March 29, 2016

SECOND EDITION

TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 2016

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Chaitra 16, 1422, Jamadius Sani 20, 1437

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Regd No DA 6238, Vol 3, No 343

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

HC rejects writ on state religion n Ashif Islam Shaon The High Court yesterday rejected the much talked about writ that challenged the legality of a constitutional provision recognising Islam as the state religion of Bangladesh.

The bench of Justice Naima Haider, Justice Quazi Reza-Ul Hoque and Justice Md Ashraful Kamal summarily rejected the 28-yearold petition, saying the petitioners have no jurisdiction to move such a petition.

“It was rejected on the ground that the committee under which the petition was filed in 1988 had no legitimacy as it was not a reg-

istered body,” said Murad Reza, an additional attorney general who opposed the petition on behalf of the government.

The decision means Islam will

stay as the state religion in the nation’s charter, which also speaks of equal rights for other religious groups, Murad Reza said.

“The writ petition was filed by

Prof Anisuzzaman, one of the petitioners of the 1988 writ, expressed his disappointment saying that the petitioners' initial intention had not stood at the court.

He added that the court has given its order based on wisdom. “Further steps would be taken after consulting with our lawyers once the full order is released.”

Unless there was a future decision on filing an appeal, the matter has been settled with the High Court order, the Dhaka University professor emeritus said.

The Dhaka Tribune also tried to contact another petitioner, Dhaka University Professor Emeritus Serajul Islam Choudhury, but found his phone switched off.

the Autocracy and Communalism Resistance Committee, but this committee was never registered with the government. The citizens filed the petition under this com-

The court's decision was welcomed by Hefazat-e-Islam, which had been threatening to paralyse the country if the High Court repealed Islam as the state religion.

Hefazat leaders present on the court premises said they were happy that the government had “honoured” Islam, and also thanked the court for providing people justice.”

“This is a victory of the Muslim ummah,” said Hefazat leader Mujibur Rahman Hamidi.

Fazlul Karim Kashemy, another Hefazat leader, said the rights of non-Muslims would not be affected by the decision. “We have been living together for long; we will stay like this. Our coexistence will not be affected.”

mittee’s banner, they did not sign it individually. So I think the rejection was rightly done,” Murad Reza said after the court gave its ruling.

However, petitioners' counsel Subrata Chowdhury said they had no clear idea why it was rejected.

“Let the full observation of the court be released,” he said.

Earlier during the hearing, Murad Reza told the court that they needed more time for preparation as the matter was old and had a long course of legal battle.

The court said it would hear from the petitioners' lawyer first and also asked a number of lawyers, who prayed to the court to be  PAGE 2 COLUMN 2

Court orders exhuming Tonu’s body n Our Correspondent, Comilla

As part of the beefed up security, a large number of plainclothes

A Comilla court has ordered the exhumation of Sohagi Jahan Tonu’s body, eight days after she was found murdered inside the cantonment area.

Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Joynab Begum issued the order yesterday after the investigation officer moved the court.

The court directed the district magistrate to appoint an executive magistrate to supervise the exhumation process.

Tonu, a second-year history student at the Comilla Victoria Government College, was found murdered near her residence inside the cantonment on March 20. Her father filed a case the following day without naming anyone.

The incident triggered protests around the country and raised questions about security in the cantonment area.

Kotwali Model police’s Sub-Inspector Saiful Islam first investigated the case but police detectives were given charge of further investigation on March 25. The army on

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 2

People flee in panic after a bomb explodes during Chhayanaut’s Pohela Boishakh programme at Ramna Batamul on April 14, 2001. The attack killed eight and injured many more FOCUSBANGLA

Intel fears militant attack on Pohela Boishakh n Mohammad Jamil Khan

for conducting mass violence in Dhaka, especially surrounding the Pohela Boishakh programmes on April 14.

Police are now maintaining extra caution as some associates of the detained suspects are still on the run.

A senior official of the Detective Branch, requesting not to be named, told the Dhaka Tribune that recent joint drives conducted with the Counter-terrorism and

Transnational Crime Unit have led to the recovery of further details of the plans when three Ansarullah Bangla Team dens were busted.

Another DB official said militants were now getting more chances to plan such violence as they were getting shelter and financial support from political leaders.

Meanwhile, when asked for comments about the potential militant threat, Monirul Islam, additional commissioner of DMP,

‘Our movement is being curtailed’

Payra 1,320MW plant deal to be inked today

Pakistan to launch crackdown on militants

Murdered Sohagi Jahan Tonu’s elder brother says their family is under pressure.  PAGE 3

Contract for building the 1,320MW coalbased power plant in Patuakhali’s Payra upazila will be signed today  PAGE 5

Pakistan to launch paramilitary crackdown on militants following 70 fatalities in the Lahore bombing.  PAGE 32

INSIDE

Intelligence reports suggesting that militants are planning attacks in Dhaka city on Pohela Boishakh have prompted law enforcement agencies to beef up security and vigilance ahead of the festival.

Well-placed sources told the Dhaka Tribune that four militants arrested from the city’s Kallyanpur on March 21 told the police during interrogation about their plans

said some of the arrested militants had been planning to conduct subversive activities by dividing into small groups.

However, he assured that the police have already taken special steps to stop militants and drives were under way to arrest other suspects.

Additional security plans

2nd Round

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Govt lifts raw jute export ban n Abu Bakar Siddique

The government yesterday lifted ban on exporting all kind of raw jute, ending a four-month embargo.

In a circular, the Ministry of Textiles and Jute said raw jute could be exported from April 03.

On December 2 last year, the government embargoed raw jute export to implement the Mandatory Jute Packaging Act -2010. Later on December 15, it issued another order prohibiting all kind of raw jute export except four types of processed jute.

The permitted types of raw jute are automatic scanning, Machine cut Jute (10 to 120mm), Jute Silver and Jute Tro. On January 6, the government temporarily lifted the ban to release pending export orders containing around 2.77 lakh bale. According to the ministry, the move aimed at releasing the pending 251

Letter of Credit opened before November 3 last year.

Bangladesh produces around 70 lakh bale raw jute annually. Of them, the jute mills under Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation and the private sector use around 45 lakh bale.

However, the government has been pursuing the Mandatory Jute Packaging Act, stipulating rice millers to use jute sacks instead of plastic bags. This will need an estimated 360 million jute sacks each year.

To meet local demand, Bangladesh needs an additional 15 lakh bale raw jute, Jute Director of the Department of Jute Mohammad Kefaetulla said.

Government initiative to boost jute production from this year allowed the ministry to lift the export ban. The Ministry of Agriculture has set the new raw jute production target to 85 lakh bale from the current season. l

5 get life-term in series bomb blast case

Cabinet okays draft of CAAB bill

n Our Correspondent, Natore

n Tribune Report

At least five members of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh were awarded life-term imprisonment yesterday in the district in a case of series bomb blast in 2005.

The convicts are Abdul Matin alias Ismail, son of Shahadat Hossain of Hamirkutsa of Bagmara in Rajshahi, Hafizur Rahman alias Hafiz son of Fazlul Haqueof Kazirmour, Naogon, Delowar Hossein alias Mithu, son of Fazlar Rahman of Kholabaria of Naldanga, Natore, Abdur Rashid alias Asif, son of Lutfar Rahman of Chokjadu village in Gabtali, Bogra and Sihab Uddin Hanjala, son of late Umar Ali of Godagari police station.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Prodip Kumar Ray handed down the verdict.The court acquitted two accused Shahidullah alias Faruk and Shafiullah alias Tarique of the charges. l

The cabinet has given its final approval to the draft of Civil Aviation Authority Bill 2016, with an aim to make a more time–befitting law.

The approval came at yesterday’s regular cabinet meeting at the secretariat with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

After the meeting, Cabinet Secretary Shafiul Alam told reporters that the civil aviation authority act should be time-befitting if the country wanted to upgrade its airports to international standards.

The new act will replace the previous civil aviation authority ordinance that has already been cancelled by a court, Shafiul said.

“The new act will comply with the conditions of International Civil Aviation Organisation.”

The Civil Aviation Authority Bangladesh (CAAB) will have a governing body led by the civil aviation minis-

ter, while the civil aviation secretary would be an ex officio member.

Other members of the body would be the secretaries from the foreign, finance, land, and law ministries and the National Board of Revenue, he added.

“Two major tasks of the governing body will be to handle the financial operations of the authority and to give directives and advise to Civil Aviation Authority Bangladesh.”

The CAAB would consist a chairman and several members, while a meeting quorum would be reached if three board members attend.

The civil aviation authority will handle aircraft management for local and foreign airlines as well as dealing with flight schedules and aircraft accidents across the country, Shafiul said.

The cabinet secretary also said the CAAB will be authorised to issue licence and charges to airlines companies. l

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Intel fears militant attack on Pohela Boishakh intelligence officials and the dog squad would be deployed around Pohela Boishakh events.

The DMP has also imposed a special schedule for holding programmes on Ramna Park, where a bomb blast killed eight people in 2001, and Suhrawardy Udyan, where a group of culprits sexually harassed women on last Pohela Boishakh.

This year, no visitor will be allowed to enter the park or the Udyan after 4pm while everyone must leave the places within 7pm.

A source in the DB said the DMP has held several meetings on Pohela Boishakh security and decided on assigning six entrance and four exit gates in Ramna Park, and three entrance and exit gates each at Suhrawardy Udyan.

However, all these gates would be used as exit gates after 4pm on the day. To ensure security and stop sexual harassment, a large number female police officials would be deployed in the area.

The decision for arranging additional security has been partly based on recent experiences of attacks on mass gatherings such as the ones on a Shia procession and different mosques across the country.

DMP Additional Commissioner Monirul, also the chief of CT unit, sought cooperation from the visitors in maintaining the time schedule. l

Court orders exhuming Tonu’s body last Friday said it would assist the investigation.

However, investigators are yet to make any headway.

Investigation officer OC AKM Monjur Alam moved the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate’s Court yesterday seeking an exhumation order, arguing it would help them collect DNA samples, perform a second post-mortem examination and help properly investigate the

incident.

“The body may be exhumed in a day or two,” he told reporters.

Protests continue

Agitation continued across Comilla as no-one was arrested until yesterday. Victoria college students renamed their Shaheed Minar premises “Tonu Mancha” and demonstrated there. Former chief of the college’s theatre group Md

Al-Amin said their protests would continue.

In Chuadanga, Prothom Alo Bondhusabha organised a human chain in front of the district’s central Shaheed Minar. Speakers demanded immediate arrest of the murderers.

Similar human chains were formed in Barisal and Thakurgaon demanding justice for Tonu.

Meanwhile, the Bangladesh

Chhatra Union set a 48-hour deadline for the arrest of the killers.

GM Jilani, general secretary of the left-leaning student body, threatened to march towards the Prime Minister’s Office on March 31 if the government failed to act by then.

The student body said it would organise a cultural rally on Tuesday afternoon at Raju Bhaskarjya on the campus. l

Bhattacharjee, Justice KM Sobhan, Syed Istiaq Ahmed, and Kalim Sharafi. Many of the petitioners are now dead.

After 23 years, the High Court on June 11, 2011, issued a ruling upon the government asking why the part of the eighth amendment to the constitution that had made Islam state religion should not be declared illegal. Twelve amici curiae were invited for opinions.

However, the government did not respond to the June 11 ruling, and on June 30 that year passed the constitution’s 15th amendment bill in the parliament retaining Islam’s status as state religion. It also restored secularism as one of the four fundamental principles of the state.

Following an application filed by the writ petitioners, the High Court in December 2011 issued a supplementary rule asking the government to explain why the part of the 15th amendment to the constitution that gave Islam the status

of state religion should not be declared illegal.

The matter was absent from discussion tables until August 1 last year when Supreme Court lawyer Somendra Nath Goswami filed another petition with the High Court challenging the state religion provision as it was against the basic secular structure of the state.

He also sought justification of retaining the clause even though the government had restored secularism through the 15th Amendment to the Constitution in 2011.

The petition was heard on August 30 and rejected by the court on September 7 last year.

On February 29, Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha formed a new three-member bench to hear the 1988 petition following a prayer submitted on behalf of the petitioners. The new bench led by Justice Naima Haider also withdrew a previous order to hear opinions from over a dozen amici curiae. l

HC rejects writ on state religion a party against the writ petition, to wait.

The court then asked Subrata Chowdhury if he had studied on whether Autocracy and Communalism Resistance Committee had any jurisdiction to file the writ petition.

The counsel replied that the writ was filed on behalf of the committee and also all of the petitioners had prayed separately.

“But all of us have studied and found that the petition was filed on behalf of the organisation,” said Justice Naima Haider.

The lawyer said that they would give detailed explanations during hearing and would try to provide satisfactory answers.

The court said: “That organisation has no Locus standi [a Latin phrase referring to whether someone has the right to be heard in court]. The writ is summarily rejected, ruling discharged.”

Jamaat-e-Islami, which called

a nationwide dawn-to-dusk hartal yesterday, withdrew its strike shortly after the court delivered the order in the afternoon.

Case history

On June 9, 1988, the then government led by military ruler HM Ershad inserted a section in the eighth amendment to the constitution, making Islam the state religion.

The same year, 15 eminent citizens, including former judges and academicians, filed the petition challenging the amendment.

The writ petitioners were Begum Sufia Kamal, former chief justice Kemal Uddin Hossain, Khan Sarwar Murshid, Prof Kabir Chowdhury, Prof Dr Mosharraf Hossain, Maj Gen (retd) Chitta Ranjan Datta (Bir Uttam), Prof Serajul Islam Choudhury, Badaruddin Umar, journalist Faiz Ahmed, Dr Borhan Uddin Khan Jahangir, Prof Anisuzzaman, Justice Devesh Chandra

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Tonu’s brother: Our movement is being curtailed n Harun Ur Rashid

Murdered Comilla Victoria Government College student Sohagi Jahan Tonu’s elder brother says their family is under pressure.

“Please understand that we cannot talk about many things. You should grasp the meaning from hint,” Najmul Hossain told the Bangla Tribune over phone yesterday.

Asked about the investigation, he said his family did not know anything. “We are not even being informed. We spoke to you [the media] when we went to our village home in Muradpur after Tonu’s death. It is not possible to do so [interact with the media] any more,” he added.

He explained: “We have been brought to our cantonment residence and are not being allowed outside. I could not go out today [Monday] but hope to venture out tomorrow.”

Najmul said he believed the phone conversation was being recorded. “I will talk about many things once we meet face-to-face.”

He said he would leave the place if restriction continued.

Asked if his father Yaar Ali, who works at the cantonment, was being allowed outside, Najmul said: “I do not think so. He works here and has to abide by rules.”

Tonu’s body was recovered on March 20 inside the cantonment.

Najmul said RAB interrogated his mother for five hours. “They took her in saying they had arrested a suspect.”

Replying to a question, he said members of the Police Bureau of Investigation had visited the site yesterday.

No one was identified or arrested until yesterday over the incident. l

Students form a human chain in front of Raju Bhaskarjya on DU campus yesterday, demanding justice for the killing of Sohagi Jahan Tonu

MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Police HQ: Interpol red notice withdrawn for Tarique's 'protective status' n Tribune Report Interpol has withdrawn its red notice against BNP Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman as he was in London on “protective status,” Bangladesh Police have said.

In a press release yesterday, the police said the red notice had been withdrawn earlier this month.

However, the main reason behind this decision could not be known immediately.

According to the press release, the NCB Branch of the Police Headquarters suspects that Tarique – af-

ter a red notice was issued against him – might have provided distorted information to the Commission for the Control of Interpol's Files, an independent body that monitors the processing of personal data.

Following this, Interpol reviewed its decision and withdrew the red notice, the press release read.

Asked why the red notice was reviewed, Interpol told Bangladesh Police that Tarique's notice could be withdrawn as he had “protective status” - which is similar to political asylum.

However, when Interpol was again asked on which country had provided the status to Tarique, they did not give any “satisfactory response,” the press release added.

The red notice against Tarique was issued April 14 last year, following a request from Bangladesh Police on February 10, 2015.

The red notice had been issued in connection with criminal cases, not political ones, the release pointed out.

Last Saturday, BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir also claimed that the Inter-

pol had withdrawn the red notice against Tarique Rahman, who has been living in London since 2009.

The BNP leader said Interpol did not find any authenticity of the information against Tarique provided by the police on behalf of the government.

“Interpol in its own way investigated the information provided by the Bangladesh government but did not find any authenticity. They [Interpol] withdrew the red notice as they found the issue politically motivated under their article 3 clause,” he added. l

Rooppur project plans to return Tk434 crore n Aminur Rahman Rasel After being unable to spend all of its allocated Tk1,028.92 crore funds from the ADP, the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project is planning to return Tk434 crore to the government.

The Ministry of Science and Technology has sent a letter to the Planning Commission in this regard, sources said.

However, Planning Commission sources said that the ministry has created a bit of a trouble for them right before the finalisation of the

draft for the revised Annual Development Plan (ADP).

They said the final decision in this regard would be taken by the National Economic Council (NEC).

If the funds are returned, the Rooppur project’s allocation from the 2015-16 fiscal year’s ADP would be reduced to Tk594.92 crore.

Sources said a total Tk5,087 crore was allocated for finishing the first phase of Rooppur plant; of this amount Russia pledged to provide Tk4,000 crore and Tk1,087 crore was being allocated from the

Bangladesh government exchequer.

For the fast implementation of the project, Tk1,028.92 crore was allocated from the ADP, out of which Tk544.92 crore was from government’s own fund and Tk484 crore from foreign aid.

But in the third quarter of the fiscal year, the Ministry of Science and Technology said they cannot fully spend their allocated money and Tk434 crore would not be utilised. So it wanted to return the money and officially notified the

Planning Commission.

Out of the returned money, Tk274 is from government fund and Tk160 crore from foreign aid.

Md Shawkot Akbar, project director of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, said most of the planned work during the first phase has been completed. “In some cases, we are ahead of the time,” he added.

Akbar, however, said all of the allocated money could not be spent as some work had been shifted to the next year. So, the spare money would be spent in the fol-

lowing year.

On December 25 last year, Bangladesh and Russia signed a general contract for the construction and commissioning of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant in Pabna for a cost of $12.65 billion.

Of the two-unit power plant with 1,200MW capacity each, the first unit is expected to begin operating by 2021 and the second unit by 2022.

The Rooppur nuclear power plant will be constructed using two VVER-1200 nuclear reactors that have a 60-year lifespan. l

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Student murdered in capital n Arifur Rahman Rabbi A student who sat for this year’s SSC examination was murdered at Dakkhin Dania in the capital’s Shanir Akhra area.

Police recovered the body of Md Swadhin, the son of Md Sohel Rana, around noon yesterday. He had taken the SSC examination from Muradpur Samirun Nesa High School.

Kadamtali police station Officer-in-Charge Kazi Wazed Ali said a diary, mobile phone handset, and a bloodstained curved kitchen machete were recovered from the spot.

He said: “We suspect the incident might have occurred following a love affair or a clash with a friend.”

Quoting neighbours, the OC said: “Swadhin attended a birthday party of one of his friends, and returned home late on Sunday night. Based on this, he had an altercation with his mother.

Yesterday around 8am, his father left for work, and around 10am his mother went to his uncle’s home. At the time, Swadhin was watching television.

Later, around 11am, neighbours noticed Swadhin’s butchered body lying next to his home and informed the police.

At the spot, the ground floor of the two-storied building holds a two-room flat, in which blood was found in one room, veranda, and near the gate of the flat.

The young man’s body was

lying on the ground near the gate.

Dulal, a tea stall owner, and his fellow stall owners and employees who work on the main road in the vicinity, said they did not see anyone leave the building in bloodied clothes.

Swadhin’s mother Rina Begum told Dhaka tribune that their family has no enemies. She had never heard her son utter a word about anyone threatening him.

Rina has two children.

Rakib, who is the elder, has worked in Malaysia for the past eight months, and Swadhin lives with them.

She, however, cannot think of a reason why her son would be murdered.

A police official, seeking anonymity, said in this incident, more than one man was involved. CID and Kadomtoli police officers have collected the evidence and hope to identify the culprit very soon. l

Janakantha editor asked to surrender n Ashif Islam Shaon The Supreme Court yesterday asked Daily Janakantha Editor Atikullah Khan Masud to surrender within seven days in a case filed for forgery of construction plans of a city building.

Atikullah Khan, the chairman of business group Globe Janakantha Shilpa Paribar (GJSP), will be granted bail from the trial court after he surrenders, ACC counsel Khurshid Alam Khan told the Dhaka Tribune.

The four-member bench

of the Appellate Division also cleared way for the Anti Corruption Commission to file an appeal against a High Court verdict, which scrapped a seven-year jail sentence given to him by the trial court.

ACC filed five cases against Atikullah on August 9, 2007 for tampering the design of a multi-storey building in the city’s Malibagh area.

A Dhaka court found Atikullah guilty in the cases and handed him a 35-year jail sentence altogether as well as a fine of Tk16 crore. l

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FM: PM's visit to China, Russia not a shift in foreign policy n Tribune Report Foreign Minister Ah Mahmood Ali said the recent visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to Beijing and Moscow should not be interpreted as a shift in the foreign policy.

He said this at an interview published at London-based Financial Times this week.

“Bangladesh maintains an independent and non-aligned position in its foreign relations with the objective of achieving global peace.”

Mahmood said during the visit of Sheikh Hasina to Moscow in 2013 tens of agreements and memoranda of understanding were signed in the field of nuclear energy, oil and gas exploration and cooperation in the fields of science and space.

Similarly, the premier-level visits to Beijing in 2010 and in 2015 have deepened bilateral relations with China in the areas of investment, trade and commerce and expanded cooperation and partnership in all areas including economic, scientific and technical.

“In the same spirit and speed, our relationship with West, particularly with the United States and Europe, has flourished in all dimensions.”

Responding to a question on new regime in Myanmar, the foreign minister said Bangladesh wants to avail of opportunity to work closely with the new government of Myanmar to develop a deep mutual respect for each other’s people and cultures and make the bilateral relations multi-layered and interdependent.

There exists significant potential for bilateral cooperation in the energy sector and regional road connectivity, he said.

Both Bangladesh and Myanmar are active partners in Bimstec and BCIM-EC initiatives and Bangladesh would like to work hand in hand with Myanmar in realising the objectives of these regional initiatives, he added.

“Besides taking practical steps to increase volume of bilateral trade, we hope to increase bilateral cooperation in combating drug smuggling, gun running and human trafficking along the border.”

Myanmar is the only other neighbour of Bangladesh, and the gateway for Bangladesh to Southeast and East Asia. Mahmood said the last general election held in last November was no doubt an important landmark in Myanmar’s historic journey to become a functioning democracy. l

TEMPERATURE FOREC AST FOR TODAY

Final touches are being given to a section of the Tejgaon-Moghbazar Flyover before its inauguration tomorrow. The photo was taken on March 27

Payra 1,320MW coal-based plant deal to be inked today n Aminur Rahman Rasel The contract for building the 1,320MW coal-based power plant in Patuakhali's Payra upazila near the maritime port is going to be signed today.

It will be the first-ever contract signed under a joint venture firm.

A consortium of two Chinese firms - NPEC and CECC – will be the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor for the project, while BangladeshChina Power Company Limited (BCPCL) – a joint venture of Chinese power company CMC and Bangladesh's North-West Power Generation Company Limited (NWPGCL) – will implement it.

“All the necessary negotiations are done. Ultra super-critical technology will be used to build the plant,” BCPCL Managing Director AM Khurshedul Alam told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

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and the CMC will have equal share in the joint venture company.

The project will be implemented on a 30:70 equity:debt basis. It means the NWPGCL and the CMC will have to provide 30% of the total project cost and mobilise the remaining 70% from international sources.

The cost of generating each unit of electricity is being estimated at Tk6.

As per the conditions of the tender, there is no need to wait for the completion of the financial agreement to begin construction. It can begin right after the signing of the contract.

China Export and Credit Insurance Corporation Sinosure, which is the financier of China's government projects, could invest in the project.

Officials implementing the project hope that it will start generating electricity in 2019.

“The final deal will be inked on March 29 and in April, the foundation stone is likely to be laid,” he said.

The NWPGCL and the CMC signed a memorandum of understanding on March 19, 2014 to set up the plant.

State-owned West Zone Power Distribution Company Limited has been assigned to construct a 65km 33kV distribution line from Patuakhali's 132/33 kV Grid substation to the project area with two 33/0.4 kV and 200kva transformers.

The land development and protection project involving Tk783 crore was approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council on October 21, 2014.

The plant will be built on the bank of the Rabnabad River near Payra maritime port. It will cost an estimated $2bn.

To set up the plant, the NWPGCL 37

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They also hope the first unit will start commissioning on April 25, 2019 while the second on October 25 of that year.

The plant will be built in Kalapara on a 397-hectare land. To acquire the land from locals, the government transferred Tk69 crore to the deputy commissioner of Patuakhali on April 29, 2014.

So far, the NWPGCL has implemented two 150MW power plants – one in Sirajganj and the other in Khulna.

The government has a plan to set up a series of coal-fired power projects to generate 20,000MW electricity by 2030.

On the other hand, to implement the Rampal coal-based power plant project, BangladeshIndia Friendship Power Company Ltd is going to sign an EPC deal with Indian firm Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited by next month. l Sylhet

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Fajr: 4:37am | Zohr: 12:04am Asr: 3:31pm | Magrib: 6:16pm Esha: 7:43pm Source: IslamicFinder.org

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‘Community, beat policing to remove fear about police’ n Arifur Rahman Rabbi

Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Md Asaduzzaman Mia yesterday said a community and beat policing system had been launched to remove the fear of police from the minds of people.

Speaking at a programme at the DMP headquarters in the capital, he said: “A sense of fear about crimes and police exists in the minds of people. We are now working to remove those fears.

“We have introduced a community and beat policing system in every

police station as part of the initiative to remove the fear people have about the police department and to fight criminal activities as well.

“Each police station will have three to seven beats and there will be an incharge for every beat. The in-charge will work for the beat for at least two

years,” explained Asaduzzaman.

He said a friendly relation between police and the public was one of the tools to remove fears from people’s minds.

He also emphasised the need for police accountability to establish good governance.

In reply to a question, he said: “We follow a zero-tolerance policy if any of our officials is found misusing his power or getting involved in criminal acts.”

Rangs Motors Limited donated two vehicles to the DMP at the programme. l

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Parents held for killing son n Our Correspondent, Hobiganj Police yesterday arrested a couple on charge of killing their five-yearold son at Madhabpur in Hobiganj.

Police nabbed them after recovering the body of their son Ismail from their residence.

Police said Rozob Ali, a resident of ward 3 under Madhabpur municipality, had filed a missing report three days ago.

Yesterday morning, neighbouring people got odour from their residence and at one stage they started searching their house. Then, they found the body under a paddy barn. On receiving information, police went to the spot and recovered the body and arrested the couple.

Molla Monir Hossain, officer-charge of Madhabpur police station, told the Dhaka Tribune that they were interrogating the parents over the killing. l

A human chain was formed in front of Ashwin Kumal Hall in Barisal yesterday demanding justice for Tonu

Country people see lacklustre hartal n Tribune Report The hartal that began at 6am and ended 2:50pm nearly three hours before its end as per the schedule evoked very poor response across the country.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami yesterday afternoon withdrew its countrywide 12-hour hartal after the High Court turned down a writ petition challenging the legality of Islam’s status in the constitution as a state religion.

Unlike in the past, activists of Jamaat and its student body Islami Chhatra Shibir brought out some sudden processions in the capital in support of the shutdown in some areas like Rampura, Malibagh

Mugdha, Jatrabari, Demra, Mirpur, Adabar and Sabujbagh.

There was a moderate traffic on city streets instead of the heavy rush until afternoon as most private car and small vehicles owners opted to keep their vesicles parked fearing vandalism by Jamaat and Shibir men.

The city life was quite normal as a large number of law enforcers guarded the city streets to avert any untoward incident.

Like elsewhere of the country, the premier port city experienced a laucklustre hartal yesterday as no untoward incident was taken place, reports our Chittagong correspondent.

Sources at Chittagong Metropolitan Police said around 1,500 addi-

tional policemen were deployed in the city while 1,000 policemen in the district as a precaution to avert any untoward incident.

The activists and leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami were not also seen to bring out any procession in support of the shutdown.

Debdas Bhattacharya, CMP Additional Commissioner, said no untoward incident was reported in the city during the hartal.

Local sources said a good number of public transport as well as private vehicles were seen plying the city streets while the public buses and heavy vehicles on the long-distance routes plied during the shutdown.

However, the academic activi-

Two witnesses testify at court in seven-murder case Correspondent, n Our Narayanganj

A Narayanganj court took deposition of two witnesses in the seven-murder case yesterday in the presence of the 23 arrested suspects in the case.

Narayanganj District and Sessions Judge Syed Enayet Hossain took the deposition of the two witnesses – Narayanganj Senior Judicial Magistrate Chandi Rupam and Mizanur Rahman, brother of one of the victims Moniruzzaman Swapan.

The 23 accused – including prime suspect former ward councillor Nur Hossain and three former

officials of Rapid Action Battalion – were brought to the court amid tight security from Dhaka Central Jail and Kashimpur Jail.

The court also fixed Thursday for the next session for the deposition of witnesses, said Public Prosecutor Wazed Ali Khokon.

The new date was fixed to take deposition of Shahidul Islam, father-in-law of Nazrul Islam, who was also among the seven victims, along with two other witnesses.

Shahidul was scheduled to testify yesterday, but the defence counsels objected to him testifying before the court since he was present at the court when Chandni and

Mizan testified, which is not permissible, said Khokon.

Earlier, charges were framed on February 8 this year against 35 suspects, named by police in the case’s charge sheet submitted in court on April 8 last year. Among the 35 suspects, 23 were arrested and 12 still remain in hiding.

On April 27, 2014, Narayanganj City Corporation’s panel mayor Nazrul Islam, his friend Moniruzzaman Swapan, Tajul Islam, Liton, lawyer Chandan Kumar Sarkar and their drivers Jahangir Alam and Ibrahim went missing in Narayanganj. Their bodies were later found in the Shitalakkhya River on April 30 and May 1. l

ties in the city’s educational institutes remained suspended.

Chittagong Export Processing Zone (CEPZ) authority sources said that operational activities inside the CEPZ went on in full-swing and attendance of the workers was normal.

Chittagong Railway station sources said no disruption to rail communication was reported. Besides, the hartal did not affect the domestic and international flights at Chittagong Shah Amanat International Airport, Bangladesh Biman sources said.

Operational activities, including loading and unloading of cargoes at ships inside Chittagong Port and outer anchorage, went on in fullswing. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Fire breaks out in Sundarbans Correspondent, n Our Bagerhat

A fire broke out in Nangli area under Chandpai Range of the Sundarbans, Bagerhat on Sunday evening.

Gazi Matiur Rahman, an official of Dhansagar in Chandpai Range, yesterday morning said the fire had broken out at Nangli. A firefighting unit from Morelganj had reached the spot and brought the situation under control with the help of locals and forest officials. He said there were no valuable trees and no wildlife had been affected by the fire.

Station officer of Morelganj Fire Station Swapan Kumar Bhakta told the Dhaka Tribune that they were still observing the situation. l

Five bullet-hit in clash over road accident n Anwar Hussain, Chittagong At least five persons were injured in a clash between the security personnel of a shipyard and workers in Bara Kumira area under Sitakunda police station in the district yesterday following a road accident.

According to local sources, Mamun, 28, a worker of Kabir Steel Re-rolling Mill was killed in an accident in the area in the morning while a lorry of the mill ran over him.

Later, the workers of the mill gathered at the mill gate area and

blocked the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway protesting the killing.

Sub-Inspector Md Jahir of Chittagong Medical College Hospital police outpost said five persons got bullet injury while the security personnel opened fire to the workers during the blockade.

The injured were admitted to the hospital.

“The situation is now under control. Additional police forces were deployed in the area,” said Tariqul Islam, senior assistant superintendent of police.

Six persons were arrested in this connection. l

DT

8

News

TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 2016

Nor’wester may hit several parts River ports asked to hoist signal no 2 Tangail, Mymensingh, Faridpur, n Tribune Report Dhaka, Jessore, Kushtia, Khulna, BaRiver ports across the country have been asked to hoist signal no 2 amid forecast of temporary west or north-westerly squalls.

West or north-westerly squalls may blow through several places in Rangpur, Dinajpur, Pabna, Bogra, Rajshahi, Tangail, Mymensingh, Sylhet and Comilla with the speed of 60-80 km per hours and above, and the river ports there should hoist signal 2’, said a warning from the Meteorological Department, reports UNB. Meanwhile, the Met Department has also issued a ‘nor’wester warning for places in Rangpur, Pabna, Bogra,

risal, Noakhali, Comilla and Sylhet.

11 killed in lightening strikes

In Jamalpur, a housewife died as a thunderbolt struck her at Bakshiganj upazila yesterday morning.

The victim was identified as Rezia Khatun, 42, wife of Moulavi Miah of Uzan Panatiya Para village under Battazor union of Bakshiganj upazila of the district.

Police said Rezia Khatun was working in the kitchen when a thunder bolt struck her. She died on the spot at about 10:30am.

In Panchagarh, a labourer who

Violence over UP polls continues n Tribune Report Pre-UP election violence continued till yesterday in many areas of the country ahead of the second phase of the polls held on March 31 in 710 union parisads.

In Munshiganj, our correspondent reported at least 10 people were injured in a clash between the followers of two Union Parisad (UP) election contestants in Koykirton area of Shamsiddya UP in Sreenagar upazila.

Local sources said the clash ensued between the followers of Awami-League backed candidate Shafiqul Islam Mamun and BNP backed candidate Hazi Mohammad Ratan. They were campaigning in the area.

At one stage, the supporters of both the groups attacked each other which left 10 injured.

The election will be held on March 31 in 14 union councils under the upazila.

In Gopalganj, election of Hiron union parisad has been postponed for 15 days in the district, siad our correspondent.

Sources said Munshi Ebadul Islam and Golam Kibria Daria, two Awami League leaders tried to get nomination from the party. The party provided nomination papers to the both and they submitted the papers to the election commissioner.

The election commission cancelled their nomination.

Later, they filed a writ petition with the High Court asking nomination.

Election Comissioner Ohiduzzaman said the court cancelled their nomination and

ordered to participate in the election as independent candidate.

On the other hand, miscreants attacked a UP member candidate in Boulti union under Sadar upazila.

Sources said the miscreants assaulted Uzzal Roy, candidate of 4 No word while he was campaigning for vote.

Uzzal said his rival candidate Gopal Banik’s men attacked him. Sub Inspector Farid Hossen of Sadar police station said three persons were arrested in this connection.

According to the reports of our Kishorganj correspondent, police recovered 2,000 ballot papers from Borobhag village snatched away on March 22 in Latibabad union parisad under Sadar upazila.

Returning officer Md Ashraful Aalm said miscreants had looted the ballot papers while the officers were counting votes after election. Later, a case was filed accusing 25 persons.

Mir Mosharraf Hossain, officer-in-charge of Sadar Model police station, said on information the police recovered the papers from the road side of the village.

The ballot papers were from Borobhag A U Senior Madrasa centre, he said. The Election Commission announced the second phase of election fixing 31 March for balloting.

According to the schedule, the deadline for the submission of nomination paper is 2 March, while the nomination papers will be scrutinised on 5 and 6 March and the last date for the withdrawal of candidature is 13 March. l

worked in stone quarry was killed in a lightening strike and his wife injured severely.

Family members said a thunderbolt had struck Ramjan Ali, 35, while he was going to his work place in the morning. He died on the spot.

In Netrakona, three madrasa students were killed as a thunder bolt struck them. The deceased are Masum, 13, Rafat, 15, and Azibul.

In Kishoreganj, a man was killed and three students were injured in lightening strike. The deceased Md Faruk Mia was a resident of Karimgaj upziala.

In Hobiganj, two people were killed in Chandpur area under Sa-

dar upazila.

Meanwhile, a freedom fighter was killed by thunder bolt at Balipara area under Trishal upazila.

The victim was identified as Ataur Rahman,65, Commander of Muktijuddah Balipara Union unit of Trishal upazila, police said.

Quoting family sources Md Moniruzzaman, Officer-in-charge (OC) of Trishal Thana said, Ataur Rahman was struck by thunderbolt when he was working in his field at about 7am.

He died on the spot. Receiving information police rushed to the spot and recovered the body. In Comilla, two people were killed. The deeased are Md Babul,22, and Md Rasel 20. l

CU gets first female Pro VC n Tribune Report Professor Dr Shirin Akhtar of Bangla department was made the pro-vice chancellor (VC) of Chittagong University (CU) yesterday.

With her appointment, the university gets its first female Pro VC in its history since its establishment in 1966.

The newly made Pro VC took her office yesterday afternoon.

“She has been appointed as Pro VC of CU by honorable chancellor President Abdul Hamid for the next four years under University Act 1973 14(1)”, stated the press release. l

9

DT

Tech

TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 2016

iPhone SE impresses A little bit of the old, mixed in with a bit of the new

n Mahmood Hossain If you ever wanted a new iPhone, this would be the right time. The new iPhone SE is being bragged and tagged about all around the tech world. Techies and experts have been raving about since its release, and rightfully so. The new SE is the most bang-for-yourbuck device from Apple, to date.

Alright, maybe it’s not totally new.

What do we mean? Well, it looks exactly like the iPhone 5s and it even feels like it. However, that’s not really a bad thing.

Design With slight adjustments to the design, being a tad curvier, it’s almost like a slightly sexier iPhone 5s. The structure and design aren’t too far off or too old for the current market. Apple has always been the leader when it comes to attractive mobile devices and computers.

They have always looked premium and felt premium, second to none.

The new SE is just a short trip down memory lane, as the 5s was hugely popular among average consumers. It looked great and performed even better.

Although the iPhone SE might seem like a much improved 5s, many still prefer smaller phones, even if it only has a 4-inch display.

But if you’re a user of a larger smartphone, this definitely won’t be a wise switch to make. If you’ve

stayed comfortable enough with a phone that boasts a 4.7-inch or higher display, dropping down to a smaller SE isn’t the choice

you’ll be fond of. Then again, this can always be your secondary phone. And let’s not forget the many smartphone users out there

who always wanted an iPhone but could never really afford one without breaking the bank.

Performance Sure, forking over $400+ for a phone still isn’t an attractive deal, but the specs under this little trunk makes it worthwhile. It’s what’s on the inside that matters most. This little device has both beauty and brains. One thing that will definitely stand out is its 4-inch Retina Display. It may have a smaller screen but you are sure to get a beautiful picture. The power behind the drive has also changed with the SE. The iPhone 5s was running on the Apple A7 chip with 1GB of RAM. The SE now runs on a much faster A9 chip for its processing power. In addition, it’s rumoured the SE will have 2GB of RAM instead of just the one.

Going down the list, another highlight would be the SE’s new long-lasting battery. Even though it’s the same size as the 5s, this new device can help you through an entire day of use without having to recharge. As expected,

its 12-megapixel iSight rear camera shoots stunning 4K video.

Its front-facing 1.2-megapixel camera is teamed up with a Retina flash for better selfies. Along with the latest iOS update, you’ll also enjoy the up-to-date services from Apple like Siri and Apple Pay. Not that you’ll have any use for the latter.

To buy or not to buy Truth be told, the only real negative about the new iPhone SE is that Apple is still offering 16GB of storage for their entry model.

It’s inexcusable and simply just a shame. As you all are aware of, there is no expandable storage on iPhones, nor will there ever be.

But as Justin Bieber said, “Never say never.”

If you are willing to look past that, and hand over a little more for larger space, this phone is definitely worth the purchase. For new users and even for those who prefer smaller smartphones, the new iPhone SE is worthy to make an entrance into the smartphone arena. l

DT

10

Feature

TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 2016

6 lessons from BD Jobs as the window of opportunity closes fairly quickly in this space.

While focusing on bootstrapping, founders may decide to reduce operating costs by hiring talent who are inexpensive and augment the skill gap by putting the additional time in their business.

The idea it is to increase the chances of the business to last longer as the road to monetisation or revenue can be difficult in the early stages.

Discipline vs Flair

Winning a competition or award does not guarantee the success of a business. It comes from improving the service or product every day, making it locally relevant and financially sustainable. It is always good to have conservative assumptions about the potential of an idea while starting a business because the market is often difficult to capture and unpredictable in nature.

Every week, the five startups from the Grameenphone Accelerator are attending sessions on crucial business topics. Relevant experts and mentors are invited to be guest speakers for these sessions.

Last week, the startup teams had the chance to meet Fahim Mashroor, CEO of BDJOBS. During the session, he talked about managing an early-stage startup.

Here are the few key takeaways from the session.

on the execution part of the business that founders often overlook while starting a startup.

He went on to say that BDJOBS was not the first online job site in Bangladesh nor was it unique in the context of the world, but they executed it well, compared to rest of the companies in Bangladesh.

So he suggested teams to focus more on execution and think less about perfecting an idea.

Execution over ideas

Any CEO should have to have a general understanding of business

Fahim stressed on the importance

All Rounder vs Specialisation

fundamentals in order to have a good grasp of their new business.

One may have to pick up or learn new skills like coding if it’s critical to their business, especially for early-stage founders. With limited resources, the CEO will have to wear many hats in the early stages of running a startup and it will be unwise to delegate these key business responsibilities.

Micro-management vs Supervisory management

It’s obvious that startups make the most mistakes in their early stages.

Being involved in the day-to-day operations allows the startup founders to identify a problem far earlier as opposed to learning of a problem through an information chain. Startup founders need to be on top of things to make the right decisions.

Seed capital vs Growth capital

In the early stages, startups should put their own money and their time. The biggest sacrifice will be time, a necessary requirement from the founders. Startups should not wait for investors’ money

Marathon vs 100 meter sprint In Bangladesh, startups need to have a long-term approach because it is difficult to scale business in terms of revenue and valuation; so it is critical to build the business up for longterm success as the Bangladesh economy is still maturing. l

This article has been reprinted under special arrangement with SD Asia.

17th Convocation of IUB held n Features Desk The 17th Convocation of the Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) was held on Thursday, March 24 2016 at the IUB campus located in Bashundhara, Dhaka. Hon’ble Chancellor, Nurul Islam Nahid, MP, Hon’ble Minister, Ministry of Education conferred the degrees upon the graduating students. Dr Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, Bir Bikram, Adviser to the Hon’ble Prime Minister for Energy, Power and Mineral Resources was the convocation speaker. Professor Abdul Mannan, chairman, UGC also attended the convocation as a special guest.

A total of 1388 graduating students from various programmes of the university

attended the convocation, 954 of whom were undergraduates and 434 were graduates.

Mahtab Fahim, a student of the School of Business was awarded with the honour of being the valedictorian this year. He also received the ‘Chancellor’s Gold Medal’.

Four students received awards for excellence for their outstanding performances in various fields. Mahtab Fahim for academic excellence, Saquiba Bintay Ali for culture, Salman Ahmed for community service and Hisham Rahman was nominated for sports. Saquiba Bintay Ali also received an award for becoming an ‘All rounder.’

Moreover, 105 IUBians received special accolades for their academic achievements. Yamila

Yousuf was awarded special recognition for attaining highest CGPA 4.00 in her Master’s of Business Administration.

Among others, Rashed Chowdhury, chairman of the board of trustees, IUB, A Matin Chowdhury, chairman of IUB

founding trust and vice chancellor Prof M Omar Rahman also spoke at the convocation. l

DT

Editorial 11

TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 2016

INSIDE

The never-ending story Two things shouldn’t matter: What the woman did, and the fact that she was a woman. What should matter is that this is a never-ending story being told again and again by people who are not being reprimanded as they should be PAGE 12

Live omens No war game releases the same spurt of patriotism as an Indo-Pak match. It brings out the best in a home side and the worst in visitors. Jingoism enhances performance without improving sportsmanship

REUTERS

PAGE 13

Stand united against terrorism Managing the politics of water Countries sharing rivers in Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America have recognised that national interests and regional stability can be mutually reinforcing if human needs are given priority over chauvinism 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.

• Istanbul, January 12, 11 people killed by a suicide bomber • Ougadougu, January 15, 30 people killed in attack by al-Qaeda • Mogadishu, January 22, 20 people killed in attacks by Al Shabab • Dikwa, February 9, 60 people killed by suicide bombers • Ankara, February 17, 28 people killed in car bomb • Mogadishu, February 26, 14 people killed in suicide bombing • Ankara, March 13, 37 people killed by car bomb • Brussels, March 22, 31 people killed by suicide bombers

W

e are deeply saddened by the suicide bombing in Lahore on Sunday which killed over 72 people and injured hundreds more.

It is sobering to note this abhorrent attack on Christians celebrating Easter, claimed by a Taliban affiliated group, is only one in a long litany of major terrorist attacks which have taken place this year alone.

As the partial list above shows, nowhere is immune from terrorism. The desire of terrorists to spread fear and grow hatred gives them cause to target civilians and places far from active war zones.

The various claims for responsibility made on behalf of groups like IS, after recent attacks on minorities and writers in Bangladesh, shows that the threat posed by globalised groups of violent Islamist militants is one we share with countries all around the world.

It is imperative Bangladesh does everything possible to stop terrorism within our borders.

There must be no hiding place for terrorists.

Law enforcers need to be more resolute in efforts to identify and apprehend terrorists.

The public needs to be vigilant in taking common-sense security precautions and in resisting the propaganda of groups and individuals who seek to glorify or support terrorist violence.

The government needs to sustain co-operation with the international community to help combat terror threats and to show no nation stands alone in the face of terror.

There must be no hiding place for terrorists

12

DT

Opinion

TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 2016

The never-ending story Is there a fatal flaw in the way we see women?

n SN Rasul

I

n the same month as International Women’s Day, Bangladesh, not quite as international as it may pretend to be, was privy to three instances of women taking the front seat in the news.

First, a story that ironically came out just as we passed our 45th birthday as an independent and free nation: In a village in Chandpur, it was discovered that women haven’t been voting for generations because an Indian pir had come in the 70s and issued a fatwa and had decried that women in the village need not do so.

Next, in what sounds like a news-bite out of the most backward villages of Afghanistan, Hasina Begum, a woman in Lakshmipur, was tortured after her husband suspected that she had had an extra-marital affair.

She was tied to a tree as she was tortured, and around her neck was hung a garland made of shoes. Her hair had been shaved off. Among the perpetrators was her brother, Aziz, and her son, Faruk.

Finally, in Comilla Cantonment, Tonu, a Comilla Victoria Government College student, was raped and murdered near her place of residence. Tonu, a part-time private tutor, had been coming back home when the incident took place. People have, since then, been protesting en masse and staging protests demanding justice for the fallen girl.

would look to for proof that patriarchy exists and that it is a very real thing. But the purpose of this piece is not to provide evidence for such a system. It is, if it does indeed have one, to show that the problems, despite all the progress we, the country, and we, the world, have made, exist in all its terrifying glory and myriad, different ways.

How is it that in this day and age, there are nooks and crannies within Digital Bangladesh where men and women exist who follow an archaic system of rules and regulations handed down to them by some pseudo-representer of God? What exactly are these pirs anyway?

From what I’ve heard, been told, and read, they are magicwielding conmen who are privy to some divine pathway to the One and Only, and provide false hope to people in need of luck, love, and favour, pretending they have curealls for their earthly (and not quite so) needs.

That is not the kind of person that should have any power over what a person should or shouldn’t do. They shouldn’t have had that power then, they definitely shouldn’t continue to have that now, not in the 21st century.

Stories of men and women, fearing baan, or hoping for cures for diseases, still trickle down to my ears.

This is not only ridiculous, but barely acceptable. And that one singular pir, from close to half a

We have to overthrow the archaic and sexist set of rules that continue to oppress women

Two things shouldn’t matter: What the woman did, and the fact that she was a woman. What should matter is that this is a never-ending story being told again and again by people who are not being reprimanded as they should be

Each of these three stories represents a small but significant part of the “women” problem that has plagued Bangladesh and the world for so long. Each highlights what is potentially a fatal flaw in the way we see women and perceive them, still, as being somehow “other” to the main, primary existence of societal existence, a complementary addition to the overarching narrative.

I would perhaps be the last person my friends and colleagues

century ago, should have so much influence as to convince an entire village that women are inferior beings, is universally not so.

Like any other belief that is based more on superstition than reasoning, the inflections of the pir’s influence has continued to play a substantial part in the village’s politics, and God knows how many more villages there are like these, where women lay muted, unable to participate in the political process.

Religion (or rather, some might

argue, wrongful interpretations of it) has always played a critical role in oppressing the rights of women.

And we cannot continue to let it do so, not anymore, and especially not when it comes to this. That is too big a part, too huge a chunk of our own selves as a society that is being crushed under the weight of false prophets such as pirs.

And imagine this, really, truly: A human being tied to a tree. No matter what he or she has done, no matter how grave her crime is, people cannot take it up on

themselves to pass judgment on her, especially not when that involves shaving their heads and hanging shoes around their necks.

The fact that there still exist people within our very periphery, not even attempting to hide their disregard for another person, their lack of empathy for someone who they think has done them wrong in some way.

In this story, two things shouldn’t matter: What the woman did, and the fact that she was a woman. What should matter is that this is a never-ending story being told again and again by people who are not being reprimanded as they should be.

Even within our governments and protectors, our police and officials, those who serve to protect us, opinions which continue to see the other genders as that much of an “other,” exist.

Imagine it and weep tears you cannot. Because you too are slowly becoming desensitised by the normalcy of it all, like the world

BIGSTOCK

has become to suicide bombs and forced migration.

And, if that is the case, can we truly expect anyone to be shocked at the way we have behaved, when a girl gets raped and murdered under the nose of the army?

Can we really expect change, can we expect that same government, those same policemen, who let other such stories take place, who watched as a Pohela Boishakh was scarred forever almost a year ago, to stand up and give everything they have to find the people who did it, and prevent such an incident in the future?

We can, and we should. We must demand it. We must scream and beseech and pound our chests in righteous fury, because otherwise, none of us know when the energy will be beaten out of us and we will not longer be shocked and awed at the way we have let not women, but ourselves down. l SN Rasul is a Sub-Editor at the Dhaka Tribune. Follow him @snrasul.

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DT

Opinion

TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 2016

Live omens Today, money matters more than integrity or morality

n FS Aijazuddin

O

ne should always heed omens. The Ancients did.

Pakistani cricket captain Shahid Afridi should have done so on March 19.

It was a day too close to the Ides of March. The portents were clear enough. First, the venue of Pakistan’s match against India in the T20 World Cup tournament had to be relocated from hilly Dharamsala to humid Kolkata after the local Congress Himachal Pradesh government proved an unwilling host.

Pakistani diplomats were denied visas to support their team.

The start of the game was delayed

by Bengal’s fickle rains. When it did begin, Shafqat Amanat sang Pakistan’s national anthem halfthroatedly, dropping words like some butter-fingered fielder.

An Indian coin was tossed; Pakistan lost. Shahid Afridi found himself having to bat on a damp outfield, watched by a Colosseum full of 66,000 inimical Indians, a carping Javed Miandad at home, and an avuncular Imran Khan, offering belated advice from the Eden Gardens dressing room.

Premonitions hovered darkly above the stadium.

Any lesser younger captain might have been daunted by such signs and thrown in the bat. Instead, Afridi battled on, snatching defeat from the jaws of disaster. At times, the game seemed so one-sided that perhaps the only viewers who could bear to watch it were the bookies who had a stake in its outcome. For the Pakistani public, it was Eden Lost; for the Indians, Eden Regained.

No war game releases the same spurt of patriotism as an Indo-Pak match. It brings out the best in a home side and the worst in visitors. Jingoism enhances performance without improving sportsmanship. For this reason alone, patriotism should be declared a banned substance in sport.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) determines globally which substances and techniques should be forbidden.

It categorises them as androgens, blood doping, peptide hormones, stimulants, diuretics, narcotics, and cannabinoids.

Interestingly, the use of alcohol is banned but only in select sports, and that too only during actual competition. There is no approved substitute available to Muslims.

The criterion applied by WADA specifies that any drug, substance,

Perhaps patriotism should be a banned substance in sport or technique would be banned if (a) it has the potential to enhance or enhances sport performance, (b) it represents an actual or potential health risk to the athlete, and (c) it violates the spirit of sport.

Anyone who has heard noisy rivalries during any international event across the world (even the Olympics), or the roar in Eden Gardens that day, would be forgiven for believing that such contests violate all three conditions. In Kolkata, Amitabh Bachchan singing the Indian national anthem in his faux baritone constituted an unfair advantage.

He sang to enhance his national team’s performance. The HP government’s warning to Pakistani players contravened section (b), and the threat by Hindu extremists to dig up the pitch violated section (c). Clearly WADA needs to widen its net of definitions.

WADA might like to expand its ambit of review by including ethics in sports, for nowhere there is a need for ethical reforms than in international bodies, such as FIFA, which are as susceptible to self-abuse as players and athletes are.

FIFA is the Vatican of football.

REUTERS

No war game releases the same spurt of patriotism as an Indo-Pak match. It brings out the best in a home side and the worst in visitors.

Jingoism enhances performance without improving sportsmanship. For this reason alone, patriotism should be declared a banned substance in sport

It operates with all the arcane secrecy associated with the Holy See, before the corruption of its Banco Ambrosiano was exposed in 1982. FIFA, like the Roman Catholic Church, once depended on Peter’s pence -- the common man’s coinage -- from its members to sustain itself. Today, like the Vatican, it has outgrown such grubby fund-raising.

It is now a vast and affluent business conglomerate with radial interests, headed by a president elected by a conclave of over 200 diocesan interests.

FIFA began modestly in 1904.

Over the past hundred years of its existence, though, it has been dominated by three presidents who between them ruled it for almost 65 years: Jules Rimet (33

years), João Havelange (24 years), and his immediate successor Joseph “Sepp” Blatter (seven years). Blatter was recently “persuaded” to resign under a cloud of suspicion.

FIFA’s declared objective is “to improve the game of football constantly and promote it globally in the light of its unifying, educational, cultural, and humanitarian values, particularly through youth and development programs.”

Search within these lines.

Nowhere will you find the words “integrity” or “morality.” FIFA would appear to have cocooned itself within the protective doctrine of secular infallibility.

In today’s sports conglomerates, success is

measured from the bottom line upwards. Money matters more to them.

They have yet to achieve gender equality. The Pakistan T20 men’s cricket team lost to India, and the nation mourned. The Pakistan T20 women’s cricket team won against India. That success went unsung.

Women obviously are unaffected by omens.

Ancient Romans sought protection from bad luck by carrying a live fly in a white handkerchief. Someone in Kolkata should have slipped one to Shahid Afridi. l FS Aijazuddin lives in Lahore and is a columnist for Dawn, Pakistan’s main English-language newspaper. This article first appeared in Dawn.

14

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Opinion

TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 2016

Managing the politics of water Let’s rise above politics to ensure fresh water for all global Marshall Plan for shared river basins might at first seem like an expensive proposition; but the cost of inaction -- consider the threat to Europe alone posed by massive refugee inflows -easily could be several orders of magnitude higher.

Likewise, the international community should act promptly to save critical water infrastructure from acts of violence and terrorism. Many rivers, including

Countries sharing rivers in Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America have recognised that national interests and regional stability can be mutually reinforcing if human needs are given priority over chauvinism Can we work through national interests to find global water stability?

Prince El Hassan Bin n HRH Talal and Sundeep Waslekar

T

his year’s World Water Day on March 22 provided an opportunity to highlight what in many countries has become a grim reality: The availability of fresh water is increasingly a defining strategic factor in regional and global affairs. Unless water resources are managed with extraordinary care, the consequences could be devastating.

Last year, the United Nations World Water Development Report once again highlighted how the growing gap between supply and demand could create conflict.

The World Economic Forum has ranked water crises as the most worrying global threat, more dangerous than terrorist attacks or financial meltdowns, and more likely to occur than the use of weapons of mass destruction.

And research by the Strategic Foresight Group has shown the importance of wise management: Countries engaged in the joint stewardship of water resources are exceedingly unlikely to go to war.

The Middle East serves as

a tragic example of what can happen when regional cooperation is lacking. Iraq, Syria, and Turkey have fought over every cubic metre of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. All have lost as a result. Non-state actors control important parts of the two river basins. And water shortages have aggravated the region’s refugee crisis (itself the apotheosis of poor governance).

The bitterest part of the tragedy is that it could have been avoided.

In 2010, at the West Asia-North Africa Forum in Amman, we proposed the creation of “circles of co-operation,” which would have institutionalised collaboration among Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Turkey on water and environmental issues. A similar arrangement would have helped manage environmental resources shared by Jordan, Israel, and Palestine.

If a supranational organisation had been created, it could have introduced joint strategies to manage drought, co-ordinate crop patterns, develop common standards to monitor river flows, and implement investment plans to create livelihoods and develop

BIGSTOCK

water-treatment technologies.

Other regions have done exactly that. Countries sharing rivers in Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America have recognised that national interests and regional stability can be mutually reinforcing if human needs are given priority over chauvinism.

Last fall, the international community adopted the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, which promise to “ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.” Part of this pledge is a commitment to “expand international cooperation.”

Those in charge of implementing this commitment must bear in mind that water co-operation is not merely about signing treaties and holding meetings. It also entails jointly planning infrastructure projects, managing floods and droughts, developing an integrated strategy to combat climate change, ensuring the quality of water courses, and holding regular summits to negotiate trade-offs between water and other public goods.

The Water Co-operation Quotient, a measure of collaboration created by the Strategic Foresight Group, can help countries sharing river basins and lakes monitor the intensity of their co-operation. Out of 263 shared river basins, only a quarter benefit from properly functioning collaborative organisations. It is crucial that such organisations be extended to cover every shared river basin in the world by the SDGs’ target year, 2030.

For poor people in the developing world, such trans-boundary co-operation generates significant dividends.

When countries agree on the construction and management of critical infrastructure, there are no delays. Costs are saved. Benefits are shared in an optimum way.

If all developing countries with shared river basins embraced trans-boundary co-operation, their GDP growth easily could rise by a percentage point.

The international community should encourage countries to embrace such co-operation by creating financial instruments that make concessional and preferential funds available. A

the Tigris and the Euphrates, have been and continue to be cradles of human civilisation. The UN should consider creating special peacekeeping forces to protect them.

Finally, international law should be designed to prevent, not just resolve, conflicts. In particular, a robust global treaty is needed to regulate emissions into bodies of water. Today, most disagreements over water concern the quantity parties are to receive. In the future, conflicts will increasingly be about water quality, as irrigation practices, industrialisation, and urbanisation contribute to rising pollution levels.

World Water Day is the ideal occasion to launch a new agenda for water wisdom. But every day must be a day when we work together to manage one of the planet’s most important resources. l HRH Prince El Hassan bin Talal is the founder and Chairman of the Arab Thought Forum and the West AsiaNorth Africa Forum and a distinguished member of the Global High Level Panel on Water and Peace. Sundeep Waslekar is President of Strategic Foresight Group.

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Business 15

TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 2016

INSIDE

Biman carries over 2m more passengers in FY 2014-15 Biman Bangladesh Airlines carried around 20,19,665 lakh more passengers in 2014-15 fiscal year, which was 28% more in the previous year. PAGE 16

Most Asia markets fall but Tokyo rallies with dollar The dollar extended a recent recovery yesterday and Japanese stocks climbed as a better-than-expected jump in US growth raised the prospect of another Federal Reserve rate hike, but Asia’s other markets succumbed to afternoon selling. PAGE 17

Newest Tesla electric will aim at middle market Tesla is set to unveil the Model 3, its long-anticipated pitch to middle class drivers and a key component in founder Elon Musk’s vision to mainstream the electric car. PAGE 18

Capital market snapshot: Monday DSE Broad Index

4,302.6

-1.2% ▼

Index

1,045.0

-1.2% ▼

30 Index

1,630.8

-1.2% ▼

Turnover in Mn Tk

2,979.2

7.1% ▲

Turnover in Mn Vol

93.8

-0.4% ▼

All Share Index 13,267.9

-1.0% ▼

30 Index

11,930.8

-0.7% ▼

CSE

Selected Index

8,057.8

-1.0% ▼

Turnover in Mn Tk

196.1

9.7% ▲

Turnover in Mn Vol

7.6

4.1% ▲

NBR plans to introduce lottery for VAT payers n Syed Samiul Basher Anik The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has decided to reward a fixed number of real VAT payers by introducing a monthly lottery for them with the implementation of the new Value Added Tax (VAT) law.

The new Value Added Tax and Supplementary Duty Act will come into effect from July 1, 2016.

The NBR has come up with the disclosure recently while unveiling its Taxpayers Communication Plan 2015-16 that contains a detailed plan for the implementation of the law under the VAT Online Project of the revenue authorities.

NBR made the plan to enable different communication activities for establishing better connection with taxpayers and creating awareness among the end consumers.

According to the plan, the board will select 100 real-taxpayers (end consumers) at the end of every month for their support in ensuring proper VAT payment.

The VOP of revenue authorities will sign a contract with a mobile operator company, preferable state government owned operator Teletalk to conduct the lottery system.

To participate the lottery, the end consumers have to text the VAT Invoice number from their mobile phone to a specific number given by NBR via SMS. The NBR will select 100 real taxpayers by holding a lottery from the SMS received, the plan reads.

“The expense for lottery will be borne from the revenue earnings of SMS receipt by mobile operator company. Remaining amount may be kept by the operator,” the plan said.

The process will not involve any financial expenditure from the VAT Online project, but it may involve only management expenditure, the plan shows.

tance learning method.

The VAT applications will help taxpayers to know the updates on VAT e-learning portal and NBR portal. About 500 FAQs will be published on NBR portal and 20 courses on VAT will also be developed for e-learning system.

NBR will select 100 real taxpayers by holding a lottery from the SMS received

E-learning portal and web-portal on the offing:

NBR will also introduce e-learning portal, web portal and different VAT related applications to ensure effective communication with VAT payers.

The NBR web portal will provide all information on VAT and online services like registration, payment, return submission, appeal etc while the e-learning portal will provide hands-on training to the taxpayers using online dis-

The VOP will also develop a set of SMS contents and provide it to Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission for circulation to inform taxpayers and citizen about different events.

The events may include: registration start, return start, e-payment start, e-portal start, celebration of National VAT Day and any other important events.

Call Centre facilities:

The revenue authorities is also all set to launch Taxpayers Call Centres to help VAT payers in getting instant reply of any queries on the new VAT law.

There will be centralised point of contact for the taxpayers who require either general information about their obligations under the new VAT law or specific inquiries over their VAT compliance matter.

The call centres will work to help and encourage VAT payers in transition to new automated online system from the existing manual paper-based system.

Existing and potential new taxpayers will be able to call directly to any of the call centres for any queries relating to VAT, excise and turnover tax once it comes into effect under the VAT Online System.

The NBR will start issuing electronic business identification number (BIN) from April 1 while businesses is expected to be able to submit tax returns and pay VAT online from August. All the other procedures including refund and legal actions under new VAT act will also go online gradually. l

Government urged to retain 1% import duty on capital machinery n Tribune Report Plastic goods manufacturers urged the government to retain 1% import duty on capital machinery and their parts to help flourish the sector as the production cost has increased.

Bangladesh Plastic Goods Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BPGMEA) made the demand in its budget proposal for the financial year 2016-17 submitted to the National Board of Revenue (NBR).

Currently, the plastic manufactures have to pay 1% duty on import of capital machinery along with other duties.

BPGMEA also urged the government to set tax at source for plastic manufacturers at 0.30% instead of existing 0.60%.

It also demanded withdrawal of advance income tax for the sake of

industry and attracting investment.

Plastic industry is a growing sector which does not enjoy any incentives, BPGMEA said, adding that the sector is facing tough competition due to price hike.

“That is why, we are urging the government to keep the duty unchanged to help boost the sector.”

In the budget proposal, the manufactures platform proposed the government to set 3% duty on raw materials, which are not produced in the country, 5% duty on intermediary raw materials produced domestically and 25% tax on finished goods.

The manufacturers also demanded 100% supplementary duty on finished plastic goods like hanger, furniture, door, etc as local manufacturers are now producing international standard products.

At present, the country is

producing plastic goods worth Tk18,000 crore annually and earning almost Tk2,000 crore as revenues, according to BPGMEA. In July-February period of the current fiscal year, Bangladesh

earned $59 million, which was 13.61% less compared to $68.17 million a year ago.

During 2014-15 fiscal year, the country exported plastic goods worth $100.57 million. l

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Business

TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 2016

Biman carries over 2m more passengers in FY 2014-15 n Ishtiaq Husain Biman Bangladesh Airlines carried around 20,19,665 more passengers in 2014-15 fiscal year, which was 28% more in the previous year.

National flag carrier came up with the disclosure during its Annual General Meeting held at the Biman head office in the city on Sunday.

According to the meeting, Biman transported 43,924 tonnes cargo, which was 30.92% more than the previous fiscal year.

Biman gained a profit of over Tk272 crore during 2014-15 fiscal year just after incurring losses from the previous fiscals from 2009-10 to 2013-14 in a row.

State-owned Biman earned Tk4,624 crore revenue while the airliner earned around Tk551 crore from ground handling department.

Biman flight catering centre made profit over Tk28 crore and poultry department made a profit of over Tk4 crore.

During this 2014-15 fiscal year, national flag carrier spent US$1675

million to purchase new generation four Boeing 777 300 ER aircraft.

Meanwhile, state-run airliner paid $896.74 million to the Boeing company. Out of the amount,

Cabinet okays railway container service company proposal n Tribune report The cabinet meeting yesterday approved the Bangladesh Railway proposal to form a container service company with an aim to increase revenues.

The proposal got the go-ahead at the meeting presided over by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

“We will form Bangladesh Railway container service company in line with that of Indian container service company,” said cabinet Secretary Shafiul Alam following the meeting.

Asian Development Bank is the development partner now assisting in the process, he added.

Sources said the Law Ministry has already vetted the draft for the container service company law.

The directorate of Bangladesh Railway container service system will deal with the matter. Secretary to Bangladesh Railway division will be the chairman of thbe directorate.

Shafiul Alam said the company will be formed to strengthen local container system because a total of 90% containers are transported by

road while the rest by waterways across the country.

It will be a 100% government-owned company with an authorised capital of Tk400 crore and Tk10 crore paid-up capital, he added.

‘We will form container service company in line with that of Indian container service company’ The secretary further said when the company goes to stock market, its per share will be Tk100.

According to the Railway Ministry, Bangladesh Railway now carries containers from Chittagong port to Kamalapur Inland Container Depot in Dhaka that is 5% of total containers.

The ministry has planned to raise the figure by up to 30% in the next couple of years through formation of the company. l

Biman paid $183.30m from is own exchequer while rest of the amount came from bank loan.

A high official of Biman told the Dhaka Tribune that the airliner

made this profit as it made some important decisions including phase out of old DC-10 aircrafts, induction of new aircraft in its fleet, increasing flight frequency in prof-

itable routes and discontinuation of loss making routes.

Though Biman incurred a loss of over Tk31 crore in the first six months of the last year even after the new CEO, Kyle Haywood, had been hired to rescue the aviation business.

A series of irregularities and mismanagement are attributed to be the reasons behind the loss, said a source at Biman.

Kyle joined the Biman in last January. In February, Biman incurred a loss of TK7.97 crore while losses stood at around Tk16.91 crore in June.

The Biman board of directors, the highest policy-making body, became worried after consecutive losses in last six months despite its initiatives to rein in poor performance.

At one stage Biman forced to appoint Asaduzzaman, director (engineering) as acting CEO in absent of Kyle to recover losses.

After appointment of acting CEO, the airlines has reduced its net loss and turned into a profitable airlines. l

Bearish spell deepens as DSEX plunges n Tribune Report Stocks continued to show a picture of gloom as the benchmark index DSEX hit 11-month low amid a panic sell-off.

The DSEX was sharply down over 53 points or 1.3% to close at 4,302—its lowest since May 10 last year when it was 4,277.

During the last five sessions, the index has been on a losing streak, giving away around 80 points.

The Shariah index DSES fell 12 points or 1% to 1,044. The blue chip comprising index DS30 was down over 20 points or over 1% to 1,630.

The Chittagong Stock Exchange Selective Category Index CSCX settled at 8,057, shedding nearly 81 points.

The volume of trade in value still remained below Tk300 crore, which is considered very poor compared to the market depth.

Analysts at Sheltech Brokerage stated that DSEX lost around 205 points in March.

“This downward move was triggered by the liquidation of two mutual funds at the end of February. Then the market lost confidence as Bangladesh Bank reserves heist popped out. Further foreign investors’ sell-off in a few large cap stocks exaggerated the situation.”

Mounting selling pressure in small and large caps fueled steep fall of indexes.

All other sectors faced erosion.

Among them, engineering was the worst loser, falling 1.8% led by BSRM Steel and BSRM. Ceramics came second as it was down 1.7%, driven by RAK Ceramic 1.8%.

All the major sectors including bank, cement, power, financial institutions and telecommunications decreased by 1.4%, 1.2%, 1.6%, 1% and 0.9% respectively while only food and allied, IT and mutual fund increased by 1%, 0.8% and 0.61%.

Mutual funds showed the highest turnover increase of 13.3% while engineering showed the

highest turnover loss of 35.6%.

Pharmaceuticals and Chemicals had the highest contribution of 20% to turnover.

Emerald Oil was the biggest loser falling 9.7% on the news of arrest of its managing director because of his credit default in Basic Bank.

Lanka Bangla Securities said downtrend continued to grip the market for the fifth consecutive session with the benchmark index going down to 11 month’s low, depressed largely by the investors’ attempt to safeguard their position.

“This sort of breakout in downside of the 4,370 support level may have instilled bearish sentiment into investors.” l

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TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 2016

Japan’s negative rates a looming headache for central bank

Most Asia markets fall but Tokyo rallies with dollar

n Reuters, Tokyo

n AFP, Hong Kong

Driving interest rates below zero, the Bank of Japan has turned a comatose government bond market into an enormous free-for-all, complicating the central bank’s own efforts to kick-start growth and end deflation.

The $9tn market for Japanese government bonds had been all but paralyzed since the BOJ began a massive monetary easing three years ago that made the bank the dominant buyer.

But in the two months since the BOJ announced it was imposing a negative interest rate, JGBs have become a volatile commodity, with prices swinging wildly as below-zero yields confound investors’ attempts to find fair market value.

“The JGB market is really in a bubble, when you think about it as an investment vehicle,” said Takuji Okubo, chief economist at Japan Macro Advisors in Tokyo. “Their prices have moved away from fundamentals, and people don’t have a traditional way to measure their value.”

As the BOJ’s dominance distorts bond market functions and dries up liquidity, the central bank could have a hard time tapering its buying binge when it eventually chooses to exit its “quantitative and qualitative easing” program.

The bank theoretically could just sit on its enormous holdings until the bonds mature, but policymakers are unlikely to want those assets to remain on the balance sheet for decades. On the other hand, it might be difficult to smoothly taper off its asset purchases, much less sell its holdings.

So far, the BOJ’s money printing has kept the cost for financing the government’s massive public debt very low.

A spike in that cost could stoke market fears Japan may be losing control of its finances, potentially triggering a damaging bond sell-off, some analysts say.

“It would be quite tough for the BOJ to taper such an enormous balance sheet without disrupting markets,” said a person familiar with the BOJ’s thinking.

In the meantime, buying bonds that yield less than nothing is creating losses for the exchange-listed BOJ - not

an immediate worry for the government but a potential risk to confidence in the guardian of the yen.

“The BOJ is sitting on a lot of risk, taking a huge position,” said one fund manager who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter.

“How long can they keep buying so many JGBs? Not forever, but a long time.”

Defending policy

BOJ officials publicly say the slide in bond yields into negative territory showed the Jan 29 move to adopt negative rates was effective in pushing down borrowing costs, and that volatility will fall as market players get used to the concept of negative rates.

But some BOJ officials worry that bond yields have become more susceptible to abrupt swings as speculators and newcomers to the market hoard 10- and 20-year JGBs, without much consideration to the risks and term premium.

As a result, the BOJ - which the International Monetary Fund says is reaching the limits of the amount of debt it can swallow - could face difficulties if it wants to expand its asset purchases, as markets expect it will.

“If investors are buying long-dated JGBs just because they yield something, they may be under-estimating the risks,” said another official familiar with the BOJ’s thinking.

“The BOJ needs to conduct market operations so that markets don’t become excessively volatile,” the official said.

With the market dominated by the BOJ’s massive buying and its policy decisions bent on surprising markets, many market players expect high volatility to persist, giving Japanese investors who still hold a large amount of JGBs a headache.

Negative yields make it a challenge to calculate a bond’s fair value, the returns it can be expected to generate through maturity. Market participants say wide spreads between bids and offers also complicate trading, and increase volatility.

The average daily trading range of the benchmark JGB futures rose to about 0.44 point after the BOJ’s shock decision to adopt negative interest rates, more than double the average of 0.20 point in the preceding one-year period. l

The dollar extended a recent recovery yesterday and Japanese stocks climbed as a better-than-expected jump in US growth raised the prospect of another Federal Reserve rate hike, but Asia’s other markets succumbed to afternoon selling.

After the turmoil of January and February, investor confidence has been broadly positive over the past month thanks to a string of central banks easing measures across the world and improving economic figures.

On Friday the US Commerce Department said the world’s number one economy grew 1.4% in the final three months of 2015, much faster than the 1% initially recorded.

The increase came on the back of a surge in consumer spending, which was also much stronger than first thought.

The news ramped up expectations that the Federal Reserve will announce another hike in interest rates, providing some support to the dollar against the yen and euro.

In early trade Monday the greenback bought 113.53 yen compared with 113 yen on Friday.

The US unit had tumbled below 111 yen earlier this month after the Fed lowered its outlook for interest rate rises this year, citing the possible impact on the US of a slowdown in the world economy.

“We’re now more conscious that there’s strength in the US economy,”

A man looks at an electronic board outside a brokerage in Tokyo

‘We’re now more conscious that there’s strength in the US economy’ Yoshinori Ogawa, a market strategist at Okasan Securities, told Bloomberg News. The weaker yen lifted Japanese exporters, helping the Nikkei 0.8 percent higher by the close.

Markets in Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand were closed for the Easter break.

However, markets in the rest of Asia reversed morning gains to end lower. Seoul was 0.1% off and Taipei fell

REUTERS

0.2%, while Singapore, Manila and Jakarta were deep in negative territory.

Shanghai closed 0.7 percent lower, having started on a high after official figures this weekend showed profits at China’s key industrial companies rose almost five percent in January-February, the first increase since mid-2015.

Mainland Chinese shares have recovered 12% since hitting a January low. Investors are hoping for fresh measures from Beijing to kickstart the economy, which is growing at rates not seen for a quarter of a century.

Traders are now awaiting the release of closely watched manufacturing data at the end of the week, hoping for fresh signs of improvement in the Asian economic giant. l

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TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 2016

Newest Tesla electric will aim at middle market

Japan lends $400m to Sri Lanka for airport expansion n AFP, Colombo

Tesla is set to unveil the Model 3, its long-anticipated pitch to middle class drivers and a key component in founder Elon Musk’s vision to mainstream the electric car.

Tesla Motors, until now a purveyor of luxurious all-electric cars with equally luxurious pricetags, plans to sell the Model 3 for $35,000, half the base price of the flagship Model S. The Model 3 will be unveiled at Tesla’s Design Studio in Hawthorne, California, on March 31.

Now only putting out 50,000 cars a year, Tesla plans to use the Model 3 to turn itself into a mainstream automaker selling 500,000 electrics annually by 2020.

Analysts say the new car is critical to Tesla at a time when cheap gasoline is challenging all green cars, and as rival General Motors stakes its claim on the electric vehicle middle market with its new Chevrolet Bolt.

“The Model 3 is really the measure if Tesla is going to make it longterm as a car company,” said Jessica Caldwell, an analyst at the auto industry website Edmunds.com.

“If they want to bring the EV to the mass market they need the Model 3 to be successful.”

The Model 3 will be about 20% shorter than the S, placing it in the same segment as the Audi A4. It will also have four-wheel drive, according to people close to the matter.

The car is expected to be able to travel up to 300 miles (500 kilometers) without being recharged, depending on the battery system chosen, and will include modern safety systems such as Autopilot.

Japan has loaned $400mn to Sri Lanka to build a new terminal at the island’s main international airport which suffers congestion from growing tourism, it was announced yesterday.

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) said the second terminal would more than double capacity to 15 million passengers annually.

The terminal, to be opened in 2020, would use solar energy and recycled water from a sewage plant for the flushing of toilets, JICA said in a statement.

“The project would be developed based on the concept of (an) eco-airport with Japanese advanced technology and know-how,” JICA said. The loan, with 0.1% annual interest, is repayable over 40 years, JICA said, adding that the agreement with Sri Lanka’s government was concluded last week.

Built to accommodate six million passenger movements a year, Bandaranaike International Airport currently has 8.5 million travellers arriving and departing, causing congestion at check-in and baggage claim at peak times.

Foreign tourist numbers have increased rapidly since the island’s separatist war ended in May 2009, attracting 1.7 million visitors last year. Colombo is also a transit hub for passengers from the Indian subcontinent travelling to Europe and the Far East.

Sri Lanka’s second international airport which opened in 2013 in the south, about 240 kilometres (150 miles) by road from Colombo, near wildlife sanctuaries has become a white elephant serving just one flight a day. l

n AFP, New York

Tesla Motors, until now a purveyor of luxurious all-electric cars with equally luxurious price-tags, plans to sell the Model 3 for $35,000, half the base price of the flagship Model S AFP The first Model 3s are to be delivered by the end of 2017 in the US, and 2018 in Europe. Consumers can pre-order the vehicles starting March 31 for a deposit of $1,000 or 1,000 euros ($1,100).

Tesla launched its electric car campaign in 2008 Roadster sports car, constructed on the chassis of a Lotus. It then moved into luxury vehicles with Model S, followed by the Model X crossover.

The Model 3 is the logical next step.

“This is their chance to prove that they are not just a specialized niche automaker, but actually a long-term volume automaker,” said Karl Brauer, analyst at Kelley Blue Book.

“They have to establish that they can build a high-quality volume vehicle.”

The group also must demonstrate that it has learned the lessons of past launches, which were marred by significant delays, as when the difficulties with the gull wing doors pushed back the timeframe on the Model X.

Bolt will be first

Tesla also faces direct competition from the soon to be released 200mile range Chevrolet Bolt, which will have a one-year head start on the Model 3 in getting the attention of consumers looking for a moderately priced EV. Darin Gesse, product marketing manager for Chevrolet’s electrification division, admitted “There is a cachet and a brand image” at Tesla.

Nevertheless, he said, “We also know Chevrolet has a brand image.

We have shown that our customers have been the most happy in the country. Our battery is solid. We have confidence.”

Brauer said the Bolt’s earlier debut could pose problems for Tesla.

“If it would have hit now, it would have been a game-changer as first to market,” Brauer said.

“Now it’s going to be the second to arrive after the Bolt.”

Cheap gas is also a challenge, as more consumers opt for SUVs and other large vehicles.

In February, only about three percent of the 1.3 million cars sold in the US were green cars, according to data from hybridcars.com “Gas prices are still down,” Caldwell said. “I think you will get the Tesla fans, but you may not have a massive mainstream market.” l

CORPORATE NEWS

Matin Spinning Mills opens its expanded unit n Tribune Business Desk

Newly elected committee of Workers-Employees Federation of Bangladesh Chemical Industries has recently held a meeting with Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amum, said a press release. The meeting addressed different industry specific issues

Matin Spinning Mills Limited, a concern of DBL Group has recently inaugurated its expanded unit in Kashimpur, Gazipur.

The unit is expected to expand the company’s production capacity of Melange yarn by 10 tons a day to a total capacity of 35 tons a day, said a press release.

The company’s chairperson, Abdul Wahed and its managing director, MA Jabbar were present at the inaugural ceremony among other high officials of the company. l

BRAC Bank has recently opened its relocated branch in Uttara. The bank’s acting managing director & CEO, Mohammad Mamdudur Rashid inaugurated the branch, said a press release

19

TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 2016

| ceremony |

| milestone |

Leisure Kaalmegh Villa and Club hands over keys

GP music crosses 100,000 subscriber base in 5 days

Leisure Kaalmegh Villa and Club is located in Sreepur, Gazipur. At first glance, The place is thought of as a resort. However, it’s not a resort at all, for all the two-storied bungalows (from 3,000 sq ft to 5,000 sq ft) are built to be sold to those looking to escape the hustle and bustle of the city to a serenity in the midst of nature.

On March 25, in a humble ceremony, keys were handed over to five bungalow owners of the project. Through this, Leisure Kaalmegh Villa and Country Club had a big leap ahead.

The concept of country club in

Bangladesh is completely new. It’s actually a club house of 30,000 sq ft, with all the world-class facilities including an Olympic sized swimming pool, helipad, Thai spa, steam, sauna, jacuzzi, gym, kids’ zone, movie theater, library, cafe, restaurant, playing field, lake, tennis court and a convention hall.

Leisure Kaalmegh Villa and Country Club project is completely surrounded by protective boundary on all sides.

Leisure Bangladesh Limited, who implemented the project, has already won the Asia-Pacific

Property Award from the UK and the Bangladesh Brand Forum Award. Complete surveillance and uninterrupted power supply has already been ensured.

In the handover ceremony, chairman of Leisure Bangladesh Limited, Omar Sadat, managing director Sarwat Siraj, head of marketing, Ayesha Siddiqua were present amongst the others.

Renowned poet, lyricist, movie director Gulzar and renowned singer, actor and director Amit Kumar entertained the crowd with their presence and performance.l

| program launch |

The British Council welcomes applicants for CWTPVP program The British Council Bangladesh has launched the Charles Wallace Trust Professional Visit Program (CWTPVP) 2016 in Bangladesh.

The program will assist midcareer professionals who wish to undertake short visits to the United Kingdom to broaden their professional knowledge, skills, and contacts.

The core purpose of the program is to facilitate professional familiarisation and interaction of participants through study and research. The three to five-week visit may take

the form of an attachment of successful applicants or awardees to a university department, professional institution, or arts center in the UK. Eligible disciplines for the CWTPVP program include arts, humanities, and creative industries; environment and climate change; education and skills development (both life and technical skills for economic empowerment); and social development including youth mobilisation, community development and social

enterprise.

Interested candidates should go to www.britishcouncil.org. bd to download the application form for the program. Completed forms should be emailed to bd.enquiries@britishcouncil. org accompanied with the offer letter and a Curriculum Vitae.

Candidates should put the code “CW1617” in the subject line of the e mail while mailing the application.

The last date for application submission is April 16, 2016. l

| discount |

Belleza’s Beauty bounty Belleza Beauty Parlour and Spa is a modern beauty salon that is dedicated to provide quality service by experienced staff. The parlour has recently moved to a new location and is offering 20% discount on all services. l For appointment, contact: Belleza Beauty Parlour, Moblile: 01911319935, Level 2, House 51, Khan Tower, (opposite Artisan), Sonargaon Jonopoth, Sector 7, Uttara, Dhaka

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Biz-info

Within only five days of its launch, the all new GP Music mobile app has crossed the 125,000 subscriber mark.

Launched on March 20, the unprecedented success of the digital music app is not surprising.

With over 25,000 local songs, GP Music the largest Bangla digital music library in the world.

The paradigm shift of the Bangladeshi music industry towards the digital realm has already gained preference over traditional means in the Western world. In South Asian countries, although the digital shift is still in its infancy, it is growing rapidly. In Bangladesh, the arena was comparatively untouched.

GP Music stepping in has made a difference by becoming a pioneer digital music platform focusing primarily on Bangla songs to cater to local music lovers. The app contains exclusive albums and tracks from leading artists and record labels in the music industry. The core philosophy of the app is to support musicians from all spectrums by not only providing them with a popular platform, but also by playing a prominent role in curbing music piracy.

Speaking about GP Music, Yasir Azman, CMO of Grameenphone said, “In our aim to become everyone’s partner in their digital life, we firmly

believe that GP Music will serve as the best platform for all the music lovers in Bangladesh.”

On another note, Mohammad Muntasir, head of digital services of Grameenphone expressed, “We are overwhelmed with the initial response from our customers and the music industry. We are thrilled to have been able to bring on-board over 125,000 music lovers in the first week, and this is just the beginning.”

GP Music’s availability on all platforms has bolstered their record breaking five-day subscription base. GP Music app is available for all android and iOS devices and can be found in both Google’s Play Store and Apple’s App Store. The platform can also be accessed through its website: www.gpmusic.co. l

| offer |

Rokomari.com and Payza announce Independence Day cash-back offer Rokomari.com and Payza Bangladesh have recently announced an Independence Day cash-back week that kicked off on March 22 and will last till March 31. Throughout the week, customers will receive an additional amount of 7.5% cash-back over Rokomari.com’s existing 26-71% discount offer.

“In order to attract new customers and provide existing ones with the opportunity to have a better shopping experience, we want to make sure that they are using a Payza account while purchasing from Rokomari.com. The cashback offer will ensure that our

customers are saving money as well as time,” said Jobayer Ahmed, ED, Payza Bangladesh.

Khairul Anam Ronni, CEO, Rokomari.com informed, “We are constantly adding more products to enhance our product range. We intend to reveal more offers with Payza to serve our customers’ needs. We are very excited about this campaign because we believe that the Payza payment option allows our online shoppers to have a superior check out experience.”

To avail the cash-back offer, one needs to have a Payza account which can be opened at www.payza.com, very easily.l

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TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 2016

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Spoil (3) 3 Follow orders (4) 6 Ooze (4) 7 Gold mound (3) 9 Diplomacy (4) 10 And not (3) 11 Prevaricates (4) 13 Sheep-like (5) 16 Articles (5) 18 Scoff (4) 19 Lubricant (3) 20 Burden (4) 21 Sailor (3) 23 Hunted animal (4) 24 Obligation (4) 25 Pigs enclosure (3)

DOWN 1 Paris subway (5) 2 Monkey (3) 4 Prejudice (4) 5 Still (3) 6 Echo sounder (5) 8 Select group (5) 9 Swarm (4) 12 Inactive (5) 14 Contends in rivalry (4) 15 Foolish (5) 17 Regretful (5) 18 Rightful (4) 20 Strange (3) 22 Liable (3)

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

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

Some letters of the alphabet may not be used.

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

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

CALVIN AND HOBBES

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

PEANUTS

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS CODE-CRACKER

CROSSWORD

DILBERT

SUDOKU

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World 21

TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 2016

INSIDE

INSIGHT

The race against time that Belgium lost The links between the attacks in Paris and Brussels Arrested

On the run

Dead

Paris attacks probes in France, Belgium

P A R I S

Easter attack the latest

by Taliban faction Jamaat-ur-Ahrar A faction of the Pakistani Taliban has claimed responsibility for killing at least 70 people in an Easter Sunday attack on a park in the eastern city of Lahore, the latest in a series of brutal attacks by the group.

Najim Laachraoui

Abdelhamid Abaaoud Presumed organiser

Bilal Hadfi

Samy Amimour

Jawad Bendaoud

Kurdish-controlled areas of northern Syria declared a federal system on on March 17, a move further complicated ongoing peace talks aimed at ending more than five years of war.

PAGE 23

Dlima Rousseff faces threat of coalition implosion Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff could see her coalition disintegrate this week amid a political crisis that threatens to topple her government, as a congressional committee ponders impeachment proceedings against her.

PAGE 24

Bomb maker, may have coordinated Paris attacks Rabah N.

killed

Reda Kriket

arrested Chakib Akrouh

Omar Ismail Mostefai

Brahim Abdeslam

Foued Mohamed Aggad

Attacks on cafes

P A R I S Attacks at concert hall

Salah Abdeslam, Logistics Abid Aberkan Mohammed Amri Hamza Attou Ali Oulkadi Abdeilah Chouaa Mohammed S. Lazez Abraimi Amine Choukri

Not identified

Not identified

FRANCE BELGIUM

Khalid El Bakraoui

Mohamed Belkaid

PAGE 23

Kurdish moves on federalism cloud Syria peace drive

B R U S S E L S

Zakaria J. Hasna Aitboulahcen Adbullah C. Mohamed BakkaIi

2nd suspect

Ibrahim El Bakraoui

Police operations

Mohamed Abrini

Nov 13, 2015 Investigations in other countries

Mar 15-18 Gelel Attar (Morocco)

Ahmad Dahmani (Turkey)

Airport attack

FRANCE BELGIUM Metro attack

Mar 22

Zouhir Mehdaoui (Algeria)

Abderamane A.

Weapons and explosives seized near Paris

Identification underway (Faycal C.?)

B R U S S E L S Attacks at football stadium

Linked to Abaaoud

Foiled attack in France

Mar 24-27 Djamal Eddine Ouali (Italy)

Photos: AFP, Belgian police, BFM TV

n Reuters, Brussels When Brussels police caught Salah Abdeslam, suspected sole survivor of November’s suicide assault on Paris, they knew they were in a race against time to stop a new Dae’sh attack.

It was the afternoon of Friday, March 18, and one of Prime Minister Charles Michel’s cabinet ministers tweeted “We got him!” after Europe’s most wanted man was seized at a house in the capital’s Molenbeek neighbourhood.

But Michel was worried, according to a government official who was present at the time. The premier raced to his crisis command centre from a European summit nearby.

Security forces had orders to increase vigilance but lacked intelligence to justify a citywide lockdown such as Michel imposed after the Paris attacks.

“Our first thought was that ... this will set off a ferocious response,” the aide said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Those fears were well founded.

The suicide bombings of Brussels airport and a metro train that killed 28 bystanders laid bare the inability of the Belgian authorities to counter Dae’sh militants, no

matter how high the level of alert.

Missed connections, leads not followed and suspects let slip have exposed deficiencies in security services. They have also shown how Europe’s Syrian-trained Islamist cells can react with deadly speed to events such as Abdeslam’s arrest.

“It was a race against time,” said Vincent Gilles, head of Belgium’s main police trade union SLFP. But with the intelligence service understaffed - by some estimates by about half the level for other rich European states - it was a race the authorities could not win.

Year on alert

Belgium is, for its size, the biggest European supplier of foreign fighters in Syria. Dae’sh has appealed to an alienated generation descended from mostly Moroccan immigrants of the 1960s.

In the first half of 2015, Belgian courts convicted dozens of radical preachers and their followers for recruiting for Syria. But new cells were forming elsewhere.

It was with shock, after 130 people died on a Friday evening in the French capital and trails led back to Brussels, that Michel’s government realised it had an urgent problem.

He locked down transport and public spaces for days as he was near “100% certain” of a threat.

New resources, too late

Michel pledged cash and legal reforms to beef up a security system that officials accepted was understaffed.

An intelligence service of about 700 staff for a country of 11m struggled to cope, as did a police force that is about 20% below full strength.

Police and security services have also struggled with a lack of communication and coordination across a multiplicity of departments that cross Belgium’s DutchFrench language divide.

Two of Tuesday’s suicide bombers - Najim Laachraoui and Khalid El Bakraoui - were on counter-terrorism watchlists. The former was a suspected bombmaker for the Paris attacks; the latter rented a safe house for the Paris cell and the flat where police picked up Abdeslam’s trail.

In their four-month search for Abdeslam, police pulled in dozens of people, holding 10 by last month.

Three days of fear

Over the three and half days following that arrest, the government considered locking down

Brussels but decided against it because they had no clear clues that an attack was in the offing, the government official said.

When the bombers struck at the morning rush hour on Tuesday, the authorities tried to moved fast.

A taxi driver who took the bombers to the airport led police to the apartment where he had picked them up. That produced a evidence including chemicals and another bomb. Another witness who, investigators say, has since identified a third man seen on airport cameras with the two bombers.

Police have been rolling up contacts and acquaintances of those identified, including another suspected plotter in Paris.

Michel’s government is also cracking down on fake documents which seem to have allowed the likes of Laachraoui and Abaaoud, to slip across Europe from Syria.

The government has sought new legal powers over, and in cooperation with, Internet and telecoms firms to track suspects.

But officials caution that it could take years to fill the gaps in the security structures of a country that is host to the European Union and Nato.

Michel declared simply: “What we feared, has happened.” l

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India looks to bury Italy Marines feud n Reuters, New Delhi Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi heads to a European Union summit this week, seeking to patch up a four-year diplomatic feud with Italy that has grown toxic enough to threaten New Delhi’s ambitions to become a bigger global player.

India hopes the Brussels summit will bring a thaw in ties with Italy, and keep it from blocking the Asian nation’s membership of a key global group on missile technology.

The row between the two nations stems from India’s arrest of two Italian Marines to stand trial for the killing of two fishermen off the southern Indian coast in 2012, a crime Italy said was beyond the jurisdiction of Indian courts.

One of the men has been allowed to return

home for medical treatment, while the other is confined to the Italian embassy. Italy has sought international arbitration of the case, with a United Nations tribunal set to hold hearings this week.

An Italian government source said Italy seeks the return of the second Marine held at its New Delhi embassy, since the trial process in India had effectively ended after both parties agreed to international arbitration.

The sailors were part of a military team protecting an Italian oil tanker when, they say, they mistook a fishing boat for a pirate vessel and fired warning shots. Two fishermen died.

The EU plans to raise the issue of the Marines with Modi, according to an internal EU council note, which said that such cases can influence the global fight on piracy. l

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TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 2016

Easter attack the latest by Taliban faction Jamaat-ur-Ahrar n Reuters, Islamabad A faction of the Pakistani Taliban has claimed responsibility for killing at least 70 people in an Easter Sunday attack on a park in the eastern city of Lahore, the latest in a series of brutal attacks by the group.

The suicide attack on Sunday targeted Christians and others celebrating Easter and was the second attack by the Jamaat-ur-Ahrar on Christians in the city since last year.

Sunday’s bombing further illustrated an apparent shift in strategy by Pakistani militants since the start of last year. Many major attacks since then have specifically targeted religious minorities, including non-Muslims and minority Muslim sects.

Pakistani authorities have expressed fears that the entrance of the Middle East-based Dae’sh ideology - which places greater emphasis on killing Christians and minority Shia Muslims - could intensify sectarian violence in Pakistan.

Sunni Muslims are the vast

majority in Pakistan’s population of 190m, while Shia Muslims account for about 20%, Christians about 2% and Hindus and the Ahmadi Muslim sect a combined 1%.

The following list outlines a recent uptick in Jamaat-ur-Ahrar attacks--

March 15, 2015

Christians hold placards and lighted candles as they stage a rally in Lahore on Monday, for victims of a suicide blast that killed 72 people AFP

Twin church bombings in Lahore kill 14 Christian worshippers, triggering riots.

where Jamaat-ur-Ahrar is based, about 160km from Islamabad.

December 29, 2015

March 1, 2016

23 killed in attack on a government office in the northwestern town of Mardan, about 100km northwest of the capital Islamabad.

February 18, 2016

Nine paramilitary personnel killed in two separate attacks on checkposts in the Mohmand tribal area,

Two Pakistani US consulate employees killed in roadside bombing targeting vehicle convoy in Mohmand Agency.

March 7, 2016

Suicide bomber attacks court complex in Shabqadar, about 145km northwest of Islamabad,

killing 10 people. Jamaat-ur-Ahrar says attack is “revenge” for the execution a week earlier of Mumtaz Qadri, the man who killed a provincial governor over perceived blasphemy in 2011.

March 27, 2016

Suicide bomber attacks public park in eastern city of Lahore, killing at least 70 people. Jamaat-ur-Ahrar says attack targeted Christians celebrating Easter. l

ANALYSIS

Kurdish moves on federalism cloud Syria peace drive n Reuters, Geneva Kurdish-controlled areas of northern Syria declared a federal system on on March 17, a move further complicated ongoing peace talks aimed at ending more than five years of war.

Kurds, after being excluded from the talks in Geneva, appeared to be taking matters into their own hands by drawing up plans to combine three Kurdish-led areas of northern Syrian into a federal arrangement.

The three areas already have de facto autonomy and while it was unclear what the new system would entail, there was no indication it would involve a separation from Syria.

The new arrangement, which a conference in the Kurdish-controlled town of Rmeilan agreed, has alarmed neighbouring Turkey, which fears growing Kurdish sway in Syria is fuelling separatism among its own minority Kurds.

“Syria’s national unity and territorial integrity is fundamental for us. Outside of this, unilateral decisions cannot have validity,” a Turkish Foreign Ministry official said.

The US said it opposed Syrian Kurds forming an autonomous region in northern Syria, but could accept such an arrangement if the Syrians collectively agreed on it.

SOUTH ASIA

Pakistan blasphemy killer’s supporters clash with police Hundreds of hardline Muslim activists in Pakistan set fires near parliament in Islamabad and clashed with police on Sunday to protest the execution of a man they consider a hero for assassinating a governor over his criticism of harsh blasphemy laws. More than 60 people, the majority of them police officers, were injured in the clashes on Sunday.

-REUTERS

INDIA

January 9, 2015

Eight people killed after a bomb rips through a Shi’ite mosque in northern city of Rawalpindi.

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World

Delhi CM: Modi has surrendered before Pakistan Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday accused Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi of surrendering to Pakistan by allowing investigators from that country to probe the terror attack on a Punjab air force base. Kejriwal expressed shock how the neighbouring arch-rival’s intelligence officials were being allowed to investigate something they had sponsored. -TOI

CHINA

‘Dalai Lama making a fool of Buddhism’ Exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama is “making a fool” of Tibetan Buddhism with suggestions he may not reincarnate, or reincarnate as something inappropriate, and the faithful are not buying it, a Chinese official wrote on Monday. The comments came as early election results put the leader of the Tibetan government-in-exile, Lobsang Sangay, on course for a second term. -REUTERS

ASIA PACIFIC

Philippines puts Marcos jewel images online for graft lesson Philippine authorities are staging an online exhibition of jewelry owned by late dictator Ferdinand Marcos and his family to try to educate a new generation about the corruption of that era. The Presidential Commission on Good Government posts pictures of the jewels on Facebook and Twitter, with explainers what they cost the country.

-AFP

MIDDLE EAST

A Syrian Kurdish woman poses for a photo holding a Kurdish flag as she celebrates Noruz, the Persian new year, in the Syrian town of Qamishli AFP The Syrian Kurdish YPG militia have been an important ally in the US-led military campaign against Dae’sh in Syria, and this has been a point of friction between the US and its Nato ally Turkey.

However, Bashar Ja’afari, head of the Syrian delegation in Geneva, rejected any talk of a federal model for Syria.

The Geneva talks are part of a

diplomatic push launched with U.S. and Russian support to end a conflict that has killed more than 250,000 people, created the world’s worst refugee crisis, and allowed for the rise of Dae’sh.

The moves in Rmeilan, which was discussing a “Democratic Federal System for Rojava - Northern Syria”, further complicated hopes of progress in Geneva. Rojava is the

Kurdish name for northern Syria.

Syrian Kurds effectively control an uninterrupted stretch of 400km along the Syrian-Turkish border from the Euphrates River to the frontier with Iraq, where Iraqi Kurds have enjoyed autonomy since the early 1990s. They also hold a separate section of the northwestern border in the Afrin area. l

Experts doubtful whether Palmyra can be restored A Syrian expert for the UN’s cultural body said Monday she was “very doubtful” the destruction caused to Palmyra’s ancient monuments during its occupation by the Dae’sh group can be repaired.

During its 10-month occupation, The jihadist Dae’sh group had destroyed the 2,000-year-old Temple of Bel and shrine of Baal Shamin, dating from around AD200.

-AFP

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TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 2016

USA

Donald Trump’s 8th grandson born on Easter Sunday Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka gave birth to a baby boy on Easter Sunday, moving the Republican presidential frontrunner to pronounce the event “exciting” and “beautiful.” The baby was named Theodore James Kushner,according to a tweet posted by the mother on Sunday. The baby is Trump’s eighth grandchild, Vanity Fair reported.

-AFP

THE AMERICAS

Brazil army vows to defend stability in crisis The Brazil army chief vowed it would ensure stability in the face of a political crisis that threatens to topple the government. General Eduardo Vilas Boas cited part of the constitution that says the armed forces must act under the president’s authority. Brazil was ruled by a military dictatorship from 1964 to 1985. Rousseff herself was jailed for part of that time for belonging to an armed dissident group.

-AFP

UK

Cameron accused of racial profiling in London mayoral letter The British prime minister has been criticised for sending out letters targeted at London’s Gujarati Hindu and Punjabi Sikh voters, calling on them to back the Conservative mayoral candidate, Zac Goldsmith. Goldsmith’s main rival is Sadiq Khan, a Muslim of Pakistani descent, and the favourite to win the contest.

-THE GUARDIAN

EUROPE

Sole Brussels attack suspect released The sole suspect charged over last week’s Brussels attacks was released on Monday following a lack of evidence linking him to the carnage, Belgian prosecutors said.

Belgian media had identified the man as Faycal Cheffou who claimed to be a freelance journalist.

-AFP

AFRICA

Angola court jails 17 youth activists, including rapper, for rebellion A court in Angola on Monday sentenced 17 youth activists, including a well-known rapper, to between two and eight years in jail for rebellion against President Jose Eduardo dos Santos.

Rapper Luaty Beirao, who went on hunger strike for over a month last year to protest his detention, was given a five-and-a-half year sentence for “rebellion against the president of the republic, criminal association and falsifying documents”.

-AFP

INSIGHT

Dlima Rousseff faces threat of coalition implosion n AFP, Rio de Janeiro Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff could see her coalition disintegrate this week amid a political crisis that threatens to topple her government, as a congressional committee ponders impeachment proceedings against her.

Already the Brazilian bar association has said it will file a new request Monday to Congress for her impeachment.

But Rousseff ’s real troubles begin Tuesday, in the capital Brasilia, when her major coalition partner, the centrist PMDB party, will in all likelihood formalise its break with her government.

The PMDB, which has 69 deputies and is the biggest party in Congress, is led by Vice President Michel Temer, who would serve out the rest of Rousseff ’s term if she is impeached, until the winner of the 2018 presidential election takes office.

The 75-year-old politician has not done so much as lift a finger to defend the president in recent weeks, even as her impeachment proceedings unfolded against a backdrop of deep recession and mass protests.

Instead, he met last Monday

with opposition leader Aecio Neves, who narrowly lost the 2014 election to Rousseff, to discuss the future of the nation.

According to O Globo newspaper, 80% of PMDB’s leadership members could vote in favour of a break from the coalition.

And other parties could follow suit, including the Progressive Party (PP), which has 49 deputies.

The impeachment case is based on accusations that Rousseff doctored the government’s accounts to boost public spending during her 2014 re-election campaign and hide the depth of a recession last year.

Lula complicates things

With her coalition splintering, Rousseff called her predecessor and mentor, former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, to the rescue, naming him her chief of staff.

But the move blew up in her face when a judge released a wiretapped phone call suggesting that the appointment -- which would have given Lula ministerial immunity -- was really aimed at saving the ex-president from arrest on pending money-laundering charges linked to Brazil’s ongoing Petrobras scandal.

A group of activists hold signs against Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff and supporting federal judge Sergio Moro --in charge of investigations in the Lava Jato process-- in front of the Supreme Court in Brasilia last week AFP The episode caused a new wave of anti-Rousseff protests and has driven the country’s executive and judiciary branches into a standoff.

The full Supreme Court is expected to issue a definitive ruling on Lula’s appointment sometime after it reconvenes on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, if the congressional committee weighing Rousseff ’s impeachment decides to bring a

motion against her, the matter would go to the full house where two-thirds of deputies -- 342 out of 513 -- are required for impeachment to be upheld.

At this point Rousseff would be suspended and the issue would go to the Senate. The upper house, overseen by the president of the Supreme Court, then votes, with a two-thirds majority -- 54 of 81 -- needed to force Rousseff from office. l

CHRONICLE

Trump and the White House: A long-held ambition Donald Trump’s meteoric political rise may have come as a surprise to many -- but for the real estate mogul, the White House is a prize he’s had his eye on for nearly 30 years.

Here’s a look at the billionaire’s journey as he barrels towards seizing the Republican nomination for president in July.

Genesis

October 7, 1999 Bill Clinton is in the White House and Trump pursues a presidential nomination for the small Reform Party. The developer, a tabloid favourite thanks to his flamboyant personal life, had briefly flirted with candidacy in 1988, joking that TV talk show host Oprah Winfrey could be his running mate.

As he launches his bid, Trump ditches the Republican Party and on his way out bashes presidential hopeful Pat Buchanan, saying the conservative ideologue has a “love affair with Adolf Hitler.” He stakes out a left-leaning position on health care, and is already

Governor of New York?

employing a populist message of making America “great.” Trump’s candidacy fizzles after four months and he blames others for the fiasco, including the Reform Party, which he describes as “a total mess.”

March 14, 2014 After carefully preparing a run for governor of New York, Trump backs out.

But he writes on Twitter: “I have much bigger plans in mind -- stay tuned, will happen!”

The Obama years

April 27, 2011 US President Barack Obama calls a press conference to publish his birth certificate in an attempt to end conspiracy theories, fueled by Trump, that he was born outside the country and therefore ineligible to be president.

“We do not have time for this kind of silliness. We’ve got better stuff to do. I’ve got better stuff to do,” Obama says as television networks break into regular programming to cover the statement live.

Forcing Obama’s hand in the matter is a victory of sorts for Trump.

The president exacts revenge a few days later at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, roasting the businessman who is a guest at the event.

The Blitzkrieg Mexicans made an effigy of US Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump as they celebrate an Easter ritual late on Saturday in Mexico City REUTERS Trump, Obama jokes, can now “get back to focusing on the issues that matter like, ‘Did we fake the moon landing?’ ‘What really happened at Roswell?” and ‘Where are Biggie and Tupac?’”

But Trump’s political influence is growing, and Republican 2012 presidential candidate Mitt Romney travels to Las Vegas to receive the businessman’s coveted endorsement in front of TV cameras.

June 15, 2015 Jeb Bush announces he will seek the Republican nomination to run for president.

“Do we really need another Bush in the White House -- we have had enough of them,” Trump declares on Twitter.

Bush, the son and brother of presidents, is leading polls and probably has no idea what is coming.

The next day, Trump descends the escalator of Trump Tower in New York and announces that he too is running for president.

His slogan is “Make America Great Again!” and one of his first campaign promises is to build a “great, great wall” on the border with Mexico. l

Source: AFP

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TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 2016

INSIDE

Holland ahead of the game The Dutch Football Association [KNVB] have announced that they will rename the Amsterdam Arena after Johan Cruyff in tribute to the threetime Ballon d’Or winner, who died of lung cancer. The KNVB president, Michael van Praag, has said: “I can’t wait for the moment when we rename our stadium the Johan Cruyff Arena. It’s the best tribute we can pay him.”

Why Tigers were fined and not India Many Tigers fans had vented their displeasure after the Bangladesh cricketers and captain Mashrafe bin Mortaza were fined for a slow over-rate against India in their Super 10 clash last Wednesday.

Mashrafe was fined 20 percent of his match fee. PAGE 26

BFF asked to take steps on 8 booters The High Court yesterday asked BFF to take necessary steps to bring back eight footballers to Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi who had left the side recently. The court also issued a rule on the authorities concern to know as to why their decision of leaving the club will not be declared illegal. PAGE 27

Johan Cruyff captained Barcelona during five years at the club and went on to manage the Catalan giants

Johan Cruyff Stadium?

Nou Camp could be renamed as Barca mull over how to mark Dutch icon’s passing

n Daily Mail Ibrahimovic confirms EPL interest Sweden captain Zlatan Ibrahimovic hinted on Sunday at a move to the Premier League and promised big things to come in his career. The 34-year-old was open about his future after his contract with PSG ends. PAGE 28

'Pochettino to thank for rise of Eng Spurs' Midfielder Eric Dier has credited his Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino for the surge of Spurs players making their mark in the England team. Dier scored the winner in England’s 3-2 friendly victory over Germany on Saturday. PAGE 29

Barcelona’s board of directors will meet today to discuss the initiatives that could take place by the club to pay posthumous tribute to the great Johan Cruyff, who died last week.

According to Catalan sport daily, Sport, a “thundering cry” from the Blaugrana faithful is for the famous Nou Camp to be renamed after the Dutch icon who lit it up the stadium as both a player and manager.

Cruyff died of cancer at the age of 68 on Thursday, having won La Liga and Copa del Rey on the pitch with Barca, before collecting a series of titles as boss, including the European Cup in 1992.

Barcelona are conscious that they need to propose an action which pays suitable homage to the lifetime commitment Cruyff gave to the club, and president Josep Maria Bartomeu and his fellow directors will meet with the legend’s family to decide the acts of tribute.

Cruyff ’s son, Jordi, who - like his father - played for Barca and Holland, met with the club’s vice president Jordi Cardoner to begin to assess the situation on Sunday.

And a strong ratio of Barca’s fans have backed the renaming of their stadium, with 65 percent, about 8,000 participants, advocating the move in a survey on Sport’s website.

That suggestion to honour Cruyff fell well above other initiatives such as erecting a statue at

the entrance of the Nou Camp, retiring his famous No 14 shirt number, chanting his name in the 14th minute of every game and merely putting his name on the No 14 door at the ground - all viewed as disproportionate tributes to the legacy he leaves.

Indeed, in a second Sport sur-

Barcelona's supporters are said to be keen on the idea of naming the Nou Camp after Johan Cruyff

vey, “yes” was also the majority vote to the direct question of whether the Nou Camp should be renamed Johan Cruyff Stadium, with almost 60 percent of Catalans believing that would be the best way to pay homage to the Dutchman.

The ultimate decision is sure to be the most momentous that Barca’s directive will have to take in the near future, especially for Bartomeu, who assumed his presidency office in January 2014.

It is perhaps no wonder that renaming the Nou Camp “Johan Cruyff Stadium” is one of the options under consideration to mark the great man’s passing.

Not only did he lift the league title in 1974 and the Copa del Rey in 1978, he is also credited with building the modern tiki-taka passing philosophy his former outfit have become synonymous with.

As manager, he won La Liga four times, the Spanish Super Cup three times, the Copa del Rey, European Cup, UEFA Super Cup and Cup Winners’ Cup. With 11 trophies, Cruyff was Barcelona’s most successful manager, but has since been surpassed by his former pupil, Pep Guardiola, who achieved 15. l

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TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 2016

Why Tigers were fined for slow over-rate and not India n Tribune Report Many Tigers fans had vented their displeasure after the Bangladesh cricketers and captain Mashrafe bin Mortaza were fined for a slow over-rate against India in their Super 10 clash last Wednesday.

Mashrafe was fined 20 percent of his match fee while the rest of the cricketers copped 10 percent fines.

According to the International Cricket Council’s regulations, a team might not take more than 90 minutes to complete their quota of 20 overs. While the Tigers bowled out their allotted overs in 104 minutes, the home side took a little over 110 minutes to complete their quota.

Several fans raised questions as to why the Tigers were fined and not the Indians, given that the latter took more than six minutes to complete their stipulated overs compared to the opposition.

As far as slow over-rates are concerned, the match referee always takes into consideration the timing of the fall of wickets. While India only lost one wicket in their last three overs, Bangladesh lost four wickets in the same duration.

On top of that, in the event of a close game, the very last over of the second innings is always tolerated and it is a common feature in world cricket. l

Kohli Facts

122.83

Virat Kohli’s average in successful run-chases in T20Is - he has scored 737 runs with nine not-outs, at a strike rate of 131. In all run-chases he averages 91.80, at a strike rate of 132.65. His unbeaten 82 here is also his highest when batting second.

918

Runs for Kohli in run-chases, the second highest among all batsmen in T20I. Only Brendon McCullum has scored more, but his 1006 runs came in 38 innings, compared to Kohli’s 918 in 19. Among batsmen with at least 300 runs in chases, his average is easily the highest.

66.83

Kohli’s T20I average against Australia: he has scored 401 runs in nine innings, with three not-outs. In chases against Australia, he averaged 33 in four innings before today; after this game, that average has gone up to 53.50. Kohli’s aggregate of 401 is the second best by any batsman against one team in T20Is, next only to Martin Guptill’s 424 in ten innings against South Africa.

TWITTER REACTION Sachin Tendulkar Woooow @imVkohli ...special it was... Great win, fighting all the way! #IndvsAus

Shane Warne Great knock by @imVkohli Reminded me of one of your many special innings buddy !!!!!

Mitchell Johnson Well to be fair, he definitely stepped it up for this T20 World Cup. Too good in the end

Michael Vaughan No question @imVkohli is the greatest ever judge of a chase I have ever seen ... Cool as you like .. #Timing #Genius #INDvAUS

Ashwin Ravichandran Sandstorm from sachin at Sharjah,and the hailstorm in Mohali from @imVkohli should be written in the same paragraph. #chasemaster

Yuvraj Singh Well what can I say ! There are players who r in form and there is @ imVkohli who wins you games again and again ! Hats of you beauty

Indian batsman Virat Kohli celebrates after winning the ICC World T20 match against Australia at PCA cricket stadium in Mohali on Sunday AP

India hails ‘genius’ Kohli n AFP, Mohali Virat Kohli was hailed as a batting genius yesterday after his brilliant innings led India to an improbable victory over Australia and sealed a semi-finals berth for the hosts at cricket’s World Twenty20.

Kohli hit an unbeaten 82 off 51 balls that mixed classic strokeplay with raw power in Mohali on Sunday night, as India chased down Australia’s total of 160-6 in a pulsating final group match.

With three overs to go, India were still 39 runs short of their target but they cantered home with five balls to spare as Kohli and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni laid into the Australian attack.

Kohli hit four boundaries in the penultimate over off Nathan Coulter-Nile before Dhoni finished the job with another four.

Had India been knocked out, it could well have been Dhoni’s last innings amid widespread expectations that he will call it quits after the tournament.

Kohli, 27, has already replaced the 34-year-old Dhoni as Test captain but his regard for the older

man was underlined when he paid tribute to India’s “Captain Cool” for helping him keep his head at the finale.

“MS in the end kept me calm, I could have got over-excited,” said Kohli after being named man of the match.

“Trust me, you don’t like these situations very much, (but) they improve you as a cricketer.”

Dhoni said Kohli, who was also the match-winner in a high-octane clash against Pakistan earlier in the tournament, was learning how to stay calm in pressured situations while not losing his natural aggression.

“I think it was an incredible innings, especially the fact that the wicket was not easy to bat on,” said Dhoni.

“A lot of things pop into your head at that point of time (the last overs) and when you’re calm it just helps you to pick the right one... and not be too impulsive”.

“He will always be the same. He will be an aggressive character who is willing to take on challenges and he will be aggressive on the field, but he will also improve,” Dhoni

added.

Kapil Dev, who captained India to victory at the 1983 World Cup, praised Kohli for resisting the temptation to slog, instead playing orthodox shots that would have graced a Test match.

“Hats off to this genius with a bat,” Dev wrote in the Mail Today newspaper.

“I have always believed that T20 cricket is not just about slamming the ball or indulging in ambitious shots. You can play your normal cricket strokes and win your battles against the bowlers. Virat’s exhibition proved it.”

India, who now play the West Indies in the second semi-final in Mumbai on Thursday, are hoping to become the first team to win the World T20 twice, and the first on home soil.

Former all-rounder Ravi Shastri, who is now India’s coach, said that Kohli’s “fabulous” innings had proved that the team was hitting its stride at the crucial moment.

“From India’s point of view, I think they’ll get stronger as this tournament progresses,” said Shastri. l

Rohit Sharma Brilliant chase from the chase master. Great batting mate #TeamIndia

Glenn Maxwell Well... That innings was a different level...

Not a lot more to say really...

Absolutely shattered. Beaten by 1 cricketing genius. #toogood

Brian Lara He is just an unbelievable batsman!

No need to say anymore

Sanjay Manjrekar Have been watching cricket for a while. Dazed by what I saw today. Unbelievable Virat! #WT20 #IndvsAus

Herschelle Gibbs Just saw some of @imVkohli innings tonight,special! nice to see someone who enjoys the big stage and the big moments.

Andrew Flintoff At this rate @imVkohli will be as good as @root66 one day ! Not sure who @englandcricket will meet in the final now !

Ambati Rayudu Virat is just addicted to greatness.

His performance today should inspire the rest of the batsmen to raise their game. Bowling was excellent

27

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TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 2016

QUICK BYTES BGB, BJMC clinch Independence Cup Handball titles Border Guard Bangladesh and BJMC emerged as the champions in the men’s and women’s category respectively of the Independence Cup Handball Tournament at M Mansur Ali Handball Stadium yesterday. BGB outplayed Bangladesh Police 36-25 in the men’s final, thanks to Mehedi Hasan’s 11 goals and Sagor Mia’s nine goals. Bipul Ghosh and Abdus Sattar added five apiece for the champions.

Mahbubul scored 11 goals for the losing side. The victors led the first half 19-15. Meanwhile in the women’s category, BJMC defeated Bangladesh Ansar 33-24 in the final at the same venue yesterday.

The winners led the first half 17-14.

Shilpi and Shirin scored nine goals apiece for BJMC. Nishi netted 12 for Ansar. Mehedi was adjudged the best player of the tournament in the men’s event while Dalia Akter was named the best player in the women’s category.

TRIBUNE REPORT

Istanbul sides to clash on April 13 Istanbul giants Fenerbahce and Galatasaray will clash in a crunch derby on April 13 after the original fixture was postponed over fears of a terror attack, the Turkish Football Federation said yesterday. The match, which was due to have been played on March 20, was postponed for security reasons even as fans were starting to enter the ground.

AFP

Ghana held to a draw, Kenya fans riot Ghana lost their 100 percent record in African Nations Cup qualifying with a goalless draw in Mozambique on Sunday while fans rioted in Kenya during a shock loss to lowly-ranked Guinea Bissau. Ghana’s match in Maputo at the start of the fourth round of preliminaries kept them on course for the 2017 finals in Gabon but proved a tepid affair in comparison to other qualifiers.

REUTERS

Butland suffers fractured ankle England goalkeeper Jack Butland looks doubtful for Euro 2016 after a scan on Sunday showed he had fractured his ankle during Saturday’s 3-2 friendly win against Germany in Berlin. “Today’s scan revealed I’ve fractured my ankle, absolutely devastated! I’ll be doing everything I can to get back fit as soon as I can!”.

REUTERS

Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal is clean bowled by South Africa spinner Aaron Phangiso (not in picture) during their Super 10 clash of the 2016 World Twenty20 in Delhi yesterday REUTERS

SCORECARD SRI LANKA INNINGS Chandimal b Phangiso Dilshan lbw b Behardien Thirimanne b Phangiso Siriwardana run out (Plessis) Jayasuriya c Plessis b Behardien Kapugedera b Tahir Perera c Behardien b Steyn Shanaka not out Herath c De Kock b Abbott Vandersay b Abbott Lakmal run out (Wiese) Extras (b 4, lb 2, w 2, nb 2)

R 21 36 0 15 1 4 8 20 2 3 0 10

Total (all out; 19.3 overs)

B 20 40 1 10 3 7 7 18 5 7 1 120

FoW 1-45 (Chandimal), 2-45 (Thirimanne), 3-75 (Siriwardana), 4-78 (Jayasuriya), 5-85 (Dilshan), 6-85 (Kapugedera), 7-96 (Perera), 8-109 (Herath), 9-120 (Vandersay), 10-120 (Lakmal) Bowling Steyn 4-0-33-1, Abbott 3.3-0-14-2, Phangiso 4-0-26-2, Tahir 4-0-18-1, Wiese 1-0-8-0, Behardien 3-0-15-2 SOUTH AFRICA INNINGS Amla not out De Kock run out (Dilshan) Plessis lbw b Lakmal AB de Villiers not out Extras (lb 2, w 4)

R B 56 52 9 6 31 36 20 12 6

Total (2 wickets; 17.4 overs)

122

FoW 1-15 (De Kock), 2-75 (Du Plessis) Bowling Jayasuriya 1-0-9-0, Lakmal 3.4-0-28-1, Herath 4-0-21-0, Vandersay 4-0-25-0, Shanaka 2-0-17-0, Perera 2-0-15-0, Siriwardana 1-0-5-0 South Africa won by eight wickets PoM: Aaron Phangiso (SA)

Proteas end with consolation win n Reuters, New Delhi South Africa concluded their Super 10 round of the 2016 World Twenty20 with a consolation eight-wicket win over Sri Lanka at Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi yesterday.

In pursuit of the Lankans’ 120, the Proteas romped home in 17.4 overs with opening batsman Hashim Amla top-scoring with a 52-ball 56. Amla struck five fours and a six and was ably supported by captain Francois du Plessis, who made 31 off 36 deliveries.

Together, Amla and Du Plessis added 60 runs for the second wicket after the early departure of opener and wicket-keeper Quinton de Kock.

Later, Abraham Benjamin de Villiers scored an unbeaten 12-ball 20, featuring two flat sixes, to guide the Proteas home alongside the undefeated Amla.

Earlier, Sri Lanka failed to make the most of a breezy start and were all out for 120.

With both teams out of contention for a place in the semi-finals, the Group One match was of no real consequence and Sri Lanka skipper An-

HC asks BFF to take steps regarding eight booters

n Tribune Report

GROUP 1 Teams

M

W

L

Pts

West Indies

4

3

1

6

England

4

3

1

6

South Africa

4

2

2

4

Sri Lanka

4

1

3

2

Afghanistan

4

1

3

2

gelo Mathews sat the game out with a hamstring injury suffered against England in their previous match.

Leading the side in Mathews’ absence, Dinesh Chandimal (21) helped Tillakaratne Dilshan (36) put on 45 for the first wicket before left-arm spinner Aaron Phangiso claimed two wickets in two balls to peg them back.

Dasun Shanaka struck an unbeaten 20 but wickets kept tumbling at the other end and Sri Lanka were eventually bowled out in 19.3 overs.

Along with Phangiso, seamer Kyle Abbott and part-time bowler Farhaan Behardien bagged two wickets each while fast bowler Dale Steyn and leg-spinner Imran Tahir shared two wickets between themselves. l

The High Court yesterday asked Bangladesh Football Federation to take necessary steps to bring back eight footballers to Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club who had left the side recently.

The HC bench of Justice Quamrul Islam Siddique and Justice RazikAl-Jalil came up with the order being moved by a writ petition filed by the club. The court also issued a rule on the authorities concern to know as to why their decision of leaving the club will not be declared illegal.

BFF president, its secretary and the eight footballers have been asked to come up with the explanations by four weeks.

The eight footballers are - Mamunul Islam, Nasir Uddin Chowdhury, Shahidul Alam Sohel, Yeasin Khan, Sohel Rana, Rayhan Hasan, Yeamin Munna and Alamgir Kabir Rana.

Regarding the court order, Sheikh Jamal football committee’s chairman Ashrafuddin Ahmed Chunnu informed that they are hoping for the BFF to take necessary steps according to the court order. l

DT

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TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 2016

Brazil without Neymar, Luiz for Paraguay trip n AFP, Montevideo

Brazil's Willian (L) and Filipe Luis participate in a training session yesterday ahead of their qualifying match against Paraguay REUTERS

Redknapp open to extending Jordan spell n Reuters, Sydney Harry Redknapp’s opportunity to coach at an international level has not come the way he once hoped it might, but the Englishman is having a ball and open to extending his spell with Jordan beyond today’s crunch World Cup qualifier with Australia.

“I’ve really enjoyed it, the people have just been fantastic,” Redknapp told reporters yesterday.

“All the staff and everybody, they’re the friendliest people I’ve dealt with, it’s been a great experience for me, it really has. l

Brazil will be without Barcelona star Neymar and Paris Saint-Germain defender David Luiz today when they face a tricky 2018 World Cup qualifying trip to Paraguay with renewed uncertainty swirling around their campaign.

The Brazilians are licking their wounds after the disappointment of Friday’s 2-2 draw with Uruguay, when they squandered a two-goal lead and finished the game clinging on for the point.

For the opening half hour in Recife, Brazil were irresistible, attacking with precision and purpose in what looked like being their best performance since their 2014 World Cup semi-final debacle against Germany.

But Uruguay’s fightback, begun with Edinson Cavani’s superb volley and completed by Luis Suarez’s predatory strike after half-time, has reawakened all of the old con-

cerns about Brazil’s brittle defence, humiliated in the 7-1 thrashing by the Germans two years ago.

FIXTURES

Colombia Uruguay Venezuela Argentina Paraguay

v v v v v

Ecuador Peru Chile Bolivia Brazil

The frustration of allowing Uruguay back into the game eventually got the better of Neymar, who was cautioned for a petulant kick on Alvaro Gonzalez, meaning he will now be suspended for today’s trip to Asuncion.

Former Chelsea centre-back Luiz also earned a booking on Friday that will see him miss the game against Paraguay, who are level on eight points with third placed Brazil after five matches.

Brazil coach Dunga has called up Santos’s exciting teenage striker

Gabriel Barbosa, a star of the Olympic team, to replace Neymar while Corinthians defender Felipe will come in for Luiz.

Gabriel, 19, known widely as “Gabigol” and regarded as the heir apparent to Neymar, will be making his first senior appearance for Brazil after starring for the Under-23s last year where he scored six goals in four matches.

“I will be realizing a dream that I did not expect so soon,” Gabriel said. “I’m happy for the opportunity.”

Paraguay meanwhile will be looking for all three points against opponents whom they have caused repeated problems in recent years.

Paraguay knocked Brazil out of the Copa America quarter-finals in 2015 and 2011 and will be quietly confident of another win today.

The Paraguayans were deprived of what would have been a deserved victory against Ecuador on Thursday. l

Ibrahimovic confirms EPL interest n Reuters, Stockholm Sweden captain Zlatan Ibrahimovic hinted on Sunday at a move to the Premier League and promised big things to come in his career.

Speaking to reporters after a training session at the Friends Arena, where Sweden face the Czech Republic in a friendly today, the 34-year-old was open about his future after Paris St Germain.

“I’ve had four fantastic years with them,” he said, adding that there were no ongoing talks with the French champions about an extension to a contract that expires at the end of the season.

“The relationship I have with them is only positive. They have

done everything they could for me and my family.”

Available on a free transfer and linked to Manchester United, Ibrahimovic said there had been interest from Premier League clubs.

“Yes, there is an interest, I can confirm that. We have to see where it leads. When the moment comes, when all the cards are on the table, that’s when I have to go through what I want, and then we’ll see who wants it more,” he said.

“It’s like a marriage. Two parties have to want it, not one or the other. Each side needs to want it as much as the other.”

Having already secured the French title, PSG face Manchester City in the quarter-finals of the

Champions League. After the club season finishes. the striker’s attention will turn to leading Sweden at the Euro 2016 finals in France.

“A lot of big things will happen this summer. Have a little patience and you will have things to write about. The future looks very good,” said Ibrahimovic.

The Swede had been linked to a move to Major League Soccer earlier in the season but his scintillating form has opened up other possibilities. “If I’d had a bad season I wouldn’t have had the options I have today,” he said. “Now it’s the opposite and I have a lot of options.

It’s looking good; the Euros, after the Euros. Then we have the Olympics too.” l

Terms & Conditions:

Prizes: (Second Round)

The lucky winners among all the participants who have answered correctly will be selected in an official lottery and will have their picture published in the newspaper. v Answers must be sent in only the coupon (photocopy will not be accepted). v Quiz coupon should be submitted in the Dhaka Tribune newspaper address. v No one affiliated with Dhaka Tribune and Walton will be able to participate. v Coupon submission deadline April 4, 2016. v A person can send as many coupons as he/she wants. v Walton-Dhaka Tribune T20 World Cup should be written on top of the envelope.

1st prize 2nd prize 3rd prize 4th prize 5th prize

v

01: Who scored the first T20I century for Bangladesh?

Ans: Tamim Mashrafe Taskin 02:Who won the first World T20 in 2007?

Ans: India Zimbabwe Afghanistan 03:In which year did Bangladesh host the World T20?

Ans: 2014 2004 2015

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

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

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

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

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

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29

DT

Sport

TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 2016

'Homegrown talents key to United future' n Reuters

Pochettino to thank for rise of Eng Spurs: Dier n Reuters

Big-spending Manchester United must always continue their tradition of bringing through players from the youth academy, assistant manager Ryan Giggs has said.

The 20-times English champions have endured a stuttering campaign by their high standards and sit sixth in the league, are already out of Europe but retain hope in the FA Cup ahead of a sixth round replay with West Ham United next month.

United manager Louis Van Gaal has brought through a number of academy players this term, such as striker Marcus Rashford, but the Dutch coach has been tipped by British media to make way for former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho next season.

Giggs said future United managers should respect the club’s history for promoting from within.

“I think it will always be part of the club’s philosophy. It’s part of the history, it’s what sets us apart from other teams,” Giggs told.

“Yes, we can bring world-class players in from around the world but we want one of our own to be performing on that pitch.” l

Midfielder Eric Dier has credited his Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino for the surge of Spurs players making their mark in the England team.

Dier scored the winner in England’s 3-2 friendly victory over Germany on Saturday after Tottenham team mate Harry Kane had begun the comeback in a fixture which also featured midfielder Dele Alli and left back Danny Rose.

“Obviously, we have to be thankful for our manager for putting us in this position by giving us a chance at our club,” Dier told British media.

“Obviously us Spurs boys know how lucky we are to have him because he’s been brilliant for us.”

The quartet have featured heavily under Argentine Pochettino this term as the north London side battle for a first English league title in 55-years.

“He demands a lot of us, always wanting us to improve, always wanting us to be better,” said Dier.

“That’s what is able to put us in the position we are now, so we want to repay him. That’s the only way, really.” l

Wilmots under pressure ahead of Portugal tie n AFP, Lisbon Belgium step up their Euro 2016 preparations with a friendly against Portugal in Leiria today, with a string of first team players missing.

The match was originally scheduled to take place in Brussels, but was rearranged to be played in the Portuguese city after the terror attacks in Belgium last week that left 35 people dead.

The match, as with the majority of European friendlies over the last few days, will be preceded by a minute’s silence in memory of the victims. Belgium are currently the world's best team. l

(L-R) England's Ross Barkley, Danny Welbeck, Jordan Henderson, Phil Jagielka, Adam Lallana and Theo Walcott attend a training session at Tottenham Hotspur's training ground yesterday REUTERS

Djokovic powers into Miami last 16 n AFP, Miami World number one Novak Djokovic advanced to the fourth round of the ATP and WTA Miami Open on Sunday, defeating Portugal’s 38thranked Joao Sousa 6-4, 6-1.

Two-time defending champion Djokovic, trying to match Andre Agassi’s record of six career Miami titles, needed only 78 minutes to win his 12th match in a row at the hardcourt event and 26th in his

past 27 Miami starts.

“That first set could have gone either way,” Djokovic said. “I managed to hit the right balls at the right moment and make it to the finish.”

The 28-year-old Serbian, who won his 11th Grand Slam crown at the Australian Open two months ago, also has crowns at Doha and Indian Wells this year and hopes to complete the Miami-Indian Wells sweep for the third consecutive year.

DAY’S WATCH FOOTBALL SONY SIX FIFA World Cup Qualifiers 6:30PM India v Turkmenistan 5:30AM Argentina v Bolivia 1:00AM International Friendly England v Netherlands

Novak Djokovic of Serbia returns a shot to Joao Sousa of Portugal during the Miami Open at Crandon Park Tennis Center on Sunday AFP

Djokovic’s next foe will be Austrian 14th seed Dominic Thiem, who dispatched 124th-ranked Japanese qualifier Yoshihito Nishioka 6-2, 6-2 in 64 minutes.

“He has one of the most powerful baseline games in tennis,” Djokovic said of Thiem.

“He likes to construct his points so I will try and take away his time.

He’s had one of the best years of his life. He’s beaten Nadal on clay. He’s one of the players in the next generation we should all look out for.”

Thiem captured his fifth career ATP title last month by beating Australia’s Bernard Tomic in the Acapulco final and downed 14-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal on the way to a Buenos Aires claycourt crown.

“I’m sure he wants to showcase all that he’s got in his arsenal but I will be sure to be ready for him,” Djokovic said.

Sousa fell to 0-3 against Djokovic and 1-21 against top-10 foes with his 19th such loss in a row since beating David Ferrer in Kuala Lumpur in 2013.

“He came out with a clear game plan,” said Djokovic. “He wanted to take his chances. He did not have much to lose. It can be dangerous.

I know the importance of stepping up a few levels and delivering my ‘A’ game.” l

Spain held on record night for Casillas n AFP, Cluj-Napoca Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas equalled the record of most international caps for a European player on Sunday as two-time defending European champions Spain drew 0-0 against Romania in Cluj.

Casillas, who made his national team debut in June 2000, returned after sitting out Thursday’s 1-1 draw in Italy to move level with former Latvia midfielder Vitalijs Astafjevs on 166 appearances.

Romania meanwhile took to the field for the warm-up wearing training tops featuring maths problems, rather than shirt numbers, as part of an initiative aimed at combating the country’s poor school dropout rate. l

CLEAN SHEETS Iker Casillas has now gone 710 minutes without conceding a goal for Spain. The veteran stopper kept a clean sheet in his country’s 0-0 draw with Romania on Sunday.

The last time the Porto man had to pick a ball out of the back of his net came during a 2-1 defeat to Slovakia in October 2014.

DT

30

Showtime

TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 2016

Pitch-perfect romances n Nazia Lopa Audiences may think that the collision of glamour and cricket happened after the incarnation of the IPL, but the relationhip between Bollywood and this sport has existed for ages. From Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi to Virat Kohli, from Sharmila to Anushka, there are many names from Bollywood that have been attached with the game of cricket.

Just check out these couples.

Sharmila Tagore and Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi They were the first such couple who made a connection between Bollywood and cricket. And not only that, they married when Sharmila Tagore was one of the most popular actresses and Tiger Pataudi was the captain of the Indian national cricket team. Both their families opposed the match for a while, but in the end, they got married and had a wonderful marriage unitl Pataudi’s passing away two years ago.

Anju Mahendru and Sir Gary Sobers When the West Indian legend toured India in the 1960s, he met

Anju Mahendreu and they fell in love soon after. However, Anju’s parents never agreed to their marriage and hence, both of them had to call off their relationship.

Zeenat Aman and Imran Khan Imran Khan was popular across the India-Pakistan border and that was proven when he started dating Zeenat Aman. But perhaps because of their nationalities and other differences, they had to part ways.

Ravi Shastri and Amrita Singh Ravi Shastri became the darling of Indian girls after winning an Audi for his superlative performance in the Mini World Cup of 1985.

Amrita Singh too was very popular and they dated for a while.

Unfortunately, this love story did not have a happy ending.

Neena Gupta and Sir Vivian Richards They had a short lived love affair,

Affleck’s sadness n Showtime Desk The latest superhero blockbuster movie hit the big screen this weekend, and as far as comic lovers go, it’s a matchup worthy of the UFC 200.

The legendary dark knight takes the man of steel in the movie where Henry Cavill returns as Clark Kent and Ben Affleck takes his first crack at Bruce Wayne.

Unfortunately, the film, directed

by Zack Snyder, isn’t winning over many critics.

During an interview with Yahoo Movies, Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill were asked about the bad reviews. While Cavill was answering

a question, Affleck’s apparent sad face caught the attention of a YouTube user named Sabconth.

The video, which zooms in on the actor’s gloominess with Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence” playing in the background, quickly went viral, making him the latest meme star on the Internet. With Batman v Superman not seeming to do well, at least critics-wise, it looks like internet trolls are not yet done with making fun of him. However, the movie came roaring out of the gate with its Thursday night previews, bringing in a reported $27.7 million on its way to what is expected to be a $165 million-plus opening weekend. l

but it is accepted by Nina Gupta that her daughter Masaba, who is a well known designer nowadays, is the love-child of her and Sir Vivian Richards. The affair grabbed many headlines in those days, but they both decided not to get married at the end.

Reena Roy and Mohsin Khan An Indian actress eventually got married with a Pakistani cricketer.

Even Mohsin Khan tried his luck in Bollywood by doing a movie here and there, like Saathi and Batwaara . Unfortunately, things did not last too long, as they divorced after only a few years of married life.

Sangeeta Bijlani and Mohammad Azharuddin They met in 1996 when Azhar was at the peak of his career and was one of the most successful captains of India. Although Sangeeta was struggling in Bollywood with only Tridev as a successful film, she was still a top notch model. Azhar had to divorce his wife to marry Sangeeta, and after 14 years of marriage life, they separated in 2010.

Isha Sharvani and Zaheer Khan They had been in a relationship for less than eight years and the marriage bells were finally starting to ring. Suddenly and unexpectedly, Zaheer Khan and Isha Shravni both called off their relationship.

Nagma and Sourav Ganguly It is still not confirmed whether this one was actually an affair or pure media conjecture. Dada was already a successful captain of Indian cricket at the time. There was a story that an Australian player, in order to break Ganguly’s concentration, named Nagma as his girlfriend. As ridiculous as it sounds, none of the parties mentioned ever confirmed these rumours.

Kim Sharma and Yuvraj Singh Yuvraj Sing had been already a popular cricketer of the country and Kim Sharma was just an upcoming actress. Sadly, Yuvraj’s family did not like this closeness and both of them had to end things with no future together in sight.

Geeta Basra and Harbhajan Singh Just like Zaheer and Isha, Geeta Basra and Harbhajan too were nearly married. Harbhajan even got the nod from his mother, whom he respects the most. It seemed however, their relationhip saw more downs than ups, and that was the end of that story.

Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli are back on talking terms. Anushka made a call to Virat recently. The actress had immersed herself in work post-breakup from her cricketer boyfriend. Anushka and Kohli split after differences cropped up between the two. It was alleged that Kohli wanted marriage, while the actress was not prepared. Anushka wanted to focus on the work front as she is currently in her peak, while Virat felt that they were ready to take their relationship to the next level. Now in a days these two are making game- fame warmer than any other couple. l

Indian National Film Awards

Indo-Bangla joint production turns out the best Bangla film n Showtime Desk Shongkhochil, a joint production of Bangladesh and India, has won the award for Best Bangla Film at the Indian National Film Awards.

The announcement came at the ceremony of the 63rd National Film Awards held on Monday, March 28.

The film, directed by Goutam Ghose, received one lakh rupees.

Habibur Rahman Khan and Faridur Reza Sagar from Bangladesh and Prosenjit Chatterjee and Mou Roy Chowdhury from India

have jointly produced the film.

According to Habibur Rahman Khan, if a film gets a censor certificate by December in India, it becomes eligible for consideration at the National Film Awards.

“It feels great to receive an award. I feel very good as it has been chosen as the best film. We hope that people of both Bangladesh and West Bengal will enjoy the film at the theatres,” he said.

The film will be released on April 8, 2016.

The story of the film narrates lives of people living in the border

Hasin bids farewell to media n Showtime Desk Model and actress Hasin Roushan has decided to quit acting for good. The actress who had begun her journey as a star through winning the title of Veet-Channel i Top Model 2011, has announced to end her five-year-long modeling and acting career solely to concentrate on her family life.

Making an official announcement on March 27, the Veet star posted on Facebook: “After today, I will not do any kind of work in the media. This is my personal decision. I want to spend my entire time with my family.”

Reasoning her announcement before the upcoming Eid, which is unexpected for her fans and followers, the actress also stated her desire to not take upon any new venture before Eid, due to the possibility of not being in the country.

Reflecting on her career, Hasin continued: “I raised my career as a child throughout my journey in the media since the past five years.

I know I will feel bad and miss it.

But I had to leave acting someday.”

She also expressed her sincere gratitude to different dailies, TV channels, co-artists, friends, fan- followers, shooting unit, and especially to Channel i, Reckitt Benckiser and I positive.

Bidding farewell to her career, the actress humbly requested everyone to pray for her and her family. After achieving recognition as a model, Hasin made her debut in acting through the tele-drama Amader Chhoto Nadi, in which she acted with popular model Nobel. Hasin also gathered appreciation for acting in Shokal Ahmed’s telefilm Sokha Hey and Norom Roder Om. Alongside her appearance in several drama serial, including Tini Ashben produced by Mosharraf Karim and Dipankar Dipon’s Grand Master, Hasin was also appreciated for her appearance as a model in Nihar Naturals Oil, directed by Amitab Reza.

The Veet star also won the RTV Star Award this year as Best Actress for her performance in the tele-drama Celebrity. l

areas. Some part of the shooting has been done in Satkhira. Prominent actor of West Bengal Prosenjit Chatterjee and Bangladeshi actress Kusum Sikder will be seen in the lead roles. Sanjhbati, Dipankar De, Mamunur Rashid, Shahed Ali, Priyanshu Chatterjee, Riaz Mahmud, and Arindam Shil have been cast among others.

The trailer of Shonkhochil was released on March 13, following one of its tracks “Abar Ashibo Firey” on YouTube.

The song is the musical adaptation of Jibanananda Das’s poem Abar Ashibo Firey. Two Indian singers, Rupankar Bagchi and Antara Chowdhury, have lent voices for the song.

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan won his fourth National award for Piku at the National Film Awards.

Kangana Ranaut had her a second consecutive best actress win at the ceremony, while the top prize went to multilingual Baahubali.

73-year-old Bachchan won the best actor honour for his turn as a hypochondriac father in the road-trip family drama. He previously won the honour for Agneepath, Black and Paa. Ranaut, who turned 29 last week, was declared the winner for her endearing dual turn as Tanu, a troublesome wife and Haryanvi sportsperson Datto in romantic comedy Tanu Weds Manu Returns. l Source: Times of India

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WHAT TO WATCH

Equilibrium HBO 6:30pm In an attempt to end the war and maintain peace, mankind has outlawed the things that trigger emotion.

To uphold the law, a special breed of police is assigned to eliminate all transgressors.

But when the top enforcer misses a dose of an emotionblocking drug, he begins to realise that things are not as they seem.

Cast: Christian Bale, Emily Watson, Taye Diggs, Sean Bean, Angus Macfadyen

Jennifer’s Body Star Movies 7:30pm Jennifer, an arrogant and conceited cheerleader, strangely develops an appetite for human blood.

Soon, Needy sees her male classmates being killed in appalling attacks. It’s up to Needy to get to the bottom of the truth.

Cast: Megan Fox, Amanda Seyfried, Johnny Simmons, Adam Brody, Juan Riedinger

Executive Decision WB 4:10pm A 747 plane is on its way from Athens to Washington DC. Terrorists take over the flight, ostensibly to effect the release of their leader. Intelligence expert David Grant has his own suspicions. He convinces the military that the plane should not be allowed to enter US airspace. Is Grant right or is he unnecessarily hitting the panic button?

Cast: Kurt Russell, Halle Berry, John Leguizamo, Oliver Platt, Joe Morton l

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Pakistan to launch paramilitary crackdown on Islamist militants n Reuters Pakistan will launch a paramilitary crackdown on Islamist militants in Punjab, the country’s richest and most populous province, after an Easter Day bombing killed 70 people in the provincial capital Lahore, officials said yesterday.

Sunday’s suicide bombing on a public park was claimed by the Pakistani Taliban’s Jamaat-ur-Ahrar faction, which once declared loyalty to Islamic State. The group said it was targeting Christians.

The brutality of the attack, Jamaat-ur-Ahrar’s fifth bombing since December, reflects the movement’s attempts to raise its profile among Pakistan’s increasingly fractured Islamist militants.

At least 29 children enjoying an Easter weekend outing were among those killed when the suicide bomber struck in a busy park in the eastern city of Lahore, the power base of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Pakistan is a majority-Muslim state but has a Christian population of more than two million.

At the Vatican in Rome, Pope Francis condemned the attack as “hideous” and demanded that Pakistani authorities protect religious minorities. It was Pakistan’s deadliest attack since the December 2014 massacre of 134 school children at a military-run academy in the city of Peshawar that prompted a government crackdown on Islamist militancy.

Security and government officials told Reuters that the decision had been made to launch a fullscale paramilitary Rangers operation, giving them powers to conduct raids and interrogate suspects in the same way as they have been in the southern city of Karachi for more than two years.

The toll from a suicide blast in Pakistan’s Lahore rose to 70, officials said yesterday, as authorities hunted for the ‘savage inhumans’ behind the attack in a park packed with Christian families celebrating Easter Sunday AFP The move, which has not yet been formally announced, represents the civilian government once again granting special powers to the military in order to fight Islamist militants.

“The technicalities are yet to be worked out. There are some legal issues also with bringing in Rangers, but the military and government are on the same page,” said one senior security official, speaking on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to share details of the plan.

One other military official and two government officials confirmed the decision on condition of anonymity.

Soft Targets

Military spokesman Gen Asim Bajwa said intelligence agencies, the army and Rangers had already launched several raids around Punjab following the attack, arresting an unspecified number of suspects and recovering arms caches.

Prime Minister Sharif toured hospitals full of victims, promising to bring justice.

“Our resolve as a nation and as a government is getting stronger and (the) coward enemy is trying for soft targets,” Sharif said, according to a statement from his office.

Jamaat-ur-Ahrar claimed responsibility for the attack late on

Sunday night and issued a direct challenge to the government.

“The target was Christians,” a faction spokesman, Ehsanullah Ehsan, said. “We want to send this message to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif that we have entered Lahore.”

Rescue services spokeswoman Deeba Shahnaz said at least 29 children, seven women and 34 men were killed and about 340 were wounded, with 25 in serious condition.

Jamaat-ur-Ahrar has claimed responsibility for several big attacks since it split from the main Pakistani Taliban in 2014. l

Nizami to file review petition today n Tribune Report

Condemned war criminal and Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Matiur Rahman Nizami will file a petition seeking review of the Appellate Division verdict that upheld his death sentence. “The review petition will be filed today with the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court against his death sentences, upheld by the

apex court, as all preparations have already been completed,” Nizami’s son Barrister Nazib Momin was quoted as saying by BSS. The apex court on March 15 released the 153-page judgement after its four judges concerned signed the verdict that upheld the Jamaat chief’s death penalty for war crimes.

International Crimes Tribunal issued a death warrant against the

war criminal on the same day.

There is a provision of filing a review petition within 15 days after releasing the full verdict.

Nizami was given the death sentence on October 29, 2014 on four charges and life imprisonment on four other charges. He challenged the verdict at the apex court.

On January 6, the Appellate Division upheld the tribunal’s

sentence for the al-Badr chief for masterminding the killing of intellectuals and his involvement in two incidents of mass murders of over 500 people in Pabna in 1971.

He is the third former minister after Jamaat leader Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid and BNP leader Salauddin Quader Chowdhury to get the death penalty for his notorious role during the war. l

Nasrul: Furnace oil price to be cut in a week n Aminur Rahman Rasel State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid yesterday said the price of furnace oil would be reduced within a week.

“The government has decided to decrease the price of furnace oil used in power plants and industries. The proposed price will be revealed within a week after verification,” he told reporters at the Secretariat.

Nasrul said no decision to reduce the price of petrol, diesel, octane and other fuels had yet been made.

“The government has made a good decision,” Prof Dr Badrul Imam, who teaches geology at Dhaka University, told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday in his reaction to the price reduction decision.

“If the price of furnace oil is reduced, the government does not need to increase the price of electricity as per the proposal of the electricity distribution companies,” he said.

State-run Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) imports furnace oil from 13 international companies.

At present, the BPC imports around 1.2 million tonnes of crude oil and 4.2 million tonnes of refined oil while around 300,000 tonnes of petroleum products are received from different gas fields and private fractionation plants.

Crude oil is processed only in Eastern Refinery limited to produce diesel, petrol, octane, furnace oil and liquefied petroleum gas.

The BPC adjusted oil prices upwards in 2013 when the rate of commodity prices per barrel rose to $122 in the international market. It fixed octane price at Tk99 per litre, petrol at Tk96, diesel at Tk68 and furnace oil at Tk60 at the time.

The state-owned enterprise has been maintaining the same prices although oil prices dropped to less than $40 a barrel globally over the last two years.

A BPC official said the government makes Tk27, Tk26, Tk34 and Tk37 on an average by selling one litre of diesel and furnace oil, kerosene and jet fuel, petrol and Octane respectively.

The last time the price of oil was lowered was in 2008. l

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