21 April, 2016

SECOND EDITION

THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 2016

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Boishakh 8, 1423, Rajab 13, 1437

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Regd No DA 6238, Vol 3, No 365

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

Police may seek fresh remand for Shafik Rehman n Arifur Rahman Rabbi

A policeman works on a newly introduced software that produces facial composites of suspects, based on descriptions of their physical features provided by victims or eyewitnesses of a crime. The photo was taken at the office of the Police Bureau of Investigation recently ARIFUR RAHMAN RABBI

Police using software to sketch faces of suspects

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CID: Tonu murder probe almost complete n Mohiuddin Molla from Comilla and Ashif Islam Shaon

come out with more efficient outcome,” PBI's Ahsan Habib added.

Not only the PBI, but other law enforcement agencies and civilians can also use the tool if they find it necessary, he added.

It is expected that the software can help authorities solve criminal cases in a more speedy manner than traditional procedures.

Zia Rahman, head of Dhaka University's criminology department, said there might be limitations to the software but it would still help in identifying suspects in criminal cases.

Omar Faruk, associate professor of criminology and police science at Maulana Bhashani Science and

Technology University, welcomed the introduction of the software.

However, he said this can only be a supportive tool to identify criminals.

The weakest point in a scientific approach to criminal investigation in Bangladesh was the lack of a criminal database or a national offender profiling system in the country, Faruk said.

“The software cannot help identify and detect criminals if the other requirements cannot be given into the software properly.

The police can take an idea from the software if all input goes well, but the absolute picture cannot be

Detectives have nearly completed the investigation into the sensational murder of college student and theatre activist Sohagi Jahan Tonu who was killed after allegedly being raped inside Comilla's Maynamati Cantonment on March 20.

Criminal Investigation Department's Special Superintendent Abdul Kahar Akand, who is coordinating the investigation, yesterday said that they were hopeful of reaching a conclusion soon.

“We have quizzed a number of people and are now scrutinising the information,” he told reporters in Comilla.

The CID officers yesterday interrogated four people – Tonu's uncle Alal Hossain, aunt Sajeda Begum,

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‘Money behind muezzin murder’

10 arrested in Gazipur DBBL booth robbery

13 killed as two buses collide in Rangpur

Disputes over the financial control of a mosque in Old Dhaka’s Islampur allegedly led to the murder of the mosque’s muezzin earlier this month.  PAGE 3

The Rapid Action Battalion has arrested ten people suspected of carrying out the loot of Tk1.84 crore from a Dutch Bangla Bank Limited (DBBL) Automated Teller Machine in March.  PAGE 4

At least 13 people were killed and 60 others injured in a head-on collision between two buses in Ekochalia area in Taraganj upazila of Rangpur yesterday morning.  PAGE 7

n Arifur Rahman Rabbi Police have started using a facial composite software that can create sketches of criminal suspects' faces based on descriptions provided by victims or witnesses.

The Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) introduced the face drawing and identification solution software at the start of April, PBI Special Superintendent of Police Ahsan Habib Palash told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

Although such tools are widely used by the police across the world, this is the first time that Bangladesh has introduced such a crime-solving technique.

INSIDE

Law enforcers may seek another round of remand for Shafik Rehman over his alleged involvement in a plot to abduct and kill Sajeeb Wazed Joy. “We are getting necessary information from Shafik Rehman during interrogation. We may ask for another round of remand, if required,” said DMP Deputy Commissioner Mashrukur Rahman Khaled.

Veteran journalist Shafik was arrested and put on a five-day remand on April 16, which means the ongoing remand will end today.

During interrogation, Shafik has reportedly admitted that JaSaS vice-president's son Rizve Ahmed Caesar was given $30,000 to pay it forward to former FBI special agent Robert Lustyik to execute the socalled plot against Joy, the son of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Milton Bhuiyan, a businessman

The software was purchased from England for over Tk2 crore, while PBI officials were trained there to ensure they can get the maximum use of the software.

The sketches are made when victims report a crime at police stations and describe the facial features of the suspect. The software has different patterns of geometry and texture, including facial features and hair styles, to produce a lifelike sketch.

“In primary examinations, the newly introduced tool seems to have satisfactory outcome. Once the officials get acquainted with it through more training and firsthand practical experiences, it will

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THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 2016

Hefazat leader Mufti Harun Izhar sent to jail in Chittagong Mizanur Rahaman, n FM Chittagong A Chittagong court yesterday sent radical Islamic group Hefazat-e-Islam’s central Publicity Secretary Mufti Harun Izhar to jail in a case lodged in 2012 with Kotwali police under the Explosives Substances Act. Metropolitan Magistrate Abdul Kader sent Harun to jail and fixed today for a remand hearing after the DB police produced him before the court with a 10-day remand prayer, CMP Additional Deputy Commissioner Kazi Muttaki Ibn Minan (prosecution) told the Dhaka Tribune.

Harun, son of Hefazat-e-Islam’s

Senior Nayeb-e-Ameer Mufti Izharul Islam, was rearrested from Chittagong Central Jail gate on April 19 after he was granted bail.

A massive blast took place in a dormitory of Izhar’s Al Jamiatul Ulum Al Islamia Madrasa, also known as Lalkhan Bazar Madrasa, on October 7, 2013 leaving three students dead. After a drive, police recovered hand grenades, explosives and 18 bottles of picric acid, used to amplify the magnitude of the blast.

Izhar is the prime suspect in the three cases filed with Khulshi police. His son Harun was arrested on October 9, 2013 in connection with the incidents. l

Children and elderly people are becoming the worst victims of diarrhoea in the scorching summer heat. Many have been admitted to hospitals over the past few days. The picture was taken yesterday from the Mohakhali ICDDR, B Hospital MEHEDI HASAN

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Police using software to sketch faces of suspects made through the tools,” he said.

He emphasised on the need to set up a database and increase field-level intelligence activities to get efficient output from the

software.

Former inspector general of police, Hafiz Uddin, told the Dhaka Tribune that police identify criminals using different clues like fin-

ger- or foot-print, photograph and DNA profile analysis.

The facial composite software was also an element to identify suspects, the former IGP said, ex-

pressing his hopes that the tool would now contribute to the prevention of crime.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said the software was

introduced as part of the effort to keep law enforcing tools updated with the modern world. It would help bring down crime, the minister said. l

Police may seek fresh remand for Shafik Rehman living in New York’s Brooklyn, allegedly handed over the money to Caesar using the name of Rehman.

“Rehman admitted the fact, but said he did not give the money.

Rather, his [Rehman’s] name was used during delivery of the money without his consent,” sources close to the investigation told the Dhaka

Tribune.

When Rehman asked Milton why his name was used, Milton allegedly replied that there would have been trouble from income tax authorities if the money was given in the name of Milton.

“I do not know where the money had generated,” the source quot-

ed Rehman as saying.

According to police, Shafik was physically present at a meeting on January 29, 2012, in the US where three others including an FBI official allegedly conspired to abduct and kill Joy. The entire conspiracy allegedly began in 2011 when JaSaS vice-pres-

ident’s son Rizve Ahmed Caesar initiated communication with the then FBI Special Agent Robert Lustyik through their common acquaintance Johannes Thaler.

The three men met on several occasions in a bribery scheme to get information about joy; in one of those meetings, Shafik was alleg-

edly present.

Rizve then reportedly sent emails describing Joy’s day-to-day movement to businessman Milton Bhuiyan. Milton also maintained regular communication with Shafik, which led the police to suspect that Shafik might also have received those documents, sources said. l

town yesterday condemned the unnecessary delay in the investigation.

The rally, organised by Protibadi Nari at Pubali Chattor, was attended by people from all walks of life. Rights activists Shah Mohammad Alamgir Khan, Prof Lokman Hakim, Dilnashi Mohsen and Yeasmin Rima spoke at the event.

On the other hand, several platforms of student bodies have declared to observe countrywide shutdown on April 25 demanding quick arrest and exemplary punishment to Tonu’s killers.

Their other demands are stopping rape of women and children in the hills and plains; reinstating death penalty for rape; implementing the anti-sexual harassment guidelines; ensuring social dignity, equality and safety of the women; taking effective measures to stop pornography and drug addiction; and stopping representation of women as products.

Petition seeking judicial inquiry dropped

CID: Tonu murder probe almost complete UP Member Nazrul Islam, and Jidni, the friend of an army officer’s son Piar Ahmed who used to sexually harass Tonu. Piar was earlier quizzed by the CID, RAB and police.

Asked why they were questioning Tonu’s family members repeatedly, Kahar said: “They are the victim’s family. We quizzed them for the sake of investigation.”

Dr Nazmul Karim Khan, special superintendent of Comilla CID, yesterday confirmed that the murder had taken place inside the cantonment.

He also said that Dr Sharmin Sultana, who had conducted the first post-mortem examination, was quizzed by the investigators on Tuesday about what she saw on the body.

Earlier, Tonu’s family members including her elderly parents, brothers and a cousin were picked up from their house several times by different intelligence agencies and asked almost the same

questions.

The investigators have so far interrogated some 50 people in connection with the sensational murder that created huge agitation across the country while Bangladeshis living abroad have also been demonstrating for immediate arrest of the culprits and their exemplary punishment.

Tonu, a second-year history student of Comilla Victoria Government College and theatre activist, was found dead near her home inside the Maynamati Cantonment on March 20. Tonu’s father Yaar Hossain, an office assistant of the Cantonment Board who lives inside the cantonment with his family, filed the murder case.

Yaar Hossain has expressed disappointment over question patterns during interrogation.

He earlier told the Dhaka Tribune: “I was asked the same type of questions repeatedly. I am the plaintiff of the case but it seems

that I am the accused. They [law enforcers] asked: Why did we not marry her off ? Did Tonu have any affair? How would she spend the money she earned from tuitions?”

The Criminal Investigation Department is investigating the case.

CID officials who are now waiting for the second post-mortem report recently said that at least three people killed Tonu in a planned manner and dumped her body inside a bush in the cantonment area.

The first post-mortem did not find any evidence of rape and the doctors also failed to ascertain the reason behind her death, police said.

Earlier, RAB and local police investigated the case but failed to unearth the mystery. The RAB members were criticised for taking away grass and earth from the spot where Tonu’s body had been found.

Meanwhile, women rights activists from a protest rally in Comilla

Once again, the High Court has dropped a writ petition seeking judicial inquiry into the murder of Tonu and paying her family Tk30 lakh as compensation.

The bench of Justice Salma Masud Chowdhury and Justice Md Salim dropped it from the hearing list yesterday. The petitioner, Supreme Court lawyer Eunus Ali Akond, was absent during the hearing. Later he told reporters that he had not expected that the court would hold a hearing.

On Monday, another bench comprising Justice Naima Haider and Justice Razik-Al-Jalil did not entertain the petition as an investigation into the case was already under way. Eunus then moved the petition to another bench.

The petitioner also prayed to the court seeking a rule asking the government to explain as to why its inaction to arrest Tonu’s killers should not be declared illegal. l

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THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 2016

'Mosque money behind muezzin murder' n Arifur Rahman Rabbi Disputes over the financial control of a mosque in Old Dhaka’s Islampur led to the murder of the mosque's muezzin Belal Hossain earlier this month, the police are saying.

Four murder suspects, including the muezzin's assistant, were arrested on Tuesday night in this connection.

The suspected mastermind Md Habibur Rahman – the mosque's khadem – was arrested in Narail, assistant muezzin Md Mosharof Hossain in Netrokona, Tofajjol Hossain in Dhaka's Keraniganj and Sarwar Alam was picked up in Kotwali, said DMP Deputy Commissioner Lalbagh zone Mofiz Uddin Ahmed.

A Dhaka court yesterday placed Habibur, Mosharof and Tofajjol under a three-day remand for interrogation.

On April 4, 49-year-old Belal Hossain, the muezzin of Jobbu Khanam Jame mosque, was stabbed to death inside the mosque.

Addressing a press conference at the DMP media centre, DC Mofiz said the khadem and assistant muezzin had disputes with Belal and

Police produce three of the four suspected killers of Old Dhaka mosque muezzin Belal in front of the media yesterday after their arrest on Tuesday night. The photo was taken at DMP Media Centre MEHEDI HASAN plotted together to murder him.

With the help of three others, they killed Belal on April 4 following two previous failed murder attempts, Mofiz added.

The main motive behind the killing was money, the DC said, adding

that Belal was in charge of collecting around Tk42,000 in monthly rent from the shops on two floors of the mosque as well as gathering around Tk12,000 each month from the donation boxes.

After paying mosque employees,

Eight suspects identified in Nazim murder n Mohammad Jamil Khan Detectives yesterday claimed that they had identified eight suspects – all members of banned militant group Ansarullah Bangla Team – in connection with the murder of Jagannath University student Nazimuddin Samad.

“Nazim was targeted for his posts on Facebook and the killers murdered him in a planned way,” chief of Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crimes Unit Monirul Islam told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

Although two to three people took part in the killing directly, they had several other associates around the spot. Monirul thinks that the “sleeper cell” members of Ansarullah carried out the attack.

“We have identified eight suspects for their possible involvement in the murder with the help of technological assistance, talking to the locals and analysing crime data. The suspects are under watch and will be arrested soon,” he added.

Earlier, Ansarullah claimed responsibility for the murder under the name of Ansar Al-Is-

lam. It said that their members had killed Nazim and would kill the other atheists for defaming Allah and the Prophet.

The group earlier claimed responsibility for at least 11 murders and attacks on secular activists including writers, publishers and teachers.

Ruling Awami League supporter Nazim, also a Gonojagoron Moncho activist of Sylhet, was hacked and shot dead by suspected militants in Old Dhaka’s Sutrapur area on April 6. He came to Dhaka only two months before the attack.

Investigation Officer Samir Chandra Sutradhar, an inspector of Sutrapur police, said that they had already collected statements of Nazim's friends and near ones and were analysing those to trace the killers.

“We made a list of people who write blogs against religious fundamentalism and about religious issues, but Nazimuddin was not on the list,” Monirul earlier told the Dhaka Tribune.

After his death, police found that Nazim had not been critical of Islam, and he was active only on Facebook.

Apart from criticising Jamaat-e-Islami for war crimes, he was vocal against social injustice and corruption. He expressed concern over the law and order only a day before being killed in a public place.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina recently criticised atheists for objectionable writings criticising Islam and said her government would not take responsibility for the murder of such writers. On the other hand, she said Islam does not authorise murders.

Radical Islamist group Hefazat-e-Islam and other religion-based groups hailed her stance, and demanded an anti-blasphemy law without delay to try the atheists.

Hefazat raised the demand in 2013 after the murder of Gonojagoron Moncho activist Ahmed Rajeeb Haider. A dozen secular writers and atheists have been attacked or killed since then.

Ansarullah, a new platform of extremists with members reportedly from Hefazat, Islami Chhatra Shibir and Hizb-ut Tahrir, has claimed responsibility for the attacks. l

the rest of the money was deposited in Belal's own bank account.

He allegedly loaned this money to others for profit, while also earning extra by performing different religious ceremonies outside the mosque, the policeman said.

Sarwar also became involved in the murder plot because he owed Belal Tk8 lakh and wanted to get rid of the debt, Mofiz said.

The motivation for Habib – the khadem – was his ambition to replace Belal as the muezzin and take over the financial controls of the mosque.

Habib reportedly bought a knife and a mask from Chawkbazar two months ago as part of his plan to kill Belal.

On the night of the murder, Habib consulted with Mosharof before going to the mosque and hiding on the mosque's stairs between the first and second floors. There, he waited as Belal finished tidying up the carpets on the first floor; as the muezzin made his way upstairs, Habib stabbed his abdomen and other parts of the body, the DMP deputy commissioner said.

After confirming Belal's death, Habib picked up Tk6,000 from Belal's pockets along with his keys and mobile phone. Then, Habib went to Mosharof's room and gave him Tk2,000 before disposing the murder weapon in a drain near Islampur bridge, DC Mofiz said. The knife was later recovered by the police. l

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The bidders must submit earnest money @ 2.5% of the quoted price in the form of Pay-Order issued from any scheduled bank drawn in favor of North South University along with their offer. The sealed offer must be submitted on May 9, 2016 by 2.00 p.m. at the office of the undersigned. The offers will be opened at 2:15 p.m. on the same day. Representatives of the participating bidders may remain present at the time of opening the bids. NSU authority reserves the right to accept or reject any or all the tenders without showing any reason.

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www.northsouth.edu

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THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 2016

Ten arrested in Gazipur DBBL booth robbery n Mohammad Jamil Khan The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has arrested ten people suspected of carrying out the loot of Tk1.84 crore from a Dutch Bangla Bank Limited (DBBL) Automated Teller Machine in March.

At a press briefing yesterday at their headquarters, RAB said the robbery was a result of six months of planning by the 13-member gang.

Two others were arrested earlier and only one remains on the run.

RAB caught the ten men, includ-

ing the one it says is the ringleader, from Joydebpur and the capital’s Uttara area.

“We’ve also recovered Tk9.4 lakh, one pistol and two knives from their possession,” said Commander Mufti Mahmud Khan, director of legal and media wing of RAB. RAB said the ringleader of the gang was Habib alias Rubel, a pickup van driver in profession.

The nine others were identified as Sahadat, Ismail, Shahidul Islam Shahid, Farid, Delowar alias Delu, Ibrahim, Nazrul Islam Gazi, Nazrul

Karwan Bazar to empty out by April next year n Abu Hayat Mahmud After a decade of delays, a project to relocate wholesalers and retailers from the city’s largest kitchen market in the busy central area of Karwan Bazar has finally entered its last phase.

The project to move the market to modern facilities in Aminbazar, Mohakhali and Jatrabari began in 2006. The city is saying shops are now being transferred to the new markets and 70% of them will move out by December.

‘The wholesale groceries traders will move to the two markets at Aminbazar and Jatrabari, and all the departmental stores and other shops will go to Mohakhali’ “Approximately 17 the of 23 bighas of area that the market occupies will be freed within December 31. And we hope that all the shops will clear out

by April 2017,” Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Mayor Annisul Huq told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

“The wholesale groceries traders will move to the two markets at Aminbazar and Jatrabari, and all the departmental stores and other shops will go to the Mohakhali market,” said Md Omar Farruq, the general Secretary of the Kar-

wan Bazar Wholesale Kitchen Market Traders Association.

The transfer of shops have begun as a result of successful negotiations between the DNCC and leaders of the market association.

“With the cooperation of the local MP, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, Awami League leaders and ward councillors, we have succeeded in getting the traders to agree to move out,” the mayor said.

Omar Farruq said the traders association had agreed to the move after the authorities accepted some of their terms.

He said he had visited the three markets and saw that their construction was complete.

The trade leader said they had recommended that the DNCC allocate 400 square-feet instead of 100 to each wholesaler and the corporation had accepted the request.

The city had something “special” planned for the area that will be freed at the heart of the city after the market moves out, Annisul said.

“We will inform you after discussing this with the urban planners and architects from the concerned authorities of the government,” he added.

In October 2006, the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec) approved a Tk206 crore project to construct three markets in the city to move the traders from Karwan Bazar. The budget was recently revised to Tk331 crore.

City corporation officials said a total of 360 shops had been planned in Mohakhali, 895 in Jatrabari and 527 in Aminbazar. l

Islam Sabuj, Alamgir Hossain Pangu and Hasan Meer.

The robbery took place on March 2 at a DBBL ATM booth in Kaliakoir, Gazipur while people from the security agency Money Spent Link Private limited were reloading money into it.

The robbers had been watching the reloading for a month before they carried out the crime, Commander Khan said.

“The robbers looted the money in under four minutes and left the spot,” he said.

Commander Khan said although two of the security men had guns but during the robbery, one of them was in the toilet and the other one was sleeping.

“We could not trace all of the looted money because the robbers have already spent it for different purposes since the crime,” the commander added.

“On that night, they got divided into two groups. Three were in front of the booth while the rest were waiting just 100 yards away from the spot with a blue pick up

van,” he said.

The robbers were armed with pistol, knives, machete and sticks.

“As soon as the minivan reached the booth at 2.30am, the robbers attacked and a brawl took place between them and the security,” he added.

The robbers later divided the loot and spread out in Mymensingh and Gazipur area.

Only one of the robbers, Aminul, is still on the run, Khan said, adding that legal action was underway against the men. l

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HC asks Udayan school to probe student torture n Ashif Islam Shaon

In a suo moto rule, the High Court yesterday directed the authorities of Udayan Higher Secondary School in the capital to probe torture on a student by a teacher.

The school’s principal has been asked to submit a probe report before the bench of Justice Salma Masud Chowdhury and Justice Md Salim, within a month.

Supreme Court lawyers Ruhul Quddus Kajal and Abu Khaled Al Mamun placed a news report before the court seeking necessary steps.

The report said Jamshedul Alam, a teacher at Udayan, brought beat up class-VIII student Jamiul Islam Nadim mercilessly.

The bench later issued a ruleing asking authorities to explain why legal action will not be taken against the teacher for the torture.

Education secretary, DG of the directorate of higher secondary education, chairman of Dhaka Education Board, DC of Dhaka, school principal and its governing body MD have been asked to come up with explanations within four weeks, said Ruhul Quddus Kajal. l

In recent times, a few CNG cylinder explosions have been reported around the country. In this photo taken yesterday, it is seen that broken and expired CNG cylinders are kept in front of some shops in the capital’s Gabtoli area for repair, only to be resold to customers and companies. Such practices may become the cause of cylinder explosions in vehicles MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Prof Yunus in fresh Hillary Clinton fracas Yunus Centre bins controversial story as smear

n Tribune Desk On the eve of the New York Democratic Party primary, a right wing website has run a controversial piece on Hillary Clinton that focuses on alleged funding received by Nobel laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus when Ms Clinton was US secretary of state.

The piece was picked up by the Bangladesh media on April 19 and 20.

The Daily Caller published its report under the headline “Disgraced Clinton Donor Got $13 million in State Department Grants Under Hillary” on April 17, suggesting that Clinton’s state department had funnelled the sums to Yunus and that the long-standing friendship between Prof Yunus and the Clintons was the reason why.

Yunus Centre yesterday issued a rejoinder binning the report and characterising it as part of a smear campaign against Prof Yunus.

The statement says that the report foments misunderstanding by giving the impression that Prof

Yunus had “received this US government money personally, and that he got it because his powerful friend misused her official power to give this money to him.”

According to the rejoinder, the website also reported “completely falsely” that Yunus had donated money to the Clinton Foundation implying that was a reason he received funds from the US state department.

The report also claims that Prof Yunus was ousted from Grameen Bank on corruption charges, a charge which is “completely false and an intentional smear,” the rejoinder points out.

The Yunus Centre statement says that the US state department did not award $13m to Prof Yunus in grants, contracts, and loans, and indeed that it has no power to do so.

“Congressional oversight agency on USAID operations would have protested vehemently. The newspaper completely ignored how US government agencies work,” the statement points out, adding that

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website,” the statement adds.

About using the influence of Hillary Clinton, it is pointed out that Grameen companies around the world have been receiving funds from USAID for at least last 30 years under Republican and Democratic administrations. “This relationship is a long term relationship developed long before Ms Clinton came to Department of State.”

The statement also says that the Daily Caller allegation that Yunus had business relationship with groups affiliated with him was completely false, “because Prof Yunus does not have any business relationship with any organisation anywhere, let alone the groups allied to Yunus.”

The statement also suggests that the original article’s title is itself suggestive of the bias and bad motivation of the Daily Caller piece because Prof Yunus is by no means “disgraced,” and in addition to being a Nobel laureate was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 2010.

He also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President

Prof Yunus did not receive any US government money personally.

“Agencies created for development aid cannot provide funds to any individual. Furthermore, USAID procedure of qualifying for a grant or investment and its approval process is one of the most exhaustive one known in the donor world.”

The statement also says that the news report – citing the Clinton Foundation website – stated that Prof Yunus donated between $100,000 and $300,000 to the foundation and falsely asserts that the figures quoted are from the website, but that this is factually incorrect.

In fact, the Clinton Foundation website mentions Grameen America under the category of contributions related exclusively to membership, sponsorship, and conference fees to attend the Clinton Global Initiative, which is an international conference.

“The president of Grameen America paid these fees for attending the conference over 10 years.

There is no mention of Muhammad Yunus as a donor anywhere on the 44

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Obama in 2009 and countless other honours from all sections of the US society over the last several decades.

The 13m alluded to in the report was funding made available to Grameen organisations.

Indeed, regarding the $13m, the statement doubts that USAID money going to Grameen organisations even added up to $13 million during Ms Clinton’s tenure. “Whatever USAID gave, it was mostly in contracts, and investments, only a small portion as grant.

“All the organisations which promote Professor Yunus’ ideas of micro-credit and social business are funded by many donors, banks, high net worth persons, and investors. USAID is just one of the many organisations that have invested in these organisations for the quality and impact of their work, not for the favour of a friend in high place.”

“Misinformation spread by the website throughout the piece suggests clearly that this is a smear piece and not objective journalism,” the rejoinder concludes. l Sylhet

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Fajr: 4:17am | Zohr: 11:57pm Asr: 3:25pm | Magrib: 6:25pm Esha: 7:53pm Source: IslamicFinder.org

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Old woman stripped, tied to tree and beaten up in Feni n Our Correspondent, Feni Relatives of a local Jubo League leader stripped a 67-year-old destitute widow, tied her to a tree and tortured her in broad daylight in front of hundreds of people in Feni.

Locals said the victim was beaten up for cultivating vegetables in front of her house at Chardarbesh model village shelter project under Sonagazi upazila.

Police arrested the accused – Akter Hossain Sabuj, 40, and his wife Shakura Begum, 30, who lived next door – on Tuesday night, three days after the incident.

Sabuj, a resident of Noakhali, managed to get a room allotted for his wife at the shelter project and has since been living in Chardarbesh, his inlaw’s area, locals said.

He is reportedly accused in several criminal cases and has been running wild in the area with the support of his brother-in-law Md Hossain, the local ward unit Jubo League general secretary. Locals alleged Sabuj was also involved with a band of robbers, but the claim could not be verified independently.

Hossain is currently in police custody on a different charge.

Villagers said Sabuj and his wife dragged the elderly woman out of her house on Sunday morning, stripped her and tied her to a tree. They beat her up mercilessly in front of hundreds of people, who were silent spectators and said they feared Sabuj.

Victim’s son Belal Hossain filed a police complaint the next day but the law enforcers did not make a move for three days. “Rather, the local investigation centre Sub-Inspector Zillur pressed us to settle the matter locally,” Belal claimed.

“His role is suspicious.”

Zillur rejected the allegation, saying the plaintiff and the accused told him about the settling the matter locally.

Local journalists said police arrested the accused on Tuesday evening at the order of Feni Police Superintendent Rejaul Haque, who gave the order after the incident went viral on the social media.

Sonagazi model police station OC Md Humayun Kabir confirmed the arrests, saying they were preparing to file a case.

SP Rejaul promised swift action. “No leniency will be shown towards the torturers, no matter whoever they are. The state will try them and ensure their punishment,” he said. l

HC: Treat Magura student n Ashif Islam Shaon The High Court yesterday directed the government to arrange treatment for a madrasa student tortured by his teacher for nearly four months.

Abujar Rahman, 10, a student of Bagharpara’s Darilakur Madrasa in Jessore, had been physically tortured by his teacher Jahangir Hossain, said media reports.

Police rescued him from Magura bus stand on Monday, with his left leg tied to a shackle and log.

Police said the boy fled the madrasa, as his teacher would chain him. He was sent to police custody on that day.

Abujar said his father admitted him to the madrasa three years back. The boy had made several attempts to flee the madrasa as he could no longer bear the pain. Four four months ago, Jahangir chained the boy with shackles and a piece of wood weighing 10kg.

On Sunday the boy escaped and took a bus to Magura.

Yesterday, after Barrister Ruhul Kuddus Kajol and Abu Khaled Al Mamun brought the matter before the HC bench of Justice Salma Masud Chowdhury and Justice Md Selim for necessary order, the court issued a suo moto rule directing the deputy commission of the district to take necessary steps for his treatment.

It also asked the authorities concerned to explain why appropriate legal action should not be taken against the teacher responsible for torturing Abujar, said Ruhul Kuddus Kajol.

The education secretary, chairman of madrasa education board, deputy commissioner of Magura, principal and chairman of the governing body of the madrasa, are among the respondents of the rule.

They will have to come up with explanations in four weeks, he said. l

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THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 2016

13 killed as two buses collide in Rangpur Injured passengers blame reckless driving for mishap

n Liakat Ali Badal, Rangpur At least 13 people were killed and 60 others injured in a head-on collision between two buses in Ekochalia area in Taraganj upazila of Rangpur yesterday morning.

Of the deceased, nine have been identified as Mohammad Ali, 30, Abdul Matin, 32, Chandan Roy, 38, Madrasah teacher Zinnat Ara, 36, Akul Mia, 26, Miton Mia, 25, bus driver Tayab Mia, 36, Mamdel Mia, 43, and Subodh Chandra Roy, 36.

Quoting witnesses, police said a Dinajpur-bound bus collided headon with a Rangpur-bound bus around 11am, killing eight people on the spot and injuring 65 others.

Rangpur Police Super Abdul Razzak said: “Of those injured, 45 were taken to Rangpur Medical College Hospital. Of them, five people died at the hospital.”

He said the accident occurred when a wheel of the Dinajpur-bound bus of Saimon Paribahan exploded after the vehicle reached Ekochalia area, and the bus hit another bus which was coming from the opposite direction.

Abdus Salam who was undergoing treatment at the hospital said: “When the bus arrived at Ekochalia, I heard a loud bang. After that I could not remember anything.

“During the journey, I observed the helper of the bus picking up passengers from different places.

Country’s biggest tilting flume inaugurated Mizanur Rahaman, n FM Chittagong

With a view to researching on water resources, country’s biggest multipurpose tilting flume was inaugurated at Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (Cuet) yesterday.

Under the supervision of civil engineering department, the tilting flume has been set up at a cost of Tk1.6 crore, funded by a Netherlands-based organisation Nuffic, said a press release.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Rafiqul Alam inaugurated the flume as the chief guest. Netherlands High Commission to Bangladesh’s First Secretary Water Resource Management Carel de Groot was also present at the function.

At the programme, VC Rafiqul Alam said the tilting flume would not only be helpful for higher education and research, but it would become a milestone in water resources and river management sector. l

Neighbouring people gather at Ekochalia, Taraganj upazila, Rangpur where an accident took place, leaving 13 people killed and 60 others injured yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

The bus was overloaded and the driver was driving the bus recklessly. At one point, he lost control over the steering which might have caused the accident.”

He demanded the punishment of the driver and his assistant.

However, it was not clear whether they died in the accident or not.

Monowara who was also traveling on the bus echoed the same remarks.

She said: “We [passengers] also raised our voices against the reckless driving by the driver, but he did not pay heed to our protest. For his negligence, some people lost their lives.”

Soon after the accident, some agitated people put up a barricade on the Rangpur-Dinajpur Highway for two hours, halting vehicle movement on both sides of the road.

Officer-in-Charge Taraganj police station Abdul Latif said of the deceased, 10 were male and two

TILT OF NINE BUILDINGS IN CTG FOLLOWING EARTHQUAKE

CDA expert team to submit report next week n Anwar Hussain, Chittagong

The five-member expert team formed after nine buildings tilted in the city is likely to submit a primary report on April 24.

Talking to the Dhaka Tribune, Prof Dr Jahangir Alam, chairman of the expert team said they had already inspected all the buildings tilted after a strong earthquake rocked the country on April 13.

“We will prepare a primary report and submit it on April 24. We will also submit a final report soon with a set of recommendations on ways to minimize the extent of vulnerability of the tilted buildings.

We will reveal the report through a press briefing,” added Prof Jahangir Alam who is also the immediate past vice-chancellor of the Chittagong University of Engineering Technology (Cuet).

“We have talked to the owners

of the tilted buildings and scrutinised the building designs, soil test report. We have also collected data, including names of the engineers and the particulars about realtors,” added Prof Jahangir.

It may be mentioned that nine buildings tilted in the city after the

We have talked to the owners of the tilted buildings and scrutinised the building designs, soil test report recent strong earthquake. Of the tilted buildings, three are residential, five are commercial and one is kindergarten school.

Of the tilted buildings, one is located in Chandgaon residential

area, two in New Market, one in Enayet Bazar, one in Halishahar residential area, one in WASA area, one in Jhautala, one GEC area and one in Rahmatganj area of the city.

Following the earthquake, the Chittagong Development Authority (CDA) formed an expert team comprising prominent earthquake expert Prof Dr Jahangir Alam, Prof Dr Abdur Rahman Bhuiyan, head of Civil Engineering Department, CUET, Shahin Ul Islam Khan, acting chief town planner of CDA and CDA’s authorised officers Mohammad Shamim and Mohammad Illias.

According to a survey conducted by Institute of earthquake Engineering Research (IEER) of the Cuet, at least 78 percent buildings in the premier port city are vulnerable to earthquake as they are constructed defying earthquake resistant building code. l

were female. The bodies have been kept at the morgue of Rangpur Medical College Hospital.

He also said the district administration had provided Tk4,000 for the family of each deceased person.

Police seized the two buses and a case was filed in this connection. l

Police still clueless over death of mother-daughter Mizanur Rahaman, n FM Chittagong

Police yet to get any clue over the mysterious death of a mother and her daughter.

On Tuesday, police recovered the body of Sheli Shil, 35, wife of Asim Shil, and their five-year-old daughter Antora Shil from their residence located in Dakshin Kunjori area under Boalkhali upazila.

Police, however, arrested two persons in this connection and a case was filed with Boalkhali police station accusing seven persons.

The arrested are Sheli Shil’s mother-in-law Sabita Rani Shil and her uncle-in-law Sukumar Shil, said police sources.

Officer-in-Charge of Boalkhali police station Md Salauddin Chowdhury told the Dhaka Tribune that Asim Shil, prime accused of the case, was still on the run. He also said mystery over the death might be solved after Asim was arrested. l

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Polytechnic institute lacks residential facilities n Mazharul Haque Lipu, Magura

Students of Magura Polytechnic Institute have been suffering for a long time due to lack of residential hostel.

According to local sources, the institution was build up in 2008 in Hatkhola area of the town.

Now, a total of 1500 students are studying here. Of them, 300 are female students. The sources said maximum students came from remote areas and they had to face various difficulties.

Due to lack of hostel, some influential persons set up messes around the institution.

Though the students from financially established families can take

the mess as rent, the poor and middle class family’s students cannot live there as the rent is very high.

Imran Hossain, a student of the institution, said he came from 20 miles distance. Recently he had taken a seat at a mess and for this he had to count Tk1500 per month.

“It is not possible for my family to bear the expenditure as I have to bring more money for purchasing books, food and for many other particulars with the mess cost,” said he.

Ebadat Hossain, another student, said the mess traders took the advantages of not having hostel.

“The rent is double here. The house owners take Tk8,000 for a room which

can be got at Tk4,000 in another place of the town,” he said.

Chaiti Rani, a female student, said: “We have no alternative way without living in mess.”

“Mess life is not safe for female students. There are in insecurity and harassment,”she said.

“If there is a female hostel, the 300 students at the institution can be saved,” she added.

When contacted, Principal Motaher Hossain of the institution, said he had informed the lack of the hostel to higher authorities several times.

“The authorities have assured me to establish a female hostel soon,” he said. l

Luxurious car dumped in front of tax office Correspondent, n Our Sylhet A luxury car has been found abandoned in front of the local office of Directorate of Customs Intelligence and Investigation in Barobazar area in the city early Wednesday.

Besides, the owner of Lexus car left a letter inside the vehicle in which he claimed himself a UK expatriate and gave an explanation about his move.

The director general of Directorate of Customs Intelligence and Investigation was made receiver of the letter. The silver car was made in 2007 Sylhet Customs Intelligence

unit Assistant Director Provat Kumar Singho acknowledged the discovery to the Bangla Tribune, sistern concern of the Dhaka Tribune, saying they seized the vehicle around 2am.

According to the letter, the owner took the car into the country under the Carnet de Passage provision in 2011 for one year. However, he failed to extend the period and did not pay the tax imposed on the vehicle.

He handed over the car worth around Tk1.5 crore complying the law.

Provat Kumar said: “We will cooperate if anyone claims its ownership placing necessary documents.” l

Boiler blast kills two Islam Rana, n Aminul Sirajganj Two people have been killed and three others injured in a boiler explosion at a paddy processing factory (Chatal) in Rameshwarghati, Raiganj upazila in Sirajganj yesterday morning.

The deceased are Edris Ali, 25, son of Nasir Uddin, and

Nasir Ahmed, 26, son of Altaf Hossain.

Raiganj OC Rashedul Islam Biswas said: “The incident took place around 7am. Locals rescued the injured and took them to Sirajganj General Hospital soon after the incident.

“On information, we went to the spot around 9:15am and sent the bodies to the morgue for autopsy.” l

One dies jumping off RAB vehicle Raihanul Islam n Md Akand, Gazipur A man died jumping off from Rapid Action Battalion (RAB)’s pickup van yesterday in Beraiderchala area under Sreepur municipality in Gazipur.

The deceased was Rasel, 20, son of Mohammad Ali of Gararon area.

Helalul Islam, officer-incharge of Mawna Highway police station, said: “Rasel was an accused off several cases including abduction and murder.”

Rasel jumped off from the vehicle in an attempt to flee while RAB arrested him around 5am.

He died on the spot, the OC said. l

One shot by BSF Rahman n Sazzadur Sazzad, Panchagarh A Bangladeshi farmer was shot by India’s Border Security Force (BSF) in Moinaguri border area under Sadar upazila yesterday.

The victim was Md Delwar Hossain, 30, son of Yusuf Ali at Khekipara village under Satmera union council.

BGB sources said Delwar and some other farmers were harvesting paddy in the area

around 2.30pm.

BSF members of India’s Brahmanbosti camp fired at them leaving Delwar injured.

Locals rushed him to Panchagarh Sadar Hospital from where he was sent to Dinajpur Medical College and Hospital as his condition deteriorated.

On information, BGB 18 commander Lieutenant Colonel Al Hakim Md Noushad visted the hospital. l

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Under the ban

Students and teachers discuss the tuition ban Haque Joarder, Saudia nBaizid Afrin and Rad Sharar Bin Kamal The ministry of education recently created a stir among stakeholders in the education sector as it recently published a draft of the Education Act, 2016 on its website (www.moedu.gov.bd) to generate public opinion. While the deadline for the submission of opinions ended on April 10, students, parents, teachers and school authorities are still dwelling on the repercussions that are sure to follow if the draft act remains the same and gets a nod by policy makers.

The draft has been drawn up in line with the suggestions of the National Education Policy of 2010. Previously in June 2012, the government formulated a policy that aimed to stop teachers from providing unauthorised private tuition to students. However, the policy was largely unsuccessful in

making any dent in the unabated practice of private tuition.

Many of the students and their parents, requesting anonymity, complained that there are teachers who tend to force their students into joining their private tuition classes by threatening to fail them on purpose or providing them with unfair advantage in school examinations. ‘’The draft was primarily meant for Bengali medium teachers who can actually provide suggestions for the students since there is a high chance of mock exams matching actual exams. But it is impossible for English medium teachers who teach O and A levels to provide suggestions since unlike the board here. International boards are much stricter when it comes to preparing unique questions for every exam,’’ said an experienced teacher on condition of anonymity.

The teacher has been working at a reputed English medium school, alongside providing O and A levels

They are cutting down costs by employing teachers who lack the ability to teach their subjects in depth but are willing to work for much less when compared to experienced teachers who would earn a lot more from their own coaching centres

PHOTOS: BIGSTOCK private tuition for over 20 years.

He added, ‘’It won’t be wise to ban private tuition outside schools because most of the students do not wait to finish their syllabus at school since they can finish it months ahead at coaching centres. This gives them more time to revise and practice question papers. There are only a handful of schools that complete the syllabus to some extent, others tend to operate like a business, even though the management would like to believe that they are doing well for the school and the students. They are cutting down costs by employing teachers who lack the ability to teach their subjects in depth but are willing to work for much less when compared to experienced teachers who would earn a lot more from their own coaching centres. This leads to a fall in the quality of education provided by the institutions alongside forcing parents to send their children for private tuition, in order to cope with others appearing for board examinations.’’

The policy from 2012 said that teachers can provide tuition at their houses to a maximum of 10 students from different institutions per day, after seeking permission from the respective heads of the institution. ‘’The negative impact of coaching

centres flourishing in the country is that, students are relying more on the help they receive there compared to what they get from their schools. Some regulation by the government can prove to be good for everyone since it would mean authorities would be able to ensure the quality of education by banning teachers who resort to unfair practices,’’ asserts A Salam, an ‘O’ and ‘A’ levels economics teach who has been in the business for over 25 years.

Rabeya Bashri, a student from Viqarunessa School and College said, ‘’It is impossible to learn everything in class and this is why we seek private tuition where we can finish the syllabus well before time. Therefore, banning coaching centres will surely have a negative impact on our studies.’’ Many other students cited the same reasons.

The draft also bans corporal punishment and publishing guidebooks and notes. The ban also makes Bangla and Bangladesh Studies compulsory along with teaching activities for O and A levels to be conducted with the government’s approval, among other things. Punishment for violators include jail time and/or fines.

Some tutors have also tried to address the problem and find out the intricacies of the policy put

forward.

“Out of curiosity, I went to the authorities themselves to know the true implications of the private tuition ban, and was told that no directives have been taken against English medium schools. The ban has only been in effect on Bengali medium schools.

Regardless, even if it was applied to English Medium Schools, it would result in chaos. With regard to Cambridge International Examinations, the prescribed time to complete a syllabus fully by each student is not provided by most schools.

The classes for each subject being 40 to 50 minutes is not enough for a single day. Hence, they must rely on private tuition to earn the desired grades.

What should be noted is that the state does not have enough resources to create a curriculum, set up designated times and regulate these schedules for each and every student studying in English Medium Schools. If they could, this act would have been justified. With an even higher proportion of students in Bengali medium schools, putting forth a fair ban is even more unlikely.

“This decision has been made in the wrong manner, at the wrong time,” said a private tutor of Economics and Business Studies, Gulshan. l

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THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 2016

Anti-social networking Dealing with hate comments on social media

S

n N Anita Amreen

ocial media platforms across the country have become a central hotspot for people that want to share their opinions and thoughts from behind virtual veils.

With 61.288 million active Internet subscribers (as of March 2016, BRTC reports), an overwhelming percentage of the population has successfully embraced the digital age. However, despite our quick welcome, it seems the Internet has also brought with it its fair share of negativity and hate.

According to Bangladesh page statistics report posted on Socialbakers.com, two of the top three Bangladeshi Facebook pages with the largest audience is “Bangladesh Cricket: The Tigers” and Shakib Al Hasan’s fanpage.

Clearly, despite the passionate fan following the cricket team has, there is also a fair share of haters and Internet trolls that come with it. Ace Bangladeshi all-rounder Nasir Hossain took the media by storm after posting an innocent photo of himself and his sister soon after the Tigers’ historic series win against India.

Within a few hours, the photo was flooded with comments some nice, others, not too nice.

Many derogatory comments were aimed at Nasir’s sister. Irked by the abusive comments, Hossain took down the photo, while his teammate Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza shut down his own Facebook fan page in protest.

This is only the tip of the iceberg; many other users of social media platforms have been victim to everything from abusive comments to online trolls. Around 80 percent of internet users in Bangladesh are Facebook users and Facebook has turned into the breeding ground for haters who never miss an opportunity to leave derogatory remarks.

Celebrities are as vulnerable, if not more, to hate comments.

“Two to three months ago I turned off the option where my Facebook profile would be open to comments from followers,” says actor Iresh Zaker. With 153,539 followers on Facebook, Zaker shared that for every 10 comments, he would receive one negative comment that would say something “mean, nasty and personal.”

“I couldn’t come to terms with how someone I don’t have absolutely any connection with can have so much hate and anger towards me. I really felt like I was

being violated and it affected me on a personal level. It doesn’t affect a lot of people, and they can move on, but I couldn’t. It was causing me too much mental grief to expose myself to it.” Currently, Zaker has a straightforward strategy - he deletes them and blocks the person from his profile.

Asif B Azad, YouTube sensation behind Bhai Brothers Ltd, has a completely different approach.

“I treat negative comments as promotion for our videos.

Negativity attracts negativity and while it can be upsetting when looked at from a personal perspective, from a business perspective I think it works for us,” he shared. With 100,000 subscribers and 10 million YouTube channel views for Bhai Brothers, Asif looks at the negative comments from a broader, positive perspective. For every negative comment or shares on Facebook, more people view his videos, and more views equate to more profitability.

“You can’t really measure the amount of negativity or hate, but when it comes to the like to dislike ratio, likes always win. We’ve never seen a video that has been dissed more than appreciated.”

Nazia Tariq, admin of Facebook group Desperately Seeking Dhaka, too, has had her fair share of negativity both on her group and on her personal profile. With 58,789 members in her group, the numbers are overwhelming. “ I used to get a lot of hateful comments before, but I don’t get them as much now,” she shares.

However, when she does receive a comment that she finds hurtful, she always responds. “I love giving people a good fight,” she adds.

While Nazia enjoys a good rebuttal, others try to see if a polite approach would work in silencing haters. Esha Rushdi, admin of Facebook group “All about make up, skin and hair!!,” says she tries to “shame the person by responding with extreme politeness.” If a kind approach doesn’t work, she believes rules for being members of the group certainly helps in weeding out those who post vile speech.

Tinker Jannat Meem, founder and admin of Pop of Color, one of the largest female lifestyle groups with 15,635 members, has taken a strong stance against trolls, making sure she makes the rules of the group crystal clear.

“Do not post, share or comment about any YTbers, bloggers, artists, models, actresses in the

PHOTO: BIGSTOCK

“Every week we’ll get at least two to three people who indulge in hate speech. It used to bother us before, but now we focus on the appreciation and love for the group and the events we’ve worked so hard for. When I compare it to the hate comments, it feels irrelevant”

group, especially the female ones!

You might have whatever opinion about them but keep it to yourself!

Said it before, saying it again: Don’t comment anything if you don’t have anything NICE to say!” a pinned post on the group reads.

N R Vicky, proprietor of restaurants Tokyo Express, Melange, Mirage, Sudder Street and Wow Burger too, has come across several comments that are detrimental to the success of his business. However, when it comes to any user reviews or comments on any of his restaurants’ Facebook pages, he always believes in responding with an open mind and a polite approach.

“Some people write for the sake of writing, some write just to harm your business and some comment

because perhaps they are genuinely disappointed. Whatever the case is, no matter how we feel, I always appreciate the feedback and try to inquire what’s the reason behind the comment,” Vicky shares. He personally replies to each of them, never replying negatively.

FoodBank, the largest portal of food lovers with an astounding 189,364 members, gets a steady stream of food-related posts on a daily basis. However, despite the apparently innocent nature of the group, even these posts can lead to comment wars, some leading to fights that go beyond the group’s page.

Mohammad Sabit Hossain, admin of FoodBank says: “When I first joined FoodBank as an

admin last year, I was stunned by how much hate we get.

Sometimes we’d delete posts that are irrelevant to the group or ban members that create chaos, but a lot of them wouldn’t take it well. Users would resort to using derogatory comments, slang and even send us private messages.”

Although it bothered him at first, Sabit takes these comments in his stride now, believing its part of the job.

“Every week we’ll get at least two to three people who indulge in hate speech. It used to bother us before, but now we focus on the appreciation and love for the group and the events we’ve worked so hard for. When I compare it to the hate comments, it feels irrelevant,” he adds. l

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Editorial 11

THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 2016

INSIDE

The defenestration of secularism The Islamist terror narrative bruited about the world is believed more easily than the planet Earth being older than 6,000 years PAGE 12

Bangladeshis for Bernie Regardless of what happens in New York or any other state, in a very real, concrete, and realisable way the revolution has already begun

BIGSTOCK

PAGE 13

The right way to deal with sexual harassment

A refugee’s rights come down to luck If Turkey is a crowded departure hall to a better life, Greece is now a transit lounge for those who’ve missed their connection. Many will never move onward to northern Europe; others will only move backward 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.

J

agannath University’s decisive action in suspending three lecturers following complaints of sexual harassment sets a good example for other institutions.

Sexual harassment needs to be challenged better everywhere in society.

Its prevalence in educational establishments and college campuses is a direct consequence of the leniency that has been shown to lecturers and others abusing positions of authority.

It is high time educational institutions take a lead in moving away from a culture of ignoring or covering up misuse of power by staff.

According to the university’s vice-chancellor, a student of journalism filed a complaint against a male teacher who had threatened to lower her examination scores if she rejected his unwanted proposal to engage in sexual activity with him. Reportedly, he had also persuaded two other teachers to collude with him in lowering grades.

The university formed a five-member body to investigate into the matter which found evidence compromising all three suspects, leading to their suspension.

Tellingly, the inquiry also noted similar allegations had been brought against the prime perpetrator in the past with students submitting a memorandum of complaints to authorities against him two years ago.

It is welcome then to see the institution promptly take firm action on this occasion.

Measures such as these go a long way to show that corruption and coercion have no place in our society, and that any sort of unscrupulous behaviour on the part of administrative figures, regardless of sector, will be appropriately punished.

Jagannath University’s decision to investigate into the matter based on solely on the victim’s filed complaint should be the model for every educational institute in our nation which experiences similar problems with sexual harassment.

Jagannath University’s prompt decision to take action is the best approach

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Opinion

THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 2016

The defenestration of secularism Atheism has become a derogatory word

Are we burying all the secular voices?

BIGSTOCK

n Ikhtisad Ahmed

P

rime Minister Sheikh Hasina knows the pain of loss better than most.

She has lived with it since the slaughter of her family on August 15, 1975. Her promise to bring the murderers of Rajib Haider -- an architect and atheist, secular blogger killed in Dhaka for his views February 15, 2013 -- to justice, had the honesty of someone who deeply empathised with his family, whom she was visiting to offer her condolences and grieve with in person. Three years later, Bangladesh still awaits fulfilment of that promise.

Two days after Bangladesh turned 45, the High Court took two minutes to dismiss a petition that had been a nuisance to the country’s fiercely independent judiciary since 1988.

Following the same court’s ruling in October 2010, secularism, enshrined in the constitution as one of the four founding principles of the nation, was revived when the document was amended for the 15th time by a legislative branch committed to keeping the nation and its laws from becoming archaic.

The compromise of retaining Islam as the state religion, however, meant that the constitution was rendered incongruent and toothless due to

The Islamist terror narrative bruited about the world is believed more easily than the planet Earth being older than 6,000 years. The promulgation of the campaign against it allows domestic and imperialist autocrats to subdue it by any means necessary. The real danger to any regime, however, is dissent stemming from secularism and socialism

its inherent contradictions.

The March 28 decision upheld Islam’s standing, thereby allowing Awami League’s version of a Bangladesh built on the solid foundations of compromise to continue unabated.

The trouble with compromise is that it allows those in power to garner support from diametrically opposite views as required to remain in power, with devastating consequences for average citizens.

Nazimuddin Samad, a secular activist who was one of the few voices to take issue with the baffling legal ruling, was butchered

by Islamic fundamentalists on April 7.

Vast swathes of conversations on the day and the one after centred on the impending Pohela Boishakh celebrations being antiIslamic, while the government investigated whether Nazimuddin had hurt religious sentiments.

The government concurred with the loud vitriolic voices of intolerance in looking to blame the victim and make murder acceptable, legal.

In her Pohela Boishakh address after Nazimuddin’s murder, the same prime minister who had so passionately showed solidarity with Rajib, secularism, and the oppressed secularists, chose to be on the wrong side of history.

Dictated by perceived realpolitik, she denounced indecent statements about religion and declared the government could not take responsibility for their heinous consequences. It matters little what else she said since she had expressly endorsed censorship, intolerance, and the violent vigilantism of narrowminded fundamentalists.

A correct version of Bangladeshi history does, indeed, show Awami League’s claims

of military dictators, Zia and Ershad, introducing the scourge of Islamism in independent Bangladesh to be true.

The claims of Jamaat’s historic fundamentalism and violence also hold water. The party in government is less candid about contemporary history, however.

The current battle over religion in politics has come to pass because Awami League brought these historic political divisions that had simmered under the surface and adversely affected the country to the fore in 2013. The government dishonestly played the secularism and patriotism cards when those values were needed to keep it in power.

The prime minister’s heartfelt actions in the aftermath of Rajib’s murder and her son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, going to Shahbagh with an entourage, are lasting images from that time.

Repeatedly saying that the AL is the only thing that stands in the way of Bangladesh being engulfed by the flames of Islamism, prompted and nurtured by BNP and Jamaat, does not make it true. Under the government’s watch, “atheism” -- which is not proselytised like Islam and Islamism, or any other religion and its extremist offspring -has become a derogatory word worthy of brutal punishment, and “secularism,” “freethinking,” and “heresy” have become its interchangeable synonyms.

Self-censorship, once patronisingly encouraged as good sense and practice, has become mandated by the state.

Even the prime minister’s brave refusal to bow to the demands of extremists and enact new blasphemy laws in 2013 has been reduced to a political manoeuvre by a government that has a natural affinity with existing blasphemy laws dating back to 1890, a remnant of the British imperial penal code, that characterise the undefined and indefinable concept of hurting religious sentiment as a criminal offence.

The British zeal for a divine right to rule manifested itself as Bengal being divided along religious lines to be conquered.

The only conceivable reason for the government not to take any responsibility for drawing similar lines, encouraging communalism -- Islamism versus secularism and all else -- and being a supportive bystander to intolerance and violence, is that this is precisely what it wants.

The Islamist terror narrative bruited about the world is believed more easily than the planet Earth being older than 6,000 years. The promulgation of the campaign against it allows domestic and imperialist autocrats to subdue it by any means necessary. The real danger to any regime, however, is dissent stemming from secularism and socialism.

The AL’s ideologically paradoxical compromise is an attempt to be three moves ahead in a game of chess of its own making. Islamism and secularism may have been defenestrated, but the government is not above using them when necessary, and the populace will be left to peck at the crumbs the thrusts and parries will inevitably leave behind. l Ikhtisad Ahmed is a human rights lawyer turned writer. His socio-political writings include the short story collection Yours, Etcetera. Twitter: @ikhtisad.

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Long Form

THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 2016

Bangladeshis for Bernie Sanders is bringing people together like never before. This is the concluding part of yesterday’s long form Bush painfully found out, you simply can’t buy any of these things with any amount of money (thank God!) and their immense value to not just the party but to the country simply cannot be appraised in dollars. The benefits for the Democrats will be felt long after this election is over.

Creating a new normal: The revolution has already begun

Bernie is creating the new normal

n Atif A Choudhury

O

n domestic policies, Hillary “evolves” on so many issues that a debate between 2013 Hillary Clinton versus 2016 Hillary Clinton itself would constitute a fantastic GOP vs Dem presidential debate.

Meanwhile, Bernie has proven himself to be a virtual modernday political Nostradamus, with judgment and vision that far exceeds the vast majority of his peers -- even if many times he was a one-man party ringing the alarm bells like that disheveled, frantic, elderly stranger who tries to warn everyone in every disaster and horror movie.

We all have that one friend who insists that the candidates are virtually the same, and in particular, they are flabbergasted that voters could have such strong preferences for Bernie. Yet, these differences do matter if it’s your community that is preyed upon by the prison-industrial complex and one of the “Democratic” candidates accepts money from private prisons.

They do matter if the sink faucet in your home’s sprays water than can be set ablaze, and if it’s your children being poisoned, while one candidate supports fracking both here and all over the world, and readily accepts money from the oil and gas industry.

They do matter if it’s your relatives living abroad who are oppressed by a US-supported dictatorship or dodging bombs in the never-ending “war on terror,” and one of the candidates is the highest recipient of contributions

REUTERS

from the defense industry and as secretary of state approved billions of dollars in arms sales to some of the most despotic regimes in the world after donations to her philanthropic interests.

Ignoring these differences is simply not a luxury that any of these communities can afford.

Thus, a hard truth emerges: Anyone who actually understands these very real (in many cases lifeor-death) differences and still fails to appreciate them are no genuine allies of your community.

Uniting a nation

Some folks worry that this fierce primary process is “dividing the Democratic party.” Yet, for millions of ordinary Americans, it seems that Bernie and this broader movement is simply conducting a long-overdue reformation of that party’s priorities, and in the process is doing something far more important: Uniting a country.

Bangladeshi-Americans in particular have always been civic-minded and politically active, but have never mobilised to this scale. For starters, this is perhaps the very first time an American political ad played on a Bangladeshi TV channel (you can check out the ad on the Bangladeshi-Americans For Bernie Sanders Facebook page).

Since then, the Bangladeshi community has held information sessions, organised phone-banking sessions, and participated in major rallies across New York City. These rallies include the Diversity Rally in Queens and the Get Out the Vote high-visibility canvassing event in Jackson Heights, both of which were conducted in close

co-ordination with the Pakistani, Indian, Arab, Tibetan, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, and Christian communities and faith groups.

Tibetan activist and writer Tenzin Dorjee expressed his reason for supporting the movement: “As an exile, as a minority, as a social justice activist and as a progressive, I see in Bernie a fierce advocate for the downtrodden, a man with a boldness of vision and vastness of compassion that is unprecedented.

America has deviated so far from its founding principles that only a revolution can save it, and Bernie is the only revolutionary in the running.”

In just the primary phase of this election, we are witnessing a historic and transcendent movement which is bringing together communities from all backgrounds.

It’s turning ordinary people into informed citizens by spreading knowledge on a range of critical issues, and is igniting conversations, activism, passions, and energies in unprecedented ways.

If forward-thinking stalwarts of the Democratic party can recognise that American society is beginning the natural shift back from decades of moving to the right, and are willing to shift the party’s policies and priorities accordingly, the potential sociopolitical ramifications are huge.

A big-tent Dem party which now attracts progressives, independents, and even disaffected Republicans is a much stronger party. And even more important, a party that attracts a newly invigorated, energetic, and inspired youth will allow it to have a long and bright future.

As both Mitt Romney and Jeb

I am no one-issue voter, but Palestine has been an issue that I’ve cared about my whole life -- as have my parents, and their parents. The bar for conversations about Palestine has historically been pathetically low (to the point where politicians in Israel can actually talk more freely about the Palestinian tragedy than our

Regardless of what happens in New York or any other state, in a very real, concrete, and realisable way the revolution has already begun. This movement is turning discussions about a human rights-based foreign policy, wealth inequality, universal healthcare, and access to education from being ‘fringe ideas’ to being part of our everyday socio-political discourse

own can). Politicians and ordinary citizens alike have long shuddered to criticise Israeli policies for fear of being smeared as an antiSemitic terrorist sympathiser.

So, as a grown 27-year-old adult, I absolutely teared up when Bernie talked about the importance of the Palestinians’ human rights and their right to live in dignity and peace.

I am no one-issue voter, but that exchange on Palestine -- and Bernie’s insistence on recognising

the human rights and dignity of the Palestinian people -- was such a powerful moment in our country’s political discourse.

All my life, I had no real hope of witnessing or even dreaming about any kind of just solution to the Palestinian-Israeli crisis.

Where once the very use of the word “balanced” or “neutral” by any serious politician was akin to being an anti-Semitic, treasonous terrorist sympathiser (and of course still is in some circles, see the AIPAC convention), Bernie has completely shifted the conversation and is making it perfectly acceptable for a major political figure to push for a fair and just solution for this conflict.

He’s rejuvenated and elevated the “two-state solution” from a throwaway token punchline into an actual policy deserving of our country’s utmost attention.

When Bernie lost a string of states in the South and Midwest on March 15, one of my cousins who has found time to canvass and organise for Bernie while earning his MD and MPH, was quite disheartened. In response, I simply pointed to a self-evident truth: Bernie started something that simply cannot be stopped.

The way he’s running an issuesbased campaign, funding it through public contributions, and running it through grassroots support, is itself revolutionary.

Regardless of what happens in New York or any other state, in a very real, concrete, and realisable way the revolution has already begun. This movement is turning discussions about a human rightsbased foreign policy, wealth inequality, universal healthcare, and access to education from being “fringe ideas” to being part of our everyday socio-political discourse.

It’s turning these once “huge pie-in-the-sky ideas” into “the new normal”-- into actual policies and goals deserving of our respect and support. This new reality alone is worth every single dollar, article, social media activity, and phone bank call all of us ever gave/wrote/engaged in/made respectively.

Things are indeed changing, as we witness the seeds of a historic political revolution growing versus entrenched establishment dynastic politics. Take it from a community who can spot both when they see them. l Atif A Choudhury is a freelance contributor.

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Opinion

THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 2016

A refugee’s rights come down to luck The complicated reshuffling of refugees is only worsening the worst humanitarian crisis of our time

n Tania Karas and Lauren Bohn

T

hrough a barbed wire fence, 17-year-old Syrian refugee Asma attempted to tell us about her journey to Greece. We didn’t have much time to listen. Greek police officers were breathing down our necks, threatening to arrest us unless we left.

We learned that Asma travelled alone on a tiny rubber boat from Turkey, and broke her arm -- still wrapped in a white bandage -- when a building collapsed in her hometown of Daraa, the birthplace of the Syrian uprising.

As she started to tell us about her hope for a fresh start in Germany, the policemen issued their final warning before escorting us off Moria camp’s fenced perimeter.

“We’re animals now,” Asma shouted after us. “We’re no longer humans.”

If Turkey is a crowded departure hall to a better life, Greece is now a transit lounge for those who’ve missed their connection.

Many will never move onward to northern Europe; others will only move backward. With more than 52,000 refugees and migrants stranded in the country, Greece has become exactly what Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras warned months ago: A “warehouse of souls.” And the new deal between the EU and Turkey, intended to stem the refugee flow into Europe -- only redirects it.

Under the terms of the deal, most asylum seekers who illegally travel to Greece from Turkey are to be sent back to Turkey. The first returns took place Monday at dawn.

For every returnee to Turkey, a Syrian living in a Turkish refugee camp will be legally resettled by plane to EU countries.

As such, a refugee’s rights come down to luck. If Asma had arrived in Greece last month, she’d likely be in Germany by now. If she had arrived three weeks ago, she’d likely be trapped in a makeshift camp on the Greece-Macedonia border -- not much of an upgrade, but she’d have more access to the outside world than she does in Lesbos, where more than 3,000 refugees are locked in a former military base.

For refugees like Asma, who arrived after the deal took effect March 21, most will be sent back to Turkey; that is, unless they can individually prove Turkey is

unsafe for them.

Even many Syrians, Iraqis, and Eritreans -- who have special protections under international law and qualify for the EU’s official relocation program -- will be returned to Turkey.

If Turkey is a crowded departure hall to a better life, Greece is now a transit lounge for those who’ve missed their connection.

Many will never move onward to northern Europe; others will only move backward The refugees want to know what will happen to them, but the world doesn’t have answers In exchange for absorbing the migrants, the EU will give Turkey up to $6.6 billion to help manage the influx of people, allow Turkish citizens to travel visa-free throughout most of Europe, and continue to consider Turkey’s admission to the EU. Officials insist the deal isn’t about restricting access to asylum in Europe, but eliminating illegal smuggling routes that sent more than one million refugees and migrants to Europe from Turkey over the past year.

Indeed, as ferryboats carrying migrants returned to Turkey on Monday, Syrians from Turkish refugee camps were being resettled in Germany and Finland.

But this one-for-one deal struck in Brussels -- which creates a kind of human carousel -- is disconnected from the reality on the ground in Greece.

The deal’s byzantine complexities have sowed confusion, fear, and anxiety among asylum-seekers and authorities alike. Humanitarian groups such as the UN refugee agency, Doctors Without Borders, and Save the Children have suspended activities on several Greek islands to protest its terms.

They argue that the deal turns reception centres for refugees

into inhumane, de facto detention facilities.

The deal also paints Turkey as a “safe” country of asylum.

But human rights groups take the opposite stance. Amnesty International says it has evidence that Turkey is illegally rounding up and expelling groups of around 100 Syrian men, women, and children to Syria on a near-daily basis. And just hours after the EU-Turkey deal took effect last month, Turkey forcibly sent back some 30 Afghan asylum-seekers to Afghanistan.

“In their desperation to seal their borders, EU leaders have willfully ignored the simplest of facts,” said John Dalhuisen, Amnesty’s director for Europe and Central Asia, in a statement Friday.

“Turkey is not a safe country for Syrian refugees and is getting less safe by the day.”

For Greece’s part, the deal demands enormous logistical efforts by a country hobbled by six years of financial crisis.

On Friday, Greece’s parliament passed a bill aimed at streamlining the asylum process so that new applications, including appeals, will be decided within two weeks.

Large-scale returns of Syrian refugees to Turkey could begin later this month. But there are

signs of system failure before it’s even begun. According to the UN refugee agency, only three officers from the Greek Asylum Service are operating in the Moria camp on Lesbos to deal with more than 2,860 asylum applications.

Asylum-seekers arriving on the Greek islands will now be subject to an inadmissibility check before Greek authorities consider their asylum claims, according to JeanPierre Schembri, a spokesman for the European Asylum Support Office, an EU agency that helps member-states implement asylum procedures.

Those who can’t prove Turkey is unsafe for them will be returned.

Criteria for just what “unsafe” means have yet to be determined.

Still, the added hurdle sets an unfairly high bar for asylumseekers, the majority of whom are Syrians and Iraqis fleeing war.

The whole process could drag on indefinitely. Additionally, as ferries returning 202 migrants to Turkey set sail from Lesbos and Chios on Monday, 228 new refugees arrived on the Greek islands. The human carousel continues.

Even the more than 46,000 refugees stuck on the Greek mainland -- who are not subject to returns under the new deal -- are

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languishing without answers of their own.

This complicated reshuffling of people does nothing to ameliorate the worst humanitarian crisis of our time -- it only exacerbates it. Tone-deaf, dehumanising decisions made in Brussels make dangerous escape routes even more popular. As journalists on the ground, we have too often become the first point of contact for refugees confused by the new deal. But we rarely have the information they need.

“How did we get here?” 32-yearold Rashan asked us last week.

The university- educated, Syrian refugee from Aleppo refuses to tell his family and friends back home about the real conditions in Greece. It’s embarrassing, he says, after he risked so much for a modern-day Homeric odyssey.

“All these amazing people, with so much potential,” he said. “How did we end up like this?”

Once again, we didn’t have answers l Tania Karas is a freelance journalist and 2015-16 US Fulbright fellow based in Athens, Greece. Lauren Bohn is the GroundTruth Project’s Middle East correspondent based in Istanbul.

This article has been syndicated from Reuters.

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Business 15

THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 2016

INSIDE ‘Confusions still prevail over tax deduction’ Many of the government offices were not deducting income tax at source from salaries of the public servants having taxable income despite nine months of the fiscal year have passed, according to the speakers at a seminar yesterday. PAGE 16

‘Won’t be euphoric if India is fastestgrowing large economy’ India should find ways to support higher economic growth on a sustainable basis and not fritter away gains as it did in the past, central bank Governor Raghuram Rajan said yesterday. PAGE 17

Ethiopia banks on mobile money for financial growth Outside a small store on a dirt track in the remote Ethiopian town of Doni, long queues wait for government cash handouts by the most modern of methods: mobile phone. PAGE 18

Capital market snapshot: Wednesday DSE Broad Index

4,359.4

0.0% ▲

Index

1,057.3

0.1% ▲

30 Index

1,667.5

0.3% ▲

Turnover in Mn Tk

4,340.3

27.7% ▲

Turnover in Mn Vol

106.7

28.6% ▲

All Share Index 13,413.8

0.0% ▲

30 Index

0.6% ▲

CSE

Selected Index

12,304.1 8,149.4

0.1% ▲

Turnover in Mn Tk

284.5

33.7% ▲

Turnover in Mn Vol

8.2

14.3% ▲

Bangladesh among top 10 FDI hotspots in Asia Pacific n Kayes Sohel Bangladesh is placed among Asia Pacific’s top 10 Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) hotspots, according to a study by the US-based global information company, IHS Inc. The other Asia Pacific FDI hotspots are China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Myanmar, Thailand, India and Sri Lanka.

Over the next decade, the Asia Pacific is forecast to be the fastest growing region of the global economy that offers the biggest potential gains for FDI, said IHS in a statement last week.

It added that amongst the other South Asian economies, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are expected to show rapid growth over the next decade.

“Despite political turbulence, Bangladesh has made considerable economic progress over the past decade, with average annual GDP growth exceeding 6.5% per year since 2006. Bangladesh has emerged as an attractive location for FDI into low-cost textiles, clothing and footwear manufacturing because of its relatively low-wage costs compared to coastal China.”

“The Asia Pacific region will grow at an average annual rate of 4.5% per year, boosted by rapid growth in consumer spending in China, India and Southeast Asia,” said IHS Asia Pacific Chief Econo-

NET FDI INFLOW TO BANGLADESH (IN BILLION USD) 2.5

2.23

2.0 1.5 1.0

0.93

1.13

1.29

1.59

1.55

2013

2014

0.5 0.0

2010

2011

2012

2015

Source: Bangladesh Bank

mist Rajiv Biswas.

Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand are also expected to join the ranks of Asian nations with a Gross Domestic Product exceeding US$1 trillion by 2030.

“This will help increase the geopolitical and economic importance of ASEAN and economic grouping in international diplomacy and the global dialogue on trade, investment and international standards-setting,” it said.

About ‘One Belt, One Road initiative’ taken by China, Biswas said: “For the Asia Pacific region, a key long-term growth driver will be China’s ‘One Belt, One Road’ initiative.”

This will be catalysed by new infrastructure financing for Asian

emerging markets into sectors such as power generation and transmission, railroads, ports and highways from the recently launched Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the Silk Road Fund, as well as a number of Chinese bilateral infrastructure financing commitments to a number of Asian countries, he said.

“The initiative will help accelerate the development of many inland Chinese provinces as well as accelerating the growth of Greater Mekong Sub-region as a new global manufacturing hub, and will benefit many countries in Southeast and Central Asia.”

Referring to Malaysia as the Asia’s next advanced economy, the report said Malaysia’s economy is forecast to achieve a per

capita GDP of US$20,000 by 2025, with a total GDP exceeding US$1 trillion by 2030.

“Strategic growth industries in the services sector will include financial services, healthcare, education, commercial aviation, tourism and the IT-Business Process Outsourcing industry, as Malaysia becomes an increasingly important services, services-exporting economy for Southeast Asia.” said Biswas.

Indonesia’s GDP is forecast to grow at 5% per year over 20162020 supported by strong growth in consumer demand and infrastructure investment, he added.

The Philippines, he said, has shown rapid GDP growth averaging at around 6% per year over 2011-2015, with 5.8% GDP growth per year forecast over 2016-2018.

Meanwhile, the ASEAN frontier markets of Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos are forecast to continue to grow rapidly.

The IHS study showed that Vietnam will grow at a pace of around 6.5% per year over the medium term, with a rapid growth in manufacturing exports of electronics and garments driving industrial development.

“The new EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement and the planned TPP deal will significantly boost Vietnam’s market access to the EU and the US for its manufacturing exports by reducing tariff barriers substantially,” he added. l

National Insurance makes stock market debut today n Kayes Sohel Bangladesh National Insurance Company Limited, which completed a Tk17.7 crore public offer nearly one month back, will list its shares on stock exchanges today.

It will be the 48th company to be listed with the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) in the insurance sector that accounted for over 3% of the total DSE market capitalisation.

In a statement, the DSE yesterday said the shares of National Insurance will be traded on the exchanges under the trading code of ‘BNICL’.

The Tk17.7 crore public float, which closed on February 25 last, was oversubscribed by 40 times to Tk707 crore, according to the company.

The non-life insurer had said

the proceeds from issue would be utilised for repayment of bank loans, business expansion, meeting working capital requirements and IPO expenses.

It got the initial public offering approval on May 12, 2015, for selling 1.77 crore ordinary shares at an offer price of Tk10 each to general public.

IPO subscription of the company was supposed to begin on June 30, last year, but Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission suspended the IPO subscription process following an allegation raised by the Insurance Development and Regulatory Authority (IDRA).

IDRA alleged that the insurance company violated IPO rules by not taking permission from the insurance regulator before having

its IPO approved by the securities regulator.

According to the insurance rules, no company can raise its authorised or paid-up capital with-

out the consent of IDRA. Later on last January 18, after the settlement of allegation, BSEC withdrew restriction for IPO subscription of the company. l

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THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 2016

‘Confusions still prevail over tax deduction’ n Syed Samiul Basher Anik Many of the government offices were not deducting income tax at source from salaries of the public servants having taxable income despite nine months of the fiscal year have passed, according to the speakers at a seminar yesterday.

They said even many accounts officers under the Office of the Controller General of Accounts (CGA) were still confused as to whether the tax deduction at source (TDS) is mandatory or not.

The seminar was held on “collection of tax deduction at source” at the National Board Revenue headquarters in Dhaka.

In the budget for fiscal year 2015-16, the government has brought public servants’ bonus-

es and festival allowances under the tax net. Income tax payment by public servants was also made mandatory in the Pay Scale 2015.

Discussants criticised lack of coordination between the two related government agencies in this regard.

NBR Chairman Nojibur Rahman chaired the meeting with CGA Abul Kashem present as the special guest. Income Tax Zone 2 and Income Tax Zone 4 of Dhaka jointly organised the event, attended by the NBR members, income tax commissioners and chief accounts officers of different ministries.

“Many drawing and disbursing officers of the ministries are not doing their task properly,” alleged NBR member (income tax adminis-

tration) Abdur Razzaq.

He said although the number of government officials having taxable income is around 250,000300,000, only 65,000-70,000 submit income tax returns.

CGA Abul Kashem requested the revenue authorities to start TDS from salaries of its officials from May. He said it would encourage other government offices to follow.

He also felt that there was a lack of guideline and information on deducting tax from salaries. CGA called for an NBR order clearing the confusion that TDS is mandatory or not for public servants.

According to income tax ordinance 1984, the authorities can impose 2% monthly fine on the officials concerned if they fail to de-

DSEX stays almost unchanged n Kayes Sohel Stocks ended flat with volatility yesterday with the key index DSEX remaining almost unchanged.

The market moved between positive and negative as investors played both sides of fence.

Heavyweight Mobil Jamuna Limited (MJL) Bangladesh and Grameenphone (GP) were the market movers, which saved the market from losses.

Prevailing volatility and low volume of trade for long did not allow the market participants to take fresh positions, analysts said, adding that lack of liquidity remained the main reason behind the dull activity at the share market.

The benchmark index DSEX inched nearly 2 points higher to close at 4,359, recovering from its previous session’s three-week low.

The Shariah index DSES also rose slightly just over 1 point to 1,057. The blue chip comprising index DS30 moved down 5 points to 1,667.

The Chittagong Stock Exchange Selective Category Index CSCX ended at 8,149, gaining

only 4 points.

Trading activities, however, increased as the DSE turnover stood at Tk430 crore, sharply up over 27% over the previous session’s value.

Power sector, led by MJL, flexed its muscle as it surged 2.3%.

Ahead of its board meeting, the MJL rallied over 7%, which was the fifth largest gain, making it the volume leader in value with shares worth Tk40 crore changing hands.

Telecommunication sector rose around 2%, driven by GP after the company declared 60% cash dividend.

An analyst at a top securities firm said investors remained concerned over the prevailing capital market crises mainly due to liquidity issues. Moreover, falling equity values, continued volatility, foreign selling remained chief concerns for the market participants, who opted to remain on the sidelines, he said.

Most other sectors lost their grounds with the market’s bellwether banks leading the day by falling 1.3%. l

GP revenue grows 9.5% in Q1 n Ishtiaq Husain Mobile phone operator Grameenphone has earned Tk2,760 crore revenue during the first quarter of 2016, posting a 9.5% growth from the same period last year.

“This is the fourth consecutive quarter Grameenphone achieved revenue growth,” said the operator’s chief financial officer Dilip Pal while publishing the figures before journalists at the GP House yesterday.

The operator attributed the growth to “strong commercial execution and continued investment on widening of 3G coverage.”

Dilip Pal said: “Healthy revenue growth and efficient spending resulted in improved earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) margin.” He added: “Earnings per share also improved despite higher depreciation and amortisation.”

Subscription and traffic revenue (excluding interconnection) grew by 11.8% with growing contribution from data and VAS. Data revenue

grew by 71.1% (YoY) while VAS grew by 20.5% (YoY). Voice revenue also grew by 4.8% (YoY) with “healthy development of minutes of usage.”

Grameenphone held its 19th annual general meeting on Tuesday maintaining a benchmark of compliance with all regulations. The shareholders approved the financial statements and 140% cash dividend (including 80% interim cash dividend) for the year 2015 among other agenda.

Grameenphone ended the quarter with 56.3m subscribers, a 0.7% de-growth from December 2015. Initial inertia from orientation of the new biometric verification process has been blamed for reduction in subscribers.

However, yearly subscriber growth stood at 8.2% with SIM market share improvement to 43.0% at the end of March 2016. Grameenphone acquired a healthy 4.1m internet users, taking the quarter-end base to 19.9m.

“We passed a good quarter with double digit subscription and traffic revenue growth,” said Rajeev Sethi, CEO of Grameenphone. l

duct source at tax properly.

Kashem assured NBR that the CGA office would instruct the accounts officers for not approving the salary bills if tax is not deducted.

According to the NBR estimates, additional 65,000 first-class and 70,000 second-class government officials will pay income tax as salaries have been increased.

Currently, the monthly income tax amount is only Tk416 for officers in grade 6-9 while secretaries or grade 1 officials will have to pay only Tk4,763 per month as income tax.

NBR Chairman said the revenue board was trying to establish institutional connectivity between the two agencies so the revenue management system can be brought

under a proper accounting method.

“Principal accounting officers are the financial advisers of the country,” he said, proposing formation of a CAO forum.

He said the forum would consist of officials from NBR and CAG. Nojibur Rahman said the forum could sit every three months to help increase revenue mobilisation.

Tax officials’ delay CAG Abul Kashed criticised the tax officials to make delay in depositing taxes to the government exchequer.

He alleged that such delay was leading to mismatch in revenue data between the NBR and the CGA. He wanted the NBR issue an order to deposit the taxes within 24 hours of deduction from salaries. l

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THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 2016

Japanese exports drop as strong yen clouds trade picture n AFP, Tokyo Japanese exports to key market China fell back in March after a brief holiday-linked boost, official data showed yesterday, as a stronger yen clouds the country’s trade picture.

The figures also showed Ja-

pan’s trade surplus hit 755bn yen, ($6.9bn), more than tripling from a year ago and its highest level in five-and-a-half years, largely thanks to a fall in oil prices.

The drop in Japan’s shipments to China, down 7.1% from the same month last year, came after a rise in February, the first gain in seven

Governor of the Reserve Bank of India Raghuram Rajan

REUTERS

‘Won’t be euphoric if India is fastestgrowing large economy’ n Reuters India should find ways to support higher economic growth on a sustainable basis and not fritter away gains as it did in the past, central bank Governor Raghuram Rajan said yesterday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-year old government is seeking to bolster an economy which grew 7.3%, among the fastest growth rates in large economies, but below the 8% growth needed to generate jobs for millions of Indians joining the workforce every year.

Rajan said the government had created a platform “for strong sustainable growth,” but said it would need to ensure it stays on that path.

The Reserve Bank of India governor has cut interest rates by 150 basis points since the start of 2015 to a more than five-year low, but is under pressure to ease further.

“As a central banker who has to be pragmatic, I cannot get euphoric if India is the fastest-growing large economy,” Rajan said in a speech to banking and finance students in the western city of Pune.

“Our current growth cer-

tainly reflects the hard work of the government and the people of the country, but we have to repeat this performance for the next 20 years.”

Without citing specific instances, Rajan said previous governments had become too complacent by periods of high growth, saying India still remained a relatively poor country.

“We cannot get carried away by our current superiority in growth, for as soon as we believe in our own superiority and start distributing future wealth as if we already have it, we stop doing all that is required to continue growing,” he added.

“This movie has played too many times in India’s past for us to not know how it ends.”

Rajan also defended a comment widely cited by local media last week in which he compared India’s fast-growing economy to being a one-eyed king in the land of the blind which was seen by some government officials as denigrating India’s success.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley was quoted by CNBC-TV 18 as saying “any other country in the world would be celebrating” with the rate of growth being posted by India. l

months, the Finance Ministry reported.

Analysts said the expansion was distorted by the timing of China’s Lunar New Year holiday.

Japan’s overall exports fell nearly seven percent in March, largely owing to a pickup in the yen, while imports were down about 15%.

“The slump in export values is lowering firms’ revenues and profits and may undermine their willingness to expand capacity and lift wages,” said Marcel Thieliant at research house Capital Economics.

The safe-haven yen has risen sharply since the start of the year as turmoil on global equity markets

pushed investors into assets seen as solid bets.

The dollar was trading around 120 yen at the start of 2016. On Wednesday, it bought 109.02 yen.

A stronger yen makes exporters less competitive overseas and shrinks the value of their repatriated profits. l

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THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 2016

Ethiopia banks on mobile money for financial growth n AFP, Doni Outside a small store on a dirt track in the remote Ethiopian town of Doni, long queues wait for government cash handouts by the most modern of methods: mobile phone.

Ethiopia, Africa’s second most populous country and one of its fastest growing economies, is pushing a new electronic payment service by phone - called M-Birr, or “mobile-money” - in a bid to bring millions into the banking system and financial services.

Here in Doni, a remote town of some 5,000 people, 130 kilometres (85 miles) southeast of the capital Addis Ababa, signs displayed for M-Birr testify to the popularity of this new service.

Government “safety net” social security payments to some of the poorest people are now transferred with a few key strokes.

The service cuts out cumbersome bureaucracy, that previously forced customers to travel long distances and spend time waiting for requests to be processed, sometimes having to return the following day to collect the cash.

“M-Birr is more convenient for beneficiaries,” said the system’s local manager in Doni, Adane Hirpho.

“We have five agents in the city.

People come into one of these stores and get their money immediately.”

Created by Irish company MOSS ICT, the service was launched in Ethiopia early 2015, in collaboration with several banks and five Ethiopian micro-finance institutions.

‘No risk of fraud’

Authorities have quickly realised the potential of the technology to simplify the distribution of social benefits.

More effective and less restric-

Ethiopia is experiencing strong economic growth, estimated by the IMF and the World Bank at nearly 10% annually over the past decade AFP tive, operators say the mobile payment system is also safer than old payment systems.

“People have a PIN number, and they must show their beneficiary card, so there is no risk of fraud,” said Yves Dublin, from the UN children’s fund Unicef, which provides technical support.

“This technology avoids cases of ‘ghost’ beneficiaries that we see with other programmes.”

It follows in the footsteps of neighbouring Kenya, whose M-Pesa service run by British telecom giant Vodafone’s subsidiary Safaricom has become a leading force in the sector.

Users are encouraged to create a bank account to avoid losing up to a fifth of the monthly allowance offered - an average of 137 birr ($6) a month - in transport costs to col-

lect the cash. In Ethiopia, M-Birr has some 150,000 users, with 2,000 of those in Doni.

The innovation therefore not only improves the distribution of social security benefits, but also paves the way to opening up a potential market of tens of millions.

“Working in social projects also helps us to develop our network of agents,” said Thierry Artaud, the M-Birr manager.

“It’s a way to get people to use bank accounts, to understand what are savings, what are interest rates.”

Stability

That’s key for the country’s economy, for the banking system is as yet hugely underdeveloped.

Less than a fifth of Ethiopians had a bank account in 2014, against

three-quarters in neighbouring Kenya, according to the World Bank.

But Ethiopia is experiencing strong economic growth, estimated by the IMF and the World Bank at nearly 10% annually over the past decade.

Since the overthrow of a Marxist junta in 1991, Ethiopia’s political and economic situation has stabilised, although rights groups have criticised the government for suppressing opposition. The economy is still heavily dependent on agriculture, especially coffee, with the vast majority of the country’s workers involved in the sector.

But the government has set a target of increasing the number of bank account holders to 80% by 2020 and to double the number of bank branches in the country. l

Finance wakes up to fintech’s systemic dangers

n Dominic Elliott

Talking shops should do more than simply gloomily prognosticate or ardently cheer, even for fintech. The Bank of England’s Andy Haldane and Deutsche Bank boss John Cryan are among 53 luminaries backing a new forum to debate financial technology.

Data abuse is a concern, as they note in a paper published by the World Economic Forum. They also want new standards to stay ahead of the game.

But the biggest risk is how fast and obscurely money can move. Monitoring that should be the forum’s main task.

Technological advances since 2008 rebut former head of the Federal Reserve Paul Volcker’s quip that the only successful financial innovation is the ATM. Recent inventions offer greater financial inclusion and a potential check on inequality. Mobile phone credits now give remote rural households access to virtual bank accounts.

Online automation has brought down the cost of wealth management services that only the rich could afford.

Small and medium-sized businesses in Spain can now get access to funding in as little as 10 minutes from peerto-peer lender Kabbage, says Ralph Hamers, the boss of its partner in the country, Dutch bank ING. But while fintech promises much, it also poses systemic risks. Regardless of the whizzy technology behind it, lending is always likely to carry the danger that borrowers won’t be able to pay. Even if many P2P operators now have bank-like capital requirements, insufficient regulatory oversight could allow mountains of bad debts to pile up. The risk could be compounded given that the vast majority of these startups launched during a period of historically low default rates.

Dominic Elliott is a London-based columnist covering investment banking.

CORPORATE NEWS

IDLC Finance Limited has recently opened a new branch in Kushtia, said a press release. The company’s CEO and managing director, Arif Khan was present at the inaugural ceremony of the branch

Rancon Motors Limited, an authorized general distributor of Mercedes-Benz in Bangladesh has recently launched a new model of SUV named GLC, said a press release. Chief operating officer of Rancon Motors Limited, Shoeb Ahmed inaugurated the launching event

| appointment |

THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 2016

| dining |

Newly appointed Russian Ambassador

Yesterday Asaduzzaman Noor, Minister of Cultural Affairs held a courtesy call with the newly-appointed Russian Ambassador Alexander I Ignatov at the Bangladesh Secretariat.

Increasing overall cultural communication between the two countries was emphasised during their talk.

After welcoming the Russian ambassador, Noor said, “Russia is a close ally of Bangladesh.

19

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Biz Info

Apart from working on building the cultural aspect of both countries, we are working together on different issues as well. Over time, the bond we share is getting stronger.”

“Russia offers many scholarships to Bangladeshi students on different subjects.

However, the number of scholarship for those interested in painting, performance arts and music are few. Russia

has already allocated two scholarships in painting and performance arts,” he added. He urged the Russian government to offer more scholarship and study tour opportunities for Bangladeshi students.

The Russian Ambassador assured that he would talk to the Russain government about increasing the number of scholarships in music, performance arts, painting etc. l

The Dining Room introduces Chui Jhal

The Dining Room brings you a brand new, exciting dish called Chui Jhal. Also known as Morich Lata or Piper Chaba in English, the dish is a delicacy in Bangladesh’s south western district. The stem is peeled and chopped into small pieces to be then cooked with

mutton. The spicy pungent flavour of Chui Jhaal is similar in taste to pepper or horseradish. To try out their new dish, contact 5/F, House 49, Road 11, Banani, Dhaka or call +8801984-332299 or log onto http://www.thediningroombd. com/. l

| celebrations |

Bengali New Year celebrated at Southeast University

| roadshow |

Dhaka Regency launches IPO road show

Dhaka Regency Hotel and Resort Limited, a new generation business class hotel organised a road show for eligible investors on April 19, 2016 at its celebration hall for the initial public offering (IPO) under bookbuilding method. The managing director, directors and top management of Dhaka Regency Hotel and Resort limited, representatives from Dhaka

Stock Exchange and Chittagong Stock Exchange, officials from Issue Managers LankaBangla Investments Limited and Banco Finance & Investment Limited, officials from Registrar to the issue ICB Capital Management Limited, NBFIs, merchant bankers, stock brokers, asset management companies and representatives from banks were present at the event. Dhaka

Regency expects to collect TK.60 crore from IPO, 60% of the fund will be raised from eligible investors. The fund raised from IPO will be utilised to expand its business by setting up an international standard hotel in Cox’s Bazar along with using the funds to renovate its existing products and services and repay existing loan. l

Southeast University (SEU) organised a day-long festival on the occasion of Bengali New Year-1423 and Pohela Boishakh at its permanent campus on April 18, 2016. Chaired by the vice chancellor of SEU Prof Anwar Hossain, the inaugural ceremony of the festival was attended by the member of board of trustees of Southeast University Trust M Kamaluddin Chowdhury as chief guest. Pro vice chancellor Prof Dr Md Humayun Kabir Chowdhury was present at the program as special guest. Special reception was given to noted singer Ferdous Wahid, who was present as the guest of honour. Chairman, department of Bangla Language and Literature Dr Rakibul Hassan delivered the welcome address, while dean, school of science and engineering Prof Syed

Fakhrul Hassan delivered the vote of thanks. Registrar Maj Gen Kazi Fakhruddin Ahmed, SPP, psc (Retd) and chairman, department of Architecture Prof Meer Mobashsher Ali spoke on the occasion, highlighting the background history, tradition and culture of observing Pohela Boishakh.

Among others, chief coordinator of BOT, SEU Trust Wing Commander AHM Mostafa Morshed (Retd), deans of different schools, directors, chairs of different departments, faculty members and a good number of officials and students of SEU were present at the event. The event was followed by a cultural program. On this occasion a fair was also organised, where students participated with their colourful stalls. l

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CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Relating to the back (6) 4 Disencumber (3) 7 Dodge (5) 8 Tempt (6) 11 Solemn promise (3) 12 Equipment (4) 13 Part of a yacht (4) 15 Undress (5) 16 Trite (5) 20 Quick (4) 23 Airtight grain store (4) 24 Forefront (3) 25 Talisman (6) 26 Top room (5) 27 Golf mound (3) 28 Essay on a theme (6)

DOWN 1 Useless remains (5) 2 Ghosts (7) 3 Welsh national emblem (4) 4 Utter wildly (4) 5 Worshipped image (4) 6 Early freshness (3) 9 Meshed fabric (3) 10 Sailor (Coll) (3) 14 Effacement (7) 17 No score (3) 18 Drink (3) 19 Waterlily (5) 20 Destiny (4) 21 Poker stake (4) 22 Diplomacy (4) 24 Fermentation vessel (3)

Downtime CODE-CRACKER How to solve: Each number in our CODECRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 22 represents B so fill B every time the figure 22 appears.

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

Some letters of the alphabet may not be used.

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

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

CALVIN AND HOBBES

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

PEANUTS

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS CODE-CRACKER

CROSSWORD

DILBERT

SUDOKU

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THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 2016

INSIDE #PANAMAPAPERS LEAK

Sharif’s offshore properties link could impact Pakistan’s India policiy 5 issues vexing USSaudi relations as Obama visits President Obama arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to attend a security summit amid rising tensions with the wealthy sheikdom.

He will spend about 24 hours in the Saudi capital Riyadh before traveling to Britain and then Germany.

PAGE 22

UK licences £2.8bn of arms sales to Saudis since beginning of Yemen war The UK government released licences for the export of £7m of arms to Saudi Arabia in the last three months of 2015, taking the total value of such licences since the country entered the civil war in Yemen to £2.8bn, reports The Guardian.

PAGE 23

After big NY wins, Trump, Clinton cast themselves as inevitable Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton scored sweeping victories in nominating contests in their home state of New York, and immediately cited them in arguing they are all but unstoppable as their respective parties’ presidential nominees.

PAGE 24

n Tribune International Report Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif flew to London for a “cardiac check-up” on Wednesday fueling wild speculation as he faces the worst crisis of his political career.

His departure followed the Panama Papers leak, which confirmed his family owns offshore companies and prime London properties.

In the Panama Papers, over 200 people from Pakistan have been named as having offshore companies; this includes media organisations, businessmen, a sitting and a retired judge, and — most controversially — politicians and their relatives. Apart from the incumbent premier, relatives of two wives of Shahbaz Sharif (the chief minister of Punjab and Nawaz Sharif’s brother). The name of ex-prime minister Benazir Bhutto name has cropped up as well; she, her nephew Hasan Ali Jaffery and former interior minister Rehman Malik are said to have co-owned Petrofine FZC. The family of Osman Saifullah, a senator for the main opposition PPP, holds the record, having registered 34 offshore companies. Ironically, Osman Saifullah is currently a serving member on the tax reform commission; though of course these companies may all be legitimate, it’s no wonder people may get the impression that the cat is being asked to take care of the canary.

The revelation has given a fresh handle to Sharif’s rival, Imran Khan, whose 126-day sit-in demanding the prime minister’s removal over alleged poll fraud charges had eventually fizzled out in 2014. Khan sees the leak a godsend opportunity to topple Sharif, whom he accuses of corruption, nepotism and being obsessive about infrastructure while ignoring human development.

After the revelations, Sharif gave a recorded speech to the nation where he went on the offensive and claimed the family was being politically maligned over the leaks. He announced that he would set up a judicial commission — seen as the graveyard of inquiries — to clear the family’s reputation, explaining that the funds were legitimate profits from industrial successes.

The opposition is refusing the idea of an investigating commission headed by a retired judge.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif arrives to attend the Pakistan Day parade in Islamabad on March 23 They have said that the commission does not have the qualifications to analyse where the money has come from. Instead, the opposition is demanding a forensic audit of the money through a qualified international company.

Sharif enjoys absolute parliamentary majority and is unlikely to be toppled. Even if he is forced to step down, he is most likely going to hand over the reins to some family member.

The military is unlikely to step in as it enjoys levers of power without responsibility. Army chief Raheel Sharif by far outshines the prime minister in terms of popularity with the perceived success in Pakistan’s war on terror.

Sharif has won over vocal and influential liberals with his reformist policies, pro-women and minority welfare schemes.

The liberals are an important factor since they control the English press and are taken seriously in the west, which plays a role in making and unmaking governments in Islamabad.

Even if he survives, Sharif is likely to emerge weaker. This would have a considerable impact on Pakistan’s India policy.

Sharif enjoys absolute parliamentary majority. Even if he is forced to step down, he is most likely going to hand over the reins to some family member Despite the powerful military establishment’s displeasure, Sharif has continued his conciliatory policy with Delhi in his third term.

Sharif’s policy dates back to the 1990s when he first developed a rapport with Prime Minister IK Gujral. Punjabi sentimentalities bonded the two.

Sharif’s bonding with Gujral coincided with the pragmatic businessman-politician’s economic liberalisation policy, which required him to build bridges with India. By the end of the decade, he gambled by inviting Prime Minister Atal Bi-

REUTERS

hari Vajpayee to Lahore and signing the 1999 Lahore declaration.

Right before 2008 election, his party promised “to accord special priority’’ to a peaceful settlement of issues with India in its manifesto. As an opposition leader, he favoured visa-free travel for Indians and unilateral Siachen Glacier demilitarisation in May 2008.

Sharif’s party went on to propose to link India with Afghanistan besides energy-rich Central Asia via the Pakistani territory five years later. The proposal was unprecedented as Pakistan sees any Indian presence in Afghanistan as destabilising.

Sharif called his landslide electoral victory in 2013 a vindication of his India policy and a mandate for building bridges.

Sharif’s detractors say his business interests and that of his industrialist supporters drive his India policy. They seek parity with India and do not like Sharif’s bending over backwards approach.

That the Panama Papers leak has touched a raw never and confirmed the worst fears about politicians, the military establishment may have finally found a reason to further clip Sharif’s wings. l

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THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 2016

FACTBOX

5 issues vexing US-Saudi relations as Obama visits President Obama arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to attend a security summit amid rising tensions with the wealthy sheikdom. He will spend about 24 hours in the Saudi capital Riyadh before traveling to Britain and then Germany.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Saudi Arabia is an important partner in US efforts to resolve the Syrian conflict and counter Dae’sh militants, al-Qaeda in Yemen and Iran’s ‘bad behaviour’ in the region.

Here are five issues that cause friction between the United States and Saudi Arabia--

The 9/11 terror attacks bill The White House on Tuesday all but threatened to veto a bill in Congress that would allow a lawsuit to proceed against the Saudi government for any role it may have played in September 11, 2001, terror attacks. Obama has said such a lawsuit would open the door to a multitude of lawsuits against US officials and members of the military working abroad.

Family members of 9/11 victims in a letter Tuesday blasted Obama for his stance. “It is not acceptable … to succumb to the demands of a foreign government that we abandon principles of American justice,” the letter said, according to the Associated Press. Saudi Arabia threatened to sell up to $750bn worth of US assets if Congress passes the bill. The official 9/11 Commission, however, ruled out earlier the possibility of Saudi administrations’ involvement with the plotters. Complicating the matter is a new push to declassify 28 pages of the 9/11 report in 2002 by the Senate and House intelligence committees that have not been made public and allegedly support the main theme of the lawsuit. The papers describe the role of Saudi wealth in the spread of radical clerics who preached the ideology of al-Qaeda. Current and former members of Congress are calling for the pages to be declassified and released.

Syrian cease-fire and peace talks near collapse

monarchies worry that Iran is becoming more assertive with US approval. In Riyadh, Obama and the Gulf state leaders will have a separate session just on Iran.

Indirect peace talks in Geneva between the Russian-backed Syrian government and the US and Saudi-backed Syrian opposition teetered on the brink of collapse Tuesday, along with a partial ceasefire on the ground. US Secretary of State John Kerry said when the cease-fire was announced in February that it would create an opportunity to negotiate a political transition for Syria. If it failed, Kerry said the US would consider a “Plan B” for Syria and warned “this could get a lot uglier.” Now that seems to be happening, the Saudis are likely to press Obama to provide more support for the Syrian rebels.

But Obama will likely be more interested in talking about Saudi assistance to fight the Dae’sh in Iraq and Syria.

Yemen civil war Talks on ending the Yemen civil war set to take place Monday failed to happen. The Iran-backed Houthi rebels refused to attend, citing heavy fighting and Saudi-led airstrikes. The fighting has caused 6,400 deaths and displaced some 2.8m people, according to the UN. Saudi Arabia seeks to prevent Yemen, on its southern border, from becoming a base for Iran, which it accuses of supplying arms to the Houthis.

Resurgent Iran Saudi Arabia views Iran as a long-time enemy and a rival for influence in the region. The two nations support opposite sides in Syria, Yemen and Iraq.

Obama engineered the recently lifted nuclear sanctions against Iran, which irked Saudi power core.

Arab Gulf states, however, worry that Iran’s ongoing missile tests are a sign it has not abandoned its nuclear weapon ambitions. Despite US assurances to the contrary, the Saudis and other Persian Gulf

Low oil prices

US President Barack Obama walks with Saudi King Salman upon his arrival in Riyadh REUTERS

Saudi Arabia’s economy is hurting from low prices on its main export, as talks with oil-producing countries to limit production ended Sunday without an agreement. The Saudis refused to cut production so long as Iran did not agree to limit its own growth. The US, whose fracking boom also contributed to the global oil glut, is not party to the talks. Low oil prices caused the US oil sector to cut 250,000 jobs in the past two years, but the White House says it’s not concerned. l

Source: USA TODAY

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THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 2016

UK licences £2.8bn of arms sales to Saudis since beginning of Yemen war n Tribune International Desk The UK government released licences for the export of £7m of arms to Saudi Arabia in the last three months of 2015, taking the total value of such licences since the country entered the civil war in Yemen to £2.8bn, reports The Guardian.

Calls are growing in the UK and globally for the British government to suspend arms sales to Saudi Arabia in light of allegations, including by a UN panel, of indiscriminate bombing of Yemeni civilians by the Saudi-led coalition, which backs the neighbouring government against Houthi rebels and forces loyal to a deposed president.

The figures released on Tuesday show that the UK government has issued 122 licences for military exports to Saudi Arabia since it became involved in the civil war in March 2015. The UK has issued export licences worth £6.7bn for arms to Saudi Arabia since 2010.

In the final quarter of 2015, the government issued military licences valued at more than £7.2m, including £3m-worth licences that

UNHCR: 500 might have drowned in Mediterranean tragedy

n Reuters, Rome

Up to 500 migrants might have drowned in the Mediterranean last week when human traffickers crammed people onto an already overcrowded ship, causing it to sink, the UN refugee agency said on Wednesday.

Somalia’s government said on Monday about 200 or more Somalis may have died in the tragedy while trying to cross illegally to Europe.

After talking to survivors, the UNHCR agency said the overall death toll might have been much higher.

The agency said the survivors 37 men, three women and a threeyear-old child - were rescued by a merchant ship and taken to Greece on April 16.

They recounted that they had been among 100 to 200 people who set sail from Libya last week headed for Italy. After several hours at sea, the traffickers tried to move them onto a bigger ship that was already packed with migrants. This ship sank before the survivors could board it.

They then drifted at sea for up to three days before being saved. l

People stand by part of a Saudi fighter jet found in Yemen’s capital Sanaa REUTERS include the export of grenades, bombs and missiles. These were accompanied by eight open export licences allowing the Saudi air force to buy unlimited components for combat aircraft without applying for separate licences.

The weapon categories included for arms exports since the bombing of Yemen began include approximately £1.7bn-worth of licences for aircraft, helicopters and drones, £1.1bn-worth of li-

cences for grenades, bombs and missiles and £430,000-worth of licences for armoured vehicles and tanks.

A special parliamentary committee on arms export controls is conducting an inquiry into sales of arms to the Saudis, but has yet to interview British ministers on the extent to which they believe Saudi Arabia has breached international humanitarian law through its bombing campaign.

Separately, the UK government revealed it had not rejected a single export licence request since March 2015 on the basis it might be used to repress internal human rights. The UK government said it had blocked seven licences on the basis that the arms might be diverted to undesirable ends.

Ministers are also likely to be quizzed on the extent to which UK military personnel have been overseeing the details of the Saudi targeting, both in planning targets and then advising how Saudi pilots should hit them.

Ministers have insisted that Saudis are conducting inquiries into any errors in their bombing campaign and point out that the military there is operating with the support of the UN in a complex and bloody civil war in which both sides have been accused of atrocities.

Peace talks due to start this week failed to get off the ground on Monday.

Saudi Arabia is the UK’s most important strategic and arms sales partner in the Middle East, and the likelihood of Westminster suspending arms sales is slim. l

Iran introduces undercover morality police n Reuters, Dubai Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has criticised the use of thousands of undercover morality police in Tehran to report on young women who are not wearing a full Islamic hijab or those who play loud music in their cars.

Some 7,000 men and women officers began reporting such violations in Tehran, Iran’s capital, on Monday. The police chief said the officers were not authorised to arrest anyone; they can only send reports of violations via text messages to police headquarters.

Asked about the move, President Hassan Rouhani said such decisions should not be made by the government and he would keep his promise to preserve citizens’ freedom.

“Our first duty is to respect people’s dignity and personality.

God has bestowed dignity to all human beings and this dignity precedes religion,” Rouhani was quoted as saying by the news agency ISNA on Wednesday.

Iranian police are part of the armed forces and supervised by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but the government has a say in their policies through the Interior Ministry.

The morality police in Iran usu-

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SOUTH ASIA

Death toll from blast in Kabul rises to 64 The casualty total from Tuesday’s major attack in Kabul has risen to 64 killed, more than double the total previously estimated by police, and 347 wounded, Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said on Wednesday. He said most of those killed in the attack were civilians.

-REUTERS

INDIA

Heat wave kills more than 160 Weeks of sweltering temperatures have caused more than 160 deaths in southern and eastern India, officials said Tuesday, warning that any relief from monsoon rains was still likely weeks away. Most of the heat-wave victims were laborers and farmers in the states of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa, though temperatures elsewhere in India have also hit 45 degrees Celsius.

-AP

CHINA

China angered by UK’s comments on S China Sea China expressed anger on Wednesday after a senior British official said a ruling expected within a few months in an international arbitration case the Philippines has brought against China’s South China Sea claims must be binding.

Hugo Swire, British minister of state responsible for East Asia, also said Britain saw the ruling as an opportunity for China and the Philippines to renew dialogue over their territorial disputes. -REUTERS

ASIA PACIFIC

Philippine army urges no payments to free foreign captives

Iranian police personnel warn a young Iranian couple (blurred out) about their clothing and hair during a crackdown to enforce Islamic dress code on the streets of Tehran Twitter/Radio Free Europe COMMONS ally detain women on the street for wearing bright clothes, a loose hijab or make-up, and men for “unacceptable” hair and clothing styles. They have sealed off barber shops for giving Western haircuts and cafes in which boys and girls were not observing Islamic law.

Rouhani came to office in 2013 mainly on the votes of young people, and he has disagreed with strict Islamic rules. Many young Iranians hoped that his presiden-

cy would be accompanied by an easing of cultural restrictions.

But hardliners have moved to block any relaxation of the Islamic Republic’s social rules, warning of the “infiltration” of Western culture. They harshly criticised Rouhani last year for saying the police should enforce the law rather than Islam. In 2014, he said “you can’t send people to heaven by the whip,” a comment that brought a reaction from the Supreme Leader. l

The Philippines discouraged ransom payments on Wednesday for captives held by Islamist militants in a bid to stop a kidnap industry emerging after a series of rebel seizures of Indonesian and Malaysian crew.

A Philippine military spokesman was responding to media reports on Tuesday that quoted an Indonesian minister as saying a Taiwan firm would pay to free 10 Indonesians held by Abu Sayyaf rebels. -REUTERS

MIDDLE EAST

GCC, US agree on joint patrols to block Iran arms to Yemen Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and the US have agreed to carry out joint patrols to stop any Iranian arms shipments reaching Yemen, the bloc’s secretary general, Abdullatif al-Zayani, said on Wednesday. Zayani was speaking at a news conference with US Defense Secretary Ash Carter after a meeting between Carter and his counterparts from the GCC. -REUTERS

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USA

US reluctant to change data pact after EU watchdogs’ concerns The US does not want to change the substance of a data transfer pact agreed in February with the European Commission, a senior official said, after EU privacy watchdogs voiced concerns over elements of the deal. Stefan Selig, US Under-Secretary of Commerce for International Trade, said the US would evaluate the EU regulators’ opinion, but would be wary of reopening the agreement. -REUTERS

THE AMERICAS

Brazil’s Supreme Court to rule on Lula appointment Brazil’s Supreme Court was due to rule Wednesday on whether former leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva can take up his post as chief advisor to embattled President Dilma Rousseff. The top panel’s decision is expected just days after lawmakers overwhelmingly authorised impeachment proceedings against Rousseff.

-AFP

UK

Brexit would damage UK’s special relationship with US Britain’s special relationship with the US would be significantly damaged if Britain leaves the EU, according to a former US Treasury secretary, who says Brexit would be unfortunate for the British economy, Europe, the US and the world. Larry Summers, who served under president Bill Clinton, said the move would represent the most isolationist deed in the last century, inflicting serious damage on the City of London.

-THE GUARDIAN

EUROPE

Court: Norway violated killer Breivik’s human rights Norway violated mass killer Anders Behring Breivik’s human rights by exposing him to inhuman, degrading treatment or punishment while serving his prison sentence, a Norwegian court ruled on Wednesday. Breivik took Norwegian authorities to court in March, accusing them of breaching the European Convention on Human Rights by keeping him isolated from other prisoners.

-REUTERS

AFRICA

Nigeria uncovers 17,000 more civil service ghost workers Nigeria has uncovered 17,000 more ghost workers on the civil service payroll, the country’s anti-corruption body said on Wednesday, taking the number of fictitious employees to more than 37,000. A spokesman for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission said the findings came as part of an audit conducted with the finance ministry and the accountant-general’s office.

-AFP

INSIGHT

After big NY wins, Trump, Clinton cast themselves as inevitable n Reuters, New York Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton scored sweeping victories in nominating contests in their home state of New York, and immediately cited them in arguing they are all but unstoppable as their respective parties’ presidential nominees.

Trump’s crushing defeat of Ted Cruz in Tuesday’s primary election tilted the energy in the Republican race back to the front-runner.For the Democratic favourite, Clinton’s more narrow victory over Bernie Sanders snapped a string of victories by the 74-year-old democratic socialist and gave her a much-needed lift.

Trump’s win marked a rebound from his Wisconsin defeat two weeks ago. It set him up for another big night on April 26, when Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Delaware, and Maryland will hold primaries.

Clinton, a former US senator from New York, former secretary of state and former first lady, got nowhere near the knockout punch she needed to finally put Sanders away.

Her win, however, made it nearly impossible for Sanders to

The race for the White House

DEMOCRATS

REPUBLICANS

States won

Delegates required to win the nomination

1,893

2,382 delegates obtained With ‘super delegates’

1,180

1,424

pledged

1,237

845 559 171

1,149

pledged

147 E

AC

R OF

Hillary

Clinton

Bernie

Sanders

Donald

Trump

Ted

Cruz

T OU Marco

Rubio

John

Kasich

Source: realclearpolitics

overtake her commanding lead in the number of delegates needed to win the nomination.

Nationally, the race for the nominations has tightened recently for both parties, according to a Reu-

ters/Ipsos poll released Tuesday.

Clinton and Sanders are tied among Democrats, with each drawing about 47% support in the national poll. At the beginning of the year, Clinton led Sanders by nearly

a 2-to-1 margin; Sanders has closed that gap over the past few months.

Among Republicans, Trump leads with 44% support, compared with 33% for Cruz and 16% for Kasich. l

Obama dives into Brexit debate on London trip

‘Brussels’ interference needs to be toned down’

n AFP, London

n Reuters, Strasbourg

US President Barack Obama will be thrust into the eye of a boisterous British debate over European Union membership when he touches down in London on Thursday for a royal-filled visit.

The US president’s four-day trip -- perhaps his last to Britain before leaving office next year -- comes ahead of a June 23 referendum when Britons will be asked if they want to remain in the 28-member EU. Obama is sure to be asked to weigh in on the issue during a joint press conference on Friday after talks with Prime Minister David Cameron or at a town hallstyle meeting with British youngsters on Saturday.

Britain’s departure from the EU -- so-called Brexit -- could have deep ramifications for Washing-

ton’s “special relationship” with Britain, and on the stability of the European Union itself. Obama has consistently said he favours a strong Britain in a strong EU. Aides say he is likely to reinforce that message. With Cameron facing a rebellion from within his own party over Europe, the prime minister will welcome any backing he can get.

Seen from Washington, Cameron’s decision to call a referendum was a bold -- if not downright risky -- gamble that could leave Britain and the EU badly weakened.

Polls put the pro-EU and Brexit camps neck-and-neck among those who express a preference to vote, although there is a large pool of people who remain undecided.

Pro-Brexit supporters include popular London mayor Boris Johnson, who has accused Obama of “outrageous and exorbitant hypocrisy” for his comments in favour of staying in the EU. l

Growing euroscepticism in the EU is partly due to too much interference from Brussels in ordinary people’s lives, which needs to be toned down, the head of the European Commission said on Tuesday.

In comments likely to resonate in Britain as it gears up for a June referendum on whether to stay in the bloc, Commission President JeanClaude Juncker said more powers should rest with the capitals rather than central EU institutions.

Asked by British conservative lawmaker Nigel Evans what he planned to do about growing euroscepticism, Juncker said: “I think that one of the reasons why European citizens are stepping away from the European project is due to the fact that we are interfering in too many domains of their private lives.

In many of those areas, individual states were “better placed to take action and to pass through legislation.”

For that reason, Brussels was passing far fewer new pieces of legislation than under previous presidents, Juncker said.

He was speaking after Dutch voters, in a swipe at their government as well as the EU, rejected closer ties with Ukraine earlier this month, having also voted against a proposed EU constitution in 2005.

“I made it clear back in 2006 that the European project was running out of steam, there was disappointment. I don’t think the situation has fundamentally changed, on the contrary,” Juncker told the parliamentary assembly of the Council of Europe.

“Yes it’s right we are not very popular when we plead the case for Europe. You are no longer respected in your country if you insist that in the necessity of supra-national bodies.” l

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Murshedy BFF Senior VP without contest n Tribune Report

INSIDE

Sabbir eager to rise to next level A consistent performer in the domestic circuit even before getting into the national side, dashing batsman Sabbir Rahman’s campaign in the upcoming Dhaka Premier League season will be slightly different compared to the previous years. PAGE 26

HK player banned for breaching code Hong Kong all-rounder Irfan Ahmed has been banned for 2-1/2 years for failing to disclose approaches made to him to engage in corruption, the ICC said yesterday. The 26-year old was provisionally suspended in November. PAGE 27

Prime Doleshwar's Nasir Hossain bats in the nets during training yesterday. His side will take on Cricket Coaching School in their Dhaka Premier League opener at BKSP 3 tomorrow MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

Man City stifled by battling Newcastle Man City gave renewed hope to the chasing pack in the battle for a Champions League spot as they were held to a battling 1-1 draw at relegation strugglers Newcastle United on Tuesday. PAGE 28

Sprint king Bolt eyes triple ‘threepeat’ Sprint king Usain Bolt aims to crown his legacy with an unprecedented Olympic threepeat at the Rio Games, and to top that off by running the first ever sub-19 seconds 200 meters. The long-striding Jamaican suggested he might not stop there. PAGE 29

Following a series of drama, Abdus Salam Murshedy is set to be re-elected as the senior vice president of the Bangladesh Football Federation, for the third time in succession, without any opposition as his three counterparts withdrew their nomination forms yesterday.

As previously announced, Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club president Manjur Kader and Mohammedan Sporting Club’s director-in-charge Lokman Hossain Bhuiyan expectedly withdrew their nominations yesterday but the withdrawal of Dewan Shafiul Arefin Tutul raised quite a few eyebrows.

Chief Election Commissioner Mezbah Uddin will officially announce the name of Murshedy today as the winner of the senior vice president’s post after the trio from the “Football Bachao” (Save Football) panel pulled out. As result, there will not be any voting for the senior vice president’s post in the upcoming BFF election, scheduled to be held on April 30.

In the meantime, earlier yesterday, rumours were doing the rounds that current BFF president Kazi Salahuddin might withdraw from the race. The BFF supremo though denied all speculation in a press conference.l

Heavy bats promise bigger hits n Minhaz Uddin Khan There will be plenty of heavy bats in play during this season’s Dhaka

Premier League. Already, many of the top batsmen in the country have been training with their modified bats in order to counter the slow and low tracks that will be on offer during the domestic one-day tournament.

The change in weight wouldn’t sound significant for the layman but to a batsman, even a change of an ounce makes a big difference to their approach. This time the batsmen are choosing bats weighing 2.8 lbs over their regular choice of 2.6 or 2.7 lbs bats. The two most popular brands are SS from India and CA bats from Pakistan.

The likes of Sabbir Rahman, Nasir Hossain, Liton Kumar Das and Mohammad Mithun prefer slightly heavy bats for

the Dhaka League this season.

Soumya Sarkar too will be batting with a heavier willow at 2.7 lbs, and he said it would help him counter spinners better.

“Heavy bats allow me to hit the ball easily if the ball is coming slower. A batsman faces more pace in international cricket than in the Dhaka Premier League,” said Soumya to the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

Former Bangladesh batsman Aftab Ahmed, now the assistant coach of Mohammedan Sporting Club, said preferring heavier bats means that the batsmen will now be more aggressive. He said it helps them play straighter.

“There has been a vast change in attitude of the batsmen in limited-over cricket, batsmen are more aggressive now and have the tendency to hit the ball hard. This change had come in world cricket since the invention of the Twenty20 format and it is good that

Bangladesh cricketers are adopting that.

“A bat with more punch gives the batsman confidence to come down the track and also play straight. I think overall, the tendency is right. The aggressive brand of cricket played by the Bangladesh team can be the reason behind the change and this is a good thing happening I believe,” said Aftab, who was known to use bats weighing more than 2.9 lbs.

But there are cricketers who are sticking to bats of regular weight like Tamim Iqbal, his elder brother Nafees Iqbal, Shahriar Nafees and Ziaur Rahman. According to Nafees, a change in weight of the bat means improvisation and many will not like to make a vital change just ahead of a major tournament like the DPL. But a heavier bat would guarantee at least one thing: bigger hits over the rope. It is the need of the hour in cricket.l

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Bangladesh girls eye title defence n Tribune Report

Abahani Limited's Icon cricketer Tamim Iqbal poses with the new club jersey ahead of their Dhaka Premier League opener against Kalabagan Krira Chakra in Fatullah tomorrow DHAKA TRIBUNE

Bangladesh Under-14 girls’ football team are hopeful of retaining the title of the AFC U-14 Girls’ Regional Championship (south and central zone) ahead of their departure to Tajikistan this week.

The Bangladesh girls will be bidding to defend their crown when this year’s edition gets underway in Dushanbe this Tuesday.

The girls in red and green, who created history by winning their first ever title last year, were placed in Group B along with familiar opponents Nepal and India while Group A comprises hosts Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Bhutan and Iran. Bangladesh had defeated Group B opposition Nepal in the grand finale of the previous edition and drew against India in their tournament opener.

Bangladesh’s title success last year was largely scripted by the Kolsindur girls, hailing from a remote village in Mymensingh, but most of them will be absent this

time around, including the likes of Sanjida Akter and Krishna Rani.

As a result, head coach Golam Rabbani Choton and five other coaches had to scout for potential national footballers in the last few months.

The 18-member Bangladesh squad, expected to fly off tomorrow, contains seven Kolsindur girls while the rest were selected from the JFA Cup and the National Women’s Championship.

Following a residential camp in BKSP in the last one month and 13 days, during which the side contested three friendly matches, Choton sounded confident regarding his charges’ prospects.

Captain Marzia Akter, who scored the winning goal in the final last year, echoed the same sentiment.

“Preparation is going well. We played a few practice matches where we got better technically.

We are hopeful this time as well. I believe we will play the final and win the title,” said Marzia.l

Abahani held by Rahmatganj Sabbir eager to rise despite new coach’s arrival to next level n DHAKA PREMIER LEAGUE

Tribune Report

n Mazhar Uddin A consistent performer in the domestic circuit even before getting into the national side, dashing batsman Sabbir Rahman’s campaign in the upcoming Dhaka Premier League season will be slightly different compared to the previous years.

The 24-year old was roped in by

defending champions Prime Bank Cricket Club as an Icon player so a lot will depend on the Rajshahi cricketer if his side is to create a mark in the DPL. Sabbir was prolific in the last edition for Kalabagan Cricket Academy, scoring 421 runs in 11 matches at an average of 38.27, including two fifties.

The right-handed batsman continued from where he had left off in the domestic circuit, scripting some memorable knocks in the international arena for the Tigers in the past year or so.

And on the eve of the start of the DPL 2015-16 season, the hard-hitting batsman was not short of confidence as his side bid to defend their title when the tournament rolls on the field tomorrow.

“We are the defending champions so obviously we will fight to retain the title this time. We will focus match by match but our goal is to become the champions,” Sabbir informed the media.

“I do not have any personal goals as I often fail whenever I set a target so I will just be looking to deliver according to the demand of my team. And my main aim is to contribute with the bat and support my side,” he said.l

Despite securing the services of Serbia-born Croatian head coach Drago Mamic, Abahani Limited continued to struggle in the KFC Independence Cup as they were held to a 2-2 draw by Rahmatganj MFS at Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.

It was third-placed Abahani’s third draw from four Group B matches. With six points and a game in hand, Abahani must now earn at least a point from their last group-stage match against table-toppers Sheikh Russel in order to reach the semi-finals.

With English forward Lee Andrew Tuck suspended due to his red card in the last match, the newly-appointed Mamic decided to give English midfielder Rohan Ricketts his debut.

Rohan, the former Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur midfielder, reminded everyone the standard of his schooling as he fired a sumptuous volley from the edge of the box with only two minutes into the clock. His effort though crashed against the sidepost.

Rohan however, would not be denied for long as he took only seven minutes to score his first goal in Bangladesh. The Englishman received a Camara Sarba pass

An action of the KFC Independence Cup match between Abahani Limited and Rahmatganj at Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK before calmly placing the ball into the far post.

Against the run of play, Siyo Zunapiyo equalised the margin in the 38th minute, out-muscling his marker to head home a fine Faysal Ahmed cross.

Nurul Absar then stunned the Sky Blues supporters by taking the lead for the first time in the 71st

minute of the game. Controlling a delightful long ball by Faysal, Absar exhibited great skill and technique to chip the ball over Shakil from inside the box.

Sarba though rescued Abahani’s blushes in the 85th minute, placing home a rebound after Sunday Chizoba’s shot was initially blocked by the Rahmatganj goalkeeper. l

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QUICK BYTES Tendulkar bats for campaign against child labour on Twitter Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, chess champion Viswanathan Anand and Bollywood stars took to Twitter this week to support a campaign against child labour, using their fame to draw greater attention to the issue. The campaign, launched by Indian insurer Reliance General Insurance and children’s rights NGO Child Rights and You, used the hashtag #DONT_EMPLOY_LITTLE_ONES to urge people to promise not to use child labour. Bollywood stars Soha Ali Khan and Mandira Bedi also tweeted their support.

–REUTERS

UEFA chooses HawkEye for Euro 2016 goal-line technology Hawk-Eye technology will be used to decide whether the ball has crossed the goal-line at this year’s European Championship, UEFA said on Tuesday. The British company’s camera-based system will be installed in all 10 stadiums hosting the tournament in France. UEFA announced in January that goal-line technology would be installed for Euro 2016 and said in March that this season’s Champions League final in Milan and the Europa league final in Basel would also have the system in place.

–REUTERS

Bilic has no problems with the occasional dive West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic insists he will not address the subject of simulation with his players nor have any issues if they earn penalties by deceiving the referee. While being awarded only two spot kicks in the Premier League this season, West Ham’s Champions League hopes have been hampered by the concession of seven penalties, with six of them being converted.

–REUTERS

Mourinho, Ranieri to manage at Old Trafford Jose Mourinho’s next managerial role has been revealed with the Portuguese leading "England" against Claudio Ranieri’s "Rest of the World" side as the former Chelsea bosses clash at Old Trafford on June 5 in a charity match for UNICEF. Mourinho, who was sacked by Chelsea in December after a Premier League loss to Ranieri’s Leicester City, will have Sunderland boss Sam Allardyce in the dugout as his assistant.

–REUTERS

PSG forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic shoots to score during the French Cup semi-final against Lorient at Moustoir Stadium in Lorient on Tuesday

Hong Kong player banned for anti-corruption code breach n Reuters, Hong Kong Hong Kong all-rounder Irfan Ahmed has been banned for 2-1/2 years for failing to disclose approaches made to him to engage in corruption, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said yesterday.

The 26-year-old Pakistan-born cricketer was provisionally suspended in November with the ICC’s anti-corruption unit (ACU) investigating his role in relation to the activities of another suspected offender.

“Whilst Mr Ahmed was not

charged with any offence involving corruption, the ACU established that he had failed to disclose to it full details of approaches or invitations to engage in corrupt conduct that had been made to him between January 2012 and January 2014,” the ICC said in a statement.

Ahmed, who had played in six one-day internationals and eight Twenty20 matches for Hong Kong, accepted the sanction and waived his right to appeal, the ICC added.

Cricket has been plagued by a number of corruption issues and a 2010 spot-fixing scandal resulted

in bans and jail terms for Pakistan fast bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir, and former test captain Salman Butt.

ACU chairman Ronnie Flanagan said corrupt individuals had increased the targeting of players from ICC Associate Member nations, where cricket is firmly established and organised, and the game’s stakeholders needed to stave them off.

“This penalty (imposed on Ahmed) should act as a reminder to all participants of the need to comply with their obligations under the (anti-corruption) code at all times and, in particular, the requirement to report corrupt approaches to the ACU without any delay,” Flanagan said.

“It is pleasing to note that the investigation upon which these charges were founded originated from information that had been disclosed to the ACU. “This is a clear and welcome demonstration that participants now more and more fully realise their own responsibilities in combating this scourge on the game through prompt and diligent reporting as required by the Code.”

Ahmed’s ban is backdated to when he was provisionally suspended and will expire on May 4, 2018. l

AFP

Ibrahimovic sends PSG into French Cup final n Reuters, Paris Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s second-half strike earned Paris St Germain a spot in the French Cup final as the holders beat Lorient 1-0 away on Tuesday.

The Sweden striker scored 15 minutes from time to send PSG into the Stade de France showdown on May 21 against Ligue 2 side Sochaux or bitter rivals Olympique de Marseille, who played yesterday.

PSG, who were knocked out of the Champions League quarter-finals for the fourth season in a row last week, are gunning for a second consecutive domestic treble.

They were crowned Ligue 1 champions last month and will be playing the League Cup final against Lille on Saturday.

PSG, however, were far from impressive at Lorient and managed a single shot on target in the first half.

They were slightly better after the break and Ibrahimovic scored his 42nd goal of the season in all competitions when he slotted the ball home from inside the box after being played through by Angel Di Maria.

Zargo Toure came close to levelling one minute from time but his header was superbly saved by Salvatore Sirigu. l

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Man City stifled by battling Newcastle Aguero scores 100 EPL goals n Reuters, Newcastle Manchester City gave renewed hope to the chasing pack in the battle for a Champions League spot as they were held to a battling 1-1 draw at relegation strugglers Newcastle United on Tuesday.

City, who took the lead when Sergio Aguero headed home from an offside position for his 100th

Premier League goal after 14 minutes, were largely stifled by a Newcastle side who levelled through Vurnon Anita after 31 minutes.

City stayed third in the Premier League on 61 points, but the result opened the door in the battle for a top-four finish to their rivals Manchester United who are fifth, five points adrift with a game in hand.

Arsenal are fourth on 60 points.

Rafa Benitez’s side, who were denied a late winner when Joe Hart saved brilliantly from Georginio Wijnaldum, stay second-from-bottom on 29 points, but maintain some precious momentum after their weekend victory over Swansea City.

With four games of their season remaining, they are a point adrift of local rivals Sunderland and two behind Norwich City, who are outside the relegation zone in 17th.

After becoming the highest-scoring South American earlier this season, Aguero is now only the 25th player to have scored 100 goals or more in the Premier League.

The Manchester City striker reached the impressive landmark on Tuesday night with a contentious opener in their 1-1 draw at Newcastle.

That effort was his 22nd of the campaign and sees him join striking greats Alan Shearer, Thierry Henry and Didier Drogba in the exclusive 100 club.

City had enjoyed an iron grip on this fixture having won 12 straight Premier League games against Newcastle, while Aguero had plundered 10 goals in his eight appearances against the Magpies. l

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Mueller goals send Bayern into German Cup final n Reuters, Berlin Bayern Munich’s Thomas Mueller scored in each half as the Bundesliga leaders beat Werder Bremen 2-0 on Tuesday to reach the German Cup final and stay firmly on course for a treble of titles this season.

Bayern, who face Atletico Madrid in the Champions League last four next week and could clinch the Bundesliga as early as Saturday, will face either Borussia Dortmund or Hertha Berlin who played yesterday.

Germany international Mueller scored with a bouncing header after Clemens Fritz slipped in the box, leaving the forward with a clear path in the 30th minute and with Bayern in complete control.

The hosts had little trouble against the former German champions in the first half, though the visitors did have one golden chance when Manuel Neuer left his goal but Sambu Yatabare’s weak lob gave the keeper enough time to sprint back.

Bayern should have scored in the opening minutes of the second half with Werder attacking and leaving huge gaps at the back.

The risk, however, almost paid off on the hour for them with Bayern’s David Alaba putting the ball into his own net under pressure from Fin Bartels, penalised for an offensive foul.

Minutes later the referee awarded Bayern a penalty with substitute Arturo Vidal diving and television replays showing no contact of the Chilean with Werder’s Janek Sternberg.

Mueller stepped up and converted the spot kick, instantly dashing Werder’s hopes of a comeback and turning the remainder of the game into a procedural matter. l

DAY’S WATCH

Napoli's Manolo Gabbiadini (R) in action against Bologna's Luca Rossettini and Marios Oikonomou during their Serie A match at San Paolo Stadium, Naples, Italy on Tuesday. Napoli won 6-0 with Gabbiadini scoring two, Dries Mertens bagging a hattrick and David Lopez grabbing the other REUTERS

Bolt eyes triple ‘threepeat’ and sub-19 200m n Reuters, New York

Sprint king Usain Bolt aims to crown his legacy with an unprecedented Olympic threepeat at the Rio Games, and to top that off by running the first ever sub-19 seconds 200 meters.

The long-striding Jamaican suggested he might not stop there, leaving open the chance he could extend his career beyond the 2017 season he has said would be his last.

Bolt has already swept the 100 and 200m sprints at the last two

Olympics and added gold in the 4x100 relays in both Beijing (2008) and London (2012) with his Jamaican team mates.

“Just to defend my titles, to do the threepeat. That’s my main goal.

That’s my main focus,” Bolt told Reuters on Tuesday after helping sponsors Hublot open their biggest U.S. fine watch store with a grand opening on Fifth Avenue.

“My secondary goal is to try and run sub-19,” added Bolt, who set the world 200m record of 19.19 in 2009. “That’s something I really

want and I hope that everythinggoes smoothly and I can get it. That would be a big step for me.”

Bolt said he has been gradually rounding into shape after dealing with ankle problems.

“I’m feeling OK,” he said. “My coach says my fitness is not exactly where he wants it to be.

“Starting out this season I had a problem with my ankles and it was a setback but not that bad. We’re getting back on track and he’s happy with the progress I’m making.”

“I really want to be at my best

FOOTBALL STAR SPORTS 1 12:35AM English Premier League Arsenal v West Bromwich Albion

SONY SIX 12:40AM Italian Serie A AC Milan v Carpi

SONY ESPN 1:00AM Spanish La Liga Granada v Levante

CRICKET SONY SIX 8:30PM Indian Premier League Gujarat v Hyderabad

(L-R) President of Arturo Fuente Cigars Carlos P Fuente Jr, legendary footballer Pele, Hublot CEO Ricardo Guadalupe, Olympic sprinter Usain Bolt, architect Peter Marino and Managing Director of Hublot North America Jean-Francois Sberro cut a ribbon to celebrate the opening of the flagship 'Hublot' store on Fifth Avenue in New York on Tuesday REUTERS

leading up to the championships.

I have two months before (Jamaican) trials and three and a half months before the championships,” he said.

“I’ll keep pushing myself and hopefully everything smoothes out and I’ll be at my best when the Olympics comes around.”

Bolt said he would run his first race in Cayman, then in Ostrava and then to his coach’s June meet in Jamaica before the trials and then on to the Diamond League meeting in London.

The 29-year-old said his coach, Glen Mills, wanted him to leave the retirement door open.

In any event, Bolt said he would not treat 2017 like a farewell tour.

“I’m never going to come out and joke or be a joke in a season.

I’m a winner. I believe in winning.

I hate to lose. I will never come out and say it is a farewell tour. I will want to compete at my best, go to the championships and win again.”

As for the legacy he hoped to leave the sport he has dominated for eight years, Bolt spoke about another Hublot spokesman, 75-year-old soccer great Pele.

“I met Pele today. For me, it was a dream come true,” Bolt said. “I’ve always said I want to be the greatest. I want to be like Pele and Ali and all those guys.

“I want to be great. I want to be remembered as one of the greatest that have ever done the sport.” l

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Showtime

Who could lead Jaaz’s next big hit?

n Rupkotha Chowdhury Agnee and Agnee -2 were two super-hit female centric action flicks that were jointly produced by SK Movies and Jaaz Multimedia. Although there was

an announcement of beginning the third sequel of the franchise earlier, there have been no signs of the start of production till date.

However, the production companies recently decided to bring out another film that is

quite similar to the franchise, a female-centric action thriller. In the meantime, a title is finalised - Rakta, which will be directed by Malek Afsari.

Abdul Aziz, the chairman of Jaaz Multimedia, has revealed that the film will be a big budget one, with renowned fighting directors from Thailand and Chennai, India, having already been hired for the film’s production.

Now the question is, who could be the lead in the action flick? Popular opinion pointed to one of Jaaz’s three leading girl, Mahiya Mahi, Nusrat Faria or Jolly.

However, Abdul Aziz gave no clue about this prospect, simply saying “we don’t want to disclose any names of the leads at this moment.” He went on to add that a big surprise is about to come.

According to Jaaz, the lead actors of the film will be announced through a big ceremony at a hotel in the capital, which is to be held within the next week.

Malek Afsari, the director, hints that the story of the film revolves around a girl who fights the bad guys to rescue her younger brother.

The filming of Rakta will begin from May 10 and is supposed to take place in India, Thailand and Bangladesh. l

Tom- Not so cool Daddy

n Showtime Desk Suri Cruise celebrated her 10th birthday on April 18, and her dad Tom Cruise, 53, was nowhere in sight. Katie Holmes, 37, made sure her adorable daughter had an amazing day anyway.

Here’s what we know about the celebrations.

Katie was there to pick up the pieces and make sure her

daughter had a lovely birthday in New York, where she was photographed flaunting a pretty pink dress with matching shoes and bow in her hair.

Tom Cruise is currently living in London and is assumed to have been there on the big day, rather than at his youngest child’s birthday party. l Source: Hollywood life

Curse of the Kohinoor unveiled at CinemaCon 2016 nShowtime desk Rahsaan Noor’s Ziryab Entertainment has signed a three-year, three-film deal with Bengal based Universal Group.

The partnership was formally announced at the recently held CinemaCon in Las Vegas with the unveiling of Curse of the Kohinoor, the first movie to be produced under the agreement.

“I had the pleasure of working with Ms. Hossain and the team at Universal during the marketing of my first film. She was one of my earliest supporters and I cannot think of a better home for Ziryab Entertainment as we continue our growth,” said Noor in a statement.

Universal Group and Ziryab Entertainment have four projects currently under development - Curse of the Kohinoor, which is being mounted as the first movie in the Nau Kavi franchise,

is set to begin production this upcoming July; Bengali Beauty, a romance set during the Bengal famine of the 1970s; a yet untitled family drama film based on a book proposal by writer Sohani; and Cyclewala, another original script by Rahsaan Noor about a rickshawallah who competes in the Tour de France.

Rahsaan is one of the great talents of our time,” said Universal Group Managing Director Sohani Hossain. “He is a masterful actor, storyteller and producer, with impeccable taste and skill that has shaped his young yet extraordinary career. We first got an opportunity to collaborate during the marketing campaign of Simanaheen, which went on to become a major success. We are both proud and excited to expand our relationship with him, Raghav Murali, and the entire team at Ziryab.”

Universal Group is currently in post-production of the Bengali film Sotta (2016), which features Hate Story star Paoli Dam and

veteran Bengali actor Sakib Khan, and in pre-production on Curse of the Kohinoor (2017).

Ziryab Entertainment recently

produced and distributed The Spectacular Jihad of Taz Rahim, which was featured at last year’s Berlinale Film Festival. l

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George RR Martin hints at Game of Thrones spin-off

nShowtime desk The creator of Game of Thrones, George RR Martin, is open to a spin-off of the fabulous TV series.

Entertainment Weekly reached out to the best-selling author of the A Song of Ice and Fire saga, upon which the HBO hit series is based, following last week’s news that the series might only have 13 episodes left after the upcoming sixth season.

At this moment, the HBO executives and the Thrones showrunners aren’t thinking about spin-offs or prequels, but it’s not absurd to imagine the topic would

garner some serious consideration given the huge popularity of the TV show.

Martin says he believes there are many opportunities for another show.

“There is certainly no lack of material,” Martin told the magazine. “Every episode of The Naked City – one of the television shows I watched as a kid – ended with a voice-over: ‘There are eight million stories in the naked city. This has been one of them.’

There are eight million stories in Westeros as well … and even more in Essos and the lands beyond. A whole world full of stories, waiting

to be told… if indeed HBO is interested.”

But which one of those millions of stories would make the best film project? A prequel set during Robert’s Rebellion, perhaps? Or a sequel set after the events in the current show? Martin has a suggestion: “The most natural follow-up would be an adaptation of my Dunk & Egg stories,” he notes.

The Dunk & Egg stories are a series of novellas set in the same world of Game of Thrones, except they take place roughly 90 years before the time of characters like Tyrion, Daenerys, and Arya. The stories follow a “hedge knight” (nomadic and doesn’t own land) Ser Duncan the Tall, who would later become a member of the Kingsguard, and his squire Egg, who later becomes King Aegon V Targaryen of Westeros. There are a trio of novellas in the series so far (collected in the anthology A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms), with many more planned.

All this remains speculation at this point, however. Martin confirms that as of now, there have been no meaningful discussions about what projects might follow Game of Thrones. l

Varun’s Dishoom Vs HrithikKangana’s Dishoom Dishoom

nShowtime desk David Dhawan is famous for his humorous films in Bollywood.

Varun Dhawan, David’s younger son and the latest young craze in Bollywood, is no less than his father, and is known for having a sense of humour just like Dhawan senior.

Recently, his humorous approach impressed some

journalists at the event for Dishoom. Dishoom is his latest film co-starring John Abraham and Jacqueline Fernandez. While a reporter quizzed Varun about Hrithik and Kangana, the actor was smart enough to give it back to the reporter saying, “Our film is called Dishoom and not Dishoom Dishoom. So I wouldn’t want to comment on that!” This probably was the wittiest way to tackle a

question of this nature. Like other celebrities of Bollywood, Varun is not ready to drag himself into this mess. After all, the HrithikKangana matter is extremely ‘personal’.

On the film Dishoom with John Abraham, Varun said, “It’s honestly been a very challenging film because there is a lot of action, and John and I have been part of some daredevil stunts.” l

The Girl Who Didn’t Share nShowtime desk A birthday cake, tons of balloons and the best presents a little girl could ask for! Little Pepper is turning three and having a wonderful birthday party with all her friends. However, things quickly turn sour when she refuses to share her toys.

This brightly illustrated 20 page book (11x8.5 inches) will be completely irresistible to teachers, parents and grandparents of children aged two to five. This picture book offers the kind of wisdom little children can use on a daily basis.

Great fun to read, this quick read-aloud bedtime story will teach little ones the importance of sharing.

The text is suitable for level one of learning – beginning reading with short sentences, familiar words and simple concepts for children eager to read on their own. According to the Children’s Reading Foundation, the preschool years, from birth to five, are crucial times for children’s language and literacy learning.

You can purchase the book on Amazon.com or directly from the author by sending an e-mail to: simi@londonmail.com.

The Girl Who Didn’t Share will be launched at Red Shift Coffee Lounge on April 23, 2016 at 11am.

The writer Simeen Hussain was born in Bangladesh, and is now a Barrister from Lincoln’s Inn, London. The Girl Who Didn’t Share is her first children’s book inspired by her four year old daughter. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and Government from Georgetown University and an LL.M in International Law from Fordham University, New York. Simeen lives in Miami with her husband, two young daughters and a baby loving German Shepherd. l

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BD AMONG TOP 10 FDI ASIA PACIFIC HOTSPOTS PAGE 15

HEAVY BATS PROMISE BIGGER HITS PAGE 25

RR MARTIN HINTS AT GoT SPIN-OFF PAGE 31

‘Bangladeshi press fairly outspoken on less sensitive issues’ n Tribune Desk Noted watchdog Reporters Sans Frontières has placed Bangladesh 144th among 180 countries in its latest Press Freedom Index, placing the country in even lower ranking than war-torn South Sudan, Afghanistan and authoritarian Zimbabwe.

The short brief about Bangladeshi press’ performance also notes that “the media is fairly outspoken on less sensitive issues.”

Bangladesh has scored 45.94.

However, on a brighter note, Bangladesh actually moved two steps ahead from its previous ranking of 146. But it was far lower than its highest ever ranking of 118 in 2002, the first year the global index was published. Bangladesh’s lowest ever ranking was 151 in both 2005 and 2004.

The global advocacy group observes that Bangladeshi journalists and bloggers risk life imprisonment or death penalty if they fail to censor themselves from criticising the constitution and the state religion.

The World Press Freedom Index considers a range of criteria in preparing the ranking that include

THE WORLD PRESS FREEDOM INDEX Annual rankings, Reporters Without Borders

3

1

Finland

Norway Netherlands

2

USA 41

Afghanistan 120

France 45

North Korea 179

Syria 177

China 176 Nepal 105

Pakistan 147

Situation Very bad Bad Problematic Fairly good Good

Bangladesh 144

India 133 Eritrea 180

Myanmar 143

Sri Lanka 141

Source: RWB

media pluralism and independence, respect for the safety and freedom of journalists, and the legislative, institutional and infrastructural environment in which the media operates.

Nepal topped the list among South Asian nations at 105th place with a score of 32.62. It was fol-

lowed by Afghanistan at 120th with a score of 37.75, India (133rd), Sri Lanka (141st), and Myanmar (143rd). Pakistan ranked 147th with 48.52 points.

Globally, the Paris-based advocacy group warns of a climate of fear that has seen world leaders “de-

veloping a form of paranoia about legitimate journalism.” It also says press freedom deteriorated last year, especially in the Americas.

The World Press Freedom Index ranks 180 countries on indicators such as media independence, self-censorship, the rule of law,

transparency and abuses.

The situation was particularly grave in Latin America, the report says, highlighting “institutional violence” in Venezuela and Ecuador, organised crime in Honduras, impunity in Colombia, corruption in Brazil and media concentration in Argentina as the main obstacles to press freedom.

Among the lowest ranked countries are Syria, at 177th place, just below China (176th) but above North Korea (179th) and last placed Eritrea.

Japan has slumped to 72nd due to what the watchdog identifies as self-censorship towards Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, while Finland retains its top spot for the sixth consecutive year, followed by the Netherlands and Norway.

However, in Europe threats to journalists were linked to rising nationalism which saw death threats in Sweden, which has dropped three places to 8th, and attacks on journalists during anti-Muslim rallies in Germany (which has dropped four spots to 16).

In a glowing example of press freedom in Africa, Namibia is the continent’s best-ranked country at number 17. l

Probe body files interim report on New gas reserves Bangladesh Bank heist found in Comilla n Asif Showkat Kallol A committee, investigating the Bangladesh Bank cyber heist, submitted its interim report to Finance Minister AMA Muhith yesterday.

Muhith declined comments, saying he has to go through the report first.

Former central bank governor Mohammed Farashuddin heads the committee. Replying to a question, he said: “We have to give the government time as the matter is more sensitive than the pay commission report. A big national interest is involved. So, the government will take time to disclose it.”

He feared some of the suspects may escape if the report is dis-

closed quickly. “We have no scope to talk about the report before the government decides to publish it after scrutiny.”

On February 4, 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. $20m was recovered from Sri Lanka.

After much criticism, central bank governor Atiur Rahman resigned and the government made reshuffles in key posts of the bank.

The CID on Monday claimed that about 20 foreigners were involved in the heist. Last week, the government formed an inter-departmen-

tal task force to expedite the recovery of the stolen money.

Julia Bacay-Abad, director general of The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) of Philippines, said they hoped to return $81 million to Bangladesh in three months.

The investigation committee, formed on March 14, was asked to submit an interim report within 30 working days, and a full report within 75 business days. Other members of the body are Buet Prof Dr Mohammad Kaikobad and Banking Division Additional Secretary Gokul Chand Das. Farashuddin said: “We have submitted our findings in the interim report within stipulated time but are yet to file the technical report.” l

n Aminur Rahman Rasel State-run Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company (Bapex) has discovered new gas reserves in one of the development wells at Srikail in Comilla.

“We have found new gas reserves at a depth of 3,500 metres.

After completing a processing plant, we hope to add at least 20 million cubic feet (mmcf) of gas to the national grid every day within May,” a general manager of Bapex told the Dhaka Tribune.

He said, however, the authorities were yet to confirm the quantity of gas in the reserves.

“After analysis we will disclose the actual gas reserves,” he added.

Including Srikail, Bapex has so

far discovered eight gas fields.

Gazprom, the Russian staterun gas exploration company, had started drilling at Srikail from January this year to confirm availability of viable gas reserves.

Three Bangladeshi state-owned gas production companies, including Bapex, have signed three separate deals with Russia’s Gazprom to drill five onshore gas wells.

The deal with Bapex was signed in Dhaka on September 1 last year.

Gazprom’s drilling of the five wells will cost around Tk150 crore per well.

The five gas wells to be drilled under the contract – Bakhrabad 10, Rashidpur 9, 10 and 12, Srikail 4 – are owned by three different Bangladeshi state-owned companies. l

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