25 May, 2016

SECOND EDITION

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2016

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Jyoishtha 11, 1423, Shaban 17, 1437

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Regd No DA 6238, Vol 4, No 32

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

Padma Life overspends Tk124cr in 4 years Corruption has long been endemic in the insurance sector of Bangladesh, and the lax enforcement of the new insurance act of 2010 has not helped. Shocking levels of irregularity were revealed recently when regulators audited several leading insurers. In the first of a series, Dhaka Tribune's Jebun Nesa Alo looks into what auditors found Padma Life Insurance repeatedly violated the insurance act between 2011 and 2014 by overspending around Tk124 crore above their approved limit, an audit into the private company's accounts has revealed.

During these four years, the insurance company failed to comply with industry guidelines and wrote down its exorbitant expenses as management costs.

Throughout this time, a large amount of cash – marked for business development purposes – was issued on unofficial white paper and without any supporting doc-

uments; in some cases, senior officials of the company withdrew money using fake bills and vouchers.

The irregularities came to light when the Insurance Development and Regulatory Authority (IDRA) carried out a special audit into the company.

The IDRA has served a showcause notice on Padma Life Insurance, asking the company to explain why it will not be punished for irregularities committed by its management.

According to the audit report, the actual management cost of the

company was Tk69.79 crore against the approved limit of Tk32.49 crore in 2011.

A similar pattern continued in the following years: in 2012, the actual management cost was Tk85 crore against an approved limit of Tk52.69 crore; in 2013, the actual cost was Tk75.34 crore against a Tk44.12 crore limit; and in 2014, the actual cost was Tk86 crore against the approved limit of Tk62.39 crore.

The audit report found that the company paid Tk89.50 lakh in cash as commission and development cost during 2012 and 2014; but it did

not prepare the bill vouchers under the names of the agents concerned.

In violation of the IDRA rules, all transactions were made on unofficial white sheets of paper.

Also in 2012 and 2013, Padma Life Insurance spent around Tk2 crore for tour purposes. The audit report found that the money was withdrawn through unusual artificial expenditure statements.

The auditor found that between 2012 and 2014, senior officials of the insurance company submitted fake bill vouchers to collaboratively withdraw Tk67.77 lakh in cash for different expenditures.

HC directives on arrests, remand upheld n Ashif Islam Shaon The Appellate Division has upheld a High Court directive with some modifications to stop the police force from making arbitrary arrests on suspicion and torturing arrestees on remand.

A four-member bench headed

by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha yesterday dismissed a government appeal filed challenging the High Court verdict.

“The appeal is dismissed. The High Court in its observation mentioned that some matters of section 54 and 167 are contradictory to several sections of the constitution. The High Court had some directives. Now, there will be some amendments [on the directives].

We will introduce a guideline,” the top court said.

Sections 54 (arrest under suspicion) and 167 (interrogation in remand) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) of 1898 empower the police to detain any person under suspicion and question them in remand.

INSIDE

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

‘Compensation can’t bring back my 13yrs’ The HC ruling on compensating Zobed Ali Biswas, who had served 13 years in prison despite being acquitted in a murder case, could not make the 59-year-old happy.  PAGE 3

THE HIGH COURT’S INSTRUCTIONS

If the detainee alleges physical torture during interrogation, the magistrate shall form a medical board to check his/her health condition. If the allegation is found to be true, the magistrate shall take action against the law enforcers responsible under Section 330 of the CrPC

Law enforcers must not arrest anyone under Section 54 to put him/her into detention

The detainee must be checked by a doctor before and after the interrogation

They shall show their identity cards while arresting the person

If law enforcers want to quiz the person in custody, they must need to take permission from a magistrate and the interrogation must take place in a glass-made room inside the prison. Relatives and lawyers of the detainee The detainee shall be can be present outside allowed to meet lawyers the room and relatives for legal assistance

They shall inform the person of the reason behind the arrest within 3 hours They must inform relatives of a person arrested anywhere outside his/her house or workplace within an hour of the arrest through telephone or a messenger

Poverty remains key reason behind missing children

The world is set to observe International Missing Children’s Day today with growing number of children missing every year. Statistics show the number of missing children is rising.  PAGE 5

ASMAUL HOQUE MAMUN/DT INFOGRAPHIC

Police defying ban on vehicle stickers It has been three weeks since the ban on the use of vehicle stickers that state the owners’ profession – i.e. doctor, journalist, lawyer, etc – came into effect in Dhaka, but its implementation is still far from visible.  PAGE 32

Padma Life's deputy managing directors Badruzzaman Badal, Mizanur Rahman, Emdadul Haque were among the accused officials.

The management of the company also paid Tk73.78 lakh in cash for business collection purposes in 2012, and Tk18.71 lakh in 2014. The amount was also paid on unofficial white paper without any supporting document.

The company showed expenses of Tk1.20 crore for award purposes, but the money was withdrawn without following any accounting norms.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 5

Tonu’s autopsy doctor and family given death threats n Mohiuddin Molla, Comilla Dr Kamda Prasad Saha, who led the medical board assigned to conduct the second autopsy on Victoria Government College student Sohagi Jahan Tonu, has received a death threat.

The head of the forensic medicine department of Comilla Medical College Hospital received the death threat in an anonymous, hand-written letter yesterday morning, he told reporters at his office around 2pm.

The letter also threatened his entire family, he told reporters.

The letter reads: “Dr Kamda Prasad Saha, creating a smokescreen in Tonu murder case will prove dangerous for you. Do not try to complicate a simple case. Tonu's mother has claimed that Sergeant Zahid and Sepoy Zahid summoned her daughter out of their home.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2016

BB heist trail goes cold in Manila as probes falter n Reuters, Manila More than three months have passed since $81m was stolen in a brazen cyber-heist from Bangladesh’s central bank and sent to Manila – yet authorities in the Philippines appear no closer to nabbing those who laundered most of the money through a bank and casinos here.

Nobody has been arrested, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has not been allowed to get fully involved in the probe, and a Philippines Senate investigation petered out last week.

Several official and private investigators said they had hoped to make headway by following the money trail in the Philippines, but they said it has gone cold. They also said the perpetrators probably knew the Philippines well and like-

ly chose it because of the weakness of its money laundering laws.

One of the key reasons is that casinos are not covered under the Philippines’ anti-money laundering law, which means they are not obliged to report suspicious transactions or the players involved.

Also hindering investigators are antiquated bank secrecy laws that are among the strictest in the world. They stipulate that almost all deposits and foreign currency details are confidential.

The unidentified hackers infiltrated the computers at Bangladesh Bank in early February and tried to make 35 transfers of money, worth a total $951m, from its account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. All but one of the attempted transfers involved were to the Rizal Commercial Banking Corp (RCBC) in the Philippines. Most

were blocked, but $81m went to accounts at a single branch in Manila.

The Senate inquiry heard from those who handled the money that most of the money then went to casinos and casino agents in the Philippines, including junket operators, through a remittance agency.

Immediately after the heist it became clear that the money came to the Philippines. An NBI agent told Reuters that a team was on standby to make an arrest during Easter week at the end of March but was ordered to stand down with no reason given.

The agent, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said he did not know the arrest target’s name.

Increasingly frustrated

The investigations are being handled by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), a government

agency with modest resources, while the NBI, which has 5,000 agents on its rolls, is only being used in a support role.

“We have minimal participation in the investigation,” said NBI Director Virgilio Mendez when asked about the heist. He said he could not comment further.

AMLC chief Julia Bacay-Abad said earlier this year the agency has only nine financial analysts to review millions of large transactions each month. She last week said resources were not hindering the probe, though she declined to disclose how many investigators the AMLC has.

Bacay-Abad also declined to comment on the probe’s status.

The NBI agent said he was frustrated watching the case from the sidelines and seeing the Philippines compared with other havens

Tonu’s autopsy doctor and family given death threats “Do not resort to dilly-dallying in arresting them. Do not be loyal to the government. Will Sheikh Hasina be toppled from power if army men are made accused in the case?

Do you want to see your family, your children be harmed? Why are you destroying your life by taking sides with a person?”

Kamda said he contacted the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and Comilla superintendent of police regarding the letter.

“They advised me to file a gen-

eral diary with police. I will file it with Kotwali model police station.”

However, when contacted in this regard, CID Inspector Gazi Md Ibrahim, the investigation officer of Tonu’s murder, said he did not know anything about the death threat to Kamda.

“No one has contacted me about this,” he told the Dhaka Tribune.

Asked how he felt about the letter, Kamda said he reacted like any other person would.

“Receiving a death threat

against one’s family would make anyone nervous. But I am not afraid because I am doing my work following the regulations.”

Earlier in the morning, the medical team that conducted Tonu’s second autopsy held a meeting where the team members decided to file a petition with a local court seeking Tonu’s DNA report by the CID. Kamda said the second autopsy report will be submitted after the team receives the details of the DNA report.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Sohagi Jahan Tonu, a second-year student at the history department of Comilla Victoria College and member of Victoria College Theatre, was found dead in a bush beside a culvert inside Comilla Cantonment on March 20.

The first autopsy on Tonu’s body, performed shortly after her body was found, failed to find the cause of death and determined that she had not been raped.

The autopsy was headed by Dr Sharmin Sultana, lecturer at the

HC directives on arrests, remand upheld After the verdict, Attorney General Mahbubey Alam said that the government would take steps complying with the Supreme Court’s full text.

He also hoped that the court would consider the present social reality in its guidelines. “In many cases it becomes tough to arrest an offender after filing a case. In such cases, the arrests are made under section 54.”

Mahbubey said that the police members must wear uniforms and identity cards while making arrests. Criminals pick up victims branding as law enforcers nowadays. “The main purpose of conducting drives and arresting someone in plain clothes is to keep the offenders under surveillance,” he explained.

Eminent lawyer Dr Kamal Hossain expressed satisfaction with the verdict. “It seems that we are entering the 21st century from the 19th century,” he said. “Now we have to wait for the full text of the judgement to analyse what the court has modified.”

Barrister Sara Hossain of BLAST

told reporters that the High Court directives had become some sort of mandatory after the verdict.

According to the case, private university student Shamim Reza died in the DB police custody at its Minto Road office on July 23, 1998 following his arrest from Siddheshwari in Dhaka under section 54.

The incident drew much criticism at that time. A judicial body formed over the death of Shamim recommended that the two sections of the CrPC be amended.

As the recommendations were not implemented, Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST) filed the writ petition the same year. Following this, the High Court ruled upon the government on November 21.

On April 7, 2003,the High Court gave 15 point directives to the government including those related to arrest and remand of persons, and asked it to implement the directives within six months. The court asked the government to follow the directives before amending the law. But the then government appealed with the Appellate Division

seeking a stay order on the High Court verdict.

On August 2 the same year, the Appellate Division accepted the government’s leave to appeal.

Since the Appellate Division did not put a stay on the High Court’s directives, the government filed the appeal on the ground of acceptance of the leave to appeal.

The High Court said that the police must not arrest anyone under section 54 to put him/her into detention. They will show their identity cards while arresting the person and must inform the person about the reason behind the arrest within three hours.

Moreover, the law enforcers will inform the relatives of the detainee within an hour of the arrest through telephone or a messenger.

The detainee will be allowed to meet a and relatives for legal assistance.

If the police want to quiz the person in custody, they will need to take permission from a magistrate while the interrogation must take place in a glass-made room inside the prison. The relatives and

of money laundering.

The AMLC has filed criminal complaints against the manager of the RCBC branch that received the funds, the owners of relevant bank accounts at the branch and the owners of the remittance agency that it says was a “cleaning house” for the money.

It has also filed a complaint against Kim Wong, who owns the gaming firm Eastern Hawaii Leisure Company and also operates the VIP area of the Midas casino in Manila, and a Chinese associate of his called Weikang Xu. Wong, who is also Chinese and lives in Manila, told the Senate inquiry he received almost half the heist funds without knowing they were stolen.

He, the owners of the remittance agency and the branch manager have denied any wrongdoing. l

lawyers of the detainee can be presented outside the room.

The detainee must be checked by a doctor before and after the interrogation, the High Court said.

If the arrestee alleges physical torture during the interrogation, the magistrate will form a medical board promptly to check his/her health condition. If the allegation is found to be true, the magistrate will take action against the police members responsible under section 330 of the CrPC. During the hearing on the government’s appeal, the Supreme Court on May 17 this year had observed that incidents of arresting people by the law enforcers in plainclothes were alarming.

The court said the High Court had given some specific directives on the detention of any person and subsequent dealings with the detainees on remand 13 years back, but the government did not implement any of them.

The CrPC is a colonial law, it said. Malaysia and India have amended it but Bangladesh has not, it added. l

forensics department of Comilla Medical College Hospital.

On March 28, a local court ordered the exhumation of Tonu’s body for fresh autopsy.

Meanwhile, the CID ran a DNA test on Tonu’s body, and on May 16 they disclosed that evidence of gang rape had been found in the test.

“The evidence of rape has been found on her clothes,” said Special Superintendent of Police in Comilla Nazmul Karim Khan. l

Padma Life overspends Tk124cr in 4 years The management further withdrew Tk65 lakh unethically from the company, showing TA/DA and mobile bills, which also accounted for the increased management cost.

ABM Zafar Ullah, chairman of Padma Life Insurance, however, denied the allegations of wrongdoing, and explained that the cash had been withdrawn under the name of the managing director for emergency payments.

He said there was no chance of irregularities as no money had been withdrawn under the name of the company directors.

On another note, Zafar Ullah said his company was now trying to cut manpower to reduce management cost.

He added that it would take time to comply with the new insurance act of 2010; or else the staff would have to suffer if management cost had to reduce overnight. l

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2016

'Compensation can't bring back my 13 years' Islam Shaon and n Ashif Mohammad Asaduzzaman, Satkhira The High Court ruling issued yesterday upon the government on compensating Zobed Ali Biswas of Satkhira who had served 13 years in prison despite being acquitted in a murder case could not make the 59-year-old happy.

“Can anyone bring me back the 13 years snatched from me? I was a small farmer … had some land.

I was happy. But I had to serve 13 years in jail for no offence.

“Now I own nothing at all. I have to work on other people's land for a livelihood,” Zobed Ali who hails from Satkhira's Kolaroa upazila told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

“The Tk20 lakh compensation will help me to lead a better life.”

He also thanked Supreme Court lawyer Md Abdul Halim for filing the public interest litigation based on which the High Court issued the ruling. The court also said that the extra detention had violated his fundamental rights.

The bench of Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury and Justice Md

Iqbal Kabir came up with the ruling after holding primary hearing on the writ petition filed as PIL by rights organisation Children Charity Bangladesh Foundation.

The court asked secretaries to the home and law ministries, the High Court registrar, a former judge of Satkhira, the inspector general of prisons and Satkhira jail superintendent to respond to the ruling within four weeks.

The court also asked as to why the “inaction and negligence” of the respondents in handling the affairs of Zobed Ali shall not be declared contrary to articles 31, 32, 35 and 36 of the constitution.

Lawyer Halim filed the petition on May 19 challenging the detainment and seeking an order for compensating him after two national dailies carried reports in early March on his extended detention.

Zobed Ali, jailed for life for poisoning his daughter by a Satkhira court in 2001, was acquitted by the High Court in 2001. But he was finally released from jail on March 2 this year.

Hailing from Koyla village of Kolaroa, Zobed Ali started living in

his brother-in-law Abul Kashem's house at Manikhar village under Tala upazila along with his two daughters in 1994 following the death of his wife Farida Khatun.

Farida allegedly committed suicide several years ago.

On September 5 that year, Kashem filed a case with Tala police against Zobed accusing him of poisoning the eight-year-old elder daughter, Lily. Five-year-old Rokhsana survived in that incident.

Police arrested Zobed and pressed charges against him with a Satkhira court after investigation.

The Satkhira Third Additional Sessions Judge Court sentenced him to life-term imprisonment and fined Tk50,000 on March 1, 2001.

Zobed filed a jail appeal and was sent to Jessore jail on May 11.

On March 19, 2003, he was acquitted from the charges by the High Court and the order was sent to the Satkhira court on March 26.

But the then additional sessions judge of Satkhira did not forward the release order to the jail authorities. The judge said to have ordered the officials concerned to keep the judgement in record and did not send it to the jail which kept Zobed's release pending. His warrant was not scrapped.

Lawyer Halim said that if a prisoner files a jail appeal, the jail authorities are supposed to keep updated information on the appeal.

“But in this case they did not. The victim sent six letters to the local court on several occasions but they too did not respond.”

The lawyer claimed in the petition that the detention had violated the fundamental rights enshrined in articles 31, 32, 35 and 36 of the constitution.

The Article 31 says: “To enjoy the protection of the law, and to be treated in accordance with law, and only in accordance with law, is the inalienable right of every citizen, wherever he may be, and of every other person for the time being within Bangladesh, and in particular no action detrimental to the life, liberty, body, reputation or property of any person shall be taken except in accordance with law.”

Zobed Ali came to Satkhira town yesterday after hearing about the court ruling.

His brother Yaar Ali said he had to struggle a lot in carrying the case's expenditure in these years.

“Now he can pass the last days of his life in a better condition if he gets the compensation,” Yaar said.

Satkhira court's lawyer Zillur Rahman said that the loss Zobed Ali had incurred in the last 13 years cannot be compensated by Tk20 lakh or Tk40 lakh.

Local sources said Zobed's younger daughter is now married.

His second wife, whom he married after Lily's death, left him after he was sentenced to life imprisonment by the court. l

FAA to inspect Shahjalal Airport in June n Ishtiaq Husain The National aviation authority of US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) audit team will visit Bangladesh in June to inspect Civil Aviation Authority Bangladesh and Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

After completion of inspection, the audit team will submit a report to their authorities concerned.

Based on the report, the FAA will decide whether Bangladesh’s aviation safety can be elevated to category-1 from that of category 2.

There is a huge pressure from non-resident Bangladeshi in USA to resume Dhaka-New York flight.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also had a promise in her election manifesto in 2008 national election to launch the Dhaka-New York flight.

In 2006, the Biman suspended Dhaka-New York flight due to huge loss.

The national carrier Biman Bangladesh Airlines couldn’t land in USA as the FAA downgraded Bangladesh’s aviation safety to category-2.

The FAA team has finalised this tentative date to inspect Bangladesh aviation standard and security.

Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon has

disclosed it to the Dhaka Tribune recently.

In 1997, the FAA downgraded Bangladesh’s aviation safety to category 2 as it couldn’t meet international safety standards.

Recently, US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) representatives visited Bangladesh to finalise inspection time. During the visit representatives from FAA held a meeting with Civil Aviation Minister Rashed Khan Menon at his office.

After a fruitful discussions with the Aviation Minister Rashed Khan Menon, FAA team finalised its audit to Civil Aviation Authority Bangladesh and the country’s main hub Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

International Civil Aviation Organisation blacklisted Bangladesh in 2009. Later, Bangladesh came out of this list abiding by their directives.

Bangladesh is now one of the 16 countries rated as category 2, out of a total of 88 that have been assessed under IASA. Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon told the Dhaka Tribune that after audit inspection, Bangladesh would be able to meet safety standards as the government has taken a lot of initiatives as per their directives. l

The Detective Branch of police produce five men involved with the murder of Sayem Group AGM Monir in front of the media yesterday at DB office in Dhaka. They were arrested from Dhaka's Khilgaon area MEHEDI HASAN

3 get life term in Hallmark scam n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu

A Dhaka court yesterday handed down life term imprisonment to three persons in the Hallmark scam.

Judge Dr Akteruzzaman of Dhaka Special Judge Court 5 passed the order yesterday afternoon.

The convicts are Md Saiful Hasan, former assistant manager of Ruposhi Bangla Hotel branch of

Sonali Bank, Abdullah Al Mamun and Md Saiful Islam, both directors of Paragon Knit Composite Ltd, a sister concern of Hallmark Group.

The trio were sentenced for embezzling Tk2,22,78,000 of Sonali Bank.

The case was filed by Deputy Director Md Nazmus Sadat of Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on May 28, 2013.

ACC's Assistant Deputy Director

Md Jaynul Abedin submitted a charge sheet in the case on June 11, 2014.

The other accused AKM Azizur Rahman, AGM of Sonali Bank’s Ruposhi Bangla Hotel branch died while the proceeding of the case was on.

The Bangladesh Bank unearthed the loan scam in Sonali Bank’s Ruposhi Bangla Hotel branch in May 2012. Later, the central bank handed over the issue to the ACC. l

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2016

IGP: Zero tolerance for extortion n Arifur Rahman Rabbi Inspector General of Police (IGP) AKM Shahidul Haque instructed police official to stop all kinds of extortions ahead of the holy month of Ramadan and Eid-ul-Fitr.

The IGP made the statement and gave instructions at a meeting on the law and order and traffic management held at the police headquarters conference room yesterday.

The IGP also said the mobile courts would carry out raid on shops selling food items and fruits mixed with formalin and chemical components.

The police chief said drive against drug peddlers and users would also be strengthened.

Vehicles can not be stopped without any specific complaint in the name of police checking on highways, according to the decision of the meeting.

The decision had also been taken to prevent extortion, and hijacking ahead of Ramadan

and Eid-ul-Fitr.

The law enforcement agencies were deployed in railway stations, bus and launch terminals to prevent dope gang and pick-pocketing, Shahidul added.

Shopping centers and shopping malls in major cities across the country including Dhaka will be brought under CCTV cameras. The late night patrolling will be arranged to prevent criminal activities during the Tarabi.

Police will provide necessary support during the transactions of large amount of money from banks and financial institutions.

The highway and district police members were asked to take measures to prevent highway robbery and reduce traffic Jam, he said.

He said the decision to stop ticket sale on the black market in railway stations, bus and launch terminals had also been taken at the meeting. l

Another BMW X5 seized from Dhaka n Tribune Report Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID) seized a luxury BMW SUV from Dhaka’s Tejgaon yesterday, perceiving the car to be brought having evaded duties.

The 3,000 cylinder capacity BMW X5 was seized in an abandoned condition from Multibrand Workshop in Tejgaon, officials said.

A driver called Tajul left the car at the workshop for repairs a month back, but no one came to claim it afterward, CIID officials said quoting workshop staff.

The CIID officials said they have been trying to communicate with the driver through his cell phone, but have been unable to do so.

The intelligence officials apprehended that the owner abandoned the car at the workshop fearing the recent crackdown of customs intelligence.

The car is worth around Tk5 crore, as there is a 601% duty on it, officials said. The authorities will try to trace the owner through an investigation, they added.

When asked, the car’s driver Tajul Islam told the Dhaka Tribune that the car is owned by an

Anwar Zaman from the United Kingdom.

“When he [Anwar] came to Bangladesh, he requested I drive the car on a temporary basis. Later, the car required repairs and therefore we took the car to the garage. I do not know anything more about the matter,” said Tajul, the driver of Sylhet-2 lawmaker Yahya Chowdhury.

The owner is personally familiar with the lawmaker, and thus Tajul drove the car temporarily on his request, he added.

Dhaka Tribune has tried to contact Yahya Chowdhury over the phone multiple times to verify Tajul’s claim, but the calls remain unanswered.

The CIID, a specialised wing under the National Board of Revenue, is currently conducting raids against cars which were imported without paying taxes under Carnet de Passage facility and cars brought by evading duty in the country.

NBR sources said the CIID had already started monitoring these vehicles plying on the streets. The authorities have so far seized several luxury cars including BMW-X5 SUV, Porsche SUV, BMW, Mercedes Benz, Audi R8, and Lexus cars from the country. l

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INTERNATIONAL MISSING CHILDREN’S DAY

Poverty remains key reason behind missing children n Mohammad Jamil Khan The world is set to observe International Missing Children’s Day today with growing number of children missing every year.

Statistics show the number of missing children is rising every year. Among the missing children, most are either domestic helpers or street children.

The database of Bangladesh Shishu Adhikar Forum (BSAF) shows a total of 136 children went missing in 2015, while the number was only 80 in 2014, having risen by 70% in that one year.

The number of missing children continues to rise even in 2016, as 60 went missing in the first four months of the year.

This means, the rate is already at 100% this year compared to the previous one. BSAF data, also compiled from newspaper reports, shows the number of missing children in 2013 was 28, and 25 in 2012.

The data of another organisation working with missing children, Aparajeyo Bangladesh, shows the information of nearly 150 missing children collected from field level areas through a helpline in 2014 and 2015. Besides, calls had come in of nearly 118 missing children in 2011, 199 in 2012 and

152 in 2013, Project Coordinator of Child helpline of Aparajeyo Chowdhury Mohammad Mohainem told the Dhaka Tribune.

“Most of the victims’ families, who are low-income, do not know how to inform the police or deal with the local administration,” Executive Director of Aparajeo Bangladesh Wahida Banu told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

In talking with Dhaka Tribune, BSAF Director AS Mahmood said: “The number of reported incidents is very low but we still find it to be rising. If the real number came out, then it might be a very alarming issue for us.”

Chairman of the Criminology and Police Sciences department at Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University Ashraful Alam said: “Criminals choose children as they can easily convince them when both parents of low-income families are out at work.”

In regards to this issue, state minister for the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs Meher Afroze Chumki said: “The government is very concerned about street children, and a number of shelter homes and a toll-free helpline number have been introduced to report any child-related information.” l

Mega project to improve water supply system in Dhaka n Tribune Desk The Bangladesh government has taken up a mega project aiming to improve the water supply system in Dhaka.

The over Tk3,182cr project tilted Dhaka Water Supply Network Development received approval of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair in the NEC conference room in the city yesterday.

Dhaka Wasa under the Local Government Division will

implement the Dhaka Water Supply Network Development Project by December 2021.

Out of the total project cost, the government will provide Tk1037.30crwhile the rest Tk2,145crwill come as project assistance from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), said Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal after the Ecnec meeting.

According to detailed project plan, Dhaka Wasa will implement the project with support from the ADB to improve the water supply system in the capital. l

TEMPERATURE FORECAST FOR TODAY

THUNDERSHOWER WITH RAIN WEDNESDAY, MAY 25

Dhaka

36

27

Chittagong

32

27

Rajshahi 40

DHAKA TODAY SUN SETS 6:39PM

27

Rangpur

33

24

Khulna

37

25

Barisal

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

TOMORROW SUN RISES 5:12AM

36.5ºC Chuadanga

22.7ºC Badalgachi

Source: Accuweather/UNB

35

28

PRAYER TIMES

Sylhet

32

24

Cox’s Bazar

32

Fajr: 4:40am | Zohr: 1:15pm Asr: 5:15pm | Magrib: 6:45pm Esha: 8:30pm Source: Islamic Foundation

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2016

Two people killed in polls-related violence n Tribune Desk Two people were killed in polls-related violence in Chittagong and Munshiganj yesterday.

In Chittagong, a supporter of a ruling party Awami League (AL)’s rival chairman candidate was strangled by some unidentified miscreants in Chittagong district’s Rangunia upazila early yesterday.

Md Mohsin, 40, son of Ramjan Ali of Khatib Nagar area of Islampur Union under the upazila, was a supporter of Awami League rival chairman candidate and incumbent Islampur union parishad chairman Sirajuddowla Dulal.

Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Rangunia police station Humayun Kabir said local had spotted the body and informed police.

Later, police recovered it from the bank of Rajakhali canal.

“Inspecting the crime scene, the police suspect that Mohsin might have been killed by strangling at sometimes of the night,” the OC said.

Chairman candidate Sirajuddowla Dulal told Dhaka Tribune that activists of party nominated UP chairman candidate Iqbal Hossen Chowdhury Milton had killed him.

In Munshganj, a local Chhatra League leader was shot dead as supporters of an Awami League-backed chairman and his rebel candidate traded gunshots in Laskardi area,

Gazaria upazila.

The incident, which injured 10 people including several policemen, took place near Hosendi bazar of the area on Monday night.

The corpse of Md Hanif, 25, publicity secretary of Hosendi Union unit Bangladesh Chhatra League, was sent to Munshiganj Sadar Hospital morgue for an autopsy.

Police said supporters of Awami League rebel candidate Mahabubul Hoque Majnu brought out a procession in the evening, and some time later a chase and counter-chase ensued as Awami League-backed chairman aspirant Manirul Hoque Mitu proceeded with another counter procession there.

At one stage, they fired at one another in the presence of policemen, leaving Hanif shot. He died of his injuries on the way to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

Assistant Superintendent of Police (Sadar circle) Kawser Rizvi Koresi said: “Hanif has been shot while trading gunshots with the unruly supporters of the two chairman candidates around 9:30pm and he died later. Additional policemen have been deployed in the area to further prevent any untoward incident, and our raids are on to arrest the alleged killers.”

Rebel candidate Majnu and his supporters went into hiding soon after the death and a suffocating situation prevailed there. l

Police informant hacked to death in Gazipur Raihanul Islam n Md Akand, Gazipur An informant of police has been hacked to death by assailants in Tongi of Gazipur.

The deceased is Kutub Uddin, 32, son of Habibur Rahman of Dhaka’s Nawabganj area. He stayed at a rented house in Amtali area in Tongi with his wife Nasima Begum.

Kutub’s paternal uncle Abdul Gofur said: “Kutub went out of the house after receiving a call over the phone around 5:30am Tuesday. The locals

later informed us that a group of criminals hacked Kutub at T&T Bazar and left him there.”

He said Kutub was taken to Tongi Hospital. Later he was shifted to Pongu Hospital in Dhaka where the duty doctor declared him dead. Tongi OC Firoz Talukdar said: “Kutub worked as a source for Tongi police. We have visited the spot; the culprits will soon be arrested.

“Family members have accused Anwar Hossain and Jamal Uddin for the murder.

They used to work as police sources in the past.” l

RCC yet to comply with HC directive Engineer locked out of his office for months

n Liakat Ali Badal, Rangpur An engineer in Rangpur – whose suspension was stayed by the High Court – is reportedly being barred from entering his own office for the past four months.

Although Superintendent Engineer Emdad Hossain has officially rejoined work following the court order, Rangpur City Corporation authority has been keeping a lock on his office door and has reassigned his office car to the local executive engineer.

According to a written complaint, Emdad was suspended

by Rangpur Mayor Sarfuddin Ahmed Jhantu on October 7 last year for sending tender assessments of the CGP and MGSP projects to the project director’s office in Dhaka – without the mayor’s knowledge.

After the superintendent engineer wrote a complaint to the local government secretary about this, the ministry sent a letter to the Rangpur mayor – dated February 10 – asking him to explain the reason for Emdad’s suspension.

Even though almost four months have passed since then, Mayor Jhantu is yet to reply.

After Emdad also filed a writ petition with the High Court challenging his suspension, the bench of Justice Tariq ul Hakim and Justice Bhishmadev Chakrabortty stayed the mayor’s suspension order.

The superintendent engineer then submitted the High

Court order to his office and returned to his workplace on February 22.

But since then, he has not been assigned any official work, while two peons who were working for him have since been withdrawn.

Talking to the Dhaka Tribune, Emdad said he is supposed to supervise two projects – Jica-funded CGP and World Bank-funded MGSP – with estimated costs of around Tk100 crore; but the work is now being done by Executive Engineer Ali Azam.

Asked for a comment, Rangpur City Corporation Chief Executive Officer Ruhul Amin Khan said Emdad was not being assigned any duty because the mayor was not satisfied with his performance.

He, however, denied allegations that there was any harassment or any bar against Emdad entering his own office.

On the other hand, Mayor Jhantu told the Dhaka Tribune that the superintendent engineer was being paid all his salaries, but will not be given his previous duties because he now lacked honesty.

The mayor said that if Emdad was reassigned, he would engage in illegal activities by colluding with a syndicate of contractors.

As an alternative, Jhantu recommended that the superintendent engineer can now work at the city corporation’s water supply department. l

Tea-seller found dead Ripon, n Asaduzzaman Narsingdi Police have discovered the throat-slit body of a tea-seller at Baduachar village under Narsingdi Sadar yesterday morning.

The corpse of Emdadul Hoque Ebad, 26, son of late Kenu Munshi from Uttarpara of the village, was sent to the morgue of Narsingdi Sadar Hospital for autopsy.

Emdadul’s wife Sumi Be-

gum said her husband was out canvassing for UP member candidate Altaf Hossain at a local kitchen market on Monday night and he went missing while on the way to home.

The next morning, the villagers spotted his body on the bank and informed police.

Sadar Model police station Sub-Inspector Khaled Hasan said: “The reason for the murder can be said following an investigation into the incident.” l

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News

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2016

NARAYANGANJ SEVEN MURDERS

Nur Hossain collapses in the dock n Tanveer Hossain, Narayanganj Nur Hossain, the main accused of sensational seven-murder cases of Narayanganj, fainted in the dock yesterday while the court was recording his confessional statement.

According to local sources, District and Sessions Judge Syed Enayet Hossain was recording the deposition of five witnesses including Nur Hossain in the morning.

At one stage, Nur lost consciousness and collapsed in the dock. Law-

yers who were on the spot poured water on his head to bring his sense.

Public Prosecutor Wazed Ali Khokon said the court fixed May 30 for the next hearing.

Khokan Saha, lawyer of Nur Hossain and Awami League leader, said Nur Hossain needed medical treatment immediately as he was not well.

The court also recorded depositions of Magistrate SM Shafiqul Islam, Abdul Awal, Azad Sheikh, Md Rahim and Hasan.

Earlier in the day, 23 accused in the cases including prime suspect Nur Hos-

sain and three former RAB officials were brought to the Narayanganj court from Kashimpur Prison under tight security.

On April 27, 2014, Narayanganj City Corporation panel mayor Nazrul Islam, his three associates and driver were abducted from Fatullah area in the city. At the same time, senior lawyer of the Narayanganj District Judge’s Court Chandan Kumar Sarker and his driver were abducted on their way to Dhaka.

After the gruesome incident, Nur Hossain, fled to India and was arrested there by the Kolkata police on June 14.l

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2016

TOP STORIES

States, aid agencies agree to cut costs, free up money for people in crises n Agencies Slain Taliban chief’s Pakistani passport creates uproar Slain Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour used a Pakistani passport in a false name to make dozens of foreign trips over a tenyear period, mainly to the United Arab Emirates, officials confirms on Tuesday.

PAGE 9

Survey: Almost 80% of Indian women face public harassment in cities Nearly four out of five women in India have faced public harassment ranging from staring, insults and wolf-whistling to being followed, groped or even raped, said a survey by the charity ActionAid UK. PAGE 9

Hillary’s policy on major issues Hillary Clinton was a leading architect of the Obama administration’s strategic rebalances to Asia as well as the so-called “reset” in US relations with Russia. Clinton’s campaign website lists several foreign policy priorities that could involve the US military-- defeating the Islamic State (IS); containing and deterring Russian aggression; and strengthening alliances, particularly with Israel.

PAGE 10

Governments and humanitarian agencies have agreed a “Grand Bargain” which aims to cut the costs of administering aid by around $1 billion a year, and ensure more of that money goes to help people in crisis.

At the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul on Monday, 21 donor countries and 16 aid organisations - which include several UN agencies and the Red Cross agreed to reduce inefficiencies and slim down overheads.

That could help fill an estimated $15bn annual funding gap to tackle the emergency needs of more than 125 million people globally, and create “a virtuous circle, drawing in more resources” from a wider range of donors, the bargain said.

UN Secretary-General Ban Kimoon said the deal, which contains 51 commitments, would lead to better humanitarian response on the ground in conflicts and natural disasters, reports Thomson Reuters Foundation.

“It should lead to faster action, better engagement with people affected by crises, more funding for national organisations, greater efficiency and more accountability,” he told a launch event in Istanbul.

“These are all fundamental to improving support for the people we serve.”

Kristalina Georgieva, the European Commission vice-president for budget and human resources who masterminded the bargain, said the overheads of aid agencies now soak up around 15% of funding, and those would be shaved.

“I expect more resources in the hands of people in need and the humanitarian workers on the frontline (who) are risking their lives to help them, and I expect less to be spent in the back room in transactions that do not help us get help to the people,” she said.

The bargain, supported by big donor governments including the US, Britain, Germany, France and Japan, also commits them to make their funding more flexible and to put money into longer-term programmes that allow agencies to go beyond supplying basic relief.

They will also look at how to simplify their systems for distributing money to aid agencies and their requirements for reporting how that money is spent.

Frontline recognition

The humanitarian agencies agreed to jointly assess aid needs in a disaster, rather than each producing a

Displaced people worldwide By conflicts and violence Million

37.5 39.5

60.0*

45.2 42.7 42.0 43.3 43.7 42.5

By disasters Million

51.2 42

37

32 17

2005 06 07

08 09 10

11

12

13

2014

2008 09

22

19

13

2014

15

10

11

12

*Includes refugees, internally displaced, asylum-seekers

Source: UN

Syrian refugees near the Hadalat crossing on the Syrian-Jordanian border, May 4 Photo: Khalil Mazraawi

separate analysis, and to buy supplies together to bring down costs.

Elhadj As Sy, secretary general of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, welcomed the bargain’s commitment to provide 25% of humanitarian funding directly to local and national agencies by 2020 up from only around 2.5% in 2015.

“There is a recognition of those who are on the frontline,” he said.

“They are they in places where there is no doctor, no school, where women have to walk the last mile to the water point, often paved with danger.”

The bargain would free up funds to provide things like insurance and better equipment for those handling diseases, keeping local aid workers safer, he added.

World Vision International head Kevin Smith said the bargain - which its backers hope will attract more support in the coming months would not be a panacea for all the problems of the aid system but was “a serious and realistic way forward”.

“Making change will cost, but

staying the same will cost more,” he said.

Migration ‘enormously positive for Europe’

The surge of migration to Europe is enormously positive for EU economies in the long term, the director general of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said, praising improved efforts by European nations to integrate migrants into the economy.

Over 1m migrants, many refugees escaping conflict in Syria and other states, arrived in Europe in 2015 and almost 200,000 have arrived so far this year by land and sea routes.

The influx has caused concern in some conservative EU societies, boosting right-wing parties, and also prompted the bloc to negotiate a controversial deal with key transit country Turkey to stem the flow of migrants.

But with labour shortages in ageing EU societies, IOM director general William Lacy Swing said migration have a positive economic effect on Europe, reports AFP.

“In general it is positive, because migrants bring a lot of motivation,” Swing said during a sesion at the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul.

“Many of them bring a specific skill or they bring low level skills that fill jobs that people... in the European Union, United States, Japan for example... don’t want to do,” the head of the inter-governmental organisation said.

“They will soon be putting money into the market and the sooner they can become regularised, the sooner they will pay tax, and the sooner they can become citizens, the sooner they can vote.”

“It (the benefit) is all very positive if you look over it in the medium term at least. And in the long term it’s enormous.”

With 20m refugees and 40m displaced people in the world, the issue of integrating migrants has taken on a huge importance at the summit.

Overall, around one in seven people around the world could be considered in a state of migration, said Swing. l

9

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2016

INSIGHT

SOUTH ASIA

Slain Taliban chief’s Pakistani passport creates uproar n AFP, Quetta Slain Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour used a Pakistani passport in a false name to make dozens of foreign trips over a ten-year period, mainly to the United Arab Emirates, officials confirms on Tuesday.

The revelation casts further light on the degree of assistance likely given by Islamabad to him and other senior Taliban figures as they orchestrated a deadly insurgency against Afghan and US-led troops.

After years of denial, Pakistan in March openly admitted it was providing shelter to Afghan Taliban members forced to flee their own country after they were toppled from power in 2001.

Mansour, who was killed in a US drone strike deep inside Pakistani territory on Saturday along with a driver, was travelling with a passport and ID card bearing the name “Muhammad Wali”.

Pakistan’s Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said the government could not confirm that it was Mansour’s body.

“We will be able to confirm only when we get the results of a DNA report,” Khan told a press conference in Islamabad Tuesday.

Khan said that a sample for a DNA test was taken from a blood relative of Mansour who requested Pakistani authorities to hand over the body.

Extensive travel

Three investigation officials said Mansour used the passport for extensive travel, mainly between the southern Pakistani city of Karachi and Dubai in the UAE but also to Iran.

He travelled 37 times, mostly to Dubai from Karachi, during the last 10 years, a senior investigating official confirmed.

The official said Mansour first used the passport to travel to Dubai from Karachi in March 2006.

A second official confirmed the trips, adding: “He also travelled to Dubai from Quetta (in southwest Pakistan) on July 16, 2015.”

The official said he last left for Iran on April 25 and returned on the morning of May 21, the day he fell victim to the drone strike.

An immigration official on Sunday said that “Wali” had changed euros to Pakistani rupees after crossing the border to the town of Taftan.

Iran has denied Mansour entered and left on those dates.

“We are now trying to ascertain how he managed to secure a Pa-

kistani identity card and passport and who he was visiting in Dubai,” a third investigating official said.

Khan said that he could not “100% confirm” that the passport was being used by the person travelling in the car.

“Last year intelligence agencies informed me about this ID card and they suspected that the holder of this card was an Afghan and this card was cancelled and the passport department was told to cancel the passport also,” Khan said.

The minister admitted there was corruption in Pakistan’s National Database Registration Authority and passports department.

He said he had sacked 614 officials and that 65 others were arrested for involvement in issuing ID cards and passports to non-Pakistanis.

The Taliban maintain a “political office” in Qatar and have also been known to host meetings in Dubai.

Mansour was appointed head of the Taliban in July 2015. His death has been confirmed by US President Barack Obama.

The group have not publicly confirmed the killing but since Sunday have been trying to find a successor, according to Taliban sources. l

Mullah Akhtar Mansour

Reuters n Thomson Foundation, New Delhi

ling on public transport.

‘Culture of harassment’

cording to the latest data from India’s National Crime Records Bureau.

The online survey, which was released on Friday, was conducted

by British market research firm YouGov in early May. It polled 502 women living in cities across the country, including New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai and Kolkata.

It said women faced harassment in multiple places - on the street, in parks, at community events, on college campuses and while travel-

Over a third of the Indian women surveyed said they had been groped in public or faced someone exposing themselves, while more than half reported that they had been followed.

Forty-six percent reported insults and name-calling in public, 44% experienced wolf-whistling, 16% had been drugged and nine percent reported they had been raped.

A wave of public protests after the fatal gang rape of a woman on a Delhi bus in December 2012 jolted many in the world’s second most populous country out of apathy and forced the government to enact stiffer penalties on gender crimes.

This included the death sentence for repeat rape offenders, criminalising stalking and voyeurism, and making acid attacks and human trafficking specific offences.

Since then, a spike in media re-

Pakistan: US drone strike against international law Pakistan Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said on Tuesday that a US drone strike targeting Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour while he was on Pakistani soil was not legal. “For the US government to say that whoever is a threat to them will be targeted wherever they are, that is against international law. “This could have serious implications for the Pakistan-US relationship,” Khan said.

-REUTERS

INDIA

HRW: India uses outdated laws to silence dissent

Photo said to show Mansour, released

by Afghan Taliban December 3, taken in mid-2014

July 31, 2015 Formally appointed head of the Taliban after the death Mullah Omar September 28 Taliban briefly capture the strategic northern Afghan city of Kunduz December 1 Reports say he was wounded or killed in a firefight in Pakistan May 22, 2016 Killed in a US bombing raid according to Afghanistan’s spy agency If his death is confirmed, could be replaced by 1 of 2 deputies: Haibatullah Akhundzada or Sirajuddin Haqqani Source : AFP Photo/Afghan Taliban

Survey: Almost 80% of Indian women face public harassment in cities Nearly four out of five women in India have faced public harassment ranging from staring, insults and wolf-whistling to being followed, groped or even raped, said a survey by the charity ActionAid UK. The study - which polled over 500 women in cities across India - found that 84% of the respondents who experienced harassment were aged between 25 and 35 years old and were largely working women and students.

Indian women face a barrage of threats ranging from child marriage, dowry killings and human trafficking to rape and domestic violence, largely due to deep-rooted attitudes that view them as inferior to men.

There were 337,922 reports of violence against women such as rape, molestation, abduction and cruelty by husbands in 2014, up 9% from the previous year, ac-

DT

World

ports, government campaigns and civil society programmes have increased public awareness of women’s rights and emboldened victims to register abuses.

But activists say the figures are still gross underestimates, as many victims remain reluctant to report such crimes for fear their families and communities will shun them.

ActionAid representatives urged authorities to work towards ending patriarchal mindsets and sexist attitudes which they said were to blame for this “culture of harassment.”

“Safety of women is directly related to patriarchal mind sets that manifests itself in streets, homes and workplaces,” said Sehjo Singh, ActionAid India’s director of programmes and policy.

“The fear of harassment and violence has a crippling effect on women’s abilities and potential, and in itself it is an attack on women’s rights.” l

India routinely uses outdated and loosely worded laws to crack down on dissent, Human Rights Watch said Tuesday, urging the government to repeal or amend legislation used to stifle free speech. A new report from the group details the use of colonial-era laws such as sedition and criminal defamation to clamp down on government critics in the world’s biggest democracy.

-AFP

CHINA

China in preliminary deal for Sudan’s 1st atomic plant A Chinese state-owned company has signed a “preliminary” deal with Sudan to build the east African country’s first nuclear power plant. The China National Nuclear Corporation signed a memorandum of understanding with the electricity ministry on Monday to build nuclear reactors that would help to generate electricity.

-AFP

ASIA PACIFIC

Indonesia opens new sectors for FDI Indonesia has opened a string of new sectors to foreign businesses to attract more investment. Restrictions have been eased on investing in host of industries from tourism and agriculture to transportation and entertainment. Foreign firms are allowed to own different shares in businesses depending on the sector, according to the new regulation. -AFP

MIDDLE EAST

Syrian Kurds point finger at Western-backed opposition The main Western-backed Syrian opposition has gained little by demanding the fall of President Bashar al-Assad other than fuelling killings and the refugee crisis, a senior official from Syrian’s northern Kurdish region said on Monday.

Syrian Kurds and their allies are finalising plans for an autonomous political federation in the northern part of the country. They are pressing ahead despite the objections of foreign governments which fear Syria’s disintegration and alarm from neighbouring Turkey. -REUTERS

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2016

USA

Vietnam activists stopped from meeting Obama US President Barack Obama chided Vietnam on political freedoms on Tuesday after critics of the communist-run government were prevented from meeting him in Hanoi. He said this was an indication that, despite some “modest” legal reforms “there are still areas of significant concern in terms of freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, accountability with respect to government.”

-REUTERS

THE AMERICAS

Leaked tape forces Brazil interim minister to quit A close ally of Brazilian acting President Michel Temer is stepping aside in a new political scandal. Planning Minister Romero Juca was caught on tape allegedly conspiring to obstruct the country’s biggest-ever corruption investigation. In the tapes, leaked by a newspaper, he appears to talk of stopping the probe at oil giant Petrobras by impeaching suspended President Dilma Rousseff. -BBC

UK

UK expats lose right to vote in EU referendum British expats who have lived abroad for more than 15 years will not be able to vote in next month’s EU referendum, the Supreme Court ruled Tuesday. The plaintiffs argued that the ban on people who have lived abroad for more than 15 years from voting in the June 23 referendum was unlawful. But their case was rejected by five judges at the Supreme Court after a lengthy legal battle. -AFP

POINTS TAKEN

Hillary’s policy on major issues n Tribune International Desk The former US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, was a leading architect of the Obama administration’s strategic rebalances to Asia as well as the so-called “reset” in US relations with Russia. Clinton’s campaign website lists several foreign policy priorities that could involve the US military-- prohibiting Iran from gaining a nuclear weapon; defeating the Islamic State (IS); holding China accountable on issues like cyber-security, containing and deterring Russian aggression; and strengthening alliances, particularly with Israel.

China Hillary Clinton says the next administration must continue to cultivate trust and cooperate with China on a range of international challenges, like North Korea and climate change, while keeping competition within acceptable limits. In 2015, she criticised China for “trying to hack into everything that doesn’t move in America,” and called on the US to remain vigilant. As secretary of state, Clinton was a central actor in the Obama administration’s strategic “pivot” to Asia.

Clinton’s remarks at a security forum in Vietnam in 2010 generated great international interest, in particular her reference to the “national interest” the US has “in freedom of navigation and open access to Asia’s maritime commons.

Defence

Eurozone finance ministers on Tuesday warned Greece of tough talks on debt relief that the IMF has demanded as the price for staying with the programme. The 19 ministers met two days after Greek lawmakers passed yet another round of spending cuts and tax hikes demanded in return for rescue loans. Greece is looking to unlock as much as €11bn at the Eurogroup talks by completing the first formal review its €86bn bailout programme agreed last July. -AFP

Hillary Clinton advocates the use of “smart power” in the pursuit of US foreign policy objectives, which she says means “choosing the right combination of tools—diplomatic, economic, military, political, legal, and cultural—for each situation.” She referred to the Obama’s administration’s intervention in Libya in 2011, which was authorised by the UN and supported by the Arab League, as “smart power at its best.”

She said the US provided essential military capabilities, like intelligence. Clinton voted for the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 and was an early supporter for arming and training “vetted” Syrian rebels in 2012. She also supported the surge in Afghanistan in 2009 and for keeping US troops in Iraq beyond 2011. In 2015, she supported the creation of a no-fly zone in Syria.

AFRICA

Energy and Climate Change

Desmond Tutu’s daughter has been forced to give up her duties as a priest in South Africa’s Anglican church after she married a woman.

Reverend Canon Mpho Tutu-van Furth can no longer preside at Holy Communion, weddings, baptisms or funerals after handing in her licence because the church does not recognise gay marriage.

-AFP

Hillary Clinton describes herself as “a proven fighter against the threat of climate change,” having led the Obama administration’s 2012 establishment of a global initiative to reduce short-lived climate pollutants. In July 2015, Clinton announced two proposals to fight climate change-- the installation of more than half a billion solar panels by the end of her first term, and the generation of enough renewable energy to power every US home within ten years. She has vowed to fight Republican efforts in Congress and the courts to undo President Obama’s

EUROPE

Eurozone ministers push for Greece debt deal

Tutu’s daughter loses S African church licence after gay marriage

Clean Power Plan, which set carbon emission limits on US states. Clinton opposes drilling in the US Arctic and says she is “very sceptical” of the need for energy production off the coast of southeastern states like the Carolinas. She also opposes construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, saying the project distracts from US efforts to combat climate change.

Immigration Hillary Clinton describes immigration reform as an economic and “at heart, a family issue,” saying that she will fight for comprehensive immigration legislation that includes a path to full and equal citizenship for the more than 11m undocumented immigrants in the US. She vows to defend and potentially expand on President Obama’s executive actions that defer deportation and grant temporary work visas for nearly half of the undocumented population.

In April 2016, Clinton said that as president she would create a new federal agency, the Office of Immigrant Affairs, to coordinate immigration policy across all levels of government and help immigrants integrate into their communities.

In October 2015, Clinton said the US should accept as many as 65,000 Syrian refugees, substantially more than the 10,000 President Obama proposed.

Weeks later, after the terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, she called for greater vigilance in screening migrants coming to the US, but warned against denying entry based on country of origin or religion. In 2014, Clinton supported the deportation of thousands of child migrants from Central America.

Iran Hillary Clinton supports the multinational deal with Iran to stop its nuclear programme but says the US must ensure that Tehran complies. Iran and allied militant groups continue to destabilise the broader region and pose an existential threat to Israel, Clinton says. Her administration, she says, would continue to maintain Israel’s military superiority by providing it the latest US weapons technology. As secretary of state, Clinton played a central role in gaining UN Security Council support for international sanctions against Iran in 2010.

Islamic State Hillary Clinton says President Obama waited too long to begin arming and training “moderate” Syrian rebels, a delay she says has contributed to the rise of the self-proclaimed Islamic State and other militant groups in the Middle East. However, she supports President Obama’s decision of ruling out the deployment of a large number of US combat troops, and says that a ground force should be drawn from the region, particularly Sunni Arabs and Kurds in both Iraq and Syria. Meanwhile, she says the US and its coalition partners should step up intelligence gathering, conduct more airstrikes, and establish a no-fly zone over Syria to provide refugees with a sanctuary.

in particular, ended the NSA’s bulk collection of US telephone records. Clinton has adopted somewhat of an even-handed approach to the debate over encryption, refraining from coming down in favour of either Apple or the FBI in their legal battle over access to a terrorism suspect’s iPhone.

HILLARY CLINTON 2016 Democratic Candidate Campaign Headquarters Brookyln, New York Born October 26, 1947 Chicago, IL CAREER TIMELINE Education 1965 - 1969 Wellesley College, BA 1969 - 1973 Yale Law School, JD Professional Experience 1973 - 1974 Attorney, Children's Defence Fund 1974 - 1977 Assistant Professor, University of Arkansas School of Law 1976 - 1992 Attorney, Rose Law Firm Political Experience 1979 - 1981 First Lady of Arkansas 1993 - 2001 First Lady of the United States 2001 - 2009 US Senator from New York 2009 - 2013 US Secretary of State National security In December 2015, Clinton put forth a multi-pronged plan to defend the US homeland from terrorist attacks. Among other things, she called on government agencies to work with top tech companies to shut down the online presence of violent extremist groups like the Islamic State. She also called for greater screening of certain migrants coming to the US, particularly those who have travelled to a country with “serious problems with terrorism and foreign fighters” in the past five years. She wrote in her memoir Hard Choices that drone strikes, particularly on suspected al-Qaeda terrorists in Pakistan, provided the Obama administration with an “important alternative” in instances where such individuals could not be captured and prosecuted. Clinton has long advocated for the closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention centre, saying the facility undermines US foreign policy objectives.

As a US senator in 2001, she voted for the authorisation for use of military force that launched the war against al-Qaeda and its affiliates, as well as the Patriot Act, which gave the government sweeping powers to collect intelligence for counter-terrorism operations. As a private individual in 2015, Clinton came out in favour of the Freedom Act, which reformed government surveillance practices under the Patriot Act and,

North Korea Clinton supports using sanctions to isolate North Korea until the regime gives up its nuclear arsenal. In January 2016, after North Korea tested a nuclear device for the fourth time, Clinton said the US must work with the UN to impose additional sanctions and called on China to use its influence to deter Pyongyang’s “irresponsible" actions.

During her tenure as secretary of state, North Korea broke off multi-party talks and violated UN prohibitions against testing long-range rockets and conducting nuclear weapons tests. Clinton continued the US policy of calling on Pyongyang to abide by a September 2005 joint statement that sought a “verifiable denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula in a peaceful manner.”

Russia Hillary Clinton says the US needs to work with Russia on issues of common interest where possible, like arms control, but partner with allies to limit Russia’s transgressions when needed, as in Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin views the United States as a “competitor” and wants to re-establish a Russian sphere of influence in its neighbourhood while projecting its power in other places like the Mideast, Clinton says. Clinton has called for tougher measures against Putin to punish him for invading Ukraine and annexing Crimea as well as for supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. As secretary of state, Clinton was an architect of the so-called “reset” in US relations with Russia, a diplomatic approach that sought greater co-operation with Russia,.

Trade Hillary Clinton has supported trade liberalisation throughout her many decades in politics, but at times she has criticised and even opposed major agreements she said did not adequately protect workers. As a candidate for president in 2015, she has distanced herself from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TTP), urging President Obama to heed the warnings of some leading congressional Democrats who say the 12-nation initiative could displace thousands of American jobs. In October, after the twelve member states signed on to the TPP, Clinton said the proposed trade deal failed to meet her standards. As a senator from New York, she voted against the Central American Free Trade Agreement on grounds that it lacked robust protections for foreign workers. As a candidate for president in 2007, she called Nafta, an accord signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1993, “flawed” and vowed to renegotiate some of its components. l

Source: REUTERS, TIME, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS, AUTOBIOGRAPHY “HARD CHOICES”

Dhaka Tribune

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2016

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12 Business

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2016

TOP STORIES WB lends $176m to benefit 1m poor farmers

Bangladesh government signed a US$176.06 million financing agreement with the World Bank to increase the agricultural productivity and access to markets of more than one million poor farmers, particularly women, said the bank in a statement yesterday.

PAGE 13

US rates too low for long could be risky

US interest rates being kept too low for too long could cause financial instability in future and stronger market expectations for a rate rise are “probably good”, St Louis Federal Reserve President James Bullard said on Monday.

PAGE 14

Startups race for US immigrant market

For two decades, Noe Sanchez sent money from California to his father in Mexico City through storefront outlets of traditional remittance firms such as Western Union.

PAGE 15

Capital market snapshot: Tuesday DSE Broad Index

4,394.1

-0.0% ▲

Index

1,073.6

-0.0% ▼

30 Index

1,704.8

-0.5% ▼

Turnover in Mn Tk

3,921.6

6.1% ▼

Turnover in Mn Vol

115.7

9.0% ▼

All Share Index 13,542.1

0.1% ▼

30 Index

0.2% ▲

CSE

Selected Index

12,507.3 8,235.5

0.1% ▼

Turnover in Mn Tk

259.8

17.1% ▼

Turnover in Mn Vol

10.2

26.8% ▼

Loan from saving instruments to increase in FY’17 n Asif Showkat Kallol The government’s loan from sale of saving instruments may increase over 33% in next fiscal year despite it being costlier than bank borrowing.

This fiscal year too, the loan from saving instruments has already increased to Tk28,000 crore exceeding the target of Tk15,000 crore.

According to Finance Division, the next fiscal year’s loan target from the sector may be set at Tk20,000 crore with a 33.33% rise from the current fiscal’s.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith recently approved the next fiscal

year’s borrowing target from saving instruments with a consent from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Finance Division officials said the government attempts to lower the amount of loan from saving instruments have failed as people’s response to it was more than expectation thanks to its higher profit rate.

“The higher profit rate attracts more investors of saving instruments. While the average interest rate on fixed deposit in banks is 7%, the profit rate on saving instruments is 11%,” said a Finance Division official.

Finance Division sources said there was huge pressure from

owners of the commercial banks to reduce the profit rate of saving instruments as “most of people’s deposits are going to the government through the purchase of saving instruments.

According to Bangladesh Bank data, the government sold Tk23,024 crore of saving instruments between July and December, 2015.

In the first nine months of the current fiscal year up to April 30, the government didn’t borrow any fund from the banking system although this is a less costly option of borrowing.

From July 01 to April 30 this fiscal year, the government re-

paid Tk12,468.20 crore compared to Tk12,902.12 crore in the corresponding period of last fiscal year.

On 24 May, 2015, the government slashed deposit rates on saving instruments by up to 2 percentage points to reduce its borrowing as well as to prop up banks’ deposit collection.

At that time, Finance Minister AMA Muhith admitted that the rates of saving instruments were “very high” compared to the yields on deposit rates offered by banks.

Banks too complained of facing difficulties in wooing deposits as savers rushed to buy the national certificates for higher yields. l

Supermarket owners for removal of discriminatory VAT rate n Syed Samiul Basher Anik

Bangladesh’s supermarket owners have called upon the government to ensure a uniform Value Added Tax rate for all retail supershops.

Bangladesh Supermarket Owners’ Association (BSOA) came up with the call during a meeting with the National Board of Revenue (NBR) held at the NBR headquarters in the city yesterday.

The meeting was attended, among others, by BSOA President Niaz Rahim, its Vice President Kazi Inam Ahmed, lawmaker Kazi Nabil Ahmed, NBR members Barrister Jahangir Hossain and Iqbal Parvez.

Currently, 4% VAT is applicable to the sales of the supermarkets like Agora, Shwapno and Meena Bazar while the other shops enjoy a package VAT system on the basis of their shops’ sizes and locations.

The supermarket owners said: “We should be allowed to pay VAT on the basis of per square feet rates for further expansion of our business.”

“Customers are discouraged by 4% VAT on sales at super shops while other general stores pay VAT at a flat rate even though the business pattern is same,” BSOA General Secretary Md Zakir Hossain told the Dhaka Tribune immediately after the meeting.

Urging the government either to withdraw 4% VAT or allow supermarkets to pay the package VAT as like other stores, Zakir said: “The sector will be completely devastated if the discriminatory

Customers choose products at a superstore in Dhaka. As different VAT rates are currently applicable to different superstores, the superstores under 4% VAT rate feel discriminated against those under package rate RAJIB DHAR VAT rate continues.”

Currently, there are 14,000 stores just belonging to the two leading chain supermarkets in Indonesia while around 3,000 supermarkets in India and around 1,000 in Sri Lanka.

But, Bangladesh still lags far behind with only around 130 such outlets that are running since 2001 when Rahimafrooz Superstores Ltd. (RSL) opened its maiden Agora brand chain in Bangladesh.

Placing their demands, BSOA leaders also said: “The growth of the supermarket is being hampered due to the high duty imposed on capital machinery that varies from 65% to 106%, making it uncompetitive with the small local shops.”

“As the machines are very expensive and cannot be used for any other requirements, we have demanded rationalisation of higher duty on the import of machinery,” said Zakir.

In response, NBR Chairman Md

Nojibur Rahman has assured the businessmen that their demands would be taken into consideration as the government would place a business-friendly budget for the next fiscal year. l

WB lends $176m to benefit 1m poor farmers n Tribune Business Desk Bangladesh government signed a US$176.06 million financing agreement with the World Bank to increase the agricultural productivity and access to markets of more than one million poor farmers, particularly women, said the bank in a statement yesterday.

The agreement was signed by Mohammad Mejbahuddin, senior secretary of Economic Relations Division (ERD) and Qimiao Fan, World Bank Country Director for Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal, on behalf of their respective organisations at a ceremony held at ERD in the capital.

The Second National Agricultural Technology Program (NATP II) will increase and diversify the productivity of crops, livestock and fisheries, and enhance poor farmers’ access to markets.

The project will help enhance nutrition by ensuring food safety and more diversified food consumption. Through emphasising demand-driven research and modern agricultural technology, the project will help increase farm yields and adaptation to climate change.

“Building on the success of earlier World Bank support, this project will help achieve food security, improve resilience to climate change, and enhance nutrition through safer and more diversified foods,” said Qimiao Fan. Qimiao Fan said: “Bangladesh has done remarkably well in improving agricultural productivity and food security. With over 40% of the total workforce engaged in agriculture, the sector plays an important role in the country’s growth and development and we hope with this support to ensure that poor farmers, particularly women, share in the productivity gains of the sector.”

The project will be implemented in 57 districts where it will benefit small-scale farmers through stronger linkages with research, agricultural extension services, farmer groups, and onfarm demonstrations to promote improved agricultural technologies. The project will focus on training for farmers and agricultural extension field staff to ensure knowledge sharing and technology transfer. l

AMCH gets VAT exemption on medical equipment import n Syed Samiul Basher Anik Ahsania Mission Cancer Hospital (AMCH) has been exempted from the Value Added Tax (VAT) on the import of its medical equipment required for cancer treatment.

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has recently granted the Advance Trade Tax (ATV) on a number of medical equipment including Radiotherapy, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), City-Scan machines and some other equipment to be imported

by Ahsania Mission Cancer and General Hospital, according to a special order of NBR issued recently.

The benefit was delivered to the hospital considering its contribution to the country’s cancer treatment facilities, said an official quoting the NBR order which was issued on May 16.

According to the order, the revenue authorities have delivered the exemption facility to the hospital as the medical equipment to be imported under the special benefits cannot be used for any other purposes or cannot be sold to any other entities.

Currently, at least 10 lakh people are suffering from cancer in the country. In addition, another two lakh people are becoming the victim of the disease annually although the treatment facilities are very limited in Bangladesh.

The government had earlier also exempted all kind of donations to the hospital funds from the tax. The benefit is in place since 2005, said the officials. l

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2016

UGC seeks tax exemption for another year n Tribune Business Desk The University Grant Commission (UGC) has requested the government to continue the tax exemption facility for the commission until June 2017.

The commission made the request through a letter which has recently

been sent to the Finance Ministry as its tax exemption facility will be expired in June, 2016.

The letter has already been forwarded to the National Board of Revenue (NBR).

Under the existing facility, the UGC does not need to pay any tax on

its bank deposits, fixed deposits, and profit from its saving instruments purchased for future funds.

According to officials, the UGC is likely to get the tax exemption benefit for another year as it is a non-profit organisation and working for promoting the country’s education sector. l

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2016

Business Farm subsidy to continue n Asif Showkat Kallol

Finance Minister AMA Muhith said the subsidy on agriculture sector would continue in the fiscal year 2016-17.

However, the subsidy might be increased if the prices of fertilisers soar, he said after a pre-budget discussion yesterday.

St Louis Fed President James Bullard speaks about the US economy during an interview in New York REUTERS

US rates too low for long could be risky n Reuters, Beijing US interest rates being kept too low for too long could cause financial instability in future and stronger market expectations for a rate rise are “probably good”, St Louis Federal Reserve President James Bullard said on Monday.

A relatively tight labor market in the United States may also exert upward pressure on inflation, raising the case for higher interest rates, Bullard added.

His comments come as financial markets have increased expectations for a US interest rate hike in June or July and a range of policymakers are now stating that a rise is firmly on the table for the next policy meeting in June.

“I do worry that keeping rates too low for too long could feed into future financial instability even if it doesn’t look like we’re in that situation today,” Bullard, a voting member of the Fed’s policy-setting committee, told reporters.

Market assessment for a Fed rate rise had been close to zero, and the idea it has come off zero is “probably good”, he said.

“It does depend on the data and it’s certainly not 100%, but it’s not zero either. Some probability in between is the right thing to think at this point.” l

Stocks close flat amid volatility n Tribune Business Desk

Stocks closed flat amid volatile trading yesterday as investors went for small profit after a five-day rally.

The market opened on positive note with the Dhaka Stock Exchange benchmark index DSEX crossing 4,400 points level in early morning.

However, some profit booking took place at that level, pulling the key index fractionally down 0.3 points to close at 4,394. It gained 118.8 points in the last five consecutive sessions.

The Shariah index DSES was down 0.4 points to 1,073. The blue chip comprising index DS30 declined over 8 points to 1,704.

The Chittagong Stock Exchange Selective Category Index CSCX ended at 8,235, rising over 10 points.

Trading activities improved, generating a total turnover of around Tk390 crore on DSE, which is 6.1% higher over the previous session.

Power and engineering remained at the centre of investors’ attraction, together making up 35% of the day’s total turnover.

Almost all the sectors ended flat with banks rising 0.4%, engineering 0.3%, pharmaceuticals 0.3% and non-banking financial institutions 0.1%.

Low cap cement suffered most as it decreased by 1.27%.

Power sector edged 0.8% lower, followed by food and allied and telecommunication. l

Channel i, a private television station, organised the discussion titled “Krishi Budget, Krishoker Budget” (Agriculture budget, farmers’ budget) at the finance ministry’s conference room.

At the discussion, 45-point recommendations on agriculture budget were placed.

Channel i Director (news) Shykh Seraj said a total of 50,000 farmers from Chittagong, Sandeep, Moulvibazar, Munshiganj, Comilla and Nilphamari participated in the discussion.

According to him, 90% of farmers complained that they are not getting fair prices for their rice. l

Startups race for US immigrant market n Reuters, Mexico City

For two decades, Noe Sanchez sent money from California to his father in Mexico City through storefront outlets of traditional remittance firms such as Western Union.

Now he grabs his smartphone and uses Remitly, one of several new competing mobile apps promoting cheap and quick international transfers. Sanchez quickly got over his initial unease of sending money through an unfamiliar company.

“If it goes badly, I’ll cancel it and try another,” said Sanchez, a 44-year-old Mexican technical support professional in Oakland.

Founded in 2011 and backed by Amazon. com Inc Chief Executive Jeff Bezos’s venture capital arm, Remitly is among a vanguard of financial technology, or fintech, companies targeting what they view as an underserved immigrant market - traditionally disregarded as high-risk and low-margin.

The upstart firms - along with expanding digital and mobile options from Western Union Co and MoneyGram International Inc are helping immigrants deepen their roots in the United States at a time when incendiary anti-immigration rhetoric dominates national politics.

Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump recently attacked remittances from illegal immigrants as a form of “welfare” for Mexicans. Trump threatened to impound such money transfers unless Mexico agreed to pay up to $10bn for his proposed wall on the southern US border.

Global cash flow

It remains unclear whether Trump’s campaign attacks represent a real threat to the remittance industry. He proposes regulating remittance firms through US anti-terrorism laws that now apply to banks and other financial institutions.

The plan has been criticized in part because of the difficulty in differentiating between the transfers of legal and illegal immigrants.

“Good luck with that,” US President Barack Obama quipped, reacting to Trump’s proposal at a recent news conference.

Trump’s campaign did not respond to request for comment from Reuters. l

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2016

Corrigendum The report headlined “Lifting millions out of ultra poverty”, published yesterday, mistakenly said: “In 2016 the TUP programme has included 25 more households suffering from extreme poverty.”

“The correct information should be: “In 2016 the TUP programme targets to include 93,000 households suffering from extreme poverty.” l

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Feature

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2016

‘I choose a better life’

Scarred and burned in acid attack as a child, Bangladeshi woman faces her new future

Nurjahan Khatun, center, poses for a photo with her parents, Badruddin Mondol, left, and Rahima Begum on the day the parents relinquished custody of their daughter in her native Bangladesh to send her to the U.S. for treatment and schooling Photo Courtesy : Nurjahan Khatun

n Alexi C. Cardona The scars and burns on Nurjahan Khatun’s face still remain, but her heart and mind are healing.

At 9 years old, Khatun was the unintended target of an acid attack in Bangladesh. She happened to be sleeping in the same bed as her cousin, Bilkis, who was 13 at the time.

Bilkis spurned a man’s marriage proposal. The acid that flew through her bedroom window was meant for her. Bilkis’ face was burned on one side and she lost an ear.

Khatun’s face was completely marred. Only her mouth and eyes were recognizable. She had a hole in her forehead and lost her left eye.

She was brought to Southwest Florida in 2000 for medical treatment.

The cowardly act left her disfigured, but not destroyed.

“I’m alive,” she said. “I told myself I could have a better life or a worse life. I have to choose. I choose a better life.”

Now 26, Khatun graduates with a bachelor’s degree in biology from Florida Gulf Coast University on Sunday.

She wants to be a doctor. Her dream job is to work for Doctors Without Borders.

“It’s the only way I can repay all the people who have helped me and taken care of me — to give back,” Khatun said.

Khatun first arrived in Southwest Florida in 2000 with the help of Healing the Children, a nonprofit organization that helps children worldwide get medical attention.

In 2004, she returned to Bangladesh after an initial round of surgeries was completed.

During her time back home, Khatun testified against one of the men responsible for the acid attack and he was jailed.

“He was in jail for a little while but the other men got away,” she said.

There have been more than 3,000 acid attacks in Bangladesh since 1999, according to the Acid Survivors Foundation. The organization raises awareness about acid violence and works to reduce the incidence of acid attacks in countries in South Asia and the Middle East.

While acid attacks are seen mostly in South Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East, they have been reported in South America, North America and Europe.

According to the Acid Survivors Foundation, acid attacks are committed for revenge of rejection of sexual advances or marriage proposals and over dowry and land disputes. Most attacks are against women and are done by people known to the victims. The attacks don’t usually kill. They are meant to maim and humiliate the victim.

Khatun returned to the U.S. in 2006 on a B-2 visa with U.S.

Citizenship and Immigration Services. The B-2 visa applies to tourists, business travelers and those seeking medical attention.

Delays in the visa renewal process forced her to go back to Bangladesh in 2009. In 2011, Khatun returned to the U.S. for good — she was granted asylum.

Staying in her country could have been a death sentence.

“The trips back to Bangladesh really opened my eyes,” she said.

“It wasn’t safe for me. There is no life for me there. I’m a scar-faced girl. If you’re disfigured, you’re not treated well.”

Khatun recalls being threatened by unknown men in the street.

Some threatened to kill her. Police officers used to heckle and laugh at her. The family member of one of the men who threw the acid once accosted her at a bus stop.

“If I’d stayed in Bangladesh, my life and the life of my family would have been in danger,” she said.

“My sisters would have had a hard time being married. My family would have been ostracized.”

Khatun is 17 years removed from the more than 36 featurereshaping surgeries, the failed visa applications and the anxiety-provoking trips back to Bangladesh.

She has lived so much, yet her life is just beginning.

Khatun plans to go to medical school. She’s thinking about being a medical scribe for a while — it’s a job that will give her plenty of experience. She has shadowed the doctors who have operated on her

but isn’t sure she wants to be a plastic surgeon. Maybe geriatrics or pathology, she said. She likes microbes and the elderly.

“I don’t know exactly where I’m going after this,” she said. “I want to travel. I want to see where I can go.”

Because she was granted asylum, she can’t go back to Bangladesh. Khatun calls her parents and siblings from time to time. She hasn’t spoken to some of her extended family. Her family had a falling out after the acid attack. Her uncle, Bilkis’ father, told Khatun’s family that his daughter was the reason Khatun got the opportunity to have a better life.

“My parents and siblings are happy for me being here, my dad especially,” she said. “He always asks me how I’m doing in school.

One of my nieces is 16 now. She has been asked to marry and she tells boys no, that she wants to go to school and be a doctor like her aunt.”

Khatun said she is probably is the most educated woman in her village and the only one with a degree.

None of what she has accomplished would be possible without the families who have

taken her in and cared for her as their own, she said. After she graduates and moves out of her dorm, she’ll go back to living with her host parents, Karen and Gary Neis, in Cape Coral.

“They are all so important to me,” she said.

She has good friends and loves the beach. She takes pictures of herself and does her makeup beautifully. She styles and highlights her hair. When she looks at herself in the mirror, she still feels sadness about her scars sometimes, but she carries on.

“In Bangladesh, I’m an ugly face with no brain. Your face matters more than your brain,” she said. “I was reminded of my face all the time. In the U.S., I’m not.

“I have never felt like that here, which is why I’ve been able to move on and carry on with my life.

I’m very happy. I like being me, I guess. I want to be me. Sometimes I feel sad and then I get over it because I know that I can’t do anything about certain things.” l Reprinted under special arrangement with The Naples Daily News, a newspaper in Naples, Florida, USA. Visit: naplesnews. com.

At the age of 9, Nurjahan Khatun was the victim of an acid attack in her native Bangladesh. After years of reconstructive surgery, repercussions of the attacks and immigration struggles, Khatun is now 26-years-old and graduating from Florida Gulf Coast University with a degree in biology Photo: David Albers

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2016

Marvel-ous Women nShuprova Tasneem By now many of us have seen Captain America: Civil War amid much anticipation and, if you’re a Bangladeshi movie-goer like me, tumultuous applause and cheering. There is no doubt that the movie was good - filled with intense action, great new characters, and the holy grail of blockbuster movies – a bold story-line with punchy dialogue,

tremendous character dynamics and an emotional narrative that instantly caught the audience’s attentions.

In terms of characters, Marvel really got this one right, whether it was the deeply personal feud between Iron Man and Captain America or spot-on portrayals of Black Panther and Spider Man. And for many of us, this movie also proved that Marvel can get their female heroes right too.

In terms of merchandising, there is also very little representation of female superheroes in the market.

There was outcry on social media about the lack of Black Widow in the Marvel movie’s representation problem It’s no secret that the Marvel movies have a problem in terms of female representation of superheroes. There are still no movies based on a female lead, and the only female Avenger was reduced in the last Avengers film to a mere plot device as Bruce Banner’s romantic interest, with even a traditional ‘rescue’ scene for the new knight in shining armour. After much speculation about Natasha Romanov’s backstory to becoming a cold blooded spy with so much ‘red in her ledger’, it was revealed that a forced sterilisation is what made her as much of a ‘monster’ as the Hulk. After whispers of all the crazy training and torture she faced, the loss of

motherhood as the only explanation for her emotional bond with a furious green giant who she has nothing in common with was disappointing, to say the least.

So it was great to see Black Widow becoming a much more important part of the story in Civil War, balancing her deep friendship with Steve Rogers with her allegiance to Tony Stark’s plan, and being strong, resilient and kick-ass throughout the film. She was no longer a plot device, but a character with specific actions that influenced the story. The Scarlet Witch also played a more central role in the film, and her story revolved around her essentially unbeatable powers rather than a love interest, which was great.

There seems to be a slow

Avengers merchandise, with actor Mark Ruffalo criticising the franchise for not representing the women.

After Marvel was taken over by Disney, critics have argued that Disney’s flooding of the market with Frozen

There are still no movies based on a female lead, and the only female Avenger was reduced in the last Avengers film to a mere plot device as Bruce Banner’s romantic interest

but steady trend in better representation in the Marvel Universe, especially with the advent of Black Panther (finally!) and a whole movie dedicated to him. Guardians of the Galaxy also brought with it two super-tough and amazing female characters, Gamora and Nebula, who are both set to reappear in the next film and play more central roles.

Following the comic book lead However, the introduction and evolution of better female characters comes with the announcement that Marvel’s first female lead movie Captain Marvel has been pushed further back for release in 2019. All the movies that come out before that will be centred on men – Doctor Strange, Spiderman, Thor, Hulk and Loki, with the exception of Antman and Wasp in 2018, although so far the Wasp has only been introduced as the Antman’s love interest too.

merchandise and other ‘girly’ toys means that superheroes for little girls are still not high on their agenda.

While the movie industry lags behind in this aspect, the comic book industry has continued to evolve and flourish with its massive store of female superheroes. In recent years, they have added 16 year old PakistaniAmerican as the first Muslim character in the form of Kamala Khan, the new Miss Marvel, and Thor has now metamorphosed into the Goddess of Thunder.

Starting with the AfricanAmerican Captain America (Sam Wilson) to the half-Latino and half-African American Spider Man (Miles Moralis), Marvel comics has been promoting diversity. Here’s hoping that Hollywood also realise that white male superheroes are no longer the only things that sell, and quickly follow the comic industry’s lead. l

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2016

Alor Mukti play gives voice to the differently abled

n Saqib Sarker Parents Forum for Differently Able (PFDA) and the PFDA Vocational Training Centre jointly organised a play on the final day of the 13th National Play Festival for Children and Adolescents on 12 May, 2016. The festival took place at the National Theatre Hall at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.

The performers did not seem to struggle with the material at all but rather worked seamlessly on stage, giving a well coordinated and organised performance For the closing day of the festival a total of nine plays were staged on the evening of 12 May, 2016. The PFDA play Alor Mukti was one of these performances on the closing day. A total of 65

theatre ensembles took part in the festival.

Performed by children and adolescents suffering from neurological impairments, 40 special needs children, adolescents, and young adults took part in the performance.

The play was performed on the Shilpakala main stage.

The festival was jointly organised by the People’s Theatre and Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy. “This gave the special needs community an opportunity to showcase their talents on a mainstream platform,” said Sajida Rahman Danny, president of Parents Forum for Differently Able and executive director of PFDAVocational Training Center.

“We are grateful to the director of Shilpakala Academy and the founding president of the People’s Theatre Mr Liakat Ali Lucky for his compassion for the special needs community,” Danny added.

Titled Alor Mukti (freedom of light), the play told the allegorical story of how a king wanted to

train a bird to read. The play goes on to show how others tried to exploit the king’s foolishness.

However, when the king heard the bird singing in deep melancholy he realised the utter futility of his pursuit. The king understood that not only birds are unable to read, but also it is not their job to be able to read. The king, and therefore the audience, learned that forcing someone to do something yields failure and unhappiness. On the other hand people thrive in what they like to do, like the bird that sang wonderfully.

The performers did not seem to struggle with the material at all but rather worked seamlessly on stage, giving a well coordinated and organised performance. The colourful costumes looked beautiful on stage and the well choreographed dance performances won over the audience. The age of the performers ranged from early teens to young adults.

A group of instructors worked

tirelessly to prepare the play and train the special needs performers. Mariam Begum Sarah directed the play in addition to providing stage, light, and sound direction. Muktarani Thakur directed dance performances and choreography, and also acted as makeup artist and greenroom manager. Shihab Shahriar gave the music direction; Mohammad Amir Hossain and Shahnaz Parvin were assistant directors.

Mohammad Atikul Islam assisted in background narration and make-up and Rumi Kaisar was in charge of costume design.

Nurjahan Dipa coordinated the event and Sajida Rahman Danny was in charge of the overall management. Other important duties were carried out by a group of dedicated teachers and volunteers.

Other plays produced by the PFDA include Bir Purush (based on a Tagore poem), Icchey Ghuri, Bang Raja, and Hamiloner Bashiwala.

The Parents Forum for Differently Able work with people with autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, intellectual impairments, and other similar disabilities. PFDA is a not for profit organisation and it runs the PFDA Vocational Training Centre, which is the first of its kind in Bangladesh. The PFDA is the first vocational training centre for people with neurological impairments in Bangladesh.

Officially commencing its activities on 15 October 2014, the PFDA has emerged as a ray of hope for the parents and care givers of the neurologically impaired. In addition to running the vocational training centre, the PFDA has plans for providing residential homes for people suffering from autism and other neurological challenges with the ultimate goal of preparing them to be independent and self sufficient.l

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2016

| seminar |

| event |

Global Conference on Business and Economics held at IUB

Globescope at NSU

The Centre for Business Policy Research (CBPR) of the School of Business of Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB), organised a day-long international conference on contemporary global economic issues. The conference was held on Saturday, May 21, 2016 at IUB campus in the capital, with the theme, “Policy Implications for Sustainable Growth of Emerging Economics’.

During the inaugural session of the conference, Dr Toufic Ahmad Choudhury, director general, Bangladesh Institute of Bank Management presented the keynote paper. Subsequently, a question-answer session took place where participants from different universities expressed their concerns and raised various issues towards sustainable growth of emerging economy in Bangladesh. While answering to

all questions and concerns, Dr Choudhury emphasised on the steps that need to be taken for ensuring steady financial market development and sustainability of the same for rapid growth of economy and thereby, seize financial inclusion across the level.

Prof M Omar Rahman, vice chancellor of IUB and the chief patron of the conference, highlighted the importance of demographic dividends to capitalise best possible outcomes that can be delivered by the resourceful population of the country. He also urged upon all concerned to make constant efforts in order to produce more and more skilled professionals and academicians through which, increased knowledge based practices will take place which will eventually lead towards establishing a

sustainable economy in the country.

Prof Milan Pagon, pro vice chancellor (Designate) also spoke on the occasion and expected a decisive success of this global event. Prof Dr Sarwar Uddin Ahmed, dean, School of Business, IUB, and the conference chairman, delivered the inaugural speech while Dr Samiul Parvez Ahmed, the conference coordinator gave the formal vote of thanks.

Participants of the conference were divided in three different groups during the working sessions while 22 papers had been presented on various topics pertaining to the core theme of the event. Three different judge panels selected the three best papers who were awarded. About 45 participants from different universities from home and abroad took part in the event. l

| food |

Great weekday offers at Pizza Hut

Pizza Hut is now introducing all new deals on every weekday.

These mouth watering offers include unlimited Pizza (served by slices) every Sunday, 50% off on the second medium-sized

pizza you order on Mondays to Wednesdays and a fantastic family deal (for four people), every Thursday! Alongside these amazing offers, Pizza Hut has introduced two very fulfilling

and affordable smart lunch options which will be available every day of the week. Pizza Hut believes that with these new offers at the great new affordable prices, there will be opportunities for more and more people to have a good time with family and friends, and create more memories Transcom Foods Ltd launched these new offers on May 22, 2016 at the Pizza Hut flagship store in Gulshan 1. To commemorate the ceremony, Akku Chowdhury, managing director and CEO of Transcom Foods Ltd. was joined by renowned celebrities like Bonnya Mirza, Tushti and Runa Khan.l

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Biz Info

The International Business Club (IBC) is set to make its mark at NSU with a grand event titled, “Globescope,” which is to be held today, May 25, 2016. The event is powered by Bombay sweets’ Juicy fruit drink and Crimson cup and sponsored by Radio Foorti 88.0 FM, Banglavision and Dhaka Tribune.

The inauguration ceremony of Globescope will be graced by the presence of our respected member of the Board of Trustees

– chairman M A Kashem, vice chancellor Prof Atiqul Islam, Prof Dr M Emdadul Haq, director of student affairs, and Prof Dr Mohammad Mahboob Rahman, dean, School of Business and Economics.

Apart from the inauguration and seminars, the attendees are in for a treat because the talented speedster, Taskin Ahmed is scheduled to join the event in the morning. l

| contest |

Inception: Business Plan Competition Grand Finale held at BRAC University

The much awaited grand finale of “Inception: Business Plan Competition” was held on May 18, 2016 at the BRAC University auditorium.

This competition was organised under the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) funded project “Ashshash: for men and women who have escaped trafficking.” The project is being implemented

by International Organisation for Migration - the largest intergovernmental organisation in the field of migration. The competition’s main objective was to involve university students in designing practical and out-ofthe box business plans from a pre-selected small-scale service oriented business trade list, for the project beneficiaries.

The competition was inaugurated on March 8, 2016 at BRACU. 35 teams signed up for the challenge of creating sustainable business plans for people who have escaped trafficking in the recent past. Top six teams were

selected based on creativity, feasibility and management of their business ideas for the grand finale where Shukhendra Kumar Sarkar commenced the competition with his valuable speech. The finalist teams presented their ideas in front of the judges where “Team BRACU Synergy” emerged as the champions. “Team Revive” and “Mavericks” followed them as the 1st and 2nd runners-up, respectively. Abdusattor expressed his gratitude to the competitors which was followed by a prize giving ceremony where the winning teams were handed over by representatives from SDC and the MoWCA along with other judges.

Jahan Ara Begum, joint secretary, Ministry of Women and Children Affairs (MoWCA), Nazia Haider, senior programme officer, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Abdusattor Esoev, senior programme manager and deputy chief of mission, International Organization from Migration (IOM), Shukhendra Kumar Sarkar, treasurer, BRAC University, Asma Khatun, national programme officer, IOM; Chowdhury Asif Mahmud Bin Harun, programme associate, IOM and Abu Daud Khan, CEO and MD, Enroute International Limited were present at the event and enlightened the judge panel of the competition.l

DT

20 Editorial

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2016

TODAY

Lessons and implications for resilient recovery While we focus on bringing affected communities to pre-disaster levels, we should ensure that we build resilient houses, risk-informed community infrastructure, and promote sustainable livelihoods PAGE 21

The dysfunctional politics of democracy Tarique Rahman, who has immense influence over the party and its sympathisers, is losing momentum as he is in self-imposed exile in London, while his flag-bearers are raging in fury for being oppressed by the law enforcers PAGE 22

What the new VAT law means Though it looks all good on the face of it, there seems to be still resistance towards its implementation from the next fiscal year PAGE 23

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.

BIGSTOCK

Government must lead on regulating toxic chemicals

A

new UNEP study carried out by the NYU School of Medicine highlights the need to reduce children’s exposure to lead as a particular problem for low and middle-income countries.

Fast economic growth and lack of regulation are rapidly increasing the likelihood of children being exposed to lead through common household products and paint, as well as via air pollution and waste.

The risk of harm to health is especially great for young children on whom any concentration of lead in their blood system can have highly negative consequences on their brain and nervous system.

It is an especially damaging form of pollution because it can have long-term impacts on a child’s development and learning capacity. The NYU study estimates that the economic damage done to developing countries from exposure to lead reducing the lifetime economic productivity of children runs into hundreds of billions of dollars.

The government needs to take stronger leadership on efforts to reduce exposure to lead and other toxic pollutants.

While reports suggest leading paint brands are moving towards compliance with more stringent limits on lead content, the government needs to play a bigger role to protect the public interest.

It is clear from the highly visible pollution endemic in our air and rivers that the government needs to become far more pro-active in regulating pollution and guarding against risks to human health.

The lack of routine monitoring for lead exposure and delays in implementing regulations to ensure electrical and electronic wastes are recycled responsibly shows how far there is to go.

The government must step up. Reducing exposure to lead will not only improve the health and economic prospects of individuals, but also help the economy by driving our harmful practices and encouraging businesses to be more efficient and responsible.

Better regulation will improve health and make businesses more efficient and environmentally responsible

DT

21

Opinion

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2016

Cyclone Roanu: Lessons and implications for resilient recovery Building back better after a disaster is key

Disasters such as Cyclone Roanu are a major barrier to achieving the SDGs

While we focus on bringing affected communities to pre-disaster levels, we should ensure that we build resilient houses, risk-informed community infrastructure, and promote sustainable livelihoods

n Pauline Tamesis

O

nce again, Bangladesh has demonstrated its resilience to disasters, as global leaders meet, in Istanbul this week, for the UN World Humanitarian Summit.

On Saturday afternoon, cyclone Roanu left 24 people dead, and damaged nearly 140,000 homes, in 15 districts. The impact could have been much greater given the chronic vulnerability of the population.

But early warnings, preparedness, proactive measures, and evacuation of certain areas by government, the communities themselves, and volunteers, illustrated how death and destruction during a natural disaster can be drastically limited.

Early observation indicates that the greatest impact was most

acute in areas where vulnerability was high.

In the affected districts, a vast majority of the poor, vulnerable population lives in homes constructed of very basic materials. This resulted in the loss of a large number of homes.

In some areas in Chittagong where people were less prepared -- the region had not experienced a cyclone since 1991 -- it is believed that about 25 years of accumulated wealth in the affected areas has been lost. Roanu offers important lessons in recovery compared to previous disasters. Most of the areas hit by the cyclone were also affected by cyclone Komen, and two floods, in 2015.

Arguably, inadequate investment in recovery after the 2015 disasters, combined with a limited investment in measures to reduce disaster impacts, including

COURTESY

in infrastructure, resulted in Roanu having greater impact in those vulnerable areas.

Once again, inclusion of short and long-term risk in infrastructure development has emerged as a major priority for a resilient Bangladesh.

Following a rapid analysis done by UNDP Bangladesh, it was determined that, in Banshkhali, at least 14 unions were inundated with saline water as embankments were breached in many locations.

Likewise, in Chakaria and Pekua in Cox’s Bazar, a portion of protective embankment that was breached during Komen has further been significantly damaged, and the chance of longterm water-logging is very high.

This means that people may have to wait for a long time or in the worst case scenario not be able to return to their usual means of livelihood, growing the next major rice crop (“aman”/“aush”) and vegetables due to salinity and prolonged inundation.

In Bashkhali, the cyclone shelter itself was inundated and is currently at risk of damage.

The access road to the shelter was badly eroded, and unsafe for those seeking safety.

Each of these examples proves that if recovery response does not take into account the increased frequency and intensity of disasters, due to climate change, then we leave such communities vulnerable to future disasters.

In contrast, where investments have been made to try to reduce risks from natural disasters, people were better prepared and could better adapt to a disaster.

For example, UNDP and Government-sponsored Comprehensive Disaster Management Program (CDMP) with support from DFID, the EU, AusAID, Norway, and SIDA built ‘killa -- a man-made mound to keep livestock safe during floods or a cyclone.

And UNDP’s resilient housing constructed with support from the government of Canada after Komen was not affected, illustrating the value of investing in disaster resilient houses as part of early recovery and development.

The occurrence of three disasters in the past 10 months in the same locations provides valuable lessons on how the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) should be implemented in Bangladesh and vulnerable areas elsewhere. Clearly disasters are a major barrier for achieving the SDGs. So until there is adequate investment in recovery, building back better must be a key policy in the aftermath of a cyclone.

This is an opportunity for the government and its development partners to invest in resilient recovery to try to put an end to impacts from future disasters.

While we focus on bringing affected communities to predisaster levels, we should ensure that we build resilient houses, risk informed community infrastructure, and promote sustainable livelihoods.

This is a lesson for government and development partners, and it is also a lesson for leaders at the World Humanitarian Summit.

They must commit to an efficient national and global system that provides adequate finance for recovery, and that disaster-proofs the sustainable development goals. l Pauline Tamesis is Country Director, UNDP Bangladesh.

22

DT

Long Form

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2016

The dysfunctional politics of democracy in Bangladesh The BNP now barely exists as a functional party. This is the first part of a two-part long form

n Shahab Enam Khan

N

o doubt, it is a disturbing fact that the BNP is in dire crisis. Almost 28 months after the unnecessarily boycotted general elections -- when it receded to its worst political performance ever -- the then-grand centre-rightwing party is in a state of drift. It appears confused about its next steps, and certainly bereaved of ideas for its renaissance.

It has now come up with a new manifesto called Vision 2030 to turn the country into a “rainbow nation” -- sounds like a political parody for many of the poor fish who have supported BNP for longer than its current leadership.

Owing to the despotism and kleptocracy of the current AL regime, the BNP now barely exists as a functional political organisation.

The intra-party order has disintegrated. Many of the mid and younger generation leaders, those who are trying to emerge as Messiah within the party, are either seen as opportunist offshoots of dynastic politics or considered as the ones with the ability to pay cash to sit in the upper echelon of the party. That’s what I often get to hear.

Many of the grassroots activists are feeling the heat of being humiliated and betrayed.

Apparently, the current leadership has the motto “save what you can while you can because things will get a lot worse before they get any better.”

It is in disarray; a once-great party reduced to battling rabbles of conflicting internal groups skulking for whatever canny comforts they can gain from politics.

Good politics, good governance, and good government? Very nice.

But maybe not in the near future.

The notion that Khaleda Zia (or her son Mr Tarique Rahman) could again form a government with a majority is now a discommoding fact for the party at large.

At least, not through an election under the regime that is in power.

Even so, one can begin to marvel at the thoroughness with which its leadership has set it on a selfdestruction mode.

In fact, this is a case for the AL too. The son, Tarique Rahman,

What’s next for the BNP? who has immense influence over the party and its sympathisers, is losing momentum as he is in selfimposed exile in London, while his flag-bearers are raging in fury for being oppressed by the law enforcers. No one is there to take care of these oppressed kormis (affiliates)!

It is not that BNP has a lack of helpers, of course.

The recently selected organising members of the party (through council and then by the top-most leader), members of its international affairs committee, or hence the members of its standing committee are willing accomplices. But who could have predicted these would prove as sub-optimal selections?

These selections are pathetic enough to further derail the party.

For instance, its members with responsibility to liaise with the international community are the compelling attestation of political incompetence, if not immaturity.

Seems like the international affairs committee members would often need lessons on the difference between sedition and national interest.

I can’t deny that we get to see a fresh episode of the tragicomedy

MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Tarique Rahman, who has immense influence over the party and its sympathisers, is losing momentum as he is in self-imposed exile in London, while his flag-bearers are raging in fury for being oppressed by the law enforcers

with BNP as the protagonist, every day in the name of democracy.

Nevertheless, who dares predict what happens next?

Nothing is too improbable to be realistic now. Matters have reached such a state, that leaders of the BNP feel that they are unable to campaign even in a byelection in which the party could have won with a majority, if it had demonstrated some degree of political maturity.

“Tacit alliance,” or “attempts to deny alliance,” or “be silent strategy” with Jamaat has only made things worse for the BNP. It is caught in a “Jamaat-extremist limbo” from which it has no easy exit anytime soon.

The only thing they hope to

gain is the support of the Islamist and disfranchised voters at the moment, which may give them pro tempore comfort, but in the long run it will hit the nation (including them) hard.

Well, they may think that the ever-deteriorating law and order situation in Bangladesh is good for them, but this political hedonism won’t make them a favourite to their regional neighbours.

History speaks. l The concluding part of this long form will be published tomorrow.

Shahab Enam Khan is Chairman and Associate Professor, Department of International Relations, Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka.

DT

23

Opinion

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2016

What the new VAT law means Although it looks good on the surface, there is still some resistance to the new VAT law

n Mamun Rashid

T

he new value added tax and Supplementary Duty Act, 2012 seems to be very close to its implementation phase.

Though the act was passed in the parliament on November 27, 2012, after several deferrals on the implementation date, the government is now planning to implement the new act from July 1, 2016.

The new act focuses on an NBR modernisation plan that envisages a digital NBR, tries to overcome various shortcomings of the ageold Value Added Tax Act, 1991 ie Advance Trade VAT (ATV) at the import stage, cascading effects (tax on tax), cottage industry, maintenance of the current account register, package VAT, turnover tax, tariff value, price declaration, definition of services, maximum retail price (MRP) based price structure, truncated rates etc.

Considering the various demands from the business community, we made the following brief on the new act.

Tk14,000 as annual fixed VAT. If we consider 20% value addition in the business, yearly sale of such businesses shall be at Tk120,000 to Tk466,670.

So, we see that the small shops with an annual turnover of about Tk120,000 to Tk466,670 at different locations are liable to pay package VAT under the old VAT regime. Under the new VAT regime, all businesses with annual turnover up to Tk3,000,000 shall be completely exempt from paying VAT.

Turnover tax

Businesses with an annual turnover of Tk3,000,001 to Tk8,000,000 shall have to pay VAT at 3% only as turnover tax.

VAT return

• The new act provides opportunity to submit VAT returns with extended time of one month

Price declaration

To give the business community relief on giving price declaration, the new act does not warrant any price declaration.

Package VAT

Currently, small shopkeepers pay package VAT.Package VAT is a fixed amount of VAT imposed on small shopkeepers on the basis of their locations.

Though the business community is seriously resistant over the cancellation of Package VAT system, they seem to have the wrong idea about the VAT payment by small shopkeepers.

Depending on their locations, small shopkeepers having yearly value addition of Tk24,000 to Tk93,334, have to pay Tk3,600 to

and opportunity of submitting amended VAT return with the permission of the commissioner.

• In the new act, businessmen can take Input Tax Credit on almost all of their inputs which is not possible in the present act.

• If the businessmen keep their accounts properly and take rebate, then it will not affect them, though the VAT rate is 15% as they are paying VAT only on their value addition.

Withdrawal of exemption facility

• VAT exemption facility at the import, manufacturing, and business stage on some 1,973 products has been withdrawn in the new VAT and SD Act 2012.

• VAT determination on the basis of tariff value has been withdrawn in the new act, hence

Sales taxes in other countries China European Union India

BIGSTOCK

Though it looks all good on the face of it and the business community is reported to have been given adequate time to interpret, acclimatise, and adjust with the new VAT law, there seems to be still resistance towards its implementation from the next fiscal year

Rate standardisation

To simplify the complexity of various rates, the rate has been uniformed at 15% regardless of class of services or goods supplied.

Taxation is complicated businesses

17% 4.8% to 27% 12.5% to 15%

Source: www.vatlive.com/vat-rates

price of 85 tariff-based products may be increased.

not be more than it has been in existence.

VAT on super shops

Withdrawal of supplementary duty

Super shops mainly sell two types of items, one is MRP based products and other is basic food items like rice, lentil, flour, vegetables, fish, meats etc.

Since the supply or import of basic food items are exempt from VAT as per the proposed VAT law, a major portion of super shop business will remain outside the scope of VAT. Under the present VAT regime, in case of MRP-based products, 15% VAT is already included and paid by the manufacturer or importer based on the MRP declared in the price declaration, but due to existing NBR directives, an additional 4% VAT is imposed on the super shop pushing the cumulative VAT effect on super shop products to 19% (15% + 4%).

But under the proposed VAT law, cumulative VAT effect would be only 15% as the manufacturer, distributor, and wholesaler will pay VAT only on their selling price.

Thus, the selling price of retailers should reduce accordingly, and VAT effect would

Another major change in the act is reducing supplementary duty from import products from some 1,400 products to 170 products.

Since the government’s earnings from customs duties is increasingly going down as it has to keep the rates in line with international standards, the government will have to rely on VAT to offset the losses.

Of the government’s tax revenues, 36.5%, amounting to Tk64,263 crore has been planned to come from VAT in the current fiscal year 2015-16. In the new fiscal year 2016-17, earnings from VAT were estimated at Tk76,000cr which is 39.4% of the government’s tax revenues.

Proposal from stakeholders

• A joint committee of the NBR and the FBCCI proposed that all businesses that sell products and services at a fixed rate will pay 2% VAT, and those who don’t sell at fixed rates will pay VAT at a 15% rate.

• FBCCI proposed a 15% VAT on value addition instead of total sales price, increasing VAT-free turnover threshold to Tk36 lakh • FBCCI also proposed levying a 3% turnover tax at production stage for businesses having annual turnover above Tk36 lakh to Tk 150 lakh.

• A comprehensive list of basic food items for human consumption and essential products and life-saving drugs shall be published immediately, which are re-exempted from VAT as per First Schedule of the Act. • They also wanted NBR to go for automation and online payment of VAT through designated or nominated banks so that VAT-registered dealers are able to obtain their challans instantly and the revenue is credited to the government account immediately.

Though it looks all good on the face of it and the business community is reported to have been given adequate time to interpret, acclimatise, and adjust with the new VAT law, there seems to be still resistance towards its implementation from the next fiscal year.

Reports are coming up that its implementation may affect the fixed income group and retailers badly. Its main sponsor IMF also wants this to be implemented with broad acceptance. Hence, we would expect NBR to have done their homework well, so that they can defend and communicate well in support of the new VAT law. l Mamun Rashid is an economic analyst.

DT

24 Sport

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2016

TOP STORIES

Doleshwar take solo lead in DPL Prime Doleshwar jumped to the top of the DPL after beating Kalabagan Cricket Academy by 49 runs in a rain-affected match in Fatullah yesterday. This was the only game out of the three to have a result. PAGE 25

Tigers split over Shakib v Mustafiz Our reporters spoke to eight Bangladesh teammates of Shakib al Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman and it turned out to be a dead heat. Four players said they will support Shakib’s Kolkata Knight Riders while the other four, incredibly, said they will support the young left-arm mystery pace bowler who plays for the Sunrisers Hyderabad. The two teams meet in the IPL Eliminator in Delhi today.

Uddin Khan and n Minhaz Mazhar Uddin Out of Shakib’s 253 international matches, Tamim Iqbal has played with him in 217 of them. But the friendship didn’t stop Tamim from backing Mustafiz’s Sunrisers Hyderabad.

The reason is quite simple: he wants Shakib’s side to be eliminated from the IPL so that the allrounder can turn up for Abahani Limited’s flagging Dhaka Premier League campaign, in which they have lost four out of the seven games so far.

“I want KKR to lose so that Shakib can fly back to Dhaka quickly and join me in Abahani.

We need to improve our position in the points table as at this point we are heading no where,” said Tamim.

Legspinner Jubair Hossain too is supporting Mustafiz, making him the second player from Abahani to do so. Like Tamim, he however didn’t say that he wants Shakib to come back early from a professional point of view.

“We have spent a lot of time together during our early age and being a friend I am supporting

Mustafiz. But at the same time I am a big fan of Shakib bhai and I also like to see him perform,” he said.

Sabbir Rahman, who has taken the most catches off Mustafiz’s bowling in international matches, said that he wants the Sunrisers to go all the way to the final, because it would be their first time, and that his young teammate would be an important cog of that success.

“This is the maiden season but his effort was fantastic. He has worked hard and I believe he and his team should go all the way to

Raptors even series with Cavaliers Kyle Lowry always seems to be at his best when his back is against the wall. And through the first two games of the Eastern Conference finals, it was. First, it was his seemingly harmless LeBron James compliment. PAGE 26

Ronaldo declares himself fit for final Cristiano Ronaldo has reassured Real Madrid fans he will be fit to play in Saturday’s Champions League final against Atletico Madrid in Milan after limping out of yesterday’s training session.

Ronaldo failed to complete. PAGE 27

ELIMINATOR

V

Henriques, Starc recalled for SL tour Australia all-rounder Moises Henriques is in line for his first Test in three years after being named in the squad for their three-match tour of Sri Lanka in July and August.

The 29-year-old bowler played the last of his three Tests during the illfated 2013 tour of India. PAGE 28

At Delhi, 8:30PM BD Time

SHAKIB AL HASAN Mat Runs

HS

10

66* 22.80

114

Ave

50 1

MUSTAFIZUR RAHMAN

Overs Wkts Econ Ct 31.0

5

7.83

4

Mat Overs Mdns Runs Wkts

BBI

Ave

Econ Ct

14

3/16

22.25

6.71

53.0

1

356

16

2

the final,” he said.

I have support for Shakib bhai too but he has already tasted success for lifting an IPL trophy. So my support is for Mustafiz given he is one of the junior most in the Bangladesh dressing room,” added Sabbir.

Pace bowler Al-Amin Hossain said that he would support Mustafiz because they are bowling mates. The two have played together 13 times for Bangladesh.

“Being a fast bowler I am supporting Mustafiz as he is playing for the first time in IPL and I hope he would play the final. Shakib bhai was earlier part of the champion team,” he said.

Soumya Sarkar said he supports KKR from the beginning of the IPL, so he wouldn’t switch loyalties. He however wished Mustafiz well.

“I have been supporting KKR from the beginning and started following this side more after Shakib bhai joined. I want Kolkata to win but at the same time want Mustafiz to perform very well. My wishes are to both of them,” he said.

The wicketkeeper Nurul Hasan said that he too will root for Shakib.

“Being a KKR fan from the beginning I will support Shakib bhai today. However I want both Mustafiz and Shakib bhai to perform well,” he said.

Meanwhile, Shamsur Rahman was loyal to his BKSP mate Shakib.

“From the start of the IPL I supported KKR so I will support Shakib. But I am very impressed with Mustafiz and hope he will once again deliver for his side,” he said.

The most diplomatic response came from Taskin Ahmed from whom the reporter could squeeze out, after much effort, that he would support Shakib. But he said that he wants Mustafiz to be the best performer of the game.

“I have weakness for KKR, maybe because I have been supporting this team from the very beginning. But choosing between Shakib and Mustafiz is tough because both are Bangladeshis,” he said.

“At the end I would like see KKR win the game and move towards their third IPL trophy but given I myself is a pacer, I want Mustafiz to outperform everyone,” added Taskin. l

25

Doleshwar take solo lead Tamim first to 6000 in List-A n Minhaz Uddin Khan Prime Doleshwar Sporting Club jumped to the top of the Dhaka Premier League after beating Kalabagan Cricket Academy by 49 runs in a rain-affected match in Fatullah yesterday.

This was the only game out of the three to have a result after the Abahani Limited-Gazi Group Cricketers tie in BKSP-3 and the Mohammedan Sporting Club-Prime Bank Cricket Club encounter were marred due to rain.

Doleshwar v KCA

Prime Doleshwar picked up their sixth win after three half centuries and a hundred-plus opening stand boosted them to 287 runs for 6 in 50 overs.

Openers Imtiaz Hossain and Robiul Islam Robi added 112 runs for the opening stand. Imtiaz held onto his good form with his 94-ball 86 while Robiul scored 50. Raqibul Hasan, at No 3, made 66 runs.

Offspinner Mehedi Hasan picked two wickets for KCA. Chasing the target, they were in trouble on 98 for four in 21 overs when it started to rain.

An hour and forty minutes later, the match officials called off play for the day. At the point the D/L method showed Kalabagan were short by 49 runs, having a revised target of 148 in 21 overs.

Abahani v Gazi Group

The match could finish only one

DT

Sport

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2016

BRIEF SCORES PRIME DOLESHWAR SC 287/6 (Imtiaz 86, Raqibul 66, Robiul 50) beat KALABAGAN CA 98/4 (Irfan 38, Mysukur 23, Nasir 2/45) by 49 runs (D/L) MOHAMMEDAN SC 224 (Milon 64, Habibur 50, Azim 3/40) v PRIME BANK CC 41/1 (Maruf 22*, Shanaj 16, Naeem Jr 1/7) – To be played today

innings before rain stopped play at 1.15pm and was called off at 3.30pm. Rajat Bhatia’s unbeaten 90 off 88 balls and captain Tamim Iqbal’s 55 helped Abahani reach 276 for six in 50 overs.

Tamim with his fourth half-century in the season emerged as the first Bangladesh cricketer to 6000 runs in the List-A format. Tamim needed 38 runs when he went down to open for Abahani. He had to wait till the 18th over to reach the mark. Tamim ended the innings with 6017 runs.

Mushfiqur Rahim is in second place needing another 97 runs to make it to 6000. Gazi Group need 277 to win in 50 overs in the reserve day.

ABAHANI LTD 276/6 (Bhatia 90*, Tamim 55, Mosaddek 47) v GAZI GC – To be played today

MSC v Prime Bank

Chasing 225 to win, Prime Bank reached 41 for 1 in 6.2 overs when rain stopped play at 1.40pm and was called off at 3.10pm. Mehedi Maruf was unbeaten on 22 with Sabbir Rahman on zero. Earlier, Ezaz Ahmed and the Mohammedan captain Mushfiq went out for ducks as they slipped to 41 for 5 in the 14th over.

Their recovery came through a 70-run sixth wicket stand between Mohammedan’s new Indian recruit Mithun Manhas and Nazmul Hossain who top scored with 64.

Later Habibur Rahman added 50 to get Mohammedan to 224 all out in 49.2 overs.

Prime Bank pacer Mohammad Azim picked three wickets followed by Rubel Hossain’s two. l

Mohammedan Sporting Club’s Nazmul Hossain Milon is castled by Prime Bank Cricket Club’s Monir Hossain (not in picture) during their Dhaka Premier League match at Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

As usual, discipline takes a backseat

Ten venues to host premier league, BSL

n Shishir Hoque

n Tribune Report

More often than not in the Bangladesh sports arena, the rule of law does not run its own course. Rather it is performance which dictates whether a particular national team player should be reprimanded for ill-discipline.

Two years ago, one of the country’s most popular sports personality Shakib al Hasan was found guilty of “gross misbehaviour” and subsequently handed a six-month suspension from international cricket.

However, only three months after dishing out the ban, the Bangladesh Cricket Board stated that they are “content with the player’s behaviour” and withdrew his suspension.

But the truth is elsewhere. Bangladesh had just experienced a disastrous tour of West Indies and since Shakib was one of the most vital players of the side, the BCB found it imperative to bring him back. The case is perhaps more prevalent in

(L-R) Mamunul Islam, Zahid Hossain and Sohel Rana, who were recently suspended for breaking team discipline, made a comeback to the national squad after apologising to the Bangladesh Football Federation the football arena these days.

In March this year, two key national players – Mamunul Islam and Zahid Hossain – along with two other regular squad members - Sohel Rana and Yeasin Khan – were suspended for breaching team discipline.

Mamunul and Zahid were banned for a year each but their suspensions were overturned just two months later because they are influential members of the national team. With the AFC Asian Cup

Qualifiers play-offs taking place next month, the BFF thought it to be important to cut short the duo’s suspensions.

Even Bangladesh’s temporary Dutch head coach Lodewijk de Kruif said, “When you have to kick out the best player of your country, then you are crazy.”

De Kruif might have forgotten that this was not the first time Zahid faced disciplinary action. He was also banned from transfer activity

last year for taking money from more than one club. To add to that, there were many allegations of illdiscipline against him in the past.

Not so long ago, former national star Sheikh Mohammad Aslam, who was the head of the fact-finding committee that investigated Bangladesh’s poor displays in the Saff Championship and the Bangabandhu Gold Cup, slammed the players in question for their lack of dedication and patriotism.

But surprisingly, he welcomed the BFF’s decision to lift the bans.

“I find it positive. It can happen for the sake of the nation. The national team is facing a crisis of players. It is not possible to form a national team without them. I hope they will take lessons from it,” said Aslam to Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

However, when asked if this incident could send the wrong message to the other players, especially the youngsters, he declined to make any comment.l

In a bid to spread the Bangladesh Premier Football League and the Bangladesh Super League outside the capital city, the Ministry of Youth and Sports has decided to take necessary steps to hold matches in 10 different venues across the country.

Acting secretary of the Youth and Sports Ministry Kazi Akhtar Uddin Ahmed sat in a meeting with Bangladesh Football Federation president Kazi Salahuddin yesterday where the decision was taken.

The 10 venues are – Chittagong's MA Aziz Stadium, Sylhet Zila Stadium, Rangpur Zila Stadium, Rajshahi Zila Stadium, Mymensingh Stadium, Barisal Stadium, Khulna Stadium, Gopalganj Zila Stadium, Kamalapur Stadium and Bangabandhu National Stadium.

The Ministry also decided to arrange the district football leagues and the other football tournaments in the respective district stadiums.l

DT

26

Sport

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2016

Raptors’ home rule evens series with Cavs n Agencies Kyle Lowry always seems to be at his best when his back is against the wall. And through the first two games of the Eastern Conference finals, it was.

First, it was his seemingly harmless LeBron James compliment, which sounded offensive to some.

Then, it was supposedly quitting on his team by decompressing in the locker room.

Whatever. Lowry responded the way he usually does.

After scoring just 18 points combined in Games 1 and 2, Lowry tallied 20 in Game 3 and 35 more in Game 4, leading the Toronto Raptors to a 105-99 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night to even the Eastern Conference finals at 2-2.

Lowry notched 15 of his points in the second quarter as the Raptors established a lead of as many as 18.

However, as they’ve been known to do in the past, Toronto lost that lead only to get it back in crunch time.

After going 3-for-22 from 3-point range in the first half, Cleveland went 6-for-8 from deep in the third quarter, then drained its first 11 shots in the fourth.

But the Raptors clamped down on defense late and did just enough to prevail. Lowry delivered the knockout punch with a driving layup that gave Toronto a six-point lead with 22.5 seconds left.

Bismack Biyombo was brilliant again in all facets of the game, de-

livering five points, 14 rebounds and three blocks. He also guarded the perimeter on occasion when he wasn’t meeting his opponent at the rim.

DeMar DeRozan added 32 points and several key shots during closing time. It was the most combined

points Lowry and DeRozan have scored in a playoff game (67).

The key for Toronto will be taking its home dominance back on the road, where it lost the first two games of this series by a combined 50 points. l

EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS GAME 4, SERIES TIED 2-2

99-105

CAVALIERS CLE TOR

1 24 27

2 17 30

3 28 21

RAPTORS 4 30 27

T 99 105

CAVALIERS STARTERS K. LovePF L. JamesSF T. ThompsonC K. IrvingPG J.R. SmithSG C. FryePF R. JeffersonSF M. Dellavedova I. ShumpertSG

MIN 31 46 29 39 32 21 15 15 12

FG 4-14 11-16 1-3 11-21 3-12 4-8 4-4 1-4 0-1

3PT 2-7 1-3 0-0 3-8 3-11 4-8 0-0 0-3 0-1

STARTERS L. ScolaPF D. CarrollSF B. BiyomboC K. LowryPG D. DeRozanSG J. JohnsonPF P. PattersonPF T. RossSF C. JosephPG

MIN 14 36 42 44 40 6 34 7 16

FG 0-1 3-12 2-4 14-20 14-23 1-2 3-5 1-3 4-8

3PT 0-1 1-7 0-0 4-7 0-1 0-0 1-3 1-2 0-1

FT REB AST STL BLK TO 0-0 7 3 0 0 1 6-6 9 6 2 1 1 0-0 9 0 1 0 2 1-1 3 6 1 0 4 0-0 2 1 0 0 1 0-0 6 1 0 0 0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0 0-0 1 5 0 1 1 1-2 1 0 1 0 0

PF PTS 0 10 3 29 3 2 3 26 2 9 3 12 0 8 2 2 1 1

RAPTORS FT REB AST STL BLK TO 0-0 0 0 1 0 0 4-5 3 2 1 0 0 1-4 14 1 0 3 1 3-4 5 5 3 0 2 4-4 3 3 1 0 2 0-0 1 1 0 0 1 2-2 5 2 1 0 2 0-0 1 1 1 0 0 0-0 3 2 0 0 0

PF PTS 2 0 2 11 3 5 4 35 2 32 1 2 2 9 0 3 0 8

Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan battles two Cleveland Cavaliers players during the first half of the Eastern Conference final playoff on Monday AP

Mourinho set to fulfil United dream n AFP, Manchester Jose Mourinho was on the verge of fulfilling his dream of managing Manchester United yesterday after Louis van Gaal’s troubled two-year reign came to a bitter end.

The path was clear for the former Chelsea manager to be confirmed as the new United boss after Van Gaal was sacked Monday - the price of failing to get one of the world’s biggest clubs into the Champions League.

Mourinho’s agent Jorge Mendes was reported by British media to be in negotiations to tie up a deal.

It sets the stage for one of the sport’s most intriguing characters to at last manage the Red Devils after a glittering career that so far features 21 major trophies, including three English Premier League crowns and two Champions League titles.

Mourinho was sacked by Chelsea in December after a miserable campaign marred by rifts with the club’s star players that eventual-

ly became intolerable to owner Roman Abramovich as the team, champions just months earlier, languished near the relegation zone.

Now the colourful and controversial 53-year-old will hope to restore his reputation by bringing back the sparkle to United.

A casually-dressed Mourinho declined to answer reporters’ questions as he left his London home and got into a car yesterday

morning.

The BBC said the Portuguese manager’s appointment was unlikely to be finalised yesterday but was expected to be completed within the week.

For his part, Van Gaal said he was “very disappointed” to be sacked just 48 hours after leading United to victory in the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace on Saturday.

But United had finished fifth in

the Premier League and thereby missed out on a lucrative Champions League place, which proved the final straw for the club’s USbased owners.

The Glazer family didn’t let United’s first piece of silverware since the 2013 retirement of legendary boss Alex Ferguson stop them from wielding the axe on 64-year-old Van Gaal.

The Dutchman cleared out his office at United’s Carrington training ground on Monday after talks over a settlement for the final year of his three-year contract - worth a reported £6.4 million ($9.2 million, 8.2 million euros) per year.

The Daily Mirror newspaper reported that Mourinho called Van Gaal in the last few weeks to warn him that United had sounded him out about the Old Trafford job.

Mourinho worked under Van Gaal at Barcelona in the late 1990s and made the call to preserve their long-standing friendship, the tabloid said. l

Goetze’s Bayern pledge dampens transfer rumours n AFP, Berlin Mario Goetze says he is looking forward to next season at Bayern Munich, dampening speculation of a move back to Borussia Dortmund, or Liverpool to work again with Jurgen Klopp.

“I am looking forward to the new season in Munich and will do everything possible to be in top shape for my first training session with Carlo Ancelotti,” Goetze told German daily Bild.

The rumours were fuelled by a report in Munich-based newspaper the Sueddeutsche Zeitung that Goetze had been told by Ancelotti, Guardiola’s replacement as Bayern’s head coach next season, to find a new club.

On Monday, Goetze split with his agent, Volker Struth at SportsTotal, an agency which looks after 70 top players in Germany, "by mutual agreement" after six years together.l

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Sport

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2016

QUICK BYTES AC Milan captain Montolivo extends contract AC Milan have extended the contracts of captain Riccardo Montolivo and defenders Luca Antonelli and Davide Calabria until 2019, the club said yesterday (www.acmilan.com). Midfielder Montolivo, who made 30 appearances in Serie A last season, joined Milan in 2012 after more than six years at Fiorentina. The 31-year-old Italy international, who has won 62 caps, was named in the squad for next month’s European Championship despite doubts over his fitness. Antonelli, who rejoined Milan from Genoa in 2015, was rewarded with a new contract after earning a regular place in the starting line-up. Calabria, 19, made his debut last season and played six Serie A games for Milan who finished seventh in the table.

–REUTERS

France’s Varane out for two to three weeks Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane’s chances of representing France on home soil at Euro 2016 remain in the balance after Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane confirmed he will be out for up to three weeks with a hamstring injury. Varane will definitely miss Real’s Champions League final against Atletico Madrid on Saturday and faces a race against time to be fit for France’s opening Euro 2016 game against Romania on June 10. “It is sure that he will be injured for Saturday,” said Zidane yesterday. “I expect he will be out for two or three weeks.

I hope for him it isn’t as severe as anticipated. “I hope he’ll have the chance to do something at the Euros. “For sure it is a big blow, but above all for him. I am very disappointed for him.”

–AFP

Hummels finally signs five-year Bayern deal Germany defender Mats Hummels has formally completed his transfer back to Bayern Munich from Borussia Dortmund by signing a five-year contract for the Bavarian giants on Monday. The 27-year-old Borussia Dortmund captain finally put pen to paper and his transfer has reportedly cost Bayern 38 million euros ($42.5m). Both clubs had confirmed the deal on May 10, when Bayern splashed out a reported 73 million euros in one day by signing Hummels and Portugal teenager Renato Sanches from Benfica. Dortmund have made a fortune on the deal having originally paid Bayern four million euros for the World Cup winner back in 2008. “We are pleased to welcome Mats back at Bayern,” said Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge in a statement.

–AFP

Valencia stick with manager Ayestaran Pako Ayestaran has been appointed Valencia coach until 2018, the La Liga club said on their website (www.en.valenciacf.com) yesterday.

The 53-year-old Spaniard took over the first team in March until the end of the season after former England international Gary Neville was sacked four months into job. Ayestaran guided Valencia to 12th place in the league standings after a relegation scare, winning three of his eight games in charge. “Valencia CF wish to announce a new contract with Pako Ayestaran that will see him remain head coach of the first team until June 30th, 2018,” the club said in a statement. “The squad were informed of the decision this morning by chairwoman, Lay Hoon Chan, and sports director, Jesus Garcia Pitarch.”

–REUTERS

You say goodbye, I say hello: Schiavone Former champion Francesca Schiavone received a standing ovation from the French Open crowd yesterday after it was announced she was retiring. But that was news to her. “Roland Garros announced my retirement, but I didn’t,” said the 35-year-old Italian who was champion in 2010 and runner-up 12 months later. “So you can stand up and go back to work in the office because I didn’t say that. I will announce when I want to stop.” Schiavone, playing her 16th Roland Garros, lost 6-2, 6-4 to French 26th seed Kristina Mladenovic before being accorded a premature standing ovation by the crowd on Court Suzanne Lenglen.

–AFP

DAY’S WATCH BASKETBALL

CRICKET

SONY SIX

SONY SIX

7:00AM

8:30PM

NBA season 2015/16

IPL 2016, Eliminator

Oklahoma City v Golden State

Hyderabad v Kolkata

Ronaldo declares himself fit for final n Reuters, Madrid

Cristiano Ronaldo has reassured Real Madrid fans he will be fit to play in Saturday’s Champions League final against Atletico Madrid in Milan after limping out of yesterday’s training session.

Ronaldo failed to complete training

for the third session in a row, leaving the pitch with a thigh problem following a clash with Real goalkeeper Kiko Casilla.

“It was a minor scare, a knock, but in a few days’ time I will be well,” the Portuguese forward told reporters.

“I believe I’m in better shape,” he said. “I’ve had a slight problem but it’s

normal as I have been the most used player in the team.

“I think this is the season where I have played the most minutes. Besides the problem of [yesterday’s] training session, I believe I’m at my best level.”

Real’s goalscoring machine is just one victory away from clinching his third European crown. l

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Sport

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2016

Murray locked in survival battle, Wawrinka escapes shock n AFP, Paris Darkness halted Andy Murray’s bad-tempered French Open survival battle with Radek Stepanek while Stan Wawrinka avoided becoming the first defending champion to lose in the first round on Monday.

Second seed Murray dropped the first two sets 6-3, 6-3 before taking the third 6-0.

He then edged ahead with a break in the fourth at 4-2 when play was halted in the gloom of Court Philippe Chatrier at 2123 (1923GMT).

At 37, Stepanek is bidding to

Andy Murray of Britain serves against Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic in Paris yesterday REUTERS

Henriques, Starc recalled for SL tour n Reuters, Melbourne Australia all-rounder Moises Henriques is in line for his first Test in three years after being named in the squad for their three-match tour of Sri Lanka in July and August.

The 29-year-old seam bowler played the last of his three Tests during the ill-fated 2013 tour of India where Australia were whitewashed 4-0 and four players were stood down for a match in the infamous "homework-gate" episode.

Henriques failed to make an impression with the ball during that series but injuries to Peter Siddle and James Pattinson have opened the door for the Madeira-born cricketer to stake another claim in the top-

ranked Test nation.

“Henriques comes into the squad to give the flexibility of an additional all-rounder option, having already shown he plays and adapts well to spin-friendly conditions,” chairman of selectors Rod Marsh said in a team release yesterday.

“He has been working hard with his fitness and we believe he is in prime condition to serve us well should he be selected to play.”

Squad: Steve Smith (capt), David Warner, Joe Burns, Usman Khawaja, Adam Voges, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Moises Henriques, Peter Nevill, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, Steve O’Keefe, Jackson Bird, Nathan Coulter-Nile. l

be the oldest winner of a singles match in Paris since Jimmy Connors in 1991. And he appeared to be cruising to a shock win over the three-time semi-finalist when he swept the first two sets.

But Murray’s greater stamina and his eight-year age advantage resulted in a dramatic turnaround as

he took the third in just 18 minutes.

In between, the Scot was warned for swearing while Stepanek was also hit with a code violation for time wasting as he desperately demanded that the tie be called off for the night after the third set.

But he was ordered to keep playing and when the tie was halted it

was Murray in the ascendancy ahead of yesterday's resumption where he attempted to avoid his first opening round exit in Paris since his 2006 debut.

Wawrinka needed five tough sets to get past Stepanek’s equally combative and fiesty Czech compatriot, Lukas Rosol.l

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Drinking vessel (3) 3 Rabbit hunter (6) 8 Summit (4) 9 Drink (3) 10 Rough struggle (6) 11 Looked after (6) 14 Comforts (5) 17 Lid (5) 20 Obstruct (6) 24 Set as a burden (6) 26 Digit (3) 27 Otherwise (4) 28 Run fast (6) 29 Cereal (3)

DOWN 1 Young horse (4) 2 Chess piece (4) 3 Festivity (4) 4 Ooze out (5) 5 Coarse files (5) 6 Old cloth measures (3) 7 Swarms (5) 12 Self (3) 13 Stain (3) 15 Serpent (3) 16 Finish (3) 17 Vouchers of entitlement (5) 18 Adder (5) 19 Got up (5) 21 Dissolve (4) 22 At all times (4) 23 Irish republic (4) 25 Cleaning implement (3)

29

DT

Downtime

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2016

CODE-CRACKER How to solve: Each number in our CODECRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 1 represents P so fill P every time the figure 1 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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WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2016

Showtime

The Jessore show Of Under Construction

n Showtime Desk Prachya Filmsangha, Jessore has arranged screenings of Rubaiyat Hossain’s Under Construction at the Shilpaka Academy, Jessore on May 28. There will be three screenings of the film at the auditorium of Shilpaka Academy, Jessore at 4:00pm, 6:00pm, and 8:00pm.

The second feature of Hossain, stars Bollywood actor

Shahana Goswami, who plays a thirty-something stage actress in an unhappy in marriage -- a character whose life is explored against the very real backdrop of Bangladesh’s dire social state, with themes such as exploited factory workers, and boiling-over Islamic fundamentalism.

Rahul Bose, the film’s other star-attraction, plays the part of an art curator living in Europe, eager to stage an adaptation of Tagore’s

The Red Oleanders, a brainchild of Roya (Goswami). The film’s supporting cast includes Mita Rahman, Rikita Shimu, Shahdat hossain, and Toufiqul Islam.

Three songs have been used in the film, in which “Tomay Gaan Shonabo” and “Poush Toder” have been sung by Sahana Bajpaie, while Arnob composed music for the songs and background score.

The film got theater release, last January 22. l

Alia Bhatt busy with her new film n Farhan Shahriar One of the most trending young Bollywood beauty Alia Bhatt has started off the shoot for her upcoming flick Badrinath Ki Dulhania, and she is quite excited about the film already.

Moreover, she shared a selfie in her Instagram profile, with the caption regarding the shooting of the upcoming film.

The film is directed by Shashank Khaitan, the forthcoming movie that also stars Varun Dhawan, will be their third film together, after Student of the Year and Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania.

The movie, purportedly a sequel to romantic, comedy Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhaniya, is listed to hit the theatres on March 10, 2017. l

Angelina Jolie to teach masters course at LSE n Showtime Desk London School of Economics, one of Britain’s most renowned academic institutions, is surely going to witness an upswing in the number of interested applicants, as Angelina Jolie Pitt has confirmed of teaching a master’s course there.

The Oscar winning actress and a political campaigner, now adds academic to her list of roles by joining the London School of Economics’ Center for Women, Peace and Security as one of four visiting professors.

In its statement published on Monday, the LSE said the new master’s programme that starts taking applicants in the fall, includes courses titled “Women, Peace and Security,” “Gender and Militarisation,” and “Gender and Human Rights.” Students will conduct research on preventing sexual violence in conflicts and on women, peace and security.

Jolie, who made her directorial debut, In the Land of Blood and Honey, set against the backdrop of the 1992-95 Bosnian war, will deliver guest lectures and take part in workshops as a “visiting professor in practice.”

In the Bosnian war, an estimated 20,000 women were believed to have been raped.

“It is vital that we broaden the discussion on how to advance women’s rights and end impunity for crimes that disproportionately affect women, such as sexual violence in conflict,” Jolie, a special envoy for the UN refugee agency, said.

“I am looking forward to teaching and to learning from the students, as well as to sharing my own experiences of working alongside governments and the UN,” she told BBC. The Hollywood actress was appointed along with William Hague, with whom she founded the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative in 2012, when Hague was the British foreign secretary.

Angelina Jolie is married to the actor, Brad Pitt and has six children. She has been involved in humanitarian work with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for more than a decade, taking on some of the most difficult issues related to conflict, refugees, women, and sexual violence. l

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Showtime

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2016

Shilpa Shetty’s ancestors from Sylhet n Showtime Desk Popular Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty’s ancestors are from Sylhet, the actress revealed while visiting Dhaka for a fashion show this month.

She appeared as the show stopper at a fashion show titled “Fashion for Passion,” held

at the Bashundhara Convention Centre in the capital, on May 13.

While talking to journalists, Shilpa said: “I had heard a lot about the affectionate and loving attitude of Bangladeshis, and I am fascinated after coming here.

I never knew that I have such a huge fan following in Bangladesh!

Thanks to the organisers for inviting me to participate in such a beautiful arrangement.”

The Bollywood dive said: “My ancestors were from Sylhet. With that connection, I can speak Bangla a little. I understand it well, like ami tomake bhalobashi, and tumi dekhte khub mishti. However, I might get stuck if I try to speak it for a long time.”

She opined that Bangladesh has advanced a great deal in the

field of fashion and ramps. In Fashion for Passion, everyone’s outlook, style, and ideas matched the international standard. All the Bangladeshi participants were very talented, she added.

“The most exciting part was the audience’s reaction,” she said.

Expressing a desire to visit Sylhet, Shilpa said: “I wished to visit the homestead of my ancestors but cannot manage time this time. I came to Dhaka after finishing a programme in Dubai, and now have to rush for Mumbai.”

While answering different queries of journalists, she shared that she loved the rain of Bangladesh.

The actress has cut back on work after her marriage, and is currently spending most of her time with business, yoga, and practising dance.

“I will work when I like some script. I will accept any offer to act in Bangladeshi films after considering the opportunity,” she said. l

is going to murder Henry Allen.

Cisco’s vibes in the recent episodes are no other than the crisis where 2024 Flash and 2024 Reverse Flash vanish, and continue their fight in the past near Nora Allen.

After 2024, Flash took his younger self far from the Allen house, where Nora Allen was killed, his disappearance has been a mystery.

He couldn’t just leave the past with 2024 Reverse Flash in it.

That was the time where the time travelling Zoom kidnapped him as an insurance.

The exciting part from the latest trailer has to be the reveal of Zoom’s plans with the giant ring device. The goal of using the combined speed of two speedsters to power a device

that would destroy all the worlds of the mutliverse is worthy of the bad guy who broke Barry’s back, murdered Barry’s dad, and terrorised two major cities of two different worlds into submission.

It’s good to see that Barry seems to have learned his lesson about trusting the word of supervillains.

Barry and Team Flash figuring out Zoom’s motives, and forming a plan to destroy him, promises that the episode will be more than Barry winging it against Zoom.

Obviously, Barry doesn’t look like he’s in the best shape to be fighting Zoom at all, no matter what their plan is. But yeah, why not a little patience? Let’s see what happens in the final episode of The Flash. Don’t miss the premiere. l

The Flash: Season Review

n Farhan Shahriar Another dope season is about to end with mass catastrophes.

There’s only one episode left in Season 2 of The Flash, and the viewers are impatiently waiting for what will happen in the final hour. We already know that Zoom is the most wicked villain that Barry has ever faced in his way as a speedster, but few of us might have guessed how Zoom is craving for the title of “fastest man alive.”

The latest trailer for the Flash finale has already given a vibe of what Zoom is planning. Can Team Flash put an end to Zoom’s reign of terror?

The very last episode ended on some uncertainty that guaranteed a finale with some seriously high stakes. Cisco discovered via his

“vibe” powers that a misfortune was coming to the Earth, and Barry watched Zoom murder his father to try to prove that they are fundamentally the same.

From what we saw in the trailer, Zoom murdering Henry didn’t exactly have the desired effect.

On the other hand, we saw a man in the iron mask in one of the episodes. He is the future Barry Allen actually. Remember when Eobard Thawne made a video about him confessing the murder of Nora Allen?

He said these lines: “I’m not the thing you hate,” “You’ll never

be truly happy, Barry Allen, trust me. I know you.” He also said: “That’s my cue to leave,” after seeing Zoom’s helmet. He knows the future. He knew that Zoom

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Back Page

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2016

WB LENDS $176M TO BENEFIT 1M POOR FARMERS PAGE 13

SHILPA SHETTY’S ANCESTORS FROM SYLHET PAGE 31

BAN ON UNOFFICIAL VEHICLE STICKERS

Law enforcers the prime offenders Tahmima Anam

A story of love and lost identity n Tribune Desk

These recently taken photos show two uniformed policemen, left, and a civil-dressed man with his family - none of them wearing a helmet - riding on motorbikes that still have stickers reading “police” pasted in front of the vehicle. According to a recent DMP ban, only stickers that are officially issued by organisations are allowed to be pasted on vehicles operating on Dhaka streets. Unauthorised temporary stickers such as the pictured ones are illegal under the ban MEHEDI HASAN/ SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

n Mohammad Jamil Khan It has been three weeks since the ban on the use of vehicle stickers that state the owners’ profession – i.e. doctor, journalist, lawyer, etc – came into effect in Dhaka, but its implementation is still far from visible.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) banned the use of these temporary stickers on cars and motorcycles on May 4.

“Criminals use vehicles with temporary stickers to get away after committing crimes. Moreover, many car drivers and motorcycle riders use these stickers to take their vehicles on the wrong side of the road. Such behaviour will not be tolerated any more,” DMP Commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia said then.

But most of the vehicles in the capital still seem to use the temporary stickers. The majority of such violations are being committed by police officials, according to several sources.

In one instance, this correspondent spotted a car in Bahadur

Shah Park area around 12:30pm on Saturday, heading towards English Road on the wrong side of the road to avoid traffic.

The traffic constable in the area did not even attempt to flag the car down because a white sheet of paper with “POLICE” printed on it was stuck on its windscreen.

When this correspondent asked the traffic constable, Sohel, why he had not stopped the car, he said the car belonged to their “Sir,” refusing to give any more details.

Soon, two motorcycles followed the car on the wrong side. One of them was carrying a sticker saying “Dhaka South City Corporation” where its licence plate should be.

Later, this correspondent found two more motorcycles in Shahbagh which were carrying stickers that said “Chhatra League” instead of licence plates.

Over the past two weeks, the Dhaka Tribune has spotted several motorcycles in lower court area which still carry the “Lawyer” sticker.

Asked about this matter, DMP

Commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia admitted that the ban was not being followed in Dhaka.

“We received widespread positive response when we introduced the ban. But it is true that some people are not following it and government officials and law enforcers are among them,” he told the Dhaka Tribune on Saturday.

“If a person is found using these temporary stickers, stern action will be taken against them – whether they are police official or some one else. Also, no one is allowed to take the wrong side of the road.

The traffic police have been instructed to book in everyone who breaks the traffic rules, even if they are VIPs.” However, the DMP chief mentioned that car and motorcycle owners can still use permanent stickers carrying the names of the organisations they work in.

DMP Deputy Commission Maruf Hossain Sardar said: “Our traffic police are removing stickers from the vehicles that are carrying temporary stickers, but we also know

that when they find such vehicles owned by police officials, they are not only removing the stickers but also filing cases against them.”

Stickers to be banned around the country

After imposing the ban on removable vehicle stickers in Dhaka and Chittagong metropolitan areas, police are now planning to extend the ban across the country.

A directive in this regard has been issued to all superintendents of police in Bangladesh, sources told the Dhaka Tribune.

Speaking to reporters at his office on Monday, Inspector General of Police AKM Shahidul Hoque said the ban was necessary because criminals use these stickers to commit many nefarious activities.

“Temporary stickers have already been banned in Dhaka and Chittagong, and the process to ban their use across the country is underway,” he said.

The ban came into effect in Dhaka on May 4 and in Chittagong on May 15. l

“The Bones of Grace,” the new novel by acclaimed Bangladesh-born writer Tahmima Anam, is a richly-textured, cross-cultural love story and a complex exploration of one’s roots and identity. This is the third novel by the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize winner, whose journey as a writer started with “A Golden Age” and continued with “The Good Muslim.” Tahmima crafts a story in her new novel that has ties to her previous two novels, yet stands quite well on its on.

Tahmima’s latest work explores the world of Zubaida Haque, a graduate student of palaeontology at Harvard University, who finds love most unexpectedly, loses it, and realises that the traditional life of a Bangali woman is not something she is prepared for.

An adopted child, Zubaida longs to discover the truth about her biological family. Her mission to fully understand the past from which she was removed makes the novel both haunting and beautiful.

“Anam’s story resonates powerfully within the saga of three generations of women,” says Kirkus, a US-based book review magazine, “personifying Bangladesh’s evolution from the clarity of revolution to the confusions of assimilation with the larger world.”

Booklist Online gives a starred review to “The Bones of Grace”: “This tale of Zubaida’s search for her true identity, and the romantic and professional choices she makes along the way, provides a gripping conclusion to Anam’s insightful and enlightening trilogy.”

“A novel of heart, brain, and muscle – the competing pulls of history and love are evoked here with a rare honesty and great skill,” says Kamila Shamsie, author of “Burnt Shadows.” l

Editor: Zafar Sobhan, Published and Printed by Kazi Anis Ahmed on behalf of 2A Media Limited at Dainik Shakaler Khabar Publications Limited, 153/7, Tejgaon Industrial Area, Dhaka-1208. Editorial, News & Commercial Office: FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka 1207. Phone: 9132093-94, Advertising: 9132155, Circulation: 9132282, Fax: News-9132192, e-mail: news@dhakatribune.com, info@dhakatribune.com, Website: www.dhakatribune.com