03 July, 2015

SECOND EDITION

FRIDAY, JULY 3, 2015

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Ashar 19, 1422, Ramadan 15, 1436

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GP POST-PAID USERS FACING NETWORK PROBLEMS PAGE 3

Regd No DA 6238, Vol 3, No 81

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| 32 pages plus 24-page Weekend | Price: Tk10

www.dhakatribune.com

REMITTANCE INFLOW HITS RECORD $15BN PAGE 15

RAFT OF INCENTIVES TO LURE INVESTORS PAGE 32

HujiB eyed prison van attacks to free leaders Jamil Khan and n Mohammad Kamrul Hasan Members of banned militant outfit Harkat-ul Jihad al-Islami Bangladesh (HujiB) were planning to break their detained leaders out of custody by conducting attacks on prison vans as they were being transported to court from jail.

They were gathering members with a view to carrying out massive destruction after Eidul-Fitr to draw attention and seek support from the newly floated regional militant platform Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS).

The elite Rapid Action Battalion revealed the information following the arrest of a top leader and 11 other members of the group that came into being in early 1990s. Its ultimate goal is to launch a jihad and impose its version of Islamic rule on the country.

Acting on a tip-off, a team of RAB first arrested five HujiB members from the Sadarghat area of the capital around 6:30am on Saturday. They were trying to leave the capital and were heading for Barisal, Commander Mufti Mahmud Khan, director of the legal and media wing, told reporters at a press conference yesterday.

The arrestees are Maulana Mainul Islam alias Mahim, 35, chief coordinator of the Bangladesh wing of AQIS, Mufti Jafor Amin alias Sal-

man, 34, an adviser to the AQIS Bangladesh, and three other active members – Saidul Islam alias Sayeed Tamim, 20, Mosharraf Hossain, 19, and Abdur Rahman, 25.

Based on information gleaned from them, the RAB team conducted another drive in the capital’s Airport Railway Station, and arrested five other members when they were leaving

for Khulna. They are Al-Amin alias Ibrahim, 28, Mozahidul Islam alias Nakib, 31, Ashraful Islam, 20, Rabiul Islam alias Hasan, 28, and Habib Ullah, 26.

Interrogating the arrestees, the elite force came to know that two of their members lived at a house in the capital’s Mirpur 1 area. Shahidul Islam Sagor, 29, and Altaf Hossain alias

Mamun, 26, were arrested around 1am yesterday, Commander Mahmud said.

From the house, RAB recovered a huge amount of chemicals and other bomb-making materials, 15 explosives devices, sharp weapons, 149 jihadi books and 25 training documents from the house.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

Steep challenges ahead as Bangladesh eyes upper middle-income status

Muhith: 3 more years to get permanent middle-income country status n Tribune report

n Kayes Sohel

B A N G L A D E S H ' S P E R C A P I TA I N C O M E G R O W T H 1500

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

Figures in US dollar

1200

1,154

900 600

848

1,190

1,314

923 Source: BBS

Finance Minister AMA Muhith yesterday said Bangladesh would have to wait for three more years to be recognised as a lower-middle-income country by the United Nations.

Muhith said he was pleased with a World Bank report that acknowledged Bangladesh as a lower-middle-income country, saying: “We are satisfied with the World Bank report.”

“But there is an evaluation committee of the United Nations. They need to formally recognise us as a lower-middle-income country and for this we have to wait three years,” he said.

“Until then, we will get the facilities given to least developed countries,” the finance minister said in reply to a question at his secretariat office yesterday, following a meeting with Bhutanese Finance Minister Namgay Dorji.

PAGE 3 Rough weather hinders search for BAF pilot

RAB presents 12 arrested including chief coordinator of the Bangladesh wing of international militant platform Al-Qaeda Indian Subcontinent at its Uttara headquarters in Dhaka yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

300 0

2010-11

2011-12

2012-13

2013-14

2014-15

(provisional)

How a country’s status is categorised

Low-income: less than $1,045; Lower middle-income: between $1,046 & $4,125; Higher middle-income: between $4,126 & $12,735; High income: over $12,735

PAGE 5 Labour Law rules yet to be formulated

PAGE 6 Erosion hits Barisal city hard

PAGE 8 At least 38 dead in Philippine ferry capsize

Steep challenges are awaiting Bangladesh if the country is to elevate to the upper middle-income tier from the just achieved lower middle-income status, economists have said.

Inclusive politics and effective economic governance, which the country lacks, are crucial for the graduation although Bangladesh became a deserving candidate long ago.

They also stressed reducing income inequality between rural and urban areas which is acute now and improving transportation, education and healthcare.

These observations came after the World Bank had promoted Bangladesh to the status of a lower middle-income country from low-income category on Wednesday.

The WB showed that Bangladesh’s per capita gross national income (GNI) stood at  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

PAGE 32 Sir Abed receives World Food Prize

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FRIDAY, JULY 3, 2015

PM attends president’s iftar n UNB Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina joined an iftar party hosted by President Abdul Hamid at Bangabhaban yesterday.

The president hosted the iftar party in honour of the prime minister, the speaker, the chief justice, cabinet members, MPs, foreign

diplomats, eminent citizens and high military and civil officials.

Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha, former president HM Ershad and Opposition Leader Raushan Ershad were present.

President’s wife Rashida Khanom, Hasina’s daughter Saima Hossain Putul with her

SEHRI & IFTAR TIME family, and the president’s family were present on the occasion as well.

Also in attendance were the deputy speaker, PM’s advisers, Supreme Court judges, foreign diplomats, the chief election commissioner, the attorney general, vice-chancellors of the public universities, lawyers, editors and senior journalists, among others. l

Day Ramadan 15/July 03 Ramadan 16/July 04

Sehri – 3:43am

Iftar 6:54pm 6:54pm

For Barisal, deduct one minute, and for Sylhet and Chittagong deduct six minutes; for Khulna add four minutes, for Rangpur five minutes, and for Rajshahi seven minutes.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Muhith: 3 more years to get permanent middle-income country status “We have not talked to officials of the World Bank in this regard … they acknowledged the matter on their own,” Muhith added.

Muhith described the change in income status as a promotion for Bangladesh. The country has been on the list of least developed countries for four decades.

The World Bank, in a press release on Wednesday, said Bangladesh improved its position from the low-income category to lower-middle-income category this year.

The per capita income in Bangladesh has risen from $1,190 to $1,314, according to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS).

Meeting with Bhutan finance minister

“We discussed importing hydro-electricity with the Bhutanese finance minister,” Muhith said.

He said electricity grid lines would be set up between Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh to transmit 1,000 MW hydro-electricity from Bhutan.

The finance minister said: “Bilateral trade between the two countries will increase if connectivity is enhanced and infrastructural shortcomings are fixed.”

Bhutan’s finance minister said Bhutan had been the first country to recognise Bangladesh as an independent country. l

Steep challenges ahead as Bangladesh eyes upper middle-income status $1,080, calculated in the Atlas method, in 2013-14. According to the calculation of Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), per capital GNI in that year was $1,090.

WB’s bottom threshold for the lower middle-income status is $1,046 and a country has to achieve this for three consecutive years.

Bangladesh’s per capita income rose to $1,314 in the immediate past 2014-15 fiscal year, according to provisional figures provided by the government. It was $1,190 in 2013-14 and $1,154 in 2012-13.

The World Bank currently divides economies into four income groups: low, lower middle, upper middle and high.

A country is categorised higher middle-income if its per capita GNI is between $4,126 ad $12,735; and higher income if the GNI is more than $12,735.

Hossain Zillur Rahman, adviser to a former caretaker government, sees this as just a statistical milestone, which is inevitable in line with the state of the country’s economy.

“It does not mean shrinking of inequality ... It does not mean the cities have become livable ... It doest not mean that the deficiency in human development has been removed.

“Bangladesh deserves achieving milestone. But the topic of discussion should now be the real economy, which is now in a crisis.

Economic growth is stagnant at 6%, indicating that the country is suffering from underemployment.”

Zillur said the journey from lower middle-income to higher middle-income will be totally different from the journey from low-income to lower middle-income. The new journey will need inclusive politics and effective economic governance, he said.

Bangladesh Bank Governor Atiur Rahman tweeted that the country needs hard work for achieving sustainable development and step into the upper middle-income arena.

Binayak Sen, research director at Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS), said income inequality has been rising along-

side per capita income. “There are three types of inequality – income, asset and consumption.

“Income and asset inequality in the society have become prominent in recent years,” he said laying emphasis on improving the quality of education, healthcare, nutrition and other services.

He said there are many countries with the similar status but they are beset with many social unrests. “India and Pakistan are examples of such social instability,” Sen said.

According to the World Bank website, India, Pakistan, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Myanmar are some of Bangladesh’s neighbours that are recognised as lower middle-income countries.

Dr Zahid Hussain, lead economist at the Dhaka office of the WB, said this is a formal recognition for Bangladesh. “This is a journey for further advancement. Bangladesh’s challenge is how to retain the status.”

Bangladesh should concentrate more on infrastructure development and attracting investment to retain the status and reach the

next step, he said.

Ahsan H Mansur, executive director at the Policy Research Institute of Bangladesh (PRI), said that this is a recognition for Bangladesh’s continuous economic improvement. He said this recognition might also help improve the sovereign rating of Bangladesh.

Mustafizur Rahman, executive director of economic think tank Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), said: “Addressing inequality and distribution problems are the keys to becoming a upper-middle income country. However, for the graduation we need to raise income to $4,126, which is still a long way.”

He also reminded that Bangladesh is still a least developed country, also known as LDC. “To get out of the LDC status, the country needs to improve income and human asset index, whose progress is till very poor. But one positive is that Bangladesh has already gone past the economic unrepeatability index – one of the three criteria for shedding the LDC status,” Mustafiz said. l

HujiB eyed prison van attacks to free leaders The house was rented to gather members of the outfit from across the country and make explosives to conduct the attacks in the capital after Eid, the RAB official added.

The elite force earlier this year busted a number of militant dens in Chittagong and also arrested Hizb ut-Tahrir leader Shafiur Rahman Farabi, the prime suspect in the Avijit Roy murder case.

RAB says the activities of HujiB and other militant groups were almost halted after a crackdown by law enforcers. But they sought to regroup inspired by last year’s video message by al-Qaeda chief Ayman Al-Zawahiri to float their wing in the subcontinent.

Other law enforcement agencies also confirmed that local militant groups were working together since last year since their aim is the same – to topple the democratic government and establish Shariah Law. RAB, however, did not find any link between the 12 arrestees and any other militant group or newly-floated platforms like Bangladesh Jihadi Group or Junud at-Tawheed Wal Khilafah. Top leaders of the HujiB are now detained at Dhaka Central Jail and Kashimpur High Security Jail.

Commander Mahmud said one of the top leaders, Mufti Moin Uddin alias Abul Jandal alias Masum Billah alias Kaza was organising the group from jail by sending letters and making telephone calls.

Moin was given death penalty in a case filed over the bomb attack on former British high commissioner Anwar Choudhury in 2004 and is being held at Dhaka Central Jail.

HujiB members are also accused of launching bomb attacks on Pohela Boishakh celebrations, rallies of the Communist Party of Bangladesh, Udichi and the Awami League on Bangabandhu Avenue, grenade attack on former finance minister Shah AMS Kibria and planting bomb at Kotalipara to assassinate Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The group was banned on October 17, 2005 for their anti-state activities. Its leaders and supporters are also involved with some Islamist parties including Islami Oikyo Jote and platforms like Hefazat-e-Islam.

As per directives of Moin Uddin, RAB says Mainul and Zafar were trying to collect fresh members through Facebook and other social media platforms under the name of “Dawate-Tabligh” and “313 Badr Soinik (or soldiers).”

Their aim was to establish the AQIS wing in Bangladesh, Commander Mahmud said.

Another high official of RAB, requesting not to be named, said the HujiB members had planned to gather at least 150 members.

Commander Mahmud said the detainees were preparing the members in three phases. In the first step, those who accepted their friend requests were called Dawat-e-Sathi (associates). Those who promised to work for the group were labelled as “Fee Sabilillah” while the ones ready to join the jihad and sacrifice life called “Sahidi Kafela.”

The arrestees are part of a 20-member team who were supposed to take physical training at a madrasa in Bogra. The training also included bomb-making techniques, analysing security measures taken by law enforcement and intelligence agencies and operating arms, he said.

Once the team was ready, their plan was to break out all of their leaders by attacking prison vans. “Primarily they had plans to release Moin Uddin by cutting the rods of a drain line that goes inside the Dhaka Central Jail. But analysing the situation, he asked his follow-

ers to attack the prison van while he was on the way to court.”

They chose to attack prison vans after a similar successful operation by Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) members in Trishal in February last year in which three top leaders of the outfit escaped in the deadly attack.

Two of the leaders later fled to India and were found to have been involved in the Burdwan blast in October the same year. Indian intelligence officials said the JMB had plans to kill the Bangladeshi prime minister and other influential leaders.

Commander Mahmud said had the HujiB men been successful in the prison van attack, they would have attacked Kashimpur jail in a bid to free their leaders.

Asked about the financing of HujiB’s regrouping process, the RAB official said they had come to know about a person named Rafiq, who sent money from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. He maintains a Facebook page under the name of “Fidai Mawla.”

RAB said they would take legal action against the 12 arrested HujiB members. l

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FRIDAY, JULY 3, 2015

GP post-paid users facing network problems, ghost charges n Ishtiaq Husain Grameenphone’s post-paid subscribers are facing severe network problems and being surprised with ghost charges because of what the telecom operator says is a system upgradation.

The problems over the last one week or so have forced many subscribers – a good number from among GP’s huge corporate customer base – to use or consider switching to other operators’ connections.

Many users alleged that they had cleared the unusually high bills but were still out of network; others said they had not been able to pay any bills at all because of network disruption. Some said they were receiving calls but had not been able to make any.

GP, the leading mobile telecom operator in the country, has five million post-paid users out of its 52.8 million active connections.

The operator acknowledges the situation and promises to adjust the bills in the quickest possible time.

But the country’s telecom regulator does not have information on this, neither has anybody lodged any written complaints with them.

“If anyone filed complaints to the regulatory body, definitely we would have looked into the matter,” said Sarwar Alam, secretary of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC).

However, sources said that the regulator has received several complaints from important people such as senior government secretaries.

Janubul Haq, a former secretary, said that his GP mobile connection was completely network-dead from June 21 to 26. “Suddenly, the network on my mobile phone died. I could not make or receive any calls at that time.”

On June 26, he complained to a BTRC director and got back network after paying a Tk3,000 bill.

“I am quite sure my dues are not that high but they told me to pay it to get back to the network … All that time, I had to carry another connection. It felt like I lost connection with the world.”

Seeking anonymity, another user showed this correspondent two text messages that he had received from the operator on June 25 and 26.

The first message said his monthly bill was Tk1,379.96; but the one sent the next day said

the bill was Tk2,678.73. When he informed the GP customer care, they sought 72 hours to look into the matter.

“Last month, the outgoing service of my post-paid GP connection was barred for four days. I am a journalist and when that happens, it becomes very difficult for me to do my work,” said a senior correspondent of a national Bangla daily.

When the Dhaka Tribune contacted GP yesterday, they sent a statement in response.

“The problem originated from a standard system upgrade that unfortunately had not gone as planned, thus prolonging customer suffering,” the statement reads.

“Moreover, some postpaid customers have raised concerns to us about receiving SMS that indicated either overcharges or excess credit on their accounts.

“All such irregularities, inadvertently triggered by this system upgradation, will not impact the customers and will be adjusted very shortly,” the GP statement said.

The system software that GP uses was developed by global communication company Ericsson. l

Rough weather hinders search for missing BAF pilot n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong Rough weather in the Bay of Bengal is hindering the search for Flight Lieutenant Tahmid Rumman of Bangladesh Air Force (BAF).

The search operation has been going on for more than 72 hours, since Tahmid’s aircraft, a F-7MB 416 fighter jet, crashed into the sea near Chittagong Port’s Outer Anchorage area, around six nautical miles off Patenga beach, on Monday morning.

Bangladesh Coast Guard, Bangladesh Navy, the maritime authority and Chittagong Port Authority joined the BAF in search of Tahmid, but they have had no luck in finding him.

The search party has not been able to trace the remains of the aircraft either, save for some broken parts of the jet’s wings which were seen floating at the crash site on Monday.

Bangladesh Coast Guard Ship Tawfiq, which had been part of the rescue mission from the start, returned to the coast guard base yesterday and CGS Tanveer joined the search party in its place, said Captain Shahidul Islam, east zone commander of the coast guard. l

Testimony of Felani murder accused continues n Our Correspondent, Kurigram The self-confessed killer of Bangladeshi teenager Felani Khatun gave deposition yesterday at a special BSF court in West Bengal’s Cooch Behar.

It was the third day of the case’s retrial that began on September 22 last year at the BSF General Security Forces court headed by its Assam-Meghalaya frontier DIG (Communication) SP Trivedi.

Felani’s father M Nur Islam testified in the case on November 17.

The trial procedure was adjourned twice – on November 22 for four months and on March 26 for three months.

The fresh trial began in the face of outrage over the verdict on September 6, 2013 that acquitted BSF 181 Battalion Constable Amiya Ghosh from the charges because of “inconclusive and insufficient” evidence against him.

Felani, who worked as a housemaid in New Delhi, was shot dead while her father and maternal uncle escaped while crossing the border on January 7, 2011. The BSF personnel fired at her when her clothes got entangled in the barbed wire. Her body was left there for several hours.

The BSF later probed the incident and found Amiya responsible for the murder with his 5.56mm Insas rifle. Amiya also confessed to the crime. He was charged under Section 304 (unintentional killing) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 146 of the BSF Act. Kurigram’s public prosecutor Abraham Lincoln, who is assisting Felani’s family in the case, said he hoped that the retrial would be completed in this session and the accused handed down stern punishment. l

A BRTC bus is caught in frame while stuck in traffic in Hatirjheel in the capital yesterday. Buses often ply the streets in the Hatirjheel project area flouting a ban on public transports while the authorities turn a blind eye to the violation RAJIB DHAR

ACC files case against UCB, Sonali officials n Adil Sakhawat

Four officials of two banks have been found involved in assisting customers to get illegal benefits from banks in two primary inquiries launched by the Anti-Corruption Commission.

Two of the accused officials helped customers to get cash incentives worth Tk4.14 crore from Sonali Bank though they had failed to meet the requirements. Another inquiry found that two high officials of United Commercial Bank Ltd had helped a packaging factory owner to get loan worth Tk6.81 crore when the businessman has no ability to get the loan.

ACC Senior Deputy Director Mir Jainul Abedin Shibly filed a case with Motijheel police against executive officers of Sonali Bank’s NCTB branch Mosharraf Hossain and of Comilla’s Debidwar branch Jakir Hossain. The other accused is Ayesha Afroze, managing director of Oli Knitting Fabrics Limited.

The other case was filed with Kotwali police against UCB’s former senior vice-president Ali Haider and Vice-President Mohammed Yunus of Naya Bazar branch, and Fahmida Sultana, proprietor of FS Packaging Industry Limited.

The allegations say the two Sonali Bank

officials had issued discount certificate in favour of Ayesha against an export bill worth $63,882 (dated May 28, 2008) in 2009 to help her getting 5% advance money against that bill. But according to the procedure, if the payment is not paid fully, an exporter cannot apply for the incentive.

The FIR in UCB scam says with the help of two high officials, the other accused took loan worth Tk6.81 crore in between 2003 and 2011 showing fake documents of 0.58 hectare land in favour of FS Packaging. By providing the loan, the duo gained financial benefits from the customer, the case says. l

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FRIDAY, JULY 3, 2015

Time-befitting policies stressed for seed sector n Abu Bakar Siddique The country needs to formulate time-befitting policies to promote the seed sector so that farmers can get the best output as well as the private sectors can flourish in a controlled manner.

The proposed polices should contain the direction to conduct research and marketing of the seed by both public and private organisations to give the best output to the country’s agriculture sector.

The remarks came from a discussion titled “Problems and Prospects of the Country’s

Seed Sector” jointly organised by Agriculture Ministry’s seed wing and the daily newspaper Banikbarta.

“The government should take steps to stop marketing of fake and substandard seed in the country as some unscrupulous businessmen have already spread a network of fake seed,” said Mahabub Anam, managing director of Lal Teer seed company.

The proposed policy should have a clear direction to stop such kind of adulteration, he also said adding that otherwise the improvement of seed sector is impossible.

In addition, there are several incidents of

fake seed marketing among farmers in the country in the last few years by some private sector seed producers for which farmers have had to count huge loss.

“The government has pointed out the problems of the seed sector and it is taking measures to solve them,” said Anwar Faruque, director general of the ministry’s seed wing, while addressing the discussion at the city’s BASIS Hall.

He, however, said the country has a huge prospects for the sector.

Citing an example of private sectors’ achievement, the DG also said the private

seed producers in Bangladesh are now exporting seed which can be considered as a big success.

The country needs around 11.5 lakh tonnes of seed each year. Of them, only 23% is being supplied by public and private institutions.

Dr Mahabub Hossain, former Brac chief executive, thinks that the country needs joint collaboration of public and private entrepreneurs to ensure quality seed for farmers.

In case of seed marketing the private sector can take the lead but in case of research and inbreed seed marketing the government has to take the lead, he added. l

Poor turnout at plant fair for lack of publicity n Abu Hayat Mahmud Exhibitors at the Jatiya Brikkho Mela 2015, the annual plant fair being held in the capital’s Agargaon area, expressed frustration over the poor turnout of visitors and customers.

The participants of the month-long fair that started on June 18 cited the lack of publicity and ongoing Ramadan for the low visitor flow.

Organisers of the fair told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday that the fair was supposed to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. But it was not possible because of her busy schedule.

“The prime minister could not officially inaugurate the fair on the two scheduled dates.

However, we have a new date, July 10, for the premier to inaugurate the fair,” said forester Mohammad Abdus Salam.

‘The fair will gain momentum once the prime minister opens it formally’ He also hoped that the fair would gain momentum once the prime minister opened it and the Ramadan ended.

Taslima Akter, a visitor said: “I thought the plant fair would start from July due to the Ramadan. But two days ago I heard that the fair had already started.”

In reply to a question, the forester claimed that the Department of Forest, the key organiser of the fair, might extend the fair.

He further said a total of 89 nurseries were exhibiting more than 500 species of local and foreign flowers, fruits, timber and other varieties of plants in the fair this year.

Mostofa Kamal, proprietor of Pushpa Kanan and Iqbal Nursery said due to the poor presence of visitors their business was comparatively slower than the previous years.

“If Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had launched the fair on the scheduled date, the media reports would have drawn more visitors,” he said.

Mostofa said his shops had more than 250 items of different flowers, fruits, ornamental and medicinal plants with new species of Thai mango.

“On an average we are selling about 5,0006,000 trees and saplings each day worth about Tk15,000. But last year we sold about 15,000-20,000 trees everyday day worth about Tk50,000,” he said. l

Visitors browse through plants yesterday at the month-long plant fair being organised in Dhaka’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area

Order on Fakhrul’s bail Sunday n Ashif Islam Shaon The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has set July 5 for making its ruling on the government petitions challenging BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir’s bail in three violence cases granted by the High Court.

A four-member bench headed by Chief Justice SK Sinha set the date after hearing the petitions yesterday. Fakhrul’s counsel Khandker Mahbub Hossain pleaded to the court to uphold the bail, claiming that BNP leader was not involved in any offence and there was no specific allegation against him.

Attorney General Mahbubey Alam opposed the High Court’s bail order. He said Fakhrul was charged with instigating criminals to vandalise vehicles and setting those alight.

On June 21, the High Court granted Fakhrul bail in the cases, prompting the prosecution to file separate petitions against the court order.

On Sunday, the Appellate Division upheld the BNP leader’s bail in three other cases after hearing the prosecution’s plea to stay that. On June 18, Fakhrul secured interim bail from the High Court in those cases.

The same bench yesterday upheld the High Court decision to grant BNP leader Goyeshwar Chandra Roy bail, lifting the bar to release him from jail.

It vacated an order given by a chamber judge of the Supreme Court that had stayed Goyeshwar’s High Court bail.

On May 6, the High Court granted interim bail to the BNP leader in a case accusing him of plotting subversive activities. The case was filed on December 28, 2014 with Turag police station and was sent to jail after arrest.

On May 24, the chamber judge of the Supreme Court stayed the bail order.

His lawyer Nitai Roy Chowdhury said there was no legal bar to release him from jail as he has secured bail in all of three cases. l

RAJIB DHAR

Pregnant woman rescued from rapists on microbus n Kamrul Hasan A pregnant woman was rescued by police from a moving microbus in the capital’s Uttara area early yesterday when two miscreants attempted to rape her.

A patrol team of Uttara police chased the moving vehicle, rescued the victim and nabbed the two criminals around 1:30am.

They are Zahidul Islam and Rubel.

The victim filed an attempted rape case with the police station around 2pm.

“Two miscreants forcefully pushed the woman inside the microbus when she was waiting at Uttara Bus Stand with her parents,” SI Sohel Chowdhury told the Dhaka Tribune.

“Hearing hue and cry, a patrol team of Uttara police chased the microbus and arrested the criminals were trying to rape her,” he said. l

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FRIDAY, JULY 3, 2015

Much-expected Labour Law rules yet to be formulated n Sheikh Shahariar Zaman The government has yet again failed to formulate Labour Law rules which were supposed to be in place on June 30.

“We have sent the draft rules to the Law Ministry for vetting and after their clearance we will publish the gazette,” Labour Ministry Secretary Mikail Shipar told the Dhaka Tribune.

The Labour Ministry sent the draft rules to the Law Ministry on June 18 and it was expected that it would take at best one month to complete all the formalities, he said.

After the collapse of Rana Plaza, the government agreed to bring about major changes in the Labour Act 2006 and accordingly it was amended in 2013.

But over the last two years the government failed several times to announce the changes.

The secretary said nobody has felt the necessity of formulating rules before the Rana

Plaza incident.

“It was a huge task as we had to formulate common rules to be accepted by 42 formal sectors,” said Mikail Shipar.

Formulation of rules is one of the major demands of the western governments and buyers who are consistently asking the government to put them in place.

When contacted, Dutch Ambassador to Bangladesh Gerben de Jong said: “The implementation of the rules is crucial to establish a transformed garment sector.”

The Bangladesh National Action Plan for Fire and Building Safety, the Better Work Bangladesh, the Accord and the Alliance are all eagerly awaiting the publication in order to move forward in their efforts, he said.

The ambassador said during the visit of Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Lilianne Ploumen last month, she emphasised the need for

the speedy completion of processes towards adoption of the implementing rules of the Bangladesh Labour Act. European Union Ambassador Pierre Mayaudon a few days back said after the Rana Plaza incident the trade relations had a big jolt and the European bloc was then considering to withdraw the quota-free duty-free benefit market access for Bangladesh.

He said many things had been done and they were still waiting for implementation of rules.

After the collapse of Rana Plaza, the government committed to amending labour laws, formulating its rules, appointing 200 new inspectors, inspecting garment factories and facilitating registration of trade unions.

So far, the government has appointed 222 new inspectors; about 3,000 factories out of over 4,000 have been inspected; and over 300 new trade unions have been registered in the last two years. l

Double murder: Rony sent to jail after remand n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu A Dhaka court yesterday sent Bakhtiar Alam Rony, son of Awami League lawmaker Pinu Khan, to prison after rejecting his bail petition in the double murder case.

Metropolitan Magistrate Aminul Haque passed the order after Sub-Inspector Dipak Kumar Das, also the investigating officer of the case, produced Rony before the court after the end of a two-day remand in the case.

Rony in three phases was remanded for 10 days in the case filed with Ramna police station in the capital.

On the night of April 13, Rony indiscriminately fired shots from a car near Janakantha Bhaban in the capital’s New Eskaton, leaving rickshaw-puller Abdul Hakim and Yakub, autorickshaw driver at the daily Janakantha, injured. Hakim succumbed to his injuries at Dhaka Medical College Hospital on April 15 while Yakub died on April 23.

Hakim’s mother Monowara Begum filed the murder case. l

Two held in city for planning mugging n Kamrul Hasan The Detective Branch of police early yesterday arrested two cronies of a local terrorist in the capital’s Rampura who planned to rob people of money withdrawn from banks.

The two - Md Nur Akash and Md Rasel Sharif – are members of a terrorist group led by Shahjada, who is now behind bars, said police.

The duo were detained from Balur Math area of Rampura around 1:30am and police recovered a pistol, a magazine, and three rounds of bullets from a rented room in the area during the operation.

They made plans to mug people who would come out of banks with money Khokon, who is the associate of the detainees, rented the room but is now on the run.

Addressing a press briefing at the Dhaka Metropolitan Police media centre, DMP Joint Commissioner Monirul Islam said the arrestees chose to commit the crime on Thursday, the last working day of the week when banks generally see a huge transaction.

“Besides, it is now Ramadan and they thought people would withdraw a large sum of money from banks. They made plans to mug such people who would come out of banks with money,” he said.

The policeman said the arrestees had confessed to committing crimes such as mugging, extortion and drug peddling at the order of their leader Shahjada.

Police filed a case against Akash and Rasel with Rampura police station.

Police sources said the two were arrested based on information provided by six men, who were held on Tuesday on charges of stealing Tk33 lakh and killing a man named Rubel in Rampura. The six were remanded for three days and admitted to working for Shahjada. l

Building construction materials kept on this road in Mirpur’s Shialbari area in the capital hamper movement of passers-by and also increases dust and pollution in the air. The photo was taken yesterday MEHEDI HASAN

Three cocaine bust suspects remanded n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong

A Chittagong court has granted a 10-day remand for three arrestees in a case regarding the recent smuggling of liquid cocaine in sunflower oil drums at Chittagong Port.

The court of Metropolitan Magistrate Farid Alam passed the order yesterday when the police produced the three men seeking a 10-day remand, said CMP Additional Deputy Commissioner (prosecution) Kazi Muttaki Ibn Minan.

The remanded arrestees – Cosco Shipping Agency’s Manager AKM Azad, Mondol Group’s Commercial Executive Atiqur Rahaman and real estate official Mostafa Kamal – were handed over to CMP’s Detective Branch in the morning.

Directorate of Customs Intelligence and Investigation (CIID) held the three men from Dhaka and Chittagong on June 30. They were accused in the case lodged with Bandar police station which was being investigated by the DB.

Earlier, accused Golam Mostafa Sohel, manager of Prime Hatchery Limited which is a sister concern of the alleged cocaine importing company Khan Jahan Ali Group, was placed under a five-day remand. Another accused, Khan Jahan Ali Group Chairman Nur Mohammad, is on the run.

On June 27, the existence of liquid cocaine was found in the laboratory test of the sample collected from the sealed sunflower oil laden container in Chittagong port. l

DT

6 NEWS

FRIDAY, JULY 3, 2015

Erosion hits hard Barisal city n Our Correspondent, Barisal River erosion has severely hit at least 26 points on the banks of different Rivers flowing through the greater Barisal district in the last two months.

Different establishments including roads, crop lands, houses, educational and religious institutions, shops, and ferry terminals are getting washed away every day, causing heavy loss to around five lakh residents of the region.

For management of these 26 points, Water Development Board (WDB) took a Tk410 crore River Erosion Protection Project last year, however, government was yet to allocate fund for the project, said Zahiruddin Ahmed, executive engineer WDB Barisal office.

He said: “We have received only Tk20 core for working at six points whereas 2o more points in Harinathpur of Hizla, Charbaria of Barisal sadar, Nazirpur and Gudighat of Muladi, Darial and Badalpara under Bakerganj upazilas are largely affected. For that, the Tk410 crore River Erosion Protection Project needs to get rolling.”

Cracks have appeared on the embankment of Meghna River in different parts of Ulania.

The mighty river has already eroded vast tracts near the Patarhut steamer terminal, Lengutia, Sreepur and other river-bank areas under Mehendiganj upazila.

The heavy flow of the Meghna has also washed away vast portions of Harinathpur, Aliganj Bazaar, Dhulkhola, and Baushia villages under Hizla, Nazirpur, and Gudighat of Muladi upazilas.

Erosion of the Sugandha River bank has created cracks on the approach road of Birshrestha Captain Mohiuddin Jahangir Bridge in Mohishadi area on the Barisal-Dhaka Highway and washed away vast tracts in Manikkathi, Rakudia and other parts under Babu-

Suspended food officer returns missing grains n

Our Correspondent, Chandpur

A food officer who was suspended for wheat and rice misappropriation one year ago, returned the grain recently to the godown.

According to sources, former officer-incharge at Naergaon Food Godown Jahangir Alam, who was suspended for misappropriating 185 tonnes grain worth about Tk4 lakh a year ago, returned it few days ago.

In July, 2014, Magistrate Imran Hossain went to inspect the godown and found 149.87 tonnes rice and 34.83 tonnes wheat missing.

Jahangir and two others officials were asked about the incident but they failed to reply.

Later, the godown was sealed off and the officials were suspended by Executive Magistrate Runa Lila in connection with the incident.

Acting officer-in-charge Md Shah Jahan of the godown said, Jahangir bought the grain equal to missing wheat and rice with his money and returned it to the godown.

When contacted, the district food controller said that the incident of retuning the missing grain was a rare case.

He said the officials might have sold the grain to smugglers. l

People remove their establishments after 20 shops got washed away by the Kirtankhola River at Charkawa point yesterday ganj upazila.

Regarding saving the approach road, Zahiruddin Ahmed said: “After an inter-ministerial meeting, it was decided that the Roads and Highways department would fund while the WDB would carry out the project. We have sent the plan and estimates, but yet receive the fund.”

Khalid Shahed, executive engineer of Barisal Roads and Highways Department, said funds might be allocated as soon as the government sanctions it under budget for the new fiscal year.

Meanwhile, the Arial Kha River has washed away a sawmill, a rice mill, and some residential lands in Rafiadi under Chandpasha union of Babuganj within just a week. Other hundreds of establishments in the area are at the

risk of being washed away.

The Sandhya River has eroded different areas in Sakrail, Chatalbari under Wazirpur, Shialkathi ferry terminal and Dandoyat, Chaulakathi, Goalbari, and Masjidbari areas under Banaripara upazila.

Laxmipasha, Durgapasha, Kobai areas under Bakerganj upazila are in a risky position to get washed away anytime by the speedily advancing flow of Karkhana River.

The Kirtankhola River has endangered surface water treatment plant, ferry terminals, ice factories, shipyards at Beltala, Singherkathi, and Taltali-Lamchhari Road under Charbaria union.

Twenty shops, ferry pontoon and connecting roads washed away around 6am yesterday

Jute workers oppose govt’s privatisation drive n Our Correspondent, Khulna Workers of state-owned Alim Jute Mills in Khulna put up barricades at different points on the Khulna-Jessore Highway yesterday protesting against the government’s plans to privatise the industry.

This road and railway barricade programme from 10am till 11pm was a part of their ongoing movement launched under banner of under the banner of Privatisation Resistance Committee.

The barricades on the highway disrupted transport services causing immense sufferings to people.

A meeting was also held in on the premises of the mill where workers’ leader Abdus Salam Jamaddar, Syful Islam Mintu, Sarder Abdul Hamid, Mujibur Rahman Makbul, Abbas Ali, Iqbal Hossain, Sheikh Zakaria, Anwar Hossain, Abed Ali , Redowan Hossain Bahar, Babul Reza, Akbar Ali, Hafez Abdus Salam and Rafiqul Islam.

The committee convener Md Abdur Rashid presided over the function.

The speakers threatened the gov-

ernment that they would paralyse Khulna city if the authorities concerned did not cancel their decision about privatising the mill immediately.

They were also demanding adequate allocation of fund for buying raw materials for the mills, payment of their arrear wages, payment of twenty per cent dearness allowance, exploration of markets both at home and abroad for gearing up sale of products and removal of corrupt officials.

The government announced privatising the Alim Jute Mills about six months back.

According to the Dhaka Tribune reports on 22 May, a cash crunch hit nine state-owned jute mills in Khulna and Jessore regions, with the workers demanding that money be allocated to purchase raw jute.

But the mills’ authorities said this was the result of unsold jute products piling up at the factories and not particularly a financial problem.

In mills where jute has not been stored, however, productions have fallen and workers have not been paid on time. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

when the Kirtankhola River overflew its bank on the east near Barisal River Port.

This correspondent found panicked people hastily transferring their properties from the affected area. Ahmadia Fazil Madrasa is now under threat getting washed away.

Barisal Sadar Upazila Chairman Saidur Rahman Rintu said the pressure created by the down stream rivers made the situation worse. Implementation of a long term sustainable river management policy was needed to control erosion.

Zahiruddin also said the WDB Barisal office was waiting for approval to two more emergency projects of Tk24.49 lakh and Tk23.91 lakh for preventing erosion by placing porcupine and sandbags in Beltala area. l

DT

NEWS 7

FRIDAY, JULY 3, 2015

Oxygen intersection blocked by garment workers n Tribune Report

Around 300 workers of a readymade garment factory blocked the road from Oxygen intersection to Sholoshohor gate no 2 in Chittagong yesterday creating a gridlock.

From 3pm to 4:30pm, the workers of Glory Garments Ltd demonstrated on the road after the authorities of factory did not pay them their due wages.

The management of the factory earlier made an announcement of paying the workers their due wages for doing overtime in the month of May yesterday, but they did not, Arifur Rahman Arif, deputy assistant director of Industrial Police-3, Chittagong, told the Dhaka Tribune.

“Angered, the agitated workers staged demonstration inside the factory and later took it to the streets,” he said.

Pradip Kumar Das, officer-in-charge of Baizid police station, said the workers’ demonstration halted the traffic movement around the busy intersection for almost an hour.

Police brought the situation under control around 4:30pm and ordered Glory Garments Ltd General Manager Saiful Islam to pay the workers their due wages immediately, he said. l

WEATHER THUNDERSHOWER WITH RAIN

FRIDAY, JULY 3 DHAKA TODAY

TOMORROW

SUN SETS 6:50PM

SUN RISES 5:16AM

FORECAST FOR TODAY 34 31 33 32 29 28 32 28

Dhaka Chittagong Rajshahi Rangpur Khulna Barisal Sylhet Cox’s Bazar

27 26 26 26 26 27 25 26

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

35.2ºC

23.5ºC

Ishwardi

Rangamati Source: Accuweather/UNB

PRAYER TIMES Fajr Sunrise Jumma Asr Magrib Esha

3:45am 5:14am 12:03am 4:43pm 6:50pm 8:20pm SourceL IslamicFinder.org

The extremely poor condition of the road in front of the Rajanigandha Market in Mirpur’s Rupnagar area is hardly usable for vehicles or commuters. The authorities concerned seem reluctant about taking any step to renovate the road MEHEDI HASAN

DMP without a rainy day traffic plan n Kamrul Hasan Whenever a heavy downpour inundates the capital’s low-lying areas, it also brings forward an issue that is very familiar to Dhaka residents: utter chaos in traffic management.

Even though further heavy rain is expected during monsoon, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police are still without an effective plan to handle vehicular movement on inundated streets, where it is common for long tailbacks to occur.

Md Abdur Rahman, deputy director at the Met Office’s climate division, said spells of rain is likely to resume in the city from after July 2.

While the DMP blames Dhaka Wasa for failing to solve the problem, the Water Supply and Sewerage Authority says the responsibility of preventing water stagnation also fell

on the shoulders of the city corporations and Rajuk.

DMP traffic (South) Joint Commissioner Musleh Uddin Ahmed said Wasa was responsible for the water stagnation and it was their duty to resolve the matter.

As there was not enough streets available in Dhaka city, the DMP forces are unable to arrange alternative routes that would divert the traffic away from inundated streets, he added.

Police sources, however, said they had no specific list of the streets that were easily inundated during rain.

Moderate spells of rain usually inundates low-lying areas such as Mirpur, Mohammadpur, Malibagh, Shantinagar, Motijheel, and Jurain. The water on the streets is almost always accompanied by a traffic jam and additional woes for those without any transport.

Even though the police blame the Wasa,

Fair trial in Tonni killing case demanded n Our Correspondent, Khulna

The family members of Sharaha Fargusan Tonni whose hanging body was found in her in-law’s house in the city this year have demanded the proper justice and the security to the authorities concerned.

They made the call from a press briefing held in Bangladesh Crime Reporters’ Association (CRAB) in the capital yesterday noon.

Tonni’s mother Shamima Akhter alleged that the accused influenced her 23-year-old girl’s postmortem report to show the incident as suicidal.

Even they have been threatening them as well as their lawyers of dire consequence unless the lawsuit is lifted, Shamima went on.

The briefing was told that Tonni got married to Md Sohel Biswas, son of former local lawmaker Abdul Gaffar Biswas, in September 27, 2013 and the newlywed housewife ob-

served that her husband was involved in extramarital affair and addiction to drugs.

Sohel used to torture Tonni when she tried to bring back him to the normal life. Even he used to make death threats to her for the move.

On April 7, this year, Tonni’s hanging body was recovered from her husband’s residence in Noor Nagar in the city and her mother launched a murder case against five people including Sohel and his sister Ety Biswas.

However, Tonni’s postmortem report prepared by Khulna Medical College Hospital stated her incident suicidal and police submitted the charge sheet in this regard as well, which was rejected by the victim’s mother.

Later on June 4, the case was handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department of police for further investigation and the CID was granted a four-day remand for Sohel in the lawsuit. l

the sewerage authorities themselves struggle with different limitations.

Several Wasa officials, on condition of anonymity, said Wasa’s drainage system needed to be expanded by at least 40% in order to make it capable of handling the excess rainwater.

Dhaka Wasa Managing Director Taqseem A Khan said they could not be blamed solely for the water stagnation situation as the Wasa only maintained one-third of the city’s sewerage system.

Joint efforts by Wasa, the city corporations in Dhaka, and Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha were going on to solve the water stagnation crisis, he added.

Despite repeated efforts, DNCC Chief Engineer Gazi Firoz and DSCC Chief Engineer Md Habibur Rahman could not reached over the phone for comments. l

Two killed as bus plunges into ditch in Chittagong n CU Correspondent

Two people, including a driver and a woman, were killed when a passenger bus plunged into a ditch by the Dhaka-Chittagong highway in Mirsarai upazila in Chittagong yesterday morning.

The deceased are bus driver Idris, 40, son of Abdus Sobhan, and Afroja Afrin, 50, wife of late Golam Rahman of Feni, said Sub-Inspector (SI) Farid Uddin, In-Charge (IC) of Jorarganj Highway Police Outpost.

SI Farid said the Chittagong city-bound bus of Fayez Transport, coming from Baraiarhat of Mirsari upazila, plunged into a highway ditch at Dakhsin Wahidpur under Jorarganj police station at Mirsarai upazila when the driver lost control over the steering at around 10:30am, leaving the duo dead on the spot.

Police later recovered their bodies from the spot, said the SI. l

DT

8 WORLD

FRIDAY, JULY 3, 2015

At least 38 dead in Philippine ferry capsize n AFP, Manila A ferry loaded with nearly 200 people capsized off a central Philippine port yesterday, officials said, killing at least 38 people in the latest of the country’s long string of maritime tragedies.

Up to 33 people are missing after the 33-tonne, wooden-hulled Kim Nirvana tipped over shortly after setting sail from Ormoc city at midday, the coast guard said.

Vegetable trader Reynante Manza, 45, cried as he recounted how the 33-tonne vessel suddenly rolled to one side as it reversed course shortly after backing out of the pier of Ormoc, pulling down his wife and many others under the water.

“It rolled while attempting to turn around swiftly. I am alive because I jumped overboard as soon as it happened,” Manza told reporters.

Just a small section of the boat’s underbelly, surrounded by rescue boats, was visible above water by late afternoon, according to an AFP photographer.

It bobbed above the waves a mere 200 metres (656 feet) from the shore, journalists on the scene said, much closer than the one-kilometre (half-mile) estimate made by local disaster officials earlier.

Rescuers pulled 118 survivors from the sea and continue to scour the deep waters where the accident happened, said Philippine National Red Cross chief Richard Gordon told AFP. Gordon put the toll at 38 dead and 33 missing, citing the latest figures from rescuers on the scene.

“Some clung on to the hull of the overturned vessel, while some were rescued while swimming toward the shore,” Ciriaco Tolibao, an official from the city’s disaster risk reduction and management office, told AFP.

Rescuers search for survivors at the site of the capsized passenger ferry off Ormoc City, central Philippines yesterday The vessel was carrying 173 passengers and 16 crew members, and was licensed to carry up to 200 people, Tolibao said.

Many of the passengers were traders bringing farm produce and other merchandise to the Camotes island grouping, whose residents rely mostly on fishing, Tolibao added.

The authorities were puzzled how the accident had happened in relatively calm waters, after initial reports of choppy seas, and dis-

counted speculation that it was overloaded.

“There wasn’t any storm or any gale. We’re trying to find out (why it happened),” Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Commander Armand Balilo told AFP. He said the boat’s outriggers apparently broke in the accident, and added it was possible the crew had committed a navigational error.

The Kim Nirvana was on its normal route to the islands, which sit about an hour’s sail

Thai crackdown on illegal fishing threatens industry

Death sentences of Afghan woman killers revoked

Around 5,000 Thai fishing boats have stopped operating out of fear they will be prosecuted over new rules, a fisheries body said yesterday, as authorities crackdown to avoid a European Union ban on fish products.

The belated clampdown on illegal fishing, which comes in response to a “yellow card” issued by Brussels over inadequate fisheries monitoring. In April Brussels warned that a “red card” and eventual import ban would follow, costing Thailand US$1 billion in European sales, if it failed to improve within six months.

Aphisit Techanitisawad, president of The Thai Overseas Fisheries Association, said “more than 5,000 vessels” had stopped operations due to the lack of a permit or the correct equipment. Those caught fishing while flouting new rules face a fine of up to 100,000 baht (US$3,000) and a year in jail, he said.

“A lot of fish markets have no catch today.

In one more week there will be no more fish to sell.” “Around 20,000 migrant workers may lose their jobs,” he added, saying that the government ought to buy back fishermen’s boats if it wasn’t prepared to issue them with permits so that they “can look for new jobs.” l

An Afghan appeal court has overturned death sentences given to four men for the mob killing in March of a woman falsely accused of blasphemy in Kabul, a judge said yesterday.

The woman, Farkhunda, 27, was savagely beaten and her body set ablaze in broad daylight, triggering protests around the country and drawing global attention to the treatment of Afghan women.

Police arrested 49 people in connection with the attack, including 19 police officers, some of whom were shown standing by doing nothing to stop the lynching in cellphone videos recorded by bystanders.

In May a court sentenced four men to death and eight others were handed 16-year jail terms after a three-day trial broadcast live on national television.

“The appeal court decided to reduce the sentence – three of them got 20 years in prison and one 10 years,” judge Nasir Murid, the head of the Kabul appeals court, told AFP without giving any further details.

The appeal was heard behind closed doors and reportedly reached a verdict on Wednesday, according to local media.

n AFP, Bangkok

n AFP, Kabul

Farkhunda’s brother Mujibullah told AFP the family had not been told of the court’s decision or invited to the session.

“We just heard through media that the appeal court in a secret session has reversed the decision. They didn’t inform us. Whatever the decision is we will not accept it.” he said.

Eleven Afghan policemen were also sentenced in May to one year in prison for failing to protect Farkhunda from the angry mob.

Farkhunda was attacked on the banks of the Kabul River after an amulet seller, whom she had reportedly castigated for peddling superstition, falsely accused her of burning a copy of the Koran. Her case become a symbol of the endemic violence that women face in Afghanistan.

Yesterday, a number of activists reacted angrily to the court’s decision.

“We are planning massive protest against the court ruling on Farkhunda. Lack of justice and transparency is just unacceptable,” activist Ramin Anwari wrote on Twitter.

Last October five Afghan men were hanged over a gang rape that sparked a national outcry, though the UN and human rights groups called for President Ashraf Ghani to stay the executions. l

AFP

from Ormoc city.

Poorly maintained, loosely regulated ferries are the backbone of maritime travel in the sprawling archipelago.

This has led to frequent accidents that have claimed hundreds of lives in recent years, including the world’s worst peacetime maritime disaster in 1987 when the Dona Paz ferry collided with an oil tanker, leaving more than 4,300 dead. l

Italy minister on hunger strike for gay civil unions n AFP, Rome

A junior minister in the Italian government has gone on hunger strike in a protest aimed at speeding up moves to introduce civil unions for gay couples.

Ivan Scalfarotto, 49, said in his blog he was aiming to force discussion of the issue into the mainstream and rally the support of “all those people of good faith who have been thinking up until now that it was enough just to wait.”

“Between the demonstrations of Catholic fundamentalists and the Gay Pride marches, you’d think there was nothing in between,” wrote the minister, who is gay himself and a long-standing rights campaigner.

“The time has come to do something more to support those working to ensure Italy finally catches up with Kentucky, or at least gets near,” he added in a reference to the recent US Supreme Court ruling which forces even the most conservative of states to allow gay marriage.

Italy stands alone amongst major western Europe states in having no provisions for the official recognition of homosexual couples.

Draft legislation that would authorise civil unions for them is currently blocked in the Senate. l

DT

WORLD 9

FRIDAY, JULY 3, 2015

Tunisia arrests eight with ‘direct links’ to beach massacre n AFP, Tunis

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is seen on a television monitor while addressing the nation in Athens, Greece July 1. Tsipras called on Greeks to vote ‘No’ in Sunday’s referendum on a bailout package offered by creditors REUTERS

Worried Greeks slide towards ‘Yes’ pro-bailout vote n AFP, Athens In the shade of oak trees in a dusty Athens park, a fierce debate is raging. Is it better to vote “No” in the upcoming referendum and unshackle Greece from its creditors, or say “Yes” to Europe?

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has urged people to vote against the latest bailout deal offered by European governments, the European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund, slamming their conditions as “humiliating.”

Orange posters urging a “No” vote line the streets, the word “OXI” (no in Greek) stamped in large black letters, and towards evening groups of youngsters target the city’s bars and clubs with flyers urging people to defy the creditors.

But since the government enforced capital controls this week – closing banks to stop panicked Greeks emptying their accounts after talks with the creditors collapsed – anger has been growing.

Five years of austerity has bled the country dry, but it is Tsipras and his radical left Syriza party that are blamed for inflicting this latest pain on exhausted Greeks, and some potential “No” voters are now sliding over to “Yes”.

“I was going to vote ‘No’ because I think the Greek people are being treated with contempt. But Tsipras has made the situation so much worse, it’s his fault the banks are closed,” said shop assistant Suzanna Alizoti.

The controls mean ordinary Greeks can withdraw just 60 euros ($67) a day. With many cashpoints running out of money, people queueing for hours at a time can come away empty-handed.

“I have worked hard, saved hard, and I support my parents with my savings. And now I can’t even access my money? We need new jobs, new investments, not more chaos,” 32-year- old Alizoti fretted.

Confusion also reigns over what the referendum is about – or whether there is any point to it at all.

Many people agree with EU leaders, who

say it is a vote on whether Greece wants to remain in the euro.

But the government says the plebiscite simply asks Greeks if they want to accept tough austerity conditions demanded by the international creditors.

As the conditions were attached to a bailout that expired on Tuesday, however, many people were questioning the validity of such a vote – with one man polled accusing Tsipras of “stupidity, utter madness.”

“It’s a totally stupid question to be asking Greeks,” said lawyer Georgiadis Aris, who has several friends who have swapped from “No” to “Yes” in a bid to get rid of “an increasingly erratic Tsipras.”

While he believes the “Yes” camp will win, “if it’s only a marginal victory we’ll have difficult days ahead.” “Now it’s only the banks. But if there’s a run on supermarkets, and fuel starts running out, it could lead to riots, to chaos, even to a coup by the sort of military junta which seized the country in 1967,” he said. l

Tunisia yesterday arrested eight people in connection with last week’s jihadist massacre at a seaside resort.

“Eight people with direct links to the carrying out of the operation, including a woman, have been arrested,” said Kamel Jendoubi, a minister who heads a crisis group set up after the attack.

“The security services have been able to... uncover and destroy the network that was behind this operation,” Jendoubi told a press conference, without specifying whether more arrests would be made.

Friday’s attack saw 23-year-old student Seifeddine Rezgui gun down 38 foreign tourists after pulling a Kalashnikov assault rifle from a beach umbrella at the Port El Kantaoui resort south of Tunis. Thirty of the victims were Britons and Jendoubi said British authorities were assisting with the investigation.

“As part of the security cooperation between Tunisia and Britain, 10 British investigators are working on the probe,” he said.

After the Islamic State claimed attack, Tunisia’s government pledged to boost security around hotels, beaches and attractions. l

French soldiers in custody for paedophilia n AFP, Paris

Two French special forces soldiers accused of sexually abusing children in Burkina Faso returned home yesterday and were taken into custody, said a legal source.

The men, accused of sexually assaulting two girls aged three and five at a hotel swimming pool, were repatriated after being questioned by French and Burkinabe military police in the capital Ouagadougou.

Defence ministry spokesman Pierre Bayle confirmed they had been immediately suspended. “Even though they benefit from the presumption of innocence, the information we have makes the accusations against them seem highly probable,” he said.

France has reacted swiftly to the accusations in stark contrast to another alleged child sex abuse scandal involving French troops in Central African Republic that only came to light after it was leaked to the British press. l

Rising jihadist insurgency challenges Sisi in Sinai n AFP, Cairo

Despite a two-year campaign, Egypt is facing an increasingly powerful and sophisticated insurgency in the Sinai Peninsula and the jihadist hotbed is emerging as President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s biggest challenge.

The arid and rugged peninsula bordering Israel and the Gaza Strip has long been a breeding ground for militancy, especially from Bedouin tribes who have complained of being marginalised by Cairo.

But attacks have multiplied since Sisi’s overthrow of Islamist president Mohamed

Morsi in July 2013 and this week has seen some of the deadliest yet.

Fighters from the Islamic State group’s Egyptian affiliate launched an unprecedented wave of brazen attacks on Wednesday in the North Sinai town of Sheikh Zuweid.

After hours of fighting at least 70 people, mostly soldiers, were dead, according to medics and security officials. The military said in a statement that 17 soldiers and 100 militants were killed.

“Wednesday’s attacks are unique... in their intensity, number, quality and force,” said Mathieu Guidere, a professor of Arab geopoli-

tics at France’s University of Toulouse.

Sisi, then chief of the army, came to power in 2013 vowing to restore security after a year of divisive rule by Morsi, Egypt’s first democratically elected president.

Jihadists have launched a series of attacks across the country, including bombings in Cairo and attempted assaults on tourist sites.

But it is in Sinai that the insurgency has been most deadly. Scores of police and soldiers have been killed, undermining the military’s ability to stamp out the insurgency.

A deadly attack in October prompted the military to impose a state of emergency and

curfew in parts of North Sinai, and it razed hundreds of homes to create a buffer zone along the border with the Gaza Strip to prevent infiltration of militants. l Analysts say Wednesday’s violence shows these efforts are having little effect.

“The attacks in Sinai clearly demonstrate the strategic and operational failure of the security forces in countering insurgency,” said Michael Wahid Hanna, an Egypt expert with the New York-based The Century Foundation think tank. If anything, experts said, the jihadists in Sinai are growing stronger, thanks in large part to their alliance with IS. l

DT

10 WORLD

FRIDAY, JULY 3, 2015

Activists hail Indian rape ruling n AFP, New Delhi Women’s rights activists in India yesterday hailed a Supreme Court ruling rejecting judge-ordered mediation between rapists and their victims, a legal move they said was common in the conservative country.

The Supreme Court issued the warning after a public outcry over a judge’s decision to grant a convicted rapist bail to allow him to

try to negotiate with his victim in the hope of marriage.

The Supreme Court said judges should steer away from ordering mediation which would not only be a “spectacular error” but a blow to the dignity of women.

“These are offences which suffocate the breath of life and sully the reputation” of women, Justices Dipak Misra and PC Pant said in their written judgement on Wednesday. l

DT

EDITORIAL 11

FRIDAY, JULY 3, 2015

INSIDE

A taxing question The simple and sad truth is that demand for education and healthcare far outstrips what the government is able to provide to the people of this country PAGE 12

Everyday misogyny They had seen their fathers treat their mothers like dirt, and had grown up with the idea that women are an inferior lot

PAGE 13

Connectivity and gathering clouds in Seven Sisters There is no scope for complacency for Bangladesh in terms of what is happening in our region as it gets sucked into the India-China rivalry

PAGE 14

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Work together to prevent predictable problems

W

e welcome news that both the BGMEA and industrial police are taking steps to identify factories which may have problems paying wages and festival allowances ahead of Eid. It is good to see efforts being undertaken this year to anticipate and address what has become a recurring cause for concern.

Eid is a regular landmark in the calendar. There is no sensible reason for Eid bonuses to be a perennial cause for unrest within any industry. Employers should either make clear contractually that they do not pay festival bonuses, or they should pay them as a matter of routine.

It is clearly in the interest of RMG employers to act to prevent the labour unrest that has sometimes been caused in the past by delays in paying festival bonuses.

Although there are differences in the numbers of problematic factories identified by the BGMEA and other authorities, it is encouraging to see lessons have been learned and pro-active steps are being taken to try and avoid labour disputes.

This type of thinking should be taken up and adopted further across other aspects of national life.

For instance, many of the tragic accidents which regularly occur on ferries are caused by poor planning and maintenance resulting in overcrowding and poor safety. It would clearly be more sensible for authorities to act to anticipate and prevent such preventable problems, rather to act after incidents have occurred.

The efforts currently being undertaken to anticipate predictable problems with festival bonuses should be applauded and emulated more widely.

It is clearly in the interest of RMG employers to act to prevent the labour unrest

DT

12 OPINION

FRIDAY, JULY 3, 2015

A taxing question n Zafar Sobhan

I

t’s certainly a novel and inventive approach to raising revenue.

We all know that Bangladesh needs to expand its tax base, but the tax authorities continue to have difficulty in collecting income taxes, which are the usual source of the bulk of tax revenue and thus, traditionally, the main component of government spending.

I can see that solving the problem of getting tax-payers to pay more income tax continues to be a challenge for the authorities, hence the continued reliance on and continuing expansion of the value added tax as a tool for raising revenue.

The problem, of course, is that consumption taxes such as our value added tax are typically regressive in effect. This is because the richer you are, typically the smaller the proportion of your income you spend on goods and services in any given month.

On the other hand, the poorer you are, typically the higher the proportion you spend on goods and services. In fact, at the bottom of the income ladder, most families spend every penny they earn each month, and are thus taxed on every last penny they earn, however little it may be.

In fact, it is ironic that, by relying more on consumption taxes rather than income taxes, the government actually probably ends up taking more out of a poor person’s pocket than if they enacted and enforced an acrossthe-board income tax.

I guess that is why the finance minister tried to ameliorate the regressive nature of this year’s tax regimen by raising taxes on items that are perceived to be luxury goods and used only by those who ought to have plenty of disposable income.

Unfortunately, luxury is in the eye of the beholder, and when it comes to private education and private medical services, I have to take issue with how the government defines a luxury good or service.

The simple and sad truth is that demand for education and healthcare far outstrips what the government is able to provide to the people of this country.

You don’t have to be wealthy or even middle-class to have to (not want to) avail yourself of private education or private healthcare in this day and age, you merely need to have the ambition to provide the best for your family and an inability to access the public services set aside for such a purpose through lack of enough of them to go around.

I think we can all understand why it is appropriate to heavily tax items such as air-conditioners and decorative light fixtures.

But education and healthcare are hardly similar. It is good that the tax on private education fees was dropped down to 7.5% from the initially bruited 10%, but the fact remains that, when there are hundreds of thousands of young men and women who want higher education but cannot find a place in the public institutions of the country, it makes little sense to tax them for the very laudable action of being willing to pay money to get an education.

Are the government’s tax priorities favouring the people?

The simple and sad truth is that demand for education and healthcare far outstrips what the government is able to provide to the people of this country

In fact, the government should be subsidising their fees, not contributing to them.

All governments use the tax code not just to raise revenue but also in order to advance some social goals. It seems to me that education is one such goal that the government should be interested in advancing.

I won’t call it social engineering exactly, but there are certain activities that the government should encourage and certain ones that it should discourage, and the tax code is as good a way of achieving the desired result as any other. In fact, this is something that we see in every country around the world, in one way or another.

What else might the government profit-

ably tax to the extent that not only will it be able to raise some much-needed revenue, but that would also have desirable social outcomes as well? The list is endless, when you come to think of it for a moment.

There are all kinds of undesirable things that we might wish to stamp out and that levying a stiff tax on might just help us with.

Frankly speaking, the simplest thing to tax, which would be sure to ensure that the impact would be progressive rather than regressive, would be bellies. In Bangladesh, at least, there is a direct correlation between the size of someone’s belly and the size of their wallet.

We don’t have overweight poor people in

BIGSTOCK

this country. If anyone is overweight, it is a sure sign that he or she has been consuming more than his or her fair share of our scarce national resources and is therefore a prime candidate for a good taxing.

Tax assessors should scour the countryside with tape measures and enforce a salutary tax on rotundity. Such a tax would be the closest way we could approximate an income tax without actually having to go to the trouble of keeping track of how much people earn.

In any case, the rich are usually pretty wily when it comes to hiding their wealth, both inside the country and outside. But a belly is not something that is so easy to hide, even if you enter into a conspiracy with your tailor. Nor can one’s belly be squirreled away outside the country.

The way forward is clear. If income tax is too easy to evade and too hard to enforce, and if we are left with consumption taxes to balance our budget, then the simple way to ensure that such a tax regimen is not regressive is to replace the value added tax with a belly tax.

I expect the government to give this proposal due consideration. l Zafar Sobhan is the Editor, Dhaka Tribune.

DT

OPINION 13

FRIDAY, JULY 3, 2015

Would warning signs like this help us avoid everyday sexism?

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Everyday misogyny n SM Shahrukh

T

he following happened a few months ago when winter was at its death throes and spring was in the air: The Dhaka weather was at its most pleasant, the summer scorch still a month away.

I went to the customer service section of a local cell phone company; I am a subscriber.

I was having trouble with the Internet connection of my phone, so I went there, got myself a token with the serial number of the queue written on it, and seated myself between two other “gentlemen” who were also waiting.

The man on my left, with stubble from not having shaved a few days, was very fidgety; he was complaining about the delay in receiving service in muffled grunts and asides. He looked ragged and tired; a man who works a lot for a meager compensation.

He couldn’t resist telling me that he had earlier lost his phone and was there to get a replacement SIM card.

He started by complaining about thieves and the inefficiency of the authorities in enforcing the law, but gradually, his anger had the better of him. He pointed to a lady service provider and commented: “Look at that lazy ‘beti.’ She seems to be dozing instead of working.” I gave him a look of astonishment; he hadn’t a clue about his indiscretion. The men on the customer service booths didn’t catch his eye for any derelictions of duty.

The man on the right immediately responded to this woman-bashing and commented, “all these betis are no good; they just sit there and powder their noses.”

He looked at me and the man on the left and smirked as if he was making a statement of obvious “truth.” I got up and decided to sit somewhere else. The two men now joined

in conversation after taking a look at “this foolish baldy wearing a red t-shirt” (me) and probably settled into a lengthy discussion on the superiority of males. I didn’t stop to listen.

All through the rest of my stay there, I thought over and over again as to what made them talk like that about women. I could only conclude that they had never been taught to respect women -- not mothers, not sisters, not wives, not even daughters. They had seen their fathers treat their mothers like dirt, and had grown up with the idea that women are an inferior lot.

They had seen their fathers treat their mothers like dirt, and had grown up with the idea that women are an inferior lot

The misogyny one encounters in everyday life is almost accepted as a social norm. Men somehow think that a woman is incomplete as a human being -- a woman’s place is within the domicile. Religious teachers, quite often, do not realise that what they preach as special concession to women in the home and the world is nothing less than condescending to them. An educated woman deserves just

as much right to go to the world outside, seek a job, and if successful, carry on with the responsibilities that that job entails. Many men blinded by misogynistic bias only think of these working women as people who are keeping men out of jobs that they should have had in the first place.

Charlotte Brontë wrote in Shirley: “If men could see us as we really are, they would be a little amazed; but the cleverest, the acutest men are often under an illusion about women: They do not read them in a true light, they misapprehend them, both for good and evil; their good woman is a queer thing, half-doll, half-angel, their bad woman almost always a fiend.”

With half the population of the country being women, this country will never take a leap forward if women stay indoors and spend their time bearing and rearing babies and keeping tabs on all the household chores.

The principal export industry, the apparel industry, would never have stood on its feet had it not been for the women workers, who had broken the shackles of the social stereotype, both in the villages and in the lower-income group inhabited shanties of towns.

A mention should also be made of the women who work with the men of the family in the production of food -- rice paddy, wheat, jute, etc. There is usually no addition in the calculation of the cost of production of the relentless toil that a common village woman puts. The work is expected of them.

I hardly need to mention the salary discrepancies between male and female workers in various construction sites within cities. I know from personal business experience that women who unload cargo vessels, carrying big boulders or sand in flimsy cane baskets are never given the same wages. A man is

also paid a higher wage when it comes to manually breaking big boulders into stone chips which are then sent to the construction sites. The situation is quite atrocious in rice mills and brick kilns too.

Women nowadays are getting more and more into higher institutions of learning and they don’t only study the arts subjects, which allow the chauvinist to push them to teaching jobs -- a glorified cage, at times. But women today are doing very well in various technical subjects, getting business degrees with specialties in management finance, accounting, marketing etc. They will keep giving men tougher and tougher challenges in the job market.

But even after getting a good job, alas, quite often than not, they face latent or blatant sexual harassment. Actually, the basics of what constitute sexism are not at all registered in the frontal lobe of many of their male colleagues.

Coming back to my experience at the customer care office of the phone company, my number came up, and I approached the counter and I had difficulty explaining my problem (my mind was buzzing with two male chauvinist voices having a conversation). By the way, I saw the lady, under question, working tirelessly to meet the demands (some of which were ridiculous) of the subscribers. She offered them brochures that would explain various packages, got up, and brought them papers from some other table.

She went about her business with immense patience.

I take my hat off to all the women in this country who are working amidst such malevolence from the males. Life is a series of tribulations for many of them, if not all. l SM Shahrukh is a freelance contributor.

DT

14 OPINION

FRIDAY, JULY 3, 2015

Connectivity and gathering clouds in Seven Sisters n M Serajul Islam

C

onnectivity is the buzzword coming out of those quarters that see New Delhi and Dhaka moving on the right track for what is good for the sub-region comprising Bangladesh, the Indian Seven Sisters, Nepal, and Bhutan. In fact, connectivity that was introduced craftily by New Delhi to replace the land transit during the Congress term to make it palatable in Bangladesh has been furthered a long way during the recent visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Dhaka.

He laid the foundations for improving the land and rail network for land transit between the Indian mainland and the Seven Sisters, which are still not ready. Meanwhile, Bangladesh has signed an MOU to give the Seven Sisters the use of the Chittagong and Mongla ports.

Bangladesh is now living with the hope that land transit or connectivity would bring the country immense economic benefits by making it the regional connectivity hub. It was also promised by the Congress government but fell through during the visit of Manmohan Singh in September 2011, as Bangladesh declined to go ahead with the land transit once New Delhi withdrew the Teesta deal. This time, Bangladesh gave India permission to use the ports as a guarantee for land transit.

For unexplained reasons, Bangladesh was not even concerned by the fact that, before Narendra Modi came to Dhaka, New Delhi had informed Dhaka that the Teesta deal would not even be in the agenda of the Indian PM’s talks with his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina.

One, therefore, has to scratch one’s head really hard to find out what made Bangladesh so generous during Narendra Modi’s visit.

You may remember that all India needed to bag land transit during Manmohan Singh’s visit was for the two sides to sign the additional protocol to activate the land transit provision in the 1972 India-Bangladesh Trade Agreement.

The letter for that was ready for signature, but was withdrawn at the proverbial eleventh hour after India withdrew the Teesta deal from the table. This time, with Bangladesh in a generous mood, India could have had the protocol signed and the land transit in its bag if it just wanted. Narendra Modi, however, did not ask for the protocol and he had good reasons. As the quintessential politician, he knew that the Teesta for the land transit deal would be wasted because of Bangladesh’s current political climate.

Thus, he encouraged Bangladesh to improve the road/rail infrastructure and promised to finance much of it on soft loans so that the Teesta-for-land-transit deal could be struck with a democratic Bangladesh that would allow the whole country to accept the deal as a friendly gesture from India.

Meanwhile, dark clouds are gathering in the Seven Sisters, particularly in Nagaland.

Was there a silver lining to the Modi visit?

There is no scope for complacency for Bangladesh in terms of what is happening in our region as it gets sucked into the India-China rivalry with the US in attendance. It is time, therefore, for its government to wake up

Most recently, India and Myanmar violated each other’s territories to deal with Naga secessionists after an incident in April in which 18 Indian soldiers were killed by Naga extremists who have a base inside Myanmar, the most dangerous incident of a secessionist attack in recent times in the region.

Although it was later stated in the media, based on Indian sources, that the Indian military attack inside Myanmar was undertaken after diplomatic talks between the two countries, two additional developments related to the Seven Sisters suggest that the dark clouds could have dangerous repercussions for Bangladesh and its fond hopes of becoming the regional connectivity hub.

First, the Indian Junior Minister for Information Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, has said, following the Myanmar incursion, that India would not hesitate to enter a neighbouring country in pursuit of terrorists/ Indian separatists in line with US’s argument of “pre-emptive strike” to invade Afghanistan. Second, Indian sources have stated that Indian intelligence found evidence of Chinese PLA presence in the April attack on Indian soldiers.

The minister’s message was a clear one: India does not consider any of its neighbours’ territory, including that of Bangladesh, inviolable. If that was not a bad enough message, that China was physically present in the Indian northeast was even worse. Together,

these developments underline the fact that the region was moving towards a violent security situation where connectivity would have little chance of survival.

An article recently written by K Subramanian, former director-general of police in northeast India, underlined the resurgence of secessionist/terrorist activities in the Seven Sisters. The writer stated: “India was ‘waging a war with itself’ in its strategic and sensitive northeast region.” He further stated that “the region, surrounded by China, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal, is also enmeshed in multi-national systemic crime networks of espionage, terrorism, arms trafficking, drug trafficking, and money laundering with explosive possibilities.”

The Bangladesh government appeared to be oblivious to these dangerous developments in its excitement over connectivity.

China’s recent utterances about South Asia are also alarming. It warned India not to consider the Pacific Ocean to be its own backyard. Aware that India and the US had joined hands to keep it out of South Asia, China is now showing a renewed interest and resolve, not just to fight being left out of South Asia, but also to fight for its presence in the region.

China has a claim over a large chunk of Indian land, for example in Aksai Chin and Arunachal Pradesh, one of the Seven Sisters.

Thus, there is no scope for complacency for Bangladesh in terms of what is happening

in our region as it gets sucked into the Indo-China rivalry with the US in attendance. It is time, therefore, for its government to wake up. The Seven Sisters are witnessing a resurgence of some of the old insurgencies that many had thought were extinct, where China would no doubt be tempted to interfere, and perhaps are doing so already.

If the security situation in the Seven Sisters deteriorated in the future, India would only be encouraged to use the rails and roads that it is helping Bangladesh improve in the name of connectivity for military purposes, as indicated by what Minister Rathore has already stated in no uncertain terms.

The more alarming prospect, however, is the threat of political violence that looms large over Bangladesh because of the path that the government has chosen in order to deal with it. Continuing to deal with the opposition by systematically withdrawing all democratic space from it could send Bangladesh over the rails and into the lap of the Islamic fundamentalists and their international collaborators. The fears in many quarters that Bangladesh could see an ISIS-type movement may not be very far-fetched.

Therefore, to deal with the dark and threatening clouds over connectivity would be as follows: First, Bangladesh must opt for the democratic path to deal with its own political problems. Second, India must dismiss Minister Rathore’s statement as rhetoric and take lessons from Kuldip Nayar’s article on Narendra Modi’s Dhaka visit, and act accordingly in dealing with Bangladesh, particularly in encouraging it to return to democratic governance. Finally, India must not impose itself on Bangladesh to move it from the Chinese orbit -- it should allow Bangladesh to deal with both for furthering its interests.

Only then would connectivity become the magic wand in the hands of New Delhi and Dhaka to disperse the dark clouds above, and serve the genuine interests of all the countries in the region, including China. l M Serajul Islam is a retired career ambassador.

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Global regulators propose tighter credit risk rules for banks

17

China and France: Tie-up in emerging economies ‘win-win’

19

Profit-booking breaks three-day rally

Remittance marks record inflow of $15bn in FY15 n Tribune Report The inflow of remittance in the country hit record $15bn in the fiscal year 2014-15.

The amount of remittance received in the last fiscal was 7.60% higher compared to $14bn in FY2013-14, according to the Bangladesh Bank data released yesterday.

The remittance growth was negative 1% in FY2013-14.

The country received $1.43bm remittances in June, 11.27% higher from $1.28bn in the same period last year.

The remittance inflow reached the second highest in June as a single month.

Earlier in July, the country received the highest $1.49bn remittance in one month.

Expatriates sent comparatively more remittance home in June because of ensuing Eid festival, said a senior executive of Bangladesh Bank.

Moreover, lifting ban on manpower export to Saudi Arabia was one of the major factors in the rise of remittance inflow.

Overseas employment in gulf countries rose drastically from February to June, according to the statistics of Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET).

The number of manpower export to Saudi Arabia rose by 78% to 10,624 in February-June period compared to 5,971 in the same period last year.

G R O W T H O F R E M I T TA N C E I N F L O W 15 12

Figure in billion

$11.6

$12.8

$14.4

$14.2

12-13

13-14

$15

9 6 3 0

10-11

11-12

Earlier, Saudi Arabia, the biggest labour market for Bangladesh, lifted the ban on recruitment of workers from Bangladesh, thus opening the Bangladeshi labour market on February 1 after six years.

In February, Bangladesh has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Saudi Arabia to send manpower under 12 categories.

The Saudi government also decided to hire around 10,000 workers from Bangladesh every month in 10 categories of household

14-15

jobs.

The workers will be able to go there free of cost.

On the other hand, the country’s foreign exchange reserves crossed $25bn, thanks to the stable inflow of remittance.

Of the remittance received in June, $445m came through state-owned banks, $16.21m through specialised banks, $954m through private banks and $15.68m through foreign banks, according to the Bangladesh Bank data. l

Final instalment released for stock victims n Tribune Report

Bangladesh Bank has released the third and final instalment of the government’s Tk900 crore refinancing scheme for the stock investors who were badly affected by the market crash in early 2011.

The final instalment of the government’s refinancing scheme was released by the central bank yesterday.

The state-run Investment Corporation of Bangladesh is entrusted in disbursing the fund amounting to Tk300 crore as it already utilised the first and second instalments worth Tk300 crore each.

Part of the government’s compensation package for the stock market, the refinance scheme is for retail investors with stock market exposure lower than Tk10 lakh between January 2009 and November 2011.

The ICB receives the fund from Bangladesh Bank at 5% interest rate and lends it to merchant banks and stockbrokers at 7%.

The merchant banks and the

stockbrokers then disburse the fund to the retail investors at 9% interest rate, according to the guideline of the refinance scheme.

The borrowers will have to repay the loans every three months and should give corporate guarantee against the loans to the ICB, who will deposit the received amount to the refinance fund.

The regulator will have the authority to cancel licences of the merchant banks and stockbrokers if they fail to repay the loans in time, according to the guideline.

A surveillance panel, comprising representatives from the central bank, Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission and the ICB, is responsible for monitoring the scheme’s operations and submitting a report to the finance ministry every quarter.

From the first and second instalments, the ICB disbursed almost entire amount to 10,568 affected investors through merchant banks and stockbrokers, said a committee member. l

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DT

Business

15

FRIDAY, JULY 3, 2015

OECD upgrades Bangladesh rating by one notch up

Air tickets for domestic routes sold out before Eid n Ishtiaq Husain

Nearly all domestic flight tickets of most private airlines and Biman Bangladesh airlines have been sold out ahead of Eid ul-Fitr.

Airlines sources said most of the tickets for domestic flights to Jessore, Syedpur and Rajshahi on August 15, 16 and 17 have been sold.

Even passengers have already bought return tickets for August 21, 22 and 23.

A large number of home-bound people have opted for air tickets to journey home for Eid celebration. Considering it, airlines authorities mull over adding extra flights on domestic routes.

Air fares for all domestic destinations have spiked from 50% to 70% ahead Ramadan, according to passengers. But the airlines authorities have turned down the allegation.

Kamrul Islam, deputy general manager (DGM) of United Airways, told the Dhaka Tribune all of their airline’s tickets for domestic flights to Syedpur, Rajshahi and Jessore have been purchased. A few tickets for Chittagong, Sylhet and Barisal routes are available now.

Biman officials also echoed the same as Kamrul.

“No ticket is available for Dhaka-Syedpur route on 16 August, but I need a ticket on emergency,” said Rafiqul Islam.

But according to a Syedpur-bound passenger, an employee of an airline told him if he spends extra money, a ticket may be available.

“Pricing seems to be pretty okay, it has not gone to the roof despite huge demand,” a top official of a private airline said, requesting anonymity.

Asking not to be named, an official of Biman told the Dhaka Tribune prior to Eid, tickets for Jessore route went on sale about three months ago. The demand for air tickets is increasing rapidly as passengers want to save time.

Mahfuzul Alam, manager (Marketing and Sales) of Novo Air, said except a few routes, almost all domestic flight tickets have been bought in advance by the passengers.

They have only available tickets for Chittagong and Sylhet routes.

Asked, Mahfuzul Alam said if necessary, they will add extra flight.

US-Bangla Air and Regent Airways tickets are also sold out, according to the officials concerned.

“We didn’t increase the air fare before the Eid ul-Fitr as the Regent authority does not believe in capitalising on the situation,” said Ashish Rai Choudhury, chief operating officer of the airline company.

As the demand for air tickets is on the rise, US-Bangla plans to add extra flight to Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar and Barisal routes to ease the hassle of home-bound passengers. l

DT

16 BUSINESS

FRIDAY, JULY 3, 2015

Global regulators propose tighter credit risk rules for banks n Reuters, London Global banking regulators have proposed a more comprehensive set of rules for banks to set aside capital to cover losses from their exposures to other lenders and limit fallout in a crisis.

During the financial crisis some banks suffered big losses on their derivatives contracts due to weaker creditworthiness at banks on the other side of their trades.

The value of derivatives had to be written down when it became obvious that counterparties may not meet their obligations.

Since then capital requirements to cover such “credit valuation adjustments” (CVA) have been beefed up but the Basel Committee of banking supervisors wants to extend them to “reduce the incentive banks currently have to leave some of their risks unhedged”.

A wider set of risks would be factored into the CVA, such as daily changes in risks from markets, and not just changes in the creditworthiness of the counterparty itself.

The additions also play catch up with reforms in accounting that require banking assets to be priced at fair value or the going market rate, to reflect falls in prices more quickly to that banks respond in a timely way.

Banks typically use their own internal models for estimating CVA risks, but regulators suspect banks of downplaying the amount of capital needed.

Moody’s cuts Greece rating deeper into junk territory n AFP, Washington

Moody’s cut its credit rating for Greece to a deep-junk “Caa3” Wednesday, warning it is now less likely that official creditors will support the country, whatever happens in Sunday’s referendum.

The one-notch cut took Greece’s rating to just two steps above “default”, and came after both the expiration of the country’s European Union bailout program without a replacement on Tuesday, and Athens’s default on its debt to the International Monetary Fund.

While the country and official creditors are now awaiting the results of the upcoming referendum on accepting a recast EU rescue plan, Moody’s said the referendum “adds a further, more acute, risk to private creditors.”

“Moody’s believes that without ongoing support from official creditors, Greece will default on its privately-held debt,” the ratings agency said.

It said it will review the outcome of the referendum for a possible further downgrade, with the next step being “Ca”, indicating “default imminent.”

A “no” vote on Sunday, Moody’s said, “would likely increase the risk of exit from the euro area which would impose significant losses on private sector creditors.” l

A sign for Bank Street and high rise offices are pictured in the financial district Canary Wharf in London REUTERS

Basel may decide that in the final CVA rule, banks must use a “standardized” approach written by regulators.

“A basic approach for CVA risk is also proposed for banks that are less likely to regularly compute CVA sensitivities to a large set of market risk factors, owing to the nature of their trading operations,” the committee said

in a statement.

The proposals dovetail with Basel’s broader review of capital rules for trading books, due to be finalised by the end of this year.

The committee said it will carry out impact surveys before deciding how much extra capital banks would have to hold under the new proposals. l

Kuwait MPs pass $23.2bn deficit budget on oil slide n AFP, Kuwait City

Kuwait parliament Wednesday passed the 2015/2016 state budget which projects a 7bn dinar ($23.2bn) deficit due to the sharp drop in oil prices.

Forty-seven MPs voted for the budget which projects revenues at 12.2bn dinars ($40.7bn), a massive 39.2% drop from last year’s estimates. Four members opposed the budget.

Spending is projected at 19.17bn dinars ($63.9bn), 17.4% lower than last year’s estimates.

“We are facing a very difficult financial situation. We must control the growth in spending and diversify our sources of income so as not to remain completely reliant on oil,” Finance Minister Anas al-Saleh told parliament.

Oil income, which normally contributes over 90% of total public revenues, dropped sharply by 42.8% and is estimated at 10.76bn dinars ($38.8bn).

The minister said that the budget deficit is likely to continue in the near future as long as oil prices remain low.

International oil prices slumped by 60% from June last year to January before recovering part of the losses.

The head of parliament’s budgets committee, MP Adnan Abdulsamad, said the cut in spending did not affect wages, public services and the country’s development plan.

Kuwait posted a budget surplus in each of the past 16 fiscal years due to high oil prices, compiling hundreds of billions of dollars. l

Asia markets climb on Greece hopes, Shanghai sinks again n AFP, Hong Kong Asian markets tracked global stocks higher yesterday on hopes for a deal to keep Greece in the eurozone as the country prepares for a crucial weekend referendum, but Shanghai tumbled again despite authorities relaxing trading rules to temper recent volatility.

Regional traders were broadly upbeat on the prospects for Greece despite Tuesday’s default as the government offered fresh concessions to reach a compromise.

Buying was also supported by a healthy pick-up on Wall Street that came after another strong batch of US data suggesting the world’s top economy is on the recovery path.

Tokyo rose 1.22%, helped by a weaker yen, while Hong Kong gained 0.8%, Sydney put on 0.7% and Seoul added 0.34%.

Shanghai sank 3.00 percent, extending a more than five percent plunge Wednesday as investors brushed off the latest measures to temper a sell-off that has put the index into bear territory.

While European leaders dismissed Wednesday an offer from Greece for a new bailout - which had been presented just before it defaulted - traders are confident the crisis will eventually be resolved.

Frustrated eurozone finance ministers agreed to wait until after Sunday’s bailout referendum before holding any more talks,

saying there were “no grounds” for further discussions.

The poll has been cast by Europe’s leaders as effectively an in/out vote on the country’s future on the euro.

“Markets seem to be of the opinion that post referendum, some agreement will be reached,” Con Williams, an agricultural economist in Wellington at ANZ Bank New Zealand Ltd, wrote in a client note, according to Bloomberg News.

US and European shares advanced Wednesday. On Wall Street the Dow rose 0.79%, the S&P 500 was up 0.69% and the Nasdaq put on 0.53%.

Paris, Frankfurt and Milan each advanced more than two percent, while Madrid and London clocked up more than one percent.

Athens is closed until next week owing to capital controls imposed last weekend.

Dollar picks up

US investors were also on a high after a gauge of manufacturing activity came in June at its highest level in five months, while a survey of private job creation was at its strongest this year.

Focus is now on the release of non-farm payrolls later yesterday, which is expected to back up views that the economy is gaining strength.

The figures will also firm expectations that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates,

possibly in September, pushing the dollar up.

The dollar was at 123.37 yen, up from 123.15 yen in New York and much stronger than the 122.48 yen in Tokyo earlier Wednesday.

The euro fetched $1.1045 and 136.26 yen, against $1.1053 and 136.12 yen in New York.

Chinese markets continue to see sharp swings as they suffer a sharp correction after surging more than 150% over the past year.

Both Shanghai and Shenzhen have since fallen by more than 20%, a common definition of a bear market, with the losses largely attributed to fears stocks were overvalued, profit-taking and margin traders unwinding their positions.

After Wednesday’s plunge the China Securities Regulatory Commission said it would ease rules on trading, while the two exchanges cut their fees by a third.

However, the move seems to have had little effect and Simon Male, head of Asian equities sales at Auerbach Grayson & Co. in New York said it would not “be enough to stabilise the market, although given the importance of sentiment, anything that improves sentiment will be a short-term positive”.

On oil markets US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for August delivery was down one cent at $56.95 a barrel and Brent rose 14 cents to $62.15.

Gold fetched $1,167.38 compared with $1,172.54 late Wednesday. l

DT

BUSINESS 17

FRIDAY, JULY 3, 2015

China and France: Tie-up in emerging economies ‘win-win’

India business leaders pledge billions in WiFi campaign

n AFP, Paris China and France’s plan to team up on projects in Africa and Asia is a win-win deal that will “serve the interests of all”, Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang said Wednesday.

In recent years, China has muscled out Western nations from emerging economies, especially in Africa, but appears to be changing tack with the deal which was signed Tuesday and branded as “historic” by French Prime Minister Manuel Valls.

The agreement, which was signed on a high-level three-day visit by Li to France, will see the two nations work together on infrastructure and energy projects and introduce “new forms of co-contracting, co-production and co-financing.”

“Let us work together to help improve infrastructure, industrialisation, poverty reduction. Doing that will serve the interests of all of us,” Li said in a speech at the headquarters of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris.

“It will help developing countries gradually move towards prosperity, it will help China find a market for its production capacity and also force China into upgrading its own industries domestically.

“China will also be able to learn from developed countries in this process and make itself more succesful in reducing energy consumption.”

China, which has too many factories and is struggling with a slowdown in domestic demand, is pushing its companies to seek new markets abroad.

According to the deal, the countries will also jointly produce civilian aircraft for sale to countries in Africa and Asia and co-operate in the agriculture and transport industries.

“Projects fitting into the global fight against climate change will also be encouraged,” reads the accord.

Financial power vs know-how

“It is win-win,” said a French official. “The Chinese have financial power, we have the know-how.”

China has become Africa’s largest trading partner in recent years where it has carried out massive infrastructure projects and its

n AFP, New Delhi

China’s Prime Minister Li Keqiang delivers a speech at the OECD in Paris economic growth has been fuelled by natural resources from the continent.

But with Africa being home to seven of the world’s fastest-growing economies, other Western nations are vying for a slice of the pie.

“In Africa the idea is not to have our markets taken away from us, we remain vigilant,” said the French official, adding that China is also counting on France to help improve its often negative reputation on the ground in Africa where “they are not liked”.

In Asia, the deal will allow for the opening of new markets for France, which is struggling to revive a moribund economy.

Li said China could also work with other Western nations to create growth in developing countries.

The premier said some six billion people lived in developing countries, a “huge market” which could not always afford the industrial equipment needed to spur growth.

While China could provide affordable equipment, he said emerging economies would also need more advanced technologies and Beijing was therefore looking to “form joint ventures or co-operatives” with the de-

AFP

veloped world.

Providing better quality products to poorer countries would “also help us meet targets of reducing energy consumption,” he added.

Development advice

The Chinese premier said his country was hoping for “policy advice and recommendations for China’s modernisation drive” after joining the OECD’s development centre which brings together rich and developing countries who share knowledge and advice on stimulating growth.

He said while China was the world’s second biggest economy, it still ranked only 80th in terms of GDP per person, at $7,589.

Although China had managed to lift 600 million people out of poverty, by UN standards 200 million people were still living in poverty - “the population of France, Germany and the UK combined,” he said.

“Our goal is that by the middle of this century China will enter the ranks of the mid-developed countries.

“China’s development cannot be achieved without the rest of the world. That is why we need to promote global cooperation on production capacity.” l

Some of India’s biggest industrialists pledged billions of dollars Wednesday to back Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambitious plan to provide Internet connection for all.

After storming to power at a general election in May 2014, the Internet savvy prime minister promised to connect 250,000 villages by 2019 as part of his government’s bid to close India’s gaping digital divide.

But progress since then - including attracting investors to foot the bill - has been slow in the vast, impoverished country that is plagued with crumbling infrastructure and power cuts.

Modi, who has 13 million followers on Twitter, said business leaders have now pledged 4.5tn rupees (US$70bn) in funding and urged others to follow suit during a weeklong drive of events to promote the campaign.

“One chunk of the country has digital power but a big chunk is deprived. This kind of digital divide can result in big problems,” Modi told officials and business leaders.

Mukesh Ambani, India’s richest man, said he planned to invest 2.5tn rupees ($39bn) through his Reliance Industries, without giving details.

Kumar Mangalam Birla, chairman of the conglomerate Aditya Birla Group, announced $7bn to fund network rollouts and other projects.

The government has pledged to lay hundreds of thousands of kilometres (miles) of broadband cable to connect villages, develop WiFi in public places and shift more public services including health and education to electronic platforms.

“We have to develop infrastructure and prepare ourselves for the era of e-governance,” Modi said.

But the government faces an uphill battle in a country where thieves steal underground phone lines for the copper even in Delhi’s upmarket embassy district, while in other cities monkeys are known to chew through fibre optic cables.

India, with a population of 1.25 billion, had about 100 million broadband subscribers in May, according to the telecoms regulator. l

Oil prices recover as Iran talks, Greek crisis drag on n AFP, Singapore

Oil prices recovered yesterday after the Iran nuclear talks were extended until July 7, giving oversupplied markets a breather despite uncertainty over the Greek financial crisis, analysts said.

US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for August delivery was up 10 cents at $57.06 in late morning Asian trade while Brent was 23 cents higher at $62.24.

Brent crude futures were trading at $62.27 per barrel, up 26 cents after dropping 2.5% in the previous session. Yet the contract remains on a downwards trend that has been in place since early May and which has seen prices fall more than 8%.

The tumble in US crude the previous day came after government data showed inventories rose by 2.4 million barrels last week, marking the first weekly build since April.

Outside the United States, supply from the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) rose to a three-year high of 31.60 million barrels per day (bpd) in June, up from 31.30 million bpd in May. In Russia, government data showed yesterday that oil for exports by ship - not pipeline - rose to 2.852 million bpd in June, up from 2.512 million bpd the previous month.

“With the deadline now extended into next week on finding a comprehensive agreement on Tehran’s nuclear programme, the markets will monitor closely the outcome of the nego-

tiations as Iran sits on the fourth-largest oil reserves and second-largest gas reserves in the world,” said Sanjeev Gupta, head of the Asia-Pacific Oil and Gas practice at Ernst and Young.

Daniel Ang, investment analyst at Phillip Futures, said “we continue to focus on the timing that Iranian crude would flow into the market for this situation”.

Oil futures prices fell Wednesday after the Department of Energy reported an unexpected increase in US stockpiles last week, further dampening sentiment.

“With prices falling yesterday, we are seeing that the high volatilities that we were aiming for could be over. We suggest taking profit on this position,” said analyst Ang.

Talks between Iran and major powers towards a nuclear deal will intensify yesterday with the head of the UN atomic watchdog due in Tehran, seeking to resolve an impasse over inspecting suspect military sites.

Iran and the P5+1 group - the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany are trying to nail down a historic agreement ending a 13-year standoff over Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

Under a framework deal agreed in April, Iran will scale back its nuclear programme with the aim of putting an atomic bomb beyond its reach.

In return, painful trade and other sanctions imposed on Iran would be progressively lifted. l

DT

18 BUSINESS

FRIDAY, JULY 3, 2015

News, analysis and recent disclosures STYLECRAFT: The Board of Directors has recommended 60% cash dividend for the year ended on March 31, 2015. Date of AGM: 27.08.2015, Time: 3:00 PM, Venue: Banquet Hall of Hotel Abakash, Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation, 83-88, Mohakhali C/A, (Opposite of Shahid Titumir College), Dhaka-1212. Record Date: 30.07.2015. The Company has also reported EPS of Tk. 62.57, NAV per share of Tk. 372.70 and NOCFPS of Tk. 325.00 for the year ended on March 31, 2015.

PUBALIBANK: National Credit Ratings Limited (NCR) has announced the rating of the Company as “AA” in the long term and “ST-1” in the short term based on audited financial statements of the Company of December 31, 2014.

PREMIERBAN: National Credit Ratings Limited (NCR) has announced the rating of the Company as “AA” in the long term and “ST-2” in the short term based on audited financial statements of the Company up to December 31, 2014.

PRAGATIINS: National Credit Ratings Limited (NCR) has announced the rating of the Company as “AA+” in the long term and “ST-1” in the short term based on audited financial statements of the Company up to December 31, 2014.

ICB: ARGUS Credit Rating Services Limited (ACRSL) has announced the Rating of the Corporation as “AAA” for long term and “ST-1” for short term in consideration of audited

Turnover (Volume) Number of Contract

Company Samata LeatheR -Z National Tubes -A Standard Ceramic -A Olympic Accessories -N Golden Harvest Agro-N Midas Financing-Z UNITED AIR-A Khan Brothers-N Sonali Ansh -A National Feed-A

Closing (% Change) 10.00 9.98 9.95 9.85 8.93 8.33 7.77 6.72 6.56 6.51

CSE GAINER Company Midas Financing-Z Standard Ceramic -A Olympic Accessories -N Golden Harvest Agro-N UNITED AIR-A Prime Islami Life -A R. N. Spinning-Z National Feed-A Rupali Bank - A Asia Insur. Ltd.-A

Closing (% Change) 10.00 9.94 9.90 8.56 7.77 7.54 6.69 6.54 6.48 6.21

DSE LOSER Company Hakkani P& Paper -B Asia Pasific Insu. -A BD Fixed Income MF-A National Life I -A Kay & Que (BD) -Z Union Capital -A Padma Islami Life*-N Asia Insur. Ltd.-A Jamuna Bank -A Anlima Yarn -A

Closing (% Change) -9.98 -9.94 -8.96 -6.23 -6.06 -5.63 -5.30 -4.70 -4.59 -4.46

CSE LOSER Company Hakkani P& Paper -B Asia Pasific Insu. -A MeghnaCement -A National Life I -A Trust Bank-A Imam Button -Z Rahima Food -Z 8th ICB M F-A Bata Shoe Ltd. -A Daffodil Computers -Z

Closing (% Change) -10.00 -7.24 -4.72 -4.62 -4.44 -4.40 -4.32 -3.94 -3.85 -3.76

SECTORAL TURNOVER SUMMARY

DSE key features July 2, 2015 Turnover (Million Taka)

financials of the Corporation up to June 30, 2014, unaudited Q3FY15 and other relevant quantitative as well as qualitative information up to the date of rating declaration.

ALARABANK: Credit Rating Agency of Bangladesh Limited (CRAB) has announced the rating of the Company as “AA2” in the long term and “ST-2” in the short term along with a stable outlook based on audited financial statements of the Company up to 31 December 2014 and other relevant quantitative as well as qualitative information up to the date of rating declaration.

BDTHAI: ARGUS Credit Rating Services Limited (ACRSL) has rated the Company as “A-” for long term and “ST-2” for short term with stable outlook in consideration of audited financials of the Company up to December 31, 2014, unaudited financials up to the period ending March 31, 2015 and other relevant quantitative as well as qualitative information up to the date of rating declaration.

PRIMEINSUR: Credit Rating Information and Services Limited (CRISL) has announced the CPA (Claim Paying Ability) Rating of the Company as “A+” along with a stable outlook in consideration of audited financials up to December 31, 2014, unaudited financials up to March 31, 2015 and other relevant quantitative as well as qualitative information up to the date of rating declaration.

DSE GAINER

Sector

5,046.24 148,071,066 129,241

Traded Issues

314

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

147

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

157

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

10

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,584.92

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

31.33

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 264.38 86.39 50.88 1060.45 245.01 660.18 4.30 523.27 872.13 39.96 126.92 40.89 64.84 47.89 39.15 17.65 33.39 188.48 296.38 383.56 0.13

% change 5.24 1.71 1.01 21.01 4.86 13.08 0.09 10.37 17.28 0.79 2.52 0.81 1.28 0.95 0.78 0.35 0.66 3.74 5.87 7.60 0.00

Million Taka 11.62 5.59 59.12 119.69 13.78 61.51 63.40 55.41 5.37 7.81 3.20 3.34 1.50 3.65 0.34 2.58 16.01 44.40 39.93 0.02

Average (% Change) 10.00 8.10 9.84 9.83 5.47 8.54 9.71 6.80 5.05 4.14

Average (% Change) 10.00 10.10 10.08 7.07 9.18 5.19 5.62 4.45 5.06 5.41

Average (% Change) -11.42 -8.62 -9.40 -7.52 -6.04 -5.43 -5.09 -3.51 -1.78 -3.52

Average (% Change) -11.68 -7.16 -4.86 -4.58 -2.59 -2.32 -2.78 -3.94 -3.85 -2.44

CSE

ClosingAvg. 24.20 113.75 41.99 64.34 31.21 12.84 11.07 28.28 102.32 22.37

ClosingAvg. 12.10 37.60 64.10 31.21 11.06 48.24 26.87 22.51 42.13 15.38

ClosingAvg. 55.01 14.63 6.07 177.46 12.44 15.16 30.37 14.31 10.47 21.66

ClosingAvg. 54.54 14.14 108.77 177.52 21.81 8.85 33.25 61.00 1,250.00 12.80

% change 2.24 1.08 11.41 23.09 2.66 11.87 0.00 12.23 10.69 1.04 1.51 0.62 0.64 0.29 0.70 0.07 0.50 3.09 8.57 7.70 0.00

Closing 24.20 116.80 42.00 64.70 31.70 13.00 11.10 28.60 103.90 22.90

Closing

DHIGH 24.20 116.80 42.00 64.70 32.00 13.20 11.30 29.00 105.00 23.00

DHIGH

12.10 37.60 64.40 31.70 11.10 48.50 27.10 22.80 42.70 15.40

Closing 54.10 14.50 6.10 177.70 12.40 15.10 30.40 14.20 10.40 21.40

Closing 54.00 14.10 108.90 177.50 21.50 8.70 33.20 61.00 1,250.00 12.80

Million Taka 276.01 91.98 110.00 1180.14 258.80 721.68 4.30 586.67 927.54 45.33 134.73 44.09 68.18 49.39 42.80 17.99 35.97 204.50 340.78 423.49 0.15

DLOW 24.20 108.00 41.80 62.00 29.20 12.00 10.50 27.10 96.00 21.40

DLOW

12.10 37.60 64.40 32.10 11.30 49.60 27.90 23.00 43.00 15.40

DHIGH

12.10 37.60 62.10 29.00 10.70 43.70 26.00 21.40 42.00 15.30

DLOW

60.00 15.10 6.20 184.00 13.10 15.60 31.80 15.00 10.70 22.30

54.10 14.50 6.10 172.10 11.90 14.70 29.50 14.00 10.30 20.30

DHIGH

DLOW

60.00 15.00 109.00 180.00 22.00 9.00 34.00 61.00 1,250.00 12.80

54.00 14.10 108.30 176.00 21.20 8.50 32.40 61.00 1,250.00 12.70

Total

% change 4.96 1.65 1.98 21.21 4.65 12.97 0.08 10.54 16.67 0.81 2.42 0.79 1.23 0.89 0.77 0.32 0.65 3.68 6.12 7.61 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

0.270 26.899 4.508 317.671 88.450 0.181 245.194 108.976 4.168 33.602

Turnover in Million

-0.05 -1.36 0.49 1.41 1.32 -1.55 0.86 1.52 0.78 1.61

Latest EPS

0.008 0.000 55.022 5.393 41.553 0.009 7.165 5.319 0.051 0.050

Turnover in Million

-ve -ve 85.7 45.6 23.6 -ve 12.9 18.6 131.2 13.9

Latest PE

-1.55 0.49 1.41 1.32 0.86 4.95 0.44 1.61 5.84 0.92

Latest EPS

7.426 0.864 0.088 0.836 0.028 1.371 0.400 0.505 1.173 6.184

Turnover in Million

Latest PE

-ve 76.7 45.5 23.6 12.9 9.7 61.1 14.0 7.2 16.7

Latest PE

0.29 2.32 0.51 12.46 0.28 0.60 1.10 0.92 0.28 0.83

Latest EPS

1.667 0.030 0.049 0.012 1.832 0.143 0.087 0.002 0.015 0.015

189.7 6.3 11.9 14.2 44.4 25.3 27.6 15.6 37.4 26.1

Latest PE

0.29 2.32 8.52 12.46 4.24 -1.21 -0.47 7.79 42.84 0.80

188.1 6.1 12.8 14.2 5.1 -ve -ve 7.8 29.2 16.0

CSE key features July 2, 2015 Turnover (Million Taka) Turnover (Volume) Number of Contract

518.29 24,003,800 21,044

Traded Issues

243

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

121

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

111

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

11

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,497.46

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

30.27

DT

BUSINESS 19

FRIDAY, JULY 3, 2015

Profit-booking breaks threeday rally n Tribune Report

DSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company Olympic Accessories -N UNITED AIR-A BEXIMCO Ltd. -A Appollo Ispat CL -N United Power-N Grameenphone-A Beximco Pharma -A Khulna Power-A Ifad Autos -N FAR Chemical-N

AFC AgroBiotech-A Tosrifa Industries -N Khan Brothers-N ACI Limited- A Square Pharma -A

VolumeShares 4,937,032 22,154,902 6,158,997 8,668,610 1,023,969 442,113 2,052,676 1,819,667 1,099,937 2,685,182

Value in Million 317.67 245.19 204.35 178.31 167.68 146.46 127.83 127.20 124.72 121.73

% of TotalTurnover 6.30 4.86 4.05 3.53 3.32 2.90 2.53 2.52 2.47 2.41

VolumeShares

Value in Million

% of TotalTurnover

1,762,566 3,166,347 3,852,829 205,496 390,571

CSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company Olympic Accessories -N UNITED AIR-A IFIC 1st MF-A United Power-N BEXIMCO Ltd. -A Tosrifa Industries -N ICB AMCL 2nd NRB -A Bengal Windsor-A ICB AMCL 1st NRB -A Beximco Pharma -A

Appollo Ispat CL -N WesternMarine -N FAR Chemical-N Grameenphone-A Familytex (BD) Ltd.-A

858,391 3,757,792 5,282,307 151,538 693,189 647,163 2,207,001 248,165 600,000 188,093

565,741 217,906 215,345 29,063 587,649

115.56 112.41 108.98 108.55 101.75

55.02 41.55 26.21 24.80 23.02 22.85 15.91 15.39 11.86 11.72

11.65 9.98 9.79 9.63 8.83

2.29 2.23 2.16 2.15 2.02

10.62 8.02 5.06 4.78 4.44 4.41 3.07 2.97 2.29 2.26

2.25 1.93 1.89 1.86 1.70

ClosingP 64.70 11.10 33.40 20.90 165.80 332.00 61.90 69.70 112.30 46.00

65.20 34.00 28.60 534.80 260.30

ClosingP

Change % 9.85 7.77 2.77 5.56 0.12 0.70 -1.43 -2.11 1.54 5.26

-0.31 -3.41 6.72 3.42 -0.72

Change %

64.40 11.10 4.70 165.30 33.40 34.00 7.20 64.60 19.80 62.00

20.80 45.90 45.90 331.90 15.00

9.90 7.77 0.00 0.12 2.45 -3.41 1.41 -0.92 -0.50 -1.43

4.52 1.55 5.03 0.82 0.00

ClosingY 58.90 10.30 32.50 19.80 165.60 329.70 62.80 71.20 110.60 43.70

65.40 35.20 26.80 517.10 262.20

ClosingY

58.60 10.30 4.70 165.10 32.60 35.20 7.10 65.20 19.90 62.90

19.90 45.20 43.70 329.20 15.00

DHIGH 64.70 11.30 33.60 21.20 167.90 334.00 63.00 71.70 115.70 46.70

66.80 37.00 29.00 538.50 263.40

DHIGH

64.40 11.30 5.00 168.00 33.70 37.00 7.80 66.00 19.80 63.50

21.10 46.70 46.30 333.40 15.20

DLOW 62.00 10.50 32.60 19.60 160.50 328.30 61.80 69.30 110.40 43.70

64.50 33.60 27.10 514.00 260.00

DLOW

62.10 10.70 4.60 161.00 32.50 33.50 7.20 63.60 19.70 61.70

19.50 45.00 43.50 328.50 14.90

AvgPrice 64.34 11.07 33.18 20.57 163.75 331.28 62.27 69.90 113.39 45.33

65.56 35.50 28.28 528.24 260.51

AvgPrice

64.10 11.06 4.96 163.65 33.20 35.31 7.21 62.03 19.77 62.32

20.60 45.79 45.48 331.41 15.02

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

11416.49960

(-) 0.23%

1772.90881

(+) 0.20%

14101.96510

(+) 0.03%

11416.49960

(-) 0.32%

8583.53110

(-) 0.01%

▼ ▲ ▲ ▼ ▼

Stocks ended flat yesterday as profit-booking mainly on heavyweights broke the three-day gaining streak.

The benchmark of the Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, added over 51 points or 1% to close at 4,583.

The Shariah index, DSES, was slightly up 10 points or almost 1% to 1,122. The blue chip comprising index DS30 rose 17 points or nearly 1% to 1,769. The Chittagong Stock Exchange prime index, CSCX, settled at 8,584, rising 107 points.

Banks that remained under pressure for long due to rising non-performing loan took a heat, dropping more than 1%, on the news that most private banks saw their profits rise, though slightly, in the first six months this year despite political unrest and a cut in lending rates.

Telecommunic ation, among heavyweight sectors, managed to remain in positive terrain, as it edged 0.6% higher. Engineering and textile sectors continued to rally.

Life Insurance, and Food and Allied sector were the worst loser losing around 2% each. Non-banking financial institutions were also down.

Trading activities at DSE

were slower compared to the last trading session, but closed just over Tk500 crore, down more than 14% over the previous session.

Despite the muted participation in broader market, aviation stocks continued to perform well.

‘After moving notably higher in past three trading session’ IDLC Investments said market predictably encountered sell off as financial year end passed by and tax incentive seekers liquidated their holdings.

Large and mid cap scrips have been negative, as they accumulated the most presiding the fiscal year end, it said adding that despite other cap classes being positive, heavyweight of the large and mid caps pulled the main index down.

Lanka Bangla Securities said after moving notably higher in past three trading session, benchmark index give back some ground in the middle of the session.

However, the index closed flat in red zone as blue-chip stocks helped the market recover at the end, it said. l

ANALYST

Market predictably encountered sell off as financial year end passed by and tax incentive seekers liquidated their holdings

DT

20 BUSINESS

FRIDAY, JULY 3, 2015

OECD upgrades Bangladesh rating by one notch up n Tribune Report The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has upgraded the overall country ratings of Bangladesh by one notch up to five from six after 13 years, Bangladesh Bank said in a statement yesterday.

The major reason for the promotion is the resilience of Bangladesh economy accompanied by high and stable growth for well over a decade despite political upheaval and weak external demand.

The announcement came at a meeting of Swiss Export Credit Agency (SERV) held in Zurich last week. Bangladesh Bank (BB) Governor Dr. Atiur Rahman attended the meeting.

After upgrading the position, Bangladesh has surpassed its neighbouring countries like Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar and Mongolia in the OECD country classification, and is only behind India, according to the OECD latest statistics.

With this, Bangladesh has now become a new frontier market, graduating from a highly development aid-dependent nation due to long spell of macroeconomic stability.

“Bangladesh is an untold story,” the BB

governor told the delegation of SERV at the meeting.

Expressing satisfaction over the enhancement in OECD classification, the central bank chief said it will help lead to significant lowering of costs for Bangladeshi entrepreneurs and banks in securing guarantees and L/C confirmations.

Bangladesh will maintain conducive policy environment towards higher economic growth and macro-financial stability “A large pool of young population offers demographic dividend, which if properly trained, can easily be transformed into skilled labour force, eventually brining in huge foreign reserves for Bangladesh. European countries can take advantage of this up-gradation,” the BB governor explained.

He expressed the hope that the upgraded

classification of Bangladesh will attract substantially wider engagement of the advanced economy ECAs in lending to investment projects in Bangladesh including in infrastructure, textiles and apparel, pharmaceuticals and leather sectors.

The governor assured that Bangladesh will maintain conducive policy environment towards higher economic growth and macro-financial stability.

He welcomed investors to reap the full advantage of all existing and new facilities, bringing about a major new upturn in trade and investment relationships.

The OECD a body comprising 34 countries including USA, Western Europe, Scandinavia, Switzerland and Japan, improved the country risk classification of Bangladesh among recipients of officially supported export credit.

It is a forum of countries describing themselves as committed to democracy and the market economy, providing a platform to compare policy experiences, seeking answers to common problems, identify good practices and coordinate domestic and international policies of its members. l

Telcos start updating billing system as SD cut n Tribune Report The mobile phone operators started charging supplementary duty at the reduced rate of 3% as the National Board of Revenue issued a directive in this regard.

But the tax authorities have no plan to refund the extra money paid by the mobile phone users in last one month following the imposition of 5% SD on voice call and internet use in the proposed budget, according to the official sources.

In the Finance Bill passed Tuesday, the government reduced SD for mobile phone users to 3% from 5%.

The NBR has already issued statutory regulatory order (SRO) asking the operators to charge the slashed rate. The operators are now updating their billing system after the SRO issued on Wednesday.

“Grameenphone has started to charge SD as per the SRO. All further action in this regard will be taken according to government’s order,” said Sayed Talat Kamal, Head of External Communications, Grameenphone.

Ankit Sureka, assistant manager (PR and Communications) of Banglalink, said they had also begun collecting SD as per the NBR directive. l

RMG owners asked to pay wages, bonus by July10-14 n Tribune Report State Minister for Labour and Employment Md Mujibul Haque Chunnu yesterday called for the RMG manufacturers to pay wages for the month of June by July 10 and festival bonus by July 14.

He made the call after the Crisis Management Core Committee meeting at his secretariat yesterday.

“There will have no problem regarding the payment of workers’ wages and festival bonus, and I hope that the RMG workers will be able to enjoy Eid peacefully,” said Mujibul.

He also called upon the factory owners to declare vacation on different days in different locations to avert traffic congestion.

Meanwhile, the labour leaders demanded festival allowances by July 5 and wages by July 10 so that workers can shop to celebrate the Eid ul-Fitr. However, the RMG owners’ representatives proposed to pay wages by July 10 and allowances by July 15 ahead of Eid. “The BGMEA is monitoring over 1,200 small and medium factories across the country so that it can ensure payment of workers’ wages and allowances in due time,” said SM Mannan Kochi, second vice-president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association.

He asked the government to closely monitor the RMG units, which are not the members of any association to avert any untoward incidents.

“Bangladesh Garment Workers Employee League president Sirajul Islam Roni placed a list of 350 problematic factories, which may face trouble to pay wages and bonus,” a meeting source told the Dhaka Tribune.

He also apprehended unrest, centring late payment or non-payment of festival bonus

A file photo shows garment workers demonstrate in front of the BGMEA building in the city, demanding wages and allowances and allowances.

Labour and Employment Secretary Mikail Shipar and Syed Ahmed, inspector general of

Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments, and representatives from BGMEA, Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers

and Exporters Association, Bangladesh Textile Mills and RMG trade union leaders were president in the meeting. l

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Crazy good Photo: Shafquat Ameen

news

Pakri Haleem, Kabab Nights What’s iftar without a taste of haleem? This Ramadan, Kababnight has added the traditional Indian Pakri Haleem to their menu, available every day from 4pm onwards, and in a choice of chicken or mutton. Kababnight is located at 3, Wiseghat, Patuatuli, Dhaka, 01190152222, 01190162222; www. facebook.com/nana.dhaka . www. nana.com.bd.

INSIDE

22 review

Madcef mania

24

listology

Hey gorgeous

news

Samsung’s exclusive Eid cashback offer for Galaxy S6 Edge

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Tantalise

FRIDAY, JULY 3, 2015

Madchef mania review

From a cart to a restaurant

n Chisty Rahim “I started the cart on June 14, 2014, and it didn’t take long to break even, business was booming for me,” said Labib Ahmed Tarafdar, founding partner of Madchef restaurant. “After Madchef became wellknown, I, along with Arman decided to turn it into a restaurant. Arman, who had his own cart, called Chips and Gravy, closed it down and we started this venture together. And now that our restaurant is running well, we are planning on opening another restaurant in Dhanmondi 5/A called Nomads.”

The love of food and the knack of creating mouth-watering items with interesting combinations of cheese, chicken-beef, mayo, mushrooms and so much more, lead a simple street cart to successfully evolve into a restaurant. Well, the story of how Madchef became such a recognised hang-out spot for most of us is truly inspirational for those who want to get in the food business (by starting small) and tempting for the rest.

We paid them a visit recently, hoping to check out the place and catch up with old pals. And of course, to sit down to taste their food. We also got the opportunity to sit and chat with one of the exceptionally delightful owners of the establishment, Labib.

The fast-food restaurant has a sporty/ Hollywood ambiance, with pictures and quotes of celebrities on one side of the wall, big flat screen for sports viewing on another side. And a see-through glass wall giving you the live action of the kitchen.

Not only do you get to eat good food, you get to watch them make it for you!

The price of food is also very reasonable compared to the quantity and taste of the items.

Photos: Shafquat Ameen

Sandwiches: Spicy garlic meat Reuben (Tk240) This curiously named item consists of pepperoni, beef bacon drenched in cheese and srirascha, with a signature garlic mayo all made into a sandwich. The taste is similar to that of the Garlic Mayo burger and will only appeal to those who love distinct garlic flavour in their food.

However, it didn’t really work for some.

Chick’ n Shroom (Tk240) Steak chicken and spicy mushrooms, a sandwich couldn’t get any better than this.

The crunchy bread on the outside, and the luscious blend of meat inside, puts it at the top of the charts among the sandwiches at Madchef. Without a doubt, it’ll go down as a favorite for most (and Labib’s as well), along with the Naga Blast burger.

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Burgers: Naga Blast! (Tk220) Picture it this way – a big chunk of meat in a bun, drenched with cheddar cheese and mayo, and a special Naga sauce – a burger not only delicious but as gorgeous as it looks in pictures. The flavors are all blended into a mesh of heaven in your mouth as soon as you bite into it. The burger is, undoubtedly, the best in their menu and a must try at Madchef.

Garlic mayo (Tk220) The appearance of the burger is somewhat similar to the Naga Blast, but the tastes of the two are poles apart. It’s the same recipe with a slight change in the sauce. It’s a Madchef special garlic mayo sauce, which over powers all the

other flavors to give you a garlicky taste along with the beef, bun and cheddar cheese. It might not suit up to some, but to those who prefer the smell and taste of garlic should love it.

The Cuban (Tk320) If you’ve never tried a greasy (the good kind) beef-chicken burger in your whole life, go to Madchef and order The Cuban.

And if you’re thinking having chicken and beef in the same burger might taste good, you’d be wrong because The Cuban is the bomb. Smoked chicken base, mustard sauce and pickles, and a beef patty on cheese all smacked in between two halves of a bun. Let it explode in your mouth and let the flavours sink in.

Others: Crispy Fish and chips (Tk310) The fish and chips in the restaurant are moderately good. Big, fat French fries with a special sauce on the side, and as implied in the name, crispy succulent filleted fish. The dish is tasty and satisfactory, but not something you should go to Madchef for. With so much more ‘awesome’ items to try, this one would just be an unnecessary fill in the belly.

Not only does the restaurant provide you with an extremely friendly service and comforting environment (along with a smoking zone for those who partake), they have great food with a blend of flavors that is sure to entice your taste buds. The charms of the place and the taste of the food work like a spell, sure to bring you back over and over again. And it sure did on me, as I paid it a second visit on the following day.

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News

news

Banglalink Sets Precedence Hosting a Corporate Sehri

Banglalink hosted a corporate sehri, in a bid to live up to their tagline of “start something new” on the 25th and 26th of June, 2015.

This unique corporate event in Dhaka was organised for Banglalink’s corporate customers. Banglalink has set several trends in the industry by organising innovative corporate events for its corporate customers for the last 10 years Present at the Sehri event were the top most personalities of the industry, with top management of different organisations, conglomerates, government stakeholders, foreign missions, financial institutes and Banglalink’s top personnel.

Corporate Sehri is one such event. The event started at 11pm, and continued till 4am.

Mr. Nasar Yousuf, Head of B2B Sales, from Banglalink said, “The corporate culture in Bangladesh has grown over the last few years but we do not have enough events where the corporate fraternity can get together and mingle with fellow colleagues from different industries. We at Banglalink are proud of having taken the initiative to host such an exciting event, which has given us all an opportunity to come together and get to know each other better.” l

Samsung’s exclusive Eid cashback offer for Galaxy S6 Edge Samsung Mobile Bangladesh has come up with an exclusive limited time offer for Eid-ul-fitr for their latest flagship device Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge. Now, with every purchase of Galaxy S6 Edge, customers will enjoy guaranteed Tk15,000 off, along with up to 12-months EMI. “With the Galaxy S6 Edge, Samsung is offering what’s next in mobility as we have developed the features based on insights and needs we found from our consumers all around the world that will also serve our local market,” said Hasan Mehdi, head of bobile, at Samsung Bangladesh.

“We want to give our customers the scope of obtaining this latest device, with this limited time offer and flexibility in payment,” he added.

Carefully crafted from metal and glass, Galaxy S6 edge blends purposeful design with powerful features. The Galaxy S6 edge, particularly, shows unique and outstanding beauty, while providing a solid grip and an immersive viewing experience with the world’s first curved display on both sides. The Galaxy S6 edge is equipped with incredibly vivid, bright and fast front and rear camera. The handset is available in White Pearl, Black Sapphire and Gold Platinum. Through the guaranteed price off of Tk15,000, customers will now be able to capture the innovative Galaxy S6 Edge at Tk64,900. To know more about the Galaxy S6 Edge Eid cashback campaign, customers can call at 09612-300-300 or visit the nearest Samsung Store. l

Huawei 5G World Summit 2015

Jaago Foundation held their annual iftar programme on Tuesday, July 30 at the International Convention City where all the children, child sponsors, well-wishers and supporters arrived under one roof for a heartfelt experience of unity. The event was made more graceful with the presence of Zunaid Ahmed Palak, ICT minister, People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Sonia Bashir Kabir, country director, Microsoft, Zara Mahbub, senior vice president and head, Customer Experience, BRAC Bank, Rubaba Dowla, chief service officer, Airtel, Bangladesh, Zafar Sobhan, editor, Dhaka Tribune, Nazmul Karim, head of brand, City Bank, Imran Rehman, vice chancellor, University of Liberal Arts, Tareen Hossain Manju, executive director and publisher, The Daily Ittefaq, Nizam Farhan Chowdhury, CEO, Colors FM 101.6, Supun Weerasinghe, CEO, Robi Axiata Limited, Amitabh Reza, director and producer, Shahab Khan, director, Bangladesh Enterprise Institute and politicians Zonayed Saki and Mahi B Chowdhury.

Huawei was awarded “Biggest Contribution to 5G Development” at 5G World Summit 2015 for its continuous innovation and industry contributions to 5G, particularly for the new air interface technologies.

With the rapid development of mobile broadband and the Internet of Things, the oncoming massive number of connections between people to people, people to machine and machine to machine will quickly begin to blur the boundaries between the physical world and the digital world. By 2020, an everything-connected world will become a reality with 5G becoming the key enabling technology.

Although the standardisation of 5G will begin in 2016, 5G technology has been a very hot topic for quite some time. The

major challenge with 5G is determining how to achieve the vision of 10Gbps throughput, 1ms latency and 100 billion connections.

With its extensive experience in 2/3/4G and industry-leading 5G research, Huawei was able to win the first 5G award in the industry.

Informa is a global leading telecom and media research company, and also one of the world’s largest exhibition/forum/ conference organizers, with over 8000 employees and over 150 offices globally.

The LTE/5G world summit is one of the most influential mobile communication summits, and the judging committee of awards consists of leading operator representatives, authoritative analysts and media. l

Europa League winners Sevilla have agreed terms to sign French defender Adil Rami from AC Milan, the Spanish club said on their website

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WE HAVE TO COUNTER-PUNCH, SAYS DUMINY

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KAMALAPUR GETS ASTRO-TURF IN 10 DAYS

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FRIDAY, JULY 3, 2015

MIRACLE TSUNAMI SURVIVOR SIGNS FOR SPORTING

When SBNS turns into a studio!

n Minhaz Uddin Khan

PHOTOS: MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

On the eve of the two Twenty20 internationals against South Africa, the Bangladesh cricketers enjoyed a rare day-off yesterday.

In accordance with the schedule, the Bangladesh squad was supposed to check in at their team hotel in the morning before attending a gym session at the hotel premises in the afternoon.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board however, made some drastic, last-minute changes to the cricketers’ schedule and allowed the national team sponsor to shoot a television commercial at the centre of Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium. The players reported at the home of cricket at around 10am for the shooting, which continued till 1:30pm.

The shooting was yet to be completed but then again, it had already hampered the schedule of the Tigers and some of the cricketers even left the stadium premises without attending the gym session.

The day however, turned out to be a bitter one as the shooting unit clashed with some photographers from the media. Following the shoot, a photographer of the press started taking photos of the dressing room only to

be charged and pushed by a member of the shooting unit, who was unauthorised and had no business gracing his presence there.

This incident paved the way for an altercation, which, however, was brought under control by the security staff of the BCB. The bilateral home series against the Proteas will get underway officially this Sunday through the first T20I at SBNS. But before that, the visitors will face BCB XI today in a T20 warm-up in Fatullah. According to South Africa batsman Jean Paul Duminy, today’s practice match will be vital ahead of the main events against the high-flying Tigers.

In contrast, the upcoming T20Is will be really significant for the home side as the shortest format is proving to be a headache for them. Ever since their inaugural T20I in 2006, the Tigers have played a total of 42 matches.

Among them, they have won only 12.

The last time the Tigers encountered the sixth-ranked Proteas in a T20I was back in 2008. Till date, the sides have taken on each other in two T20Is with the Proteas winning both. The Tigers though will not worry too much as they won their previous T20I in a convincing manner, against Pakistan in the one-off match last April. l

The day turned out to be a bitter one as the shooting unit clashed with some photographers from the media. Following the shoot, a photographer of the press started taking photos of the dressing room only to be charged and pushed by a member of the shooting unit, who was unauthorised and had no business gracing his presence there

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FRIDAY, JULY 3, 2015

We have to counterpunch: Duminy n Mazhar Uddin

South African cricketer Jean Paul Duminy throws a ball during training at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

Rahmatganj deny Sk Jamal in stoppage time n Shishir Hoque A last-gasp strike by Nigerian forward Gideon Solomon stunned Sheikh Jamal in the Manyavar Bangladesh Premier League as a spirited Rahmatganj came from behind to snatch a dramatic 2-2 draw against the reigning champions at Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.

The Dhanmondi outfit were unable to keep up with the pace of Rahmatganj and lost points for only the fourth time this season.

Sheikh Jamal however, moved four points clear of Mohammedan at the top of the points table with 27 points.

Sheikh Jamal began the game brightly with Nigerian striker Emeka Darlington putting them ahead with six minutes into the game, placing home into the far post on a Toklis Ahmed cross. Darlington doubled the lead in the 20th minute, cutting inside the keeper before slotting home.

Rahmatganj managed to pull one back in the 41st minute when their Guinean midfielder Lamine Camara found the back of the net from 20 yards out. Solomon then unleashed a powerful volley from inside the box to equalise the margin in the 93rd minute. l

Visiting South Africa, who haven’t played any international cricket since the World Cup in February-March, are focused to do well in their only tour warm-up Twenty20 game as the Proteas all-rounder JP Duminy believes it is their only chance to accustom to the conditions before the series kicks off on July 5.

The game at the Fatullah stadium today will see South Africa facing the BCB XI led by opening batsman Imrul Kayes.

“There have been few changes. Bangladesh have played good cricket. We are not taking this lightly. This is definitely going to be a tough series. For us the series starts tomorrow (today), not on Sunday. We know how important tomorrow’s (today) warm-up game is. We would want to get the best out of the conditions we are going to face. Going into Sunday, then we will know we are well prepared,” said Duminy at the Sher-e-Bangla National stadium yesterday.

The Bangladeshi spinners were a headache for opponents in the past but now the seamers have also come up with extraordinarily performances which makes it tougher for South Africa who haven’t been always at their best in Asia.

The 31-year old said, “Anybody can change a game of T20. It takes one over. We are not just focusing on their good spinners. Pace has been successful as well. We will have to make sure we understand what the strength and weaknesses are of every bowler and play

accordingly.

“There are few things that will be a challenge. The conditions, the heat will come into play. We have to manage ourselves well. It will be our biggest hurdle. Bangladesh are going to come out fighting and we have to counter-punch them.”

Over the last couple years Duminy has groomed himself into a perfect player for the shortest format. The left-handed batsman strikes 122.47 and scored 1406 runs from 59 matches and to compliment his willow he bowls off-spin that fetched him 14 wickets.

Bangladesh have played good cricket. We are not taking this lightly. This is definitely going to be a tough series He is a busy player playing all over the world in the Twenty20 tournaments and his stint at the Indian Premier League will certainly come in handy here. Duminy led the Delhi Daredevils just couple months back and he is looking to make the experience count.

“I have been working on for a long part of my game, making sure I bat and bowl. Over the years I have gained a lot of experience by playing in different conditions like the IPL. Bowling in various situations in the game, power-play, back-end. I believe as a spinner, I must be able to contribute in any situation and be able to give the captain options whether in the first couple of overs or in the backend,” said Duminy. l

Proteas apologise for drone security breach n AFP, Dhaka

the drone camera cannot be used because of certain restrictions. We are really happy that they’ve taken it in true spirit,” a Bangladesh Cricket Official said, declining to be named.

BCB officials said the country’s civil aviation authority last December banned all unmanned aerial vehicles in its airspace with-

out prior permission for national security as well as general safety reasons.

South Africa arrived in Bangladesh this week to play two Twenty20 internationals, three one-day internationals and two Tests against the home side.

The series starts with the first Twenty20 international on July 5 in Dhaka. l

South Africa’s cricket team apologised Thursday to the Bangladesh military for using a drone at a practice session in Dhaka and breaching national security ahead of the start of their tour.

Bangladesh cricket authorities ordered a halt to use of the drone which had been taking photos of the South African players during the Proteas’ first practice on Wednesday.

“The Proteas’ behind-the-scenes TV crew brought the drone over to try and obtain creative views and images to use for our YouTube channel,” team manager Mohammed Moosajee said.

“We were unaware of the strict security protocols with regards to the Bangladesh airspace and have subsequently stopped using the device.

“We do apologise to the Bangladesh military and security forces for any inconvenience this may have caused,” he said in an email to AFP. Ground staff were taken by a surprise when they saw the device overhead, controlled on the ground by a South Africa team official.

This drone was used by the visiting South African side during their training session at the Sher-e“South Africa team has been told that Bangla National Stadium premises on Wednesday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

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FRIDAY, JULY 3, 2015

Pakistan, Sri Lanka reshuffle pack for decider

QUICK BYTES Australia paceman Harris a doubt for first Ashes Test Australia’s selectors may be spared the headache of choosing who to leave out of the team’s pace bowling unit for the first Ashes test against England after Ryan Harris was withdrawn from a warmup match due to knee soreness. The 35-year-old Queenslander was ruled out of the ongoing Essex tour match and is now racing to be fit for the Ashes opener in Cardiff next week.

–Reuters

n AFP, Pallekele

Boxing wants more women’s fight at Olympics The International Boxing Association (AIBA) wants to see more women fighting at the Olympic Games, its president Wu Ching-Kuo said. “The introduction of women’s boxing at the London Games in 2012 was a success,” Wu told AFP in an interview. Women’s boxing will be in Rio again next year and the “aim is to get it increased for 2020 in Tokyo,” Wu said.

–AFP

Copa America final tickets starting at $900!

The 2015 Copa America Final features an intriguing clash between Lionel Messi-led Argentina and host nation Chile. On Saturday, July 4, the two teams will take the field in Santiago, Chile as they battle for South American supremacy and an automatic qualification spot for the 2017 Confederations Cup in Russia. With so much on the line, it’s no wonder Copa America Final tickets are commanding big prices on the secondary market, starting at $900 on viagogo.com.

–Agencies

French star Cisse to pay Greece taxes French striker Djibril Cisse has agreed to settle a tax debt to the Greek state through a new measure allowing it to be paid in 100 instalments, the sport24.gr website reported Wednesday.

The former Panathinaikos player owes more than 300,000 euros ($330,000) in taxes and surcharges from when he played for the club between 2009 to 2011, the website reported.

–AFP

Chicharito breaks collarbone, out of Gold Cup Manchester United striker Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez suffered a broken collarbone playing for Mexico in a goal-less friendly Wednesday against Honduras and is expected to miss the upcoming Gold Cup. It was a first-half injury that took out the 27-year-old Guadalajara native in the Mexicans’ final tune-up match before the biennial North American regional championship.

–AFP

Rashid, Finn in England squad for first Ashes Test Leg-spinner Adil Rashid and fast bowler Steven Finn were included in England’s 13-man squad on Wednesday for next week’s first Ashes test against Australia. Rashid is uncapped at test level but impressed in the recent one-day series against New Zealand. Finn has not played test cricket since July 2013.

–Reuters

Sri Lankan cricketer Dinesh Chandimal (R) catches a ball as teammate Dimuth Karunaratne looks on during a practice session at The Pallekele International Cricket Stadium yesterday AFP

Kamalapur gets turf in 10 days n Tribune Report The three-member expertise team from Fifa were content after they inspected the workin-progress of laying an astro-turf at the Bir Shrestha Shaheed Mostafa Kamal Stadium in Kamalapur yesterday.

Fifa astro-turf consultant Markus Keller along with technical manager of Great Sports Infra Peter Van Reijen and its official K John arrived in the capital yesterday and wasted no time in visiting the venue. After providing

The three-member expertise team from Fifa inspects the work-inprogress at the Bir Shrestha Shaheed Mostafa Kamal Stadium in Kamalapur yesterday COURTESY

some directions at work, they advised to install the turf inside 10 days.

The preliminary work of the project began on November 7 last year and was expected to be completed by April this year, but the work has been delayed for two months due to not getting the clearance from the National Board of Revenue (NBR) to release the turf from Chittagong port. The turf is being laid under the Fifa Goal Project – 4. It is also BFF’s fourth availed goal project after BFF House, the astro-turf adjacent to BFF House and Sylhet Football Academy. l

Pakistan and Sri Lanka will ring in several changes, most of them forced on them, in a bid to win the decisive third and final Test starting in Pallekele on Friday.

Both sides are pulling out all the stops to break the 1-1 deadlock after Pakistan won the first Test by 10 wickets and Sri Lanka responded with a seven-wicket victory in the second.

Sri Lanka will take the field without their batting greats, the retired Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, who had committed himself to playing just two Tests against Pakistan and two more against India in August before retiring.

Sangakkara, who has 12,305 runs from 132 Tests, will be replaced at his pivotal number three position by another left-hander Upul Tharanga, 30, who played the last of his 19 Tests a year ago.

“It’s a strange experience to be without Mahela and Sanga, but we have some good young players who are ready to step in,” vice-captain Lahiru Thirimanne told reporters on Thursday.

“Upul has been around for a long time and understands the demands of Test cricket.”

Fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera, who suffered a side strain on his debut in the second Test in Colombo, will undergo a fitness test before he is picked for the crucial match.

Sri Lanka are planning a three-man pace attack, instead of two as in the previous Tests, on a greenish Pallekele stadium pitch that should favour seam movement on the opening day.l

Murray, Wozniacki into Wimbledon third round n Agencies Andy Murray was at his imperious best as he jettisoned Dutchman Robin Haase 6-1 6-1 6-4 to reach the third round of Wimbledon on Thursday.

The 2013 champion showed none of chinks that led him to being broken three times in a set on Tuesday, appearing to be on auto pilot as he bullied Haas into submission on a humid Court One. Meanwhile, in women’s section, former world number one Caroline Wozniacki made it through to the third round at Wimbledon with a topsy-turvy 6-1, 7-6 (8/6) win over Denisa Allertova.

The Danish fifth seed took just 23 minutes to secure the first set but the second was a totally different affair as the Czech world number 83 showed the form that led her to break the top 100 for the first time earlier this year.

Wozniacki, 24, next faces Italian 31st seed Camila Georgi in the last 32.

Wozniacki has reached the fourth round four times in eight appearances at Wimbledon but has never gone beyond the last 16.

Allertova, 22, was making her Wimbledon debut and initially looked out of her depth facing the world number five on the 1,000-capacity Court 12 in only her second tour-level match on grass.l

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Is this the year for Messi and Argentina? n Agencies Despite a wealth of talent, Argentina hasn’t won a single major senior tournament in recent years - but that could finally change at Copa America.

After his best performance of this Copa, Argentina’s Lionel Messi emerged from the dressing room of the Estadio Municipal de Concepción in his best mood of the tournament.

Just over two weeks ago, Messi was so frustrated after his side’s 2-2 draw against Paraguay that he spent the night pacing around the team hotel. After dismantling the same opponent 6-1 on Tuesday night for a place in Saturday’s Copa final, there was a joyous relief.

The side is now on the brink of its first trophy in 22 years. That a gifted group including Messi, Sergio Aguero, Carlos Tevez and Angel Di Maria haven’t won a major tournament for the senior national team might seem absurd.

But, under pressure, Argentina has buckled at major tournaments.

Argentina has been plagued by questions over its fluency throughout this Copa, just like a decade’s worth of Copas and World Cups before it. From 1993 to 2014, it only reached two tournament finals in 12 appearances at major competitions.

The sense of wasted opportunity around this team has only been magnified by Chile’s exhilarating play - especially since Chile has an Argentine manager, Jorge Sampaoli.

Instead, Argentina has worked under a series of managers who struggled to strike a balance between protecting a robust backline and properly releasing a stellar attack. Although Alejandro Sabella guided the country to its first World Cup final in 24 years, there was still a feeling of an awkwardly fitted Argentina grinding its way through.

Sabella’s replacement, former Barcelona boss Martino, was caught with the same dilemma at this Copa, as illustrated by the decision to play the more functional Lucas Biglia in midfield rather than the creative Éver Banega. More than a personnel change, it underlined a key point about Argentina’s current group: contrary to appearances, this generation didn’t offer everything.

But the Paraguay semifinal was different.

The group played so fluently as a collective,

ROAD TO FINAL gilded by individual moments of brilliance, from Javier Pastore’s elegant pass for Di Maria’s first goal to Messi leaving two defenders in a heap with one movement for Di Maria’s second.

Argentina scored four times in the second half alone, the same total it had in all four matches before facing Paraguay again. Messi argued afterward that it was just a case of the campaign evening itself out. The team, he said, was finally converting all the chances they’d missed against Jamaica and Colombia.

Now, the host nation, Chile, will wait to see whether Argentina can replicate that in the final when the pressure is greatest, or whether the visitors will revert to major-tournament type.

Chile is a more dangerous side than Paraguay with the potential to punish any lapses. Unless, of course, Argentina’s supremely gifted attackers have figured each other out for good. The hosts’ fine form could become irrelevant.

“One little step remains,” Messi said. l

Miracle tsunami survivor Martunis signs for Sporting n Agencies Sporting Lisbon have signed tsunami survivor Martunis to their academy, 10 years after the disaster that forced him to survive on puddle water for 21 days and killed his mother and two brothers.

Martunis, now 17, was unveiled in the Portuguese capital having pursued his dream in spite of the desolation brought on by the disaster that hit his home in Indonesia on Boxing Day 2004.

The giant waves, caused by an earthquake in the Indian Ocean, killed 230,000 people across 14 countries and separated the young

boy from his family and leaving him to live off some noodles he had found and water from puddles.

Now, Martunis has joined Sporting’s famous academy that nurtured the talents of his hero, Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo, and Luis Figo in the past.

Now, Martunis has joined Sporting’s famous academy that nurtured the talents of his hero, Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo, and Luis Figo in the past.

Sporting president Bruno de Carvalho said: “Martunis will work at the academy. We will work with him also in his development as a human being and as a man.” l

Argentina

Chile Group stage

Paraguay 2-2 (Draw) Ecuador 2-0 (Win) Uruguay 1-0 (Win) Mexico 3-3 (Draw) Jamaica 1-0 (Win) Bolivia 5-0 (Win) Quarterfinals Colombia 0-0, Uruguay 1-0 (Win) 5-4 in penalties (Win) Semifinals Paraguay 6-1 (Win)

Peru 2-1 (Win)

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FRIDAY, JULY 3, 2015

England players ‘heartbroken’ after ‘cruel’ semifinal loss

Japanese shed tears of sympathy for luckless Bassett

n AFP, London

n AFP, Tokyo

England left Commonwealth Stadium in a state of shock on Wednesday after an injury time own goal condemned them to a 2-1 Women’s World Cup semi-final loss to Japan.

Laura Bassett’s attempted sliding clearance ricocheted off the underside of the cross-bar and into the goal area in the second minute of injury time after England had struck the bar themselves twice and created a series of good chances in the second half.

“It is heartbreaking to go out in the last minute after a good performance where we ran ourselves into the ground,” said midfielder Jill Scott. “We couldn’t have given anymore, but football is a cruel game sometimes,” Japan coach Norio Sasaki had said before the game that his players were ‘superior’ to England but the defending world champions were never able to get into their rhythm as the Lionesses harried them across the field restricting their normally fluid passing game.

“I think he said they were technically better than us and pass the ball better than us and to be fair we had to agree,” said Scott.

“We had to come up with a plan to stifle their play because we know they are like the Barcelona of the women’s game and I think we did that well. We created chances, we were very physical with them and I think when you look back on the game I don’t think we deserved to go out in the 90th minute.” l

Japanese fans celebrated reaching the Women’s World Cup final Thursday but some shed tears of sympathy over the stoppage-time own goal which earned them a 2-1 win over England.

The teams were headed for extra-time in Edmonton but deep into injury time, England defender Laura Bassett’s interception cruelly rebounded in off her own crossbar.

“It’s not the prettiest way (to win) but they never give up,” said surfing instructor Takumi Hayashi, who was watching at a Tokyo sports bar. “It was a lucky goal but a win’s a win,” added the 28-year-old.

The result puts the defending champions into Sunday’s final against the United States, a rematch of 2011 when they shocked the favourites on penalties.

Bassett was in floods of tears after the final whistle and had to be consoled by England coach Mark Sampson as she walked off the field.

Sara Shimane, a 35-year-old composer who was also watching at the sports bar, said Japan’s victory was tinged with sadness.

“I felt so bad for the England player who scored the own goal I started crying,” she said.

The feelings of sympathy for the unlucky Bassett were echoed on social media.

“I cried when I saw coach Sampson hugging Bassett. I’m happy Nadeshiko won, but England were strong and amazing too,” tweeted @orangebb45.

Chief government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said at his daily press briefing that he was “applauding (the win) from the bottom of my heart”. l

RESULT Japan

2-1

Miyama 33-P, Bassett 90+2-og

England Williams 40-P

DAY’S WATCH Ten Cricket 10:00AM Sri Lanka v Pakistan 3rd Test, Day 1

Sony Six Caribbean Premier League T20 1:30AM Amazon Warriors v Patriots 5:30AM Tridents v Zouks

Star Sports 1 5:00PM Women’s FIH Hockey World League Semi Finals 7:30PM Men’s FIH Hockey World League Semi Finals

Star Sports 2 9:30AM New Zealand Women Tour of India 3rd ODI 6:00PM Wimbledon Championships 2015

Star Sports 4 3:00PM F1: Silverstone Circuit Silverstone Great Britain Practice Sessions

England’s Jo Potter (L) consoles teammate Laura Bassett after she scored an own-goal in the last minutes of the game against Japan during their Women’s World Cup semifinal match in Canada on Wednesday AFP

Hamilton seeks to halt charging Rosberg n AFP, Silverstone World champion Lewis Hamilton is seeking a return to his most dominant form on home soil this weekend when he bids to beat Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg in the British Grand Prix.

The 30-year-old Englishman has only a 10-points advantage over the German following Rosberg’s victory at the Austrian Grand

Prix and knows he needs to regain his earlier supremacy to repeat his triumph in last year’s race.

“I don’t feel like I ever really reached my peak in Austria,” said Hamilton.

“It wasn’t the smoothest of weekends for me, so to come away with second place wasn’t a disaster in the circumstances.

“Silverstone, though... that’s different. I can’t describe the feeling I had last year, lifting that trophy again in front of a sea of fans on pit straight, after so many years, and after a tough start to the weekend too.

“It’s something that will always stay with me and nothing less than the same again will do. I’m lucky enough to have fans all around the world, but winning in front of your home crowd is something else.

“We have a fantastic car this year, even better than in 2014 and it should suit this track.

I’ll be going all out to make the most of it.”

Rosberg’s triumph at the Red Bull Ring was his third in four races and confirmed the momentum that has recharged his title challenge after a season-opening period in which he was swept aside by Hamilton.

“My week in Austria could not have come together much better,” said Rosberg. “Apart from a mistake in qualifying, I felt right on top of things from the start and it was great to get another win.l

RESULTS SO FAR THIS SEASON Australia 1. Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes), 2. Nico Rosberg (GER/Mercedes), 3. Sebastian Vettel (GER/Ferrari) Pole position: Hamilton

Malaysia 1. Sebastian Vettel (GER/Ferrari), 2. Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes), 3. Nico Rosberg (GER/Mercedes) Pole position: Hamilton

China 1. Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes), 2. Nico Rosberg (GER/Mercedes), 3. Sebastian Vettel (GER/Ferrari) Pole position: Hamilton

Bahrain 1. Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes), 2. Kimi Raikkonen (FIN/Ferrari), 3. Nico Rosberg (GER/Mercedes) Pole position: Hamilton

Spain 1. Nico Rosberg (GER/Mercedes), 2. Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes), 3. Sebastian Vettel (GER/Ferrari) Pole position: Rosberg

Monaco 1. Nico Rosberg (GER/Mercedes), 2. Sebastian Vettel (GER/Ferrari), 3. Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes).

Pole position: Hamilton

Canada 1. Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes), 2. Nico Rosberg (GER/Mercedes), 3. Valtteri Bottas (FIN/Williams) Pole position: Hamilton

Austria 1. Nico Rosberg (GER/Mercedes), 2. Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes), 3. Felipe Massa (BRA/Williams) Pole position: Hamilton

DT

30 DOWNTIME

FRIDAY, JULY 3, 2015

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Presentation (5) 6 Male sheep (3) 7 Live coal (5) 10 Accustom (5) 12 Absent (4) 13 Ran with bounding steps (5) 15 Water pitcher (4) 16 Corded fabric (3) 18 Become firm (3) 20 Back of the neck (4) 22 Advantage (5) 23 Reduce to carbon (4) 25 Single entities (5) 27 Happen (5) 28 Born (3) 29 Large antelope (5)

DOWN 1 Gets up (6) 2 Pale (3) 3 Talisman (6) 4 Makes deeper (7) 5 Not many (3) 8 Wicked (3) 9 Garden tool (4) 11 Argue (3) 14 Effacement (7) 16 Part of the (6) 17 Went by (6) 19 Reflected sound (4) 21 Female swan (3) 22 Curve (3) 24 Perform (3) 26 Perfect score (3)

CODE-CRACKER How to solve: Each number in our CODECRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 22 represents D so fill D every time the figure 22 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

FRIDAY, JULY 3, 2015

Musical exhibition featuring Georges Brassens launched at AFD n Showtime Desk

Brassens’ songs and interviews from radio archives, as well as audiovisual archives of himself and his unpublished texts.

A selection of television archives will include one of Georges Brassens’ first time on television, his unlikely presence in an audience of soldiers for the programme Apostrophes, his conversation with Jean Ferrat about political commitment.

Brassens isn’t just the quintessential French singer – he’s the French singer who’s enjoyed the most success outside of France and whose songs have been covered most often by foreign musicians and translated into 30 languages.

The exhibition is open for all till July 22, 2015. l

To reminisce the life and work of Georges Brassens, legendary French songwriter and poet, Alliance Française de Dhaka has arranged a three-week long musical exhibition which was launched on Wednesday.

Titled “Brassens ou la liberté (English: Brassens or Freedom),” the exhibition is organised with a triple focused approach combining science, learning and fun.

Brassens wrote and sang more than a hundred of his poems, as well as texts from many other famed authors such as Victor Hugo, Paul Verlaine and Louis Aragon.

The exhibition’s sound content includes

Screenings at Bengal Cinamatheque

SRK-Kajol to light up the big screen again

n Mithul Roy Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol are all set to light up the screens again with their on-screen chemistry in Dilwale, their new film that is set to be released in December 2015. SRK recently tweeted a picture with Kajol and the film’s director Rohit Shetty from their movie set in Bulgaria. Shooting started in April with Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon, with SRK and Kajol joining the crew later on. Kajol also tweeted a picture with Shah Rukh Khan and wrote, “Back in front of the camera with an old friend after a very long time. You might know him. @iamsrk.”

Their loyal fans will surely be happy to see the couple on screen again after Karan Johar’s My Name is Khan 5 years ago.

The second cycle of the Bengal Cinematheque notices that our fear of death enchants us with a longing for the supernatural and the gentle. What surrounds death? Our phantasmic journey derives from it: searches in the dark-green foliage of the hot jungle; the tattered patches of the friar’s cloth. Death motivates life, quietly, gently. Some say it anchors the creative act. Others say that it is where the ghosts and lovers we summon sleep. These films by Weerasethakul and Rossellini stoke the subterranean feeling that there is more than we can merely sense or think—an untouchable, unknowable, yet always present other.

That void agency, beside time, showing itself to us only when we are desperate, hopeless, fearful and naïve. That with enough longing we can transcend into the magical-gentle and for a while, forget, and remember, this passing and vivid nowness with our convenient, contingent faith.

The second cycle is programmed by Omar Chowdhury.

Venue: Daily Star-Bengal Arts Precinct, The Daily Star Centre, 64-65 Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue, Karwan Bazaar, Dhaka 1215 Limited seating. Free entry. Doors close at 7pm.

Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past (Weerasethakul) 4 July 2015, 7:00 pm, Saturday (2010, 114 minutes, colour) In the semi-dark blue of the north-east Thai night, animals and the earth breathe smoke whilst trees sway towards each other. A gravely ill man returns to his farm. Red-eyed man-apes lope slowly in the darkness, waiting. Ghost-wives and lost sons appear at dinner and the sickness is tended to. Regrets float like heat-waves until a decision is made to descend into

a cave and die. The magic of the jungle bleeds into the logic of the fluorescent city. It breathes.

Journey to Italy (Rossellini) 5 July 2015, 7pm, Sunday (1954, 94 minutes, black and white) Two strangers have been married for a long time. Perhaps it’s been long enough.

On a trip to Italy they embellish their disconnection with taunts, hatred, and distrust. They hurt. Dissatisfied with their inability to emotionally escape they are confronted by the cascading weight of geography and the history of death.

This fear settles over them permanently.

Finally, they cling to each other in the tumult of an ecstatic crowd.

CELEBS ON SOCIAL

Matt Bomer @MattBomer Hello London! #MagicMikeXXL

Karan Johar @karanjohar Bringing the coolest English series to town!! Taking television to new horizons. @C_InfinityTV @aliaa08

Priyanka Chopra Retweeted @ TeamPriyanka So proud of @priyankachopra! The only Indian listed in the Top 10 of @ audreymagazine’s “20 Hottest Asian Actresses” http://bit.ly/1NdiF1X

WHAT TO WATCH

Terminator 2: Judgement Day Star Movies 9:30pm A cyborg, identical to the one who failed to kill Sarah Connor, must now protect her young son, John Connor, from a more advanced cyborg, made out of liquid metal.

Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lina Hamilton, Edward Furlong Upcoming screenings (Cycle 2) Syndromes and a Century (Weerasethakul) 1 August 2015, 7pm, Saturday Stromboli (Rossellini) 2 August 2015, 7pm, Sunday Mysterious Object at Moon (Weerasethakul) 5 September 2015, 7pm, Saturday Flowers of St. Francis (Rossellini) 6 September 2015, 7pm, Sunday

Ocean’s Thirteen WB 9:30pm Danny Ocean rounds up the boys for a third heist, after casino owner Willy Bank double-crosses one of the original eleven, Reuben Tishkoff.

Cast: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon The Italian Job Zee Studio 4:45pm After being betrayed and left for dead in Italy, Charlie Croker and his team plan an elaborate gold heist against their former ally.

Cast: Donald Sutherland, Mark Wahlberg, Edward Norton

DT

32 BACK PAGE

FRIDAY, JULY 3, 2015

SCREENINGS AT BENGAL AIR TICKETS FOR DOMESTIC ROUTES WHEN SBNS TURNS INTO A STUDIO! PAGE 25 CINAMATHEQUE PAGE 31 SOLD OUT BEFORE EID PAGE 15

Raft of incentives on cards to lure investors to economic zones, high-tech parks n Tribune Report Investment to the country’s economic zones and high-tech parks is being incentivised by allowing the duty-free import of capital machinery, construction material and development equipment, according to government gazettes.

The economic zone governing board is considering a raft of other proposals to draw investors and developers, and their capital and know-how, to the country.

Investors are now allowed to import, duty-free, raw materials and construction materials that are not available in the country. Industrial units may also import two duty-free vehicles for manufacturing related purposes, the official gazettes said.

On July 1, the National Board of Revenue (NBR) issued separate Statutory Regulatory Orders (SROs) to establish economic zones and high-tech parks under the Bangladesh Economic Zone Authority (BEZA).

BEZA executive chairman Paban Chowdhury said the benefits will encourage foreign and domestic investment and lead to economic growth.

“Not just VAT and custom duty waivers, but many more incentives are being considered to attract investment,” Paban told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith said on June 4 while placing the budget for fiscal year 201516 in parliament: “Special incentives packages are on the cards to encourage investment in developing Bangladesh’s economic zones and high-tech parks.”

He proposed to allow full exemption of existing VAT on the electricity bill of developers of high-tech parks and on the procurement

PROPOSED INCENTIVES FOR DEVELOPERS Incentive

Proposal for Governing Board Approval

1

TAX HOLIDAY

Income tax exemption on income derived from the EZ business development.

After expiry of the 10th year, tax exemption will be 70% in the 11th year and 30% in the 12th year. But the tax exemption will not be applicable from the 13th year.

2

VAT ON ELECTRICITY

Exemption for 10 years of VAT on electricity or taxes on sale of self-generated or purchased electric power for use of processing area of EZ.

3

VAT ON LOCAL PURCHASE

All purchase excluding petroleum products from the Domestic Tariff Area shall be exempted from VAT, sales tax, etc.

4

SUBSIDY

One time capital subsidy of up to 50% of costs incurred for setting up Central Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP.)

PROPOSED INCENTIVES FOR INVESTORS AND EZ USERS Incentive

Proposal for Governing Board Approval

1

TAX HOLIDAY

For all Economic Zones Income Tax Holiday (ITH)– 1st and 2nd year 100%, 3rd year 80%, 4th 70%, 5th 60%,6th 50%, 7th 40%, 8th 30%, 9th 20% and 10th year 10%

2

CUSTOM DUTY

Duty free import of raw materials, construction materials, capital machinery, finished goods

3

INCOME TAX-OTHERS

Exemption from dividend tax, after tax holiday is over

4

REPATRIATION

Full repatriation of capital and dividends

5

FREE FLOW FDI

No ceiling of FDI

provider services of developers and investors.

Former Federation of Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) president Mir Nasir Hossain said economic zones are always attractive to foreign and domestic investors because they offer secure land and other benefits.

“The economic zones will encourage investment for sure since industries can get tax breaks, duty-free benefits and depreciation facilities to establish business units in the zones,” he said.

He pointed out that the most attractive

thing for investors was not tax waivers but dependable utilities and infrastructure.

According to NBR gazettes, developers and investors of the economic zones and high-tech parks will be completely exempted from custom duties, regulatory duties, supplementary duties and Value Added Tax for imports of materials that are unavailable in the country.

Developers and investors will not be allowed to benefit from the duty and tax exemptions to import construction materials that are available in the country such as MS

rods and bars, cement, pre-fabricated materials, iron and sheet steel.

Products that are not directly involved in the construction of the economic zones will not benefit from the exemptions either. These include office machinery, air conditioners, refrigerators, passenger vehicles, household goods, food products, drinks and commodity goods.

Industrial units in both the economic zones and the high-tech parks will be allowed to import two vehicles, duty-free, including a sedan with a less than 2000cc engine or micro-buses, pick-up vans or double-cabin pick-ups.

The importers, however, will not be allowed to transfer ownership of the vehicles for five years after importing them. Investors can import vehicles duty-free only once under the benefit.

NBR officials said the revenue authority had already finalised another tax incentive for both developers and investors under BEZA. Investors will get a 10-year tax holiday while developers will get a 12-year tax holiday for investments in the economic zones, NBR officials said.

The revenue authority will soon issue two separate SROs, they added.

The government has given approval for the establishment of 30 public and private economic zones across the country.

Implementation is progressing quickly in Sirajganj, Mongla, Mirsarai, Anowara and Sylhet, BEZA officials said. Construction of hightech parks in Sylhet and Kaliakoir and of an ICT Village in Mohakhali is under way.

The government plans to establish 100 economic zones across the country over the next 15 years, which is expected to increase export earnings by US$40 billion and generate about 10 million additional jobs. l

Sir Fazle Hasan Abed receives World Food Prize n Tribune Report Sir Fazle Hasan Abed, founder and chairperson of Brac, was announced as the winner of World Food Prize 2015 on Wednesday for his outstanding contribution to enhancing food production and distribution around the world.

Ambassador Kenneth M Quinn, president of the World Food Prize Foundation, announced this year’s winner at a ceremony at the US Department of State in Washington, DC. The prize, which includes an award of $250,000, has been referred to as the Nobel prize for food and agriculture.

“Being selected to receive the 2015 World Food Prize is a great honour,” Sir Abed said in a statement. “I thank the foundation for its recognition of the work of Brac, which I have had the privilege to lead over the last 43 years.

“The real heroes in our story are the poor themselves and, in particular, women struggling

with poverty. In situations of extreme poverty, it is usually the women in the family who have to make do with scarce resources. When we saw this at Brac, we realised that women needed to be the agents of change in our development effort.”

Announcing Sir Abed’s name as the winner of the prize, Ambassador Quinn said: “At a time when the world confronts the great challenge of feeding over seven billion people, Sir Fazle Abed and Brac have created the preeminent model being followed around the globe on how to educate girls, empower women and lift whole generations out of poverty.

“For this monumental achievement, Sir Fazle truly deserves recognition as the 2015 World Food Prize Laureate.”

Dr MS Swaminathan, chair of the World Food Prize selection committee and the first World Food Prize laureate in 1987, described Sir Abed as a “strategic thinker, and a man with a future vision,” The Guardian reported yesterday.

Sir Abed founded Brac – formerly known as Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee – in 1972 as a relief operation to help Bangladesh recover from the destruction caused by the 1971 Liberation War and a tropical cyclone.

It is now widely credited as a major contributor to Bangladesh’s achievement in halving poverty and hunger levels since 1990, in line with the UN’s Millennium Development Goals, through its sustained efforts in the fields of poverty and hunger eradication and food security.

Besides Bangladesh, Brac currently operates in Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Liberia, Sierra Lione, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Haiti, working with the local communities to eradicate poverty.

“Taking people out of extreme poverty can be done, but you need the commitment to do it in every country throughout the world,” said Sir Abed. l

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