08 Nov, 2015 by DhakaTribune

SECOND EDITION

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2015

Kartik 24, 1422, Moharram 25, 1437

GAS CRISIS GRIPS MANY PARTS OF DHAKA PAGE 3

Regd No DA 6238, Vol 3, No 202

WANG ON LIFE SUPPORT, LILY RECOVERING PAGE 5

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BANGLADESH 103RD MOST PROSPEROUS NATION PAGE 32

A railway station run by smugglers INSIDE THE SMUGGLING SYNDICATE - 1 Jamil Khan and n Mohammad Syed Samiul Basher Anik A small-town railway station in Dinajpur has reportedly been co-opted by local smuggling syndicates who effectively control the traffic at the station to serve their illicit trade. Couriers of contraband hop a ride on commandeered trains toting their illegal consignments of spices, clothes, phensedyl, jewellery, cosmetics and whatever else the market fancies. Hili Railway Station’s central role in India-Bangladesh cross-border smuggling is a result of its geographic location close to the international border, along a major regional train route. The Indian border is just ten metres from Hili station’s railway tracks and the station connects to two major railway stations in Dinajpur, Sayedpur and Parbatipur. That provides smugglers with a safe and punctual transport infrastructure thirty feet from the source of the smuggled goods. While Railway staff are known to indulge passengers and allow unscheduled stops on remote stretches of the railway network, the passengers who force train drivers to call at Hili station belong to powerful smuggling rings that dominate parts of the country’s far north. Only two trains – Varendra Express and Ti-

tumir Express – have scheduled stops at Hili, but other trains frequently stop at the station under pressure from smuggling rackets.

MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

Tigers draw first blood In pursuit of a challenging 274 for victory, Zimbabwe were never in the running as Shakib recorded his best bowling figures, surpassing his previous best of 4/16 against the West Indies four years ago in Chittagong. The champion all-rounder, who has 206 wickets, one short of highest wicket-taker Abdur Razzak, started the onslaught by dismissing opening batsman Chamu Chibhabha (nine) early in the innings. The world’s fourth best bowler in ODIs then broke the visitors’ backbone by accounting for the scalps of Craig Ervine (two), Sean Williams (eight), Graeme Cremer (15) and Tinashe Panyangara (five) to bag his impressive five-for. Shakib received valuable support from the other end as captain Mashrafe bin Mortaza took two wickets to take his overall tally to 201.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

With a nod from dishonest Government Railway Police (GRP) officials, drivers are strong-armed into stopping at the station to

pick up smugglers. And drivers have good reason to obey. On March 12 last year, rail links in the western zone were suspended for about two hours after alleged smugglers in Hili beat up the driver of the Rajshahi-bound Uttara Express for refusing to stop his train. With an eye on the safety of his illegal stock, Rahman, the leader of a small-time smuggling group, says: “Trains offer the most secure way to transport goods from Hili. Roads and highways have become risky after the police and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) stepped up their surveillance and patrolling activities. “Once the goods are loaded on the trains by the carriers, there is no risk of getting caught by law enforcers.” He said Railway officials tell smugglers in advance exactly when the trains will come, so that smugglers can time their movements with precision. “When the trains cross Santahar or Birampur, they [Railway officials] inform us and our carriers take position at the station.” Business is conducted after everyone is “managed” – a euphemism for bribery – Rahman said, when asked about BGB officials patrolling the station. “If we want to stop a train, it is not very difficult for us because everyone from the local administration to the BGB takes tokens [a Railway-inspired euphemism for bribes] from us,” he said. On April 7, Indian smuggler Biton Roy was shot dead by BGB at Hili station as a gang tried to load smuggled goods from Bangladesh onto a train coming from Joypurhat.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

BNP hints at participating in municipality polls n Tribune Report BNP Standing Committee Member Moudud Ahmed yesterday hinted that the party might participate in the upcoming municipality elections. “We are yet to take any decision on the municipality election; the decision will be made in the party forum. Let our leader (Khaleda Zia) be back soon. Most possibly we will take part in the election,” he said. Placing wreaths at party founder Ziaur Rahman’s grave to mark the National Revolution and Solidarity Day, the BNP leader said: “We are eagerly waiting for our leader (Khaleda) to come back after completing her treatment.”

Though the party boycotted the January 5 election, it participated in all the local body elections. The party also participated in the city corporation elections held this year but boycotted the election midway through the polls alleging that the voting was rigged. As the local government election act was amended, political parties will participate in local body elections with their party symbols. Moudud said: “We have participated in the last four city corporation polls. We have also participated in Dhaka city corporations elections too. We have seen the government’s behaviour. If such behaviour continues, we have to resist it.”  PAGE 2 COLUMN 4

News

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2015

ICC promised world class security

Intern lawyer stabbed to death in Gazipur

n UNB

n Our Correspondent, Gazipur

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday assured the International Cricket Council (ICC) of taking adequate security measures for any international cricket event in Bangladesh as it always does so when it comes to security steps. The prime minister said this when an ICC delegation led by Chief Executive David John Richardson called on her at her official residence Ganabhaban. Other members of the delegation were ICC security consultants Sean Norris and Reg Dickson, and Head of Events Chris Tetley. After the meeting, prime minister’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed reporters.

Sheikh Hasina mentioned that the upcoming Under-19 World Cup Cricket Tournament to be held in January in Bangladesh is very important as under-19 teams are the players of future. Richardson told the prime minister that their delegation held talks with the authorities concerned of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), security agencies as well as embassies and high commissions of the participating countries on security issues. The delegation also visited cricket venues in Dhaka, Chittagong, Sylhet and Cox’s Bazar where the matches of the Under-19 World Cup Cricket Tournament will be held, he said. Richardson said the delegation would submit a report to the ICC board on their visit. l

An intern lawyer died after he was stabbed with knife near his house in Gazipur yesterday evening. Enamul Haque Biplob, 42, son of late Khandaker Shamsuddin of north Chhayabithi area, practiced at the district sessions judge court. Two local men - Rabbi, 25, and Robin, 20 - attacked Biplob when he reached near his house around 5:30pm. They stabbed him with a knife and hit him hard with a rod. Locals took the victim to Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed Medical College Hospital but

doctors advised to take him to Dhaka Medical College Hospital as his condition deteriorated, said police. Biplob’s elder brother Khandaker Aminul Haque Tutul, also the former attorney general of the Supreme Court, told the Dhaka Tribune Biplob died on the way to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. He said he had no idea why Biplob had been attacked, adding that the body would be taken back to Gazipur as he died on the way. Sub-Inspector of Joydebpur police station Abdul Hamid said Biplob was attacked over previous enmity. He also said police were trying to arrest the attackers. l

But just when Tamim was coasting to his 32nd half-century, the southpaw trudged back to the dressing room off the bowling of part-timer Sikandar Raza (2/47). Raza soon sent back Shakib for 16 and the home side were once again struggling on 123/4 inside the 28th over. Mushfiq was then joined at the crease by the big-hitting Sabbir Rahman. The fifth-wicket pair posted a valuable 119-run stand with Sabbir (57) recording his personal best in ODIs. Sabbir’s pyrotechnics fetched him four eye-catching boundaries and two sixes. At the other end, Mushfiq was his usual dominating self. The diminutive stump-

er-batsman used the slog-sweep to devastating effect and when he managed a single off paceman Taurai Muzarabani, he duly brought up his fourth ton. Alongside Mushfiq, Shahriar Nafees also has four tons while both Shakib and Tamim have six and feature at the top of the list of the most successful Bangladesh centurions in limited-over cricket. Mushfiq’s 107-run knock was decorated with nine fours and a six and the Bogra lad now requires just 129 runs to join Tamim and Shakib in the 4000-club in ODIs. Mashrafe (14) and Arafat Sunny (15) struck late cameos to take Bangladesh past the 250run mark. l

are in demand in Bangladesh.

ment on the extent of the smuggling problem, another high official of the BGB working in the district told the Dhaka Tribune, on condition of anonymity, that the smuggling system in Dinajpur involved virtually everyone, including the railway police, local political leaders and local businesses. But BGB the official pointed the finger of blame primarily at railway staff, without whom the network could not operate. l

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Tigers draw first blood Nasir Hossain grabbed one while the returning Al Amin Hossain also bagged as many. In a disappointing display with the willow by the visiting side, only skipper Elton Chigumbura (41) and opener Luke Jongwe (39) put up any sort of resistance. Yesterday’s win was Bangladesh’s 13th in the last 15 ODIs in Mirpur. Earlier yesterday afternoon, the Bangladesh team management decided to opt for youngster Liton Kumar Das instead of Imrul Kayes as the replacement of dashing opening batsman Soumya Sarkar, who was ruled out of the Zimbabwe ODIs and Twenty20 internationals due to a side-strain injury.

Young paceman Kamrul Islam Rabbi and leg-spinner Jubair Hossain were also overlooked in the starting XI. Asked to bat first on a weary pitch, Bangladesh were in a spot of bother early on as Liton (nought) and Mahmudullah (nine) departed in quick succession. With the Tigers reeling on 30/2 inside the ninth over, the ever-dependable Mushfiq walked out to the middle. In good nick following his 81-run knock against the same opposition in the solitary warm-up last Thursday, Mushfiq, alongside opener Tamim Iqbal, started the rebuilding process. The third-wicket pair resurrected the Tigers’ cause, adding 70 face-saving runs.

A railway station run by smugglers Police action leading to violence and death tends to occur when smugglers and officials disagree about some aspect of the transaction, usually the amount of money involved, said local sources. Residents and those with knowledge of the smuggling operations said the police, BGB and local administration officials receive bribes from the smuggling syndicates. But the bulk of the bribes go to Railway staff, they said. Train attendants, GRP officials, ticket collectors and station guards effectively manage the logistics for the smuggling rings in exchange for money, organising unscheduled stops by passing trains so that smuggled goods can be sent onward to distant retailers. “To make this happen, different groups manage different clients. One gang bribes only GRP officials, another manages the police while a third manages the local administration,” said the ringleader of a smuggling group. He said the police, GRP and BGB are paid off to look the other way. Ticket managers and station security guards are bribed to get the trains to stop at the station. Locomotive drivers take money to break with the timetables and stop their trains; security guards take money to offer a suitable reason for the delay. The divisional controller takes money to determine which train line is used for safe, unscheduled stops.

Local law enforcement sources said just 18 out of 43 kilometres of the India-Bangladesh border in Hili is fenced. Goods are passed along across the unfenced border, they said.

Railway officials involved in smuggling

A recent investigation by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) identified at least 133 people involved in smuggling in six districts in the region, including Dinajpur. The report names Parbatipur GRP police station Officer-in-Charge (OC) AKM Lutfar Rahman, its sub-inspectors Md Niamul and Abdul Hannan, assistant sub-inspectors Md Delwar, Md Belal, Md Delwar and 26 constables as being involved in smuggling. The report names Santahar GRP police station OC Md Sayeed Iqbal, its constable Md Liakat Hossain, GRP Outpost member from Bogra Bimol Chandra, GRP Outpost member from Nilphamari Habilder Nenu Mandol and ASI Babul Sheikh. It was learnt that these officials were active in smuggling operations in six districts at various border points including Birampur, Fulbari, Santahar and Hili. In many places, the international boundary fence is nothing more than a handful of posts with a few lengths of barbed wire strung between them. The openings allow all manner of traffic to pass through — farmers working the no man’s land between the two countries, refugees moving into India and contraband goods that

What law enforcement officials say

When approached, Tanzilur Rahman, superintendent of Railway Police (Sayedpur zone), told the Dhaka Tribune that border areas are vulnerable to smuggling but officials have been instructed to be vigilant. “Our officials continuously try to control smuggling and we have recoveries and arrests almost everyday.” Asked about the alleged involvement of his officials in smuggling, the Railway Police superintendent said police officials are not perfect. He said action is taken against officials found guilty of committing crimes. “Last year we took action against 13 railway staff for neglecting their duties.” Lt Col Akther Iqbal, a commander of Border Guard Bangladesh (Dinajpur zone), told the Dhaka Tribune that his force was working to stop smuggling and had recovered large amounts of smuggled goods, including contraband drugs. Asked about a rise in the number of female drug carriers, Lt Col Akther confirmed that this was a growing trend among smugglers. He said female police were being used to check suspicious female travellers. Asked about the involvement of law enforcement and railway officials, he said BGB has limited investigation powers and that arrestees are handed over to the local police. Although Lt Col Akther declined to com-

BNP hints Responding to a query that the ruling party leaders rejection of BNP chairperson’s call for national dialogue, Moudud said: “We are trying to intensify our movement bringing all the democratic forces under one single umbrella led by Khaleda Zia.” On November 7, the BNP leader said Ziaur Rahman introduced multiparty democratic system by replacing one-party parliamentary system through the revolution of people and soldiers. On this day in 1975, amid political turmoil soldiers and civilians jointly freed then chief of army staff Ziaur Rahman from captivity in Dhaka cantonment, paving the way for Zia to come to power. While BNP and its alliances celebrate November 7 as the National Revolution and Solidarity Day, the ruling Awami League and its front organisations consider it as the day of killing of freedom fighters. l

Gas crisis grips many parts of Dhaka n Aminur Rahman Rasel A large part of Dhaka city is in the grip of a severe gas crisis and pressure in the pipeline now too low to cook during the peak hours in the morning. “The demand for gas increases during winter season. Supply suffers due to condensate in pipe lines. There is no equipment to clear this condensate from the supply end,” Md Nowshad Islam, Managing Director of Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Ltd, told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday. He said the main problem is the number of illegal connections which puts immense pressure on the pipelines thereby causing the demand-supply imbalance. In the capital, there are pipes with widths of one to 1.5 inches which cannot bear the necessary pressure of gas flow, says an official. Most residents in the affected areas are

not getting even one-fourth of the normal supply of gas throughout the day. A couple of factors – production-demand mismatch and thousands of illegal gas connections – are primarily responsible for the present state of gas supply. In addition to the supply shortage, there is a problem with distribution lines in the areas hit by gas crisis. Supply lines there are old and narrow and need to be replaced immediately. Titas Gas has around 1.55 million residential clients and distributes around 1,700 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) against a demand of 2200mmcfd, officials said. Hundreds of residences in Mohammadpur, Tejgaon, Jatrabari Shewrapara, Kafrul, East Rajabazar, Mirpur, Pallabi, Kazipara, Taltola, Shyamoli, Khilgaon and Malibag are suffering, with locals having to suspend domestic activities for almost half of the day. According to Petrobangla, the current demand of gas in the country is 3,300mmcfd,

while production stands at 2,700mmcfd. Halima, a resident of Mohammadpur, said her house remains out of gas supply for about seven hours every day from 9am. “Gas supply in our area has been woefully low between 8am and 5pm every day for the last few days,” she said. Runa Yasmin, a resident of Kazipara, has to wake up at 5am to prepare breakfast and lunch for her family. Her family expenditure had increased as all the meals now have to be cooked in a kerosene stove. The low supply of gas has also hit the CNG stations in the capital. Petrobangla officials admitted that a fall in gas pressure have created transmission and distribution problems in some areas. Some owners of the CNG-filling stations said they were being forced to shut down because of low pressure, which results in long queues of vehicles and traffic jam in the adjacent roads. l

A cultural activist lights mangal pradips at a rally staged in front of Raju Bhashkarja on Dhaka University campus yesterday. The rally was staged in protest of attacks and murders instigated by sectarian and fundamentalist movements RAJIB DHAR

News

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2015

DB: Political parties using JMB to create unrest n Kamrul Hasan Detectives have claimed that they had found evidence that certain political parties are backing the banned militant groups to create chaos in the country and push the government to an uneasy situation. The Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) made this remark yesterday, a day after arresting seven suspected members of outlawed Islamist militant outfit Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB). DB chief Monirul Islam said they had found that political activists were involved with the outfit when it was being formed; their aim was to carry out sabotages and foil the peaceful atmosphere in the country. Although JMB is a home-grown militant group of Bangladesh, it has managed to extend its network to some other countries as well. At the personal level, the group established contacts outside through some of its leader. Detectives have found that many leaders of JMB have or are taking training in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The outfit has tried to establish a training centre in India as well. Monirul said they had arrested some people who do one kind of work during daytime and the nature of their work changes completely at night. Of the seven arrested on Friday evening from the airport area in Dhaka, four were Pakistani nationals who were allegedly involved in terror activities. Police recovered some Jihadist books and CDS, four Pakistani passports, sevel mobile phones and 26,841 Pakistani Rupees from their possession, said Monirul while speaking at a press conference at the DB media centre in Dhaka yesterday. JMB has been trying to rebuild itself by forming many small groups, and the seven arrested on Friday belongs to one such group. The four Pakistani nationals were involved in trading fake currencies in Bangladesh and had provided a large chunk of the finance behind the terror activities here, Monirul said. According to a source, the Pakistani nationals had visited Bangladesh 20-30 times this year only – that was what raised suspicion about them and eventually led to the arrest. The Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court of Dhaka yesterday granted three days remand for each of the arrestees. The were all shown arrested in a case filed under the anti-terrorism act. l

Home boss: Some killers identified n Abu Hayat Mahmud

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal yesterday said some killers of bloggers had been identified. “We have identified some of the killers involved in the murders of bloggers. Two charge sheets were submitted and the trial has started. The charge sheets of other cases are well underway. They will also be completed immediately.” “The recent killings, murder of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on August 15 in 1975, and the grenade attack on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on August 21 in 2004

are all linked,” said Home Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal. The minister made the statement while he was addressing a discussion organised in memory of slain major general Khaled Mosharraf organised by Khaled Mosharraf Memorial at the National Press Club yesterday. The programme was organised to mark the November 7 as Freedom Fighter-Soldiers Killing Day while professionals including university vice-chancellors, among others, were present. Home Minister Kamal said ISIS, Ansarullah Bangla Team and BNP-Jamaat are all the same.

Meanwhile, ruling Awami League leaders yesterday yet again blamed BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and her Son Tarique Rahman for all the recent killings on foreign prescription. They said all the recent murders of foreign nationals, bloggers, publishers and police personnel in the country have been masterminded by the same group and followers of the same ideology. Leaders of the ruling Awami League made the remarks at different programmes in and outside the capital yesterday. Food Minister Advocate Quamrul Islam yesterday said a section of BNP and Jamaat

is carrying out the murders in the country to come to power through the back door. Qamrul said this while addressing a discussion organised by Bangabandhu Sangshkritik Jote at Shilpakala Academy. Terming BNP a party of killers Health Minister Mohammad Nasim said there is no chance to hold a dialogue with BNP right now. To sit with the BNP present leadership like Khaleda Zia is similar to sitting with the killers of foreigners and bloggers. “How can we sit with the militants and terrorists?” Nasim questioned while addressing a programme in Pabna yesterday. l

News

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2015

Stakeholders recommend changes to BRTA act n Tribune Report A multi-stakeholder group on road safety yesterday proposed to bring some changes on the drafted Bangladesh Road Transport Authority Act 2015, likely to be placed in the upcoming session of parliament, to make the act more time-befitting. The changes include appointing an outsourcing agency under public-private partnership to run Bangladesh Road Transport Authority’s (BRTA) service-oriented activities – such as issuing driving licence, vehicle registration and fitness certificates – and setting conditions to appoint the organisation’s chairman. Economist Hossain Zillur Rahman, executive chairman of Power and Participation

Research Centre and convener of the multi-stakeholder group, made the recommendations at a meeting with the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges at Jatiya Sangsad in the capital. Addressing the meeting, Zillur said the drafted law must be reorganised to implement the goal of enacting the law. “Though the BTRA is a regulatory body, it is also involved with service-oriented activities. It is not possible on their part to complete the activities as the number of registration and license applications is increasing significantly,” he said. He further said though it is recommended to form a company under the BRTA in the drafted law, it is better to com-

plete the activities through an outsourcing agency. Mentioning that the BRTA is a specialised organisation, Zillur said the qualification of its chairman is not mentioned in the drafted law and proposed to appoint chairman from a pool of government officials with experience and competence consistent with the activities of the BRTA. He also proposed to include the submission of post-accident report and bring non-motorised vehicles under the BRTA’s supervision. Zillur said it was found that road accidents had decreased in 88 countries across the world after they adopted time-bound law and administrative and awareness programmes. On the other hand, the situation

worsened in 87 countries just because of lacking such initiatives. Faruk Talukder Sohel, chairman of Bangladesh Bus-Truck Owners’ Association and a member of the stakeholder group, said: “We have made the recommendations after reviewing related laws of the neighbouring countries. We think these recommendations should be taken into cognisance in order to make the act a time-befitting one.” Addressing the meeting, Akabbar Hossain, chairman of the parliamentary standing committee, said: “After placing the bill in parliament, it will be forwarded to the standing committee. Then we will call experts in the sector for their opinion. I hope we will be able to formulate a good law incorporating all suggestions.” l

Second metro rail project in pipeline n Shohel Mamun The second Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line 1 project, popularly known as metro rail project, is being planned. Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has recently submitted the project’s pre-feasibility study report to the government and it was accepted by Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA). DTCA Executive Director Kaikobad Hossain told the Dhaka Tribune the plan is to build five metro rails in the capital according to the Revised Strategic Transport Plan (RSTP). “MRT line 6 (Uttara to Motijheel) project is now being implemented while the implementation of MRT line 1 (Dhaka airport to Kamalapur) project will begin soon. The DTCA board will be holding a meeting on this,” he said. According to the pre-feasibility study report, MRT line 1 project will connect Dhaka airport to Kamalapur, and will also be extended from the airport to Gazipur, Kamalapur to Keraniganj’s Jhilmil residential area and Khilkhet to Purbachal. The report also says it will be only a 23-minute journey from Dhaka airport to Kamalapur and a 39-minute journey from Purbachal to Kamalapur once the project is completed. Road Transport and Highways Secretary MAN Siddique told the Dhaka Tribune a contract with JICA would be signed soon. “Work of MRT line 6 (Uttara to Motijheel) will start in February 2016 while we want to complete the feasibility study of MRT line 1 project within 2016. MRT line 1 project’s implementation will hopefully begin in early 2017.” The first of the two-phase project from Dhaka airport to Kamalapur will be a 26.6km line - 6km of it below the ground – and is expected to be completed by 2025. The second phase will be a 26km line - 3.3km of it under the ground – from Dhaka airport to Jhilmil. It is expected to be completed by 2035. The first phase is estimated to cost $2.83 billion and the second phase $5.87 billion. l

JS 8th session starts today n BSS

The Jatiya Sangsad goes into its eighth session today as President Abdul Hamid convened the session on October 15 as per article 72 (1) of the Constitution. The parliament secretariat has already taken all preparations to this end as the House will go into session at 4:30pm today, parliament secretariat sources told BSS yesterday. Sources hinted that the session is likely to be a brief one as it was convened due to 60 days of constitutional obligation. However, a number of important bills including increase of salary and other allowances of the president are likely to be passed in the coming session. l

Bangladesh Garo Students’ Organisation stage a protest rally in front of National Press Club in the capital yesterday to press home several demands related to the welfare of adivasi communities SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

News

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2015

ATTACK ON TAIWANESE COUPLE

Wang on life support, Lily recovering n Kamrul Hasan

Wang Ming Chee, a Taiwanese man who along with his wife was attacked in the capital’s Uttara early Friday, was on life support at the intensive care unit of Apollo Hospitals Dhaka yesterday as his condition was described as critical. The hospital’s Duty Manager Mafizul Islam said yesterday Wang had not yet regained consciousness but his wife, Lily Hawa, was improving fast and was shifted to a deluxe cabin. Meanwhile, Jahangir, a suspect who was detained after the attack on the couple, yesterday was remanded for three days in the case filed with Uttara Model police station in connection with the attack. Judge of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Court Emdadul Haque gave the remand order after rejecting the bail petition filed by Jahangir’s lawyer. Wang and Lily own a PVC-door-making factory in Gazipur and the general manager of the facility, Shamir Hasib, lodged the case. Dhaka Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner (Uttara zone) Sohel Miah refused to comment on the progress of the case, saying that the probe was underway. Shamir told the Dhaka Tribune he was not willing to talk to the media about the incident as investigators had strongly forbidden him to make any comment. Investigation sources said the attackers had been planning a robbery at the couple’s flat for the last two months. Wang and Lily have been living in Bangladesh for almost 15 years. Police said they were yet to arrest the attackers and had not yet recovered the money stolen from the couple’s flat during the attack. They also said three men had attacked the couple. Of the three, two are former employees of Wang’s factory while the third still works there. l

Rakib murder verdict today n BSS A Dhaka court is set to deliver the verdict of Rakibul Islam Rakib murder case today. On November 1, Khulna Metropolitan (City) Sessions judges Court fixed November 8 (today) to pass the judgement on the muchtalked-about Rakib murder case. The court set the date upon completion of the closing arguments, which continued for six days. Acting judge of the court Dilruba Sultana fixed the date in the presence of three suspects in the dock. A total of 38 prosecution witnesses, out of 40 of the killing case, were placed for arguments in the Rakib murder case that began from October 25 in the presence of the suspects. l

TEMPERATURE FOREC AST FOR TODAY

DRY WEATHER SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8

Dhaka

Members of We Are Freedom Fighters’ Children, a civic platform, light candles in front of Jahangir Gate in the capital yesterday in commemoration of the army officials killed on November 7, 1975 MEHEDI HASAN

Bangladesh heavily engaged with European countries n Tribune Report Bangladesh is heavily engaged with European countries to improve bilateral relationship with them. Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali has a series of meetings with important foreign ministers of the European countries on the sideline of Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM) where substantial issues were discussed. He met EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, German Foreign Minister Frank Walter Steinmeier, Belgian Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Didier Reynders, Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn, Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders, Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallström. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina returned from the Netherlands Friday after concluding her bilateral trip. She is also going to France in the middle of November and will have a bilateral meeting with the top leadership of the country. A press release of the Foreign Ministry said in the meeting with Mahmood Ali, Luxembuorg expressed their keenness to conclude an Air Service Agreement with Bangladesh which could be mutually beneficial while Belgium expressed their interest on further development of port and energy in31

Chittagong

Rajshahi

DHAKA TODAY SUN SETS 5:16PM

Rangpur

Khulna

Barisal

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

TOMORROW SUN RISES 6:09AM

and proposed for its launching during the 2016 Ekushey Boi Mela in Dhaka. He also conveyed Bangladesh Prime Minister’s keenness to invite the Lithuanian President which the Lithuanian side readily welcomed. At the retreat of the foreign ministers, Mahmud Ali recounted that within Bangladesh and South Asia, resolute determination of the political leadership is key to tackle violent extremism. He said, being a victim of terrorism, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina affirms zero tolerance to any form of terrorism, including financing of terrorism, radicalisation and violent extremism, nationally and internationally. Within the neighbourhood, through concerted actions, Bangladesh has significantly curbed terrorists’ activities. Underlining the complexities of violent extremism, he emphasised on whole-of-society mobilisation across countries. The minister emphasised that migration and refugees are also issues which need concerted regional and international responses. There is also need to address the root causes of both regular and irregular migration and steps must be taken in countering smuggling and trafficking in persons, especially with a gender perspective, as women victims suffer disproportionately more. l

frastructure in Bangladesh. The ministers also discussed situation in Bangladesh’s negibuorhood when Mahmood Ali apprised them of various initiatives at bilateral and sub-regional level, including the connectivity initiatives like BBIN, BCIM EC. The Bangladesh foreign minister also apprised the ministers of the burgeoning manufacturing and knowledge-intensive industries, including pharmaceuticals, ship-building, information technology and ITES. Drawing on the government’s effort to launch as many as 100 economic zones to spear planned and sustainable industrialization, he invited his counterparts from industrialized countries to explore potential investment opportunities. He also dwell on the growth of Bangladesh agriculture with value-added opportunities which offer opportunities for European SMEs to engage and invest in Bangladesh. The foreign minister also extended invitation to his Belgian and Luxembuorg counterparts to visit Bangladesh which they welcomed. The delegation of Lithonia also met Mahmood Ali and conveyed their interest to launch a research publication to demonstrate considerable similarities between Bangla and Lithuanian languages. Foreign Minister welcomed the initiative

33ºC Jessore

17.7ºC Srimangal

Source: Accuweather/UNB

PRAYER TIMES

Sylhet

Cox’s Bazar

Fajr: 4:49am | Zohr: 11:42am Asr: 3:39pm | Magrib: 5:16pm Esha: 6:46pm Source: IslamicFinder.org

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2015

News

7 Bangladeshi detained by Medan police in Indonesia n Tribune Report

Seven Bangladeshi migrants were detained by Medan police in Indonesia when they attempted to go to Malaysia with the help of local middlemen on November 5. The detained are Abdul Karim and Shahin from Chakaria, Cox’s Bazar; Afsar and Abdul Gani from Ramu; Nabi Hossain from Teknaf and Minhaj from Bandarban. Bangladeshis living in Langsha camp in Indonesia’s Aceh informed that the detained Bangladeshis were missing from the camp since morning and did not return even during lunchtime. Later, the camp was notified by Medan police of their detention in the afternoon. Along with the seven, 55 Bangladeshis have been living in the Langsha camp and all of them were recovered from the sea during their attempt to go to Malaysia, influenced by the human traffickers in May, this year. In this regard, Bangladeshi Ambassador in Indonesia Mohammad Nazmul Quaunine said: “This types of incidents happen regularly. As it was a public holiday, the Indonesian police did not inform me of the incident as of yet. But they are very cooperative in this regard.” He also said: “Many aspirants are again trying to go to Malaysia, falling victim to the lures of human traffickers and middlemen but they eventually have to return as local police will detain them.” l

Detectives escort four Pakistanis and three Bangladeshis to the Media Centre of Dhaka Metropolitan Police yesterday after arresting them at Dhaka airport on suspicion of having terrorist ties MEHEDI HASAN

Three Industrial Police constables suspended for cowardliness n Our Correspondent, Savar Industrial police authorities yesterday suspended three constables for their cowardliness when two of their fellows were being attacked four days ago. They are: Constables Pinaruzzaman, Imran Aziz and Atel Mahmud. According to witnesses, when miscreants attacked the check post at Baripara near Nandan Park in Ashulia, the trio fled the scene instead of helping their colleagues under attack. Police high-ups have hinted after the incident that departmental action should be

taken against those who abandoned their fellows on-duty. Kawser Shikder, assistant director of Industrial Police’s Ashulia Zone, told the Dhaka Tribune: “The three had been suspended earlier but as they were going through interrogation over the last three days, they were informed yesterday.” Around 8am on November 4, three motorbike-riding miscreants attacked Constables Mukul and Nur at Baripara when they stopped their vehicle for a routine check. After pulling over, two young men on the motorbike started hacking the constables with the machetes they were carrying in a

bag. At one point, Mukul ran towards a nearby restaurant looking for help but the attackers chased him down and kept on hacking him, leaving the constable critically injured. The three other constables on duty with them, fled the scene instead of stopping the attackers. Ajibur, who works at the nearby restaurant, said the youths, who were also carrying guns, fired some blank rounds before fleeing. During a recent visit to the area, this correspondent saw that the Shuvechcha Hotel – the restaurant that Mukul ran towards for safety – is now under a police cordon and all the other restaurants in the area are closed. l

TRIPs council okays extension of pharma transition period n Tribune Report The Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) council meeting on Friday approved extension of the transition period for pharmaceutical products for least developed countries till 2032. “It is hoped that the upcoming General Council at the WTO would also accord necessary approval on this,” said a press note issued by the Foreign Ministry. It is the longest ever negotiated exemp-

tion for LDCs after the establishment of WTO under any agreement. “In addition, this time, Bangladesh secured additional protection for LDCs including waiver from TRIPS Article 70.8 as well as the previous waiver from TRIPS Article 70.9. This is considered by all in Geneva to be a double victory for the LDCs,” the press note said. This decision is considered to be highly favourable for the LDCs in general and Bangladesh in particular, as Bangladesh would be

benefiting the most out of this decision. As a result of long negotiation with the United States, LDCs under the leadership of Bangladesh Ambassador to Geneva M Shameem Ahsan as coordinator in WTO secured the extension of the transition period. Before this decision, December 2015 was the deadline for Bangladesh and other LDCs to enjoy the transition period, after which these countries would have to buy the regular medicines at a much higher price. l

Doa mahfil held for Prof Beggzadi Mahmuda Nasir n Tribune Report

A doa mahfil and remembrance meeting was held for late Prof Beggzadi Mahmuda Nasir yesterday morning. She was the founder principal of Central Women’s College, and also the founder vice-chancellor and chairperson of Board of Trustees of Central Women’s University. Speakers at the meeting highlighted her contribution in upholding education of women in the context of Bangladesh, leading to the empowerment of women in the country. Academics, students and admirers of Prof Beggzadi Mahmuda Nasir attended the gathering to pray for the departed soul and discussed about her life. The event was also attended, among others, by Prof Perween Hasan, vice-chancellor of Central Women’s University, Prof Dr Serajul Islam Chowdhury and Prof AH Ahmed Kamal, members at the university’s board of trustees, Prof Wahid Uddin Mahmud, former adviser to caretaker government, Dr Maleka Begum, chairperson at the university’s department of sociology and gender studies, Kazi Zahedul Hasan, member of the Board of Trustees and managing director of Kazi Farms Limited, and cultural activist Laila Hasan. Prof Mahmud, who was born on April 16, 1929, had been in the intensive care unit of Square Hospitals in the capital since October 22 and died on November 2. l

World 7

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2015

INSIDE

Unease and expectation as Myanmar prepares to vote n AFP, Yangon, Myanmar

Egypt says no theory yet in Russian plane crash probe Egypt pushed back on Saturday against international suspicions a bomb downed a Russian plane in the Sinai, as intensifying restrictions on air travel threatened to cripple its vital tourism industry. PAGE 9

China, Taiwan leaders join hands at historic summit The presidents of China and Taiwan reached across decades of Cold War-era estrangement and rivalry to exchange a historic handshake and warm words in the first summit since the two sides’ traumatic 1949 split. PAGE 10

Final preparations were under way Saturday for Myanmar’s first meaningful election in a generation, the day before a historic poll that could see Aung San Suu Kyi’s opposition launched to power after decades of army rule. Her National League for Democracy party is tipped to emerge as the largest party in parliament, a result that would upend Myanmar’s political landscape, which has been dominated by the military since independence. President Thein Sein, a former general who has led reforms since the sudden end of outright junta rule in 2011, insists his government – and the powerful army – will respect the outcome of the vote. He has also urged the public to cast their ballots in an election billed as the centrepiece of reforms. But tens of thousands of ethnic Rohingya Muslims in western Rakhine state have been disenfranchised, while ethnic rebellions mean the vote will not be held in some areas. Independent election monitors also fear many voters – especially in constituencies home to large numbers internal migrant workers – may have been missed from the voter list. Meanwhile, the head of the European Union’s delegation of observers said the army did not grant access to advance voting in military bases, where tens of thousands of soldiers are expected to have cast their ballots. “Any time we can observe it will increase transparency,” Alexander Graf Lambsdorff told AFP. Authorities have computerised the electoral roll for the first time in an effort to ensure a free and fair vote across a vast, poor country. Final touches were being put to polling stations on Saturday, as authorities in Yangon took ballots to homes of the sick and elderly as advance voting drew to a close. “I hope the president will keep his promise,” said security guard Aung Htay, 54, referring to a speech by Thein Sein late Friday in which he vowed “the government and Tatmadaw (army) will respect” the vote. But the president added the new government must be “in conformity with the constitution” – a possible warning to Suu Kyi, who on Thursday declared an NLD win would see her take on a role “above the president.” Suu Kyi is barred from the nation’s top office by a clause in the charter that states that anyone with a foreign spouse or children cannot become president. Her sons and late husband are British. Myanmar was ruled for half a century by a despotic and paranoid junta that crushed pro-democracy movements, closed the country off to the outside world and drove a once flourishing economy into the doldrums. But in 2011 the military ceded power to a

quasi-civilian government led by President Thein Sein, a former top-ranking general.

Myanmar mystics read the runes on historic election

From Tarot cards to black magic, Myanmar’s most competitive elections in decades are suffused with a superstition inherited from years under secretive generals whose reliance on the whispered predictions of astrologers was legendary. Sunday’s vote, pitting Aung San Suu Kyi’s opposition against the country’s military elites for the first time in a quarter of a century, may be an earthly matter of ballots in boxes, but in Myanmar seeking the counsel of soothsayers is commonplace. In a modest booth on the stairwell of the revered golden Shwedagon Pagoda on Saturday, fortune teller Hnin Ohn Mar Yee snapped a Tarot card down and declared the veteran activist was in with a good chance. “This card shows that the winner will be the one that people choose to become their president. So think about it, people will

choose who? Of course the NLD,” she told AFP, referring to Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy. Another card she flipped was a harbinger of “violence, injustice,” but she swiftly found a more reassuring one. “The new government will handle it perfectly,” she said confidently. Sunday’s vote is expected to transform the NLD into the biggest party in parliament if polling is fair, but with no reliable opinion polls, speculation over the results is as open to astrologers as it is to political analysts. Myanmar’s fortune tellers are thought to be behind several unexplained occurrences in the country, from the abrupt decision by the former junta to relocate the capital in 2005, to bizarre episodes when the generals appeared wearing women’s longyi – a sarong-like skirt. Reliance on astrologers dates back hundreds of years – Myanmar’s former kings regularly consulted their fortune tellers and even now most ordinary people have an astrological chart drawn up at birth. l

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2015

World

SOUTH ASIA

Teenager found alive 50 hours after Pakistan factory collapse Rescuers in Pakistan have pulled a teenage boy alive from the rubble of a collapsed factory near Lahore 50 hours after the structure toppled, officials said on Saturday. The teenager had been trapped for more than two days after the collapse and his family, thinking him dead, had already identified and buried another recovered body they believed to be his. “An 18-year-old Muhammad Shahid was also evacuated alive 50 hours after the building collapsed by the blessing of God,” Muhammad Usman, a top administration official in Lahore, told AFP. The four-storey Rajput Polyester polythene bag factory came crashing down on Wednesday evening, and at least 37 bodies have so far been recovered from the wreckage. Shahid’s discovery ignited emotional scenes at the site as workers chanted “Allah-O-Akbar (God is great)” and encouraged each other to boost morale. AFP

INDIA

Indian actor Anupam Kher leads march against ‘intolerance’ protests Indian actor Anupam Kher led a march to the Rashtrapati Bhavan yesterday in New Delhi to protest against the voices being raised over “intolerance” in the country. The actor, who said he was going to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, claimed that the intolerance debate is an attempt to malign the image of the country and is intended to target the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre. “Nobody has the right to call our country intolerant. We are secular people and don’t believe in selective outrage,” Kher said this morning. “I have right to go to the president and say that we don’t feel India is intolerant. These talks can’t happen only on twitter/ Facebook, they need a personal presence,” the actor said. AGENCIES

CHINA

Hundreds protest in Taiwan over summit with ‘enemy’ China Hundreds of angry protesters massed outside Taiwan President Ma Ying-Jeou’s office Saturday, condemning his warm exchange with China’s leader in a summit that has fuelled fears the democratic island will be swallowed up by its giant rival. The talks have been hailed as a historic opportunity to end decades of hostility between the two sides which split after a civil war, but there has been a backlash among Taiwanese suspicious over Ma’s rapprochement policy. Angry demonstrators tried to storm parliament overnight and 27 were arrested at the airport Saturday as Ma headed to a summit his opponents say is a sellout to Beijing which is bent on expanding its influence. Later, up to 500 protesters, representing an array of groups including farmers, rights activists and environmentalists, raged over the cordial get-together at a Singapore hotel where Ma told China’s leader Xi Jinping that they already “feel like old friends.” AFP

ASIA PACIFIC

Gangnam Style statue built in South Korea’s Seoul A statue dedicated to the South Korean music hit Gangnam Style is to be unveiled in the Seoul district made famous by the song. The metal sculpture will show two fists overlapped in the style of the song’s “horse-riding” dance move. It will be erected outside the COEX shopping centre, where part of the video was filmed. Gangnam Style was released by South Korean singer Psy in 2012 and remains the most-watched YouTube video ever. It has been viewed more than 2.4 billion times. AGENCIES

MIDDLE EAST

IS frees 37 kidnapped Syrian Christians The Islamic State group on Saturday released 37 Syrian Christians, most of them women, who were among more than 200 people kidnapped more than eight months ago, an NGO said. The Assyrian Monitor for Human Rights said the group of freed Assyrian Christians included 27 women and 10 men, most of them elderly. They arrived on Saturday morning in the town of Tal Tamr in the Khabur region of Hasakeh province in northeastern Syria, the group said. The releases were confirmed by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor, which said most of those freed were from other towns elsewhere in the Khabur region. AFP

CONTINUED ON PAGE 9

World

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2015

USA

Two US officers arrested over death of six-year-old boy Two law enforcement officers were arrested on charges of murder and attempted murder Friday over the fatal shooting of a six-year-old boy in the US state of Louisiana, authorities said. The death of Jeremy Mardis will add to growing criticism in some quarters about perceived brutality in US police forces after several high-profile incidents in the last year. Marshals Norris Greenhouse and Derrick Stafford were placed on administrative leave after the vehicle chase on Tuesday that also left the boy’s father – who was driving – critically injured. Chris Few’s young son was killed after Marksville Police opened fire, reportedly hitting the boy several times. AFP

THE AMERICAS

Strong 6.8-magnitude quake rocks Chile An Orthodox priest looks at a Russian emergencies ministry’s plane, carrying the remains of victims of the plane crash in Egypt, shortly after its landing on the airfield of Pulkovo airport outside St Petersburg, Russia, November 6 REUTERS

Egypt says no theory yet in Russian plane crash probe n AFP, Cairo, Egypt Egypt pushed back on Saturday against international suspicions a bomb downed a Russian plane in the Sinai, as intensifying restrictions on air travel threatened to cripple its vital tourism industry. In the Red Sea resort of Sharm elSheikh, from where the doomed airliner took off on October 31, thousands of Russian and British tourists waited anxiously for word of when they might be able to fly home. Moscow on Friday halted all Russian flights to Egypt and London has stopped British flights to Sharm. Empty aircraft are to be sent out to bring home stranded holidaymakers but the process will be slow. Sources in France close to the crash probe told AFP that black box data pointed to a bomb having gone off and a sudden, violent demise of the Airbus less than half an hour after takeoff. British Prime Minister David Cameron has said that a bomb “had more likely than not” been the cause of the explosion in which all 224 people on board lost their lives. But Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said on Saturday the Egyptian-led inquiry into disaster had yet to establish any firm theory about the cause. FROM PAGE 8

“We have not dismissed any possibility but there is no hypothesis yet, before the investigations are over and a full report is ready,” Shoukry said. He said that foreign intelligence that had triggered the international travel restrictions had not been shared with Egypt. “We expected that any technical information should have been shared with us, at a technical level, before publicising it in the media,” he said. Already battered by years of unrest, Egypt is heavily reliant on tourism revenues and fears the impact any firm determination that a bomb caused the crash would have on the key industry. Russians make up the bulk of tourists who visit Red Sea resorts such as Sharm el-Sheikh each year, and nearly 80,000 are currently holidaying in the country, a Russian official told AFP. Empty aircraft will be sent to Egypt to bring them home after President Vladimir Putin’s decision to halt Russian flights but the repatriations will be spread over the coming fortnight. “Tourists will be returning from Egypt to Russia when they planned to,” said Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich, who heads a task force established to oversee their return. “Most people left for two weeks – our usual holiday tour lasts two weeks – therefore they will return in about

two weeks,” he said. Russia followed in Britain’s footsteps, saying that holidaymakers would be returning home without their hold luggage, which will be brought back to the country separately. That restriction has prompted Egypt to limit the number of daily repatriation flights because it says there is only so much left behind baggage its airports can accommodate. “It’s going to be a long wait,” said Russian tourist Maria Chernova. “I hear that not a single flight has taken off so far. I just hope I don’t have to stay here.” British airlines said they expected to operate seven repatriation flights on Saturday, only enough to make a small dent in the 19,000 Britons still in Sharm. “I have to fly out today at any cost – my son is getting married tomorrow and I am still here,” said a rather desperate Jane Kelly who works for a UK publishing house. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told news agencies the decision to restrict flights did not mean Moscow believed the crash – the worst aviation disaster in Russia’s history – was due to an attack, and the investigation continued. The head of Russia’s emergencies ministry said Russian experts had taken samples from the crashed jet and were testing it for any traces of explosives. l

A strong 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck Chile early on Saturday but there was no tsunami alert and no immediate report of damage or injuries, seismologists said. The quake hit the north-central Coquimbo region at a depth of 36 kilometers (22 miles) at 4:31 am (0731 GMT), the US Geological Survey (USGS) said, but the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not issue an alert. The epicenter was close to the coast, 47 kilometers from the city of Ovalle and nearly 300 kilometers north of Chile’s capital Santiago. AFP

UK plane entering Sharm ‘missed rocket by 300m’ in August A British tourist plane heading in to land at the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh came within 1,000 feet (300 metres) of a missile in August, newspapers reported Saturday. The nearmiss involved a Thomson Airways plane carrying 189 passengers from London on August 23. British authorities concluded it was not a “targeted attack.” The incident happened around two months before a Russian tourist plane leaving the Red Sea resort plummeted from the sky into the Sinai Peninsula last Saturday, killing all 224 people onboard. A spokesman for Britain’s Department for Transport (DfT) said of the August near-miss: “We investigated the reported incident at the time and concluded that it was not a targeted attack and was likely to be connected to routine exercises being conducted by the Egyptian military in the area at the time.” AFP

EUROPE

German secret service ‘systematically spied’ on allies Germany’s secret service “systematically spied” on its allies and various international organisations such as the Red Cross, Der Spiegel magazine reported on Saturday. The German intelligence agency BND has already been accused of eavesdropping on officials at the French foreign ministry and presidency, as well as the European Commission, on behalf of its US counterpart, the NSA. Public radio RBB and Spiegel Online had earlier claimed that the BND had also spied on its own account on several embassies and administrations of “European states and allies.” Spiegel, without giving any sources, said Saturday that “the BND had systematically spied on ‘allies’ across the world, including on the interior ministries of the United States, Poland, Austria, Denmark and Croatia.” AFP

AFRICA

UN: Over 90,000 hit by Somalia floods Over 90,000 people in war-torn southern Somalia have been hit by weeks of severe flooding, almost half of them forced from their homes, the United Nations has warned. “More than 90,000 people have been affected since October 23 and an estimated 42,000 people displaced as a result of the flash floods and river flooding,” the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said. Hardest hit are the southern Somali regions of Bakool, Bay, Lower Juba, Middle Juba and Middle Shabelle, with flash flooding in late October, the UN report released late Friday read. Fighting continues in many of those areas between Somalia’s Al-Qaeda linked Shebab insurgents and government and allied forces, backed by an African Union force that counts more than 20,000 members. The UN said that while rains and river levels have now eased, the risk of more flooding is not over. AFP

World

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2015

China, Taiwan leaders join hands at historic summit n AFP, Singapore, Singapore The presidents of China and Taiwan reached across decades of Cold War-era estrangement and rivalry to exchange a historic handshake and warm words in the first summit since the two sides’ traumatic 1949 split. China’s Xi Jinping and Taiwan’s Ma Yingjeou shook hands for more than a minute and smiled for a mass of reporters before their talks in Singapore in scenes considered unthinkable until recently. They later sat down across a table from each other, with Xi praising the event as opening a “historic chapter in our relations” and repeating China’s oft-expressed desire for eventual reunification. “We are brothers connected by flesh even if our bones are broken. We are a family whose blood is thicker than water,” Xi said. “The development of cross-strait relations over the past 66 years shows that no matter what kind of winds and rains are experienced by compatriots on the two sides, no matter how long divisions last there is no power that can separate us.” Despite the apparent warmth, the hourlong meeting’s lasting significance remains to be seen. No agreements were announced between two sides that still refuse to formally recognise each other’s legitimacy. But the encounter is undeniably historic: the previous occasion was in 1945, when Communist revolutionary leader Mao Zedong met with China’s nationalist President Chiang Kai-shek in a failed reconciliation attempt. The eventual Communist takeover forced Chiang’s armies and about two million followers to flee to Taiwan, then a backwater island province, leaving a national rupture that has preoccupied both sides ever since.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) and Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou wave to photographers as they enter the room at the Shangri-la Hotel where they are to meet, in Singapore on Saturday REUTERS

‘Like old friends’

“Even though this is the first meeting, we feel like old friends,” Ma told Xi, in the unexpectedly cordial encounter. “Behind us is history stretching for 60 years. Now before our eyes there are fruits of conciliation instead of confrontation.” Ma later told reporters he proposed the es-

tablishment of a hotline between to the two sides and that Xi responded positively. He also raised issues sensitive to Taiwan’s people, including the arsenal of Chinese missiles aimed at Taiwan, and China’s policy of marginalising the island diplomatically. “We hope these things do not continue,” said Ma, who told Xi that both sides should

exercise “mutual respect.” Xi did not address reporters, leaving that to a lower-ranking official. Ma has expressed hope the meeting could be a step toward normalising cross-strait relations, but no further plans for closer contact emerged. Analysts said there is no guarantee any glow will last, especially with Ma out of office soon, and his ruling party expected to lose in January polls to an opposition that distrusts China. “This meeting will remain a historic moment but everything will depend on the result of the elections in Taiwan,” said Jean-Pierre Cabestan of Hong Kong Baptist University. “Xi’s very pro-reunification language... risks alarming more than one person on the island.” Though politically divided for decades, business and investment ties have flowered. Since taking office in 2008, Ma’s Beijing-friendly policies have borne new fruit, including a boom in Chinese visitors to the island, the opening of flight routes, more than 20 trade agreements – and Saturday’s summit. But many in Taiwan, a rambunctious democracy, are deeply uneasy at drawing too close to the Communist-ruled mainland orbit, and reunification remains a distant prospect. Hundreds of opponents of the summit massed outside Ma’s office in Taipei Saturday, condemning the meeting and Xi’s “family” comments. There were also overnight demonstrations at Taiwan’s parliament building, and 27 people were arrested as protesters scuffled with police and tried to burn images of the two leaders at the capital’s airport as Ma departed. l

Nepal turns to China for opening border to traders

UN: Children massacred in South Sudan battles

n Agencies

n AFP, Juba, South Sudan

Nepal’s busiest entry point for goods from India has witnessed a new wave of unrest after police failed to clear a border blockade, the attempt only strengthening the resolve of protesters to fight the Himalayan nation’s new constitution. Knots of demonstrators gathered around piles of smouldering tyres in Birgunj, the latest flashpoint in agitation across the southern Tarai-Madhes strip, speaking of their anger at a federal setup enshrined in the new basic law. The lowlanders, many of them ethnically distinct from Nepal’s hill and mountain groups, complain their region has been carved up, denying them a say in running the nation of 28 million as it seeks a new start after years of instability. The middle hills and the capital Kathmandu have suffered fuel and cooking gas shortages after protesters in the south switched to blocking supplies from India, Nepal’s largest trading partner, almost two months ago. Many in Nepal accuse India of supporting the

protesters - a charge New Delhi denies. India has expressed its dissatisfaction with parts of the constitution, although it also says it cannot allow trucks to enter Nepal while conditions are unsafe. An Indian national was shot dead by Nepali police on Monday during a protest that erupted after police cleared protesters from a highway. In a setback for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s bid to improve neighbourhood relations, Nepal has turned to China for help, getting an emergency consignment of fuel and opening seven border crossings to traders. Since Monday’s killing, police have fought running battles with protesters who threw stones and petrol bombs by the clock tower and in side streets. Around 300 protesters were camped out on the ‘friendship bridge’ that runs through the last section of no-man’s land to the border. Nepal’s new constitution has provisions for disadvantaged groups, including Madhesis, but the gulf between Kathmandu and Tarai-Madhes is widening in the face of violence that has taken more than 40 lives. l

Dozens of children have been killed in fighting in South Sudan, where battles rage despite political deals to end almost two years of civil war, the United Nations has said. The UN said that fighting in the northern battleground state of Unity has “intensified with grave consequences for civilians” in recent weeks, adding that 40,000 people are also starving to death. The report by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) released late Friday detailed killings in just one area of Unity state during a two-week period. It said that in the Leer district of southern Unity, which has swapped hands multiple times between government and rebel forces, at least 80 civilians were killed between October 4 to 22. Almost three-quarters of those killed were children – at least 57 killed in Leer – while there were more than 50 cases of rape being used as “a weapon of war,” the report said. Both sides are accused of having perpetrated ethnic massacres, recruited and killed

children and carried out widespread rape, torture and forced displacement of populations to “cleanse” areas of their opponents. Hunger experts from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) have warned of a “concrete risk of famine” before the end of the year if fighting continues and aid does not reach the hardest-hit areas. While some aid has reached two districts in Unity – Buaw and Koch – other areas are cut off. Some 3.9 million people are in critical need of aid – a third of the country’s population and a massive 80 percent rise compared to the same period last year, the UN said. Civil war began in December 2013 when President Salva Kiir accused his former deputy Riek Machar of planning a coup, setting off a cycle of retaliatory killings that have split the poverty-stricken, landlocked country along ethnic lines. The army and rebels have repeatedly accused each other of breaking an internationally-brokered August 26 ceasefire, the eighth such agreement aimed at ending the nearly two-year long war. l

Editorial 11

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2015

INSIDE

Remembering 1965, forgetting 1965, celebrating 1965 We must probe, why does Delhi want us to celebrate one 1965 and forget another? All nation-state narratives, curated by the government, remember and celebrate certain things and forget others

PAGE 12

A quagmire called Syria

BIGSTOCK

The US will most likely help the Kurds regain the land that they have lost to IS. They are going to allow Syria to sort its problems out. But what they fail to realise is that even 50 boots mean “boots on the ground” in Syria

PAGE 13

Innovative apps show the potential of Digital Bangladesh

T Climate change Bangladesh has bright prospects of receiving international climate financing PAGE 14

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

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

he creators of the VAT Checker app for mobile phones are to be applauded for the huge interest they have stimulated among the public. By providing a simple way for consumers to follow up VAT registration and Business Identification numbers to check if the Value Added Tax shown on retail and restaurant bills is actually going to the exchequer, they have empowered customers to help authorities identify tax irregularities. Like the inventors of the popular GO! Traffic mobile app, which provides real-time updates on traffic in Dhaka, they are creatively using technology to give life to a good idea that helps the public. These successes prove the ingenuity and talent of Bangladeshi apps developers. Bangladesh has been ranked by two leading management consultants as among the world’s top 30 outsourcing destinations. With our low costs, growing market, and some 20,000 professionals joining the IT sector, there is huge potential to dramatically grow jobs in the IT sector. BASIS’s target of planning for IT to provide 1% of total GDP within the next five years, is coming within reach. Of course to get there, the government will still need to overcome the broader obstacles caused by unreliable power supplies and infrastructure to attract more investment. Projects such as those being supported by the government, ADB and World Bank to train to train 59,000 IT professionals over the next three to four years, are essential to help the sector on this path. Improving education and skills training is the most important step needed to help unleash the talent latent in our youthful population. As at present, the vast majority of jobs in the sector depend on freelancing and small enterprises typically employing less than 30 people, it is important to build on existing success stories to help the sector to scale up in size and attract bigger customers and investment. The government and businesses should aim to nurture more clusters of expertise to help increase collaboration on improving training and build a virtuous cycle of investment and growth in the IT sector.

Build on the talent and potential shown by Bangladeshi IT developers

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2015

Opinion

Remembering 1965, forgetting 1965, celebrating 1965 50 years after the war of 1965, India must ask some hard questions about the truth of what happened

n Garga Chatterjee

he citizens of the Indian Union cannot afford to forget the year 1965. The world we live in was shaped in no small way by events of that year, though not necessarily by the events that the Government of the Indian Union would want us to remember, but by those events that it wants us to forget. The Government of the Indian Union has celebrated the 1965 war with pomp and grandeur. While celebrating a war that no one claims was fought for national liberation, human rights, or any positive human value, funds have already been pumped in for commemoration. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the war of 1965, where the primary combatants were the Indian Union’s Army and Pakistan’s Army. According to sources that don’t owe explicit affiliation to the propaganda machines of Pakistan or the Indian Union, about 7,800 army men were killed in the war. Of this number, about 3,000 were from the Indian Union’s Army and the rest from the Pakistan Army. Given that there was no “crowning” event like surrender and that both groups of combatants inflicted somewhat similar amount of damage to each other and also gained large swathes of each other’s territories, the answer to the question “who won?” was up for grabs. That opportunity was grabbed with a lot of zeal by the respective governments to tutor their citizens and especially the yet-tobe-born citizen about their version of who were the good guys, who were the bad guys, who won, who lost, and how in all of this we must never ask questions like the difference in caste-class composition of the jawans and the officers, how many lives of these poor regions of the world could be protected from death by disease and malnutrition compared to the number of lives that were purportedly protected by the war using the same amount of money that was spent in the war and most importantly, did the likelihood of being killed, tortured, assaulted, mistreated or raped by one’s “own” army personnel compared to alien army personnel decrease after this war. It remains an undeniable truth that a citizen of Pakistan is much more likely to be killed, tortured, assaulted, mistreated, subjected to forced labour, kidnapped, “disappeared,” looted, or raped in his or her lifetime by the Pakistan Army than the Indian Union Army. This was true then, and this is true now. Whether the reverse holds true for a citizen of the Indian Union is something I don’t have the courage to comment upon. I am not a very courageous man. I am a fat, short, rice-eating Bengali after all. Another spate of killings also happened in 1965. And it was one-sided murder of the unarmed. Hundreds of Tamil young men

Who won the war of 1965? The answer isn’t so easy

We must probe, why does Delhi want us to celebrate one 1965 and forget another? All nation-state narratives, curated by the government, remember and celebrate certain things and forget others

were killed brutally by Khaki armed forces in what is now called Tamil Nadu. This was no minor affair and was reported extensively for many days across the world, in the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Time magazine and elsewhere. The Indian Union government rushed in its Khaki forces to suppress the unprecedented mass movement of Tamil youths against the planned imposition of Hindi as the Indian Union’s sole official language. The martyred youth of 1965 represent another narrative of glory and bravery that is drowned down by tricolour drumbeats. But those who remember can never forget. While the Indian Union government today is making the push for Hindi as UN language, it dare not mention these language martyrs on the 50th anniversary of their martyrdom. Their cause lingers through the recent Chennai declaration of language rights that asks for linguistic equality for all our mother

tongues -- a call that is slowly gathering steam. At a solemn event held in Chennai, representatives from Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Orissa, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerala paid homage to these martyrs as their own, to the 1965 Tamil cause as their own. The 1965 language movement of Tamils stopped the advancing battle-tank of Hindi imposition. The momentum of Hindi imposition was broken by the Tamil speed-breaker, if only temporarily. The tank that was stopped in its track is restarting its engine with renewed vigour. After the 1965 language movement, the Congress, which had ruled Tamil Nadu till then, was defeated for good -- never to return again. That should give us an idea what those events and killings meant and their continued reverberations in people’s memory. It is due to these events that complete Hindi imposition on non-Hindi people remains only a partially successful

project. Whether that can be compared to the relevance of 1965 war in people’s lives is something I leave the readers to judge. 50 years after 1965, we must probe: Why does Delhi want us to celebrate one 1965 and forget another? All nation-state narratives, curated by the government, to create “truth” and “common-sense,” remember and celebrate certain things and forget others. It underlines certain things and deletes other things. A comparison of the highlighted with the deleted gives us an idea of who the nation-state is for and who it is not for, who is boss and who is servant. This government narrative gains currency through dominant film-industry, media academia and textbooks and can be called the autobiography of a nation-state. But no nation-state in the world is one people. All people must write their own autobiographies. They owe it to their martyrs and their children. They owe it to smoke rising from burned wigwams of the native Americans, the smoke that was seen by the people made alien in their own homeland by other people by superiority of arms and numbers, the smoke that rose above disinformation and indoctrination to spread on the wide canvas of the unconquerred starry sky and broke into words that could be seen from far-far-away, words that solemnly whisper in every mother tongue of this Earth that “We shall not forget.” We cannot forget 1965. l Garga Chatterjee. Garga Chatterjee is a political and cultural commentator. He can be followed on twitter @gargac

Opinion

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2015

A quagmire called Syria Will bringing peace to the Middle East always be a dream?

n SM Shahrukh

o, we have had the much-anticipated meeting of all the players in Vienna. The playing field, of course, is Syria. With the civil war entering a fifth year, and over 200,000 people killed, and half of its population displaced, Syria was in an urgent need of some sort of solution to the quagmire that it has become. The embattled President Assad was recently forced to concede that his regime was running out of personnel available to fight. The Syrian conflict is very much sectarian in nature, with the minority Alawites holding the reins for a long time. Alawites are Shias, and have always been backed by Iran, the guardian state of Shias of the world. And as was expected, the Iran-backed Hezbollah always had its nose in Syrian affairs. Besides, Syrians have traditionally had the backing of the Russians, the principal armament-supplier of the Baathist regime of Assad and his long deceased father, Hafez, as well. Ever since civil war erupted in Syria, the US with its regional allies (Saudi Arabia and Israel) have provided arms and intelligence support to a group of Sunnis called the Free Syrian Army (FSA). They have not dealt with Iran, but provided air support to the FSA. The FSA, formed originally of soldiers who defected from the regular Syrian army, gradually attracted fighters from various parts of the vicinity and even Jihadis from the west. The FSA splintered, as was expected, and from its strictly Sharia-abiding faction arose the monster of IS with its dream, or

Syria is in ruins, and will continue to be so for its foreseeable future

ambition, of establishing a Caliphate. Its leader, Abu Bakr al-Bagdadi, started running the organisation like a Mafioso operation. IS gained control of vast swathes of both Iraq and Syria and started gaining substantial revenue from the Iraqi oil fields, selling mainly to Turkey. Turkey was tolerant of IS excesses from the very beginning, since it wanted Assad out and the Kurdi unity to be destroyed. The autonomous Kurdi regions of northern Iraq are the only positives to have come out of from the disastrous decadelong invasion of Iraq by the US. The Kurdi Peshmerga fighters have been giving IS a hard fight, but were lacking in firepower. IS, on the other hand, with heavy weaponry pillaged from the Iraqi army, which were given to them by the US, kept gaining ground. The US has constantly

declined to put “boots on the ground” to fight the menace of IS. Obama did not want to run into a huge deficit like George W Bush had done by spending trillions in the two wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Iran has surreptitiously been aiding Assad with military personnel. The new offensive launched by the Syrian government forces in the country-side south of Aleppo has shed light on Iran’s growing role in Syria’s civil war. Officially, Iran denies it has deployed any combat troops in Syria, but a week before the offensive began, it was reported that hundreds of Iranian troops had arrived in Syria in preparation for an imminent assault on rebel-held areas. Into this morass, entered Putin. With Obama not taking any direct action, he seized the chance to make Russia’s presence felt, militarily, and also stand beside old

ally Assad. The Russians started bombing, ostensibly, only IS strong-holds, but reports show that they have caused over 500 civilian deaths. The Russians seem to be in no mood to relent. With matters in such dire straits, the ancient country of Syria turning to rubble, the Americans called the Vienna summit. However, the major fighting forces -- the Syrian regime and the “freedom fighters” -- were not on the table. Despite various objections, the US made the prudent decision to call Iran to the meeting, realising that a solution to the Syrian problem cannot be solved militarily. Americans also want to keep the Kurdi regions on the road to prosperity. It is becoming gradually apparent that the solution to the problem of Syria, and also Iraq, will come only through the whole region dividing along sectarian lines with the Shia portions under the control of the Iranians, and the Kurdis taking control of the northern parts of both Iraq and Syria. And what has come out of the Vienna summit? “The US is sending Special Forces to Syria to assist anti-government rebels in fighting the so-called Islamic State (IS), officials have said. There will be ‘fewer than 50’ forces deployed in the region to ‘train, advise, and assist’ vetted opposition forces. This will be the first time US troops are working openly on the ground in Syria.”

REUTERS

This can only mean that the US will most likely help the Kurds regain the land that they have lost to IS. They are going to allow Syria to sort its problems out. But what they fail to realise is that even 50 boots mean “boots on the ground” in Syria. And war will rage on. People will keep dying. Refugees will be running helter skelter. War is not like the glitzy gunfights on TV screens, war is the ultimate misery of people, with guts and gore galore, bullets flying, making a whistling sound before entering the body, the skull, piercing the eardrum. War is body bags coming home wrapped in a national flag that holds no more meaning, war is the displacement of peoples, death of the fleeing, slaughter of the innocents, “September on Jessore Road” written by Allen Ginsberg, the bodies of babies washing afloat on a beach that was meant for fun and frolic. War makes “far from the scene of the crime” arms dealers rich, while the wheat fields are strewn with corpses instead of golden wheat sheaves. War makes the glistening desert sand turn dark with blood at the midday sun. War makes refugees, whose nightmares keep going even after they have woken up from a few hours of slumber. Peace in the Middle East? Keep on dreaming, lest you wake up to a reality that is unpalatable. l SM Shahrukh is a freelance contributor.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2015

Climate Change

National institutions can access funds directly from the Green Climate Fund for adaptation projects like this coastal embankment in Southern Bangladesh HELENA WRIGHT

The future of international finance for development: Development assistance or climate finance? n Saleemul Huq As a developing country and member of the Least Developed Countries (LDC) Group, Bangladesh is used to receiving development assistance from rich countries since our independence over four decades ago. This development assistance is received under what is commonly called Official Development Assistance (ODA). This has amounted to the tune of several billion dollars a year as a mixture of grants and low interest loans delivered through multilateral development banks (such as the World Bank and Asian Development Bank) , United Nations agencies (such as UNDP, FAO, etc) and bilateral aid agencies (such as the UK’s DFID, Germany’s GIZ, Japan’s JICA, among others). Generally the development banks offered low interest loans while the UN and bilateral agencies offered grants. In the initial couple of decades, such ODA would constitute a significant part of the national development budget (in some years the entire development budget would be based on ODA). Over the last few decades, we have successfully brought down the proportion of ODA in the country’s annual development budgets, which is a significant success for the government, private sector and indeed people of the country.

International governance of ODA As ODA is given by rich countries voluntarily to poor countries under the paradigm of charity (or at best solidarity) the decision of who to give, how much to give, who is receiving funds, how to monitor, etc is decided by the “donors” through their club called OECD. The rich countries had made non-binding pledges over three decades ago to allocate 0.7 % of each country’s Gross National Income (GNI), which only a handful of them have met. As the donations are made by each individual rich country, they choose which developing countries to give to. They also use ODA as an instrument of foreign policy. Thus the UK and France tend to favour their former colonies while the US give the biggest chunk of their ODA to Israel and Egypt. This results in some countries becoming “darlings” and others becoming “orphans.” The donor countries occasionally meet with developing countries to discuss and agree on some principles, but everything is purely voluntary on their part with no accountability to the recipients. The most recent such meeting was called Finance for Development (FfD), which was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in July this year with nothing much coming out of it.

International governance of climate change In the last two decades, a new menace called global climate change has become a significant risk, which is particularly problematic for Bangladesh which happens to be extremely vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change. The cause of this human induced climate change is the pollution caused by the emissions of Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) mainly from the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum and natural gas. As this is a global problem, it is being tackled under a global treaty called the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The UNFCCC is a pollution (not a development) treaty and has been ratified by all 195 countries of the world, including all the major historic polluters. The major historic polluters are listed in Annex 1 of the UNFCCC (and hence sometimes called Annex 1 parties) and they have accepted obligations under the treaty to provide financial support to the most vulnerable developing countries. The definition of most vulnerable developing countries has been agreed under the treaty and consists of three groups of countries, namely the LDCs (which include Bangladesh), the small island developing states (SIDS such as Maldives) and Africa. Taking into account the overlap between these three groups (eg many African countries are also LDCs) there are 95 named countries who are supposed to be prioritised for receiving finance for adaptation. At the 7th conference of Parties (COP7) held in Marrakech, Morocco, two funds for adaptation were set up, one called the LDC Fund exclusively for LDCs and the Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF) for non-LDCs. More recently, at COP15 in Cancun, Mexico, the Annex 1 Parties agreed to provide up to $100bn a year starting from 2020 to all developing countries for both mitigation as well as adaptation.

Green Climate Fund To manage and channel these funds, the parties also agreed to set up a new entity called the Green Climate Fund (GCF) with its own Executive Board and Secretariat, located in South Korea. Bangladesh was selected as one of the two board members from the LDC Group. The GCF board has already made two important decisions (in response to our lobbying), namely to allocate 50% of their funds for adaptation and secondly to prioritise the most vulnerable developing countries for the adaptation funds. At its most recent meeting, the board has just approved funding of $40m for Climate Resilient Infrastructure

Mainstreaming project with KfW in Bangladesh. The GCF has also established a system for each developing country to appoint a National Designated Authority (NDA) to be the focal point in the country. The Senior Secretary of the Economic Relations Division (ERD) of the Ministry of Finance serves as the NDA for Bangladesh. The NDA nominates National Implementing Entities (NIEs) to be accredited with the GCF. Once a national organisation is accredited, the organisation can directly access the funding from the GCF and start to implement climate resilient and mitigation projects on its own or decide to fund other projects. There is also a special private sector facility in the GCF where private sector companies can apply for funding directly (after they get accredited with GCF). This process of accreditation helps national institutions build their capacity, strengthen national systems and access international funding that ultimately leads a nation to greater climate resilience and a low-emissions pathway. ERD has already identified a number of public sector entities who are in the process of applying for accreditation with GCF and are now reaching out to private sector companies to help them do the same.

capacitate both public as well as private sector entities to access the climate finance through GCF. However, in the long run, the prospects for Bangladesh receiving significant amounts of climate finance will depend on how effectively we use the finances we get. If we get $5m and spend it effectively (and are able to demonstrate that transparently, credibly and with accountability) then we will get $50m and we spend that effectively and transparently, we will get $500m and so forth. In other words, international climate finance to developing countries will increasingly be awarded on the basis of demonstrated results rather than on showcasing vulnerability. In my view, Bangladesh has a much brighter prospect of receiving much greater international climate finance than ODA, provided it is able to put in place transparent and well monitored outputs from the early climate finance from GCF. l

Climate finance vs ODA There is a significant difference between receiving ODA and climate finance for Bangladesh and LDCs generally. ODA depends entirely on the whims of the leaders of the rich countries and their economic policies. Often, in times of economic hardship at home, the ODA budget is the easiest to cut. In contrast, providing finance to tackle climate change is an obligation of the polluters under an international pollution treaty to provide financial support to the victims of their pollution. So, when Bangladesh (or any LDC) discusses ODA from a rich country as a recipient, we don’t have much say, as beggars can’t be choosers. However, when we meet the same countries under the UNFCCC, they are no longer “donors” (who can choose who to give and how much to give) but rather “polluters” (who have an obligation to compensate the victims of their pollution). Also, in terms of total quantum of ODA which has historically been around $100bn a year, it always fluctuates depending on political situations in the donor countries. However, for climate finance the polluting countries have an obligation under international law to provide $100bn a year.

Conclusion It is good to see the Government of Bangladesh, through ERD, taking the initiative to enable and

Saleemul Huq is Director, International Centre for Climate Change and Development at the Independent University, Bangladesh and Senior Fellow, International Institute for Environment and Development based in London, UK. Saleemul.huq@ iied.org. This page has been developed in collaboration with the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD) at Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) and its partners Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies (BCAS) and International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED). This page represents the views and experiences of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the views of Dhaka Tribune or ICCCAD or its partners.

Business 15

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2015

INSIDE Finance, energy and skilled manpower key challenges to SDGs Financing is the key challenge for Bangladesh in achieving the SDGs as investment of $5tn to $7tn is needed globally to materialise the goals PAGE 16

India’s Rajan ‘comfortable’ with interest rates RBI governor Raghuram Rajan said past week that he was comfortable with current interest rates of 6.75% but would stay “accommodative”. PAGE 17

It’s complicated: Slowdown forcing firms to re-think China relationship A slowdown in China is forcing multinational companies to treat the world’s second-biggest economy more like a developed market, turning away from a headlong dash for growth to focus on premium businesses, or improving productivity by investing in staff. PAGE 18

Capital market snapshot: Past Week DSE Broad Index

4,502.2

-1.4% ▼

Index

1,084.5

-0.7% ▼

30 Index

1,711.4

-0.8% ▼

15,045.6

-14.4% ▼

402.5

-21.8% ▼

All Share Index

13,751.0

-1.5% ▼

30 Index

12,179.5

-1.5% ▼

Selected Index

8,367.9

-1.5% ▼

Turnover in Mn Tk

1,012.2

-18.3% ▼

31.8

-16.7% ▼

Turnover in Mn Tk Turnover in Mn Volume

CSE

Turnover in Mn Volume

Database of foreign workers on cards to bring under tax net n Syed Samiul Basher Anik The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has started collecting information on foreign workers employed in the country to make a database on them to check tax evasion. The income tax zone 11, which deals with tax collection from foreign nationals, has already started sending letters to different employer companies for information about foreigners employed in their firms. The business firms were asked to send information in prescribed forms including the number of foreign workers employed in their company, their names, salary and years of employment. The NBR took the initiative to check tax evasion and find out whether the companies are employing unauthorised foreign nationals despite the government initiative taken in the budget for the fiscal year 201516. The government in the current budget said it has started registering foreign nationals working in the country and that they would be brought under the tax net soon. According to the finance bill 2015, if found guilty, the companies that employ unhauthorised foreigners, will have to pay 50% additional tax from their total payable tax or Tk5 lakh as fine, whichever is higher, as penalty for giving jobs to foreign nationals without necessary documents and work permits. Apart from the penalties, benefits including tax holiday and other tax exemptions

A good number of foreign workers evade taxes with the help of their employers as they stay in the country on temporary basis by renewing their work permits after every three months will be made void if any company is found involved in such unscrupulous practice. Along with the employer firms including readymade garment sector, IT and other manufacturing industries, the NBR field officials are also sending letters to the government agencies including the Board of Investment, seeking information on foreign workers. The field offices will also conduct a survey and drives as well on the firms based on the survey results soon, officials said. The tax regulator is assigned to collect Tk1,76,370 crore revenue for the on-going fiscal year. Of the total amount, the lion’s share will come from income tax wing worth Tk65,932 crore. According to the Income Tax Ordinance 1984, a foreign national needs to open tax file if he or she lives in the country for 90 days in a year. They also need to present their tax clearance certificates from the NBR while crossing the immigration desk before leaving the country. Although all the foreigners have to pay income tax at a rate of 30% on their income, only some 10,000 of them pay income tax

annually while the rest depart the country without paying any tax. Officials said a good number of foreign workers evade taxes with the help of their employers as they stay in the country on temporary basis by renewing their work permits after every three months. Earlier on July, the income tax wing of NBR sent letters to leading chambers and employers’ organisations, asking them not to employ any foreigners illegally to avoid heavy penalty. Currently, around 4 lakh foreign nationals, mostly from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, China, Taiwan, South Korea and some European and African countries are working in Bangladesh. Usually, three government agencies, the Board of Investment (BoI), NGO Affairs Bureau and Bangladesh Export Processing Zone Authority (BEPZA) approve work permits for the foreigners. There is, however, no such list of foreigners working in Bangladesh due to lack of coordination among the government agencies. According to the BoI data, around 12,000 foreigners are working in the country with valid work permits. l

Accord cuts business ties with Sadaf Fashions n Tribune Report The Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh has cut business relations with Sadaf Fashions Limited, a Chittagong-based RMG manufacturer due to its refusal to implement workplace safety measures. Earlier, Accord terminated business relations with two factories namely Mega Chois Knitwear Ltd and Florence Fashions Ltd due to refusal to temporarily evacuate the factories. On November 4, the retailer’s platform in a statement said despite numerous efforts by the Accord staff and its signatories, the factory owner continued to refuse to cooperate in the resolution of health and safety issues at the factory. The owner also refused to comply with an order to evacuate the factory until all structural defects are assessed and repaired, it added. On April 19 last year, the platform for EU retailers inspected Sadaf Fashions and found a series of defects which prompted the organisation to convene a review panel that imposed on the factory a set of immediate corrective actions.

An Accord follow-up inspection found that the requirements to reduce load, remove a wall, empty an area of all load and dismantle a cantilever slab were not followed. Furthermore, a requirement to carry out a Detailed Engineering Assessment (DEA) as well as requirements related to fire exit and other fire safety measures were not met. Meanwhile, the Accord suggested that its signatory companies should terminate their business relations with this supplier as progress has not been achieved despite notice and warning. The Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh is conducting independent, engineering inspections for fire, electrical, and building structural safety at all factories in Bangladesh producing for Accord signatory companies. According to Accord’s agreement, if a supplier fails to implement corrective actions and does not cooperate fully as per its inspection findings and re-

lated programmes, the supplier will receive notice and warning that its business with its signatory companies will be terminated. The outcries over safety issues began after the Rana Plaza factory disaster that killed over 1,135 workers and injured over 2,500 people on April 24, 2013. After the factory disaster, Accord made a commitment to provide financial and technical support to improve fire and building safety standard of RMG factories from which they source products. l

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2015

Business

Finance, energy and skilled manpower key challenges to SDGs n Tribune Report Financing, supply of energy, environment and skilled manpower are the key challenges to attaining Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for Bangladesh, business people and trade analysts said yesterday. They also underscored the need for concerted efforts and conclusive framework for an effective implementation of sustainable goals. The emphasis came at a seminar on “Transition from MDGs to SDGs: opportunities and challenges for industry and business” organised by the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) yesterday in the capital. “Of the 17 goals of SDGs, seven are directly linked with business. That is why importance should be given to investment for future and next generation to achieve the SDGs,” DCCI President Hossain Khaled. Khaled called for infrastructure development, power and energy security, skill development, technology adaptation, policy framework, long-term strategy for attaining SDG. In the developed countries, SME sector contributes 90% of GDP while Bangladesh’s SME contribution is 60% to 70%, khaled said, urging the government to stimulate the Small and Medium Enterprise entrepreneurship and promote that with adequate financing. The DCCI president also suggested establishing a “National Implementation Forum” which will be a single platform, consisting of public and private sector representatives along with all stakeholders for monitoring implementation process of SDG initiatives.

The private sector played a leading role as the driver of economic activities, said Policy Research Institute of Bangladesh (PRI) Executive Director Ahsan H Mansur in his keynote presentation, showing that from the year 2000 to 2014 Industrial sector growth was 7.8%.

‘Financing is the key challenge for Bangladesh in achieving the SDGs as investment of $5tn to $7tn is needed globally to materialise the goals’ For achieving SDGs, he stressed the need for adequate infrastructure and inclusive and sustainable industrialisation through innovation. Mansur said it is high time an urgent action should be taken to combat climate change and its impacts. “We should not produce such product that will destroy our environment. We want growth but quality of production and working conditions should be clean and safe.” Unplanned urbanisation will also be a challenge which needs to be addressed, he advised, saying SDG forecasts 7% GDP for LDC countries which is an opportunity for Bangladesh as the country is very close to attaining the target. He noted that energy outlook for Bangladesh and plan for reliance on coal in future will be a major challenge for us.

“Financing is the key challenge for Bangladesh in achieving the SDGs as investment of $5tn to $7tn is needed globally to materialise the goals,” Business Initiative Leading Development (BUILD) Chairman and former DCCI president Asif Ibrahim said. He called for the best use of foreign aids, remittance and foreign exchange reserves by investing in the industries. State Minister for the Ministry of Finance and Planning MA Mannan attended the programme as the chief guest. In his address, he said: “We have to be self-reliant for achieving the target and the government is all the way committed to facilitate the private sector.” To achieve Sustainable Development Goals, a link between rural and urban communities is necessary and entrepreneurs are resilient enough to move the country forward, added Mannan. “In MDGs, Bangladesh has done well, and if we work collectively, SDGs will also be achieved.” Director General of Bangladesh Institute Development Studies (BIDS) Khan Ahmed Sayeed Murshid said to achieve SDGs quality education, the rule of law and agriculture development are some key priorities to look into. He also called for policy framework to use natural resources. “Without private sector investment, attainment of SDGs is not possible,” said Palash Kanti Das, assistant country director, UNDP-Bangladesh. He stressed framing an action plan, prioritising the goals to achieve the SDGs. Palash urged the private sector people to work with the public sector. l

TRIPs council okays pharma transition period n Tribune Report The Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) council meeting on Friday approved extension of the transition period for pharmaceutical products for the least developed countries till 2032. “It is hoped that the upcoming General Council at the WTO would also accord necessary approval on this,” said a press note issued by the Foreign Ministry. It is the longest ever negotiated exemption for LDCs after the establishment of WTO under any agreement. “In addition, this time, Bangladesh secured additional protection for LDCs including waiver from TRIPS Article 70.8 as well as the previous waiver from TRIPS Article 70.9. This is considered by all in Geneva to be a double victory for the LDCs,” the press note said. The decision is considered highly favourable for the LDCs in general and Bangladesh in particular as Bangladesh would be benefiting the most out of this decision. As a result of long negotiation with the United States, LDCs under the leadership of Bangladesh Ambassador to Geneva M Shameem Ahsan as coordinator in WTO secured the extension of the transition period. Before the decision, December 2015 is the deadline for Bangladesh and other LDCs to enjoy the transition period, after which these countries would have to buy the regular medicines at a much higher price. l

Biman to get another aircraft Stocks extend losses n for 5th session Ishtiaq Husain

Biman Bangladesh Airlines, national flag carrier, is going to expand its fleet, adding one more aircraft from November 21. US-based manufacturer Boeing Company will formally handed over the 5th aircraft Boeing 737-800s, out of 10, at Seattle in USA on November 20. The new aircraft will arrive in Dhaka on November 21 via London. After joining of the modern Boeing 737, the number of aircraft of the fleet will be at 13 while the national carrier will get another option to increase more destinations. Another Boeing 737-800 would be added in its fleet by December this year, according to an agreement signed with the Boeing Company. Boeing is scheduled to supply two more Boeing 787 (Dreamliner) aircrafts by 2019. In 2008, Biman signed an agreement with Boeing Company to purchase 10 aircrafts with a cost of US$2.5bn to strengthen its operational capabilities. Boeing has already delivered four Boeing 777-300 ER aircrafts to Biman as per the agreement. Industry insiders said this latest aircraft

undoubtedly would be more cost effective and suitable for Biman. “Since the beginning its journey, national flag carrier has been incurring loss due to the age-old aircrafts. As per of its plan to make the airline profitable, the management of the airliner is adding modern aircraft, a high official of Biman told the Dhaka Tribune. According to Biman, the company has already phased out four age-old DC-10 aircrafts and now on the process to phase out two more age-old aircrafts of Airbus 310 by next year due to their high fuel consumption. Biman Bangladesh Airlines Ltd sought a total of $109m as loans from financial institution to get delivery financing for the two Boeing 737-800 aircrafts. The loan will be supported by a guarantee from the government of Bangladesh for 12 years from the respective aircrafts delivery dates. Biman is one of Asia’s smallest flag carriers, operating only 12 aircrafts on a network of 22 destinations. Currently, Bangladesh national airlines has 10 aircrafts in its fleet and they are-four Boeing 777-300 ER, two Airbus 310, two Boeing 777-200 ER, two Dash 8 Q 400 and two 737. Of those, six were taken on lease. l

n Tribune Report Stocks extended losing streak for the fifth straight session, as ongoing downbeat sentiment intensified in the past week over security concerns after presumed militant attacks. During the week on Thursday, the benchmark index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, was down 62 points or 1.4% to 4,502. The blue-chip comprising index DS30 shed 14 points or 1% to 1,711. The DSE Shariah Index, DSES, fell around 8 points or 1% to 1,084. The Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) saw a steep decline with its Selective Categories Index -- CSCX – plummeting 123.76 points or 1.45% to end the week at 8,367.86. The latest development in the law and order situation after three separate deadly machete attacks, presumably by Islamist extremists, has made investors unnerved, accelerating selling spree in the past week, analysts say. In addition, devaluation of Taka against US dollar, falling remittance flow in October and unimpressive third quarter earnings were among responsible factors for the mar-

ket’s downward trend. The trading activities continued to remain poor as the DSE daily turnover stood at Tk300 crore, down more than 14% over the previous week. IDLC Investments said on the first week of the month, the desperation of the last week of October further intensified. However, during mid-week sessions, the market tried to rebound a little bit as most of the quarterly earnings and yearly corporate declarations became available which knocked investors to re-shuffle their position, it said. But, by the end of the week, market failed to hold the momentum despite several optimistic macroeconomic news of record breaking forex reserves of $27.1bn, LDCs’ exemption from paying patent drugs royalty until 2032 and economic forecast by PricewaterhouseCoopers for Bangladesh to be the 23rd biggest economy by 2050, IDLC said. IFAD Autos dominated the week’s turnover chart with shares of about Tk100 crore changing hands during the week, followed by Square Pharmaceuticals, Lafarge Surma Cement, KDS Accessories and Quasem Drycells. l

Selim focuses on SME, retail banking as BRAC Bank makes him MD n Kayes Sohel BRAC Bank has appointed Selim RF Hussain as its new managing director and chief executive, who was for the past six years at the helm of IDLC Finance Ltd, a non-bank financial institution. The veteran banker is widely recognised and acclaimed across the Bangladesh financial sector for being the architect of IDLC Finance’s meteoric rise during his time. Dhaka Tribune talked with Hussain about his new assignment and plans, and also about his long-serving career in the country’s financial sector. “I am very proud of becoming a part of the BRAC Bank,” said Hussain. “BRAC is a well recognised brand both nationally and internationally. This is a unique opportunity for me to take the things forward as I believe in branding. We’ll invest in technology and branding.” With becoming the top executive official of the bank, Hussain plans to give special focus on taking customer services to a new height, boosting SME (small and medium enterprises) sector and retail banking. “First and foremost importance would be given to serving customers. The customer service system will be further improved, to make it genuine, personalised and compassionate—or, simply, human,” he said.

TPP countries agree to not manipulate currencies n AFP, Washington

The 12 countries of the ambitious Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade deal announced a parallel agreement Thursday to avoid currency manipulation, a particular worry of the United States. In a joint declaration accompanying the release of the full text of the TPP, the 12 pledged to permit their currencies to move based on economic fundamentals, and to not manipulate them to gain advantage over others. The pact says that all 12 confirmed their commitment to International Monetary Fund rules “to avoid manipulating exchange rates or the international monetary system in order to prevent effective balance of payments adjustment or to gain an unfair competitive advantage.” Each of the 12 will also “refrain from competitive devaluation and will not target its country’s exchange rate for competitive purposes.” “Allowing real exchange rates to adjust in line with economic fundamentals facilitates smooth macroeconomic adjustment, helps to avoid prolonged external imbalances, and promotes strong, sustainable, and balanced global growth,” they said. The agreement on foreign exchange, an adjunct to the TPP pact completed after marathon negotiations last month, was pushed by Washington, where many legislators had said they would not ratify a trade deal that did not have currency provisions. l

Selim RF Hussain Selim RF Hussain began his banking career in 1986 joining ANZ Grindlays Bank. He then worked at the Standard Chartered and later in 2010 moved to the IDLC Group. New BRAC Bank MD will lead a large branch banking and SME network, and is expected to step up the bank’s business momentum and inclusive banking initiatives. Hussain said he would strive to fulfill the bank’s vision of being a socially responsible and profitable financial institution focused on building a poverty-free Bangladesh.

He said the BRAC Bank has a big network of branches and large involvement with the SME sector across the country. “This is an another opportunity for me as it could give a greater leverage to enhance SME financing and retail banking.” He recalled his days with the IDLC Finance, “When I joined IDLC, its loan portfolio was only Tk1,340 crore. It’s now more than four times higher - about Tk5,0006,000 crore.” On moving from NBFI sector to banking sector, Hussain said, “The banking sector is not new for me. Rather, I am back to my old sector.” The new BRAC Bank CEO is also likely to hold the post of directorship at the bank’s various other subsidiaries, including Brac EPL Investments Ltd, Brac EPL Stock Brokerage Ltd, Brac Sajaan Exchange Ltd, Brac Information Technology Services Ltd and also at the latest Brac investment, IPDC of Bangladesh. According to a BRAC Bank press release, Selim RF Hussain has an Honours degree in Accounting from Dhaka University and an MBA (major in Finance) from the university’s Institute of Business Administration. He worked in various roles with the two largest multi-national banks in Bangladesh, ANZ Grindlays Bank and Standard Chartered, for 24 years, before moving to the IDLC Group in 2010. l

India’s Rajan ‘comfortable’ with interest rates n Reuters, Mumbai RBI governor Raghuram Rajan said past week that he was comfortable with current interest rates of 6.75% but would stay “accommodative”. Rajan was speaking in a televised debate with the government’s chief economic adviser Arvind Subramanian, who prodded the RBI governor to take into account wholesale price inflation in monetary policy decisions. Wholesale inflation (4.05% in July) fell for an 11th consecutive month in September, leading to calls for the RBI to cut interest rates even further after already easing them by 125 basis points to 6.75% so far this year, including a larger-than-expected 50 bps cut in late September. In a friendly exchange between the two on the NDTV news channel, Rajan reiterated his view that consumer inflation was a more appropriate measure given its higher weighting of food prices and services. He also noted he was “comfortable with where we are” in terms of interest rates. Subramanian interceded, gently pressing Rajan to do more on rate cuts. “What he’s saying is that RBI is open to more (rate cuts),” Subramanian said, turning to Rajan. “He’s open, and as more data comes along on prices and how the economy is doing he will consider it, but he’s basically accommodative.” To which Rajan quipped: “I agree with the word accommodative.”

Reserve Bank of India’s Governor Raghuram Rajan attends an event in Lima REUTERS Rajan and the government have enjoyed a respectful relationship, although there have been differences between the two sides. The RBI is not statutorily independent from the government, although its central bankers enjoy broad autonomy. Subramanian and Rajan also expressed differing views on foreign capital, with the chief economic adviser saying India needed to be “much more careful” of “speculative capital.” The RBI governor, however, responded by saying he was “much more open to the idea that foreign capital is beneficial.” Subramanian also prodded Rajan to be “watchful over the competitiveness of India’s economy and the exchange rate.” Rajan, in turn, called on Subramanian and the government to pass the goods and services tax bill through parliament, saying it would send “a strong signal” that India can overcome its political differences. l

Business

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2015

IMF chief: Prosecute bankers, not just banks, for malfeasance n AFP, New York International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde called past week for prosecution of individuals in the financial industry for misconduct, saying fines against firms alone were seen merely as a “cost of doing business.” Lagarde said that holding individuals accountable for wrongdoing would be an important way to raise ethics standards in the financial services sector, whose reputation has been hammered by repeated scandals and misconduct. “Despite evidence of actual malfeasance in several cases, it has been mostly corporate balance sheets that have borne the brunt of legal sanctions for reckless behavior - not individuals,” Lagarde said at a workshop on reforming bank culture at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

‘A good place to start to strengthen personal accountability is criminal and civil liability’ “In fact, sanctions directed at financial institutions have come to be perceived simply as a ‘cost of doing business,’ which calls for adequate provisioning,” she said, according to her prepared text. The IMF managing director cited estimates that large banks in the US and Europe had been hit with a combined $230bn in fines over the last six years, only about 1.5 years of average net income of a group of global systemically important banks. “A good place to start to strengthen personal accountability is criminal and civil liability,” she said. “The sheer exposure to potential criminal liability acts as a deterrent. Indeed, criminal liability is never easy to prove, yet, if evidence of misconduct exists, justice should not shy away from seeking criminal and/or civil penalties at the individual level.” Beyond criminal liability, an individual, when appropriate, should also face civil penalties and disciplinary actions such as professional disbarment, she said. “Such changes can provide the right set of incentives for ethical behavior and deter malfeasance through intentional misconduct as well as reckless risk-taking.” Lagarde welcomed a recent shift by regulators to hold individuals accountable for their action. She cited a case in Iceland where top executives guilty of misconduct were prosecuted, and in New York the potential for parties found guilty in court to be banned from their profession. She emphasized that a crackdown on personal accountability was in no way a condemnation of risk-taking. “After all, life is about taking risks. But they have to be taken in a context of responsibility, not in a context of irresponsibility because someone else will pick up the tab if it goes wrong.” l

Business

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2015

It’s complicated: Slowdown forcing firms to re-think China relationship n Reuters, Shanghai

A slowdown in China is forcing multinational companies to treat the world’s second-biggest economy more like a developed market, turning away from a headlong dash for growth to focus on premium businesses, or improving productivity by investing in staff. As the main driver of global growth for much of the past decade, China has been a godsend to big international firms looking to boost profits as economies elsewhere struggled. Now, though, Beijing is attempting to rebalance its economy to a more sustainable rate of expansion dubbed the “new normal” by President Xi Jinping, and with growth at its slowest in a generation, the current quarter has seen a slew of companies citing China as a reason for underwhelming earnings. “We’ve entered the new phase, a new normal with slower growth, and that changes the business dynamic, and it changes the outlook,” said John Lawler, Ford China CEO, at a recent conference for US businesses in Shanghai. In recent weeks, weakness in Chinese demand has been blamed for soft sales and trimmed forecasts from companies ranging from luxury fashion retailer Burberry and KFC owner Yum Brands to US computer hardware and consulting firm IBM and Japa-

nese robot maker Yaskawa Electric Corp. Economic data released in October also showed export growth slowing sharply in Japan, while South Korean exports fell both blamed on the slowdown in their giant neighbour. Companies in sectors such as construction and mining have felt the biggest pinch. Heavy equipment maker Caterpillar has outlined plans to slash capital spending and cut about 10,000 jobs, while industrial conglomerate United Technologies Corp said its business in China could drop as much as 15% next year.

Long-term shift

And the days of double-digit growth that had foreign companies scrambling to enter China in the first decade of the millennium may not be coming back. President Xi said on Tuesday growth would remain around the 7 percent level for the next five years. As Beijing tries to steer the economy away from the export and investment-led growth model that fuelled China’s rise, companies are having to re-evaluate their strategy. “Generally, it has probably moved from ‘go, go, go, growth, growth, growth,’ to ‘things are getting complicated’,” said Abinta Malik, general manger for Gap Inc in Greater China, when asked at the Shanghai conference how

the message from head office had changed. In response, some firms are investing more in development to cater to Chinese consumers’ growing sophistication. “We have reformulated our products, we have invested in innovation and renovation very much like we do in Europe,” Nestle Chief Executive Paul Bulcke told reporters after the world’s biggest packaged food firm warned in mid-October it would miss its long-term growth target this year. China’s Premier Li Keqiang said on Sunday that Beijing’s policymakers estimated consumption in China’s vast market was still only half its capacity. The problem is that consumers are not yet picking up the slack from falling industrial demand. “The rapidly rising consumer spending has yet to offset the decline in traditional industrial investments,” said Ulrich Spiesshofer, chief executive of Swiss engineering group ABB, after reporting a fall in net profit and revenues for the third quarter last week.

Finding growth

Healthcare is one promising area to target as the Chinese consumer grows older, richer and better informed. “The underlying fundamentals haven’t changed,” General Electric Co. Chief Finan-

cial Officer Jeff Bornstein said in October of GE’s healthcare technology business. “There is still 1.5 billion people. They’re still building hospitals. The private market in China has grown 15% to 20% a quarter.” Drugmaker Roche, which bucked the trend by increasing third-quarter sales in China, said the market for its mainstay cancer drugs was growing strongly, offsetting struggling sales for older products facing generic competition. “What we’re really seeing is our strategic products that are just beginning to really find their way to patients in China are growing very well, double-digit growth overall,” said Dan O’Day, Roche’s pharmaceuticals chief. Flatlining car sales have prompted global car makers such as BMW to intensify training programmes, teaching dealers who have previously derived the bulk of their income from selling new cars how to maximise revenue from auto financing, repairs and insurance. Services have been one of the few recent economic bright spots, with a private sector survey on Wednesday showing the fastest pace of expansion in three months. ABB’s Spiesshofer said the company had opened a new service centre to supply spare parts, maintenance and consulting services for oil and gas, chemical, utility, metals, transport and infrastructure sectors. l

CORPORATE NEWS

Training academy of Jamuna Bank has recently organised a daylong training on effective SME operation and techniques of marketing supervision & recovery legal steps. The bank’s DMD, Mirza Elias Uddin Ahmed inaugurated the programme as chief guest

NCC Bank Ltd has recently opened a new ATM booth at Anderkilla in Chittagong. The bank’s chairperson, SM Abu Mohsin inaugurated the booth as chief guest

Rangs Group Chairman A Rouf Chowdhury presents a bouquet of flowers to newly appointed BTRC Chairman Dr Shahjahan Mahmood on his assumption of office. BTRC Vice Chairman Brig Gen Ahsan Habib Khan and Rankstel Chief Operating Officer Lt Col Niaz ur Rahim are also seen

Mercantile Bank Limited has recently opened its 103rd branch at Autpara in Gazipur. The bank’s chairperson, Al-Haj Akram Hussain inaugurated the branch as chief guest

News

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2015

Cop, journalist injured in robbers’ attack n Our Correspondent, Habiganj

Adivasi men seen ready with bows and arrows to protect their rice field after the local UP member threatened to loot the paddy. The picture was taken yesterday from Amanur area of Tanore in Rajshahi AZAHAR UDDIN

481 held during special drives in port city n

FM Mizanur Rahaman, Chittagong

Chittagong police yesterday in overnight drives arrested 481 people including 24 leaders and activists of Jamaat-Shibir from different upazilas of Chittagong. During the drives, police seized a light gun, two pistols, six cartridges, 1,500 pieces of yaba, around 2kg of cannabis and 252 litres of liquor, said Mohammed Naimul Hasan, additional superintendent of police of Chittagong District Police. Of the 481 arrestees, 24 were involved with Jamaat-Shibir and accused in different cases filed in connection with subversive activities, 364 were warranted accused in different cases and the rest were arrested in connection with regular cases, said ASP Naimul. l

16 vie for one seat in CVASU admission test n FM Mizanur Rahaman, Chittagong The admission test of first year honors for 2015-2016 academic session at Chittagong Veterinary and Animal Science University (CVASU) was held yesterday. This year, a total of 4,200 students applied to compete for 210 seats under three faculties at the CVASU, however, 3,381 students took part in the exams, said an official press release of the university signed by Deputy Director Khalilur Rahman of the university’s Public Relation department. The admission test results and other details will be available at the university website www.cvasu.ac.bd. The release also said that the university authorities expelled an aspirant from the exam hall for cheating using the mobile phone. The aspirant, Mobaiya Mostari Tuli, was caught cheating by duty invigilators who later handed her over to the police. l

Five people including local traffic police and a journalist were injured as robbers attacked them in Adaur area of Madhabpur upazila of Habiganj district early yesterday. Of the victims, two were Brahmanbaria traffic police Sergeant Md Bayzid and Peeyus Kanti Acharja, bureau chief (east) of ATN News. Identity of three others could not be known immediately. Molla Manir, officer-in-charge of Madhabpur police station, said a gang of robbers intercepted a microbus carrying some people, including the police officer and the journalist on its way to Nasirnagar upazila of Brahmanbaria district for attending an Urash. Later, the robbers beat up the microbus passengers leaving five people injured and looted valuables including several mobile phone sets and cash. The injured took first aid from Madhabpur Upazila Health Complex. l

Woman gives birth to sextuplets n Anwar Hussain, Chittagong In a rare incident, a woman gave birth to sextuplets – five girls and one boy – at a hospital in Chittagong city yesterday morning. However, only two girls have survived the birth and are currently being kept in incubator at the neonatal unit of Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH). The children were delivered normally between 10:15am and 10:30am at Jameson Red Crescent Maternity Hospital. The mother, Rafia Anwara, 25, is in good health, said Dr Rosy Dutta, chief medical officer at the hospital. Talking to the Dhaka Tribune, Dr Pranab Kumar Chowdhury, head of paediatrics department at the CMCH, said the deceased children could not survive due to extremely low birth weight.

“If the birth weight of a live-born infant is less than 2,500g, we call it low birth weight. However, two of the six babies weighed 600g and 650g, which was extremely low. The life of extremely low-weight infants is always very critical and in most cases they don’t survive. Our neonatal team is trying its level best and providing all medical support to the surviving infants,” he said. Rafia and her husband, Md Yakub, got married five years ago. The couple also have a three-year-old daughter, who was born through caesarean section surgery. Yakub is currently in the UAE as a migrant worker. “Rafia came to the hospital at 7:30am today for regular check-up – all the way from Fatikchhari upazila, where she lives with her in-laws,” said Dr Rosy. “During check-up, she

started having labour pain and gave birth prematurely a few hours later.” Rafia’s pregnancy was less than 24 weeks; her delivery date was on March 10 next year. Dr Rosy said Rafia had not received proper care during her pregnancy, which had likely led to the premature birth and death of four of her children. “The mother [Rafia] did not have any regular check-ups; before today [yesterday] she consulted a gynaecologist only once – on October 2 in Fatikchhari. Each baby she gave birth to was underweight.” Doctors attending Rafia said all six babies could have survived had the mother had given proper care. They said she might have been deprived of the care she needed because of the conservative environment in her in-laws’ house. l

Police foil BNP’s National Revolution Day programme

Seven killed in road crash

n Anwar Hussain, Chittagong

At least seven people were killed and 14 others injured when a bus plunged into a roadside ditch at Meherabari in Bhaluka upazila of Mymensingh district yesterday morning. Four of the deceased were Fazlul Haque, 47, of Bhaluka, Motaleb Hossain, 29, and Kajol Miah, 45, of Trishal upazila of Mymensingh and Naushed Alam, 35, of Nilphamari district. Mamunur Rashid, officer-in-charge of Bhaluka Model police station, said the accident took place around 7am when the Dhaka-bound bus hit a parked truck from behind on the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway, leaving two dead on the spot. The injured were rushed to Mymensingh Medical College and Hospital. l

Police foiled The BNP’s programme for National Revolution and Solidarity Day to be held in Chittagong city’s Biplob Udyan area yesterday, claimed the party’s Chittagong city unit. Dr Shahadat Hossain, secretary general of BNP Chittagong unit, said the leaders and activists had assembled at Biplob Udyan to participate in a previously announced rally and procession. “However, in the face of resistance by the law enforcers, we could not place floral wreaths at the monument in Biplob Udyan. Later, we started for Rangunia upazila in the district to pay our homage at the first grave of late president Ziaur Rahman,” he said.

“We were allowed to hold rally and bring out procession, but they barred us from placing floral wreaths at the monument.” Terming the resistance as a strike against democracy, Shahadat said the dictatorial forces were getting stronger due to the resistance against democratic programmes in the country. Mohiuddin Mahmud, OC at Panchlaish police station, said the BNP had not obtained any permission to observe any such programmes. The brief rally on the premises of Biplob Udyan was addressed by city Juba Dal Secretary Mosharraf Hossain Dipti, city Chhatra Dal President Hazi Siraj and Secretary Anwar Hossain Bulu, among others. l

n Our Correspondent, Mymensingh

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2015

Lime industry on verge of extinction n Our Correspondent, Thakurgaon The lime industry in Sadar upazila is on the verge of extinction due to shortage of raw materials and financial crisis. According to sources, the lime producers face difficulties while maintaining their families as they do not earn much. That is why many of them have switched to the professions. Lime producer Ajit Roy said after burning 50 kg of oyster and snail shells and by mixing water around 150 to 180kg of lime is produced which is sold in the market at Tk600 per maund. He further said:”Previously we purchased shells at Tk60 per bag (50 kg a bag), but now-a-days the same is Tk 300. Besides, the availability of shells is decreasing. Moreover, we have no such capital that we can invest a considerable amount in the industry.” If the government and banks provide loans with small interests, the industry can be saved otherwise it will become extinct in the course of time, he added. The lime producer Indronath, Vimnath Kolpona and Budhi Bala said if the government did not take steps, the industry would destroy soon. When contacted Raipur UP Mamunur Rashid said: “I am trying to help the lime producers by providing interest free loan from the government fund.” Lime is one of the ingredients of chewing betel nut which is extensively used in Bangladesh. It is made from shells of oysters and snails. Its making process is not very difficult but requires skill. First of all the dry shells of oysters and snails are burnt in special kilns for two to three hours. As a result, the shells become whitish and powdery. After this the powder is netted for extracting foreign materials. It is then mixed with water in earthen pots and stirred by bamboo stick for about 20 to 25 minutes. After this, lime becomes ready for use. For making the juice much white, seeded banana is mixed with the lime. l

4 killed in 3 districts n Tribune Report

At least four people were killed by miscreants in three districts across the country yesterday. Our Sirajganj correspondent said two men were killed and 20 others injured in a clash between two rival groups at Madla village under Sahajadpur upazila. Rejaul Karim, officer-in-charge of Sahajadpur police station, said the clash ensued in the morning between two groups of the village over a trivial matter. During the clash, Yusuf Ali, 65, and Mozammel Haque alias Moza Hazi,70, of the village died on the spot, while 20 persons sustained injuries. The injured were sent to local hospital. On information, police went to the spot and brought the situation under control. Police arrested eight persons in this connection. In Joypurhat, a van puller was slaughtered to death allegedly by some miscreants near Putimari Bridge under Khetlal upazila, reported our correspondent. The victim was Abdul Hakim, 45, son of late Wasim Uddin, a resident of Talsan village of the upazila. Police said local people found the body of Abdul Hakim with the slit throat and informed the police. Police recovered the body and sent it to hospital morgue. Munirul Islam, officer-in-charge of Khetlal police station, said the miscreants might have killed Hakim and snatched away his battery-run van. According to our Habiganj correspondent’s report, a schoolboy was stabbed to death in Sadar upazila. The victim was Layos Chowdhury,14, student of class VIII at Uchail High School and son of Nayon Mia Chowdury of Baliakandi village. Md Nazimuddin, officer-in-charge of Sadar police station, said miscreants killed Layos after snatched a mobile set. A woman was held in this connection, said the OC. l

News Miscreants attack cops, convict snatched n Our Correspondent, Jamalpur Miscreants attacked policemen and snatched a convict from them at Charpubaldigha village in Sharishabari upazila yesterday. The convict was Hafizur Rahman Habu, 30, who was jailed for six months in a drug case. Billal Hossain, officer-in-charge

of Sharishabari police station, said sub-inspector (SI) Abu Sayed of Tarakandi police investigation centre, along with constable Sarwar Hossain launched a drive in the house of fugitive convict Habu in the village around 10am and arrested him. When the policemen were taking Habu to the police station, his relatives

along with some miscreants swooped on the law enforcers and snatched Habu, leaving Sayed and Sarwar injured, the OC said. The attackers also snatched a pistol from SI Sayed and left the area along with Habu. Later, police found the pistol in an adjacent area in an abandoned condition. l

Career

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2015

step into my office

Magnito Digital How is the job atmosphere at Magnito Digital? It has always been the people that have made Magnito Digital the company it is. We always try to maintain the open culture and promote independence and empowerment. The idea is not to bar people with a set of rules but to guide them and allow them to proactively contribute their thoughts and vision. The atmosphere at the office is unique. In spite of the music, playstation and buzzing ambiance, the guys at Magnito are one of the hardest working in the industry.

What kind of person would fit perfectly in your company? For starters, we don’t look for academic results. We go for well researched interesting minds, who have genuine passion and hunger to learn and grow. What are the deal breakers for an employee working at Magnito Digital? The guys who mostly shine at Magnito are the proactive team players, who are self motivated and have their own perspectives into solving problems.

Magnito Digital is one of the largest digital agencies of Bangladesh with a team of over 60 people. Every brand has a story to tell. Magnito Digital empowers brands to tell their stories in the ever changing digital space.

A quote from an intern regarding the organisational culture, and how he or she feels about the environment so far “The real world exposure that I got in my internship program at Magnito is unmatched!” - Rakin Ahmed, Intern, Magnito Digital - Amer Khan, Director, Magnito Digital

Contact 3rd Floor, Road-23/B, House-7, Gulshan-1, Dhaka. Email: info@magnitodigital.com Contact: +88 02 9821812, +88 01670012244, +88 01611699858

career tips

How blogs can make your little business leap The age of technology has changed the world for the better. Everyone’s adapting and your little venture should be no exception. Have a successful business? Great! Create a blog and watch how it adds value on a whole new dimension.

n SK Farhan Rahman Rank, higher Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), in short, is the technique by which you can improve your ranking in search engines like Google and Bing. All you have to do is provide quality content on a regular basis. The higher your ranking is, the higher traffic your blog generates. And of course, higher traffic leads to increased customers and increased revenue. According to a survey by HubSpot, 60% of businesses who “blog” acquire more customers.

Speak, louder Blogging gives your company a voice, a mouth piece to talk to your target customers and add a touch of personality to your image. Speak about your new products or services, promotions and discounts, and most importantly, keep giving them reasons to revisit your blog. It is an amazing way to improve your customer relationships and to improve your brand image in the competitive market. Reach, faster Marketing, especially viral, spreads like wildfire. Blogging could help your business

reach new heights and new customers that you may not have even targeted. Post something that you know is extraordinary and see how it trends into a popular topic. Smile, wider Hand on heart, blogging is fun! Not only does it help your business become a better brand and attract new customers, a fiery motivation is brewed as you share your thoughts and accomplishments. Try it, you will not be disappointed. In a market where you are a homogeneous needle in a massive haystack, the slightest edge will give you superiority over your competition. l

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2015

Feature

Desecration of a holy ritual Shouldn’t it be more about being compassionate than conventional?

n Khan N Moushumi few months ago, a news about three young men being arrested in Rampura for torturing a stray dog took city dwellers by surprise. Mainly because most of us, despite being quite familiar with such wrongdoings, never saw justice being served to the perpetrators. Stumbling upon tortured, bruised or skinned stray animals on the streets of Dhaka is nothing out of the ordinary. With the exception of a very few online communities, everyone else seems to have made peace with these occurrences. As a nation, we aren’t quite the kindest to animals. To second that, a good example would be the traditions carried out during the Eid-ul-Adha celebrations every year. Most of us will certainly remember a time, when growing up as kids, we would race to be the first in line to witness the annual ritual of animal slaughtering, where our mamas and chachas would join forces to perform the act. A small group of people may have stopped stepping out of their houses during this time, but the rest of us are used to watching cows and goats being killed in such barbaric ways that we’ve become desensitised to animal cruelty. After talking to Imam Abu Rashid, a scholar from Lalmonirhat, what emerges is enlightening. “In recent years, the way Qurbani is practised by Muslims of our country is quite horrifying. All these wealthy families are buying the largest cows from the ‘gorur haat’ and putting a dent in

Stumbling upon tortured, bruised or skinned stray animals on the streets of Dhaka is nothing out of the ordinary. With the exception of a very few online communities, everyone else seems to have made peace with these occurrences.

their wallet, but showing no respect to these animals,” he says. Explaining how these supposed halal methods of slaughtering animals are a far cry from the true teachings of Islam, Imam Abu Rashid goes on to add that, “these animals are ill-treated and slaughtered in succession in the basement, roads or on the neighbourhood playground. Animals should not watch other animals being killed. In our village, we would isolate the animal to be sacrificed from the rest. Comforting the sacrificial animals before the slaughter, by petting them and giving

them water to drink was very common. And we would never sharpen the blades to be used for the slaughter in front of them. But these practices are long-lost now.” In another conversation with Shafiqul Islam, manager, Brand and Retail Sales of Bengal Meat, he tells the Dhaka Tribune that his organisation practises halal slaughter but does not torture or mistreat animals in any way. While describing how the slaughter takes place at Bengal Meat, he says, “We have a very spacious area where we keep the animals. They are given enough

drinking water, food and are allowed to rest. They are then taken to an isolated room, one by one. The room is small and restricts movement of the animal. It can be rotated in such a manner that the animal’s neck would automatically be positioned right above the edge of the blade held by the butcher, who would quickly slit its throat. They are killed even before they can experience any pain.” In many western countries, there has been an ongoing debate about whether prestunning animals before killing them, which would substantially minimise unnecessary suffering, should be legalised in the halal meat industry. An article published on the British Broadcasting Corporation’s (BBC) website in 2014 talks about a report, put together by Food Standards Agency (FSA), indicating that almost an 88% of animals slaughtered by halal method in the UK are stunned in advance, in a manner that many Muslims find religiously justifiable. There are organisations in most of these countries that aim to promote the right method of halal slaughtering. The method involves techniques, which when applied, make the animals more submissive, and the act a lot less painful. A visual documentary originally released on YouTube in 2011 by Mercy Slaughter LLC, a Texas-based organisation, went viral in 2014. The video shows that when the employees at Mercy Slaughter LLC utters “Bismillah Allahu Akbar,” covering the animals’ eyes with their ears and gently stroking their back, they come to a complete standstill and rest in submission. It comes as no surprise that there is no committee or organisation in Bangladesh to speak out against animal cruelty or teach methods identical to the ones depicted in the Mercy Slaughter LLC video. Similar to the views shared by Imam Abu Rashid, Shafiqul Islam also feels that educating butchers and imams should be made a topmost priority to lessen animal abuse. “Since many imams perform the slaughter, whether it’s during Eid-ul-Adha or on any other day at the local slaughterhouse, it is of the utmost importance to teach them to be more humane.” Considering the close affiliation of the Islamic Foundation of Bangladesh with all major mosques across the country, Shafiqul Islam believes that the foundation could make a difference to help stop animal abuse through awareness raising campaigns. According to Islamic laws, halal slaughtering involves killing an animal by slitting its jugular vein, carotid artery and windpipe with a quick, single swipe, following which blood must be drained out of the carcass. However, killing an animal with its arms, legs and mouth tied, its body fighting for its last breath while the butcher repeatedly slashes its neck back and forth with an unsharpened blade, is standard procedure in Bangladesh. l

Feature

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2015

A fruity fiesta Two fresh issues of Shabash

n Sabrina Fatma Ahmad Summer may be over, but its two most popular fruits are still going head to head, all in the name of saving the city. Confused? Readers of the Shabash comics will know what’s up. Mighty Punch Studios recently released their sixth and seventh issues, and we were lucky enough to get our hands on both. Issue #06: The Fearsome Four The viral news story of the well-connected teenager involved in a drunk driving accident had everyone re-examining the power of the wealthy, and the role of parenting in general. The fourth Shabash issue, which was released in August, seems to have tackled both issues way ahead of the news story. The titular story for this issue continues the narrative thread introduced in Issue #04, Shabash at the Comicon. Shabash is attacked by some fluff y, but menacing villains, and they aren’t even the main problem. A familiar face makes a reappearance towards the climax. The secondary story pokes fun at the advertising industry. Issue #07: KvS This issue kicks off a whole new thread, introducing Captain Kathal, a vigilante with a slightly less cuddly demeanour than

our atomic mango-powered protagonist (one can’t help recall Fisk from Marvel’s Daredevil series), and pits the two wouldbe superheroes against each other. In true Bangali spirit, everyone gets involved. Again, behind the witty dialogue and comedic moments, the comic does capture the chaos of mob mentality very well.

Brought to you by the awesome foursome of Samir Asran Rahman, Fahim Anzoom Rumman, Morshed Mishu, and Mosharraf Hussain (Nipu), Issues 6 and 7 of Shabash find a humorous, unoffensive way to satirise contemporary issues, without losing the gloriously geeky spirit that embodies Shabash the characters. l

This time around, Bengal Foundation has also launched two offline registration booths at the Bengal Shilpalay (house 42, road 16, Dhanmondi) and at Lucknow, (60E, Kemal Ataturk Avenue, Banani). For the online registration, log on to www.bengalfoundation.org and fill up a registration form. To apply through text,

type Bengal and send it to 6969. Presented by Square, supported by BRAC Bank and powered by Robi Axiata, the long awaited Bengal Classical Music Festival 2015 will be held from November 27 to December 1, at the Army Stadium in the capital. Performers such as Pandit Balmurali Krishna, Ustad Zakir Hussain, Pandit

Shabash comics are available at Meena Bazar (Dhanmondi, Uttara, Banani, Maghbazar, Shantinagar), and all Pizza Hut and KFC outlets.

Registration opened for Bengal Classical Music Festival n Features Desk With the Bengal Classical Music Festival nearing in, registration has begun on a strong note. Interested individuals can register for the Indian classical music extravaganza by filling an online form or simply by sending an SMS.

Hariprasad Chaurasia, Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, Guru Karaikudi Mani, Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty, Ustad Rashid Khan, Ustad Shujat Khan, Dr N Rajam, Vidushi Shubha Mudgal, Vidwan Radha and Raja Reddy, Vidushi Alarmel Valli amongst many more will perform this year, at what may be called the world’s largest classical music festival. l

News

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2015

Banglalink 3G, now in more than 500 thanas Since the very beginning, Banglalink has worked towards providing superior service to its customers. With the intention of delivering fastest 3G to customers nationwide, Banglalink has been busy trying to spread its 3G coverage nationwide. They have now reached the milestone of covering over 500 thanas with its advanced intelligent network. Banglalink 3G can now be availed in more than 500 thanas nationwide. This is part of Banglalink’s mission to make sure their services remain available throughout the country. Shihab Ahmad, CCO, Banglalink said, “We are committed to our customers and always trying to ensure that our services remain not only of the best quality but also most far reaching and easily available. We will continue this effort in future to make sure we

enrich their lives by our Advanced Intelligent Network.” l

Seminar and workshop on Sustainable Tourism organised by ULAB School of Business

DIU students represent Bangladesh at Asian University Students Forum in China

Three students of Daffodil International University attended the 2015 Asian University Students Forum on November 5-7 hosted by Guangdong University of Foreign Studies in China. Nur E Arafat and Farhan Mahmood from the Department of Software Engineering along with Prodduth Kumar Paul Palash student from the Department of Multimedia & Creative Technology represented Daffodil International University and Bangladesh in this grand gathering of student leaders from around the Asian universities. The theme of the 2015 Asian University Students Forum was: The Internet and

University Student Entrepreneurship. Asian University Students Forum (AUSF) is a new sub forum of the 14 session of Asian University Presidents Forum (AUPF) initiated by Institute for International Education (IIE), which is specifically designed for student representatives of the member universities. Student leaders of all the member universities attending the forum will not only build a strong community for the development of Asian students and universities, but also will strengthen the opportunities among the all the partner universities for cross border exchange activities. l

EWU Foundation Day Art Competition for Children

Students of Microeconomics of ULAB School of Business for the fall’15 term experienced an exciting workshop followed by a seminar on Sustainable Tourism organised by course instructor Arzoo Ismail on November 2, at ULAB. Reema Islam, communications and outreach specialist, Relief International, conducted the seminar and workshop. Students of different faculties participated in the seminar along with faculty members of ULAB. Reema introduced the Relief International EU funded three-year project (this is the last year that is running) on eco-tourism in the Sundarbans. They are building 10 eco-sites in the Sundarbans area and that includes roads, jetties, cottages, and training the locals and ecoguides as well. They are using a completely participatory approach and the profit is distributed amongst the locals and they also provide all the services. Moreover, Reema also discussed how to make tourism more sustainable in Bangladesh. A recent two-day conference on Tourism was organised by the Bangladesh Tourism Board and UNWTO (UN World Tourism Org)

to promote “Visit Bangladesh 2016.” This initiative was the first ever tourism event that the honorable Prime Minister attended and that is very encouraging for people working in this sector, who are trying to promote more sustainable conscious, conscientious travelers. Hence, such timely arrangement of this seminar and workshop helped the students understand the importance of this sector and motivated them to analyze the economic impact of such targets. After the seminar, the students were given a list of issues concerning sustainable tourism and assigned to analyse economic factors related to this. The workshop ended after gathering primary ideas from the students on the issues they had selected from the list. The students are due to submit their papers by the end of November. The purpose of such an initiative was to engage students in active learning and give students the opportunity to reflect what they were learning in the class to a relevant and current real life project/business scenario. l

East West University (EWU) is going to organise an art competition for the children on 20 November 2015 to mark the 20th founding anniversary of East West University at its campus in Aftabnagar, Dhaka. The competitions will start at 3.00 pm The event is open to three different age groups. Group A- up to 6 years, Group B-7 to 9 years and Group C- 10 to 12 years. The theme of the art competition is ‘Shonar Bangla’. All participants are requested to provided proof of age. The top five participants from each group will receive prizes and all participants will receive

gifts. Interested participants can register their names by sending SMS mentioning name, school, age, class and group. The closing date for registration is November 15. The contact numbers for the three groups are- Group: A: 01685853557, Group B: 01929891659, and Group: C: 01747242240. All participants need to bring their own drawing materials. The organisers will only supply drawing paper. The prize giving ceremony will be held at 5.00 pm on the same day. Eminent artist Samarjeet Roy Chodhoury will preside over the function as Chief Judge. l

Sport 25

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2015

INSIDE

Perfect 5 for Shakib while Sabbir exciting as usual Who would have guessed that the world’s No 1 all-rounder Shakib al Hasan did not have a five-wicket haul until yesterday? However, that page was filled when the southpaw cleaned up Tinashe Panyangara as the Tigers sabotaged Zimbabwe in the first ODI. Shakib, after making just 16 with the bat, started the onslaught. PAGE 26

The genius is back

Siddikur edge closer to Panasonic Open title Siddikur Rahman returned to the real contention in the Panasonic Open India as the Bangladeshi fired a four-under-par 68 to move to the second place after the end of the third round at his favourite course yesterday. He not only enjoyed a bogey-free day, but he also closed the gap to only oneshot with leader Chiragh Kumar. PAGE 27

ICC satisfied with U-19 World Cup security The four-member International Cricket Council delegation led by its chief executive officer Dave Richardson left Dhaka yesterday citing satisfaction over the primary arrangements for hosting the Under-19 WC from January 22 to February 14 in Bangladesh next year. PAGE 28

Spinners lead India to big win in three days India’s Jadeja and Ashwin thrived on a spinners’ paradise in Mohali, bamboozling South Africa’s batsmen in the first test to secure a 108-run victory with more than two days to spare yesterday. Eighteen wickets tumbled on an extraordinary third day as South Africa wobbled quickly in their pursuit of a 218-run victory target. PAGE 29

Mushfiqur Rahim's bat was on fire yesterday as the former Bangladesh captain struck his fourth one-day international hundred to help the home side overwhelm the visiting Zimbabwe side in the first of their three-match limited-over series. It was a complete pleasure to watch the right-handed batsman build his innings with ones and twos before gunning down the visiting bowlers during his 171-minute vigil at the crease. He faced just 109 balls for his 107 which included nine fours and a six through the cow corner. The century, second this year, came as a relief for the 27-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman whose bat did not glow in the previous two home series against India and South Africa. Although he did not bat on two occasions against the Proteas, he was only able to score the highest of 31 against India in three matches. The knock of 81 last Thursday in the lone warm-up certainly instilled confidence back in his 156th ODI appearance as Mushfiq looked more compact yesterday during the rebuilding process to rescue the home side after they lost Tamim Iqbal and Shakib al Hasan in quick succession, that too with more than 21 overs left. It was a difficult wicket – a slow surface – to bat on, but Mushfiq adjusted and accelerated with perfection by taking his time in the middle. Initially he milked the bowling and rotated the strike before he got into the groove and provided the much-needed flurry of boundaries in the end. With Bangladesh reeling at 30 for two, Mushfiq walked in at No 4 to join Tamim and add 70 runs for the third wicket. Later, he paired up with the sensible Sabbir Rahman to put on 119 for the fifth wicket. Sabbir's contribution was equally crucial in the match. His array of shots not only entertained the crowd but fetched him valuable 57 runs that helped the Tigers reach the commendable total of 273 for nine. It needed something special for Zimbabwe to dismantle the two batting geniuses when Graeme Creamer stepped up. Creamer's direct hit from the backward point region, that too twice in two overs, brought the curtains down on one of the most entertaining innings from the Tigers. Mushfiq was equally safe with the gloves behind the wicket later on and took two catches as Bangladesh skittled out Zimbabwe for just 128. l

MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

n Reazur Rahman Rohan

Sport

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2015

SCORECARD BANGLADESH Tamim Iqbal c Jongwe b Raza Liton Das c Cremer b Jongwe Mahumdullah b Panyangara Mushfiqur Rahim run out Shakib st Mutumbami b Raza Sabbir Rahman run out Nasir c Chibhabha b Muzarabani Mashrafe c Jongwe b Muzarabani Arafat Sunny run out Al-Amin Hossain not out Extras (lb2, w12, nb1)

R B 40 68 0 6 9 20 107 109 16 21 57 58 0 3 14 8 15 8 0 0 15

Total (50 overs, eight wickets)

273

BANGLADESH v ZIMBABWE 1ST ODI TIDBITS Mushy’s fourth ton It was a delight to watch the 27-year-old score his fourth ODI hundred to guide Bangladesh to a strong 273 which in the end proved too much for Zimbabwe. Mushfiq constructed his innings very sensibly and played according to the merit of the situation on the sluggish pitch. His 107 off 109 was the first time he scored past 50 in his last seven ODIs.

Sabbir, exciting as usual

Bowling

The array of shots the right-handed batsman have at his disposal is unimaginable. Sweep, reverse-sweep, scoop, cut, pull.....whatever you name, Sabbir has it all. His 58-ball 57 was just the support Mushfiq needed to propel the Tigers to a big total. Although it was just the second fifty in his 21st ODI, Sabbir’s average of 32+ speaks out for him. Among the four boundaries and two sixes, his flat-batted slap over the mid-wicket boundary off Luke Jongwe for a maximum was the most eye-catching pick-up shot yesterday.

Panyangara 10-0-38-1 (w1), Jongwe 8-1-451(w2, nb1), Muzarabani 10-0-64-2 (w2), Cremer 10-0-45-0 (w1), Williams 5-0-32-0 (w6), Raza 7-0-47-2

ZIMBABWE C. Chibhabha c Liton b Shakib L. Jongwe c Rahim b Al-Amin C. Ervine c Nasir b Shakib S. Williams b Shakib E. Chigumbura lbw b Nasir S. Raza c Rahim b Mortaza Waller c Nasir b Mortaza G. Cremer lbw b Shakib T. Panyangara b Shakib T. Muzarabani not out R. Mutumbami absent hurt Extras (lb1, w4)

R 9 39 2 8 41 3 1 15 5 0

Total (all out; 36.1 overs)

128

B 23 51 13 13 51 25 10 21 9 1

Mashrafe’s 200 for Bangladesh According to the record books, Mashrafe was on 200 ODI wickets (including the solityary wicket from the exhibition match between Asia XI and Africa XI in 2007) prior to the match, but his milestone for Bangladesh was only completed once he had Sikandar Raza caught behind in the 26th over of the match. He extended the tally by further removing Malcolm Waller.

Bowling Mustafizur 6-0-27-0 (w2), Sunny 7-2-19-0, Shakib 10-0-47-5 (w1), Al-Amin 5-0-15-1 (w1), Mortaza 6-0-13-2, Nasir 2.1-0-6-1 Bangladesh win by 145 runs Bangladesh lead three-match series 1-0

Sabbir Rahman gets into a funny position after helping a short ball through the third-man boundary against Zimbabwe at SBNS yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

I am on a different level of confidence, says Mushfiq n Mazhar Uddin Player of the match Mushfiqur Rahim appeared very relaxed in the post-match press conference after his vital contribution helped Bangladesh take a 1-0 lead in the three-match ODI series against Zimbabwe yesterday. Mushfiq’s fourth one-day hundred came at a crucial time for Bangladesh as the home side were in a spot of bother losing four wickets, but his 107 off 109 balls enabled the Tigers to reach 273/9, a total which proved to be more than enough in the end. Prior to the series the wicketkeeper-batsman had a quiet time with the bat – in both international and domestic games – and scoring 81 in the warm-up game injected confidence in him, Mushfiq said. Mushfiq is the leading run scorer for the Tigers in the ODIs this year with 718 runs in

16 games at an average of 55.23 including two hundreds. “Yes, I wanted to play the practice match because I couldn’t score runs in the national league. So I needed match practice and I had requested the coach for the opportunity. After scoring runs in the practice match I got confidence. I realised that I just needed to spend some time on the wicket. Today (yesterday) I felt good in the middle early on and I realised that I could do well,” said Mushfiq. “I couldn’t play as per my expectation in the last two series but still I tried to contribute. And today’s 100 felt good. I won’t say relief, but at this point of time I am on a different level of confidence. Overall, I thank God for giving me the chance to grab this opportunity,” he added. Among the two big partnerships Mushfiq

was involved in, the 28-year-old credited Sabbir Rahman for the support. The duo put on 119 for the fifth wicket where Sabbir also managed to score 57 off 58 deliveries. Meanwhile, despite a dismal outing with the bat, Shakib al Hasan shone bright with the ball bagging his maiden five-wicket haul in the format. Captain Mashrafe bin Mortaza acknowledged the performances and said he expects these sort of contributions from the senior players in the team more often. “Both have been key performers for Bangladesh ever since they started their careers and now they are more matured. As a captain you always expect your senior players to deliver which both Shakib and Mushfiq did today (yesterday). At the same time the young players will learn from them and enjoy the game, that’s how I want things to happen,” said Mashrafe. l

Perfect 5 for Shakib Who would have guessed that the world’s No 1 all-rounder Shakib al Hasan did not have a five-wicket haul until yesterday? However, that page was filled when the southpaw cleaned up Tinashe Panyangara as the Tigers sabotaged Zimbabwe in the first ODI at SBNS. Shakib, after making just 16 with the bat, started the Tigers’ onslaught by removing Chamu Chibhabha when the visitors were going well on 40 in nine overs. In between he took the crucial wickets of Craig Ervine, Sean Williams and Graeme Cremer. Shakib had to wait till his 157th ODI to taste his maiden five-for.

–REAZUR RAHMAN ROHAN

Sport

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2015

Sunish, Demi claim junior singles titles n Tribune Report

QUICK BYTES U19 squad named for Zimbabwe youth ODIs BCB yesterday announced the 14-member Under-19 squad for the upcoming series. Hosts Bangladesh will play four youth ODIs against their Zimbabwean counterparts. All the matches will be played at Chittagong’s Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium with the first game taking place this Tuesday. The rest of the matches will be played on November 12, 14 and 16. Squad: Mehedi Hasan Miraz (C), Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Joyraj Sheik Imon, Pinak Ghosh, Mohammad Saif Hasan, Zakir Hasan (WK), Shafiul Hayet, Saeed Sarker, Mehedi Hasan, Mohammad Abdul Halim, Saif Uddin, Saleh Ahmed Shawon Gazi, Ariful Islam Jony, Sanjit Saha –TRIBUNE DESK

Murray outpaces Ferrer to reach Paris Masters final World number three Andy Murray reached his maiden Paris Masters final when he outpaced Spanish eighth seed David Ferrer 6-4 6-3 despite a few off moments yesterday. The British second seed lost his focus at times but eventually had more in store than the 2012 Bercy champion to set up a showdwon with either world number one Novak Djokovic or French Open champion Stan Wawrinka. –REUTERS

Pietersen hits another T20 ton in SA’s Ram Slam Kevin Pietersen smashed a second successive unbeaten hundred in South Africa’s Ram Slam T20 event. The 35-year-old ex-England batsman, who made his highest Twenty20 score with 115 not out from 66 balls on Wednesday, hit seven sixes in 100 from 45 balls. –BBC

Ribery sues CNN over cryotherapy photo France midfielder Franck Ribery is seeking $1.5 million in damages from US cable news channel CNN for using his image in a story about the death of a woman in a cryotherapy chamber, his lawyer said Friday. CNN ran a story on October 28 about the death of Chelsea Ake-Salvacion, a 24-year-old American woman who was found dead in a cryotherapy tank in a Nevada spa. –AFP

Bangladeshi Siddikur Rahman tees off in the penultimate round in the Panasonic Open India at the Delhi Golf Course yesterday

Siddikur edges closer to title n Tribune Report Siddikur Rahman returned to the real contention in the Panasonic Open India as the Bangladesh’s top golfer fired a four-underpar 68 to move to the second place after the end of the third round at his favourite course yesterday. Siddikur not only enjoyed a bogey-free day, but he also closed the gap to only oneshot with Indian overnight leader Chiragh Kumar with a round to play today. The unstable Indian eventually ended the day with a battling even-par 72 at the Delhi Golf Club. The other Bangladeshi Zamal Hossain was unmoved from the third place which he shares with 22-year-old young Indian Chikha S, who is in fine form after winning the Indian Mas-

LEADERBOARD, DAY 3 Name

R2 R3 To Par

1 Chiragh (IND)

-11

2 Siddikur (BAN)

70 68

-10

3 Chikka (IND)

-8

3 Zamal (BAN)

-8

5 Wiratchant (THA)

-7

5 Perera (SRI)

-7

ters last week. Chikha scored four-under-par 68 while Zamal clubbed two-under-par 70. The day could have been better for Zamal but he conceded a double bogey in the

third hole following his bogey-free previous round. Five birdies, however, kept him in contention for the best finish in his professional career. Meanwhile, The 31-year-old Siddikur who began the day five shots behind leader Chiragh said, “This is one of my favourite golf courses and I really enjoy playing here. I’m happy with my game. I made a good birdie on hole 18. It was a given birdie from four feet. It is very important to keep your ball on the fairway. That’s the key to a good score.” “I don’t have a score. I just need to focus in the final round. I’ve been suffering with a lower back injury for a year and half. I’m still under treatment so I’m happy with the way I’ve been playing especially in the last few months.” Siddikur added after round three yesterday. l

Green, European Uni start on winning note n Tribune Desk

Steyn to have fitness test

Green University and European University began their TK Sports University Cricket journey on a winning note, defeating Independent University and Prime University respectively at Mirpur’s City Club Ground yesterday. Green University beat Independent University by 37 runs while European University overcame Prime University by 20 runs. l

South Africa expect to have all-rounder JP Duminy and fast bowler Morne Morkel back for the second test against India but will assess the fitness of leading paceman Dale Steyn on Thursday. The Proteas lost the first test by 108 runs in Mohali on Saturday and now travel to Bengaluru for the second game in the fourmatch series that starts on Nov. 14. –REUTERS

United’s Class of 92 see Salford spring Cup shock Salford City, owned by members of Manchester United’s famous Class of 92, caused a memorable FA Cup upset as the non-league club defeated Notts County 2-0 in the first round on Friday. –AFP

Dhruv Sunish of India and Tran Demi of the Netherlands emerged as the champions in the boys’ and girls’ category of the Walton 29th Bangladesh International Junior Tennis Championship as the six-day tournament concluded yesterday at Ramna Tennis Complex. Top seed Sunish did not have to toil hard to beat Syrian opponent Naow Hazem, who only offered brief moments of resistance in the opening set that ended 7-6 in favour of the former. The Indian romped to victory following a comfortable 6-1 win in the second set. Demi, on the other hand, fought brilliantly against fellow compatriot Tran Lian. After losing the first set 3-6, Demi faced little trouble in the second and third sets, winning 6-3 6-2. Sunish sealed his double when he won the boys’ doubles title alongside Parikshit Somani. The Indian pair beat fellow Indian duo Vikrant Dhiya and Sanil Jagtiani 7-6 6-4. Chinese Taipei pair Hsiao Yun and Li-hsin Chang claimed the girls’ doubles title beating Karunaratne Adithya of Sri Lanka and Rajan Rashmika of India 6-4 7-5. l

Akhtar of Green University receives the Man of the Match award after their opening win in the TK Sports University Twenty20 at City Club Ground yesterday COURTESY

Green: 158/9 in 20 overs Independent: 121-allout in 20 overs Green won by 37 runs M-O-M: Akher, Green European: 163/8 in 20 overs Prime: 143-allout in 19.5 overs European won by 20 runs M-O-M: Nayon, European

Sport

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2015

RESULTS Bournemouth

0-1

Newcastle Perez 27

Leicester

2-1

Kante 52, Vardy 65-pen

Manchester United

Watford Deeney 75-P

2-0

West Brom

1-0

Swansea

0-1

Southampton

Lingard 52, Mata 90-P

Norwich Howson 70

Sunderland

Tadic 69-P

West Ham

1-1

Lanzini 30

Everton Lukaku 43

Manchester United’s English midfielder Jesse Lingard (L) scores his team’s first goal during their English Premier League match against West Bromwich Albion at Old Trafford in Manchester, yesterday AFP

Lingard gives Utd win, Leicester joint-top n AFP, London

United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy’s Premier League record of scoring in 10 successive games. Troy Deeney replied from the spot for Watford. West Ham United failed to make ground on the leaders after a 1-1 draw at home to Everton, who levelled through Romelu Lukaku after Manuel Lanzini had put the hosts ahead with a fine, bending effort on the halfhour. Sunderland remain in the bottom three, four points from safety, after losing 1-0 at home to Southampton, who prevailed courtesy of Dusan Tadic’s 69th-minute penalty. l

Jesse Lingard’s first Manchester United goal inspired his side to a 2-0 win over West Bromwich Albion on Saturday that left them a point shy of the Premier League summit. United had ended a 404-minute goal drought against CSKA Moscow in mid-week, but they laboured again until Lingard broke the deadlock in the 52nd minute at Old Trafford. Juan Mata added a stoppage-time penalty. Victory kept Louis van Gaal’s side in fourth place, but they are now a point below co-leaders Manchester City and Arsenal, both of

whom play on Sunday, and third-place Leicester City, who won 2-1 at home to Watford. At the King Power Stadium, Jamie Vardy scored for the ninth league game running as Leicester sank Watford to continue their fine start to the season under manager Claudio Ranieri. A howler from Heurelho Gomes saw the Watford goalkeeper allow N’Golo Kante’s toe-poke to trickle through his fingers in the 52nd minute. Gomes then fouled Vardy inside the box and the England forward netted the ensuing penalty to close to within one game of former

Benzema left out of squad to face Sevilla n AFP, Madrid

Wenger summons Arsenal nerve for Spurs test

Karim Benzema has been left out of coach Rafael Benitez’s squad for Real Madrid’s trip to Sevilla today just days after he was charged in an extortion case involving a sex tape featuring fellow French international Mathieu Valbuena. Benzema returned to Madrid on Thursday after spending the night in custody in Versailles, charged with complicity to blackmail and conspiring to commit a criminal act. Barcelona can edge ahead of Madrid for a few hours at least when they host fifthplaced Villarreal at the Camp Nou earlier on Sunday. The Catalans remain hopeful the Yellow Submarine’s visit will be the last time they will be without Lionel Messi before he returns from knee ligament damage. l

LA LIGA FIXTURES Athletic Bilbao Barcelona Atletico Madrid Sevilla

v v v v

Espanyol Villarreal Sporting Gijon Real Madrid

n AFP, London Reeling from their mid-week humbling by Bayern Munich, Arsenal face a test of nerve today when Tottenham Hotspur take their 10-game unbeaten Premier League run across north London. Arsenal have been flying in the league, winning five consecutive games to draw level on points with leaders Manchester City, but Wednesday’s 5-1 drubbing in Munich left Arsene Wenger’s side in grave danger of failing to reach the Champions League knockout phase for the first time in 16 years. It comes at a time when injuries have laid waste to the Arsenal squad and with Spurs unbeaten in the league since the season’s opening day, Wenger knows that his team will need every ounce of self-belief they can muster. “It was a disappointing result on Wednesday night, but before that we did extremely well in the Premier League so we will try to continue from one competition (to) the other,” the Arsenal manager said.

“I believe that in the Premier League we have a strong confidence and focus and that is what we want to reproduce on Sunday against Tottenham.

EPL FIXTURES Aston Villa v Manchester City Arsenal v Tottenham Liverpool v Crystal Palace “It is always a game where the commitment and nervous force will be important.” Arsenal’s travails will give Tottenham hope that they can bridge the five-point gap that currently separates them from their derby foes, despite a return of just one win from their 12 previous visits to the Emirates Stadium. Striker Harry Kane, who has never previously played at the Emirates, is wary of an Arsenal backlash, but having played his part in successive home wins over Aston Villa and Anderlecht this week, he believes that Mauricio Pochettino’s side have nothing to fear. l

ICC satisfied with U-19 WC security n Minhaz Uddin Khan

The four-member International Cricket Council (ICC) delegation led by its chief executive officer Dave Richardson left Dhaka yesterday citing satisfaction over the primary arrangements for hosting the Under-19 World Cup from January 22 to February 14 in Bangladesh next year. Security has been a concern for westerners in Bangladesh since last month when Australia postponed their tour here on the back of security reasons. South Africa Cricket also made the same move suspending their women’s team tour of the country. “The purpose of this visit was to meet with the relevant security agencies and make sure we understand exactly what the arrangements from their perspective. Now it’s a question of developing a plan. This has been a very successful trip and BCB has been very open and has arranged for us all the relevant people that we needed to meet which includes the police, the special forces, the military forces etc. Now we need to get the plan in place. Once its finalised we will be able to present that confidential report to the board,” said Richardson to the media yesterday. The ICC CEO is confident that Bangladesh will be able to stage a successful event given the history of the country of hosting multinational events. He added, “There have been concerns so we needed to go to the bottom of that and understand what the threat is. We now undertsnad what the threat is, we know what it is needed to done and put a plan in place. ICC recognises that it has become more challenging for staging an event from security point of view. It is the same for all the countries – Australia, England, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and others. As I have said it is a normal process that we go through, we are living in challenging times and we need to make sure that we are prepared for every event.” l

Sport

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2015

SCORECARD

DAY’S WATCH

AUSTRALIA 1ST INNINGS 556-4 declared (U. Khawaja 174, D. Warner 163)

Star Sports 1

Indian Super League

NEW ZEALAND 1ST INNINGS (overnight 157-5) K. Williamson c Nevill b Starc B.J. Watling c Nevill b Johnson M. Craig c Marsh b Lyon D. Bracewell b Marsh T. Southee b Starc T. Boult not out Extras (lb4, w1, nb7)

140 178 32 59 24 31 16 46 14 14 0 2 12

Pune vs. Goa

Total (all out; 82.2 overs)

317

10:30PM

Fall of wickets

German Bundesliga

Star Sports 4

1-56 (Guptill), 2-102 (Latham), 3-105 (Taylor), 4-114 (McCullum), 5-118 (Neesham), 6-185 (Watling), 7-231 (Craig), 8-273 (Bracewell), 9-310 (Southee), 10-317 (Williamson)

English Premier League

Bowling

7:30PM

Starc 17.2-4-57-4 (2nb, 1w), Johnson 21-3-105-3 (1nb), Hazlewood 21-5-70-1 (1nb), Lyon 17-3-461, Marsh 5-0-32-1 (3nb), Voges 1-0-3-0

10:00PM English Premier League Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur

Star Sports 2 7:300PM

Augsburg vs Werder Bremen

Aston Villa v Manchester City 10:00PM Liverpool v Crystal Palace

Ten Sports 3:00PM Moto GP 2015: Race Gran Premio De La Comunitat Valenciana 2:00AM French Ligue 1 2015/16

AUSTRALIA 2ND INNINGS J. Burns c Taylor b Craig D. Warner c Boult b Craig U. Khawaja not out S. Smith c Williamson b Boult M. Marsh c McCullum b Craig A. Voges not out Extras (lb1, w1, nb4)

R B 129 123 116 113 9 11 1 2 2 6 1 1 6

Total (4 wickets; 42 overs)

264

Fall of wickets

Olympic Lyon v Saint- Etienne

Ten Action

1-237 (Warner), 2-254 (Burns), 3-258 (Smith), 4-263 (Marsh)

12:00PM

Bowling

A-League 2015/16 Central Coast Mariners v Wellington Phoenix 3:00PM Asian Tour 2015 Panasonic Open India: Day 4 French Ligue 1 2015/16 10:00PM Olympic Marseille v Nice Cote D Azur 1:30AM Girondins De Bordeaux v AS Monaco

Sony Six 4:00PM RAM Slam T20 Challenge Sunfoil Dolphins v Warriors Italian Serie A 8:00PM Roma v Lazio 11:00PM Napoli v Udinese 1:30AM Sampdoria v Fiorentina

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Australian batsman David Warner celebrates his century during the first Test against New Zealand in Brisbane yesterday REUTERS

Boult 8-0-61-1, Bracewell 11-1-63-0(4nb), Neesham 9-0-61-0 (1w), Craig 14-0-78-3

Burns, Warner tons as Australia pound Kiwis n AFP, Brisbane Joe Burns smashed two sixes to reach his maiden Test century and David Warner joined illustrious company with back-to-back tons as Australia amassed a huge lead over New Zealand in the first Gabba Test on Saturday. Burns, playing in only his third Test match but his first as opener, blasted spinner Mark Craig for two sixes over long off to race from 88 to 100 in just three balls. When bad light stopped play on the third day, Australia had stretched their overall lead to 503 runs at 264 for four and an overnight declaration imminent. First-innings centu-

rion Usman Khawaja was not out nine with Adam Voges on one. Burns, who belted 129 off 123 balls with 14 fours and four sixes, thrilled his home Queensland crowd with some prodigious hitting to reach his first Test ton after three consecutive Test half-centuries. “The plan was to hit six singles but I just kind of blacked out a bit and swung as hard as I could and luckily got it over the rope,” Burns said. “I can’t think of a better place to do it than at the Gabba in front of friends and family.” Warner dashed to his second century of the match and 14th overall with 116 before he gave his wicket away with a switch hit to the

deep off spinner Mark Craig. It was only the third time that a batsman has scored a Test century in both innings on three separate occasions along with Test greats Ricky Ponting and Sunil Gavaskar. It was also the first time any opening pair had compiled 150-run plus partnerships in each innings of a Test match. “When you’re on top in the first innings you get to go out like today and play the way you want to play, with all the confidence in the world,” Warner said. “You get that opportunity to go back to back. That’s something special, as a pair as well, a century-run partnership in both innings.” l

Spinners lead India to big win n Reuters, Mohali India’s Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin thrived on a spinners’ paradise in Mohali, bamboozling South Africa’s batsmen in the first test to secure a 108-run victory with more than two days to spare on Saturday. Eighteen wickets tumbled on an extraordinary third day as South Africa wobbled quickly in their pursuit of a 218-run victory target before being shot out for just 109 as India took a 1-0 lead in the four-match series. Jadeja took five second innings wickets and his match haul of eight wickets, to go with the 38 crucial runs he had contributed to India’s first innings, earned him the manof-the-match award. The Proteas sprang a surprise by sending

paceman Vernon Philander to open the innings, a ploy that bombed with Jadeja trapping the batsman leg before with his first ball. Left-arm spinner Jadeja returned to deal a bigger blow when he castled Hashim Amla, the South Africa captain offering no shot to a ball that crashed onto his middle stump. l India 201 First Innings (Vijay 75, Elgar 4-22) Second Innings 200 (Pujara 77, Tahir 4-48, Harmer 4-61) South Africa First Innings 184 (de Villiers 63; Ashwin 5-51) Second Innings 109 (an Zyl 36; Jadeja 5-21) India win by 108 runs

India’s Ravindra Jadeja (C) celebrates a wicket against South Africa yesterday AP

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2015

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Jazz Blues Festival Dhaka 2015: The Performers

Showtime

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2015

WHAT TO WATCH Interstellar HBO 1:30pm A team of explorers travel through a wormhole in space in an attempt to ensure humanity’s survival. Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Bill Irwin, Ellen Burstyn, Michael Caine Real Steel Star Movies 4:00pm In the near future, robot boxing is a top sport. A struggling promoter feels he’s found a champion in a discarded robot. Cast: Hugh Jackman, Dakota Goyo, Evangeline Lilly, Anthony Mackie, Kevin Durand

Showtime Desk

Day 3

These were the performers on day 3 and the final day of the Jazz and Blues Festival:

AB Blues

Aiyuub Bacchu hardly needs an introduction. The artist’s work has helped the pop and rock genres to grow and mature in Bangladesh. Aside from rocking big stadiums the venerable rocker has always made use of the blues in his playing. Aiyuub Bacchu’s inclusion gave the festival the necessary representation from Bangladesh.

Esdras Nogueira Quartet

The Brazilian saxophonist Esdras is one of the most erudite players of the instrument

of his generation. Esdras studied saxophone formally at University of Brazil. He has played and recorded with the jazz set up the Colonial Furniture Group. Esdras played in many prestigious and popular festivals in Brazil and other countries including in big fests like Rock in Rio. Capivara is Esdras’s solo album. This work mainly focus on interpreting the works of Hermeto Pascoal through a baritone sax.

Soulmate

The blues rock outfit Soulmate from Shillong, Meghalaya, India boasts not only one of the most respected blues guitarist from India Rudy Wallang but the band also happens to be one of most recognised authentic blues voices coming from India. With the talented and acclaimed Tipriti

‘Tips’ Kharbangar on vocals Soulmate has performed in numerous prestigious festivals around the globe including Jazzmandu Festival in Kathmandu, Mosaic Music Festival in Singapore, Jakarta Blues Festival, Monstrous Blues Festival in Sweden and Norway, Baltic Blues Festival in Eutin,Germany among many other.

China Moses

The Paris based American singer China Moses has 5 studio albums under her belt. But that’s not all. She has appeared in a large number of compilation albums and performed with a dierse range of artists. Her blues and soul singing has earned her wide acclaim and she put up great live shows. She toured in many countries including India and Japan in Asia. This was the first time she performed in Bangladesh. l

Kung Fu Panda Zee Studio 5:20pm In the Valley of Peace, Po the Panda finds himself chosen as the Dragon Warrior despite the fact that he is obese and a complete novice at martial arts. Cast: Jack Black (Po), Dustin Hoffman (Shifu), Angelina Jolie (Tigress), Jackie Chan (Monkey), Lucy Liu (Viper) I Am Legend WB 7:30pm Years after a plague kills most of humanity and transforms the rest into monsters, the sole survivor in New York City struggles valiantly to find a cure. Cast: Will Smith, Alice Braga, Charlie Tahan, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Willow Smith

Back Page

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2015

DATABASE OF FOREIGN WORKERS IN THE OFFING

PAGE 15

THE GENIUS IS BACK PAGE 25

JAZZ BLUES FESTIVAL DHAKA 2015: THE PERFORMERS PAGE 31

BANGLADESH IN PROSPERITY INDEX 2015

Still way behind Asian neighbours n Tribune Report Bangladesh has been ranked the 103rd most prosperous nation out of 142 countries, according to the Prosperity Index 2015, notching just one place up from last year. The report findings have been generated on the basis of eight sub-indices – economy; entrepreneurship and opportunity; governance; education; health; safety and security; personal freedom; and social capital. The report was published on November 2 by London-based public think tank Legatum Institute. However, Bangladesh is way below its neighbours India (99), Sri Lanka (61), Thailand (48) and Nepal (89), and has only managed to rise above Pakistan (130). Of the eight indices, safety and security, governance, education, health and economy remain reasons for concern for the government. On the other hand, there has been a bit of improvement in terms of personal freedom, social capital and entrepreneurship and opportunity sub-indices. “The Prosperity Index tells us that the story of human progress goes beyond economics,” said Sian Hansen, executive director of the Legatum Institute, in the foreword of the report. “It tells us that for nations to flourish they must provide opportunity and freedom to their citizens.” Norway has been ranked number one in the prosperity Index followed by Switzerland and Denmark. Singapore ranks first in the Economy sub-index, up from its second position from last year, displacing Switzerland. Last year the Prosperity Index struck an optimistic tone, explaining that the world

Prosperity erity Index 2015

SEVEN-YEAR EN-YEAR TREND ANKING OF RANKING 69.5% believe

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

95 96 95 103 103 104 103

corruption is widespread

costs (% of GNI per capita) to find a job

98 97 98 107 52 137

57.6% say they can rely

40.2% teacher to pupil ratio

Source: Legatum Institute

was becoming increasingly prosperous. This remains true, but the 2015 index reveals that the world is becoming an increasingly dangerous place. The rise of militant organisation Islamic State (IS) has changed the nature of global security, particularly in the Middle East. The prelude to this in both Iraq and Syria was

2015 77 105

82.7% believe it's a good place to live for immigrants

16.8% business start-up 45.3% think it's a good time

Sub-index rank ranking Indicators 2014 74 Economy Entrepreneurship 106 & Opportunity 89 Governance 96 Education 95 Health 106 Safety & Security 49 Personal Freedom 138 Social Capital

the fragmenting of social bonds. Worryingly, other countries in the region are seeing similar fissures emerging. Surprisingly, as per the report, United States is an increasingly dangerous place with it going out from the list of top 30 countries in the sub-indices of safety and security. On the other hand, UK visa norms are go-

on others in times of need

CARTOON: TANMOY ASMAUL HOQUE MAMUN DT INFOGRAPHIC

ing stringent with each passing day, but it has managed to be at number one in Europe for ease in entrepreneurship and opportunity. There is good news for those planning to go to any of these five countries – Canada, Norway, New Zealand, Iceland and Ireland, as they comprise the top five for being tolerant towards immigrants. l

Dhaka for better relation with new Myanmar government n Sheikh Shahariar Zaman

Bangladesh is closely monitoring the national election in Myanmar to be held today with a hope that there would be more engagement with the Myanmar policymakers to improve bilateral relation with Dhaka. This is the first election under civilian government, introduced in 2011, and a total of 1,171 representatives will be elected, some to parliament and some to state and region. “Election is their internal affairs. Whoever wins the election, Bangladesh will increase its engagement with the country,” Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque told the Dhaka Tribune. “We enjoy very good relations and we want to keep it move forward,” he said. Bangladesh and Myanmar have engage-

ment to improve connectivity through BCIM initiative, enhance energy cooperation, resolve Rohingya crisis, boost cooperation in trade, agriculture and defence, and border management. Bangladesh and Myanmar also amicably resolved their maritime boundary dispute through an international court in 2012. Myanmar is one of the two countries with which Bangladesh shares border. A senior government official, seeking anonymity, said Bangladesh wants to improve bilateral relationship and also resolve the Rohingya crisis, a thorny issue continued for decades. “But, it will take time,” he said. If the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party wins the election, the government policy is unlikely to see any change, the

official said. “If the opposition National League for Democracy party led by Aung San Suu Kyi wins the election, there is a possibility of shifting of policy in the future,” he said. About the Rohingya plight, he said in the general election, Rohingyas have no voting right as they were excluded in the census conducted by the authorities recently. Suu Kyi, though a strong voice for democracy, did not speak anything about the issue. “It seems that there is no synchronized Rohingya policy,” the official said. He, however, said the positive attitude towards Rohingya would not happen overnight due to internal political dynamics of the country. A senior Foreign Ministry official said

Bangladesh and Myanmar are the parties to BCIM initiative, which is aimed at boosting regional trade and connectivity. “If the BCIM initiative is materialized, it would be a great platform to improve relationship between the countries,” he said. About energy cooperation, he said Myanmar is cautiously considering Bangladesh’s proposal to develop hydroelectricity project to supply power to Bangladesh. There are 224 representatives in the upper house of Parliament and out of that, 168 will be elected in the upcoming elections and 56 members would be appointed by the commander-in-chief of the Defense Services. There are 440 representatives in the lower house of p[parliament and 330 will be elected and 110 would be appointed by the commander-in-chief. l

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