May 30, 2016

SECOND EDITION

MONDAY, MAY 30, 2016

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Jyoishtha 16, 1423, Shaban 22, 1437

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Regd No DA 6238, Vol 4, No 37

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

Is the new tax law discriminatory?

Businesses shut today in protest

BUDGET FY2017

n Tribune Desk

Samiul Basher Anik n Syed and Jebun Nesa Alo With the government's 2012 law introducing a 15% flat consumption tax on a broad base of consumer goods about to come into effect in 2016-17, many are concerned that the brunt of tax burdens will fall on the shoulders of lower income groups.

The government has set a significantly higher revenue earning target from VAT in the upcoming 2016-17 fiscal year, making it the largest segment of its internal revenue income, in contrast to its previous budgets where income tax was the biggest segment.

In FY17, the government wants  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

700 migrants feared drowned in the Mediterranean n Tribune Desk Over 700 migrants are feared dead in three Mediterranean Sea shipwrecks south of Italy in the last few days as they tried desperately to reach Europe in unseaworthy smuggling boats, the UN refugee agency said Sunday.

The shipwrecks over three days appear to account for the largest loss of life reported in the Mediterranean since April 2015, when a single ship sank with an estimated 800 people trapped inside, reports the Associated Press.

Refugees who saw that boat sink said it was carrying about 670 people, didn’t have an engine and was being towed by another packed smuggling boat before it capsized.

About 25 people from the capsized boat managed to reach the first boat and survive, 79 others were rescued by international patrol boats and 15 bodies were recovered.

Italian police said survivors identified the commander of the boat with the working engine as a 28-year-old Sudanese man, who has been arrested.

In a third shipwreck on Friday,  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

Lower income groups might face a much larger tax burden as the new VAT law is expected to raise prices of everyday commodities MEHEDI HASAN

Businesses will stay shut today across Bangladesh in protest of the government’s decision to move forward with replacing the existing package VAT provision with a flat 15% tax.

Abu Motaleb, the general secretary of Baboshayee Oikko Forum, a platform of various business associations, announced the strike at a press conference on Saturday.

Business leaders have also sought Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s intervention in the matter.

“If we do not get any positive response from the government on our seven-point demand, we will form human chains on May 30 [today], seeking intervention from  PAGE 2 COLUMN 5

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MONDAY, MAY 30, 2016

Challenges ahead in implementing new VAT law BUDGET FY2017 n Syed Samiul Basher Anik The government is faced with a fresh set of challenges as it is determined to implement the Value Added Tax and Supplementary Duty Act 2012 from the first day of the upcoming fiscal year.

One of the biggest challenges would be the implementation of 15% uniform VAT collection from all traders, as businesspeople are strongly opposing this provision.

The implementation of the new law would introduce an online VAT payment system, but remove existing provisions on package VAT or truncated value-based VAT system.

The NBR, which will be in charge of putting the law into practice, has said it faces a strong hurdle ahead.

NBR officials said a uniform VAT rate might increase the cost of doing business in the initial years, with the increased price of goods

ultimately affecting the consumers’ spending.

According to an NBR analysis, tax authorities would also have to overcome different obstacles including the withdrawal of package or truncated value-based VAT system, cancellation of VAT exemption benefits through official notifications and gazettes, compressing the area of supplementary duty, and the cancellation of tariff value-based VAT system.

The analysis also pointed that these challenges may affect the value of products and services at the consumer end, and eventually affect the protections offered to the local industry to do business.

Withdrawal of package VAT

The withdrawal of the package VAT, which small traders and shops annually pay on the basis of their shops’ locations and sizes, would be the top challenge for implementation of the law, officials said.

Currently, there are multiple VAT rates considering the strength and weakness of different sectors and there is a truncated value-based VAT system in 32 sectors.

The consumers will have to bear the brunt of the government’s plan to withdraw multiple VAT rates and imposition of flat 15% VAT rate.

Withdrawal of the tariff value-based taxation, which is now in place at local production stage of 85 products, will increase the risk of inflation with the price hike of essential goods.

Abolishment of the system will also increase cost of doing business and cost of government projects if the law comes into effect, according to the NBR analysis.

Not only the consumers, but the government would also have to spend more money on its fast-track and priority government projects, including Padma Bridge, Metro Rail and other mega projects because of changes in the VAT measures.

For example, currently businesses are paying Tk412.50 as VAT for purchasing each tonne of MS Rod under the tariff-based VAT system. However, they will have to pay Tk3,299 as VAT under new law, which is Tk2,816 up from existing price, and that will result in price hike of these essential element of construction sector.

Cancellation of VAT exemption benefits

With implementation of new act, exemption facility would be very limited and such benefit would only be available in case of emergency situations like natural calamities.

Currently, a total 1,973 products are enjoying VAT exemption under the existing VAT Act 1991.

However, the new act has abolished the provisions for VAT exemption facility through official gazettes which means price of these products are likely to go up.

According to the first schedule of the new act, only necessary food items for living, live saving medicines, public transport system, public health and medical system, education and training, agriculture, fisheries farming, non-commercial activities of non-profit organisations, non-profit cultural organisations etc will enjoy VAT exemption.

As the VAT exemption facilities were made limited in new law, it will make changes in the tariff line affecting the revenue mobilisation for the government.

Reduction in base of supplementary duty

Collection of supplementary duty on import of different products is also expected to decline sharply as the number of products having supplementary duty would also be reduced to only 170 from the existing 1,362 products.

Withdrawal of the SD will create net revenue loss of Tk2,500 crore for the government, the analysis found.

However, the government is implementing the law with an aim to increase the VAT collection on import stage by 3.7% and to rise the internal VAT collection by 15% to 20%.

According to NBR estimates, revised VAT contribution, as a share of gross domestic product, will increase to 4.7% from 3.7% in the first year of reforms under the law.

Although there are many apprehension, the revenue authorities, however said that there would be no VAT burden on businesses as the VAT would be imposed in every stage; so the traders would also get rebate facilities accordingly if they maintain accounts properly. l

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Is the new tax law discriminatory? the National Board of Revenue (NBR) to raise Tk2,03,152 crore, 33.5% higher than current fiscal year’s target of Tk1,76,370 crore.

The VAT wing alone will have to raise around 37% or Tk74,100 crore of this target.

When the Value Added Tax and Supplementary Duty Act 2012 comes into effect from July 2016, it is expected to push up prices with a flat VAT of 15% and the withdrawal of VAT exemption on 1,973 products.

An analysis by the NBR on the challenges of implementing the new law also warned of this issue.

The analysis said the NBR was expecting an inflation of 1% or less in the prices of goods and services as the new tax comes into effect.

Electricity consumption may be one of the hardest hits, with tax rising 10% on bills under the new law, the analysis said.

Fiscal year

Total revenue target

VAT

Income tax

Customs duty

2015-16

1,76,370cr

63,902cr

65,932cr

46,536cr

2015-16 (revised)

1,50,000cr

54,064cr

53,436cr

42,500cr

2016-17

2,03,152cr

74,100cr

73,300cr

55,752cr

Another 19 essential services will also face 15% tax.

Economist Wahiduddin Mahmud told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday that the new VAT was likely to affect the livelihood of low-income groups because it will raise the price of commodities.

Small and medium enterprises could face double taxation, he also warned.

‘VAT much easier to collect’

While the bigger share of NBR’s revenue so far has been the progressive direct tax on income, which takes more money from people who make more money, this fiscal

year the focus has been shifted to consumption tax.

Consumption tax was much easier to collect, NBR officials said.

“We do not need to analyse your income or your status. All we need do is just impose the VAT rate and it will automatically generate revenue,” an NBR official said.

The evidence also points in this direction. VAT collections have been consistently closer to the target than income taxes over the years.

In FY17, the income tax wing has been given a target of Tk73,300 crore, which is 36% of the total revenue target.

NBR data shows that taxpayers

account for just around 1% of the Bangladeshi population.

Currently, around 1.75 million people have tax identification numbers and only 1.1 million of them submit their income tax returns regularly.

Economists blame the lack of initiatives to expand the tax base, lack of tax offices, complicated tax payment process and no tracking on whether taxpayers’ money is properly used as some of the reasons behind the poor outcome.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith will place the budget for fiscal year 2016-17 at parliament on June 2. l

Businesses shut today PM Sheikh Hasina,” said Motaleb.

All businesses will keep their operations closed and stage protests across the country, he added.

The parliament in 2012 passed a law to automate VAT administration and increase revenue collection.

Under this law, all levels of businesses will pay a unique and single VAT rate at 15% from July 1; there will be no package VAT or truncated value-based VAT. “If the government wants to implement the VAT Act 2012, it will have to include the package VAT,” Abdus Salam, the president of Baboshayee Oikko Forum, told the Dhaka Tribune.

Monjur Ahmed, an FBCCI adviser, said the business community was also unwilling to accept a temporary hiatus on the flat VAT. l

700 migrants feared drowned in the Mediterranean 135 people were rescued, 45 bodies were recovered and an unknown numbers of migrants were still missing.

Because the bodies went missing in the open sea, it is impossible to verify the numbers who died.

Humanitarian organisations and rescue authorities typically rely on survivors’ accounts to piece together what happened.

Italian police corroborated the

UNHCR description of Thursday’s sinking in their own interviews with survivors, but came up with different numbers of possible missing.

They say, according to survivors, the boat being towed was carrying about 500 migrants when it starting taking on water after about eight hours at sea. Efforts to empty the water - with a line of migrants passing a few 5-liter bailing cans were insufficient and the boat was

completely under water after an hour and a half, police said. At that point, the commander of the first smuggling boat doing the towing ordered the tow rope to be cut.

The migrants on the top deck of the sinking boat jumped into the sea, while those below deck, estimated at 300, sank with the ship, police said. Of those who jumped into the water, just 90 were rescued.

Survivors were taken to the Ital-

ian ports of Taranto on the mainland and Pozzallo on the island of Sicily.

The UN agency is trying to gather information with sensitivity considering that most of the new arrivals are either shipwreck survivors or traumatized by what they saw.

Italy’s southern islands are the main destinations for countless numbers of smuggling boats launched from the shores of lawless Libya each week packed with

people seeking jobs and safety in Europe. Hundreds of migrants drown each year attempting the dangerous Mediterranean Sea crossing.

Warmer waters and calmer weather of late have only increased the migrants’ attempts to reach Europe. Last week, over 4,000 migrants were rescued at sea in one day alone by an Italian-led naval operation. l

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FBCCI: Flat VAT is harassment BUDGET FY2017 n Ibrahim Hossain Ovi A 15% uniform value added tax (VAT) for all businesses will be a tool for harassment, especially for small and medium enterprises, business leaders have claimed.

Experts are saying the new VAT law will be very tough to implement because businesses and the system are not ready yet.

Small businesses do not have the capacity to maintain accounts at several levels of purchase, Md Shafiul Islam, first vice president of the Federation of Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FBCCI) told the Dhaka Tribune.

As a result they will fail to show the documents needed to enjoy the intended rebates, he argued.

“It will only be a tool for the concerned authorities for the harassment of businesses,” he said.

“It will create anger among the people and will keep them from participating in the VAT process,” Shafiul added.

He urged the government to introduce package VAT for small businesses as they contribute a lots to the national economy and generate employment especially for rural people.

The business leader urged the government to introduce multiple rates of VAT in the next budget.

“I think a 15% VAT is too high and it should be 10%,” economist AB Mirza Azizul Islam told the Dhaka Tribune.

The former finance adviser to caretaker government admitted that a unified VAT rate was ultimately needed but businesses, especially small entrepreneurs, were not ready and capable of maintaining accounts.

“If it is made mandatory it will be

A woman works on a yarn mill at a small factory. Many such enterprises may be badly affected by the new VAT that will come into effect from July very tough to implement,” he said.

If the uniform rate is reduced to 10%, it will help increase willing participation of the people as well as collection, he added.

However, Islam opposed the ceiling, saying it would create an opportunity to manipulate and to evade VAT. “But there should be an exemption limit for small businesses,” he added.

“It is quite impossible for small entrepreneurs to maintain accounts because it costs a lot to employ accountants. If the new VAT law is implemented with a 15% unified rate, it will not increase

government revenue. It will increase harassment for businesses instead,” Abdus Salam, president of the Baboshayee Oikko Forum (Business Unity Forum) told the Dhaka Tribune.

He argued that businesses would have to pay bribes instead of VAT as officials will take advantage of them for lacking proper documents.

Baboshayee Oikko Forum is a platform of various business associations formed to put pressure on the government to materialise several demands including package VAT. “If the government wants to see the development of an SME sector, it will have to keep package VAT in the

law for the sector. Otherwise, small manufacturers will lose confidence due to production cost,” Monjur Ahmed, a VAT expert and FBCCI adviser, told the Dhaka Tribune.

This will cause mport dependency to rise and create a crisis of employment, he said. He also sought a permanent solution to the VAT rate issue.

The Parliament in 2012 passed the law to automate the VAT administration and increase revenue collection. The act will come into effect from July 1, 2016 after unveiling it in the parliament during the announcement of the budget for the fiscal year 2016-17 on June 2.

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

Following the initiative, the National Board of Revenue in 2013 undertook the VAT Online Project to ensure a taxpayers-friendly and service-oriented automated system.

But the law has already drawn widespread criticism from different quarters, mostly from leading business associations, as it will impose a uniform 15% VAT on all products and services, removing existing multiple rates.

The law will have no provisions for package VAT or the truncated value-based VAT system. With the introduction of the law, all levels of business will have to pay a unique and single VAT rate at 15%. l

Police: Licensed firearms used in Ctg polls violence Mizanur Rahaman, n FM Chittagong Police in Chittagong have found evidence of use of bullets of licensed firearms in violence during the recent union parishad elections.

They said bullets of licensed firearms were also sold illegally that caused casualties before and after the polls.

“Those possessing licensed firearms sold bullets that were used during acts of violence in elections,” said AKM Hafiz Akhtar,

superintendent of police of Chittagong, at a meeting on law and order situation held at the office of the deputy commissioner yesterday.

“Nobody possessing a licensed firearm has the right to sell bullets to others. I will write to the Home Ministry to take necessary actions in this regard,” he said.

Hafiz said police had recently recovered several bullets of firearms that were licensed in Cox’s Bazar.

“The bullets were recovered from Satkania upazila. Police also found several other bullets in Mirsharai

upazila but the firearms were registered in Chittagong.”

“We have found that bullets of firearms licensed to a government official and a local public representative were used in polls-time violence,” the superintendent of police told the Dhaka Tribune.

He said police would check the recovered bullets and the licences of the firearms would be cancelled.

“Also, cases will be filed under the arms act if anyone is found to have sold his bullets to others or have used it in illegal acts.”

Yesterday’s meeting was

presided over by Chittagong Deputy Commissioner Mesbah Uddin while top government officials, including the upazila nirbahi officers under Chittagong district, assistant commissioner (land), chairmen of upazilas and municipality mayors, and officials of different law enforcement agencies were present.

Echoing the view of Hafiz, Deputy Commissioner Mesbah said the Home Ministry would be informed of the sale of bullets of licensed firearms and would be asked to take necessary measures.

“Firearms licences have been issued by the DC office based on police verification report. Possessors of firearms buy their own bullets after licences are issued,” he said, adding: “It should be ensured that criminals are not issued firearm licence and the possible illegal use of arms should be monitored.”

Hafiz told the meeting that police will conduct special operations in Lohagara, Satkania, Anwara and Banshkhali upazilas ahead of the sixth phase of union parishad elections scheduled for June 4 to arrest criminals and recover arms. l

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DEATH OF ON-DUTY POLICE OFFICIALS

Family members to get rations n Mohammad Jamil Khan Family members of police officials, who died or were killed while on duty, will get rations until the end of the service of those officials.

Rations will be provided to a maximum of three family members from the time of death of the police official till the end of his service, including the post retirement leave period, according to a letter issued by the Home Ministry.

The letter, signed by Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, said police officials, while on duty, often face disasters or accidents and die. In such cases, all kinds of facilities, including salary and rations, are discontinued for

their family members.

“Considering the suffering of family members of such police officials, rations will be continued for a maximum of three family members. This will also be a source of mental strength for the members of the police department as they will rest assured that their families will not face extreme hardship if something happens to them,” read the letter.

The letter said continuation of rations for three family members will cost Tk36,000 a year (as per the present market price), which is a very short amount of money against the total police budget.

Besides, family members of defence officials get rations for

Anu: Police have made Banshkhali a prison n Abid Azad The Gondamara union in Chittagong’s Banshkhali has become a prison as the police continue to lay siege and cordon off the area, Prof Anu Muhammad has said.

“The [Banshkhali power plant] project started with fraud, falsity and criminal activities against the Banshkhali people, while the local conglomerate S Alam group started grabbing 1,700 acre of government khash land in the name of the project,” said the member secretary of the National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Ports.

“Bangladesh is getting sliced to fulfil the interests of other countries. India is in Rampal to create its strategic power, while Russia is in Rooppur nuclear power plant, USA is capturing the Bay of Bengal and now China is in Banshkhali coal-based power plant in the name of creating economic zone in Bangladesh.

Therefore, the country is going ahead through a destructive situation,” he warned.

“Electricity crisis cannot be solved with destructive projects like Banshkhali and Rampal coal-based power plants, and Rooppur nuclear power plant project. In 2006, Sri Lanka had a project of coal-based power plant with India, but when they realised [the dangers] Sri Lanka cancelled the project. If Sri Lanka can realise and cancel such destructive project, why cannot Bangladesh?” asked

Anu, who is a professor at Jahangirnagar University.

He made the comments in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka, where a demonstration was staged yesterday to protest the proposed Banshkhali and Rampal projects, and the killing of civilians in Banshkhali.

Speakers at the programme said the police were harassing the Banshkhali people with arrests and detention, while people were now unable to leave their village out of fear.

They also demanded immediate arrest of those responsible for the April 4 deaths of four Banshkhali power plant protesters, and the release of the investigation report as soon as possible.

Dhaka University Prof MM Akash, a founding member secretary of the National Committee, also pointed out the weak logic behind the government’s intention of building new power plants.

“The government claimed that it now has capability to produce 14,500MW electricity while the demand is 8,500MW. This simple data shows the loopholes of the government interest to make power plant projects in the country. If the demand is under their [government’s] capability, why are they not producing it?”

The government has signed a deal allowing a joint venture to build a 1,224MW ultra supercritical thermal power plant in Banshkhali at a cost of $2.4bn. l

lifetime, like a retired officer getting pension, if any officer dies while on duty or until the second marriage. Rations are also provided to three children of the officer for the next 22 years.

Mentioning this, the home minister urged the finance minister to think about the family members of police officials like those of defence officers. The letter was sent to the Finance Ministry on May 15.

The finance minister forwarded the letter to the finance secretary on May 24, and attached a note that asked the secretary to examine the letter.

The note also said such form of discrimination was not acceptable. l

Soft loans in livestock sector recommended n Abu Bakar Siddique

The government should emphasise on providing soft loans for the livestock sector in order to increase local production as well as retaining the interest of small- and medium-scale producers in the rural areas, speakers said at a discussion yesterday.

One of the key reasons that create obstacles to dairy development is lack of an appropriate financing system for poor female entrepreneurs that can meet all their needs appropriately, said Professor Abul Barkat, chief adviser at the Human Development Research Centre.

“Most of the micro- and smallscale farmers in rural regions get little financial support from banks,

financial institutions and even NGOs operating in such areas,” he told the discussion on forming a national forum for the development of women dairy producers.

The discussion was held at La Vinci Hotel in Dhaka.

Bangladesh has the third biggest cattle production in Asia while around 90% of milk is produced by small-scale farmers in rural areas.

The country’s average milk consumption is far below the amount recommended by World Health Organisation, which is 250ml per person per day, and is closely related to the chronic malnutrition of predicted 30% adult women.

Cattle density in the country is high, but the current milk production is pretty insufficient. l

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Phone survey to collect public opinion on power sector n Aminur Rahman Rasel In a bid to understand people’s perception about the electricity sector, state-owned Bangladesh Energy and Power Research Council (EPRC) and Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) have paired up to conduct a countrywide power survey.

The organisations signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) yesterday at Bidyut Bhaban to conduct an “Opinion Survey on Power Supply to Households.”

Speaking as the chief guest at the programme, prime minister’s Energy Adviser Dr Tawfiqe-E-Elahi Chowdhury said this survey was going to be unique because it would be conducted over mobile phone.

collected from six mobile operators with the help of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC).

The BBS had earlier carried out a similar survey on the electricity sector in 2014, the BBS DG said.

That survey was conducted over 1,800 households across Bangladesh. “But in that survey, we did not go division-wise as it was of smaller scale. This time we will have a better representative picture of the field,” he said.

Mohammad Hossain, director general of Power Cell, suggested that the new survey is conducted as a continuation of the 2014 BBS baseline survey.

Monowar Islam, the secretary of Power Division, said the electricity sector has become a success story since the present Awami League

“The data collected from this type of survey will be able to build us a knowledge-based society,” he said.

EPRC Chairman Dr Ahmed Kaikaus and BBS Director General Mohammad Abdul Wazed signed the MoU on behalf of their respective organisations.

Talking about the survey, the BBS DG Wazed said the survey would be conducted in two phases.

The first phase will be conducted this June and the second phase in January next year. In each phase, the survey will be conducted over 12,560 households in divisional levels for 10 days.

Wazed said the survey would be conducted through mobile phones instead of going to the households in persons. The phone numbers of the selected households will be

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government came to power in 2009. “But there is no end to improvement. There is still a lot to be done.”

About the survey, he suggested that BBS should incorporate segmented opinions from the industrial and irrigation customers.

EPRC Chairman Dr Ahmed Kaikaus said the government needs to know about people’s perception to take the power sector to the next stage. “If we have appropriate data about people’s perception, then it will be able to aid us in shaping the right policy.”

AKM Mozammel Haque, secretary of the Statistics and Informatics Division, echoed Dr Kaikaus saying: “This type of survey takes the government to people’s doorstep.” l

Speaker Shirin Sharmin hospitalised n UNB Jatiya Sangsad Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury has been hospitalised after she fell ill on Saturday night.

She suffered from hypertension and was admitted to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Dhaka, said a closed aide to the speaker. “She is doing fine now,” he said, requesting anonymity.

He also said President Abdul Hamid and Chief Justice SK Sinha visited the speaker at the hospital, where they spent some time with her and wished for her early recovery.

Born in 1966, Shirin was elected the first female speaker of Jatiya Sangsad in April 2013. l

DOMESTIC HELP TORTURED TO DEATH

Police use tenant info to arrest employers n Mohammad Jamil Khan In a first-of-its-kind instance of apprehending crime suspects, Dhaka Metropolitqan Police (DMP) has arrested a couple in Gazipur for allegedly beating their 10-year-old house maid to death – using their tenant information form.

Deputy Commissioner Biplob Kumar Sarkar of DMP’s Tejgaon Division made the announcement at a press briefing at his office yesterday.

The suspects – Shariful Islam, 37, and his wife Farzana Liza, 28 – were arrested in Gazipur’s Sreepur upazila on late Saturday night.

Addressing the press briefing, Biplob said the child in question, Hasina Akhtar, who was from Mymensingh, came to work as a household help at Shariful’s house at Road 16 of Sher Shah Road in Mohammadpur, Dhaka around four months ago.

Soon after she started working there, the couple started beating her up for smallest of reasons and did not let her meet her parents.

During one such torture session, Hasina fell unconscious and Shariful brought her to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) on May 19. There were heavy injuries all

over her 10-year-old body, said DMCH sources.

As police took interest in her case and asked Shariful about it, he said he had found her on the road, Biplob said.

Seeing police’s interest, Biplop fled the hospital. He also informed Hasina’s mother Salma Begum that her daughter was in hospital, but he told her Hasina had typhoid.

Soon after making the call, Shariful turned his phone off and he and his wife went into hiding.

Hasina struggled for life for eight days before succumbing to death on May 27.

Salma Begum filed a murder case against the couple with Mohammadpur police station soon after Hasina’s passing.

As Shariful could not be traced, police pulled up their tenant information form and, tracing another mobile phone number listed on the form, found the couple in Sreepur.

Asked whether Hasina had been sexually abused as well, the deputy commissioner said police had yet to get any information in that regard.

“We are investigating this case with utmost care so we can ensure punishment for the culprits,” he told reporters. l

TEMPERATURE FORECAST FOR TODAY

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Despite several drives to remove street vendors near Dhaka Medical College Hospital, they always come back to set up their businesses, sometimes right on the street leading to the hospital entrance, blocking the space in front of the pharmacies. The photo was taken yesterday MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

BIOMETRIC SIM REGISTRATION

Tarana: No more deadline extension n Ishtiaq Husain The deadline for biometric SIM registration will not be extended anymore, State minister for Telecom Tarana Halim has said.

Addressing a press conference at the secretariat yesterday, she said: 26

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“The registration was scheduled to end on April 30 but the government extended it to May 31 after considering the people’s sufferings.

“Those who have not registered their SIMs within the period will have their SIMs blocked for two months. Owners of the SIMs Khulna

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can only repurchase it after two months.”

She said mobile operators can sell those unregistered SIMs after a certain period of time.

Only non-resident Bangladeshis can register their SIMs within 15 months, Tarana added. l Sylhet

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

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MONDAY, MAY 30, 2016

Litchi traders buzz in markets n Bipul Sarker Sunny, Dinajpur People involved in litchi production and selling are now passing busy time as ripe and half-ripe local varieties and some high yielding litchi have already started appearing the local markets in Dinajpur which is considered as the empire of juicy fruit.

Litchi traders form Dhaka, Munshiganj, Gazipur, Kishoreganj, Chittagong, Sylhet, Comilla and Habiganj districts and other areas across the country started arriving in the district.

The farmers of the district cultivate mostly high yielding varieties like China 3, China 4 and Bedana, early varieties like Bombay, Mozaffarpuri and Madrazi and late variety Kanthali litchi.

But all of the varieties, China 3, Madraji, Bedan and Kathali have great demand among customers.

Moreover, Bedana variety is exported to abroad every year.

According to the Department of Agricultural Extension, cultivation of the juicy fruits are gradually expanding in Dinajpur. Litchi was cultivated on 1,500 hectares land in 2010, 1,700 hectares in 2011, 1,965 hectares in 2012 and 2,000 hectares in 2013. In 2015, growers cultivated litchi on 4,057 hectares of land while this year the cultivation area has expanded to 4,183 hectares of land.

But some growers are a little disappointed with the price of litchi while traders are saying that price is reasonable for customers.

Kuddus Ali, a grower who came to Kalitola from Kisamat Madhabpur in order to sell litchi, said the

size of litchi was smaller this year due to dry weather.

He said “We earlier apprehended that we would not get fair price, but now we are getting justified price of the fruit. I am happy with the price.”

Another grower Mobarak Shah said he was frustrated with price as he has to count extra money to pro-

Five Ansar members die in boat capsize

Irregularities in employment generation programme found

Five female Ansar members were killed after a boat capsized in the Ghorautra River in Kishoreganj in the early hours of yesterday.

The deceased are Sabina Akter, 35, Beauty Akter, 38, Hasina Begum, 45, Ambia Khatun, and Momena Akter, 33. Nikli upazila’s ansar camp was their work station and they were residents of different villages of the upazila.

Officer-in-Charge of Mithaimoin police station Alamgir Hossain said they were returning home after completing their election duties.

The boat which was carrying extra passengers capsized within a few minutes after it left Mithaimoin Bazar Ghat around 5am.

He said local people recovered five bodies soon after the incident and another body at about 8:30am.l

Irregularities have been found in Employment Generation Programme for the Poorest (EGPP) under the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief (MoDMR) at Sariakandi upazila in the district.

Upazila Project Implementation Officer Sarowar Alam said EGPP had taken 35 projects in 12 union councils of the upazila for 40 days in 2015-16 fiscal year.

Tk99.44 lakh had been allocated and a total of 243 workers had been appointed to implement the projects.

Locals alleged there was signboard in the name of the project, but no work had been done at all.

The agitated villagers also alleged that the authorities forced the students to do the work of the projects hampering their study.

n Tafsilul Aziz, Kishoreganj

Growers sort out litchis after plucking the juicy fruits from tress at an orchard located in Masimpur area, Dinajpur yesterday

n Nazmul Huda Nasim, Bogra

duce the fruit due to lack of rainfall in time.

During a visit to market this correspondent found that 100 pieces of Bombay varieties of litchi were sold from Tk150 to Tk220, Madraji variety at Tk250, Bedana variety at Tk400700 and China 3 at Tk600 to 900.

Tauhidul Islam, a trader, said the price of litchi was fluctuating

On May 17, when the projects of Sadar upazila, Kutubpur, Kornibari, Chandanbaisha union councils were visited, 13 workers were found to do work. Of them, six were schoolboys.

Dulal Tarafdar, a union council member and in-charge of a project said due to labour crisis, the students had been engeaged with the work.

“The workers, whom we have found in the list, were physically unable to do work. So, we have to engage the students,” he added.

Though 45 workers were appointed Kornibari union to repair the Mathurapara Road and Eidgah field, no worker was found there.

Additional Agriculture Officer Shafiqul Islam said there were irregularities as the concern authorities were not sincere to investigate the projects.

At least 28 workers were supposed to do work in Chandanbai-

everyday. But they were satisfied with the price.

Mijanur Rahman Lulu who came to buy litchi at the market said he would send litchi to Dhaka for his relatives.

Sharif Uddin, a trader, said this year the production of litchi was very good due to favorable climatic condition in Rangpur division and

sha union to repair a road. But no worker was found there.

Abbasuddin, secretary of the union council, said the workers were busy in the other side of the Jamuna River.

In Kutubpur union, 28 workers out of 86 were found to repair a road.

Though there was a signbord of the project, there was no listed worker.

Sarowar said there were no anomalies in the project work.

Some projects were shifted and no payment would be paid until the work finished.

Due to shortgae of manpower, regular investigation was not possible, he added.

Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Moniruzzaman said an officer had been appointed to investigate the projects‘ work.

“If there is anomalies, we will take steps after investigation,‘‘ he said. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

for this reason price of the fruit was lesser that the previous year.

An official of Horticulture Centre said the size of litchi was smaller as growers could not use chemicals due to strong vigilance of authorities concerned.

He said they tried to their best so that growers could not use litchi this year. l

Bangladesh Bank’s former deputy governor Salam dies n Tribune Desk Abdul Salam, former deputy governor of Bangladesh Bank breathed his last at Tangail early yesterday.

He was 65.

Salam, a freedom fighter and also secretary of Officers Association of Bangladesh Bank, was buried at New Colony graveyard in the city after namaz-e-janaza at West Kafrul central mosque after jahar prayers.

Salam was the founder general secretary of Nurania Taiyebia Madrasa, president of West Kafrul Uttar Para Janakallyan committee and Vice President of west Kafrul Central Mosque.

He left behind his wife, two daughters, a son and a host of relatives and well wishers to mourn his death. l

7

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MONDAY, MAY 30, 2016

Domestic animal faces inhumanity of poll violence Tauhid-Uz-Zaman, n Md Jessore

Members of Chittagong Autorickshaw Workers’ Union form a human chain yesterday in the city for registration of the CNG-run small vehicles

‘Bandarban food situation only temporary’ Help has finally started to arrive for indigenous people in remote areas of Bandarban who have been suffering from an acute food shortage. Media reports, including coverage by the Dhaka Tribune, has prompted authorities to respond with pace. Bandarban Deputy Commissioner Dilip Kumar Banik speaks to the Dhaka Tribune’s S Bashu Das on government efforts to address the crisis People starving in the remote areas of Bandarban is only a temporary problem, not a food crisis, Dilip Kumar Banik has told the Dhaka Tribune.

Supply of emergency relief has already reached the sufferers – who are surviving by eating wild potatoes – with eight tonnes of rice being flown by helicopters to remote areas of the hilly district last week, the Bandarban DC said.

He added that boats were used to transport a further seven tonnes of rice to Remakry’s Daliyan Para, Bara Madak and Tindur Jinna Para.

A view-exchange meeting with local community leaders and pub-

lic representatives has been scheduled for Tuesday to find a permanent solution to the food situation, Dilip said.

The Disaster Management and Relief Ministry has already allotted 100 tonnes of rice and would provide more if food shortage sustained until October, he assured.

Responding to allegations that relief is often stolen by influential leaders before it reaches the victims, the Bandarban DC said upazila officials have been assigned and sent to the areas concerned to ensure that food distribution is done properly this time.

Asked about the reasons behind the food shortage, Dilip said a col-

lapse in jhum cultivation yield this year, the disappearance of arable hill plots, a lack of economic opportunities and alternative earning sources, and the remoteness of hilly areas have all contributed to bubble up the crisis.

He told the Dhaka Tribune that efforts were on to create an alternative food storage in the district.

The local administrator said there was no need to seek immediate help from development organisations as the district had enough food grains in stock.

He, however, welcomed any suggestion for a sustainable permanent solution to the existing situation. l

RABIN CHOWDHURY

A domestic animal has become the cruel victim of post-poll violence at Doshpakia village under Bagharpara upazila in the district.

According to local sources, Awami League candidate Suvash Debanath was elected chairman in Dhalgram uninon council election held on Saturday. Milon Biswas in the village was a supporter of him.

Milon had a horse which was tied to a bamboo stick in his neighour’s house.

At night, he went out to bring the horse. But the horse was not found in the house.

While Milon was passing the nearby field of the house, he sensed the groaning of his dear horse.

Later, the horse was found lying in the pool of blood.

The villagers said supporters of a rebel candidate who was defeated in the election hacked the horse indiscriminately, leaving it critically injured. SI Shahriar Hassan in-charge of Narkelbaria police camp said two were arrested in this connection. l

FIFTH PHASE OF UP POLLS

AL wins in 207 UPs, BNP 27 n Tribune Desk Awami League-backed chairman candidates have become victorious in 207 union parishads while contestants from its arch rival BNP’s camp have won in 27 in the 5th phase polls to the lowest tier of the local government.

Thirty eight Awami League candidates were elected unofficially in Chittagong, 26 in Comilla, 20 in Naogaon, 19 in Sirajganj, 17 in Jessore, 11 in Jamalpur, 10 in Laxmipur and Kishoreganj each, eight in Chandpur, six in Shariatpur and Munshiganj each, five in Feni, four in Jhenidah, three in Gaibandha and Noakhali each, two in Kurigram and one in Panchagarh.

Four BNP candidates were elected unofficially in Kurigram, Panchagarh and Chittagong each, three in Jessore, Noakhali and Naogaon each, two in Jhenidah and Comilla each, one in Gaibandha and Munshiganj each.

Of the total 17 runners in Shariatpur, six Awami League-backed chairman candidates had earlier been elected uncontested.

Besides, 69 other chairman candidates won the elections in Kishoreganj, Jessore, Brahmanbaria, Jhenidah, Jamalpur, Munshi-

ganj, Kurigram, Shariatpur, Comilla, Chittagong, Naogaon, Panchagarh, Sirajganj and Chandpur.

Election to 717 UPs was held on Saturday amid various irregularities and sporadic violence that left nine people dead.

Election to 717 UPs was held on Saturday amid various irregularities and sporadic violence that left nine people dead, reports UNB. The balloting in the fifth phase of the UP elections began at 8am and continued till 4pm without any break through 6,484 polling stations.

The voting was marked with violence and anomalies in Jamalpur, Comilla, Laxmipur, Chittagong and Noakhali districts.

Polling was suspended in 83 centres in two upazilas--Senbagh and Begamganj--of Noakhali on charge of various irregularities.

At least 30 people were injured in a post-election violence in Sadar upazila on Saturday night.

Assistant Superintendent of Police Nasim Miah said an altercation ensued between the supporters of two member candidates over the election results at night.

At one stage, two groups attacked each other with lethal weapons, leaving 30 people injured. l

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MONDAY, MAY 30, 2016

TOP STORIES

Syria’s cease-fire strengthens al-Qaeda branch n Tribune International Desk

Hillary Clinton campaign faces a deficit of enthusiasm Hillary’s rallies are like raucous circuses, interrupted by the clamour of a captivated crowd that is quick to finish his sentences. Hers seem more like sober presidential addresses, exhaustive litanies of proposals presented to well-behaved supporters.

PAGE 9

Merkel, Hollande mark 100 years since Verdun battle German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande together marked the 100-year anniversary of the Battle of Verdun on Sunday, laying a wreath at a cemetery in northeastern France for the 300,000 soldiers killed.

PAGE 9

The Niger Delta Avengers, Nigeria’s new oil militant Seven years on from the end of a sustained period of militancy— which saw oil workers kidnapped and production cut to less than a third of maximum capacity—a recently formed group is leading a fresh campaign of attacks in a bid to cripple Nigeria’s economy.

PAGE 10

Al-Qaeda’s branch in Syria has recruited thousands of fighters, including teenagers, and taken territory from government forces in a successful offensive in the north, illustrating how the cease-fire put in place by Russia and the United States to weaken the militants has in many ways backfired, reports The Associated Press.

The branch, known as the Nusra Front, has churned out a flood of videos - slickly produced in the style of its rival, the Islamic State group - that show off its recruitment drive. In one, young men line up for combat training.

In another, a bearded al-Qaeda fighter in a mosque urges a crowd of men to join jihad. A third shows an al-Qaeda-linked cleric leading a graduation ceremony, handing out weapons to young men.

Since March, the group recruited 3,000 new fighters, including teenagers, in comparison to an average of 200 to 300 a month before, according to Rami Abdurrahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an activist group monitoring the conflict. He cited contacts within the Nusra Front. Other activists said hundreds living in camps for displaced people in the north have joined the al-Qaeda branch.

But battlefield success and the push for new recruits have brought to the surface tensions within the Nusra Front over the group’s future path, observers say.

A hard-line faction within the group wants to emulate al-Qaeda’s chief rival, the Islamic State group, and declare an Islamic caliphate in the areas under its control, a step al-Qaeda has long rejected because it does not want to alienate its allies in the Syrian opposition.

On the other end of the spectrum, a Syria-minded camp within the Nusra Front wants to focus entirely on the campaign to oust Syrian President Bashar Assad and to break ties with al-Qaeda.

The Nusra Front has long been one of the strongest factions in Syria’s opposition. It and other Syrian rebels, including some allied to it, hold most of the northwestern province of Idlib and parts of neighboring Aleppo province.

When Russia and the US brokered a cease-fire between Assad and opposition forces in February, the Nusra Front and IS were excluded, allowing Assad’s troops and

Syria ceasefire plan United States and Russia have announced a "cessation of hostilities" from February 27 TURKEY Kobane

Hasakeh

Kafraya Idlib

Aleppo Fuaa

5Okm

Homs

Kafr Batna Moadimayet al-Sham JORDAN

Not committed to the deal IS group Al-Qaeda branch

Palmyra

DAMASCUS

Daraa

Regime: issued a decree for April parliamentary elections after announcement

Deir Ezzor

Hama LEBANON Zabadani Madaya

IRAQ

Raqa

Latakiya

Rebel forces: have issued a conditional acceptance

Based on ISW map as of February 12 Siege areas controlled by Regime Opposition Divided

Other regions Kurds Contested area The Syrian war has killed more than 260,000 people since 2011

Sources: Institute for the Study of War, SOHR

Russian and American airstrikes to continue to hit them. The hope in Washington and Moscow was that other rebel factions would shun both extremist groups.

Instead, the cease-fire faltered within weeks as Assad’s forces fought rebels around the opposition-held part of Aleppo, and peace talks in Geneva stalemated.

That boosted the Nusra Front’s credibility as the force that kept up the fight against Assad and stood against any compromise leaving him in power.

Far from being shunned by other factions, the Nusra Front instead has attracted a coalition.

Their alliance, known as the Jaish al-Fatah, or Army of Conquest, has recently waged a counter-offensive around Aleppo, retaking ground from Assad’s military and its allies and inflicting heavy casualties, including killing more than a dozen members of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard and some 30 Lebanese Hezbollah fighters, allied to Assad.

The alliance revives one that had successfully fought against government forces and seized control of Idlib but broke up last year.

One faction, Jund al-Aqsa, has reportedly refused to join, and is suspected of having sided with IS. The alliance also is battling the Islamic State group, which has shown it can still make gains despite heavy losses under US and Russian airstrikes. On Friday, IS militants suc-

ceeded in taking a string of villages from rebels, including some in Nusra’s alliance, near the Turkish border north of Aleppo.

Because of the Nusra Front, Syria has become a critical hub for al-Qaeda. Al-Qaeda’s central leadership, believed based in the Afghan-Pakistan border region, has been sending prominent figures to aid the fight in Syria.

The Pentagon’s $500m effort to train and equip a force of Syrian rebels to take on extremists in Syria - mainly IS - has all but collapsed.

And the alliances that al-Qaeda has built with other Syrian rebel factions have been key to its success. That’s in contrast to IS, which declared a caliphate in the territory it controls in Syria and Iraq, and considers as infidels anyone who does not accept its rule. As a result, IS has battled Syrian rebel factions - and the Nusra Front - more than it has battled Assad’s forces.

Though hard-liners within the group are pressing for it, the Nusra Front is unlikely to declare a caliphate in areas it controls because that could bring even more airstrikes and alienate its allies, who might then unify against it, said Ali Soufan, a former FBI agent who now heads the Soufan group, a private risk-assessment firm.

Instead, with the backing of al-Qaeda’s leadership, Nusra Front leader Abu Muhammad al-Golani appears to be working to keep the group’s factions

behind a more pragmatic policy focused on keeping allies by the group’s side, rather than pressing an ideological agenda. Al-Qaeda’s traditional stance has always been that while an Islamic state is the ultimate goal, it must wait until regional leaders are overthrown and other Muslims rally around the cause.

Al-Zawahri weighed in with an audio message this month calling for unity among fighters in Syria, followed a day later by a similar call for unity from the son of al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden, Hamza - a message Soufan said likely reflected their fears of a fallout with Syrian allies.

Pragmatists among the Nusra Front’s leadership have been consolidating in the north, said a Syrian activist who reports from the front line and deals closely with most rebel groups, including the al-Qaeda affiliate. A prominent hard-liner, known by the nom de guerre of Abu Julaybib, was recently sidelined from the Nusra Front’s leadership, he said.

But in some areas, the hard-liners have more sway, the activist said. He pointed to recent fighting in the northern opposition stronghold of Maaret al-Numan, where Nusra Front fighters drove out a US-backed rebel faction called Division 13 and took its weapons.

The activist spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of alienating his contacts. l

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MONDAY, MAY 30, 2016

Hillary Clinton campaign faces a deficit of enthusiasm n AFP, Los Angeles Hillary’s rallies are like raucous circuses, interrupted by the clamour of a captivated crowd that is quick to finish his sentences. Hers seem more like sober presidential addresses, exhaustive litanies of proposals presented to well-behaved supporters.

Making matters worse, Hillary Clinton tends to arrive late, while the Donald Trump Show always begins on time.

With the US presidential election about to enter a new phase, the Democratic candidate suffers from a glaring enthusiasm deficit, threatened by Bernie Sanders in the final primaries in June and unable to contain Republican charges of ethical lapses fuelled by her use of a private e-mail server as secretary of state.

The contrast could not be more striking between Clinton’s controlled appearances and the fervent chaos that surrounds the public events of the billionaire populist, who strides onto stage to the deafening beat of 2 Unlimited’s “Get Ready for This.”

“Trump! Trump!” roared thousands of his supporters recently at a convention centre in Anaheim,

a bigger room,” she tells the crowd of 1,200 in the suburban Riverside campus, apologising that some people were left outside. But her advance team had chosen this gymnasium precisely for its modest size. Only Bernie Sanders has drawn crowds like Trump’s.

Trump, loose cannon

Hillary Clinton

REUTERS

California, before breaking into cries of “Build the wall! Build the wall!”

try’s leaders and contrasting it to his own business aptitude.

“We’re going to win so much you’re going to be so disgusted with me,” he concludes, drawing a thunderous ovation.

At a Clinton event near Los Angeles, impatience is palpable as supporters await her arrival.

The playlist (Katy Perry, Jennifer Lopez...) runs on an endless loop, and a sigh of dismay courses through the auditorium when a seventh speaker steps up to the microphone. Hillary Clinton arrives 45 minutes late.

“I guess we should have gotten

‘Women like me’

His speech is improvised, basic, disjointed. He promises to bring manufacturing jobs back to America but offers no detail than to threaten customs sanctions against companies that move their operations abroad.

He seems at times to create his own facts. “I’m telling you, women like me,” he says; and.

He stirs up the crowd by deriding the “stupidity” of the coun-

Hillary Clinton has been campaigning on her stature as a stateswoman with serious ideas to offer, warning voters that Trump is a “loose cannon” unprepared to lead the country. But the exhaustive nature of her proposals does little to make up for the sometimes numbing way she presents them.

Clinton promises no revolution but rather the continuation of progress made under President Barack Obama: an increase in the minimum wage, improvements to infrastructure, attention to women’s rights, foreign policy, immigration and so on.

That argument has won over a majority of Democrats, and her supporters invariably express admiration for the arc of her professional journey, her policy expertise and the strength of her character. l

Merkel, Hollande mark 100 years since Verdun battle n Reuters

The Battle of Verdun 10 months of fighting between February 21 and December 18, 1916 claimed the lives of at least 300,000 people More than 1 soldier in 10 killed in combat

Butte de Montfaucon

eu

Le Mort-Homme 265 m 1.1 million

Vaux Captured June 8 Re-taken Nov 2

1.2 million German

984 killed each day on average Shells fired 23

French counteroffensive

143,000

165,000

French

German offensive

Verdun Forest

se

Total soldiers mobilised Dead or disappeared

M

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande together marked the 100-year anniversary of the Battle of Verdun on Sunday, laying a wreath at a cemetery in northeastern France for the 300,000 soldiers killed.

The two leaders were due to lunch together and then to make joint statements later in the day.

Hollande said earlier this week discussions would focus on Europe’s future, including the migrant crisis, security and the rise of populist movements.

The Verdun battle was one of the longest in World War I, lasting more than 300 days from February to December 1916.

Sunday’s commemorations at Verdun took place in the rain, and Hollande held an umbrella for Merkel and himself as they made their way to the German cemetery Consenvoy to lay a wreath.

The battle’s commemoration has come to signify the close relationship between Germany and France. It was not until 1984 that the neighbours carried out a joint ceremony to mark the Verdun battle, another step towards ending

Verdun

millions

Douamont captured Feb 25 re-taken Oct 24

Germany

France

30

French

German

170,000 shells each day on average

French leaders

decades of residual hostility and distrust after two World Wars.

A photo of then French President Francois Mitterand and then German Chancellor Helmut Kohl holding hands in the Douaumont cemetery at Verdun became a symbol of Franco-German reconciliation.

That year also saw France and Germany agreeing on the gradual abolition of border checks, a precursor to the Schengen zone of

Philippe Petain (defensive)

passport-free travel, launched by five European countries the following year.

In 2016, however, some of these foundations of the European Union appear under threat. Britain’s June referendum on EU membership, a rise in Islamist militant attacks, the biggest migrant crisis since World War II and a slow economic recovery have strained relations in the bloc and raised the prospect of a catastrophic euro breakup.

Destroyed village Railway line Front line:

is Par May 2

Fort

tz Before the battle, Me February 21 Limit of German advance on July 12

VERDUN

Feb 21

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World

2,5 km

1916

December 15

Dec 18

Robert Georges Nivelle (offensive)

In her weekly podcast, Merkel said Germany’s relations with France had stood fast even when the countries had diverging opinions, and that Europe would have to adapt.

“Europe has problems but Europe has also managed to do a lot and it has come a long way. In a world of global challenges it is important to develop Europe further and to push through the changes that are necessary,” she said. l

SOUTH ASIA

Police kill 3 al-Qaeda militants in Karachi Pakistani police killed 3 al-Qaeda militants during a gunfight in the southwestern port city of Karachi on Sunday after raiding their hideout, officials said. The skirmish took place in Gulshan-e-Buner, a low-income neighbourhood in the city, when police were searching the area after receiving a tip-off that militants were hiding there.

-AFP

INDIA

India police arrest 5 over attacks on Africans Police said Sunday they arrested 5 Indians accused of assaulting Africans in New Delhi, after African diplomats urged the Indian government to ensure the safety of their nationals living in the country. A Delhi deputy police commissioner Ishwar Singh said altercations and scuffles took place on Thursday night after locals became offended

by Africans playing loud music and drinking alcohol in the street. -AFP

CHINA

China firm apologises for racist detergent advert A Chinese laundry detergent maker apologised for the harm caused by the spread of an ad in which a black man washed by its product was transformed into a fair-skinned Asian man. Shanghai Leishang Cosmetics Ltd Company said it strongly shuns and condemns racial discrimination but blamed foreign media for amplifying the ad, which first appeared on Chinese social media in March but was halted after it drew protests this week following media reports.

-AP

ASIA PACIFIC

Malaysia government backs Islamic law Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak’s government threw its support in parliament this week behind an Islamic penal code that includes amputations and stoning, shocking some of his allies and stoking fears of further strains in the multi-ethnic country. The government on Thursday unexpectedly submitted to parliament a hudud bill that had been proposed by the Islamist group Parti Islam se-Malaysia’s.

-REUTERS

MIDDLE EAST

Iranian pilgrims won’t attend hajj this year Iran’s Hajj and Pilgrimage Organisation said on Sunday the country’s pilgrims would not attend the annual Muslim haj pilgrimage, blaming regional rival Saudi Arabia for sabotage and failing to guarantee the safety of pilgrims. The dispute has provided another arena for discord between the conservative Sunni Muslim monarchy of Saudi Arabia and the revolutionary Shia republic of Iran.

-REUTERS

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World

MONDAY, MAY 30, 2016

USA

Libertarians to pick nominee to challenge Trump The Libertarian Party will soon pick its presidential nominee from three candidates. Delegates to the party’s convention in Orlando on Sunday are scheduled to choose from former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson, anti-computer virus company founder John McAfee and Austin Petersen, the founder of The Libertarian Republic magazine.

-AP

THE AMERICAS

Brazil arrests first suspect on gang-rape video Brazilian police on Saturday said they had arrested the first of more than 30 suspects wanted over the gang-rape of a 16-year-old girl whose attackers posted a graphic video online showing the aftermath of their brutal attack. The arrest came as some 70 military police fanned out across a slum west of Rio de Janeiro in a huge operation.

-AFP

UK

20 rescued from boat in English Channel 20 people, most of them migrants, were rescued by the British coastguard from the Channel on Sunday after their inflatable boat began to take on water. Of those rescued, 18 were Albanian and two British. Thousands of people have been massed in northern France for months, trying to reach Britain where they believe they will have a better chance of finding employment.

-AFP

EUROPE

17 die in fire at Ukraine home for elderly 17 people died when a makeshift home for elderly people outside the Ukrainian capital Kiev caught fire in the early hours of Sunday, the latest tragedy to shake the conflict-riven country. 35 people were at the home when the fire broke out. The fire tore through the 2-storey shelter for the elderly which is in the village of Litochky, located north of capital Kiev. -AFP

AFRICA

Niger army kills 12 Boko Haram fighters Security forces in Niger killed around 12 fighters of the Islamist militant group Boko Haram who launched an attack in the southeastern region of Bosso close to the border with Nigeria. 3 members of the security forces were lightly wounded during Friday’s battle and government forces captured machine guns, rocket propelled grenade launchers and mobile telephones from the enemy. -REUTERS

The Niger Delta Avengers, Nigeria’s new oil militant n Tribune International Desk

Seven years on from the end of a sustained period of militancy— which saw oil workers kidnapped and production cut to less than a third of maximum capacity—a recently formed group is leading a fresh campaign of attacks in a bid to cripple Nigeria’s economy.

The Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), which announced its formation in February, has declared war on Nigeria’s oil infrastructure.

The group claimed via its Twitter account that it had blown up the main electricity pipeline to US firm Chevron’s onshore Escravos facility in southern Nigeria, and a Chevron source confirmed on Thursday that the company’s onshore activities had been “grounded,” cutting a potential 90,000 barrels per day (bpd) from Nigeria’s production.

On Friday, the group claimed another attack, saying it had blown up a “heavily guarded” pipeline close to a refinery in Warri, in Nigeria’s southeast Delta state, which is managed by the state-run Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC). The NNPC has not yet confirmed the attack.

The upsurge in attacks by the group has coincided with a dramatic fall in oil production in Nigeria, traditionally the continent’s biggest producer. Petroleum Minister Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu said earlier in May that production had fallen by 800,000 bpd to 1.4 million bpd, the lowest in two decades. It’s a drop that means Angola has at least temporarily taken over the mantle of Africa’s oil king.

The NDA follows the pattern of other groups, such as the Movement for the Emancipation for the Niger Delta (MEND), which led the militancy campaign in the mid-2000s.

MEND and some of its most notorious leaders, such as Government Ekpemupolo—an ex-militant also known as Tompolo who is wanted on money laundering allegations totaling $231m—have disassociated themselves from the NDA. But according to Malte Liewerscheidt, senior Africa analyst at political risk consultancy Verisk Maplecroft, the group’s membership is likely made up of disaffected ex-militants who have not benefited from the presidential amnesty program that brought the previous campaign to a close in 2009. The amnesty included monthly subsidies to reformed militants, but also afforded lucrative security contracts to former leaders, like Tompolo, for protecting oil installations.

The NDA came to international attention after claiming an attack on an underwater pipeline run

by Shell in February, forcing the

WHAT THE NIGER DELTA AVENGERS DEMANDS Ü Immediate implementation of the report of the 2014 National Conference, which it believed would help in restructuring Nigeria to the demand of all ethnic groups in the country. Ü President Buhari, the Department of State service (DSS) and Timipre Sylva should apologise to the people of the Niger Delta region and family of Late Chief DSP Alamieyesegha for killing him with intimidation and harassment because of his party affiliation. Ü The ownership of oil blocks must reflect 60% for the oil producing people and 40% for the non-oil producing people. Ü The only Nigerian Maritime University sited in the most appropriate and befitting place Okerenkoko must start the 2015/2016 academic session immediately. Ü The minister of transportation, Rotimi Amechi should apologise to the Ijaws and the entire Niger Delta people for his careless and reckless statement about the siting of the University. Ü The Ogoniland and indeed all oil polluted lands in the Niger Delta must be cleaned up and compensation be paid to all oil producing communities. Ü Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of (Indigenous People of Biafra) Ipob, must be released unconditionally as the court said. Ü The Niger Delta Amnesty programme must be well funded and let to continue to run effectively. Ü All Progressives Congress (APC) members that are indicted in any corruption related cases should be made to face trial, like the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) members. Otherwise Buhari should shamefully forget about this nonsense anti-corruption fight. Ü All oil multi-nationals and foreign investors should observe this ultimatum, as their business interest in the country must be first target.

Source: NIGERDELTAAVENGERS.COM Dutch oil giant to temporarily shut down its 250,000 bpd Forcados terminal. According to Liewerscheidt, the attack showed a level of sophistication and expertise that suggests the group may have insider knowledge of some of the international oil firms working in the Niger Delta. “[Forcados] was not just another pipeline somewhere out in the creeks, it’s right under the nose of the largest [international oil company] out there, namely Shell,” says Liewerscheidt. “[The NDA] have proven their capability to strike major targets again and again.”

As well as links with former Niger Delta militants, the group also appears to have connections with the pro-Biafra movement in southern Nigeria. The NDA has avowed its support for Nnamdi Kanu, the head of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), who has been in detention in Nigeria since October 2015 and is awaiting trial on charges of treason, which he denies. Pro-Biafra activists are campaigning for Kanu’s release and the realisation of the independent state of Biafra, which was declared in southeast Nigeria in 1967 but was reintegrated into the country in 1970 following a devastating civil war.

“Operational links” exist between the NDA and IPOB, but the extent of these connections is not yet clear, according to Fulan Nasrullah, an independent conflict researcher based in Nigeria. “Publicly, the NDA has declared support for the Biafran struggle, while maintaining its separate agenda focusing on the Niger Delta,” says Nasrullah. If the NDA were to gain IPOB’s

An aerial photo taken of an oil installation at Awoba in the Niger Delta. Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) on Thursday night attacked two separate gas and oil pipelines belonging to the Chevron Oil company AFP support, its manpower could be dramatically increased; thousands of people have taken part in protests in Nigeria demanding Kanu’s freedom, and IPOB has previously claimed to Newsweek that its global membership numbers in the millions, though this has not been independently confirmed.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has vowed to take harsh action against oil militants like the NDA. The president and leader of the All Progressive Congress party said in April that the “vandals and saboteurs” responsible for attacking oil pipelines would be dealt with “the way we dealt with Boko Haram.” Nigeria’s military has reclaimed much of the territory once held by Boko Haram under Buhari’s administration and has inflicted numerous casualties on the group, though Boko Haram continues to carry out occasional suicide bombings in the country’s

volatile northeast.

While he has allowed the amnesty program to continue, Buhari has cut the subsidies and ended the handing out of security contracts to ex-militants. “[Buhari] has no interest in returning to the negotiating table,” says Liewerscheidt.

Nigeria is heavily dependent on oil for its economy—petroleum products make up more than 90 percent of the value of the country’s total exports—and the recent fall in production has shown the ability of the NDA and others to impact upon the West African country’s most vital industry. Recent events suggest that the NDA is likely to pose an economic, as well as a security, threat to one of the world’s most important oil hubs. l

[This is an excerpt from a Newsweek article, which can be found at http://bit. ly/20Q21ME]

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TOP STORIES Meghna Bank MD: New banks overcome existence challenges in three years New commercial banks, which were facing the threat of their existence in the market at the beginning of their journey, have finally been able to overcome all the challenges in the last three years. PAGE 13

Poll: Most economists say Brexit will harm economy Nine out of 10 of Britain’s top economists working in London’s City financial district, small business and academia believe the economy will be harmed if Britain leaves the European Union, a poll said yesterday. PAGE 14

Capital market snapshot: Sunday DSE Broad Index

4,426.8

0.9% ▲

Index

1,091.6

1.4% ▲

30 Index

1,734.7

1.6% ▲

Turnover in Mn Tk

4,279.7

22.3% ▲

Turnover in Mn Vol

149.4

36.2% ▲

CSE All Share Index 13,631.4 30 Index Selected Index

12,426.3

0.8% ▲ -0.2% ▼

8,291.4

0.8% ▲

Turnover in Mn Tk

298.3

20.9% ▲

Turnover in Mn Vol

14.6

53.5% ▲

Budget fixed at Tk3,40,605cr with big pension fund allocation BUDGET FY2017 n Asif Showkat Kallol The government has prepared a total budget figure of Tk3,40,605 crore for the upcoming fiscal year beginning from July keeping a sizable amount against the state liabilities including pension fund.

A total of Tk47,564 crore has been set aside with finance ministry as most of the fund will be used to fulfill the state’s various liabilities in the FY2016-17, official sources disclosed to the Dhaka Tribune.

They said the total budget size had been finalised at Tk3,40,605

crore as the budget documents had already been sent to the BG Press for printing.

Finance Division officials said for the first time the pension funds would be kept with finance division under the non-development budget category.

This is expected that corruption in the use of pension fund would ease due to creation of a pension fund which could be used in share markets and other business purposes.

In the next fiscal year, the amount of pension fund will be Tk17,376 crore increasing from the current fiscal’s Tk11,584 crore.

According to the budget documents, a total of 10 ministries and divisions will get 52% of total budget allocation while they

will get 75% of the Annul Development Programme outlay in the next fiscal year.

The ministries and divisions include education, defence, home, local government, primary and mass education, health, power, railway and roads communication.

“People cannot enjoy an increase in services unless we come up with a bigger budget,” Finance Minister AMA Muhith told the Dhaka Tribune.

“Next fiscal year’s (FY2016-17) budget outlay will be a big one, and the deficit could be nearly Tk1,00,000 crore.”

He said the government would create a fund for the government pensioners, which would remove uncertainities surrounding pay-

ment of pension.

According to the latest budget data, the budget deficit in next fiscal year will be Tk97,254 crore and the interest payment will amount to Tk38,240 crore.

The highest allocation will go to the education sector as the education ministry will get Tk26,857 crore and primary education ministry Tk22,162 crore.

It will be followed by defence ministry with Tk22,115 crore plus Tk29.14 crore as allocation for Armed Forces Division, Local Government Division Tk21,326 crore, Ministry of Home Tk19,285 crore, Ministry of Health Tk17,516 crore, Ministry of Agriculture Tk13,678 crore, Ministry of Food Tk12,092 crore and Power Division Tk13,062 crore. l

BGMEA to raise RTA issue at WTO n Ibrahim Hossain Ovi

Bangladesh Garment Manufactures and Exporters Association will raise its concern over regional trade agreements at the World Trade Organisation today.

The apex trade body for garment manufacturers said the regional trade agreements like Transpacific Partnership (TPP) signed bypassing the law of the WTO is an impediment to multilateral rules-based trading system.

BGMEA will raise the issue at a meeting styled “WTO Dialogue with Business” to be held at Geneva today. The meeting is aimed at discussing the opportunities and challenges facing business people to conduct trade operations and how WTO can help deal with them.

High-level representatives from a diverse range of sectors from across the world will find an opportunity to have their say.

A three-member delegation led by BGMEA president Siddiqur

Rahman reached Geneva to attend the business dialogue in response to the invitation of Roberto Azevedo, WTO Director General.

“We will raise our concern over the regional trade agreements (RTA) as it is a bar to multilateral rules-based trading system,” BGMEA vice-president Mohammed Nasir told the Dhaka Tribune.

The TPP is such an initiative recently taken by 12 developed countries representing nearly 40% of global GDP.

“We will also demand an implementation of Doha Round outcome and Bali Package and duty- and quota-free market for the developed countries as per the WTO rules,” said Nasir, who is also joining the dialogue.

The apex trade body of the apparel industry also will present the progress made so far following the collapse of Rana Plaza building to ensure workers safety and their rights.  PAGE 14 COLUMN 1

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Meghna Bank MD: New banks overcome existence challenges in three years n Jebun Nesa Alo New commercial banks, which were facing the threat of their existence in the market at the beginning of their journey, have finally been able to overcome all the challenges in the last three years.

Meghna Bank Managing Director Mohammed Nurul Amin came up with the observation in an interview with the Dhaka Tribune on the occasion of the third anniversary of his new generation bank. The bank celebrated its founding anniversary recently.

Though the new banks given at the political consideration had earlier drawn huge criticism by the industry insiders, they have already established their strong footing in the banking sector, just overcoming the looming threat for survival, said the seasoned banker.

He said: “The new banks started to operate in the year 2013 while the country was going through a political turmoil. The banks also experienced political volatility and economic setback in the second year too. However, the third year was little bit comfortable for them to do business though uncertainty

Meghna Bank Managing Director Mohammed Nurul Amin was still prevailing.”

The new banks performed well overcoming all the setbacks because of business-friendly policy and efficient management and proved that they will survive in the

long run, he added. ‘’There is no more confusion about the new banks as to whether they will survive or not.’’

Nurul Amin said: “Now, it is the time is for the new banks to grow

Two-day Indian textile expo begins today n Tribune Business Desk A two-day exhibition on Indian textile will begin in Dhaka today aiming at establishing personal contacts for mutually beneficial business tie-ups, including possibility of having long term venture alliances with their Indian counterparts.

The Synthetic and Rayon Textiles Export Promotion Council (SRTEPC) of India in association with High Commission of India, Dhaka is organising the fair tilted Intexpo Bangladesh 2016 at Pan Pacific Sonargaon hotel.

Vice-Chairman at SRTEPC Srinarain Aggarwal disclosed deatails about the event at a press conference in a city hotel yesterday.

Mashiur Rahman, economic affairs advisor to the Prime Minister, is expected to inaugurate the exhibition.

A total 30 leading Indian manufacturing or exporting companies will display their latest range of textile items such as suiting, shirting’s, dress materials, embroidered fabrics, high fashion fabrics, furnishings, home textiles, made-ups

SRTEPC Vice-Chairman Srinarain Aggarwal speaks at a press conference yesterday on the eve of a two-day exhibition on Indian textiles COURTESY like scares, stoles, shawls, laces, synthetic and blended yarns, fibres and garments etc. under one roof in Dhaka.

The Synthetic and Rayon Textile Industry in India is vibrant and growing steadily. The leading markets for Indian synthetic textiles today are UAE, USA, Turkey, Brazil, Egypt, Bangladesh, Germany, UK,

Italy, Belgium and so on.

India supplies a wide range of items both in small and large volumes catering to high quality and at an affordable price.

During the past five years, exports of synthetic and blended textiles from India to Bangladesh have reached from $137m in 2010-11 to $338m in 2014-15. l

COURTESY

their own business with massive expansions of their outlets across the country. But, at the same time, we have to be cautious about the quality loan disbursement to avoid default loan risk.”

The government approved nine new banks in 2013 and 13 life insurance companies at the same year. Though the banks are able to prove their existence in the market over the last three years, new insurances are still struggling to get business. Some of the insurance companies are even under the constant threat of losing their license for their performances.

He also explained that the bank companies were well regulated and the industry had adequate efficient manpower while the scenario is totally reverse in the insurance sector. As the insurance companies collect premium from business and the country’s business activities was dull in the last three years which mainly hurt insurance business, he said.

Meghna Bank witnessed a sharp rise in operating profit in the last three years recording over Tk9 crore in 2013, around Tk17 crore in 2014 and over Tk68 crore in 2015, according to the bank data.

The total deposit of the bank stood at Tk2,203 crore at the end of April this year against which advance was Tk1,619 crore. Presently the bank has 26 branches. l

Stocks rally for 3rd day n Tribune Business Desk Stocks gained for the third consecutive session yesterday amid increased trading activities on positive budgetary hope.

The benchmark index DSEX rose about 39 points or 1% to close at 4,426.

The Shariah index DSES was up 15 points or 1.4% to 1,091.

The blue chip comprising index DS30 was up by 27 points or 1.6% to 1,734.

The Chittagong Stock Exchange Selective Category Index CSCX ended at 8,291, rising 65 points.

Trading activities improved significantly as the DSE turnover stood at over Tk460 crore, an increase of 22% over the previous session.

The cement sector continued to show robust gain of more than 6%, led by Lafarge Surma Cement that surged around 10%.

Most other sectors closed flat, with bank rising only 0.2%, power 0.4%, engineering almost 1%, telecommunications 0.8%, pharmaceuticals 0.4%, non-banking financial institutions 0.3% and textile 0.8% while food and allied decreased by 0.3%.

Lanka Bangla Securities said Dhaka Stock market advanced

firmly, extending the gain of last trading day amid apparently solidifying the budget chatter and market fundamentals.

“Encouraging policy support from the government in the next budget might have generated positivity to the market.”

Lafarge Surma Cement was the most traded share with a turnover worth Tk32.5 crore The government plans to set aside Tk5,000 crore as subsidy for gas subsidy in the upcoming fiscal year which was never given before.

Gainers took a strong lead over the losers as out of 318 issues traded, 162 advanced, 92 declined and 64 remained unchanged.

Lafarge Surma Cement was the most traded share with a turnover worth Tk32.5 crore.

It was followed by Shahjibazar Power Company Limited, United Power Generation and Distribution Company Limited, United Airways, Doreen Power and Mobil Jamuna Limited Bangladesh. l

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British florist sees rosy future in Brexit n AFP, Watford For Briton Damian Duffy, who has run flower shops for 20 years, a Brexit would feel like a “huge party”.

This despite British Prime Minister David Cameron, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and a host of multinationals all warning of a painful economic fallout should Britain vote to exit the European Union in a referendum on June 23.

“Everyone in this country who is not in big business has had life made more expensive and more difficult to live” as a result of Britain being part of the EU, said Duffy, the 48 year-old owner of Rosanna’s flower shop in Watford, a commuter town northwest of London.

Duffy, who owns three flower shops and employs eight people in and around the Hertfordshire suburb known for its English Premier League football team and proximity to the Harry Potter studios, said EU expansion has pushed up property prices in the area.

“Immigration policies have to change in this country,” Duffy told AFP, as his Thai wife busily prepared flower arrangements for a wedding. l

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15

Poll: Most economists say Brexit will harm economy n Reuters Nine out of 10 of Britain’s top economists working in London’s City financial district, small business and academia believe the economy will be harmed if Britain leaves the European Union, a poll said yesterday.

The poll, which the Observer newspaper said was the biggest of its kind drawing responses from more than 600 economists, is a boost for Prime Minister David Cameron, who is leading the campaign for Britain to stay in the 28-member bloc at a referendum on June 23 despite opposition from some in his party.

Carried out by pollster Ipsos-MORI, the poll found that 88 percent of those asked said an exit from the EU and the single market would most likely damage Britain’s growth prospects over the next five years and 82 percent said there would probably be a negative impact on household incomes.

The Observer said those surveyed were members of the profession’s most respected representative bodies, the Royal Economic Society and the Society of Business Economists.

Campaigners on both sides of the argument have targeted the

BGMEA to raise RTA issue at CORPORATE NEWS WTO The RMG people think that the regional trade pact like TPP will limit the space for the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and create an unfair competition.

They urged the World Trade Organisation to take the lead to ensure enough policy protection for the LDCs from such RTAs by engaging developed members in discussions with a spirit to ensure level playing field.

Bangladesh needs expansion of its manufacturing industries and increase exports to develop economy.

That is why duty-free market access is one of the most critical factors for the export-led growth strategy.

Currently, a good number of countries are providing duty-free market access for Bangladesh, except the united states of America.

The United States remains the only developed country to deny duty-free market access to Asian LDCs though the Sub-Saharan and Caribbean LDCs enjoy duty-free market access to USA. RMG manufacturers opined that the inclusion of labour intensive manufacturing goods like apparel should be included in the 97% list of duty-free and quota-free products under the Hong Kong decision.

The country’s RMG sector employ about 4.4 million workers. l

A woman hands out leaflets to stay in Europe, in London economy as one of the main battle grounds to win round voters who are split in what is becoming an increasingly bitter fight over Britain’s future.

“Out” campaigners say Britain would be freed from regulation and red tape if it left the European Union, able to negotiate its own trade deals without having to please 27 other countries.

But the “In” campaign has pressed its argument that Britain would suffer an economic downturn if it left, hurting the pound, jobs and wages.

Cameron said in a statement:

REUTERS

“This poll confirms the overwhelming view of economists - leaving the EU would damage our economy, costing jobs and increasing prices.”

Fed’s Powell on EU Vote

US Federal Reserve Governor Jerome Powell said he does not see Britain’s June 23 vote on whether to leave the European Union as a systemic risk, but added that it is a possible reason for caution in raising US interest rates.

“I don’t think you are looking at a systemic event,” Powell said in a response to a question following a speech in Washington. l

Walton launches smart phone Primo ZX2 Lite n Tribune Business Desk Walton, a local manufacturer of electronic products, has launched its latest stylish multifunctional android smart phone “Primo ZX2 Lite,” featured with Lolipop 5.1 operating system.

The new smartphone branded as Primo ZX2 Lite was formerly launched at the conference room of Walton office in the capital yesterday.

The new brand is available in the market and users can buy this new smart phone from all Walton Mobile branded outlets, Plazas and distributors’ showrooms across the country.

“The new smart phone is powered by 1.3 Gigahertz 64 bits Octa Core processor and 3GB RAM to deliver seamless multi-tasking and faster browsing experience,” said Senior Additional Director of Research and Development Department of Walton Ariful Hoque Raihan.

The launching ceremony was attended, among others, by Walton Group’s Senior Operative Director M Mahmudul Haque, Operative Director Uday Hakim, Senior Deputy Director Firoj Alam, First Senior Deputy Director Ashik Al Mamun and Deputy Director Md Mahamudul Hasan Helal. l

Southeast Bank Limited has recently opened its 123rd branch at ABN Tower in Siddheswari Circular Road, said a press release. The bank’s additional managing director, Mohammed Gofran, inaugurated the branch as chief guest

BD finance has recently donated an cancer affected helpless patient with funds to bear treatment expenses, said a press release. MD and CEO of BD Finance, Mafizuddin Sarker handed over a cheque for Tk 4lakh to Khandekar Habibul Ahsan, former banker to bear the expense of his cancer treatment

United Hospital Limited has recently held its 31st annual general meeting, said a press release. The chairperson of the hospital, Hasan Mahmood Raja presided over the meeting

Walton has recently launched its new smart phone named Primo ZX2 Lite, said a press release. The company’s senior operative director, M Mahmudul Haque was present at the launching ceremony

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Luxury brands struggle to attract Internet generation n AFP, San Francisco Seducing hyper-connected “Millennials” poses an increasing challenge for luxury brands, which find their markets slowing as young, skeptical consumers force them to rethink strategies.

Goldman Sachs estimates that 92 million Americans are in the Millennial generation - born between the early 1980s and the 2000s - surpassing the famed cohort of postwar Baby Boomers who are now approaching a geriatric phase.

The huge pool of Millennial consumers grew up with the Internet, smartphones and a sharing economy in which owning things like cars is seen as almost unhip.

Studies show many have different expectations than their elders, who

were relatively better paid and less indebted at the same point in life.

Deloitte analyst Nick Pope spoke this week at an FT Business of Luxury Summit of “a structural worry” as to whether there would be the “same level of spending in product ownership and luxury as there was in their parents’ generation.”

A Deloitte study targeted Millennials as an opportunity for luxury brands, but warned that they require “a high level of investment” and are more “mercurial” consumers whose brand loyalty can quickly shift.

“Their engagement with digital technology has exposed them to more sources of information, a greater range of influences, and smaller brands,” the study said of Millennials.

“To attract, excite and engage

Millennials will require a high level of brand investment.”

Luxury-sector sales, excluding the effects of currency changes, were up only one percent last year, and similarly tepid growth is expected this year, according to global management consulting firm Bain & Company.

US jeweler Tiffany recently announced a disappointing financial forecast, and the maker of the wellknown British Burberry trench coat has embarked on a money-saving plan.

Digital Panacea?

“The people in the luxury space, they got very spoiled, because there was a market of people who consistently spent,” Sarah Quinlan of MasterCard Advisors told AFP

on the sidelines of the FT luxury summit in San Francisco.

“That market is no longer there.”

Oligarchs with lavish spending habits in oil-rich countries such as Russia and China have seen growth slowing in their countries. It is unclear that Millennials, with their fickle and prudent spending styles, will take up the slack.

But Burberry has taken aim at those Millennials with a digital strategy cited as an example for the industry.

And LVMH, the France-based multinational luxury goods colossus, reached into the Silicon Valley talent pool last year and recruited Apple executive Ian Rogers.

Luxury brands including Burberry, Vuitton and Tiffany have taken to relying heavily on social networks

such as Snapchat that are popular with young people. Having a presence online and in social media has become a necessity for brands.

It promises to become even more important as people use smartphones while making buying decisions on the move. Internet titans are pitching instant shopping opportunities based on time, location, interests and more.

Still, brands such as Tiffany face a problem: some young people see them as “old-world luxury” items that don’t jibe with their Internet Age values and lifestyles, according to Neil Saunders of Conlumino retail research company.

Being on social networks has become a “must” in the marketing equation, but it is not enough, contended Quinlan. l

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Pursue world class education in Asia

Feature Carnegie Mellon University, Qatar The Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) at Qatar is one example of how renowned universities from the US, UK and Australia are internationalising into newer cultures. Currently CMU at Qatar offers undergraduate majors in five different fields- business administration, computer engineering, biological sciences, computational biology and information systems. The number of students there have more than tripled in the last few years, with a majority of these students coming from overseas. Multiculturalism is at the heart of Qatar, and the CMU campus with its international students, staff, and facilities captures that diverse identity.

University of Nottingham, Malaysia University of NottinghamMalaysia is another excellent option. The globally respected British university offers a greater number of studying options at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels at highly affordable costs.

So far, it has stood true to its goal – the campus offers the same worldclass MBA at around half the tuition and living fees compared to that in its home campus.

n Nakib Ul Hoq International universities are all the rage these days. Not only are universities choosing to internationalise by accepting a huge number of overseas students, they are also establishing branch campuses in different parts of the globe amidst diverse cultures and nationalities.

The advantages First of all, they are closer to Bangladesh than the main campuses in the West. You can easily come home whenever there is a short recess, and also gives your parents more opportunities to visit you often. Along with this comes the benefit of the cost factor. These campuses are much more affordable as living costs are lower. In addition, the branch campuses offer the exact same degrees as their home ones with almost the same standard of teaching and other facilities.

Besides, the fact that these university campuses are located in emerging economies also work to your advantage. Jobs in these countries are easier to find with the international degree that you will be awarded upon graduation, and if you want, you can even settle at a different country with that degree.

Imagine yourself working in Singapore, with a world-class degree in international business, electrical engineering, or public policy. What could you do with that degree? The career scopes are endless for you.

Swinburne University of Technology, Malaysia Swinburne-Malaysia is successfully becoming a growing international university. This Australian university offers both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, along with foundation and diploma courses. A big plus for this university is that, with the same cost, undergraduate students can apply to study abroad, or participate in exchange programs at Swinburne’s Australian campus or any other partner universities for a semester or two.

State University of New York, Korea Offering undergraduate and master’s level degrees, the State University of New York-Korea is definitely another great option if you want a North American degree in Asia. It provides the unique, research-oriented American university education and grants its degrees from the Stony Brook University in New York.

Article was reprinted under a special arrangement with www.grad-insights.com

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Monsters of Bangladesh Bangladesh has an assortment of monsters with fascinating back-stories. From the wetlands of Chalan Beel to the beaches of Bay of Bengal, the country is filled with tales of the supernatural

n Nusaira Amreen Hassan Begho bhoots of the Sundarbans Walking among the trees of the largest mangrove forest in the world, one would assume that the scariest entity one could encounter is the Royal Bengal Tiger. However, the Sundarbans is not only home to one of the The djinns of Cholon Beel Cholon Beel, spread across four different districts of Bangladesh, is not only famous for being the largest wetland in Bangladesh, it is also known for being haunted by entities known as djinns.

The djinn is believed to be an entity belonging to a

Foy’s lake: The shadowy woman in black

fiercest mammals to ever walk on earth, it is also inhabited by the wretched souls of the people who were killed by these tigers. These vengeful spirits, known locally as “Begho Bhoots” are said to lead human beings to the same fate they themselves suffered by taking them to their deaths at the paws of the tigers.

According to the inhabitants of the surrounding villages, the “Begho Bhoots” lure unsuspecting people, who venture into the forest in search of honey or wood, by mimicking the roar or growls of the tigers, and then ensure that

the people end up in the claws of the tiger. One of the most famous Begho Bhoots is rumored to be a Lady in White, who photobombs the pictures of tourists. While the story in itself could be a fabrication due to the advent of the easily accessible photo-shop, the mangrove forests hold more than just a diverse collection of species of plants and animals.

Given the dwindling number of Royal Bengal Tigers, the roars heard in the mangrove forests by visitors could very well be the Lady in White and her entourage of Begho Bhoots.

different realm that can easily take the physical form of any object, living or dead, including a human being. According to beliefs, any kind of sweet smell or the odour of rotten flesh from an unknown source is the indication of the presence of Djinn.

Foy’s lake, the largest manmade lake in the country, is

surrounded by the hills of Chittagong. On one of the sides, towards the curve of the old hill, the area remains mostly void of any visitors, who dare not cross the path of the Woman in Black. The shadowy mysterious woman, dressed in all black, is a malevolent spirit who restlessly roams the grounds of Foy’s Lake, looking for people to attack. It is widely rumored that she drowned in the lake and came back from the dead to punish everyone who visits Foy’s Lake.

The incomplete Lalbagh Fort Over three-hundred years old, the rhapsodic building stands as the oldest establishment in an area already filled with ancient buildings.

Although the visiting hours for Lalbagh Fort ends at dusk, the heritage site only comes alive at night, when the fidgety and talented spirit of Pari Bibi takes advantage of the dark to take the center stage and sing and dance. However, according to local legend, this female ghost has also made appearances during the day in recent years. The nocturnal spirit, also known as Iran Dukht, was the daughter of the Subahdar, Shaista Khan.

Originally known as Aurangabad Fort, Lalbagh Fort was being built under the supervision of Subahdar Mohammad Azam Shah, when he was called back to Delhi by the king. His brother and Pari Bibi’s father, Shaista Khan succeeded him but could not

manage to complete the building either.

And while the building itself is a testament to the grandeur of Mughal architecture, Lalbag Fort was considered to be cursed as Pari Bibi died there, which led to her father abandoning the plans of its completion. And now, 332 years later (Pari Bibi died in 1684), the former Aurangabad Fort, which includes a mosque and the tombs of Pari Bibi and Diwan-i-Aam, is a major tourist attraction. And if the stars align, then Pari Bibi’s spirit may regale a lucky visitor or two with her singing and dancing performance.

The cursed boat of Kuakata beach, Barisal The sandy beach of Kuakata in Barisal lies between the pristine waters of the Bay of Bengal and the dense forest of Gangamati, which holds deep, dark secrets, including a buried boat with hidden treasure. However, it is said that the ghosts of a man and his son jealously guard the boat and its contents.

Legend has it that years ago, the man and his son ventured into the forest in search of wood to be used as fuel. After rigorous toil, they were overcome with thirst and as is the custom, they decided to dig into the sand to look for a source of water. However, instead of being able to quench their thirst, the father-son duo discovered pieces of hard metal, which they deduced to be gold. Seized with the greed of gaining immense fortune, they dug deeper till they found a boat, laden with distorted gold coins. But unfortunately, their dreams of attaining great wealth remained unfulfilled as the corpses of the unfortunate man and his son were found in the next morning by the inhabitants of the surrounding village.

Their deaths remain unexplained but it is believed that they were punished for trying to rob the doomed boat of its contents.

The accursed boat is still said to contain gold coins, but no one dares to go near it lest they should come face to face with the thirsty father and son.

This article was reprinted under a special arrangement with www.tigertoursbd.com

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Fresh as it gets The surprising health benefits of local summer fruits

n Pragya Rahman Although we’ve been frolicking in the sweaty, sultry, and brainsizzling weather blessed upon us by the heavens, these temperatures seem to be the least of the underworld's worries.

The devil’s advocate, Mephistopheles, was heard commenting to one of our correspondents: “We’re used to the rising temperatures. It’s summer, of course the temperatures will keep rising. This is why most of our inmates now dress in their summer attire. Our main problem is the food. Even in hell, you get tired of eating the same oily, greasy food everyday.

We rarely get a hold of fruits or vegetables. The junk nutriment is too rich and everyone’s having stomach problems, and even

though we’re in hell, we still like to live in hygienic conditions. Just imagine what it must feel like to live in an enclosed, overheated space with over a billion people (and counting), where each and everyone has the runs. We make them clean up but then they have to go again, and then it becomes a cycle. So we were wondering for the sake of our inmates and for humankind, how we could improve this situation?”

If you haven’t rolled your eyes about what the sheer purpose of this article is by now, please feel free to do so. Perhaps some of the aforementioned content may be a writer’s desperate need to acknowledge healthy eating and maintain a general form of well

being for everyone out there. Or it maybe just a way of telling you how to enjoy the season’s wonders, beauties and fortunes. Fruits.

Fortitude of fruits Summer is the one season in our country, when people look forward to the arrival of seasonal fruits such as mangoes, jackfruit, lychees, java plum (jaam), and wax apples (jambu).

Eating fruits on a regular basis helps boost your immune system, increases your normal level of energy, and revitalises your body with all the necessary vitamins and minerals; much like the nutrients of a plant.

It is advisable to add any of the fruits mentioned above to your daily diet for this season (do keep an eye out on your daily in take of mangoes as they may contribute to weight gain). For children, especially toddlers, jackfruit and mangoes are highly recommended.

Here are some of the benefits of some the fruits we just mentioned: 1. Mangoes: Mangoes are the fighters of cancer, and with their army of antioxidants, they help protect the body against colon, leukemia, breast and prostate cancers. For everyone out there who spends all their money on beauticians, did you know that mangoes are an excellent skin cleanser? They help unclog pores that cause acne. Just leave a few pieces on your face for 10-15 minutes and then wash it off. While we’re on that topic, why not use it as a body scrub? For those who’re starting to blur out the world before their time, eating mangoes is good for your eyes too, and it

strengthens the immune system, concentration, and memory.

Blimey!

2. Jackfruit: It may be slimy; it may smell funny but did you know it reduces wrinkles and gives you flawless, spotless skin? Yes, that saves a trip to the doctor for botox and laser now, doesn’t it?

It promotes hair growth, there, enough said. It even keeps thyroid healthy, and keeps blood sugar levels in check, also helps prevent cancer, lowers risk of heart disease, and best of all, supports bowel regularity. Who doesn’t want that?

3. Java Plum (jaam): The benefits of its seeds are known to reduce blood sugar levels and have been used in Chinese medicine. Whilst the leaves and the bark of the plant are used to alleviate blood pressure and gingivitis. l

Mangoes are the fighters of cancer, and with their army of antioxidants, they help protect the body against colon, leukemia, breast and prostate cancers.

Kazi Nazrul’s birth anniversary celebrated at IUB

ULAB’s Summer Orientation Fest

Renowned Nazrul-Researcher and Emeritus Professor Rafiqul Islam is addressing at the National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam’s 117 birth anniversary Ahmed Research and Study Centre of IUB, delivered the welcome speech.

Eminent singers Mustafa Zaman Abbasi, Samira Abbasi

and Shahid Kabir Palash performed Nazrul songs on the day. Other activities included poetry recitations and dance performances. l

| beginning |

New club on the NSU block

The inauguration ceremony of the International Business Club of North South University (NSU IBC) was held on May 26 at the university premises.

Vice chancellor Prof Dr Atiqul

MONDAY, MAY 30, 2016

| event |

| anniversary |

Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) organised a day-long program to celebrate the 117 birth anniversary of National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam. The event took place on May 29 at their campus in Bashundhara. The Department of English and Kazi Nazrul Islam-Abbasuddin Ahmed Research and Study Centre of IUB jointly executed the different events as part of the occasion.

Renowned Nazrul researcher and Emeritus Professor Rafiqul Islam attended the inaugural session as the chief guest while Khilkhil Kazi, granddaughter of the poet, was present as the special guest. Professor M Omar Rahman, vice chancellor, presided over the inaugural session.

Mustafa Zaman Abbasi, famous singer and senior research fellow of Kazi Nazrul Islam-Abbasuddin

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Biz Info

Islam, along with the director of student affairs, deans, faculties of the School of Business and the faculty advisor of the club, Efaz Nowman, were present.

The ceremony started with the

initiative promise: “North South University is to gain recognition nationally and globally through the club.”

The ceremony lead to a series of workshop sessions named “Glopescope,” attended by marketing and international business executives from Apex Footwear Limited, Suzuki Motors Ltd, Standard Chartered Bank and North South University.

In their sessions, they have briefed the participating students about how international business is a growing sector in the job market today on the basis of finance, international business perspectives, standardisation and culture.

The highlight of the event was when Taskin Ahmed, speedster of the Bangladesh Cricket Team, encouraged the audience with experiences from his sports career.

NSU IBC began their journey as event concluded. l

The University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) organised a fresher’s orientation at its campus in Dhanmondi on Sunday May 22.

Embracing the values of liberal arts, sustainability, and active learning, the orientation consisted of mixed media and video presentations about ULAB’s mission, vision, code of conduct,

handbook, library, career service center, IT, club activity and other facilities. A quiz and selfie contest were also held for the new enrolled students.

During the formal ceremony of its first day, the students were welcomed by Professor Imran Rahman, vice chancellor; Dr Brian Shoesmith, senior advisor and dean of Academic Development and Research; Juditha Ohlmacher, member, Board of Trustees; and Professor HM Jahirul Haque, pro-vice chancellor. Heads of all departments, faculties and administrative staff were also present at the ceremony. The program was coordinated by ULAB’s Student Affairs Office along with the Communications Office. l

| launch |

Boutique Revere launched

| offer |

Ascott Hotels Dhaka’s Ramadan offer The month of Ramadan is upon us, which means the nation is about to reshuffle it’s sleeping and eating patterns according to iftar and seheri timings.

With exactly this in mind, Ascott hotels Dhaka has come up with their “Buy 1 Get 1” exclusive buffet offers – iftar at Tk1,395,

iftar and dinner at Tk1,995, and sehri at Tk1,500.

They also have available take away boxes for special corporate catering with delivery included.

After the Taraweeh prayer, you can spend your time at Ascott with your friends and family to have sehri. Getting the

best to eat is always a priority – classic Ramadan comfort foods like halim, hot and crispy, fresh dates and many more.

Ascott is also partnered with Eastern Bank Ltd, Lanka Bangla Bank, Brac Bank, Mutual Trust Bank Standard Chartered Bank for their “Buy 1 Get 1 Free” offer.

This Eid, add one more place to go on your list of shopping destinations.

Boutique Revere was inaugurated on May 20 by Kaniz Almas Khan, CEO and managing director of Persona at a launching ceremony hosted by the owner of the boutique, Sabrina Haque.

The boutique offers a range of exclusive women’s wear including saris, kameez and jewellery.

Visit Revere at: House-71, Road-12/A, Block-H, Banani l

DT

20 Editorial

MONDAY, MAY 30, 2016

TODAY

Anatomy of a suicide Despite regular flamboyant rhetoric about personal independence, how many families in Bangladesh would permit their sons to marry a woman who has flouted the standard social convention of modesty?

PAGE 21

The rise of business studies Bangladesh needs graduates in arts and science subjects as much as it needs graduates in business studies PAGE 22

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Pakistan’s role in war crimes will always haunt them Soofi makes it sound like Bangladesh is unique in holding criminals to account for crimes long after such crimes were committed. Even today, war criminals of the Nazi regime of Germany are being tried for crimes committed during the Second World War, a gap of nearly 60 years 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.

Squeezing the private sector is bad for growth

T

he government urgently needs to rethink its taxation policies as part of the forthcoming budget.

It is deeply concerning that the government is putting all its emphasis on funding expansion of the public sector at the expense of more taxes on private businesses.

Bangladesh badly needs more private sector-led growth to create jobs the economy needs. Private sector investment has been stagnant for some years. Only 300,000 new jobs were created between July 2013 and July 2015.

It makes no sense to increase taxes such as VAT on the private sector. The government needs to lower, not add to burdens on the private sector to enable it to increase investment and create the jobs the economy needs.

Taking from the private sector to fund public sector-led growth is neither desirable nor sustainable. Only the private sector has the capacity and efficiency to create the jobs the country needs to fruitfully employ the two million young people entering the labour market each year.

The failure of successive governments to reduce income tax evasion is not only making the challenge of broadening the tax base more difficult but is also driving increases in VAT and indirect sales taxes. Successful large businesses such as supermarkets are being squeezed by being made to pay discriminatory rates of VAT. This is not only unfair on both the businesses and their customers, but directly reduces the private sector’s ability to invest and grow.

The government must reform the tax system so that it encourages and enables more jobs to be created.

Supporting private sector-led growth to get more people into work is the only sensible way to increase and sustain economic growth. By increasing disposable incomes, it incentivises new investment and benefits the government through direct economic growth and higher numbers of people paying income tax.

Lower tax burdens on the private sector to increase investment and create the jobs the economy needs

DT

21

Opinion

MONDAY, MAY 30, 2016

Anatomy of a suicide Sabira Hossain’s death is a grim reminder of an unacknowledged social aberration

For this generation, the quest for personal freedom does not usually have a happy ending

n Towheed Feroze

W

hat does a young person reflect on before taking his/ her own life? I often think about this because, 17 years ago, a very close friend of mine took his life.

From recovering the body to having it released from the morgue to burying it, I was present in all events.

The process is a grim one -often, there is refusal to perform the last religious rites, the person carrying out the postmortem asks unnerving questions and, then, after the burial, there is a feeling of endless numbness.

Well, for millions of internet users, the video posted by nowdeceased model Sabira Hossain opens the disquieting last few hours of a severely tormented soul.

Many have watched it, some could not muster the courage, and there are those who avoided it totally, believing that such recordings would only shake up the basis of their social understanding.

Not pointing any fingers, but refusing to acknowledge an episode which is a sad indictment of modern day society is tantamount to allowing a hitherto unacknowledged social evil to fester.

I have heard in some talk shows where this sudden act by the girl in question -- a rising model plus a TV anchor -- was dissected from several angles.

From the video it becomes clear that she decided to take her life when her boyfriend, with whom she was living together in a rented apartment, wriggled out of the

promise to marry her.

From one angle, rejection in marriage is not a grave enough disappointment to incite someone to an extreme act.

But, on the other, when we look at the woman who has openly lived with a man, outside wedlock, in our society, one which is inherently not liberal enough to accept such pre-marriage intimacy, breaking up of the relationship plus the refusal of the guy to marry may have posed a very hopeless situation for the girl.

a model, living openly outside wedlock.

Not moralising here, I, and perhaps thousands of others with a cosmopolitan outlook, may have no desire to judge this act -- but what about society in general?

Despite regular flamboyant rhetoric about personal independence, how many families in Bangladesh would permit their sons to marry a woman who has flouted the standard social convention of modesty?

The guy in question, Nirjhar

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marriage were made. To place before you a brutal fact: A woman who has lived with a man openly and then faces a break-up is hardly the marriage-worthy person sought by bride-seeking guardians.

No matter how much we try to champion new-age living with modern viewpoints, all guardians looking for wives have a set template in the their minds.

Just to look at another angle, Sabira’s choice of career plus her decision to live an independent life with a person of her choice

Despite regular flamboyant rhetoric about personal independence, how many families in Bangladesh would permit their sons to marry a woman who has flouted the standard social convention of modesty?

The guy has been arrested for provoking the extreme act by his callousness, but before we blame anyone here, let’s take a look at how the young section of this society, in recent years, has tried to live/propagate the illusion of a very open Western lifestyle.

We find that, after the unfortunate death, Sabira’s mother lodged a case, but the question here is: Why was this young girl allowed to live on her own in the first place?

There are many women, coming from dysfunctional families, who, for social safety, live independently, but in women’s hostels or dormitories for girls.

Here, we see two people from a background of creative arts, the guy, a photographer, the girl,

Rounaq, may have created the pretense of an open-hearted creative person, taking up a non-conventional livelihood, harbouring, perhaps, very relaxed ideas about man-woman relationships -- but what about his family and his actual outlook?

Chances are high that the outlook of his parents plus his inner philosophy are just opposite to the very tolerant and “devil may care” image projected outside.

Maybe I won’t be wrong in stating that, by using this false perception, he cajoled the model to live in with him.

He was after casual sex, many have opined, and I am inclined to agree.

The problem, supposedly, began when the demands of

also speak of the rise of a social phenomenon -- detached from the reality on the ground and, lamentably, fueled by reckless romanticism.

One actually needs to go deeper into the life of a current-day model to see the several sordid layers, concealed by the razzmatazz of glamour, shiny crowns, fake laughter, and vacuous rhetoric about the desire to do social work.

Not so long ago, during one of my long chats at my local police station with a police officer friend, I met a young girl who had come to lodge a GD against the hitherto unknown wife of her boyfriend who was threatening her.

In short, her story went like this: As a budding actress, she met a man who presented himself

as a prospective film producer and got close to her, eventually promising to marry her, he began providing her a monthly stipend of Tk40,000.

Soon, the truth came out, the man’s original wife appeared; the girl faced menacing phone calls.

When the police asked if the model had carried out an extensive background check before moving in with the man, she remained silent.

We get cases like this every month, where such young women get entangled with elderly men without inquiring about their “marital status.”

It seems the sugar daddy culture has insidiously made a place in our society.

A few years back, another model-turned-actress, Raha, committed suicide, allegedly, when her patron, an established businessman, withdrew her monthly payment, the luxury car, and threw her out of the rented apartment after finding out that she had fallen in love with someone else.

Sabira’s death saddened us all, the video of a young girl, lying desolate in a flat with death hovering over her, is a stark portrayal of a social aberration, emanating from efforts to establish a fallacy.

One is compelled to think deeper about the so-called liberated minds of the modern-day young plus the inevitable angst.

In quest of personal freedom, there seems to be a spiraling tendency to dive into a chimera, the end of which, in most cases, is unsavoury. l Towheed Feroze is a journalist currently working in the development sector.

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Opinion

MONDAY, MAY 30, 2016

The rise of business studies Business degrees are useful, but there’s more to education than that

Studying business is your safest bet in today’s competitive job market

Bangladesh needs graduates in arts and science subjects as much as it needs graduates in business studies. We do not want to see a generation of recent graduates, most of whom have studied business and appreciate matters of profit and loss and credit and debit, with little to no regard for the arts and culture

n Md Shamim Alam

I

n the 90s, the most soughtafter field of study for students passing the eighth grade was science.

Almost everyone who considered themselves a good or average student wanted to take science in class IX. The motive behind this choice was to prepare themselves for

professions such as medicine and engineering. But this choice is now becoming less and less common in Bangladesh.

At my high school in Sylhet, where I studied from class VII to X, the discipline of science was unavailable. And so was the discipline of business studies. So, when I passed class VIII, I wanted to enrol in a different school to study science.

But I could not pull off the transfer due to the greater distance and the good relationship between the headmaster and my father.

Unlike me, quite a few of my classmates did leave the school as soon as they passed class VIII, in order to study science at a different school. Similar was the case with many other schools in Sylhet, which saw some of their students switching to other

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schools simply to study science.

But the trend has changed a lot since those days. Students do not long to study science like they used to in the past. They are now more willing to choose business studies at school, college, and university.

Many freshmen even desert the university of their choice to study a subject that interests them. After all, studying an interesting subject at a second-rate university is better than studying a boring subject at a more famous one.

Now, why are more and more students pursuing business studies? There are a number of reasons.

First of all, the business sector in our country has flourished a lot since the 90s. There are hundreds of kinds of businesses trading in Bangladesh and new ones are entering the market every day.

These businesses do not need

doctors and engineers. They need accountants, marketing professionals, and human resource managers, among others.

And these professionals are created by the business faculties of different universities. Because the business sector is flourishing in our country, some students want to be entrepreneurs when they grow up. Instead of competing with thousands of job-seekers, they want to “create” jobs for people.

The right kind of preparations they can make for that future is to take up business studies in secondary and higher secondary levels. The dwindling numbers of students studying science and arts subjects is proof that a vast majority of students are really making those preparations.

Another reason for the everincreasing demand for business studies in schools and colleges is the large number of banks.

Bangladesh has over 50 government and private banks, which need a large number of business graduates every year, more than they need graduates from other disciplines.

Aside from the handsome salaries they offer, most banks promise top-notch work environments and fast career development.

Therefore, the presence of a great number of banks in Bangladesh is another reason why more and more people are opting to study business rather than science or arts.

Multinational companies are another factor.

These multinationals are enticing bright and talented business graduates with handsome salaries and other benefits to join their companies.

Many students, instead of pursuing jobs in the civil service, pursue jobs with multinational companies, thereby taking the road of business studies.

Bangladesh needs graduates in arts and science subjects as much as it needs graduates in business studies.

We do not want to see a generation of recent graduates, most of whom have studied business and appreciate matters of profit and loss and credit and debit, with little to no regard for the arts and culture.

Even those who majored in business should have an interest in science and arts. l Md Shamim Alam works at ImpressNewtex Composite Textiles Ltd.

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Long Form

MONDAY, MAY 30, 2016

Pakistan’s role in Bangladesh war crimes will always haunt them Pakistan may have expressed regret, but that does not exonerate the accused or convicted of their crimes. This is the first part of a two-part long form

n Dipanjan Roy Chaudhury

C

An article was published in the Pakistani daily Dawn titled “Bangladesh on Trial,” by Ahmer Bilal Soofi, on Bangladesh’s attempts to seek justice and closure for the grave crimes committed during the Liberation War in 1971. The article is full of distortion, halftruths, and outright lies.

Soofi starts by saying: “The atrocities perpetrated by all the sides in East Pakistan in 1971 were reprehensible. For its excesses, Pakistan expressed regret to the people of Bangladesh in 2002, with a desire to bury the ghosts of the past and forge robust ties for the future.”

There were not many sides to the conflict in 1971. On the one hand was the powerful military of West Pakistan aided in arms by their local collaborators and killing squads such as the Razakars, AlBadr, and Al-Shams.

Such local collaborators were mostly made up of recruits from the Jamaat-e-Islami and their then student wing, Islami Chatro Shangha (predecessor to the Islami Chatro Shibir). On the other hand, there were the unarmed Bangali civilians, led by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the Awami League.

Atrocities were committed by the Pakistani Army and their local collaborators on the unarmed Bangali civilian population.

Pakistan may have expressed regret to the people of Bangladesh in 2002, but does that exonerate those who stand accused or convicted of the gravest crimes such as genocide, murder, rape, looting, arson, forced conversions, and forced displacements?

The only thing which can “bury the ghosts,” as suggested by Soofi, is actually justice. That is precisely what Bangladesh is attempting to do by setting up the International Crimes Tribunals (ICT-BD).

In the midst of his propagandist rhetoric on history and contemporary events, Soofi also makes the erroneous suggestions that Bangladesh is in “violation of the 1974 Tripartite Agreement” by holding the war crimes trials four decades after the genocide takes place.

Soofi, as his article suggests, was once the federal law minister.

There is more than enough evidence to warrant a trial for those charged for the 1971 war crimes The 1974 agreement never pardoned or excused the crimes of the Pakistani prisoners of war.

Bangladesh handed over the war crimes-alleged POWs to Pakistan on the understanding that they would be made to stand trial in Pakistani courts of law.

Soofi makes it sound like Bangladesh is unique in holding criminals to account for crimes long after such crimes were committed.

Even today, war criminals of the Nazi regime of Germany are being tried for crimes committed during the Second World War -- a gap of nearly 60 years. Soofi then goes on to attack the credibility of the trials in Bangladesh aggressively, calling it a “mockery of justice.” He states that the accused in the ICT-BD do not have the right to bail, which is factually wrong.

Accused in the ICT-BD do have the right to bail under Rule 34(2) of the ICT Rules of Procedure.

Whether, in fact, the tribunals grant bail to any particular accused would depend on whether there is any significant flight risk, among others.

Furthermore, there is also the right to bail if investigation is not completed within a specified period under Rule 9(5).

Right after the ICT-BD started

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Soofi makes it sound like Bangladesh is unique in holding criminals to account for crimes long after such crimes were committed. Even today, war criminals of the Nazi regime of Germany are being tried for crimes committed during the Second World War, a gap of nearly 60 years

the trial of Abul Kalam Azad (aka Bachchu Razakar), the accused absconded. Convicted war criminals Mueenuddin in UK and Ashrafuzzaman in the US never came to Bangladesh to stand trial and challenge the allegations against them.

In addition, the gravity of the crimes being alleged, and the potential sentence once convicted, also give substantial reasons to fear that if given bail the accused war criminals in Bangladesh could have absconded or fled to another country.

Convicts can appeal against both their convictions and sentences in the highest court of the land, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh.

Not only that, once the appeal decision is given from the SC, there is the scope to then review the decision again.

This is a de facto two-tier appeals system. Soofi, being a previous federal law minister, should be able to appreciate that such an appeals system cannot be termed as “limited” no matter which legal system we take as a benchmark.

Hearsay evidence is not only admissible in the ICT-BD, but also in general criminal proceedings in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and most countries in the world.

This is especially true for historical crimes, where the availability of direct evidence is that much more difficult. The International Tribunals set up by the UN or backed by it themselves admit hearsay evidence.

While their evidential weight may not be as significant as direct evidence such as oral testimony, their admissibility cannot be a reasonable point to substantiate the claims made by Mr Soofi.

Soofi talks about intercepted communications between the judges and prosecutions.

When, in reality, the issue of communications during the Delwar Hossain Sayeedee trial was actually between the judge in question and an international law expert.

In any event, following the revelations of the communications, the judge himself recused himself from hearing the case anymore and was replaced by another judge, who then pronounced judgment and sentence on Sayeedee. l The concluding part of this long form will be published tomorrow.

Dipanjan Roy Chaudhury is the Assistant Editor (Foreign Affairs) of The Economic Times. This article was first published in The Economic Times.

DT

24 Sport

MONDAY, MAY 30, 2016

TOP STORIES

Mohammedan shocked by CCS Backed by paceman Mehrab Hossain’s four-for, Cricket Coaching School, who are second from bottom in the Dhaka Premier League points table, shocked table-toppers Mohammedan SC in Fatullah yesterday. PAGE 25

Thompson, Warriors shock Thunder Klay Thompson scored 41 points to lead the Golden State Warriors to a 108-101 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals. PAGE 26

Mathews lead Sri Lanka fightback Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews led from the front in the second Test at the Riverside stadium in Durham yesterday as his side avoided the embarrassment of another defeat by England inside three days. PAGE 27

RCB choke to give Fizz’s SRH maiden IPL title n Agencies Sunrisers Hyderabad had made it to the playoffs only once in their IPL history, in 2013.

Now, on the biggest stage of them all, they sent out a statement of intent by opting to bat against Royal Challengers Bangalore at a venue where tall scores have been chased down nonchalantly. David Warner, their talismanic leader, walked the talk to top-score with a 38ball 69, before Ben Cutting lent the finishing touches with an unbeaten 15-ball 39 to help them post 208 for 7, which proved to be a bit too much for Royal Challengers.

The hosts had breached the 200-mark thrice at home this season. There was no reason why they could not yesterday, except the pressure of chasing in a final. Not for Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli, though, as the openers wiped 114 in 10.3 overs - Gayle alone accounting for 76 courtesy four fours and eight sixes - to propel the chase. The tournament’s best bowling attack was under pressure now, but clinically applied the brakes after Gayle’s wicket to pip the hosts to win by eight runs and clinch their maiden IPL title at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Shane Watson’s rare off day with the ball cost Royal Challengers big. He lost his mark by a long way, feeding the batsmen with an assortment of hittable deliveries - short, wide and full - to concede 61 off four wicketless overs, the last of which was also the final over of the innings, going for 24.

But Royal Challengers had other ideas.

Gayle announced proudly that he was capable of taking the match away single-handedly even before Kohli and AB de Villiers could take off. It may have been a big statement to make by a man who has been a shade of his destructive best. With just one fifty in nine innings prior to the final, there were question marks over his efficiency in the shortest format. Seemingly unperturbed by all the talk, he launched a savage attack. l

SCORECARD

SUNRISERS INNINGS Warner c Abdulla b Aravind Dhawan c Jordan b Chahal Henriques c Chahal b Jordan Yuvraj c Watson b Jordan Hooda c Kohli b Aravind Cutting not out Ojha run out (Watson) Bipul c Chahal b Jordan Bhuvneshwar not out Extras (b 1, lb 2, w 11)

R 69 28 4 38 3 39 7 5 1 14

B 38 25 5 23 6 15 4 3 1

Total (7 wickets; 20 overs) 208 Fall of wickets: 1-63 (Dhawan), 2-97 (Henriques), 3-125 (Warner), 4-147 (Hooda), 5-148 (Yuvraj), 6-158 (Ojha), 7-174 (Bipul) Bowling Aravind 4-0-30-2, Gayle 3-0-24-0, Watson 4-0-61-0, Chahal 4-0-35-1, Abdulla 1-0-10-0, Jordan 4-0-45-3 ROYAL CHALLENGERS INNINGS R Gayle c Bipul b Cutting 76 Kohli b Sran 54 De Villiers c Henriques b Bipul 5 Rahul b Cutting 11 Watson c Henriques b Mustafizur 11 Baby not out 18 Binny run out (Hooda) 9 Jordan run out (Ojha) 3 Abdulla not out 4 Extras (lb 5, w 4) 9

B 38 35 6 9 9 10 7 4 2

Total (7 wickets; 20 overs) 200 Fall of wickets: 1-114 (Gayle), 2-140 (Kohli), 3-148 (De Villiers), 4-160 (Rahul), 5-164 (Watson), 6-180 (Binny), 7-194 (Jordan) Bowling Kumar 4-0-25-0, Sran 3-0-41-1, Cutting 4-0 -35-2, Mustafizur 4-0-37-1, Henriques 3-0-40-0, Bipul 2-0-17-1 Sunrisers won by eight runs

Mustafizur Rahman of Sunrisers Hyderabad sends down a delivery during the final of the Indian Premier League against Royal Challengers Bangalore at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore yesterday BCCI

AWARDS Man of the final – Ben Cutting (SRH) Emerging player – Mustafizur Rahman (SRH) Highest run-scorer – Virat Kohli (RCB) Best catch – Suresh Raina (GL) Best fielder – AB de Villiers (RCB)

11th crown caps rollercoaster season A season that promised so little when Zinedine Zidane took charge of a beleaguered Real Madrid less than five months ago ended beyond even the richest club in the world’s wildest dreams with an 11th European Cup win in Milan. PAGE 28

Most sixes – Virat Kohli (38) Fastest fifty – Chris Morris, 17 balls (DD) Fairplay award – Sunrisers Hyderabad

Sunrisers Hyderabad captain David Warner (2R) celebrates his team’s victory against Royal Challengers Bangalore during the final Twenty20 cricket match of the 2016 Indian Premier League at the M Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore yesterday BCCI

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Sport

MONDAY, MAY 30, 2016

CCS shock MSC n Minhaz Uddin Khan Backed by paceman Mehrab Hossain’s four-for, Cricket Coaching School, who are second from bottom in the Dhaka Premier League points table, shocked table-toppers Mohammedan Sporting Club in Fatullah on the reserve day yesterday.

CCS bagged only their second win of the season defeating Mohammedan by 31 runs in accordance with the Duckworth/Lewis method.

In the other match at Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, holders Prime Bank Cricket Club imposed their authority over bottom side Kalabagan Cricket Academy, winning the game by a convincing margin of eight wickets (D/L method).

CCS v Mohammedan

CCS paceman Mehrab Hossain (2L) celebrates one of his four wickets during their Dhaka Premier League match against Mohammedan Sporting Club at Fatullah’s Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

Bengal Tigers depart for Dushanbe Mamunul reinstated as captain De Kruif has already trimmed n Tribune Report the 30-man preliminary squad, Bangladesh football team left here for Dushanbe yesterday morning ahead of the upcoming AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers Play-off matches against Tajikistan.

The Bengal Tigers, under the guidance of temporary Dutch head coach Lodewijk de Kruif, boarded the FZ-584 flight at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

naming midfielder Mamunul Islam as captain. Among the 23 members of the final squad, forward Syed Rashed Turjo is the obvious surprise, given that he is yet to make his international debut.

Bangladesh will take on Tajikistan this Thursday at Republican Central Stadium before hosting the return leg at Bangabandhu National Stadium on June 7. l

Bangladesh football team pose for photographs prior to their departure to Dushanbe, Tajikistan yesterday morning COURTESY

Resuming the day on 13 without loss and requiring another 137 runs for victory, Mohammedan ended up scoring only 117, losing all of their wickets in 21 overs.

Seamers Mehrab and Salman Hossain shared seven wickets between themselves to propel CCS to a memorable yet rare win. CCS’s only other victory of the ongoing edition came against Victoria Sporting Club.

Ezaz Ahmed scored 35 while

Nazmul Hossain Milon made 32 but none of the other batsmen crossed 20. A lot depended on Mohammedan captain Mushfiqur Rahim but he disappointed, making only four.

Milon and Habibur Rahman (20) exhibited a valiant effort at the end, posting 32 runs for the eighth

BRIEF SCORES CCS 149 in 24.5 overs (Salman 58, Ariful 3/29, Habibur 2/23) beat MOHAMMEDAN SC 117 in 21 overs (Ezaz 35, Mehrab 4/14, Salman 3/27) by 31 runs (D/L method) KALABAGAN CA 89 (Miraz 19, Monir 3/12, Azim 3/23) lost to PRIME BANK CC 92/2 (Sabbir 40*, Shanaj 22, Nurul 15*) by eight wickets wicket but Salman’s two wickets at the dying stages of the game put paid to Mohammedan’s hopes.

Kalabagan CA v Prime Bank

Prime Bank jumped to fifth position in the points table following their comprehensive win over Kalabagan CA. In pursuit of their low target of 90, Prime Bank coasted home with 63 deliveries remaining. Sabbir Rahman led from the front, scoring a brisk 29-ball 40 with the help of five fours and a six. l

Abahani, Mohammedan share spoils n Tribune Report Traditional archrivals Abahani Limited and Mohammedan Sporting Club played out a 2-2 draw in what was a hotly-contested affair in the Green Delta Premier Division Hockey League at Maulana Bhasani National Hockey Stadium.

Tawsar Abbas gave Mohammedan the lead in the eighth minute but the 1-0 cushion lasted barely four minutes as Abahani’s Biplob Towshik Arshad brought parity following some fine interchange with Shafqat Rasool.

The Sky Blues then went ahead in the 28th minute through Rasool.

And just when it appeared Abahani would run away with the game, the Black and Whites equalised the margin in the 47th minute through their Pakistani recruit Abbas.

The encounter turned ugly in the 68th minute when the umpire awarded Mohammedan a penalty corner before quickly reversing his decision. The umpire’s verdict sparked wild scenes in the gallery where both sets of fans allegedly clashed against each other.

Following a 25-minute interruption, the game resumed after the intervention of the Bangladesh Hockey Federation officials. l

Abahani Limited’s Biplob Towshik Arshad (L) slams in his side’s opening goal against Mohammedan SC in the Green Delta Premier Division Hockey League at Maulana Bhasani National Hockey Stadium yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

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MONDAY, MAY 30, 2016

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS GAME 6, SERIES TIED 3-3

WARRIORS 108-101 THUNDER 73-9, 34-7 Away

55-27, 32-9 Home

GS OKC

1 20 23

2 28 30

3 27 30

4 T 33 108 18 101

WARRIORS STARTERS D. Green H. Barnes A. Bogut S. Curry K. Thompson

MIN 43 28 27 41 40

FG 4-10 3-6 2-4 9-22 14-30

3PT FT REB AST PTS 2-5 2-4 12 6 12 2-3 1-1 1 1 9 0-0 1-4 5 4 5 6-13 7-9 10 9 31 11-18 2-2 4 0 41

THUNDER STARTERS S. Ibaka K. Durant S. Adams R. Westbrook A. Roberson

MIN 36 45 28 44 29

FG 5-10 10-31 3-6 10-27 5-5

3PT FT REB AST PTS 1-6 2-5 9 0 13 1-8 8-10 7 3 29 0-0 3-5 9 1 9 0-5 8-10 9 11 28 0-0 1-2 8 0 11

The Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry (Front) shoots the ball against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game Six of the Western Conference Finals at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on Saturday AFP

Thompson, Warriors shock Thunder, force Game 7 n The Sports Xchange Klay Thompson scored 41 points to lead the Golden State Warriors to a 108-101 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals.

Thompson hit 11 of 18 from 3-point range to set a new NBA playoff record. Steph Curry scored 29 to go along with 10 rebounds and nine assists. Draymond Green scored 14 points, grabbed 12 boards and had three steals.

Kevin Durant led the Thunder

with 29 points on 10 of 31 shooting. Russell Westbrook posted 28 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds. Serge Ibaka added 13 points and nine rebounds.

The series is tied at 3-3 with Game 7 taking place today in Oakland, California.

Westbrook put the Thunder up 93-87 with 6:22 left in the fourth quarter. After the Thunder forced a stop, Steven Adams made 1 of 2 from the free-throw line.

Thompson drove the lane for a layup to slice lead to 94-89. But Durant responded with a jumper.

Thompson drained his 10th 3-pointer of the night. After Oklahoma City’s Andre Roberson made 1 of 2 from the line, the Thunder led 97-92 with 4:32 left.

Curry with a 3-pointer brought the Warriors to within 1 at 97-96. But Westbrook went to the free throw line and buried a pair to push lead back to three with 3:42 on the clock.

Durant was forced into a turnover and it led to Curry’s game-tying 3-pointer making the score 99all. Roberson and Andre Iguodala traded baskets before Thompson banged in another 3-pointer to put

the Warriors ahead 104-101.

Thompson missed a 3-point attempt and Durant got the rebound.

But he turned the ball over and Curry made the Thunder pay with a layup to put the game away.

The Thunder made 22 of 32 from the foul line while the Warriors hit 21 of 44 from behind the arc.

Green showed early on that he was out of the funk that had plagued him the first four games of the series. He tallied six points, four rebounds and two assists in the first quarter alone.

But that did not seem to affect

the Thunder. Even with Durant shooting a low percentage, they were able to go ahead by 13 in the second quarter.

Much of that was built on the play of the Oklahoma City big men.

Enes Kanter came off the bench to produce offensive while Adams was effective on both ends. That included throwing down a dunk over Green that had the Thunder bench falling over themselves celebrating.

If not for Thompson, the Warriors could have found them in trouble.

He shot 4 of 8 from 3-point range as Golden State only tailed 53-48.l

Defending champion Wawrinka stays the course at French Open n AFP, Paris

Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka returns the ball against Serbia's Viktor Troicki during their French Open match at Roland Garros in Paris yesterday REUTERS

Defending champion Stan Wawrinka reached the French Open quarter-finals at Roland Garros yesterday with a 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (7/9), 6-3, 6-2 win over Serbia’s Victor Troicki.

It was the 31-year-old Swiss player’s 11th straight win in the year’s second Grand Slam and it puts him into a last eight match against Spanish surprise Albert Ramos-Vinolas, who upset eighth seed Milos Raonic in straight sets.

Troicki saved four first set points at 5-6 but he was powerless to prevent Wawrinka running away with the ensuing tie-breaker 7-5.

It was Troicki, however, who stayed the more focussed at the start of the second set, breaking Wawrinka’s serve in the fourth game to take a 4-1 lead.

Wawrinka, who also won the 2014 Australian Open title, reacted immediately with a break of his own to level at 4-4.

Meanwhile, Garbine Muguruza of Spain blazed into the French Open quarter-finals for the third straight year yesterday, defeating former champion Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-3, 6-4.

The 22-year-old Venezuelan-born fourth seed will next play the winner of the tie between Shel-

by Rogers of the United States and Irina-Camelia Begu of Romania for a place in the semi-finals.

Muguruza is seen as one of the new stars of the women’s game after a breakthrough season in 2015 when she was runner-up to Serena Williams at Wimbledon and made the semis at the WTA Finals.

America’s world number 108 Shelby Rogers reached her first Grand Slam quarter-final on Sunday with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Romanian 25th seed Irina Camelia-Begu.

Rogers is just the ninth woman outside of the top 100 to make the last eight in Paris since 1983. l

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Mathews lead Sri Lanka fightback n AFP, Durham Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews led from the front in the second Test at the Riverside yesterday as his side avoided the embarrassment of another defeat by England inside three days.

Mathews made 80 as Sri Lanka, again forced to follow-on, stopped England strolling to a series-clinching win.

At the close of the third day, Sri Lanka were 309 for five - still 88 runs behind England’s first innings 498 for nine declared, which featured Moeen Ali’s Test-best 155 not out.

Mathews’s fourth-wicket second-innings stand of 82 - Sri Lanka’s first fifty partnership of the series - with opener Kaushal Silva (60) kept England at bay for much of yesterday’s play.

Dinesh Chandimal (54 not out) and Milinda Siriwardana (35 not out) built on that platform with an unbroken partnership of 87 that took Sri Lanka to stumps.

Sri Lanka had at least stopped the rot after becoming the first side since New Zealand in England back in 1958 to be bowled out for under 120 in three successive Test innings following their 101 first time around in this match.

Mathews’s men totalled just 91 and 119 during a crushing innings and 88-run defeat in the first of a three-Test series at Headingley last week.

But yesterday’s second-innings effort - something badly needed for their own morale and that of all those who want to see competitive Test cricket - kept them in this match.

It also left open the possibility of a stunning, come-from-behind, win if they could set England 100 or more for victory.

“We have to bat positively [today],” said Silva. l

DAY 3, AT STUMPS England 498/9 dec v Sri Lanka 101 (Broad 4/40, Woakes 3/9, Anderson 3/36) & 309/5 (Mathews 80, Silva 60, Chandimal 54*) England lead by 88 runs

DAY’S WATCH FOOTBALL TEN 1 8:00PM Sky Bet Championship 2015/16 Final: AFC Wimbledon v Plymouth Argyle

SONY ESPN 12:30AM International Friendly France v Cameroon

CRICKET STAR SPORTS 1 4:00PM Sri Lanka Tour of England 2nd Test, Day 4

UFC SONY ESPN 7:00AM Thomas Almeida v Cody Garbrandt

Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews hits straight off the bowling of England spinner Moeen Ali during the third day of their second Test in Durham yesterday INTERNET

Leicester to sign German World Cup ‘keeper Zieler n AFP, Berlin English champions Leicester City are set to strengthen their squad for next season by signing World Cup winner goalkeeper Ron-Robert Zieler from relegated Hanover 96, the German club announced yesterday.

The 27-year-old ‘keeper is set to travel to England today to complete the medical with his transfer to cost a reported 3.5 million euros ($3.9m) after he activated a release clause in his Hanover contract.

Cologne-born Zieler will be returning to England having spent two years as a trainee at Manchester United, plus a loan spell at Northampton Town.

He joined Hanover in 2010 and made 185 league appearances, and was captain of the club, before 96 were relegated having finished last in Germany’s top flight.

Zieler has made five appearances for Germany and was part of the squad which won the 2014 World Cup, but did not play a single minute in Brazil. He has not been selected for next month’s European championships in France, but is set to challenge Danish goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel for Leicester’s Number One shirt next season.l

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Sport

MONDAY, MAY 30, 2016

NUMBER OF TITLES 11 7 5

REAL MADRID AC MILAN LIVERPOOL, BAYERN MUNICH, BARCELONA

4 3

AJAX AMSTERDAM INTER MILAN, MANCHESTER UNITED

PAST WINNERS 2016:

Real Madrid (ESP)

2015:

Barcelona (ESP)

2014:

Real Madrid (ESP)

2013:

Bayern Munich (GER)

2012:

Chelsea (ENG)

2011:

Barcelona (ESP)

2010:

Inter Milan (ITA)

2009:

Barcelona (ESP)

2008:

Manchester United (ENG)

2007:

AC Milan (ITA)

2006:

Barcelona (ESP)

Real Madrid supporters celebrate as the team arrives at Plaza Cibeles in Madrid yesterday after their Uefa Champions League final win against Atletico de Madrid held in Milan, Italy AFP

11th crown caps rollercoaster Real season n AFP, Madrid A season that promised so little when Zinedine Zidane took charge of a beleaguered Real Madrid less than five months ago ended beyond even the richest club in the world’s wildest dreams with an 11th European Cup win in Milan.

Cristiano Ronaldo struck the winning penalty in a shootout to cap a remarkable turnaround in Real’s fortunes as for the second time in three years they edged a tense final against local rivals Atletico Madrid.

Thousands of delirious Real fans poured into the heart of Madrid city centre after the match and stayed

till well after sunrise yesterday morning to welcome their heroes back from Italy around the Plaza de Cibeles fountain - a traditional meeting point for Real’s triumphs.

The contrast in emotions to the first half of the season couldn’t be starker as a series of off-field gaffes and poor performances left the club in disarray.

Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea’s move to Madrid was botched due to a paperwork delay and the club were thrown out the Copa del Rey for fielding an ineligible player.

A 4-0 home defeat to bitter rivals Barcelona in November left

COACHES WHO ALSO WON UCL AS PLAYER MIGUEL MUÑOZ As a player: Real Madrid in 1956, 1957 As a coach: Real Madrid in 1960, 1966

GIOVANNI TRAPATTONI As a player: AC Milan in 1963 and 1969 As a coach: Juventus in 1985

JOHAN CRUYFF As a player: Ajax in 1971, 1972 and 1973 As a coach: Barcelona in 1992

As a coach: AC Milan in 2003 and 2007; Real Madrid in 2014

FRANK RIJKAARD As a player: AC Milan in 1989, 1990; Ajax in 1995 As a coach: Barcelona in 2006

JOSEP GUARDIOLA As a player: Barcelona in 1992 As a coach: Barcelona in 2009 and 2011

ZINÉDINE ZIDANE

CARLO ANCELOTTI

As a player: Real Madrid in 2002

As a player: AC Milan in 1989 and 1990

As a coach: Real Madrid in 2016

fans calling for the head of then coach Rafael Benitez and president Florentino Perez.

Benitez was the fall guy in early January to make way for Zidane to take his first senior managerial role after just 18 months experience with Real’s youth team Real Madrid Castilla. Crucially, though, in contrast to the dictatorial Benitez, as a former legendary player, Zidane instantly had the respect of Real’s star-studded squad.

“Zizou is very humble but determined. His arrival was really important for us because he has a great relationship with the players,” said Real captain Sergio Ramos.

“With Rafael we had some good times, but when Zizou came the dressing room was more unified.”

Zidane has already gone a long way to matching his stellar career that included World Cup, Champions League and European Championships winner’s medals.

Victory in Milan ensured he became the first French coach to ever win the competition and only the seventh man to win the European Cup as both a player and a manager.

“I’m so proud to be part of this great club. It’s the club of my life, the one that made me who I am,” said Zidane.l

STATS Real Madrid

1-1

Atletico Madrid

Ramos 15

Carrasco 79

Real Madrid won 5-3 on penalties

46

Possession (%)

54

25

Total Attempts

18

8

On Target

4

6

Off Target

11

11

Blocked

3

0

Against Woodwork

1

7

Corners

6

0

Offsides

2

6

Yellow Cards

2

0

Red Cards

0

18

Fouls Committed

16

557

Passes

627

497

Completed

543

Zidane hails Real, Simeone ponders future n AFP, Milan Zinedine Zidane hailed Real Madrid as the “club of my life” after a dramatic Champions League penalty shoot-out victory over Atletico Madrid that left Diego Simeone pondering his future.

Former France and Real Madrid forward Zidane scored the winning goal when Real they beat Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 to lift the title in Glasgow in 2002. Having been the assistant to Carlo Ancelotti when the Italian coaching great steered

Real to the 10th - "La Decima" - title in Lisbon two years ago, Zidane now gets a taste of the trophy for a third time after joining an elite few who have lifted the trophy as a player and a coach.

“I was given the chance to come to this amazing club, and then to coach it. I have a phenomenal team and great players who are also talented, and it was together we achieved what we did tonight,” he said.

Atletico came to Milan determined to make amends, but Simeone’s men were dominated

throughout at the San Siro.

Despite Yannick Carrasco levelling on 79 minutes, Atletico were undone on penalties. It left Simeone devastated, and the Argentinian gave an indication of his feelings when he admitted he could be pushed to think about his future with the twotime Europa League winners.

“I think I could start thinking about my future,” Simeone said cryptically. “It puts a lot of years on you. Congratulations to Real Madrid - once again they were superior to us, this time on penalties."l

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Copies (4) 5 Discharge in disgrace (5) 8 Speak ill of (6) 9 Soon (4) 10 Groove (3) 12 Sheen (6) 13 Meat pin (6) 15 Superficial show (6) 18 Combined (6) 20 Drink (3) 21 Floor coverings (4) 24 Break asunder (5) 25 Refuse (4)

DOWN 1 Gather for oneself (5) 2 Kitchen utensil (3) 3 Run away to marry (5) 4 Transgression (3) 5 Suffered (7) 6 Harbour town (4) 7 Old stringed instrument (4) 11 Advise strongly (4) 12 Young hare (4) 14 Part of a yacht (4) 16 Bring out (5) 17 Corroded (5) 18 Planet (4) 19 Actual (4) 21 Disencumber (3) 22 Spirit (3)

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Downtime

MONDAY, MAY 30, 2016

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

MONDAY, MAY 30, 2016

Symphony- Channel i Music Award 2016 conferred

n Showtime Desk A solo photography exhibition titled ‘Life, Light & Chaos’ by photographer Joy K Roy Chowdhury, has begun at La Galerie and Galerie Zoom, Alliance Française de Dhaka.

The inaugural ceremony of this exhibition was held on Friday, May 27, 2016. Eminent cultural personality, Aly Zaker attended the program as the chief guest while Z E Mamun, journalist and TV personality, Abir Abdullah, photojournalist, European Pressphoto Agency, and Moshiur Rahman, director of marketing at Hatil also attended the innagural ceremony as special guests.

Bruno Plasse, Director of Alliance Française de Dhaka, welcomed the distinguished guests and also presided over the opening ceremony.

Joy K Roy Chowdhury believes in capturing the true simplicity, emotion, pain, and pleasure of life in his eyes through his lens, which he feels in turn will inspire the next generation to explore the positive side of life more intrinsically.

Photography, to him, is canvassing the true colour, pain, and joy of life. Throughout his photographic journey, he tried his best to deliver

n Showtime Desk The Symphony Channel i Music Award 2016, was conferred on the winners of the different categories at the Ballroom of The Westin, in the capital’s Gulshan area, on Friday.

Organised by Channel i, the 11th edition of one of the prestigious music awards of the country, was held in a festive manner with the presence of renowned artistes. This year, the awards were announced in a total of 17 categories divided into critics and popular choice categories.

In addition, for her outstanding contribution to the field of music, veteran singer Shahnaz Rahmatullah was conferred with a lifetime achievement award.

Faridur Reza Sagar, the managing director of Channel i, Jakaria Shahid, the managing director of Edison Group; Zahir Uddin Mahmud Mamun, member of the board of directors of Channel I; actor, Raj Razzak; and National Film Award winning singer, Syed Abdul Hadi handed over a crest, ‘uttorio’ and a cheque worth Tk 1 lac to Shahnaz Rahmatullah.

Upon being honoured with the lifetime achievement award, Shahnaz Rahmatullah expressed her feelings after by saying, “This is all because of the love and support of my fans. I would sincerely like to thank Channel i for this great honour.”

Momtaz, Fazlur Rahman Babu, Sadi Mohammad, Aiyub Bacchu, Shaon, Kushum Sikder, Chirkut, Joler Gaan and seven best participants from Banglar Gaan performed in the programme. The awards ceremony was directed

by Shahidul Alam Sacchu and anchored by Farzana Brownia.

Life, Light & Chaos in display at AFD

Full list of winners: Critics Choice Award Indian Classical Music (Voice): Priyanka Gope Raaga Delights Rabindra Sangeet: Aditi Mohsin - Momo Rupey Beshey Nazrul Sangeet: Yasmin Mushtari - Ranga Othiti Folk-song: Momtaz - Majhi Bangla Modern Song: Kanak Chapa - Aaraley Newcomer: Nirbachita Ashbe Na Firey Music Director: Alauddin Ali - Sonali Gaan Lyricist: Robiul Islam Jibon Oishee Express Playback Song: Belal Khan and Konal - Ochena Hridoy Cover Design: Plan B Khoma Koro Sound Engeener: Azam

Babu - Jolchobi Best Band: Shironamhin Shironamhin Music Video Director: Tanim Rahman Angshu Hariye Fela Bhalobasha Popular Choice Award Bangla Modern Song: Fahmida Nabi - O Gaan Best Band: Obscure Obscure O Bangladesh Newcomer: Jinia Jafrin Luipa - Chayabaji; Oishee Oishee Express Playback Song: Samina Chowdhury - Sutopar Thikana

a unique way of picturing a seemingly-unremarkable image into an epic one. Each trail on the faces of people, each new expression, motion, action, and reaction have different stories to tell. Telling those stories by freezing time into his frames is the goal of this series.

The essence of these various emotions truly makes one feel alive.

The compilation of such extraordinary moments is the key motive, which Chowdhury endeavoured on for the photographs that are featured in this exhibition. This is Chowdhury’s first solo exhibition.

Throughout the compilation of the 30 images being exhibited in the event, Roy tries to deliver a unique way of picturing an average incident in to an epic phenomena.

Roy tries to incorporate other event attractions to make this more interesting and fascinating for visiting art lovers. As a part of that, a mobile phone art exhibition is also displayed along with his photography one. Joy K Roy Chowdhury is a passionate photographer and an artist. He comes from Narayanganj and is the Founder Member and President of Narayanganj Photographic Club (NPC).

The exhibition will be open to all till June 6th, 2016. l

Balan becomes Bali

n Showtime Desk Vidya Balan is all set for her Marathi film debut. After Dirty Picture, she is going to star in the biopic based on the life of yesteryear actor Bhagwan Dada, titled Ek Albela. The role is played

by Mangesh Desai.

Vidya plays the role of the actress Geeta Bali. Her pairing with Bhagwan Dada, was one of the most popular castings of that era.

The actress has certainly brought back the charm of the late diva to the screen. She will also have an extended cameo in the film.

The Chronicles of Narnia Zee Studio 4:25pm Four kids travel through a wardrobe to the land of Narnia and learn of their destiny to free it with the guidance of a mystical lion.

Cast: Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Tilda Swinton

Johnny English Reborn Star movies 4:38pm Johnny English goes up against international assassins hunting down the Chinese premier.

Cast: Rowan Atkinson, Rosamund Pike, Dominic West, Roger Barclay, Eric Carte

Vidya worked hard to set herself as Geeta, the diva of Indian cinema.

Recently, she was present at the trailer launch of the film with the get up “Geeta,” and has stunned the audience with her make over.

Vidya has also performed in front of the audience, and proved that she is the perfect person for biopic films.

The film is basically based on Bhagwan Dada, who was touted as the first dancing and action star of Indian cinema. l

10,000 BC WB 5:45pm A prehistoric epic that follows a young mammoth hunter’s journey through uncharted territory to secure the future of his tribe.

Cast: Steven Strait, Camilla Belle, Cliff Curtis, Joel Virgel, Affif Ben Badra

Source: Bollywood Life

Singer Arijit Singh has been in the news for the last few days for posting a public apology to Salman Khan on Facebook, and then deleting it within an hour.

The singer, who seems to be going through mental and emotional turmoil, made the move after his song was dropped from the much-awaited Salman Khanstarrer, Sultan.

Reports say Rahat Fateh Ali Khan sang the track “Jag Ghumiya” for the film, replacing Arijit Singh. The news broke after it was revealed that the lead actor, Salman Khan was in no mood to accept the apology from Arijit.

It all started back in 2013, when Arijit committed an error at a gala music programme which happened to be his first award function, says Arijit.

“This was my first award function. I was working for Pritam-da and I had a flight to catch. So I went in my casual chappals and clothes to the

function. I didn’t realise a lot of people would feel I was insulting the function,” says Arijit. Also he had fallen asleep during the show while Salman was announcing his name.

Considering the incident to be the reason of Salman’s disgruntlement, Arijit posted a heartfelt letter on his Facebook profile, pleading Salman to retain the song sung by him in Sultan.

The singer also apologised to the superstar, enumerating the times he tried to personally apologise to the star, but to no avail.

“When I recorded a song for the Meet Brothers in Kick, they called me saying Bhai doesn’t want to keep the song.

I realised he was still angry and started apologising again, and asking to meet him to apologise personally,” said Arijit in a recent interview with India Times.

The music composer of Sultan, Vishal Dadlani preferred to remain silent on the entire Salman-Arijit controversy. During an event for his other film Te3n,

MONDAY, MAY 30, 2016

WHAT TO WATCH

Salman rejects Arijit n Showtime Desk

31

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Showtime

Mission Impossible III HBO 9:30pm Agent Ethan Hunt comes into conflict with a dangerous and sadistic arms dealer who threatens his life and his fianceé in response.

Cast: Tom Cruise, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ving Rhames, Michelle Monaghan, Billy Crudup he refused to speak on Sultan.

Arijit added that he was excited after recording the song. But right after that he got an sms saying that the song can not be kept in the movie.

Sultan, which also stars Anushka Sharma, Randeep Hooda and Amit Sadh, is a sports biopic based on the life of wrestler Sultan Ali Khan, and is slated for an Eid release.

When Arijit posted the letter on such a public platform as Facebook, there were concerns about whether this was a wise

decision or not. Within an hour Arijit removed the letter and posted: “I hope he gets my letter through someway. Ps. This whole thing will backfire at me I know.

Prayers.”

Sources: Times of India and Indian Express

Kung Fu Panda Zee Studio 9:30pm In the Valley of Peace, Po the Panda finds himself chosen as the Dragon Warrior despite the fact that he is obese and a complete novice at martial arts.

Cast: Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu l

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Back Page

MONDAY, MAY 30, 2016

BUDGET FIXED AT RCB CHOKE TO GIVE FIZZ’S SYMPHONY- CHANNEL I MUSIC TK3,40,605CR PAGE 12 SRH MAIDEN IPL TITLE PAGE 24 AWARD 2016 CONFERRED PAGE 30

Seven Sundarbans bandits surrender to RAB n

SM Samsur Rahman, Bagerhat

Seven members of a gang of bandits who operate in the Sundarbans surrendered to RAB yesterday, expressing a wish to give their life a fresh start.

They are Md Mostafa Sheikh alias Kader Master, son of Abdul Latif Sheikh of Mithakhali area in Bagerhat’s Mongla upazila, Md Sultan Khan, son of Ismail Khan of the same area, Sohag Akon, son of Yusuf Akon of Boro Katakhali area in Rampal, Md Fazlu Sheikh, son of Ahad Ali Sheikh of the same area, Solaiyam Sheikh, son of Safrul Sheikh of Sreefaltala village, Shahin Sheikh, son of Md Motleb Sheikh of Khulna’s Dacope area, and Sumon Sarder, son of Nurul Islam Sarder of Satkhira’s Tala upazila.

The gang named Master Bahini is led by Md Mostafa Sheikh, who

is said to be the most notorious bandit at the Sundarbans.

The seven also surrendered 51 firearms of different types and some 5,000 rounds of ammunition at Charaputia area in Chandpai range of the Sundarbans (east) around 6:30am.

They were taken to RAB 8 custody after they surrendered.

The seven were to officially surrender to Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and RAB Director General Benazir Ahmed at noon but the process was postponed due to adverse weather conditions.

Nizamul Haque Mollah, superintendent of police of Bagerhat, said the bandits did not officially surrender as the home minister could not make it to the programme due to bad weather.

‘We want to start a new life’

After his surrender, the leader of

the gang, Mostafa, said a union parishad chairman of Rampal area made him a bandit and he started working as a member of the gang named Raju Bahini.

He said he formed a gang of 1015 members on his own after the leader of Raju Bahini, Raju, fled to neighbouring India following a raid conducted by the joint forces.

“As RAB continued to crack down on bandits, we decided that we would surrender. Except the seven, other members of the gang fled after they learned that we would surrender,” Mostafa said.

“We wish to return to a normal life after the legal procedure ends.”

RAB sources said a RAB intelligence team connected with the members of Master Bahini after they were informed that the bandits were willing to surrender.

According to RAB, Master Bahini terrorised local fishermen and

beekeepers in the Sundarbans and the west coast. They would extort fishermen and were also involved in a range of crimes, such as abduction and demanding ransom.

The surrender of the bandits made local fishermen happy. They said they would be able to catch fish without fear if other bandits also decided to surrender like the seven.

Md Jahangir Alam, deputy commissioner of Bagerhat, praised the decision of the bandits to surrender in order to start a new and normal life.

“This is undoubtedly a good move for them, and a good news for locals as well. It will be great if other forest robbers follow in the footsteps of the seven Master Bahini members,” he said.

The government official said all necessary measures would be taken for helping the seven bandits to return to a normal life. l

Ten-year-old Nasirul, left, has been working as a driver’s assistant in the human hauler for nearly a year. The other two boys hanging from the three-wheeler work the same job, but for different drivers. Working as the driver’s assistant in the human haulers in Dhaka is a popular choice among street children to earn a living. The photo was taken in Mirpur yesterday afternoon RAJIB DHAR

HC orders fresh reports on Narayanganj teacher shaming n Ashif Islam Shaon The High Court has directed Narayanganj deputy commissioner (DC), superintendent of police (SP) and officer-in-charge (OC) of Bandar police station to submit three fresh, separate detailed reports specifying the steps taken against those responsible for the public humiliation Narayanganj teacher Shyamal Kanti Bhakta.

Actions will be taken against the respondents if the reports are not prepared “sincerely” and submitted by June 8, said the High Court bench of Justices Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury and Md Iqbal Kabir yesterday while delivering the order.

Shyamal, headmaster of Piyar Sattar Latif High School in Narayanganj’s Bandar upazila, was beaten up and forced to do squats holding his ears on the instruction of local lawmaker Salim Osman on May 13.

Three reports submitted by the DC, the SP and the OC were placed before the court yesterday; the court expressed dissatisfaction over the reports’ contents, saying there was no specific explanation on the steps taken against the perpetrators.

It said the DC, SP and OC had not followed the suo moto rule issued by the court on May 18 and asked them to come up with the detailed reports.

The High Court bench also directed the state counsel to inform the respondents not to prepare their reports insincerely.

Insincere reports will not accepted by the court and it will not hesitate to take action against the respondents in that case, the bench warned.

On May 18, the High Court in a ruling asked why action should not be taken against those involved in the public shaming of Shyamal in Narayanganj.

In a suo moto ruling, this High Court bench ordered police to inform the court, in three days, about the legal steps taken over the incident so far.

The ruling was issued after lawyers MK Rahman and Mohsin Rashid brought newspaper articles on the teacher’s humiliation to the court’s attention.

The home secretary, Narayanganj deputy commissioner, superintendent of police, Bandar police OC and upazila nirbahi officer were asked to respond within two weeks. l

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