15 March, 2016

SECOND EDITION

TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2016

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Chaitra 1, 1422, Jamadiul Sani 5, 1437

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Regd No DA 6238, Vol 3, No 329

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

Governor’s fate hangs in the balance What happened after Atiur’s return

n Tribune Report Indications of what is going to happen to Bangladesh Bank Governor Atiur Rahman in a follow-up to the hacking of Bangladesh Bank's reserve fund are likely to come as Finance Minister AMA Muhith holds a press conference today.

Yesterday evening Muhith held a meeting with the secretaries of the Finance and Bank divisions at his Secretariat office to finalise a four-member inquiry committee to investigate the hacking of the central bank's reserve funds, sources said.

Former Bangladesh Bank governor Mohammed Farashuddin was made the head of the inquiry committee.

An official of the Finance Ministry, however, told the Dhaka Tribune that they were yet to find experts on information technology and international trade for the committee. “It is very difficult to find an IT expert and an international trade expert,” the official said.

Muhith's Personal Secretary MM Zakaria Haque yesterday told reporters that the minister would hold a press conference today on the hacking of Bangladesh Bank's

n Jebun Nesa Alo

reserve fund at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, USA. After a cabinet meeting yesterday, the finance minister told reporters: “I am waiting for Aitur.”

Ministry sources said the Bang-

ladesh Bank governor talked to Muhith over phone upon arriving in Dhaka after attending a conference of the International Monetary Fund in New Delhi, India.

Asked if there would be any

changes in Bangladesh Bank, Muhith only said: “I have taken the matter seriously.”

A minister who attended yesterday's cabinet meeting said:

Bombarded with criticisms on how he handled the country's biggest ever cyber theft, Bangladesh Bank Governor Atiur Rahman returned to Bangladesh yesterday from a three-day trip to New Delhi.

Throughout the day, speculations ran wild about the fate of the central bank chief and what would be discussed at today's scheduled emergency board meeting of the bank.

But soon after he landed in the afternoon, Atiur cancelled the meeting; he also spoke with the finance minister over phone.

Officials of the bank seemed worried yesterday as rumours gripped the headquarters about the fate awaiting the governor.

The rumours were triggered when Finance Minister AMA Muhith slammed Bangladesh Bank on Sunday, saying action would be taken against the bank as it took too much time to inform the

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 4

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Foreign security firm to inch into Dhaka airport Husain and n Ishtiaq Ibrahim Hossain Ovi

sisting Bangladesh airport security agencies and train them in black and white.

“We and the British government have agreed to appoint experienced service conductors working in different parts of the world to strengthen security at the airports,” Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed told reporters after a meeting with the British High Commissioner in Bangladesh Alison Blake.

The foreign security service providers will work jointly with the country's security agencies, and if it is done, the problem would come to an end, he said.

“I have already talked to Civil Aviation Minister Rashed Khan Menon and hope to hand over the responsibility by March 20.”

Menon, however, told journalists earlier that after the initiatives come into effect, the ban on direct cargo flights to UK will be lifted.

Bangladesh exports vegetables and RMG products to the UK through air shipment, Tofail said.

“Since the issue cannot be settled within a short time. it might harm the country's export earnings.”

The British high commissioner said, “Our role is to draw the government's attention to the serious areas. We felt the security at the airport did not meet international standards.

“We want to be a friend if you look for help to meet standards. I am talking to identify the areas we will work in to improve the situation,” said Alison Blake.

3 killed in Hizbut-locals clashes

HC: Why biometric SIM registration legal?

Mustafiz Debutant of the Year

A clash between villagers and Hizb-ut Tawhid members left at least three people dead in Noakhali yesterday.  PAGE 3

The High Court issued a ruling questioning why collection of citizen’s information through biometric SIM registration should not be declared illegal.  PAGE 4

Bangladesh pace sensation Mustafizur Rahman has emerged as the debutant of the year 2015 in the Maruti Suzuki-ESPNcricinfo Awards.  PAGE 32

INSIDE

A foreign security firm will be brought in to beef up the security at Hazrat Shahjajal International Airport and raise it to international standards.

The step is a part of the government's short term initiatives to meet the conditions outlined by the UK. The decision came in the wake of the UK's suspension of direct cargo flights from here over security concerns.

According to a source in the Civil Aviation Ministry, the government is negotiating with a number of UK firms – Restrata, Redline and Westminster Group – to engage in as-

In the meeting, the issue of shifting visa processing centre from Dhaka to India was also discussed.

Talks were further held on how to increase trade and commerce between Bangladesh and Britain.

Since independence, Bangladesh had been getting UK visa from the high commission in Dhaka, but 18 months ago the facilities were shifted to India.

“I requested the British high commissioner to restore the visa facilities so that people can get visa from here, since our trade with the UK is increasing very fast,” said Tofail.

In response, Blake said: “We are enacting a global change to move British visa operations and this is not specific to Bangladesh. It has

been done across the globe, moving from individual sovereign nations to a bigger sectoral hub, and that hub ensures the same standards for visa applications.”

According to the Export Promotion Bureau data, during July-February period of the current fiscal year, Bangladesh earned $2.46 billion from exports to the UK. Of the amount, $2.27 billion came from the export of RMG products and $7.5 million from vegetables and other agricultural goods.

On March 8, the British government put an embargo on direct air cargo shipment from Dhaka on the grounds of security concerns.

Last fiscal year, Bangladesh exported garment items worth $3.23 billion to the UK. l

2nd Round

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UTTARA GAS EXPLOSION

Zarif still looking for his parents, brothers n Mohammad Jamil Khan

Zarif Bin Newaz, the boy injured in a gas explosion in which he lost his parents on February 26, is desperately looking for his parents.

“Where is my mother? I also don’t know the condition of my brother; would you please take me to them?” he was repeatedly asking his relatives.

The 11-year-old Zarif still does not know the tragic gas explosion not only took his parents’ lives it also killed his two brothers.

He is now passing days by watching cartoon and playing games in

his maternal uncle’s house.

“We are trying to make him forget about the incident as he might not bear the pain,” Abul Hasanat Khan, uncle of Zarif, told the Dhaka Tribune.

“We will not let him know what really happened to his parents and brothers right now as his psychical condition is still not well and he needs to recover completely, he said.

Zarif is undergoing treatment at the City Hospital of Mohammadpur with 6% burn injury. At present he is staying at home for better mental and psychical care. l

A bus of Dhaka College uses the wrong side of the Mirpur road as other vehicles are stuck in a traffic jam. This photo was taken yesterday SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

Hasina requests Cameron to reconsider cargo ban n Sheikh Shahariar Zaman

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has written to her British counterpart David Cameron requesting him to reconsider ban on direct cargo movement from Dhaka to London.

“The letter has been handed over to the British authorities through diplomatic channel,” said a senior government official yesterday.

Hasina's letter was in response to Cameron’s March 8 letter, where he informed Hasina that direct cargo movement from Dhaka to London had been banned due to insufficient security at Dhaka airport.

He further said if there was no improvement plan developed and delivered to address the security situation at Dhaka airport, the Dhaka-London direct flight of Biman

KAFRUL MAID’S DEATH

Rights body alleges negligence in probe n Kamrul Hasan Right activists yesterday claimed to have found evidence of negligence by investigators looking into the death of a 15-year-old female housemaid in Dhaka.

Chairman of Bangladesh Society for the Enforcement of Human Right (BSEHR) Sigma Huda accused police of showing extreme negligence from the beginning.

Jonia died after falling off an 11-storey residential building in Kafrul on March 6. Her relatives claimed she was raped before being thrown off the roof. Instead of registering a murder case, police recorded the incident under unnatural death, saying they would file a murder and rape case if the autopsy report confirmed.

Sigma said no policewoman was present during primary inspection of the victim’s body and dubbed it a shameful and criminal act.

Kafrul police station’s Sub-Inspector Kamruzzaman compiled the initial report. Sigma said they

would provide legal assistance to the victim’s family and investigate the incident themselves.

She said the initial report did not mention anything that indicated Jonia died after falling off the roof. “Police delayed in registering the case. They recorded it in such a way that allowed the accused to move freely in the society,” she claimed.

SI Kamruzzaman said they were yet to conclude whether it was a murder or suicide. “We are waiting for the autopsy report.”

Dhaka Medical College forensic department’s Assistant Prof Prodip Biswas said the autopsy found no proof of sexual assault but samples have been sent for tests to confirm whether Jonia was raped.

Criminologist Prof Muzaherul Huq said police activities so far showed that they might not properly preserve crime scene evidence. “If the DNA samples are damaged, it would be difficult to determine whether Jonia was raped.” l

Bangladesh Airlines would also be suspended from March 31.

Hasina in her letter said it was in the common interest of all to work together in fulfilling the international obligation with regard to aviation security.

Hasina said the government has been working closely with the UK and other friendly countries to employ specific measures in addressing

Bangladesh seeks UK visa office in Dhaka n UNB Bangladesh has sought the British government’s initiative to bring back its visa office to Dhaka from New Delhi to help boost people-to-people contact and business ties between the two countries.

Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed raised the issue when British High Commissioner in Dhaka Alison Blake met him at his Secretariat office yesterday.

“The British visa office had been operating in Dhaka since Bangladesh’s independence, but it was suddenly shifted to New Delhi 18 months ago. As a result, Bangladeshi visa seekers, especially the businesspeople, are facing difficulties,” said the commerce minister.

He sought cooperation of the British high commissioner in bringing back the visa office in Dhaka, according to a PID handout. They also discussed airport security and investment issues during the meeting.

Tofail laid emphasis on boosting trade and investment between the two countries. “At present, there’s no risk in investment in Bangladesh. Any investment here is 100% safe.” l

the security shortcomings at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka.

She assured Cameron that ensuring aviation security remains a top priority of her government.

It is in this spirit that the government will continue to remain closely engaged with the UK and other countries in any specific manner to secure fool-proof application of

safety and security measures at the airport, including unfettered access to British security experts, the letter said.

In view of the above, Hasina requested the British government to reconsider the decision of suspending direct cargo services from Dhaka to the UK, keeping in mind the historic relations between Bangladesh and the UK at many levels. l

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

What happened ministry about the fund hacking.

Atiur was called to the Finance Ministry soon after he landed at Dhaka airport at 4:30pm, but he spoke to the minister over the phone instead.

The governor also cancelled today’s emergency board meeting that had been called by Finance Secretary M Aslam Alam on Sunday.

The central bank’s spokesperson, Executive Director Subhankar Saha, confirmed that the government had cancelled the meeting.

However, just hours earlier,

Subhankar told reporters that the issue of cyber theft would be discussed at the scheduled emergency meeting.

Atiur has received strong criticism in the past few days for not disclosing for nearly a month that $101m had been stolen from Bangladesh Bank’s reserve account at Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Directors of the Bangladesh Bank board and the Finance Ministry have blamed the governor for keeping the cyber theft a secret. l

Governor’s fate hangs “The finance minister once again expressed his discontent over the governor’s keeping the theft of $100 million reserve fund from him.”

The minister quoted Muhith astelling the prime minister: “The money was hacked and I was not informed! Isn’t it an act of audacity?”

The premier, however, did not say anything in reply.

While Muhith was expressing his grief and discontent, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader interrupted – apparently to change the topic and Muhith’s mood – saying: “Muhith bhai (brother) you are wearing a nice Panjabi today!”

A cabinet member told the Dhaka Tribune that this comment

stopped further discussion on the fund heist issue.

Later, the finance minister held a closed-door meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Sources in the Finance Division said the government wants to sack the governor as the ongoing crisis tarnished the image of the Awami League government.

Atiur’s second time extended tenure as the governor expires this August.

On February 4, hackers stole more than $80 million from Bangladesh Bank’s account with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and wired it to bank accounts in the Philippines. l

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'Some of the BB stolen funds will be recovered' n Tribune Online Report Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission Chairperson Teresita Herbosa, a member of that country’s Anti-Money Laundering Council, is sure that at least some of the money illegally taken from the Bangladesh Bank (BB) account at the Federal Reserve of New York will be recovered.

“I’m sure somehow, some of it will be recovered,” ABS-CBN News quoted Herbosa as saying yesterday.

Herbosa was tight-lipped about the investigation into the alleged laundering, saying she did not want to pre-empt the Philippine Senate hearing on the issue scheduled for today.

The Philippine Senate has started tracing where the stolen funds went next after slipping through the Philippines financial system, the Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Senator Serge Osmeña as saying yesterday.

Asked if the money had been remitted elsewhere, Osmeña replied that it was being traced.

“We have no idea where the money went as of this time,” the senator added.

Osmeña, chair of the Senate committee on banks, financial institutions and currencies, said the Philippine Senate will also trace the four depositors who opened the US dollar bank accounts at the Rizal Commercial Banking Corp which received the stolen money.

The accounts, under the names of Enrico Teodoro Vasquez, Alfred Santos Vergara, Michael Francisco Cruz and Jessie Christopher Lagrosas, received some $81 million believed to be BB funds stolen by hackers from its accounts at the New York Fed. l

JU teachers, students protest ragging n JU Correspondent A first-year student Jahangirnagar University (JU) student fell sick due to alleged mental and physical harassment by Bangladesh Chhatra League leaders on Sunday night.

Teachers and students formed a human chain on campus yesterday protesting against freshers' harassment in the name of ragging.

A source said Md Shariful Islam of Mir Mosharrof Hossain Hall was sent to the medical centre after physical assault. BCL activists prevented journalists from approaching the victim.

When contacted, hall provost Obaidur Rahman said, “I have already talked to that student (Shariful) and he did not become sick due to ragging.” l

People from across the social divide pay rich tribute to Ekushey Padak and Bangla Academy Award winning poet and freedom fighter Rafiq Azad at the Central Shaheed Minar yesterday. He died on Saturday at the age of 73 MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Three killed as Hizb-ut Tawhid, locals clash Chandra Kuri, n Ranajit Noakhali A dispute over the construction of a mosque at Korpora village in Noakhali’s Sonaimuri uapzila led to a clash between the villagers and local members of Hizb-ut Tawhid yesterday, resulting in the death of at least three people, two of whom were the members of the banned Islamist outfit.

The deceased were identified as Hizb-ut Tawheed members Ibrahim Khan Rubel, 27, and Md Solaiman, 24, and day labourer Mozibul Haque, 48, police sources told the Dhaka Tribune.

The clash also saw at least 50 people injured and raged on for nearly three hours before riot police brought the situation under control.

Around 110 men and women were detained by police in this regard. The situation was still tense in the area when this report was filed.

Quoting witnesses, Noakhali Superintendent of Police Md Elias Sharif said there had been a long-standing dispute between the villagers of Korpora and local wing

of Hizb-ut Tawhid.

The locals claim that followers of local Hizb-ut Tawhid leader Humayun Khan Panni have been spreading anti-Islam propaganda in the area, which is why the villagers drove them out of the village a few years ago, the SP said.

However, recently the Hizbut Tawhid presence has been increasing in the village, and they have been gathering followers. The villagers said they held a rally in Chashir Haat Bazar area near Korpora on February 20, where their leaders gave controversial speeches that could potentially incite militancy in the area.

Moreover, the Islamist outfit recently acquired land in Chashir Haat and announced that they would establish a mosque there, which was vehemently opposed by the villagers as they feared that it would give Hizb-ut Tawhid a stronger base to run militant activities, Elias said.

Yesterday around 11am, when some Hizb-ut Tawhid men began the construction work of the mosque, some villagers went and protested it, which led to an altercation between the two parties.

At one point, the Hizb-ut Tawhid men attacked the villagers, which led the villagers to attack back in retaliation. A full-blown clash then broke out, the police official said.

During the clash, the villagers also vandalised the office of Hizbut Tawhid and set it on fire.

Receiving information, police reached the spot and fired blank shots to bring the situation under control.

Shortly after the situation calmed down, the battered bodies of Ibrahim and Solaiman were found there. Both the bodies had their throats slit as well, sources said. Mozibul’s body was found later at night, badly beaten.

The situation took a turn for the worse once again as villagers attacked Sonaimuri police station around 9:30pm.

Police opened fire at them, which caused the villagers to retreat. No casualties were reported in this incident.

Law enforcers are on high alert in the area; additional police and RAB personnel have been deployed to prevent further clashes, sources said. l

Now civil aviation secy replaced n Shohel Mamun Civil Aviation Secretary Khurshed Alam Chowdhury has been transferred to the Planning Commission, as the UK’s March 31 deadline for improving cargo facilities and airport security draws nearer.

Planning Commission member SM Golam Farok is replacing Khurshed.

The move came a day after Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) chairman Air Vice Marshal Sanaul Huq was replaced by Air Vice Marshal Ahsanul Goni Chowdhury.

On March 10, the UK embargoed direct cargo flights from Dhaka on aviation security grounds.

Meanwhile, four secretary-level public servants were assigned new offices yesterday. Two gazette notifications were issued in this regard by the Public Administration Ministry.

Zillar Rahman, Dhaka divisional commissioner, has been promoted to the post of acting secretary of Privatisation Commission. Secretary to Jute Ministry, Shahid Ullah Khandaker, was transferred to the Public Works Ministry as a secretary.

Rural Development and Co-operatives Division Secretary MA Quader Sarker was transferred to the Jute Ministry, while project director of Akti Bari Akti Khamar, Prosanta Kumer Roy, has been made acting secretary of Rural Development and Co-operatives Division. l

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Biometric SIM registration legality questioned n Ashif Islam Shaon The High Court yesterday issued a ruling questioning why the collection of citizen’s information through biometric registration for the purchase and use of mobile SIM cards should not be declared illegal.

The law secretary, Election Commission, the telecom secretary, the BTRC chairman and the chief executive officers of Grameenphone, Robi Axiata Ltd, Airtel Bangladesh Ltd, Teletalk Bangladesh Ltd, Pa-

cific Bangladesh Ltd (Citycell), and Orascom Bangladesh Ltd have made respondents to the ruling.

They will have to come up with explanations within a week. The court also fixed March 24 for final hearing on the ruling.

On March 9, lawyer SM Enamul Haque filed a writ petition challenging the legality of biometric SIM registration process.

His counsel Muktadir Rahman said the petition challenged the legality of biometric SIM registration, as collecting such private

JRC: 16 more rivers shared with India n Abu Bakar Siddique

Bangladesh has identified 16 more rivers as trans-boundary rivers between Bangladesh and India, and will soon ask India to recognise them.

Most of the newly identified common rivers are located at the north and north-east part of the country bordered with the Indian states of Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura.

Currently, among Bangladesh, India and Myanmar there are a total of 57 rivers recognised by all sides as trans-boundary rivers.

Of them, 54 are shared between Bangladesh and India and the rest with Myanmar.

“We’ve identified these rivers under a study which is yet to be finished. After scrutiny and detailed analysis, we will discuss this with our Indian counterparts to get their response,” said Md Mofazzal Hossain, the director of Joint River Commission Bangladesh, the intergovernmental body for the management of common rivers between India and Bangladesh.

After reaching a final con-

sensus, the newly identified common rivers will be recognized as trans-boundary rivers, he added.

Some of the newly identified common rivers are Mohadeo, Haribhanga, Shokosh and Chela.

Meanwhile, water experts in Bangladesh said all rivers that flow through Bangladesh, India and Myanmar should be recognised for the sake of an extensive basin-wise management plan.

Brac University Professor Emeritus Ainun Nishat said, “When we talk about cross-border rivers, people think only about the well-known major rivers, such as Padma, Brahmaputra and Teesta.”

But every small and medium-sized shared river has their own unique basin, and the lives of people who live in the vicinities are directly dependent on them, he said.

Prof Nishat also said that these rivers were important for the well-being of those living in these basins.

“These are particularly important because agriculture depends heavily on these rivers,” he added. l

4 get life for killing farmer in Savar n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu

A Dhaka court yesterday sentenced four people to life imprisonment for killing Md Selim, a farmer, in Savar in 2004.

The convicts - Salem Uddin, 42, Kuzrat Ali, 38, Abdur Rauf, 45, and Md Waz Uddin, 45 - were also fined Tk10,000 each, and will have to serve another six months in jail for failure to pay the money.

Judge of Dhaka 5 District

and Session Court Jewel Rana handed down the verdict in a packed courtroom in the presence of the four men.

According to the case statement, the convicts killed 37-yearold Selim over previous enmity and dumped the body in Marichartek area on July 15, 2004.

A day later, the victim’s brother Md Islam filed a murder case with Savar police station against the four men. l

information of citizens by the mobile companies was not safe for people.

“Except Teletalk Bangladesh Ltd, owners of five mobile operators are foreigners which creates a risk of collected information leak out from them. This can cause a loss to the people and the country,” Muktadir said.

The move would create a high risk if national and international criminal organisations, networks or syndicates get access to the database.

Collecting such information through biometric SIM registration should be

stopped immediately, he said.

The government launched the mandatory biometric SIM/RIUM registration on December 16 last year.

All biometric SIM registration processes must be completed by March, or else, mobile operators have to face a $50 penalty against each unverified SIM, a BTRC official told the Dhaka Tribune.

According to latest data from Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission, there are 13.14 crore active mobile phone subscribers in Bangladesh. l

5 JMB men on 5-day remand n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu

A Dhaka court yesterday put five members of banned militant outfit Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) on a five-day remand each in a case filed with Jatrabari police station under the Anti-terrorism Act. The five are chief of JMB’s Mymensingh unit Hujaifa Akand alias Shaheen alias Siyam, Yasin Ali alias Shafique, Mamunur Rashid, Abul Hashem and Shafiul Islam Khalid.

RAB arrested the five during a raid in the capital’s Demra on Saturday. l

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'Awareness is the first step towards consumer rights' Showkat Kallol and n Asif Shohel Mamun Consumers Association of Bangladesh President Ghulam Rahman speaks to the Dhaka Tribune on the eve of World Consumer Rights Day about the state of consumer rights in Bangladesh. He says the right of the public to the environmental benefits of the Sundarbans, a public good, could be threatened by the Rampal plant construction.

The former Energy Regulatory Commission chairman and ACC chairman says the government is not interested to reduce the prices of local petroleum products although citizens have the right to enjoy the benefits of falling prices in the international market. Asif Showkat Kallol and Shohel Mamun interview this former secretary.

Tell us about this year's World Consumer Rights Day theme.

'Antibiotic off the menu’ is the main theme of the World Consumer Rights Day this year. Antibiotics used animal feed, chicken in particular in Bangladesh, comes into the human food chain. Massive use of antibiotics can harm the immune system of people. Nowadays farmers and businessmen use antibiotic medication on livestock and

ings to happen. The government does not want to reduce the price of electricity either.

The price of petroleum should be kept at a rational level. Octane price is now Tk99 per litre but it should be Tk60 and the government can still make profit. The government will form a price stabilization fund for the benefit of local consumers. The fund will be used when the price of petroleum increases in the international market. The local price of petroleum should be reviewed every two or three years. It is not rational that people cannot get the benefit of reduced prices of petroleum products in the international market.

We have began a campaign to ask the government to fix the prices of water and sanitation services in public hearings. These are also public goods. Price of public goods should fixed by an independent body with people's opinion.

What is the state of consumer rights in Bangladesh ?

The government created a legal and organisational structure in 2009, but it's still in weak condition. You cannot protect consumer rights with only two officials for every district. People do not know that there are laws in place to protect their consumer rights. The first priority of consumer rights is the awareness of consumers.

National Consumer Rights Council is now in the preliminary stage and BSTI only monitors 56 products. As a result traders and businessmen and industries have free rein to use what they want in their products.

poultry for protection from diseases. If you eat chicken or beef on which antibiotic has been used, the antibiotics will not work in your body. As a result people could die from even the simple ordinary diseases. During last several years the World Heath Organisation has been campaigning against the misuse of antibiotic medication.

Is our right to use energy products at low prices protected?

We have successfully reduced electricity prices in debates with the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission. When I was the chairman of BERC the price of electricity was reduced once when the Awami League government came to power for the first time. Now the government does not comply with its own law. Issues of petroleum product prices is yet to go to BERC. People might get some relief from the BERC public hearings. But the government does not want the hear-

Where does the concept of consumer rights come from ?

US President John F Kennedy was the first to talk about consumer right during the '50s. He admitted that consumer rights need to be put in place for the people. Later, UN organisations began working on the issues. Now every country in world works on these issues.

What is the state of our financial services?

The newly formed Bangladesh Bank Financial Integrity and Customer Service Department is now looking into matters like customer service. I was a victim of poor banking service once. My fixed deposit account turned into a loan account because of of a bank official's

mistake. Then the bank wanted to charge me Tk1,150 to fix the error.

Is it not the right of consumers to enjoy the environmental and ecological benefits from the Sundardans?

Consumer rights covers vast areas now. Our right to receive environmental and ecological benefits from the Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove forest, is now a big issue. The government wants to construct a big power plant in Rampal. It is saying new technologies will be used in the construction.

Possible damage to the Sundarbans could be irreparable. The people will not forgive the government if the ecological balance of the Sundarbans is destroyed in the construction of the power plant.

Are the existing consumer rights laws being equally enforced over local firms and multinational companies?

BSTI should be very vigilant regarding the violation of consumer rights by local firms and multinational companies alike because sometimes they sell bad quality products to the local consumers.

BSTI testing of local and foreign consumer products should be expanded. l

MILKY MURDER CASE

Supplementary charge sheet accepted n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu

A Dhaka court has accepted the supplementary charge sheet in Jubo League leader Reazul Haque Khan Milky's murder case.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Asaduzzaman Nur yesterday also issued arrest warrants against the six absconding accused in the case.

The court further ordered the police station concerned to submit a report on April 25 on the execution of the arrest warrants in the case.

The six fugitives are: Shakhawat Hossain Chanchal, Md Arif alias Arif Hossain, Md Ibrahim Khalil Ullah, Rafiqul Islam Chowdhury, Md Sharif Uddin and Fahima Islam Lopa.

On September 23 last year, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) submitted the supplementary charge sheet before the court implicating seven more people along with the previous 11 accused.

On April 15, 2015, assistant director of Rapid Action Battalion 1, Kazemur Rashid, had submitted a charge sheet against 11 people in the murder case.

However, following a no confidence petition, the court on June 17 ordered the CID to re-investigate the Jubo League leader Reazul Haque Khan Milky murder case.

On July 30, 2013, Reazul Haque Khan Milky, who was an organising secretary of Dhaka City (South) unit of the Awami League's youth wing, was shot dead by armed men in front of a shopping centre in Gulshan 1.

Later that same day, Milky’s brother, Maj Rashidul Haque Khan, filed a murder case with Gulshan police station accusing 11, including Chanchal and Zahid Siddiki Tarek.

Tarek, meanwhile, was killed in an alleged gunfight between the RAB and unidentified gunmen on July 31, 2013, in the city’s Khilkhet. l

TEMPERATURE FOREC AST FOR TODAY

DRY WEATHER WITH PARTLY CLOUDY SKY TUESDAY, MARCH 15

Dhaka

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20

Chittagong

32

Factories in the capital’s Kanchpur area regularly release wastes and chemical substances through underground pipes to the Shitalakshya River, contaminating its water RAJIB DHAR 23

Rajshahi

DHAKA TODAY SUN SETS 6:08PM

30

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Rangpur

28

18

Khulna

33

21

Barisal

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

TOMORROW SUN RISES 6:07AM

35.5ºC Chittagong

17.5ºC Srimangal

Source: Accuweather/UNB

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PRAYER TIMES

Sylhet

31

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Cox’s Bazar

31

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Fajr: 4:49am | Zohr: 12:07am Asr: 3:32pm | Magrib: 6:11pm Esha: 7:38pm Source: IslamicFinder.org

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Supreme Court stays Mirza Abbas’ bail n Tribune Report The Supreme Court has stayed BNP senior leader Mirza Abbas’ bail in a graft case for a week, halting his release from prison.

A five-member bench of the Appellate Division, led by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha, issued the or-

The sudden appearance of a Chhatra League rally in front of the National Press Club yesterday demanding the execution of war criminal Mir Quasem caused a long traffic gridlock and suffering for the public MEHEDI HASAN

Power import from Tripura begins March 23 n Aminur Rahman Rasel Bangladesh will start importing 100 megawatt (MW) of electricity from the Indian state of Tripura on March 23 under no-electricity, no-payment method.

Director General of Power Cell Mohammad Hossain told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday that Bangladesh will start receiving 100MW power from the 726MW gas based thermal Palatana power plant in Tripura from March 23.

“We have already fixed the per unit electricity price with the Tripura government at Tk6.43 per unit, excluding wheeling charges,” he said.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi will jointly inaugurate the power import through videoconferencing, he said.

Tests for getting power from the neighbouring country was completed this month.

Hossain said the infrastructure for importing another 100MW has already been laid out.

Bangladesh has been importing 500MW power from West Bengal through Bheramara since 2014. The first 250MW of power is purchased at Tk4.5 per unit while the rest is purchased at Tk6.00 per unit.

The Power Grid Corporation of India (PGCIL) and the Power Generation Company of Bangladesh (PGCB), both state-owned companies, tested the transmission lines on their respective sides in December last year.

The process of installing a 47km-long transmission line from Tripura to southern Comilla has also been completed. l

4th convocation of State University tomorrow n Tribune Report

The fourth convocation of the State University of Bangladesh (SUB) will be held at the International Convention City Bashundhara in the capital tomorrow.

A total of 1,855 students of nine disciplines under School of Business and Social Studies, Faculty of Science and Technology and Faculty of Health Sciences, who graduated between Spring 2014 and Fall 2015 semesters, will be conferred their degrees at the event, according to a press release issued by the university.

Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid will preside over the ceremony as well as confer the degrees on behalf of President

Abdul Hamid, the chancellor of the university. University Grants Commission Chairman Prof Abdul Mannan will be present as the convocation speaker.

SUB Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Iftekhar Ghani Chowdhury and SUB Board of Trustees President Dr AM Shamim will be present at the event as well, the press release said.

Jayera Islam Urmi, a graduate from the Department of Pharmacy, has been nominated for the Chancellor’s Award, while 15 other students have been selected for the Vice-Chancellor’s Award and 35 students for Dean’s Award.

The graduation ceremony will be followed by a cultural programme and dinner. l

der yesterday in response to a petition filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

The apex court also asked the ACC to file a leave-to-appeal petition against the High Court’s bail order within a week.

On March 9, the High Court granted bail to Abbas in the graft case.

On March 6, 2014, the ACC filed the graft case with Shahbagh police station against Abbas for causing the state a loss of Tk16 crore by allocating seven acres of Rajuk’s land to a journalists’ cooperative society at a lower rate when he was the housing and public works minister of the BNP-led four-party alliance government. l

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News

TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2016

Hawkers occupy footpaths in Dhanmondi n Abu Hayat Mahmud Under the shelter of influential Awami League members and police, hawkers have occupied footpaths in front of Rabindra Sarobar in the capital’s Dhanmondi, which is under the jurisdiction of Dhaka South City Corporation.

Hawkers said they do business every day from morning till afternoon with the permission of local leaders of the Awami League and its associate bodies. They also said they pay bribes to police for allowing them to use footpaths for business.

Local residents said the occupation of footpaths by vendors lead to intolerable traffic jam before and after school hours.

“Also, cars are parked on roads which aggravates traffic congestion,” said Ariful Islam, who lives on Road 6 in Dhanmondi.

A hawker, requesting anonymity, told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday he has to pay Shah Alam, known as a lineman, Tk200 every day to run his business.

“Besides, each hawker pays Tk50100 to police every day,” he said.

Several hawkers gave the same figures but were not willing to disclose their names.

Alam, when contacted, said he would not talk to the press.

This correspondent saw two police officials collecting money from hawkers but they strenuously denied the allegation when this correspondent approached them.

Officer-in-Charge of Dhanmondi police station Nur-e-Azam told the Dhaka Tribune he was not aware

Occupying a portion of footpath in front of Rabindra Sarobar in the capital’s Dhanmondi, which is under the jurisdiction of Dhaka South City Corporation, hawkers are doing business allegedly under the shelter of influential Awami League members and police. The photo was taken yesterday MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU of the practice of hawkers bribing police to do business on footpaths.

“We in the past faced difficulties while evicting such illegal street business in Dhanmondi, a posh area in

SEVEN-MURDER CASE

Court again rejects petition to stay witness deposition Hossain, n Tanveer Narayanganj A Narayanganj court has rejected for the fifth time a petition from the counsels of Nur Hossain and Lt Col (retd) Tarek Sayeed – the two key accused in the seven-murder case – to stay the recording of witness deposition.

Narayanganj District and Sessions Judge Syed Enayet Hossain, however, granted a time petition from the defence and fixed March 21 for recording testimonies from Nur and Tarek.

Plaintiff Selina Islam Beauty, slain panel mayor Nazrul Islam’s wife who yesterday answered questions from counsels of four of Nur’s associates, will also finish her

deposition on the same day.

Yesterday, only two of the 11 witnesses scheduled to appear were present at the court; their depositions were heard. With the exceptions of Nur and Tarek’s counsels, the lawyers representing the other 33 suspects cross-examined the two witnesses – Md Yusuf, the brother of slain car driver Ibrahim, and eyewitness Mohammad Hossain.

The defence counsels of Nur and Tarek also sought more time to cross-examine the plaintiff, pointing out to the court that a writ petition filed with the High Court – seeking the scrapping of the murder case and challenging the legality of charge framing was yet to be resolved. Later, the court set March 21 for the next witness submission. l

the capital. Some locals said they find it easy to buy a variety of household goods, including clothes, from hawkers while others said the vendors create a noisy atmosphere,” he said.

OC Nur-e-Azam said he would visit nearby places at Rabindra Sarobar and would take measures to free the footpaths from the occupation of hawkers.

Dhaka south Mayor Sayeed Khokon also said immediate steps would be taken so that footpaths in Dhanmondi do not remain occupied by hawkers. l

Ban on plying of vessels in rivers through Sundarbans demanded International Day of Action for Rivers marked of furnace oil capsized in Shela both banks of the Muyur River free n Hedait Hossain, Khulna River on December 9 and the oil from illegal occupation.

A ban on plying of vessels in Shela River through Sundarbans has been demanded in order to keep ecological balance of the river plus the mangrove forest and also save those from man-made disaster.

The Centre for Policy Dialogue, the Khulna District Peace Network, the Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon (BAPA) made the demand during a human chain held on the bank of the Muyur River near Gollamari bridge in Khulna city yesterday morning.

The human chain was arranged marking the International Day of Action for Rivers.

The NGOs which are working on environment issues also demanded dredging on the Mongla-Ghoshiakhali channel and making the

Speakers at the programme said rivers were vital part for the life and livelihood of the people of the country. But a section of people were destroying the rivers in the name of development without considering its adverse impact. A vested quarter had been occupying bank of rivers with political influence.

There is no option to save rivers in order to save life, livelihood, health as well as agriculture of the region, they added.

They said the government should impose a ban on running of heavy vessels in rivers which are flowing through Sundarbans to avoid man-made disasters.

In 2014, Sundarbans faced a major environmental disaster after a vessel carrying over 350,000 litres

spilled around 80 kilometre waterways of the mangrove forest.

The worst affected areas were Joymonir Ghol, Andharmanik and Nandabala. After the spill of oil, many animals including dolphins died.

After the capsize, the government imposed a ban on using the route. The government, however, lifted the ban after 27 days again putting the biggest forest at risk.

With SM Sahnewaj Ali, convenor of Coalition for Protecting Coastal Belt, in the chair, the programme was addressed by SM Iqbal Hossain Biplob, coordinator of Khulna CPD chapter, Professor Ali Ahmed, former president of CPD-Khulan Peace Network, and Md Babul Haldar, coordinator of Khula BAPA unit. l

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8

News

TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2016

Sangu, Matamuhuri rivers dying a slow death Basu Das, Bandarban n SCorrespondent Two of Bandarban’s once vibrant rivers are slowly withering, leading to navigability crisis and acute shortage of drinking water.

The Sangu and Matamuhuri rivers, once home to many species of fishes, are now dotted with shoals of various size and shape. The drying water bodies are bad news for Bandarban’s population, more than 80% of whom are dependent on the rivers for water.

Locals once navigated the waterways to visit remote parts of the district. Many popular tourist destinations are still only accessible by boat. But sedimentation has curbed water traffic.

Fisherman Bindu Bala said he had been living off the rivers for about four decades. “Silt accumulation has caused navigability issues and the loss of various species of fishes,” he said.

Bandarban Soil and Water Conservation Centre’s acting Chief Scientific Officer Md Mahbubul Islam said: “Water levels have gone down due to deforestation, the levelling of hills, unabated stone extraction and shifting cultivation.”

“Loss of navigability means less

The Sangu River has already withered, leading to acute shortage of drinking water for people living in Bandarban. The photo was taken yesterday from Remaktri area, Thanchi upzila DHAKA TRIBUNE water in Sangu and Matamuhuri, which in turn, is affecting agricultural production in the district,” said Altaf Hossain, deputy director

of Bandarban Agricultural Extension Directorate.

The rivers have never been dredged, locals claimed.

Coordinated water management policy stressed for saving rivers Correspondent, n Our Barisal Participants of a human chain yesterday stressed the need for a coordinated water management policy for saving rivers and water bodies which are considered as lifeline of the country.

Speakers at the programme also called upon authorities concerned to save western bank of the Kirtankhola River from the demons of encroachments and pollutions.

The programmes was organised on the occasion of the International Day of Action for Rivers.

The rally was presided over by Rafikul Islam, joint convener of the Alliance for Observing International Day of Action for Rivers.

Among others the event was addressed by Ranjit Dutta, Lincon Bayen, Shuvankar Chakraborty and Dr Habibur Rahman.

The speakers said natural flows of the rivers were fac-

ing obstacles by the making of dams at different points, changing of flows of rivers in the name of different types of development works such as electricity production, making of flood controls dam and irrigation project.

They said Barisal town once called as ‘Venice of Bengal’ which had nearly 600 ponds and water bodies and 22 canals.

But rampant filling and encroachments of the water bodies are reducing the numbers day by day. l

Jute mill workers block Youth found dead in Ctg road, rail tracks n n Tribune Report

Workers of state-owned jute mills in Khulna city on Monday morning blocked road and rail as part of their month-long protest programme to press home their five-point demand.

Officer-in-charge of Daulatpur Police Station Maruf Ahmed said the agitating

workers put barricades on several roads and rail tracks, including Khulna-Jessore highway in the city around 8am.

As per the announcement of the workers, they are likely to continue their blockade till 12pm, the OC added.

The workers’ demands include adequate allocation for the jute industry and payment of arrears. l

Tribune Report

Police recovered the body of an unidentified youth from a peak of a local mountain in Bashbaraia area, Sitakunda upazila, Chittagong yesterday afternoon.

Sub-Inspector (SI) Rafiqul Islam Zaman of Sitakunda police station said locals had spotted the body of the youth aged about 30 years. l

Bandarban Department of Public Health Engineering Chief Engineer Sohrab Hossain said the water level in the rivers had declined as

the streams and brooks were dying. “We have been thinking of taking swift action in this regard,” he said without elaborating. l

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DT

Tech

TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2016

Preview the new from Apple Less than a week away, and we find out what the tech giants have in store for us

n Mahmood Hossain March 21 is a date to mark down, as Apple presents their major keynotes in their annual event, showing off what is to come in the following months. Now, don’t get your hopes up just yet. There won’t be any real game-changing innovations coming this year from Apple. What you will get are a few highlighted gadgets showing up months down the line. Tech consumers will be treated to a new (or the return of) 4-inch iPhone, a 9.7-inch iPad Pro, new Apple Watch bands, and of course the new flagship iPhone 7. iPhone SE There should be no surprise why Apple would decide to bring back a favourite into the market. The iPhone 5s was a very popular phone with users, and rightfully so. It was the perfect size and the performance in that device’s generation was one of the best.

Not to mention its beautiful design. The new SE version will look almost identical to that of the iPhone 5s. And sources within the company have said the existing iPhone 5s covers will fit the new models when it is released.

The new design will have a sleeker look with slightly more rounded, matte edges. The phone

will also be available in space grey, silver, gold and rose gold, matching that of the flagship phones options. The phone will also receive the Apple Pay, always-on “Hey Siri” support and the A9/M9 chips inside. The latter is a huge boost from the 5s’ A7 chip. There will also be new cameras and LIVE photos, but no 3D Touch unfortunately.

Subtracting a bit more will be the front-facing camera LED flash that is currently on the 6s. It doesn’t look like it’ll have the 5-megapixel up front either, but that’s all we know for now.

9.7-inch iPad Pro It’s what you would probably label as last November’s iPad Pro’s younger sibling. It’s basically the smaller version of the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. You’ve got the iPad Air design mixed in with the iPad Pro features. Now that’s a tablet most Air users might feel the need to

upgrade to. The new tablet will be housing the A9X chip, more RAM, a smart connector and brighter display. The new Pro will also be rocking a 12-megapixel camera and 4K video capability. And just like the largest iPad, it will be able to connect a smart keyboard and have Apple Pencil support.

From early reports, it seems this new tablet will be slighter thicker than the iPad Air 2.

However, the prices will be around the same ballpark, escaping the price range of the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. In addition, it looks like older iPads (such as the iPhone 5s) will likely to be discontinued once the new devices hit the market. As the design and performances get slight upgrades, so will the operating systems with each new device. We’re also expecting the new iOS 9.3, tvOS 9.2, watchOS2.2 and OS X 10.11.14, with a new iTunes update across all devices.

Apple Watch bands This is possibly the least bit interesting news coming out of the event on the 21st. Most people, even Apple fans, think the Apple Watch is a total and complete unnecessary device; not to mention incredibly expensive.

However, there are some who appreciate the device and Apple acknowledges this. There will be new Sport bands, Black Milanese Loop, NATO-Style Nylon bands and a lucrative business partnership with French fashion house Hermès.

You might also be wondering if there will be any new news on the MacBooks or upgraded MacBook Pros. Well, most likely, you won’t be hearing anything from them in the March event. Although, it is scheduled to make plenty of announcements at WWDC around April or May. l

DT

10

Feature

TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2016

Three kinds of doctors you’ll meet

ILLUSTRATION: BIGSTOCK

n Pragya Rahman We’ve all been there, sitting patiently in the waiting room, staring at the clock placed right above the receptionist and wondering to yourself whether the doctor would be as good as your next door aunty described him to your mother to be. Fret not, there aren’t too many types of doctors you’ll encounter. We’ve taken the liberty to list the three most common types. Read on.

The Friendly Face This is the kind of doctor who greets you with a smile and methodically checks out all your problems. If there is a child in the room he/she will offer them a piece of candy or calm them down with a toy if they’re creating

a fuss. They will make sure that everything is all right before they let you leave. They will talk to you for at least an hour and make sure you return and recommend their services to your friends and family members.

This doctor will be on your speed dial for the rest of your life and will even give you their personal mobile number and always answer your queries when you call them. Yes, it may sound surprising and shocking but saintly doctors like the one described in this section do exist and if you’re lucky enough to meet one in this lifetime, that too in a country like Bangladesh, you are truly blessed.

Also this doctor knows what they are doing and will treat you with the best care.

Harvard professor delivers speech at IUB Professor Edward T Ryan from Harvard University spoke on Sunday at a seminar at The School of Life Sciences at Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB).

The talk, entitled “Cholera: Its Impact on Biomedicine and Health,” elucidated the history of medical advances and innovations that the study of cholera spurred from the 18th century onwards. The seminar was attended by faculty members, students, and guests from ICDDR,B and Dhaka University among others. l

Prof Edward Ryan from Harvard with Biochemistry and Microbiology Students at IUB

The five-minute omniscient This kind of doctor is like a mind reader of sorts. They will never let you speak and keep interrupting you while you complain about your aches and sores. They are very strict about time so you have a very small window of opportunity to talk about your problems, explain to them what the symptoms are and try to get a grasp of what’s wrong with you.

From the moment you walk into the room until the moment it’s time to leave their office, they will keep their eyes fixed on the prescription pad and keep scribbling away at it as if they’re writing an epic: that’s listed for the Pulitzer.

Please be advised the medication they prescribe you may do you more harm than good.

Since they’ve barely had a look at you, their diagnosis of your condition is probably based on an assumption. If they ask you to get any tests done just go for the ones that make sense like the general ones: a complete blood test and a urine test; try not to spend thousands on an MRI on your first visit or a CT. That would be expensive, a waste of time and completely useless.

The nervous sweater This type usually deals with patients with serious, lifethreatening ailments, thereby gradually acquiring the moniker.

As soon as you walk into their office, you will find them jittery, asking you a dozen questions all at once and trying to tend to you and three other serious patients

at the same time. Please do not be alarmed by the setting you’re put in, your doctor maybe tending to a herd of patients at once but does not, for a second, confuse one patient for the other. These doctors are constantly high on adrenaline and cannot seem to function without it, they are workaholics and get very little sleep. You should know that you’re in good hands as these doctors are also involved with research.

They may seem nervous and may sweat a lot and half the time may not even make any sense. But give them time, be patient while they diagnose and give you proper medication that will help you get better in no time. However, as far as bedside manner is concerned, you’re under the care of a doctor who’s a cuckoo. You can’t really expect much now, can you? l

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Editorial 11

TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2016

INSIDE

Men, women, and children Why is it that the culture in our country (and everywhere else perhaps) permits such suppression of anomalous voices, and the inability to entertain a thought different from ours?

PAGE 12

Their money-choked eyes and brains refuse to see Newspapers have their rights to prioritise and take a position. Readers equally have the right to express their opinion or ask questions PAGE 13

The call of the wild Experts opine that illegal poaching in the country’s forests, especially the Sundarbans, is not just present, but rampant. How else really can one explain the unfeasible decline in the Royal Bengal Tigers’ population from 440 in 2004 to the pitiable 106 that was estimated by one of the government’s own agencies PAGE 14

Be heard Write to Dhaka Tribune FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka-1207 Send us your Op-Ed articles: opinion.dt@dhakatribune.com www.dhakatribune.com Join our Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/ DhakaTribune.

The views expressed in Opinion articles are those of the authors alone. They do not purport to be the official view of Dhaka Tribune or its publisher.

BIGSTOCK

Cargo ban shows there is no substitute for best practice

E

xporters face mounting losses following the UK’s decision to suspend direct cargo flights from Dhaka on security grounds.

There is a risk these may remain suspended beyond the current deadline of March 31 as officials have expressed doubts the deadline to improve security procedure will be met on time.

More concerning still, the most recent EU Aviation Security Validation audit only gave a conditional three-month extension of certification for cargo and ground handling services.

Urgent efforts must be made to speed action on improving security and management of cargo facilities at all our airports.

It is not enough, however, for the government merely to react to requests for action. It also needs to ask how this situation came to be in the first place.

Nobody should need to be told that airline security is a top priority for every nation.

Low standards in baggage handling and lax security have long been evident to passengers. The high number of airline and ground staff found involved in gold smuggling syndicates should have set alarm bells ringing a long time ago to root out corrupt officials whose actions pose an obvious security risk.

The government needs to realise it is the widespread acceptance and entrenchment of low standards that is the root cause of this and other problems.

From weaknesses in the building of roads to the lapses which enabled the cyberheist of Bangladesh Bank funds, poor practice is far too prevalent in all areas of life.

Cutting corners and accepting poor standards only lead to more costs in the long run.

The garment sector has learned this lesson from deadly disasters to undertake major initiatives to improve safety standards.

Similar drives must be taken across society to enforce best practice standards.

Nothing less will work.

Remove the acceptance of low standards that lies at the root of this and other problems

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DT

Opinion

TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2016

Men, women, and children Each individual has his or her own form of suffering, which cannot be measured on a scale

Empathy is putting yourself in someone else’s shoes

n SN Rasul

W

hen it comes to the plight of men, women, and children, it is perhaps the case that each group is ensconced in its own personal bubble, and within that, each individual is inside further and smaller bubbles of solipsistic vulnerabilities and insecurities.

Whether it is the men who complain about days like International Women’s Day (because really, where are the men’s days?), women who complain about privilege (who respond that every other day is men’s day), and children, who don’t really have the voice or the eloquence to complain in kind, resorting to the voices of sympathisers and empathisers to give their complaints some sort of narrative, there is, conceivably, a divide between all of us.

There are those who try and cross over to the other side.

Men who identify as feminists, speaking of the constant, daily struggle that women are subjected to. Some go “overboard” perhaps, a result of the transatlantic influence, showing us instances of male privilege through “manspreading” and sexist air conditioners and the wage gap.

And there are women who don’t identify as such, recognising

the double standards that such religious adherence to feminism can result in. Some see it as a humanist problem, not a feminist one, which can, depending on its mood and its supporters, be exclusionary, leaving out people of other genders, races, and cultures.

BIGSTOCK

suffering that they wish to impart upon the world in some way so that someone understands.

And that this suffering, this disenfranchisement, of feeling left out or too much in the loop, of being identified as a result of their genders and sexes and ages, is a

is and whose experiences are so intrinsically different from ours. If people can’t understand how men get raped, how are we surprised when we see people not understand why women can’t just “dress less provocatively” so that chances of rape and sexual abuse

Why is it that the culture in our country (and everywhere else perhaps) permits such suppression of anomalous voices, and the inability to entertain a thought different from ours?

And what of the children? Do they too try to cross over? Some do, pretending they are older than their minuscule ages will permit, latching on to beliefs and faiths and ideas as if they do not require years of experiences and critical analysis before one can decide, clearly, irrevocably, to a certain extent, what one’s views are.

But that is unfair on children and teens who are either unaware or have hormones raging through their bodies. Everyone, in their own way, sometimes, at least, tries to understand. And I, too, cannot help but understand, as futile as that may seem.

I understand that each individual has their own form of

relative experience, and cannot be measured on a scale.

In a recent article in Tribune’s own Weekend Magazine, the writer interviewed men who had been raped or sexually abused by their partners. The running theme was that most people find the rape of men unimaginable because, when it comes to their abuse at the hands of women, the sex isn’t penetrative and that it is next to impossible to see women as sexual and predatory beings. As people who take as opposed to people who are taken from.

This is one of many examples where our collective inability to empathise, or understand, the plight of an individual who

are reduced?

How can we expect people to understand that children, sometimes, cannot always choose how to behave, or that each person is a result of multitudinous experiences and influences that shape them, and they choose to behave in the way that they have been, from the very onset of their existence, taught to.

But, it is a difficult endeavour to curb that knee-jerk reaction of people, since that, too, is a result of the very same, sad, inevitable truth.

To reiterate Stephen Dedalus: “Does nobody understand?”

Not really. Since our pain and suffering are so personal and

intertwined, and we exist in a plane that is hovering within the impermeable bubbles of our minds. But it may not be too much of a stretch to give each individual the benefit of the doubt, and to learn to doubt ourselves.

A woman in Delhi gets raped in a bus and the perpetrators say that she should be thankful because they didn’t kill her. A man gets raped and we ask how that is even possible. A child gets raped by a family member and we refuse to believe him or her. Before we ask why, why don’t we ask “why not?” And if so, why is this the way that this sequence of events took place? Why is it that the culture in our country (and everywhere else perhaps) permits such suppression of anomalous voices, and the inability to entertain a thought different from ours?

The more questions we ask, the closer we may get to accepting the flaws of the system, and changing the way it works. If at least we don’t understand, we may change our actions that allow for the peaceful co-existence of a diverse group of people. Because empathy, like any other skill, can be nurtured.

Or, to quote Sylvia Plath this time: “Is there no way out of the mind?” l SN Rasul is a journalist and academic.

Follow him @snrasul.

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DT

Opinion

TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2016

Their money-choked eyes and brains refuse to see We need to open our eyes to the destruction of nature. This is the first article in a series about the Rampal power plant

n Anu Muhammad

T

he Sundarbans are alive.

It is home to a diverse wildlife. Some are visible, others exist out of our sights. It is like a grand life itself that includes the big and the small, the mobile and the sedentary.

Those dedicated to saving this grand life are also, no doubt, very alive.

Ignoring the scorching sun, the downpours, the oppressive heat, and the open skies, the vibrant protests throughout September 24-28, 2013, flowed like a river that turned into a human ocean as it came closer to the grand life that is the Sundarbans.

Women and men, young and old, took to the streets. Life met with life, aided by music, drama, and slogans.

Many of those who could not make it to the long march expressed their allegiances in a number of ways. The majority of the life force of the long march was the youth.

Those groups which seek to profit by introducing drugs to this generation, who turn the youth into criminals to expedite their own looting and plundering, and try to make self-centred consumers out of young people, are daunted by the fire of these protesting youth.

The former’s moneychoked eyes and brains refuse to comprehend the urge that harnesses this unstoppable life force.

They fail to understand why people risk lives to join a war of independence. The foundation stone for Rampal that our prime minister laid all those years ago merely worked to reveal our incumbent rulers’ follies in terms of governance.

And this only worked to strengthen popular sentiments against the destruction of the Sundarbans.

The protests on the day of the remote-control foundation of the power plant, the press conference of October 8, 2013, and the country-wide protests on October 9, remained unreported. That is hardly the first time that this happened.

Except for the long march, a number of activities of the

National Committee were ignored.

It’s not that the news didn’t get to them. Some online reportage hinted that news writers had submitted their reports, although later they were not to be found.

Newspapers have their rights to prioritise and take a position.

Readers equally have the right to express their opinion or ask questions.

Some online reportage hinted that news writers had submitted their reports, although later they were not to be found.

Newspapers have their rights to prioritise and take a position. Readers equally have the right to express their opinion or ask questions

Young people saw the problem with Rampal Like others, the press also needs to be accountable, especially outlets that boast large readerships, and this has created expectations.

The massive rally and the historical resistance that violated Section 144 invoked by the government, then allied with Asia Energy (GCM) in Phulbari in 2006, was not covered either.

The company is still floating shares at the London Stock Exchange on the basis of the wealth of coal in northern Bangladesh.

A small percentage of that profit is being distributed locally to support ministers, bureaucrats, consultants, journalists, and one ad agency. A press release of that

company was published without any accompanying assessment or critique.

The news of the resistance against these kinds of conspiracies were, however, not reported.

Newspapers have failed to publish news of the discussions, press releases, events, and actions organised by the National Committee and various experts that engaged with or critiqued the Rampal power plant as it did with the various other contracts regarding offshore gas exploration in the Bay of Bengal with the help of the Production Sharing Contract 2012.

When reading about the long march, many people have,

naturally, raised the question about why the National Committee hadn’t bothered about any of this before.

Our question is, is this all due to the editorial decisions of certain newspapers?

The same way, certain online news agencies seemed reluctant to publish reports on the long march and other resistance-related news.

One can surmise that their editorial position is for the power plant, and that they are interested in garnering public support for it.

They appear unconcerned about the destruction of the Sundarbans. Nor do they seem interested in highlighting the continuing protests despite

MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

people’s interest in them.

Does the news of the arguments, information, and popular demands against the destruction of the Sundarbans, the evil treaties around offshore licensing of the Bay of Bengal, and the coal conspiracies not have any value?

Or is there not adequate room for this kind of reportage? l This article was translated by Nusrat Chowdhury.

Anu Muhammad is Member-Secretary, National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power, and Port. This article previously appeared in alalodulal.org.

14

DT

Opinion

TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2016

The call of the wild We need to change the way we think about wildlife

Let’s show a little more respect to these beautiful animals

n Enayetullah Khan

I

t must sound plain ridiculous to imagine a world without wildlife. Or at least our world, as handed down through generations, over epochs spanning history, or our human memory.

Every civilisation, by and large, or all the ones that forged some lasting significance at least, has accommodated the wild somewhere in its vision.

All too much in the periphery perhaps, so that neutered dogs and caged birds have grown to form part of the repertoire, as ways apparently to love animals.

When really what they portray, is our species’ most base and detestable instincts and compulsions. Pets satisfy our innate hunger to exercise utter authority over another living, breathing entity.

And history is replete with incarnations of men especially, but a fair number of women too, who, if given the chance, have not shied away from such a hold over their fellow human beings. It is the dynamic of power that informs the relationship.

It might be more worthwhile to reconceptualise our entire relationship with the other beings -- comprising animals and plants -distinguished by life on our planet, albeit lived wild.

For all its advantages, it remains subjective to assert that our civilised existence is somehow superior to theirs. We may have

built institutions, but they roamed jungles.

How many are the hearts, grown weary and cynical by the relentless humdrum of human aspiration, that have, at some point, craved the unencumbered freedom, the perfect flight of the seagull, that can only be possible in the wild?

The theme chosen to celebrate World Wildlife Day (March 3) this year was “The future of wildlife is in our hands.” Apart from sounding a bit clumsy and presumptuous, it left you underwhelmed by the limited opportunity it offered to increase our understanding of our fellow Earthlings.

Rather, in a back-handed sort of way that no animal could possibly countenance, it can be construed as an effort to establish dominion over them, and gets mollycoddled in the language of patriarchy, so that, even as we devote our voices to their cause, we fail to acknowledge their rights. Really, there can be no scope for us to look so “kindly” upon animals.

UNEP’s choice of that theme becomes clearer once you contemplate the sheer scale of wildlife crime that is prevalent in almost all parts of the world today.

To be fair to them, UNEP does avoid the nauseating step of sugarcoating the fight against illegal poaching in appeals to an all-too-failing humanity.

Instead, it rightly focuses on the adverse economic, environmental,

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

The model has been honed in the weak states of Africa and parts of Asia. Some of these countries have been forced eventually to adopt specialist rangers to fight environmental crime. Yet there are question marks over the actual remit they are given, once they are out in the jungle.

What is most damning about the power of these syndicates is the free rein they enjoy -- as long as they’ve bagged the local politicians or forest officials.

Even in the cases where public officials are earnest in upholding their duties, their good intentions are liable to come undone in the face of the sophisticated, transnational crime outfits engaged in illegal poaching.

Strong national laws, such as Bangladesh’s own wildlife (Protection and Welfare) Act, 2012 may not always get adequately enforced.

Recently, however, we have seen good results and have forged meaningful alliances to thwart

just present, but rampant.

How else, really, can one explain the unfeasible decline in the Royal Bengal Tigers’ population from 440 in 2004 to the pitiable 106 that was estimated by one of the government’s own agencies following a study using the modern camera-based techniques last year?

Rather shamefully, however, its findings have been subsequently brushed underneath a very heavy carpet.

Lately the word is that the study covered just 31% of the Sundarbans, hence the low figure, and so another survey will be held in October to glean the reality.

It is difficult, however, to remain optimistic about the results being all that different.

But now we owe it to ourselves really, not to view those we share the planet with from the same old paradigm. Not with sympathy, or as Samaritans. We can actually look up to them to enrich ourselves.

Experts opine that illegal poaching in the country’s forests, especially the Sundarbans, is not just present, but rampant. How else really, can one explain the unfeasible decline in the Royal Bengal Tigers’ population from 440 in 2004 to the pitiable 106 that was estimated by one of the government’s own agencies

and social consequences of the illegal wildlife trade that is estimated at more than $100 billion a year.

Other forest crimes, mainly illegal logging, are estimated at between $30-100bn annually.

A black market is central to keeping the trade lucrative, a criminal industry with high margins that has allowed it to finance criminal, militia, and terrorist groups. Forget about cruelty to animals.

International poaching syndicates are also notorious for cultivating pools of local politicians through systematic bribing regimes and other favours that compromise their commitment to public service, in order to “watch their backs.”

So whenever some illegal operation is apprehended by law enforcers, they have people in the right places to get them out of trouble. Although even that is rare.

environmental crime.

The case of the 10 Asian nations who formed an alliance against the illegal timber trade centred in South-East Asia is a case in point, where hundreds of millions of dollars have been recouped through fines, penalties, or recovery of stolen goods.

Even then, the number of years it took for such a sensible path to be finally taken tells you something.

It is what helps to explain the failure to prosecute a single individual till now, for any crime against animals or the environment in the courts of Bangladesh.

One has heard stories of Forest Department officials running out of the room to stash cash payments in their houses.

Experts opine that illegal poaching in the country’s forests, especially the Sundarbans, is not

Maybe learn how they achieve the equilibrium of co-existence that they do with other species in any ecosystem they inhabit, in the midst of diverse populations.

One may be hunter and the other prey, but it is almost unheard of for any animal to be driven into extinction, even locally, purely by the preponderance of being on the wrong side of that equation.

It is easy to think of animals as dumb, and sure enough, they have never developed anything even remotely comparable to the sophistication of human communication.

Yet they are ancient repositories of wisdom, and if we just open our minds to the possibility, there is no telling what we may end up discovering. l Enayetullah Khan, Editor-in-Chief, UNB, Dhaka Courier, and Founder Chairman, WildTeam.

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TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2016

INSIDE REVENUE SHORTFALL DURING JULY-FEB OF FY13-16 (TK CRORE) 120000

104,165

100000 80000 60000

82,946 65,621

90,654

79,979

62,508

40000 20000 0

Target

2013-14

Collection

Shortfall

2014-15

Source: NBR

2015-16

NBR continues to perform poorly in revenue collection The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has continued to perform poorly in revenue collection as it, for the eighth consecutive month, has once again missed to attain its revenue collection target. PAGE 16

BoJ scrambles to find positives in negative rates Bank of Japan (BOJ) officials have been scurrying to commercial banks to explain and apologize for its surprise adoption of negative interest rates in January, while Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has distanced himself from a decision that is proving unpopular with the public. PAGE 17

Brexit and Britain: What would it mean for UK trade?

The stakes will be high for Britain’s historic role as a free-trading nation when it holds a referendum on whether to stay in the European Union on June 23. PAGE 18

Capital market snapshot: Monday DSE Broad Index

4,467.6

-0.3% ▼

Index

1,085.4

-0.2% ▼

30 Index

1,712.5

-0.5% ▼

Turnover in Mn Tk

3,367.5

-8.4% ▼

Turnover in Mn Vol

103.7

3.3% ▲

All Share Index 13,787.4

-0.2% ▼

30 Index

12,504.7

-0.4% ▼

CSE

Selected Index

8,377.5

-0.2% ▼

Turnover in Mn Tk

247.6

-6.8% ▼

Turnover in Mn Vol

9.8

6.8% ▲

STRANDED CARS AT MONGLA PORT

DGFI recommends inter-ministerial body to find solution Showkat Kallol and n Asif Syed Samiul Basher Anik The Directorate General of Forces Intelligence has recommended forming an inter-ministerial committee to facilitate the release of more than 2,000 imported reconditioned vehicles that have remained stranded at Mongla Sea Port for last few years.

The committee will work on the basis of recommendation from business community which demands “a rational depreciation rate and relaxed duty payment procedure” for speedy release of the cars.

The committee will work to implement joint decision by finance, commerce, and shipping ministries so the cars could get released by the four months time ending on 24 April, the DGFI said at a report.

The report blamed inefficiency of the authorities concerned for failure in dissolving the matter despite several initiatives.

The government allowed import of reconditioned vehicles from Japan since 2009 through Mongla port to reduce pressure on Chittagong port.

But a huge number of cars were not released from the port due to duty related complexities and lack of coordination between finance ministry and commerce ministry.

The price of the reconditioned vehicles becomes higher than the brand new cars due to import duty hike on reconditioned vehicles in the FY2012-13. It caused the number of cars releasing from port to decline.

It also blamed lack of coordination between shipping ministry, commerce ministry and the NBR. In 2013, commerce ministry banned import of vehicles of more than five years and thus many

Hundreds of reconditioned cars remain unreleased at the Mongla port for last few years cars, which were under import procedure, got stuck at the port.

Many of the importers failed to pay additional port fee and the duties to release their cars. Many of them failed to repay bank loans and became loan defaulters. The report said the authorities also failed to hold auction of the vehicles.

“As the cars were not released for long, the port authority on December 14, 2014 started auction process for 364 vehicles, but failed to get expected level of buyers due to additional duty and because of indirect lobby by importers to foil the auction,” the report stated.

Although Bangladesh Reconditioned Vehicle Importers and Dealers Association (BARVIDA), Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) and finance ministry took initiatives to ease the duty procedure and release the cars, but failed.

Later, the Prime Minister’s Office took an initiative to resolve the dispute by giving the cars to law enforcement agencies.

However, BARVIDA was later given four months from December 24 last year to get the cars released.

Currently, there are a number of 2,079 vehicles, worth around Tk300 crore, stranded at the port due to valuation complexities and unauthorised import of more than five-year old cars.

Among them, a total of around 1,000 units of reconditioned cars, imported between 2009 and 2013, remain unreleased due to complexities in customs valuation.

Another 512 unit of cars are five-year old and were imported violating import policy. The rest of the cars could not be released because of then politically turbulent situation, BARVIDA said.

Biman flight to Delhi from April n Tribune Business Desk Biman Bangladesh Airlines will introduce much-desired direct flights on Dhaka-Delhi route from next month.

The national flag carrier will also look into the possibility of introducing flights on the Dhaka-Guwahati route.

The issues came up for discussion when Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka Harsh Vardhan Shringla met Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister

Rashed Khan Menon at the latter’s Secretariat office yesterday.

Currently, Biman operates direct flights only on Dhaka-Kolkata route between the two countries.

The both sides discussed in details the introduction of Dhaka-Delhi flights, said a Ministry press release.

Shringla drew the minister’s attention to launch flights on Dhaka-Guwahati route. In response, Menon assured him of taking initiatives in this regard. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

It said the importers were yet to get any concrete decision from the NBR about the stranded cars. “We are ready to release the cars if the government gives us a 95% depreciation facility or fix a duty slab of Tk2 lakh each for the release of around 1,000 units of imported vehicles,” said BARVIDA President Abdul Hamid Sharif.

He urged the government to implement the July 2014 PMO order which instructed commerce and shipping ministries and the NBR to take necessary measures on releasing the vehicles.

“The cars could be released only if the demand was met exempting of all other taxes and duties,” Abdul Hamid said.

On October 7 last year, PMO decided to hand over all the piled up cars at Mongla Port to Bangladesh Police by December 31 to enhance the strength of the force. l

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NBR continues to perform poorly in revenue collection n

Tribune Report

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has continued to perform poorly in revenue collection as it, for the eighth consecutive month, has once again missed to attain its revenue collection target.

From July to February of fiscal year for 2015-16, the revenue shortfall stood at Tk13,511 crore from Tk11,200 crore achieved in January.

However, the collection posted a growth rate of 13.55% in the eight months compared to the same period of last the fiscal year.

Although the board has been witnessing an upward average growth trend in revenue collection, it has mobilised only Tk90,654 crore in the July-February period against the target of Tk1,04,165 crore, the provisional data shows.

All three wings-income tax, value added tax and customs-have failed to reach their respective targets. Income tax wing missed the target by the largest amount

REVENUE SHORTFALL DURING JULY-FEB OF FY13-16 (TK CRORE) 120000

104,165

100000 80000 60000

82,946 65,621

79,979

62,508

40000 20000 0

Target

Collection

2013-14

compared to the other two wings, which is Tk6,243 crore, followed by VAT wing of Tk5,895 crore and customs wing of Tk1,372 crore.

According to NBR officials, the government earlier used to fix the higher revenue targets in the last six months of any fiscal year. But from this fiscal, the monthly aver-

Stocks decline amid dull trading n Tribune Report Stocks closed lower marginally amid dull trading yesterday as late profit booking sell-off cut early gains.

The market opened positive in the morning but continued to slip as the day wore out.

The benchmark index DSEX lost 12 points or 0.3% to close at 4,467, after dropping 4 points in previous session.

The Shariah index DSES was marginally down over 1 point to 1,085. The blue chip comprising index DS30 shed 9 points to 1,712.

The Chittagong Stock Exchange Selective Category Index CSCX ended at 8,377 with a fall of 19 points.

Trading activities declined further as the DSE total turnover stood at Tk340 crore, down more than 8% over previous session’s value. Pharmaceuticals continued to dominated the turnover, accounting for 17.4% of the day’s total trade value.

All the large cap sectors posted suffered losses except engineering, insurance and pharmaceuticals, which edged higher.

After slight rise in previous session, heavyweight telecommuni-

90,654

cation sector was the worst loser, led by Grameenphone that was 1% down.

Other sectors, including power, non-banking financial institutions, banks and food & allied ended in the negative territory.

Lanka Bangla Securities said: “Following the volatility seen in the previous session, stocks have trimmed some gains of previous week.”

Few stocks managed to move up as investors are focusing on bottom-up approach, it said adding that Bangladesh Bank money hacking scam and losses in forex reserve to local currency appreciation made stock market more edgy.

Shares of 388 companies were traded on the day. Of these, 143 companies closed positive, 119 negative while 46 remained unchanged.

Aman Feed continued to become top market leader for the third straight sessions with shares worth Tk20 crore changing hands.

It was followed by Keya Cosmetics, Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company Limited, Orion Pharma, Summit Purbanchol Power Company Limited and Beximco Pharmaceuticals. l

Shortfall

2014-15

Source: NBR

2015-16

age revenue targets were fixed for 12 months equally and this could have led to the missing of the preset targets.

Officials attributed the shortfall in target to sluggish overall economic activities, poor performance by large businesses and fall in consumption by consumers.

The NBR is assigned to mobilise Tk176,371 crore in the current fiscal year with a 29% growth from last fiscal. The average growth rate of revenue collection was 17.28% in last five years.

According to NBR officials, the revenue collection gets momentum in the last few months of the fiscal year as implementation of the government’s Annual Development Plan is held during the period.

The NBR hopes that the revenue collection achievement will be easier if progress of Annual Development Programme (ADP) implementation becomes satisfactory, export income rises, import flow increases and the investment in the country sees a further growth.

NBR has taken up a number of initiatives including resolving pending cases through Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), expansion of the tax base by identifying growth centres through partnership with stakeholders and through the ongoing tax survey. l

Maisha Group gets licence for economic zone n Tribune Report Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority awarded a prequalification licence to Maisha Group, a property developer, to build an economic zone in Keraniganj near the capital Dhaka.

BEZA Executive Chairman Paban Chowdhury yesterday handed over the licence to Arisha Private Economic Zone (APEZ) Managing Director Aslamul Haque.

This will be the seventh private sector economic zone in the country.

Although the APEZ will primarily be developed in 50.81 acres of land in Washpur mouza of Keraniganj and Shyamlapur mouza of Savar, the developers have a plan to extend the land of economic zone to 200 acres gradually, said Aslamul Haque, also a Member in the Parliament.

The economic zone will have industrial plots of around 200 industries and is expected to employ at least 40,000 people in next eight years.

The zone will consist of a container terminal with jetty, a wellequipped fire station and security arrangements, a 5-star hotel with helipad and a modern effluent treatment plant.

A power plant of 324MW has also been constructed for the project.

“The economic zone will be a green private economic zone and will not pollute environment,” said APEZ managing director. “While the APEZ has a target to bring 100% foreign investment, there will be ready-made garment and medical equipment manufacturing plants,” APEZ managing director said.

The APEZ is expecting to sign a $90m investment deal with a UKbased company this month. When the zone will be ready for use, it expects to see a $7-8bn investment.

Officials said investors from Russia, India, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and European Union countries have already showed their interest to invest in the zone.

BEZA Executive Chairman Paban Chowdhury said the Authority finalised locations for 59 economic zones in last 16 months.

“Prime minister has already inaugurated development activities of 10 economic zones while 10 more are expected to be inaugurated by the end of this year,” he said.

The construction of 10 economic zones is in progress now and studies on 22 proposed locations are being carried out, Paban Chowdhury said. l

Cargo ban a threat to $3.2bn export to UK n Tribune Report Business Initiative Leading Development (BUILD) has stated that the ban on direct air cargo shipment to the United Kingdom (UK) is posing a looming threat to export of Bangladesh amounting $3.2 billion to the UK. “If Bangladeshi exporters need to ship their products via other possible routes, it will increase the overall cost of doing business which will make the export market more competitive,” it said.

The public private dialogue platform BUILD has also urged the government to maintain the deadline imposed by the country to help country’s businesses.

The platform yesterday came up with the apprehension in a statement signed by its Chief Executive Officer Ferdous Ara. The UK government, in favor of European Union (EU), recently banned direct air cargo flights from Dhaka to UK on the plea that Bangladesh is not able to meet international security requirements.

This ban announcement came on the basis of short-mid-long term requirements need for restructuring the airport security system and cargo of Bangladesh, the statement said.

The inspecting authority of the UK agreed that 70% of the security requirements are fulfilled by the existing system and further more technical and non-technical issues has to be fulfilled by the time line of March 31, 2016.

“RMG sector is already struggling hard to face the steep global competition, this new barrier will be an additional burden which will be very hard for the business entrepreneur to sustain,” said BUILD Chairman Asif Ibrahim in the statement.

“In order to afford competitiveness, the government is requested to maintain the time line imposed by the EU which would definitely be an arduous job, at the same time on behalf of the private sector we urge upon to extend the time limit to allow Bangladesh to upgrade its standard and quality up to the international level,” he added.

The UK government on March 8 imposed the temporary ban on direct air cargo shipment from Dhaka to London, citing security issues while Australia came up with the same move in December last year.

Biman Bangladesh Airlines carries cargo directly to London with its four weekly passenger flights. Each flights to the UK carries an average of 25 tonnes of cargo, mostly apparels, vegetables and agricultural products.

The total export and import volume between Bangladesh and UK during the year 2014-15 was US$3205.45 million and $330.72 million respectively. l

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Bank of Japan scrambles to find positives in negative rates n Reuters, Tokyo Bank of Japan (BOJ) officials have been scurrying to commercial banks to explain and apologize for its surprise adoption of negative interest rates in January, while Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has distanced himself from a decision that is proving unpopular with the public.

Some officials close to the premier say it could cause a rift in his once close relationship with BOJ Governor Haruhiko Kuroda, whose radical stimulus measures have so far failed to lift Japan clear of two decades of deflation and stagnation.

A government press relations official said there was nothing to add beyond remarks made publicly by Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga that no such rift exists. A BOJ spokesman declined to comment.

With the economy shrinking again and prices flat, Abe has already announced he will set up a panel to consider fresh budget spending to provide the stimulus that monetary policy has struggled to achieve.

The controversy over the negative rates move, which unlike his previous eye-catching policy steps was not welcomed by Japan’s stock market, comes even as Kuroda is on the verge of gaining greater control of the bank’s nine-member board. Two skeptics of his stimulus program are stepping down in the coming months.

The diminishing returns from his preferred modus operandi of market-shocking measures will leave him little option but to revert to the drip-feed easing he derided

A businessman cycles past the Bank of Japan (BOJ) headquarters in Tokyo, Japan in his predecessor Masaaki Shirakawa if inflation fails to pick up, some analysts say.

“Given the confusion caused by the January move, I don’t think the BOJ will be able to cut rates again for the time being,” said Hideo Kumano, a former BOJ official who is now chief economist at Dai-ichi Life Research Institute.

“The BOJ may instead expand asset purchases in small installments.

That would be returning to the incremental approach of easing Kuroda dismissed in the past as ineffective.”

Tabloid warnings

Mandated by Abe to transform the risk-shy BOJ, Kuroda delight-

ed markets and silenced skeptics within the bank by deploying a massive money-printing program, dubbed “quantitative and qualitative easing” (QQE), in April 2013.

The Tokyo stock market soared and the yen tumbled, giving exporters a boost, and Japanese growth and inflation registered a pulse.

He struck again in October 2014 with a big expansion of QQE, though the market boost was smaller, price rises were already moderating and the economy was taking a step back for every step forward.

But the late-January rates decision failed to reverse a rise in risk-aversion that was hitting

REUTERS

stocks and forcing up the yen, traditionally a safe haven in times of market stress.

Bank shares fell sharply.

Like Shirakawa, who faced frequent grilling by lawmakers for doing too little too late to beat deflation, Kuroda is now summoned to parliament almost daily. Opposition lawmakers brand negative rates a policy failure that confused, rather than calmed, jittery financial markets.

Tabloids warned people to defend their deposits from the risk of a bank run, while talk shows ran features on the threat to family savings.

Abe, who used to praise Kuro-

da’s BOJ for taking bold steps to eradicate deflation, distanced himself from the policy, telling parliament on March 7 that the decision was “of the bank’s own making”.

Masahiko Shibayama, an adviser to Abe, said there had been “quite a bit of confusion” in markets.

“I hope the BOJ calmly analyses the impact negative interest rates have had, which should feed into their decision about the next steps to take,” he told Reuters this month, signaling the administration’s distaste for further cuts.

Sources told Reuters the BOJ was set to discuss exempting some funds from the negative rates, after the securities industry warned that investment money would be driven into bank deposits, which would not help Abe’s hopes of getting cash put to more productive use to boost the economy.

Apologies

Except for an elite handful, even BOJ officials were left in the dark about the January decision.

Many officials are now being kept busy defending the policy to lawmakers and private banks furious that Kuroda deployed the “shock and awe” tactic just days after denying such a move was a possibility.

Top BOJ executives are visiting the big banks to brief them on negative rates, a reversal of the normal course of events, which would usually see private bankers visiting BOJ headquarters, say officials with direct knowledge of the matter. l

Asian markets rally ahead of key central bank meetings n AFP, Tokyo Markets across Asia rose yesterday as investors focus on a string of key central bank meetings, and after the new head of China’s new market regulator hinted at more action to support volatile mainland bourses.

The Bank of Japan started a twoday meeting yesterday, while the Federal Reserve and Bank of England also gather this week.

Markets are keen to see if Japanese policymakers unleash fresh stimulus, after launching a widely-panned negative interest rate policy in January, while the Fed talks will be watched for clues about a possible timeline for more rate hikes.

The meetings come after the Eu-

ropean Central Bank last week cut rates and boosted its bond-buying in a bid to kickstart the tepid eurozone economy.

“Central banks are going to be dominating market sentiment,” Matthew Sherwood, head of investment strategy at Perpetual Ltd in Sydney, told Bloomberg News.

“That could be enough for the risk rally to continue, but I think it is starting to run out of steam.

“The Fed is going to be front and centre” this week, he said.

Tokyo’s benchmark Nikkei 225 index finished 1.74% higher, Sydney gained 0.37%, Seoul edged up 0.04 percent, while Singapore, Wellington, Manila, Jakarta and Taiwan were also higher.

Hong Kong rose 1.18% in after-

noon trade and Shanghai tacked on 2.33%, despite more evidence of a slowdown in China’s economy - the world’s second-largest and a key driver of global growth.

In the first two months of the year, output at China’s factories, workshops and mines was the weakest since the global financial crisis, official figures showed Saturday.

But Chinese shares got a lift yesterady after the new head of China’s stock-market regulator said at the weekend that the state would intervene “if the market is not working properly at all or continues to fall”.

“It will be too early to talk about withdrawing” state support for stocks “for rather a long time into the future”, Liu Shiyu said.

‘Delicate time’

Japanese shares got a boost after a rare bit of good news for the world’s number three economy.

Machinery orders - a key leading indicator for the economy - jumped 15% on a monthly basis in January.

The upbeat data could affect the Bank of Japan’s decision on whether or not to usher in new stimulus after it wraps up its meeting today.

In January, Japan’s central bank shocked markets with an unprecedented move to negative interest rates but that was widely panned as a desperate attempt to prop up Tokyo’s faltering bid to kickstart growth.

“It is a delicate time in global markets as we witness a potentially significant change in major central bank dynamics,” Angus Nicholson, a market analyst at IG in Mel-

bourne, wrote in a commentary.

“In the short term there is a high likelihood that the Fed may choose a significantly more hawkish tone this week as they want markets to be awake to the potential for another rate rise.”

Market sentiment also got a boost as an International Energy Agency report late last week said falling oil prices “might have bottomed out”.

But oil dipped in Asia Monday on profit-taking following last week’s rise and Iran’s move not to join a proposed output freeze by crude producers.

US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for delivery in April was down 21 cents to $38.29 and Brent crude for May was down four cents at $40.35. l

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TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2016

Brexit and Britain: What would it mean for UK trade? n Reuters, London The stakes will be high for Britain’s historic role as a free-trading nation when it holds a referendum on whether to stay in the European Union on June 23.

There is no precedent for an economy as big as Britain’s leaving a trade bloc, and the rival campaigns paint contrasting pictures of what quitting the EU might mean for its trade.

Below are some of the main issues around the potential risks or benefits for British trade of a socalled Brexit--

Trade with EU - how much risk?

Britain’s most important trade partnership is with the EU’s single market, the world’s biggest trade area.

Campaigners seeking to keep Britain in the EU say it would be in a weak negotiating position if it left and then sought to hammer out a trade agreement with its former partners, something many “out” campaigners say they want. Government figures show 12.6% of Britain’s economic output is linked to exports to the EU’s 27 other members, for whom only 3.1% of output is linked

Oil back below $40

to exports to Britain. Pascal Lamy, a former head of the World Trade Organisation, said a post-Brexit Britain would probably have to resort to raising its import tariffs on EU and other countries’ goods or restricting access to its market in services in order to gain some muscle for trade talks that could last as long as a decade. “Britain would have to say, ‘Sorry, consumers, but you have to pay more’. It’s just crazy,” said Lamy, an ex-EU trade chief.

In return for a trade deal, the EU would want Britain to make contributions into its budget and to keep on allowing EU citizens to work on its soil -- two big concerns for the Brexit camp. It could also face a long battle to ensure its banking industry did not face hurdles doing business in Europe. “Out” campaigners say the EU would probably be reluctant to reward a breakaway Britain with a trade deal but would not want to impede its firms from selling into the world’s fifth-biggest economy by raising tariffs or imposing tough new regulations. They say the boot would even be on Britain’s foot because, in value terms, EU exports of goods and services to Britain were worth £289bn in 2014, substantial-

ly more than Britain’s £230bn of exports the other way. “Commercial imperatives are very powerful, much more powerful than politicians,” William Dartmouth, deputy chairman of the UK Independence Party (UKIP), said. If a deal could not be reached and WTO-compliant tariffs were imposed on trade between Britain and the EU, they would be low enough not to impede business, Dartmouth predicted.

Tariffs agreed by the EU with the WTO for imports from countries outside the bloc stand at below 5% on over a third of factory goods but have been abolished on about 30% more; the EU has a nearly 10% tariff on cars, a big British export. A breakaway Britain would also need to renegotiate its WTO membership terms with all WTO members, including some with which Britain has frosty relations such as Russia and Argentina.

Trade with rest of world

The Brexit camp says the EU moves too slowly on trade and Britain on its own would strike deals more quickly. The big prizes would be agreements with heavyweights such as the US, India and China,

none of which have full trade pact with the EU to date. But others warn that Britain, with a population of 60m people, would go into talks in a weaker position on its own than as part of the 500m strong EU. “It’s not a question of being smart or not. At the end of the day it depends on how much clout you have,” said Arancha Gonzalez, head of the International Trade Centre, a joint agency of the UN and the WTO. A 2013 trade deal between Switzerland and China, which some Brexit supporters say shows what Britain might achieve on its own, got rid of tariffs on 99.8% of Chinese exports to Switzerland immediately compared with 77.3% of Swiss exports to China, rising to nearly 90% by 2028.

Fredrik Erixon, at think tank ECIPE in Brussels, said a UK-China deal could provide big gains for British exporters and investors but might come at the cost of Britain providing China with privileged status as an investor or more political support. Simon Evenett, a trade professor at St Gallen University in Switzerland, said Britain might be able to do a deal quickly with Brazil because it does not share the con-

cerns of other EU countries about Brazil’s ambitions to export more farm goods. But he said India could repeat a demand it made in trade talks with the EU -- namely that more of its skilled workers be given work visas, touching on a sensitive issue for many Brexit supporters for whom high levels of immigration are a concern. As for the US, its top trade official said last year Washington’s focus was on deals with regional groups not individual nations. And as well as seeking to open up new markets, a post-Brexit Britain would face the challenge of regaining the preferential trade access it currently has with over 50 countries under EU deals, ranging from Mexico to Egypt and Ukraine.

Who will negotiate for Britain?

The European Commission has exclusive competence to forge trade deals on behalf of the bloc. If Britain left, it would have to create its own negotiating team able to handle the wide range of complex issues immediately on the agenda.

Only a few of the 55 British officials in the European Commission’s trade department actually work on trade deals. l

CORPORATE NEWS

n Reuters, London Oil fell yesterday after Iran dashed hopes of a coordinated production freeze any time soon, returning bearish sentiment to the market over a supply glut that has sent prices crashing.

Global benchmark Brent crude futures fell back below $40 a barrel, trading at $39.70 at 1128 GMT, down 69 cents or 1.7% on Friday’s close. Brent hit a 12-year low of $27.10 in January.

US crude was down 82 cents at $37.68 a barrel.

“Oil is down because Iran said they would only join the output freeze group once they reached production of 4 million barrels a day (bpd),” said Tamas Varga, oil analyst at London brokerage PVM Oil Associates.

Iran’s oil exports are due to reach 2 million bpd in the Iranian month that ends on March 19, up from 1.75m in the previous month, oil minister Bijan Zanganeh said on Sunday.

Zanganeh poured cold water on hopes for a quick deal on freezing production, saying the OPEC member would join discussions only once its own output reached 4m bpd. Zanganeh is to meet his Russian counterpart Alexander Novak in Tehran on Monday, say agencies.

Saudi Arabia appeared to have stuck to a preliminary deal with some other producers to freeze output, as its crude production held steady in February at 10.22m bpd, said an industry source. l

Bangladesh Krishi Bank has recently launched its surveillance activities to strengthen security of the bank. The bank’s chairperson, Mohammad Ismail and managing director, MA Yousoof inaugurated the new surveillance system, said a press release

Bangladesh Development Bank Limited has recently opened its 37th branch at Townhall Road, Habiganj. The bank’s chairperson, Md Yeasin Ali presided over the inauguration ceremony, said a press release

AFC Health Limited (AFCH) and Cancer Treatment Services International (CTSI) have recently announced a partnership to set up a cancer hospital, said a press release. AFC Health will own and operate the hospital in collaboration with American Oncology Institute (AOI), a subsidiary of CTSI. President and CEO of CTSI, Joseph A Nicholas and director (operations) of AFC Health, Saidul Amin have signed the agreement

Daraz.com.bd, an online shopping platform has recently signed an agreement with Reckitt Benckiser (RB) Bangladesh Ltd for viewing product portfolio of RB at Daraz website, said a press release. Managing director of Daraz Bangladesh Ltd, Benjamin de Fouchier and sales director of RB, Kazi Arif Zaman were present at the signing ceremony

| contest |

Twelve winners selected at Paper Studio’s Conqueror Corporate Identity Design Contest

Twelve graphic designers’ works were awarded by the jury of the Conqueror Corporate Identity Design Contest, organised by Paper Studio, as the second season of the contest came to an end.

Artist Khaled Mahmud, Architect Salauddin Ahmed, Graphic Designer Laura Bonapace, Graphic Designer Yusuf Hassan, Corporate Identity visionary Iftekhar A. Khan, Print specialist

and photographer Arifur Rahman Munir, Cultural Activist and Advertising Industry leader Aly Zaker together formed the seven member jury council. “[The designs] will be key influencers and knowledge disseminators in raising the overall aesthetic standards of visual corporate and brand identity communication in Bangladesh in the coming years,” a representative said.

The award winning works are now being displayed in an exhibition at EDGE Gallery, Bay’s Edgewater.

Farzeen K. Chowdhury, Director, Paper Studio and host of this exceptional exhibition believes “This contest created a pure and prestigious platform for both creative design students and professionals in Bangladesh to demonstrate their talent in corporate identity design. At the same time it has inspired them to challenge their own abilities and work according to global standards.”

Paper Studio declared open Conqueror Corporate Identity Design Contest, 2015 last May. This declaration was preceded by a corporate identity design seminar conducted by Artist Khaled Mahmud and Christophe Balaresque, Luxury Brands and Marketing Director, Arjowiggins Creative Papers, UK. The contest was open to all and stretched for a period of 23 days. The theme of Conqueror Corporate Identity Design Contest 2015 was set as ‘Shashwata Bangla’. l

19

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Biz Info

TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2016

| talk |

Seminar on women’s rights: myth or reality

On March 9, UNESCO Club, BRAC University, Dhaka organised a seminar titled “Women Rights: Myth or Reality” at BRAC University.

This seminar was about women around the world whose immense struggle and patience has led this generation to salute them. The seminar was based on the condition of women around the world in this age of development and success, followed by the celebration of International Women’s Day. The seminar was arranged according to the theme

by UNESCO Club, BRAC University, Dhaka and with the collaboration of members from all departments of the club.

The honorable chief guest of the program was Barrister Sara Hossain, executive director, BLAST, following the other guest speakers were Professor K Shamsuddin Mahmood, dean, School of Law, BRAC University; Professor Firdous Azim, chairperson, department of

English and Humanities, BRAC University and Dr Rifat Mahbub, assistant professor, Department of English and Humanities, BRAC University.

This program was the very first initiative to initiate their “Campaign for Gender Equality”

by UNESCO Club, BRAC University, Dhaka to promote women’s rights, gender equality, access to justice for women as well as to raise voices against violence against women. l

| book release |

| operation |

Spiders and Other Stories launched at BRAC University

Apollo Hospital conducts landmark surgery in Dhaka

UK-based Bangladeshi author Saleha Chowdhury’s Spiders and Other Stories, a book of translation of her own work, was launched on Thursday at BRAC University.

Chowdhury is a winner of Bangla Academy Probashi Sahitya Puruskar (2012), Anannya Sahitya Puruskar (2009) and Ashraf Siddiqui Gold Medal (2008).

The anthology, edited by Dr Niaz Zaman and published by writers.ink, comprises of English translations of fourteen Bengali short stories by Chowdhury. The stories have been translated by Dr Niaz Zaman, Shahruk Rahman,

Jackie Kabir, Masrufa Ayesha Nusrat, Sabreena Ahmed and the author herself.

Professor Firdous Azim, chairperson of Department of English and Humanities at BRAC University delivered the welcome address at the launching ceremony. Professor Syed Manzoorul Islam from the Department of English at the University of Dhaka and writer Selina Hossain discussed the book at the ceremony. The event also included readings from the book by the students. l The first-ever bone marrow transplant in the history of private hospitals in Bangaldesh was carried out at Apollo Hospital Dhaka on Saturday.

Dr Abu Jafar Mohammed Saleh, consultant, Adult Haematology and Haematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant and his team successfully conducted the first-ever autologous stem cell transplantation, without any external support.

“Autologous transplants, which involves using the person’s own stem cells to replace stem

cells damaged by chemotherapy, is an essential component of treatment for various haematological conditions, such as multiple myeloma, lymphoma and some forms of leukaemia,” says Dr Saleh.

Along with his team, Dr Saleh treated a 71-year-old male patient who has been suffering from multiple myeloma for nine months.

Having spent ten years at King Faisal Special Hospital and Research Centre in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and having had

conducted more than a thousand bone marrow transplants; Dr Saleh has extensive handson experience in all aspects of bone marrow transplant such as clinical management, transfusion medicine and stem cell processing.

The haematology and bone marrow transplant centre at Apollo Hospitals Dhaka is the only center in Bangladesh that provides comprehensive haematology-oncological services which includes Therapeutic Plasma Exchange, stem cell apheresis and different blood cell apheresis.

“I am very happy that we did this procedure successfully.” said Dr Saleh “Until now, many patients with blood disorders such as leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma, have been going abroad for treatment. However, as of today, we have 18 patients registered with us for bone marrow transplantation, most of whom were originally planning to go abroad. This is because, at Apollo Hospitals Dhaka, we believe that people need not suffer the worry and the expenses in going abroad for treatment, when international standard treatment is available here.”l

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20

TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2016

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Brief (5) 4 Dove’s call (3) 6 Eastern ruler (4) 8 Vast sea (5) 9 Fish (4) 11 Musical instrument (4) 12 Upright (5) 15 Advantage (5) 18 Plant used in cookery (4) 20 Consumer (4) 21 Letting contract (5) 22 Starchy foodstuff (4) 23 Kitchen utensil (3) 24 Handle in action (5)

DOWN 1 Tally (5) 2 Abnormally fat (5) 3 Dogma (5) 4 Crustacean (4) 5 S-shaped moulding (4) 7 Worshipped images (5) 10 Innermost part (4) 13 Regrets (4) 14 Hooded serpent (5) 15 Permit (5) 16 Gap (5) 17 Tendency (5) 18 Protuberance (4) 19 Repose (4)

Downtime CODE-CRACKER How to solve: Each number in our CODECRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 15 represents O so fill O every time the figure 15 appears.

You have two letters in the control grid to start you off. Enter them in the appropriate squares in the main grid, then use your knowledge of words to work out which letters go in the missing squares.

Some letters of the alphabet may not be used.

As you get the letters, fill in the other squares with the same number in the main grid, and the control grid. Check off the list of alphabetical letters as you identify them.

A B C DE FG H I J K L MN O P Q RST UVWXYZ

CALVIN AND HOBBES

SUDOKU How to solve: Fill in the blank spaces with the numbers 1 – 9. Every row, column and 3 x 3 box must contain all nine digits with no number repeating.

PEANUTS

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS CODE-CRACKER

CROSSWORD

DILBERT

SUDOKU

DT

World 21

TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2016

INSIDE

Kurdish militants blamed for Ankara attacks, jets hit Iraqi Kurd camps Facebook, Google, WhatsApp plan to increase encryption of user data Tech giants including Facebook, Google. Whatsapp and Snapchat – are working on their own increased privacy technology. The Guardian has reported on Monday.

PAGE 22

Record Brazil protests put Dilma’s future in doubt Hundreds of thousands of Brazilians flooded the streets on Sunday in the biggest ever protests calling for President Dilma Rousseff ’s removal, reflecting rising popular anger that could encourage Congress to impeach the leftist leader.

PAGE 23

Right-wing AfD shakes up German political landscape The success of the anti-migrant AfD marks a turning point for Germany’s usually stable and consensus-driven politics -- the rise of right-wing populists at the expense of old mainstream parties.

PAGE 24

n Reuters, Ankara Turkish warplanes struck against Kurdish militant camps in northern Iraq on Monday after 37 people were killed in an Ankara car bombing that security officials said involved a female fighter of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

Sunday’s attack, tearing through a crowded transport hub a few hundred metres from the justice and interior ministries, was the second such strike at the administrative heart of the Turkish capital in under a month.

Security officials said a female member of the outlawed PKK, which has fought a three-decade insurgency for Kurdish autonomy in Turkey’s southeast, was one of two suspected perpetrators. A police source said her severed hand had been found 300 metres from the blast site.

Evidence had been obtained that suggested she was born in 1992, was from the eastern city of Kars near the Armenian border, and had joined the militant group in 2013, they said.

Violence has spiralled in Turkey’s predominantly Kurdish southeast since a two-and-halfyear ceasefire with the PKK collapsed in July. The militants have so far largely focused their strikes on security forces in southeastern towns, many of which have been under curfew.

But attacks in Ankara and in Istanbul over the last year, and the activity of Dae’sh as well as Kurdish fighters, have raised concerns among Nato allies who see Turkey’s stability as vital to containing violence in neighbouring Syria and Iraq. President Tayyip Erdogan is also eager to dispel any notion he is struggling to maintain security.

“With the power of our state and wisdom of our people, we will dig up the roots of this terror network which targets our unity and peace,” Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Twitter.

The Turkish military said 11 warplanes carried out air strikes on 18 targets in northern Iraq early on Monday, including ammunition depots and shelters. The PKK has its bases in the mountains of northern Iraq, controlling operations across the frontier in Turkey.

Victims of Sunday’s attack included the father of Umut Bulut, a footballer who plays for Turkey and Galatasaray, the Istanbul club said on its website.

Emergency workers work at the explosion site in Ankara on Sunday

War in Syria

Turkey’s government sees the unrest in its southeast as closely tied to the war in Syria, where a Kurdish militia has seized territory along the Turkish border as it battles Islamic State militants and rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad.

Ankara fears those gains are stoking Kurdish separatist ambitions at home and says Syrian Kurdish fighters share deep ideological and operational ties with the PKK. They also complicate relations with the US which, while deeming the PKK to be a terrorist group, sees the Syrian Kurds as an important ally in battling Dae’sh. Such is the complexity and sensitivity of

alliances in the region.

The explosives were the same kind as those used in the February 17 attack that killed 29 people, mostly soldiers, and the bomb had been packed with pellets and nails to cause maximum injury and damage, the source told Reuters.

The attack is the third in five months to hit Ankara, a government town dominated by ministries, parliament, embassies and the sprawling armed forces headquarters compounds. More than 100 people were killed in a double suicide bombing in October that has been blamed on Dae’sh.

Turkey is part of the US-led coalition fighting Dae’sh in Syria and Iraq. The militant group has been blamed for at least four bomb at-

REUTERS

tacks on Turkey since June 2015, including the killing of 10 German tourists in Istanbul in January. Local jihadist groups and leftist radicals have also staged attacks.

The German foreign ministry issued a travel warning for Turkey of potential terrorist attacks.

In its armed campaign, the PKK has historically struck directly at the security forces and says it does not target civilians. A direct claim of responsibility for Sunday’s bombing would indicate a major tactical shift.

The Kurdistan Freedom Hawks (TAK) claimed responsibility for the February bombing. TAK says it has split from the PKK, although experts who study Kurdish militants say the two are affiliated. l

Attacks in Turkey Ankara, March 13, 2016: Suicide car bomb in central Ankara.

At least 36 killed, 120 wounded

Ankara, Feb 17, 2016: Car bomb targets Turkish military.

29 killed, 80 wounded Claimed by Kurdish Freedom Falcons Istanbul, Jan 12, 2016: Suicide attack targets German tourists.

11 killed, 16 wounded

Ankara, Oct 10, 2015: Twin suicide bombing targets pro-Kurdish rally.

103 killed, more than 500 wounded

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Facebook, Google, WhatsApp plan to increase encryption of user data

n Tribune Desk Tech giants including Facebook, Google. Whatsapp and Snapchat – are working on their own increased privacy technology.

The Guardian has reported on Monday.

The revelation came at a time when another leading technology company Apple is fighting a legal battle with the US Justice Department over encryption.

Experts are saying these ongoing projects could antagonise authorities just as much as Apple’s more secure iPhones, which are currently at the centre of the San Bernardino shooting investigation. They also indicate the industry may be willing to back up their public support for Apple with concrete action.

Within weeks, Facebook’s messaging service WhatsApp plans to expand its secure messaging service so that voice calls are also encrypted, in addition to its existing privacy features.

The service has some one billion monthly users. Facebook is also considering beefing up security of its own Messenger tool.

Snapchat, the popular ephemeral messaging service, is also working on a secure messaging system and Google is exploring extra uses for the technology behind a long-in-the-works encrypted email project.

Engineers at major technology firms, including Twitter, have explored encrypted messaging products before only to see them never be released because the products can be hard to use – or the companies prioritized more consumer-friendly projects. But they now hope the increased emphasis on encryption means that technology executives view strong privacy tools as a business advantage – not just a marketing pitch.

These new projects began before Apple entered a court battle with the Department of Justice over whether it should help authorities hack into a suspected terrorist’s iPhone. Apple is due to appear in a federal court in California later this month to fight the order.

Polling has shown public opinion in the US and UK is divided over the case.

WhatsApp has been rolling out strong encryption to portions of its users since 2014, making it increasingly difficult for authorities to tap the service’s messages. The issue is personal for founder Jan Koum, who was born in Soviet-era Ukraine.

WhatsApp already offers Android and iPhone users encrypted messaging. In the coming weeks, it plans to offer users encrypted voice calls and encrypted group messages, which would make very difficult for authorities to tap. In the coming weeks, WhatsApp plans to make a formal announcement about its expanded encryption offerings, sources said.

Unlike many encrypted messaging apps, WhatsApp hasn’t pushed the security functions of the service as a selling point to users. Koum, its founder, has said users should be able to expect that security is a given, not a bonus feature.

The specific details of Snapchat’s and Facebook’s projects since both the companies declined to comment.

In 2014, Google announced a project called End to End, which would make it easier to send encrypted emails in such a way that only the sender and recipient could decode them. The project has been slow-going, until in recent months Google employees have shown in renewed interest in the idea, sources said.

However, tech experts are saying since Google sells targeted ads by scanning users’ email, it’ll get tricky if the contents remain encrypted. Many consumers also use Gmail accounts, which include large amounts of free storage, as a sort of online file system, sometimes dating back more than a decade. l

World

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TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2016

INSIGHT

SOUTH ASIA

Assad’s fate key question as Syria talks open in Geneva n AFP, Geneva

Talks to end Syria’s civil war opened in Geneva Monday, but hopes for a breakthrough remained remote with the sides locked in a bitter dispute over the future of President Bashar al-Assad.

The negotiations, which began a day before the fifth anniversary of the outbreak of the conflict, are the latest effort to end violence that has killed more than 270,000 people and displaced millions.

As the delegations arrived in Geneva over the weekend, Damascus warned that any discussion about removing Assad would be a “red line”.

Top diplomats from Washington and Paris immediately condemned the comment from Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem as divisive and provocative.

Speaking ahead of his first official meeting with regime negotiators, UN envoy Staffan de Mistura

declined to respond to Muallem’s remarks, but said agreeing on a new Syrian government was the main obstacle to forging a lasting peace.

“What is the real issue? The mother of all issues (is) political transition,” he told reporters on Monday.

‘The real peacemakers’

A lot has changed since the last round of indirect talks collapsed in February, particularly for many of Syria’s war-ravaged people who have been deprived of regular access to life-saving aid.

A temporary ceasefire introduced on February 27 has largely held, despite accusations of violations from both sides, allowing aid to reach some 150,000 people living under siege.

The truce, the first since the conflict began, gave cause for cautious encouragement, but experts warn that negotiations will still struggle to achieve a durable

peace on the fractured battlefields where multiple groups are competing for dominance.

Assad’s fate and whether elections will be held within 18 months remain huge hurdles.

Analysts have said the negotiations were largely a forum for international powers involved in the conflict, and that the strategic interests of the US and regime-ally Russia will be crucial to determining the shape of a possible deal.

De Mistura told reporters that if progress appears impossible on the most contentious issues, he will turn to the “real peacemakers... the peacemaking powers who wanted these talks,” referring to Washington, Moscow and the UN Security Council.

“We will bring the issues back to those who have influence,” if negotiations go nowhere, de Mistura said. “The only plan B available is return to war. To even worse war than we have so far.”

The leverage of major powers over Syria’s warring parties has its limits, however, as half of Syria’s territory is controlled by jihadists from Dae’sh group or al-Qaeda affiliate al-Nusra Front.

Syrian government lead negotiator Bashar al-Jaafari said on Sunday the regime had held positive discussions with de Mistura, but what would be discussed was still up in the air.

“The agenda is set,” de Mistura told reporters, without providing concrete details and saying he hoped to quickly move from discussion of “procedural” issues to “the substance.” He said he expected that Monday’s talks would be the first of three rounds.

The current bout is expected to last until March 24, with a second round beginning after a recess of a week or 10 days, with that round seen lasting “at least two weeks.”

A third round would be held after another recess, he said. l

ANALYSIS

Record Brazil protests put Dilma’s future in doubt n Reuters, Sao Paulo/Brasilia Hundreds of thousands of Brazilians flooded the streets on Sunday in the biggest ever protests calling for President Dilma Rousseff ’s removal, reflecting rising popular anger that could encourage Congress to impeach the leftist leader.

The demonstrations were the latest in a wave of anti-government rallies that lost momentum late last year but have regained strength as a sweeping corruption investigation nears Rousseff ’s inner circle.

From the Amazon jungle city of Manaus to the business hub of Sao Paulo and the capital Brasilia, protesters marched in a nationwide call for Rousseff to step down, raising pressure on lawmakers to back ongoing impeachment proceedings against her that just a few weeks ago appeared to be doomed.

Police estimates from more than 150 cities compiled by news website G1 showed around 3m Brazilians participated in the demonstrations. Some police estimates of previous protests have proved to be exaggerated.

Polling firm Datafolha estimated 500,000 demonstrators in Sao Paulo, the biggest rally in the city’s history and more than twice the size of a major protest a year ago. The military police put the figure at 1.4m at the height of the demonstration.

DT

World

Government sources acknowledged the demonstrations were bigger than anti-government rallies in March 2015, which gathered as many as 1m people.

Opinion polls show that more than half of Brazilians favour the impeachment of the president, re-elected for a second four-year term in 2014.

As in previous protests, Sunday’s rallies were led by middle-class Brazilians angry over growing allegations of corruption in Rousseff ’s administration. No violence was reported.

Anti-political establishment

Police officers patrol from a helicopter during a protest against Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff, part of nationwide demonstrations calling for her impeachment, in Sao Paulo on Sunday REUTERS

The demonstrators took aim at politicians from across the spectrum, including Rousseff ’s opponents, as they vented their frustration with a ruling class that has been widely exposed in the graft probe, known as ‘Operation Carwash’.

Popular discontent grew in recent weeks after a ruling party lawmaker reportedly testified under a plea bargain and accused Rousseff of trying to hamper the Petrobras investigation.

At its national convention on Saturday, thecoalition partner PMDB said it would decide in a month whether to break with the government. If Rousseff is impeached by Congress, the leader of the PMDB, Vice-President Michel Temer, would take office. l

‘Maldives extremely worried about Dae’sh recruitment’ The Maldives government is “extremely worried” about the number of nationals from the tiny troubled honeymoon islands joining the Dae’sh group. Maldives foreign secretary Ali Naseer Mohamed said as many as 40 people have travelled to the Middle East from the Indian Ocean archipelago.

-AFP

INDIA

Dalit student hacked to death for intercaste marriage An Indian student from the lowest Dalit caste was hacked to death and his wife critically injured in Tamil Nadu in a suspected “honour killing” by relatives angered by their marriage. Three men armed with sickles and sharp weapons attacked the 22-year-old student and his wife, who is from a higher caste, on Sunday. Police said the attackers were the 19-year-old woman’s relatives.

-AFP

CHINA

Chinese coal miners strike over wages, layoffs Thousands of miners in China’s coalrich northeast have gone on strike on Monday over months of unpaid wages, amid fears of mass layoffs as the government seeks to restructure lumbering state-owned industries.

Video showed protesters marching through the streets of Shuangyashan city in Heilongjiang province, venting their frustration at Longmay Mining Holding Group, the biggest coal firm in northeast China.

-AFP

ASIA PACIFIC

Malaysia, Australia to discuss China moves in S China Sea Malaysian Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said on Monday he will meet his Australian counterpart next week to discuss China’s military buildup in the disputed South China Sea and hold talks with fellow claimants the Philippines and Vietnam. -REUTERS

MIDDLE EAST

Saudi prince condemns Obama comments on Middle East A senior Saudi Arabian prince on Monday condemned comments attributed to US President Barack Obama, criticising Riyadh’s regional role. Obama, in comments to The Atlantic last week, described Saudi Arabia as a “free rider” on American foreign policy, and criticised what he saw as Riyadh’s funding of religious intolerance and refusal to come to an accommodation with Iran. “No, Obama. We are not ‘free riders’,” Prince Turki al-Faisal, an ex-ambassador to Washington, wrote in an open letter carried by a local daily.

-REUTERS

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TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2016

USA

Serbia finds US-bound guided missiles on flight from Beirut Serbian authorities found two USmade guided missiles that arrived on a civil flight from Lebanon and were bound for the US, a source at the prosecutor’s office said on Monday.

The Lebanese army said the Hellfire missiles were training models, without any explosives in them, that it was returning to the manufacturer.

The missiles had arrived from Beirut on an Air Serbia flight and were headed towards Portland. -REUTERS

THE AMERICAS

Venezuelan protests seek Maduro’s ouster Venezuela’s opposition held a national day of protest Saturday, the opening salvo in its new strategy to oust President Nicolas Maduro. With shouts of “Resign now!” thousands of Venezuelans demonstrated against Maduro in northeast Caracas, as the socialist president gathered thousands of his own red-clad supporters in the center of the capital to chants of “Maduro won’t go!”

-AFP

UK

London mayor blasts Obama over Brexit London mayor Boris Johnson on Monday accused Barack Obama of “hypocrisy” following a report that the US president is heading to Britain next month to make the case for the UK to stay in the European Union.

“Coming from Uncle Sam, it is a piece of outrageous and exorbitant hypocrisy,” Johnson wrote in his regular column for the Daily Telegraph. -AFP

EUROPE

European rights body to review Poland’s new surveillance law A pan-European rights body said on Monday it would review an amended Polish surveillance law, in a fresh challenge to the conservative government that reflects international concerns over Warsaw’s commitment to democracy and the rule of law.

Last Friday the Council of Europe’s advisory panel issued an opinion accusing Poland’s ruling PiS party of effectively crippling the country’s constitutional court.

-REUTERS

AFRICA

Al-Qaeda attack kills 18 in Ivory Coast Ivory Coast ministers were to hold emergency talks Monday after the first jihadist attack in the country left 18 dead at a beach resort popular with foreigners. Armed with grenades and assault rifles, the attackers stormed three hotels in the weekend resort of Grand-Bassam, 40km drive from the commercial capital Abidjan.

It was the third such attack in 4 months in West Africa.

-AFP

INSIGHT

Tuesday primaries key to Republicans as Trump sees end game n Tribune Desk Republic an front-runner Donald Trump faces a week of critical primary elections that could see his political dominance grow at the risk of even wider party divisions in one of the most chaotic presidential campaigns in generations.

Perhaps most crucial is Tuesday’s winner-take-all contest in Ohio, where the billionaire real estate mogul is up against the state’s popular governor, John Kasich.

Trump has called the governor “a baby,” and Kasich has suggested that Trump and the violence at some of his rallies represent a “dark side” of American society.

Also at stake Tuesday are Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina and Florida, with the total number of delegates in play accounting for more than a quarter of the 1,237 necessary for the party’s nomination.

Texas Senator Ted Cruz argues that only he can keep Trump from reaching the required majority of delegates, while Florida Senator

Marco Rubio tries merely to remain relevant, hoping home-state voters defy the polls and give him a reason to stay in the race.

Trump tried Sunday to shift attention away from the intense criticism that followed Friday’s harrowing scenes in Chicago, where he cancelled a scheduled rally amid sometimes violent confrontations among his supporters, protesters and authorities. At a Saturday rally, a protester stormed the stage as Trump spoke, only to be subdued by Secret Service agents.

A sceptical Kasich reversed his months-long practice of avoiding the topic of Trump. While talking to AP, he read a list of Trump quotes compiled by an aide that included comments that his audiences should “hit back” a little more and that he’d like to “punch” a protester “in the face.”

Trump answered by portraying Kasich as weak and deliberately mispronounced his rival’s Czech surname.

Among the Democrats, Hillary Clinton carries an edge of more than 200 pledged delegates into Tuesday’s contests and could ef-

The race for the White House REPUBLICANS Delegates required to win the nomination

460

Donald

Trump

370

Ted

Cruz

163

Marco

Rubio

1,237

63

John

Kasich

Source: realclearpolitics.com fectively block rival Bernie Sanders’ path to victory with a sweep of the large states on Tuesday.

While the delegates will be awarded proportionately, Clinton’s support with superdelegates — elected officials and party leaders free to back whomever they’d like — puts her in a strong position

to win the nomination.

Currently, Clinton holds 1,231 of total delegates, more than half the amount needed to clinch the nomination. Sanders has 576.

But Sanders pulled an upset last week in Michigan, where polls had showed Clinton leading by as many as 20 points. l

ANALYSIS

Right-wing AfD shakes up German political landscape n AFP, Berlin The success of the anti-migrant AfD marks a turning point for Germany’s usually stable and consensus-driven politics -- the rise of right-wing populists at the expense of old mainstream parties.

The accelerated splintering of the political landscape further erodes the moderate centre, sparking disarray that will make coalition building more difficult, analysts warn.

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) made strong gains in three state polls Sunday in what was widely seen a protest vote against Chancellor Angela Merkel’s open-door policy on refugees.

The AfD, whose rhetoric often echoes that of France’s Marine Le Pen and US White House hopeful Donald Trump, is now set to enter assemblies in half of German states and, if it maintains its momentum, would be elected to national parliament next year.

In the formerly communist eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt the only three-year-old AfD scored a stunning 24% , forcing three other parties to scramble to form a coa-

German regional elections Results of the 2016 elections Rhineland-Palatinate 40

Baden-Wuerttemberg Saxony-Anhalt

36.2% 31.8%

30

30.3% 27%

20

15.1% 12.7%

12.6% 10

5.3%

SPD (Social Democrats) AfD (Right-wing populists)

24.2%

10.6% 5.2%

CDU (Christian Democrats) Greens

lition government.

‘Enraged citizens’

29.8%

The AfD was launched in 2013 as an eurosceptic party but has since shifted its focus to migrants, campaigning against mosques and urging voters to have more children to avoid the need for immigration.

Source: Regions

Some of its leaders have voiced sympathy for the Islamophobic Pegida movement, whose “Wutbuerger”, literally “enraged citizens”, share its deep distrust of the established parties and media, which they label a disconnected elite or power cartel.

Germany’s post-war politics

have been dominated by Merkel’s conservative CDU and its Bavarian allies on the right, and the old “workers party” the Social Democrats (SPD) on the left.

“The consensus model is no longer working, the binding power of the major parties has long been dwindling,” said Die Zeit weekly.

While the SPD has lost support to the Greens and far-left Linke, the CDU has captured much of the middle ground while so far fending off parties on the far-right fringes in a country where memories of Nazi dictatorship run deep.

Most political analysts agree that in Germany, as in other Western democracies, traditional party loyalties have faded and labels such as left and right have grown hazy.

“It is polarised between morally arrogant and self-assured ‘multiculturalists’ who still favour the ‘welcoming culture’ and ignore all the difficulties associated with it, and on the other hand misanthropic, xenophobic tendencies that offer only simple, patent remedies,” said Andreas Roedder, modern history professor at Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz. l

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TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2016

INSIDE

GOODBYE DHARAMSALA

Jamal coach Manik in search of goals Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi are looking forward to end their goalscoring drought in their maiden AFC Cup campaign when they host seven-time Malaysia Super League champions FA Selangor in their third match today. The game will kick off at the BNS at 6.30pm. PAGE 27

Kane, de Villiers win ESPNcricinfo Awards Kane Williamson’s career highest unbeaten 242 in Wellington against Sri Lanka has been voted the top Test batting performance of 2015 at the Maruti Suzuki ESPNcricinfo Awards. The Test bowling award went to England’s Stuart Broad, whose 8 for 15 skittled Australia out for 60 PAGE 28

Kohli urges calm against Kiwis Star batsman Virat Kohli urged his team-mates to stay calm Monday amid growing fervour about India’s prospects in the World Twenty20, ahead of the host’s tricky tournament opener against New Zealand. PAGE 28

Replace Eiffel Tower with my statue: Ibra PSG striker Ibrahimovic admitted Sunday he may be tempted to stay with the French champions - if a statue of himself is erected in place of the city’s iconic Eiffel Tower.

The 34-year-old’s cheeky response came on ongoing speculation over his future. PAGE 29

Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza takes a selfie at Kangra-Dharamshala airport before leaving for Kolkata yesterday. Bangladesh will play against Pakistan in their Super 10 opener at Eden Gardens tomorrow COURTESY

We want to play our best possible cricket, says Mashrafe Uddin Khan n Minhaz from Dharamsala

A high flying Bangladesh side reached Kolkata yesterday for their first Super 10 match of the ICC World Twenty20 2016. The Tigers will take on Pakistan at Eden Garden before they move to Bangalore for the second and the third game against India and Australia respectively.

Bangladesh finished top in the qualifiers after defeating Netherlands and Oman. The Tigers had come into the flagship event boosted with confidence after finishing as runner-up in the Asia Cup Twenty20 2016 earlier this month over Asian power houses like Sri Lanka, Pakistan.

The side had started with a narrow win against Netherlands and the second game against Ireland was washed off by rain. The third game against Oman was do or die. However the Tigers showed the expected approach as they

bulldozed the ICC associate side riding on Tamim Iqbal fine century. The bowling actions of pacer Taskin Ahmed and spinner Arafat Sunny was also a concern for the Tigers. The duo, following their first game against Netherlands, were reported of suspected bowling action and had to travel Chennai for test.

TODAY'S MATCHE Group 2 8:00PM at Nagpur

India v New Zealand Maasranga TV, Gazi TV, Star Sports 1

According to Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe, the journey is going to be tougher now. It is said that the sub-continental teams will get benefit as the tournament is being hosted in India, but Mashrafe doesn’t agree with that. Bangladesh is playing in India after 10

years despite being a neighbor country and the condition in Kolkata and Bangalore will be different compare to Dharamsala. And then there is also the fact that the Tigers will share the group with cricket giants like India, Pakistan, Australia and New Zealand.

The Bangladesh captain believes Bangladesh will be able to overcome the challenges and get some good results in the second phase of the tournament.

“We have not played much in India despite being a neighboring country. It is hard to play here.

That is why we will need to assess the condition and the wickets first and then plan what to do and what not to,” said Mashrafe to the media in Dharamsala following their win against Oman on Sunday.

The Bangladesh one-day international and Twenty20 international captain, Mashrafe, believes the confidence and the momentum will help the team to perform well.

“There is nothing called impossible in Twenty20 cricket. We are here to play and play well.

We want to play our best possible cricket. I am confident that the way we are performing at the moment, we have nothing much to worry about,” said the veteran pacer.

Good news for Bangladesh is that pacer Mustafizur Rahman is likely to become available for selection from the second round of the tournament. Mustafizur had picked a side strain injury during the Asia Cup earlier this month. It is not confirmed yet but it is likely that the left-arm pacer will be in action for Bangladesh in the game against Pakistan tomorrow.

On the other hand, spinner Sunny has already joined the side following his bowling action Test in Chennai while young pacer Taskin is expected to join the Tigers in Kolkara today following the test. l

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TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2016

ICC WORLD T20 2016

SUPER 10

AT A GLANCE

GROUP 1 ENGLAND

SOUTH AFRICA

WEST INDIES

SRI LANKA

AFGHANISTAN

World T20 record: 2007-2nd Round, 2009-2nd Round, 2010-Champions, 2012-2nd Round, 2014-2nd Round

World T20: ‘07-2nd Round, ‘09-3rd Place, ‘10-2nd Round, ‘12-2nd Round, ‘14-4th Place

World T20 record: ‘07-1st Round, ‘094th Place, ‘10-2nd Round, ‘12-Champions, ‘14-3rd Place.

World T20 record: ‘07-2nd Round, ‘09-Finalist, ‘10-3rd place, ‘12-Finalist, ‘14-Champions

World T20 record: 2010-1st Round, ‘12-1st Round, ‘14-1st Round.

Alex Hales — One of the only four batsmen along with Virat Kohli (India), Martin Guptill (New Zealand) and Mohammad Hafeez (Pakistan) to score more than 1,000 runs in T20 international over the last four years. England will be banking on Hales to produce big innings consistently to give the inexperienced bowlers enough runs to defend on slow wickets.

Eoin Morgan —The most experienced T20 batsman in the England squad. He has an impressive strike-rate of 133.16 in 55 Twenty20s and scored 1,333 runs.

Left-handed Morgan uses his feet well against spinners, and plays the unconventional reverse sweep with ease against the spinners.

AB de Villiers — One of the most gifted batsmen in cricket, with a vast array of shots.

A swift mover on the field, de Villiers can take incredible catches and save crucial runs. De Villiers needs to be at the forefront if South Africa is to have any hope of shaking the “chokers” tag. The South Africans have never won a World Cup in cricket, and its best run in the T20 format was a third place finish in England in ‘09.

Dale Steyn — The paceman has taken 57 wickets in 39 T20 internationals at a miserly average of 15.98, numbers which reflect his ability to torment batsmen on any type of surface in the shortest format. Steyn also has an impressive economy rate of 6.49, making it difficult for batsmen to go after him with the new or old ball.

Chris Gayle — No T20 league is complete without the inclusion of this master blaster in shortest format.

Gayle’s 87 sixes in T20 internationals leave him four short of New Zealander Brendon McCullum’s world record. If Gayle gets his eye in early, no target is beyond West Indies reach.

Darren Sammy — A complete allrounder who can score quick runs in the late overs. Sammy has a healthy strike-rate of 152.02 and has scored 526 runs in 47 Twenty20 internationals. He mixes slow deliveries with his medium pace and can unsettled batsmen. He has 43 wickets in 55 T20 internationals.

Lasith Malinga — Sri Lanka hopes its premier fast bowler gets fit in time to deliver some of the trademark Yorkers and cause trouble for the batsmen. Malinga has been instrumental in Sri Lanka’s progress to the semifinals in the previous four editions of World Twenty20. Although Malinga’s economy rate is 7.26 per over, he has taken 78 wickets in 62 T20 internationals with an average of 20.28.

Tillakaratne Dilshan: Famous for his “Dilscoop” shot over the head of the wicketkeeper, Dilshan has been an integral part of Sri Lanka’s batting lineup. In the absence of retired Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, Dilshan holds the key to Sri Lanka’s batting strength. His tally of 1,751 runs in 73 T20I is more than double the next-best Sri Lankan batsmen.

Mohammad Shahzad: The bulky opener scored 297 runs in 2015 — the most by any batsman.

His ferocious power hitting in the batting powerplay provided Afghanistan rollicking starts in the first-round victories against Scotland, Hong Kong and Zimbabwe.

Behind the stumps, Shahzad has a safe pair of hands and offers Afghanistan the flexibility to include an extra bowler to strengthen its bowling attack.

Mohammad Nabi: The most accomplished Afghanistan all-rounder, Nabi can be dangerous with his off-spin bowling on slow wickets. He gives Afghanistan a solid batting option down the order.

Strength: Batting Weakness: Inexperienced bowling.

Players to watch

Strength: Batting Weakness: Playing spin.

Players to watch

Strength: Power-hitting Weakness: Bowling depth.

Players to watch

Strength: Bowling Weakness: Batting Players to watch

Strength: Batting depth Weakness: Lack of top-tier international competition.

Players to watch

GROUP 2 BANGLADESH

World T20 record: ‘07-2nd Round, ‘09-1st Round, ‘10-1st Round, ‘12-1st Round, ‘14-2nd Round Strength: Batting in subcontinental conditions Weakness: Fielding Players to watch

Tamim Iqbal: The left-handed opener can be brutal against any type of bowling attack.

Iqbal has a strikerate above 100 in T20 internationals and warmed up for the main round opponents with his maiden T20I century against Oman in the last qualifying match.

Shakib Al Hasan: The veteran allrounder’s left-arm spin will be more crucial than his batting prowess.

He has an economy rate of under 7 runs an over in his 50 T20 internationals, showing his ability to pose a challenge to any batting lineup.

PAKISTAN

World T20 record: ‘07-Finalist, ‘09-Champions, ‘10-4th Place, ‘124th Place, ‘14-2nd Round Strength: Balanced bowling attack Weakness: Unpredictable batting Players to watch

Shahid Afridi — The flamboyant Pakistan captain is the highest wicket-taker in Twenty20 internationals with 93 wickets in 92 matches. He has played in all the previous five editions of World Twenty20.

Afridi has scored 1,315 runs in the shortest format of the game, although his form with the bat has been in decline.

Mohammad Amir — The left-arm fast bowler has made a strong comeback since his five-year suspension from international cricket for spot-fixing ended last September. Amir has the potential to trouble top-order batsmen with his sheer pace and the ability to swing the ball both ways. Since his return to competitive cricket, Amir has taken two hat-tricks in Bangladesh Premier League and Pakistan Super League.

AUSTRALIA

World T20 record: ‘07-3rd Place, ‘09-1st Round, ‘10-Finalist, ‘12-3rd place, ‘14-2nd Round Strength: Power hitting, fielding Weakness: Lack of seasoned spinning options Players to watch

Glenn Maxwell — His experience in the Indian Premier League could benefit Australia, which is aiming for its first World T20 title. Maxwell’s powerful, unconventional hitting against both spin and pace has earned him a strike rate of 159.4 — the best among all batsmen with more than 400 T20 international runs. Setting fields to combat Maxwell’s batting arsenal is usually difficult for rival captains.

Shane Watson — An ideal T20 allrounder who not only can bowl a full quota of four overs in the middle, but can score at a rapid pace at the top of the order. Watson has scored 1,324 runs at a strike rate of 144.69 and has also taken 42 wickets at 25.28.

NEW ZEALAND

World Twenty20 record: ‘07-4th Place, ‘09-2nd Round, ‘10-2nd Round, ‘12-2nd Round, ‘14-2nd Round

Strength: Power-hitting Weakness: Batting against spinners Players to watch

Martin Guptill — Famous for his shortarm pull shot, the New Zealand opener scored four half centuries in his last six T20 internationals against South Africa, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

Kane Williamson: The only New Zealand batsmen who is an automatic selection in all three formats of the game as he switches batting gears with utmost ease. The consistent Williamson is a perfect foil to shield the inability of the lower order against spin on turning wickets. He is fast approaching the 1,000-run mark in T20s after scoring 844 runs in 28 T20s.

INDIA

World T20 record: 2007-Champions, ‘09-2nd Round, ‘10-2nd Round, ‘12-2nd Round, ‘14-Finalists

Strength: Form, confidence and home advantage Weakness: Pace bowling Players to watch

Virat Kohli — The dashing strokemaker has the best average (72 from 11 innings) of any batsman who has played eight or more World T20 innings. He was the leading scorer in the 2014 edition, with 319 runs at an average of 106.33. He is in strong form, scoring at a rate of 86.8 in the last 16 T20 internationals.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni: The ever-cool India captain keeps his emotions in check regardless of whether his team is struggling or controlling a game. He can quickly switch game plans according to the match situations and usually reacts with bowling or batting changes in time to counter the plans of an opposition.

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BFF show causes Aslam, Manik for 'false' comments n Tribune Report

QUICK BYTES Bangladesh Navy clinch Independence Day Hockey title Star-studded Bangladesh Navy, who have nine current national players in their squad, clinched the title of the Independence Day Hockey Tournament for the first time after beating Bangladesh Air Force 5-1 at the Maulana Bhashani National Hockey Stadium yesterday.

Drag and Flick specialist Mamunur Rahman Chayan put Navy ahead in the 28th minute from a penalty corner before Mahbubur Rahman equalised the margin two minutes later from penalty stroke. After the opening half, Navy netted four more goals in the second half to seal the victory. Chayan scored two more from penalty corners in the 49th and 62nd minute while Krishna Kumar and Kamruzzaman Rana added one apiece. Rasel Mahmud Jimmy was adjudged the best player of the meet while Krishna Kumar grabbed top scorer’s award.

TRIBUNE REPORT

Everton boss fears Lukaku exit In-form Everton striker Romelu Lukaku said he was not thinking about a possible move away from Goodison Park even as his manager suggested the club might be forced to cash in on the Belgian at the end of the season. The 22-year-old took his tally to an impressive 25 in all competitions this season after scoring twice as Everton knocked his former club Chelsea out of the FA Cup quarter-finals on Saturday.

REUTERS

Kane scores twice to boost Spurs’ title hopes Aston Villa 0 Tottenham Hotspur 2 Harry Kane scored his 21st and 22nd goals of the season to inspire Tottenham Hotspur to a routine win at hapless Aston Villa that boosted their Premier League title ambitions. The England striker ended Villa’s resistance just before halftime with his 17th goal in his last 20 league appearances and then struck again just after the break.

REUTERS

‘Small’ Arsenal won’t win league title: Gomes Watford goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes has labelled Arsenal a “small team” and played down the north London side’s Premier League title chances after the Hornets ended their FA Cup campaign on Sunday.

REUTERS

Sheikh Jamal DC captain Wedson Anselme (L) and FA Selangor captain Shahrom Kalam pose with a matchball yesterday prior to their AFC Cup match COURTESY

Manik in search of goals

Jamal face Malaysia champion Selangor in AFC Cup tie tional team has had a poor string of wall. The time for practice is over, n Tribune Report results in the recent past, their connow we need to rectify the misSheikh Jamal Dhanmondi are looking forward to end their goal-scoring drought in their maiden AFC Cup campaign when they host seven-time Malaysia Super League champions FA Selangor in their third match today. The game will kick off at the Bangabandhu National Stadium at 6.30pm.

The Bangladesh Premier League champions not only lost their first two matches but they also failed to score any while conceding six which is unexpected and unfamiliar considering their records in the last two seasons. They scored 60 goals in 20 matches in the premier league last season without mentioning the plenty others in the King’s Cup in Bhutan and IFA Shield in India.

Sheikh Jamal’s foreign attacking trio – Wedson Anselme, Emeka Darlington and Landing Darboe – had scored the majority of the club’s goals but failed to put their natural finishing ability to the pitch in the AFC Cup. The head coach Shafiqul Islam Manik, well aware of their situation the Group E points table, is hopeful they will get the goals this time.

“We have our backs against the

takes. I hope I will get the best from my players tomorrow (Tuesday).

We will have to be cautious about not conceding from silly mistakes.

We have good goalscorers. So I am hopeful,” said the veteran coach at the pre-match presser yesterday.

He continued, “I am trying to motivate and field the players who are the best. We have many adversities. But we are taking the challenges. I have always said all the other sides are better prepared compared to us,” Apart from the foreign attackers, the national players in the squad seemed not to be performing their caliber especially the defence-line which looked vulnerable in the first two games. The midfield has also struggled to cope up the opponents.

Manik, who played five defenders in the last game against Ceres, will miss the service of center-back Yeasin Khan today for suspension and he might opt to play with four defenders against the most successful club in Malaysia’s domestic football history. Veteran and versatile forward Enamul Haque is likely to replace Yeasin.

“Most of the players belong to the national team. Since the na-

fidence level has gone down a bit, which has rubbed on to their club performance as well,” Manik explained the reason behind national players’ poor display.

Selangor, nicknamed the Red Giants, are not also having the best results in their recent fixtures and they earned only a single point from two matches to sit just a place above Sheikh Jamal on the table.

The club head coach Zainal Abidin Hassan admitted the ‘pressure’ on them and need his players to be mentally strong ahead of the clash.

“On paper, we look favourites to qualify for the next round, but unfortunately due to certain reasons - new team and a tough schedule we lag behind and are not performing up to the mark. But we know our chances and have our hopes.

We’ve got to do much better in the last three games to qualify,” “We have already played two games and collected one point.

So chance is still open provided if we play well and get three points.

The same is with the home team, who need the three points badly.

So it will be a tough match for both teams to run their show in the AFC Cup.” l

The Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) has decided to send show-cause letters to former national forward Sheikh Md Aslam, Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi coach Shafiqul Islam Manik and organiser Abu Hasan Chowdhury Prince for making ‘misleading’ and ‘untrue’ comments against the country’s football governing body.

The federation also decided to take legal action against a leading Bangla newspaper reporter for sending ‘bizzare’ text messages to the delegates of BFF’s Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) held on Saturday where the text accursedly termed BFF President Kazi Salahuddin a thief.

An emergency meeting of BFF executive committee was held at the BFF House yesterday where the decisions came. The BFF however denied to reveal the name of the reporter and newspaper he works for, due to the terms of legal procedure.

The same day the EGM took place, a group of former national players and sports organisers held a press briefing titled ‘Save Football’ where a number of organisers and coaches who are still affiliated with the federation spoke against BFF and its president and the show-cause to three of them came down from that incident.

The federation also decided to take legal action against a leading Bangla newspaper reporter for sending ‘bizzare’ text messages to the delegates of BFF’s EGM “We only send show-cause letters to those who are part of this institution but made misleading and false speech against the football federation. We will take necessary actions against them depending of their reply to the letters,” said BFF senior vice president Abdus Salam Murshedy after the meeting yesterday.

Meanwhile, there were others who are part of BFF and spoke against Salahuddin on that day like Sheikh Jamal president Manjur Kader and Mohammedan’s director in-charge Lokman Hossain Bhuiyan. “It’s all under process. It will take some time. It’s also coming.” said Kazi Salahuddin.

Kazi Salahuddin also promised to make BFF the most disciplined football organisation in South Asia if he gets re-elected as president in the upcoming election likely to be held within April 30. l

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Williamson, Broad, de Villiers, Southee win ESPNcricinfo Awards n Cricinfo Kane Williamson’s career highest unbeaten 242 in Wellington against Sri Lanka has been voted the top Test batting performance of 2015 at the Maruti Suzuki ESPNcricinfo Awards, announced today. The Test bowling award went to England’s Stuart Broad, whose 8 for 15 at Trent Bridge skittled Australia

ESPNCRICINFO AWARDS 2015 Test batting

Kane Williamson (NZ)

242* in Wellington against Sri Lanka

Test bowling

Stuart Broad (Eng)

8 for 15 at Trent Bridge against Australia

ODI batting

AB de Villiers (SA)

out for 60, paving the way for England to regain the Ashes.

New Zealand players won three awards this year. Tim Southee took the ODI bowling award for his 7 for 33, which bundled England out for 123 in under 34 overs the World Cup; and Brendon McCullum won the Captain of the Year title.

The best ODI batting performance award went to AB de Villiers, whose 149 off 44 balls against West Indies at the Wanderers contained the fastest ODI hundred (off 31 balls) and fastest fifty (16 balls).

He hit 16 sixes (equalling the world record) and nine fours in an innings punctuated with audacious scoops, sweeps and reverse sweeps. He beat a World Cup-heavy shortlist that included another of his own innings - the unbeaten 162, also against West Indies, in Sydney.

The awards, now in their ninth

year, honour the best batting and bowling performances across the international formats of the game in the preceding calendar year.

This year’s awards were voted on by a jury of former players - among them, Ian Chappell, Mahela Jayawardene, Jeff Dujon, Courtney Walsh, John Wright, Mark Butcher, Mark Nicholas - and ESPNcricinfo’s senior writers and editors.

The award for the best T20 batting performance went to India’s Rohit Sharma, for his maiden T20I century, against South Africa in Dharamsala. He beat two innings

by Chris Gayle to the prize. It was the only performance among this year’s award winners that came in a losing cause. The T20 bowling award went to South Africa allrounder David Wiese, who took 5 for 23 against West Indies in Durban. l

149 off 44 balls against WI at Wanderers

ODI bowling

Tim Southee (NZ)

SUPER 10

FIXTURES Group 2

Group 1

South Africa, Sri Lanka, England, West Indies, Afghanistan Date Mar 15 Mar 16 Mar 16 Mar 17 Mar 18 Mar 18 Mar 19 Mar 20 Mar 20 Mar 21 Mar 22 Mar 23 Mar 23 Mar 25 Mar 25 Mar 26 Mar 26 Mar 27 Mar 27 Mar 28

Time 8.00PM 3.30PM 8.00PM 8.00PM 3:30PM 8:00PM 8:00PM 3:30PM 8:00PM 8.00PM 8:00PM 3:30PM 8.00PM 3:30PM 8.00PM 3:30Pm 8.00PM 3:30Pm 8.00PM 8.00PM

India, Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Bangladesh

Match India v New Zealand, Group 2 Bangladesh v Pakistan, Group 2 England v West Indies, Group 1 Afghanistan v Sri Lanka, Group 1 Australia v New Zealand, Group 2 England v South Africa, Group 1 India v Pakistan, Group 2 Afghanistan v South Africa, Group 1 Sri Lanka v West Indies, Group 1 Australia v Bangladesh, Group 2 New Zealand v Pakistan, Group 2 Afghanistan v England, Group 1 India v Bangladesh, Group 2 Australia v Pakistan, Group 2 South Africa v West Indies, Group 1 Bangladesh v New Zealand, Group 2 England v Sri Lanka, Group 1 Afghanistan v West Indies, Group 1 India v Australia, Group 2 South Africa v Sri Lanka, Group 1

Venue Nagpur Kolkata Mumbai Kolkata Dharamsala Mumbai Kolkata Mumbai Bangalore Bangalore Chandigarh Delhi Bangalore Chandigarh Nagpur Kolkata Delhi Nagpur Mohali Delhi

Kohli urges calm against Kiwis

7 for 33, in Wellington against England

T20 batting

Rohit Sharma (Ind)

n AFP, Nagpur

106 off 66 balls against SA in Dharamsala

T20 bowling

David Wiese (SA)

5 for 23 against WI in Durban

Captain of the Year

Brendon McCullum (NZ) Debutant of the Year

Mustafizur Rahman (Ban) The awards, now in their ninth year, honour the best batting and bowling performances across the international formats of the game in the preceding calendar year. This year's awards were voted on by a jury of former players - among them, Ian Chappell, Mahela Jayawardene, Jeff Dujon, Courtney Walsh, John Wright, Mark Butcher, Mark Nicholas - and ESPNcricinfo's senior writers and editors.

AB de Villiers broke the records for the fastest ODI fifty and hundred in his 149

Star batsman Virat Kohli urged his team-mates to stay calm Monday amid growing fervour about India’s prospects in the World Twenty20, ahead of the host’s tricky tournament opener against New Zealand.

After winning 10 of their last 11 T20 internationals, India are redhot favourites for the World T20 and former batsman Virender Sehwag said last week he was “99 percent certain” they would become the first team to win the trophy for a second time.

But Kohli, who is sometimes regarded as something of a firebrand, tried to put a dampener on expectations in a press conference on the eve of the match in Nagpur

Terms & Conditions:

Prizes: (Second Round)

The lucky winners among all the participants who have answered correctly will be selected in an official lottery and will have their picture published in the newspaper. v Answers must be sent in only the coupon (photocopy will not be accepted). v Quiz coupon should be submitted in the Dhaka Tribune newspaper address. v No one affiliated with Dhaka Tribune and Walton will be able to participate. v Coupon submission deadline April 4, 2016. v A person can send as many coupons as he/she wants. v Walton-Dhaka Tribune T20 World Cup should be written on top of the envelope.

1st prize 2nd prize 3rd prize 4th prize 5th prize

v

01: Who scored the first T20I century for Bangladesh?

Ans: Tamim Mashrafe Taskin 02:Who won the first World T20 in 2007?

Ans: India Zimbabwe Afghanistan 03:In which year did Bangladesh host the World T20?

Ans: 2014 2004 2015

and said it was important not to get carried away.

“I think the key is to learn from the past where calmness is required in big tournaments like the ICC events because you can get sort of carried away or over anxious or over excited,” said Kohli.

“Both those feelings are not great for any side going into a big tournament.

“What we’ve learned from playing in big tournaments in the past is that we have to stay as calm as possible and focus on the skills that need to be executed on the field.”

India have a woeful track record against the Black Caps in World T20 tournaments, losing four out of their five previous encounters while the other match was rained off. l

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Higuain gives Napoli victory, Roma win again n Reuters, Rome Napoli won 1-0 at Palermo to maintain the pressure on Serie A leaders Juventus, while AS Roma kept their slim title hopes alive by extending their winning streak to eight league games with a 2-1 victory at Udinese on Sunday.

Second-placed Napoli saw off struggling Palermo thanks to Gonzalo Higuain’s first-half penalty that took them back within three points of Juve, who beat Sassuolo 1-0 on Friday.

Roma’s Edin Dzeko and Alessandro Florenzi struck as they moved to 59 points in third behind Juventus on 67 and Napoli with 64 after 29 matches.

Napoli’s Higuain converted from the spot in the 22nd minute after Raul Albiol was brought down by Andelkovic, taking his league-leading tally to 27 goals and giving Wal-

Replace Eiffel Tower with my statue: Ibra n AFP, Paris Paris Saint-Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic admitted Sunday he may be tempted to stay with the French champions - if a statue of himself is erected in place of the city’s iconic Eiffel Tower.

The 34-year-old’s cheeky response to the ongoing speculation over his future came as he hit four goals in a 9-0 demolition of Troyes.

“For the moment, I won’t be at PSG next season,” said Ibrahimovic.

Ibrahimovic has been linked with a move to Manchester United, then added: “If they replace the Eiffel Tower with a statue of me, I will stay at PSG. I can promise that!” l

DAY’S WATCH CRICKET STAR SPORTS 1 8:00PM ICC World T20 2016 New Zealand v India

FOOTBALL TEN SPORTS 1:45AM UEFA Champions League Atletico v PSV

TEN ACTION 10:00PM UEFA Youth League QFs: Chelsea v Ajax 1:45AM UEFA Champions League Man City v Dynamo Kyiv

ter Novellino a disappointing start to life in the Palermo dugout.

“The boys played a great game,” said Napoli coach Maurizio Sarri, “if a bit too flamboyant. l

SERIE A Chievo

0-0

AC Milan

Carpi

2-1

Frosinone

Bianco 27, De Guzman 90-pen

Fiorentina

Dionisi 72

1-1

Zarate 40

Verona Pisano 87

3-2

Torino

Cerci 20-pen, 45+2-pen, Rigoni 66

Immobile 4, 15

Genoa

Udinese

1-2

Fernandes 85

Lazio

Roma Dzeko 15, Florenzi 74

2-0

Atalanta

Klose 67, 90+5

Palermo

0-1

Napoli Higuain 23-pen

Napoli striker Gonzalo Higuain (C) shoots to score from the spot against Palermo during their Italian Serie A match at Renzo Barbera Stadium, Palermo on Sunday REUTERS

City aiming to banish England’s woes in UCL n AFP, Paris

Manchester City are well set to make Champions League history and alleviate the misery engulfing English football’s heavyweights as they take on Dynamo Kiev on Tuesday.

City have never yet made it beyond the last 16 in Europe’s premier club competition but hold a 3-1 lead from the first leg in the Ukraine.

Although Manuel Pellegrini’s team have already secured the English League Cup this season, beating Liverpool on penalties to do so, it has been a largely inglorious year for England’s top clubs.

Barring a near-miracle at the Camp Nou, Barcelona will complete victory over an Arsenal side they defeated 2-0 in London in the first leg.

With Chelsea crashing out to French champions Paris Saint-Germain last week and Manchester United crumbling in the group stages, City will almost certainly be England’s only remaining participants in the Champions League when the draw for the quarter-finals is made -- providing they see off Kiev.

Yet even victory at Eastlands won’t mask what has been a thoroughly depressing season for English giants as Leicester City continue to dominate the Premier League table while United, Chelsea and Liverpool languish outside even the European qualification places.

Arsenal and City are eight and nine points respectively behind Leicester and both out of the FA Cup. Even in the Europa League, England look set to be left with one single

representative in the quarter-finals.

And so success for City would have extra significance in arresting the slide that has swamped the English Premier League since the heady days when for three seasons in a row from 2007-2009, three of the four Champions League semi-finalists were from England.

Not that Pellegrini believes the tie with Dynamo is over.

“If we can get to the quarter-final of the Champions League for the first time, of course that will be another important achievement,” said the Chilean, who will leave City at the end of the season.

“But one of the worst things we can do is to think that we have already qualified.

“They are a big team who play attacking football in their league so

FIXTURES

Atletico Madrid v PSV Eindhoven First leg 0-0

Man City v Dynamo Kiev Man City lead 3-1 from first leg

we must be wary about that.”

While Pellegrini is guarding against complacency, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is trying to motivate his side to keep believing against the Catalan reigning champions.

Meanwhile, PSV Eindhoven travel to the Vicente Calderon for the second-leg of their Champions League last-16 clash on Tuesday, with the tie finely balanced at 0-0, tasked with one of the most difficult challenges in European football: breaching the Atletico backline. l

Zidane ‘worried’ by directionless Madrid n AFP, Madrid Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane admitted he is concerned by his side’s form after squeezing past Las Palmas 2-1 on Sunday thanks to Casemiro’s injury-time winner.

Zidane’s men were outplayed by Las Palmas for large spells on their first visit to the Canary Islands in 15 years, but made the hosts pay for poor marking at set-pieces as Sergio Ramos and Casemiro both netted from corners.

“I go away happy with the result, but a little worried with what I saw in the second-half,” said Zidane.

LA LIGA Levante

1-0

Valencia

4-2

Villarreal

Rossi 65

Sevilla

Iborra 23, Bakambu 29, 37 Victor Ruiz 52-og, Konoplyanka 65, Reyes 90+1

Athletic Bilbao

3-1

Sabin 34, 50, Mikel Rico 44

Las Palmas Willian Jose 87

Real Betis Ruben Castro 85

1-2

Real Madrid Ramos 24, Casemiro 90

Victory closed the gap on La Liga leaders Barcelona to 12 points, but with only nine games to play, Madrid’s remaining realistic hope

of a trophy this season is the Champions League.

The 10-time European champions progressed to the quarter-finals with a similarly unconvincing display to see off Roma in midweek, but Zidane insisted his side’s standards must improve dramatically if they are to go further.

“We aren’t thinking about the Champions League. The players were thinking about what they had to do in the game today, but the truth is we gave away the ball an incredible number of times,” he said.

“If we want to aspire to something in the future, we have to play better. That is clear because playing like this we won’t go anywhere.” l

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Bollywood actresses’ rate card

n Showtime Desk Stardom is not an easy thing to handle. Glamorous clothes, gorgeous make-up, fancy cars and foreign trips are all part of showing the celebrity package in Bollywood. However, do all these actors really earn just enough to support their luxurious lifestyles?

Clearly, not all of them do. Most Bollywood actresses manage to sustain their expensive lifestyles

by making public appearances or by performing at events, alongside making money from the movies they film.

Bipasha Basu and Chitrangada Singh top the list of the most sought-after heroines when it comes to public appearances.

Many former A-listers, including Rati Agnihotri, Sonali Bendre and Raveena Tandon, are also flooded with such offers. Television actresses like Karishma Tanna

Bobby and Raanveer pairing up! n

Showtime Desk

For quite a while people have been wondering about Bijli’s mystery hero. Recently, the film’s poster was released, giving

viewers their first glimpse into the lead actors. It’s neither Ranbir, nor Ranveer, but Raanveer who will be pairing up with Dhallywood hotness Bobby. Raanveer is an actor that hails from Kolkata.

Bijli is a film by Iftekhar Chowdhury, with the central theme based on superheroes. The production house has informed that shooting will begin soon. l

too, are in demand. Most of them always insist on their specified fee, but are open to negotiations at the end of the day. Here’s a glimpse of a few “rate cards” that show exactly how much these apprearances cost. * Blank spaces denote that the actress in question is not so popular in that category. l Source: SpotboyE

33 honoured with Masud Karim award Awardee list:

n Showtime Desk In memory of renowned lyricist Masud Karim, a new award has been introduced at a ceremony held at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy yesterday. Masud Karim Memorial Foundation has honoured a total of 33 distinguished cultural personalities for their achievement in various different arenas. The recipients of the award includes a singer, a composer, a lyricist, a writer and a filmmaker, among others. The awards were given for the years 2014, 2015 and 2016.

Tarana Halim, the State Minister for Post and Telecommunications Division, graced the ceremony as the chief guest and handed over crest to the

awardees. Mobarak Hossain Khan, ex-director general of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, was present on the occasion as the special guest.

Masud Karim, a recipient of Bangladesh National Film Awards, a popular lyricist from the 1960s till the 2000s, wrote more than 1,500 songs for 300 films. Karim made his debut with the mythological film Roopban (1965). The film had nearly 30 songs, all written by Karim, sung by Ferdousi Rahman. The film was a commercial success.

The songs included “Shono Shono Daima Go,” “Shono Tejal,” “Baro Diner Shishu Rahim Go” and “Merona Meron,” all of which still receives airplay. He wrote the lyrics for “Ei Duniya

2014: Ferdousi Rahman, Shahnaz Rahmatullah, Sabina Yasmin, Syed Abdul Hadi, Md Abdul Jabbar, Md Khurshid Alam, Maqsood, Rumana Islam Shraboni, Subol Das, Alauddin Ali, Alam Khan, Khandakar Nurul Alam, Gazi Mazharaul Anwar, SM Hedayet, Chasi Nazrul Islam and Kazi Anwar Hossain 2015: Kaderi Kibria, MA Shoaib and Srikanta Acharya 2016: Subir Nandi, Kumar Bishwajit, Timir Nandi, Shuvrodeb, Fauzia Khan, Shaheen Samad, Shakila Zafar, Doly Iqbal, Sheikh Sadi Khan, Hasan Matiur Rahman, Shafat Khaoiyam and Saiful Wadud Helal Ekhon To Aar” for the film Dui Poisar Alta (1981), a song composed by Alauddin Ali and sung

by Mitali Mukherjee. Karim won the National Film Award for Best Lyrics in 1982 for this song.l

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Nobel and Tisha paired again n Showtime Desk Two popular faces of Bangladeshi television industry – Nobel and Tisha – have been paired together for a TV play for the very first time.

The two have started shooting for the play Unpredictable written

by Tanim Rahman.

Under the direction of Md Mehedi Hasan, Tisha and Nobel were found shooting for the play at Gulshan Ladies Park and surrounding areas on Friday, March 11.

The romantic play is based on the lives of Foysal and Kobita, played by the stars.

It had been a while since Nobel, an acclaimed model, has graced TV screens with his presence. Nobel and Tisha, however, acted in a number of television commercials together.

Nobel said: “In the play Tisha and I meet at a shop. Afterwards, we keep meeting on a regular basis. At one point we grow feelings for each other. One day Tisha vanishes without notice. I won’t say anymore right now. You have to watch it on TV to find on.”

The play will be aired on a private television channel on Eid day. l

Winners of the Oscar Prediction Contest Amid scores of surprise and disappointment, DiCaprio’s long-deserved win and Innaritu-Lubezki duo’s consecutive win turned the 88th Oscars this year into an interesting one.

Unlike other years, the “messages” delivered by winners made the night even more memorable. However, now is the time to announce who scored big at the Dhaka Tribune Oscar Prediction Contest.

We have four winners who scored 10 out of 12 categories.

The four winners are Md Rabiul Hassan, Faisal Islam, Md Masroor Abedin and Mosabber Rahman.

Congratulations winners!

Stay tuned for an email with updates. l

‘Time’ in Thailand n Showtime Desk A new Bangladeshi drama series named Time is being shot in Thailand with the whole cast and crew. It is being directed by Anirudho Rasel and written by

Naznin Hasan Chumki and Dop Mithu Monir.

Tania Hossain, Urmila Srabanti Kar, Kalyan Corraya and other professionals are performing in the new drama. l

First look into Tiger Shroff ’s new film n Showtime Desk Social media has quickly become the fastest way for celebrities to let the world know what they’re up to.

Unsurprisingly, many celebrities

have used their social media sites to their advantage, promoting themselves and their films. Tiger Shroff recently posted a poster of his upcoming film Baaghi, starring both him and Shradhdha Kapoor.

For those of you who are wondering, it is not a remake of Salman Khan’s Baaghi. This film is a remake of Telugu film Varsham (2004), scheduled for worldwide release on April 29, 2016. l

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DGFI FOR INTER-MINISTERIAL BODY TO FIND SOLUTION PAGE 15

NOBEL AND TISHA PAIRED AGAIN PAGE 31

Mustafiz Debutant of the Year ESPNcricinfo award winner likely to play against Pakistan Uddin Khan from n Minhaz Dharamsala Bangladesh pace sensation Mustafizur Rahman has emerged as the debutant of the year 2015 in the Maruti Suzuki-ESPNcricinfo Awards.

The award, adjudged through voting by users of popular cricket-based website ESPNcricinfo in addition to the jury, was declared yesterday.

The 20-year-old from Satkhira played a vital role in Bangladesh’s extraordinary success in 2015.

During the Tigers’ brilliant journey, Mustafiz claimed four wickets with an average of 14.50 in two Tests, 26 wickets with an average of 12.34 in nine ODIs and six wickets with an average of 18.66 in five T20Is. In his first two ODIs against India, Mustafiz bagged the wickets of MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja and others. He got five wickets on his debut, six in the following match and became only

the second bowler in history, after Zimbabwe’s Brian Vitori, to take consecutive five-wicket hauls in first two ODIs. Former India pacer Ajit Agarakar has said Mustafiz has brought the X-factor in Bangladesh team.

Agarkar believes the left-arm pacer’s performance was something special during Bangladesh’s series of victories at home against big teams in world cricket like India, Pakistan and South Africa.

“It is always heartening to see someone win an award from this [Bangladesh] team. The performance has been special from Mustafiz to bowl against a good Indian batting line-up and get 13 wickets in the series and then back it up against a good South African team and help Bangladesh win series at home which was never done before,” Agarkar told Cricinfo yesterday.

“He is definitely one guy to watch on going ahead in the future because he has got the X-factor which Bangladesh really needed,” the former India cricketer added.

Mustafizur Rahman in 2015

4

wickets at 14.50 from 2 Tests

The Bangladesh wonder-boy has been a concern for Bangladesh after he picked a side string injury during the Asia Cup Twenty20 2016. The injury kept him out of

26

wickets at 12.34 from 9 ODIs

6

wickets at 18.66 from 5 T20Is

service for the Tigers during their brilliant run in the ICC Twenty20 qualifier.

According to the team management, Mustafiz will probably be

available for selection from the second round of the tournament.

Bangladesh will take on Pakistan at Eden Garden in Kolkata in their first Super 10 game tomorrow. l

Employer chains, beats and burns minor boy Correspondent, n Our Lakshmipur

Boys at Shahjahan’s age usually worry about studies and classes.

But poverty forced the 14-year-old to take up a backbreaking job at a brick kiln in Comilla five months ago as his family struggled to make ends meet.

Shahjahan from Lakshmipur’s Komolnagar upazila is now writhing in pain in a hospital bed struggling for his life after going through five days of barbaric torture at the hands of his employer Belal Hossain.

Doctors at Komolnagar Upazila Health Complex said it would take quite some time for the boy to recover physically and mentally. Shahjahan’s small frame bears marks of searing with burning logs and countless beatings.

His father, day labourer Abdus Sobhan, said he had asked his son to look for work as it was difficult to maintain the family. Shahjahan took up a job at ABM Brick Kiln in Comilla’s Lalmai. On March 5, he sought wage from the employer saying he would not be able to do overtime.

Owner Belal fumed over the

boy’s words and asked his brothers – Kamal Uddin and Gias Uddin – to tie Shahjahan up. He led the physical assault. For the next five days, the minor boy was chained and kept in a small room where he was repeatedly beaten up and his body was burned with burning logs.

Belal and his brothers could not be contacted for comments.

Shahjahan managed to flee from captivity on March 10 with the help of locals and returned home, Komolnagar Union Parishad member Abdul Karim said. He was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.

The wounds on his body had by then turned to blisters.

The victim, his family and locals demanded justice and exemplary punishment of the offenders.

Komolnagar police station’s Officer-in-Charge Kabir Ahmmed said they would take legal actions after investigating the incident. He said they had advised Shahjahan’s family to file a case against the brick kiln owner and his brothers. But no case was filed until yesterday evening.

Child labour is rampant in Bangladesh where about 1.2 million

children are employed in various sectors, according to the National Child Labour Survey report published in 2015, the ILO said in an article.

Most children work long hours in hazardous conditions and are paid little, leading to significant number of children to drop out of schools. According to the Labour Law of Bangladesh 2006, the minimum legal age for employment is 14, the UNICEF says, noting that enforcement of labour laws is virtually impossible as 93% of child labourers work in informal sectors. l

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