02 June, 2016

SECOND EDITION

THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 2016

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Jyoishtha 19, 1423, Shaban 25, 1437

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Regd No DA 6238, Vol 4, No 40

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

Police action leaves 50 injured

MPs can’t chair non-gov school Pregnant nurse kicked in the abdomen during scuffle in front of Nasim’s house committees n Ashif Islam Shaon bleeding during the police action n Arifur Rahman Rabbi later had a miscarriage.

The High Court yesterday declared At least 50 unemployed graduate nurses were injured when they attempted to gather in front of the residence of Health Minister Mohammad Nasim in Dhaka’s Dhanmondi residential area yesterday.

The injured included a three months pregnant nurse who was allegedly kicked in the abdomen by a law enforcer.

Dhanmondi police OC Nure Azam, however, claimed that they had charged batons lightly which would not lead to an abortion.

The agitating nurses took position on Dhanmondi Road No 28 around 6pm as part of plan to besiege the house, but were asked by the police to leave.

Police along with the leaders and activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League and Shechchhasebok League launched the attack on the nurses around 7:30pm, they alleged.

The photo collected from Facebook shows a nurse injured in an atack during yesterday’s demonstrations in Dhanmondi being taken to hospital Ruhul Amin Sagor, assistant police commissioner of Dhanmondi zone, claimed that the police charged batons on the nurses and used water canon to disperse them only after they had pelted brick chips aiming at the police and attempted to forcefully enter the

‘Equality at heart of fiscal plan’ BUDGET FY2017

n Asif Showkat Kallol ‘Growth, Development and Building an Equality Based Society’ is the title of Finance Minister AMA Muhith’s 10th budget, for the fiscal year 2016-17, to be placed at Jatiya Sangsad today. It targets a growth rate of 7.2%.

“We have fixed a target of 7.2% GDP growth in the next fiscal but in reality growth may cross 7.5% because more investment opportunities are open in the next fiscal year,” Senior Finance Secretary

Mahbub Ahmed told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday at the secretariat.

Muhith will place the budget today at Jatiya Sangsad at 3.30pm. The ministry is publishing 26 books that will contain budget details as well as details on mega projects, the digital road map, the child budget and the gender budget.

“Allocations to social security and infrastructure are being raised, and these will create more equality in the society,” the finance minister told reporters recently at a pre-budget meet.

Fast Track mega infrastructure projects and other plans by the government  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

Correction In the June 1, 2016 edition of the Dhaka Tribune we wrote that the government would provide Tk 28,793 crore for the Padma Bridge project in the next fiscal year; this should have read Tk 6,026 crore for the coming fiscal year.

The total estimated cost of the Padma Multipurpose Bridge project is Tk 28,793 crore. The government has said that it will bear the entire cost of the project.

minister’s residence.

The injured were rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, and nearby hospitals and clinics.

Rina Akter, president of the unemployed nurses’ association, told the Dhaka Tribune that one of the nurses, Salma, who had begun

She was first admitted to Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital (SSMCH), and later taken to Ibn Sina Hospital in Dhanmondi.

Dr Sadia Imdad, resident surgeon at SSMCH, claimed that they had not noticed miscarriage while treating the injured nurse.

The unemployed nursing graduates have been demonstrating since March 30 after a circular issued by the Public Service Commission (PSC) sought to recruit 3,616 senior nurses through exams.

The nursing graduates were hoping to be recruited on the basis of year of graduation, merit and seniority. They started the movement in Dhaka’s Shahbagh intersection but were dispersed by the police.

There are some 21,000 unemployed nurses in the country. When contacted over the phone, Nasim declined to comment on the issue. l

the provisions of non-government School College Governing Body Regulation-2009 illegal which allowed lawmakers to chair the governing committees.

The HC however, will allow committee members to hold their posts until their tenure expires.

The High Court bench of Justice Zinat Ara and Justice AKM Zahirul Hoque gave the verdict on a writ petition filed by a Supreme Court lawyer Eunus Ali Akond challenging the legality of the provisions.

Eunus told reporters that after this verdict no unelected committee will be allowed at schools and colleges and the chairman of the committee will be elected by the members.

The authorities concerned will form ad hoc committees for holding elections that will form a regular governing body.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

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BD’s solar home system market growth lauded n Probir K Sarker As of early 2015, more than 6 million solar home systems (SHS) and kits were estimated to be in operation worldwide, with Bangladesh being the largest market, says a latest international report.

The Renewables 2016 Global Status Report published yesterday says that the SHS market in Bangladesh has grown at an astounding average of 60% annually over the past decade, with 60,000 households being connected to a SHS every month.

As of end 2014, Bangladesh had 3.6 million SHS installed whereas the government declared its intention to install up to 6m SHS by 2018 and plans to finance the installation of about 1,550 solar irrigation pumps by 2017.

It is the world’s largest market for SHS, and other developing countries are seeing rapid expansion of small-scale renewable systems, including renewables-based mini-grids, to provide electricity

Bangladeshis arrested for forgery in Europe n Tribune Desk

for people living far from the grid.

Bangladesh has approximately 60m people without electricity access (39% of the population as of 2013). It aims at producing 10% of total electricity from renewable sources by 2020.

Several thousand renewables-based mini-grids were in operation in Bangladesh and other developing countries, the report conducted by Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN21) said.

Meanwhile, renewable energy use in clean cook stoves – dominated by biogas – also has been on the rise.

Bangladesh installed more than 36,000 biogas cook stoves in 2015 through its domestic biogas programme, to reach a total of 90,000 in operation.

The report says estimated 140 million in Bangladesh rely on firewood, dung cakes, charcoal or crop residue to meet their household cooking needs. l

Several Bangladeshis have been arrested in Europe for their suspected involvement in large-scale document forgery and smuggling of irregular migrants.

They are among 22 people held in Greece and Czech Republic last month, EU’s law enforcement agency Europol said in a statement on Tuesday.

Criminal groups were taking advantage of the influx of migrants and refugees into Europe.

They have been producing a large number of fake documents including passports, national ID cards, Schengen visas, driving licences, asylum seeker’s registration cards and residence permits.

Europol said people were charged between €100 and €3,000 for each of these documents depending on quality, type and country of issue.

Last year, more than a million people crossed into Europe, mainly by sea, while many more died trying. UNHCR figures show that another 135,711 people have reached

Europe by sea since January 2016.

Migrants are mainly from wartorn Syria. People continue to look for new lives in Europe to escape violence in Afghanistan and Iraq, abuses in Eritrea, as well as poverty in Kosovo.

Investigations revealed how an Athens-based network, parallelly operated by two criminal groups, created a sophisticated network of illegal facilitation of irregular migration.

The first group was composed of Bangladeshis and the second one of Sudanese, Europol said.

In 2015 alone, the Bangladeshi group sent at least 126 parcels containing travel documents via courier services, while the Sudanese group sent 431 parcels.

These documents were shipped to EU nations and countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia where they were given to irregular migrants to help them enter the EU or legalise their stay.

In November 2014, the Czech police started investigating a gang that was purchasing stolen or lost identity/travel documents

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

‘Equality at heart of fiscal plan’ would open up new opportunities for investment in the country, he said.

The comparatively high interest rates of loans and labour unrest were not the main problems for investment in the country, he added.

“The major problem with lo-

cal and foreign investment in the country is the crisis of gas for local industries. Local industries have developed based on gas and their competitiveness is calculated on the use of gas,” Secretary Mahbub said.

Under the capital budget an LNG project will be developed, he said.

and sending them to the Athens-based groups to have them altered.

The final products were shipped back to the Czech Republic and passed on to potential customers.

The Czech group also produced fake Schengen visas that allow travelling to 26 countries, including 22 EU member states.

Czech authorities provided information to Europol allowing further identification of the Athens-based criminal groups that were busted on May 25.

During this investigation, 19 EU member states and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement assisted the lead investigators.

Europol Director Rob Wainwright said, in the last two years, criminal gangs had been increasingly investing in the production of fake documents.

“Document fraud is now a highly important enabler of organised crime operated by groups involved in stealing or producing counterfeit passports and other travel documents,” he was quoted as saying in the statement. l

LNG will be supplied from January 2018 to ease the crisis of gas for local industries under this project.

“We have done well in social indicators, not just the growth rates, compared even to developed nations. Bangladesh has done very well in indicators such as child mortality rate, school drop out

rates, gender parity and female education,” the senior secretary pointed out.

Mahbub Ahmed said the government will also focus on mobilising local investment rather than foreign investment in achieving growth target.

He added the government will

dig 100 gas wells in FY17 and construct an LNG terminal. Funds will also be allocated to develop environment-friendly brick klins.

Mahbub Ahmed said the government will create a project director pool to improve implementation rate of the annual development programme (ADP). l

SNAPSHOTS OF UPCOMING BUDGET FISCAL YEAR 17 Budget outline

New pension and provident funds

Saving instrument profit rate

Undisclosed money

Package VAT and VAT on education

World Bank budget support

Subsidy

The total budget outlay will be Tk3,40,605cr in FY17, compared to Tk295,100cr in the outgoing fiscal year. Revenue expenditure is Tk2,15,744cr. Revenue earning target will be Tk248,268cr, deficit Tk97,853cr. Deficit will be met from Tk38,947cr worth of foreign loans, Tk38,938cr in bank loans and Tk19,513cr from national saving instruments.

The government will create new pension and provident funds from 2016-17. Government agencies will be allowed to put these funds in private financial sectors like stock market and other businesses. The pension fund outlay will be Tk16,915cr.

In the outgoing fiscal it is Tk11,584cr.

The finance minister will be giving a directive to reduce rates on government saving instruments, in a bid to divert more savings to the private sector. In the outgoing fiscal the government borrowed Tk28,000cr from the public at an interest rate of 11%.

No new provision on undisclosed money will be in the next fiscal year's budget, but the provision for conditional investment of undisclosed money in real estate sector in the current fiscal year budget.

The government will continue with package VAT provisions offered to small traders, but the rates will see a significant rise.

There will be no VAT on university education.

Bangladesh government is not interested in World Bank's budget support due to harsh terms. The Economic Relations Division's request for a Tk800cr allocation for Word Bank's prescribed reforms has been declined.

Total subsidy in next budget may cross Tk28,000cr, from Tk25,573cr in 2015-16. Finance Division has decided to allocate Tk5,000cr subsidy for gas, which has never been given before. Food subsidy will increase 50% to Tk2,800cr. Power sector subsidy will fall to Tk6,000cr from current year's Tk 8,000cr.

Agriculture subsidy will remain the same: Tk9,000cr.

MPs can’t chair non-govt The High Court also scrapped section 5 and 50 of the Governing Body regulation Eunus added where lawmakers are allowed to hold the post of chairman and form special governing bodies.

On April 13 the High Court issued a rule asking the authorities concerned to explain within four weeks the legality of Section 5(50) of non-government School College Governing Body Regulation-2009 and why it should not be declared

unconstitutional.

Earlier on January 19 the High Court issued another ruling questioning the legality of the a special governing body, led

by Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon,

at Viqarunnisa Noon School and College in Dhaka.

Eunus said the 2008 government circular had announced that the government could not run any institution, which is on monthly payment order (MPO), by any spe-

cial committee. Institutions must elect governing committees on their own.

Deputy Attorney General Israt Jahan said the government will file an appeal against the High Court decision. l

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Habiganj razakar siblings punished n Ashif Islam Shaon In an early morning of November in 1971, two freedom fighters who were neighbours secretly came back home in a short visit to meet the family members. But the local razakars learned about it somehow.

In the afternoon, a group of the collaborators with firearms cordoned off the house. Sensing their presence, one of the unarmed freedom fighters came out of his room and tried to escape. But he was shot dead.

The razakars then dragged the other freedom fighter out of his room, tied his eyes and took him away to their nearest camp, scrapping appeals from his wife and daughter. He was never found.

The leader of that razakar group – Mohibur Rahman alias Boro Mia – was sentenced to death while his younger brother Mujibur Rahman alias Angur Mia and their cousin Abdur Razzak to imprisonment until death by a war crimes tribunal in Dhaka yesterday.

All the four charges framed against them for their involvement in different incidents of murder, rape, looting and arson at different places of Baniachang Upazila in Habiganj were proved beyond doubt.

The three-member International Crimes Tribunal, headed by Justice Md Anwarul Haque, read out the operational part of the 240-page verdict starting from 10:35am in presence of the trio on the dock, who partnered in the crimes taking stand against Bangladesh’s struggle for independence and joined the razakar force to assist the Pakistani Army.

“It may be mentioned here that this accused person [Mohibur] expressed no repentance for his such conduct at any stage, and we do not find any mitigating factor to award lesser sentence to convict accused Mohibur Rahman alias Boro Mia other than death.

“At the same time, we consider it

dropped out from school.

During the war, they joined the razakar militia to fight alongside the Pakistan Army. The local razakar camp and torture cell was situated at Kamrul Ahsan's house. After 1975, Mujibur joined Jamaat-e-Islami.

They both served as chairman of Khagaurha Union Parishad.

Their cousin Razzak was born in 1952. He is illiterate. He too joined the razakar force after being involved with Nezam-e-Islami party.

Two other brothers of Mohibur and Mujibur – Kamaldhar and Mostafa – were killed by the freedom fighters at the fag end of the war.

Mostafa was the commander of the razakar camp set up at Khagaura Bazar while Kamaldhar led the Khagaurha Union unit Peace Committee.

The trial Habiganj war crime convicts Mohibur Rahman, his younger brother Mujibur Rahman, and their cousin Abdur Razzak are being led into a prison van after a war crimes tribunal in Dhaka delivered verdicts against them yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE appropriate to condemn two other convict accused Mujibur Rahman alias Angur Mia and Md Abdur Razzak to the sentence of imprisonment as they incurred ‘accessory liability’ for the crimes proved,” said the tribunal.

It awarded death for Mohibur who shot freedom fighter Rajab Ali by a rifle with his own hand and imprisonment until death to Mujibur and Razzak for aiding the leader. The sentence was same for killing freedom fighter Akal Ali after abduction and hiding his body.

All of them were sentenced to ten years' jail on the charge of attacking, torching and looting of the Khagaura house of Gen MA Rob, an organiser of the Liberation War. For helping the Pakistani soldiers rape the wife of Manjab Ali and the younger sister of Allat Mia on the same day at Khagaura who later committed suicide, the trio were sen-

tenced to prison for 20 years.

On the fourth charge of abducting and torturing Ansar Ali who was permanently maimed, they were sentenced to seven years' imprisonment.

The sentence of death awarded to Mohibur be executed by hanging him by the neck or by shooting him till he is dead, as decided by the government. The convicts are at liberty to prefer appeal before the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court against their conviction and sentence within 30 days of the date of order of conviction and sentence, the tribunal said.

Following the verdict, the prosecution said that they were satisfied with the sentences. One of the prosecutors Sultan Mahmud said that they would make a decision on filing appeal against the jail sentences of Mujibur and Razzak after getting cer-

tified copies of the verdict.

The defence, however, was disappointed with the tribunal’s decision.

Masud Rana, counsel for the convicts, said that they would challenge the verdict in the highest court.

Victims' families, witnesses, freedom fighters and war trial campaigners lauded the verdict, and distributed sweets among the people in Baniachang yesterday. They also demanded that all the three razakars be given death penalty in appeal to ensure justice for the victims of their atrocities.

Who are they?

Mohibur was born in 1950 at Kumurshana village in Baniachang.

His brother Mujibur was born five years later. They chose to be the close associates of Syed Kamrul Ahsan, top leader of pro-Pakistani Nezam-e-Islami after being

The wife of slain freedom fighter Aakal Mia, Bhingraj Bibi, filed the war crimes case accusing six with the Habiganj Judicial Magistrate Court in 2009. It was later transferred to the war crimes tribunal.

The investigation agency started probing the case on February 11, 2014 and collected statements of 21 witnesses.

The tribunal issued arrest warrants against Mohibur and Mujibur on February 10, 2015 and Baniachang police arrested them hours later.

On May 19 the same year, Razzak was arrested in Athangiri Hill area of Moulvibazar. The same day, the prosecution formally pressed charges against them.

The tribunal started the trial against them on September 29 and a total of seven people testified against them while seven for the defence.

The court on May 11 this year kept the case pending for verdict after the conclusion of arguments from both the sides. l

What to expect for the education sector? n Shadma Malik For the 2015-16 fiscal year, the government allocated Tk31,605 crore to the education sector – which equalled to only 1.84% of Bangladesh's GDP and just a 10.7% share of the entire budget.

Unesco recommends that a country must allocate 20% of its annual budget and at least 6% of its GDP to the education sector for achieving a sustainable development.

Bangladesh has repeatedly failed to meet the minimum benchmark

for the education sector allocation, even though the outgoing fiscal year's allocation was 9% more than the revised budget of 2014-15 fiscal year, according to a pre-budget analysis by the Centre on Budget and Policy at Dhaka University.

Looking back at past budgets, 12.1% of the annual budget was allocated to education in FY2011-12, around 11.2% in FY2012-13, and 11.7% in FY2014-15.

Calculating how much of the GDP was assigned to the education sector, the analysis found that the government always put the number around the 2% mark – way below the Unesco recommended 6%.

Even looking as far back as the

years between FY1997-98 and FY2000-01, education received around 2.2% of the GDP. For FY2001-02, the amount increased slightly to 2.3%, but never managed to cross the 2.1% mark on an average in the following years, the analysis found.

From 2009 to 2012, the education sector's allocation grew compared to its GDP share, but it never exceeded more than 2.3% of the country's gross domestic product.

Even though the allocation had remained almost constant, budget expenditure compared to the GDP has grown quite a lot.

In FY1997-98, the then Awami League government's annual budget

expenditure was GDP’s 12.92%; but the expenditure has now grown to become 17.2% of the GDP in FY2015-16.

VAT again on tertiary education?

In a controversial move, while announcing the draft budget for FY201516, Finance Minister AMA Muhith said a 10% VAT would be charged on private university education.

His proposal triggered a countrywide protest, with students forming human chains and blocking city streets to call for a withdrawal of the VAT. Faced with unrest, the government initially reduced the proposed VAT to 7.5% and later scrapped the initiative altogether.

But the government circulation that was issued at the time only stated that VAT has been withdrawn for the 2015-16 fiscal year; it had no mention whether the decision would brought back again for the following year.

“We hope history would not repeat itself. If VAT is imposed again, we will take the same actions as before,” said Abdullah Kaosar from East West University, who participated during last year's demonstrations.

“We had a successful non-violent, peaceful protest. We believe VAT will not be imposed on educational institutions,” said Nusrat Jahan, a student at Asia-Pacific University. l

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Hundreds of farmers besiege Rangpur food office

Fake protocol officer to PM arrested for extortion

n Liakat Ali Badal, Rangpur

Police arrested 5 extortionists, including one identifying himself as a fake protocol officer of the prime minister, at Kafrul area in Dhaka yesterday evening.

They are Munni Akter Nipa, Mustaq Hasan, Masud Mahbub, Salim and Asadujjaman.

Police also recovered two walkie-talkies from their possession.

Confirming the incident, Officer in-charge (OC) of Kafrul Police station Shamim Shikder said, two days ago, a man introducing himself as Major Eftekher and another as Munni, who claimed to work as a protocol officer for the prime minister, demanded Tk2 crore from

Hundreds of local farmers yesterday besieged Rangpur food office demanding a seven-point demand including transparency in paddy purchase by the state authorities.

The incident took place in the central road area of the district town.

The demands include purchasing paddy directly from the farmers, establishing buying centres in every union and 40-day poverty alleviation programme for landless people and labourers.

In this regard, they later submitted a memorandum to the Rang-

pur food officer, said Sadar upazila Food Officer MA Matin.

Bangladesh Krishak and Khetmajur Samity and Somajtantrik Khetmajur and Krishak Front arranged the besiege programme and the farmers started taking position in front of Rangpur Press Club in the morning. At one stage, they brought out a procession from there and paraded thoroughfares before placing the memorandum.

Finally, the agitating farmers held a rally in front of the food office in which the speakers alleged that the local administration was yet to start purchasing paddy despite having a public declaration in this regard.

Suspended RCC mayor released on bail n Tribune Desk Suspended Rajshahi City Corporation Mayor Mosaddek Hossain Bulbul was released from jail on bail yesterday.

Bulbul walked out of Rajshahi central jail around 4:30pm, said Senior Jail Super Shafiqul Islam Khan.

His lawyer Raisul Islam said Bulbul obtained bail in two violence cases from the High Court on May 24, clearing the

way for his release.

He said though the High Court bail order reached the Rajshahi Central Jail two days later, the authorities did not release him saying they got a letter from the Attorney General’s office that an appeal was made against Bulbul’s bail order, reports UNB. Earlier on March 13, a Rajshahi court sent the suspended RCC mayor to jail in connection with several cases filed against him. l

Bangladesh expo wraps up in Thailand Shahariar Zaman, n Sheikh Bangkok

Bangladesh Trade and Investment Expo has concluded in Bangkok, Thailand with political leadership and business community of both countries coming together to boost economic partnership.

The three-day expo concluded yesterday with over 50 top companies from Bangladesh showcasing their products.

Bangladesh Ambassador to Thailand Saida Muna Tasneem said at the concluding session of the expo that such a platform to showcase Bangladesh’s products did not exist before.

Former president of Bangladesh Chamber of Industries Shahedul Islam on behalf of all the participants said it was a great exposure for them. “We are going back with a positive image,” he said.

Meeting at Thai foreign ministry

State Minister for Foreign Affairs

Mohammad Shahriar Alam met with Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai at the Thai Foreign Ministry.

Pramudwinai said economic cooperation was the highlight of their discussions along with bilateral issues.

The ministers also discussed the coastal shipping link arrangement during the meeting.

“It will take a little while but we will look into it,” Pramudwinai said.

The minister expects more iThai nvestment if their companies have positive experience in trading with Bangladesh.

Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed, Energy State Minister Nasrul Hamid, Telecom State Minister Tarana Halim had meetings with their counterparts and large companies in Thailand to ensure investment in energy and telecom sector, Bangladesh Ambassador to Thailand Saida Muna Tasneem said. l

On the contrary, the local authorities were making a list of farmers and the ruling party leaders and activists were being enlisted there illegally dropping the real farmers.

The speakers apprehended that the farmers could incur loss because of the politically motivated list and the late purchase forced them to sell their produces at cheap price.

Sadar upazila Food Officer Matin said: “The delay takes place owing to the list and we have received a list of 75% farmers and hope of starting the purchase soon. Preparing list is not the duty of the agriculture department.” l

n Arifur Rahman Rabbi

Opex Garment managing director Sahidur Rahman, who lives in Mohakhali DOHS area.

Following the incident, an official of Sahidur filed a case on his behalf against the aforementioned people on Tuesday. After they contacted Sahidur again yesterday, the latter called them to his office, the OC said.

The OC added that in the meantime, Sahidur had also informed the police of the impending meeting.

The police then went to the office and arrested the five extortionists.

Police suspect the group had been carrying out extortion operations in this vein for a long time.

They are now interrogating the group and investigating the matter, he added. l

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18 firms submit EoI for Dighipara coal field n

Aminur Rahman Rasel

Eighteen international firms have submitted expressions of interest (EoIs) for a feasibility study for the development of Dinajpur’s Dighipara coal field.

ABM Kamruzzaman, general manager (planning and environment) of state-owned Barapukaria Coal Mine Company (BCMCL), yesterday told the Dhaka Tribune that the EoIs were received on Tuesday.

The eighteen companies include US-based Golder Associates, India’s Tata Group, UK-based FWS Consultants Ltd and China-based CCPG. “Among the companies applied, seven companies deemed best suited to do the work will be short-listed through a full fledged evaluation process. We will send request for proposal (RFP) docu-

So, the government plans to develop the local coal mines to meet the demand. However, all the planned coal-based power plants still remain on paper.

In 1995, Geological Survey of Bangladesh discovered Dinajpur’s Dighipara mine, which has a proven coal reserve of 150 million tonnes.

The BCMCL, a company of Petrobangla, will implement the project. The project’s main objectives would be to identify the total reserve of Dighipara coal basin (within 24 sq-km) and to develop a coal mine of 3 million tonne production capacity per year in the central part of the basin (within 6 sq-km).

Petrobangla and the EMRD have already handed over exploration licence of 4,000 hectare of Dighipara coal mine area to the BCMCL.l

ments to the short-listed companies,” Kamruzzaman said.

A single company from the RFP receivers will later be selected for the task, he added.

On April 4, 2016, BCMCL invited EoI from international firms to develop and carry out complete geological and geo-technical study to determine technical and economical feasibility of Dighipara.

The study would include exploration planning, supervision and management of exploration activities.

The feasibility study will start in October 2016 and finish in March 2019.

The government plans to set up a series of coal-fired power projects to generate 20,000MW of electricity by 2030. But no arrangement has so far been made to import coal for the projected goal.

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Transport sector likely to get highest allocation BUDGET FY2017 n Shohel Mamun The government is set to allocate Tk34,214 crore for the next fiscal year’s transport budget, the highest allocation for an individual sector, Tk750 crore higher than the current fiscal year’s allocation.

Of the amount, Tk28,064 crore will be development expenditure and Tk6,150 crore non-development expenditure.

“The transport sector will get the highest allocation in the development budget for the next fiscal year,” Finance Minister AMA Muhith said at a deal signing ceremony in Dhaka on a 32km long national highway upgrade at Sylhet on Tuesday.

The transport sector received

the biggest share of development allocation in the last year as well – around Tk23,464 crore.

The Padma Bridge project, a high-priority fast-track project of the government, would alone get around Tk6,026 crore – the highest allocation for a single project for FY2016-17. The Padma Bridge rail link project will get Tk4,102 crore the second highest allocation.

The government plans to build Padma Bridge by December 2018 and start the rail by 2022.

Mehedi Ahmed Ansary, a professor at Buet’s civil engineering department, said: “Every year, the government has been putting an increasing amount of emphasis on the transportation sector.”

This was reasonable, but because of the length and scope of the projects their benefits to the public are slow in the coming, he said.

“The expenses might be reduced if the projects ran smoothly,” he said. l

Airtel subscribers affected by technical glitch n Ishtiaq Husain Airtel subscribers in different areas of Dhaka and Narayanganj are facing network disruption after midnight of May 31.

Sources said even a few hundred thousand registered SIMs along with other unregistered connections were disconnected just after midnight last night.

When contacted, Shamit Shahabuddin, head of PR at Airtel, said: “As you know there are reports today about Airtel blocking SIMs that are already re-registered.

Actually the problem is not relat-

ed to biometric registration. It is a technical difficulty of a switch that we are going through right now.”

A subscriber said his connection was blocked but finally reactivated after 12pm today.

Ashif Islam Shaon, another Aritel subscriber, had his connection disconnected since last night, even after re-registering it. His connection was finally restored at around 3pm today.

Airtel has a total of 10.3 million connections according to BTRC. Of them, a total of 7.68 million have been registered through the biometric process. l

Agitated Airtel subscribers - who had completed their biometric SIM registration by the deadline - storm the Dhanmondi customer care centre of Airtel after their SIMs were disconnected yesterday MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Asian countries adopt plans to phase-down amalgam Al-Masum Molla n Mohammad from Bangkok

A number of Asian countries have come up with national work plans to gradually reduce the use of amalgam after a two-day workshop on the danger of its use in dentistry.

Bangladesh plans to phasedown amalgam within the next two years while other South Asian countries have decided to cut down its trade, import and use by 2020.

TEMPERATURE FORECAST FOR TODAY

THUNDERSHOWER WITH RAIN THURSDAY, JUNE 2

Strategies to Phase a down Amalgam Use towards Mercury Free Dentistry” was jointly organised by the UNEP and World Alliance for Mercury-free Dentistry at UN Conference Centre in Bangkok, Thailand on Tuesday.

Desiree Narvaez of UNEP said national action plans to phase down dental amalgam use will add to the country’s road map to ratify the Minamata Convention.

“Based on the national action

“It is really important that the commitments are made by those who can take action,” UNEP Deputy Regional Director Isabelle Louis said.

“The national and sub regional action plans are crystal clear, set specific timeline and it is inspirational,” she added. “It will eventually bring good for individual health and then certainly the whole nation.”

Asian Workshop on “Successful Dhaka

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plans, the sub-region of South Asia and South East Asia will come up with common strategies to achieve the goal,” she said. “Governments, civil societies, and other stakeholders will work together to achieve the common goal.”

Bangladesh national action plan included comprehensive awareness raising among relevant stakeholders including private and civil society sectors, and ratification of the Minamata convention.

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Barisal

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

TOMORROW SUN RISES 5:11AM

34.7ºC Chandpur

21.5ºC Nilphamari

Source: Accuweather/UNB

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27

PRAYER TIMES

It also aimed at improving availability and affordability of alternatives.

Charles G Brown of World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry said: “A consensus came today that amalgam use must end immediately for the children of Asia, and that concrete and effective steps will begin throughout South Asia, East Asia, and Southeast Asia that will send amalgam to the dustbins of history.” l Sylhet

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24

Cox’s Bazar

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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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News

6

THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 2016

Banshkhali poll postponed after MP assaults poll official n Tribune Desk The Election Commission yesterday postponed elections to the all union parishads under Banskhali upazila as a local lawmaker allegedly assaulted an election official.

Secretary of Election Commision said they would also file a case against MP Mostafizur Rahman Chowdhury for assaulting Election Officer Jahedul Islam.

According to Dhaka Tribune's Chittagong bureau office, the lawmaker manhandled the election officer as he did not comply with the illegal demands of the MP. The incident took place at Banshkhali UNO office around 12:30pm.

It is alleged that the ruling Awami League lawmaker gave a list of his chosen presiding and polling officers to the election officer for the upcoming 6th phase of Union Parishad elections scheduled to be held on June 4.

“I have come to know that the election officer of Banshkhali upazila came under attack. The lawmaker reportedly launched the physical assault as the election officer did not comply with his illegal demands of appointing the MP’s

chosen men for performing electoral duty,” said Abdul Baten, Chittagong regional election officer.

Talking to the Dhaka Tribune, Mohammad Shamshuzzaman, UNO of Banshkhali, said: “I have also heard that the lawmaker and the election officer exchanged some heated words between them over the upcoming UP polls. However, I am not quite sure about that as I am busy distributing relief goods among the cyclone-affected people in the area.”

Mostafizur Rahman MP, however, denied allegation of launching a physical assault on the election officer.

Talking to the Dhaka Tribune, Mostafizur Rahman MP claimed that the allegation of attacking the election officer was totally baseless.

“This is just a bullshit.

A meeting was held today [Wednesday] for holding the upcoming Union Parishad elections. It is true that I exchanged some hot words with the officer over appointing a fake assistant presiding officer in Saral union under Banshkhali upazila. But I have never attacked the election officer,” said the ruling party lawmaker. l

Suspected robber killed in crossfire Correspondent, n Our Barisal A suspected robber was killed in a crossfire between his associates and police at Amanatganj Bazaar of Baliatali village, Muladi police station of Barisal district in the early hours of yesterday.

The victim, Salim Howlader, 40, is the son of late Habibir Rahman of Safipur union under Muladi upazila of the district and leader of Salim Bahini, a notorious robbery gang.

The police in their search recovered two pipe guns, six rounds of ammunition and two machetes, said Muladi police station officer in-charge (OC) Matiur Rahman.

Salim was accused in 11 cases including 4 murders at Muladi in the last two years.

Two months ago he killed Ripon Hawladar in the daytime at Muladi and went into hiding,

the OC said.

The law enforcement team, with Salim accompanying them, was attacked by Salim’s armed associates who tried to snatch him back from the police, about 4am yesterday, while they crossed Amanatganj Bazar to recover arms and ammunition.

Both sides then engaged in a gunfight, with the law enforcers forcing the miscreants to retreat.

Following the shootout, when searching the area, police found the dead body of Salim and recovered the arms and ammunition, he said.

Sub-Inspector (SI) Kamol, SI Faruq and constable Parvej were injured and admitted to Muladi Health Complex.

The dead body of Salim was sent to Barisal Sher E Bangla Medical College Hospital for autopsy, police sources added. l

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THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 2016

Effective monitoring in Ramadan demanded n Anwar Hussain, Chittagong The consumers and consumer rights activists of the premier port city demanded enhancing monitoring over the market and raising the number of mobile courts during the month of Ramadan to keep the prices of essentials under control.

On the other hand, the local administration has also vowed to check manipulation of the prices of essential commodities during the month of Ramadan.

“The administration should enhance its monitoring of the market so that dishonest traders could not manipulate the stocks and dictate the prices,” demanded MR Pervez, a service-holder of a private company, The service-holder alleged that the scenario changed as soon as the mobile courts arrived at the markets.

“We have to regrettably note that a section of unscrupulous businessmen increase the prices of essentials arbitrarily prior to the advent of Ramadan,” said SM Nazer Hossain, vice-president of Consumers’ Association of Bangladesh.

“The monitoring over the market should not be occasional. Maintaining effective watch on market should be all the year round. Besides, the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) should begin selling essentials well ahead of Ramadan,” said the consumers’ rights activist.

The Trading Corporation of Bangladesh yesterday started selling food items at fair price in the port city ahead of Ramadan RABIN CHOWDHURY

“Consumers’ rights, as a concept, have not gained ground yet in our country. However, we welcome the local administration’s efforts towards keeping the market under control,” said Nazer.

Meanwhile, Chittagong deputy commissioner Mesbah Uddin warned that stern action would be taken against errant businesses to control the prices of essentials dur-

SI hits man for ‘speaking loudly’ n S Bashu Das, Bandarban A taxman was assaulted by a policeman in Bandarban’s Lama on Tuesday afternoon for speaking loudly standing next to him.

Md Ridwan, who collects taxes in Lama municipality area, was talking to his colleague Ali at Line Jhiri toll point when Lama police station Sub-Inspector Abu Jayed Md Nazmun Nur, who was talking on the mobile phone, struck him.

Ridwan claimed that Jayed indiscriminately punched and kicked him, leaving him injured.

“The police official was in plain clothes, which is why I could not recognise his identity. But why should he assault me this way only for speaking loudly?”

The taxman was taken to Lama Upazila Health Complex after the incident, and he is still undergoing treatment there.

Dr Md Kaiser, assistant medical officer at the health complex, said Ridwan’s lips bled as those were hit

very hard. “He was also hit in different parts of his body.”

SI Jayed was alleged to have resorted to intimidation to extort locals since he was posted at Lama police station.

‘The police official was in plain clothes, which is why I could not recognise his identity. But why should he assault me this way only for speaking loudly?’

Locals also claimed he collects tolls from transports in the area.

SI Jayed strenuously denied the allegation of hitting Ridwan, saying that he knows nothing about it.

“Nothing happened between me and him. He sustained injuries while escaping out of fear,” said the police official. l

ing Ramadan and anyone found involved with price manipulation will be sentenced with imprisonment instead of fine. ‘“Some 10 teams from Chittagong district administration will monitor over the markets during Ramadan,” said the deputy commissioner.

The deputy commissioner also requested the consumers not to

buy bulk quantities of essentials since there was an ample stock of commodities such as edible oil, sugar, rice, grains, lentils and flour.

Urging the businessmen not to hold the consumers hostage by hiking price of essentials, the DC said they had also asked the UNOs to monitor over the consumer market so that the price of essentials remains within reach of the consumers.

Asked for his comment, Tahmilur Rahman, executive magistrate of Chittagong district administration, told the Dhaka Tribune that they often receive complaints that the traders conceal their price charts after the mobile courts leave the scene.

“It is indeed a difficult task to monitor all the markets of the city with the existing manpower of the local administration. However, we are going to hold a view-exchange meeting with the leaders of 31 kitchen markets in the city,” said the executive magistrate.

“Several teams from Chittagong district administration will monitor over the market during Ramadan. The businessmen must hang the price chart of essentials,” said Tahmilur Rahman.

Meanwhile, Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) have started open market selling of four items in 10 strategic points of the city.

However, the corporation has not begun selling dates yet in the city.

Consumers could purchase sugar at Tk48 per kg, chickpea at Tk70 per kg, lentil at Tk90 per kg and soya bean oil atTk 80 per litre from Chittagong Press Club, EPZ intersection, Sholoshahar No 2 gate, Agrabad, CGO Building at Agrabad, Alangkar intersection, Nasirabad, Customs intersection, Kotwali intersection and Tigerpass intersection of the city. l

‘Two submarines to be added to Bangladesh Navy this year’ President’s Parade held in Bangladesh Naval Academy A total of 41 midshipmen, inin Bangladesh Navy,” said Chief n Anwar Hussain, Chittagong. ed cluding 3 from Palestine got comof Naval Staff, adding that a couChief of Naval Staff Admiral Nizamuddin Ahmed said that two submarines were going to be added to the fleet of Bangladesh Navy within this year and the process to construct a permanent submarine base was continuing to this end.

Admiral Nizamuddin said this while addressing as the chief guest at the Summer Graduation President’s Parade marking the commissioning of Midshipman-2014/B batch of Bangladesh Navy held at Bangladesh Naval Academy in Chittagong yesterday (Wednesday) morning.

“The present government had undertaken various measures to turn Bangladesh Navy into a three-dimensional force. Two USmade frigates- Samudra Abhijan and Samudra Joy, 18 war ships including two corvettes, two helicopters and two maritime petrol aircrafts have already been induct-

rageous and highly skilled naval commando force was also formed.

The Chief of Naval Staff also expressed his optimism that using its experience in running Khulna Shipyard and Naryanganj dockyard, Bangladesh Navy would be able to build large war ships at Chittagong Dry Dock within a very short time.

“The present government handed over Chittagong Dry Dock Ltd to Bangladesh as a sign of success.

Five petrol crafts, 2 landing craft utility and 2 landing craft tanks have been built in Khulna Shipyard and Naryanganj dockyard due to the skilled management of Bangladesh Navy,” said Admiral Nizamuddin.

Admiral Nizamuddin also called upon all newly commissioned officers to be honest and remain vigilant to protect the sovereignty of motherland.

mission this year.

Chief of Naval Staff reviewed the smartly turned-out parade and took salute at the impressive march past.

He also distributed certificates and medals among the Midshipmen who came out with excellent performance and results during the training.

Midshipman Md Nazmul Hossain was adjudged the best all round Midshipman of the two-year long course and awarded the coveted ‘Sword of Honour’.

Besides, Midshipman Md Tanjim Rahat got Bir Sreshtho Ruhul Amin Gold Medal and Midshipman Md Sabbir Hossain got CNS Gold Medal for their outstanding performance in professional and academic subjects.

The Midshipmen also took oath on the occasion to give the country’s interest above the personal interest and uphold the image of the nation and the force. l

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THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 2016

SOUTH ASIA

Taliban storm Afghan court, kill 5 Taliban insurgents stormed a court in the Afghan city of Ghazni on Wednesday, clashing with police for at least an hour in an attack in which 10 people, including all 5 of the militants, were kille. The attack came days after the Taliban, who are fighting to topple the government of President Ashraf Ghani, vowed to seek revenge for the execution last month of six Taliban prisoners. -REUTERS

INDIA

Indian court set to rule on deadly Gujarat riots An Indian court is expected to deliver its verdict Thursday on 62 people accused of a massacre during religious riots which swept Gujarat state 14 years ago. The riots have long dogged Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who as chief minister of the state was accused of turning a blind eye to the pogrom in which more than 1,000 people died. -AFP

CHINA

China welcomes Manila’s offer for South China Sea talks

China’s said on Wednesday it welcomed a proposal by the incoming Philippine government for bilateral talks on the disputed South China Sea. Tension between the Philippines and China has risen as an international tribunal in the Hague prepares to deliver a ruling in the next few months in a case about the South China Sea lodged

by Manila in 2013. -REUTERS

ASIA PACIFIC

Map blunder sparks Indonesia-Singapore row

Furious officials sent troops to Indonesian islets near Singapore after an online map of an eco resort mistakenly suggested they belong to the city-state. Indonesian lawmakers also demanded the country’s sovereignty be defended as anger mounted at the map of the under-construction Funtasy Island. -AFP

MIDDLE EAST

14 get death for Saudi Shia town unrest A Saudi court on Wednesday sentenced to death 14 people convicted of taking part in deadly unrest in a Shiite-populated region of the predominantly Sunni kingdom, a local daily reported. Al-Riyadh said the 14 were among 24 accused of killing security personnel and robbing passers-by in Awamiya, a Shia town in the Eastern Province. -AFP

Study: Developing world invests more in renewable energy than rich countries n Tribune International Desk Investment in renewable energy was higher in the world’s poorest countries than the richest ones for the first time last year, according to a major new report.

A total of about $283.7bn was spent renewable power and fuels globally in what was a record year for investment in the sector, according to the Renewables 2016 report by the Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (Ren21).

But more than $154.41bn of that total, which doesn’t include large hydro-power schemes and heating and cooling technologies, took place in developing countries such as China, India and Brazil.

By the end of 2015, there was enough renewable capacity to supply an estimated 23.7% of the world’s electricity - a figure the UK Renewable Energy Association (REA) said showed that there was a “strong business case” for the industry.

In 2015 renewables worldwide had the capacity to generate 1,849 gigawatts of power, compared to 1,701 gigawatts in 2014, after the largest ever annual rise, the Ren21 report said.

Christine Lins, REN21’s executive secretary, pointed out this record level of growth had been achieved despite governments around the world heavily subsidising fossil fuels.

“What is truly remarkable about these results is that they were achieved at a time when fossil fuel prices were at historic lows, and renewables remained at a significant disadvantage in terms of government subsidies,” she said.

She said poorer countries were increasingly turning to renewable energy partly because it was now so “cost-effective”.

“Countries are opting for renewables because they are not only the most environmentally sound, but also the cheapest option,” Lins said. “It’s a clear signal of its economic viability.”

While developing nations were creating new electricity supplies, richer nations had to phase out existing fossil-fuel power stations, she added.

But what this means is poor countries are more than pulling their weight in terms of moving towards a fossil fuel-free world to limit the effects of global warming.

“For the first time in history, total investment in renewable power and fuels in developing countries in 2015 exceeded that in developed economies,” the REN21 report said.

China, often portrayed as a pol-

Global growth of renewable energy

An estimated 147 gigawatts of renewable power capacity worldwide was added in 2015 Share of global electricity Rise in investment Renewable power capacity production Billion dollars By country, not including hydro Renewable: 23.7% 286 300 Hydro16.6% 199 gigawatts World Wind Bio Solar Other

250

Developed countries

200

156

150

3.7% 2.0% 1.2% 0.4%

122 92

130

100

Developing countries

50

2005

2010

43

Non-renewable: 76.3%

36 33 32

US Japan Italy China Germany India Spain

2015

Source : ren21.net

MARKET PENETRATIONS OF DISTRIBUTED RENEWABLE ENERGY SYSTEMS IN SELECTED COUNTRIES

Mexico

Peru

Kenya

Tanzania

Bangladesh

Nepal

REN21 Renewables 2016 Global Status Report

NUMBER OF SOLAR HOME SYSTEMS IN TOP 5 COUNTRIES, END-2014 3,600,00

Bangladesh

China

China

500,000

Nepal

Nepal

500,000

Vietnam

Kenya

43,000,000

India

1,100,00

India

NUMBER OF BIOGAS INSTALLATIONS IN TOP 5 COUNTRIES, END-2014

Bangladesh

320,000

4,750,000 300,000 182,805 37,059

REN21 Renewables 2016 Global Status Report

luted, coal-powered villain in debates on climate change, topped a league table for investment in renewable power and fuels apart from large-scale hydro, followed by the US, Japan, the UK and India.

And Mauritania came first in a league based on investment in proportion to GDP, followed by Honduras, Uruguay, Morocco and Jamaica.

The report added: “Bangladesh is the world’s largest market for solar home systems, and other developing countries (eg: Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania in Africa;

China, India and Nepal in Asia; Brazil and Guyana in Latin America) are seeing rapid expansion of small-scale renewable systems, including renewables-based mini-grids, to provide electricity for people living far from the grid.”

China, it said, had played a “dominant role” in the industry, increasing its investment by 17%.

This accounted for a staggering 36% of the total global investment.

“Renewable energy investment also increased significantly in India, South Africa, Mexico and Chile.

Other developing countries investing more than $500m in renewables in 2015 included Morocco, Uruguay, the Philippines, Pakistan and Honduras,” the REN21 report said.

“By contrast, renewable energy investment in developed countries as a group declined by 8% in 2015, to $130bn.

“The most significant decrease was seen in Europe (down 21% to $48.8bn), despite the region’s record year of financing for offshore wind power ($17bn, up 11% from 2014). l

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THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 2016

Testimony from families of 9/11 victims sought at Gitmo n Tribune International Desk A US prosecutor asked a judge Tuesday to allow public testimony at Guantanamo Bay this fall from some people who had family members killed in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack, saying otherwise they may not live long enough to be heard, reports Associated Press.

The military tribunal for the five Guantanamo Bay prisoners charged in the case has been grinding along in the pretrial stage since May 2012. But the trial itself could still be years away.

So prosecutors want to bring 10 people to the US base in Cuba in October to testify in open court about the loss of their sons and daughters on September 11, 2001.

The 10 are considered important “victim impact” witnesses by the prosecution. But because of their age or health, they may not be around for a trial by military commission that could be years away.

“This is of critical importance to us,” federal prosecutor Ed Ryan told the judge in a hearing at the base.

Defence lawyers say public depositions from the families would taint the potential military jury

Khalid Shaik Mohammed, the accused mastermind of the September 11, 2001 attacks AP pool and should be done in private.

All five defendants face charges that include nearly 3,000 counts of murder in violation of the law of war and terrorism for their alleged roles planning the attack and providing logistical support to the hijackers. They are being tried by military commission, a hybrid of the military and civilian court system, and could get the death penalty if convicted.

Prosecutors say the trial could start in 2017 at the earliest, while defence lawyers have said it will likely take at least several more years to get started because of all the pretrial legal issues that re-

main to be resolved.

The prosecution request to depose the witnesses in open court came on the second day of a weeklong hearing at the base and the judge, Army Colonel James Pohl, did not issue an immediate ruling on the issue.

The testimony from the family members is “undoubtedly important evidence for the commission members to consider when evaluating the harm caused by the actions of the accused,” the prosecutors argued in a court filing.

Defence lawyers say the testimony may not even be admissible in the guilt phase of the trial, and only in a potential penalty phase.

Introducing it earlier would make it even harder to defend men are already facing the inherent prejudice of being accused of the worst terrorist attack in US history.

“Why would you make the process of providing a level playing field even marginally more difficult? There’s not a reason to do that,” said David Nevin, the lead civilian lawyer for Khalid Shaikh Mohammad, the self-proclaimed mastermind of the plot.

Mohammad at one point tried

to join the legal argument, apparently complaining that his views weren’t being included in the legal arguments. But most of his remarks in Arabic weren’t translated and the judge sternly cut him off, warning that he would be removed from the courtroom if he did not stop talking.

Another concern raised by the defence with public depositions is the proposed timing. Attorney James Harrington, who represents defendant Ramzi Binalshibh, noted that the October testimony would take place just before the US presidential election. “It seems to me that the timing of this motion is just incredible,” he said. “It is right before a national presidential election and if this is public it is really going to be public.”

Ryan dismissed concerns raised by the defence that such public depositions would taint the potential pool of jurors, who will eventually be selected from the officer ranks of the US military, all of whom would likely already know all about what happened on September 11 or may have been personally affected by it in one way or another. l

Brexit camp eyes Australian-style immigration system if UK leaves European Union 21 DAYS TO GO

n Reuters, London Britain would extend an Australian-style points-based immigration system to European Union citizens if it votes to leave the bloc, the “Out” campaign said on Wednesday, ratcheting up the pressure on a key issue ahead of the June 23 referendum.

Two polls on Tuesday showed Britons have moved towards voting to leave the bloc after official figures published last week put net migration at the second highest level on record last year.

A YouGov poll published on Wednesday put both sides level on 41%.

Senior members of the Out campaign including former London Mayor Boris Johnson and Justice Secretary Michael Gove said immigration post-Brexit would be based on job and language skills.

“Migration brings many benefits to Britain - culturally, socially and economically,” they said in a joint statement. “We want Britain

Britain’s voters prepare for EU vote Recent polls on the June 23 referendum show ‘stay’ camp ahead Poll avereage in percent Average

Stay

Polls

Leave

Yet to decide

60 50

44%

40

42

30

14

20 10 0

Feb 25

March 24

April 24

May 25

Source: WhatUkThinks.org

to continue to benefit from migration. But if we are to welcome more people to Britain then the public must be reassured that we have control over who comes here.

“Our membership of the EU means we don’t have control.”

Prime Minister David Cameron, who supports an “In” vote, has come under fire during the

campaign for failing to deliver a promise to keep net migration to the “tens of thousands”.

The figures released last week put net migration at 330,000 in 2015. Of those, a net 184,000 came from the EU, which mandates freedom of movement.

Britons’ choice on whether to remain in the 28-member EU has

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World

far-reaching consequences for many aspects of British life and beyond. Immigration is one of the key battlegrounds in what is becoming an increasingly bitter debate.

Supporters of EU membership have complained the Out campaign has failed to offer any concrete proposals as to what life would look like if Britain left the bloc.

Setting out its plans, the Out campaign said there would be no change for Irish citizens, who can live and work in Britain, while those EU citizens already lawfully resident in Britain could remain and be granted indefinite leave.

But by the next national election in 2020, the Out campaign said it would have extended a points-based system where EU citizens would be treated like any other and admitted on the basis of their suitability for a job.

The In campaign said in response that any move to take Britain out of the EU single market would damage the economy.

“Australia, who have a pointsbased immigration system, have twice as many migrants per head as the UK,” said Will Straw of Britain Stronger In Europe. l

USA

Trump to visit UK day after Brexit vote Presumptive US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump will visit Britain a day after it holds a landmark referendum on its EU membership, saying he was coming to open a newly-renovated Scottish golf course. Trump said in a statement he would visit on June 24, a day after the crucial vote which has sharply divided Britain’s ruling Conservative party, with the billionaire tycoon previously saying he believed Britain should leave. -AFP

THE AMERICAS

OAS head moves to suspend Venezuela The head of the Organization of American States (OAS) has called an urgent meeting to discuss whether Venezuela is violating basic democratic principles, paving the way for a vote that could suspend it from the regional diplomatic body. Venezuela views the OAS as a pawn of hostile US policy, and Maduro has often dismissed Almagro as a turncoat working for its ideological adversaries in Washington. -REUTERS

UK

Pound sinks as leave vote rises in Brexit polls The pound sank against the dollar and euro Tuesday after fresh polls showed British voters more in favor of quitting the EU. Just over three weeks before the referendum on pulling out of the EU, the Guardian/ICM polls showed the leave vote at 52% against 48% for staying, a surprise reversal in sentiment. -AFP

EUROPE

EU formally warns Poland to respect rule of law The EU on Wednesday formally warned Poland’s rightwing government to roll back its overhaul of the top Polish court and remove a “systemic threat” to the rule of law, or risk sanctions. The unprecedented warning is part of a drawn-out procedure which could eventually see Warsaw have its voting rights suspended in the European council of ministers, the EU’s most important decision-making body. -AFP

AFRICA

4 killed in attacks on UN in Mali A Chinese peacekeeper and three civilians working for the UN’s Mali mission have become the latest casualties of the troubled outfit, the UN and China’s foreign ministry said Wednesday. Al-Qaeda’s North African affiliate AQIM claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s attacks, the US monitoring SITE said. -REUTERS

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INSIGHT

US Fed records show multiple cyber breaches US FEDERAL RESERVE DATA BREACHES Unauthorised people accessed Fed information dozens of times in recent years, with many cases involving hackers and several described as “espionage.” ed the Board of Governors

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Total BIGSTOCK

n Reuters, Washington, DC The US Federal Reserve detected more than 50 cyber breaches between 2011 and 2015, with several incidents described internally as “espionage,” according to Fed records.

The central bank’s staff suspected hackers or spies in many of the incidents, the records show. The Fed’s computer systems play a critical role in global banking and hold confidential information on discussions about monetary policy that drives financial markets.

The records represent only a slice of all cyber attacks on the Fed because they include only cases involving the Washington-based Board of Governors, a federal agency that is subject to public records laws. The news agency did not have access to reports by local cybersecurity teams at the central bank’s 12 privately owned regional branches.

The disclosure of breaches at the Fed comes at a time when cybersecurity at central banks worldwide is under scrutiny after hackers stole $81m from a Bangladesh Bank account at the New York Fed. The cybersecurity reports, obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, were heavily redacted by Fed officials to keep secret the central bank’s security procedures.

The Fed declined to comment, and the redacted records do not say who hacked the bank’s systems or whether they accessed sensitive information or stole money.

“Hacking is a major threat to the stability of the financial system. This data shows why,” said James Lewis, a cybersecurity expert at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank.

Cyber thieves have targeted large financial institutions around the world, including America’s largest bank JPMorgan, as well as smaller players like Ecuador’s Banco del Austro and Vietnam’s Tien Phong Bank.

Hacking attempts were cited in

140 of the 310 reports provided by the Fed’s board. In some reports, the incidents were not classified in any way.

In eight information breaches between 2011 and 2013 - a time when the Fed’s trading desk was buying massive amounts of bonds - Fed staff wrote that the cases involved “malicious code,” referring to software used by hackers.

Four hacking incidents in 2012 were considered acts of “espionage,” according to the records. Information was disclosed in at least two of those incidents, according to the records. In the other two incidents, the records did not indicate whether there was a breach.

In all, the Fed’s national team of cybersecurity experts, which operates mostly out of New Jersey, identified 51 cases of “information disclosure” involving the Fed’s board.

Separate reports showed a local team at the board registered four such incidents.

The cases of information disclosure can refer to a range of ways unauthorised people see Fed information, from hacking attacks to Fed emails sent to the wrong recipients, according to two former Fed cybersecurity staffers who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The former employees said that cyber attacks on the Fed are about as common as at other large financial institutions.

It was unclear if the espionage incidents involved foreign governments, as has been suspected in some hacks of federal agencies. Beginning in 2014, for instance, hackers stole more than 21m background check records from the federal Office of Personnel Management, and US officials attributed the breach to the Chinese government, an accusation denied by Beijing.

Target for spying

Security analysts said foreign governments could stand to gain from inside Fed information. China and Russia, for instance, are major players in the $13.8tn federal debt mar-

Malicious code

5

29

15

14

18

81

Unauthorised access

1

3

7

14

29

54

Information disclosure

3

1

13

6

9

32

Inappropriate usage

2

3

1

4

2

12

Informational

1

2

1

4

8

Fraud

4

2

1

7

Forensic

1

Multiple

3

13

6

Unknown

1 9

2

33

35

35

Note: The US National Incident Response Team for the Federal Reserve System handles high impact cases from across the system, including the Board of Governors and regional Federal Reserve Banks.

The former employees said that cyber attacks on the Fed are about as common as at other large financial institutions. ket where Fed policy plays a big role in setting interest rates.

“Obviously that makes it a very clear (hacking) target for other nation states,” said Ari Schwartz, a former top cybersecurity adviser at the White House who is now with the law firm Venable.

US prosecutors in March accused hackers associated with Iran’s government of attacking dozens of US banks.

In the records obtained, espionage might also refer to spying by private companies, or even individuals such British activist Lauri Love, who is accused of infiltrating a server at a regional Fed branch in October 2012. Love stole names, e-mail addresses, and phone numbers of Fed computer system users, according to a federal indictment.

The redacted reports do not mention Love or any other hacker by name.

The records point to breaches

during a sensitive period for the Fed, which was ramping up aid for the struggling US economy by buying massive quantities of U.S. government debt and mortgage-backed securities.

In 2010 and 2011, the Fed went on a $600bn bond-buying spree that lowered interest rates and made bonds more expensive. It restarted purchases in September 2012 and expanded them up in December of that year.

The Fed cybersecurity records did not indicate whether hackers accessed sensitive information on the timing or amounts of bond purchases or used it for financial gain.

Up all night

The Fed’s national cybersecurity team - the National Incident Response Team, or NIRT - created 263 of the incident reports.

NIRT operates in a fortress-like building in East Rutherford, New Jersey that also processes millions of dollars in cash everyday as part of the central bank’s duty to keep the financial system running, according to the New York Fed’s website. The unit provides support to the local cybersecurity teams at the Fed’s Board and regional banks, which process more than $3tn in payments every day.

The NIRT handles “higher impact” cases, according to a 2013

report by the Board of Governor’s Office of Inspector General.

One of the two former NIRT employees described being on a team that once worked around the clock for five-straight days to patch software hackers had used to gain access to Fed systems in an attempt to obtain passwords. The former employee worked through several of those nights, taking naps at a desk in the office.

In that case, Fed security staff found no signs that sensitive information had been disclosed, the former employee said. Information about future interest rate policy discussions is isolated from other Fed networks and is more difficult for hackers to access, the former NIRT worker said.

But the Fed was under constant assault, much like any large company, the former employee said, and was “compromised frequently.”

An internal watchdog has criticised the central bank for cybersecurity shortcomings. A 2015 audit by the Fed board’s Office of Inspector General found the board was not adequately scanning databases for vulnerabilities or putting enough restrictions on system access.

“There is heightened risk of unauthorised disclosure and inappropriate use of sensitive board information,” according to the audit released in November. l

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12 Business

THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 2016

NBR opens help desk at Parliament

n Tribune Business Desk The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has put up a help desk at the Parliament to assist people in getting information related to income tax, customs duty and Value Added Tax during the month-long budget session for the fiscal year 2016-17.

The help-desk tool was introduced yesterday which will remain in service during the budget session and continue till June 30, 2016, according to a NBR press release.

A total of 56 officials from three core wings of NBR – income tax, customs duty, and VAT – will be on duty at the desk.

Two officials will be on duty every day throughout the 26 days budget session to help ministers, state ministers, deputy ministers and lawmakers get necessary information on income tax, customs duty and VAT. In addition, visitors, journalists and guests at the session can also receive similar benefit from there.

NBR Chairman Md Nojibur Rahman said the help desk aims to provide answers to queries about issues to be discussed at the budget session.

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

With the annual budget, the government will bring amendment to existing laws and rules related to customs, VAT and income tax to maximise revenue earnings, provide protection for local industries, facilitate international trade and solve procedural complexities in revenue collection.

After the budget placement, Muhith will hold a press conference to answer queries about the proposed budget and clarify different issues related to budget on June 3.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will deliver her closing speech on the budget before the house passes it on June 29. l

Capital market snapshot: Wednesday DSE Broad Index

4,421.8

0.1% ▲

Index

1,091.5

-0.0% ▼

30 Index

1,746.1

0.0% ▲

Turnover in Mn Tk

3,580.8 -16.0% ▼

Turnover in Mn Vol

124.2

8.0% ▲

All Share Index 13,617.3

-0.0% ▼

CSE 30 Index Selected Index

12,503.8

0.0% ▲

8,283.8

-0.0% ▼

Turnover in Mn Tk

250.9

1.0% ▲

Turnover in Mn Vol

12.4

33.8% ▲

Package VAT to continue in new fiscal There will be no change to tax-free individual income ceiling BUDGET FY2017 n Syed Samiul Basher Anik While finance minister presents budget in the Parliament today, the government has finally decided to continue with package value-added tax system for small traders and halt implementation of controversial new VAT law from July.

The new law imposes a flat 15% VAT for all sectors, sparking outrage in the business community and leading to calls for change in the law.

On Sunday, the businessmen protested the flat VAT rate shutting down their businesses across the country.

Although the package VAT rate is to go on, the present rates, set at four categories, will increase, even double.

Currently, small shops and traders in Dhaka and Chittagong city corporations are under the package VAT rate of Tk14,000 each a year, while the small traders in other city corporations pay Tk12,000. The rate is Tk7,200 in

municipalities and Tk3,600 in other areas.

Official sources said the taxfree individual income ceiling will remain unchanged at Tk2.50 lakh, while there could be announcement of some stimulus for businesses in the new budget.

Supplementary duty on import of motorcycle components is likely to be reduced to 20% from 45% so local assemblers can supply final products at lower prices.

To make the export-oriented industries compliant, the government will also waive duty on imports of raw materials for construction of pre-fabricated buildings and of fire safety equipment by all export-oriented industries.

The garment manufacturers are likely to be offered with income tax at a minimum rate of 15%.

The apparel makers have enjoyed the reduced corporate tax rate at 10% from 2005 to 2014 under special consideration. The government, however, aligned the tax rate with the regular rate of 35% from FY2014-15.

There will also be good news for the ICT industry as the government will continue special tax and duty benefit for the selected sectors as part of the

Digital Bangladesh vision.

Customs duty on server rack, which is required for expansion of ICT industry, will be halved to 5%.

Duty on LAN card and access-point for Wi-Fi and WiMAX services will also be reduced to 15% from 25%.

The government will allow investment of undisclosed money in the housing sector with conditions including that of tax payment.

Customs duty on rice import may be increased to 25% from 10% now to protect local farmers.

New slab in present customs duty structure may be introduced as part of rationalisation of tariff structure.

A new slab of 15% will be incorporated for intermediate raw materials into the customs duty structure to remove inconsistency and protect local manufacturers.

Currently, there is zero percent customs duty on import of essential goods (defined by the NBR), 1% and 2% on capital machinery, 5% on basic raw materials, 10% on intermediate products and 25% on finished consumer goods.

Duty on import of luxury hotel construction materials and equipment, including plastic, wood and steel-made materials,

will be doubled to 10%.

Prices of hybrid cars may see a decline as the duty cut is likely.

Now, there is no special duty treatment for import of used, reconditioned, or old hybrid cars that are more environment-friendly.

The government will introduce 1% duty on import of medical equipment and machinery from existing zero duty for the referral hospitals.

National Board of Revenue may be given a target of collecting Tk2,03,152 crore revenue, which is 33.5% higher than the current fiscal year’s original target.

While the bigger share of NBR’s revenue this year 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.

The lion share of the revenue will come from VAT with around 37% or Tk74,100 crore of the target. In FY2016-17, the income tax wing has been given a target of Tk73,300 crore, which is 36% of the total revenue target.

The rest Tk55,752 crore will come from customs duty, which is related to import and export of goods and products. l

Investors turn cautious on budget eve n Kayes Sohel

M Saifur Rahman Mazumdar

CSE appoints new MD n Tribune Business Desk The Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) has appointed M Saifur Rahman Mazumdar as its new managing director with immediate effect, CSE said in its statement yesterday.

The managing director post of the port city bourse fell vacant following the resignation of Wali-ul-Maroof Matin in November last year.

Prior to his joining CSE, Saifur worked as the managing director for Meenhar Securities Limited. l

Stock investors have turned cautious ahead of the national budget announcement scheduled for today as the market sentiment was extremely bearish yesterday, dealers say.

The market experienced zig-zag trading throughout the session as investors’ mood shifted between optimism and pessimism frequently.

The Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) benchmark index DSEX managed to stay in positive with edging 2 points higher to close at 4,421, after slight fall in previous session.

“Investors stocks closed flat amid thin trades as investors remained cautious ahead of the national budget announcement,” said an analyst at a leading brokerage firm.

“The future direction of the markets will be decided by the budget.”

Traders were worried about the corporate outlook and potential action of the upcoming monetary policy for the first half of the new fiscal year followed by the new budget announcement.

Trading activities continued to shrink ahead of the budget with

the DSE turnover in value standing at over Tk358 crore, down 16% over previous session.

“Traders were very defensive about the markets and selected stocks cautiously ahead of the budget,” said a dealer.

Textile sector was in the limelight as it gained highest with a rally of nearly 2%, followed by food and allied 1.4%, telecommunications 0.5% and pharmaceuticals 0.2%.

The market bellwether banks closed flat. Power sector suffered most declining 0.8%, followed by cement 0.7%, engineering 0.6% and non-banking financial institutions

0.4%. On the eve of the budget, investors were caught between optimism and anticipation about the budget, leading them to cautious.

Lanka Bangla Securities said: “Dhaka stock market passed directionless session as investors were worried about the corporate outlook and potential action of the Bangladesh Bank monetary policy for the first half of the new fiscal year followed by the budget announcement for FY2016-17.”

“Market turnover value also dropped as investors became vigilant about government’s decision on corporate tax.” l

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Business

BSEC unearths manipulation in SPCL trading n Tribune Business Desk The Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) has unearthed manipulations in share trading of Shahjibazar Power Company Limited (SPCL) and fined the manipulator Tk30 lakh.

BSEC investigative team found that CEO of Prime Islami Securities Limited Abul Kalam Eajdani has directly and indirectly instigated different quarters of buying shares of SPCL. “This has created artificial demand for shares and shortage of trade-able shares, which has led to abnormal share price hike of SPCL,” said BSEC in a statement yesterday.

For this wrong doing, Eajdani faced Tk30 lakh penalty, according to the statement.

In November, 2014, the regulator formed a probe body to investigate into the unusual price hike of shares of SPCL for the second time. From its debut on July 15, 2014, share prices of the company never fell and skyrocketed at a stretch until November, 2014, more than 858% to nearly Tk240 a share on its offer value of Tk25.

In July 31, 2014, BSEC formed first probe panel after the company’s share price

climbed 61% in just nine trading sessions from its debut.

Following the formation of the probe panel, Dhaka Stock Exchange on August 11 suspended share trading of Shahjibazar for an indefinite period because of its unusual price hike.

After investigation, the BSEC probe team found that the company inflated its net profit to around Tk29 crore from its original profit of Tk17 crore in its financial statement for nine months (July 2013-March 2014).

For the offence, the regulator fined the company’s five directors and managing director Tk55 lakh. It also fined collectively United Power Generation and Distribution Company, its issue manager and an auditor Tk5 lakh on the same ground.

Following completion of probe, SPCL was allowed to resume share trading.

Meanwhile, the BSEC has approved United Airways’s capital raising proposal of over Tk400 through private placement from foreign companies-- Swift Air Cargo, Phoenix Aircaft Leasing Pte and TAC Aviation. Currently, shares of United Airways are being traded below its offer value of Tk10 a share. l

Duty-free safety equipment import for exporters n Ibrahim Hossain Ovi

All export-oriented industries of the country are likely to enjoy duty-free import of fire and safety equipment and prefabricated building materials from the next fiscal year.

Currently, the government allows such benefits only to 100% export-oriented readymade garment industries.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith is likely to come up with the announcement today while unveiling the budget for the fiscal year 2016-17 at the Parliament.

“In response to the demand from the export-oriented sector people, the government is going to allow duty-free import of safety equipment and prefabricated building materials to make the whole industry safer for workers,” a finance ministry official told the Dhaka Tribune, preferring not to be named.

Several export-oriented organisations and the sector people in their budget propos-

al urged the National Board of Revenue (NBR) to allow duty-free import of those items from the next budget.

“If the government extends the facilities to all export-oriented industries in the next budget, it will help build image of the country in terms of safety and security,” Exporters Association (EAB) president Abdus Salam Murshedy told the Dhaka Tribune.

It would be a timely support for the industry people as the global buyers are more concerned about the workplace safety, said Salam.

He also urged the government to ensure low-cost financing for the entrepreneurs, especially for the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME), as it is a costly investment.

The global lenders and the development agencies are providing funds at 1% interest rate, but the investors have to pay at 9% rate to local banks that disburse loans, he added. l

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16

Interview

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1, 2016

The buzz about Chowdhury through this saved electricity.

This should be part of the overall strategy. Instead of investing in new plants, we should focus on building an efficient distribution system.

Unfortunately, people do not focus on long term vision. In places like Rampal or Ruppur, controlling pollution is important.

Without taking the proper initiatives on time, we will have plenty of electricity generation capacity but there will be no human to use it.

n Saudia Afrin John Sakhawat Chowdhury, acknowledged two times as one of the top 20 smart grid experts in the world by Dallas Business Journal, has worked with leading global organisations like IBM, Pricewater House and Earnest and Young. He gathered 25 years of consulting experience in improving electric utility business performance before setting up his own software developing company Nksoft.

What does Nksoft do and what are you looking to do in Bangladesh?

Nksoft is an open source solution for the middle to small enterprise market. It combines collaborative communication software and enterprise resources planning (ERP).

Building a bridge between the international ICT sector and Bangladesh is one of the prime objectives of the organisation. We also operate in USA, Germany and Japan, among other countries.

Nksoft has expanded the business here in Bangladesh and currently, it is only focusing on research and development. Bangladeshi citizens will benefit from its services.

Although, they have to wait a few more years for Nksoft software and services.

In terms of technological advancement, what is the position of Bangladesh in the global market?

The very word 'technology’ is extremely challenging to explain.

If you see it more from the angle of industry, corporation or from the point of Bangladesh’s government usage of technology, then from my point of view, Bangladesh would get three out of 10.

However, the good news is, the possibility of a quantum leap in Bangladesh is high. Since several initiatives and promotion are already taken by ICT ministry and other alike organisations. Also the young generations are much more advanced now. If the progress continues the way it is then I hope Bangladesh will go from three to seven probably in the next two years.

As an energy expert, how do you think our power supply should function?

Previously, we had severe powercut problems. However, If we just look at supply and demand, our government has done a fantastic job by keeping the electricity flow on.

Government is now focusing on supply which is important, even though Bangladesh needs tremendous improvements and strategic changes in this sector.

On account of poor distribution system, improper metering system, unoptimised transmission distribution and outdated old generation, we are losing a significant amount of energy.

From what I understand from

However, the good news is, the possibility of a quantum leap in Bangladesh is high

my 25 years of experience in this field, a lot can be done to reduce the electricity loss by eliminating all barriers. My estimation is that by fixing all the above barriers, it is possible to save 2000-3000Mw electricity.

Attaining the demand, the transmission system can be optimised by prepaid metering, which has already started in some places. With technology, the entire distribution can be observed through the prepaid metering ranging from detecting stealing to technical loss of electricity.

Moreover, by implementing prepaid metering, money collection and services will improve.

However, it would be a challenge for the meter to function because the existing system is still mostly using old technology. It is not being understood that only by modernising the system can the proper usage of existing and

upcoming power plant’s electricity be secured.

Good news is, the government is willing to embrace new technology. Now it is high time to promote and create awareness as much as possible.

Do we really need more powerplants?

On the one hand our country is small, and lack of regulations in the industry are creating high pollution rates. Unfortunately there is an old saying that we are so much in need of energy, we can turn to everything we can to make it happen.

There is a technology called smart grid distribution automation network with meter. This is a sort of virtual power plant. Through this system, minimum 1000 megawatt can be saved efficiently.

In that case, there is no need of building a power pant in Rampal because offsetting is possible

Do you think providing incentives to use renewable energy is a good way to promote its efficient use?

At the moment, the government has the policy that if anybody builds a new building, he must have renewable energy. That’s kind of forceful but a good start indeed.

Providing incentives from the government for using solar energy is also a good strategy. Many countries, especially Germany, has followed this process. A user of solar panels can sell the energy at double cost when he doesn’t use it. Through this process, businesses are being developed. In that process, people will use less electricity in order to sell it. And by default, it is building awareness about usage of that energy. Even if the incentive closed down after three years, people will not go back to the old system.

Moreover, if you want improvement you have to explore other options. Lots of lands are not being used in villages where solar or biomass plant can be set up with natural resources, despite existing barriers.

Building a solar plant by the community investing their own money as a cooperative could also work. This may be done in the same format as in Germany, namely using the electricity and later on selling it to the government. There will be two benefits in producing your own electricity and earning money out of it. Thus, usage of renewable energy will increase.

Without providing incentives, people are not going to do this because renewable energy costs a lot to install.

What are your future plans?

Last year we took the initiatives to build a private ICT park in Gazipur.

After completing the necessary land procedures, we are now mostly focusing on the design of the park. The prime objective of this project is to create a place for Nksoft and other multinational companies to set up their campus in one place. l

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Feature

THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 2016

Legend of Arslan, now a game for PC and PS4 n Ashfaq Nafi Imagine a 19th century story, told in a royal court, by a royal story teller, being transformed into novels, manga (Japanese comics) and games, over and over again.

This is the Heroic Legend of Arslan, or as the game is named, Arslan, the warriors of legend.

If you are a geek for games, anime and manga, based on strategic wars, grand schemes and political drama, this is for you.

Anime The anime is an adaption of the manga, which is based on a 15 book novel series written by the Japanese author Yoshiki Tanaka.

It retains much of the names of characters and names of places mentioned in the original 19th century epic. It is set in periods of war and crusades, with very little use of magic, but lots of murder, politics and blood. It starts out with Arslan, prince of the Parsian empire, very inexperienced in combat, being lunged into a war when his father, the king, is betrayed by one of his most trusted servants in his army and is then captured. The kingdom is then taken over by the neighboring kingdom Lusitania, and Arslan, along with his most loyal servant Daryun, sets out to gather allies, forms an army, and takes back his kingdom.

Being based on a very long novel series, it’s only apparent that the anime will have to be fast paced to cover as much as possible in the 25 episodes of the first season. However, interestingly, it paid attention to the details surrounding the characters, their back stories, and the reasons behind their growing allegiance to Arslan. What’s interesting to note is that not everyone becomes an ally, as the story progresses more people turn out to be enemies and some previous allies even commit betrayals to profit from the fallen empire, something which can be easily related to the real world. The wars and battles are also somewhat realistic, except for maybe a few characters, like Daryun, who can take out several dozen enemies all by himself.

Although there are some parts where the story is conveniently controlled by showing the use of magic, it is kept to a minimum and the story is kept believable and interesting.

Near the ending of the first season, Arslan is seen maturing

as he encounters enemies and experiences betrayals, but manages to pull through with the help of Daryun, and some uncommon allies consisting of a painter and strategist Narcus, a cross-bow-man and thief, a priestess, a bard, and a tribal warrior. The season ends with the premonition of a coming battle in the episodes to come in the second season which set to air early June in 2016.

Game The game tells more or less the same story as the anime, given that the anime still hasn’t completed its story. One problem here is that in the beginning it might seem that the game expects you to know about the anime, but even if you are new to it, it’s alright because the basic story is covered in the first few chapters and you are acquainted with the main cast which includes Arslan, his main allies, and a little later in the game, his main enemies.

The game play is pretty cool since you can choose which character to play, and you’re not stuck with using only the main character Arslan, but as you change characters, so do the stats.

For instance, Daryun has a much higher battle power than Arslan and you can use more powerful combos. Each character also

It has been found that an average person spends an extra Tk6,000 every month because of traffic congestion, which also equals to being stuck in traffic for 72 hours every month

comes with his/her own set of skills, armor, weapons and skill cards. These give you certain advantages in the game play, and if combined, can give you very powerful skills. You can also choose to fight on a horse or go on foot during fights. Other than that, there are slices of the anime here and there to tell the story and pull the player more into the game.

Another interesting feature is the Blue Rush Zone which appears at certain points in the battle fields, which can be used to activate something called the “Mardan Rush” which allows the player

to make kills up-to 4 digits! This can be done in either one of three modes: Cavalry, Infantry, and Archers, each with its own type of damage, ranging from breaking barricades and making massive kills, to long range attacks and setting certain objects on fire.

This can become a huge strategic advantage if used properly.

The game also comes in three different modes. The story mode, which consists of the main gameplay, the online mode, where players can team up for battles, and the free mode, where you can play any of the previous battles

with different characters.

To conclude, the game may be a little difficult to get a hang of for people who are not acquainted with the anime or manga, but it will be hard to put down once it really gets started. And for those who are a fan of the Heroic Legend of Arslan, we’ll see for yourself. l

DT

18

Teen

THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 2016

| pop culture |

Legend of Arslan, now a game for PC and PS4 n Ashfaq Nafi Imagine a 19th century story, told in a royal court, by a royal story teller, being transformed into novels, manga (Japanese comics) and games, over and over again.

This is the Heroic Legend of Arslan, or as the game is named, Arslan, the warriors of legend.

If you are a geek for games, anime and manga, based on strategic wars, grand schemes and political drama, this is for you.

Anime

The anime is an adaption of the manga, which is based on a 15 book novel series written by the Japanese author Yoshiki Tanaka.

It retains much of the names of characters and names of places mentioned in the original 19th century epic. It is set in periods of war and crusades, with very little use of magic, but lots of murder, politics and blood. It starts out with Arslan, prince of the Parsian empire, very inexperienced in combat, being lunged into a war when his father, the king, is betrayed by one of his most trusted servants in his army and is then captured. The kingdom is then taken over by the neighboring kingdom Lusitania, and Arslan, along with his most loyal servant Daryun, sets out to gather allies, forms an army, and takes back his kingdom.

Being based on a very long novel series, it’s only apparent that the anime will have to be fast paced to cover as much as possible in the 25 episodes of the first season. However, interestingly, it paid attention to the details surrounding the characters, their back stories, and the reasons behind their growing allegiance to Arslan. What’s interesting to note is that not everyone becomes an ally, as the story progresses more people turn out to be enemies and some previous allies even commit betrayals to profit from the fallen empire, something which can be easily related to the real world. The wars and battles are also somewhat realistic, except for maybe a few characters, like Daryun, who can take out several dozen enemies all by himself.

Although there are some parts where the story is conveniently controlled by showing the use of magic, it is kept to a minimum and the story is kept believable and interesting.

Near the ending of the first season, Arslan is seen maturing as he encounters enemies and experiences betrayals, but manages to pull through with the help of Daryun, and some uncommon allies consisting of a painter and strategist Narcus, a cross-bow-man and thief, a priestess, a bard, and a tribal warrior. The season ends with the premonition of a coming battle in the episodes to come in the second season which set to air early June in 2016.

Being based on a very long novel series, it’s only apparent that the anime will have to be fast paced to cover as much as possible in the 25 episodes of the first season

Game

The game tells more or less the same story as the anime, given that the anime still hasn’t completed its story. One problem here is that in the beginning it might seem that the game expects you to know about the anime, but even if you are new to it, it’s alright because the basic story is covered in the first few chapters and you are acquainted with the main cast which includes Arslan, his main allies, and a little later in the game, his main enemies.

The game play is pretty cool since you can choose which character to play, and you’re not stuck with using only the main character Arslan, but as you

change characters, so do the stats.

For instance, Daryun has a much higher battle power than Arslan and you can use more powerful combos. Each character also comes with his/her own set of skills, armor, weapons and skill cards. These give you certain advantages in the game play, and if combined, can give you very powerful skills. You can also choose to fight on a horse or go on foot during fights. Other than that, there are slices of the anime here and there to tell the story and pull the player more into the game.

Another interesting feature is the Blue Rush Zone which appears at certain points in the battle fields, which can be used to activate something called the “Mardan Rush” which allows the player to make kills up-to 4 digits! This can be done in either one of three modes: Cavalry, Infantry, and Archers, each with its own type of damage, ranging from breaking barricades and making massive kills, to long range attacks and setting certain objects on fire.

This can become a huge strategic advantage if used properly.

The game also comes in three different modes. The story mode, which consists of the main gameplay, the online mode, where players can team up for battles, and the free mode, where you can play any of the previous battles with different characters.

To conclude, the game may be a little difficult to get a hang of for people who are not acquainted with the anime or manga, but it will be hard to put down once it really gets started. And for those who are a fan of the Heroic Legend of Arslan, we’ll see for yourself. l

| relief |

BNS Bangabandhu carried relief for Sri Lanka

Yesterday, Bangladesh Navy ship “Bangabandhu” started its journey towards Sri lanka, with relief material to join the rescue efforts. Sri Lankans were affected by floods and landslides caused by cyclone Roanu.

The ship is carrying around 100 tonne relief materials that includes fresh water, water purifiers, medicine, clothes, tents and generators etc.

During departure of the BNS Bangabandhu, the 24 Infantry Division GOC Major General Jahangir Kabir Talukder, Air Commodore AHM Fazlul Haque, Armed Forces Division Civil and Military Relations Department Director General Commodore Nazmul Hasan, Sri Lankan

| meals |

Labamba’s exciting new soups

| meals |

From the moment one steps into Picasso, you are able to grasp the reason behind the name of the restaurant. The entire restaurant is decorated in a manner that signifies artistic elegance; similar to a well decorated, established museum that emphasises on and portrays neoclassical artistic elements and paintings. Renaissance styled paintings cover the walls of the restaurant.

Picasso Restaurant is introducing an Iftar dinner buffet offer. It’s a buy one get

one free offer where with each order of Iftar dinner, there will be one complementary buffet free. The menu contains: fresh juice/drinks, fruits, salad, beef and veg croquet, Arabian chicken shishtawak and 30 more main items along with desserts.

The offer is also valid for large parties as well. The price for the Iftar dinner buffet is Tk1,599/++ They also have sehri buffet where customers can avail 15% discount. The buffet is priced at Tk999. For more information contact 01712741501..l

THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 2016

| education |

Professor Mary Conway highlights the significance of social entrepreneurship

Today a speech was delivered to the students of BRAC university

by Professor Mary Conway Dato-on, a visiting US scholar from Crummer Graduate School of Business, Rollins College, Florida, USA. Dr Conway is in Dhaka for a brief visit and her talk at BRAC University was one of the main engagements that brought her to Bangladesh.

Addressing the students and faculty members of BRACU, Dr Conway stressed on the increasing significance and potentials of social entrepreneurship as a positive force which can solve many social problems. Drawing on her extensive research in the area she explained that the idea

envoy to Bangladesh Yasoja Gunasekera and other high officials of Bangladesh Navy were present. By crossing 1400 nautical miles BNS Bangabandhu will reach Sri Lanka on June 3. After disseminating relief for three days, the ship will be heading back to Bangladesh on June 10.

Sri lanka is the biggest victim to be hit by cyclone Roanu that hit the country before crossing India, Bangladesh and Myanmar on May 19.l

Buy 1 Get 1 fest at Picasso

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Biz Info

of social entrepreneurship was equally applicable to the social issues that are being faced both in developed and developing nations. She asserted that in the developing country context the ideas revolving around social entrepreneurship are gaining momentum and can replace traditional businesses and NGOs in providing solutions to many social problems. The event was organised and hosted by BRAC Business School (BBS) under its “International Speakers Series.”

Professor Rahim B Talukdar, advisor, BRAC Business School, spoke on the occasion.

Professor Rezaur Razzak, head of operations, BBS, concluded the program with a vote of thanks. l

| education | Labamba is now offering a whole range of exciting new dishes: • Thai soup: Delicious, moderately spicy soup with chicken, prawn and mushroom priced at Tk120 for one and Tk300 for three.

• Hot and sour soup: spicy soup with chicken, lemon juice and chilli sauce priced at Tk120 for one and Tk300 for three.

• Chicken corn soup: Non spicy soup with chicken and corn priced at Tk120 for one and Tk300 for three • Clear vegetable soup: Clear soup with garden vegetable priced at Tk250 • Cream of mushroom soup: Mild spicy soup with creme and mushroom priced at Tk250 • Tom Yam soup (thick/clear): Tom Yam soup with chicken, prawn and Thai ginger priced at Tk500 • Labamba special soup: Special soup prepared with chicken, prawn, beef, fresh vegetable and noodles priced at Tk550 • For more information contact 01971640000.

Seminar on maternal health at IUB

Prof M Omar Rahman, vice chancellor, IUB, is addressing the seminar on “Maternal Health in Bangladesh: Achievements and Challenges” held at the The School of Public Health of Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) organised a seminar on “Maternal Health in Bangladesh: Achievements and Challenges” on Tuesday, May 31 2016 at its campus in Bashundhara, Dhaka. Dr Ishtiaq Mannan, director for health, nutrition and HIV/AIDS of Save the Children International in Bangladesh was the keynote speaker of the seminar.

Prof M Omar Rahman, vice chancellor, IUB, opened the seminar by welcoming all participants and highlighting the key aspects of the seminar.

Dr Dipak Kumar Mitra, asst professor of the school of public health, IUB, delivered the formal vote of thanks. The seminar ended with a lively questionanswer session with members of the faculty and students of the university participating. l

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20 Editorial

THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 2016

TODAY

A budget for middleincome aspirations The new budget should emphasise full and timely implementation of projects and a close monitoring thereof, especially for projects that have been in the pipeline for long periods without significant progress PAGE 21

The energy we need More non-conventional sources of fuel need to be exploited and brought to use quickly, and with minimum red-tape and hassle PAGE 22

BIGSTOCK

They say I gotta learn, but nobody’s there to teach me When low test scores are met with a reprimand at best, and a solid beating at worst, what these kids are learning is to prioritise results over process, and to take shortcuts through the drudgery that is education PAGE 23

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Spend more on education, it’ll pay off

I

t’s not the size of the budget -- it’s how the money is spent which matters.

That’s what was mentioned during a recent roundtable with economists.

In this context, it is imperative that the Bangladesh government increases the allocation given to education in the upcoming budget. Currently, Bangladesh spends less than 2.5% of its GDP on education.

This is less than a third of the proportion spent by Denmark and less than a quarter of the target set by Brazil to increase public education spending to 10% of GDP by 2020.

The two biggest priority areas in the current budget are transport and communication, and energy and power. In comparison, Singapore’s two largest priorities are defence and education.

While it is understandable that different governments set different priorities, these differences highlight how countries with a higher standard of living than ours consider education as being a strategic investment.

Investment in education today can reap benefits tomorrow for all the other sectors that the budget addresses.

Continuous professional development of teachers and reshaping how national assessments are done to discourage rote memorisation and private tuition should be some of the areas in which educational investments are made.

It is not sufficient to merely increase the education budget -- how money is being spent within the education budget should be scrutinised carefully.

If Bangladesh really wants to tap into the immense potential of our youth population and take advantage of the demographic dividend, investing in education is our best bet.

Investment in education today can reap benefits tomorrow for all the other sectors that the budget addresses

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21

Opinion

THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 2016

A budget for middle-income aspirations What does the new budget need to focus on?

Is our budget sufficient for our middle-income ambitions?

n Sajid Amit

T

oday, Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith will present the National Budget for the eighth consecutive time (and 10th, overall).

We already know that the budget size will exceed Tk340,000 crore. The size is put into context by the fact that our national GDP has almost doubled in the last five years, from $100 billion to around $200bn. Noteworthy is the widespread media attention the budget has generated via prebudget debates and commentaries.

This is heartening, given the importance of the National Budget and regulatory policies to the aspirations of a market economy in which 90% of activities stem from the private sector.

While the resilience of the Bangladesh economy is now world famous, as is its growth potential, it is important that the budget considers challenges that may arise in the future. A potential challenge may lie in the remittance sector.

In the first 10 months of the current fiscal year, remittance received has fallen 2.4% year-onyear, while increases year-on-year are the norm. A drop in remittance

means a drop in consumption.

Between FY15 and FY16, overall consumption as a ratio of GDP has fallen from 77.84% to 76.11%.

Decline in remittance also reduces consumption in the rural economy.

Therefore, today we do hope for stimulative initiatives to encourage remittance growth, such as emphasis on vocational and technical training.

To continue with the external sector, during a recent televised discussion organised by FBCCI, BGMEA President Mr Siddiqur Rahman insisted on a 10% special corporate tax rate and reduced tax at source. While such requests have their place, there should be no mistaking the real challenges to RMG sector growth, which concerns infrastructure bottlenecks, eg shortages of power, gas, land, and, not to mention, a paucity of skilled workers and managers.

In 2014, BGMEA set a target of $50bn in RMG exports that it hoped to achieve by 2021. The requested tax cuts notwithstanding, the RMG sector is estimated to require fresh investments of around $100bn in the next five years to achieve the $50bn target.

This brings us to the crucial topic of investments, which have been stagnant in the current fiscal.

According to provisional BBS data, the private investment-GDP ratio at current prices has declined to 21.78% in FY16 from 22.07%

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Matarbarhi power plant, and the metro rail.

Whether the special budget for Mega Projects materialises or not, the focus on infrastructure projects is another heartening development. We do, however, have a tendency to over-program our infrastructure projects.

According to a recent PRI analysis, the roads division at present has over 150 projects under implementation. Managing more projects than a public agency can handle and does stretch and compromise its implementation capacity.

Therefore, the new budget should emphasise full and timely implementation of projects and a close monitoring thereof, especially for projects that have been in the pipeline for long

The new budget should emphasise full and timely implementation of projects and a close monitoring thereof, especially for projects that have been in the pipeline for long periods without significant progress

in FY15. So what does it take to encourage investments?

At this stage, the discussion tends to get hijacked by proponents of lower bank interest rates. Bank interest rates have fallen, and while it’s true that our banks have among the highest interest rate spreads regionally, the cause is not only our banks’ inefficiency, but also the high price of real estate.

Investments are also encouraged by building roads, flyovers, power and gas expansion, and political stability. Investments also have to do with global economics, and there is little doubt that global sluggishness has also contributed to our slower investment growth.

However, three things are worth highlighting if we are serious about creating investment growth: First, land prices; second, deepening financial markets and financial innovation; and third, our “Mega Projects.”

A binding constraint to investment growth is high land prices. Digitising land records will be important, and it will be crucial

to expedite this process because that will allow market forces to streamline and if the case may be, lower land prices. Streamlining land prices also allows more revenue for the government through land taxes.

Second, deepening our financial markets may involve building new securities markets such as bond markets, strengthening our mutual funds sector and insurance sector, providing more tangible stimulus to our capital markets through fresh issuance of new shares, and encouraging financial and investor literacy.

Such steps augment the circulation of money in our economy, so the same quantity of printed money can generate greater economic growth.

Third, crucial to investment growth are the so-called “Mega Projects.” As of now, there are talks that we may even have a separate budget for our Mega Projects.

The government is already putting particular emphasis on priority projects such as the Padma Bridge, the Rampal coal power plant, the LNG terminal, the

periods without significant progress.

Generally speaking, the implementation capacity at the relevant government offices ought to be carefully considered and measured before budget allocation.

The issues of VAT and SD have already received widespread pre-budget attention. My general opinion, in a nutshell, is that there has to be an understanding of “voluntary compliance” in paying VAT, and rates as high as 15% VAT may compromise on voluntary compliance.

And last but not least, it is hoped that the budget will have a renewed and focused orientation towards the environment, since it is, quite simply, worse for the wear when the eighth-most populous country in an area the size of Michigan achieves middle-income status.

Education, health, and social safety are also areas in which the budget may provide increased allocation. l Sajid Amit is Director, Centre for Enterprise and Society, ULAB.

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DT

Opinion

THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 2016

The energy we need The government plans to cut gas subsidies, but there are alternative ways to stay powered up

n SA Mansoor

T

he power shortage has remained a perennial problem in Bangladesh for decades, and may well remain so for decades hence.

There appears to be little or no scope for any relief from it in the foreseeable future.

Basically, the reason behind this is the government’s lack of determination and will.

We are not going for options that can utilise other local sources of conventional and non-traditional fuel which can be cheaply exploited and introduced.

The little coal that we extract is like a drop in the ocean -- nothing worth stating in the overall national context.

Unfortunately, our natural gas reservoirs have been taken for granted, and by and large, misused over decades. In a sense they have wasted away.

Not long ago, gas burners and gas stoves and ovens were kept perpetually running in the kitchen, as the gas tariff was based on the number of burners and ovens used and not based on the quantity of gas being consumed.

Only when everyone went to sleep at night and there was the fear of accidental fire were gas cookers and ovens shut off !

Even the authorities possibly never thought of the finite volumes of gas we have below our surface, and lived on with this practice for many years!

Now the bitter reality has come to the fore, and “gas scarcity� is that bitter truth -- after ages of freely burning natural gas ie valuable methane.

Today, such waste of natural gas has accelerated the shortage of the essential availability of electric power.

Should we, therefore, not urgently go for exploring all other available avenues of nontraditional sources of fuel for power generation, that is not dependent on the availability of coal, oil, and methane, all of which now comes from geological sources?

Firstly, we should go all-out in maximising the utilisation of solar power, freely available as long as the ssun exists, that is.

This should not be restricted to household solar panels only.

We should go ahead and set up as many mini solar power plants -- say 50MW to 100MW each -- if needed, on public-private partnership basis, particularly in rural and small urban towns.

Solar power is only one of the many alternate energy sources Bangladesh can explore More non-conventional sources of fuel need to be exploited and brought to use quickly, and with minimum red-tape and hassle.

Solar panels on poles attached to cables can be set up in villages and towns across the country..

Backup power can be set up, using oil as fuel through small standby power units on land.

Another viable option is to go for dual-fuel (oil-garbage) combination that can use sorted municipal solid garbage, along with fuel oil, firing the steam boiler in various small towns and cities.

In France, near the suburbs of Paris, there is such a dual-fuel (coal-garbage) based power plant that has been running for years.

There, the collection and sorting of garbage needs more manual input, hence, using the garbage as fuel is not cost-effective.

This is not the case here, as unskilled manual labour is cheap, more so in rural areas.

Further, it will use the manpower now utilised for municipal garbage collection and disposal in towns and cities.

This will also positively reduce the possibility of the spread of diseases, due to the likely presence of germs in household garbage, as these will be burned.

Money is regularly being spent

by WASA in pumping all our methane out into our rivers and water bodies, a potential source of diseases and infections, which

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More non-conventional sources of fuel need to be exploited and brought to use quickly, and with minimum red-tape and hassle ultimately adds to the financial load for public health care.

The reality is that, in the name of municipal disposal of solid human waste, at least in Dhaka, if not in other cities, we are spreading germs, and no one seems to be bothered by it. l SA Mansoor is an engineer with over 50 years of experience in chemical and other process industries.

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23

Opinion

THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 2016

They say I gotta learn, but nobody’s there to teach me The kids aren’t alright, but whose fault is that?

The students don’t have all the answers, but do we?

n Sabrina Fatma Ahmad

B

y now, even those who missed the original broadcast on Maasranga TV have seen the superviral video clip of GPA-5 students being grilled by a journalist on general knowledge and failing spectacularly.

Memes have been created, and social media has had a field day making fun of the kids, or self-righteously defending them, or pointing fingers (a national pastime). The question on everyone’s lips: If not basic general knowledge, what are we teaching these kids?

Behind every student who answered the most basic questions with an uneasy shake of the head, are parents who thought toys and brand new clothes made better gifts than books, who shuttled their children off from school to coaching, making learning a prison sentence as opposed to an enjoyable bonding experience.

And when low test scores are met with a reprimand at best, and a solid beating at worst, what these kids are learning is to prioritise

results over process, and to take shortcuts through the drudgery that is education.

Behind every student who didn’t even have an idea as to what “SSC” stood for, are teachers who treated questions as anathema, but felt no compunction about punishing (often with a cane to an open palm) those who failed to memorise their text.

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who Pythagoras was, despite a “science” background, are schools that are more invested in enforcing a dress code than providing library and research facilities to their charges, and punish those “upstarts” who dare bring “out books” (books outside the curricula) to school, instead of encouraging them to read extensively.

the “government holiday mixtape” of Ekushey songs, Victory Day poems, and the March 7 speech.

Every. Single. Holiday.

When subjected to the same thing over and over again, without anyone bothering to parse the differences for them, what these kids are learning is that distinctions don’t matter.

Behind every student who

When low test scores are met with a reprimand at best, and a solid beating at worst, what these kids are learning is to prioritise results over process, and to take shortcuts through the drudgery that is education When the slightest deviation from the answer template, the merest hint of an original thought is met with vigorous applications of red ink, what these kids learn is that critical thinking and discourse is forbidden; that the only way forward is to follow the herd.

Behind every student who failed to identify Newton’s laws, or even state correctly

When the institutions employ teachers who themselves don’t have much by way of knowledge to impart, what these kids learn is that it’s best not to be curious about the world around them.

Behind every student who couldn’t distinguish between March 26 and December 16 are restaurants, shops and fast-food joints that turn up the volume on

cheerfully announced that they don’t do much reading outside of their curricula, are advertising agencies that will feature healthy doses of class-bunking and kids high-fiving one another after providing that wisecrack in response to a math or science question, all in the name of selling talk-time and carbonated drinks.

When the media message tells

you that the whiteness of the school uniform, or the calcium in the malted breakfast shake, or the peppermint in the toothpaste is the key to success, as opposed to some good old-fashioned studying, what these kids are learning is that hard work is irrelevant.

Behind every student who has struggled to form a basic sentence in English -- bear with me, dear liberal activist, for I am on your side -- are the snide remarks and mean jokes by those fortunate to have been able to afford an English medium education.

They may feel justified in their resentment at being slapped with a “tnaash” or “farm er murgi” label every time they open their mouths and a foreign language falls out, but when they continue to snigger at every mispronunciation, instead of helping out, what these kids are learning is to build walls of resentment and continue this pointless fight between English medium and Bangla medium students.

So what are these kids learning?

Everything we’re teaching them. l Sabrina Fatma Ahmad is Features Editor at the Dhaka Tribune.

DT

24 Sport

THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 2016

Pathan late, still powers Abahani

TOP STORIES

Uddin Khan, n Minhaz from Savar

Tajik challenge for Bangladesh today Bangladesh will be looking to put months of turbulence behind them when they face hosts Tajikistan in Dushanbe today in the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers play-off game. The match kicks off at 9pm (Bangladesh standard time). PAGE 25

NBA finals: How legacies are defined When they met in the NBA Finals for the first time last season, LeBron James had the more pronounced aura while Stephen Curry had the better team.

The latter proved to be all that mattered. PAGE 26

Benzema: French racism cost me spot Karim Benzema said he was denied the chance to play for France in the Euro 2016 this month because of his Algerian origins. Benzema’s comments have deepened a row about alleged racism in the national team. PAGE 26

Abahani Limited’s Indian recruit Yusuf Pathan goes big during their Dhaka Premier League match against holders Prime Bank Cricket Club in Savar yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

Doleshwar ride on Menaria, KCA edge CCS n Mazhar Uddin

ZC axe Whatmore, Masakadza Coach Dav Whatmore, captain Hamilton Masakadza and convenor of selectors Kenyon Ziehl were all sacked after Zimbabwe Cricket completed its review of the team’s performance at the World T20 in India in March, where they exited in the group stage. PAGE 28

Yusuf Pathan’s Dhaka Premier League debut almost didn’t happen, but ended up with a match-winning effort that helped Abahani Limited to a five-wicket win over Prime Bank Cricket Club at the BKSP-3 ground.

His blistering 60 took them out of a tight spot in the 241-run chase before Mosaddek Hossain finished the job with his second consecutive unbeaten half-century.

But Pathan could have been sidelined for arriving 41 minutes after the scheduled start of play because he was stuck in traffic on the Dhaka-Savar highway.

He could only play thanks to the permission of match officials and the opposition.

Pathan, who will play up to Abahani’s next game before heading back to India, said he enjoyed his maiden Dhaka League experience despite a hectic journey to the country, and to the venue on the northwest outskirt of Dhaka. He was happy to have contributed to their win.

“I was looking forward to play these two matches before Ramadan. The team has won [yesterday] and this will work as an advantage as they move forward in the competition. I am happy that I have performed and added around 60 runs to the board,” said Pathan.

He said playing spin with the new ball was something different for him, as he is used to facing pace bowlers at that stage of the innings.

“The wicket is different. Back home we have something else, there the fast bowlers take charge at the beginning but here the

spinners start with the new ball. It felt that teams here play according to the merit of the wicket. The experience has been new for me,” he said.

The third straight win for Abahani took them to third spot in the points table with 12 points, jumping from sixth place. Prime Bank are now in seventh place with 10 points.

Abahani captain Tamim Iqbal quickly reached 40 before falling in the 13th over of their chase. Pathan then partnered Nazmul Hossain Shanto in a 94-run third wicket stand that brought them back into the contest.

Pathan hammered the Prime Bank bowlers for seven fours and two sixes while Nazmul made 32.

Two runs later, Pathan also went back to the dressing room after his 47-ball knock .

Shakib al Hasan, who had earlier taken four wickets, departed after making just three before Mosaddek and Liton Das added 87 runs for the undefeated sixth wicket stand.

Mosaddek was unbeaten on 64 off 49 with four boundaries and as many sixes with Liton on 25.

Earlier the Prime Bank openers Mehedi Maruf and Shanaj Ahmed were off to a flashy start with 33 runs in the first four overs. But Shanaj’s dismissal for 24 slowed things down as they lost two more wickets to fall to 41 for 3.

Shakib removed Sabbir Rahman for a duck before adding Prime Bank’s Indian recruit Unmukt Chand for two. Wicket-keeper batsman Nurul Hasan top scored with 46 while Taibur Rahman added 43 as they ended up on 240/9 in 50 overs. l

Ashok Menaria’s allround performance helped Prime Doleshwar Sporting Club reach the top of the points table after they beat Gazi Group Cricketers by five wickets in the Dhaka Premier League yesterday. Kalabagan Cricket Academy registered their second win of the tournament, against Cricket Coaching School (CCS) by five wickets.

Doleshwar v Gazi Group

Gazi posted 213/8 in 50 overs with Elias Sunny’s 46 the highest score, after they made a slow start. Mo-

hammad Sharif later blasted 39 off 25 balls to take them past the 200run mark.

Maneria was the pick of the bowlers with his 3/29 in nine overs while Farhad Reza also bagged two wickets.

Doleshwar reached the target in 49 overs. Maneria was not out on 59 off 61 balls featuring two fours and same sixes while Rony Talukdar (43) and Nasir Hossain (40) also contributed to the chase.

With seven wins from 10 games Doleshwar are on 14 points while Gazi Group slipped at sixth position with 10 points in equal

number of matches.

KCA v CCS

Away in Fatullah, CCS were only able to post 185/9 in 50 overs after electing to bat. Amit Majumder top scored with 38 while KCA captain Mahmudul Hasan picked up 3/37 with his off-spin.

KCA chased the target comfortably riding on a 95-ball 87 by their Indian recruit Jatin Saxena, who struck seven fours and three sixes. Mahmudul added 46 runs and clinched their second win in 10 attempts but they remained rooted to the bottom. l

BRIEF SCORES PRIME BANK CC 240/9 (Nurul 46, Shakib 4/35, Saqlain 3/37) lost to ABAHANI LTD 243/5 (Mosaddek 64*, Y Pathan 60, Tamim 40) by five wickets GAZI GC 213/8 (E Sunny 46, Menaria 3/29, Farhad 2/53) lost to PRIME DOLESHWAR SC 217/5 (Menaria 59*, Rony 43, Nasir 40) by five wickets CCS 185/9 (Amit 38, Mahmudul 3/37, Saxena 2/26) lost to KALABAGAN CA 186/5 (Saxena 87, Mahmudul 46, Nasum 2/31) by five wickets

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Sport

THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 2016

Mustafizur arrival sparks frenzy Asaduzzaman, n Mohammad Satkhira Following 55 long days spent in India for the winning franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad, Bangladesh pace sensation Mustafizur Rahman had landed in Dhaka last Monday night.

And the left-arm paceman, who said during the course of the Indian

Premier League that he felt homesick, wasted very little time, a day to be exact, in rushing back to his beloved hometown of Tetulia, Satkhira.

But if the 20-year old thought he would spend some quiet yet quality time with his family, he would have been mistaken.

Not only his family members

but countless residents of his village, including the media personnel, rushed to his home upon getting to know about his arrival.

The excitement around his home, which had slowly gathered pace, started dying down in the early hours of yesterday morning when he crashed his bed.

With his home swarming with

guests, he had no option but to wake up early in the morning. Immediately after waking up, he was treated with sweets by his family members and relatives.

It is safe to say that the hullabaloo currently existing in the Mustafizur household will only get more intense with each passing day. l

Bangladesh pace sensation Mustafizur Rahman (C) is flanked by his family members and relatives following his arrival in Satkhira on Tuesday COURTESY

Tajik challenge for Bangladesh today De Kruif says Bangladesh football awaits new era n Tribune Report Bangladesh will be looking to put months of turbulence behind them when they face hosts Tajikistan in Dushanbe today in the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers play-off game. The match kicks off at 9pm (Bangladesh standard time).

On the eve of today’s encounter, Bangladesh’s temporary head coach Lodewijk de Kruif refused to look into the recent past and said

HEAD TO HEAD Tajikistan

Stats

Bangladesh

164 8 5 1 2 23 5

Fifa rankings

178 8 1 5 2 5 23

Matches Wins Losses Draws Goals scored Conceded

Bangladesh captain Mamunul Islam (L) and Tajikistan skipper Nuriddin Davronov greet each other prior to their today’s AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers play-off game in Dushanbe BFF

the game is likely to mark the start of a new era in Bangladesh football.

“For us it’s a new era. Not everyone in Bangladesh is happy with the results but its important that we fight with high motivation to find something to give to the nation,” said De Kruif.

“It is football and anything can happen in the match. You can see a red card can change the position of any team. We will go for our chances and we will pick our chances if

possible,” he added.

The winner of this two-legged tie will advance to the final round of qualifying, where 24 teams will battle it out for 12 berths. Already 12 other teams have guaranteed their places for the 2019 Asian Cup to be held in the UAE. Bangladesh are a long way from making it that far, but they would like to forget recent trauma on the pitch.

They exited last year’s Saff

Championship in the group stages and lost in the semi-finals of the Bangabandhu Gold Cup at home this year.

To make matters worse, captain Mamunul Islam, Sohel Rana, Zahid Hossain and Yeasin Khan were suspended for breaching team discipline. However, the temporary appointment of Dutch head coach De Kruif seemed to have at least turned a corner.

Immediately after his arrival in Dhaka, De Kruif stressed on the importance of bringing back the banned quartet and he somewhat got his wish fulfilled as Mamunul, Sohel and Zahid returned to the national team following submission of apology letters to the Bangladesh Football Federation.

All that remains to be seen now is how De Kruif manages his charges in such short notice as he only took up the responsibility earlier last month.

The two teams have been anything but unfamiliar opponents in recent times. Bangladesh faced Tajikistan twice in the recently concluded 2018 Fifa World Cup second round qualifiers and although the former drew the home leg 1-1, the Tajiks ran away with the second leg 5-0. l

Tigers draw tough group in Champs Trophy n Tribune Report Bangladesh will take on hosts England in one of two opening day matches of the ICC Champions Trophy at the Oval on June 1 next year.

International Cricket Council announced the schedule of the tournament in London yesterday, which saw Bangladesh placed in Group A with Australia and New Zealand apart from England.

In Group B, the three Asian powerhouses – India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka – are joined by South Africa.

The final will take place on June 18 at the Oval. Bangladesh have qualified for the tournament after being seeded at No 7 in the ICC ODI team rankings and according to captain Mashrafe Mortaza his side will justify its return to the tournament for the first time since 2006.

“I am delighted that we are returning to the ICC Champions Trophy next year and the icing on the cake is we will feature in the tournament opener against the home side, which we beat in Adelaide to qualify for our maiden ICC Cricket World Cup quarter-final. This is not only a reward for our performances and achievements in the past 18 months or so, but also gives us the confidence that we can start the event on a winning note,” Mashrafe said.

“We have qualified for the ICC Champions Trophy on merit and through consistent results, which we would like to maintain this season and then carry the momentum into the main competition. I firmly believe we belong to the elite group of teams and hopefully through our performances we will be able to justify our place,” he added.l

GROUPS GROUP A

Australia, New Zealand, England, Bangladesh

GROUP B

India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa

SCHEDULE June 1

Eng v Ban, The Oval

June 2

Aus v NZ, Edgbaston

June 3

SL v SA, The Oval

June 4

Ind v Pak, Edgbaston

June 5

Aus v Ban, The Oval

June 6

Eng v NZ, Cardiff

June 7

Pak v SA, Edgbaston

June 8

Ind v SL, The Oval

June 9

NZ v Ban, Cardiff

June 10 Eng v Aus, Edgbaston June 11

Ind v SA, The Oval

June 12 SL v Pak, Cardiff June 14 Semifinal (A1 v B2), Cardiff June 15 Semifinal (A2 v B1), Edgbaston June 18 Final, The Oval June 19 Reserve day

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26

NBA Finals

THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 2016

FIVE KEYS TO NBA FINALS The MVPs: Four-time NBA Most Valuable Player LeBron James for Cleveland and two-time reigning NBA MVP Stephen Curry for Golden State bring emotional and physical strengths as the sport’s top stars. James has more versatile ways to impact a game but Curry’s 3-point sharpshooting is a wonder and can be just as much a dagger in the heart of a rival as a LeBron slam dunk.

Supporting cast: Cleveland has guard Kyrie Irving and forward Kevin Love healthy this time around and how they will fare against Klay Thompson and Draymond Green figures to loom large. Andre Iguodala came off Golden State’s deep bench last year to earn the NBA Finals MVP award and sometimes unheralded heroes can have great impacts when a title is on the line. LeBron took the team on his back a year ago with Love and Irving hurt, the first man to lead a finals in scoring, rebound and assist average. He won’t need such lone-wolf heroics this time, which should make him even more dangerous at whatever he does.

Rest: Golden State went 73-9 this season, the best record in NBA history, but fell behind Oklahoma City 3-1 in the Western Conference final before taking the last three games to advance. With only two days to recover from the physical and emotional fightback, the Warriors must face a Cleveland squad that won its first nine playoff games and has had five days off. A road win in game one or two by the Cavs could put Golden State in another tight fix.

Motivation: Cleveland has not enjoyed a sport champion since 1964.

LeBron James has been a loser in four of his prior six NBA Finals appearances, two each with Miami and Cleveland although he took two titles with the Heat. Irving and Love want to show what they can do healthy against the NBA’s best. And there is revenge for the Cavs. But the Warriors don’t want the embarrassment of not winning a title after their 73-9 season and gritty playoff comeback over Oklahoma City.

They will need more than one title to cement a dynasty legacy. And who is better anyway, LeBron James or Stephen Curry?

Three-pointers: Curry set an NBA record with 402 3-pointers this season, shattering his old mark by 116.

Klay Thompson made an NBA playoff one-game record 11 3-pointers to help deny Oklahoma City an NBA Finals trip. Golden State was the first team in NBA history to make 1,000 3-pointers in a season. But if the hot shots from beyond the arc have an off night, that could signal major trouble. And the Cavaliers have some solid outside shooting as part of a more versatile and balanced attack. It promises to be dramatic and tension-packed. l

How legacies are defined n Agencies When they met in the NBA Finals for the first time last season, LeBron James had the more pronounced aura while Stephen Curry had the better team. The latter proved to be all that mattered, because even as James defiantly set out to prove that he was “the best player in the game” with an efficiency-be-damned one-man show, Curry won his first NBA title by running circles around the Cleveland Cavaliers with circus shots and heat-check threes.

Curry and the Golden State Warriors learned what it took to become champions through a sixgame gauntlet that was harder than expected with James playing without Kevin Love for the whole series and Kyrie Irving for all but one game. But to their surprise, the victory fostered an inordinate amount of detractors – including the Cavaliers, who were among the many who questioned what the Warriors would’ve done against full-strength playoff opponents.

Curry and James, the game’s most recognizable superstars, come together today for a Finals rematch that has been anticipated since the Warriors doused with champagne the visitor’s locker room at Quicken Loans Arena last June. James doesn’t have the same aura but certainly has a better team and is emboldened by the presence of his now-healthy stars. Having already surpassed James in popularity and earned the first unanimous MVP award in league history, Curry

LeBron James

TEAMS WITH THE MOST TITLES

Stephen Curry

HEAD-TO-HEAD

5. Golden State Warriors 4

All-time regular season Golden State 53, Cleveland 50 All-time NBA playoffs Golden State 4, Cleveland 2 Warriors home games Golden State 35, Cleveland 19 Cavaliers home games Golden State 22, Cleveland 33

now has a chance to match him in championships.

Curry isn’t so much concerned with defeating James as completing putting the finishing touches on what could go down as the best in NBA history. For much of this

season, the Warriors have been playing for their place among the all-time NBA hierarchy; the nightly opponent has been secondary.

While James lives by the hashtag motto of strive for greatness, for Curry, being great isn’t good

1. Boston Celtics 17 2. Los Angeles Lakers 16 3. Chicago Bulls 6 4. San Antonio Spurs 5

BREAKING DOWN CAVS-WARRIORS NBA FINALS SMALL FORWARD:

Andre Iguodala/Harrison Barnes vs. LeBron James: Iguodala in Game 7 of the conference finals made his first planned start of the year, replacing Harrison Barnes.

He likely will continue to start, but whom would he replace? It was Andrew Bogut in the ’15 series, and the move turned things in favor of the Warriors. That makes Bogut most likely to sit. James is an exceedingly tough covers and he’s on a mission to bring a title to Cleveland. This may be his best chance.

POWER FORWARD:

Draymond Green vs. Kevin Love: This is a pivotal matchup insofar as Love is a fabulous stretch-4 on offense but tends to get lost on defense. It’ll be up to Green to exploit what will be soft defense by Love while simultaneously not allowing Love to start lining up his formidable 3-point shot. Green is sure to keep in mind that the Warriors once coveted Love as their power forward – until they studied his defense.

CENTRE:

POINT GUARD:

SHOOTING GUARD:

BENCH:

Andrew Bogut vs.

Tristan Thompson: With the exception of Game 5, Bogut made little impact in the Western Conference Finals.

He’ll need to be better, at least more active, because Thompson specializes in rebounding, with an emphasis on offensive rebounding.

If Bogut is active at both ends, he’ll be too much for Thompson. Expect Green to see considerable time at center for the Warriors.

Klay Thompson vs. JR Smith: Both have been launching and draining 3-pointers, so let the splashing start. Both love to shoot the 3-ball, but Thompson is better at it. He’s also more consistently better on defense, though Smith is at least capable of locking down his assignment. The biggest different between the two is that Thompson generally plays with more discipline than does Smith, who sometimes rages out of control.

Stephen Curry vs. Kyrie Irving: Russell Westbrook laughed at the thought of Curry playing solid defense, only to post poor numbers on his way to vacation. Irving likely will be more respectful, as he’ll remember the last time he faced Curry, Irving was held to eight points and was minus-21. Curry scored 35 points in 28 minutes and was plus34. Both will provide scintillating moments, but Curry will deliver a few more.

Warriors: The defending champions are quick to brag about their bench, with good reason. They have at least six useful guys, only two of which – Shaun Livingston and Iguodala – are somewhat interchangeable.

Cavaliers: Dellavedova can be an irritant. Jefferson has turned back the clock a bit. Shumpert can play a little D. In acquiring stretch-4 Channing Frye, Cleveland made perhaps the best trade-deadline move. l

enough. Curry has sought to obliterate previous standards for excellence, whether that’s wins, scoring efficiency or made 3-pointers.

“I think sometimes the word ‘valuable’ or best player of the year, you can have different results,” James said three weeks ago.

Curry refused to respond, claiming that he has “gotten really good at ignoring people.” In the Western Conference finals, Russell Westbrook couldn’t contain his laughter after hearing a question about Curry’s “underrated” defense. Curry responded by saying, “Honestly, I could care less about other people’s opinions about me.”l

MATCH STATS Golden State’s starting lineup (2016 playoff stats) — Stephen Curry (26.7 ppg, 6.1 apg), Klay Thompson (26.2 ppg, 3.9 rpg), Andre Iguodala (8.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg), Draymond Green (15.1 ppg, 9.8 rpg), Andrew Bogut (5.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg) Cleveland’s starting lineup (2016 playoff stats) — Kyrie Irving (24.3 ppg, 5.1 apg), J.R. Smith (12.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg), LeBron James (24.6 ppg, 8.6 rpg), Kevin Love (17.3 ppg, 9.6 rpg), Tristan Thompson (4.9 ppg, 8.4 rpg)

PAST WINNERS 2015: Golden State Warriors 2014: San Antonio Spurs 2013: Miami Heat 2012: Miami Heat 2011: Dallas Mavericks 2010: Los Angeles Lakers 2009: Los Angeles Lakers 2008: Boston Celtics 2007: San Antonio Spurs 2006: Miami Heat

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Benzema: French racism cost me Euro 2016 spot n Reuters, Paris

Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema said he was denied the chance to play for France in the Euro 2016 this month because of his Algerian origins.

Benzema’s comments, published by a Spanish sports maga-

zine nine days before France hosts the tournament, have deepened a row about alleged racism in the national team that was once seen as a model for ethnic integration.

Last week, Eric Cantona accused coach Didier Deschamps of omitting Benzema and another Frenchborn player of North African de-

QUICK BYTES Argentina crisis won’t keep it away from Copa The troubled Argentine Football Association vowed Monday the national team will not miss next month’s Copa America tournament, dismissing concerns over the potential impact of a court ruling against it. “No one has taken over the AFA and no one is going to remove us from FIFA,” the association’s president, Luis Segura, told a press conference. “I have no intention of resigning, and there’s no chance Argentina won’t play in the Copa America.” The comments came after the association was served a court order suspending its planned June 30 elections over alleged irregularities in its books.

The court appointed two “observers” to oversee AFA business for 90 days. That raised concerns that the association could be sanctioned

by FIFA, since world football’s governing body forbids government interference in member associations.

–AFP

Zlatan tight-lipped about future Sweden captain Zlatan Ibrahimovic has remained tight-lipped about his future at club and international level, telling reporters yesterday that he would let them know his plans when he was good and ready.

Rumours linking the 34-year-old free agent to Manchester United and Malmo, as well as speculation that he would announce the end to his international career, have gathered steam but a relaxed Ibrahimovic opted to avoid discussing his future. “I want you to still write a lot of stories, so I get excited when I see them, because I want to see who is making up the best story,” he told reporters at Sweden’s training camp, where the side are preparing for the Euro 2016 finals in France.

“When I’m tired of it, I’ll let you know where I will go.” The striker did manage to refute a suggestion that he might play half a season for Swedish league leaders and his first club Malmo before joining another side at the beginning of 2017.

–REUTERS

DAY’S WATCH FOOTBALL SONY ESPN 1:00AM International Friendly England v Portugal

CRICKET STAR SPORTS 1 10:30PM

Natwest T20 Blast 2016 Worcestershire v Yorkshire

TENNIS NEO PRIME 4:00PM French Open Gentlemen’s and Ladies’ Singles Day 12 Semi Finals

scent, Hatem Ben Arfa, because of their foreign roots.

Benzema is under investigation over an alleged blackmail plot, something Prime Minister Manuel Valls said made him unfit to play for the national team. Benzema said his legal problems were being used as an excuse to drop him from the squad.

They said I couldn’t be picked, but on a sporting level I don’t understand and, on a legal level, I’ve not been convicted and I’m presumed innocent,” he told Marca.

“Deschamps succumbed to pressure from a racist part of France,” he said. “I don’t know if it’s only Didier’s decision, because

I get on well with him, the president (of the French soccer federation) and everybody.”

Deschamps was not immediately available for comment.

The French squad has players from various ethnicities. Deschamps last week called up Adil Rami, who is of Moroccan origin.l

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Serena sweeps aside Svitolina n AFP, Paris Defending champion Serena Williams brushed off concerns about a busy playing schedule after powering into the French Open quarter-finals yesterday.

Williams reached the last eight at Roland Garros for the 10th time after pulverising 18th seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine 6-1, 6-1 in just over an hour on Court Philippe Chatrier.

But the world number one, who next plays Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva, faces the challenge of playing four matches in four days in her pursuit of a record-equalling 22nd Open era Grand Slam title.

“Four in a row? I think for

us...when we play regular tournaments you play four, five matches in a row. It’s what happens,” said Williams.

“In Rome I played four in a row? Five? I don’t know. But, you know, in Miami and Indian Wells you just play every day. It’s something you just get used to. It’s totally fine I think for me and for everyone.”

Swiss eighth seed Timea Bacsinszky dumped out sister Venus 6-2, 6-4 to rule out the prospect of the two Williams siblings meeting in the semi-finals.

Bacsinszky, who reached the semi-finals in Paris a year ago, reeled off nine of 10 games after trailing 0-2 in the first set to lay the foundation for her victory.l

Serena Williams returns the ball against Elina Svitolina during their French Open match at Roland Garros yesterday REUTERS

Djokovic hits $100m jackpot n AFP, Paris World number one Novak Djokovic became the first player to smash the $100 million prize money barrier when he reached the French Open quarter-finals for the 10th time yesterday.

The 29-year-old Serb started the tournament with $99,673,404 and the 294,000 euros ($328,303) he earned by beating Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut took him past the

landmark figure.

Top seed Djokovic defeated 14th seeded Bautista Agut 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, 7-5 to move into a 28th consecutive Grand Slam quarter-final and 36th in all.

He will on Thursday take on Czech seventh seed Tomas Berdych, who beat Spanish 11th seed David Ferrer 6-3, 7-5, 6-3.

Djokovic has a 23-2 career stranglehold on Berdych who will be playing in his third Roland Garros quarter-final.l

Zimbabwe axe Whatmore, Masakadza n AFP, Harare The merry-go-round in Zimbabwe’s cricket structures completed another cycle on Tuesday as the board approved a raft of changes less than two weeks before India arrive for a short tour.

Coach Dav Whatmore, captain

Hamilton Masakadza and convenor of selectors Kenyon Ziehl were all sacked after Zimbabwe Cricket completed its review of the team’s performance at the ICC World Twenty20 in India in March, where Zimbabwe failed to make the group stage.

Masakadza and Ziehl had been in their positions for less than a year.

Masakadza was appointed captain in January following Elton Chigumbura’s resignation, while Ziehl replaced Givemore Makoni as convenor of selectors last July.

Whatmore took over as coach shortly before last year’s World Cup in Australasia and was given a four-year contract last May. l

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Biblical strong man (6) 4 Faucet (3) 7 Greek letter (5) 8 Exerted influence (6) 11 Colour (3) 12 Writer of verse (4) 13 Trees (4) 15 Flood (5) 16 Hooded serpent (5) 20 Painful spot (4) 23 At hand (4) 24 Goal (3) 25 Card game (6) 26 Ascend (5) 27 Infant (3) 28 Hexes (6)

DOWN 1 Jumps rope (5) 2 Break (7) 3 Musical sound (4) 4 Teaching period (4) 5 Matures (4) 6 Cushion (3) 9 Cleaning implement (3) 10 Vegetable (3) 14 Lion-like (7) 17 Resting place (3) 18 Horseplay (coll) (3) 19 Regions (5) 20 Airtight grain store (4) 21 Leave out (4) 22 Flows back (4) 24 Perform (3)

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Downtime

THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 2016

CODE-CRACKER How to solve: Each number in our CODECRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 4 represents T so fill T every time the figure 4 appears.

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

Some letters of the alphabet may not be used.

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

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

CALVIN AND HOBBES

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

PEANUTS

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS CODE-CRACKER

CROSSWORD

DILBERT

SUDOKU

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THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 2016

Showtime

Soul of Bengal by Shikor Bangladesh All Star

n Saqib Sarker The group Shikor, for all intents and purposes, is a legitimate, fully fledged super group. It gathers together some of the finest and most experienced Bangladeshi folk musicians.

With Nazrul Islam at the helm, Shikor’s line-up includes Abdur Rab Fakir, Baby Akhter, and Labik Kamal Gourab on the vocals, Jalal Ahmed on the flute, Mokaddes on the dotara, and Biju on the ektara, harmonium, and percussions.

Just to put this into perspective, all of these musicians have over a century of playing experience between them, with Nazrul being the most soughtafter dhol player of the country, Jalal being the first go-to flute player in any professional musician’s priority list, and Mokaddes playing as the resident artist at Bangladesh Betar for over two decades now. The rest of the band are seasoned musicians with extensive performing and recording experiences.

And it shows too. The band mesmerised the international audience at WOMAD 2015 (WOMAD is the biggest

The debut album of Shikor Bangladesh All Star seemed destined both for greatness and paradoxically, not living up to the expectations

international world music festival). The performance at WOMAD gained raving reviews from all kinds of prestigious publications including London Jazz News writing that Shikor has “seriously incredible rhythms” and “incredible vocals.”

The debut album of Shikor Bangladesh All Star seemed destined both for greatness and paradoxically, not living up to the expectations. The reason for the latter is because when expectations are too high it is easy to be underwhelmed.

So, what is the album like?

Before we go into that let’s remind you why Shikor was formed.

Shikor was brought together to give a larger voice to Bangladesh’s traditional music.

The lesser known story is that Kishon Khan, the producer of the album, felt he needs to present music from the roots to the world, when his own London-based Latin-Bengali-jazz fusion band was getting recognition as the “voice of Bangladesh”.

While there are elements of “Bangladeshi voice” present in Kishon’s band Lokkhi Terra, Kishon appropriately understood that authentic Bangladeshi Baul folk music needs a voice at the world stage. So, he operated as the facilitator who persuaded Nazrul to put together and lead the band.

One of the main purposes of Shikor forming and releasing an album was to have Bengali roots’ music recorded with good quality production (‘production’ being the sound quality heard on record). One of the main problems in reaching international audience was precisely this: all local records of the genre are not productions of very good quality with some being a hassle to listen to.

However, Soul of Bengal achieved that goal with flying colour. The 12 tracks on the album sound pristinely clear with no, as Kishon Khan says it, “cheap and horrendous keys sound” heard anywhere.

All the songs are performed beautifully and with exquisite taste, with Kishon Khan successfully pulled off the duties of a producer. One might expect the songs to have big jam sections but are none as such. Kishon tried to keep the format as organic as possible. But listening through the album will reveal that the songs are laced with intricate musical patterns and fascinating acoustic sounds of indigenous instruments, flowing like a wild river underneath the singing words.

The singing lacks some of the sonic characteristics as one might imagine that in a natural setting where these musicians often wail and sing loudly for the audience to hear. This is not to say that the vocals are not great or they are not capable of singing differently, they are. But this really is a matter of personal taste and, to quote Nigel Tufnel, “a difference without a distinction.”

The arrangements are absolutely top notch. Some of the backup chorus singing seemed unnecessary, except in “Shaddho ki re amar.” There are also some ambient sounds in some songs at the intro and outro. It adds a nice touch as well as character to the songs. One or two up-tempo songs would have been great, if for nothing else, just to hear Nazrul going into a crazy gallop rhythm and tearing it up.

It was a great decision to play instrumental renditions of “Milon” and “Maya lagaise,” because both songs have been done and redone to death. It was certainly refreshing and very enjoyable.

Will this album reach the international audience? It has all the necessary elements. Released from Funkiwala records in March, the album has an adequate distribution support. But the pertinent question is whether the group will be able to continue to release and support those releases with tours. The album has raised the bar quite high for future recording artists who intend to release from Bangladesh.

The version of the album being reviewed was released by GP Music, digitally in Bangladesh.l

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Concert by the Bodhisattwa Ghosh trio n Showtime Desk The Bodhisattwa Ghosh Trio are launching their new album titled, Heart of Darkness today at the Red Shift auditorium at 7:00pm. The jazz rock outfit will take part in a concert followed by the launching of their second album.

The trio, comprising of Bodhisattwa Ghosh on guitar, Bijit Bhattacharya on bass and Premjit Dutta on the drums, is an experimental jazz rock group which believes in the expression of unadulterated human feelings,

in the form of unrefined powerful sounds created from energy, deep within the human soul.

Drawing influences from musical ideas, musicians, feelings and experiences in

Bodhisattwa’s life, the trio delivers a mix of original songs as well as interpretations of pieces written by legends who have inspired the musicians in the band.

Heart of Darkness, which takes inspiration from both, author Joseph Conrad’s novella of the same name and its Marlon Brandostarrer Hollywood adaptation, Apocalypse Now [1979], is a tumultuous sonic trip that swerves unpredictably between jazz, experimental rock and lo-fi.

Bodhisattwa Ghosh, a disciple of Indian guitar legend, Amyt

Datta, is essentially a blues musician who is constantly looking to stretch the boundaries of music. Bijit Bhattacharya is one of the most talented bass players in Kolkata, actively involved in studio sessions as well as the live music scene. Premjit Dutta is a “Sangeet Bisharod” in tabla from Bangiyo Sangeet Parishad and a Grade 8 non-classical scholar under Trinity College, London.

Dutta has also been learning Latin Jazz for the last seven years under veteran conguero, Monojit Datta.l

Deepika to shoot for special track of Raabta n Showtime desk The dimpled beauty of Bollywood, Deepika Padukone, recently visited the sets of Raabta starring Sushant Singh Rajput and Kriti Sanon, in Budapest.

After wrapping up the shoot for Hollywood film xXx few days back, she flew down to Budapest to shoot a special number for Raabta, directed by Dinesh V ijan and produced by Homi Adajania, Bhushan Kumar and Dinesh Vijan.

Homi Adajania, who is a very dear friend of Deepika, posted a video on instagram and wrote:

“Always fun when the cat drags this one in...Agreeing to disagree in #Budapest @deepikapadukone #love #life #laughter #filmshoot #raabta #maddockfilms” The two seem to have a crazy time shooting the video. Deepika and Homi have teamed up a few times in the past. Cocktail and Finding Fanny previously saw the actor-director duo coming together.

Deepika, who has a sizzling hot number Dum Maaro Dum to her credit, was scheduled to shoot for Raabta’s track in the first week of June. The song was composed by Pritam.

The mastani of Bollywood has not yet signed any Bollywood film for 2016. Buzz is that she has auditioned for the role of next Bond girl and has also been approached for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film opposite Ranveer Singh.

Not much is known of Raabta, but it is being touted as one of the most romantic films releasing in 2017. l Sources: Deccan Chronicle, Zee News

Angry Shraddha n Showtime desk B-town was stunned a few days ago when the news of Shraddha Kapoor and Farhan Akhtar’s roaring affair spread.

While Farhan has maintained a low profile ever since his separation from wife Adhuna Bhabhani, Shraddha has not been linked to anybody after her break up with actor Aditya Roy Kapur. In an interview to a famous magazine of Bollywood, Shraddha opened up about all the alleged affairs and she seemed pretty upset.

An angry Shraddha said, “There’s a limit to everything.

You can’t just cook up anything you want to write about. You have to consider people’s sentiments; you have to think

about the people involved.”

There were reports stating that Shraddha and her Rock On 2 hero had gotten too close for comfort of onlookers at the Baaghi success bash. Buzz was that the actress was somber for the first half of the party when her parents were present, but once they left the venue, Shraddha set the dance floor ablaze with her dirty dancing with her alleged beau Farhan. An online portal also claimed how the couple did not care about prying eyes and went ahead and painted the town red with their sizzling chemistry. There were also reports that suggested that the actress left the venue in Farhan’s car while her own vehicle followed. l Source: Bollywood Gossip

WHAT TO WATCH The Croods Movies Now, 9:30pm The Croods is a 3D comedy adventure that follows the world’s first modern family as they embark on a journey of a lifetime when the cave that has always been their home is destroyed. Travelling across a spectacular landscape, the Croods are rocked by generational clashes and seismic shifts as they discover an incredible new world filled with

fantastic creatures and their outlook is changed forever.

Voice: Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Catherine Keener, Cloris Leachman V for Vendetta WB, 4:55pm Some time in the future in Great Britain, a fascist government has become intolerant and unjust to the minorities. So a freedom fighter known as V, uses terrorist tactics to fight the oppressive

society. He rescues a young woman Evey Hammond from the secret police, and she becomes his unlikely ally.

Cast: Natalie Portman, Hugo Weaving, Stephen Rea, Stephen Fry, John Hurt No Strings Attached HBO, 5:48pm Occasionally in the 15 years since summer camp, Adam and Emma cross paths. When he discovers that an ex-girlfriend is living

with his dad, he gets drunk, calls every woman in his cell phone contact list, and ends up passed out naked in her living room.

By this time, she’s a medical

resident in L.A. and he’s a gopher on a “Glee”-like TV series, hoping to be a writer. She guards her emotions (calling her father’s funeral “a thing”), so after a quick shag in the moments she has before leaving for the hospital, she asks if he wants a no-strings-attached, sex-only relationship, without romance or complications.

Cast: Natalie Portman, Ashton Kutcher, Cary Elwes, Kevin Kline, Greta Gerwig l

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THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 2016

PACKAGE VAT TO CONTINUE PAGE 12

PATHAN LATE, STILL POWERS ABAHANI PAGE 24

SOUL OF BENGAL BY SHIKOR BANGLADESH ALL STAR PAGE 30

Fahim Munaim passes away n Tribune Desk

Maasranga Television Chief Executive Officer and Chief Editor Syed Fahim Munaim died of cardiac arrest at the age of 62 yesterday.

He breathed his last at his Gulshan residence in Dhaka around 6:15am, Chief Reporter of Maasranga Television Ashraf Hoque told the Dhaka Tribune.

The decision on his burial will be finalised on the arrival of his two sons in Dhaka from abroad. Till then, the body will be kept at Square Hospital, according to Maasranga Television.

Fahim worked as managing editor of The Daily Star since 1996 before serving as the press secretary to the then chief adviser of caretaker government in 2007.

He joined as the chief executive officer and chief editor of Maasranga Television in 2010.

In his media career, Fahim held key positions at the daily Sangbad, the Morning Sun and news agency UNB. The well-known TV personality is survived by his wife and three sons.

Expressing grief over his death, the then chief adviser to the caretaker government Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed said in a condolence message: “In a long and successful journalistic career, including as the Managing Editor of the Daily Star and as the CEO of Massranga, Fahim contributed immensely to the public life of Bangladesh. When called upon to serve as press secretary to the Chief Adviser of non-party caretaker government in 2007, he welcomed the opportunity to serve his country, and did so effectively and with deep integrity.

“I spoke with him virtually every morning during my tenure as Chief Adviser, and I always found his counsel to be immensely valuable, on topics ranging far beyond his immediate purview as press secretary. We shall all, as a nation, miss his deeply-held commitment to the freedom of the press.” l

This half-constructed footbridge in front of Radisson Hotel on Dhaka’s Airport Road poses an imminent danger to pedestrians and vehicles passing below. Locals claim that the builders have left the structure like this for the past 15 days SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

US Congress probes NY Fed’s handling of BB heist n Reuters, Washington DC A US congressional committee has launched a probe into the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s handling of the cyber theft of $81m from one of its accounts held by the central bank of Bangladesh, according to a letter obtained by the news agency.

The letter, addressed to New York Fed President William Dudley and sent Tuesday from the House of Representatives’ Science Committee, requests “all documents and communications” connected to the February heist, the bank’s oversight of the global financial network SWIFT and the status of any reviews related to the Fed’s information technology conducted since the attack occurred.

The letter follows similar probes launched last month by Tom Carp-

er, the Senate Homeland Security Committee’s top Democrat, and Representative Carolyn Maloney, a New York Democrat.

The latest inquiry comes as policymakers, regulators and financial institutions around the world increase scrutiny into the heist and related attacks on banks in Vietnam and Ecuador, in which hackers sent fraudulent transaction messages across the SWIFT. “In light of the recent cyber attacks on our global financial systems, the Committee believes it is imperative to receive information from the NY Fed about its response, its oversight of SWIFT, the status of the investigation, and any remedial steps taken to address vulnerabilities,” states the letter, signed by House Science Committee Chairman Lamar Smith, a Texas Republican.

A New York Fed spokeswoman said it intended to respond to the new request for information. The bank has so far denied responsibility for the Bangladesh Bank intrusion.

The letter said it was “deeply troubling” that cyber security experts believe more attacks will be uncovered as banks review their security systems, and that Bangladesh Bank’s systems appeared to be the “weak link” in the February attack.

SWIFT, the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, last week urged banks to bolster their security, saying it was aware of multiple attacks.

Banks around the world rely on SWIFT to issue payment instructions to each other.

The committee requested a response from the New York Fed by June 14. l

Home Ministry to be split into two divisions n Tribune Desk The government has decided to split the Ministry of Home Affairs into two divisions - the Public Security Division and the Security Services Division, according to a letter addressed to the senior secretary of the Home Ministry yesterday.

Two secretaries will be in charge of the two divisions. Some 493 officials and employees will work in the two divisions.

Departments such as the ICT, politics, police, Ansar, Border Guard Bangladesh, law and order, administration, finance and development will be part of the Public Security Division.

On the other hand, the Security Services Division will have departments such as the National Telecom Monitoring Centre, fire, passport, prison, finance and development. l

Editor: Zafar Sobhan, Published and Printed by Kazi Anis Ahmed on behalf of 2A Media Limited at Dainik Shakaler Khabar Publications Limited, 153/7, Tejgaon Industrial Area, Dhaka-1208. Editorial, News & Commercial Office: FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka 1207. Phone: 9132093-94, Advertising: 9132155, Circulation: 9132282, Fax: News-9132192, e-mail: news@dhakatribune.com, info@dhakatribune.com, Website: www.dhakatribune.com