August 7, 2015

SECOND EDITION

FRIDAY, AUGUST 7, 2015 | Shraban 23, 1422, Shawwal 21, 1436 |

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Brutality unprecedented n Mohammad Jamil Khan These are probably the worst times to live and grow up as a child in Bangladesh.

In March, police recovered the dead bodies of two little girls in Chapainawabganj and later found that the hearts were missing from the corpses.

In June 2010, six-year-old Shamiul was killed by his mother and her lover and his body was kept inside a refrigerator in Dhaka.

Those who thought after these incidents that humanity could not stoop any lower, the more recent cases of Rajon, Rakib and the unnamed dead boy stuffed inside a suitcase should give them more reasons to feel ashamed.

Nearly a month have passed, but investigators have yet to press charges for the murder of 12-year-old Rajon which was committed in broad daylight in the outskirts of Sylhet city.

On July 8 morning, claiming that the little boy was a thief, a group of five to six people tied Rajon to a pole and beat him up brutally, leading to his death. In a display of unfathomable audacity, the killers also recorded the incident on a mobile phone camera.

In the following days, police arrested most of the culprits – all of whom have confessed – but have not managed to press charges until yesterday because one of the prime accused, who fled to Saudi Arabia after the incident, could not be repatriated.

The more recent murder of another 12-year-old working child named Rakib in Khulna seems to be straight out of the pages of a psycho thriller.

On Monday, just because the kid had tak-

n Ibrahim Rony, Chandpur

India’s Border Security Force chief DK Pathak yesterday said that they would consider holding a fresh trial in Felani Khatun murder case if her family is aggrieved with the lower court verdict that acquitted the self-confessed killer.

The BSF director general mentioned that they were yet to approve the verdict handed down on July 3 by a special court in Cooch Behar of West Bengal. He said that the court could be reconstituted if the family wanted.

In response, Border Guard Bangladesh chief Maj Gen Aziz Ahmed said that they

PAGE 3 Sheikh Kamal complex to open new sports horizons

Shahbagh. Police said the boy, aged around 10, was probably a domestic aid. Post mortem reports said there were injury marks all over his body and he was probably sexually assaulted before being killed.

Sumaiya’s life might have been spared if police had immediately arrested her demented parents when they first learnt about their barbaric torture on the child.

The three-year-old was brutally beaten for six days by her parents in Shahrasti upazila, Chandpur before she succumbed to death on early Tuesday morning. The couple, Emran Hossain, 40, and Amena Begum, 35, had tried to prove they had supernatural powers and attempted to exorcise the influence of jinns on Sumaiya.

Locals are now saying police should have put Sumaiya in protective custody and arrested her parents right away when they first got wind of what was happening.

If they had done so, or even the local government representatives had taken steps to stop the torture, Sumaiya might be alive today, the locals opined.

This correspondent spoke to two local journalists yesterday who had informed police when they visited Sumaiya’s residence after learning about the exorcism.

Requesting anonymity due to security concerns, the journalists said the family was very poor, with Emran the sole earning member with his carpentry job. Sumaiya was their third child among four.

The couple had large debt and staged the act of possessing supernatural powers in order to make money by performing exorcism.

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This beautiful little girl, Sumaiya, was killed by her exorcist parents on Tuesday. At one point when they were torturing her, the little girl was rescued by neighbours for a little while DHAKA TRIBUNE en a job in another motor garage, his former employer and two other men killed the boy by injecting air through his rectum using a pipe.

In a separate incident one day later in Dhaka, the dead body of an unidentified boy was recovered from an abandoned suitcase in

BSF will consider retrial of Felani murder case n Mohammad Jamil Khan

‘Police could have prevented Sumaiya’s torture-death’

would provide all possible assistance in the fresh trial after talking to Felani’s parents. The BGB would talk to her parents and ask them whether they want retrial in a new court.

Pathak made the comment after the end of director general-level talks between the two border forces in New Delhi yesterday. Mohosin Reza, public relation officer of the BGB, confirmed about the discussion.

The Felani issue was not on the agenda, but the BGB side raised the matter.

The same special court on September 6, 2013 acquitted Constable Amiya Ghosh,

PAGE 4 Man arrested for killing his first wife

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ASHES 2015

Broad takes eight to bowl Australia out for 60 n AFP Stuart Broad took eight wickets as Australia collapsed to a scarcely credible 60 all out on the first day of the fourth Test at Trent Bridge yesterday. England were 274 for four, a lead of 214 runs, at stumps.

Joe Root was unbeaten 124 to put England in a strong position on the first day of the fourth Test.

Alastair Cook scored 43 while Jonny Bairstow made 74 at more than five runs per

PAGE 5 BSF tortures Bangladeshi cattle trader to death

over with Root. Cloudy overhead conditions offered some assistance to swing and seam bowlers and doubtless prompted England captain Alastair Cook’s decision to field first. But they were not “unplayable.”

Well though Broad, on his Nottinghamshire home ground, bowled in taking a Testbest eight for 15 in 9.3 overs, this innings cemented the reputation of Australia’s batsmen as “flat-track bullies.”

PAGE 6 AL factional clashes escalate in Magura

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PAGE 15 NBR: VAT on aeronautical charges a must

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FRIDAY, AUGUST 7, 2015

‘Police could have prevented Sumaiya’s torture-death’ In order to prove their claim, they started beating Sumaiya saying she was under the influence of a jinn and the beating would expel it.

“When we first went to their house in Tarapur Kamarbari village on Monday, we found Amena standing over the child with two sticks in her hands. They kept ignoring our request to stop the beating; in fact, they tried to scare us off with jinn stories,” they said.

The journalists informed Shahrasti police station, and Sub-Inspector Nizamuddin with four constables were sent to investigate. They rescued Sumaiya and took her to Baniachou Bazar for treatment with her uncle’s help.

However, instead of taking her into custody,

police put Sumaiya under the care of her maternal grandmother. They also did not arrest the offending parentsat the request of some locals who said they poverty-stricken couple was only trying to make money.

After police left, Amena arranged for Sumaiya to be brought home, who arrived around 3pm. Around 3am on Tuesday, Amena and Emran resumed the exorcism.

Enduring the barbaric treatment from her parents for so long, little Sumaiya finally gave up – she died around 4:30am.

Her death sparked outrage among the locals who gave a good beating to the culprit parents. Later, police recovered Sumaiya’s

body from her residence in the morning and arrested Amena and Emran.

The Dhaka Tribune tried to contact Shahrasti police OC Mizanur Rahman to ask if police could have played a more proactive role in the case, but could not reach him.

However, this correspondent was able to reach Chandpur Superintendent of Police Shamsun Nahar.

“The case is being investigated and the criminals will be brought to justice,” she said.

When asked about police’s apparent negligence in protecting Sumaiya, she said: “I have yet to receive any such information. If that is the case, we will take action accordingly.” l

Brutality unprecedented Yesterday, a man named Miraj confessed before a magistrate court in Barguna that he had beaten a 11-year-old boy named Rabiul. Police recovered the little boy’s body from the banks of a canal in Amkhola village of Taltali upazila in the district on Monday. Rabiul was killed because he allegedly stole Miraj’s fish.

Last month, newborn Magura girl Suraiya proved wrong the old saying that a mother’s womb is the safest place for a child. Not anymore because the infant, who still had more than a month to be born, was hit by a bullet when political criminals shot her pregnant mother.

In a rare breakthrough, a court in Rangpur yesterday sentenced a man to death for killing a schoolboy in December 2013. Convict Bande Ali, 50, killed his employer’s tenth grader son Ratan Chandra Roy because the boy had seen him stealing their cattle and for that he lost his job.

Yesterday, police in Munshijanj arreted a man named Abul Hossain, 45, for the killing of his 15-year-old daughter Sumaiya just because she had an affair with a young man from their village. Six months ago, the girl’s skeleton was found inside a sack in Sholoani village in Gazaria upazila of the district. Abul confessed during interrogation that he had killed his daughter.

These two incidents are only exceptions and therefore should not give the idea that law enforcers solve child murder cases everyday.

Data compiled by Bangladesh Shishu Adhikar Forum (BSAF) and Terre des Hommes Netherlands (TdH-NL) shows that as many as 968 children were killed in the last three and a half years across the country. Among them, 191 child were killed only in the first seven months of this year.

In fact, apart from the Rangpur verdict, none of the other 967 cases have seen trials completed, let alone anyone getting punished.

Even police have said that recent spike in brutality against children is unprecedented.

Farida Yeasmin, deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s women protection wing, told the Dhaka Tribune: “At present, we are witnessing more brutality against children than ever before probably because people have lost their respect for law.”

The data compiled by police headquarters also shows that there has been an overall rise in child repression. A total of 10,324 cases has been registered under the woman and child repression act in the last six months across the country.

BSAF Director AS Mahmood said: “There are economic and social reasons behind such brutalities. In most cases, the poor and the weak are the worst sufferers. In almost all the cases, the abusers turn out to be the one with the muscles and nothing happen to them even if their crimes are obvious. Many are brutalising children just for pleasure.”

According to data provided by rights body Manusher Jonno Foundation, as many as 201 children were killed and 70 raped in the first six month of this year.

Prof Zia Rahman, chairman of Dhaka University’s criminology department, explains: “People are now entering the era of globalisation. Newer styles and techniques of brutalising children are being applied along with the process of rapid urbanisation.

“If authorities cannot ensure exemplary punishment for the accused, soon things will

be difficult to control,” he warned.

Monirul Islam, chief of police’s Detective Branch (DB), thinks that only punishing the culprits will not be enough.

“This is not just a question of punishment.

Social and family values have to be highlighted through awareness raising programmes. People must be encouraged to come forward in helping their neighbours at times of distress.”

Unicef’s statement

In a statement issued yesterday, the United Nations Children Fund (Unicef) expressed alarm at the recent spike in violence against children in Bangladesh.

“UNICEF strongly believes that the Government of Bangladesh will do everything within its power to bring perpetrators to justice and help to end such violence against children.

“It is important to note that due to the pervasive and proactive media coverage on child rights issues, incidences of child abuse, beating and even killing are now coming under sharp focus,” said Unicef representative Edouard Beigbeder.

JS body’s suggestions

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Women and Children Affairs Ministry yesterday suggested the government to ensure exemplary punishment for the culprits of the recent incidents of child repressions and killings.

At its 15th meeting at Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban, the committee also suggested the ministry concerned to taken stern actions against the oppressors and rapists. l

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

BSF will consider drawing massive criticism. Felani’s parents rejected the verdicts terming those injustice.

In the meantime, rights group Amnesty India on July 13 submitted a petition with the Supreme Court of India alleging that human rights were violated in the murder case.

Moreover, West Bengal-based rights body MASUM has decided to move the Indian top court challenging the verdict together with Dhaka’s Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK). They already contacted with Felani’s father and took his consent.

Another petition filed by Felani’s father and Salma Ali, the executive director of Bangladesh National Woman Lawyers Association, against the first verdict is pending with the Indian Supreme Court for disposal.

Constable Amiya Ghosh was acquitted for “inconclusive and insufficient evidence,” the court said. It is the first-ever trial of any BSF member for border killing.

Felani, a 15-year-old girl, was shot dead while returning home in Bangladesh along with her father and maternal uncle on January 7, 2011. She used to work as a housemaid in New Delhi.

Though Felani’s father and uncle had crossed the barbed-wire fence using a ladder, the teenager was shot when her clothes got entangled in the wire.

Her body was left dangling on the barbed wire fence for nearly five hours. It is alleged that she had been alive for at least four hours after being shot.

Rights group ASK states that at least 23 Bangladeshis were killed and 38 others injured by the BSF along the border between January and June this year.

During this time, the BSF personnel abducted at least 49 people.

Even yesterday, the body of a Bangladeshi cattle trader was recovered from the border.

He was tortured to death at a BSF camp near Naogaon border on Wednesday night.

According to a BGB statement, the two forces discussed about border killings, cattle, arms and drugs smuggling, poppy cultivation at border points and human trafficking issues during the conference that began on August 3.

The event ended yesterday with the singing of a joint statement of discussions.

Before his return to the country tomorrow, the BGB chief is scheduled to take salute during the passing out parade of BSF’s sub-inspector training at its academy at Tekanpur in Madhya Pradesh today. It is the first time for any BGB chief to enjoy the privilege. l

Broad takes eight to bowl Australia out for 60 They again proved unable to come to terms with the moving ball in a match they have to at least draw to stop England taking an unbeatable 3-1 lead in the five-match Ashes series.

Broad finished the innings by having Nathan Lyon caught in the slips. Eight Australia batsmen were caught in the cordon – all off Broad – and one by wicket-keeper Jos Buttler, with Peter Nevill bowled by Steven Finn.

Mitchell Johnson (13) and Australia captain Michael Clarke (10) were the only batsmen to make double-figure scores in an innings that was wrapped up in just 18.3 overs – the quickest any team has ever been bowled out in the first innings of a Test – during a stunning 94 minutes’ play in Nottingham.

Australia’s total – with extras the top score on 14 – was the lowest by either side in an Ashes innings since England were dismissed for 52 at The Oval in 1948.

“Unbelievable”

“It’s pretty unbelievable. It’s not sunk in,” Broad told Sky Sports after drawing level with England great Fred Trueman’s career tally of 307 Test wickets.

“We knew Trent Bridge would offer us something but we had to bowl well and take our catches.”

Broad, leading the attack in the absence of the injured James Anderson – England’s alltime leading wicket-taker – needed just three balls on his Nottinghamshire home ground to take his 300th Test wicket when opener Chris Rogers, on nought, edged to Cook at first slip.

It was the first duck of Rogers’ 46-innings career in Test cricket.

Four balls after becoming just the fifth England bowler after Anderson, Ian Botham, Bob Willis and Trueman to take 300 Test wickets, Broad struck again when Steven Smith, aiming

legside, was held by Joe Root at third slip for six.

Durham quick Mark Wood, in for Anderson, needed just two balls to take his lone wicket of the innings.

Wood had David Warner, Rogers’s fellow left-handed opener, caught behind by wicket-keeper Jos Buttler off the inside edge.

Rogers and Wood became the first Australia openers to both fall for ducks in an Ashes Test innings since Arthur Morris and Jack Moroney at Brisbane in 1950.

Top-order batsman Shaun Marsh, brought in to replace dropped younger brother Mitchell, then fell for a duck when he was caught in the slips by Ian Bell off Broad.

And the 29-year-old Broad then had Adam Voges (one) brilliantly caught one-handed by diving fifth slip Ben Stokes to leave Australia 21 for five in the fifth over.

Clarke’s desperate run of form contin-

ued when, driving loosely outside off stump against Broad, he was well caught by a leaping Cook at first slip to leave Australia 29 for six.

The 34-year-old Clarke’s exit meant one of the best batsmen of his generation had now managed just 104 runs in seven innings this series.

It also left Clarke contemplating the prospect of becoming the first Australian in over a century to be on the losing side in four successive Ashes series in England.

By taking five wickets in 19 balls, Broad surpassed Vernon Philander’s five in 25 balls for South Africa against New Zealand at Cape Town in 2013 as the quickest ‘five for’ at the start of a Test innings.

It also threatened to be another match-winning Ashes spell from Broad to match those he had produced at The Oval in 209 and Chesterle-Street in 2013. l

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Sheikh Kamal Krira Complex to open new sports horizons n Adil Sakhawat Abahani, one of the leading sports club in the country, is set to steer the country’s sports arena into a modern era by building a sports complex fully equipped with modern facilities on its Dhanmondi field.

Named after the club’s founder, the Sheikh Kamal Krira Complex will look to bring health, sports, and social recreation under the same umbrella, and provide sports enthusiasts a one-stop destination for all their needs.

“The construction work for the complex will start at full pace within the shortest possible time,” said Abahani Limited Chairman Salman F Rahman.

The international standard sports complex is expected to be built and ready for use by the end of 2017, he further told the Dhaka Tribune.

On August 5, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said the sports complex, once completed, would change the lives of Dhanmondi residents as well as all Dhaka dwellers.

She made the comments while speaking as the chief guest at a discussion commemorating the 66th birth anniversary of Sheikh Kamal, the premier’s younger brother who was killed alongside his family on August 15, 1975.

Currently, the Abahani field in Dhanmondi is used by the club players as a practice venue.

The locals also use the field to exercise and play different sports throughout the day.

Asked about whether the field would be open for public use once the sports complex is built, Abahani Chairman Salman F Rahman said: “The residents of the capital including Dhanmondi locals can use the field in a secured way as the field will remain open to all.

The children and young aspiring players can use the field like they do now. The only thing they would need to do is register free of cost to ensure the security of the field.”

Kazi Nabil Ahmed, director of the Abahani Limited, also said the cricket and football practising grounds will remain out of the construction area.

Similar to the famous international clubs, an age-based academy at the new complex would nurse aspiring players and act as a pipeline for seeking out fresh sports talents, said Nabil, also a ruling party lawmaker.

Left, Abahani Limited Chairman Salman F Rahman hands over a crest to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during an event commemorating the 66th birth anniversary of Sheikh Kamal on Wednesday. Top, young cricketers gear up for practice at Dhanmondi’s Abahani field yesterday as preparation goes on behind them for the construction of the Sheikh Kamal Krira Complex DHAKA TRIBUNE/MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU The academy will search for talents across the country and work to make them star players, he added.

The Abahani club already has a glorious space in the country’s sports history. Since being founded 43 years ago by Sheikh Kamal, the eldest son of Father Of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the Abahani club has so far won 15 football titles, 17 cricket silverwares, and 16 hockey trophies.

“Sheikh Kamal always wanted to see Abahani to be different from others; and since its inception, Abahani has been different with its outlook. Now the time has arrived to give it a more modern look and we want to built the sports complex in such a way that people for the next fifty years can say ‘Wow, this Abahani Club is beautiful indeed,’” said Bangladesh Cricket Board President Nazmul Hasan Papon.

According to the club’s plan, the Sheikh Kamal Krira Complex will be divided in five sections, built on the total 25 bighas of land owned by the Abahani club.

The 726,665 square-feet complex will include a 69,223 sq-ft area set aside for the Abahani Club, an exclusive members-only health

club covering 140,357 sq-ft, a convention centre covering 155,585 sq-ft, and a car parking area of 361,500 sq-ft, according to previous media reports.

“By building this complex, the standard of sports in the country can meet international standards, which will also pave way to gain sound health and sports facilities and social recreation at one place. Not only in cricket and football, the Abahani club wants to meet the international standard in every game by building this world-class sports complex,” Salman F Rahman told the Dhaka Tribune.

Sports complex facilities

The section dedicated to the Abahani club would include world-class cricket and football grounds, an air-conditioned basketball court, a state-of-the-art bowling alley, and a four-lane indoor cricket practising facility with video analysis equipment. There will be separate dorms for boys and girls, a five-star players’ room with modern gymnasium, and equipment for aerobic and yoga.

The members-only Abahani Health Club will have separate gyms for men and wom-

en, luxurious steam bath and sauna facilities, chiropractic services, and sports massages.

Under the health club, there will be also be multi-layer tennis and badminton courts, separate swimming pools for men and women, and all kinds of indoor games.

The sports complex would also have the Sheikh Kamal Convention Centre – capable of hosting 4,000 people at a time. In this section, there will also be a museum showcasing Abahani jerseys and memorabilia, a massive library, and an art gallery featuring modern artworks. The convention centre would also have an Asian style dining restaurant catering Asian and European cuisine.

The Sheikh Kamal Academy, one of the key components of the complex, would work on nurturing talents from across the country. It would have modern residential facilities, while skilled trainers would monitor age-based training in the academy throughout the day.

The complex would also have a long walkway where the locals will be able to exercise or jog. The walkway would be of an international standard and would have changing room facilities. l

Domestic help raped in Pallabi Rakib murder accused n DMCH Correspondent

A 12-year-old domestic help was admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital in critical condition after being raped, allegedly by two people. She was found in Section 7 of Pallabi behind the Purobi Cinema Hall.

The girl alleged that she was raped by two people including a driver of the house she worked in. Police is yet to track down the house.

The accused driver is one Sagor who forcibly took her to the guard room of the residential building she worked in and raped her along with another man.

Pallabi police station SI Rokonuzzaman said police recovered the girl from the area in blood-stained condition around 11:30am.

Quoting pedestrian there, the SI said they saw her get down from a rickshaw and take shelter at a garage. Later they informed the police. He said SI Rasel took the victim to DMCH. As the house the girl worked in was not found, the accused could not be arrested immediately, the police official said.

According to the One-stop Crisis Centre (OCC) at the DMCH, the girl was in critical condition and her clothes were drenched in her blood. To save her an operation was needed and she was admitted to Ward 212 of the hospital. After her primary treatment the OCC will receive her on Saturday.

Rape has increased at an alarming rate as at least six incidents of rape were reported in the city in the past week. l

placed under remand n Our Correspondent, Khulna

A Khulna court has granted a three-day remand against Beauty Begum – one of the accused in the killing of 12-year-old Rakib who died after his former employers pumped air through his rectum.

Khulna Metropolitan Magistrate Faruk Iqbal granted the remand after the investigation officer, Sub-Inspector Kazi Mostaque Ahmed, placed Beauty before his court with a 10-day remand plea. Following the court order, the police brought 50-year-old Beauty to the Khulna sadar police station for questioning.

On August 3, Md Rakibul Islam was viciously killed by three adults in the city’s Tutpara area because he had left employment at their garage and taken up a job elsewhere.

Following his death, outraged locals broke into the garage and beat up its owner Md Sharif, Mintu Miah, and Sharif’s mother Beauty.

Later, police arrested the three and sent Mintu and Sharif to the prison cell of Khuna Medical College Hospital, where they are still being treated for their injuries.

On August 4, Rakib’s father Nurul Alam filed a murder case with Sadar police station against the three. l

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Man arrested for killing his first wife n Kamrul Hasan Dhaka Metropolitan Police have arrested a man for his alleged involvement in killing his first wife.

Police arrested the accused Jewel Bishwas alias Imon, 30, from a house in Dhanmondi early Wednesday, more than a month after the murder in Kamrangirchar area.

On June 30, police recovered a half decomposed body of a woman from a second-floor room of a house in West Rasulpur.

Police found the woman’s arms tied with a piece of rope behind her back. Police instantly failed to find her and her husband’s identities.

Later, she was identified as Nasima Akhter, 25, who had been married to Jewel some six years back. They had a child too.

At one stage of their probe they held Jewel.

According to the police, Nasima came in contact with Jewel when the latter used to go to

Nasima’s place to paint her house. They gradually fell for each other and got married without informing their families.

Three years into the marriage he again tied the knot with Sumi Akhter. This time the marriage was arranged by his family in Gopalganj.

Within two years of his second marriage he confided to his second wife that he had a wife but she had died. He also told her about his child, Dipu, from his first marriage. He fathered a boy from his second marriage too.

After his confession to his second wife he wanted to make his story a true one and planned to kill his first wife. He took her to Dhaka six months back to execute his plan but he failed to do it.

Finally he succeeded on the night of June 30 when his son was asleep.

DMP Deputy Commissioner (Lalbagh Zone) Mofijuddin Ahmed in a press briefing at the DMP Media Centre said Jewel confessed to his crime during the interrogation.

HC bail in nine cases against Rizvi, Dudu reinstated n Tribune Report The Supreme Court (SC) has upheld the High Court’s decision of granting bail to BNP Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi and its senior leader Shamsuzzaman Dudu in nine cases of ten.

A four-member appellate division bench led by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha yesterday heard ten cases, six against Rizvi and four against Dudu, and made the order.

Besides, the bench refused the Rizvi’s bail order ensured by the HC while Dudu secured bail in his four lawsuits.

Lawyers Jainul Adedin, Mahbub Uddin Khokon and Sagir Hossain Leon stood for the BNP leaders while Additional Attorney General

Md Momtaz Uddin Fakir argued on behalf of the state seeking bail rejection order on the cases.

The HC gave interim bail Rizvi in eight cases and Dudu in seven cases on July 7 and the state moved to the Appellate Division against the order.

Of them, two were filed with Jatrabari police station, three with Khilgaon, Mirpur and Mohammdpur and three with Paltan police station. Bail in the case booked with Khilgaon police station against Rizvi was stayed.

Dudu secured bail in six cases launched with Paltan police station and one with Mirpur station.

Rizvi and Dudu have been staying in jail after being arrested on January 31 and January 12 respectively. l

JU student sued for remarks on prime minister n JU Correspondent In response to a complaint submitted by Chhatra League leaders, the Jahangirnagar University authorities have filed a case against a final-year student for making derogatory comments about the prime minister on Facebook.

The case was filed against government and politics department student Shamsul Alam, also a resident student of Maulana Bhashani Hall, with Ashulia police on Wednesday night under the Information and Communication Technology Act. JU unit Chhatra League Vice-President Al Amin Setu had written an article on Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s “Oshomapto Attmojinoni” in a national daily while Organising Secretary Murshedur shared a link of the article on his Facebook timeline on Wednesday.

On that post, Shamsul commented using

a fake account with the name of Md Kabir Mamu in Bangla. He wrote: “Well written brother. I have read the book. But the problem is [Prime Minister] Sheikh Hasina is not such a good person that God’s message will come to her.”

Chhatra League leaders of Maulana Bhashani Hall sat in a meeting over the matter the same evening and found that the fake account belonged to Shamsul. Setu and Murshedur then caught Shamsul and handed him over to the university authorities along with a complaint.

Pro-VC Prof Abul Hossain told reporters yesterday that the case had been filed in response to a complaint submitted by as some students.

While contacted, Murshedur told the Dhaka Tribune: “We are promised to resist any conspiracy against our beloved leader Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his daughter Sheikh Hasina.” l

He said Jewel first tied Nasima’s hands with rope telling her that they were going to enjoy some funny moments and then he strangled her.

He fled the house after locking it from outside and went straight back to Gopalganj.

Police recovered the body after being informed by his neighbours. Owner Anwar Hossain told the police that he rented out the house to the couple on June 27 for Tk2000 a month.

From one of the neighbours police came to know that Nasima came from Jessore and found a picture of Imon from the room. Later, they collected his cell phone number from Nasima’s parents.

After tracking the number police was confirmed that Jewel and Imon are the same person and arrested him early Wednesday.

Senior ASP of police (Lalbagh Zone) RM Foyzur Rahman said a case was filed with Kamrangirchar police station in connection with the murder. l

Falu secures bail following surrender n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu

A Dhaka court yesterday granted bail to BNP chief Khaleda Zia’s Adviser Mosaddek Ali Falu after his surrender in a sabotage case.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Shahriar Mahmud Adnan passed the order when Falu surrendered to his court.

The court at first rejected Falu’s bail plea and sent him to jail. When he suddenly fell sick in the dock after hearing the order, his counsel instantly filed another plea to reconsider the decision mentioning that his client deserved bail as the other accused of the case were already on bail.

Finally, the court granted him bail till the next hearing on August 24.

On February 3, the case was filed against Falu and some 60 BNP-Jamaat leaders on charge of torching vehicle and creating obstacle in discharging police duty. l

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Private university students meet president for VAT withdrawal n Tribune Report Students from private universities have met President Abdul Hamid and submitted a memorandum seeking withdrawal of the 7.5% value-added tax (VAT) on private tertiary education.

The three-member delegation, under the banner of “No VAT on Education,” a student platform, submitted the memorandum to the president at Bangabhaban yesterday afternoon.

In the memorandum, they demanded immediate intervention from the president to resolve the issue, claiming that they would go for tough movement if their demand was not met by the next five days, said a press release issued by the platform.

The students also demanded formulation of a policy for all private universities, medical colleges and engineering colleges.

Prior to the meeting with the president, students held a gathering in front of National Press Club.

When they headed towards Bangabhaban, police barred them from advancing in Kadam Phowara area in Dhaka University. Students then sat down on the streets, and three students among them went to Bangabhaban to give the memorandum to the president.

Students from several private universities took part in yesterday’s gathering, including Green University Bangladesh, State University of Bangladesh, IBAIS University, Stamford University of Bangladesh, University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh, East West University, Brac University, North South University, United International University, University of Asia Pacific, Anwar Khan Modern Medical College, World University and Gana Bishwabidyalay.

The government imposed a 7.5% VAT on private universities and medical and engi-

neering colleges during the budget of the 2015-16 fiscal year The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has already served notices to the private tertiary education institutions to immediately register as VAT-paying entities and pay the VAT to the government exchequer.

This is the first time the government has implemented the VAT on the institutions, imposed on the fees and to be collected from students.

Before in 2010, the government moved to impose indirect tax on private tertiary education, but had to pull out in the face of student protests.

According to the University Grants Commission (UGC) and Bangladesh Private Medical College Association, there are currently around 461,000 students enrolled in 83 private universities and over 20,000 students in 64 private medical colleges. l

Khaleda attends doa mahfil for Tarique’s father-in-law n Tribune Report BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia attended a doa mahfil held for her elder son Tarique Rahman’s father-in-law former navy chief Mahbub Ali Khan’s 31st death anniversary.

The former premier went to Mahbub’s residence in the city’s Dhanmondi area and attended the event, organised by the family members.

Senior BNP leaders, eminent lawyer Rafiqul Huq and former navy officials attended the programme as well.

Tarique and his wife Zobaida Rahman were absent in the doa as they are in London, living there since 2008.

Khaleda spent some time with the family members before leaving for her Gulshan residence. l

Garo Student Union Bangladesh protests in front of National Press Club yesterday demanding immediate arrest of the person who raped a 10-year-old Garo girl in the capital on Monday MEHEDI HASAN

Dhaka, KL to address together irregular movement of people n UNB Bangladesh and Malaysia have agreed to closely work together for a permanent solution to the protracted problem of irregular movement of people.

Both countries have discussed in details the root cause of the irregular movement of people due to the continuous persecution of Rohingya ethnic minority people being carried out in the Rakhaine state of Myanmar.

The issue came up for discussion at a meeting between Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali and his Malaysian counterpart Dato’ Anifah Haji Aman at Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday, the Foreign Ministry here said yesterday.

The foreign minister is on a two-day visit

to Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur in connection with the 22nd Asean Regional Forum (ARF) Foreign Ministers’ meeting.

Mahmood Ali also met the foreign minister of Norway, state ministers for foreign affairs of Japan and India, and discussed various bilateral and regional issues on Wednesday.

The Malaysian foreign minister expressed his deep satisfaction at the existing friendly bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Malaysia, and hoped that the relations would further be strengthened in the years to come.

The Bangladesh foreign minister thanked his Malaysian counterpart for his help and assistance for the repatriation of the irregular migrants of Bangladesh.

Dato’ Anifah Haji Aman also thanked

Mahmood Ali for taking quick action on taking back its Bangladeshi nationals.

The two also discussed the status of recruitment of Bangladeshi workers on both G2G and B2B bases, and felt the need for taking more positive measures to smoothen the process.

Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende highly praised economic development and social progress of Bangladesh, especially attaining the MDG goals under the able and dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Brende showed keen interest in Bangladesh’s relations with its neighbours and the role of Bangladesh in bringing shared prosperity within the region. l

BSF tortures Bangladeshi cattle trader to death n Our Correspondent, Naogaon A Bangladeshi cattle trader was tortured to death by India’s Border Security Force at Nitpur border in Porsha upazila early yesterday.

Jaria Marmu, 35, was the son of Samu Marmu of Manaharpur village in the upazila.

Border Guard Bangladesh’s Naogaon 14 Commanding Officer Lt Col Rafiqul Hasan said Jaria was among 10-12 people who crossed the border and went to India to bring cattle on Tuesday night.

“A BSF patrol team chased them as they were returning to Bangladesh with cattle early in the morning on Thursday. Others managed to flee but Jaria was captured and later tortured by the border police,” he said.

Jaria’s travelling companions found him in a critical condition near the border and were taking him home but he died on the way around 6am. l

Community policing starts at Dasiar Chhara n Our Correspondent, Kurigram Just about a week ago, these little patches of land – comprising one or several sleepy villages and a few hundred poor residents – used to be strange places from all aspects.

These were technically Indian lands – known as chhitmahals or exclaves – but completely surrounded by Bangladesh. So, Indian security forces could not come here and ensure law and order; neither could Bangladeshi forces because these were foreign lands.

That made these chhitmahals hotbeds of local crime and nobody had any security at all.

But when the clock hit 12 on the night of July 31, these exclaves were all added to Bangladesh’s territory, thanks to the implementation of the Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) between India and Bangladesh.

Soon, Bangladesh police set up temporary camps at the exclaves. Yesterday, under the supervision of local administration and police, community policing services were kicked off in Dasiar Chhara.

A meeting was held at Kalir Hat Bazar in Dasiar Chhara yesterday noon between locals and police. Kurigram district police chief Md Tabarak Ullah attended the meeting among others. l

DU admission test appeal hearing Aug 16 n Tribune Report The Supreme Court has set August 16 for the hearing on an appeal filed by the parents of 26 admission seekers against a High Court ruling that upheld the once-only admission test policy of Dhaka University.

A four-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha set the date yesterday, after the parents recently filed the petition seeking the court’s order to allow the students to appear in the test for the second time.

The appellants said the university authorities had not issued any prior notice before introducing the new policy last year that violated the students’ fundamental rights. l

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AL factional clashes rising alarmingly in Magura n Our Correspondent, Magura

It has been five months since council of Magura district unit Awami League, but a fullfledged committee is yet to be formed much to create tension among leaders and activists over establishing supremacy in the locality.

The council was held on March 7 at Magura Nomani Moidan. Prof MS Akbar and Pankaj Kundu were elected president and general secretary respectively.

State Minister for Youth and Sports Sree Biren Shikder and Abu Nashir Bablu have been elected senior vice-president and vice-president of the committee respectively.

But the newly elected president of the committee died on March 9.

Since then, Sree Biren Shikder has been working as acting president of the committee.

Dedicated leaders and workers of Magura AL are waiting for full fledged district committee for about 5 months.

In this situation, factional clash of Magura AL is rising alarmingly. Two people were killed in separate clashes in the district.

On July 24, a clash took place at Rupdah village under Magura Sadar upazila between the supporters of local AL leader Salam Hazi and Nannu Sheikh .

Supporters of Salam made an attack on Nannu with sharp weapons and Nannu died on the spot.

On the same day, a clash took place between the supporters of local Jubo League leader Kamrul Bhuiyan and local Jubo League leader Ajibar Hossen in Dohar Par area of Magura town over establishing supremacy.

Supporters of Ajibar made an attack on the house of Kamrul. During the clash, a seven-month expecting mother, Nazma Begum, 30, among three people suffered bullet injuries as she was caught in the line of fire during a clash between two groups of Jubo League activists over establishing supremacy at Doarpara in Sadar upazila in the evening of July 24.

Nazma was taken to Sadar Hospital where she gave birth to a baby through caesarean section on that night. It was found after the birth that the newborn also suffered bullet wounds while in the womb.

Elderly man killed in train accident in Kishoreganj n Our Correspondent, Kishoreganj An unidentified elderly man was killed in Sadar upazila under the wheels of a train on Wednesday night.

Md Saidul Islam, officer-in-charge of Bhairab GRP station, said the man, aged about 60,

Robber lynched Correspondent, n Our Gazipur An alleged ringleader of an inter-district robber gang was killed in a mob attack at Namila village in Kapasia upazila of the district early yesterday.

Police said a gang of armed robbers stormed into three houses at the village around 2:30am.

They looted cash, gold ornaments and other valuables from the houses. At one stage, local people surrounded the robbers while they were trying to flee the scene.

After a hot chase, they caught Shamim, 42, son of Gias Uddin, a resident of Panchahar village in Gaforgoan upazila of Mymensingh district while others of the gang, managed to flee, said Husn-e-Ara, the local UP member and local AL leader; her house was also attacked by the robbers. The villagers beat Shamim mercilessly, leaving him dead on the spot, she said. l

died on the spot when the Titas Express, a passenger train coming from Dhaka hit him around 9pm. On information, police recovered the body and sent it to Kishoreganj Modern Hospital morgue.

An unnatural death case was filed with Bhairab GRP police station in this connection. l

Later, the baby was admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital on July 25 while the mother was undergoing treatment at Magura Sadar Hospital. Kamrul’s uncle Abdul Momin also scummed to his bullet injuries at Magura Sadar Hospital on July 26.

When contacted, former president of Magura district unit Chhatra League Abu Reza Nantu said: “We are crying for a full-fledged committee of district unit AL for about five months. In want of a full fledged committee factional clash of AL is rising day by day.”

There is no alternative to form a full fledged committee of Magura district unit AL to bring back peace and discipline among leaders and workers, he said.

On contact Magura district unit AL general secretary Pankaj Kundu said they had faced two bi-elections recently. One is parliamentary election on May 30 while another upazila election on July 21.

“We were busy with elections. For this, we could not form full fledged committee. The full fledged committee of the district unit AL will be formed within very short time,” he also said. l

BCC mayor, 43 others sued for bribery n Our Correspondent, Barisal

A case was filed against Mayor of Barisal City Corporation Ahsan Habib Kamal and 43 others for demanding bribe.

Mosharef Hosen, a lawyers, filed the case with special judge court of Barisal on Wednesday afternoon.

Other accused of the case include Ranjeet Kumar Roy, chief executive officer of the BCC, Shahidul Alam, engineer and Md Farid, personal assistant of the mayor.

According to the case statement, the BCC conducted an eviction drive in Nabagram Choumatha area of the city on August 4 and demolished 16 structures from the spot without any prior notice.

The complainant is one of the affected businessman whose structure has been demolished during the drive.

He complained that the BCC only demolished structures of those people who did not provide bribe money to the mayor, officials and employees. Judge of the tribunal Anwarul Haque ordered to send the allegation to the Anti- Corruption Commission for investigation . l

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Warehouse collapse kills worker n CU Correspondent

A worker was killed and two others were injured when the rooftop of a building collapsed in Bangladesh Industrial and Technical Assistance (Bitac) area under Sagarika in the city yesterday evening.

Azizur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Pahartali police station, said the rooftop of the building, built during the British period, collapsed on Moju Mia, 55, leaving him dead on the spot and two others injured.

CUTA protests eighth pay scale n Tribune Report

Chittagong University Teachers Association (CUTA) is going to observe work abstention on the campus on Sunday protesting the Eighth National Pay Scale what they said it’s discriminatory for the university’s teachers.

A press release signed by Professor Khusrul Alam Quddusi, general secretary of the CUTA, said demanding the reversal of proposal and individual pay scale for the university teachers, CUTA will observe a fulloffice time work abstention on Sunday on the campus. l

‘Three-wheelers to get two-hour window to access highways’ n Our Correspondent, Comilla CNG run auto-rickshaws will be allowed to access CNG filling stations along highways across the country for two hours, said Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader.

The minister said this while talking to officials of the four-lane highway project after a visit in Chowddagram, Comilla yesterday afternoon. Comilla Roads and Highways Department (RHD) Executive Engineer Muhamma Saif Uddin accompanied the minister during the visit.

Obaidul Quader said the auto-rickshaws cannot carry any passengers when on the highways, and added that they would only be allowed to go to the filling stations from 6am to 8am, adjacent to highways if there are no other such stations in the area. This rule will be effective for the 3,500 kilometres highways across the country.

All three-wheelers have been banned from plying on the highways of the country since August 1 as they have been causing a number

of highway accidents. Since then drivers and owners of such three-wheelers have been protesting for removal of the ban.

The drivers-owners claim most of the CNG filling stations are adjacent to highways and asked how would they get the CNG for auto-rickshaws if they are not allowed on highways. After hearing these claims, the minister made this new decision.

Earlier, the minister at a programme in Chittagong city on Wednesday said the government would not compromise over decision of three-wheeler ban on highways.

He then said: “We have imposed ban on plying of three wheelers on only 3,000 kilometres highways across the country while the vehicles can run rest of 250,000 kilometres roads in the country. We will construct separate by-lanes for three wheelers and small vehicles in future.”

Amid sharp rise in road fatalities, the government clamped a ban on the movement of three-wheelers, auto-rickshaws and non-motorised vehicles on highways across the country with effect from August 1.

Protesting the decision, three wheelers owner-drivers called dawn-to-dusk strike in Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar, Rangamati, Bandarban, Khagrachhari, Luxmipur, Noakhali and Feni districts on August 13.

Over 600 such vehicles have been fined and cases filed against 52 vehicles across the country from August 1 to 3 for plying on the highways, according to highway police.

Meanwhile, the Sylhet District Auto-rickshaw Shramik Union gave eight days ultimatum to the government to withdraw the ban.

The organisation made the announcement at a press conference in Sylhet Press Club yesterday afternoon.

President of the association Mohammad Jakaria in a written statement said if the government did not withdraw the ban, they would take to the street wearing shrouds.

Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity, a commuters’ association, found that 8,589 people had died in road accidents across the country in 2014, according to a study. The study said that road accidents caused nearly a death in an hour last year. l

WEATHER THUNDERSHOWER WITH RAIN

FRIDAY, AUGUST 7 DHAKA TODAY

TOMORROW

SUN SETS 6:38PM

SUN RISES 5:31AM

FORECAST FOR TODAY 33 32 33 33 33 32 32 31

Dhaka Chittagong Rajshahi Rangpur Khulna Barisal Sylhet Cox’s Bazar

27 27 26 26 26 26 26 26

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

35.7ºC

25.4ºC

Chuadanga

Rangamati Source: Accuweather/UNB

Filled with potholes, this road in Kamrangirchar Rosulpur area takes a worse shape following rainfall, creating immense sufferings for locals. The photo was taken yesterday MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Policeman held for killing wife over dowry n Our Correspondent, Barisal PRAYER TIMES Fajr Sunrise Jumma Asr Magrib Esha

4:06am 5:29am 12:04am 4:42pm 6:38pm 8:08pm SourceL IslamicFinder.org

A policeman was suspended and arrested yesterday for allegedly killing wife over at Kawnia in Barisal city.

Md Shahidullah Chowdhury, commanding officer Barisal Range Reserve Force, acknowledged the suspension and arrest of constable Imam Hassan. The victim was identified as Suchana Aktar, 18, a Higher Secondary student at Shaheed Abdur Rob Serniabad College.

Ali Hossain, father of the victim, lodged a murder case against six people, including Imam, with Kawnia police station.

Inspector Selim Reza, investigation officer of the case, said police recovered the body of Suchana on Wednesday night and sent it to Barisal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College for autopsy.

According to the case statement, Imam used to torture Suchana demanding dowry and local elites tried to resolve the matter sev-

eral times through arbitration.

Suchana started living with her paternal family since the day after Eid to avoid torture.

On Wednesday night, she went to Imam’s house as he promised her that he would not torture her again.

After an hour, her parents rushed to the house and found the body of Suchana.

The body bore several injury marks. Her family said she had been hanged to death by her husband.

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Bomb attack on mosque for Saudi forces kills 15 n AFP, Riyadh

A blast probably triggered by a suicide bomber killed 15 people yesterday at a mosque inside a special forces headquarters in Saudi Arabia near the border with Yemen.

An interior ministry spokesman said the “terrorist” attack took place during noon prayers in the city of Abha, in the southern province of Asir.

Twelve of those killed were members of a Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) unit, while the other three were workers at the compound, officials said. Seven people were also wounded.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Yesterday’s bombing was the deadliest in a series in recent weeks against Saudi security forces, who have been targeted in attacks blamed on the Islamic State group.

“The terrorist attack struck worshippers during prayer,” the spokesman said, giving an

initial toll of 10 policemen and three workers killed and nine people wounded.

El-Ikhbariya state television later said that two policemen wounded in the “heinous” attack had died, bringing the death toll to 15.

The interior ministry spokesman said the attack was likely carried out by a suicide bomber, saying that “body parts found at the scene” indicated the use of explosive vests.

The governor of Asir province, Prince Faisal bin Khaled bin Abdel Aziz, visited the site of the attack and the wounded in hospital, condemning the bombing.

“The attack is aimed at destabilising the country and sowing fear among citizens,” he said, according to the official Saudi Press agency. An interior ministry spokesman told AFP it was too early to say who may have carried out the attack.

On July 16 a car bomb exploded at a security checkpoint near a prison in the capital Riyadh. It killed the driver and wounded two policemen.

IS claimed responsibility for that attack, saying it was a message to jihadists held at Al-Hair high security prison that they had not been forgotten.

Two days later, Saudi Arabia said it had broken up an IS-linked network and arrested more than 430 suspects involved in attacks and plots, including suicide bombings of Shiite mosques.

The interior minister said the suspects had plotted attacks on an unidentified diplomatic mission and mosques, including one used by security forces in Riyadh.

Saudi Arabia and its Sunni Gulf neighbours last year joined a US-led military coalition bombing IS in Syria, raising concerns about possible retaliation in the kingdom.

The Sunni-ruled kingdom also leads a coalition that has launched air strikes since March against Shiite rebels who have overrun much of neighbouring Yemen and forced the government into exile. l

Gaza explosion kills four, wounds 30 n Reuters, Gaza

An explosion killed four Palestinians and wounded 30 yesterday in the southern Gaza town of Rafah along the Egyptian border, medical officials and local residents said.

Media outlets of the Hamas Islamist group that controls the Gaza Strip blamed the blast on an unexploded Israeli missile from last year’s war.

The Interior Ministry said it was checking the cause of the explosion, which destroyed the home of Ayman Abu Nqeira, a Hamas member. He was wounded in the explosion and his son and three other relatives were killed, witnesses said. l

Protesters leave as Taiwan readies for year’s biggest typhoon n AFP, Taipei

Students who have been camping outside Taiwan’s education ministry for almost a week to protest curriculum changes said yesterday they were packing up, as the country braced for the biggest typhoon of the year.

The students and supporters, who say the new curriculum favours China’s view of the island’s history, announced they were disbanding the camp for safety reasons as Typhoon Soudelor barrelled closer.

Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau predicted the storm would make landfall sometime between late Friday and early Saturday. It has already forced the evacuation of more than 2,000 people from outlying islands popular with tourists.

The protesters had previously pledged to stay despite the typhoon, with one student insisting that “winds and rains cannot stop us, we’ll stay on until our appeal is accepted.” l

Remains of two Japanese climbers found in Alps after half century n AFP, Geneva A girl carries a national flag while riding in a car as people gather in Tahrir square to celebrate an extension of the Suez Canal, in Cairo, Egypt yesterday. Egypt opened an expansion to the Suez Canal to great fanfare yesterday, the centrepiece of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s plans to revitalise the country’s economy after years of damaging political turmoil REUTERS

Sisi inaugurates ‘new Suez Canal’ n AFP, Ismailiya

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi staged a lavish ceremony yesterday to unveil a “new” Suez Canal, seeking to boost the country’s economy and international standing by expanding the vital waterway.

Sisi, sporting ceremonial military uniform, arrived on board an historic yacht leading a naval flotilla as fighter planes and helicopters flew overhead.

The event in the port city of Ismailiya attended by several heads of state, including

French President Francois Hollande, comes two years after then army chief Sisi overthrew his Islamist predecessor.

Mohamed Morsi’s ouster unleashed a deadly crackdown on Islamists, and a jihadist insurgency has since killed hundreds of soldiers east of the Suez Canal.

Sisi, elected last year on a promise to strengthen security and revive a dilapidated economy, broke ground on the canal project last August.

Initial estimates suggested the new route would take up to three years to build, but Sisi

set an ambitious target of 12 months.

It has been touted as a landmark achievement, rivalling the digging of the original 192-kilometre (119-mile) canal, which opened in 1869 after almost a decade of work.

The new section, built at a cost of $9 billion (7.9 billion euros) and funded entirely

by Egyptian investors, runs part of the way alongside the existing canal connecting the Red Sea and the Mediterranean.

Officials hope the new waterway will more than double Suez earnings from $5.3bn expected at the end of 2015 to $13.2bn in 2023. l

The remains of two Japanese climbers who disappeared in the Swiss Alps in 1970 have been found after emerging from melting ice, police said yesterday.

Human skeletal remains were discovered at the foot of the Matterhorn glacier, at an altitude of 2,800 metres (9,190 feet), last September, and DNA tests have recently shown them to belong to two climbers who vanished 45 years ago, the Valais regional police said in a statement.

The two climbers, identified by the Japanese consulate in Geneva as 22-year-old Michio Oikawa and 21-year-old Masayuki Kobayashi, were reported missing on August 18, 1970, it said.

As Alpine glaciers melt due to global warming, the remains of long-lost climbers have increasingly been emerging from the shrinking mountain ice. l

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Hiroshima marks atomic bombing, worries about steps toward war n Reuters, Hiroshima Bells tolled and thousands bowed their heads in prayer in Hiroshima yesterday at ceremonies marking the 70th anniversary of the world’s first atomic bombing while survivors warned about Japan’s moves away from its pacifist constitution.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his government are pushing security bills through parliament that could send Japanese troops into conflict for the first time since World War Two, sparking massive protests around the country.

Many with memories of the war and its aftermath are scathing about Abe’s steps away from Japan’s pacifist constitution in pursuit of a more robust security stance, and survivors of the bombing lambasted Abe at a meeting after the commemoration ceremony.

“These bills will bring the tragedy of war to our nation once again,” said Yukio Yoshioka, 86. “They must be withdrawn.”

Abe, who in a speech at the ceremony called for abolishing nuclear weapons, replied by repeating his view that the legislation was essential to ensure Japan’s safety.

At 8:15 am (2315 GMT), the exact time the bomb exploded on August 6, 1945, the crowd stood for a moment of silence in the heavy summer heat while cicadas shrilled, the Peace Bell rang and hundreds of doves were released into the sky.

Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui urged that nuclear weapons be abolished and demanded the creation of security systems that do not rely on military might.

“Working with patience and perseverance to achieve these systems will be vital and will require that we promote throughout the world the path to true peace revealed by the pacifism of the Japanese

Kerry slams China over South China Sea ‘restrictions’ n Reuters, Kuala Lumpur

US Secretary of State John Kerry yesterday accused China of restricting navigation and overflights in the disputed South China Sea. Addressing a regional meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Kerry said China’s construction of facilities for “military purposes” on man-made islands was raising tensions and risked “militarisation” by other claimant states.

“Freedom of navigation and overflight are among the essential pillars of international maritime law,” Kerry told the East Asia Summit.

“Despite assurances that these freedoms would be respected, we have seen warnings issued and restrictions attempted in recent months,” Kerry said.

“Let me be clear: The United States will not accept restrictions on freedom of navigation and overflight, or other lawful uses of the sea.”

There was no immediate reaction from Chinese officials to Kerry’s criticism, some of his strongest yet over the issue. l

An atomic cloud billows above Hiroshima city following the explosion of the first atomic bomb to be used in warfare, in this handout photo taken by the US Army on August 6, 1945, and distributed by the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. The words written on the photo are from the source REUTERS constitution,” he said in a speech.

Many of those gathered for the ceremony renewed their calls for peace.

“My grandfather died here at that time

and I keep wondering what he felt then,” said Tomiyo Sota. “He was still 21 years old and it pains me to think he died so young.”

The Hiroshima bombing, which killed

Malaysia: Wing part is from missing flight MH370 n Reuters, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia said yesterday paint colour and maintenance-record matches proved that a piece of wing found on the shore of an Indian Ocean island was part of the wreckage of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370, which vanished without trace last year.

Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai said investigators on the French island of Reunion had collected more aircraft debris but there was no confirmation they were from MH370.

Earlier, Prime Minister Najib Razak confirmed that the piece of debris was from the Boeing 777 airliner that was bound for Beijing from Kuala Lumpur with 239 passengers and crew on board when it went missing.

“Today, 515 days since the plane disappeared, it is with a heavy heart that I must tell you that an international team of experts have conclusively confirmed that the aircraft debris found on Reunion Island is indeed from MH370,” Najib said in a televised ad-

dress. The airline described the find as “a major breakthrough.”

The first piece of direct evidence that the plane crashed in the sea closed a chapter in one of the biggest mysteries in aviation history.

But exactly what happened remains unknown and Najib’s announcement did not appear to represent any kind of resolution for the families of those on board, most of whom were Chinese.

Despite the Malaysian confirmation, prosecutors in France stopped short of declaring they were certain, saying only that there was a “very strong presumption.”

A group of families from China said French investigators and Boeing must also say definitively the wing piece was from the plane.

“We are not living in denial ... but we owe it to our loved ones not to declare them lost without 100 percent certainty!” the families said.

China’s foreign ministry urged Malaysia to keep investigating and to “safeguard the legitimate rights and interests” of relatives. l

140,000 by the end of the year, was followed by the atomic bombing of Nagasaki on August 9, 1945, which killed about 40,000 instantly.

The war ended on August 15. l

Want to contest village elections?

Get a toilet, says Bihar n Reuters, Patna

Authorities in Bihar have made it mandatory for candidates contesting village elections to have a toilet in their home as part of a move to improve sanitation in the country.

The Bihar state assembly on Wednesday passed an act stating that candidates must confirm that they have a toilet inside their home in order to be nominated for the 2016 polls.

“Our objective is to improve sanitary conditions at the micro level and end the disgusting practice of open defecation which is the root cause of many ills,” Binod Prasad Yadav, Bihar’s Panchayati Raj (village governance) Minister, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Bihar, ruled by the opposition Janata Dal United party, is the second state after Gujarat to have passed such legislation ahead of next year’s village and district council elections.

Less than a third of India’s 1.2 billion people have access to toilets. l

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UN set to vote on Syria chemical weapons probe n AFP, United Nations The UN Security Council is expected to adopt on Friday a draft resolution that would set up a panel to determine who is responsible for deadly chlorine gas attacks in Syria, diplomats said.

A vote at the 15-member council was scheduled after US Secretary of State John Kerry won backing from Russia for the measure, in a rare sign of cooperation from the Damascus ally over how to address the conflict in Syria.

Under discussion for months, the US-drafted resolution would set up a team of experts tasked with identifying the perpetrators of the chemical weapons attacks, paving the way for possible sanctions.

The resolution mandates the panel jointly set up with the OPCW chemical weapons watchdog to “identify to the greatest extent feasible individuals, entities, groups, or governments who were perpetrators, organisers, sponsors or otherwise involved in the use of chemicals as weapons including chlorine or any other toxic chemical” in Syria.

The United States and its allies have re-

peatedly accused President Bashar al-Assad’s forces of carrying out chlorine gas attacks with barrel bombs thrown from helicopters.

The three countries argue that only the Syrian regime has helicopters, but Russia maintains there is no solid proof that Damascus is behind the attacks.

“So what we are trying to do is to get beyond the mere finding of the fact that it may have been used, and actually find out who used it, and designate accountability for its use,” Kerry told reporters in Malaysia earlier.

Kerry said he agreed with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the measure during a meeting on Wednesday.

The measure would task UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to set up the team within 20 days, working with the Hague-

based Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

The panel would present its first findings to the council 90 days after it begins its work.

Pressure has been mounting on the deeply-divided Security Council to take action in Syria, where the war is now in its fifth year and has claimed more than 230,000 lives.

A veto-wielding member of the council, Russia last year blocked a key resolution on referring Syria to the International Criminal Court for war crimes but it later backed a measure on boosting humanitarian aid.

Russian support for the chlorine gas probe is seen by some western diplomats as a shift from Moscow, which has shielded the Assad regime at the United Nations.

“There is a change of tone,” a Security

Human rights groups and Syrian doctors have come forward with videos and accounts of dozens of chlorine gas attacks

Council diplomat said this week, but he cautioned: “I don’t want to overstate it.”

Security Council diplomats are separately working on a statement backing a new push for peace talks in Geneva that could yield a plan for a Syrian transition that western powers insist should happen without Assad.

Discussions are also inching forward on a new tougher UN measure on banning the use of barrel bombs, building on resolutions that have condemned the practice.

In 2013, Syria agreed to a US-Russia plan to dismantle its chemical weapons network and join an international treaty banning their use in what was then hailed as a first sign that Moscow was ready to turn up the pressure on Assad.

But human rights groups and Syrian doctors have since come forward with videos and accounts of dozens of chlorine gas attacks that have in particular targeted the northwestern Idlib province.

Earlier this year, council members heard graphic accounts from Syrian doctors of chlorine gas attacks in March on the village of Sarmin that left six dead including three children. l

DT

EDITORIAL 11

FRIDAY, AUGUST 7, 2015

INSIDE

Teesta: A pawn on Mamata’s chess-board New Delhi feels that delivering the Teesta deal at this time would not bring India any political advantage, since there are many -- in all probability, the majority of Bangladesh -- who would consider it a gesture to please the AL

PAGE 12

Why not football as well?

BIGSTOCK

I think an enhanced awareness of and respect for football, and other games like basketball, would help make our sporting and entertainment scenes more diverse PAGE 13

Unleash the potential of new entrepreneurs

W Are we the only ones corrupt?

I am not preaching in favour of corruption, but only trying to say that it exists across the globe, and that Bangladesh should not be singled out for graft as an obstacle for investment PAGE 14

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

Send us your Op-Ed articles:

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

e welcome the Bangladesh Bank’s support for the launch of the Integrated Association of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises of Bangladesh.

The new body promises to make it easier for entrepreneurs to develop and grow small and medium-sized enterprises, through the provision of advice on business plans and access to loans.

Sustainably creating new opportunities for the 2 million young people entering the workforce each year is the biggest challenge facing the economy. Getting it right can not only put the economy on the path to the higher rates of GDP growth which our population needs to benefit from increasing prosperity, but also help reduce the problems associated with illegal migration.

SMEs are an important provider of new jobs and can be critical to helping diversify the economy into new sectors and in creating new higher-value jobs.

The demographic dividend means there is no shortage of talent to draw upon. Our highly entrepreneurial population is not lacking in creativity. It is the hard work of ordinary people and common desire to improve living standards which has allowed Bangladesh to achieve the growth we have seen in the last two decades.

Comparative international surveys show that public opinion here is more supportive of open trade and foreign investment than most other nations as a means to generate new jobs Over 80% of Bangladeshis express support for a free-market, trade-oriented system for the economy, a figure only topped in Asia by people in Vietnam.

For our economy to match its potential, the government should do more to free entrepreneurs from the bureaucracy and corruption which holds back many businesses. It should also support new initiatives to improve education and skills development.

Everyone can benefit from building new platforms to help entrepreneurs grow new businesses and jobs

Government should do more to free entrepreneurs from the bureaucracy and corruption which holds back many businesses

DT

12 OPINION

FRIDAY, AUGUST 7, 2015

Teesta: A pawn on Mamata’s chess-board n M Serajul Islam

L

est readers have forgotten, New Delhi was prepared to give Dhaka the Teesta deal during Indian Prime Minister Manmohon Singh’s visit to Dhaka on September 6-8, 2011. That is one month short of four years. That deal would have given Bangladesh a 50% share of the Teesta water in the dry season after keeping 20% of the water for the river’s navigability.

That deal was generous because, in all prior negotiations, New Delhi had never agreed to more than 28% of the share for Bangladesh.

That deal fell through because, at the 11th hour, Mamata Banerjee refused to agree to New Delhi’s generous offer. Instead, she used the Teesta deal as a bargaining chip to extract more out of New Delhi for West Bengal’s own interests.

She had the power to demand and get anything from New Delhi at that period because the 19 Trinamool Congress seats in Lok Sabha were crucial for the Congress-led UPA government to survive. Dhaka, as a consequence, withdrew the land transit deal that was ready for delivery.

If the deals had come through, Bangladesh-India relations would have achieved the paradigm shift Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina wanted, and for which she had made the first move upon coming to power in January 2009 by promising and ensuring India total security co-operation.

For the next three years, the Congress-led government, till it was voted out of power in May 2014, kept on promising Dhaka that the Teesta deal would be delivered “soon.”

Congress was embarrassed because its inability to deliver Teesta was criticised by many Indians as a betrayal to Bangladesh.

The BJP, upon coming to power in May 2014, also did not show any great interest in resolving the Teesta deal. Meanwhile, BJP’s massive electoral victory took away from Mamata Banerjee her handle over New Delhi. The April/May 2014 election changed her position vis-à-vis New Delhi, from a dominant to a subservient one.

Mamata Banerjee was thus forced to make a u-turn on Teesta as well as the land boundary agreement as soon as the BJP humiliated Congress in the April/May 2014 elections. She told Sheikh Hasina, on a visit to Dhaka in February 2015, that she no longer had any objections to New Delhi giving Dhaka the two deals.

She even offered her services to help Dhaka and New Delhi tide over other irritant issues in their bilateral relations. It was a matter of great surprise that Dhaka seemed to have forgotten the fact that she had singlehandedly derailed Bangladesh-India relations from being launched to a new level by blatantly pursuing West Bengal’s interests.

Mamata kept half her promise. She supported New Delhi on the LBA, although BJP did not really need Trinamool’s support because it already had the number to ratify the agreement. The first signs that Bangladesh had made a mistake in believing Mamata was apparent when she came with Narendra Modi to Dhaka in June, but only after she was assured that the Indian prime minister would not discuss the Teesta deal on

Mamata Banerjee seems to have no interest in handing the Teesta deal to us on a silver platter

New Delhi feels that delivering the Teesta deal at this time would not bring India any political advantage, since there are many -- in all probability, the majority of Bangladesh -who would consider it a gesture to please the AL

his Dhaka visit.

In recent times, she has gone further in disowning what she had promised in Dhaka in February. She has said that she is not even thinking of the Teesta deal at the moment, let alone delivering it to Bangladesh any time “soon.”

There is no doubt Dhaka repeated the mistake it had made in 2011 when it had believed New Delhi would be able to deliver the Teesta deal. If the Bangladesh mission in New Delhi had co-ordinated with the DHC in Kolkata, Dhaka would have known weeks before the Indian PM’s visit that Mamata was in no mood to let New Delhi deliver the deals, because she was determined to use both to force New Delhi to further West Bengal and Trinamool’s interests, as well as satisfy West Bengal voters who had been jaded over the deals being delivered to Bangladesh.

This time, Mamata Banerjee has again taken Dhaka for a ride. She would be facing Assembly elections in 2016. Teesta water will be a major election issue and, in general, West Bengal does not have the friendliest

feelings for Bangladesh for a number of reasons.

Therefore, there is no reason for her to hand to Bangladesh the Teesta deal on a silver platter when her state’s voters would be against it. The Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi and the Deputy High Commission in Kolkata should know this because it is not a secret. Unfortunately, the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi has not pointed this out.

Instead, the High Commission has defended the delay as being normal in any negotiating process, forgetting that the process of negotiations over the Teesta deal had been completed four years ago!

The role of the BJP-led government on the delay in delivering the Teesta deal is surprising though, and raises serious questions. It has both the constitutional right as well as political power to sideline Mamata Banerjee and give Bangladesh the Teesta deal.

In fact, BJP could very well forget the existence of Mamata Banerjee and the West

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Bengal government and deliver the Teesta deal if it is ready to muster the political will to do so. The impoverished state of West Bengal is now powerless in national politics and is literally at the mercy of the centre for financial support, without which it would simply go bankrupt.

That raises the difficult question: Why is BJP not delivering? One reason could be that New Delhi is well aware of the current nature of politics in Bangladesh and India’s standing with its people.

New Delhi feels that delivering the Teesta deal at this time would not bring India any political advantage, since there are many -in all probability, the majority of the people of Bangladesh -- who would consider it a gesture to please the AL. Therefore, New Delhi would perhaps like to wait for a change of politics in Bangladesh to deliver the Teesta deal to satisfy the majority of the people of the country.

A more dangerous reason could be embedded in India’s plans for interlinking the rivers that flow into Bangladesh. An accord on the Teesta would create the ground for the sharing of other common rivers that would go against the Indian plan for interlinking cross-boundary rivers.

The strong reaction from our prime minister against the planned interlinking also explains New Delhi’s lukewarm interest in delivering Bangladesh the Teesta deal. It seems that, between Mamata Banerjee and New Delhi, Bangladesh’s hopes of receiving the Teesta deal is fast disappearing into the realms of serious uncertainty, as it becomes a pawn in India’s domestic politics. l M Serajul Islam is a retired Ambassador.

DT

OPINION 13

FRIDAY, AUGUST 7, 2015

Why not football as well?

Will we ever have our own world-class football heroes?

I think an enhanced awareness of and respect for football, and other games like basketball, would help make our sporting and entertainment scenes more diverse

n Mohammad Abu Bakar Siddique

B

angladesh should really think about playing more of the sports which can be played all year round. Not just us, but every country in our tropical region, where sporting events are frequently disrupted by unfavourable conditions like rain, should consider this.

We have seen how the last two Test matches were ruined due to incessant rain, which are not really unexpected given the season. Such weather conditions arise frequently due to the geographical location of countries like Bangladesh, India, and Sri Lanka.

Cricket is a big sport in this sub-continent, and a lot of emotions are wrapped up in the game, not to mention a lot of economic significance. Cricket has given Bangladesh a lot -- an enhanced affinity to other nations in the globe, and a boost to our economy and the nation’s confidence. The great game has graced the country and taught the ideals of

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competitiveness, but has also enabled a more harmonious society to grow.

However, there always remains the chance to look for alternatives, particularly in the case of a game like cricket, which has considerable vulnerabilities to natural conditions, and is subject to big arrangements that lead to questions of affordability.

All this becomes even more crucial in the wake of circumstances like the rain, or in the backdrop of mass poverty. These often make it difficult to consume or to be a part of the sport. Football, which people can play anywhere, at any time, in any condition, can be considered an alternative. In fact, it was a major game in Bangladesh until some years back. A game which people can easily play, and almost everybody can afford to watch.

Children from impoverished backgrounds can’t afford all the equipment needed to play the modern version of cricket. Even welloff people find it beyond their capacity to organise a proper game of cricket. The first thing you need is an open and vast field. You need a lot of cricketing paraphernalia, which is quite expensive.

The reason cricket outdoes football in Bangladesh is, despite the latter’s obvious advantages, South Asian nations tend to perform better at cricket in the global sphere, which is why we have so many cricketing stars. All this inspires more young people than football ever did.

Other reasons may be that football as a sport is more prone to injuries, compared to cricket. On the pitch, to the audience, the advantage that cricket has is that it has necessitated the learning of its own elaborate set of rules. The people have thus grown more respectful of its intricacies. Football has

remained a simple sport of scoring goals.

Coming back to the topic of injuries, village children and young people who play football are quite vulnerable to them. In my childhood, I had seen many get badly injured while playing football.

I think an enhanced awareness of and respect for football, and other games like basketball, would help make our sporting and entertainment scenes more diverse.

Too much dependence on cricket leaves a high chance of us getting frustrated with the game’s rituals, and the battering it gives to our wallets.

We need to improve in football -- it is the most popular sport in the world for a reason.

One thing to be considered, in particular, is that great footballers can come from any setting. What we need to do is keep alive the love of the game.

If people become a little more respectful towards the art that is football, the chance of injuries and other vulnerabilities associated with the game might also be reduced.

Bangladesh will one day be able to build the necessary infrastructure to combat natural occurrences like the weather. We can build huge indoor stadiums where cricket matches can take place in the midst of heavy rainfall outside.

I believe the level of involvement we now have with cricket through institutions is something we can also get from football.

We just need our schools and academies to help develop young talents. We can do this, at least, for the sake of all the good memories this country has of the sport of football. l Mohammad Abu Bakar Siddique is a Staff Writer at Dhaka Tribune.

DT

14 OPINION

FRIDAY, AUGUST 7, 2015

Are we the only ones corrupt?

Corruption exists across the globe

n Nadeem Qadir

I

n the world of corruption, it appears that no country is spared. Even those who give us sermons are in trouble or always have been in trouble.

In the British government’s trade guide of July 23, I noticed we have lot of positives, but unfortunately, the media has overlooked them and focused on the corruption factor.

It left me some space to write about my grievances.

Almost 100 British businesses, including GSK, HSBC, and Unilever, operate in Bangladesh and the trade guide has identified some negatives and positives which go against Bangladesh’s Vision 2021.

But first, here are the positives: • UK-Bangladesh trade: Over 119% growth in bilateral trade in goods and services between 2007 and 2012. Exports from the UK amounted to 450m pounds in 2013.

• The current electricity generation is 10,000MW, and as per the Bangladesh Power Development Board, it will reach 12,000MW by 2016.

• GDP grew by fiscal 2013. 6.7% growth has been forecast for 2016.

However, the problem is corruption, which stands in the way of more British investment as “speed money” is required in some cases.

As per Transparency International, corruption has gone down in Bangladesh, but really, which country isn’t corrupt to some degree?

The Independent in London reported: “Britain re-opens its door to dirty money.”

The government, it said, was reviewing the Bribery Act after business leaders had

claimed that it was making it difficult for British firms to export goods. Business Secretary Sajid Javid is looking into the claims.

Those in favour of reviewing the Bribery Act say they were losing out in business due to the law. While those opposed to it say that allowing British companies to pay “illegal” speed money encourages corruption in the countries at the receiving end.

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The 2010 Bribery Act made it an offence to bribe or to be bribed, and includes a specific ban on bribing foreign officials. The punishment -- a 10-year jail term plus other punitive measures.

These laws are made as a result of problems arising from corruption, and this means corruption has existed and still exists in many parts of the developed world, includ-

I am not preaching in favour of corruption, but only trying to say that it exists across the globe, and that Bangladesh should not be singled out for graft as an obstacle for investment

According to Transparency International, “corporate lobbying appeared to be the basis for the review rather than evidence. 89% of companies in the government’s own research reported that the act had no impact on their ability to export.”

So why review the act? And, isn’t bribing as big a crime as asking for it?

TI further says: “Paying small bribes feeds a culture of corruption which creates an unstable operating environment for companies.

Small bribes are part of a cycle of bribery that corrodes public and business standards and provides a climate for much larger public sector bribery and state theft.”

ing Britain. It is only possible to reduce and restrict it, but is it possible to eradicate it totally in countries like Bangladesh or, for that matter, in any other country?

In the Guardian, columnist Simon Jenkins wrote recently that British Prime Minister David Cameron thought corruption was a bad thing, and wished Britain to set a global example of virtue. “He is worried that his capital city, London, might become a ‘safe haven for corrupt money from around the world’ for plundered and laundered cash.”

Jenkins continues, saying that the TI study reveals that a “tenth of the properties in Westminster alone are now owned offshore

and anonymously. Streets and apartment blocks across the West End, Kensington, and Chelsea are lying empty and silent. It is obscene.”

Jenkins makes an interesting comment which is the crux of this article. He writes: “As for corruption, Britain really should shut up” as that country’s prime minister had gone to Kazakhstan, which held “the Olympic gold for corruption.”

“The truth is that hypocrisy is the occupational disease of British leaders. They lecture Africans and Asians on the venality of their politics while blatantly selling seats in their own parliament for cash.”

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is known for her honesty, and she too is pursuing zero-tolerance as far as corruption is concerned in every area of public or private sectors. But is the task to weed out corruption easy?

I am not preaching in favour of corruption, but only trying to say that it exists across the globe, and that Bangladesh should not be singled out for graft as an obstacle for investment.

The same trade report says the Bangladeshi industry grew by 9%, and inflation slowed down to 6.41% in 2015 from 7.35% the previous fiscal year.

So, are we doing too bad? Not at all. We are fighting as a nation to move forward, focusing on the positive side of things. Some, however, will continue to focus on the negative. l Nadeem Qadir, a senior journalist, is a UNCA Dag Hammarskjold Scholar in journalism. He is Press Minister to London. The views expressed here are those of the author, and not of the government.

16

Tofail: RMG Palli will be built in port city to reach export target

17

Bhutan gets duty-free access for boulder export to Bangladesh

19

Stocks inch down with dive in turnover

Digital efforts to boost state banks’ case management system n Asif Showkat Kallol The government has decided to digitalise the case management system of the state-owned banks and financial institutions so they can speed up resolving of pending cases filed with courts.

The digitalisation process will be completed in next six months, according to the decision taken by Bank and Financial Institutions Division at a meeting on Wednesday.

“Many cases remain unattended by bank officials and lawyers concerned, which is lingering the results. The new system is expected to be able to boost the case administration works in the state banks and FIs,” M Aslam Alam, who presided over the meeting, told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

Janata Bank’s computer department officials, who are tasked with developing a data-base and software for the digital system, also attended the meeting held at the Finance

Division office in Dhaka.

Official data shows that the state banks and FIs have over 4,000 pending cases with High Court in default loans mainly due to writ petitions filed by the defaulters. But lack of efforts from the banks and FIs to deal with the petitions have kept the cases unresolved for a long time, making the recovery of over Tk45,000 crore related with the cases almost impossible.

The digitalisation process will be completed in next six months Earlier, the Bank and Financial Institutions Division expressed concerns over the huge volume of pending cases of state-owned banks and FIs. Inefficiency of lawyers was blamed for the long-time unresolved cases.

Under the digital management, the cas-

es will be put into five priority categories in the data-base, said Aslam Alam, adding the officials and lawyers concerned will get three kinds of alert – green, orange and red – when there will be an update about the cases.

When there is a hearing in court on a case, the officials will receive green alert through mobile phone text message before a week, orange alert before three days and red alert before 24 hours time.

As per the priority rule, if there is any contempt case against the Bank and Financial Institutions Division, this will be in first priority while if the Division is defendant in other lawsuits, the case will get second priority treatment.

When banks or FIs are defendant, the case will be prioritised in third place. Fourth priority cases are those filed by the state banks and Fis against any person or organisation. If a private bank sues Bank Division or Bangladesh Bank, the case will be placed in the category of fifth priority. l

NBR: VAT on aeronautical charges a must Husain and n Ishtiaq Syed Samiul Basher Anik

Despite hectic efforts, Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) would not be able to skip payment of 15% Value Added Tax (VAT) on different aeronautical charges collected from different airline operators.

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) yesterday made it clear that CAAB, the aviation regulator, would have to pay the VAT as it was bound to pay it as per the existing law.

Customs, Excise and VAT commissionerate, Dhaka (North) held a meeting at its office to resolve the crisis over realising the unpaid revenue from CAAB. During the meeting, revenue authorities informed the CAAB officials that they have to pay 15% VAT, including the unpaid VAT for the last five years as CAAB was responsible to pay it.

According to a demand notice issued by the NBR field office in February this year, the aviation regulator have to pay the unpaid VAT of around Tk221 crore on various aeronautical charges during a period of 2009-14.

Usually, CAAB collects a number of aeronautical charges from airways including landing, parking, housing of aircrafts, boarding bridge, and embarkation charges.

The NBR has recently undertaken a desperate move to realise VAT from various sector as part of expansion of its revenue base.

The revenue authorities is assigned to mobilise Tk1,76,370 crore revenue for the fiscal

year 2015-16.

To meet the gigantic target, which is around 30% higher from the just concluded fiscal, the NBR is becoming desperate to find out potential sectors and introduction of new strategies to meet the target.

Although the NBR has been demanding the VAT for long from the aviation regulator, the CAAB was opposing to pay it just repeatedly saying: “It needs to amend the Civil Aviation rules-1984 for making this into effect.”

“CAAB collects a number of charges from the airline operators which are not exempted from VAT payment. As it did not collect the mandatory VAT over the charges, the NBR has asked the CAAB officials to comply with the VAT law,” said an NBR high official.

Attending the meeting, CAAB opposed to pay the unpaid VAT of Tk221 crore as it claimed there would be new complexities in collecting the due VAT from the airliners. But, they cannot avoid their responsibilities just uttering some irresponsible words, said the NBR official.

The aviation regulator, however, agreed to collect the VAT from the airliners from the current fiscal year.

Asked why the demand notice was not issued for unpaid VAT before 2009, he also said: “The NBR has the authority to ask for the unpaid VAT anytime” As contacted, a top CAAB official on condition anonymity stated that they werenot in a position to make any comment, as the issue was still a debatable one.

As per the regulation, from now on, CAAB will collect VAT from the airways companies and will deposit it to the government exchequer, he added.

As the NBR is all set to enforce the VAT, passengers will have to spend more for traveling through airways, airline operators told the Dhaka Tribune.

As the airline operators are not going to pay the VAT from their own pocket, it will have to be collected from the passengers through increasing the fares, they added.

“We are already counting huge losses in business. We do not have the ability to pay the huge amount of previous VAT,” said a CAAB official.

He also said: “We will appeal to the government seeking exemption of the unpaid VAT,” Regent Airways Chief Operating Officer Ashish R Choudhury told the Dhaka Tribune.

“If the government imposes VAT on aeronotical charges, we have to comply with that.

It will not be a pressure as the money will be collected from the passengers pockets,” said United Airways Deputy General Manager (marketing) Kamrul Islam.

However, he denied to make any comment on the issue of unpaid VAT before the company receives any official notice from the authorities concerned. l

20

DT

Business

15

FRIDAY, AUGUST 7, 2015

IMF staff urges no rush to add China yuan to currency basket

Import rises slightly in June n Tribune Report

The country’s import expenditure in terms of LC (letter of credit) settlement rose slightly by 0.43% in June compared to the same month of the last year, according to the Bangladesh Bank data released yesterday.

The LC value stood at $3.12bn in June compared to $3.11bn in the same month last year.

Import growth of year-on-year basis was negative 6.29% in May and 1.23% in April, according to the central bank data.

Bangladesh Bank in its recent monetary policy expected 14% growth in imports and 7.5% in exports.

At the end of the last fiscal year 2015, the current account deficit stood at $1.63bn while the nation enjoyed surpluses over the fiscal years of 2013 through 2014.

Import growth of year-onyear basis was negative 6.29% in May and 1.23% in April, according to the central bank data It indicates the growing demand for capacity building and more productivity in the economy since more than 65% of country’s imports comprise capital machinery, intermediate goods and raw materials, the central bank explained in its monetary policy for the first half of fiscal year 2015-16.

The recent sustained pickup in investment and consumption imports will ease appreciation pressures on taka, enhancing its export competitiveness, Bangladesh Bank forecasts.

The foreign reserves are projected to keep rising to reach $26bn in FY16 from $25bn in FY15, but the import coverage will marginally fall from 6.2 to 5.7 months. Around six months of import coverage are generally deemed safe and comfortable for an emerging country like Bangladesh, said the central bank in its monetary policy. l

DT

16 BUSINESS

FRIDAY, AUGUST 7, 2015

Tofail: RMG Palli will be built in port city to reach export target n Ibrahim Hossain Ovi, from Chittagong

Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed said the government would build a garment industrial village in Chittagong to help the country attain $50bn export target by 2021.

The minister came up with the announcement at the inauguration of the three-day Bangladesh Apparel and Safety Expo at the Radisson Hotel in the port city.

He, however, didn’t say when the new RMG Palli would be set up.

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association organised the expo to raise awareness among RMG factory owners in Chittagong about the workers’ safety and present a roadmap towards achieving $50bn export target.

The garment village in Chittagong will be similar to that being constructed at Bausia in Munshiganj district.

Tofail Ahmed urged the global retailers to pay more to buy Bangladesh’s RMG products as the manufacturers here receive one of the lowest prices in the world.

BGMEA First Vice-President Nasiruddin Ahmed Chowdhury said it is not possible to

achieve the export target keeping the port city out of development.

“Chittagong is considered as the gateway in the country’s external trade. More than 90% of the trade is handled through this port,” he cited.

BGMEA President Atiqul Islam stressed the need of supplying adequate gas and electricity to the factories, developing infrastructure and improving access to financing at competitive costs.

“These are the prerequisites for investment in any sector,” he said.

US Ambassador to Bangladesh Marcia Bernicat said the US wanted to continue the partnership and help the BGMEA reach its goal in exports.

About the $50bn target, she said: “This is an ambitious, but very possible goal. But we also know that certain things must occur for it to happen.”

She admitted that a lot of progress in safety and working environment in Bangladesh garment sector had been made over the past two years.

“But now the really hard work remains to be done, in particular in the area of labour

rights. Worldwide, the garment industry is a highly competitive business and you RMG manufacturers know better than any of us the need to evolve rapidly in order to remain viable,” Bernicat added.

She said the US would work with two Bangladeshi banks to fund a $22m credit guarantee to facilitate loans for safety improvements.

Pierre Mayaudon, ambassador and the head of delegation of the European Union to Bangladesh, said Bangladesh needed to double the export to achieve target in six years.

For this the country should improve technology intensive production, foreign direct investment situation, be aware about climate change, focus more on consumer-oriented products and offer a better future to the workers, said Pierre Mayaudon.

Sajjad Karim, chair the European Parliament of Trade Monitoring Group for South Asia, said: “The EU-Bangladesh relation is very important to us. I must work with Bangladesh industrialists jointly to address some problems.

“We will be able to offer Bangladesh the GSP plus status when the country will come out from the least developed country status in 2021,” he added. l

Bucking the global trend, South Koreans pile into gold n Reuters, Seoul South Koreans are on course to buy a record amount of gold in 2015, worried that a meltdown in China’s stock markets will destabilise South Korean equities and keen to replenish a traditional store of value in an era of low interest rates.

In contrast to the weak demand in top gold buyers China and India, South Koreans are on target to buy 1tn won ($860m) in bullion for the first time this year, based on first-half sales through Korea Gold Exchange 3M Co Ltd, the country’s largest gold merchant.

South Korea accounted for just 17 tonnes of gold demand in 2014, according to the World Gold Council, a far cry from the 974 and 811 tonnes in China and India respectively, so the revival in buying will do little for global bullion, but it could add to the depression on the domestic stock market.

Song Jong-gil, general director for sales at Korea Gold Exchange 3M, said that of the more than 500bn won of gold sales the company made in the first half of 2015, more than 20 percent went to financial investors in the form of thin cards and bars ranging in weight from 1 gram to 1 kg.

“Low interest rates are the biggest reason.

And gold is preferred to stocks and real estate thanks to high liquidity,” Song said, adding sales picked up as bullion dropped below $1,100 an ounce.

Volume hit 27.76 kg on the Korea Exchange bourse on July 20, the second-highest daily volume since trading started there in March last year, as retail investors hunted bargains.

Global bullion hit $1,077 an ounce last

Gold rings are seen on display for customers at the Korea Gold Exchange in Seoul month, a 5-1/2-year low, and was at $1,084 on Tuesday, depressed by the prospect of higher US interest rates and weak demand in major markets.

Koreans have long seen gold as a store of value and a safe haven and are estimated to hold around 800 tonnes in households and private vaults.

During the 1997/98 Asian financial crisis, the authorities launched a campaign to buy gold from patriotic individuals, selling it on to get dollars to bolster foreign reserves.

“Lots of people sold gold during the Asian

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financial crisis. Then prices surged and many were unable to buy back,” Song said. “Now people are buying gold rings and small bars, thinking prices have fallen a lot and it’s a good time to buy.”

The country’s largest gold wholesale and retail markets centred in the Jongno district of Seoul are doing good business.

“Some individuals are buying a lot of gold at Jongno - some about 40m won a day as prices have been falling. They resell in black markets without paying taxes,” said Ohn Hyun-sung, head of Wolgok Jewelry Research Center. l

3-day Apparel and Safety Expo kicks off in Chittagong n Ibrahim Hossain Ovi, from Chittagong A seminar on “Branding Bangladesh” was held yesterday in the port city, in a bid to rebuild the tarnished image of RMG sector following repeated factory disasters.

As part of the three-day Bangladesh Apparel and Safety Expo taking place in Chittagong, the programme brought in a host of speakers – all stressing productivity, innovation and improvement of safety standards to restore the glory of apparel sector.

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) organised the seminar.

In her address, US Ambassador to Bangladesh Marcia Stephens Bloom Barnicat called upon the apparel makers to produce competitive and unique products.

‘We have good reserves and sound remittance, plus higher export, which would be a positive sign for the country’s image’ “RMG manufacturers have to ensure that products are made in line with international standards and concentrate on innovation, productivity and introduction of technology to brand Bangladesh,” she said.

Barnicat emphasised inclusive development in a democratic society, where everyone can raise their voice.

Speaking on the occasion as the chief guest, Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed said Bangladesh is moving towards economic development and all the indicators are performing well.

“We have good reserves and sound remittance, plus higher export, which would be a positive sign for the country’s image.”

Bangladesh has to come out of the vicious circle of cheapest producers of RMG products and cheap labour, said Amir Khasru Mahmud Choudhury, former commerce minister.

“We have already increased workers’ wages, but why is now the question of cheap labour,” he posed a query.

Colorado University Professor Jenifer Bair stressed the need for investment in training, machinery and engineering to increase productivity and diversify market and products to brand Bangladesh.

She suggested developing capacity to supply higher value apparel products and ensuring worker-friendly workplace.

A stable environment is necessary for equitable growth, Prof Jenifer adds.

Commenting on the $50bn export target, Roger Hubert, the country head of Swedish retail giant H&M said: “It is possible to achieve, but difficult.”

On paying higher prices, Hubert said Bangladesh needs to increase efficiency, production of high-end garment items and keep promises to the retailers for achieving the target.

Rubana Huq, managing director of Mohammadi Group, moderated the discussion in which Syed Ferhat Anwar, professor of Institute of Business Administration of the University of Dhaka, presented the keynote paper. l

DT

BUSINESS 17

FRIDAY, AUGUST 7, 2015

Bhutan gets duty-free access for boulder export to Bangladesh n Syed Samiul Basher Anik The government has provided duty-free market access to Bhutan on export of boulder to Bangladesh.

From now on, importers will not have to pay any duties on import of boulder, commonly used in major construction, from neighbouring Bhutan.

Following repeated requests to get duty-free access of the product over the last few years, the government has agreed to it recently, officials said.

The National Board of Revenue on June 24 issued an SRO (Statutory Regulatory Order)

with effect from June 24, withdrawing all duties on the product.

Bhutan supplied boulder to Bangladesh during the construction of Bangabandhu Bridge over Jamuna River and also offered to supply boulders to Bangladesh for the Padma Bridge project.

Currently, importers pay a total of 54% duty on import of the item that includes 25% customs duty, 15% Value Added Tax (VAT), 4% Advance Trade VAT (ATV) and 4% regulatory duty.

NBR sources said the government provided the benefit after Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed assured the neighbouring country last

year of complying with its request.

At present, Bhutan enjoys duty-free market access to Bangladesh for its 18 products under a bilateral agreement while Bangladesh also gets such facility for 90 products in export to the country.

As there was no scope of extending the existing list, Bhutan requested the board of revenues to withdraw the benefit for timber and wood, and allow the facility for boulder, said the sources.

The Bangladeshi importers, however, will be charged with regular duty rates, ranging from 10% to 31.07% for import of timber and wood from Bhutan. l

Remittance inflow drops 7% in first month of FY2015-16 n Tribune Report

Remittance inflow dropped by 7% in the first month of the current fiscal year 2015-16, according to the Bangladesh Bank data released yesterday.

The country received US$1.38bn during the month of Eid festival in July compared to $1.43bn in the same month of the previous fiscal year.

Bangladesh Bank, however, projected 10% growth in remittances for the current fiscal year in its recent monetary policy for first half of fiscal year 2015-16.

The foreign reserves are also projected to keep rising to reach $26bn in the FY16 from $25bn in the FY15.

The country received $1.43bn remittances in June, which was second highest in a single month. Earlier, in July last year, the country received highest $1.49bn remittances in a month.

Expatriates sent comparatively more remittance home in June on the occasion of the Eid festival, said a senior executive of Bangladesh Bank.

Remittance inflow rose in the recent months due to the lifting ban on manpower export in the largest labour market Saudi Arabia, he also added.

Of the remittance received in July, $413m came through state-owned banks, $17.43m through specialised banks, $940m through private banks while $15m through foreign banks, according to the Bangladesh Bank data.

The inflow of remittance in the country hit record $15bn in the fiscal year 2014-15. The amount was 7.60% higher compared to $14bn in the fiscal year 2013-14. l

Oil bulls’ hope for quick price dip dimmed by 2020 crude under $70 The gold sale goes on at reduced price. The picture was taken from the city’s Bailtul Mukarram market yesterday

Bangladesh to import 4 lakh tones of urea from Qatar n Tribune Desk Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) has signed an agreement (G to G) with Munajat, Qatar to import two lakh tonnes of granular urea fertiliser and two lakh tones of prilled urea from Qatar.

The agreement was signed in Qatar on August 3, according to a press release issued here yesterday.

The country’s urea stock would then be sufficient against the demand for the current fiscal year, it said.

A six-member delegation of Bangladesh, led by Industries Secretary Md Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan is now visiting Qatar to sign the deal. The team visited fertilizer factories of Qatar and its port facilities. l

RAJIB DHAR

Cricketer Sabbir made new brand ambassador of GP n Tribune Report The country’s leading telecom operator Grameenphone has named Bangladesh national cricket team player Mohammad Sabbir Rahman as their newest brand ambassador.

Sabbir is the sixth member of the national cricket team signed as the brand ambassador of Grameenphone.

Mushfiqur Rahim, Tamim Iqbal, Nasir Hossain, Taskin Ahmed and Anamul Haque Bijoy are other five brand ambassadors, said a Grameenphone statement released yesterday.

Sabbir Rahman is one of the finest discoveries of Bangladesh Cricket who made his international debut in November 2014 against Zimbabwe and he has already become one of the youth icons in Bangladesh with his consistent performance.

After becoming a brand ambassador of GP, SabbirRahman said, “Grameenphone is synonymous to reliability all throughout the country. And this is something I can relate to, as the whole nation has put their faith in me. I thank GP for also placing their trust.”

“Sabbir is one of the most consistent performer of Bangladesh cricket and he inspires the whole nation. Similarly, Grameenphone has vowed to provide its customers with the most seamless services. This, we believe, is going to be a great union,” said Nehal Ahmed, director of Grameenphone marketing.

“The young cricketers are inspiration to millions of people in this country. Support of all the six cricketers of Bangladesh will certainly encourage the youth to use the services of Grameenphone,” reads the GP statement. l

n Reuters, Houston

As oil prices entered a second steep slide a few weeks ago, bullish traders and analysts had hoped for a repeat of the sharp but short dip that occurred early in the year - a speculative slide below $50 a barrel followed by a quick recovery.

Some are now reconsidering that view, as long-term oil prices take the lead in the market’s latest dive, swaying sentiment toward a lengthier slump that would mean prolonged pain for big producers, from Exxon Mobil Corp to Saudi Arabia.

While immediate delivery benchmark global Brent crude oil futures at $50 a barrel are still about $4 higher than they were at their lowest point in January, prices for delivery in December 2020 LCOZ0 are nearly $8 lower than the start of this year, trading at a contract low of less than $67 on Tuesday. A year ago the contract hovered at around $100 a barrel.

The reason for the deterioration of the forward curve and decline in “long-dated” futures is a subject of debate.

But even some who disagree with the fundamental logic of lower long-dated prices are coming round to the scenario that prices will be lower for longer. l

DT

18 BUSINESS

FRIDAY, AUGUST 7, 2015

News, analysis and recent disclosures GRAMEEN1: The Trustee Board of Grameen Mutual Fund One have informed that they will place before the Unitholders the Conversion proposal submitted

by AIMS of Bangladesh Ltd., the Asset Manager of Grameen Mutual Fund One in consideration of the interest of the Unitholders from closed end to open ended.

In view of the above the Trade Suspension date will be 29 October, 2015 and the Effective date will be 01 November, 2015.

GSPFINANCE: Emerging Credit Rating Limited (ECRL) has assigned the surveillance rating of the Company as “A-” in the long term and “ECRL-3” in the short term along with a stable outlook to the Company based on audited financials of the Company 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.

PRIMETEX: National Credit Ratings Limited (NCR) has announced the surveillance rating of the Company as ‘A+’ in the long term based on audited financial statements of the company as on June 30, 2014.

ICBSONALI1, IFILISLMF1, ICB3RDNRB, PF1STMF, PRIME1ICBA, ICBEPMF1S1, ICBAMCL2ND, ICB2NDNRB, ICB1STNRB: As per Regulation 19(1) of the Dhaka Stock Exchange (Listing) Regulations, 2015, the Trustee of the Funds has informed that a meeting of the Trustee of the Fund will be held on August 12, 2015 at 3:30 PM to consider, among others, audited financial

statements of the Fund for the year ended on June 30, 2015.

Dividend/AGM 8THICB: 140% cash. 7THICB: 150% cash 6THICB: 120% cash 5THICB: 250% cash. 4THICB: 300% cash. 3RDICB: 300% cash. 2NDICB: 450% cash.

1STICB: 1,000% cash. Record date: 12.08.2015.

BERGERPBL: 100% interim cash dividend. Record date for entitlement of interim cash dividend: 20.08.2015.

PRAGATILIF: 17% cash and 5% stock dividend AGM: 29.09.2015,. Record Date: 20.08.2015.

SHASHADNIM: 10% interim cash dividend for 2015, Record date for entitlement of interim cash dividend: 20.08.2015.

NAVANACNG: 15% cash general shareholders (excluding Sponsors), AGM: 16.09.2015, Record Date: 18.08.2015.

SUNLIFEINS: 6% stock, AGM: 15.09.2015, Record Date: 18.08.2015.

APEXSPINN: 20% cash AGM: 30.09.2015, Record date: 18.08.2015.

RECKITTBEN: 500% interim cash dividend, Record date for entitlement of interim dividend: 05.08.2015.

LINDEBD: 200% interim cash dividend, Record date for entitlement of interim dividend: 03.08.2015.

GP: Interim cash dividend 80%, Record date for entitlement of interim dividend: 29.07.2015.

SQURPHARMA: 30% cash and 12.50% stock dividend, AGM: 16.09.2015, Record Date: 13.08.2015.

Turnover (Volume) Number of Contract

Company Rahima Food -Z Anlima Yarn -A GreenDeltaInsu -A Eastern Lubricants -A Anwar Galvanizing-B GeminiSeaFood-B Monno Ceramic -B Deshbandhu Polymer-A Delta Life Insu. -A Orion Infusions -A

Closing (% Change) 9.92 9.05 8.92 8.73 8.63 8.63 8.54 7.69 7.60 7.49

CSE GAINER Company GreenDeltaInsu -A Anwar Galvanizing-B Eastern InsurA Anlima Yarn -A Rangpur Foundry -A Aramit -A Rahima Food -Z Ambee Pharma -A Deshbandhu Polymer-A Orion Infusions -A

Closing (% Change) 10.00 9.96 9.78 9.48 9.19 8.64 8.54 7.82 7.69 7.45

DSE LOSER Company LR Global BD MF1-A 1st ICB M F -A I P D C -A R. N. Spinning-Z Stylecraft -A Savar Refractories-Z Popular Life 1st M.F.-A Meghna PET Ind. -Z ICB Emp. PMF-A CMC Kamal Tex. -A

Closing (% Change) -6.00 -5.14 -5.05 -4.82 -4.49 -4.17 -3.77 -3.45 -3.33 -2.98

CSE LOSER Company National Life I -A H.R. Textile -A Berger Paints-A Aziz PipesZ Peoples Insur -A B I F C -A Grameen M F One-A Bata Shoe Ltd. -A Eastland Insur -A Mercantile Bank -A

Closing (% Change) -8.24 -6.85 -4.96 -4.76 -4.73 -4.35 -3.85 -3.61 -3.11 -2.80

SECTORAL TURNOVER SUMMARY

DSE key features August 6, 2015 Turnover (Million Taka)

DSE GAINER

Sector

6,885.43 173,724,391 151,132

Traded Issues

322

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

131

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

185

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

6

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,738.35

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

33.19

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 633.63 183.09 107.21 1175.89 367.40 1090.39 11.75 712.02 1020.48 14.66 184.99 68.10 62.74 299.35 45.68 46.21 176.08 164.69 235.20 285.74 0.13

% change 9.20 2.66 1.56 17.08 5.34 15.84 0.17 10.34 14.82 0.21 2.69 0.99 0.91 4.35 0.66 0.67 2.56 2.39 3.42 4.15 0.00

Million Taka 30.14 13.25 4.09 107.04 17.04 123.46 44.83 71.34 1.01 15.65 1.80 5.72 24.49 5.16 1.41 16.22 10.95 26.43 24.03 0.02

Average (% Change) 8.03 4.71 8.58 7.23 7.18 8.99 8.33 6.58 4.64 6.73

Average (% Change) 11.96 9.60 9.78 3.64 9.14 8.64 10.05 5.82 6.08 7.41

Average (% Change) -2.85 -4.24 -2.97 -0.65 -4.46 -4.17 -4.43 -1.23 -2.18 -2.76

Average (% Change) -7.92 -6.99 -4.96 -4.95 -4.17 -3.72 -3.58 -3.52 -3.20 -3.68

CSE

ClosingAvg. 39.15 22.24 56.95 382.35 50.48 389.06 35.38 15.22 111.90 49.64

ClosingAvg. 55.81 50.67 24.70 22.19 110.49 281.66 39.21 275.09 15.18 49.70

ClosingAvg. 4.78 1467.99 18.94 24.63 1108.01 46.00 5.18 5.60 5.84 16.53

ClosingAvg. 182.60 20.37 1,991.00 19.96 16.10 8.81 25.07 1,330.00 21.78 10.47

% change 5.54 2.44 0.75 19.67 3.13 22.69 0.00 8.24 13.11 0.19 2.88 0.33 1.05 4.50 0.95 0.26 2.98 2.01 4.86 4.42 0.00

Closing 39.90 22.90 57.40 387.30 51.60 403.00 35.60 15.40 114.70 50.20

Closing 56.10 50.80 24.70 23.10 110.50 281.70 39.40 277.10 15.40 50.50

Closing 4.70 1455.00 18.80 23.70 1109.50 46.00 5.10 5.60 5.80 16.30

Closing 182.60 20.40 1,991.00 20.00 16.10 8.80 25.00 1,330.00 21.80 10.40

Million Taka 663.77 196.34 111.30 1282.93 384.44 1213.86 11.75 756.85 1091.82 15.67 200.64 69.90 68.46 323.84 50.84 47.62 192.31 175.64 261.63 309.77 0.15

DHIGH

DLOW

39.90 23.10 57.90 387.30 52.20 403.00 36.00 15.50 116.00 51.10

DHIGH

36.50 21.10 50.90 366.30 48.00 363.10 33.10 14.30 106.70 47.20

DLOW

56.10 50.80 24.70 23.20 111.30 281.90 39.90 279.40 15.50 51.40

DHIGH 5.00 1500.00 19.80 26.90 1140.00 46.00 5.40 5.60 6.00 17.00

54.50 48.00 24.70 21.30 106.00 279.00 38.00 263.00 14.30 47.40

DLOW 4.70 1450.00 18.50 22.90 1100.00 46.00 5.10 5.60 5.70 16.20

DHIGH

DLOW

182.60 21.50 1,991.00 20.00 16.10 9.00 25.20 1,330.00 22.00 10.60

182.60 20.00 1,991.00 18.90 16.10 8.80 24.80 1,330.00 21.50 10.30

Total

% change 8.93 2.64 1.50 17.27 5.17 16.34 0.16 10.19 14.70 0.21 2.70 0.94 0.92 4.36 0.68 0.64 2.59 2.36 3.52 4.17 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

5.994 12.015 19.069 1.677 14.596 6.681 8.620 32.788 123.032 123.796

Turnover in Million

-0.47 0.83 1.80 2.48 0.68 11.77 0.16 0.13 2.92 1.73

Latest EPS

0.362 1.033 0.002 1.444 0.790 0.154 0.842 1.358 8.172 7.669

Turnover in Million

-ve 26.8 31.6 154.2 74.2 33.1 221.1 117.1 38.3 28.7

Latest PE

1.80 0.68 2.76 0.83 3.42 14.86 -0.47 3.44 0.13 1.73

Latest EPS

5.023 1.697 3.149 13.232 0.595 0.007 7.641 0.020 1.361 17.310

Turnover in Million

Latest PE

31.0 74.5 8.9 26.7 32.3 19.0 -ve 80.0 116.8 28.7

Latest PE

0.40 142.00 1.32 0.48 62.57 -0.64 0.63 -0.53 0.61 1.24

Latest EPS

0.005 0.006 0.002 0.010 0.002 0.170 0.590 0.005 0.055 0.233

12.0 10.3 14.3 51.3 17.7 -ve 8.2 -ve 9.6 13.3

Latest PE

12.46 0.85 69.64 -2.12 2.20 -0.84 1.50 40.26 2.44 1.00

14.7 24.0 28.6 -ve 7.3 -ve 16.7 33.0 8.9 10.5

CSE key features August 6, 2015 Turnover (Million Taka) Turnover (Volume) Number of Contract

544.10 14,922,199 21,666

Traded Issues

265

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

106

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

154

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

5

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,626.54

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

31.84

DT

BUSINESS 19

FRIDAY, AUGUST 7, 2015

Stocks inch down with dive in turnover n Tribune Report

DSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company United Power-N Islami Bank BD - A LafargeS Cement-A UNITED AIR-A Bengal Windsor-A Olympic Ind. -A Square Pharma -A Beximco Pharma -A BEXIMCO Ltd. -A FAR Chemical-N

Orion Infusions -A Delta Life Insu. -A SAIF Powertec-N BSRM Ltd. -A Grameenphone-A Bengal Windsor-A Summit Power -A

VolumeShares 2,128,977 8,655,577 1,678,397 18,032,132 2,327,339 571,007 568,882 2,018,255 3,977,051 2,556,594

Value in Million 372.59 242.06 207.61 205.50 174.97 159.81 151.18 139.74 134.87 132.40

% of TotalTurnover 5.41 3.52 3.02 2.98 2.54 2.32 2.20 2.03 1.96 1.92

VolumeShares

Value in Million

% of TotalTurnover

2,493,673 1,099,520 1,411,025 1,058,446 348,245 2,024,625 3,568,579

CSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company United Power-N UNITED AIR-A BEXIMCO Ltd. -A BSRM Ltd. -A Olympic Accessories -N Khulna Power-A LafargeS Cement-A Square Pharma -A Delta Life Insu. -A SAIF Powertec-N

Keya Cosmetics -A BSRM Steels-A Beximco Pharma -A Bengal Windsor-A Deshbandhu Polymer-A Appollo Ispat CL -N Summit Power -A

405,019 2,240,968 478,670 148,759 249,422 190,142 114,641 48,803 111,537 146,622

574,940 125,724 145,649 121,796 538,480 524,632 272,278

123.80 123.03 119.66 113.08 112.84 144.54 144.03

70.43 25.48 16.21 15.91 15.82 14.16 14.15 12.96 12.47 12.42

11.53 11.26 10.10 9.19 8.17 12.03 10.99

1.80 1.79 1.74 1.64 1.64 1.56 1.55

12.94 4.68 2.98 2.92 2.91 2.60 2.60 2.38 2.29 2.28

2.12 2.07 1.86 1.69 1.50 1.72 1.57

ClosingP 172.10 27.70 123.30 11.20 77.00 279.30 265.80 68.90 33.90 52.30

50.20 114.70 84.70 108.90 323.80 72.00 40.40

ClosingP

Change % -0.06 -1.42 -0.80 0.00 5.34 -1.20 -0.82 -1.85 -0.59 3.16

7.49 7.60 1.32 7.40 -0.06 6.19 3.32

Change %

170.50 11.20 33.80 108.50 63.00 73.60 123.00 265.20 114.80 84.40

20.00 89.80 68.90 76.60 15.40 22.60 40.60

0.12 0.00 -0.59 6.90 -0.32 -1.47 -0.49 -0.93 6.89 1.08

-1.48 2.39 -1.57 5.08 7.69 -2.59 3.57

ClosingY 172.20 28.10 124.30 11.20 73.10 282.70 268.00 70.20 34.10 50.70

46.70 106.60 83.60 101.40 324.00 67.80 39.10

ClosingY

170.30 11.20 34.00 101.50 63.20 74.70 123.60 267.70 107.40 83.50

20.30 87.70 70.00 72.90 14.30 23.20 39.20

DHIGH 179.50 28.20 125.00 11.80 77.80 282.70 268.00 70.90 34.20 52.90

51.10 116.00 86.00 109.50 326.50 74.00 41.00

DHIGH

179.00 11.70 34.20 109.40 64.30 76.00 125.20 267.90 116.90 85.70

20.40 90.40 70.20 77.00 15.50 23.30 40.90

DLOW 170.00 27.20 122.60 11.10 73.00 277.70 264.80 68.60 33.70 50.00

47.20 106.70 83.70 102.80 323.00 68.40 39.00

DLOW

168.10 11.10 33.70 102.00 62.90 73.30 122.70 264.50 107.00 83.00

19.90 87.60 68.60 71.00 14.30 22.50 39.00

AvgPrice 175.01 27.97 123.70 11.40 75.18 279.87 265.75 69.24 33.91 51.79

49.64 111.90 84.81 106.83 324.01 71.39 40.36

AvgPrice

173.89 11.37 33.85 106.97 63.45 74.47 123.39 265.55 111.77 84.72

20.06 89.52 69.36 75.43 15.18 22.93 40.36

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

12436.43440

(-) 0.20%

1886.83329

(-) 0.15%

14909.78160

(-) 0.27%

12436.43440

(-) 0.27%

9079.96380

(-) 0.25%

▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼

Stocks finished marginally lower on profit booking amid persistent volatility yesterday with a sharp fall in volume of trade.

The market moved between red and green in first session, but remained within the negative territory throughout the rest of the session.

The DSEX fell slightly over 9 points to 4,864 from its more than seven-month high in previous session.

The Shariah index, DSES, was down around 6 points or 0.5% to 1,197.

The blue chip comprising index DS30 lost 3 points or 0.2% to 1,886.

The Chittagong Stock Exchange Selective Category Index CSCX declined 23 points to 9,079.

The volume of trade on DSE went down about 25% to Tk688 crore from more than Tk900 crore in previous session.

United Power Generation and Distribution Company Limited (UPGDCL) continued to dominate the trading for the straight session.

Its turnover stood at around Tk37.3 crore, steep fall from its previous session’s Tk100.

However, its share prices

inched down. The company’s lock-in-share for institutional investors became saleable two days back.

Almost all sectors experienced correction.

Non-banking financial institutions went through a hefty correction at 1.7% and banks 0.4%. Moderate profit booking also took place on pharmaceuticals, cement, power and food and allied.

However, the market bellwether telecommunication ended in green marginally, halting losses in previous session. Life insurance and non-life insurance sectors saw robust gain of 3% and 2% respectively, riding on Delta Life Insurance and Green Delta Insurance that surged 7.6% and 8.9% respectively.

The gainers took a marginal lead over the losers as out of 321 issues traded, 134 closed red, 144 positive and 43 remained unchanged.

IDLC Investments said as investors remained in lookout for undervalued scrips to bid up and whether the growth stocks are priced properly.

After UPGDCL, other top turnover leaders were Islami Bank, Lafarge Surma Cement, United Airways, Bengal Windsor and Thermoplastics, and Square Pharmaceuticals. l

ANALYST

As investors remained in lookout for undervalued scrips to bid up and whether the growth stocks are priced properly

DT

20 BUSINESS

FRIDAY, AUGUST 7, 2015

IMF staff urges no rush to add China yuan to currency basket n Reuters, Washington The International Monetary Fund should put off any move to add the yuan to its benchmark currency basket until after September 2016, IMF staff said in a report which showed a mixed performance of the renminbi on meeting key financial norms.

The report, published on Tuesday, comes after Beijing launched a major diplomatic push for the yuan to be added to the IMF’s Special Drawing Rights basket as part of its long-term strategic goal of reducing dependence on the dollar.

The IMF board is scheduled to make a decision in November on whether to include the yuan in a basket of currencies comprising dollars, euros, pounds and yen, although the decision could be pushed back if policymakers decide they need more information.

Delaying any change in the basket for nine months through September 2016 would avoid disrupting financial market trading on the first day of the new year, the staff report said.

A senior IMF official said reserve asset managers would need about six months notice to adjust to a change.

The yuan, also known as the renminbi, meets the requirements as a significant currency in terms of international trade, but also has to be judged to be “freely usable”, or widely used to make international payments and readily traded on foreign exchange markets.

The report shows a mixed performance on financial criteria. Although the currency is increasingly used in cross-border transactions and heavily traded in Asia, it is only thinly traded in North America and is not commonly used in international debt securities. Data was missing for some variables, the report said.

The senior IMF official said there was no set checklist of indicators to guide the decision and no “off-on” switch on whether the yuan would make the grade at the planned

Different views

International Monetary Fund Director Christine Lagarde (left) talks with Siddharth Tiwari (right), now the IMF’s Director of Strategy, Policy and Review Department outside IMF headquarters REUTERS review.

But he said politics would play no role in the decision, which will govern the mix of currencies that countries like Greece receive

as part of disbursements from the IMF. “They should be able to use it directly or they should be able to sell it immediately,” the official said.

Analysts interpreted the IMF delay differently, with some inferring the IMF wanted to see a more freely traded yuan before including it as a reserve currency. Others said the delay seemed technical, aimed at giving the market more time to prepare.

“The IMF article implies a large likelihood of SDR inclusion – otherwise the technical preparation would not be necessary,” UBS economist Wang Tao said in a note to clients.

IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde has said adding the yuan to the basket is a “question of when”.

European members of the Group of Seven major industrialized economies - Germany, Britain, France and Italy - favor adding the yuan to the basket quickly. Japan, like the United States, is more cautious, officials have said.

The yuan has made huge strides since Beijing’s last push for more formal international recognition of the currency, as global financial leaders were struggling to deal with the fallout of the sub-prime and banking crisis.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in March asked Lagarde to push for inclusion, saying Beijing would speed up the convertibility of the yuan on the capital account and open domestic individual cross-border investment and foreign institutional investment in China’s capital market.

Earlier this year, frustrated by the refusal of the US Congress to pass reforms to increase the voting rights of emerging markets in the IMF, Beijing announced it would set up its own investment bank, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

Despite pressure from Washington, which along with Tokyo, has declined to join the AIIB, most U.S. allies in Europe have signed up for the Chinese-led initiative, seen as a rival to the World Bank and Japan-based Asian Development Bank. l

Raising interest rates with zero inflation is a hard sell n Reuters, London Americans and Britons bracing for their first interest rate rises in almost a decade are puzzled: why are rates about to go up when there’s no inflation?

Both the Federal Reserve and Bank of England are proclaiming that they are on the cusp of raising interest rates for the first time in almost a decade. It may take a few months, but the message they are sending still heavily-indebted households either side of the Atlantic is clear: ‘be warned’.

It’s not hard to see why near-zero interest rates should be ‘normalised’ when you do a quick economic health check.

After years in the post-credit crisis doldrums, both economies are now growing at brisk annual clips of between 2 and 3 percent.

Jobless rates are near long-term averages of less than 6 percent. Real estate and financial asset prices have raced higher over the past couple of years.

The problem is that annual consumer price inflation rates are zero in Britain and just 0.1 percent stateside, far below the 2% consumer price growth targets both have committed to in one form or another as a policy guide.

Even the Fed’s favoured inflation measure - the index of personal consumption expenditures (PCE) - is running as low as an annual 0.3%.

The policy mantra for much of the year has been that headline inflation was artificially depressed by the collapse of energy and raw materials prices in late 2014. Once these stabilised - as they did through the spring - then the assumption was these base effects would wash out of CPI indexes and reveal far livelier ‘core’, largely domestically driven, price rises pushing headline inflation back toward its target.

In other words, central banks would face down what they saw as a temporary drop in headline inflation, focus on core price developments and pull the interest rate trigger anyhow.

The ‘core’ PCE for the United States is indeed punchier. But, at just 1.3%, it’s still well below target rates. ‘Core’ UK inflation also remains less than 1 percent.

It’s further complicated this summer, not least because the bursting of a stock bubble in Shanghai has stoked intense anxiety about the slowing Chinese economy.

The result has been another tailspin in commodity prices. Oil has lost a further 20% since the start of July and the Commodity Research Bureau’s broad index of raw materials prices has fallen to its lowest in 12 years - below even its level at the trough of the Great Recession of 2008/2009.

The upshot is headline inflation rates are likely to remain depressed for far longer.

While that may not be a disaster, the economy is flirting with an equally destabilising bout of deflation that could feed on itself by delaying consumer purchases, weighing down nominal wage settlements and complicating long-term debt servicing. l

NCC Bank Limited has recently re-elected its director, ASM Mainuddin Monem as chairperson of risk management committee of the bank’s board of directors. Monem is also deputy managing director of Abdul Monem Limited and MD of Abdul Monem Economic Zone Limited

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Angaar: A taste of India

Flavours from our neighbours Photo: Baizid Haque Joarder

24 news

Blissful Spirits organises art-therapy with autistic children

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Angaar: A taste of India xxx

Photos: Baizid Haque Joarder

Haque Joarder and N Anita n Baizid Amreen This week, we decided to go against the grain, away from the hot spots and into a pleasant surprise of Indian cuisine. Read on to find more about the food Angaar laid out for T-junction.

Beef Sheesh kabab AA: Unlike the regular chunky sized beef sheesh kababs, these are like a mashed, tapered version. While they had me fooled with the looks alone, taste wise, they did slightly better. Extremely soft, the kababs melted in a buttery pool before leaving a slight spicy after taste. Not one of my favourites, but definitely palatable.

BHJ: If you think you know about beef sheesh kabab (like I did), your name has to be Jon Snow. Complete break away from the traditional beef sheesh kabab’s texture, Angaar made it a point to not overdo the meat and achieved great softness in the middle. Makes a great team with the mint chutney they provide with the kababs.

Chicken Sheesh Kabab AA: Similar to the beef sheesh kabab, the chicken triumphs over the beef, as its slightly more flavourful. It’s best to pair this with their mustard dip or their tomato chutney to give it that extra kick of spice.

BHJ: The chicken sheesh was again on point, being as soft as a baby’s tush. Be it with a plain butter naan or a garlic butter naan, this kabab is set to give you a foodgasm, nonetheless.

Chicken Tandoori AA: This isn’t just any other run of the mill chicken tandoori. This one’s so baby soft, so utterly tender, every piece feels like a leg piece. It’s flavoured right and makes for the perfect accompaniment to the garlic naan.

BHJ: By the time you’ve reached the third kabab on the table-top grill, you’re probably wondering on how different the Indian chefs interpret their kababs. As you take a bite, you know the meat has been marinated well enough to bring out the tandoori taste.

Tastes even better with the mustard dip.

Chicken Wings AA: If you’re looking for a slightly spicier, more flavourful version of the chicken tandoori (like that’s even possible), the wings are your best bet. It’s ideal as an appetiser before you delve into the buffet.

BHJ: To be fair, the chicken wings seemed like it would be the one to let us down but as we dug in, the meat comes off the bone like a charm. Spice lovers might prefer this one over the tandoori.

Chicken Chandi Kalia AA: These are probably the softest kababs to have ever been made. For a while you’ll wonder why these aren’t called Makhmali kababs since they taste just like creamy, heaven-sent makhmal! This wonder kabab needs to be tried to be believed.

Undoubtedly, the absolute best kabab in the series.

BHJ: The crown jewel, the star of the lot. The Chandi Kalia literally melted in our mouths

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and packed quite a punch in terms of flavour. You don’t even need breads to devour the Chandi Kalia, dip them in the chutneys provided and you’ll feel like Harry Potter on his Firebolt making rounds of India. A must try, this one.

Chicken makhmali AA: Quite similar to the Chandi Kalia, the chicken Makhmali is like Chandi Kalia’s younger, less attractive sister. Had we not tried the Chandikalia, the Makhmali surely would have bowled us over completely. But alas, it was hard to forget our affair with the Chandi Kalia.

BHJ: Again, the softness of the Makhmali reminded us about the chef’s technique of cooking the meat, just about right.

However, this one is a close second to none other than the infamous Chandi Kalia.

Chicken Haryali AA: A common favourite for most people,

again, the chicken was extremely tender like all their other kababs, but taste wise perhaps they could’ve done better. Despite being an easy favourite for kabab lovers, this kabab doesn’t pack a mighty punch like the others. It has as much colour as it lacks seasoning.

BHJ: The Haryali had the right amount of smokiness but a bit more punch of the pudding would have been appreciated.

Although, don’t let that stop you from trying it yourself.

Chicken biryani with raita AA: Arriving in one of their signature copper thalis, the chicken itself doesn’t share the tender softness of the other kababs, but does have a few redeeming qualities of its own. The basmaati is fragrant and the flavours itself quite fresh.

The raita, however, just takes the dish to a whole new level.

BHJ: When it comes to biriyani, T-junction’s standards are as high as the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. On the first take, Angaar’s biriyani looked impressive in terms of colour. Delving in, the rice was flavoursome with meaty chicken within.

Probably not as rich and oily as some would like it to be but if you’re health conscious, you might want to give this one a try.

Oh, and the raita provided was originally meant to accompany the biriyani, but it ended up being a great companion to all the other items that we tried.

Lassi AA: Creamy, thick and just the right mix of sweetness, the lassi is again, a stellar drink.

BHJ: This lassi has got to better tasting than the Butterbeer from Hogsmeade. The fact that Angaar has its own farm for their dairy produce is Commendable, and it shows in all their dairy made items. l

The verdict For Tk1438 (inclusive of VAT and service charge), they offer a grand dinner buffet spread that not only includes their signature kababs, but also includes paapad with chutney, two kinds of soups, naan (garlic, butter and plain), an assortment of salad and raita, Ajwaini paneer tikka, beef kofte kabab, Navratan mixed vegetables, maach masala, palak paneer, crispy bhindi, beef achari, beef kadai mirch, chicken dhaniya adraki, chicken nowraji, jeera rice and plain rice. To top it all off, they’ve got their house special firni, gulab jamun, cream caramel and jello.

If you’re looking for a quality buffet at a reasonable rate, Angaar is the way to go.

Angaar House 10, Rd No 2, Dhaka 1212 01729-261111

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News

Blissful Spirits organises art-therapy with autistic children n Tribune Desk Youth volunteers on Wednesday came together for the second session of arttherapy work with children with autism at Society for the Welfare of the Intellectually Disabled (SWID), Lalmatia.

The event was part of a seven-day “Make A Change” campaign by youth organisation Blissful Spirits for raising awareness on autism in Bangladesh.

“It is a small effort with a lasting impact which will hopefully make people understand that intellectually disabled kids are not different from us,” says Arnab Banik,

one of the founders of Blissful Spirits. “We believe that every child has a unique talent.”

The event on Wednesday had about 20 volunteers from different schools and 20 children with autism. Their activities included singing, painting, and performing dances for those attending.

“This was my first time being involved in such an activity and I learned a lot,” Rubaiyat Jahan Renease, an A-Level student from Maple Leaf International School, said.

“These children want to have fun just like us, and want to laugh just like us,” she added.

However, volunteers – new and old – feel

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that a lot more needs to be done.

“Although Bangladesh has made immense improvements in its treatment of children with disabilities, a lot more has to be done,” Taslima Khan, who has a 43-yearold daughter with autism, told us.

“There are many parents who do not put in enough effort. They get angry easily, and that shouldn’t happen,” she continued.

Taslima, an ex-headmistress, has been working on children with disabilities since 1982. She advocates for a proper trust to be built, wherein children with autism and other mental disabilities can live with proper support, nursing and care.

Sageena Afroze, another volunteer and A-Level student, voiced similar thoughts: “They have the same needs and rights. An event will give them peace only for a day, but we need an institution, like a school that would provide them with facilities all year long.”

There is potential for such a conversation in the Blissful Conference on Intellectual Disability, which will take place today at Daffodil University. It will include a panel of members of the press, NGOs and other stakeholders who work on this issue. The Dhaka Tribune is a media partner for this event. l

Akij Group appoints Tariq Anam Khan as marketing advisor Mr Tariq Anam Khan, a distinguished marketing specialist, has recently joined Akij Group as their marketing advisor.

Khan will oversee and advise the various enterprises of the group in the areas of brand development, marketing communication, sales and distribution, and so forth. He will also work as the spokesperson of Akij Group as well as endorse various communication materials directed towards consumers and trade. In

1985, Khan started his marketing career by establishing an advertising agency “Adshop” and worked with many wellknown brands of leading multinationals and local clients. Over the past thirty years, he has made substantial contribution in the fields of brand development and marketing communication in Bangladesh. Many popular campaigns directed by him gained attention of the marketing professionals of the country. Akij Group enterprises and their respective brands wishes to take advantage of his valuable marketing knowledge and expertise. l

Argentine Angel di Maria has joined PSG from Premier League giants Manchester United, the French club announced on Twitter on Thursday.

He joins the French Ligue 1 side for a reported fee of 63m Euros

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MONI, FROM UMPIRE TO A POTENTIAL MANAGER

27

WARNE, PONTING SHOCKED BY AUSSIE COLLAPSE

28

25

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MESSI HEADBUTT AS TEMPERS FLARE IN BARCA WIN

Broad takes 8, passes 300 Test scalps IN NUMBERS

60

Australia’s score in the first innings, their seventh-lowest score in Test history, and their second-lowest in the last 79 years. The only time they were bowled out for less in this period was against South Africa 47, in Cape Town, 2011.

25

Number of balls (or 4.1 overs) it took Australia to lose their first five wickets, the quickest any team has lost five wickets since 2002.

111

Number of balls (or 18.3 overs) Australia lasted. It was their third-shortest Test innings. Their shortest lasted 99 balls (or 12.3 eight-ball overs), in Brisbane in 1936.

Thirteen out of Australia’s 14 shortest Test innings have come against England.

2

STUART B ROA D

Wickets taken by Stuart Broad in the first over of the match. There have only been two previous instances, since 2002, of a bowler taking two or more wickets in the first over of a Test match - Irfan Pathan against Pakistan (2006) and Chris Cairns against England (2002).

0

Chris Rogers made the first duck of his Test career, in his 46th innings. If Rogers had not scored a duck during this Ashes series, after which he is set to retire, he would have had thelongest Test career without a single duck, a record currently held by Australia’s Jim Burke (44 innings).

9.3-5-15-8

#GoneIn6oRuns

5

Number of England bowlers who have taken 300-plus Test wickets. Broad became the fifth bowler to join the list during his seven-wicket haul in the first innings. The other four bowlers are James Anderson (413), Ian Botham (383), Bob Willis (325) and Fred Trueman (307).

6.1

Overs bowled by England when Stuart Broad picked up his fifth wicket. Since 2002 (prior to which ball-by-data is not available), no bowler before Broad had picked up more than three wickets in the first 6.1 overs of an innings.

8-15

Broad’s figures in the first innings of this Test, the best of his career. He has two previous seven-wicket hauls, against New Zealand (2013) and West Indies (2012), both at Lord’s.

England’s Stuart Broad (C) celebrates his 300th Test wicket, that of Australia’s Chris Rogers caught

by Alastair Cook for 0, on the first day of the fourth Ashes Test at Trent Bridge yesterday AP

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BCB security team to visit Pakistan n Mazhar Uddin Bangladesh Cricket Board is mulling sending a two-member security delegation to Pakistan next week in order to inspect the venues ahead of the women’s national team’s proposed tour later this year, informed BCB CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury yesterday.

“Our security team will visit Pakistan. We have already informed the Pakistan Cricket Board and the matter is in process. The exact date of the visit will be confirmed within the next one or two days and the series is likely to take place this October,” said Nizamuddin.

PCB chairman Shahryar Khan had earlier presented the proposal to his BCB counterpart when he visited Bangladesh last year. BCB president Nazmul Hasan later said the security inspection is the second step of the process.

It was learned that a letter was sent by the BCB to the Bangladesh High Commission in Pakistan where the board asked about the latest security condition of the country.

“They (PCB) has sent us a proposal. Our women’s team are getting restless to play abroad. Pakistan has given us an offer, we are thinking about it. If everything is okay and the women’s team agree to go then the tour will take place. But still, there are a lot of factors involved. It is still quite far away (from being finalised),” said Nazmul. l

Bangladesh Test captain Mushfiqur Rahim distributed toys to children at Dhaka’s Shishu Hospital yesterday. Mushfiq is part of the ‘Toys-R-Urs’ campaign that distributes old toys to the underprivileged children DHAKA TRIBUNE

Moni, from an umpire to a potential manager n Minhaz Uddin Khan Former national cricketer Enamul Haque Moni is likely to relinquish his career as an international umpire to take up the post of manager of the Bangladesh team.

Former national captain and Bangladesh Cricket Board director Khaled Mahmud has been performing the role since the 2015 ICC World Cup earlier this year. Mahmud informed Dhaka Tribune yesterday that his running contract with the BCB ended following the conclusion of the bilateral home series against South Africa.

“My contract came to an end after the South Africa series. There has been no discussion with the board with regards to any extension. I have also heard of Moni being considered for the role. The board will pick the right person for the job I believe,” Mahmud told Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

It is understood that Mahmud had shown reluctance to continue with the job and made the BCB’s cricket operations committee look for someone else. At the same time, the board is also looking to appoint a national manager on a long-term basis, as opposed to the temporary roles performed by Mahmud.

According to sources, Moni is at the top of the BCB’s preference list for the manager’s job. BCB cricket operations committee chairman Naimur Rahman Durjoy has notified Moni of their intention to appoint him as manager.

“I have heard that the BCB is thinking

of me, as far as the new manager’s post is concerned, but I am yet to have a formal discussion with anyone regarding this issue.

The media will be informed accordingly if there is any progress,” Moni told Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

If Moni were to take the job, it will bring the curtains down on his career as an international umpire. Following his retirement as an international cricketer, Moni made his debut as an umpire in December, 2006. Since then, the 49-year old has officiated in one Test, 53 ODIs and six Twenty20 internationals.

It was learned that Moni was apparently upset with his slow development as an international umpire and was mulling a career-switch. Moni, who was a left-arm spinner and a lower-order batsman in his playing days, is likely to be appointed for the Austral-

ia Tests this October.

“I am working with the BCB as an umpire so taking up the manager’s role will mean I will have to leave the umpire’s job. I cannot work at two places at the same time but I still have not decided anything. Durjoy has unofficially told me that they are thinking of me for the post. A few directors are also keen. I will first have to talk with the BCB’s cricket operations committee formally, and in details. Only then can I make a decision,” explained Moni.

The BCB’s umpires committee manager Sharif Mahmud informed that they are yet to be notified regarding the matter.

“We did not get any such message. I learnt about this from the newspaper, and certain quarters, but we are yet to get anything official, both from the board and Moni bhai,” said Sharif.

Sharif stated that Moni would be able to return as an umpire if he wishes but will, however, lose his place in the BCB’s nominated umpires list that has to be submitted to the International Cricket Council.

“He will be able to come back. We will keep him in the highest level among the Bangladesh umpires, given his experience as an international umpire and as a former Test cricketer. But, he will lose his nomination.

In order to reclaim his nomination, he would have to compete with the top seven Bangladesh umpires. If his performance is good and if he is able to finish among the best three, only then can he recover his previous status,” Sharif elaborated. l

Farashganj ban gives birth to confusion n Shishir Hoque The decision of the Bangladesh Football Federation’s disciplinary committee regarding the suspension of Farashganj SC has created a lot of confusion as it contradicts the rules and regulations of the Manyavar Bangladesh Premier League.

According to the regulations of the topflight, if a club withdraw or refuse to continue to play or leave the stadium before the end of the match, the participating club shall be considered to have “withdrawn from the competition” (clause 20.3.1) and “have all its matches cancelled and considered null and void (all points, goals scored and goals against will not be counted and taken into consideration when deciding the ranking)” (clause 20.3.2).

The disciplinary committee however, paid no heed to that and last Wednesday meted out a strong punishment to Farashganj after they boycotted last Monday’s encounter against Sheikh Russel. Farashganj were subsequently barred from taking part in the remainder of this league campaign and also the next edition of the toptier. The Old Dhaka outfit were also fined Tk0.5m and asked to return the participation money of Tk1.3m that was earlier distributed by the BFF. “The BFF’s disciplinary committee followed the disciplinary code and it is not as same as it is written in the by-laws. Last Wednesday’s decision is still the final one,” BFF general secretary Abu Nayeem Shohag informed the media yesterday.

Meanwhile, it is not mentioned anywhere in the rules and regulations of the league and disciplinary code that the participating club’s points and results would be unchanged before the incident took place and that automatic three points should be awarded to the opponents. l

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QUICK BYTES Cissokho returns to Porto on loan French international left-back Aly Cissokho has returned to former club FC Porto on loan from Aston Villa, the Portuguese side announced on their website on Wednesday. Aston Villa added on Twitter that the 27-year-old had moved to the Estadio do Dragao on a season-long loan.

Cissokho first made his name at Porto before being sold to Lyon in 2009. He has since played for Valencia and had a spell on loan at Liverpool before joining Villa last year.

–AFP

1ST DAY, AT TEA

Free agent Osvaldo joins Porto in yet another move Italian striker Pablo Dani Osvaldo has joined Porto in the latest bid to revive his controversial and faltering career. The 29-year-old Argentine-born forward, who is a free agent after being released by Southampton halfway through his four-year contract in July, has switched clubs for the fifth transfer window in succession.

–REUTERS

Hairline fracture for Arsenal’s Wilshere Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere will be sidelined for several weeks after manager Arsene Wenger revealed on Thursday that he has sustained a hairline fracture of his left leg. The England midfielder, 23, was hurt in a collision with a team-mate in training and Wenger said he would be out of action for “a few weeks”.

–AFP

Murray stunned in US Open tune-up British top seed Andy Murray suffered a stunning defeat in his first hardcourt warm-up match for the US Open, losing Wednesday to Teymuraz Gabashvili at the ATP and WTA Washington Open. The 53rd-ranked Russian outlasted thirdranked Murray 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7/4) over two hours and 42 minutes to reach the third round at the ATP and WTA Washington Open.

–AFP

Spieth tops Firestone billing, no Rory or Tiger

England’s Stuart Broad (2L) acknowledges the crowd’s applause after taking eight Australia wickets for 15 runs during day one of the fourth Test at Trent Bridge in Nottingham yesterday AP

Warne, Ponting shocked

by Australian collapse n Reuters, Nottingham Australian great Shane Warne and former captain Ricky Ponting lamented technical failings and mental approach as their countrymen were shot out for a humiliating 60

by England on the first morning of the fourth Ashes Test on Thursday.

“When was the last time there was a real five-day test match that went down to the wire when the batters hung in there and tried to tough it out?” Warne said on Sky Sports.

“It all seems to be happening in fast forward too many times. It happened to England at Lord’s as well, bowled out in 30 overs.”

Warne, who took 708 Test wickets and scored more than 3,000 runs, gave credit to England for their bowling and catching in “a

perfect session” before lunch at Trent Bridge.

“They exposed a couple of bad techniques,” he said.

“Test cricket is all about technique, the basics. And all about fighting. Credit to Broad, he forced a lot of those errors but I still think Australia could have been a little bit more defensive and (shown) better technique.

“Technique is a teal issue on these sort of pitches. Play it as late as possible or leave it. It’s about getting an ugly score, hanging in there, not giving your wicket away. As a batsman you’ve got to have a real plan. It looked like they were a bit shocked. There was no real plan and they should have learnt from the last Test match.”

Ponting questioned why the Australians had talked before the series about how positive they were going to be. l

R 0 0 6 0 10 1 2 13 1 4 9 14

Total (all out, 18.3 overs, 94 mins)

60

B 3 2 3 4 15 4 15 25 8 15 20

Fall of wickets 1-4 (Rogers), 2-10 (Smith), 3-10 (Warner), 4-15 (Marsh), 5-21 (Voges), 6-29 (Clarke), 7-33 (Nevill), 8-46 (Starc), 9-47 (Johnson), 10-60 (Lyon)

Bowling Broad 9.3-5-15-8; Wood 3-0-13-1 (2nb); Finn 6-0-21-1 (1nb)

ENGLAND 1ST INNINGS A. Lyth c Nevill b Starc A. Cook lbw b Starc I. Bell lbw b Starc J. Root not out J. Bairstow not out Extras (b1, lb1, nb4)

R 14 43 1 33 2 6

Total (3 wkts, 29 overs, 132 mins)

99

B 28 87 6 52 5

Fall of wickets 1-32 (Lyth), 2-34 (Bell), 3-96 (Cook)

Bowling Starc 9-0-33-3 (1nb); Hazlewood 10-2-26-0 (3nb); Johnson 7-1-30-0; Lyon 3-1-8-0

Sk Jamal come from behind to eke out win n Shishir Hoque

Masters and U.S. Open champion Jordan Spieth, the world number two, will command the spotlight at this week’s WGC-Bridgestone Invitational where Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods are both conspicuous absentees. Top-ranked McIlroy won last year’s tournament at Firestone Country Club by two shots but is unable to defend his title after rupturing a ligament in his left ankle while playing soccer with friends early last month.

–REUTERS

Sporting Lisbon pull out of Boateng deal Sporting Lisbon have pulled out of a deal to sign Kevin Prince-Boateng following a disagreement about the Ghana international’s image rights, the Portuguese club announced on Wednesday. Sporting said that “after negotiations with Kevin-Prince Boateng, it was not possible to reach an agreement relating to his image rights.”

–AFP

AUSTRALIA 1ST INNINGS C. Rogers c Cook b Broad D. Warner c Buttler b Wood S. Smith c Root b Broad S. Marsh c Bell b Broad M. Clarke c Cook b Broad A. Voges c Stokes b Broad P. Nevill b Finn M. Johnson c Root b Broad M. Starc c Root b Broad J. Hazlewood not out N. Lyon c Stokes b Broad Extras (lb11, nb3)

An action during the Manyavar Bangladesh Premier League match between Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club (yellow) and Muktijoddha at Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

Newly-crowned champions Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club registered their seventh successive victory in the Manyavar Bangladesh Premier League when they came from behind to beat Muktijoddha SKC 2-1 at Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.

Senegalese striker Camara Sarba gave Muktijoddha the lead in the first half before Nigerian forward Emeka Darlington brought parity at the hour mark. Gambian midfielder Landing Darboe sealed the victory in the 89th minute.

Sheikh Jamal now have 48 points from 18 matches and sit comfortably at the top of the 11-team points table while Muktijoddha remained at sixth place with 25 points from the same number of outings. l

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Lewandowski seals Audi Cup for Bayern n AFP, Munich A late goal from Polish international Robert Lewandowski sealed a 1-0 victory for German champions Bayern Munich over Spanish giants Real Madrid in the final of the pre-season Audi Cup tournament in their home stadium on Wednesday.

Bayern and Real recorded impressive wins over AC Milan and Tottenham respectively at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday, but it was the hosts who came out on top thanks to Lewandowski’s goal two minutes from time. It handed titleholders Bayern their third Audi Cup triumph since 2009.

Earlier, Nacer Chadli and Tom Carroll scored in either half in a 2-0 victory for Premier League side Tottenham against Italian giants AC Milan in the third-place play-off. l

RESULTS Final Bayern Munich

1-0

Real Madrid

Lewandowski 88

Third-place play-off Tottenham

2-0

AC Milan

Chadli 8, Carroll 71

Bayern Munich players celebrate after winning their pre-season Audi Cup tournament final against Real Madrid in Munich on Wednesday

REUTERS

Pellegrini ‘absolutely sure’ City will win Premier League n Reuters Manchester City are brimming with optimism with coach Manuel Pellegrini “absolutely sure” of winning the Premier League title back this season and midfielder David Silva eyeing Champions League glory.

City, who conceded four goals in both their defeats against Real Madrid and Stuttgart in pre-season friendlies, finished eight points behind champions Chelsea in the Premier League last season.

“I am absolutely sure that we are going to have a very successful season. We must bring back the title here to our fans,” the 61-year-

old was quoted as saying by Sky Sports.

“We are sure, as I have just said, that we are going to bring it back. We had a good pre-season.”

With the sale of Stefan Jovetic to Inter Milan and Edin Dzeko being strongly linked with a move to Roma, City is poised to start the season with only two frontline strikers in Sergio Aguero and Wilfried Bony.

“We have Kelechi (Iheanacho), that is a young player who I think must find a place here in our squad,” the Chilean manager added. “(Raheem) Sterling can also play in front.

I think we are going to bring in other players but not in that position.”

City, who won the Premier League title in a close finish in 2013-14, kick off their campaign with a trip to West Bromwich Albion on Monday night.

Spain international David Silva feels City have earned respect with their success in England in the past few years and with the recent additions to the squad the Manchester club can target European glory.

“We are just missing that step of winning the Champions League, but doing that will help us grow even more,” the 29-year-old midfielder, told the Daily Telegraph.

“I would see it as a failure (if I don’t win the Champions League at City). It is the one thing

Messi headbutt as tempers flare in Barca win n

AS Roma’s Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa (L) is touched

by Barcelona’s Lionel Messi during the 50th Joan Gamper Trophy match at Camp Nou in Barcelona on Wednesday AFP

AFP, Barcelona

Lionel Messi was at the centre of a headbutting controversy on Wednesday as Barcelona cruised to a 3-0 victory over Serie A side Roma in a pre-season friendly at the Camp Nou. The Argentinian superstar, renowned for rarely losing his cool despite regularly being the target of brutal tackling, reacted angrily during a confrontation with Roma’s French international Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa.

Footage of the first half incident showed Messi aiming a headbutt at Yanga-Mbiwa’s after the Roma defender appeared to nod his head in the direction of the diminutive South American star.

A furious Messi grabbed Yanga-Mbiwa by the throat after clashing with the defender before other players rushed over to intervene.

Messi escaped a red card for the incident

however, receiving only a caution from referee Javier Estrada Fernandez. Yanga-Mbiwa was also booked.

The flashpoint represented a rare loss of cool for Messi. The Argentine has never been sent off for Barcelona and has only ever been red-carded once - on his international debut as a teenager in 2005.

Messi’s anger soon subsided however as moments after the incident, he doubled Barcelona’s lead, making it 2-0 following a superb flowing move involving Luis Suarez, Dani Alves and Neymar, who had scored Barca’s first.

Ivan Rakitic made it 3-0 in the second half with a long range strike as Barcelona completed a routine win.

Barcelona kick off the defence of their Spanish league crown against Athletic Bilbao on August 23. l

I want and one day I hope to win it.”

City crashed out in the last 16 stage of the Champions League in the past two seasons after being paired against Barcelona.

“It’s difficult playing against big teams like Barcelona, Bayern. But why? I cannot tell you,” added Silva, who has one World Cup and two European Championship winners’ medals with the national team.

“But with good, new players, for sure we will have an opportunity to be there fighting and maybe able to do it.”

Silva, who joined City in 2010 from Valencia, has set a personal target of scoring more goals this season. l

Belgium move ahead of Germany in rankings n Reuters Belgium moved ahead of Germany into second place in the updated FIFA rankings released on Thursday. Argentina still top the rankings ahead of the European duo, with Chile, who beat Gerardo Martino’s side in the Copa final, moving back into the top 10. l

FIFA RANKINGS Points 1. Argentina 2. Belgium 3. Germany 4. Colombia 5. Brazil 6. Portugal 7. Romania 8. England 9. Wales 10. Chile

Position 1,425 1,244 1,226 1,218 1,186 1,177 1,166 1,157 1,155 1,124

Change +1 -1 -+1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1

DT

Sport 29

FRIDAY, AUGUST 7, 2015

Shakhtar Donetsk’s Teixeira (C ) scores a goal past Fenerbahce goalkeeper Volkan Demirel (R) and Sener Ozbayrakli during their UEFA Champions League third-round qualifying match in Lviv on Wednesday AFP

RESULTS Astana (KAZ)

4-3

HJK Helsinki

Twumasi 44, Canas 47-P, Jallow 4, Shomko 56, Postnikov 90+3 Baah 42, Zeneli 86-P Astana win 4-3 on aggregate

Qarabag (AZE)

0-0

Celtic (SCO)

2-3

CSKA Moscow (RUS)

Celtic win 1-0 on aggregate

Sparta Prague (CZE)

Krejci 6, Fatai 16 Musa 34, 51, Dzagoev 76 CSKA Moscow win 5-4 on aggregate

1-0

BATE (BLR) Nikolic 82

Videoton (HUN)

BATE win 2-1 on aggregate

Basel (SUI)

1-0

Lech Poznan (POL)

Bjarnason 90+1 Basel win 4-1 on aggregate

P Belgrade (SRB)

Partizan, CSKA through on night of dramatic comebacks n Reuters, Berne Partizan Belgrade, Astana, Malmo and CSKA Moscow all pulled off impressive comebacks to reach the playoff round of the Champions League qualifiers on Wednesday.

Skenderbeu also qualified, putting themselves within two matches of becoming the first Albanian side to reach the group stage, after beating Milsami in another of the third round, second leg ties.

Former European champions Celtic went

through after grinding out a 0-0 draw against Qarabag in the sweltering heat of Azerbaijan.

CSKA hit back from two goals behind at Sparta Prague to win 3-2 and qualify 5-4 on aggregate against the demoralised Czechs, who had only needed a goalless draw to progress.

Russian international Alan Dzagoev scored the winner in the 76th minute after two goals from Ahmed Musa had hauled the Russians back into the match.

Astana, having drawn 0-0 in the first leg away to Helsinki, also fell two goals behind at

home but hit back to lead 3-2 before Patrick Twumasi, one of their goalscorers, was sent off in the 70th minute.

Erfan Zeneli converted an 86th-minute penalty to level at 3-3 and put the Finns ahead on away goals, only for Evgeniy Postnikov to score a stoppage-time winner for the Kazakh champions.

Serbian champions Partizan went through after a roller-coaster 4-2 home win over 10-man Steaua Bucharest gave them a 5-3 aggregate win over the 1986 European Cup winners. l

S Bucharest (ROM)

Malmo (SWE)

3-0

Salzburg (AUT)

Djurdic 7, Rosenberg 14, Rodic 42 Malmo win 3-2 on aggregate

Club Brugge (BEL)

3-0

Panathinaikos (GRE)

Cools 53, Vazquez 58, Oulare 82 Club Brugge win 4-2 on aggregate

Viktoria Pilsen (CZE)

0-2

Maccabi Tel Aviv (ISR)

Zahavi 76-P, 83 Maccabi Tel Aviv win 3-2 on aggregate

Donetsk (UKR)

3-0

Fenerbahce (TUR)

Gladkiy 25, Srna 65-P, Alex Teixeira 68 Shakhtar Donetsk win 3-0 on aggregate

Skenderbeu (ALB)

2-0

Milsami Orhei (MDA)

Salihi 16, Progni 55 Skenderbeu win 4-0 on aggregate

River beat Tigres 3-0, win Libertadores Cup n Reuters, Buenos Aires

DAY’S WATCH Ten Sports 1:00AM WTA: Bank of West Classic QF 1

Argentina’s River Plate completed the most remarkable transformation in the team’s history on Wednesday when they beat Mexican club Tigres 3-0 to guarantee their third Libertadores Cup triumph.

The win came four years after the Buenos Aires club were relegated for the first time in over a century and means that under the stewardship of Marcelo Gallardo they now hold both of South America’s top club competitions, having won the Copa Sudamericana in December.

“The history of this club is about fighting for these kind of competitions,” said midfielder Leonardo Ponzio. “Today is the greatest that you can achieve as a club and we did it.”l

Ten Action 5:00PM ATP: Generali Kitzbuhel Open SF 1 12:30AM French Ligue 1 2015/16 LOSC Lille v Paris Saint-Germain

Star Sports 1 4:00PM Australia tour of England (Ashes) 4th Test, Day 2

Star Sports 2 9:20AM Tri Series India A v Australia A Pro Kabaddi League 2015 8:20PM Jaipur v Mumbai 9:30PM Hyderabad v Pune

4-2

Babovic 8, Jevtovic 60, Muniru 11, A Zivkovic 69, Trujic 90+1 Hamroun 33 Partizan win 5-3 on aggregate

RESULT River Plate Players of Argentina’s River Plate celebrate with the trophy after they defeated Mexico’s Tigres in the second leg of their Copa Libertadores final at Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires yesterday REUTERS

3-0

UANL Tigres

Alario 45, Sanchez 75-P, Mori 79 (First leg 0-0; River win 3-0 on aggregrate)

DT

30 DOWNTIME

FRIDAY, AUGUST 7, 2015

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Small secluded valley (4) 4 Scolds (5) 8 Offered by vow (6) 9 23 centimetres (4) 11 Thick (5) 12 Notion (4) 14 United (3) 15 Went by (6) 19 Book of accounts (6) 21 Thickness (3) 22 Malay dagger (4) 24 Oral (5) 27 Paradise (4) 29 Reluctant (6) 30 Piece torn off (5) 31 Journey (4)

DOWN 1 Fuel (3) 2 Dodged (6) 3 Not any (4) 4 Disencumber (3) 5 Affirms with confidence (5) 6 Perfect score (3) 7 Stable (6) 10 Tree (4) 13 Monkey (3) 14 Oily fruit (6) 16 Biblical vessel (3) 17 Arachnid (6) 18 Otherwise (4) 20 Burial place (5) 23 Repose (4) 25 Vehicle (3) 26 Was ahead (3) 28 Pinch (3)

CODE-CRACKER How to solve: Each number in our CODECRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 14 represents C so fill C every time the figure 14 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, AUGUST 7, 2015

Black Money hits cinemas today n Showtime Desk Black Money, a romantic action flick starring Keya, Moushumi Hamid and Symon Sadik in lead, is all set to release today in more than 90 cinemas nationwide.

Directed by Safi Uddin Safi and written

by Abdullah Jahir Babu, the film has been produced and distributed by Movie Planet Multimedia.

With an original and exiting plot, along with several melodious songs which is shot in various exotic locations (home and abroad), the film’s producers hope Black Money will do very well in the box office.

The story of the film is centered on 100 crores of black currency, and all the characters desperately pursue the money.

Keya, the charming face of Dhallywood

who has returned to the big screen after a year sabbatical, expressed her view about her role in the film saying, “In the film, I have presented myself in a different way that the audience would cherish my role for a long time. I am grateful to the entire Black Money team.”

On the other hand, Lux-Superstar famed Mousumi Hamid is going to make her big screen debut. She expressed her excitement saying, “I have tried my best to portray my character according to the director’s demand. And now, I am waiting for the audience’s judgement.”

Misha Sawdagar and Rubel have donned two major roles in the film as well. All songs of the film have been penned by Kabir Bakul, while Shawkat Ali Emon has composed the film’s music. l

Hrithik Roshan @iHrithik Remembering my wonderful time in Antalya . Ty Mr. Baresh n entire staff at #mardanpalace fr an unforgettable time!

Forbes: Salman, Amitabh and Akshay among worlds highest paid actors n Showtime Desk Forbes published their first global list of actors ranging from Hollywood, Hong Kong to Bollywood. Unsurprisingly, turns out that Bollywood stars Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar have made it to the list of the top ten highest paid actors.

As far as Bollywood stars are concerned, Amitabh and Salman shared the seventh place with estimated earnings of $33.5 million in the last year alone.

Following suit was Akshay Kumar in ninth, earning $32.5 million. And even with a net worth of over $400 million (higher than any other B-wood star), Shah Rukh Khan landed in 18th with an estimated earnings of $26 million. Ranbir Kapoor rounded up at 30 with a $15 million earning.

Forbes also stated that the legendary Bachchan continues to get top rupee for his roles after 150 movies in his career, spanning over 50 years. The younger yet very much experienced Salman Khan has

appeared in about 80 films, while Akshay Kumar boasts 150 movies from his debut in 1992.

The Badhshah of Bollywood, Shah Rukh Khan, was labeled as India’s Leonardo DiCaprio in the report. His net worth is accumulated not only by the films he makes but also from very lucrative endorsements, like Pan Masala. The younger superstar Ranbir Kapoor has established himself as a legitimate actor, as he makes this prestigious list for the first time in his career. Not only can he act in award winning performances but carries himself quite well in the box office, garnering both the fan base and critics alike.

Across the pond, Robert Downey Jr topped the list, earning an impressive $80 million from his Iron Man franchise. While Jackie Chan came in a surprising second position with a $50 million pay packet.

Age hasn’t stopped the veteran actor, and there seems to be no slowing down for him either.

The rest of the top ten looks like this:

Popular drama group, Theatre is set to celebrate the 73rd birthday of legendary theatre activist Abdullah al-Mamun belatedly with a production of Meraj Fokirer Ma. The show is scheduled to be held at the Jatiyo Natyashala in Segunbagicha, on August 7 at 7pm after a discussion on Abdullah al-Mamun’s works at 4:30pm, the same day. This will be the 158th exhibition of the play.

The ekushey podok and national award winner, Abdullah al-Mamun was a talented playwright, actor and film-maker whose works are being greatly missed in the theatre world. Theatre saw it fit to celebrate his birthday since Meraj Fokirer

Ma was written and directed by the geni-

JARED LETO @ JaredLeto Mona Hatoum’s “Impenetrable”: http://ow.ly/Qyd8I #NFTO

Sonam Kapoor @sonamakapoor Had the best dinner at #lecirque at @theleela bombay!! There’s a truffle festival on!!! #t… http://ift.tt/1gczjUN

WHAT TO WATCH

Vin Diesel (3), Bradley Cooper (4), Adam Sandler (5), Tom Cruise (6), and Mark Wahlberg (10). The 34 stars on Forbes’ list earned a combined $941 million before taxes and fees between June 2014 and June 2015. A separate list of highest-paid

158th production of Meraj Fokirer Ma to celebrate Abdullah al-Mamun’s birthday n Showtime Desk

CELEBS ON SOCIAL

us himself. l

Ibraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter Star Movies, 9:30pm Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, discovers vampires are planning to take over the United States. He makes it his mission to eliminate them.

Cast: Benjamin Walker, Dominic Cooper, Anthony Mackie, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Rufus Sewell

Blood Diamond HBO, 4:36pm A fisherman, a smuggler, and a syndicate of businessmen match wits over the possession of a priceless diamond.

Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly, Djimon Hounsou, Michael Sheen, Arnold Vosloo Pompeii Movies Now, 5:30pm A slave-turned-gladiator finds himself in a race against time to save his true love, who has been betrothed to a corrupt Roman Senator. As Mount Vesuvius erupts, he must fight to save his beloved as Pompeii crumbles around him.

Cast: Kit Harington, Carrie-Anne Moss, Emily Browning, Adewale AkinnuoyeAgbaje, Jessica Lucas

DT

32 BACK PAGE

FRIDAY, AUGUST 7, 2015

DIGITAL EFFORTS TO BOOST STATE BANKS’ CASE MANAGEMENT PAGE 15

MONI, FROM UMPIRE TO MANAGER PAGE 26

BLACK MONEY HITS CINEMAS TODAY PAGE 31

Migrant shipwreck survivors arrive in Sicily n AFP, Palermo Survivors of a shipwreck off the coast of Libya in which some 200 migrants were feared drowned arrived in Sicily yesterday, as tales emerged of the “horrific” moment the boat overturned.

Their fishing boat, believed to have been carrying more than 600 people, ran into difficulty about 15 nautical miles off Libya on Wednesday and tipped over when rescuers neared, after frantic migrants rushed to one side in their desperation to be saved.

Irish patrol vessel Niamh, first on the scene of the disaster, arrived in Palermo with 367 survivors, including 12 women and 13 children, as well as 25 bodies recovered from the sea.

Red Cross workers were ready to hand out water and shoes to those disembarking, while tents had been set up along the portside in Palermo to provide shade from the blazing sun and privacy for health checks.

Ambulances were on hand, and three vehicles waited to collect the bodies of those who drowned in the disaster.

The Italian coastguard said the search for survivors “continued throughout the night and will be carried out all day today.”

A Bangladeshi man, treated by the Medecins san Frontiere team aboard Dignity I after being rescued at sea, waits to be transferred for further medical attention off the coast of Libya on Wednesday REUTERS “The sea is warm so they can survive longer, and there’s hope they might still find someone alive,” a spokesman for the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in

Italy, told AFP. Six other survivors in need of urgent medical attention, including a feverish one-yearold baby and a man with a broken leg, had

been transported by helicopter to the Italian island of Lampedusa late Wednesday, according to the UN refugee agency UNHCR. It is not the first time a boat making the perilous journey across the Mediterranean has overturned because of sudden movement onboard when help is in sight.

Many migrants cannot swim, making it a race against time for rescue workers trying to pull them from the water.

The MSF boat Dignity One was the second vessel on the scene and helped rescue panicking children and adults from the water. It was delayed by being diverted en route to help another boat in trouble with 94 people aboard.

More than 2,000 people have already died trying to cross the Mediterranean to Europe this year, according to IOM. The Italian government has pleaded repeatedly for more resources to deal with the unremitting wave of migrant boats.

Italy’s coast guard yesterday said it had saved 381 migrants on another boat, which sank 30 nautical miles off the Libyan coast.

Wednesday’s disaster could be the worst in the Mediterranean since 800 migrants were feared drowned off Libya in April. l

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