May 17, 2015

SECOND EDITION

SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2015

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Jyoistha 3, 1421

Rajab 27, 1436

‘CTG BANK HEIST PLANNED A MONTH AGO’ PAGE 3

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Regd No DA 6238, Vol 3, No 35

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EGYPT’S MORSI, 100 OTHERS GET DEATH PAGE 8

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Furore over molestation at school Vice-principal suspended, accused staff sacked as allegations of repeated harassment emerge n Kamrul Hasan A vice-principal was suspended and two school employees sacked at a school in the capital, in the wake of allegations of sexual harassment against two grade-schoolers.

A Class I student was allegedly sexually assaulted on May 5 and a Class V student was sexually assaulted last year. The Class V student’s ordeal surfaced after the fresh incident on May 5.

Mohammadpur Preparatory Higher Secondary Girls’ School Vice-Principal Zinnatunnessa was relieved of her duties yesterday, following a decision of the school’s Board of Trustees, board member M Tamim said.

“Two school staff, Gopal and Shariful, believed to be responsible for the incidents, were fired the same day,” he said.

The board member said there would no longer be any male staff at the school and that CCTV cameras would be installed on the campus.

In light of protests against the sexual harassment of the girls, the school was closed until May 25.

Principal Belayet Hossain told journalists the school would remain closed for Shab-eMeraj and the summer holidays.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

Students and guardians form a human chain yesterday in front of Mohammadpur Preparatory Higher Secondary Girls’ School to protest and demand the trial of those involved in sexual harassment of a student. Enraged guardians also shattered windows of a room where the principal tried to hide DHAKA TRIBUNE

Police want ban on militant 14-year-old Bangladeshi outfit Ansarullah forced onto migrant boat n Mohammad Jamil Khan Police have finally proposed imposing a ban on radical Islamist outfit Ansarullah Bangla Team, believed to be involved in the killing of secular activists since 2013.

“Although we are yet to learn about its organisational structure, police have requested the government to ban Ansarullah’s activities as a pro-active and preventive measure,” SM Jahangir Alam, acting deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said yesterday.

If banned, Ansarullah activists will not be allowed to hold meetings, processions or preach its ideologies – either secretly or publicly. According to the police, such activities would be termed anti-state and the law en-

PAGE 4 Pay hike, police jobs twin pressure on budget

BANNED MILITANT OUTFITS Militant Groups Shahadat-e-al Hikma JMB, JMJB Huji Hizb-ut-Tahrir

Banned on February 9, 2003 February 23, 2005 October 17, 2005 October 22, 2009

forcers would take legal action under the Anti-Militancy Act. Detectives suspect that Ansarullah is now working as the Bangladesh representative of Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), formed last year following Al-Qaeda’s call to extend its activities in India, Myanmar and Bangladesh. It is also linked to other militant  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

PAGE 6 148 primary school buildings declared abandoned

n AFP Snatched by people traffickers in his native Bangladesh and forced onto a migrant boat, 14-year-old Absaruddin endured a weekslong nightmare in which he almost starved to death, saw his relatives killed and was forced to jump overboard after being attacked.

He lived to tell the tale after he and several hundred other Bangladeshis and Rohingya from Myanmar were plucked to safety Friday from their sinking boat and the waters by Indonesian fishermen.

“I want to go back to my home, I want to go back to my mother,” he said, speaking from a building where some of the migrants were being housed in the city of Langsa, on the

PAGE 7 Chandpur fishermen in trouble over scanty Ilish supply

northeast coast of Sumatra, after recounting an ordeal that lasted almost two months.

The emaciated teenager, who comes from a poor farming family, wept as he talked on a mobile phone to his mother for the first time since he left southern Bangladesh, an AFP reporter said. His mother could be heard weeping on the other end of the line.

Those rescued from his vessel were among 900 migrants saved in one day alone in the same area, the latest harrowing episode in Southeast Asia’s migrant crisis that has been precipitated

by Thailand’s move to crack down on busy people-smuggling and -trafficking routes.

Huge numbers of migrants have arrived in Malaysia and Indonesia in recent days,  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

PAGE 32 Migrants in ‘maritime ping-pong’

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SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2015

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

14-year-old Bangladeshi forced onto migrant boat as they are abandoned, and thousands more are thought to be stranded at sea. International pressure is building for swift action, with the United States joining calls for the region to open its ports.

Some of the grimmest tales so far have emerged from Absaruddin’s boat.

After weeks at sea, it was abandoned last week by its crew and then pushed between Malaysia and Indonesia, whose navies were unwilling to let it enter, a stark illustration of what Human Rights Watch has called deadly “human ping pong”.

As supplies ran low, fierce fighting broke out between the Bangladeshis and Rohingya, a persecuted Muslim minority in predominantly Buddhist Myanmar, with many being thrown overboard or choosing to jump. The vessel was sinking by the time fishermen spotted it and came to its aid.

‘I cried and cried’

Several survivors have referred to many people having drowned and been killed in the violence on board. The Rohingya and Bangladeshis, who are being housed in separate buildings in Langsa, both claim the other side started the fighting.

Absaruddin said among those believed killed were two of his relatives, his young uncle Mainuddin and another relative, Nobi Hossain, who were also kidnapped.

After a starving Mainuddin, 16, begged for more food, the crew instead started beating him, and then started on Hossain, 18, when he tried to intervene. They then threw them into the sea.

“I heard them saying ‘Please save us’. We could not do anything,” Absaruddin said. “I was too young to protest, I cried and cried and prayed and prayed.”

For Absaruddin, one of six children, the or-

deal started when he went with his two relatives and a friend from his village to the town of Teknaf, on the Bangladesh-Myanmar border.

As they ate breakfast, they were asked by some strangers to go to a garden, where they were tied up with ropes, beaten and taken to the overcrowded migrant boat.

At first they were given two meals a day of rice and fresh water but then they were only given biscuits and forced to drink sea water.

“I think about 100 people died of starvation and their bodies were thrown out to sea,” Absaruddin said.

He said that on Thursday, as they floated not far off the coast of Indonesia’s Aceh province, violence erupted and the Rohingya, armed with weapons including guns and sharp objects, turned on the Bangladeshis.

“They beat us and then many of us jumped into the water for safety,” he said, adding that

he floated by clinging onto a plastic water container until he was saved. His friend who was on the boat was also rescued but was now ill, he added.

However, Muhammad Tayoub Ali, a Rohingya migrant, claimed the Bangladeshis tried to take food from the Rohingya that was being saved for babies and children and then began attacking them.

“The Bangladeshis threatened to kill us all, then we jumped in the sea. There were also some who were thrown into the sea,” said the 25-year-old, adding they were rescued five hours later.

Speaking from Bangladesh, Absaruddin’s brother Jalaluddin confirmed he and the other three had gone missing.

While the Rohingya are fleeing persecution, the Bangladeshis are trying escape deep poverty. l

The principal claimed to have been assaulted after the board meeting but declined to make further comments about the incident.

There are reports that two of the school’s female students were also manhandled by angry parents when exchanges over the situation at the school became heated.

School teachers said they would form a human chain in front of the institution around 10am today to protest the assault on the principal and the students after the board meeting.

They said guardians, upset about the sexual assault of some female students, were wrong to attack other female students and the school’s principal.

Teachers refuted claims reportedly made by some guardians that one student had died and another was in hospital, saying they had seen no evidence supporting such claims and neither had the police.

Mohammadpur police confirmed that they had received no information of a death in this regard.

Belayet said he would not comment further before the school’s board submits a report to the High Court later today.

A newly appointed teacher, asking not to be identified, said the parents of a Class I student complained to the vice-principal on May 9 about the case of sexual harassment which allegedly took place on May 5.

The parents could not complain earlier because the school was closed and being used as an HSC exam venue, the teacher said.

He said the vice-principal formed a probe committee over the allegation the same day he received the complaint. The father of the victim was made a member of the committee, he added.

However, the teacher could not confirm whether the committee had submitted a report.

Another teacher, also asking not to be identified, said the committee was headed by Associate Professor Mostafizur Rahman. The teacher claimed not to know the victims’ names.

When asked how he could not know the

identity of at least one of the victims – since the victim’s father was on the probe committee – he then denied knowing the identity of the other victim.

A female teacher of the school claimed this was not the first incident of sexual harassment on the campus. She claimed to have heard such complaints from parents before.

The teacher confirmed that she had heard that a Class I student had been held across the mouth and touched inappropriately by “a darkskinned youth.”

She said she had heard such allegations made about Gopal, an employee of the school, before.

She said parents sometimes asked teachers to accompany the girls to the toilet to ensure their safety.

The teacher said several allegations had been made against Gopal, a sweeper at the school, who was yesterday sacked by the board of trustees.

She claimed many teachers of this branch

of the school had been suspended over similar allegations.

A college student of the institution, speaking on condition of anonymity, said his female friend had also been a victim of sexual assault and the chemistry teacher accused of the act was ultimately suspended.

Hundreds of students and guardians took to the streets yesterday morning to protest.

They demanded the dismissal of Zinnatunnessa, who is said to have made inappropriate remarks over the incident, and the two male employees accused of assaulting the school girls.

A writ petition was filed with the High Court seeking a report on steps taken by the authorities concerned and the school management over identifying the accused of the attempted rape of a minor.

Supreme Court lawyer Moniruzzaman filed the petition on Thursday on behalf of a guardian.

The hearing may take place today. l

and around 60 organisatioPolice want ban on militant outfit Ansarullah groups as their ultimate goal is the same – establishing an Islamic state in Bangladesh.

Ansarullah’s name first came in media after the killing of war crimes trial campaigner and blogger Ahmed Rajeeb Haider, and the attack on another blogger Ashif Mohiuddin in 2013.

Currently, five radical Islamist organisations are banned for their militant activities and around 60 organisations including local and international NGOs under surveillance for their suspected link to militant groups.

The present government on October 22, 2009 banned Hizb ut-Tahrir. The same year, seven other organisations Hizb-ut-Tawhid, Islami Samaj, Ulema Anjuman al Baiyinaat, Islamic Democratic Party, Tawhid Trust, Tamir ud-Deen and Alla’r Dal were blacklisted.

In 2013, the government had pondered to ban all the seven blacklisted organisations and three others – Ansarullah Bangla Team, Shahadat-e-Nobuwat and Al Markajul al Islami.

The previous BNP-Jamaat government outlawed Shahadat-e-al Hikma on February 9, 2003; Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB)

on February 23, 2005; and Harkat-ul Jihad al-Islami (Huji) on October 17, 2005.

Ansarullah chief Jasim Uddin Rahmani has been in jail since August 2013. He and seven of his followers are now facing trial for Rajeeb murder. He preached that atheists who demeaned Islam and the Prophet should be killed.

Having links with banned Islamist groups Hizb ut-Tahrir, JMB and Huji, Ansarullah wants to establish Islamic Bangladesh through armed jihad, following the path of international terrorist groups Taliban and al-Qaeda, detectives say. It also supports Jamaat-e-Islami and Hefazat-e-Islam as they preach Islam, Rahmani had mentioned in his sermons.

“We have been following the activities of Ansarullah for many days, and arrested and quizzed several members of the outfit. Analysing the collected information, we suspect that this outfit may have connection with the AQIS and working as its representative in Bangladesh,” said Monirul Islam, joint commissioner of Detective Branch of police.

The recent videos posted by the AQIS claiming responsibility for the killing of bloggers hints that Al-Qaeda has links with An-

sarullah., he said.

“Apart from Rajeeb murder, we have found involvement of the outfit in the killings of Buet student Arif Raihan Dwip, Daffodil University student Ashraful Alam, Rajshahi University teacher Prof AKM Shafiul Islam and three bloggers – Avijit Roy, Oyasiqur Rahman Babu and Ananta Das Bijoy,” Monirul, also the chief of DB police, told reporters at his office in the capital.

Members of the outfit also attempted to kill a teacher of Monipur School in the capital couple of months back.

Asked about the difference between other militant outfits and Ansarullah, Monirul said it targets anyone – not only bloggers – whoever opposes its views, adding that the outfit has around 100 active members. “The number of its supporters can be large. They work in small groups and conduct silent killings.”

The DB chief said: “Although all the militant outfits have only one target – to topple the present government and establish an Islamic state, they work differently.

“Huji and JMB have targeted to kill the important persons of the state to take over power and establish their ideologies. But Hizb ut-

Tahrir members’ target is to take jobs at various government offices and law enforcement agencies, and gradually take control of the state.”

Ansarullah members think Bangali cultural festivals like Pohela Boishakh is like worshipping of the Hindus, Monirul said.

He said the law enforcers were monitoring the activities of Ansarullah members and trying to collect the list of targets from social media and other sources. “After analysing their positions, we will try to arrange security for them [targeted persons].”

The DB chief thinks the Home Ministry would support the proposal to ban the militant outfit too. “When other militant groups are trying to regroup, Ansarullah is moving forward quickly,” he added.

“Such kind of militant outfits can be tackled more effectively once our proposal to form a specialised unit – Counter Terrorism Bureau – is approved by the Home Ministry,” he added.

In February, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressed her resolve to bring all militants and terrorists to book and announced that 50,000 people would be appointed in the police force. l

Furore over molestation at school

Police want ban on militant outfit Ansarullah

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SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2015

Police: Ctg bank heist planned a month ago n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong Six men, including a law student, planned the May 7 heist of Al-Arafah Islami Bank Limited’s Muradpur branch in Chittagong a month earlier, police said yesterday.

Of them, four – Arif, Gias, Sagor and Mahbubul – have been arrested but the other two – Raihan, a student of law at a private university who masterminded the crime, and Masud - are in hiding, said Chittagong Metropolitan Police Commissioner Abdul Jalil Mandal at a press conference at the CMP headquarters.

“Arif and Gias were arrested from Chittagong’s Bakalia area on May 12 while Sagor and Mahbubul from Ostogram area of Kishoreganj on May 13 night.”

Police said the bank’s security system was poor which tempted the gang to rob the bank and the security guard was killed as he shouted after being attacked.

Seeking anonymity, several CMP officials said an Awami League leader pressured police to release Gias, who led the robbery and is also an acolyte of a central leader of the ruling party.

But the CMP commissioner said he had not faced any such pressure, adding that no request made in favour of criminals would be entertained.

The heist bid made on the night of May 7 was unsuccessful but the robbers killed the bank’s watchman, Md Ibrahim, before leaving. Police recovered the body the next morning.

Senior Officer of the bank, Ali Newaz, filed a case with Panchlaish police station on May 9 against three to four unidentified persons in connection with the robbery attempt and the investigation was handed over to the Detective Branch of the CMP on the same day.

DB Additional Deputy Commissioner, Tanvir Arafat, told the Dhaka Tribune that Raihan, after drawing up the robbery plan a month earlier, shared it with Gias, also a Jubo League leader.

“Gias later included the four others in the plan and sent them to visit the bank frequently. They also visited the bank on May 7 during the opening hours. They collected two knives and an iron rod from Chittagong New Market to use during the operation.

“Mahbubul, Masud and Sagor were directly involved in Ibrahim’s murder while Gias and Raihan were waiting on two motorcycles outside the bank. Arif later allowed them shelter in his house,” he said.

Sagor took Ibrahim’s mobile phone after the killing and tried to break into the vault after failing to steal money from the cash desk but failed.

The three left the bank after 40 minutes, said Tanvir.

“Except the CCTV cameras, the bank’s security arrangements were lax and even locks of the windows at the back did not work properly. The robbers entered the bank through the windows.”

The arrestees were produced before the court of Metropolitan Magistrate Nur-e-Alam Bhuiyan yesterday. l

Showing complete disregard to safety, pedestrians squeeze through two buses though there is a footover bridge just a few yards away. The photo was taken at Bangla Motor yesterday MEHEDI HASAN

Bangladesh, Malaysia to discuss PM: Reject those involved in destructive politics human trafficking issue n Sheikh Shahariar Zaman Dhaka will discuss the human trafficking issue with Kuala Lumpur to stop illegal migration destined to Malaysia.

Bangladesh Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali is now in Malaysia for a joint commission meeting with his Malaysian counterpart Anifah Aman where migration, trade and investment issues will also be discussed “The human trafficking issue will be prominently discussed in the joint commission meeting today,” Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

Bangladeshis and Myanmar citizens use the sea routes to get into Malaysia illegally and often they are taken hostage at the Malaysian-Thailand border to extract money from the victims. In recent times, the Thai authorities discovered a number of mass graves in a Thai jungle where it is believed a number of Bangladesh were buried.

“This is a serious issue and coordinated effort is needed to stop the human trafficking,” the foreign secretary said.

The government has taken a number of steps to make people aware so that they do not undertake this risky journey, he said.

Thailand is going to organise a regional conference on human trafficking on May 29

where representatives from Bangladesh, Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Australia and United States are invited.

“A high-level delegation from Bangladesh will participate in the conference to foster regional cooperation to stop the trafficking,” the foreign secretary said.

Joint commission meeting

In the joint commission meeting, Dhaka will raise issues related to recruitment of Bangladeshis for Malaysian institutions.

“We signed a memorandum of understanding with Malaysia last year for recruitment of 12,000 agriculture workers in Malaysian plantations but so far no one was recruited,” said an official of the foreign ministry on condition of anonymity. The minister would request his Malaysian counterpart to expedite the process and also ask him to open other sectors for Bangladeshi citizens.

The two-way trade is heavily tilted towards Malaysia and Bangladesh would ask for trade preferences for pharmaceuticals, readymade garments and leather products, the official said.

The two-way trade was about $2 billion and of that Bangladeshi export to Malaysia was only $140 million in the last fiscal year.

Bangladesh imports large amounts of edible oil from Malaysia. l

n UNB

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday urged the country’s people to reject those involved in the politics of destruction and hand them over to law enforcers, saying the government is determined to take stern actions against these evil forces.

“I’ll request you to reject those doing the politics of destruction, say no to them, hand them over to law enforcement agencies,” she said.

The prime minister was addressing a rally at Nawabganj Government College ground.

Earlier in the day, the prime minister inaugurated the much-awaited Sheikh Hasina Bridge (2nd Mohananda Bridge) on the Mohananda river. She opened the bridge by unveiling its plaque, which was followed by a munajat.

Later, Sheikh Hasina inaugurated five development projects and laid the foundation stones of four others.

The development projects are newly-constructed Youth Training Centre at Shibtala in Chapainawabganj town, academic building of Birshreshtha Shaheed Captain Mohiuddin Jahangir College at Swarupnagar, Chapainawabganj Eye Hospital, sub-station of Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA) in the district town and Gomostapur Upazila

Fire Station.

She also laid the foundation stone of a new building of Chapainawabganj Sadar Hospital for upgrading it to 250-bed hospital from the 100-bed, one development work of Kansat-Rahanpur-Bholahat Road, a project for protecting Alatuli area of the district from erosion by the Padma River and the Chapainawabganj 100-megawatt power plant project.

The prime minister inaugurated and laid the foundation stones of the development projects by unveiling their plaques from Nawabganj Government College ground.

At the rally, Sheikh Hasina said the BNP-Jamaat nexus is always engaged in the politics of destruction and killing. “We want to give them a good lesson so that they never try to do such politics in the country,” she said.

Describing BNP and Jamaat as the synonym of destruction, terrorism and killing, she said, “This politics of killing won’t be tolerated in Bangladesh… those trying to destroy the country will be shown no mercy and their trial will surely be held on Bangladesh soil,” she said.

The prime minister also observed that the BNP-Jamaat clique is trying their heart and soul to destroy the country at a time when it is moving forward under Awami League leadership. “They’re the enemy of people, they’re the enemy of humanity,” she added. l

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Pay hike, police jobs twin pressure on budget n Asif showkat kallol Implementing the new pay scale for government employees and financing half a lakh new police jobs may turn out to be twin pressures on the economy in the upcoming fiscal year.

The government has already hinted that the long overdue pay hike – to cost the state coffer Tk15,000 crore annually – may be implemented in the first quarter of the upcoming FY2015-16.

Last week, the Finance Division approved a Home Ministry proposal for recruiting nearly 10,000 people for police as part of plan to create 50,000 posts in the force.

If Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s instructions are to be followed, then these 50,000 posts will have to be created within the upcoming fiscal year and that would cost the government Tk10,000 crore annually.

According to a Finance Division official, global lender International Monetary Fund (IMF) wants the Bangladesh government to keep budget deficit under 5% of the gross domestic product (GDP).

“But if the pay hike proposals and new police jobs are implemented, it would be hard to keep the deficit within the 5.3% ceiling which is estimated at Tk86,250 crore in the coming budget due in less than a month,” the official said.

The official also said: “The 9,906 police jobs that the Finance Division has already endorsed will cost the state coffer around Tk605.78 crore annual. But monetary involvement will definitely increase after the execution of the new pay scale.

“If all the 50,000 personnel are to be appointed by the end of the next fiscal year,

the government will have to spend Tk10,000 crore annually. This may be the second heavy burden on the next budget outlay alongside the proposed pay hikes for public servants,” he said.

The Home Ministry proposal says that the 9,906 police jobs include 129 cadre and 1,872 non-cadre posts. The remaining manpower will be appointed for the Dhaka, Chittagong, Barisal and Sylhet metropolitan police.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) will get the highest number of 7,151 freshers because the capital city is the most politically sensitive place in the country.

An official of the Home Ministry said: “We hired Ansar personnel from outside Dhaka during the recent political turmoil because DMP did not have enough manpower. But as the Ansar men do not have the training that policemen get, we had to face a lot of problems.”

When contacted, State Minister for Finance MA Mannan told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday: “We will have block allocations for implementing the recommendations of the National Pay and Services Commission and the proposed police recruitments.”

He also said that the planned recruitment of 50,000 new police personnel would not be complete within the upcoming fiscal year.

AB Mirza Azizul Islam, finance adviser to a former caretaker government, said: “Unless there is high revenue earning, the government will have to borrow more from the banking system to finance the deficit for the next fiscal year.”

He also said that the government will have to face credibility crisis if it cannot implement a big budget outlay. l

Boy with leukaemia seeks help n Tribune Report

NSU freshers get oriented n Tribune Report

F i v e -y e a r - o l d Md Monayem suffering from acute myeloid leukaemia, vastly known as blood cancer.

Currently, has been undergoing treatment at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University for about two months.

The boy is the youngest among three children of day-labourer Alek Shah and his wife Shuheda Begum from Ghatura in Brahmanbaria.

Physicians advised Monayem has to undergo periodic chemotherapy that requires Tk5 lakh. They are unable to bear the amount owing to their poor condition.

The family is now urging the society’s generous and affluent people for financial assistance.

People, who are interested to help the child, can contact his mother over 01746750526 or send contribution to account no O16112OO55981, Al-Arafah Islami Bank, New Elephant Road branch, Dhaka. l

“To establish Private University Act, we worked hard for three years that results the opening of higher education in Bangladesh through private universities in 1992. North South University (NSU) took initiatives to teach its students general education including ethical, moral, religion values, responsibilities to society & the state. We feel proud to let you know that the people request to admit their children in our university but never asked for jobs.” said speakers attended the orientation ceremony of Summer 2015 semester held at its Bashundhara campus yesterday.

During the opening session, Annisul Huq, Mayor, Dhaka City Corporation (North), gave a speech as the chief guest while NSU Vice-Chancellor Prof Amin Sarkar chaired the event, says a media release.

Sheikh Kabir Hossain, president of Private University Association of Bangladesh and Benajir Ahmed, chairman of BOT, NSU were present as the special guests among others.

Besides Prof Gour Gobindo Goswami, NSU treasurer, Prof GU Ahsan, dean of school of health & life sciences, Prof Md Sirajul Islam, dean of school of engineering & physical sciences, prof M Mahboob Rahman, dean of school of Business, addressed the programme. l

Ogilvy ties knots with Polar, Dan Cake n Tribune Report Leading advertising agency Ogilvy and Mather has recently signed deals with Polar Bangladesh and Dan Foods Ltd. Under the deals signed on May 11, Ogilvy will be catering to all marketing and communication needs of the ice cream giant and the baked goods newcomer.

Shah Masud Imam, CEO of Polar Bangladesh, Sohel Shahriar Rana, marketing manager of Dan Foods ltd, Fahima Choudhury, director of Ogilvy, and SM Hadiuzzaman, finance director of Ogilvy, where present at the signing programme. Md Abdullah-Al-Mamun, marketing manager of Polar, and Razeeb Hasan Chowdhury, general manager and CEO of Ogilvy and Mather, where also present on the occasion. l

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Drug addicts, not children, throng Russel Shishutosh Angan n Abu Hayat Mahmud More than a year into its completion, the Sheikh Russel Shishutosh Angan – a park built near Dhanmondi lake for the residents of Dhanmondi and its adjacent area – is yet to open to public.

It has become a haven for all sorts of antisocial activities due to slack security and monitoring of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC).

The construction work of the park was completed by the 16 Engineering Construction Battalion under Bangladesh Army in April, 2014 and was handed over to DSCC in June.

Named after the youngest brother of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the park was supposed to provide an escape from the chaos of urban life for the people living in Dhanmondi, Kalabagan, Shukrabad, Sobahanbagh and other nearby areas.

However, the locals alleged that they were denied entry into the park by a middle aged man who claimed himself to be the security guard of the park.

“The children do not get permission to enter but drug addicts and even sex workers can go in. It is destroying the atmosphere of the area,” Habibur Rahman, a resident of Dhan-

mondi, said.

Taslima Akhter from Shukrabad expressed the same sentiment and urged the authorities to open the park to children soon.

Trained workers can get women talking about breast problems n Rajib Bhowmick Training up female health workers or nurses can be a useful way of getting rural women talk about their breast problems and thus reduce breast cancer fatalities, a Singapore-based oncology expert has said.

Dr Lo Soo Kien, senior medical oncologist at the Harley Street Heart and Cancer Centre in Singapore, said this in an interview with the Dhaka Tribune after a medical awareness seminar at the Regency Hotel in Dhaka yesterday.

“The village people can be taught about the symptoms of breast cancer, what to do when there is a lump. You do not always need a doctor for this. A nurse can explain things just as well. They can give talks to groups of 20-30 women,” she told the Dhaka Tribune.

Dr Reginald Liew, senior cardiologist at the Harley Street Heart, said: “Broadly, there are two groups of patients who come to Singapore.

Those who have confirmed diseases. They come to Singapore for specialised treatment, something that is not available in their own country.

“The second group just seek an opinion on the treatment to follow for a particular problem or are tourists who get health checkups,” Dr Liew said.

In the seminar, Dr Radhika Lakshmanan, oncology and breast surgeon at the Singapore O&G Pvt Ltd, said: “Breast cure begins with breast aware. The occurrence of breast cancer is highest in Asia. It is very common among women above 40 years of age.”

The seminar styled “Your Singapore Healthcare Experience” was organised by Galaxy Healthcare Services, a concern of Galaxy Bangladesh, in collaboration with the Singapore Tourism Board. Galaxy has for the last 10 years been assisting people in Bangladesh get world class treatment in different countries, including Singapore. l

Freshers’ orientation at CWU n Tribune Report

The orientation programme of summer-2015 batch at Central women’s University (CWU) was held on its campus yesterday.

The session’s class is going to start from today at CWU’s Ittefaq Bhaban Campus in Ramkrishna Mission Road.

Four departments - BBA, Computer Science and Engineering (CSE), English, Sociology and Gender Studies - will start in

this session.

CWU Vice-Chancellor Dr Perween Hasan said it was the first university exclusively for women in Bangladesh.

Among others, Maleka Begum, head of sociology and gender department, Sher Sharmin and Ajmeri Khan of computer science and engineering department, Abdus Selim, faculty member of English department, and Saumitra Shekhar were present in the event where the guardians also joined. l

A group of children playing at Kalabagan playground said they were not allowed inside the park as the security guard told them that they could only enter after the park was inau-

gurated by the prime minister.

During a visit to the park yesterday afternoon, the Dhaka Tribune correspondent found truth to the residents’ claim.

In the security guard room at the main entrance, a man of around 35 years was having his meal. Just beside him a group of teenagers, about 16 years of age, was smoking cannabis.

The man, Alamgir, claimed himself to be the caretaker of the park.

“The army officials who built the park had given me the responsibility,” he added.

When contacted, Chief Executive Officer of the DSCC Mohammad Ansar Ali Khan, said: “We just appointed a private company to take care of the park.”

He, however, denied to tell the name of the company.

Sayeed Khokon, the newly elected mayor of the DSCC told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday: “I’ve just started my work and have no information about the issue.”

He, however, assured to take it up with the officials and take step to open the park to public.

In 2011, under the government’s initiative to develop Dhanmondi lake, the project of Russel Shishutosh Angan was given to Bangladesh Army. Bhitti Sthapati Brindo worked as the consultant of the project. l

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6 NEWS

SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2015

148 primary school buildings declared abandoned n Our Correspondent, Habiganj At least 148 government primary schools buildings in eight upazilas of the district have been declared abandoned for long owing to the poor condition of the establishments.

Consequently the students have been taking part in the classes amid a great danger particularly during rain or squally weather as the authorities concerned are yet to take any initiative to the long-pending problems.

Forced closure got appeared a common scenario there fearing possible collapse of the schools during rain or strong wind.

On the other hand, local education officials have long been giving assurance to renovate or build new establishment for the schools, but the promise remained unfulfilled still now.

It was learnt from data available in the district primary education office that there are a total of 1,027 schools in the upazilas.

The 148 abandoned schools cover 10 in Sadar upazila, 12 in Nabiganj, 8 in Baniachang, 10 in Ajmiriganj, 11 in Lakhai, 26 in Bahubal, 37 in Chunarughat and 34 in Chunaroghat.

The authorities long ago made the declaration considering the sorry state of the establishments and advised the school authorities to continue academic activities in alternative way shunning possible danger as they failed to ensure any quick remedy to the crisis.

Yunus Ali, headmaster of Tugli Government School in Bahubal upazila, said: “The

local public works department had declared our school building abandoned three years ago owing to the vulnerable condition, but any remedy is yet to come. As a result, sometimes we have to take classes on verandah or outside and the situation particularly takes a serious turn during rain. In this state, many times we had to declare holiday in the school.

We repeatedly informed the matter to the education officer, but the move fails to avail any fruitful result.”

Abdapatia Government Primary School Headmistress Rajia Khatun in the aforesaid upazila said no solution appeared after their school had declared abandoned in 2013.

Rain forces them to declare closure in the school for the sake of the students, the headmistress continued.

In Sadar upazila, Nizampur Government Primary School Assistant Teacher Samsunnahar said the students as well as they got feared during rain or strong wind apprehending possible break down of the vulnerable school building.

Habiganj Education Officer Md Sajjat Hossain said: “I have already informed the ministry concerned of the dilapidated condition of the primary school establishments. In line with the initiative, I have directed the school managing committees and the upazila education officers to take necessary steps to ensure smooth activities during rain. I hope the ministry as early as possible will renovate or erect the schools gradually.” l

NEWS IN BRIEF 2 jailed for illegal sand lifting

A mobile court in Tahirpur upazila yesterday sentenced two people to three months’ imprisonment each for lifting sand illegally from the Jadukata River. The convicts are Ferdous Alam, 20, son of Rajab Ali of Alipur village in Bishwambharpur upazila, and Al-Amin, 35, son of Goni Miah of Mosolghat village in Jamalganj upazila. Police arrested Ferdous and Al-Amin along with a dredger and two boats while they were lifting sand from the river at night. Later, they were produced before the mobile court. The court sentenced them to three months’ imprisonment.

– Our Correspondent,Sunamganj

Teenage girl killed after rape A teenage girl was slaughtered after rape yesterday at Char Talpatty in Gangachara upazila for turning down the marriage proposal. The victim was identified as Shahina Khatun, 14, daughter of Aiyub Ali. The victim’s father Aiyub Ali accused his co-villager Abu Jar Rahman, son of Shamsul Alam, and Nazir Hossain of the rape and killing of his daughter. Aiyub Ali said that Shahina turned down a marriage proposal given by Abu Jar that made him angry. At night, Abu Jar along with his friend Nazir picked up Shahina and took her to a nearby bamboo cluster in absence of her parents. Later, they violated Shahina and slaughtered her.

– Our Correspondent, Rangpur

‘Burglar’ beaten to death

A suspected burglar was beaten to death when he allegedly tried to steal valuables from a house at Uttar Joypur in Sadar upazila early yesterday. The deceased could not be identified yet. Police and locals said the man entered the house of Mujibul Haque at Uttar Joypur around 3 am as the house door was opened. Sensing the presence of someone, Mujibul and his family members shouted and tried to catch him. Hearing the screams, local people rushed in and caught him after a hot chase.

The villagers then beat up him leaving dead on the spot. Mujibul took the body to Sadar hospital in the morning and escaped after dumping it in front of the hospital.

– Our Correspondent, Lakshmipur

50 injured in clash in Habiganj At least 50 people were injured in a clash between two rival groups at Tarapasa village under Bahubal upazila of the district. The clash ensued between the groups over a disputed land of the village.

Sources said as a sequel to enmity both the groups equipped with lethal weapons attacked each other, leaving 50 people injured. The injured were sent to different hospitals. On information, police went to the spot and brought the situation under control, said Mosarraf Hossain,officer-in-charge of Bahubal police station.

– Our Correspondent, Habiganj

DT

NEWS 7

SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2015

7 killed in lightning strike in 3 districts n Tribune Report At least seven people were killed in separate lightning strikes in Magura, Jhenidah and Chittagong districts yesterday.

According to reports of Chittagong correspondent, two siblings were killed in a lightning strike during storm at Napura village in Banshkhali upazila in the morning.

The deceased were identified as Mobarak Hossain, 10, son of Nurul Amin of the area and his sister Jannatul Bakia ,8.

Locals said a thunderbolt hit Mobarak and Jannatul while playing near their house around 9:15 am, leaving the siblings seriously injured.

In Magura, three people were killed and five others injured in separate incidents of lightning strike in different villages of Sadar upaizla, said our correspondent.

Munshi Asaduzzaman, officer-in-charge of Sadar police station Sindbad, 22, of Andelbaria village, Malin, 25, of Lakshmipur village and Yeadul, 40, of Gopalpur village died on the as thunderbolts struck on them around 7 pm in their respective villages.

Jhenidah correspondent reports: Intaj Ali, 50, villager of Kumiradah in Shailkupa upazila, died as lightning struck him when he was returning home from Fazilpur Bazar in the evening.

Obaidullah, 40, of Paikpara village of the upazila, was killed by lightning when he was working at his vegetable field.

Assistant Superintendent of Police Gopinath Kanjilal confirmed the incident. l

Chandpur fishermen in trouble over Ilish scarcity n Our Correspondent, Chandpur

Fishermen in Chandpur face a dearth of Ilish in river after the end of a two-month ban on catching the fish.

The shortage is believed to have been caused by unbridled river pollution, catching of jatka during the ban and a change in climate.

Because Ilish is scarce, it mostly remains beyond the affordability of people as prices are too high.

Abul Kashem, a fisherman in Haimchar, said he is disappointed at the shortage of Ilish in river after the ban which was officially lifted in May. “There are days when we throw nets in the water and wait for the whole day but do not get any.”

He also alleged mismanagement in the government assistance provided to fishermen during the ban.

Another fisherman of Puranbazar, Sushanta, said the shortage is very acute compared to the previous years.

“There is no fish and we are unable to make money to pay off debts. We are struggling to make ends meet,” he said.

President of Chandpur Fish Traders Association, Mizanur Rahman Kalu Bhuiyan, said

the government had spent incredibly large sums as part of its initiatives to protect Ilish but those had not worked at the field level, resulting in the scarcity.

“Jatka has been netted uncontrollably and steps to prevent it have failed. Fishermen are also responsible for this as they received food assistance from the government but also netted jatka at the same time,” he said.

The trader alleged some unscrupulous public servants work in connivance with fishermen to net jatka, adding that failure to check this could worsen the problem.

Chandpur fish terminal is a big wholesale Ilish market but the amount of fish traders are getting is below 12 maunds every day. At present, an Ilish weighing 700-800 grams is selling for Tk1,300-1,500 in the local markets.

Chandpur District Fisheries Officer, Shafiqur Rahman, said pollution in the Buriganga and the Shitalakshya Rivers is affecting the Meghna River.

But Dr Anisur Rahman, a researcher in Chandpur Fisheries Research Institute, said the paucity of Ilish in river at this time of the year is nothing unusual.

“A big chunk of jatka and Ilish moved to sea during the ban and will return to river in July.

Fishermen will net a lot in August and September,” he explained. l

Climate change fight needs native wisdom n Tribune Report Professionals have stressed the need of using local people’s knowledge while taking adaptation measures to check the negative impact of the climate change.

The speakers made the remarks in a discussion titled Climate Change: Local Solutions for a Global Challenge held in the capital’s Alliance Francaise auditorium, telling that the measures should be received in priority basis from the locals people.

“The local knowledge regarding scientific concepts should be introduced in the projects to check the negative impacts of global warming in the country to get the sustainable output,” said Dr Saleemul Huq. The speakers also expressed the need for formulating policy to take more advanced strategy regarding adapting new technologies As an example, Dr Ansar Ali, director of Bangladesh Rice Research Institute, said a large volume of arable lands in the coastal region goes beyond the capacity of saline tolerant rice variety.

To cope with the untoward situation, the government should introduce alternative crop variety for the areas, he went on adding that the move requires specific policy.

The discussion was jointly organised by the Agence Francaise Development, the Alliance Francaise de Dhaka and the Embassy of France. l

WEATHER THUNDERSHOWER WITH RAIN

SUNDAY, MAY 17 TODAY SUN SETS 6:35PM

DHAKA

TOMORROW SUN RISES 5:15AM

FORECAST FOR TODAY 32 33 33 32 32 33 29 33

Dhaka Chittagong Rajshahi Rangpur Khulna Barisal Sylhet Cox’s Bazar

26 26 25 24 25 26 23 26

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

35.2ºC

22.4ºC

Patuakhali

Madaripur Source: Accuweather/UNB

PRAYER TIMES Fajr Sunrise Zohr Asr Magrib Esha

3:48am 5:14am 11:55am 4:34pm 6:34pm 8:05pm SourceL IslamicFinder.org

Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) building a drain on a newly constructed road, much to the sufferings of locals and commuters. Locals said RCC should have planned to build it before the road was constructed. The photo was taken from Terokhadia area of the city yesterday AZAHAR UDDIN

Speakers for law to curb human trafficking n Kamrul Hasan In to order to check human trafficking, emphasis must be given on strict and effective implementation of the anti-trafficking law of the country. Law enforcing agencies can play a vital role in this regard.

Addressing a workshop organised by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on ‘Combating Human Trafficking and Repatriation of Victims: Role of Key Actors’ at Hotel Lake Castle in the capital yesterday, speakers also underscored the need for deploying mobile courts.

To make the anti-trafficking law more stern, they advised to include provisions that

would punish those who would willingly go through unsafe migration.

Kazi Reazul Islam, acting chairman of NHRC chaired the workshop with Muhammad Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, cabinet secretary present as the chief guest.

Mohammad Shah Alam, additional DIG of police, said some 500 people died in the sea while going to Malaysia and Thailand in recent times, according to the rescued migrants.

Joint Secretary of Home Ministry Md Mostafizur Rahman said trafficking was not much alarming for Bangladesh as there were only 2,000 Bangladeshis among the 12,000 people floating in the sea. l

Retired army sergeant shot dead n Our Correspondent, Khagrachari A retired army sergeant was shot dead in Khagrachari yesterday morning.

The deceased was Satindra Lal Tripura, 55, son of Brajendra Lal Tripura of Haduk Para area of Khagrachari.

Family of the deceased claimed that the assailants are members of the Indian extremist group National Liberation Front of Tripura .

Elder son of the deceased, Roni Tripura, said NLFT members have been threatening them for a while to let them rent a house in Charar Par area owned by the family. “The assailants phoned my father and took him to Charar Par and killed him there,” he added. l

DT

8 WORLD

SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2015

Egypt’s Morsi, 100 others get death for mass jail break n AFP, Cairo An Egyptian court sentenced deposed Islamist president Mohamed Morsi and more than 100 others to death yesterday for their role in a mass jailbreak during the 2011 uprising.

Hours after the ruling, gunmen shot dead three judges in the strife-torn Sinai Peninsula.

Morsi, sitting in a caged dock in the blue uniform of convicts having already been sentenced to 20 years for inciting violence, raised his fists in defiance when the judge read out his verdict.

The judge issued the same sentence to more than 100 other defendants including Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed Badei, who has also been handed the death penalty in another trial, and his deputy Khairat al-Shater.

Morsi, who rose to the presidency in 2012 as the Brotherhood’s compromise candidate after Shater was disqualified, won an election and ruled for only a year before mass protests prompted the military to overthrow him in July 2013.

He and dozens of other Islamist leaders were then detained amid a crackdown that left hundreds of his supporters dead.

Many of those sentenced yesterday were tried in absentia, including prominent Islamic cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who resides in Qatar.

Under Egyptian law, death sentences are passed on to the mufti, the government’s interpreter of Islamic law, who plays an advisory role. The defendants can appeal even after the mufti’s recommendation.

The court will pronounce its final decision on June 2.

“If he (Morsi) decides that we appeal against the verdict, then we will. If he continues to not recognise this court, then we won’t appeal,” said defence lawyer Abdel Moneim Abdel Maksoud.

Former Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi waves as he enters for his trial with other Muslim Brotherhood members at a court in the outskirts of Cairo yesterday REUTERS

‘Deplorable justice system’

Amnesty International lashed out at yesterday’s verdict, saying it reflected “the deplorable state of the country’s criminal justice system.”

“The death penalty has become the favourite tool for the Egyptian authorities to purge the political opposition,” Said Boumedouha of Amnesty said in a statement from the London-based rights watchdog.

Morsi, 64, was spared the death sentence in the first of two trials that concluded yesterday, in which the court advised death sentences for 16 defendants convicted of espionage.

They had been found guilty of colluding with foreign powers, the Palestinian Hamas and Iran to destabilise Egypt.

The court will pronounce the verdicts for Morsi and the remaining 18 defendants in that trial on June 2.

The court then delivered its verdict in the

other case, in which Morsi and 128 defendants were accused of plotting jail breaks and attacks on police during the uprising that overthrew president Hosni Mubarak in 2011.

More than 100 of them were sentenced to death, along with Morsi.

Many of the defendants are Palestinians alleged to have worked with Hamas in neighbouring Gaza. They were tried in absentia along with a Lebanese Hezbollah commander.

They were alleged to have colluded with Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood to carry out attacks in Egypt in what prosecutors allege was a vast conspiracy.

With this verdict, Morsi and other former opposition members have been condemned for violence during the anti-Mubarak uprising, while Mubarak himself has been cleared of charges over the deaths of anti-government protesters during the 18-day revolt that toppled him. l

Taliban justify Kabul guesthouse carnage n AFP, Kabul

Taliban kidnap 27 at gunpoint on Afghan road

The Afghan Taliban justified targeting foreigners after a brazen hours-long siege on a Kabul guesthouse that killed 14 people, saying people from “invading countries” do not count as civilians.

“Every foreigner from an invading country especially NATO is considered an invader. We don’t classify any of them as civilian,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a Twitter posting on Friday.

“The occupying forces should realise that... as long as they have a military presence inside our country...their civilian efforts will not find security,” he said, without referencing the Afghan civilians killed in the overnight attack.

The assault, which rattled the international community, came as NATO on Wednesday formally announced plans to retain a small military presence in Afghanistan after 2016 to help strengthen local security forces. l

n AFP, Khost Taliban insurgents abducted 27 people in eastern Afghanistan yesterday, setting up a road block and pulling them from their vehicles at gunpoint in the latest mass kidnapping in the war-torn country.

The incident took place in the Sayed Karam district of southeastern Paktia province, said provincial council member Mohammad Rahman Qadery. The hostages were taken to an unknown location, he said.

“We are not sure why they have abducted civilians, but we have deployed police reinforcement to free the passengers,” provincial police chief Zalmai Uryakhail told AFP. Local elders were also involved in negotiations to free the abductees, he said.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said on Twitter the group was holding the 27 people on suspicion of being government workers.

Mujahid said they had identified eight gov-

ernment employees while the remaining 19 were being “investigated.”

There has been an increase in kidnappings by militant groups in Afghanistan this year.

Earlier this month, Kabul was able to secure the release of 19 out of 31 mostly Shiite Afghans kidnapped by gunmen in the southern part of the country in early February in what was reported to be a prisoner swap.

A Taliban raid on a guesthouse popular with international aid agency workers in a highly secured part of the Afghan capital Wednesday killed 14 people, including four Indians, two Pakistanis, an American, an Italian and a British-Afghan dual national.

The attack sparked strong condemnation from Amnesty International, which said it was a “stark reminder of the Taliban’s contempt for human life” and reflected “a worrying new surge in the armed group’s targeting of civilians around the country.” l

Gunmen kill 2 Egypt judges, prosecutor in Sinai Peninsula n AFP, Cairo Gunmen killed two Egyptian judges and a prosecutor yesterday in the Sinai Peninsula, where security forces are battling an Islamist insurgency spearheaded by an Islamic State group affiliate, officials said.

The shooting in North Sinai’s provincial capital El-Arish also killed the driver of the car the judicial officials were in and wounded another prosecutor, the health ministry said.

Police earlier said three judges were killed in the attack that came hours after a court in Cairo sentenced ousted president Mohamed Morsi to death for his role in a mass jailbreak during the 2011 uprising.

Some of Morsi’s fellow defendants included jihadists in Sinai, where militants often attack members of the security forces.

Police said the officials came under attack while being driven to a court hearing in El-Arish.

Health ministry spokesman Hossam Abdel Ghaffar told AFP four people were killed in the attack.

“Two judges, a prosecutor and the driver of the car were killed, while another prosecutor was wounded,” he said.

Following the attack, the first of its kind in Sinai, the interior ministry put police on high alert across the country and suspended all leave, a ministry official said. l

Eight bodies found in US chopper wreckage n AFP, Kathmandu The Nepalese army yesterday said troops had found the bodies of all eight people from the wreckage of a US helicopter which crashed while delivering aid in the quake-devastated country.

The UH-1Y Huey was carrying six US Marines and two soldiers from the Nepalese army when it went missing during a relief flight in the mountainous northeastern region on the same day that a second quake hit the country.

“Nepalese and US troops recovered all eight bodies from the crash site this morning,” major general Binoj Basnyat told AFP by telephone.

“None of the bodies are recognisable,” Basnyat said.

Nepalese troops Friday spotted the aircraft in a remote forest around 70 kilometres (40 miles) northeast of Kathmandu, three days after it disappeared from sight.

Teams from the US military and the Nepal army were investigating the wreckage to determine the cause of the crash, Basnyat said.

Army helicopters and hundreds of US and Nepalese ground troops had been deployed to scour the mountainous region where the chopper disappeared.

Relief teams from around the world have been working for weeks to provide water, food, shelter and medical assistance to Nepal after the first, 7.8-magnitude quake hit on April 25.

Nearly 8,500 people have now been confirmed dead in the disaster, which destroyed more than half a million homes and left huge numbers of people without shelter. l

DT

WORLD 9

SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2015

IS advances on Palmyra, Iraq reinforces Ramadi n AFP, Beirut

Islamic State jihadists yesterday advanced on Syria’s ancient Palmyra after executing dozens of civilians on the city’s outskirts, as Iraq dispatched reinforcements to prevent Ramadi from falling into extremist hands.

Fierce clashes continued overnight near Palmyra, with IS fighters gaining ground east of the metropolis, renowned for its colonnaded streets and elaborate tombs.

Situated in central Homs province, Palmyra lies at the gateway to Syria’s vast desert extending to IS-controlled territory in neighbouring Iraq, making the ancient city a key strategic target for the extremist group.

“IS wants to give the impression that it is still expanding its control in Syria and Iraq, despite the strikes by the coalition,” said Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, referring to US-led bombing raids in both countries.

Homs province is largely under the control of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, but IS has stepped up attacks there in recent months.

If Palmyra falls, it would expand IS control from Syria’s east and north to the country’s heartland.

The city is also key to IS’s propaganda machine, as the group has destroyed numerous pre-Islamic archeological sites during its rampage across Iraq and Syria.

Fearing a similar fate for Palmyra, known as Syria’s “pearl of the desert,” Unesco has called on the UN Security Council to act in order to save one of the Middle East’s historic treasures.

Civilians, children executed

In its brutal advance towards the city, IS executed at least 49 civilians over the course of two days, the Observatory said, including 26 on Thursday after accusing them of “collaborating with the regime.”

Ten people were beheaded, the monitor said. IS executed another 23 civilians, among them nine children, on Friday northeast of Palmyra.

“Among the victims, there were displaced people from other parts of Syria who were seeking refuge in Palmyra, as well as the families of local servants, a caretaker and his wife,” Abdel Rahman said.

After a night of “very violent” clashes, IS made gains to the city’s east, bringing it ever closer to Palmyra’s treasured remains, many of which are housed in a museum.

Reinforcements to Ramadi

In neighbouring Iraq, IS fighters tightened their siege on the last government positions in Ramadi, west of Baghdad, a day after they seized the city’s government headquarters.

Taking control of Ramadi would constitute the group’s most important victory this year in Iraq, and would give the jihadists control of the capitals of two of its largest provinces.

Mosul, capital of Nineveh province, has been under IS control since it launched a lightning offensive in June 2014.

Anbar province, of which Ramadi is the capital, extends from the Syrian, Jordanian, and Saudi borders to the gates of Baghdad.

Military reinforcements were dispatched to Ramadi and other parts of Anbar to support Iraqi troops, local officials said, as Iraq’s army and the US-led coalition struck IS positions in the area.

Most of the Iraqi government forces and Sunni tribesmen fighting alongside them are concentrated in a nearby military base and in the Anbar Operations Command across the Euphrates river.

But yesterday, there was no sign of the Ramadi counteroffensive that had been announced by Iraqi authorities, although civilians were fleeing the city in droves. l

Boston bomber Tsarnaev sentenced to death for 2013 attack

n Reuters, Boston

Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was sentenced to death by a US jury on Friday for helping carry out the 2013 attack that killed three people and wounded 264 others in the crowds at the race’s finish line.

After deliberating for 15 hours, the federal jury chose death by lethal injection for Tsarnaev, 21, over its only other option: life in prison without possibility of release.

The same jury found Tsarnaev guilty last month of placing a pair of homemade pressure-cooker bombs on April 15, 2013, as well as fatally shooting a policeman. The bombing was one of the highest-profile attacks on US soil since Sept. 11, 2001.

Prosecutors described Tsarnaev, who is an ethnic Chechen, as an adherent of al Qaeda’s militant Islamist views who carried out the attack as an act of retribution for US military campaigns in Muslim-majority countries.

The jury’s decision does not mean Tsarnaev will face imminent death.

Defence attorneys are likely to appeal the sentence, a process that can stretch out for many years. l

Russia loses Mexican satellite after rocket failure n AFP, Moscow

US Secretary of State John Kerry, left, speaks with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang at the Zhongnanhai Leadership Compound in Beijing, China yesterday REUTERS

US, China clash over South China Sea dispute n Reuters, Beijing The United States and China clashed over a territorial dispute in the South China Seayesterday, as China’s foreign minister asserted its sovereignty to reclaim reefs saying its determination to protect its interests is “as hard as a rock.”

After a private meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi showed no sign of backing down despite Kerry urging China to take action to reduce tension in the South China Sea. “With regard to construction on the Nan-

sha islands and reefs, this is fully within the scope of China’s sovereignty,” Wang told reporters, using the Chinese name for the Spratly islands.

“I would like to reaffirm that China’s determination to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity is as hard as a rock,” he said.

“It is the people’s demand of the government and our legitimate right.”

Wang made the comments at a joint news conference with Kerry, who is on a two-day visit to China likely to be dominated by deepening concern about Beijing’s ambitions in the South China Sea. l

Russia yesterday lost a Mexican satellite on launch just hours after a glitch with a manoeuvre involving the International Space Station, the latest in a string of embarrassing failures for its troubled space programme.

Russia’s Roscosmos space agency said the Proton-M rocket carrying a Mexican MexSat-1 satellite fell back to Earth and burnt up in the atmosphere after suffering an engine problem on launch early Saturday.

Just over eight minutes after launch, an “emergency situation was recorded with the engines of the third stage of the carrier rocket,” the space agency said.The accident took place at an altitude of 161 kilometres (100 miles), high enough for the rocket to burn up as it plunged back to Earth, it said.

“The third stage rocket, the upper stage and the satellite almost completely burnt up in the atmosphere,” it said. “At the moment there have been no reports of falling non-combusted fragments.”

Fragments of the carrier rocket, which contained several tons of toxic fuel, fell back to Earth over Siberia’s Chita region, space industry sources said, while Russia’s emergencies ministry said there was no damage or injuries on the ground.

A commission involving various space industry bodies will look at the reasons for the accident and “take the corresponding decisions,” the space agency said.

The accident commission was due to meet Sunday morning at 10 am (0600 GMT)

A Proton-M carrier rocket blasts off with the MexSat-1 communications satellite at Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan yesterday REUTERS to discuss the failed launch, a space industry source told Interfax news agency.

Russian President Vladimir Putin “naturally was informed” of the satellite failure, his spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists, cited by Interfax, declining further comment.

Russia last year reacted to previous space failures by sacking the head of the space agency. l

DT

10 WORLD

SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2015

Pope Francis shakes hands with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during a private audience at the Vatican City yesterday REUTERS

Pope meets ‘angel of peace’ Abbas after treaty announcement n AFP, Vatican City

Pope Francis met Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas yesterday, calling him “an angel of peace,” days after the Vatican said it was preparing to sign its first accord with Palestine to the anger of Israel.

Abbas met the pontiff for about 20 minutes for a private audience, a meeting that comes a day before the pope is due to canonise two Palestinian nuns, who will become the first Palestinian Arabs to gain sainthood.

On Wednesday the Holy See announced that it was preparing to sign its first treaty with Palestine, two years after officially recognising it as a state.

A bilateral commission is putting the final touches to the agreement, on the Catholic Church’s life and activities in Palestine, which then “will be submitted to the respective authorities for approval ahead of setting a debate in the near future for the signing,” the Vatican said on Wednesday.

Some observers speculated that the agreement could be signed during Abbas’s visit.

The news of the treaty immediately drew ire from Israel.

“Israel heard with disappointment the decision of the Holy See to agree a final formulation of an agreement with the Palestinians including the use of the term ‘Palestinian State’,” said an Israeli foreign ministry official.

“Such a development does not further the peace process and distances the Palestinian leadership from returning to direct bilateral negotiations. Israel will study the agreement and consider its next step.”

The agreement, 15 years in the making, expresses the Vatican’s “hope for a solution to the Palestinian question and the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians according to the Two-State Solution,” Antoine Camilleri, the Holy See’s deputy foreign minister, said in an interview earlier this week.

In an interview with the Vatican’s Osservatore Romano newspaper, Camilleri said he hoped “the accord could, even in an indirect way, help the Palestinians in the establishment and recognition of an independent, sovereign and democratic State of Palestine.”

The Palestinian Authority considers the Vatican one of 136 countries to have recognised Palestine as a state, although the number is disputed and several recognitions by what are now European Union member states date back to the Soviet era.

First Palestinian saints

Abbas’s visit came a day before two nuns who lived in Ottoman Palestine during the 19th century will be made saints at a Vatican ceremony.

Marie Alphonsine Ghattas of Jerusalem and Mariam Bawardy of Galilee will become the first Palestinian Arabs to gain sainthood. l

DT

EDITORIAL 11

SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2015

INSIDE

Goodbye, Great Britain By the time this has a chance of being ameliorated in Britain, we’ll end up being the imperial image of Greece; indebted and unable to claim sovereignty PAGE 12

Joy, Zafar Iqbal, and a touchy subject The interview was not translated well and a crucial line was left out: “We are walking a fine line here.”

PAGE 13

Stop propping up bankrupt state banks

Financing the next step From pioneering the use of ORS, to combating cholera and diarrhea, to inventing modern micro-finance, the world has learnt much from Bangladesh PAGE 14

Be heard Write to Dhaka Tribune FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka-1207 Email letters.dt@ dhakatribune.com

Send us your Op-Ed articles:

opinion.dt@dhakatribune. com www.dhakatribune.com Join our Facebook community: https://www.facebook. com/DhakaTribune

I

t is completely unacceptable that the state-run Bangladesh Krishi Bank and Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank have failed to meet any of the conditions set by the Bangladesh Bank to stem their losses.

Far from reducing non-performing loans, their default loan rate has increased to nearly a third, while cash recovery rates for defaulted loans at BKB stand at only 26% of the target set last year by BB. Problems are not confined to just these two specialised state banks, but are systemic across the entire state bank sector. Janata Bank for instance recently confirmed that it has waived interest of more than Tk30cr in the last two years against some loans, violating interest waiver rules.

Breaches of rules intended to safeguard capital are endemic, and the state bank sector remains highly exposed to defaults by small numbers of large borrowers despite ongoing reform efforts by Bangladesh Bank.

These problems are a direct consequence of the government’s policy of spending over Tk5,000cr a year to keep state-run banks afloat.

Boards of directors know that they can continue to flout rules in the knowledge that taxpayer funds will be found to bail them out after they are hit by bad loans and scams.

Enough is enough. It is pointless to waste valuable public money propping up state banks which have consistently shown their inability to reform.

Taxpayer funds can be better spent on education and health Privately run banks accountable to shareholders have consistently shown they are better managed and profitable. The only prudent course is to end the policy of bail outs.

A combination of privatisation, managed asset disposal, and closure should be undertaken to allow state bank assets to be managed privately.

End the bail-outs. Taxpayer funds can be better spent on education and health

DT

12 OPINION

SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2015

REUTERS

Goodbye, Great Britain n Robert Horsfield

I

n February, Yanis Varoufakis made a speech to the Troika more remarkable than any of Farage’s bored and boring histrionics in the MEP’s chamber: “I have no doubt that these negotiations and discussions will continue as the President of the Euro Group indicated ... that there is going to be an agreement. (one) that will be therapeutic for Greece, and good for Europe.

Now you may very well ask why ... we have not managed to agree on a communique. The real reason concerns a substantial disagreement on whether the task ahead is to complete a program, which this government was elected to challenge the logic of; or, to sit down with our partners, with an open mind, and rethink this program from scratch ... which ... has failed to stabilise Greece. The reforms that Greece needs “to the notion of extending and successfully concluding the current program,”... we rejected that. And we rejected it because we do not believe that it is a program that can be successfully completed …”

We are now almost a financial quarter’s worth away from that speech, but the situation’s essence has not changed. Greece, like other countries who comprise the PIIGS group (Portugal, Italy, Ireland and Spain) has so far been forced to accept the EU’s scorched-earth policy of asset stripping and decimation of public spending. In short, the Troika (The International Monetary Fund, the European Central Bank and the European Commission) demands nothing less than punishing those least responsible for fiscal waste.

In contrast, Varoufakis argued, in the post-statement Q&A, for democratic legitimacy to dictate economics, and not vice versa.

For this, one of the most qualified economic ministers in the world is described as a rank amateur by those as illiterate as George Osborne. Greece’s temerity to have a representative government, in explicit opposition to the EU, costs them the resources neces-

sary to run their own institutions. Economic intimidation from the Troika translates as Greek fiscal incompetence in the opinions of the powerful; the humanitarian crisis Varoufakis refers to is excused.

But what is the humanitarian crisis in Greece? One “where relatives of patients have to bring their own bedsheets, pillow cushions, towels, toilet papers and all what a freshly operated patient needs to maintain a minimum on hygiene. And where there is one nurse and one doctor in the afternoon and night shifts for 60 to 120 people.”

But there is no way the debt will be repaid.

Banking on such quixoticism (and indeed, banking on bankers) David Cameron and Co have ridden into town with the full fatuity of Cameron’s letter-prop. “We have no money,” says the leader of the fifth largest economy in the world. “We will save Britain from the mistakes of Labour,” says the leader of the administration with the worst economic record in memory.

They have borrowed over half a trillion pounds over five years to reconfigure the economy so that it resembles the pre-consensus Britain of the 1930s. Impoverishing millions and effectively euthanising hundreds through shrinking welfare on this scale is something that even Thatcher couldn’t stomach. This, of course, is well before considering the moves towards the hollowing out of the NHS to an acronym.

The sheer poison of the Tories has overwhelmed the Liberal Democrat party.

Nick Clegg may have squandered over two decades of the best attempt to challenge the Labour/Tory duopoly, and has humiliated his membership. Their voting bloc dissipated into Labour, SNP, Green and Plaid Cymru alignments.

Nick saved his own seat but appeared the archetypal traitor as his allies fell, including Lynne Featherstone, the MP to introduce the gay marriage bill. Such was the official, whimpering death of the British political centre.

The efficacy of the Liberal Democrats as a party of the centre will best be judged when we suffer the next spawn of policies. The Justice Department, not gaining satisfaction with financially incentivising guilt pleas, or cutting the funding of guaranteed legal counsel for defendants, is presumably reaching climax by drafting its own Decalogue. The Tories have been proposing a new Human Rights Act which will “break the formal link between British Courts and the European Court of Human Rights,” taking the British state another move away from international accountability.

On the strength of a 24% electoral consent, David Cameron’s party assumes the galling hubris and stupidity of the Old Testament’s rabid dog for the sake of The National Interest. And what a Decalogue: A list of “absolute inviolable laws” absolutely violated by the endless qualifications the 2015 Counterterrorism Act and the “Snooper Bill” have to offer.

What are these qualifications? From the Snooper Bill, merely an open adoption of the NSA; the corporate-state collusion in the farming of the data of private individuals.

The Counter-Terrorism Act? More powers to the state to confiscate citizenry, through the withdrawal of passports and the increased powers to exile. To expand the definition of terrorism to include all dissent and, for the first time, all public services, such as the fragmenting NHS and the suborned education system.

The most miserable aspect of this government is the private domain of the loser Ian Duncan Smith. The Department of Work and Pensions, responsible for protecting those who can’t be commodified, is going to oversee another £12bn in welfare cuts, affecting the disabled, the working poor, and unemployed. His tenure has already cost lives, like that of Mark Wood, who managed to shrink to starvation, four months after losing his benefits.

This is why, despite the backing of most of the press, the Conservatives only hold

a majority of ten seats. But the ubiquity of the logic stipulating that maturity amounts to self-preservation has choked all political discourse into an ever-narrowing forum on “realism.” Even before the count was finished the BBC asked a Labour politician if it would have to consider its “left-wing” policies in favour of the electorate. The policies as leftwing as endorsing The Trans-Pacific Trade Agreement? As socialist as welfare cuts? As communist as capitalism?

Blair’s success as a Thatcherite Labour politician corrupted all future endeavours by the historical opposition to define itself against the Conservatives. As soon as Labour abandoned the left it lost. This is why it is so difficult for Ed Miliband to evade the charge of moral cowardice in attempting to pander to the tabloid-reading public by cutting off all hope of negotiation with an imminently SNP-controlled Scotland, once the Tories got the press to suspect a Labour-SNP coalition.

The people who voted Tory have given Britain a doomed mandate. Scottish independence may be almost guaranteed by another five years; a 2017 referendum will damage relations with our biggest market, the EU, from where Britain receives almost half its trade. The same imperial, nationalist tradition is the one harming our imperial capacities the most. 1914 Britain entered the worst war for its people because of the fervency of a jingoistic minority backed by King, God and Press. In 2015, Britain has promised self-mutilation through the same demographic.

By the time this has a chance of being ameliorated in Britain, we’ll end up being the imperial image of Greece; indebted and unable to claim sovereignty. If this happens then, as Colonel Nasser recognised in the Suez canal, Britain will find itself colony to the corporation. l Robert Horsfield has worked at the NHS. He is based in Leeds, UK.

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OPINION 13

SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2015

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Joy, Zafar Iqbal, and a touchy subject n Anis Alamgir

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n 1935, Dinesh Bhatt wrote Rangeela Rasul. Protests about the blasphemous book started soon after. One procession of protesters was passing through the famous red-light district in Shonagachi. A watchman there saw them passing by and asked what was happening. A protester told him they were marching against a blasphemous book written by a Hindu about the beloved Prophet of Islam. Dinesh Bhatt was killed soon after. By none other than the watchman in Shonagachi.

He spent his days guarding brothels, but was so strongly religious that he did not hesitate to kill a man. It was not about whether he followed his religion or not, his piety was firm.

The pilots responsible for the 9/11 attacks on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon were all Muslims. But there is evidence that they indulged in alcohol the night before the attacks, and had even visited bars and strip clubs in the United States.

Even here, there is no relationship between their acts and their religiousness.

It is not that only Muslims’ religious sentiments can be hurt. The same applies for Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, Jews -- their sentiments can also be hurt. Therefore, one must admit that religion is a sensitive issue indeed.

I mention these stories to illustrate the precarious nature of discussions on religion.

Recently, there has been much debate regarding Sajeeb Wazed Joy’s interview with Reuters regarding Avijit’s murder. Joy has tried to say that this is a sensitive issue.

On the other hand, Zafar Iqbal, who is known for being a liberal intellectual, has

said Joy’s comments were an encouragement for fundamentalism in the country.

To understand the matter, it is important that we know exactly what Joy said in that interview.

This is what we find in Reuters: “In an interview, Sajeeb Wazed, the son of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, said his mother offered private condolences to Roy’s father. But the political situation in Bangladesh is too volatile for her to comment publicly, he said. Roy was an avowed atheist; the book he was promoting when he was killed is titled The Virus of Faith. “‘We are walking a fine line here,’ said Wazed, an informal consultant for the ruling party, the Awami League. ‘We don’t want to be seen as atheists. It doesn’t change our core beliefs. We believe in secularism,’ he said.

‘But given that our opposition party plays that religion card against us relentlessly, we can’t come out strongly for him. It’s about perception, not about reality.’”

“Roy was an avowed atheist; the book he was promoting when he was killed is titled The Virus of Faith” -- this a line from the report. Not Joy’s sentiments about the killing.

However, many online news portals are circulating the news as if these are Joy’s words, which implies that Joy perceives the murders to be legitimate, since they were atheists.

The interview was not translated well and a crucial line was left out: “We are walking a fine line here.”

Now, many people might think that the government will not take any action if more bloggers are killed. Zafar Iqbal also misconstrued Joy’s statements and many liberals like him may be offended by Joy’s remarks without knowing the whole truth.

Now another blogger, Ananta Bijoy Das,

has fallen. He was also a writer at the Mukto Mona blog.

It is all over the media that Zafar Iqbal blames the government’s incompetence for Ananta’s death. He has also highlighted that Joy’s comments were a “green signal” for the terrorists and he did not think this was a “sensitive” issue.

Dr Iqbal is a sensible intellectual, and he would not have missed Joy’s message had the interview been correctly translated, or if he had read the original version. And if he made these comments even after reading the original version, then that is a different matter.

A politician and an intellectual are bound to have different perspectives. An intellectual can offer immediate solutions. But a politician must take social realities into account. Joy has to be careful about not being branded as an atheist, because the opposition is bound to use it against him.

That this is a valid concern can easily be seen by what happened at the Gonojagoron Moncho. A vibrant protest that drew thousands to congregate became bare a week within Rajib’s murder because of the religion card used by the opposition. The prime minister did not hesitate to rush to condole the victim’s family, but did BNP-Jamaat-Hefazat not brand the government as atheist? Are they still not promoting their propaganda?

Have the opposition condemned the murders even once?

So, if Sheikh Hasina and Joy have been more discreet about sending their condolences to the families of the victims, and if they deem this a sensitive subject, I do not see why Zafar Iqbal or others are criticising or misconstruing it. One cannot turn a blind eye to social realities. Even

previously, socialist countries are now allowing for the practice of religion, and Raul Castro has told the Pope that he might start going to church!

It is definitely the government’s responsibility to ensure justice in a system. The government must not remain silent if people are killed and it does not matter whether they are believers or non-believers, or what party they belong to.

But the bloggers also have a social responsibility here. Free-thinking is not about lampooning religion. Why is this getting precedence over logical debates? Attacking and mocking religious leaders who are revered by many does nothing but create animosity.

One must think about the consequences before attacking the religious sentiments of millions.

And why are the atheists so occupied with religion in a system that does not force any religion on them? Believers are agitated when their religion is attacked. Some fanatics may even decide to kill to open their doors to heaven. But the atheists have no religion, they are not worried about heaven or hell.

But because of what they are doing, it seems like even atheism is a religion. And since they are increasing in number, they think it is fashionable to attack other religions.

Intellectuals like Zafar Iqbal must look at this situation differently. The government does have the lion’s share of the responsibility to ensure justice in the country, but others also have the responsibility to inform the public about the opposition’s propaganda.

The realities on the ground must always be taken into consideration. l Anis Alamgir is a journalist and teacher. This article has been translated from Bangla.

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14 OPINION

SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2015

Financing the next step The emerging south and the post-2015 development agenda

n Robert Watkins

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hen the international community embarked on the Millennium Development Goals nearly 15 years ago, the world was a very different place. Bangladesh is no exception to this scenario. Since the Millennium Summit in 2000, the country has slashed poverty rates, brought gender parity into primary and secondary education, and ensured that less children die before their fifth birthday, among other notable achievements.

Volatility, however, is nothing new in Bangladesh. The risks are well known -whether relating to climate change, rapid urbanisation, or even the high-level of dependence on the export-oriented ready-made garment industry.

Protecting development gains from the last 15 years is an essential foundation for future growth, and will require a strong economy that is resilient to internal and external shocks.

The upcoming High-Level Meeting on South-South and Triangular Cooperation in the Post-2015 Development Agenda: Financing for Development in the South and Technology Transfer, being held on May 17-18 in Dhaka, represents a strong, international step towards engaging the key players at home and abroad on a common path towards sustainable development.

This meeting is part of a global process of consultations in the lead-up to the Third International Conference on Financing for Development to be held in Ethiopia in July; however it is no accident that Bangladesh is the host country for this important discussion.

Innovative development solutions have long been a hallmark of this country. From pioneering the use of ORS, to combating cholera and diarrhea, to inventing modern micro-finance, the world has learnt much from Bangladesh. We are now presented with a new and unique challenge of global cooperation: Ensuring sustainable and predictable financing for development.

The commitments made in Monterrey and re-affirmed in Doha represent a core global development promise which all countries must honor. In 2013, OECD-DAC countries allocated on average just 0.3% of GNI to Official Development Assistance (ODA); the upcoming Third International Conference on Financing for Development represents an opportunity to reaffirm the 0.7% commitment and pledge to allocate at least 0.15-0.2% to Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

While ODA remains an essential enabler of development progress, it is also increasingly clear that the range of challenges that the post-2015 development agenda aims to tackle requires us to go beyond development aid.

It’s time to move beyond providing more space for southern countries at the negotiating table in global financing for development discussions. With growing incomes, increased connectivity, and technological advancements, south-south trade flows now rival those from north to south; approximate-

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ly 56% of exports from developing countries went to developing countries in 2011.

However, while trade can serve as a catalytic source of development finance for the south, addressing key infrastructural, market and communications bottlenecks must be a priority. The relationship between the ODAbased Aid for Trade and poverty reduction remains fickle at best; we must find better ways to upgrade value chains where the poorest market actors work, and unlock the untapped potential of small-sized and medium-sized enterprises in agriculture, manufacturing, services, and other sectors that have high potential for poverty reduction and economic growth.

Although our countries are arguably more interconnected than ever, prudent public finance at the national level remains an essential element of financing for development. Strong public finance at the domestic level facilitates an environment conducive to macroeconomic growth and stability, while also providing pubic goods and promoting equitable societies.

One of the 17 Sustainable Development

Goals proposed by the intergovernmental Open Working Group centers on reducing inequality -- a result that stems from effective domestic policies, and gains momentum through the strengthening of social safety nets and promotion of financial inclusion.

Today, innovative solutions to global problems are occurring all across the south; using the approach of south-south cooperation to share these practices will allow the impact to go from local and incremental, to global and exponential.

Some of the biggest emerging challenges faced at this moment are indeed very complex to finance. Mitigating crises, and adapting to our changing climate, will require us to generate additional resources beyond ODA, as these challenges are supplemental to the existing ones such as poverty reduction, gender equality, good nutrition and child mortality.

Pledges made to the Green Climate Fund under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) are very promising, and the goal of developed countries to jointly mobilise $100bn a year

by 2020 to address the needs of developing countries is an important commitment. Private sector investment in green technology is another new frontier in economic growth and sustainable development. South-south cooperation has an important role to play in sharing knowledge, transferring technology and creating new business ventures in renewable and green industries.

In Bangladesh, there exists both great challenges and even greater potential for solutions. As the world visits Bangladesh next week, the government, with the support of the UN and other development partners, is in the position to turn discussion in action, at a time when both the seventh Five Year Plan and the post-2015 development agenda are right around the corner. I look forward to discussing these important issues with all of the delegates, and welcome this important initiative by the government of Bangladesh to improve south-south cooperation in all aspects of financing for development. l Robert Watkins is the UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Bangladesh.

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n Tribune Report

Speakers at a expert group meeting on Asian partnership in financing sustainable development goals at Brac Centre Inn Dhaka yesterday MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU countries even America put restrictions on people movement and goods, holding back prosperity of economic growth of developing countries.”

Describing the country’s impressive economic growth and other social indicators over the years, he said now Bangladesh’s target is to bring down poverty below 9% from the existing 24% and extreme poverty to 7% from 18% by 2021.

“By 2030, the country will be absolutely free form hunger as healthy macroeconomic factors are the signs of that.”

Executive Director of BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD) Sultan Hafeez Rahman said ODI is falling because developed countries are not in position to support due to economic recession.

Putting emphasis on domestic private investment and FDI for financing development, he said contexts in developing countries have changed and it is much harder to make them accept things they do not necessarily find relevant to their interests.

UN Residential Coordinator Robert Watkins said the world is going to prepare for the next phase of development agenda for sustainable developments.

“What we saw in MDGs is completely absent such as governance and job growth.”

He termed BCIM initiative innovative con-

cept for regional benefit, saying that Bangladesh’s growth largely depends on remittance, RMG and agriculture, which together constitute largest share of the country’s GDP. Robert added that remittance is relied on other countries and RMG on low-skilled workforce, and agriculture employs 45% of labour force.

But this not sustainable for long term, he warned.

“I fear that Bangladesh is in development danger to benefit the rich and the poor are left behind that suggests that economic growth is actually two sides of same coin. Economic growth with equality is the core development agenda of the past and for the SDGs. This should be addressed,” he said.

Korean Ambassador to Dhaka, Lee Yunyoung, described Korea’s experience on how the country transformed itself from a foreign aid recipient country to a donor country within the past half century.

Right after Korean war in 1961, he said, Korea received more than $2m foreign aid and economic growth remained stagnant at 3.6% on an average during the period.

Then, the Korean government felt the necessity of mobilisation of domestic resources and took an institutional reforms to establish national tax service and introduce VAT system, he said. l

Bangladesh wants to play special role in AIIB, NDB n Tribune Report Bangladesh wants to play a special role in the two new development banks - China-led AIIB and BRICS-operated NDB, said a high official.

“We want to make sure that Bangladesh play a special role in the AIIB and the NDB (New Development Bank),” said AK Abdul Momen, Bangladesh’s perma-

nent representative to the United Nations yesterday.

He was addressing a press conference at the Finance Division auditorium on the occasion of a high-level “South-South and Triangular Cooperation” meeting.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to inaugurate the two-day meeting at the Sonargaon Hotel in Dhaka today.

SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2015

EUROZONE ECONOMY PICKS UP PACE BUT GERMANY LAGS

Local resource stressed for SDGs Domestic resource mobilisation is the anchor of financing the post-2015 agenda, also known as sustainable development goals (SDGs), local and foreign experts said yesterday.

Apart from this, factors include ODA (Official Development Assistance), intra-regional trade, aid for trade, duty-free and quota-free access are also important for achieving SDGs by 2030 set by the United Nations.

The suggestions were made in the opening session of Expert Group Meeting (EGM) on Asian Partnership in Financing SDGs organised by the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), Southern Voice, in partnership with the UN Millennium Campaign in the city yesterday.

The EGM explored possible sources of finance and other means of implementing SDGs in the Asian context to prepare an integrated report to be presented at the international conference on Financing for Development in Addis Ababa scheduled for sometime in July this year.

CPD Executive Director Professor Mustafizur Rahman moderated the event while a galaxy of experts both from local and foreign countries spoke.

Speaking as the chief guest, Planning Minister Mustafa Kamal agreed on the necessity of domestic resource mobilisation for financing implementation of SDGs, saying: “We have to have some reforms in taxations to increase tax to GDP ratio. The loopholes in this should be plugged properly.”

Urging developed countries to withdraw restrictions on people’s movement from country to country and exportable goods, he said. “In order to help achieve SDGs, Bangladesh should allow its manpower and its products to be exported without any restrictions so that we can use our own resources at maximum level,” he said.

Dramatic transformation has taken place in the world’s landscape on humanity when there were no restrictions on people movement from one country to another over the last 200 years, he said.

“Taking advantage of this, America, Singapore and Malaysia were built. But now many

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Bangladesh has already joined the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) as a founding member.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith also spoke on the occasion and Economic Relations Division Senior Secretary Mohammed Mejbahuddin atttended.

Muhith said the country’s poverty rate will drop to 11% in next four years, which is currently 24%. l

Bangladesh ranked 99th in global Human Capital Index 2015 n Ibrahim Hossain Ovi Bangladesh has been ranked 99th among 124 countries in the global Human Capital Index 2015 based on development and deployment of human capital, which is higher compared to its neighboring country India, Nepal, Myanmar and Pakistan.

Finland topped the ranking of the Human Capital Index in 2015, scoring 86% of its human capital, followed by Norway, Switzerland, Canada and Japan.

Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Belgium also seized the places in the top 10 list. Bangladesh scored 57.62 out of 100.

The World Economic Forum (WEF) released the Human Capital Report 2015 in Geneva, Switzerland on Thursday.

The WEF prepared the report in collaboration with Mercer, an American global human resource and related financial services consulting firm.

The report elaborates the status of different countries across the world on the Human Capital Index and provides key inputs for policy makers to augment capacities of human capital in 124 countries it has surveyed.

In the index, WEF highlighted Bangladesh’s scarcity of skilled employees, poor ability to nurture talent through educating, training and employing its people.

“Talent, not capital, will be the key factor linking innovation, competitiveness and growth in the 21st century,” said WEF Executive Chairman Klaus Schwab releasing the report at a news conference in Cologny, near Geneva, Switzerland.

Bangladesh has also ranked lower than its BRICS peers, Russia (26), China (64), Brazil (78), South Africa (92) and smaller neighbours like Sri Lanka (60) and Bhutan (87) but higher than India (100) and Pakistan (113).

The countries are ranked on the basis of 46 indicators that track “how well countries are developing and deploying their human capital focusing on education, skills and employment”. l

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SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2015

Greetings from the Ambassador Merete Lundemo Constitution Day is the most colourful and festive day of the year for Norwegians. Parades of children waving national flags are the main elements and the traditional hallmarks of the celebrations - at home and abroad, in all Norwegian communities.

We celebrate the birthday of our 1814 Constitution, the oldest in Europe that is still in use, and the second oldest in the world. This progressive, liberal document ensured rule of law, and guided and inspired our country’s development over two centuries towards today’s modern, multicultural and democratic society.

Bangladesh’s 1972 constitution plays a similar role, and has also always been considered a progressive document. It enshrines equal rights for all citizens; it guarantees religious freedom; it makes secularism a pillar of the nation. The constitutions of both our countries, although so many years apart, reflect the ambition to create an inclusive society, and to guarantee universal rights to all our citizens. Above all, the constitutions establish rule of law, a shared value and a prerequisite for building a modern, democratic state.

In addition to a well-founded pride in our respective constitutions, Bangladesh and Norway share many objectives for further developing our bilateral relationship. A close and good relationship, and also among the oldest - as Norway was one of the first countries to recognize Bangla-

desh’s independence on 14 April 1972.

To encourage Bangladesh’s growing economy and rapid social development, our bilateral relationship now focuses on private sector cooperation and investments, as well as on political dialogue. Investment and trade create jobs and income that is beneficial to both countries. Big Norwegian investments in Bangladesh’s telecom sector contribute to development, and help bring Digital Bangladesh closer. I hope for more investments and more cooperation in more sectors in the time ahead.

Human rights have always been at the centre of the cooperation between Bangladesh and Norway. I am pleased that Norway, although no longer a classic development partner, cooperates with Bangladesh and Bangladeshi civil society on human and women’s rights issues. Climate change and disaster preparedness is another vital area where our two countries cooperate, share views and positions, and carry out activities together.

Today, on our Constitution Day, it is my sincere wish that our two countries’ strong and modern constitutions will continue to inspire development of democratic, open societies governed by the rule of law. On such a firm basis, I am confident that our cooperation will continue to grow.

My best greetings to all friends of Norway in Bangladesh.

Shipping has been an important industry for Norway for centuries, and today Norway has the world’s fifth largest shipping fleet

The Norwegian Royal family celebrates the national day and waves at the children's parade marching through Oslo

The UNESCO-listed Nærøyfjord is among the narrowest in Norway Norway has one of the longest coastlines in the world, and fishing and fish farming is one the biggest export industries

Norway’s oldest wooden church is Urnes Stave Church in Luster beside the Sognefjord. It is also the only stave church to make the prestigious UNESCO’s World Heritage List

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SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2015

CELEBRATING THE NATIONAL DAY OF

NORWAY

Women’s rights and Gender Equality

I

n 1913 Norway became the first sovereign country in the world to give women the right to vote. Dedicated women and men had been fighting tirelessly for many years to bring women into the public realm, overcoming traditional ideas about women’s rights and place in society. Norway was the first sovereign state in the world to introduce universal suffrage for both men and women. Once women had the right to vote, the formal foundation was in place for them to participate in democratic bodies, on an equal footing with men. A struggle that had been ongoing since the French Revolution and the Age of Enlightenment, had finally been won.

Since then Norway has had a strong record for promoting gender equality, both in professional life and in politics, and is now one of the most gender equal countries in the world.

Female participation in politics has remained strong for a long time. The first woman elected to Parliament was in 1921, and the current parliament has 40% women representatives. Gro Harlem Brundtland became Norway’s first female Prime Minister in 1981. When she formed her new government in 1986, she chose a cabinet with 44 % women. Since then, no Norwegian cabinet has had less than 40 % women, and the current government has 50 % women.

There is no formal quota for including women in political parties in Norway, but most parties still strive to keep a gender balance.

Female participation in the workforce is one of the highest in the world (above 70 %), and this is one of the main reasons for Norway’s strong economy. In 2003 the Norwegian Parliament passed a law that requires all Norwegian companies to have a minimum of 40%

Norway has a national elective assembly for indigenous people; the Sami Parliament with 39 representatives from 7 election districts throughout Norway women board members. This has become a success and a model for other countries to follow. Women are also outperforming men in education, and has a ratio of 33 % with higher education compared to 27 % for men.

However, there are still many challenges remaining before we can fully achieve equal rights between men and women in Norway. Violence and rape against women is still a serious problem, and often not reported to the police.

Equal pay for equal work is also an issue where there is still a long way to go.

Women’s rights and gender equality is a priority for the Norwegian Government, both

domestically and in foreign policy. Women’s participation and women’s rights are of paramount importance if we are to realise the vision for the world’s future enshrined in the UN Millennium Declaration. All experience shows that development is dependent on women’s resources and expertise being fully utilised.

Norwegian policy aimed at integrating women’s rights and gender equality into development cooperation has been ambitious for many years.

Together with our development partners, we seek to promote greater recognition and realisation of women’s rights because women’s rights are human rights. This means helping to ensure

FACTS ABOUT NORWAY Area: Capital city: Population: Location: Borders:

385,155 square kilometres Oslo 5,156,451 inhabitants (as of 1 October 2014) North Western Europe Sweden, Finland, Russia

History of Independence

Unified under the Viking king Harald Hårfagre after the battle at Hafrsfjord 1397-1814 Union with Denmark (and Sweden 1397-1523) 1814 Norway signed its own constitution on 17th May 1814-1905 Union with Sweden 1905 Declared independence 872

Did you know this about Norway?

l Norwegians have always been explor-

ers: From the Vikings who travelled wide and far a thousand years ago, to polar explorers Fridtjof Nansen and Roald Amundsen - the first man on the South Pole, and Thor Heyerdal who crossed the Pacific Ocean on a balsa raft. l Norway is famous for its fjords, two of which, the Geirangerfjord and the Nærøyfjord, feature on the UNESCO World Heritage list. l North of the Arctic Circle the sun does not set in summer, meaning visitors to Northern Norway enjoy 24 hours of daylight this time of year. l Norway has two official languages; Norwegian and Sami. Norwegian can be written in two different ways; bokmål and nynorsk. In addition people speak hundreds of different dialects.

l The weather in Norway is much mild-

er than one would expect. Because of the Gulf Stream and warm air currents caused by the coriolis effect, temperatures along the coast of Norway are 5-8°C higher than at comparable latitudes elsewhere. l The first UN General Secretary, Mr. Trygve Lie, was a Norwegian, and the United Nations have always been a pillar of Norway’s foreign policy. l People have been skiing for more than 4,000 years in Norway. In fact, this is where skiing first became a sport. Over the years, skiing moved from being a means of transportation, to pure fun. Most children start learning the skill when they are very young and Norwegians rush to the mountains and forests to ski every chance they get.

that women have economic opportunities, are empowered to influence social development and, not least, have control over their own lives.

Norway supports women’s rights and opportunities to participate on equal terms in national and local government. We seek to foster women’s legal, economic and social independence.

Bangladesh has made significant progress in terms of women’s empowerment and women’s situation in general, including through the achievements of the Millennium Development Goals. More and more women are also taking active part in the economy, which has significant impacts in terms of gender equality. In the garment industry, 80 % of the workforce are women, contributing a lot to the Bangladeshi economy. Employment give women more economic independence and increase their social status in society.

In our development cooperation with Bangladesh, women’s rights and gender equality is a priority area. The Embassy is working closely with our local partners AinO-Salish Kendra (ASK) and Bangladesh Mahila Parishad (BMP).

In most countries, men dominate in the areas where women are discriminated. This means that we need to encourage men to give women an opportunity to participate fully in economic, political and social processes. Men should not be regarded as impediments and barriers to women’s development. Men can play an important role in efforts to promote women’s rights and should be mobilised as allies by showing that men also will benefit from a more egalitarian society. When rigid gender patters become more flexible, men also gain greater freedom to make individual choices in their lives. l

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18 BUSINESS

SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2015

News, analysis and recent disclosures STANDARINS: (Q1): 0.81 (restated 0.72)/0.72(0.65).

MEGHNAPET: (Q3): -0.40/1.001.

MEGCONMILK: (Q3): -3.37/3.64.

NHFIL: (Q1): 0.33/ 0.58.

DHAKABANK: (Q1): 0.47 (restated 0.42)/0.50 (0.45).

SOUTHEASTB: (Q1): 0.84/0.76.

EBL: (Q1): 1.04/1.17.

FASFIN: (Q1): -0.08/0.12.

PHENIXINS: (Q1): 0.78/0.76.

CITYGENINS: (Q1): 0.47 (restated 0.43)/0.46(0.42).

APEXFOOT: (Q1): -9.45/-2.86.

MERCINS: (Q1): 0.59/0.60.

ASIAPACINS: (Q1): 0.58/0.62.

CONTININS: (Q1): 0.71/0.75.

ATCSLGF: (Q3): 1.28 (basic) and Tk. 0.45 (diluted).

PLFSL: (Q1): 0.15 (restated 0.14)/ 0.27 (0.25).

ONEBANKLTD: (Q1): 0.40 (restated 0.36)/0.10(0.09).

BEXIMCO: (Q1): 0.29 (restated 0.26)/0.28(0.24).

GBBPOWER: (Q1): 0.39 (restated 0.34)/0.36(0.31).

BXPHARMA: (Q1): 1.11(restated 1.05)/0.90(0.85).

KARNAPHULI: (Q1): 0.39(restated 0.37)/0.35(0.33).

TAKAFULINS: (Q1): 0.40(restated 0.35)/0.44(0.39).

BXSYNTH: (Q1): -0.16/0.19 BRACBANK: (Q1): 0.58/0.79.

ALARABANK: (Q1): 0.20/0.52.

PRIMEBANK: (Q1): 0.76/1.25.

SPCERAMICS: (Q1): 0.03/0.16.

UNITEDINS: (Q1): 0.62/0.61.

UNITEDFIN: (Q1): 0.45/0.43.

UNIONCAP: (Q1): 0.15/0.47.

BAYLEASING: (Q1): 0.19/0.36.

GSPFINANCE: (Q1): 0.21/0.25.

PRAGATIINS: (Q1): 0.41/63.

AGM/Dividend ISLAMIINS: 5% cash and 10% stock dividend, AGM: 13.06.2015, Record Date: 19.05.2015. EPS of Tk. 2.04, NAV per share of Tk. 13.96.

PURABIGEN: 15% stock dividend, AGM: 30.07.2015, Record date: 07.06.2015. EPS of Tk. 1.65, NAV per share of Tk. 13.65.

JANATAINS: 10% stock dividend, AGM: 25.07.2015, Record Date: 21.05.2015. EPS of Tk. 0.16, NAV per share of Tk. 14.47.

AMBEEPHA: 28% cash dividend, AGM: 14.06.2015, Record Date: 25.05.2015. EPS of Tk. 3.13, NAV per share of Tk. 24.21.

ISNLTD: No dividend, AGM: 28.06.2015, Record date: 16.06.2015. EPS of Tk. -0.70, NAV per share of Tk. 15.58.

ORIONPHARM: 15% cash dividend, AGM: 28.06.2015, Record Date: 21.05.2015. EPS of Tk. 4.25, NAV per share of Tk. 67.50.

Audited/unaudited Financial Reports: UnAudited Financials: [Company: (Quarter): Current EPS/ Previous EPS in taka] IPDC: (Q1 Un-audited): 0.38 (restated 0.34)/0.16 (0.15).

ISLAMIBANK (Q1): 0.25/ 0.24.

BDFINANCE (Q1): -1.16/-0.19.

SONALIANSH: (H/Y): 0.39/0.44, PHOENIXFIN: (Q1): 0.74/0.75.

IBNSINA: (Q1): 1.15 (restated 1.09) / 0.78 (0.75).

SQUARETEXT (Q1): 1.37 (restated 1.25)/1.65 (1.50).

LANKABAFIN: (Q1): -1.32/0.28.

EXIMBANK: (Q1): 0.23 (restated 0.21) /-0.64(-0.59).

RANFOUNDRY: (Q1): 0.78/0.77.

Turnover (Volume) Number of Contract

Closing (% change)

Company Rahima Food -Z MeghnaCement -A FAR Chemical-N Asia Insur. Ltd.-A Nitol Insurance -A Bengal Windsor-A SonarBangla Insu. -A Samata LeatheR -Z BSC-A Aftab Auto.-A

45.00 43.12 36.87 36.81 34.92 34.82 28.15 27.92 27.63 27.41

CSE GAINER Closing (% change)

Company Rahima Food -Z MeghnaCement -A Asia Insur. Ltd.-A FAR Chemical-N Bengal Windsor-A H.R. Textile -A Standard Insurance-A Eastern InsurA Northern G Insur-A AsianTigerSandhani GF-A

44.50 41.74 36.96 36.18 34.08 31.76 31.25 30.05 29.88 29.82

DSE LOSER Company Renata Ltd. -A FAS Fin. & Inv. Ltd-B ISN Ltd. -Z Apex Footwear-A ACI Limited- A Ambee Pharma -A Fareast Finance-Z Aziz PipesZ Premier Leasing-Z Active Fine Chem.-A

Closing (% change) -16.38 -12.59 -12.28 -9.98 -8.60 -7.47 -6.42 -5.49 -5.48 -5.45

CSE LOSER Company Apex Footwear-A ISN Ltd. -Z Fareast Finance-Z Ambee Pharma -A Kay & Que (BD) -Z ACI Limited- A The Ibn SinaA Reckitt Benckiser -A Bata Shoe Ltd. -A MJL BD Ltd.-A

Closing (% change) -16.19 -13.79 -9.01 -8.73 -8.70 -8.25 -7.35 -5.44 -5.28 -4.68

SECTORAL TURNOVER SUMMARY

DSE key features May 10-14, 2015 Turnover (Million Taka)

DSE GAINER

Sector

29,792.23 843,373,237 724,186

Traded Issues

322

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

274

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

48

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

-

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,445.91

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

29.65

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 2453.74 1299.00 384.30 4538.17 595.44 7028.83 10.11 2555.24 4212.78 96.68 1215.31 174.51 756.64 509.13 730.78 298.29 274.06 1087.50 417.27 1153.20 1.26

% change 8.24 4.36 1.29 15.23 2.00 23.59 0.03 8.58 14.14 0.32 4.08 0.59 2.54 1.71 2.45 1.00 0.92 3.65 1.40 3.87 0.00

Million Taka 231.14 137.26 21.47 372.41 28.87 536.41 0.00 266.43 228.68 10.97 87.63 5.12 43.21 47.58 41.31 34.81 16.44 178.42 76.56 152.37 0.04

Average (% change) 51.20

Closing average

42.39 33.07 38.60 33.83 33.49 28.15 27.92 30.84 27.15

Average (% change) 53.71 39.51 44.50 33.32 29.19 31.76 24.31 30.05 24.70 25.09

Average (% change) -16.83 -11.05 -12.64 -8.81 -7.88 -9.59 -10.16 -5.76 -4.78 -7.49

Average (% change) -16.18 -13.79 -11.81 -7.64 -8.70 -7.54 -7.37 -5.42 -5.28 -4.78

CSE

Weekly closing

Weekly low

Turnover in million

Latest EPS

Latest PE

30.15

29.00

31.90

20.30

3.291

-0.47

-ve

114.88 45.31 19.64 25.24 66.41 17.30 19.70 404.15 60.13

115.50 46.40 19.70 25.50 66.60 17.30 19.70 396.30 59.50

117.70 46.60 20.00 25.50 68.70 17.60 19.90 421.20 63.00

86.30 33.70 15.20 20.10 49.50 14.30 16.90 306.00 46.60

77.324 380.000 6.864 7.939 283.370 4.726 0.033 80.791 132.889

8.52 3.23 2.17 3.14 3.35 1.65 -0.05 2.63 2.42

13.5 14.0 9.1 8.0 19.8 10.5 -ve 153.7 24.8

Closing average 31.11 115.65 19.84 45.09 65.76 19.50 19.89 27.70 20.45 7.18

Closing average 886.13 11.75 10.02 318.92 495.88 266.21 10.35 15.38 6.97 56.79

Weekly closing

Weekly high

28.90 117.50 18.90 46.30 66.10 19.50 21.00 27.70 21.30 7.40

Weekly closing 888.50 11.80 10.00 314.80 486.80 266.30 10.20 15.50 6.90 57.30

Closing average

Weekly closing

314.33 10.00 10.38 268.88 10.50 495.48 90.75 1,400.00 1,170.11 120.98

314.30 10.00 10.10 273.80 10.50 488.40 90.70 1,400.00 1,170.10 120.20

% change 9.18 5.45 0.85 14.80 1.15 21.31 0.00 10.58 9.09 0.44 3.48 0.20 1.72 1.89 1.64 1.38 0.65 7.09 3.04 6.05 0.00

Weekly high

Million Taka 2684.88 1436.26 405.77 4910.58 624.31 7565.24 10.11 2821.67 4441.46 107.65 1302.94 179.63 799.85 556.71 772.09 333.10 290.50 1265.91 493.83 1305.56 1.30

Weekly low

31.90 118.60 20.00 46.40 66.50 19.50 21.20 28.00 21.90 7.70

Weekly high

22.00 90.00 14.60 34.50 51.70 16.20 17.60 21.60 18.00 5.90

Weekly low

1075.00 14.60 13.70 369.00 550.00 312.50 11.70 17.00 7.40 64.20

Weekly high 343.00 13.80 11.60 320.00 11.60 548.00 95.50 1,445.00 1,228.70 131.80

Total

875.00 11.70 9.50 302.50 480.00 260.00 10.10 15.00 6.80 54.30

Weekly low 313.00 9.10 10.00 265.00 10.50 474.00 90.20 1,400.00 1,160.00 118.60

% change 8.31 4.45 1.26 15.20 1.93 23.42 0.03 8.73 13.75 0.33 4.03 0.56 2.48 1.72 2.39 1.03 0.90 3.92 1.53 4.04 0.00

Prepared exclusively for Dhaka Tribune by Business Information Automation Service Line (BIASL), on the basis of information collected from daily stock quotations and audited reports of the listed companies. High level of caution has been taken to collect and present the above information and data. The publisher will not take any responsibility if any body uses this information and data for his/her investment decision. For any query please email to biasl@bol-online.com or call 01552153562 or go to www.biasl.net

Turnover in million

Latest EPS

0.794 8.654 0.547 42.742 1.377 0.000 0.057 0.082 0.304 1.232

Turnover in million

-0.47 8.52 2.17 3.23 3.35 0.86 2.88 2.52 1.84 0.60

Latest EPS

125.429 8.590 5.548 66.142 616.058 32.286 44.678 0.536 7.719 163.501

Turnover in million

Latest PE -ve 13.6 9.1 14.0 19.6 22.7 6.9 11.0 11.1 12.0

Latest PE

31.87 -0.32 -0.70 -37.80 7.92 3.08 1.88 -2.64 0.07 3.55

Latest EPS

0.135 0.414 7.837 2.197 0.017 20.513 0.791 0.147 0.200 72.038

27.8 -ve -ve -ve 62.6 86.4 5.5 -ve 99.6 16.0

Latest PE

-37.80 -0.70 1.88 3.08 -0.66 7.92 4.36 68.56 42.84 4.40

-ve -ve 5.5 87.3 -ve 62.6 20.8 20.4 27.3 27.5

CSE key features May 10-14, 2015 Turnover (Million Taka) Turnover (Volume) Number of Contract

2,517.13 84,603,001 116,106

Traded Issues

272

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

229

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

41

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

2

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,375.04

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

28.79

DT

BUSINESS 19

SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2015

Rate cut in savings certificate spurs stocks in past week n Tribune Report

DSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company United Power-N ACI Formulations-A WesternMarine -N Khulna Power-A MJL BD Ltd.-A Ifad Autos -N BEXIMCO Ltd. -A RAK Ceramics-A BD Submarine Cable-A SAIF Powertec-N

Shahjibazar Power-N ACI Limited- A National Bank - A Shasha Denims -N BD. Thai Alum -B

Volume shares 11,005,647 5,035,917 19,386,788 14,170,868 7,215,530 9,449,065 25,806,120 11,083,362 5,125,370 9,043,534

3,513,054 1,178,082 43,030,596 12,678,901 11,500,593

CSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company United Power-N BD Submarine Cable-A BEXIMCO Ltd. -A WesternMarine -N Mozaffar H.Spinning-A National Bank - A MJL BD Ltd.-A BSRM Ltd. -N UNITED AIR-A Shahjibazar Power-N

Intl. Leasing-B Khulna Power-A SAIF Powertec-N FAR Chemical-N ACI Formulations-A

Volume shares 1,157,025 1,096,269 3,516,765 2,041,076 2,792,144 7,026,692 578,557 1,162,380 7,488,809 278,314

3,278,599 737,295 628,522 1,064,850 191,718

Value in million 2292.22 1029.03 952.00 902.67 898.79 854.37 800.68 721.45 692.47 663.19

655.89 616.06 519.69 497.33 483.06

Value in million 240.51 147.22 107.70 100.58 99.57 85.73 72.04 62.59 56.82 51.81

47.81 47.03 46.22 42.74 38.73

% of total turnover 7.69 3.45 3.20 3.03 3.02 2.87 2.69 2.42 2.32 2.23

2.20 2.07 1.74 1.67 1.62

% of total turnover 9.55 5.85 4.28 4.00 3.96 3.41 2.86 2.49 2.26 2.06

1.90 1.87 1.84 1.70 1.54

Weekly closing 218.50 214.70 47.70 62.00 119.90 96.40 31.00 65.10 138.10 74.40

178.00 486.80 11.10 40.30 42.70

Weekly closing 217.30 138.20 31.10 48.00 37.90 11.10 120.20 55.50 7.70 178.20

14.10 62.10 74.50 46.30 214.70

Price change 9.96 4.07 5.53 3.68 -5.37 22.34 20.16 6.90 11.37 7.83

Weekly opening 198.70 206.30 45.20 59.80 126.70 78.80 25.80 60.90 124.00 69.00

Weekly high 219.90 215.00 52.50 67.00 131.80 101.70 33.10 69.70 147.60 76.50

Price change 9.42 12.18 20.54 5.96 12.46 15.63 -4.68 2.40 10.00 2.00

Weekly opening 198.60 123.20 25.80 45.30 33.70 9.60 126.10 54.20 7.00 174.70

Weekly high 219.00 147.00 33.10 53.10 39.00 12.90 131.80 56.00 7.90 199.00

2.06 -8.60 16.84 7.75 12.66

2.17 4.02 7.81 36.18 4.58

174.40 532.60 9.50 37.40 37.90

13.80 59.70 69.10 34.00 205.30

202.00 550.00 12.90 41.80 44.80

16.50 67.00 76.50 46.40 214.80

Weekly low 198.00 185.00 46.00 61.00 117.50 78.10 25.90 60.80 123.00 70.50

175.00 480.00 9.40 37.30 38.50

Weekly low 198.00 123.50 26.00 46.00 33.30 9.50 118.60 49.70 7.10 176.00

13.80 60.60 70.50 34.50 187.00

Weekly average 212.65 210.97 48.65 62.65 119.74 97.94 31.83 65.95 135.94 74.71

179.11 495.88 11.22 40.62 43.27

Weekly average 212.47 135.72 31.69 48.79 38.31 11.23 120.98 55.01 7.76 179.99

14.12 63.01 74.76 45.09 210.50

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

4314.88970

(+) 4.67%

1623.71460

(+) 4.20%

13331.5477

(+) 4.87%

10720.1503

(+) 3.89%

8136.5679

(+) 5.27%

▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲

Stock markets remained upbeat for the second consecutive week, spurred by rate cut in national savings certificate.

During the week that ended Thursday, the benchmark index DSEX gained 192 points or 4.7% to close the week at 4,315.

The blue-chip index DS30 rose over 65 points or 4% to 1,803. The shariah index DSES ended 36 points or 3.6% higher to 1,150.

The Chittagong Stock Exchange Selective Categories Index, CSCX gained over 416 points or 5.4% to 8,133.

Volume of trade improved significantly as the capital market attracted substantial funds from the sideline. The average daily turnover value at the DSE was Tk600 crore in the past week compared to the previous week’s average value of Tk360 crore.

Energy and engineering sector dominated the trading in the week as the two accounted for nearly 40% of the total turnover.

Small caps were in the buying radar of investors in the past week. Among the small-cap sectors, IT surged

10.8%, followed by engineering 9.7% and textile 7.9%.

All other major sectors closed positive only except food and allied that fell 2.6%.

Among the major sectors, banking and non-banking financial institutions rose by 4.7% and 4% respectively.

Mutual fund shone in the past week with an increase of almost 10% following the Bangladesh Bank’s circular on relaxing the provisioning requirement for non-banking financial institutions, which encouraged some institutional investors to pour funds in mutual funds.

On Sunday, Finance Minister AMA Muhith disclosed that the government has decided to lower the fiveyear savings certificate from 13.19% to 11.26%.

“This put a positive impact in the capital market amid expectation that more funds which were invested in the savings certificates or new excess funds might flow in the stock market,” said BRAC EPL. Lanka Bangla Securities said interest rate reduction in five years savings certificate coupled with imminent budget expectations made investors buoyant about stocks. l

ANALYST Interest rate reduction in five years savings certificate coupled with imminent budget expectations made investors buoyant about stocks

DT

20 BUSINESS

SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2015

BGMEA asks Tofail to make Accord ‘compliant’ n Tribune Report

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association urged the government to make the Accord, a factory safety initiative of the retailers, follow the land’s law in its activities.

BGMEA President Atiqul Islam made the call in a letter on May 9 to Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed.

“We urged the government to look into the matter. Many factory owners alleged that the Accord was crossing its jurisdiction and even sometimes threatened to declare factories non-compliant,” said a BGMEA high official referring to the letter.

He said the Accord tried to force them to follow its own laws beyond the country’s laws.

“As I told you before, Accord is creating problems for some factories and even threatens to declare them non-compliant. It is to

destroy the business of the exporters,” the official alleged.

According to the BGMEA, although the Accord was for improving safety standards in the garment factories in Bangladesh, it’s going now beyond its duties.

“The Accord has trained workers activists to act as Field Resource People to visit factories to agitate workers on compliance issues,” BGMEA alleged.

BGMEA said the Accord also got involved in labour management issues such as payment of wages to workers when a factory is closed down due to safety risk.

In these circumstances, the factory management followed Bangladesh rules, but the Accord refused to accept that.

It put pressure on the owners to follow provisions in the Accord Agreement for the payment of workers’ wages.

“Considering the situation, we urge you

(commerce minister) to kindly look into the situation sincerely and take appropriate measures to keep the Accord activities within the bounds of the law of the country,” BGMEA letter read.

Despite repeated attempts, the Dhaka Tribune failed to communicate with Accord executive director Rob Wayss for his comment regarding the allegations.

He didn’t make any answer to this correspondent’s phone calls and e-mails.

The Western retailers took initiatives to improve safety standards in Bangladesh garment factories following the Rana Plaza disaster in 2013 which killed over 1,135 garment workers and injured more than 2,500.

After the country’s deadliest industrial accident, the retailers’ platform Accord made a commitment to provide financial and technical supports to improve fire and building safety standards of the RMG factories. l

Eurozone economy picks up pace but Germany lags n Reuters, Brussels A slowdown in Germany weighed on the euro zone in the first quarter, but the bloc’s economy still grew at its fastest in almost two years as cheap food and fuel boosted spending and a central bank stimulus program kicked in.

Gross domestic product in the 19 countries sharing the euro rose 0.4% quarter-on-quarter for a 1% year-on-year rise - just below forecasts in a Reuters poll of economists.

European Union statistics office Eurostat gave no detailed breakdown with Wednesday’s data, while economists said growth was likely to have been helped by lower food and energy prices, a weak euro and the asset-buying program the European Central Bank started in early March.

“It is evident that improved growth was due to strengthened domestic demand. Domestic demand was certainly behind the improved growth in France and Italy, and it also reportedly held up reasonably well in Germany,” said Howard Archer, economist at IHS Global Insight.

Germany disappoints, france outperforms

Overall, however, growth in Europe’s largest,

and traditionally export-led, economy Germany slowed more than expected as imports rose more sharply than sales abroad.

That net drag from trade activity was replicated across the bloc as muted global growth curbed export growth despite a weaker euro, Archer said.

Germany’s GDP grew 0.3% on the quarter, down from 0.7% in the previous three months and undershooting a consensus forecast of 0.5% in a Reuters poll.

“Weak global trade is hitting German industry ... and if the consumers start refraining from spending too, overall economic growth will decline rapidly,” said Thomas Gitzel, chief economist at VP Bank.

The growth rate was half that of neighboring France, the bloc’s No 2 economy, which expanded by 0.6%, its strongest rate in two years, boosted by a 0.8% rise in consumer spending.

Finance Minister Michel Sapin said the French economy would now grow faster than the 1% the government had forecast for 2015.

Archer said it was likely that consumer spending was a significant growth driver across the region and that investment strengthened in a number of countries, helped by improved business confidence.

Voot, a theme restaurant has recently inaugurated a new outlet in Banani

Higher inventories were also likely to have contributed to growth.

Steady acceleration

Quarterly growth in the euro zone was the strongest since the second quarter of 2013 and marked a steady acceleration over the growth rates of 2014.

Marco Valli, chief euro zone economist at UniCredit, said the same pace of growth should be maintained in the current quarter as waning support from oil prices should be compensated by a stronger impact from the weak euro.

“We think the euro zone has reached cruising speed of 1.5-2% annualized (growth), with favorable developments in oil prices and the exchange rate more than offsetting ongoing weakness in global trade,” he said.

Economists said the faster euro zone growth and an end to a run of negative inflation numbers in April were unlikely to stop the ECB’s money printing program.

The central bank, which aims to lift euro zone inflation expectations back to its target rate of just below 2%, has repeatedly said it has no plans to end the quantitative easing scheme before its scheduled conclusion in September 2016. l

WTISD and ITU’s 150th anniversary today n Tribune Report Bangladesh is set to observe 150th anniversary of the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) and International Telecommunication Union (ITU) today like the other ITU nations across the world.

To mark the signing of first International Telegraph Convention and creation of ITU, every member nation of the union has been observing May 17 every year since its creation in Paris in 1865.

With the theme ‘Telecommunication and ICTs: Drivers of Innovation’, the member nations has chalked out different programmes across the world.

The key celebration of ITU’s 150th anniversary will be held in Geneva at the Centre International de Conférence Genève (CICG).

The event is expected to highlight the indispensable role of ICTs and ITU in economic, social and political development in the past, present and future.

Some 1,000 participants across the world, representing governments, private sector, academia, UN agencies, various international organisations, civil society, media and other stakeholders will attend the international event.

Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission will hold a press briefing at its office to be attended by telecommunication Secretary Foizur Rahman Chowdhury and BTRC Chairman Sunil Kanti Bose.

With a formal message, ITU Secretary General Houlin Zhao said: “The remarkable history of ITU exemplifies its stellar role in connecting the world to the most advanced and innovative means of communication, from the days of the telegraph to the Internet and mobile broadband, which now allows us to be in touch anytime, anywhere with friends, family, colleagues and even things.”

“As we celebrate our 150th anniversary, we look back with pride at our accomplishments.

And we look forward to the future as we respond to the rapid changes in the global ICT environment. The innovations with and from ICT and the implementation of these technologies pervade every aspect of our lives. ICTs are also the catalysts for shaping the post2015 development agenda and achieving our goals for sustainable development,” he said.

He also said the ITU will organise several events throughout 2015 highlighting ICTs as the drivers of innovation at ITU and around the world to mark this landmark 150th anniversary. l

Dhaka Regency has recently organised a corporate night programme at its Celebration Hall. High officials of the country’s renowned business companies, airlines, embassy, tour operators along with Dhaka Regency’s chairman, Kabir Reza and its managing director, Arif Motahar, attended the event

DT

21

SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2015

T-JUNCTION

Warning

Dangerous curves ahead Models: Maya Almuqtadir Photo: Zia Uddin

INSIDE

22 news

Soft Reflections art exhibition

23

trending

Can’t touch this

24 in style

Break in the denim

DT

22 T-JUNCTION

SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2015

News

Kutumbari’s seafood invitation

bKash provides 30,000 books to Bishwo Shahitto Kendro book reading program bKash Limited, the leading mobile financial service provider in the country, provides around 30,000 books to Bishwo Shahitto Kendro to facilitate its “Nation-Wide Enrichment Program,” a book reading program for students.

The books will be used for facilitating a reading program in 400 schools with a target to reach around 30,000 students

each year. The program is designed for the students of class VI to X. In this connection, Bishwo Shahitto Kendro in association with bKash, inaugurated the program at the Ideal School and College at Motijheel.

Rashed Khan Menon, Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism, inaugurated the program as the chief guest while Kamal

BRAC University Faculty and Staff Award ceremony

BRAC University Faculty and Staff Award Ceremony was held at BRAC Centre Inn Auditorium on May 14, and this was the first time BRAC University organized such an event to recognize the contribution of the Faculty Members and Staff to the University. Fazle Hasan Abed, KCMG, Founder of BRAC and Chairman of BRAC University’s Board of Trustees, was the chief guest on the occasion while Syed Saad Andaleeb, Vice Chancellor of BRAC University welcomed the chair, Professor Emeritus Anisuzzaman

along with other distinguished guests from BRAC and BRAC University.

This event was intended to recognize BRAC University faculty members and admin staff ’s contributions in the fields of research, education and service.

Three faculty members and one admin staff were awarded these prestigious appreciations. The event was attended by almost all of the BRAC University family ranging from academicians, researchers, administrative staffs and media personnel.

Quadir, CEO of bKash, handed over the books to Abdullah Abu Sayeed, Chairman and Chief Executive of BSK. Senior officials of both the organisations were present at the program. In 2014, bKash also provided 34,000 books to Bishwo Shahitto Kendro’s book reading program for students.

Kutumbari, situated in Lalmatia, offers a new delicious range of seafood. Their menu is featuring grilled lobster, baked pomfret, whole baked red snapper, lobster thermidor, Indian salmon steak as the main menu. Grilled calamari, calamari rings, crab masala, and different kinds of pasta are offered as appetisers. Kutumbari offers food with the taste of many different countries.

Address Kutumbari, 2/12 block- F (Near Lalmatia Mohila college), Lalmatia, Dhaka Phone 01195381630 Website www.kutumbari.com

Soft Reflections art exhibition

A month long group art exhibition was held on Friday at new Gallery CosmosMozzaria SIAM, 101 Gulshan Avenue in Dhaka.

The exhibition and the art displayed were based on the experimental outcomes of watercolour. Brien Shome a celebrated artist conducted an art camp based on the experimentations of watercolour from the March 13-15, 2015.

A total of 55 watercolour works, by 24 artists from the workshop and six renowned guest artists were displayed at

the exhibition.

Most of the watercolours represented the beautiful and breathtaking landscapes of Bangladesh while the rest were abstract and figurative paintings.

Sophie Aubert, the French Ambassador, inaugrated the show as the chief guest of while prominent artists namely Samarjit Roy Chowdhury and Biren Shome were present as special guests.

The exhibition will remain open from 11am-10pm everyday until June 14.

T-JUNCTION 23

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SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2015

style sessions

trends

Shaping up nicely Can’t touch this A shape chart with a little extra

Dispelling myths about what big girls can’t wear

n Sabrina Fatma Ahmad When you’re a whole lotta woman, you hear a whole lotta BS about what you can’t wear. As if it’s not bad enough that designers ignore the lion’s share of the market. The storefronts and racks all carry “women’s wear” that’s apparently made for pre-pubescent boys. Your tailor even seems to have only two settings: Tent and Sausage. In our little corner of the planet, we also have know-it-all Aunties and Aunties-in-training telling you “eita tomake suit korbe na.”

Well, guess what? They were wrong. Here are three trends you can absolutely rock, no matter what your size is.

It might tick off a certain type of feminist, but the fruit chart as a way of estimating your body shape is a useful way to shop for outfits that do you just - to an extent. The fruit bowl might work for athletic, petite and even average body types, but if you’re bigger than that, you want to reach into a geometry box to find your match.

Shine bright like a diamond If your waist is larger than your bust and hips, balanced out by your lower arms and legs, you’re a diamond. Show off that impeccably proportionate neck with scoop necks, v-necks and cowl necks on your kameezes and kurtis. Draped and fauxdraped styles that hug your bust and flow over your mid-section are recommended, which is great news for sari fanciers. When buying jeans, opt for bootcuts and flared jeans, both of which are in right now.

Sands of time With killer curves and a defined waistline, you are an hourglass - a head-turning shape.

Play with ruffles, pleating and asymmetrical necklines, cinch in that waist with belts, and head for flares and bootcuts in the denim section. Empire silhouettes, such as the Anarkali kameez, will also suit you well.

Eight o’clock This shape is curvaceous and voluptuous.

Your hips and shoulders line up, and your defined waist has a curve to it, and that cleavage is downright scandalous. V-necks and sweetheart necklines will be the best sari-blouse options, while your kurtis can have open collars and asymmetrical necklines. Wide belts and styles that cinch in your waist should accentuate your womanly shape, and when buying pants, look for something with wide legs.

Thinking out the box If your shoulders, hips, thighs and waist all line up, and your arms are fuller, you’ve got

a square shape - a frame of perfect balance.

Play up your femininity with bateau, cowl, sweetheart and jewel necklines. Add visual interest to your tops, kurtis and kameezes with bust frills, pleating and front panel details. The fit-and-flare silhouette was totally made to flatter you. When you’re in the mood for denim, reach for narrow or straight cuts, and experiment with colours.

Pyramid of pleasure If your upper body is narrower than your hips and thighs, you have the goddess of frames - the triangular frame. Scoop, bateau and V-necks will elongate your neck and torso, while pleating and ruching add visual interest to your bust. Opt for fitted - but not tight - tops, and styles that emphasise your narrow waist. Cropped jackets and flared jeans will balance out your shape.

Round and round we go If your waist is bigger than your bust, you’ve got an oval frame, celebrated in all the classic paintings. Play up your assets with princess seams, dropped waists, and blouson sleeves. Opt for flat-front trousers, and jeans with a lighter wash.

V for va-va-voom Wide shoulders, big bust, defined waist that’s larger than your hips? Girl, you’re a V-shape, or an inverted triangle. That’s a statuesque and stately shape if there ever was one. Try shawl collars or U-necks.

Heck, try halters to show off those gorgeous shoulders. Go for darker tops and lighter bottoms to balance out our silhouette. A-line cuts are also highly flattering. l

The crop top Sure, it’s a style intended to show off toned and firm midriffs, but even if you got more curves than washboards, there’s absolutely no reason you can’t rock a crop-top.

The trick is to find one that’s right for you. Whether you’re rocking jeans or a skirt under that, make sure it fits well, but not too tight; this prevents a muffin-top and you’ll feel less insecure about the parts that show. Throw on an airy kimono on top and own that crop top like no other!

Sleeveless While half-sleeves and cap-sleeves aren’t the best look for bigger arms, unless you’re covering them up because you’re conservative - and we totally respect that - don’t let a little arm flab force you into long sleeves. You can totally wear that sleeveless blouse; it’s all in the attitude. If you still feel like you could do with some help, use some bronzer and shimmer for a bit of contouring magic to add a toned appearance to them guns.

Colours and prints Being a little hefty isn’t the same as being freshly widowed - no need to restrict yourself to a black-only wardrobe. While darker colours can be slimming, ultimately, it’s the cut and fit of the outfit itself that determine whether or not you’re rocking it. Used judiciously, print and colour can actually work towards hiding your flaws. So bring out those neons and bold florals, and watch those jaws drop at all the gorgeous curves you’re blessed with. l

Photo: Zia Uddin

n Sabrina Fatma Ahmad

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24 T-JUNCTION

SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2015

Tailored

in style

Break in that denim Sure ways to make your jeans fit like a glove snug, while others loosen up a bit. Take a pair n Mahmood Hossain of cotton hybrid like denim sweatpants that

Just like a fresh pair of sneakers or fancy shoes, your jeans need to be worn in before you can be completely comfortable in them.

Whether you’re a beginner to the denim game or simply updating your wardrobe, there’s plenty of details men tend to miss. A raw pair of jeans of any brand needs special care before they look as if they were made for your body. First thing is first, turn your jeans inside out and cold wash them before you wear it out after your purchase. Always hang dry your jeans, never toss them in a dryer. Now, the rest will need a bit more of your attention.

Feeling the fabric The same goes for fittings and fabric for jeans as it does for shoes. Each brand will propose a certain size but once you try them on, they will feel different. Some might fit a little

have a skinny fit. If your waste size is 32, you might feel more comfortable going one size up because it might feel more comfy around the waist, while each pant-leg still manages to hug your legs underneath. But keep in mind, 100% cotton denim tends to expand between an inch and 1.5-inches, over a three month period when wearing it regularly. This is why some men will buy a size down.

Don’t get confused because nowadays slimfit jeans is the perfect fit. So if you’re slim-fit jeans expands a little, the fitting will feel even more comfortable.

The wash cycle There are those who will never wash their jeans. This, gentlemen, is a huge mistake.

Don’t be afraid of washing them either.

Regardless of how much your designer jeans cost, washing them from time to time

wardrobe check

Shorts!

‘tis the season to flaunt your shorts

n Baizid Haque Joarder Whether you want to chill out in the heat or you simply want to add a bit of summer vibes to your wardrobe, it’s hard to imagine summer without shorts. But if you’re one of them who still think shorts are for the young boys, you my brother, are missing out on life.

Summer brings with itself heat as well as the hall pass to bring out the shorts.

From bright and solid coloured shorts, your favourite chino shorts, or something with stripes or patterns, to even the floral ones (preferably for the beach though!), the list may seem endless. And to help make your mind up, T-Junction has prepared a two-part guide on how to don your shorts, effortlessly.

When to wear them Two things to remember: 1. Every time you have the reason to. When the heat makes you feel unsure about your denim, or during a stay-over, and it is even a must-have for the beach and definitely in the comforts of your home.

2. Whenever you are NOT conducting anything that is related to your professional life. Shorts call for a casual time, never a business meeting.

The length There’s nothing called the “perfect” length in fashion. Trends change everyone now and then. For instance, up until 2014, the ideal length would be for the seam to end right on your knees so that when you fold your legs, the seam would reveal just about half of your knee. But now, your average pair of shorts would mean much shorter.

And thanks to celebrities like Cristiano Ronaldo and Zac Efron, the trend found wind in its sail and ever since then, shorter length is in vogue this summer.

But too short a pair might not be appropriate for Dhaka. After all, we aren’t famous footballers in Madrid or flourishing actors in L.A. More on cuts, patterns, colours and dapper looks for shorts on the next Sunday's Wardrobe Check.

is a healthy habit.

Washing your jeans after every other month actually extends the life of the denim significantly. By washing them, you’re thoroughly kicking out all that sweat, dirt and grime that eventually harms the fabric. We say every other month because we assume you’re investing in more than just a pair.

You can never have too many shades of blue regarding jeans. Let’s not forget the lighter washes, alongside the blacks and shades of grey. When all is said and done, how often you wear a particular pair of jeans is how often you will wash them. If you’ve got yourself a dressy pair of denim, most likely you’ll lean to wearing them once in a long while. In turn, washing them once every six months. l

The Melbourne Renegades sign West Indian superstar Chris Gayle for the next T20 Big Bash League season starting in December

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MSC RIDE ON BANGOURA, WALSON GUIDES BU

27

MUSHFIQ CAPTAIN FOR FORESEEABLE FUTURE: NAZMUL

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MANE’S RECORD TREBLE DESTROYS DISMAL VILLA

Hull face the drop as Leicester stay up n AFP, London

One last step Liverpool’s English midfielder Steven Gerrard walks by the pitch before the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Crystal Palace at the Anfield stadium in Liverpool yesterday AFP

Hull were left on the brink of relegation from the Premier League on Saturday as Leicester completed one of the great escapes to preserve their top-flight status.

With Burnley and QPR already demoted, Hull remained in the last drop spot after second-half goals from Nacer Chadli and Danny Rose secured a 2-0 victory for Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane.

Defeat left Hull two points from safety and needing to beat Manchester United at the KC Stadium on the final day of the season a week on Sunday, with other results also having to go their way, in order to stay up.

Leicester, bottom of the table for 140 days this season, ensured they would be playing Premier League football next term following a goalless draw away to fellow strugglers Sunderland.

The Black Cats are now three points ahead of Hull but with an inferior goal difference.

They may need at least a point from their two remaining matches, against Arsenal in midweek and away to Chelsea next weekend, to beat the drop. Newcastle, Sunderland’s north-east rivals, were left just two points ahead of Hull after a 2-1 loss to QPR -- their ninth defeat in 10 games.

Aston Villa were thrashed 6-1 by Southampton, with Sadio Mane scoring the quickest hat-trick in Premier League history, but results elsewhere kept the Birmingham club in the top flight.

In north London, Chadli gave Spurs the lead in the 54th minute before Rose’s volley seven minutes later condemned Hull to defeat.

Newcastle went ahead against QPR when French forward Emmanuel Riviere scored with a scuffed shot in the 24th minute at Loftus Road.

But QPR gave their home crowd something to cheer with two goals in seven minutes as they put a dent in Newcastle’s survival bid.

Matt Phillips drew the Hoops level in the 54th minute before Leroy Fer gave the west London club the lead with a stunning 35-yard effort that swerved past Magpies goalkeeper Tim Krul.

Earlier, Mane took just two minutes and 56 seconds to complete his treble and surpass the previous Premier League hat-trick record of four minutes and 33 seconds set by Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler against Arsenal in 1994.

The 23-year-old Senegal winger had no idea he had secured a place in the record books, telling BT Sport: “Really? It is the fastest Premier League hat-trick? The most im-

portant thing today is the victory.”

Mane started his record-breaking spree in the 13th minute when he tapped into an empty net after getting a fortunate deflection as he tried to round Villa goalkeeper Shay Given.

Just 84 seconds later Mane struck again when he latched onto a sloppy back pass from Villa defender Ron Vlaar and slotted past Given. And he completed his remarkable feat with a fine first-time finish into the top corner from the edge of the penalty area.

Villa pulled a goal back on the stroke of half-time through Christian Benteke before Southampton striker Graziano Pelle completed the scoring on the south coast nine minutes before the end of a remarkable match.

“There is no point in me stripping paint off them,” said Villa manager Tim Sherwood, whose side play holders Arsenal in the FA Cup final at Wembley on May 30.

RESULTS Burnley

0-0

Stoke

QPR

2-1

Newcastle

Phillips 54, Fer 61

Southampton

Riviere 24

6-1

Mane 13, 14, 16, Long 26, 38, Pelle 81

Aston Villa Benteke 45+3

Sunderland

0-0

Leicester

Tottenham

2-0

Hull

Chadli 54, Rose 61

West Ham Downing 62

1-2

Everton Osman 68, Lukaku 90+3

Elsewhere Everton came from behind to beat West Ham 2-1 through Leon Osman and Romelu Lukaku after Stewart Downing had given the Hammers a 62nd minute lead at Upton Park.

Meanwhile Saturday’s late kick-off match sees Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard make what is sure to be an emotional farewell to Anfield when he plays his last home match, against Crystal Palace, before joining the Los Angeles Galaxy next season.

Sunday will help determine which two clubs join already crowned champions Chelsea in the group stage of the Champions League next season.

Second-placed Manchester City travel to Swansea while third-placed Arsenal, who have a game in hand, face fourth-placed Manchester United at Old Trafford.

The side that finishes fourth in England’s top flight will enter a play-of round. Chelsea are away to West Bromwich Albion on Monday.l

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RESULTS Mohammedan

5-0

Rahmatganj

Ismail Bangoura 23, 26, 87 Jewel Rana 30 Towhidul Alam Sabuj 76

Brothers Union

3-1

Feni Soccer Club

Augustine Walson 29, 90+1 Azmal Hossain Bidyut 31 Kester Akon 62

Mohammedan’s Guinean striker Ismail Bangoura (L) scores one of his three goals against Rahmatganj in the Manyavar BPL at BNS yesterday

MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

MSC ride on Bangoura, Walson guides BU

National football camp begins tomorrow n Shishir Hoque n Shishir Hoque Guinean striker Ismail Bangoura slammed The residential training camp of the Bangladesh football team has been pushed back by a day. The camp will now get underway tomorrow at BFF House ahead of the two upcoming Fifa international friendlies against Singapore and Afghanistan on May 30 and June 2 respectively.

The 15 Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club footballers, who were named in the 32-member Bangladesh preliminary squad, will join the camp from the first day as their first phase league commitment has come to an end while the national booters from Sheikh Russel Krira Chakra and Abahani will join the camp once their final match of the first phase concludes in a few days’ time.

The first phase of the top-flight will end this Friday following which all the national footballers will join the camp.

Bangladesh’s Dutch head coach Lodewijk de Kruif is expected to take charge of the camp any time this week. He is currently in the Netherlands on a one-week vacation.l

a hat-trick to propel Mohammedan to a 5-0 thrashing over Rahmatganj in the Manyavar Bangladesh Premier League at Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.

The traditional crowd-pullers tasted their first win after two consecutive draws and rose to second in the 11-team points table with 17 points from nine matches, six less than table-toppers and holders Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club who have played a game more.

Rahmatganj on the other hand are seventh with eight points from nine matches.

Bangoura, who is the second highest scorer in the top-flight this season with eight goals, continued his fine form while Towhidul Alam Sabuj and juvenile winger Sohel Rana were also on the score-sheet.

Bangoura put the Black and Whites ahead in the 23rd minute after fine work by Jewel.

The midfielder received a long ball at the far post and headed towards the path of Bangoura, who chested the ball down and volleyed home past Rahmatganj goalkeeper Al Amin.

It was Bangoura again who doubled the lead just two minutes later, heading the ball into the back of the net following a Nurul Naim Faisal cross from the left flank.

The selfless Jewel was instrumental behind every Mohammedan attack and the pacey winger duly got his rewards as he extended the lead at the half-hour mark. Jewel unleashed a powerful strike from the left corner of the box, leaving Al Amin helpless.

Sabuj made it 4-0 15 minutes from time while Bangoura completed his hat-trick and the rout in the 87th minute.

The victory, however, gave birth to controversy as it violated the by-laws and regulations of the Manyavar Bangladesh Premier League. The original fixture was earlier abandoned after just seven minutes due to heavy rain last Friday. The by-laws state that the match should have resumed from the seventh minute but to everyone’s surprise, the game started from the very beginning. Match referee Jalal Uddin claimed that he had received instructions from match commissioner Rafiqul Ahmed to start the game from the first minute.

Rafiqul, however, defended himself saying

he was forced by the co-chairman of the professional league committee, Abdur Rahim, to instruct the referee to officiate the game for the full duration of the 90 minutes.

It was learned that the Rahmatganj officials are planning to protest the decision.

Meanwhile in the day’s other match at the same venue, Augustine Walson netted a brace to guide Brothers Union to a comfortable 3-1 victory over Feni Soccer Club. Courtesy the victory, Brothers moved to fourth in the points table with 17 points from nine matches, the same as third-placed Abahani and Mohammedan, who have both played the same number of matches as the Oranges.

Soccer Club, meanwhile, are eighth with eight points from nine matches.

In-form Haitian striker Walson opened the scoring for the Oranges in the 29th minute before midfielder Azmal Hossain Bidyut brought parity just two minutes later. Nigerian forward Kester Akon gave Brothers the lead again in the 62nd minute before Walson scored again to complete the win in injury time. With nine goals from as many matches, Walson is now the highest scorer of the top-flight.l

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QUICK BYTES Raihan new GS of BSJA, Suman elected as JS Abu Taher Mohammad Sayeeduzzaman was re-elected unopposed as the president of Bangladesh Sports Journalists Association while Raihan Mahmood was elected as the new general secretary during the occasion of the 15th Election and Annual General Meeting yesterday.

Aghore Mandal, Tarek Mahmud and Junaid Hossain were elected as the vice presidents while Syed Mohammad Suman was chosen as the new joint secretary. Anisur Rahman was re-elected unopposed as the treasurer.

–Shishir Hoque

Hull suspend Livermore after positive cocaine test

Hull City have suspended midfielder Jake Livermore after he tested positive for cocaine, British media reported said on Friday. Livermore, who has made one appearance for England, failed a random drug test after the 2-0 win over Crystal Palace last month, according to the Daily Telegraph. Livermore’s suspension will be a blow to Hull manager Steve Bruce, whose side are scrapping to avoid relegation from the Premier League.

–Reuters

Norwich to face Middlesbrough for EPL

Norwich City will meet Middlesbrough at Wembley for a place in the Premier League next season after a 3-1 victory over 10-man Ipswich Town in their Championship playoff semi-final, second leg at Carrow Road on Saturday. Ipswich went down 4-2 on aggregate having had Christophe Berra sent off four minutes into the second half for handling Nathan Redmond’s goalbound shot with Wes Hoolahan scoring the resulting penalty to put Norwich ahead in the tie.

–Reuters

Policeman blinded after being struck by big hit

A policeman has been left blind in one eye after being struck by six hit by South African David Miller in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match, local media reported on Saturday. Aloke Aich, 53, was struck in the right eye in the game between Kolkata and Punjab at Eden Gardens on May 9. “I am still in a state of shock and deeply saddened to hear about the loss of Mr Aich’s eye. A freak accident! My prayers are with u,” a shocked Miller tweeted on Friday.

–Reuters

Gazelec Ajaccio win historic Ligue 1 promotion

Corsican minnows Gazelec Ajaccio won promotion to the French Ligue 1 for the first time in their history on Friday.

A double from Congolese striker John Tshibumbu helped the club to a 3-2 win over Niort in Ligue 2 which sealed their fourth promotion from a lower league in five years.

–AFP

(L-R) Nasir Hossain, Rubel Hossain and Mushfiqur Rahim pose for a selfie during their helicopter flight to Cox’s Bazar yesterday. The Tigers trio flew to the coastal town to take part in a beach cricket event organised by ‘Follow’ COURTESY

‘Mushfiq captain for foreseeable future’ n Tribune Desk Bangladesh Test captain Mushfiqur Rahim was lambasted in many quarters for his decision to field first in the second and final Test against Pakistan in Dhaka recently. Many even said Mushfiq should relinquish captaincy, citing some of his decisions in the 1-0 Test series defeat against their subcontinent rival.

Bangladesh Cricket Board president Nazmul Hasan, however, defended Mushfiq saying the wicketkeeper-batsman will not only lead the side against India in the upcoming solitary Test match but also the foreseeable future.

“We have never thought of replacing Mushfiq as captain. I said it a few days back and I am saying it now. The majority of our recent successes have come under his captaincy. That is why we are not concerned with regards to his captaincy,” Nazmul told reporters yesterday at his Gulshan residence.

Mushfiq currently performs three roles for the side in Tests; captaincy, front-line batsman and wicket-keeper. When asked if the three roles were taking its toll on Mushfiq, Nazmul said, “At the moment we have no other alternatives so he might have to continue for a while. However, whatever decision

we take, we will consult with Mushfiq first.

Then we will have to talk with the head coach (Chandika Hathurusingha).”

Meanwhile, the final match of the 16th National Cricket League between Rangpur and Dhaka Metropolis has recently come under the spotlight of match-fixing and Nazmul said they will form a probe committee soon to investigate the matter. “The match referee did not provide any comment. But we will not sit down idle. We will form a probe committee, probably tomorrow (today). Then, the disciplinary committee will take action. We will not take any decision lightly,” said Nazmul.l

Boca facing punishment for ‘toxic liquid’ attack n AFP, Buenos Aires Argentine football club Boca Juniors faced the possibility of an instant exit from the Libertadores Cup Friday after their fans attacked players from arch-rivals River Plate with a pepper-spray-like substance.

The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) is deliberating whether to award River Plate a victory or have the clubs play the second half of a match that ended in pandemonium at 0-0 with 45 minutes left to play Thursday.

CONMEBOL spokesman Nestor Benitez said it was “impossible to ignore the enormous gravity” of the incident, as the confederation gave Boca until 2:00 pm Saturday (1700 GMT) in Asuncion to “present whatever arguments it deems appropriate.”

Boca, which has condemned the attack and apologized to River Plate, was preparing for the worst.

“Whatever decision the disciplinary com-

mittee takes will be complicated. It has to be fair and balanced. We don’t want to be hostages to violent fans, nor can this go unpunished,” club president Daniel Angelici told a press conference.

“This is an embarrassment for football,” said manager Rodolfo Arruabarrena. “We will respect whatever CONMEBOL decides.”

If punished with a loss, Boca will exit the top club tournament in Latin America.

They had already lost the first-leg match to River Plate 1-0, and were fighting to keep their quarter-finals hopes alive before a capacity home crowd of 60,000.

River Plate players were returning for the second half when a fan or fans apparently released a chemical irritant into the inflatable tunnel leading from the dressing rooms to the pitch.

The attack left several players rubbing their eyes in agony as teammates desperately threw water in their faces to try to relieve the pain.l

Ancelotti defends Bale n Reuters, Madrid Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has defended under-fire midfielder Gareth Bale, saying the Welshman had paid the price for the poor form of his team mates, but had improved his link-up play in a difficult season. Ancelotti, however, feels that he has done well considering that he has been hampered by injuries.

“He has had good moments when the team was in form and suffered when the team has played badly,” the Italian coach told. It is difficult to evaluate the season of a player who has had injuries but while there have been a few small issues he has progressed and become more used to playing with the team.”l

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Mane’s record treble destroys dismal Villa n AFP, Southampton Southampton’s Sadio Mane scored the fastest hat-trick in Premier League history as the Senegal winger’s astonishing spree condemned dismal Aston Villa to a 6-1 defeat on Saturday.

Mane took just two minutes and 56 seconds to demolish Villa at St Mary’s and surpass the previous record of four minutes and 33 seconds set by Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler against Arsenal in 1994.

The 23-year-old also set a new mark for the quickest post-war English top-flight treble as Villa’s defence parted with alarming ease.

Although Mane made Premier League history, he couldn’t break the record for the fastest ever hat-trick in English football, which was set by James Hayter when he scored three times in two minutes and 20 seconds after coming on as an 84th-minute substitute for Bournemouth in their third-tier match against Wrexham in 2004.

Irish striker Shane Long netted twice after Mane’s treble to leave shell-shocked Villa trailing by five goals only 38 minutes into the match.

Graziano Pelle made it six late on and

Southampton’s scintillating display keeps them firmly in the hunt for a place in next season’s Europa League.

Christian Benteke got one back for Villa in first-half stoppage time, but it was no consolation for Tim Sherwood’s players, whose woeful capitulation cost them a chance to guarantee their Premier League survival.

FA Cup finalists Villa remain four points above the bottom three and will have to rely on other results if they are to be certain of staying up before the season’s final round of fixtures next weekend.

Ronald Koeman’s team were on course for their first win in five matches from the moment Mane struck in the 13th minute.

Mane, a £10 million ($15.7m) signing from Red Bull Salzburg last year, latched onto Pelle’s flick and held off the weak challenges from two Villa defenders before slotting into the net after a lucky rebound off goalkeeper Given.

Just 84 seconds later he scored again after Ron Vlaar’s sloppy backpass fell to Long, who helped the ball on for Mane to tap in.

Fittingly, Mane’s hat-trick was completed in more eye-catching style as he curled home from just inside the penalty area in the 16th minute.l

FASTEST HAT-TRICKS IN ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE Duration Three minutes Five minutes Seven minutes Seven minutes Nine minutes 10 minutes

Player Sadio Mane Robbie Fowler Gabriel Agbonlahor Jermain Defoe Ian Wright Jermaine Pennant

Team Southampton Liverpool Aston Villa Tottenham Arsenal Arsenal

Against Aston Villa Arsenal Manchester City Wigan Ipswich Town Southampton

Season 2015 1994 2008 2009 1995 2003

Southampton forward Sadio Mane celebrates scoring against Aston Villa during their Barclays Premier League match at St Mary’s Stadium yesterday REUTERS

Barca with title in sight n AFP, Madrid

Barcelona can round off a fine week by clinching their 23rd La Liga title and exacting revenge on Atletico Madrid for losing out in last season’s title decider at the Vicente Calderon on Sunday.

A proposed players’ strike had threatened the La Liga calendar this weekend, but that threat was lifted on Thursday when Spain’s National Court concluded a strike would “cause a serious organisational disorder” to the end of the league season.

Atletico won the league with a 1-1 draw the Camp Nou on May 17 last year and Barca

LA LIGA FIXTURES Villarreal Elche Deportivo Atletico Madrid Real Sociedad Cordoba Getafe Espanyol Valencia Sevilla

v v v v v v v v v v

Malaga Athletic Bilbao Levante Barcelona Granada Rayo Vallecano Eibar Real Madrid Celta Vigo Almeria

can return the favour exactly a year later as long as they match Real Madrid’s result at Espanyol.

However, Atletico also have plenty to play for as they are one win away from sealing third place and therefore avoiding a tricky Champions League qualifier in August.

Atletico’s chances could be boosted by the absence of Barca striker Luis Suarez.

Real Madrid have to pick themselves up from the bitter disappointment of losing their Champions League semi-final to Juventus in midweek if they are to have any chance of winning a major trophy this season.

Defender Sergio Ramos is also expected to miss the rest of the season with a calf injury picked up against Juventus.

The battle for European places and to avoid relegation means that only four teams have nothing to play for with two games remaining. Valencia can secure their return to Champions League football with victory at home to Celta Vigo.

Meanwhile, Malaga, Espanyol, Athletic Bilbao, Celta and Rayo Vallecano are separated by four points in the fight for seventh place, which would yield Europa League qualification if Barca beat Athletic in the Copa del Rey final.l

Play-off worry stalks United-Arsenal clash n AFP, London Manchester United and Arsenal’s players will be hoping to avoid the encumbrance of a Champions League play-off tie when they meet at Old Trafford in the Premier League on Sunday.

Two points above United in third place (and three points below second-place Manchester City), Arsenal are on course for automatic Champions League qualification, with the team finishing fourth obliged to enter the competition in the play-off round in late August.

But victory for United would take them above Arsenal and although Arsene Wenger’s side have a game in hand at home to struggling Sunderland on Wednesday, defeat is a complication they could do without.

United are effectively guaranteed to finish no lower than fourth, having opened up a six-point gap over fifth-place Liverpool with a significantly better goal difference.l

FIXTURES Swansea City v Manchester City Manchester United v Arsenal

DT

Sport 29

SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2015

Fights erupt as Iran title ends in controversy n AFP, Tehran When the final whistle blew thousands of jubilant fans ran on to the pitch to celebrate what they thought was their team’s first ever Iranian Premier League title.

But while the smiles were widening and with Portuguese coach Toni Oliveira being hugged by supporters, the celebrations suddenly turned sour as it emerged that they had not won at all. Oliveira’s unlucky side, Tractor Sazi, from Tabriz in northwest Iran, had thought a 3-3 draw with Naft (Oil) of Tehran on Friday night was enough to clinch the league.

With just minutes to go Tractor Sazi fans believed their rivals Sepahan FC had only managed a draw when they needed a win to take the championship. But as pandemonium broke out on the pitch the game’s TV anchor knowing Sepahan had in fact won their match 2-0 to take the title - was left flummoxed and unable to explain the celebrations.

When reality dawned for Tractor Sazi’s fans - 90,000 were in a stadium whose official capacity is only 70,000 - the mood changed, seats were smashed and fights broke out.

“We were tricked,” Oliveira, a former Benfica boss who had ran around the pitch in celebration only then to learn the bitter truth, told the official IRNA news agency.l

DAY’S WATCH Sony Six Indian Premier League 4:30PM Bangalore v Delhi 8:30PM Hyderabad v Mumbai

Star Sports 1 Italian Serie A 2014/15 4:30PM Sassuolo v Milan

Star Sports 2 7:00PM Atalanta vs. Genoa 12:10AM Roma v Udinese

Star Sports 4 English Premier League 6:30PM Swansea City v Manchester City 8:45PM Manchester United v Arsenal 11:00PM Spanish La Liga Atletico Madrid v Barcelona

Ten Action 12:00PM Australian-League 2014/15 Final: Melbourne Victory v Sydney FC

Ten Sports 2:30PM Moto GP 2015: Race Monster Energy GP De France 9:00PM & 12:00AM Euroleague Basketball 2014/15 3rd/4th Place & Final

Zimbabwe batsman Regis Chakabva is in action as wicket keeper Charles Coventry looks on during a training session at Harare Sports Club yesterday

PCB says Zimbabwe officially confirms its tour to Pakistan n AP, Islamabad Zimbabwe Cricket has officially confirmed it will be sending its team to Pakistan as per schedule next week, a Pakistan Cricket Board spokesman said Friday.

Agha Akbar told The Associated Press that ZC has confirmed the tour “in writing” to the PCB late Friday and the tourists will arrive in Lahore early next Tuesday for two Twenty20s and three ODIs. Earlier, PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan and his ZC counterpart Wilson Manase talked three times by telephone since confusion arose on Thursday when Zimbabwe canceled

the tour, then deferred the decision to Friday.

Khan said Manase told him the tour will go ahead, and Khan asked him to send confirmation in writing.

“Wilson Manase told me he has got the clearance from his government to go, and he will send it in writing too,” Khan said.

Khan said on all three occasions, Manase reassured him about the tour, the first by a test-playing nation to Pakistan in more than six years. Manase also said he will accompany the team.

The tour was jeopardized after militants killed 45 minority Shiite on a bus in the southern port city of Karachi on Wednesday.

Djokovic given Italian boost as Wawrinka stuns Nadal n AFP, Rome Serbia’s Novak Djokovic moved a step closer to defending his Italian Open title after seven-time champion Rafael Nadal was stunned in the last eight by Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland on Friday.

Djokovic, who beat Nadal in last year’s final to claim his third title in the Italian capital, dominated Japan’s Kei Nishikori in a one-sided quarter-final to set up a semi-final meeting with David Ferrer.

Wawrinka had beaten Nadal only once in

their previous 13 encounters, notably defeating the 14-time Grand Slam winner in the final of the 2014 Australian Open on a synthetic surface.

But the 30-year-old from Lausanne wowed the crowd on his way to a 7-6 (9/7), 6-2 win over the Spaniard that secured a semi-final matchup with compatriot Roger Federer on Saturday.

Russia’s Maria Sharapova, the last winner of the women’s title in the past five years still in contention in Rome, boosted her chances of a third title but first since 2012 by cruising to a 6-3, 6-2 win over Victoria Azarenka of Belarus.l

AFP

On Thursday, the Zimbabwe government, which must clear all sports tours, recommended the cricketers not go to Pakistan over security concerns. Zimbabwe Cricket initially announced the tour was canceled, but less than 30 minutes later said there was no decision yet.

Test teams stopped visiting Pakistan after the Sri Lanka team bus was attacked by gunmen en route to a test in 2009 in Lahore. Six police and a driver were killed, and several Sri Lankans wounded.

Zimbabwe had already gone against the advice of the international players’ association in agreeing to the tour.l

DT

30 DOWNTIME

SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2015

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Planet (4) 5 Cicatrix (4) 10 Decrease in strength (4) 11 Hail! (3) 12 Reduce in intensity (5) 13 Vigour (3) 14 Young eel (5) 16 Suffer (6) 18 Dodges (6) 21 Barter (5) 23 Owing (3) 24 Scope (5) 26 Land measure (3) 27 Power of rejecting (4) 28 Dissolve (4) 29 Gull (4)

DOWN 2 Presentation (5) 3 Rodent (3) 4 Showed contempt (7) 6 Sleeveless garment (4) 7 Reluctant (6) 8 Corded fabric (3) 9 Labyrinth (4) 15 Young hare (7) 17 Cosmos (6) 19 Giver (5) 20 Ooze (4) 22 Stagger (4) 23 Water storage (3) 25 Consumed (3)

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

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

Some letters of the alphabet may not be used.

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

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

SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2015

Yes we Cannes!

CELEBS ON SOCIAL

n Showtime Desk

Lights, camera, action! But wait, there’s a whole lot more, isn’t there? This may be the place where brilliant new films see the light of day, but most of us are obsessed with what the stars wore on the red carpet. Here are our favourite five:

Cristiano Ronaldo @Cristiano I think I found the perfect training partner!

Viann Zhang had her theatrical couture down in this dreamy piece. Just check out the collar and sleeves!

A vibrant Emma Stone shone in this mermaid-cut, white stunner by Dior Couture.

Kevin Hart @ KevinHart4real Don’t talk about it people, BE ABOUT IT! Have a great Friday Jive Turkeys.

Y’all ain’t nothing but a Piece of Cheese without da corners lmao

Natalie Portman elegantly highlighted her natural beauty in this svelte crimson, Dior gown. Minimal accessories were key.

French beauty, Lea Seydoux knew what she was doing when she chose this black and grey, embellished number from Prada. The details on the shoulders and her pink pumps just made the whole ensemble that much more fabulous.

Cara Delevingne @ Caradelevingne Rest in peace BB King

WHAT TO WATCH

The epitome of grace, Leo’s ex, Bar Refaeli schools us on why white is always the classiest option

Magnificent cast n Mahmood Hossain Matt Bomer of White Collar fame, has landed yet another film role, this time with stunning additions. Magnificent Seven is going to be the next big blockbuster Hollywood flick with an ensemble cast. The all-star remake of the film includes award winning actors, Denzel Washington, Christ Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Vincent D’Onofrio, Wagner Moura, Haley Bennett and Jason Momoa.

The Antoine Fuqua directed film is being penned by John Lee Hancock and Nic Pizzolatto. The woman (Haley Bennett) hires a group of gunslingers to protect the town she lives in from bandits that are led by the main villain. Bomer will play the woman’s husband, who stands up to the robber baron.

After his Golden Globe win from HBO’s The Normal Heart, Matt Bomer will also be playing the lead, opposite Lady Gaga, in the new American Horror Story: Hotel.l

Spider-Man 3 Star Movies 6:30 pm A strange black entity from another world bonds with Peter Parker and causes inner turmoil as he contends with new villains, temptations, and revenge.

Cast: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Topher Grace The Lego Movie HBO 9:30 pm An ordinary Lego construction worker, thought to be the prophesied “Special”, is recruited to join a quest to stop an evil tyrant from gluing the Lego universe into eternal stasis.

Cast: Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks Indian Premier League 2015: Hyderabad vs. Mumbai Sony MAX 8:30 pm

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32 BACK PAGE

SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2015

FINANCING THE NEXT STEP PAGE 14

LOCAL RESOURCE STRESSED FOR SDGS PAGE 15

YES WE CANNES!

PAGE 31

Migrants in ‘maritime ping-pong’

n Agencies

A Rohingya migrant who arrived in Indonesia by boat cries while speaking on a mobile phone with a relative in Malaysia, at a temporary shelter in Kuala Langsa in Indonesia’s Aceh Province yesterday REUTERS

A boat crammed with migrants was towed out to sea by the Thai navy and then held up by Malaysian vessels yesterday, the latest round of “maritime ping-pong” by Asian states determined not to let asylum seekers come ashore.

The United Nations has called on countries around the Andaman Sea not to push back the thousands of desperate Bangladeshis and Rohingya Muslims and to rescue them instead.

Washington raised pressure on Southeast Asia to open its ports to boat people yesterday after migrants’ shunned vessel sank off Indonesia.

The US State Department said John Kerry had phoned his Thai counterpart “to discuss the situation of migrants in the Andaman Sea and to discuss the possibility of Thailand providing temporary shelter for them.”

A clampdown by Thailand’s military junta has made a well-trodden trafficking route into Malaysia too risky for criminals who prey on Rohingya fleeing persecution in Buddhist-majority Myanmar and on impoverished Bangladeshis looking for work.

A Reuters journalist on a speedboat taken from southern Thailand’s coast said people aboard had little shelter from the blazing sun.

The International Organization for Migration criticised Southeast Asian governments for playing “maritime ping-pong” with the migrants and endangering their lives. l

Crackdown on 350 listed traffickers on n Shohel Mamun and Tarek Mahmud

The government has ordered the law enforcement agencies to immediately arrest around 350 listed human traffickers, operating mainly in Cox’s Bazar district with the help of locally-influential persons.

The traffickers are active mainly at 60 points along the coastal areas of Patuakhali, Barguna, Satkhira, Jhalakathi, Khulna, Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar.

“The Home Ministry has already instructed the law enforcers to monitor the cases filed against human traffickers with different police stations,” CMP Additional Commissioner (crime and operation) Banaz Kumar Majumder, who heads a four-member Anti-Human-Trafficking Special Committee, said.

On December 31, the committee submitted eight-point recommendations to the authorities concerned, reports our Chittagong bureau reporter Tarek Mahmud. But the government is yet to give its decision on the report.

“The government will come up with specific orders after the ministries complete analysing the special committee report,” Banaz said.

The committee had identified 11 international and 230 Bangladeshi human traffickers including 26 domestic money launderers engaged in the trafficking business. Of them,

five criminals were killed in gunfights with the law enforcers recently while a dozen other suspected traffickers arrested in Cox’s Bazar.

“The government has already identified some human traffickers in the border areas and arrested some of them,” State Minister for Home Affairs Minister Assaduzzaman Khan told Dhaka Tribune’s Sohel Mamun on Thursday.

The government has also given emphasis on social campaign programmes to curb human trafficking, he added.

“The government is in close touch with the authorities of Myanmar and Thailand to check human trafficking,” Asaduzzaman said adding that the rescued Bangladeshis would be brought back soon.

Apart from the law enforcement agencies including BGB, Coast Guard, RAB and police, the deputy commissioners of the coastal districts have now geared up efforts to nab the traffickers.

Home Ministry officials recently said the government had finalised a new national action plan for 2015-17 to stop human trafficking. It is likely to be announced publicly within two weeks.

Key suggestions unimplemented

According to the special committee report, a total of 3,793 people were rescued from Cox’s

Bazar and Chittagong districts in the last five years, and 276 cases lodged with police stations in which 1,589 persons were prosecuted.

The report also mentioned that traffickers’ agents were found roaming in 41 districts. It said around 15,000-20,000 people were trafficked to Thailand and Malaysia during the last 10 years.

The committee formed under the Police Headquarters in its recommendations had asked the government to set up water police units and investigation centres, and forming anti-trafficking bodies comprising public representatives, civil society members, NGO officials and the law enforcers in the coastal areas.

Patuakhali sadar upazila Chairman Md Tariqujjaman Moni said he had not received any letter to form such a committee.

Anwar Hossain Chowdhury, chairman of Jaliapalang union under Ukhiya, claimed that the local committee was holding meetings regularly.

However, Ukhiya upazila Vice-Chairman Sultan Mahmud Chowdhury, who was suspended from his post after being sued in a political case, alleged that the committee’s activities were limited in holding meetings only.

Meanwhile, the Cox’s Bazar police has not formed water police units as recommended by the special committee. It had asked for wa-

ter police units for 60km maritime border in Teknaf and 20km in Ukhiya upazila.

It was also recommended that by introducing investigation centres, more law enforcers be deployed in Shah Porir Island of Cox’s Bazar, which has been identified as a key den of the traffickers.

Cox’s Bazar Superintendent of Police Shyamal Kumar Nath claimed that the incidents of human trafficking were lower than at any other times.

He mentioned that the Police Headquarters’ recommendations could not be implemented overnight as the government highups were still working on it.

The Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU) has expressed deep concerns regarding the latest discovery of mass graves and captivity of Bangladeshi expatriates in Thailand.

In a press release signed by its Chair Dr Tasneem Siddiqui, the organisation alleged that ignoring a recent High Court directive against human trafficking – based on an RMMRU petition – had allowed an increase of such incidents.

A High Court bench on March 5 ordered the authorities concerned including the ministries of home, foreign, labour and expatriate welfare to stop human trafficking in the name of sending workers abroad, but the authorities took no action, the statement said. l

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