10 Oct, 2015

SECOND EDITION

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2015

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Ashwin 23, 1422, Zilhaj 23, 1436

JMB SUSPECTED FOR EXPDB CHIEF MURDER PAGE 3

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Regd No DA 6238, Vol 3, No 172

FORMER BASIC BOSS ABUSED GOOD TERMS WITH PMO PAGE 15

www.dhakatribune.com | 32 pages | Price: Tk10

BLATTER FACES FIFA SUSPENSION PAGE 32

Myanmar separatists seek ransom for missing tourist, guide in Bandarban n Our Correspondent, Bandarban An armed separatist rebel group of Myanmar has demanded Tk50 lakh ransom for the two tourists and their guide who went missing in Bandarban on Saturday.

Yesterday, Passing Mro, brother of the missing guide Mangsai Mro, told the Dhaka Tribune that the local commander of the Arakan Liberation Party (ALP) had called him and asked for the ransom.

On Saturday afternoon, Munna, 35, and Zubayer, 28, both residents of Dhaka’s Mir-

pur, and their guide Mangsai went missing in the Raikkhong Pukur Para in Ruma upazila of the hill district.

Local sources said a 10-member armed team of ALP, clad in uniforms similar to that of the Bangladesh Army, abducted the three and took them to their den in the deep remote forest near the Myanmar border.

Citing intelligence sources, Ruma upazila Executive Officer Kazi Mohammad Chahel Tasturi said the two tourists and their guide are alive.

He, however, said he does not know

anything about the ransom demand from the Myanmar separatists.

After the news of their alleged abduction came in the media, a joint security force launched a massive drive in the area to rescue them.

Munna and Zubayer went to the hill station on vacation on September 28. They took Mangsai with them as a guide for a trekking trip to the popular tourist spot Boga Lake.

Sources said that it is mandatory for tourists to report to the local police station before entering the Ruma area. But the two tourists

did not do that; as a result, the local police station does not have information on them.

They were three of the five people abducted this week in Bandarban, one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country.

The other two are businessmen from Ali Kadam who were kidnapped by criminals.

They, however, were released on Monday in exchange of a ransom.

Seeking anonymity, a local businessman said the spree of abductions has brought tourism in the district to a standstill as people are now scared to go there. l

‘Mysterious girl on US-Bangla aircraft innocent’ Jamil Khan n Mohammad and Ishtiaq Hosain

The jail headquarters also asked the top officials of the 68 jails to perform their duties properly.

Jail sources said that the country’s jails currently have nearly 400 militant inmates.

Jailer Nesar Alam of the Dhaka Central Jail told the Dhaka Tribune: “We always remain alert on the militant issue. A number of top militant leaders are now in jail, mostly at Kashimpur High Security Jail and Rajshahi Central Jail.”

Subrata Kumar Bala, jail super of Kashimpur jail, told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday that

The veiled girl, who boarded a Chittagong-bound aircraft of US-Bangla on Tuesday night without necessary papers, is innocent and has no militant link, according to airport staff and law enforcement agencies.

Samia Islam, 22, a second year student of computer science department at East-West University, boarded the flight after a brawl with her parents, officials said. Hailing from Comilla, she used to live with her parents in the capital.

“We along with other intelligence officials interrogated the girl and her family members for a long period but did not find anything suspicious,” Alamgir Hossain, senior assistant superintendent of the Armed Police Battalion, told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

“She was also frisked but we found nothing. She even did not have money. Actually, she was angry with her parents for forcing her to take computer science though she liked fine arts. She had an altercation with her mother after which she left home and boarded the plane,” he said.

It was the duty of the aircraft officials at the Dhaka airport to check her boarding pass, he added.

Asked why the flight officials had failed

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An aerial view of Dhaka Central Jail

High alert at country’s jails n Mohammad Jamil Khan The jail authorities have issued a high alert at all the 68 jails of the country, especially those having militant inmates, apparently in the face of murder of two foreign nationals and arrest of several militant leaders.

The officials concerned were asked to check national identity card of every visitor and not to allow anyone if they do not have blood relation with the inmates, according to sources in the Home Ministry.

When contacted, Brig Gen Syed Iftekhar Uddin, the inspector general of prisons, told

PAGE 2 Husband kills wife, stepson in Keraniganj

the Dhaka Tribune yesterday that they had intelligence information about possible terror attack in November aimed at destabilising the nation.

“So we have asked the jail officials to follow some instructions,” he said.

“We will give special attention on the areas surrounding the jails to avoid any unwanted situation,” the official added.

As intelligence agencies pointed fingers at militant outfits and extremist groups for the deaths of the two foreign nationals, the government decided to deploy additional law enforcers at the jails and also to increase patrol.

PAGE 3 Italy to carry Tavella back to his homeland

PAGE 4 Woman missing afgter alleged harasment by Ansar men at JU

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

PAGE 5 Medical admission seekers stage sit-in

PAGE 8 MSF deems Kunduz air strike war crime

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2015

Sheikh Hasina: No one can destabilise Bangladesh n Tribune Report

Claiming that a vested quarter is behind the recent killing of two foreign nationals, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina affirmed that no one would be able to destabilise the country by carrying out such acts.

“Bangladesh has consolidated its position on the international stage in such a way that no one will be able to destabilise the country with such incidents,” she said while addressing the inaugural function of the newly-built academic building (Sheikh Hasina Complex) of Defence Services Command and Staff College at its auditorium in Mirpur Cantonment.

The prime minister also urged all, including the members of the Armed Forces, to remain alert so that no one would be able to deter the country’s pace of development.

Referring to the recent killings of two foreign nationals, Hasina said: “We have already condemned the killing and taken steps to hunt down those involved in the incidents and ensure their punishment.”

The prime minister said whenever Bangladesh achieves something and is internationally acclaimed, such incident is unleashed to tarnish the country’s image.

Mentioning that the country has to tackle terrorism, militancy and conspiracy every now and then, Hasina said: “We have to

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurates residential flats for the families of martyred and deceased armed forces officers at Mirpur DOHS in Dhaka yesterday PMO spend energy and working hours on tackling conspiracies… if we did not have to do that, it would be possible to achieve more development and prosperity.”

Due to the addition of new dimension to the present global security situation, the prime minister said the role and scope of duty of the Armed Forces has increased a lot. “So, in the changing context, necessary revision

Husband kills wife and stepson in Keraniganj n Kamrul Hasan A man hacked his wife and strangled his stepson in the Keraniganj upazila of Dhaka early yesterday.

The deceased are Shahera Begum, 35, and her 8-year-old son Foysal. Shahera’s daughter Jannatul Mawa was also injured in the attack.

Locals said Ishak Miah, 35, son of Amjad Hawlader, a resident of Noarda village in Naria upazila of Shariatpur district, used to reside at Najurganj village in South Keraniganj upazila with his wife and step-children.

According to the locals, Shahera remarried Ishak after her first husband died years ago.

They were heard arguing frequently.

Jannat’s aunt Jahanara told the Dhaka Tribune: “Ishak remarried another woman 15

days ago. Following a quarrel over the matter, Ishak attacked his wife and step-children around 1:30am. He hacked his wife and strangled his stepson to death on the spot.”

He also injured his step-daughter, she said, adding that locals rushed the injured Jannat to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for treatment.

Hearing the noise, locals caught Ishak and handed him over to police. He is now in police custody, said police officials.

Confirming the matter, the Keraniganj Model police station officer-in-charge (OC) said the bodies were sent to Mitford Hospital for autopsy.

A case was filed with the police station by Shahera’s deceased sister Piyara Begum yesterday afternoon, he added. l

Strike observed at CHT institutions n Tribune Report Pahari Chhatra Parishad, an indigenous student organisation backed by Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti, yesterday observed strike at the schools and colleges of the Chittagong Hill Tracts demanding quick implementation of the 1997 Peace Accord.

The strike was enforced in Rangamati, Kha-

grachhari and Bandarban as part of the non-cooperation movement launched by PCJSS. PCJSS Spokesperson Sajib Chakma said that the PCP activists also held processions and rallies in Dhaka, Rajshahi and Chittagong urging the government to declare a timeline for materialising the Peace Accord.

No untoward incidents were reported during the strike, he said. l

and addition of newer subjects to the academic and training programmes of the Armed Forces are needed.”

At the function, keys to some 74 flats at Mirpur DOHS were handed over to the families of 68 martyred members of armed forces at 2009 Peelkhana Carnage, martyred members of UN peace keeping missions and that of those killed in other accidents. l

MP Liton faces another case n Our Correspondent, Gaibandha The fugitive ruling party lawmaker from Gaibandha, who hit the headlines by shooting an eight-year-old schoolboy on Friday, has been sued for vandalism and looting at a house later in the day.

Hafizur Rahman of Uttor Shahbaz village under Sundarganj upazila filed the case against MP Manjurul Islam Liton and nine others on Tuesday night. The matter came to light yesterday.

The case says the lawmaker and his men vandalised the house of Hafiz on Friday night and looted valuables.

According to the plaintiff and local police sources, Liton and his accomplices made the attack on a trivial matter. First the MP fired two blank shots to create panic, and then his followers vandalised the house and took the tin-sheets and other valuables to the cold storage owned by the lawmaker and a nearby house.

The Gaibandha deputy commissioner was informed about the matter over the phone.

Upon his directives, UNO Abdul Hye Milton went to the spot on Saturday to investigate the incident. The officials then returned Hafizur his belongings.

The district administration has already scrapped the licences of MP Liton’s private arms for using those illegally on several occasions.

The prime minister and the home minister have said that the lawmaker, now on the run, will have to face legal action for injuring schoolboy Sourov, allegedly under the influence of alcohol. l

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Mysterious girl on US-Bangla aircraft to identify the girl, ASP Alamgir said: “The aircraft officials informed us that they had a tight schedule in the evening when a huge number of flights leave the airport.”

The incident created much hype on Tuesday evening after a passenger of the flight shared a post on Facebook about the presence of a suspicious girl. The passenger said that others on board the plane were also panicked after discovering the girl in the passenger row. They also questioned security system at the airport and criticised the private carrier.

The aircraft was scheduled to leave for Chittagong. But at the eleventh hour, the of-

ficials found that there were 72 passengers instead of 71, Kamrul Islam, deputy general manager of public relation at US-Bangla, told the Dhaka Tribune.

“Then we asked the passengers to show their boarding passes and found that one girl could not show hers. Later, we handed her over to the law enforcers.

“The flight was delayed by around half an hour. We settled the issue successfully,” he added.

Dhaka Tribune could not reach Wing Commander Zakir Hossain, the director of Civil Aviation Authority at the airport, despite repeated attempts. l

High alert at country’s jails they had beefed up security measures a couple of days ago with special concentration on the cells having militant leaders.

Rajshahi Jailer Shahadat Hossain also said that they had increased vigilance on the militant inmates.

However, several law enforcement agency sources said that earlier the jail authorities had failed to prevent the top militant inmates from holding meetings inside the Kashimpur jail, using phones and internet, and meeting their leaders outside jail.

The detective branch of police last year arrested 107 members of different militant outfits and 38 in the first five months of the current year.

Based on information given by the arrestees, the police said the militant outfits were working together since last year to wage armed revolution with a view to uprooting the government and establish an Islamic state. The militants were also desperate to free their top leaders from jail or snatch them from the prison vans, the DB officials said.

Investigators dealing with militant cases also found that the militant inmates had held meetings inside the jail before the three leaders of JMB were snatched from Trishal last year.

DB Joint Commissioner Monirul Islam said that they had alerted the jail authorities of possible subversive acts by the militants. l

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2015

JMB suspected for ex-PDB chairman murder n Mohammad Jamil Khan Two days after the slaughtering of a former PDB chairman and having not arrested anyone, investigators now suspect that banned militant outfit JMB might be behind the murder.

They say Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) might have targetted victim Khijir Khan, who is known as a pir or spiritual leader and for his liberal views about religion.

However, investigators, who are yet to make any major breakthrough in the murder mystery, are also trying to find out if Khijir had any personal or professional enmity with anyone.

The thought that JMB could be involved came up because of the similarities that this murder has with the previous murders of television presenter Faruqi and another spiritual leader Lutfar Rahman Faruk – both of whom were known for their liberal views about Islam.

Badda police station Sub-Inspector Aminul Islam, who is investigating the murder case filed by Khijir’s son Ashafrul Islam Ahmedullah, yesterday visited the crime scene and talked to the local residents and the victim’s family but has not found any significant leads.

“We have talked a number of followers of Khijir but have not found any history of his enmity with anyone. Now, primarily, we are giving maximum priority to the issue that Khijir’s religious ideologies and the fact that he ran a khanqah sharif of his own could have angered religious fanatics,” said SI Aminul Islam.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP)’s Detective Branch (DB) and the a team of RAB are assisting Badda police in the investigation.

Lt Col Abul Kalam Azad, director of the RAB intelligence wing, said: “The elite force is conducting a shadow investigation, giving priority to possible involvement of militants.

There were involvement of militants in similar crimes in the past. However, we are also keeping some other issues in mind.”

Khijir – a former chairman of the Power Development Board (PDB), a freedom fighter, president of the Kushtia District Association, and a local religious preacher – was found murdered at his home in Dhaka’s Middle Badda on Monday night.

Assailants locked his family up in a room before slaughtering him in his khanqah sharif – a meeting place located in his house where he used to discuss religion with his followers.

His son Ahmedullah has given a description of the killers and the investigators are now trying to find out if that matched with the records of the JMB members that police have.

Khijir’s dead body was buried beside his father’s grave at their village home in Daulatpur of Kushita yesterday. l

Italy to carry Tavella back to his homeland n Kamrul Hasan The Italian Embassy has said it would receive the body of Cesare Tavella within the next few days and make necessary arrangements to carry the body back to Italy.

“The Italian Embassy informed that they will take Tavella’s body within a few days after completing all formalities regarding receiving the body,” said Mafuzul Islam, additional deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police Detective Branch (North Zone).

The process may take two to three days as the embassy would also have to arrange an aircraft to carry Tavella’s body, he told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

The body of Tavella, an Italian citizen who was gunned down in the Gulshan diplomatic zone on September 28, has been kept at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital since September 29, according to police sources.

Meanwhile, Mahbub Alam, the DB official heading the Tavella murder investigation, has told the Dhaka Tribune that the law enforcement agency would seek assistance from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation to help solve the case.

Mahbub, the deputy commissioner for the DB’s east zone, said a meeting would soon be held to decide what sort of help should be sought from the FBI. Even though the police have looked through CCTV camera footages from near the crime scene, all they have found so far are low-quality images. Cameras in the area also failed to capture any significant clue as most of the devices were used to cover building premises only, said sources in the DMP. One of the possible leads from the footages was the image of three people riding a bike together; however, officials said it was also possible that they were not the suspects as one of the killers was allegedly on his feet during the shooting.

On the evening of September 28, three unidentified assailants shot and killed Tavella as he was returning to his home.

Later, the country representative of ICCO, the Netherlands-based organisation where Tavella worked, filed a murder case with Gulshan police station.

Although 10 days have passed since the killing, investigators have neither made any significant progress in the case nor made any arrest. l

A rickshaw-puller reads a banner that some leftist groups have hung at the locked front gate of DU arts building as they observe a strike yesterday SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

Four JMB militants remanded, five cases filed n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong The four members of banned militant outfit Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh detained on Monday were placed on 15-day remand yesterday in separate cases.

Metropolitan Magistrate Abdul Quader passed the order when they were produced before it, Additional Deputy Commissioner (prosecution) Kazi Muttaki Ibn Minan said.

Earlier in the day, DB Sub-Inspector Altaf Hossain lodged the three cases with Karnaphuli police under Arms Act, Explosives Act and Anti-Terrorism Act. The accused are JMB’s Chittagong unit second-in-command Bulbul Ahmed Sarker alias Apel alias Fuad alias Mehedi alias Rocky, operational leader Md Sujon alias Babu, Rocky’s uncle-in-law Shah Jahan alias Kajol and Mahbubur Rahman alias Khokon.

Moreover, JMB’s Chittagong unit commander Fardin and another Gias were sued in the explosives and anti-terrorism cases alongside the four arrestees.

Of them, Sujon yesterday gave confessional statement before the magistrate in a

case filed with Bayezid police in connection with the murder of Pir Nengta Fakir and his disciple Abdul Quader on September 4, ADC Minan said.

Sujon previously told the police that he had killed the duo over differences in religious ideology.

Meanwhile, the detective branch of police yesterday lodged two more cases with Bayezid police in the afternoon for obstruction in police drive and use of explosives.

Unidentified people were sued in the cases lodged in connection with the death of arrested JMB leader Towfiqul Islam alias Javed in grenade explosion during a drive in Oxygen area of the city early Tuesday.

The DB men on Monday evening nabbed the four with possession with nine grenades, a foreign pistol, huge number of ammunition, a number of lethal arms explosive producing materials.

After that, the law enforcers conducted another drive in Ananya Residential area to recover more explosives following information given by Javed, the alleged chief of JMB’s Chittagong explosive wing. l

PM inaugurates three new power plants today n Aminur Rahman Rasel Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will formally inaugurate three gas-based power plants that will add 476 MW to the national grid, via videoconference from her residence today.

The three new power plants in Ashuganj are a 51 MW unit built by an independent power producer (IPP), a 200 MW unit built by a public-private partnership (PPP) and a 225 MW unit built by a state-owned company.

“The power plants began commercial power generation a few months ago. The PM will now formally inaugurate them,” AMM Sazzadur Rahman, acting managing director of state-owned Ashuganj Power Station Company Limited (APSCL), told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

The three plants have already added 390 MW of electricity to the national grid. The remaining 86 MW will be added within three months, he said.

The Power Development Board buys electricity from the IPP plant at Tk2.02, from the PPP plant at Tk3.49 and from the state-owned company at Tk2.03 per unit, he said.

APSCL invested Tk2,116 crore to set up the publicly owned 225 MW power plant.

United Group and APSCL constructed the 200 MW modular power project under a joint venture initiative. United Group borrowed Tk1,008 crore in loans to set up the project that requires an investment of Tk1,326 crore.

Privately-owned Midland Power Company Limited invested Tk300 crore to build their 51 MW power plant.

The government aims to generate 20,000 MW of electricity as part of its target of supplying power to every citizen by 2021.

On July 20, 2013, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the construction of five power plants funded by local and foreign, private and public investment. l

N’GANJ 7-MURDER

Court orders publishing ad asking absconding accused to surrender n Our Correspondent, Narayanganj A magistrate court in Narayanganj has asked authorities to publish an advert asking the absconding accused of the seven-murder to surrender.

Yesterday, the court of Narayanganj Senior Judicial Magistrate HM Shafiqul Islam also rejected a bail plea from one of the prime accused Lt Col Tarek Sayeed, dismissed commander of RAB 11.

Following yesterday’s hearing, the court will resume on November 9. On that date, the authorities will have to produce a copy of the advert and then the case would be transferred to a judge’s court for beginning formal trial.

During yesterday’s proceedings, Lance Corporal Ruhul Amin applied for the withdrawal of the confessional statement that he had given earlier under section 164 of the penal code. He said he had not been able to appoint a lawyer from Narayanganj.

“The court rejected Tarek Sayeed’s bail plea because he is the prime suspect. His name has come up many times in confessional statements,” said Fazlur Rahman, additional public prosecutor of Narayanganj. l

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2015

Woman missing after alleged harassment by two Ansar men at JU n JU Correspondent A female visitor to the Jahangirnagar University has allegedly been missing since Tuesday night after two Ansar members reportedly harassed her for entering the campus.

Her boyfriend, Kanak, said the Ansar members, Jahurul and Jamal, also attacked him and snatched his wallet and mobile phone.

The attack took place around 10:30pm on Tuesday near the university’s Selim Al Deen Amphitheatre, sources said.

Kanak said he and girlfriend, both RMG workers who live in Savar, were sitting beside the amphitheatre when Jahurul and Jamal, who were on security duty, challenged them for staying inside the campus at night.

When Kanak took out his phone to call his friend Abdullah Al Mamun, a student of philosophy at JU, they snatched his phone. They also took away his wallet and then his girlfriend’s phone, he said. Then they took away his girlfriend.

Waiting for them to return, Kanak called Mamum after a while and they, along with some friends, searched the area but in vain.

Then they went to the local Ansar platoon commander Liton Miah. Hearing the description of the two Ansar men from Kanak, Liton summoned Jahurul and Jamal and asked them about the woman’s whereabouts, but both the Ansars denied Kanak’s allegation.

Enraged, Mamun and his friends grabbed the Ansar duo and beat them up, witnesses said.

Uncertainty looms over Jagannath University admission test n Tribune Report Uncertainty has surfaced over Jagannath University’s (JnU’s) B Unit admission test, as the university’s teachers have decided not to participate in the exam to be held tomorrow.

The teachers held a meeting with JnU Vice Chancellor Mizanur Rahman yesterday, where the VC requested them to take part in the admission test, but they have decided otherwise.

“We have chosen to reject Friday’s exam, and have informed the vice chancellor of the issue. It is now left to the university authorities to decide whether or not to hold the exam,” said Ali Nur, president of the Jagannath University Teachers Association (JUTA).

This year, 185,079 aspirants have applied to take the first year’s honours examination at JnU. Among them, 40,634 candidates are set to take part in the B Unit exam of JnU. When asked, the VC told the Dhaka Tribune the university administration has not suspended its exam.

“There will be an urgent academic council

meeting at 10am today,” he said.

Earlier on Tuesday, teachers from the country’s 37 public universities, under the banner of Federation of Bangladesh University Teachers’ Associations (FBUTA), threatened to stop working from November 1 if their demand for a separate pay scale is not met.

Public university teachers have been protesting the Eighth National Pay Scale since May 14, advocating a four-point charter of demands that include the formation of a commission to initiate an independent pay scale for public university teachers.

Their other demands are salary and allowance parity between senior professors and secretaries, and between professors and additional secretaries; upgrading the status of teachers in the warrant of precedence; and the provision of caxrs and other allowances for teachers, similar to provisions given to bureaucrats.

Meanwhile, FBUTA yesterday evening suspended the JUTA for acting without the FBUTA’s authorisation when JUTA decided to not participate in the JnU entrance examination. l

14-party: Khaeda’s London visit linked to murders of foreigners n Abu Hayat Mahmud Leaders of the ruling 14-party alliance yesterday said Khaleda Zia’s visit to London seemed to have a link to the murders of two foreign nationals.

Terming Khaleda’s visit to London mysterious they said her tour was a part of conspiracy against the government.

The ruling alliance leaders demanded BNP Chief Khaleda Zia’s London visit be investigated along with Jamaat’s link to the foreign nationals’ killings.

They made the demand while addressing a discussion marking the 39th founding anniversary of Gono Azadi League at the National Press Club yesterday.

The programme was chaired by Gono Aza-

di League General Secretary SA Sikdar.

Something bad befell the country whenever Khaleda Zia went abroad in the past. The recent foreigners’ killings are no different too,” said Health Minister and Awami League Presidium Member Mohammad Nasim.

Nasim called Khaleda’s eldest son and BNP Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman the principle architect of the grenade attack on August 21, 2004.

“So it must be investigated if there is any connection between Khaleda’s meeting with Tarique in London and killings of foreigners,” he demanded.

Nasim, also spokesperson of the 14-party alliance, said the BNP’s stand is crystal clear: the BNP speaks for Liberation War, but it’s always depended on anti-Liberation Jamaat. l

Jahurul and Jamal were later taken to the university’s medical centre for treatment.

They were also suspended from duty.

Platoon Commander Liton said Jahurul and Jamal were supposed to be on duty in front of Mir Mosharraf Hossain Hall from 10pm, and he did not know why they had gone to the amphitheatre area.

Kanak went to the university’s proctor’s office and submitted a written complaint in this regard.

JU Assistant Proctor Sikder Md Zulkernaine said upon receiving the complaint, when the proctor’s office interrogated the security personnel on campus, the security guards at the university’s main entrance confirmed that the woman had left the university area.

However, Kanak’s friend Mamun told the Dhaka Tribune that neither Kanak nor the friends had been able to reach the woman.

The friends said the woman lived by herself in Savar, and they had not been able to contact her family as well.

Assistant Proctor Zulkernaine said: “We have not been able to communicate with the woman as well, but we have taken this incident with all due seriousness. This will be investigated and necessary steps will be taken after the investigation is finished.”

When this report was filed yesterday evening, there had been no word yet about his girlfriend’s whereabouts, Kanak told the Dhaka Tribune. Police has not been notified of the incident either, sources said. l

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2015

12 protesters injured in police attack

Case filed against 7 over deaths of 3 newborns

n Tribune Report

n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu

At least 12 protesters were injured yesterday in the capital’s Karwan Bazar as police charged truncheons on them while they were heading towards health directorate to submit a memorandum seeking cancellation of medical admission tests for question paper leak out and retake of the tests.

Minister: Any undue demand of the medical seekers will not be accepted. The protesters are creating chaos taking position in the street Progotisheel Chhatro Jote and Samrajjoabad Birodhi Chhatro Oikkya locked the main gate of Arts Faculty, Curzon Hall, Department of Sociology from 10am to 1pm as the organisations declared countrywide students’ strike.

The students of different university boycotted the classes.

Along with University of Dhaka (DU), Dhaka Medical College (DMC) and numerous educational institutions marched with the programme.

The students of DU, Jagannath University, University of Chittagong, Jahangirnagar University, University of Rajshahi, Begum Rokeya University boycotted the classes

showed their solidarity and joined them in the protest at Shahbagh, said the protesters.

Breaking police barricade in front of central public library, the protesters blocked Shahbagh intersection to press home their demands amid a student strike underway at educational intuitions.

They continued blocking Shahbagh intersection around 2pm and then tried to march towards the health directorate at Mohakhali.

Police obstructed a portion of the protesters and others managed to proceed to Karwan Bazar.

Police charge truncheons on a guardian while medical college aspirants and guardians take position in the capital’s Karwan Bazar area while holding a protest procession against question paper leakage in the medical admission tests yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

Police to bring back Rajon killer Kamrul n Our Correspondent, Sylhet Three senior police officials are due to fly to Saudi Arabia soon for bringing back Kamrul Islam, the key suspect in the homicide of 13-year-old Sheikh Samiul Alam Rajon.

One of the officials set to make the trip, Sylhet Metropolitan Police Additional Deputy Commissioner (media) Rahmat Ullah, told the Dhaka Tribune that the Police Headquarters has already issued directives on this regard.

Even though they were yet to receive the necessary visa documents, Rahmat Ullah said a date for their visit would be fixed within the next couple of days. The Interpol and the Saudi police authorities would help in Kamrul’s extradition, he added.

The other two law enforcers also going to Saudi Arabia are Police Headquarters’ Additional Superintendent of Police Mahbubul Karim and Senior Assistant Superintendent of Police AFM Nizam Uddin.

Earlier in the first week of September, State Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam said Kamrul would be brought back to the country within two weeks as the Royal court of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia had approved his deportation.

The Sylhet Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court yesterday recorded witness submission for the third day in the Rajon murder case. Four witnesses – Ishtiaq Ahmed Chowdhury, Ruhul Amin Pinky, UP member Abduj Jahir and Nizam Uddin – testified before the court yesterday. l

Ex-MP’s daughter-inlaw killed

MCQ questions to be slashed

The daughter-in-law of a former Khulna lawmaker was found dead with a gunshot wound in her own house yesterday.

The 30-year-old woman named Lipi, the daughter-in-law of Khulna 4 ex-MP Mollah Jalal, was found dead in her house near Khulna city’s South Central Road.

Sheikh Moniruzzaman Mithhu, spokesperson for the Khulna Metropolitan Police, said the police were trying to find out how Lipi was shot. The victim’s husband is currently in Mecca, where he went to perform Hajj.

As of filing this report at 10:30pm, the police had the house cordoned off. l

The marks allocated for multiple-choice questions (MCQ) will decline in the SSC and the HSC examinations from 2017, the government has decided.

Ten marks would be cut from the existing 40- or 35-mark sets of MCQ, which would then be distributed among the creative section of questions. The decision was made yesterday at a meeting, chaired by Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid.

The meeting also decided that from the SSC and HSC exams of 2016, the students would answer the MCQ before going on to the creative section. l

n Our Correspondent, Khulna

About retaking of medical exams, Minister for Health and Family Welfare Mohammed Nasim said: “Any undue demand of the medical seekers will not be accepted. The protesters are creating chaos taking position in the street.”

“The enrollment process of medical exams is continuing. There is no opportunity for any change,” he added.

He came up with the speech at the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FBCCI) while handing over an ambulance to the secretariat clinic. l

n Tribune Report

Police filed a case against seven people including chairman, vice-chairman and managing director of Asian Cardiac and General Hospital in connection with the deaths of three newborns at the hospital due to alleged negligence.

Sub-inspector Md Kamruzzman yesterday filed the case with Mohammadpur police station. The accused are Abul Hossain, Lutfar Rahman and Abdullah Al Ahad alias Shihab, the chairman, vice-chairman and managing director of the hospital respectively.

The other accused are Dr Shishir Ranjan Das, chief consultant of the Child Unit, Dr Aftab Uddin, medical officer, Dr Afria and manager Lyakat Ali. Of the accused, Abdullah, Shishir and Aftab are now in jail while the rest are on the run.

According to the case statement, on Friday, three children – Kakoli, Shilpi and Afrin – died at the four-storey Asian Cardiac General Hospital in Block-B of Lalmatia of the capital due to alleged negligence of the hospital authorities.

There was unrest the night before after the news of the children’s deaths spread.

The hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit ran with only one doctor who claimed to be an associate professor at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

The treatment of newborns was done by the nurses most of the time, sources said.

Being informed, local police rushed there and arrested the three accused from the spot but the others managed to escape. l

DT

6 NEWS

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2015

Couple get life term for killing

Teenaged girl abducted

A court in the district yesterday sentenced a couple to life term imprisonment in a murder case filed in 2011. According to the prosecution, Sajeda Begum of Simrail area had been married off with Harunur Rashid of Ramnagar area 10 years ago.

After two years of their marriage, Harun also married another woman named Manowara Khatun while Sajeda was mother of two children. Harun had been living with his two wives and children at a rented house in Nilida area.

On June 22, 2011, Harun and Manowara Killed her over a family feud and left the house.

On June 30, a case was filed accusing them.

On June 30,2012, police submitted charge sheet in this connection. After examining records and witnesses, Judge Altaf Hossain handed down the verdict. l

A teenaged girl was abducted from Gopalpur village under Begumganj upazila in the district yesterday.

The victim was Marjahan Akter, 14, daughter of Abul Khaer of Madhupur village. She was also a class eight student of Madhupur Dakhil Madrasa. Police quoting the locals said Marjahan was going to Madrasa as usual. On her way to the madrasa, three youths led by Azim forcefully picked up her into a CNG-run auto-rickshaw and left the scene. Azim is the son Mojibul Haque of the village.

Md Golam Farooq, officer-in-charge of Begumganj Model police station confirming the incident said that Parvin Akter Bakul, mother of the girl filed a case accusing Azim and his father. l

n Our Correspondent, Rajshahi

n Our Correspondent, Noakhali

Chittagong Hill Tracts Hill Students Council brings out a rally on Dhaka University campus demanding implementation of CHT Peace Accord yesterday SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

Road accidents take lives of 14 across country n Tribune Report At least 14 people were killed in separate road accidents across the country.

In Rajshahi, two persons were killed as their motorbike collided head-on with an ambulance in Boharampur area.

The deceased were identified as Mamunur Rashid, 44, son of Siraj of Guripara and Montu Hossain, 40, son of Mazdar of Shampur under Rajpara police station.

In Narayanganj, a motor bike rider identified as Imam Hossain, 22, died as his vehicle hit a tree after losing control. His co-rider was also injured in the road accident and he was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

Our Gaibandha correspondent reported

that two people were killed and 25 others were injured in a road accident in Kalitola area on the Dhaka-Rangpur Highway on Tuesday night. At least 14 cattle were killed in the road accident.

In Munshiganj, four people were killed and nine others injured in a road accident at Chaltipara on the Dhaka-Mawa Highway, Sirajdikhan upazila in the afternoon. The identities of the deceased could not be known immediately.

In-charge of Hasara police camp M Hasan said the accident had occurred when a Dhaka-bound bus from Mawa fell into a roadside ditch in the area as its driver lost control over the steering, leaving four passengers of the vehicle dead on the spot and nine others injured.

In Comilla, two people were killed in a

head-on collision between a tractor and a CNG-run auto rickshaw in Panchtara area, Boruda upazila.

Of the deceased, one was identified as Sukkur Alam, 30, son of Abdur Rahim, a resident of Bandegi village, Chandpur.

In Keraniganj, a farmer was killed in a road accident in Baghoir-Priyaprangon residential area on the Dhaka-Mawa Highway.

Deceased Tara Miah, 40, was a resident of Sherpur village in Mymensingh.

Sub-Inspector of Keraniganj Thana Sahadat Hossain said the accident occurred when a Mawa-bound bus hit Tara Miah in the area this noon. He died on the spot.

In Chittagong, two youths were killed in a road accident at Noyakhaler Mukh area under

Satkhania upazila of the district in the morning.

The deceased were identified as Anwar Hossain, 28, and Monwar Hossain, 23, both hailed from Mirsari Upazila of the district.

Police said the accident occurred when a Cox's Bazar-bound Shah Amin passenger bus collided head-on with a Chittagong city-bound Pickup van in front of Noyakhaler Mukh area of Chittagong Cox's Bazar Highway under Satkhania upazila that the two passengers critically injured.

Locals and police brought them to the Satkhania health complex but the attending doctors declared them dead after admission. Police seized the bus and pickup van, but the drivers and helpers of both vehicles escaped safely. l

DT

NEWS 7

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2015

College teacher sent to jail for rape n Our Correspondent, Natore

The court in the district yesterday sent a college teacher to jail after a woman filed a rape case against him.

The convict was Aktaruzzaman,45, son of late Moksed ali of Baluwa-Basowa area of Singra upazila, also the lecturer of Islamic History and Culture department of Bilhalti-Trimohoni Degree College.

Nasir Uddin Mondol, officer-in-charge of Singra police station, said Aktaruzzaman had developed relation of love affairs with a woman of Hizli village of the upazila.

On October 2, he took the woman to his relative’s house promising her marry. But, there, he raped her several times brutally. l

15 idols vandalised n Our Correspondent, Satkhira

At least 15 idols were vandalised at a temple in Ashashuni upazila in the district yesterday.

Amit Shom, president of puja committee, said the idols sculpted ahead of Durga puja, had been vandalised by unknown miscreants at night at Protapnagar Temple.

Chowdhury Manjurul Kabir, Superintendent of Police, said: “The incident was unwanted. We are trying to arrest the criminals who are involved with it.” l

Rawhide traders struggle to get fair price n Our correspondent, Magura Traders have been struggling to get fair prices for rawhide, which they bought during Eidul-Azha, as a syndicate is ruling over the skin market in Magura.

Most skin traders have yet to sell the rawhide as wholesalers are offering prices below the buying cost. Moreover, the price of the hide is increasing day by day due to the preservation cost.

According to the District Skin Hide Traders Association, about 400 people are involved in skin trading, while 10 years ago, the number was at 1,000.

Skin traders are facing tremendous struggles due to government policy. Due to huge losses every year, people are losing interest in the skin traders.

Abu Taleb, a skin trader of Nanduali area of Magura town, said every year small traders are deprived of fair prices as tannery owners dominate over the fixing of the skin price.

This year, the authorities fixed up the price of cow per square feet of hide at Tk45 to Tk50 against Tk70 to Tk75 from last year, buffalo skin at Tk30 to Tk35 against Tk35 to Tk40 last year, and goat skin at Tk20 to Tk25 against Tk30 to Tk35 last year.

Despite the government’s fixed rate, small traders have had to buy hides at higher prices.

But tannery owners are offering the government fixed rate. The government should consider the interest of small traders and re-fix the skin prices.

Muntaj Shekh, a skin trader of Notun Bazar area in Magura, told the Dhaka Tribune that before every Eid-ul-Azha, the government sanctioned loans for skin traders. Though tannery owners receive the loans, small traders are deprived of the loans.

Abul Hossen, a trader in Islampur area, said every year, skins worth about Tk2 crore are damaged in the district for want of proper processing, causing losses for traders. If the government sets up a skin processing

Kazir Bazar Bridge opens today for traffic

WEATHER

n Our Correspondent, Sylhet

SUNNY THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8 DHAKA TODAY

TOMORROW

SUN SETS 5:40PM

SUN RISES 5:53AM

FORECAST FOR TODAY 33 32 34 34 31 31 32 30

Dhaka Chittagong Rajshahi Rangpur Khulna Barisal Sylhet Cox’s Bazar

26 26 25 24 25 26 24 27

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

36.2ºC

23.2ºC

Jessore

Srimangal Source: Accuweather/UNB

A car dangerously dangles from the window of a parking lot of a multi-storey building in Paribagh area of Dhaka yesterday as the driver lost control over the wheels MEHEDI HASAN

Mystery shrouds death of minor domestic help n FM Mizanur Rahaman, Chittagong

PRAYER TIMES Fajr

4:35am

Sunrise

5:51am

Zohr

11:46am

Asr

4:01pm

Magrib

5:40pm

Esha

industry, the small traders would get fair prices.

Badrul Hasan, a skin trader of Char Dreepur in Magura, said every year during Eid ul-Azha, agents of Indian hide traders dominate the skin market, depriving genuine local traders as they offer higher prices compared to the local traders. Consequently, a good amount of skin is smuggled into India every year and local traders fail to collect the targeted skins.

“Though skin smuggling has been going on for years, the role of the law enforcing agencies is questionable,” he said.

Sonali Bank Magura branch manager Shafiqul Islam said: “We have not gotten any instructions from our senior authorities to sanction loans for skin traders during Eidul-Azha. If we get such instructions, we are ready to help the local skin traders.”

Additional Police Super Tariqul Islam said: “We are active at checking out the smuggling of skins. There is no possibility of skins being smuggled from Magura.” l

7:10pm SourceL IslamicFinder.org

Mystery has spread over the death of a minor girl whose body was recovered from in front of a residential building in Chittagong city’s Dampara area, Chawakbazar police station yesterday morning.

Deceased Munni’s detailed identity could yet to be ascertained immediately, said Sub-Inspector of Chawakbazar police station Monir Hossain.

Police detained Munni’s master Monir Ahmed, 50, a ready made garments trader, his wife Hosne Ara, 45, their daughter Monika, 20, and their son for interrogation.

Munni has been living in the area with the family for last 17 months, said the SI. A resident of the building first noticed the

body of the minor girl around 5am and informed the owner of the apartment and the owner informed the police about the matter, said SI Monir.

On information, police recovered the body and sent it to Chittagong Medical College Hospital morgue for autopsy, said SI Monir, adding that the body was bored with several injury marks.

During initial interrogation, Hosne Ara said Munni fell off from the balcony of the flat but the police official said the balcony is surrounded by iron grill.

Later, she said she had slapped the girl on Tuesday night as she ate “dirty food”.

The SI said police were looking into the matter and legislative measures would be taken in this regard. l

The much-awaited Kazir Bazar bridge will open for traffic movement today.

Additional Chief Executive Engineer of Roads and Highway Department Iftekhar Kabir told the Dhaka Tribune that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina would inaugurate the bridge for vehicular movement around 10am trough a video conference from Gonobhaban in the capital. The bridge has been constructed at a cost of Tk189 crore. The prime minister will also inaugurate construction works of Bholaganj Highway.

On December 24, 2005, M Saifur Rahman, the then finance minister, laid the foundation stone of the bridge. The initial cost of the project was estimated Tk44.64 crore, but in the last 10 years, it has risen more than four times to Tk189 crore. Kamal Associates, a Dhaka-based firm, has implemented the project.

The construction works of bridge was remained suspended during the previous caretaker government.

Apart from this, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate three power plants with a total generation capacity of 476 megawatts.

The power plants are Ashuganj 225MW Combined Cycle Power Plant, United Ashuganj 200MW Modular Power Plant and Ashiganj Midland 51MW Power Plant, said a power ministry press release.

Ashuganj 225MW Combined Cycle Power Plant is fully owned by the government and it has been constructed at a cost of Tk2,116 crore. United Ashuganj 200MW Modular Power Plant is the country’s first public-private joint venture plant which has been constructed at a cost of Tk1,326 crore.

Ashiganj Midland 51MW Power Plant is an IPP plant of VIYELLATEX Limited and Shahjibazar Power Plant and the construction cost of this plant was Tk300 crore. l

DT

8 WORLD

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2015

MSF deems Kunduz air strike war crime, calls for neutral int’l inquiry n Reuters, Geneva Medecins Sans Frontieres called on Wednesday for an independent international commission to investigate the deadly US bombing of its hospital in Kunduz in Afghanistan, which it deems a war crime.

The medical charity said that the inquiry would gather facts and evidence from the United States, Nato and Afghanistan, as well as testimony from surviving MSF staff and patients.

Only then would MSF consider whether to bring criminal charges for loss of life and partial destruction of its trauma hospital, which has left tens of thousands of Afghans without access to health care, it said.

“If we let this go, as if was a non-event, we are basically giving a blank cheque to any countries who are at war,” MSF International President Joanne Liu told a news briefing in Geneva at the charity’s headquarters.

She spoke of the chaos as the bombs fell for an hour. “Our patients burned in their beds, MSF doctors nurses, and other staff were killed as they worked. Our colleagues had to operate on each other,” she said.

The US military took responsibility on Tuesday for the air strike on Saturday that killed 22 people, including 12 MSF staff, calling it a mistake.

US Defence Secretary Ash Carter, speaking to reporters in Rome on Wednesday, said: “We are conducting a full and transparent investigation and will make the findings of that investigation known as they are found and will hold accountable anyone responsible for conduct that was improper.”

The Afghan Ministry of Defence said on

Afghanistan’s “tenuous security situation” US commander in Afghanistan has urged Washington to consider boosting its post-2016 military presence to repel a Taliban upsurge TURKMENISTAN

UZBEKISTAN

Taliban overran the city on Sept 28, held it for three days

TAJIKISTAN

Kunduz

Kunduz PAKISTAN

KABUL

Jalalabad

6 US soldiers, 5 civilian contractors killed in a plane crash Oct 2 IRAN

Taliban attack zones Support zones

100 km

US said it bombed an MSF hospital by mistake on Oct 3, killing 22 people 1 km

‘War has rules’

Liu said an impartial commission, which can be set up at the request of a single state under the Geneva Conventions that establish international standards for conducting war, was needed due to “inconsistencies between the US and Afghan accounts.”

“We cannot rely on internal investigations

by US, Nato and Afghan forces,” she said.

The UN has condemned the attack but said it would wait for the results of US, Nato

The MSF charity insisted that a probe should be carried out by the International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission, which was established under the additional protocols of the Geneva Conventions that establish international humanitarian laws during conflict.

Here are some details on the commission and how it would work–

Although this mechanism has existed on paper since 1977, and was ratified into being in 1991, the commission has never until now been used. That is because at least one of its 76 signatory states must sponsor an inquiry before a probe can begin.

Seeking approval Airport

Analysis published by the Institute for the Study of War Apr-Sept 2015

Sunday Taliban fighters had attacked the hospital and were using the building “as a human shield,” which the medical group denied, while pointing out it would be a war crime not to treat the wounded.

MSF’s proposed investigation work

Never used

Traffic Square

AFGHANISTAN

FACTBOX

and Afghan investigations before deciding whether to support an independent probe.

Asked to clarify whether MSF would seek criminal justice, MSF lead legal counsel Francoise Saulnier said: “We don’t know what will be the next step. We don’t want to eliminate any option.”

MSF said it sent a letter on Tuesday to the 76 countries who ratified the additional protocol of the Geneva Convention that set up the Swiss-based commission of 15 experts in 1991. It was in talks with Switzerland about maybe convening the commission.

Neither the US nor Afghanistan are signatories to the commission, and the consent of the states involved is necessary to activate the unprecedented inquiry, Saulnier said. l

MSF said it had sent out letters to all the signatory states urging them to call for an inquiry.

Independent experts The commission is based in the Swiss capital of Bern, since Switzerland is the caretaker of the Geneva Conventions, and counts 15 independent experts appointed for five-year terms. If an investigation is agreed upon, a chamber consisting of seven of the commission’s 15 members would undertake the inquiries.

War crimes?

The commission’s mandate is “to investigate grave breaches and other serious violations of the Geneva Conventions,” most of which fall “under the category of war crimes or crimes against humanity.” The commission would simply establish the facts and would not determine criminal accountability. l

Source: AFP

DNA-repairing technique India mulls anti-trafficking developers win Chemistry Nobel pacts with Nepal, Gulf states Reuters Foundation, New n Thomson Delhi

Clockwise: Tomas Lindahl, Paul Modrich, Aziz Sancar

n Reuters, Stockholm/Sweden Three scientists from Sweden, the US and Turkey won the 2015 Nobel Prize for Chemistry on Wednesday for working out how cells repair damaged DNA, providing new ammunition in the war on cancer.

Detailed understanding of DNA damage has helped drive a revolution in cancer treatment as researchers develop new drugs that target specific molecular pathways used by tumour cells to proliferate.

Tomas Lindahl, Paul Modrich and Aziz Sancar won the prize for “mechanistic studies of DNA repair.” Their work mapped how cells repair deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) to prevent damaging errors from appearing in

REUTERS

genetic information.

In many forms of cancer, one of more of these repair systems is damaged.

“Their work has provided fundamental knowledge of how a living cell functions and is, for instance, used for the development of new cancer treatments,” the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said.

Thousands of alterations to a cell’s genome occur every day due to spontaneous changes and damage by radiation, free radicals and carcinogenic substances - yet DNA remains astonishingly intact.

To keep genetic materials from disintegrating, a range of molecular systems monitor and repair DNA, in processes that the three award-winning scientists helped map out. l

India wants to sign agreements with countries like Nepal and the United Arab Emirates to curb human trafficking and improve the rescue and repatriation of victims, a senior home ministry official said on Wednesday.

Kumar Alok, joint secretary at the ministry of home affairs, told an anti-trafficking conference that India and neighbouring Bangladesh had signed an anti-trafficking pact in June and New Delhi was keen to do the same with other nations.

“The MoU (memorandum of understanding) with Bangladesh is for prevention of all forms of trafficking and there is a taskforce made up of officials from both countries which has been set up to look into this,” Alok told delegates.

“We are also planning to have similar kind of MoUs with other countries, especially with neighbouring countries like Nepal and Gulf countries because we find the Gulf is being used as a destination,” he said, adding that talks with the United Arab Emirates were likely “very soon.”

South Asia, with India at its centre, is the fastest-growing and second-largest region for human trafficking in the world, after South-

east Asia, according to the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

More than 150,000 people are known to be trafficked within South Asia every year, but the trade is underground and the real number is likely to be much higher.

Traffickers or “agents” often take advantage of poor communities, luring victims from villages with promises of good jobs and a better life in the cities.

But the reality is very different. Thousands of women and girls are trafficked in India alone, many of them from Nepal and Bangladesh, and sold into forced marriage or used for bonded work as prostitutes or maids.

Some end up in Gulf nations.

Alok said the number of registered human trafficking cases in India rose to 5,466 in 2014 from 3,940 the previous year, citing data from the National Crime Records Bureau.

The pact signed with Bangladesh in June aims to strengthen cooperation and information sharing to ensure speedier investigations and prosecutions of traffickers and organised crime syndicates in either country.

It also covers issues such as better border checks to catch traffickers and save victims and how to work together to send home and rehabilitatd victims more effectively. l

DT

WORLD 9

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2015

Smugglers trying to sell Russian air raid put Syrian nuclear material to IS rebels in firing line n INSIGHT

Tribune Desk

Smuggling gangs with suspected Russian links tried to sell nuclear material to jihadists belong to Islamic State (IS) group, news agency AP reported.

Citing Moldovan sources familiar with the joint investigation launched by the country’s security agencies and the American FBI, the news agency reported that four attempts in the past five years by the gangs that sought to sell radioactive material to Middle Eastern extremists had been interrupted.

The latest known case came in February this year, when a smuggler offered a huge cache of deadly cesium — enough to contaminate several city blocks — and specifically sought a buyer from Isis.

The smuggler, one Valentin Grossu, offered the supply of cesium to what he thought was an IS representative in exchange for €2.5m, the investigation revealed. The representative was in fact an informant.

“You can make a dirty bomb (colloquial term for nuclear bomb), which would be perfect for the Islamic State,” the smuggler said in a meeting at a nightclub in the Moldovan capital of Chisinau. The sting operation ended with Grossu in jail. The investigation also uncovered an attempt to sell bomb–grade uranium to a eral buyer from the Middle East.

In wiretaps, videotaped arrests, photographs of bomb-grade material, documents and interviews of the investigation, the news agency found that smugglers are explicitly targeting buyers who are enemies of the West.

But according to the inside sources of the investigation team, AP reported that the team had also suffered from their fair share of bad luck–kingpins got away, and those arrested evaded long prison sentences, sometimes quickly returning to nuclear smuggling.

For strategic reasons, in most of the operations arrests were made after samples of nuclear material had been obtained rather than the larger quantities. That means that if smug-

glers did have access to the bulk of material they offered, it still remains in criminal hands.

The repeated attempts to peddle radioactive materials signal that a thriving nuclear black market has emerged in an impoverished corner of Eastern Europe. Moldova, which borders Romania, is a former Soviet republic.

The FBI and the White House declined to comment on the matter. The US State Department would not comment on the specifics of the cases. l

n Reuters, Amman A week of Russian air strikes on Syria has left residents of the rebel-held town of Talbiseh, a strategic enclave of opposition to President Bashar al-Assad, braced for a wider ground assault.

Hundreds of families have fled after days of bombardment on Talbiseh and neighbour-

ing towns and villages under rebel control.

People avoid big gatherings, including public prayer in mosques, schools are closed and streets are quiet.

A long way from the Islamic State strongholds of northern and eastern Syria, Talbiseh has been targeted by Russian air strikes despite Moscow’s insistence that its military intervention is focused on the hardline Islamist militant group.

The reason, residents say, is their strategic location just north of the city of Homs. It is territory that Assad must regain to secure his power over Syria’s main population centres in the west of the country, even if that strategy means abandoning swathes of desert and farmland further east.

Leaflets dropped by Syrian planes in the last week, promising people safe passage through army checkpoints, have reinforced a sense that the army is preparing a fresh drive to crush the rebels. The leaflets say that fighters who give themselves up will be well treated and allowed to return to their families.

Further north in the provinces of Hama and Idlib, Syrian troops and allied militia forces - backed by Russian air strikes - launched offensives against rebel positions on Wednesday, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based group which tracks the conflict via a network of sources within the country.

Rebel fighters in Talbiseh anticipate a similar assault.

Alongside the Russian air strikes around Talbiseh, Syrian army and allied militia forces have also bombarded the area this week.

On Tuesday night, they hit both Talbiseh and Wa’ar, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Regaining control of towns in the rural areas north of Homs would seal the government’s control over the city itself, a local rebel fighter said. l

Study reveals early man climbed trees, made tools n AFP, Paris

Bones from the feet and hands of an extinct species of early man reveal a versatile ancestor who climbed trees, walked upright, and made tools, two studies showed on Tuesday.

Homo naledi, whose existence was revealed last month with the discovery of some 1,500 bones in a deep South African cave, upends the notion that the evolutionary path to modern man was a straight line, the researchers say.

Among the primitive human species grouped under the hominin umbrella – including Homo erectus and Homo habilis – it revealed an unprecedented mix of ape and modern man.

A small brain and short stature, along with curved fingers and toes, pointed to its ape origins.

But tool-wielding hands and feet made for walking were closer to Homo sapiens, or modern man, than many of the other upright species that emerged some two to three million years ago.

Researchers have not determined the age of the Homo naledi bones yet, so it is yet to be de-

termined exactly where it fits into the increasingly complex timeline of early man.

An analysis of the nearly-complete right foot – 107 foot bones in all – showed that Homo naledi was well adapted for standing and walking long distances, found the study which was published in Nature Communications.

‘Strange combinations’ In the other study, also published in Nature Communications, a team led by researcher Tracy Kivell at Britain’s University of Kent examined an equally complete set of bones from the right hand of another Homo naledi individual from the same cave.

As with the foot, they found a mix of features that had never been seen in any other hominin species, some of them primitive and others modern.

The wrist and thumb showed clear evidence of “committed, habitual use of tools,” the study concluded.

At the same time, slender and elongated fingers meant that their owner was used to swinging from branches.

Human evolution: where does naledi fit?

Homo naledi Discovery in South African cave, published Sept 2015 Mixed soil sediments at the site make it difficult to date 1 m.y.a

Three scenarios that would affect current thinking on human evolution

3 m.y.a

4 million years ago Australopithecus Adapted well to climbing, and hanging as well as walking, later species adapted to eating tough fibrous food

A. anamensis

A. afarensis “Lucy” oldest hominid skeleton found in 1974, long thought our direct ancestor

2 m.y.a

Today

A. robustus A. aethiopicus

A. boisei

A. africanus The mixed anatomical traits suggest naledi could been transitional

Skull, wrist and thumb, long legs and human-like, feet suggest naledi could have been a more recent homo species

H. erectus H. habilis H. rudolfensis

Shoulders, hips and long curved fingers for tree climbing suggest naledi’s Australopithecus origins

H.sp. (unknown species)

Homo Long lower legs for walking and running, small teeth, larger brains in later species could show adaptation to hunting, eating meat

Homo sapien H. heidelbergensis

H. neanderthalensis

Source : Nationalgeographic/ Lee berger/WITS/John Hawks/Uni of Wisconsin-Madison

Scientists disagree on whether the physical traits early man shared with tree-dwelling apes were vestiges of an earlier stage of evolution, or

essential for the survival of newly-upright Homo species. The study of Homo naledi boosts the latter theory. l

DT

10 WORLD

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2015

McCarthy RNC’s favourite, but rocky roads ahead n Tribune Desk

Projection about Kevin McCarthy, the front-runner of the October 29 election for a new US House Speaker, shows that he will receive ample majority votes of the House Republicans.

The Republican National Committee (RNC) is currently under a bit of turmoil after the in-

Current US House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy

cumbent Speaker, John Boehner, suddenly announced his resignation last month, citing his disappointment for making his job difficult by the ultra-conservative Republicans, commonly known as the Tea Party factions of the GOP. Quoting multiple sources familiar with the operation, Politico reported that more than 200 Republicans have committed to support-

REUTERS

‘McCarthy screwed up’ n Reuters, Washington DC The head of the US congressional committee investigating the attack in Benghazi, Libya, on Wednesday defended his panel’s work after a fellow Republican boasted on television about its impact on Democratic presidential aspirant Hillary Clinton.

“Kevin screwed up,” committee chairman Trey Gowdy told MSNBC television, referring to US House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, who said in a television interview last week that the federally funded investigation had successfully dented Clinton’s poll numbers as she seeks her party’s presidential nomination.

McCarthy later said he had not meant to suggest the committee’s purpose was to harm the former secretary of state’s chance of winning the November 2016 election.

Clinton, who was the top US diplomat at the time of the Benghazi attack in 2012, and fellow Democrats have seized on the comments as proof of what they say has been a politically motivated congressional investigation focused on the candidate rather than the incident, which killed four Americans.

Her campaign this week released a new ad featuring McCarthy’s remarks in an attempt to rally her supporters ahead of her October 22 testimony to the committee.

On Wednesday, Gowdy said McCarthy has apologised for his remarks and defended his committee’s work.

“Our interest in her is because she was secretary of state at the time,” Gowdy told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” programme.

The comments could hurt McCarthy, who is seeking to become the next House speaker in a vote later this month.

In remarks this week Clinton stopped short of calling for the Benghazi committee to be disbanded but other Democrats, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, have said the panel may have violated ethics rule and should dissolve.

Democratic US Representative Alan Grayson of Florida, who is running for the US Senate, plans on Wednesday to file an ethics complaint against McCarthy following the Republican leader’s comments, his campaign office said on Tuesday.

On Monday, Democrats on the committee said they will defy the Republican majority by releasing the transcript of a closeddoor interview with a former Clinton aide to combat what they said are selective leaks aimed at damaging Clinton.

The committee was set up in 2014 after other congressional investigations on Benghazi ended. The House committee has largely focused on Clinton’s response to the attack in Libya but has expanded to investigate her use of a private email server instead of government email while at the State Department. l

ing him for Speaker.

The number far surpasses the simple majority of House Republicans McCarthy needs to win Thursday’s internal GOP vote but is still a bit shy of the 218 he needs on the House floor to become the next Speaker.

The internal Republican speaker vote on Thursday is just the opening act in a two-part drama that will consume the next

month in the House.

McCarthy’s job, if he is elected, won’t get any easier after the election. Should he win, he will be Speaker-designate during a tumultuous three weeks before his floor vote. The most pressing issue on his plate during that time will be the debt ceiling, which must be lifted less than a week after the planned floor vote for speaker. l

DT

EDITORIAL 11

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2015

INSIDE

How to brand Bangladesh right As a nation, we have to realise that the very concept of nation branding is not only for foreigners, rather we, the people of the country, are the biggest stakeholders of this concept -- without our support, and the embodiment of the brand identity, all nation branding efforts will be futile

PAGE 12

Particular findings (among many others) are so thought-provoking that they play a more subtle role, that of the ‘signs’ of God, which are referred to throughout the Qur’an as having been left behind for humanity to study. Like all signs, their function is to point in a certain direction, expected to be the right one

PAGE 13

Ghost airports

PAGE 14

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Co-operation the right way to tackle terror threats

W

The BJP probably hopes that a generous pledge of four new airports in Bihar can help lure voters into the Hindu fold.

For well-placed politicians and other bureaucratic middle-men, there is much to be gained by handing out contracts to the right business people each time a new airport is to be built

Be heard

BIGSTOCK

Atheism and its discontents

e are encouraged by Tuesday’s meeting between the government and ambassadors from 45 nations to discuss the steps being taken to ensure the safety of all foreigners in Bangladesh.

It is an important move forward in building international co-operation to help Bangladesh tackle threats posed by international terrorism.

Such dialogue is vital to prevent misunderstandings and to reiterate the common interest all countries share in combating and resisting violent extremism.

It is heartening that as dean of the Diplomatic Corps in Bangladesh, the UK high commissioner thanked the Bangladesh government for the additional security measures it was undertaking in response to the murders of Hoshi Kunio and Cesare Tavella.

The foreign minister also expressed broad satisfaction with the meeting which included discussions with the home minister and security officials on the safety measures being implemented by the government, We are grateful for the support expressed in a related briefing by the US ambassador, to the Bangladesh government’s zero tolerance stance to terrorism. It is welcome that she has clarified that the US government’s travel advisory “does not say ‘Do not come to Bangladesh.’ Nor does it say ‘Leave Bangladesh.’” but is only intended to share information to ask citizens to exercise caution.

A calm approach to taking common-sense security precautions and sharing information on terror threats is imperative to reassure all people living in or visiting Bangladesh that everything possible is being done to catch and prevent the perpetrators of terrorist actions.

Bangladesh and the international community have a shared interest in resisting threats to public confidence and stability.

Continued co-operation and dialogue is helpful to boost public confidence and to show that no nation has to stand alone in facing terror threats.

Dialogue on shared security concerns helps improve co-operation and reassure the public

DT

12 OPINION

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2015

How to brand Bangladesh right Bangladesh has a severe image problem

n Mamun Rashid

O

ur Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is aggrieved. She is doing very good work, but a section of people are not recognising it. Our civil society, a portion of the print media, and the opposition on the streets, not in the parliament, have been put on the dock for this.

My friends are quite aggrieved as well -- our beloved country has made so many achievements, but the Western media and heads of states are not recognising any of them, and the recent killings of two foreigners has made things much harder.

The image of our country is the lowest it’s been -- the Australian cricket team has postponed their Dhaka tour, a German research team is suddenly showing reluctance in visiting Rajshahi, many Western nations have issued travel alerts for their citizens in visiting Bangladesh, and most pressingly, buyers from Italy and Japan in particular, and many in the West, have stopped visiting Bangladeshi supplying plants, putting pipeline orders in jeopardy. Is it only due to the killing of two foreigners? Possibly not. Bangladesh is yet to become attractive to G-7 investors.

Bangladesh’s potential as a liberal Muslim country is not discussed at the right tables in the Middle East. Investors are going to Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Nigeria but not Bangladesh. Bangladesh’s image problem is not over yet, not by a long shot.

Not much of a surprise, since we have yet to take “nation branding” with a modicum of importance.

Nation branding is substantially different from product branding, and can be explained in many different ways. Nowadays, we see catchy taglines being used by several nations for promoting tourism in their countries, for example: “Malaysia, truly Asia,” “Incredible India,” and “Amazing Thailand.” However, the function of nation branding is not just limited to tourism. According to Simon Anholt, widely considered the “Father of Nation Branding,” the concept of nation branding refers to developing an identity for a nation that encompasses several components of national accounts, including foreign direct investments, exports, culture, sports, migrants, international relations, and many others.

Although the underlying principles are the same, there exist differences between branding a product and branding a nation. Traditional promotional tools such as advertising and public relation activities do not apply in the same manner when it comes to nation branding. Nations do not put up ads in newspapers or distribute promotional leaflets.

Instead, nation branding involves a holistic and well-concerted effort to highlight the key competitive advantages offered by the nation. The government has a huge role to play in this regard. It is the duty of our leaders to showcase our achievements to the world. However, this responsibility does not lie on the shoulders of the government alone.

It is a responsibility shared by each and every one of us, being citizens of a nation. Each and every member of civil society, professionals,

Patriotism alone will not sell Bangladesh to the rest of the world

As a nation, we have to realise that the very concept of nation branding is not only for foreigners, rather we, the people of the country, are the biggest stake-holders of this concept -- without our support, and the embodiment of the brand identity, all nation branding efforts will be futile

and business community is therefore the nation’s brand ambassador.

Moreover, the exact scope of branding and the impact of the same are significantly vast and far-reaching for nation branding compared to product branding. Whereas product branding affects a particular company, the impact of nation branding affects an entire economy, and hence the standard of living of its citizens. However, there also exists an integral connection between the two concepts.

In other words, one can be used for the benefit of the other. Sometimes, we get to know a nation through the great companies which originated in that country and the product brands they offer.

Some of those national brands also build enough equity to graduate to the status of global brands, such as Nokia from Finland, Coca-Cola or McDonald’s from the US, and Toyota from Japan. So much so, that we begin to associate these countries with their national brands. Today, India is famous for its well-known brands, like Tata or Reliance.

Andreas Markessinis highlighted in his article “Nation brands and national brands:

Making the most of them,” that one of the basic principles of nation branding was that there is often an internal relationship between a nation brand and national brands, and both can be worked on for mutual benefits. For example, South Korea does not have a great image as a country due to its political turmoil, but the brand equity of South Korean companies like Samsung, Hyundai, and LG is much higher than that of the nation brand itself, and that has greatly helped to improve the perceived brand image of the country.

As a nation, we have to realise that the very concept of nation branding is not only for foreigners, rather we, the people of the country, are the biggest stake-holders of this concept -- without our support, and the embodiment of the brand identity, all nation branding efforts will be futile. We have to remember that nation branding needs effort, time, dedication, and persistence. In most cases, it takes years for results to come into fruition.

Now, the question for a third-world country like Bangladesh would be: What kind of

DHAKA TRIBUNE

products should we invest in? We are already known to the world for “micro-finance.” Today, countries all over the world are reshaping their identities to gain a competitive edge over their neighbours. If we listen to marketing guru Philip Kotler, and want to brand Bangladesh as an RMG exporting country, we must question ourselves as to what extent that would be sustainable in the long run.

We must ensure adequate capacity-building, improvement in productivity, healthy industrial relations, professional management, and new export destinations to remain competitive -- we all know that uncertainty is more dangerous than instability.

So far, our RMG industry has shown remarkable resilience in terms of weathering turbulence, as made evident during the 2006-07 and the 2012-13 periods, when the country was faced with some of our worst political turmoil and man-made disasters.

Moreover, the sector also seems to have survived the global financial meltdown relatively unscathed.

However, uncertainty still shrouds the future of our RMG industry. There is also cloud concentration with regard to the future of the micro-finance industry, vulnerable in slipping on the proverbial banana peel.

In the age of fierce competition, nation branding has become more of a necessity than a luxury. Long has our country suffered due to a negative brand image, both at home and abroad. The time has come to re-brand our country -- to highlight the amazing accomplishments of our people despite the hardships. That is what makes our nation truly remarkable and unique. l Mamun Rashid is a business professor and financial sector entrepreneur.

DT

LONG FORM 13

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2015

Atheism and its discontents Islam and the search for truth are not mutually exclusive. This is the final part of a three-part long form piece

n Sal Imam

A

t the sub-atomic level too there are exact dependencies. Neutrons and protons are the constituents of every atomic nucleus, and electrons and neutrinos are fundamental particles. As Davies describes it in Goldilocks: “The fact that the neutron’s mass is coincidentally just a little bit more than the combined mass of the proton, electron, and neutrino is what enables free neutrons to decay.

If the neutron were even very slightly lighter, it could not decay without an energy input of some sort. If the neutron were lighter still, yet only by a fraction of 1%, it would have less mass than the proton, and the tables would be turned; it would be isolated protons rather than neutrons that would be unstable.

Then protons would decay into neutrons and positrons, with disastrous consequences for life, because without protons there could be no atoms, and no chemistry.”

We can call on Stephen Hawking too. In his best-selling book, A Brief History of Time, he states: “The remarkable fact is that the values of these numbers seem to have been very finely adjusted to make possible the development of life. For example, if the electric charge of the electron had been only slightly different, stars either would have been unable to burn hydrogen and helium or else they would not have exploded,” meaning that there would have been no way of generating heavy elements.

From this he deduced that “it seems clear that there are relatively few ranges of values for the numbers that would allow for the development of any form of intelligent life. Most sets of values would give rise to universes that, although they might be very beautiful, would contain no one able to wonder at that beauty.”

Many other such precise coincidences have been found (some particularly amazing ones in the field of cosmology) as discussed in the books cited above and other sources.

When these numerous unexplained coincidences were considered all together, the scientific community could no longer avoid the conclusion that the universe seemed to have been actually designed to facilitate the emergence of life.

This resulted in a bit of an impasse because scientists were understandably reluctant to accept an answer with potentially metaphysical dimensions. Accordingly, a new theory was proposed, namely that our universe was not unique and that there were actually an infinite number of universes out there somewhere (it was never made clear where) with each one having different values and features, which came to be known as the multiverse.

The finding that humans inhabited a universe which seemed designed to allow for biological life was then explained as being an accidental inevitability. Of all the universes out there, we would of course be found to exist in just that particular one which permitted

Does the concept of the multiverse really disprove the idea of a God?

BIGSTOCK

Particular findings (among many others) are so thoughtprovoking that they play a more subtle role, that of the ‘signs’ of God, which are referred to throughout the Qur’an as having been left behind for humanity to study. Like all signs, their function is to point in a certain direction, expected to be the right one life, even if it was with a probability of one in infinity, an essentially meaningless concept.

In Paul Davies’ words in Goldilocks: “At this stage, atheists began to take an interest.

Unhappy that the fine tuning of the laws of physics smacked of some sort of divine design, they seized on the multiverse theory as a neat explanation of the uncanny biofriendliness of the universe.”

There is really no other explanation for the persistence among many scientists and thinkers of the multiverse notion as, to date, it spectacularly lacks any basis in scientific evidence, and even in principle, there seems no way to verify it. It seems clear to a dispassionate observer that, at its base, this kind of reasoning partakes of the same philosophical mindset which once produced the “natural selection” argument in biological evolution, namely the conviction that everything, no matter how wondrous and sophisticated it may be, is produced by random chance events.

Over the years, however, there has been a serious backlash and many leading scientists and thinkers have recently begun to dismiss the reality of the multiverse, which is now seen as an unacceptably elastic formulation. In too many instances, gaps in scientific knowledge have been ascribed to this supposed infinite multiplicity of universes

existing in some undefined never-never land.

So much so that Lee Smolin, one of the most highly respected physicist-philosophers of today, has been moved to comment in Scientific American that the multiverse theory “is a sleight of hand by which they hope to convert an explanatory failure into an explanatory success.” Steven Weinberg, who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1979 and is a leading communicator, has also been expressing reservations about the multiverse theory, though in an oddly nuanced way. The least that can be said is that there is a lively controversy among scientists about the true usefulness of the multiverse concept.

So where does this leave us? One established scientific “fact” is that the universe possesses a large number of embedded characteristics that are so perfectly conducive to the emergence of life that it seems to have been expressly designed that way. One highly controversial “explanation” is the multiverse concept, and no other. Can anyone blame us if we tend to favour the “fact” over the “speculation,” despite the theological implications associated with the former?

What does all this have to do with bloggers?

The issues discussed in this piece -- first, the nature of biological evolution, secondly, the origin of the universe and thirdly, its sur-

prising fitness for life -- all support the same conclusion. Though the cutting edge scientific knowledge of today is extremely complex and full of uncertainties, it can nevertheless be rationally interpreted as being generally consistent with the idea of a Creator-God. One cannot claim, however, that this conclusion has been scientifically proven.

These particular findings (among many others) are so thought-provoking that they play a more subtle role, that of the “signs” of God, which are referred to throughout the Qur’an as having been left behind for humanity to study. Like all signs, their function is to point in a certain direction, expected to be the right one. It is up to us to decipher them and try to understand their implications.

This means the debate over atheism is definitely something to be engaged in. In this sense, the bloggers of Bangladesh are playing a vital role by asking us to consider this basic existential question which, I claim, has been agitating the human spirit from as early as 500AD. In fact, I would go further and say it is the duty of every human being to put in the time and effort needed to reflect, based on knowledge, upon his or her place in the world and in the great natural universe. I hope I have been able to convey what a fascinating journey it can be in the scientific domain, one of such sophistication and wonder that it can entrance even the layman. (Think of the joy experienced by the professional quantum physicist!)

There is also, of course, the whole panoply of spiritual knowledge beyond the purely scientific. In Islam, we delve deeply into the oceans of meaning locked into the power-packed lines of the Qur’an. Then the example and successive lessons of the thousands of prophets sent by God, among them Buddha, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and the Prophet of Islam Muhammad (peace be upon him). Add to it the learning of the philosophers, such as Ghazali and the mystic poets such as Rumi.

In our land of Bengal we have the legacy of Shah Jalal and Shah Paran, who influenced millions by their preaching alone. What of our purveyors of song who express their knowledge of the divine with every breath: Lalon Shah and Rabindranath Tagore and Kazi Nazrul Islam? I also count upon the fruits of the study and spiritual effort of our forefathers, of ourselves and of the younger generations of today, as we have all been lucky enough to have benefitted from the tremendous technical and educational advances made on Earth since the 19th century.

The upshot is that we do have the intellectual and emotional resources to be able to undertake the search for truth, together with people of good faith all over the world.

Luckily, as the poets knew, this search closely tracks that of beauty and so, there is nothing to fear. In this context, how ridiculous and pathetic it is to even think of violence.

Instead, we must reach out to people everywhere with reason and heart. l Sal Imam is a concerned citizen.

DT

14 OPINION

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2015

Ghost airports Building airports in India has become more about politics than boosting economic growth

What’s the point of an airport if it gets no airplanes?

n Kenneth Bo Nielsen

V

ia Prime Minister Modi’s “Make in India” program, India is to be transformed into a global industrial powerhouse. The program will ostensibly provide the Indian economy with the international recognition it deserves, facilitate new investment, foster innovation, and create a world-class infrastructure, including new airports en masse. But the passengers are missing.

Although “Make in India” is about giving a boost to industrialisation, it is infrastructure development which is the corner-stone of the program. So-called “top visionary projects” within, eg seaports, highways, industrial corridors, railways, and aviation with a total price tag of about $34bn, are to be realised in the next five years. Much money will be spent, and much profit can be made by those who find themselves in the right place at the right time.

In the overall “Make in India” picture, aviation is a relatively small sector. But it is important, and some believe, that international airports can be just as important an economic catalyst as seaports were in the 18th century, the railways in the 19th century, and highways in the 20th.

This is apparently an opinion shared by India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation: Rs100 spent on air transport produce benefits worth Rs325 for the economy, and 100 additional jobs in air transport result in 610 new economy-wide jobs, it is claimed. The idea, then, is that

airports will serve as new engines of regional growth, something that India’s fast-growing passenger volume is expected to facilitate.

India today has very low, so-called “aircraft penetration,” that is, a low number of aircrafts relative to population size, compared to the other BRICS countries.

India is only the world’s 9th largest aviation market, with 121 million domestic and 41

BIGSTOCK

was completed in early 2013. It cost $17m to build but, to date, not a single passenger has travelled to or from Jaisalmer by plane. And Jaisalmer is not alone. Several Indian airports stand chronically empty, and this year, around a hundred of them have not seen a single commercial aircraft arrive, even if some of these airports are used by chartered flights.–

The BJP probably hopes that a generous pledge of four new airports in Bihar can help lure voters into the Hindu fold. For well-placed politicians and other bureaucratic middle-men, there is much to be gained by handing out contracts to the right business people in the right places each time a new airport is to be built

million international passengers annually.

But, by 2020, it is estimated that they will have added 250 million new travellers and 600 new commercial aircrafts, thus becoming the world’s 3rd largest aviation market. By 2030 it aims to have 250 fully operational airports.

But the numbers may not add up. Not long ago, pictures of India’s ghost airports travelled around the world. The true horror story is that of the airport in Jaisalmer, which

From the point of view of transport economics, there is, thus, good reason to reconsider the thesis that airports can, without further ado, boost the local economy wherever they are placed.

But it seems that airport construction continues unabated. Bihar, which goes to the polls next year, was recently promised, by Prime Minister Modi, four brand new airports in the near future.

And on India’s west coast, new airports

are coming up in Chipi (Maharashtra), Mopa (Goa), and Karwar (Karnataka). The drive from Chipi airport in the north to Karwar airport in the south will take you four or five hours by car; on your way you pass both Mopa airport and the existing international airport at Dabolim (Goa). This can hardly be called low airport penetration.

But transport economic considerations are not always what count the most. Just as the locations of India’s many steel towns during Nehru’s time were determined by a “steel politics” partly influenced by federal bargaining, compromises, and myriad political considerations, a comparable “airport politics” is at work when a new airport is put on the map.

The BJP probably hopes that a generous pledge of four new airports in Bihar can help lure voters into the Hindu fold. For wellplaced politicians and other bureaucratic middle-men, there is much to be gained by handing out contracts to the right business people in the right places each time a new airport is to be built.

And, for contractors and land and property dealers, there is always big money to be made from building airports and associated infrastructure. Whether they are subsequently successfully used for the purposes for which they were built is of less importance. The sad story of Jaisalmer airport may not be the last of its kind. l Kenneth Bo Nielsen is a Senior Researcher, University of Bergen.

16

Bank of Japan holds fire on stimulus

17

Climate-linked insurance a boon for poor farmers

19

DSE turnover declines on investors’ profit booking

DT

Business

15

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2015

German minister praises DBL’s safety, compliance standards

20

Ex-BASIC chair abused good n relations with PMO

Tarana: MNP service early next year

n Asif Showkat Kallol

Bagerhat-1 constituency in 1988.

He had run the office of Bagerhat Zilla Parishad as chairman from 1988 to 1990 and was also chairman of the Bagerhat district Jatiya Party.

His father Sheikh Abdul Halim was a sub-inspector of police. The report said Bacchu was an influential leader of the Jatiya Party.

On July 5, 2015, Sheikh Abdul Hye Bacchu resigned from the post of chairman of BASIC Bank following allegations of financial irregularities involving Tk4,500 crore loans in the state-owned bank.

After Bacchu’s resignation, Finance Minister MA Muhith said he would face action if found guilty.

Bangladesh Bank investigations have detected massive financial irregularities involving around Tk4,500 crore in the BASIC Bank’s three branches during the years from 2009 to 2013. l

Former BASIC Bank Chairman Sheikh Abdul Hye Bacchu would claim that he had “a good relation” with the Prime Minister’s Office to establish his influence in the bank, said BASIC Bank officials.

According to an intelligence report, he also had good relations with influential Jatiya Party leaders and now has “excellent relations” with the party chairman HM Ershad who is currently PM’s special envoy.

“As he (Bacchu) used to take a mood that he had a good relation with the PMO, nobody in the bank would dare to place any objection against his attempts,” an official told Dhaka Tribune asking not be named.

“Under the influence, he even got big loans to little-known clients approved, which ultimately led to the country’s largest loan scam of Tk4,500 crore.”

Months ago, parliamentary standing committee on finance ministry asked the Bank and Financial Institutions Division to find out personal and political affiliations Bacchu used to hold before joining BASIC Bank.

In response, Bank Division recently sent a report of National Security Intelligence (NSI) to the parliamentary committee.

On 8 September, the Anti-Corruption Commission probe committee on the BASIC Bank scam submitted its report, with a recommendation for filling a raft of 54 graft cases along with left-out of the charges of Bacchu.

According to the NSI report, former BASIC chair had got involved with business of special lifts and motor parts. Besides, in 2010, he also began fishery boat business. He owned more than 100 shipping boats, the NSI report said.

Bacchu had no affiliations with any political party during his student life. He, however, was an elected lawmaker of Jatiya Party from

Banking Fair to be held on November 24 n Tribune Report

Biman mulls phaseout of ageing A310s

A five-day Banking Fair will be held for the first time in the country on November 24.

Bangladesh Bank made the announcement at a press conference held yesterday at its headquarters.

The new concept – Banking Fair Bangladesh 2015 – is an initiative of Bangladesh Bank.

The fair will provide a platform for participating banks to come closer to the customers with their products.

BB Chief Economist Biru Paksha Paul said such a fair is the first in kind when all banks will participate.

The aim of the fair is to bridge the gap between banks and customers and enhance co-ordination between banks, he said while addressing the press conference.

The venue is Bangla Academy premises where banks will put up stalls almost in the shape of book fair.

The fair will remain open from 10am to 9pm for five days ending on November 28.

Some 56 stalls of same size will be allocated for banks at the fair while some at random for financial institutions.

Bangladesh Bank will have a pavilion where different kinds of services that it provides to the customers will be displayed.

Cultural events will be held from 6:30pm to 8:30pm during the fair. l

n Ishtiaq Husain Biman Bangladesh Airlines is going to phase out its two age-old aircraft, Airbus 310, next year due to high fuel consumption.

For the first time in 1986, Biman purchased two brand new twin engine wide body Airbus A310 for its fleet to operate flights across Middle-east, South-East Asia and regional flight.

Later, it bought two more A310s from Singapore Airlines and Air Jamaica.

At the beginning, the two decade-old A310 served the national flag carrier smoothly as the aircraft was fuel efficient.

An engineer of Biman said in the last five years, the A310 fuel consumption on its medium-to-long range flight raised unexpectedly which was unbearable.

In addition, parts and equipment of the aircraft are not available as only a few airlines operate these kinds of aircraft.

Two years ago, Biman management grounded two aircraft due to technical glitch.

After that the two were scrapped by the engineering department.

The phaseout of A310 will begin in June 2016 while the last one of its kind will be phased out in November in the same year, according to Biman fleet planning.

Air Marshal Jamal Uddin Ahmed (Retd), chairman of Biman board of directors, told

the Dhaka Tribune, “As the aircraft are ageold and consume high fuel, we have no other options but to phase them out.”

Biman began to add new aircraft to its fleet in 2011 when it purchased two Boeing 777-300 ERs. It added two more Boeing 777-300 ER, according to the agreement signed with Boeing company in 2010.

At the end of this year, two more brand new Boeing 737-800 aircraft will be added to its fleet as part of its plan.

Currently, an average fleet age of Biman is 20 years. After revitalising fleet, the average fleet age would be 10 years.

Earlier, the national flag carrier phased out DC-10s which were the backbone of the Biman fleet for nearly a quarter century.

Once the fleet numbered six aircraft. Airbus, the manufacturing company of A310, stopped its production in 1998.

In 2007, an A310 carrying 236 passengers and crew members suffered a collapsed nose gear during its take off. 14 people suffered minor injuries in the accident at Dubai International Airport.

Biman is one of Asia’s smallest flag carriers, operating only 10 aircraft on a network of 22 destinations. l

Tribune Report

Mobile Number Portability (MNP) service will be launched in February or March next year, said Tarana Halim, state minister for telecommunication.

She said the government’s telecommunication division has already approved the MNP guideline, which is now at the finance ministry for its approval to the financial issues.

“After completing all the process, the government will be able to introduce this service by February/March or earlier,” Tarana Halim told a press conference at the secretariat yesterday.

MNP enables mobile telephone users to move from one network to other within the country keeping numbers unchanged.

The service is already available in around 70 countries across the world, including India and Pakistan.

“Once MNP service is introduced, competition will increase among the operators.

Operators will then have to ensure quality of their service to hold existing or attract new subscribers,” Tarana Halim said.

“This initiative is being taken to protect customers’ right of choosing operator freely on the basis of satisfaction.”

Under the MNP system, a conversion to a new operator will charge a fee of Tk30 each time and cannot be altered within 40 days.

After bidding process, licence will be given to an independent company for 15 years to run the MNP system. The annual licence renewal fee will be TK20 lakh while the company will have to share 5.5% revenue with the regulatory body.

Any registered Bangladeshi company can participate in the bidding, but no mobile operators are eligible.

About the re-registration of SIM cards, state minister said the government won’t give an unlimited period of time to the operators to complete the works.

“They must complete it by April. BTRC will take tough action against any unregistered SIM after that.”

Besides, SIM registration with biometric identification will begin on December 16 after a pilot project in November. l

DT

16 BUSINESS

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2015

Bank of Japan holds fire on stimulus n AFP, Tokyo The Bank of Japan held fire on expanding its already huge stimulus programme yesterday, despite mounting pressure on policymakers in the face of sluggish growth and stagnant prices.

The decision, after a two-day meeting, follows a string of disappointing data that have raised questions about the effectiveness of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s drive to kickstart the economy, which contracted in the second quarter of the year.

It also comes a day after the International Monetary Fund lowered its growth forecast this year and next, calling on authorities to work harder to slash a national debt that is more than twice as big as its gross domestic product (GDP).

On Wednesday the BoJ maintained its recent rhetoric on the state of the economy, saying in a statement it “has continued to recover moderately, although exports and production have been affected by the slowdown in emerging economies”.

Looking ahead, it repeated: “Japan’s economy is expected to continue recovering moderately.”

The country’s inflation “is likely to be about zero percent for the time being, due to the effects of the decline in energy prices”, it added.

The yen firmed slightly against the dollar after the announcement. The greenback bought 119.90 yen, compared with 120.28 yen in New York.

While economists had expected the bank to maintain its 80 trillion yen ($665 billion) annual asset-buying scheme at this meeting, attention is now on a gathering at the end of the month, with speculation it will pull the trigger then.

Abe unveiled a plan in April 2013 to kickstart the economy and bring an end to painful deflation with a vast government spending programme and Bank of Japan asset-buying programme - or quantitative easing - dubbed “Abenomics”.

A woman wearing a mask looks at clothes at a retail store at a business district in Tokyo While the scheme showed early promise, with stocks surging and growth advancing, a recent run of weak data has raised questions about its effectiveness as consumer prices stagnate and economic growth remains torpid.

Another plank of the scheme - reforms to cut red tape in the highly regulated economy - have also stalled and experts say Abe’s push to pass a highly unpopular security legislation last month could make them even harder to

CORPORATE NEWS

enact with sagging public support.

The IMF estimated in its semi-annual World Economic Outlook that Japanese growth this year would hit 0.6%, followed by 1% expansion in 2016.

That compares with projections earlier this year for 0.8% and 1.2% respectively.

Data last week showed spending among Japanese households rebounded in August, offering a glimmer of hope after a string of

week figures, but economists warned the world’s number three economy was still headed for recession.

Factory production fell unexpectedly for a second month in August, while consumer prices dropped for the first time in more than two years, according to data last month.

BoJ governor Haruhiko Kuroda is scheduled to give a press conference at 3.30pm (0630 GMT). l

Yen firmer after BoJ holds fire on fresh easing n AFP, Tokyo

Executive director of Dhaka Regency Hotel & Resort, Shahid Hamid FIH and Khurshed Alam, executive vice president & head of retail finance at LankaBangla Finance have signed a strategic alliance agreement, under which Dhaka Dhaka Regency will provide offers and special privileges to all subscribers of LankaBangla Finance

REUTERS

The yen rose against the dollar yesterday after the Bank of Japan refrained from expanding its monetary easing programme at the end of a two-day meeting.

The BoJ said it decided to keep the current 80tn yen ($665bn) annual asset-buying scheme to stimulate the economy by an 8-1 vote, saying the Japanese economy is on track to recovery despite negative growth in the last quarter.

The dollar stood at 119.93 in early afternoon trade in Tokyo, down from 120.28 yen before the BoJ decision Wednesday and from 120.21 in New York Tuesday.

The euro was $1.1277 and 135.24 yen, compared with $1.1267 and 135.55 yen in Tokyo morning trade and $1.1271 and 135.48 in New York.

“There could be a likelihood of more eas-

ing or expansion of the QQE program at the end of October,” Bernard Aw, a strategist at IG Asia Pte in Singapore, told Bloomberg News, using the abbreviation for quantitative and qualitative easing.

Players are watching what BoJ governor Haruhiko Kuroda will say in a press conference later Wednesday, analysts said.

Investors have also been on tenterhooks over when the US Federal Reserve might raise interest rates for the first time in almost a decade.

Poor US jobs data released on Friday has convinced many Fed watchers that it will delay any rise until December at the earliest.

That view became stronger after fresh data showed the US trade deficit expanded as exports slumped, partly because a rise in the greenback has made them less competitive.

“The deficit adds another layer of complexity around the Fed lift-off,” Evan Lucas, market strategist at IG, wrote in a note to clients. l

DT

BUSINESS 17

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2015

OPEC sec-gen sees oil market improving, low price will not persist n Reuters, London

Farmers husk corn at a farm village in Gaocheng, Hebei province, China

Climate-linked insurance a boon for poor farmers n AFP, Paris Poor farmers the world over are increasingly falling prey to natural disasters, droughts and torrential rain largely due to climate change.

But there is some good news as well.

Thanks to new technologies, the widespread use of satellites, and more powerful computers such events can largely be predicted in advance, thus making possible novel and more efficient insurance schemes for those at risk.

In earlier times, a natural disaster or sustained inclement weather would be followed by a tedious and lengthy insurance process with an expert being sent out to a farm to inspect the damage: too costly in poor or emerging countries where small holdings are often located in the back of beyond.

But all that is in the past. Now climate-linked insurance schemes are increasingly helping protect poor farmers against bad harvests.

These so-called index-insurance schemes differ from traditional indemnity coverage in that they are based on factors such as rainfall rather than actual measured loss, and kick in the moment a threshold fixed in advance is breached.

One key advantage is that the transaction costs are lower, making index insurance financially viable for private-sector insurers and affordable to small farmers. This is critical for vulnerable growers whose fortunes are waning by the day.

“For many farmers, climate change means basically more bad years,” said Daniel Os-

good, an expert on index-linked insurance at Columbia University.

“For them, adaptation means taking advantage of the remaining years.”

Index-linked insurance drastically cuts costs for farmers, giving them more spare cash for fertilisers and seeds and help them avoid penury by bypassing distressed sales of assets to escape the debt trap.

‘For many farmers, climate change means basically more bad years’ “They have opportunities to improve productivity in normal years by, for example, taking a loan to improve the productivity of their seeds,” Osgood said.

But only a fraction of such farmers have been benefitted so far.

‘Simple products’

“Out of 400 to 500 million farmers who are potential candidates for index-based insurance only 40 to 50 million have had coverage so far,” said Gilles Galludec, the head of World Bank-run Global Index Insurance Facility.

The majority of them are in emerging countries such as India - where a healthy monsoon is vital for the agriculture sector - and China, Mexico, Brazil, Kenya, Ethiopia and Senegal.

Pilot projects have multiplied in the past 15 years. In Kenya and Rwanda, 230,000 farmers and maize, sorghum, coffee and wheat culti-

REUTERS

vators have taken advantage of the scheme to protect themselves against drought, excessive rain and storms.

On an average, such farmers have been able to invest 19% more in their farms and earned 16 percent more than those who did not enjoy such insurance cover.

“We wanted simple products with a simple message,” said Benjamin Njenga, the head of business analysis at Acre, a Kenyan company running index insurance schemes.

Their solutions are innovative. Like a farmer buying seeds in a packet with a scratch off code, the number of which is sent to insurer Acre, which can then localise the farmer and register the purchase.

If there is a compensation claim, payment is transferred directly to the farmer’s mobile phone to buy a new packet.

The price of index insurance plans is usually around 10 euros ($11) per season but can vary depending on the weather and the value of the crops grown.

If the figure is too steep for some farmers, other actors can intervene to subsidise the premium, experts say, citing seed and fertiliser manufacturers and retailers, banks, farm cooperatives and even governments.

Experts also say the success of index-based insurance also hinges on trust that science is not being used to benefit one party over another and have also stressed the need for a completely neutral arbiter to determine what kind of climate variation deserves a payout.

They also stress on the financial backing of governments for such schemes and a regulatory mechanism to prevent misuse. l

OPEC sees the oil market improving because of higher demand for the group’s crude and a drop in supply growth from non-members, its secretary-general said, the latest sign that OPEC believes its strategy of defending market share is working.

Oil prices have almost halved in the last year on oversupply in a drop that deepened after the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries in 2014 changed strategy to protect market share against higher-cost producers, rather than cut output to prop up prices as it had done in the past.

“There is an improvement in the market,” Abdullah al-Badri told reporters on the sidelines of an industry conference in London on Tuesday.

“This situation may not stay long, more than two years,” he said in response to a question on how long the market would take to rebalance.

OPEC meets to review its output policy on Dec 4 and Badri’s comments add to signs that the group is unlikely to be diverted from its current strategy. Badri himself declined to be drawn on what OPEC oil ministers would decide.

Addressing the Oil and Money conference in London, an annual gathering of senior industry executives, Badri urged producers outside OPEC to help tackle a global surplus of crude, which he put at 200 million barrels.

“All of us should work together, OPEC and non-OPEC, work together to get rid of this overhang,” Badri said. “There is one problem we are facing: the overhang of 200 million barrels.”

OPEC has invited non-OPEC countries to attend a technical meeting on Oct 21 at its Vienna headquarters, to discuss the market, Badri told reporters, following on from a similar meeting held in May. Non-OPEC producers including Russia have refused to cooperate with OPEC in cutting output, although forecasters have reduced estimates for supply growth outside OPEC because of the price slump.

Badri said oil supply growth from nonOPEC producers might be zero or negative in 2016 because of lower upstream investment.

Investment has been cut by around $130bn this year from about $650bn in 2014, he said.

The International Energy Agency, which advises industrialised countries on oil policy, sees an even larger impact on non-OPEC supply in 2016 from low prices.

IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol, also at the conference, said the drop in upstream oil investment in 2015 would be at least 20% versus 2014, the biggest ever fall.

OPEC expects global demand for its crude, under pressure in recent years because of rising supplies from outside the group, to rise to 30.3 million barrels per day in 2016, about 1 million bpd more than in 2015.

“We will see the effect of the cut on production,” Badri said. “This will mean less supply in the near future.”

“We are seeing now a low price. After a few months, we will not see this. We will see a higher price again.” l

DT

18 BUSINESS

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2015

News, analysis and recent disclosures FARCHEM: The Board of Directors has recommended 25% stock dividend for the year ended on June 30, 2015. The Board has also decided to increase Authorized Capital of the Company from Tk. 131.00 crore to Tk. 300.00 crore subject to approval in EGM and Regulatory Authorities. Date of EGM & AGM: 18.11.2015, Time of EGM & AGM: 11:00 AM & 11:30 AM Venue: Bir Chandra Nagar Gono Pathagar and Nagar Milaynayatan (Town Hall) Kandirpar, Comilla.

Record Date for EGM and AGM: 27.10.2015. The Company has also reported EPS of Tk. 2.73, NAV per share of Tk. 17.66 and NOCFPS of Tk. 0.13 for the year ended on June 30, 2015.

PENINSULA: The Board of Directors has recommended 10% cash dividend and 5% stock dividend for the year ended on June 30, 2015. Date of AGM: 25.11.2015, Time: 10:00 AM, Venue: The King of Chittagong Convention Centre, In front of Panchlaish Thana, Panchlaish, Chittagong. Record Date: 28.10.2015. The Company has also reported EPS of Tk. 1.27, NAV per share of Tk. 32.84 and NOCFPS of Tk. 0.17 for the year ended on June 30, 2015.

Dividend/AGM QSMDRYCELL: 10% stock, AGM: 26.11.2015, Record Date: 22.10.2015.

EHL: 15% cash and 5% stock, AGM: 12.11.2015, Record Date: 21.10.2015.

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.

Turnover (Volume) Number of Contract

Company EBL NRB M.F.-A NCCBL Mutual Fund-1-A MBL 1st M. F.-A DBH 1st MF-A AIBL 1st Is. M. F.-A LR Global BD MF1-A Standard Insurance-A Trust Bank 1st MF-A EXIM Bank 1 MF-A Tosrifa Industries -N

Closing (% Change) 9.30 9.26 8.93 8.16 8.00 7.41 7.36 6.38 6.00 5.86

CSE GAINER Company Pioneer Insur -A Kay & Que (BD) -Z Sonargaon Tex -Z EBL NRB M.F.-A NLI 1st M F-A MBL 1st M. F.-A LR Global BD MF1-A Green Delta M.F.-A AIBL 1st Is. M. F.-A EBL First M F-A

Closing (% Change) 19.49 9.93 9.41 9.30 9.28 9.09 9.09 7.84 6.85 6.82

DSE LOSER Company Alltex Industries -Z Progressive Life-A Rahima Food -Z 7th ICB M F-A Shahjibazar Power-A Reliance Insur -A Aman Feed-N Stylecraft -A Al-Haj Textile -A Apex Foods -A

Closing (% Change) -5.73 -5.72 -5.43 -4.76 -4.56 -3.97 -3.95 -3.66 -3.50 -3.45

CSE LOSER Company Midas Financing-Z 3rd ICB M F-A Fareast Islami Life -A Saiham Tex.A GQ Ball PenA Shahjibazar Power-A B I F C -A Aman Feed-N Khan Brothers-A AFC AgroBiotech-A

Closing (% Change) -9.88 -8.47 -5.04 -4.85 -4.61 -4.61 -4.60 -4.27 -3.92 -3.82

SECTORAL TURNOVER SUMMARY

DSE key features October 7, 2015 Turnover (Million Taka)

DSE GAINER

Sector

3,976.94 140,800,873 91,382

Traded Issues

322

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

120

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

195

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

7

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,648.64

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

32.10

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 435.73 206.02 287.10 430.87 175.95 468.68 6.68 351.42 689.10 6.56 126.91 43.67 63.16 194.35 18.90 18.51 36.43 138.77 80.62 197.44 0.02

% change 10.96 5.18 7.22 10.83 4.42 11.79 0.17 8.84 17.33 0.17 3.19 1.10 1.59 4.89 0.48 0.47 0.92 3.49 2.03 4.96 0.00

Million Taka 99.06 19.41 6.99 34.04 4.89 31.64 25.99 44.38 0.31 10.11 4.37 6.20 11.81 2.29 0.79 2.01 10.51 9.48 32.19 0.00

Average (% Change) 4.67 4.18 6.23 5.91 7.02 5.66 7.51 4.69 (3.89) 5.52

Average (% Change) 19.49 9.93 8.47 4.45 9.28 7.43 6.18 9.38 6.82 3.36

Average (% Change) -3.23 -7.26 -1.93 -4.44 -3.92 -4.01 -3.59 -3.50 -3.01 -4.26

Average (% Change) -10.04 -8.47 -5.00 -4.85 -3.69 -4.00 -4.37 -3.72 -2.75 -3.77

CSE

ClosingAvg. 4.48 5.73 5.97 5.20 7.93 5.79 17.47 4.91 5.44 23.13

ClosingAvg. 33.10 15.50 9.22 4.46 10.60 5.93 5.84 5.48 7.83 4.61

ClosingAvg. 18.56 60.00 53.92 98.43 163.77 48.40 59.59 965.03 111.74 125.31

ClosingAvg. 14.60 270.00 64.09 19.60 68.30 163.76 8.32 59.47 24.78 60.50

% change 27.79 5.45 1.96 9.55 1.37 8.88 0.00 7.29 12.45 0.09 2.84 1.23 1.74 3.31 0.64 0.22 0.56 2.95 2.66 9.03 0.00

Closing

DHIGH

4.70 5.90 6.10 5.30 8.10 5.80 17.50 5.00 5.30 23.50

Closing

4.70 5.90 6.10 5.30 8.20 5.90 17.60 5.00 5.40 23.80

DHIGH

33.10 15.50 9.30 4.70 10.60 6.00 6.00 5.50 7.80 4.70

Closing 18.10 61.00 52.20 98.10 161.00 48.40 58.30 963.40 110.30 123.20

Closing 14.60 270.00 64.10 19.60 68.30 161.40 8.30 58.30 24.50 60.50

Million Taka 534.80 225.43 294.09 464.90 180.83 500.32 6.68 377.41 733.48 6.87 137.02 48.05 69.37 206.16 21.18 19.30 38.44 149.28 90.10 229.63 0.03

DLOW 4.30 5.40 5.50 4.90 7.20 5.40 17.00 4.60 5.30 22.20

DLOW

33.10 15.50 9.30 4.70 10.60 6.00 6.00 5.60 8.00 4.70

DHIGH

33.10 15.50 8.90 4.40 10.60 5.60 5.70 5.10 7.30 4.50

DLOW

19.20 61.10 55.60 99.00 169.80 48.40 61.70 1000.00 115.00 129.80

DHIGH

17.90 61.00 51.80 98.00 160.00 48.40 57.20 956.50 108.50 121.60

DLOW

14.70 270.00 66.00 20.20 68.30 168.50 8.50 61.70 25.70 60.50

Total

14.60 270.00 64.00 19.30 68.30 160.00 8.30 57.00 24.40 60.50

% change 12.34 5.20 6.79 10.73 4.17 11.55 0.15 8.71 16.93 0.16 3.16 1.11 1.60 4.76 0.49 0.45 0.89 3.44 2.08 5.30 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

17.852 16.063 27.949 9.766 43.727 49.603 0.950 13.995 0.010 27.778

Turnover in Million

0.41 0.94 5.08 0.45 4.76 0.40 2.90 0.70 0.74 3.26

Latest EPS

0.005 0.000 0.014 0.277 0.000 0.454 0.044 0.176 0.711 0.236

Turnover in Million

10.9 6.1 1.2 11.6 1.7 14.5 6.0 7.0 7.4 7.1

Latest PE

3.44 -0.24 -2.26 0.41 1.50 5.08 0.40 0.49 4.76 0.62

Latest EPS

8.748 0.027 2.486 3.322 78.212 0.032 62.282 0.138 14.659 6.621

Turnover in Million

Latest PE

9.6 -ve -ve 10.9 7.1 1.2 14.6 11.2 1.6 7.4

Latest PE

1.89 2.30 -0.47 20.76 8.44 5.12 3.60 56.04 1.07 12.60

Latest EPS

0.015 0.027 0.056 0.217 0.008 5.433 0.030 11.018 1.416 0.061

9.8 26.1 -ve 4.7 19.4 9.5 16.6 17.2 104.4 9.9

Latest PE

-1.55 35.57 4.60 1.81 -1.68 8.44 -2.72 3.60 1.52 3.10

-ve 7.6 13.9 10.8 -ve 19.4 -ve 16.5 16.3 19.5

CSE key features October 7, 2015 Turnover (Million Taka) Turnover (Volume) Number of Contract

356.49 15,933,942 12,924

Traded Issues

249

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

94

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

147

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

8

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,551.21

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

30.92

DT

BUSINESS 19

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2015

DSE turnover declines on investors’ profit booking n Tribune Report

DSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company Beximco Pharma -A FAR Chemical-A Grameenphone-A LafargeS Cement-A Brac Bank -A Square Pharma -A Olympic Ind. -A BSRM Steels-A Shahjibazar Power-A BEXIMCO Ltd. -A

Mozaffar H.Spinning-A SAIF Powertec-A Aman Feed-N IDLC Finance -A Baraka Power-A IDLC Finance -A ACI Limited- A BEXIMCO Ltd. -A UNITED AIR-A BSRM Steels-A

VolumeShares 2,917,812 3,888,185 461,989 1,043,035 2,305,233 413,427 296,115 935,282 477,563 2,510,224

Value in Million 219.33 170.76 125.01 108.81 105.98 101.70 93.13 87.16 78.21 77.47

% of TotalTurnover 5.52 4.29 3.14 2.74 2.66 2.56 2.34 2.19 1.97 1.95

VolumeShares

Value in Million

% of TotalTurnover

1,840,294 740,789 1,045,212 941,062 1,543,215 913,605 93,207 1,741,082 5,068,665 555,354

CSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company Shahjalal Islami -A FAR Chemical-A BEXIMCO Ltd. -A Aman Feed-N Beximco Pharma -A Grameenphone-A LafargeS Cement-A BSRM Ltd. -A SAIF Powertec-A UNITED AIR-A

LankaBangla Fin. -A United Power-A Shahjibazar Power-A Mozaffar H.Spinning-A Tosrifa Industries -N SummitAlliancePort.-A

6,775,012 442,157 523,429 185,251 140,192 32,276 78,225 53,678 67,588 568,240

171,207 39,319 33,175 115,200 170,455 70,899

69.98 65.36 62.28 58.63 56.60 56.73 53.64 53.09 52.72 52.23

82.00 19.51 16.15 11.02 10.53 8.80 8.17 7.10 5.94 5.87

5.76 5.58 5.43 4.33 3.90 4.20

1.76 1.64 1.57 1.47 1.42 1.37 1.29 1.28 1.27 1.26

23.00 5.47 4.53 3.09 2.95 2.47 2.29 1.99 1.67 1.65

1.62 1.56 1.52 1.21 1.09 1.21

ClosingP 74.80 42.80 267.40 103.80 46.00 245.90 315.70 92.70 161.00 30.50

38.30 86.90 58.30 62.00 36.50 62.00 575.20 30.70 10.40 93.70

ClosingP

Change % -0.27 -2.06 -2.83 -1.14 -0.86 -0.24 1.81 -1.07 -4.56 -0.65

1.86 -1.36 -3.95 0.00 0.00 -0.32 -0.38 1.32 0.00 -1.26

Change %

12.40 42.90 30.60 58.30 74.50 269.50 103.70 131.30 87.00 10.30

33.50 141.20 161.40 37.90 23.20 58.60

1.64 -2.05 -0.33 -4.27 -1.06 -2.78 -1.24 -0.83 -1.36 -0.96

-0.30 -1.12 -4.61 0.00 4.50 -2.66

ClosingY 75.00 43.70 275.20 105.00 46.40 246.50 310.10 93.70 168.70 30.70

37.60 88.10 60.70 62.00 36.50 62.20 577.40 30.30 10.40 94.90

ClosingY

12.20 43.80 30.70 60.90 75.30 277.20 105.00 132.40 88.20 10.40

33.60 142.80 169.20 37.90 22.20 60.20

DHIGH 75.90 45.00 279.30 105.90 46.40 248.00 318.50 94.40 169.80 31.30

38.50 89.30 61.70 63.00 36.90 62.90 579.80 30.80 10.60 95.40

DHIGH

12.40 45.40 31.20 61.70 75.90 277.20 105.30 134.80 89.20 10.40

34.10 144.80 168.50 38.10 23.50 60.10

DLOW 74.40 42.10 266.50 103.40 43.80 245.00 306.60 92.40 160.00 30.40

37.50 86.50 57.20 61.60 36.20 61.60 572.50 30.10 10.30 93.40

DLOW

12.00 42.60 30.40 57.00 74.30 268.90 103.00 130.30 86.20 10.20

33.20 140.50 160.00 37.00 22.00 58.10

AvgPrice 75.17 43.92 270.60 104.32 45.97 245.99 314.51 93.19 163.77 30.86

38.03 88.24 59.59 62.30 36.68 62.09 575.50 30.49 10.40 94.05

AvgPrice

12.10 44.12 30.86 59.47 75.13 272.59 104.40 132.35 87.91 10.33

33.64 141.88 163.76 37.54 22.86 59.20

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

12920.81950

(-) 0.68%

1827.82414

(-) 0.82%

14715.93580

(-) 0.71%

12920.81950

(-) 0.41%

8956.21540

(-) 0.72%

▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼

Both the indices and the turnover at Dhaka Stock Exchange declined yesterday as investors went on quick profit booking especially on large-cap stocks.

DSEX, the benchmark index of the premier bourse, went down by 33 points or 0.67% closing at 4,801.

The DS30 index, the blue chips index, fell 15 points or 0.82% to finish at 1,828 points. The DSE Shariah Index (DSES) lost 9 points or 0.79% to end at 1,159.

“Large-cap stocks absorbed a hit, beating overall market movement during the day’s trading,” said IDLC Investments.

The merchant bank said of the notable stories that contributed to the market downturn, a fresh audit facing GP is the one that disappointed investors much, cracking 2.8% off of its market cap while stocks of some other multinational companies also faced erosion as investors opted for booking profit.

As investors were waiting for upcoming quarterly earnings disclosures and clear assurance of upbeat reversal, they preferred “wait-

and-see” approach. Hence, the turnover declined, it added.

Lankabangla Securities said: “The pullback on the day eroded some of the profits of previous month. The sell-off came as investors were cashing in on the previous day’s gain of banking stocks.”

The monthly economic data also kept investors watchful, it said. Fear about the RMG export outlook has been entrenched in investors’ mind as economists viewed the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement as threatening to competitiveness of RMG products in the US market, the stockbroker further said.

The day’s turnover stood at Tk4bn, which was 4.1% lower than the previous session’s value.

All large cap sectors closed lower in the session.

Telecommunication lost 2.84%, the highest in the session followed by Power 1.42%, cement 0.63% and Pharmaceuticals 0.58%.

In the financial sectors, both Banks and NBFIs closed in the red. Food and Allied has a marginal loss of 0.11%. l

ANALYST

The pullback on the day eroded some of the profits of previous month. The selloff came as investors were cashing in on the previous day’s gain of banking stocks

DT

20 BUSINESS

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2015

Bangabandhu satellite project committee reshuffled n Ishtiaq Husain

Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed and his German counterpart Gerd Muller inaugurate DBL’s Mini Fire Brigade in Gazipur yesterday

DHAKA TRIBUNE

German minister praises DBL’s safety, compliance standards n Tribune Report Being impressed by the safety and compliance standards of DBL Group, a RMG manufacturer, German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation Gerd Muller urged the sector people to follow suit in a bid to gain the topmost position in the world.

Muller said this at an inauguration of a mini-Fire Brigade Station to be built in Kashimpur, Gazipur, jointly by Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defence, DBL Group, GIZ and Global Initiative on Disaster Risk Management.

Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed attended the event with his German counterpart.

Muller said he is deeply impressed about the philosophy of DBL Group, workers’ standard and economical standard of production

that have been done in partnership with the German government for its consumers, said Muller.

‘We have taken the Rana Plaza incident as a wake-up call and taken measures to upgrade safety standards’ “I appreciate this very much that DBL created a community for village, clinic, fair price shop and fire station,” he said.

This should be the standard for other textile companies in Bangladesh too, he said, urging all factory owners to follow DBL to become top in the world.

“Of course, we know that not every textile company in Bangladesh is in this position.”

DBL is producing especially for German companies, and therefore, the Germans are proud of this partnership, he said.

Talking about his German counterpart, Tofail said not only DBL but also there are many RMG factories in Bangladesh having same facilities and standards.

He also urged the minister to visit other factories to see Bangladesh standards in compliance issues.

Bangladesh has inspected 3,400 RMG factories to asses safety standards and found only 32 risky to safety, said the commerce minister.

“We have taken the Rana Plaza incident as a wake-up call and taken measures to upgrade safety standards. So now we are safe.” l

The government has reshuffled the Bangabandhu satellite project implementation committee in a bid to expedite the works.

BTRC has also cancelled an office order made on the matter earlier, which says the committee will hold at least six meetings a year to monitor the progress of the implementation works.

“The project implementation committee will supervise and monitor day-to-day works to ensure implementation of the project components as stated in the development project proposal (DPP),” a high BTRC official said.

The 9-member committee is led by a member of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC).

On launching of the project, it will take a few years to reach the break-even point and help the country save $14m annually. The government can also earn renting out the satellite.

The estimated cost of the project is Tk2,967 crore, out of which around Tk1652 crore will be provided by the winning bidder, while the rest will be borne by the government.

Four international companies from three countries participated in the tender process of the installation and post-installation support services for launching the country’s first-ever satellite.

However, five companies had purchased the tender documents to get the work. At the last moment, one didn’t submit tender documents.

The last date of submission was 18 June.

The four participating companies are Great Wall Industry Corporation of China, MDA Corporation of Canada, Thales Alenia Space of France and Orbital ATK from USA. Meanwhile, BTRC has formed a three-member committee to evaluate the bidding documents.

An official of the regulatory body said the evaluation was taking time and was yet to be finished. “This is a largest project in the country’s satellite sector. So the evaluation can take time.”

Bangladesh signed a deal with Russia-based Intersputnik for taking lease of an orbital slot. The government is hoping to launch the satellite by the end of 2017.

BTRC will pay $28m for the use of frequencies at 119.1 degree East Orbital Slot while the route carries 40 transponders for telecommunications, video and audio broadcast. l

No end in sight, as money flees cheap emerging markets n Reuters, London Money is fleeing emerging markets en masse in 2015 for the first time in 27 years and few global investors are tempted to return to equities, currencies or bonds there as many of the populous economies defining the asset class slow inexorably.

Over the three decades or so of the modern ‘emerging markets’ securities industry, periodic shocks and sharp drawdowns have typically been followed by big returns for those bold enough to snap up cheap assets during the darkest moments.

But this episode - seeded by fears of tighter US credit and a rising US dollar alongside a commodity collapse accompanying a secular

slowdown of China’s economic growth - has a different feeling and there’s been a slow bleed for more than two years already.

According to world’s most closely watched monitor of capital flows to emerging markets, the Institute of International Finance, the developing world will record net capital outflows this year for the first time since 1988.

Funds fear that instead of widespread defaults and currency collapses, the crisis this time is more measured and slower moving, and many of the over-investment and over-borrowing problems may take many painful years to correct themselves.

The market rally of the past week - sparked by expectations of another delay to US rate hikes as jobs growth slows - is therefore seen

fizzling out again soon.

“At several points in the last year-and-half I thought we were turning a corner and of course we haven’t. We see these blips of outperformance, then it continues on its downward trend,” said Jose Morales, CIO of Mirae Asset Global Investments.

The reason, according to Morales, is the close correlation of emerging equities with the growth premium developing countries enjoy over richer peers. This premium, UBS data shows, has shrunk to the narrowest since 1999.

“I look at forecasts, not just for GDP (gross domestic product) growth but also earnings growth in emerging markets. I will start to believe that perhaps we are at a turning point when I see those downgrades stabilise,” Mo-

rales said. “It always goes back to growth.”

One big problem is the uncertain outlook for China, on which emerging markets’ fortunes mostly hinge. Growth is very likely less than the official 7% while a $1.1tn buildup in company debt has raised fears of a financial crisis.

Emerging exports too are declining yearon-year at the sharpest rate since 2008-09, UBS data shows, a consequence both of China’s slowdown and fragile demand from the West.

All this has made emerging markets cheap.

MSCI’s emerging equity benchmark is in its fifth year of underperformance versus developed peers and its price discount to developed peers is the widest in at least a decade. l

Petunias in bloom

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Photo: Bigstock

news Germany assists Bangladesh in adopting a national employment injury insurance system A tripartite Letter of Intent (LoI) has recently been signed between the Federal Republic of Germany, the People’s Republic of Bangladesh and the International Labor Organization (ILO) to support the establishment of a national employment injury insurance system in Bangladesh. Dr Gerd Müller, federal minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Mikail Shipar, secretary of the Ministry of Labor and Employment, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh and Srinivas B Reddy, country director of the ILO signed the LoI at a ceremony held at Westin Dhaka on October 6.

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With this ambitious new initiative Germany, Bangladesh and the ILO will further strengthen the garment sector in this country and contribute to an improvement of the safety conditions in the industry. Germany has extensive experiences with employment injury insurances and the establishment of such insurances does not only lead to safer working conditions but also guarantees the livelihood of individual workers and their family after tragic industrial accidents. This ambitious initiative to adopt the system for the RMG sector in Bangladesh will have a lasting positive impact on the garments industry. l

INSIDE

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Hot Topic

App-ing traffic

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Healthy household hacks

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Hot Topic

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App-ing traffic Tugging out of tight spots with the help of apt apps

n Rad Sharar Bin Kamal These humble words of potential boredom (be warned) are the product of a severely exhausted kid who chose the utterly wrong path on his way from Bashundhara Residential Area to Panthapath after his morning classes. No, he wasn’t inside a car, complaining under the veil of air conditioning and sad faced selfies. Nor did he choose the bus as he was in a rush to reach office in time to fulfill his daily duties, but little did he know his choice of vehicle would make the same difference as Kanye West running for President (alas, who knows?). At the end of the day, when the road didn’t budge, neither could he.

Excuse me, but allow a correction; these words are of pure anger. I have no one to blame but myself for the daily turmoil of traffic I face, that we all have to face,

in fact. I was ignorant of those who are providing wonderful sources to help us reach our destinations as quickly and as easily as possible, at times at the expense of more expenses; but in all essence, more comfortably.

I may be “meh-ed” for highlighting a matter which most of us are already aware of, but bear with me as I differentiate a vital change in perspective. Due to the conditions we live in, the requirement for these sources has finally reached the level of dire need, rather than want. We need traffic apps to survive, thinking of patients stuck in ambulances on the roads. We need taxi services to succeed, thinking of exam halls we need to reach in time. We need helpful social media traffic communities to live, thinking of others who may need a helping hand or may have no access to the former sources.

Photo: Syed Zakir Hossain

But let’s think about ourselves now.

Here are the most used jam-relieving sources we picked out of many. Find the ones which suit you best.

Food for thought: When everyone knows the best roads to take, does that mean no one does?

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DhakaRides The new kid on the block with high expectations is this carpooling website, which is still a fresh concept. DhakaRides is a service with which you can share an air conditioned car ride to where you want to go in the city. All you have to do is reserve a seat at a specific time and the rest will be carried out by them.

Ingenious service, but may still need some time to settle in. Still in their pilot phase, only the Dhanmondi to Bashundhara to Dhanmondi routes are available so far.

GO! Traffic BETA This mobile app monitors and provides traffic updates of Dhaka City in real time, with the help of their core team and crowdsourced users on social media. As accurate and sharptimed as it gets, their feed is continuously and consistently updated with a map display portraying the heat spots according to colour codes; green meaning “Low Traffic,” orange meaning “Medium Traffic,” and red meaning “High Traffic.” Some areas are marked grey, meaning the traffic status in that area is unknown.

The app may still be in BETA version but has already exceeded expectations, with a constantly growing user and contributor base to cover more areas with accuracy in the future.

GO! Traffic Updates (by GObd.co) The Facebook page for the aforementioned application, it is truly remarkable how time-oriented this page is.

Posts are made at short intervals (just a few minutes) to keep the page users as efficiently updated as the app users. The areas are clearly mentioned on each post as well, hence it is not difficult at all (relating to users who aren’t used to the Facebook search yet) to find the area concerning you in a short time, unless you’re unlucky and Colombus’d a new road somewhere in Dhaka, which isn’t all that surprising in itself. But the additional aid comes in the form to ask direct questions on the page as well as comment on the posts for extra info, which is replied to, by expected standards, surprisingly fast.

Have either of the two, and you’ll be more sure on your way through hell.

rastaRObosta An app serving essentially the same purpose as GO! Traffic, but with a sense of local humour added in. With a vibrant interface and collaborative nature, the app collects information from users who can colour code the routes they have taken to help other users choose their paths as well. Give-andtake really. You just need to touch the arrow button and a new window will pop up with six different colours to indicate the situation

in that area. The dark green one which says “Purai Pinik!” means very low traffic, the bottle green which says “Chikon Moja” means little less clearer than the first one.

Gradually, it gets worse to “Motamuti” (light green), “Hudai Pera” (light orange), “Jotil Jontrona” (dark orange) and the worse “Polti Mar” (red), which means skip that road completely. It makes your way with a smile to make your day too.

Toma Taxi Service This one is a lifesaver, but like all good services, need some wallet weight to avail it. Just call the number (018-66667070) and ask for a cab, and the one nearest to you will come to you and call. Focusing on the good sides, the cars used are well maintained and properly secured with trusted drivers, on whom the control centre always keeps a tab on. But the cons come in the form of buck. With Tk85 for the first 2km, Tk34 per subsequent km, Tk8.5 for every 2 minutes you wait and an extra Tk20 when booked by call (the metre starts ticking from the moment the taxi starts coming towards you), the final fare may be much higher than that of the average CNG going the same distance.

But when in need, you can’t really complain.

Traffic Alert A Facebook group with potential and grossing attention, Traffic Alert is a mixture of posts made by individuals (stuck or free) wherever to post for the rest. With more and more people adding in, the group has increased in accuracy with regard to time but has still held on to the flaw that no one may answer you in time or at all. Otherwise, highly affective on popular routes, this.

Illustration : Priyo

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Tucked In

decor

Healthy household hacks T-Junction brings you a few simple hacks to consider when maintaining your house

n Raisa Rahim A clean house makes for a better living.

And hence we ought to maintain our surroundings prior to seasonal changes. Well, unfortunately, the current season invites lilliputian but fatal mosquitoes to your house that can cause several diseases like malaria, dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever, etc. The market is flooded with several chemicalladen mosquito repellents. But here are some home remedies you can use to maintain a healthy, disease free and clean house.

Coffee grounds Mosquitoes usually breed in stagnant water, hence you can sprinkle coffee grounds where ever there is stagnant water around your house and let the beans work its magic. The mosquito eggs will be driven to the surface of the water due to the coffee grounds and will be deprived of oxygen. This technique is very efficient since it will kill all the eggs before they are hatched and stop the bad boys from breeding. As a bonus, it provides your house with a nice fragrant.

Beer Unless you have a problem with using beer, this remedy is both easy and decorative for your house. For this, you have to take a bowl

that room after some time, you will not find any mosquitoes.

Holy basil and mint Holy basil leaves are great for killing mosquito larvae. Hence, do a little landscaping and plant holy basil in your garden, balcony and most importantly at the entrance of your house and windows.

Alternatively, you can also grow mint shrubs as they will keep the mosquitoes at bay and spread a heart-warming smell around your house.

or a mason jar, or any other container you see fit. Fill the container with beer, sprinkle some rose petals and place it anywhere you like in your house. The alcohol will drive the murderous mosquitoes away.

Citronella oil and lavender Citronella oil works best as mosquito repellents. Put a few drops of the oil in a candle and light it up.

Alternatively, you can use lavenderscented room fresheners that are known to repel the uninvited guests.

Camphor Camphor is an environment-friendly remedy. Just close all the doors and windows of the room. Then light camphor and leave it for about half an hour. When you go back to

Low light Mosquitoes usually get attracted by lights.

Hence it will be wise to use mosquitorepellent lights such as sodium lamps, yellow bug lights or LED lights in your house. l

Photos: Bigstock

news

Fall 2015 orientation programme held at UIU “United International University (UIU) has been playing a significant role in building knowledge,” said society speakers at the orientation programme of UIU, a twoday long programme held for the newly admitted students of the Fall 2015 trimester at the UIU Auditorium. These students are enrolling in the School of Business and Economics and the School of Science and Engineering.

UIU vice-chancellor Prof M Rezwan Khan presided over the ceremonies while provice chancellor, Prof Dr Chowdhury Mofizur Rahman; adviser Prof Dr Golam Rahman; dean, School of Business and Economics, Prof Dr Md Musa; head, Department of Economics Prof Dr Amirul Islam Chowdhury; registrar, Prof A S M Salahuddin; head, Department of CSE, Dr Salekul Islam and director of Students Affairs, Suman Ahmed spoke in the programme. Treasurer, heads of different departments, teachers, guardians, students and the invited guests were present at the event.

The speakers stressed that providing quality education is the prime concern of this university. They also advised the

students to be more attentive to their academic studies to face the modern challenges. l

Eastern University appoints new treasurer The President of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, along with the chancellor of Eastern University has appointed Siddique Hossain, associate professor and MBA programme director of the Eastern University, as the treasurer of the university for four years from October 4, 2015.

Siddique Hossain has received an MA in Economics from Temple University, USA in 1997 and also earned an MBA degree from Cleveland State University, USA in 1989.

Earlier, he has worked as a faculty member at the School of Business, North South University, University of Chittagong and Institute of Business Administration of the University of Dhaka. He has also experienced working at the Wharton Econometrics and Forecasting Associates (WEFA), Inc, USA and International Monetary Fund (IMF), Washington, USA. l

England captain Wayne Rooney is a major doubt for Friday’s Euro 2016 qualifier at home to Estonia after he missed training for a second straight day due to an ankle injury

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DEPAY STILL ADAPTING TO PHYSICALITY OF EPL

‘I aim to play for Bangladesh by the next one year’ n Mazhar Uddin He has been closely monitored for a while now and is treated as the next big thing in Bangladesh cricket. The young cricketer in question is none other than Mosaddek Hossain, who is better known as Saikat among his friends and team mates.

An outstanding and consistent performer in the domestic circuit for the last two-three years, the 19-year old is the first and only Bangladesh cricketer to score three first-class double centuries in a calender year.

In the previous edition of the National Cricket League, the Mymensingh lad blasted 742 runs in six matches at an average of 82.44.

And it seems that Mosaddek has started from where he had left off. The right-hander smashed an unbeaten 200 recently for Barisal in the ongoing 17th NCL and followed it up with a fine half-century in the second innings. He is also a handy off-spinner.

The elegant Mosaddek, who has already caught the attention through his trademark cover drives, spoke with Dhaka Tribune yesterday and during the course of the exclusive interview, the talented cricketer talked about a number of topics, including his ultimate target of playing for the national side in the not-too-distant future.

Here are the excerpts:

You are the first and only Bangladesh batsman to score three double centuries in a year. Your thoughts on that?

ever I get an opportunity to play a big innings, I will not let go of the chance. Records are meant to be broken but at times, it works as a motivation.

You possess twin abilities to bat for long periods and score quick runs at the same time. How do you gear yourself up for the different formats? Do you alter your approach in accordance with the situation?

In the earlier times, I was comfortable playing 50 overs and T20 matches. But gradually, I started loving the longer format. However, I never tried to change my approach to batting.

In the longer version, I just go for it whenever I get the opportunity to score. But yes, comparatively, longer version is more difficult as you cannot lose your concentration even for a single ball. I usually play my natural game. And I never lose my focus during a crucial knock.

Apart from your batting, you are also a handy off-spinner. Do you work hard on your bowling?

I was mainly a genuine off-spinner during my childhood. However, things changed gradually. But whenever I get the chance to bowl, I try to give my hundred percent. I work on my bowling apart from my batting. I bowl regularly in the nets and I want to be involved in the game by any means possible.

When do you see yourself representing the national side?

You have represented all the Bangladesh age-level sides and also captained the Tigers’ U-19 side in a home series against Sri Lanka.

Do you think your captaincy helps you to improve as a player?

Previously, I set a target of playing for the national team by this year. However, I think I am quite far from achieving that at the moment.

Still, I aim to play for Bangladesh by the next one year or so as this has been my dream ever since I started playing cricket.

Some of your Under-19 colleagues like Liton Kumar Das, Mustafizur Rahman and Jubair Hossain are now playing for the Tigers. Does that motivate you?

Liton is a very good friend of mine. Obviously, it feels great when I see my friends playing for the national team. But at the same time, it makes me more motivated. I would dearly want to play for the national team with the cricketers that I had played with in the age-level groups. Yes, to tell you the truth, the fact that my friends are playing for the national side motivates me all the time. I am eagerly awaiting my turn.

It feels great. I always used to watch Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene playing big knocks one after another. I thought when-

First-Class List-A Match

12

20

Runs

1480

576

HS

282

100

Ave

77.89

32

100s

6

1

50s

3

3

It really helped me while playing for the age-level groups. I learned to take good care of myself. And being under the guidance of the board actually gives you more opportunities. The facilities really helped me to groom myself for the future. I feel lucky I followed the right track. And at the same time, I would like to thank [Nazmul Abedeen] Fahim sir and [Zafrul] Ehsan sir as they helped me whenever I needed them.

Who is your role model?

I love the batting style and approach of Virat Kohli as he is very exciting to watch.

While in Bangladesh, I like Nasir [Hossain] bhai and I think he is a complete cricketer and a treat to watch. l

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Zimbabwe to tour Bangladesh this November n Minhaz Uddin Khan Zimbabwe Cricket has agreed in principle to tour Bangladesh for a two-match Test series this November. Bangladesh Cricket Board president Nazmul Hassan informed this to the media yesterday at Mirpur's Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium following the 12th board meeting.

Zimbabwe were originally scheduled to tour Bangladesh in January next year for two Tests, three ODIs and two Twenty20 internationals.

However, following Cricket Australia's decision recently to pull out from the Bangladesh tour on security grounds, the BCB was looking for opportunities to bring forward the series by a few months. Thankfully for the BCB, ZC sounded out a positive response.

“They have principally agreed to come to Bangladesh in November this year for two Tests. The ODI and T20I series will be played in January 2016 as per the old schedule,” said Nazmul.

The BCB chief stated that detailed discussions with ZC will take place in the sidelines of the International Cricket Council meeting, scheduled for tomorrow in Dubai.

According to sources within the board, the itinerary and probable venues for the two Test matches will be discussed between the BCB and ZC. The BCB is going through uncertain times at the moment owing to CA's decision to postpone the tour. To add to the misery of

Indian board seeks report from state unit on crowd trouble n Reuters, Mumbai The Indian cricket board (BCCI) has sought a report from its state unit on the crowd trouble during Monday’s Twenty20 match against South Africa which has prompted calls for a ban on the venue.

Indian batting great Sunil Gavaskar led calls for a ban on Cuttack after supporters at the sold-out Barabati Stadium in Orissa threw bottles during the change of innings and again when South Africa were batting.

The match suffered a delay of close to an hour and resumed only after police cleared an upper stand of the stadium as South Africa went on to record their second successive victory to seal the three-match series with a game to spare.

“BCCI President Shashank Manohar has asked the Secretary of Orissa Cricket Association Ashirwad Behera to submit a report on the incident within two days,” the board said in a statement on its website (www.bcci.tv).

“Mr. Manohar has asked the state association to explain why the spectators were allowed to carry the bottles inside the stadium, which is against the ICC Guidelines.”

In India most stadiums do not allow bottles, and other objects that can be used as projectiles, but Behera has been quoted in the local media as saying that fans were allowed to carry water bottles to cope with the heat.

The two sides will also play five one-day internationals and four Test matches in what is South Africa’s longest tour of India. l

BCB president Nazmul Hassan (C) speaks during the board meeting yesterday the BCB, Cricket South Africa followed in the footsteps of CA and also decided a few days back to postpone its women's tour of Bangladesh this month.

When queried if Zimbabwe's visit will be a source of relief for them, Nazmul said, “Not at all. Why should it be that way? We always knew the issues will not sustain for long. I was always confident.

“Our stance is clear. Yes, there was an alert from Australia but only for a limited amount

DHAKA TRIBUNE

of time. Bangladesh is safe enough for the teams to visit and there should be no concern, given that the highest levels of the country are looking into the matter quite seriously. I have a strong belief that 90 percent of the members in the ICC will support us.”

The BCB supremo added that he will put a lot of emphasis on Bangladesh playing more international matches in the upcoming ICC meeting.

“We have prepared a presentation that in-

DIU to play in Malaysia n Tribune Desk The 16-man Daffodil International University (DIU) cricket squad will depart here for Malaysia tomorrow to take part in the forthcoming 8th International Inter-Varsity Cricket Invitational, scheduled to begin this Saturday.

Along with hosts and organisers University Kebangsaan, Malaysia, five university teams from Bangladesh, England, Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka will partake in the eight-day invitational tournament.

It is mentionable that DIU was also invited in the previous edition last November where they

finished fourth among six university teams.

The details of the tournament were announced yesterday in a press conference at DIU Auditorium in the capital.

Former captain and national selector Habibul Bashar, former opening batsman Mehrab Hossain, DIU student and national opener Imrul Kayes and Pro-Vice Chancellor, Professor Dr. M Golam Rahman, were present among others in the programme.

Kayes though will not be able to accompany his university team mates to Malaysia as he will be busy with the upcoming third round of the 17th National Cricket League. l

The Bangladesh women cricketers arrived back home yesterday following their tour of Pakistan. Salma Khatun and her troop lost both the T20I and ODI series DHAKA TRIBUNE

dicates the more Bangladesh plays, the performance level gets better. At the same time, we will also emphasise on the importance of letting a team like Bangladesh rise. It (Bangladesh's resurgence) can only help world cricket,” opined Nazmul.

Among other developments, the BCB directors decided to restart the national pacer hunt after an eight-year hiatus.

The meeting also approved the upgradation process of the indoor training facilities.

Nazmul explained that plans to upgrade the indoor training facilities is originally the brain-child of national head coach Chandika Hathurusingha.

“Following the [2015 ICC] World Cup, he (Chandika) had come to me and said practising at the Brisbane Centre of Excellence had a positive impact on Bangladesh’s performance and that we should also plan to build similar facilities. The board thought the current indoor facilities have already become old and that we should come up better, if possible, than Brisbane,” said Nazmul.

Meanwhile, ticket prices and the players' payment process of the forthcoming third edition of the Bangladesh Premier League Twenty20 were determined in the meeting.

The BCB also approved the domestic calender for the 2015-16 season, the extension and promotion of selectors and development coaches, the anti-corruption and anti-doping code. The papers will be sent to the ICC and will be implemented once approved. l

Sheikh Kamal Club Cup participants unveiled n Tribune Report The Sheikh Kamal International Club Cup is all to roll on the field on October 20 this year in the port city of Chittagong as the names of the eight participating clubs from south Asia were announced yesterday in a press conference at BFF House.

The 10-day tournament will feature three clubs from Bangladesh – Mohammedan Sporting Club, Abahani Limited and hosts Chittagong Abahani. Premier league champions Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club earlier declined to take part in the tournament.

India, meanwhile, will be represented by Kolkata Mohammedan, West Bengal and East Bengal FC. Pakistan premier league champions Karachi Electric FC, the recently formed Afghan premier league outfit De Spin Ghar Bazan and Sri Lankan premier league winners Solid FC complete the line-up of the visiting teams.

The draw ceremony of the tournament will be held this Monday and all the matches will be played at MA Aziz Stadium in Chittagong.

The champions will receive $25,000 while the runners-up side will pocket $10,000.

BFF executive committee member Shamsul Haque Chowdhury during the press conference yesterday, said that they have already formed a 54-member organising committee.

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina is the chief patron of the committee. “The target is to host the tournament on a regular basis and we are trying to set an example that will inspire the others to host such tournaments in future,” said Chittagong Abahani football team chairman and chief co-ordinator Tarafder Ruhul Amin. l

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QUICK BYTES Amalfitano leaves West Ham by mutual consent Midfielder Morgan Amalfitano has left West Ham United by mutual consent, the Premier League club said on their website (www.whufc. com). The 30-year-old Frenchman, who fell out with manager Slaven Bilic during pre-season, left the Hammers after 13 months at Upton Park, in which he made 32 appearances and scored three goals.

–REUTERS

Blatter rules out resigning before FIFA election Sepp Blatter has made it clear he will not resign as FIFA president and is determined to fight right up until the next election on February 26.

“I will only stop (working) on February 26 and not a day before,” Blatter told German magazine Bunte, which is due out on Thursday. “I will fight until February 26. For me. And for FIFA. –AFP

De Bruyne to be given lead role for Belgium Belgium will change their formation for Saturday’s Euro 2016 qualifier away to minnows Andorra in order to hand Manchester City’s Kevin de Bruyne a playmaker role, coach Marc Wilmots said on Tuesday. Belgium will book their place in next year’s finals in France with victory over Andorra in what is expected to be a routine assignment.

–REUTERS

Sakho says felt like ‘caged lion’ under Rodgers Liverpool defender Mamadou Sakho felt like a “caged lion” when left on the bench by former manager Brendan Rodgers, the defender told L’Equipe. The 25-year-old French made his first start of the season against Ligue 1 side Bordeaux in the Europa League on Sept. 17 and he did not hide his frustration after missing Liverpool’s opening five games.

–REUTERS

Mourinho sets a bad example, says Cruyff The behaviour of outspoken Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho sets a bad example for young people, Dutch football great Johan Cruyff said on Tuesday. Mourinho has hogged the headlines over the opening weeks of the Premier League season, hitting out at rival managers and attracting criticism for sidelining female team doctor Eva Carneiro, who has left the club.

–AFP

Nasri eyeing MLS Manchester City midfielder Samir Nasri has admitted that France coach Didier Deschamps decision to leave him out of the World Cup squad still rankles to the extent that he is unlikely to return to his homeland once his playing days in England end. The 28-year-old, who is tied to Premier League leaders City until 2019, told French television channel Canal+ Sport that he was open to the idea of playing in the United States after England and would not represent France again.

–REUTERS

A participant hits a ball with a large tennis racket at a sideline event of the China Open tennis tournament in Beijing, China yesterday

REUTERS

Warne, Tendulkar to lead star-studded cricket tour of US n AP, Melbourne Cricket greats Shane Warne of Australia and Sachin Tendulkar of India will captain opposing teams of former star players in a threematch exhibition tour of the United States

next month.

The Cricket All Stars tour will feature short-format Twenty20 matches in New York, Houston and Los Angeles starting Nov. 7 at Citi Field, home to Major League Baseball’s New York Mets.

Also playing on the tour are former Test captains Ricky Ponting of Australia, the West Indies’ Brian Lara, Wasim Akram of Pakistan and England’s Michael Vaughan, as well as South African Jonty Rhodes and cricket’s record wicket-taker Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka.

The other games of the tour will be played at the Houston Astos’ Minute Maid Park on Nov. 11 and Dodger Stadium on Nov. 14.

Tendulkar predicted the Twenty20 format matches, which generally take no more than three hours to play, will appeal to U.S. sports fans.

“Americans are so passionate about sports, and there’s a huge potential for cricket to take off,” he said in a statement. “We’re also planning some other events and festivities in each city so we can reach as many fans as possible.”

Warne said the tour has signed “all the top players you’d ever want to see.”

“I’m excited for cricket fans in the United States to be able to see these amazing players for the first time.”

Warne is considered one of the greatest bowlers to have played the game, while Tendulkar is an icon in India and regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time.

The Cricket Australia website reported Wednesday that a portion of the earnings from the three matches will go to the world governing body, the International Cricket Council, to help grow the sport in the U.S. l

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Germany great Mueller suffering from Alzheimers: Bayern n Reuters, Berlin

Veteran Brazilian Kaka (R) prepares to kick a ball as Hulk looks on during a team training session last Tuesday, ahead of their 2018 World Cup qualifying match against Chile early tomorrow morning in Santiago, Chile REUTERS

Former Germany and Bayern Munich striker Gerd Mueller, who is the Bundesliga’s all-time top scorer, is suffering from Alzheimers, his club said on Tuesday.

Nicknamed “Der Bomber” for his scoring prowess, Mueller, a 1974 World Cup and 1972 European Championship winner, who also won three consecutive European Cups with Bayern, has been suffering from the disease since early this year.

“For some time now Gerd Mueller has unfortunately been ill,” Bayern said in a statement ahead of Mueller’s 70th birthday next month.

“He is suffering from Alzheimers. Since February 2015 Gerd Mueller has been treated professionally with strong support from his family.”

Mueller, who won 13 titles at Bayern, played for the club from 1964 to 1979, scoring 533 goals in 585 games in all competitions 365 in the Bundesliga.

He also scored 68 goals in 62 appearances for Germany, a mark surpassed only recently

by Miroslav Klose.

Mueller also played for two years at the Fort Lauderdale Strikers in the United States before returning to Bayern to work as a youth coach. l

South American qualifiers start without elite quintet n Reuters Five of South America’s leading players will be missing when the continent’s 2018 World Cup qualifiers kick off this week.

Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Colombia’s James Rodriguez are injured, while Brazil’s Neymar and Uruguay’s Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani are suspended.

That leaves Chile’s Alexis Sanchez as one of the few top talents available and ready to light up their home clash with Brazil in Santiago, the opening round’s big match on Thursday.

Sergio Aguero, who is in fine scoring form for Manchester City, with five goals against Newcastle United last weekend, is expected to lead the Argentina attack at home to Ecuador.

Beside him or ready to spring off the bench

for the match at the Monumental in Buenos Aires on Thursday will be Carlos Tevez, who is close to winning another league title with Boca Juniors.

Messi injured his knee the previous weekend playing for Barcelona and was told he would be out for up to eight weeks and could miss four of the 2014 World Cup runners-up’s matches in the marathon 18-round group.

“Messi’s absence must be an incentive and not an excuse,” said his Barcelona team mate Javier Mascherano, who will most likely lead the side.

Coach Gerardo Martino is hoping Messi, who also misses the trip to Paraguay next Tuesday, will recover quickly enough to become available for next month’s home match against arch-rivals Brazil and trip to Colombia.

Back in July, Chile lifted the Copa America for the first time in Santiago after Brazil, without the suspended Neymar, went home early following their penalty-shootout defeat to Paraguay in the quarter-finals.

FIXTURES Bolivia Colombia Venezuela Chile Argentina

v v v v v

Uruguay Peru Paraguay Brazil Ecuador

Neymar was sent off in a group match defeat to Colombia and banned for four matches after insulting Chilean referee Enrique Osses.

He has to sit out two of Brazil’s qualifiers, the

Germany have one eye on the finals n Reuters, Dublin While world champions Germany will be eager to seal their automatic qualification for Euro 2016 with a win on Thursday, Ireland will have one eye nervously cast on the progress of playoff rivals Scotland.

Victory in Dublin would keep Germany on course to top Group D ahead of Poland although winger Lukas Podolski is doubtful for the match. However, Marco Reus is available after missing the last two qualifiers with a fractured toe. The Germans, like every other national team, have only had a short time to prepare and coach Joachim Loew said he had taken that into account in his planning. l

second one at home to Venezuela next week.

Suarez is still serving a nine-match FIFA ban for biting Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini at the 2014 finals in Brazil.

He missed the Copa America and will not become available again to coach Oscar Tabarez until March after sitting out Thursday’s visit to Bolivia and next week’s home clash with Colombia.

Cavani is serving a two-match ban after being sent off in Uruguay’s quarter-final defeat at the Copa for hitting Chile’s Gonzalo Jara, who had infamously poked his finger up the forward’s backside.

Real Madrid’s Rodriguez has suffered a relapse of a thigh injury and misses Colombia’s home match against Peru on Thursday and Tuesday’s trip to Montevideo. l

FIFA postpones Palestine-Saudi Arabia WC qualifier n AFP, Lausanne

(L-R) Germany national football players Max Kruse, Marco Reus and Andre Schuerrle take part in a training session in Frankfurt, Germany on Tuesday REUTERS

FIFA have postponed next week’s 2018 World Cup qualifier between Palestine and Saudi Arabia until a decision is made on where the match between the two nations should be played.

A meeting was held at FIFA headquarters in Zurich on Tuesday between Palestinian Football Federation president Jibril Rajoub and his Saudi counterpart Ahmed Eid Al Harbi to discuss the issue.

“It was decided to postpone the match until the ongoing process has been concluded,” a FIFA spokesperson told AFP on Wednesday. l

DT

SPORT 29

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2015

Berdych arrives late, leaves early in Beijing n AFP, Beijing

David Ferrer of Spain hits a return against Lukas Rosol of the Czech Republic during their second round men’s singles match at the China Open tennis tournament in Beijing yesterday AFP

DAY’S WATCH Ten Sports 10:30AM ATP World Tour 500 2015 China Open Round 16

Sony Six 1:00AM NBA Pre-Season Games Boston Celtics v Real Madrid 6:00AM Fifa World Cup Qualifiers 2018 Argentina v Ecuador (Friday)

Sony Kix UEFA Euro Qualifiers 2016 9:30PM Georgia v Gibraltar 12:30AM Republic of Ireland v Germany Fifa World Cup Qualifiers 2018 3:00AM Venezuela v Paraguay (Friday) 5:30AM Chile v Brazil (Friday)

World number five Tomas Berdych was stunned in straight sets by Uruguay’s Pablo Cuevas as he became the latest seed to exit the rollercoaster China Open on Wednesday.

The second-seeded Czech, who won the rain-delayed Shenzhen Open final on Monday, was sent packing 6-4, 6-4 a little over 24 hours after arriving in Beijing and after only 107 minutes on court.

Milos Raonic and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the fifth and eighth seeds, had also failed to negotiate the first round in what has been an eventful tournament so far.

“I made one tournament title. The other one didn’t go my way,” shrugged Berdych after his first-round defeat to the 37th-ranked Cuevas.

“It’s always a difficult part of the year,” he added. “We have to travel a lot. The conditions are always very different, very difficult, week by week here in China. It’s not easy to adjust.”

It was a different story for Garbine Muguruza, who retired from last week’s Wuhan Open final against Venus Williams with an ankle problem but bounced back to beat Irina Falconi 6-2, 6-1.

However, 13th seed Andrea Petkovic’s Chi-

Depay still adapting to physicality of EPL n Reuters Manchester United’s Dutch forward Memphis Depay had admitted he is still adjusting to the physical demands of the Premier League after moving to England this year.

The former PSV Eindhoven winger has failed to light up English football after finding the back of the net just once in eight league appearance.

The Netherlands international has, however, been impressive in the Champions League, scoring three goals in four appearances in Europe’s most prestigious club competition.

“There are a lot of games in Manchester.

There are very few rest days and on training days you are mainly concerned with recov-

ering,” the 21-year-old Dutchman told De Telegraaf ahead of the Netherlands’ European Championship qualifier against Kazakhstan on Saturday.

“It’s heavy, two games a week, always at a high level, and my body has to get used to that,” he added.

Depay is still confident making the switch to Manchester was the right move for him.

“I try to manage my career in steps, and I am still in the middle. I think this was the right step and I am happy in Manchester I’m still developing,” Depay said.

United, who sit third in the table, will be hoping Depay will start firing on all cylinders when they travel to face Everton on Oct. 17 at Goodison Park, a ground where they have lost on their last three visits. l

Beckham backs Giggs for United’s top job n AFP, Manchester

Star Sports 1 7:30PM South Africa Tour of India 3rd T20I

Star Sports 2 10:00AM Ranji Trophy 2015/16 Day 1: Karnataka v Bengal 7:00PM Indian Super League Delhi v Chennai

na Open is over after she was bundled out in three sets by Italy’s Sara Errani, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.

With Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova both missing Beijing, the women’s draw has been prised wider open by the retirements of Simona Halep and Eugenie Bouchard, and Petra Kvitova’s early defeat.

Meanwhile, defending champion Kei Nishikori toppled giant American Sam Querrey 7-6, 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals of the Japan Open on Wednesday despite failing to really catch fire.

Second seed Nishikori, who was dazzling in canary-yellow shirt, headband and sneakers, struggled with a swirling wind in the early skirmishes in Tokyo before discovering his mojo in the first-set tiebreak.

He raced through it 7-3 after a dipping forehand forced Querrey into a wild miss.

Nishikori then secured an early break in the second set with an exquisite drop shot to afford himself the breathing space required to truly find his range.

French Open champion Stan Wawrinka is also likely to provide a stern test to Nishikori’s championship credentials this week. The top seed will take on Japan’s Tatsuma Ito in Wednesday’s late match.

Third seed Gilles Simon blew past Czech Jiri Vesely 6-4, 6-2 to reach the last eight. l

Former Manchester United player David Beckham poses on the pitch at Old Trafford in Manchester on Tuesday ahead of a charity match in aid of UNICEF. Beckham will lead the Great Britain and Ireland team against a Rest of the World team led by Zinedine Zidane at Old Trafford on November 14 AFP

David Beckham on Tuesday backed his former Manchester United team-mate Ryan Giggs to take over as manager at Old Trafford one day.

Giggs, 41, is currently assistant manager to Louis van Gaal and Beckham, who played alongside the Welshman for 11 years, believes it will not be long before he has the top job all to himself.

“I have always said that Giggsy has this streak running through him that you see in top managers,” Beckham said. “I saw it as a player. He is so determined and I hope that at some point Giggsy does take over.l

DT

30 DOWNTIME

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2015

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Deeply engrossed (4) 3 Garment (4) 7 Armed conflict (3) 8 Summit (5) 11 Girl’s name (4) 12 Is afraid (5) 13 Happening (5) 15 Painful pain (4) 18 Hand-thrown missile (4) 19 Foot lever (5) 20 Freshwater fish (5) 21 Neat (4) 23 Beer mug (5) 24 Employ (3) 25 Curved (4) 26 Yield (4)

DOWN 1 Swayed to and fro (6) 2 Like better (6) 4 Possess (3) 5 Fruit (6) 6 Before (3) 9 Guard (6) 10 Make lace (3) 11 Way of viewing (6) 14 Traveller’s case (6) 16 Stick (6) 17 Brief look (6) 19 Step (3) 21 Bath (3) 22 Lair (3)

CODE-CRACKER How to solve: Each number in our CODECRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 19 represents B so fill B every time the figure 19 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

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2015

An attractive double bill on stage

n Ataur Rahman I am involved in theatre as an activist for the last 43 years. My main role in theatre centres around direction and acting. In my stride, I have had the fortune of working in plays of varied genre and that too, with a good number of theatre groups. I am not a theatre critic but tempted to write about neo-play productions which I am drawn to and in the process, I have compiled a book about my views, pro and contra about the play-productions that I saw, which was published with the gracious initiative of a well-known publisher. Recently I have seen two very talked about plays produced by Natyakendra. This double bill comprises of the 13th and 14th productions of the aforementioned troupe. One of the plays is Banduk Juddho adapted from The Trap by Alfred Farag and

the other is Gadhar Haat adapted from The Donkey Market by Tawfiq al-Hakim. Both the playwrights are Egyptian, of which our audience-spectators acquainted with Tawfiq al-Hakim.

Tariq Anam Khan, a stalwart theatre practitioner of the country, has done both the adaptations in Bangla; he planned and directed the plays as well. I can confidently say that Tariq lived up to his reputation which he had shown in his early directorial assignments. Bichchhu (an adaptation of Moliere’s The Scoundrel Scapin), The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Aroj Charitammrita by Masum Reza and Tughlaq by Girish Karnad are to name a few. Tariq, although deeply involved in stage theatre as an actor-director, aptly traversed the domain of television plays and cinema as a prominent actor.

I was really impressed by both plays that

I recently watched, because of the messages they delivered, good acting and well thought out stage designs. The first play depicts the contemporary trend of deceitful human dealings which lead to scuffles resulting in the killing of people. It almost felt as though I am watching a super mini plot of the FBI or CIA. The storyline is very intriguing, quite identifiable with the scenario of rural areas and ethnic people. There are no loose ends in the 35 minutes play. As soon as it ended, I was asking myself the question: “Is it possible to detach morality from politics?” All the characters in the play presented themselves impressively and Ariq, the lead actor, delivered a stunning performance with his penetrating eyes and hoarse voice. Eminent light designer Nasirul Haque Khokon created an ambience of light and shadow befitting the play.

The second play Gadhar Haat has been adapted from Tawfiq-al-Hakim’s The Donkey Market, a hilarious comedy with an obvious dark tone. This is also a short play of about 45 minutes. The presentation of the play has an inclination to vibrant and colourful style of commedia dell’arte, of course with a local outfit. As a peasant’s wife, Sangeeta Chowdhury competently maintained the augmented style of acting suited to that in commedia del’arte. The two characters of the play acted really well. Stage decor and other designs including the use of masks were appropriate. While watching the play it suddenly struck to me that the donkey is perhaps the most respectable and compassionate being in the world. l

n Showtime Desk After a 20 year hiatus, internationally acclaimed French actress Isabelle Huppert is going to set theatre stages ablaze once again. She will be playing the lead role for Phaedra at London’s Barbican Centre in June 2016, as she plans to take centre stage in retelling the famous Greek myth.

The 62 year old is known for her role in Michael Haneke’s The Piano Teacher (2001), which is based on a novel of the same name (Die Klavierspielerin) by Austrian author and winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2004, Elfriede Jelinek. Appearing in over 100 film and television productions, Huppert is the most nominated actress for the Cesar Award (the equivalent of BAFTA) as well as winning the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer for The Lacemaker (1977). She also won the Cesar Award for Best Actress for La Ceremonie (1995).

According to Greek mythology, Phaedra was married to King Theseus of Athens, bearing him two sons. Through the course of time she also fell in love with her stepson Hippolytus, who refused her advances.

Jilted, with her passion for him becoming common knowledge, she hung herself.

Before taking her life she managed to leave a

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol Z Studio 3:20pm The IMF is shut down when it’s implicated in the bombing of the Kremlin, causing Ethan Hunt and his new team to go rogue to clear their organisation’s name.

Cast: Tom Cruise, Paula Patton, Simon Pegg, Jeremy Renner

Ataur Rahman is a veteran actor and stage director who received Ekushey Padak in Drama in 2001

Isabelle Huppert to make a theatre comeback letter behind where she cleverly charged her stepson for assaulting. Staged by Krzysztof Warlikowski, the artistic director of Warsaw’s Nowy Teatrnd, the play will be based on Sarah Kane’s play Phaedra’s Love, as well as JM Coetzee’s novel Elizabeth Costello.

The play is going to relocate Phaedra’s story in the modern world, to give it a fresh new take. All stage actors will perform in French,

WHAT TO WATCH

but English subtitles will be provided alongside.

Sir Nicholas Kenyon from the Barbican stated: “Our new season is an exemplar of our dynamic international programme at its best, and with a record of 1.2 million audience figure this year, the Barbican continues to prove it’s a place that people are passionate about.” l

Deep Blue Sea WB 7:24pm Searching for a cure to Alzheimer’s disease a group of scientists on an isolated research facility become the bait as a trio of intelligent sharks fight back.

Cast: Thomas Jane, Michael Rapaport, Samuel L Jackson X-Men 2 Star Movies 9:30pm The X-Men band together to find a mutant assassin who has made an attempt on the President’s life, while the Mutant Academy is attacked by military forces.

Cast: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Famke Janssen Home Alone 3 Movies Now 9:30pm Alex Pruitt, a young boy of nine living in Chicago, fend off thieves who seek a top-secret chip in his toy car to support a North Korean terrorist organisation’s next deed.

Cast: Alex D Linz, Rya Kihlstedt, Lenny von Dohlen, Olek Krupa

DT

32 BACK PAGE

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2015

BIMAN MULLS PHASEOUT OF AGEING A310S PAGE 15

ZIMBABWE TO TOUR BD IN NOVEMBER PAGE 26

ATTRACTIVE DOUBLE BILL ON STAGE PAGE 31

BEZA to China: Bring your own gas Showkat Kallol and n Asif Samiul Bashar Anik The prime minister has asked the executive chairman of the economic zones authority to request the Chinese authorities to supply their two proposed economic zones in Bangladesh with gas imported on their own initiative from the Myanmar-China gas pipeline, sources said.

On September 15, at a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec), the prime minister asked the chairman to persuade the Chinese authorities to buy gas from the pipeline, which is owned by companies from four countries, to meet local needs.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said she hoped Chinese investors would persuade their government to import Myanmar gas to fuel their industries in the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA).

Executive Chairman of the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA) Paban Chowdhury said: “I informed Chinese Ambassador Ma Mingqiang about the request in front of the

prime minister at the Prime Minister’s Office.”

Paban said: “The issue is a diplomatic matter since it is not just the Chinese and Myanmar governments that are involved but also pipeline stakeholders India and South Korea, who will have to agree to the use of the pipeline.”

“We will try our best to convince the Chinese to import gas from the China-Myanmar pipeline,” he added.

Paban said Bangladesh had separately approached Myanmar about setting up EPZs along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border that would be fuelled by Myanmar gas, but the talks were inconclusive.

Paban assured the Dhaka Tribune that there would be no crisis of electricity or gas in the 41 proposed economic zones across the country.

But an Energy Division official said that without the discovery of a new gas well, the crisis of gas supply to industrial areas would likely continue.

The official, who asked not to be named, said Chittagong division’s gas crisis was now acute. The demand for gas in Chittagong dis-

trict is 500 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) whereas the supply of gas is just 228 mmcfd.

Bangladesh currently has the capacity to generate around 2,718 mmcfd of gas while demand ranges from 2,800 to 3,200 mmcfd, leaving a gas shortfall of roughly 500 mmcf each day, according to Petrobangla data.

At the meeting where the gas supply issue was raised, the Ecnec approved a project titled “Acquisition of Land for Development of Anwara II Economic Zone” which will require some Tk420 crore to implement. BEZA is scheduled to complete the project by June 2016.

The government has already selected two plots measuring 341 and 3,122 hectares in Chittagong district’s Anwara and Mirsarai upazilas, respectively, for Chinese investors.

The proposed name for the project is “Chinese Economic and Industrial Zones.” Paban told the Dhaka Tribune that Chinese investors had said they were planning to invest $2 billion in the economic zone.

The move to set up an exclusive economic zone came after the prime minister’s visit to China last year. BEZA signed an agreement with

the Chinese Commerce Ministry in this regard.

In July 2013, the Myanmar-China Oil and Gas Pipeline began supplying gas to China.

China National Petroleum Corporation has a 50.9% stake in the project. South Korean firms Daewoo and Korean Gas Corporation hold 25.04% and 4.17%, respectively, while two India’s Gas Authority of India Limited and Oil and Natural Gas Corporation hold 4.17% and 8.35%, respectively.

The 793 kilometre pipeline cost an estimated $2 billion. Myanmar expects to earn revenues of $30 billion over the next 30 years from the project, according to media reports.

According to the Energy and Power Division official, an initiative taken 10 years ago to channel gas from Myanmar to India through Bangladesh under a tri-nation pipeline never materialised because Dhaka did not agree to New Delhi’s conditions.

Several months ago, Bangladesh Deputy High Commissioner to India Salahuddin Noman Chowdhury told the media: “Official talks on a Bangladesh-India-Myanmar gas pipeline will begin soon.” l

Blatter faces 90 day suspension from Fifa n Reuters Fifa President Sepp Blatter faces a 90-day suspension from football if the governing body’s ethics judge backs a prosecutor’s recommendation, a close friend and former adviser to Blatter told Reuters yesterday.

Blatter’s long-term confidant Klaus Stoehlker said the decision

by Judge Hans-Joachim Eckert on the provisional suspension was expected by Friday.

“There is no final decision, this is a recommendation from the lower part of the Ethics Committee to the upper part,” said Stoehlker, who added that Blatter had been informed of the development.

A Fifa spokesperson directed inquiries to Blatter’s US lawyers who did not respond to requests for comment.

A spokesman for Eckert declined to comment. A spokesman for the Investigatory Chamber of the Ethics Committee was not immediately available for comment.

Swiss prosecutors last month opened a criminal investigation into Blatter over a Caribbean World Cup TV rights contract he signed, and a 2011 payment of 2 million Swiss francs ($2.1 million) to Platini. Both have denied any wrongdoing. 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