March 22, 2016

SECOND EDITION

TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2016

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Chaitra 8, 1422, Jamadius Sani 12, 1437

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Regd No DA 6238, Vol 3, No 336

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

Weapons head to polling areas in cameras and sound amps n Mohammad Jamil Khan Criminals are hiding weapons and explosives inside cameras and sound amplifiers before smuggling them into areas where union parishad elections are set to be held.

Law enforcers found about the new technique being adapted by criminals when they were tapping into a recent phone conversation of a Dhaka-based listed criminal as part of their surveillance activities.

An official from an intelligence agency, seeking anonymity, told the Dhaka Tribune they found that the criminal was speaking to a close associate of a ruling party-backed chairman candidate in a southern district.

“You give Tk40,000, I am send-

ing you four cameras. But you have to send it back the day after the election. I have no sound box right now; but if you need it, just call this number you will get what you want,” the senior official quoted the criminal as saying during the phone conversation.

The use of words like “camera” and “sound box” raised flags, and further investigation revealed that the words were codes for weapons and explosives respectively, the official said.

He added criminals had used these code words to successfully send four illegal arms to Bhola and two more weapons to Pirojpur.

Efforts were now on to identify which gangs were using similar secretive methods to communicate

with union parishad candidates across the country, the official said.

Most sources of the weapons supply was centred in the capital, according to sources, who also said activities of top criminals have also seen a spike ahead of the polls.

A well-placed source told the Dhaka Tribune that some candidates were hiring out-of-district armed criminals ahead of election day.

The Dhaka Tribune spoke to several police superintendents from districts where union parishad polls are scheduled to be held.

They said field-level law enforcers have been instructed to beef up their drives to recover illegal weapons from the election areas.

The inspector general of police,

AKM Shahidul Hoque, also said directives have been issued to increase drives to recover illegal arms and take action against arms dealers. Based on intelligence reports, actions were being taken against suspects who might cause trouble during the election, he added.

“Police along with other law enforcement agency officials are staying alert to ensure safe elections,” the IGP added.

World Water Day today n Tribune Report

According to reports from several intelligence agencies, a large number of illegal arms are being smuggled into the country, mostly from India, centring the union parishad elections. The illegal arms are

World Water Day will be observed today around the country along with the rest of the world aiming to inform, engage and act on water-related issues together for its sustenance.

The United Nations General

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Arms for rent

No probe into Banani building explosion yet Hayat Mahmud and n Abu Arifur Rahman Rabbi

Valiant Tigers fall short against Aussies

Three days passed since a gas explosion damaged a six-storey building in the capital's Banani but an official investigation into the cause of the accident is yet to be carried out.

Experts said it was a mysterious incident, and primarily suspected that a leak in the gas pipeline of Titas and negligence on the part of the company had caused the explosion.

Dr Ijaz Hossain, professor of chemical engineering at Buet, told the Dhaka Tribune the explosion was possible but unexpected.

“I think it was an accident. How can gas flow under the soil? I do not find any scientific explanation,” he said.

“A probe committee comprised of experts should be formed to find out the actual reason. The committee should investigate how it

The Tigers exhibited a valiant effort but still fell agonisingly short as Australia registered a nervy three-wicket win in their 2016 World Twenty20 Super 10 encounter at M Chinnaswamy Stadium yesterday.

Opening batsman Usman Khawaja laid the platform for his side, posting a brisk 45-ball 58, studded with seven fours and a six, and all-rounder James Faulkner (five not out) later put the finishing touch to guide the Aussies to their target of 157 with nine deliveries to spare.

Khawaja and all-rounder Shane Watson added 62 blistering runs for the opening wicket with the latter making a 15-ball 21 but the fall of regular wickets from thereon in saw Australia struggle before eventually reaching the destination.

INSIDE

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n Mazhar Uddin from Bangalore

Bangladesh’s Mahmudullah plays a shot during their ICC World Twenty20 2016 match against Australia in Bangalore, India, yesterday AP

CAAB, Redline ink airport deal

Industrial policy gets cabinet nod

Climate change a big threat to safe water

CAAB has signed an agreement with British security firm Redline to upgrade the security management.  PAGE 3

The cabinet has approved the draft of the National Industrial Policy-2016 in aims to develop the country through rapid industrialisation.  PAGE 5

The push to bring safe water to millions is going to be even more challenging due to climate change, which threatens safe water supply.  PAGE 32

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2nd Round

Sport Page-28

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TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2016

'Central bankers violated SWIFT standards' n Kamrul Hasan The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has almost completed collecting information from Bangladesh Bank in the heist investigation and will start interrogating possible suspects once they analyse the gathered information.

CID Special Superintendent Mirza Abdullahel Baqui told the Dhaka tribune yesterday that the agency had worked at the central bank the entire day.

Meanwhile, sources said the central bank had been violating a standard practice for SWIFT messaging, which may have made the system vulnerable.

In early February, some $101m of the Bangladesh Bank funds kept with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York was withdrawn illegally allegedly by hackers who had bro-

ken into the SWIFT system.

SWIFT stands for the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications, an worldwide interbank communications network that is used to send messages for financial transactions. It has been confirmed that perpetrators of the heist were in control of Bangladesh Bank's SWIFT servers for two entire days, February 5 and 6.

A highly placed source at CID said while collecting information, investigators had found that Bangladesh Bank had ten persons authorised to get into the SWIFT server.

In standard practice, three personnel complete the process of sending a message over the SWIFTNet using SWIFTNet Link (SNL).

These personnel are assigned three roles – the Creator/maker, verifier, and authoriser/authenticator.

Ideally they should be three dif-

Valiant Tigers fall short Pace bowling sensation Mustafizur Rahman bowled superbly, accounting for the wickets of Australia captain Steve Smith (14) and Mitchell Marsh (six).

All-rounder Shakib al Hasan was also brilliant with the leather, picking up three wickets, but at the end it seemed like Bangladesh were at least 15-20 runs short.

Debutant Saqlain Sajib, coming into the side in place of the suspended Arafat Sunny, leaked 40 runs in 3.3 overs while Shuvagata Hom, who replaced the banned Taskin Ahmed, went wicketless in his two overs.

Earlier, Bangladesh set Australia a fighting target of 157 after Mahmudullah smashed a magnificent unbeaten 49.

The Tigers blasted 44 runs in the last three overs to post their highest ever T20I total against the Aussies.

Mahmudullah executed some delightful strokes all around the ground and shifted the gear perfectly, remaining undefeated on 49 off just 27 balls featuring seven fours and a six.

Mushfiqur Rahim provided valuable support, making 15 off 11 deliveries, and added 51 runs alongside Mahmudullah for the unbroken sixth wicket partnership.

However, Bangladesh initially found run-scoring difficult after being asked to bat first by Smith.

Soumya Sarkar (one) departed in just the second over while the inform Sabbir Rahman (12) was dismissed in the sixth over.

Mohammad Mithun, opening the innings in place of regular fixture Tamim Iqbal who was ruled out of the game due to fever and a stomach ache, looked impressive, but soon made his way to the dressing room after making a 22-ball 23.

In came Shakib who set the tempo of the innings by hammering some lusty blows. Shakib scored 33 off 25 balls with the help of three fours and a six before Mahmudullah and Mushfiq took over.

Leg-spinner Adam Zampa was the pick of the Aussy bowlers with 3/23 while Watson took two wickets. l

ferent persons and should depend on each other to complete the whole process. But CID found that each of the ten authorised personnel knew all three steps of the entrance.

Also, whereas the standard practice is to use three computers to complete the process, CID found that the work was done at a single terminal.

Sources said CID was yet to confirm whether the hacking was done from within the central bank, the country or abroad.

Replying to a query, SS Baqui said 27 people work at the SWIFT section and four of them were at work on February 4.

Asked about the standard procedures for SWIFT messaging, Abul Kalam Azad, the joint secretary of SWIFT User Group of Bangladesh, an association of local banks using the SWIFT system, said, “The three

steps should be performed by three different persons. If that's not possible, it should be performed by at least two persons, so that no one can access the system from anywhere else.”

Azad, also the head of payment, international division of ICB Islamic Bank Ltd, told the Dhaka Tribune that the other crucial security measure is to isolate the authorised computers.

According to the source, central bank did not have an isolated terminal for SWIFT. However, since the heist the bank has begun to follow the standard practices.

Asking if any reply was given by the INTERPOL, CID spokesperson Baqui said it would take some time.

Another source said investigators were preparing to visit Sri Lanka and Philippines, the countries where the funds were sent out to,

Weapons head to polling entering through 48 different border points, mainly through Rajshahi and Chapainawabganj borders.

An intelligence agency report suggested that the weapons are then being smuggled to different districts in trucks that carry fruits or vegetables, or on trains.

With high demands, the prices of weapons have also gone up recent-

so that they could find the beneficiaries of the laundered money.

The arrest of criminals there would help identify their Bangladeshi partners, if any, the source said.

Investigators were particularly hopeful of the lead in Sri Lanka, where the money was sent out to Shalika Foundation, a local NGO. The money laundered from the New York Fed was moved via transfer requests, with about $81m ending up in four bank accounts in the Philippines. The other $20m went to an account in Sri Lanka. Another $850 million was supposed to be transferred to a personal bank account in the Philippines, but was blocked by the authorities.

A 20-member special team under the CID's Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Saiful Alam is investigating the case. The team started working on March 16. l

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ly, according to sources.

At the borders, criminals are buying 7.65mm pistols for Tk25,000Tk30,000 and later selling those in different districts for Tk60,000Tk70,000. The price for 9mm pistols near the border is Tk30,000Tk35,000, while the cost goes up to Tk70,000-Tk80,000 further inland.

Anticipating violent attacks, un-

ion parishad candidates are also reportedly hiring armed shooters for a daily rate of Tk10,000-Tk15,000.

This allows the candidates deniability even if the criminals get arrested.

Several phases of election would be held at 4,275 union parishads across the country up until June. The first phase would be held today in 721 union parishads in 31 districts. l

World Water Day today Assembly designated March 22 as World Water Day in 1993 following a resolution taken in Rio, Brazil in 1992 when demands were made to designate a special day for water resources.

In a message issued on the occasion, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the theme of the day this year is “Water and Jobs,” focusing on the links between water and jobs in both local and global contexts.

Around 1.5 billion people work

in water-related sectors globally and neatly all jobs depend on the availability of freshwater, according to the message.

“Despite its paramount importance, water as a sector generally does not receive the attention it deserves,” the UN chief observed.

Mentioning that workers in the water sector could be harmed by poor water and sanitation, he said an estimated two million deaths occur every year mainly because of poor quality drinking water, inade-

quate sanitation and hygiene.

The UN chief said he was concerned with the gaps that persist between cities and rural sites, men and women as well as rich and the poor.

He also suggested minimising such inequality through a provision of adequate water, sanitation and hygiene at home, school and at workplace.

“All of these together will inspire a healthy population and a sound workforce,” he added. l

pert team from Buet will launch an investigation, and after that, we will take steps for repairing or reconstructing the building,” added Milki.

Dhaka Wasa Managing Director Taqsem A Khan told the Dhaka Tribune Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) dug the road near the building for developing the storm water drainage system and Wasa has no responsibility there.

DNCC Mayor Annisul Huq yesterday told the Dhaka Tribune nobody would enjoy impunity for negligence and irresponsibility that led to the explosion.

“We are observing the matter

closely, and steps will be taken after the investigation,” he said.

The mayor also said road digging did not cause the explosion.

“It originated inside the building.

The actual cause will be known after the investigation.”

Among other bodies, separate teams of Titas, Petrobangla, and the Fire Service and Civil Defence are expected to submit their reports within a week after carrying out investigations.

About 20 residents of the building were injured as a massive fire broke out on the second floor of the building early on Friday. l

No probe into Banani building explosion yet occurred and whose negligence caused it. Also, people and the authorities concerned should be careful about such incidents,” the professor added.

Meanwhile, Additional Deputy Commissioner Sanwar Hossain of the bomb disposal unit of the Detective Branch of police told the Dhaka Tribune the explosion was not caused by any bomb or explosive. “It is likely that a gas leak caused it but we need to know the actual fact and an investigation by experts is needed.”

Yesterday, Shamsul Alam, former land owner who now owns six

flats of the building, said he had approached Rajuk for an investigation but they said launching one was out of their remit as the building is a private property.

“Rajuk officials told me to have the building checked by Buet experts if I wanted to live there. They also said I myself have to bear all the costs involved to have the building checked.

“If I get a clearance certificate from Buet that living in the building involves no risk, then Rajuk will also give its permission. But until then, they said I cannot live there,” he said.

The flat owners said Buet, Rajuk, Titas and city corporation offi-

cials carried out the primary investigation on the day of the incident but no further step in this regard had yet been taken.

Besides, Faruque Hossain Milki, assistant manager of Asset Developments and Holding Ltd, told the Dhaka Tribune: “Our architects and engineers visited the building and found that the conduit for carrying off rainwater and waste materials near the building was damaged more than the other parts.

“It was also found that the covers of bathroom pipes were broken, which is an indication that gas spread through those pipes. An ex-

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TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2016

CAAB, Redline ink Shahjalal security deal n Ishtiaq Husain Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) has signed an agreement with British security firm Redline to upgrade the security management and training of personnel at Hazrat Shahjalal Interna-

tional Airport in Dhaka.

The signing agreement was held at CAAB Headquarters at Kurmitola yesterday. Among others, Civil Aviation Minister Rashed Khan Menon, CAAB Chairman Ehsanul Gani Chowdhury, acting director of Shahjalal International Airport

Doctors’ negligence alleged for deaths of woman, newborn n Mohammad Jamil Khan A woman and her newborn died yesterday at a 500-bed general hospital in Dhaka’s Mugda allegedly due to negligence and ill-treatment of doctors.

The victim Fatema Akther Kona, 24, was the wife of Tarequl Hasan, a resident of the capital's Jatrabari.

Tareq filed a case with Mugda police accusing four doctors – Dr Tanzina, Dr Shumi, Dr Anis and Dr Mousumi. Police raided the hospital and sent the body for a post-mortem examination.

Mugda police OC Enamul Haque said they would wait for the autopsy report and then take necessary actions.

“We are trying to identify those responsible but none has been arrested so far,” he told the Dhaka Tribune last night.

The doctors, who are believed to be on the run, could not be contacted while the hospital declined comment.

Tareq said during last week’s scheduled check-up doctors had told them that their baby would be born in mid-April. “I rushed my wife

to the hospital in the evening shortly after she complained of pain in her belly on Sunday afternoon. Dr Tanzina checked her and said they would need to conduct an emergency operation for delivering the baby,” he told the Dhaka Tribune.

He continued: “When I pointed out that doctors had said the expected delivery date was in April, she told me that there had been some complications which warranted an operation.”

Kona was taken to the operation theatre at around 9:30pm and the four doctors emerged from there about two hours later. Dr Mousumi had told him that the operation was still going on.

“But no doctor was inside the OT. Half an hour later, another doctor at the hospital asked one of my neighbours, who was accompanying me, to keep me company and help me stay calm as Kona had died during the operation,” he said.

Tareq said he contacted police after the hospital’s security guards stopped him from seeing his wife in the operation theatre. l

DNCC: No illegal billboards after Mar 31 n UNB Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) has asked all business establishments to remove illegal billboards from the city by March 31.

It has also urged all to erase pictures and all wall writings at their own initiatives by the time.

The directives were issued through a press note yesterday.

The press note said the DNCC authorities already removed all illegal billboards under its jurisdiction, but it has

observed that recently some business establishments have used larger signboards than the ones approved by the city corporation.

The press note further said that cases would be filed against business establishments, house owners and advertising firms if they failed to obey the directives, and steps would be taken to stop their ads in media and to cut off utility services.

The city corporation has already filed regular cases against some 42 house owners and agencies in this regard, the press note said. l

Nurul Islam were present at the signing ceremony. On Sunday, cabinet committee on economic affairs approved to appoint Redline as part of the government’s short term initiatives to meet the UK’s requirements on security grounds.

The government has appointed

Redline in direct purchase process with a cost of Tk73.25 cr. This security firm will continue their project till March 2018. A total of 29 aviation experts from Redline will be deployed at Shahjalal International Airport in a day.

UK’s Department for Transport in a post said a recent security as-

sessment found that Dhaka airport was yet to meet some international security requirements. On March 8, the UK imposed a temporary ban on direct air cargo shipment from Dhaka to London, citing security issues. Australia came up with the same move in December last year. l

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TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2016

Warrant issued for arrest of Janakantha editor, 2 others n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu A Dhaka court yesterday issued a warrant for the arrest of three people, including Daily Janakantha Editor Mohammad Atikullah Khan Masud, for publishing a report defaming Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha on February 4.

Metropolitan Magistrate Snigdha Rani Chakrabarti issued the warrant in response to a petition filed by complainant advocate Arfan Uddin Khan.

The two other accused are Daily Janakantha Advisory Editor Towab Khan and Executive Editor Swadesh Roy. On February 22, advocate Arfan Uddin Khan, former president of Dhaka Metropolitan Bar, filed a defamation case with the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court in Dhaka.

After recording the statement of the complainant, Metropolitan Magistrate Snigdha Rani Chakrabarti issued a summons against the three accused.

In the case, the complainant said the February 4 report on the chief justice contained false and defamatory information. l

Government asked why Manna should not be granted bail n Tribune Report The High Court yesterday issued two rules asking the government to explain as to why Mahmudur Rahman Manna should not be granted bail in two cases.

The politician, Convenor of the party Nagorik Oikya, has been in jail for over a year in two cases charging him of provoking the army and sedition. The government will have to come up with answers to the rule within three weeks.

The cases were filed with Gulshan Police Station on February 24 and March 5 last year.

The bench of Justice Salma Masud Chowdhury and Justice Kazi Md Ejarul Haque Akondo issued the rules after Mahmudur Rahman Manna filed two petitions seeking bail.

He was arrested on Feb 29 last year after his telephone conversations with BNP Vice Chairman Sadek Hossain Khoka and another person were leaked. He was denied bail in the two cases at lower court on March 2 and 7. l

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TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2016

BNP’s full executive committee coming soon n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

A locally made three-wheeler lays broken after an accident on Dhaka-Mawa highway in Abdullahpur area yesterday. Despite a countrywide ban on three-wheelers on the highways to ensure road safety, these vehicles are often seen flouting the ban, resulting in frequent accidents MEHEDI HASAN

China open to consortium on Paira n Sheikh Shahariar Zaman China is open to becoming part of a consortium to build the Paira deep sea port in Bangladesh.

“For cooperation with other countries for a deep sea port, we are open,” Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Ma Mingqiang said at a DCAB Talk at the National Press Club yesterday.

Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh (DCAB) organized the programme.

He said the Bangladesh government and its people would be the owners of the port.

“We are contractors only or at the maximum operators only,” he said.

“If there is a port, of course we are willing [to go] with any country.

If there is willingness to cooperate, we can do it together. Of course we are here with sincerity,” the ambassador said.

Some Chinese companies have shown interest in the Paira project, he added.

On Sonadia deep sea port, he said two Chinese companies had shown interest in the project but it was no longer a priority project of the government.

He said cooperation between the two armed forces was an important pillar of bilateral ties. l

Industrial policy gets cabinet nod n Shohel Mamun

The cabinet has approved the draft of the National Industrial Policy-2016 in aims to develop the country through rapid industrialisation.

Approval was given yesterday at the weekly cabinet meeting held at the Bangladesh Secretariat with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

While briefing reporters after the meeting, Cabinet Secretary Muhammad Shafiul Alam said: “As per the new draft, the industries sector has been divided into five categories – high-priority, priority, creative-based service, reserved, and controlled industries.”

“The draft also gives special focus to a list of high-priority industries and creative industries,” he said.

High-priority industries include agriculture and food processing, garments, ICT and software, pharmaceuticals, leather and leather products, and jute and jute goods.

Creative industries refer to sectors in which aesthetic and creative products are produced using artistic, innovative thinking and techniques or modern technology.

TEMPERATURE FOREC AST FOR TODAY

THUNDERSHOWER WITH RAIN TUESDAY, MARCH 22

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As per the new draft, the industries sector has been divided into five categories – high-priority, priority, creative-based service, reserved, and controlled industries “An industry with an asset value of Tk15 crore and 121-300 employees will be considered a medium industrial unit, while one with an asset value of Tk75lakh to Tk15core, and at least 31 employees will be regarded as a small industrial unit, as per 24

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the draft policy,” he added.

The National Industrial Policy 2016 will replace the existing one, in place since 2010.

Citizenship for foreigners double The government has doubled the fee for foreigners to gain Bangladeshi citizenship.

From now on, foreigners will have to invest $1 million or transfer $2 million through banks in a bid to get citizenship.

Shafiul Alam said foreigners will be provided with residentship for five years for investing $2m in business.

Under the Industrial Policy 2010, foreigners were required to invest $500,000 or transfer $1m to get Bangladeshi citizenship, and invest $75,000 for the residentship.

The cabinet has also approved in principle the draft of the “Prime Minister's Education Trust Fund (Amendment) Act-2016.”

The cabinet secretary said: “According to the draft, post-graduate students will also receive a fund from the PM's trust fund while before it had been offered only to graduate students.” l

The cabinet secretary said: “Under the draft policy, the size of industrial units has been redefined, and a firm with an asset value over Tk50 crore and 300 employees will be considered a large industrial unit. In the current policy, the figures are Tk30 crore and 250 employees, respectively.”

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YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

TOMORROW SUN RISES 6:00AM

36.8ºC Rajshahi

18.2ºC Rangpur

Source: Accuweather/UNB

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PRAYER TIMES

The BNP yesterday announced that its chairperson Khaleda Zia will soon announce the party’s full executive committee.

“Our council has given madam [Khaleda] responsibility to form a full-fledged executive committee and she will announce it soon,” said Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, acting secretary general of the party, at a press conference at the party’s Nayapaltan central office.

At the BNP’s sixth national council on March 19, party councillors endorsed Khaleda Zia and Tarique Rahman as party chairperson and senior vice chairman, respectively, and empowered Khaleda to pick the other office-bearers and members of its national executive and standing committees.

Replying to a question, Fakhrul said party councillors had adopted a policy of “one leader, one post” to avoid the duplication of roles.

Those currently holding more than one post will be asked to relinquish their extra positions, he said.

“But our chairperson has the authority to give a leader more than one post for a temporary period in case of emergency,” he added.

Speaking at the press conference, BNP leader Nazrul Islam Khan informed reporters about various proposals passed by the council to amend its charter.

Apart from the one leader, one post proposal, he said councillors had also approved proposals to form sub-committees on different sectors, including finance, health, education, foreign policy, climate change, the environment, power and energy, women and children, and minority affairs. He said it was proposed that the number of vice chairmen be increased from 17 to 35.

The councillors also approved a proposal empowering Khaleda to appoint as many people to her council of advisers as she wants.

The council also passed a proposal allowing the senior vice chairman to perform all of the responsibilities of the chairperson in her absence.

Nazrul also said an amendment was passed to ensure that at least 10 of all committees at all levels of the party are women. “We will gradually increase the number to reach our target of 33% membership of women in committees by 2020. l Sylhet

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Fajr: 4:42am | Zohr: 12:05am Asr: 3:32pm | Magrib: 6:14pm Esha: 7:41pm Source: IslamicFinder.org

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TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2016

Fakhrul, 33 others charged with arson n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu

Members of Samajtantrik Chhatra Front bring out a procession in Dhaka University yesterday protesting the increase of cost in all levels of education MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Chhatra Front Committee formed n DU Correspondent Imran Habib Rummon and Nasiruddin Prince have been elected as the president and general secretary, respectively, of a faction of Socialist Students’ Front, the Socialist Party of Bangladesh’s student wing.

A 20-member central committee of SSF was announced yesterday at Dhaka University at the 16th National Council.

The new committee also included Vice-President Al Kadery Joy, Organising Secretary Rashib Rahman, office secretary Shymal Byarmon, Treasurer Rukhsana Afruz Asha, press secretary Sadek Hossain, School affairs secretary Sojal Barey and international affairs secretary Manish Chakrabartee and the remainder are members of the body.

Earlier in the morning, former DU professor and father of slain blogger Avijit Roy, Prof Ajoy Roy, inaugurated the council of the front by releasing balloons and hoisting

the national and organisation’s flags at the base of Aparajeyo Bangla of DU. With Front President Janardan Dutta Nantu as chair, the inaugural ceremony was addressed by Comrade Khalequzzaman, Prof Anu Muhammad, Journalist Abu Sayed and foreign unit body members, among others.

In his speech, Prof Ajoy Roy said a society cannot be democratic without free thinking and progressive thinking practices.

“Democratic development is very important in a nation, which doesn’t develop only through the construction of large buildings,” he added.

Addressing the rally, Khalequzzaman said that differences between one man and another are increasing in this nation, which is the result of capitalism. Because of this, the education rights of students are being ignored.

He urged student organisations to play a pivotal role in this issue. l

Ex-captain Manzoor Ahmed passes away n Tribune Report Manzoor Ahmed, a former captain of Kurmitola Golf Club, died at a hospital in Thailand on Saturday. He was 62.

Manzoor, son of the late Jalal Ahmed and Rowson Ara Ahmed, breathed his last at Bangkok General Hospital, family sources said.

He was buried at Banani graveyard in the city yesterday following a namaz-e-janaza at Lalmatia Block C Jame Mosque after maghrib prayers.

His qulkhawani will be held

at the same mosque tomorrow after maghrib prayers.

Relatives and well-wishers are requested to join the qulkhawani and pray for the departed soul. l

Police have pressed charges in court against BNP acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and 33 others in a case filed last year over the torching of vehicles.

Paltan police station’s Sub-Inspector Md Mominul Haque, the investigation officer, submitted the chargesheet at Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) court yesterday.

Others charged with violence include BNP’s Rafiqul Islam Miah,

Shamsuzzaman Dudu, Aman Ullah Aman, Barkatullah Bulu, Zaynal Abedin Faruk, Abdul Awal Mintoo, Habib-un-Nabi Khan Sohel, Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Anny, Khairul Kabir Khokon, Iqbal Hossain and Ariful Haque Arif.

According to case details, blockade supporters set ablaze a BRTC bus and a private car in front of Rajuk Bhaban at Motijheel during the BNP-led alliance’s countrywide transport blockade on January 6, 2015. The bus’ driver Ali Biswas filed the case with Paltan police. l

Red Crescent Society prioritises volunteers’ Safer Access n Tribune Report

Every time there is a major disaster – cyclones, earthquakes and even building collapses like that of Rana Plaza – the volunteers of Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BDRCS) play a leading role in rescue and relief efforts.

Often times, the volunteers and workers of BDRCS, the leading disaster-time humanitarian organisation in the country, have to rush to affected locations without having the time to consider their own safety and potential risks.

With a view to addressing gaps, bar-

riers, risks and challenges in access or intervention during crises, the BDRCS organised a three-day Safer Access Assessment and Planning Workshop at Hotel Lake Breeze in Gulshan of Dhaka. The Bangladesh delegation of the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) is collaborating with the society in conducting this workshop.

“I believe that this workshop will give us the opportunity to assess our limitations and allow us to plan our future humanitarian interventions, ensuring safe access and way out,” BMM Mozharul Huq, secretary general of

the BDRCS, at the opening day of the workshop yesterday.

Catherine Martin, national society development advisor of ICRC, and Donna Williams, regional advisor of ICRC’s Safer Access Framework (SAF) National Society Support, are conducting the workshop as facilitators.

The Safer Access programme and its application tools support a structured assessment and planning process that is designed to identify experienced, existing or anticipated gaps, barriers, risks and challenges to the national societies’ acceptance, security and access. l

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TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2016

All set for Union Parishad polls today CEC says police will be responsible if any irregularities happen n Adil Sakhawat The Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad yesterday said if any kinds of irregularities happened during the Union Parishad polls, security officials at the centre concerned and officer-incharge of the concerned police station would be accountable for this.

The CEC made the remarks while addressing a press briefing arranged over the law and order situation ahead of the first phase of Union Parishad elections to be held today at 21 union parishads across the country.

He also said special measures were taken to ensure security at all the polling centres on the eve of UP polls.

He also instructed law enforcement agencies to take strict actions if any kinds of irregularity takes place.

Rakibuddin also urged voters to go to the polling centres without any fear.

“All kinds of preparations to arrange the UP poll tomorrow [today] have been taken. Upazila Nirbahi Officer will observe the situation in every polling areas from today [yesterday]. If any kinds of negligence or biased activities of the law enforcement agencies found the EC will take action against them

Preparations for the first phase of union parishad polls are complete in Zinzira union parishad. The photo was taken yesterday SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

immediately,” CEC said.

The CEC also ordered the law enforcement agencies not to allow anybody to polling areas.

In the first phase of the elections, 36,456 candidates – 3,034 for

Hefazat rejects writ over state religion Mizanur Rahaman, n FM Chittagong

Hefazat-e-Islam, Bangladesh, yesterday demanded the rejection of the writ petition filed with the High Court challenging the legality of the constitutional provision that gives Islam the status of state religion.

Hefazat’s Secretary General Junaid Babunagari made the statement at a press briefing held in Chittagong Press Club in the morning.

He said: “Atheism will be established in the country if Islam is dropped as the state religion. Such step will hamper the sovereignty and peace in the country.”

Protesting the petition the organisation said it was a conspiracy to erase Islam as the state religion from the constitution.

Meanwhile the organisation declared countrywide protest procession and rally against the writ.

Babunagari said: “We have no objection if the court keeps Islam as the state religion but the country

will become unrest if the verdict will go against majority’s demand”.

“A vested quarter in the government is trying to reach their evil goal through using court. The government should be alert”,said the Hefazat leader.

Hefazat’s Organising Secretary Mowlana Azizul Haque Islamabadi alleged that the 28-year old writ petition suddenly made functional while a number of important issues in the country were prevailing.

Hafazat’s senior Nayebee Ameer Allama Shah Muhibullah Babunagari, Joint Secretary Mowlana Mainuddin Ruhi, Assistant Treasurer Mowlana Illias Osmani, Mowlana Ishaq Osmani, Press Secretary Mowlana Munir Ahmed, Mowlana Lokman Hakim, Mowlana Yasin among others were present.

On February 29, the High Court fixed March 27 for hearing the writ petition filed by 15 distinguished citizens 28 years ago in 1988.

The High Court heard the petition for the first time in 2011 and issued a rule against the government. l

chairman posts, 25,847 for member posts and 7,575 for reserved-seat women posts – will compete.

A total of 11,940,741 voters will vote in 7,087 polling stations. A total of 54 chairmen, 179 members

and 54 reserved-seat women members have already been elected uncontested.

Two die in pre-poll violence

A chairman candidate for union

parishad (UP) election was shot dead at Gyalenga UP in Ruma upazila early yesterday.

Shariful Islam, officer-in-charge of Ruma police station, said a gang of miscreants picked up Shantiha Tripura, 35, a member of Parbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samity (PCJSS), from his house and took him to Adika Para around 3am.

Later, the criminals fired gunshots at Shantiha and fled the scene, leaving him dead on the spot.

Superintendent of Police Mizanur Rahman said police went to the spot to look into the matter.

Meanwhile, a man, who was injured in a clash during elections to Maheshakhali Municipality in Cox’s Bazar on Sunday, died in a hospital.

The deceased was Abdus Shukkur, 20, of Putibila area, Resident Surgeon Sultan Ahmed Siraji of Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital confirmed around 11:30am on Monday.

Shukkur was one of the 13 people who were shot during clashes between the supporters of two chairman candidates at Ghonarpara, Putibila, Charpara and Gorghata polling centres after the voting ended on Sunday.

The other victims are under treatment at different hospitals in Cox’s Bazar and Chittagong. l

Number of female migrant workers increasing gradually n Anwar Hussain, Chittagong

Breaking away from the conservative attitude, Chittagong has been witnessing a gradual increase in recent time in the number of female overseas job-seekers.

According to Chittagong District Employment and Manpower Office, a total of 3,299 female overseas job-seekers left Chittagong from 2009 till 2015.

The migrant workersleaving Chittagong for Middle Eastern countries in the last six years were mostly general labourers, carpenters, masons, cleaners and drivers.

Recruiting agencies said conservative attitude, religious and social injunction, inexperience and lack of campaign were holding the women back from going abroad as overseas job-seekers.

Anomalies in recruiting agencies, dearth of skilled workers, lack of market analysis and promotion and lack of sufficient diplomatic activity to boost bilateral relations are some of the reasons behind the dip in manpower exports from

Bangladesh, said the office sources.

Talking to the Dhaka Tribune, Jahirul Alam Majumder, assistant director, Chittagong District Employment and Manpower Office, said: “Some sort of reservation was prevalent among the women of Chittagong. However, we are witnessing an increasing trend in recent time due to widespread campaign, skill development training and workplace safety.”

“Most of the women leave Bangladesh as migrant workers for Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore and Jordan. They are mostly employed as gardeners, caregivers and house helps,” said Majumder.

“Bangladeshi migrant workers are honest and hardworking. The workers will be able to send more remittance if they are skilled and proficient in English,” said Majumder.

Officials of the Chittagong District Employment and Manpower Office attribute the marked increase in the number of aspiring female overseas job-seekers to the

skill development training.

There are two technical training centres for women workers in the port city – Chittagong Mohila Technical Training Centre and Bangladesh Korea Technical Training Centre.

Bangladesh Korea Technical Training Centre, Chittagong imparts vocational and technical training on different employable trades.

Equipped with two modern computer labs, an Auto CAD lab and four workshops, Chittagong Mohila Technical Training Centre imparts training on two trades for the SSC Vocational Courses and 11 trades for the short-term courses, including a 21-day course on housekeeping.

“The number of technical training centres in the country is not sufficient. The government should increase the number of such centres and offer diversified courses to enhance skills of migrant labourers,” said Monsur Ahmed Kalam, secretary general of Bangladesh Association of International recruiting Agencies (Baira). l

DT

8

News

TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2016

Use of meters in CNG auto-rickshaws falls flat n Anwar Hussain, Chittagong The mandatory meter use in CNGrun auto-rickshaws in Chittagong city has fallen flat as most of the drivers are not willing to travel abiding by meters, reveals a survey.

Chittagong regional committee of Bangladesh Passenger Welfare Association has conducted the survey.

The survey titled ‘CNG Auto-rickshaw Metre Travelling

Observation Programme’ was conducted at five strategic points – Bahadderhat, Shah Amanat Bridge, Kalurghat, Chwakbazar, Laldighir Par – areas of the city.

Mozammel Haque Chowdhury, secretary general of Bangladesh Passenger Welfare Association told the Dhaka Tribune that a 12-member team of the association took part in the observation programme where 362 autorickshaw drivers and 384 passen-

gers were interviewed.

As per Bangladesh Road Transport Authority, as many as 13,000 CNG auto-rickshaws are permitted for plying in Chittagong city.

However, around 7,000 more CNG auto-rickshaws allegedly ply in the city without registration.

During the survey, it was found that 98% CNG auto-rickshaw drivers go on a contractual basis while 87% demands tips. Eight-five percent drivers refuse to take passen-

gers to their chosen destinations if they are a short way off. Those who agree to travel following meters usually want an additional Tk20 to Tk40.

The commuters travelling short distances are refused by the CNGrun auto-rickshaw drivers. Besides, 33% CNG auto-rickshaws were illegally plying in the city and travelling without installing meters.

During the survey, the commut-

ers said that it was discriminatory to fix same amount of fares in Dhaka and Chittagong. The passengers also demanded refixing the fares without delay.

It may be mentioned that the new fare for CNG-run auto-rickshaws was fixed at Tk40 for the first two kilometres and Tk12 for each additional kilometre. The waiting charge for the CNG-run auto-rickshaws was fixed at Tk2 for per minute. l

Minor girl killed in BCL-villagers clash n Our Correspondent, Habiganj A minor girl was killed in a clash between the activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) and locals at Moshajan Noabad village in Sadar upazila yesterday.

The deceased was Tasfia Akter, 1.

Local sources said a group of BCL activists led by Musa, Sabbir and Roni had been lifting sand from the Khoai River in the village illegally.

The BCL men swooped on the villagers with local weapons as the villagers tried to protest against the sand lifting on the day.

At least ten of the villagers got injured while Tasfia died on the spot.

Md Nazimuddin, officer-incharge of Habiganj Model police station, said on information, police recovered the body and sent it to hospital morgue. l

Student dies falling off Fantasy Kingdom ride

n Our Correspondent, Savar A first year student of BAF Shaheen College died yesterday after falling from a water ride in Fantasy Kingdom, a theme park in the outskirts of the capital in Ashulia, Savar.

According to witnesses and police, the dead Samiullah Bari, 19, went to the theme park with some friends in the morning. The incident took place in the afternoon when they went to the park’s Water World section for bathing.

Samiullah fell from a water ride and was critically injured following which he was rushed to a local clinic where doctors declared him dead.

Ashulia Model police station Officer-in-Charge Mohsinul Kadri said the body has been sent to Dhaka Medical College for autopsy and a case was being filed in this connection. l

Low-income people of Rajshahi, to reach their home from Dhaka, usually travel in vehicle used for domestic fowls risking their lives. The picture was taken on Sunday from Baneshawr area of Puthia AZAHAR UDDIN

NARAYANGANJ 7-MURDER CASE

Deposition recording on March 28 Correspondent, n Our Narayanganj A court in Narayanganj yesterday granted a time extension petition filed for Nur Hossain, the prime accused in the two seven-murder cases, and RAB official Lt Col Tareq Sayeed, who was forced to go into retirement.

After granting the petition, Syed Enayet Hossain, judge of Narayanganj District and Sessions Judge Court, said he would record deposition on March 28.

It was the sixth time an extension petition was granted for the two accused.

But seven witnesses, including a judicial magistrate, testified and were interrogated yesterday.

Earlier in the day, 23 accused in the case were produced before the court amid tight security.

So far, 23 people have been arrested over the seven murders and 12 are in hiding.

Each case has 127 witnesses and they all are the same, which is why they have been interrogated in

both cases at the same time.

The seven people, including Narayanganj City Corporation panel mayor Nazrul Islam and lawyer Chandan Kumar Sarker, were abducted on April 27, 2014. Six of them were later found dead in the Shitalakhya River on April 30, and the seventh on May 1.

On April 8 last year, police submitted the charge sheet, naming 35 people, including Nur Hossain and three former RAB officials.

Charges were framed against the 35 on February 8 this year.

1 held with 10,000 yaba pills in Ctg n Tribune Report The elite force Rapid Action Battalion (RAB 7) in drive arrested a person in possession with 10,000 contraband yaba pills worth Tk4o lakh in Chittagong district’s Hath-

azari upazila yesterday afternoon.

The arrestee was identified as Md Mozammel, 30, son of Md Rafiq Uddin hailing from Ukhia of Cox’s Bazar disrtict, says a press release of the RAB. The press release signed by RAB’s Assistant Director

(AD) of RAB-7’s Media Wing stated that being tipped off a team of elite force conducted a drive in Hathazari-Bhatiari Link Road area and detained Mozammel while a group of drug traders were gathering for yaba trading around 1pm. l

BCL leader threatens DT journalist n Tribune Report A leader of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) at Naikhangchhari Hazi MA Degree College in Bandarban yesterday threatened the local correspondent of the Bangla Tribune and the Dhaka Tribune.

Basu Das, the correspondent, alleged that BCL leader Nasibullah threatened him through mobile phone.

Nasibullah threatened him saying that he would slit his throat and slice the body.

He also made bad comments on the face book page of Basu.

Basu said he had made a general diary with Bandarban Sadar police station in this connection.

When contacted, the cell phone of Nasibullah, number 01827048802, was switched off.

The district unit of BCL president Kaosar Shohag expressed his sorrow for the incident. l

9

DT

Tech

TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2016

A decade of 140 characters Twitter turned 10 years old yesterday. A happy birthday is in order n Mahmood Hossain Who would have thought that a single application would make you use your brain to come with the cleverest ways to make your point within 140 characters? Not much room to play surely? Over the past decade, Twitter users (over 320 million) have found a way to get their point across without

ever hashtag: “how do you feel about using # (pound) for groups.

As in #barcamp [msg]?”

International Space Station – the 1st live tweet from space! :) More soon, send your ?s”

June 20, 2008 NASA made a big discovery and shared it with the world through MarsPhoenix: “Are you ready to celebrate? Well, get ready: We have ICE!!!! Yes, ICE, WATER ICE on Mars! w00t!!! Best day ever!!”

Late January 2010, early 2011 Twitter users took front stage again when it came to demonstrating against government rule. It became a vital tool in the Arab Spring. Along with other platforms, Twitter was credited in the ousting of the Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and the resignation of Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak.

May 2, 2011 An IT consultant Sohaib Athar, living in Pakistan, had no idea he was live tweeting the vents of the US Navy Seals raid that killed Osama bin Laden: “Helicopter hovering above Abbottabad at 1AM (is a rare event).”

November 7, 2012 It was the most retweeted tweet ever, when President Barack Obama had been re-elected as the president. He attached a photo of him embracing his wife with the caption, “Four more years.”

It was retweeted over 780,000 times. The record lasted until Ellen DeGeneres, in 2014, took an Oscar selfie with some of the biggest celebrities on the planet. The latter crossed over 3.3 million retweets.

April 16, 2013 The Boston Globe were one of the

having to type up an entire essay.

It is a free platform that has been effectively used by celebrities, politicians and brands all over the world. It has been a tool for marketing and propaganda, news and pure entertainment, as we watch celebrities we love bicker over the pettiest of issues.

The power of Twitter is still, to this day, underestimated. There are many who take part in social media who have no clue how to use or know what Twitter actually is. The past 10 years for the social media service has had some major highlights and we take a look at them here.

March 21, 2006 Twitter co-founder and CEO, Jack Dorsey, sends out the first ever tweet: “just setting up my twttr” August 24, 2007 Chris Messina tweeted the first

January 16, 2009 Right after the miraculous landing of a US Airways plane on the Hudson River near New York City, images were being shared by Janis Krums who witnessed the entire event: http://twitpic.com/135xa There’s a plane in he Hudson. I’m on the ferry going to pick up the people. Crazy.

June 2009 After the controversial elections in Iran were being protested against, as the government blocked all media of the revolt, people took to Twitter. This is where the phrase “Twitter Revolution” was born.

January 22, 2010 Not just on earth but out in space.

Astronaut Timothy (TJ) Creamer sent out the first live tweets from space: “Hello Twitterverse! We r now LIVE tweeting from the

first to report the horrific Boston Marathon bombings: “BREAKING: A witness reports hearing two loud booms near the Boston Marathon finish line.”

July 14, 2014 The World Cup is the biggest sporting event in the world. The 2014 World Cup was also the most mentioned sporting event in the history of Twitter with 627 million tweets. Germany might have been the champions, but the event itself captured the attention and passion of new and old fans alike.

November 2015 To show solidarity of the terror attacks that killed at least 130 people, millions took to Twitter with the hashtag #PrayforParis.

March 1, 2016 It was the year of Leo. After 25 years, Leonardo DiCaprio finally won his first Oscar. His win for Best Actor at the Academy Awards caused a huge spike of 440,000 tweets a minute. This crushed the record held previously by Ellen DeGeneres’ celebrity selfie tweet.

DiCaprio went out to express his feeling on Twitter: “Beyond humbled by this recognition. #TheRevenant shows the beauty of nature. Help protect it lcv.org/ act”l

DT

10

Feature

TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2016

Walking miles for water

PHOTOS: SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

n Mahmood Sadi The sun beats down on the dusty trail that meanders through the mountain. A man trudges on through the narrow dirt path, a basket perched across his shoulders. The man stops occasionally to catch his breath and draw comfort from the faint stirrings of spring in the air. He finally stops at the bottom of a dry waterfall.

He takes out a “toon” (a water container made of pumpkin shell and carried by hill people), scans the horizon and climbs back up about twenty feet where he finds a thin flow of water still snaking down the slippery rock face. He lines up his “toons” under the thin thread of water and prepares to wait for a few agonising hours to fill his containers.

The man, Drumsingh Bawm, is from the nearest “para” (hill village) called Taikhang,’ which is a 45 minute trek through a landscape marked with narrow trails for a tiring walk down. He has to go through this laborious walk as he has no other options; this is the nearest water source to his hamlet.

“We had a small “jhiri” (hill river) running by the side of our para. But the water dries up in summer, forcing all of us to come down to this waterfall, which is reduced to a thin flow during this time of the year,” Drumsingh says

in broken Bangla. Taikhangpara is a remote Bawm village. One needs to undertake a six or seven hour trek from Ruma Upazila to reach the place. During a recent visit, this correspondent came across the lifestyle of people living in the village - people who spend a major part of their day looking for water in drying up falls.

The situation is no different in Pasingpara, which is situated 3,062 ft above sea level, the highest point in the country where the Murong tribals live. Kipsan, the karbari (leader of the village), said that the chief source of water for the para is a small stream in the nearby Keukaradong range, but that has already dried up.

“We put up a bamboo dam and mud at the jhiri, to divert the water into a reservoir. The water storage is located about 600ft below,” Kipsan says. The water from the reservoir is yellowish and has a strong, unpleasant taste.

No wonder a good number of people of Pasingpara suffer from diarrhoea.

Just 800ft below and an hour-long trek from Pasingpara, Darzilingpara is where the hill people flock to catch a rickety old SUV, “Chander Gari” (moon buggy). The SUV comes twice a day from the nearest town in Rumabazar upazila. Over a dozen passengers squeeze into it as it precariously makes its way to the bazar. This is the only vehicle

The water storage is located about 600ft below,” Kipsan says. The water from the reservoir is yellowish and has a strong, unpleasant taste. No wonder a good number of people of Pasingpara suffer from diarrhoea

available to people seeking to go to town for treatment of diarrhoea.

Things are a little different in Darzilingpara as people there use spring water distributed across the para via bamboo pipes.

Lalram, a resident of the Darzilingpara, meanwhile was a bit tense. The “Jhum” season had begun and they were setting bushes on fire for slash and burn cultivation, but there was no water. Days without rain have made him jittery and every day he looks up to the sky for traces of clouds, only to be thwarted in his attempt by a blazing sun.

“We are used to struggling for water during dry seasons. But this particular season, the hills that we have selected for jhum is too far away from the water sources,” Lalram says.

“But we will have to trundle up the

steep mountain path with water in hundreds of buckets and store them in the jhum ghar (temporary hut for Jhum farmers atop the hills),” he says.

This remote part of Bangladesh has been experiencing scarcity of safe water and other bare necessities for decades. People like Lalram, Drumsingh and their women folk spend a major part of their life fetching water and gathering other bare essentials.

This is the kind of life that would challenge even the wildest imagination of city dwellers like us. l

DT

Editorial 11

TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2016

INSIDE

Mosque and state This speaks for a culture that is very sure of its dominance within the national playing field, and doesn’t care for other minorities who may wish to live as freely and as openly as they do PAGE 12

Sundarbans in grave danger As we have seen from incidents of oil spills in mangrove forests in other countries in the past, it takes several weeks or even several years for the effects of the pollution to become fully manifest

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

PAGE 13

Ten lessons on community-based adaptation We also made a special effort to engage with governments, especially local government officials, and we now have a separate cohort of government officials from many different countries 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.

Shipping minister must take responsibility for river accidents

T

he ban on cargo movements via the Sundarbans’ Shela river after Saturday’s sinking of the MV Sea Horse 1 vessel carrying over 1200 tonnes of coal, raises the question why it was not imposed before this accident.

It was already clear after the catastrophic oil spill in December 2014, when 358,000 litres of furnace oil spread into the mangrove forest, that the government needed to protect the Sundarbans waterways and quickly bring into operation safer alternative routes for hazardous shipments.

However, not only were past restrictions only maintained temporarily, and work on alternative routes repeatedly delayed, but authorities completely failed to learn lessons from a very similar capsize of a coal carrying boat just last October.

The unseemly haste shown by the shipping minister in reopening navigation on the Shela river after the big 2014 spill is indicative of a poor regard for both the environment and river safety.

It is long overdue for the government to hold the shipping minister to account for the poor state of safety on the nation’s rivers, not least because year after year this causes huge loss of life from capsizes that could and should have been prevented.

The steps needed to improve river safety are self-evident. The poor training and corruption which institutionalises poor boat maintenance and risky practices, such as overloading, has to end. There needs to be effective punishment for negligence and recklessness backed by proper enforcement of safety rules and stringent insurance requirements on vessel operators to incentivise them to improve standards and take more precautions.

None of this will happen if the government does not send a clear signal that the government will break from the past and hold ministers to account for failures.

Send a clear signal that failure to improve safety will no longer be accepted

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DT

Opinion

TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2016

Mosque and state We must learn to respect the needs and rights of all citizens, regardless of religion, creed, or faith and rickshaws but, almost as we were about to go past the columns of Jumma-goers, the more inconsiderate of the bunch blocked it from the front. And, for the next 30 minutes, we waited as the namaaz went on, sitting in one singular column of traffic.

Don’t get me wrong: I have nothing against Jumma prayers.

And I’ll take the criticism of those who consider me in the wrong for skipping them.

But should the people, merely because there aren’t enough mosques or enough space in mosques, be allowed to infiltrate the streets so that people who aren’t part of the religion are made to suffer?

What if I had to be somewhere at a particular time, what if I had an appointment to keep, what if I was in an ambulance taking my loved one to the hospital because

This speaks for a culture that is very sure of its dominance within the national playing field, and doesn’t care for other minorities who may wish to live as freely and as openly as they do

There is a place for prayer, and there is a place for public transportation

n SN Rasul

T

he best thing about Dhaka on a Friday -- at least, until the evening -- is how vacant the streets are. Too tired by a five-day, nine-plus-hour work week, the denizens sleep in and rest. Even as I go out, the lack of vehicles, despite a hot almostsummer day, keeps the heat bearable.

And because there aren’t as many obstructions -- and I don’t

know if I actually feel this or imagine it -- there seems to be a slight breeze blowing through the winding streets of this fast imploding behemoth of a city.

Last week, on a Friday as free as an imaginary Dhaka, I was going from Bangla Motor towards Dhanmondi. And, also because it was a Friday, my rickshaw took the main road in front of Bashundhara City, with there being no khakiclad police chamcha to exhort Tk5 from us.

NASHIRUL ISLAM

We moved through smoothly and fluidly until we hit Panthapath masjid. Even as we went past the mosque situated on Bashundhara road, we could pass the quickly encroaching mats of the Jumma prayers.

As we got to the mosque right opposite Bashundhara City, however, the prayer mats had taken over all across the street.

There was one single lane, bottlenecking the flow of traffic, of slow-moving cars, motorcycles,

they were in dire condition and that was the fastest way to get to Square Hospital? What if I was a member of another religion?

That is not to say members of other religious sects cannot enjoy the celebrations of Islam and vice versa, cannot learn to appreciate the beauty that can be found within the religion. Or to say that one should have any expectations of reaching anywhere on time when one is an experienced member of Dhaka city.

But why should citizens take

it upon themselves to encroach upon public property? Would the rest of the city, or even country, take it so lightly if it was another religion that was taking over the streets, another culture’s celebrations preventing them from reaching their destination?

That is to say nothing of what happens in front of Sobhanbag Masjid, where police themselves block the street and make the other side a highly congested twoway street.

In a secular nation (which, it is becoming clear, this is not), shouldn’t there be -- if I may borrow this Western term -- a separation of mosque and state?

Or is that too much to ask from a country that is so vehemently lying about itself to the rest of the world about its state as being proco-existence?

This indubitably brings up the question of freedom and how far we should go to cater to secular rights. Should we then not have any religious holidays?

And if we do, if we are meant to treat each citizen equally, shouldn’t each religion get equal treatment in the calendar?

That would be unrealistic, perhaps.

We have gone too far beyond the point, or live too enmeshed in a culture that celebrates segregation, or sees people who are different from us as just that: Different.

This speaks for a culture that is very sure of its dominance within the national playing field, and doesn’t care for other minorities who may wish to live as freely and as openly as they do.

That is why, every time a blogger gets killed or a temple gets bombed, there is an awkward silence. Half the people are outraged while the rest are thinking, maybe silently, that it doesn’t really matter as much as “our” mosque, “our” religion, and “our” people.

Or maybe most people, when given the chance, will strive only to serve their own agenda, will be inconsiderate to the woes of the weak and I was just caught in the crossfire, stuck in traffic when I didn’t need to be, because I, like so many other people, am tired and exhausted of being rooted to the same spot for too long.

Is that too much of a stretch, or are the streets of Dhaka on a Friday afternoon a microcosm of things to come? l SN Rasul is a journalist and academic.

Follow him @snrasul.

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DT

Long Form

TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2016

Sundarbans in grave danger We need to stop the passage of ships through the forest, and halt so-called development projects near the Sundarbans. This is the concluding part of yesterday’s long form

n Kallol Mustafa

T

here is no saying when the oil slick will be removed from the water and when fish will again be found. What will happen to the livelihoods of the fishermen in this situation? Who will feed their families?

Nothing has been heard regarding relief efforts for these affected people. Who knows, perhaps the government is thinking that if it can keep the forest-dwellers starving in this manner, more of them will be motivated to use their bare hands, and their kitchen pots and pans to extract the oil and sell 30 litres each to the Padma Oil Company!

However, the people didn’t get the idea of collecting the thick layer of oil this way from the government, instead, witnessing the inaction of the government and motivated by the desire to save their beloved Sundarbans, they came up with this way of soaking up the oil themselves and storing it in polythene bags in the soil.

On observing their efforts, the government people then came up with the idea of paying them to clean up the oil in this way.

Now the question is: Is it possible to clean up the whole pollution of the Sundarbans by picking up the oil by hand in this way? Was this the only way of extracting the oil?

Who was worrying about the health risks of the ones who are

endangering the health of the people in order to save the health of the environment? If the oil was to be extracted in this manner, why were the people being used to do this job instead of using the various departments of the governments as well as the manpower of the armed forces?

Even if it turns out that, by taking advantage of this spontaneous effort by the people, we could extract the thick layer of oil that had collected on the banks of the waterways, what would happen to the thin layer of oil that was floating on the rivers and canals spread across an area of 80 to 100 square kilometres?

Or how would the oil be extracted that has seeped into the muddy earth which is regularly flooded by high and low tide?

There was talk of using a Chinese-made oil dispersant spray called Lloyed-2.

These chemicals are usually used to fight oil pollution on open seas. It’s not advisable to use such chemicals on mangrove wetlands without carefully considering their effects, as their application may cause even more unforeseen harm than benefits.

We spoke to Sundarbans specialist Dr Abdullah Harun from the Department of Environment at the University of Khulna about what steps should be taken to rid the Sundarbans of the oil.

According to him: First, the heavy oil that had collected in the canals have to be removed. But to achieve this,

Second, before deciding to use chemical sprays to remove the floating layer of oil, we need to consider many things.

One cannot afford to lose time reaching this decision however, and the work of extracting oil using sponges and other absorbent material and vacuum machinery by the governmental agencies and members of the armed forces must begin as soon as possible.

Third, steps must be taken to extract the oil from the layer of mud that is regularly flooded by the tides, if necessary 4-5cm of soil must be extracted to achieve this.

Fourth, the oil that had collected at the base of the trees must be removed. If bare hands are used to clean the oil stuck at the base or the breathers, it may cause much damage.

The scale of danger will not become apparent right away, as we have seen from incidents of oil spills in mangrove forests in other countries in the past, it takes several weeks or even several years for the effects of the pollution to become fully manifest.

It may take a mangrove forest several decades or even half a century before it recovers.

What the Sundarbans will look like in the near future depends on the number of trees and animals that have fallen victims to the oil pollution, and also on how much of it has been affected and to what extent, and lastly, on what remedial steps are being taken.

However, the recent (lack of)

As we have seen from incidents of oil spills in mangrove forests in other countries in the past, it takes several weeks or even several years for the effects of the pollution to become fully manifest. It may take a mangrove forest several decades or even half a century before it recovers

Cleaning up the Sundarbans in a daunting task using their bare hands to extract the oil? Would the members of the Forestry Department, the Secretariat of Environment, the coastguard, and the navy be willing to extract the oil with their bare hands, eschewing the use of gloves and other protective body covers?

What was the point of

we shouldn’t depend on the spontaneous efforts of the people, but rather, employ the various governmental agencies and members of the armed forces in an organised way.

And to extract the oil, sponges and other oil absorbent material and instruments should be used in addition to using hands.

actions by the government don’t give us any reason to be hopeful.

A government which has turned deaf ears to repeated requests to stop all traffic of ships carrying dangerous cargo through the Sundarbans, who, despite strong protests, is planning to build two coal-based power plants in the vicinity of the Sundarbans, the

future of the Sundarbans is by no means safe in such a government’s hands.

In the face of this, the only way to free the Sundarbans of the oil, and to ensure that the passage of ships through the forest is banned in the future, and to halt so-called development projects such as the NTPC and Orion Coal Power Plant

BIGSTOCK

next to the Sundarbans, is to build strong public pressure on the government to do so. l This article was translated by Tibra Ali. Kallol Mustafa is an environmental activist and an engineer. This article originally appeared on AlaloDulal.org.

14

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Opinion

TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2016

Ten lessons on community-based adaptation Conferences on important issues need not be dull Show-and-tell

Lots of participants (both researchers and NGOs) want to present their work, but as time is limited, we encourage participants to bring “show-and-tell” posters about their projects and we allocate one minute plenary time for people to introduce their posters. The posters are on display throughout the conference (as well as online), and the authors are available to discuss their work.

Using videos

Business in green

BIGSTOCK

We also made a special effort to engage with governments, especially local government officials, and we now have a separate cohort of government officials from many different countries working on getting adaptation into national and local planning. The champion is the government of Nepal which allocates 80% of climate finance to local level communities.

n Saleemul Huq

T

his yea, several hundred people from all corners of the world will gather in Dhaka, Bangladesh for the tenth International Conference on Community-Based Adaptation to Climate Change in the last week of April.

The event, which has been held annually since 2004, has now visited Bangladesh, Tanzania, Vietnam, Nepal, and Kenya. This year’s conference will include a set of reflections on the outputs and outcomes over the years.

Community-based adaptation (CBA) is about enabling and empowering the most vulnerable (mostly also the poorest) households and communities to tackle the adverse impacts of human-induced climate change.

These conferences are organised jointly with the International Institute for Environment

and Development (IIED), the Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies (BCAS), and a local partner brings together practitioners and researchers to share experience and knowledge gained at the local level. Having organised these events over 12 years, I want to share the top 10 lessons that I have taken away from these events.

Sharing and learning

Conference participants have never been divided into teachers and students -- every participant is both a teacher and a student.

We run the meetings more like workshops where everyone has a role, and have banned PowerPoint presentations because people said they wanted more discussion, not boring presentations.

Ensuring real experiences

As the meetings are about the most vulnerable (and often also the poorest) communities who

cannot all be at the conference, we include a three-day field visit.

Participants spend three days and two nights in groups hosted by a local community who tell them about their adaptation activities.

This is a challenge to manage (last year 200 participants visited communities around Kenya), but feedback shows this is by far the most rewarding part of the event.

Out-of-the-box sessions

We have also tried innovative session formats with participants running interactive out-of-thebox sessions. Some of the most successful sessions have been the games designed to be both fun and educational by Pablo Suarez and Carina Bachofen from the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Change Centre. Other innovative sessions have included how-to-learn-from-failure, and using art and visual forms of communication.

Videos can be a powerful way to share knowledge and experience so we also run very popular sessions with videos which have been submitted in advance. The video-maker (or a substitute) has to be available to answer questions after the film has been shown.

These are also made available on IIED’s YouTube channel. Last year, we also ran a session on how to make more effective videos.

Combining experience with science

At the fifth CBA in Dhaka, the then chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Dr Rajendra Pachauri, was the keynote speaker. He asked for all the excellent adaptation experiences to be written up in the scientific literature for the IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Report. This spurred us to pair up researchers with practitioners to co-author a series of scientific papers based on lessons from grassroots experiences. We published many of them in a book called Community-based Adaptation To Climate Change: Scaling It Up.

Linking local to national and global

While most CBA conferences have sought to share knowledge and encourage networking among participants, at CBA7, we invited the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) executive secretary, Christiana Figueres, and the chair of the UNFCCC Adaptation Fund to join discussions on adaptation finance.

This led to the Kathmandu Declaration, which demanded that 50% of all global funding for tackling climate change in developing countries went towards adaptation in the most vulnerable countries (up from 15% -- with 85% previously spent on mitigation in bigger

countries). Partly as a result, the board of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) soon after agreed to allocate 50% of their funds to adaptation activities and to focus on the most vulnerable countries.

We also made a special effort to engage with governments that year, especially local government officials, and we now have a separate cohort of government officials from many different countries working on getting adaptation into national and local planning. The champion is the government of Nepal which allocates 80% of climate finance to local level communities.

Rich learn from the poor

As the CBA community of practice has grown, it has evolved with researchers, governments, and UN agencies joining those from development NGOs. It has also expanded from the global South (particularly the Least Developed Countries), to the global north as climate change began to impact developed countries as well. At CBA, the rich are learning from the poor.

Using social media

Interest in CBA has also grown.

Since not everyone can attend in person, we now also have virtual internet participants (VIPs) who can follow the meetings in real time on social media and watch key sessions via live streaming.

Ensuring sustainability

One of the biggest barriers to running an annual event of this scale is the cost. Rather than depending on one or two big donors, we raise our fund by charging a registration fee of over $500.

We realise this is quite high, and offer subsidies and discounts for individuals who cannot afford it. This means participants expect (quite rightly) to get back the value for their money in such conferences, which keeps us on our toes, but it also means our model is sustainable. l Saleemul Huq is Director, International Centre for Climate Change and Development at the Independent University, Bangladesh, and Senior Fellow, International Institute for Environment and Development based in London, UK. This article previously appeared on iied.org.

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Business 15

TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2016

INSIDE Stocks edge higher amid volatility

Stocks closed marginally higher amid volatility yesterday breaking two days of small losses. PAGE 16

China to look at free trade, rail deal with Nepal

China agreed yesterday to consider building a railway into Nepal and to start a feasibility study for a free trade agreement with the impoverished, landlocked country, which has been trying to lessen its dependence on its big neighbour to the south, India. PAGE 17

China central bank to Fed: A little help, please?

World Bank advises govt to introduce carbon tax n Asif Showkat Kallol

World Bank has advised the government to impose carbon tax. It said the tax would be a “fiscally prudent measure” by protecting the country’s revenue.

World Bank’s new country director for Bangladesh Qimiao Fan made the advice in a letter to Finance Minister AMA Muhith on March 17.

A carbon tax is usually defined as a tax based on greenhouse gas emissions generated from burning fuels.

“A carbon tax will be a fiscally prudent measure by protecting revenues when domestic prices are linked with the currently low international prices, given a stable nominal exchange rate against the US dollar,” Qimiao Fan’s letter read.

Referring to a note on petroleum products pricing, he said: “Essentially the note argues that the best approach is to let domestic prices follow international prices while using a tax instrument to account for carbon pricing.”

“This can be done through periodic automatic indexation of domestic petroleum prices to reflect changes in international oil prices and the nominal exchange rate.”

Qimiao Fan, World Bank’s Bangladesh country director Fan said a protracted period of low oil prices such as the one the world was experiencing currently was also ideal to introduce carbon tax.

In the global market, the price of crude oil has gone down by 70% since the summer of 2014, and is expected to stay in the range of $30-40 a barrel in the next few years.

Meanwhile, the lower price

of oil in international markets has been a boon not only for the motorists, but also homeowners who use heating oil to keep their homes warm during winter, as well as other industries, such as airlines, tourism, automobiles, etc. which get a shot in the arm with lowering fuel cost.

In December, 2011, the government had hiked the local fuel oil prices with an increase by Tk5 per

litre each petroleum products. Energy ministry increased diesel and kerosene prices from Tk56 to Tk61 a litre, petrol from Tk86 to Tk91, octane from Tk89 to Tk94 and furnace oil from Tk55 to Tk60 a litre.

In February this year, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said there would be no reduction in the prices of fuel oil in the local market until the all loans of Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation were paid. l

Biman calls tender for joint ground handling Confronted with a plunge in its stock markets last year, China’s central bank swiftly reached out to the US Federal Reserve, asking it to share its play book for dealing with Wall Street’s “Black Monday” crash of 1987. PAGE 17

Capital market snapshot: Monday DSE Broad Index Index 30 Index

4,442.2 1,079.2 1,691.6

0.3% ▲ 0.0% ▲ 0.2% ▲

Turnover in Mn Tk

4,306.9

26.4% ▲

Turnover in Mn Vol

143.3

21.9% ▲

CSE All Share Index 13,674.0 0.2% ▲ 30 Index 12,328.4 0.2% ▲ Selected Index 8,304.8 0.2% ▲ Turnover in Mn Tk 245.9 -13.9% ▼ Turnover in Mn Vol 9.5 -17.3% ▼

n Ishtiaq Husain

Biman Bangladesh Airlines has invited proposals for ground handling services at the country’s all airports in a joint operation with the flag carrier.

The airlines has been the lone operator in ground handling at the airports since its establishment in 1972.

Officials said the joint-venture initiative aimed to bring better services to all passenger and cargo flights.

The step comes after the UK government, concerned at security arrangements at the Dhaka ShahJalal international airport, banned direct cargo flights from Dhaka to the UK. The UK authorities asked Bangladesh to improve ground handling services especially for cargo at the Shahjalal.

Currently, the number of people working at the Biman’s ground handling services is around 1,050 including 500 loaders.

More than half of them have been recruited on temporary basis,

which is seen by the British authorities as one of the security loopholes.

Biman Acting CEO M Asaduzzaman said they were taking all necessary steps to improve services for the interest of passengers.

According to the Biman tender, the company seeking to join the service must be a major ground handling agent in at least five reputed international airports in different countries.

The firm must have 10 years experience as ground handling agent providing service and operation to the international airlines, must have proven and demonstrable track record of major improvements in services and operations at international airports they have been involved.

It must be financially capable and willing to inject sufficient operating capital into the work.

The company must comply with all relevant requirements of Biman, CAAB and other agencies mandated by law.

During the period of joint-venture agreement, the national flag carrier might extend or alter its routes based on business requirement, officials said.

At the Shahjalal every week ground handling services are offered to 910 passenger flights (Passenger), 70 freighter aircraft flights and 10 charter flights.

Biman’s revenue earnings from ground handling services is approximately $30-35m a year.

According to the sources, the company will have to agree to continue business with Biman for 10 years from the commencement date of operation. It may be extended if mutually agreed upon by both parties. l

DT

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Business

TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2016

First-ever insurance fair kicks off tomorrow n Tribune Report

The market opened on positive note in the morning but lost its steam in the mid-session yesterday at the DSE

FILE PHOTO

Stocks edge higher amid volatility n Tribune Report Stocks closed marginally higher amid volatility yesterday breaking two days of small losses.

The market opened on positive note in the morning but lost its steam in the mid-session as the sell-off eroded some early gains.

The benchmark index DSEX rose around 12 points or 0.3% to close at 4,442, recovering from 30 points lost in previous two sessions.

The Shariah index DSES saw a fractional gain of 0.5 points to 1,079. The blue chip comprising

index DS30 was up almost 3 points to 1,691.

The Chittagong Stock Exchange Selective Category Index CSCX settled at 8,304, rising about 19 points.

Trading activities improved significantly as the DSE total turnover stood at Tk430 crore, up more than 26% over the previous session’s value.

Low cap engineering sector remained in favour of the investors as it rose about 2%, driven by the country’s top steel products maker BSRM Limited.

After facing three consecutive days of losses, food and allied ral-

Internet ad spend to overtake TV by 2017 n Reuters Businesses around the world are set to spend more on internet advertising than on television commercials for the first time in 2017, forecaster ZenithOptimedia said yesterday.

Zenith said it expected internet advertising to grow at more than three times the rest of the industry in 2016, driven by demand for ads on social media, online video and paid search.

The forecaster had said in December it expected ad spending on the internet to overtake TV only in 2018.

“The global economy faces clear challenges,” it said.

“But advertisers’ confidence has remained largely unshaken, and

our forecasts for global growth in 2016 have barely changed since we published our last forecasts in December.”

ZenithOptimedia, owned by France’s Publicis, trimmed its expectation for growth in global advertising this year to 4.6% from a forecast of 4.7% it gave in December. That is still ahead of 3.9% growth in 2015.

The industry will be boosted in 2016 by advertising around the Rio Olympics, the European soccer championships and the US Presidential election.

However conditions in China, Russia and Brazil, along with uncertainty regarding Britain’s membership of the European Union, were among the challenges to the global economy, it said. l

lied 1.5%, led by Olympic Industries and BATBC which gained over 2% and 1% respectively.

Non-banking financial institutions, banks and textile ended in positive zones while power and cement ended in red.

Heavyweight telecommunication sector was the biggest loser, declining 0.6% after gaining in rally in the previous session.

Investors’ participation was mostly focused on pharmaceutical sector, which accounted for 20% of the day’s turnover, followed by textile about 17% and engineering

15.4%.

The gainers took a lead over the losers as out of 315 issues traded, 150 gained, 110 declined and 55 remained unchanged.

Keya Cosmetics was the most traded issue with shares worth over Tk22 crore changing hands. It was followed by Beximco Pharmaceuticals, Emerald Oil Industries, BSRM, Square Pharmaceuticals and AFC Agro.

Tung Hai Knitting and Dyeing was the top gainer, surging almost 9% while Prime Life Insurance was the top loser tumbling over 5%. l

Insurance Development and Regulatory Authority (IDRA) is going to host a three-day-long insurance fair beginning tomorrow at Bangabandhu International Conference Center in the capital.

M Shefaq Ahmed, chairman of IDRA, came up with the announcement at a press conference held yesterday at the authority’s headquarters.

The Insurance Fair 2016, first time ever in the country’s history, will kick off on March 23 and continue up to March 25 in the capital.

Shefaq said the fair has been arranged with an aim to make people aware about insurance as well as advertise insurance products.

For this year, the fair will be held centrally but later spread out to divisional and district levels, he said.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith is expected to inaugurate the fair.

Over 1,000 insurance clients will be paid of their insurance claims at the fair. Unemployed youngsters will get insurance job information at the fair. The fair will remain open from 10am to 8pm every day for visitors.

Quddus Khan, member of IDRA, said the fair has been arranged following the national insurance policy.

The initiative will be helpful to remove wrong perception about insurance among the mass people.

He said the insurance sector in Bangladesh is lagging far behind in comparison with developed countries. l

Starwood accepts higher offer from Marriott n Reuters

Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide Inc (HOT.N), owner of the Sheraton and Westin hotel brands, agreed to a higher $13.6 billion buyout offer from Marriott International Inc (MAR.O), spurning a proposal from China’s Anbang Insurance Group.

Starwood said on Monday that Anbang’s offer no longer constituted a “superior proposal,” adding that it was not allowed to engage in talks with the Chinese company under the latest agreement with Marriott.

Marriott raised the cash portion of its offer to $21 per share from $2, valuing its new stock-and-cash offer at $79.53. The company offered $72.08 per share in November.

Starwood shares were up 4 percent at $83.70 in early trading.

Marriott was down 1.2 percent at $72.22.

A group led by Anbang, the owner of New York’s iconic Waldorf Astoria hotel, had challenged Marriott with an initial non-binding offer of $12.8 billion on March 14, raising it later to $13.16 billion, or $78 per share in cash.

A deal with Anbang - which would have been the largest ever by a Chinese company in the United States - would probably face a review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, an interagency panel that reviews deals to ensure they do not harm national security.

Meliker said he did not expect Anbang to increase its offer and drive a bidding war, but did not discount such a scenario.

Anbang was not immediately

available for comment.

A Marriott-Starwood combination would create the world’s largest hotel chain with top brands including Sheraton, Ritz Carlton and the Autograph Collection.

“The power of the information and guest relationships to me is the greatest value that would come out of this for Marriott,” said Bjorn Hanson, a professor of hospitality and tourism at New York University.

“Control of so much information enables for there to be better targeted marketing and pricing,” he said.

The combined company will have over 5,500 hotels with 1.1 million rooms worldwide, giving Marriott a greater presence in markets such as Europe, Latin America and Asia and allow it to better compete with apartment-sharing startups such as Airbnb. l

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Business

TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2016

China to look at free trade, rail deal with Nepal n Reuters, Beijing China agreed yesterday to consider building a railway into Nepal and to start a feasibility study for a free trade agreement with the impoverished, landlocked country, which has been trying to lessen its dependence on its big neighbour to the south, India.

The Himalayan nation, that serves as a natural buffer between China and India, adopted its first post-monarchy constitution in September hoping this would usher in peace and stability after years of conflict.

But protesters blocked trucks coming in from India, leading to acute shortages of fuel and medicine. Nepal blamed New Delhi for siding with the protesters, a charge India denied.

The border blockade ended last month but supply of oil and cooking gas is far from normal.

Meeting in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, Nepali Prime Minister KP Oli told Chinese Premier Li Keqiang he had “come to China with a special mission” when it came to strengthening relations. He did not elaborate in front of reporters.

Hou Yanqi, deputy head of the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s Asia Division, said Oli raised the possibility of two rail lines, one connecting three of Nepal’s most important cities and two other crossing the border from China into Nepal.

Hou said the government would encourage Chinese firms to look at

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (R) talks to Nepal Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli during a signing ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing the internal rail plan, and that China was already planning to extend the railway from the Tibetan city of Shigatse to Gyirong on the Nepal border.

“Of course, a further extension from Gyirong is an even longerterm plan. It’s up to geographic

and technical conditions, financing ability. We believe that far in the future the two will countries be connected by rail,” she said.

The two countries signed a total of 10 agreements, including on the feasibility plan for a free trade

Money to burn? China firms seek new investors n AFP, Shantou

The Guangdong Yixiang Folk Culture Co. has a licence to print money - thousands of lookalike US dollars roll off its clattering presses every minute, intended as burnt offerings for the heavenly bank accounts of Chinese ancestors.

But in the earthly realm, small- and medium-sized companies like this have a devil of a time getting a loan from China’s big state-owned banks, which prefer to lend to large, often state-owned, firms.

Business is booming, says general manager Xu Shaohong, and it is ready to expand its products from “Bank of Hell” currency to paraphernalia for events earlier in the cycle of life, such as weddings and births.

Like thousands of other capital-starved enterprises in

the upside-down world of Chinese corporate finance, it has applied to list on the National Equities Exchange and Quotations (NEEQ), a little-known stock market based in Beijing.

The NEEQ, also known as the “New Third Board”, has exploded, growing from 356 companies at the end of 2013 to more than 6,000 today - with nearly 1,000 joining since January 1.

It already has twice as many listings as the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges combined and is expected to add as many as 5,000 more by the end of 2016.

“It’s the next NASDAQ,” Xu said, referring to the US exchange favoured by technology startups.

Death and taxes

As the world’s second-largest economy falters, Beijing is counting on small, private

companies to help move it away from dependency on heavy industry and plodding state-owned enterprises.

Guangdong Yixiang is a prime example. Its offices in the southern city of Shantou are bright and modern. It has almost 80 employees and mostly exports to Hong Kong and diaspora Chinese communities across Asia.

Documents submitted to NEEQ as part of its listing application show three years of healthy profits - more than two million yuan ($300,000) in 2015.

With reliable income from one of life’s two certainties, it would seem to be an attractive borrower.

For years, China has promised to make it easier for such firms to access capital, and last year Premier Li Keqiang urged the country’s banks to increase financing for them. l

agreement, as well a concessional loan for a new airport in Nepal’s Pokhara and a feasibility study for oil and gas survey projects.

No details were given.

Kathmandu says it wants to import 33% of the annual demand of

REUTERS

1.8 million tonnes of petroleum products from Beijing but trade officials say absence of connectivity - logistics, cost and transportation through difficult Himalayan terrain - poses a challenge to any fuel trade between the two countries. l

DT

18

Business

TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2016

China central bank to Fed: A little help, please? n Reuters, Washington Confronted with a plunge in its stock markets last year, China’s central bank swiftly reached out to the US Federal Reserve, asking it to share its play book for dealing with Wall Street’s “Black Monday” crash of 1987.

The request came in a July 27 email from a People’s Bank of China official with a subject line: “Your urgent assistance is greatly appreciated!”

In a message to a senior Fed staffer, the PBOC’s New York-based chief representative for the Americas, Song Xiangyan, pointed to the day’s 8.5% drop in Chinese stocks and said “my Governor would like to draw from your good experience.”

It is not known whether the PBOC had contacted the Fed to deal with previous incidents of market turmoil. The Chinese central bank and the Fed had no comment when reached by Reuters.

In a Reuters analysis last year, Fed insiders, former Fed employees and economists said that there was no official hotline between the PBOC and the Fed and that the Chinese were often reluctant to engage at international meetings.

The Chinese market crash triggered steep declines across global financial markets and within a few

Brexit could cost British economy £100bn n AFP, London Leaving the European Union could cause a “serious shock” to Britain’s economy, with the risk of losing almost one million jobs, according to a CBI business group study released recently.

A so-called Brexit could cost about £100bn (128bn euros, $145bn) of economic output by 2020 - equivalent to five percent of annual GDP - the research found.

“This analysis shows very clearly why leaving the European Union would be a real blow for living standards, jobs and growth,” said Carolyn Fairbairn, director general of the CBI. An exit could cost as many as 950,000 jobs, according to the study, meaning unemployment would be 2-3% higher by 2020 than if Britain remained in the EU. The research was undertaken by services firm PwC on behalf of business group the Confederation of British Industry. Vote Leave, which campaigns in favour of an exit, dismissed the results, with chief executive Matthew Elliott telling the BBC the CBI’s scenarios were “skewed” and leaving the EU was the “only safe option”. l

A man walks past the Federal Reserve in Washington hours the Fed sent China’s central bank a trove of publicly-available documents detailing the US central bank’s actions in 1987.

Fed policymakers started a twoday policy meeting the next day and took note of China’s stock sell-off, according the meeting’s minutes.

Several said a Chinese economic slowdown could weigh on America.

Financial market contagion from China was one of the reasons cited by the Fed in September when

it put off a rate hike that many analysts had expected, a sign of how important China has become both as an industrial powerhouse and as a financial market.

No secrets

The messages, which Reuters obtained through an Freedom of Information Act request, show how alarmed Beijing has become over the deepening financial turmoil and offer a rare insight into one of the least

REUTERS

understood major central banks.

The exchanges also show that while the two central banks have a collegial relationship, they might not share secrets even during a crisis.

“Could you please inform us ASAP about the major measures you took at the time,” Song asked the director of the Fed’s International Finance Division, Steven Kamin in the July 27 email.

The message registered in Kamin’s account just after 11 am in

Washington. Kamin quickly replied from his Blackberry: “We’ll try to get you something soon.”

What followed five hours later was a 259-word summary of how the Fed worked to calm markets and prevent a recession after the S&P 500 stock index tumbled 20 percent on Oct 19, 1987.

Kamin also sent notes to guide PBOC officials through the many dozens of pages of Fed transcripts, statements and reports that were attached to the email. All of the attached documents had long been available on the Fed’s website and it is unclear if they played a role in shaping Beijing’s actions.

Kamin’s documents detail how the Fed began issuing statements the day after the market crash, known as Black Monday, pledging to supply markets with plenty of cash so they could function. By the time Song wrote to Kamin, China had spent a month fighting a stock market slide and many of the actions taken by the PBOC and other Chinese authorities shared the contours of the Fed’s 1987 game plan.

Desperate measures

The July 27 plunge in the Shanghai Composite Index was the biggest one-day fall since 2007 and by then the market had lost nearly a third of its value over six weeks. l

CORPORATE NEWS

BRAC Bank has recently organised a Town Hall meeting in Chittagong to review business performance of 2015 and for setting business strategy for 2016, said a press release. Managing director & CEO of BRAC Bank Limited, Selim RF Hussain attended the meeting, among other employees of the bank

Prime Bank has recently donated Tk 15 lakh to Law & Order Coordination Committee for setting CCTV at important areas of Dhaka city to ensure safety and security of the city dwellers, said a press release. The bank’s managing director, Ahmed Kamal Khan Chowdhury handed over a cheque to Annisul Huq, mayor of Dhaka North City Corporation in this regard

Dutch Bangla Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DBCCI) has recently hosted a reception in honour of Leoni Cuelenaere, ambassador at the embassy of Kingdom of the Netherlands in Dhaka, said a press release. President of DBCCI, Md Hassan Khaled was present on the occasion, among others

Bengal Poly and Paper Sack Limited, a company of Bengal Group of Industries has recently held its 14th annual general meeting in Dhaka, said a press release. The company’s vice chairperson, Jashim Uddin presided over the meeting

| meals |

lemongrass and prawns 6) Beef Chilli Dry - A classic Bangla-Chinese dish made even more flavorful

TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2016

| food |

Rice & Noodle’s new set menu Rice & Noodle has introduced a new set menu for two and four which cost Tk1,100+ and Tk2,100+.

Consisting of seven items and a drink of choice, the main dishes are as follows: 1) Fire Cracker Prawn - Crispy spring roll, stuffed with whole prawns 2) Basil Fried Rice - Thai inspired fried rice 3) Chowmein - Chunky garlic infused with chilli oil 4) Chicken Naga Curry - A cross between oriental and deshi, this one’s a true representations of a BanglaChinese dish.

5) Mustard Spiced Prawn Mustard paste, chillies,

19

Chow mein specialties at Taftan

7) Fish in Lemongrass Sauce Lemongrass and Kaffir lime leaves add flavour to this overall delicious fish dish. l

| achievement |

Chow mein are stir-fried noodles, the name being the romanisation of the Taishanese chāu-mèing.

The dish is popular throughout the Chinese diaspora and appears on the menus of Chinese restaurants.

Taftan Restaurant at Banani is

First Bangladeshi in ASCE

| observance |

Ariful Hasnat, Aff M ASCE, faculty member of Civil Engineering Department, University of Asia Pacific (UAP) he has been selected as one of the “New Faces of Civil Engineering” in 2016 by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). He is the first Bangladeshi to have this prestigious honour.

Since 2002, ASCE has been honouring rising civil engineers under the age of 30 who are already making notable contributions to the profession and to society. According to an ASCE press release, the award “promotes the bold and humanitarian future of civil engineering by highlighting the achievements of young civil engineers, their contributions to and impact on society.” Hasnat’s contribution will be featured in

providing three different kinds of chow mein dishes that you can choose from their menu (chicken, beef and prawn).

For more information contact: +8801955-444-111. l

Le Méridien Dhaka celebrates Earth hour

a video which will be officially recognised during ASCE’s annual Outstanding Projects and Leaders (OPAL) Gala on March 17, 2016.

Today he is a senior lecturer in

civil engineering at the University of Asia Pacific, and one of 10 New Faces of Civil Engineering Professionals for 2016, chosen by ASCE. l

| opening |

Gourmet Paratha opens The grand opening of Gourmet Parathas was held on Friday, March 18, 2016 with acoustic music performed by Jon Kabir (Indalo, previously singer of Black) on guitar/vocals and Maher S Chowdhury (Shade) on cajon to add flair to the entire event. The duo performed a series of hits like “Amar Prithibi,” “Amra,” “Obhiman,” “Blues and Rodh,” “I.S.D,” and eventually ended with “Tumi ki shara dibe” with the crowd humming along to the tunes. Gourmet Parathas,

DT

Biz Info

situated in the midst of Banani Road 11, offers a unique blend of healthy and palatable paratha wraps, roti canai and delectable desserts. With its compact yet bright and amiable atmosphere, this is the perfect getaway for students and office

goers to grab a reasonably-priced, healthy meal. l

With the year round philosophy of Starwood Hotels and Resorts that with “small steps we take can make a big difference together” Le Méridien Dhaka on March 19, 2016 participated in a global environmental awareness event called “Earth Hour” – to send a powerful global message about the importance of environmental sustainability and caring for the planet. Earth Hour is a global effort to emphasise the threat of global warming and the need to reduce carbon emissions which negatively impact the natural health of the Earth. Le Méridien Dhaka turned off their lights and took other energy-saving measures for one full hour, underscoring the company’s

commitment to environmental sustainability. Turning off an illustrative Light box in the Lobby and with a humble celebration the general manager of Le Méridien Dhaka Ashwani Nayar clocked in the 60 minutes of celebrating Earth hour. Le Méridien Dhaka has also taken several other measures, including turning off air-conditioning; exterior facade lighting; dimming or turning off non-essential interior lighting; using candlelight in appropriate public areas such as restaurants and lobby to celebrate the event.

The guests were also informed about the hotel’s participation in “Earth Hour” so that they could be aware and could take part of the global movement. l

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TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2016

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Unit of pressure (3) 3 Snow dweller (6) 8 Send out (4) 9 Water shortage (3) 10 Plunder (6) 11 Loftier (6) 14 Locations (5) 17 Hinder (law) (5) 20 Marijuana cigarette (6) 24 Sally from besieged place (6) 26 Consume (3) 27 Disparaging remark (4) 28 Visions (6) 29 Large deer (3)

DOWN 1 Annoying child (4) 2 Stagger (4) 3 Irish republic (4) 4 Heavenly bodies (5) 5 Senseless person (5) 6 Homo Sapiens (3) 7 Auguries (5) 12 Donkey (3) 13 Zodiac sign (3) 15 Choler (3) 16 Before (poet) (3) 17 Comforted (5) 18 Highly decorated cake (5) 19 Light-dispersing body (5) 21 Slippery catches (4) 22 Get on (4) 23 Sway to and fro (4) 25 Rowing implement (3)

Downtime CODE-CRACKER How to solve: Each number in our CODECRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 18 represents C so fill C every time the figure 18 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

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World 21

TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2016

INSIDE

Hope for change in Myanmar stems Rohingya migrant flow Hope that the conditions will improve for the Rohingya Muslim minority in Myanmar under Aung San Suu Kyi’s new government has contributed to a slowdown in the number fleeing to Thailand and beyond, the United Nations and European Union said on Monday.

PAGE 23

Tunisian special forces gather outside a site where suspected jihadists are taking shelter, in the town of Ben Guerdane, near the Libyan border on Saturday

AFP

ANALYSIS

China to look at free trade, railway link deals with Nepal China agreed on Monday to consider building a railway into Nepal and to start a feasibility study for a free trade agreement with the impoverished, landlocked country, which has been trying to lessen its dependence on its big neighbour to the south, India.

PAGE 23

Gaffe Proof? Trump vs Clinton tests political pitfalls When is a gaffe not a gaffe? When Donald Trump says it.

PAGE 24

Southern Libya could be new frontier for Dae’sh n AFP, France A potentially critical conflict has gone largely unnoticed in southern Libya yet could open up a gateway to sub-Saharan Africa for the Islamic State group, analysts say.

Dae’sh has consolidated its hold along Libya’s northern coast, and experts are concerned the jihadists may now be pushing into the remote desert region of Fezzan in the southwest of the country.

Sitting on the crossroads between Algeria, Niger and Chad, Fezzan offers lucrative sources of income from smuggling and already acts as a hideout for al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQMI) and other jihadist groups.

It is one of Africa’s main drug routes, traversed by migrants from sub-Saharan Africa hoping to get to Europe as well as by foreign mercenaries, mostly African, heading to join Dae’sh at their Sirte stronghold in northeastern Libya.

Penetrating south through Fezzan could ultimately help Dae’sh link up with its brutal Nigerian sister organisation, Boko Haram, as well as providing a rear base in case of any international assault on its positions along the Mediter-

ranean coast, analysts say.

However, the desert region remains something of an intelligence black hole and the extent of Dae’sh’s intrusion is unclear.

For now, the group’s priority is holding on to its northern strongholds, said Jerome Tubiana, a researcher with the Small Arms Survey think-tank.

“That said, going down towards Niger, forming ties with Boko Haram -- the IS arm in west Africa -- and competing with AQMI could obviously be tempting for IS,” he said.

Tribes, criminals, extremists

Jihadist groups are able to exploit a complex rash of local rivalries in Libya’s southern desert region.

Since the 2011 revolution that ousted longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi, Fezzan has been embroiled in conflict involving the ethnic Tubus and Tuaregs, as well as two Arab tribes, the Zuwaya and the Awlad Suleiman.

“Military authority (in Fezzan) lies mainly with tribal, criminal and extremist groups,” said a UN report this month.

The Tubus are currently in the ascendant in Fezzan after helping

to overthrow Kadhafi.

Having been marginalised under the former regime, they now control much of the region’s resources, including recently discovered gold mines spread across the three-way border between Libya, Chad and Niger.

“With the fall of Kadhafi, the Tubus... took control of the borders between these three countries and between Libya and Sudan,” said Tubiana.

That has given them control over much of the local smuggling and trade, and they are fighting for control of oil and petrol stations, he said.

“Their militias have set up checkpoints on the main cross-Saharan roads... transporting food and manufactured goods from Libya and importing livestock from the Sahel,” Tubiana said, adding that contraband such as cigarettes and cocaine also pass through the region.

Regional rivalry

For the Dae’sh group, this presents opportunities as well as challenges.

The many local militias means there are plenty of groups who

would be hostile to a potential Dae’sh takeover.

French soldiers stationed in the Sahel desert are also lying in wait, Tubiana said.

So far, Dae’sh has carried out few attacks in the region, though analysts say this may be because it wishes to avoid reprisals from the many regional actors who take a close interest in Fezzan.

The Tubus enjoy the backing of the internationally recognised government based in Libya’s eastern city of Tobruk, while their Tuareg and Arab rivals have the support of the Islamist coalition that rules from Tripoli.

Regional powers have also been sucked into the conflict in southern Libya, with the Tubus’ natural ally Chad finding itself in a proxy war with Qatar.

In turn, that has dragged in more Middle Eastern governments: the United Arab Emirates and Egypt side with Chad, while Qatar is supported by Turkey and Sudan.

Dae’sh “could be concerned about follow-up foreign intervention (air raids) that could weaken the position in the northern regions,” said the TRACterrorism think-tank. l

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TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2016

Advertisement

23

TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2016

INSIGHT

SOUTH ASIA

Hope for change in Myanmar stems Rohingya migrant flow n Reuters, Bangkok Hope that the conditions will improve for the Rohingya Muslim minority in Myanmar under Aung San Suu Kyi’s new government has contributed to a slowdown in the number fleeing to Thailand and beyond, the United Nations and European Union said on Monday.

As the season that smuggling and trafficking ships typically ply their human cargoes across the Bay of Bengal comes to a close, the number of migrants leaving Myanmar is down sharply on the year, the UN refugee agency said on Monday.

“It is striking, there are many less people coming than last year,” Volker Turk, assistant high commissioner for protection at the UNHCR, told reporters after an event on refugees in Bangkok.

“It’s a combination of factors.

As well as the new government, there are stronger activities against smuggling and trafficking. And the discovery of the mass graves last year also shocked people.”

Thai police launched a campaign in May 2015 following the discovery of 30 bodies in graves near a human-trafficking camp close to the Malaysian border. The crackdown led criminals to abandon ships at sea with thousands of migrants aboard.

Mass graves of suspected human-trafficking victims were also

Myanmar parliament votes to reduce number of ministries Myanmar’s new parliament voted Monday to reduce the number of government ministries, with President Htin Kyaw assuring lawmakers that no civil servants will lose their jobs and that the nation will save $4m by getting rid of 15 ministers.

The 611-3 vote by a joint session of parliament was the first legislative act by Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party.

-AP

INDIA

India gets first gay marriage bureau

Rohingya and Bangladeshi migrants wait on board a fishing boat before being transported to shore in Aceh province in Myanmar on May last year REUTERS found on the Malaysian side of the border.

Thai and Bangladeshi crackdowns on human smugglers have also disrupted the networks that brought migrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh by sea to Thailand and Malaysia.

Many of the migrants are Rohingya, fleeing poverty and persecution in Rakhine state in western Myanmar after religious violence between Buddhists and Muslims there in 2012.

Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) is forming a government that will take power

on April 1. She and the NLD have been criticised for saying little about how they will address the Rohingya’s situation in Rakhine State where about 140,000 people remain in camps.

The flow of migrants and refugees to Thailand from areas of conflict in other parts of Myanmar has also decreased as people hope for improvements under the NLD government, said the European Union’s Ambassador to Thailand Jesus Sanz.

“The positive change in Myanmar is the main cause for the reduction in numbers,” Sanz told

Reuters. “It remains to be seen how quickly the government of Myanmar will be able to stabilise the situation there and give real opportunities to these people.”

The EU helps finance camps in Thailand near the border with Myanmar that hold more than 100,000 refugees.

The United Nations hoped political change in Myanmar would allow those refugees, some of whom have lived in Thailand for decades, to go home.

“I hope that voluntary repatriation will be a possibility in a year or two,” Volker said. l

Iraqi in decapitated head FB post guilty of war crime

China to look at free trade, railway link deals with Nepal

An Iraqi migrant to Finland has been found guilty of committing a war crime after he posted images of himself on Facebook with the head of an Dae’sh group fighter.

Jebbar Salman Ammar, 29, was given a 16 month suspended sentence by the Pirkanmaa district court.

The court found he had desecrated the corpse of a fighter by posting three images on Facebook of himself with the head of the fighter in Tikrit. He admitted to publishing the pictures and to having fought for Dae’sh, but he denied committing a war crime.

Prosecutor Juha-Mikko Hamalainen said his conduct was defined as “a war crime” by the International Criminal Court. He had sought a two-year prison sentence.

Ammar arrived in Finland about six months ago as part of Europe’s huge migrant influx. l

n Reuters, Beijing

n AFP, Helsinki

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World

China agreed on Monday to consider building a railway into Nepal and to start a feasibility study for a free trade agreement with the impoverished, landlocked country, which has been trying to lessen its dependence on its big neighbour to the south, India.

The Himalayan nation, that serves as a natural buffer between China and India, adopted its first post-monarchy constitution in September hoping this would usher in peace and stability after years of conflict.

But protesters blocked trucks coming in from India, leading to acute shortages of fuel and medicine. Nepal blamed New Delhi for siding with the protesters, a charge India denied.

The border blockade ended

last month but supply of oil and cooking gas is far from normal.

Meeting in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, Nepali Prime Minister KP Oli told Chinese Premier Li Keqiang he had “come to China with a special mission” when it came to strengthening relations.

He did not elaborate in front of reporters.

Hou Yanqi, deputy head of the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s Asia Division, said Oli raised the possibility of two rail lines, one connecting three of Nepal’s most important cities and two other crossing the border from China into Nepal.

Hou said the government would encourage Chinese firms to look at the internal rail plan, and that China was already planning to extend the railway from the Tibetan city of Shigatse to Gyirong on the Nepal border.

“Of course, a further extension from Gyirong is an even longerterm plan. It’s up to geographic and technical conditions, financing ability. We believe that far in the future the two will countries be connected by rail,” she said.

The two countries signed a total of 10 agreements, including on the feasibility plan for a free trade agreement, as well a concessional loan for a new airport in Nepal’s Pokhara and a feasibility study for oil and gas survey projects.

No details were given.

Kathmandu says it wants to import 33% of the annual demand of 1.8m tonnes of petroleum products from Beijing but trade officials say absence of connectivity - logistics, cost and transportation through difficult Himalayan terrain - poses a challenge to any fuel trade between the two countries. l

An Indian entrepreneur has set up what is claimed to be the country’s first gay marriage bureau, seeking to arrange matches for homosexual couples. Benhur Samson, who lives in the US, previously helped foreign gay couples use surrogacy services. Gay marriage and gay sex are both illegal in the conservative country and homosexuality has long been a taboo subject.

-AFP

CHINA

China raises questions on US-Philippines base deal China said on Monday agreements like the US and the Philippines allowing for a US military presence at 5 Philippine bases raised questions about militarisation in the South China Sea. Asked about the base deal, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said that US-Philippine cooperation should not be targeted at any third party nor harm other nations’ sovereignty or security interests.

-REUTERS

ASIA PACIFIC

3 Pacific nations lead the way on Paris climate accord Fragile Pacific island nations vulnerable to climate change are leading the charge in implementing the landmark Paris climate deal.

The Marshall Islands is the latest Pacific nation after Fiji and Palau to adopt the historic deal which was agreed by 195 nations with the aim of curbing carbon emissions and limiting global warming. -AFP

MIDDLE EAST

Russia slams US for unacceptable delay on Syria ceasefire Moscow on Monday accused Washington of stalling on enforcement rules for a ceasefire in war-torn Syria that took effect late last month and warned it could respond to truce violations unilaterally. “The delay in the entry into force of the rules agreed upon for responding to violations of the ceasefire in Syria is unacceptable,” lieutenant general Sergei Rudskoy said in a statement.

-AFP

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World

TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2016

USA

Obama: Change going to happen in Cuba Visiting US President Barack Obama believes change is going to happen in Cuba, in comments broadcast shortly ahead of rare talks Monday in Havana with counterpart Raul Castro. Obama, who arrived on the communist island Sunday with his family, is the first US president to visit in 88 years. Obama also revealed that Google has struck a deal to upgrade the paltry internet access on the island.

-AFP

THE AMERICAS

62% Brazil lawmakers think president to be impeached

US-Cuba relations since the revolution 1959

1960

Cuba nationalises US-owned businesses

January 1961

US breaks off diplomatic relations with Cuba

April 1961

1962

1977

1980

1991

2001

2006

Dec 2014 United States and Cuba agree to renew diplomatic ties

Fidel Castro leads the revolution that overthows Batista

US imposes Cuba trade embargo. US-Soviet missies crisis brings world to brink of war George W Bush reinforces trade embargo

A total of 1,662 migrants have landed on Greek islands near Turkey since a landmark EU-Turkish deal on curbing the influx took effect on Sunday, a Greek coordination panel said Monday. Half of the migrants - 830 arrived on Chios and 698 others on Lesbos, two islands in the northeast Aegean which lie close to Turkey, according to the SOMP agency which is coordinating Athens’ response to the migration crisis.

-AFP

AFRICA

Morocco expels over 80 members of UN mission More than 80 civilian members of a UN mission have left Western Sahara under a Moroccan expulsion order, airport sources in the disputed territory said Sunday. It was the latest chapter in a row between Morocco and the world body since UN chief Ban Ki-moon angered Rabat by using the term occupation to refer to the status of Western Sahara.

-AFP

Collapse of the Soviet Union provokes economic crisis in Cuba

April 2015 Obama, Castro hold historic meeting

July 20, 2015

US and Cuba restore diplomatic relations

Obama Havana,the thefirst first Obama to visit Havana, USpresident president to do 1928 US do since so since 1928

CANADA

USA MEXICO

Brexit could cost British economy $145bn

1600 migrants land in Greece, undeterred by EU-Turkey deal

125,000 cubans go into exile in the United States

March 2016 March 2016

UK

EUROPE

Fidel Castro hands over power to his brother Raul

May 2015 US takes Cuba off its list of sponsors of terrorism

Nearly two-thirds of lawmakers in Brazil’s lower house of Congress think President Dilma Rousseff will be impeached, a poll found Sunday. A congressional impeachment committee began proceedings Friday, examining accusations that Rousseff manipulated the government’s accounts in 2014 to boost public spending during her re-election campaign.

-AFP

Leaving the EU could cause a serious shock to Britain’s economy, with the risk of losing almost one million jobs, according to a CBI business group study released Sunday. A so-called Brexit could cost about $145bn of economic output by 2020 - equivalent to 5% of annual GDP - the research found. An exit could cost as many as 950,000 jobs, according to the study, meaning unemployment would be 2-3% higher by 2020. -AFP

Washington and Havana open special interests sections

US-backed Bay of Pigs invasion fails

HAVANA WASHINGTON

CUBA

Bay of Pigs Caribbean Sea

ATLANTIC OCEAN

Guantanamo (USA) Santiago

100 km

Gaffe Proof? Trump vs Clinton tests political pitfalls n Tribune Desk When is a gaffe not a gaffe? When Donald Trump says it.

Over a period of 72 hours earlier in the month, the Republican front-runner faced a campaign crisis after unrest at his events forced him to cancel a rally in Chicago. He responded, not by apologising but by justifying his supporters’ violent reactions to protesters at his events and offering to pay their legal fees.

Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton spent much of the same period cleaning up misstatements about former first lady Nancy Reagan’s role in addressing the AIDS epidemic, whether her policies would kill coal-mining jobs and her husband’s 1993 health care plan.

The three-day window offered a glimpse into an extraordinary campaign cycle, in which strategists on both sides are wondering whether Trump’s penchant for provocation has shifted the gaffe gauge in American politics.

His bombast already has shaken up the GOP primary contest. Now, as the race moves toward the gen-

Donald Trump

REUTERS

eral election, new questions have arisen about a double standard in political rhetoric-one for Trump and another for everyone else.

“Trump’s ‘gaffes’ haven’t hurt him because a certain segment of GOP primary voters actually support the things he is saying and the way he is saying them,” said Dan Pfeiffer, a former Obama adviser.

Whether by mistake or intention, there’s little question that Trump’s eruptions are key to his strategy.

Trump canceled a scheduled event on March 11 at the University of Illinois at Chicago, one of the country’s most diverse campuses, despite a flood of incensed responses.

The result was a chaotic and violent scene after which Trump dominated the airwaves, starving his rivals for coverage in the run-up to the critical March 15 primaries.

Hillary Clinton

REUTERS

The only time Clinton broke through the clutter was when she talked about Trump, a situation that wasn’t lost on Democrats who noted his ability to stay on the offensive throughout the Republican primaries. But party strategists and Clinton aides believe that calculus will change in the general election, pointing to Trump’s high negative ratings.

“Trump’s statements, while they play very well with Republican primary voters, they’ve turned off the vast majority of Americans,” said Democratic pollster Mark Mellman, who is not advising Clinton’s campaign.

Democrats have already begun stockpiling potential ammunition about the billionaire and are planning a coordinated effort to undercut his appeal.

Early efforts spilled out into

the public this week when a Democratic group backing Clinton blasted out footage of Trump refusing to name his foreign policy advisers and instead cited his own “very good brain.”

“Is this who we want,” asked Priorities USA, a super PAC backing Clinton’s bid, and quickly spliced the interview into an online video.

A new Trump campaign ad introducing the candidate to Arizona voters leaves little doubt that he’s embraced many of his most provocative statements as he turns toward the general election. The commercial rattles off Trump’s promises to ban Muslims from entering the US, build a wall on the Mexican border and “take” oil from the Dae’sh group.

Republican strategist Danny Diaz, Jeb Bush’s former campaign manager, believes Trump will be subject to more scrutiny in the general election. But he isn’t sure how much it will matter.

“If I were the Democrats, yeah, I’d be worried,” he said.

“He doesn’t feel constrained by the regular rules of the road.

From a cultural perspective, he’s something that we haven’t seen before.” l

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Sport 25

TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2016

INSIDE

Tamim struck down by fever, stomach ache Bangladesh’s journey in the ongoing 2016 World Twenty20 has been anything but pleasant. Amid several blows, the Tigers were once again shaken yesterday after opening batsman Tamim Iqbal failed to make it into the playing XI against Australia due to illness. PAGE 27

Pakistan face Black Caps in must-win T20 A resurgent New Zealand will be eyeing a semi-final berth when they take on a deflated Pakistan in a World Twenty20 group match in Mohali today. Shahid Afridi’s men need a victory against the tabletopping Kiwis to keep their hopes alive of winning the trophy for a second time. PAGE 27

Hundreds of Bangladesh fans gathered in the capital’s Shahbag yesterday to vent their anger at the International Cricket Council’s decision of suspending fast bowler Taskin Ahmed and spinner Arafat Sunny MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

BCB serves petition against ICC decision n Minhaz Uddin Khan from Bangalore

Fantasy becoming reality in EPL shakeup With two months of a gripping Premier League season left Leicester are closing on the title and it is not fanciful to suggest that Tottenham, West Ham United and Southampton could complete the top four. PAGE 29

Azarenka shocks Williams in IW final Victoria Azarenka stunned world number one Serena Williams 6-4, 6-4 on Sunday to capture her second Indian Wells crown and a 19th career singles title. Azarenka blasted five aces while Williams was undone by 33 unforced errors and five double faults. PAGE 29

Bangladesh Cricket Board has served a petition against the International Cricket Council’s decision of suspending fast bowler Taskin Ahmed. BCB president Nazmul Hasan last Sunday informed the media that they will take action against the ICC decision and said serving an official petition is the first step of the process.

“We have officially served a petition to the ICC regarding its decision against Taskin Ahmed. We have submitted the necessary papers, our observations and have mentioned our stance against ICC’s report. We have asked the ICC to review its decision,” BCB CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury told the media yesterday.

Earlier, the BCB had made a verbal protest against the ICC. Cricket’s governing body in the country had requested the ICC to lift the suspension and mentioned that the test which Taskin underwent in an ICC-accredited laboratory in Chennai is flawed.

According to Nazmul, the ICC has already formed a technical committee to look into the issue. The BCB chief also said they are expecting a positive outcome from the technical committee. The ICC however, is yet to make any statement on the issue till this report was being filed yesterday.

There are slight expectations that Taskin might just return before the Tigers’ remaining 2016 World Twenty20 Super 10 matches against hosts India and New Zealand. Although the ICC has

We have officially served a petition to the ICC regarding its decision against Taskin Ahmed.

We have submitted the necessary papers, our observations and have mentioned our stance against ICC’s report. We have asked the ICC to review its decision never lifted a suspension on a bowler on such a short notice, they did clear former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar within 11 days in 2000. Shoaib was banned on December 30, 1999, but only 10 days later, he played for Pakistan in an ODI against Australia in Brisbane, arriving a few hours after the match had started. l

Chappell, Akhtar stand beside Taskin, Sunny n Minhaz Uddin Khan from Bangalore Australian cricket great Ian Chappell and former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar have lent their support to young Bangladesh fast bowler Taskin Ahmed whose suspension by the International Cricket Council has created a stir in world cricket.

Former captain Chappell believes the decision to suspend Taskin and spinner Arafat Sunny is a harsh one from world cricket’s governing body.

“No logic behind suspending bowlers mid-tournament.

I cannot find a logic behind this. These two bowlers were performing well in the tournament, so the action could have come after the World Twenty20. Suspending them within a tournament has been a harsh decision. I feel sorry for Bangladesh. It will be hard for them to come out of this blow,” said Chappell, who also happens to be an analyst for cricket-based website ESPNcricinfo.

Former Pakistan paceman Akhtar also stood beside Taskin and hoped that the youngster will return to action soon.

“Really feel for Taskin. I hope he gets the clearance from ICC soon. Because he’s an asset for world cricket,” tweeted Akhtar on social media before Bangladesh’s Super 10 clash against Australia yesterday.

Both Taskin and Sunny were suspended from bowling in international cricket with immediate effect on March 19 after an independent assessment found their bowling actions to be illegal. The duo underwent assessments in Chennai last week after being reported during their first round tie against the Netherlands in Dharamsala. l

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Sport

TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2016

Tamim struck down by fever, stomach ache n Minhaz Uddin Khan

SCORECARD BANGLADESH Mithun c Watson b Zampa Soumya c Maxwell b Watson Sabbir c Faulkner b Watson Shakib c Coulter-Nile b Zampa Shuvagata lbw b Zampa Mahmudullah not out Mushfiq not out Extras (lb 7, w 3)

from Bangalore

Bangladesh’s journey in the ongoing 2016 World Twenty20 has been anything but pleasant. Amid several blows, the Tigers were once again shaken yesterday after opening batsman Tamim Iqbal failed to make it into the playing XI against Australia due to illness.

The Tigers camp was rocked after two of their strike bowlers Taskin Ahmed and Arafat Sunny were suspended from bowling in international cricket owing to illegal actions. And even before the men in red and green could regroup, Tamim was struck down by illness.

Bangladesh team manager Khaled Mahmud informed the media yesterday that Tamim is suffering from fever along with a troubled stomach since last Sunday.

“He (Tamim) has been feeling sick since last Sunday. He has high fever and stomach ache. He has been provided the required treatment and we are expecting a speedy recovery,” said Mahmud.

Bangladesh will now take on hosts India in Bangalore tomorrow.

Former captain Mahmud was unable to confirm if Tamim can recover fully before then. l

Total (for 5 wickets, 20 overs)

Captain, Australia We had made it difficult at the end with both ball and bat. Bangladesh bowled quite well in the middle overs. It was about the top four going on, get a not out and making it more clinical. We haven’t been good enough in the middle overs. We’ve had a bit of travel, but it cannot be an excuse. Pakistan and India play well in these conditions and we have to do better. They’re different, the pitches weren’t like this in the IPL. Our players have to adapt better.

B 22 6 17 25 10 29 11

156

Fall of wickets 1-2 (Soumya), 2-25 (Sabbir), 3-62 (Mithun), 4-78 (Shuvagata), 5-105 (Shakib) Bowling Coulter-Nile 4-0-21-0, Watson 4-0-31-2, Hastings 3-0-24-0, Marsh 1-0-12-0, Maxwell 1-0-12-0, Zampa 4-0-23-3, Faulkner 3-0-26-0 AUSTRALIA: Khawaja b Al-Amin Hossain Watson run out Smith b Mustafizur Warner c & b Shakib Maxwell st Mushfiqur b Shakib Marsh c Shakib b Mustafizur Faulkner not out Hastings c Soumya b Shakib Nevill not out Extras (lb 2, w 4) Total (7 wickets; 18.3 overs)

R B 58 45 21 15 14 13 17 9 26 15 6 6 5 3 3 4 1 1 6 157

Fall of wickets 1-62 (Watson), 2-95 (Smith), 3-115 (Khawaja), 4-119 (Warner), 5-135 (Marsh), 6-148 (Maxwell), 7-152 (Hastings)

Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza (L) watches the ball after teammate Mohammad Mithun dropped the catch of Australia's Shane Watson during their ICC World Twenty20 2016 match in Bangalore yesterday AP

WHAT THEY SAID STEVE SMITH

R 23 1 12 33 13 49 15 10

ADAM ZAMPA

Leg-spinner, Australia It was nice to make a bit of a difference for my team. Playing in the Big Bash League, I have seen crowd of 80,000 people so I’m used to it. I’ve played three or four games here now in India and it has been a learning curve. Just getting used to the length and the pace and to different players and their areas. We’ve had a bit of travel, off to Mohali now and we’ll be there for a week, that’ll be nice.

Australia openear Usman Khawaja executes a sweep shot in Bangalore yesterday

Bowling Mortaza 1-0-9-0, Mahmudullah 2-0-22-0, Al-Amin 2-0-14-1, Mustafizur 4-0-30-2, Shakib 4-0-27-3, Saqlain 3.3-0-40-0, Shuvagata 2-0-13-0 Result: Australia won by 3 wickets MoM: Adam Zampa (Aus)

‘A few small mistakes cost us the game’ Mashrafe laments absence of trio n Mazhar Uddin SUPER 10 GROUP 2 from Bangalore

Bangladesh limited-over captain Mashrafe bin Mortaza said a few small mistakes cost them the 2016 World Twenty20 Super 10 match against Australia. Despite that, Mashrafe believes there were some positives from the game that will help them to improve in the coming days.

The Tigers were without their three main players – Taskin Ahmed, Arafat Sunny and Tamim Iqbal - yesterday at the M Chinnaswamy stadium. The men in red and green though refused to bow down and exhibited a brave display, nearly snatching a win for the Aussies’ grasp.

Australia however, kept their composure and eventually managed a nervy three-wicket win with nine deliveries to spare.

“It’s a high-scoring ground and we made some small mistakes which eventually proved costly for us. If we could have overcome those mistakes then the result

Team

M W

L Pts

NRR

New Zealand 2

2

0

4

Pakistan

2

1

1

2 +0.999

+1.375

Australia

2

1

1

2 +0.108

India

2

1

1

2 -0.895

Bangladesh

2

0

2

0

-1.749

would have been different. As I said, we might not have scored enough runs but if we could have bowled and fielded better, and also scored some more runs, it could have been a different scenario,” Mashrafe told the media in the post-match press conference.

“But I think the way we played [yesterday] it will definitely help us in the coming matches. There are positives like Mahmudullah, who has been in good form, along with Shakib [al Hasan], who also had a good outing. Mushfiqur [Rahim] batted well so I think it will definitely help us in future.

“We went to the field [yesterday] forgetting all the incidents which

happened recently.

However, missing Tamim was a big loss for us. Unfortunately, we were without our two in-form players and losing Tamim was a major blow,” he said.

A few eyebrows were raised prior to the start of the game as the Bangladesh think tank opted for all-rounder Shuvagata Hom to replace Taskin. Many said all-rounder Nasir Hossain would have been a better option but Mashrafe said Nasir missed out at the last moment due to the team combination.

Mashrafe also heaped praise on the returning Mustafizur Rahman, who came back to the side after missing the first round and the Super 10 opener against Pakistan due to a side-strain injury incurred in the Asia Cup T20 earlier this month. Mashrafe said the pace sensation has been their best bowler in recent times and hoped for him to continue his heroics in future.

Yesterday, Mustafizur bagged two wickets, that of Australia captain Steve Smith and all-rounder Mitchell Marsh. l

27

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Sport

TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2016

QUICK BYTES Independence Cup set for March 30 kick-off The season-opening tournament, Independence Cup 2016, will get underway on March 30, confirmed the Bangladesh Football Federation yesterday following a meeting of its professional football league committee. The draw of the curtain-raiser is scheduled to be held at the BFF House this Thursday.

The tournament will conclude on April 20 and will feature sides from the Bangladesh Premier League.

The committee however, has not yet given out the kick-off date of the top-flight, and said a final decision will only be taken after the inspection of the venues comes to an end.

TRIBUNE REPORT

This combination photograph shows (L to R) England's Liam Dawson, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid and Chris Jordan bowling in nets during a training session at the Feroj Shah Kotla cricket ground in New Delhi yesterday. England will play their World T20 cricket match against Afghanistan on Wednesday AFP

Battered bowlers hoping for respite, says Ali n AFP, New Delhi

Ramos helps seal Dortmund win Second-placed Borussia Dortmund trimmed Bayern Munich’s lead at the top of the Bundesliga to five points on Sunday with a superb 3-1 comeback win at Augsburg. Dortmund’s Adrian Ramos, in for striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang who sat out after the death of his grandfather, played a big part in turning the game Borussia’s way in the second-half.

Their coach Thomas Tuchel said Dortmund were still feeling the effects of their Europa League win at Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday. “You could feel the tiredness and it was important to equalise just before the break,” said Tuchel. “Then we played with a more relaxed approach and we showed an exceptional mentality and will to win.” Augsburg took a shock lead at their WKK Arena when Iceland striker Alfred Finnbogason slotted home Brazilian winger Caiuby’s cross on 16 minutes.

AFP

Goalkeeper Howard to leave Everton for Colorado Rapids United States goalkeeper Tim Howard will leave Premier League club Everton at the end of the season to join Colorado Rapids as one of their three designated players, the Major League Soccer (MLS) team said on Sunday. Howard, 37, has spent the last 13 years in English soccer, including 10 seasons with Everton for whom he has made a club-record 352 top-flight appearances. “Tim is exceptional, both as a player and a person,” Paul Bravo, technical director and vice-president of soccer operations for the Rapids, said in a statement. “He proved it at the last World Cup for the U.S national team and he has been proving it for the last decade in the EPL. REUTERS

Spinner Moeen Ali admitted England’s bowlers are hoping for some respite Monday as they lick their wounds after being pummelled by South Africa and a rampant Chris Gayle in cricket’s World Twenty20.

Although England are on a high after their record-breaking win over South Africa on Friday, their bowlers were once again clattered to all corners at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium as the Proteas raced to a huge total of 229.

Reece Topley went for 33 in just two overs while Chris Jordan conceded 49 in a three-over stint

against the South Africans whose own star bowler, Dale Steyn, was subsequently carted around the ground.

Ali was the most economic bowler against South Africa but still went for nearly nine an over and was one of those on the receiving end last Wednesday when Chris Gayle smashed 11 sixes in a brutal century.

“I have not enjoyed bowling in Mumbai so far,” said Ali after England arrived in New Delhi where they will play their next two group matches against Afghanistan on Wednesday and the holders Sri Lanka on Saturday.

“I think the (Delhi) wicket is going to be a little bit slower, though I haven’t seen it so I don’t expect the runs to be coming as quick as Mumbai.”

Ali said he and his fellow spinner Adil Rashid had felt they “would love to be bowling” on other pitches which have turned sharply in the tournament, such as Nagpur where India lost to New Zealand.

But he conceded it has been tough for England’s quicker bowlers as well.

“I don’t think it has been very easy for the seamers. The grounds have been a little bit smaller and the pitches have been beautiful

to bat on,” he said. “Hopefully the bowlers are going to win us a game in the future.”

England’s batsmen were generally in awesome form against South Africa but Ali, who has opened for the team but now bats at seven, has missed out in both matches and warned against complacency towards Afghanistan.

“They are a very good side. We saw yesterday they competed very well,” he added in reference to Afghanistan’s match against South Africa on Sunday when the minnows at one stage threatend an upset by reaching 105 for two while chasing 210. l

Pakistan face Black Caps in must-win T20 n AFP, Mohali A resurgent New Zealand will be eyeing a semi-final berth when they take on a deflated Pakistan in a World Twenty20 group match in Mohali today.

Smarting under a six-wicket defeat to arch rivals India, Shahid Afridi’s men need a victory against the table-topping Kiwis to keep their hopes alive of winning the trophy for a second time.

Pakistan won their opener against Bangladesh comfortably but things have since gone downhill as they unravelled against the Indians on Saturday, sparking an angry backlash from fans back home.

The Black Caps in contrast have been riding high with their horses for courses policy paying rich dividends against India and Australia.

New Zealand are perched on top of Group 2 with four points followed by India and Pakistan on two each from as many games.

Skipper Kane Williamson has won plaudits after he packed his side with unheralded spinners and leaving

V New Zealand

90 46 42 2 6

Pakistan Played Won Lost No result

Head-to-head

104 61 43 0 8

out tested fast bowlers Trent Boult and Tim Southee in the key opening game against favourites India.

Afridi, 36, will be under pressure to deliver after taking flak for his tactics against India. Former Pakistani spin great Saqlain Mushtaq was surprised at the team selection

by Afridi, who is tipped to retire at the end of the WT20.

“They couldn’t read the pitch.

For such a high profile match they should have played a proper spinner,” Mushtaq was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India news agency on Sunday.

“It was not a pitch to field four fast bowlers,” he said. l

Djokovic captures record 5th Indian Wells title n AFP, Indian Wells World No. 1 Novak Djokovic won the Indian Wells title on Sunday with a 6-2, 6-0 rout of a hobbled Milos Raonic, taking the crown for the third straight year and a record fifth time overall.

The defending two-time champ Djokovic, who hasn’t lost in Indian Wells since 2013, earned his 62nd career title and extended his match

win streak at the joint ATP and WTA hardcourt tournament to 17 straight.

“To win this tournament five times is a fantastic achievement,” Djokovic said.

“I’m just glad to be able to raise the level of my game as the tournament progresses, and that’s something that I have been doing in the last two years particularly on the big events.” l

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Sport

TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2016

‘BBC’ reunion promises ‘great things’: Zidane n AFP, Madrid

Real Madrid's Gareth Bale and Sevilla's goalkeeper Sergio Rico in action during their Spanish La Liga match at Santiago Bernabeu stadium, Madrid on Sunday REUTERS

EPL POINTS TABLE

Teams

P W

D L GD Pts

Leicester

31 19

9 3 23

66

Tottenham

31 17 10 4 32

61

Arsenal

30 16

55

Man City

30 15

6 9 20

51

West Ham

30 13

11 6 12

50

Man Utd

30 14

8 8 11

50

Saints

31 13

8 10 9

47

7 7 18

Stoke City

31 13

7 11 -3

46

Liverpool

29 12

8 9

5

44

Chelsea

30 10

11 9

4

41

West Brom

30 10

9 11

7

39

Everton

29 9

11 9 10

38

B'mouth

31 10

8 13 -12

38

Watford

30 10

7 13 -2

37

Swansea

31

9

9 13 -9

36

Palace

30 9

6 15 -12

33

Norwich

31

7

7 17 -22 28

Sunderland 30 6

8 16 -19 26

Newcastle

30 6

7 17 -26 25

Aston Villa

31

7 21 -36 16

3

LA LIGA

Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane believes his side can still salvage a disappointing season at home and abroad should Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale remain fit for the remainder of the campaign.

All three scored on their first start together for two months as Madrid closed to within 10 points of La Liga leaders Barcelona, who they play next on April 2 after a two-week international break.

“After a performance like that from the players, I can only be satisfied,” said Zidane.

“Playing like this we can do great things. The players know that, but in football every game is different so we have to play with the same intensity and commitment.”

Espanyol

2-1

Diop 54, Caicedo 57

Villarreal

2-2

Bakambu 57, Mathieu 63-og

Valencia

With two months of a gripping Premier League season left Leicester City are closing on the title and it is not fanciful to suggest that Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United and Southampton could complete the top four.

The idea of Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool, or even just two of them, finishing fifth or lower, would have been laughed off as absurd before a ball was kicked in August.

But fantasy has become the new reality in the world’s richest soccer league.

Leicester, 5000-1 shots to win the title at the start of the season, need six wins from their last seven matches to guarantee becoming champions of England for the first time.

Tottenham, without a title since 1961, are their nearest challengers and West Ham United, in fifth place level on points with sixth-placed Manchester United, are sniffing a first-ever qualification for the Champions League.

Southampton, who came from two goals down to beat Liverpool on Sunday, are just four points behind fourth-placed Manchester City who are caught in a downward spiral.

One statistic sums the shift in power this season. Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, and Liverpool have a lower combined points total so far than Leicester, West Ham, Southampton, Stoke and West Bromwich Albion (241 to 248).

Many expect normal service to resume next season when Man City will be buoyed by the arrival of Pep Guardiola, Chelsea re-group under

0-2

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

Real Madrid

03:In which year did Bangladesh host the World T20?

Ans: 2014 2004 2015

4-0

Sevilla

“It will be a special match because all Barca-Madrid matches are special,” added Zidane.

“Now for us there is the opportunity to continue what we are doing, our progression. We know very well we are ready. It will be a big game, a game where two great teams will clash, which is good for football.” l

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

Dhaka Tribune, F.R.Tower, 8/C, Panthapath, Sukrabad, Dhaka – 1207.

Celta Vigo

Benzema 6, Ronaldo 64, Bale 66, Jese 86

Terms & Conditions:

Name...................................................................................................

Father's Name.....................................................................................

Address...............................................................................................

Phone/Cell...........................................................Age.........................

Barcelona

Guidetti 80, Mallo 84

a new manager and United could possibly have Mourinho at the Old Trafford helm.

But according to Stoke’s manager Mark Hughes, the days when the establishment dominated the top five or six places is over.

With a new eye-watering domestic TV contract kicking in next season, a three-year deal with Sky and BT worth 5.13 billion pounds ($7.38 billion), 71 percent higher than the current one, the quality gap is likely to shrink again next season.

Fans around Europe where title races rarely feature more than two clubs, or in France’s case these days one, can only watch on in envy at the unpredictability of the Premier League.

West Ham manager Slaven Bilic, whose 10 million pounds plus signing Dimitri Payet would be a guaranteed starter for any of the traditional elite, agrees. l

v

Eraso 20 Rakitic 20, Neymar 41-pen

Fantasy becoming reality in EPL shakeup n Reuters, London

Athletic Bilbao

: Walton LED Television 40” 01pcs : Walton Refrigerator (11.5 CFT) 01pcs : Walton LED Television 24” 01pcs : Walton Blender 03pcs : Walton Rice Cooker 05pcs

29

DT

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TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2016

Azarenka shocks Williams in Indian Wells final n AFP, Indian Wells Victoria Azarenka stunned world number one Serena Williams 6-4, 6-4 on Sunday to capture her second Indian Wells crown and a 19th career singles title.

Azarenka blasted five aces while Williams was undone by 33 unforced errors and five double faults in the 88-minute championship of the joint WTA and ATP Tour hardcourt event.

“Definitely not the game plan,” Williams said. “I think I probably was trying to hit through nerves.

“I was talking to Patrick (Mouratoglou, her coach) and he said he’s never seen me play that flat.”

Azarenka has been a thorn in the side of Williams over the years and she became the first player to deny the 34-year-old Williams a trophy on four occasions.

Heading into the contest Azarenka and Serena’s sister, Venus, were the only players to

have beaten Williams three times in finals.

The 13th seeded Azarenka also thwarted Williams’ bid to become the first three-time winner of the Indian Wells women’s title.

“Feels good just to see the work that I have put in and it’s paying off,” Azarenka said. “Just everything that I have been through in the last years, it makes it more special.

“I was more aggressive. I started to use my serve the way I wanted to use my serve. Having that big goal in mind and going after it, that’s something that makes the momentum shift on the big stages.”

With the victory Azarenka will also return to the top 10 in the world for the first time since 2014, moving up to number eight.

Runner-up Williams collected $500,000. But she was unable to close the book on the darkest chapter in her tennis career which took place when she beat Kim Clijsters in the 2001 Indian Wells final. l

Victoria Azarenka (R) of Belarus laughs with the winners trophy as Serena Williams of USA pulls a face after the final during day fourteen of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, California on Sunday AFP

PSG title party gatecrashed by Monaco

Buffon sets record as Juve win again n Reuters

DAY’S WATCH CRICKET STAR SPORTS 1 8:00PM ICC World T20 New Zealand v Pakistan

STAR SPORTS 2 3:30PM ICC Women’s World T20 England v India

Juventus keeper Gianluigi Buffon set a record for the longest run without conceding a goal as the Serie A leaders won 4-1 at neighbours Torino on Sunday.

Napoli’s Gonzalo Higuain continued his prolific season by scoring twice, the second a majestic effort, to help earn a 3-1 win over Genoa which kept them three points off the top.

The Argentine has scored 29 goals in his side’s 30 league matches this season to lead the scoring charts by 15.

Juve’s Buffon overtook Sebastiano Rossi’s previous record of not conceding in 929 minutes for AC Milan, set in the 1993-94 season, in the fourth minute of Turin’s Derby della Mole. Having kept 10 successive clean sheets, Buffon was finally beaten early in the second half when Andrea Belotti converted a penalty for Torino to end his run at 974 minutes.

Juventus were already 2-0 ahead by then thanks to a free kick by Paul Pogba and an individual goal

by Sami Khedira, who collected the ball near the halfway line and ran through the heart of the Torino midfield before scoring.

Torino were denied an equaliser when Maxi Lopez had a goal ruled out by a hairline offside decision and Juve took full advantage as Alvaro Morata, who replaced the injured Paulo Dybala in the first half, added two more. Khedira was sent off late in the game although

n AFP, Paris

SERIE A Atalanta

2-0

Bologna

Gomez 27, Diamanti 45+1

Frosinone

0-0

Fiorentina

Verona

1-2

Carpi

Ionita 63

Sampdoria

Di Gaudio 42, Lasagna 67

0-1

Chievo Meggiorini 24

Sassuolo

1-1

Politano 64

Torino

Zapata 8

1-4

Belotti 48-pen

Napoli

Bacca 15

Juventus Pogba 33, Khedira 42, Morata 63, 77

3-1

Higuain 51, 81, El Kaddouri 90+1

AC Milan

Udinese

Genoa Rincon 10

1-1

Lazio Parolo 9

it was not immediately clear what the German had done wrong.

Juventus, knocked out of the Champions League by Bayern Munich on Wednesday after squandering a two-goal lead, moved on to 70 points after the 19th win in their last 20 league games, with Napoli on 67.

Fiorentina’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League took a knock when they were held 0-0 at Frosinone, leaving them in fourth place with 55 points, five behind third-placed AS Roma.

AC Milan, who are sixth, and Lazio, in eighth, played out a 1-1 draw at San Siro which reflected their indifferent seasons. l

Monaco ruined Paris Saint-Germain’s Ligue 1 title celebrations as a clinical second-half performance gave the principality side a 2-0 victory at the Parc des Princes on Sunday.

PSG wrapped up a fourth consecutive league title in record time with eight matches to spare by thrashing Troyes 9-0 a week ago, but they were uncharacteristically flat in the capital.

After a drab opening 45 minutes it was the visitors who turned on the style, as Vagner Love’s fourth goal for the club gave them a deserved 65th-minute lead.

A David Luiz error gave Monaco a penalty that was coolly converted

by Fabinho just three minutes later, as PSG slumped to just a second

LIGUE 1 Bordeaux

1-1

Contento 82

Nice

Bastia Ngando 84

3-0

Gazelec Ajaccio

Ben Arfa 14, Plea 66, Seri 88

PSG

0-2

Monaco

Vagner Love 65, Fabinho 68-pen

league defeat of the season, and a first at home since May 2014.

The victory is a timely one for Leonardo Jardim’s Monaco in the race for the top three and the Champions League, as they stay second in the table and now have the cushion of a six-point gap back to fourth-placed Lyon.

“This is a very important victory, but in getting this the team has actually only maintained our gap to our competitors,” Jardim said.l

Monaco's Jeremy Toulalan (R) challenges for the ball with PSG's Thiago Silva, during their French League 1 match at the Parc des Princes stadium on Sunday AP

DT

30

Showtime

TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2016

Diti: The screen diva

We love you Diti

The star whose stellar performances ruled the film industry in the late 80s and 90s

n Showtime Desk

n Showtime Desk Parvin Sultana Diti, who passed away aged 50, appeared in more films than she cared to remember but nevertheless, she emerged as a Dhallywood star on the strength of her extraordinary beauty and a successful screen partnership with Ilias Kanchan.

Born on March 31, 1965 at Sonargaon in Narayanganj, Diti passed her higher secondary exam from Eden College and later obtained her BA from Lalmatia Women College.

In the late 80s and early 90s, Diti was not only the most familiar face in the film industry, it wouldn’t be far fetched to say that

the entire industry relied on super divas such as Shabana and Diti.

By proving her acting chops in the industry, the actress stepped into the world of film through a talent hunt competition Natun Mukher Sondhaney in 1984.

Following the win, she wrapped up her first big screen acting venture with Daak Diye Jai, a directorial venture by Udayan Chowdhury, which ended up not being released.

Ami-e Ustad, directed by Ajmal Huda Mithu, was Diti’s first film which got a theatrical release. Her excellent performance instantly made her a well known face among movie aficionados, with each of her films being released to audiences that waited in

Diti’s selected filmography In her 28 year long acting career, Diti has appeared in more than two hundreds films. Her major big screen ventures are: Heeramoti Dui Jibon Shami Stree Bhai Bondhu

Usila Lady Ispector Khuner Badla Ajker Hungama Shesh Upohar Chorom Aghat Aporadhi Kaliya Kaal Sokale

anticipation. Later, the actress of the golden age of the film industry released numerous other successful films.

The role she played as Alamgir’s wife in Shubhash Dutta’s Shami Stree in 1987 earned her the National Film Award in a Supporting Role for the very first time.

On screen, Diti was paired up with Ilias Kanchan more than any other actor. Although people enjoyed watching the duo’s fiery on-screen chemistry, in reality, the duo’s marriage was not as strong.

Their union later ended in divorce.

It was both Diti’s and Kanchan’s second marriage.

In 1986 Diti first married actor Sohel Chowdhury who came to the industry through the same process as Diti, the talent hunt competition Natun Mukher Sondhaney.

Noted cinematographer F Kabir Chowdhury cast Sohel and Diti in a film named Parbat. Both their performances were praised by fans everywhere. The next year, the duo paired up again for Amzad Hossain’s Heeramoti. They fell in love while making Heeramoti, with the duo tying the knot the next year.

On December 17, 1998, in a horrific incident Sohel Chowdhury was shot dead at Trumps Club in Banani. The murder case remains an unsolved mystery. However, their marriage had ended before the tragic incident took place.

Their first child Lamia was born in 1987 with their son Dipto following suit in 1989.

After she was diagnosed with brain cancer on July 25 last year, Diti was taken to Madras Institute of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, India. When her health improved slightly, she was brought back to Bangladesh. However, her condition worsened by the end of the year and she was taken back to India in November. As her health did not seem to improve, she was brought back to Bangladesh in January, and here she breathed her last. l

Megher Kole Rod Akash Choya Bhalobasha Mayamoy She portrayed lead in the films of West Bengal, India, too.

She paired up with Tollywood star Prosenjit in Priyo Shatru.

A song from the film Chithi keno ashey na ar deri shohey na became a very popular hit back in the day.

Messages from the stars

Bobita: We all are from the same FDC family. Diti and I were just like family members. She was my very good friend. We worked together in movies such as Char Shotiner Ghor, Doshi, etc. She worked with my production in the film Chandidas O Rajokini.

She was a dedicated artist who never compromised with her work. Last time we met, she got emotional and kissed me all over the face. I will never forget that.

Faruk: Diti was my co-worker and my favourite actress to work with.

It’s painful to let go of those who are close to our heart.

Diti was one of them. I can still remember the day when Diti started her journey with Bangladeshi films. A simple girl came to FDC to try her luck, and the rest is history. Diti was a shining star and she will forever be so. She worked hard to prove herself, making directors and producers proud. She has left us but her memory will be with us forever.

Champa: She was my very good friend, someone who was close to my heart. When I heard the news, I refused to believe it. I am still

in shock. How can someone like Diti leave us this early? The last movie we worked on was Most Welcome 2. Last year, we also met for a program for Asian TV. We laughed, we talked and we had a great time. I am just losing myself in those memories. It’s still so unbelievable.

Ilias Kanchon: One day each of us has to leave - we cannot change our fate. All we can do is pray for her soul.

May Almighty grant her a place in heaven and may she rest in peace.

Bijori Barkatullah: To live in the hearts of others is to never die. All I can say is that you will be in our heart forever Diti apa. We have so many stories and memories together.

It’s hard to face the truth. Rest in peace, Diti apa.

Aleef Chowdhury: Diti apa was not only a great artist but also a pure soul. In today’s world it is hard to find such a great person. I was lucky enough to get a chance to work with her. She was like a family member, never giving any hint or sign of the fact that she’s a big screen star. I feel sorry that we could not do anything for her or for her family. I pray for her departed soul. May Allah grant her a place in Jannah. l

Grameenphone

Salman Khan to launches new GP music host Bigg Boss 10

n Showtime Desk On March 20, Grameenphone launched GP Music, its revamped music platform at GPHouse amid the presence of several music luminaries. GP Music is the largest digital music collection of the country and provides music lovers with an experience like never before.

The new GP Music offers both online and offline music streaming with unmatched music quality.

Listeners can find their favorite music at their fingertips; GP Music has the largest local music library, along with the latest international releases. Users can dive into hundreds of curated playlists and make their own personalised playlists.

During the launch, GP Music offered a 30-day free trial for GP users to experience their favourite music free of cost. They also announced an exciting list of exclusive releases, from upcoming artists to mainstream legends.

The announcement included Adit, Oishee, Arbovirus, Kona, Nancy, Imran, Tahsan, Shoeb, Puja, Tausif, Amid, Moon, Pritom, Lutfor, Bappa Mazumdar, Joy, Parvez, Arfin, Breach, Sunny Zubayer, Rafa, Porshi, Shikor Bangladesh All Stars, Soothsayers, Artcell and Miles. All singles and albums are now available on the GP Music platform. Users will also

get 20MB free internet once they subscribe for any of the GP Music packs including the free trial offer.

During the launch, Grameenphone CMO Yasir Azman said, “We strongly believe that our valued customers will appreciate high quality digital music and GP Music is the result of that belief.

After a year of hard work, finally we have an amazing platform for anyone who loves music.”

GP Music also introduced the concept of “Musicasters” – a unique pool of playlist creators who will curate the contents according to the crowd’s choice.

Muntasir Hossain, head of GP Digital Services said, “We encourage our listeners to live every moment through the power of GP Music. This is the future of Bangladeshi music.”

The new GP Music is now available both through Google Play Store and Apple Store. Users can also visit www.gpmusic.co to access the website or log onto GP Music’s official Facebook page to get all the latest updates.

Grameenphone is striving to be the most preferred digital partner for their valued customers.

Apart from providing quality access to high speed internet, the company is coming up with new digital services, which range from education to health and entertainment. l

Events this week at Jatra Biroti

31

DT

Showtime

TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2016

WHAT TO WATCH

Real Steel Star Movies 4:45pm In the near future, robot boxing is a top sport.

Charlie, a struggling promoter, reluctantly teams up with his estranged son Max to build and train a championship contender.

As the stakes in the brutal, no-holds-barred arena are raised, Charlie and Max, against all odds, get one last shot at a comeback.

Cast: Hugh Jackman, Dakota Goyo, Evangeline Lilly, Anthony Mackie, Kevin Durand Mission Impossible III HBO 6:56pm Agent Ethan Hunt comes into conflict with a dangerous and sadistic arms dealer who threatens his life and his fiancé in response.

Cast: Tom Cruise, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ving Rhames, Michelle Monaghan

n Showtime Desk Salman Khan will return to host season 10 of Bigg Boss. The Dabangg star has signed the contract for the tenth edition of the show and will be paid a huge amount per episode.

Previously, Bigg Boss had been selecting people from different backgrounds such as film stars, TV actors, models, politicians, people with criminal backgrounds and also a person from the LGBT community.

Colors has now opened Bigg

March 24 - Bhaab featuring classical sitar recital by Satyajit Chakraborty Enjoy the beautiful ambiance of classical music with Satyajit Chakraborty on sitar. He is a world class performer that has given recitals at the Dover Lane classical music fest in Kolkata.

Doors for the musical evening open at 7pm.

Time: 8pm Entry: Tk300 March 25 - Open mic Join in either to enjoy or perform at Jatra’s open mic

Boss doors for the general public.

To appear as contestants in the show, aspiring contestants will have to make a three-minute video of themselves, showcasing a trait that will make them eligible for the show. The video has to be posted on the official website of the channel before May 21.

Bigg Boss 10 will premiere during the end of 2016 on Colors. l

night. To have your name on the list of performers, send your name to the facebook page for the event. Doors for the event open at 7pm.

Time: 8pm Entry: Tk300 March 26 - Biroti lounge Enjoy great food with world music, DJs, live instruments and multimedia improvisations at Jatra Biroti. Doors of the lounge open at 7pm.

Time: 8pm Entry: Tk300

Frozen Zee Studio 7:30pm Three skiers stranded on a chairlift are forced to make life-or-death choices which prove more perilous than staying put and freezing to death.

Cast: Emma Bell, Kevin Zegers, Shawn Ashmore, Ed Ackerman, Rileah Vanderbilt Ocean’s Eleven Warner Bros 5:43pm Daniel Ocean gets released from prison in New Jersey.

His next big heist is already all mapped out along with his buddy Rusty Ryan.

Ocean’s targets are three casinos at Las Vegas.

Cast: George Clooney, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts Pacific Rim Movies Now 9:30pm As a war between humankind and monstrous sea creatures wages on, a former pilot and a trainee are paired up to drive a seemingly obsolete special weapon in a desperate effort to save the world from the apocalypse.

Cast: Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Rinko Kikuchi, Charlie Day, Robert Kazinsky, Max Martini, Ron Perlman l

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TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2016

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Experts: Save Dhaka rivers n Tribune Report

Laundrymen washing clothes in polluted water of Buriganga River is a common scenario in Sadarghat, Dhaka. The photo was taken yesterday

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

Climate change a big threat to safe water, sanitation n Tribune Report The push to bring safe water to millions around the world is going to be even more challenging due to climate change, which threatens both water supply and water safety for millions of children living in drought or flood-prone areas, warned Unicef.

Last year, as the world saw the end of Millennium Development Goals era, around 663 million people around the world still did not have access to drinking water from improved sources – which are supposed to separate water from contact with excreta.

However, data from newly available testing technology show that an estimated 1.8 billion people may be drinking water contaminated by E-coli, which comes from faecal

matter, even if the water comes from improved sources, said a media statement by Unicef issued on the occasion of World Water Day today.

The safety concerns are rising due to climate change – when water becomes scarce during droughts, populations resort to unsafe surface water. At the other end of the scale, floods damage water and sewage treatment facilities and spread faeces around, very often leading to an increase in water-borne diseases such as cholera and diarrhoea.

Higher temperatures brought on by climate change are also set to increase the incidence of water-linked diseases like malaria, dengue, and now Zika, as mosquito populations rise and their geographic reach expands.

In this situation, the most vulnerable demographic are around 160 million of children under the age of five years who live in areas at high risk of drought around the world. Meanwhile, around half a billion children live in flood zones, most of them in sub-Saharan Africa and in Asia, according to Unicef statistics.

“Now that we can test water more cheaply and efficiently than we were able to do when the MDGs were set, we are coming to terms with the magnitude of the challenge facing the world when it comes to clean water,” said Sanjay Wijeserkera, head of Unicef’s global water, sanitation and hygiene programmes.

“With the new Sustainable Development Goals calling for ‘safe’ water for everyone, we are not

starting from where the MDGs left off; it is a whole new ball game.”

One of the principal contributors to faecal contamination of water is poor sanitation. Globally, 2.4 billion people lack proper toilets and just under one billion of them defecate in the open. This means that in many countries and communities, faeces can be pervasive to the extent that even some improved water sources can become contaminated.

Unicef is responding to these challenges by focusing on disaster risk reduction for water supplies, the statement said.

In Bangladesh, nearly 20,000 children now have access to climate and disaster-resilient sources of water through an aquifer-recharge system which captures water during the monsoon season, purifies it, and stores it underground. l

Environment activists yesterday warned that Dhaka would be an abandoned city in the future unless immediate steps were taken to check rampant water pollution and river grabbing around the capital.

Untreated chemical and solid wastes are also being dumped in Buriganga, Turag, Balu and Shitalakkhya destroying the rivers’ ecosystems, they said at a discussion arranged by Poribesh Bachao Andolon (Poba) in Dhaka on the occasion of World Water Day today, reports UNB. The discussion was addressed, among others, by Poba Executive General Secretary Abdus Subhan, Executive Member Tofail Ahmed, Ccoordinator Atiq Morshed and Modern Club President Abul Hasnat.

Citing findings of a recent test, Subhan said the amount of dissolved oxygen in the waters of Dhaka-surrounding rivers – Buriganga, Balu, Turag and Shitalakkhya – was down to almost zero during the dry season, which posed a severe threat to the aquatic life in those rivers.

A minimum level of five ppm (parts per million) of dissolved oxygen is required to make water usable, he said.

Abu Naser Khan said about 22,000 cubic metres of untreated toxic waste from tanneries in Hazaribagh is released into the Buriganga River every day. If this trend of water pollution continues, Dhaka will turn into an unlivable city within the next 20 years due to lack of freshwater, he said. l

Court orders arrest of 24 BNPJamaat leaders n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu A Dhaka court yesterday ordered arrest of 24 leaders of BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami in a case filed under explosive substances act.

Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s court accepted charges against 37 men, including Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Jamaat acting chief Shafiqur Rahman and Assistant Secretary Shafiqul Islam Masud.

On November 29, 2013, a bus was torched at Malibagh BNP-led alliance’s blockade, killing one. Police pressed charges against 37 men on August 17 last year. l

Editor: Zafar Sobhan, Published and Printed by Kazi Anis Ahmed on behalf of 2A Media Limited at Dainik Shakaler Khabar Publications Limited, 153/7, Tejgaon Industrial Area, Dhaka-1208. Editorial, News & Commercial Office: FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka 1207. Phone: 9132093-94, Advertising: 9132155, Circulation: 9132282, Fax: News-9132192, e-mail: news@dhakatribune.com, info@dhakatribune.com, Website: www.dhakatribune.com