April 3, 2016

SECOND EDITION

SUNDAY, APRIL 3, 2016

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Chaitra 20, 1422, Jamadius Sani 24, 1437

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Regd No DA 6238, Vol 3, No 348

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

Explosive Windies face fearless England in fitting finale n Reuters

Observing World Autism Awareness Day, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina joins a group of autistic children on stage to perform patriotic songs at a programme in Bangabandhu International Conference Centre yesterday. Story on Page 2 BSS

West Indies’ rag-tag army of short-format mercenaries will be hoping they have the weapons to overcome a fearless England in today’s World Twenty20 final as both sides target the honour of being the first to claim a second title in the tournament.

For a group of players who nearly boycotted the event over a contractual dispute with their board, Darren Sammy and his troops have waltzed into the Kolkata final displaying all the Caribbean flair that has earned them global admiration.

If Twenty20 cricket is essentially about power-hitting, no team does it better and more unabashedly than the West Indies.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

‘Philippines obligated to return heist money’

RMG worker gangraped in moving bus

n Jebun Nesa Alo

A ready-made garment worker was gang-raped inside a moving bus on Tangail-Mymensigh highway early Friday morning.

Police arrested three people – bus driver Habibur Rahman Nayan, 33, supervisor Rezaul Karim Jewel, 35, and helper Abdul Khaleque Bhutto, 30 – after a case was filed in this regard on Friday night, reported our Tangail correspondent.

During primary interrogation, the three arrestees confessed to being involved in the heinous crime and were sent to a Tangail court yesterday, where Nayan and Jewel were placed on a three-day remand and Bhutto was sent to jail, police sources said.

The court also recorded the statement of the victim yesterday.

According to her statement,

INSIDE

Central bankers have said Philippines is obligated to help Bangladesh regain the funds that were stolen from Bangladesh Bank and funneled into its financial system because it risked facing problems in the global financial market after the incident.

Unknown hackers breached Bangladesh Bank’s systems between February 4 and February 5 and tried to steal nearly $1 billion from its account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. They managed to get away with almost $101 million before the alarms were raised, of which $81 million went to a bank in Philippines and ended up in casinos.

The country’s government has

‘Innocent inmates use phone’ Inspector General Syed Iftekhar Uddin claimed that criminals sometimes manage to take mobile phones into the jail.  PAGE 3

been pushing all parties that received the money to give back and recovered $4.6 million so far.

“The Philippine Senate has been playing a progressive role in the matter,” former governor Mohammed Farashuddin, who is leading the investigation team into the heist, told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

The country had a responsibility to take the initiative to return the money to Bangladesh, he said, because otherwise it would risk getting blacklisted in the global financial market.

“If it is blacklisted, it will be barred from all international transactions,” he said.

Philippine Senator Teofisto Guingona III, chair of the committee formed by the country’s

senate to look into the incident, said more could be done to ensure that more than $4.6 million would be returned.

“It is clear we could recover more and do more to return the money to Bangladesh, and bring back the international financial community’s trust in the Philippines,” he said.

A senior Bangladesh Bank economist said the stolen money going into Philippine casinos had demonstrated loopholes in the country’s anti money laundering law.

The economist, who wished to remain unnamed, said since it was proved that the money had been stolen and was still in that country, it was Philippines’ responsibility to retrieve it.

‘DMP establishment likely to come under attack’

CID interrogates Tonu’s family members

Following intelligence reports that militants might be trying to attack a major DMP establishment.  PAGE 5

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 4

The CID yesterday interrogated family members of slain Comilla Victoria Govt.

College student Sohagi Jahan Tonu.  PAGE 32

n Tribune Report

the victim got on a bus of Binimoy Paribahan around 5am on Friday at Dhanbari upazila bus stand to return home at Rakhaliachara in Shafipur upazila, following a visit at a family member’s house in Dhanbari’s Dattabari village. She was the only passenger in the bus.

As the bus started moving, one of the driver’s helpers made a pass at the victim. When she protested, two others joined him and they bound her mouth and hands, dragged her to the backseat of the bus and raped her.

Later, the bus driver, helper and supervisor left the victim on the side of the highway near Madhupur bus stand. The victim then called her husband and told him about the incident, and he took her to Tangail Medical College Hospital (TMCH).  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

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PM: Congenial atmosphere for challenged people to be ensured n UNB Expressing her firm commitment to create a congenial atmosphere for people with autism, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said the government is taking steps for taking care of the orphan autistic people.

“A question always crosses my mind when the parents of an autistic child will pass away what will happen to it where it will go…we’ve taken a step to provide them shelter. This is the responsibility of the state,” she said.

The prime minister said this while inaugurating the 9th World Autism Awareness Day at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC).

The Ministry of Social Welfare, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Education Ministry jointly arranged the function.

Social Welfare secretary Dr Chowdhury M Babul Hossain chaired the programme.

Health Minister Mohammad Nasim and chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Social Welfare Ministry Mozammel

Hossain spoke at the programme.

Chairperson of the National Advisory Committee on Autism in Bangladesh and Member of the WHO’s Advisory Panel on Mental Health, Saima Wazed Hossain gave her address through a pre-recorded video message.

The mentality to neglect the physically and mentally-challenged people has to be changed, the prime minister said adding, “They also can give something to society as well, our aim is to give them the scope, the autistic people must not be neglected…we’ll give

them a congenial atmosphere.”

Urging the private sector to come forward to assist the government in ensuring the well being of people with autism Sheikh Hasina said: “They’re also human being, they’re the part of this society, we’ve to work for them, too.”

Citing some examples of world renowned scientists, littérateurs and musicians, Hasina said the physically- and mentally-challenged children have to be included in the mainstream of society to utilise their hidden talents.

“We’ll have to give them all the

scopes to flourish their merits, and we’re working towards that direction,” she said.

Putting emphasis on providing special care to the children with autism disorder by keeping their special demands in mind, Hasina said those kids could be turned into valuable assets by giving special care.

In this connection, she lauded the contribution of her daughter and eminent Child Psychologist Saima Hossain and said it is Saima who has created awareness globally on autism and other physical and mental disability. l

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RMG worker gang-raped in moving bus Later in the afternoon, her husband, who is also a transport worker, went to the office of Tangail Transport Workers’ Union and demanded punishment for the rapists, who were all present at the office at the time.

Some transport leaders offered to pay him Tk100,000 and asked him to mutually resolve the issue at that time, but the victim’s husband refused to accept the offer and took his wife to the hospital again.

Later in the night, he filed the case with Dhanbari police station against six people, said Dhanbari OC Majibur Rahman.

Police then conducted a drive and arrested Nayan, Jewel and Bhutto on the same night.

Earlier, a three-member medical team led by gynaecologist Dr Rehana Parvin at the the TMCH conducted forensic examination of the victim and found evidence of rape, said Dr Rehana.

Police produced the three suspects before Tangail Chief Judicial Magistrate’s Court yesterday and placed a remand petition. Chief Judicial Magistrate Luna Ferdous granted three-day remand for Nayan and Jewel and sent Bhutto

to court since he gave a confessional statement at the court.

When contacted, Tangail Transport Workers’ Union’s General Secretary Lutfur Rahman Lalzu told the Dhaka Tribune that the trio had been expelled from the organisation yesterday morning.

Tangail Superintendent of Police Mohammad Tanvir said a team of police was investigating the incident and everyone found to be involved with this incident would be brought to book.

Another gang rape in Lakshmipur

In another incident in Lakshmipur, two sisters were gang-raped by a group of men in Kamalnagar upazila on Tuesday night.

Two separate cases in this connection were filed with Kamalnagar police station in the district against five people on Friday afternoon, our Lakshmipur correspondent reported.

Of the five suspects, four were identified as Md Khokon, Md Yusuf, Md Siraj and Abdul Karim, police sources said.

According to the cases, the elder sister was in a relationship with Khokon.

On the night of the incident, Khokon called his girlfriend and asked her to step out of her house.

The victim took her younger sister along and went outside their house.

As soon as they stepped out, Khokon and his cohorts grabbed them and forcibly took them to an isolated house, where Khokon raped the elder sister and Siraj raped the younger sister.

Later, Yusuf and Karim took their turns in abusing the victims.

The victims’ mother told the Dhaka Tribune that she, with the help of the locals, found the victims in the house hours after they had been abducted.

The victims’ brother claimed that local influential people were trying to resolve the issue out of court because the rapists are cousins of the newly elected UP member Abdur Rahim Dulal Majhi.

When contacted, Dulal denied the allegation.

Kamalnagar police station OC Kabir Ahmed said the victims had been sent to Lakshmipur Sadar Hospital for a medical examination. “Meanwhile, police are trying to catch the criminals.” l

‘Philippines obligated to return heist money’ “Bangladesh Bank has engaged legal services to apply it’s legal rights,” the economist said.

“The Philippine authorities are bound to return the money under the Egmont protocol,” said Khondkar Ibrahim Khaled, former deputy governor of Bangladesh Bank.

Bangladesh and Philippines are both members of the Egmont Group, which is a network of financial intelligence units worldwide that cooperate in dealing with international financial crimes such as money laundering and terror financing.

“To save its image, country itself should return the money before a case is filed,” Khaled said.

It is the best option for the country since it would become a lengthy process when Bangladesh Bank files a case, he said.

The Philippine senate on Friday asked casinos and the local remittance firm Philrem Services to surrender any portion of the $81 million that was still with them.

“We should insist that the other junket operators, casinos and other institutions return the money that coursed through them, in good

faith, and because it is the right thing to do,” Senator Bam Aquino, a member of the probe committee, was quoted as saying by the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Kin Wong, one of the major recipients of the money which entered the country through the Rizal Bank, turned over $4.6 million to the Philippine Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) after promising to do so in a senate hearing.

“Wong returning $4.6 million is only the first step,” said Aquino.

Citing testimony in the previous hearing, Aquino said Wong had received much more than $4.6 million.

He also said he was hoping that other parties that got the funds would follow Wong’s example and turnover the money to authorities soon.

Senator Ralph Recto also said Philrem which transferred the money to the casino operators should be the next to return to the AMLC whatever remains of the $81m that is under its control.

“They should give back all they could, so that these could be returned to Bangladesh,” he said. l

Explosive Windies face fearless England in fitting finale England have first-hand knowledge of that destructive potency, having been blown away by Chris Gayle’s 47-ball century in a Super 10 shellacking in Mumbai a fortnight ago.

Revenge may be regarded as a dish best served cold but Eoin Morgan’s men would probably like nothing more than to exact it in the heat of a World Cup final.

A task easier said than done against a West Indies outfit packed with swashbuckling players who ply their trade in lucrative Twenty20 leagues around the globe.

What makes the job doubly difficult is that Sammy’s men have proved in India that they are more than just a one-man army who

bank on Gayle to punch holes in their opponents.

Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons and Andrew Russell have stepped out of their illustrious team mate’s shadow and made their own mark in the last month.

“We said this before the tournament that Chris is under pressure,” Sammy said after the exhilarating semi-final victory against hosts India.

“He is our best Twenty20 player but we have 15 match-winners in this side,” he added.

The ever-smiling all-rounder is seeking to become the first captain to lead a team to a second World Twenty20 title but West Indies are

anything but infallible.

They showed two extremes to their game in the last couple of outings, slumping to an embarrassing defeat to qualifiers Afghanistan before silencing a raucous home crowd in Mumbai as they knocked out favourites India.

Also, the England they will face today is not the same team they thumped by six wickets in the group stage last month.

Morgan’s side have peaked gradually in the tournament since that defeat and seem to have found the right rhythm and combinations.

They accomplished a high-scoring chase against South Africa, recovered well to subdue an upset-minded Afghanistan, held their

nerve to edge out Sri Lanka and stunned the previously unbeaten New Zealand with a near-perfect game in the semi-finals.

Their batsmen - especially Jason Roy, Joe Root and Jos Buttler - have batted with refreshing freedom and their catching has been extraordinary.

Equally, if not more impressive, has been their bowling at the death.

Ben Stokes appeared to have ice in his veins in the final over against Sri Lanka to thwart Angelo Mathews’s audacious bid to pull off a sensational victory as England secured their place in the last four.

Against New Zealand, Stokes and Chris Jordan pacified the

Black Caps in the final four overs, which cost only 20 runs and garnered five wickets, to restrict them to a total that England could chase down with 17 balls to spare.

Morgan has freed his batsmen from the weight of expectation and it is showing in the team’s performance.

“That’s the way a lot of us play,” Roy said of England’s aggressive batting after his 44-ball innings of 78 set the foundations for victory over New Zealand.

“The whole team has got that kind of licence, that kind of opportunity to go out there and do what they want and be free with their skills.” l

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SUNDAY, APRIL 3, 2016

HSC, equivalent exams begin today n UNB The Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and its equivalent examinations will begin across the country today.

Over 1.2 million students under eight general education boards, Madrasah Education Board and Bangladesh Technical Education Board will sit for the examinations.

The examinations will end on June 9 while the practical tests would be held form June 11 to June 20.

This year, some 1,218, 628 students from 8,533 educational institutions will sit for the examinations.

Of them, 1,020,109 students will sit for the HSC exams under eight general education boards, while 91,591 students will appear in Alim (Higher secondary level of madrasa) examinations, 102,132 in Bangladesh Technical Education exams and some 4796 students in Diploma in Business Studies (DIBS) exam.

Some 654, 114 boys and 564, 514 girls will appear in the HSC and equivalent examinations at 2,452 centres. Apart from 2,452 centres in Bangladesh, the exams will also be held in seven overseas centres where 262 students will take part.

Physically challenged students will be given 20 minutes extra time while autistic ones will get 30 minutes. l

All-female platform Pritilata Brigade brings out a procession carrying sticks near Raju Bhashkarja in Dhaka University yesterday demanding punishment of all rapists and killers in both the hilly areas and the plain land of the country MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

'Only innocent inmates use phone' n Amanur Rahman Rony Inspector General (Prisons) Brig Gen Syed Iftekhar Uddin has claimed that criminals sometimes manage to take mobile phones into the jail dodging the security officials and keep those with the most innocent inmates.

Some inmates even do business with the phones. They charge Tk200-400 for using a phone for one or two minutes. “We confiscate phones at the jail gate. But still some phones are taken inside. It cannot be denied,” he told Bangla Tribune recently.

Asked how the criminals communicate over the phone with their associates staying outside as claimed by the police, he said: “I have no clear idea about it. Have they heard any criminal doing this? If so, they should have prevented the crime.

“Criminals also use phones on the way to and from the court in front of the police. It is learnt that police allowed criminals to talk to their associates stopping prison vans on the streets. Who will shoulder responsibility for such activities?

“I heard about such allegations

about Kashimpur jail. Sometimes I try to talk to the jailer or superintendents over the mobile phones, but it does not work properly. So I have to choose land phone.”

'We only motivate the inmates and train them to increase their skills so that they get a better life after serving jail term' He said that mobile jammers are used at Dhaka and Kashimpur jails. “But the jammers we use are not fully effective. Now there are updated versions. Sometimes the jammers do not work during loadshedding. May be the inmates take that chance.”

About preventing entry of drugs, he said that the prison guards might help the criminals enter with drugs, “but we punish them im-

mediately. Last year we suspended two guards for such offence. Same happened in Kashimpur jail.

“Some people allege that jails are heaven for drugs. But in Dhaka Central Jail, we have around 10% drug addicts. But in other countries it is 60-70%. The addicts shall take drugs. But we are trying to stop this.

Sometimes we appoint intelligence source from among the inmates.

But the addicts keep those hidden in commodes and even drains.”

He hoped that the situation might improve when the Dhaka Central Jail would be shifted to Keraniganj.

Asked if the authorities consider jails as correction centres, Iftekhar said that the government was yet to make the declaration about it.

“If announced, the jailers, jail superintendents would be called correction officers. We will appoint psychologists. We need to take a lot of steps including training of the officers and offering series of trainings for the inmates.

“Now we only motivate the inmates and train them to increase their skills so that they get a better life after serving jail term.”

About low quality of foods, the

prisons chief said that the allegations were not specific. “We see the hospitals do not provide quality foods. Same scenario is seen at public universities. Actually the quality is not too bad. It is not possible to please everyone.

“We did not get negative reports from the deputy commissioners, district judges and human rights activists on food quality. I took steps immediately after getting an allegation from Barisal jail recently.

If the food quality is so bad, how do the inmates gain weight when they are released?”

About security measures at the jails, Iftekhar said that the top criminals generally stay in Dhaka, Kashimpur, Gazipur and Keraniganj jails where security measures are very strict. “Yes, there are some brokers active centring the Dhaka Central Jail, but the scenario will change at Keraniganj.”

Regarding allegations of re-arrest from the jail gates by plainclothes police with the help of prison guards, he said: “I knew about one or two such officials. They had a syndicate here. But they have been transferred. Many people in-

cluding officials of the administration and detectives are engaged in such activities.

“It is not true that someone must pay bribes to get released. We cannot stop anyone who has secured bail. Sometimes we are instructed by highups to rearrest someone.

The detectives take this chance.

They threaten well-off people of arrests and realise money from their relatives. I will not refute the allegation. Some brokers are also involved in such activities.”

He also said that they were working to stop harassment of the visitors as they have to pay the prison guards bribes to meet the inmates.

About dignity, promotion and facilities of the prison guards, Iftekhar said that they are getting salaries as per the government order. “But I think that currently they are discriminated in some cases. They are not equal to the other forces any more. We are lagging behind as other forces got an upgradation.

“We have prepared a proposal on the matter. It will be sent to the ministry soon,” he added. l

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Bashundhara mall bars serving legal notices n Kamrul Hasan A legal firm yesterday claimed that Bashundhara City Shopping Mall authorities had barred two of their staff from serving legal notices to various mobile handset sellers.

“These shops are selling handsets of Samsung brand imported or brought into the country without paying the appropriate amount of tax. They also did not obtain the BTRC’s NOC,” claimed Supreme Court lawyer ABM Hamidul Misbah of Old Bailey Chambers.

“They are selling the handsets without any warranty,” he added.

The two staff are Jahirul Islam and Hafizur Rahman.

Misbah said that the duo started disseminating the notices around 5:30pm but were detained around 7:30pm from the sixth floor while reaching the notices to the receivers.

Then the security officials and some shoppers also torn apart a logbook kept with the duo for collecting signatures from the recipients. They were released after some time.

The lawyer said that he had been informed about the detention one hour later. “I immediately contacted with RAB 2 and Kalabagan police who advised me to inform Tejgaon police. But officials at the Tejgaon police station re-

fused to take any action terming it a social issue.”

When contacted by the Dhaka Tribune last night, officials at RAB 2 and the police stations denied having any idea about such complaints.

Misbah said that these unauthorised handsets are usually imported through luggage parties. “The way the mall’s security personnel behaved with our staff, it seems that they want the illegal practice to continue,” he added.

“One of the top security officers asked the duo to secure permission before delivering such notices,” he alleged.

But the mall authorities claimed that no such incident had taken place yesterday.

They said that legal notices should be sent to the shop owners through courier service, or registered mailing system or by submitting the letters to the mall authorities.

A top security official told the Dhaka Tribune that certain quarters might be trying to tarnish the reputation of the mall.

Misbah said that he could not take any legal action as the victims had to file the general diary with Tejgaon police station and the two were so afraid that they denied to go for the GD. Besides as they were his part-timers he could file a GD on behalf of them. l

DU students, teachers submit memo to VC n DU Correspondent A section of teachers and students of Dhaka University yesterday formed a human chain protesting the government’s plan to build a 22-storey police residential building.

They submitted a memorandum to the DU VC protesting the move to fell trees to build the building in the university residential area.

DU VC Professor AAMS Arefin Siddique received the memorandum at his office at around 12:30pm.

The human chain was formed in front of the Anwar Pasha building near Fazlul Haque Muslim Hall of the DU to press home their demand.

Speaking at the human chain, DU Soil, Water and Environmental Science Department Professor Ashfaq Ahmed said police were allowed to build a temporary camp in the Babupara residential area but they have planned to build the 22-storey building there.

“To build the building they have to cut trees that bear the history of the university,” he said.

He said such a move will destroy the natural beauty of the university.

Among others, Mass Communication and Journalism teacher Dr Fahmidul Hoque, English department Professor Ahmed Bashir and students from different dormitories joined the protest. l

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‘DMP establishment likely to come under attack’ n Mohammad Jamil Khan

Following intelligence reports that militants might be trying to attack a major DMP establishment or a mosque inside DMP premises, police high-ups have instructed all units to stay alert against allowing unknown persons or vehicles access inside police zones.

Sources inside the DMP told the Dhaka Tribune that instructions from the Police Headquarters included keeping an eye on Muslim devotees before they enter mosques inside DMP areas for Friday’s Jumma prayers.

Directives were also handed out to beef up security at all po-

after several mosques came under attack in recent months, a pattern of terror not common in the country.

In December last year, two youths entered a mosque in Rajshahi’s Bagmara and set off a bomb that killed one person. The same month also saw six persons being injured when hand bombs exploded inside a mosque inside Navy’s secured Isha Khan Base in Chittagong’s Patenga.

In November last year, gunmen opened fire on devotees at a Shia mosque in Bogra’s Shibganj upazila during Maghrib prayers, killing the muezzin and injuring three others. l

in the city have been instructed to stay alert about any suspicious activities by a Muslim devotee – as they might be militants in disguise – before they enter mosques.

Orders have also been issued to remain vigilance during big gatherings such as Jumma prayers.

However, Dhaka Metropolitan Police Additional Commissioner Monirul Islam assured that Muslim devotees had no reason to be afraid when they come to Jumma prayers.

The initiative to beef up security at mosques has only been taken out of concern for the safety of the devotees, he added.

The latest militant threat comes

lice establishments in the capital including the DMP Headquarters, the Crime Command and Control Centre, and the police lines of Rajarbagh, diplomatic security, and POM in Mirpur.

In instructions issued last week, the DMP further asked its personnel to secure all its arsenal, and to note down phone and vehicle numbers of any outsider who enters DMP establishments.

A senior DMP official, requesting not to be named, said the instruction followed intelligence reports suggesting the possibility of DMP establishments being attacked by a terrorist or militant outfit.

Officials at all 49 police stations

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RAB member dies in city road crash

n Tribune Report A member of RAB’s intelligence unit was killed in a road accident in the capital’s Uttara early yesterday.

Habibur Rahman, 41, was a warrant officer of the Army and joined the elite force on deputation, RAB Legal and Media Wing Assistant Director Mizanur Rahman said.

Uttara (East) police station Officer-in-Charge Abu Bakkar Miah said the accident occurred after an unidentified vehicle knocked down Habibur on Jashim Uddin road around 5:30am. He was headed to his village home in Kalihati upazila of Tangail district, the OC added.

Abu Bakkar Miah said police, after being informed, took him to the nearby Bangladesh Medical College Hospital where physicians declared him dead.

His body was sent to Dhaka Medical College morgue for autopsy. l

BNP to stage demo tomorrow n Tribune Report

The BNP has declared countrywide protests for tomorrow condemning the arrest warrant issued against party chief Khaleda Zia and 27 others in a violence case.

Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi announced the programme at a press briefing at the party’s Nayapaltan Headquarters yesterday.

The BNP and its allies had announced non-stop blockade programme on January 5 last year which lasted for around three months.

Since then, the party did not declare any agitation programmes.

Tomorrow’s demonstration is the first of its kind after the party’s sixth national council held on March 19.

A Dhaka court issued the arrest warrants on Wednesday after taking into cognisance the charge sheet in the case filed under the Special Powers Act with Jatrabari police as they did not appear before the court to seek bail. The court fixed April 27 for the next hearing.

The case was filed for vandalising and torching a bus in the capital’s Jatrabari area on January 5. l

Participants light diyas at a day-long event titled ‘Feminism and Social Movement in Bangladesh’ at Bishwo Shahitto Kendro in city yesterday. Centre for Bangladesh Studies organised the event to raise awareness on violence against women DHAKA TRIBUNE

Green activists dismayed over Unesco team’s Sundarbans visit n Tribune Report A platform of environmental groups and activists has alleged that the government did not allow green groups and affected people protesting against the coal-based power projects in Rampal to meet with a Unesco team that visited the World Heritage site late last month.

National Committee to Save the Sundarbans Convener Sultana Kamal said that the delegation – having members of the Unesco and the IUCN – was supposed to hold meetings with the National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resourc-

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implementing any infrastructural project in and around the forest.

The delegation was supposed to assess the possible impacts of the two proposed coal-based power plants and also an oil spill that took place on December 9, 2014.

The government is implementing the 1320MW Rampal power plant in association with India’s NTPC, while private firm Orion Group is constructing the 566MW plant near the Sundarbans. This is happening despite massive protests by experts and environmental groups at home and abroad.

Executive Director of Transpar-

report on its visit, there will be no reason to be surprised,” she said during a press briefing at Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) in the capital.

She urged the delegation to submit its report considering the adverse impacts of all the infrastructures set up in the world’s largest mangrove forest, which is the habitat to the Bengal tigers and endangered Irrawaddy dolphins.

The National Committee also demanded that an independent and scientific environmental impact assessment (EIA) is conducted on the Sundarbans under the supervision of the Unesco before

es, Power and Ports, Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA), Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (Bapa), and the locals.

But the government applied tactics so that the joint delegation could not hold any meaningful discussion with the people involved in the social movement. Rather the beneficiaries of a project accompanied the delegation during their visit on March 22-28.

“The delegation ended its mission by only taking the government’s statements and explanations. If the Unesco team submits any one-sided and incomplete

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ency International Bangladesh Dr Iftekharuzzaman, Bapa General Secretary Abdul Matin, Member Secretary of the National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Ports Prof Anu Muhammad and Dhaka University teacher Prof Badrul Imam also spoke at the press conference.

From a mass procession held from Dhaka to Rampal last month, the protesters gave the government time until May 15 to cancel the power plant projects to protect the Unesco World Heritage site and the people who depend on its resources. l Sylhet

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Fajr: 4:30am | Zohr: 12:02pm Asr: 3:30pm | Magrib: 6:19pm Esha: 7:45pm Source: IslamicFinder.org

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Hanif: BNP wants to boycott polls to avert humiliation n Abu Hayat Mahmud

Ruling Awami League Joint General Secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif has said BNP wants to boycott the Union Parishad (UP) polls to save themselves from the embarrassment of mass defeat to their (Awami League) party candidates.

He made the remark at a press conference at the party President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Dhanmondi political office yesterday afternoon.

“The BNP candidates contesting for chairman posts in the UP polls have lost in most of the unions in the two phases of the election that

Police want to change to regain citizens’ trust n Kamrul Hasan The Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner yesterday said DMP wants to change to regain public trust in them and to work for the betterment of citizens.

“Police and the media have a role to ensure public safety,” said DMP Commissioner Asaduzzaman Miah at a seminar in the capital’s Banani area.

The editors of several national newspapers and television stations, and senior journalists were present at the seminar.

‘The police cannot do whatever they want, as they have a lot of limitations’ He said, ruling parties have tried from the colonial age to use law enforcement for their own uses, and so the public gradually lost trust in the police forces. For the last decade, however, police have started reforming by being friendlier to residents and working for the welfare of society.

He said to regain public trust, the police have already launched services such as community policing, beat policing, blood bank etc.

Inspector General of Police (IGP) AKM Shahidul Haque said success of the judicial system largely depends on police performance. And to establish justice for all besides law enforcement, the media also has to play a significant role.

He said: “To make the police more effective, officers have contacted public figures and locals to receive suggestions from them and reform themselves in accordance to public demand.”

The IGP also urged journalists to understand the limitations of law enforcement and to report keeping the facts in mind.

“The police cannot do whatever they want, as they have a

lot of limitations,” he said.

He also ensured that within a short time, the police would ensure accountability by its officers to the public and the state.

The IGP also urged the media to publish constructive reports on the police, rather than negative reports. Reports that create fear among people and create distance between them and the police should be published carefully and responsibly.

Journalist leaders and senior reporters, representatives of civil society, and public figures from several professions at the programme suggested that to ensure public security, the police should not play hide-and-seek with reporters but work together to ensure security.

Former IGP Nurul Huda said although police are the only body to investigate Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) crimes, people do not trust them. Police have to combine civil liberty and efficiency, and if necessary they have to compromise with efficiency, to establish civil liberty as it is the key indicator to a civilised society, he said.

Advocate Munjur Morshed said police have achieved several fundamental developments through the providing of services to the public and are improving their views. But top level officials have failed to spread their views to people at the grassroots level. This has to be ensured.

Moreover, Advocate SM Rezaul Karim said police have to implement the words they have uttered at the seminar.

Prof Nazmul Ahsan Kalimullah said police can also include regional journalists in their work so they can work together with the police to ensure security.

Ekattor Television Director of News Syed Ishtiaque Reza said police have to think about how much they say. Besides, perceptions about the role of police and the media should be clear to all. l

ended on Thursday. What will they (BNP) tell people about their defeat in the lowest level of the local government polls? Hence, they want to boycott the polls now,” he said.

Hanif said BNP should continue with the rest of the election in order to return to fair and constructive politics. “If anyone wants to

boycott the polls, the government and the Election Commission have nothing to do,” he added.

Replying to journalists’ query about US Ambassador Marcia Bernicat’s concern over the killing in the UP polls, Hanif said: “In our country there is a tradition that some people tend to get anxious if any

foreigner expresses concern over anything based on news on some media outlets.”

At a press conference earlier on Thursday, BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said the Election Commission has to bear the responsibilities of all killings during the UP polls. l

7

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News

SUNDAY, APRIL 3, 2016

Modern lab in Ctg to ascertain impact of climate change n Anwar Hussain, Chittagong

Once mighty Mahananda River flowing through Chapainawbganj in Rajshahi has dried up. The recent picture shows land grabbers not only occupied both sides of the riverbed, but also planted paddy in the river basin by using shallow machine AZAHAR UDDIN

Sagging Narayanganj jute industry gets fresh boost Hossain, n Tanveer Narayanganj Narayanganj, once a bustling city by the Shitalakkhya River, was famous for its sprawling jute trade.

Thousands from around Bangladesh would come here looking for work.

But things changed after 2002 following the shutting down of Adamjee, the world’s largest jute mill, workers and traders said. At least 10 other mills closed their gates after that, rendering thousands jobless.

Three brothers from Pakistan – Wahed Adamjee, Zakaria Adamjee and Gul Mohammad Adamjee – set up the mill in December 1951. Jute export fetched an estimated 75%

of East Pakistan’s forex earnings at the time.

Adamjee’s success encouraged other industrialists to venture into the trade and earned Narayanganj the nickname, “Dundee of the East”.

The Monowara Jute Mills at Siddhirganj was shut nearly two decades ago. Other factories that fell silent include Taj Jute Packing Company, Prime Jutex, Sarowar Jute Mills, Jamal Jute Mills, Amin Brothers Jute and Co, Anowar Jute Mill, Allied Jute Mill, Nishan Jute Mill, Gausia Jute Mill, Masriki Jute Mill.

Infrastructure of some of these mills have been destroyed while machinery from some factories have been sold. Several abandoned mills are being used as warehouses

while several private mills, which are still in operation in Narayanganj, are limping with numerous problems.

Adamjee closed its gates to its 25,000 workers in 2002. The once profit-making factory started incurring losses after nationalisation in independent Bangladesh.

The government has been planning to set up a modern diversified product mill at Adamjee’s unit 2 and transforming Monowara into a tissue paper mill.

Chief inspectors Ruhul Amin and Fazlul Haq of the Department of Jute’s Narayanganj Assistant Director’s Office told the Bangla Tribune that there were ample demand for raw jute at local mills. Prices of

raw jute increased after its demand grew. A bale of raw jute now costs about Tk2,200.

Former CBA president of Janata Jute Mills Bachchu Mia said many factories had shut down after Adamjee. “Gone are those days when workers used to lobby for works,” he said.

Narayanganj also exports a huge amount of raw jute. There are an estimated 150 jute exports around the country and 25 of them are based in Narayanganj. Presently, at least 10,000 workers are employed in the sector.

The government’s withdrawal of embargo on jute export after five months has revitalised the region’s traders and workers. l

With a view to ascertaining the impact of climate change and strengthening monitoring activities, the Department of Environment (DoE) is going to install a modern laboratory at its Chittagong divisional office.

Financed by Bangladesh Climate Change Trust Fund, the cost of the project has been estimated at around Tk14.32 crore.

The government has already allocated around Tk7.28 for expanding and modernising the laboratory which is scheduled to be completed by December 31 this year.

The DoE officials said the laboratory would provide great service to the service receivers and they would not need to go outside for testing samples.

With the launching of laboratory, Chittagong divisional office of the DoE will have the capacity to test drinkable water under 54 parameters except the total alpha radiation from radioactive particles.

Talking to the Dhaka Tribune, Md Mokbul Hossain, project director and director of the DoE, Chittagong Division said they were going to float a tender soon to purchase equipment required for the laboratory.

“Besides, the construction work of the fourth and fifth floors of the Chittagong DoE office where the laboratory will be housed has already been completed. The lift installation work under the project is now at its final stage while the construction work of a 150-KVA sub-station has already been completed,” he said.

“The deadline of the project has been extended several times. We are hopeful of opening it by the end of this year,” said Mokbul Hossain.

“The laboratory will have many modern equipment,” said Md Kamrul Hassan, senior chemist, DoE, Chittagong divisional office.

RMCH student Nahid: Govt works for world standard education ‘commits suicide’ FM Mizanur Rahaman, Professor Dr Goutam Buddha Das work to ensure standards in all tion system,” said the minister while n in the chair, Water Resources Minstate-run and private universities. laying down the foundation stone of Chittagong n Tribune Report ister Anisul Islam Mahmud, CU VC “It has already been given the the Research and Farm based camA student of Rajshahi Medical College Hospital allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself at Shaheed Pinku Hostel of the medical college yesterday afternoon.

The deceased, Hasan Habib Milton, son of Humayun Kabir of Sabuj Noyapara village in Chilmari upazila, was a student of 27th no batch of the RMCH, reports UNB. Hasan hanged himself with the ceiling fan in his room of the dormitory at noon.

Highlighting research activities, Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid yesterday said the government had been working to ensure a world standard education system aimed at creating eligible leadership which would push the country towards prosperity.

“The main aim of education is to ready the new generation for building a modern Bangladesh. But it could not be possible through the traditional and conventional educa-

pus, an extension of Chittagong Veterinary and Animal Science University (CVASU) in Hathazari upazila.

Nahid, who spoke as the chief guest, said the government is going to form an Accreditation Council to monitor, improve quality, observation and measures of the universities’ education.

The minister also expressed his frustration as no university from Bangladesh appears in any global ranking and said the council would

nod by Ecnec last Monday and a law would be enacted in the parliament very soon,” he added.

Nahid also said they are planning to open a government school and college in every upazila, adding that a new state-run university is also to be set up in Cox’s Bazar soon.

The extension campus of CVASU would be built on 4 hectares of land in Hathazari Sadar area, said the university sources.

With CVASU’s Vice-Chancellor

Iftekhar Uddin Chowdhury, Pro-VC Professor Dr Shirin Akhtar and Zila Parishad Administrator MA Salam were also present at the programme.

Later the minster also inaugurated the two-day long 13th Annual Scientist Conference at CVASU campus in the city.

Titled “Prompting Food Safety, One Health and Blue Economy,” scientists from home and abroad have taken part in the conference, said the university sources. l

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8

News

SUNDAY, APRIL 3, 2016

Residents of Kamalchhari remain without power for last five days n Jasim Majumder, Khagrachari Consumers of Power Development Board (PDB) have been suffering in the district a lot due to disconnection of electricity since last Tuesday.

Headman (chief of mouza) Kirtimoy Chakma of Kamalchhari Mouza under Sadar upazila said at least three electric poles broke down after trees fell on them on the day.

“But the PDB authorities have not taken initiative yet to repair the

poles,” he said.

“We have been living in dark since last Tuesday.

“Students cannot study at night and we cannot communicate with others as there is no charge in our cell-phone,” he added.

“We went to PDB officials and requested them to replace the broken electric poles but they did not response,” Kirtimoy Chakma alleged.

Daltona Chakma, assistant teacher of Kamalchhari Govern-

ment Primary School, said:“We cannot go to school as there is no battery-run auto-rickshaw due to the disconnection of electricity.”

Nuru Mia, of Ganjapara village under Sadar upazila, said: “We have to face a hard situation in daily works such as lifting water, carrying goods to the markets as there is no electricity.”

“When we tried to communicate with the PDB officials, they misbehaved with us,” he added.

When contacted, Assistant Engineer of PDB Md Ala Uddin Sohag said: “Most of the consumers out of 47,000 are out of electricity in many places as tree had fallen on electricity wire resulting damaging wire, broken electricity poles and transmitters.”

“PDB men have been working hard to connect its consumers with power,” he said adding that they will need about 15 days to supply the power in whole district. l

Madaripur man hurt in post-polls violence dies Correspondent, n Our Madaripur A man who was shot during a clash between two groups of the Awami League after the second phase of the union parishad elections in Madaripur died early yesterday.

Hasan Bepari, who was among eight people sustaining bullet wounds during the clash at Diapara village in Madaripur Sadar upazila’s Kunia union on Friday noon, died while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Dhaka.

A total of 25 people were injured in the clash. They were first hospitalised in Madaripur before being sent to Faridpur and Dhaka.

Some of them were said to be in a critical condition.

The clash broke out over the defeat of an Awami League candidate in the polls. BGB, RAB and police later arrived on the scene and brought the situation under control.

Youth shot in Jessore pre-polls violence dies at DMCH

A youth, who sustained bullet injuries in a clash during the second phase union parishad election at Tekhati village on Monday, died at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) on Saturday morning.

Iqbal Hossain, 28, son of Azizur Rahman of the village, succumbed to his injures at the hospital in the morning, said officer-in-charge of Kotwali Police Station Ilias Hossain.

Iqbal was caught in the line of fire and sustained bullet injuries during a clash between two groups at the village on Monday. He was first taken to Jessore Medical College Hospital and later shifted to the DMCH on Tuesday as his condition deteriorated.

13 hurt in Gopalganj

Meanwhile, 13 people were injured in post-polls violence on Friday in three areas of Gopalganj. Police detained 12 people in this connection. l

Husband kills wife in Ctg over family feud n Tribune Report

A housewife was killed by her husband in Chittagong city’s Dewanhat area in the early hours of yesterday over family feud.

The deceased was identified as Jinnat Ferdous Popi, 24, wife of Didarul Alam, 30, said Officer-inCharge Bashir Ahmed Khan of Double Mooring police station.

Police arrested Didarul Alam in connection with the killing, the OC added.

OC Bashir said Jinnat married off Didar eight years back. The couple used to lock into quarrel over family feud.

“A brawl ensued between them around 12:30am. At one stage of the altercation, Didar hit Jinnat with an iron flower vase, leaving her dead on the spot”, said the OC. The body was sent to Chittagong Medical College Hospital morgue for a post-mortem examination. l

NOVOAIR on Dhaka-Barisal route

n Our Correspondent, Barisal

A chairman candidate being bathed in milk a bid to make him ‘innocent’ as he was defeated in Awloa union parishad election held on Thursday. The photo was taken yesterday from Bhuapur in Tangail DHAKA TRIBUNE

Defeated UP candidate bathes in milk, calls it quits n Our Correspondent, Tangail A chairman candidate in Tangail’s Bhuapur bathed in milk to become “innocent” after he was defeated in Awloa union parishad elections.

Rahiz Uddin Akand, former chairman of the union who was a rebel candidate of the Awami League in the union parishad elections, also said he would quit politics.

Rahiz was defeated to Awami League-backed candidate Nurul Islam by 149 votes.

He became the talk of the town after his announcement that he would no longer contest elections as he was

saying goodbye to his political career.

“I was named the best chairman twice during my five-year tenure as the chairman of Alowa union. In the election preceding the latest one, I did not get party nomination but still stayed in the race as a rebel candidate before eventually claiming victory.

“The same thing happened in the latest election as the party did not nominate me. Still I contested the election as a rebel candidate in the face of pressure from locals and party members,” said Rahiz.

He said it was too difficult for him to accept the election results as the difference between the number of

votes bagged by him and his rival was marginal.

“If the difference was high, I would consider myself an incompetent contestant but now I just cannot accept it.

I did not fail, the result was manipulated. Many people voted for me but still I failed.

“I did a lot for the party but still I was not nominated. So what did I get after all these? This is why I have decided to call it quits. From now on, I will only work to serve people,” added Rahiz.

Local Awami League leaders think Rahiz’s decision to quit politics is just a temporary expression of despair. l

NOVOAIR, one of the leading private airlines of the country started its flight operations on the Dhaka-Barisal-Dhaka route yesterday.

The seventh airline to start business on Dhaka-Barisal-Dhaka sector and third among the now operative three airlines, will fly four days a week on the route.

An inaugural ceremony was held at Barisal Airport in the morning on the occasion attended by among others AL lawmaker Jebunnesa Afroj, advocate Tipu Sultan, NOVO AIR managing director Mafizur Rahman.

The flight is scheduled to depart from Dhaka to Barisal around 10:45am every Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday and from Barisal around 11:45am on the days. l

Seminar on legal aid held n BSS, Narsingdi An awareness Seminar on government legal aid services organised by district Legal AID Committtee, here was held yesterday at the conference room of District judge.

Secretary of the Law and Judgment Division Abu Saleh Sheikh Mohammad Johirul Hoque addressed the seminar as chief guest while District and Session Judge, Narsingdi Begum Fetama Nazib presided. l

9

DT

Career

SUNDAY, APRIL 3, 2016

First look

It’s all about that first impression you make

BIGSTOCK

n Amr Ravine While making a lasting impression may come naturally to some, there are people who have to learn it the hard way through experiencing the darker side of it. Regardless, we start to learn its importance and while hunting for our first job, its prominence.

How important is first impression?

One may wonder. They say first impressions stay and is turned into a long-term notion perceived by employers, which is later used to make judgment calls. However, in most situations, your boss won’t expect you to hit home runs during the first few weeks. Most do realise that there is a learning curve in certain positions, and cut newbies some slack to settle into their roles. This is the window of opportunity new-comers have, a grace period if you will, where they can showcase their abilities, see where they fit in the company, make mistakes, learn from them, and work their way towards becoming the potential employee that every company desires.

There are no set rules to creating

a first impression, for it’s subject to change based on a number of criterion including the type of job in question, work culture, etc. It is mostly up to the individuals themselves. However, there are general guidelines one can follow.

Keep a positive attitude Confidence and positivity are key.

Let your enthusiasm for being part of the team and the organisation show everyone that you have great communication skills. Also, remember to leave your personal problems at home when you enter the office.

Dress professionally It is always important to maintain a professional attire at work. A well groomed individual reverberates an organised, efficient and reliable impression.

Show your team spirit When employed, you have to understand that are not held accountable for issues which arise, but as a team. Show loyalty to your co-workers, work together to solve problems and get the job done.

Learn co-workers’ names quickly No one expects you to have their names branded in your memory from day one. However, it serves as a nice gesture when you start addressing your co-workers by their names; goes to show your gratitude to be part of the family.

Ask questions Always ask for help when you need it. This helps minimise errors made during the first couple of days.

Be self-sufficient Unless you’re severely unlucky, you won’t be given a pile of work during your first few days. Take this opportunity to ask for more assignments once you’re done with what’s on your plate.

Complete your schedule Be a punctual employee. Come to work on time and try to stay back late to show your dedication to work, unless unnecessary.

Socialise with your co-workers Your co-workers are people much like yourself. Take this opportunity to get to know them better, maybe

head out with them after office for social gatherings. This will not only help solidify your relationship with them, but also illustrate that you’re a team player.

Hear less Politics and gossip are common even in professional workplaces.

Keep away from rumor mills, and especially the people behind it.

Talking behind your co-workers’ backs will not only have a negative impact on your colleagues’ stance towards you, but will also create an adverse effect on the work environment.

Keep out of the limelight Who doesn’t like being competitive? The key here is to be diplomatic, for you’ll be highlighted as the “know-itall” otherwise. Listen to others, and keep an open mind to their suggestions. Share what you know instead of imposing it on others.

Show gratitude It is normal to be enjoying your little moments of success during the first couple days at work.

When you do, be sure to thank

everyone who helped you with your endeavors.

Own up to your mistakes Being a new employee in an organisation comes with making mistakes. When you do, be humble and accept them. Learn from your errors and try not to repeat it in the future. Success comes one step at a time, and failure is part of it.

Be disciplined The first few days at work can make you feel fresh off the boat.

You should not let this get to you.

Stay organised and keep track of your meetings and deadlines. All this will build towards making you a reliable, disciplined and efficient.

Being the newest member of an organisation is both challenging and exciting. Difficulties and opportunities are just part of the job. Your goal should be to make the most of the opportunities you get and not cave into pressure.

Remember to relax, keep an open mind, get to know your team and do your work well.

Find more career advice on everjobs job journal: www. everjobs.com.bd/en/job-journal/l

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10

Feature

SUNDAY, APRIL 3, 2016

Bangladesh Philosophy Olympiad 2016 n Saudia Afrin and Saprava Roy In school, the importance of philosophy is often underestimated. Mohammad Salim Miah began the Bangladesh Philosophy Olympiad keeping that in mind. Class VII to HSC and A level students from numerous schools across the nation were asked to write up an essay on “war and peace” by March 31, and their response was quite hefty. With that, the movement kicked off.

Why philosophy “How do we find our way in this immense reality? Can we use our minds and intellect? Philosophy (phileo-sophia) is an attempt to help us find our bearings in a clever and sophisticated way.

Philosophers are like cartographers - they map our world. The milestones, however, are not road signs or signposts. They are ideas and values. In our lives, we walk not only through valleys and mountains, but also pass through paradigms and principles. Thus we need ethics, aesthetics, logics and metaphysics,” elaborated Ivan Kolev, Associate Professor of Sofia University in Bulgaria and one of the founders of the International Philosophy Olympiad.

Dhaka Tribune - Heritage School Philosophy Olympiad 2016 The competition shall award two essay writers with a chance to participate in the International Philosophy Olympiad, which will be held in Belgium in May. Last year, Saprava Roy, a student of Heritage School, represented Bangladesh in the International Philosophy Olympiad for the first time.

In Saprava's words Philosophy in high school

is a less acknowledged field in Bangladesh. It isn’t practiced in schools, something I consider to be really unfortunate. Philosophy always had an immense amount of contribution to the human society.

If you scrutinise the history of man, you are sure to find countless trails of philosophy’s significant contribution. You may be familiar with the names of Aristotle, Plato and so on. These philosophers are some of the most distinctive figures in history with boundless contribution. I wasn’t quite familiar with philosophy either, until I was informed about the International Philosophy Olympiad by my mentor at the Heritage School. I wasn’t sure about participating in the competition, but he convinced me to participate. Despite financial difficulties, my school sponsored me to attend the 23rd International Philosophy Olympiad, giving me the opportunity to title myself as the first ever Bangladeshi to attend the world’s largest philosophical competition for the youth. 40 countries, including Bangladesh, took part in this goliath event, which was organised by Federation International Philosophical Society (FISP), along with the direct support from UNESCO. After going through the basics of the subject for a couple of days, we packed our bags and left. On May 13, we landed in Estonia, the country which hosted the 23rd International Philosophy Olympiad.

My mentor was by my side, and we strode forward as Team Bangladesh.

While the welcome was warm, the contrasting climate chilled me to the bone. Even my thickest jacket was useless against the chilly winds.

When we arrived at Tartu, a small yet extraordinary city, the surrounding greenery was

beautiful! We checked into a hotel and went out for a walk other fellow participants. They were very friendly, and with every step, our evening become even more extraordinary as the conversations progressed.

The competition was five days long, where you only had to attend an exam for four hours. The spare time was for getting to know others and enjoy the time. Every separate day had its own specialty.

From the second day, my mentor was separated to another hotel, with all students bound to reside in another. As I checked in, I took my pass card and dashed in the room where I met my new roommate. Despite the differences in age, we eventually grew to become best friends.

Afterwards, we cascaded down the stairs to the hallway. With

a room on the second floor, the lift was not necessary. I joined the large group downstairs and eventually become friends with them too. Apart from roaming around the city, the greatest enjoyment were the discussions we had about various topics. They shared their opinions. I did too.

Eventually, I came to meet people from 39 different nations and learned about their opinions. It was a treasured experience.

Furthermore, we toured the University of Tartu, enjoyed a marvelous river cruise along the narrow stream encircling the university, and visited the breath taking science museum known as AHHAA. The university is ancient and brimming with history, while the science museum was a real thrill.

The exam was taken on the

last day. After breakfast, we were escorted to the exam hall in the university’s faculty of philosophy.

After more than four hours and 1500 words, all the students gathered down at the hall, exhausted and brain-dead. With a group discussion with professional philosophers and a debate competition, the exam session ended and we were escorted back to the hotel. Time finally ran out.

I shed a few tears that day.

The bonding was exceptional and the separation became rather painful. I am so glad to have had the opportunity to have such an experience and lucky to have met so many wonderful people from all around the world.

I am eternally grateful to my school and the people who made the trip possible. I will treasure this memory for a long time. l

DT

Editorial 11

SUNDAY, APRIL 3, 2016

INSIDE

A new chapter for Myanmar Myanmar is still below the poverty level of Southeast Asia -- according to Asian Development Bank, 25.6% of its population lives below the poverty line while 8.5% lives in rural areas PAGE 12

A happy worker is a productive worker Flexibility creates happy employees, and happy employees make productive employees. That ideally results in more green than red in the company’s net profit. Some Asian organisations are seeing sense in it, while the others may hopefully do so in coming times PAGE 13

Not as early as it appears Socio-cultural stigma attached to marrying later than the normative age of 16 and the higher dowry associated with later marriage plausibly explain the tendency among women to under-report their age 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.

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Improve vision to make road network fit for purpose

T

he prime minister is right to have emphasised the need to improve the country’s road network at the inauguration of the first part of the Moghbazar-Mouchak flyover project.

A better road network is essential to reduce journey times and open up new economic opportunities.

The costs of congestion alone make it imperative the government do more to commit to investing in better, safer, and speedier roads and highway networks.

Bangladesh is still a long way off however from ensuring our road network meets future economic needs. The long delays in progressing fly-over projects and on improving the Dhaka- Chittagong highway reflect a lack of vision and weak management of projects, which need to be overcome.

It is completely unacceptable for instance that not a single kilometer of the 1,741km of Bangladeshi roadways designated as part of the Asian Highway meets required international standards.

Poor planning and lack of vision in developing a proper inter-city network of modern four and six lane highways between major propitiation centres, severely constrains their capacity for growth. It also increases accidents and fatalities caused by overtaking on narrow or single lane roads.

We must invest now in a faster, more efficient, and safer national network to help increase capacity and improve journey times and safety.

Planned properly with more investment in improving railways and public transport, they can aid decentralisation and spread the benefits of economic growth around the whole country.

Better roads are also imperative to make the country more attractive for investment and to increase connectivity and take full advantage of Bangladesh’s geographical position at the crossroads of South and Southeast Asia.

Bangladesh’s relatively small, flat land area provides strong incentive to demand and expect better of our national highway network.

Better roads are imperative to make the country more attractive for investment and increase regional connectivity

12

DT

Opinion

SUNDAY, APRIL 3, 2016

A new chapter for Myanmar Myanmar has a new government, but it still has a long way to go in becoming a proper democracy

Can U Htin Kyaw do the right thing?

n Mohammad Amjad Hossain

A

new chapter has begun in Myanmar following the nation’s free and fair general election held in November last year, by the army junta headed by retired Lt Gen U Thein Sein. The country is in the midst of a landmark transition to a democratic system from a quasi military-civilian leadership, which lasted more than five decades.

The power has officially been transferred to newlyelected president of National League for Democracy, U Htin Kyaw on March 30 by the immediate past president retired Lt Gen U Thein Sein. In his speech, the former president said the inauguration “represents a historic milestone in the country’s transition to a democraticallyelected civilian-led government.

This extraordinary moment in Burma’s history is a testament to its people, institutions, and leaders who have worked together to ensure a peaceful transfer of power, and it speaks to significance of the reforms the country has undertaken since 2011.”

It is true that some reforms were undertaken by the immediate past president of Myanmar under tremendous pressure from the international community, spear-headed by the Obama administration of the

REUTERS

US. Former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama paid a visit to Myanmar to press for political, social, and economic reforms in Myanmar for it to become a true world citizen from the pariah state that it had been.

persecuted Muslims in Myanmar.

BBC presenter Mishal Husain requested Aung San SuuKyi to condemn the anti-Muslim sentiment and the massacre of Muslims in Myanmar, but she refrained.

This is a regrettable

patience in pursuit of full democracy.” This is a political ambition that Myanmar’s people have wanted for a long, long time. Along with him, two vice presidents and 18 cabinet ministers, including Aung San Suu Kyi, took oath.

Myanmar is still below the poverty level of Southeast Asia -- according to Asian Development Bank, 25.6% of its population lives below the poverty line while 8.5% lives in rural areas. Severe floods and landslides in July and August of 2015 displaced 1.6 million people while massively damaging agriculture and infrastructure

The former Myanmar president initiated by releasing political prisoners and withdrawing restrictions from the news media, yet the anti-Muslim sentiment is as high now as it has been in any other period in the nation’s history -- thousands of Muslim Rakhine have even left the country.

Unfortunately, Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi did not speak for the persecuted Muslim Rakhine in Myanmar at any stage. She was even confronted by a BBC news reporter during an interview in Rangoon, who questioned her about

circumstance, especially considering that Suu Kyi herself was persecuted by Myanmar’s army junta for 15 years. Incidentally, I received Aung San Suu Kyi in November 1982 at the request of then Bangladesh ambassador to Burma Syed Najmuddin Hashim, when she was passing through Dhaka airport to London to see her ailing husband.

I remember finding her to be a very relaxed and quiet lady.

While taking over power, newly-elected President U Htin Kyaw told the parliamentarians and people of Myanmar to “have

Fifty years of repressive rule by a military junta has left the country decades behind most of its neighbours. As a result, the per capita income in Myanmar is around $915 a year in spite of drawing income from oil and gas. Since its independence from the UK in 1948, Burma had been challenged by communist and ethnic rebellions.

When president U Ne had made an attempt to make Buddhism Myanmar’s state religion in 1961, the efforts backfired, since ethnic groups decided to secede

from the Union of Burma. And although the army has succeeded in recovering some land from ethnic minorities, some areas at the border of China and Thailand are still out of the control of the administration.

Myanmar is still below the poverty level of Southeast Asia -- according to Asian Development Bank, 25.6% of its population lives below the poverty line while 8.5% lives in rural areas. Severe floods and landslides in July and August of 2015 displaced 1.6 million people while massively damaging agriculture and infrastructure.

Foreign direct investment, however, showed an upward trend in 2015 following the withdrawal of sanctions by the US and the EU. 35% of the total FDI was generated by the energy sector. This was made possible by the Myanmar government’s reforms in terms of investment.

Myanmar is still quite a way from achieving success in economic and political arenas, unless drastic actions are initiated in reforming the country’s constitution in terms of supporting full-fledged democracy, and in accepting all ethnic minorities as citizens. l Mohammad Amjad Hossain, retired diplomat from Bangladesh, writes from Virginia.

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SUNDAY, APRIL 3, 2016

A happy worker is a productive worker Increased workplace flexibility can do more good than bad in Asia

Encouraging greater work-life balance for workers is good for the company as well

n Sourajit Aiyer

M

any Asian companies, be it in India or elsewhere, often suffer a dilemma when it comes to managing their changing workplaces. On one hand, they want their young workforce to perform to the heights of productivity just like their Western counterparts.

On the other hand, they often abhor letting go of the tight reins of control they have held for ages, under the assumption that control ensures employees work the hours they were paid for.

The employees also suffer from a dilemma themselves. On one side, they want to put in the dedicated effort in their work since they aspire to rise up the corporate ladder.

On the other, since the socialinfrastructure support systems is still not as developed here as it is in the West, they have to balance domestic and societal responsibilities along with their work, not to mention with fewer working hands in this age of nuclear families.

You cannot keep everyone happy in such conflicting situations, and Asian companies are seeing their fair share of disgruntled employees, often amongst people who could have yielded so much more if given the flexibility to manage their timings in a way that allowed addressing all the pressing needs, at home and in the workplace.

But that would mean the workplace losing its control to an

extent, since it cannot visibly see employees working on their desks from nine to five.

A few years ago, this suggestion would have been taboo. But now, few are accepting that there may be some benefit in allowing workplace flexibility after all.

Workplace flexibility may include working from other locations, working off-schedule, or on temporary functions.

It is easier said than done, since the work process has to fit in with such an approach to flexibility. But even when work-type does not offer room for flexibility, a bit of re-designing of the work process can achieve that.

A lot of workplaces may question why they need to do it in the first place. If they let go of the control whip, wouldn’t that mean employees would be shirking from duties? You would think most Asian workplaces still suffer from this myopic perspective. But that is now slowly changing, and the results are good.

Some companies are trying out flexible practices. The technology sector leads in such practice, due to work ethics followed in the Silicon Valley, but other sectors like finance are starting to work on this front.

The basic reason why results are good is because it serves a very fundamental need of ensuring the people are happy -- and happy employees make significantly productive employees.

As per an Economic Times article, the average attrition rate of employees in India across sectors was touted to be 20%. This figure

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transportation or road conditions, people spend on an average of three hours a day on the commute alone. A lot of time could be saved by working from home.

Lastly, the era of gender-based roles is passé. Today, men and women share several domestic and societal duties. One of India’s leading banks recently allowed women the flexibility to work from home. But even men have domestic duties. One of India’s leading capital market companies recently allowed paternity leave to its male employees, an excellent initiative in these evolving times.

Even then, workplace flexibility is still seen mostly for temporary work arrangements, not as a permanent arrangement.

Once the temporary situation is manageable, the employee is expected to re-join the regimen.

This could be a period of pregnancy, or a period of looking

Flexibility creates happy employees, and happy employees make productive employees. That ideally results in more green than red in the company’s net profit. Some Asian organisations are seeing sense in it, while the others may hopefully do so in coming times

is similar even in neighbouring China, as per a 51job.com survey.

These are big numbers.

Employees become happy because flexibility gives them the opportunity to finish a lot of duties, hence they can then devote a high level of concentration to their work. Knowing that a lot of pressing duties were addressed at the right time gives them a peace of mind that is unparalleled. The employee inherently feels more committed and motivated.

Otherwise, an employee may remain preoccupied with unfinished duties, and then output may take a beating, although he/ she is present at the office. If the company is happier with a lessproductive employee sitting in the office, rather than with a moreproductive employee elsewhere, then that is its wish.

Secondly, when you start valuing people more for their output, their productivity rises even further. The culture of valuing people for the time spent in office is changing to valuing people for getting the work done in many organisations.

Traditionally, many Asian

companies have been guilty of judging the value of their employees based on the hours they spend in office. If people are not staying late, that means they have not done enough work. No one ever looked at their productivity, whether the latesitter actually did nine hours of work after sitting in office for 12 hours. Thankfully, this myopic perception is changing in many companies.

Companies are realising that workplace flexibility may save them overheads of running a fullsteam office premise during times when high competition is often eating into operating margins. If some of the overhead cost can be transferred to the employees home, isn’t that a saving in itself?

Furthermore, happier employees are aiding employee retention. It is not rocket science that older employees are always less expensive than new recruits.

If key people are retained, it’s a win-win situation for both the organisation and the person.

One might also add that given the woeful public infrastructure in Asian cities, be it public

after ailing elders at home. Also, flexibility is still seen in more operational-process roles, not for front-line work. There is a cultural reason for this, since relationshiporiented Asian communities still prefer the face-to-face interaction when it comes to sales.

Other challenges also remain -- setting up the security systems at other location to ensure data confidentiality needs to be maintained, ensuring connectivity is a priority, and ensuring ancillary tasks do not suffer since the person is not physically in the office. But these problems are not unsolvable.

The bottom line: Flexibility creates happy employees, and happy employees make productive employees. That ideally results in more green than red in the company’s net profit. Some Asian organisations are seeing sense in it, while the others may hopefully do so in coming times. l Sourajit Aiyer works with a leading capital markets company in Mumbai.

He has written in over 30 publications globally. This article was previously published in inbusiness.ae.

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Opinion

SUNDAY, APRIL 3, 2016

Early marriage in Bangladesh: Not as early as it appears The true mean age of marriage is about two years higher than the official statistic

n MEASURE Evaluation

I

n Bangladesh, early female marriage and high teenage fertility has long been the norm. In 2011, the median age at first marriage, as measured by standardised national surveys, was as low as 16.6 years (among women age 20-24) -- younger than in all countries except for Niger and Chad, and almost two years below the legal age for female marriage in Bangladesh.

This is of some concern, because early marriage curtails educational attainment, which is positively associated with female empowerment, and early childbearing has detrimental health effects on mothers as well as children.

The government of Bangladesh has made substantial investments in both primary and secondary education for girls to combat the low levels of female education and improve their economic prospects and empowerment. These investments, from the mid-1990s onward, include making primary schooling free for girls up to grade 8, and the introduction of a national female secondary school stipend program in 1994, under which poor parents are essentially “paid” to keep their daughters in secondary school.

The stipend ends if the girl gets married. Following these initiatives, female secondary school enrolment increased rapidly, so much so that it surpassed the enrolment rate for boys during the late 1990s.

As a result of these investments, one would expect delayed marriage and childbearing. However, in the case of Bangladesh, such investments have not translated into first marriage at a later age. There could be many reason behind that, nevertheless, a recent paper by icddr,b and MEASURE Evaluation sheds some light on some possible explanations.

The study was conducted in Comilla, where a demographic surveillance system (DSS) covers a population of over 220,000.

This long-running database allows the verification of actual age, which the 2011 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey does not. Study authors compared the age at marriage as reported by the women against their actual

age, recorded in the DSS. It was found that more than half (56%) of the women underreported their age, while 7% over-reported their age at first marriage. Point to be noted that, the reported mean age at first marriage was 16.8 years, which is comparable to 16.6 years given in the 2011 Demographic and Health Survey.

What is interesting is that a crosscheck with their dates of birth recorded in the DSS database reveals the true mean age at first marriage was 18.6 years -- an average difference of almost two years between reported and actual age at marriage.

This mean age is more consistent with the expected results of delayed marriage as a result of increased years of education.

The under-reporting found in the study shows that as women delay marriage until they are older, the more they tend to underreport. Women whose actual age at marriage was under 20 years tended to under-report by less than one year; women marrying

What is the right age to put a ring on it?

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Socio-cultural stigma attached to marrying later than the normative age of 16 and the higher dowry associated with later marriage plausibly explain the tendency among women to under-report their age

later, at about 25 years, tended to under-report their age by about three years.

Researchers wondered what background characteristics predisposed women to misreport.

Some findings show that women with little or no schooling tend to report their age as 2.5 to 3.0 years younger, while those with a high school education misreport by only about one year.

Thus, the extent of age misreporting decreases with increasing education. They also found a strong relationship between misreporting of age at marriage and economic status.

Women from richer households were less likely to misreport than were women from poorer households.

Another factor seems to be the

custom of payment of dowry from the bride’s family, which is related to the age of the bride -- the older the bride, the more dowry amount required. Therefore, there is an incentive to marry girls young while the dowry amount is still relatively low, or, possibly, to under-report a girl’s age to keep the dowry amount low.

An unexpected finding in the study was that almost half of the respondents who reported they dropped out of school in order to get married, were from the richest households.

Presumably, these families are most able to support their daughters financially through school. This unexpected finding warrants more research. It is possible that girls from wealthier families are considered to be more

desirable by virtue of their family background and acquired social capital or that they are more prone to fall prey to rumors and scandals that could jeopardise their marriage prospects.

The other major reason given for dropping out of school was “lack of interest” by the student, which accounts for around onethird or more of students in all economic strata suggesting that it may be more a function of culture and social norm rather than of economic class.

Demographic changes are contributing to later age at marriage among girls. Girls in Bangladesh typically marry men who are on average 7-8 years older. With improvements in mortality, the younger cohorts of marriageable girls are much larger

compared to the older cohorts of prospective husbands. As a result, girls possibly have to wait longer to find prospective older grooms who are relatively fewer in number.

Socio-cultural stigma attached to marrying later than the normative age of 16 and the higher dowry associated with later marriage plausibly explain the tendency among women to underreport their age.

The study also indicates that providing free education is not enough to keep girls in school and that other interventions are needed to address non-financial barriers to schooling that may encourage later marriage.

Finally, there is a need for research among men of marriageable age to provide evidence of the reasons behind their preference for young brides. l This article is part of a series of articles on the health sector of Bangladesh produced by MEASURE Evaluation and published by Dhaka Tribune. MEASURE Evaluation is funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States government.

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SUNDAY, APRIL 3, 2016

INSIDE BGMEA to seek 0.3% tax at source in next budget The country’s apparel manufacturers said they would demand 0.3% tax at source in the next fiscal year’s budget to remain competitive in the global market and uphold export growth as the production cost has increased due to safety standards improvement work. PAGE 16

India, China consumers top emerging market sentiment table Consumer sentiment in India and China remains resilient despite a challenging economic backdrop, but households in Russia, South Africa and Brazil have become more pessimistic, an annual survey showed. PAGE 17

Obama: It will ‘take time’ for Iran to rejoin global economy US President Barack Obama warned Friday it will take time for Iran to rejoin the global economy, as the country’s leadership and citizens express unease that a sanctions windfall has been slow to materialize. PAGE 18

Capital market snapshot: Past Weeky DSE Broad Index

4,357.5

-0.3% ▼

Index

1,052.1

-0.7% ▼

30 Index

1,649.0

-0.4% ▼

16,774.4

-8.8% ▼

Turnover in Mn Tk Turnover in Mn Vol

504.2 -14.0% ▼

CSE All Share Index 13,407.2

-0.5% ▼

30 Index

12,036.8

-0.6% ▼

Selected Index

8,140.9

-0.5% ▼

Turnover in Mn Tk

1,155.5

-6.0% ▼

Turnover in Mn Vol

40.6 -17.9% ▼

NBR plans policy changes to check misuse of bond facilities n Syed Samiul Basher Anik The government plans to make major policy changes for checking duty evasion by stopping misuse of bonded warehouse facilities.

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has undertaken the initiative as it found that the existing enforcement activities alone cannot combat extent of the ongoing illegal practice.

Abuse of the bond facilities happens due to the price and duty differences of the products imported by paying just regular duties and also while goods are imported under bond facilities.

NBR is trying to reduce the duty for commercial importers to reduce the burden on the import stage, said an NBR high official on Wednesday.

For example, there is 5% duty and 15% Value Added Tax on import of the TPMC, a material for plastic import.

As part of its tariff rationalisaton plan, NBR may withdraw the VAT on TPMC import to address the issue of bonded warehouse misuse, which may come into effect from the next fiscal, he added.

Official said: “The NBR has to take up the initiative in the wake of huge allegations of misuse of bond facilities where merchants import and store duty-free raw materials for their export but sold those in the local market although they were supposed to be used for production and export.”

It is estimated that the government incurs a loss of around Tk58,000 crore revenue annually for the misuse of facilities by some unscrupulous businessmen, according to the NBR. Among the misuses, around 70% are done by the readymade garment sector while the rest 30% are by the backward linkage industries like accessories industries, sources said.

In the first nine months of fiscal year 2015-16, the government had lost over Tk341 crore revenue from 15 backward linkage accessories companies due to such unlawful activities, according to Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID) data. The data was prepared on the basis of different enforcement activities.

These companies belongs to paper and plastic manufacturing companies importing different products like PVC resin, electric fan, duplex board, high-density polyethylene, low-density poly-

Around 70% misuse of bonded warehouse facilities are committed by the garment sector ethylene, art card, paper and paper board etc.

The amount is more than 10 times higher if compared to the 12 months of the previous fiscal year as it was only around Tk33 crore in FY14-15.

Currently, export-oriented factories can avail the duty-free facility on import of raw materials on the condition of export of the finished products manufactured with the inputs.

The core condition for availing this facility is that the exporters cannot sell the finished products produced with duty-free imported raw materials on the local market.

But, most of the companies import these products without paying any duty and sells those in local markets to evade duty.

Analysing the grim picture of anomalies, Custom Intelligence and Investigation Directorate Director General Moinul Khan said: “We fear that extend of the crime would be much higher, said “Investigation is underway against some more companies. Once completed, the number would even reach much higher.”

Of the non-compliant companies, highest duties of around Tk272 crore were evaded by Khulna Printing and Packaging for abuse of the bonded-warehouse facility, importing materials, but not exporting it. Rather, the company used fake export documents to evade the duties.

Currently, a committee has

been working on it to find out the tax officials who were involved with the irregularity while another committee has also been working to collect Tk272 crore pending revenue from KPPL. According to CIID officials, although the dishonest traders import the high demand products, they, however, declares the name of other products to evade duties.

“Import of less than 300GSM papers through bond is now prohibited. But, people are bringing GSM papers of 150, 200, and 250 GSM in the wake of increasing demands. They are neither using those for manufacturing and nor for exporting purpose. Rather, they are directly releasing the products in the local market,” said Moinul.

It is widely reported that retailers in Nayabazar, Bangshal and Bakhshibazar sell these products

REUTERS

bought by wholesalers from these bonded importers. The CIID DG, however, claimed that extent of the crime and supply of the bonded products has been reduced in the local market because of the increased vigilance.

NBR official said: “The revenue authorities will now move for cancelling the general bond license facilities enjoyed by around 30 companies as the facility for home consumption products is against the spirit of bond facility because it creates uneven competitions.”

Business leaders also recently raised their concern over misuse of bonded warehouse facility not only hitting the small traders hard but also creating a huge revenue loss for the government.

FBCCI President Abdul Matlub Ahmad said traders became aware of the misuse of bond facilities. l

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SUNDAY, APRIL 3, 2016

BGMEA to seek 0.3% tax at source in next budget n Ibrahim Hossain Ovi The country’s apparel manufacturers said they would demand 0.3% tax at source in the next fiscal year’s budget to remain competitive in the global market and uphold export growth as the production cost has increased due to safety standards improvement work.

Currently, the largest export sector of Bangladesh is paying 0.6% tax at source, which was 0.3% earlier.

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association made the call in its budget proposal for the fiscal year 2016-17.

The proposal will be placed to the National Board of Revenue (NBR) next week.

The apex body of ready-made garment industry also sought a five-year extension for reduced tax

benefit for the country’s apparel makers.

“Prices of apparel products continued to slide in the global markets including the US and the European Union while production cost has risen by 12%,” BGMEA Vice-President Mahmud Hasan Khan Babu told the Dhaka Tribune As a result, RMG sector is going through a huge pressure to remain competitive with the global competitors, he added.

“Considering all the issues, we call for the government to cut tax at source to 0.30% from existing 0.60%.”

According to the BGMEA, the price of Bangladeshi RMG products has been cut by 2.45% in the US market and 0.87% in the EU market during January-July period last year.

Euro was devalued by 11.87%

against US dollar in the last one year.

Following the collapse of Rana Plaza building, RMG manufacturers had to invest a lot of money to improve safety standards in the field of fire, electrical and structural safety.

Since production cost went up, manufacturers demanded duty-free import of fire safety equipment to meet safety conditions outlined by the Accord, the Alliance and the National Action Plan (NAP).Currently, they are paying 5% tax on safety equipment.

The use of fixture is a must for setting LED light that helps reduce electricity consumption.

To help the export-oriented RMG sector, the government should provide reduced tax benefit for the import of LED lights and other related products, said Hasan.

Talking to the Dhaka Tribune on the upcoming budget, another BGMEA Vice-President Mohammad Nasir said the government has provided a lot of incentives for the sector, but due to slowdown in global economy, the sector needs policy support.

If all policy supports are met in the next budget, Bangladesh RMG sector will be able to earn $50 billion by 2021, added Nasir.

The government has set the target of becoming a developed country, he said, adding that more employment is the key to achieving the goal.

“I hope that the budget would be investment friendly and it would help create jobs.”

At present, the $25.5 billion RMG sector employs about 4.4 million people, of which 80% are women, mostly from rural areas. l

SME fair begins today in city n Tribune Report

A five-day national SME fair will begin today in the city to develop small and medium industries in the country.

Some 183 SMEs from agriculture, agro-processing products, clothing, home textile, handicraft, leather, light engineering, foods, beverage, electrical and electronics, IT and light engineering sectors from across the country will participate in the exhibition.

Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu is expected to inaugurate the fair styled National SME Fair 2016.

The SME Foundation is arranging the fair for the fourth time at Bangabandhu International Conference Center. The fair will remain open for all from 10am to 8pm every day.

At the inaugural ceremony, the Foundation will award five SME entrepreneurs for 2016 in micro, small and medium categories for their best contribution to the industry.

Each entrepreneur will receive Tk1 lakh, a trophy and a certificate as rewards. l

SIBL introduces agent banking n Tribune Report

Social Islami Bank Limited has introduced agent banking through Rural Service Foundation (RSF), a subsidiary of Rahimafrooz.

Shafiqur Rahman, managing director of SIBL, inaugurated the new banking and financial services at a function held yesterday at Jhitka Bazar in Manikganj.

“We have introduced a new model of agent banking by appointing an institution as an agent rather than an individual,” said Shafiqur.

He said it will be cost effective as the bank will use existing infrastructure and management of RSF to provide banking services for unbanked population segment.

RSF has 500 outlets across the country which SIBL agents would use to reach people, said AMM Farhad, deputy managing director of SIBL. He hoped that the agent banking will help create small entrepreneurs.

The agent banking will allow people living in remote areas to deposit money, pay utility bill, insurance premium, receive remittance and open bank account, said Farhad.

But the agent banks will have no authority to invest or disburse loans.

They can only forward loan proposals to their respective nearest branches while SIBL head office will decide on whether to approve the proposal following recommendations of respective branches. l

Dhaka Stock Exchange holds 54th Annual General Meeting at a city hotel on Thursday. DSE Chairman Justice Siddiqur Rahman Miah presided over the meeting

DSE

Bearish spell deepens in stock markets DSEX slumps 125 points in three weeks n Tribune Report Bearish spell deepened in the stock markets over the past week, extending their losing streak for the third straight week.

In the week, the benchmark index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, lost 13 points or 0.3% to 4,370.

With this loss, the key index declined 128 points in the past three consecutive weeks.

The blue-chip comprising index DS30 slipped 6 points or over 0.4% to 1,649. The DSE Shariah Index, DSES, dropped over 7 points to 1,052.

The Chittagong Stock Exchange Selective Category Index, CSCX,

closed at 8,140, tumbling 41 points or 0.5%.

Out of usual five trading sessions, first two sessions faced a panic sell-off, sending the key index to 11-month low, but last three sessions saw some recovery supported by institutional buying, mainly from the state-owned investment bank, ICB. The DSE daily average turnover stood at Tk335 crore during the week, a drop of 8.8% over the previous week’s average of Tk368 crore.

Pharmaceuticals, engineering and textile sectors dominated the trading throughout the week, together accounting for half of the total trading activities at DSE.

Food and allied was the week’s highest gainer rallying 4.8%, driven

by BATBC that turned around, surging over 6% from last week’s fall.

Telecommunications sector suffered most, slumping 4%, led

by Grameenphone, the lone listed company in the sector.

Cement was the week’s second highest loser, losing 2.6%, accelerated by Heidelberg Cement that faced 2.3% erosion.

IDLC Investments said small and mid-cap issues faced the highest correction due to strong selling pressure till the second session of the week.

In the meantime, bargain hunters, however, became active in

the market identifying lucratively priced issues, leading to rebound the market on the third session and keeping positive momentum till the last session of the past week.

Royal Capital said the market risk had beaten the market return which evidenced poor performance throughout the week.

“Some investors were in sale mood and got panicked over the market in the first two sessions of the week.”

Aman Feed, a fisheries and livestock feed producer, dominated the turnover chart, followed by Bangladesh Steel Re-rolling Mills, Emerald Oil and Keya Cosmetics. l

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SUNDAY, APRIL 3, 2016

India, China consumers top emerging market sentiment table n Reuters, London

Consumer sentiment in India and China remains resilient despite a challenging economic backdrop, but households in Russia, South Africa and Brazil have become more pessimistic, an annual survey showed.

The Credit Suisse Emerging Consumer survey, which is conducted by market research firm Nielsen and is in its sixth year, is based on nearly 16,000 face-to-face interviews across nine economies.

Weak currencies, falling commodity prices and heightened political risk have taken their toll on emerging markets over the last 12 months, but consumers in China and India demonstrated confidence in their future finances and expected less inflation pressure, the survey found.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia shared the number two spot on the bank’s consumer confidence scorecard with China, despite a plunge in oil prices that has strained government finances.

Most Saudis surveyed envisaged an increase in their discretionary spending, with 53% saying it was a good time for a major purchase and 23% saying it was an excellent time.

Credit Suisse said the continued

People shop for clothes during a seasonal sale at a store inside a shopping mall in Mumbai optimism was based on expectations that the government would continue to support private consumption, adding that the survey may not fully reflect the impact of the 2016 budget.

Turkey was the only country in the survey where personal finances were expected to improve, albeit from a very low base in the previous year. This helped put it in the middle of the consumer confidence rank-

REUTERS

ings, moving up one place to fifth.

“This progress is notable, given a track record of engrained pessimism among Turkish consumers,” Credit Suisse said, whilst adding that confidence indicators implied

Central bank arsenals in spotlight as headwinds linger n Reuters, Madrid At the end of a tough quarter, the fraught debate over how policymakers should tackle the world’s economic woes gets another airing in the coming week as central banks on both sides of the Atlantic publish minutes.

Solid growth in US employment and an unexpected manufacturing uptick in China in March will have provided some comfort on Friday, but headwinds - Japan’s factory sector disappointed last month and euro zone inflation was anaemic --invariably lurk nearby.

Cue more rumblings over bankers’ ability to respond.

Federal Reserve minutes, released on Wednesday and coming days after chair Janet Yellen set a dovish tone, are likely to provide fodder for those expecting it to remain cautious, though speeches from six more Fed officials, including two ratesetters with hawkish reputations, could shift the tone.

Across the pond, central bank watchers are likely to zone in on the European Central Bank’s margin for manoeuvre after it unveiled

further stimulus in March with deeper rate cuts and a boost to its monthly asset buys.

The more detailed account of the ECB’s last meeting due on Thursday should send investors scouring for clues over its willingness to go further, after its president Mario Draghi’s suggestion interest rates had hit the bottom.

“We see scope for the account to signal a bit more openness to the prospect of rate cuts than indicated in comments (at the March meeting),” economists at BNP Paribas said in a note.

“A key reason would be to avoid adding upward pressure on the currency,” they added, referring to a rising euro in recent weeks that has stumped analysts.

The ECB’s chief economist and several executive board members are scheduled to appear at events across Europe in the coming days.

Euro area annualised inflation picked up slightly in March, to -0.1% from -0.2% a month earlier, though it remains well off the ECB’s target of nearly 2%, raising pressure on the central bank to leave the door open to further stimulus.

Manufacturing activity in the euro zone remained weak in March, meanwhile. Surveys on the services sector across the 19-nation currency bloc, expected on Tuesday, should add to the picture.

Rate moves

A strong US jobs report for March, which along with a rebound in wages underscored the economy’s resilience, did little to revive projections the Fed might consider accelerating interest rate cuts.

“Following the reassurance ... that the Fed will tread cautiously, hopefully the markets can enjoy these numbers without panicking about a rate rise,” Robert Craig, a private client investment manager at MB Capital in London said in emailed comments.

Yellen’s recent comments that slowing world growth and weak oil prices posed a downside risk for the US economy further cooled any projections the central bank could hike rates again as soon as June.

The Fed raised rates in December for the first time in nearly a decade, but officials last month downgraded their economic

growth expectations and forecast only two more rate hikes for 2016.

Yellen is due to take part in a discussion with former Fed Chair Ben Bernanke on Thursday.

For now it will be up to other central banks - among them Australia’s, Poland’s and India’s - to consider policy changes, with rate decisions scheduled for the coming days.

The first two are expected to keep rates steady at record lows, while India is seen cutting them at its policy review on Tuesday as inflation falls.

In China, an update on foreign exchange reserves, expected on Thursday, should show a moderation in the declines noted in recent months when the central bank stepped up efforts to prop up the yuan and dump the dollar to stem capital outflows.

“The enforcement of current capital controls and a more dovish tone from the (Fed) on the tightening cycle will improve China’s capital-flow dynamics and further slow the pace of decline in FX reserves in the near term,” analysts at Standard Chartered said in a note. l

consumers were not yet ready to make bulk purchases.

The bank suggested any incremental disposable income was likely to be spent on “affordable but non-necessity” items, such as alcohol, cosmetics and technology.

At the bottom of the table were Brazil, South Africa and Russia, of which Brazil saw the greatest collapse in consumer confidence.

Credit Suisse noted that in the past, Brazilians always ranked among the more optimistic consumers.

Now the country is going through a severe recession it delivered “a series of dismal readings on every yardstick”, with a significant fall in spending on cosmetics, beer and even internet access, which had been relatively inelastic in prior surveys.

In markets such as India, China and Mexico, Credit Suisse noted a strong growth in smartphone penetration, and forecast that e-commerce revenues in big emerging markets could triple by 2025 to $2.5tn.

In China, where growth in consumption has been driven mainly by income growth and lifestyle changes among the young middle class, Credit Suisse estimated online sales would grow 20-26% yearon-year in 2016-2018. l

India allows gold repayments to make scheme attractive for temples n Reuters India on Friday tweaked its gold monetisation scheme to allow repayments in gold for medium- and long-term deposits, making the plan more attractive for temples that are sitting on thousands of tonnes of the metal.

The Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple or Tirupati, the world’s richest Hindu temple whose participation is crucial to the success of mobilising India’s idle gold, had requested repayment of deposits held for more than three years in the yellow metal.

The government will charge a fee of 0.2% on the value of gold redemptions but the interest will be paid in cash, the country’s central bank said in a statement.

Depositors will still have the option of redeeming deposits in cash. l

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SUNDAY, APRIL 3, 2016

Oil prices tumble as Saudi hesitant on limiting output n AFP, New York Oil prices tumbled Friday as Saudi Arabia knocked down already low expectations that major producers would agree to limit output to tackle a global oversupply.

US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for delivery in May slid $1.55 (4%) to $36.79 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Brent North Sea crude for June delivery, the global benchmark,

finished at $38.67 a barrel in London, down $1.66 (4.1%).

Saudi Arabia’s deputy crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, said that the kingdom should freeze its oil output only if mirrored by Iran and other major oil producers, Bloomberg News reported Friday.

“If all countries agree to freeze production, we’re ready,” he said in an interview.

“The suggestion that Saudi Ara-

bia will not freeze oil production if Iran doesn’t do the same, coupled with a stronger dollar, has taken a sledge hammer” to prices, said Jasper Lawler, an analyst at traders CMC Markets.

Major oil producers led by Saudi Arabia and Russia will meet in Doha later this month to discuss measures to stabilize prices, including a proposal to cap production.

“The premise of the April 17 summit in Doha was shaky enough

Obama: It will ‘take time’ for Iran to rejoin global economy

US President Barack Obama delivers a speech

n AFP, Washington US President Barack Obama warned Friday it will take time for Iran to rejoin the global economy, as the country’s leadership and citizens express unease that a sanctions windfall has been slow to materialize.

“It will take time for Iran to reintegrate into the global economy, but Iran is already beginning to see the benefit of this deal,” Obama said at a meeting of allied countries that brokered a nuclear deal with the Islamic Republic.

The international community lifted a raft of sanctions on Iran early this year in exchange for the country curbing its controversial nuclear program.

But months on, much of Tehran’s holdings abroad remain frozen, and US and European businesses are reluctant to do business with Iran for fear of getting tangled in a thicket of US regulations.

REUTERS

A host of non-nuclear sanctions related to terrorism sponsorship, ballistic missile programs and political crackdowns remain in place and are unlikely to be removed any time soon.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei recently accused Washington of failing to respect the terms of the nuclear agreement.

The United States has lifted sanctions “on paper,” he said, “but they are using roundabout paths to prevent the Islamic Republic from achieving its targets.”

“They have said they lifted the sanctions... but, in fact, they are working to prevent the lifting of sanctions from taking effect.”

Skepticism

The limited polls that are conducted in Iran also show skepticism about the country’s economic plight and America’s willingness to hold up to its side of the bargain.

Three decades of sanctions have

hollowed out the Iranian economy.

According to a CISSM and IranPoll.com survey released Thursday, Iranians have a less favorable impression of the country’s economic situation now than they did before the deal came into effect in January.

While a majority of those polled back deeper economic engagement with the West, almost 70 percent do not believe the United States will meet its promises under the agreement.

Obama now appears ready to take further steps toward easing Iran’s economic isolation, laying the groundwork to again let Iran begin trading in dollars.

Washington could remove restrictions on US and European firms trading in dollars with Iran, lifting a significant barrier to trade.

The move is likely to come with multiple caveats however -- including limits to so-called U-turn transactions -- thanks to fierce Congressional opposition.

“As Iran continues to undermine the spirit of its nuclear agreement with illicit ballistic missile tests, the Obama administration is going out of its way to help Tehran reopen for business,” said Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives Paul Ryan.

“The president should abandon this idea.”

Senators Marco Rubio and Mark Kirk wrote to Treasury Secretary Jack Lew earlier this week to voice their opposition.

The pair demanded assurances that “the United States will not issue a general license authorizing ‘U-turn transactions’ for Iran, in which a US bank processes a transaction for a foreign financial institution on behalf of Iran while the Iranian part of the transaction does not touch the US financial system directly.” l

to begin with, but the apparent Saudi stance makes us wonder whether the meeting will take place at all, since we don’t see Iran foregoing a further recovery in its own output,” said Tim Evans of Citi Futures.

Oil prices are being hit in part owing to the return of Iranian crude to world markets after years of economic sanctions on Tehran were lifted following a nuclear deal last year.

Shailaja Nair, senior managing editor at global energy information

provider Platts, said “unchanged fundamentals” of supply and demand remain a key influence on market sentiment.

“The market is still oversupplied with crude, demand is still the same, we’re not seeing any rise in demand. Nor is there any possibility of any rise in demand in the near term,” she told AFP. Nair said only a decision to cut production rather than an output freeze would boost prices. l

CORPORATE NEWS

A meeting between Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA) was recently held for discussing implementation of annual performance agreement and future work plan of BEPZA, said a press release. Secretary of PMO, Suraiya Begum presided over the meeting while executive chairperson of BEPZA, Major General Mohd Habibur Rahman Khan delivered the welcome speech of the meeting

Dutch-Bangla Bank has recently awarded scholarship to 2,153 students, who need financial aid for studying at higher secondary, graduation levels. Finance Minister AMA Muhith was present at the award-giving programme as chief guest while the bank’s chairperson, Sayem Ahmed presided over the function, said a press release

Shahnaz Rahman was recently elected as chairperson while Rajiv Prasad Shaha as vice-chairperson of Reliance Insurance Limited at the company’s 28th annual general meeting, said a press release

19

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| technology |

| seminar |

Siemens and Huawei successfully conduct LTE test

Fazal Ashfaq at IX 2016

Huawei announced that Communication Based Train Control (CBTC) over Long Term Evolution (LTE) joint solution validation, on which Huawei and Siemens had been collaborating on, passed the interoperability testing in France last year. During the testing, multiple types of service, including CBTC, Passenger Information System (PIS), and Closed-circuit Television (CCTV), were carried using one radio technology - LTE, laying a solid foundation for commercial rollout of CBTC over LTE service.

The collaboration between Huawei and Siemens started in March 2015, when the two companies discussed technical solutions, confirmed and scheduled preliminary plans at Huawei’s Shanghai-based wireless R&D center. In June 2015, the two companies set up a joint project plan, and a project team defining solution architecture and feasibility of testing in France. In November 2015, with technical guidance and onsite support from Huawei, Siemens France quickly completed

a large number of laboratory tests succesfully, where CBTC, PIS, and CCTV services were carried over an integrated airlink LTE solution.

The next step for this joint solution would be the on-site dynamic test, which will take place in the coming month.

As a major LTE vendor in the urban rail sector, Huawei has gained wide recognition for its urban rail LTE-M solution. In the

future, Huawei is willing to work with Siemens and customers to promote the development of urban rail LTE-M solutions to facilitate the smooth transition of train-toground communication. After the positive results in the lab tests, Siemens and Huawei are looking forward to taking the next step and testing the technology in a real world scenario. l

| opening |

Bittersweet back in Dhanmondi

The absence was bitter but the sweet surprise is that - Bittersweet is back in Dhanmondi!

Bittersweet is countrywide famous for their cheesecake, red velvet cake, lasagna etc.

The new location of Bittersweet cafe is House 32/1, Road 3 Dhanmondi. l

This year, SD ASIA had Fazal Ashfaq, the country lead of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka at Google, as one of the keynote speakers at Innovation Xtreme 2016. During the event, Fazal did a keynote titled “Google’s Perspective on Digital Growth in Bangladesh.” He focused on various projects that Google has been working on in South Asia emerging markets, a region that can easily be used by Bangladeshi entrepreneurs as an inspiration. Here are some highlights from his session.

The power of thinking local When it comes to South Asian Emerging Markets, Google plays an inspirational role by using their existing solutions to help local businesses. During the event, Fazal shared an inspirational case video from Vũ Đại village, Vietnam, where an entrepreneur named Nguyễn Bá Toàn was struggling to market his unique local dish to customers. After failing to reach customers through expensive newspaper ads, Nguyễn decided to use Google AdWords.

Soon enough, Google started working with Nguyễn and helped him set up and run effective Google AdWords campaigns to reach his customers easily. His customers were young Vietnamese people with a love for local delicacies such as braised fish. By reaching them faster and better, his business grew rapidly.

Fazal said that Nguyễn’s story reminded Google that it’s important to believe in local traditions, cultures, and solutions and to be proud of what’s unique in our region. He asked the

participating startups at this year’s IX to focus on local problems and find innovative solutions.

Access to information Fazal also highlighted the importance of sharing knowledge.

He talked about the “Google Bus” project that taught basic uses of the Internet such as emailing, searching, and browsing to half a million young students in Bangladesh. The project played a fundamental role in showcasing Bangladesh globally.

It also highlighted the need for connectivity within Bangladesh, of how eager the youth is to form that link with the world, with information, with knowledge, with Google.

Fazal asked local startups to work on projects that can share knowledge and connect young people to the Internet because it allows for the democratisation of information, and access of thinking big and thinking long term.

Lastly, Fazal highlighted the importance of breaking language barriers. There are many projects around the world to help young entrepreneurs language remains a barrier for many. During his session, Fazal talked about a young boy named Moinur, who attended a training by the Google Bus project. Despite being from a very humble background, he aspired to work for Google. It was a privilege to see his hunger for success despite his challenges. We all have a lesson to learn in the way Moinur approached problems with a positive and constructive mindset. l

DT

Downtime

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SUNDAY, APRIL 3, 2016

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Augury (4) 4 Thespian (5) 9 Prohibit (3) 11 Utter wildly (4) 12 Bring out (5) 13 Copies (4) 14 Outlet (4) 15 Motif (5) 19 Make up for (5) 21 Grassy expanse (4) 25 Dry (4) 26 Disease of rye (5) 28 African river (4) 29 Girl’s name (3) 30 Score (5) 31 Stuff (4)

DOWN 1 Follow orders (4) 2 Insane (3) 3 Break out (5) 5 Cowardly (6) 6 Ribbon (4) 7 Baking chamber (4) 8 Reposes (5) 10 Dogma (5) 16 Composer (6) 17 Fashions (5) 18 Factory (5) 20 Keen (5) 22 Operatic air (4) 23 Testament (4) 24 Slender support (4) 27 Eggs (3)

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

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

Some letters of the alphabet may not be used.

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

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

CALVIN AND HOBBES

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

PEANUTS

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS CODE-CRACKER

CROSSWORD

DILBERT

SUDOKU

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SUNDAY, APRIL 3, 2016

INSIDE EXPLAINER

Five facts explain the increasingly tense geopolitics in Asia Pacific India furious as China blocks UN blacklisting of Pakistani militant chief China has put a hold on India’s request to add the head of the Pakistani militant group Jaish-e-Mohammad to the United Nations’ al Qaeda-Dae'sh blacklist, UN diplomats said on Friday, eliciting an angry reaction from the Indian government.

PAGE 22

Mass grave discovered in Palmyra Syrian troops have reportedly discovered a mass grave in Palmyra that contains the bodies of 42 people, some beheaded, who were killed while Dae’sh controlled the ancient city.

PAGE 23

n Tribune Desk The Middle East gets all the attention, but Asia, especially the pacific is a major security concern for the US and the situation is getting more tense While the geopolitics of Asia Pacific look relatively stable in 2016—especially compared to other hot spots—there’s no shortage of conflicts simmering beneath the surface. These five facts detail what you need to know about Asia Pacific’s fluid security situation:

1. US

It’s a very large ocean away, but the US is still Asia’s dominant military presence. According to the Department of Defence, the US currently has a total of 150,560 military personnel stationed around the world. Of those, roughly 50,000 are posted in Japan, and nearly 28,000 are based in South Korea. To put that in perspective, there are currently fewer than 10,000 Americans stationed in Afghanistan, where US soldiers are still fighting and dying. Across the most volatile countries in the Middle East, there’s fewer than 45,000 US military personnel.

That’s less surprising when you consider that Asian markets are the destination for more than 25% of US exports and support more than one-third of all US export-related jobs. With the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal on the horizon, the US will have even more incentive to maintain a strong military presence in the region.

2. China

Protests mount before EU-Turkey migrant deal takes effect Migrants protested on a Greek island and rights groups raised legal objections on Friday three days before a disputed EU deal to return rejected asylum seekers from Greece to Turkey was due to go into action, with neither side completely ready.

PAGE 24

China is less than thrilled by that prospect. As its economy has soared in recent decades, so has its military spending. Over the past two decades, Beijing’s military budget has increased by double-digit percentages virtually every year. China is currently the world’s second-largest military spender (in absolute spending terms), but the US still outspends China on defence by more than 4 to 1. For now, China has confined its military ambitions to its own backyard, though Beijing just announced it would build its first-ever international military base outside Asia, in Djibouti. The US has 85 bases in South Korea alone.

So far, China projects military strength only to defend its territory and economic interests. It’s con-

tent to let the US play policemen elsewhere in the world. But Beijing wants to be top dog in Asia. It’s gotten more aggressive in protecting its ever-growing economic interests, putting its neighbours on edge.

Us troop deployment in Asia Pacific

3. South China Sea

Disputes among China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan and the Philippines over who controls these waters have raged for more than a century. At stake is a deep reservoir of oil and natural gas, and control of one of the world’s most important trading channels.

Roughly 30% of all maritime trade travels through the South China Sea every year.

Emboldened by its economic rise, China has gotten aggressive and begun literally building artificial islands to strengthen its legal claims. As the Pentagon reported this past summer, “China has now reclaimed 17 times more land in 20 months than the other claimants combined over the past 40 years, accounting for approximately 95% of all reclaimed land in the Spratly Islands,” one of the most hotly contested parts of the South China Sea. The rest of Asia fears this is a sign of things to come.

Recently, the US Navy plans to conduct another passage near disputed islands in the South China Sea, the third in series of challenges that have drawn sharps rebukes from China. The United States has conducted what it calls “freedom of navigation” exercises in recent months, sailing near disputed islands to underscore its right to navigate the seas.

America wants to make sure things don’t spiral out of control.

Aside from the $1.2tn worth of products destined for American markets that travel through the South China Sea each year, the US fears China and its neighbours will come to blows. If war erupts in Asia, the US is legally bound to defend Japan, South Korea, the Philippines and Thailand, with whom it has formal alliances. The US wants to extricate itself from the Middle East; the last thing it needs is new conflicts in Asia.

4. Japan

To understand how much agitation China’s aggression has provoked, look to Japan. Since the end of World War II, Japan has pursued a purely defensive military strategy, outsourcing its se-

South Korea: 28500

Japan: around 50,000

China

Vietnam: around 20/seeks to build stronger military partnership

Guam: around 5,400/addition of around 5,000 drawn from Japan Philipines: around 140/expanded rotational deployment agreemets

Thailand: around 120/signs a joint vision statement for stronger military ties

Singapore: around 150/ agreement on stationing four Littoral Combat Ships

Darwin

Perth

Source: US Defence Department Dhaka Tribune /Mohammad Razon

curity to Washington. But Japan doubts America’s longer term staying power in Asia, and Tokyo fears that conflicts in the South China Sea will set a dangerous precedent for its maritime disputes with China in the East China Sea. The flare-up in the East China Sea a few years ago caused Japanese shipments to China to fall 14.1% from a year earlier after Chinese began boycotts. Given that the annual bilateral trade between the two countries now tops $300bn, things could get even more costly this time around.

In September, Japan’s parliament passed new laws that allow the government to use its military in international conflicts, even when Japan isn’t under direct attack. The move has not been popular with the Japanese public; Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s approval rating fell from 51% to 43% from the time the legislation was introduced to the moment it was finally approved.

5. Korean Peninsula

While maritime conflicts have ratcheted up tensions among major powers in Asia, the silver lining

Australia: around 350 Darwin: Rotational deployment of up to 2,500 marines drawn globally Perth: US seeks greater access to the Australian naval base

is that these disputes are relatively slow-moving. And given the many economic interests at stake in the South China Sea, it behoves the regional powers (including America) to keep relations on track.

North Korea is another story.

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is the black box of international politics. Even traditional ally China can’t be certain what’s going on there. Beijing understands that North Korea’s belligerence keeps thousands of US troops in South Korea. But to avoid regime collapse and a flood of North Korean refugees—as many as 200,000 of them—China continues to prop up Kim Jong-un. As of 2014, China provides North Korea with 90% of its energy, 80% of its consumer goods and 45% of its food supply.

But Kim Jong-un’s often erratic behaviour makes it increasingly difficult for Beijing to continue its support. That’s why China took the highly unusual step this week of announcing it’s open to five-party talks, negotiations over the DPRK’s future that don’t include North Korean negotiators. Asia’s security landscape is shifting, and so perhaps is China’s strategy. l

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India furious as China blocks UN blacklisting of Pakistani militant chief n Reuters, United Nations China has put a hold on India’s request to add the head of the Pakistani militant group Jaish-e-Mohammad to the United Nations’ al Qaeda-Dae’sh blacklist, UN diplomats said on Friday, eliciting an angry reaction from the Indian government.

India accused Jaish-e-Mohammad of masterminding a fatal attack on the Pathankot air base in India in January. India had requested that its leader be added to a UN Security Council blacklist of groups linked to al Qaeda or Dae’sh, the diplomats said, but China objected.

The Kashmir-based group Jaish-e-Mohammad has already been blacklisted by the 15-nation Security Council, but not its leader, Maulana Masood Azhar, an Islamist hardliner and long-time foe of India.

“We find it incomprehensible that while the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad was listed ... as far back as 2001 for its wellknown terror activities and links to al Qaeda, the designation of the group’s main leader, financier and motivator, has been put on a technical hold,” Indian government spokesman Vikas Swarup said in Washington.

It was not immediately clear why China requested that a hold be placed on the Indian request to blacklist Masood Azhar. Technical holds can be lifted and often arise when a Security Council member wants more information. But sometimes they lead to a permanent blocking of a proposed blacklisting.

Asked about China’s decision to place a technical hold on the proposed blacklisting of Masood Azhar, Chinese UN Ambassador Liu Jieyi offered no details.

“Any listing would have to meet the requirements” for blacklisting, he said.

Pakistani security officials have

Maulana Masood Azhar

REUTERS

said that a special investigation team set up in Pakistan to probe the Pathankot attack found no evidence implicating Masood Azhar.

UN diplomats said the request would be discussed by the sanc-

tions committee on April 20 and that China would then provide an update on its decision to oppose the request.

If Masood Azhar was blacklisted by the UN Security Council, he would face a global travel ban and asset freeze.

The January 2 attack at Pathankot was followed by a raid on an Indian consulate in Afghanistan that has also been linked to Jaish-e-Mohammad, or the Army of Mohammad.

Jaish-e-Mohammad militants are blamed for a 2001 attack on India’s parliament that nearly led to a war between the nuclear-armed rivals. l

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Mass grave discovered in Palmyra n Tribune Desk Syrian troops have reportedly discovered a mass grave in Palmyra that contains the bodies of 42 people, some beheaded, who were killed while Dae’sh controlled the ancient city.

A state news agency in Syria reported that government forces had uncovered the site after the area, home to world-renowned Roman ruins, was recaptured from Dae’sh almost a week ago.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the Syrian conflict, said that Dae’sh forces had killed a number of people at an earlier time and buried them in the mass grave.

The bodies, which were found on Friday, have been transferred to a military hospital in the provincial capital Homs and some have been identified.

In a major symbolic and strategic coup for President Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian army on Sunday recaptured Palmyra and its UNESCO World Heritage Site, which Dae’sh had overrun in May 2015.

During their nearly 10-month occupation of Palmyra, the jihadists executed at least 280 people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor which confirmed the discovery of the mass grave.

Soon after Dae’sh stormed Palmyra, it shot dead 25 soldiers in the ancient Roman theatre.

It later released a video of the

Land mine workers kidnapped in Afghanistan

INDIA

Modi begins visit to oilrich Saudi Arabia

Syrian army soldiers stands on the ruins of the Temple of Bel in the historic city of Palmyra on April 1 mass killing in which the executioners appeared to be children or teenagers.

Syria’s five-year war has left at least 270,000 people dead. Few mass graves have been found, however. Nearly a week on, few of Palmyra’s up to 70,000 original residents have returned.

Dae’sh chief to taste justice

About 70km to the west, Syrian troops on Saturday pounded the city of Dae’sh-held Sukhna, which the army wants to take back in order to consolidate its grip over Palmyra.

“If the regime takes Sukhna, it will use it as a launching pad for an operation against Deir Ezzor province,” which is located in eastern

Syria along the Iraqi border and is mostly controlled by Dae’sh.

At least 40 mostly foreign Dae’sh members, including 18 child soldiers, were killed in raids Thursday on a village in Deir Ezzor province, the Observatory said.

It was one of the single highest tolls that Dae’sh has suffered in a single strike since it emerged in Syria in 2013, the monitor said.

Dae’sh has lost a string of high-ranking commanders in the past few weeks, mainly to strikes by the US-led coalition which launched a campaign against the jihadists in 2014.

On Wednesday, a drone strike near Raqa, likely by the US-led coalition, killed Abu al-Haija, a Tunisian commander summoned by

REUTERS

Dae’sh leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi from Iraq.

Dae’sh has since arrested 35 of its members and security officers suspected of having revealed Abu al-Haija’s location, the Observatory said.

On Friday, the Pentagon warned that Baghdadi himself, who in 2014 appointed himself “caliph” of swathes of Iraq and Syria, would eventually be hunted down and killed.

“Just like we found his mentor, (Abu Musab) al-Zarqawi and killed him. Just like we found the grand master of terrorism, Osama bin Laden, we killed him. We are going to find Baghdadi, and he will taste justice,” military spokesman Colonel Steve Warren said.l

ran Tripoli, forcing the internationally recognised government to flee to the east.

Oil is Libya’s main natural resource, with reserves estimated at 48bn barrels, the largest in Africa.

It had a pre-revolt output capacity of about 1.6 million barrels per day, but unrest has forced a major slump in production.

Control of the oil industry is essential for the new government, which not only needs to unite the divided country but also shore up its economy.

On Thursday, 10 western cities also rallied around Sarraj’s government and urged Libyans to back it, in a major blow to the unrecognised Tripoli authorities who are refusing to cede power.

Act of courage

The Tripoli administration demanded that Sarraj leave or surrender following his arrival by sea Wednesday, after airspace was closed to prevent him flying into the capital.

Sarraj and a number of his ministers joined the weekly Muslim

Libya

TUN.

Towns that have pledged allegiance to the national unity government

Sabha

Tunisian border

Zelten Riqdalin

Benghazi

TRIPOLI EGYPT

Libya’s UN-backed unity government won the support Friday of guards who secure the country’s key oil terminals, the latest pledge of loyalty for a cabinet facing strong opposition from rival political forces.

Libya’s warring sides are under intense international pressure to cede power to prime minister-designate Fayez al-Sarraj, whose arrival in the capital on Wednesday angered a rival Tripoli-based government.

Sarraj, a businessman from Tripoli who was a member of a committee that paved the way to national dialogue, appeared Friday in public for the first time since his arrival, joining weekly prayers at a mosque in the city centre.

There are signs that allegiances are starting to shift in his favour, as a unit of guards in charge of securing installations in Libya’s so-called “oil crescent” in the east of the country pledged its loyalty.

Libya has had two rival governments since mid-2014, when the Libya Dawn militia alliance over-

SOUTH ASIA

Gunmen have kidnapped 15 anti-land mine workers in western Afghanistan and a military operation is underway to rescue them, officials said Saturday. The incident happened Friday evening in the Kohsan district of Herat province, which borders Iran. All the hostages were Afghan nationals employed by the non-governmental HALO Trust mine clearing organisation.

AP

Support grows for Libya’s new unity government n AFP, Tripoli

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World

Zuwara Aljmail Ajaylat

Mediterranean Sea

NIGER

Zawiyah*

*The boroughs of Zawiyah, West Zawiyah and South Zawiyah

prayer under heavy security, and worshippers gathered around him to snap pictures which they posted on Twitter.

On Thursday he met the head of Libya’s Tripoli-based central bank and discussed measures to safeguard banks and tackle the country’s “cash flow problem,”, Sarraj’s office said.

Hundreds gathered Friday in Tripoli’s Martyr’s Square in a show of support for Sarraj and his administration.

Waving white and Libyan flags,

CHAD

TRIPOLI

Sabratha Surman

250 km

ALG.

5 km

protesters chanted “enough with divisions, yes to the government of national accord” as onlookers applauded.

Perhaps crucially, the unity government also now has the support of the main armed group in the city, Nawasi, signalling a split within the security forces once loyal to the Tripoli authorities.

A European diplomatic source said that Sarraj had decided himself to travel by boat to Libya this week after growing frustrated with the lack of progress on peace efforts. l

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived Saturday in Saudi Arabia where he will discuss energy, security, and trade cooperation with leaders of the world’s largest crude exporter. India, which imports around 80% of its oil needs, is keen to take advantage of low crude prices by signing overseas deals that will help secure supplies to meet its growing demand. AFP

CHINA

US plans third patrol near disputed South China Sea The US Navy plans to conduct another passage near disputed islands in the South China Sea in early April, a source familiar with the plan said on Friday, the third in series of challenges that have drawn sharps rebukes from China.

The exact timing of the exercise and which ship would travel inside a 12-nautical mile limit around a disputed island was not immediately clear.

-REUTERS

ASIA PACIFIC

Police general becomes Vietnam’s new president Lawmakers in communist Vietnam approved a top police general for the role of president Saturday, making the head of a controversial domestic security force one of the country’s most high profile politicians. Tran Dai Quang won 91.5% of the votes during a ballot at the rubber stamp parliament early Saturday.

-REUTERS

MIDDLE EAST

Syrian opposition not optimistic about peace talks The Syrian opposition is not optimistic about upcoming peace talks in Geneva because there is no international will for a political transition, opposition member Riad Hijab told Al Araby television late on Friday. The Syrian opposition has consistently said that it wants a halt in attacks on civilians and for the Geneva talks to result in a transitional governing body for Syria that does not include President Bashar al-Assad. -REUTERS

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SUNDAY, APRIL 3, 2016

USA

Obama: Putin’s military focus has slowed nuclear arms cuts US President Barack Obama said on Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s focus on building up the military at the expense of economic development has slowed progress on a next phase of nuclear arms reductions. Putin said last June that Russia would add more than 40 ballistic missiles to its nuclear arsenal to modernise its program and overcome anti-missile defence systems near its border.

-REUTERS

THE AMERICAS

Half of candidates out of chaotic Peru election Half of the candidates in Peru’s presidential election have abandoned or been banned from next week’s polls and one of the leading contenders may follow, plunging the South American country into political uncertainty. And further disruption could come if accusations of vote-buying lead to the elimination of Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, who is running second in the polls.

-AFP

UK

Australia wants Britain to stay in EU The former British colony of Australia wants Britain to stay in the EU, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said, weeks before Britain holds a referendum on EU membership. Bishop told reporters that a strong UK as part of the EU would be in Australia’s interests. Bishop said that she told British Prime Minister David Cameron of the Australian position at a meeting in Washington. -REUTERS

EUROPE

German migrant numbers plunge The number of migrants entering Germany from Austria fell more than seven times in March to below 5,000 due to the introduction of border controls by countries along the Balkans migrant route, an interior ministry official said on Saturday.

Chancellor Angela Merkel is under pressure to deliver on a promise to slow arrivals of migrants and refugees after 1.1 million people entered Europe last year.

-REUTERS

AFRICA

UN opens probe into Congo sex abuse claims The United Nations mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo said Saturday it had opened an investigation into claims of sexual abuse against Tanzanian peacekeepers. The allegations centre on UN personnel from the Tanzanian contingent of the mission’s Force Intervention Brigade serving at Mavivi, a village near Beni in the eastern province of Nord-Kivu. -AFP

Protests mount before EU-Turkey migrant deal takes effect n Reuters, Istanbul/Athens Migrants protested on a Greek island and rights groups raised legal objections on Friday three days before a disputed EU deal to return rejected asylum seekers from Greece to Turkey was due to go into action, with neither side completely ready.

Hundreds of migrants and refugees on the island of Chios tore through a razor wire fence surrounding their holding center and set off for the port in protest against planned deportation, police said.

Clashes broke out at the site late on Thursday, during which windows were smashed and 10 people were injured lightly, a police official said. Some 300 women and children broke out of the camp on Friday carrying their belongings.

The tension raised the possibility of resistance when the EU-Turkey plan to send back all migrants and refugees who have reached the Greek islands since March 20 goes into effect from Monday.

Although arrivals have slowed, more than 1,900 people have crossed from Turkey to Greece so far this week and a total of 5,622 have been registered since March 20.

The EU plans to send hundreds of police and migration officers to Greece over the weekend to help carry out the first returns under a deal meant to end the uncontrolled influx of migrants.

However, the UN refugee agency and rights group Amnesty International raised objections, with Amnesty accusing Turkey of

Migrants and refugees with their mouths taped stage a protest at a makeshift camp at the Greek-Macedonian border near the village of Idomeni, Greece on Friday REUTERS sending thousands of people trying to flee Syria back into the warracked country in recent months.

The European Commission said it was investigating the Amnesty charge and would raise the issue with the Turkish authorities, who had promised to apply the principle of non-refoulement under the Brussels pact.

Serious gaps

UNHCR spokeswoman Melissa Fleming told a Geneva news briefing there were still serious legal gaps in both Greece and Turkey

and urged all sides to ensure all safeguard were in place before any returns begin.

The Greek parliament was set to adopt a bill amending the country’s asylum laws to enable asylum seekers and other migrants to be sent back to so-called safe countries, without explicitly naming Turkey.

Migration Minister Yiannis Mouzalas sought to reassure lawmakers of the ruling left-wing Syriza party that Athens would not be party to violating migrants’ human rights.

“A blame-game against our country is starting, that, based on the new agreement we will encroach on human rights,” he told parliament. “I assure you – and I believe this will relieve everyone – that we will strictly adhere to human rights procedures as stipulated by international law and the Geneva Convention.”

There was no indication that Turkey was about to change its regulations to grant international protection to non-Syrians returned from the Greek islands as stipulated in the EU deal. l

Obama, Republicans urge Trump to soften tone n Reuters, Washington, DC Donald Trump is facing bipartisan pressure to adopt a more presidential tone in his White House run including from Democratic President Barack Obama and Republicans who worry his missteps may do irreparable harm to the party and his campaign.

The Republican front-runner came under fire from Obama on Friday over Trump’s recent comments that he would not rule out using nuclear weapons in Europe and that Japan and South Korea might need nuclear weapons to ease the US financial commitment to their security.

“The person who made the statements doesn’t know much about foreign policy or nuclear policy or the Korean peninsula, or the world generally,” Obama told a news conference at the conclusion of a nuclear security summit in Washington.

Trump lost ground on the online prediction market after drawing fire for his suggestion earlier in the week, which he later dialled back, that women be punished for getting abortions if the procedure is banned.

Those who marvelled at Trump’s rise are now warning the New York billionaire that his shoot-from-the-lip approach to campaigning could jeopardise his chance to win the Republican nomination for the November 8 election.

Donald Trump

AFP

Tuesday could be a turning point when Wisconsin hosts its nominating contest. Trump, 69, trails his leading rival, US Senator Ted Cruz, 45, of Texas in the Upper Midwestern state.

A Cruz win would make it harder for Trump to reach the magic number of 1,237 delegates needed to secure the nomination before the Republican national convention in July. The winner will get to claim all of Wisconsin’s 42 del-

egates.

“If he continues to fumble the ball, he risks everything,” said David Bossie, who as president of the conservative group Citizens United has helped to introduce Trump to grassroots activists.

“These types of ham-handed mistakes give his opponents even greater opportunity.”

But losing the Republican nomination may not keep Trump out of the November election.

In excerpts of an interview on “Fox News Sunday” to be aired this Sunday, Trump said he wanted to run as a Republican but declined to rule out a third-party candidacy.

Asked what he would do if he didn’t get the Republican nomination, Trump replied: “We’re going to have to see how I was treated.” l

DT

Sport 25

SUNDAY, APRIL 3, 2016

INSIDE

Pato breaks duck as Chelsea rout Villa Alexandre Pato scored on his debut as Guus Hiddink’s Chelsea piled more misery on Premier League bottom club Aston Villa with a 4-0 victory. Hiddink was without Diego Costa, Eden Hazard, Willian, Gary Cahill and John Terry but they were not missed. PAGE 26

Shakib dissatisfied with WT20 journey Bangladesh made it to the second stage of the WT20 with dominance but failed to bag any more wins thereafter. However, it is not the winless second round campaign that had left a scar among the fans. Rather, it is the one-run loss against India that gave birth to indelible memories. PAGE 27

Djokovic, Nishikori advance to final World number one and defending champion Novak Djokovic will face Japan’s Kei Nishikori in the ATP and WTA Miami Open final after straight-set triumphs Friday in which both were tested. PAGE 29

Aussies favourites to clinch WT20 crown The grand finale of the Women’s WT20 is between two contrasting sides - one that knows what it takes to win the cup and another for whom the stage is new territory.

Australia have run roughshod while the WI have been high on entertainment value. PAGE 29

West Indies captain Darren Sammy and England captain Eoin Morgan greet each other in Kolkata yesterday

AP

'Stop boundary flow if you can'

'Different England to turn up in final'

n Reuters, Kolkata

n Reuters, Kolkata

The sight of a West Indian batsman stealing a cheeky single is a rarity in international cricket but skipper Darren Sammy does not mind as long as the fours and the sixes keep flowing from their bats.

The Caribbean side flexed their batting muscle to storm into the World Twenty20 final against England who they beat in a group stage match in Mumbai.

“People say we don’t rotate our strike well, we’ll talk about that but first thing is you have to stop us from hitting boundaries that has been difficult for oppositions once we get in that swing,” the ever-smiling all-rounder told yesterday. The semi-final against India illustrated Sammy’s point.

“I think since the inception of Twenty20, you’ve seen West Indies is a boundary-hitting team so that’s no surprise for me,” said Sammy, who is seeking to become the first captain to lead a team to a second World Twenty20 title.

“We know the power we have in the dressing-room. So it was exciting to watch...(Lendl) Simmons, (Andre) Russell and (Johnson) Charles displayed that type of boundary-hitting against India.”l

West Indies will face a completely different England side in today’s World Twenty20 final compared to the one they beat in the Super

FINAL: WEST INDIES v ENGLAND, at Eden Gardens, at 7:30pm WT20 H2H: Played: 4; West Indies wins: 4; England wins: 0 ALL T20 H2H: Played: 13; West Indies wins: 9; England wins: 4 OFFICIALS: Kumar Dharmasena and Rod Tucker, Marais Erasmus (third), Bruce Oxenford (fourth); Ranjan Madugalle (referee)

WEST INDIES

World ranking: Two Best overall performance: Champions (2012)

ENGLAND

World ranking: Four Best overall performance: Champions (2010)

ROAD TO FINAL

ROAD TO FINAL

Group stage Beat England by six wickets Beat Sri Lanka by seven wickets Beat South Africa by three wickets Lost to Afghanistan by six runs

Group stage Lost to West Indies by six wickets Beat South Africa by two wickets Beat Afghanistan by 15 runs Beat Sri Lanka by 10 runs

Semi-final Beat India by seven wickets Top scorer: Charles (116 runs) Top wicket-taker: Russell (8 wickets)

Semi-final Beat New Zealand by seven wickets Top scorer: Root (195 runs) Top wicket-taker: Willey (7 wickets)

10 stage match, captain Eoin Morgan said on the eve of the title clash.

Doubts crept in about England’s prospects in the sixth edition of the tournament after West Indies chased down a 182-run target at the Wankhede Stadium with almost two overs to spare, riding on an unbeaten century from opener Chris Gayle.

“I think it’s two completely different teams given that we have grown as a side game on game,” Morgan told reporters at the Eden Gardens yesterday.

“I think it’s difficult to compare sides from the first game of the tournament to the final of the World Cup. Even before we played West Indies in the group stages I was quite firm in saying that Chris Gayle wasn’t just the West Indies team,” said the 29-year-old.

“It’s important that when you are playing against good sides you do not focus on one or two good players. It’s everybody, because anybody can hurt you,” Morgan added.l

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26

Sport

SUNDAY, APRIL 3, 2016

POINTS TABLE Pos. Team

M GD

Pts

1

Leicester City

31

23

66

2

Tottenham

32 32

62

3

Arsenal

31

22

58

4

Man City

31

24

54

5

West Ham

31

12

51

6

Man United

30

11

50

7

Southampton

31

9

47

8

Stoke City

32

-3

47

9

Liverpool

30

5

45

10

Chelsea

31

8

44

11

West Brom

31

-7

40

12

Everton

29 10

38

EPL RESULTS Liverpool

1–1

Coutinho 51

Aston Villa Liverpool's Brazilian striker Philippe Coutinho scores their first goal against Tottenham Hotspur during their EPL match at Anfield yesterday

Arsenal

Bournemouth

n Reuters, London

Norwich City

Liverpool and the title-chasing Tottenham Hotspur played out a 1-1 draw in the English Premier League at Anfield yesterday.

Liverpool’s Brazilian starlet Philippe Coutinho broke the deadlock right after resumption but Tottenham’s prolific English striker Harry Kane brought parity in the 63rd minute.

At the other end of the table, Aston Villa’s disillusioned fans made a long, loud protest as their side were humiliated 4-0 at home to Chelsea and now stand on the verge of relegation.

Newcastle United are hot favourites to join Villa in playing Championship football next season, going down 3-2 at fellow strugglers Norwich City, who celebrated a 93rdminute winner from Martin Olsson.

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

Stoke City

0–4 3–2

Watford

Manchester City

Newcastle Mitrovic 71, 86-P

2–2

Afellay 13, Bojan 53

Swansea City Sigurdsson 68, Paloschi 79

Sunderland

0–0

West Brom

West Ham

2–2

Crystal Palace

Lanzini 18, Payet 41

Prizes: (Second Round)

The lucky winners among all the participants who have answered correctly will be selected in an official lottery and will have their picture published in the newspaper. v Answers must be sent in only the coupon (photocopy will not be accepted). v Quiz coupon should be submitted in the Dhaka Tribune newspaper address. v No one affiliated with Dhaka Tribune and Walton will be able to participate. v Coupon submission deadline April 4, 2016. v A person can send as many coupons as he/she wants. v Walton-Dhaka Tribune T20 World Cup should be written on top of the envelope.

1st prize 2nd prize 3rd prize 4th prize 5th prize

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

4–0

Klose 45+2, Mbokani 74, Olsson 90+3

Terms & Conditions:

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

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

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

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

Chelsea

Fernando 7, De Bruyne 12, Aguero 19, Kolarov 90+3

Newcastle’s great north-east rivals Sunderland are also in deeper trouble, now four points adrift of safety after a goalless home draw with West Bromwich Albion.

After losing three home games in a row, Arsenal rebounded to dominate Watford with Alexis Sanchez, Alex Iwobi, Hector Bellerin and Theo Walcott all on target.

Arsenal are third, still eight points behind Leicester City. l

v

0–4

Sanchez 4, Iwobi 38, Bellerin 48, Walcott 90

Pato breaks duck as Chelsea rout abject Villa, Arsenal, City win big Earlier, Arsenal crushed Watford 4-0 and Manchester City hammered Bournemouth by the same score as the faltering big guns breathed fresh life into their faint hopes of lifting the Premier League title.

Not even another free kick masterpiece from Dimitri Payet could inspire West Ham United in their push for a Champions League spot as they had Cheikhou Kouyate sent off in a 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace.

Kane 63 Loftus-Cheek 26, Pato 45+3-P, Pedro 46, 59

REUTERS

Liverpool, Tottenham share spoils in thriller

Tottenham

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

Delaney 15, Gayle 75

27

DT

Sport

SUNDAY, APRIL 3, 2016

Unfair players’ draft upsets cricketers n Minhaz Uddin Khan

QUICK BYTES Di Maria blames Van Gaal for United flop Angel di Maria has blamed Louis van Gaal for his miserable spell at Manchester United and claimed he left Old Trafford because it would give him a better chance to win trophies. Di Maria was one of Van Gaal’s marquee signings when he joined United from Real Madrid for a British record £59.7 million ($84 million, 74 million euros) in 2014. But after a promising start, Di Maria felt he was undermined by Van Gaal’s decision to play him in several different positions.

–AFP

Terry has look of a future manager: Hiddink Chelsea captain John Terry is showing all the qualities of a future manager, the club’s interim boss Guus Hiddink said on Friday. Terry, 35, is keen to continue his playing career at Stamford Bridge but has not yet been offered a new contract for next season. Hiddink said decision was not down to him, but in the longer term he could see the former England central defender as a manager. “In some players you see while they are playing there might be managers inside them already,” the Dutchman told a news conference.

–REUTERS

Referees suspended over fixing allegations The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has suspended two Thai referees pending an investigation into allegations of match-fixing, the regional governing body said late on Friday. Thanom Borikut and Chaiya Mahapab have been provisionally suspended for 60 days by the AFC’s disciplinary committee and an application has been made to world governing body FIFA to have the ban extended worldwide. “The Football Association of Thailand has been notified of the decisions [Friday],” read an AFC statement.

–REUTERS

Woods confirms he will not play in Masters Former world number one Tiger Woods confirmed Friday that he will not participate in next week’s 80th Masters, saying his rehabilitation from back surgery has not progressed far enough to allow him to compete. The 14-time major champion, a four-time Masters winner, has not played a PGA event since last August.

“I’ve been dedicated to my rehab and improving daily, but I’m not physically ready to compete in the Masters,” Woods tweeted.

–AFP

Brothers Union forward Nkocha Kingsley attempts a shot during their Independence Cup opener against Uttar Baridhara Club at Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday. Brothers won 2-0 thanks to Mezbah Uddin and Kingsley’s goals in the either side of each half MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

Shakib dissatisfied with World T20 journey n Minhaz Uddin Khan Bangladesh made it through to the second stage of the 2016 World Twenty20 in a dominating fashion but failed to bag any more wins thereafter.

However, it is not the winless second round campaign that had left a scar among the cricket-mad fans. Rather, it is the heartbreaking one-run loss against hosts India that gave birth to indelible memories.

The Tigers exhibited a superlative effort to restrict the world’s number one T20 side to a below-par total. The men in red and green almost chased down the target of 147 only to experience disaster in the last three deliveries of their innings and lose the nail-biting tie by the narrowest margin of one run.

Bangladesh limited-over vice-captain Shakib al Hasan yesterday said they are still finding it difficult to come to terms with the defeat. According to the number one ODI all-rounder, the Tigers’ dressing room following the game at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in

Bangalore on March 23 was absolutely numb.

“I myself do not know why we lost the game. I still have not found out any answer to that (defeat).

The whole dressing room was confused after the game. Everyone was looking for the answer to this question; why and how did we lose the game,” Shakib informed the media.

I myself do not know why we lost the game. I still have not found out any answer to that (defeat) The left-arm all-rounder, who usually keeps himself away from media interaction more often than not was unable to avoid the journalists yesterday as he launched a new motorcycle of Runner Automobiles Limited.

Shakib added that there is no other way left but to console him-

self for the unforgettable loss. He expressed his hope that his side would deal better if they face a similar situation again in future.

Overall, with the exception of the India tragedy, the Tigers’ journey in the sixth edition of the flagship event was a moderate one, thinks Shakib.

They went into the tournament with the ambition of making it to the second round and they did it with aplomb. But not winning a single game in the main round has left a bad taste in Shakib’s mouth.

“Our first challenge was to qualify for the second round and we had done it with authority. Later, we played some good cricket in the second round but had failed to win a single game. So personally, I am not satisfied,” said Shakib before adding, “We have not won a game against a big side in the T20 World Cup since 2007 (against the West Indies). This time we had many achievements but not winning a game is a big source of dissatisfaction. We were one of the most exciting side in the tournament, there is no doubt about that.”l

The local cricketers are elated with the fact that the long-awaited Dhaka Premier League season 2015-16 will soon see the light of day as it is scheduled to get underway on April 22 amid the monsoon.

However, what has frustrated the majority of the cricketers is regarding the players’ draft which is scheduled to take place next Sunday.

The players are of the opinion that the system takes away their independence and puts limitations on their earning prospects. The cricketers believe that owing to the players’ draft, they are kept in the dark right till the last moment as far as joining a team is concerned.

In contrast, according to the old method of the Dhaka League, the cricketers had the freedom of moving to their preferred sides in the premier domestic 50-over competition of the country.

“Firstly, I do not know if I will be going to a team where I will be comfortable. A cricketer’s comfort zone with a club is a big concern,” said a discarded national paceman, requesting anonymity, to Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

“Then there is also the worry if I will be able to play the matches regularly. Lets say the club that I sign for has a few more better pacers than me in the squad, that will hamper my chances of playing the matches. If the system had been the old one, I would have chosen a team with whom I would have more chances to play,” the pacer added.

A former national spinner mentioned that he would pocket Tk 7,00,000 less than the previous edition of the tournament, despite assurances from the Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis that increments have been made to the players’ payment structure.

“The earning from the domestic league is like bread-and-butter to the cricketers who are not part of the national team. They literally run their family with this money. The players’ draft causes huge losses to their earning. The [Bangladesh] cricket board has taken the liability to ensure full payment and I am thankful to them for that. But still, there were cases in previous seasons when the cricketers went unpaid owing to the players’ draft,” said the former Bangladesh spinner who requested not to be named.

Meanwhile, the CCDM has named the seven icon cricketers – Shakib al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, Mashrafe bin Mortaza, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah, Sabbir Rahman and Imrul Kayes - for the upcoming season.

Shakib and Mustafizur Rahman though will miss the domestic season due to their IPL commitment.l

DT

28

BGMEA Cup

SUNDAY, APRIL 3, 2016

Commerce Minister Tofael Ahmed greets the finalists before the final of the BGMEA Cup

Elisun Ali (L) and Russel Khan perform the Bangladesh national anthem before the start

Shakil (C) scores the first goal for Bando Design against Comfit Composite

An action from the final

Tournament top-scorer Imranur Rahman (C) attempts a shot on goal in the final against Comfit Composite

Plate category champions Sterling Group pose with the trophy

Akbor Haider Munna, captain of Comfit Composite, receives the runners-up trophy

BGMEA president Siddiqur Rahman hands over the champion’s trophy to Bando captain Imranur Rahman

Mamun of Bando receives the most valuable player award from ITHS principal Bedruttin Suata

Bando Design lifts inaugural BGMEA Cup n Tribune Report Bando Design Ltd lifted the inaugural BGMEA Cup 2016 trophy by beating Comfit Composite Knit Ltd 4-1 in the final at the Army stadium last Friday.

Shakil of Bando netted two goals and was named player of the final while Bando managing director and captain Imran also scored one to become the top-scorer in the tournament with 12 goals. Mridul also chipped in with a goal for the winners while Tanin scored the consolation for Comfit in the dying minutes of the match.

The tournament ended on a high note with the players from Bando and Comfit exhibiting great skills as over 6,000 fans at the stadium cheered for them, showing

great sportsmanship throughout.

Bando’s Rajib became the best goalkeeper of the tournament while his team mate Mobarak was named the best defender. Comfit’s Tanin was named the best midfielder. They all received crests and a 32” LED TV each while as the most valuable player, Mamun of Bando received a laptop.

Champions in the Plate category, Sterling Group also received its trophy alongside runners-up Versatile Group.

Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed, MP, attended the programme as the chief guest. The president of BGMEA, Siddiqur Rahman, presented the champion’s trophy and crests to the deserving winners. BGMEA senior vice president Faruuque Hassan, vice presi-

dents SM Mannan, Mahmud Hasan Khan and Ferdous Parves Bivon, vice president (Finance) Mohammed Nasir, former president Tipu Monshi, MP, former president and first vice president of FBCCI, Shafiul Islam Mohiuddin and other BGMEA directors & members were also present on the occasion.

The first-ever BGMEA Cup, an inter-garments seven-a-side football tournament organised by Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association and Leo Entertainment, was participated by 12 teams – Ananta Garments Ltd, Apparel Industry Ltd, Bando Design Ltd, Comfit Composite Knit Ltd, Envoy Group, Epyllion Group, Interstoff Group, Rayon Tex Group, Torque Fashions Ltd, Tamanna Apparels Group, Versatile Group and

Sterling Group.

International Turkish Hope School was the venue partner of the tournament and all matches prior to the final were played at the astro-turf inside the school’s senior section in Uttara.

The BGMEA Cup had Islami Bank, EXIM Bank, Sterling Stocks and Securities, AKH Group, Sonali Life Insurance Company Ltd, Rising Group, Porcelanosa by Nupami BD, BBS Cables, Amaze Power, Sailor by Epyllion, BUFT, Qubee and CBL Munchee as sponsors partners.

Kabab Factory and California Fried Chicken were the food partners while Omiyo Juice was the beverage partner. The final was telecast live on GTV, the tournament’s official media partner. l

RESULT 4-1

Comfit

Shakil (2), Imran, Mridul

Tanin

Bando Design

INDIVIDUAL HONOURS Man of the final Shakil (Bando)

Best GK

Rajib (Bando)

Best defender

Mobarak (Bando)

Best midfielder Tanin (Comfit)

Top-scorer

Imranur (Bando)

Most valuable player Mamun (Bando)

29

DT

Sport

SUNDAY, APRIL 3, 2016

DAY’S WATCH CRICKET STAR SPORTS 1 2:30PM ICC Women’s World T20 Final: Australia v West Indies 7:30PM ICC World T20 2016 Final: West Indies v England

FOOTBALL TEN 1 HD French Legue 1 6:00PM Nantes v LOSC Lille

TEN 3 12:30PM A-League 2015/16 Brisbane Roar FC v Newcastle Jets French Ligue 1 2015/16 6:00PM Nantes v LOSC Lille 9:00PM Bastiais v Olympic Marseille 1:00AM Lorient Bretagne v Olympic Lyon

SONY SIX Italian Serie A 4:30PM Udinese v Napoli 7:00PM Lazio v Roma 12:45AM Inter Milan v Torino

SONY ESPN Spanish La Liga 4:00PM Athletic Bilbao v Granada 8:00PM Malaga v Espanyol 12:30AM Sevilla v Real Sociedad

STAR SPORTS 2 English Premier League

Australia favourites to clinch fourth straight WT20 crown n Cricinfo The grand finale of the 2016 Women’s World T20 is between two contrasting sides - one that knows what it takes to win the cup and another for whom the stage is new territory. Australia, barring the mishap against New Zealand, have run roughshod over their opponents, while West Indies have played a brand of cricket that has been high on entertainment value, even if not always of the highest quality.

Irrespective of today’s result, that West Indies have finally managed to cross the semi-final barrier in their fifth attempt is a step in the right direction. But try telling that to Stafanie Taylor and her team, who are looking to upset Australia’s apple cart on the biggest stage of them all, having fallen short in each of their eight previous meetings. A rare opportunity of making it a treble of titles for West Indies at a global tournament this year, taking off from where the Under-19 boys left in February in Dhaka, should fire them up.

Taylor, Deandra Dottin and Merissa Aguilleira have been the torchbearers for West Indies since the tournament’s inception in 2009.

Taylor has even been upfront about how their domestic structure lacks depth and they have had to make do with a limited talent pool. Considering those constraints, the team management would be de-

n AFP, Miami

Leicester City v Southampton 9:00PM Manchester United v Everton

NEO PRIME 8:30PM Dutch League 2016 AFC Ajax v PEC Zwolle

FORMULA 1 STAR SPORTS 4 9:00PM F1: Bahrain Grand Prix Main Race

MOTOGP TEN 2 9:45PM Race: Argentine Grand Prix

GOLF NEO PRIME PGA Tour 2016 Shell Houston Open

lighted at having unearthed two potential players for the future in Hayley Matthews and Britney Cooper, who struck a crucial maiden half-century in the semi-final.

For Australia, the World T20 is simply a culmination of their summer that began with the inaugural Women’s Big Bash League that allowed a lot of their players the best

possible match preparation leading into the tournament. A T20I series loss against India offered them an opportunity to rectify the creaking areas. While the top-order batsmen took their time to find their bearings on slow surfaces, disciplined batting efforts against Sri Lanka and Ireland, followed by a combined show of strength, spearheaded by Meg Lan-

Djokovic, Nishikori advance to final

6:20PM

11:00PM

Australia women's team captain Meg Lanning (R) and the West Indies captain Stefanie Taylor hold the World T20 tournament trophy yesterday at the Eden Gardens cricket ground ahead of the final today AFP

Novak Djokovic serves against David Goffin (not pictured) during their semi-final in Miami Open AFP

World number one and defending champion Novak Djokovic will face Japan’s Kei Nishikori in the ATP and WTA Miami Open final after straight-set triumphs Friday in which both were tested.

Djokovic, an 11-time Grand Slam champion whose three titles this year include the Australian Open, downed Belgian 15th seed David Goffin 7-6 (7/5), 6-4.

The 28-year-old Serbian will try to match the career record of six Miami crowns won by Andre Agassi by capturing his third consecutive title at the hardcourt event.

“It’s a privilege just to be mentioned alongside Andre Agassi,” Djokovic said.

Sixth seed Nishikori, the 2014 US Open runner-up, downed Australian 24th seed Nick Kyrgios 6-3, 7-5.

“First Miami final, that makes me very happy,” Nishikori said.

Djokovic has a 6-2 career edge over Nishikori, including five wins

in a row, most recently in this year’s Australian Open quarter-finals.

“It’s going to be tough for sure.

He has been playing well,” Nishikori said. “I played him in Australia. I will try to come up with something better.”

Djokovic won his 15th consecutive Miami match and the 29th of his past 30, but only after winning a tense tie-breaker and taking the lone break of the second set, prompting a post-match kissing of the court.

“I wanted to make sure the court feels my love,” Djokovic said.

“A little kiss for goodbye and I’ll see you in two days. I’ve had so many beautiful memories on that court.

It’s one of my favorite courts.”

Djokovic improved to 27-1 on the season, which has included his 11th career Grand Slam title and crowns at Doha and Indian Wells.

He could claim the Miami-Indian Wells double for the third year in a row and his 63rd career title yesterday.l

ning, the captain, against England in the semi-final, points to a unit that is brimming with confidence.

While the batting of both sides has the X-factor that could take the surface out of the equation, Australia seem well rounded in the bowling department. Ellyse Perry, their spearhead, has not had a campaign to remember, but in Megan Schutt and Rene Farrell, they have pacers, whose incision upfront and variations at the death, have been tough to get away. In comparison, West Indies have relied often on Taylor and Dottin to bail them out, often with the ball too. How successful they are in dismantling the Lanning threat will go a long way in deciding the outcome of the final.

While most teams would prefer a horses-for-courses approach, both sides are unlikely to tinker with their winning combinations, considering they have bowlers of all kinds for what is largely expected to be a belter of a surface.

Australia (probable) 1 Elyse Villani.

2 Alyssa Healy 3 Meg Lanning 4 Ellyse Perry 5 Alex Blackwell 6 Jess Jonassen 7 Beth Mooney 8 Erin Osborne 9 Megan Schutt 10 Rene Farrell 11 Kristen Beams West Indies (probable) 1 Stafanie Taylor 2 Hayley Matthews 3 Britney Cooper 4 Shaquana Quintyne 5 Deandra Dottin 6 Stacy-Ann King 7 Shemaine Campbelle 8 Merissa Aguilleira 9 Shamilia Connell 10 Afy Fletcher 11 Anisa Mohammed.l

Van Gaal sets United’s sights on EPL top three n AFP, Manchester Manchester United have edged their way back into contention for a Champions League place in recent weeks, with manager Louis van Gaal declaring that a top-three finish is still realistic.

Having been six points adrift of fourth-placed Manchester City in mid-February, United are now just one point behind going into the weekend’s fixtures. Today’s home game against Everton offers the opportunity to keep the pressure on in the chase for fourth, but Van Gaal has set his sights higher than that. United captain Rooney is not ready to return against his former club, having been absent since mid-February with knee ligament damage.l

FIXTURES Leicester City v Southampton Man United v Everton

DT

30

Showtime

SUNDAY, APRIL 3, 2016

Bipasha and Karan tying the knot n Promiti Prova Chowdhury Bipasha Basu and Karan Singh Grover are finally tying the knot and have set their wedding date at April 29 of this year.

Bipasha and Karan, one of Bollywood’s most talked-about couples will marry in a Bengalistyle ceremony at Bipasha’s Mumbai home, according to a report published in DNA India recently.

Bipasha, 37, and Karan, 34, are believed to have been dating for almost two years, even though they have never publicly acknowledged their relationship. They costarred in last year’s horror film, Alone.

The wedding will be preceded by a mehendi on April 28 and followed by a reception to which celebs like Shilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra are expected to be invited.

The 37-year-old actress will be getting hitched for

Jazz Multimedia to bring Dev for Indo-Bangla production n Promiti Prova Chowdhury Tollywood’s heartthrob Dev has been cast as one of the leads in the upcoming joint production between India and Bangladesh. Jazz Multimedia from Bangladesh and SK Movies from India will jointly bring in the production.

Details of the production itself have not been released.

Bangladeshi film star Mahiya Mahi is likely to be cast opposite to the Tollywood superstar, however, the matter still requires a final confirmation.

“SK Movies prefer Mahiya Mahi as her film Agenee was received well by the audience in Kolkata,” Jazz Multimedia Chairman Abdul Aziz said.

“We had our final talk with Dev. Now, we are just waiting for the formal deal,” he added.

“Neither the director nor the actress has been confirmed. However, sources said that Ashok Dhanukar from SK Movies prefer Mahi,” said Abdul Aziz.

the first time, having previously dated actors Dino Morea, John Abraham and Harman Baweja.

Karan Singh Grover has been married twice before to actresses Shraddha Nigam and Jennifer Winget.

The report on DNA revealed that the wedding will be small by Bollywood standards at the very least, due to the actors’ parents being opposed to the union till the last minute.

The mehendi will be held on April 28 at Villa 69, a lounge bar in Juhu, and the reception will be held at St Regis (formerly known as Palladium Hotel) in Lower Parel on April 29.

Before the reception, there will be an intimate Bengali-style wedding at

Watching the bay

In a recent interview, Ashok Dhanukar said: “Nusrat Faria’s films could drag much audience in Kolkata, whereas Mahi’s Agnee did well. Although Mahi’s Romeo and Juliet did not gain much profits, we are still considering her for the production.” l

Bipasha’s Khar residence in the morning attended by close family and friends from both sides, on the same day.

An insider adds: “Bipasha has even kept a wedding planner to organise the event to the smallest details. The invites will be sent to B-Town folks next week, Rocky S is designing both her and Karan’s wedding outfits.”l Sources: huffingtonpost, dnaindia

The Balika Vadhu actress commits suicide

n Rashna Munawar

n Mahmood Hossain After watching the success of Deadpool both in the cinemas and from their genius marketing, more and more films and franchises are taking to social media to give sneek peaks of the movie to fans. The latest has been coming out of the lead stars of the upcoming Baywatch movie starring Dwanye “The Rock” Johnson, Zac Efron, Alexandra Daddario and many more.

No one thought that Baywatch would end up being one of the most anticipated films of 2017. The more adult version of the once popular show has

an amazingly attractive cast, as Priyanka Chopra was the latest to join the Baywatch crew and will take on the main villain role. Dwayne Johnson plyas the role of Mitch, who teams up with Efron’s character named Matt to stop a tychoon from destroying their beach. Daddario plays the role of Summer, model Kelly Rohrbach plays CJ Parker (originally played by Pamela Anderson) and Billons actress Ilfenesh Hadera as Mitch’s love interest.

What’s catching the most attention so far is the ridiculously sexy Instagram photos from on-set and behind the scenes. l

Pratyusha Banerjee who is popularly known as Anandi for her lead role in TV serial Balika Vadhu committed suicide this past Friday.

The 24-year-old actress was found hanging at her Mumbai residence. She was admitted to the Kokilaben Ambani Hospital in Andheri, where she was pronounced dead.

The reason behind the drastic step is said to be her depression based on issues revolving around her relationship with Rahul Raj Singh. The two were in a serious relationship and were planning to marry soon.

Pratyusha Banerjee, who was born in Jamshedpur, had worked in the TV series Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya in 2014 and was last seen in a lead role in Hum Hain Na. Alongside several other serials, the actress also took part in Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 5 and was one of the participants of Bigg Boss 7. l Source: BollywoodLife.

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Showtime

SUNDAY, APRIL 3, 2016

Queen of the curve dies at 65 n Showtime Desk The world-renowned British architect whose designs include the London Olympic Aquatic Centre has deid from a heart attack.

Born in Iraq, Dame Zaha Hadid had a heart attack this past Thursday while in a Miami hospital, where she was beaing treated for bronchitis.

The official statement was released from her company saying, “It is with great sadness that Zaha Hadid Architects have confirmed that Dame Zaha Hadid DBE died suddenly in Miami in the early hours of this morning.

She had contracted bronchitis earlier this week and suffered a sudden heart attack while being treated in hospital. Zaha Hadid was widely regarded to be the greatest female architect in the world today.”

Hadid was recently awarded the RIBA’s 2016 royal gold medal,

the first woman to be awarded the honour in her own right.

Architect Sir Peter Cook wrote in his citation at the time: “In our current culture of ticking every box, surely Zaha Hadid succeeds, since, to quote the royal gold medal criteria, she is someone who ‘has made a significant contribution to the theory or practice of architecture … for a substantial body of work rather than for work which is currently fashionable’.

“For three decades now she has ventured where few would dare … Such self confidence is easily accepted in film-makers and football managers, but causes some architects to feel uncomfortable. Maybe they’re secretly jealous of her unquestionable talent. Let’s face it, we might have awarded the medal to a worthy comfortable character. We didn’t. We awarded it to Zaha: larger than life, bold as brass and certainly on the case.”

Speaking in February on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs, Hadid said, “I don’t really feel I’m part of the establishment.

I’m not outside, I’m on the kind of edge, I’m dangling there. I quite like it … I’m not against the establishment per se. I just do what I do and that’s it.”

Hadid’s legacy will live on through her magnficent work.

Some of her notable designs are of the Rosenthal Centre of Contemporary Art in Cincinnati (2003), the Guangzhou opera house in China (2010), the Serpentine Sackler Gallery in Kensington Gardens, west London and the BMW factory in Leipzig, Germany. Other notable projects included the Maxxi: Italian National Museum of 21st Century Arts in Rome (2009), the Heydar Aliyev centre in Baku (2013) and a stadium for the 2022 football World Cup in Qatar. l Source: The Guardian

Starred Stars n Showtime Desk Element: Fire Date range: March 21 – April 19 Strengths: Courageous, confident, honest Weaknesses: Impulsive, aggressive, moody Personality: As the first sign in the zodiac, the presence of Aries almost always marks the beginning of something energetic and turbulent. Continuously looking for dynamic, speed and competition, Aries are naturally brave and rarely afraid of trial and risk. Aries are always first in everything - from work to social gatherings. They possess youthful strength and energy, regardless of age and can perform tasks in record time.

Friends and family: Aries enjoy diversity among friends.

They need a range of different personalities in order to close their circle of friends. Skilled in communication, Aries achieve an incredible number of connections and acquaintances throughout their lives.

Although the independent Aries are not often in touch with their family, it is always in their hearts. One can always expect a direct and honest approach from Aries, even when they are expressing their feelings.

Career and money: This is an area where Aries shine brightest.

The working environment is the perfect space for the ambitious and creative Aries. Competition merely encourages them to shine

WHAT TO WATCH brighter. They can have great careers as sales agents, dealers, managers, conductors and owners of company.

Aries enjoy spending money on shopping, gambling and trading.

Even though their philosophy is that we should live for the moment, shortage of money for Aries is rare, because they love to work.

Famous Arians March 23: Kangana Ranaut (Actress) March 26: Mila Islam (Singer) March 28: Lady Gaga (American Singer) April 2: Ajay Devgan (Actor) April 3: Eddie Murphy (Actor) April 4: Robert Downey Jr. (Actor) April 7: Jeetendra (Actor) l

Predator Star Movies 7:17pm A team of commandos on a mission in a Central American jungle find themselves hunted by an extra-terrestrial warrior.

Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Kevin Peter Hall Robocop HBO 7:09pm In 2028 Detroit, when Alex Murphy - a loving husband, father and good cop - is critically injured in the line of duty, the multinational conglomerate OmniCorp sees their chance for a part-man, part-robot police officer.

Cast: Joel Kinnaman, Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton The Darkest Hour Movies Now 7:50pm In Moscow, five young people lead the charge against an alien race who have attacked

Earth via our power supply.

Cast: Emile Hirsch, Olivia Thirlby, Max Minghella The Expendables 2 Zee Studio 6:00pm Mr. Church reunites the Expendables for what should be an easy paycheck, but when one of their men is murdered on the job, their quest for revenge puts them deep in enemy territory and up against an unexpected threat.

Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jean-Claude Van Damme Shoot ‘Em Up WB 9:31pm A man named Mr. Smith delivers a woman’s baby during a shootout, and is then called upon to protect the newborn from the army of gunmen.

Cast: Clive Owen, Monica Bellucci, Paul Giamatti

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SUNDAY, APRIL 3, 2016

NBR PLANS POLICY CHANGES PAGE 15

‘STOP BOUNDARY FLOW IF YOU CAN’ PAGE 25

BIPASHA, KARAN TYING THE KNOT

Mysterious disease attacks children Al-Masum Molla, n Mohammad back from Gaibandha Ten months ago, 10-year-old primary schoolgoer Sakib’s father noticed that a small white spot had appeared on the upper arm of the little boy.

At first, Sakib’s father Zahidul, who is a farmer like most other inhabitants of Khatiamari village in Gaibandha, did not think it was much of a concern. But things changed after the small pigmentation on the skin started caving into flesh, creating a hole in the boy’s triceps which kept on getting bigger.

The health assistant at the local community clinic said there was nothing to worry about; it was just a case of malnutrition.

But soon it became evident that it was not a case of simple malnutrition – it was something much serious. The worst part was that nobody, not even the doctors, could determine what it was.

Soon, it came out that Sakib is not the only child in the village with the complication; at least 50 other children of relatively the same age, including his cousins Shakil and Faruq, have the same symptoms.

Khatiamari is a shoal that was formed in the mighty Brahmaputra River some 50 years ago. It is one of the remotest parts of the Gaibandha district. It takes an eight-kilometre motorcycle or rickshaw ride to reach the Bilashi boat terminal and another one hour by engine boat to reach Khatiamari from Gaibandha township.

Children in Khatiamari village, Gaibandha are afflicted with a mysterious disease that causes their triceps muscle to cave in DHAKA TRIBUNE Not surprisingly, there is no electricity in the shoal village, inhabited by some 100 families. But some families use solar power to light up their homesteads. There is a mosque and a primary school that has more than 500 students.

Malnutrition should not explain the case of Sakib because all the families in the village have cows and hens, which means there is enough milk and eggs to fulfil the protein requirement. A few years ago, under an NGO-run project, each of these families were given two cows and training on cattle fattening.

Swapna Akter, health assistant

at the local community clinic, told the Dhaka Tribune that she first came across the complication around 10 months ago when she went to the villagers’ houses for vaccinating the children.

“Primarily, we found 20 patients afflicted with this unknown disease.

Now there are at least 40,” she said.

“We have yet to identify the disease. An IEDCR team visited the spot and collected samples and formed a national committee to find out what disease it is. To me, it seems a neurological problem,” said Nirmaldengu Chowdhury, civil surgeon of Gaibandha.

But according to outbreak expert Farhana Haque, this could be a case of clinical leprosy.

“We have visited the area and assume that it is a case of clinical leprosy. The disease reporting was late as we have noticed it just 14 months ago and have yet to confirm whether it is leprosy,” said Farhana, who works at the Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research (IEDCR).

“We will visit the area again with a dermatologist to confirm the disease,” Farhana told the Dhaka Tribune.

Leprosy is a chronic, progressive bacterial infection that, among other symptoms, produces skin sores, nerve damage and muscle weakness. If left untreated, leprosy can cause severe disfigurement and significant disability.

Leprosy is one of the oldest diseases in recorded history. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the first known written reference to leprosy is from 600 BC. Although the disease is common in many countries, especially those with tropical or subtropical climates, Bangladesh announced itself free of the disease several years ago.

Mahmudur Rahman, director of the IEDCR, said: “We are investigating the disease. We have yet to make any conclusion. Our team has already visited the spot and collected samples and another team of skin specialists will visit soon.

All the cases may not be the same and that is why it is taking time to reach a conclusion.” l

PAGE 31

SK Sinha: Existing law inadequate for Tonu’s trial n Tribune Report Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha said the trial for Sohagi Jahan Tonu, the Comilla Victoria College student who was murdered, was not possible under the Act of Criminal Procedure 1898.

“We have to come up with an advanced system to investigate the Tonu murder.”

“With the mentality of police officials, we cannot solve the mystery. It has not been possible to identify as of yet the killers of the journalist couple Sagar-Runi,” he added.

The chief justice made these statements as chief guest at a book launch yesterday at Senate Bhaban in Dhaka University.

He also said: “A corrupt politician can be impeached from office, and if an officer is corrupt, he is sacked.

But when the public loses confidence in our nation’s judicial system, they have nowhere to go.”

“Most laws in our country have become obsolete. They have become ineffective. If laws are not reformed, the judiciary system will collapse,” he added.

The chief justice said he feels the country’s judicial system ought to be reformed.

“In a country in which the rules are always violated, the judiciary system cannot act like an island. l

CID interrogates Tonu’s family members n Tribune Report The Criminal Investigation Department of police yesterday interrogated family members of slain Comilla Victoria Govt.

College student Sohagi Jahan Tonu.

Tonu’s father Yaar Hossain, mother Anwara Begum, elder brother Nazmul Hossain, Anwar Hossain and cousin Laiju Jahan were taken to the CID’s comilla office for interrogation.

It was the third time the family members were quizzed. They were earlier grilled on March 25 and 26.

As part of the investigation, a team comprising CID officials from Dhaka and Comilla visited the scene of the murder inside Comilla cantonment yesterday morning. The team, which stayed at the scene till noon, was led by Abdul Kahhar Akhand, senior superintendent

of police of Dhaka CID. Abdul Kahhar told reporters at a press briefing in the afternoon that questioning Tonu’s family members was necessary for the probe.

“They will be interrogated again, if necessary. We are working on the case and the time to make a comment has not yet come,” he said.

stood on Bangabandhu Road for 30 minutes.

Also in Narayanganj, former students of Power Development Board High School formed a human chain on Shimrail-Adamjee EPZ Road. More than 200 current students of the school joined the human chain.

Friend of Tonu’s brother missing

‘Tonu case to be solved soon’ Meanwhile, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal yesterday said the mystery behind the killing of Tonu would be revealed soon.

He said his ministry would not officially make a comment on the incident as the investigation was still on.

“Our intelligence agencies did not fail to solve such cases in the past and they will succeed this time as well,”

Kamal told reporters at a programme in Madaripur.

Protests in Gopalganj, Narayanganj A human chain was formed in front of Gopalganj Press Club yesterday to call for the arrest and punishment of Tonu’s killers.

Carrying placards, hundreds of students of different educational institutions joined the human chain and

The family of Mizanur Rahman Sohag, a friend of Tonu’s brother Anwar Hossain, yesterday claimed that he had been missing for five days and RAB had detained him.

Sohag’s father Nurul Islam told reporters at Comilla Press Club that some plain-clothes men identifying themselves as law enforcers picked his son up from the house at Narayansar village in Burichang upazila on March 27.

He said he filed a general diary with Burichang police on March 30.

“My son organised a protest against the killing of Tonu in the locality. I think this is why RAB picked him up. Not only Sohag, many youths of nearby areas were also picked up after the incident and some were later freed.

“I contacted police and RAB but they said they were not aware of where my son was,” Nurul said.

Uttam Kumar, officer-in-charge of Burichang police station, said Sohag’s father had lodged a general diary but he did not mention that RAB detained his son over Tonu murder.

Major Khurshid Alam, commander of Comilla crime prevention company 2 under RAB 11, denied Nurul’s allegation, saying no one named Sohag had been detained over the killing of Tonu. l

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