02 Oct, 2015

SECOND EDITION

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2015

|

Ashwin 17, 1422, Zilhaj 17, 1436

TAVELLA WAS A LONER PAGE 3

|

Regd No DA 6238, Vol 3, No 166 |

www.dhakatribune.com | 32 pages plus 24-page Weekend | Price: Tk10

ASSAD ALLIES PREPARE ANTI-REBEL ATTACK PAGE 9

ADB TO FUND INDO-BANGLA POWER TRANSMISSION PAGE 15

Mujahid, SQ Chowdhury conveyed death warrants n Tribune Report Dhaka Central Jail authorities yesterday received the death warrants issued against convicted war criminals Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid and Salauddin Quader Chowdhury.

Jail Super Jahangir Alam said that they had received the death warrants in the afternoon.

“The tribunal staff entered the jail with the warrants at 3:05pm and left the jail premises at 3:17pm,” he told the Dhaka Tribune.

According to jail sources, Mujahid remained calm when the warrant had been read out to him. The former technocrat minister said that he would convey his opinion to the lawyers.

On the other hand, the death warrant for Salauddin reached Kashimpur High Security Jail last night. Jail authorities met Salauddin at 9:35pm and read out the death warrant to the convict, Subrata Kumar Bala, jail super of Kashimpur 1, said.

The International Crimes Tribunal signed the death warrants in the morning after the  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

An employee of the International Crimes Tribunal takes the death warrants against convicted war criminals Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid and Salauddin Quader Chowdhury inside the Dhaka Central Jail yesterday, a day after the warrants were issued DHAKA TRIBUNE

TAVELLA MURDER

DB looking for third-party involvement if any n Kamrul Hasan Four days after the murder of Italian national Cesare Tavella in Dhaka’s Gulshan and no breakthrough in probe as yet, investigators say they are now trying to find out if there is any “third interest” apart from the killers and the victim.

Investigators have been saying since right after the murder that the killers had cleverly chosen the crime scene – the area was dark as the street lights were out and there was very little or no CCTV surveillance.

Although initially it was said that three people conducted the killing mission, now, after analysing whatever little inconclusive footage they had got, investigators say they are not sure anymore about the exact number of assailants.

PAGE 3 Trishal MP arrested for war crimes

On Tuesday, a day after the murder, the charge of investigation was transferred from Gulshan police to Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP)’s Detective Branch (DB).

A source inside DB told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday that the selection of the spot is also worrying them.

Tavella’s residence is located on Gulshan road number 51/54, which, DB thinks is a much better place for committing a crime as there is absolutely no CCTV coverage. But instead, the killers chose to take him down on road number 90, which is much less deserted place compared to road number 51/54.

That is why, the source said, they are having to think that there could be motives other than usual behind the murder. Apart from trying to find out if Tavella had any personal or

PAGE 5 Govt mulling waste-based power plant in Keraniganj

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

Mina death toll of Bangladeshi hajis now 41 n Tribune Report The death toll of Bangladeshi Hajj pilgrims in Mina stampede climbed to 41, said a Foreign Ministry press release yesterday.

“As per the updated report received from Bangladesh Consulate General in Jeddah, 41 dead bodies of Bangladeshi pilgrims have so far been found, who had lost their lives in the Mina incident on September 24, 2015,” said the statement issued by the ministry in the afternoon.

Out of 41 bodies, identities of 18 pilgrims has been confirmed, names of 12 have been found and the remaining 11 are unnamed.

The hospitals where Bangladeshis are currently admitted include Al Noor Hospital, King Abdullah Hospital and Mina Hospital.

The Saudi government was not letting anyone enter those hospitals to collect information about the injured.

At least 769 pilgrims – according to the Saudi Health Ministry – were killed on September 24 in a stampede in Mina, outside the Muslim holy city of Mecca, where some two million  PAGE 2 COLUMN 4

BCB boss lambasts ‘unfortunate’ Australia decision to cancel tour n Minhaz Uddin Khan Bangladesh Cricket Board president Nazmul Hassan called Cricket Australia’s decision to postpone their visit to Bangladesh for a twomatch Test series “unfortunate”. CA, following a series of meetings with the board and delegates from the government of Australia, decided to postpone their visit to Bangladesh on security grounds.

CA Chief Executive Officer James Sutherland, through a press release yesterday said recent advice from the Australian Security and Intelligence Organisation, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the board’s head of security over an increase in security risk for the Australian team in Bangladesh meant this month’s matches could not proceed.

An independent security assessment confirmed there is a risk of terrorism in Bangladesh with Australian nationals potential targets.

PAGE 6 Sudden rise in price of rice puts poor in misery

“This has been a very difficult decision.

Following the most recent information from Australian Government agencies and our own security advisors, we have decided that, regrettably, we have no alternative but to postpone the tour,” Sutherland said.

BCB chief Nazmul in reaction to the CA decision said he could not understand the move. Nazmul said any security personnel could have realised the level of security Bangladesh had assured to the Australia Test team.

“What I understand is the security alert is not only for Bangladesh but also for other countries. But I don’t see any country that has stopped playing cricket. I don’t understand what happened that despite assurances of foolproof security, they declined to tour,” said Nazmul to the media at his Gulshan residence yesterday.

Nazmul once again mentioned that

PAGE 10 US Congress averts government shutdown

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 4

PAGE 32 Body to negotiate home loan for public servants

DT

2 NEWS

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2015

Bangladesh elected LDC chair at UN n Tribune Report Bangladesh has been elected as chairman of the LDCs (Least Developed Countries) at the United Nations for three years.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Mohammed Shahriar Alam posted the information on his Facebook wall yesterday.

The election was held at the annual meeting of the ministers of LDCs at the UN headquarters in New York, USA. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon addressed the meeting, Shahriar said.

The 70th UN General Assembly, began on September 28, will end tomorrow.

The LDCs are low-income countries confronting severe structural impediments to sustainable development. There are currently 48 countries designated by the UN as LDCs. The LDC category was established in 1971 and its membership has changed over time. l

President asks NHRC to gear up its activities n Tribune Report

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon addressing the annual meeting of the ministers of Least Developed Countries at the UN Headquarters yesterday COURTESY

President Abdul Hamid yesterday asked the National Human Rights Commission to gear up its activities to make people aware about human rights and increase spot investigations.

He said this when an eight-member NHRC delegation, led by its Chairman Prof Dr Mizanur Rahman, submitted its annual report for 2014 to the president at Bangabhaban.

Hamid urged the commission to ensure transparency and accountability in its all activities and hoped that it would work independently not being dependent on others, President’s Press Secretary Joynal Abedin told the UNB. Mizanur apprised the president that the people of the country are now more aware about human rights than in the past. l

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Mujahid, SQ Chowdhury conveyed death warrants full text of the Appellate Division verdicts were produced before it, tribunal Registrar Md Shahidul Alam told the Dhaka Tribune.

The tribunal also sent copies of the death warrants to the home and law affairs secretaries, and the deputy commissioner of Dhaka district.

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court released the full text of verdicts in the appeal cases of Jamaat-e-Islami leader Mujahid and BNP leader Salauddin on Wednesday.

Lawyers for the death row convicts said that they would file review petitions within the stipulated 15 days.

If the review petitions are disposed of and their death sentences are upheld, the convicts will have the opportunity to seek mercy from the president admitting the crimes and meet the family members. If their mercy petition

is rejected or they do not seek clemency, the government will execute the tribunal order by hanging them until death.

So far, the government has executed two war criminals following legal procedures. They are Jamaat leaders Abdul Quader Molla and Muhammad Kamaruzzaman. The apex court earlier commuted the death penalty of another Jamaat leader Delawar Hossain Sayedee to imprisonment until death. None of the convicts admitted to committing the crimes.

The tribunal on October 1, 2013 sentenced Salauddin, son of Convention Muslim League leader Fazlul Quader Chowdhury, to death on four out of nine proven charges including the murder of Nutan Chandra Singha and genocides in Unosottor Para, Banik Para and Madhya Gohira during the 1971 Liberation

War. Salauddin, 66, and his father had used their Goods Hill residence as a torture camp.

He filed the appeal seeking acquittal on October 29 the same year.

On the other hand, al-Badr commander Mujahid, 69, filed the appeal on August 12, 2013 seeking acquittal from all the charges.

Social welfare minister (technocrat) during the BNP-Jamaat alliance’s 2011-06 tenure, Mujahid was sentenced to death by the tribunal on July 17 the same year for the barbaric torture and killing of intellectuals at the fag end of the war.

Jamaat, labelled by the tribunal as criminal organisation for siding with the Pakistani occupation forces in 1971, has condemned the court order and demanded release of its Secretary General Mujahid. l

DB looking for third-party involvement if any professional enmity with anyone, DB is considering that the murder could also have been carried out to embarrass the government.

During a visit to the crime scene yesterday afternoon, DB chief Monirul Islam, a joint commissioner of police and now head of the murder investigation, told reporters that the modus operandi suggests that the murder had been carried out by professionals.

He also said that they had found shells of 7.65mm revolver bullets at the crime scene and in the victim’s body but they are not sure whether these had come from one or multiple weapons. They are now waiting for court clearance so that they can conduct ballistic test on the evidence. When the report comes they will also be able to say how many shooters were there.

Monirul also said that the assailants knew exactly which roads did not have CCTV surveillance – the 50m footpath adjacent to the boundary wall of the residence of Bangladesh Bank governor, the crossing of road number 90 and 83, and finally road number 89 through which the killers escaped.

Instead of taking a left turn towards road number 89, if the killers continued along road number 83, they would have surely been caught in the CCTV cameras of the Saudi embassy and intercepted at the police check-post there.

BCB boss lambastes Bangladesh is not the only country Australia intelligence has set an alert against but the list also includes India and Sri Lanka.

“India is on the sixth place on Australia’s terror index while Bangladesh is 23rd. So does that mean there will be no cricket in India and Sri Lanka also? For me this is a very big issue and I will discuss this in the ICC meeting, scheduled for later this month,” informed Nazmul.

Nazmul, who is also a member of the Bangladesh parliament, informed that there is an International Cricket Council meeting scheduled for October 9 and there, he will look to discuss the details with CA and look for a window to reschedule the tour.

There is no doubt that Bangladesh will incur losses due to the CA’s decision, said the BCB boss.

“The whole nation was eagerly waiting for the tour so in that way, it is a big loss for us.

The fans have been deprived from cricket.

People of Bangladesh are hurt, we are hurt of the decision,” said the BCB president.

CA was approached by ASIO and DFAT last Friday with urgent advice that it had identified a potential security risk to Australian interests in Bangladesh. This saw the CA delay their Test team’s departure for the tour which was scheduled for Monday last. Following the decision to delay their flight, CA’s head of security Sean Carroll flew to Dhaka for meetings with the Bangladesh government, the BCB and the Australian High Commission. l

Death toll

The killers did good homework on the daily routine that Tavella followed – the route he used for evening walks and that he went to the American International School every day after work, the DB boss said.

The killers probably did not use any mobile phones either, as Monirul said they had not yet traced any communication of that sort near the crime scene during the time of the murder. l

people gathered to perform hajj this year.

However, high echelon of Indian and Pakistani authorities confirmed that Saudi authorities provided more than 1,000 photographs of the dead to foreign diplomats from the hajj stampede.

Relatives, accompanying pilgrims and hajj agents of the missing pilgrims have been requested to contact Bangladesh Hajj Mission at Makkah (room no 107, phone- 00966(0)125413980, email-missionhajj@gmail.com) with a view to helping identify the dead bodies.

Officials of Bangladesh Consulate General, Jeddah and Bangladesh Hajj Mission, Makkah are in touch with the hospital authorities concerned to ensure proper treatment for them. l

DT

NEWS 3

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2015

The man who was Cesare Tavella n Mohammad Jamil Khan Cesare Tavella used to go for jogging every morning, would come back home, change and leave for work. He usually came back home again late at night. He never cooked and always bought his dinner on his way home.

Sometimes he would order home delivery from restaurants such as Pizza Hut. No one visited Tavella in the last one month.

The 51-year-old Italian citizen, who was gunned down by assailants still to be identified in the capital’s Gulshan area four days ago, was apparently a loner.

Since coming to Bangladesh in May this year, he had been living in a rented flat on road number 54/51 in Gulshan 2.

Abdul Hai, security guard of the apartment complex, said he paid Tk1 lakh per month as rent. He said a temporary domestic help used to come and clean his flat twice a week.

“I cannot remember ever seeing any party or gathering of any sort in Sir’s flat,” Hai told this correspondent.

According to sources, searching his flat, investigators have found some documents, a laptop, a Samsung Galaxy 4 android smartphone, a Nokia handset and Tk3,000 in cash.

This correspondent tried to talk to some of his neighbours but none of them wanted to say anything.

A source involved with the murder probe said Tavella had been working as a project manager with ICCO Cooperation in Bangladesh since May for a monthly salary of Tk12 lakh. His last workplace was Oxfam in Italy.

The source also said that Cesare is the son of Tavella Corrado. His résumé says his permanent address is “ V. Settefoni, 14 Casola, Valsenio, 48010 RA.” He got a degree in veterinary medicine in 1991 from the Veterinary Fecundity of Rolanga University in Italy.

Besides Italian, Tavella also spoke English, Spanish and French. He had visited more than

12 countries including the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Sudan, South Korea and Tunisia.

Tavella entered the development sector in 1993 and have been managing food security, rural development and livelihood projects for different iNGOs mainly in Asia.

From November 1996 until May 1998, Caesar collaborated with the New Earth as a veterinarian in Somalia and Somaliland, proving a key element in the group of veterinarians.

Another investigator, requesting anonymity, said Tavella had got divorced with his wife two years ago with whom he had a 16-year-old daughter, who lives in Italy.

He had a girlfriend named Gaursia, a German national, who had come to Bangladesh and stayed nearly two weeks with him in June. After that she went back to her workplace in Kyrgyzstan.

This correspondent also contacted Raisa Chowdhury, regional senior communication and marketing manager of ICCO Cooperation in Dhaka, but she declined to share any details about Tavella’s background. l

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina left New York for London yesterday, concluding her eightday tour of the USA where she attended the 70th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.

A British Airways flight carrying the Prime Minister and members of her entourage departed John F Kennedy International Airport Thursday morning local time. Bangladesh Ambassador to the USA M Ziauddin and Bangladesh Permanent Representative to the UN AK Abdul Momen saw the prime minister off at the airport.

Hasina will be received by Bangladesh High Commissioner to the UK Md Abdul Hannan upon her arrival at the Heathrow International Airport. From there, she will be driven to Hotel Claridge’s for her brief stay in London.

Today, the prime minister will be accorded a community reception at a hotel, following which she would depart London for home by a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight at 8:35pm local time, reports UNB. Hasina is expected to land at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 1:30pm tomorrow, after making a short stopover at Sylhet Osmani International Airport. l

Trishal MP arrested for war crimes n Kamrul Hasan

Raimondo Bultrini, a senior journalist from Italian newspaper la Repubblica, in white shirt and vest, interacts with Bangladeshi journalists yesterday at the crime scene in Gulshan where Italian national Cesare Tavella was shot dead on Monday RAJIB DHAR

British MPs moving safely despite travel alert n Sheikh Shahariar Zaman British lawmakers have been travelling safely around Bangladesh in the recent days, despite a latest travel alert issued by their own country.

Four British lawmakers and their delegation of 23 members came to Dhaka on September 25 on an eight-day trip, and have since been enjoying a “wonderful time” travelling to different regions in the country.

“We felt absolutely safe and secure. We have not been worried, we stayed in Gulshan district. We have some young people, not with us tonight, and they are out. They felt confident enough to go out to a restaurant and go around,” British MP Anne Main said yesterday.

“I have to say I am not privy to what has been going on behind the scenes, I do not have the information, but we have felt very well looked after and our team felt very safe and secure,” she said.

The delegation visited Sylhet, while they also visited a Brac project and a health project yesterday, she said.

PM returning home via London n Tribune Report

“It is all about building friendship, coming back again and again, bringing over some wonderful donations from Tesco, English Cricket Board and we have a wonderful time…

We have thoroughly enjoyed it,” she said.

The UK government issued a travel alert for its citizens living in Bangladesh on September 28, the same day Italian citizen Cesare Tavella was shot dead at the Gulshan diplomatic zone by unidentified gunmen.

Meanwhile, Bob Blackman, another visiting British lawmaker, said they had journeyed to many projects that were getting assistance from Britain.

“It is a great country to invest [sic] to take place, a great place for British aid to assist Bangladesh to becoming a powerhouse in the East,” he said.

Another lawmaker Paul Scully said they had been in Bangladesh for a week.

“We have seen obviously the situation in news, the tragedy with the Italian citizen that died; but we are perfectly fine. We have been very well looked after, we have seen the usual hospitable nature of the Bangladeshi people and we felt very comfortable,” he said.

Junior UK minister postpones visit

British Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Hugo Swire has postponed his scheduled visit to Bangladesh from October 3 to 5.

“They [UK authorities] did not give us any specific reasons,” a Foreign Ministry official told the Dhaka Tribune.

However, a spokesperson at the British High Commission in Dhaka told the UNB news agency: “Irrespective of the latest travel advice changes, plans were in hand for the visit of a UK government minister later this week. Unfortunately, unforeseen circumstances in London meant that the visit had to be postponed.”

She, however, said they hoped the visit would take place soon.

No travel alert for the Chinese

Chinese Ambassador to Dhaka Ma Mingqiang said his country had no plans to issue any travel alert to its citizens on visiting Bangladesh.

He said the police were investigating the death of the Italian citizen and after its completion, they would be able to say whether it was an act of terrorism or a normal crime. l

Presidium Member of HM Ershad-led Jatiya Party and Trishal lawmaker Abdul Hannan was arrested yesterday for his alleged involvement in war crimes during the 1971 Liberation War. Gulshan police arrested Hannan, 80, from his residence and son Rafique Sazzad from his office in the same area in the afternoon, said Motijheel zone Assistant Commissioner Rafiqul Islam.

Police made the arrests after the International Crimes Tribunal, led by Justice Anwarul Islam, issued arrest warrants earlier in the day against eight persons including the duo in a case filed on May 19 by the wife of a martyred freedom fighter.

Rahima Khatun filed the case with a trial court in Mymensingh against Hannan and two others – al-Badr members Fokruzzaman and Golam Rabbani. Later, the court took the case into cognisance and sent it to the tribunal.

The tribunal investigators found the involvement of five other persons in the incident and sought arrest warrants against them.

Mymensingh police yesterday arrested Rabbani and another accused Hormuz Ali in the case.

The case statement says that in October 1971, Peace Committee leader Hannan along with Fokhruzzaman and Rabbani held freedom fighter Abdur Rahman from Gouripur upazila and took him to a Pakistan Army camp at Bangladesh Agriculture University in Mymensingh. Later Abdur Rahman was tortured to death.

Earlier, two JaPa leaders – former MP Abdul Jabbar and former state minister Syed Mohammad Kaiser – were sentenced to death for committing crimes against humanity. l

DT

4 NEWS

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2015

Med college aspirants seek PM intervention n Tribune Report Protesting medical college students and guardians yesterday urged the prime minister to grant the medical seekers justice. During a demonstration at 1pm at the Central Shaheed Minar, Chhatro Obhibabok Oikkho Forum brought out a banner containing an image of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Chhatro Front, from the beginning of the protest, opposed the use of such a banner. They said a common banner ought to be used or they would bring out a procession without any banner. This caused unrest and conflict among the protesters and students, said Imran Habib Rumon from Shamajtantrik Chhatro Front.

At the demonstration, students of Dhaka Medical College and Sir Salimullah Medical College (SSMC) joined in.

“This protest is not being held for a political reason; it is a basic right of the students.

Many people are taking advantage of this protest, which we do not want,” said Parvez, an admission seeker and protester.

At 1pm yesterday, the student protesters had marched from Central Shaheed Minar to Central Public Library, where police blocked their procession. Tamanna, an admission seeker and protester, claimed that outsiders had intervened in this protest.

Pry asst teachers to abstain from work n Tribune Report

Demanding fresh exams by cancelling the recently held medical and dental admission tests, students and parents arrange a sit-in programme in front of the Central Shaheed Minar yesterday MEHEDI HASAN Medical college admission seekers will continue to protest today from 3pm at Shahbagh in the capital, demanding the recently held medical entrance examination and its

published results be cancelled.

Students, guardians, and various others will join the protest, she confirmed.

Earlier on September 18, the medical col-

Yunus to partner with Boston Consulting Group

Bangladesh Primary Assistant Teacher Federation has announced to observe four-hour work abstentions from October 4-8 and fullday work abstentions from October 10-14 in all primary schools across the country to press home their demands.

Their six-point demand include removing discriminations in the eighth national pay scale.

They will also observe a token hunger strike on October 15 in front of the National Press Club from 9am to 3pm, reports UNB. l

Syeda Farida Begum dies n Tribune Report

Syeda Farida Begum died at the age of 60 on September 29, 2015, Tuesday. She was suffering from cancer.

Farida has left behind her husband Shahadat Ahmad, son Fahim Ahmed and daughter Subehee Ahmed.

She was laid to rest at Banani Graveyard in the capital after namaz-e-janaza on Wednesday.

Her qulkhwani will be held at Baridhara Jam-e-Masjid on Dutabash Road, Baridhara after Asr prayers today.

Her family members have convened all to pray for her departed soul. l

Former US president Bill Clinton welcomes Professor Muhammad Yunus to the Hult Prize Award Ceremony in Manhattan on September 26 at which Yunus gave the keynote speech COURTESY

n Tribune Report Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus and his organisation Yunus Social Business (YSB) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Boston Consulting Group (BCG) to form a global partnership.

Yunus Social Business became the BCG’s sixth partner globally on September 26, allowing the social business company to receive the well-known US consulting firm’s services to help it grow globally.

The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) is a global management consulting firm which ranked second in Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” in 2015.

On the same day, Yunus gave the keynote speech at the Hult Prize Award Ceremony which took place at a Clinton Global Initiative

venue in downtown Manhattan.

The Hult Prize is an annual competition in which student-run social entrepreneurship companies propose solutions to the most pressing humanitarian issues facing the global community.

This year’s challenge, selected by former President Bill Clinton, was to solve the lack of quality early childhood education in urban slums.

Former president Clinton announced this year’s winners of the $1 million Hult Prize, a group from the National Chengchi University in Taipei called IMPCT.com.

Professor Yunus was one of four judges on the panel which included former prime minister of Australia Julia Gillard, African billionaire-philanthropist Mo Ibrahim and former CEO of a global company Charles Kane. l

lege admission test was held. The aggrieved college applicants demanded the entrance exam results be annulled because exam questions were leaked on Facebook the night before and on the morning of this year’s entrance exams. They demanded a fresh exam be held for all applicants.

From September 29, enrolment in medical courses began; hence, admission seekers staged a demonstration at Dhaka Medical College (DMC), demanding the cancellation of the enrolment process, which was in progress.

On September 30, police detained 10 protesters at Shahbagh police station and freed them at around 10pm.

The demonstration has been held for the past 13 days. According to the protesters, though their demonstration has been non-violent, the police have attacked them.

Gonojagoron Moncho spokesperson Imran H Sarker said he supports the medical admission seekers.

The admission seekers have announced they would continue with their demonstration, and their next agenda would be announced today.

An official of the Directorate General of Health Services said the enrolment process would continue and there would be no cancellation regarding entry to medical colleges. l

MP Bodi’s graft case petition rejected n Tribune Report

The High Court yesterday rejected a writ petition filed by ruling Awami League lawmaker from Cox’s Bazar 4 constituency Abdur Rahman Bodi challenging the legality of the proceeding of a corruption case against him.

After the decision, there is no bar to run the case at the trial court.

The Anti-Corruption Commission lodged the case with Ramna police on August 21 last year for amassing illegal wealth worth Tk6.33 crore and concealing information about the properties worth Tk3.99 crore in the lawmaker’s wealth statement.

The bench of Justice Miftha Uddin Choudhury and Justice Kazi Md Esarul Haque Akondo passed the order as it was not properly placed.

“The Dhaka Special Judge’s Court 3 will start recording witness statements on October 6,” ACC lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan said.

Bodi, who is now on bail in the case, filed the petition on September 13 claiming that the case had not been filed following proper legal procedure.

The lawmaker was indicted in the case on September 8. He pleaded not guilty and demanded justice after the charges were read out to him.

According to the case, Bodi informed the ACC on March 20 last year that he, his wife and children together owned movable and immovable properties worth Tk5.20 crore.

But his income tax return showed that they possessed properties worth Tk16.06 crore until June 30 last year.

Blamed for his involvement in human trafficking, yaba smuggling and aiding illegal Rohingyas in the coastal district, Bodi served three weeks’ jail term in October last year and later secured bail from the High Court. l

DT

NEWS 5

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2015

Govt mulling waste-based power plant in Keraniganj n Aminur Rahman Rasel The government is doing a feasibility study for building a waste-based power plant in Keraniganj, just on the outskirts of the capital.

“The government has initiated a pilot project for a waste-based power plant in Keraniganj,” Power Division Joint Secretary Siddique Zobair told a workshop at the Bidyut Bhaban yesterday.

Zobair, also a member of the Sustainable and Renewable Energy Authority (Sreda), said the government has finalised the memorandum of association and articles of association required to form the country’s first wastebased power generation company that will take recycled garbage and turn it into green energy.

During a presentation, he said waste for the power plant would be collected from

three dumping sites – Rajuk’s Jhilmil project site and Moyla Potti Bonde in Shubhadya union, and Teghuria bazar in Teghuria union.

Each day, around 200 tonnes of municipal solid waste and garment waste are generated, the joint secretary said.

The government had earlier announced a renewable energy policy and made plans to increase renewable energy sources’ share in power generation to 5% by the end of 2015 and 10% by 2020.

According to yesterday’s presentation, the country’s renewable power generation capacity is 411MW. State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid said the private sector can be a partner in the important process of transforming waste into resources and energy with the help of proper waste preservation.

The government has undertaken many

projects which need to be implemented soon because now was the right time to achieve the goals, he said.

The UNDP Bangladesh and Sreda jointly organised yesterday’s programme on “Waste to Energy Opportunity and Challenges in Bangladesh” under the Development of Sustainable Renewable Energy Power Generation (SREPGen) project.

The SREPGen project helps Bangladesh promote renewable energy development, specifically to address the needs of low-income households by facilitating access to afford sustainable energy solutions.

Among others, Power Division Secretary Monowar Islam, Sreda Chairman Tapos Kumar Roy, Country Director of UNDP Bangladesh Pauline Tamesis and Director General of Power Cell Mohammad Hossain addressed the inaugural ceremony of the workshop. l

Two witnesses testify in Rajon murder case n Our Correspondent, Sylhet The trial of 13 accused including Kamrul Islam, arrested in Saudi Arabia, for the brutal murder of 13-year-old boy Sheikh Samiul Alam Rajon in torture began at a Sylhet court yesterday.

Sylhet Metropolitan Sessions Judge Md Akbar Hossain Mridha recorded the statements of plaintiff of the case SI Aminul Islam, who was suspended after the incident for negligence in duties, and Rajon’s father Sheikh Azizur Rahman.

In his testimony, Azizur demanded exemplary punishment of the accused.

“My son went to the market to sell vegetables. Kamrul and his accomplices killed my innocent son in a planned way branding him as a thief,” he said.

The accused were indicted by the same court on September 22. Three of the accused are on the run while the 10 others were produced before the court yesterday.

The fugitives are Kamrul, who is a Saudi immigrant, his brother Shamim Alam and Pavel Islam.

After cross-examination of the witnesses, the court set Sunday for next hearing in the case. l

Foreign NGO forums condemn Tavella killing n Tribune Report

Abu Raihan and Md Shahid, the two convicts are taken inside a prison van after a Chittagong Speedy Tribunal sentenced them to death for the 2014 murders of a teenage girl and her mother in the port city yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

Two to walk gallows for Chittagong mother-daughter killings n FM Mizanur Rahaman, Chittagong

A Chittagong court yesterday sentenced two persons to death for killing a mother and her daughter in the city’s Agrabad area in March last year.

The convicts are Abu Raihan, 27, son of Chittagong district police Havildar Abul Bashar, and Md Shahid, driver at a rest house at Khulshi area in the city.

Chittagong Speedy Trial Tribunal’s Judge Muhitul Haque Enam Chowdhury handed down the verdict.

Public Prosecutor advocate Md Ayub Khan said the two convicts were present in the courtroom when the verdict was pronounced.

“The court found them guilty of the crime after examining case documents and testimonies of 30 witnesses,” he said.

According to the case statement, the convicts hacked to death 47-year-old Rizia Khatun, wife of C&F businessman Rezaul Karim, and her 17-year-old daughter Saima Naznin, who was a secondary school certificate exam candidate. The mother and the daughter were at home in Agrabad-CDA Residential Area when

they were killed on March 24, 2014.

Police recovered a knife, a pair of jeans, a shirt, two bottles of petrol kept in a bag, seven SIM cards and a towel from the crime scene.

Rizia’s husband Rezaul lodged a murder case on the day of the incident while detectives arrested Shahid in Khulshi area and Raihan in the capital’s Fakirapool area the following day.

Shahid and Raihan were indicted on July 8 last year and the case was transferred to the tribunal from Chittagong Metropolitan Session Judge Court on February 2 this year. l

Ingo Forum Bangladesh, a forum of 51 international NGOs working in Bangladesh, has condemned and expressed concern over Monday’s killing of Italian national Cesare Tavella in the capital’s Gulshan.

In a statement on Wednesday, it said it was deeply shocked over the murder of Tavella.

Tavella worked for Project Manager of Profitable Opportunities for Food Security (Proofs), a project of Netherlands-based organisation ICCO Cooperation.

The forum members called on the authorities concerned to ensure intensive and timely probe into the killing. They also called for the government to provide safety and security to the NGO staff, both national and international, working in Bangladesh.

Members of the forum are Action Contre la Faim Bangladesh, ActionAid Bangladesh, ADD International Bangladesh, Aida Association, Care Bangladesh, CBM, Centro Orientamento Educativo, CA Bangladesh, Concern Universal, Concern Worldwide, DCA Bangladesh, Diakonia, EngenderHealth Bangladesh, FH, FHI 360, Habitat for Humanity International, Handicap International, HEKS, Helen Keller International, HelpAge International, Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation Bangladesh, Intervida, IPAS, ISC, Islamic Relief, LAMB, MAF Bangladesh, Marie Stopes, Max Foundation, MSF, NETZ Bangladesh, Orbis, Oxfam, Plan International Bangladesh, Population Council, Practical Action Bangladesh, Saferworld, Save the Children, Shaplaneer, SightSavers, SNV- Netherlands Development Organisation, Terre des hommes Lausanne, Terre des Hommes Italia, Terre des Hommes Netherlands, The Asia Foundation, Traidcraft exchange, Transparency International Bangladesh, USC Canada Bangladesh, VSO International, WaterAid Bangladesh and World Vision Bangladesh. l

DT

6 NEWS

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2015

Sudden rise in price of rice puts poor in misery n Our Correspondent, Dinajpur Rice market has become unstable in the northern district Dinajpur with a sudden surge in price of the food grain after remaining stable for a long time.

Local sources said price of per sack (50) of rice had increased by Tk200 to Tk250 at wholesale markets in the last 15 days. The prices of per kilogram rice has increased Tk4 to Tk5 in the wholesale markets while price of per kilogram rice has increased by Tk10 to Tk20 in the local markets.

Local people are now blaming a syndicate for the sudden rise in the price of the food grain while mill owners are saying less supply is responsible for the crisis.

During a visit to Mokam Bahadur Bazar where several thousand maunds of rice are traded everyday and which is the biggest wholesale grain market in the district, this

correspondent found that per sack (50kg) minicate rice was sold at Tk1,700, BR28 variety of rice at Tk1,520 and BR 29 variety of rice at Tk 1,400.

Mossadek Hossain, president of Dinajpur Silpo O Bonik Samity, told the Dhaka Tribune that now the market of rice remained stable. The price has increased slightly due to poor supply Currently, per sack (50kg) rice is being sold at Tk1,100, minicate Tk1,950, BR28 variety of rice at Tk 1,600 and BR 29 variety of rice at Tk5,500.

Moreover, per sack fine variety of minicate

Six killed in road accidents n Tribune Report

At least four people were killed in road accident in two separate spots in Sirajganj yesterday.

Rashedul Islam Biswas, officer-in-chrage of Raiganj police station, said a passenger bus of Shamoli Paribahan coming from Joypurhat rammed into a pickup van leaving two people dead on the spot including the van driver. 15 people were also injured in the incident, our district correspondent reported.

Later, critically injured Munnaf Ara,26, a garments worker of Bogra died while she was being taken to hospital. The identity of one of the deceased could not be known.

On the other hand, Abu Bakar Siddique,55, son of Ahad Box of Alamdanga became critically injured while a passenger bus coming from Pabna ran over him in Paslia area, said Abdul Kader Zilani, officer-in-charge of Hat-

kumrul Highway police station.

He was sent to Sirajganj Sadar Hospital where he died.

The body was sent to the hospital morgue.

In Gazipur, two people were killed and three others injured as a covered ban and a bus overturned after a collision at Bhogra bypass intersection in the city in the morning.

The deceased could not be identified immediately.

Sub-inspector Bahar Alam of Nauroj highway police outpost said a collision took place between the Gazipur-bound bus and Konabari-bound covered van in the area around 6am.

A rickshaw puller and a pedestrian were crushed under the vehicles as after the collision the two vehicles overturned on the road, reports UNB. On information, police recovered the bodies and sent those to Gazipur Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmad Medical College Hospital. l

Auto-rickshaw driver killed n Our Correspondent, Kishoreganj

Miscreants killed an auto-rickshaw driver in Kaikurdia area under Karimganj upazila in the district on Wednesday night.

The deceased Manzil Mia, 42, was the son of Mofiz Mian of Jafrabad Union.

Locals said the miscreants hacked Manzil at night leaving him critically injured.

On information, police rescued him from

nearby the auto-rickshaw beside the road in the area.

Later, they sent him to Karimganj Upazila Health Complex where doctors declared him dead.

Dipak Majumder, officer-in-charge of Karimganj police station, said previous enmity might be the cause behind the murder.

The body was sent to Karimganj General Hospital morgue. l

Two get life term for killing n Our Correspondent, Netrakona

A Netrakona court yesterday sentenced two people to life term imprisonment for killing a person eight years back.

The convicted are Mafiz Khan and Dhan Sharif.

According to the prosecution, Mafiz and Sharif hacked Hasen Ali of Maizpara village under Kamalakanda upazila on December 27,

2005 indiscriminately over previous enmity.

He died on the spot.

Shamsunnahar, wife of the deceased, filed a case accusing 11 people in the this connection.

Later, police submitted charge-sheet of the case against the accused.

Judge Abdul Hamid handed down the verdict agaisnt the accused after examining evidences and cross-checking witnesses. l

rice is being sold at Tk80 in the local markets while this amount of rice was sold at Tk60 two weeks back.

Traders at the markets said prices of all variety of rice have marked a sharp rise in the last 15 days.

People of low-income groups are suffering to a great extent due to the sudden rise in the price of rice which is the main staple food in the country.

Local said it was lean period for the people of the northern region, moreover, sudden rise in the price of rice has multiplied their sufferings.

Rustam Ali, who came to buy rice, told the correspondent that now he was passing idle time as he had no job now, but sudden rise in the price of rice made their live very difficult.

Raisul Islam said: “When farmers sell paddy they do not get fair price. But now we have to pay extra money while buying rice.�

He also urged the government to introduce

proper monitoring system to restrain the skyrocket prices of essentials so that poor people get meal thrice a day.

Wholesale traders are saying that the sudden rise in the price had put bad impact on their trading as retailers are buying small amount of the food grain due to rise in the price.

They said a syndicate of rice mill owners have increased the price of rice.

Javed Hosasin, owner of Dui Bhai Rice Agency said, every year during the time the rice suppliers increased the price of rice.

Liakat Ali, owner of Anno Ghor, said suppliers were responsible for the increase of price in rice.

Mossadek Hossain, president of Dinajpur Silpo O Bonik Samity, told the Dhaka Tribune that now the market of rice remained stable.

The price has increased slightly due to poor supply. He also denied existence of any syndicate in the locality. l

DT

NEWS 7

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2015

Three muggers held in Barisal n Our Correspondent, Barisal Three men were arrested while trying to mug a man at Bogra Road Crossing in Barisal yesterday.

The arrested are Emdadul Huq, 50, Iqbal Hossain, 52, and Nurul Islam, driver of the micro-bus carrying the alleged muggers.

They were residents of different areas of the capital, said Assistant Police Commissioner of Kotwali police station Ansaruddin.

He told the Dhaka Tribune that around 2pm, a man named Rajib Haoladar, assistant of deed-writer Babul Haoladar, was on his way to Sonali Bank Barisal branch for depositing Tk94,800 in the account of Babul.

A man stopped his way showing a note of Tk500 and asked him whether it was fake or not. While Rajib was talking with the man, another member of the gang snatched away the money which he was kept inside an envelope, he said.

Rajib clasped one of the muggers and shouted. Hearing his scream, police arrested the mugger and chased the rest who were in a micro-bus.

After chasing, police arrested two others from Nathullabad area. Tk12,000 were seized from their possession. Mamun, another member of the gang, managed to flee with the snatched money, said ACP Ansaruddin.

No case was lodged in this connection. l

Foreign tourists’ presence in Cox’s Bazar on the wane n Our Correspondent, Cox’s Bazar The number of foreign tourists in Cox’s Bazar has been declining gradually over the past few years and this year’s Eid-ul-Azha was no exception.

Only a small number of tourists from foreign countries arrived in the coastal town during the Eid and tourism business owners say irregularities from the government’s side should be blamed for this.

But the Cox’s Bazar deputy commissioner, Md Ali Hossain, who is also the president of the Beach Management Committee, denied the allegation and said the government had drawn up massive plans to attract foreign tourists.

According to tourism business owners, Cox’s Bazar does not offer a good road communication system while a lack of promotion and security is also a key reason why foreign tourist arrivals are decreasing.

Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation has also conceded that the number of foreign tourists in Cox’s Bazar has reduced but gave no official statistics on how many tourists arrived in the coastal town this year or in the past few years.

Nur-e Alam, assistant manager at Seagull Hotel, said the beach in Cox’s Bazar is not very clean which turns off foreign tourists.

“Also, there are many makeshift stalls and vendors in and around the beach, something that foreign tourists particularly find annoying.

“Those coming from different parts of the world also look for a variety of activities like sunbath but there is no good facility for that in Cox’s Bazar,” he explained.

Cox’s Bazar Hotel Motel Owners Association General Secretary Abul Kashem Sikder said foreign tourists, while in Cox’s Bazar, feel that there is a real dearth of entertainment activities that they are accustomed to.

Sarwar Alam, manager of Ocean Paradise Hotel and Resort, said many entrepreneurs set up high-class hotels offering state-of-theart facilities to attract foreign tourists in the previous years but they are now counting losses because of the dwindling number of international tourists.

Former president of Tour Operators Association of Cox’s Bazar SM Kibria said the ambience of Cox’s Bazar is yet to reach a level that

Eight drugstores fined in Ctg

WEATHER

n Tribune Report

SUNNY

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2 DHAKA TODAY

TOMORROW

SUN SETS 5:45PM

SUN RISES 5:50AM

FORECAST FOR TODAY 35 34 35 35 34 34 34 32

Dhaka Chittagong Rajshahi Rangpur Khulna Barisal Sylhet Cox’s Bazar

26 28 25 24 35 25 24 26

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

36.7ºC

23.5ºC

Chandpur

Rangamati Source: Accuweather/UNB

PRAYER TIMES Fajr Sunrise Jumma Asr Magrib Esha

can meet the expectations of foreign tourists.

“What is needed now to attract more tourists here is initiatives by the government. And of course implementation of any initiative is also crucial,” he added.

Md Sakhawat Hossain, vice-president of Cox’s Bazar Hotel Owners Association, echoed the words of Kibria, and said a truly international airport and an exclusive tourist zone can make the world’s longest sea beach more appealing to prospective tourists from other countries.

The deputy commissioner of Cox’s Bazar said building a marine drive road along the beach is one of the key plans of the government and is aimed at making more foreign tourists consider a vacation in the coastal town.

He said land acquisition for setting up an exclusive tourist zone in Teknaf upazila had been completed and the project is in the works.

“There are also a number of other plans that the government has made to give Cox’s Bazar a facelift. Those will revamp the beach and will, in turn, help boost the number of foreign tourists,” added Ali. l

4:33am 5:49am 11:48am 4:06pm 5:45pm 7:15pm SourceL IslamicFinder.org

An artist sculpts an idol of the Goddess Durga at Koilaghat Kalibari temple in Khulna city yesterday as Durga Puja, the biggest religious festival of Banglee Hindus, is within a few weeks DHAKA TRIBUNE

Two mobile courts of Chittagong District Administration in separate drives yesterday fined eight pharmacies with Tk45,500 for selling date expired and unapproved foreign medicines.

The mobile court also fined two vechiles Tk1,000 each for plying without lisence.

Executive Magistrate and also Revenue Deputy Collector Ruhul Amin and Assistant Commissioner Abdullah Al Mansur of district administration conducted the mobile courts in city’s Jamal Khan, Mehedibag, Cheragi intersection and CWASA areas respectively.

Executive Magistrate Ruhul Amin said the mobile court fined eight pharmacies with Tk45,500 for selling unapproved Indian medicines, expired and adulterated food supplements. l

45 candidates to vie for one seat at CU n CU Correspondent

Chittagong University has received a record number of undergraduate applications this year as a total of 45 candidates will be competing for a single place.

University officials said they received 211,952 applications, submitted online and through text messages in 23 days, against 4,653 positions under 10 faculties in the academic year 2015-16.

Deputy Registrar (academic affairs) SM Akbar Hossain, also the member secretary of the admission test committee, told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday that a stiff competition lies

ahead for the candidates.

“This year, we have got 45 applicants competing for a single seat while it was 39 last year,” he said.

The number of applicants rose by 32,379 this year but a mere 137 seats were added in different departments, taking the total number of available positions to 4,653, said admission committee sources. Applications from prospective students were invited between September 7 and September 30 midnight.

Last year, there were a total of 179,573 applications while it was 162,348 in the 2013-14 session, said sources.

Like previous years, the highest number of

applications (29,648) were submitted for the B 1 unit under the arts and humanities faculty, said the deputy registrar.

A total of 26,362 applicants, which is the second highest, applied in the C 1 unit, followed by 25,811 applications in the F 1 unit under the biological science faculty.

“Necessary preparations have already been taken to ensure that admission tests are held smoothly without any hassles,” said the deputy registrar.

The entrance examinations are slated to be held from November 1 to 9 and more information on this is available on the university website. l

DT

8 WORLD

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2015

Nawaz urges India to formalise Kashmir truce n Reuters, United Nations

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif called on Wednesday for cooperation, not confrontation, with on-and-off foe India and said the two nuclear-armed countries should formalise a cease-fire in disputed Kashmir.

In an address to the UN General Assembly, Sharif said cease-fire violations in Kashmir were intensifying, causing civilian deaths, including of women and children.

“Wisdom dictates that our immediate neighbour refrains from fomenting instability in Pakistan,” he told the 193-nation assembly.

“The two countries should address and resolve the causes of tension and take all possible measures to avert further escalation.”

India issued a swift rebuttal, accusing Pakistan of claiming to be the primary victim of terrorism while “in truth, it is actually a victim of its own policy of breeding and sponsoring terrorists.”

Sharif said he was proposing a new fourpoint peace initiative with India, starting with measures that are the simplest to implement.

“One, we propose that Pakistan and India formalise and respect the 2003 understanding for a complete cease-fire on the Line of Control in Kashmir,” Sharif said, referring to the cease-fire line between India and Pakistan. He called for an expansion of the UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan to monitor the cease-fire.

The Pakistani prime minister proposed that his country and India reaffirm that they will not resort to force under any circumstances and that steps be taken to demilitarize Kashmir.

He also called for an agreement on an unconditional mutual withdrawal of forces from Kashmir’s Siachen Glacier region, the world’s highest battleground, where 10,000 to 20,000 Indian and Pakistani troops have faced off against each other since 1984.

“An easing of threat perceptions through such peace efforts will make it possible for Pakistan and India to agree on a broad range of measures to address the peril posed by offensive and advanced weapons systems,” Sharif said.

Planned talks between national security advisers from the neighbours were cancelled last month hours before they were due to start, dashing hopes the two might tackle the violence that many fear could one day spark a nuclear showdown.

India and Pakistan have fought three wars since becoming independent countries in 1947, two of them over the Himalayan region of Kashmir, which both claim in full but rule in part.

‘To de-militarise Kashmir is not the answer, to deterrorise Pakistan is,’ an Indian external affairs ministry spokesman tweeted Sharif, elected in 2013, promised to improve relations with India. But since then domestic troubles have forced him to cede more control over foreign and security policy to Pakistan’s more hawkish military.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken a hard line with Pakistan, insisting he is unwilling to discuss other issues unless Pakistan admits its role in terror attacks in India.

In last month’s cancelled talks, India wanted to only discuss terrorism-related issues.

Pakistan sought a wider agenda, including the status of Kashmir.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs made it clear that Sharif’s proposal was a non-starter.

“To de-militarise Kashmir is not the answer,” ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup said in a tweet. “To de-terrorise Pakistan is.” l

CHRONICLE

The never-ending Kashmir dispute 1947 Britain divides its Indian empire into secular but mainly Hindu India and Muslim Pakistan, triggering one of the greatest and bloodiest migrations of modern history.

1947/48 India and Pakistan go to war over Kashmir. The war ends with a UN-ordered ceasefire and resolution seeking a plebiscite for the people of Jammu and Kashmir to decide whether to become part of India or Pakistan.

1965 India and Pakistan fight their second war over Kashmir. Fighting ends after the United Nations calls for a ceasefire.

1971 Pakistan and India go to war for a third time, this time over East Pakistan, which becomes independent Bangladesh.

1972 Pakistani Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi sign agreement in Indian town of Simla over principles meant to govern relations.

1989 Separatist revolt starts in Indian Kashmir. India accuses Pakistan of arming and sending Islamist militants into Indian Kashmir, which Pakistan denies.

1999 India and Pakistan wage brief conflict in the mountains above Kargil on the Line of Control, the ceasefire line dividing Jammu and Kashmir.

2001 Militants attack Indian parliament. India blames Pakistan-based Kashmiri separatist groups Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad.

2003 Pakistan, India agree ceasefire on the Line of Control.

2004 The two countries launch a formal peace process.

2008 Gunmen launch three days of multiple attacks in Mumbai, killing 166 people. India blames Paki-

India warns global NGOs not to work against govt n Reuters, New Delhi An Indian minister monitoring $1.8bn of foreign aid has accused Greenpeace of inciting protests against industrial projects and warned global activists and aid organisations not to work against the government.

The warning from junior home minister Kiren Rijiju follows a crackdown by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration on foreign-funded non-governmental organisations (NGOs), including Greenpeace and the Ford Foundation.

The crackdown has been criticised by the US and Indian civil society groups.

Greenpeace activists were “unnecessarily inciting innocent people against crucial projects without any valid reason,” Rijiju said in an interview.

The ministry’s foreigners division, which is under Rijiju and oversaw some $1.8bn of incoming aid in 2014, suspended Greenpeace’s licence to get foreign funds this year, citing financial irregularities. It has frozen some Greenpeace bank accounts.

The actions came after Greenpeace supported protests against a planned $3.2bn coal

mine in the Mahan forests in central India, which resulted in a court withdrawing permits for the Indian companies Essar and Hindalco to develop the project.

An Indian activist leading the campaign was barred from flying to London to address parliamentarians about the project. The foreigners division this year prevented one foreign Greenpeace official from entering the country.

The warning follows a crackdown by Modi’s administration on foreignfunded NGOs, including Greenpeace and the Ford Foundation Rijiju said Greenpeace had diverted foreign contributions from their stated purpose.

Greenpeace has taken legal action against the government’s measures.

“Punitive steps have been taken because rules were totally violated,” Rijiju said.

“Some of the NGOs, if they are designed to work against a particular party or government, or they misuse the contributions, then they will attract provisions,” he said, adding it was “evident” Greenpeace was hostile to the government. Greenpeace, which is fighting the government measures in court, denies its activities are hurting development in the world’s largest democracy.

“The government’s sole aim to crush each and every voice of dissent. How can campaigns for clean air, programmes for renewable energy be anti-government?” asked Vinuta Gopal, acting head of Greenpeace India.

More than 50,000 Indian charities depend on foreign aid for projects. Under Rijiju, the department has cancelled the licenses of about 13,000 NGOs. Rijiju said he aimed to stop the misuse of foreign funds. He said he was working to make it simpler for aid groups and charities to comply with regulations.

Critics say the crackdown is to muzzle dissent and Rijiju’s actions could lead to less foreign aid for projects that fight child marriage, provide clean water in slums and feed pregnant women. l

stan-based militants and freezes talks with Pakistan. Pakistan admits Mumbai attack was launched and partly planned from Pakistan.

January 2013 India accuses Pakistan of “barbaric and inhuman” behaviour after two Indian soldiers are killed in a firefight in Kashmir and at least one of the bodies is mutilated. Peace talks stalled.

September 2013 Nawaz Sharif and Manmohan Singh hold first official meeting in New York, where they share promises of mutual restraint in Kashmir.

July 2014 Indian Prime Min Narendra Modi makes first official trip to Indian-controlled Kashmir.

September 2014 India and China agree to defuse nearly three-weekold standoff between troops in disputed border region of Ladakh, Kashmir; both countries agree to begin withdrawing troops immediately to the positions they occupied on September 1.

October 2014 Indian and Pakistani troops exchange heavy gunfire in Kashmir, after days of fighting that has left at least 17 civilians dead and dozens wounded on both sides of the Kashmiri frontier.

December 2014 Elections in Jammu and Kashmir State are marred by protesters fighting with police, in contrast with two earlier peaceful voting phases.

March 2015 India Prime Min Narendra Modi’s ruling Hindu nationalist party joins regional party controlled by Muslims to form state government in disputed Kashmir region; it is first time Hindu party has had leadership role in district.

August 2015 Scheduled talks between India and Pakistan may collapse due to escalated tensions caused by Pakistan’s plans to meet with members of All Parties Hurriyat Conference, umbrella group of separatist leaders in Indian-administered Kashmir. l

Source: REUTERS & NY TIMES

Pakistan announces fresh policy for int’l NGOs

n Reuters, Islamabad Pakistan has ordered all international aid agencies to renew their registration with the government within 60 days, its interior minister said on Thursday, amid a crackdown on charity workers whom authorities accuse of breaking unspecified laws.

Under the new policy announced on Thursday, international NGOs would have to register online within the next 60 days and would be told within 60 days of registering whether or not they had permission to operate in Pakistan.

Charities would have approval to work in Pakistan for three years, after which each case would be reassessed, and there would be stricter oversight of visas issued to foreign aid workers.

In June this year, officials gave Save the Children 15 days to leave the country but then suspended the order to shut down the charity two days later. Save the Children has worked in Pakistan for over 35 years. In 2011, it was linked by officials to a Pakistani doctor recruited by the CIA to help in the hunt that led to the killing of Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad. l

DT

WORLD 9

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2015

Assad allies prepare ground attack against rebels Russia Military presence Strikes

Controlled by: Government

IS

Hezbollah forces present

Kurds

Rebel forces

TURKEY Kobane Aleppo Latakia

Hama

SYRIA

Homs

Tartus

100 km

Raqa

Idlib

IRAQ

Deir Ezzor

NO

N

Palmyra Hama

BA

Hundreds of Iranian troops have arrived in Syria to join a major ground offensive on behalf of President Bashar al-Assad’s government, sources said on Thursday, a further sign of the rapid internationalisation of a civil war in which every major country in the region has a stake.

Russian warplanes bombed a camp run by rebels trained by the CIA, the group’s commander said, putting Moscow and Washington on opposing sides in a Middle East conflict for the first time since the Cold War. The US and Russian militaries are scheduled to hold talks via video link on Thursday to seek ways to keep their militaries apart as they wage parallel campaigns of air strikes in Syria, a US defence official said.

Russian jets struck targets near the cities of Hama and Homs in western Syria on the second day of their surprise air campaign, which they launched on Wednesday.

Moscow said it had hit Islamic State positions, but the area where it struck is held by a rival insurgent alliance, which unlike Islamic State is supported by US allies including Arab states and Turkey.

Hassan Haj Ali, head of the Liwa Suqour al-Jabal rebel group, said one of the targets was his group’s base in Idlib province, struck by around 20 missiles in two separate sorties.

His fighters had been trained by the CIA in Qatar and Saudi Arabia, part of a programme Washington says is aimed at supporting groups that oppose both Islamic State and Assad.

Two Lebanese sources said hundreds of Iranian troops had reached Syria in the past

Syria: Russia carries out air strikes

LE

n Reuters, Beirut

Salamiyah

DAMASCUS Homs

10 km

JORDAN Source: isw

ANALYSIS

Syria and Ukraine: 2 fronts in Russian war for influence n Reuters, Brussels/Washington, DC Russia’s air strikes in Syria are in part designed to extract concessions from the West over Ukraine by making Moscow a key player in any attempts by world powers to hammer out a post-conflict settlement in Damascus, some Western officials believe.

While the Syrian capital lies 3,000 km south of Kiev, for Russian President Vladimir Putin they are two fronts in the same war that is aimed at blocking Ukraine’s European integration, some EU, US and Nato officials say.

Publicly no officials will make such a link, saying it is too speculative and French diplomats hosting a high-level meeting with Putin in Paris on Friday are reluctant to draw any conclusions.

But privately, a number of senior officials and diplomats have said they believe the Russian leader’s aim is to use his intervention in Syria partly to pressure the West to tacitly accept Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea and gradually lift the sanctions imposed by the West in retaliation.

The Kremlin says Russian air strikes are targeting “well-known” terrorist organisations inside Syria.

Strategically, Putin’s air strikes are securing his interests, protecting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Russia’s Syrian port in Tartous, which complements Russia’s access

to the Black Sea that it now controls after taking the Crimean peninsula.

Western officials also see other motives, including that Moscow may also say that its military involvement in the Syrian civil war, its first intervention in the Middle East in decades, could also be used to help stem the record numbers of refugees flowing to Europe.

Most see a way for Putin to make himself “an indispensable interlocutor for the West,” as one EU official put it, while recognising he is defending a long-time ally, the Assad dynasty.

Freeze, then re-heat?

But some in Brussels and Kiev, who accuse Russia of supporting the separatist rebellion in eastern Ukraine, believe the timing of the dramatic fall in violence in eastern Ukraine and Russia’s air strikes in Syria is no coincidence.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin, referring to the rebel-held regions of Luhansk and Donetsk, said he was under no illusions.

“The ceasefire is in better shape because the Russians have decided it should be so.”

After 16 months of fighting and 8,000 deaths, the conflict has ebbed to its lowest point since a peace deal in February and efforts are underway to withdraw tanks and weaponry.

Putin’s Syrian move to strike Islamic State militants dominated the UN gathering, leaving President Petro Poroshenko relying on his own diplomats to provide the loudest applause for his remarks condemning Russia at the assembly.

Russian diplomats boycotted Poroshenko’s speech. Moscow rejects the West’s accusations that it has armed the rebels and has troops operating within eastern Ukraine.

Exploiting divisions

While Western officials welcome the drop in violence, they are also wary of governments taking the developments at face value, worried that EU countries traditionally closer to Russia may now wish to take a softer line on Moscow and discuss lifting economic sanctions that expire at the start of next year.

Europe’s former Soviet republics are also cautious.

On Friday, Putin will meet Ukraine’s Poroshenko along with French President Francois Hollande and Chancellor Merkel in Paris to discuss the Ukrainian conflict and the Minsk deal they agreed in February in the capital of Belarus.

Freezing the situation in Ukraine by not fully implementing the 12-point Minsk peace plan but de-escalating the conflict, - serves Putin because it allows him to turn on and off the conflict at will. l

10 days with weapons to mount a major ground offensive. They would also be backed

by Assad’s Lebanese Hezbollah allies and by Shia militia fighters from Iraq, while the Russians would provide air support.

Same enemies, different friends

Russia’s sudden decision to join the war with air strikes on behalf of Assad, as well as the increased military involvement of Iran, could mark a pivotal turning point in a conflict that has drawn in most of the world’s military powers.

It appears Kremlin is using the common campaign against Islamic State as a pretext to strike against groups supported by Washington and its allies, as a way of defending a Damascus government

Game changer

In the second day of strikes, Russia said it launched eight sorties with Sukhoi warplanes overnight, hitting four Islamic State targets.

However, none of the areas where it said the strikes took place is held by Islamic State.

The Russian and Iranian intervention in support of Assad comes at a time when momentum in the conflict had swung against his government and seem aimed at reversing insurgent gains.

The Army of Conquest in particular has been advancing against government forces in northwestern Syria, supported by regional countries that oppose both Assad and Islamic State.

Russia says its air strikes, unlike Washington’s, are legitimate because they have Assad’s blessing, and more effective because they can coordinate with government forces to find targets. l

Afghan forces recapture Kunduz n Reuters, Kunduz

Afghan troops recaptured the centre of the strategic northern city of Kunduz on Thursday amid fierce clashes with Taliban militants, three days after losing the provincial capital in a humbling defeat for Kabul and its US allies.

Fighting raged in other parts of the city, whose seizure represented a major victory for the insurgents and raised questions over whether Nato-trained Afghan forces were ready to go it alone now most foreign combat troops have left.

Residents said soldiers were conducting house-to-house searches and had removed the Taliban flag from the central square, replacing it with government colours.

A Taliban spokesman denied the government had retaken all of Kunduz and said insurgent fighters had withdrawn to the edges of the city in order to attempt to encircle Afghan and US forces.

The Afghan army’s Deputy Chief of Staff, Murad Ali Murad, said most Taliban fighters had fled.

A Ministry of Defence statement said 150 Taliban had been killed and 90 wounded in the overnight offensive.

At least 30 people, mostly civilians, had been killed in the fighting as of Wednesday, according to a tweet from health ministry spokesman Wahidullah Mayar. l

DT

10 WORLD

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2015

US Congress averts government shutdown n Reuters, Washington, DC Ending weeks of infighting, the US Congress on Wednesday voted to avert a government shutdown just hours before a midnight deadline, passing a stop-gap measure to extend funding for federal agencies until December 11.

The House of Representatives relied heavily on Democrats to secure passage in a 277151 vote. A large majority of Republicans voted against the measure, which did not meet conservatives’ demands to cut off money to women’s healthcare provider Planned Parenthood amid an abortion controversy.

The House also passed a companion bill aimed at restoring the Planned Parenthood defunding provision, but the Senate is not expected to act on it, effectively killing it.

President Barack Obama signed the spending extension into law later on Wednesday, the White House said in a statement.

“The bad news is that it looks like Republicans will just barely avoid shutting down the government again for the second time in two years,” he added.

Earlier in the day, by a vote of 78-20, the Senate approved the legislation that was

needed to keep the government running at current levels with the start of the new fiscal year on Thursday.

The controversy over Planned Parenthood funding threatened a repeat of a 17-day shutdown in October 2013 that was prompted by Republican demands to deny federal funding for Obama’s healthcare law, the Affordable Care Act. House conservatives, cheered on by some Senate colleagues, had insisted that Planned Parenthood be punished for allegedly improperly selling fetal tissue harvested from abortions. The organization has denied the allegations.

The debate shifted dramatically last week when House Speaker John Boehner announced his resignation and said he would put the Senate’s “clean” funding bill to a vote.

The funding extension aims to give congressional negotiators and Obama about 10 weeks to work out a longer-term budget deal and ease automatic spending constraints on military and domestic spending. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said he would like to reach a deal with Democrats that sets funding levels for two fiscal years, through September 30, 2017. l

IN-DEPTH

Tea Party aided rise of possible successor as US House speaker n Reuters, Washington, DC The Republican next in line to succeed US House Speaker John Boehner owes his success, in part, to the same grassroots conservatives who have pushed his boss to the exit.

California Representative Kevin McCarthy vaulted to the No 3 leadership position in the House of Representatives after his party won control of the chamber in 2010 by harnessing the conservative Tea Party movement.

He climbed to the No 2 spot last year, when House Republican Leader Eric Cantor lost his seat as representative from Virginia to a Tea Party challenger.

Now, the 50-year-old McCarthy is the front-runner to take control of the Republican-led House after Boehner, 65, announced on Friday he will resign from the chamber on October 30. McCarthy has not said whether he will run for the post, but no clear rival has emerged.

Paul Ryan, the party’s 2012 vice presidential nominee, said he does not want Boehner’s job, while Idaho Representative Raul Labrador, a Tea Party conservative who challenged McCarthy for the No 2 spot last year, said he would not take him on this time.

McCarthy declined to speak to reporters on Friday, instead issuing a statement that called for “healing and unifying to face the challenges ahead.”

Boehner and McCarthy are 15 years apart in age, but some who know them say they share the same low-key leadership style.

“Neither of them are bombastic people,” said Democratic Representative John Garamendi, a fellow Californian.

Pizza and listening

McCarthy has worked hard to build personal bonds with the restive conservatives who worked to topple Boehner.

Stripped of the power to hand out pet spending projects known as earmarks by recent reforms, McCarthy has offered a friendly ear and slices of pizza while trying to build support.

That has not always worked. McCarthy and the Republican leadership have had to cancel some high-profile votes after they over-estimated support from fellow Republicans, handing victories to President Barack Obama’s Democrats.

Tea Party groups were already putting McCarthy on notice.

“McCarthy knows the reason he’s in this job is because the grassroots took out Cantor and the Freedom Caucus took out Boehner.

He damn well better be paying attention,” said Adam Brandon, head of FreedomWorks, a conservative advocacy network.

A native of Bakersfield, California, McCarthy used $5,000 in lottery winnings to start a sandwich shop after high school. He won election to the California legislature at age 37.

Elected to Congress in 2006, McCarthy helped recruit candidates and craft a unifying message in the 2010 election that handed Republicans House control. He was rewarded with a post as the chamber’s chief vote counter.

Like many conservatives, McCarthy wants to shut down the Export-Import Bank over the objection of some big businesses.

He represents a heavily Republican district in California’s San Joaquin Valley. While other Republicans from the region have called for immigration reform, McCarthy has not joined them. l

DT

EDITORIAL 11

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2015

INSIDE

A voice of humility and tolerance Humble as he was on the visit, the Pope, nevertheless, was firm and uncompromising on issues of human suffering, issues which are not specific to any religion or colour or any other factor that divides humans

MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

PAGE 12

Animal rights and wrongs When they say that animals have rights, they mean to say that animals have a right to respectful treatment, just like you and I do, including a right to life

PAGE 13

Why millions complete the Hajj despite the possibility of tragedy People always die during the Hajj. I prayed the obligatory five times a day for the 16 days I was in Mecca and Medina.

And after every single prayer, at least 10 burial prayers were said for pilgrims who had died in the previous hours

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

Improving industrial relations benefits everyone

W

e welcome the support being given by the Swedish government to a new ILO initiative to promote social dialogue and industrial relations in Bangladesh’s RMG industry.

The agreement between the governments of Bangladesh and Sweden with the ILO was signed at the UN in New York, in the presence of Bangladesh’s foreign minister and Sweden’s prime minister.

Planned to run for five years, the $5.4m project aims to enhance labour relations by developing and strengthening arbitration and conciliation mechanisms to improve dialogue between employers and workers at the work-place level, and to increase mutual trust and cooperation.

Special attention will be given to supporting women’s representation and economic empowerment, as women make up the vast majority of the estimated 4.2 million workers in the industry.

We are heartened to see growing co-operation between the government and industry associations with the ILO and worker organisations on efforts to improve worker representation.

Historically, this has not been an easy task as every industrial sector in Bangladesh has suffered from agitators and unions which are not representative of the workforce that have acted against workers’ long term interests by extorting chanda from factories.

It is encouraging then to see broad support to this new effort to enhance worker voice and improve social dialogue.

Initiatives which seek to build a system of mature industrial relations in which factory owners and employees work together constructively are in everybody’s interest.

Genuinely constructive efforts such as this initiative can help give more voice to workers and build long-term co-operation to benefit all stake-holders in the industry. They can also help further progress on improving worker rights and representation, which is needed to help restore GSP trade privileges with the United States.

Genuinely constructive efforts such as this initiative can help give more voice to workers and build long-term cooperation to benefit all stake-holders in the industry

DT

12 OPINION

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2015

A voice of humility and tolerance The Pope has taught the world to be more understanding

Though Pope Francis is leader of the Roman Catholics, he speaks for religious tolerance for all faiths

n M Serajul Islam

P

ope Francis is the head of 1.2 billion Roman Catholics. Yet, in the six days he spent in the US, New York, and Philadelphia, to many hundreds of thousands outside the Roman Catholic faith, he earned the same kind of respect and admiration as he does from his own followers.

Of all human traits, especially among those who are leaders, by far the most important one is humility. And if there is one reason the Pope’s visit ended in such a wonderful way, it was his humility that allowed him to win the hearts of all on his historic visit.

Humble as he was on the visit, the Pope, nevertheless, was firm and uncompromising on issues of human suffering, issues which are not specific to any religion or colour or any other factor that divides humans. What was great about the man was that he did not prescribe salvation from human miseries and sufferings through the teachings of his Church and Christianity, though he did mention Christianity and Christ many times during the visit. In fact, through the masses he held in Washington, New York, and Philadelphia, attended by thousands, he left no one in any doubt that it was Christ and Christianity that had been for him the instruments in his own search for salvation.

However, the Pope, throughout the six days he was under public glare, repeatedly mentioned religious tolerance and compassion. He did this to send a very strong message that Christ and Christianity are not the only instruments for salvation. Thus, on the first day of the visit, in the South Lawn of the White House, in a gathering consisting of

11,000 elites from the world’s most important capital, he rose to world stature when he said, in his soft voice, in English, a language at which he is not at his best, that “the Koran, and the spiritual teachings contained therein, are just as valid as the Holy Bible, and should therefore be respected as such.”

The Pope was no doubt aware that in the audience were many who now consider Muslims, and not the jihadists or the Islamic fundamentalists among them, as the “problem.” Some of the leaders in the pack of 15 trying to win the Republican Party’s ticket for next year’s presidential election are making Muslim-bashing an election issue. As he had stood against the anti-Muslim sentiments that had erupted in Europe after the Charlie Hebdo killings in France in January this year, by identifying religious freedom as a fundamental right, the Pope spoke for Islam again on the South Lawn. His message was that, while some Muslims may be involved in acts of terror, the billion-plus Muslims worldwide and the religion of Islam should not be held responsible for the misdeeds of a few.

And the Pope, best of all, should know what he was talking about; that on the fundamentals, Islam and Christianity are two sides of the same coin, having originated from the same God, the God of tolerance and compassion; that, with Judaism, they are, together, the “Religions of the Book.” The Pope, however, did not just speak for understanding Islam alone, but for all religions. Thus, in the mass in Philadelphia, Pope Francis strongly defended the religious freedom of all when he said: “It is a fundamental right which shapes the way we interact socially and personally with our neighbours whose religious

REUTERS

of addressing the Joint House of Congress to encourage the US legislators to deal with the issue. He called upon US legislators to reject “a mindset of hostility”and respond on immigration “in a way which is always humane, just, and fraternal” by avoiding “a common temptation nowadays: To discard whatever proves troublesome."

The Pope’s message on immigration was one made from experience as the son of Italian migrants to Argentina. Thus, four paragraphs of his Congress address were devoted to immigration. He urged US lawmakers to welcome immigrants from Latin America and from other parts of the world. His message was addressed particularly to the plight of 11 million illegal migrants in the USA that some of the GOP presidential candidates want to be sent back to their countries, and those fleeing Syria and other places in the Middle East.

There were no major outbursts of criticism against the Pope’s messages, although there are significant numbers of people in the country who hold views seriously opposed to those expressed by the Pope. The reason for the absence of serious criticism to the Pope’s messages is perhaps the arguments with which he conveyed the two messages and the manner in which he did so were so strong and appealing that those who disagreed with him were unable to oppose him publicly. In fact, the Pope’s messages are both embedded in the values and principles with which the

Humble as he was on the visit, the Pope, nevertheless, was firm and uncompromising on issues of human suffering, issues which are not specific to any religion or colour or any other factor that divides humans

views differ from our own.”

In the Philadelphia mass, the Pope stated further: “In a world where various forms of modern tyranny seek to suppress religious freedom ... or use religion as a pretext for hatred and brutality, it is imperative that the followers of the various religions join their voices in calling for peace, tolerance, and respect for the dignity and rights of others.” The West, and particularly, the United States, needed to be reminded that their intolerance of Islam and Muslims are pushing the world towards confrontation.

And the Pope, as the leader of the world’s largest Christian sect and held in high respect worldwide as the voice of conscience, is the best world leader to drive this message of religious tolerance through the heart of the West and the United States, where religious intolerance is on the rise.

The Pope addressed another major contemporary international issue tearing the world and the US apart equally effortlessly: Immigration. And he chose the rare honour

United States of America has been established; except many in present generation America have forgotten these values and principles.

The US is the land of immigrants, except for the very few Native Americans. And the first immigrants to the United States had been those forced to flee England and other countries in Europe because of religious persecution. Therefore, when these migrants established the independent and sovereign nation of the US, they enshrined into the constitution the fundamental principle of separation of state and religion so that no one in the new country would be discriminated against or humiliated or persecuted based on their religion.

Thus, both the Pope’s messages are integral parts of what the United States really is.

The Pope has simply reminded those in denial or moving away from these messages that it is time for them to return to their base. l M Serajul Islam is a retired Ambassador.

DT

OPINION 13

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2015

Animal rights and wrongs A response to SN Rasul’s op-ed ‘Of cows and men’ category experiencing subjects-of-life: They have beliefs, desires, feelings, memory, and a rich emotional life, and what happens to them matters to them.

According to Regan, all subjects-of-a-life have equal inherent value, and have a right to be treated in a way that respects their inherent value. There are no good reasons to believe, and plenty of good reasons to deny, that mosquitoes and cockroaches meet Regan’s criterion. For all we know, only mammals, birds and amphibians, and maybe a few other animals such as reptiles and fish, are subjects-of-a-life. Hence, while it is wrong to kill cows, goats, sheep, pigs and chickens for food because their inherent value imposes an obligation upon us not to use them as mere means for our ends, mosquitoes and cockroaches are very unlikely to have a right not to be killed.

‘What about plants? Doesn’t research show that they can feel, at least, something? If so, what are we left with to eat?’

Where do we draw the line?

BIGSTOCK

‘It is possible to believe in animal rights and nevertheless consume meat, without being a hypocrite.’

When they say that animals have rights, they mean to say that animals have a right to respectful treatment, just like you and I do, including a right to life

n Rainer Ebert

E

ach one of us encounters animals every day, if only as a piece of meat on a plate, and yet most of us hardly spare a thought for them. SN Rasul must hence be commended for his Tuesday op-ed, in which he drew our attention to the complicated relationship between humans and other animals, and started a conversation that I think is very important. In the course of doing so, he mentioned a number of common objections to the idea that non-human animals are our moral equals and have rights.

It is unfortunate, however, that these objections remained unanswered, as readers might have gotten the impression that animal rights advocates “spew an extreme,” as the author rather uncharitably stated, and do not have good arguments. By responding to some of the objections, I want to show that the philosophy of animal rights is, in fact, a well-thought-out moral theory worthy of our serious attention.

Sometimes, when people say that animals “have rights,” all they mean to say is that animals have some moral standing, which amounts to no more than the denial of the claim that the interests of animals don’t matter. Virtually everybody believes that animals have rights in that sense. After all, who believes, for example, that it is okay to kick a cat just for fun?

But rights also have a more narrow meaning, which is the one that animal rights advocates typically have in mind. When they say that animals have rights, they mean to say that animals have a right to respectful treatment, just like you and I do, including a right to life. Given this meaning, one cannot consistently believe in animal rights, and believe that it is morally permissible to kill animals for food, just like one cannot consistently believe in human rights, and believe that it is morally permissible to kill humans for some similarly trivial purpose.

‘Where do we draw the line? If animals have rights, is it wrong to kill mosquitoes and cockroaches?’

There is a near-consensus in philosophy today that species membership as such, being a merely biological category, has no moral importance. Drawing the line between those who have rights and those who don’t have rights along species boundaries would be no less arbitrary than drawing it along gender or racial boundaries. If so, where should we draw the line instead?

Tom Regan, the father of modern animal rights philosophy, argues that we should draw the line between those who have a life that can go better or worse, from their point of view, and those who do not have such a life. He calls those who fall into the former

It is a common myth that plants can feel, which is kept alive by misleading media reports about responses to stimuli in plants.

For example, last year, when a team of researchers at the University of Missouri found that some particular plant responds to auditory stimuli, newspapers wrote that “research has shown that plants can hear.”

This is misleading as there is an important difference between hearing and responding to auditory stimuli.

The former requires consciousness, the latter doesn’t. Consciousness, according to our best scientific knowledge, occurs only when a nervous system is present. Plants do not have a nervous system. Therefore, plants aren’t conscious, and cannot hear, or see, or feel pain, or have any other kind of experience. There is nobody “at home” in a plant, so to say. Stepping on a plant does not involve harm in any morally significant sense of the word “harm.” In contrast, the harm a dog experiences when he or she is beaten is very real, and morally important.

‘Animals eat other animals, too.’

There are at least two important differences between humans and non-human predators: We can think about our actions in terms of morality and make moral choices, they can’t.

We can easily survive without eating meat, they can’t. In fact, a well-balanced vegan diet is healthy, and decreases the chances of suffering from diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some cancers.

‘Animals don’t understand rights and don’t respect ours. Therefore, they have no rights.’

Children don’t understand what rights are and don’t always respect the rights of others.

Yet, we don't deny rights in their case, for that reason. Hence, if we want to be consistent, we cannot deny rights for animals, for that reason. l Rainer Ebert is a PhD candidate at the Department of Philosophy at Rice University in Texas, and an Associate Fellow at the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics. He blogs at www.rainerebert.com.

DT

14 OPINION

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2015

Why millions complete the Hajj despite the possibility of tragedy Muslims learn priceless lessons at the Hajj, which stay with them for the rest of their lives

n Toffael Rashid

I

was asked to write a piece explain the tragic stampede which occurred a few days ago for a blog page I contribute to. Below are my objective thoughts on the Hajj. I performed my Hajj in 2009, a few months after my father had died, and I was emotionally in a bad place. It is without doubt the most spiritually and physically demanding experience, and helped put so much of my life, in this life, into perspective.

I sincerely doubt anything else will ever compare.

The Hajj is a re-enactment of the final journey to Makkah taken by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and all the prophets of God). In this journey, Prophet Muhammad honoured several major events from the life of Prophet Abraham (pbuh) and visited these locations. These include a visit to Mina where Prophet Abraham was prepared to sacrifice his son to please God, only to end up sacrificing an animal, which God replaced in place of his son. And also a visit to the Kaaba, built by Prophet Abraham, accepted as the first-ever house of God and appropriated as the birth-place of Islam during Prophet Muhammad’s time.

The first Hajj during the sixth century had 3,000 pilgrims.

These days, between 2 to 3 million people complete the Hajj: In my opinion, such a logistical feat is impossible without divine intervention, despite tragedies like the stampede from a few days ago.

One of the rituals of the Hajj includes sleeping in the open desert for one night.

During that day, and night, pilgrims all wear identical clothing: Two pieces of cotton to cover the chest and midriff and the loins. One of my most vivid memories is trying to sleep through that night. I took a place by a major walkway, and was facing oncoming pilgrims as they also arrived looking for a place to sleep. Pilgrims walked in a row, 100 people wide. And that flow of people did not stop all night.

For over seven hours, through my intermittent sleep, I saw wave after wave of white cloth-clad pilgrims walk past me. They were men and women of all ages, colours, shapes, sizes. And yet, when I did a mental calculation afterwards, I worked out that I could only have seen 5% of the total pilgrim count that year. That’s how many people were there.

I don’t mean to sound “in the know,” but unless you see it first hand, you will never comprehend what is like to be in a group of over 2 million people: All in one location with the same purpose and united behind one cause.

If we assume Manchester United’s Old Trafford stadium has 70,000 spectators, that’s at least 30 full stadiums of people who are about 20 times more committed to a

The Hajj is one of the most physically and spiritually demanding experiences in a Muslim’s life

People always die during the Hajj. I prayed the obligatory five times a day for the 16 days I was in Makkah and Medina. And after every single prayer, at least 10 burial prayers were said for pilgrims who had died in the previous hours cause than even the most passionate United fan.

For the vast majority of people who perform Hajj, it is a life-times savings of money, the height of spiritual ambition, and a promise to themselves that they will live life differently from that day onwards. When over 2 million people pray together at the same time and place, you feel the spirituality around you. It emits from every person into a collective force and you feel the energy rush through your soul; it’s exhilarating and uplifting, it has purpose and meaning.

I also learned a lot about humanity. It was like being in the first series of the TV drama Lost, where all the fundamentals of socialisation and living together were brought to the fore-front of my thinking.

During the Hajj, you have to walk ... a lot.

And you have to travel by bus ... a lot. And you have to sit on the bus waiting for it to move ... a lot.

You meet new people every few minutes, you rarely eat in the same place, you change beds every few days. You lose weight and get

fit, you fall very sick with a cough that feels like you have shreds of glass in your throat.

You lose touch with the timings of the world you left behind and your entire body and rhythm quickly gets synchronised to the task of praying to God five times a day, every day.

As I mentioned above, one of the rituals involves Prophet Abraham’s sacrifice. Those familiar with the Torah, Bible, or Qur’an record of this event will know about the role of the devil: That he tries to persuade Abraham for three consecutive nights not to offer his son to God. And at each attempt, Abraham is tempted to listen to the Devil, only mastering his weakness by “stoning the devil” and so regaining his belief. Hajj pilgrims throw stones on three consecutive days at a wall where this event happened. All 2 million plus pilgrims have to perform this ritual on the same three days. The stampede happened on the way to this ritual.

It’s obvious what will have happened: One person had a panic attack. He or she probably fell underneath somebody else. That raised voices all round. Within seconds screams, wailing and shouting. And so the second wave of panic starts just behind.

Within a minute, you have a stampede.

And in this instance, it is unfortunate that this collective panic attack happened in a relatively narrow lane with no side exits. It’s a bit like a huge flock of birds who move en masse when only one is disturbed.

It is fashionable and easy to blame the Saadis or unruly Muslims for the stampede.

It’s also not the first time this has happened, and at the same place. But try to envisage the mass of people described above. I doubt the collective human brain trust on crowd control knows how to control such a vast movement of people.

You can get people from Harvard, McKinsey, and the Chinese army together with

REUTERS

the people who organise religious festivals on the river Ganges, and even they will still fall short (I’m sure the Saadis have tried this).

People always die during the Hajj. I prayed the obligatory five times a day for the 16 days I was in Makkah and Medina. And after every single prayer, at least 10 burial prayers were said for pilgrims who had died in the previous hours completing Hajj. That’s not surprising as 50% of all pilgrims are above the age of 50. Of course a stampede is a very gruesome, shocking, and violent last few seconds alive, but every single Muslim who is completing their Hajj would consider it a blessing to die during the Hajj.

As personal wealth and life-age in predominately Muslim populated countries continue to increase, and air travel gets cheaper, more people are obligated to complete the Hajj every year. And so, stampede or not, even more people will complete Hajj 2016 than they did this year (unless the Saudis deliberately lower the numbers). I don’t blame the Saudis for this tragedy. It’s just one of those things: Impossible for mankind with our current knowledge to be 100% capable to stop it from happening. However, the Saudis will continue to employ the best brains on the planet to improve safety and comfort for the pilgrims. It is constant renovation and an ever-evolving process.

Though it was six years ago, I can still vividly remember many experiences and feelings I had during my Hajj. I consider myself very fortunate to have gone during my early life, as I have the rest of my life to utilise the profound insights into humanity and myself that I learned.

They were priceless life lessons. If I am able, I will go again. l Toffael Rashid is a global marketing professional.

16

Japanese business sentiment worsens as recession looms

17

Lagarde: ‘reason to be concerned’ about global economy

19

Stocks close marginally higher amid volatility

20

ADB to fund Indo-Bangla power transmission across border n Tribune Report Asian Development Bank (ADB) will give loan to finance increased transmission capacity of a cross-border electricity link between India and Bangladesh, says the bank in statement yesterday.

ADB’s loan of $120m to Bangladesh will double the capacity of the existing interconnection system, which links the power grid of western Bangladesh at Bheramara and the grid of eastern India at Bharampur.

The two networks were first interconnected in 2013 under a previous project financed

by ADB. New transmission capacity will rise from 500MW (megawatts) to 1,000MW. “There are power surpluses and shortfalls across the region and this project assistance will help these two countries move forward to better utilise their energy generation capacities and to support the broader goal of South Asian regional energy cooperation,” said Anthony Jude, director, Energy Division, ADB’s South Asia Department.

Bangladesh’s fast-growing economy has soaring energy needs, but domestic natural gas supplies cannot keep up with demand, resulting in an increasing dependence on oil and diesel-based plants.

To meet its goal of providing electricity for all by 2021, the government is working to increase generating capacity and to source additional supply.

The initial linking of the two national grids helped India deliver over 2,000 gigawatt hours of electricity across the border in 2014.

For its part, India is rapidly scaling up its

ADB’s $120m loan will double the capacity of the country’s interconnection system power generating capacity, including from renewable sources like solar and some regions have surplus energy.

In addition to Bangladesh, India also has transmission links with Bhutan and Nepal and engages in bilateral electricity trades.

Strengthening of regional interconnections is a step forward in the development of a South Asian regional electricity grid and will facilitate energy trade between countries in the region.

Interlinking electricity transmission system allows countries with surplus power to export it to others in need.

Interconnected networks have other benefits too, including increasing the operational efficiency and reliability of existing national

DHAKA TRIBUNE

grids, and encouraging the development of new renewable power resources such as hydropower in India, Bhutan, and Nepal, which can be traded among the interconnected countries.

The interconnection project is part of efforts under the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) Programme to promote regional prosperity and improve economic opportunities through strengthened cross-border links in trade, power, road and rail networks.

Its members are Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.

Along with ADB’s loan assistance, the government of Bangladesh will provide financing of $63.2 million.

The project is expected to be completed in June 2018. l

BGMEA urges adequate security for buyers n Ibrahim Hossain Ovi The recent killing of an Italian in Dhaka has also worried the international buyers of Bangladeshi garments, said the industry insiders, adding, however, that it wouldn’t have any significant impact on exports.

The industry people think the murder of the NGO official was an isolated incident and is, therefore, unlikely to bring any bad news for the country’s largest sector.

They urged the government to make it clear to the envoys that it would provide adequate security to foreign citizens while staying in the country recently troubled with militant threats.

The 50-year-old Cesare Tavella, murdered Italian in Dhaka, was project manager of PROOFS, a food security project of the Netherlands-based

ICCO Cooperative. He was shot dead on Monday night by unidentified assailants.

Following the incident, the European Union, Italy, US and Australia issued travel alerts for their citizens in Bangladesh.

“Though the buyers are a bit concerned, it will not create any big problem since the incident is an isolated one,” Faruque Hassan, senior vice president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), told the Dhaka Tribune.

“I talked to most of the ambassadors [in Dhaka] about the incident and found them a bit concerned, but not very much,” he said.

On Monday, the BGMEA will sit with the buyer representatives to discuss the developments. The BGMEA will urge the buyers not to feel any lack of security to visit Bangladesh.

“However, I have been informed by a BGMEA

member that one UK buyer of his products has delayed planned visit due to red alert issued by his country’s embassy in Dhaka. But others continue with their visits,” Faruque Hassan said.

He urged the government to provide all assurances to foreign embassies here that their citizens could come to Bangladesh without any fear and sufficient security would be given to them during their stay.

BGMEA’s former vice president Shahidullah Azim said the country’s security system was not under threat, but the government should be proactive in preventing any occurrence like the murder of a foreigner, as it could hurt the country’s export sector. l

DT

Business

15

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2015

Chevron launches community dev programme with BRAC

Cabinet committee endorses 200MWp solar plant in Teknaf n Tribune Report

The cabinet committee on public purchase yesterday approved a proposal of 200MWp solar power plant in Teknaf, the country’s southern-most upazila under Cox’s Bazar district.

As part of the government’s mega plan to give a further boost to power generation, the plant proposed by the Power Division will be implemented by the US-based solar power firm SunEdison.

The government will pay over Tk8,595 crore to buy electricity from the plant over the next 20 years after launching.

Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed, the committee’s alternative chairman, presided over the meeting.

“The cabinet committee has given its consent to set up the proposed solar power plant in Teknaf. The electricity will be bought at Tk13.26 or $0.17 per unit [from the plant],” Maksudur Rahman Pathwary, additional secretary at the cabinet division, told journalists after the meeting.

According to the proposal, Teknaf solar power plant will be the country’s largest grid-connected solar project to be implemented as an independent power producer project.

The Power Division has already completed negotiations with the US firm’s Singapore-based subsidiary, allowing it to set up the plant on the build-own-operate basis, the proposal said.

Following the negotiations, the government is now set to allow SunEidson to build the plant in Teknaf for the next 20 years in an attempt to ease acute power crisis in Chittagong district.

The state-owned Power Development Board (PDB) will purchase electricity from the project during the period on “No Electricity, No Payment” basis.

According to the proposal singed by the Power Division Secretary Monowar Islam, the per-unit cost (each kilowatt hour) of electricity of the project will be $0.17 which is equivalent to Tk13.26.

The plant will be set up on about 1,000 acres of non-agricultural land in the tourist district of Cox’s Bazar. l

DT

16 BUSINESS

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2015

Japanese business sentiment n worsens as recession looms

Eurozone falls back into deflation

n AFP, Tokyo A slowdown in China and weakness at home dented Japanese firms’ confidence last quarter, a central bank report showed yesterday, as tepid data suggest the world’s third-largest economy has slipped into recession.

The disappointing Tankan survey supplied the latest evidence that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s growth blitz, dubbed Abenomics, was faltering, as speculation grows that the Bank of Japan (BoJ) would have to expand its massive asset-buying plan as early as this month.

“While today’s Tankan was not as bad as most had feared, it nonetheless corroborates other signs that Japan’s economic recovery has ground to a halt,” Marcel Thieliant from Capital Economics said in a commentary.

The survey of more than 10,000 companies nationwide found that confidence among major manufacturers worsened in the three months through September, dipping to plus 12, from the last report’s plus 15.

The report is the most comprehensive indicator of how Japan Inc. is faring and marks the difference between the percentage of firms that are upbeat and those that see conditions as unfavourable. “(The result) reflects the slowdown in overseas demand, especially in the Chinese economy,” said Junko Nishioka, chief economist at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp.

In one bright spot, sentiment among non-manufacturers picked up, which analysts said may be due to a weak yen drawing record numbers of tourists to Japan.

But they warned that tepid consumer spending at home was a red flag.

“The important thing is how much domestic demand is going to increase going forward,” Nishioka said.

“In that respect, I think we should not be too much optimistic about the prospects for future business confidence.”

The report come a day after government data showed Japanese factory production fell unexpectedly for a second month in August, while separate figures last week showed consumer prices fell for the first time in more than two years.

A humanoid robot works side by side with employees in the assembly line at a factory of Glory Ltd, a manufacturer of automatic change dispensers, in Kazo, north of Tokyo REUTERS

‘Dampened mood’

The previous Tankan report showed sentiment among major manufacturers had improved to the highest level since March 2014, just before the government raised Japan’s sales tax.

That hike, the first in 17 years, slammed the brakes on consumer spending, and sent Japan’s economy into a brief recession.

Analysts have warned over a return to contraction in the July-September quarter, after a contraction in the three months to June, owing to a slowdown in key trading partner China, weak consumer spending at home and soft exports.

Scores of Japanese firms depend heavily on Asian markets, particularly China, from automaker Nissan to factory robotics maker Fanuc.

The Tankan was published a day after the International Monetary Fund voiced concern about the global economy, partly weakened

by China’s slowdown.

CORPORATE NEWS

Analysts are increasingly betting that the BoJ will be forced to turn on the easing taps sooner rather than later.

The BoJ “will have to acknowledge that weaker external demand has dampened the mood at home when members meet next week”, Thieliant said, referring to the bank’s two-day policy meeting from Tuesday.

The central bank’s 80tn yen ($665bn) annual asset-buying scheme - similar to the Federal Reserve’s quantitative easing - was a key pillar of Abe’s policy. It aimed to pumped cash into the economy to kickstart growth and conquer years of deflation.

Tsuyoshi Ueno, a senior economist at NLI Research Institute, predicted the BoJ would fire off more stimulus early next year.

“The Japanese economy is slowing at a pace faster than we had expected,” he said.

“Policymakers had envisaged a recovery being supported by strong domestic demand, but the vision is faltering ... The BoJ will have to fire additional easing.” l

Eurozone inflation unexpectedly fell to negative 0.1% in September, data showed recently, suggesting a dangerous spell of falling prices could be returning to Europe.

The return to negative territory will add to pressure on the European Central Bank to increase its huge stimulus programme which is meant to ward off deflation and keep the economy on track.

Analysts surveyed by Bloomberg had expected a zero rate after a gain of 0.1% in August.

Earlier this month, ECB head Mario Draghi warned that inflation in the 19-country eurozone could turn negative in the coming months, even if only temporarily.

In March, the ECB launched a more than one-trillion-euro stimulus plan running through to September next year in order to get inflation closer to its 2% target.

“It looks like being a long and arduous slog before eurozone consumer price inflation gets up near the ECB’s target rate,” said Howard Archer of IHS Global Insight.

“Indeed, it looks increasingly unlikely to happen until 2018,” he said.

The fear is that deflation could become entrenched if consumers delay purchases in the hope of buying products cheaper later, which in turn prompts companies to hold off investment, creating a vicious circle of falling demand and fewer jobs.

The ECB’s scheme initially appeared to work, slowly pushing inflation back up in core eurozone economies such as France and Germany.

But the rise has now stalled in Germany, the eurozone’s biggest economy, where inflation stood at zero.

The ECB believes that the present fall in prices is driven primarily by cheap oil and will end with energy prices now stabilising.

“The slowing effects on inflation brought on by the fall in energy prices will be temporary,” Jens Weidman, the head of Germany’s central bank and an ECB board member said Tuesday.

Analysts however think the ECB will have to increase its massive Quantitative Easing stimulus programme to ensure the slip into negative territory is only temporary.

The Eurostat statistics agency also said Wednesday that eurozone unemployment was unchanged at 11% in August. l

Asian emerging market currencies rebound against dollar n AFP, Tokyo

Institute of Water Modelling (IWM) and Sheltech Consultants Pvt Ltd have recently signed an agreement to develop cooperative efforts in applied research, education and capacity building. Executive director of IWM, Professor Dr M Monowar Hossain and Dr Engr Toufiq M Seraj, managing director of Sheltech signed the agreement

AFP, Brussels

Asian currencies from the South Korean won to Malaysian ringgit strengthened against the dollar Wednesday with confidence returning to trading floors as regional equity markets recovered after a global rout.

But the greenback losses were likely to be short-lived as the Federal Reserve readies to lift near-zero interest rates for the first time in almost a decade, analysts said.

“It’s hard to see how any Asian currency will post sustained, substantial gains in the fourth quarter, with losses versus the US dol-

lar likely to be the norm,” Sean Callow, a senior currency strategist at Westpac Banking in Sydney, told Bloomberg News.

“We expect volatility to remain elevated as Asian policymakers struggle with regional deceleration in growth, and yet more weeks and months of debate over the Fed policy outlook.”

The won rose almost 1.5% against the dollar, the Taiwan dollar added 0.72%, and the ringgit was 0.48% higher.

The Indonesian rupiah gained 0.17%, the Singapore dollar rose 0.16%, and the Thai baht was up 0.22%. The Australian dollar rose 0.12%. l

DT

BUSINESS 17

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2015

Lagarde: reason to be concerned about global economy n AFP, Washington The International Monetary Fund voiced concern about the global economy, weakened

by China’s slowdown and facing a potential “vicious cycle” from a looming US interest rate hike.

“On the economic front, there is... reason to be concerned. The prospect of rising interest rates in the United States and China’s slowdown are contributing to uncertainty and higher market volatility,” IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde said in a speech in Washington, according to the prepared text.

Lagarde also pointed to the “sharp deceleration” in the growth of global trade and the “rapid drop” in commodity prices, which is hammering the finances of commodity-exporting emerging market economies.

Many of the recent economic gains in Africa, Latin America and Asia “now seem in jeopardy,” said Lagarde, addressing the Council of the Americas ahead of next week’s IMF and World Bank annual meetings to be held in Lima, Peru.

The IMF chief said that the Fund’s World Economic Outlook report, to be published Tuesday, would project weaker growth this year than in 2014 and only a slight pick up in 2016.

In her speech, Lagarde emphasized the Fund’s concern about the Federal Reserve plan to raise its benchmark interest rate, held at zero since late 2008 to support the US economy’s recovery from the Great Recession.

The rate rise, still on the Fed’s radar for this year, could drive investors to pull funds from emerging countries into the United States and further strengthen the strong dollar, the currency on which the debt of many companies is based.

“Rising US interest rates and a stronger

International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde speaks at a news conference REUTERS

dollar could reveal currency mismatches, leading to corporate defaults - and a vicious cycle between corporates, banks, and sovereigns,” Lagarde said.

The IMF has repeatedly called for the Fed to wait until 2016 to increase its key rate for the first time in more than nine years.

Fed Chair Janet Yellen, as recently as last week, said the hike would likely come before year’s end.

Analysts are increasingly forecasting the Fed will bypass the October monetary policy meeting to make the move at the mid-December meeting.

Lagarde, in an interview with the CNBC television network, expressed support for

Yellen’s stance that a rate hike would be data-dependent.

“We don’t see much movement on the inflation front, nor on the wages front,” Lagarde said. “If the data are not telling that story of inflation rising a bit by December, then why do it in December?”

Before lifting rates, the Fed in theory is expected to wait until its dual mandate objectives are met or close to it: maximum employment and inflation at a 2% annual rate.

The latest official data show inflation continues to far undershoot that target, with consumer spending prices up 0.3% in August from a year ago and, excluding food and energy, core prices up 1.3%. l

Indians declare $500m in black money in tax crackdown

n AFP, New Delhi

Indians declared $500m in black money, the government announced Thursday, a fraction of the total amount feared hidden, as a deadline for coughing up assets hidden from the taxman expired.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi took power last year pledging to crack down on black money, a systemic problem in India that sees billions of rupees hidden in foreign bank accounts or funnelled into property abroad.

The finance ministry said more than 600 tax evaders had made declarations by midnight on Wednesday -- when a three-month window for unveiling stashes and avoiding prosecution ended.

The ministry said “638 number of declarations have been received under the compliance window declaring undisclosed foreign assets,” amounting to Rs37.7bn ($574m).

The government has announced a string of measures to crack down on black money, including a 10-year jail term for evaders who get caught from now on.

But Ashutosh Kumar Mishra, executive director of Transparency International in India, doubted whether the government could find the money offshore given how deeply entrenched the phenomenon has become.

“It’s not easy. You need a set of clear reforms and determined political will and it will take years,” Mishra said.

Estimates of Indian black money abroad vary widely. Some $439bn left the country illicitly from 2003-2012, according to estimates from the Global Financial Integrity group in Washington.

The wealthy channel money to tax havens such as Switzerland or Singapore, convert it into jewellery, antiques, paintings or property to avoid tax.

Only 2.89% of Indians pay any income tax at all, India’s former finance minister told parliament in 2013. l

Asia markets up after upbeat China factory data n AFP, Hong Kong A slight improvement in an official gauge of Chinese factory activity gave a boost to investor confidence yesterday, rallying Asian equities and emerging market currencies for a second straight day.

However, a dip in Japanese business confidence highlighted the struggle ahead for the country’s leaders in kickstarting the economy in the face of a growth slowdown in China and an expected US interest rate rise.

The gains come after global stock markets suffered their worst quarter since 2011, with trillions wiped of valuations since China devalued its yuan currency in August, sparking fears about the worldwide impact of China’s struggles.

“Global risk sentiment is swinging between optimism and pessimism on a near-daily basis as nervous market participants evaluate whether the volatility seen in late August is just a bad memory or will prove to be a harbinger of larger trouble down the track,” Sharon Zollner, a senior economist in Auckland at ANZ Bank New Zealand, said in a client note.

“Markets will likely continue to zig-zag un-

til we get a clear signal one way or another,” she said, according to Bloomberg News.

China in the morning released data showing its Purchasing Managers’ Index of manufacturing activity in September came in a little better than the previous month, though it was still near a three-year low.

While it showed the crucial sector was still in contraction, traders were cheered by the fact it had stabilised. A private reading on September factory activity last week came in at a six-and-a-half-year low, sending world stocks into paroxysms.

Dealers are growing increasingly concerned about China’s woes following a string of weak data - from manufacturing and investment to retail sales and trade - despite five interest rate cuts since November.

August’s devaluation also stoked worries about Beijing’s ability to control the crisis.

Japan confidence

Regional players were given a positive lead from New York, where the three main indices clawed back slightly from hefty recent losses.

The Dow rose 1.47%, the S&P 500 gained 1.91% and the Nasdaq jumped 2.28%.

In Asian markets Tokyo rose 1.74% by lunch, Sydney gained 1.53%, Seoul was 0.77% higher and Singapore added 0.33%.

The gains come after global stock markets suffered their worst quarter since 2011, with trillions wiped of valuations since China devalued its yuan currency in August Hong Kong and Shanghai were closed for a public holiday.

The upbeat mood helped higher-yielding, or riskier, assets sending the dollar lower.

In morning trade the greenback was down against the Australian dollar, South Korean won, Indian rupee and Malaysian ringgit.

The Thai baht and Indonesia’s rupiah also advanced.

However, emerging market units are still well down against the dollar owing to expec-

tations the Federal Reserve will lift interest rates before 2016, leading dealers to withdraw cash back to the United States looking for better, safer returns.

The US will release key employment data on Friday, which will provide more clues about the Fed’s plans for hiking borrowing costs ahead of a meeting at the end of the month.

Japanese investors brushed off news that the closely-watched Tankan survey of manufacturing sentiment eased in the July-September quarter.

The data is the latest evidence that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s plan to boost the economy with big spending and monetary easing is faltering. It also will likely up pressure on the Bank of Japan to increase its stimulus programme.

Marcel Thieliant, economist at Capital Economics in Singapore, said the survey confirmed fears that the world’s third-largest economy could slip into recession.

“While today’s Tankan was not as bad as most had feared, it nonetheless corroborates other signs that Japan’s economic recovery has ground to a halt,” Thieliant said in a commentary. l

DT

18 BUSINESS

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2015

News, analysis and recent disclosures Dividend/AGM DBH: 30% cash, AGM: 08.12.2015, Record date: 20.10.2015.

PREMIERCEM: 20% cash, AGM: 29.10.2015, Record Date: 18.10.2015.

BEACHHATCH: 5% stock, AGM: 08.12.2015, Record Date: 28.10.2015.

SAIFPOWER: 29% stock, AGM: 12.11.2015, Record Date: 15.10.2015.

APOLOISPAT: 3% Cash and 12% Stock dividend, AGM: 19.11.2015, Record Date: 14.10.2015.

MATINSPINN: 27% cash, AGM: 27.10.2015, Record date: 08.10.2015.

BSCCL: 10% stock, AGM: 18.10.2015, Record Date: 28.09.2015.

MODERNDYE: 10% cash, AGM: 15.10.2015, Record Date: 23.09.2015.

GPHISPAT: 17% cash, AGM: 08.11.2015, Record date: 20.09.2015.

SAIHAMCOT: 5% cash and 10% stock, AGM: 28.10.2015, Record date: 17.09.2015.

BBS: 20% stock, EGM & AGM: 15.10.2015, Record date for EGM & AGM: 20.09.2015.

APEXFOODS: 20% cash, AGM: 30.09.2015, Record date: 13.09.2015.

APEXTANRY: 45% cash, AGM: 04.10.2015, Record date: 09.09.2015.

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

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

EHL: The Board of Directors has recommended 15% cash dividend and 5% stock dividend for the year ended on July 31, 2015.

Date of AGM: 12.11.2015, Time: 10:30 AM, Venue: Officer’s Club, 26 Baily Road, Dhaka. Record Date: 21.10.2015. The Company has also reported EPS of Tk. 2.49, NAV per share of Tk. 70.28 and NOCFPS of Tk. 3.21 for the year ended on July 31, 2015.

SHURWID: In connection to the order of the Honorable High Court on the Company matter No. 1 of 2015, the Company has informed that the Board of Directors has decided to hold an EGM to increase the Authorized Capital of the Company from Tk. 50.00 crore to Tk. 100.00 crore by amending Clause V of the Memorandum of Association and some Articles of the Articles of Association of the Company subject to approval of the shareholders in the EGM. Date of EGM: 22.10.2015, Time of EGM: 10:15 AM, Venue: Factory Premises, Bi Mile, Konabari, Gazipur. Record Date for EGM: 15.10.2015 MEGHNALIFE: The Company has informed that the cash dividend for the year 2014 has been disbursed to the respective shareholders’ Bank Accounts through Bangladesh Electronic Fund Transfer Network (BEFTN) System.

GREENDELMF: LR GLOBAL, Asset Manager of the Fund has informed that it has disbursed Cash Dividend for the year ended on June 30, 2015 to the respective unit holders’ Bank Accounts through BEFTN System.

Turnover (Volume) Number of Contract

Company AIBL 1st Is. M. F.-A NCCBL Mutual Fund-1-A EBL NRB M.F.-A EBL First M F-A DBH 1st MF-A PrimeFin. 1st MF-A Aramit -A Modern Dyeing -Z Popular Life 1st M.F.-A PHP 1st M. F.-A

Closing (% Change) 10.00 9.80 9.52 6.82 6.52 6.48 6.05 4.99 4.65 4.65

CSE GAINER Company DBH 1st MF-A S.B. 1st M. F.-A Phoenix Insur -A NCCBL Mutual Fund-1-A Green Delta M.F.-A NLI 1st M F-A The Peninsula CTG.-A Unique Hotel RL - A Shurwid Ind. -N PrimeFin. 1st MF-A

Closing (% Change) 9.09 8.97 8.60 7.84 6.82 6.38 5.31 5.26 4.74 4.67

DSE LOSER Company 4th ICB M F-A ICB AMCL 1st NRB -A Delta Brac HFCL-A FAR Chemical-A Imam Button -Z Kay & Que (BD) -Z Midas Financing-Z United Finance - A Apex Tannery -A Safko Spinning-A

Closing (% Change) -3.96 -3.95 -3.82 -3.76 -3.70 -3.21 -2.87 -2.71 -2.52 -2.49

CSE LOSER Company Islami Ins.BD-A Sonargaon Tex -Z Dhaka Ins. Ltd.-A Aziz PipesZ Continental Insur. -A Sandhani Life -A Asia Insur. Ltd.-A Prime Islami Life -A FAR Chemical-A Standard Ceramic -A

Closing (% Change) -9.55 -6.93 -6.52 -6.40 -6.13 -4.88 -4.67 -4.55 -4.31 -3.80

SECTORAL TURNOVER SUMMARY

DSE key features October 1, 2015 Turnover (Million Taka)

DSE GAINER

Sector

4,242.39 120,780,649 94,863

Traded Issues

321

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

138

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

175

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

8

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,701.89

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

32.75

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 325.91 270.53 154.14 599.35 134.71 492.07 6.56 252.06 936.66 12.31 329.15 35.58 72.33 131.08 32.26 24.93 35.09 106.16 137.99 153.39 0.14

% change 7.68 6.38 3.63 14.13 3.18 11.60 0.15 5.94 22.08 0.29 7.76 0.84 1.70 3.09 0.76 0.59 0.83 2.50 3.25 3.62 0.00

Million Taka 20.96 15.49 5.84 36.45 4.47 35.66 24.12 36.64 0.65 28.48 1.86 3.35 7.04 4.70 0.60 1.09 7.62 15.27 14.21 0.00

Average (% Change) 8.40 6.67 (1.18) 3.64 5.26 3.87 2.35 4.38 2.06 3.25

Average (% Change) 7.21 8.97 8.69 8.11 4.32 6.38 5.13 3.99 2.65 6.92

Average (% Change) -3.80 -4.23 -5.04 -4.56 -2.97 -3.21 -2.01 -1.10 -2.07 -2.04

Average (% Change) -9.55 -0.41 -6.73 -6.29 -6.31 -0.66 -4.67 -4.86 -5.58 -3.80

CSE

ClosingAvg. 7.61 5.44 4.20 4.55 4.80 11.28 383.76 161.36 4.46 4.45

ClosingAvg. 4.76 8.50 24.02 5.33 4.59 10.00 21.52 51.59 21.72 11.44

ClosingAvg. 216.00 16.97 97.04 49.22 13.09 15.09 17.03 21.67 129.05 19.70

ClosingAvg.

% change 7.93 5.86 2.21 13.78 1.69 13.48 0.00 9.12 13.85 0.25 10.77 0.70 1.26 2.66 1.78 0.23 0.41 2.88 5.77 5.37 0.00

18.00 9.77 17.19 23.40 15.30 40.73 14.30 41.86 49.26 48.09

Closing 7.70 5.60 4.60 4.70 4.90 11.50 391.00 161.90 4.50 4.50

Closing

DHIGH 7.70 5.60 4.60 4.70 4.90 11.60 392.00 164.00 4.60 4.60

DHIGH

4.80 8.50 24.00 5.50 4.70 10.00 21.80 52.00 22.10 11.20

Closing 215.60 17.00 95.80 48.60 13.00 15.10 16.90 21.50 127.60 19.60

Closing

7.00 5.10 3.90 4.40 4.70 10.90 367.00 159.00 4.30 4.30

DLOW

4.80 8.50 24.10 5.60 4.70 10.00 21.90 52.00 22.40 11.50

DHIGH

4.60 8.50 24.00 5.30 4.50 10.00 20.90 50.80 21.00 10.70

DLOW

220.00 18.50 101.40 53.00 13.20 15.50 17.30 22.30 133.00 20.30

DHIGH

18.00 9.40 17.20 23.40 15.30 39.00 14.30 42.00 48.80 48.10

Million Taka 346.88 286.02 159.98 635.80 139.18 527.73 6.56 276.18 973.30 12.96 357.63 37.43 75.67 138.12 36.95 25.53 36.18 113.78 153.26 167.60 0.14

DLOW

212.00 16.30 95.10 48.00 12.90 15.00 16.70 21.40 127.00 19.30

DLOW

18.00 10.00 17.50 23.40 15.30 44.90 14.30 42.00 51.40 48.10

Total

18.00 9.30 17.00 23.40 15.30 38.20 14.30 41.50 48.40 47.00

% change 7.70 6.35 3.55 14.11 3.09 11.71 0.15 6.13 21.60 0.29 7.94 0.83 1.68 3.06 0.82 0.57 0.80 2.52 3.40 3.72 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

16.438 14.972 10.988 3.766 5.543 7.101 8.622 0.705 3.379 6.572

Turnover in Million

4.76 0.94 0.41 0.62 0.45 0.52 14.86 1.16 0.78 0.64

Latest EPS

0.160 0.094 0.288 1.169 0.102 0.000 8.395 1.734 2.065 0.154

Turnover in Million

1.6 5.8 10.2 7.3 10.7 21.7 25.8 139.1 5.7 7.0

Latest PE

0.45 1.41 3.96 0.94 0.49 1.50 1.39 2.92 0.53 0.52

Latest EPS

0.108 0.632 14.812 380.849 0.106 0.011 1.206 7.588 21.463 4.918

Turnover in Million

Latest PE

10.6 6.0 6.1 5.7 9.4 6.7 15.5 17.7 41.0 22.0

Latest PE

36.29 2.61 6.04 3.23 -1.21 -0.24 -1.55 1.80 6.25 1.00

Latest EPS

0.017 0.014 0.023 0.012 0.002 0.029 0.002 0.029 14.406 0.049

6.0 6.5 16.1 15.2 -ve -ve -ve 12.0 20.6 19.7

Latest PE

1.26 -2.26 2.42 -2.12 3.02 2.16 1.20 4.95 3.23 0.49

14.3 -ve 7.1 -ve 5.1 18.9 11.9 8.5 15.3 98.1

CSE key features October 1, 2015 Turnover (Million Taka) Turnover (Volume) Number of Contract

264.51 8,689,535 12,561

Traded Issues

247

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

111

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

129

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

7

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,595.93

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

31.47

DT

BUSINESS 19

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2015

Stocks close marginally higher amid volatility n Tribune Report

DSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company FAR Chemical-A Marico BD Ltd-A SAIF Powertec-A SummitAlliancePort.-A Appollo Ispat CL -A DESCO Ltd. -A Grameenphone-A IDLC Finance -A BSRM Steels-A LafargeS Cement-A

Unique Hotel RL - A ACI Limited- A Aman Feed-N Square Pharma -A RAK Ceramics-A

VolumeShares 7,737,230 116,430 1,830,473 1,878,424 4,507,697 1,189,121 288,826 1,287,538 787,794 685,987

Value in Million 380.85 197.94 169.95 115.65 104.93 87.27 83.22 82.18 74.34 73.76

% of TotalTurnover 8.98 4.67 4.01 2.73 2.47 2.06 1.96 1.94 1.75 1.74

VolumeShares

Value in Million

% of TotalTurnover

1,389,945 120,164 1,054,498 255,318 874,657

CSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company SAIF Powertec-A FAR Chemical-A Mozaffar H.Spinning-A BSRM Ltd. -A SummitAlliancePort.-A The Peninsula CTG.-A United Power-A Aman Feed-N Grameenphone-A UNITED AIR-A

UCBL - A Summit Power -A DESCO Ltd. -A Beximco Pharma -A Keya Cosmetics -A

186,001 292,467 271,020 68,697 139,953 390,051 39,096 86,999 18,040 488,847

225,127 129,780 63,679 63,774 278,460

71.32 70.10 66.84 63.63 60.48

17.25 14.41 9.81 8.99 8.62 8.39 5.75 5.51 5.18 5.14

4.97 4.84 4.68 4.59 4.46

1.68 1.65 1.58 1.50 1.43

6.52 5.45 3.71 3.40 3.26 3.17 2.17 2.08 1.96 1.94

1.88 1.83 1.77 1.73 1.69

ClosingP 48.60 1708.30 93.70 61.80 23.10 73.70 285.80 63.60 94.00 107.50

51.80 583.30 62.90 249.20 69.00

ClosingP

Change % -3.76 -0.41 2.85 3.00 -0.86 2.22 0.25 -1.40 -1.88 -0.09

3.81 0.47 -2.33 -0.08 -1.15

Change %

93.60 48.80 37.40 131.50 61.90 21.80 146.70 63.10 287.30 10.50

22.00 37.40 73.80 71.80 16.00

2.74 -4.31 -0.27 -0.15 3.17 5.31 0.82 -2.02 0.49 0.96

-1.79 1.36 2.50 0.56 0.00

ClosingY 50.50 1715.40 91.10 60.00 23.30 72.10 285.10 64.50 95.80 107.60

49.90 580.60 64.40 249.40 69.80

ClosingY

91.10 51.00 37.50 131.70 60.00 20.70 145.50 64.40 285.90 10.40

22.40 36.90 72.00 71.40 16.00

DHIGH 53.00 1735.00 94.40 62.40 23.60 74.10 300.00 64.40 96.60 108.40

52.20 588.00 65.40 250.00 70.00

DLOW 48.00 1696.50 89.80 60.30 22.90 72.00 285.10 63.30 93.60 107.10

50.00 580.00 62.50 248.90 68.60

DHIGH

DLOW

94.30 51.40 37.60 132.50 62.30 21.90 149.00 64.60 288.80 10.60

90.00 48.40 37.00 128.40 60.50 20.90 146.10 62.90 286.00 10.40

22.30 37.50 74.30 72.80 16.20

21.90 37.00 72.80 71.30 15.90

AvgPrice 49.22 1700.07 92.85 61.57 23.28 73.39 288.12 63.83 94.36 107.52

51.31 583.33 63.39 249.22 69.14

AvgPrice

92.73 49.26 36.20 130.86 61.62 21.52 147.05 63.32 287.13 10.51

22.07 37.28 73.54 71.91 16.02

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

12928.52260

(+) 0.10%

1851.27289

(+) 0.18%

14866.16170

(+) 0.14%

12928.52260

(+) 0.23%

9047.96590

(+) 0.14%

▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲

Stocks closed marginally higher amid volatility yesterday, breaking a two-day profit booking moderate losses.

In most of the session, the market was in the negative territory but the last minute buying mainly on power and cement stocks has sent it to positive terrain.

The Dhaka Stock Exchange benchmark index DSEX inched up about 5 points or 0.1% to 4,856.

The Shariah index DSES gained slightly 1 point or 0.1% to 1,182. The blue chip comprising index DS30 was up 3 points or 0.2% to 1,851. The Chittagong Stock Exchange Selective Category Index CSCX rose over 12 points to 9,04.

Banks and non-banking financial institutions declined marginally, snapping their two-day gaining streak.

Te l e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s finally rebounded rising slightly after witnessing heavy losses over the last several sessions. The sector remained under pressure since Robi and Airtel merger news, which sparked antici-

pation of dismal portability of the sector. Pharmaceuticals and ceramics continued to shed marginally.

Power sector shined gaining almost 1%, led by stateowned electricity supply company DESCO, surging almost 2%. Cement and food and allied also advanced marginally.

Top gainer’s list was dominated by mutual fund where top seven out of ten came from that category.

Trading activities also declined as DSE turnover stood at Tk424 crore, sharply down more than 14% over the previous session.

Gainers and losers remained same as out of 320 issues traded, 134 advanced, 137 declined and 49 remained unchanged.

IDLC Investments said the market is yet to come out of holiday mood as investors’ participation remained low. It said amid a day-long volatility market barely remained positive.

Far Chemical Industries Limited continued to top the liquidity chart with turnover worth over Tk37 crore ahead of its board meeting. l

ANALYST

Market is yet to come out of holiday mood as investors’ participation remained low. It said amid a day-long volatility market barely remained positive

DT

20 BUSINESS

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2015

2,000 acres selected for Japan SEZ n Tribune Report Inviting Japanese investment in Bangladesh, Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed said the government would provide 2,000 acres of land to establish special economic zones for Japanese investors.

“We are giving Japan 500 acres of land in Gazipur and another 1,500 acres in Narayanganj for special economic zones for Japanese investors,” he told journalists after a meeting with a visiting Japanese delegation yesterday.

Tofail Ahmed also urged Japan to take “Bangladesh plus one” policy for investment

like its earlier policies - “China plus one” and “Thailand plus one.”

Yoshihiro Seki, parliamentary vice minister for economy, trade and industry, led the delegation.

Yoshihiro Seki said his government would continue to help Bangladesh achieve development goals.

Tofail Ahmed said Bangladesh’s export to Japan would reach $2bn in next three years as Japan allowed duty-free access of everything except ammunition and hand gloves from Bangladesh.

He said Japan also changed rules of origin

from two-stage to one-stage for knit and woven products.

According to the Export Promotion Bureau, in the FY2014-15, Bangladesh earned $915.22m from exports to Japan while it imported products of $1.51bn to Japan. The export earnings made over 6% growth in the year.

According to the EPB data, export earnings from the RMG sector dominates as the figure stood at $652.55m last year, making up 71.3% of total export.

Currently, Bangladesh exports apparel products, shrimp, leather and leather products, jute and jute goods. l

Chevron launches community dev pilot n Aminur Rahman Rasel

Chevron Bangladesh has launched an enterprise development programme in its operational areas in association with BRAC. The 18-month pilot scheme, which will be implemented by BRAC, focuses on economic development for the communities in Bibiyana, Jalalabad and Moulavi Bazar gas field locations.

The launching announcement came at a ceremony held in the capital on Wednesday last.

State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, Nasrul Hamid, attended the programme as the chief guest while US Ambassador to Bangladesh, Marcia Stephens Bloom Bernicat, as special guest.

President of Chevron Asia Pacific Exploration and Production, Melody Meyer; Director of Strategy, Communications and Empowerment at BRAC, Asif Saleh; Managing Director of Chevron Asia South Ltd Brad Middleton, and Chevron Bangladesh President, Kevin Lyon were also present at the programme.

The programme is a part of the five-year Bangladesh Partnership Initiative (BPI), a $10 million commitment that was formally launched in September 2014 to support economic development.

Chevron Bangladesh entities are subsidiaries of Chevron Corporation, one of the world’s leading integrated energy companies.

The programme is expected to support approximately 20,000 beneficiaries, and up to 1,500 enterprises will be created during its lifespan.

In his address, Nasrul Hamid said: “I believe this pilot project will be a forerunner of one of the best community development programmes, and I cannot think of a better implementing partner than BRAC.” “The data-driven systematic approach of

Guests at the launching of Economic Development Pilot in Dhaka Wednesday Chevron paired with the development acumen and local knowledge of BRAC is the best possible pairing for a programme of this stature,” he added.

US Ambassador Bernicat said: “I am very proud that Chevron contributes to Bangladesh’s development by boosting energy security and developing technical skills and knowledge, but is also investing in local communities,” “Chevron’s activities in Bangladesh are proof that that the best companies form partnerships with the countries in which they work and demonstrate their long-term commitment.” She added.

President of Chevron Asia Pacific Exploration and Production, Melody Meyer, described Chevron’s success as tied to society’s progress.

She said: “At Chevron we believe that our success is built upon long-term, collaborative and mutually beneficial relationships. Our partnership with BRAC as part of the Bangladesh Partnership Initiative reflects this approach.”

DHAKA TRIBUNE

In his remarks, Chevron Bangladesh President, Kevin Lyon, said: “We feel privileged that BRAC, the world’s largest NGO, is partnering with us on this important journey and are confident that their knowledge and experience will help us significantly improve the socioeconomic standing of our communities.”

BPI is a five-year programme, but its impact will be sufficiently far-reaching to continue beyond its lifespan and beyond Chevron’s involvement, he said, adding that Chevron wants to be a part of the communities’ success.

Director of Strategy, Communications and Empowerment at BRAC, Asif Saleh, said: “The project focuses on inclusion, sustainability and self-dependence and our joint work can give people the tools to lift out of poverty and lead them towards prosperity.”

BRAC’s strength is working in rural Bangladesh and focusing on holistic development and the partnership with Chevron will have a bigger impact in generating livelihoods for the target group, added Saleh. l

Nurul Islam elected new AmCham president n Tribune Report Md Nurul Islam, regional senior vice-president, and head of Bangladesh, Nepal and Myanmar of MetLife, has been elected as the president of American Chamber of Commerce in Bangladesh (AmCham) for the year 2015-2016.

Showkat Ali Sarkar, managing director of DuPont Bangladesh Limited, and Shafiqul Azim, general manager, R-Pac (Bangladesh) Limited, have been chosen to be the vice-president and treasurer of the organisation.

The other executive committee members include Syed Ershad Ahmed, country manager and managing director, Expeditors (Bangladesh) Ltd, Khd Rashed Maqsood, managing director, Citi Country Officer – Bangladesh, Citibank, NA, Sadrullah A Mansur, vice-president & COO, NMCI (Bangladesh) Ltd and Al-Mamun M Rashel, country manager, NATCO Packaging Bangladesh Ltd. Md Nurul Islam joined MetLife’s American Life Insurance Company in Bangladesh in December 1981.

Prior to his joining, he briefly worked at Fisons (Bangladesh) Ltd, a subsidiary of a British pharmaceutical company.

Apart from his BA (Hons) and MBA degrees from the Department of Economics and the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) respectively under the University of Dhaka, the business icon completed the ‘MetLife Enterprise Leadership Program’ from Harvard Business School, Boston, MA, USA, in 2014.

Currently, he is a member of the Committee of Bangladesh Employers’ Federation. l

Grameenphone supports Project Everyone in Bangladesh n Tribune Report

Grameenphone will work to make “Project Everyone” a success in Bangladesh by supporting the United Nations in spreading the word on the 17 Global Sustainable Development Goals.

With Grameenphone’s own vision of empowering societies, its “Internet for All” ambition and its sustainability initiatives, “will link both the organisations’ campaigns to accelerate the making of empowered and sustainable societies in the country,” the operator said in a statement yesterday.

Outlining the steps taken to promote the goals, Grameenphone’s Head of Corporate Responsibility Debashis Roy said: “we are building this awareness campaign as part of Telenor’s commitment to support the UN in all countries it has operations.”

The UN has sought the services of mobile operations across the globe in an attempt to reach all 7bn of the global population.

Grameenphone is already undertaking various endeavours to make the project a success, through initiatives like sending SMS to its customers, social media campaigns through Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, Intranet article, desktop wallpapers, profiling at GP House, Customer Service Center at Nitol Niloy Tower, and all regional offices.

The UN has launched the Sustainable Development Goals, also known as the Global Goals, on September 25.

The Global Goals are a series of ambitious targets to end extreme poverty and tackle climate change by 2030. Once achieved, they will ensure the health, safety and future of the planet for everyone.

Supported by the UN, the Project Everyone is an initiative that aims to create a multi-channel global campaign - TV, radio, print, web, social media, mobile etc. - over 7 days starting from September 25 with the aim of making “everyone” on the planet aware of the Global Goals (#TellEveryone).

The project’s founding team includes UNICEF, United Nations Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Wikipedia, Save the Children, Google, Wikipedia, Virgin, Unilever and Standard Chartered Bank. l

CIB report in one second n Tribune Report

Bangladesh Bank has installed New CIB Online Solution which will take only one second for banks and non-bank financial institutions to get CIB report.

The live operation of the solution kicked off yesterday. All banks and financial institutions are now receiving the service through online solution, said a press release Bangladesh Bank issued yesterday.

The managing directors of all banks have been asked to prepare CIB report for new CIB solution through user ID and password provided earlier, said a circular the central bank issued on the same day.

The new solution will save plenty of foreign currency and reduce dependency on foreign vendors, said the release. l

news

Kutumbari’s couple package Kutumbari is a restaurant where you can enjoy your meal amidst a homely atmosphere. It offers you breakfast, lunch, evening meals and dinner. Their menu consists of 106 items including magnificent Chinese and Moghul dishes. Kutumbari is truly a hub for romantic people who want to savour every single moment with their partner.

They have now introduced a special package, especially for couples.

According to the offer, you can either pick a fast food set menu or a Chinese set menu. You can also enjoy Chinese, Moghul and Indian packages, which offer you ravishing dishes.

For more information contact - Kutumbari, 2/12 block- f, (Near Lalmatia Mohila college), Lalmatia, Dhaka, Phone: 01195381630.

Website: - www.kutumbari.com. l

DT

Photo: Tasmia Momin

T-JUNCTION

Fruity fiesta

21

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2015

INSIDE

22 recipe

Citrus delights

24

listology

9 kinds of music fans news

Meet Star Chef Carmine De Filippo at The Westin Dhaka

DT

22 T-JUNCTION

Tantalise

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2015

Citrus delights recipe

Two recipes that combine the goodness of our favourite citrus fruits

n Tasmia Momin If you’ve tired of the onslaught of beef and polao (and the works), worry not, since you’re not alone. With Qurbani Eid barely a week or two behind, our palettes have taken an extensive ride through the worlds of any and every variation of beef, curry, biryani and rice.

As much as we love to gorge on Eid delicacies, sometimes it might just seem a tad bit too heavy for the palette. Keeping that little need in mind, I’ve thought of two very fresh, easyto-create recipes that combine the refreshing flavours of fruits with savoury items such as rice and bread to create a one-bowl meal of sweet and sour pineapple rice and a decadant bread pudding to finish it all off. Bon Appetit!

Orange bread pudding Ingredients • • • • • • •

12-14 slices of bread 3 cups of milk 2 tbsp custard powder ½ cup condensed milk A pinch of salt Zest of half an orange Handful of raisins and nuts

For the orange glaze • Zest of another half an orange • Juice of an orange • 1 tbsp butter • 4 tbsp sugar Method In a large saucepan, whisk together milk, custard powder, condensed milk and a pinch of salt and let it come to a boil. Turn the heat on medium low and cook it for about 10 minutes or until the pudding mixture thickened a little bit.

Take it off the heat and add in half of the orange zest.

Brush the bread slices with butter on one slide and toast them slightly. Place them in your preferred baking dish with raisins and nuts in between the bread slices and pour over the pudding mixture. Let it sit for at least half an hour or more. The longer the bread sits and soaks in the liquid, the creamier your bread pudding will be.

Top it off with a few more raisins and nuts and bake it in a preheated oven for 20-30 minutes at 180 degree Celsius.

To make the orange glaze, squeeze in the orange juice, orange zest and sugar in a smaller sauce pan with a knob of butter. Stir till it thickens and gives of a smooth glaze.

Once it is done baking, pour over the glaze on top of the bread pudding and tuck in!

Photos: Tasmia Momin

T-JUNCTION 23

DT

Tantalise

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2015

Sweet and sour pineapple rice Ingredients • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

1 cup of uncooked rice (pilaf/basmati) ½ cup coconut milk 1 ½ cup hot water A pinch of salt 3-4 tbsp of vegetable oil 1 cup chicken strips 3 cups of pineapple 2 chopped green chilli ½ red bell pepper 3-4 tbsp sugar ½ green bell pepper Handful of cashew nut Handful of fresh coriander ½ lemon

Method Cook the rice in coconut milk and water with a pinch of salt till it is al dente.

Meanwhile, chop one whole pineapple, red bell pepper and green capsicum. Mix the chicken strips with salt and 1 tbsp flour. Fry them and keep aside. Roast the cashew nuts and set aside.

In a large skillet, add one big glug of oil, and 3 cups of pineapple. Cook the pineapple till the juices are reduced to about half. Add in the sugar, green chilies, red and green capsicum and turn the heat to medium high.

Add the rice, fried chicken strips and cashew nuts. Stir to combine. Cook for another 2-3 minutes and add in the chopped coriander.

Serve with a squeeze of lemon! l

Photos: Tasmia Momin

DT

24 T-JUNCTION

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2015

Listology

9 kinds of music fans n Tasnia Khandaker Music is somewhat like water. No, you don’t need it to survive (some fanatics might disagree), but it can be found in whatever form you need it to be. Hate life?

Got heartbroken? Love weekends? It’s your birthday? Got a new crush? Regardless of how you’re feeling, there’s a song out there that reflects your feelings perfectly. It’s almost like magic.

Without further ado, here’s a list of music fans that you have a good chance of running into.

The particulars These people may not go completely berserk, but they are pretty loyal. It may be a certain genre, a certain band, or even a certain artist, but they love listening to their favourite, barely ever shifting their choice. They don’t necessarily hate other genres or people who like other genres. They might even give them a listen or two, but they know what their true jam is. Others may be good, but they prefer the greatness that is their favourite.

The fanatics These people don’t know how to love without being completely obsessed. They are the reason why artists need buffed up bodyguards. They camp outside concert venues for days. These people would spend thousands of dollars for a signed poster, or even a used up tissue paper. They follow their idols religiously. What they eat, what they wear, which brand of undergarments they wear - the fanatics know it all.

The dumpees These people love any song that they could listen to while they look out the window and reminisce about their loved ones who somehow slipped through their fingers. For all the five stages of grief, they have perfect songs to echo how they feel. There are songs like Thinking of You for when they just cannot imagine their life without their beloved.

Then there’s So What for the time they decide they are better off, only to later cry as they listen to Taylor Swift songs the next week.

The old schools These people live for the classics. The new-age techno nonsense seems like a complete waste of time to them. Folks like The Beetles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Bon Jovi, John Lennon, and many others, gave them the chills, whereas the new pop culture make their eyes roll. They feel like the standards of what used to be called music have dropped drastically low.

The party animals Now we all listen to “dhisting dhisting” songs and imagine ourselves entering the hottest party of the year, looking like the most fabulous person in the world. If you deny doing this, you’re a pathological liar and you need help.

We all have a little party animal inside us but there are some people who think that music without dancing is like HIMYM without Barney Stinson. As soon as the DJ hits it, they get down on the dance floor with their oh-so-groovy moves.

The lyricomaniacs Have you ever heard a song and fallen in love with the lyrics? The song doesn’t have to be of a particular genre, for lyricomaniacs to drool over it.

The words speak to them like they were written just for them.

Photo: Bigstock They find solace in knowing that they’re not the only one. Yes, Rebecca Black loves Fridays just as much as you do.

The intermixtures “What kind of music are you into?” “The

good kind.” Rock, Alter, Metal, Country - the genre doesn’t matter if the song is great.

These people could be listening to One Direction songs one day and then could be found grooving to Bring me The Horizon songs, the next, or maybe I’m exaggerating.

The intermixtures do not hold themselves back and are not afraid of treading through uncharted waters when it comes to music.

The mainstreams If it’s on the top 50 list, they’ve got to hear it. Word of mouth is very crucial for their taste in music. If Adele comes out with the new “it” song, it has to be their ringtone and if anyone asks “what song is that?” The mainstreams give them the do-you-liveunder-a-rock look. They’re not necessarily faking their love for the song, but their affection is influenced, quite a lot, by what the popular crowd says.

The plastics *sees the cute guy wearing a Guns N’ Roses tee* *goes up to him and pretends to love the band* *fails miserably* Stop. You’re not a metal head - you know it, your mother knows it, your bua knows it. They’ve all seen you dance to Hanna Montana songs. Pretending to love the genre is never, ever going to get you that guy. The plastics not only pretend to love something they know nothing about, they won’t stop themselves from hating on an artist or band, they’ve never even heard of, because it’s “cool.” Just stop. Really, stop. l

news

Le Meridien Dhaka celebrates international coffee day Le Méridien Dhaka commenced celebrating International Coffee Day with much joie de vivre last Tuesday morning.

Hosted in the hotel’s signature lobby lounge bar, Latitude 23, guests enjoyed a morning of various art lessons with latte art tutorials, learning to outline images in coffee foam guided by expert baristas, as well as designing their own éclairs with various edible props (toppings) and piped frostings under the supervision of pastry chefs. Other guests participated in group art, painting with coalesced coffee on canvas, a work that is to be showcased as a memento of the day in the lounge.

Although observed for the first time in Bangladesh, International Coffee Day has been commemorated in various nations for many years. 2015 is also the first year for the festivity to be recognised officially, receiving sanction from the International Coffee Organisation (ICO). And while the official date has been announced for October 1, Le Méridien Dhaka began the festivities on Tuesday, September 29,

2015 at 11am, as tribute to the original celebratory date. However, guests may enjoy 10% discount on coffee and éclair during this three-day festive period.

“It is art that you eat,” described Olivier Loreaux, food and beverage director and executive chef of the hotel. “Culinary art is not only what you see and taste but also what you experience. We want to engage our guests and brew inspiration by celebrating our coffee culture.” l

Meet star chef Carmine De Filippo at The Westin Dhaka Bangladesh’s leading five star hotel, The Westin Dhaka has many surprises in store for gastronomists in the coming months. To their delight they managed to get a sneak preview about one of the best kept secrets that is now out in the open. Prego, the Italian fine dining restaurant is introducing their new Italian Star Chef, Carmine De Filippo who is sure to set ablaze palates with some authentic and world class cuisine for an unforgettable dining experience.

Speaking about food to an Italian is like discussing football with a Brazilian and Chef Carmine De Filippo, the man who not only has decades of experience and professionalism, but the most important ingredient - the Italian passion. “I am passionate about cooking and eating,” he quips when asked about food and adds that Italian cooking was something he got attracted to very early in life. Chef Carmine started his career at the young age of 17 and underwent training right from the basics.

From peeling potatoes to cutting tomatoes as he says, he has come a long way. Having worked under some of the best chefs it is little wonder that he has earned both applause and appreciation from diners

around the world.

Italian cuisine is an art and chefs are like artists, perfecting the form with utmost accuracy and precision. “Even the slightest variation is noticed,” chef Carmine explains. So it is this perfection that chef Carmine has mastered over a period of time. Chef Carmine’s passion for cooking took him from his home town in Italy to the world. Some of the countries that he has worked in include Switzerland, Egypt, Tunisia, Lebanon, Hong Kong and Kuwait.

“Every region of Italy has different food and flavours,” he says while detailing the process of preparing Italian food that is both delicious and authentic. The experience and professionalism that Chef Carmine brings with him is abundant “I love to prepare the food with fresh ingredients and this brings out the real flavour in the food.”

Chef Carmine is aware that residents of Dhaka value quality and taste and he is all set to take up the challenge and serve up the best Italian cuisine in an unrivalled ambience. Westin’s Prego aims to be a restaurant to meet the aspirations of the diner while serving only the best and finest authentic food. l

Alvaro Morata equalled club great Alessandro Del Piero’s record of scoring in five consecutive Champions League matches on Wednesday

Sport 26

HOSTS CONFIDENT OF BEATING SL IN AFC U-19 QUALIFIERS

27

BANGLADESH WOMEN CONCEDE T20 SERIES

28

25

DT

5 IN A ROW

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2015

RONALDO SURPASSES 500 CAREER GOALS

Members of the Bangladesh Cricket Supporters Association staged a human chain yesterday in front of the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, urging Cricket Australia to back-track on their decision and tour Bangladesh this month COURTESY

Australia scrap Bangladesh tour n AFP, Sydney Australia called off a two-Test tour of Bangladesh yesterday citing terrorism fears after official warnings militants may attack Western interests.

Cricket Australia said that advice from the country’s security and intelligence organisation and department of foreign affairs about an increased risk for the team meant this month’s matches could not proceed.

CA chief executive James Sutherland said an independent security assessment confirmed the “risk of terrorism in Bangladesh targeting Australian nationals.”

“We have decided that, regrettably, we have no alternative but to postpone the tour,” Sutherland said.

Australia had been scheduled to depart Sunday for the first Test starting October 9 in Chittagong.

Bangladesh had tried to keep the tour alive insisting that the players would be given the level of security usually reserved for visiting heads of state, with Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan saying the “highest

security protocol” would be provided.

“We’re very disappointed. We’ve offered the highest and unprecedented level of security to the Australian team, which is generally provided to a visiting head of state,” said

Bangladesh Cricket Board spokesman Jalal Yunus.

However, the death of an Italian aid worker in Dhaka’s diplomatic quarter - shot three times on Monday night in a murder

SOCCEROOS FLAG SECURITY FEARS TO FIFA

n AFP, Sydney The Socceroos’ World Cup qualifier in Bangladesh next month was thrown into doubt yesterday when Football Federation Australia (FFA) officially notified FIFA of their security fears.

With Cricket Australia calling off their tour of Bangladesh, where two Tests were due to begin next Friday, Australia’s football chiefs announced their own concerns about playing in the South Asian nation.

The group-topping Socceroos are due to take on Bangladesh in Dhaka on November 17.

Cricket Australia on Sunday delayed their scheduled departure to Bangladesh after the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)

warned militants may be planning attacks on Australian interests in the country.

The death of an Italian aid worker in Dhaka’s diplomatic quarter - shot three times on Monday night in a murder claimed by Islamic State group escalated safety fears.

“FFA is concerned about the security situation in Bangladesh and will continue ongoing discussions with DFAT, relevant government agencies and security experts,” the body said.

“FFA has formally raised the matter with FIFA and AFC (Asian Football Confederation).”

The Socceroos faced heightened security issues around their September World Cup qualifier in Dushanbe, capital of troubled central Asian nation Tajikistan. l

claimed by Islamic State group - only escalated fears.

“We had hoped that the security concerns would fade, but unfortunately the advice we have received from government, our own security experts and independent security advisors has clearly indicated that there are now high risks to our people should they make the trip,” Sutherland said.

“We have worked tirelessly to try to find a way for the tour to proceed, but in the end it was simply not possible,” he said.

CA said it would work with the Bangladesh Cricket Board to try to reschedule the tour.

“Bangladesh is clearly on the rise as a cricketing nation and our new-look Australian team was looking forward to the challenge of playing this series. The circumstances that led to the decision to cancel the tour are bigger than the game of cricket,” Sutherland said.

“Where there are elements that are beyond our control – as there are in this case - the importance of player safety is brought sharply into focus, and this is absolutely paramount.” l

DT

26 Sport

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2015

Bangladesh U-19s at a glance Know the squad The Bangladesh squad named for the AFC Under-19 Championship qualifiers are pretty much the same unit that took part in the recently-concluded Saff U-19 Championship in Nepal.

The back-four in the opening qualifier against Sri Lanka today is expected to feature Mohammad Emon, Tutul Hossain Badshah, Rahmat Miah and Mohammad Salahuddin.

Skipper Masuk Miah Jony will patrol the midfield while Shahriar Bappy and the prodigiously talented Biplob Ahmed will pull the strings at the centre of the park.

The forward line, studded with the attacking trident of Mannaf Rabby, Rohit Sarkar and U-16 star Sarwar Zaman Nipu is perhaps Bangladesh U-19's strongest forte.

The Bangladesh U-19 side usually play with 4-3-3 formation.

Players to watch Undoubtedly, Rahmatganj forward Mannaf is the name that comes first in the minds of the football followers. Skill, technique, passing or finishing ability; Mannaf is equally adept at all four. The young striker had a stellar campaign in the previous season of the Manyavar Bangladesh Premier League and was looking forward to continuing his form in the Saff U-19 Championship. However, he had a disappointing tournament and is yet to replicate his club form to the red and green jersey.

Besides Mannaf, Nipu, Jony and Emon are the players to look out for. Head coach Saiful Bari Titu might try Nipu in the forward line and it will be interesting to observe the juvenile forward's transformation from the U-16s to the U-19s. Captain Jony will be eyeing to control the midfield while Emon's sudden long balls into the opposition terrain will come in handy.

The group and the opponents Group A initially comprised of Uzbekistan, hosts Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Pakistan but the latter withdrew their team from the tournament, turning it into a fournation competition. The Uzbeks are clear favourites to top the group while the junior Bengal Tigers can pip the Lankans and Bhutan to second place.

Expectation and reality Ten group winners and the five best runners-up sides will join hosts Bahrain in the final round, scheduled for October 13-30 next year.

On paper, Bangladesh are stronger than neighbours Sri Lanka and Bhutan but Uzbekistan are miles ahead than the rest of the lot.

If Bangladesh are to have any hopes of making it to the final round then they have to win against the Lankans and the Bhutanese and target damage limitation against the Uzbeks.

–SHISHIR HOQUE

Bangladesh Under-19 footballers warm up during a training session at Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday ahead of their today’s opening AFC U-19 Championship qualifier against Sri Lanka MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

AFC UNDER-19 CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFIERS

Hosts confident of beating SL n Tribune Report Bangladesh are eyeing a winning start to their AFC Under-19 Championship qualifying campaign against Sri Lanka today as the home side’s head coach Saiful Bari Titu expressed their ultimate target – to finish runners-up in the tournament.

The teenage booters of the country are eager to prove their mettle in the Asian Football Confederation circuit and Titu believes their hard work in the last few months, following their heartbreaking semi-final exit against India in the Saff U-19 Championship in Nepal, will be pivotal.

“I have worked with the team for the last three months. We did not have a good preparation for the Saff, but in the last one month or so we have practised hard and also did well in a practice match against the national team,” said a hopeful Titu yesterday, alluding to Bangladesh U-19’s 1-0 defeat against the senior men’s side.

Placed in Group A, Bangladesh will have competitive advantage over Sri Lanka and

Bangladesh Under-19 captain Masuk Miah Jony (R) shakes hands with his Sri Lankan counrterpart Bhutan while Uzbekistan are the strongest outfit in the group. Pakistan, who were also pitted in the group, withdrew their participation.

“Our target if to finish as runners-up in the tournament. We want to win against Bhutan and Sri Lanka and look for a draw against Uzbekistan,” Titu told the media.

Bangladesh U-19 captain Masuk Miah Jony

also echoed his mentor and said, “We want to win two games at least and reach the next round playing good football.”

Promising U-16 players Saad Uddin, Sarwar Zaman Nipu and Jahangir Alam Sajib, part of the Bangladesh side that became champions in the Saff U-16 Championship a couple of months back, have been rewarded a place in the U-19 squad and the trio are expected to bring positive energy to the team.

On the other hand, Sri Lanka coach Sumit Walpole also expects his charges to fire from all cylinders and reach the next round.

“We picked this bunch of players from a trial of 300 players over the last two-three months. All are school students and worked hard after school hours. This team played in the Malaysian School League where we played against teams like China, Thailand and India. We hope for the best,” said Walpole.

The AFC U-19 Qualifiers, slated for Bangabandhu National Stadium, will kick off with the match between Uzbekistan and Bhutan at 3pm followed by the hosts facing Sri Lanka at 6pm. The matches will be live on BTV. l

Siddikur makes flying start n Tribune Desk Bangladesh golfer Siddikur Rahman made a terrific start in the Mercuries Taiwan Masters as he ended the opening round yesterday at third place, tied alongside Thailand’s Phachara Khongwatmai. Siddikur carded three-under-par 69 and trails early-leader Danny Chia of Malaysia by just two shots.

The 30-year old Bangladesh golfer had a brilliant start to the day as he hit a birdie in the sixth hole and followed it up with an eagle

in the very next hole. “It’s been a great day out there. The green conditions are better than previous years. It’s really nice and the set-up is awesome. The wind started to pick up after three or four holes into the round and it was a bit challenging out there. I am very happy with how I played,” said Siddikur.

“I don’t have any expectations this week.

I have been working on my game ever since incurring the back injury last year. It’s very encouraging to return with a good round. I have no complaints.” l

TAIWAN MASTERS Leaderboard, Day 1

Pos. Name

R1 To Par H/(AGG)

1

Chia (MAS)

-5

-5

(67)

2

Rashid (IND)

-4

-4

(68)

3

Khongwatmai (THA) -3

-3

(69)

3

Siddikur (BAN)

-3

-3

(69)

5

Vongvanij (THA)

-2

-2

(70)

5

Wen-chong (CHN) -2

-2

(70)

DT

Sport 27

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2015

QUICK BYTES

Bangladesh cricketer Lata Mondol plays a shot during the second and final T20 match against Pakistan at The Southend Club in Karachi yesterday

Novo Nordisk HalfMarathon on Nov 13 In order to raise awareness of physical activities for diabetes prevention, Novo Nordisk, in association with Sports International, has organised the half marathon, scheduled to be held on November 13, a day before the World Diabetes Day. 5000 participants will contest the 21.1-kilometre run, starting from Gulshan Park and concluding at Manik Mia Avenue.

–TRIBUNE DESK

AFP

SCORECARD PAKISTAN WOMEN INNINGS Marina c Salma b Nahida Javeria c Rumana b Lata Bismah not out Nida run out (Nahida) Iram c Lata b Nahida Aliya c Nigar b Salma Asmavia run out (Nigar) Sana not out Extras (w 4)

Boateng training with AC Milan AC Milan have announced that Ghanaian international Kevin Prince Boateng has returned to the club to train until the end of the year.

Boateng spent three seasons with Milan from 2010 before signing for Schalke 04 in 2013, only to be suspended indefinitely by the Bundesliga club in May after the Gelsenkirchen club’s league defeat to Cologne.

–AFP

World T20 on radar as India face South Africa Hosts India and South Africa will have one eye on next year’s World Twenty20 when they launch a three-match series in the picturesque hill town of Dharamsala today. Three T20 games on a single tour is a rarity in modern cricket, but both teams will welcome the change with the sixth edition of the World T20 due to be held in India in March-April next year.

–AFP

Injury blow for in-form Son Tottenham’s South Korean striker Son Heung-min could be out for a prolonged spell after sustaining a foot injury in his side’s win over Manchester City. The 23-year-old has settled well at White Hart Lane after joining from German side Bayer Leverkusen last month. He has netted three goals in five Spurs appearances so far and would have had another was it not for the offside flag in the 4-1 Premier League win against City on Saturday.

–AFP

No FA action against Jose over doctor incident Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho will face no disciplinary action by the English Football Association after the governing body cleared him on Wednesday of using “discriminatory language” towards then club doctor Eva Carneiro. Both Carneiro and physiotherapist Jon Fearn were rebuked by Mourinho for running on to treat Eden Hazard during Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with Swansea City on the opening weekend of the Premier League season.

–AFP

Serena withdraws from China Open, WTA Finals World number one Serena Williams announced Thursday her withdrawal from next week’s China Open in Beijing and the WTA Finals in Singapore, ending her season. “I am taking a proactive step and withdrawing from tournaments in Beijing and Singapore.”

–AFP

Batting a let-down as Salma and Co concede T20 series n Mazhar Uddin Bangladesh women’s cricket team conceded the two-match Twenty20 international series following a 34-run defeat against Pakistan in the second game at Southend Club Ground in Karachi yesterday.

Much like the first T20I last Wednesday, the Bangladesh bowlers put in a commendable display, restricting the hosts to a below-par total of 114/6.

In reply however, the visitors’ batters fell short, eventually managing 80/7 from their allotted 20 overs.

Bangladesh kept losing wickets in clusters and the pedestrian run rate hardly helped their chase. Rumana Ahmed top-scored with 27 but she received very little support from

the other end.

Sumaiya Siddiqi and Nida Dar bagged a couple of wickets each for the home side while captain Sana Mir was also among the wickets.

Earlier, Pakistan, taking first strike, struggled right from the start in the face of some tight bowling from the Bangladesh bowlers.

Opener Marina Iqbal (33) and top-order batter Bismah Maroof (44 not out) however, ensured their side would cross the 100-run mark.

Bangladesh’s Nahida Akter picked up 2/27 from her four overs while skipper Salma Khatun and Lata Mondol shared two between themselves.

Bangladesh will now turn their attention to the two-match ODI series, beginning this Sunday at the same venue. l

R 33 2 44 3 1 20 7 0 4

B 41 11 38 3 2 15 9 1

Total (6 wickets; 20 overs) 114 FoW: 1-15 (Javeria), 2-47 (Marina), 3-55 (Nida), 4-61 (Iram), 5-94 (Aliya), 6-114 (Asmavia) Bowling Jahanara 2-0-12-0, Salma 4-1-21-1, Lata 3-0-12-1, Ritu 1-0-6-0, Rumana 4-0-20-0, Nahida 4-0-272, Fahima 2-0-16-01

BANGLADESH WOMEN INNINGS Ayesha Rahman c & b Sana Sharmin Akhter c Nida b Sumaiya Farjana Hoque c Iram b Sumaiya Salma Khatun c Asmavia b Nida Rumana Ahmed run out (Anam) Nigar Sultana c Iram b Nida Ritu Moni run out (Rabiya) Lata Mondal not out Jahanara Alam not out Extras

R 5 4 6 10 27 0 17 10 1 0

B 5 16 7 18 33 5 24 10 2

Total (7 wickets; 20 overs) 80 FoW: 1-5 (Ayesha), 2-12 (Farjana), 3-23 (Sharmin), 4-28 (Salma), 5-38 (Nigar), 6-65 (Rumana), 7-79 (Ritu) Bowling Asmavia 3-0-16-0, Sana 3-0-14-1, Sumaiya 4-0-9-2, Anam 4-0-18-0, Nida 4-0-15-2, Bismah 2-0-8-0 Pakistan women won by 34 runs, clinch two-match series 2-0

Yasir, Wasim heroics give Pakistan easy win n AFP, Harare Legspinner Yasir Shah returned career-best figures as Pakistan routed Zimbabwe by 131 runs in the first of three one-day internationals at Harare Sports Club yesterday.

Chasing a target of 260 after a century stand

by Mohammad Rizwan and Imad Wasim had rescued the Pakistan innings, Zimbabwe were bowled out for just 128 with Shah recording figures of 6 for 26.

The hosts had gained the upper hand in the morning by winning the toss and reducing Pakistan to 128 for five, but Rizwan and Wasim added 124 for the sixth wicket.

Both batsmen ended up scoring at a run a ball on a dry surface, with Rizwan finishing unbeaten on 75 and Wasim run out for 61 in the final over of the innings.

Zimbabwe attempted to build their reply with a steady start, but Shah struck in his first and third overs before going on to run through the middle order.

Shoaib Malik also chipped in with three wickets as the Zimbabwean innings lasted just 37 overs.

Earlier, Mohammad Rizwan and Imad Wasim came together with Pakistan slipping at 128 for five after they had been inserted by the Zimbabweans.

Both batsmen ended up scoring at a run a ball on a dry surface, with Rizwan finishing unbeaten on 75 and Wasim run out for 61 in the final over of the innings.

Although Zimbabwe started the day looking short on energy, they sparked to life in the sixth over when John Nyumbu made up for a dropped catch by running out Pakistan captain Azhar Ali with a direct hit.

BRIEF SCORES Pakistan 259/6 (50 overs) Rizwan 75, Wasim 61; Nyumbu 1-39

Zimbabwe 128 all out (37 overs) Williams 26; Yasir 6-26, Malik 3-30 Pakistan won by 131 runs From that point Pakistan slumped to 35 for three after 10 overs as seamers Tinashe Panyangara and Luke Jongwe were rewarded for their persistence with the wickets of Ahmed Shehzad and Mohammad Hafeez respectively.

Sarfaraz Ahmed and Shoaib Malik resurrected the innings as they added 65 for the fourth wicket, only to undo their good work by running down the pitch at Zimbabwe’s spinners. l

Pakistan’s Yasir Shah (R) celebrates a wicket with wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed during their first ODI against Zimbabwe in Harare yesterday AFP

DT

28 Sport

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2015

501

Ronaldo surpasses 500 career goals, equals Raul record n AFP, Malmö

Goals

BREAKDOWN

BY COMPETITION CLUB

La Liga 230 Premier League 84 Champions League 84 Copa del Rey 21 FA Cup 13 English League Cup 4 Primeira Liga 3 Spanish Super Cup 3 European Super Cup 2 Portuguese Cup 2 Club World Cup 1

INTERNATIONAL

BY SEASON

European Championships qualifiers 20 World Cup Qualification 15 Friendly 11 European C’ships 6 World Cup 3 2002-03 5 2003-04 8 2004-05 16 2005-06 15

753

VENUE

Home 272 Away 213 Neutral 16

Career Appearances

0.67

HOW

Left foot 90 Right foot 326 Head 83 Other 2

WHERE

Inside the box 418 Outside the box 83 Penalties 81 Direct free-kicks 45

BY CLUB

Sporting Lisbon 5 Manchester United 118 Real Madrid 323 Portugal 55

2006-07 28 2007-08 46 2008-09 27 2009-10 34

2010-11 56 2011-12 69 2012-13 59 2013-14 62

Goal Ratio GOALS IN A GAME 1-Goal 207 2-Goal 88 3-Goal 32 4-Goal 3 5-Goal 2

BY MINUTES 1-15 62 16-30 88 31-45 74 46-60 76 61-75 83 76-90 116 Extra time 2

2014-15 66 2015-16 10

Cristiano Ronaldo surpassed 500 career goals and tied Raul as Real Madrid’s all-time leading scorer with a double in the Spanish giants 2-0 win away at Malmo on Wednesday.

“I am very happy. I thank all my teammates that have helped me achieve these figures and to beat the record at the biggest club in the world is an honour,” said Ronaldo.

The 30-year-old netted his 500th and 501st goals to propel Madrid to victory against the Swedish champions in the Group A clash, also extending his record Champions League tally to 82. Additionally, the Portuguese star pulled level with Raul on 323 goals for Madrid despite playing over 400 games fewer for Los Blancos than the Spanish legend.

However, according to club records Ronaldo is already Madrid’s top scorer of all-time as they add a goal officially awarded by the Spanish league to Pepe in a 2-1 defeat of Real Sociedad in 2010.

“He has surpassed Raul, who was a phenomenon and that shows that he has scored a lot of goals,” added Madrid coach Rafael Benitez.

“Hopefully, he has no limits. I said he was unquestionable in the past and his merit is what he has done in far less time than the rest. That adds more value to what he has achieved.”

The double also moved Ronaldo ahead of Raul as the top goalscorer for the 10-time European champions in the Champions League with 67. Ronaldo reached the 500-goal landmark in his 753rd game with 118 goals coming during his time at Manchester United, five while at boyhood club Sporting Lisbon and 55 for Portugal.l

DT

Sport 29

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2015

POINTS TABLE Group A

P

W

D

L

Pts

Real Madrid

2

2

0

0

6

Paris SG

2

2

0

0

6

Malmö FF

2

0

0

2

0

Shakhtar Donetsk

2

0

0

2

0

Group B

P

W

D

L

Pts

PSV Eindhoven

2

1

0

1

3

Manchester United 2

1

0

1

3

CSKA Moscow

2

1

0

1

3

VfL Wolfsburg

2

1

0

1

3

Group C

P

W

D

L

Pts

Benfica

2

2

0

0

6

Atletico Madrid

2

1

0

1

3

Galatasaray

2

0

1

1

1

Astana

2

0

1

1

1

Group D

P

W

D

L

Pts

Juventus

2

2

0

0

6

Sevilla

2

1

0

1

3

Manchester City

2

1

0

1

3

Moenchengladbach 2

0

0

2

0

RESULTS Group A Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR)

0-3

PSG (FRA) Aurier 7, David Luiz 23, Srna 90-og

0-2

Malmo (SWE)

Real Madrid (ESP)

Group B

2-1

Man United (ENG) Mata 34-P, Smalling 53

3-2

CSKA Moscow (RUS)

Ronaldo 29, 90

VfL Wolfsburg (GER) Caligiuri 4

PSV Eindhoven (NED)

Musa 7, Doumbia 21, 36-P

Lestienne 60, 68

Group C

2-2

Astana (KAZ) Hakan Balta 77-og, Canas 89

Atletico Madrid (ESP) Correa 23

1-2

Galatasaray (TUR) Bilal Kisa 31, Eric 86-og

Benfica (POR)

Gaitan 36, Goncalo Guedes 51

Group D M’gladbach (GER)

1-2

Stindl 54

Juventus (ITA)

2-0

Man City (ENG) Christensen 65-og, Aguero 90-P

Sevilla (ESP)

Morata 41, Zaza 87

DAY’S WATCH Ten Action 12:30AM French Ligue 1: Lille v Montpellier

Sony Six 12:30AM Rugby World Cup: New Zealand v Georgia

Sony Kix 12:30AM Spanish La Liga: Celta Vigo v Getafe

Star Sports 1, 2, 3 7:30PM South Africa Tour of India - 1st T20I

Star Sports 4 12:00AM German Bundesliga SV Darmstadt 98 v FSV Mainz 05

Manchester City forward Sergio Aguero (L) celebrates scoring during their Uefa Champions League Group D match against Borussia Monchengladbach in Monchengladbach, western Germany on Wednesday AFP

Manchester clubs victorious Atletico lose at home, PSG extend winning run ed got their campaign back on track in Group n AFP, Paris B, although only after falling behind.

The two Manchester clubs enjoyed victories in a happier night for England in the Champions League on Wednesday, while the individual performance of the evening came, not for the first time, from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Manchester United and City were made to work hard for 2-1 wins against German clubs Wolfsburg and Borussia Moenchengladbach respectively, 24 hours after Chelsea and Arsenal had both crashed to defeats. Both Manchester sides were looking to bounce back from defeats in their opening Champions League group games two weeks ago and Unit-

The Premier League leaders now find themselves in a four-way tie on three points in Group B after CSKA Moscow defeated PSV Eindhoven 3-2 in Russia in the night’s other game.

Meanwhile, City had Sergio Aguero to thank for winning and then scoring a lastgasp penalty as they beat Gladbach 2-1 at Borussia-Park in Group D, securing a precious victory after they lost at home to Juventus in their first outing.

It is Juventus who top the section, though, after Alvaro Morata and Simone Zaza netted to clinch a merited 2-0 win over Sevilla in Turin.

In Sweden, Mateo Kovacic and Isco combined to set up Ronaldo for the opener, his 500th career goal in 753 games, in the first half of Madrid’s clash with Malmo in Group A. Paris Saint-Germain are level with Madrid on six points at the top of Group A after easing to a 3-0 victory over Shakhtar Donetsk in Ukraine, Serge Aurier and David Luiz netting in the first half before a Darijo Srna own goal late on put the seal on the win.

Meanwhile, Portuguese champions Benfica took control of Group C after coming from behind to beat Atletico Madrid 2-1, Nicolas Gaitan and Goncalo Guedes with their goals after Angel Correa put Atletico ahead. l

Spain surge, Ronaldo smiles as FIFA rankings released n AFP, Paris European champions Spain leapt five places to sixth in the FIFA world rankings for October, released on Thursday.

Seven wins in eight games have taken Spain to the verge of Euro 2016 qualification, where they can challenge for an unprecedented third consecutive continental title.

World champions Germany are back up to second above Belgium, but behind the team they beat in the 2014 World Cup final, Argentina. Joachim Loew’s impressive charges are on a roll with five wins and a draw from their last six performances.

Cristiano Ronaldo had further reason to

smile a day after scoring his 500th career goal, as he saw Portugal climb two places to fourth.

Colombia, renowned for their rousing ‘football with a smile’, are fifth, Brazil are seventh and Wales will raise a few eyebrows, moving up a place to eighth, while England are tenth. l

WORLD TOP 10 RANKINGS 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Argentina Germany Belgium Portugal Colombia

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Spain Brazil Wales Chile England

Juventus’ Paul Pogba tries an overhead kick during their UEFA Champions League match Juventus against FC Sevilla in Turin on Wednesday AFP

DT

30 DOWNTIME

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2015

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Mute (6) 4 Limb (3) 7 Banishment (5) 8 Tempt (6) 11 Floor covering (3) 12 Hawaiian garlands (4) 13 Niggardly (4) 15 Slowly (mus) (5) 16 Conclusive (5) 20 Stagger (4) 23 Alone (4) 24 Bushy-tailed carnivore (3) 25 Worshipped (6) 26 Assumed name (5) 27 Meshed fabric (3) 28 From that place (6)

DOWN 1 Distend (5) 2 Letter (7) 3 Swarm (4) 4 Peruvian capital (4) 5 Dash (4) 6 Obtain (3) 9 Born (3) 10 Metal (3) 14 Serial part (7) 17 And not (3) 18 Beverage (3) 19 Deposit (5) 20 Acting part (4) 21 Way out (4) 22 Final (4) 24 Devoted follower (3)

CODE-CRACKER How to solve: Each number in our CODECRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 1 represents W so fill W every time the figure 1 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, OCTOBER 2, 2015

Mim and Soham set to wrap up Black

WHAT TO WATCH

The Bourne Legacy Movies Now | 6:45pm An expansion of the universe from Robert Ludlum’s novels, centered on a new hero whose stakes have been triggered by the events of the previous three films.

Cast: Jeremy Renner, Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton Blade: Trinity WB | 7:29pm Blade, now a wanted man by the FBI, must join forces with the Nightstalkers to face his most challenging enemy yet: Dracula.

Cast: Wesley Snipes, Kris Kristofferson, Parker Posey

n Showtime Desk Earlier this year, Dhallywood starlet Bidya Sinha Saha Mim paired up with Tollywood star Soham Chakraborty for the movie Black. This Indo-Bangla production is close to wrapping up the shoot, after completing filming a few final songs this month.

The shoot was initially planned to take place in Srilanka but due to the recent political unrest in the island country, the film’s production team shifted the location

Owned set to perform for Radio Shadhin

n Showtime Desk Owned is an experimental band based in Dhaka. The Seattle grunge scene from the 90s heavily influences the band’s music. Owned’s current lineup includes: Ratul (bass / vocals), Fasih (guitars), Samee (drums), Pritom (guitar) and Samiul (keyboard). Their first album 1 was released for free download in 2014 and the band has been jet setting milestones ever since.

Fans have claimed that they “owned” the recent Rocknation 2015 concert with their fierce stage presence and possibly the best set list of the night.

Catch this amazing new rock band play acoustic sets of their hits and some great covers, all of this week on Radio Shadhin presents Bongo Open Mic in association with Dhaka Tribune. l

to Bangkok. The duo plan to fly to the capital city on October 4 while the rest of the unit are currently waiting to join them.

Soon after, the shoot for one of the film’s songs will take place in Bangladesh, marking the film’s official wrap.

Jointly directed by Raja Chanda and Kibria Lipu, the film’s original story is penned by Raja Chanda. Black tells the story of a small-town guy Biltu (played

by Soham), who goes on to become a middleman in the underworld. Biltu tries to

avoid a girl (played by Bidya), who is in love with him, because he knows how uncertain and dangerous his life is. But destiny, it seems, has other plans.

Bangladeshi actors Amit Hassan and Dwiti are also part of this project. Amit plays a police officer in a negative role and Dwiti plays the wife of a police officer played

by Kharaj Mukherjee. Jeet Gannguli and Indraadip Das Gupta will be preparing the film’s musical score. l

PC’s Quantico n Mahmood Hossain ABC’s primetime show Quantico is a huge hit, and it’s not just because of its star Priyanka Chopra. Does it help to have a well known Bollywood actor as your lead? Of course it does. However, it was pleasantly surprising that Priyanka hadn’t overshadowed her co-stars. It’s like a captain of a football team taking the pitch, knowing he will lead but it in order to win, the entire team has to work as a unit.

Quantico, in a way, is going head to head with a similar show called Blindspot.

The plus side or the advantage of Quantico is its cast. There’s a decent variety of characters with various backgrounds that the show is waiting to explore. And that’s a win/win for the showrunners. Although, at first you might find it strange watching Priyanka speaking only in English and not hitting up an item number.

Priyanka was even heard in an interview she misses the song and dance.

Thankfully, there’s not a single lick of Bollywood in this show. Piggy Chops plays as an FBI recruit Alex Parrish who ends up being the FBI’s most wanted by the end of the premiere episode. Don’t worry, that wasn’t a spoiler. It’ll take an entire season or more to prove Alex’s innocence. The plot might not be as original as we’d like it, but a different take on a spy thriller is

always a nice little welcome.

Fortunately, there isn’t the slightest cheesy element on this show. No overdone one-liners or cliche situations. In fact, the audience is treated to a major twist in the first episode. Nowadays, more and more shows are doing plenty to shock the crowd. Quantico catches you off guard a few times, but nothing that will make your head spin. It’s keeping a solid pace going into its new episodes, which is a good thing.

The show’s supporting cast, Josh Hopkins (Liam O’Connor), Aunjanue Ellis (Miranda Shaw), Jake McLaughlin (Ryan Booth), Yasmine Al Massri (Nimah Amin), Johanna Braddy (Shelby Wyatt), and many more have made quite the impression on the show. Each individual has been given many layers for the audience to keep guessing and pondering about their mysterious beginnings. The exotic appeal of Priyanka and gang will have viewers coming back for more. l

Eragon Star Movies | 9:30pm In his homeland of Alagaesia, a farm boy happens upon a dragon’s egg -- a discovery that leads him on a predestined journey where he realizes he’s the one person who can defend his home against an evil king.

Cast: Ed Speleers, Sienna Guillory, Jeremy Irons Champions Z Studio | 7:50pm Millions across the world compete for the honour of representing their favourite sport for the Olympics Games. Zhang Feng and Bao embark on a journey that tests their will, skill and spirit to the limit.

Cast: Dicky Cheung, Miu Tse, Priscilla Wong, Debbie Goh

Pirates of the Caribbean: on Stranger Tides HBO | 11:22pm Jack Sparrow and Barbossa embark on a quest to find the elusive fountain of youth, only to discover that Blackbeard and his daughter are after it too.

Cast: Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Ian McShane

DT

32 BACK PAGE

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2015

NAWAZ URGES INDIA TO 2,000 ACRES SELECTED MIM, SOHAM TO FORMALISE KASHMIR TRUCE PAGE 8 FOR JAPAN SEZ PAGE 20 WRAP UP BLACK

PAGE 31

Diesel-run buses charging extra fares n Shohel Mamun Yesterday was the first day after new fares of CNG-run buses came into effect in Dhaka.

But already passengers are alleging that diesel-run buses are also charging them higher fares without any reason and notice.

Until yesterday, almost none of the intra-Dhaka transport companies put up farecharts – which are mandatory – in their vehicles.

Debashish Nag, an executive magistrate of Bangladesh Road Transport Authority, said that he had fined three buses for collecting excess fare without having fare-charts.

However, there is no reason for those vehicles that run on fuel oil to raise fares.

Transport company Dhaka Paribahan that operates on the Dhaka-Gazipur route, has 55 minibuses, of which only 20 are powered by CNG; the rest are all diesel powered.

Yesterday, regular passengers who use Dhaka Paribahan’s buses found out that the company had raised the fare for Dhaka-Gazipur by Tk5 for all its vehicles. Until Wednesday, the fare was Tk50; yesterday, the passengers were charged Tk55, that too without any notice.

Azizul, driver of a Dhaka Paribahan bus, said: “The owners decided to implement the new fare. So, we are following their decision.” l

The Palestinian flag flies for the first time at the United Nations headquarters after it was raised in a ceremony on Tuesday in New York City. Following remarks

by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the flag was raised in the rose garden at 1pm local time in front of a large crowd of diplomats, reporters and Palestinian supporters AFP

Body to negotiate home loan for public servants n Asif Showkat Kallol

The government has recently formed a committee tasked with recommending the modalities under which government employees can avail home loan from state-run and private commercial banks.

The body, named “Loan Negotiation Committee,” has been formed following special directives from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Earlier, the national pay commission, which recommended pay hikes for public servants, and a secretarial committee, which reviewed the commission’s proposals for the recently approved 8th pay scale, both said government employees should be able to avail home loans from commercial banks at rates fixed by the Bangladesh Bank.

On Tuesday, Subbrata Sikder, senior assistance secretary to the Housing and Public Works Ministry, issued a circular regarding the formation of the five-member committee.

The committee is led by GM Jainal Abedin Bhuiyan, chairman of Rajuk. The other members are member (administration) of the National Housing Authority, a joint secretary of the ministry, director (finance) of Rajuk and a deputy secretary to the Finance Ministry.

As the name suggests, the committee will negotiate with the state-run and private com-

mercial banks about how the government employees could avail home loans and submit a report in 15 days.

An official of the government’s Finance Division said the Public Works Ministry will try to fix a flat 12% interest rate for home loans which is thought to be viable for the government employees.

However, the entire process of formulating a guideline in this regard and installing a monitoring process so that loans are not misused will take two to three years, the official said.

According to the ministry circular, the committee will develop a scheme to bring funds from commercial banks for the 2.1 million civil servants and how local private sector real state developers can relate to the larger loan projects.

At present, the rate of interest for home loans from private commercial banks varies between 10.75% to 14%.

Under existing banking rules, personal home loans could be of Tk10 lakh to Tk1 crore depending on the income of the applicant.

Another official of the Finance Division said requesting anonymity: “A huge sum of money is lying idle with the commercial banks. A proper use could be funding the buying of flats of 2.1 million public servants.”

According to Bangladesh Bank data, the surplus liquidity in the country’s banking system stood at Tk152,900 crore at the end of August this year.

The Dhaka Tribune has learned that the government wants to be the guarantor of home loans taken by its employees.

But under existing arrangements, an organisation cannot be the guarantor of a personal loan; only another individual can give the guarantee.

However, government officials said this problem can be overcome if the commercial banks provide the funding as project loans, which can then be disbursed among employees as home loans.

Currently, public servants can avail a highest Tk1.2 lakh loan at 10% interest for residential purposes. This should be equivalent to 36 months’ basic pay of a government employee but cannot be more than Tk1.2 lakh.

The government keeps a separate allocation in the annual budget every year for this purpose.

One of the recommendations of the secretarial committee, that recently reviewed the pay commission’s proposals, was to provide additional financial facilities to civil servants willing to purchase apartments outside the metropolitan cities. l

Three upazila chairmen suspended n Tribune Report

The government yesterday suspended Naikkhyangchhari upazila chairman Tofail Ahmed, also a leader of Jamaat-e-Islami, for his alleged involvement in the 2012 communal attack on Buddhists in Cox’s Bazar.

The two other upazila chairmen are Abul Kalam of Ali Kadam in Bandarban and Manju Mridha of Mymensingh’s Dhobaura upazila.

The Local Government Division sent the suspension orders of Tofail and Kalam last evening and the one involving Manju on Wednesday.

Tofail has been suspended as a case filed against him and other accused in connection with the attacks on Buddhist temples and houses was accepted by a court, the order says. Victims allege that Tofail masterminded the attacks.

It, however, did not mention the reason behind Kalam’s suspension. Kalam faces several cases including the one filed for torching the Awami League office at Ali Kadam.

On the other hand, Manju, a former Awami League leader, has been suspended after several cases against him were accepted by a court.

Majnu’s party membership was revoked after he contested the upazila polls against party support and won the election as an independent candidate. l

Editor: Zafar Sobhan, Published and Printed by Kazi Anis Ahmed on behalf of 2A Media Limited at Dainik Shakaler Khabar Publications Limited, 153/7, Tejgaon Industrial Area, Dhaka-1208. Editorial, News & Commercial Office: FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka 1207. Phone: 9132093-94, Advertising: 9132155, Circulation: 9132282, Fax: News-9132192, e-mail: news@dhakatribune.com, info@dhakatribune.com, Website: www.dhakatribune.com