first game since the announcement that coach Juergen Klopp would leave at the end of the season, to keep their hopes of a Europa League place alive and climb to 36 points, in eighth.

Cologne set a record with their eighth goalless draw of the season, this time against Hertha Berlin, the result helping both teams move further away from the relegation zone. l

DT

30 DOWNTIME

MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2015

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Ornamental coronet (5) 5 Scrutinise (4) 8 Large vulture (6) 9 Undressed kid (5) 10 Lure (4) 11 Dulcet (5) 12 Tree (3) 15 Tear (4) 18 Machines for weaving (5) 21 Fish eggs (3) 22 Sound car horn (4) 24 Work hard (4) 25 Indian currency unit (5) 28 Traveller’s case (6) 29 Above (4) 30 Repairs (5)

DOWN 1 Pendant ornament (6) 2 Top card (3) 3 Slender sticks (4) 4 Afresh (4) 5 Not intoxicated (5) 6 Mouth of a volcano (6) 7 Fastener (3) 13 Behold! (2) 14 Incentive (6) 16 Denial (2) 17 Postpones (6) 19 Grinding tooth (5) 20 Accordingly (2) 23 Make neat (4) 24 Also (3) 26 Employ (3) 27 Female swan (3)

CODE-CRACKER How to solve: Each number in our CODECRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 18 represents H so fill H every time the figure 18 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.

A B C D E FG H I J K L M N O P Q RST UVWXYZ

SUDOKU

CALVIN AND HOBBES

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.

PEANUTS

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS CODE-CRACKER

CROSSWORD

DILBERT

SUDOKU

DT

SHOWTIME 31

MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2015

CELEBS ON SOCIAL

Justin Timberlake @jtimberlake #BasicMyAss #Pisageniustho

Rock 808, 909 and X0X unveiled n Showtime Desk Iqbal Asif Jewel, the singer and guitarist of Miles, had previously released “Rock 101” in 2005 with bands from the new generation, which caused a huge stir in the rock music scene and this time in

succession to the effort, Mr. Iqbal graced us with three new albums, titled Rock 808, Rock 909 and Rock X0X, with 34 local bands representing today’s youth as participants.

On the occasion, an album launching event and concert took place at the

Russian Centre of Science and Culture on April 18, brought to the market by G-Series.

“The underground bands are the voice of future. The key intention of this consecutive attempt is to endorse these bands. The recognised bands who performed here today were part of Rock 101. So our endeavour has not gone in vain.” said Jewel.

John Legend @johnlegend So many exceptional performances at the Rock & Roll HOF Induction tonight.

Was honored to be there with Stevie Wonder to honor Bill Withers

Bands involved were, Black, Arbovirus, Mechanix, Avoid Rafa, Karnival, Shrapnel Method and Minerva, who performed at the concert following the launching event. l

Music festival Gaan Mela concludes

WHAT TO WATCH TELEVISION

Hari Puttar: A Comedy of Terrors Sony Max 9:30am

C

Inadvertently left at home by adults, young cousins face-off against burglars.

Cast: Jackie Shroff, Sarika, Saurabh Shukla

Don’t miss this!

Pacific Rim HBO 9:30pm

n Showtime desk If you’re scratching your head, wondering what to do this coming Thursday night, we have the perfect event for you. Bellissimo and Incursion Music bring you Fuad Live on April 23rd, at 8:30pm at the Farmers’Market in Gulshan. Don’t miss this once in a lifetime chance to enjoy some amazing tunes while enjoying a great array of food. Join Fuad and his band for a meet and greet session where you can purchase CDs and get your autographs. The first 50 guests will receive complimentary keychains. Seating is limited so contact https://www.facebook.com/ events/831869863566629/ for your tickets as soon as possible. Here is your exclusive opportunity to mingle and take selfies with your favourite stars. l

Rihanna @rihanna One of the most important music videos I have made to date...WATCH #AmericanOxygen here worldwide

n Showtime Desk A nine-day-long music festival titled Gaan Mela, arranged by the Music Industries Owners Association of Bangladesh (MIB), brought the curtains down on April 18. Marking Pahela Boishkah, the festival’s last day saw a relatively larger crowd than the previous ones, as it was literally a hub for the country’s musicians and listeners.

A discussion was held on the same day with Shahriar Alam, the State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Arifur Rahman, the

president of MIB, Hasan Matiur Rahman, senior vice-president of MIB, poet Asad Chowdhury, composer Seikh Shadi Khan, singer Apel Mahmud, Dilruba Khan, Syed Abdul Hadi, Shahidullah Farayezi, Bappa Mazumder, Yasmin Moshtari and Asif Akbar.

The discussion was followed by a performance of various singers including Imran, Jewel Morshed, SI Tutul and Rashed. All the performers enthralled the audience with their respective musical pieces. Later, an award giving ceremony marked the festival’s wind-up. l

B-

As a war between humankind and monstrous sea creatures wages on, a former pilot and a trainee are paired up to drive a seemingly obsolete special weapon in a desperate effort to save the world from the apocalypse.

Cast: Idris Elba, Charlie Hunnam, Rinko Kikuchi Hellboy II: The Golden Army Star Mkovies 12:30pm The mythical world starts a rebellion against humanity in order to rule the Earth, so Hellboy and his team must save the world from the rebellious creatures.

Cast: Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones

B

DT

32 BACK PAGE

MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2015

700 MIGRANTS FEARED DEAD IN MEDITERRANEAN PAGE 10

REMITTANCE TO HIT RECORD HIGH IN 2015

PAGE 15

ROCK 808, 909 AND X0X UNVEILED PAGE 31

Bandwidth export deal in cabinet, $10 price proposed for per Mbps n Muhammad Zahidul Islam The proposal to sign a deal on Internet bandwidth export to India’s ‘Seven Sisters’ states is going to be placed in today’s cabinet meeting and expected to be signed shortly.

The price for per Mbps is proposed at $10.

Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company Limited (BSCCL) already signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with its counterpart Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), India’s state-owned telecommunications company last year.

Initially, the deal is going to be finalised for exporting 10Gbps which will increase up to 40Gbps within a short time, Monowar Hossain, managing director of BSCCL, told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday evening.

“We are waiting for the cabinet nod, and after getting it, we will go for the final deal,” said Monowar Hossain.

Sources said initially the submarine cable company fixed a higher price, but as local market price declined they had to come up with the new price.

“We have calculated that we will earn $1,00,000 every month and it will increase up to $4,00,000,” a senior official told the Dhaka Tribune, requesting anonymity.

Earlier, BSCCL calculated that it would earn $6,00,000 every month, when they signed the MoU in last May of 2014.

The submarine cable company said it had three selected points for establishing the links with Indian Eastern states but both the party agreed that first connection will be established between Akhaura under Brahmanbaria district and Agartala, the capital of Tripura.

It has also plan to connect it with Shillong and Assam points also.

According to the company, it is expected

that India will take more than 100Gbps within a year or two when the second submarine consortium SE-ME-WE-5 will be connected with Bangladesh.

The connection is scheduled to take place by 2016.

The cable company expects a huge earning from the states when the second submarine consortium SE-ME-WE-5 will be connected.

Currently, it has 200Gbps (88MIU-km) bandwidth and Bangladesh can use only 33 Gbps or 16% of it.

Last year in February, Bangladesh government decided to export the unused internet bandwidth following a request from India in July last year seeking 40Gbps bandwidth for their eight eastern states.

BSCCL said the Seven Sisters – Arunachal, Tripura, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Shilong – have a huge demand for bandwidth. l

Bangladeshi lynched at Comilla border n Our Correspondent, Comilla A Bangladeshi man was beaten to death allegedly by Indians at Shahpur border in Comilla.

The deceased was identified as Nurul Islam, 45, son of late Sirajul Islam of Rajpara village of Sadar Dakkhin upazila.

Subedar Mahbubur Rahman, commander of Bibir Bazar BOP of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) said they had received a letter from the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) yesterday morning in this regard.

According to the BSF letter, Nurul Islam crossed the border illegally and entered Indian village Sonapur with the intention of stealing. He was then captured and beaten to death by the locals.

Nurul Islam’s relatives, however, claimed that BSF men had captured him from Shahpur border on Saturday night and later killed him.

The BGB confirmed that Nurul’s body would be handed over to them at a flag meeting at Katka Bazar. l

Women and young voters could swing the city polls n Udisa Islam The women and the young voters, who make up a large share of constituents in both south and north parts of Dhaka, are set to play a key role in determining the next mayors of the country’s capital.

Women and young voters said when they cast their ballots on April 28, they would pick candidates who will ensure basic urban facilities or work to build a women-friendly and smarter Dhaka.

Analysts said women in Dhaka’s south are likely to play a vital role, as around 46% of the 1,870,364 voters in Dhaka South City Corporation are women.

Keeping these numbers in mind, most candidates in the south were trying to assign their women supporters to go door-to-door and canvass to the women voters.

Afroza Abbas, who is campaigning for her husband Mirza Abbas, said: “If our message reaches 46% of the voters [who are women], a win would be possible. We are giving priority to this large section [of voters].”

On the other hand, 33% of 2,349,313 voters in Dhaka North City Corporation are young voters who might make the key difference in the upcoming election, analysts said.

Former election commissioner Brig Gen (retired) Sakhawat Hussain said the youth vote is important for this city polls, with most candidates trying to appeal to this particular demographic.

Naima Sultana, a banker and a constituent of the DSCC, said: “I think the young candidates should be given a chance. But age will not be the only determinant, I would give my vote to someone who has already worked for our area.”

She, however, pointed out that candidates who are not from the ruling party might not achieve much if they are elected to the mayor’s office.

Asked what the women voters of the north want, garment worker Rokhsana said affordable housing would be an issue that would appeal to low-income women voters like her.

DNCC voter Rizwana Hossain said she favours Annisul Huq as the next mayor as he had both experience and enthusiasm to work for the city; being backed by the ruling party also strengthened his cause, she added.

Mirpur schoolteacher Soheli Parveen, meanwhile, wants a new face to be elected.

Her preference was CPB-BSD-backed candidate Abdullah Al Kafee as “he has been campaigning for a women-friendly city since the start.”

Talking to students of different private universities at a tea stall, the Dhaka Tribune learnt that the favourite among the youth was Awami League-backed Annisul Haque, as he could make a “smart” Dhaka.

Zonayed Saki also had great traction among the young voters because of his promises of bringing change to the city. l

A flag, vuvuzela, jersey and lots of excitement – what else does one need to be part of the celebration?

Physically challenged Yamin is beaming with smile as he roams around the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in the capital to cheer for team Bangladesh against Pakistan MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

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