31 March, 2016

SECOND EDITION

THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2016

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Chaitra 17, 1422, Jamadius Sani 21, 1437

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Regd No DA 6238, Vol 3, No 345

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

Khaleda faces arrest warrant

n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu A Dhaka court yesterday accepted the charge sheet in Jatrabari arson case and issued arrest warrants against 28 fugitive accused including BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and 27 others.

The accused facing arrest did not secure bail in the case, filed over the petrol bomb attack on a passenger bus during the anti-government movement on January 23 last

year that left a person dead and 27 others injured.

Khaleda is mentioned as abettor in the case.

Four of the arrestees gave statements before magistrates on different dates admitting their involvement in the attack. They said that they had been hired by some central and local unit BNP leaders to carry out the arson attack to create anarchy in the city.

Judge Md Kamrul Hossain Molla of the Dhaka's Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court issued the order after accepting the charge sheet filed under the Special Powers Act against 38 BNP leaders and activists.

The court also discharged 30 other accused including Rafiqul Islam Miah, Selima Rahman, Nazrul Islam and Shirin Sultana following a petition of the investigation officer as the charges brought against them were not found  PAGE 2 COLUMN 3

Jason Roy smashes 78 as England march into final n Reuters, New Delhi

INSIDE

Opening batsman Jason Roy struck a career-best 78 as former champions England stormed into the World T20 final with a seven-wicket romp against New Zealand yesterday.

Electing to field, England staged a strong comeback in the second half of New Zealand’s innings to restrict their opponents to a modest 153 for eight at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in Delhi.

Roy and Alex Hales (20)

then provided a flying start to their reply and Jos Buttler smacked a six to seal semi-final victory with 17 balls to spare.

England, the 2010 champions, now meet the winners of the match between India and West Indies on Sunday.

Roy launched England’s reply in emphatic style, smacking four boundaries off the first over by Corey Anderson.

New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson introduced spinner Mitchell Santner in the fifth over but a breakthrough still proved elusive.

PM for strong road network Sheikh Hasina yesterday said the government wanted to improve the country’s road network.  PAGE 3

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 5

Tonu’s body exhumed The body of slain Comilla Victoria Government College student Sohagi Jahan Tonu was exhumed for a fresh autopsy yesterday, 10 days after she was buried.

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2nd Round

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Saima Wazed to feature in UN World Autism Awareness Day n UNB Chairperson of the National Advisory Committee on Autism in Bangladesh and renowned school psychologist Saima Wazed Hossain has been invited to attend the opening session of the UN to observe the World Autism Awareness Day on April 1.

UN Secretary General Ban Kimoon, Under Secretary General for Communication and Public Information Cristina Gallach, President of the General Assembly Mogens Lykketoft, representatives of the UN member countries and various international organizations will attend the inaugural session, according to a release from Bangladesh Permanent Mission in New York.

The daughter of the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and member of WHO’s Advisory Panel on Mental Health, Saima will be a panelist at one of the five issues titled “Reduce Inequality”, to be discussed during the morning session. l

Myanmar swears in first civilian president n

Reuters, Naypyitaw/Yangon

Members of Aung San Suu Kyi’s victorious National League for Democracy (NLD) were in tears on Wednesday as Myanmar swore in its first president with no military ties in more than half a century.

Htin Kyaw, a close friend and confidant of the Nobel peace prize laureate, was hand-picked by her to run Myanmar’s government because a constitution drafted by the former junta bars the democracy champion from the top office.

In a short address to the chamber, Htin Kyaw reiterated Suu Kyi’s stance on the importance of changing the 2008 charter, which entrenches the military’s powerful position in politics, and called for national reconciliation.

“Our new government will implement national reconciliation, peace in the country, emergence of a constitution that will pave the way to a democratic union, and

MURDERS OF TWO SIBLINGS IN RAMPURA

Detectives likely to bring charge only against mother n Mohammad Jamil Khan The investigation into the murders of two siblings in Rampura of the capital is almost complete, said a source in the DB police.

The DB police in its investigation found mother Mahfuza Malek Jasmine (35) guilty of the murders of her children.

Mahfuza is reportedly suffering from Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), a kind of psychological disease.

The charge sheet will hopefully be submitted in April against Mahfuza. She has already given confessional statement in which she admitted to have killed her children, said the source.

Earlier, 14-year-old Nusrat Jahan Arani and six-year-old Alvi Aman were declared dead at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) after they were taken there unconscious on February 29.

Mahfuza then claimed that the children had fallen asleep after having leftover Chinese food for lunch and did not wake up.

After postmortem examination, doctors said injury marks were found on the children’s necks. The boy also had injury marks on his legs and his sister had eye injuries.

During the interrogation, she told the Rapid Action Battalion

(RAB) that a bout of depression brought on by anxiety about the siblings’ future drove her to murder them.

A high official of the DB police, requesting not to be named, told the Dhaka Tribune that they would give a detailed explanation of Mahfuza’s mental condition and the psychological disorder “Phobia” affects, that led her to kill her own children.

The official involved in the investigation process, said Mahfuza told the interrogation team that her memory betrayed her temporarily while killing her children but when she got back her sense she realised what she had done and tired to save herself from the murder charge.

Although detectives wanted to move ahead with the charge but Dr Ashok Kumar Saha, chairman of the Psychology Department at Jagannath University suggested that if someone is diagnosed with this disorder he or she should be given proper psychological treatment.

Asked about it, Md Nurun Nabi, additional deputy commissioner of the DB police, coordinating the investigation of the sensational murders, said they were almost close to their investigation and hopeful of preparing and submitting the charge sheet by the next April. l

enhance the living standard of the people,” said Htin Kyaw, sporting the NLD’s traditional burnt orange jacket.

“We have the duty to work for the emergence of a constitution that is appropriate for our country and also in accordance with democratic standards.”

NLD lawmakers were emotional at the scale of the achievement after decades of struggle, including years when many of them were jailed or, like Suu Kyi herself, put under house arrest.

Relations between the armed forces and Suu Kyi will define the success of Myanmar’s most significant break from military rule since the army seized power in 1962.

Tension had simmered in the run-up to the November election and as the NLD prepared to take power. Suu Kyi wants to demilitarise Myanmar’s politics but effectively needs the support of the military to do so. The armed forces are

guaranteed three ministries and control a quarter of parliamentary seats - enough to give them a veto over constitutional amendments and potentially limit the scope of Suu Kyi’s reforms.

Suu Kyi is poised to steer the government from within, acting as a super-minister overseeing education, foreign affairs, electric power and energy - and the president’s office.

Myanmar army chief Min Aung Hlaing attended the ceremony.

Hundreds of diplomats and representatives of non-governmental organisations attended the ceremony. Events at the presidential palace and an official dinner were planned to celebrate the occasion.

President Barack Obama, who has visited Myanmar twice and hopes to make its transition to democracy a foreign policy legacy of his presidency, praised Htin Kyaw and the peaceful transfer of power. l

Owners to pay journalists’ taxes n Tribune Report The Supreme Court yesterday upheld a wage board provision that requires newspaper and news agency owners to pay the income taxes of their employees.

The four-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Justice Md Adbul Wahhab Miah issued the verdict after hearing an appeal filed by the government against a High Court rule.

The High Court rule in 1997 scrapped the fourth wage board provision over a petition filed by the owners of the Daily Ittefaq, the Sangbad, the Inqilab, the Khobor and the Azadi.

The state filed a leave-to-appeal against the High Court verdict which was granted on February 2, 2003. The state that year filed a regular appeal which was heard yesterday.

Deputy Attorney General Rashed Jahangir Shuvra said after the verdict the owners are obligated to pay the income tax of their employees. l

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Khaleda faces arrest warrant true during primary investigation.

The judge directed the officerin-charge of Jatrabari police to submit reports before it by April 27 on the execution of the arrest warrants.

The charge sheet was submitted on May 19 last year by DB Sub-Inspector Jahidul Islam, also investigation officer of the case. After a hearing in the case, the court set yesterday for its order.

Over the same incident, DB Sub-Inspector Bashir Ahmed submitted two more charge sheets – one under the Penal Code and another under the Explosive Substances Act – against the same accused on May 6.

Khaleda, a three-time former premier, was issued arrest warrant on February 25 last year in two corruption cases for not appearing in court during the proceedings.

She was present at the court only seven out of 63 dates fixed for trial. The order was not executed as Khaleda later secured bail in the cases.

In the Jatrabari arson case, the 27 other fugitives are Khaleda’s Adviser Khandaker Mahbub Hossain, Special Assistant Shamsur Rahman alias Shimul Biswas, Press Secretary Maruf Kamal Khan, Joint Secretary General Barkatullah Bulu, Mir Abu Jafar Shamsuddin Didar, Mir Sarafat Ali Sapu, Habibunnabi Khan Sohel, Azizul Bari Helal, MA Qaiyum, Latif Commissioner,

former BNP lawmaker Salauddin Ahmed, Tanvir Ahmed Robin, Nabiullah Nabi, Atiquallah, Badal Sarker alias Badal Commissioner, Alamgir Hossain, Haji Md Jahangir, Jamaluddin Shahin, Jakir Hossain Jiku, Sohel Ahmed Khan, Salauddin Ahmed, Sultan Salauddin Tuku, Ishak Sarker, Mir Newaj Ali, Shamim Khan, Md Kamruzzaman and Md Johny.

Five charge sheeted accused – MK Anwar, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed, Amanullah Aman, Selim Bhuiyan, and Rafiqul Islam Masum – are now on bail while five others – Shawkat Mahmood, Parvez Shakib, Md Sohag, Md Liton, and Shahidul Khan – are in jail.

According to the case, at least 28 people suffered burns as two petrol bombs were thrown at a passenger bus by suspected blockaders on January 23 last year. Of the injured, one Nur Alam, 60, died at Dhaka Medical College Hospital on February 1.

A day after the incident, SI Nuruzzaman filed two cases with Jatrabari police against 68 BNP-Jamaat leaders and activists mentioning Khaleda as abettor. The cases were later transferred to the DB police.

While submitting the charge sheet, IO Jahidul Islam appealed to the court for issuing arrest warrants against Khaleda and 27 other accused showing them as fugitives.

He also appealed for discharging 30 others from the case. l

Jason Roy smashes 78 as England march into final Roy took 26 balls to bring up his maiden half-century in Twenty20 internationals as he put on 82 for the first wicket with Hales.

Leg-spinner Ish Sodhi gave the Kiwis hope by removing Roy and captain Eoin Morgan off successive deliveries but Buttler (32 not out) provided the fireworks and Joe Root (27 not out) the composure to fashion an easy win for England.

Earlier, New Zealand cruised to 89 for one after 10 overs before Morgan’s men rallied.

After dangerous opener Martin Guptill fell in the third over, Colin Munro (46) added 74 for the second wicket with Williamson (32) to lay the foundations for a big total.

England, however, applied the brakes with some disciplined bowling and tight fielding.

Anderson made 28 down the order but New Zealand eventually fell well short of the 175 total that looked reachable at the halfway stage.

Ben Stokes (3-26) was the pick of the England bowlers, again showing how good he is in the latter stages of an innings.

Earlier on Wednesday, England’s women lost their semi-final to Australia. l

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PM for strong road network n UNB Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said that the government wanted to improve the country’s road network with a view to accelerating socio-economic development.

“The more the country’s communication network will be developed, the greater change will be there in its socio-economic scenario,” she said after inaugurating part of the ongoing Moghbazar-Mouchak Flyover Project at Officers’ Club in the city.

With the developed communication network, the premier said, the people living in remote areas of the country would be able to take initiatives for the improvement of their lifestyles. “They will be able to engage themselves in various types of activities,” she said.

Earlier, the prime minister inaugurated of the first part of the flyover project from Satrasta to Ramna police station point. She opened the 2.11-km part of the 8.7-km flyover to traffic through unveiling a plaque.

The flyover is being constructed in three parts – from Holy Family Hospital to Tejgaon; Kakrail to Rampura; and Mouchak to Banglamotor.

Hasina said that there should be a government organisation for the communication sector, or else, this sector would be dominated by the private sector. “If we leave the sec-

2.11 kilometre stretch from Satrasta intersection to Holy Family Hospital of the Moghbazar-Mouchak flyover is opened for traffic yesterday after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the first part of the project MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK tor to the private owners, they will increase the fare as per their sweet wish and people will suffer. That is why we have given importance to the railway sector and created a separate ministry for this,” she told the function.

She also criticised the BNP-Jamaat government for planning to abolish the BRTC bus service following the suggestion of a donor agency.

Hasina said that her government had been working hard to improve the waterway communication.

“The government has taken steps to improve communication network with the neighbouring countries as well.”

The premier said that her government, after coming to power in 1996, had taken various projects to ease traffic congestion in the capital, but unfortunately those were not continued by the successive government.

LGRD Minister Khandker Mosharraf Hossain, Saudi Ambassador to Bangladesh Abdullah HM Al-Mutairi and LGRD Secretary

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Abdul Malek also spoke on the occasion.

Shyama Prasad Adhikari, chief engineer of LGED, made a presentation on different aspects of the flyover project, which he said had been implemented as part of the Dhaka Strategic Transport Plan (STP).

The project work, earlier set to be completed by December 2015, started in 2013 instead of the original schedule of 2011. Hasina laid the inauguration stone on February 16, 2013. l

State pushes for speed in Nizami appeal n Ashif Islam Shaon The state petition to the Appellate Division seeking an early date for the hearing of Motiur Rahman Nizami’s review petition against his death sentence will be heard on April 3.

Chamber Judge Mirza Hossain Haider yesterday sent the government petition to the April 3 cause list of the full bench, Deputy Attorney General Ekramul Haque Tutul told reporters.

Condemned war criminal Nizami lodged the review petition on Tuesday challenging the Supreme Court’s verdict that upheld the death penalty on him. In the 70-page petition he prayed to the Appellate Division to acquit him of all charges. The convict has cited 46 grounds.

That day Additional Attorney General Murad-e-Reza told reporters that the state would take steps to have the hearing held soon.

As per the rules, a war crimes convict can file a review petition within 15 days of receiving the full verdict. Nizami filed it a day before the deadline.

If the review petition is rejected, the government may start the process of executing the death sentence given by the International Crimes Tribunal. The convict will get a last chance to live by admitting his guilt and seeking presidential clemency. l

Mirza Fakhrul’s hectic, dramatic day Al-Masum Molla n Mohammad and Md Sanaul Islam Tipu

Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was the BNP’s acting secretary general when he went to the Judge’s Court yesterday morning to attend hearings in three cases filed on charges of vandalism, arson and attempted murder during his party’s anti-government movement last year.

Now facing at least 89 cases, Fakhrul surrendered before the court of Metropolitan Magistrate Md Golam Nabi around 12:10pm and sought bail in the cases.

His counsel Md Sanaullah Miah told the court that Fakhrul’s health condition was not good. “If he gets bail, he will not flee and will also not misuse his bail.”

Sanaullah also said: “My client is respectful to the country’s judiciary.

He appeared before the court as per the Appellate Division order issued on February 29.” On that day, the apex court extended his bail until March 15 in the cases filed with Paltan police.

Around 1pm, the court turned down his petition in two of the cases, apparently frustrating the

pro-BNP lawyers waiting eagerly to greet him with bouquets. The enraged supporters then chanted slogans as they watched the law enforcers taking Fakhrul to the Dhaka Central Jail.

Around the same time, the BNP announced Fakhrul as the party’s secretary general, over five years after serving as the acting secretary general. It is considered as the third highest position in the party.

Ruhul Kabir Rizvi made the announcement at a press briefing from the BNP’s Nayapaltan Headquarters around 12:45pm, 11 days after the sixth national council.

Previously a joint secretary general, Rizvi was made the party’s senior joint secretary general. Rizvi also said that party Chairperson Khaleda Zia had appointed Mizanur Rahman Sinha as its treasurer.

Khaleda and her elder son Tarique Rahman were re-elected as the chairperson and the senior vice-chairman of the party as no one else contested for the posts.

At the council held on March 19, the councillors gave Khaleda the authority to form the full committee.

“The chairperson has appointed some leaders against the posts of national executive committee of the party,” Rizvi said. He then announced the three names and said that the rest of the names would be announced soon.

But Fakhrul, a former state minister, and his party supporters could not enjoy the good news.

His lawyers filed separate re-consideration petitions in the two cases through the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court around 3pm. Metropolitan Magistrate Md Golam Nabi granted the pleas this time.

One of the cases was filed by police on January 4 last year against Fakhrul and 28 others for vandalism and arson attack on a bus in front of Bangabandhu Hawkers Market in Gulistan area.

Another case accuses Fakhrul and 49 others of setting fire to a motorcycle of police Sergeant Md Abu Zafar in Fakirerpool area on January 5. The other case was filed against Fakhrul and 33 others for torching a BRTC bus in Purana Paltan area on January 6.

Fakhrul’s lawyers said the BNP

leader was suffering from several health complications including diabetes. In December last year, he flew to the USA for treatment upon release from jail on bail.

After securing bail in all the three cases yesterday, Fakhrul walked out of jail around 6pm and went to the party’s Gulshan office to meet the chairperson.

Clean image

BNP leaders consider Fakhrul as a gentleman with clean image saying he is capable of handling media and party’s formal activities. But he is criticised within the party for not being a conventional politician like the other senior leaders.

Fakhrul started his political career as a leader of Bangladesh Chhatra Union and then joined a college as a lecturer. He quit job in 1988 and joined the BNP. In 2001, he was elected as a lawmaker from Thakurgaon 1 constituency, and served as the state minister for agriculture, and civil aviation and tourism ministries.

In December 2009, he was appointed as the senior joint sec-

retary general of the party at the fifth national council when Tarique Rahman became the senior vice-chairman of the party.

Fakhrul became the acting secretary general of the party seven days after then secretary general Khandakar Delwar Hossain died on March 16, 2011.

He is the seventh secretary general of the party founded on September 1, 1978.

Former president AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury, now chief of Bikalpadhara Bangladesh, was the founding secretary general of the BNP. He was succeeded by Mustafizur Rahman.

Then KM Obaidur Rahman was appointed as the secretary general but was expelled and replaced

by Abdul Salam Talukder. Salam resigned from his post and Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan was made the secretary general of the BNP. Mannan Bhuiyan was expelled from the party just before Khaleda’s arrest in 2007 during the army-backed caretaker government and Khandakar Delwar Hossain took the charge. l

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‘87% girls sexually harassed by family members’ n Shadma Malik Around 87% of females face sexual harassment by their family members at home, data from Bangladesh Mahila Parishad showed.

The data also showed an increase in the number of rapes.

From January to September 2015, a total of 3,336 women and minor girls were raped and victimised. Also, 158 of the 826 rapes involved gang rape incidents.

During the period, there were 111 cases of attempt to rape and 71 victims died after rape. The number of sexual abuse cases was 27 and that of sexual harassment incidents was 79 while 29 women were victims of acid attack.

Also, 45 women were burned in fire and 17 of them later died. 65 women were kidnapped while there were 61 cases of trafficking of women and minor girls.

A total of 302 women were subjected to torture for dowry and 161 were killed for dowry.

“Our data reveal that some 87% of females are sexually harassed by their own family members at home and this leads to

trauma among the victims. This is why awareness of sexual harassment should be raised from the family and it is the family that has to take a stand against this sort of harassment,” said advocate Maksuda Akther, director of legal advocacy at Bangladesh Mahila Parishad, while addressing a discussion organised by Brac School of Law and Bangladesh Mahila Parishad at Brac University auditorium in the capital yesterday.

“Even though the incidence of sexual harassment by family members is so high, we still do not have a proper definition of sexual harassment.

Only the justice system cannot prevent torture and sexual harassment of women in the long run. We need to change and to amend our existing laws as well,” she said.

Brac School of Law Professor Saira Rahman Khan said the subject of sexuality should be taught at school in detail in addition to amending laws.

Professor Khandakar Shamsuddin Mahmud, dean of Brac School of Law and Bangladesh Mahila Parishad lawyer Dipty Sikder were present at the discussion among others. l

‘Ministries must coordinate against human trafficking’ n Tribune Report Inter-ministerial coordination must be strengthened to combat human trafficking in the country, speakers at a discussion said.

Addressing a conference on “National Plan of Action for Combating Human Trafficking, 2015-2017: From Adoption to Implementation,” the speakers called upon the authorities to issue an official order asking the ministries concerned to ensure the coordination among them.

Different ministry officials and law enforcing agency members joined the event and emphasised on an office order to make the coordination a success.

The speakers underscored the increase of the activities of the counter trafficking com-

mittee at the union level to create awareness among the people to combat the trafficking.

Besides, there is no separate tribunal to deal the trafficking cases while the tribunal for women and children cases is assigned for the job.

The programme’s chief guest Dr Md Mozzamel Hoque Khan, Senior Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs said: “Main causes should be find out to combat the human trafficking.

Without joint efforts between the government offices and partner NGOs combating human trafficking would not be possible.”

“I believe this conference will bring a way out of trafficking.” he also said.

Ministry of Home Affairs hosted the event with technical support from USAID’s BC/ TIP program and IOM. l

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Police charge batons on demonstrating nurses at Shahbagh, 22 injured n Kamrul Hasan

Govt to procure 1.3m tonnes of crude oil this calender year n Tribune Report

Police yesterday charged batons, used water cannons and lobbed tear gas canisters to disperse a group of nurses who were demonstrating at the capital's Shahbagh intersection in demand of seniority-based appointment of nurses under the Public Service Commission.

At least 22 people were injured in the incident and among them, nine were admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Police also detained seven nurses – four male and three female – from the spot.

The incident unfolded when the unemployed nurses created a blockade at the intersection around 10am, halting vehicular movement in the area for several hours which led to massive tailbacks.

The nurses, coming from two associations, took to the street a day after the PSC invited applications for 3,616 senior staff nurse posts to be recruited through examinations.

The protesters claimed that an earlier government announcement stated that it would appoint 10,000 nurses based on seniority under the PSC. When asked, President of Bangladesh Basic Graduate Students Nurses Association Rajib Kumar Biswas said: “We want nurses to be recruited through performance evaluation and seniority.”

Another nurse, who was unemployed, told the Dhaka Tribune

The government has decided to import 1.3 million tonnes of crude oil at a cost of Tk4,399 crore in this calender year.

Imported crude oil from the international market will be refined by the state-owned Eastern Refinery Limited.

The cabinet committee on public purchase yesterday gave its consent to the energy division proposal of importing 1.3 million tonnes of crude oil from Abu Dhubai National Oil Company and Saudi Arabia Oil Company limited.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith presided over the meeting.

After the meeting, Additional Secretary Mustafizur Rahman said the government would import six lakh tonnes of crude oil from Abu Dhubi National Oil Company at a cost of Tk2,133.65 crore.

He also said the rest of the crude oil will be imported from Saudi Arabia Oil Company Limited at a cost of Tk2,265.06 crore.

The additional secretary said the Indian consultant company Engineer's India Limited would be appointed for installation of the Unit -2 Eastern Refinery Limited at a cost of Tk110.61 crore.

The cabinet additional secretary said the supervision work of the project the Padma Bridge Rail Connection would be given to the engineering core of Bangladesh Armed forces as the consultant of the project. l

A police vehicle equipped with water cannons spray hot water to disperse demonstrating nurses at Shahbagh intersection yesterday MEHEDI HASAN that it would be difficult for them to pass if an examination based recruiting system was used as they have been out of studies for long.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police Joint Commissioner (crimes) Krishnapada Roy said that he went to the scene around 12:45pm and requested the nurses to clear the road. In reply, the agitators refused to move and said they would continue their protests until their demand is met, he said adding that police then

When asked about Rina Akhter's claim, Ramna zone Deputy Commissioner Abdul Baten denied the allegation and said it was the nurses who first started attacking the uniformed policemen.

The DC said: “They blocked a very busy road and were not moving despite our repeated requests.

We had no choice but to use force.”

Vehicular movement later resumed around 2pm after the police dispersed the agitating nurses. l

charged batons and lobbed tear gas canisters to disperse them.

President of Bangladesh Diploma Bekar (unemployed) Nurses' Association Rina Akhter told the Dhaka Tribune that: "We were peacefully demonstrating when suddenly police started to spray hot water and lob sound grenades to disperse us.” She also claimed that the female nurses at the demonstration were harassed by the policemen.

Sarah Sewall: Minority communities express concern over ensuring equal protection n Sheikh Shahariar Zaman US Undersecretary of State Sarah Sewall yesterday said minority religious communities expressed their concern over ensuring equal protection under the law.

“So what we heard from today is that whichever minority religious community it is, they will like to get stronger effort from the part of the state and on the part of all citizens to ensure that there is equal enforcement of those protection under the law,” she said after a meeting with minority religious communities at Dhakeshwari Tem-

TEMPERATURE FOREC AST FOR TODAY

ple in the city.

She said: “We discussed the unequal enforcement of the laws and the need for very strong statement from the political leaders and community leaders about the equal rights of all and the need for stronger efforts on the part of state to ensure that there is in fact equal protection under the law for all and there is no culture of impunity for those who engaged in crime of communal violence.”

Sarah said the constitution protects the equality of all religions in Bangladesh.

In the morning she delivered Dhaka

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“These barbaric acts are not just attacks on Bangladeshi people but also your long tradition of openness, religious tolerance and moderation.”

She was of the view that force cannot alone protect all communities from poisonous ideology.

“We also have to prevent the next generation of threat from emerging and that requires bolder and broader approach than military tools.”

Alienation, injustice and intolerance are three factors which push people to violent extremism, she said.

a lecture at the Dhaka University where she talked about violent extremism.

She said violent extremism is new global challenge and terrorism knows no religion as well as no boundaries.

The violent extremists are now using hash tag and other social media to disseminate their hate ideology.

About Bangladesh, she said extremist group JMB terrorised people by attacking movie theatre, political programmes and New Year celebration while in a span of couple of months four bloggers were killed.

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The governments have to govern effectively, transparently and inclusively to combat extremism, she added.

If the governments do their jobs legitimately, violent extremists will have a difficult time, Sewall said.

She, however, said when a government uses fighting against extremism to undermine democracy and rule of law by targeting political opponents, by allowing excessive force or by destroying political space then all these actions can drive people towards extremism.

Sewall arrived in Dhaka Tuesday and scheduled to leave today. 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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THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2016

ULAB Book Fair 2016 comes to end n Tribune Report

The ninth installation of the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) Book Fair 2016, in which 14 publication houses participated, came to a close yesterday.

The two-day long book fair was

held at the ULAB Dhanmondi campus under the banner, “I Read, I Travel, I Become.”

The publication houses that took part are Bangla Academy, The University Press Limited, Bengal Foundation, Shahitya Prokash, Prothoma, Book Worm, Bangladesh

War Museum, Kagoj Prokashani, Nymphea Publication, Society for Human Development, Najrul Institute, BD Cyclist, Bangladesh Tourism Board, and ULAB Publication.

During a visit on the last day of the fair, many students were seen browsing some of the stalls for their

desired titles. A variety of different titles were seen displayed in the stalls.

Zafar Uddin Russel, an attendant at Kagoj Prokashani, said they had received a good response from visitors during the two-day fair.

“We received a much better response on the closing day of the

fair, in comparison to the opening day,” he told the Dhaka Tribune.

The book fair began on Tuesday morning with ULAB vice-chancellor Prof Imran Rahman addressing attendees, who included some distinguished guests. The fair had been open to all from 10am to 7pm everyday. l

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SECOND PHASE UP POLLS TODAY

EC: Arrest culprits of first phase within 15 days UP POLLS

n Adil Sakhawat The Election Commission (EC) has ordered some police officials to launch cases against the people involved in irregularities during the first phase of UP elections and to arrest them within in 15 days.

Besides, the EC warned them of lodging cases against the officials

if they fail to perform the duties as per the order, confirms an official of the commission who requested not to be named.

The commission yesterday made the order in a meeting in which six police officials were summoned in its Secretariat to explain their roles during the past polls.

The six officials are Satkhira Superintendent of Police Chowdhury Monjurul Kabir, Officer-in-Charges (OC) of Satkhira Sadar, Tala, Kolaroa, Syamnagar and Debhata police stations.

The EC received accusations of vote rigging and irregularities in

those upazilas in the first phase of UP elections and the EC compelled to halt voting in 14 centres there.

In the hearing, the officials showed cause that they had taken actions including blank fires to stop the irregularities.

After the three-hour hearing, when the journalists wanted to get opinion from Satkhira SP, he replied: “I have no comments.”

EC Commissioner M Shahnewaz said: “We have summoned those six police officials to know about their statement regarding the irregularities happened in Satkhira.

They have realised their mistakes

and we have also addressed them the abnormalities. They gave commitment of checking the repeat of the irregularities in the future.”

“And the SP is ordered to submit strict charge sheet against the accused also,” M Shahnewaz also said.

Second Phase UP election in 643 unions today The second phase of election in 643 Union Parishads is going to be held today.

According to the electoral code, canvass has already stopped from the first hour of March 29. No candidates is allowed to campaign af-

ter that time.

In the polls, 3,114 chairman aspirants will compete. Of them, 1,559 are political candidates and 1,555 are independent. Some 112,334 voters will exercise their votes in 6,205 polling centres.

A total of 6,799 member aspirants (reserved seats for women) and 23,377 general member aspirants are going to participate in the race.

M Shahnewaz said: “To ensure a free and fair manner in today’s polls the EC will stay with law enforcers in every steps to stop irregularities.” l

Young girl goes missing after fishermen-Coast Guards clash Correspondent, n Our Barguna Fishermen claimed that a young girl had been missing after she was allegedly picked up by the members of the Coast Guards at Tetulbaria, Barguna yesterday morning.

Local sources said a clash had taken place between the members of the Coast Guards and fishermen over netting fries with current nets in the estuary of Bishkhali and Burishewar Rivers in the morning.

Selim Chaukidar, who was a witness of the incident, said when the fishermen were netting fries, a contingent of Coast Guards had gone to spot and tried to seize the current nets. Then, fishermen resisted them and a clash took place between them.

During the clash, members of the Coast Guards assaulted them indiscriminately that left four people critically injured.

The injured are Kodbanu, 45, Jabeda Begum, 35, Rasel, 25, and Fulbanu, 42.

When local people went to the spot hearing screams of

injured people, Coast Guards members picked up widow Jabeda Begum and her niece Asma, 20, on trawler while leaving the place hurriedly.

Later, Jabeda Begum was found at Nidrar Char, three kilometres away from Tetulbaria.

Jabeda Begum said: “I became senseless after Coast Guards members took us on the board. When I got sense, they dropped me at Nidrar Char. I do not know where my niece is.”

Md Shamim, station commander of Fakirhat camp, said fishermen attacked them when they had gone to the spot to recover current nets.

“We charged batons on them to save ourselves from the attack. Jabeda herself boarded on our boat to take her net. Later, we dropped her at Nidrar Char.”

He, however, denied picking up Asma on trawler.

Officer-in-Charge of Taltoli police station told the Dhaka Tribune that police were aware of the matter.

“We rescued the injured people and took them to hospital,” he said. No missing was report in this connection. l

Three of a family killed in road accident n Tribune Report Three members of a family were killed as a human hauler overturned at Darichariakona in Katiadi upazila of the district on early Wednesday.

The deceased were identified as Jonab Ali, 60, his wife Salma, 45, and his daughter Priya, 3, res-

idents of Narayanganj district.

Officer-in-charge of Katiadi Police Station Abdus Salam said the trio was going to Kishoreganj from Comilla riding the human hauler.

When the vehicle reached Darichariakona, it turned turtle around 2am, leaving Ali, Salma and Priya injured. l

Members of Samajtantrik Chhatra Front bring out a procession in Dhaka University yesterday on the occasion of its 4rth council MEHEDI HASAN

DT

8

News

THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2016

UNION PARISHAD ELECTIONS

Fearing widespread violence voters reluctant to cast votes n Our Correspondent, Kushtia

Voters in Kushtia are no more interested to cast votes in the union parishad polls scheduled to be held today at Daulatpur upzila as they apprehending that they would not be able to franchise their democratic rights due to influence of musclemen of the Awami League candidates.

Local sources said many BNP nominated candidates had already withdrew themselves from polling race due to alleged threat of the ruling party men. Many of them have already announced their withdrawal at press conferences.

Candidates who are not contesting in the elections alleged that they could not conduct campaign properly as supporters of Awami League candidates torn out their posters and obstructed their supporters from conducting campaign.

Moklesur Rahman, a voter at Aria union parishad, said to win in the polls, the government had already taken all measures. As rival candidates were come under attacks, they had to withdraw themselves from electoral race.

“We can understand that candidates from the ruling party Awami League will win in the election. So, why should we go to polling cen-

tres taking life risks?,” he said.

Asraf Ali, a resident of Daulatpur union, said it was meaningless to go to the polling stations. “We should not go to polling stations to cast votes to waste our time,” he added.

Mahabul Hossain, a BNP-nominated candidate at Moricha union parishad, told the Dhaka Tribune that activists of the ruling party had forced him to stop campaign.

“We have informed the Election Commission and upzila nirbahi officer about the matter. But the situation is still the same,” he said.

BNP supported candidates at Hoglabaria and Piarpur union parishads Billal Hossain and Johurul

Karim said they unofficially withdrew themselves from the election race fearing widespread violence.

Officer-in-Charge of Daulatpur police station Shahidul Islam Shahin told the Dhaka Tribune that law enforcement agencies would remain zero tolerance over any kind of irregularities. He expressed hope that the union parishad election would be held in peaceful and fair manner.

Daulatpur Upzila Nirbahi Officer Md Taufiqur Rahman they had taken all preparation to hold a free and fair election. Members of law enforcement agencies, including police and BGB, had started patrolling in the union parishad areas. l

The Election Commission will hold polls to 684 union councils across the country today, in the second phase election. The commission has deployed Border Guard Bangladesh personnel to held the poll peacefully. The picture taken yesterday in Jessore town shows the BGB motorcade heading towards the poll centres DHAKA TRIBUNE

Kaliganj OC withdrawn n

Our Correspondent, Gazipur

Mostafizur Rahman, officer-incharge of Kaliganj police station has been withdrawn ahead of upcoming union council election for alleged involvement in influencing the poll.

Sources said chief election commissioner withdrew him Tuesday evening on charge of influencing the election in favour of some candidates.

UP election will be held at seven union councils in the upazila on March 31. Some candidates alleged that the officer tired to influence the election in favour his candidates. The news already about the matter has been published in local newspapers. l

122 stations risky in Manikganj Correspondent, n Our Manikganj A total of 122 poling stations have been declared risky out of 182 in two upazilas of the district in today’s election.

According to election commission sources, the election will be held in 20 union councils in the second phase polls of Daulatpur and Harirampur upazilas where 96 candidates are vying in chairman posts.

At least 2, 37,802 voters will caste their votes at 182 centres where 122 have already been declared risky.

Munir Hossain, the district election commissioner, said in Daulatpur upazila 39 chairman candidates were contesting in eight unions.

There are 74 polling stations. Of them 59 are risky. A total of 1,26,435 voters will caste their votes to elect their candidates. Of them, male voters are 62,322 and female are 64,113.

The upazila election commissioner Jasimuddin said all kinds of steps had been taken for a peaceful election.

On the other-hand, 57 chairman candidates are vying in 12 union councils under Harirampur upazila where 1,11,337 voters will caste their votes in 108 centres. Of them, 53 centres have been declared risky.

The upazila election commissioner Shamsul Haque Fowzder also said: “We have taken all kinds of steps to held the election in peaceful environment.” l

Renegade candidates AL’s main concern n Our Correspondent, Tangail

Six union parishads under Tangail’s Bhuapur upazila are going to polls in the second phase today.

Ruling Awami League candidates are likely to face tough battles against renegade contestants and aspirants from other political parties. Altogether 26 candidates, including that of Jatiya Party’s, are vying for chairman posts.

The Awami League has already expelled the rebels from the party but voters say the move will have little impact on the outcome. The BNP, on the other hand, fears whether the election will be free and fair.

At Arjuna Union, Awami League has nominated incumbent chairman Aiyub Ali Molla. But the un-

ion’s Awami League unit chief Saifuzzaman Khan Tuhin has also joined the fray. BNP candidate Md Nasir Uddin lost the last election to Aiyub by a narrow margin. Locals say this time, there will be hot contest between the two.

The ruling party has pinned hope on Moniruzzaman Monir in Gabsara Union, who won the chairman election last time as a rebel. This time, however, he will be facing off against the party’s renegade contestant Shah Alam Shapla and BNP’s Gabsara unit General Secretary Khandker Akhtaruzzaman.

Jamaat-backed candidate journalist SM Moniruzzaman has also joined the race.

At Falda Union, the Awami League has nominated incumbent chairman Saidul Islam Talukder

Dudu. BNP chose its upazila unit general secretary Selimuzzaman Selu. Mofidul Islam Liton and Akbar Hossain are contesting as rebel Awami League candidates. Voters have hinted at a three-way fight between Dudu, Selu and Akbar.

Gobindasi, billed as the most important union in Bhuapur, will see a bitter fight between Awami League’s Meer Shaheen Hossain Arju, renegade candidate and current chairman Aminul Islam Amin and BNP’s Mostafizur Rahman Babul. The other independent candidate is Abul Kalam Azad.

At Aleya union, Awami League candidate Nurul Islam will have to fight four rebel candidates including current chairman and party’s union unit chief Md Rahij Uddin

Akand, general secretary Md Liton Mia, Mortuza Ali and Waheduzzaman Palash. BNP’s Ariful Islam Rafiq hopes to cash in on the squabbling. Jatiya Party’s Liakat Ali is the other candidate.

BNP candidate incumbent Nikrail Chairman Md Jahangir Mondol is ahead of the curve. He will fight Awami League’s Matin Sarkar and rebel candidate former chairmen Motaleb Sarkar. Jamaat-backed Shamim Al Mamun is also contesting the polls.

Altogether 59 women are vying for the reserved seats while 180 others are contesting for general posts.

There are 123,017 voters in the six unions. Upazila Election Officer Md Rafiqul Islam has hoped the election will be a free and fair one. l

9

DT

Feature

THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2016

‘I’m living my dream’ Saurabh Varma, CEO, South Asia, Leo Burnett shares his thoughts on advertising, the industry and much more

PHOTO: MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

n Baizid Haque Joarder Did you ever think you’d be where you are today?

No! When I left MICA, which is one of the best colleges for advertising and communication, I used to make 10 thousand Indian rupees a month. I recall putting down a plan, like how we all make plans as youngsters, that in year two, I should be able to make double and in three, triple. Honestly, I have a great sense of gratitude that the plan turned out to be much better than I ever expected. It’s really a function of loving what you do. Every morning I get up with a great sense of gratitude that I have been given this incredible opportunity to have fun which a lot of people take for work.

They say advertisement is nothing but a trick to make consumers buy what they don’t need. Do you agree?

(Chuckles) You know, the truth is, advertisement kills a bad product quicker. If you don’t have a good product that is not relevant to human beings, advertisement cannot help you. However, if you have a great product which does make a difference in the lives of human beings, ads and communication can play a role in making it desirable.

One ad campaign you wish you could be part of?

I have been working in this industry for over 18 years, and this is that one idea which makes

all those years seem worth it. We recently launched something which is absolutely spectacular.

We took India’s first and largest battleship, an aircraft carrier named the INS Vikrant, which was being sold as scrap by the Indian government. We recycled it and created a new line of bikes for Bajaj, which is one of the biggest launches in the history of the automobile company. This is one of those ideas which I feel is human, has a great sense of pride as far as Indians are concerned, and also does great business for clients. This is an idea which I wish I was part of, and thankfully, I am. So you can say that I’m living my dream!

Advertising - is it about that “eureka” moment or a matter of rigorous and robust exercises which lead to success?

There are two parts to this question that I would like to address; one is the “eureka” moment when an idea hits you.

If you ask me, that’s a gift which doesn’t come easy. The gift comes from forming connections and comes from understanding life that happens around you everyday, understanding how society and culture is changing.

It comes from being extremely curious and from reading extensively. It comes from living life to the fullest. It comes from stepping out and observing life and connecting the dots. As you start practising it, you get better at it. It’s a gift but we need to work

at it.

Can you compare and contrast the opportunities and challenges in the industries between the countries in this region?

In my mind the opportunities and the challenges will be very similar.

Our cultures are very similar, we have too many people, too less resources; there’s great scarcity.

We have similar demographic challenges and opportunities as well. What I am excited about is that, life is about generations, and every generation is of three years and I feel that Bangladesh will skip a few of these generations evolving very quickly. It won’t take as much time as it would have normally taken because of the connectedness that we all currently enjoy. I believe that you will see work from Bangladesh that is competitive on the global platform; the quality of the work will be of international standard.

I think this is a great opportunity for the Bangladeshi market and for the talent here to grow.

Is there any space for ethics and values in advertising?

I think there’s space for ethics and values in every organisation but there’s a big caveat. One of the things I realised early on is that the opposite of a great truth is not a great lie, and is often another great truth. It depends on the function of perspective, the function of context and often we forget that.

In principle, Leo Burnett is a humankind agency and our belief

is that we need to understand people’s needs and desires and find purpose for our brands to make them seem relevant. When your brands have a great sense of purpose, you don’t only attract customers, you attract believers and that’s really what we believe in.

Would you say no to working on ads for Fair and Lovely, or even oil companies if they became your clients?

Why would I say no? I think the reality is that, the cultural fuel shapes brands. If you look at Unilever, which is an incredible company, their brand Dove stands for real beauty. One of the reasons they launched this campaign on the concept of real beauty is because, they noticed that everyone wanted a certain kind of a body and this acts as an additional pressure for young girls to conform to this body type.

If Fair and Lovely is no longer relevant to human beings, people will stop using it. I don’t think an advertising agency or any human being has a right to sit in judgement of what people want and how they should live their life.

What are the major challenges that you have faced/are facing in this sector?

At the moment we are going through seismic shifts as an agency. We, as an industry, love sharing profound theories with our clients on how they should change, however we are very bad

at changing ourselves. We have the same structures that have been existing for the last 50 years.

We still have copywriters, art directors, the same labels which mean that nothing has really changed in our world for all these years! If we don’t change, we wont have the right to exist. There’s great change that has been thrust at us, if you ask me what we are trying to achieve with Leo Burnett across the world, we are trying to drive that change for ourselves, which is very exciting and challenging at the same time.

Is Mad Men really how the advertisement industry used to be?

Yes! It is actually how it used to be, but I think my creative partner is the Don Draper in this context, and I like to think of myself as Harvey Specter from Suits!

Any words of advice for those who aspire to make it big in advertising?

Continuously benchmark yourself against the best. Find a guru who has the ability to teach you. I have had the opportunity to work with some incredible bosses who have helped shape my thinking.

Be incredibly curious. And as for awards, remember that everything you have won in the previous years mean nothing. Every year you want to start off at zero as you are only as good as your last piece of work, and that’s how I perceive work everyday. l

DT

10

Feature

THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2016

5 things Matt

Preston tried on his first day in Dhaka n N Anita Amreen Matt Preston took social media by storm last weekend as he embarked on a culinary journey through our very own legendary Old Dhaka. Arriving in Dhaka last week to promote Rivoli, a local, recently launched premium cookie brand, the Masterchef judge was all smiles as he walked through Le Meridian’s lobby at 8:30am. Followed by his manager Henrie Stride, he was quickly introduced to his entourage for the day – comedian Naveed Mahbub who was to be his host through the day, a video shooting team, representatives from Adcomm, and a team of journalists from Tribune.

Tilat Khayer, the leading lady behind his slicked back hair and make-up, followed suit, stating that Matt was incredibly easy to please, with only one thing he’s picky about – his hair. “I just don’t

like it if it falls in front of my face like a veil,” he laughed.

Standing tall at six feet four inches, the Masterchef judge was a sight to behold – not so much for his powerful gait and larger than life aura, but rather, his beaming smile and giant teddy bear like persona. Dressed not in his quintessential suit, Preston walked out in white dress shorts, an untucked casual navy shirt and rubber Chelsea boots. And of course, it was all brought to a stylish finish with the classic Mattesque cravat – bright and lively.

Matt’s Friday excursions ranged from spontaneous indulgences in everything from Mr Twist to Old Dhaka’s bakarkhani while walking through some of Dhaka’s heritage sites. Starting off with a long ride to Shadarghat, the entourage then made their way to Ahsan Manzil, followed by Lalbagh Fort, a brief trip to BAFA (Bangladesh Academy of Fine Arts) and finally wound their way to Dhaka Club for a break and lunch and then TSC for tea.

Deem-porota roll

The first taste of street food Matt Preston had, came from a small roadside stall at Simson Road, Shadarghat. Cafe Al-Amin had the early morning regulars – deemporota and morning “nashta.”

Strolling out of Shadarghat shipping area Matt stopped to peer at the balls of greasy dough being slapped onto a giant tawa, Matt’s gaze was affixed. Instantly recognising the “tawa,” one deem roll was ordered. As the egg was

PHOTOS: MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

quickly beaten with onions and chillis in a cup, it was slashed on the centre, fried and folded to finally be stacked on top of the freshly fried porota. “Genius!” he exclaimed. Inquiring about whether it’s an Asian thing to add chillies to the egg, Matt quickly tore off the newspaper it was wrapped in, going for one large bite. His face broke into an instant smile, hands making the okay sign, mouth full with satisfaction.

Mr Twist

As we waited outside Ahsan Manzil, the entourage stood next to a small roadside shop that had several chips vertically lined.

Naveed mentioned Mr Twist and how it has been a childhood favourite in our country. “Spanish tomato flavour? Is that a big flavour here?”Matt inquired, before being handed a pack. “I like how you shake the pack and you can just hear the sound,” he said.

Ripping the pack open he took a quick bite, smiling in approval before sharing the pack with Henrie. Mr Twist, too, won his approval. “I actually love it!”

Beef shawarma

As we stood outside Lalbagh Fort, Matt looked towards Shawarma House, snapping a photo to share with Gary. Once inside the fort, he noticed DT’s reporter carrying takeaway from the place. When offered to try, he readily agreed, full of childlike excitement.

“It would be far less of a dish if it didn't have the creaminess of the mayo, and the coolness of the cucumber. It wouldn't be as refreshing and it reminds you why it's so important to try not to do too much, but to focus on one thing.”

Bakarkhani

Probably one of Matt’s favourites from his food exursions, he instantly fell in love with freshly made bakarkhani. Warm out of the oven, Matt spent quite a bit of time marvelling at it, and even snapping his own pictures to share later. He found the bakarkhani delicious and made a pledge to later share the photos with his friends.

Kaachki maach/chingri bhorta/bhindi

While Matt’s love affair with the

bakarkhani was legendary, a few other dishes he really enjoyed were the bhortas at lunch. Stopping at Dhaka Club for a typical Bengali lunch, Matt was served everything from smoked hilsha, beef sheek kebab, naan, and rice to an assortment of bhortas. He especially loved the chingri bhorta and the kick of the mustard oil.

“Bhindi – like Ladyfinger? I love that,” before helping himself to another round of bhindi bhaaji and more bhorta. What really got his attention, though, wasn’t the daal or the bhorta, but rather the kaachki maachh. The size of the fish had him gushing over the dish, finding it so cute that he couldn’t put a pause on his meal and snap a photo on his iPhone. “It’s almost like one of them’s saying, set me free, I’m going back to the river,” he exclaimed, leaving the entire table erupting in laughter. Finally, once the meal came to a close, he talked about how it’s a “sensible idea” to fall asleep after lunch. “George and myself can fall asleep anytime. A quick lunch and a 45 minute sleep – perfect! George and I do that all the time!” l

DT

Editorial 11

THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2016

INSIDE

Humanistanbul: World Humanitarian Summit At this critical juncture, Istanbul will host the first ever UN World Humanitarian Summit on May 23-24 2016. The choice of Turkey as host was hardly coincidental. It constitutes a timely recognition of the successful humanitarian diplomacy that we have been conducting

BIGSTOCK

PAGE 12

Manipulating Rampal Both the Rampal and Orion plants are critical projects, and to have a clear view of the devastating impacts of them, simply visiting the site area is hardly sufficient PAGE 13

Civil-military coordination in disaster response benefits all Co-ordination also prevents duplication of efforts and the waste of life-saving time and money 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.

Make all aid transparent and accountable

S

peakers at a climate finance conference have expressed concerns about a lack of transparency in the granting and spending of funds for climate change projects.

The meeting organised by Transparency International was attended by many of the leading organisations and donors involved in climate-related projects in Bangladesh.

Participants called for precautionary action worldwide after noting that many irregularities have come to light in the disbursement of climate funds and management of projects.

The need to improve accountability applies across all levels. Strong concerns were also raised about double counting in announcements by major donors, meaning that developed nations pledges to give $10.3 billion to the Green Climate Fund are far from met.

It goes without saying that aid funds need to be fully accounted for to prevent money being misused or wasted, not least because it can lead to funds being cut, making it even harder for commitments to be met.

The best way to address these problems is for all donors and stakeholders to move towards complete transparency of aid expenditure.

This should apply across all types of aid project and build upon systems such as the Bangladesh Aid Information Management System website maintained by the ERD and DFID’s Development tracker portal.

Currently such websites provide overall budget figures and breakdowns of project frameworks. These should go further to provide a more detailed breakdown of how and where project monies are spent.

These are public monies. There is no reason why amounts given including to private firms and consultants, based both here and overseas, who are responsible for managing flows of funds, should not be publicly disclosed.

Such disclosure would not only help improve monitoring and make it easier for funds to be held accountable by beneficiaries. It would also benefit governments and tax-payers both in Bangladesh and overseas to locate and track specific projects, and help ensure proper accountability.

Increase disclosure to make it easier for beneficiaries and tax-payers to hold expenditure accountable

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DT

Opinion

THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2016

Humanistanbul: World Humanitarian Summit Humanitarian efforts should seek to treat the disease, not just relieve symptoms

n Mevlüt ÇavuÐoÐlu

D

espite worldwide shock and indignation, it looks like little Aylan Kurdi’s tragic death last summer changed little. This is a sad but brutal comment on our collective humanity, if such a thing still exists.

The power of images and social media, so effective for celebrity purposes, seems to have fallen flat on its face in mobilising assistance to those less fortunate. Indeed, since Aylan’s death six months ago, countless more innocents -- men, women, and children -have died completely preventable deaths.

It is true that we are faced with major humanitarian crises, unlike anything since the last World War. But, there can be no excuse for the global indifference on display.

While major natural disasters continue to be a significant cause of death and displacement, what is most alarming today is that a great majority of humanitarian crises are conflict-related and of a recurrent or protracted nature. Nowhere is this more apparent than in Syria, where a mass murderer has, with outside help, targeted his own people indiscriminately and with impunity.

Beyond Syria, whether in the Middle East, Asia, Africa or elsewhere, humanitarian crises are transcending borders. Today, 125 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance around the globe. The number of displaced persons, 60 million, has almost doubled in just a decade.

These numbers stand as testament to the human suffering caused by the growing complexity of humanitarian crises, our inability and unwillingness to tackle them, and the widening financial gap between increasing needs and limited resources.

Something has to be done and Turkey is leading the way, not only in terms of setting an example, but also in working to galvanise the international community towards action.

Today, while a major humanitarian donor, Turkey also hosts the largest refugee population -- 2.7 million and counting -- in the world. This is largely due to the war in Syria.

Providing shelter and vital services such as free health care, schooling,

Let Aylan’s image remind us of how we must always protect the innocent and vocational training for these refugees is a major financial burden that Turkey has had to assume largely on its own.

But our humanitarian diplomacy is not limited to our immediate region. Having received vulnerable persons, irrespective of race, religion, or ethnicity as far back as in the late 15th century, Turkey today is responding to all manner of humanitarian crises from Haiti to Nepal, Guinea to Somalia, and the Sahel to Indonesia.

Our humanitarian efforts seek not only to relieve symptoms, but also to treat the disease.

This holistic approach covers humanitarian and development assistance, but also seeks to address the root causes and push factors of humanitarian crises. This approach is demanddriven, and can best be seen in the countries of the Sahel or in Somalia, where Turkey has pursued an integrated policy conducted with a multi stakeholder approach.

It has combined official aid with the active involvement of the business sector and civil society, and has managed to dramatically improve countless lives.

While individual efforts like these of Turkey are crucial, the

REUTERS

At this critical juncture, Istanbul will host the first ever UN World Humanitarian Summit on May 23-24 2016. The choice of Turkey as host was hardly coincidental. It constitutes a timely recognition of the successful humanitarian diplomacy that we have been conducting

international humanitarian system is being deprived of available funds, and the clock is ticking for those affected by the many crises we are witnessing globally. There are simply too many lives at stake, and inaction is not an option.

At this critical juncture, Istanbul will host the first ever UN World Humanitarian Summit on May 23-24 2016.

The choice of Turkey as host was hardly coincidental. It constitutes a timely recognition of the successful humanitarian diplomacy that we have been conducting.

The World Humanitarian Summit will provide a vital platform to address the challenges burdening the humanitarian system. In addition to such issues as responding

to recurrent/protracted crises and waves of displacement, other pressing issues such as ensuring sustainable, reliable, and predictable humanitarian financing will be examined.

Other questions such as what innovative methods could be used, or how to promote localised humanitarian responses through more tailor-made and userfriendly approaches, as well as the question of dignity and safety in humanitarian action, will be addressed at the summit.

The World Humanitarian Summit will be an occasion for all the nations of the world and their leaders to take action while millions stand on the brink of life and death. As I remember first seeing Aylan’s image, I recall the overwhelming grief that came over

me thinking about how alone and without protection he was as an innocent toddler.

I would like to believe that we learnt something from that image and that we do not need more images like this to compel us into action.

We are all responsible for what happens next to those vulnerable persons looking to us for help.

Istanbul is an opportunity to step up and shoulder that responsibility.

I am calling on all leaders of the world to come to Istanbul for the UN Humanitarian Summit and to work with us to find solutions for those who desperately need humanitarian assistance. l Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu is Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Turkey.

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DT

Opinion

THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2016

Manipulating Rampal UNESCO should be allowed to impartially assess the impact of the Rampal power plant. The following is a statement made by the authors on the UNESCO team’s visit to Bangladesh

Is there no one to protect the Sundarbans?

REUTERS

Muhammad and Sheikh n Anu Muhammad Shaheedullah

O

n March 22, a threemember UNESCO team arrived in Bangladesh.

Their task was to inspect the impact of the Rampal power plant, and of the recent oil spill and coal disaster in the rivers on the “World Heritage status” of the Sundarbans.

Since 2013, UNESCO has played an important role in highlighting the flaws and gaps in the EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) report related to the construction of Rampal and Orion coal-fired power plants adjacent to the Sundarbans, along with other pollutant-producing establishments.

They have also expressed their deep concern over the passage of ships, the issue of cargo/ vessel transportation through the Sundarbans area. This concern was expressed by multiple letters to the government by this United Nations organisation.

However, the lack of satisfactory answers from the government ultimately led UNESCO at its 29th session last year to decide to send a “reactive monitoring” mission in conjunction with World Heritage Centre and IUCN. The March 2016 mission came to Bangladesh as part of this decision. It should be noted that reactive monitoring is often initiated as the first step towards declaring a site fit for inclusion, or for removing that site from the World Heritage list.

Since the role of the Bangladesh government is primary in establishing the Rampal and Orion power plants next to the Sundarbans, and since their

Both the Rampal and Orion plants are critical projects, and to have a clear view of the devastating impacts of them, simply visiting the site area is hardly sufficient. We believe that it was vital to hear the views and the counter-arguments of those who have been part of the on-going movement, involved in extensive research, and have written with logic and evidence

various steps and explanations were dissatisfactory, we naturally expected the UNESCO mission to meet with local residents, independent environmental experts, and those who have been active in demanding an immediate halt to Rampal, Orion, and other Sundarbans-destroying activities.

But we noted with dismay that from March 22 to March 28, the UNESCO team’s visit was entirely controlled by the government and the company lobbyists that have themselves been the main accused in all activities leading to the destruction of the Sundarbans.

It is important to note that the UNESCO team visited the project area, the interior of the Sundarbans, and sites of various recent toxic spills while accompanied and guided by the people appointed by the government. They have spoken only with leaders and workers of the ruling Awami League, and not with any local residents or affected families.

They have met with and listened to the explanations of the employees of various government ministries, and the officials of the Rampal power plant.

But the UNESCO team has not

exchanged views with anyone in opposition to the Rampal and Orion projects, or they were not allowed access to exchange such views.

We are aware that on March 22, the UNESCO mission has met the officials of the Department of Forest and Environment.

On March 23, they visited the Rampal plant site area and exchanged views with the officials of the plant, the UNO, and the chairperson of the Union Council.

On March 24 and 25, they had dinner with the officials of the Mongla port authority.

On March 26, they returned to Dhaka via Jessore airport. On March 27, they attended a meeting accompanied by various officials of the Department of Forest and Environment.

On March 28, they attended another meeting accompanied by the Bangladesh representatives of IUCN, and bureaucrats and officials of DOFE, The Power Cell, Ministry of Water Transport, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Cultural Ministry. We are also aware of the fact that the Power Cell presented a power point presentation in the meeting.

We would like to stress on the

point that the persons or groups who have been presented to the mission as “local representatives” of the site area are active members of the ruling party. No person or group involved in the anti-Rampal struggle was communicated with.

The members of the Rampal Bhumi Rokkha Sangram Committee, who led the anti-plant movement along with the affected people of the site area, were not invited over any of the discussion which took place in the area.

The local representatives of the National Committee were not invited either. The independent experts and researchers who have conducted long-term research on the impacts of both the plants and the oil spill were also not communicated with. Instead, we observed with grave concern that the “experts” who accompanied the UNESCO team are actually known to be closely associated with the government, and merely paid lip service during the last oil spill.

Both the Rampal and Orion plants are critical projects, and to have a clear view of the devastating impacts of them, simply visiting the site area is hardly sufficient.

We believe that it was vital to hear the views and the counterarguments of those who have been part of the on-going movement, involved in extensive research, and have written with logic and evidence.

The way the mission was controlled, the way the members of the mission were closely surrounded by the government officials, and the way they have been made obligated to hear only the government’s view about the plant, it is by now clear to us that the declared mission which aimed to assess the impact of the plants and the accidents, failed to operate independently.

We condemn the government’s recent attempts of controlling and manipulating the UNESCO mission. We hope that UNESCO, as an institution of the United Nations, will not be misled with such an attempt of the government or of any other private entity or vested interest group.

We hope the mission would seriously review the range of reports and research published by the National Committee and independent researchers and experts on the possibilities and the Rampal and Orion plant, and the impact of the coal/oil vessel sink in the Sundarbans area.

The people of Bangladesh expect UNESCO to work as an independent entity and to play a vital role in protecting the world’s largest mangrove forest and its rich bio-diversity. l Anu Muhammad is Member-Secretary, National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power, and Port.

He is also a Professor of Economics at Jahangirnagar University. Sheikh Muhammad Shaheedullah is an Engineer and National Committee Convener.

14

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Opinion

THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2016

Civil-military co-ordination in disaster response benefits all Civil-military co-ordination can save lives before, during, and after disaster becomes a reality

n Col Joseph Martin

L

ast year, the Asia Pacific region continued to be the most disaster-prone region in the world.

Severe flooding affected India, Indonesia, and Japan, while the Nepal earthquake devastated Kathmandu.

Experts warn that climate change will cause cyclones, epidemics, and severe flooding, which will plague the region with increasing intensity. What these disasters continue to teach us is that international partnerships and civil-military co-operation are more important than ever.

After Cyclone Marian swept across Bangladesh in 1991, the United States proudly assisted the Bangladeshi government-led response effort. Never before had the world seen such a swift and inclusive civil-military response to a disaster as Operation Sea Angel, which to this day remains one of the world’s largest civil-military disaster relief efforts.

As Operation Sea Angel’s US commander Lt Gen Henry Stackpole stated in 1991, the

the US Agency for International Development, Feed the Children, UNICEF, and countless others remained in Bangladesh to aid recovery long after the military departed. In fact, the efficiency and synchronisation of the civilmilitary co-operation during Operation Sea Angel was so groundbreaking that in 2011, William Milam, US Ambassador to Bangladesh from 1990-1993, said: “The co-operative model we put together for Sea Angel is a model that the military and the civilian side of our government have been using ever since.”

Bangladesh remains a model for many other reasons. Despite the vulnerability of Bangladesh to cyclones and other natural disasters, the country has made significant progress in improving its disaster preparedness.

Moreover, the country stands as a regional example of the courageous progress that can be made by a nation, and time-tested civil-military relationships stand ready to support the government if they need assistance.

These ties were again tested in 2007, when Cyclone Sidr ravished

Co-ordination also prevents duplication of efforts and the waste of life-saving time and money. Finally, it promotes the timely flow of information from the host nation government down to assisting state units and agencies and ultimately, to the people in the different communities The civil-military response to Cyclone Marian in 1991 was one the swiftest relief efforts the world has seen Bangladeshi government had ample supplies stockpiled in preparation for the disaster; the challenge was distributing them to isolated areas and islands cut off from the mainland.

With the aid of Bangladeshi military and civilian agencies, non-governmental organisations, and military forces from the US and other partner nations, relief supplies reached the most vulnerable populations in a timely and efficient manner.

Additionally, organisations like

Bangladesh. However, this time, the capacity and capabilities built within government agencies since 1991 dramatically reduced the devastation and loss of life.

It is with these ever-present disasters in mind that my staff and I strive to maintain our strong partnership with the civil-military community in Bangladesh.

The inclusion of organisations like the US Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the United Nations

Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs, and the World Food Program in bilateral US-Bangladesh military exercises bring the unique skills and expertise of each of these organisations to the table, and help promote vital co-ordination needed in the aftermath of a disaster.

Close co-ordination between civilian and military communities is essential for numerous reasons.

First, it speeds response and recovery by utilising the best and

most appropriate assets where they will do the most good. This allows relief personnel to reach devastated, remote locations with assets like helicopters tailored to the task, while other resources are used in more accessible areas.

Co-ordination also prevents duplication of efforts and the waste of life-saving time and money. Finally, it promotes the timely flow of information from the host nation government down to assisting state units and agencies and ultimately,

to the people in the different communities.

All of these components add up to one outcome -- lives saved.

That is why, as we move into an uncertain future of stronger and more frequent disasters, civilmilitary co-ordination prior to a disaster has become ever more critical. It saves lives before, during, and after a disaster becomes a reality. l Col Joseph Martin is Director, Centre for Excellence in Disaster Management.

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Business 15

THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2016

INSIDE Businessmen concerned over misuse of duty-free bond facility Business leaders yesterday raised concern over misuse of bonded warehouse facility hitting small traders hard, besides creating a huge revenue loss for the government. PAGE 16

ADB: China overcapacity darkens Asia’s 2016 growth prospects Huge industrial overcapacity in China will drag on both the country’s and the region’s growth this year, the Asian Development Bank said yesterday, cutting its forecast for the world’s second-largest economy. PAGE 17

ADB keeps Bangladesh’s growth forecast unchanged at 6.7% in FY16 n Tribune Report The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has kept its economic growth forecast for Bangladesh unchanged at 6.7% for the current financial year.

ADB, however, sees that the main challenge is to promote private investment, as despite a very favourable macroeconomic performance and political calm prevailing since the second quarter of 2015, investor confidence remains subdued.

“The growth is expected to inch up in FY16, underpinned by stronger garment exports and rising private consumption as the government employees get wage increases,” said ADB in its Asian Development Outlook 2016, an annual flagship publication released yesterday.

Sticking to the earlier growth projection made in ADB’s economic update report for the Asian countries in September last year, it said domestic political calm is seen as building confidence in consumers, investors, thus supporting growth momentum.

In contrast, the ADB’s latest

ADB PROJECTION ON SELECTED ECONOMIC INDICATORS (%)

Indicators

FY16

6.7 6.2 Export 8 Import 9 Remittance 5 Agriculture 3.2 Services 5.9 Industry 9.8 GDP

Inflation

FY17

6.9 6.5 9 11 7 3.4 6.1 10

GDP projection is lower than the government’s revised target of 7% growth and higher than the World Bank’s projection of 6.5% for this fiscal year.

“Bangladesh’s short-term economic outlook remains broadly positive,” said ADB Country Director Kazuhiko Higuchi while launching the report at its Dhaka office.

“The higher growth will be driven by ready-made garment export and a resilient domestic consumption. Growth is likely to be reasonably broad-based with a stronger performance by manufacturing.”

The Asian Development Bank

said the growth is expected to rise to 6.9% in FY17, aided by higher remittance and export growth as the US and the euro-area economies strengthen.

Principal country specialist of ADB’s Bangladesh Office, Mohammed Parvez Imdad, presented the Bangladesh chapter report at the report launching programme.

Inflation is seen to moderate slightly in FY16 to average 6.2% despite an increase in public sector wages early in the fiscal year, it added.

Although nonfood inflation is on the rise, driven by higher wages and upward adjustments to administered prices of natural gas and electricity, continuing low food inflation will keep overall inflation in check, it said.

With a stable political environment, export growth is expected to be 8% in FY16, markedly better than the 3.3% recorded in FY15, ADB said, adding that the export growth is projected to accelerate further to 9% in FY17.

“Though export growth is forecasted to rise, it will be partly offset by slackening consumer demand caused by a slow remittance

growth.”

ADB said imports rose by 7% in July–December 2015 as higher imports of chemicals, crude oil, pharmaceuticals, and raw materials for the garment industry were only partly offset by declining imports of food grains, sugar, fertilizer and capital equipment.

Imports are expected to pick up in the second half to grow by 9% in FY16 and 11% in FY17.

ADB recommends that retail fuel prices be lowered if international prices fall further and all past liabilities of BPC be duly paid.

Revenue collection in Bangladesh is low even compared with other South Asian economies and must be markedly improved to provide resources for investment in infrastructure and social development, it said.

ADB said operationlising the new value-added tax is an essential first step toward significantly better revenue mobilisation.

Likewise rationalizing energy and power subsidies is essential to improve fiscal flexibility. Institutional capacity needs to be strengthened with a sharper focus on project implementation l

Investors tiptoe back into emerging markets as storm clouds linger

FY17 budget likely to be placed on June 2

Emerging markets may well appear cheap again after years of attrition, but there’s considerable trepidation about venturing back out to the developing world until the financial and political storms have finally lifted. PAGE 18

The national budget for the fiscal year 2016-17 is likely to be placed at the parliament on June 2, this year.

According to officials, the budget will focus mainly on two major revenue related issues- expansion of the tax base and implementation of the new Value Added Tax and Supplementary Duty Act 2012.

“The budget is likely to be placed in parliament on June 2,” NBR Senior Member Farid Uddin told a pre-budget meeting held in the city yesterday.

He also said the budget of the next year will be extremely important for implementation of new VAT act.

Although only three months left, the government and the business are still in disagreement over some provisions of implementation of the new VAT law.

With introduction of the law, which will come into effect from July 1, 2016, all procedures of VAT payment will go online and all levels of business have to pay a unique and a flat VAT rate at 15%.

Capital market snapshot: Wednesday DSE Broad Index

4,335.3

0.5% ▲

Index

1,051.2

0.5% ▲

30 Index

1,645.1

0.8% ▲

Turnover in Mn Tk

3,854.4

27.2% ▲

Turnover in Mn Vol

104.3

21.6% ▲

All Share Index 13,357.8

0.4% ▲

30 Index

0.5% ▲

CSE

Selected Index

11,991.0 8,110.8

0.4% ▲

Turnover in Mn Tk

228.5

14.0% ▲

Turnover in Mn Vol

8.2

13.1% ▲

n Syed Samiul Basher Anik

The new act will have no provisions for package VAT or truncated value-based VAT system.

Business, including the leading chambers is mostly disagreeing with the government on collection of uniform 15% VAT rate from the traders.

NBR officials said the government could not wait more for an ideal situation as all the laws in the country, including the existing Value Added Tax Act 1991, starts like trial and error basis and come to a shape gradually.

The implementation of the new act is a political decision and it will not change, said an NBR top official.

“However, the core challenge for this radical shift will be lack of training and orientation for the stakeholders, mostly businesses,” he added.

Describing on another vision, officials said: “The budget may have indication on how to expand the tax base by catching potential taxpayers.”

Currently, there are around 17 lakh TIN holders, out of 16 crore people in the country. Among

them, nearly 12 lakh submit their income tax returns.

The government has a target to raise the number of active taxpayers to 30 lakh in next four years as the present government completes its office.

Prior to the budget, the National Board of Revenue and FBCCI will jointly organise 37th NBR-Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) Consultative Committee Meeting on April 28.

Business representatives will be able to make recommendations directly to the Finance Minister AMA Muhith at the scheduled meeting.

With the annual budget, the government brings amendments to existing laws and rules related to customs, VAT and income tax to maximise revenue earnings, provides protection to local industries, facilitates international trade and solves procedural complexities in revenue collection. l

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Businessmen concerned over misuse of duty-free bond facility n Tribune Report Business leaders yesterday raised concern over misuse of bonded warehouse facility hitting small traders hard, besides creating a huge revenue loss for the government.

The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) President Abdul Matlub Ahmad said traders have become alert about the misuse of bond facilities.

He asked the NBR to provide the apex chamber with an entire list of merchants enjoying bonded warehouse facility so that they can work on the issue.

Abdul Matlub Ahmad also urged the revenue authorities to allow traders to import their products commercially and make a rational duty structure.

The FBCCI boss made the call at a pre-budget discussion of NBR held at its headquarters yesterday.

The government allows bonded warehouse facilities to the merchants to import and store duty-free raw materials for their export.

The misuse of bond facility is going on years after years and increasing significantly. Raw materials are sold in local market although they were supposed to be used for production and export.

The government incurs a loss of around Tk58,000 crore revenue annually for the misuse of facility by some unscrupulous businessmen, according to the NBR. The FBCCI boss called for NBR not to put more burden on existing taxpayers, rather increase tax network by bringing those who evade tax.

“They want to pay tax, VAT and duty, but they want simplification of the process and minimising of harassment,” he said, adding that implementation of VAT Online Project and simplification of tax procedures can reduce link between taxpayers and tax collectors which will result in minimising harassment.

Matlub also demanded that NBR ensure level playing field between small and big business enterprises as big ones get many facilities while the micro and small ones do not.

“Big enterprises are beating small ones. They want to get rid of it,” he said.

Thailand, Korea, Malaysia, and even Singapore have grown with SMEs, he said, adding that time has come for Bangladesh to look for the small, medium and micro manufacturing industries.

Bangladesh Plastic Goods Manufacturers and Exporters Association former president Shameem Ahmed urged the revenue authorities to impose duty of plastic raw materials as per current transaction value instead of that in the last fiscal year.

He also called upon the NBR to put more surveillance on finished goods available in local market at much lower price than the international price due to under invoicing.

In response, NBR senior member Farid Uddin asked the association to help the revenue authorities with the list of such products, including their source country, estimated value. etc so that they can take action in this regard.

‘They want to pay tax, VAT and duty, but they want simplification of the process and minimising of harassment’ Bangladesh Bidi Shilpa Malik Samity demanded withdrawal of AIT from the product and fixation of a minimum price slab of cigarettes at Tk5 to minimise tax-related discrepancies.

The fake band rolls of cigarettes is available in the country, he said, demanding that the revenue authorities put more surveillance there to earn additional revenue.

Bangladesh Chasma Shilpa and Banik Samity president Manjurul Haque Sikder said misdeclaration of eyeglass is a regular incident as the association found Tk5 as the price of eyeglass in import documents.

Tk3 crore has been earned in first seven months of ongoing fiscal year against Tk24

crore in last fiscal year, he said, explaining the result behind the situation, and demanded that the NBR attend to the matter.

Syed Mojibur Rahman from Bangladesh Starch and Derivatives Manufacturers and Traders Association also alleged misdeclaration of import of the starch.

Bangladesh Ship Breakers Association demanded reduction of VAT at Tk200 from existing Tk800 in per metric tonne and import duty from Tk1,500 to Tk500 in each ton of imported ships.

Small and Medium Enterprises Owner’ Association of Bangladesh President Md Ali Zaman stressed raising more awareness among public about the new VAT law that will come into effect from July this year.

He also suggested mentioning maximum retail price of every product including VAT to help reduce complexities for implementation of the new act.

Bangladesh Ghary Baboshayee Samity vice-president M Kawsaruzzaman demanded that the clock industry be announced as small cottage industry to help it flourish further.

Bangladesh Rubber Garden Owners’ Association urged the revenue authorities to withdraw VAT on the sale of latex, a primary product of natural rubber. It has also urged the government to provide ITB with cash incentives during exports.

Dilip Kumar Agarwal, general secretary of Bangladesh Gems Stone Merchants Association, demanded tax holiday and policy support for both gold and diamond industry.

Real Estate and Housing Association of Bangladesh (REHAB) first vice-president Liakat Ali Bhuiyan demanded that the NBR provide continued scope for whitening undisclosed money without any question in housing sector.

Its other demands include reduction of gain tax from 15% to 4% and registration fee from 14% to 7%.

Assuring the traders, NBR Chairman Md Nojibur Rahman said the next budget will bring positive changes to business. l

Stocks rally for 2nd day with volatility n Tribune Report Stocks gained for the second straight day amid continued volatility yesterday.

Like previous day, the market saw a modest gain in the morning, but went into red before landing in green zones at close.

The benchmark index DSEX rose 23 points or 0.6% to end at 4,335, after edging up in previous session.

The Shariah index DSES was up 5 points to 1,051. The blue chip comprising index DS30 gained 13 points to 1,645.

The Chittagong Stock Exchange Selective Category Index CSCX was up 32 points to 8,110.

Strong buying and selling pressure have helped increase the DSE turnover that stood

at Tk385 crore, up 27% over the previous session.

Bank, power, pharmaceuticals, food and allied, and cement were the market movers while telecommunications, insurance and textile continued to decline.

Pharmaceuticals and Engineering dominated the turnover chart, accounting for over 19% and 18% of the day’s total trade value respectively.

Lanka Bangla Securities said stocks got off to a weak start in the early trade, but rallied sharply in the afternoon, fueled by movement in large-cap stocks.

It said the market confirmed a turnaround in index, which can be attributed to a technical bounce. l

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Fed held rates to get out ahead of global risks n AFP Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen expressed confidence in US economic growth early yesterday but stuck to a dovish stance on monetary policy, saying the Fed still had to keep its eye on international economic and financial frailty.

With markets on edge over when the Fed will next raise interest rates, which would increase the cost of money for borrowers worldwide, Yellen signaled clearly that was not likely to come before June and that, when the US central bank

does tighten policy, it will be slow and gradual.

“The US economy has proven remarkably resilient,” she told the Economic Club of New York, in her first public remarks since the Fed took a surprisingly dovish stance on monetary policy in its March meeting. Job creation remains strong, and other signs of growth firm, even as US manufacturing industry has been hit by the strong dollar and the sharp contraction in the oil and gas industry, she said.

But even if the US economy continues to grow at a moderate pace,

the Fed has to pay heed to “broader concerns about global financial developments,” including oil prices and the overall pace of growth, as it weighs tightening monetary policy.

Yellen also rejected arguments, including from some Fed officials, that inflation has increased to the point that the policy-setting Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) needs to raise rates sooner rather than later. She was still not convinced that the signs of a permanent uptick in consumer prices were already evident.

“It is too early to tell if this re-

ADB: China overcapacity darkens Asia’s 2016 growth prospects n AFP, Beijing Huge industrial overcapacity in China will drag on both the country’s and the region’s growth this year, the Asian Development Bank said yesterday, cutting its forecast for the world’s second-largest economy.

China’s GDP growth is expected to slow to 6.5% in 2016, the ADB said in its flagship Asian Development Outlook, lowering its December forecast of 6.7%.

With China casting its shadow over the continent, the bank also reduced its prediction for Asia’s growth to 5.7%, down from 6% and slower then last year’s actual 5.9%expansion.

China’s “growth moderation and uneven global recovery are weighing down overall growth in Asia”, said the ADB’s chief economist Shang-Jin Wei. The document comes at a time of global uncertainty about Beijing’s ability to make much-needed cuts to its steel, coal, and cement sectors and manage a tough economic transition to a more consumer-led model.

China’s economy grew at its slowest pace for a quarter-century last year, and concerns have been mounting it could soften further after Beijing set a 6.5-7% target for 2016.

“Weak external demand and excess capacity in some sectors, on top of a shrinking labour force and rising wages, continue to induce a gradual decline in the PRC’s

Construction workers build a high rise commercial residential project at a business district in Manila REUTERS growth rate,” Wei said.

A “sharp slowdown” in Chinese real-estate investment will be a “drag” on the economy, the bank added, although it would be partly offset by consumption and green investment.

The ADB’s China economics head Jurgen Conrad said the government “urgently needed” to accelerate cuts to excess capacity in real-estate and manufacturing, and cited high corporate debt as another challenge.

“Supply-side reform is what China needs and what Asia needs,” he said, adding that Beijing would not use “shock therapy” to make changes.

India outpacing China

Elsewhere across the continent the prospects were brighter, however, according to the Manila-based bank.

The ADB predicted growth in India, the fastest-expanding large economy in the world, would slow to 7.4%, from 7.6%

in 2015, but would accelerate again to 7.8% in 2017.

“India is growing faster now than China... and is likely to remain so in the near future,” Wei said, saying structural reforms and improvements to labour market regulations would help boost activity.

Indonesia will lead Southeast Asia as Jakarta ploughs cash into infrastructure and encourages private investment, the ADB added, predicting GDP would grow 5.2% this year, up from 4.8% in 2015.

China’s heavy industries, many of them state-owned, have provided mass employment for tens of millions of people but are increasingly loss-making and debt-ridden.

Shutting inefficient companies could cause further problems, the bank said, potentially leading to 3.6 million job losses and drying up tax revenues for local governments. l

cent faster pace will prove durable,” she said.

Her remarks sent stocks higher and the dollar tumbling after markets had expected a slightly more hawkish stance. Since the March FOMC meeting, several other officials have expressed stronger views on inflation picking up and the likelihood of a rate increase by mid-year.

Reversing earlier losses, the S&P 500 added 0.8% in afternoon trade, while the dollar lost about 0.8% at $1.1289 per euro. The dollar also fell against the yen and the British pound.

“On balance, (Yellen’s) comments do not sound consistent with a looming rate hike in April and leave considerable doubt about whether rates will rise in June,” said Omer Esiner, chief market analyst at Commonwealth Foreign Exchange.

Broadly speaking, Yellen said the Fed is holding to its forecasts for moderate US growth and inflation heading to the Fed’s 2% goal over the medium term, the same view it held in December when the FOMC decided to raise the rock-bottom federal funds rate for the first time in more than nine years. l

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THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2016

Investors tiptoe back into emerging markets as storm clouds linger n Reuters, London Emerging markets may well appear cheap again after years of attrition, but there’s considerable trepidation about venturing back out to the developing world until the financial and political storms have finally lifted.

Global investors have tiptoed back into emerging assets over the past six weeks at least partly on hopes that the gut-wrenching New Year shakeout may have been a final capitulation after three years of downdrafts and disappointments.

According to the Institute for International Finance, foreigners ploughed some $36.8 billion back into emerging stocks and bonds in March - the highest inflow in nearly two years and well above monthly averages of the past four years.

And yet these are baby steps. To put it in context, that portfolio pop compares with a total net capital outflow from emerging economies in 2015 of some $730bn.

For the coast to clear, three clouds have to evaporate.

First is a lingering fear of higher US interest rates and dollar appreciation that squeezes hard-currency borrowers in emerging economies, stresses local currencies and forces credit to be far tighter than needed

‘Central banks running out of time to reflate economies’

to buoy weakening economies.

The second is China’s economic slowdown and its slipstream effect on commodity prices and emerging markets at large.

And third is a spike in political risks in many countries such as Brazil, Turkey and South Africa - pressures magnified by recessions and rising joblessless but which, in turn, compound the economic malaise and policy paralysis on the ground.

Neither of the first two global issues have been resolved.

The world markets fillip of the past month has been rooted in the US Federal Reserve’s hesitation in adding to December’s first interest rate rise in almost a decade and the resultant dollar recoil.

But rekindled Fed hawkishness as the quarter ends puts a potential relapse on the dashboard - particularly if the rebound in emerging assets is little more than a re-balancing of portfolios from extreme aversion and if you believe that cycles of dollar appreciation historically last far longer than this.

JPMorgan strategists remain optimistic about emerging markets outperforming over the next three months - not least because funds are starved of income in developed economies. But they acknowledge that there’s no outright improve-

ment in the economic picture and that price moves are built solely on re-positioning.

“Given the almost five years of emerging markets equity and FX underperformance - and recent conversations with investors - it could take at least a few months before the average investor is again neutral,” they told clients.

Staying well away

So the move may have some legs, but it’s highly vulnerable if the global climate turns inclement again.

For a start, JPMorgan’s rosier view hinges somewhat on the fading of ‘China tail risk’ involving messy yuan devaluation.

And while Beijing has been forceful on the issue, few investors can muster much conviction about China’s markets.

Christophe Donay, head of asset allocation at Swiss firm Pictet’s Wealth Management unit, said that China may hold the line for now but that there was a high risk over the next three years of a ‘Minsky moment’ - a sudden collapse of asset prices due to credit and currency pressure named after economist Hyman Minsky.

“We are staying well away from emerging market assets because of that and hold very limited EM exposure,” he said.

With such scepticism about the international environment, the return to markets riven by a host of disparate but highly disruptive domestic political risks seems brave at least.

Mired in a deep recession, Brazil’s political strife has yet to reach a crescendo. Dilma Rousseff is struggling to save her presidency and fighting an impeachment process amid a widening graft investigation into state oil firm Petrobras.

While markets have rallied on the prospect of a new government, it could still take several more weeks or even months for a clear outcome.

Turkey’s economy and government too are under strain given the war in neighboring Syria, the resultant refugee crisis, internal conflict with Kurdish separatists, a clampdown on local media and a diplomatic showdown with Russia.

The struggling South African economy and its buckling infrastructure are compounded by pressure on President Jacob Zuma, his finance minister Pravin Gordhan and the ruling African National Congress amid a variety of accusations and probes about undue political interference and graft.

More authoritarian governments in China and Russia may seem less vulnerable than their

democratic counterparts, but slowdown and recession heighten the political risks there, too. An oil hit and foreign sanctions continue to hamper oversees refinancing by Moscow and its major companies.

While the picture in Brazil may mask a brighter hue in Mexico or the slowdown in China hide the resilience in India, a still sizeable slice of the emerging universe remains in foment.

China, Brazil, Russia, South Africa and Turkey together make up more than 42% of the market capitalization of MSCI’s benchmark emerging market equities index.

Asset manager Blackrock’s sovereign risk indices measuring the likelihood of defaults across the world contain a political risk subset called ‘willingness to pay’. This remained the biggest negative for the countries recording the biggest overall index declines in 2015 - Brazil, Russia, Peru and Colombia.

“Politics and institutional capabilities will play a big role in EM going forward,” said Kamakshya Trivedi, Goldman Sachs managing director for emerging market research.

“Those factors become more important in a world of sluggish growth and tightening credit, they are easier to overlook when growth is accelerating and credit is plentiful.” l

CORPORATE NEWS

n Reuters, New York

Bond manager Bill Gross, who runs the Janus Global Unconstrained Bond Fund, said central banks are “running out of time” to reflate global economies as their aggressive policies including quantitative easing and low, even negative, interest rates are losing their effectiveness.

In his April Investment Outlook, Gross wrote that markets and the capitalistic business models based upon them and priced for them “will begin to go south” if global economies do not produce growth.

Given massive monetary stimulus, Gross said nominal gross domestic product growth rates for the US should be between 4% and 5% by 2017 while that for the euro zone should be between 2% and 3%, respectively.

On Monday, the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s GDPNow model predicted US growth at a 0.6% pace in the first quarter, marked down from an earlier estimate of 1.4%. l

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Maritime University (BSMRMU) has recently signed an agreement of cooperation with Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP) in fields of education and research, said a press release. Vicechancellor of BSMRMU, Rear Admiral ASM Abdul Baten and vice-chancellor of BUP, Major General Sheikh Mamun Khaled signed the agreement

Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited has recently celebrated its 33rd anniversary by organising a get-together event. The bank’s chairperson, Engr Mustafa Anwar was present at the event as chief guest, said a press release

Bangladesh Steel Re-Rolling Mills Ltd yesterday held its 54th annual general meeting while BSRM Steels Limited held its 14th annual general meeting on the same day. Chairperson of both the companies, Alihussain Akberali presided over the meetings, said a press release

Dutch-Bangla Bank Limited has recently held its 20th annual general meeting. The bank’s chairperson, Sayem Ahmed was present at the meeting, said a press release

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| meeting |

| meal |

| fair |

Bangladesh Insurance Forum’s 4th annual conference

Sabroso’s Lunch Deal

9th ULAB Book Fair wraps up

Bangladesh Insurance Forum’s executive committee’s 4th annual conference was held on March 16, at 36 Dilkusha C/A, Dhaka. The conference was chaired by BM Yusuf Ali who is the president of Bangladesh Insurance Forum and managing director (CEO) of Popular Life Insurance Company Limited.

The Forum’s vice president Md Hossain Khaled and Hemayet Ullah, Joint Secretary General

Mohammed Imam Shaheen and Biswajit Kumar Mondol, Finance Secretary Jamal Mohammed Abu Naser, Organising Secretary AKM Shariful Islam and Md Mosarrof Hossain, Office Secretary Md Anwar Hossain, executive member Jahid Anwar Khan, Md Jamirul Islam, Md Shamsul Alam and Amzad Hossain Khan Chowdhury were also present in the conference. l

| food |

Authentic Chinese at 3 Dragons

Sabroso is introducing a Lunch Meal Deal in town for the students!

There will be two amazing deals on offer to choose from. Hunger Meal 1 at Tk185 (any three items) and Hunger Meal 2 at Tk235 (any four items).

This offer can be availed between 11am to 5pm everyday.

For more info please visit facebook/Sabroso.live. l

| offer |

The cafe BBQ

University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) organised the 9th ULAB Book Fair at the University’s own campus at Dhanmondi yesterday. The slogan for the fair this year is “I read, I travel, I become.”

The fair started off with an opening ceremony, where a welcome speech was delivered

by Professor Imran Rahman, vice chancellor of ULAB. Akhter Matin Choudhury, chairman and managing director, Nuvista Pharma Limited, graced the event as chief guest. Farhan Quddus, managing director, Travel House Ltd attended the event as guest of honour.

The fair featured publications by renowned publishers like Prothoma, Book Worm, The University Press Limited, Bangladesh Muktijoddha Jadughar, Nazrul Institute, Bangla Academy, and ULAB Publication among others. ULAB organises this Book Fair every year with an aim to develop a habit of reading books among students. At the end of the ceremony, Professor Imran Rahman handed over crests to the chief guest and the guest of honour. l

| deal |

Fly Huawei

3 Dragons, best known for their authentic Chinese dishes, recently launched two brand new items Chengdu Style Roast Chichen and Pan Grilled Tilapia.

They have chefs trained from China and other countries, specialised in cooking Chinese food.

Their Chengdu Style Roast Chicken (half dressed with

special gravy) is a sweet, sour and spicy dish that comes with a roasted chicken dressed in gravy.

The Pan Grilled Tilapia (with Sichuan spices and fresh chillies) is another mouth-watering dish cooked with minced chicken.

3 Dragons is located at Rangs Pearl Tower, Road 12, Banani Model Town, Dhaka. l

Premium cafe BBQ welcomes you to enjoy their delicious and healthy menu in a vibrant ambiance. A lunch to revive yourself, an afternoon to just let go, a happy dinner with your loved ones or just some time on your own, BBQ strives to deliver the most delicious experience even before you can ask for it. l

Customers purchasing a Huawei smartphone will stand a chance to fly to Thailand for free. Huawei Bangladesh has launched this and other amazing offers under its “Fly to Thai” campaign.

Starting April 1, one lucky Huawei customer will be selected everyday for a free trip to Thailand. Moreover, two lucky winners will receive a

Huawei Tab and 10 lucky winners will receive 10 power banks. In addition, any customer purchasing a handset priced above Tk10,000 will receive a complimentary T-shirt for free. The offer will be valid for one month.

The Huawei “Fly to Thai” offer will be available at the Huawei Experience Centers at Jamuna Future Park and Bashundhara City Shopping Mall as well as brand shops across Bangladesh. l

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CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Measures of length (4) 5 Kingdom (5) 9 Charm (6) 10 Zodiac sign (3) 11 Tribe (4) 12 Snake (5) 14 Communion plate (5) 16 Rounded vases (4) 19 Sea eagle (4) 21 Result from (5) 24 Range of application (5) 27 Bare (4) 29 Heavenly body (3) 30 Tarry (6) 31 Lays bare (5) 32 That time (4)

DOWN 1 Visage (4) 2 Old cloth measure (3) 3 Slip by (6) 4 Fish (4) 5 Venerates (7) 6 High mountain (3) 7 Sheltered side (3) 8 Code inventor (5) 13 Tavern (3) 15 Underground passages (7) 17 Detective (6) 18 Mustering rope (5) 20 Corded fabric (3) 22 Single entity (4) 23 Decorative plant (4) 25 Drinking vessel (3) 26 Numeral (3) 28 Scottish river (3)

Downtime CODE-CRACKER How to solve: Each number in our CODECRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 1 represents S so fill S every time the figure 1 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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THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2016

INSIDE Q&A

How Boko Haram uses female suicide bombers to terrorise Nigeria Deepening crisis, Brazil’s biggest party quits ruling coalition Brazil’s largest party announced on Tuesday it was leaving President Dilma Rousseff ’s governing coalition and pulling its members from her government, a departure that sharply raises the odds she could be impeached in a matter of months.

PAGE 22

In the last one year, Nigeria has witnessed increasing feminisation of terror by Boko Haram in two paradoxical ways - involving young girls as both the victims and vanguards of terror. As victims of terror, in the form of abductees, their fate has received the greatest international condemnation. The group has abducted at least 500 women and girls in north-eastern Nigeria since 2009. However, the abduction of 276 teenage girls from Chibok in April 2014 by the group-has been the largest single incident so far, triggering an international campaign to #Bringbackourgirls.

When did Boko Haram start using suicide bombers?

Poll: Most Americans support torture against terror suspects Nearly two-thirds of Americans believe torture can be justified to extract information from suspected terrorists, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll, a level of support similar to that seen in countries like Nigeria where militant attacks are common.

PAGE 23

Boko Haram carried out its first suicide bombing fairly recently, in 2011. It was a significant development. Nigeria does not have a history of suicide bombing and suicide is not culturally accepted.

When did the group first use female suicide bombers?

The first female suicide bombing was reported in June last year, when a middle-aged woman blew herself up at army barracks in Gombe, northeast Nigeria. This was the first of a wave of suicide attacks by women and girls in Nigeria. There were six such attacks in six weeks.

What do we know about the identity of the female bombers?

We often have little or conflicting information. It’s a complex situation, compounded by a lack of access to the people and the area, and by unreliable local reports.

Further, a lot of attacks are not claimed by any group. Boko Haram is a loose movement, made up of different factions.

Unearthed archive shows AP cooperated with Nazis The Associated Press news agency entered a formal cooperation with the Adolf Hitler-led Third Reich regime in the 1930s, supplying American newspapers with material directly produced and selected by the Nazi propaganda ministry, reports the Guardian quoting archived material revealed by a German historian.

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Why and how are women are being used

The motive for the use of female suicide bombers by Boko Haram is not far-fetched. First, security agents and indeed Nigerians have become well accustomed to the use of male suicide bombers. Thus, strange men or boys attract much suspicion or attention from people. In contrast, women and girls do not attract such suspicion and can easily gain access to places without raising attention. In addition, the use of hijab, as expected of a

In this 2014 file photo taken from video released by Nigeria's Boko Haram terrorist network shows missing girls abducted from the northeastern town of Chibok. A teenage who surrendered before carrying out a suicide bombing attack in northern Cameroon has told authorities she was one of the 276 girls abducted from a Nigerian boarding school by extremists nearly two years ago, authorities said Saturday AP Muslim woman, becomes a good means of hiding and conveying explosives. The females who carried out the suicide bombings in the north reportedly wore hijabs.

This becomes more challenging as Islamic religion forbids a man to frisk a woman. In addition, most security or control posts in the north-east are manned by male security, military or ‘civilian JTF’ operatives. More so, news of female suicide bombers is often sensational and attracts coverage better than their male counterparts as a result of the element of surprise and shock it provides. Each successful attack will therefore project the group as one that should be feared.

Women fighters: An organised campaign?

This suggests alternative motives for the group’s use of female suicide bombers: namely, diversion and propaganda. The first is likely linked to the push to start a “caliphate.” Attacks by women were all outside of Boko Haram’s normal regions of operations and had the potential to distract both attention and military resources away from the northeast. Propaganda is another key motivation for Boko Haram to pursue female

Blood stains the wall of a damaged mosque in Ummarari village after a female suicide bomber explodes herself in Nigeria's Borno on March 16 REUTERS suicide attacks. Women suicide attackers attract disproportionate media coverage in any terrorist campaign. In the immediate aftermath of the Chibok abductions, it was feared that Boko Haram had taken the girls to use as fighters.

These fears increased in the wake of the Kano attacks.

Does Boko Haram have a female wing?

The Nigerian military first reported last July that Boko Haram has a female wing. The military had just arrested three women who it said were recruiting women to the group to be spies or marry

fighters. In August, authorities detained a man who they said was training a group of female suicide bombers. But there has been little news about these cases since.

But there are no signs of female fighters on the battlefield, for example, among the casualties. But women may play other roles, as they are often more able to evade authorities. In 2013, there were reports of women being arrested for smuggling weapons for Boko Haram. More recently there were arrests of male smugglers dressed as women. l

Source: HUFFINGTON POST, NYT

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Deepening crisis, Brazil’s biggest party quits ruling coalition n Reuters, Brasilia Brazil’s largest party announced on Tuesday it was leaving President Dilma Rousseff ’s governing coalition and pulling its members from her government, a departure that sharply raises the odds she could be impeached in a matter of months.

The Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB) took just a few minutes to decide unanimously that its six ministers in Rousseff ’s Cabinet and all other party members with government appointments must resign immediately.

Under Brazil’s presidential system, Rousseff will remain in office but the break cripples her fight against impeachment proceedings in Congress, which could put Vice President Michel Temer, leader of the PMDB, in the presidential seat.

The opposition is pressing to impeach her for allegedly breaking budget laws to boost spending in the run-up to her 2014 re-election.

Their efforts gained steam as more than 1m Brazilians took to the streets this month to protest at the worst recession in decades and a vast corruption scandal at state oil

company Petrobras.

“We’re going to try to change the country. The economic and social crisis is very serious,” Senator Romero Juca, the PMDB’s first vice-president, said after the rowdy meeting in which party members chanted “Temer President” and “Out with the PT.” The loss of Rousseff ’s main coalition partner may prompt smaller parties to abandon the government, leaving Brazil’s first female president increasingly isolated as the impeachment process nears a vote in the lower house, expected in mid-April.

FACTBOX

Brazil’s presidential impeachment process Brazil’s largest party said on Tuesday it was leaving President Dilma Rousseff ’s governing coalition and pulling its members from her government, striking a blow at her efforts to fight impeachment proceedings in Congress.

Here are the next steps in the presidential impeachment under Brazil’s Constitution-Ü A 65-member committee of the Chamber of Deputies, or lower house, must decide if the impeachment bid is valid. Speaker Eduardo Cunha, a fierce critic of Rousseff, has said he will speed up the process as much as possible. The full lower house must then vote on the committee’s decision and balloting could take place as soon as mid-April. Rousseff ’s opponents need the votes of two-thirds of 513 congressmen. Cunha does not vote. Rousseff requires 171 votes or abstentions to block impeachment. Ü If Rousseff loses the lower house vote, the Senate must then vote on whether to go ahead with putting her on trial. The timing is

Ü

unclear, with Senate Speaker Renan Calheiros saying the Supreme Court has to provide a calendar for how the process should unfold.

Many observers expect the vote to take place in early May. If the Senate votes by a simple majority to accept the case, Rousseff is suspended at the start of the trial and Vice President Michel Temer becomes acting president. The Senate has 180 days to conduct its trial, chaired by the president of the Supreme Court. Analysts say impeachment, if it goes ahead, will be a quick process given Brazil’s political crisis and could be decided by the end of May. If two-thirds of the 81-seat Senate, or 54 senators, vote for impeachment, Rousseff is stripped of her political rights and cannot run for elected office for eight years. Temer will be confirmed as president for the rest of Rousseff ’s term, ending on December 31, 2018. l

Source: Reuters

It would be Brazil’s first impeachment since former President Fernando Collor de Mello was put on trial in the Senate in 1992 for corruption.

Rousseff will seek new coalition allies and form a new government by the end of the week, her chief of staff Jaques Wagner told reporters.

She requires the backing of 171 members of congress - or one-third of the lower house - to block impeachment. The loss of the PMDB’s 68 votes, means the PT - which has 58 members - must rely heavily on its smaller coalition partners.

Including allies such as the Pro-

gressive Party (PP), the Republican Party (PR) and the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the government believes it can muster 180 votes. However, the PP will meet on Wednesday to decide whether to withdraw from the governing coalition.

Brazil’s economy shrank 3.8% last year and is on track for the worst two-year recession in more than a century, according to economists.

The government is also grappling with an epidemic of the mosquito-borne Zika virus as it scrambles to prepare for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in August. l

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Poll: Most Americans support torture against terror suspects n Reuters Nearly two-thirds of Americans believe torture can be justified to extract information from suspected terrorists, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll, a level of support similar to that seen in countries like Nigeria where militant attacks are common.

The poll reflects a US public on edge after the massacre of 14 people in San Bernardino in December and large-scale attacks in Europe in recent months, including a bombing claimed by the militant group Dae’sh last week that killed at least 32 people in Belgium.

Donald Trump, the frontrunner for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, has forcefully injected the issue of whether terrorism suspects should be tortured into the election campaign.

Trump’s stance has drawn broad criticism from human rights organisations, world bodies, and

political rivals. But the poll findings suggest that many Americans are aligned with Trump on the issue, although the survey did not ask respondents to define what they consider torture.

The March 22-28 online poll asked respondents if torture can be justified “against suspected terrorists to obtain information about terrorism.” About 25% said it is “often” justified while another 38% it is “sometimes” justified.

Only 15% said torture should never be used.

Republicans were more accepting of torture to elicit information than Democrats: 82% of Republicans said torture is “often” or “sometimes” justified, compared with 53% of Democrats.

About two-thirds of respondents also said they expected a terrorist attack on US soil within the next six months.

Surveys by other polling agencies in recent years have shown

CHRONICLE

Myanmar’s new dawn: Timeline of a troubled nation 1988 Years of disastrous economic mismanagement and political repression see Burma erupt in protest. The military responds brutally, killing an estimated 3,000 people.

1989 Junta changes the country’s name to Myanmar.

1990 Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) wins a landslide victory in elections but the result is simply ignored by the military. Suu Kyi is placed under house arrest for much of the next 20 years.

1992 Than Shwe becomes the new junta chief.

2005 A new isolated city Naypyidaw (“Abode of Kings”) is revealed as the country’s capital after being built in secret.

2007 Major protests dubbed the “Saffron revolution” break out over the summer, partially led by Buddhist monks.

The junta eventually responds once more with violence, killing scores of protesters.

2010 The junta holds elections in early November and the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) claims victory. The NLD and many other parties refuse to take

part. Observers do not consider the poll free or fair. Less than a week after the election, Suu Kyi is released after spending 15 of the last 20 years under house arrest.

2011 In a surprise move, the junta cedes power to a quasi-civilian government under former general Thein Sein who pursues reforms. Many basic rights are restored, including the lifting of restrictions on assembly and expression, while hundreds of political prisoners are freed.

2012 The NLD wins 43 out of 45 seats in April by-elections. Suu Kyi becomes an MP. Western powers lift most sanctions. Sectarian violence flares in western Rakhine state, mainly aimed at the Rohingya Muslim minority.

2015 Suu Kyi’s NLD win a landslide November victory in the first free and fair elections in decades, prompting scenes of jubilation on the streets of Yangon.

2016 A lengthy power transition follows.

Negotiations with the military to lift the bar on Suu Kyi becoming president bear no fruit. Instead she vows to rule through her proxy president Htin Kyaw, a close friend who is sworn in on March 30. l

Source: AFP

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SOUTH ASIA

Pakistan protesters refuse to end Islamabad sit-in Islamist protesters gathered in the Pakistani capital said Wednesday they would not end their dayslong sit-in and were willing to die, as armed security forces readied to clear the camp. Some 25,000 protesters had gathered in support of Mumtaz Qadri, who was hanged in late February after he assassinated a liberal Punjab governor over his calls to reform the country’s blasphemy laws.

-REUTERS

Terrorism and safety

How likely do you think it is that there will be a terrorist attack in the next 6 months here in the US? Very or somewhat likely 64% Not very or not at all likely 20%

Credibility interval

INDIA

How do you feel about the use of torture against suspected terrorists?

Often or sometimes justified 63% 53%

Total Democrat 82%

Republican

Note: 1,976 adults interviewed online March 22-28, 2016.

Credibility intervals (percentage points)-All:±2.5; Democrat (n=834):±3.9, Republican (n=700):±4.3

US support for the use of torture at around 50%. A 2014 survey by Amnesty International, for example, put American support for torture at about 45%, compared with 64% in Nigeria, 66% in Kenya and 74% in India.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll included 1,976 people. It has a credibility interval, a measure of accuracy, of 2.5- percentage points for the entire group and about 4-percentage points for both Democrats and Republicans. l

University guideline says British invaded Australia n AFP, Sydney Language guidelines that advice students to describe British explorer James Cook’s arrival in Sydney as an “invasion” rather than a “settlement” were defended by an Australian university Wednesday, denying it was rewriting history to be politically correct.

The University of New South Wales (UNSW) Indigenous Terminology guide says that Australia was “invaded, occupied and colonised”.

“Describing the arrival of the Europeans as a ‘settlement’ attempts to view Australian history from the shores of England rather than the shores of Australia,” the guide says.

But the university rejected the idea that it was dictating what language could be used by students.

“The guide does not mandate what language can be used,” it said in a statement, adding that it offered a range of examples of more and less appropriate language.

“For example the guide suggests referring to Captain Cook as the first Englishman to map the continent’s East Coast is ‘more appropriate’ than referring to his “discovery” of Australia.”

The guide notes that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were in Australia long before Captain Cook arrived,

7 CRPF men killed in Chhattisgarh by Maoists Seven Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) men were killed in a landmine blast triggered by Maoists on Wednesday in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district. A mini truck carrying seven people in civilian clothes was blown up, followed by heavy firing. Dantewada, 350km south of the state capital, is a Maoist stronghold.

-HT

CHINA

China warns Taiwan over new governing law The Chinese government warned Taiwan on Wednesday that the passage of a proposed new law governing relations between the two could seriously damage the basis for talks, and that Beijing opposed any obstacles to developing ties.

The Democratic Progressive Party is proposing Taiwan’s parliament first passes a so-called cross-Taiwan Strait supervision law before it will consider agreeing to the trade pact. -REUTERS

ASIA PACIFIC

Thousands gather at a rare rally in Mongolia

Statue of Captain Cook in London BIGSTOCK

making it impossible for him to “discover” the country.

“Most Aboriginal people find the use of the word ‘discovery’ offensive,” it added.

The guide likewise says it is more appropriate to describe the arrival of British ships in Australia using terms other than “settlement”.

The university said students were always encouraged to form their own opinions and to suggest that the guide would stifle open debate was “plainly wrong”.

“Terminology guides such as this are commonplace across universities and many public sector organisations and it is absolutely appropriate for students and staff to have such a resource available,” it added. l

A rare public protest in Mongolia’s capital on Wednesday drew thousands of demonstrators who criticised foreign mining concessions and demanded action to prop up the tottering economy.

More than 2,000 demonstrators in Ulaanbaatar’s Freedom Square also called for parliament to be dissolved and a new government formed over alleged corruption and the economic crisis battering the vast, landlocked nation.

-AP

MIDDLE EAST

Assad: Russian support key to military achievements Support from Russia was key to recent military victories in Syria, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad told Russia’s RIA news agency on Wednesday, also praising Iran and the Lebanese Shia group Hezbollah. Assad also said the failings of the US-led coalition were behind the capture of ancient Syrian town of Palmyra by the militants, which was liberated last week. -REUTERS

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USA

US won’t recognise exclusion zone in S China Sea The US has told China it will not recognise an exclusion zone in the South China Sea, US Deputy Secretary of Defence Robert Work said on Wednesday. US officials have expressed concern that an international court ruling expected in coming weeks on a case brought by the Philippines against China over its South China Sea claims could prompt Beijing to declare it an air defence identification zone.

-REUTERS

THE AMERICAS

Former Canadian Cabinet minister killed in plane crash Former Canadian Cabinet minister Jean Lapierre died on Tuesday in a plane crash that also killed his wife and three of his siblings in eastern Quebec. Canada’s Transportation Safety Board said it was investigating the crash but that, due to the bad weather, its team of experts would not reach the site until Wednesday.

-REUTERS

UK

Thousands of jobs at risk as Tata Steel seeks UK exit India’s Tata Steel is seeking to sell Britain’s biggest steel making business, putting thousands of jobs at risk in an industry that once dominated Britain. The move could have an impact on Britain’s closely fought June 23 vote over whether to stay in the EU. Britain’s traditionally anti-EU media have blamed Brussels for preventing London from taking greater steps to protect the industry.

-REUTERS

EUROPE

Migrant arrivals to Greece rise sharply Arrivals of refugees and migrants to Greece from Turkey rose sharply on Wednesday, just over a week since the European Union and Turkey struck a deal intended to cut off the flow. Greek authorities recorded 766 new arrivals between Tuesday morning and Wednesday morning, up from 192 the previous day. Most arrived on the north-eastern Aegean island of Lesbos.

-REUTERS

AFRICA

Cameroon police detain 60 regime opponents Police in Cameroon on Tuesday detained around 60 members of the opposition who had gathered in the capital Yaoundé to protest any attempts to change the constitution to extend the 34-year rule of President Paul Biya, opponents said. Recently, some top officials of the ruling party have called on Biya to think about running for the next election expected in 2018, which would require a change to the constitution.

-AFP

POINTS TAKEN

Nuclear summit: What’s at stake President Barack Obama hosts an international summit in Washington Thursday and Friday aimed at ensuring that nuclear material in the world’s roughly 1,000 atomic facilities is secured.

Here is a breakdown of what’s at stake--

Large stockpiles Obama convened the first Nuclear Security Summit in 2010, followed by similar gatherings in Seoul in 2012 and The Hague in 2014. The meetings focus on preventing criminals from accessing stockpiles of radioactive materials, reducing highly enriched uranium and separated plutonium, enhancing the detection of smuggling, and cybersecurity. Considerable progress has been made, with several countries reducing or eliminating their stockpiles of nuclear material.

For example, Japan this month is returning to the United States enough plutonium to make 50 nuclear bombs.

But despite these advances, a January report by the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), a leading US nonproliferation watchdog, found basic weaknesses persist in securing the world’s fissile materials. And according to a 2015 study by the International Panel on Fissile Materials, enough plutonium and highly enriched uranium stockpiles remain to make the equivalent of 200,000 weapons of the magnitude that leveled Hiroshima in 1945.

Narrow scope?

The fissile materials in question do not include state-owned nuclear weapons, leading critics to say the summits are not broad enough in scope.

“This is an important mission, but it’s beneath the pay grade of the 50 or 60 heads of state that are going to convene in Washington,” said Bruce Blair, co-founder of anti-nuclear group Global Zero. “We should have an agenda ... that would cover all fissile materials, civilian and military.”

New dangers Since the summits began, 14 nations have eliminated their fissile material stockpiles, and other countries have stepped up efforts to secure theirs.

But at the same time, other nations are ramping up their nuclear capabilities. Countries like Pakistan, India and North Korea have built new bombs, and experts warn these fall behind in safety standards aimed at preventing accidental detonation.

The Dae’sh group has already used chemical weapons, and experts fear the jihadists are trying to secure fissile material to make a “dirty bomb.”

Such a device is a regular bomb, but would explode radioactive material across an area. Highlighting the risks, Belgian police investigating the November 13 Paris terror attacks found 10 hours of video of the comings and goings of a senior Belgian

Uranium rods and a nuclear reactor dating to World War II at the Atomkeller museum at Germany’s Heigerloch BIGSTOCK nuclear official. One agenda item at the summit will see leaders discussing a hypothetical nuclear security crisis.

Next steps, possible outcomes Sharon Squassoni, director and senior fellow at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies’ proliferation prevention program, said the latest summit aims to consolidate progress made so far, such as seeing countries that committed to certain actions implement these. The 2014 summit saw 35 countries sign up to various pledges -- but key players including China,

Unearthed archive shows Associated Press cooperated with Nazis n Tribune Desk The Associated Press news agency entered a formal cooperation with the Adolf Hitler-led Third Reich regime in the 1930s, supplying American newspapers with material directly produced and selected by the Nazi propaganda ministry, reports the Guardian quoting archived material revealed by a German historian.

When the Nazi party seized power in Germany in 1933, British-American agencies such as Keystone and Wide World Photos were forced to close their bureaus after coming under attack for employing Jewish journalists. Associated Press was the only western news agency able to stay open in Hitler’s Germany, continuing to operate until the US entered the war in 1941.

In an article published in academic journal Studies in Contemporary History, historian Harriet Scharnberg shows that AP was only able retain its access by entering

SS pamphlet ‘The Sub-Human’, using photos by AP THE GUARDIAN/AP into a mutually beneficial two-way cooperation with the Nazi regime.

The New York-based agency ceded control of its output by signing up to the so-called Schriftleitergesetz (editor’s law), promising not to publish any material “calculated to weaken the strength of the Reich abroad or at home”.

This law required AP to hire reporters who also worked for the

Nazi party’s propaganda division.

One of the four photographers employed by AP in the 1930s, Franz Roth, was a member of the SS paramilitary unit’s propaganda division, whose photographs were personally chosen by Hitler.

AP has removed Roth’s pictures from its website since Scharnberg published her findings.

AP also allowed the Nazi regime to use its photo archives for its virulently anti-semitic propaganda literature. Publications illustrated with AP photographs include the bestselling SS brochure “Der Untermensch” (“The Sub-Human”) and the booklet “The Jews in the USA”.

Approached with these allegations, AP said in a statement that Scharnberg’s report “describes both individuals and their activities before and during the war that were unknown to AP”, and that it is currently reviewing documents in and beyond its archives to “further our understanding of the period.” l

India, Russia and Pakistan did not join in. “It would be really important for those countries to sign on,” Squassoni said. Other new commitments could include greater information exchange, or the opening up of facilities to inspection by peer nations or the International Atomic Energy Agency. Given this is the last summit under Obama, a big question will be how nations can track progress in the future and whether the United States will continue to convene such meetings under its next president. l

Source: AFP

Trump drops pledge to back GOP nominee other than himself

n Reuters, Washington, DC

Republican frontrunner Donald Trump on Tuesday abandoned a pledge to support a party presidential nominee other than himself, a sign of increasing friction with main rival Ted Cruz.

“No, I don’t anymore,” Trump replied, when asked at a CNN town hall event whether he still supported a pledge he made last year to support whoever is the Republican nominee for the November 8 election.

Trump’s signing of a loyalty pledge last September was important in helping him gain credibility within the Republican National Committee. The pledge was also signed by all his rivals for the presidential nomination.

His aboutface came as he tries to fend off a challenge from Cruz, a US senator from Texas who is running second to the New York billionaire in the race for the 1,237 delegates needed to win the nomination. l

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INSIDE

TODAY'S MATCH SF-2

Bangladesh, SL series next month?

7:30PM at Mumbai

BCB is planning to arrange a short series against Sri Lanka next month. According to sources, the board is looking to hold an ODI and Test series, either at home or away, as both the teams have no international assignments scheduled for April. PAGE 26

India v West Indies Maasranga TV, Gazi TV, Star Sports 1

V India

74 46 26 1 2

West Indies Played Won Lost No result Head-to-head

77 37 35 1 2

Afridi issues video apology Pakistan’s under-fire captain Shahid Afridi yesterday issued a video message to supporters apologising for his team’s early exit from the WT20, but remained silent on his future following calls for him to retire. Afridi has suffered a drop in form over the past two years. PAGE 27

Clash of the titans Kohli v Gayle in World T20 semi-final

n AFP, Mumbai Messi hits 50th, Brazil snatch draw Lionel Messi scored his 50th int'l goal as Argentina notched their third straight victory in South America’s 2018 WC qualifying tournament, while Brazil snatched a dramatic late draw against Paraguay on Tuesday. PAGE 28

Goetze puts Bayern woes aside Germany attacking midfielder Mario Goetze’s goal and overall performance in their 4-1 victory over Italy on Tuesday will hopefully boost his confidence as he struggles for playing time at Bayern Munich, coach Joachim Loew said. PAGE 29

Chris Gayle is determined to grab the World Twenty20 limelight back from in-form Virat Kohli when the West Indies and India clash in a mouthwatering semi-final in Mumbai today.

The destructive opener smashed an unbeaten century, which included 11 sixes, in the West Indies’ opening win against England but has only batted once since, making just four.

Kohli has been the star of the tournament so far, expertly guiding India through the group stages with a half-century against Pakistan and 82 not out in a crunch win over Australia.

With the flat wicket at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium a dream for batsmen, the last-four showdown between the hosts and 2012 champions is set to be a battle of the big-hitters.

“I am looking to show what Chris Gayle is,” Gayle warned ominously on Tuesday.

“I have only batted twice but this (semi-final) is a perfect opportunity to actually start the tournament and try and pick up where I left off, get a big one for

the team and put them in a winning position,” he added.

The 36-year-old described Kohli, who is the top run-scorer left in the tournament with 184, as a “world beater” but insisted neither he nor the West Indies were concerned about individual players.

“Chris Gayle will always be

INDIA

World ranking: One

positive. It does not matter which bowler is bowling against Chris Gayle,” he said.

“Chris Gayle would attack.

That’s the nature of T20 cricket.

And that’s the nature of Chris Gayle.

“No names, just cricket ball, beat it as hard as possible,” Gayle added.

India’s coach Ravi Shastri said

WEST INDIES World ranking: Three

SQUAD

SQUAD

Mahendra Singh Dhoni (C), Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Shikhar Dhawan, Harbhajan Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Virat Kohli, Mohammed Shami, Pawan Negi, Ashish Nehra, Hardik Pandya, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Manish Pandey Coach: Ravi Shastri Best overall performance: Champions (2007)

Darren Sammy (C), Samuel Badree, Sulieman Benn, Carlos Brathwaite, Dwayne Bravo, Johnson Charles, Lendl Simmons, Chris Gayle, Jason Holder, Ashley Nurse, Denesh Ramdin, Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels, Jerome Taylor, Evin Lewis Coach: Phil Simmons Best overall performance Champions (2012)

ROAD TO SEMI-FINAL

ROAD TO SEMI-FINAL

Lost to New Zealand by 47 runs Beat Pakistan by six wickets Beat Bangladesh by one run Beat Australia by six wickets Top scorer: Kohli (184 runs) Top wicket-taker: Pandya (5 wickets)

Beat England by six wickets Beat Sri Lanka by seven wickets Beat South Africa by three wickets Lost to Afghanistan by six runs Top scorer: Fletcher (106 runs) Top wicket-taker: Russell (7 wickets)

his bowlers were aware of the danger posed by Gayle but were determined to tame him.

“Bring it on. All our bowlers will target him,” said Shastri in his eve-of-match press conference.

The former Indian allrounder meanwhile said that Kohli was on his way to proving himself as one of the greats of the game after a lull in form.

“You have to give him the credit for really believing that he can be right up there with the best and for putting in the hard yards because let me tell you know one trains harder than Virat,” said Shastri.

“Credit must be given to him for putting in that much of hard work and believing in his own ability.”

India are looking to take another step on their quest to become the first team to win the World T20 twice, after their triumph in the inaugural 2007 edition, and the first on home soil.

They are also bidding to give inspirational 34-year-old captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni - who is thought to be close to announcing his retirement - the chance to out on a high. l

DT

26

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THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2016

Bangladesh, Sri Lanka series next month? n Mazhar Uddin Bangladesh Cricket Board is planning to arrange a short series against Sri Lanka next month.

According to sources, the board is looking to hold an ODI and Test series, either at home or away, as both the teams have no international assignments scheduled for April.

It was learned that talks are at a primary stage with the BCB not releasing any official statement on its behalf as of yet.

“No official decision has been taken regarding this issue,” said BCB CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury yesterday.

The Tigers have just finished their campaign in the 2016 World Twenty20, which was preceded by the Asia Cup T20, and are now enjoying a much-needed break. The men in red and green’s next international assignment is slated for August when they will face neighbours India in a Test match.

Meanwhile, the much-awaited Dhaka Premier League is expect-

ENG v NZ

ed to roll on the field next month.

However, ahead of the premier domestic 50-over competition of the country, a few players have raised questions regarding the structure of their payment. Club officials are

World Twenty20 hosts India will be missing Yuvraj Singh for the rest of the tournament after the all-rounder was ruled out with an ankle injury and replaced by middle order batsman Manish Pandey yesterday.

Yuvraj, who played a crucial role in India’s triumph in the inaugural

edition of the tournament in 2007, twisted his ankle while batting during Sunday’s six-wicket victory over Australia that secured India’s place in the last four.

“It will have an impact, because he has had his moments,” India team director Ravi Shastri said of Yuvraj, who also won the player of the tournament award in the team’s 2011 50-overs World Cup

12 28 32 23 8 3 6 6 2

Total (for 8 wickets, 20 overs)

153

Bowling Willey 2-0-17-1, Jordan 4-0-24-1, Plunkett 4-0-38-1, Rashid 4-0-33-0, Stokes 4-0-263, Ali 2-0-10-1 ENGLAND

R

J. Roy b Sodhi A. Hales c Munro b Santner J. Root not out E. Morgan lbw Sodhi J. Buttler not out Extras (lb 1, w1)

78 44 20 19 27 22 0 1 32 17 2

B

Total (for 3 wickets, 17.1 overs)

159

Fall of wickets 1-82 (Hales), 2-110 (Roy), 3-110 (Morgan) Bowling Anderson 1-0-16-0, Milne 3-0-27-0, McClenaghan 3-0-24-0, Santner 3.1-0-28-1, Sodhi 4-0-42-2, Elliott 3-0-21-0 Result

England opener Jason Roy plays a shot during their ICC Twenty20 2016 World Cup semifinal against New Zealand at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium yesterday AP

success at home.

“I thought his three overs were brilliant in the last game, that put the check and brakes on the scoring and allowed us to come back into the contest.

“Unfortunately, it is an injury that happened during the game, when he was taking off and did his ankle a bit and I believe it is a minor tear. We will miss him.” l

Valencia sack manager Neville n Reuters, Barcelona Gary Neville was sacked as Valencia manager on Wednesday as the club brought an end to his fraught four-month spell in charge after the former England and Manchester United defender had delivered only three league wins.

The club, who sit 14th in La Liga on 34 points, will replace Neville with his assistant coach Pako Ayestaran until the end of the season.

“Valencia have today rescinded their contractual relationship with Gary Neville as first team coach,” said a club statement.l

B

15 32 46 28 6 3 4 7 1 11

1-17 (Guptill), 2-91 (Williamson), 3-107 (Munro), 4-134 (Taylor), 5-139 (Ronchi), 6-139 (Anderson), 7-150 (Santner), 8-153 (McClenaghan)

India replace Yuvraj with Pandey n Reuters, Mumbai

R

M. Guptill c Buttler b Willey K. Williamson c and b Ali C. Munro c Ali b Plunkett C. Anderson c Jordan b Stokes R. Taylor c Morgan b Jordan L. Ronchi c Willey b Stokes G. Elliott not out M. Santner c Jordan b Stokes M. McClenaghan run out Extras (b1, lb4, w6) Fall of wickets

It was learned that talks are at a primary stage with the BCB not releasing any official statement on its behalf as of yet apparently in favour of retaining the players’ draft system which divides the players into different grades.

The frustrated cricketers have already shown their sign of disapproval over the players’ draft and instead want a return of the old tradition of the Dhaka League in which they get to choose their own destinations.

If the DPL does go ahead then the plan to hold the Sri Lanka series might be shelved.l

NEW ZEALAND

Australia’s Alex Blackwell plays a shot against England during their ICC Women's Twenty20 2016 World Cup semi-final at Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in New Delhi, India, yesterday. Australia won the match by five runs AP

England won by seven wickets MoM: JJ Roy (England)

Independence Cup still without Sk Jamal n Tribune Report Amid a bit of uncertainty, the curtain-raiser of the upcoming professional football season, the Independence Cup, is set to kick off tomorrow without the participation of top-flight champions Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi and their eight former footballers who have joined other clubs recently.

A pall of gloom descended over the Bangladesh Football Federation House yesterday after the Chamber Judge stayed the High Court order and rejected the football governing body’s appeal to halt the writ petition filed by Sheik Jamal.

The BFF yesterday appealed to the Chamber Judge to postpone Sheikh Jamal’s writ petition filed last Monday.

The top-tier holders wanted their eight booters back but the Chamber Judge stayed firm with the HC order and rejected the appeal.

The next hearing will be held this Sunday. Before that, the eight footballers will not be eligible to play for any other club but

Sheikh Jamal.

Chittagong Abahani, who have roped in five of the eight players in question, have agreed to partake without the quintet.

An emergency meeting took place at the BFF House yesterday where the federation officials tried to find out a solution.

In the meantime, Sheikh Jamal football committee chairman’s Ashrafuddin Ahmed Chunnu and Abdul Gaffar also paid a visit to the federation headquarter to take back their footballers.

They said they would only take part in the Independence Cup if they get their players back.

Meanwhile, BFF president, its secretary and the eight footballers have been asked to come up with explanations by four weeks as to why the players’ decision of leaving the club will not be declared illegal.

The eight booters are – Mamunul Islam, Nasir Uddin Chowdhury, Shahidul Alam Sohel, Yeasin Khan, Sohel Rana, Rayhan Hasan, Yeamin Ahmed Munna and Alamgir Kabir Rana.l

27

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THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2016

QUICK BYTES

PGTI returns to Bangladesh with BTI open

Bangladesh Army clinch Independence Day Rugby

n Tribune Report

Bangladesh Army emerged as the champions in the Independence Day rugby tournament after thrashing beating Flame Boys Rugby Club by 38-3 points at the outdoor stadium of the Paltan ground yesterday. Earlier in the semi-finals that were played yesterday at the same venue, Army outplayed Azad Sporting Club by 103-0 points while Flame Boys thumped Victoria Sporting Club by 18-0 points.

–TRIBUNE REPORT

Starc back for Windies, South Africa series Left-arm fast bowler Mitchell Starc was yesterday included in Australia’s one-day international tri-series squad to face the West Indies and South Africa in the Caribbean in June, while bit-hitting Travis Head also earned a call-up.

Starc, 26, has been out of action since fracturing his foot in last November’s historic day-night Test in Adelaide against New Zealand and undergoing ankle surgery.

But he has now regained fitness and leads an impressive pace attack which also features Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Coulter-Nile and John Hastings.

–AFP

Morocco qualify, Egypt close, Nigeria out Morocco became the first qualifiers for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon after beating Cape Verde 2-0 in Marrakech Tuesday. Star striker Youssef El Arabi scored twice early in the second half, the first from a penalty that resulted in a visiting footballer being redcarded. Morocco hold a six-point Group F lead over top-ranked African team Cape Verde with two rounds left and a head-to-head advantage having also beaten the islanders last Saturday in Praia.

–AFP

Villa part company with manager Garde Remi Garde parted company with Aston Villa almost five months after taking over as manager on Tuesday having failed to turn around the Premier League club’s dismal season. The Frenchman, who replaced Tim Sherwood after a poor start to the campaign, managed only two wins in the 20 league matches he took charge of and lost the last six. “Manager Remi Garde has today left Aston Villa Football Club by mutual consent,” Villa said in a statement.

–REUTERS

Organisers and dignitaries of the BTI Open announce the details of the golf tournament to the media

COURTESY

The Professional Golf Tour of India, the official sanctioning body of professional golf in India, returns to Bangladesh after a four-year hiatus with the launching of the BTI Open, which teed off at the picturesque Kurmitola Golf Club in the capital yesterday.

The tournament will conclude this Saturday and will carry a prize purse of Tk 41 lakhs approximately. The tournament, PGTI’s highest prize money event in Bangladesh till date, will feature some of the top names of the sub-continent. The Indian challenge will be spearheaded by the likes of Feroz Ali Mollah, Shamim Khan, Udayan Mane and Ajeetesh Sandhu, to name but a few. Bangladesh’s Mohammad Zamal Hossain Mollah will lead the host nation’s charge while Sri Lanka will be well represented in the shape of trio N Thangaraja, Anura Rohana and K Prabagaran.l

Women seek WT20 boost in equality battle n AFP, New Delhi From poor pay to lack of training grounds and media coverage, and even sexual harassment, women cricketers have long faced inequality in a multi-billion dollar sport dominated by men.

Australia and England face off in the Women’s World Twenty20 semi-finals in Delhi yesterday, and New Zealand play the West Indies in Mumbai today.

With both semi-finals and Sunday’s final in Kolkata immediately preceding the men’s equivalents at the same grounds, players are hoping that success in the tournament - and in front of a global TV

audience - can inch them further towards parity.

Cricketers say the sport has come a long way since the 1970s when women started playing professionally, and they have fought hard to have access to decent grounds on which to practise, funds for equipment and qualified coaches.

The International Cricket Council’s 2005 order for men’s and women’s national governing bodies to merge was hailed by many in the sport as a chance for the women to flourish.

But in India they were left to languish, with the all-powerful Board of Control for Cricket in India reluctant to promote or develop

their game or organise frequent international tours, according to Indian sports journalist Neeru Bhatia.

In New Zealand and neighbouring Australia, Bates said she has noticed a shift in attitudes in recent years towards “what the men get the women get too”.

For the first time at this tournament, for example, the White Ferns have single rooms, rather than sharing with teammates to save costs. But their request for business-class seats was refused for their 17-hour flight from New Zealand to Dubai, a luxury given to the men.

In Sri Lanka, the team are trying

Afridi issues video apology n AFP, Islamabad Pakistan’s under-fire captain Shahid Afridi yesterday issued a video message to supporters apologising for his team’s early exit from the World Twenty20, but remained silent on his future following calls for him to retire.

Afridi, nicknamed “Boom Boom” for his fierce hitting, has suffered a drop in form over the past two years and he was unable to steer Pakistan through the group stages of the tournament in India.

The 36-year-old has been expected to make an announcement on his future this week, but instead he took to Facebook and Twitter to issue a one-minute apology to the

cricket-mad country.

Pointing to the star on his Pakistan jersey, he said: “For this star, and these colours, when I come to a ground, I carry the weight of my people’s hopes with me.

“Today, I, Shahid Afridi, apologise to the whole nation for not being able to fulfil the hopes of myself and my team.”

The 2009 champions have been widely criticised by fans for a lacklustre performance at the World T20 with just one victory, against unfancied Bangladesh, and big losses to India, New Zealand and Australia.

Like Afridi, head coach Waqar Younis is also under intense scrutiny and he offered to resign while offering his own apology at a press

conference on Tuesday.

Afridi’s video met with a mostly positive response by fans posting on his Facebook page.

“Great cricketer Boom boom Afridi ..i am Indian ..but I like afridi as sportsman..come on guys support them be with ur team,” said user Narayan Kawade.

Afridi has been a fan favourite since he burst on the scene in 1996, striking a 37-ball century against Sri Lanka in only his second match to set a world record that was unbeaten for 17 years.

He became known as a bowling all-rounder in the second half of his career and was instrumental in Pakistan’s early successes in Twenty20, including their 2009 victory.l

to put a sexual harassment scandal behind them that skipper Shashikala Siriwardena conceded had damaged their international image.

Sri Lankan cricket sacked three officials last year following allegations that women from the national team were being asked to perform sexual favours to keep their places.

In Pakistan, women reportedly raised similar allegations about selectors from a city club two years ago, prompting an investigation by the national cricket board.

Bates tells of women being forced to choose between their jobs and cricket - with New Zealand paying a NZ$12,000 (8,000 US dollars) annual retainer for its top players. l

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THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2016

Kaka wants Real fans to show more gratitude to Ronaldo n Reuters

RESULTS Paraguay

2-2

Lezcano 40, Benitez 49

Argentina

Brazil Oliveira 79, Dani Alves 90+2

2-0

Bolivia

Mercado 20, Messi 30-P

Colombia

3-1

Bacca 15, 67, Perez 48

Uruguay

Ecuador Arroyo 90

1-0

Peru

Cavani 51

Venezuela

1-4

Otero 9

Chile Pinilla 33, 52, Vidal 72, 90+2

Argentina's Lionel Messi in action against Bolivia during their World Cup 2018 qualifier at Mario Alberto Kempes Stadium, Cordoba, Argentina on Tuesday REUTERS

Messi hits 50th, Brazil snatch draw

n AFP, Montevideo Lionel Messi scored his 50th international goal as Argentina notched their third straight victory in South America’s 2018 World Cup qualifying tournament, while Brazil snatched a dramatic late draw against Paraguay on Tuesday.

Messi swept in an emphatic spot-kick after half an hour to help Argentina to a 2-0 win over Bolivia at the Estadio Mario Kempes in Cordoba, lifting the two-time world champions to third in the overall standings. The Barcelona superstar’s goalscoring exploits

make him only the second player in Argentine history to reach a half century of goals.

The 28-year-old striker is now closing in on legendary scorer Gabriel Batistuta’s record of 56 goals, set between 1991 and 2002.

Messi now also needs only one more goal to reach 500 goals for club and country - raising the prospect that he could achieve that milestone with Barcelona this weekend when the Spanish giants take on Real Madrid in the Clasico.

Messi, meanwhile, was satisfied with yet another Argentina win, which suggests their troubled start to qualifying - which began with a shock 2-0 home defeat to Ecuador - is firmly in the rear view mirror.

Messi’s Barcelona team-mate Dani Alves was the hero of Brazil’s 2-2 draw with bogey team Paraguay in Asuncion.

Paraguay looked to be on course for another famous victory to set alongside their Copa America wins over Brazil in 2011 and 2015 after

taking a 2-0 lead early in the second half via goals from Dario Lezcano and Edgar Benitez.

But a Ricardo Oliveira goal on 79 minutes gave Brazil a lifeline as the clock ticked down. Deep into injury time, Chelsea forward Willian fed Alves and the fullback surged into the area to curl his shot beyond Paraguay goalkeeper Justo Villar.

Brazil, missing striker Neymar and defender David Luiz through suspension, might even have grabbed a late winner at the death but Villar saved an Alves shot.

It was the second straight game that Paraguay had conceded an injury-time equaliser after Ecuador’s 2-2 draw last week.

Paraguay qualified for four consecutive World Cup tournaments between 1998 and 2010, where they reached the quarter-finals, but missed out in 2014.

Uruguay lead the standings with 13 points from six games after they followed up last Friday’s 2-2 draw in Brazil with a 1-0 victory over

Peru in Montevideo on Tuesday.

Paris Saint-Germain striker Edinson Cavani scored the game’s only goal after 51 minutes.

Ecuador trail Uruguay on goal difference after being beaten 3-1 by Colombia in the port city of Barranquilla on Tuesday.

Colombia produced their best display since reaching the quarter-finals of the 2014 World Cup to overwhelm the Ecuadorans. AC Milan forward Carlos Bacca scored either side of a Sebastian Perez strike to help Jose Pekerman’s team take all three points.

Colombia are now fifth in the table with 10 points from five games.

South American champions Chile meanwhile suffered an early shock in Venezuela after Romulo Otero fired the home team into an early lead.

Chile recovered, however, with two goals from Atalanta striker Mauricio Pinilla before a brace from Bayern Munich midfielder Arturo Vidal completed a 4-1 victory. 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

Former Real Madrid forward Kaka has called on the team’s fans to show more respect to Cristiano Ronaldo, who was booed during a La Liga match against Celta Vigo earlier this month.

Ronaldo became Real’s all-time top scorer this season, and has scored 41 goals in all competitions in the current campaign, but the Portugal forward continues to endure a fractious relationship with the club’s supporters.

“Cristiano is a great player and I’m not just talking about his quality, but what he has contributed to Real Madrid...,” Brazil international Kaka, who now plays for Orlando City in the MLS, told Spanish radio station Cadena Cope yesterday.

“I’d like to see supporters show more respect to Cristiano for what he has done for this club. Hearing people boo Cristiano is not right after everything he has done for this club.”

Ronaldo overtook Raul as the Real’s all-time top scorer last October, grabbing 324 goals in 310 matches, compared to the 741 games the Spaniard needed to score 323. l

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29

DT

Sport

THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2016

Goetze puts Bayern woes aside to shine for Germany n Reuters, Munich

RESULTS 0-1

Estonia

Serbia Kolarov 81

Montenegro

0-0

Belarus

Macedonia

0-2

Bulgaria

Rangelov 66, Tonev 88

1-1

Georgia

Kazakhstan

Gelashvili 38

Nurgaliyev 36

2-3

Greece

Iceland

Fortounis 19-P, 31

Traustason 34, Ingason 70, Sigthorsson 82

0-5

Gibraltar

Latvia Ikaunieks 46, 84 Dubra 53, Sabala 57, Visnakovs 82

2-0

Norway

Finland

Berget 57, Johansen 83

Luxembourg

0-2

Albania

Sadiku 63, Cikalleshi 75

1-1

Sweden

Czech Republic

Berg 14

Vydra 26

Switzerland

0-2

Bosnia Dzeko 14, Pjanic 57

1-2

Austria

Turkey

Junuzovic 22

Calhanoglu 43, Turan 56

4-1

Germany

Italy

Kroos 24, Goetze 45, Hector 59, Ozil 75-P

El Shaarawy 83

2-2

Ireland Long 21-P, McClean 24-P

Portugal

Slovakia Stoch 14, McShane 45+1-og

2-1

Belgium

Nani 20, Ronaldo 40

Lukaku 62

4-2

France

Russia

Kante 8, Gignac 38, Payet 64, Coman 76

Scotland

Kokorin 56, Zhirkov 68

1-0

Denmark

1-2

Netherlands

Ritchie 8

England Vardy 41

Janssen 50-P, Narsingh 77

DAY’S WATCH CRICKET

STAR SPORTS 1 2:30PM ICC Women’s World T20 2016 Semi Final 2 New Zealand v West Indies 7:30PM ICC World T20 2016 Semi Final 2 West Indies v India

TENNIS TEN SPORTS 10:30PM, 6:00AM WTA Tour 2016 Miami Open - SF1, SF2

SONY SIX HD 1:00AM, 5:00AM ATP: Miami Open Day 9 Quarters Session 1, 2

Netherlands midfielder Memphis Depay (2R) challenges England midfielder Ross Barkley during their international friendly at Wembley Stadium in London on Tuesday AFP

Disputed Dutch winner keeps England in check n Reuters, London England came crashing down to earth with a frustrating 2-1 loss to an inexperienced Netherlands side at Wembley on Tuesday, failing to build on their defeat of world champions Germany last weekend.

Second-half goals from Dutch forward Vincent Janssen and substitute Luciano Narsingh cancelled out a Jamie Vardy strike in the first half, sapping the optimism around Roy Hodgson’s side ahead of this June’s European Championship finals.

On paper it should have been a routine victory for England - a team undefeated at Wembley for 2-1/2 years, brimming with Premier League talent and up against an injury-hit, experimental Dutch outfit that failed to qualify for the Euros.

But history was never on their side. Barring one win in 1996, they have not tasted success against the Netherlands in more than 30 years.

Yet from the start England struggled to rekindle the attacking flair that saw them stage a second-half fightback to beat Germany 3-2 on

Saturday.

“I don’t think the decisions were particularly favourable to us. The second one in particular was exceptionally harsh,” Hodgson told.

“But I was more disappointed that we did not reach the level of intensity or creativity that we did on Saturday night.”

“England maybe were better, they had more of the ball and we had to defend. That is normal. We are missing 14 players and are a very young team,” Dutch coach Danny Blind said.l

Germany attacking midfielder Mario Goetze’s goal and overall performance in their 4-1 victory over Italy on Tuesday will hopefully boost his confidence as he struggles for playing time at Bayern Munich, coach Joachim Loew said.

The 23-year-old has been largely overlooked by Bayern coach Pep Guardiola since returning from a five-month injury break in February, with speculation over a possible move back to Borussia Dortmund gaining traction in recent weeks.

“Mario earned this (performance) himself,” Loew told reporters. “I can understand why he may be playing less at Bayern at the moment because they have a great squad and he was injured for a long time.

“But Mario has worked hard in the past weeks, he did individual training sessions to get back to his best and I hope the game today gave him the self-confidence he needs for the for the coming weeks.”

Goetze has never held down a regular starting spot under Guardiola despite his big-money move from Dortmund in 2013.

Loew has kept faith with Goetze, however, and the gifted player paid him back by heading in Germany’s second goal on Tuesday and then helping set up their third with a jaw-dropping flick that eventually saw Jonas Hector score.

“It was important for me to play again,” Goetze told reporters. “I am very happy to have been on the pitch and it is just great to feel that my coach is trusting me. This means a lot for me at the moment.”l

Top-ranked Djokovic battles into Miami quarters n AFP, Miami World number one Novak Djokovic was struggling to play his best, but held firm when pressed to the brink Tuesday and battled into the ATP and WTA Miami Open quarter-finals.

The two-time defending champion outdueled Austrian 14th seed Dominic Thiem 6-3, 6-4, stretching his Miami win streak to 13 matches to book a last-eight date Wednesday against Czech seventh seed Tomas Berdych.

“Straight set win but far from easy. It was a tough match,” Djokovic said. “I kept my serves. But I made a lot of double faults and he had me under a lot of pressure.”

Djokovic, a five-time Miami winner overall, rescued 13 of 14 break points, four of them in the last

game of the first set and four more in a dramatic 14-minute final game before hitting a forehand winner on

his fourth match-point opportunity.

Berdych outlasted French 10th seed Richard Gasquet 6-4, 3-6, 7-5,

Novak Djokovic of Serbia serves against Dominic Thiem of Austria in their fourth round match during the Miami Open in Key Biscayne, Florida on Tuesday AFP

but has won only two of 24 meetings with Djokovic, having lost their past nine matches since a 2013 Rome quarter-final victory.

They are the only top-10 men still playing except for Japanese sixth seed Kei Nishikori, who downed Spanish 17th seed Roberto Bautista Agut 6-2, 6-4.

Up next for Nishikori, who won his fourth consecutive Memphis crown last month, is French 16th seed Gael Monfils, who rallied past Bulgarian 26th seed Grigor Dimitrov 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 6-3.

Nishikori won their only prior meeting in 2014 on Halle grass.

Only one of the world’s top 12 women, second-ranked Angelique Kerber, is still playing after Romanian fifth seed Simona Halep was ousted 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 by 19th-ranked Swiss Timea Bacsinszky.l

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Showtime

THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2016

The devil of Hell’s Kitchen is back n Mahmood Hossain Pretty sure we’ve mentioned how successful Netflix has been with its original content, and Daredevil season two is no exception. The show’s first season was wellreceived by both critics and fans

alike. It was more about the performances and development of the main characters. Season two, on the other hand, is absolutely brutal. And since Netflix likes to let viewers watch each season on a binge, we can dive into a few details without spoiling the entire

Woody Allen’s Cafe Society to open at Cannes Film Festival n Promiti Prova Chowdhury Woody Allen becomes the first director to have three of his films featured on the opening night of the historic Cannes Film Festival with his latest flick, Cafe Society.

Woody Allen’s 49th film will open this year’s festival which is scheduled to be held from May 11-22.

According to a Cannes press release, set in Hollywood during the 1930s, the film tells the story “of a young man who arrives in Hollywood hoping to work in the film industry, who falls in love, and finds himself swept up in the vibrant cafe society that defined

the spirit of the age.”

Cafe Society stars Kristen Stewart and Jesse Eisenberg, who have previously appeared on-screen as a couple in Adventureland and American Ultra.

Jodie Foster’s Money Monster starring Julia Roberts and George Clooney, and Steven Spielberg’s The BFG are already confirmed to screen at the festival.

The 69th Cannes film festival’s full lineup will be officially announced mid-April. This year’s Palme d’Or jury will be headed by Mad Max director George Miller. l Source: The Guardian, BBC

show.

You’d think it would start off slow just like any other show on television, but the pacing of the current season is brilliant. We’re surprised by the immediate impact of Frank Castle aka The Punisher, played by Jon Bernthal. Bernthal delivers the best performance of his career as The Punisher. In fact, the consensus is that, he pretty much steals the show with his magnificent portrayal as Frank Castle. Let’s not take anything away from the core characters of this show, however. Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock aka Daredevil, remains as the spearhead of the story for obvious reasons. Cox only improves in this season and stays solid as the main lead.

Debarah Ann Woll as Karen Page continues to provide a wonderful supporting role, while Elden Henson (Foggy Nelson) is possibly the most improved of the lot. However, the next shocker would come in the form of Elektra, played by the talented Elodie Yung. She’s no household name, but you will wish she was.

But Yung is no spring chicken, she’s had her share of Hollywood blockbusters. From the get-go, Yung embodies the pure femme fatale with her seductive and menacing behaviour. She’s

like that dangerously sexy and desirable being you know is bad for you, yet you still want her.

The new season brings a storm of raw action that is slightly balanced off by some hearts strings being pulled at the perfect moments. The latter was surprisingly stretched out by Frank Castle, after his first couple of altercations with Daredevil.

The show has done a wonderful job in character development and dialogue between the main characters. It’s amazing what a proper team can achieve in 13, one-hour, episodes. And the interesting fact about all of this is that they have become the best

comic book/superhero show on television on a humbling budget.

It goes to show that you don’t need to go over the top in order to produce a successful project that can be enjoyed by the masses.

If you’ve seen the first season, you would have appreciated one of the best fight scenes in years during the single shot hallway scene. Well, this season, they’ve taken it to a level higher. Without giving too much away, think The Raid on a stairwell. Watch your step folks, the kitchen is sweltering and the floors are wet.

The sophomore season is a huge success, bettering the show’s premiere season. l

Zohad on a roll n Nazia Lopa Zohad Reza Chowdhury, vocal and guitarist of the band Nemesis has been making headlines for quite a while. He went to the Grammy Awards to represent Bangladesh this year, he rocked Joy Bangla concert this month and now, he has been appointed as the brand ambassador of the leading fashion and styling house Cats Eye. He has officially signed the deal with Cats Eye on March 30, 2016. Showtime caught up with him after the signing ceremony. As the new brand ambassador of Cats Eye,

Zohad shares his excitement by saying: “Cats Eye is the pioneer lifestyle brand for unique style and shopping content, starting from trend-setting fashion lovers and their followers in Bangladesh.

I am lucky that I have been chosen to represent this brand.”

Cats Eye family is also thrilled to have Zohad in the team. When asked about his experience at the Grammys, Zohad says, “It was awesome. Generally we see one stage on TV. But there are actually two stages there.

When one stage is occupied with one

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Prangonemor’s new play performer, the other one is being set for the next performance. The organisers have every second of the show planned out! It was like picture perfect presentation!”

Speaking of performers and big artists, Zohad says, “There was no chance to meet them.”

Although, this year he went to the Grammys as a guest, in the future we’re sure we’ll see him performing at the award show.

“We have started working on our next album. We will try to get into international arena through our hard work and experience,” the musician adds.

Zohad Reza Chowdhury, the voice of the popular band Nemesis, has represented Bangladesh at the 58th National Grammy, February 15.

Qinetic Music, an online digital distributor for Bangladeshi music, which is also a member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, helps promote Bangladeshi music in the international music scene. Zohad attended Grammy with the help of this organisation. l

n Hasan Mansoor Chatak Prangonemor, a troupe famed for the depiction of Tagore plays, has brought a brand new play titled Condemned Cell which is based on the Liberation War. The play will be premiered tomorrow at the National Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy on April 1 at 7pm.

The troupe asserts that the story and all the characters of the play are imaginary. However, the playwright’s effort to depict the most glorious event of our national history - the Liberation War of 1971 - rooted in some scattered horrifying scenes

where the occupying force, the Pakistan Army and local collaborators carried out mass killing and rape are all based on true stories.

All the events in the play take place inside a condemned cell, a place where only the deathsentence-carrying prisoners live.

Written by Ananta Hira and directed by Awal Reza, the play casts Nuna Afroz, Ananta Hira, Awal Reza, Ramiz Razu, Jahidul Islam, Mainul Touhid and others.

The purpose of bringing out a play like Condemned Cell is to reach out to the audience and depict situations our country went through in 1971. l

WHAT TO WATCH

by Mike Chadway (played by Gerard Butler) that claims to reveal what men and women actually want. She is appalled by the show and later comes to know that because of poor ratings, the station has hired Mike to host a segment in her show. Due to their opposite personalities, both keep clashing with each other.

Cast: Katherine Heigl, Gerard Butler, Bonnie Somerville, Yvette Nicole Brown, John Sloman

New Films, New Filmmakers at Shilpakala today n Rashna Munawar Moviyana Film Society, in cooperation with Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, has organised screenings of a bunch of short films, full-length features and documentaries made by young filmmakers today. The screening of the selected films will be held today at the National Art Gallery of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy starting from 3pm.

The festival, titled New Films New Filmmakers, initially started as a year-long film festival competition. Since the beginning of the festival in April last year, films are submitted within the first 10 days of every month. Selected

films from the submissions are usually screened in the last week of the month at a minimum ticket price and the accumulated amount received from the screening is handed over to filmmakers in the ceremony.

The jury of the festival has selected 13 films for March which include nine short films, two documentaries, an animated shortfilm and a full-length feature film.

The short films are Backbone by Shakti Banik, The Legacy by Kamrun Nahar, No God by Ramkrishna Saha, The Secret Pain by Miraj Mrittik, Achor by Shakhkho Shahid, Nari Ou Bahon: Keo Karo Noy by Binu Mahbuba, Flowers In The Naked City by Sumaya Islam, Wake Up

by Foridul Ahsan Shourabh and Upside Down by Adri Hridayesh. The animated film, Rhythm of Rhyme, is directed by Md Shariful Alam while the documentaries are To Define a Bad Girl by Sharmin Shams and 1 Death= 3 Acres of Land by Jahid Gogon.

Shahnewaz Kakoli’s acclaimed film Northern Symphony will be screened last in today’s show. l

The Courier Zee Studio HD, 7:45pm A carrier specialist is hired to deliver a mysterious case to the underworld’s most dangerous hit man.

Cast: Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Josie Ho, Til Schweiger, Miguel Ferrer, Lili Taylor The Ugly Truth WB, 4:21pm Katherine Heigl plays the role of Abby Richter, a morning show TV producer. The Ugly Truth is a local show hosted

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ADB KEEPS BD’S GROWTH FORECAST AT 6.7% PAGE 15

BANGLADESH, SRI LANKA SERIES NEXT MONTH? PAGE 26

THE DEVIL OF HELL’S KITCHEN IS BACK PAGE 30

Tonu’s body exhumed n Tribune Report The body of slain Comilla Victoria Government College student Sohagi Jahan Tonu was exhumed for a fresh autopsy yesterday, 10 days after she was buried.

On March 28, a Comilla court ordered to exhume Tonu’s body following a petition filed by AKM Manzur Alam, officer-in-charge of Comilla Detective Branch of police.

The petition sought a court order to exhume the body, saying it was needed for a fair investigation, collecting DNA samples, preparing the inquest report and conducting a second post-mortem.

Tonu’s body was exhumed from the grave at Mirzapur village in Comilla’s Muradnagar upazila around 11:30am. Special Superintendent of Police of Dhaka Criminal Investigation Department Dr Nazmul Karim Khan, Comilla Superintendent of Police Md Shah Abid Hossain, Comilla Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer Lutfun Nahar and Tonu’s father Yaar Hossain were present there.

A three-member team led by Dr Kamda Prasad Saha, chief of the forensic department at Comilla Medical College, carried out the second autopsy of the body, which was later handed over to the family.

Tonu, a student of history, was killed inside Comilla cantonment on March 20. She was laid to rest the following day.

Also on that day, Tonu’s father

Students of Eden College block a road in the capital's Azimpur yesterday, protesting the killing of Comilla Victoria Government College student Sohagi Jahan Tonu and demanding arrest of the killers MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU filed a case with Comilla Kotwali Model police station. Sub-Inspector of the police station Saiful Islam was first assigned to conduct the probe but the case was later transferred to the DB on March 25.

Again on March 29, the case was transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department.

Protests continue

Demonstrations demanding jus-

tice for Tonu were held at different educational institutions in Comilla yesterday.

Students of Tonu’s college who live in Chauddagram upazila’s Miabazar formed a human chain and blocked the Dhaka-Chittagong highway. Several thousand students of other institutions joined them.

Protests were also held in Pirojpur, Panchagarh and Kurigram.

Army to assist in probe

The Inter Service Public Relations Directorate (ISPR) yesterday said it would offer assistance in the investigation into Tonu’s killing.

ISPR Assistant Director Muhammad Reza-ul Karim Shammee, who read out the written statement at a press briefing at Mainamati Officers Club in Comilla cantonment, said the army was determined to cordially assist in the probe.

Premier University student killers identified n Anwar Hussain, Chittagong A Chittagong court has placed five private university students on a three-day remand over the murder of another student in the city.

Judge Farid Alam of the Chittagong Metropolitan Magistrate Court yesterday gave police three days to interrogate Ashraful Islam, Tamim Ul Alam Tamim, Wahiduzzaman Nishan, Ziaul Haider Chowdhury, and SM Golam Mostafa, all students of Premier University.

Nasim Ahmed Sohel, an MBA student of the university and a member of Chhatra League’s Chittagong city unit, was stabbed to death during a factional clash which took place at Premier's Dampara campus on Tuesday.

Earlier Sohel's father Abu Taher lodged a case with Chawkbazar po-

lice station against 13 named and 25 others unnamed students for the murder of his son.

These 13, all students of the university, were identified by the police from a CCTV footage from the scene of the clash.

“We collected the footage from the two CCTV cameras installed in the campus. The footage shows some 15 students armed with sharp weapons locked in a scuffle,” Aziz Ahmed, Officer-in-Charge of Chawkbazar police station, said.

He said a student wearing dark blue shirt identified as Sohan was seen stabbing Sohel indiscriminately with a knife.

“Sohan repeatedly stabbed the student in just one minute and left the spot soon. We are trying to find him.”

Police arrested the five of them

soon after the incident from the campus. The rest were identified as Sohan, Joynal, Saif, Uzzal, Abid, Tareque, Sayem and Saiful.

Road Minister calls for action Road, Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader yesterday urged the two feuding leaders ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury and AJM Nasir Uddin to take necessary action over the killing of Sohel.

Premier students say Tuesday's clash ensued as one faction of the students wanted to make former city mayor and Chittagong Awami League president Mohiuddin the chief guest at the farewell programme on March 31, while the other group wanted Chittagong City Corporation Mayor Nasir Uddin, also the secretary of city Awami League.

Sohel belonged to the latter group.

“This is a very pathetic incident.

We are very concerned,” Quader said.

“It would be better if both Mohiuddin and Nasir Uddin sat down together. I don't know who were involved, but it happened in Chhatra League's name. I feel ashamed,” he said.

“We are going tough on this incident and whoever is involved must face trial,” the minister added.

Protest programmes announced The faction of Chittagong city Chhatra League to which Sohel belonged has threatened protest programmes if the killers are not brought to book soon.

They also demanded the resignation of the university’s Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Anupam Sen, at a press conference at Chittagong Press Club.

Sohel was buried at Sher Shah graveyard in the city yesterday at 9am. l

‘Why ask me how my daughter died? Am I the accused?’ n Mohiuddin Molla, Comilla “Why ask me how my daughter died? Am I the accused?” said Yar Hossain, father of Sohagi Jahan Tonu, with tears rolling down his cheeks.

Standing by the grave of his daughter yesterday, Yar Hossain told reporters that whoever questions them, they ask how Tonu had died.

“The accused could tell what pain they inflicted on my daughter while killing her. I am the complainant. I want justice for my daughter’s murder,” said Yar. “I want the prime minister’s intervention so that I get justice for my daughter’s killing,” added the bereaved father.

Yar Hossain – in a white shirt and a scalp cap – kept wiping his tears with a handkerchief. He came to Tonu’s grave around 10:15am as he knew that her daughter’s body would be exhumed for further post mortem examination as ordered by a court.

The father prayed beside the grave of his daughter and waited for the officials to arrive.

“I have come to see my daughter for one last time…” he told journalists.

“Tonu’s mother also wanted to come, but I have not brought her as she is already ill from the bereavement of Tonu’s death,” he said.

The officials arrived and started their work around 10:30am.

Around 11am they hurried towards their vehicle with the body in a white body bag.

Yar Hossain cried, throwing out his hands: “Let me see my Tonu once...”

He broke down in frustration.

Accompanying villagers held him but they also did not have any word of consolation.

Yar Hossain told journalists that the Rapid Action Battalion had taken them on March 25 night saying an accused had been arrested.

“But instead of showing us any accused, they asked me and my ill wife many unnecessary questions,” he said. l

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