10 May, 2016

SECOND EDITION

TUESDAY, MAY 10, 2016

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Boishakh 27, 1423, Shaban 2, 1437

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Regd No DA 6238, Vol 4, No 18

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

DHAKA MAYORS: YEAR ONE

Water, gas crises plague the city Dhaka North City Corporation Mayor Annisul Huq and Dhaka South City Corporation Mayor Mohammad Sayeed Khokon have completed their first year in office, facing various challenges and initiating many short- and long-term schemes to turn Dhaka into a clean, green, and liveable city. The Dhaka Tribune explores the miseries the city people are suffering from in the third part of a multi-part series

A city of floods and droughts eed Khokon say they have been n Abu Hayat Mahmud in constant communication with Residents of metropolitan Dhaka continue to face acute shortage of drinking water in the summer and street flooding and standing water during monsoon every year, despite Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority’s (Wasa) claims that it is able to meet the citizens’ needs.

Dhaka north Mayor Annisul Huq and south Mayor Mohammad Say-

Wasa Managing Director Taqsem A Khan, urging him to take preemptive measures before the dry season and the monsoon season to prevent problems.

The three officials have also visited the localities in Dhaka that are prone to water crisis and flooding.

Mayors Annisul Huq and Sayeed Khokon told the Dhaka Tribune  PAGE 2 COLUMN 2

MAYORAL PLEDGES D H A K A C I T Y C O R P O R AT I O N S

Sayeed Khokon Annisul Huq

Poor maintenance behind gas crisis illegal connections, ban on new n Aminur Rahman Rasel connections, inadequate supply to The natural gas crisis at Dhaka city households has been a long-standing problem due to several issues regarding gas supply, pipeline maintenance and connections.

Talking to government officials and Dhaka-dwellers, as well as consulting several other sources, the Dhaka Tribune identified five major problems that aid the gas crisis – out-of-date narrow pipelines,

the national grid, and frequent accidents at source gas fields, households and other places.

In the heart of all these problems is the state-run Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Ltd, the sole gas distributor in the capital and its surrounding areas.

It covers Dhaka, Narayanganj, Munshiganj, Narsingdi, Manikganj,  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Khaleda faces A city of floods and droughts partymen’s anger over UP polls nominations n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia yesterday faced an odd situation when the party’s standing committee members asked her to investigate into the allegations that nominations from the party for UP chairman candidate posts were being sold.

The allegation was brought during a meeting at BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office to discuss the latest political situation and work out the party’s next course of action. At the meeting which started around 9:15pm, the questions were raised by almost all standing committee members.

Party insiders said the policy making leaders also urged the party leader to investigate media reports that said the party’s executive committee posts were being given to leaders in exchange for money and dedicated leaders were being dropped from the committee.

A standing committee member, seeking anonymity, told the Dhaka Tribune that Khaleda in reply to the allegations said they were all false and baseless and it was a government propaganda to weaken BNP. The BNP chief also assured the party’s senior leaders that the executive and other committees will be announced in time.

There were widespread rumours going around within the party centring the UP elections. It was being alleged that dedicated BNP candidates were being deprived as a section of top level leaders are involved in the nomination selling process. l

The file photo taken in Dhaka's Jurain area shows containers put by low-income people in a queue to collect pure drinking water. Severe water crisis generally hits the area at this time of the year. The water is collected from a house whose owner supplies fresh water to poor people free of cost as an act of generosity MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK that the city dwellers have faced very little water crisis this summer and they would also feel more comfort during this monsoon because of the initiatives taken to reduce flooding and standing water in the city.

Wasa MD Tasqem A Khan’s promise that there will be no water shortage during summer this year has fallen woefully short.

The Dhaka Tribune spoke to residents of Merul Badda, Jamtala Rampura, Banasree, Bepari Goli in

Boro Moghbazar and Mirpur, who said they have had no water supply this summer, or the supply was so little it barely fulfilled their basic everyday needs.

In Merul Badda and Bepari Goli, residents have held protests demanding water.

Taqsem Khan, however, denied that these were chronic problems in the city’s water supply. He told the Dhaka Tribune that these were “pockets of crisis,” where water

supply had been disrupted temporarily for any of several reasons.

Wasa says it has the capacity to supply 2.25 billion litres of water a day in against a demand of 2.2 billion litres. Of Wasa’s water supply, 87% comes from groundwater while the rest comes from its treatment plants.

Wasa, DNCC and DSCC officials have all claimed that there will be no street flooding in the upcoming monsoon season. They pointed to

the fact that the city corporations had carried out significant development works on the storm water drainage systems and surface drains in Dhaka. On the other hand Wasa officials said they had undertaken development works on its sewerage systems at the flooding prone areas across the capital.

However, Wasa officials said the agency was able to provide only 30% of the sewerage facilities it would like to provide to the city dwellers, and the main reason behind this was a lack of funding.

The major part of its drainage system consists of canals, rivers and lakes that help reroute extra water out of Dhaka. It also uses a storm drainage network of around 261.39 square kilometres around the city.

The major canal systems in and around the capital are the Degun – Ibrahimur - Kallyanpur canal that drains out to the Turag River, the Dhanmondi – Paribagh – Gulshan – Banani – Mohakhali - Begunbari canal that drains out to the Balu River and the Segunbagicha – Gerani Dholaikhal canal that drains out to the Balu and Buriganga rivers.

There were originally 65 canals, but over the course of time, the number came down to 43. Of these, 20 canals have already died out, many of them filled up with garbage. Land grabbers are gradually encroaching on the rest.

Dhaka’s administration has failed to recover occupied portions of the water bodies in and around the city.

DNCC Mayor Annisul Huq has urged concerned government authorities to hand over the city’s canals and lakes to the two city corporations for the sake of proper planning of drainage systems. l

Poor maintenance behind gas crisis Gazipur, Tangail, Mymensingh, Netrokona, Sherpur, Jamalpur and Kishoreganj districts.

According to sources at Titas, a majority of the pipelines installed in Dhaka are out-of-date by decades – some are as many as 40 years old. These old pipelines are as narrow as 1.5-2 inches in diameter. No initiative to upgrade them has been taken till date.

If the pipes had been replaced with broader pipes, many households would be spared from the crisis, said a top Titas official, seeking anonymity.

Moreover, lack of proper maintenance has caused natural-gas condensate to accumulate inside the pipes over time, which also obstructs the normal gas flow.

Natural-gas condensate is gaseous hydrocarbon components that are present in natural gas extracted from the gas fields.

Another big problem related to pipeline maintenance is the number of leakages that have been re-

ported in recent years.

Accidents due to unexpected gas explosions have been on the rise increasing in a dramatic manner in recent times. According to the data provided by both Titas and Fire Service and Civil Defense, the number of such incidents have been several hundreds in the past few years. In 2014-2015 fiscal year alone, the number of leakages reported in Dhaka and surrounding areas were 5,123, and the number of fire caused by such leakages were 282.

The most recent example of such incident is the horrific fire explosion in an Uttara flat earlier this year, which killed four members of the same family.

This situation indicates an immediate need for an awareness campaign among people about safety measures required to tackle situations like this, but more importantly, proper maintenance of the distribution pipelines and connections must be maintained by

the authorities concerned so that these accidents do not occur in the first place.

Illegal lines, lack of supply

According to Titas sources, around 300km of illegal gas distribution pipelines and 300,000 illegal connections have been detected so far in its jurisdiction. Most of these illegal pipelines were found in Dhaka, while some were found in Narayanganj, Narsingdi and Gazipur districts.

These illegal connections consume at least 250mmcfd (million cubic feet per day) of gas, causing the government a loss of several hundred crores of taka on a daily basis.

This problem may stem from the semi-official ban that the government imposed on the installation of new gas pipelines a few years ago, Titas officials said.

What makes the situation worse is the lack of adequate supply to the national grid, said the officials.

Supply to household remains in-

adequate because Petrobangla, the state-owned oil and gas company, has been unable to supply the required amount of gas to meet the ever-climbing demand, they claimed.

Titas has around 1.55 million residential clients and distributes around 1,700mmcfd of gas against a daily demand of 2,200mmcfd, they said.

“We have been facing these problems for a long time,” said Mir Moshiur Rahman, managing director of Titas.

“However, we are considering a few projects to alleviate the problem of gas supply,” he told the Dhaka Tribune.

He also said drives were underway to find the illegal connections and disconnect them immediately when found.

Power interruptions equally problematic

Besides gas crisis, Dhaka has been facing its share of power interruptions too.

Sources at two power distribution companies in Dhaka – Dhaka Electric Supply Company Ltd (Desco) and Dhaka Power Distribution Company Ltd (DPDC) – said frequent interruptions in the capital’s power supply was caused by mainly overload in transformers and substations as well as wornout power lines.

Development work, short circuits, daily maintenance, work on installing new lines or re-installing old ones, excess demand on the consumers’ end and other problems are also reasons behind the frequent interruptions, the said.

Several hundred kilometres of Desco’s 3,500km power lines are in dilapidated state, resulting in frequent interruptions in the power flow, Desco officials told the Dhaka Tribune.

According to sources at the Power Division, at least 382 of Desco’s 5,332 transformers were overloaded, while 1,090 of the DPDC’s 9,348 transformers are overloaded. l

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Final verdict read out to Nizami Jamil Khan and n Mohammad Ashif Islam Shaon The full verdict of the apex court against war criminal Motiur Rahman Nizami has been read out to him.

Jahangir Kabir, senior jail super of Dhaka Central Jail, told the Dhaka Tribune that the verdict was read out to the death row Jamaat leader at 8:45pm yesterday.

Kabir did not make any comment over Nizami’s reaction after hearing the verdict.

Kabir, police’s Deputy Inspector General Golam Haider and jailer Nesar Alam were present in Nizami’s condemned cell at that time.

Jail doctors Biplob Kanti Biswas and Ahsan Habib examined Nizami’s health at the cell. According to sources he is in good health.

Jail authorities will ask now Nizami whether he will seek presidential clemency. If not, they will execute Nizami upon the government decision.

Sources said the officials had not asked Nizami any further questions after reading out the verdict.

Quoting family members, Nizami’s lawyer Tajul Islam told the Bangla Tribune that Nizami will not seek mercy to anyone but Allah.

The full text of the Supreme Court’s judgment on war criminal Motiur Rahman Nizami scrapping his review petition against his death penalty reached the Dhaka Central Jail yesterday evening.

Supreme Court released the verdict in the afternoon, four days after it rejected the review petitions filed by the war criminal. It was signed by four Appellate Division judges who delivered the verdict,

The Supreme Court verdict rejecting war criminal Motiur Rahman Nizami’s review petition being taken to Dhaka Central Jail yesterday MEHEDI HASAN High Court division’s Additional Registrar Sabbir Faiz said.

The copy of the verdict was then sent to the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) and was received by the officials at around 5:10pm. The ICT forwarded it to district magistrate and jail authorities and notified the Home and Law Ministries to continue with the execution.

Jail sources said the gallows had been prepared for an execution and a trial was held on Sunday night.

All relevant preparations for carrying out a death sentence had been taken, the sources said.

Nizami now has the chance to seek presidential pardon. If he does not receive it or opts to not seek clemency, the government will carry out the death sentence.

“Government can execute him anytime if presidential clemency is not sought or rejected. All legal procedure to execute the death sentence is already over,” Attorney General Mahbubey Alam said.

Nizami has been moved from Gazipur jail to Dhaka Central Jail where executions of war criminals have been carried out in past.

Previously, Jamaat leader Mo-

hammad Kamaruzzaman was executed five days after the dismissal of his review plea while Salauddin Quader Chowdhury and Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed were hanged after three days.

Nizami filed the petition on March 29 seeking acquittal from the charges. The International Crimes Tribunal issued his death warrant on March 15 after the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court released its full verdict in the appeal case.

The war criminal was convicted in October 2014 by the tribunal for

Bangladesh conveys strong protest to Islamabad n Sheikh Shahariar Zaman The Foreign Ministry yesterday summoned Pakistan High Commissioner Shuja Alam and handed over a formal note protesting strongly the press release of Pakistan Foreign Affairs about Jamaat-e-Islami Amir Motiur Rahman Nizami.

Secretary (Bilateral) of the Foreign Ministry Mizanur Rahman summoned the high commissioner and handed over the note verbale.

The Pakistan Foreign Ministry on Friday issued a press release expressing concern on dismissal of the review petition against the Supreme Court verdict of the death sentence of Motiur Rahman Nizami, a convict of crimes against humanity and genocide in Bangladesh.

In the Note verbale, it was stated that by repeatedly taking the side of those Bangladesh nationals who are convicted of crimes against humanity and genocide, Pakistan had

once again acknowledged its direct involvement and complicity with the mass atrocity committed during Bangladesh’s Liberation War in 1971.

It is a matter of great regret that Pakistan continues to comment in the misguided defence of this convicted criminal.

These uncalled reactions amount to direct interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign country, which is totally unacceptable, the note added.

The government of Bangladesh reiterated that the verdicts against the convicted individual Motiur Rahman Nizami had been handed down through an independent, sound, fair, impartial, open and transparent judicial process, and without any political interference.

The trials took solely into consideration the crimes committed by Nizami during 1971 and had nothing to do with his political identity or affiliation, the note stated.

The note refuted Pakistan’s labeling of the proceedings of the Bangladesh International Crimes Tribunal as “controversial trials” and affirmed that Pakistan should no way make biased, flawed and unfounded comments about the independent judiciary of a sovereign country.

The high commissioner was reminded that Pakistan continues to present a misleading, limited and partial interpretation of the underlying premise of the Tripartite Agreement of April 1974.

The essential spirit of the agreement was to create an environment of good neighbourliness and peaceful co-existence.

The agreement never implied that the masterminds and perpetrators of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide would continue to enjoy impunity and eschew the course of justice, the note reiterated.

Rather Pakistan has systematically failed in its obligation to bring

to justice those of its nationals identified and held responsible for committing mass atrocity crimes in 1971, the note also pointed out.

It was Bangladesh which has consistently advocated for regional peace, harmony, reconciliation and integration.

The government of Bangladesh, in the note, deeply regretted that despite Bangladesh’s repeated overtures, the malicious campaign by Pakistan against the trials of the crimes against humanity and genocide in Bangladesh was continuing which was an impediment to the bilateral relations.

The high commissioner was told to take serious note of the points raised by Bangladesh and bring those to the attention of the competent authorities in Pakistan.

The government of Bangladesh expected that the quarters/authorities in Pakistan would act responsibly and would refrain from continuing such uncalled for statements. l

the atrocities he had committed during the 1971 Liberation War. He was given the capital punishment for genocide, murder and rape in Pabna and Dhaka. At that time, he led Jamaat’s student wing Islami Chhatra Sangha, members of which formed the al-Badr militia force to collaborate with the Pakistani occupation forces.

Former minister Nizami was also sentenced to death in the sensational 10-truck arms haul case.

“We find no merit in this petition.

It is, accordingly, dismissed,” the appeals court said in its review verdict.

Although the Appellate Division upheld Nizami’s conviction in five counts against the tribunal verdict, the war criminal sought review in respect of three counts which earned him death penalties.

About Nizami’s last attempt at evading death and not the other convictions including life in prison, the court said, “We would like to observe here that the petitioner has not taken any exception as regards his conviction and sentence with respect to charges number 7 and 8, in which he was also found guilty for his direct participation in the killing of Sohrab of Brishalikha village and also instigating to kill Bodi, Rumi, Jewel and Azad at old MP Hostel, Nakhalpara.”

“Therefore, the petitioner’s involvement and complicity in the perpetration of offences of crimes against humanity and genocide have been impliedly admitted by the accused. More so, in view of the submission of the learned Counsel to commute the sentence, the petitioner cannot dispute his involvement in those offences,” the court said. l

2 more indicted for war crimes n Ashif Islam Shaon Two persons have been indicted by the International Crimes Tribunal in Dhaka yesterday for their alleged involvement in crimes against humanity during the country’s liberation war in 1971.

The ICT indicted Brahmanbaria’s Syed Md Hossain and Kishoreganj’s Md Moslem Pradhan with six charges including murder, arson and looting and fixed June 5 to hear the prosecution’s opening statement.

Prosecutor Turin Afroz said, of them Syed Md Hossain is on the run while Moslem was present in the court room during the hearing.

He was arrested from Kamarhati village under Kishoreganj’s Nikli on July 7, 2015, following an arrest order issued by the tribunal against the duo.

Hossain is the younger brother of absconding death-row war crimes convict Hasan Ali. l

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Amar Desh acting editor Mahmudur Rahman sent to jail as second remand ends n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu A Dhaka court yesterday sent Mahmudur Rahman, acting editor of Bangla daily Amar Desh, to jail on completion of his second remand.

Mahmudur was arrested on charges plotting to abduct and kill Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's son Sajeeb Wazed Joy,

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Maruf Hossain passed the order when DB Assistant Commissioner of Police Hasan Arafat, also investigating officer of the case, produced him before the court.

On May 4, Mahmudur was placed on 5-day fresh remand for further interrogation.

On April 18, the Detective Branch appealed to a Dhaka court

Fakhrul gets bail in arson case n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu A court yesterday granted bail to BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir in a case filed against him on charges of vandalism, arson and obstructing police from performing duties.

Metropolitan Magistrate Md Nur Nabi passed the order after Fakhrul surrendered before the court in the morning and the defense counsel Md Sanaullah Miah sought bail.

On June 18 last year, the High Court had granted him bail until the charge sheets in the case were submitted.

On May 3, Sub-Inspector Tobibur Rahman, also investigation officer of the case, submitted the two charge sheets – one under the Penal Code and the other under the explosive sub-

stances act – to the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court.

According to case details, miscreants set fire to a Public Administration Ministry staff bus at Purana Paltan intersection on December 28, 2014.

Paltan police then filed a case accusing 43 BNP leaders and activists including Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Barrister Rafiqul Islam Miah and Aman Ullah Aman with Paltan police station.

BNP leaders Mirza Fakhrul, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed, Amanullah Aman and Mirza Abbas are now on bail along with eight others while Barrister Rafiqul Islam Miah, Barkatullah Bulu, Habib-un-Nabi Khan Sohel and Meer Sharafat Ali Shafu are among the 31 who are absconding in the case. l

EC orders cases against 4 polling officials n UNB The Election Commission yesterday ordered the returning officers concerned to file cases against four polling officials and suspended a policeman in connection with voting irregularities in Comilla.

The four officials of three polling stations were allegedly involved in irregularities while the policeman was negligent in preventing anomalies during the 4th phase of Union Parishad election held on Saturday.

The EC’s directives in this regard were sent to the returning officers concerned, said EC Deputy Secretary Farhad Ahammad Khan.

The policeman is Nayek Abu Sayeed who was on election duty at Jugirhat Hossainia Hafizia Madrasa polling centre at Mun-

shirhat of Chauddagram upazila.

The commission ordered the suspension of Sayeed as he did not prevent miscreants from the anomalies.

Among the four officials, Mobarak Hossain and Tajul Islam, respectively the presiding officer and assistant presiding officer of the centre, were allegedly involved in the ballot-stuffing on the eve of the election.

The EC also asked to file a case against known and unknown miscreants in connection with the illegal ballot stuffing.

Two other officials are Habibur Rahman, the presiding officer of Amtoli Government Primary School polling centre at Maishatoa union of Manoharganj and Humayun Kabir, the presiding officer of Noyakano Dakhil Madrasa polling centre of Joyag union of Chandina. l

to show Mahmudur Rahman arrested in the case. The investigation officer, Hassan Arafat, also sought a 10-day remand for interrogating him. Following the pleas, the court fixed April 25 for hearing on the petitions.

The Amar Desh acting editor, also a pro-BNP journalist and a former energy adviser, has been in jail in connection with other

cases, since he was arrested from his Karwan Bazar office on April 11, 2013.

On April 16, in the same case, DB police arrested senior journalist Shafik Rehman, former editor of Bangla daily Jaijaidin from his Eskaton house in connection with the case. He is now on a 5-day remand in DB’s custody.

On August 3 last year, DB

Inspector Fazlur Rahman filed a case with Paltan police station against Mohammad Ullah Mamun, vice-president of JASAS, for his alleged involvement in the “conspiracy to abduct and kill Joy.” The case was filed after conducting an investigation into a general dairy filed with Ramna police station on May 31, 2015 in this regard. l

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to double in size Australia relaxes cargo ban Dhaka n n Ishtiaq Husain

Australia has relaxed the ban it imposed on direct air cargo shipment from Bangladesh, Civil Aviation Minister Rashed Khan Menon said yesterday.

“The ban on direct cargo shipment is still valid. But cargo flights can land in Australia after rescreening through any third country,” he told reporters.

Menon said Australia informed its high commission in Dhaka on May 5 that it was satisfied with the security improvement report of Shahjalal airport.

Australia imposed the ban in December last year citing security concerns.

Dhaka airport’s cargo village on May 5 received European Aviation security validated regulated agent (RA3) status mandatory to send cargo to European countries by air.

Minister Menon said national

Shohel Mamun

and Sylhet would be brought under advanced security to ensure safety of the passengers.

The UK on March 8 imposed a temporary ban on direct cargo flights from Dhaka citing security. On March 21, Dhaka appointed Redline to implement UK’s suggested sustainable action plan.

London also warned that direct Biman flights on Dhaka-London route will be banned unless there is visible improvement in security situation by March 31.

Biman carries cargo directly to London with its four weekly passenger flights. Each flight carries an average of 25 tonnes of cargo, mostly apparels, vegetables and agricultural products.

The total export and import volume of Bangladesh with UK in 2014-15 period was $3,205.45 million and $330.72 million respectively. l

flag carrier Biman would be able to export its cargo through Etihad and Lufthansa airlines by proper screening as the UK is yet to withdraw its ban on direct cargo flight from Dhaka to London.

“An inspection team that visited Shahjalal recently will submit a report to UK’s Department for Transport. Only a satisfactory report can help get the ban withdrawn,” he said.

Initially, the Civil Aviation Authority, Bangladesh (CAAB) hired 31 officials of UK-based Redline Assured Security to train Shahjalal airport staff following UK’s ban.

Menon said Redline had already trained 100 CAAB employees for improving overall security at the country’s main airport. Redline handed over responsibility of boarding gate-1 on April 24 to CAAB team.

He assured that the other two international airports in Chittagong

The government yesterday decided to add 16 union councils under Dhaka district to the city corporations and thereby, more than doubling the capital’s area.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the National Implementation Committee for Administrative Reform (NICAR) presided over by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. After the meeting, Cabinet Secretary Shafiul Alam disclosed the information to reporters.

He said: “With the inclusion of 16 unions, the area of the city corporations will increase from 129 sq km to 270 sq km.”

Asked about the unions’ population, he said a 2011 government survey had put the number of residents at around one million. “But this figure has likely changed.”

Eight unions each will be added to the two city corpora-

tions. Unions to be included in the north are Badda, Vatara, Beraid, Satarkul, Harirampur, Uttarkhan, DhakkhinKhan and Dumni.

Besides, Shyampur, Dania, Matuail, Demra, Manda, Sarulia, Dhakhingaon and Nasirabad union councils will be added to the Dhaka South City Corporation.

Residential areas like Basundhara, DIT, Aftabnagar will now be included under the city corporations.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith said: “Union council areas have been upgraded into city corporation area. All kind of taxes including holding tax will increase.

So, the total revenue will rise and people in these areas will get better services.”

NICAR also decided to upgrade Karnaphuli, which is under Chittagong’s Patia upazila, to Bangladesh’s 490th upazila, the cabinet secretary added. l

AUST teacher Ferdous expelled n Probir K Sarker Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology authorities yesterday expelled EEE associate professor Mahfujur Rashid Ferdous who is facing a case and allegations of sexual harassment of his female students.

The expulsion order, came after a series of meetings yesterday afternoon amid agitations, would be in effect from April 4, AUST Registrar Muhammad Abdul Gafur told the Dhaka Tribune.

On that day, Kalabagan police arrested Ferdous in connection with a case filed under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act. The accused confessed to his the crimes before the Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Court on Saturday.

The students of different departments, who have been staging demonstrations on the university campus at Dhaka’s Tejgaon since late last month, declared class boycott programmes from yesterday demanding his dismissal.

Ferdous, was also serving as an assistant proctor, was suspended on April 30 after the students submitted documentary evidence of sexual harassment to the authorities.

The university authorities have launched an inquiry into the allegations. The allegations say that Ferdous had abused his position

over the years to make indecent proposals to the female students over the phone and on Facebook or WhatsApp, as well as physically harassing them at the department and his Panthapath residence.

The agitating students said the victims could not file any written complaint against the accused out of fear since he is very influential in the university. They alleged that Ferdous used to threaten the victims with giving poor marks in the exam.

A former student of the university, Ferdous joined the electrical and electronics engineering department as a lecturer on May 19, 2001.

University’s alumnus and brother of a victim Asafudoullah Sayem filed a case against him on May 3 with Kalabagan police. He was arrested the following day from Eskaton Garden area at Ramna and placed before a court.

On May 5, five more students who fell victim to sexual harassment by the teacher testified before different courts.

Alongside police, Bangladesh National Woman Lawyers’ Association is also looking into the case.

Sub-Inspector of police’s Women Support and Investigation Division Afroz Irin Koli is investigating the case. If convicted, the accused will have to serve three to ten years in jail and pay fines. l

TEMPERATURE FOREC AST FOR TODAY

THUNDERSHOWER WITH RAIN TUESDAY, MAY 10

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A RAB mobile court seizes ingredients at Zanc juice factory at Baganbari area in Dhaka’s Jatrabari for using toxic colour in producing juice yesterday. The factory was also fined Tk5 lakh MEHEDI HASAN

Communicable Disease Act 2016 gets cabinet nod n Shohel Mamun

The cabinet yesterday approved in principle the draft of the Prevention, Control and Elimination of Communicable Diseases Act 2016.

Its aim is to prevent communicable diseases to cope with emerging threats of diseases like Zika and to create public awareness.

The cabinet also approved the draft of Cadet College Act 2016 27

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DHAKA TODAY SUN SETS 6:31PM

with a provision to form central council headed by the defence secretary. The council will monitor the 12 cadet colleges with separate management councils.

Monday’s regular cabinet meeting headed by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina gave the approval.

Cabinet Secretary Muhammad Shafiul Alam said the draft of the law was prepared in line with the Bangladesh Malaria Eradication

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Khulna

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Barisal

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

TOMORROW SUN RISES 5:18AM

37.2ºC Sitakunda

21.4ºC Bogra

Source: Accuweather/UNB

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(Repeal) Ordinance 1977 and The Prevention of Malaria (Special Provisions) Ordinance 1978.

“The draft act will replace these ordinances,” he said.

The proposed law will cover diseases like malaria, dengue, filariasis, kala zar (Visceral leishmaniasis or black fever), all types of influenzas, nipah, HIV, viral hepatitis, typhoid, and meningitis. l Sylhet

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Fajr: 4:55am | Zohr: 1:15pm Asr: 5:00pm | Magrib: 6:34pm Esha: 8:30pm Source: Islamic Foundation

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Human traffickers at large in Cox’s Bazar n Abdul Aziz, Cox’s Bazar

Human traffickers in Cox’s Bazar have been roaming freely in the district – some out on bail and others evading police’s eyes, the Dhaka Tribune has learned.

Some of the top human traffickers of Teknaf who were spotted in the area recently are: Khuilya Mia Majhi, Md Firoz, Abu Taher, Helal Uddin, Syed Ullah, Md Ismail, Abdul Hamid, Abul Kalam, Nazir Ahmed, Lomba Selim, Md Delwar, Sayeed Kamal and Ziabul.

In Cox’s Bazar, sources told the Dhaka Tribune that known traffickers such as Abdul Amin Malaysia and Md Hashim alias Poya Majhi were also present there.

Meanwhile in Ukhia, top traf-

fickers such as Syed Alam, Mohammad Syed, Akhtar Mia, Madu, Sagar Ali were also seen roaming in their respective localities. A leading trafficker named Rustom Ali was reportedly arrested for a brief time before being released by the Inani outpost police.

All of the suspects have around five to ten human trafficking cases filed against them.

Asked how so many human traffickers were able to secure bail, Anti-Corruption Commission’s Public Prosecutor Abdur Rahim said many of the suspects gave false information and used tricks to get out on bail.

He, however, added that the ACC has already started a drive to confiscate the wealth illegally amassed

by these human smugglers.

Officer-in-charge of Teknaf police station, Md Abdul Majid, told the Dhaka Tribune that they did not have any information about any warranted suspect being present in the area. However, he admitted that some alleged traffickers were currently out on bail.

Lt Ashikur Rahman, the incharge of Cox’s Bazar RAB 7, also said it was unlikely that any human traffickers were still in the area.

However, any information suggesting their presence would be investigated, the RAB official said.

Sources told the Dhaka Tribune that many of the human traffickers were recently spotted in Ukhia upazila’s Kotbazar, Lomboripara, Sonaichhari, Sonarpara and Monkhali.

Many of them have arrived in the area for the upcoming union parishad election and were regularly gathering during night at Jaliyapalong union’s Sonaichhari Badamtoli, Sonarpara Bazar and Kotbazar, the sources added.

The Dhaka Tribune tried to get the comment of Ukhia police OC Md Habibur Rahman for two days straight; but he did not pick up his phone.

However, Additional Superintendent of Police Md Ferdous Ali Chowdhury admitted to the Dhaka Tribune that it was possible that some human traffickers might have returned centring the UP elections.

But he added that the police were alert on this issue, and were keeping an eye on those who were out on bail.

Human trafficking from Cox’s Bazar to Malaysia through Teknaf point began in 2010 and grew exponentially over the next few years.

There are seven major human trafficking syndicates active in Cox’s Bazar, with over 2,000 operatives spread throughout the district.

Authorities managed to put a leash on the human trafficking business in the district after the discovery of mass graves of migrants in Thailand and Malaysia last year triggered an international outcry.

However, many of the criminals have never been brought to justice.

According to the United Nations, around 1.6 million people from Bangladesh and Myanmar were trafficked to Malaysia between 2010 and 2015. l

Political activities banned at Kushtia University

n Kudrote Khuda Sobuj, Kushtia The authorities of Kushtia Islamic University has banned all types of political activities on the campus until further notice.

Following an order of the university’s vice-chancellor, its Registrar SM Abdul Latif issued the notice yesterday, said Prof Mahbubur Rahman, proctor of the university.

There had been an unrest between two groups of teachers on the campus over the last several days. The two groups of teachers of Banghabandu Parishad also arranged separate programmes yesterday morning. The university authorities took the decision to keep congenial atmosphere on the campus. l

The Water Development Board cleans up a canal full of garbage near Zia Sarani Road in Dhaka’s Matuail ahead of the rainy season. The photo was taken yesterday MEHEDI HASAN

Witness of 7 murders collapses seeing Tareque Sayeed n Tanveer Hossen, Naraynganj A witness of sensational seven murder case in Narayanganj, lost his sense after seeing Tareque Sayeed, the former commanding officer of RAB and one of the main accused of the murder, while he was deposing before the court yesterday with other witnesses in presence of the 23 arrested suspects.

District and Sessions Judge Syed Enayet Hossain recorded depositions of Archana Sarker, wife of slain Chandan Sarker, Madhab

Kumar Dev, Additional Superintendent of Police Azim-ul Hasan, constable Abdul Latif, slain Tazul’s father Abul Khaer, slain Sirajul Islam Liton’s elder brother Syful Islam, Dr Jalil Ahmed, Dr Asaduzzaman, Dr Sheikh Farhad, Dr Mynuddin and Akter Hossain in the morning.

Advocate Shakhawat Hossain, the lawyer of the complaint, said Latif was asked to recognise Tareque Sayeed while he was deposing. But he lost his sense and fell on the deck when he found Tareque before the court.

Latif got back his sense after the

lawyers at the court took care of him.

Public Prosecutor Wazed Ali Khokon said the court had fixed May 16 for next hearing.

Earlier in the day, 23 accused in the cases, including prime suspect Nur Hossain and three former RAB officials, were brought to the Narayanganj court from Kashimpur jail under tight security.

On April 27, 2014, people were found dead from the Shitalakkhya and Dhaleshwari rivers. On February 8 this year, a court framed charges against 35 people. l

Security guard hacked to death in Rangpur n Liakat Ali Badal, Rangpur

A security guard of Pubali Bank, Lalbagh branch in Rangpur was hacked to death by some unidentified miscreants.

Police said unidentified assailants hacked Atul Chandra indiscriminately near BDC office in Lalbagh area while he was going to his relative house around 10am on Sunday.

He was rushed to Rangpur Medical College Hospital where on duty doctor declared him dead.

But reason behind the killing

could not be known immediately.

Officer-in-Charge of Kotwali police station Jahidul Islam told the Dhaka Tribune that Tapon Chandra, son of Atul Chandra, had filed a case in this connection.

Police detained two people – Jony Mia and Sumon Mia – for interrogation. The OC said the detained were involved in many snatching incidents that took place in the area previously.

The body was handed over to family members after a post-mortem examination yesterday morning. l

DT

8

News

TUESDAY, MAY 10, 2016

Two more killed in post-polls violence UP POLLS

n Tribune Desk Two people who were injured in post-polls violence died at hospitals yesterday. With the two, death toll has reached 10 in the post-polls violence.

In Rajshahi, a man, who received bullet injuries during clashes among the supporters of two chairman candidates of Hatgango union parishad, Baghmara upazila, died at a hospital early yesterday.

Managing Director of CDM Hospital Koyel Hossain told the Dhaka Tribune that Jahidul Islam, an activist of UP unit Awami League, died around 5am and the body was

handed over to family members.

Earlier on Saturday, two people were killed and at least 30 others, including five policemen, were injured in the clash.

Meanwhile, a man, who received injuries in a post-polls violence in Poranganj union parishad (UP) of Mymensingh sadar upazila on Sunday, died at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) early yesterday.

The deceased was identified as Enamul Haque, a resident of the union. Kamrul Islam, officer-incharge of Kotowali police station, said supporters of a defeated member candidate Jamsed attacked a number of houses of supporters of winner member Babul on Sunday afternoon.

Eight people, including Enamul, received injuries in the attack.

The injured were admitted at Mymensingh Medical College Hospital. Later, he was reffered to the

DMCH as his condition deteriorated.

DMCH sources said he succumbed to his injuries at about 4am.

At least 76 people had died in violence during and around the first three phases of Union Parishad elections that were held in four phases across the country.

Besides, supporters of a defeated candidates laid siege to the office of Delduar upazila nirbahi officer yesterday demanding re-counting of votes. The agitators vandalised three motorcycles during the demonstration.

On information, police rushed to the spot and dispersed protesters charging batons on them that left 10 people injured. The injured were taken to Delduar upzila health complex, reports our Tangail correspondent.

In Savar, two rival groups exchanged fire over submitting nomination papers. l

AL leader evicts Hindu businessman Afzal Hossain, n Mohammed Tangail The chief of ruling Awami League’s Tangail unit has been accused of forcefully evicting a Hindu businessman using political muscle and looting his shop.

Nobokumar Chokroborty, the purported victim, raised the allegation at a media briefing on Sunday afternoon in the town.

In a prepared speech, he said his father ran a shop at Panchani bazaar on a small plot, a vested property taken on lease from the district administration.

He took over after his father’s death.

On April 19, the additional deputy commissioner (revenue) allotted the plot to the district Awami League chief Fazlur Rahman, also a zilla parishad administrator, he said.

Nobokumar moved the Joint District Judge’s court which or-

dered the Tangail deputy commissioner, additional deputy commissioner, sadar upazila assistant commissioner (land) and Faruk to respond within 10 days to a showcause notice.

According to the victim, Faruk did not respond.

“On Saturday, the Awami League leader and his henchmen forced me out of my shop and threatened to kill me. They looted and ransacked my clothes shop, destroying my only source of income,” the he said, seeking government interference to get back on his foot.

Faruk rejected the allegations.

He said he had taken the place on lease maintaining all rules and had paid the lease money.

“The organisation of businessmen handed over the plot when I applied,” he claimed.

“There was no tussle with anyone, nor was anyone forced out of anywhere.” l

3 workers die while working on septic tank Correspondent, n Our Narayanganj At least three workers died after inhaling toxic fumes while cleaning a septic tank at Molla Super Salt Industry in Fatulla of the district yesterday. The deceased were Sahabuddin, 40, Almas Talukder, 30, and Ibrahim, 35.

Local sources said the workers started to clean the tank around 8am. Later, eight of them became ill and they were sent to Naraynganj Sadar Hospital. Of them the tree died in the hospital.

The six others were sent to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital after their condition deteriorated.

Kamal Uddin, officer-in-charge of Fatulla Model police station confirmed the incident. l

A Sampan rally was taken out in the Karnafuli River in Chittagong yesterday with a call to make the river free from pollution and illegal occupations

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Yet another teacher of Rajshahi University gets death threat n Our Correspondent, Rajshahi Barely two weeks into the gruesome murder of professor AFM Rezaul Karim Siddiquee murder, another teacher of Rajshahi University (RU) received death threat yesterday.

Mahbub Alam Pradip, an assistant professor at RU Public Administration department, said he received a call from +8177479 number over his mobile phone around

3pm when the caller threatened to kill him very soon.

He said the anonymous caller told him: “You’re finished. You’re doing excesses…wait.”

Proctor Muzibul Haque Azad said he had suggested the teacher to file a General Diary (GD) with Motihar police station.

Humaayun Kabir, officer-incharge of the police station said the teacher had filed a GD in the evening.

An investigation had been initiat-

ed based on the general diary, he said.

In February, Hasibul Alam Pradhan, a professor of Law department who authored the book “Bangabandhu Muktijuddho Bangladesh”, filed a general diary with the police station seeking security after receiving an anonymous death threat.

In the diary, he mentioned that someone called him at his home number on the night of January 24 but his housemaid received the call as he was outside the country at the time.

The caller told the house help that he would find Professor Hasibul and kill him even if the teacher was hiding underground.

Hasibul said he had received threatening phone calls a number of times in the past.

“My family members and I were abroad from January 18 to 30 for travel purposes. This is why I could not file the general diary earlier,” he said.

Hasibul was an advisory member of the previous committee of

Awami League’s Rajshahi city unit.

On April 23, Prof Rezaul Karim, 58, of the RU English department, was killed by miscreants in the city’s Shalbagan area.

Besides, on May 2, militant outfit Islami Liberation Front (ILF) sent a letter to Natore Press Club threatening to kill 10 noted personalities of Rajshahi division, including the Vice Chancellor of RU, Member of Parliament, political leader and journalists. l

9

DT

Tech

TUESDAY, MAY 10, 2016

Tech rumour roundup Sony to unveil a new PlayStation?

n Mahmood Hossain You can read this to a delight, while Amy Winehouse plays in the background to bring some truth to the rumours. Sony is set to release a new Sony PlayStation, but it’s not what you think. It’s not the PS5, it’s the PS4.5. The “.5” is to suggest that the company is working on releasing a superhero version of the current PS4.

What we do know is that Sony is to make available to the public the new PlayStation VR, taking players into that virtual reality arena. While the VR is set to be released in October of this year, the new upgraded PS4 could be coming out around the same time.

Word has it, the new version will be a gaming beast that caters to 4K graphics for those expensive 4K TVs most of us still can’t afford.

What’s pushing the 4K content through this new machine?

There was a spec list published

by Giant Bomb (an online gaming magazine), that seem very impressive. It will seem to include eight 2.1GHz AMD Jaguar CPU cores and 8GB of GDDR5.

The Wall Street Journal added to the rumours, suggesting that the new PS4 will be fully backwards compatible. This means it’ll be able to play the current gen games on the PS4, but will enhance the graphics (in higher resolution) on the new model.

That leaves us to how much this new model will cost. Even though it’s not a next-gen console, it will posses quite punch with its processor speed quadrupling. This might mean it’ll be a little costlier than the current gen PlayStation. We can only wait until Sony makes it official. l

Apps in focus We take a look at some fun apps of the week

n Mahmood Hossain Here at DT, there is no discrimination. We’ve got all walks of life. People who use iPhones, those who use Android and a select few who are comfortable with Windows Phone. And we’re pretty sure you keep the same company. We’re featuring some useful apps for your smartphone.

Who’s Down (Android, iOS) There are so many chat apps out there it’s difficult to keep track of each conversation. It gets even harder when you’re trying to plan things with your friends and family. No matter if you’re walking out of the office or out of class, Who’s Down could make things a little easier for everyone.

The concept of this app is ridiculously simple.

To avoid random conversations that can last for weeks, Who’s Down lets users add their friends who they’d like to hangout with.

After you’ve sent a request, to ask them if they are “down,” to hangout, they can easily accept or decline. It’s like a very quick, Facebook group invitation request for your smartphone. The option to accept and decline is as easy as sliding from left to right. For now, the app is ‘invite only’ but you can easily head to their main

website (www.whosdown.com) to ask for a request from the developers.

Kicknotes (Windows Phone) Yes, there are countless notetaking apps out there but this one sets itself apart from the rest because of its extra features. One of the biggest differences is the app’s voice to text convertor.

There, of course, are the basics as well: type, draw or voice record.

Kicknotes also lets you passcode protect your notes. This is a huge

plus for those of us who tend to type in sensitive information, like bank account numbers, important passwords, etc.

There is, however, one major drawback in this app.

Unfortunately, this app won’t sync with other Windows gadgets.

But don’t let that throw you off because this app is still worth the download. It’s colourful, simple to use and more importantly, it’s absolutely free.

IceCream (iOS) Leave it up to a MIT grad to fix a problem for the rest of us that he had himself. IceCream is an app that conveniently frees up storage space the next time you might need it at a given time. In other words, if you are running out of room in your storage, and need

to take new photos, IceCream is the perfect app for it. To sort out more space, the app will back up smaller files in your media library.

Instead of sending the files up to the iCloud all at once, this app takes the smaller portions and sets them aside.

The app even tells you how many photos you can actually take based on the free space.

It’s a quick fix for your storage problems that is free to try. And if you do end up liking it, and want more of the service later on, you can try out the paid version. l

DT

10

Feature

TUESDAY, MAY 10, 2016

Tell Me Your Dreams A Drik Gallery Exhibition by children of sex workers

n Features Desk On May 6, 2016, a group of 30 children walked into one of the exhibition rooms at Drik Gallery and could hardly contain their excitement at what they saw – their very own artwork and crafts projects being displayed for the world to see. For a bunch of kids who are ignored at best and ostracised and harassed at worst by the rest of society, being allowed to express themselves and being appreciated for doing so, was a dream come true.

This exhibition was aptly titled “Tell Me Your Dreams,” and was organised by the team of Project Pothchola. Project Pothchola was launched by Bandhu Foundation in July, 2014 with a vision to improve the lives for underprivileged children of our society. The project is run in collaboration with Miss Hazera from Shishuder Jonno Amra, who cares for a group of 30 underprivileged children of sex workers who are unable to look after themselves for various reasons. As a result of their parent’s profession, these children are often completely ignored by the rest of society and left to fend for themselves.

PHOTOS: COURTESY engage in interactive learning and arts and crafts. These activities were showcased at the exhibition on May 6 and 7, 2016.

“My favourite is the tree we made.

We drew the tree trunk, but then used old buttons instead of drawing leaves on it”

However, Miss Hazera has taken them under her supervision at Adabor, Mohammadpur, Dhaka and ensure they are provided a proper education at the local school. Project Pothchola organises a team of dedicated volunteers from different universities and educational institutions to work with these children and encourage them to

The main purpose of Project Pothchola is to encourage the mental growth of these children, and support them so that they can integrate into mainstream society. The Project Pothchola team organises eight regular sessions every month, which involves visual aids for learning, craft making, puzzle solving, storytelling, drawing and other motivational activities.

According to Project Director Atkia Sadia Rahman, “our role is not to judge these children or teach them societal values that have such rigid barriers and codes about what is right or wrong. We just want them to know that there is a great, big wonderful world out there, and they are an important part of it, regardless of what others might tell them.”

In the exhibition, the activities of these children were showcased in front of everyone. This included funny faces made on plastic plates, little turtles made from recycled plastic bottles, paintings of Bangladesh and the world map and many more.

“My favourite is the tree we made. We drew the tree trunk, but then used old buttons instead of drawing leaves on it”, said 12 year old Md Polash. “I’m really happy that people are being able to see our artwork, it makes me feel very proud,” he added.

Students from around 40 schools and universities participated in this exhibition and human rights activist and executive director of Ain o Salish Kendra, Advocate Sultana Kamal was also present at the opening.

The exhibition was sponsored by City Bank Limited and supported

by Beatnik Design, with Radio Shadhin as radio partner. l

DT

Editorial 11

TUESDAY, MAY 10, 2016

INSIDE

Silent partner We have been striving for vastly different goals. We have grown apart. Maybe one day you’ll realise the errors of your ways and come back to me PAGE 12

An election in London, an assassination in Karachi Despite immense bloodshed and enormous loss of life in the past four decades, Pakistan is yet to break this vicious cycle. Khurram Zaki’s name has been added to a long list of those who lost their lives PAGE 13

BIGSTOCK

Cut taxes to support press freedom

When Aleppo falls In reality, Aleppo is targeted because it is Syria’s biggest city and its economic capital -- not Damascus. It is also one of the oldest cities in the world with a history and symbolic importance that rivals Damascus in every respect 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.

T

he Newspaper Owners’ Association of Bangladesh is right to urge the government to withdraw the 5% duty imposed on imports of newsprint paper.

Publishers of newspapers and books are unfairly burdened by taxes on ink and paper.

Imports of ink incur 62% tax and duty and there is 35% duty and VAT on the import of printing chemicals. Newspaper publishers are also unable to get adjustments and refunds for VAT paid during the import of newsprint.

The government should move to swiftly reform the taxation framework to free publishers from unnecessary costs and restraints to give a boost to newspaper and book production.

It is clearly in the public interest to introduce a zero-tariff policy for the import of newsprint as an essential raw material which is not produced locally in sufficient quality and quantity. Countries such as Sri Lanka, which still impose similar duties, do so at lower rates and it is common practice for many countries such as India and the US to have a zero-tariff policy.

In addition, courts in the US uphold First Amendment rights to make owners of newspapers immune from “ordinary forms of taxation used for support of the government.”

The NBR should scrap the duty on imported newsprint and look at ways of cutting other levies to help Bangladeshi newspapers flourish.

As well as raising costs for publishers and readers and deterring investment, the existing framework is unnecessarily complex in its operation. For instance, it requires publishers to take clearance from both the information ministry and industry ministry to import newsprint.

It is high time for the government to bring down such unnecessary obstacles. In an increasingly knowledge-driven global economy, it is more important than ever for the tax system to create more incentives for publishers of newspapers and books.

Free publishers from unnecessary costs and restraints to boost newspaper and book industries

12

DT

Opinion

TUESDAY, MAY 10, 2016

Silent partner It’s hard to trust a nation that has betrayed you so deeply

Bangladesh, you broke my heart

n SN Rasul

L

et’s have a conversation, you and I. It has been so long since we’ve talked, with our hearts open, our minds at peace, unafraid of what we’ll lose. Well, I think I’ve talked, and you’ve barely listened. And when you do speak, you don’t really say anything at all.

Sometimes you talk so sweet, with hopes of change and development, like this relationship we have, it’s headed somewhere beautiful, like there’s some sort of light at the end of this tunnel, but then, you shrivel up, become distant. You become so silent.

Growing up, I didn’t think much of you. You were just another wounded nation with wounded people running you to the ground.

I pitied you as I compared you to other countries who were just as old and had the same resources.

I knew how painful your childhood had been and I understood that it is difficult to recover. And a lot of us merely gave up, kind of let you be. At least, we were together.

But then, things started to change. Your economy boomed, other players on the world stage started to notice your potential.

BIGSTOCK

Money came in, you flourished in various sectors. You were nowhere near the top, but people suddenly knew your name. You had something to offer the world, in a way very few other countries could.

as the rest. I pretended like you would never go anywhere, but I really, really wanted to believe in you.

Honestly, I did, I felt anything was possible as I lay distracted with my eyes on the Tigers

We have been striving for vastly different goals. We have grown apart. Maybe one day you’ll realise the errors of your ways and come back to me As you lifted yourself up, with our help no less, I thought you would take all of us with you. And in many ways, you perhaps did.

Some of us, our lives improved.

Our pockets and bank balances swelled.

You had more things to offer, things we couldn’t have dreamt of even a few years back: Faster and better technology, foreign goods, flyovers. It seemed like we were headed somewhere, you and I, somewhere we could never have imagined.

But maybe we were fooling ourselves. Or maybe I was, though outside, I was as much of a sceptic

winning their fourth ODI home series win in a row.

So, even with lowered expectations, even as I tried to keep myself safe, the city I lived in started to implode. The streets began to fill up with more and more of us, rules and regulations forgotten and erased like our history together.

By the time I arrived at now, neither of us could remember what it had once been like.

A building collapsed in your most prized sector. People lay screaming under the concrete as the world watched. Your response to it, initially, was apology and

regret, and a drive to change the way we functioned. But, as soon as we stopped watching you, you went back to your old ways.

And, on the streets, your least prized possessions, all of whom were your citizens nonetheless, started to die. One by one, a foreign force invaded you and started to take over. You denied that it existed at all. You denied that you were sick, that there was a virus lurking inside you, with continued empty promises that these were lone incidents, and I was safe with you.

But your rhetoric changed.

You started to say things I never thought you’d say. You said that there was no protection, that these things were meant to happen if one is not careful, if one says the wrong things.

It broke my heart, really, as you, finally, went back on years of progress only to arrive at the doorstep of your bloodied past. As you stared straight into my eyes and told me that there were some things you couldn’t quite promise.

And I wanted to say so many things to you right then. I wanted to tell you how I really felt about how you’d changed. But the more I spoke, the less you listened. The more I tried to change you back,

the more you resisted.

I wanted us to keep moving forward, you see, towards a brighter future, because, for once, I had seen a bright and shining future for both of us, as much as I hadn’t wanted to, and now, I can’t unsee it.

I really wanted us to have a proper heart-to-heart, a conversation of openness and transparency, where nothing was hidden. But it’s not safe anymore.

I can only tell you what you want to hear.

I must give in because I realise that, though I see you every day, though we are, in some ways, still together, in spirit and in work, we have been striving for vastly different goals. We have grown apart.

Maybe one day you’ll realise the errors of your ways and come back to me, asking for forgiveness and a fresh start. But it’s hard to trust a nation that has betrayed you so deeply, and so to the core. For now, my words bounce off of you like rubber bullets on a metal tank.

And your silence, in response, conquers me, and tells me that I should do the same. l SN Rasul is a Sub-Editor at the Dhaka Tribune. Follow him @snrasul.

13

DT

Opinion

TUESDAY, MAY 10, 2016

An election in London, an assassination in Karachi Khurram Zaki’s murder shows the consequences of state-supported extremism

Khurram Zaki’s death is an immense blow to Pakistan’s future

REUTERS

Despite immense bloodshed and enormous loss of life in the past four decades, Pakistan is yet to break this vicious cycle. Khurram Zaki’s name has been added to a long list of those who lost their lives

n Ali Riaz

T

he Pakistani human rights worker and online activist Khurram Zaki has been killed in Karachi. Zaki and his friend Khalid Rao were gunned down by assailants at a café on Saturday evening. It was a preplanned strike.

A few hours before his

assassination, Zaki posted a scathing critique of Pakistanis for their euphoric reaction to the election of Sadiq Khan as the mayor of London.

He said that he viewed Sadiq’s victory as an achievement of “Western secular democracy.”

He wrote: “Sadiq Khan is not Pakistani. He is British.”

He went on to say “Pakistan and

Islam have played no role in his meteoric rise.” He asked: “Can we in Pakistan ever elect an Ahmadi or Hindu or Christian PM? Forget that, we have deprived all legal powers and discretions of a democratically elected mayor of the third largest city in the world (Karachi) on the basis of his ethnicity.”

Zaki, a former television

journalist, was also known as an Islamic scholar.

He was a member of the editorial board of the blog/website and the Facebook page, Let Us Build Pakistan.

The objective of the blog was to “spread liberal religious views and condemned extremism in all forms.” Recently, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority blocked the blog in Pakistan.

For the past few years, Khurram Zaki has been campaigning against extremist religious groups in Pakistan.

Recently, he and his friend Jibran Nasir attempted to file a complaint against Maulana Abdul Aziz of the Lal Masjid (Red Mosque) in Islamabad. They

alleged that Aziz was inciting hatred against Shia Muslims.

They cited a video message of the cleric. Local police declined to file an FIR. Zaki’s attempt to compel the police to file an FIR through the court’s intervention didn’t succeed: A session’s court dismissed the application, saying that the complainant had no locus standi.

He and his friends then approached the Islamabad High Court, which too dismissed their application on the same ground on March 29.

Maulana Aziz, on the other hand, had filed a complaint against Zaki and his friends, saying that they were spreading false and fabricated information against the maulana and the mosque.

On December 16, 2015, the first anniversary of the Peshawar Amy Public School massacre, Zaki staged a demonstration in front of the Lal Masjid despite obstructions from the government.

Zaki, his wife, and their 16-yearold daughter were arrested.

Khurram Zaki’s website not only criticised Pakistani religious extremists but also the country’s liberal intellectuals.

His death has once again reminded us of how perilous it is to fight against extremism and for human rights in that country.

Pakistan is an example of the consequences of spreading statesupported extremism.

Pakistan shows what happens when the state displays its penchant -- either explicitly or implicitly -- to violence and extremism, when extremism and violence are used for political gains, and when violent groups are not brought to justice.

Despite immense bloodshed and enormous loss of life in the past four decades, Pakistan is yet to break this vicious cycle.

Khurram Zaki’s name has been added to a long list of those who lost their lives. He was only 40 years old. l Ali Riaz is a political scientist of Bangladeshi origin, currently chair of the Department of Politics and Government, Illinois State University in the USA. His books include God Willing: The Politics of Islamism in Bangladesh (2004) and Faithful Education: Madrassahs in South Asia (2012). This article previously appeared on thewire.in.

14

DT

Opinion

TUESDAY, MAY 10, 2016

When Aleppo falls The Russians know the strategic importance of capturing the Syrian city of Aleppo

In Aleppo, the worst may be yet to come

REUTERS

In reality, Aleppo is targeted because it is Syria’s biggest city and its economic capital -- not Damascus. It is also one of the oldest cities in the world with a history and symbolic importance that rivals Damascus in every respect

n Azeem Ibrahim

T

he most remarkable thing about the current “ceasefire” in Syria, as it is teetering on the edge of collapse, is the fact that the city of Aleppo was only included in the ceasefire agreement in the last minute. The Russians have not stopped bombing it for one day in the two months of “ceasefire.”

Why is that?

Ostensibly, it is because Aleppo is controlled by terrorists: Russianspeak for anyone who is not with their ally, Assad. And since Russia, as a matter of policy, makes no distinction between ISIS and the non-ISIS opposition, they present this as the same battle against global jihadism that the US and the West are waging, even as they are targeting groups who are, or have been in the past, supported by the

Western allies.

And groups who themselves are bitterly opposed not only to President Assad, but also to ISIS. In reality, Aleppo is targeted because it is Syria’s biggest city and its economic capital -- not Damascus.

It is also one of the oldest cities in the world with a history and symbolic importance that rivals Damascus in every respect. So long as it is held by the rebels, the opposition can claim a power base every bit as significant as the Syrian capital in Damascus.

So long as it stands, the rebels will keep fighting. And, the Russians and President Assad believe that, if they capture it, then that will be the decisive turning point in the conflict with the non-ISIS opposition.

Of course, simply recapturing the city will not spell automatic

victory. But it will strengthen Assad’s position significantly, both strategically and psychologically.

Standing as it does, 50 kilometres from the Turkish border and the main rebel supply route, Aleppo is the key hub of logistics for the rebel operations in the north of the country.

Currently, it is being attacked from the south, the west, and the east, with only a narrow northern corridor still open to supply the rebels.

Assad’s forces and the Russians are also mounting an increasing offensive to capture even this northern corridor, looking to complete the siege of the city and force the local fighters (and the local civilian population) into submission, as they have done with hunger sieges in many of the other rebel-held areas in the country.

Best case scenario

And what will happen when the city finally capitulates? In the past week and a half, over 250 people have been killed in the city.

Will the bloodshed end? Or at least, will the situation get better?

In the best case scenario, the violence would be slowly brought under control but only if the rest

of the rebellion also folds. If the rebellion continues in other parts of the country despite the fall of Aleppo, Assad, and Russia have already demonstrated that they are not above revenge massacres of civilians.

The problem for Aleppo is that it is not enough for it to fall. In the strategic calculation of Assad, and especially of the Russians who are still keen to resolve this quickly and with minimal investment, it is also necessary that the city should not be capable to re-emerge as a threat to the authority of the regime. In other words, surrender will not be enough. The city needs to be dismantled.

Whether this will be done through carpet bombing prior to a takeover, as things stand at the moment, or whether it will be done by “bringing terrorist elements to justice” after a takeover and the imposition of government rule, for the people of Aleppo, fighters and civilians alike, the worst may be yet to come. l Azeem Ibrahim is a Research Professor at the Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College and an International Security Lecturer at the University of Chicago. This article first appeared in Al Arabiya.

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TUESDAY, MAY 10, 2016

INSIDE

Apparel export to US sees 4.30% rise Bangladesh earned $1.45 billion, exporting clothing products to the US market

Regent COO: High surcharge a bane for aviation industry HG Aviation Ltd (Regent Airways) Chief Operating Officer said local private airlines have been badly affected by the high interest on airfare surcharge and parking charge. PAGE 16

Top China paper warns of crisis risk over debt China must turn off the taps of credit-driven growth to avoid a financial system crisis in the face of rising bad loans and other risks, the Communist Party’s official mouthpiece newspaper said yesterday, citing an unnamed “authoritative” source. PAGE 17

‘Japan ready to intervene if yen moves too volatile’ Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso said yesterday that Tokyo is ready to intervene in the currency market if yen moves are volatile enough to hurt the country’s trade and economy. PAGE 18

Capital market snapshot: Monday DSE Broad Index

4,329.4

-0.2% ▼

Index

1,064.0

-0.5% ▼

30 Index

1,679.1

-0.2% ▼

Turnover in Mn Tk

4,939.6

24.4% ▲

Turnover in Mn Vol

101.6

6.8% ▲

All Share Index 13,303.2

-0.3% ▼

30 Index

-0.2% ▼

CSE

Selected Index

12,356.1 8,089.5

-0.3% ▼

Turnover in Mn Tk

299.9

28.1% ▲

Turnover in Mn Vol

10.5

23.1% ▲

n Ibrahim Hossain Ovi Bangladesh’s apparel export to the US market has seen a 4.30% rise to $1.45 billion in the first quarter of current calendar year, despite the declining trend of overall apparel import by the United States from across the world.

The overall apparel export to US from other countries has declined by 2.14% to $19.30 billion, which was $19.72 billion in the same period a year ago.

According to the January-March data of the Office of Textiles and Apparel (otexa), US Department of Commerce, Bangladesh earned $1.45 billion, exporting clothing products to the US market, which is 4.30% higher compared to $1.40 billion a year ago.

The volume, however, posted an 8.38% growth to 517.63 million square meters equivalent (SME) to the same period that indicates the unit prices of apparel products made in Bangladesh have seen a fall.

In the same period last year, the volume was 477.62 million SME. Meanwhile, the overall RMG import by the US increased by 4.14% to $5.60 billion with an 11.93% rise compared to $5 billion in the same period a year ago.

“Bangladesh’s export earnings show growth because of some higher value and fancy products. But the concern is the buyers are decreasing prices of basic products,”

Workers at a garment factory in Dhaka BGMEA Vice-President Mohammad Nasir told the Dhaka Tribune.

If the situation continues, it would hit the business of basic product producers.

In every meeting, the buyers are talking over the compliance issues, which already have seen a remarkable progress, but they did not increase the prices of products, said Nasir. The positive things are that the buyers’ confidence has been restored, he added.

After the suspension of GSP or Generalized System of Preferences, it was feared that export to the US market, the single largest export destination of Bangladeshi products, especially apparel items, will see a sharp decline.

MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

“The growth gap between value and volume means that per unit price of RMG products fall further. The positive sign is that Bangladesh’s growth gap with the other competitors has reduced,” Khondaker Golam Moazzem, additional research director of Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), told the Dhaka Tribune.

On the other hand, the total apparel import of the US has seen downtrend, which shows that the demands for the products among the consumers have declined. At this point, Bangladesh should focus on other countries to remain in safe zone, suggested Moazzem.

Among the major exporters to the US market, India posted a pos-

itive growth by 4.30% to $1.07billion while Vietnam 5.73% growth, the highest among the major share holders. China’s export to US has fallen by 5.94% to $6.1 billion followed by Cambodia 8.41% to $552 million, Pakistan by 9.68% to 307 million and Indonesia by 0.53% to $1.25 billion In 2015, Bangladesh, the third largest exporter of clothing products to US, earned $5.40 billion with an 11.74% rise, which was $4.83 billion in the previous year.

The United States imported clothing products worth $85.16 billion from across the globe, of which Bangladesh’s share is 6.34% while China’s 35.86% and Vietnam’s 12.40% in terms of value. l

ECR to be linked with NBR server n Syed Samiul Basher Anik

The revenue authority has taken up a plan to connect its server system with the Electronic Cash Register (ECR) to get the actual amount of Value Added Tax collected by business entities from their customers.

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) will introduce the plan to get the real time transaction records of ECR. The system will prevent VAT evasion.

The systemization will come into effect in July this year in line with the implementation of new Value Added Tax and Supplementary Duty Act, officials said.

According to the plan, NBR will install a chip in each ECR which will be connected with the IVAS server. Thus the NBR officials will be able to cross check the transaction records any time they want.

By doing so, the revenue authority is expected to get the actu-

al amount of VAT as no traders will be able to alter the records due to that system.

In July 2009, NBR made it mandatory for 11 types of business to install and use ECR and POS software to boost VAT collection. The business entities include hotels, restaurants, sweetmeat shops, furniture outlets, beauty parlours, community centres, all shops located at mega malls in the metropolis, departmental stores, general stores, big and medium-size wholesalers and retailers and jewellers.

The technology was introduced to prevent VAT evasion collected from the consumers by the shopkeepers as the manual system of accounting used at the outlets leaves room for tax dodging.

It is, however, widely reported that a large number of businessmen skip the ECR use while many do not use it for transactions, laying a blame on the machine.

Once the linkage is made be-

tween the server and the Electronic Cash Registr, VAT officials will be able to mobilise potential amount of VAT, thus boosting revenue collection, said the sources.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith recently said the use of ECR in shops and other business units will be mandatory from the next fiscal year under the new value added tax law.

During the recent drives, VAT

audit, intelligence and investigation directorate of the NBR found that businessmen are not depositing VAT to the government exchequer though they had collected it from customers.

According to an NBR estimate, there are now 11,005 shops under the categories. Of them, a number of 8,559 were selected for ECR installation, but only 2,970 had the mechanism so far. l

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TUESDAY, MAY 10, 2016

Regent COO: High surcharge a bane for aviation industry How do you evaluate foreigners’ appointment in top position by different Bangladeshi airlines including Biman?

Though Biman appointed foreigner as CEO, there was no positive impact. The CEOs will need to understand the country and local passengers’ mindset. Foreign managers were unable to understand these things. The appointment of foreigners failed to bring any positive changes to the airlines.

For example?

Ashish R Choudhury

n Ishtiaq Husain HG Aviation Ltd (Regent Airways) Chief Operating Officer said local private airlines have been badly affected by the high interest on airfare surcharge and parking charge. The 76% interest on surcharge is “horrible”, said Ashish R Choudhury during an interview with Dhaka Tribune recently, while sharing the airline’s expansion plan and profitability under the present circumstances.

Launched in November, 2010 the Regent Airways, owned by Chittagong-based Habib Group, focuses on international flights rather than domestic operation. However, it opened its international wing in 2013 with flights to Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur. Now it flies to four other global destinations- Bangkok, Singapore, Kathmandu, Kolkata and Muscat.

Dhaka Tribune: Regent operates more international but less domestic flights than any other private Bangladeshi airliners. It operates flights to five international destinations from both Dhaka and Chittagong. Any expansion plan?

Ashish: Yes. We recently launched flights to Muscat and now have plan to include Kathmandu in our route map soon. We are waiting for some facility improvement at the Kathmandu airport, which is yet to complete. Regent also plans to introduce flights to Colombo and Guangzhou (China) this year, and to Jeddah and Doha.

What do you do to make your airlines economically viable organisation? Is the Regent in right direction in terms of business plan?

To make a company profitable, there is no other alternative to initiating a plan. We believe that the company is on the right track in its planning and choosing pathways of going forward.

Can you utilise all the aircraft in fleet to the maximum?

Even the state-run Biman Bangladesh Airlines cannot make the maximum use of its aircraft although it has the highest number of aircraft of all airlines in Bangladesh.

Biman brought two Boeing 777-200 ER from Egypt, but has to keep them unutilised.

But Regent is utilising almost all its aircraft maintaining a proper roster. As far as I know only one aircraft is not being used.

However, we plan to use it launching Colombo flights.

Proper utilisation of the fleet help the company reduce cost.

How do you assess the present situation in the country’s aviation industry?

Is it okay for the industry’s proper growth?

Airlines are paying 76% interest on airfare surcharge, that is horrible. The actual debt of the GMG airlines (now closed) was Tk40 crore, but the interest totalled Tk70 crore. Due to this high interest rate, many airliners would be forced to shut down the business. Parking charge is also an impediment.

Private GMG airlines was profitable until appointment of a foreigner as CEO. After appointment of a foreigner, the management leased a Jambojet aircraft. At that time jet fuel price increased three times. But the management couldn’t predict the surge in fuel price. Many airlines in Europe and America shut down due to higher fuel price.

However, I think foreigners can be appointed in technical side of the airlines where we still lack skilled manpower.

The appointments could also be made in quality control and revenue management sectors of the companies.

You were also with the GMG airlines?

When I was with the GMG, eighty percent of the pilots were foreign recruits. Later I downscaled it to less than 40%. The same situation was in the Regent, and it was later decreased to 30%.

How are you preparing new pilots?

I tried my best to give more chances to young boys and girls to be cockpit crew as many young pilots are unemployed. I have told former Biman chairman not to overcharge the students at the Biman training institute.

Though we have only one Dash 8, in last four months, Regent trained 16 pilots. It still had 7 pilots in the pipeline to be appointed.

However, Biman later hired them. Ultimately, we suffered. As national flag carrier, Biman should take the responsibility of training more pilots. l

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TUESDAY, MAY 10, 2016

BD-Nepal set for crucial talks n Tribune Business Desk Commerce secretaries of Bangladesh and Nepal are set for their third meeting here tomorrow on crucial pending issues of connectivity aiming to boost bilateral trade.

According to a commerce ministry statement, Senior Secretary of Commerce Ministry Hedayetullah Al Mamoon will lead an 18-member Bangladeshi delegation with his counterpart Naindra Prasad Upadhaya, who would lead a 9-member delegation of his country, said BSS. It said Bangladeshi investment in hydropower in Nepal for mutual

benefit was one of the issues of the third talks between the top commerce ministry officials of the two neighbours.

Nepal earlier expressed its keenness to use Bangladesh’s port to import goods The other issues, it said, included transit cargo transportation, mutual duty facilities for imports, rail connectivity, harmonisation of sanitary and phytosanitary stand-

ards (SPS) to eliminate technical barriers for trade, visa simplification for businessmen, visa on arrival for Nepalese citizens.

Landlocked Nepal earlier expressed its keenness to use Bangladesh’s port to import goods through rail and road transits.

Meanwhile, on June 15 last year, Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal signed BBIN Motor Vehicle Agreement (MVA) to increase regional trade.

In fiscal year 2014-15, Bangladesh exported goods to Nepal worth $25.05 million while it imported the volume worth $11.50 million. l

REHAB reelects Alamgir Shamsul Alamin as president n Tribune Business Desk

Summer Laptop Fair 2016 to begin on Friday

Real Estate and Housing Association of Bangladesh (REHAB) re-elected Alamgir Shamsul Alamin as its president for 2016 to 2018.

Nuran Nabi Chowdhury has been elected senior vice-president while Liakat Ali Bhuiyan first vice-president and Abul Fatah M Ahkam Ullah Iman Khan second vice-president, according to BSS. REHAB Election Board announced the committee today, said a release.

Engineer Sardar M Amin has been elected vice-president (Admin) while Engineer Muhammad Sohel Rana vice-president (Finance) and M Abdul Kayam Chowdhury vice-president from Chittagong.

In the new committee, a total of 29 directors have been elected, of which only three are from Chittagong.

FBCCI Director Mohammad Amin Helali was the chairman of three-member election board. l

n Ishtiaq Husain A three-day Summer Laptop Fair 2016 will kick off at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) in the capital on Friday.

This is the 17th edition of Laptop Expo where local and international technology product manufacturers and franchises will showcase and sell their latest technology products in one mega pavilion, four pavilions, seven mini-pavilions and 47 stalls.

Expo Maker Head of Operations Nahid Hasnain Siddique, also convenor of Summer Laptop Fair, came up with the disclosure at a press conference held at Pan Pacific Sonargaon hotel in the capital yesterday.

Global Brand Chairman Abdul Fattah, Acer Country Representative Sakib Hasan, Dell Country Marketing Manager Protap Saha, HP Retail Account Manager Salaud-

din Mohammad Addel were present at the press conference.

A wide range of products including Laptop, Tablet, Internet Security products and other accessories and gadgets related to laptop will be available at the expo.

The customer will get Tk1,000Tk1500 discount on the purchase of laptop.

They will also get an offer – “Buy One, “Get One Free” – for selective models.

Some companies will offer smartphones of selective models with their laptop brands.

The expo will remain open from morning 10am to 8pm every day.

The entrance fee is Tk30. The school students with uniform or identity card and people physically challenged would be able to enter without ticket. Smartphone users would be able to get entrance permit by downloading Techshohor Apps. l

Stocks fall on profit booking n Ibrahim Hossain Ovi Stocks prices at the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) ended in the red yesterday, snapping the gaining streak over the past two consecutive sessions as investors went on profit booking.

DSEX, the key index of the premier bourse, went up by 0.25% or 11 points, closing the session at 4,329 points.

The blue chip index DS30 lost 0.21% or 4 points to close at 1,676 points while the shariah index DSES declined by 0.51% or 5 points ending at 1,064 points.

The market opened with a negative note and showed some volatility during the trading session as investors played both sides of fence.

The single-day turnover stood at Tk494

crore, which was 24.43% higher than the previous day’s Tk 397 crore.

Of 317 issues traded, 178 showed downtrend, 87 ended in the black and 52 remained unchanged.

“The market fell slightly amid higher the volume backed up by large-cap issues like BSRM Steels, United Power, BSRM and Mobil Jamuna Lubricant Bangladesh,” said LankaBangla Securities in its market commentary.

“The market closed in the negative territory due to profit booking in micro-cap and midcap stocks,” siad IDLC Investments.

The large-cap sectors showed mixed performances. Among the major sectors, bank, cement and fuel and power decreased by 0.80%, 0.62% and 0.38% respectively. l

Workers stand on a steel frame which they are welding for an advertising board in Jiaxing, Zhejiang province REUTERS

Top China paper warns of crisis risk over debt n AFP, Beijing China must turn off the taps of credit-driven growth to avoid a financial system crisis in the face of rising bad loans and other risks, the Communist Party’s official mouthpiece newspaper said yesterday, citing an unnamed “authoritative” source.

The prominent article, in question-and-answer format, started on the front of the broadsheet paper and took up the entirety of page two.

China’s Communist authorities are trying to retool the economy away from the investment- and export-led growth of the past to one more led by consumer demand, and reform lumbering, loss-making state-owned enterprises to make the sector more efficient.

But the transition is proving bumpy, raising fears of a hard landing, and global markets have been alarmed by slowing expansion in the world’s second-largest economy.

Attempts to address the slowdown in the first quarter of this year - when growth slid to 6.7% - were largely driven by investment, the People’s Daily quoted the source as saying, putting more

financial pressure on some local governments.

Analysts said the comments could be a signal that Beijing is to rein in monetary stimulus efforts.

“A tree cannot grow in the air,” said the source, arguing against raising debt further.

“Further leverage must not be added to push up growth, nor does it need to be,” the interviewee added, warning of a possible crisis as high debts “will definitely bring about high risks”.

“A system financial crisis could be triggered if no good controls are implemented, leading the economy to contract and even household savings to evaporate.”

It is the third time in less than a year that the People’s Daily has cited “an authoritative person” to discuss top-level economic policies.

Chinese news portal Sina has previously said that such an “authoritative source” in similar People’s Daily articles could be a high-ranking government official, such as the head of the top economic planning agency the National Development and Reform Commission, or a respected scholar who participated in major economic policymaking. l

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‘Japan ready to intervene if yen moves too volatile’ n Reuters, Tokyo Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso said yesterday that Tokyo is ready to intervene in the currency market if yen moves are volatile enough to hurt the country’s trade and economy.

Aso also said he did not think the

United States considered Japan’s currency policy to be inappropriate, but acknowledged the two countries differed in their views on what would be deemed excessive yen rises that justify intervention.

“For Japan, excessive volatility in yen moves that affect Japan’s trade, economic and fiscal poli-

CORPORATE NEWS

Social Islami Bank Limited has recently distributed scholarships among 20 financially challenged students of Dhaka University’s Faculty of Business Studies, said a press release. The bank’s chairperson, Major Dr Md Rezaul Haque (retired) and Speaker of the Parliament, Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury handed over scholarship letters among the students

American Dairy Limited has been established an artificial insemination training center at Sreepur in Gazipur, said a press release. State Minister at Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, Narayan Chandra Chanda was present at the inauguration ceremony as chief guest along with the company’s managing director, Dr Hasanul A Hasan

NRB Global Bank Limited has recently arranged a town hall meeting to review business performance of its branches in Chittagong region, said a press release. The bank’s chairperson, Nizam Chowdhury was present at the meeting as chief guest

Sonali Bank has recently held a conference on cyber security and distribution of loans in Sylhet. The bank’s chief information officer, Md Mofazzal Hossain was present at the conference, said a press release

cies - be it yen rises or yen falls - is undesirable. If such moves occur, Japan is ready to intervene in the market,” Aso told parliament.

Sadayuki Sakakibara, head of Japan’s biggest business lobby Keidanren, said it was “natural” for Japanese authorities to act against recent yen rises that were speculative and out

of line with economic fundamentals, according to Kyodo news agency.

“The business sector would offer its support” if Japanese authorities were to intervene in the currency market, Sakakibara was quoted as saying at a news conference yesterday. The dollar hit an 18-month low of 105.55 yen last week after the

United States added Japan to a list of countries it was monitoring over foreign exchange policies.

Some investors interpreted the move as a warning to Tokyo against conducting yen-selling market intervention. The dollar regained some ground to hover above 107 yen in Asia yesterday. l

19

TUESDAY, MAY 10, 2016

| tour |

| agreement |

Cultural minister visits Sri Lanka

Mou signing to ensure better service

Assaduzzaman Noor MP, honourable minister, Ministry of Cultural Affairs left the country yesterday, to inaugurate the Bangladesh Gallery at the International Buddhist Museum located in Kandy, Sri Lanka. The neighbouring country’s Ministry

of Internal Affairs, Wayamba Development and Culture Affairs sent the invitation through the Bangladesh High-commission in Sri Lanka. The cultural minister is also scheduled to attend multiple cultural events, both in Colombo and Kandy. l

On Saturday, May 7, 2016 Grace 21 Hotel authority entered into a memorandum of understanding with Magpie Group for providing a central VRF system and interior equipments.

Through impeccable collaboration between the parties, Grace 21 Hotel aspires to provide an immersive experience to the guests, as it shortly becomes fully operational. Grace 21 is an upcoming four star boutique hotel complete with upscale restaurant and relevant amenities, striving to provide five star facilities to the boarders.

The MOU was signed between the Managing Director of Grace 21 Hotel and representative of Magpie Electronics Ltd at the Grace 21 Hotel premise, located

Laila to attend 3rd World Art Games in Montenegro

| food |

Situated at the heart of Gulshan, Zaffran is placed in an intimate and cozy setting. Book your tables now and render your senses with their breathtaking ambiance and spectacular Indian and Pakistani cuisines.

House 1/B, Road 5 Gulshan 1, Dhaka 1212 Email: zaffranltd@gmail.com Hotline: 01618010104 l

| dining |

Gourmet Pizzas at Cilantro

Noted Bangladeshi artist Laila Sharmeen will put up her recent works in mixed media on paper at the nine-day 3rd World Art Games to be held in different cities of Montenegro, which began on May 4, 2016. The exhibition of games will open at the oldest art institutions of the country Gallery of Association of Visual Artists of Montenegro. The show will then travel to other major cities of Montenegro including Sutomore and Kotor.

Laila Sharmeen has 11 solos and over 60 international shows to her credit. She has showcased her works in major international art fairs and biennales, including Tokyo International Art Fair,

From Right: ATM Zahid Hossain (Zafor), chairman of Grace 21 Hotel; Md Tarikul Islam, managing director of Grace 21 Hotel; Hasanuzzam Siddiki, managing director of Magpie Electronics Ltd 21 Hotel, along with readiness in the vicinity of Le Méridien for cooperation following Hotel at Nikunja 2. the principles of mutual By signing the memorandams, understanding and respect parties expressed their throughout the establishment and inclination towards the maintenance of Grace 21 Hotel. l successful functioning of Grace

Try Indian and Pakistani food at Zaffran!

| exhibition |

The wait is finally over!

Cilantro proudly introduces its new line of rectangular gourmet pizzas. Try their original Italian pesto pizza with chunks of succulent chicken and gooey combo of melted cheddar and mozzarella at every bite! That is guaranteed satisfaction!

Pesto Pizza is priced at Tk795 l Oxford International Art Fair, Barcelona Art Fair, Art Shopping (Carrousel Du Louvre, Paris), Art Expo New York, Izmir Biennale (Turkey), and Effetto Biennale (Merida, Mexico). She was awarded a Purchase Prize at the 16th Space International Print Biennial, Seoul in 2011. l

DT

Biz Info

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Downtime

20

TUESDAY, MAY 10, 2016

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Heathen (5) 4 Assist (4) 7 Nullify (6) 8 Enrich with a gift (5) 10 Morse element (4) 11 Result from (5) 12 Flow back (3) 14 Halt (4) 17 Rodents (4) 19 United (3) 20 Drunkard (5) 23 Conceal (4) 25 Lines of soldiers (5) 26 Swelling waves (6) 27 What time? (4) 28 Long for (5)

DOWN 1 Like better (6) 2 Soon (4) 3 Tidings (4) 4 Abode of the dead (5) 5 Greek letter (3) 6 Injury (6) 9 Amount owing (4) 13 Condemn to exile (6) 15 Rent (4) 16 Individual (6) 18 Harsh (5) 21 Hunted animal (4) 22 Comfort (4) 24 Owing (3)

CODE-CRACKER How to solve: Each number in our CODECRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 20 represents L so fill L every time the figure 20 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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World 21

TUESDAY, MAY 10, 2016

INSIDE

1st scientific evidence of sea-level rise claiming 5 whole Pacific islands n Tribune International Desk Why are world powers unable to stop Boko Haram?

Two years ago, the world watched in horror as 276 girls were abducted from their school in Chibok, Nigeria, by the group known as Boko Haram, a militant group that swears allegiance to the Islamic State.

PAGE 22

NZ prime place for LatAm rich people to hide money Wealthy Latin Americans are using secretive, tax-free New Zealand shelf companies and trusts to help channel funds around the world, according to a report on Monday based on leaks of the so-called Panama Papers.

PAGE 23

Trump reverses stance on taxes US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said on Sunday he was open to raising taxes on the rich, backing off his prior proposal to reduce taxes on all Americans and breaking with one of his party’s core policies dating back to the 1990s.

PAGE 24

A group of Australian environment scientists have recently found ground-breaking evidences of how sea-level rises have claimed five remote islands in the Pacific.

During a recent expedition, the scientists have discovered that at least five reef islands in the remote Solomon Islands have been lost completely to sea-level rise and coastal erosion, and a further six islands have been severely eroded.

The scientists are-- Simon Albert; senior research fellow at the School of Civil Engineering, University of Queensland, Alistair Grinham, senior research fellow at University of Queensland, Badin Gibbes; senior lecturer at the School of Civil Engineering, University of Queensland, Javier Leon; lecturer, at University of the Sunshine Coast and John Church, CSIRO fellow, CSIRO. According to the scientists, these islands lost to the sea range in size from one to five hectares.

They supported dense tropical vegetation that was at least 300 years old. Nuatambu Island, home to 25 families, has lost more than half of its habitable area, with 11 houses washed into the sea since 2011.

This is the first scientific evidence, published in Environmental Research Letters, that confirms the numerous anecdotal accounts from across the Pacific of the dramatic impacts of climate change on coastlines and people.

A warning for the world

Previous studies examining the risk of coastal inundation in the Pacific region have found that islands can actually keep pace with sea-level rise and sometimes even expand.

However, these studies have been conducted in areas of the Pacific with rates of sea level rise of 3-5mm/year – broadly in line with the global average of 3mm/year.

For the past 20 years, the Solomon Islands have been a hotspot for sea-level rise. Here the sea has risen at almost three times the global average, around 7-10mm/ year since 1993. This higher local rate is partly the result of natural climate variability.

The scientists say these higher rates are in line with previous projection of sea-level rise of the Pacific in the second half of this century as a result of human-induced sea-level rise. The scientists also fear many areas will experience long-term rates of sea-level rise similar to that already experienced

All that remains of one of the completely eroded islands in Solomon Islands in all but the very lowest-emission scenarios.

Natural variations and geological movements will be superimposed on these higher rates of global average sea level rise, resulting in periods when local rates of rise will be substantially larger than that recently observed in Solomon Islands. We can therefore see the current conditions in Solomon Islands as an insight into the future impacts of accelerated sea-level rise.

The scientists also studied the coastlines of 33 reef islands using aerial, satellite imagery from 19472015. This information was integrated with local traditional knowledge, radiocarbon dating of trees, sea-level records, and wave models.

Waves add to damage

Wave energy appears to play an important role in the dramatic coastal erosion observed in Solomon Islands. Islands exposed to higher wave energy in addition to sea-level rise experienced greatly accelerated loss compared with more sheltered islands.

The scientists had studied 12 islands in a low wave energy area of Solomon Islands and observed little noticeable change in shorelines despite being exposed to similar sea-level rise. However, the claim that of the 21 islands exposed to higher wave energy,

SIMON ALBERT

five completely disappeared and a further six islands eroded substantially.

world to relocate residents and services in response to the impact of sea-level rise.

The human story

The global effort

According to the scientists, these rapid changes to shorelines observed in Solomon Islands have led to the relocation of several coastal communities that have inhabited these areas for generations. These are not planned relocations led by governments or supported by international climate funds, but are ad hoc relocations using their own limited resources.

The customary land tenure (native title) system in Solomon Islands has provided a safety net for these displaced communities.

In fact, in some cases entire communities have left coastal villages that were established in the early 1900s by missionaries, and retraced their ancestral movements to resettle old inland village sites used by their forefathers.

In other cases, relocations have been more ad hoc, with indivdual families resettling small inland hamlets over which they have customary ownership.

In these cases, communities of 100-200 people have fragmented into handfuls of tiny family hamlets.

In addition to these village relocations, Taro, the capital of Choiseul Province, is set to become the first provincial capital in the

Many homes are close to sea level on the Solomons

SIMON ALBERT

Interactions between sea-level rise, waves, and the large range of responses observed in Solomon Islands – from total island loss to relative stability – shows the importance of integrating local assessments with traditional knowledge when planning for sea-level rise and climate change.

Linking this rich knowledge and inherent resilience in the people with technical assessments and climate funding is critical to guiding adaptation efforts.

Melchior Mataki who chairs the Solomon Islands’ National Disaster Council, said: “This ultimately calls for support from development partners and international financial mechanisms such as the Green Climate Fund. This support should include nationally driven scientific studies to inform adaptation planning to address the impacts of climate change in Solomon Islands.”

Last month, the Solomon Islands government joined 11 other small Pacific Island nations in signing the Paris climate agreement in New York. There is a sense of optimism among these nations that this signifies a turning point in global efforts.

However, it remains to be seen how the hundreds of billions of dollars promised through global funding models such as the Green Climate Fund can support those most at need in remote communities, like those in Solomon Islands. l

[This article was published under Creative Commons Attribution No Derivatives licence. The original article was published by Theconservation. com, which can be found at http://bit. ly/1s1mCTA]

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EXPLAINER

Why are world powers unable to stop Boko Haram? n Tribune International Desk Two years ago, the world watched in horror as 276 girls were abducted from their school in Chibok, Nigeria, by the group known as Boko Haram, a militant group that swears allegiance to the Islamic State.

Fifty-seven of the girls later escaped, but most have not - and the situation has only gotten worse. The kidnappings prompted a global campaign, #BringBackOurGirls, but experts say violence in the region has impeded the girls’ rescue and the world’s attention has shifted to other crises.

To show how dire the situation has become, the UN children’s agency, Unicef, released a report last month showing that the number of children involved in suicide bombing has risen tenfold in the last year in the Lake Chad region, which includes Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger.

One in every five suicide bombings is perpetrated by a child.

Three-quarters of them are girls as young as eight years old. They are victims, the UN says, of slavery and rape. The report, “Beyond Chibok,” says 2.3m people have been forced out of their homes in the last three years. And the other findings are equally grim.

“Boys are forced to attack their own families to demonstrate their loyalty to Boko Haram, while girls are exposed to severe abuse including sexual violence and forced marriage to fighters,” the report states. “Some are also used to carry or detonate bombs.”

Laurent Duvillier, spokesperson for Unicef in West & Central Africa, said the world was shocked by the 2014 abduction. “But what did not get so much attention is what happened after this: over 2,000 women and girls have been abducted since then in about four countries, not just Nigeria.”

Duvillier continued, “What we see today is that the humanitarian situation has seriously deteriorated. One year ago, on the first anniversary of Chibok, there were 800,000 people displaced; today, 1.3m children alone are displaced, an increase of 60%.”

Duvillier and other experts on the ground say that military forces in all four countries have make gains, liberating areas and people, but the abductions continue and, as areas are liberated, the humanitarian need is even greater.

The report details the stigma associated with children who have been freed, some ostracised, others killed, out of fear that they might turn against their communities.

There is also a chronic nutrition crisis. Toby Lanzer, the assistant secretary-general of Regional Humanitarian Coordination for the Sahel of Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), told reporters at UN Headquarters on April that the world should take note, because a migration crisis may follow when the “poorest of the poor” are subject to such extreme violence, abuse, the effects of climate change, and malnutrition.

“The suffering of some 30,000 people in Bama was as acute as I have seen,” Lanzer said. Deputy US State Department spokesman Mark Toner said couple of days later that the US is delivering over $240m in development and humanitarian assistance to the Lake Chad region.

“The United States continues to assist the Nigerian government’s efforts to locate and bring home all those who have been kidnapped by Boko Haram with intelligence and advisory support,” Toner said.

“Boys and girls affected by Boko Haram violence are faced with an extremely difficult situation, but I would not qualify the situation as intractable; there are many actors, including the United Nations, engaged in trying to improve the protection of children in Nigeria and neighboring countries,” Leila Zerrougui, the Special Representative of the Secretary General for Children and Armed Conflict, said.

“The conflict’s impact on education is extremely concerning,” Zerrougi said. “Hundreds of thousands of children are missing out on their education. Recovering from personal trauma, from the trauma of conflict, is key to help the next generation build the peace they deserve.” l

[This is an excerpt of a CBSNews article, which can be found at http://cbsn. ws/1Vl1WRL]

World

#PANAMAPAPERS REVELATIONS

NZ prime place for LatAm rich people to hide money n Reuters, Wellington Wealthy Latin Americans are using secretive, tax-free New Zealand shelf companies and trusts to help channel funds around the world, according to a report on Monday based on leaks of the so-called Panama Papers.

Pressure is mounting on Prime Minister John Key to take action after local media analysed more than 61,000 documents relating to New Zealand that are part of the massive leak of data from Mossack Fonseca, a Panama-based law firm. The papers have shone spotlight on how the world’s rich take advantage of offshore tax regimes.

Mossack Fonseca actively promoted New Zealand as a good place to do business due to its tax-free status, high levels of confidentiality and legal security, according to a joint report by Radio New Zealand, TVNZ and investigative

journalist Nicky Hager.

The government was asking the Ministry of Justice to move quickly on rules already under consideration to tighten anti-money laundering requirements for lawyers, real estates and accountants, he added.

Opposition Labour Party Leader Andrew Little said the government must act to “preserve New Zealand’s reputation by shutting down the system that sees our country implicated in a massive global network of tax avoidance.”

The New Zealand government said last month it would begin a review of its foreign trust laws after the Panama Papers highlighted vulnerabilities in its legal framework that made it a possible link in international tax avoidance structures because its foreign trusts are not subject to tax.

Green Party Co-leader James Shaw said that review doesn’t go far enough. He called on Key to “stop defending the tax avoidance industry” and demanded a full inquiry. l

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SOUTH ASIA

Q&A

The Oceania nation’s emergence as tax heaven So New Zealand’s a tax haven?

New Zealand is referenced more than 61,000 times in the papers, and shows Mossack Fonseca actively promoted New Zealand to its clients, particularly those from Latin America, as a place to park their money. It highlighted New Zealand’s tax-free status to foreigners setting up offshore trusts or companies and limited disclosure rules, backed by New Zealand’s stable political system, and independent and established legal and financial systems. A number of New Zealand key foreign trust players also show up time and time again, including Bentleys New Zealand and its co-founder Roger Thompson, which acted as Mossack Fonseca’s agent here.

How is it done?

The Panama Papers show it’s relatively easy to do for those with the means to do so. Potential customers, or their lawyer or accountant, would contact Mossack Fonseca.

Typical clients include Ecudorian bankers, Colombian car dealers, wealthy Mexican celebrities and Brazilian lawyers. Mossack Fonseca passed on their clients information

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to Auckland law firm Bentleys and its co-founder, Roger Thompson, who would organise the paperwork to set up the trust here.Thompson’s tasks would also often include being the sole New Zealand director of the trusts, alongside two Panamanian directors. A further Bentleys company, Orion Trust, is also used over and over as a nominee office holder in foreign trusts and companies. Both hid the real owners from view. Nevertheless, Bentley’s Roger Thompson says confidentiality is allowed, and the system guarantees it.

Who keeps an eye on the trusts in New Zealand?

Inland Revenue (IRD) has oversight of the trusts, which are required to be registered. The trusts are not required to file an annual return, but if asked by IRD they must give details on their make up and transactions.

The papers indicate that IRD rarely queried or checked any trusts, its owners or its beneficiaries. Bentley’s Roger Thompson says his firm has received a small number of requests from IRD in the past and have always complied. l

Source: RADIO NEW ZEALAND

THE GREAT INDIAN BOVINE BEAUTY PAGEANT Hundreds of cows and bulls walked the ramp in a Haryana town in India on Saturday in a bovine beauty pageant aimed at promoting domestic cattle breeds and raising awareness about animal health. As farmers led their animals, the panel of experts judged the beasts for their size and overall looks, the length of their horns and, for the cows, their milk-yielding capacities. The judges selected 18 winners in various categories, choosing the healthiest and best-looking cows and bulls from more than 630 animals in the contest, held in the farming town of Rohtak.

Mother of Pakistan’s Oscar double winner named in #PanamaPapers The mother of Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, two time Oscar winner for woman-focused documentaries, has been named in the latest batch of Panama Papers revelation. However, in a statement issued Monday, she denied being a beneficiary of any off-shore enterprise, and clarified that her mother’s ownership is compliant with the applicable Pakistani laws.

-NEWS INT’L

INDIA

Modi’s education record made public to halt row Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party on Monday made public his university degree certificates, in a bid to disprove allegations by a political opponent that he had fabricated his qualifications. Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal last week accused the premier of lying about graduating from Delhi University with a BA and obtaining a Masters in Political Science from Gujarat University.-REUTERS

CHINA

Panama Papers law firm apologises to Chinese bank The law firm at the centre of the Panama Papers offshore tax haven controversy has written an apology to a Chinese banking client as it seeks to shore up its Asian business following a massive leak of financial data last month. The letter was written by Mossack Fonseca in response to queries from the Chinese bank about compliance with global financial standards.

-REUTERS

ASIA PACIFIC

10 dead in Philippine election day violence At least 10 people died across the Philippines in election day violence on Monday, as gunmen attacked polling stations, ambushed vehicles and stole vote counting machines, police said. However authorities described the violence as isolated incidents and that the overall conduct of the elections was peaceful. In the worst attack, 7 people were shot dead in an ambush before dawn in Rosario, a town just outside of Manila.

-AFP

MIDDLE EAST

Hezbollah, allies claim victory in east Lebanon vote

An Indian man waits for signal to lead a A pair of bulls wait for their turn to walk the ramp during the bovine beauty An Indian man leads a bull on a ramp during cow on a ramp during the bovine beauty pageant in Rohtak on Saturday. Hundreds of cows and bulls walked the the bovine beauty pageant in Rohtak on pageant in Rohtak on Saturday AP ramp in the pageant aimed at promoting domestic cattle breeds AP Saturday AP

Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group and its allies won a vast majority of seats in areas where they ran in local elections in eastern Lebanon, the group’s deputy leader said Monday, a day after the vote took place. Meanwhile, the head of a local coalition of different political groups said it will most likely win the Beirut municipality.

-AP

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USA

N Carolina sues US over controversial LGBT law North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory’s administration sued the federal government Monday in a fight for a state law that limits protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-gender people. The lawsuit seeks to keep in place the law, which the US Justice Department said last week violated the civil rights of trans-gender people against sex discrimination on the job and in education.

-AP

THE AMERICAS

Brazil lower house annuls Rousseff impeachment vote The acting speaker of the lower house of Brazil’s Congress has annulled last month’s vote on impeachment, delaying the process against embattled President Dilma Rousseff. A Senate vote on whether to accept the impeachment process had been scheduled for Wednesday. But Monday’s request

by Waldir Maranhao means the matter goes back to the Chamber of Deputies. The decision is a huge victory for Rousseff.

-AP

UK

Poll: 46% of Britons would vote for Brexit The campaign for Britain to leave the European Union saw its lead grow slightly over the rival ‘In’ campaign, according to a poll published by ICM on Monday. The poll found 46% would vote ‘Out’, up one percentage point from the previous ICM poll on May 3, while 44% would support staying in the bloc, unchanged from the previous survey.

-REUTERS

EUROPE

Austrian chancellor quits after far-right triumph Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann quit Monday, bowing to intense pressure two weeks after the opposition anti-immigration far-right dealt his coalition a historic defeat in the first round of presidential elections. The centre-left Faymann, 56, chancellor for the past eight years, said in a statement that he no longer had strong backing in his party, the Social Democrats.

-AFP

AFRICA

Landslides kill nearly 50 in Rwanda At least 49 people were killed this weekend in landslides caused by torrential rains in rural Rwanda, the government said on Monday. Authorities had previously given a death toll of 20, many of them children, as downpours drenched the densely populated country of steep hills and deep valleys. The worst affected district was Gakenke in the north, where 34 people were killed.

-AFP

Trump reverses stance on taxes n Reuters, Washington, DC US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said on Sunday he was open to raising taxes on the rich, backing off his prior proposal to reduce taxes on all Americans and breaking with one of his party’s core policies dating back to the 1990s.

“I am willing to pay more, and you know what, the wealthy are willing to pay more,” Trump told ABC’s “This Week.”

After effectively sealing the Republican nomination for the November 8 presidential election last week, Trump has used speeches and interviews to offer more details on his policy positions.

The billionaire real estate tycoon has said he would like to see an increase in the minimum wage, although he told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday he would prefer to see states take the lead on that front instead of the federal government.

“I don’t know how people make it on $7.25 an hour,” Trump said of the current federal minimum wage. “I would like to see an increase of some magnitude. But I’d rather leave it to the states. Let the states decide.”

Trump’s call for higher taxes on the wealthy is a break with Re-

publican presidential nominees who have staunchly opposed tax hikes for almost three decades.

Tax hikes have been anathema to many in the party since former President George H W Bush infuriated fellow Republicans by abandoning a pledge not to raise taxes and agreeing to an increase in a 1990 budget deal.

Democrats, including presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton, have pressed for increased taxes on the wealthiest Americans for years.

Trump released a tax proposal last September that included broad tax breaks for businesses and households. He proposed reducing the highest income tax rate to 25% from the current 39.6% rate.

Pressed on the contradiction between his latest comments on taxes and the September tax plan, Trump said he viewed his original proposal as “a concept” and that he expected it would be changed following negotiations with Congress.

“By the time it gets negotiated, it’s going to be a different plan,” Trump told ABC. He emphasised in separate interviews with ABC and NBC that his priorities were lowering taxes on the middle class and businesses.

“The middle class has to be protected,” Trump told NBC. The rich are “probably going to end up paying more,” he said.

US federal income tax return form, commonly known as 1040 form The Clinton campaign said Trump was trying to pander to voters beyond those who supported him in the Republican nominating contests and that he had no intention of raising the taxes of wealthy people.

“Don’t believe Donald Trump’s weak attempts at a general election ‘makeover’ for even a second,” Christina Reynolds, a Clinton campaign spokeswoman, said in a statement. “Trump’s economic plans take direct aim at working Americans - his proposal to cut trillions in taxes for the top one percent would almost certainly come at the expense of workingand middle-class families.”

When asked on NBC whether he would release his own tax returns before the election, Trump

BIGSTOCK

said once again that it depended on the completion of an audit.

“Sure. If the auditors finish. I’ll do it as fast as the auditors finish,” he said.

Meanwhile, Republicans remain deeply divided over Trump’s candidacy, although he has pledged to try to unite the party ahead of its convention in July.

Prominent party leaders such as Paul Ryan, the top elected US Republican, have distanced themselves from Trump over his proposal to temporarily ban Muslims from entering the United States.

Ryan, who has been a leading voice for the Republican Party on budget issues for years and is the House of Representatives Speaker, has proposed a series of budgets that would cut taxes across the board. l

Mocked by colleagues, Cameron argues UK safer in EU n Reuters, London Britain needs the European Union to help fight Islamic State and rebuff a “newly belligerent” Russia, Prime Minister David Cameron said on Monday, making a “patriotic case” for membership that was immediately mocked by a one-time ally.

With just over six weeks to go before a referendum, both sides of the debate are sharpening their arguments, with Conservative former London mayor, Boris Johnson, attacking the prime minister for scaremongering by suggesting that Britain could trigger World War Three if it left the 28-member bloc.

Cameron, setting out the security argument for Britain to vote to remain in the EU on June 23, drew on military history, invoking the memory of wartime leader Winston Churchill to bolster his case that “isolationism has never served this country well”.

But it was his words that the EU had helped secure peace for 70 years that were seized upon by “Out” campaigners, who questioned whether he could seriously believe that a British exit, or Brex-

British Prime Minister David Cameron delivers a speech on the European Union at the British Museum in central London on Monday AFP it, could see troops on the move in Europe again.

“I want to show that if you love this country, if you want to keep it strong in the world and keep our people safe, our membership of the EU is one of the tools that helps us to do these things,” Cameron told diplomats and campaigners.

“I’m not arguing that the EU alone has kept the peace in Europe these last 70 seventy years, of course not, Nato has played an absolutely key role ... (but) it’s pretty extraordinary that countries that were fighting and killing each other are now finding a way to work together.”

He warned Britain that it could be exposed to greater threats if

voters decided to leave the EU, underlining the role of security cooperation after dozens were killed in attacks by Islamic State in Brussels and Paris.

“We see a newly belligerent Russia, the rise of the Dae’sh (Islamic State) network to our east and to our south the migration crisis dealing with these requires unity of purpose in the West,” he said.

Brexit, he said, would “make cooperation more legally complex and make our access to vital information much slower”.

Johnson attacks

Johnson, whom the prime minister had once hoped to recruit to his “In” campaign, said the argu-

ment was “wholly bogus”.

“I don’t think the prime minister can seriously believe that leaving the EU would trigger war on the European continent, given that he was prepared only a few months ago to urge that people should vote leave if they failed to get a substantially reformed European Union,” Johnson told campaigners and journalists.

He said Britain should pull out now to regain its sovereignty and democratic rights, leaving a failing organisation.

The former mayor, who is seen as a possible replacement for Cameron, called on Britons to demand answers from “In” campaigners, including over how high levels of immigration could be curbed when the country had no control of its borders.

Both campaigns are trying to find the arguments that resonate with British voters, who, according to opinion polls, are evenly split over which way to vote.

The “In” campaign, backed by Cameron, has so far mainly stuck to economic arguments, trying to deepen rifts in the “Out” campaign over what Britain would look like after Brexit. l

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Abahani hit by solid Soumya

INSIDE

n Tribune Report

Abahani clinch Club Cup Hockey in style Abahani Limited clinched the title of the Club Cup Hockey Tournament as they came from behind to humiliate Usha Krira Chakra with a 5-1 defeat in the final at the Maulana Bhashani National Hockey Stadium yesterday. PAGE 26

Djokovic targets Rome after triumph Novak Djokovic heads for Rome this week crediting an unscheduled pause in his claycourt season with helping him clinch a record 29th Masters title.

The world number one defeated Andy Murray 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. PAGE 27

BRIEF SCORE ABAHANI LIMITED 255/6 (Shanto 72, Saikat 67) lost to LEGENDS OF RUPGANJ 245/5 (Soumya 84, Mithun 75) by 22 runs (D/L method)

Ibra crowned as France’s best Paris Saint-Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic was voted France’s Ligue 1 player of the year for a record third time on Sunday.

Ibrahimovic won the award, voted for by his peers after scoring 35 goals in the capital club’s romp. PAGE 28

Milestone for CR7 but Pichichi unlikely Cristiano Ronaldo achieved another milestone in his Real Madrid career when he scored his 200th goal at the Bernabeu on Sunday but he looks like failing in his bid to become La Liga’s top scorer for the third season in a row. PAGE 29

Legends of Rupganj opener Soumya Sarkar pulls a ball during their Dhaka Premier League match against Abahani Limited at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

Soumya Sarkar and Mohammad Mithun carried Legends of Rupganj to a fighting 21-run in their rain-interrupted Dhaka Premier League match against Abahani Limited at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday.

Rain and thunder stopped play with 3.2 overs left to play, and Rupganj needing eleven more runs to win. The umpires held discussions with both sides before walking off amid a drizzle. Soon, the announcement came that Rupganj had picked up their third win, while Abahani lost for the second time, on both ocassions in Mirpur.

Soumya had made 10, 1, 20 and 21 in the four innings prior to this game, so his 84 was a welcome return to form. After the win, he said that he was looking for a big one, and it came at the right time.

“I wasn’t getting the big knock. I was getting out in the twenties. Today [Monday] I was waiting for the right sort of ball to go for my shots.

I was looking for such a day when I could make a big one,” Soumya said.

“I had been planning to do well against Abahani, one of the major teams in the competition. I missed out on the century because of my own mistake. A century would have been quite nice but I was getting a bit nervous seeing everyone else score and myself missing out in the last four games,” he added.

Rupganj were jolted early in their chase when Junaid Siddique edged Taskin Ahmed in the sixth over. Soumya and Mithun added

127 runs for the second wicket.

Mithun made a run-a-ball 75 with six fours and three sixes.

Soumya made his first fifty in the competition but fell for 84 with 76 runs reamining to win. He struck two sixes – over long-on and midwicket - and nine fours in his 89-ball knock.

Abahani came back into the game when they removed Asif Ahmed in the 41st over but Rupganj’s nerves were eased through the 38-run fifth wicket stand between captain Mosharraf Hossain and Nahidul Islam, both making 25 each.

For Abahani, left-arm spinner Saqlain Sajib took two wickets while there was one each for Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Taskin and Mosaddek Hossain Saikat.

Earlier it was Shanto and Saikat, the two most exciting young talent in the country, who added 125 runs for the fourth wicket after Abahani lost their way following a good start. Shanto top scored with 72 off 82 balls that had six sweetly-timed fours and a six while Saikat was unbeaten on 67 off 75 balls with four boundaries and a six. But the pair couldn’t up the ante towards the end, as Abahani got only 77 runs in the last ten overs despite having seven wickets in hand in the 40th over.

They came together after Tamim struck his third fifty in the competition, reaching the landmark with a beautifully struck six over cover.

But after hitting Taijul Islam for a cover drive, he was clean bowled next ball by the left-arm spinner for 54 off 64 balls with seven fours and a six. l

Salahuddin's potion that helped Shakib n Mazhar Uddin

Shakib Al Hasan’s first IPL fifty in two years left everyone breathless on Sunday night. His 66 off 49 balls against the Gujarat Lions kept the Kolkata Knight Riders in the hunt after they had slipped to 24 for 4 in the sixth over, but ultimately they went on to lose the game by five wickets.

But on Monday in Mirpur, everyone was congratulating the Gazi Group Cricketers’ head coach Mohammad Salahuddin for Shakib’s return to form. His players and even journalists wished him. He also revealed that he got a large number of friend requests on his Facebook page.

While he received each congratulatory message with a shy smile, there was a practical reason why he was lauded. Over the weekend, Shakib had secretly returned to Dhaka for a batting session under Salahuddin’s watch.

Among the few coaches Shakib considers his closest, Salahuddin is one of them so having scored just 20 runs in three IPL innings this season, Shakib needed to feel comfortable with his batting.

“I observed that during his IPL stint, he was unable to middle the ball which he should have been doing. Fortunately he had a small break ahead of his next game where he came to meet his family.

At the same time, he asked me to

work with his batting and we had a training session,” Salahuddin told Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

“He (Shakib) was trying to play more on the midwicket region but I told him to play according to the ball and more importantly middle the ball which he did in the next game. He struck sixes over extra cover region and straight down the wicket and his batting looked flawless and I think it will get better gradually,” he added.

Salahuddin, who also coached the Comilla Victorians to the BPL title this season, informed that Shakib has the ability to adapt very quickly and it’s his eagerness to learn that always helped him to overcome tough periods.

“Shakib is a very quick learner and he can adapt quickly and implement that on the field even after one or two training sessions in the net. And this ability makes him one of the best player in the world as he knows what to do in certain situation,” he added.

It is also a testament of Shakib’s trust in Salahuddin’s ability and quality as a coach that he came to him, rather than the army of coaches in the Knight Riders’ setup. They include the head coach, Jacques Kallis, mentor Wasim Akram and the assistant coach Simon Katich.

What else could a coach want from his best student? l

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WHAT THEY SAID MAHBUB HARUN Abahani coach

It is our strategy that won us the game.

Even when we were trailing by a goal I still had belief that we would win the game if we continue to play according to our plan and tactics. We conceded the only goal because of our failure to mark properly. Still I didn’t expect such big victory.

MAMUN UR RASHID Usha coach

We couldn’t implement our plan properly because of their aggressive strategy. It was totally Abahani’s day.

They played really well and deserved the title. Our foreign recruits failed to perform as per as the expectation.

RUMMAN SARKAR

(Abahani), Best player of the tournament I didn’t expect myself to play every match and perform like this but I always tried and worked hard for the development of my own game. I believe I can perform better than this.

Abahani players and official celebrate winning the Club Cup Hockey title at the Maulana Bhashani National Hockey Stadium yesterday

MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

Abahani clinch Club Cup Hockey title in style n Shishir Hoque Abahani Limited clinched the title of the Club Cup Hockey Tournament after eight long years as they came from behind to humiliate Usha Krira Chakra with a 5-1 defeat in the final at the Maulana Bhashani National Hockey Stadium yesterday.

Abahani made a brilliant comeback through goals from their all four Pakistani recruits Toushique Arshad, Md Irfan, Shakeel Abbasi and Shafqat Rasool after the Malayasian forward Faizal Bin Saari put Usha ahead.

It was Abahani’s third Club Cup titile and last time the traditional Sky Blues won the title was in 2007. Their first title came in 2004.

Meanwhile, Usha are the champions in the last two editions of the meet.

Abahani coach Mahbub Harun once again proved to stay top among the local coaches. The former national coach’s tactic and game-plan was vital in his side’s dominating display. They began the game with slow pace but with the game rolling forward they became more organised, sharp and organised.

It was Usha who went ahead with just seven minutes into the clock through when Faizal found

ROLL OF HONOUR 2016 2014 2012 2010 2008

Abahani Usha Usha Mohammedan Abahani

the back of the net following a hit

by Ismail Bin Saari.

Abahani earned two penalty

corners three minutes later but failed to convert any. They finally equalised the margin at the halfhour mark when drag-flick specialist Toushique converted their fifth penalty corner.

Abahani went close again four minutes later when Pakistan national captain Irfan saw his reverse hit went inches wide. Faizal also squandered an opportunity in the 25th minute from striking circle for Usha.

Md Irfan took the lead for the Sky Blues in the 28th minute when the midfielder scored a field goal after a

fine work of Biplob and Shafqat.

Abahani piled more pressure after the resumption and Shakil Abbasi extended the lead in the 41st minute after collecting the ball from Shafqat inside the circle. Shafqat scored again in the 49th minute to make it 4-1.

Usha earned only two penalty corners throughout the game and both came in the second half but failed to convert any of them. Abahani earned four in the first half and three in the second half. Toushique completed the rout in the 56th minute to get his second. l

Fizz could spark Big Bash interest n Cricket Australia Bangladesh’s Mustafizur Rahman could well ignite a bidding war between several KFC Big Bash League clubs as the T20 magician’s stock continues to soar.

Mustafizur is one of the hottest T20 bowlers in the world right now, dominating the Indian Premier League at the Sunrisers Hyderabad with lively left-arm pace, deceptive slower balls and a hostile yorker.

Seven BBL clubs have at least one overseas vacancy for BBL|06 – only the Melbourne Stars have already filled their quota with English pair Luke Wright and Kevin Pietersen signed on – and the Melbourne Renegades may have got an early jump on their rivals in the race for Mustafizur.

The Bangladeshi’s IPL coach

Tom Moody is a director at the Renegades, who currently have two overseas spots available on their list, although one is expected to be taken by the return of West Indies allrounder Dwayne Bravo.

Moody’s close connection with Mustafizur could be a deal-breaker for the Renegades should they want to sign the 20-year-old, as they aim to add to their lone semi-finals appearance in BBL|02.

Coach David Saker recently expressed a desire to boost his side’s bowling stocks after a disappointing campaign last summer, which saw them miss the finals for the third consecutive season.

“To be fair, we probably need an overseas bowler,” Saker told The Age. “We’re looking at whether to go down that track or to recruit a bowler from inside Australia.”

Recently described as a “little genius” by Sydney Sixers captain and Sunrisers teammate Moises Henriques, Mustafizur could also be swayed to the SCG with the Sixers having room for two international signings.

Sydney Thunder’s former captain and new list manager Mike Hussey has also had a first-hand look at the youngster in his role as an IPL commentator. Musatfizur could be an option to replace legendary allrounder Jacques Kallis at the reigning champions, who are expected to re-sign thrilling allrounder Andre Russell in the off-season.

Perth Scorchers also have both of their overseas spots vacant, while Hobart, Adelaide and Brisbane can sign one more international each.

If Mustafizur does find a home

in the BBL next summer he would be the second Bangladeshi to play in Australia after Shakib Al Hasan, who turned out for the Strikers and Renegades in BBL|02 and BBL|04 respectively.

Relatively unknown two months ago, Mustafizur burst onto the radar after a stunning display in the IPL and the preceding World T20.

The 20-year-old claimed nine wickets in three matches for Bangladesh in the showpiece T20 tournament in India in March, including a haul of 5-22 against semi-finalists and world No.1 ranked T20 team New Zealand.

In nine matches for Hyderabad under the captaincy of Australia’s David Warner, Mustafizur has captured 13 wickets, one behind competition leader Mitchell McClenaghan of the Mumbai Indians. l

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TUESDAY, MAY 10, 2016

Djokovic targets Rome after record triumph n AFP, Rome

QUICK BYTES Fahad earns win at Asian Junior Chess Bangladesh’s youngest Fide Master Mohammad Fahad Rahman yesterday defeated Shailesh Dravid of India in the 6th round of the Asian Junior (Under-20) Chess Tournament which is being held in New Delhi, India.

The national sub-junior champion earned 3.5 points after the end of the 6th round. National Junior Champion Avik Sarkar is also taking part in the meet who earned only two points.

TRIBUNE REPORT

BKSP pip Gulshan Youth in low scorer BKSP registered a two-wicket win over Gulshan Youth Club in the Dhaka Premier Women’s Cricket League at the BKSP-4 ground yesterday. Gulshan Youth’s decision to bat first went horribly worng as they were bowled out for just 99 runs. Aka Mollik made 24 off 46 balls as the top scorer. The BKSP bowler Jannatul Ferdous took four wickets in eight over. Later, BKSP chased the target in 35.2 overs losing eight wickets. Opener Morsheda Happy scored 26 while Shirin Akther led the Gulshan bowlers with three wickets.

TRIBUNE REPORT

Vlaar signs on for two years at AZ Alkmaar Netherlands international defender Ron Vlaar has extended his stay at boyhood club AZ Alkmaar by two years until 2018, the Dutch team said on Monday. Vlaar went back to AZ in October after recovering from knee surgery following a decision not to extend his contract with Aston Villa at the end of last season. He has been a regular for the club who finished fourth in the Dutch league on Sunday to book a place in the Europa League.

REUTERS

Mauresmo and Murray announce coaching split Andy Murray and Amelie Mauresmo announced Monday that they had mutually agreed to end the Frenchwoman’s two-year stint as coach of the two-time major champion. Under Mauresmo’s tutelage, Briton Murray won seven titles, including his first two on clay, and reached the final of the Australian Open in 2015 and 2016. “Working with Andy over the last two years has been a fantastic experience for me,” said Mauresmo in a joint statement with Murray on her Facebook page. Dedicating enough time along with the travel has been a challenge for me. I wish him and team well and I hope he goes on to win many more titles.”

AFP

Novak Djokovic of Serbia (L) and Andy Murray of Britain talk during the trophy ceremony of Madrid Masters tournament in Madrid, Spain on Sunday REUTERS

Novak Djokovic heads for Rome this week crediting an unscheduled pause in his claycourt season with helping him clinch a record 29th Masters title.

The world number one defeated long-time rival Andy Murray 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 on Sunday to win the Madrid Masters for a second time.

The world number one captured his fifth trophy of 2016 as he defeated defending champion Murray for the 12th time in their last last 13 matches to stand at an overwhelming 23-9 in their career head-to-head.

In Rome, Djokovic, Nadal and Federer have been drawn in the same half. Djokovic, the 2008, 2011, 2014 and 2015 champion, and seven-time winner Nadal have shared the last 11 Rome titles between them. l

Mominul ton too much for Doleshwar n Minhaz Uddin Khan Table-toppers Prime Doleshwar Sporting Club tasted their first defeat in the Dhaka Premier League when Victoria Sporting Club beat them by 59 runs in Fatullah yesterday. In the other game, Brothers Union defeated Prime Bank Cricket Club by seven runs (via the D/L method) after rain interrupted their game at the BKSP.

Victoria v Prime Doleshwar

Mominul Haque’s run-a-ball 104 and Chanturnga de Silva’s five-for

backed Victoria’s third win.

Batting first, Victoria lost opener Fazle Mahmud early but settled down with an 162-run second wicket partnership between Abdul Mazid and Mominul.

Pacer Al Amin Hossain dismissed Mominul, who had hammered 12 boundaries and two sixes, to break the partnership in the 37th over. But that never stopped Victoria from putting up more runs on the board as they were propelled

by Mazid’s 94 and an unbeaten 51

by Al Amin. They posted 270/3 in 50 overs.

Later, the Sri Lankan left-arm spinner de Silva took five wickets as Doleshwar were bowled out for 211 runs in 43.4 overs. Raqibul Hasan’s 73 off 90 balls was their top score.

Prime Bank v Brothers Union

Shehan Jayasuriya’s 63 and some decent contributions had Prime Bank post 249 runs batting first in 49.3 overs.

Brothers made their way to 193 in 42.5 overs when rain stopped the game for the second time. The match was called off at 3.58pm with Brothers seven runs ahead of

Federation Cup likely to start next week n Tribune Report The Federation Cup football tournament is likely to kick off on May 15, informed Bangladesh Football Federation after a professional league committee meeting at the BFF House yesterday.

It was also decided that the training camp of national football team will begin on Wednesday ahead of Bangladesh’s AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers Play-off matches against Tajikistan on June 2 and 7.

Since the introduction of B-League, this will be the first time both Federation Cup and Independence Cup are to be held before the start of Bangladesh Premier League, whose 9th edition is scheduled to kick off on June 10.

After around three-hour long meeting of the league committee with the representatives of all the premier league clubs except Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi, Mohammedan and Abahani, the clubs wanted the next professional tournament begin as soon as possible.

“The clubs didn’t want to sit idle for one more month before the league as they have to pay the players and their accommodation. So we decided to hold the Federation Cup before the league.”

As the national team training camp starting tomorrow, the clubs will get their national players a day before the match day and after the game players will return to the camp.

The federation is also determined to add more venues outside the capital for the next premier league. It was decided in principle that, along with Dhaka and Chittagong, Rajshahi, Sylhet and Mymensingh/Jamalpur are likely to be new venues for the league. If the clubs can’t afford, BFF may bear the expense of transport and accomodation of the clubs to play on those venues.

Meanwhile, the arrival date of Dutch coach Lodewijk de Kruif has not confirmed yet who will take the temporary responsibility of the team for a month. l

BRIEF SCORES

PRIME BANK CC 249 (Shehan 63, Nur Alam 3/25) lost to BROTHERS UNION 193/3 (Shahriar 84*, Shehan 2/25) by seven runs (D/L method) VICTORIA SC 270/3 (Mominul 104, Mazid 94, Al Amin 3/57) won against PRIME DOLESHWAR 211 (Raqibul 73, Imtiaz 43, Chaturanga 5/36) by 59 runs the D/L par score.

Opener Shahriar Nafees led the Brothers innings with an unbeaten 84 that had eight boundaries and a six. l

AFC CUP 2016

Sheikh Jamal face Ceres today n Tribune Report Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club will take on Ceres La Salle in their last group-stage match of AFC Cup 2016 at the Pana-ad Park and Football Stadium, Bacolod City in Philippines today at 5pm BST. The Bangladesh Premier League champions are already eliminated from the tournament where they are participating for the first time. At the end of last month, they earned their first victory as well as point in their last game against Tampined Rovers in Dhaka.

Sheikh Jamal left here for Philippines on Sunday and had only a day for the preparation. They lost 2-0 when they hosted the Philippine champions on March 8.

Ceres were the first team from Group E to qualify for the knock-out stage. They are currently at the top of table with nine points, one more than Selangor FA, who will play away at Tampines Rovers today. Sheikh Jamal stayed at the bottom with three points. l

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TUESDAY, MAY 10, 2016

EPL P W D L GD Pts Leicester

37 23 11 3 32

80

Tottenham

37 19 13 5 38

70

Arsenal

37 19 11 7 25

68

Man City

37 19 8 10 30

65

Man Utd

36 18 9 9 13

63

Southampton 37 17 9 11 15

60

West Ham

36 15 14 7 14

59

Liverpool

36 16 10 10 13

58

Chelsea

36 12 12 12 6

48

Stoke

37 13 9 15 -15

48

Swansea

37 12 10 15 -10

46

Everton

36 10 14 12 4

44

Watford

36 12 8 16 -8

44

Palace

37 11 9 17 -9

42

West Brom

37 10 12 15 -14

42

Bournemouth 37 11 9 17 -20 42 Sunderland

36 8 11 17 -17

35

Newcastle

37 8 10 19 -25

34

Norwich

36 8

7 21 -33

31

Aston Villa

37 3

8 26 -42

17

Empty seats are seen as Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini and players walk around the pitch during a lap of honour after their game again Arsenal at Etihad stadium on Sunday

Pellegrini’s home farewell falls flat n Reuters

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini said a fond Etihad Stadium farewell to the supporters on Sunday but it was hardly the feelgood, celebratory goodbye that he or the fans craved.

After being held to a 2-2 draw by Arsenal, a result that ended a bad week for City, most of the disheartened home faithful had departed by the time Pellegrini took to the microphone after his final home game in charge.

“Not winning this game is not the way we wanted to finish the season. We want to qualify for next year’s Champions League,” the Chilean told them, although that now looks increasingly unlikely.

The draw still leaves City in fourth place but it has opened the door for Manchester United who, if they win their final two games, will pinch the fourth and final Champions League spot. After being knocked out in the semi-finals of the Champions League by Real Madrid in midweek, it seems unthink-

able that incoming manager Pep Guardiola could be left in charge of a Europa League team next season.

Perhaps it was that dispiriting thought which prompted those City supporters with short memories not to bother hanging around to pay a final tribute to the Chilean who took them to a Premier League and two League Cup wins in his three years in charge.= The stands had largely emptied when Pellegrini told the supporters: “For me it’s been three wonderful, unforgettable years. Thanks to the

fans for all, I will never forget you.

“Don’t change because this team needs you and I’m sure next year you will do well in all competitions. Thank you all.”

It was the sort of dignified address that was expected from Pellegrini but nothing could conceal his dismay at another performance which tended to sum up his 2016 team, brilliant in patches before fizzling out like a spent firework.

While a season that promised so much for City seemed to be dying on its feet, Pellegrini took the opportu-

nity to remind people about some of the scintillating football his side have produced under his stewardship.

“In my time here we have improved a lot in the Champions League. Also, for me, it’s been about our style of play. There have been a lot of positive things,” he told the BBC. This was echoed by City’s chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak who used the notes in the match programme to praise the manager for more than just the trophies he brought to the Etihad.l

Platini loses appeal, will quit Uefa presidency

Ibrahimovic crowned France’s n AFP, Lausanne player of year Michel Platini will quit as the head of European football after a sports AFP, Paris n tribunal on Monday rejected his Paris Saint-Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic was voted France’s Ligue 1 player of the year for a record third time on Sunday.

Ibrahimovic won the award, voted for by his peers, ahead of PSG team-mate Di Maria, Nice forward Hatem Ben Arfa and Marseille midfielder Lassana Diarra after scoring 35 goals in the capital club’s romp to a fourth straight French title.

PSG are on course to repeat last year’s domestic treble, having won the League Cup last month, with the final of the French Cup on May 21 against bitter rivals Marseille.

PSG coach Laurent Blanc claimed the Ligue 1 coach of the year prize for the second straight season, while 18-year-old Rennes striker Ousmane Dembele was named France’s young player of the year after netting 12 goals. l

final appeal against his ban from football over a suspect $2.0 million payment he received from FIFA. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), where Platini appealed against his sanction, reduced his suspension from six years to four, saying the penalty initially imposed by FIFA’s ethics committee was “too severe”.

But the court said it was “not convinced” that the $2.0 million (1.8 million euros) payment Platini received from FIFA in 2011 was legitimate.

FIFA’s tough punishment of the French football legend was “justified in view of the superior functions carried out by Mr. Platini... the absence of any repentance and the impact that this matter has had on FIFA’s reputation”.

The payment was ordered by world football’s disgraced ex-pre-

sident Sepp Blatter, who was also brought down over the infamous transaction.

The pair are the highest-profile casualties in an unprecedented set of corruption scandals within world football, which has seen dozens of long-serving FIFA executives

arrested and charged with corruption.

Platini, once the front-runner to succeed Blatter as the most powerful man in the sport, said in a statement that following the ruling he had no choice but to resign from UEFA.

“As agreed with the national associations, I resign as president of UEFA to pursue my fight before the Swiss courts to prove my probity in this case,” he said.

He called the CAS ruling “a profound injustice”.

UEFA’s executive committee is to meet in Basel on May 18, before the Europa League final, when it will set a date for an election to replace Platini.

In a statement noting the CAS ruling, UEFA said it will not appoint an interim president.

The head of the Dutch football association Michael van Praag, a possible contender to replace Platini, declined to comment on the ruling but called on Europe “to show unity”, the ANP news agency said.

The ruling means Platini will be barred from presiding over the Euro 2016 that opens in his native France on June 10, a tournament which he helped organise until he was provisionally suspended by FIFA in December. l

29

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TUESDAY, MAY 10, 2016

Panenka and win over Juve on Toni’s farewell n AFP, Milan

RESULTS 3-0

Roma

Chievo

Nainggolan 18, Rudiger 39, Pjanic 85

1-1

Atalanta

Udinese

Bellini 19-pen

Zapata 10

1-3

Carpi MBakogu 84

Lazio Bisevac 23, Candreva 32, Klose 73

Fiorentina

0-0

Frosinone

0-1

Palermo Sassuolo Politano 85

Sampdoria

0-3

Genoa

Pavoletti 3, Suso 26, 74

2-1

Verona

Toni 43-pen, Viviani 55

Juventus Dybala 90+4-pen

1-2

Torino Peres 66

Napoli

Higuain 12, Callejon 20

SERIE A TOP 5 P W D L GD Pts Juventus

37 28 4 5 50

88

Napoli

37 24 7 6 44

79

Roma

37 22 11 4 40

77

Inter Milan

37 20 7 10 14

67

Fiorentina

37 17 10 10 16

61

Verona striker Luca Toni says he will cherish memories of his final Serie A game “forever” after a fairytale swansong saw him score a cheeky ‘Panenka’ spot-kick in 2-1 win over champions Juventus on Sunday.

“It will be a match I remember forever. It was my last, but it came at the right time,” Toni told Mediaset after being given a rousing ovation by a fired-up Bentegodi stadium crowd.

Toni, a former World Cup winner with Italy who once finished as the Bundesliga’s top scorer with Bayern Munich, announced last week that playing Juventus would be the final challenge of a 22-year career.

The 38-year-old was given the chance to score when the referee awarded an arguably soft penalty two minutes before the interval after Juve defender Alex Sandro’s collision with Eros Pisano.

Toni stepped up to beat second-choice Juve keeper Norberto Neto with a cheeky, Panenka-style

spot-kick that stopped his Serie A career tally at 157 goals in 344 games.

It turned out to be the cherry on the cake of a win that saw Juve striker Paulo Dybala reduce arrears from the spot after Federico Viviani had given the hosts a 2-0 lead on 55 minutes.

But Toni, known for his peculiar habit of shaking his hand near his temple to celebrate his goals, admitted he had no clue where to strike the ball.

“I didn’t know whether to shoot it right or left, so I opted for the ‘scavino’ (chip),” he added.

“All goals are great, but there are too many. Tonight’s is maybe the best because it wrapped up my career in a very emotional way.”

Toni, who won the World Cup in 2006, has scored Serie A goals for eight different clubs throughout a career that also saw him star for Bayern and top the Bundesliga scoring charts in the 2007-2008 season.

Last season Toni, at 38 years old, became the oldest player to win Serie A’s top scorer

(Capocannoniere) award -- an accolade he shared with Inter Milan striker Mauro Icardi when both finished on 22 goals.

But at the tail end of a “terrible” season that has seen Verona relegated, he finally decided to hang up his boots.

Toni admitted in midweek he was going through a rollercoaster of emotions as his final game approached, saying: “It’s an intense experience.”

He was given a rousing ovation when replaced five minutes from time and had to fight back the tears as he admitted: “This farewell is one of the most beautiful moments for me, but it’s also one of the most sad because giving up football is not easy.”

After several months’ rest, Toni said he is now hoping to take up some kind of backroom role in football, because coaching would make him age too quickly.

He added: “I don’t want to be a coach because I’ve seen all the other players who have done that.

In just one season, you age five years.” l

Luca Toni (L) of Hellas Verona shhots to score from the spot during their Serie A match against Juventus at Stadio Marc'Antonio Bentegodi in Verona on Sunday

DAY’S WATCH FOOTBALL TEN 2 3:30PM Federation Cup 2016 Aizawl FC v Sporting Clube De Goa

STAR SPORTS 1 12:35AM English Premier League West Ham v Manchester United

SONY SIX 8:30PM Indian Premier League Pune v Hyderabad

Milestone for CR7 but Pichichi unlikely n Reuters, Madrid Cristiano Ronaldo achieved another milestone in his Real Madrid career when he scored his 200th goal at the Bernabeu on Sunday but he looks like failing in his bid to become La Liga’s top scorer for the third season in a row.

The prolific Portuguese struck twice in Real’s 3-2 win over Valencia to move on to 33 league goals this season, four behind Barcelona’s Luis Suarez with one

LA LIGA TOP SCORERS 37: Suárez (Barcelona) 33: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) 26: Messi (Barcelona) 24: Benzema (Real Madrid), Neymar (Barcelona) 21: Griezmann (Atletico Madrid) match left.

“Knowing him, he’ll keep fighting until the end,” Real coach Zine-

dine Zidane told the club’s website on Monday.

“Not for the Pichichi (leading scorers’ trophy), but because he wants to score in every game, to score more and more,” the Frenchman added.

“As always, it’s the team that reaps the benefits of this.”

Ronaldo has been prolific at Real’s home stadium, averaging 1.16 goals a game since joining the Madrid side from Manchester United in 2009. l

Simeone proud of Atletico’s La Liga campaign n Reuters, Madrid Far from despondent after his team’s La Liga title hopes ended with a surprise defeat at relegated Levante, Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone is taking only positives from what he believes could be the most important year in the club’s history.

Atletico, days after eliminating Bayern Munich to reach the Champions League final, lost 2-1 on Sunday at Levante where they have not won since 2007.

That left the Rojiblancos three points adrift of league leaders Barcelona with one game remaining and unable to overtake them because Barca have a better headto-head record should both teams finish level on points.

LA LIGA TOP 10 P W D L GD Pts Barcelon

37 28 4 5 80

88

Real Madrid

37 27 6 4 74

87

At Madrid

37 27 4 6 43

85

Villarreal

37 18 10 9 11

64

Celta Vigo

37 17 9 11 -6

60

At Bilbao

37 17 8 12 11

59

Sevilla

37 14 10 13 3

52

Malaga

37 11 12 14 0

45

Real Sociedad 37 12 9 16 -4

45

Las Palmas

44

37 12 8 17 -5

“There is no type of excuse regarding our previous game,” Simeone told the club’s website.

“We are finishing what has been a fantastic and enormous campaign. We were one game away from competing with Barcelona and Real Madrid,” he added.

“Other years we were further away and this year we came closer.

This is what makes me happy. Of course, we lacked something."

“I’ve told my players that I’m proud of them and that they have had a great season up to now. Now is the time to recover our strength to end the campaign in the best possible way.” l

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Showtime

TUESDAY, MAY 10, 2016

Yet another B-town split!

Rajputtur and Madho premiered

n Showtime Desk After appearing as “love professors” for a reality show, Upen Patel and Karishma Tanna are now in need of love solutions for their own relationship! After dating for a period of two years, the couple has recently decided to split.

As shocking as it may sound, the news has been confirmed by Upen’s post on Twitter, which read, “Me and Karishma have both agreed to part ways. Thank you for all your love.”

He also posted, “too much has come to light & shown its true colours. Love is never easy and when a certain foundation is broken it’s impossible to move forward.”

Karishma and Upen met on the sets of television reality show Bigg Boss 8 and have been dating since then. Upen had famously proposed to Karishma while they were both co-contestants on the show.

After Bigg Boss, Karishma and Upen participated in a couple dance reality show Nach Baliye, where again, Upen asked Karishma to marry him.

Upen Patel was last seen in Shankar’s 2015 film, I, co-starring Vikram and Amy Jackson.

Karishma’s film Tina and Lolo with Sunny Leone is slated to release later this year. l

n Showtime Desk Two children’s films based on the story and poems of Rabindranath Tagore premiered at the National Art Gallery Auditorium of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy on Sunday evening. The short-length films are Tokon Thakur’s Rajputtur and Sumona Siddique’s Madho.

Tokon Thakur’s fantasy film Rajputtur is based largely on Rabindranath Tagore’s novel Shey. The 55-minutes-film borrows its story from chapters 13 and 14 of the Tagore novel, which he wrote to satisfy his nine-year-old granddaughter’s incessant demand for stories.

Sumona Siddique’s Madho, on the other hand, highlights how children have to endure restrictive conditions as they grow up. Madho is an adaptation of Tagore’s poem of the same title.

WHAT TO WATCH Guardians of the Galaxy Star Movies 9:30pm A group of intergalactic criminals are forced to work together to stop a fanatical warrior from taking control of the universe.

Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Lee Pace, Michael Rooker

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End Zee Studio 3:45pm Captain Barbossa, Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann must sail

off the edge of the map, navigate treachery and betrayal, find Jack Sparrow, and make their final alliances for one last decisive battle.

Cast: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Chow Yun-Fat, Geoffrey Rush

Godzilla HBO 11:13pm The world is beset by the appearance of monstrous creatures, but one of them may be the only one who can save humanity.

Cast: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ken Watanabe, Elizabeth Olsen, Juliette Binoche, Sally Hawkins, David Strathairn, Bryan Cranston

The Island WB 5:28pm Lincoln Six Echo is just like everyone else - he’s waiting to go to the Island, the only place left in the world to actually live a life. Thousands of people stay at a facility waiting to go to the Island. It all sounds like paradise, but Lincoln Six Echo soon discovers that there’s actually a sinister purpose going on at that facility and that he must escape.

Cast: Ewan McGregor, Scarlett Johansson, Sean Bean, Djimon Hounsou, Steve Buscemi l

Marking the 155th birth anniversary of the Nobel Laureate poet, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy organised the premieres of the films.

Cultural affairs minister, Asaduzzaman Noor graced the premiere as the chief guest while Aktari Momtaz, secretary of Ministry of Cultural Affairs, Tagore exponent, Ahmed Rafiq and filmmaker Morshedul Islam were present as well. Liaqat Ali Lucky, the director general of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, presided the programme while Sara Ara Mahmud, director of the Department of Drama and Film of the academy, gave the opening speech.

Prior to the screenings, Tokon Thakur and Sumona Siddique welcomed the guests. Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy has produced both the films while the Ministry of Cultural Affairs financed them. l

Star Cineplex celebrated this year’s Mother’s Day with 35 winners and their mothers who gained the most “likes” by putting up a picture of their favourite moment with their mothers on Cineplex’s Facebook page. Star Cineplex presented the winners with free movie tickets, lunch and gift-hampers which made this Mother’s Day, one the winners will cherish for a long time.

Celebs on social media

n Showtime Desk

Sabila: ‘I did not get married’ Sabila Nur and Salman Muqtadir are not married just yet! The announcement came through a Facebook post of Sabila around 10:30pm on Sunday reading: “Brothers and sisters, I have not gotten married.”

The post was made after being bombarded with numerous questions throughout the day regarding her marriage, says the actress. The discussion over the duo’s marriage flooded social media after Salman posted some pictures which depicts snapshots of their wedding ceremony.

Since then, the two received a number of phone calls and messages but ignored the matter. At night,

Sabila posted the status to clarify the situation. On his YouTube channel Salman:

The Brown Fish, Salman uploaded an eight-minute video titled “Mom, I got married.” In the video, Salman and Sabila are seen married. They return to Salman’s home, leaving Salman’s mother flabbergasted.

Sabila said: “The video was made with the help of some friends just to surprise Salman’s mother on Mother’s Day. It was just for fun.” Earlier, Salman, jokingly, proposed to Sabila during a program in public.

Sabila and Salman regularly act on the small screen. Salman regularly uploads funny videos on his two channels on YouTube. l

Shakib looks like Salman: Adnan Popular director Adnan Al Rajeev is surprised to see Shakib Khan recently. He posted on his social media profile with a recent picture of Shakib. The picture was basically a teaser for Shakib’s up coming film Shikari, which also stars Tollywood beauty Srabonti. In the picture, Shakib is looking absolutely fresh and dashing. Adnan posted, “Best look of Shakib Khan till date.

He looks a bit like Salman Khan here. Well groomed, whoever did it.”

Not only Adnan Al Rajeev, the picture has been shared by a huge number of people who were surprised to see the first look of Shakib Khan as Shikari. This is a good sign, as audiences have become more hopeful about the upcoming film. l

New releases on YouTube

A new song of Bappa Mazumder was released yesterday. It was released

directly through YouTube.

Just after releasing the video, it has crossed 40,000

of views. Bappa Mazumder and team are also promoting this song through the official page of Bappa and from his personal pages as well. The song “Janalar Glass” has been written by popular lyricist Shahan Kabandha. The music video stars Lux beauty Prosun Azad and has been directed

by Imran Kabir Himel. It was a much awaited song by Bappa Mazumder for qiute a long time. Bappa said this will pull the heart strings of the audience for sure. “I am glad that audience is loving my new song. It feels really great when people love any work that an artist loves,” said Bappa Mazumder. l

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TUESDAY, MAY 10, 2016

Russell Brand to be a first time father

n Showtime Desk Russell Brand is reportedly set to become a father for the first time, as his girlfriend Laura Gallacher is said to be five months pregnant.

The 40-year-old comedian and

actor has gained something of a reputation as a womaniser, but news of his impending fatherhood raises prospects he may be ready to settle down at last.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall star Russell and Laura, the younger sister of British television presenter Kirsty Gallacher, have been dating on and off for the past few years. They first splitup in 2007 before they were seen together again in 2009, before another break-up and reconciliation last year when they enjoyed a romantic weekend in Rome, Italy.

Now that they are to become parents, the couple is apparently determined to make their relationship work for the sake of the baby.

The pair are now said to be planning to put a nursery in the £1 million house they share by the river near Henley-on-Thames, England.l

Hrithik’s “panga” with SRK! n Showtime Desk It is clear that the King of Bollywood should start planning his films’ releasing dates with a bit more care. Last Christmas, SRK’s Dilwale battled with Ranveer Singh-Deepika Padukone’s Bajirao Mastani at the box office where Dilwale was at the receiving end of an epic failure. His latest, Fan however, got a free Friday since The Jungle Book decided to release a week earlier. While Mowgli is still having fun at the box office, SRK’s Fan was declared as a flop.

His next, Raees was poised to take on Salman Khan’s Sultan, but it seems like a smart move for the producers to shift the date to

January 26, next year.

One would think that SRK was finally set to get a blockbuster next to his name, it seems like the gods of cinema want to further test his integrity. The new release date of Raees means that it will have to battle it out with Hrithik Roshan’s Kaabil.

When trade expert Amul Mohan was asked to comment on it, he said, “I think it’s far too early to predict anything. We haven’t seen anything about the films like in terms of promo or what the marketing strategy is going to be.

When two films with prominent stars in it come out together, there is always something to worry about. There is never one winner anymore. There will always be one movie which will clearly do better. That was the case with Bajirao Mastani and Dilwale last year. Both the movies were not exactly commercial. Kaabil is a revenge thriller while Raees is a biopic on a bootlegger. We don’t know what kind of commercial aspirations they have.”

Clearly, the next few months will be crucial in deciding whether or not the two films will affect each other’s performances at the box office. l Source: The Indian Times

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TUESDAY, MAY 10, 2016

APPAREL EXPORT TO US SEES 4.30% RISE PAGE 15

ABAHANI HIT BY SOLID SOUMYA PAGE 25

RUSSELL BRAND TO BE A FIRST TIME FATHER PAGE 30 Sexually harassed girl kills herself n Dulal Abdullah, Rajshahi

Relatives of a schoolgirl, who committed suicide after a local goon had sexually harassed her, are seen wailing at their residence in Shyampur area in Rajshahi city yesterday AZAHAR UDDIN

Unable to bear the sexual harassment she had been subjected to for some time, schoolgirl Amena Khatun ended her life yesterday morning.

The 14-year-old hanged herself with a scarf in her room at her family home in Rajshahi city. She was a student of Shyampur High School.

After being informed by the family, police found her body in her room and sent it to Rajshahi Medical College for an autopsy.

According to Amena’s mother Negar Banu, a local youth named Rezaul Karim had been making indecent proposals to her daughter for some time. She said Rezaul used to harass Amena frequently on her way to school and on the streets.

On Sunday, Rezaul went to their house and proposed to Amena for marriage, Negar said.

“After Amena informed me of the incident, I complained about Rezaul to the locals and to his family. A meeting with the local arbiter was supposed to be held in the evening regarding the issue,” she said.

Motihar police station OC Humayun Kabir said they would arrest Rezaul if his involvement in this incident was proven. l

She survived a brutal stabbing long enough to recognise her killers Hossain, n Tanveer Narayanganj Early in the morning on Sunday, when Meghla Akhter went to the house of a co-worker to take her to work, she did not know this was going to be her last day on earth.

Four youths, who were lurking in the stairs, attacked her as soon as she entered the building. They forcefully took her to a room on the third floor where they attempted to rape her.

Then they stabbed her and fled as she could recognise them all.

Meghla was bleeding after the brutal assault and ran to her home.

After she told the family members what had happened, they hurriedly took her to Dhaka Medical College Hospital where she succumbed to injuries.

Family remembers a brave girl

The bereaved family members of Meghla, a Narayanganj garment worker, say the death of the girl is still unacceptable to them.

They told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday that they were still mourning the death of the 14-yearold girl, who they described as a calm and quiet person.

Meghla lived with her father Rashid Islam Bachchu Miah, mother Aleya Begum Jharna, brother Md Akash and his wife at a rented house in Kanchpur’s Senpara where the family moved in from Manikganj three years ago after facing financial problems. She worked at Nowab Ali Industries Spinning Mill in Rupganj’s Jatramura area, not far from Kanchpur.

Akash told the Dhaka Tribune

that Meghla was loved by all as she was the youngest member of the family.

“She was not very outgoing and would stay at home on days when she did not have to go to work,” he said.

Meghla was laid to rest at Kanchpur graveyard in Sonargaon upazila yesterday morning after an autopsy was performed on her body. She was supposed to be buried at her hometown in Manikganj’s Parulia village but the family changed the decision on Sunday night.

to bring in additional money as he and his father were not earning enough to bear all the household expenses.

“We pay Tk3,700 in house rent and Meghla was earning Tk4,500 a month. So the money she was making helped us a lot.

“Honestly speaking, we wanted her to study and were not very supportive of the idea that she would work at such a tender age. But we had nothing to do in the face of poverty,” said the brother.

Poverty forced her to work

One of the three people, who were detained on Sunday night after Meghla’s mother lodged a case over her daughter’s death, yesterday confessed to the crime, saying that the girl was killed so that she could not reveal the names of the

Both Akash and his father Rashid do temporary jobs at different factories, and the financial condition of the family is not quite good.

Akash said the family allowed underage Meghla to work in order

Attacker confesses

attackers.

The confession of Aminul Islam Kakon was recorded under Section 164 in the court of Narayanganj Judicial Magistrate Ashek Imam.

Kakon is a tenant on the third floor of the building where Meghla was attacked.

“The girl was attacked with a knife in her throat and other parts of the body,” Kakon told the court.

The two other detainees – Tuhin and Shariful – were still facing police interrogation.

Inspector (investigation) of Sonargaon police station Harun-ur-Rashid said investigation was still on.

Police sources said some youths would often pester Meghla and they might have killed the girl after failing to develop a relationship with her. l

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