11 April, 2016

SECOND EDITION

MONDAY, APRIL 11, 2016

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Chaitra 28, 1422, Rajab 3, 1437

Regd No DA 6238, Vol 3, No 356

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

Kerala temple blaze kills 100 n Reuters, Paravoor, Kerala A fire and explosions during a fireworks display to mark the start of the local Hindu new year killed 100 people and injured more than 380 at a temple in India’s southern Kerala state yesterday.

Thousands of devotees had packed into the Puttingal Devi temple, about 70km from the state capital Thiruvananthapuram in the coastal district of Kollam, to watch the display that started at midnight and went on for four hours.

The blaze started when a cracker fell onto a shed where the fireworks were stored, sparking a string of powerful explosions that blew the roof of the administrative block of the temple and caused another building to collapse, residents said.

“There were body parts on the floor and on the roof there was an arm,” Anita Prakash, a resident said. “In the past, there’s been fireworks but not on this scale.”

Kerala is studded with temples managed by rich and powerful trusts that often flout local regulations. Each year, temples hold fireworks displays, often competing to stage the most spectacular ones, with judges who decide the winners.

Kollam district magistrate A Shainamol said people living in the area near the temple had complained about the danger of these fireworks in the past.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

The fire at the temple in Kollam is heart-rending and shocking beyond words

The hand of a Hindu devotee, who died when a fire broke out at the Puttingal Devi temple, is seen outside the mortuary of a hospital in Kollam in the southern state of Kerala, India, yesterday REUTERS

CHRONICLE: INDIA'S RECENT HISTORY OF DISASTERS DURING RELIGIOUS EVENTS JULY 14

JAN 18

OCT 3

2015

20 1 4

2014

2013

A stampede on the banks of a holy river crushes 27 pilgrims to death and injures dozens in southern India

At least 18 people die and over 40 injured in a stampede in Mumbai when a large crowd gathered to pay their last respects to a Muslim spiritual leader

32 people are killed in a stampede at a popular Hindu festival in eastern India after panic erupts following rumours of an electrical fire

At least 36 people are trampled to death as pilgrims head home from the Kumbh Mela religious festival on the banks of the Ganges

PM slams those opposing coal-based power plants n Tribune Desk

INSIDE

Taking a swipe at those protesting the government's move to construct coal-based power plants, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said some people have bizarre ideas about coal and coal-based power plants which have already led to the loss of lives.

FEB 10

“Some people in the country have some bizarre ideas… I don't know how these cross their minds, but some lives have been lost unnecessarily for such absurd talks…

I have no idea what the motive is behind this,” she said yesterday during the inauguration of the newly constructed Dhaka Central  PAGE 2 COLUMN 3

OCT 13

NOV 19

2013 A stampede near a temple kills at least 115 people in Ratangarh town of Madhya Pradesh. A similar stampede killed 50 people seven years back

JAN 14

NOV 8

2012

2011

2011

18 women and children are crushed to death in a stampede when a rope bridge collapses at a Hindu festival in Bihar

102 Hindu devotees are killed in a stampede which breaks out when thousands of pilgrims make their way home after an annual pilgrimage in Kerala

16 people including 14 women die in a stampede at a religious ceremony near the holy Hindu city of Haridwar

MAR 4

2010 63 people, mostly women and children, are killed in a stampede at a temple where free clothes are being doled out in Uttar Pradesh

2008 About 150 Hindu worshippers are killed in a temple stampede sparked by rumours of a landslide in Himachal Pradesh

Banshkhali protesters feel down n Anwar Hussain, Chittagong

Minister Maya's jail sentence upheld

Although their life is returning to normalcy after the postponement of agitations, the locals of Banshkhali's Gondamara were frustrated yesterday after the prime minister strongly criticised them protesting against S Alam Group's proposed

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has rejected the petition filed by Disaster Management Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya seeking review of an order of the court that scrapped his acquittal in a corruption case.

A bench led by Chief Justice SK

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 3

n Ashif Islam Shaon

Nizami’s hearing now set for May 3

PM: Turn jail into correction centre

‘Restrictions cannot mar festivity’

The Supreme Court has again deferred until May 3 the hearing on a petition filed by death-row convict Nizami.  PAGE 3

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday underscored the need for developing the country’s jail as correction centres.

Restrictions imposed on Pohela Boishakh celebrations will not overshadow the exuberance of festivities, organisers said.  PAGE 32

 PAGE 5

AUG 3

SEP 30

2008 224 pilgrims die in a stampede when worshippers rush to reach a hilltop temple in the city of Jodhpur Source: AFP

Sinha passed the order yesterday.

Following the order, the High Court will hold a fresh hearing in the case to decide on the sentence.

The Anti-Corruption Commission filed the case on June 13, 2007 against Maya on charge of amassing illegal wealth worth Tk29 lakh and concealing the information.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 2

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Tawfiq: Government to keep Khaleda Zia sends supporting Banshkhali project Boishakhi greetings n Aminur Rahman Rasel The government will keep supporting the Banshkhali coal-fired power plant project despite the ongoing fierce protest from the local people, said Tawfiq-E-Elahi Chowdhury, energy adviser to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday.

“The location is very convenient for a coal-based power plant as it is located near the sea which would facilitate coal transport,” Tawfiq said at a press conference at Bidyut Bhaban by the Power Division.

“Besides, most of the land nearby is being used for salt farming, so there is not that much scope for environmental degradation,” he said.

Power Division Secretary Monowar Islam, who was present at the press meet, said the Banshkhali project was started after informing the locals. “Last year, I personally visited the place and had a views-exchange meeting with the local people. No complaints regarding land acquisition was made at that time.”

Asked if the plant has proper en-

vironmental clearance, the secretary said the Environmental Impact Assessment report for the plant is in the Environment Department for evaluation. “The primary work of the plant can be started without the assessment report. We have got the location clearance to start our work.”

About those killed on April 4 during a clash between police and protesters, Monowar said: “It is an unfortunate and sad incident. We are waiting for the probe report from the committee formed by the local administration.” l

to Sheikh Hasina n Tribune Desk

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has sent a greeting card to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on the occasion of the Bangla New Year.

A delegation of BNP led by MP Abul Khair Bhuiyan went to Awami League President Sheikh Hasina’s Dhanmondi office and handed over the card to Office Secretary Abdus Sobhan Golap.

The delegation also handed over a card from BNP Secretary General

Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir to Awami League Secretary General Sayed Ashraful Islam.

After handing over the card, Bhuiyan told journalists: “BNP Chairperson has sent a card to Awami League President Sheikh Hasina greeting her on the occasion of the Bangla New Year.”

Though Hasina and Khaleda do not meet each other, they regularly exchange greeting cards on different occasions. l

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Kerala temple blaze kills 100 Prime Minister Narendra Modi flew to Kollam with a team of doctors to help state authorities cope with the large number of injured, moving swiftly to head off criticism of a lack of public safety.

“The fire at the temple in Kollam is heart-rending and shocking beyond words,” he said in a Twitter post. “My thoughts are with families of the deceased and prayers with the injured.”

Modi has faced public criticism in the past for failing to respond quickly to disasters such as the floods in Chennai late last year.

Large parts of the metropolis were under water for days before government help arrived.

No permission

Television images from the devastated temple site showed people, some clutching children with burn injuries, being taken to hospitals.

Others carried out charred bodies of victims.

Kerala’s Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said that 60 of the 100 dead had been identified while the number of people admitted to hospitals in Kollam and the state capital had risen to 383.

With Kerala in the midst of an election for a new state assembly, the fire quickly turned into a political issue as local leaders demanded an investigation.

In Kerala, ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) trails its Congress party and communist rivals. The BJP has focused on building up grassroots strength in the state for decades.

Kerala’s Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said the Kollam district administration had denied the temple authorities permission for the display and the government would investigate why they went ahead anyway.

“There was no permission to even store the fireworks,” he said.

Witnesses said they had repeat-

edly warned the local administration about the danger of firework displays in the crowded neighbourhood. Chennithala said a case for illegal possession of explosives had been registered against the temple.

The temple trust was not immediately available for comment.

The explosion from the fireworks was so strong that some parts of the temple roof caved in.

Local media showed bulldozers trying to clear the area of the debris.

The Puttingal temple is one of the oldest in the state. It was built on the site of an ant hill where locals believe a goddess appeared centuries ago. l

Minister Maya A special court sentenced him to 13 years’ imprisonment in the case on February 14, 2008. Maya challenged the verdict with the High Court on May 25, 2009.

After hearing the appeal, a High Court bench acquitted the minister of the corruption charges and cancelled his conviction.

Later, the ACC filed a leave-toappeal petition with the apex court.

On June 14, last year, the Appellate Division cancelled the High Court verdict, saying that the High Court had not applied its judicial mind in acquitting Maya of the corruption charges. It also asked the High Court to hold further hearing and dispose of the appeal filed challenging the lower court judgement.

Lawyer Baset Majumder who represented Maya at the court yesterday told reporters that they had informed the court that they would not continue the legal battle on the review petition. So, the court rejected the petition as “not pressed.”

ACC lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan said that the rejection of the review petition means that Maya’s appeal against the lower court’s verdict would be reheard by the High Court. l

PM slams those opposing coal-based plants Jail, pointing to the recent incident in Banshkhali, Chittagong that left four people dead.

Criticising the protesters, the premier said a section of people these days come up to stage protests in the name of protecting the environment when the government wants to produce more electricity through constructing power plants, reported UNB. “You have already seen that this section of people won’t allow the construction of coal-based power plants [in the country],” she said.

Hasina said the government brought relief in public life by producing more electricity at the quickest possible time. “Now there is a move to resist that production.

But this power production is necessary for our development.”

She mentioned that during its first tenure in 1996-2001, the Awami League government laid the

foundation of coal-based power plants in Dinajpur and there are now two coal-based power plants there. “The construction for a third one is going on there.”

The prime minister also mentioned that there had been no adverse effect on the environment in that area, as paddy, trees were growing naturally while people were living their normal life.

Referring to the recent capsize of a coal-laden cargo vessel in a river that triggered huge outcry over water pollution, the prime minister said she was not sure how logical the reaction was, if science was taken into consideration.

She said: “When I was a child, there was a water filter in our house, the first layer of which was filled with coal. We used to pour water into that coal-filled layer first, then the water used to go through the sand-filled layer and

after that we used to use that filtered water. We know coal also purifies water. Such water filters are still available in rural areas.”

If the coal-filled filter could purify water, then how the submerged coal would pollute the river water, the prime minister questioned.

Furthermore, she said some people claimed that there would be acid rain in the area surrounding a coal-based power plant. “What imagination this is!” she quipped.

Hasina said there are coal-based power plants around the world, including Oxford.

She mentioned that the ash generated in coal-based power plants are used in cement factories.

The programme was also addressed by Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, Home Secretary Dr Md Mozammel Haque Khan and Inspector General of Prisons Brig Gen Syed Iftekhar Uddin, among others. l

Banshkhali protesters feel down 1,224MW coal-based power plant.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said that some people of the country have bizarre imagination and they oppose coal-fired power plants in the name of protecting the environment, whereas the government eyes increasing generation of electricity.

The locals, mostly salt and shrimp farmers, have been protesting against the plant since February as they are afraid of losing their livelihood due to the plant’s adverse impacts on the air, water and land of the coastal area.

On April 4, at least four protesters were killed and 30 others injured after the police and supporters of the plant project opened fire on them during a rally at Gondamara. They postponed the scheduled protest programmes on Saturday for 15 days after the prime minister through a local Awami League leader had assured them of consid-

ering the demand of scrapping the project immediately.

Liakat Ali, convener of the Homestead and Graveyard Protection Committee, said that the agitating locals felt frustrated after the premier’s speech.

“The villagers are still smouldering as they lost their fellows during the protest. They are more shocked after the prime minister’s comments. They may resume protests, if necessary, to realise their legitimate demands,” Liakat said.

Swapan Kumar Majumder, OC of Banshkhali police, said that they were on alert and additional police were deployed in the area to avert any untoward incident.

Meanwhile, local ruling party lawmaker Mustafizur Rahman held a rally on the UNO office premises and assured the agitating locals that the victims would be compensated. He earlier said that the families of the dead would be giv-

en Tk10 lakh each as compensation from the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund.

A joint venture company of S Alam Group and a Chinese firm took the project in 2013. They have already acquired around 600 acre land and started land development in the project area without securing location clearance or getting their Environmental Impact Assessment approved by the authorities concerned.

Following the protests, a top officer of S Alam Group on Saturday said that they would try to convince the locals about the plant. If failed, they would shift the plant to Chokoria.

On Thursday, State Minister for Power and Energy Nasrul Hamid hinted that the government would not have any objection rather would cooperate if S Alam Group wanted to shift the power plant to any other location. l

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MONDAY, APRIL 11, 2016

Nizami’s hearing now set for May 3 n Ashif Islam Shaon

The Supreme Court has again deferred until May 3 the hearing on a petition filed by death-row convict Motiur Rahman Nizami seeking review of the top court’s verdict that upheld his sentence for war crimes.

A four-member bench of the Ap-

pellate Division led by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha set the new date yesterday morning granting a defence petition.

The hearing date was earlier deferred on April 3 when the defence sought time citing personal inconvenience of their chief counsel Khandaker Mahbub Hossain.

Tarana: 54.5m SIMs registered so far Husain and n Ishtiaq Ashif Islam Shaon State Minister for Posts and Telecommunications Tarana Halim has said 54.5 million mobile SIM cards have been registered so far in the biometric system.

She made the statement at a programme on raising awareness about biometric SIM registration at the National Press Club yesterday.

Halim warned that taking money for biometric registration services was a punishable offense. She called on the public to turn those who are taking money over to the police.

The junior minister once again warned that unregistered SIMs will be blocked after April 30.

The state minister urged users to call the Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (BTRC) at the hotline 2872 if they face any difficulties.

“People of the country are in favour of biometric registration but Jamaat-Shibir, BNP activists and persons involved in illegal VoIP business are against it,” Halim said.

Earlier in the day, Tarana Halim led a rally brought out in the city to create public awareness about biometric SIM card registration.

The junior minister said Biometric SIM registration has been imposed and spreading rapidly in order to eliminate fake account holders and fight against unregistered SIM usage.

“To ensure the success of this initiative, various telecom service provider companies have undertaken several action plans,” she said.

“The companies don’t have the technical eligibility to store the fingerprints of users. After putting the information on the retailer’s fingerprint reader machine, the information is sent directly to the Election Commission’s NID server,” she added.

Telecom Secretary Foyzur Rahman Chowdhury,

BTRC Chairman Dr Shahjahan Mahmood, Vice Chairman Ahsan Habib and Banglalink CCO Shihab Ahmed were present at the event.

Foyzur Rahman Chowdhury said many people have been victimised due to the misuse of SIM cards.

“Everyone is in favour of biometric SIM card registration, only few are opposing this initiative,” he said.

After completion of biometric SIM card registration, law enforcement agencies will be able to identify any criminals immediately after the threat, he added.

BTRC Chairman Mahmood said those spreading propaganda against biometric registration were enemies of the state and enemies of the people.

“No one is preserving the fingerprints - it’s totally a misconception,” he said.

Verdict tomorrow The High Court will deliver it’s verdict on the writ petition challenging the legality of biometric registration.

The High Court bench of Justice Syed Muhammad Dastagir Husain and Justice AKM Shahidul Huq fixed the date yesterday after a final hearing over a rule the court issued earlier.

The rule had asked the government why collecting biometric information from subscribers through a third party would not be declared illegal.

The court held hearing on the rule on April 3 and 10.

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

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

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

Mahbub appeared before the court yesterday and sought time again.

The court yesterday told the chief defence counsel that it would not entertain any more adjournment on May 3.

Attorney General Mahbubey Alam said: “If a conducting lawyer, especially a senior lawyer, seeks

time citing personal difficulties, the courts usually consider that petition. Today we opposed the time petition since the court granted a petition on the same ground earlier.”

Jamaat-e-Islami chief Nizami filed the review petition on March 29 seeking acquittal. The International Crimes Tribunal issued his

death warrant on March 15 after the SC released its full verdict.

This review petition will be the last legal battle for the war criminal. If rejected, Nizami will have the chance to seek presidential pardon.

If he does not receive it or opts to not seek clemency, the government will carry out the death sentence. l

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MONDAY, APRIL 11, 2016

DMP leads drives ahead of Pohela Boishakh n Arifur Rahman Rabbi

Dhaka Metropolitan Police have started carrying out special drives as part of its measures to beef up security ahead of the upcoming Pohela Boishakh festival.

Efforts would be on to arrest listed criminals and militants, as well as

ensuring that no one is able to create disruption at key points of the capital during the festivities on April 14, read a DMP press release yesterday.

According to the release, the DMP also plans to carry out block raids at different residential areas, slums and residential hotels to detain any suspect.

Suicide, accidents claim 10 lives n Kamrul Hasan Police recovered the bodies of at least 10 people around the capital yesterday who died in accidents or committed suicide.

Four of the deceased committed suicide by hanging themselves. Police identified them as Ashiq Ibn Mahmud, 36, recovered from Rupnagar, Humayun Kabir, 26, from Mirpur, Tanjila Khatun, 18, from Turag, and Mozammel Haque, 55, from Rampura.

Police said the bodies to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) for autopsy.

Meanwhile, the Government Railway Police recovered the body of Azahar Hossain, 46, from Moghbazar wireless area where he was

run over by a train.

Jahirul Islam, 8, was hit by a train as he went to buy food from a shop near the train track in Tejgaon.

Besides, an unidentified woman, 40, was run over by an unidentified vehicle at Kawla bus stand area and another unidentified man, 30, was run over by a truck at Wari yesterday.

Another unidentified person was killed after being electrocuted in the city’s Khilgaon area.

Mohammad Shahjahan, a construction worker fell from a three-storied building yesterday. He died at the DMCH around 5:45pm, said Inspector Mozzammel Haque of DMCH outpost. l

JUTA demands 2-day weekend for teachers n Mahadi Al Hasnat The teachers’ union at Jahangirnagar University has demanded two days off in a week for teachers so that they can get more time to grade answer scripts, prepare lessons and supervise extra curricular activities of the students.

The decision came at a general meeting of the union, JU Teachers’ Association (JUTA), held on Saturday at Zahir Raihan auditorium.

JUTA General Secretary Bashir Ahmed said: “We will place recommendations before the university authorities to meet our demands.”

However, students as well as a faction of the teachers have expressed concern over JUTA’s demand for a two-day weekend, claiming it is just a ploy of the teachers to secure more time for weekend and evening classes for masters programmes.

“Why do the teachers need two days off when they only come to the university for classes twice a week?” asked

Golam Rabbani, a masters student in the university’s English department.

“Some fraud teachers provoked JUTA officials to include such demand in the meeting agenda to secure more time for weekend and evening classes in masters programmes, although they have bad records of conducting classes and exams, according to the students,” said a JUTA member, seeking anonymity.

However, JUTA President Prof Ajit Kumar Mazumder said: “Students sometimes criticise their teachers without full understanding of the topic; when they do realise what the matter is about, they get embarrassed. If our demand is met, teachers will work from 9am until 4pm on weekdays, instead of the current office time of 9am-2pm.

“JUTA’s demand should be executed to ensure teachers’ 40-hour standard office time in a week. We have taken the decision after much consideration and hope students will be benefited from it,” he said. l

Last week, DMP Commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia issued directives on this regard to all police high-ups in the capital through a letter.

Addressing a monthly crime conference at the DMP headquarters yesterday, the DMP chief also reportedly instructed officers-in-charge at all Dhaka police stations to be more vig-

ilant regarding any Facebook propaganda surrounding Pohela Boishakh.

Sources at the meeting told the Dhaka Tribune that the DMP boss also issued directives for ensuring proper security measures in the areas where the biggest public gatherings are held on Pohela Boishakh.

“Every police member has to

be more serious about their work to improve the image of the people-oriented police. We want to build a fearless Dhaka city,” Asaduzzaman was quoted as saying.

The police commissioner also said there would not be any repeat of an incident like last year’s sexual assaults near the TSC. l

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Tonu’s autopsy doctors grilled n Mohiuddin Molla, Comilla Two doctors at Comilla Medical College Hospital were interrogated by the Criminal Investigation Department yesterday over the killing of Comilla Victoria Government College student Sohagi Jahan Tonu.

Dr Kamda Prasad Saha, chief of Comilla Medical College Hospital’s forensic department chief, and Dr Sharmin Sultana, who carried out Tonu’s first autopsy, were grilled at the CID’s Comilla office.

Deputy Inspector General of Police Mahbub Mohsin visited the scene at 11:30am.

They talked to army officials, including the station commander and area commander of Comilla, and Tonu’s family members before arriving at the CID’s Comilla office where Mohsin was given a guard of honour.

Dr Nazmul Karim Khan, special superintendent of police of CID Comilla, told reporters the case was being extensively probed to prevent the recurrence of such incidents.

‘I do not know what doctors said in the report.

I took my daughter’s bloody body to hospital.

She had clearly been killed’ Tonu’s first post-mortem report said no sign that the girl had been raped could be found and it was not clear how she died either.

Tonu’s family resented the report, with her father Yaar Hossain saying: “I do not know what doctors said in the report. I took my daughter’s bloody body to hospital.

She had clearly been killed. If that was not the case, did ghosts kill my daughter?”

Tonu’s body was exhumed on March 30 and the first post-mortem report was out on April 4 while the second report is still awaited.

CID DIG visits Tonu killing scene

Also, a combined team of the CID’s Dhaka and Comilla units yesterday visited the scene inside Comilla cantonment from where Tonu’s body was recovered.

The team led by Dhaka CID’s

“Everyone has been very cooperative and this is what we expect in the future as we proceed,” he said.

Investigating Officer Gazi Mohammad Ibrahim and Additional Deputy Inspector General of Police Abdullah Al Azad Chowdhury were present among others.

Dhaka CID’s Special Superintendent of Police Abdul Kahhar Akand said he was optimistic that the mystery behind the murder of Tonu would be revealed soon.

“We are trying our best. We are grilling any person who we think should be interrogated as part of the investigation,” he added.

Tonu’s body was found in a bush near her house inside Comilla cantonment on the night of March 20.

Following the murder, her father filed a murder case with Comilla Kotwali police station but did not name any accused. l

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurates the newly-built Dhaka Central Jail at Keraniganj yesterday

BSS

PM: Turn jail into correction centre n UNB

the sufferings of their families, the prime minister said.

Stressing the importance of creating income-oriented work facilities for prisoners on the jail compound, she said their income will have to be deposited so that on completion of jail terms, the prisoners could take the money and do something for their livelihood.

Such initiatives will help criminals change the way of living and their thinking as well as motivate them to return to normal life, she said.

The prime minister also underlined the need for providing training to prisoners and said the government would also establish a training institute there for the officers and others in the jail administration.

Pointing to the illegal use of mobile phones in jails, she asked the authorities concerned to check it and create public phone facilities

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday underscored the need for developing the country’s jail as correction centres so that prisoners could leave their dark past and return to normal life after serving their jail terms.

The prime minister was addressing a function marking the inauguration of the newly constructed Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj.

Sheikh Hasina asked the authorities concerned to think how criminals could be turned into normal citizens like others through changing their criminal mindsets.

“Prisons should not be places for confining prisoners. Instead, these should be centres of correction for the criminals.”

The aim of establishing the new central jail with modern facilities for prisoners is to bring some improvement in their lives and end

on the jail compound so that the prisoners could talk to their family members at least once a month.

The prime minister directed the jail administration to give top priority to the security issue.

She said her government would certainly take necessary measures to ensure uninterrupted power supply in the central jail area and asked the authorities concerned to set up solar panels on the rooftops of the buildings.

About health care facility in the central jail, Hasina said a 200-bed hospital would be established there to ensure better health services for the prisoners and employees of the central jail as well as for those living in nearby areas.

Mentioning the prison life of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, she said the father of the nation had to pass the most important time of his life in jail, establishing the rights of Bangalis. l

Govt launches plan to protect vultures n Abu Bakar Siddique

With an aim to protect the rapidly depleting vulture population in the country, the government has been formulating a National Vulture Conservation Action Plan that will help increase the number of this important bird species.

The proposed action plan will direct the authorities to take proper actions including vulture safe zone management, taking care of trans-boundary issues and banning the use of harmful medicines for cattle, said Ishatiq Uddin Ahmad,

country representative of IUCN Bangladesh.

Bangladesh Forest Department and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) are jointly preparing the action plan 2016-2025, which will later be implemented by the Ministry of Environment and Forests.

According to the latest vulture population census conducted by IUCN in 2015, there are only 268 surviving vultures in the wild here.

Another research done by Jahangirnagar University Zoology professor Monirul H Khan in 2012 said that the

TEMPERATURE FOREC AST FOR TODAY

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Cattle that die from reactions to the drugs pose a great threat to the vulture population because their livers cannot tolerate the chemicals.

Birdlife International, a wildlife platform working for the conservation of nature, declared the species ‘critically endangered’ in Bangladesh back in 2001.

Even a few years ago dozens of vultures could easily be spotted in the north-eastern part of the country, but they are rarely seen these days, said vulture specialist Prof Monirul.

Vultures are mostly found in the

vulture population in the country has declined by 60% between 2008 and 2012 and 98% in the last two decades due to lack of food, habitation and excessive use of drugs on farm cattle, its main food source.

Both the studies blamed the excessive use of veterinary medicines like Diclofenac and Kitoferon on cattle as the reason for the rapid depletion of the vulture population in Bangladesh.

Of the existing four varieties in Bangladesh, the white-rumped vulture, popularly known as Bangla Shokun, is the most common.

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Rangpur 40

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Khulna

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Barisal 40

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

TOMORROW SUN RISES 5:40AM

40.3ºC Chuadanga

20.3ºC Dinajpur

Source: Accuweather/UNB

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Sylhet division, greater Mymensigh and some parts of the Sundarbans.

The Environment and Forests Ministry took an initiative to ban the use of those medicines on cattle in 2011.

The ministry has already established two safe zones in Sylhet and Khulna regions with a radius of 100 km where the number of white-rumped vulture populations is comparatively higher.

The total area of the Vulture Safe Zones in greater Sylhet and Khulna will be 19,663 and 27,717 square kilometers respectively. l Sylhet

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Cox’s Bazar

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Fajr: 4:20am | Zohr: 12:00pm Asr: 3:27pm | Magrib: 6:22pm Esha: 7:49pm Source: IslamicFinder.org

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MONDAY, APRIL 11, 2016

Obaidul Quader brushes off WHO figures on road crash Al-Masum Molla n Mohammad and Shohel Mamun Roads Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader fell out with Bangladesh’s WHO representative over the number of road crash deaths which the World Health Organisation puts at 21,000.

“From where did you [WHO representative] get the information about the death of 21,000 people in road crashes every year? If we divide the figure, it means 59 people are killed everyday,” the minister told WHO Representative to Bangladesh Dr N Paranietharam.

He made the statement while addressing a programme on a multi-stakeholder workshop on the draft “Bangladesh Road Transport Act, 2016” at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre on Sunday.

He asked Paranietharam: “No one can give any example. Even if we assume 10 a day, the number would stand at 3,650. Let’s assume it as 5,000, still, from where did you get 21,000?”

In a reply to the minister, Paranietharam said: “The number is based on different factors. It is an estimated number and not an absolute one.”

The minister responded: “Even we want to decrease the number of road accidents but the number you [Paranietharam] gave is an utter shame for us. Please correct it.”

Presenting his government’s various development activities including construction of the Padma bridge, metro rail and so on, Quader said: “But I could not bring any discipline in the road and transport sector. It is my failure. I could not control the traffic. I even failed to

3 tannery owners freed after 4 hours in custody n Ashif Islam Shaon Three tannery owners were kept in police custody for over four hours for not complying with an earlier High Court order of relocating hazardous tanneries from the capital’s Hazaribagh to Savar yesterday.

After they offered unconditional apology, the court freed them on condition that they will submit a progress report today on shifting their tanneries.

Earlier, during the hearing of a contempt petition, the court handed over Pubali Tanneries’ Mahbubur Rahman, Rumi Leader Industries’ Gias Uddin Ahmed Pathan and Paramount tanneries’ Md Akbar Hossain to jail keeper for producing them to the CMM court. They failed to give explanations over their failure in relocating tanneries.

After they sought apology through lawyer, the High Court bench of Justice Syed Muhammad Dastagir Husain and Justice AKM Shahidul Huq ordered them to go free and appear before the court with explanations today.

The court also issued arrest warrant against three other tannery owners as they did not appear before it on the day.

Arrest warrant was issued against Mahin Tanneries’ Abdul Owdud Mia, Nabipur Tanneries’ Abdul Wahab, and Asia Tanneries’ Mofiz Mia. On March 23, the High Court

summoned 10 tannery owners as they did not relocate tanneries as per the court order.

Of the 10 tannery owners summoned by the High Court, Karim Leader Unit 2 owner Rezaul Karim Ansari, Salam Tanneries’ Abdus Salam, and Juliet Enterprise’s owner Sayedul Haque Master are dead. Rana Leather Industries’ Managing Director Arefin Shamsul Alamin is now abroad.

Lawyer Manzil Morshed stood for the petitioner while Shah Monjurul Haque moved for the tannery owners and Advocate Rois Uddin moved for the industries secretary.

The High Court in 2001 asked for relocating the tanneries from Hazaribagh. On June 23, 2009, the court again fixed February 24, 2010 as the deadline for relocation.

The state prayed the court several times to extend time while the last deadline expired on April 30, 2011. As the order was not followed by the owners, Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh – a rights organisation – lodged a contempt of court petition.

After the owners failed several times to comply with court orders, a contempt of court ruling was finally issued by the court on August 11, 2015, asking why punitive actions should not be taken against the ten owners. l

bring it to a tolerant level.”

“It took 33 years for the ordinance to turn into an act. I want to enact the law,” the minister said.

“It is difficult but not an impossible task. I know I have to overcome a number of obstacles. I have to be tough,” he added.

The group work of the workshop then took place where stakeholders expressed their opinions and presented their work.

The Police department said they want on-the-spot fining authority which was in the previous motor vehicle ordinance, and additional power which were rebuked in the proposed draft.

Osman Ali, general secretary of Bangladesh Road Transport Workers Federation, said they have objections with the 64 out of 71 articles of the ordinance and will send a letter to the proper authorities

stating their stance.

Bangladesh Road Transport Association Secretary General Khondokar Enayet Ullah and representatives of the Bus-Truck Owners Association questioned why only the bus or truck owners and labour were included in the proposed law. They feel all the stakeholders including engineers and other people should come under the proposed act as the drivers and owners are not the only ones responsible for road crashes.

In a speech, Shipping Minister Shahjahan Khan said the law should be enacted considering the interregional road connectivity.

“Vehicular movement will start soon between Bangladesh, India, Bhutan, Nepal and Myanmar. So, the law should be enacted considering the neighbouring countries’ existing laws. The vehicles would then not face any problem.” l

AL declares Dhaka city committees n Abu Hayat Mahmud

The Awami League has declared two full committees for its Dhaka North and Dhaka South units, bifurcating the previous single committee.

On permission of the party’s central working committee, ALPresident Sheikh Hasina approved the appointment of AKM Rahmat Ullah and Abul Hasnat as presidents of Dhaka North and Dhaka South units of the party, respectively.

Awami League General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam declared the new committees at Hasina’s Dhanmondi political office yesterday.

Sadek Khan has been chosen as the general secretary for Dhaka North unit, while Shah-e-Alam Murad for Dhaka South.

“We hope that the two new committees will be more organised than the previous committee,” Syed Ashraf said. l

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News

MONDAY, APRIL 11, 2016

Wasa pumping station besieged n Abu Hayat Mahmud Several hundreds of people yesterday laid siege to a pumping station of Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority at Moghbazar in the capital demanding supply of drinking water.

Residents of Bepari Goli of Boro Moghbazar also threatened that they would sever electricity connection of the pumping station if the authorities of Dhaka Wasa did not take immediate measures to ensure uninterrupted water supply to the area.

During the agitation, residents of the area told the Dhaka Tribune that they had been facing acute crisis of water for the last one and a half months.

They also said employees of the pump station were selling per jar of water at Tk5 taking the advantage of the situation. They alleged that Wasa operators were creating the artificial crisis to do a brisk business.

Atikur Rahman, a tenant of an apartment at Bepari Goli, said they had not been getting water supplied from Wasa over a month.

He said owner of the apartment ran water pump once in a day for only an hour due to the water crisis.

“We cannot do household works properly and even take bath regularly,” he said.

“We have not been regularly getting Wasa’s water for the last one and a half months, although we have to pay the Wasa bill every month,” said Shahidul Islam, owner of house located in the area.

He said they got a little amount of water in the reserve water tank every day and for that reason they had to run their pump once a day.

Residents of Bepari Goli in the capital are seen keeping gallons of water on a rickshaw which they reportedly bought from some staff of Moghbazar Wasa pumping station as an acute crisis of water has been prevailing in the area for the last one and a half months. The photo was taken yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE Staffs of Marjan Printing Press told the Dhaka Tribune they did not take bath for the crisis of water.

Wasa Pump Operator Md Wares: “Three operators, including me, work at the pumping station. But we do not know why the residents of Bepari Goli do not get water sup-

Government staff asked for explanation over building structures in playground Correspondent, n Our Narayanganj The High Court has asked eight senior public officials to show cause for their move to build residential establishments for the government employees on Aliganj High School field in Fatullah upazila.

A bench of Justice Obaidul Hasan and Justice Krishna Debnath yesterday issued the rule following hearing of a writ petition in this regard.

The rule’s respondents are cabinet secretary, Prime Minister’s principal secretary, finance secretary, planning secretary, PWD secretary while the rest three are Narayanganj PWD executive engineer, deputy commissioner and superintendent of police.

The court directed the eight to explain why the move should not be declared illegal and to submit their reply within four weeks.

Aliganj High School managing committee and Aliganj Club President Kawser Ahmed Polash filed the petition and Md Amimul Ehsan Jobaiyer stood for him.

In a March 22 Ecnec meeting, the government took a decision to erect eight 15-storied buildings on the school field for public servants at a cost of Tk400 crore. There will have a total of 672 flats.

When contacted, Kawser Ahmed Polash said: “There is no playing field except it in Fatullah and a vested quarter tries to build the government staff quarter on the playground.” l

out any reason.

Managing Director of Wasa Taqsem A Khan told the Dhaka Tribune that he had heard about the agitation of the residents of Bepari Goli.

“I have directed the officials concerned to take immediate steps to solve the water crisis,” he added. l

plied by the Wasa.”

He, however, said they did not even need to operate pumps as the supplying of water which they got from Sayedabad water treatment plant was sufficient for the locality.

He also said higher officials of the Wasa would know the reason why

people of the area did not get water.

Reply to a query about sale of the pump water to local people, Wares said, “As the water pump remain stop, so how can we sale water to people?”

He also alleged about hundreds of slam people attacked them with-

Two hurt in gas cylinder blast

Palak: ICT sector eyes $5 billion export

n Anwar Hossain, Chittagong

A powerful gas cylinder explosion took place at a CNG refueling station in the city’s Khulshi area yesterday leaving two people injured.

The injured car driver Bakhtiar Uddin Sentu, 22, and the refilling station staff Md Yousuf, 35, were admitted to a nearby hospital.

The blast occurred when a private car was taking gas at the Khulshi CNG Filling Station around 1:45pm.

Witnesses said the cylinder of the private car blasted with a loud bang. The explosion also triggered panic among the people waiting to refill gas at the station.

Talking to the Dhaka Tribune over phone from the spot, Abul Kalam Azad, senior station officer of Fire Service and Civil Defence, Chittagong said the intensity of the explosion was as much as that the cylinder was thrown out of the private car. l

Mizanur Rahaman, n FM Chittagong

State Minister for ICT ministry Zunaid Ahmed Palak yesterday said the government was working with a view to developing the ICT sector to export $ 5 billion by 2021.

He also expected around 20 lakh people will be employed in this sector with the time frame.

He came up with the remark while addressing two programmes at Chittagong University (CU) and Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CEUT).

The minister first attended a seminar titled ‘Making Skilled Manpower and Creating employment opportunities’ held at the Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) faculty’s auditorium at CU. While addressing the seminar as the chief guest, Palak said the

government had been trying to provide 1Mbps internet in all the 37 public universities’ students with an aim to create skilled manpower and build a Digital Bangladesh.

The minister said the government had taken a number of projects considering future of the young generation under the direction of Prime Minister’s ICT Advisor Sajeeb Wazed Joy. While inaugurating CUET’s Networking and Communication Lab at the campus, the minister said government would set up an IT Business Incubator costing Tk89 crore on five acres land while they were also planning to build an IT Village Project near the CUET on 300 acres land.

At the programmes the minister handed over a total 150 laptops among the students of CU and CUET in collaboration with EXIM Bank Ltd. l

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8

News

MONDAY, APRIL 11, 2016

Teenage housewife killed for Boishakhi sari Chowdhury, n Alamgir Joypurhat

A solitary java plum tree stands as the only remaining sign of what used to be a forest at Jaliyapalong forest beat in Cox’s Bazar. Local people, with help from Forest Department officials, have allegedly logged all the trees and flattened hills for profit DHAKA TRIBUNE

The woes of a lonely jaam tree n Abdul Aziz, Cox’s Bazar Five years ago, the 2,000-acre wide Jaliyapalong forest beat in Cox’s Bazar had hundreds of thousands of trees of java plum – commonly known as Jaam fruit – and provided habitat to a variety of fauna. The area, known as Chak-kata Jaam Bagan, is now no more.

The low hills where Jaam trees used to stand have been flattened to the ground by influential people who have sold off all the trees and are now busy filling their own pockets by illegally selling the government-owned land.

The only sign of the Jaam forest is a solitary Jaam tree, the Dhaka Tribune found while visiting the site recently.

Soltan Ahmed, a local, said the indiscriminate logging began after the Awami League government came to power. Influential persons conspired with local Forest Department official and profited together by selling off millions of Jaam trees, he said.

What used to be the biggest Jaam forest in Cox’s Bazar even five years ago – now has only a single tree, Soltan said, adding that loggers spared that particular tree only because locals believe it is haunted.

Abdul Gafur, who also lives in the area, blamed unscrupulous Forest Department officials for letting influential locals destroy the

forest. In a desperate attempt to remove all signs of their wrongdoings, the loggers even removed all the stumps, he said.

The land that belongs to Forest Department is now being sold under the name of cooperation societies, while many locals and Rohingya refugees have already bought land and set up households there, Gafur said.

However, Mofiz denied allegations of any wrongdoing, instead claiming that Forest Department officials and other locals were the ones behind the whole scheme.

Most of the trees were cut down during the tenure of former Inani Range forest official Mir Ahmed, Mofiz claimed.

“Local criminals are involved [with logging]. They have fell

The low hills where Jaam trees used to stand have been flattened to the ground by influential people who have sold off all the trees and are now busy filling their own pockets The Dhaka Tribune spoke to several people who now live in the forest area. Seeking anonymity, they all said a 150-member-strong cooperative society was set up by influential persons around five years ago to start the logging of the Jaam forest. The illegal operations continued over the years as the hills were flattened and the land was sold off at high prices.

So far, there has not been a single case filed by Forest Department authorities.

While investigating who the perpetrators were, the Dhaka Tribune found the name of former union parishad member Mofiz Ullah coming up repeatedly.

the trees and are now flattening the hills to sell the land through stamped deeds. There are so many households here now that it is hard to know that there was once a forest here.”

The former UP member also mentioned the names of Mohammad Alam and Sona Mia as some of the culprits. The Dhaka Tribune tried to contact both Alam and Sona, but they were unavailable through phone.

Commenting on his alleged involvement, Mofiz said: “My house is one and a half kilometres away from that area. So, I do not know what happened there. I have not even gone there in the last ten years.”

Authorities in denial

Mir Ahmed, who served as forest official for Inani Range until 2015, claimed that not a single tree had been cut down by loggers while he was in office.

Talking to the Dhaka Tribune, he even claimed of having no knowledge of the existence of the Chak-kata Jaam Bagan under the Jaliyapalong forest beat.

Saiful Islam, who has been in charge of Jaliyapalong forest beat for one and a half years, said there was now 50 Jaam trees in the area, but added that he heard that there once used to be millions of Jaam trees under the forest beat.

The Forest Department regularly carries out drives against illegal loggers and land grabbers, Saiful said.

However, he admitted that it has now become tough to protect trees because of a shortage of manpower, arms and equipments.

Asked for comment, incumbent Inani Range forest official Brajagopal Rajbangshi said he had no idea about the issue as he had only joined the range a week ago.

Cox’s Bazar south divisional forest officer, Md Ali Kabir, also said the news of the Jaam forest’s destruction was not clear to him as it had happened a long time ago. But Kabir told the Dhaka Tribune he would assess the situation and take necessary actions soon. l

One of the most sensual attires of a woman is undoubtedly sari in Bengali culture. Every woman desires to wear a colourful new saree to celebrate Pohela Boishahk, the first day of Bangla new year. It is the tradition. But it of course is very tragic when a woman is to give her life for a sari.

Recently a 19-year-old housewife, also an expected mother, has been killed brutally by her mother-in-law in Joypurhat as she demanded a sari on the occasion of Pohela Boishahk.

The deceased was Rima Akter, wife of Hasan Ali of Koachnapur village in Sadar upazila.

Sources said Rima, daughter of Majedur Rahman of Charjagadishpur village, had been married off with Hasan ten months back, a madrasa background educated person.

After the marriage, Hasan was supposed to be given a motorcycle as dowry before Eid-ul-Azha.

But Hazan used to quarrel with Rima for the bike to get it immediately.

The family members also of Hasan got locked in altercation always over the issue with Rima, said locals.

Ahead of Pohela Boishahk, Abdul Halim, father-in-law of Rima bought a new saree for her sisterin-law Hasna Khatun on Saturday.

Rima also demanded a saree to Halim to celebrate the Pohela Boishahk.

Popi Khatun, the mother-in-law of Rima became ferocious as she came to know about the demand of her.

She started quarrel with Rima over the issue and at one stage she pressed pillow against her mouth leaving her dead on the spot.

After the incident, Popi tried to say Rima committed suicide. Rima’s husband was also outside of home during the incident.

On information, Rima’s family members went to the spot yesterday morning and claimed that she had been killed. They informed the incident to police.

The police recovered the body and arrested the father-in-law and mother-in-law of Rima.

Farid Hossain, officer-in-charge Sadar police station, said the arrested were sent to the Joypurhat court where they confessed the killing.

They were sent to sail, said the OC. Hasan Ali, brother of Rima and locals demanded exemplary punishment of the killers. l

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Education

MONDAY, APRIL 11, 2016

| success stories |

Education City in Qatar n Jumana Abuwala Education City, a small multiversity community in the outskirts of Doha, is an up-and-coming education capital of the Arab world. It is the epicenter of Qatar’s attempts at moving from a fuel-based economy to a knowledge-based economy where a concentration of regional and foreign talent takes place. The city hosts an array of elite schools, colleges and universities, and of the nine universities in the city, eight are international. For those who are considering an international degree for taking their careers to the next level, this shall elaborate why Education City could be the perfect

place for higher studies.

Firstly, the thing that sets this small city apart is its “multiversity” environment.

The city boasts six American universities, one British and one French.

This impressive list in itself is an indicator of the standards that this city upholds when it comes to education. With the rising trend of universities having campuses in multiple countries and continents, Qatar has capitalised

Here’s a list of the universities: • • • • • • •

Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar Texas A&M University in Qatar Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar Northwestern University in Qatar HEC Paris and UCL Qatar

on the industry trend to invite international universities to the Education City.

The universities here uphold the same standards as their main campuses in the West, and therefore entry requirements are usually the same at the Qatar campus. The tuition fees at most of these campuses are also the same as the main campus, thus making education here quite expensive.

However, as all of these universities are under the Qatar foundation, it offers financial aid to local and international students alike. The Hamad Bin Khalifa Financial Aid Program provides financial aid of up to 100 percent,

based on the demonstrated need.

Students have to pay 15% of their salaries upon graduation until the loan is repaid. The system also allows loans to be forgiven within two to six years for those who work in Qatar at an approved company. If you are willing to stay back and get industry experience in Qatar itself, an international education here can be fairly cheap for you.

Living in a city whose sole purpose is to educate is a unique experience that no other region can currently offer. The city is home to about 1300 students, making it a huge campus by itself.

This makes Education City one of the world’s first “multiversity” and thus an exciting educational journey unlike any other. The small community allows for more communication amongst the students and teachers from not only the university you are attending, but also from the other renowned institutions in the area.

Education City is a mere half hour away from the hustle and bustle of Doha, a city which is easily accessible through public transport such as the metro.

Average meal costs per day come up to about $21 and personal expenses amount to about $9 per day. Universities have their own recreation facilities on campus with Carnegie Mellon boasting a cinema and a bowling alley on campus, amongst other things.

The HBKU Student Center also provides a social space for students to interact while providing amenities such as international food options and recreation.

This futuristic “multiversity” provides Bangladeshi students the opportunity to attain a remarkable international education while still presenting them with practical and viable financial options. Life in Education City might be a little expensive, but it is undoubtedly an incomparable experience.

The bright side is, most students can now have access to international degrees with practical financial aid options in Education City. All renowned universities in the area offer numerous degrees, and one must also consider that living standards in Qatar are extremely high. With one of the lowest crime rates in the world and vast amounts of resources, the region is bound to be interesting for those who want to have an excellent international degree at a much closer and safer place. l

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10

Feature

MONDAY, APRIL 11, 2016

| health |

Way to a healthier life

With the ever increasing pressures of modern day urban dwelling, living and eating healthy has become more of a necessity than an option. With this in mind, the Nutrition and Wellness Club (NWC) under University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) have recently hosted its first on campus event in cooperation with ULAB

Students Affair Office (SAO) and Bangladesh Institute of ICT in Development (BIID).

The seminar, which was held on April 2 at ULAB’s Campus A auditorium, was titled “Stay Well and Healthy.” It was inaugurated with the opening speech by Ameenah Ahmed, member, board of trustees, ULAB. The guest

speakers were Rahat Choudhury, retired project coordinator and family counselor of Relationships Australia and Asfia Azim, nutritionist and project coordinator of Urban Programme, Concern Worldwide Bangladesh.

Professor Imran Rahman, vice chancellor, ULAB was present at the event, as well as Arzoo Ismail,

advisor of NWC, Shahid Akbar, CEO of BIID, and Sumaiya Nour, program manager of BIID. Rahat Choudhury gave a presentation titled “Who am I?” where she discussed how important it is to be comfortable with oneself and how the young adults should handle stress and peer pressure. She also focused on

inner peace and problems faced by teenagers at time of maintaining relationships.

Asfia Azim’s presentation, titled “Savour or Nutrition: what to pick?” discussed about how to maintain a healthy diet and how we can include foods which are in season and low of cost. She also discussed gender based nutrition for young adults.

The presentation session was followed by a prize giving ceremony for the “Healthy Recipe Contest” held at ULAB in March this year. Recipes were taken from ULAB students, faculty as well as admin members. Then they were judged by a separate panel of nutritionists formed by BIID on the basis of nutrition value, easy to cook and less expensive ingredients.

The first prize went to Rifa Tasfia Rahman for her badam khichuri, second prize went to Md Asikuzzaman Asik for his version of a vegetable rice bowl and the third and final prize was given to Sumaiya Karim Oyshi for her oats and vegetable khichuri. Professor Imran Rahman and Ameenah Ahmed handed over the awards to the winners.

The event ended with a note of appreciation by Professor Imran Rahman.l

| trip |

Chore checklist for your vacay away What to do before you pack your bags

n Sabrina Fatma Ahmad The heat, the promise of a long weekend ahead, a pause before the summer semester...there are many reasons why we’re seeing a hike in vacations right now. If you’re booking flights and checking out hotels, here are a few things to take care of before you start your trip.

The financials

Unless you want to come back home to a disconnected phone/ water/electricity line, make sure your bills have been taken care of before you set off for travel. This goes double for credit card bills.

The last thing you want to face is seeing your credit card declined while you’re on the trip because your banker had a heart attack at the size of your overdraft.

On that note, speak to your bank and inform them of your

travel plans so that you’re not caught by a surprise fund freeze.

Data

From hotel information to passports and id’s, make sure you make some copies of all your important paperwork, to have at hand in case you lose the main thing. From personal experience, we can say that having scans of both in your email also helps when you least expect it.

Cleaning up

The absolute worst feeling is coming back from a few days of hotel housekeeping and fresh sheets to a house that’s covered in grime. Give your place a good clean before you go, and cover the furniture with sheets and lock all doors and windows, not just for security’s sake, but to minimise the pile-up of dust.

Don’t forget to clean out your fridge, and remove all the perishables, unless you want to be greeted by a stink when you get back.

Also, it is probably a good idea to change your sheets and finish the laundry before you leave, because you’ll have plenty of dirty clothes to wash when you unpack your luggage after the vacation is over.

Finally, reduce the headache of sorting through foreign and deshi currency by cleaning out your wallet beforehand, and taking out anything you won’t need on the journey.

Electronics

To prevent any kind of accident or unnecessary electric bills, unplug everything and turn off the light before you go. Also, charge your phone, laptop, and camera before you set off; you’ll never

know when you’re next getting a compatible charging point.

Don’t forget to pack chargers, and at least one multiple converter.

Let 'em know

Unless you want to undo all the RnR you got from your trip, make sure you’ve apprised your work colleagues of your plans, set out an auto-responder on your email, and (if possible) done some advance work so there’s less of a backlog.

Of course you’re going to checkin on Facebook at the airport to let everyone know you’re getting away, but make sure you’ve got one responsible family member appraised of your travel plans so that getting back home from the airport is taken care of, and should any kind of emergency arise while you’re away, someone is on top of it.

Good luck, have fun, and enjoy your trip! l

DT

Editorial 11

MONDAY, APRIL 11, 2016

INSIDE

Of deception and ‘development’ If it is indeed all for ‘development,’ why do you impose your decision without conducting any EIA? What is the problem in taking the locals’ opinions into consideration? Why is the government afraid of the people’s resistance?

PAGE 12

Delhi pollutes, everyone else pays The minuscule proportion of the population of the Indian Union who owns an AC prefers to hide behind the billion-plus brown people, most of whom have nothing to do with COP21 or COP20 or any COP except the terrorising armed cop in their locality PAGE 13

If London ever fell Why are the saviours of the world always Caucasian? Are we to believe that heroism in extreme circumstances cannot come from a commoner, an immigrant, a woman in a veil, or even a tourist who happens to be an agnostic?

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.

MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Banning private tutors is the wrong answer

T

he government should rethink measures in the draft Education Act which will ban private tuition and coaching and punish head teachers if they use any books not included in the syllabus set by the National Curriculum and Textbook Board.

It is wrong in principle and unhelpful, if not unworkable, in practice.

The quality of education in schools will not be improved one iota by threatening private tutors with hefty fines of up to Tk2 lakh and six months jail.

While it is right for the government to require higher standards in schools, this will not be achieved by punishing private tutors. Private tuition is a symptom of weaknesses in the education system, not the cause.

No doubt there are many cases of unethical behaviour by some teachers at schools and colleges who misuse their position to force students to come to them for private tuition to get through exams. This is certainly a problem and one of the factors which have escalated the growth of commercial coaching centres.

It is better, however, to eliminate the problem at the source.

If teachers are getting away with misusing their position for personal profit, the first problem that needs to be addressed is bad and weak management in schools. Why are such teachers not being disciplined and held to account?

The second, bigger, challenge that the Education Ministry should be focusing on is the need to improve the classroom experience for all pupils. The government needs to invest more in improving school buildings and training better teachers so that fewer pupils and parents feel the need to pay for costly extra tuition in the first place.

Addressing the root problem is the only way to achieve the act’s aim of raising standards across the board. Punishing private tutors is a pointless diversion from the real issue.

Address the root problem. Private tuition is a symptom, not the cause, of low standards in schools

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Opinion

MONDAY, APRIL 11, 2016

Of deception and ‘development’ The Banshkhali coal plant project has already seen lives lost over its construction. Is it even worth it anymore?

n Anu Muhammad

T

he government has allowed fast-growing conglomerate S Alam Group to install a coalbased power plant in the coastal Gondamara Boroghona area of Chittagong’s Banshkhali, which is a locality of over 7,000 households and comprises arable land and salt and shrimp farms.

A Chinese company is associated with the project. In December 2013, S Alam Group struck an agreement with the SEPCOIII Electric Power Construction Corporation of China to set up the plant.

On February 16 of this year, the government signed power purchase agreements with two private joint ventures led by S Alam Group to purchase electricity at Tk6.61 per kilowatt-hour from the proposed 1,224MW power plant. The project needs 600 acres of land. The plant authorities say the Chinese company will manage 75% of the investment.

Even though all the preparations have already been completed, we did not hear that any Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was done, whereas no such project can be accepted without an EIA. Because the impacts of a project and profit and loss are measured through such an assessment.

Actually, the project involved a number of irregularities and forceful land acquisition since the beginning. The local administration suggested land acquisition in favour of S Alam Group, claiming that there are only 150 households. But in reality, there are over 7,000 families, 70 mosques, graveyards, and cremation grounds, 20 shelters, around 20 educational institutions, five marketplaces, and a government hospital.

Allegations of irregularities and intimidation in procuring land are not new. Many of the locals alleged that they were not given a fair price. This is why the locals have been agitating for quite a long time against the location of the power plant, and its land procurement and acquisition process. But as a result, they were intimidated by hoodlums and brokers.

The locals had suggested that the government selects land outside the densely-populated areas and pay the prices directly to the owners instead of using brokers. A peace rally was held at Gondamara

No one wants development that is not carried out transparently Bazar on March 23 in presence of the UNO, ASP, and OC, and attended by around 30,000 people of the area. They asked the government to exclude the crowded areas while implementing the power plant project.

Despite that, supporters of S Alam Group went to the area on April 2 and subsequently faced resistance from the villagers. A case was filed over the incident and police arrested seven locals on April 3.

Enraged at the arrests, locals announced a rally for April 4 under the banner of Basat-Bhita Rokkha Committee (Homestead and Graveyard Protection Committee).

To foil the rally, S Alam Group supporters called a counter rally at the same time, prompting the local administration to announce Section 144 (ban on public gathering).

The anti-plant protesters gathered at Gondamara for the rally but these unarmed people came under gunfire, first by the police and later by some criminals who arrived on motorcycles.

Five people, including a woman, were killed, while scores of others were left injured. The attackers even obstructed the people from taking the injured to the hospital. It is anticipated that

DHAKA TRIBUNE

If it is indeed all for ‘development,’ why do you impose your decision without conducting any EIA? What is the problem in taking the locals’ opinions into consideration? Why is the government afraid of the people’s resistance? Why is the media pressured to not publish news items on this matter? Why do not they speak openly?

the number of deaths could go up.

It is the government and S Alam Group which have to shoulder responsibility for the casualties.

Now the question is: If it is indeed all for “development,” why do you impose your decision without conducting any EIA? What is the problem in taking the locals’ opinions into consideration? Why is the government afraid of the people’s resistance? Why is the media pressured to not publish news items on this matter? Why do not they speak openly?

No! No one will be able to protest, no rally-processions would be allowed. Criminals and police would be let loose on the protesters!

It has become a common scenario wherever there are

development projects being carried out, because the government certainly knows that these projects are meant for plundering money and grabbing land under the guise of development. We saw the same thing in Phulbari, in Rampal, Rooppur, and Matarbari.

Meanwhile, the influential pro-power plant quarters have forced or convinced some media outlets to not tell the people the true stories of the Banshkhali resistance, and the arguments and the related information regarding the project. This is why the recent events of demonstrations in Banshkhali were not covered by the media.

Tension and resistance will be certainties if a so-called

development projects like this are implemented forcefully and through fraudulent activities and corruption.

People will not accept any project that goes against the locals’ interests or may harm the national interests or is taken up without maintaining transparency. How long can intimidation suppress public opinion? l This article was translated by Probir Bidhan.

Anu Muhammad is Member-Secretary, National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power, and Port.

He is also a Professor of Economics at Jahangirnagar University. This article previously appeared on anumuhammad. net.

13

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Long Form

MONDAY, APRIL 11, 2016

Delhi pollutes, everyone else pays High polluters need to pay up to low polluters for their self-serving actions. This is the concluding part of yesterday’s long form

India’s elite can keep on living their polluting ways of life, as long as they pay for it

BIGSTOCK

n Garga Chatterjee

O

It is with this context in mind that we might want to analyse the Government of India’s hypocritical position in international fora. As a whole, the per capita C02 emission of the Indian Union dwarfs in front of the US or Canada or Germany (the socalled “green” champion).

In 1990, the per capita CO2 emissions of USA and Canada, and Germany was 800, 19,300, and 15,700 tons respectively. In 2013, the numbers were 1,700, 16,600, and 15,700 respectively.

The go-green champion Germany was at a highly polluting 10,200 tons per capita in 2013.

According to estimates, between 1,850 to 2,011, US and Europe accounted for 27% and 25% of all CO2 emissions. China and this subcontinent accounted for 11% and 3% respectively.

The world has been the dumping ground for white people’s trash for a very long time -- including their ideologies and carbon emissions. There can be no doubt that for the future survival of the planet and for the sake of basic distributive justice, the EuroAmerican way of life has to be severely rolled back.

For a long time, this was the stance of the Indian Union at international negotiations, where it fancied that it was speaking for decolonised people of the

The minuscule proportion of the population of the Indian Union who owns an AC prefers to hide behind the billion-plus brown people, most of whom have nothing to do with COP21 or COP20 or any COP except the terrorising armed cop in their locality who is very often the only sign of the benevolent government of India

world and, I guess, that includes Kashmir.

But the internal inequality described earlier shows that the government of India’s anticolonial, holier-than-thou stance based on the irrefutable logic of historical and distributive justice is a fig-leaf for the perpetuation of Euro-American-level per capita pollution lifestyles practised by metropolitan India’s thin layer of elite.

According to a 2014 paper published jointly by various organisations including TERI and the Council on Energy, Environment, and Water (an independent, not-for-profit policy research institution, chaired at that point by present Union Minister Suresh Prabhu): “AC use is already the largest component of overall residential power consumption and the largest peak demand use of electricity in many Indian cities.” It also projects that this will only expand.

The minuscule proportion of the population of the Indian Union who owns an AC prefers to hide behind the billion-plus brown people, most of whom have nothing to do with COP21 or COP20 or any COP except the terrorising armed cop in their locality who is very often the only sign of the benevolent government of India.

Its holier-than-thou-ness at the COP jamborees are orchestrated in the name of the billions, without consultation, without any pretense of distributive justice inside.

What has the Indian Union done to correct this distributive injustice where industrial development and expansion of high-pollution lifestyle have happened disproportionately in some states, while all others are shouldering the pollution burden, since pollution is not something that respects state boundaries and spills over?

Why is it that the high per

capita polluters in the Indian Union are also, as a group, recipients of the highest subsidies and public amenities funded largely by the billion-plus.

For a just future, the principle of equality in terms of per capita carbon emission is the starting point of any negotiation internationally.

Also, what needs to be upheld internationally is the pollutant pays principle -- that is high polluters need to pay up to low polluters for their self-serving actions. But what is good for the goose is good for the gander. If there is any principle behind these pronouncements, these should hold true within the Indian Union also.

A double standard cannot be sustained domestically. Hence, the states of the Indian Union have to have their own treaty, where high per capita polluter states need to be penalised or disadvantaged in some concrete

way and/or conversely, the low per capita polluter states need to be rewarded. Some fund transfer has to take place from the high per capita polluters to the low per capita polluters.

No one should pick up other people’s trash. The “polluter pays” principle does not need to end at the state level but that kind of a federal treaty is a start, given that, at this moment, a united forum of affected states can counter the skewed yet nominally trans-regional alliance of entrenched elite interests called the government of India.

Mere “Save Green” advertisement tokenisms from Government of India’s Environment Ministry will not cut it. States may be powerless but they are not fools.

It is more obscene than hypocritical that the class that regularly runs marathons for saving the tiger (on a different note, why marathons instead of trishul-laathi-thons to “save the cow”?) or for a green environment, whose children are busy “saving the rhino,” who value-add their homes by landscaped terrace gardens (“land”-scaping above the land level? On terrace?), buy flats in gated communities with 70% “open, green” spaces to connect with the simple village.

But never with the real contemporary villager in any other capacity, except distant “helping” and “culture” gawking and sampling of super-fake and by now kitschy nostalgia, who want to backpack in the midst of nature “off the beaten track,” are into organic products (but not fairtrade products) and so on -- are precisely the class that contributes disproportionately highly to the carbon footprint of the citizens of the Indian Union.

The anti-imperialist green posturing of the government of India representatives at international fora are a thin cover for perpetuating this simultaneous diesel-petrol guzzling, private-car owning, and simultaneously tiger and greenery saving way of life.

That fact that they can get away points to the deep democratic deficit and the lack of any real concern for federal principles in the functioning of the Government of India. For the sake of the sub-continent and the world, something must give. l Garga Chatterjee is a political and cultural commentator. He can be followed on twitter @gargac.

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Opinion

MONDAY, APRIL 11, 2016

If London ever fell Hollywood implants a very stereotyped idea of what the rest of the world is like demonised state is Pakistan/ Afghanistan. Someone in a desert is hatching and overseeing a largescale terror attack on London, which leaves the city under the control of fanatics.

In reality, terror attacks are usually found to be planned within a European country, in most cases, by homegrown radicals. Brussels has become a focal point for security operations though -- in the movie, no European links can be shown, lest it harm the image of the place.

By constantly presenting certain places as terrorist hubs, these films, with their formulaic approach, implant in the mind of the common viewer a set of stereotyped ideas.

Why are the saviours of the world always Caucasian? Are we to believe that heroism in extreme circumstances cannot come from a commoner, an immigrant, a woman in a veil, or even a tourist who happens to be an agnostic?

In real life, terrorism is bred closer to home

n Towheed Feroze

I

n recent times, movie-makers in the West have found a common film template: Terrorists attack some country, institution, or place, and some hero, usually a Caucasian, comes to the rescue.

In the process, of course, the radicals, with very specific looks and outfits, are blown to smithereens, their ideology denounced, and, finally, a cinema hall filled with people leave with some stereotyped messages about terrorist acts and their perpetrators.

A few days ago, went to watch a movie called London Has Fallen.

Unfortunately, I did not take a few shots of neat Vodka beforehand,

which is my regular habit in case I find myself watching a Bengali/ Hindi commercial film.

Within 20 minutes of the movie, I regretted not having taken that much needed libation -- absolutely essential when one has to put the brain and common sense out of function.

Therefore, I was in a cinema hall, watching a whole lot of utter excreta, with the mind refusing to turn blank.

Interestingly, in all the terrorism-related movies that I have had the chance to watch, I found that, in a majority of cases, the protagonist, or in this case, the saviour of the world and society, is inevitably a white person.

Juxtapose this with real life terror attacks, where often

REUTERS

unsuspecting victims were given shelter by immigrants working at shops or restaurants.

During the Paris attacks, Safer, an Algerian-Muslim hotel worker, gave shelter to others at the risk of his life and, while only a few of these people ever get to be featured in media, a lot of others, who do not endorse extremism, also do their duty as humans during emergencies, remaining, in the end, out of the spotlight.

Interestingly, when terrorismrelated films are made, the template is a common one: It’s us and them, a clear polarisation between Western people and terrorists who are portrayed as Arabs or immigrants with ties to some Muslim country.

In London Has Fallen, the

Mother, can I invite a bearded student from university who happens to come from the Helmund Province? What!?

London has Fallen shows that the British PM has been assassinated, which, for some absurd reason, was hushed up by the intelligence.

First of all, if such an event ever occurred, the news would spread in seconds, and, in the wake of the killing of the PM, Britain would never organise a full-scale funeral, inviting all the top leaders of the world.

I began to think: Why did they come up with such a flimsy plot?

Wait, in a few more minutes, I started to question my sanity since the movie showed foreign dignitaries roaming about London prior to the funeral without

adequate security, with the Japanese PM caught in a traffic jam like all other commuters and the Italian one cavorting on a rooftop with a woman.

After a lot of utter rubbish, which also included Royal Guards firing at civilians and the German chancellor, the movie fell into the much-used format: All hell’s broken lose, Muslim radicals have attacked, and now, a white security guard (the White Knight) has to save not only London but the US president. Wonder if Donald Trump’s buddies had anything to do with the film’s funding …

Hypothetically speaking, what if London came under attack?

What is possible are isolated incidents where violence is perpetrated not by foreigners but by the homegrown disaffected lot, who would get into an extreme scheme, expecting to get killed in the process. If radicals are not from within the UK then they will possibly be from some other European nation, as real-life events have shown us in the recent past.

The toxic element is within, not somewhere else, and to deal with it, each European nation has to evaluate/acknowledge not only their rather unsavoury colonial past but the very sketchy issues of failure in integration, resulting from decades of subtle prejudicial treatment meted out to immigrant communities.

I am sure someone sitting in a desert in Afghanistan won’t be pressing buttons on a computer to unleash apocalypse; the demons are much closer. The movie showed the London Met being infiltrated by radicals, with no loyal officer left. There’s a limit to being preposterous.

Anyway, the bottom line is: Films like these only feed into Islamophobia. Curiously, while terrorism by Muslim radicals is a staple movie plot, regular school/ college killings by sociopaths aren’t. When was the last time I watched a film featuring demented psychological killers going into an indiscriminate killing spree? Um, well … can’t remember.

In the end, there is one lingering question: Why are the saviours of the world always Caucasian? Are we to believe that heroism in extreme circumstances cannot come from a commoner, an immigrant, a woman in a veil, or even a tourist who happens to be an agnostic? l Towheed Feroze is a journalist currently working in the development sector.

DT

Business 15

MONDAY, APRIL 11, 2016

INSIDE REHAB keen for unconditional investment in housing sector Real Estate and Housing Association of Bangladesh (REHAB) urged the government to allow unconditional investment of untaxed money in the housing sector for the next 10 years to rein in illegal capital flight. PAGE 17

Five things to know about EU steel crisis and China Chinese steel production is being blamed for turmoil in the industry in Europe and elsewhere, while domestically it is also suffering. Here are five questions and answers on the issue. PAGE 17

Stop blaming the world’s central bankers In his new book, “The End of Alchemy”, Mervyn King argues that financial crises arise because people hold mistaken beliefs about an uncertain future. “Crises don’t come out of thin air,” he writes, “but are the result of unavoidable mistakes made by people struggling to cope with unknowable futures.” Uncertainty is always present. PAGE 18

Capital market snapshot: Sunday DSE Broad Index

4,431.1

-0.3% ▼

Index

1,070.4

-0.5% ▼

30 Index

1,681.1

-0.3% ▼

Turnover in Mn Tk

4,637.1

7.0% ▲

Turnover in Mn Vol

119.0

-3.4% ▼

All Share Index 13,632.1

-0.3% ▼

30 Index

12,354.4

-0.2% ▼

8,281.8

-0.3% ▼

298.3

2.3% ▲

CSE

Selected Index Turnover in Mn Tk Turnover in Mn Vol

9.2 -15.6% ▼

WB report: Bangladesh a bright spot for off-grid solar firms n Kayes Sohel Bangladesh is the world’s bright spot for off-grid solar firms as more than 30% people still have no access to the grid electricity, according to a new report of the World Bank.

Globally, the off-grid solar market will reach 99m households by 2020, a fourfold increase from 25m today, according to the OffGrid Solar Market Trends Report 2016 released recently.

This is the third in a series produced by the World Bank Group’s Lighting Global Program since the young industry’s emergence seven years ago. The report was produced in collaboration with Bloomberg New Energy Finance and Global Off-Grid Lighting Association.

The report that provides a comprehensive view of the state of one of the most impactful sectors in the global economy today, said sales will grow at 34% annually to around $3.1bn in the same time.

The market is likely to grow fastest in Africa, where uptake has been more rapid so far and the off-grid population is expected to continue to grow.

In the baseline scenario, 44m African households will be using an off-grid solar system by 2020, compared with 39m in Asia.

A further 15m globally will be using PAYG system in that year, according to the baseline forecast, which assumes no new policy interventions or market support campaigns.

Most of the growth in this baseline scenario is likely to come from today’s large markets such as India, Bangladesh, Kenya, Tanzania and Ethiopia where consumers are starting to become familiar with the technology and an infection point of market penetration will be easier to reach.

Market trends in Asia

India dominates the Asian market, with sales of more than 1m units reported in both H2 2014 and H1 2015. that amounts to an estimated $54m revenue over the period, versus $5.2m for reported sales in other Asian countries.

Sales of branded products in other Asian countries have been relatively muted, though this may change with new Lighting Asia programmes launched in Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Of the electronic appliance sales, it said fans are likely to show the fastest growth among

OFF-GRID POPULATION IN ASIA (MILLION) India Indonesia Bangladesh Pakistan Myanmar North Korea Philippines Cambodia Nepal Vietnam 0

18 16 10 7 4

38

263

67 62 56

50

100

150

200

250

300

Source: World Bank, UNEP, Bloomberg New Energy Finance. Note: Figures refer to 2012 data

DC appliances after TVs, with over 7m units projects to be in use by 2020, while most of the hottest countries on earth such as Sudan, Chad and Mali also low grid penetration, these are unlikely to be the fastest growing off-grid solar markets as they are still at a relatively early stage.

Some of the existing largest markets, such as Ethiopia and Kenya, are relatively cool, cutting demand for fans. Most users of solar-powered fans will therefore probably be in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria and Tanzania.

On Government’s initiatives on coverage of off-grid solar in the country, many governments building financial support to the off-grid solar industry (as has already been done in Ethiopia, Bangladesh and elsewhere) into their donor-financed energy access programmes can have a significant impact on rapid growth of the global off-grid solar sector.

About social, economic and environmental benefits of solar-based energy access.

An off-grid household can save $20-40 a year by purchasing even a mid-range portable light in Africa and Asian countries like Bangladesh.

A study of 852 Bangladeshi households found no impact on respiratory health but significant improvements in eye irritation because of improved air quality due to use of off-grid solar power.

A lively read for companies, investors, governments, and other key players interested in the opportunities and challenges presented by the dynamic off-grid solar market.

The report tracks the groundbreaking technological advances

and innovative business models which have emerged to transform the lives of millions through affordable modern solar energy services.

About 95% of the world’s 1.2bn people without grid access live in Sub-Saharan Africa and South and East Asia. South Asian nations such as India and Bangladesh deliver electricity to a larger share of their people, even though in absolute terms they have almost as many people without grid access as Africa due to their larger population.

The 1.2bn people living without access to the power grid spend about $27bn annually on lighting and mobile-phone charging with kerosene, candles, battery torches or other fossil-fuel powered stopgap technologies.

Key findings include:

The off-grid solar sector has seen impressive growth in the past five years.

From a near-standing start less than ten years ago, more than 100 companies are now actively focusing on stand-alone solar lan-

terns and solar home system kits targeted at those without modern energy access.

In Kenya, more than 30% of people living off the grid have a solar product at home, according to estimates. The pioneers have helped to create a vibrant market.

Pay-as-you-go (PAYG) makes solar kits affordable and helps capture consumer value PAYG firms sell solar kits against small installments instead of a lump-sum payment with a technology that locks the functionality in the event of non-payment by the consumer.

These PAYG companies have attracted four times as much investment in half the time, compared with those selling products for cash.

Financiers are betting that barriers to entry for new PAYG suppliers will remain higher than in the cash sale segment and that customer relationships will run deeper.

The sector has attracted more than $511m of investment to date (including to specialised intermediaries), with a sharp increase in recent years and most attention going to PAYG companies. l

DT

16

Business

MONDAY, APRIL 11, 2016

REHAB keen for unconditional investment in housing sector n Ibrahim Hossain Ovi Real Estate and Housing Association of Bangladesh (REHAB) urged the government to allow unconditional investment of untaxed money in the housing sector for the next 10 years to rein in illegal capital flight.

The apex trade body of housing sector also urged the government to introduce tax holiday for five years for buyers in the city area and 10 years for those outside the city.

REHAB President Alamgir Shamsul Alamin came up with the call at a press conference on Budget for the fiscal year 2016-17 at a city hotel yesterday.

“The government has allowed investment of untaxed money in the real estate sector, but some raise questions about the source of funds which retards investments in the sector,” said Alamgir Shamsul Alamin.

According to Global Financial Integrity (GFI) report, about Tk76,361 crore have flown out of Bangladesh in 2013.

To stop the illegal capital flight, investment of untaxed money is needed in the housing sector, he said, adding that if the government takes the initiative at least for 10 years, it will contribute to Bangladesh’s development.

REHAB holds a press conference at a city hotel yesterday He also urged the government to stop the source of making illegal money.

The realtor platform also urged the government to form a fund of Tk20,000 crore to provide a single-digit loan and refinancing opportunity for the people to buy apartments.

According to the REHAB statistics, the sale of apartment has fallen by about 80% while the investment in the new projects in the housing sector also declined by 90%.

REHAB attributed lack of low rate long-term loan facilities, illegal capital flight, high bank interest rate, suspension of re-financing scheme since 2009 and the government policy support to the decline in business.

For the revival of the sector, REHAB demanded a single-digit loan facility for a period of 30-35 years so that the Equated Monthly Installment (EMI) can come down to as much as the rent of a flat.

Prices of flats are higher in line

DHAKA TRIBUNE

with the prices of land in the capital as the realtors have established new buildings after demolishing old ones, Alamgir said, commenting on the prices of the flats.

“Due to lack of infrastructure, we cannot develop adjoining areas of the city.”

REHAB senior Vice-President Rabiul Haque, Vice-Presidents Liakat Ali Bhuyan, Md Wahiduzzaman and Sardar Md Amin and Director N Zoha were present at the briefing. l

Stocks back in red amid volatility n Kayes Sohel Stocks lost marginally yesterday amid volatility, snapping a rally of two consecutive sessions.

The market was in the positive territory almost all the session, but late profit booking sell-off erased early gains.

The benchmark index DSEX slumped 12 points or 0.3% to close at 4,431, chipping away from 33 points gained in the last two sessions.

The Shariah index DSES was 5 points down to 1,070. The blue chip comprising index DS30 decreased over 5 points to 1,681.

The Chittagong Stock Exchange Selective Category Index CSCX settled at 8,281, dropping 22 points.

The power sector continued to gain its ground with a rally of almost 2%, extending its gaining streak for the third straight session.

The rally was led by Meghna Petroleum, Padma Oil and Eastern Lubricants, Titas Gas and Power Grid Company of Bangladesh.

Despite the pullback by the market, banking stocks remained up by 0.2% on the news that the banks’ operating profit rose only 1.96% due to sluggish business.

Telecommunication, engineering, banks and food & allied sectors closed flat in green while non-banking financial institutions and pharmaceuticals ended flat in red. l

ADB lends $50m to PMO asks Robi, Airtel to hand in improve railway system more documents for merger n Kayes Sohel Asian Development Bank (ADB) has provided $50 million loan for improving capacity and safety of the railway system in Bangladesh.

To this effect, Economic Relations Division (ERD) Senior Secretary Mohammad Mejbahuddin and ADB Country Director in Bangladesh Kazuhiko Higuchi signed the agreement on behalf of their respective organisations at the ERD in Dhaka, ADB said in a statement yesterday.

The assistance is the fourth tranche of the $430 million multitranche financing facility agreed between Bangladesh and ADB in 2006 to improve the railway system across the country through the Railway Sector Investment Programme.

Under the programme, ADB has already provided $130 million, $150 million and $100 million as first, second and third tranches respectively for double-tracking Tongi–Bhairab Bazar Railway section, purchasing of 150 new carriages,

implementing reforms, rehabilitating yards, extending loops and upgrading signaling system.

The fourth tranche of $50 million will help complete the laying of double-track of 64 kilometres Tongi–Bhairab Bazar railway section, rehabilitating yards and extending loops at 11 stations in the Darsana–Ishurdi–Sirajganj Bazar section and improving the signaling system in the 78 kilometres Darsana–Ishurdi section.

The Railway Sector Investment Programme will support Bangladesh Railway for faster and more frequent services between Dhaka and Chittagong.

The improved railway system will ease the pressure on the road network.

With high population density, vulnerability to floods and scarcity of land in Bangladesh, the railway offers safe, reliable and affordable services and will benefit transport users as a whole, especially exporters. l

n Ishtiaq Husain Before finalising its approval for Robi-Airtel merger, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has asked the two cellphone companies to submit a set of documents relating to their properties and financial health respectively.

The notice was served yesterday by the PMO with an immediate effect, according to a Telecommunication Division official.

Prior to dispatching the merger documents to the Prime Minister’s Office, the Telecommunication Division added a recommendation to it.

The recommendation was to charge a merger fee.

On April 7, the division sent the report of Robi-Airtel merger to the PMO to get its final nod.

A telecom source said the merger fee has newly been introduced, following the neighbouring country’s example.

He termed it very reasonable.

Since the two companies would

benefit simultaneously, the government can rather demand a charge as part of its providing new facility.

Earlier, Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) held a public hearing on merger agreement of Robi and Airtel that mostly went in favour of the merger deal.

The regulatory body also formed a two-member expert committee to make a market analysis report which was also in favour of the deal.

Industry insiders said the merger is set to strengthen the industry structure, competitiveness, and more importantly, bring greater benefits to customers in terms of network quality and coverage and an improved offering of data products and services.

On January 29, Robi and Airtel signed a merger agreement in Kuala Lumpur to venture into a joint business operation in Bangladesh. The joint venture will be named as Robi.

According to a recent Robi state-

ment, the combined entity operating as Robi will serve approximately 40 million customers.

The joint strength will deliver the widest mobile network coverage across Bangladesh, strengthening its position in the mobile internet segment as well as consolidating its position as the second largest operator in the country.

The merger will strengthen long-term sustainability of Bangladesh telecom landscape and market structure, secure faster nationwide roll-out of mobile broadband and contribute significantly to the overall economy and revenue of the country.

The telecommunications landscape in Bangladesh has been one of high-growth, but intensively competitive with six players.

Upon completion, Axiata will hold 68.3% controlling stake in the combined entity while Bharti will hold 25%. The remaining 6.7% will be held by the existing shareholder, NTT DOCOMO of Japan. l

DT

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Business

MONDAY, APRIL 11, 2016

5 things to know about EU steel crisis and China n AFP, Beijing

products from the European Union. But China’s steel imports from the EU are negligible.

Beijing has also vowed to eliminate 100 million to 150 million tonnes of capacity - out of a total of 1.2 billion tonnes -- by 2020. It said the reforms would cost 500,000 jobs.

Chinese steel production is being blamed for turmoil in the industry in Europe and elsewhere, while domestically it is also suffering. Here are five questions and answers on the issue.

How has China impacted the global steel market?

China is by far the world’s biggest producer of steel, accounting for about half of global production.

As the country has urbanised in recent decades it became the world’s biggest source of demand for steel, helping to send prices soaring.

Now that its economy is slowing, demand has fallen and Chinese producers have been left with the ability to produce hundreds of millions of tonnes more each year than they need domestically.

As a result, world export prices have plummeted from an all time high of $1,113 per metric tonne in July 2008 to just $321 last month, according to the website steelbenchmarker.com.

Is China dumping steel on global markets?

The EU has launched a dumping probe into Chinese steel, and Eu-

Where does China’s steel go?

Employees work at a factory of Dongbei Special Steel Group in Dalian ropean politicians have used the word to describe China’s exports.

It is hard to confirm the charges, partly because dumping can refer both to a country exporting a commodity at a price less than is charged in its domestic market or a price less than the cost of production.

Dumping investigations are complex and often protracted. It can be difficult to work out production costs, and Europe measures them in different ways depending on whether it considers a country a “market economy”.

The EU has granted Russia the status, but so far denied it to China.

Critics say dumping charges can be an excuse to evade world trading regulations that ban countries from unilaterally imposing import tariffs.

China’s low labour costs mean it can sell profitably at prices well below EU firms.

Chinese officials contend that overcapacity in its steel sector is a result of cyclical change in the economy, and that they are striving to shrink the sector.

REUTERS

What are EU and Chinese authorities doing?

The EU in February imposed tariffs ranging from 9.2 percent to 13 percent on imports of steel bar used in construction from China.

But industry groups are calling for a much steeper tariff, along the lines of the 266 percent duties on Chinese steel recently imposed by the US. China said last Friday it would impose import deposits, a form of anti-dumping duty, of up to 46 percent on flat-rolled electrical steel

According to the World Steel Association, the majority of China’s exported steel is sold in Asia - about 51 million tonnes out of some 80 million tonnes exported in 2014.

Just under 20 million tonnes were exported to Latin America and the Middle East.

The same year, China exported just over six million tonnes to the European Union, about the same amount it sent to Africa.

Where does Europe’s steel come from?

EU countries get most of their steel imports from other countries in the bloc, accounting for some 101 million tonnes out of 134 million tonnes imported in 2014, according to the World Steel Association.

About 18 million tonnes that year came from former Soviet Union countries, and European states outside the EU. l

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Business

MONDAY, APRIL 11, 2016

Stop blaming the world’s central bankers n Edward Chancellor In his new book, “The End of Alchemy”, Mervyn King argues that financial crises arise because people hold mistaken beliefs about an uncertain future. “Crises don’t come out of thin air,” he writes, “but are the result of unavoidable mistakes made by people struggling to cope with unknowable futures.” Uncertainty is always present. It can’t explain why the financial system occasionally blows up. Something more must be at play.

The former governor of the Bank of England seeks to understand why mainstream economists, himself included, failed to anticipate the financial crisis. He wants to “explore the flaws in the theory and practice of money.” Like many others, King points to the inadequacy of the economic models used by central banks, which pay little attention to the role of money and banking. Such models assume that economic actors are rational and well-informed and that economies are in equilibrium.

The crisis prompted King to return to the work of Frank Knight, an influential early 20th-century Chicago economist, who argued against assessing most economic activities using mathematical probabilities. Uncertainty rules.

This means that quantitative measures of risk, favoured by economists and bankers in the pre-crisis era, are fundamentally unsound.

King believes that under condi-

Former Bank of England Governor Mervyn King seen delivering a speech REUTERS tions of radical uncertainty, people naturally make mistakes about the future which result in the economy becoming unbalanced. According to this view, the crisis was a “collective failure” of the imagination.

No individual was to blame.

The destabilizing “alchemy” of capitalism, alluded to in the title, derives from banks transforming their short-dated liabilities (deposits) into long-term assets (loans). The crisis arrives when the demand for liquidity picks up sharply. King suggests a fix: banks should be required to post collateral with the central bank in good times to cover their liquidity needs during the crisis.

Neither Knight’s uncertainty principle, nor the flaws inherent in

modern banking, provides a good explanation for our recent financial history. Why did so many people around the world make similar mistakes in the years leading up to the Lehman Brothers bust? The most likely answer is to be found scattered in odd observations throughout King’s book. Namely, low interest rates in the early years of the century encouraged people to borrow excessively and take on too much risk.

King follows the line of Ben Bernanke, his counterpart at the Federal Reserve, in seeing low interest rates as originating from surplus savings in Asia – an explanation which frees the Fed from responsibility for the decline in long-term rates and any consequent ill ef-

fects. The “savings glut” hypothesis, however, has been questioned by researchers at the Bank for International Settlements, who argue that the origin of the crisis cannot be explained by “excess savings” since banks can create deposits (“savings”) by new lending.

According to the BIS, low interest rates in the United States at the turn of the century fed capital flows into emerging markets.

Central banks in those countries turned this inflow of dollars into foreign-exchange reserves by printing their own currencies. The result: an explosion of global liquidity both before and after the Lehman collapse.

Regardless of the origins of low interest rates, King agrees they’ve done much damage over the past decade and a half. Prior to 2008, low rates encouraged households to bring forward future spending, inflated asset prices, incentivized leverage, resulted in risk taking (the “search for yield”) and led to bad investments. In the periphery of Europe, low real interest rates fuelled property booms and debt binges.

The crisis revealed that the UK economy, among others, had moved far away from equilibrium – too much money had been borrowed from the future. That explains why even lower rates, combined with an explosion of central-bank lending in recent years, have done little to restore health. King worries that the continuation of near-zero rates will

eventually “pull down rates of return on investment, diverting resources into unprofitable projects.”

He sees negative interest rates as a wealth tax that is unlikely to promote more spending.

“The End of Alchemy” is a wide-ranging book which draws upon King’s broad knowledge of financial history and experience at the heart of modern central banking. However, King doesn’t achieve his ambition to spark an “intellectual revolution” in economics. The notion of radical uncertainty is a welcome antidote to the unrealistic assumptions of modern economics, but it does little to explain the crisis and its aftermath.

King is aware that monetary policy has been used to provide shortterm gains at the cost of long-term pain – what he calls the “paradox of policy”. Despite extremely low rates, the global economy remains out of kilter. It’s a pity that King never considers Friedrich Hayek’s early work which suggests that economies become unbalanced when central bankers impose an inappropriate interest rate. But as King buys into the “savings glut” story, he doesn’t believe that monetary policymakers are to blame. For the man in charge of the Bank of England when UK bank Northern Rock went down, this is a convenient if not quite satisfactory conclusion. l Edward Chancellor is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The article was initially published at Reuters.

US-Bangla Airlines CORPORATE NEWS launches maiden Int’l flight to Kathmandu

n Tribune Report Private airliner US-Bangla Airlines is going to launch its maiden international flight on Dhaka-Kathmandu-Dhaka route from May 15.

Abdullah Al Mamun, managing director of US-Bangla airlines came up with the disclosure while addressing a press conference held at Pan Pacific Sonargaon hotel in the capital yesterday. At the press conference, Mamun said: “As Nepal is one of the attractive tourism destinations for Bangladeshi tourists, US-Bangla Airlines has planned to launch an international flight on this route, so the tourism lover can easily travel to their expected destinations.”

“We are the only one, who is going to launch an international flight within a very short time just after commencing its operation in domestic routes. Relations between two brotherhood countries would be stronger further after introducing the flight,” said Mamun. l

Executive committee of Social Islami Bank Limited has recently held its 278th meeting, said a press release. The committee’s chairperson, Md Anisul Hoque presided over the meeting

Training institute of Standard Bank Limited has recently organised a three daylong course on branch management, said a press release. The bank’s deputy managing director, Quazi ASM Anisul Kabir inaugurated the course

Bangladesh Krishi Bank has recently held a business conference in Barisal. The bank’s managing director, MA Yousoof attended the conference, said a press release

Sonali Bank has recently held a regional conference in Rajshahi. The bank’s chairperson (current charge) Mohammad Muslim Chowdhury was present at the conference as chief guest, said a press release

| protest |

MONDAY, APRIL 11, 2016

| offers |

Human chain at Drik Drik Picture Library Limited and Pathshala South Asian Media Institute jointly organised a human chain at TSC Raju Bhashkarja, University of Dhaka, on April 9 to protest the murder of photographer and Md Irfanul Islam. The Drik official was abducted and discovered murdered on April 2.

Photographers shrouded their cameras with black cloth while participants wore black badges and protested with placards.

The deceased went missing after withdrawing money from Dutch-Bangla Bank’s Dhanmondi branch on April 2. His cellphone was switched off after 11:44am.

After filing a General Diary (GD) at

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Biz Info

Kalabagan Thana, his colleagues formed four investigation teams which searched areas surrounding Dhaka.

Drik officials learnt the next morning that the body of an unidentified man, wearing yellow and white clothing, was found at Jalkuri in Narayanganj on Saturday afternoon from news published in a national daily.

It was indeed Irfanul. Irfanul Islam’s colleagues, and later his elder brother Imdadul Islam, rushed to Narayanganj Victoria Hospital and identified the body.

The protest brewed from the stated and many other similar incidences which occurred in the capital.l

Special offers at Sandana Jewellers

Sananda Jewellers will be displaying various diamond jewellery items ahead of the Pohela Boishakh celebrations.

Customers will receive a 32 percent discount on selected diamond jewellery purchases.

Different items including necklace sets, finger rings, ear rings, nose pins, diamond lockets and much more shall be available.

Sananda Jewellers have outlets at Dhaka New Market and Baitul Mukarram. l

| opening |

Zeil’s new store

| celebration |

Dhaka Regency celebrates Annual Corporate Night 2016

Dhaka Regency Hotel & Resort celebrated its Annual Corporate Night 2016 on April 7, 2016. The

blissful and fun-filled night was organised to entertain their valued and prestigious clients at

the hotel premises.

The program was held at the Celebration Hall, in the presence of distinguished guests and corporate figures from sectors like Airlines, Hotels, Clubs, Financial Institutions and so on. Shahid Hamid FIH, executive director of Dhaka Regency inaugurated the grand night with his opening speech and expressed his gratitude on behalf of the owners and the management to clients, reward partners and guests. A raffle draw with exciting and exclusives gift as well. The program concluded with a mouthwatering buffet dinner and with the hope to continue such a celebration in coming years. l

Jasim Md Al-Amin, managing director, and M A Quader, executive director of Zeil’s Shob Limited inaugurated the company’s new shoe outlet at Government New market in Dhaka recently.

Monirul Morshed, retail sales manager, Mahbubur Rahman,

manager of accounts, Nazmul Haque, manager of wholesale, officials of Zeil’s Shop Limited and distinguished guests were present during the opening ceremony.

A 10 percent discount has been offered on all Zeil’s products for seven days for the valued customers on the occasion.l

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Downtime

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MONDAY, APRIL 11, 2016

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Implement (4) 6 Forefront (3) 7 Table-shaped hill (4) 9 Bearing (4) 10 Barber’s item (5) 11 Happen again (5) 12 Strange (3) 14 Measuring instrument (5) 17 American elk (5) 20 Wrath (3) 21 Young eel (5) 23 Hourly (5) 25 Labyrinth (4) 26 Seeds covering (4) 27 Rope-splicing pin (3) 28 Biblical quotation (4)

DOWN 1 Native drum (6) 2 Carry too far (6) 3 Narrow way (4) 4 Muslim man’s headdress (3) 5 Distant (3) 7 Female horse (4) 8 Not intoxicated (5) 10 Spirit (3) 13 Giver (5) 15 Long angry speech (6) 16 Feel contrition (6) 18 Close up (4) 19 Old cloth measure (3) 22 Send out (4) 23 Poor actor (3) 24 Disencumber (3)

CODE-CRACKER How to solve: Each number in our CODECRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 16 represents N so fill N every time the figure 16 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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MONDAY, APRIL 11, 2016

INSIDE #PANAMAPAPERS LEAK

Despite global outcry, tackling tax havens a tough task Source of Dae’sh’s political notion of caliphate Dae’sh’s declaration of founding an Islamic state begs a fundamental question: When and how did that concept become a part of the political vocabulary of Muslim societies? The idea hasn’t been around forever, and its popularity has waxed and waned over time. In fact, its emergence and popularity are tied to the specific conditions of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when Muslim societies responded to European colonial rule.

PAGE 22

2016 candidates scoop up delegates in West, bid for NY love Bernie Sanders is pointing to his growing string of state-wide wins and Hillary Clinton to her still-commanding lead in the delegate hunt while the Republicans, too, are trying to scoop up delegates out West.

PAGE 23

How al-Qaeda is creating safe, lucrative heaven in Yemen Back in February, the BBC revealed that it has evidence of troops from a Saudi-led coalition force are joined by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) militants in fighting Houthi rebels in Yemen.

PAGE 24

There’s one part of the British Empire on which the sun still does not set: its tax havens.

Britain’s former world dominance has left it with a string of tiny territories scattered around the globe, and many of them have become hubs for hiding money.

Despite growing political pressure, shutting down these and other tax havens may be easier said than done.

The leak of 11.5m documents from a Panamanian law firm that specialises in discreet financial services for the wealthy has brought renewed calls for a global clampdown on shadowy financial activity. Many feel Britain bears an especially large duty to act. More than half the 200,000 companies set up for clients by Panamanian firm Mossack Fonseca in the leaked files are registered in the British Virgin Islands, a British overseas territory in the Caribbean.

“Britain has a huge responsibility,” Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the main opposition Labour Party, said Tuesday. “The government needs to stop pussyfooting around on tax dodging.”

As Britain’s colonies gained independence after World War II, London encouraged several small Caribbean islands to become tax havens as a means to self-sufficiency. As a result, many of the world’s tax havens have British links, including overseas territories such as the British Virgin Islands, Bermuda and the Cayman Islands.

The Channel Islands of Jersey and Guernsey off the French coast, which are possessions of the British Crown, have been havens for the wealthy and their money for almost a century.

The calls for change echoing around the world in the wake of the Panama revelations are not entirely new. When the global financial crisis erupted in 2008, cash-strapped governments looked for ways to claw back some of the billions hidden from tax authorities in overseas havens.

Since then, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and the Group of 20 nations have persuaded more than 90 countries to share financial data in a bid to crack down on secret dealings.

Fiona Fernie, head of tax inves-

Tax havens and financial secrets

The Tax Justice Network ranks countries in terms of their secrecy and the scale of their offshore financial activities. Major nations out-rank the more exotic tax havens Highest: Vanuatu 86.69

Position on the Financial Secrecy Index (FSI)

Marshall Islands 14 Lebanon 7

80

UAE (Dubai) 10

x

Ranking (First 15)

Combining secrecy and global scale weight

Hong Kong 2

Bahrain 9

1

Switzerland

Panama

70 Business Secrecy Index

n Tribune International Desk

13

Singapore

4

Caiman Islands

Macao 11

5

United States 3

60 Japan 12 Germany 8

Luxembourg 6

50

United Kingdom 15 40 Lowest Denmark 30.87

0

4

8

12

16

20

Global Scale Weight

Source: Tax Justice Network

tigations at the law firm Pinsent Masons, said the resolve among governments was having a real effect.

UK's former world dominance left it with many territories around the globe, and many of those have become hubs for hiding money “The big difference -- the sea change -- was that world leaders have decided to come together on this matter, to shut down the loopholes,” she said.

“People can run, but eventually they will not be able to hide.”

Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron has been among the loudest champions of greater transparency and is due to host an international anti-corruption summit in London next month.

Legislation forcing British companies to disclose who really ben-

efits from their ownership comes into force in June, and the government says it is “determined” to get the Cayman Islands and British Virgin Islands to adopt stronger transparency rules.

But the Panama papers contain embarrassing details of how the prime minister’s late father, Ian Cameron, used an offshore shelter to keep his fortune safe from British tax.

Corbyn and other opposition figures say British authorities must go further and take offshore tax havens back under direct UK control -- an extreme but not impossible move. Britain imposed direct rule on the Turks and Caicos islands in the Caribbean for three years from 2009 amid a corruption scandal.

Conservative lawmaker Dominic Grieve, a former attorney general, said eliminating the islands’ tax-haven status could devastate local economies and would not stop abuse of the tax system.

“What will in fact happen is that people will go to other havens which may in fact have far less good regulation, so what we

would in fact be encouraging is the very money laundering and criminality that we want to suppress,” he told the BBC. Tax authorities in Britain have promised to investigate the leak, but Spence said “chronically understaffed” government bodies were no match for the tax evaders.

“Those who run tax havens and advise their clients to go through tax havens are so far ahead of the regulators, it’s unbelievable,” he said. “All the brightest people are working on that side, because that’s where all the cash is.”

Richard Murphy, an accountant and tax-reform activist, is more optimistic. He said the Panama papers show “a very significant decline in the number of new incorporations of offshore companies since 2008.”

He believes negative publicity, rather than legal reforms, is making the wealthy mend their ways.

“I think the campaign against tax havens is working -- but not at a legal level,” he said. “People have realised there is a massive reputational risk to being caught in these places.” l

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MONDAY, APRIL 11, 2016

INSIGHT

Source of Dae’sh’s political notion of caliphate The discourse which has ties with volatile early Muslim political structure and colonial rule In context n Tribune International Desk Expansion of caliphate from 6th century to 7th century Today, around the world, each purDae’sh’s declaration of founding an Islamic state begs a fundamental question: When and how did that concept become a part of the political vocabulary of Muslim societies?

The idea hasn’t been around forever, and its popularity has waxed and waned over time. In fact, its emergence and popularity are tied to the specific conditions of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when Muslim societies responded to European colonial rule.

As long as Muslim rulers ruled over Muslim lands, no matter how arbitrarily, the notion of an Islamic state was dormant, if not nonexistent. Although the concept of sharia existed in Muslim political vocabulary, sharia law was normally confined to personal matters such as marriage, divorce, and inheritance.

The corpus of criminal and civil law was viewed as rightfully created and administered by states.

The normal order of things broke down once non-Muslim powers came to rule over most Muslim societies in the age of colonialism.

European governments set out to define hardened colonial boundaries where frontiers had previously been fluid, and they attached legal sanctity to the lines drawn on maps.

The colonial state’s legitimacy rested not only on widely recognised conquest and holding territory but also on its capacity, modelled on European nation-states, to weld diverse subjects into a homogeneous mass through a common language, a common legal system, and the provision of basic services, in return for taxes and other resources.

The arrival of colonial rule kicked off the search in Muslim lands for the answer to what went wrong, that is, how the natural order of things—namely, Muslim rule over Muslim lands—was overturned. One of the most popular answers, and also the most simplistic, was that the natural order was crumbling because Muslims were no longer faithful to the fundamentals of Islam. The only way to remedy this situation, the thinking went, was to return to the pristine age of Islam, the period of the salaf-al-salih (righteous ancestors), covering the first four decades from the founding of the Muslim polity in 622, when the Prophet Muhammad and his immediate successors exercised power. This longing for a return to pristine Islam included the re-creation of that imagined golden age’s political system. These ideas were grafted onto the increasingly dominant European style nation-state, creating the hybrid no-

Cordoba Kairouan

Damascus Isfahan Kufa Fustat Medina Mecca

Expansion under Prophet Muhammad, 622-632 AD Expansion during the Rashidun Caliphate, 632-661 AD Expansion during the Umayyad Caliphate, 661-750 AD tion of Islamic state, or rather the Islamic nation-state.

The urge to create an Islamic state gained further momentum in the second half of the twentieth century, as secular post-independence regimes in the Muslim world—politically authoritarian, economically inefficient, and morally bankrupt—failed to deliver power, wealth, or dignity to their people. And so “golden age” and “caliphate” crept into the Muslim world’s political discourse.

State of contradiction

In the process of building modern Islamic states, however, the idea’s proponents tended to gloss over the concept’s inherent problems and internal contradictions. The most important of these was, of course, the fact that the Islamic state is an idea borrowed from the experiences of the West and, therefore, had no basis in the historical experiences of the Muslim world. Further, they ignored the problem that the imagined golden age was fundamentally un-replicable because all revelation ended with the death of the prophet and so divine guidance in political and social affairs was no longer possible.

Perhaps even more troubling, the golden age wasn’t even particularly golden. Three of the first four caliphs (the Rashidun, or “rightly guided”) were assassinated, itself an index of high political instability. Political and social fissures between the natives of Medina and migrants from Mecca, and, more important, disputes among the Meccan elite—especially between the Banu Umayya and the Banu Hashim, the two powerful clans of the Qureish, the Prophet’s tribe—plagued the period, and civil wars soon became the order of the day. Eventually these conflicts ended up creating the theological divide between Sunni and Shia.

The institution of the caliphate, now arrogated to themselves by the Umayyads, was thus transformed

into arbitrary hereditary rule. It would have possibly lost legitimacy in the eyes of the believers had it not been for the proposition propagated by the ulema, the religious scholars, that Umayyad rule was legitimate.

The ulema’s aim in doing so was to prevent chaos in the yet fledgling Arab Muslim community. They used the Qur’anic verse to justify even the most arbitrary and unjust rule.

Justice was sacrificed to preserve order, a proposition that became the hallmark of Sunni religio-political thought for a long time to come.

Meanwhile, rapid expansion of the Arab-Muslim empire created its own divisions and frailties, especially as the “Arab” empire under the Umayyads became the “Muslim” empire under the Abbasids with the induction of Persian and Turkic notables into the political and military elite. The Abbasid hereditary caliphate’s main contribution was that it saw the beginnings of a rational bureaucratic state, thanks to the influence of the newly inducted Persian elite; it was manned substantially by Persian dignitaries. However, it also introduced the Persian idea of kingship (zille-ilahi, the shadow of God on earth) thus further augmenting the arbitrary and authoritarian character of the state. By the mid-tenth century, the caliph reigned only in name with local warlords, predominantly Turkic, holding most of the power.

The institution of the caliphate, now based on the twin principles of force and heredity, was further degraded from the middle of the tenth century with the rise of Turko-Persian military fiefdoms. The fiction of the caliphate was maintained but real power lay with the predominantly Turkic sultans who ruled openly on the basis of the principle that might makes right, with the caliph investing in them post-facto with the right to rule over territory they already controlled by force.

It was only when Ottoman power waned in the second half of the

Source: LostIslamichistroy.org

nineteenth century (which coincided with the major European powers starting to divide up Ottoman territories) that Sultan Abdul Hamid II began to emphasise the role of the Ottoman sultan as the caliph of Islam.

He used his role as the caliph to bolster his legitimacy among his Muslim subjects and to instigate rebellion among the Muslim subjects of the European powers that threatened the Ottoman Empire. After the World War I, Turkey’s new government, led

by Mustafa Kemal, abolished the institution of caliph in 1924.

The sentiments that Abdul Hamid had helped unleash, though, endured. Anti-colonial movements, some of them described as jihads, raged in Algeria, Egypt, north-west India, Indonesia, Sudan, Somalia, and elsewhere. These movements focused above all on challenging European rule and attaining independence within the distinct proto-states formed by colonial boundaries. However, they also borrowed heavily from Islamic terminology to mobilise their populations against European rule. This set the stage for the emergence of more explicitly Islamist movements bent on turning their societies into Islamic societies and their polities into Islamic states.

Several major political movements, such as the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and the Jamaat-e-Islami in Pakistan (originally India), specifically seeking to Islamise their societies and polities, emerged during the colonial period and continued to be active in the post-independence era in opposition to the relatively secular elites that took power after the departure of the colonial rulers. However, their notion of the Islamic state was largely circumscribed by the boundaries of the nation-state that had emerged following the end of colonial rule.

The era of multiple Islamic states had now arrived, with the logic of the sovereign nation-state subsuming its Islamic content.

ported model of the Islamic state is distinctive and is a product of specific contexts—and each advocates the implementation of an Islamic polity within discrete national borders. This has given short shrift to the idea of a universal and uniform Islamic state. No two states are as unlike each other as Saudi Arabia and Iran, the two leading self-proclaimed Islamic states. Saudi Arabia is based on the model of a hereditary monarchy that is well served by a subservient religious elite that is given free rein in the cultural and social spheres as a quid pro quo for preaching political docility and obedience to the House of Saud.

The Islamic Republic of Iran finds the idea of hereditary monarchy anathema and fundamentally un-Islamic. It prefers to govern through a pseudo-Islamic version of Plato’s philosopher-king dressed up as the vilayet-i-faqih (rule by the supreme jurist), which, according to many senior Shia theologians, violates the basic tenets of Shia theology. The Iranian system’s arbitrariness is alleviated somewhat by representative institutions such as the Majlis and an elected presidency. However, this hybridity creates its own problems and opens the system to criticism from both traditionalists and modernists—the former finding it too Western and the latter too antediluvian.

What these historical and contemporary examples demonstrate is that there is no consensus over what an ideal Islamic state ought to look like, nor is there any convincing evidence that the “righteous ancestors” ever formulated such a vision. Rather, Islam was and is used and abused by rulers in order to shore up their legitimacy. Wherever and whenever a state calls itself Islamic, it is temporal power, not religion, that is in the driver’s seat.

The lesson one draws from all this is that Islam needs to be saved from the state, not that the state should become the vehicle for the imposition of Islamic norms.

Historical evidence and contemporary experience thus demonstrate that the term “Islamic State” is an oxymoron that should be expunged from the political vocabulary of Muslim societies—something that Dae’sh’s latest incarnation of the Islamic State makes abundantly clear. l

[This is an excerpt of an article, first published in Foreign Affairs magazine, which can be found at http://fam. ag/25IS5Jc]

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MONDAY, APRIL 11, 2016

2016 candidates scoop up delegates in West, bid for NY love n Tribune International Desk

The editorial board of The Boston Globe has printed a fake front page featuring Donald Trump as president. The newspaper printed the front page in its Sunday “Ideas” section and on its website. The page is dated April 9, 2017, and features a large photo of Trump below a headline that reads “Deportations to Begin.” The story features an address by Trump to the nation, saying illegals would be deported “so fast your head will spin”. The accompanying story has Trump calling on Congress to fund a deportation programme amid protests and curfews in place in several cities. It notes that Chris Christie is the administration’s attorney general. The rest of the page paints a fairly depressing, dystopian view of the US under Trump COLLECTED FROM TWITTER

Bernie Sanders is pointing to his growing string of statewide wins and Hillary Clinton to her still-commanding lead in the delegate hunt as the Democratic rivals jostle for momentum heading into New York’s big primary later this month. The Republicans, too, are trying to scoop up delegates out West while bidding for some New York love.

With his win Saturday in Wyoming, Sanders has now won seven of the last eight state contests. But his latest victory did nothing to help him in the delegate chase: He and Clinton each got 7 delegates.

Trying to claim a cloak of inevitability for his candidate, Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook said in a statement that she “has a nearly insurmountable lead in pledged delegates that will become harder and harder to overcome after each contest.”

On the Republicans side, Texas Senator Ted Cruz completed his sweep of Colorado’s 34 delegates by locking up the remaining 13 at the party’s state convention in Colorado Springs. He already had collected 21 delegates and visited the state to try to pad his numbers there.

Trump spent about a half-hour on Saturday touring the National September 11 Memorial and Museum in lower Manhattan.

He and Clinton found a rare point of agreement in poking back at Cruz for his earlier criticism of “New York values.”

Trump’s campaign said in a

statement after his museum visit that the site was “symbolic of the strength of our country, and in particular New Yorkers, who have done such an incredible job rebuilding that devastated section of our city. This is what ‘New York values’ are really all about.”

Clinton, for her part, told a Latino crowd in Brooklyn, that “I actually think New York values are really good for America.”

Her agreement with Trump ended right there, as she launched into an argument for electing Democrats to protect the US economy.

“It’s a fact that our economy does better when we have a Democrat in the White House,” she said.

Clinton has 1,287 delegates based on primaries and caucuses to Sanders’ 1,037. When including superdelegates, or party officials who can back any candidate, Clinton has 1,756, or 74 percent of the number needed to clinch the nomination. Sanders has 1,068.

Trump still has a narrow path to clinching the Republican nomination by the end of the primaries on June 7, but he has little room for error. He would need to win nearly 60% of all the remaining delegates to clinch the nomination before the convention. So far, he’s winning about 45%.

Following Cruz’s sweep of Colorado’s remaining delegates on Saturday, the count stands at Trump 743, Cruz 545, and John Kasich 143. Marco Rubio, who suspended his campaign, has 171 delegates.

To clinch the nomination by the end of the primaries, a candidate needs 1,237 delegates. l

Trinamool politician beaten Ukraine’s embattled PM to death after rally Yatseniuk resigns n

AFP, Kolkata

Armed assailants beat to death an Indian politician whose party is contesting elections in the country’s east as he returned home from a campaign rally, police said Saturday.

Joydeb Jana, a mid-ranking leader of West Bengal state’s ruling Trinamool Congress party (TMC), was attacked by armed men late Friday after addressing a campaign rally in West Midnapore district.

West Bengal is one of five Indian states holding elections in phases this month and next, and the results will be announced on May 19.

Parts of West Midnapore district go to polls on Monday. “(Jana) was found murdered by some unknown assailants,” Anuj Sharma, West Bengal additional director general of police, said. The attackers used bamboo sticks and iron rods, he said.

Trinamool Congress general secretary Partha Chatterjee said he suspected supporters of rival political parties were behind the killing.

“We think it’s an act of revenge by opposition parties,” he said.

“We have asked the Election Commission to take appropriate action immediately.” l

n

SOUTH ASIA

34 Baluch rebels killed in Pakistan Pakistani paramilitary troops have killed at least 34 suspected Baluch rebels during a three day operation in the violence wracked southwestern province of Baluchistan, the government said on Saturday. Baluchistan has seen increasing violence since the start of the latest iteration of an ethnic Baluch separatist insurgency nearly a decade ago.

-REUTERS

INDIA

US defence secretary on high-profile visit to India US Defence Secretary Ash Carter began a three-day visit to India on Sunday, seeking to advance a relatively new defence relationship with a country Washington DC sees as a counterweight to the growing power of China. In a sign of the importance Carter places on improving defence ties with India, the visit is his second in less than a year.

-REUTERS

CHINA

China investigates Sichuan governor over graft A former vice governor of China’s populous south-western province of Sichuan has been put under investigation for suspected corruption, the ruling Communist Party’s graft-busting body said late on Saturday. Li Chengyun is suspected of severe disciplinary violations, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said in a brief statement.

-REUTERS

ASIA PACIFIC

Abu Sayyaf militants kill 18 Philippine soldiers A Philippine offensive against the extremist Abu Sayyaf group after a spate of kidnappings has left 18 soldiers and 5 fighters dead in the worst violence in the troubled south this year, authorities said Sunday. Saturday’s clashes on the strife-torn island of Basilan came after an April 8 ransom deadline set

by Abu Sayyafs. At least 4 soldiers were beheaded in the fighting. -AFP

MIDDLE EAST

GCC states set to borrow up to $390bn by 2020

Reuters, Kiev

Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk tendered his resignation in a televised broadcast on Sunday and signalled support for parliamentary speaker and presidential ally Volodymyr Groysman to take over his post.

Yatseniuk has resisted pressure to resign since surviving a no-confidence motion against his government in February, but Ukraine’s political crisis has fractured the ruling coalition and further delayed the disbursement of aid under a $17.5bn IMF

DT

World

Arseny Yatseniuk

AFP

bailout programme.

“We cannot allow destabilisation of the executive branch during a war. This would be inevitable, if after this resignation a new government of Ukraine is not selected immediately,” Yatseniuk said in televised broadcast. l

The oil-rich Gulf states are expected to borrow between $285bn and $390bn through 2020 to finance budget deficits resulting from low oil price, a report said Sunday.

The 6 Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, which heavily rely on oil earnings, are expected to post a shortfall of $318bn in 2015 and 2016, Kuwait Financial Centre (Markaz) said in a report. Markaz said that GCC states will finance their deficits partly through borrowing and the rest by tapping their huge fiscal reserves.

-AFP

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World

MONDAY, APRIL 11, 2016

USA

Obama: Clinton never jeopardised national security in email case US President Barack Obama said Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton never jeopardized national security in the handling of her emails as his secretary of state. Obama, in an interview broadcast on Fox News Sunday, said Clinton has recognised a carelessness on the email issue in which she used a private server for government business.

-REUTERS

THE AMERICAS

Guerrilla attack kills 4 before Peru election 3 soldiers and a civilian were killed, and seven others wounded, in two attacks by guerrillas in the jungles of central Peru on Saturday, on the eve of presidential elections.

Authorities blamed remnants of the Shining Path communist guerrilla group, which was largely crushed in the 1990s but still has members hiding in the jungle.

-AFP

UK

Cameron releases tax records British Prime Minister David Cameron took the unusual step on Sunday of publishing his tax records to try to end days of questions about his late father’s offshore fund in the Panama Papers. Cameron’s initial reluctance to admit that he had benefited from the fund caused a furore, compounding his problems when he faces a huge political fight to persuade Britons to vote to stay in the EU in a June 23 referendum.

-REUTERS

EUROPE

New violence in protests over French labour reforms Sporadic violence erupted as tens of thousands of people took to the streets in dozens of French cities on Saturday in the latest protests against labour reforms seen as threatening workers’ rights. Police and protesters clashed in western Rennes and Nantes as well as Paris, leaving several injured, as demonstrations across the country aimed to keep up pressure against the reforms.

-AFP

AFRICA

Chad president since 1990 seeks another term Chadian President Idriss Deby faced off against more than a dozen challengers Sunday as he seeks another term after more than 25 years in power in this central African nation. Deby, who has been in power since 1990, could face a second round of voting because of the large number of candidates. It could be one of the toughest challenges he has faced, according to the International Crisis Group. -AP

INSIGHT

How al-Qaeda is creating safe, lucrative heaven in Yemen One unintended consequence of the war in Yemen: Al-Qaeda now runs its own mini-state, flush with funds from raiding the local central bank and levying taxes at the local port. This the last part of a two-part investigative report. The first part was published yesterday

n Reuters, Dubai/Cairo Back in February, the BBC revealed that it has evidence of troops from a Saudi-led coalition force are joined by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) militants in fighting Houthi rebels in Yemen.

The coalition of 10 mostly Sunni Arab states is backing Yemen’s government in its war against the Shia rebels. But it denies co-operating with Sunni extremists also opposed to the Houthis.

The coalition’s member states consider al-Qaeda a terrorist organisation, and the jihadist network’s local affiliates have attacked coalition forces and Yemeni government personnel.

At least 6,000 people have been killed in Yemen since March 2015, when the coalition launched a military campaign to defeat the Houthis and allied army units loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh and restore the government.

Reuters investigative report follows money trail and analyse money-making tactics and mechanisms adopted by AQAP, which has clearly been profiting by the Saudi-led coalition’s intervention

On the waterfront

In Mukalla port, a thriving fuel smuggling network enriches AQAP daily.

Tribal sources, residents and diplomats said the militants gained control of the ports in Mukalla and Ash Shihr when they first stormed the cities in April last year. The militants began imposing tax and custom tariffs on shippers and traders.

“The group is experiencing a period of obscene, unprecedented wealth and luxury,” one resident of Mukalla told Reuters.

A current official in the transport ministry estimate AQAP’s daily revenue at $2m a day. Some local traders put it as high as $5m a day from customs duties and smuggled fuel, according to Basalmah, Yemen’s former transport minister.

Abdallah al-Nasi, governor of neighbouring Shabwa province, where AQAP controls some territory, said the group has become the de facto fuel supplier. “They

Yemeni fighters loyal to exiled President Abedrabbo Mansour wait in their trucks on a road in Marib province on Saturday AFP sell the fuel to whoever buys it,” Nasi told Reuters by phone “The government-run petrol stations buy from them and sell it on to the citizens.”

Tribes who work with al-Qaeda now control much of the country’s oil infrastructure. Six white oil tanks on a beach between Mukalla and Ash Shihr are linked by pipeline to the Masila oilfields which are estimated to hold more than 80% of Yemen’s total reserves.

After army forces withdrew from the area last year, armed local tribes linked to al-Qaeda took charge. That prompted major companies operating there – stateowned PetroMasila, Canada’s Nexen Energy and France’s Total – to shut production and end exports. A PetroMasila official said that small amounts of oil are still being extracted for use in provincial power generators. Total said it has not restarted operations. Nexen did not respond to a request for comment.

Now the group has embarked on a brazen campaign to shake down state-owned firms, including the national oil and mobile phone companies. AQAP uses the money it extorts to win favour among its subjects. Elisabeth Kendall, a Yemen scholar at Oxford University, calls it a “Robin Hood” strategy.

In January, a copy of a demand issued by AQAP circulated on local media. The notice, on AQAP letterhead, demanded $4.7m from the national oil company’s bank account in Mukalla.

A top government security official said the oil company paid the full $4.7m. A source at the bank said it had paid only $1.4m. A representative of the oil company declined to comment.

Officials at the three biggest national mobile phone companies, MTN, Sabafone and Y Telecom, said AQAP had also demanded payments of $4.7m each from them. The firms all said they refused to pay.

Robin Hood

A popular haven?

It is a dramatic change of fortune for a group that was founded in the late 1990s and merged with al-Qaeda’s Saudi branch in 2009.

After a campaign of suicide bombings and attacks against the Yemeni government, and two foiled bomb plots on US-bound airliners, AQAP was forced into retreat by assaults from Yemeni tribes and troops as well as persistent US drone strikes.

The group has exploited sectarian grievances to brand their state-building project as a liberation movement. “So many areas fell to us after the Houthis left because we are the entity that people trust,” AQAP leader Khaled Batarfi said.

In the five coastal provinces stretching from the government’s temporary seat in Aden to Mukalla, a familiar pattern has

recurred in recent months. Al-Qaeda forces storm a town, plant their flags, and then watch as local leaders acquiesce.

Citizens say they are tired of moving and would rather live with al-Qaeda’s control.

One Mukalla resident said her life had changed little since AQAP swept through the city. “We carry out our lives normally, they walk among the people,” she said. “Of course they’re trying to create a popular haven.”

AQAP has also learned to be less cruel than its rival, Dae’sh, which has struggled to gain a foothold in a population repelled by its brutality. While AQAP has resorted to killing suspected “sorcerers,” and carried out stonings of at least one man and woman accused of adultery, residents and the group’s online media suggest such incidents are rare.

And even when AQAP publicises punishments, their videos and photographs never show the level of gratuitous gore that Dae’sh revels in. Rather than resorting to mass beheadings, AQAP has detained or put under house arrest several dozen army officers and other figures they see as a threat, activists said.

A regional diplomat who follows Yemen says that if al-Qaeda manages to successfully root itself as a political and economic organisation, it could become a more resilient threat, much like al-Shabaab in nearby Somalia. l

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MONDAY, APRIL 11, 2016

INSIDE

ROUND BY ROUND ROUND 1 Tentative opening frame and Pacquiao was the aggressor. He circled and pawed, but no big shots were landed. Bradley attempted to circle to Manny’s right. 10-9, Pacquiao.

BCCI terminates Bhogle’s IPL contract

ROUND 2 Bradley boxed beautifully in Round 2. He controlled the center of the ring, jabbed well and made Pacquiao pay with a few counters. 20-20.

This year’s IPL telecast will not have the familiar voice of commentator Harsha Bhogle. The 54-year old, whose association with Indian cricket goes back to the mid-80s, was informed about the termination of his IPL contract just a week back. PAGE 26

ROUND 3 Nothing meaningful connected, though. Pacquiao shook his surgically repaired right shoulder as if to favor it. 29-28, Pacquiao.

ROUND 4 Pacquiao connected with a chopping right hand toward the end of the round, but Bradley also landed a good punch. Most clear round of the fight. 39-37, Pacquiao.

DPL draft held amid a lot of fervour The Players by Choice of the forthcoming Dhaka Premier League season 2015-16 was held at a city hotel yesterday. 154 local cricketers were sold to the 12 participating clubs in the draft ceremony. The competing teams are almost done recruiting the local cricketers. PAGE 27

Barca beaten as ATM, Real apply pressure Barcelona suffered a second consecutive La Liga defeat to blow the title race wide open as Mikel Oyarzabal’s header handed Real Sociedad a 1-0 win over the European champions on Saturday. PAGE 28

KP giving Proteas career ‘a thought’ Kevin Pietersen has admitted trying to return to international cricket by playing for South Africa is “a thought in my head.” Pietersen would become eligible for South Africa in 2018 - four years after his England career was ended following the 2013-14 Ashes. PAGE 29

ROUND 5 Bradley controlled the first two minutes, but Pacquiao rallied and connected with stinging power shots in a wild exchange. 49-46, Pacquiao.

ROUND 6 Manny Pacquiao (R) lands a left to the chin of Timothy Bradley Jr during their welterweight championship fight at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday. Pacquiao won by unaimous decision AFP

Pacquiao wins what may be his last ever fight n AP, Las Vegas Manny Pacquiao may not be ready for retirement just quite yet.

Pacquiao returned from the biggest loss of his career with a bang Saturday night, knocking down Timothy Bradley twice on his way to a unanimous 12-round decision in their welterweight showdown.

Pacquiao shook off the ring rust from a layoff of nearly a year after losing to Floyd Mayweather Jr. to beat Bradley for a second time in the rubber match between the two fighters. In doing so, the Senate candidate in his native Philippines showed he may have to reconsider his plans to retire and devote his full time to politics.

Pacquiao (58-6-2) knocked down Bradley (33-2-1) in the seventh round, though Bradley seemed to have slipped. He left no doubt in the ninth with a big left hand that sent Bradley sprawling.

The fight was scored 116-110 by all three ringside judges. The Associated Press had it 117-110.

In the final seconds, many in the crowd of 14,665 at the MGM Grand arena were on their feet chanting “Manny! Manny!” as Pacquiao tried to end the bout with a flourish. He never came close to finishing off Bradley, though he was so far ahead on the ringside scorecards that it didn’t matter.

I am going to go home and think about it but I want to be with my family. I want to serve the people “As of now I am retired,” Pacquiao said. “I am going to go home and think about it but I want to be with my family. I want to serve the people.”

“Manny was strong the entire fight and he was also very patient,” Bradley said. “I wasn’t professional enough to stay patient

myself and I walked into shots.”

Both fighters took some time to get untracked, with the early rounds offering little action. Pacquiao seemed a bit rusty from his layoff and Bradley was unwilling to get inside and trade punches.

Pacquiao began picking up the pace and stalking Bradley, though, coming in behind a right jab and following it with his left hand. In the seventh round, he seemed to graze Bradley with a pair of punches and Bradley went to his knees for what referee Tony Weeks ruled a knockdown.

“He was very quick, very explosive,” Bradley said.

Ringside punching stats showed Pacquiao landing 122 of 439 punches to 99 of 302 for Bradley.

Pacquiao said before the fight that he felt refreshed after his layoff and stronger than ever. He hadn’t scored a knockout at 147 pounds since stopping Miguel Cotto in 2009, and went after Bradley with big left hands to try to break that streak.

“I was looking for a knockout in every round,” Pacquiao said. l

Bradley being too patient. Pacquiao able to get off with his punches and Bradley will engage, but isn’t doing any damage. 59-55, Pacquiao.

ROUND 7 Down goes Bradley late in the round. He did nothing all round as the Filipino followed him around the ring. 69-63, Pacquiao.

ROUND 8 Bradley hurt Pacquiao with a combo, pushed him to the ropes, forcing the former 8-division world champion to cover up. 78-73, Pacquiao.

ROUND 9 Pacquiao hurt Bradley with a massive counter left hook and then knocked him down with the follow-up attack. 88-81, Pacquiao.

ROUND 10 Pacquiao is cruising toward another victory and it’s hard to imagine this being his last fight. 98-90, Pacquiao.

ROUND 11 Pacquiao is up 108-99 on my card as we head into the final round. It’s hard to imagine Bradley landing anything that can change matters — he’s not a big puncher.

ROUND 12 Bradley was far more aggressive in the final round, but it was too little, too late. Pacquiao finished the round with a wild exchange in the corner. 117-109, Pacquiao.

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Spurs fire six-minute blitz, Foxes in European dreamland n AFP, London Dele Alli, Toby Alderweireld and Erik Lamela struck in six second-half minutes as Tottenham Hotspur swamped Manchester United 3-0 yesterday to keep Premier League leaders Leicester City in sight.

A game delayed half an hour

by United’s late arrival due to traffic congestion burst to life in the 70th minute with three rapid-fire goals that allowed Spurs to trim Leicester’s advantage back to seven points.

Leicester, 2-0 winners at Sunderland earlier in the day, remain overwhelming favourites for the title, but Spurs’ display showed that Mauricio Pochettino’s side will not give up without a fight.

The result, Spurs’ first home league win over United in 15 years, had the additional effect of securing Leicester’s place in the Champions League and United’s hopes of joining the Foxes at Europe’s top table are fading.

Twenty minutes from the final whistle, Matteo Darmian found himself ambling over to close down Christian Eriksen, but the Dane cleverly took him out of the game with a deft left-foot cross and Alli steamed in at the back post to ap-

the result beyond doubt in stoppage-time it appeared Ranieri was crying tears of joy.

“We knew it would be tough, it is normal because Sunderland are fighting to be safe, but I am very happy for the three points,” Leicester manager Ranieri told the BBC. “Our performance was very solid, of course they had the chance to draw but we had three or four chances to finish it early,” the Italian added. l

SL

Tottenham’s Belgian defender Toby Alderweireld scores the second goal against Manchester United at White Hart Lane yesterday REUTERS ply the finish.

Four minutes later Lamela’s free-kick from the left was met by centre-back Alderweireld, whose header found the bottom corner, and two minutes after that Rose

crossed for Lamela to sweep in the third.

Earlier, an emotional Claudio Ranieri hailed his side’s “solid” victory after his Premier League leaders won 2-0 away to Sunderland to

maintain their push for title.

Two second-half goals from Jamie Vardy belied how hard the Foxes had to struggle against the relegation-threatened Black Cats and after the England striker put

POINTS TABLE Teams

M GD

1

Leicester

33 26

72

2

Tottenham

33 35

65

3

Arsenal

32 22

59

4

Man City

32 25

57

5

Man Utd

32

53

Sunderland

RESULTS 0-2

9

Pts

Leicester

Vardy 66, 90+5

Liverpool

4-1

Moreno 8, Sturridge 32, Origi 50, 65

Tottenham

3-0

Stoke City Bojan 22

Man United

Alli 70, Alderweireld 74, Lamela 76

BCCI terminates Bhogle’s contract for IPL 2016 Commentator pays dearly for 'praising Bangladesh', says no one told him anything

n Agencies This year’s Indian Premier League telecast will not have the familiar voice of commentator Harsha Bhogle. The 54-year old, whose association with Indian cricket goes back to the mid-80s and who has been describing IPL action since the 2008 opening season, was informed about the termination of his IPL contract just a week back.

The decision has come as a surprise for the voice of Indian cricket since he had conducted the Season 9 draft auction, featured in the league’s promotional videos, was in the commentators’ 51-day-long duty roster, and even had his flight booked by the production house.

Though Sony Network holds IPL’s telecast rights, it is the Board of Control for Cricket in India that controls the tournament’s production. BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur and IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla refused to comment on Bhogle’s sudden ouster.

However, a senior BCCI official, on condition of anonymity, told The Sunday Express: “When deciding the commentators, we take feedback from everyone. We monitor social media reactions on commentators, and also take inputs from players.”

Bhogle told The Sunday Express that he wasn’t aware about the reasons. “No one told me anything. I have not been formally told of the reason even now. All I have been told is ‘it is a BCCI management decision’,” said Bhogle, a respected

Other board members talked about an incident which occurred during India’s opening World Twenty20 game in Nagpur last month, where Bhogle is reported to have had a heated exchange with a Vidharbha Cricket Association official. They felt this could be the reason for his last-minute ouster.

voice in world cricket with 3.66m Twitter followers.

Of late, specifically during the World T20, Indian commentators have been part of several conversations on social media. In the aftermath of India’s last-ball “escape to victory” against Bangladesh in the crucial league game, actor Amitabh

Bachchan, who was seen at the venue, had posted a tweet, asking commentators to focus more on Indian cricketers. When his followers speculated about who he was referring to, Bachchan did not name the commentator. When pressed, Bachchan tweeted that he wasn’t referring to Sunil Gavaskar or Sanjay Manjrekar.

In his prompt reaction, Bhogle said in a Facebook post: “Star Sports 1 is the world feed. That is the telecast and commentary that goes to everyone around the world.

That includes passionate fans in Bangladesh, Pakistan, South Africa, Australia, England, the USA, everywhere. That broadcast must necessarily be an objective, balanced portrayal of events. Making that excessively India-centric means being unfair to other teams playing and to viewers from their countries who have the right to be as passionately involved as Indian supporters. And so, talking more about India would be letting down viewers in, say, Bangladesh.” l

27

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MONDAY, APRIL 11, 2016

QUICK BYTES

DPL draft held amid a lot of fervour n Minhaz Uddin Khan

Amal, Dipu brace for Runner Open tennis men's final Top seed Amal Roy and Dipu Lal reached the final of the men’s Independence Day Runner Open Tennis Tournament while Afsana Islam Prity and Popy Akter swept into the women’s final yesterday.

Amal received a walk-over from Ranjan Ram while Dipu beat Mohammad Anwar Hossain 6-1, 2-6, 6-2. BKSP’s Prity outplayed Rajnita Chowdhury 6-1, 6-1 while Popy defeated Rebeka Sultana 6-4, 6-3. The finals will be held today at National Tennis Complex in Ramna.

The Players by Choice of the forthcoming Dhaka Premier League season 2015-16 was held at a city hotel yesterday. 154 local cricketers, divided into nine categories, were sold to the 12 participating clubs in the draft ceremony.

The competing teams are almost done recruiting the local cricketers and will now turn their attention to the foreign players. A side can play only one foreigner in the starting XI. The most interesting part of yesterday’s draft was undoubtedly the recruitment process of the Icon and Grade A cricketers.

Kalabagan Krira Chakra creat-

ed most of the headlines as they bagged Bangladesh limited-over captain Mashrafe bin Mortaza.

Abahani Limited, meanwhile, roped in Tigers opening batsman Tamim Iqbal while Test skipper Mushfiqur Rahim and all-rounder Mahmudullah went to Mohammedan Sporting Club and Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi respectively.

National opener Imrul Kayes’ services were acquired by Brothers Union while middle-order batsman Sabbir Rahman was picked up by Prime Bank.

From Grade A, Soumya Sarkar and Mohammad Mithun were signed by Legends of Rupganj.

Mominul Haque went to Victoria

Sporting while Nasir Hossain and Anamul Haque were picked up by Prime Doleshwar and Gazi Group Cricketers.

All-rounder Shakib al Hasan and pace sensation Mustafizur Rahman were signed by Abahani and Mohammedan respectively but the clubs will not have their full services in the 50-over tournament, starting from April 22. Both Shakib and Mustafizur are currently busy playing the money-spinning Indian Premier League. Although Shakib is expected to return right after the end of the IPL, Mustafizur will leave for the English County Cricket season which already got underway last Thursday.l

–TRIBUNE REPORT

Former Springboks captain Pienaar to probe Protea chokers

The English County Championship began in historic fashion as across the country the toss was ditched under new regulations which allow the visiting captain to decide whether he wants to bowl first.

Four captains took up the option as Somerset, Warwickshire, Surrey and Sussex all opted to put the home side in the opening day of the season. At Chelmsford tradition was stuck to as Gareth Roderick declined the chance to bowl.

–CRICINFO

PRIME DOLESHWAR Nasir Hossain, Rony Talukdar, Ziaur Rahman, Al Amin Hossain

ABAHANI LIMITED Tamim Iqbal, Liton Kumar Das, Taskin Ahmed, Jubair Hossain Likhon, Shakib al Hasan

LEGENDS OF RUPGANJ Soumya Sarkar, Mohammad Mithun, Jahurul Islam, Mosharraf Hossain, Abu Haider Rony

BROTHERS UNION Imrul Kayes, Shahriar Nafees, Mohammad Shahid, Nafees Iqbal

SHEIKH JAMAL DHANMONDI Mahmudullah, Sohag Gazi, Arafat Sunny, Marshall Ayub

KALABAGAN KRIRA CHAKRA Mashrafe bin Mortaza, Abdur Razzak, Mehrab Hossain Jr, Robiul Islam

CRICKET COACHING SCHOOL Rajin Saleh, Salman Hossain, Saif Hasan, Pinak Ghosh

Lucas lifts PSG before City showdown

Historic start for County Championship

PRIME BANK Sabbir Rahman, Nurul Hasan, Shuvagata Hom, Rubel Hossain, Yeasir Ali Chowdhury

Mominul Haque, Nadif Chowdhury, Dollar Mahmud, Dhiman Ghosh

–AFP

–AFP

Key Signings

VICTORIA SPORTING

South African Rugby World Cup winner Francois Pienaar has been included in a four-person panel to probe consistently poor performances by the national cricket teams. Labelled "chokers" because of repeated failures to win major competitions, the Proteas failed to reach the World T20 tournament semi-finals in India last month.

A second-half brace by Lucas Moura handed a shadow Paris Saint-Germain side a 2-0 win away to Guingamp on Saturday as the Ligue 1 champions warmed up for their decisive date with Manchester City. The Brazilian opened the scoring with a penalty 11 minutes into the second half and struck again in the 71st minute as PSG triumphed in a game that coach Laurent Blanc had more or less admitted was an inconvenience he could have done without. PSG go to England for the second leg of their Champions League quarterfinal tomorrow up against it after a 2-2 draw in Paris last Wednesday.

DPL SEASON 2015-16

GAZI GROUP CRICKETERS Bangladesh Cricket Board president Nazmul Hasan (3L) and senior vice president Mahbub Anam (3R) gesture during the Dhaka Premier League's players' draft at a city hotel yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

Anamul Haque Bijoy, Alok Kapali, Elias Sunny, Shamsur Rahman, Mehedi Hasan

BCB boss defends Players’ Draft system n Minhaz Uddin Khan The Players by Choice system in the Dhaka Premier League was never preferred by the local cricketers.

Amid their concerns, the system, also known as the Players’ Draft was held yesterday at a city hotel.

The main issue the players have with the system is that it takes away their freedom. Besides incurring financial losses, the cricketers are denied from making a move to a side of their liking. The players

had met Bangladesh Cricket Board president Nazmul Hasan to voice their concerns against the system but it didn’t make any difference.

The BCB chief was present in the draft ceremony yesterday and echoed the same sentiment to that of the cricketers. He said he understands the issues the cricketers have to face due to the system but then again informed that it helps them in many ways too.

Nazmul claimed that the system also levels the playing field among

Muktijoddha edge Brothers n Tribune Report Muktijoddha SKC clinched their first victory in the KFC Independence Cup beating Brothers Union 1-0 in a Group A match at Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday. Nigerian forward Kolo Musa bagged the all-important goal for the All Reds in the 40th minute.

Meanwhile in the day’s other game at the same venue, 10-man Feni Soccer Club salvaged a 1-1

draw against Arambagh KS. Forward Mohammad Abdullah put Arambagh ahead in the 59th minute with a right-footed effort from 20 yards out. The lead though just lasted for five minutes as Feni equalised through Iqbal Hossain Bhuiyan.

Feni were then reduced to 10 men five minutes into injury time when defender Iftekharul Alam Shakil received his marching orders.l

the clubs.

“The system has ensured that the good players have gone to different teams. Previously, we used to see that one team paid huge money to rope in all the good players. I am happy because of that. We have decided to implement this system as it ensures the payment of the players. In the future, even if there is no Players by Choice, the board will ensure that proper contracts are managed as it keeps things transparent,” Nazmul explained to the media fol-

lowing the ceremony.

This season, the Dhaka League will also ensure that the actions of the bowlers are monitored closely.

Negligence in monitoring the bowlers’ actions in Bangladesh’s domestic arena has been an issue for quite a while now.

“There will be proper monitoring of the bowlers. There will be review on the actions in all the matches. The match referee will be responsible for making sure of this,” said the BCB supremo.l

An action of the KFC Independence Cup match between Brothers Union and Muktijoddha (R) at Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

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MONDAY, APRIL 11, 2016

TOP FIVE Team

GP W D L GD PTS

Barcelona

32 24 4 4 60

Atletico

32 23 4 5 38

73

Real Madrid

32 22 6 4 64

72

Villarreal

31 16 9 6 13

57

Celta Vigo

31 14 7 10 -8

49

76

THE POINTS SYSTEM La Liga differs from some other leagues in that teams’ headto-head records are used to separate them if they are equal on points. Whichever team has the best goal difference in the two matches will be placed highest if the points are equal. If head-to-head goal difference is the same, goal difference over the entire season is used, and then goals scored.

When more than two teams are sharing the same number of points, the points accumulated in the matches between the teams are used to rank them, then goal difference if required.

If this is not sufficient, goal difference over the entire season is used, and then goals scored. Further tie-breakers are seldom required beyond that.

Barca beaten again at Sociedad, Atletico, Real apply pressure

'Barca must prove they are best' n AFP, Barcelona Barcelona boss Luis Enrique urged his side to show they are still the best team in the world in the final two months of the season after suffering a second consecutive La Liga defeat 1-0 at Real Sociedad on Saturday.

“We have never said the league is over,” said Enrique.

“It is a marvellous opportunity to show we are the best team in the world and that is why we carry that badge on our chest.”

“Evidently, there is a title race with six games remaining. It is an exciting and open league which the best team will win. At the moment we are top,” added Enrique. l

LA LIGA Real Madrid

4-0

Eibar

Rodriguez 5, Vazquez 18, Ronaldo 20, Jese 39

Espanyol

1-3

Diop 28

Real Sociedad

Atletico Madrid Torres 35, Koke 88 Griezmann 58

1-0

Barcelona

1-0

Levante

Oyarzabal 5

Real Betis Ruben Castro 81

Barcelona's Lionel Messi (2R) vies with Real Sociedad defenders Aritz Elustondo (2L), Mikel Gonzalez (R) and David Zurutuza during their La Liga match at the Anoeta stadium in San Sebastian on Saturday AFP

n AFP, Madrid Barcelona suffered a second consecutive La Liga defeat to blow the title race wide open as Mikel Oyarzabal’s header handed Real Sociedad a 1-0 win over the European champions on Saturday.

Atletico Madrid are now only three points behind Barca after goals from the on-form Fernando Torres, Antoine Griezmann and Koke saw them come from behind to win 3-1 at Espanyol.

Cristiano Ronaldo also kept Real Madrid in the hunt a further point back in third with a goal and two assists in a 4-0 rout of Eibar.

Barca still need to drop points in two of their last six games thanks to their better head-to-head record with Atletico.

However, the pressure is now firmly on the Catalans after tasting defeat for the second time in a week after seeing a 39-game unbeaten run snapped by Real Madrid last weekend.

Barcelona have now not won in their last seven visits to Sociedad and lost each of their last four league meetings in San Sebastian.

Just as in last season’s 1-0 win under the tutelage of David Moyes, Sociedad made the perfect start as 18-year-old Oyarzabal soared to power home Xabi Prieto’s cross into the far corner.

Barca were without the suspended Luis Suarez and badly missed the 45-goal Uruguayan’s

“We know what awaits us and what we are playing for [tomorrow]. Now we just have to rest and prepare well.”

Despite the changes, the hosts were always comfortable against the Basque minnows from the moment Rodriguez smashed home a sumptuous free-kick after just five minutes.

and was rewarded with a vital win as his side stormed back from Pape Diop’s opener for Espanyol.

“We are giving it everything we have. We are intense, persistent and we keep fighting,” said Simeone.

Torres latched onto Koke’s through ball before firing low into the net for this third goal in as

FINAL 6 LA LIGA MATCHES GAMEWEEK

33

34

35

36

37

38

BARCELONA

Valencia (H)

Deportivo (A)

Sporting (H)

Betis (A)

Espanyol (H)

Granada (A)

ATLETICO

Granada (H)

Bilbao (A)

Malaga (H)

Rayo (H)

Levante (A)

Celta Vigo (H)

Getafe (A)

Villarreal (H)

Rayo (A)

Sociedad (A)

Valencia (H)

Deportivo (A)

REAL MADRID

presence as they struggled to create clear-cut chances.

Real Madrid bounced back from their Champions League embarrassment against Wolfsburg in midweek despite coach Zinedine Zidane making eight changes as they look to overturn a 2-0 deficit against the Germans at the Santiago Bernabeu tomorrow.

“I’m happy with the way we played, more in the first half than the second,” said Zidane.

Ronaldo showed he was in a generous mood on 18 minutes when he unselfishly squared for Vazquez to turn home the second.

The roles were reversed for the fourth just before the break as this time Ronaldo picked out Jese’s unmarked run to the far post to leave the Spanish under-21 international with the simplest of finishes.

In contrast to Enrique and Zidane, Atletico boss Diego Simeone named his strongest available side

many games to equalise 10 minutes before the break.

Griezmann completed the comeback when he drilled another Koke assist in off the far post just before the hour mark for his 20th La Liga goal of the season.

Atletico then had a series of chances to kill the game on the counter-attack, but had to wait until two minutes from time for their third when Koke stooped to head home Torres’s cross. l

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British royals bat in Mumbai for poor Indian kids n Reuters, Mumbai

Mourinho will be back, but not with Syria n AFP, London

Britain’s Duke and Duchess of Cambridge played a charity cricket match with underprivileged children in Mumbai yesterday, the first day of a week-long tour of India that will include a trip to the isolated Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan.

Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton flew into India’s financial capital and met children from Magic Bus, Childline and Doorstep three NGOs that work with children.

They took an open-top bus tour and played a cricket match with a team from a local cricket academy and kids backed by the three charities.

Kate, in sunglasses and a red, white and blue summer dress, faced a few deliveries from Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar. She struck one ball only to be caught out, leading to a lively exchange between William and the fielders.

The royal couple, travelling without children George and Charlotte, were due to attend a Bollywood-inspired charity gala on Sunday night amid speculation that Kate may appear in a sari from a top Indian fashion designer.l

Jose Mourinho insisted he will be back in management this summer, but it won’t be with the Syrian national team despite an ambitious approach for his services from the war-ravaged country.

The 53-year-old Portuguese, out of work since being axed by Chelsea in December, has been widely linked to Manchester United where Louis van Gaal has spent most of the season under almost constant siege.

Mourinho, speaking to Sky Sports News on the sidelines of Saturday’s world heavyweight boxing title clash between Anthony Joshua and Charles Martin in London, confirmed that Syria had sounded him out.

“They (The Syrian FA) published (the offer) on their website the letter they sent to my agent,” he said.

“That one I have to say is true, but I have to say in a very special way we said we were not interested in the job.”

Syria recently sacked coach Fajr Ibrahim and have to play home games in Oman. l

Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, is watched by former Indian cricketer Dilip Vengsarkar (R) as she and Britain's Prince William (unseen) play a game of cricket with Indian children at Oval Maidan in Mumbai yesterday REUTERS

Pogba winner at Milan as Juve march on n AFP, Milan Paul Pogba struck a second-half winner as Juventus continued their march towards a record-equalling fifth consecutive Serie A title with a 2-1 victory at AC Milan on Saturday.

Juventus, who last won five on the trot in 1935, are now nine points clear of second-placed Napoli, before they hosted basement side Verona yesterday.

Milan’s second successive defeat has put a further dent in the struggling Serie A giants’ bid to qualify for next season’s Europa League.

Ahead of the remaining fixtures yesterday, Sinisa Mihajlovic’s men remain sixth, but could be 10 points behind fifth-placed Fioren-

tina if they beat Empoli away.

“It’s difficult to talk about a game you’ve lost when at least a draw would have been a fairer result,” said Mihajlovic.

“We weren’t perfect, but I’m overall satisfied with the lads becaue they put a lot of character and fight into the game.

“I hope they will show the same in the coming weeks.”

Juventus have now gone 22 consecutive games unbeaten, a run that includes 21 wins and a draw.

But it was far from straightforward for Massimiliano Allegri’s side, who went behind to an Alex header from a corner on 18 minutes - only the 17th league goal they have conceded this season - and levelled on the half hour through Mario Mandzukic. Allegri, sacked by Milan in January 2014, said: “It wasn’t a question of revenge for me.

“I’m still on good terms with Milan, but when it comes to Juve obviously we’re here to win.

“I expected Milan to be strong,

they have good players and winning at the San Siro is never easy.

“They played well, we started badly and Gigi (Buffon) made a great save on (Mario) Balotelli’s free kick.

“Then we turned things around in the second half. But we haven’t won the title yet.”

When Giacomo Bonaventura won a free kick just outside the area, Balotelli stepped up to force Buffon down low to stop his piledriver.l

SERIE A 0-1

Frosinone

Icardi 74

1-0

Chievo

0-1

Sassuolo

Genoa Dzemaili 42

FOOTBALL

1-2

AC Milan

TEN 1

Alex 18

Juventus Mandzukic 27, Pogba 65

12:45AM Sky Bet Championship

TOP FIVE

Nottingham Forest v Brighton & Hove Albion

CRICKET SONY SIX 8:30PM Punjab v Gujarat

Carpi

Pellissier 83

DAY’S WATCH

Indian Premier League 2016

Inter Milan

Juventus defender Daniele Rugani (R) fights for the ball with AC Milan forward Mario Balotelli during their Italian Serie A match at San Siro on Saturday AFP

Team

GP W D L GD PTS

Juventus

32 24 4 4 41

Napoli

31 20 7 4 36

67

Roma

31 18 9 4 34

63

76

Inter Milan

32 17 7 8 12

58

Fiorentina

32 16 8 8 16

56

Pietersen giving South Africa career ‘a thought’ n Cricinfo Kevin Pietersen has admitted trying to return to international cricket by playing for South Africa is “a thought in my head.”

Pietersen would become eligible for South Africa in 2018 - four years after his England career was ended following the 2013-14 Ashes when he was sacked by the ECB - at which point he would be 37 years old. The chance of appearing at the 2019 World Cup, to be held in England, could appeal to him.

The notion of an unlikely international return for the country of his birth was first suggested by Darren Gough, a close friend of Pietersen, and it has not been completely dismissed.

“Yes, it is a thought in my head,” Pietersen said as he began his latest stint at the IPL. “If it happens, it happens, if it doesn’t, it doesn’t.

Obviously, playing international is something I have done for a very long time.

“Do I miss playing international cricket? Do I miss batting in international cricket? Yes, I do very much so you never know. The eligibility for South Africa is still a year away. So we will have to wait and see but it is definitely still an option.”l

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MONDAY, APRIL 11, 2016

Gaan Friendz after Jaan O Baby certain period of time, we received calls from television media as well.

Tell us the story behind “Jaan O Baby?”

Mabrur Rashid Banna was the director of this drama. He knew us well and what we did best, and asked us to create an item song for his drama. When we sat together and made it, it was impossible to realise our very first task for TV media would receive such a response.

Do you prefer serials or movies?

Movies. A TV serial has so many characters but on an average, the focus points are smaller on each character. Movies have numerous characters along with multiple focus points as well.

Moreover, a serial continues

n Zanif Zafar Rajvi

down with them for a quick chat.

Shouvik Ahmed and Tamim Mridha are two YouTubers living in Bangladesh. Personally friendzoned, these two youngsters are famously known as Gaan Friendz. With a YouTube channel named likewise, they usually perform parody English songs.

They have kept busy with their weekend based Radio Program named “Gaan Friendz Uncut” on Radio Next 93.2 FM. Showtime sat

How did Gaan Friendz start?

We started our journey in March last year, when we were both working on the Brown Fish’s YouTube channel. Apart from doing comedy acts and funny videos, hardly anyone knew that we made parody songs as well.

Back in class 9, we used to make classical parodies of English songs, and that is where the idea of the channel came from. After our

for a long time. If it doesn’t seem interesting, viewers lose the appeal to watch it further whereas movies have specific time frame.

One has to build a viable character within that short span of time.

Who inspires you most?

Family. Without their support, nothing could be possible.

Who is your favorite actor?

Mosharraf Karim.

Who is your favorite director?

None other than Adnan Al Rajeev.

We are looking forward to work with him in the future.

Any future plans?

We wish to continue working in the media industry. Right now, this is our main plan. l

first attempt, people accepted it instantly. It all started from there.

Is acting a childhood passion?

Not really. Actually, we never gave it much thought when we were kids. However, we had a diverse circle of friends, consisting of good dancers, good singers, naturally hilarious people etc. So one fine day, Salman started to think of shooting a video, and we did it together. People began responding and we continued to do so. After a

Priyanka Chopra wins Dadasaheb Phalke Award n

Rannvijay on top

Promiti Prova Chowdhury

Actress Priyanka Chopra bags another prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke award. She won the award in the “Best Actress of the Year” category for her role of “Kashibai” in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s magnum opus Bajirao Mastani.

Expressing excitement over the announcement, the 33-year-old star took to her Twitter and wrote, “So grateful.. The #DadasahebPhalkeAward is such an honour. #BajiraoMastani #blessed.”

Earlier she received an award from the Dadasaheb Phalke Film Foundation for “Most Memorable Performance” in 2011 for her role in Vishal Bhardwaj’s Saath Khoon Maaf. The foundation will honour the Quantico star on the 147th Dadasaheb Phalke Jayanti to be held in Mumbai on April 24.

Priyanka made her debut in Bollywood with The Hero: Love Story of a Spy in 2003. The film also starred Sunny Deol and Preity Zinta. In the same year, she starred in Andaaz, alongside Akshay Kumar and Lara Dutta. Former Miss World, Priyanka worked in popular films like Mujhse Shaadi Karogi, Aitraaz, Don, Fashion, Dostana, Agneepath, Barfi!, and Mary Kom. In 2015, she made her television debut with American thriller series Quantico where she plays the lead role of Alex Parrish. Priyanka will soon be featured in Hollywood’s Baywatch starring Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron. l Source: Times of India

n Showtime Desk Rannvijay Singh may be recognised from MTV Roadies, the youth-based reality show.

With enother season coming up, Rannvijay shall be seen as one of the gang leaders. His journey was extraordinary, from being an ordinary contestant to a judge of the same show. He not only won a reality show, but also the heart of millions.

At the very first season of MTV

Roadies back in 2003, Rannvijay participated as a contestant and came out victorious. From the second season, he became the host, and continued to do so for all seasons from Roadies 2.0 to Roadies 10. In seasons X3 and X4, he appeared as a judge as well as the gang leader.

The Punjabi boy has become an iconic character for the Indian youth. He has even increased his portfolio by acting in Bollywood flicks, writing and modeling.

Moreover, in partnership with Great Rocksport Pvt Ltd, Rannvijay even began his first major business venture named Rocksport Challenge.

Rannvijay was born on March 16, 1983 in Jalandhar, into a Sikh family. He has hosted many other shows including MTV Stuntmania, MTV Force India, The Fast and The Gorgeous, Splitsvilla and MTV Scooty Pep Teen Diva.

He was cast in the Bollywood paranormal thriller film 3 AM, directed by Vishal Mahadkar, and in the Punjabi flick Dharti, directed

by Navaniat Singh and produced

by Darshan Singh Grewal, JS Kataria and Jimmy Shergill. l

Anne Hathaway becomes a mom n

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Joy Shahriar’s new single

Promiti Prova Chowdhury

Oscar-winning actress Anne Hathaway has given birth to her first child.

E! reports that Hathaway had a baby boy named Jonathan Rosebanks Shulman on March 24, with her husband Adam Shulman.

A source close to Hathaway told E! News that, “The baby is extremely healthy and is surrounded by friends and family in LA. Anne and Adam are ecstatic to be parents.”

Hathaway first revealed that she was pregnant in November, although rumours began buzzing from August.

For the most part, Hathaway and her husband have kept hush-hush about the baby, except when Hathaway posted a picture in January to spoil the paparazzi photos being taken of her while on vacation.

The Princess Diaries actress has been very open about wanting to start a family, telling Vogue in 2013 that, “I want to be a mother, and I anticipate loving my children quite fiercely. I think about it all the time, though it’s a silly thing to think about because the kind of mother I’ll be depends on the kind of children I have. I can’t wait to meet them.”

Hathaway has taken a break from filming while she prepares for motherhood. She’s next scheduled to appear in The Baby Shower, which is about an expectant mother’s baby shower getting interrupted by aliens.

She’s also producing and set to star in a television adaptation of Jennifer Steil’s The Ambassador’s Wife novel. l

n Showtime Desk On the occasion of Pohela Boishakh, singer and musician Joy Shahriar has released a brand new single named Ami Nei. The music video of the song will be available today on the singer’s Youtube channel and Facebook page.

The lyrics of the song was produced by Someshwar Ali, while the singer himself tuned and composed it. Produced by Aajob Records, the song is now available on popular music streaming services including iTunes, Amzon and Spotify.

Besides, people can listen it on local music streaming

WHAT TO WATCH

Source: TV Guide

Star Wars tops at MTV awards n Showtime Desk Star Wars: The Force Awakens bagged the Movie Of The Year Award at the 25th MTV Movie Awards on Saturday. The latest installment of the Star Wars franchise was nominated for 11 awards in total going into the Los Angeles ceremony, but only won three including awards for stars Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver.

British actress Ridley beat her co-star John Boyega to win the Breakthrough Performance Award, while Driver was voted best villain. “It’s especially amazing to be part of a film that represents all genders, races and ages in such a positive and aspirational way,” said Ridley.

After his Oscar success in February, Leonardo DiCaprio also won the Best Male Performance Award for his role in The Revenant while Mad Max: Fury Road star

Charlize Theron won Best Female Performance Award.

The Force Awakens, the thirdhighest grossing film of all time, beat blockbusters such as Jurassic World and Avengers: Age of Ultron for movie of the year.

Rebel Wilson and Adam Devine, stars from Pitch Perfect 2, won the Best Kiss Award and recreated their messy film smooch on stage with realistic passion.

Halle Berry introduced actor-singer Will Smith as a “champion for diversity” when awarding him the MTV

Generation Award. Smith joked the accolade was “the old-ass dude award.” l

applications like GP Music and Gaan as well.

Speaking about releasing the single online, Joy said, “Back in June of 2013, I released my single Chhuto only on the online platforms, and many made fun of me asking if it’s sufficient to publish music only on the online platforms.’”

“Now, releasing music on online platforms is customary in all parts of the world. Hence, my ventures of releasing music in this manner will continue in the future. I hope I don’t go on the back-foot to sync up with modern technology as an artist of this generation,” he added. l

Constantine HBO 3:25pm John Constantine is a supernatural detective. He has literally been to hell and back. Angela is a cop who wants to get to the truth about her twin sister Isabel’s suicide. She teams up with Constantine and the two of them carry their investigation through the world of angels and demons that exists right beneath contemporary Los Angeles. Will they ever be at peace again?

Cast: Keanu Reeves, Rachel Weisz, Shia LaBeouf, Djimon Hounsou, Max Baker Wolf Creek 2 Zee Studio 7:30pm A tourist gets targeted by a serial pig- hunter killer Mick Taylor. Mick Taylor finds a couble named Rutger and Katrina and tries to offer them a lift, When Rutger declines he kills him and tries to rape his wife, but any how

she escapes from Mick and gets help from a driver named Paul. Mick is a powerful man hence he kills Katrina and takes Paul to his place and tortures him.

Cast: John Jarratt, Ryan Corr, Shannon Ashlyn, Philippe Klaus, Shane Connor The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of The Dawn Treader Star Movies 5:00pm Lucy and Edmund Pevensie return to Narnia with their cousin Eustace where they meet up with Prince Caspian for a trip across the sea aboard the royal ship The Dawn Treader. Along the way they encounter dragons, dwarves, merfolk, and a band of lost warriors before reaching the edge of the world.

Cast: Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, Will Poulter, Ben Barnes, Liam Neeson, Simon

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MONDAY, APRIL 11, 2016

OF DECEPTION AND ‘DEVELOPMENT’ PAGE 12

BCCI TERMINATES BHOGLE’S CONTRACT FOR IPL 2016 PAGE 26

GAAN FRIENDZ AFTER JAAN O BABY PAGE 30

‘Restrictions cannot mar festivity’ n Nure Alam Durjoy Restrictions imposed on Pohela Boishakh celebrations will not overshadow the exuberance of festivities that will take place in the capital, organisers said.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on April 3 told reporters no one would be allowed to put on masks and carry vuvuzela, matches and lighters during Pohela Boishakh celebrations and all outdoor programmes must end by 5pm.

The restrictions were imposed as part of tightening security measures in the light of incidents of sexual harassment on the Dhaka University campus during last year’s Pohela Boishakh celebrations.

This year, carrying masks in hand during Mongol Shobhajatra is allowed.

Rabiul Islam, associate professor of the ceramics department under the Faculty of Fine Arts at Dhaka University and also the member secretary of the Mongol Shobhajatra sub-committee, told the Dhaka Tribune: “We usually do not wear masks on faces during the Mongol Shobhajatra. So the ban on wearing masks will not affect festivities.”

Fine arts students and teachers have been taking preparations for Pohela Boishakh celebrations since 28 March.

Speaking about the restrictions, Mahfuzur Rahman, student of the drawing and painting department, said people should be careful dur-

Artists are busy with the final preparations for the Mongol Shobhajatra, the celebratory procession brought out by the Faculty of Fine Arts of Dhaka University on Pohela Boishakh. The photo was taken yesterday SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN ing the festivities of the Bangla new year.

Professor Nisar Hossain, convener of the Mongol Shobhajatra sub-committee and the dean of the Fine Arts Faculty, described the ban on wearing masks as a security issue.

“We have nothing to do with that because there is no one to be held responsible for unexpected incidents,” he said.

“I expect that people will participate in Pohela Boishakh celebrations without doing any harm to others. But there are fears that fundamentalist groups may take advantage of the huge crowd. Our key programmes on that day will begin in early morning and will continue till afternoon,” added Professor Nisar.

Dhaka University Proctor Dr AM

Amzad said tight security measures had been taken to make Pohela Boishakh festivities more vibrant.

“Apart from CCTV cameras, our volunteers will be present throughout the campus. But it is not the job of only the law enforcement agencies to prevent unwanted incidents. It is also people who can make Pohela Boishakh celebrations peaceful,” he added. l

Muhith: Budget size smallest in world n Asif Shawkat Kollol Finance Minister AMA Muhith has claimed that the size of Bangladesh budget in terms of GDP was the lowest in the world.

Speaking at the dividend giving ceremony of four state owned financial institutions yesterday afternoon, Muhith said Bangladesh’s budget is usually 17-18% of the GDP, which is the smallest in the world.

“But the Indian budget outlay is 34% of its GDP, size of the Nepal budget is 28-30%, and Pakistan 27%. Ours is the lowest in the subcontinent,” the minister said.

According to World Bank’s 2014 Index of Economic Freedom, Bangladesh’s GDP to government spending ratio was the seventh lowest in the world.

The minister said: “Our budget size should be 30-32% of GDP which is good for the country but we are capable of achieving 20% in the next couple of years.”

“We need a big jump in the size of the budget in the coming years,” Muhith said.

The minister said the economy performed well in the last seven years but to reach the next stage a large budget was required.

Muhith said the projected GDP growth for the next fiscal was 7.2% and said it would be sustainable through the years to come. He said the next budget would be worth Tk3.40 trillion which will be 17.3% of projected GDP. “Our main goal is to increase the size of country’s budget in order to cover most of the GDP in the

budget,” he added.

“Country’s domestic services have increased over the years but it is not accounted for in GDP. So the size of GDP will increase next year.”

The finance minister said the government would be emphasising on income taxes and corporate taxes in the coming years because the amount of revenue earning is low compared to the other countries.

“We had targeted 30% revenue earning for National Board of Revenue this year but it was too high.”

The minister also attended the fiscal coordination council and budget management committee meeting.

Meeting sources said Finance Secretary Mahbub Ahmed presented a paper outlining the revised current budget and the next budget.

Main theme of the next fiscal’s

budget will be increasing the government’s earning and enhancing the capacity of the government machinery.

The next budget’s size will be Tk3.40 trillion with a revenue earning target of Tk2.42 trillion. NBR’s earning target will be Tk2.03 trillion.

Private and Public partnership target will be Tk30 billion, saving instrument Tk 81.96 billion.

Agriculture subsidy will be cut by Tk20 billion from existing Tk90 billion and next fiscal’s cash incentive will be Tk125 billion, according to the documents presented at the meeting.

The revised budget outlay is Tk2.64 trillion, Tk306.35 billion short of the Tk2.95 trillion original budget and revenue collection is Tk 1.77 trillion against a target of Tk2.08 trillion. l

JnU students observe strike over Nazimuddin murder n Arifur Rahman Rabbi Jagannath University students yesterday observed a strike protesting the killing of fellow student Nazimuddin Samad.

No classes were held at the university from 8am to midday.

As part of the strike, protesters put several academic buildings under lock and key in the morning.

They also staged a demonstration on the campus demanding that Nazimuddin’s killers be arrested and brought to book.

At one point, they locked the main entrance to the university and took position on the road in front of the institution. Police later arrived and persuaded them to move back in.

Students claimed the proctorial body broke the locks put by them but Proctor Dr Nur Mohammod, said it was students who did this.

He also said administrative support had been extended to the police in the investigation.

Demonstrators later held a press conference at noon, where Ruhul Amin, coordinator of the demonstration and a student of economics, said the university was not making any effort to arrest Nazimuddin’s killers.

“We will besiege the vice-chancellor’s office on Wednesday if the killers are not arrested by then,” he warned.

Shadow investigator of the case Mahbub Alam, who is the deputy commissioner (east) of the Detective Branch of police, told the Dhaka Tribune Ansarullah Bangla Team members were suspected of killing Nazimuddin.

“We are looking for a number of members of the extremist group.

Once they are caught, the mystery could be solved,” he added.

Investigating Officer of the case, Sutrapur police station Inspector (investigation) Samir Chandra Sutradhar, told the Dhaka Tribune no noticeable progress had been made in the case.

Nazimuddin, also a Gonojagoron Moncho activist, was hacked to death by suspected Islamist militants in Old Dhaka’s Sutrapur area on April 6.

He used to campaign for secularism on Facebook and was critical of radical Islamists. A day before the murder, he expressed concern over the country’s law and order situation in a Facebook post. l

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