April 14, 2016

SECOND EDITION

THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2016

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Boishakh 1, 1423, Rajab 6, 1437

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Regd No DA 6238, Vol 3, No 358

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

THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2016

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Boishakh 1, 1423, Rajab 6, 1437

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Regd No DA 6238, Vol 3, No 358

|

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

Colourful Pohela Boishakh put under security cloak Hasan with Anwar Hussain, n Kamrul Chittagong

members, a SWAT team will also be deployed at Shahbagh to ensure full-proof security to Mongol Shobhajatra.

Taking lessons from last year, the law enforcers and volunteers have taken preparations to ensure that women and children are not subjected to sexual harassment in crowded places.

The DMP has also banned wearing masks so that no one can escape after committing any crimes.

DMP Commissioner Assaduzzaman Miah said they had taken all possible measures to prevent any sorts of occurrence during the celebrations.

Asking people not to panic, RAB Director General Benazir Ahmed said that helicopters would fly over Ramna Park, Suhrawardy Udyan, Dhanmondi Lake and other important places. “We are coordinating with other intelligence agencies.”

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said that all law enforcers agencies had completed their preparations for the day. Fire service and doctors would also be present at the spots.

People from all walks of life are set to celebrate Pohela Boishakh, the first day of the Bangla New Year 1423, today amid tight security in Dhaka and elsewhere as militants and radical Islamists have issued threats against the traditional programmes.

The day will be observed through different festivities and cultural programmes at dawn with new hopes and aspirations for a better and peaceful year.

The government already imposed restrictions including asking organisers to complete events by 5pm to avert untoward incidents. For this, several cultural organisations had to call off their programmes set for the day.

The Dhaka Metropolitan Police and the Dhaka University authorities have installed CCTV cameras and archways on the campus and Ramna Batamul where the main programmes are organised. Apart from police and RAB

 PAGE 4 COLUMN 3

Boishakh sexual assault case in a limbo Rahman Rabbi and n Arifur Md Sanaul Islam Tipu One year has passed since a number of women were sexually assaulted during Pohela Boishakh celebrations near the TSC intersection, but investigating agencies have so far been unable to make any significant headway in bringing the culprits to justice.

Only one suspect – a man named Mohammad Kamal – was arrested more than nine months after the incident.

However, Kamal, who was detained by the Detective Branch of police on January 28 this year, denied having any involvement in the sexual attack.

During Boishakh celebrations on April 14 last year, a group of men sexually assaulted women on Dhaka University campus amid police presence. Following public outcry, the police later lodged a case with Shahbagh police station, while video footage from CCTV cameras was used to capture the faces of several perpetrators.

On May 17, 2015, the inspector general of police declared a Tk1 lakh bounty each for information leading to the capture of eight identified offenders.

However, on December 13, DB Sub-Inspector Dipok Kumar Das, then investigation officer of the case, submitted a final report to a  PAGE 4 COLUMN 3

75 injured as 6.9 earthquake jolts country n Tribune Desk An earthquake measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale jolted Bangladesh last night. The quake hit at 7:55pm.

Around 75 people mainly women and children sustained injuries while coming out of workplaces and residential buildings in Chittagong and Sunamganj, police sources said, adding that condition of four injured was

stated to be critical. Moreover, at least six buildings in the port city and another in Feni tilted due to the earthquake.

Officer-in-Charge of the Seismic Observatory and Research Centre at Bangladesh Meteorological Department Mominul Islam told the Dhaka Tribune that the epicentre of the earthquake was located 74km southeast of Mawlaik in Myanmar, some 420km east of Dhaka.  PAGE 4 COLUMN 3

HOLIDAY NOTICE

DhakaTribune greets its readers, advertisers, hawkers, distributors and well-wishers on the occasion of Bangla New Year today.

The day is a national and newspaper holiday and Dhaka Tribune will not be published tomorrow.

However, our web team will keep giving the updates.

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News THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2016

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

Boishakh sexual assault case Dhaka court saying that no suspect could be arrested as their names or location could not be found.

After the arrest of Kamal on January 28, the investigation officer appealed to the court seeking the re-opening of the case.

On February 23, Judge Joyasri Samaddar of the Dhaka Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal 3 directed the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) to re-investigate the case. The court also asked the PBI to submit its report by March 23, later extending the deadline to April 17.

PBI officials said they were hopeful in arresting the perpetrators soon; however, no visible progress has been seen so far.

PBI Special Superintendent Ahsan Habib Palash said: “Kamal is a suspect, but he did not give any confessional state-

ment about his involvement. We cannot surely say that he was not involved.”

Regarding any other progress, Palash said the clues obtained by the authorities were minimal, so they were trying to confirm everything before taking any step.

“There are some limitations like the poor quality of the [CCTV] videos that make it difficult to detect the faces [of the criminals]. We are trying to continue the investigation with other clues as well,” he added.

The current investigation officer, PBI Inspector Abdur Razzak, said: “Only one suspect has been arrested but the others are yet to be identified.

“We are hopeful about submitting the charge sheet to the court after completing the investigation,” he said. l

75 injured in 6.9 earthquake

Female police members drive segways – two-wheeler, battery-powered electric vehicles – around Ramna Park in the capital yesterday as part of a security drill for Pohela Boishakh preparations yesterday MEHEDI HASAN

Rainbow rally today n Tribune Desk The rainbow rally, an annual procession celebrating the country's LGBT community, will be brought out today amid threats and intimidation from different hate groups in social media.

The rally – which has been taking place since 2014 – aims to ensure the participation of hijras and people with different sexual orientations in Pohela Boishakh festivities and promote tolerance among all sexes. This year's

theme for the rally is “Boishakh, diversity, and friendship.”

This year, different fundamentalist groups aggressively campaigned online against the rainbow rally, trying to mark the diversity-promoting programme as only for homosexuals.

The colourful rally is organised by Rupban – a platform promoting the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Bangladesh. The event aims to create more awareness about gender issues. l

Fire raging through Sundarbans n Shamsur Rahman, Bagerhat A fire is burning over five to six acres of forest in the Chadpai range in east Sundarbans near Nangli Camp.

Firefighters from the Morrelganj station were trying unsuccessfully to control the blaze, the second in this area in 17 days, at the time of filing this report at 4pm yesterday.

Locals spotted flames in Abdullah Shila in the morning and informed the Forest Department, Chadpai Range Officer Gazi Matiar Rahman said.

Forest Department officials and local inhabitants have been cutting firebreaks, gaps made in the vegetation that may prevent the fire from spreading, since the morning, he said.

Fire Service Morrelganj Station’s Station Officer Swapan Kumar Bhakta, who is on the spot, said smoke had filled the 5-6 acres of area where the fire was burning.

“There are three units fighting the blaze right now,” he said.

Sundarbans expert Sheikh Fadirul Islam, the chairman of Save the Sundarbans Foundation, said the consecutive forest fires were a great threat to the biodiversity of the forest.

He pointed out that the government had no effective policy to prevent fires from spreading in the Sundarbans.

Earlier on the evening of March 27, a fire broke out in another area near Nangli forest camp. Firefighters managed to bring the fire under control by the morning of March 28. l

“It was an intermediate quake that hit 114km beneath the ground. It would have been more disastrous if the depth was lower,” he said. The impact of the quake in Dhaka could not be known immediately.

Huge tremors were also felt in Kolkata, strong tremors in Guwahati and Patna, and mild ones in Chennai and Delhi of India. There were no reports of casualty from Myanmar or India until filing of this report at 1am.

Soon after the quake, the panic-stricken people came out on the streets of Dhaka and elsewhere. Mobile communication was also disrupted in most areas for around an hour.

In Chittagong, at least six multi-storey buildings including a garment factory and a shopping complex titled in Halishahar, Chandgaon, Agrabad, Sagarika and Love Lane areas. Residents of the buildings were evacuated by the fire fighters.

Nine workers of a factory of Saad Musa Group in Bibirhat area were inured while scrambling to come out of the factory.

A Chittagong University student named Raihan was injured as he jumped off the first floor of Shahjalal Hall of the university. They were admitted to Chittagong Medical College Hospital.

Meanwhile, at least 40 workers of 10 factories in Chittagong EPZ were injured in stampede. Three of them received critical injuries.

In Chhatak of Sunamganj, at least 25 people sustained injuries as they tried to come out of a high-rise building. The injured were taken to a nearby hospital. One of them was shifted to Sylhet Osmani Medical College Hospital for better treatment.

In Feni town, a four-storey residential building leaned on a six-storey building in Sultanpur area and the wall of Jamal Bread Factory in Bus Stand area collapsed. l

Colourful Pohela Boishakh put under security cloak Claiming that the restrictions had been imposed for the security of the people, the minister said asked everyone to return home by sunset to avoid untoward incidents including sexual harassment.

Last year, around two dozen women and children were subjected to sexual assaults in TSC and Matsya Bhaban areas creating outrage among the people.

This year, radical Islamist groups Hefazat-e-Islam, Islami Andolon Bangladesh and Awami Olama League have warned the people not to observe the day terming it Hindu culture. In 2001, banned militant group Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami killed 10 people in a bomb attack on Ramna Batamul.

Last month, Detective Branch sources said that militants might launch attacks on the people participating in the Pohela Boishakh celebrations.

Despite the threats, students of the Dhaka University Fine Arts Faculty were seen preparing for the colourful procession – the main attraction of the

estivities.

Meanwhile, President of Sommilito Sangskritik Jote Abdus Kuddus told the Dhaka Tribune that they had called off their scheduled programme at Rabindra Sorobar. He said: “We applied to the DMP for continuing our programme until 7pm but they asked us to end it within 5pm.”

Port city ready The Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) has also asked the city dwellers to wrap all programmes within 5pm.

Extensive security measures were taken at all the venues including DC Hill, Shilpakala Academy, Foy’s Lake, Central Shaheed Minar, CRB area, Patenga Sea Beach, Swadhinata Park, Chittagong Zoo and Shishu Park.

Like the previous years, Sommilito Pohela Boishakh Udjapan Parishad will organise the biggest programme at the port city’s DC Hill. Institute of Fine Arts of Chittagong University will bring out a traditional Mongol Shobhajatra from its campus and parade the city. l

News THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2016

Task force to recover BB heist money

HC stays two cases filed against Deepto TV owner, journos

n Asif Showkat Kallol

n Ashif Islam Shaon

The government has formed an inter-departmental task force to expedite the recovery of the $81 million that was stolen from Bangladesh Bank's account at the Federal Reserve Bank at New York.

The Bank and Financial Institutions Division (BFID) issued a circular to this effect signed by Deputy Secretary Md Razanul Huda yesterday.

Key task of the committee will be to communicate with the international agencies in this regard, an official of the division said. It will also work on speeding up the recovery of the stolen funds as experts have cautioned that the entire process might take three to ten years.

BFID Secretary Md Eunusur Rahman is the convener of the committee. general manager of the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit will act as the member secretary, according to the circular.

Other six members come from the Prime Minister's Office, the Attorney General's Office, Foreign Ministry, Home Ministry, Bangladesh Bank and the director general of the FIU.

The task force will communicate with the authorities of countries where the money was laundered The six-point term of reference for the task force includes review of the laws of Bangladesh and other countries to explore the legal avenues to get back the heist money.

The task force will communicate with the authorities of countries where the money was laundered and try to formulate mutual legal agreements, according to the terms of reference.

It will maintain coordination and communication among the government authorities concerned with this matter. It will also take assistance from different international organisations that work on bringing back stolen or laundered money. If necessary, terms of reference of the task force said, it will review the directives and recommendations of the government and Bangladesh Bank and take necessary measures. The task force will also be able to employ qualified persons as needed.

Financial Intelligence Unit will do the secretarial work for the task force and all ministries and divisions will provide necessary assistance.

On February 5, hackers stole $101 million from Bangladesh Bank’s accounts in the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and transferred $81m to Philippines’ Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation, from where the money was moved to local casinos. A further $20m was recovered from Sri Lanka. l

BB: Stop payment order to RCBC was clear n Jebun Nesa Alo Dismissing the claim of Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC), Bangladesh Bank Executive Director Subhankar Saha said the stop payment orders sent to the bank was clear.

The central bank used a message format which is usually used with the banks with whom there is no regular correspondence, he told the Dhaka Tribune in a reaction to the recent report that the RCBC had claimed that the stop payment order from Bangladesh was vague.

Macel Estavillo, head of legal and regulatory affairs of the RCBC, said even though Bangladesh Bank sent three requests for freezing the accounts of beneficiaries on February 9, the messages were vague and ambiguous, reported ABS-CBN News.

“We do not have regular correspondence with the RCBC,” said Saha.

“There are two types of formats to send messages. One is used for banks with which there is regular correspondence and the other for irregular correspondence.

“However, the message sent to the RCBC clearly instructed to stop the payment. It also instructed to freeze the accounts, if the payment is made.

So there is no scope to say that the stop payment order was vague,” he said.

“In the case of Bangladesh Bank,

they did not send us any high-priority message and they did not send us any stop payment order either. They just sent us an unauthenticated free format message or a 999,” Estavillo told senators at the Senate Blue Ribbon about the investigation into the money laundering scandal.

RCBC: Bangladesh Bank’s three requests for freezing accounts of beneficiaries were vague and ambiguous “February 9 was the banking day after a three-day weekend and the RCBC received a total of 790 messages in the SWIFT system but none of those was MT192.”

Meanwhile, Estavillo believes the Anti-Money Laundering Act should be amended to give banks the holding power in questionable transactions.

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Deputy Governor Nestor Espenilla said the RCBC may face a maximum fine of P30,000 per day or per transaction for failing to act on the order.

Aside from monetary penalties, Espenilla said the BSP could also impose non-monetary sanctions if the bank was found guilty of negligence. l

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The High Court yesterday stayed the proceedings of two cases filed under the Information Technology and Communication Act against the owner and journalists of the private television satellite channel Deepto TV. The court also issued a rule asking why the inclusion of section 57(2) in the case should not be declared illegal. It ordered that the case proceeding will be stayed for three months.

The bench of Justice Syed Muhammad Dastagir Husain and Justice AKM Shahidul Huq passed the order after a writ petition was filed by the Deepto TV authorities, said their lawyer ABM Hamidul Mishbah.

The cases were filed as the TV channel telecast two news reports on March 16 and 22 on land grabbing by Expatriates’ Welfare Minister Nurul Islam and his son Mujibor Rahman.

In the cases filed by Sanowara Group officials – Jahangir Alam and Sheikh Ahammad – on March 30 and April 3 in Chittagong, seven people including the TV channel’s owner and journalists were made accused.

The plaintiff alleged that the news items damaged the image of the minister and his son.

The Deepto TV authorities challenged the proceedings of the cases and sought stay yesterday filing the writ petition.

The lawyer told the court that the two reports were telecast on actual facts which was established by talking with local people and scrutinizing related documents. l

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News THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2016

SC orders fresh hearing on former ministers’ acquittal n Ashif Islam Shaon Eight people including four former BNP ministers will have to go through the process of fresh High Court hearings against their conviction for corruption as the Supreme Court yesterday turned down their review pleas.

The cases were filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission during the 2007-08 military-backed caretaker government.

They were tried by special judge’s courts set up at the National Parliament complex. Later the High Court acquitted them from the charges.

The four-member appeals bench led

by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha rejected the petitions of former communications minister Nazmul Huda and his

wife Sigma Huda; former state minister Amanullah Aman and his wife Sabera Aman; former state minister Mir Nasir and his son Mir Helal; and former BNP lawmaker from Comilla Engineer Manjurul Ahsan Munshi.

The court also disposed of a plea by former state minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku.

In 2007, Nazmul Huda was sentenced to seven years in jail and fined Tk25 lakh on charge of taking Tk2.4 crore as bribes.

Sigma Huda was given three-year jail term. They were acquitted by the High Court in March 2011.

Tuku was sentenced to nine years’ jail after a Dhaka court found him guilty of concealing information of assets worth Tk5 crore. He was acquitted by the High

Court in June 2011.

BNP Joint Secretary General Amanullah Aman and his wife were charged with withholding of asset information and acquisition of wealth beyond known sources of income. Aman was sentenced to 10-year imprisonment in June 2007 and his wife to three years. They were acquitted in 2010.

Mir Nasir was given 13 years’ jail and his son Helal jailed for three years in a case filed for hiding wealth details and acquiring of assets beyond known sources of income.

Former Comilla lawmaker Manjurul was given 13-year jail term on charge of acquiring assets worth Tk6.6 crore beyond known income sources. He was acquitted by the High Court, but the Appellate Division quashed the verdict. l

Son, lawyers meet Mir Quasem

‘BGB DG’s rank should be upgraded’

Condemned war criminal Mir Quasem Ali has claimed that the government is conspiring to punish him based on false allegations.

Quasem’s son barrister Mir Ahmed Bin Quasem alias Arman and two other lawyers met him at Kashimpur jail yesterday morning, said Jailer Nashir Ahmed. They stayed there for around 45 minutes.

“My father is in a good state. He said ‘I did not do anything wrong. Death is decided by Allah, not any human being. They are conspiring to punish me on totally baseless allegations,’” Arman told reporters.

After the apex court upheld Mir Quasem’s death penalty on March 8, his family members and lawyers met him at the jail on March 12 and April 9. The full text of the judgement is yet to be published, following which the convict would get 15 days to file a review petition against the verdict.

Arrested in 2012, Jamaat-e-Islami leader Mir Quasem enjoyed division in the jail until 2014.

Later he was shifted to the condemned cell. l

n Arifur Rahman Rabbi

n Raihanul Islam Akand, Gazipur

Jute mill workers withdraw movement n Shohel Mamun

State-run jute mill workers withdrew their protest as the government agreed to meet their demands.

Sohrab Hossain, convener of the state-run CBA and non-CBA Oikya Parishad, said: “We have withdrawn our movement after a meeting with the minister and state minister of the Textile and Jute Ministry.”

The meeting was held yesterday at the Secretariat with Textile and Jute Minister Emaj Uddin Pramanik in the chair.

“The government will pay all the earlier dues owed to the workers by April 25,” said the State Minister for Textile and Jute Mirza Azam. A 20% dearness allowance will also be included, he added. l

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan yesterday said the director general of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) should be promoted to a higher rank, in line with the promotions of naval and air force chiefs.

Speaking at the BGB Commanders’ Conference in Pilkhana, Dhaka, he said: “The BGB director general’s rank should be upgraded from major general to lieutenant general. We will do it eventually, like we promoted the chiefs of navy and air force.”

He made the statement after BGB officials demanded promotion of their chief, as well as the promotion of BGB additional director general and other senior officials.

They mentioned one instance

where arranging meetings between the heads of BGB and Indian Border Security Force (BSF) was troublesome because the BSF chief had a three-star badge, whereas the BGB chief had a two-star badge.

The BGB officials also demanded reinstatement of risk allowance as well as four helicopters and other vehicles for easier movement in remote areas of Chittagong Hill Tracts.

“The prime minister have been informed about your demands. I know that you need the vehicles. I will look into the matter as well,” the home minister said.

As for the reinstatement of risk allowance, he asked the BGB officials to submit an application to the ministry and assured them that he would look into it. l

AL disowns Olama League’s remarks n Abu Hayat Mahmud

The ruling Awami League has again denied having any ties with radical Islamist group Awami Olama League, leaders of which recently asked the government to ban Pohela Boishakh celebrations terming it anti-Islamic.

“Awami League has no ties with any part of Olama League. Several groups of people and organisations are making controversial remarks in the name of Olama League. Their statement does not match with the ideology of the Awami League,” Publicity Secretary Hasan Mahmud said at a press conference at the party chief’s Dhanmondi office yesterday.

The Awami League and its front bodies have announced various colourful programmes including processions to celebrate the Bangla New Year 1423.

On April 10, General Secretary of a faction of Olama League Maulana Md Abul Hasan Sheikh Shariatpuri at a human chain in front of the National Press Club asked the government to ban Pohela Boishakh. By observing the day, some people are propagating against Islam, and it should be stopped. Instead of Pohela Boishakh, they demanded allowance for Eid-e-Miladunnabi.

When contacted, General Secretary of another faction Delwar Hossain told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday that they did not support the call against observing Pohela Boishakh. “A group of BNP-Jamaat men is trying to tarnish the government’s image.”

On Tuesday, Awami League Joint General Secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif said that Olama League was not an affiliate or associate organisation of his party. “It is a party of fraudsters. We have asked the law enforcers to take action against them.”

Earlier, radical Islamist platform Hefazat-e-Islam and Islami Andolon Bangladesh of Charmonai Pir had asked people, especially the women, not to join the Pohela Boishakh programmes terming those Hindu culture. l

News THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2016

Heat wave melts asphalt in Madaripur n Jahirul Islam Khan, Madaripur A deadly heat wave sweeping across vast swathes of Bangladesh, is making life tough for Madaripur residents.

An average temperature of about 36 degrees Celsius this week has melted the asphalt on the highway. Only a few people like school and college students could afford to stay indoors.

Many have been hospitalised with heat-related ailments. The most vulnerable are the young and the elderly, who cannot properly take care of themselves.

Day labourers, elderly and the poor people, many of whom stay in slums, were mostly affected. But the hot weather turned out to be a blessing for some as it pushed up sales of cold drinks, coconut water and ice creams.

The asphalt melted at several places on the Madaripur-Shariatpur regional highway, hampering vehicular movement. “It is very difficult and toilsome to peddle vans in this weather,” said Shah Alam.

Local resident Mohsin Ali said the weather felt hotter as trees by the road had been cut. Housewife Sajeda Begum from Ukilbari area said: “It is the first time I have seen the asphalt melt in hot weather. Only Allah

knows whether we will survive in this heat.”

Those venturing outside, mostly for livelihood, are trying to fend off the heat by drinking cold drinks – the most popular being those containing lemon juice.

A juice vendor near the Model Government Primary School said he switched to selling cold drinks this summer. “The drinks mostly contain ice water, saline and orange powder,” he said. “The sale is brisk.”

Doctors have urged the people to drink purified water to avoid water-borne diseases.

Dr Mahmud Hossain, emergency medical officer at Madaripur Sadar Hospital, has urged parents to stay alert so their children do not suffer from dehydration and heatstroke.

“People do not pay attention to the water they drink to quench thirst in this weather and thus contract diseases like jaundice and hepatitis,” he added, prescribing drinking saline water to prevent dehydration.

He also urged people to pay special attention to children and the elderly people, who are mostly unable to take care of themselves.

Madaripur meteorological office official Abdur Rahim Santu said the temperature was nearly 36 degrees Celsius yesterday while the average temperature this week in the district was around 36 degrees. l

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News THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2016

Only a bridge can change lives of 50,000 people in Sirajganj n Aminul Islam Rana, Sirajganj Over 50,000 people of 12 villages under Belkuchi upazila of the district have been facing communication hazards for quite a long time due to lack of a bridge over the Hurasagar River across Joknala of Bhangabari union parishad.

Locals said the people of Char Joknala, Bhutiapara, Khidro Joknala, Shialbarisa, Gobindapur, Khash Sonamukhi, Saguna and Par Saguna villages are mostly the sufferers.

In absence of a bridge over the river many people especially businessmen are bearing the brunt of the bad communication as it is affecting their businesses, a villager Abul Kashem said.

Mawlana Al-Amin echoed his view.

The worst sufferers are school and college-going students and patients as there is no easy mode of communication for them. Besides, local growers have to spend much while carrying their products to different markets.

Most of the schools, colleges and market places are situated at the eastern side of the river. As a result, students and people have to use unpaved roads to catch boats at the only ‘ghat’. They have to wait hour after hour for boat to cross over to the other side of the river.

The problem multiplies further at night when the boats are hardly available.

Recently the people of the area have set up a bamboo bridge over the river.

Farmer Abdul Majid of Char Joknala said it was not a permanent solution to

People crossing the shaky bamboo-made bridge over the Hurasagar River in Joknala under Belkuchi upazila in Sirajganj amid risks of accidents.

The picture was taken yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE the problem.

“We need a concrete bridge,” he said.

Nazrul Islam of Shialbarisa village alleged that the absence of a bridge has given rise to untold sufferings for the people. Before voting, candidates utter tall promises but afterwards none take any initiative to solve their problems.

Villagers complained that many patients had died on their way to hospitals since it was difficult for them to cross the bridge.

Jinnat Ali of Bhutiapara village said: “The areas are bulk suppliers of vegetables and milk for the people of urban areas in the district. Since the cultivators cannot go to bigger markets to sell their products, they have to sell those at throwaway prices locally.”

Mohammad Ali Akond, chairman of Belkuchi upazila parishad said: “The people of the area is completely dependent on agriculture. But, the products availa-

Protests in districts over journos’ attack n Tribune Desk Journalist communities in different parts of the country yesterday staged protests against Sunday’s beating of four journalists, including two of Deepto TV, in Chittagong’s Bahaddarhat.

In Mymensingh, Sachetan Sangbadik Samaj formed a human chain on College Road in the morning.

Senior journalist Azim Uddin joined the protest among others.

Protesters demanded that the attackers of the journalists be arrested, brought to book and given exemplary punishment.

Barisal’s Sachentan Sangbadik Mahal protested by forming a human chain in front of Barisal Reporters Unity around 11am.

They called for immediate arrest and exemplary punishment of the attackers.

Barisal Reporters Unity President Anisur Rahman Swapan, General Secretary Kamrul Ahsan, former president Sushanta Ghosh, former general secretary Bap-

py Mazumder and Ekattor TV Barisal Bureau Chief Bidhan Sarker addressed the human chain among others.

They said failure to punish the attackers would be a threat to objective journalism.

More than 50 journalists of the district working in the electronic and print media participated in the human chain.

A human chain was formed outside Khulna Press Club under the banner of Sachetan Sangbadik Samaj in the morning.

Khulna Journalist Union President SM Zahid Hossain, former president Sheikh Abu Hasan, Khulna Nagarik Samaj Member Secretary advocate Babul Hawlader and Khulna Press Club former joint secretary Hedayet Hossain spoke at the human chain.

Describing the government as friendly towards journalists, speakers said journalists were suffering from insecurity because of inferiority complex of some groups.

They said land grabbers and terrorists were becoming increasingly angry with journalists for the latter’s efforts to carry

out investigations and reveal the truth.

They also called for direct intervention of the government to ensure that journalists can work without fear.

Under the banner of Sachetan Sangbadik Samaj, journalists in Sylhet formed a human chain in front of the district’s Central Shaheed Minar around 11:30am.

Members of the civil society and people of different professions also joined the human chain, which was chaired by Sylhet Press Club former general secretary Md Sirajul Islam.

Sylhet Press Club President Iqramul Kabir, former president Iqbal Siddiqi, Sylhet Electronic Media Journalist Association Secretary Sajal Chhatri, senior photojournalist Ataur Rahman Ata, Ekattor TV Sylhet Bureau Chief Iqbal Mahmud addressed the human chain among others.

On Sunday, Deepto TV reporter Anisur Rahman and cameraman Masud Dewan were doing an investigative report on illegal land grabbing at Chandgaon in Bahaddarhat when unidentified attackers assaulted them. l

ble here cannot be reached the hands of a good number of buyers in time as there is no bridge over the Hurasagar River.”

“I have submitted an application to the higher authority for constructing a bridge over the river,” he said.

Belkuchi Upazila Local Government and Rural Development (LGRD) Engineer Md Moin Uddin said: “I have sent a letter to the higher authority for building a 100 meter-long bridge over the river.” l

Bullet-hit bodies of 2 students found n Our Correspondent, Jhenidah Police recovered the bullet-riddle bodies of two students from Bahrampur crematory in the district yesterday morning.

The deceased were Abu Jar Giffery, a third year student of Bangla department of Jessore Government MM College, and Shamim Mahmud, a 2nd year Management student of Jhenidah Government KC College.

Giffery was the president of Kaliganj poura unit Chhatra Shibir while Shamim was also involved with the Shibir politics.

Local people found the bodies floating in a pond of the crematory in the morning and informed police.

Ilyas Hossain, officer-in-charge of Kotwali police station, said two unidentified bodies were recovered. Meanwhile, on information, victims’ relatives rushed in and identified them, local sources said.

Family members of both the victims alleged that they were picked up by plainclothes law enforcers. l

Feature THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2016

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Five traditional deshi solutions to beat the heat We’ve cracked the code on keeping cool the night, especially when you whether for mopping up sweat, or n Sabrina Fatma Ahmad don’t have an AC. protecting your head from direct With temperatures at a record high, and expected to plateau or even climb over the next week, we’re pretty much in for a roast.

Operating on the assumption that not everyone has the luxury of being holed up in an airconditioned environment round the clock, we’re going back to our roots to bring you five fool-proof

sunlight, or dipping it into water and wrapping it around your head or the back of your neck, might very well save your life.

ways to get cooler in this heat.

a copy, hoping to generate a little breeze while you wait for the power to come back, or for your CNG to reach its destination, whichever scenario applies. This is where the traditional haatpakha, or hand-fan comes to the rescue. The ones made from dried palm leaves are the lightest, and most efficient. The western-style hand fans have nothing on ours.

If your tote bag is big enough to accommodate one, it’s worth keeping it handy.

Fan-demonium Hand-held mini fans held close to the face might provide a lot of relief, until their batteries run out. And then you’re left flapping

Refresh and rehydrate Forget the soda and overpriced mocktails. Rehydration is key to surviving the heat, and you’re far better off sipping daab er pani (coconut water), tamarind juice, sugarcane juice and ghol (made from blending water, yoghurt and salt/pepper to taste). Not only

Photos: Bigstock

Cotton for the win Forget those silks and georgettes and wool suits (ugh!). When the sun overhead is turning you into a human frying pan, you want flowy, loose-fitting garments in light, breathable fabrics. Unless you’re working in an office where the suit and tie is de riguer (and chances are, those offices have air-conditioning anyway, so you’re cool), switch to the good old cotton panjabi, and you’ll instantly feel the difference. For women, if saris are too complicated (although a light taat or kota sari is just the ticket in this weather), you too, can throw on a panjabi, add a dupatta and jewellery to add a lady’s touch, and you’re good to go.

While on the subject of cotton, let’s not forget the ol’ faithful, the gamcha. When there’s a powercut underway, wrapping a wet gamcha around your head could mean the difference between heatstroke and safety. Keeping a gamcha handy,

Such stuff that dreams are made on When even your mattress seems oppressively warm, it’s time to resort to rustic measures. Sheetol pati, which is a local rattan mat, has been used for generations, to sleep on and stay cool. The natural weaves wick away the sweat, and feel cool against the skin.

Sleeping on the floor might take a little getting used to for those accustomed to the comfort of a soft bed, but once you do, there’s no better way to stay cool through

will these drinks, served chilled, refresh and replenish you, they’re far easier on your stomach and skin than fizzy drinks.

Fruit ninja Nature has a way of taking care of its own, and just so, our country is blessed with an abundance of summer fruits that address the very problems associated with the heat. While we’re still waiting for mangoes and jackfruit, a variety of citrus fruits are already available in the market, and definitely worth taking advantage of. From grapefruits to pomegranate, to lotkon, koromcha, aamra, to name a few, there is no shortage of succulent, flavourful snacks to munch on. Skip the greasy puris and shingaras, and reach for the fruits, and you’re less likely to end up with heat induced stomach problems.

Here’s hoping that the kalboishakhi storms come sooner than later and give us some respite. l

10 DT

Feature THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2016

Live 3D medical surgery streaming for the first time in Bangladesh at RAHETID

n Features Desk A British cancer patient is set to have his operation live streamed using virtual reality technology for the first time ever.

Viewers will be able to watch the groundbreaking surgery next month using a smartphone and virtual reality headset, making them feel as if they are in the operating theatre.

Using several specialists cameras placed above the operating table the surgery will be broadcast live from the Royal London Hospital on April 14 and will last between two and three hours.

Shafi Ahmed, who has championed virtual reality technology in surgery will perform the operation. Ahmed says that this will be a “gamechanger” for healthcare innovation and education.

Dr Ahmed, consultant surgeon at St Bartholmew’s Hospital said that the technology will “address the global inequalities in surgical health and will allow trainees and surgeons to connect and train remotely across the world.”

The operation will be streamed from 1pm on Thursday, April 14 from the Royal London Hospital in partnership with Medical Realities and live streaming service Metavision.

It will also be viewed at several other hospitals around the globe including one here at RAHETID, Dhaka. RAHETID (RA Hospital, Education and Training Institute, Dhaka) is the only partner institute with the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS) operating in Bangladesh. The institute is offering a structured training programme of the ISCP (Intercollegiate Surgical Curriculum Programme (UK)) of the RCS leading to Fellowship of the RCS England through Fellowship Examination.

The president and CEO of RAHETID, Professor Raqibul Anwar, thinks that this will revolutionise the traditional way of teaching surgery. RAHETID will be airing the operation at their premises in Gulshan 2 at 6pm Bangladesh time.

Renowned surgeons from around the country will be present and will be watching it live. They will also be able to ask questions and have them answered

by Dr Shafi Ahmed. l

RAHETID: Bringing quality medical care and education in Bangladesh RAHETID is a unique medical institution in Bangladesh in terms of foresight, vision and quality. RAHETID (RA Hospital, Education and Training Institute Dhaka) are a healthcare and education provider that has set out to bring about necessary changes in healthcare in this country.

RAHETID, headed by Professor Raqibul Anwar, the President and CEO, have established an examination centre for the IMRCS (Intercollegiate Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons) of the RCS (Royal College of Surgeons). This means Bangladeshi medical graduates now take the MRCS here in Dhaka. The test has been taking place in Dhaka since 2012.

But the education program extends far beyond conducting

examinations. RAHETID has created a high tech training institution where local medical professionals get the opportunity to get training and experience from an accredited institution. This involves working with and learning closely from professionals and experts of the highest caliber from the RCS. The focus of RAHETID is to raise the standards of hospital care through planned education and training. The idea is to increase the meager number of medical specialists working in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh has only 0.4 physicians for every one thousand people in the country.

The number is even lower for specialist doctors.

Other than providing MRCS Part A and B centres, RAHETID

hopes to soon provide the necessary pathway to obtain the FRCS (Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeon) from Bangladesh.

In addition to providing the education RAHETID vows to provide supportive clinical component that will ensure effective, evidence based hospital care to the surgical patients in Bangladesh.

RAHETID’s partnership with the Royal College of Surgeons on England provides it with strong credibility. The RCS is one of the leading medical institutions in the world.

Through RAHETID trainee doctors from Bangladesh will be eligible to apply for training posts in the UK under the MTI programme of the Royal College of Surgeons of England.

Raqibul Anwar, the president

and CEO of RAHETID, is a senior consultant surgeon (professor) specialising in Conventional and Laparoscopic Colorectal Surgery at the Royal London Hospital in the UK. Anwar was

also a Colonel in the Royal Army Medical Corps and served in the British Army with distinction. l Ratehid is located at Plot-18C, Road 106, Gulshan-2, Dhaka

Editorial THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2016

11

DT

INSIDE

Thoughts on another Noboborsho Still we live in hope and with the setting sun of 1422 and the bitter taste of the food consumed on the last day of the year, we learn to look forward to a bright New Year PAGE 12

Requiem for a Shonar Bangla Never in the history of mankind has anyone been murdered by words or thoughts. Murder, lest we forget, is morally, legally, and humanly wrong.

Perhaps that is why those in positions of power prefer virile swords to flaccid words, to extend their autocratic reign PAGE 13

The Bangladesh Bank heist and conspiracy theories What the government needs now is a full and completely neutral investigative team with expertise in cyber crime detection and future prevention 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.

MUMIT M

Pohela Boishakh’s spirit of unity

T

he arrival of the Bangla New Year is a joyous opportunity for the entire nation to share in festivities.

Pohela Boishakh’s wide appeal is a testament to the great care and spirit of inclusiveness used in designing the Bangla calendar to make it acceptable to all communities in multi-religious Bengal.

It is an invaluable opportunity to celebrate our roots and look to the future.

Even as more of us move to cities and towns, the majority of Bangladeshis live their lives on the land and most city-dwellers still have ties to ancestral villages.

By providing a link to the past, Pohela Boishakh offers an occasion to take stock and look to the future as the nation comes together to celebrate its rich and diverse cultural heritage.

In its message of unity and inclusion, it stands for the best traditions of solidarity and tolerance in our nation’s history and people.

This inclusiveness is reflected also in popular support for the celebration of Boisabi Utsab, the largest traditional festival to mark the New Year among indigenous communities in CHT. From the centre of Dhaka to homes across the nation and diaspora communities across the world, Pohela Boishakh’s message of celebration and unity brings with it new optimism for a better year ahead.

We wish all our readers a pleasant and enjoyable day. Shubho Noboborsho.

The celebration of Bangla New Year stands for the best traditions of unity and tolerance in our culture

Opinion

12 DT

THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2016

Thoughts on another Noboborsho As the New Year comes along, we see what has changed, and what hasn’t

A time to paint the city in colours

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

Still we live in hope and with the setting sun of 1422 and the bitter taste of the food consumed on the last day of the year, we learn to look forward to a bright New Year. Maybe we will end the coming year with the same bitter taste but, for now, I want to rejoice at the coming of Boishakh with song and dance and other festivities

n SM Shahrukh

A

s the sun sets today, the last day of Choitro, and the last day of 1422, people will eat bitter tasting food. The age-old idea is to negate all the bitterness of the setting year.

Tomorrow, the first day of the New Year, it is customary to eat well, sweet as well as savory, the extent of grandeur depending on the spending power of families.

Everyone wants the New Year to usher in happiness and not face the disappointments and heartbreaks of the previous one.

This time around, as we approached

Pohela Boishakh, there has been a concerted drive against the one-day extravaganza of the urban upstart to partake of panta-ilish, as if it is a mandatory ritual of sorts.

The newspapers and the TV channels were awash with stories of the skyrocketing price of the national fish and the illegal catching of jatka, the baby ilish, under 10 inches in length.

I find this effort laudable, as, in the name of “culture,” the frenzy of people in buying ilish, sometimes in various stages of rotting, has only filled the pockets of unscrupulous traders, maybe a tiny bit trickling down to the actual fishermen.

According to some estimates, ilish

worth Tk5,000 crores will still be devoured on Pohela.

This demand-driven upsurge in price and the inevitable price-gouging by retailers will mean some people would have felt social pressures to go beyond their means to fulfill a custom that is less than 30 years old.

If the price could have been kept within a reasonable ceiling, I would have had no qualms in people observing this urban ritual. But alas! And the entrepreneurs and farmers who are meeting the demand of protein by farming various species of fish and keeping a steady supply, albeit with prices not always within the reach of the lowest tiers of society, are bearing the brunt of the onslaught of ilish and have gotten poor returns on their investment and labour.

The observance of Pohela Boishakh in rural areas remain unchanged with fairs, where locally produced goods are sold.

There are rides for children and various traditional foodstuffs.

However, many customs, like the boat races, horse races, wrestling matches, etc have almost died out.

The festival in the urban areas are held in parks and recreational grounds, preferably under the shade of old trees, preferably and auspiciously under banyan trees. But gone are the days of plentiful centuries-old banyans. Have to make do with what’s available.

After the criminal sexual harassment cases last year in the Dhaka University area, the hub of celebrations in Dhaka, the police are enforcing draconian measures this year. No outside programs allowed after 5 pm! This is the period of long summer days and people are more likely to join in outside soirees in the evening but “no-no” say the top police officials. They want to ensure security for all.

I thought the thing to do when the festivities are thwarted -- or attempts are made to thwart -- by some hoodlums is to come out in even greater numbers and drown out the evil designs of the few malcontents. I guess not according to the law enforcers. It begs the question to be asked that how many arrests they have effected after getting footage from all the fracas from the previous year.

That question falls on deaf years. So no evening soirees or concerts in open spaces, no wearing of masks, the fanfare not encouraged to be unbridled.

However, a trend that has been set gradually over the last two decades, that of wearing colourful clothes in droves on the new day as the overall income has gone up, has set about a shopping spree.

This is very good for the economy.

According to an economist, the market transactions last year on the occasion of Pohela Boishakh were somewhere between Tk20,000cr and Tk30,000cr.

This vibrancy in economic activity triggered by people spending in expectation of a more colourful observance of the Bangla New Year will help producers and retailers, small and big, and many other related small and cottage industries. With the government declaring a New Year bonus for its officials, the spending power of a fraction has gone up even higher.

A country born over 45 years ago, after the brutal nine months of war and the genocide, rape, and displacement of millions, was in dire straits at her inception: The infrastructure nonexistent, overpopulation and disease always threatening, poverty an alternate word for existence. But that economy has strengthened over the decades, and we are headed towards becoming a fullfledged middle-income country.

The original 1972 constitution had four basic principles: Secularism, nationalism, democracy, and socialism (meaning economic and social justice for all).

Secularism became a victim after the bloodbath of August 1975 and that principle was not encouraged until a state religion, Islam, the religion of the overwhelming majority, was lodged into the constitution through amendments, 13 years after that fateful August night.

The current regime has pledged to go back to the original essence of the 1972 constitution but has kept the state religion intact. Having a state religion in a secular state is a contradiction, some would say. Well, nothing much can be done about that: A lot of water has flowed under all the Buriganga bridges.

A friend suggested in an article that maybe we are better off having a state religion; it saves the minorities from faux dreams of equal footing in a state that is very much theirs as it is of the Bangalee Muslims. My mind does not want to accept that, but such is reality in the 21st century Bangladesh.

How much democracy do we enjoy, or how just is the social and economic order? The answer is up in the air. But a lot of rabid nationalism is on display when Bangladesh is playing a cricket match, especially against India.

Still, we live in hope and with the setting sun of 1422, and the bitter taste of the food consumed on the last day of the year, we learn to look forward to a bright New Year. Maybe we will end the coming year with the same bitter taste but, for now, I want to rejoice at the coming of Boishakh with song and dance and other festivities.

Wishing you all a Shubho Noborsho: May the coming year begin with soothing showers, showers of relief from the oppressive heat, showers of prosperity in a future, as yet, unknown. l SM Shahrukh is a freelance contributor.

Opinion THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2016

13 DT

Requiem for a Shonar Bangla We Bangladeshis are to blame for feeding bigotry, intolerance, and violence

Discourse should beget discourse

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n Ikhtisad Ahmad

I

am a Bangladeshi writer. Everything I have written to date, and everything I will be writing for the remainder of my ever-shortening life, will offend someone. I do not set out to cause offence.

To be human, though, is to be free.

Exercising this absolute freedom for a writer requires an objective pursuit of the truth, however uncomfortable, unpopular, or unspeakable, and rendering its broad spectrum for the world. Therefore, someone will always find something offensive about the most innocuous of statements.

I have lamented inequality, condemned religious fanaticism and fundamentalism, criticised governments and political parties, and mocked democracy, capitalist greed, and faux liberals. I do not apologise for any of it.

Never in the history of mankind has anyone been murdered by words or thoughts. Murder, lest we forget, is morally, legally, and humanly wrong.

Perhaps that is why those in positions of power prefer virile swords to flaccid words, to extend their autocratic reign.

The history of mankind is also littered with heroic tales of wars in the names of religion, but laughable noughts in the name of secularism and atheism.

The body-count of these wars could populate this planet twice over, which makes the lack of killings in the name of no-religion, all-religion, and unreligion ridiculous and untrustworthy.

An altruistic morality derived from humanity, critical thinking, and reason is inferior to a conditional morality decided by flawless divine words laced with promises of eternal redemption,

Never in the history of mankind has anyone been murdered by words or thoughts. Murder, lest we forget, is morally, legally, and humanly wrong. Perhaps that is why those in positions of power prefer virile swords to flaccid words, to extend their autocratic reign peace, and riches.

The latter requires obedience to blind faith, the former an open mind. In that battle, only one can be a lethal weapon for the insatiable greed of the powerhungry legions, while the other cannot be controlled. The infidels challenge authority, demanding equality and honesty. They do so without weapons of mass destruction, and therefore can neither be used nor trusted.

Religion has been essential to the fabric of Bangladeshi politics since before the nation was born. Whether it was the Islamic identity trumping the geographical and cultural one, or preferring unification to selfdetermination, a portion of the population was opposed to a broad worldview, progressive values, and freedom.

Independence did not consign that school of thought to the scrapheap.

Instead, military dictators pumped the ideology full of steroids and made it into a political force. Successive governments since have repeatedly had to sympathise with fundamentalism and rely on its potency to ascend to the throne and cling to it.

That is why the form a purportedly secular government takes is to support constitutionally mandated intolerance,

prevent freedoms of speech, thought, and religions from being exercised, and acquiesce to the inhuman demands of Islamism.

If Bangladesh is a place where the investigation of a murder sets out to determine whether the victim said things he or she should not have -- in other words, if he or she had not been murdered, the state would punish the person in a similar vein -- during an authoritarian government that continues to paint all non-supporters as religious fundamentalists, one wonders what the country will be like when real fundamentalists establish their despotic rule in the fertile land of extremism.

The current government’s woefully disguised attempts to cling to power by suppressing freedoms of speech and thought, and oppressing dissent, means it panders to barbarians, gets in bed with them. We have allowed our existing and aspiring politicians to believe that they cannot only get away with murder, but make it legal.

By doing so, we have harvested a strain of totalitarian politics from which we cannot escape. This government is a representation of the dark hearts residing in every single Bangladeshi, whose indifference and inaction has given ringing endorsements to the

unlawful and the illegal.

The next one that comes -- and there will be a next one, there always is -- will oil the oppressive machine this one has created, make it more efficient, and force us from our knees to our bellies.

The moneymen and so-called liberals will support that new one, expressly and impliedly, as they do this one, all the while casting a glance over its shoulder to the next big score. Not a soul wants to force the system to change for the better, because only the faith of the faithless -- the unshakeable belief in freedom -- is foolish enough to forsake personal gain for the greater good.

I am a Bangladeshi writer. I am a humanist, an existentialist, an absurdist.

I do not draw blood with my words, the activism of an avowed pacifist.

I do not force my thoughts or existence on anyone else. I welcome similar treatment to what I mete out, for the cerebral quality of human beings is what sets us apart from barbaric beasts and allows progress.

Discourse should beget discourse, providing the building blocks of civilisation. Somewhere along the way, Bangladeshis forgot this most basic truth about the human race.

We are to blame for feeding bigotry, intolerance, and violence, for celebrating and justifying inhuman acts to make them palatable, acceptable, legal. I will be silenced one day, not by a corrupt government or a single-minded extremist, but by Bangladeshis who allowed those two to mate and breed. l Ikhtisad Ahmed is a human rights lawyer turned writer. His socio-political writings include the short story collection Yours, Etcetera. Twitter: @ikhtisad.

14 DT

Opinion THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2016

The Bangladesh Bank heist and conspiracy theories Conspiracy theories survive when there is a lack of transparency and trust

n Ziauddin Chowdhury

W

hen facts are scarce, rumours will fill the space.

Time and again, we have witnessed recurrence of this axiomatic phrase in Bangladesh when events of national importance occur and our authorities mightily ignore the public in briefing them properly on what is going on.

A horrendous murder takes place in broad daylight, a building collapses taking numerous lives, a blogger is hacked to death by a group of miscreants, $100 million is siphoned off from the central bank by cyber theft, and all of such news the public comes to know through newspapers. What they do not know, however, is what happens next.

We hear a lot of rhetoric from our law enforcement agencies, and authorities in charge, including political leaders, every time such incidents are reported, and we are assured of adequate redress and apprehension of the culprits. Days and months pass by, but nothing happens.

No criminals are apprehended; no follow up is shared with the public, and with time the subject gets buried until another horrendous incident or scandal breaks the news.

Meanwhile, in the absence of any official report on the status of the incidents and follow-up reports, rumours and speculations among the public thrive, spawning various theories of conspiracy regarding how and why the incidents were being suppressed.

The happenings centring the recent cyber-attack on the Bangladesh Bank are a case in point. The digital attack that electronically attempted to rob the central bank of nearly a billion dollars but succeeded in transferring at least $81m in a matter of hours took not only the country but also the rest of the banking world by surprise.

In a digital world, crime has become as sophisticated as the technology itself, and therefore, it is plausible that a cyber heist could happen -- but not in this magnitude in a supposedly super secure environment.

The daring event and initial suppression of the occurrence by bank authorities led to the resignation of the bank’s chief executive and dismissal of some top officials. The bank in question, as well as the government, launched an investigation both through internal agencies and external forensic experts.

However, the lamentable delays by authorities to communicate the incident to higher authorities, and later leaking of

the news through media, led to various speculations and floating of diverse conspiracy theories that continue to subsist even several weeks after the news became public.

A recent research on people’s predisposition to believe conspiracy theories revealed some interesting results. The research found that while some people may think conspiracy theorists to be very naïve, a good number were very inclined toward conspiracy theories seeing them lurking behind every corner, no matter what the facts are.

Conspiracy theories surrounding the Bangladesh Bank heist are no exception.

In fact, such theories survive best when the agencies and the authorities that regulate or govern them lack transparency and trust. Conspiracy theories gain traction when real information covering

Cyber criminals don’t need to wield guns

What the government needs now is a full and completely neutral investigative team with expertise in cyber crime detection and future prevention.

Finger pointing at people and casting bias allegations on investigating firms and agencies will spawn more conspiracy theories and derail proper investigation

an incident is not shared more widely.

A recurring theme of the conspiracy theorists of the cyber heist is internal complicity in the crime within the bank.

A theft of such magnitude cannot happen involving millions of dollars without active collaboration from one or more individuals within the bank’s hierarchy with external agents, some theorists would claim.

This hypothesis gets more credence given the latency in the bank’s management communication with authorities up the chain of command, and comments made by several “experts” in the media on “internal complicity.”

As time passed by and no immediate apprehension was made of any “suspects,” this line of thinking got more and more traction, with the result that investigating agencies in the country almost feel obligated to find the crook within the institution first and look for the external collaborators later.

There is no doubt that in any crime, the investigating agencies have to look at all the possibilities, including the

proverbial motive, opportunity, and shall we say “weapons,” which in the current case are computers.

Therefore, the people who are in immediate charge of the bank’s digital systems and those responsible for their security would fall first in the line of suspicion. The main objective of any fair investigation is to eliminate all areas of suspicion and narrow down on the actual perpetrators.

Unfortunately, a cyber-crime is not a bank robbery by a gang of gun-wielding thugs where the police not only run after the thugs but also can identify the bank personnel who left the doors open. In a cyber crime, you do not need to have a friend who lets you borrow his password or codes to access the system. Cyber criminals are more sophisticated than people who rob banks wielding guns.

According to the Carnegie Cyber Academy, cyber crimes are committed by individuals or small groups who are professional criminals. They form criminal communities to share strategies and tools and can combine forces to launch co-ordinated attacks. They even

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have an underground marketplace where stolen information and identities can be bought and sold.

The researchers say it is very difficult to crack down on cyber criminals because the Internet makes it easier for people to do things anonymously and from any location on the globe.

Many computers used in cyber attacks have actually been hacked, and are being controlled by someone far away.

Crime laws are different in every country too, which can make things really complicated when a criminal launches an attack in another country.

From what I have seen and read so far in the foreign press, the digital theft in Bangladesh Bank is one of those very sophisticated cyber crimes, the like of which has not happened in recent times.

The incident has not only hampered Bangladesh Bank, but also a much reputed global electronic money transfer system.

What the government needs now is a full and completely neutral investigative team with expertise in cyber crime detection and future prevention. This can happen in tandem with greater transparency in reporting on the ongoing investigation and sharing the results with the public as soon as the investigation is over.

Finger-pointing at people who may have nothing to do with the crime and casting bias allegations on investigating firms and agencies will spawn more conspiracy theories and derail proper investigation. l Ziauddin Choudhury has worked in the higher civil service of Bangladesh early in his career, and later for the World Bank in the USA.

Business THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2016

15 DT

INSIDE ‘Highway extortion responsible for surge in Ilish prices’ Every year on Pohela Boishakh the prices of Ilish jumped that it becomes almost unaffordable for majority of the people. Traders allegedly take the chance as keeping Ilish, Bangladesh’s delicious national fish, on Pohela Boishak’s menu has become very popular among the urban Bangalees. PAGE 16

China’s steel glut: Years in the making, years to resolve China is facing increasing international pressure to tackle a steel supply glut that has flooded global markets and left beleaguered overseas producers at risk of closure. PAGE 17

Band plays on, as global oil glut leaves supertankers in a huge jam

It may be the world’s biggest traffic jam. As ports struggle to cope with a global oil glut, huge queues of supertankers have formed in some of the world’s busiest sea lanes, where some 200 million barrels of crude lies waiting to be loaded or delivered. PAGE 16

Capital market snapshot: Wednesday DSE Broad Index

4,408.6

0.0% ▲

Index

1,066.0

-0.1% ▼

30 Index

1,683.4

0.3% ▲

Turnover in Mn Tk

3,900.7 -17.9% ▼

Turnover in Mn Vol

91.4

-9.1% ▼

All Share Index 13,571.2

0.2% ▲

30 Index

12,478.1

0.3% ▲

8,246.6

0.2% ▲

Turnover in Mn Tk

244.4

0.4% ▲

Turnover in Mn Vol

7.9

-2.6% ▼

CSE

Selected Index

Alliance: Hundreds of garment factories still not safe n Tribune Report Only 24 of around 700 garment factories inspected in Bangladesh meet international safety standards, a group of major brands said yesterday.

The Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety, which was set up after the Rana Plaza disaster and represents North American apparel brands including WalMart, said remediation work had been completed in 24 factories and was underway in hundreds of others.

“It means only 24 factories (of those inspected) can now be called reasonably safe,” Mesbah Rabin, managing director of the Alliance, was quoted by the AFP news agency.

The collapse of the Rana Plaza factory complex in 2013 killed more than 1,100 garment workers and sparked international outrage against the global brands who placed orders in the building’s five plants.

The Alliance and another group set up in the aftermath of the disaster have since pushed through rigorous safety reforms in nearly half of Bangladesh’s 4,500 gar-

ment factories to improve conditions for millions of poorly paid workers.

‘There is still much to do to meet our fiveyear goals, but we’ve come a long way toward improving workplace safety in factories’ The Alliance said it had asked the Bangladesh government to shut down 36 factories after they were found to be structurally unsafe and suspended ties with 77 plants that failed to address safety concerns.

“There is still much to do to meet our five-year goals, but we’ve come a long way toward improving workplace safety in factories,” said James Moriarty, executive director of the Alliance. “(We) will continue to work with our partners during the next two-and-a-half years to ensure that safe workplaces in the Bangladesh ready-made garment industry become the rule, not the exception.”

Progress remedying factory safety issues is significant, but remains slower than projected due to political unrest, lack of qualified engineers, the time consuming yet required import of vital safety equipment not available in Bangladesh, according to the Alliance report.

The Alliance also said natural disaster such as the 2014 earth quake in neighboring Nepal have all imposed delays to the remediation process.

Fires in garment factories have dropped from 250 in 2012 to just 30 in 2015, with no fatalities that year, Moriarty said, citing Bangladesh fire department figures.

Bangladesh is the world’s second-largest garment exporter, according to the World Bank. The industry here employs around 4m workers and shipped clothing worth $26bn last year, mainly to Europe and North America.

The Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, which represents around 200 European brands including H&M, Primark and Tesco has also taken an active role in investigating the country’s factories. l

Moody’s: Weaker remittances will dampen benefits of lower oil prices for Bangladesh n Kayes Sohel Lower remittances from Gulf areas, which have been hit hard by the slump in oil prices, will cut the benefits of cheaper oil imports for several Asia Pacific countries including Bangladesh, Moody’s Investors Service said yesterday.

“Generally, weaker remittances will immediately impact the recipient countries’ credit profiles via their balance of payment positions. A prolonged fall would also hurt economic growth, given the importance of remittances to household incomes,” it said in a report.

Moody’s in a report titled ‘Sovereigns -Asia Pacific: Falling Remittances from the Gulf Dampen Benefits of Lower Oil Prices’ analyzes the potential credit implications of weaker remittances from their citizens working abroad for six Asian countries -- Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.

For these six economies, remittances are equivalent to 3 to 10% of GDP, and between 22 and 188% of foreign reserves.

The exposure of Bangladesh to the Gulf nations is the second highest at 54.8% of its total remittances after Pakistan that gets 61.2% of remittances. India gets 52.1% of its remittances from the region while while Sri-Lanka gets 50.9%.

“As a percentage of GDP, remittance receipts are larger than net oil imports in all countries barring India, so changes in remittances will have a greater effect on the current account balance,” it said.

Khondaker Nurunnabi, a Bangladeshi working at an oil company at UAE, told the Dhaka Tribune over phone that some companies trim workforce for coping with the severe downturn in the energy sector.

“The company is cutting costs to remain competitive.”

Expatriate Bangladeshis remitted $1136.26 million in February, down 1.3% from $1150.64 million in January, according to the Bangladesh Bank.

Moody’s said the 25% drop in oil prices since the start of 2015 is large, and it expected that future declines in remittances will be much lower than that in percentage terms.

“So, unless remittances decrease significantly more in percentage terms than we anticipate, their decline will dampen, but not completely offset, the benefits of lower oil prices on the cur-

rent account,” it said.

It estimated that it would take a 10 to 30% fall in remittances to outweigh a 50% drop in net oil imports for most countries.

“Given its larger net oil import bill, India is an exception, and can thus withstand a much greater fall in remittances,” it said.

Moody’s report finds that in sovereigns that are already facing external pressures, or where growth is weakening or anemic, a slowdown in remittances will exacerbate such challenges.

Sri Lanka stands out in this regard, due to its large financing needs and thin foreign reserve cushion, while Bangladesh and Pakistan face similar challenges to a lesser degree, it said. l

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Business THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2016

‘Highway extortion responsible for surge in Ilish prices’ n Asif Showkat Kallol Every year on Pohela Boishakh the prices of Ilish jumped that it becomes almost unaffordable for majority of the people.

Traders allegedly take the chance as keeping Ilish, Bangladesh’s delicious national fish, on Pohela Boishak’s menu has become very popular among the urban Bangalees.

Abu Bakkar Siddique, president of a fish traders’ association in the capital’s Jatrabari, however blamed the highway extortion for the surge in Ilish prices.

He said if the government prevented extortion on highways, usually by the ruling party men, prices of hilsa wouldn’t climb to that high.

He said the fares of lorries are also high in carrying Ilish from southern districts to Dhaka. The fares are double than usual due to extortion on highways. A lorry usually charges Tk25,000 to transport ilish from a southern district to the capital Dhaka. But because of extortion, the fare becomes Tk50,000. Extortion is intensified ahead of Pohela Boishakh.

Siddique said there was no crisis of the fish in Bangladesh as the local fishermen caught 387,000 tonnes last year. “But we have to stop netting jatka (Ilish fries) to protect this popular fish from extinction.”

There are plenty of jatka supplies into the city’s kitchen markets ahead of Pohela Boishakh celebrations despite a ban on netting it. “I appreciate the prime

Stocks finish flat amid choppy trade n Kayes Sohel Stocks finished flat amid choppy trade yesterday, as confidence ran low despite the government’s higher economic growth projection.

The market swung between red and green zones heavily, as investors played both sides of fence. After marginal rise in previous sessions, the benchmark index DSEX rose only 1 point to close at 4,408.

The Shariah index DSES was marginally down over 1 point to 1,065. The blue chip comprising index DS30 edged 4 points higher to 1,683.

The Chittagong Stock Exchange Selective Category Index CSCX settled at 8,246, gaining 13 points.

The government has revised economic growth projection upward to 7.05% for this fiscal year. “This has hardly lifted investor sentiment,” said a stock broker.

Lanka Bangla Securities said after failing to sustain an early move to the upside, stocks turned shaky amid lack of market triggers. “Investors were closely watching economic cues playing in sideline in the market.” l

Abu Bakkar Siddique, president of a fish traders’ association in Dhaka minister’s move to avoid Ilish on Pohela Boishakh’s menu. This should be followed by others to discourage unlawful business of the national fish,” Siddique said.

About prices, he suggested the government making a policy and introducing price control system on the market.

Siddique said the government initiative to import of observation ship had not started processing yet despite passing of seven years. The initiative was taken by fisheries and livestock ministry after Awami League-led Grand Alliance came to office in 2009.

The habitat of Bangladeshi Ilish is at the meeting place of fresh and saline

MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

waters. The observation ship can help to locate Ilish in coastal areas and in rivers.

The Ilish becomes more delicious when it travels to fresh water. They are usually caught from rivers like Padma, Meghna and Jamuna as they come to release eggs.

Siddique said investment was becoming limited on Ilish business. “More investment is needed to boost Ilish production.”

He said smuggling of Ilish was not possible to prevent. The government is deprived of Tk350 crore revenue due to smuggling of the fish.

Livelihood of 2.4-2.5 millions are dependent on Ilish industry in Bangladesh. l

Robi-Airtel merger hearing deferred to May 2 n Ishtiaq Husain The High Court (HC) yesterday deferred the hearing of the land mark Robi-Airtel merger until May 2 to settle the issue.

The Company Bench of Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed conducted the first hearing yesterday where the lawyers of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) participated the hearing.

On April 10, Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) filed its Affidavit-in-Compliance to the High Court.

BTRC submitted its recommendation on Robi-Airtel merger on March 22 last month.

On April 7, the division had sent the report of Robi-Airtel merger to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to get its final nod.

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

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.

The two companies expressed their willingness to merge into a single entity in September last year in Malaysia.

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

NBR: New budget to be dreadful for dishonest business n Tribune Report National Board of Revenue (NBR) Chairman Nojibur Rahman yesterday said the new budget will have incentives for honest businesses while it will be dreadful for dishonest businesses.

“The NBR is making its monitoring more stronger with addressing some issues through policy measures.”

The NBR chief sounded the note of caution at a pre-budget meeting with the Economic Reporters Forum (ERF) at the NBR in Dhaka.

“Those who misuse bond facilities are the enemy of the nation. NBR is working to become harsh against them,” said Rahman.

Abuse of the bond facilities occur due to the differences between price and duty of the products imported by paying just regular duties and also when goods are imported using bond facilities.

On preventing wastage of taxpayer money, NBR chairman said, “We have

proposed the different public agencies and even in the last Executive Committee of the National Economic Council meeting for tracking taxpayers money to know whether the money collected from people as income tax, value-added tax and customs duty are being used properly.”

He said the government has already assured the NBR that the tax paid by people will be used properly and effectively.

Currently, less than 1% of the population in Bangladesh pays tax regularly. Although the tax officials often have to face questions from taxpayers on whether their money is being used properly, but the taxmen cannot say anything as they do not have any connection on using the resources.

Responding to a query if the NBR will take any move in relation to the recently leaked Panama Papers, NBR chairman said the NBR will play its pro-active role on the issue by doing anything and everything required for the welfare of the country.

To combat money laundering activities, the authorities are closely working with the Anti-Corruption Commission, Office of the Controller General of Accounts, and Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit of Bangladesh Bank.

In regards to a recent report of ActionAid, the NBR chief said the revenue board is thoroughly examining the report and is considering to review the relaxed taxation treaties with the different countries.

He said many multinational companies have already started correcting themselves on transfer-mispricing after the NBR took up the issue seriously.

At the meeting, ERF have urged to cancel undisclosed money whitening facility for ever as such facility failed to generate any significant revenue earning for the government.

Before every budget, the government says that the facility will be discontinued, but allows every year in limited scale in the last moment, it said. l

Business THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2016

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Peabody, world’s top private coal miner, files for bankruptcy n Reuters Peabody Energy Corp, the world’s largest privately owned coal producer, filed for US bankruptcy protection yesterday in

the wake of a sharp fall in coal prices that left it unable to service a recent debt-fueled expansion into Australia.

The company listed both assets and liabilities in the range of $10bn to $50bn,

China’s steel glut: Years in the making, years to resolve n Reuters, Beijing China is facing increasing international pressure to tackle a steel supply glut that has flooded global markets and left beleaguered overseas producers at risk of closure.

China produces half the world’s steel but those hoping it will tackle its surplus capacity quickly will be disappointed, despite rhetoric from Beijing.

A steel production glut that has taken years in the making, will equally take years to resolve. The economy is growing at its slowest pace in 25 years and labour unrest is on the rise, a worry for the ruling Communist Party that fears the social unrest that millions of laid off steel workers could bring.

“Closures can not be completed overnight,” said a person with ties to China’s leadership.

“Stability is the top priority.”

China’s fading economic growth has exposed the huge surplus capacity in steel making, leaving many producers with heavy losses that are adding to already high debts. Many see the solution in exports, which rose to a record in 2015, a major factor dragging global prices down to decade lows.

India’s Tata Steel has blamed a flood of cheap steel imports, including from China, for a decision to pull out of Britain, putting 15,000 jobs at risk.

On Monday, more than 40,000 German steel workers took to the streets to protest against dumping from China, among other issues such as industry consolidation that they fear will cost them their jobs. Hillary Clinton, widely expected to be the Democrat candidate in US presidential elections this year, added her voice to the criticism, saying on Monday she would “impose consequences when China breaks the rules by dumping its cheap products in our markets.”

‘Vicious circle’

Official data shows China’s production capacity is just over 1.1 billion tonnes a year although analysts estimate another 100 million tonnes are produced illegally.

Underlining the scale of problem facing Beijing, official figures suggest surplus capacity is some 300-400 million tonnes a year and exports in 2015 reached a record 110 million tonnes - about 10 times the annual steel output of Britain.

Although the China Iron and Steel Association and some steel executives have predicted that exports will fall in 2016, Chinese customs data on Wednesday showed shipments soared 30% in March from the same month a year ago.

Much of China’s production glut was sparked by the country’s debt-fuelled stimulus in 2009, when a government-directed 4 trillion yuan ($625bn) was injected into the economy to ward off the global financial crisis. l

according to a court filing.

The case is in the US Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, St Louis, case number 16-42529. Peabody’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing ranks

among the largest in the commodities sector since energy and metals prices began to fall in the middle of 2014 as once fast-growing markets such as China and Brazil began to slow. l

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Business THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2016

Band plays on, as global oil glut leaves supertankers in a huge jam n Reuters, Singapore It may be the world’s biggest traffic jam.

As ports struggle to cope with a global oil glut, huge queues of supertankers have formed in some of the world’s busiest sea lanes, where some 200 million barrels of crude lies waiting to be loaded or delivered.

The vessels, filled with oil worth around $7.5bn at current market prices, would stretch for almost 40 km (25 miles) if formed up in one straight line.

One captain with more than 20 years at sea told Reuters his tanker had been anchored off Qingdao in northeastern China since late March and was unlikely to dock before the end of this week, a frustrating delay of more than three weeks.

“We’ve stayed here a long time,” he

said, requesting anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the press, but added that another kind of jam was helping to alleviate the boredom.

“We have a piano, drums, crew who play guitar – they are not professional but they are coming good. We have more than 1,000 DVDs so there is no need to watch the same one 20 times.”

The worst congestion is in the Middle East, as ports struggle to cope with soaring output available for export, and in Asia, where many ports have not been upgraded in time to deal with ravenous demand as consumers take advantage of cheap fuel.

“It’s the worst I’ve seen at Qingdao,” said a second tanker captain waiting to offload at the world’s seventh busiest port, adding that his crew was killing

CORPORATE NEWS

RAK Ceramics (Bangladesh) Limited held its 17th annual general meeting yesterday, said a press release. The company’s chairperson, Abdallah Massad presided over the meeting

AB Bank Limited has recently celebrated its 34th founding anniversary by organising a flag hoisting and cake cutting ceremony at its head office on Tuesday.

The bank’s chairperson, M Wahidul Haque was present at the ceremony, said a press release

time doing maintenance work.

Ralph Leszczynski, head of research at shipbroker Banchero Costa, in Singapore, said the snarl-up was “one of the worst tanker traffic jams in recent years”.

The cause was “a perfect storm of redhot demand from new entrant refineries in China and port infrastructure in the Middle East and Latin America that is unable to cope”, he said.

Messing up the schedule

Ship tracking data shows 125 supertankers, with the capacity to carry oil to supply energy-hungry China for three weeks, waiting in line at ports. The combined daily cost is $6.25mn, based on current ship hire rates of around $50,000-a-day.

While daily tanker fees are typically borne by the fuel buyer, the port delays

have a knock-on affect across the shipping industry.

“It messes up port schedules, catering schedules, crew schedules and the schedules of delivering the transported goods,” said one shipping logistics manager in Singapore. “It also raises the cost for pretty much everyone involved.”

And for dealers, a month-long delay can turn a profitable trade into a painful loss.

“If you’ve bought 100,000 barrels of crude at $40 (a barrel) that’ll cost you $4 million,” said one oil trader.

“And if you’ve calculated another 1.5 million bucks for a month’s worth of shipping, but you end up paying double that because your ship is stuck in port congestion, then that can seriously mess up everything from your schedule to your arbitrage profitability.” l

Feature THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2016

| fair |

| offers |

Charu Puthi Boishakhi Shishumela 1423 Borshoboron

Sabroso Boishakh special menu

Charu Puthi creative academy has invited all to participate in their Pohela Boishakh celebrations today. The fair will consist of an art competition, Boishakhi dressing competition, as well as several stalls hosted by children from the academy. The event will also include putul naach, a cultural program, face painting, cartoon ghosts, bioscope,

as well as an opportunity to play with Sisimpur’s Halum, Tuktuki and Ikri. The fair will start at 10am at the Kolabagan Lake Circus School and will end at 5pm.

To take part contact 74, Lake Circus, Kolabagan (Dolphin road), Dhali Bari road, Dhaka.

For more information, contact facebook. com/charuputhi.l

| talk |

From April 14-16, Sabroso is introducing a special menu to celebrate Pohela Boishakh 1423. The menu brings authentic Italian, Arabian and Thai cuisine.

Share the joy with Sabroso special Bukhari rice which comes with a whole chicken, boiled egg, Arabic salad, Tahima sauce, along with complimentary non-alcoholic Arabic champagne for four.

Their Italian menu includes Chef Special Pizza Duple (comes with four different flavours in one pizza),

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Creamy Jolly Chicken, Peri Peri Chicken-Extra Hot and Taizan Chicken among others.

The Pohela Boishakh special Thai platter includes Cashew Nut Salad, plain rice/Chowmein, Red Fried Chicken, Beef Chili Dry/ Chicken Masala, Drinks and Choco Lava. The platter is for two or four people.

For more information contact Level 7, House 67 (New), Navana GH Height, Satmasjid Road, Dhanmondi, Dhaka or call +880-1708031363.l

| offers |

Talk on Ethnocentrism, strategic The Mughal Kitchen culture and leadership language celebrates Pohela held at IUB Boishakh

The School of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences at Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) organised a talk on ethnocentrism, strategic culture and leadership language on Tuesday, April 12 at IUB Campus in Bashundhara, Dhaka. Lieutenant General Md Mahfuzur Rahman, principal staff officer, Armed Forces Division was the keynote speaker.

Prof M Omar Rahman, vice chancellor, IUB, delivered the welcome remark.

Among others, Rashed Chowdhury, chairman, Board of Trustees, IUB and Towhid Samad, chairman, Board of Trustees, Chittagong Independent University also spoke on the occasion.

The lecture was followed by a question-answer session attended by the members of the Trustees of the university, members of the faculty and management and a good numbers of students.l

The Mughal Kitchen will be celebrating their fourth Pohela Boishakh this year.

Along with their regular set menu, they will be offering a special set menu which includes khichuri, Ilish, assorted bhortas, soft drinks, and a dessert all priced at Tk350 (net inclusive of VAT

and service charge). The offer is valid from April 14 to April 20.

For details contact Road 9, House-4, Gulshan-1 (right beside the Gulshan DCC market) and for reservations call 9854109,9854110, 01841684425.l

Downtime

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THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2016

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Subordinate ruler (6) 5 Seek charity (3) 7 Heavenly body (5) 8 Narcotic (6) 10 Faucet (3) 12 Worry (4) 13 Cover (3) 14 Halt (4) 16 Unwanted plant (4) 17 Vehicle (3) 18 Furniture item (4) 20 Beak (3) 23 Handsome thoroughfare (6) 24 Combine (5) 25 Rudimentary shoot (3) 26 Emphasise (6)

DOWN 1 Anon (4) 2 Trivial affair (6) 3 Performed (5) 4 Writer of verse (4) 5 Wager (3) 6 Greek letter (3) 9 Dry (4) 11 Mild explosion (3) 14 Unharmed (4) 15 Hypnotic state (6) 16 Pallid (3) 17 Wish for wrongfully (5) 18 Droops (4) 19 Untidy state (4) 21 Flightless bird (3) 22 Resting place (3)

CODE-CRACKER How to solve: Each number in our CODE-CRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 12 represents M so fill M every time the figure 12 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 D E FG H I J K L M NO PQ 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

World

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THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2016

#PANAMAPAPERS LEAK

INSIDE

Developed nations kick off probing offshore dealings revelations n AFP, Paris

Closures, court cases leave Turkey’s media increasingly muzzled Metin Yilmaz, editor-in-chief of the Sozcu newspaper, one of the most outspoken critics of the government in the Turkish media, says he is weighing his words more carefully these days.

PAGE 23

Nepal gets first female chief justice Sushila Karki became the first female acting Chief Justice of Nepal’s Supreme Court on Wednesday, ending the male domination of top posts in the judiciary.

PAGE 23

Tax authorities from the world’s richest nations on Wednesday probed a mass of murky offshore dealings revealed in the huge Panama Papers data leak, just hours after police raided the law firm at the centre of the scandal.

The leak of 11.5 million confidential offshore financial documents from Panamanian law office Mossack Fonseca offered international tax officials meeting in Paris an unprecedented trove of data to delve into alleged wrongdoing, officials said.

“We are basically trying to get the bigger picture,” Australian Tax Commissioner Chris Jordan, who proposed a joint investigation, told the Australian Financial Review business daily ahead of the gathering.

“It has never been tried on this scale before,” Jordan added.

“A number of countries have got slices or pieces of the data and that’s been very useful, but really, the start of the conversation is to work out who’s got what, how we can pool that information and start to work together.”

Australia convened the closed-door meeting in the French capital as chair of the Joint International Tax Shelter Information and Collaboration Network, which seeks to crack down on cross-border tax cheats.

First opportunity to act

US House Speaker Ryan running a campaign, just not for president House of Representative Speaker Paul Ryan will not be the Republican Party’s presidential candidate, as he made clear again on Tuesday when he ruled out the possibility of accepting the nomination at the GOP convention in July.

PAGE 24

The global network looking into tax havens is an initiative of the Paris-headquartered 38-nation advanced economies club, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

“The meeting at the OECD presents tax administrations with a first opportunity to act on the considerable body of information revealed by the Panama Papers release,” the OECD said in a statement in the runup to the one-day gathering.

The tax officials gathered behind closed doors in Paris just hours after the Panamanian police’s organised crime police raided the headquarters of Mossack Fonseca, which says its confidential documents were stolen in a computer hack.

Prosecutors said the raids at

Fallout from the Panama Papers

David Cameron

Under pressure

Forced to resign

Prime Minister Britain

Mauricio Macri Two offshore President Argentina

Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson Prime Minister Iceland

Panama Mossack Fonseca Panamian law firm

Juan Carlos Varela

Member of FIFA’s ethics committee Uruguay

Its documents, leaked to the news media, are at the heart of the scandal

Michael Grahammer Head of regional bank Hypo Vorarlberg Austria

‘US plot’ claim

Although not illegal in themselves, offshore financial transactions may be used to hide assets from tax authorities, launder the proceeds of criminal activities or conceal misappropriated or politically inconvenient wealth.

Iceland’s prime minister was forced to resign after it emerged he owned shares in the country’s banks through an offshore company during the financial crisis.

Leaders in Britain and Ukraine have faced questions over their taxes, while Russian President Vladimir Putin has sought to divert attention from his entourage by claiming it is

Nawaz Sharif Prime Minister Pakistan

Source: ICIJ

Australia convened the meeting in Paris as chair of the Joint International Tax Shelter Information and Collaboration Network all a US plot against him.

China has been censoring online forums and media to stifle discussion of the papers, which showed relatives of eight of its political top brass also owned offshore companies.

And wealthy citizens in Australia, France, India, Mexico, Peru, Spain and elsewhere face probes over suspected tax avoidance after their names figured in some of the documents.

The bigger picture

Banks

HSBC Credit Suisse UBS Societe generale All set up offshore subsidiaries Under pressure to explain their conduct

Petro Porochenko President Had offshore firms in Virgin Isles (UK)

Bert Meerstadt Member of supervisory board, ABN Amro bank Netherlands

firms carry his name Investigation opened

Panama President His country Says ‘open denounced to dialogue’ as a tax haven

Juan Pedro Damiani

Mossack Fonseca’s headquarters in Panama City and other branches had taken place “with no incident or interference,” but gave no details on the results of the searches.

The world’s business, political and even sports elite have been thrown onto the defensive by the findings of a yearlong probe by a consortium of investigative journalists into leaked documents covering almost 40 years from around 214,000 offshore entities.

Had £30,000 of shares in father’s offshore fund Opposition Labour says he still has questions to answer

Panama has hit back at the apparent blemish on its image.

It has warned France of unspecified diplomatic measures if France does not remove it

Ukraine Deputies pushing for an inquiry

Three of his children linked to offshore firms Has promised an investigative commission

from a blacklist of tax havens.

Paris put Panama back on its national list of uncooperative jurisdictions, after removing it in 2012, in the wake of the leaks.

France is also urging the European Union and all OECD member states to follow suit.

Such an international designation would deal a heavy blow to Panama’s vital financial services sector, which the government has been trying to make more transparent.

The European Union unveiled plans Tuesday to force the world’s biggest multinationals to faithfully report earnings and pay their fair share of taxes, saying the Panama Papers scandal demonstrated the need for change.

Its executive arm said that under the new rules, big companies operating in Europe would have to make public what they earn in each member state of the 28-nation bloc.

Country-by-country reporting has been a major demand of tax activists who accuse big corporations of secretly shifting profits to low tax jurisdictions, often using shell companies such as those exposed in the Panama Papers leaks. l

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World THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2016

Pakistan army chief: India undermining China investment corridor n Reuters, Gwadar Pakistan’s army chief on Tuesday accused longtime regional rival India of seeking to undermine his country’s $46bn project to build an economic corridor to transport goods from China’s western regions through the Pakistani deep-water port of Gwadar.

Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif, speaking at a development conference on the im-

pact of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), said the significance of a Pakistan-China economic alliance had “raised eyebrows” in the region.

“In this context, I must highlight that India, our immediate neighbour, has openly challenged this development initiative,” Sharif told the conference in Gwadar.

“I would like to make a special reference to Indian intelligence agency RAW that is bla-

tantly involved in destabilising Pakistan. Let me make it clear that we will not allow anyone to create impediments and turbulence in any part of Pakistan.

Therefore, it is important for all to leave behind confrontation and focus on cooperation.”

Indian officials could not be reached for comment late on Tuesday night. RAW is India’s Research and Analysis Wing, its main external intelligence agency.

Last month, Pakistan said it had detained a suspected Indian spy for RAW in Baluchistan, the southwestern Pakistani province where most of the CPEC is taking shape.

India has confirmed that the man is a former Indian navy official but denied that he is a spy.

India and Pakistan have fought three bloody wars since they were partitioned upon independence in 1947, leading to

a violent separation that has fed decades of mutual suspicion.

Pakistan believes India is supporting a separatist insurgency in Baluchistan. India denies any such meddling.

India has long accused Pakistan of backing militants fighting Indian security forces in its part of the divided Kashmir region, of helping militants launch attacks elsewhere in India and backing the Taliban in Afghanistan. l

World THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2016

INSIGHT

SOUTH ASIA

Closures, court cases leave Turkey’s media increasingly muzzled n Reuters, Istanbul Metin Yilmaz, editor-in-chief of the Sozcu newspaper, one of the most outspoken critics of the government in the Turkish media, says he is weighing his words more carefully these days.

Framed front pages adorn Sozcu’s office walls in testament to its status as a bastion of opposition to President Tayyip Erdogan and the Islamist-rooted AK Party. Red Turkish flags and pictures of the modern republic’s founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk celebrate its secularist roots.

But with the seizure or closure in recent months of several newspapers, broadcasters taken off air and a German TV comedian facing a Turkish legal complaint for insulting Erdogan, journalists like Yilmaz say they are having to think twice about the consequences of their work.

Erdogan rejects such claims. He says journalists are free to criticise him - pointing to headlines that called him a “murderer” or “thief”. Government officials also say no journalists are prosecuted for their work and that some are detained on suspicion of membership of militant groups.

But Erdogan warned if journalists strayed into insults, they would face prosecution in a country where insulting the president is a crime punishable by jail though neither Erdogan nor the law has defined what constitutes such an insult.

Ankara has requested that German authorities prosecute comedian Jan Boehmermann for the crime of “offending foreign states’ organs and representatives” after he recited a sexually crude satirical poem about Erdogan on TV. It comes at a sensitive time for Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has enlisted Erdogan’s help in tackling Europe’s migrant crisis.

Beyond headline-grabbing newspaper closures in Turkey, some journalists,

Pakistan carries out more executions despite protests Pakistan on Wednesday hanged four more prisoners convicted of murder despite international criticism over its surging use of the death penalty. Amnesty International last week described Pakistan as the world’s third most prolific executioner after China and Iran, with 326 hangings last year.

-AFP

INDIA

Kashmir protests death toll rises to 4

Supporters of Can Dundar, editor-in-chief of Cumhuriyet, wait in front of the Justice Palace in Istanbul on April 1 REUTERS rights groups and Western allies worry that the space to express dissent appears to be shrinking rapidly.

Mainstream outlets such as the Hurriyet newspaper or broadcaster CNN Turk, both owned by the country’s leading media group Dogan, are increasingly pressured to toe the government line in their coverage, government critics say.

Assault on media

The Dogan Group last month closed the liberal leftist news website Radikal for what its editor said were financial reasons.

The Dogan Group, Hurriyet and CNN Turk declined to comment. Government officials have denied putting pressure on media bosses.

Dogan, whose interests range from media to real estate and energy, was slapped with a $1.3bn tax fine in 2009 while last month an Istanbul prosecutor submitted a case against its founder, Aydin Dogan, on charges of running a fuel-smuggling ring which he denies. The government has repeatedly said neither case was politically motivated.

Control

Last month, state administrators seized control of the country’s biggest newspaper, Zaman, which was affiliated with Gulen’s religious group. Two other papers linked with the group, Bugun and Millet, were taken over in October. The government said authorities were investigating whether the newspapers were involved in illegal funding of Gulen’s group, a charge they deny.

The trial of the editor-in-chief and Ankara bureau chief of Cumhuriyet newspaper - who face life in prison on espionage charges - meanwhile prompted foreign diplomats to turn up at the courthouse two weeks ago in their support.

The paper had published footage it said showed the state intelligence agency helping send weapons to Syria. The government said the trucks involved were carrying aid and that the trial was a matter of national security. Kurdish media frequently falls foul of the judiciary over its coverage of a Kurdish militant insurgency, and in February the pro-Kurdish IMC channel was pulled off the air over allegations of “spreading terrorist propaganda.” l

Nepal gets first female chief justice Reuters Foundation, n Thomson Kathmandu Sushila Karki became the first female acting Chief Justice of Nepal’s Supreme Court on Wednesday, ending the male domination of top posts in the judiciary.

The Himalayan nation, though still a deeply patriarchal society, is becoming increasingly inclusive, following the end of 10 years of civil war in 2006 and the abolition of the 239-year-old feudal monarchy two years later.

In September last year, a specially elected Constituent Assembly approved the first post-monarchical constitution, which gave women the right to “proportional inclusion” in all government organs.

It also guaranteed equal property rights to

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Sushila Karki

ODISHANEWSINSIGHT.COM

daughters and required that the president and vice-president be from different genders and communities.

The Constitutional Council headed by Prime Minister KP Oli recommended the appointment of Karki, 63, to replace Kalyan Shrestha, who retired on Tuesday.

Her nomination is expected to be confirmed by a parliamentary committee, though this has not yet been formed because of bickering among political parties.

An Oli aide, Pramod Dahal, said Karki would work as acting Chief Justice until the parliamentary hearing, which is a formality.

The appointment of Karki, who was the most senior judge in the Supreme Court, has been hailed by activists as a milestone in women’s empowerment in Nepal, putting it ahead of its giant neighbour India, which has not had a woman as head of its Supreme Court in 65 years as a democracy. l

Indian authorities on Wednesday imposed a curfew in parts of Kashmir to stop fresh anti-India demonstrations following the killings of four people

by Indian troops and a general strike called by separatists. The latest death occurred when a man was hit on his head by a tear gas shell fired by security forces in the northern village of Drugmulla, police said.

-AP

CHINA

Tiananmen museum to close doors in Hong Kong The world’s first museum dedicated to China’s Tiananmen Square crackdown is to close its doors in Hong Kong, with organisers saying they believe they are being targeted for political reasons. It comes at a time when concerns are growing in the semi-autonomous Chinese city that Beijing is tightening its grip. The museum is run by the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China. -REUTERS

ASIA PACIFIC

Poll: S Korea’s ruling party to lose House majority South Korea’s conservative ruling party may have lost its parliamentary majority in Wednesday’s general election, exit polls showed. The polls said the Saenuri Party was forecast to win between 118 and 147 seats in the 300-member assembly.

The main opposition Minjoo Party was expected to secure between 97 and 128 and the splinter opposition People’s Party to win between 31 and 43 seats.

-REUTERS

MIDDLE EAST

Syrians vote for parliament denounced by Assad’s enemies Syrians voted in a parliamentary election in government-held areas of the country on Wednesday in what they called a show of support for President Bashar al-Assad, while his opponents and Western powers denounced the poll as illegitimate. The election is going ahead independently of a UN-led peace process aimed at ending the five-year-long war. -AFP

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World THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2016

USA

Clinton to propose creation of Immigrant Affairs office Democratic presidential aspirant Hillary Clinton on Wednesday will propose the creation of a new national Office of Immigrant Affairs, as she seeks to woo minority and immigrant voters in New York less than a week before the state’s primary. The office would coordinate policies and programs among federal agencies and with state and local governments, according to an aide.

-REUTERS

THE AMERICAS

‘Mexican prisons overcrowded’ Dozens of Mexican prisons are overcrowded and run by inmates, with many sneaking televisions, cellphones and weapons into their cells, a human rights body said Tuesday.

The governmental National Human Rights Commission said in a report that 71 state and six federal penitentiaries - out of more than 150 prisons - are too crowded.

-AFP

UK

Study: Southern euro zone countries fuel EU migration to UK Increasing numbers of Spanish, Italian and Portuguese people are moving to UK to work, likely reflecting weak labour market conditions in the southern eurozone, a new study revealed on Wednesday. The number of people living in UK born in other parts of the EU has reached 3.3m last year, fuelling calls for UK to leave the 28-nation bloc in June referendum.

-AFP

EUROPE

Italy rescues 4,000 migrants in 2 days Italy’s coastguard said Tuesday it had rescued some 4,000 migrants in the past 2 days, adding to fears of a fresh push to reach Europe via that route as the number of migrants landing in Greece sharply recedes. On Tuesday, 2,154 migrants were brought to safety in the Strait of Sicily between Italy and north Africa, on top of the 1,850 rescued in the area on Monday, the coastguard said.

-AFP

AFRICA

Egypt’s president Sisi defends island decision President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi sought to staunch an uproar on Wednesday over Egypt’s unexpected decision to transfer two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia. In an impromptu two-hour policy speech to a group of parliamentarians Sisi reiterated the official view that the islands had always been Saudi and that Egypt had only been looking after them.

-REUTERS

INSIGHT

US House Speaker Ryan running a campaign, just not for president n Tribune International Desk House of Representative Speaker Paul Ryan will not be the Republican Party’s presidential candidate, as he made clear again on Tuesday when he ruled out the possibility of accepting the nomination at the GOP convention in July.

But Ryan is running a campaign this fall -- one to keep his own job as House Speaker by creating an identity for congressional Republicans that is distinct from Ted Cruz, Donald Trump or whoever emerges as the GOP presidential nominee.

Ryan is part of a broad effort from congressional Republicans to take subtle but clear steps to cast themselves as independent from the presidential process. Ryan released a flashy online video last week that urged Americans to avoid “identity politics” and instead called for a “battle of ideas” in 2016, in which conservatives and liberals have a sincere debate over which party’s vision is to best achieve shared goals like economic growth. (That video stoked speculation of a Ryan candidacy, forcing him to pledge unequivocally that

Paul Ryan

REUTERS

he will not be a candidate.)

Identity politics is a phrase that generally refers to political appeals based on race, gender or other cultural issues.

Ryan did not invoke the name Trump directly. But GOP strategists are very worried the real estate mogul, if the party’s nominee, will not only lose the presidential race but could imperil House and Senate incumbents. Trump could either depress GOP turnout, with conservative-leaning voters staying home and therefore not casting votes in key congressional races, or alternatively, opposition to Trump could inspire

heavy Democratic turnout, also resulting in Republican losses.

Republicans control 246 of the House’s 435 seats, so it would require a huge anti-GOP wave for Democrats to win control of the House. But Republicans hold only 54 Senate seats, and they must defend seats in Florida, Illinois, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, all states President Obama won in 2008 and 2012.

It’s nothing new for parties to try to separate themselves from their leaders.

This approach often does not work, since voters view the president or a nominee as the leader and representative of a political party. Republicans lost control of Congress in 2006, and Democrats were defeated in both 2010 and 2014.

Republican candidates in 2016 will have an even harder time distancing themselves from Cruz or Trump, since the GOP nominee will himself be on the same ballot as the House and Senate hopefuls. l

[This is an excerpt of a NBC News article, which can be found at http://nbcnews.to/1oVohrk]

Hashtag fail? #BringBackOurGirls 2 years on n AFP, Lagos More than a week after 276 schoolgirls were kidnapped from the remote northeast Nigerian town of Chibok by Boko Haram on April 14, 2014, a lawyer posted the first #BringBackOurGirls tweet.

Ibrahim Abdullahi’s hashtag would go on to become one of Africa’s most popular online campaigns and was shared more than four million times over the next month on Twitter.

Social media heavyweights such as Kim Kardashian and Chris Brown endorsed it, while US First Lady Michelle Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron both held up signs of the slogan.

It also galvanised international support against Boko Haram at a time when Nigeria’s military was floundering badly in the face of the better-armed rebels, losing territory and vital public support.

But two years on, #BringBackOurGirls risks becoming another example of the limited influence of online protest. On the ground, 219 of the 276 girls are still missing.

Complex issues

#BringBackOurGirls was an initial success, bringing protesters out to the streets in a country where mass public demonstrations are rare.

But domestic politics in Nigeria trumped global outrage, as supporters of Goodluck Jonathan, a southern Christian who was Nigeria’s president at the time of the kidnapping, dismissed it as a fabrication by his political

Sharp rise in child suicide bombers

Boko Haram are forcing increasing numbers to carry out suicide attacks

(January 2014 - February 2016)

Children used in suicide attacks

44

25%

75%

Boys

4 2014

Three quarters of child bombers are girls

2015

Girls

Where children were used

Nearly 1 in 5 suicide bombers is a child Niger 0 Children

Women 18%

19%

18% Unknown

Men 45%

Source: Unicef enemies to derail his re-election campaign.

Limited advocacy

Despite the original #BringBackOurGirls tweet originating in Nigeria itself, US Twitter users posted the majority of the tweets.

Yet even here, the world’s superpower has been unable to secure the girls’ release, despite Boko Haram-related counter-terror-

2 Chad

17

Nigeria

21 Cameroon

ism assistance totalling more than $400m to date. US and British surveillance experts reportedly located some of the missing girls and passed on their findings to the Nigerians but they failed to follow up.

More direct Western military assistance for the counter-insurgency and finding the girls has been limited by concerns about human rights abuses by Nigeria’s armed forces. l

Sport

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THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2016

STATS

INSIDE

Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to score three hat-tricks in Europe’s elite club competition in a single season.

Before Real Madrid, only two teams - Barcelona and Manchester United - have ever overturned a 2-0 away defeat from the first leg of a Champions League tie.

HC division scraps Sk Jamal writ petition The High Court division has disposed the writ petition filed

by Sheikh Jamal DC with certain observations. The players’ status committee of the BFF will now decide the destination of the eight players who left the Dhanmondi outfit for different clubs. PAGE 26

With five hat-tricks each, Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have the highest number of trebles in the Champions League.

With the exception of Ronaldo’s three hat-tricks this season, there have been a grand total of three trebles scored in the Champions League this season by every other player.

Ronaldo is the first player to bag 15+ goals in two Champions League seasons.

Ronaldo has netted 16 goals in the Champions this season. The all-time record goal-scorer is himself, with 17 goals two years ago.

Ctg Abahani continue winning run Chittagong Abahani are one step closer to confirming a berth in the KFC Independence Cup semifinals as they thrashed Brothers Union 3-0 in a Group A match at Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday. Leonel Saint Preux netted a brace while Zahid Hossain added the other. PAGE 27

Ronaldo has scored against 31 different teams in the Champions League.

Ronaldo has now scored 15 goals in European Cup quarter-finals, one more than the legendary Alfredo Di Stefano.

Real Madrid starlet Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates scoring during their Champions League 2nd leg quarter-final against Wolfsburg at Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday

Ronaldo has 93 Champions League goals to his credit, 10 more than Messi and 22 more than Real legend Raul.

Real are still the only team yet to concede a goal at home in the Champions League this season.

AP

City win shows Pellegrini still shining Manchester City’s Champions League quarter-final success over PSG demonstrated that reports of the team’s demise under Manuel Pellegrini have been exaggerated.

Pellegrini has been cast as a dead man walking. PAGE 28

Leicester dominate best player shortlist Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy, N’Golo Kante and Riyad Mahrez, Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil, Tottenham’s Harry Kane and West Ham’s Dimitri Payet are the nominees for the Professional Footballers’ Association Players’ player of the year. PAGE 29

Ronaldo has scored in 62 different Champions League matches; more than any other player (Raul - 56, next most).

Hat-trick king silences big game critics n AFP, Madrid “Goals are in my DNA,” concluded Cristiano Ronaldo after spearheading a famous Real Madrid comeback with a hattrick to see off Wolfsburg and reach the Champions League semi-finals for a record sixth straight season.

The three-time World Player of the Year’s self-appraisals are rarely humble. It is just six weeks since he called out his teammates for not matching his standards in a 1-0 defeat to local rivals Atletico Madrid.

Yet, it was hard to argue with Ronaldo’s logic as he snapped back at critics that his barrel load of goals haven’t come when Real have needed them most.

On the night coach Zinedine Zidane’s admitted Madrid’s season was “on the line”, Ronaldo’s treble overturned a 2-0 first leg deficit in a 3-0 win over the Germans. “Considering this has been a bad season for me it has not been that bad,” he

added after taking his tally for the season in all competitions to 46.

“People can criticise me, but I just keep on going and the numbers are there for all to see.”

The numbers are indeed spectacular.

Ronaldo has now scored at least 45 goals in his last six seasons for Madrid.

There was no holding back in the Madrid press’ displays of affection for Ronaldo yesterday’s front pages.

“How great you are,” ran sports daily Marca.

Meanwhile, AS led with “how am I not going to love you,” alongside a picture of Ronaldo celebrating his third.

“Little-by-little you are valuing me,” Ronaldo responded when asked why despite 359 goals in just 342 games to streak ahead as the top scorer in Madrid’s history, he still isn’t universally loved in a season where he has even been whistled by his own fans.l

MATCH STATS Real Madrid 3-0 Wolfsburg Ronaldo 16, 17, 77 Real Madrid won 3-2 on aggregate

3 Goals Scored 56 Possession (%) 16 Total Attempts 7 On Target 5 Off Target 4 Blocked 2 Against Woodwork Corners 12 Offsides 5 1 Yellow Cards Red Cards 0 10 Fouls Committed Passes 589 Completed 525

0 44 9 3 3 3 0 4 3 4 0 9 449 378

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Sport

THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2016

HC division scraps Sk Jamal writ petition n Tribune Report

Roger Federer plays a shot to Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (unseen) at Monte Carlo Masters in Monaco on Tuesday. Federer won 6-3,6-4

REUTERS

The High Court division has disposed the writ petition filed recently by Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club with certain observations.

The players’ status committee of the Bangladesh Football Federation will now decide the destination of the eight players who left the Dhanmondi outfit for different clubs in recent times.

The HC bench of Justice Kamrul Islam Siddiqui and Razik Al Jalil yesterday passed the order and directed the BFF committee to resolve the issue as per the regulations of world football’s governing body Fifa.

The court in its observation said it was not fair on behalf of the players to take money from the other clubs as they were still contracted with Sheikh Jamal.

The octet will not play any games or tournaments till the matter is cleared by the committee.

Meanwhile, the BFF committee earlier decided that five players – Mamunul Islam, Sohel Rana, Nasir Uddin Chowdhury, Rayhan Hasan and Yeamin Ahmed Munna – would get to feature for Chittagong Abahani. Jamal Bhuiyan and Alamgir Kabir Rana will be able to turn out for Sheikh Russel and goalkeeper Shahidul Alam Sohel for Abahani Limited.l

DHAKA PREMIER LEAGUE 2015-16 PREVIEW PRIME BANK CRICKET CLUB The upcoming edition will only be Prime Bank’s third ever appearance in the lone 50-over competition but the side’s discipline and ambition enabled them to the title last season.

Prime Bank were promoted to the DPL after they finished at the summit of the Dhaka First Division Cricket League three years ago.

And in their maiden DPL outing, they ended at fifth position following an impressive campaign.

The Bank side this season missed out on a bit of experience in the recently held players’ draft but their opponents will not commit the silly mistake of under-estimating them, given their long list of young and talented cricketers. All they have to do now is to recruit an experienced all-rounder to fill the foreign player’s quota.

Among the locals, icon cricketer Sabbir Rahman will be expected to lead from the front with the willow.

RESULTS

(Appeared In Two Seasons Only) 2014-15 (first), 2013-14 (fifth)

PLAYERS TO WATCH Sabbir Rahman, Rubel Hossain, Yasir Ali Rabbi

SQUAD (so far) Mehedi Maruf, Taibur Rahman Parvez, Nazmul Islam Apu, Rubel Hossain, Yasir Ali Rabbi, Monir Hossain Khan, Shehnaz Ahmed, Mohammad Azim, Jony Talukdar, Yasir Arafat Mishu, Sabbir Rahman

LEGENDS OF RUPGANJ This might be the club’s second ever appearance in the DPL but they have barely been out of the headlines in their only outing so far, thanks to owner Lutfur Rahman Badal, who bought Gazi Tank Cricketers and renamed it last season, finishing fifth.

Badal, who holds the reputation of spending the most amount of money in the DPL, has been on the run ever since his dispute with the Bangladesh Cricket Board last season. The board’s decision to hold the players’ draft was in order to stop Badal from roping in countless star cricketers like Tamim Iqbal and Shakib al Hasan.

However, it seems Badal’s absence will hardly matter this season as Rupganj, under the stewardship of former Bangladesh wicket-keeper Khaled Mashud Pilot, came up with a very balanced side.

And it was learned that the side have their eyes fixated on Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Malik for the lone foreign player’s quota.

RESULTS

(Appeared In One Season Only) 2014-15 (fifth)

PLAYERS TO WATCH Soumya Sarkar, Jahurul Islam Omi, Mohammad Mithun, Asif Ahmed Ratul

SQUAD (so far) Soumya Sarkar, Mohammad Mithun, Jahurul Islam Omi, Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Taijul Islam, Asif Ahmed Ratul, Abu Haider Rony, Junaid Siddiqui, Alauddin Babu, Mijanur Rahman, Mehedi Hasan Rana, Mohammed Nahidul Islam, Sajjadul Haque Ripon, Murad Khan, Mohammad Shahin Hossain –MINHAZ UDDIN KHAN

Sport

THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2016

Ctg Abahani continue winning run

QUICK BYTES Bell sends England reminder with century Ian Bell stated his case for an England recall with a century in his first County Championship innings of the season on Tuesday. Bell, dropped for England’s tour of South Africa that spanned Christmas and the New Year, completed his 51st first-class hundred on Tuesday after resuming on 34 not out following Monday’s washout. He went on to complete a hundred that featured just eight fours in 218 balls and was 130 not out at stumps as Warwickshire closed on 283 for six in reply to Hampshire’s 202.

n Tribune Report

–AFP

Ozil hopes body language sends right message to Gunners Midfielder Mesut Ozil is looking to reassure Arsenal’s fans that he is committed to fighting for honours until the end of the season after saying last month that the club only had an outside chance of winning any silverware. The German international has a league-leading 18 assists so far this campaign, but is concerned his languid playing style could give supporters the impression that he is not up for the task of chasing down Premier League leaders Leicester City.

–REUTERS

WADA announces meldonium amnesty The presence of less than one microgram of meldonium in doping samples in tests conducted on athletes before March 1 this year is acceptable, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said yesterday.

Meldonium was added to WADA’s list of banned substances on Jan. 1, 2016, with athletes around the world being informed of the decision in the autumn of 2015.

–REUTERS

Wisden honour for McCullum, Williamson New Zealand’s Brendon McCullum and Kane Williamson, as well as Australia captain Steven Smith, have been chosen among the Wisden Almanack’s Five Cricketers of the Year announced yesterday. The quintet is completed by the England duo of all-rounder Ben Stokes and Jonathan Bairstow. In the personal gift of the editor of cricket’s ‘bible’, which has been published annually since 1864, a player can only be named as a ‘Cricketer of the Year’ once in his career.

–AFP

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Feni Soccer Club (L) and Sheikh Russel booters in action during their KFC Independence Cup clash at Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

Chittagong Abahani are one step closer to confirming a berth in the KFC Independence Cup semi-finals as they thrashed Brothers Union 3-0 in a Group A match at Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.

Haitian forward Leonel Saint Preux netted a brace while pacey winger Zahid Hossain added the other from the spot to give the Chittagong outfit their third straight victory in the season-opening tournament.

They now have maximum nine points from three matches to sit at the summit of Group A, along with Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club.

Preux put the port-city club ahead at the halfhour mark. He initiated the attack by setting up Toklis Ahmed with a through pass at the right flank.

Toklis returned the pass to the Haitian who smashed home into an empty net from the centre of the box.

Preux doubled the lead in the 56th minute before Zahid completed the scoreline 13 minutes from time. Meanwhile in the day’s other match at the same venue, Sheikh Russel KC confirmed their last-four berth, despite being held to a goalless draw by Feni Soccer Club. l

Liton eager to shine in DPL n Minhaz Uddin Khan Having ended as the second highest run-scorer in the last season of the Dhaka Premier League, Liton Kumar Das deservedly earned his maiden call-up to the national side.

Stumper-batsman Liton had scored an impressive 686 runs for Abahani Limited and the national selection panel thought it was the opportune moment to give Liton his international bow, that too in all three formats of the game.

His glory however, proved to be short-lived.

Liton made his last Bangladesh appearance in the ODI and Twenty20 international series’ against Zimbabwe at home last November.

Thereafter, he sat out the home T20I series against Zimbabwe last January and the Asia Cup T20 and the World T20.

The national discard though is not short of determination as far as scripting a comeback to the national fold is concerned. Despite being out of the reckoning for almost six months now, Liton believes scoring big in domestic cricket will enable him to

regain his place in the Tigers set-up.

“The captain and the coach want me to make a comeback and I also want the same thing. Performance is the only key to that. I will have to perform no matter which team I play for. At the moment, I am not concentrating on any

particular version of cricket but the premier league itself,” Liton told the media at Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday.

Keeping that in mind, it is imperative for Liton to play a stellar role, at least with the bat, in the upcoming DPL, starting from April 22.

In the players’ draft held recently, Abahani Limited retained Liton and the wicketkeeper-batsman believes he is a lucky lad to be a part of the Dhanmondi-based club for the second season in a row.

“I feel lucky, to be honest, because of getting the chance to play for a big team. I also wanted to be a part of this team and my wish came true.

I had performed well for Abahani last season,” Liton explained.

Liton went on to inform that he has chalked out some plans for the premier league but does not want to reveal them as yet.

He added that he misses the national dressing room and thinks a good campaign in the 2015-16 DPL will help him to forget the dreadful days of the recent past and bring him back to national reckoning. l

BSPA to honour female gold medallists n Tribune Report Bangladesh Sports Press Association has announced that it would honour the women athletes who brought gold medals for the nation from different international events since the independence of Bangladesh.

Under the title of “Krirangoner Adamya Nari”, the BSPA will accord a reception to 15 of the 18 gold-medallists at National Sports Council this Saturday. The other three gold-medal winners are currently abroad.

WIM and iconic chess player Rani Hamid will be felicitated with the lifetime achievement accolade.

BSPA president Mostafa Mamun said in a press conference yesterday that their main target is to bring the country’s top female athletes and organisers under the same platform.

The female gold-medal winners are – swimmer Mahfuza Khatun Shila, weightlifter Mabia Akter Simanta, taekwondo players Shammi Akter and Sharmin Farzana Rumi, karate players Jo Woo Proo, Usainu Marma and Mariam Khatun, shooters Sharmin Akter Ratna, Sayeeda Sadia Sultana, Tripti Datta, Sharmin Akter, Sabrina Sultana and Kazi Shahana Parvin, wushu player Eti Islam and athlete Rahima Khanam Juthi.l

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THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2016

MATCH STATS Man City

1-0

PSG

De Bruyne 76 Man City won 3-2 on aggregate

38 11 1 8 2 0 6 2 1 0 18 343 289

Possession (%) Total Attempts On Target Off Target Blocked Against Woodwork Corners Offsides Yellow Cards Red Cards Fouls Committed Passes Completed

62 6 5 0 1 0 5 4 3 0 13 681 607

Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart saves from PSG’s Edinson Cavani (R) during their UEFA Champions League quarter-final 2nd Leg at Etihad Stadium on Tuesday –REUTERS

City breakthrough shows Pellegrini still punching n AFP, Manchester Manchester City’s Champions League quarter-final success over Paris Saint-Germain demonstrated that reports of the team’s demise under Manuel Pellegrini have been greatly exaggerated.

Pellegrini has been cast as a dead man walking ever since the announcement on February 1 that Pep Guardiola will succeed him as manager at the season’s end and City’s dwindling league form of three wins in eight games was held up as proof that his players had downed tools.

Instead they pulled off the most

eye-catching European result since the club’s acquisition by super-rich Emirati owner Sheikh Mansour in 2008, giving Pellegrini a moment of sweet personal vindication.

“I came to City because I had good performances in Europe, so to leave this club without taking them to a new state would have been a bad thing for me,” said the Chilean, who succeeded Roberto Mancini in 2013.

“It is very important to me to be in the semi-finals because that is my job.”

It is the third time Pellegrini, 62, has broken new ground for a club in the

Champions League, having led Villarreal to the semi-finals in 2006 and steered Malaga to the last eight in 2013.

An urbane, understated figure, Pellegrini has already brought one Premier League title and two League Cups to the Etihad Stadium, but although it took the might of Barcelona to oust City from the Champions League in his first two seasons, he has been seen as something of a tactical ingenu. Pellegrini, it was said, was too closely wedded to attacking football to achieve success in Europe, but the manner of the triumph over PSG showed that City could play on the front foot in

the Champions League, and prosper.

City were sloppily defensively in the first leg, but scored opportunistic away goals through Kevin De Bruyne and Fernandinho, and their reward for refusing to sit on their advantage in Tuesday’s return leg was the 76th-minute De Bruyne strike that sealed a 3-2 aggregate win.

That PSG were their last-eight victims was rich in symbolism - the other club buoyed by vast Middle Eastern wealth, already French champions and supposedly several developmental stages ahead of City, sent back to Paris with their tails between their legs.l

De Bruyne, Chelsea’s loss is City’s gain n Daily Mail Manchester City are breaking new ground and Chelsea supporters are getting worked up going over the old.

How exactly has Kevin De Bruyne ended up doing for City what he never did for Chelsea?

What an interesting case of rising, falling and rising again, wrapped up in some huge transfer fees and accusations that his attitude at Stamford Bridge was all wrong.

The road, via Genk, Chelsea, Werder Bremen, Wolfsburg and back to England, ultimately led to the Etihad Stadium last night and one wonderful goal to send City past PSG and into the Champions League semi-finals.

While Chelsea are playing out dead rubbers at the end of a mystifyingly poor season, City are atoning for their own poor domestic campaign by chasing success on the biggest club stage of all.

De Bruyne, the £54m club record

DE BRUYNE’S CAREER SO FAR Season

Team

App Goals

2008–2012

Genk

113

17

2012–2014

Chelsea

9

0

2012–2013

Werder Bremen

34

10

2014–2015

Wolfsburg

72

20

2015–

Manchester City

34

15

2010–2011

Belgium Under-21

2

0

Belgium

38

12

2010–

signing from Wolfsburg, has been central to it all, scoring 14 goals and making a further 12 across 34 appearances in all competitions this season.

It’s why Pep Guardiola is understood to be keen to build his team around the Belgian playmaker when he rocks up this summer.

The incoming City manager has long admired a 24-year-old with the versatility of thought and skill to play almost

anywhere across the attacking positions.

Guardiola, the Bayern Munich manager since 2013, was present for almost the entirety of De Bruyne’s career rebuild in Germany.

Guardiola was relieved to see him go when City made the astonishing bid of £54m to bring him back to England.

Speaking in October, Guardiola said: “How De Bruyne played over 18 months at Wolfsburg was madness.”

Fittingly, “madness” sums up how elements of Chelsea’s support feel about the decision to let De Bruyne get away.

That, of course, is subject to tremendous amounts of hindsight.

He arrived at the club from Genk for almost £7m in January 2012, aged 20 and with a five-and-a-half year contract.

But, Eden Hazard, Willian, Oscar and Andre Schurrle were all preferred

by Jose Mourinho, even though there have been suggestions in Belgium that it was not the manager’s decision to sell when the £18m offer came in from Wolfsburg. l

Sport

THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2016

Leicester dominate PFA Players’ player of the year shortlist n Reuters Leicester City trio Jamie Vardy, N’Golo Kante and Riyad Mahrez, Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil, Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane and West Ham United’s Dimitri Payet are the nominees for the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) Players’ player of the year.

Leicester’s unexpected Premier League title charge this season has been led by 21-goal striker Vardy, while Mahrez has chipped in with 16 goals and 11 assists and Kante has gained plaudits for his defensive midfield role.

Despite Arsenal looking unlikely to end their 12-year wait for the title, Ozil has almost single-handedly kept alive their faint hopes by scoring six goals and leading the assists chart with 18, two behind the all-time Premier League record.

Kane leads the race for the golden boot with

‘Facing Dortmund will be like playing video game’ n Reuters Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge has drawn comparisons between his team’s upcoming Europa League quarter-final, second-leg clash against Borussia Dortmund and playing the FIFA video game.

Dortmund, second in the Bundesliga, travel to Anfield for the return leg on Thursday having conceded an away goal in the 1-1, first-leg draw in Germany, and Sturridge drew the unusual parallel to describe his emotions before the game.l

EUROPA FIXTURES Donetsk v Braga, First leg: 2-1 Sparta Prague v Villarreal, First leg: 1-2 Sevilla v Athletic Bilbao, First leg: 2-1 Liverpool v Dortmund, First leg: 1-1

DAY’S WATCH FOOTBALL TEN 1 12:45PM UEFA Europa League Sevilla v Athletic

TEN 2 12:45PM UEFA Europa League Liverpool v Dortmund

TEN 3 12:45PM UEFA Europa League Sparta Praha v Villarreal

CRICKET SONY SIX, ESPN 8:30PM Indian Premier League Gujarat v Pune

22 goals and has inspired Spurs’ surprising bid for their first title since 1961, while Payet, with nine goals and nine assists, has been pivotal to the Hammers’ Champions League dreams.

Kane is in contention to retain his Young Player of the Year award and he is joined by team mate Dele Alli, Everton duo Romelu Lukaku and Ross Barkley, Stoke City’s Jack Butland and Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho. Alli, 20, joined from second-tier side Milton Keynes Dons in 2015 and his eight goals and 12 assists have been instrumental to Spurs’ title hopes, while goalkeeper Butland made 102 saves, the second most, before injury ruled him out of the season.

Despite Everton’s lacklustre campaign, Lukaku is in contention for the golden boot, having notched up 18 goals, and Barkley has shrugged off injury concerns to put in dominating displays.l

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Showtime THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2016

No hilsa this Pohela Boishakh n Hasan Mansoor Chatak

For the past decade, hilsa, the national fish of Bangladesh, has become an integral part of Pohela Boishakh celebrations. People from the urban regions, in particular, are accustomed to consuming a dish of panta-Ilish, a combination of leftover rice soaked in water with hilsa that is either fried, steamed or served in curry form.

Interestingly, experts have stated that this practice cannot be traced back to our history or our Bangladeshi tradition, with no signs of this practice occurring for a thousand years.

Furthermore, the practice of eating hilsa on the first day of Boishakh is one of recent origin, a habit that can lead to the extinction of the species.

Showtime spoke to a few leading stars who’ve taken a stance to eliminate hilsa from their Boishakh diet, to set an example for others to do the same.

Maqsoodul Haque Firstly, as a dish itself, the combination of panta and Hilsa is ludicrous. People who hail from the rural areas of the country know that Panta bhaat is actually eaten with green chillies and onions - the two spices used to add flavour to the dish. I think it was the idea of profit mongers to link hilsa to the celebration. There is no relation between consuming Hilsa with the Bengali New Year celebration.

In villages you will see there is no

hilsa fish. What’s even more alarming is that we are not only consuming the fish but also the eggs. If people can avoid consuming Jatka or mother hilsa along with hilsa eggs this time around, hilsa fish may be saved from extinction.

We can only consider this a successful one if we actually manage to save hundreds of thousands of fishes during the occasion.

Tariq Anam Khan Although we did celebrate the occasion for years, I don’t think there was such an

Travelling through Jungle Book

n Showtime Desk This Friday will be an exciting day for all Jungle book lovers as Bashundhara City Star Cineplex is releasing Jungle book this Friday.

Jon Favreau directs this stunning re-imagining of the classic Rudyard Kipling tale The Jungle Book, Neel Sethi plays the orphaned Mowgli, who’s raised in the jungle with the help of talking animals. Scarlett Johansson, Idris Elba, Bill Murray, and Christopher Walken headline the A-list voice cast.

Directed by Jon Favreau (Iron Man), based on Rudyard Kipling’s timeless stories and inspired by Disney’s classic animated film, The Jungle Book is an all-new live-action epic adventure about Mowgli (newcomer Neel Sethi), a man-cub who’s been raised by a family of wolves. But Mowgli finds

he is no longer welcome in the jungle when fearsome tiger Shere Khan (voice of Idris Elba), who bears the scars of Man, promises to eliminate what he sees as a threat. Urged to abandon the only home he’s ever known, Mowgli embarks on a captivating journey of self-discovery, guided by pantherturned-stern mentor Bagheera (voice of Ben Kingsley), and the free-spirited bear Baloo (voice of Bill Murray). Along the way, Mowgli encounters jungle creatures who don’t exactly have his best interests at heart, including Kaa (voice of Scarlett Johansson), a python whose seductive voice and gaze hypnotises the man-cub, and the smooth-talking King Louie (voice of Christopher Walken), who tries to coerce Mowgli into giving up the secret to the elusive and deadly red flower. l

obligatory custom to eat panta-ilish on this day.

I don’t believe that we will lose touch with our Bengali traditions if we abstain from eating Hilsa during our Pohela Boishakh celebrations. I’m no expert on the matter, but if this is the breeding time for the fish, we should abstain from consuming it during this time period.

We should be more concerned about the survival of this breed of fish. If we can preserve jatka or mother hilsa then definitely we will be able to harvest more.

Fahmida Nabi First and foremost, as a socially concerned citizen, one should refrain from any practice which is bad for our society. There is no such obligation that I have to eat hilsa on this day.

I support those who’ve taken a strong stance against eating Hilsa during Pohela Boishakh. Catching Hilsa around this time of the year would bring long term loss to our country.

Although I adore hilsa eggs, I won’t have any hilsa dish during Boishakh. l

Ananda Alo honours 12 personalities

n Showtime Desk Entertainment based fortnightly magazine Ananda Alo is going to celebrate 12 years in production on the very first day of the Bengali New Year 1423.

The magazine is going to celebrate their birthday celebration along with a prize giving ceremony on April 14, 2016. Ananda Alo is going to honour

12 personalities from media and entertainment segments for their leadership and contribution to society.

They are Syed Shamsul Houque, Motiur Rahman Chowdhury, Golam Sarwar, Arefin Badal, Shubarna Mustafa, Shahidul Houque Khan, Chinmoy Mutsuddi, Shahjahan Chowdhury, Abdur Rahman, Arun Chowdhury, Mazharul Islam and Kaniz Almas Khan. l

Showtime THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2016

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Generation next n Rupkotha Chowdhury

Boishakh marks our journey into the Bengali New Year, as we look forward to new beginnings and let go of the demons from the past year. As we step into the Bengali New Year, Showtime wanted to take a look at upcoming celebrity offspring who are making news for promising performances in their respective fields.

Sriya Shorbojoya Those who know her personally would agree that Sriya is one of the most downto-earth celebrities you’ll ever come across. The only daughter of legendary actors Aly Zaker and Sara Zaker, she made her name as a popular RJ in the radio scene. Sriya then worked hard to set up her very own station Radio Shadhin, which has earned the title of being the first ever indie station of the country along with the motive to empower women. She has established herself as a versatile actress, performing on stage in Naamgotroheen, in drama serials Pinjor, Five Female Friends and in a telefilm titled, Ekjon Rupban er Golpo.

Sriya is widely considered as an icon for young Bangladeshi women.

Armeen Musa Daughter of singer Nashid Kamal, Armeen Musa broke into the Bangladeshi music scene with “Bhromor Koio Giya”

over a decade ago. She is now a fullfledged musician with her newly formed band The Ghaashphoring Choir that has already become a favourite among music lovers.

Ariq Anam Khan Son of media personalities Tarik Anam Khan and Nima Rahman, Ariq has proven himself as an actor by being a regular for heavyweight theatre troupe Natya Kendro. Recently, his acting skills were well received in a hit TVC for carbonated drink brand Mojo.

Nazia Toma Daughter of famous singer Fatema Tuz Zohra, Nazia recently had her album released by G-Series. She took her first step in music holding her mother’s hand and was later trained by others to further polish her singing skills.

Premiere of Shankhachil held n Showtime Desk Indian 63rd National Award winning film Shankhachil is all set to be released in both Bengals on April 14, marking the beginning of the Bengali New Year (Pohela Boishakh). Tollywood superstar Prosenjit Chatterjee was in Dhaka for the premiere of this film, which took place at Star Cineplex in the capital.

Prosenjit, Kusum Sikdar, Director Goutam Ghose, Faridur Reza Sagar and Shajbati were present.

Zee Studios is planning to release the Bengali flick with subtitles on April 15.

With the release of this film, Shankhachil becomes the first Bengali film to release

in 4K projection in Bengal.

After the immense success of Moner Manush, director Goutam Ghose is ready to wow audiences yet again with another mesmerising Indo-Bangladesh saga. Shankhachil is a story of the physical and emotional journey of a family along the Indo-Bangladesh border.

Based on an original story by Goutam Ghose and Sayantani Pututanduand and produced by Ideas Creations, Productions Pvt. Ltd, Ashirbad Chalochittra and Impress Telefilm Ltd, Shankhachil is an evocative story that highlights the theme of the suffering of humanity divided by national borders. l

Nuhash Humayun Son of one of the most prominent literary figures of the country, Humayun Ahmed and his ex-wife Gultekin Khan, Nuhash has huge shoes to fill. He is currently working as a writer whose skills have already touched the audiences in recent times. Not to put too much pressure on him, but the audiences are eagerly waiting for more dynamic stories and content from him.

Zerin Zahid Pushpita Actress-dancer Mou and her daughter Zerin Zahid Pushpita were first seen performing to Sabina Yasmin and her daughter’s songs last year. It was Pushpita’s official introduction to Bangladeshi media, accompanied by her mother.

Badhon The daughter of iconic singer Sabina Yasmin, Badhon was seen sharing the same stage of the popular show Ittyadi along with Mou’s daugher Pushpita.

Ahnaf Tazwar Ayub When your dad is referred to as the “Joe Satriani” of the country, you know exactly what the audiences expect from you, especially if you are a guitarist yourself. Ahnaf knows all that and more as he was seen performing alongside his father, a legend in the band scene for decades, Ayub Bachchu. The teenager not only kept up with the maestro but created a buzz among the fans of LRB. His father believes that Ahnaf is ready to join the band, so we have reason to believe that he will join his father and maybe carry the torch into the next few decades.

Just like Pushpita, music enthusiasts are waiting to hear more from her in the future.

Apart from the ones mentioned here, there are many celebrity children who have worked in the media over the years and flourished like Akhi Alamgir, Pratik Hasan, Bappa Raj, Shamrat, Bipasha Hayat, Natasha Hayat and many more.

We can only wait to find out what the new generation has in store for the audiences and hope that they will work together to take our industry a step further than their predecessors. l

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‘Govt using judiciary for political ends’ n Tribune Desk The International Crisis Group has expressed concerns over the ongoing political repression in Bangladesh saying that the government’s abuse of rule of law institutions for political ends has created an atmosphere of injustice that is increasingly exploited by anti-state extremist groups.

To overcome the situation the Brussels-based organisation in its new report “Political Conflict, Extremism and Criminal Justice in Bangladesh” has suggested that the government restore political stability and ensure security, respect the constitutional right to free speech and dissent, ensure due process and end political interference in the justice system, modernise the criminal justice system and push for a broader political reform agenda.

“As the Awami League government’s political rivalry with the Bangladesh National Party (BNP) reaches new heights, so has its repression. At the same time, a deeply politicised, dysfunctional criminal justice system is undermining rather than buttressing the rule of law.

“Heavy-handed measures are denting the government’s legitimacy and, by provoking violent counter-responses, benefiting violent party wings and extremist groups alike,” the report says.

The ICG asked the government to depoliticise and strengthen all aspects of the criminal justice system, including the judiciary, “so it can address the country’s myriad law and order challenges and help stall a democratic collapse.”

On the other hand, the BNP should commit to peaceful opposition, including by preventing party activists from using violence to subvert the political order; and sever ties with political allies who use violence to destabilise the government.

It says the political conflict between the Awami League and the BNP has resulted in high levels of violence and a brutal state response. “The government’s excesses against political opponents and critics include enforced disappearances, torture and extra-judicial killings.”

The group says that the permissive legal environment is creating opportunities for extremist outfits to regroup, manifested in the killings of secular bloggers

and foreigners and attacks on sectarian and religious minorities last year.

The ICG has also urged the government to withdraw all cases against journalists, human rights groups and other civil society actors that are based on vague and dubious grounds, such as expressing views deemed “derogatory” of public officials or against the “public interest,” and end press closures and raids on media offices.

It has demanded that the 2014 national broadcast policy be withdrawn and the restrictions on online expression in the Information and Technology Act be removed.

The judiciary should refrain from issuing contempt of court citations to media and other civil society representatives for criticising court judgements, and overturn unjustified contempt convictions in other courts, including the International Crimes Tribunal.

“The government’s reaction to rising extremism, including arrest and prosecution of several suspects without due process and transparency, is fuelling alienation that these groups can further exploit,” it observes.

“Politicising the police and using elite forces, particularly the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), to silence political dissent, are laying the seeds of future violence.

By concentrating on targeting the opposition, the police are failing to curb criminality and losing credibility.

The report says that while reforming the dysfunctional criminal justice system – by investing in training, equipping and otherwise modernising the police, prosecution and judiciary, the government must take it out of politics.

“The deeply flawed International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) is an important example of the dangers of using rule of law institutions for political ends. Perceptions of injustice are creating opportunities for extremist groups and fuelling political conflict.”

The report says that the international community can help to promote political reconciliation by, in the US and EU case, using economic levers to pressure Dhaka to respect civil and political rights, and in New Delhi’s by using close ties to urge the AL to allow the opposition legitimate political expression and participation. l

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