01 May, 2015

SECOND EDITION

FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2015

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Boishakh 18, 1421, Rajab 11, 1436

ZIA GRAVE SITE DAMAGED PAGE 5

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Regd No DA 6238, Vol 3, No 20

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BOY RESCUED IN KATHMANDU RUBBLE

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NO COUNTRY FOR WOMEN PAGE 20

15 shot by police in eviction drive DNCC official with magistracy power wanted to penalise unauthorised shops in Banani n Kamrul Hasan At least 15 people sustained bullet injuries when police opened fire on traders after an altercation with a Dhaka North City Corporation official, acting as magistrate, during an eviction drive in the capital’s Banani Super Market yesterday morning.

The injured include traders, two pedestrians and a security guard of the market. Of them, 10 were admitted to Kurmitola Hospital, four to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, while critically injured Al-Amin was taken to the National Institute of Ophthalmology.

Chief Executive Officer of Dhaka north BM Enamul Haque alleged that the traders had created obstacles in performing duties of the official in question, Mahbubur Rahman.

He claimed that the police had fired blank shots only.

DNCC General Manager (transport) Mahbubur went to the market around 11:30am with seven police constables to conduct the eviction drive.

As soon as he reached the first floor, Mahbubur started scattering and throwing products showcased in front of some shops terming those illegal, Bukhtiar Parvez, joint secretary of Banani DCC Unique Complex Shop Owners’ Association, told the Dhaka Tribune.

When he wanted to slap fines on some shop owners, the traders protested his move.

At one stage, Mahmud Hasan Azad, secretary  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

Law enforcers guard the entrance of the Banani Super Market in Dhaka after 15 people are injured in police firing following an altercation centring a city corporation eviction drive yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

Padma Bridge budget slashed by Tk235 crore n Asif Showkat Kallol Allocation for the Tk20,507 crore fast-tracked Padma Bridge project has been cut by Tk235 crore in the revised FY 2014-15 budget because of delays in project implementation, officials said.

According to the latest Bridges Division review, just 5% of main construction work had been completed as of March.

The revised FY2014-15 budget, including supplementary approvals and allocation demands, was published yesterday by the Fi-

H O L I D AY N O T I C E May 1 is a national and newspaper holiday. Therefore, Dhaka Tribune will not be published on May 2. However, our online version will keep updating.

NEWS ANALYSIS

Has BNP won by losing?

nance Division.

A Finance Division official said because the project is politically sensitive, larger reductions were not made.

The prime minister also opposed major decreases in allocation to the project, the official, who asked not to be named, said.

“The Planning Ministry slightly reduced the total allocation in the revised budget, from capital expenditure and revenue expenditure,” the official added.

According to the revised budget, capital  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

PAGE 4 Nasim: BNP regrets quitting polls

n Kamran Reza Chowdhury While justifying the half-way boycott of the Dhaka and Chittagong city elections, BNP Standing Committee member Moudud Ahmed alleged that armed ruling party activists occupied all polling centres, excepting one or two, by 8:30am and finished voting by 9am. All polling agents of the BNP-backed candidates were driven out of the polling centres to allow for the casting of false votes, he claimed.

But the final results published by the EC show that the BNP claim that polling in all centres ended essentially by 9am is not credible.

PAGE 5 PCJSS movement has not got momentum

In DNCC, winner Annisul Huq bagged 460,117 votes while the nearest contender BNP’s Tabith Awal got 325,080. The difference is only 135,037 votes.

In Chittagong, BNP’s Manjur Alam got 304,837 votes losing by a margin of 170,524 votes.

Most of the votes the two candidates got were cast before the BNP announced its boycott at 12:30pm – three and a half hours before the closing of the votes.

Usually, in Bangladesh, a huge rush of voters is seen before 12 noon and voters pour into

PAGE 7 PM: Construct quaketolerant buildings

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 4

PAGE 8 2,850 students attend classes under open sky

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2 NEWS

FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2015

Sherman meets PM, seeks tips to deal with global terrorism n UNB The United States yesterday sought tips from Bangladesh to deal with global terrorism and extremism saying that many countries in the world can replicate the experiences of Bangladesh in addressing the issue.

US Under Secretary of States for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman said this during a meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her Ganabhaban residence in the evening. PM’s ICT Adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy and US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Nisha Desai Biswal was present.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, PM’s Press Secretary AKM Shameem Chowdhuri said the USA has highly appreciated Bangladesh’s success in containing terrorism and militants as well as economic and social development under Sheikh Hasina’s dynamic and able leadership.

“We treat the terrorists as terrorists as they don’t have any border and religion,” the prime minister said adding Bangladesh is committed not to allowing its land for terrorism against any country.

Sheikh Hasina laid emphasis on stopping illegal arms trafficking across the world to control global terrorism.

Sherman hailed the transformation and

development of Bangladesh’s Readymade Garment sector after Rana Plaza collapse in 2013. Sheikh Hasina urged the US Under Secretary to raise the price of the RMG items to further increase the wages of the workers.

Sherman highly appreciated Bangladesh’s success in achieving many MDG targets as well as positive progress in most social and economic sectors Pointing out the recent devastating earthquake in Nepal, Sherman underlined the importance of regional preparedness for disaster management, particularly tackling earthquake.

The prime minister informed the US officials that the international community could use the Bangladesh airports, particularly Syedpur Airport, Lalmonirhat Air Strip for handling of the relief materials bound to Nepal through roadways as limited operations of the Kathmandu airport.

Sherman highly appreciated Bangladesh’s success in achieving many MDG targets, including the MDG4, as well as very positive progress in most of the social and economic sectors.

About the alleged irregularities in the recently-held three city corporation polls in Dhaka and Chittagong, Sherman said some irregularities in polls also happen in the USA. But, the government always tries to perform better next time.

She hoped that Bangladesh would continue its efforts to improve the electoral system.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said military rulers after 1975 had manipulated the country’s electoral system and now Bangladesh has come out largely from that situation.

“Although there were least irregularities, the election was held without any causality which is very positive,” she said. In this regard, the prime minister reiterated her call for introducing Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) for easy and quick vote casting and counting of votes transparently.

Appreciating the PM’s perception, Sherman hoped that the EVM system will be introduced in Bangladesh one day.

Hasina said BNP had boycotted the city corporation polls to make the election controversial. Sherman termed the BNP’s decision of boycotting the election very unfortunate.

Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque, PMO Secretary Suraiya Begum and US Ambassador in Bangladesh Marcia Stephens Bloom Bernicat were, among others, present. l

65 Jamaat-Shibir men indicted for vandalism in Motijheel n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu A Dhaka court has indicted 65 leaders and activists of Bangladesh Jamaat-e Islami and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir in a case of vandalism and arson at Motijheel area in the capital.

Metropolitan Magistrate Tariq Moinul Islam Bhuiyan framed the charges against the accused yesterday and fixed June 10 to start the trial.

The accused include Jamaat’s Nayeb-eAmeer Prof Mojubur Rahman, Central Publicity Secretary Tasnim Alam, former lawmaker Golam porwar, and three former Shibir presidents Dr Shafiquel Islam Masud, Dr Fakhruddin Manik and Delwar Hossain.

Earlier on November 13, 2012, Sub-Inspector Mofizur Rahman submitted the charge sheet against the 65 Jamaat-Shibir members at the CMM court in Dhaka.

According to the case, on November 5, 2012, activists and leaders of Jamaat-Shibir brought out a procession demanding release of their top leaders who were arrested on charges of war crimes.

An hours-long clash occurred between the Jamaat-Shibir men and police that day, where at least 50 people were injured; the Jamaat-Shibir activists attacked police and vandalised and torched a number of vehicles, including a police pickup van and BRCT bus, in the area, the case statement said. l

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Padma Bridge budget slashed by Tk235 crore expenditure on the Padma Bridge project was reduced by Tk179 crore from Tk7,761 crore to Tk7,582 crore.

Revenue expenditure for the Padma Bridge project was reduced by Tk56.42 crore from the current budget allocation of Tk338.78 crore.

In the revised budget, the total allocation for the Padma Bridge project stood at Tk7,865 crore, down from the previous allocation of Tk8,100 crore.

Project Director Shafiqul Islam told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday: “We did not propose the decreases. The cuts were decided by the concerned authorities and is an administrative matter.”

The bridge’s project director said the main construction work would start in October. A 2,400 tonne hammer, needed for piling, is expected to arrive from Germany this month.

Test piling for the bridge began in January.

The percentage of physical progress of the Padma Bridge project’s Jajira connection road, Mawa connection road and Service Area 2 was 40%, 40%, and 28% respectively, according to the minutes of the review meeting.

Just 3% of river training work had been done.

When asked about the low work output, Shafiqul said: “We cannot measure actual progress of the Padma Bridge due to the complex work of the fast-tracked project.”

15 shot by police in eviction drive general of the association, asked the magistrate to show documents for inspection.

The DNCC official got angry at this and started humiliating Azad. “He asked me why I did not receive phone calls from Nipu recently,” Azad said.

“At this, an altercation began while the magistrate and the businessmen were coming out of the market. Police fired eight to ten rounds of rubber bullets leaving at least 15 people injured,” according to Parvez.

After the shooting, took place in front of the market around 12:15pm, the magistrate and the police team accompanying him left the spot, he added.

The identity of Nipu could not be verified immediately. But Azad said Nipu is a middleman who collects money from shops of different markets in the area.

The traders claimed that they had not been warned before the drive was launched. Even Banani police said they were unaware of the drive.

Asked about the incident, Mahbubur told the Dhaka Tribune that association Secretary General Azad had built some illegal shops inside the market. He conducted the drive to evict those unauthorised shops.

“I was forced to order shooting since Azad and his associates attacked me and the police team,” the official said claiming that the police had fired blank shots only.

Mahbubur also claimed that he had informed the OC of Banani police about the drive in writing.

However, OC Bhuiyan Mahbubur Rahman refuted the claim. “Had he informed us in advance, the situation could have

On September 10, the government awarded the river training work to China’s Sinohydro.

On June 17, it signed an agreement with China Major Bridge Engineering Company for the construction of the approximately 6.15-kilometre bridge span. Work is set to start in November and be completed by 2018.

In the three-year delay that followed allegations of corruption raised by the World Bank, the cost of the government-funded project went up by Tk4,000 crore, Bridges Division officials said.

The 2018 target completion date is three years behind the original schedule. l

been avoided.”

DNCC CEO Enamul said Mahbubur had been sent to conduct the eviction drive with magistracy power. He also said they would file a case against the unruly shopkeepers.

Mayor-elect of the DNCC Annisul Huq visited the market later in the afternoon and vowed to look into the mater. Annisul said he would talk to the DNCC authorities to understand the situation.

The Banani OC said they were investigating on which ground the police had opened fire on the traders.

Sheikh Shahinur Rahman, inspector (investigation) of Banani police, told the Dhaka Tribune that the police personnel with the magistrate were from the office of the Public Order Management at Mirpur. l

Did BNP win by losing? the polling centres again after 2pm as many people, especially women, turn up at the voting centres after finishing their household work.

The ruling party men, no doubt, resorted to rigging the polls in many centres. But that all centres were occupied by 9am is an over-statement. The BNP boycott gave them a free hand to manipulate the polls. Had the opposition provided resistance, the rigging would not have been so easy.

I visited many polling centres where voters were seen standing in long queues for hours to cast votes and the BNP boycott announcement changed the scene drastically: at least 60% of the voters standing in queues left the centres as soon as they came to know the BNP decision.

The BNP-backed candidates might have won the city polls had they fought the last four hours, given the number of votes they got in the first four hours (though many BNP leaders allege that the ruling party men stamped ballots in favour of the opposition to make the polls credible).

However, the boycott gave the BNP a political gain.

If the opposition candidates had won, the PM would have argued that the government was capable of holding fair polls and the BNP must shoulder the responsibility for the killing and burning of innocent people.

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s basic stance after the controversial January 5 polls was that no fair polls were possible under this government and the Election Commission.

How would she defend the three-month-long blockade-hartal-petrol bomb brand of politics that killed over 120 innocent people and shattered the economy if her candidates had won? l

DT

NEWS 3

FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2015

Poll officials held at gunpoint as votes were rigged n Ibrahim Hossain Ovi and Sohel Mamun Holding officers at gunpoint, ruling party men snatched ballot papers, stamped on the symbols of their candidates indiscriminately, while law enforcers watched silently, several election officers, stationed in the capital during Tuesday’s city polls, have told the Dhaka Tribune.

“Casting fake votes began around 10am. All of a sudden, a group of four or five gun-wielding young men entered the polling centre, snatched ballot papers and started casting votes for the Awami League-backed mayoral candidate,” said an election officer who was carrying out duty at a polling centre at Baily Road in Dhaka.

“After being threatened, we informed police. They came alright but seeing the ruling

party leaders, they went away, leaving us helpless in the face of the riggers’ guns. In fact, some of them even helped the riggers,” the officer said.

He also said that the Awami League men stamped the BNP-backed candidate’s symbol in the ballot papers for about 10 minutes, so that the votes cast did not look one-sided.

“Rigging was very easy as there were no agents of the BNP-backed mayoral or councillor candidates inside the centre. No matter how the votes were cast, we did our duty by counting the ballot papers and sending the result to the Election Commission,” the officer said.

Another election officer stationed at a polling centre in Dhanmondi told the Dhaka Tribune: “Around 2pm, some polling agents and policemen snatched some ballot papers

Polling officers recount how it happened n Tribune Report The huge number of votes that BNP-sponsored candidates polled in the three recently-concluded city corporation elections has caused a few raised eyebrows.

People are wondering how the BNP-backed candidates could poll such a large number of votes when the party pulled out just four hours after the voting commenced.

‘I thought I had nothing to do and I had to let them do whatever they could. I just requested them to go to a corner of the centre’ Many believe if BNP-backed mayoral candidates would not have pulled out midway through the voting the result could have been otherwise.

Conversation of the Dhaka Tribune reporters with some of the election officials might give an insight into the real story of how the vote game was played.

It revealed that most of the polling centres in Dhaka were captured after two to three hours, and in a few cases four hours, of mostly peaceful voting.

“My centre was captured around 11am,” said a presiding officer of a Dhaka South centre, requesting anonymity.

“I thought I had nothing to do and I had to let them do whatever they could. I just requested them to go to a corner of the centre.”

Many polling officers alleged that they just issued ballot papers and the rest of the voting process was completed by the men of candidates backed by the ruling party.

“The votes bagged by the BNP-backed candidates perhaps came in the early hours of voting,” said another presiding officer.

They reported that some polling centres might have been captured as soon as the voting kicked off while the polling went on peacefully and smoothly in majority centres in the early hours.

“Do not cast all the votes for Awami League-backed candidates, cast some for them to make a balance,” a polling officer quoted a Chhatra League leader of Dhaka South as instructing his cohorts who took control of the centre of Banglabazar Government High School in the old Dhaka.

“The polling officers were helpless as the ruling party men were brandishing arms,” he added.

Talking with the election officials, suggested that a well-orchestrated manipulation might have been done to put the main political opposition in an embarrassing situation and to make the decision of boycott controversial.

“Casting fake votes in favour of ruling party men started around 10am with a group of young men storming into the centre, an electoral officer of Ramna Thana area told the Dhaka Tribune seeking anonymity.

“The voting was going on peacefully till 9am.

But when the supporters of ruling party-backed candidates came to know that BNP-backed candidate went much ahead they snatched ballot papers and cast vote for their candidates, said an election official wishing anonymity.

All three mayoral candidates backed by the ruling Awami League won the elections to Dhaka North, South and Chittagong city corporations marked by vote-rigging amidst the turnout of 44% of voters.

Annisul Huq bagged 460,617 votes while Sayeed Khokon received 532,216 votes and AJM Nasir secured 475,361 votes.

The lowest voter presence – 37.29% – was seen in the Dhaka North City Corporation while the highest – 48.4% – was in Dhaka South.

Voter turnout was 47.9% in the Chittagong City Corporation election. l

from me and forced me to put my signature on them. I informed the local police station and RAB officials about the incident but they did nothing.”

He also said: “Around 12pm, in a booth at our centre, I found two people folding and dropping the ballot papers that they have already stamped, into the boxes. When I tried to stop them, they pushed me back to my room.”

Several other election officers, whom the Dhaka Tribune interviewed yesterday, gave similar accounts of open vote rigging by ruling party men with law enforcers playing the role of silent spectators.

One of them was surprised to see the number of votes cast in favour of the BNP-backed candidates.

“The total number of voters at our centre was 2,842. Until 1pm, only 643 actual voters

dropped ballot papers. But in the next two hours, more than 2,000 votes were cast.

“After counting the ballot papers, we found that a total of 2,003 votes were cast. Of those, 1,620 were legal and rest were cancelled. It turned out in the end that the Awami League backed candidate got 1,010 votes while the BNP-backed candidate got 610,” he said.

Another election officer stationed at a polling centre in the Dhaka University area said: “Members of the ruling party’s student wing came to our centre around 12pm. They cast the votes of those people who could not come from their out-of-Dhaka workplaces.”

He also said: “Interestingly, there was no snatching or gun wielding at our centre. They came, stood in queue and peacefully cast the fake votes. None of them were voters of this area.” l

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4 NEWS

FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2015

Nasim: BNP regrets quitting city corporation polls n Tribune Report

Health Minister Mohammad Nasim yesterday said the BNP was now regretting its decision to quit the city corporation election.

BNP leadership including Khaleda Zia is now regretting its pulling out of the race as its mayoral aspirants polled over three lakh votes within a few hours of voting, he said.

The minister said this while speaking as the chief guest at a discussion organised by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) on its premises marking its 17th founding anniversary.

Vice-Chancellor of the BSMMU Prof Dr Quamrul Hasan Khan chaired the discussion.

Refuting the allegation of some BNP leaders that the city polls had been rigged, the senior Awami League leader posed a counter-question as to how they could poll such a large number of votes if it had been rigged.

Pointing at BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia, Mohammad Nasim said: “You needed 50 years more to learn politics like that of Sheikh Hasina.

“You vowed not to take part in any election

under Sheikh Hasina but you did so and you yourself distributed leaflets like an activists and then you pulled out of the race.”

N a s i m blamed Khaleda Zia for participating the city corporation election in a bid to foil it.

The committee organised the press conference at the National Press Club yesterday evening.

Terming the city polls free and fair, pro-Awami League journalists leader Monjurul Ahsan Bulbul condemned the

Report on Tarique, Fakhrul’s arrest on Aug 30 n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu A Dhaka court has fixed August 30 as submission deadline for the execution report on the arrest warrants against BNP Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman and acting secretary-general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir in a defamation case.

Metropolitan Magistrate Emdadul Haque passed the order yesterday as the officer-incharge of Paltan police station did not submit the report.

Tarique and Fakhrul are facing the charges of distorting the country’s history and calling Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina a leader of black sheep.

Earlier on January 20, Metropolitan Magistrate Muhammad Anwar Sadat issued the arrest warrants against the duo after Paltan police submitted a probe report against them in the case.

Both the accused were found guilty of making disparaging comments about Bangabandhu and the prime minister, the probe report said.

On September 8 last year, AB Siddique, president of Bangladesh Jananetri Parishad, a pro-Awami League organisation, filed the case with the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court in Dhaka.

In the case statement, Siddique mentioned that Tarique, at a seminar in London on August 24, said: “The prime minister is a leader of black sheep.” At another seminar on September 2, Tarique said Ziaur Rahman was the first president of Bangladesh.

Meanwhile, at a programme on September 5, Fakhrul said Bangabandhu used the words “Joy Pakistan” at the end of his March 7 speech in 1971, the case statement said. l

Fugitive SI to face charges for torturing underage wife Correspondent. n Our Barisal A charge sheet have been filed against fugitive Sub-Inspector Abdul Wares, 40, accused of torturing his third wife, a minor, for dowry.

Muhammad Selim Reza, investigation officer of the case, submitted the charge sheet yesterday to Barisal metropol-

itan magistrate court under The Prevention of Oppression Against Women and Children Act 2000.

The Kawnia police station OC said Mahmuda Begum, mother of the victim, lodged the case after her daughter, Habiba Aktar Marufa, 14, a class-eight student, was recovered from SI Wares’s house on March 5. l

attacks on journalists on the polls day.

Monjurul Ahsan Bulbul also offered his apology for such attacks on journalists.

He urged the government to take steps against the ruling party men who harassed and insulted journalists. l

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NEWS 5

FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2015

PCJSS movement has not got momentum n Abid Azad Even though the non-cooperation movement was set to begin from today, as announced by Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti last year, the indigenous organisation is yet to declare any programme.

“We have not announced any activities to stage the movement but will do so as early as possible,” PCJSS Assistant Information and Publicity Secretary Sajib Chakma told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

Asked whether such delay might weaken

CJ: Evidence act may be amended n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu Disposing of the 2.8 million pending cases is not possible under the existing laws and so the judiciary is thinking about amending the evidence act, Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha has said.

He was addressing a reception programme organised by the Dhaka Metropolitan Bar Association (DMBA) in the city yesterday.

The chief Justice also said: “We are taking opinions from experts and senior lawyers regarding the amendment of the evidence act for reducing the number of pending cases. A seminar on this matter will be arranged very soon through which we will collect more opinions.” l

PCJSS or make the indigenous peoples frustrated, Sajib replied: “Actually it is obligatory to start the movement from May 1.

The movement can be started any time and in any form.

“Our preparation is under way. We hope to announce our activities after May 20, on completion of the anniversary programme of Pahari Chhatra Parishad.”

PCJSS chief Jyotirindra Bodhipriya Larma alias Santu Larma on November 29 last year threatened to wage a non-cooperation movement against the government if the latter fails

to take concrete steps to ensure the full implementation of the 1997 CHT Peace Accord by the time. He later renewed the call on several occasions.

Some indigenous leaders, asking not to be named, said there were two reasons behind the delay in launching the movement.

Firstly, a discussion is still going on between the indigenous leaders and the government. If the movement begins now, it may adversely affect the process of executing the peace accord.

On the other hand, the movement may also

SC stays Jamuna Resort deal cancellation order n Tribune Report The Supreme Court yesterday stayed until May 17 the cancellation of a deal between the government and the Jamuna Resorts Ltd (JRL) authorities.

A four-member bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha, issued the order on a notice issued by the Bangladesh Bridges Authority. The court also instructed the government of Bangladesh to file a plea with the Appellate Division.

On April 23, a High Court bench stayed the same notice for three months and asked the government not to prevent the authorities of the Jamuna Resort from operating their business.

The government appealed against the decision with the apex court chamber judge on April 26. The chamber judge stayed the High Court order and sent the petition to the regular bench of the Supreme Court for hearing.

During yesterday’s hearing, Attorney General Mahbubey Alam stood for the state, while the Bridges Authority was represented by Abdun Nur Dulal. Barrister Rafique Ul Huq stood for the JRL. BNP leader Abdul Awal Mintoo is the leaser and a partner of the Jamuna Resort. Recently, his bid for the mayor of Dhaka north city corporation was disqualified.

“The stay will remain in effect until May 17 and the state has been instructed to file a leave

Swechchhasebak League leader goes missing in Dhaka n Mohammad Jamil Khan A Swechchhasebak League leader in Dhaka was abducted because he campaigned for an AL-backed candidate, his family claimed.

KM Arman, 40, social welfare secretary of Swechchhasebak League’s Dhaka South unit, went missing on Wednesday night from the city’s Dainik Bangla intersection.

His wife Nigar Sultana said he had been kidnapped by a rival candidate. Quoting witnesses, she said some unidentified men forced Arman into a white microbus around 8:30pm.

“I called in his cell phone around 8pm, but he did not answer. Then I called his office and was told that he had gone to Dainik Bangla area after receiving a phone call.”

She immediately went and filed a general diary with the Motijheel police station. Police then tracked Arman’s phone and located it in Kakrail. However, its exact position could not be located. Signals show that it was still turned on at the Pioneer Road.

She also said that Arman had campaigned for councillor-elect Mominul Haque Sayed in Arambagh, adding that the abduction might have been the result of disputes between Mominul and his rival Anowar Hossain.

Nigar added that Arman, a highway contractor and a C&F businessman, had received a death threat over the phone three months ago.

Contacted, BM Forman Ali, officer-incharge of Motijheel police station, told the Dhaka Tribune that a GD had been filed and they were now looking into the issue. l

turn into a clash between the indigenous people and the Bangali settlers of the three hill districts. Hence, the implementation process would be hindered.

Sajib said: “So far, we did not see any fruitful result from the discussions with the government. We also anticipate that the government will not fully implement the peace accord.”

The United People’s Democratic Front (UPDF), known as an anti-accord indigenous group, had also agreed to work with the PCJSS during the non-cooperation movement. l

Buddhists offer prayers at the altar of a 30-foot-high idol of Buddha at Jagannath Hall in Dhaka University yesterday MEHEDI HASAN

to appeal within that time. The matter will be heard on that day,” Rafique told reporters.

The JRL had sought lease of 1,200 acres of land for 30 years on the east side of Bangabandhu Bridge in Tangail from the Bridges Authority on November 21, 1999 to set up the resort.

The Bridges Authority on April 1 this year served a notice cancelling the agreement “for not clearing dues and not signing the certificate of satisfaction.”

The JRL moved Dhaka Judge’s Court against the decision. The court on April 2 stayed the notice after a primary hearing but turned it down on April 22 following a full hearing. l

DT

6 NEWS

FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2015

Zia’s grave damaged, 6 PWD men quizzed n Kamrul Hasan The decoration of late president Ziaur Rahman’s grave in the capital’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar was partially damaged by unidentified miscreants.

The damage was first noticed by Mizanur Rahman, a cleaner of the grave appointed by BNP, yesterday morning.

Visiting the place, it was seen that 11 out of the 118 pieces of marble slabs at the grave of the BNP founder were damaged – six were demolished completely and five were partially broken.

When contacted, Town Sub-Inspector Nuruzzaman said miscreants might have carried out the attack on Wednesday night. “The grave is under the jurisdiction of Public Works Department, so it is their responsibility to preserve and ensure it’s security,” he said.

When asked, Mizanur Rahman said: “When I came to sweep the area, I found the marble slabs broken. I assume that the damage was inflicted by hitting with a hard object.”

DMP Tejgaon Division Deputy Commissioner Biplab Kumar Sarker said the miscreants were able to carry out the attack as some guards and workers appointed by the Public Work Department (PWD) were not present at the grave.

10 injured in BCL factional clash at CU n CU Correspondent At least nine Chhatra League activists and a police inspector were injured at Chittagong University campus yesterday during clashes between two groups of the ruling party’s student wing.

Witnesses and police said the clashes broke out around 2:30pm at the station premises between Chhatra League’s CU shuttle trainbased group named 69 and campus-based group Banglar Mukh. The attacks – triggered reportedly by previous enmity – also continued late into the afternoon.

Both the groups contain supporters of the new Chittagong mayor-elect AJM Nasir Uddin, said police sources.

During the afternoon clash at the station premises, eight people including the police official were injured as unruly men from both factions clashed with lethal weapons.

Angered over the attack, the Banglar Mukh supporters tried to block the CU shuttle train by picking up the train driver around 4pm.

At the time they also beat up Md Shakhawat Hossain, CU reporter of Daily Kalerkantho, and smashed his phone for taking pictures of the incident, said Hathazari police station Officer-in-Charge Md Ismail Hossain.

Around 5:30pm, over 120 activists of 69-group retaliated to the previous round of attack by swooping in on Banglar Mukh supporters with sharp weapons and leaving two injured.

CU Proctor Siraj Ud Dowla said the situation was now under control, while additional police have been deployed to prevent any untoward incident. l

Police sources said six PWD staff, who worked in the area, were detained for quizzing and in primary interrogation they confessed that they were sleeping at night.

ADC Wahidul said they were trying to identify the culprits and security was beefed up around the grave.

Meanwhile, BNP leaders have visited the grave and condemned the incidents.

On the incident, BNP spokesperson Asaduzzaman Ripon said, “We came to know about the incident from media. It is the responsibility of the government to protect all the great leaders graves including Bangabandhu and four national leaders.”

“PWD is responsible to look after Zia Udyan and the incident took place due to their negligence,” he added.

He hoped that the government will extend its support to repair the damages.

Visiting the grave, BNP standing committee member Mahbubur Rahman suspected that it might be part of the conspiracy to move the grave from National Parliament area which a certain group was trying for many days.

Police cannot deny their responsibility in this regards, he added.

On May 30, 1981, Ziaur Rahman, then president was assassinated by a group of army officers at Chittagong Circuit House. l

BCL: Withdraw expulsion order against Buet BCL leaders n DU Correspondent Bangladesh Chhatra League yesterday demanded the immediate withdrawal of the expulsion orders issued against Buet unit Chhatra League President Shubhra Jyoti Tikader and General Secretary Abu Syed Kanak.

Addressing a rally in front of Ducsu building at Dhaka University, BCL President HM Badiuzzaman Shohag announced a series of protest programmes if the demands were not met.

The BCL president also demanded exemplary punishment of Buet Associate Professor Jahangir Alam for his militant views on the execution of Jamaat leader Kamaruzzaman. l

Prof Sillitoe speaks at IUB n Tribune Report Paul Sillitoe, professor of anthropology at UK’s Durham University, spoke at a seminar at IUB campus at Dhaka’s Bashundhara yesterday.

The seminar by the social sciences and humanities department revealed insight on anthropology and archeology and their relevance in social science theory-building.

The seminar was followed by a lively question-answer session. Prof Zakir Hossain Raju, dean of IUB’s School of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, delivered the welcome speech., while IUB VC Prof M Omar Rahman, also spoke. l

Marble slabs are seen displaced over the grave of former president and BNP founder Ziaur Rahman at Chandrima Udyan, in the capital’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area yesterday. Unidentified miscreants are suspected to have vandalised the grave on Wednesday night MEHEDI HASAN

DT

NEWS 7

FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2015

PM: Construct quaketolerant buildings n UNB Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday urged the country’s engineers to make sure that quake-tolerant infrastructures and buildings are built in the country following the building code.

“Since Bangladesh is a quake-prone area, you [engineers] will have to give special attention so that quake-tolerant infrastructures and buildings are built in the future and everyone follows the building code,” she said.

The Prime Minister was addressing the inaugural session of the International Conference on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) for Sustainable Development at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the city. Institute of Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh (IDEB) and CPSC, Manila jointly organised the three-day conference.

Sheikh Hasina said to all engineers: “The responsibility of ensuring the quality of works lies at the field level. You’ll have to give special attention so that the proper standard of work is ensured.” Nearly 85% of development works are implemented through them, including roads, bridges, culverts, educational institutions, mills and factories, and various infrastructure.

The PM expressed hope that the diploma

WEATHER

RAIN OR THUNDERSHOWER FRIDAY, MAY 1 DHAKA TODAY SUN SETS 6:27PM

TOMORROW SUN RISES 5:24AM

FORECAST FOR TODAY 32 32 33 31 34 32 30 32

Dhaka Chittagong Rajshahi Rangpur Khulna Barisal Sylhet Cox’s Bazar

25 25 25 22 25 25 21 26

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

36.2ºC Chuadanga

20.8ºC Sayedpur Source: Accuweather/UNB

PRAYER TIMES Fajr

4:07am

Sunrise

5:27am

Zohr

11:56am

Asr

4:30pm

Magrib

6:26pm

Esha

7:46pm SourceL IslamicFinder.org

engineers would expedite the country’s development works through ensuring the optimum utilisation of resources.

“If the development works are not properly implemented, it is not only a national loss, but also may invite human disaster. The devastating earthquake in Nepal caused huge human and property losses. I came to know that cracks have developed in a number of buildings in our country too,” she added.

She said rapid development of scientific and technological advancement is bringing dramatic socio-economic progress within states.

“Our aim is to reduce poverty and accelerate the standard of living of common people utilising science and technology,” she said.

Mentioning that Bangladesh is one of the densely populated countries in the world, the PM said: “Ensuring basic needs including food, clothing and shelter, for 160 million people is a challenging task. Sustainable utilisation of our resources is essential for a lasting development.”

She said every year nearly 0.1 million hectares of arable land is lost to unplanned construction of houses, roads and other establishments. “We’ll have to take immediate measures to prevent unplanned urbanisation as well as give special attention to save farmlands.” l

Three cops shot during clash between councilor contestant supporters n Tribune Report At least 13 people including three policemen were injured in a post-election clash between two groups of ruling Awami League (AL) men at Shershah area in Chittagong city yesterday afternoon.

The injured law enforcers – Sub Inspector Sayem, Assistant Sub Inspector Sanjib of Bayezid Police Station and Constable Manik of Chittagong Metropolitan Police Line – were admitted at Chittagong Medical College Hospital with stray bullet injuries, police said.

The injured locals were given primary treatment in different private hospitals at the area, police added.

Eyewitnesses said several hundred AL men of Chittagong Polytechnic Institute area, led by AL leader Mehedi and Mohiuddin and equipped with firearms, sticks, rods and other weapons, tried to attack the house of local Jubo league leader Elias around 1:30pm.

Elias’s followers also came together and chased the attackers, said Bayezid Police Station Officer-in-Charge Babul Chandra Banik.

He said on information, police rushed to the spot, took position in the middle and fired at least 20 shotgun rounds. The attackers also opened fire and shot at least 15 bullets leaving three police and 10 locals injured.

The clash broke out between supporters of BNP-backed councilor aspirant Mahbubul Alam, brother of AL leader Elias, and ALbacked councilor aspirant Farid Ahmed Chowdhury, friend of Mehedi, over the election. l

stay updated throughout the day http://dhakatribune.com

DT

8 NEWS

FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2015

2,850 students attend classes under open sky n Our Correspondent, Natore A total of 2 850 students of five educational institutions in the district have been attending classes under the open sky as nor’wester had left the school building roof-less on 4 April and the repair is yet to begin.

Sources said the nor’wester that lashed several upazilas of the district on the day caused serious damage to educational institutions, dwelling houses, croplands and broiler farms.

Tin-roofs of Chand Dakhil Madrasha, Lokkhikol High School of Naldanga upazila, Sohagbari Primary School of Singra ,Keshobpur High School of Lalpur and Sheikhpara Primary School of Bagatipara upazila were blown away affecting academic activities.

After the storm, the concerned educational institutions’ heads informed the incidents to upazila education officer and upazila nirbahi officer seeking steps to repair it but no steps have been taken yet.

Rahidul Islam, headmaster of Lokkhikol High School said there were 400 students at his institutions. The devastating storm left all the class rooms unfit for use that is why the students were attending classes by sitting on benches under open sky.

“We have sent a list to the UNO for immediate funding to repair the institutions. We have also urged the local elite to come forward with helping hand for the purpose,” he said.

Shurovi Akter Mour, a Class IX student of Keshobpur High School said: “ We cannot complete our lessons as we have to return back home without completing all the classes day after day.”

Students of Shohagbari Government Primary School in Singra upazila have to take part in their classes under open sky as the authorities are yet to start repair works of the school badly damaged by nor’wester on April 4 DHAKA TRIBUNE Shahnaz Khatun, a Class X student of the school said: “We have to sit for the up coming SSC examination held on February next. If the classes are suspended day after day, we will not be able not complete the lessons which might affect our result.”

Tofazzal Hossain, headmaster of Keshobpur High School said : “ We cannot continue the classes under the open the sky due to sudden storm and rain. If this situation is going on, the syllabuses cannot be completed.”

Najma Khatun, headmistress of Sohagbari

Bus plunges into ditch, four die in Kushtia n Our Correspondent, Kushtia Four people were killed and 30 others injured as a bus plunged into a roadside ditch at Noymail in Mirpur upazila, Kushtia yesterday morning.

The deceased are Jahidul Islam, 40, Alam Mondol, 55, Nur Alam, 55, and Parvez Ahmed, 34. All of the deceased were residents of Akkerpur area of the district.

Local sources said a Faridpur-bound bus plunged into the ditch as its driver lost control over steering at Noymail around 3am, killing four people. Police said the bus carrying 25 passengers was going towards Atroshi Jaker Monjil in Faridpur.

Officer-in-Charge of Mirpur police station Kazi Jalal Uddin told the Dhaka Tribune that injured people had been admitted to Kushtia General Hospital. l

Two suspected carjackers arrested in Tangail n Our Correspondent, Tangail Members of Rapid Action Battalion arrested two suspected carjackers with a stolen car in the town yesterday morning.

The arrestees were identified as Md Billal Munshi, 45, son of Mannan Munshi and Md Akash Ahmmed Sabuj, 29, son of Balu Miah at Bish Nodi village in Motlab of Chadpur district.

Additional Superintendent of Police Muhammad Mohiuddin Faruque also the commander of RAB said: “On a tip-off, a team of RAB conducted a drive at Akurtakur Para and arrested Billal and Akash while they were trying to sell the car in front of Daffodil International School.”

The car was stolen from Sahbagh area on 11 April and the owner of the car advocate Ahsan Habib filed a case with Sahbagh police station in this connection on 12 April. l

Primary School said that they had start the 2nd term exam on 22 April.

They face a tough situation as the students had to take the exam under the open sky, he added Upazila Primary Education Officer said a list of damaged primary schools have been prepared and will be sent to the Planning and Development Director of the Department of Education for sanctioning of fund to repair the damaged schools.

Contacted Sharmin Akter Jahan, UNO of Naldanga, Salma Khatun, UNO of Singra, Nayiruz-

zaman Khan, UNO of Natore Sadar confirmed the incidents and said a list of damaged primary schools had been prepared and would be sent to the Planning and Development Director of the Department of Education for sanctioning of fund to repair the buildings, roofs and walls soon.

Education officer Moksedul Islam said: “The authorities of damaged schools have been asked to apply in writing seeking fund for repairing the damaged educational institutions and he would try to repair those schools as soon as possible.” l

DT

NEWS 9

FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2015

Tangail municipality struggling with mosquito control n Our Correspondent, Tangail

The Tangail municipality authorities have been struggling with mosquito prevention and control in the town while the menace has been driving the locals up the wall.

Many Tangail locals complained about the municipality’s failure to control or eradicate mosquito infestation in the town.

Some even claimed that they had not seen municipality staff spraying insecticides in their localities for years.

They said the mosquito attacks had gotten to the level where their day-today lives were suffering.

“It’s unbearable. My children cannot

concentrate on their studies. I have tried several kinds of mosquito repellents in my house, but they did little to solve the problem,” said Advocate Ahmed Khan Bipon, resident of Biswas Betka area.

“I have not seen a single municipality staff spraying pesticides in our area in the past 15 years. It is as though they have turned a blind eye to this problem.”

His fury was shared by many other Tangail residents.

“These mosquitoes are immune to everything I use in my house. The municipality authorities have done nothing to prevent mosquitoes. They must take steps now to eradicate this problem,” said Hasanuzzaman Rony, a business-

man who lives Sabalia area.

Sonya Akhter, a college student who lives in Shibnath area, said: “We are miserable. You cannot always stay inside mosquito net. But getting outside the protection is scary.”

The municipality authorities claimed they had yet to find an effective measure to control mosquitoes despite having adequate resources.

Manobendra Paul Milton, acting mayor of Tangail municipality, said: “We have equipment, manpower and budget. But we do not have to insecticide that would be most effective against mosquitoes. We are cleaning drains, coppices and ditches to reduce mosquito breeding.” l

Lecturer arrested on rape charge n Our Correspondent, Gazipur

Fishermen catch Ilish in the Meghna River as two months ban on the fish netting ended yesterday.

The government imposed a ban on Ilish fishing in the Meghna River for two months on March 1 to protect Ilish fry DHAKA TRIBUNE

Labourer crisis hits boro harvest n Our Correspondent, Rajshahi Rajshahi farmers are now worried as they could not harvest Boro paddy due to acute crisis of farm labourers.

Traditionally, farm labourers harvest paddy in exchange of paddy, but this year they are not interested to harvest paddy because of lower price compared to previous years, said local sources.

Farmers while talking to the Dhaka Tribune said generally labourers from nearby districts come to cut their paddy during harvesting period, but this year farm laboureer are not coming due to lower price of paddy.

Finding no way, many farmers along with their families are harvesting paddy.

Nazrul Islam, a farmer of Godagari upazila, told the Dhaka Tribune that farm labourers generally take 15kg paddy from the farmers for harvesting 100kg paddy, but this year labourers are being offered 20kg for harvesting same quantity of paddy.

“Though labourers are being offered better opportunities than last year, it is quite tough to get adequate labourers because of low price,” said Nazrul. Amzad Hossain, a farmer of Tanore upazila, said he had cultivated Boro paddy on about 11 bighas of land.

“My paddy is still at field as I could not manage labourers to harvest the food grain.

“Now, I am desperately looking for workers

to cut my paddy and if I fail to get lavourers I would have to count a huge loss,” he said.

Labourers who came from Chapainawabganj said every year, a huge number of labourers come to Barind area to cut paddy, but this year they are not coming because they are earning more in other works than harvesting.

Mozder Hossain, an agriculture officer of Godagari upazila, told the Dhaka Tribune that farmers were afraid that natural disasters such as storm might damage paddy any time, if it could not be harvested by due time.

Proshanto Kumar Sarkar, Tanore upazila’s agriculture officer, said the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) this year had fixed the target of Boro paddy cultivation on 68, 000 hectares in Rajshahi, but the paddy has been cultivated on 57,000 heactares of land. About 90% rip paddy is yet to be harvested, he said.

Hazrat Ali, deputy director of DAE Rajshahi district, said told the Dhaka Tribune that for favorable atmosphere bumper production was expected this year and the hope of the farmers would be fulfilled if paddy could be taken into their home avoiding natural disaster.

Earlier, government had declared to procure paddy from the farmers at the rate of Tk22 per kilogram this year, but the farmers of the district who already harvested paddy in the last few days informed that they are selling paddy at the local wholesale markets at the rate of Tk14-15 per kilogram. l

Police have arrested a college teacher from the district in a case booked by one of his students on charge of molestation.

Later, the law-enforcers made the arrest yesterday and placed Abdul Ali Swapan, 30, English lecturer of Kazi Azim Uddin College, before a local court that sent him to jail. He is son of late Edris Ali, from Noiyanpur area of Joydevpur upazila.

On the other hand, the victim was sent to Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmad Medical College Hospital for physical test. The college girl launched the case with Kaliganj police station around 12:30am.

Earlier on Wednesday afternoon, the college authorities suspended Swapan when the rape allegation was raised against him, says its principal Dr Altaf Hossain.

Quoting the case statement, Kaliganj police station SI Maniruzaman said the victim is a HSC examinee and Swapan had long been making illicit offer to her. On Tuesday night, he, however, forcefully raped the girl while she was staying in her brother-in-law’s house in the district town.

Hearing scream and scuffle between them, the locals rushed to the spot and caught Swapan red handed and handed over him to police, the SI continued.

When contacted, Swapan’s wife Mahfuza Akter Rima, mother of two children, demanded exemplary punishment of her husband for the misdeed. l

DT

10 WORLD

FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2015

US now sees Russia directing Ukraine’s rebels

n AP, Washington

Nepalese police personnell carry earthquake survivor Pemba Tamang, center, on a stretcher after his rescue from a destroyed hotel in Kathmandu yesterday AFP

Boy rescued in Kathmandu rubble, many villagers still stranded n Reuters, Kathmandu

Hundreds of onlookers cheered as rescuers toiling amid the rubble left by Nepal’s earthquake pulled a boy to safety yesterday after he had been trapped for five days, a rare moment of joy for a country struggling to cope with the disaster.

Officials said the chances of finding more survivors were fading as the death toll neared 5,500, but Nepal’s Armed Police Force managed to save 15-year-old Pema Lama from the collapsed ruins of Kathmandu’s Hilton Hotel.”I saw the police drilling for four hours to remove mounds of debris before they could pull him out,” said Ambar Giri, a medical worker who was at the scene.

UN envoy urges Palestinian unity, end to Israel blockade

n AFP, Gaza City

The UN’s new Middle East peace envoy yesterday urged Palestinian factions to unite and Israel to lift its blockade of the Gaza Strip, on his first visit to the territory.

“I strongly believe that it will hurt the cause of the Palestinian people if division, if the lack of unity, is not addressed as soon as possible,” Nickolay Mladenov, who was appointed in February, told reporters in Gaza City.

“I hope that the United Nations will be able to support the efforts to strengthen this unity,” he said. Gaza faces a humanitarian crisis months after a devastating 50-day war between Israel and Hamas, with the international community warning of further conflict without Palestinian reconciliation and a lifting of Israel’s blockade.

“We in the United Nations, along with our partners in the international community, have a responsibility to ensure that Gaza is not just being reconstructed... but that the blockade which stops access to construction materials, to movement of people, goods... is lifted,” Mladenov said. l

While rescuers were out in the capital despite heavy morning rain, helicopters could not fly to the worst-hit areas in the countryside of the Himalayan nation.

“The rain is adding to the problems. Nature seems to be against us,” said Rameshwor Dandal, chief of the disaster management center at Nepal’s home ministry.

Many people have been sleeping in the open since Saturday’s quake. According to the United Nations, 600,000 houses have been destroyed or damaged.

It said eight million people have been affected, with at least two million in need of tents, water, food and medicines over the next three months.

An official from Nepal’s home ministry

said the number of confirmed deaths from the 7.8 magnitude earthquake had risen to 5,582 by yesterday afternoon, and almost 11,200 were injured.

Anger over the pace of the rescue has flared up in some areas, with Nepalis accusing the government of being too slow to distribute international aid that flooded into the country.

It has yet to reach many in need, particularly in remote areas hard to access given the quake damage and poor weather.Tensions between foreigners and Nepalis desperate to be evacuated have also surfaced. In Langtang valley, where 150 people are feared trapped, a helicopter pilot was taken hostage by locals demanding to be evacuated first, one report said. l

Netanyahu signs first partners in new Israeli coalition n Reuters, Jerusalem Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed up his first partners on Wednesday for a new coalition government, a lawmaker and spokeswoman said, putting him on course to lead a heavily right-leaning cabinet.

The deals with the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism (UTJ) party and centrist Kulanu give Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud control of 46 of parliament’s 120 seats.

Netanyahu’s emerging government is likely to pursue tough policies toward the Palestinians, including further settlement building in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, lands the Palestinians seek for a state along with the Gaza Strip.

On the eve of the March 17 election, he drew international outrage by declaring there would be no Palestinian state on his watch, backtracking from a 2009 pledge to pursue a two-state solution to the decades-old conflict.

He has until May 7 to form a government.

“We signed a coalition deal with the Likud

just now,” UTJ leader Yakov Litzman told Israeli’s Channel One. Netanyahu then signed with centrist Kulanu party, a Likud spokeswoman said.

Likud is still negotiating with three other parties with whom it is expected to secure a 67seat majority: ultra-nationalist Yisrael Beitenu, far-right Jewish Home and ultra-Orthodox Shas.

His outgoing cabinet included two centrist parties and had engaged in U.S-brokered peace talks with the Palestinians, which collapsed a year ago.

Jewish Home is a pro-settler party which advocates the annexation of most the West Bank, a policy Netanyahu has not embraced but which some Likud members support.

Avigdor Lieberman, the hawkish head of Yisrael Beitenu, is expected to continue as foreign minister.

Although Netanyahu has since sought to step back from his pre-election remark on Palestinian statehood, US President Barack Obama told him Washington would reassess its options on US-Israel relations. l

The United States now sees the Ukrainian rebels as a Russian force.

American officials briefed on intelligence from the region say Russia has significantly deepened its command and control of the militants in eastern Ukraine in recent months, leading the US to quietly introduce a new term: “combined Russian-separatist forces.”

The State Department used the expression three times in a single statement last week, lambasting Moscow and the insurgents for a series of cease-fire violations in Ukraine.

The shift in US perceptions could have wide-ranging ramifications, even if the Obama administration has cited close linkages between the pro-Russian separatists and President Vladimir Putin’s government in Moscow since violence flared up in Ukraine a year ago.

By describing them as an integrated force in the east of the country, the US is putting greater responsibility on Russia for the continued fighting. l

Marchers protest police violence in Baltimore

n Reuters, Baltimore

Protesters marched against police violence in cities from New York to Denver on Wednesday, and a large demonstration in Baltimore ended peacefully two days after rioting over the death of a black man injured in police custody.

The protests were the latest actions against racial profiling and police use of lethal force sparked by the deaths of African-American men in Cleveland; Ferguson, Missouri; New York and elsewhere in the past year.

New York City police arrested more than 60 people as protesters roved in separate groups through Manhattan, blocking traffic in a few areas. Smaller protests occurred in Boston, Houston, Ferguson, Missouri, Washington, D.C., Seattle and a handful of demonstrators were arrested in Denver. l

France’s Dassault poised to ink fighter jet deal with Qatar

n AFP, Paris

French group Dassault Aviation is poised to sign a 6.3-billion-euro ($7bn) deal with Qatar for 36 of its Rafale fighter jets, the presidency and sources said yesterday, in the third foreign order this year.

Having struggled for years to sell any of its Rafale jets abroad, Dassault has recently scored several lucrative, high-profile contracts with Egypt, India, and now Qatar.

The agreement, which will be signed on May 4 in Doha in the presence of French President Francois Hollande, includes a firm order for 24 jets with an option on 12 other planes, sources close to the negotiations told AFP earlier.

According to the French government, the contract is worth 6.3 billion euros.

Earlier this year, Egypt bought 24 Rafales in a 5.2-billion-euro ($5.8-billion) deal negotiated in just three months, prompting hopes in Paris that the agreement would act as a catalyst to unblock hoped-for sales to other countries. l

DT

WORLD 11

FRIDAY , MAY 1, 2015

US think-tank: Signs North Korea nuclear reactor operational

n AFP, Seoul

Germany spied on French and EU officials for US

Recent satellite images suggest the nuclear reactor seen as North Korea’s main source of weapons-grade plutonium may have resumed low-power or intermittent operations, a US think-tank said yesterday.

Last year, the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) said the five-megawatt reactor at the North’s main Yongbyon nuclear complex appeared to have been shut down – possibly for renovations.

But satellite pictures taken over the winter period showed several “signatures” of low-level activity, including irregular snow melting patterns on the reactor and turbine buildings, ISIS said in a fresh analysis.

The think-tank also highlighted images of a weak stream of warm water being evacuated from the reactor’s discharge pipeline, as well as what appeared to be steam rising from the turbine building.

While the images “do not show clear evidence that the reactor has resumed full power operation,” ISIS said they did suggest the reactor “may be operating at low power or operating intermittently.” l

n AFP, Berlin

Jeb Bush: Give immigrants chance to stay

Chinese builder puts up skyscraper in 19 days

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush declared Wednesday that 11 million immigrants in the country illegally should have an opportunity to stay, wading yet again into his party’s contentious immigrant debate.

In tone and substance, Bush stands out among the many Republicans lining up for the GOP’s next presidential primary, where conservatives who oppose an immigration overhaul often hold outsized influence. As he moves toward a presidential campaign, the brother and son of former presidents has not backed away from his defense of immigrants in the country illegally and a policy that would allow them to attain legal status under certain conditions.

“We’re a nation of immigrants,” Bush said at the National Christian Hispanic Leadership Conference that brought several hundred Hispanic evangelical leaders to Houston this week. “This is not the time to abandon something that makes us special and unique.” l

A Chinese construction company is claiming to be the world’s fastest builder after erecting a 57-story skyscraper in 19 working days in central China.

The Broad Sustainable Building Co. put up the rectangular, glass-and-steel Mini Sky City in the Hunan provincial capital of Changsha using a modular method, assembling three floors per day, company vice president Xiao Changgeng said.

The company, which has ambitions to assemble the world’s tallest skyscraper at 220 floors in only three months, worked on Mini Sky City in two spurts separated by winter weather.

Its time-lapse video of the rapid assembly has become popular on Chinese video-sharing sites since it was first uploaded on YouTube.

“With the traditional method, they have to build a skyscraper brick by brick, but with our method, we just need to assemble the blocks,” company engineer Chen Xiangqian said. l

n AP, Houston

German intelligence services spied on top French officials and the European Commission on behalf of the American spy agency NSA, according to an article to appear yesterday in Sueddeutsche Zeitung.

Germany’s BND foreign intelligence agency helped the National Security Agency (NSA) carry out “political espionage” by surveilling “top officials at the French Foreign Ministry, the Elysee Palace and European Commission” the German daily paper is to report.

Long portrayed as a victim of snooping by allies, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government has grappled this week with embarrassing reports of German spying on European firms on behalf of the United States.

Citing intelligence agency documents, the Bild daily reported Monday that the German chancellor’s office was informed in 2008 during Merkel’s first term of German involvement in US economic espionage but did not react.

According to Sueddeutsche Zeitung, spying on companies could only have taken place

n AP

in isolated cases as the United States searched for “information on illegal exports.”

“The heart (of the problem) is political espionage of European neighbours and institutions of the European Union,” the paper claims, citing a source with knowledge of BND’s procedures.

German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere, a trusted Merkel lieutenant who served as chief of staff at the Chancellor’s Office from 2005-2009, has offered to provide an explanation next week to a parliamentary committee looking into NSA practices.

However, the opposition has already accused the government of lying for saying in writing April 14 that it knew nothing about any economic espionage by the NSA. “I reject categorically the assertion that the government has not told the truth,” Merkel spokesman Steffen Seibert said Wednesday at a regular press conference. Germany reacted with outrage at revelations in 2013 by fugitive US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden that the NSA was conducting massive Internet and phone data sweeps, including in Germany. l

China-Russia navies to hold first Mediterranean joint drills

n AP, Beijing

The navies of China and Russia plan to hold joint drills in the Mediterranean Sea for the first time in mid-May, China’s Defense Ministry announced yesterday, in the latest expansion of the growing informal partnership between the two militaries.

The exercises also illustrate China’s continued engagement with Russia at a time when Moscow has been shunned by much of the international community over its support for separatist rebels in Ukraine.

The “Joint Sea 2015” exercises will feature nine surface ships, including three from China that are currently taking part in anti-piracy patrols off the coast of Somalia, ministry spokesman Geng Yansheng told a monthly news conference.

The drills involve rescue, resupply and other missions, including the firing of live ammunition, Geng said.

“The purpose of the exercise is to strengthen the friendly exchanges between the two sides ... and to improve the capability of the two navies to deal with maritime threats,” Geng said. l

DT

12 EDITORIAL

FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2015

Labour rights matter for everyone

T

oday’s May Day public holiday is celebrated to mark International Worker’s Day. It is an occasion to take stock of efforts around the world to protect and improve fundamental human rights relating to employment.

For Bangladesh, the Rana Plaza disaster has served as a watershed moment to improve working conditions and draw more attention to labour rights. It has rightly focused huge attention on improving factory safety in the RMG industry.

While the chain of events which led to the disaster includes poor compliance with safety standards, exacerbated by the relentless downward price pressures of the global garment supply chain, we must never forget that the death toll was so high on the day because ordinary workers felt so unempowered that they were easily forced to return to work in a building that had been officially declared unsafe by local authorities.

It is welcome then, that more efforts have been made to encourage the development of legitimate trade unions. Worker voice has often been constrained in the past by unrepresentative trade unions and employer hostility. Allowing more accountable trade unions to organise can help the development of a mature system of industrial relations in which employers and employees work together constructively in their mutual interest.

As most employment laws only apply to defined sets of workers and industries, public policy also needs to consider further how to promote better practices on issues such as gender diversity across all sectors, while retaining the advantages for the economy of a flexible labour market.

It is an occasion to take stock of efforts and improve fundamental rights relating to employment

Heritage is not just about the past

W

e applaud the remarks made by the Korean ambassador about the importance of preserving historic sites and celebrating the rich heritage of Bangladesh.

Speaking during a visit to the Folk Arts Museum to see the progress of the Baro Sardar Bari restoration projects at Sonargon, the ambassador commented that the works would not only boost cultural appreciation, but also help to attract more tourists from both Bangladesh and overseas.

The $1.7m project to renovate the historic building is being supported by Korean firm Youngone Corporation as part of its CSR commitments within Bangladesh, where it is a large and well-established employer in the RMG sector.

When completed, the project will showcase the orginal edifice at the front, complete with restored surfaces and features, and provide new space for the National Folk and Crafts Museum.

It will provide a more attractive and informative way to bring to life the rich history of Sonargaon as a leading medieval administrative and trading centre in Bengal connected with the historic silk and spice route.

Restoring sites in a way that makes visitors’ experience more appealing is a great way to stimulate new interest in culture and history and bring more funds to often neglected sites.

We hope this project will inspire more organisations and people to get involved in supporting Bangladesh’s rich heritage of important historical sites.

Restoring sites in a way that makes visitors’ experience more appealing is a great way to stimulate new interest in culture and history

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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Dancing on the head of a pin April 10

Sammy Mr Steel calls to question, rightly so, dual citizens dabbling in British politics. Yet, in his other articles regarding Bangladesh, no mention is made of a few of the members of that “dual” species that actually sit in the Dhaka cabinet. Is it because his current employers are extremely close to the ruling quarters?

Brett Wilde Sammy: Below-the-belt insinuation about the writer’s employers there Sammy boy.

Tim Steel writes well and has disclosed his Labour loyalties so I’m sure he would answer your question if you asked him nicely. I think, given his public commitments to promoting Bangladesh while writing passionately about British politics, I don’t think you should take his mention of the Tory business letter as meaning he opposes dual citizens voting. That would not be very British.

Sammy Brett Wilde: When passion gets the better of prudence, everyone is apt to jump the proverbial gun, as your retort proves. My comment had little to do with his Labour sympathies in British politics but rather the extremely close relationship his current employers in Bangladesh have with the ruling party in Dhaka, which, one can make a compelling case, makes him reticent to make similar comments about dual Bangladeshi/US nationals who are in the thick of Bangladeshi politics. Heavens man, read before writing!

Brett Wilde Sammy: Your comment has nothing to do with Tim Steel’s articles on Bangladesh --

which are solely about heritage. Hence, it’s below the belt.

I get your point -- that Bangladeshi pols having a foreign passport/escape route may be bad for patriotism, but that’s for them to answer, not him. As a reader, the way I see it, Tim Steel lives in Bangladesh and is passionate about the politics of his birth which is his right, as it is yours to write about Bangladeshi politics.

Isn’t it a somewhat American exceptionalist attitude to expect US citizens to give up on the politics of their homelands? UK politics has a long history of Irish, Commonwealth, and EU citizens voting in their elections and voting at home.

WildTom I agree with some of the sentiments expressed in this article, especially regarding their need to save the United Kingdom, but the comments about UKIP are not merely wrong but actually bizarre. If UKIP are English nationalists, please explain their recent election successes in Scotland and Wales, and the fact that they are the only party to have elected representatives in all four nations of the union. Neo-fascists? Please explain their support for personal liberty, democracy, free trade, and Commonwealth immigration. Repatriation? Now you’re just being silly.

DT Who will be the King of the North?

April 10

MAS Molla The people need a coordinator, not a king. Who that is going to be, can’t be inferred so easily! The most potential candidate, MR Manna, has been thrown out by the tactics of a coiled brain.

Shirin Ahmed That is easy. Rubana’s hubby.

Zonayed Saki: What could a leftist leader offer Bangladesh today?

April 10

Kmak What could a leftist leader offer Bangladesh today? Ans: Not much; judging from what Hasina, leader of the biggest leftist party, has already done for Bangladesh. sneep Kmak: You might want to read the piece.

There’s a world of difference between Saki and Hasina. He’s also not your old-school lefty, either. Altogether a more interesting character.

DT

OPINION 13

FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2015

Workers, not slaves n Rubaiya Murshed

S

he could barely keep her eyes open.

She’d been cleaning the house since dawn, chopping produce for the festivities of the following day. She’d been washing the utensils alone for hours. She was worn out. But now she had to prepare a special dinner for her employer’s extended family coming to celebrate the night before Eid. The thought of cooking for a family reminded her of her own. In a reverie, she thought of how her family would be anticipating Eid back in her desher bari. She imagined her mother busily bustling about, planning to make a meal for the next day, her sisters practising tying each others’ hair with new red ribbons, her little brother strutting around with a new tupi.

The smell of chicken burning brought her back to reality. Frightened how her “madam” would react, she hurriedly tried to salvage it.

But it was too late. She received a hard slap across her face.

Asmani gathered herself to concentrate.

The unstoppable tears trickling down her face went unnoticed.

This scene isn’t fictional. It’s symbolic of how helping hands are treated in our society today. It’s a milder version of many such cruel incidents happening in these working class people’s lives.

Helping hands are a large part of our community -- buas, baburchis, driver chachas, darwan chachas. It’s important that we learn to respect them from our

childhoods. The maids in our homes struggle the most. There’s no limit to their hours of work each day; most of them don’t get even a day off per week.

In many homes, they sleep on the kitchen floors, and their only source entertainment is the television, which is also restricted by their employers. Most of them don’t get holidays even on religious occasions, which they too are entitled to celebrate.

Behind every single mistreatment, injustice, and inhumanity lies the core problem of our collective mentality. Our mentaly compels us to treat those poorer than us as inferiors in every way and thus, we sometimes forget that they, too, are humans.

We leave our children in the care of these buas all day, yet we don’t think of them to be clean enough to sit on our furniture with our children. While our child sits on the sofa, the bua sits on the floor. They eat on the floor; their rations are measured and are often cheaper varieties from what the employers eat. In some houses, there are restrictions imposed on helping hands using elevators.

Since independence, the number of reported deaths of helping hands through abuse has been alarming; and no doubt there have been countless unreported incidents that never made it into the statistics.

Sadly, our attitudes have become such that we treat our servants more like slaves.

Very few of us realise how important it is that these helping hands are treated honourably.

The first non-family members a child sees after birth are the help, and it matters how the child sees these employees treated. After

BIGSTOCK

all, nothing is truer than the fact that charity begins at home.

In many countries, children greet their janitors the same way they greet their teachers. The nannies and cooks are not forbidden to sit on the same furniture as their employers. They have their rights, and are treated as members of the family.

Development isn’t just national income -- it is also how we treat those who work for us.

In our subcontinent, most of us don’t learn to greet our darwan chachas at the schoolgates. We are rarely taught to be compassionate to the person making our breakfast, tidying our rooms, and doing other simple tasks.

It’s not that helping hands shouldn’t be given any work -- it’s what they’re paid for.

But there’s a difference between treating them as help and treating them as slaves.

Our sisters at Holy Cross College have

rules that helping hands in their facilities will not have to work after 8pm. There are families who support the help in educating their children, and families who let the maid eat first at a Chinese restaurant before leaving the child in her care. These people are the promising examples the rest of us should follow.

This is an issue within our capacity to confront, and one that can lead to a substantial difference in our society.

Shomman, the brainchild of my father, is an organisation focusing on this, and is about to take its first step. On this May 1, recognised as International Labour Day, Shomman will be paying tribute to the helping hands who lost their lives to ill-treatment since Bangladesh’s birth. Join Shomman in spirit by giving your helpers the assurance that you care. l

in other parts of the world, thereby finding himself constantly at odds with the US. Fidel Castro stood his ground and stuck to his socialist policies even as the mighty Soviet Union, his ally and mentor for decades, fell apart, and capitalistic economy replaced communism in the countries that he had forged relations with. He did not change his policies, making his people no better off than when he had taken over five decades before.

Before the revolution, Cuba ranked fifth in per capita income in the hemisphere. Today it ranks much below many Latin American countries that were behind it in wealth and prosperity in the 1950s. There has been little to no foreign investment in the country in the last 50 years; the little help that the Soviet Union had provided has also evaporated after the socialist economy’s meltdown. Meanwhile, desperate Cubans left the country in droves to join their fellow countrymen in the US and Canada.

Change in Cuba was bound to happen; it could not have continued as the last bastion of communism in a world where the ideology has either totally disappeared or morphed into state-sponsored capitalism (as in China).

Most importantly it is the new generation of Cubans -- both in the island and as immigrants in the US -- who want a change. In a recent poll by international media, nearly three-fourths of Cubans stated that they would prefer migrating out of Cuba rather than suffer the indigent life in the island.

It is ironic that the normalisation of US

relations with Cuba would happen within the lifespan of the great revolutionary Fidel Castro who once famously declared: “A revolution is a struggle to the death between the future and the past.”

It is also difficult to believe that a man who firmly believed that “the capitalist system now doesn’t work either for the United States or the world, driving it from crisis to crisis,” may also live to see the day the reversal of his socialistic ideas in his own country come to fruition. It will be because the country he once liberated from the oppression of a ruthless dictator with the promise of a prosperous future has not found itself at its promised destination.

They continue to remain in the dire economic strait they were before, and now yearn for a better future, which one hopes will come to the impoverished country once US sanctions are lifted.

The move by President Obama, despite lingering opposition from right-wing conservatives of his country, is a welcome change in the decades-old policy of Cuba containment. It is fraught with pragmatism, converting the policy of confrontation with engagement and dialogue that the current US administration is trying to demonstrate in other areas of the world. l

Rubaiya Murshed is co-founder of Shomman.

US to Cuba, finally n Ziauddin Choudhury

P

resident Obama made history recently when he met with Cuban President Raul Castro one-to-one at the Annual American Summit. This is the first time, in more than 50 years, that a US president has sat with his Cuban counterpart since, for the last five decades, the US has been at loggerheads with Cuba.

This policy of confrontation began after Fidel Castro drove away President Batista -- a US ally -- and his loyalists from Cuba at the end of his revolutionary war. Since that time, the policy has been built around the removal of Castro by any means, including the failed military invasion at the Bay of Pigs in 1961.

If things go as expected, US will resume normal ties with its erstwhile adversary, remove trade sanctions, and establish formal diplomatic relations. This normalisation has been a long time coming, since the proximity of Fidel Castro and his socialist revolution in Cuba to US shores has been an anathema to the US, irrespective of which party -- Republican or Democrat -- has been running the country.

A large part of this Cuba containment policy was driven by the overall international tension between the two ideologies reflected by the so called Cold War between the US and the Soviet Union, where Cuba became a protégé of the Soviet Union.

But the rift was reinforced in no small measure by the influence that Cuban migrants

to the US held over this hostile policy. The Cuban migrants -- who were mostly anti-socialists who had lost their wealth after the socialist revolution -- were adamant in asking for the removal of Castro and his socialistic state at any cost. But Fidel Castro survived all attempts to remove him and his socialist government until he himself gave up his Presidency due to failing health.

Cuban policy change for the US could not have happened simply because there has been a transformation in the US’s attitude towards Cuba. This is happening also because the attitude of Cubans in the Island and that of the Cuban migrants has changed. It has taken nearly 60 years for these attitudes to alter.

For nearly six decades the Cubans had been fed by the rhetoric and charisma of their indomitable leader, who was not only a father figure to the poverty-ridden people in Cuba, but also a firebrand icon of socialism in other Latin American and African countries.

His defiance of the might of the US became the stuff of legend and many would-be revolutionaries in Africa and Asia strove to imitate him.

A populist dictator, Castro led an exemplary life of discipline, avoided the ostentatious lifestyle of other dictators, and despised heartily his critics. Despite rumors of accumulating wealth, Castro actually led a modest life and lived in a modest home. But what he firmly believed in was his ideology of communism, one which he sought to scatter

Ziauddin Choudhury has worked in the higher civil service of Bangladesh early in his career, and later for the World Bank in the USA.

DT

14 OPINION

FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2015

MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Quod erat demonstrandum n Zafar Sobhan

U

ntil the city corporation polls in Dhaka and Chittagong on Tuesday it had been more or less conventional wisdom among the chattering classes that the BNP had made a huge blunder by boycotting the January 5 national elections last year.

The BNP argued that elections held under the supervision of the ruling AL were bound to be rigged and thus they refused to participate, handing the elections to the AL in what essentially amounted to a walk-over.

The difficulty the BNP faced was that they had no way to prove their hypothesis.

The fact that they had pre-emptively withdrawn from the elections made it impossible to definitively prove their contention, and however likely or believable their claim of impending rigging, it remained an unproven hypothesis.

Not anymore.

What the April 28 mayoral elections have proved conclusively is that the BNP was absolutely right when it said that elections under a partisan government would be rigged against the opposition.

It is possible that the BNP might have won even with the rigging, had they stayed in until the end, but that is not the point.

The point is that by doing precisely what the BNP said they would do, the AL have essentially conceded the correctness of the BNP point and no longer have a leg to stand on.

Now who can argue with a straight face that the BNP should have taken part in the January 5 elections?

The main point of contention between the

two parties appears to have been conclusively settled: it is clear that we need a caretaker government or some kind of neutral interim arrangement for the holding of credible elections.

Lest anyone think that rigging elections is the sole provenance of the AL, please recall that the BNP has rigged its own fair share of elections, and if it were in power there is no reason to think that it would be any more scrupulous than the AL.

nor credible, and remains quite unequal to the task of ensuring fair polls.

Thus it seems unlikely that the BNP will ever again contest elections under an AL government, and who could blame them? Unless the government reinstates the caretaker government -- and there is no cause to think it ever will -- then we are stuck with the kind of one-party elections we saw on January 5.

But where does that leave us? It leaves us with the unhappy realisation that represent-

The best argument the government could possibly have made for its stance on January 5 and moving forward would be to ensure that elections held under its supervision were totally free and fair

No, the lesson from April 28 is not that the AL is uniquely untrustworthy when it comes to elections, but that no elected Bangladeshi government can apparently be trusted to hold free and fair elections.

In short, the conditions that required the institution of the caretaker government back in 1996 still pertain, and without such a system in place to guaranty fairness and impartiality, elections in Bangladesh are worthless.

It has been demonstrated that a political government cannot be trusted to hold fair elections. It has been demonstrated that the Election Commission is neither independent

ative and participatory elections are finished in Bangladesh for the foreseeable future.

But if elections are finished, then what price democracy?

These mayoral elections were the last chance for getting the two-party political system we have had in place for the past few decades back on track. They were the last chance for the AL and the BNP to try to reach some kind of workable compromise.

But what they have shown us that the AL is not willing to take a chance on losing an election, even elections as inconsequential as elections for a mayor with very little power.

The same thing happened with local

government elections last year, but one could argue that the stakes for the government were too high then, and that they needed to retain control over the local government or face problems with their governance agenda.

But even with the stakes so much lower this time, they were still not willing to take any chances on the mayoral elections.

The best argument the government could possibly have made for its stance on January 5 and moving forward would be to ensure that elections held under its supervision were totally free and fair.

Who knows? Maybe their candidates would have prevailed. The poll that the party ran and published on the eve of the elections showed them all winning handily.

They should have had the courage of their convictions.

Imagine for a moment that the AL had allowed the elections to be above board.

Imagine if the AL had sent out the word to the EC and law enforcement as well as all their party-men that come what may there was to be no violence, no intimidation, no rigging.

There would be zero tolerance from law enforcement and within the party for any irregularities. Let the chips fall where they may.

Then the AL could at least have argued that the elections settled the issue, once and for all, as to whether it was fit to administer elections or not. Had the BNP prevailed, the government’s case would have been even more unanswerable. The argument would have been won.

Unfortunately, the government did the exact opposite. Q.E.D. l Zafar Sobhan is the Editor, Dhaka Tribune

BOJ CUTS ECONOMIC GROWTH,

17 INFLATION OUTLOOK

DSEX NEARS PSYCHOLOGICAL

n Tribune Report

ing in the BSEC’s surveillance software if such shares are sold before 12pm on Tuesday as the CDBL failed to transfer shares into the respective BO accounts in time.”

Proper categorisation of the newly listed companies taking their performance into account was also one of the recommendations of the DSE. Presently, a new company’s shares trading begin under “N” category.

DSE also demanded withdrawal of the section 53 (O) of the Income Tax Ordinance, 1984 considering manpower shortage and some other problems.

According to the ordinance, the custodian banks, merchant banks, financial institutions or Trading Right Entitlement Certificate-holder companies are to deduct the gains tax.

In response to the DSE’s proposals, BSEC chairman assured the DSE of sitting with the authorities concerned to fix the problems faced by the stock market now.

About the pay-out settlement issue, he told the meeting that the problems with the CDBL might be solved in next few days.

In the meeting, the DSE also discussed about the current situation of the market which continued to decline for a long time.

The benchmark index, DSEX, yesterday closed near 4000-mark psychological level after 18 months, as investors continued to release their holdings taking cue from the confrontational politics.

In last seven months, DSE lost more than 1300 points. l

Central bank asks banks to be vigilant about harassment of female employees n Tribune Report All the banks have been asked to remain watchful about any sort of harassment against their female employees for ensuring a woman-friendly working atmosphere in the country’s banking sector.

The central bank came up with the advice at the bankers’ meeting held at its headquarters in the city yesterday with its governor AtiurRahman in the chair.

Bangladesh Bank put special stress on human resources-related issues at the meeting as incident of stalking is now on the increase into the banks across the country.

“We’ve received several complaints that female bankers are being stalked or harassed in various manners,” said Bangladesh Bank Deputy Governor SK Sur Chowdhury.

He also alleged that female bankers were not only forced to remain seated idle at the high official’s offices, but also forced them not to leave their office on time in the excuse of excessive work.

During the meeting, Bangladesh Bank also asked the banks not to terminate huge number of employees at a time.

Referring to some termination notice by some banks including Dutch Bangla Bank, Sur said, “They are terminating the officers on the excuse of their poor performances.”

In this regard, he suggested that the officers, who are not so competent, should be trained up and kept them away from any complicated duties in the banks.

The banks have been asked to pay off the dues to the employees, who want to join other banks.

FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2015

19 LEVEL OF 4,000

DSE places proposals to fix market Dhaka Stock Exchange has put forward a set of proposals, including removal of confusions, to the securities regulator in an effort to save the market from the brink of collapse.

DSE proposals include proper categorisation of newly listed companies and re-fixation of charge of the Central Depository Bangladesh Limited (CDBL).

The proposals were placed at a meeting with the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) at its office yesterday.

BSEC chairman M Khairul Hossain, DSE chairman Justice Siddiqur Rahman Miah and other high officials were present.

After the meeting DSE managing director Swapan Kumar Bala told journalists that the banks failed to inject funds into the capital market because of regulatory limitations as their subsidiaries’ investment in the capital are included in the banks’ exposure. “This is an overlapping of regulations.”

Bala said as per the law, the banks’ exposure will have to be reduced to 25% of their capital by 2016.

“We urged the stocks regulator to make the bank’s exposure clear after consulting with the central bank,” he said.

DSE also proposed removal of difficulties regarding the pay-out settlement maintained by the CDBL. “For example, settlements of traded securities purchased on Monday are supposed to be matured just before the Tuesday’s trading session in line with the T+2 trading cycle,” DSE said.

“These shares were showed as short sell-

DT

Business

15

Bangladesh Bank has also warned the new banks for not collecting the deposit, setting an aggressive target for the employees.

“Banks should not set an aggressive target for collecting deposit by the new employees to avoid extra burden from their shoulders,” opined Sur. He further advised the banks for setting up a rational target for their employees to collect the deposits.

Association of Bankers Bangladesh (ABB) President Ali Reza Iftekhar blamed the new banks for setting up an aggressive target for deposit collection. l

BEZA wants Govt pay 5% interest of EZ land acquisition loan n Asif Showkat Kallol Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA) has demanded the government pay 5% extra interest against the loan to be taken from the Bangladesh Infrastructure Finance Fund Limited (BIFFL) for acquiring land for three economic zones.

The actual interest rate against the loan will be the bank rate plus 5%, which may be 13%. BEZA wants the 5% interest be paid by the government to BIFFL. BEZA will borrow Tk365 crore from the BIFFL to acquire a total of 240.64 acres of private land in Sherpur, Moulvibazar and Sylhet for construction of the economic zones.

Prime Minister’s Office also sent a letter recently to Finance Division in favour of BEZA ‘s demand.

About the loan, an officia said: “BEZA is trying hard to get fund for acquiring and developing land around the proposed economic zones.

BIFFL has already showed interest to give the loan.

“We need BIFFL fund to acquire land for three economic zones. BIFFL has decided to give us commercial loan at a moderate interest rate,” Paban Chowdhury, chief executive of BEZA, told Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

He said several developers would be appointed to develop the BEZA offices across the country.

For other three economic zones, PMO earlier sought a fund of Tk2,700 crore from the finance ministry as urgent allocation for land acquisition.

The zones will be constructed in Mirsrai of Chittagong, Gohira in Anowara of Chittagong and Moulvibazar.

Land sizes of the three zones are 6615.12 acres, 611.47 acres and 354.99 acres respectively.

Industrial activities in the five proposed economic zones now seem to be far off as the site-development works are moving at a very slow pace, newspaper reports quoted sources concerned. l

DT

16 BUSINESS

FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2015

Flying has become more energy efficient than driving n Reuters, London Flying has become less energy intensive than driving, at least in the United States, according to the surprising findings of an analysis of energy consumption by the University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute.

Transporting one person a distance of one mile by aircraft consumed on average the energy equivalent to 2,465 British thermal units (BTUs), compared with 4,211 BTUs for moving one person one mile by car, in 2012.

If fuel use is adjusted to account for commercial freight and mail carried on passenger aircraft, flying consumed just 2,033 BTUs per person mile, according to researcher Michael Sivak.

One BTU is formally defined as the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit.

Informally, it is roughly the energy released by burning a kitchen match.

A gallon of gasoline contains roughly 124,000 BTUs, a gallon of jet fuel about 135,000 BTUs and diesel almost 139,000 BTUs. Sivak’s research shows driving consumed 71% more energy per person-mile than flying in 2012, or more than double if flying data are corrected for cargo (“Energy intensities of flying and driving” April 2015).

Aviation still has a reputation for being a particularly energy-intensive mode of transportation for moving people but Sivak’s findings suggest that reputation may no longer be deserved.

At the start of the 1970s, aircraft were particularly inefficient and consumed twice as much fuel per person-mile than passenger cars.

Since then, however, the amount of energy consumed per passenger-mile by aircraft has fallen by almost 80% while the efficiency of driving has improved by less than 17%.

The crossover point, when aircraft became less energy-intensive than cars, occurred around the turn of the millennium.

Efficiency trends

the switchover in energy intensity is the result of several trends which have tended to make flying more efficient but have had a

A commercial airliner crosses the path of a rising full moon as it comes in to land at Lindberg Field in San Diego, California REUTERS much more ambiguous effect on driving.

New aircraft are much more fuel efficient than the ones they replaced. Airlines have learned to operate them using less fuel by cutting the amount of unnecessary weight carried on board. And seat occupancy is much higher than it was in previous decades.

In contrast, cars have become heavier and more powerful and they are much more likely to be occupied by just the driver rather than passengers. Carpooling on the way to work, for example, has become much less common than it was in the 1970s and 1980s.

There are several important qualifications to this analysis. The data is based on the United States, famous for its larger and more powerful passenger vehicles. Cars in the European Union and Japan, where vehicles tend to be smaller and lighter, consume far less energy per passenger mile.

Sivak’s research is an important reminder about the effect that choices about energy ef-

ficiency, vehicle size and engine power have on fuel consumption.

The analysis is also sensitive to trip length.

The average length of a driving trip is just 9 miles while an average flight is 914 miles - 100 times longer.

Short car journeys tend to be much more energy-intensive than longer ones because they are more likely to occur on urban roads (with lots of starts and stops) and have a single occupant.

Longer car journeys ones on the freeways and interstate network are more fuel efficient and more likely to involve multiple occupants, which cuts energy consumption per person-mile dramatically.

But aircraft are also more fuel efficient over longer journeys than shorter ones because so much fuel is consumed during the takeoff phase. By some estimates, takeoff can account for as much as a quarter of the fuel consumed on a short flight. l

Eurostat: Eurozone exits deflation, unemployment stable n AFP, Brussels The eurozone exited four months of deflation in April, official data showed on Thursday, reversing a dangerous bout of declining prices and reviving hopes of economic recovery in Europe.

Inflation in the 19-nation single currency bloc hit zero percent in April, after a drop of 0.1% in March, with low energy costs still impacting the cost of living, the EU statistics agency Eurostat said.

The news will be welcomed at the European Central Bank, which in March launched a historic round of monetary stimulus to fight falling prices in the eurozone.

Economists fear deflation almost as much as rampant inflation because shoppers tend to put off purchases in the belief they may be cheaper in the future. This leads to a spiral of ever weaker demand, slowing the economy and pushing up unemployment.

Unemployment remained stable at 11.3% in March compared to February, Eurostat said, which was down from 11.7% a year before.

As usual, the level of joblessness varied widely across the across the eurozone.

Unemployment in powerhouse Germany was unchanged at 4.7%, the lowest rate in the currency bloc.

The highest rate was in debt-stricken

Greece, at 25.7% in January, the latest data available, which was slightly lower than 25.9% a month earlier. Youth unemployment in Greece and Spain stood at a huge but lower 50.1% in both countries.

Worryingly, Italy, the eurozone’s third biggest economy, saw joblessness continue to rise to 13%, up from 12.7% in February.

EU-wide, unemployment in the 28 member states was also unchanged at 9.8%.

A week ahead of a general election, Britain was at a low 5.5% in January, a huge drop from 6.9% a year before in what could only be good news for incumbent Prime Minister David Cameron. l

World stocks cool ahead of Fed, pound skids on disappointing GDP n Reuters, London World shares shuffled away from all-time highs on Tuesday as surging Chinese stocks took a breather and investors began to retreat to the sidelines ahead of the Federal Reserve’s policy meeting.

European bourses and the euro also dipped in early trading after both had been boosted on Monday by a revamp of Greece’s negotiating team, while the pound tumbled on weak UK growth figures just ahead of next week’s tightly contested national election.

Quarterly growth came in at 0.3%, well below forecasts of 0.5% and the slowest pace in more than two years.

The figures were seen as loaded with significance coming just nine days before an election and its aftermath, when Britain’s future cohesion and its membership of the European Union could be potentially at stake.

“I think the real risk is so much uncertainty,” said Societe Generale strategist Kit Juckes.

“We could have two elections in 12-18 months and that would just see a cacophony of policy suggestions that would only add to that uncertainty.”

The pound had been hovering at a near two-month high but the data pushed it down to $1.5188 from $1.5258 and to 1.39 from 1.40 versus the euro.

Britain’s FTSE stock index, which has been riding a wave of all-time European highs in recent weeks, was left 0.8% lower, although the fall was broadly in line with moves on Germany’s DAX and France’s CAC 40.

Overnight in Asia, MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan had followed Wall Street lower as it dropped 0.5%, but only after touching its highest level since January 2008.

The main culprit was Chinese shares, which dropped 1.4%. They though have almost doubled in value since October on the launch of Western and domestic market-friendly trading links and monetary policy easing hopes.

Investors were also looking to limit their risk ahead of the start of the two-day Fed meeting later.

There will be no news conference or forecasts this time around and analysts expect no change in the central bank’s policy statement following recent weaker-than-forecast domestic data. The dollar, whose strength has also been seen as a factor in the soft data, was little changed against most of the world’s other major currencies and was at 119.095 yen after touching 119.44 overnight. The Bank of Japan also meets this week.

The euro was in focus too, having climbed to a three-week peak of $1.0927, well off its 12year nadir of $1.0457 plumbed in mid-March.

It last stood at $1.0873, down about 0.1 percent on the day.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Monday reshuffled his team handling talks with European and IMF lenders, a move widely seen as an effort to relegate embattled Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis and get talks back on a better track.

“He (Varoufakis) is creating a number of tensions so that (reshuffle) can certainly help the negotiations,” one of the ECB’s top policymakers and Bank of France chief, Christian Noyer, said on Tuesday. l

DT

BUSINESS 17

FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2015

BoJ cuts economic growth, inflation outlook n AFP, Tokyo The Bank of Japan yesterday cut its annual growth and inflation forecasts, as a slate of tepid data highlight weakness in the world’s number three economy, while analysts expect further monetary easing later in the year.

Gross domestic product will expand 2% in the year to March 2016, while the inflation rate is seen at 0.8%, the BoJ said in a semi-annual report. That compares with a previous estimate of 2.1% and 1% respectively.

The revision to the fiscal year forecast came after the central bank wrapped up a policy meeting Thursday where it held off fresh easing measures, despite flatlining inflation that is defying a two-year-old stimulus programme.

In a widely expected decision, the BoJ stood pat on its record asset-purchase programme, which is adding about 80tn yen ($672bn) to the money supply every year in a bid to jack up prices and kickstart growth.

One BoJ board member lost his call to shrink the stimulus programme by nearly half, with his eight colleagues voting to stay the course.

The yen got a boost, with the dollar slipping to 118.73 yen from 118.85 yen before decision, The pickup in the yen, bad news for Japanese exporters, helped send Tokyo’s benchmark Nikkei stock index tumbling 2.69% Thursday.

Earlier in the morning official figures showed factory output fell by a less-than-expected 0.3% in March - tepid figures that highlight an anaemic recovery.

BoJ Governor Haruhiko Kuroda, who holds a press briefing Thursday afternoon, has previously acknowledged that dragging Japan out of years of deflation was proving to be “very challenging”, and he warned that inflation may temporarily fall to zero

More stimulus

Economists have said the BoJ will ramp up its easing programme, likely later this year, to bring Japan closer to its two-percent inflation target, which is a cornerstone of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s drive to conquer stagnant or falling prices and revive the economy.

“The Bank obviously considers the slowdown in inflation since the autumn to be a

Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda attends a conference of central bankers hosted by the Bank temporary phenomenon, blaming it mostly on the plunge in energy prices. In our view there is more to it than that,” Marcel Thieliant at Capital Economics said in a commentary after the decision.

“The economic recovery is stalling, wages are barely rising, and inflation excluding food and energy is near zero, too. What’s more, it is far from clear that quantitative and qualitative easing has lifted inflation expectations among households and firms.”

He added that fresh loosening of policy was on its way, a widely held view among economists. In October, the bank shocked markets when it inflated its asset-buying stimulus plan by as much as 20 trillion yen annually,

bringing it to the current level.

“We... remain convinced that more monetary easing will be needed before too long,” Thieliant said, pointing to July or October as likely timelines.

The BoJ report appeared to push back an already murky timeline for hitting the inflation target to the first half of fiscal 2016 - which runs from April through September next year.

The ambitious goal was originally supposed to have been achieved around two years after the launch of the BoJ’s stimulus in April 2013.

But the bank has, over time, loosened that timeline as the data suggested it was unattainable.

“Although the timing of reaching around

REUTERS

2% (inflation) depends on developments in crude oil prices, it is projected to be around the first half of fiscal 2016 , assuming that crude oil prices will rise moderately from the recent level,” the report said.

“Thereafter, Japan’s economy is expected to gradually shift to a growth path that sustains such inflation in a stable manner.”

Deflation may sound good for Japanese consumers, but it means people tend to put off buying because they do not expect prices to rise and hope they might even get goods cheaper down the line.

That, in turn, hurts producers and holds back their expansion and hiring plans, which is bad news for the economy. l

Asia’s new manufacturing powerhouse – Vietnam

Yen picks up after BoJ holds fire on stimulus

n Bloomberg

n AFP, Tokyo

If you thought Asia’s manufacturing giants are just China, South Korea and Thailand, say hello to a new one: Vietnam. Its benchmark purchasing managers’ index for manufacturing has expanded - a reading above 50 - every month since Aug 2013, according to HSBC and Markit Economics.

That feat is unmatched by any other Asian country that HSBC and Markit track. By contrast, China’s manufacturing PMI has contracted in eight months in that same period.

Thailand’s manufacturing, as measured by the government, contracted for 22 months through January.

“Central to the latest improvement in busi-

ness conditions were further rises in both output and new orders,” HSBC and Markit said in a note accompanying the release of Vietnam’s March data.

Vietnamese firms were able to secure more new orders from both domestic and export clients and “falling commodity prices in world markets continued to feed through to lower input costs,” said Andrew Harker, senior economist at Markit.

Vietnam last year became the biggest exporter to the US among the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or Asean. And with its strategic location, younger population and lower costs than China, it has drawn the likes of Samsung Electronics, Intel and Siemens, besides apparel and shoe makers. l

The yen picked up yesterday as the Bank of Japan held fire adding to its vast stimulus programme, while the euro dipped after a rally in New York.

In Tokyo afternoon trade, the dollar slipped to 118.61 yen from 118.85 yen before the BoJ decision and 119.02 in New York, while the euro was at 131.81 yen against 132.02 yen.

The single currency was also at $1.1102 against $1.1128 in New York. However, that is well up from $1.0998 in Asia earlier Wednesday.

However, the yen’s gains will likely be capped as investors expect Japan’s central bank will further loosen monetary policy this year, while the US Federal Reserve edges to-

wards raising interest rates.

“The economic recovery is stalling, wages are barely rising, and inflation excluding food and energy is near zero, too,” Marcel Thieliant at Capital Economics said in a commentary after the BoJ meeting.

“We therefore remain convinced that more monetary easing will be needed before too long,” he added.

The dollar took a hit in New York after the data showed the US economy grew at an annualised rate of 0.2% in January-February, far short of the 1% projected by analysts.

Later in the day the US Federal Reserve said the slowdown was due “in part” to transitory factors and expansion should continue at a “moderate pace”. l

DT

18 BUSINESS

FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2015

News, analysis and recent disclosures ACI: 100% cash and 15% stock dividend, AGM: 11.06.2015, Record Date: 13.05.2015.

Consolidated basic EPS of Tk. 16.68, consolidated diluted EPS of Tk. 16.58, consolidated NAV per share of Tk. 124.27 GHCL: 10% cash dividend for the shareholders except Directors, AGM: 09.07.2015, Record Date: 18.05.2015. EPS of Tk. 1.95, NAV per share of Tk. 51.

MJLBD: 15% cash and 15% stock dividend, AGM: 16.06.2015, Record Date: 20.05.2015. EPS of Tk. 4.40, NAV per share of Tk. 35.95.

KARNAPHULI: 7% cash and 5% stock dividend, AGM: 24.06.2015, Record Date: 17.05.2015. EPS of Tk. 1.53, NAV per share of Tk. 20.95.

AZIZPIPES: No dividend, AGM: 11.06.2015, Record Date: 20.05.2015. EPS of Tk. -1.32, NAV per share of Tk. -50.87.

SONARGAON: No dividend, AGM: 13.06.2015, Record Date: 24.05.2015. EPS of Tk. -2.17, NAV per share of Tk. 31.38.

RECKITTBEN: 100% Final cash dividend in addition to 275% 1st interim & 175% 2nd interim cash total of 550% cash dividend AGM: 21.06.2015, Record Date: 12.05.2015. EPS of Tk. 37.57, NAV per share of Tk. 44.75 TUNGHAI: 10% stock, AGM: 27.08.2015, Record Date: 02.07.2015. EPS of Tk. 1.23, NAV per share of Tk. 12.79.

UPGDCL: 30% cash and 10% stock dividend, for the year ended on 31.12.2014 and 35% cash dividend for the year ended on 31.12.2013. Date of AGMs for 2013 & 2014:

24.06.2015, Record Date for both AGMs: 20.05.2015. Basic EPS of Tk. 8.30, NAV per share of Tk. 31.94 for the year ended on 31.12.2014.

MEGHNACEM: 15% cash dividend, AGM: 30.05.2015, Record Date: 12.05.2015. EPS of Tk. 4.48, NAV per share of Tk. 36.10.

AFCAGRO: 15% stock dividend, AGM: 28.05.2015, Record Date: 12.05.2015. EPS of Tk. 2.83, NAV per share of Tk. 13.41 JMISMDL: 20% cash dividend, AGM: 16.07.2015, Record Date: 20.05.2015. EPS of Tk. 4.46, NAV per share of Tk. 48.86.

EASTERNINS: 20% cash dividend, AGM: 23.07.2015, Record Date: 19.05.2015. EPS of Tk. 2.52, NAV per share of Tk. 37.33.

ACTIVEFINE: 6% cash and 20% stock dividend, AGM: 28.05.2015, Record Date: 12.05.2015. EPS of Tk. 4.26, NAV per share of Tk. 27.09.

GBBPOWER: 15% stock, AGM: 09.07.2015, Record Date: 19.05.2015. EPS of Tk. 1.55 (adj.), NAV per share of Tk. 22.68 (adj.).

NBL: The Company has informed that the Board of Directors of the Company has decided to purchase a floor space measuring 5,500 sft. (approximately) of a building named Monir Tower situated at Munsefbari, Uttarchartha, Comilla Tk. 5,000.00 only per sft. to establish thereon a new Regional Office and a new Branch of the Company subject to approval of Bangladesh Bank.

Turnover (Volume) Number of Contract

Company Reckitt Benckiser -A ACI Formulations-A GeminiSeaFood-B Global Insurance -A EBL First M F-A Imam Button -Z BATBCL -A Intl. Leasing-B Tung Hai Knitting -N Reliance Insur -A

Closing (% Change) 10.67 9.62 8.72 7.14 5.00 4.76 4.44 3.94 3.92 3.12

CSE GAINER Company ACI Formulations-A Standard Insurance-A SonarBangla Insu. -A Anlima Yarn -A Central Insur -A Northern G Insur-A Sandhani Life -A Bengal Windsor-A Delta Brac HFCL-A Tung Hai Knitting -N

Closing (% Change) 9.60 9.30 8.57 8.33 7.29 6.29 5.84 3.85 3.35 3.00

DSE LOSER Company Rangpur Dairy-N Sonargaon Tex -Z Aziz PipesZ MeghnaCement -A BSRM Ltd. -N R. N. Spinning-Z Deshbandhu Polymer-A Familytex (BD) Ltd.-A Agrani Insurance -A Prime Textile -A

Closing (% Change) -33.86 -20.37 -14.77 -11.16 -10.06 -9.91 -9.86 -9.79 -9.77 -9.72

CSE LOSER Company Rangpur Dairy-N Sonargaon Tex -Z Eastern InsurA BSRM Ltd. -N Peoples Insur -A Midas Financing-Z National Housing Fin.-B Prime Islami Life -A Orion Infusions -A Deshbandhu Polymer-A

Closing (% Change) -34.11 -23.58 -18.00 -10.71 -10.00 -10.00 -10.00 -9.88 -9.83 -9.79

SECTORAL TURNOVER SUMMARY

DSE key features April 30, 2015 Turnover (Million Taka)

DSE GAINER

Sector

3,823.11 76,662,657 100,642

Traded Issues

313

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

54

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

256

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

3

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,335.17

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

28.31

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 218.89 84.23 19.15 489.28 153.85 1033.29 1.27 256.60 957.65 11.00 106.77 11.38 48.74 97.64 50.57 17.36 41.70 114.83 43.25 59.49 6.18

% change 5.73 2.20 0.50 12.80 4.02 27.03 0.03 6.71 25.05 0.29 2.79 0.30 1.27 2.55 1.32 0.45 1.09 3.00 1.13 1.56 0.16

Million Taka 7.51 128.66 0.67 57.52 4.27 91.40 19.86 52.24 0.92 9.53 0.37 4.10 8.21 3.97 0.82 1.64 12.06 9.70 8.73 0.03

Average (% Change) 5.97 8.34 8.43 7.22 2.48 4.29 4.33 4.45 0.43 4.13

Average (% Change) 7.52 8.80 8.57 8.19 7.19 6.29 5.78 3.85 3.35 3.02

Average (% Change) -32.56 -20.60 -17.24 -10.70 -14.43 -9.82 -5.29 -8.57 -9.83 -8.34

Average (% Change) -35.23 -20.92 -18.00 -14.61 -10.00 -10.00 -10.00 -9.83 -9.41 -7.48

CSE

ClosingAvg. 1,404.78 163.92 249.08 13.52 4.14 8.76 3,098.83 13.14 20.78 39.57

ClosingAvg. 162.24 9.40 15.20 15.58 20.58 15.20 48.90 54.00 74.00 21.82

ClosingAvg. 8.74 8.71 14.55 75.85 60.47 20.02 13.61 13.23 12.02 13.18

ClosingAvg.

% change 1.78 30.47 0.16 13.62 1.01 21.65 0.00 4.70 12.37 0.22 2.26 0.09 0.97 1.94 0.94 0.19 0.39 2.86 2.30 2.07 0.01

8.77 8.58 20.50 60.36 11.70 9.00 16.20 36.52 37.93 13.35

Closing 1,464.30 168.60 251.80 13.50 4.20 8.80 3,111.60 13.20 21.20 39.70

Closing 168.90 9.40 15.20 15.60 20.60 15.20 48.90 54.00 74.00 20.60

Closing

DHIGH 1,510.00 169.10 251.80 13.70 4.20 8.90 3,128.30 13.30 21.30 42.00

DHIGH

DHIGH

DLOW 145.10 9.40 15.20 15.50 19.00 15.20 48.50 54.00 74.00 18.70

DLOW

9.40 9.00 15.10 88.90 66.00 21.50 14.40 14.40 12.30 14.20

DHIGH

8.50 8.10 20.50 60.00 11.70 9.00 16.20 36.50 37.60 12.90

Million Taka 226.40 212.89 19.82 546.80 158.12 1124.70 1.27 276.47 1009.89 11.92 116.30 11.75 52.85 105.85 54.54 18.18 43.35 126.89 52.94 68.21 6.21

1,295.00 152.00 231.00 11.80 4.00 8.50 2,945.00 12.30 19.90 37.80

169.50 9.40 15.20 15.70 20.60 15.20 50.00 54.00 74.00 22.30

8.40 8.60 15.00 74.80 59.90 20.00 12.80 12.90 12.00 13.00

Closing

DLOW

7.10 8.40 13.60 74.20 56.50 20.00 12.80 12.90 12.00 13.00

DLOW

9.00 10.10 20.50 65.00 11.70 9.00 16.20 36.70 41.00 14.10

Total

8.40 8.00 20.50 55.50 11.70 9.00 16.20 36.50 37.60 12.90

% change 5.33 5.01 0.47 12.88 3.72 26.49 0.03 6.51 23.79 0.28 2.74 0.28 1.24 2.49 1.28 0.43 1.02 2.99 1.25 1.61 0.15

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

19.799 333.016 5.873 0.351 0.243 0.036 78.264 6.342 14.936 0.732

Turnover in Million

42.33 6.80 -6.36 1.12 0.84 -1.48 104.70 0.74 1.19 4.34

Latest EPS

24.305 0.001 0.001 0.031 0.318 0.000 0.016 0.001 0.015 1.452

Turnover in Million

33.2 24.1 -ve 12.1 4.9 -ve 29.6 17.8 17.5 9.1

Latest PE

6.80 2.66 1.65 0.74 2.21 1.84 2.12 4.10 6.04 1.19

Latest EPS

8.045 0.477 0.016 2.964 145.644 23.089 4.661 18.223 0.306 1.323

Turnover in Million

Latest PE

23.9 3.5 9.2 21.1 9.3 8.3 23.1 13.2 12.3 18.3

Latest PE

1.11 -0.84 -0.37 6.71 1.59 2.19 1.22 3.25 1.84 1.00

Latest EPS

1.202 0.185 0.000 34.448 0.006 0.005 0.008 0.086 2.724 1.456

7.9 -ve -ve 11.3 38.0 9.1 11.2 4.1 6.5 13.2

Latest PE

1.11 -0.84 2.31 1.59 2.25 -3.24 1.97 4.95 1.84 1.22

7.9 -ve 8.9 38.0 5.2 -ve 8.2 7.4 20.6 10.9

CSE key features April 30, 2015 Turnover (Million Taka) Turnover (Volume) Number of Contract

422.23 17,126,248 15,013

Traded Issues

225

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

45

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

174

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

6

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,266.32

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

27.47

DT

BUSINESS 19

FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2015

DSEX nears psychological level of 4,000 n Tribune Report

DSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company United Power-N ACI Limited- A ACI Formulations-A BSRM Ltd. -N MJL BD Ltd.-A Ifad Autos -N BATBCL -A Khulna Power-A Shahjibazar Power-N Grameenphone-A

Square Pharma -A WesternMarine -N SAIF Powertec-N LafargeS Cement-Z CVO PetroChem RL-A

VolumeShares 2,791,580 680,548 2,031,541 2,408,687 1,006,595 1,089,208 25,256 1,204,699 424,983 226,665

Value in Million 533.69 360.92 333.02 145.64 123.30 85.88 78.26 74.15 73.49 72.98

% of TotalTurnover 13.96 9.44 8.71 3.81 3.23 2.25 2.05 1.94 1.92 1.91

VolumeShares

Value in Million

% of TotalTurnover

291,000 1,545,636 1,027,590 544,984 139,509

CSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company Intl. Leasing-B United Power-N BSRM Ltd. -N ACI Formulations-A ACI Limited- A MJL BD Ltd.-A BD Submarine Cable-A SAIF Powertec-N UNITED AIR-A WesternMarine -N

LafargeS Cement-Z BEXIMCO Ltd. -A Shahjibazar Power-N Square Pharma -A RAK Ceramics-A

10,033,500 328,592 570,727 149,812 25,818 66,851 72,296 111,978 1,029,917 149,140

64,176 252,553 29,225 20,143 71,280

71.65 71.36 71.01 57.74 51.23

125.43 62.47 34.45 24.31 13.88 8.30 8.23 7.75 7.05 6.89

6.82 6.69 5.05 4.97 3.90

1.87 1.87 1.86 1.51 1.34

29.71 14.80 8.16 5.76 3.29 1.97 1.95 1.84 1.67 1.63

1.62 1.58 1.20 1.18 0.92

ClosingP 182.30 534.00 168.60 59.90 122.60 78.40 3111.60 61.30 170.10 323.70

246.00 45.60 68.60 106.60 364.20

ClosingP

Change % -4.20 -3.54 9.62 -10.06 -2.62 -0.76 4.44 -1.61 -2.52 -0.71

-0.73 -0.87 -2.00 0.47 -0.16

Change %

13.10 181.60 60.00 168.90 531.90 121.30 113.20 68.50 6.80 45.90

106.90 26.30 171.00 245.90 55.80

1.55 -4.27 -10.71 9.60 -2.78 -3.50 -2.25 -2.14 -2.86 0.00

-0.28 -2.59 -2.12 -1.24 2.20

ClosingY 190.30 553.60 153.80 66.60 125.90 79.00 2979.40 62.30 174.50 326.00

247.80 46.00 70.00 106.10 364.80

ClosingY

12.90 189.70 67.20 154.10 547.10 125.70 115.80 70.00 7.00 45.90

107.20 27.00 174.70 249.00 54.60

178.70 500.00 152.00 56.50 120.00 77.60 2945.00 60.50 168.60 317.50

AvgPrice 191.18 530.34 163.92 60.47 122.49 78.85 3098.83 61.55 172.92 321.96

DHIGH

DLOW

AvgPrice

13.10 201.00 65.00 169.50 570.00 129.90 117.60 73.90 7.00 47.60

12.20 176.90 55.50 145.10 510.00 120.00 112.00 67.00 6.70 44.80

DHIGH 205.00 570.00 169.10 66.00 127.90 80.70 3128.30 62.70 179.00 328.80

249.50 47.70 71.50 108.00 372.90

109.00 27.50 178.00 249.50 57.00

DLOW

245.00 44.80 67.00 105.20 360.00

105.00 26.00 169.20 245.20 53.60

246.23 46.17 69.11 105.94 367.25

12.50 190.12 60.36 162.24 537.66 124.23 113.90 69.20 6.84 46.22

106.27 26.48 172.72 246.71 54.77

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

4047.28611

(-) 1.27%

1545.18780

(-) 1.14%

12453.09110

(-) 1.51%

10158.16550

(-) 2.00%

7557.43200

(-) 1.62%

▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼

Stocks continued to decline yesterday with the benchmark index DSEX nearing the psychological level of 4,000-mark after 18 months.

Major reason behind the massive fall is selling spree among the investors, who constantly remained worried over the economic outlook, taking cure from the political front, analysts say.

Amongst the key sectors, major selling was seen in non-banking financial institution which was down 3.8%, power 2.8% and banks 15%.

The DSEX fell steeply 52 points or 1.3% to close at 4,047, which is lowest since November 3 this year. The Shariah Index DSES was down over 12 points or 1.3% to 992. The comprising blue chips DS30 dropped nearly 18 points or 1.2% to 1,545.

Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) Selective Categories Index, CSCX, closed at 7,548, shedding 133 points.

Trading activities, however, improved due to the strong selling pressure. Dhaka Stock Exchange turnover in terms of value stood at Tk382 crore, up more than 20% over the previous session.

Food and allied was the only sector that survived from the selling pressure surging 3.5% while most other sectors, including cement, telecommunication and pharmaceuticals closed flat.

Lanka Bangla Securities said selling pressure mounted on Motijheel Street straight from the early trading as bunch of corporate declaration came with mixed performances, which made the investors trade cautious.

“Signs of further cutback in corporate earnings in the next quarters, if political instability increases, have made the market sentiment jerky.”

IDLC Investments said market seemed to be following snowballing movement, where loss in a session fuelled further fall in ensuing sessions.

“As investors didn’t see any break in the downtrend they withdrew or liquidated from the market, pushing stocks in even deeper discount.”

United Power Generation and Distribution Company Ltd topped the liquidity chart with a turnover of over Tk53 crore. l

ANALYST

Market seemed to be following snowballing movement, where loss in a session fuelled further fall in ensuing sessions

DT

20 LONG FORM

FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2015

No country for women n Raihan Hadi

T

he first day of the Bengali New Year of 1422 was the day I finally decided to stop thinking of myself as a man anymore. Why should I? My kind is the worst of all beings! On a day when each and every Bengali has the right to celebrate and start their new year with peace, love and joy, some “men” decided that they would harass women in the streets and exercise their power that has been bestowed upon them in the name of politics.

The first of Boishakh 1422 is the day I decided that I will never raise my children in a country where there are only three men who have the courage to stand up against individuals who not only think of themselves as more masculine to physically harass women and rip their clothes apart, but also take pleasure in beating up those who try to stop them from doing so.

It is not the first time this has happened in our country. Rapes and harassment of women are an everyday thing in our country nowadays, and teasing women and girls alike is a matter of joke for most “men.” Streets are not safe at all for women even during the day, because “men” are everywhere, and even on a public transport, “men” will take the slightest chance at brushing their bodies against that of a female passenger and catcalling and what not! How sexually starved are these people that they do not have the least amount of civic sense in their minds?

And it never ends just there! Just a few hours after the incidents occurred, this wonderful gentleman posted this status on his Facebook timeline; something that summarises to this: “If women can dress as freely and openly as they want to then men deserve the right to touch them and even rape them in public as well, and if no other man is ‘man enough’ to do that then he will make sure of it by doing it himself!” This mentality was even supported by a lot of people until he deactivated his profile. Once again, the shame is on us.

A woman cannot even spend some peaceful alone time in a park because within seconds of her entering any given park in this country, there will be “men” who will try to chat her up, treat her like a desperate prostitute who probably entered that park for nothing but sex.

Without appropriate company, it is nearly impossible for a woman to go anywhere in this country without the fear of being harassed, and here we are, calling Delhi the rape capital of the world like we are any better. In my eyes, not being able to give women the least amount of respect that they deserve is kind of a rape of your own mother, sister, and daughter.

Harassment in social media is nothing new either. If you are an ex-girlfriend of some pervert and your break-up did not go well, be sure that he is about to open a fake profile in your name, possibly with photos that were not meant to be made public. You don’t even have to know a guy in order to be stalked and have your profile information abused.

Stalkers can be found everywhere.

Stalking of girls and women are happening since the 80s, but what surprises me most is

MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

If a ‘man’ is unable to control himself in public, maybe it is the man who needs some education on how to behave

the stalking of underage girls, and it usually starts from public gatherings, not necessarily just Boishakhi Fair, but International Trade Fair, Ekushey Boi Mela, even at shopping malls. Many times it leads to a woman or a girl being harassed in the streets, leading to even rape.

In a country where war criminals are being brought to justice partially because of the ways in which they treated our foremothers during the liberation war, the very “men” of this country repeating what they did is sort of like showing your bottom to the judicial system and the independence that came from so much bloodshed.

What has become of humanity and respect in this country? Women are getting harassed as part of celebrations, no one is standing up to protect them but just three men, then people who are advocating for justice against

such violence are being shut with threats of being murdered, is this Bangladesh?

On top of it all, authorities have already declared that there was no such incident during that day, because it is obvious that they will never be able to catch the culprits, nor will they ever be fit enough to protect the women of this country. No one knows exactly what motivated them to act this way, even after having identified the culprits who did the heinous act to spoil Pohela Boishakh once and forever, the best comeback was that of more threats of being murdered.

Although I am not that religious, but I have read a little about Qiyamah (doomsday) and I can see some of the ten minor signs of that day already happening. The part where perversion and shamelessness is taking over kindness and sanity tells me that soon we will witness more of hellish acts. And little

do these minions of the Devil know that the reason why Allah has given us freewill is to use our intelligence to find out how if we keep following the Devil we will end up dragged into hell with him and he will give us the finger, without the fries and the apple pie of course. This is worth mentioning because religion to most is parallel to humanity, not that I’m saying atheists are not humane.

Coming back to the point, what anyone (regardless of gender) wears is their own business. And while a woman is free to dress how she wants to, she also has the right to roam around how she wants to, without the fear of having her clothes torn apart by “men” who think that it is the cool thing to do! If a “man” is unable to control himself in public, maybe it is the man who needs some education on how to behave and what not to do when outside their sanctum sanctorum.

We used to be a nation full of men who were ready to give their lives and take some if a mere finger was laid upon the women of our country; we must not allow that to be any different ever.

Every woman (and every person) has their right to safety on streets and public places. If things get worse, soon it will be too late for the mob to turn against the wind and maybe such perverts might end up dead from public beatings. Who knows, maybe that is what this nation needs right now? l Raihan Hadi is a freelance contributor.

DT

21

FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2015

T-JUNCTION

Differently Deshi Photo: Tamzid Rahman

INSIDE

22 news

American brand: Crimson Cup Coffee and Tea

22

24

listology

REVIEW

Lucknow’s best kept secrets Eight must try items at Lucknow

Five types of aunties

DT

22 T-JUNCTION

Tantalise

FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2015

review

Lucknow’s best kept secrets Eight must try items at Lucknow

n N Anita Amreen If there’s one name that has the city abuzz with whispers of the perfect Indian eatery, it's Lucknow. As more and more people flock to this artfully decorated, spacious joint, they can’t help but return with full bellies and sated smiles. The place itself is brightly lit, with large windows, comfortable semi-formal seating and the quintessential Indian thalis and clay pots that act as serving bowls. Most

dishes are of top-notch quality and taste, so it’s usually a matter of personal preference when it comes to picking and choosing. The one thing that makes them stand out is their ability to offer everything from excellently orchestrated staples, such as the chicken tangri to more adventurous dishes like the chicken ohrni or the spinach biryani. There’s rarely too big of a space between hits and misses here – they always maintain a wonderful balance that gives us all the more reason to revisit.

The menu is full of bold, original cooking that you try once and just know that they have the heart for serving good, soulful food. Although the prices are slightly higher than average, the portions are sufficient and the taste is so on point that it really is worth it.

Lucknow makes you fall in love and does it so subtly, yet so quickly you won’t even realise what hit you. Their food inspires the type of possessive love that makes you want to hold on to the secret names of the

dishes that have blown you away. Maybe, just maybe, you’ll want to whisper the names to friends from your close circle, but never do you want to parade it to the world. A date with Lucknow is an intimate affair – private and so very personal. Just the way you never want to kiss and tell, with Lucknow too, you want to hold on to every little secret for your enjoyment alone. However, we’ve let our guards down and listed out eight of the best dishes at Lucknow.

news

American brand: Crimson Cup Coffee and Tea Now at Banani

Popular American brand based in Columbus, Crimson Cup Coffee is now available in Bangladesh.

Crimson Cup Coffee started their journey in America in 1991. Today they are serving 28 states across the United States, with over 400 coffee shops all over the country.

Coffee lovers ought to know that the best coffee beans in the world are extracted from the South American lands. Coffee brought from other countries does not taste as good and exotic as that from Latin America. And those who simply like to sip away a good coffee would also be thrilled to know that this special brand will soon be available at Columbus Coffee, which will serve you with the famous Crimson Cup Coffee.

Columbus Coffee offer different varieties of specialty espresso based coffee drinks such as cappuccino, latte, mocha and other

special Crimson Cup’s iced and frozen Drinks. Besides, their menu also offers bakery items such as brownies, cheese cakes, donuts, red velvet cakes etc.

The environment provides an American coffee shop essence since the managers and one of the directors were sent for training

on coffee making and customer service to America.

Rehanur Rahman, Director of Columbus Coffee Shop, confirmed that the coffee shop with start operating in full swing from May 15, and will be offering a discount for its customers on the inaugural ceremony.

For detail: House# 25, (2nd floor), Road# 11, Block- H, Banani, Dhaka.

Hotline- 01936 000208 Facebook: facebook.com/columbuscoffeebd

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Tantalise

FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2015

5

CHICKEN LUCKNOWI STEW TK500 The stew is served on a copper thali, with a smattering of seductive badam shavings. As is the case with all their meat dishes, the chicken is soft to the bone and always spiced right.

Quite similar to a korma, the best part of the Lucknowi stew is just how light it is. It may look like a dish that will be heavy on the palate but it’s not. It’s light, slightly sweet and needs to be eaten with a good, hot paratha or even their naan.

6

OHRNI 2PC TK525

1

NAUSHIJAAN BIRYANI TK600 The Naushijaan biryani tastes just the way it sounds – like a sensual dream of a dish. It’s light and delicate, yet so delicious - it’s just one biryani you cannot get enough of. I won’t tell you what it’s made of just as yet, but I will tell you that once I tried it I couldn’t stop reaching for it, couldn’t stop thinking about it. What I will tell you is how every grain was fragrant with delicate flavour and how it went down my throat in a warm creamy mesh. The chicken was tender and the rice seasoned to perfection, add to that the secret ingredient behind the naushijaan and I was hooked, never to look back again. I thought about it as I ate the other dishes, thought about it on my way back home, and I continue to think about it every time my mouth is hankering for a biryani fix.

The Naushijaan is a biryani made with pureed spinach and it’s accompanied with chicken and a boiled egg, all served in a carefully packed clay pot. If you think spinach and biryani sounds like an unlikely, off-putting combination - good - because you’re in for an exciting surprise. The Naushijaan is so good that it will make you believe that spinach and biryani were always meant to be.

Another gem of a find, the Ohrni is essentially chicken sheek kabab that is wrapped in one thick layer of cheese (yes, you read that right), and put into the tandoor. Once served, it looks like a fried roll but as you break the thick outer cheese shell, tender, cheesy chunks of chicken are revealed. The shell is crispy and the chicken itself rich with flavour, with quite a bit of a kala jeera flavour.

However, there is a nice balance to this kebab-cheese combo that makes it worthy of a try.

2

LUCKNOWI PARATHA TK75 Many will be wondering why something as simple as paratha made it to the list of must-try's. Paratha is just plain, regular paratha. Wait until you try the Lucknowi paratha – every paratha you considered to be perfect will suddenly seem second to theirs.

Absolutely paper thin, with a perfect balance of crispy and doughy, you can eat this delight on its own and still not feel like you’ve gotten enough. It has this slightly sweet underlying flavour that is to-die-for. Try this by itself or pair it with the mutton galawti and brace yourself for a tantalising gastronomical journey.

7 3

MUTTON NEHARI TK500 When you think nehari you think of a concoction of thick curry and grease. Again, Lucknow takes us by surprise. Their take on the nehari is lighter but just as tasty.

The mutton is extremely soft and the curry a balance between too thick and too thin. While some prefer it to be thicker for the perfect naan-dipping experience, it’s still pretty good.

4 LASSI

TK150

Fresh, light and with just the right amount of sweetness, Lucknow’s lassi is the stuff of dreams. For Tk150 this thirst quencher does everything you want it to do – it excites, satisfies, refreshes and makes itself a perfect accompaniment to your Lucknowi meal.

MUTTON GALAWTI 2PCS TK325, 4PCS TK600 At first glance the galawti looks a bit like shammi kebabs – round, tough, dry and seemingly unimpressive. However, one touch and you know that quite the opposite is true. The moment I tried to lift it onto my plate, it slid off my fingers in a surprisingly tender, soft mesh. Galawti means “melt in your mouth” and this kebab does just that. It melts and it satisfies with such finesse that it’s worth every penny. The mutton is tenderised and made into a pasty mash that is impossible to resist. Pair this with the Lucknowi paratha and you have a killer meal at hand.

8

DAL MAKHANI

TK300

Again, Lucknow hits it out of the park by taking an Indian staple and reminding us why it’s a staple to begin with. The dal makhani is rich and hearty, while maintaining a semi-thick consistency. Not just any other regular dal makhani, for theirs seem like the real deal with lots of rajma and a dark brooding brownish-red colour. The spice quotient isn’t on the higher side so it’s a dish that can satisfy just about any kind of palate. Pretty buttery, once you try the Dal makhani you will know why it’s known as the queen of dals.

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FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2015

Listology

Quiz

What kind of an aunt/uncle would you be?

1. Your nephew just entered your place with a swollen eye and a badly hurt arm. After the severe panic, he explains he tried to stop a few men in the street from harassing his female friend. What do you do?

A. Buy him new clothes and get him patched up first. Then getting him a new pocket knife, you scold him as to why he should be more careful next time.

B. Give him a hug and silently take him to a hospital. Give him time to analyse the situation to find out the best way to tell his parents. But you would strictly advise him to steer clear of pathways which would lead to similar situations.

LISTOLOGY

Five types of aunties Aunties - you can love them, you can loathe them, but you can’t ignore them.

C. Pray my son, pray to god you're safe.

D. Are you stupid? Why didn't the both of you run? Why did you go there?!

2. You enter a fancy restaurant to see your niece sitting with a boy in the corner having dinner. The boy has tattoos on his neck, ear piercings and spiky gelled hair. What course of action would you take?

A. Pay for their dinner before leaving a note that you did it.

B. Ask her later on who the boy was and be interested to know him better.

C. Oh god, she's heading on the path of the devil!

D. Send her home immediately.

3. Your teenage niece comes to your house, breaks down in tears and tells you she's pregnant. She blurts out everything she did wrong and confesses every action which lead up to that point. What would you do?

A. Tell her it's all taken care of and she doesn't have to worry about anything.

Take her to her parents.

B. Know all the facts before finding the best option for her, keeping in mind all circumstances. Allow her to explain herself to her parents and act as support for what's done is done.

C. Tell her to go to the Church/Mosque and pray for forgiveness for her sins.

D. Faint.

Mostly As: Rich aunt/uncle Mostly Bs: Mature aunt/uncle Mostly Cs: Religious aunt/uncle Mostly Ds: Crazy aunt/uncle

n Farhana Shahnaz The ask.fm aunty We all have one, don't we? Their sole purpose is to keep tabs on all your activities and to constantly bug you with their incessant rants. Who's that boy? What's your CGPA? You have a girlfriend?! - They do not know how to hold their horses. Pretend to be an innocent flower all you want, they can and will see right through you. Beware of them.

The shaadi.com aunty These species of aunties will always have a biodata or a photo of a prospective bride/groom for you hidden in their purse. Dare to so much as roll your eyes as they chant about their brother-in-law's sister's neighbour's oh-so-eligible son who's looking for nothing less than a knockout wife and you'll end up on their hit-list. If you see your parents getting their bp high over your marriage, you know whom to blame!

The swaggger aunty Aviator shades on, red Michael Kors bag in hand, tumor-esque pompadour in

place and a lot of bling all over – yes it is the swagger aunt we are talking about.

Their sole purpose is only to share where they will be going for vacation next summer, how they can't wait to get their hands on the new Gucci clutches and just how fab their lives are! They will never pry because that is so not their style but expect them to give you serious complexes about your lifestyle.

The ever present aunty Like that stubborn pimple on your chin that refuses to leave no matter what you do, these aunties too will always find a way back to your home. Not only do they become a self-proclaimed family member, they will also make it a point to exercise their rights, again self-proclaimed on you whenever an opportunity presents itself.

The complaint department aunty These aunties give nagging girlfriends a run for their money. They will nag till you can't take it anymore, and they'll still nag some more. Their precious kids have no future, they have a terrible back pain, the country has no future – they got it all covered!

In his 201st T20 game playing for RCB in the IPL against Rajasthan Royals on Wednesday, Chris Gayle hit Tim Southee for a six to become the first ever batsman to hit 500 sixes in T20 cricket

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DISAPPOINTED MUSHFIQ LAMBASTS WAYWARD BOWLERS

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RANA, GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

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500 SIXES!

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ALL SET FOR ‘FIGHT OF THE CENTURY’

Tigers eighth in ODIs for very first time n Mazhar Uddin

Bangladesh have jumped into the number eight position for the very first time as the International Cricket Council released the latest one-day international team rankings. The Tigers have left Pakistan, Ireland, Zimbabwe and Afghanistan in their wake. The West Indies are a place above Bangladesh in seventh although both the teams have 88 rating points each.

England are a further six rating points ahead in sixth.

Bangladesh, gunning for a place in the 2017 Champions Trophy in England, received a boost in their bid to qualify for the prestigious eight-team event as they thumped Pakistan in the recently-concluded three-match ODI series. Bangladesh’s three victories in the 2015 ICC World Cup also aided their prospects.

The hosts, along with the best seven ODI sides, will participate in the Champions Trophy with the cut-off date for the tournament set at September, 2015.

The Tigers have a bright chance of qualifying for the competition as they are scheduled to play six ODIs at home against India and South Africa before the cut-off date.

Bangladesh ODI skipper Mashrafe bin Mortaza said, “Whenever we are in a briefing, I mention it and discuss it at length. As a cricket nation, we have to progress in every format.

We have to ensure we are going ahead in Twenty20s and Tests but the ODIs too need our attention. We will prepare properly for the 2016 ICC World T20 and we need to give constant attention to Tests but we have a target to stay within No 8. This is an important step for us,” he said. l

ICC ODI RANKING # 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Team Australia India New Zealand South Africa Sri Lanka England West Indies Bangladesh Pakistan Ireland Zimbabwe Afghanistan

Mat Points 38 4889 45 5278 37 4284 46 5131 55 5811 42 3968 35 3094 28 2471 43 3721 11 549 28 1250 15 618

Rating 129 117 116 112 106 94 88 88 87 50 45 41

The annual update is carried out to ensure the table continues to reflect results from the last three years. As such, results from 2011-12 have been dropped while the results from 2013-14 have been reduced to a weighting of 50 per cent.

Pakistan opener Mohammad Hafeez raises his bat after scoring his maiden double hundred, against Bangladesh on the third day of the first Test at Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium in Khulna yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

Khulna’s joy turns into despair n Minhaz Uddin Khan from Khulna The city of Khulna was absolutely joyous.

After all, the Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium was hosting the first of two Test matches between Bangladesh and Pakistan. Bangladesh performed incredibly in the 2015 ICC World Cup and in the limited-over leg of the ongoing bilateral home series against Pakistan and the Tigers’ form only added to the fans’ excitement. The roads were decorated, road-side concerts were hosted regularly and everyone went crazy after getting their hands on a prized ticket.

However, in the last two days, all their celebration and excitement were spoiled as Pakistan began to take control of the five-dayer.

The stands and galleries at SANS started emptying as Bangladesh were bundled out for 332 in their first innings.

And following the conclusion of the third day’s play yesterday, there was no more noise for the home side as Pakistan racked up 537/5 in 148 overs, leading the Tigers by 205 runs with five wickets in hand. The visitors batted out the entire third day after resuming on their overnight score of 227/1.

Opener Mohammad Hafeez registered his

maiden double hundred while ODI captain Azhar Ali, Test skipper Misbah-ul Haq, Asad Shafiq and wicket-keeper Sarfraz Ahmed all posted half-centuries to frustrate the Tigers’ bowlers.

Left-arm spinner Taijul Islam was the pick of the bowlers with three wickets while Shuvagata Hom bagged two as eight Bangladesh bowlers were deployed in order to initiate more breakthroughs.

Hafeez held one end resolutely, facing 332 balls for his brilliant 224. The right-hander smashed 23 fours and three sixes and added a commendable 227-run partnership for the second wicket alongside Azhar. Azhar was unlucky as he fell 17 runs short of his eighth Test hundred.

Bangladesh’s bowling department looked feeble and helpless as the wicket had no purchase whatsoever for the bowlers. Whenever the Bangladesh bowlers bowled good deliveries, the Pakistan batsmen dealt with them smartly and when bad deliveries came their way, the visitors did not make any mistake crashing them towards the boundary fence.

Shafiq and Sarfraz were undefeated and will resume the fourth and penultimate day’s play today with Pakistan in a commanding position.l

SCORECARD, DAY 3 BANGLADESH 1ST INNINGS 333 all out in 120 overs Mominul 80, Kayes 51, Mahmudullah 49, Wahab 3/55, Yasir Shah 3/86 PAKISTAN 1ST INNINGS

R

B

Hafeez c Mahmudullah b Shuvagata Sami Aslam c Mushfiq b Taijul Azhar Ali b Shuvagata Younis Khan b Taijul Misbah-ul-Haq c Rubel b Taijul Asad Shafiq not out Sarfraz Ahmed not out Extras (b 5, lb 4, w 3, nb 4)

224 20 83 33 59 51 51 16

332 36 177 68 122 103 54

Total (5 wickets; 148 overs)

537

Fall of wickets 1-50 (Sami), 2-277 (Azhar), 3-339 (Younis), 4-402 (Hafeez), 5-468 (Misbah) Bowling Rubel 22-3-82-0, Shahid 17-4-51-0, Taijul Islam 36-3-116-3, Shuvagata 32-1-112-2, Shakib 31-3122-0, Mahmudullah 4-0-30-0, Soumya 1-0-2-0, Mominul 5-0-13-0

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Disappointed Mushfiq lambasts wayward bowlers n Minhaz Uddin Khan from Khulna Bangladesh Test captain Mushfiqur Rahim blasted his bowlers for dishing out too many bad deliveries. The wicketkeeper-batsman termed this as the chief reason behind the home side’s miserable state in the ongoing Khulna Test against Pakistan at Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium.

Batting first, Bangladesh started the match on a sound note. However, a batting collapse on the second day handed the initiative to Pakistan as the Tigers were dismissed for 332 in their first innings. The visitors later posted a mammoth 537/5 by the end of the third day’s play yesterday and in the process took a lead of 205 runs with five wickets and two days still remaining.

Pakistan opener Mohammed Hafeez led the way with his maiden double hundred while four other batsmen registered fifties to enable the visitors to a commanding position.

“Our bowling was not up to the mark. Hafeez’s wagon-wheel will tell you that he did not get too many boundaries off good balls.

You have to sweep deliveries that are on the line of the stump. If you look at the pitch-

map of Hafeez and [Zulfiqar] Babar when they bowled to us, you will see that they did not bowl too many bad balls,” Mushfiq explained to the media after the day’s play yesterday.

“We created a few chances. It is our fault that we failed to grab those opportunities but bowling in the right place is our livelihood. The bowlers have been disappointing, but still, it was a better day than yesterday (Wednesday). We got a few more wickets today (yesterday),” he said.

The Pakistan batsmen crossed the rope 54 times - 45 fours and nine sixes - in the five sessions that they batted and Mushfiq said the visitors are in a strong position only due to the bad deliveries that were on offer.

“Look, they are batsmen who have better averages than us. They know they do not have to charge at the good balls as they were getting a couple of bad balls every over. Our bowling department has to improve, there should be no excuses,” added Mushfiq.

Although Bangladesh are placed eighth in the International Cricket Council ODI team rankings, the Test side are still struggling at ninth position in the 10-team table. The Bang-

ladesh cricketers, including Mushfiq, often complain that their Test ranking is due to the less number of matches they get to play in the format. Mushfiq, however, expressed a different sentiment yesterday.

“We were playing the ODIs and we were playing well, so at least they should bowl well in the first 10 overs, isn’t it? We cannot use it (less matches) as an excuse. At this level, you have to manage it. The batsmen worked hard to get the runs,” he said.

Mushfiq defended all-rounder Shakib al Hasan, who recorded bowling figures of 122/0 from his 31 overs.

“I do not think he has been able to bowl at the level he is expected to operate. It could be physical fatigue or maybe that he has not played the longer-version for some time now.

But, he is a very smart player and he will pick up these things quickly. We are in the backfoot now. If the best bowler does not bowl well, it becomes hard for the other bowlers in the attack,” he informed.

Mushfiq, who is nursing an injury on his right ring finger, stated that he is still unclear over whether he will be able to bat in the second innings. l

TOUR TIDBITS

BANGLADESH v PAKISTAN, 1ST TEST, DAY 3, KHULNA ONE OF SHAKIB AL HASAN’S WORST BOWLING DISPLAYS

Ace all-rounder Shakib came into the Khulna Test against Pakistan with some cherishable memories from the previous five-dayer in the south-western city. In November 2014 against Zimbabwe, Shakib became the third player (the others being Sir Ian Botham and Imran Khan) in the history of Test cricket to score a hundred and pick up 10 wickets in the same match. Riding on Shakib’s heroics, the Tigers romped to a huge victory of 162 runs.

Ahead of the ongoing Test against Pakistan, the poster boy of Bangladesh cricket said good memories at a particular venue always works as a booster. Shakib’s perfor-

mance in the first Test, however, bore no resemblance to his previous display at Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium as he was dismissed after scoring 25 in Bangladesh’s first innings.

And yesterday, Shakib experienced another forgettable outing as he leaked 122 runs, without success, from 31 overs. The left-arm spinner bowled in five sessions but failed to initiate a breakthrough.

This was the third time Shakib conceded 100 runs without any wickets to his name.

He, however, can still change that unwanted stat today when the fourth and penultimate day’s play resume at 10am with Pakistan on 537/5.

yesterday.

During his half-minute stay, Mushfiq also shared some pointers with emergency captain Tamim.

‘MR. TUK TUK’ GOES BOLD

In recent times, Misbah has drastically changed his approach to batting, registering the fastest fifty and equalling the quickest century in the longer-version against Australia in Abu Dhabi last year.

ALL ABOVE 40 Pakistan opener Mohammad Hafeez’s brilliant 224-run knock saw the all-rounder take his Test average above 40. Pakistan’s top- and middle-order, with the exception of debutant Sami Aslam, now possess Test averages above the magical mark of 40.

TEA-MAN MUSHFIQUR RAHIM Bangladesh Test captain Mushfiq has been out of the field since day two of the ongoing first Test. The wicket-keeper incurred a minute injury on his right ring finger while attempting a catch of Azhar Ali off the bowling of debutant paceman Mohammad Shahid. Opener Imrul Kayes came in as the proxy keeper while vice-captain Tamim Iqbal took charge in Mushfiq’s absence.

One though can hardly keep Mushfiq out of the action. The right-handed batsman was seen running around at the middle carrying tea and drinks during the afternoon session

Pakistan Test skipper Misbah-ul Haq is often castigated by experts and fans alike for his “tuk, tuk” (Urdu word for the sound coming from the bat when a defensive stroke is played) style of batting. The 40-year old though made a bold statement as he opened his account in the first innings with a straight six down the ground off left-arm spinner Taijul Islam. His 59-run knock included four boundaries and two sixes.

–MINHAZ UDDIN KHAN

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FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2015

Rana, gone but not forgotten

QUICK BYTES East End Boys seal volleyball title

n Hedait Hossain, Khulna

East End Boys emerged as the champions of the Walton Dhaka Metropolitan First Division Volleyball League beating East End Club by 3-1 sets in the last match at National Volleyball Stadium yesterday. The champions lost the first set 24-26 before winning the next three by 25-21, 25-5 and 25-19 points. Nabo Jagoroni Sangha clinched third place.

–Shishir Hoque

BCL BRIEF SCORE Walton Central Zone v Islami Bank East Zone, Chittagong

Central Zone 179-allout in 76.4 overs Mosharraf 45, Mehrab Jr 43; Kamrul 3/43, Nabil 2/27, Jayed 2/44

Central all out for 179 on opening day A disciplined performance from the Islami Bank East Zone bowlers helped skittle out Walton Central Zone for only 179 in 76.4 overs in their first innings in the Bangladesh Cricket League (longer-version) at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong. Asked to bat first under overcast conditions on the opening day of the four-dayer, the Central batsmen were helpless as the East bowlers ran the show. Fast bowler Kamrul Islam Rabbi bagged three wickets while Abu Jayed and left-arm spinner Nabil Samad picked up two apiece. Central skipper Mosharraf Hossain top-scored with 45 while Mehrab Hossain Jr chipped in with 43. The batting side might have been bundled out for less than 100 if Mosharraf and Mehrab did not add an innings-rescuing 73-run stand for the sixth wicket. Prior to that, Central were reeling at 57/5.

–Mazhar Uddin

Soccer Club, Farashganj draw blank

Feni Soccer Club and Farashganj Sporting Club played out a goalless draw in yesterday’s lone match of the Manyavar Bangladesh Premier League at Bangabandhu National Stadium. It was Farashganj’s first point in the league this season after losing all their previous four matches while Soccer Club took their tally to four points from five matches. Farashganj came agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock in the 28th minute when Nigerian forward Akinyele Peter danced down the left flank before curving a low cross for midfielder Moloy Barman, whose side-footed volley missed the side-post by a whisker. Soccer Club’s Gambian forward Jatta Mustapha had no clue what went wrong in the 68th minute as his cracking volley from the edge of the box beat Farashganj custodian Sujan Chowdhury only to fly over the crosspiece.

–Shishir Hoque

Fans enjoy the first Test between Bangladesh and Pakistan from the Manzarul Islam Rana Stand at Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium in Khulna MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

Whenever the south-western city of Khulna hosts a cricket game, the name of the late Bangladesh all-rounder Manzarul Islam Rana comes to mind. Khulna lad Rana died in an unfortunate motorcycle accident alongside his friend and first-class cricketer Sajjadul Hasan Shetu eight years ago.

The home side might be busy with the ongoing first Test against Pakistan but the Bangladesh cricketers have still not forgotten Rana’s name. Rana’s mother, Jamila Khatun, meanwhile, still looks around for her son.

Jamila’s only wish was to have a stand named after her son at Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium, which is very close to her home. The Bangladesh Cricket Board duly obliged, naming a gallery “The Manjural Islam Rana Stand” prior to the bilateral home series against Zimbabwe last year.

Rana, who died at the young age of 22, played six Tests and 25 ODIs and was touted as one of the country’s most promising youngsters.

Bangladesh ODI skipper Mashrafe bin Mortaza was one of Rana’s closest friends and still visits his home whenever he gets spare time.l

Under-pressure Hafeez turns around n Minhaz Uddin Khan from Khulna Heading into the ongoing first Test against Bangladesh, Pakistan opener Mohammad Hafeez was under severe pressure after below-par displays in the limited-over leg of the bilateral series. Hafeez scored a total of just 34 runs in three ODIs and a Twenty20 international so the onus was on him to perform and improve the visitors’ fortunes in the twoTest series.

The 34-year old did exactly that, blasting his maiden double hundred to take his side to a commanding 537/5 ahead of the fourth and penultimate day’s play today. As expected, Hafeez was a delighted man as Pakistan are

leading by 205 runs with five wickets in hand following the conclusion of the third day’s play yesterday.

“I was under pressure after the ODI series and I knew I had to do something to regain my confidence and I tried hard. There was a demand on the team to play a positive inning and I am happy that I was able to do the best for my team. This might not be my best one but you can say it is one of my best ones. A double hundred is always something special for any batsman in the world,” Hafeez told the media after the day’s play yesterday at Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium.

“I am not here to prove anything to anyone. I know things were taken that way in

Schweichler begins work n Shishir Hoque Bangladesh’s German goalkeeping coach Christian Schweichler began his work with the national goalkeepers yesterday in a bid to develop their technique ahead of the second round of the 2018 Fifa World Cup qualifiers.

Mazharul Islam Hemel, Rasel Mahmud Liton, Ziaur Rahman, Titumir Chowdhury Titu and Mamun Khan were the goalkeepers who took lessons from the German coach at Dhanmondi 8 ground. The only notable absentee was Shahidul Alam Sohel who could not join due to injury.

It was learnt that the main topic of the lesson was the set-pieces, which has currently become the major problem for the Bangladesh goalkeepers. Bangladesh conceded a number of goals from set-pieces in the 2015 Bangabandhu Gold Cup and the AFC Un-

der-23 Championship qualifiers. They conceded as many as five goals from set-pieces in these two tournaments.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh will kick off their 2018 Fifa World Cup qualifying campaign with the home match against Kyrgyzstan on June 11 before facing Tajikistan on June 16, also at home. The full training camp for the qualifiers will begin after the end of the first phase of the Manyavar Bangladesh Premier League on May 21.l

the past that I had to prove myself after every one or two matches but I always go with my best effort for the team and not for myself,” he said.

Pakistan lost all the three ODIs and the lone T20I in the ongoing bilateral series so doubts had arisen as to whether they would be able to bounce back in the Test series. The visitors, however, eliminated all the doubts as they brought the Khulna Test under their total guidance.

“I am happy that in Test cricket we have been doing very well as a Test unit and that unit came back together. In ODIs, we need some time and we will be better with time,” said Hafeez.l

Chess players come forward n Shishir Hoque The chess players of the country have stepped forward and extended their hands to develop the game as well as took initiatives to organise more tournaments on a regular basis.

Golden Sporting Club, run by the chess players, have already undertaken initiatives to hold the Golden Sporting Club International Rating Chess Tournament, which was inaugurated at the conference room of Rajshahi District Sports Association in Stadium Bhaban, Sapura, Rajshahi yesterday.

More than 100 players from Bangladesh and India are taking part in the six-day event which is being held in accordance with the nineround Swiss League system. Bangladesh’s Niaz Morshed became the sub-continent’s first ever Grandmaster but the current scenario has changed as India are leading the way.l

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Mayweather focused on game plan, not fight hype n AFP, Las Vegas Floyd Mayweather stood nose to nose with Manny Pacquiao for the first time at Wednesday’s news conference, then said he can’t promise their mega showdown will live up to all the pre-fight hype.

“I can’t say,” Mayweather said when asked if the richest fight in boxing history will live up to its blockbuster billing.

“Even if we fought at an extremely high pace, it is not for me to judge. My job is to go out and do my best. Just be Floyd Mayweather.”

Mayweather squares off against Filipino boxing icon Pacquiao in the richest fight in boxing history Saturday at the MGM Grand Hotel that is expected to generate some $400 million in revenue. Mayweather spoke to a small group of reporters following Wednesday’s news conference which finished with the two future Hall of Famers getting up close and personal for the cameras in a stare down at the front of the brightly-lit stage in the MGM’s Ka Theatre.

Mayweather said weeks of working out, sparring hundreds of rounds and watching film at his Las Vegas gym have prepared him to fight Pacquiao. But he plans to spend the next few days taking his mind off the fight.

“I am going to be watching movies and watching playoff basketball,” Mayweather said.

“The only thing I can do now is take it one day at a time. I am going to go home and rest. The next time I hear anything about boxing will be at the weigh in.”

World Boxing Council and World Boxing Association welterweight champion Mayweather and World Boxing Organization champ Pacquiao agreed to the fight in February after years of on and off again speculation over whether the two would ever meet.l

All set for ‘fight of the century’ n AP, Las Vegas His middle name is Money, or at least it used to be before Floyd Mayweather Jr. stopped flashing $100,000 wads of cash every time he saw a camera.

That doesn’t mean money is ever very far from his mind. Certainly not now, when he’s the richest man in the richest fight ever.

Mayweather has spent as much time this week talking about the mansion in Las Vegas, the home in Miami and the private jet that seats 14 than he has about Manny Pacquiao.

He even figured out the math when it comes to dividing it up among his kids.

“Let’s say I make $200 million,” Mayweather said. “That means my kids for this fight will get $50 million apiece. I think I made a smart move.”

Indeed, Mayweather proved a smart businessman in signing for a fight that will likely earn him $180 million or more. But the smartest thing he may have done was delay the fight five years so it would be must-see TV, even at a record price of $99.95.

“Five years ago this was a $50 million fight for me,” Mayweather said, “and a $20 million fight for him.”

If the past five years were personal, with the two camps trading barbs, the fight itself is not. Pacquiao will be fighting for his legacy and a country desperate for him to win, while Mayweather will be fighting to add to his already substantial bank accounts.

That was apparent when Mayweather was asked if being undefeated was the biggest motivation for him.

“At the end of the day my daughter can’t eat no zero,” Mayweather said of his unbeaten mark. “She can’t spend a boxing ring.”

Mayweather won’t be the only one getting rich. Pacquiao will also share in the $120 million or so his side will pocket for the fight, beginning with a $25 million check from promoter Bob Arum the night of the fight.

“I don’t like to write checks of an amount I don’t have in the bank,” Arum said. “I can cover 25 so that’s the amount he will get fight night.”

Pacquiao said he couldn’t even conceive of the kind of money he makes now to fight.

“I used to sleep in the street starving and hungry,” the Filipino congressman said. “I can’t imagine the boy who slept in the streets was raised to this level where I am today.”

Both fighters finished their major preparation earlier in the week, with both facing challenges unlike they have seen before.

In Mayweather’s case it’s a southpaw who fights in spurts and comes from different angles, a style he will have to figure out early in the fight. For Pacquiao, it’s a defensive wizard who has fought 47 fighters and beaten every one of them.

“I think we can outpoint this guy,” trainer Freddie Roach said. “If a knockout comes it will be a bonus.”

Mayweather has been rather quiet about his strategy, preferring instead to talk about how he became the highest paid athlete in the world or promoting his websites. But he said his father, Floyd Sr., has crafted a game plan that will help him remain unbeaten after 19 years in the sport.l

Pacquiao ‘100 percent relaxed and confident’ for bout n Reuters, Las Vegas With just three days to go before his much hyped showdown with undefeated American Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao was ultra relaxed, confident and ever smiling as he spoke about his preparations.

A 2-1 underdog, the Filipino southpaw told reporters at the MGM Grand on Wednesday that he had regained the sense of anticipation he had for fights a decade ago, though he was reluctant to give a prediction about the outcome.

“I don’t have a prediction,” Pacquiao smiled as he spoke in a small interview room before joining Mayweather at the MGM Grand for their final pre-fight news conference.

“I am excited and confident. It’s the first time I have felt like this before a fight in a long time. The killer instinct, the feeling and the focus I have is like 10 years ago.

“For some of my previous fights I never feel this, but now it is different. I am 100 percent relaxed and confident. It’s a good feeling.”

Pacquiao, who has a 57-5-2 record with 38 knockouts, is expected to earn over $100 million from a bout predicted to be the biggest-grossing prize fight of all time but hoped he would make a much bigger impact through his own life story.

“I can’t imagine the boy who was starving and sleeping on the street has become what I am now. It is beyond my imagination,” said the eight-time world champion.

“The most important thing is ... to give inspiration to people around the world that there is a god who can make someone like me from nothing into something.” The long awaited megabout has been over five years in the making and several obstacles had to be overcome before it became a reality.l

DT

Sport 29

FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2015

Sheikh Ahmad joins Fifa’s top table, Salman re-elected n Reuters, Manama

DAY’S WATCH TODAY BTV, Gazi TV, Star Sports 1 10:00AM Pakistan tour of Bangladesh 1st Test, Day 4

Sony Six Indian Premier League 2015 04:30PM Delhi v Punjab 8:30PM Mumbai v Rajasthan

Ten Cricket 8:00PM England Tour of West Indies 3rd Test, Day 1

Star Sports 2 12:45AM Spanish La Liga Real Sociedad v Levante

TOMORROW BTV, Gazi TV, Star Sports 1 10:00AM Pakistan tour of Bangladesh 1st Test, Day 5

Sony Six Indian Premier League 2015 4:30PM Bangalore v Kolkata 8:30PM Hyderabad v Chennai

Ten Cricket 8:00PM England Tour of West Indies, 3rd Test, Day 2

Star Sports 1 Italian Serie A 10:00PM Sampdoria v Juventus 12:45AM Sassuolo v Palermo

Star Sports 2 Spanish La Liga 8:00PM Cordoba v Barcelona 10:00PM Atletico Madrid v Athletic Bilbao 12:00AM Sevilla v Real Madrid 2:00AM Deportivo La Coruna v Villarreal

Star Sports 4 English Premier League 5:35PM Leicester City v Newcastle United 8:00PM Liverpool v Queens Park Rangers 10:30PM Manchester United v West Bromwich

Neo Prime German Bundesliga 7:30PM Wolfsburg v Hannover 96 10:30PM Bayer Leverkusen v Bayern Munich

Neo Sports German Bundesliga 07:00PM Schalke 04 v VfB Stuttgart

BFF president Kazi Salahuddin casts his vote in the AFC Congress in Manama yesterday. Deputy chairperson of BFF women’s football committee Mahfuza Akter Kiron has been re-elected as the member of the AFC executive committee BFF

Political kingmaker Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah of Kuwait extended his influence further into soccer on Thursday when he was elected unopposed as one of Asia’s three ordinary representatives on FIFA’s executive committee.

Sheikh Ahmad was the only candidate for a two-year term up for grabs on FIFA’s top table due to tactical manoeuvreing by confederation chiefs.

The tactics were orchestrated by Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa of Bahrain, who himself was re-elected as Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president unopposed for a four year term. He will continue on the FIFA executive committee as the Asian president.

They were joined on the executive committee by Prince Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah of Malaysia and Kozo Tashima of Japan who will serve for four years. That means Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein of Jordan loses his seat.

Prince Ali’s position, as Asian vice-president, was taken by Sheikh Salman in his role as president, and the Jordanian royal did not contest any of the other Asian seats available.l

Real keep pressure on Barcelona n AFP, Madrid Real Madrid warmed up for a big week by moving back to within two points of Barcelona at the top of La Liga with a comfortable 3-0 win over Almeria on Wednesday.

James Rodriguez’s stunning dipping volley a minute before the break lit up an otherwise drab first 45 minutes.

Mauro Dos Santos’s own goal doubled Madrid’s advantage early in the second-half before Alvaro Arbeloa added a late third.

Madrid travel to Champions League-chasing Sevilla on Saturday before facing Juventus away in the first-leg of their Champions

League semi-final on Tuesday.

Atletico Madrid remain on course to finish third after Fernando Torres came off the bench to claim all three points in a 1-0 win at Villarreal. In a game of few clear-cut chances, Torres took advantage of a slip from Eric Bailly to run clear on goal and kept his side to slot home just his second league goal since returning to his boyhood club in January.

Sevilla remain six points behind Atletico, but did move up to fourth with a 3-1 win away at struggling Eibar to move up to fourth.

Celta Vigo maintained their push for a Europa League place as Nolito’s late winner handed them a 1-0 win over Malaga.l

LA LIGA Eibar

1-3

Piovaccari 51

Real Madrid

Sevilla Bacca 7, 15, Reyes 64

3-0

Almeria

Rodriguez 44, Dos Santos 49-og, Arbeloa 84

Celta Vigo

1-0

Malaga

4-0

Deportivo la Coruna

Nolito 89

Elche

Jonathas 6, Lomban 20-P, Pasalic 54, Rodrigues 90+1

Villarreal

0-1

Atletico Madrid Torres 69

Tevez brace puts Juve Afridi to quit all cricket next year within point of fourth for Pakistan for so long,” said Afridi. n AFP, Karachi Surprisingly inducted at the young successive title Pakistani allrounder Shahid Afridi Thursday age of 16, Afridi made headlines around the world when he smashed a 37-ball hundred announced he would retire from Twenty20 n AFP, Rome in only his second one-day international, cricket next year, ending a colourful internaJuventus put one hand on the Serie A title on Wednesday after a brace from Carlos Tevez saw the champions come back from a goal down to win an entertaining match with Fiorentina 3-2.

Victory moved them to within a point of their fourth straight league crown on an incident-packed night that saw 27 goals scored in eight matches.

Massimiliano Allegri’s leaders could have sealed the title had second-placed Lazio failed to beat Parma, but Stefano Pioli’s side struck three times through Marco Parolo, Miroslav Klose and Antonio Candreva in six blistering first half minutes and added a fourth through Balde Keita with nine minutes to go to both keep the gap between themselves and Juve at 14 points with five to play and relegate bankrupt Parma.l

tional career which earned him unmatched popularity in his homeland.

The 35-year-old retired from one-day cricket after last month’s World Cup held in Australia and New Zealand where Pakistan reached the final eight, but said he would continue to play the shortest form of the game.

“I will retire from Twenty20 cricket after next year’s World Twenty20,” Afridi, who left Test cricket in 2010, told reporters. “I will continue to play county in England and a few Twenty20 leagues but my international career will end next year.”

India host the sixth edition of the World Twenty20 in March-April next year, where Afridi said he hoped to leave on a high.

“I want to finish my career with pleasant memories and had never thought I will play

against Sri Lanka in Nairobi in 1996, setting a world record.

The record stood until last year when it broken by New Zealand’s Corey Anderson with a 36-ball hundred and then bettered by South Africa’s AB de Villiers who raced to a century off just 31 balls, against the West Indies in January this year.

Afridi, known for his madcap approach to batting, his skillful leg-breaks and good looks, maintains the world record for most sixes: 453 across all formats of the game.

He was appointed Twenty20 captain last year, having earlier led Pakistan in one-day internationals and Tests as well.

He scored 8,064 runs in 398 one-day internationals but fell just five short of 400 wickets.l

DT

30 DOWNTIME

FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2015

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Sudden convulsions (6) 4 Close friend (3) 7 Suspension of fighting (5) 8 Garb (6) 11 Central (3) 12 Fierce animal (4) 13 Ugly amphibian (4) 15 Out of sorts (5) 16 Tricks (5) 20 Encourage in crime (4) 23 Molten rock (4) 24 Land measure (3) 25 Followed orders (6) 26 Of punishment (5) 27 Make lace (3) 28 Liturgical prayer (6)

DOWN 1 Closes up (5) 2 Cheat (7) 3 To let stand! (4) 4 Mountain lion (4) 5 Sour (4) 6 Was ahead (3) 9 Neckwear (3) 10 Digit (3) 14 Wealthy (7) 17 Utter (3) 18 First woman (3) 19 Unhappily (5) 20 Region (4) 21 Curved (4) 22 Ring large bell (4) 24 Liable (3)

CODE-CRACKER How to solve: Each number in our CODECRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 11 represents G so fill G every time the figure 11 appears.

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

Some letters of the alphabet may not be used.

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

A B C D E FG H I J K L M N O P Q RST UVWXYZ

CALVIN AND HOBBES

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

PEANUTS

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS CODE-CRACKER

CROSSWORD

DILBERT

SUDOKU

DT

SHOWTIME 31

FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2015

Bobita in Singapore

CELEBS ON SOCIAL Scott Disick @ScottDisick

Always nice when the chopper picks u up in the back yard https:// instagram.com/ p/1mMcBOO34o/

Jim Carey @ TheRealJimCarey

n Showtime Desk Currently, actress Bobita is in Singapore getting a health checkup. She went there about eight to ten days ago. Apart from her visit at the doctor’s, she also wants to see different places and get some of personal things done while she is at it.

In an interview, she mentioned that it was Afzal Chowdhury who came up with the screen name Bobita for her. Actress Boby’s actual nickname is Poppy and she was born in an educated family.

The last movie Bobita worked in was “Putro ekhon poishawala,” directed by Nargis Akhter, which was shot two years back. After performing hajj, Bobita decided to dedicate herself to her religion.

Her acting career began with her brother-in-law’s movie “Jaltey Suraj Ka Nichey.” The film was unfinished, however she found a break-through into the Dhaka film industry. l

“Warning” hit the cinemas today n Showtime Desk The second endeavour of Arefin Shuvo aand Mahiya Mahi, is all set to hit the cinemas today. The “Agnee” duo is back on the silver screen once again with spectacular action scenes and candy-coated romance.

The directorial venture of Shafi Uddin

@ReaIAdamSandIer yo could u quote me plz need more followers thx ;)

Behati Prinsloo @BeePrinsloo

Two worlds just collided calvinklein vspink https:// instagram.com/ p/14MJGqQlte/

WHAT TO WATCH TELEVISION

Shafi is scheduled to be released in at least 83 cinemas throughout the country.

In the film, produced by Maple Films, both actors, Arefin Shuvo and Mahiya Mahi, will be seen as young aspiring journalists, however, Arefin Shuvo’s role is a journalist in disguise who avenges his parent’s death.

Misha Sawdagor, Rubel and Kazi Hayat will

The Incredibles B Star Movies 12:00am A family of undercover superheroes, while trying to live the quiet suburban life, are forced into action to save the world.

Cast: Craig T. Nelson, Samuel L. Jackson, Holly Hunter

also star in supporting roles.

This time around, Shuvo is playing the enraged victim whose parents were killed by a mafia leader and he is out for revenge, whereas in “Agnee,” Mahi was seen as the lethal killer who avenges her parent’s murder.

Rock idol, James, has lent his voice to a song titled “Eto Koshto,” which recently received praising words from all via Youtube. The film contains five sound tracks, which released on January 5. All the songs were composed by Shawkat Ali Emon. l

Top Chef Masters C AXN 4:37pm In the series, world-renowned chefs compete against each other in weekly challenges. This show is a contrast from Top Chef, which typically features younger professional cooks who are still rising in the food service industry.

Cast: James Oseland, Curtis Stone, Gael Greene Tu Mera Hero C Star Plus 2:00pm The story is about a lazy person named Titu, whos charm sweeps Panchhi, an intelligent girl. The show starts when Panchi introduces herself to Titu.

Cast: Priyanshu Jora, Sonia Balani as Panchhi, Akhilendra Mishra

DT

32 BACK PAGE

FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2015

QUOD ERAT DEMONSTRANDUM

PAGE 14

DSE PLACES PROPOSALS TO FIX MARKET PAGE 15

KHULNA’S JOY TURNS INTO DESPAIR PAGE 25 May Day today n UNB

Day labourers are hard at work at a cargo vessel in Aminbazar, Savar in Dhaka, filling up baskets with coal. Working in a hazardous condition in scorching heat, a labourer gets only Tk4 for carrying each basket of coal from the cargo to the dock. An able-bodied labourer can make Tk150-180, at most, this way on a good day RAJIB DHAR

Onshore gas hunt open to international companies n Aminur Rahman Rasel The government is once again giving international oil companies a chance to explore for onshore gas in Bangladesh.

Allowing international oil companies to explore onshore gas blocks had been stayed by a High Court order following a writ petition, a senior official of the Energy Division said. The court recently disposed of the rule.

State-owned Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Ltd (Bapex) will award several gas blocks to international oil companies through bidding, and retain the rest, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid told reporters yesterday.

Speaking at Bidyut Bhaban in the city, at a programme organised by the Forum for Energy Reporters, Nasrul, however, did not clarify the number of gas fields that Bapex would retain.

“We are making plans and will soon decide,” he said.

International companies are being included in the hunt to ease the acute shortage of natural gas the country is currently facing.

Bapex hopes to explore a number of well-defined four-way anticline closures – Patiya, Jaldi, Kasalong and Sitapahar – situated in Chittagong and the Chittagong Hill Tracts On April 21, Bapex invited expressions of interest from international oil and gas companies to jointly carry out exploration and development of four geological structures.

Bapex hopes to explore a number of well-defined four-way anticline closures – Patiya, Jaldi, Kasalong and Sitapahar – situated in Chittagong and the Chittagong Hill Tracts.

Power Division Secretary Monowar Islam

and Energy and Mineral Resources Division Secretary Abu Bakar Siddique, Forum for Energy Reporters President Mollah M Amzad Hossain and Power Cell Director General Mohammad Hossain were present at the programme.

Nasrul said 314MW electricity would be added to the national grid on May 3 from four power plants to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

“We plan to audit older power plants and have appointed a consultant to chart out the next course of action for them,” Nasrul said.

“Electricity pre-paid meters are being introduced across the country to identify demand,” the state minister added.

He said the government would need three or four more years to achieve an uninterrupted power supply in the country.

The state minister said subsidies would be provided, if needed, to keep LPG prices under control, and added that the government would continue its subsidies to the power and energy sectors. l

The historic May Day will be observed today in the country as elsewhere across the world with a pledge to establish the rights of workers.

The May Day, also known as International Workers’ Solidarity Day from 1890, commemorates the historic uprising of working people in Chicago, USA, at the height of a prolonged fight for an eight-hour workday.

Trade unions and professional groups have taken up various programmes to observe the day to press for improving the working conditions with better wages for the workers and also seeking job security.

The Labour and Employment Ministry will bring out a colourful rally today on this occasion.

President Abdul Hamid in a message said coordinated efforts of entrepreneurs, owners and workers were needed for building a strong and rich economy while Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressed hope that both owners and workers would put in their best efforts to boost production in their factories through maintaining good relations between them.

On May 1, 1886, 10 workers were killed when police opened fine on a demonstration in the US city of Chicago near Hay Market demanding an eight-hour working day instead of a 12-hour shift. On the height of agitation, the authorities had to accept the workers’ demand and the eight-hour day has been introduced universally. l

Pakistan court jails 10 for life over attack on Malala Yousafzai n AFP A court in Pakistan Thursday sentenced 10 men to life imprisonment for attempting to kill Nobel-prize winning teenage activist Malala Yousafzai in 2012, officials said, though the chief suspect remains at large.

Pakistani Taliban militants boarded the teenager's school bus and shot her in the head in October 2012 for her outspoken views on girls' education, in an attack that also wounded two of her friends and shocked the world.

Malala, now 17, survived and in October last year became the youngest winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in history for her courageous and determined fight for all children to have the right to go to school.

"Ten attackers who were involved in the attack on Malala Yousafzai have been sentenced to life imprisonment," a court official told AFP. The news was confirmed by a lawyer present at the hearing in the northwestern town of Mingora, as well as a security official. l

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