September 19, 2013

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What is Bangladesh’s mission statement?

Ashwin 4, 1420 Zilkad 12, 1434 Regd. No. DA 6238 Vol 1 No 178

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2013 | www.dhakatribune.com | SECOND EDITION

RPO changes feared to give black money a free flow Zakaria n Mohammad and Manik Miazee The proposal for raising the limits on polls expenditure and donations to parties would pave the way for the use of black money and participation of people having huge wealth in the next parliamentary elections, politicians and experts have said.

The cabinet on Monday approved the draft amendment proposals to the Representation of the People Order (RPO) 1972, increasing the expenditure from Tk1.5m to Tk2.5m. The ceiling on donations from individuals was also increased from Tk1m to Tk2.5m, while for companies, it is now Tk5m from Tk2.5m.

Commentators expressed concern over the decision to exclude monitoring of the election expenditure, saying this would also widen the scope for using huge money during elections and increase discrimination among the candidates.

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They observed that in its amendment proposals, the Election Commission (EC) had not taken any initiative to strengthen it so that the next elections would be held in a fair and credible manner.

Terming the proposals discriminatory, they alleged that the amendment did not reflect what the people want, and also that it would favour the ruling party.

BNP Standing Committee member MK Anwar declined to comment on the proposed amendments to the RPO. “We will make our position clear after going through the document,” he told the Dhaka Tribune.

‘No monitoring to influence polls’

Meanwhile, when the cabinet approved major amendments to the RPO, it dropped some articles proposed by the EC, including the monitoring of election expenditure and the introduction of EVMs in general elections.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

Sand traders use the bank of the Turag opposite the Ijtema ground at Tongi to deposit sand, gradually encroaching upon the river. The photo was taken recently

Blasts, clashes mark Jamaat hartal Defence continues to Pickets killed an auto-rickshaw driver in Noakhali, shot at a police constable in Chittagong

n Tribune Desk The first day of the 48-hour hartal, enforced by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, was marked by killing of an auto-rickshaw driver, stray incidents of vandalism, bomb blasts and clashes across the country leaving at least 30 people injured and dozens of vehicles damaged yesterday.

A police constable received bullet wound as pickets attacked police at Satkania in Chittagong.

The shutdown, called by the Islamist party demanding the release of its top leaders and protesting the death sentence to its assistant secretary general Abdul Quader Mollah, will continue until 6am tomorrow.

An auto-rickshaw driver – Abu Naser, 45, son of Abu Taher of Betua village in Dagonbhuiyan upazila of Feni – was  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

We have backbone and it is strong: EC n Mohammad Zakaria Refuting the claims of the BNP chairperson that the Election Commission was not independent, an election commissioner yesterday said they were working to ensure a level-playing field for all parties.

“We are fine and our backbone is straight. We are working to ensure equal scope for all the candidates during the polls,” Election Commissioner Zabed Ali said.

BNP chief Khaleda Zia in her recent remarks had criticised the incumbent EC, saying it had no backbone and suggested that still there was time to stand on its own two feet.

Responding to the criticisms before reporters at its office yesterday, the commissioner stood up from his seat and said: “See, I am 63 years old and fine. As per medical reports, my backbone is still straight.”

He also said all the election commissioners had straight backbones.

The commissioner hoped that the general elections would be fair with participation of all the political parties.

There would be foreign and local election observers, he added.

“We will prepare the electoral code  PAGE 2 COLUMN 5

skip tribunal on hartal days for ‘security’ n Udisa Islam

A police constable injured at Satkania in Chittagong by pickets during yesterday’s hartal being taken to hospital DHAKA TRIBUNE

AL-BNP ‘rare consensus’ on ‘Adivasi’ label n Kamran Reza Chowdhury The Awami League and BNP reached a rare consensus at a watchdog meeting on Wednesday on the term Adivasi (indigenous people), as claimed by the ethnic minorities in the Chittagong Hill Tracks.

The parliamentary standing committee on the foreign ministry observed that the use of Adivasi was a “conspiracy” against the national interests.

“As all of the people have been living in the territory for thousands of years, there is no Adivasi in Bangladesh,” said the committee.

According to the ILO convention (169) on indigenous rights, if the word Adivasi is given recognition Bangladesh will feel obligated to give all ethnic minorities the right to self-determination.

The foreign ministry in its proposal suggested the government amend the constitution by inserting a section stating “all the nationals of Bangladesh are indigenous to the land”. The standing committee, however, refrained from recommending it.

Replying to the questions of the 10-member watchdog, Foreign Minister Dipu Moni clarified the probable long-term impact of the term Adivasi.

“The term indigenous people and Adivasi are not the same. Adivasi stands for “first nation”, she said, “Are they the first nation? We people have been living here for centuries. We are all indigenous to the land.”

The meeting sources said Dipu Moni said the context of indigenous people in the western countries and those in Bangladesh was not the same, as the small ethnic minorities in the Chittagong Hill Tracks came there from Myanmar.

“The Bengalis have not imposed its rule on the minorities as happened in many western countries,” she said.

Moreover, the foreign minister said the peace deal with the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samity referred to the hill people as tribal people, not Adivasi.

AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon, a committee member from the opposition BNP, said: “All the members of the committee, irrespective of our political  PAGE 2 COLUMN 5

War crimes tribunal proceedings in a case against Jamaat-e-Islami leader ATM Azharul Islam had to be adjourned yesterday after the senior defence counsel failed to appear, citing security fears over the 48-hour shutdown called

by Jamaat e-Islami.

Earlier, the tribunal had cautioned the defence counsels several times about skipping the case proceedings during shutdowns, even fining one for such an abstention.

The prosecution alleges that the defence has always been trying to delay the case proceedings.

Yesterday, junior defence counsel Nazeeb Momen sought adjournment in the case for two days saying that their senior colleague Abdur Razzaq, also a Jamaat assistant secretary general, had not appeared at the tribunal due to “some personal reasons.”

The defence was supposed to place its argument on charge-framing against Azhar. On September 8, the defence had sought adjournment as Razzaq was not in the country and he will act for Azhar in the hearing.

Meanwhile, defence counsels Mizanul Islam and Tajul Islam yesterday did not appear at the tribunal in the case against Jamaat chief Motiur Rahman Nizami. The tribunal then adjourned until Sunday the cross-examination of prosecution witness Salma Huq in the case.

Opposition 18-party alliance component Jamaat has enforced a total of 34 days of hartal since January. It has called hartals for every subsequent verdict day and enforced those by mobilising party activists, who rampaged across the country injuring law enforcers, journalists and commoners, and damaging property.

Yesterday, the prosecution opposed the defence plea for adjournment, with prosecutor AKM Saiful telling the tribunal the defence had always done this on hartal days.

“When everybody including journalists and some defence counsels come to the tribunal, then why will the senior defence counsel not appear?” he said.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 5

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

Mizanul had earlier been fined Tk1,000 for his repeated absence at the tribunal during hartal days.

After Jamaat Assistant Secretary General Abdul Quader Molla was given a death sentence by the Appellate Division on Tuesday, the party declared a 48hour hartal protesting the judgement.

Since 2011, whenever Jamaat or its ally BNP has called a general strike, the defence counsels – especially Razzak – have remained absent and filed adjournment petitions through other defence lawyers, citing “personal grounds.” Both the tribunals noticed the matter and gave observations.

P2

KAMARUZZAMAN CASE

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Telecommunication Regulatory Commission will withdraw the revenue sharing rules and ease the licensing process expecting higher growth in the country’s call centre business.

beset by problems including a dearth of equipment and an eight-year shortage of staff including in medicine, pediatrics, and skin and sex diseases.

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6 Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday asked the Public Service Commission (PSC) to recruit efficient, honest and talented people rising above all influences.

BSF chief ditches drone reports n Ashif Islam Shaon India’s Border Security Force has no plans to deploy unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), popularly known as drone, along the Bangladesh border, its chief said yesterday.

BSF Director General Shubhash Joshi also said he did not know why he had been attributed in a report run last week by Indian Express.

“We don’t know how it came. We immediately sent clarification through Press Trust of India [PTI] and it has been published. The BGB director general also clarified the matter several times…he told it live on TV. I think it should have clarified whatever misgivings anybody may have,” he told journalists at Pilkhana.

He said they had not made any such plans. “We do not have any plans in the future to deploy any drones or any such thing.”

The five-day border co-ordination conference between BSF and BGB ended yesterday. It was the 38th biannual meeting between the forces. The previous meeting was held in Delhi in March this year.

The Indian Express quoted the BSF chief saying that India was going to deploy drones along its borders with Bangladesh and Pakistan to keep heightened vigil. Standard operating procedure was being drafted with the air force to finalise the modalities of using the UAVs. Following this, the foreign ministry sought clarifications from New Delhi.

Then Indian High Commissioner to Dhaka Pankaj Saran said he also had learnt of the BSF plans through media reports.

INSIDE B1 The Bangladesh

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

7 Gaibandha Sadar Hospital is

9 A military strike on a Boko Haram camp in Nigeria’s restive northeast last week killed 150 Islamists and 16 soldiers, an army spokesman said Wednesday.

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

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Thursday, September 19, 2013

AL grassroots give their thoughts on polls manifesto n Partha Pratim Bhattacharjee The ruling party grassroots want education, agriculture, health, women development, power sector and industrialisation to be highlighted in the Awami League’s manifesto for the next general elections.

The district-level loyalists suggest that the party should put emphasis on the trial of war crimes and execution of verdicts, and be tough on curbing corruption. They also feel there should be something in the election manifesto for youths to woo their supports.

The opinions have been reflected in a survey, conducted by US-based research organisation Democracy In-

ternational on local unit leaders and activists of the ruling party in 40 districts.

A high official of the DI on Tuesday handed over the survey report to HT Imam, an adviser to the prime minister, who discussed the findings with two other advisers – Gowher Rizvi and Mashiur Rahman. Awami League leader Saber Hossain Chowdhury and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s nephew Redwan Mujib Siddique Bobby were present there, sources in the party confirmed.

HT Imam, who co-chairs Awami League’s election steering committee with Mashiur, will submit the report to party chief Sheikh Hasina shortly. She will decide whether the DI recommen-

dations will be incorporated in the party’s manifesto or not.

Mashiur is now working on the party’s election manifesto.

Party insiders told the Dhaka Tribune that the next manifesto will focus elaborately on social and financial infrastructures, power sector, technology, employment creation, skill development as well as seek to ensure religious harmony.

The DI offers technical assistance and analytical support for democracy and governance programmes worldwide.

The agency earlier agreed to assist Awami League in training up 600,000 party members as polling agents across the country. l

Hartal halts Kamaruzzaman appeal case n Nazmus Sakib Proceedings to begin the appeal hearing in the war crimes convict Mohammad Kamaruzzaman case could not be held yesterday due to the 48-hour hartal called by Jamaat-e-Islami.

Earlier, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court fixed yesterday for filing concise statement (facts of the case and the arguments relied upon) of the defence.

Shishir Manir, a key defence counsel, said they could not prepare the documents due to the long 45-day vacation of the Supreme Court.

According to the Appellate Division Rules, 1988, the appellant party could not start their appeal hearing until they file the concise statement.

The International Crimes Tribunal 2 on May 9 handed down death penalty for Kamaruzzaman. On June 6, the Jamaat leader appealed against the verdict.

The defence earlier filed an

application seeking two weeks time to submit the statement.

However, the five-member Appellate Division bench headed by Chief Justice Md Muzammel Hossain yesterday did not pass any order regarding

Enforcing a shutdown against the verdict of the top court is ‘highly contemptuous.’

The defence wants to delay the cases the petition as the defence counsels including Abdur Razzaq, also Jamaat’s assistant secretary general, remained absent.

Shishir said the counsels of the convict, who is also Jamaat’s senior assistant secretary general, had not come to the court due to hartal.

“The defence led by Razzaq said they had respect to the court and declared to file a review petition against the appeals verdict of Abdul Quader

Molla. But at the same time, the party reacted with violence [during hartal].

What a mockery!” prosecutor Tureen Afroz, one of the key counsels of the government side, told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

She claimed that enforcing a shutdown against the verdict of the top court was “highly contemptuous.”

She alleged that the defence wanted to delay the cases.

At the tribunal, Tureen had played an important role during arguments in the case against Kamaruzzaman for his superior responsibility which was a key factor for his getting death penalty.

The prosecutor said Jamaat, which had actively opposed the independence of Bangladesh, earlier observed violence several times in the name of shutdown only to frustrate the war crimes trial.

She wondered why Jamaat had gone to the court if they did not obey the court judgements. l

Border Guard Bangladesh members stand guard on a road in the capital’s Bangla Motor area to restrict any untoward situation during the first day of Jamaat-e-Islami called 48-hour hartal yesterday SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

TIB cancels defence risk report press conference

Quader Molla yet to be taken to condemned cell

Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) cancelled a scheduled press conference in the capital yesterday, citing risk of movement during a nationwide shutdown.

The anti-graft watchdog arranged the conference at Cirdap auditorium to release the Bangladesh part of a report by TI UK’s Defence and Security Programme (TI-DSP) on corruption risks in the defence sector.

Talking to the Dhaka Tribune over the phone later, TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman said: “We have cancelled this press conference due to the hartal,” he reiterated, “But earlier, we did receive pressure, twice; when we released a report on ‘defence corruption risk’ and another on ‘the alleged corruption of the caretaker government’.”

“There is risk, but we do not work bowing down our head,” the TIB chief said. l

War crimes convict Abdul Quader Molla is yet to be thrown into condemned cell as the jail authorities did not receive the copy of the Tuesday’s Supreme Court verdict that sentenced the Jamaat-e-Islami assistant secretary general to death.

According to the Kashimpr jail authorities, convict Molla has not been informed officially of the death sentence awarded to him by the Appellate Divi-

n Tribune Reports

BSF chief ditches drone reports  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

At the end of the conference, BGB chief Maj Gen Aziz Ahmed and his counterpart signed a joint record of discussions. Later they talked to the journalists.

Responding to a question on Felani issue, the BSF chief reiterated that there would be a revision of the trial.

“This is a judicial process which is ongoing. The competent authorities went through the entire proceedings of the trial and ordered a revision. This will be done in due course.”

He hoped that justice would be ensured. “The Indian judicial system is much respected all over the world. We cannot interfere, but our intension is very clear. We shall ensure the justice,” he said.

On border killings, Joshi claimed

that the BSF had been working to bring down the deaths at zero-level. “It’s a joint responsibility. The number of killings and incidents of injury along the border is coming down gradually,” he said, adding that the BSF investigated each incident. “Our intention is very transparent.”

He cited three incidents where their men were sentenced to death for killing innocent people along the border, but claimed that their men open fire for self defence as “according to the Indian law, every citizen has the right of self defence.”

Asked whether unarmed Felani was a threat to the BSF soldiers, Joshi said this particular incident was “different” and it went for trial.

BGB chief Maj Gen Aziz Ahmed said: “We have decided to aware people of

both countries not to cross the international border. Both the forcers will motivate its field-level personnel to stop unusual firing and to implement other issues which have been agreed.”

He said killings and torture along border had affected the bilateral relationship.

Earlier, the BGB chief earlier read out a written statement of issues they agreed upon. It reads: The Bangladesh side expressed its deep concern over the issues of killing, injury and beating of Bangladeshi nationals along the border. The Indian side also voiced deep concern over similar incidents. Both sides agreed that the incidents of death and loss of lives on the border were extremely unfortunate and regrettable, and agreed to take all possible measures to bring down the death toll further.

To prevent movement of criminals, smugglers and insurgents across the international boundary, they agreed to increase coordinated patrolling.

They also agreed to hold more meetings between the field-level functionaries and share real time intelligence.

On security related issues, both the sides decided to adopt multiple channels of communication between the commanders at the root-level for quick and timely decisions.

The two frontiers agreed to continue close cooperation, including sharing of intelligence and interrogation report on traffickers’ details to prevent smuggling of fake currency and drugs.

It was also decided to complete the joint verification of unfenced patches at the earliest. l

Blasts, clashes mark Jamaat hartal  PAGE 1 COLUMN 1

beaten to death reportedly by pro-hartal elements at Talerchara under Companiganj upazila in Noakhali during the first hours of the hartal.

Police said a group of hartal supporters halted a Basurhat-bound auto-rickshaw coming from Dagonbhuiyan on the Basurhat-Feni Road around 8:30am. They dragged its driver Naser down from the vehicle and hit him with sticks and brickbats, leaving him injured.

Naser was rushed to Companiganj Upazila Health Complex where doctors declared him dead.

According to reports, at least 35 vehicles were damaged, 40 crude bombs blasted and 30 people were injured across the country. The law enforcers also arrested over 50 Jamaat-Shibir men during the first day hartal.

In the capital, there were incidents of chase and counter-chase between police and hartal supporters as Jamaat-Shibir men brought out processions in the city’s Jatrabari, Gulshan, Dhalpur, Azimpur, Moghbazar, Nakhalpara, Kalsi Road under Pallabi thana, Mohakhali and Rampura Banasri areas.

Witnesses said around a dozen of crude bombs were exploded at different parts of the capital during the hartal that began at 6am.

Elsewhere in the city, pickets were hardly seen as additional security personnel, comprising police and Rab men, were deployed at all the key points and intersections to avert any untoward incident during the Islamist party’s shutdown.

Slow-moving rickshaws and auto-rickshaws dominated the city

streets as a fewer number of motorised vehicles plied the roads.

Meanwhile, a mobile court sentenced two pickets – Shahidullah, 45, and Kamal Hossain, 35 – to one year and six months of imprisonment in the capital’s Khilgaon area.

Sub-Inspector of Khilgaon police station Sushankar Paul said a team of police arrested the two from a pro-hartal procession in Banasri area around 7:30am.

Later, a mobile court led by executive magistrate Shamim Babu Shanti handed down Shahidullah one year’s imprisonment while Kamal for six months.

Sporadic incidents of violence, clashes and bomb blasts were also reported from different districts across the country.

The districts include Chittagong,

Laxmipur, Gaibandha, Natore, Rajshahi, Satkhira, Pabna, Bogra, Comilla, Khulna, Jhenaidah, and Gazipur.

Jamaat-e-Islami on Tuesday called the countrywide 48-hour hartal demanding the release of its top leaders and protesting the death sentence to its Assistant Secretary General Quader Molla.

Jamaat acting secretary general Rafiqul Islam Khan made the shutdown call through a statement hours after the Supreme Court announced its verdict against Quader Molla.

Allowing the government’s appeal seeking death sentence for Quader Molla, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court ordered that the Jamaat leader be hanged for his crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War. l

RPO changes feared to give black money a free flow  PAGE 1 COLUMN 2

Tofael Ahmed, an expert on local government and elections, said the new provisions are discriminating: “Increasing the donation of individuals and companies will influence the next general elections as the honest candidates will face discrimination.”

Former election commissioner M Sakhawat Hossain said monitoring the polls expenditure was very crucial. “If dropped, it is not a good sign and it will influence the next general elections,” he said.

The provisions of the RPO are

related to each other, he said. “If one is approved and another is dropped, it will be difficult to hold a free, fair and impartial election by the Election Commission.”

Both the incumbent and the previous EC proposed to include the monitoring issue in the RPO. They also implemented it during the city corporation polls.

Not monitoring the polls spending would encourage the candidates to use more money, said former cabinet secretary and election expert Ali Imam Majumder.

‘Raising expenditure unfair’

The left-leaning political parties have strongly criticised the cabinet’s approval of the draft RPO. Ruling ally Workers Party of Bangladesh President Rashed Khan Menon told the Dhaka Tribune: “We strongly oppose the approval since the proposal has ignored recommendations made by several political parties to limit the election expenses.”

Lawmaker Menon said the approval had been done without any discussion with the political parties.

Communist Party of Bangladesh

President Mujahidul Islam Selim told the Dhaka Tribune that by increasing candidates’ expenditure, the government had disregarded the political parties’ views and public expectation.

Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal General Secretary Khalequzzaman said while the political parties demanded a cut to election expense to reduce influence of money in polls, the government has increased the limit.

“It seems like legalising the culture of buying votes,” he told the Dhaka Tribune. l

n Tribune Desk

sion of the Supreme Court, says a UNB report from Gazipur.

Molla, who had been serving life terms with the job of gardener, is no more a gardener following the SC verdict, keeping in mind the security reason.

Jail Super (Unit 2) Jahangir Kabir said Quader Mollah will be informed of the matter after receiving the copy of the apex court judgment. “The condemned cell is ready. Mollah will be taken to the condemned cell after getting the copy of the judgment.” l

‘Verdict a ploy to remove pro-Pakistan politicians’ n Tribune Online Report

Chief of Pakistan’s Jamaat-e-Islami (JIP) Syed Munawar Hasan has said the verdict against Abdul Quader Molla was a “ploy” of Sheikh Hasina’s administration to “remove pro-Pakistan politicians from its path in order to avert a clear defeat in the next elections.”

In a statement, posted on Pakistan Jamaat’s website on Tuesday, Munawar Hasan condemned the verdict by the Bangladesh Supreme Court and said Hasina administration was “using the courts to remove its opponents.”

He also said it was “most unfortunate” that the Pakistan government, instead of raising a voice against the “excesses” of the Sheikh Hasina administration against pro-Pakistan parties, called it an internal affair of Bangladesh, thus giving a licence to Bangladesh government to continue the “excesses.”

The Appellate Division of the Bangladesh Supreme Court on Tuesday

sentenced Bangladesh Jamaat’s Assistant Secretary General Abdul Quader Molla to death overruling the judgement of the International Crimes Tribunal that had given him life sentence for war crimes committed during 1971 liberation war.

Pakistan Jamaat chief also criticised the people of the world for remaining silent regarding the “violation” of human rights in Bangladesh.

Munawar Hasan appealed to the Pakistan government to bring forth the Mujib-Bhutto agreement between the two countries.

He also urged the United Nations to “force” Bangladesh to honour the pact and rescind the “cruel and unjust” sentences announced to the Jamaat leaders in Bangladesh.

Munawar Hasan also said: “A former JI chief of Bangladesh Ghulam Azam, a 91 year old politician, had been given 90 years in jail by the court and the government had filed an appeal for its conversion into death sentence.” l

We have backbone  PAGE 1 COLUMN 1

of conduct ensuring a level-playing field to give all the candidates an equal chance,” Zabed Ali said.

About preparation of holding the general elections, he said the EC was prepared to hold the polls both 90 days before and after the parliament is dissolved.

When asked how they would ensure equal scope for all if parliament is not dissolved, the commissioner said: “We

are able to ensure a level-playing field with the assistance of all ministries including the law ministry.”

On the electoral code of conduct, Zabed Ali said the EC was not working on it now. “There is still time in our hand to prepare it,” he added.

Zabed refused to comment on the cabinet approval to the draft RPO – proposed by the EC – saying they had not received a copy of it. l

Defence continues to skip  PAGE 1 COLUMN 5

After hearing both sides, the International Crimes Tribunal 1 headed

by Justice ATM Fazle Kabir set September 23 for the hearing.

Razzaq told the Dhaka tribune: “On the days of hartal, we never go to the court, not even the Supreme Court. It is a matter of security.”

He added that there was no timeframe to complete the case proceedings

at the tribunal. “So why should we try to work in insecure situation?” he said.

Prosecutor Zead-Al-Malum told the Dhaka Tribune that the seniors had always been absent on hartal days. “This is merely a tactic to delay the proceedings.”

If the prosecution had been directed, they would make arrangements to have the defence counsels brought to the tribunal, he added. l

AL-BNP 'rare consensus'  PAGE 1 COLUMN 3

differences, have arrived at a consensus on not to recognise the term Adivasi. This is a conspiracy against our national interests.”

“We are all Adivasis and the ethnic minorities in Chittagong Hill Tracks are not the Adivasis,” he said, referring to the decision of the standing committee meeting with the Awami League MP Nilufer Zafar Ullah in the chair.

“If they are Adivasis we are invaders. Is this so?” he asked.

The standing committee was convinced by the minster’s briefing, and backed the government position, observing that the rights of the all

ethnic minorities in Bangladesh were protected by the constitution and the state as a whole.

The working paper presented at the meeting by the foreign ministry said the ethnic minorities, according to the indigenous people’s rights, may declare a specific area as theirs and demand control on all resources within the territory.

Recognition of such rights may threaten Bangladesh’s territorial integrity and question the country’s sovereign authorities.

The committee members Nasrul Hamid, Zahid Maleque, Saifuzzaman Chowdhury and Nazma Akter attended the meeting. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

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Thursday, September 19, 2013

PADMA BRIDGE SUPERVISION

Army deployment under Finance Division’s scrutiny Prime minister asked army to assist in the construction work and two infantry battalions. n Asif Showkat Kallol The proposal also includes formaThe Finance Division has inquired of the Armed Forces Division about the time the government had deployed army for the construction of the Bangabandhu bridge.

The Finance Division will place the Armed Forces Division’s proposal for forming three battalions to supervise the construction of the Padma bridge to the finance minister after receiving the reply to its letter of queries.

The Armed Forces Division’s proposal might be curtailed to two battalions, said an official of the Finance Division, requesting anonymity.

The government had deployed three armed forces units with a total of 2,000 army personnel during the construction of the Bangabandhu bridge, the official said.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the public administration ministry had already approved the proposal for forming a new engineering battalion

tion of a new headquarters of the composite brigade.

The Finance Division source said the total yearly cost of running the three battalions and the headquarters was estimated at Tk621m and there would be a revolving fund of Tk881m which the brigade would use to serve specific necessities.

The prime minister asked Bangladesh Army in April to assist in the construction of the Padma bridge.

Over the past few years, the army successfully carried out the construction of a number of development projects in the country, including the Hatijheel scheme in the capital.

The completion of the Bangabandhu bridge – formerly known as Jamuna bridge – in 1998 was a landmark achievement for the people of Bangladesh, connecting more than 30 million people to the country’s transport and infrastructure network. l

Hartal days are a boon for rickshaws and rickshaw-vans in the capital as they can operate on roads that are normally off-limits to them on regular days. The photo shows traffic on Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue – a VIP road – yesterday, the first day of the 48-hour hartal enforced by Jamaat-e-Islami RAJIB DHAR

Hasina-Manmohan meet likely on Sept 28 House passes Arabic university law, n Sheikh Shahariar Zaman

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to meet with her Indian counterpart, Manmohan Singh, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on September 28.

“The meeting would take place on September 28,” AK Abdul Momen, Bangladesh permanent representative to the UN, confirmed to the Dhaka Tribune over telephone yesterday.

Momen also said the foreign ministry in Dhaka would finalise a list of topics for possible discussion.

Meanwhile, a foreign ministry official said the Land Boundary Agreement, Teesta River treaty, border killings, regional cooperation and

other issues would be discussed at the meeting.

A large delegation will accompany the prime minister, who is scheduled to leave Dhaka for New York on Sunday, and return on September 30.

The delegation includes Amir Hossain Amu and Tofail Ahmed from ruling Awami League, Anisul Islam Mahmud and Mojibul Haque Chunnu from Jatiya Party, Rashed Khan Menon from Workers Party, Moinuddin Khan Badal and Shirin Akhter of JSD, and Amena Ahmed of NAP. The UNGA session this year will discuss the millennium development goals, and Bangladesh would make a strong statement on the subject, Momen said.

Moreover, Commonwealth foreign ministers would also seat together during the UNGA, British High Commissioner Robert Gibson said yesterday after a meeting with Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haque.

“We discussed the forthcoming UNGA, because in the margin of UNGA, there would be a meeting of the Commonwealth foreign ministers,” Gibson said, adding that he discussed the agenda for the meeting with Shahidul.

The British envoy also said in the upcoming meeting of Commonwealth heads of government in November, they would also like to see discussions on three Ts – tax, transparency and trade. l

amends village court act n Kamran Reza Chowdhury Parliament yesterday enacted the Islami Arabic University Bill 2013 to bring all bachelor and master level madrasa courses under a single institution.

The House also amended the Village Court Act 2006, inserting a provision for fine for filing false cases. Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid tabled the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Maritime University Bill 2013 for setting up a maritime university at Anwara of Chittagong.

The House passed the Islami

Arabic University Bill – by voice vote in the absence of the main opposition BNP – to set up a university to supervise Fazil (bachelor) and Kamil (master) courses of madrasas, which are now conducted by Islamic University Kushtia.

Defending the bill, Nahid told parliament that Islamic scholars had placed the demand for a separate Arabic university 78 years ago.

The Islami Arabic University will be temporarily housed at the Bangladesh Madrasa Teachers’ Training Institute in Gazipur and will have the authority to give affiliation to madrasas, and

recognise, approve and cancel academic courses.

The medium of instruction for education of the university will be Bangla, and Arabic and English in some cases.

The proposed maritime university near the Marine Academy aims at creating skilled mariners.

The amendment to the Village Court Act – also passed by voice vote – provides for a fine of Tk2,000 for filing false cases and Tk1,000 for undermining the village court. It also increased the financial authority of the court to Tk75,000 from Tk25,000.l

Dhaka to sign Arms Trade Treaty at UNGA n Sheikh Shahariar Zaman

EC to distribute NID cards from this month

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will sign the Arms Trade Treaty during her visit to the UN General Assembly.

“The treaty will be open for signing on September 26 and the prime minister will sign it on the first day,” Bangladesh Permanent Representative to the UN AK Abdul Momen told the Dhaka Tribune over telephone yesterday.

The UN adopted the treaty in its general assembly in April to regulate international trade in conventional arms – from small arms to battle tanks, combat aircraft and warships.

Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to leave Dhaka for New York on September 22 and return on September 30.

Distribution of the National Identity Cards (NID) among over seven million new voters of the country will begin this month, ahead of the upcoming parliamentary polls.

Election Commissioner Md Shah Nawaz told reporters in the EC Secretariat yesterday that the commission would start the procedure in Dhaka and will cover the rest of the country in October.

The identity cards will be distributed district-wise, in a “chronological order”. There are around 508,465 new voters in Dhaka district and 367,460 in the Dhaka City Corporation.

If Bangladesh signs the Arms Trade Treaty, it would be the first country in South Asia to sign it Another official of the foreign ministry said at a meeting held in the first week of this month stakeholders, including the ministries of home, defence, commerce and finance and the Armed Forces Division, had agreed on principle on signing the Arms Trade Treaty.

So far, 83 countries have become signatories to the treaty and of them four have already ratified it.

“If Bangladesh signs it, it would be the first country in South Asia to sign it,” the ministry official said.

According to the UN website, the treaty will prevent human rights abusers and violators of the laws of war from being supplied with arms and will help keep warlords, pirates and gangs from acquiring these deadly tools.

The US, Russia and China – the three major weapon exporting countries – have not yet signed the treaty while the UK, France and Germany signed it but are yet to ratify it.

Twenty-three multilateral disarmament treaties have been adopted since 1978 with the United Nations and Bangladesh is party to all of it except the Arms Trade Treaty. l

n Mohammad Zakaria

After the inclusion of the fresh voters, the number on the electoral roll has swollen to 92,198,029, according to an EC secretariat source Activists of Ganajagaran Mancha bring out a procession in Dhaka University area yesterday, protesting the 48-hour countrywide shutdown enforced by Jamaat-e-Islami NASHIRUL ISLAM

PM statement disrespect for people’s power: BNP

Eight Shibir men remanded n Tribune Report

n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

A Dhaka court yesterday placed eight Islami Chhatra Shibir men on a one-day remand in a case filed in connection with torching and vandalising vehicles in the capital on Tuesday.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Asaduzzman Noor passed the order when Sub-Inspector Abu Jafar of Paltan police station produced the eight accused before the court, seeking seven-day remand for each in the case.

The remanded are Latfor Rahman, Kamrul Ahsan, Mahafuzur, Shahin, Amin, Nishan, Rasel and Sultan.

Earlier, police arrested the Shibir men from Paltan area in the capital when they started torching and vandalising vehicles in protest at the death penalty handed down to their leader Quader Molla by the Supreme Court on Tuesday. l

Condemning the prime minister’s statement that none has the power to foil the upcoming elections, the main opposition BNP yesterday said such a statement is a “disregard to the people’s power.”

Addressing a press conference at the party’s headquarters in the capital’s Nayapaltan, BNP Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said the premier’s statement is unacceptable, as it was made to force people to bow down to the government.

“Powered by the people’s determination, the leader of the opposition will resist the government’s one-sided election and the next election will be held under a non-partisan government,” he added.

Rizvi said Awami League scrapped the caretaker government provision from the constitution, only to stay in power forever.

“Cancelation of caretaker provision from the constitution was not in Awami League’s electoral manifesto, but the government did it betraying the people,” he alleged.

Claiming that the Awami League’s party symbol of boat was identified as “symbol of corruption”, Rizvi asked the ruling party leaders to prepare a list of their own committed misdeeds, for which they would have to face repercussions.

Questioning the neutrality of the Election Commission, the BNP leader said many Awami League leaders had also raised doubts about the commission’s role. l

The commission was undecided about how to distribute the cards, with options ranging from going door-to-door to inviting voters to collect them on their own.

The commission would come to a decision about the matter soon, said Md Shah Nawaz.

Regarding the National Identity Registration (Amendment) Bill 2013, he said the commission would take next steps for providing NID cards to those below the age of 18 after the bill was passed.

The bill states that each citizen of

the country will attain the right to have a national identity card and that the Election Commission will provide it.

On Monday, the bill was placed in the parliament and sent to the relevant parliamentary standing committee, which would report back to the house within seven days.

“If the bill is passed, the citizens less than 18 years will be provided with NID cards, but not registered as voters,” said the Election Commissioner.

After the inclusion of the fresh voters, the number on the electoral roll has swollen to 92,198,029, according to an EC secretariat source.

Shah Newaz said those who want to vote in the tenth parliamentary polls must include their names before the constituency-wise voters’ list is prepared in CD format.

Meanwhile the EC had instructed its field level officials and the National ID department to prepare a constituency-wise voters’ list in a CD format by October 15 as part of its preparations for holding the polls.

The commission would prepare a separate CD for those who will fail to include their names in due time, he added.

The commission, which began giving ID cards in 2008, is spending Tk3 against each card, with the total costs surpassing Tk21m.

According to the Clause (3) (A) of Article 123 of the constitution, the 10th parliamentary polls will have to be held on any day between October 27, 2013 and January 24, 2014. l

4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Thursday, September 19, 2013

BPC yet to act against corrupt officials The accused stole around 63.2m litres of oil

n Aminur Rahman Rasel Six senior officials of Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC), accused by the Anti-Corruption Commission of misappropriating funds, are yet to face any disciplinary action from authorities concerned.

Disciplinary action on the issue will wait until the case charge-sheets are filed or the ACC issues any formal instruction On September 16, ACC lodged three separate cases against six senior officials of BPC on charges of misappropriating around Tk4.5bn by stealing state oil.

BPC Chairman Md Eunusur Rahman told the Dhaka Tribune: “We have learnt about it through different media reports, but are yet to get any official letter from ACC about the cases.”

He added that any disciplinary action on the issue could wait until

Five-year high in MBBS, BDS admission tests n Moniruzzaman Uzzal The number of students vying for a berth in MBBS and BDS courses is the highest this year since 2008.

Approximately 70,000 students are reported to have registered for the October 4 admission tests, meaning 24 students will fight for each place at public medical college. Many will be sitting the medical test for the second time.

There are 2,812 seats available at 22 government medical colleges in the country, while 55 private establishments offer 4,800 places.

There is one public and 18 private dental colleges, with 532 and 1,050 seats respectively.

According to the directorate general of health services (DGHS), 36,146 sat the examination of the 2009-2010 session, 41,998 in 2010-20111, 52,227 in 2011-2012, and 58,723 students took tests for the 2012-2013 session.

To prevent cheating this year, the authorities have decided not to allow any electronic device such as calculator, mobile phone or wristwatch in the examination halls.

The students can collect their admit cards from September 25 to October 3. l

WEATHER

Temperature unlikely to change n UNB Light to moderate rain or thundershowers accompanied by temporary gusty wind is likely to occur at many places over Rangpur, Rajshahi, Khulna, Barisal, Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet divisions until 6pm today.

Moderately heavy to heavy falls are also likely at places over the country, Met Office said.

Day and night temperature may remain nearly unchanged over the country.

The sun sets in the capital at 5:58pm today and rises at 5:47am tomorrow.

Country’s highest temperature 35.2 degree Celsius was recorded yesterday at Sylhet and lowest 23.0 degrees at Kutubdia.

Highest and lowest temperature recorded in some major cities yesterday were: City

High

Low

Dhaka Chittagong Rajshahi Rangpur Khulna Barisal Sylhet Cox’s Bazar

34.2 32.0 33.5 33.0 32.2 31.5 35.2 31.0

26.5 25.6 25.0 25.5 27.0 26.5 26.4 25.5

PRAYER TIMES Fajar Sunrise Zohr Asr Magrib Esha

4:31am 5:45am 11:52pm 4:16pm 5:58pm 7:14pm

Source: IslamicFinder.org

the case charge-sheets were filed or the ACC issued any formal instruction.

Meanwhile, ACC Deputy Director Abdullah Al Zahid told the Dhaka Tribune that official letters will be sent to authorities concerned within two or three working days, regarding the six senior BPC officials.

The accused are BPC’s General Manager (accounts) Gias Uddin Ansari, Deputy General Manager (accounts) Quazi Shahidur Rahman, Deputy Manager (accounts) Zakir Hossain, Deputy General Manager (finance) Monilal Das, Deputy Manager (finance) Jahangir Hossain, and Upper Division Assistant (finance) Nurul Islam.

The accused misappropriated the amount during 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12 fiscal years, said sources at the ACC. The accused, with the assistance of importers, allegedly stole around 63.2m litres of oil that include refined oil, octane, petrol, diesel, kerosene and jet fuel by over-invoicing in the letters of credit (LCs). l

A day labourer takes an afternoon nap at Karwan Bazar yesterday as there was almost no work during hartal

Zubair murder case yet to begin n

Md Sanaul Islam Tipu

The much-delayed trial in Jahangirnagar University student Zubair Ahmed murder case cannot commence though the 13 accused, activists of ruling party’s student wing Bangladesh Chhatra League, were indicted on September 8.

The trial was supposed to begin on September 12. But that day, the judge of Speedy Trial Tribunal 4 did not come to the court as he was ill. The first prosecution witness, plaintiff Hamidur Rahman, was also absent for the same reason.

Then the court set yesterday for beginning the trial. But the date was rescheduled to September 24 upon a prosecution plea seeking adjournment of the hearing as the witness could not come to the court because of hartal.

Public prosecutor SM Rafiqul Islam filed the time petition. Acting judge Md

Nuruzzman granted the petition.

The case was transferred to the tribunal on August 18 for its quick disposal. According to provision, cases under the tribunal have to be settled within 135 working days. But a judge can extend the time citing proper reasons.

Hamidur, deputy registrar of the university, filed the case with Ashulia police station after Zubair succumbed to his injuries on January 9 last year.

A former Chhatra League activist, Zubair was an honours final year student of English department.

The previous afternoon, he had been beaten and chopped on the campus by the accused and their accomplices, who belonged to a rival faction.

Police submitted the chargesheet on April 8 last year and named 37 witnesses, comprising four teachers and 33 security guards of the university. l

MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Charge sheet in Kibria murder case shortly: Minister n Mohosinul Karim

The home ministry has decided to submit the charge sheet in former finance minister Shah AMS Kibria murder case, completing additional investigation.

The number of accused has increased in the charge sheet to 28, including nine new.

The decision was made at a meeting of the ministry cell monitoring sensational cases yesterday with Home Minister MK Alamgir in the chair.

After the meeting, the minister told reporters that 15 new cases had been tabled in the meeting along with 10 old and nine nearly disposed cases. “We are satisfied with the progress of investigations in those cases.”

Regarding progress in Kibria murder case, he said the CID had finished investigation and the charge sheet would be submitted soon. “The CID has identified the main killers and other accused,” he said but declined to disclose the names.

Alamgir said the government had dismissed the police super of Habiganj for diverting the motive and merit of the case.

The former Awami League minister and four others were killed in a grenade attack on January 27, 2005.

Cases regarding the killings of labour leader Aminul Islam and journalist couple Sagar and Runi had “very poor” progress, Alamgir said.

“We are yet to arrest the suspected killer of Aminul. We have announced award for information on his location.

We have already identified the whereabouts of fugitive killer Mustafiz.” He said the investigation into Sagar-Runi murder had been carried out sincerely.

The meeting approved decisions of submitting charge sheets in three other cases and final reports in two.

Charge sheets will be given in the cases of Firoz Uddin Ahmed Sumon killing of Begumganj, Noakhali; Ridwanul Mohsin Tipu killing of Madhabpur, Habiganj; and bomb blast incident of Baniar-

char Church at Muksudpur, Gopalganj.

Alamgir said the investigating agencies had been instructed to submit final reports in cases involving Razibul Islam Razu killing in Fatulla, Narayanganj, and MV Bangabiraj’s third officer Musa Bin Siraj killing in Patenga, Chittagong.

He also said the killers of bomb blasting incident at CPB’s rally of Paltan had been identified.

Investigation of Wahiduzzaman Rumiz killing case under Adabar police station was about to complete. Five killers of Faridganj’s Abdullah Al Jaber and some killers of Karabi killing cases under Hazaribagh police station had been identified.

“But the investigating agency is yet to find the killers of Bilkis, the slain house help at former shipping minister Akbar Hossain’s resident,” he added.

The meeting also discussed Ganatantri Party chief Nurul Islam murder case, six students killing incident in Amin Bazar, Gulshan’s Arif killing case and a High Court judge’s signature forgery case. l

Delegation to visit S Africa to explore job market Rab detains 11 Shibir activists n Rabiul Islam Senior officials of the foreign and expatriates’ welfare and overseas employment ministries said a planned highlevel visit to South Africa would yield no result.

A six-member delegation led by Expatriate Minister Khandker Mosharraf Hossain is scheduled to visit South Africa from October 5 to 13.

The delegation also includes Expatriate Secretary Zafar Ahmed Khan and Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training Director General Begum Shamsun Nahar.

“I do not think the visit will have any role to play as South Africa is not a labour market,” said a high official of the foreign ministry. The official said 26% people are unemployed in South Africa.

Officials said around 60,000 to 70,000 Bangladeshis are staying in South Africa. Of them, several thousand are either temporary or permanent residents. The rest are irregulars who have to renew their political asylum status every three months.

“The law of South Africa is flexible and many people from adjacent countries come here and Bangladeshis also take

the opportunity,” Bangladesh High Commissioner to South Africa Md Touhid Hossain told the Dhaka Tribune over phone yesterday.

About the possible outcome of the upcoming visit, Expat Secretary Zafar Ahmed Khan said: “If we consider the immediate outcome, it would not be proper.”

“If there is a meeting with South Africa authorities concerned, they will treat Bangladeshi migrants fairly,” he said over phone yesterday. The government has taken a decision to open a labour wing in South Africa to look after the Bangladeshis. l

n Kailash Sarker The Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) last night arrested 11 activists of Islami Chhatra Shibir, the student’s wing of the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, with huge explosives and bomb making equipment from a house in the capital’s Pikepara in Mirpur.

Captain Tahsin Salehin of Rab-4, said acting on a tipoff, the Rab-4 personnel carried out a raid at the house, used as a mess in Middle Pikepara around 10pm and arrested the 11 individuals, aged beteween 20 and 25 years.

“We have recovered a huge amount

Poor navigability disrupts Man allegedly strangles wife to death Mawa ferry service n Abu Hayat Mahmud Commuters on the Mawa-Kawrakandi waterway are facing endless woes as poor navigation of the Padma River, high discharges and a corresponding increase in sediment load have severely affected movements in the channel.

Underwater shoals and strong currents forced the Mawa-Kawrakandi Ghat authorities to limit the number of ferries plying the route.

An official of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) seeking anonymity, said due to irregular dredging, a huge number of underwater shoals have formed in the channels of the ferry routes between Mawa and Kawrakandi. Vehicles are becoming stranded on a regular basis.

“Day by day the situation is getting worse,” he said.

The BIWTC official said the strong current in the Padma is also hampering ferry movement.

“Because of it, the ferries struggle to maintain course and are easily getting

stuck on the shoals,” he said.

From August 25, BIWTC authority has been repeatedly forced to shut down ferry service, which are taking much longer than usual to cross the river.

It would usually take 1.5 hours to travel between Mawa and Kawrakandi, however, now it is taking around 4.5 hours. Due to the slow movement, hundreds of vehicles on both sides of the river are getting stranded.

The route yesterday experienced the same disruption as there was only a partial service of ferries, leaving a long tailback of vehicles on both sides of the river.

BIWTC Chairman Mojibur Rahman said they were yet to receive detailed information on the situation from their field officials at Mawa and Kawrakandi.

Ashikuzzaman, assistant general manager of BIWTC for Mawa-Kawrakandi ferry service said: “Ferries cannot navigate at normal speed due to the high discharge of Padma.”

Ashikuzzaman said because of the dredging at Lauhajang channel, discharge of water has risen at the point. l

n Mohammad Jamil Khan

A housewife was strangled to death allegedly by her husband in the Bhatara area of Dhaka in the early hours of yesterday.

Fahima Begum, 27, lived with her husband and five-month-old child in Farazitola of Bhatara.

Shahidul Alam, sub-inspector of Bhatara police station, told the Dhaka Tribune that upon receiving information from the locals, they had recovered the body of the deceased around 11am.

He said: “We recovered the body of the victim from her bed and she might have been strangulated with a pillow as blood was found flowing from her nose and mouth.” The body was sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for autopsy and a case was filed with the police station in this regard, he added.

“We are currently searching for Fahima’s husband. He had left the house with all his possessions but we are trying our best to get identity the victim’s family to trace Fahima’s husband,” the SI Shahidul said.

Sohrab Hossain Bakul, the owner of

the building, told the Dhaka Tribune that the couple with their five-monthold child became tenants of the building only three days ago.

“For these reasons, we could not get much time to take the details of the couple and their family addresses,” Bakul said.

Asia Begum and Rezaul Islam, who lived next door to the couple, told the Dhaka Tribune they had heard shouting and realised the couple were engaged in an argument as they were using inappropriate words to each other in high voices.

The neighbours said: “Around midnight, we went to sleep and after sometime the couple also stopped quarrelling.”

Asia Begum said: “Around 5am, we heard the baby crying for a long time.

Later, we knocked on the door but after receiving no response, we peeked through the window and found that Fahima’s body was on the bed and the baby was crying beside her.”

SI Shahidul said the whereabouts of the child’s guardians or relatives were still unknown, so they had left the baby in the care of the building owner. l

of explosives, petrol bombs, iron rods, anti-government leaflets and other publications,” said Captain Tahsin.

He said those explosives and iron rods have been gathered for carrying out subversive acts during hartals while the leaflets and publications were printed for use in campaign against the government.

The detainees were students of different educational institutions and they took part in arson attacks and vandalism during the first day of the 48-hour-long hartal yesterday. Details would be provided at a briefing at 11am on Thursday, he said. l

Over 50 injured in RMG workerspolice clash n Our Correspondent, Gazipur Over 50 RMG workers were injured in a clash with the police in Monipur area of Gazipur yesterday following an unrest over the demand of Tk8000 as minimum wage.

The authorities were forced to close down three factories in the area for the day following the hour-long chaos.

Locals said workers of KCO Piya Apparels, a concern of Elegance Industrial Group, went on a strike and got out of the factory around 10:30am. They staged a demonstration and at one point took to the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway. When police tried to disperse them, the workers started throwing bricks towards them.

The workers said police had charged batons and teargas that left over 50 workers, including females, injured.

Following the chaos, the authorities of Jahin Tex and Givency Fashion suspended their production for the day.

The injured were taken to the nearby hospital, locals said. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Long Form

5

Thursday, September 19, 2013

What is Bangladesh’s mission statement?

P

n Chowdhury Abd-Allah Quaseed urpose, vision, mission leads individuals to success.

Every philosopher as well as management guru says so, as do all text books or motivational literature.

Companies with such clear missions grow better and remain sustainable, because everyone in the company knows what they are expected to do and in what direction they are headed.

And that is why, every company is asked to develop a vision, a mission statement, and then some mottos, and from there the goals are derived, from which come targets.

It’s the targets that drive a company or organisation forward and teaches everyone within the organisation of the role that he/she is supposed to play in the comprehensive success of the team. So, if that same concept is extended to the scale of a nation, then it goes without saying that countries too, need to have national missions and a purpose for their existence.

They simply cannot just be a group of people occupying a certain geographical space and surviving on an ad hoc basis, scrambling along the path of faith, washed along with the current that takes them in its flow.

Even nations need to have a purpose for its being, and that purpose should be embedded into the souls of almost all of its citizens.

Only then will a nation reach a position of respect among other nations.

In fact it would be ideal if the mission of the nation can be articulated and stated like it is done for proper organisations. But, even if it is not declared openly, it ought to be mentioned in various ways in all public activities, reinforcing certain traits and beliefs in the people of the country in such a way that everyone belonging to the nation gradually begins to work in a way that conforms to that greater goal. It is only then one would find a whole country begin to operate in a synchronised way, with a cohesion and harmony which it would not be able to have without this sense of direction.

A nation cannot just be, because they are, but has to have a destination to which it has to get to.

Many would argue that a country with so many people doing all kinds of different things having different goals and ambitions cannot have a common principle, or be reconciled into believing in one fundamental core vision as being the prime underlying goal beneath all of one’s personal goals. But I would point out several trailblazing examples to illustrate my point.

In these countries that I highlight below, a mission statement may not be found written in their constitution as such, but the actions of all the people, or national decision makers and leaders in every sphere, show a pattern which leads one to derive what the goal or mission is or could be of that country. And the mission is a spirit which is expressed in its songs, literature, poetry, entertainment and in the speeches given by its greatest leaders.

And it is riding on the shoulders of that spirit that the nation gallops ahead.

Let us take the example of the US. Their mission, it appears, is to be the most powerful country and dominate in every field possible. In fact, many of its presidents have been heard calling themselves the “greatest nation of the world” and they continuously reinforce certain key values and ideals that they stand for.

And interestingly you would see that indeed everyone works with that greater goal wedged deeply into the

subconscious layers of their minds.

And it is because of that that indeed they have been successful in fulfilling the stated mission to a great extent.

Take the instance of their economy: even after years of recessions and problems, the US continues to be the biggest economy of the world, the biggest consumer in the world.

It is because they expend that a big part of the rest of the world can survive. They are also the biggest donors in the world, contributing the highest amount of funds for growth and infrastructure development of the other countries. They are still considered the most developed nation. They are leaders in athletics with the highest medals in all the Olympics combined.

America dominates the entire global entertainment industry with their movies and music, clearly being appreciated by more people across the world than all other entertainment from other parts of the world combined.

Their entertainers continue to be the paragons that the whole world looks up to. They lead the world in the sector of higher education and research with hundreds of its universities occupying the leading positions among the top thousand universities across the world in terms of research as well as quality of education.

America leads the world in the realm of civil engineering and architecture, having been the pioneers of making modern skyscrapers and still having the highest number of towers in the world and most of the world’s mega structures of present times.

America remains the greatest when it comes to science and technology, having been the place where the greatest inventions of the last 150 years have all taken place.

From electricity and light bulbs, to telephones, radios, televisions, cameras, movie cameras, cars, planes, mobile phones, computers, and all the major

DHAKA TRIBUNE

If we examine India, their mission would seem to be: “To rapidly rise and to stand at par with the best in the world in every aspect, and to become a race of people who cannot be ever underestimated by anyone in the world in any sector and in fact be admired as a post-modern nation thriving on the foundations of an ancient culture and civilisation.” And this is the spirit they are showing in every quarter: in economy, industrialisation, military, sports, media, and in the global workforce of

A nation cannot just be, because they are, but has to have a destination to which it has to get to

advancements even in medical science, have all taken place in America, making them the greatest indeed. The world stands where it does today because of achievements by Americans.

And verily America dominates the world with its military force, nuclear technology, space technologies and in tons of other fields.

It is because the leaders of this nation and the education system have constantly been ingraining into their basic DNA that the nation is the greatest in the world and that they all have to live up to high expectations that the nation has from them. This message provides the fuel to propel themselves onwards to greater achievements.

They also express their mission to include upholding democracy and freedom across the world and. Even if there may be other intentions, it is the public enforcement of these ideals that have led so many hundreds of thousands of Americans, since World War I, enthusiastically towards possible death. They believe they are doing so for upholding certain principles that represent the soul of their existence, even if it be not directly for their own country.

All great nations of the world have an explicit or implicit purpose.

And having that purpose from its foundation years is what helped to make them great

United Nations, World Bank, in international universities as teachers etc.

Indians never think of themselves as being inferior to any other nation in the world. They have a blazing temperament that they can also do whatever it is that anyone else from any other part of the world can. And that is why we see so many Indians reaching international fame and glory throughout the world.

We see so many Indians leading global corporate bodies in various capacities, Indian experts in fields of science, Indian entrepreneurs being among the wealthiest people in the world. Indians do not just struggle for individual success, but they derive thrills from breaking global records, and so they strive harder to aggrandise the name of their nation. In doing so, they elevate their own individual positions much beyond their originally estimated capacity. India can even boast of being a military giant empowered with nuclear capabilities as well.

And it is becoming a major contender in all forms of sports too. Thus, India is quickly advancing on the path of becoming a major superpower riding on the indomitable spirits of its citizens and its people living around the world. They glorify their traditions and religion, but neither let that nor their historic fight against colonial occupation ever get in the way of embracing the best of the west and utilise it for their own augmentation.

Britain had always intended to spread modern civilisation across the world and to educate the world. And indeed they successfully did so, beyond just ruling almost half of the land mass of Earth. Indeed, all the forms of parliament across the world were largely derived from the British example, and then customised and modified.

They are the ones who developed the first structured legal system as well as the fundamentals of a graded education system. They developed the bureaucracies, the formal civil service and basically laid the example to the world on how to govern a mod-

ern nation. And even today they are leading education in the world as there are more people taking O and A level exams and IELTS than almost all other kinds of exams combined. Sophistication, social etiquette were norms exemplified by the British.

The French always claimed to be symbols of art, romance, fashion and culture; that is manifested in everybody’s life and activities and they take this to be their identity. The UAE wants to be the perfect amalgamation of the East and the West and a place to find the superlative of everything. And so they are making the world’s tallest buildings, biggest and most luxurious hotels, the biggest malls, cities on reclaimed islands. They are showing the world what a nomadic people from the desert can do on the power of their ideas, by engaging global experts of every kind. Germans are a testimony of resilience and supreme quality, while China aims to give the world an affordable alternative of everything it wants.

Basically, all great nations of the world have an explicit or implicit purpose. And having that purpose from its foundation years is what helped to make them great. And that brings me to wonder, what is the purpose or mission or vision of Bangladesh?

Not only is nothing properly stated, but it’s hard to derive any, even from a study of the activities of the people. From the way things are, it may appear to many that the purpose is: to stand out in all forms of corruption, nepotism, political dysfunction, and to outdo everyone in heinous and barbaric crimes. Or it could be: to continue to divide the nation and polarise it based on political disputes of the past, and make it a nursery for the rearing of criminals and terrorists.

Or, is it to continue adding more people to the world, and pushing the country further down the drain of environmental problems, and remaining a nation in need of constant aid and donations? To remain a country where contentment is derived at mediocrity and further development is considered a luxury? Or is it to be a nation where the wealthy are allowed to exploit the underprivileged or where the underprivileged stand as a barrier for industrialised growth? A country where the left keeps fighting the right and the so-called upholders of religion fighting the so-called harbingers of progress are leading to the sealing of the fate of hundreds of millions of unfortunate minions?

Candidly speaking, we as a nation do not appear to have any purpose.

Some people mistakenly would say that the stated objective of the war of independence – “to create a democratic nation on the ideals of secularism” – is our purpose. But it is not. That is simply a definition of who we are, an adjective. It does not give any indication for the future of what we must do, to add value by our presence in this world. And that is the tragedy for we are a nation with numerous potentials.

The biggest retarding force to our growth has been the attitude of “this is quite an achievement considering that

it is Bangladesh or by a Bangladeshi or by Bangladeshi standards!” For decades, this attitude has limited our own aspirations to achieve, because we were made to feel inferior, compared to other races and nations, and led to believe that even a moderate accomplishment is sufficient, because we are an inferior race or underprivileged.

The time has finally come to shed away such notions of our own limited potentials. Time has come to recognise that even genetically, we have a mix of Aryan blood lines from parts of Europe, genes from the Middle East, hereditary links to the tough and strong Dravidians – so we ought to have all the ingredients that is needed for success, for those who attribute worldly success predominantly to genetics.

We have had flourishing semi-urban civilisations from a few hundred years BC, in contrary to the notions of many dating our earliest civilisations to 5th and 6th centuries AD. Recent archaeological discoveries of coins, and better carbon dating of ruins and artifacts have proven so. And there are allusions to our country and its ancient cities in texts found in ancient China and Rome as well.

In fact there are evidences found of special legions of warriors being taken to join Greek and Roman armies from the Gangetic plains. So, for those who feel that to stand high today we need an ancient foundation, well, we have that too. We have a population almost

mum is because we lacked a national purpose and because we also never had the leaders who could crystallise the haphazard dreams of millions into a set purpose.

So in a fragile attempt to try and fill out that gap, or to at least inspire people capable of doing so to do so, I would attempt to suggest that we should have for ourselves the following or a combination of the following mission statements: “To be a country where each unit of its vast population is an asset for the world in terms of education, economic productivity, entrepreneurial zeal, passion for humanitarian work and environmental conservation and an embodiment of good ethics, morals, religious moderation and interracial harmony” – a statement that would instigate everyone to feel that they have the responsibility of not just adding value to the country, but to the world; a statement that would make them feel that they hold a position of importance to fellow humans of other nations and thus behave accordingly.

Or, we could say that “we want to be nation of united young people working with zeal, accepting only positive guidance from the senior citizens, working to make Bangladesh a country of which every one of its citizens feel proud to belong to, and a country that can be an example for all on how a small least-developed country can rise to be a nation that all other nations take

We should have for ourselves a statement that would instigate everyone to feel that they have the responsibility of not just adding value to the country, but to the world

45% the size of America, for those who feel that power comes in numbers. We have thousands of our youth who are beginning to see the light of economic prosperity in different countries of the world through their determination and hard work.

We have thousands of Bangladeshi students outperforming people of other countries in educational institutions across the world, and we have almost 20 million of our people spread across the globe, intermingling and learning and transmitting the knowledge as well as sending remittance back to the land.

And we are a nation that has continued to grow despite continuous political instability and frequent turmoil; a country where all the indicators of living conditions have continued to improve, even though we have never till now been blessed with proper national leadership for a continuous spell of time.

So, I feel that as a nation with all of these potentials which can be used to spur our people into motivated action, the reason why we have not been able to tap these potentials to the opti-

pride in associating with.”

This would be a mission statement that could truly galvanise the nation, and the youth, to ascend and finally take the reins and assert that the time has come to awaken from this comatose state induced upon us by inept and direction-less leadership.

So let us all join in making a mission statement for the country – one that can be ingrained into the DNA of every citizen and into the core of every ones heart – so that every action is aimed at that ultimate design, and the droplets of everyone’s individual efforts will, God willing, combine to make an ocean of effort, that will push us up as a nation through a massive upheaval like a tidal surge of change. I represent millions of silent citizens all awaiting just such a day. l Chowdhury Abd-Allah Quaseed is an HR professional, corporate trainer and management consultant. He has produced and hosted a number of development oriented TV programmes and also runs a non-political leadership development organisation called Force of Tomorrow.

6

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Thursday, September 19, 2013

PM asks PSC to recruit talented people n UNB, Dhaka Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday asked the Public Service Commission (PSC) to recruit efficient, honest and talented people rising above all influences.

“The public servants will have to be pro-people as they are the servants of the republic while the people are its owners,” she said while inaugurating the newly constructed building of Bangladesh Public Service Commission (BPSC) at Agargaon in the capital.

Urging all to work together for the development of the country, Hasina said her party (Awami League) had come to power to serve the people.

She said the government introduced e-governance to bring transparency and infuse dynamism in the public administration while massive reform programmes are being implemented for building an efficient public administration suiting the 21st century.

The prime minister said that the Public Service Commission has been shifted to its own building after over 40 years of its inception in 1972 as the present government took urgent measures including allocation of land in 2012.

She said it is one of the constitutional duties of the Public Service Commission to select the qualified candidates for the cadre posts and all first and sec-

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurating the newly-constructed building of Bangladesh Public Service Commission at Agargaon in the capital yesterday ond class gazetted posts as well as giving recommendations for recruitment, promotion, regularization of jobs and determination of seniority.

Hasina said: “During the BNPJamaat regime the image of the commission was undermined due to various scandals including leakage of question papers and appointment of party people. Many qualified candidates were deprived of getting govern-

ment jobs during the previous BNPJamaat regime.”

But, she said that “her government ensured efficiency, transparency and accountability in every tier of Public Service Commission.”

The prime minister said she is happy to know that the commission now prepares several sets of question papers, and determines the question set through lottery 20 minutes before any

examination to avoid leakage of question papers. Moreover, the viva board is formed only 20 minutes before the examination.

She said her government has created about 252,000 posts in government service from 2009 to 2012 and increased the retirement age of the public servants by two years to 59 years and gave promotion to 2,500 officers from Deputy Secretary to

PID

Secretary in different tiers of public administration.

Hasina mentioned that in the past, despite qualifying in written and viva examinations, all the qualified candidates could not be recruited due to the shortage of cadre posts.

The present government formulated non-cadre recruitment rule in 2010 to accommodate such qualified candidates in government service, she said. l

RU students confine ‘negligent’ hall provost over food, hygiene, WiFi n RU Correspondent

The newly-elected mayor of Sylhet City Corporation Ariful Haque Chowdhury taking over the corporation’s charges from acting mayor Md Shahjahan at a ceremony at Nagar Bhaban DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sylhet mayor takes office n Our Correspondent, Sylhet The newly-elected mayor of Sylhet City Corporation, Ariful Haque Chowdhury, took office with a promise to keep politics out of the corporation.

The mayor took over the corporation’s charges from acting mayor Md Shahjahan at a ceremony held yesterday with ward 4 councillor, Rezaul Hasan Koyes Lodi, in the chair.

Speaking at the function, the new mayor said he would ensure that the corporation was not used for political purposes. “The corporation will be used to for the common good of the people. Any attempt to form political circles inside the corporation will be thwarted,” he said.

The immediate past mayor of the corporation, Md Shahjahan, ward 6 councillor, Farhad Chowdhury Shamim, female councillor, Shahana Begum, spoke at the ceremony among others. l

Residential students at Rajshahi University (RU) confined the provost of Shaheed Suhrawardy Hall to his office for half an hour yesterday alleging his negligence of duty.

Campus sources said over 200 resident students of the hall brought out a procession around 11am and later gathered in front of the provost office chanting slogans against Asabul Haque.

On receiving information, the Provost Asabul Haque rushed to his office, where the students confined him for half an hour.

The protestors alleged that although the hall was connected with WiFi network, the frequency was so low it rendered the network useless. Students also complained that Suhrawardy hall was yet to receive high-speed broadband internet, even though other halls already benefitted from the service.

Students also said an unhygienic dining hall had caused many of them to contract different food-borne diseases in the last few months. They claimed the hall authority does not take proper steps to clean the dormitory, and that the lone cleaner had not been coming to the hall for the last few days, creating a bad smell inside.

“We had talked to hall provost several times to solve the problem, but provost did not pay heed to the problems and that’s why such a situation has been created in the hall today,” said a student.

The hall provost Asabul Haque told the Dhaka Tribune that the WIFi connection had strong frequency. The students had freed him after he assured them that he would meet their demands as soon as possible.

He denied the allegation of serving unhygienic food items at dining hall, but said he would take steps against the cleaner of the hall. l

Rokeya University in crisis over unpaid salaries Agitated teachers confine VC for second day He said the University Grants Comfining him to his office since Tuesday n Mushfique Wadud mission (UGC) had released the salamorning.

Agitated teachers of Begum Rokeya University in Rangpur detained vice chancellor AKM Nurun Nabi in his office for the second consecutive day yesterday, demanding immediate payment of their outstanding salaries.

Teachers said they are leading miserable lives as they have not received any pay for five months, forcing them to opt for a movement.

“We are not getting salary for the last five months and we have no other way but to confine teachers,” Saidul Haque, a teacher of the Bangla department, told Dhaka Tribune yesterday, “We will continue our agitation till our salary is released,” he added.

VC AKM Nurun Nabi told the Dhaka Tribune that teachers had been con-

About the salary crisis, the VC said: “It is true that they are not getting sala-

VC AKM Nurun Nabi told the Dhaka Tribune that teachers had been confining him to his office since Tuesday morning.

About the salary crisis, the VC said: ‘It is true that they are not getting salary for the last four-and-a-half months… but the previous VC created the complexities’ ry for the last four-and-a-half months… but the previous VC created the complexities”.

ries of 336 teachers and employees, but it had not released the salaries of some 338 others who were recruited without UGC approval during the tenure of the previous VC, Abdul Jalil Miah.

The incumbent VC said the UGC is investigating the whole incident and some unapproved teachers and employees might be regularised.

‘The unapproved teachers requested me not to release the salary of the approved teachers and employees till submission of the UGC report,” he said.

Nurun Nabi said he believes the UGC will submit its report very shortly and the problems of the university will be resolved.

Several university teachers said the approved and unapproved teachers

were in opposing stances which could lead to clashes.

The UGC, in a press release issued yesterday, said a committee led by its member Atful Hye Shibley was investigating the incident at Rokeya University and the report would be published soon.

It also said that UGC had granted over Tk21m as salary for the approved 336 teachers and employees, and that they should have received the salary last month.

Former VC Abdul Jalil Miah was forced to quit in May after UGC recommended that he be terminated from his post for “corruption and nepotism”.

A three-member probe committee of the UGC made the recommendation, saying that it was not possible to resolve the crisis of the university with Abdul Jalil Miah in the VC office. l

Ganajagaran Mancha holds anti-hartal rally New health service n DU Correspondent Ganajagaran Mancha brought out a procession yesterday protesting the 48-hour countrywide shutdown called

by Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing, Islami Chhatra Shibir.

The procession paraded TSC and Kataban along with different streets of Dhaka University and later the platform staged a rally at the Shahbagh intersection.

Addressing the rally, Ganajagaran Mancha spokesperson Dr Imran H Sarker urged the government to impose a bar on Jamaat-Shibir’s right to call for hartals.

He said: “As the High Court and Election Commission has imposed a bar on Jamaat’s participation in the election, you [the government] should

also restrict their right to call for hartal.

Steps should also be taken against their citizenship, otherwise, the country will not be protected from their anarchies.”

He also called upon the government to execute the verdicts against all the war criminal immediately.

The spokesperson also informed that the Ganajagaran Mancha would remain on the streets with anti-hartal programmes today.

Earlier on Tuesday, Jamaat-e-Islami called for a 48-hour hartal after the Appellate Division sentenced Jamaat Assistant Secretary General Abdul Quader Molla to death, overruling the judgement of the International Crimes Tribunal that had given him life sentence for war crimes committed during 1971

Liberation War. Meanwhile, activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) also brought out an anti-hartal procession inside DU campus.

In a short rally, BCL President HM Badiuzzaman Sohag said the pro-Liberation War forces must be united to resist BNP and Jamaat-Shibir so that the country could see the execution of the verdicts given to the war criminals.

The BCL president also urged the government to ban the politics of JamaatShibir as early as possible.

BCL DU unit President Mehedi Hasan Molla, General Secretary Omar Sharif and Central Information and Research Secretary Ershad Hossain were among those present at the rally. l

programme at RCC n Tribune Desk Rangpur City Corporation (RCC) launches a new health service programme under Urban Primary Health Care Services Delivery Project (UPHCSDP) in the city from October with a view to reducing maternal and child death rates.

“The poor mothers, children, women during pregnancy and post delivery period and newborn babies will get cost free medicare facilities under the 4-year term project to be ended by June in 2018,” RCC Mayor Sharfuddin Ahmed Jhantu said.

Under the programme, comprehensive health services and treatments will be provided to hundreds of mothers

and children through its maternity centre at Mahiganj and three other primary health care centres at different places in the city.

The health and nutrition services will be provided under third phase of the UPHCSDP being implemented by the Local Government Division under the Annual Development Programme of the Government of Bangladesh, reports BSS. The RCC and Khulna Mukti Sena Sangstha will jointly conduct the project activities in the city to ensure health, nutrition and other related services for mothers, children and population to improve their health status and reducing maternal and infant mortality rates. l

Five-storey building tilts in Chittagong n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong Authorities evacuated and sealed off a five-storey building that began tilting in the Bandartila area of Chittagong city yesterday afternoon.

Abul Mansur, officer-in-charge of EPZ police station, said the building on Akmal Ali Road, named “Shovon Monjil” and owned by Muzibul Haq, began leaning to one side around 2pm. Some cracks were also found on the back wall of the structure.

Police and fire service personnel rushed to the spot and started evacuating the estimated 100 residents.

Around 5pm, an inspection team of Chittagong Development Authority (CDA), led by executive magistrate Md Ashraful Amin, visited the building and sealed it off.

As the cracks were not deemed too dangerous, the CDA team gave residents until this morning to remove their belongings, the magistrate said.

The CDA team, along with an engineer of Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology, will visit the building for further inspection and take measures accordingly, he said. l

Two-day career fair begins at RU Sunday n RU correspondent A two-day career fair will be held on Rajshahi University (RU) campus on September 21 and 22.

Rajshahi University Career Club (RUCC), a voluntary students’ organisation in association with the university authorities will organise the career fair titled “RUCC Career Fair-2013” for the first time.

The president of RUCC Syeed Abdullah Shaon disclosed it yesterday at a press conference at university’s central cafeteria.

Vice-Chancellor (VC) of RU Prof Mohammad Mizanuddin will inaugurate the career fair, releasing balloons and pigeons on the first day around 9am while University Grants Commission (UGC) member Prof Dr Atful Hai Shibli will be present as the chief guest.

RU Pro-VC Prof Chowdhury Sarowar Jahan, Treasurer Prof Sayeen Uddin Ahmed, registrar Prof Entajul Islam, students’ advisor Prof Sadequl Arefin Matin and proctor Prof Tariqul Hasan will be present as special guests.

About 20 reputed companies across the country will participate in the career fair with a view to recruiting graduates at their companies through taking curriculum vitae of the students, said RUCC President Shaon.

About 15 careers related seminar will be held in the fair, Shaon said.

RU students’ advisor Prof Sadequl Arefin Matin, business faculty dean Prof Dr Amzad Hossain and marketing department lecturer Md Mazedul Islam spoke at the press conference. l

AIUB VC to get 100 Most Influential Filipina Women in the World award

n Tribune Report American International UniversityBangladesh (AIUB) Vice Chancellor Carmen Z Lamagna has been selected as one of the 100 most influential Filipina women in the world.

The award is bestowed to Filipinas who demonstrate exemplary leadership, inspiration and achievement. Her selection was made among Filipina women in 15 countries of the world, according to an AIUB press release yesterday.

The 100 Most Influential Filipina Women in the World awards will be presented during a gala dinner and grand ceremony at the Mark Hopkins Intercontinental Hotel in San Francisco, California, USA on October 24-26, 2013. During the awarding ceremonies, the awardees will share their inspiring success story to the Filipinos, Americans and other nationalities who are invited to the occasion. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Gaibandha hospital beset with problems n Our Correspondent, Gaibandha Gaibandha Sadar Hospital is beset by problems including a dearth of equipment and an eight-year shortage of staff including in medicine, pediatrics, and skin and sex diseases.

The complex is the sole provider of healthcare to the poor community of the area and around 200-250 patients attend every day from different parts of the district, including the char areas.

Patients allege that the hospital’s consultants do not attend to them regularly as they are practicing at private clinics and in personal chambers. Of the 10 consultant posts, only six are occupied and according to sources, the hospital authority could not retain its physicians for long as those who are posted, try hard to manage a transfer immediately after joining.

In most cases, the patients say, hospital authorities are also failing to supply medicines due to a shortage of supplies, forcing them to buy their own from markets at a higher price. The X-ray facility of the hospital has also

been unavailable for a long time, compelling patients to seek the service of private clinics.

The patients say they suffer the most when the health complex authorities refuse to admit them due to a shortage of space. In 2003, capacity was boosted from 50 to 100 beds; however, patients say the standard of treatment did not rise accordingly and many complain of having to stay on floors and verandas in an unhygienic environment.

Additionally, the patients complained that the health complex toilets are always overflowing with human waste and garbage, and that they are compelled to arrange their own food due to the unsatisfactory quality of the fare served to them.

When contacted, civil surgeon of Rangpur Dr Ahad Ali said despite of repeated pleas through letters, the authorities concerned took no steps to fill the posts of doctors, nurses and other staff in Gaibandha Sadar Hospital.

The locals and patients have appealed to the relevant authorities to rectify the issues without a delay. l

Nation

Thursday, September 19, 2013

7

LIFE ON BOAT

People have taken shelter on a boat as their homesteads have been submerged by flood water

FOCUS BANGLA

Girl raped in Narsingdi n Our Correspondent, Narsingdi

Free movement of easyGood yield of ‘Aloron’ paddy will largely bike on highway demanded help meet aus shortfall this season

A 19-year-old girl was raped at the Dakhin Dewra village in Narsingdi’s Palash upazila on Tuesday night, allegedly by two youths of the same locality.

The victim hails from the Shadharchar village in Shibpur upazila.

The alleged rapists were identified as Mamun and Saiful, residents of Palash upazila’s Ichhakhali and Dakhin Dewra villages respectively.

Local sources said the girl was returning home to Shadharchar village from her elder sister’s house in Dakhin Dewra, when the two youths forced the girl into a nearby banana field and raped her.

Hearing the victim’s shouts for help, local residents rushed to the scene and found her unconscious.

The victim’s relatives claimed they had informed the Palash police station of the incident, but the law enforcers did not visit the crime scene or Palash upazila hospital, where she was receiving care.

They also accused local union parishad member Ariful Islam of trying to negotiate a Tk50,000 settlement, which the victim’s family refused.

Police said nobody had yet filed a complaint on the matter. l

n Our Correspondent, Lalmonirhat Easy-bike drivers brought out a procession in Lalmonirhat yesterday demanding the battery-powered three-wheelers be allowed on all roads including the highway and calling for their recognition as form of public transport in the town.

The drivers submitted a memorandum regarding the matter to the deputy commissioner and later formed a human chain at the Mission Crossing area. At least 3,000 easy-bike drivers took part in the procession, which was arranged by District Easy-Bike Association Malik-Chalok Kalyan Samity.

The organisation’s Advisor Maniruzzaman Manir, President Mazmul Haque, General Secretary Abdur Rashid, and Organising Secretary Jahid Hasan, spoke in the human chain.

The group alleged that the district motor owner’s association was trying

to ban their easy-bike from the highway even though residents were benefitting from the comfortable and short duration travel it offered. Additionally, easy-bike presented job opportunities to thousands of educated unemployed youths in the district, they said.

Easy-bike drivers warned at least 15,000 families in the district who are dependent on easy-bike would suffer if the administration bans their transport from the highway.

“On behalf the Lalmonirhat DC Habibur Rahman, Additional DC Zakir Hossain assured us the district administration must take necessary steps to implement our demands,” said Mazmul.

“If the district administration does not take any fruitful step to implement their demands, the easy-bike owners, drivers and their families would take to the road for tougher movement by a week, said Rashid in the human chain. l

n Tribune Desk A bumper yield of “Aloron” paddy during the present aus season in Barguna has come as boon for the farmers of the coastal district that was hit by a cyclone in May. In the district where 90 percent of farmers could not cultivate aus paddy due to the onslaught of Cyclone Mahasen, the good harvest of the high-yielding variety (HYV) of rice this season could largely help cover the shortfall, according to UNB. While most farmers along the southern coastal belt, including Barguna, were recovering from the losses they suffered during earlier cyclones Sidr and Aila, Mahasen dealt them a further blow by damaging huge aus seed beds during the planting season.

But the excellent production of “Aloron” paddy has made the farmers re-

Four jailed for life for killing n Our Correspondent, Netrokona A Netrokona court yesterday found four individuals guilty of a murder and sentenced them to life in prison, more than a decade after the incident took place.

Additional District and Sessions Judge of Netrokona Mohammad Abdul Hamid pronounced the penalty which also imposed a fine of Tk20,000 on each convict and a further two-year imprisonment by default.

The convicts are Mohammad Abdul Mazid, Mohammad Lalu Mia, Mohammad Dulu Chowdhury, and Abdur Rouf – all residents of Ramchandrapur village under the Atpara upazila of Netrokona.

According to court sources, the four individuals killed a fellow villager named Tuta Mia, 35, with lethal weapons on November 30, 2001 – because of a previous enmity. l

farmers in 81 villages cultivated “Aloron” on 739ha of land during the aus season under a Brac programme.

Sources from Brac’s Agriculture and Food Security Programme said Tk9,000 was given to each farmer to cultivate “Aloron” paddy.

Brac regional manager Goutam Biswas said the programme aims to encourage each family to work towards attaining food security.

Initially, seeds of the hybrid “Aloron” paddy were brought to Bangladesh from China. Now, scientists at the Brac agriculture research centre in Gazipur are successfully reproducing the seeds by using Chinese technology, Goutam said.

The development organisation has been implementing its agriculture and food security programme in 50 upazilas of 12 districts since July 2012, and its activities are expected to reach all the 64 districts of the country by 2015. l

No headway in solving Fatulla security guard murder

Three robbers held in Jamalpur n BSS Police arrested three robbers from Megharbari village under Melandah upazila of the district early yesterday.

The arrested were identified as Mister, 24, son of Zabed Ali, Zia, 19, son of Sultan Miah and Solaiman, 20, son of Shamsul Haque of Pachurpara village of the upazila.

Officer-in-charge of Melandah police station Billal Uddin said, a team of police from the Thana arrested them from the area while they were taking preparation for robbery on a bridge on Bhaluka-Tarakandi road in the upazila.

Police also recovered two sharp weapons from their possessions. A case was filed with Melandah police station in this connection. l

gain confidence, while enabling them to recover some of their losses.

In Parboti village under Barguna sadar union, some 37 farmers took a risk and cultivated “Aloron” collectively on 12 hectares of land.

Farmer Mostafa Khan said they did not get a good yield from their usual variety of rice. But they have doubled production by growing “Aloron”.

The farmers are getting up to 1.35 tonnes of “Aloron” per hectare - almost thrice the normal yield from other varieties.

Lutfor Rahman, deputy director of the Department of Agriculture Extension, Barguna, said aus cultivation was largely affected in the district due to natural calamity.

However, seeds of the hybrid rice variety cannot be preserved, and farmers have to buy new seeds every year, he added.

In Barguna district as a whole, 3,160

n Our Correspondent, Narayanganj

Activists of Jamaat-e-Islam blockaded road during hartal in Natore yesterday

FOCUS BANGLA

NEWS IN BRIEF Six injured in BCL-JCD clash at Jhenaidah college Six students were left injured in a clash between activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) and Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) of Abdul Khaleque College in Jhenaidah yesterday afternoon.

Officer-in-Charge Kazi Jalal Uddin Ahmed of Jhenaidah police station said the groups faced off against each other around 12noon after a JCD activist slapped a BCL man.

The groups were locked in a clash with lethal weapons which left six students injured, he added.

Police, on information, went to the spot and brought the situation under control.

The injured were later taken to Jhenaidah Sadar Hospital, sources said. BCL men Rasel, Babul, Feroz,

Mamun and two others were among the injured. Principal of Abdul Khaleque College Oliar Rahman acknowledged the incident but said the situation was currently stable.

case was filed under the Narcotics Control Act. – UNB

Man held with Yaba in Pirojpur

Police arrested six activists of Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh including acting Amir of district Jamaat, from Dariapur area under Mujibnagar upazila of the district yesterday.

The arrested were identified as Amir of District Jamat Maulana Tazuddun Khan, Safikul Islam, Shariar Hossain, Mizanur Rahman, Firatul Islam and Abdul Mannan.

Officer-in-Charge of Mujibnagar police station Robiul Hossain said police arrested them when they were picketing at Dariapur in the 48 hours hartal called by Jamaat protesting the verdict of its leader Kader Molla. A case was filed with Mujibnagar police station. – BSS

Detective Branch (DB) of police in a drive arrested a man along with 175 pieces of Yaba tablet at Hoglabunia village in Nazirpur upazila on Tuesday. The arrested was identified as Khasru Shikdar, 32, son of Abdul Latif of Charhoglapur village in Gopalganj district. Tipped off, a team of DB police conducted a drive in the village on Tuesday noon and arrested Khasru in possession of 175 pieces of the highly stimulating tablet. Sub-inspector Delwar of DB police said Khasru had been involved in drug trading for long. A

Six Jamaat men held in Gangni

Police are yet to make any progress in solving the murder of Majharul Islam, a security guard who was slaughtered to death in Narayanganj’s Fatulla on September 4.

Rabia Begum, wife of the deceased and plaintiff of the murder case, alleged law enforcers of being negligent as the accused in the case were influential figures in the locality.

Rabia had accused a gang of criminals, who were also allegedly land-grabbers, of killing her husband for his refusal to work as a night-time security guard at the gang’s residence.

She claimed that her husband refused to work at the house as some criminals resided there and carried out immoral activities.

Her husband had left his job three days before the murder, but was forced

to rejoin by a gang member named Nur Hossain, Rabia added.

A local resident, seeking anonymity, said the gang of Rokmot alias kaila Rokmot, Giasuddin alias dacoit Geshu, Nur Hossain, Amir Hossain, Yusuf Hossain alias dacoit Yusuf, were living in the house that Majharul guarded, which was allegedly built after the gang had forcibly occupied the land. Local union parishad Chairman Md Shawkat Ali also said the alleged criminals forcibly captured the land plot of one late Marfat Ali. Investigation Officer of the case and Sub-Inspector of Fatulla model police station Md Wahiduzzaman said Nur Hossain, one of the accused, was interrogated under remand in two terms but no important clue was found.

Fatulla police recovered the slaughtered and tied-up body of Majharul on September 4, from the building where he worked in Nabinagar village. l

8

DHAKA TRIBUNE

International

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Indian lawmakers face arrest over deadly Hindu-Muslim riots cases against 69 people who include leaders from some political parties,” state police spokesman Manoj Jha told AFP by telephone.

The unrest, during which mobs burned houses and a mosque forcing hundreds of people to flee, erupted this month in Muzaffarnagar, 105km northeast of capital New Delhi, before spreading to other villages.

Thousands of extra paramilitary personnel were rushed to affected areas of the state, which has a history of religion and caste-based violence in its 200-million population.

Uttar Pradesh witnessed riots in 1992 following the razing of a mosque by a Hindu mob. More than 2,000 people – mostly Muslims – were killed after the 16th-century structure in Ayodhya was demolished.

The latest violence has triggered speculation that parties are seeking to polarise the politically pivotal state along religious lines ahead of general elections due next year.

A federal opposition MP was among the politicians and community leaders wanted for questioning for allegedly making inflammatory speeches during the unrest, Jha told AFP by telephone

from Muzaffarnagar.

He did not say how many politicians and community leaders were being targeted, but the Press Trust of India, quoting unnamed police officials, put the figure at 16. Some have already been arrested and charged with inciting violence, according to local media.

Headlines Today television station said a state cabinet minister, Azam Khan, allegedly told police to go slow on controlling the riots. A police officer was caught on secretly recorded video saying they were under instructions from Khan, from the state’s governing Samajwadi Party, the TV station said.

Khan denied the allegation, saying he was prepared to face the “harshest of punishment if proven guilty.”

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday visited victims of the unrest, who have sought shelter in makeshift camps in Uttar Pradesh, and promised tough action for those responsible.

The clashes erupted on September 7 after thousands of Hindu farmers held a meeting to demand justice over the killing of three Hindu men who had protested when a woman was allegedly harassed. l

Relatives of victims and social workers from the Indian town of Muzaffarnagar take part in a sit-in strike in New Delhi AFP

n AFP, New Delhi A court in northern India Wednesday ordered the arrest of dozens of suspects including politicians and community leaders for inciting violence during recent Hindu-Muslim clashes that left 49 people dead, police said.

Facebook apologises for ad showing photo of dead girl

n AP, Halifax, Nova Scotia

Facebook has apologised after a dating ad featuring the photo of a Canada teen who died after months of bullying was posted on its site.

A spokesperson for the company issued a statement late Tuesday saying the ad was a “gross violation” of the company’s policies and has been removed.

Facebook said the dating website, Ionechat.com, has been banned. The site could not be reached for comment.

Rehtaeh Parsons died after she was taken off life support following a suicide attempt in April. Her family says the 17-year-old was bullied for months after an alleged sexual assault.

Parsons’ father, Glen Canning, says he was disgusted to see the photo.

The ad featured the heading, “Find Love in Canada! Meet Canadian girls and women for friendship, dating or relationships.” l

The state lawmakers, including those from the ruling Congress party and main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), are among 69 people wanted by police over the riots in India’s most populous state Uttar Pradesh.

“The court in Muzaffarnagar today ordered their arrest after we registered

Iraqi art scene suffers as public spaces bombed n Reuters, Baghdad In a compound ringed with barbed wire in Baghdad, a small group of Iraqi artists gather to sip tea and soft drinks in the shady patches of a walled garden.

For artist Qasim Sabti, who runs the adjoining private gallery, the intimacy of the scene is familiar. Baghdad’s cultural community is dwindling and confining itself to refuges like this one as violence rises in the city, he said.

Baghdad was named the 2013 Arab Capital of Culture by the Arab League, but the worst wave of bombings in Iraq in five years is taking its toll on public activities of all kinds, especially in the capital.

“We were dreaming that the Arab festival would help Baghdad become a centre of Arab culture again. But the dream did not come true,” Sabti said.

Eighteen months since US troops withdrew from Iraq, suicide attackers wearing explosives or planting bombs in cars have increasingly targeted public spaces such as cafes and sports events.

Sabti’s gallery now sees only one or two visitors a month in a district where there have been frequent bomb attacks.

The violence, and more than two years of civil war in neighbouring Syria, has aggravated deep-rooted sectarian divisions. As public life and opportunities to socialise shrink, communities are even more divided, Sabti says.

“Iraqi society is a mosaic - you can see all of the colours,” he said, referring to the different religious and ethnic backgrounds of the population. “Now the picture is disappearing, it is broken.”

Plans for the cultural capital festivities started more than two years ago during a time of relative calm when restaurant openings and concerts led to a revival in entertainment.

The government has held a few events this year, including concerts and exhibitions, but there has been little advertising and limited participation.

Down the road from Sabti’s gallery, at Baghdad’s Academy of Fine Arts, student filmmaker Omar Yaseen talks about how limited public space has restricted his work.

“The roads are blocked, blast walls are back in the street and this means that there is a shrinking of space in the capital,” the 22-year-old said in the fortified campus garden. “We wish it would become stable and safe again and to see Baghdad as a capital without cement walls.”

The monthly toll of Iraqis killed has risen at times this year to the highest since inter-communal bloodletting peaked in 2006-07, raising concerns of a return to civil war. Police have ramped up security, with extra checkpoints and restrictions on movement.

The security measures are especially difficult for Yaseen, who wanted to shoot a film for his graduation project. He had to beg for permission from authorities to use his video camera in a city where any electronic device is viewed as suspicious.

“In Baghdad, the camera is just like a weapon,” said Yaseen, who has been stopped many times at checkpoints. “Unfortunately I worry about getting approval for filming before I even think of ideas for the movie.” l

Young Syrian refugees from Aleppo beg with their mother on the steps of a bank in a street in Beirut AFP

Russia says UN report on Syria attack preconceived, political n Reuters Russia denounced UN investigators’ findings on a poison gas attack in Syria as preconceived and tainted by politics on Wednesday, stepping up its criticism of a report Western nations said proved President Bashar al-Assad’s forces were responsible.

Russia, which has veto power in the Security Council, could cite such doubts about proof of culpability in opposing future efforts by the United States, Britain and France to punish Syria for any violations of a deal to abandon chemical weapons.

“We are disappointed, to put it mildly, about the approach taken by the UN secretariat and the UN inspectors, who prepared the report selectively and incompletely,” deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told the state-run Russian news agency RIA in Damascus.

“Without receiving a full picture of what is happening here, it is impossible to call the nature of the conclusions reached by the UN experts ... anything but politicised, preconceived and one-sided,” Ryabkov said after talks with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid alMoualem.

The report issued on Monday confirmed the nerve agent sarin was used in the August 21 attack but did not as-

Embassies in Indonesia warn of Miss World attack threat n AFP, Jakarta Embassies in Indonesia are warning their nationals that extremists may attack the Miss World beauty pageant on the resort island of Bali after a series of hardline Muslim protests.

The United States, British and Australian embassies have in recent days all issued warnings.

“The embassy has received information that extremist groups may be planning to disrupt the Miss World pageant being held in Bali from September 8 to 28, potentially through violent means,” said the US embassy in Jakarta in a statement.

The British embassy said that “local Islamist vigilante groups have threatened to hold large-scale demonstrations

WORLD WATCH Woman survives 16 days in well in central China

A woman who spent 16 days at the bottom of a well in central China after falling in says she survived by eating raw corn and drinking rainwater. Su Qixiu was gathering herbs when she fell into the abandoned, four-metre-deep well in a village in Henan province.

Her family unsuccessfully searched for her, and she was finally found Monday.

Hong Kong couple jailed for abuse of Indonesian maid

A Hong Kong couple were jailed Wednesday for a shocking string of attacks on their Indonesian domestic helper, including burning her with an iron and beating her with a bike chain. Tai Chi-wai, 42, and his 41-year-old wife Catherine Au subjected their former maid Kartika Puspitasari to a two-year campaign of violence and humiliation, the court heard, which also saw her assaulted with clothes hangers and a paper cutter. Puspitasari, who worked in Singapore for seven years before coming to Hong Kong, sought refuge at the Indonesian consulate in Hong Kong after fleeing her employers.

sign blame. Britain, France and the United States said it confirmed Syria’s government, not rebels as Russia has suggested, was behind it.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday the investigation was incomplete without examination of evidence from other sources and that suspicions of chemical use after August 21 should also be investigated.

Ryabkov said Syrian authorities had given him alleged evidence of chemical weapons use by Assad’s opponents.

The stark disagreement over blame for the attack may complicate discussions among Security Council members - Russia, China, the United states, Britain and France - over a Western-drafted resolution to eliminate Syria’s chemical weapons.

Russia has been Assad’s most powerful backer during the conflict that has killed more than 100,000 people since 2011, delivering weapons and - with China - blocking Western efforts to use the Security Council’s clout to pressure his government.

Moscow argues that the danger emanates from rebels, many of whom harbour militant islamist ambitions for Syria that could ultimately pose a threat both to Russia and the West. l

to disrupt the Miss World pageant.” It added that “extremist groups may also be planning to attack the event.”

Bali has been attacked by Islamic militants before, most notably in 2002 when bombings on the resort island killed 202 people, many of them foreigners.

However, Indonesia has waged a crackdown on militant groups over the past decade and has succeeded in dismantling key networks.

In recent weeks thousands of radicals have taken to the streets protesting against the decision to hold Miss World in Indonesia, denouncing it as “smut” and “pornography.” The growing protest movement prompted the government to order the entire event be moved to Hindu-majority Bali, where extremist influence is minimal. l

Beluga whales paint in Japan aquarium

Holy water in Austria unsafe to drink

n AFP, Tokyo

Holy water at religious shrines and churches in Austria is often contaminated with faecal matter and bacteria, researchers have found, advising the faithful not to drink it, especially in hospital chapels. Scientists at Vienna University medical school’s Institute of Hygiene and Applied Immunology came to the conclusion after analysing the water quality at 21 “holy” springs and 18 fonts at churches and chapels at various times of year. Only 14% of the water samples from holy sources showed no faecal contamination, and none of the springs could be recommended as a source of drinking water, the study presented to a conference in Vienna this week found.

French Senate votes to ban child beauty pageants

France’s Senate has voted to ban beauty pageants for children under 16, in an effort to protect children especially girls from being sexualized too early. Anyone who enters a child into such a contest would face up to two years in prison and 30,000 euros in fines, according to the measure. A pageant organizer expressed regret that the move was so severe.

A Beluga paints a picture with a special paintbrush at the Hakkeijima Sea Paradise aquarium in Yokohama

AFP

Beluga whales at an aquarium near Tokyo are learning how to paint pictures as part of an autumn art programme for visitors, an official said Wednesday.

The sea creatures at the Hakkeijima Sea Paradise aquarium in Yokohama will be showing off their skills with specially adapted paintbrushes that they can hold in their mouths, a spokeswoman for the aquarium said.

A trainer standing on the poolside dips the brush into paint and guides the belugas to produce pictures that bear a passing resemblance to natural scenes.

“This is part of our ‘geijutsu no aki (autumn, the best season for art),’” she said.

“The ideal is that a beluga will emulate what we’ve prepared for one of our customers to hold – a fish-shaped paper cutout – of course trainers will guide the whale to do that,” she said.

Two female belugas will demonstrate their new skills in rotation once every weekday and twice a day at weekends, she said. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Egypt reopens Gaza border n AP, Gaza City A Palestinian official says Egypt has reopened its border with the Gaza Strip after a weeklong closure following suicide bombings against the Egyptian army.

Gaza border official Maher Abu Sabha says some 5,000 Palestinians, including people seeking medical treatment in Egypt, were demanding to cross. Hundreds at the Rafah crossing Wednesday scuffled with border officials before the border opened.

Last week, suicide bombers killed Egyptian soldiers in the volatile Sinai Peninsula. Egypt’s military has been cracking down on militants there, some of whom have ties to Gaza militants.

Egypt’s army has also destroyed smuggling tunnels to Gaza, compounding supply shortages from an Israeli blockade. Israel has approved the transfer of more cement, water and fuel to Gaza, but rights advocates say the amounts do not fill the need. l

International

Nigerian army claims raid kills 150 Islamists n AFP, Lagos A military strike on a Boko Haram camp in Nigeria’s restive northeast last week killed 150 Islamists and 16 soldiers, an army spokesman said Wednesday.

The army’s claim of a major offensive against the Islamist insurgents on September 12 came after local media reported that Boko Haram had ambushed a group of soldiers in the same area, killing 40 and leaving dozens of others missing.

Military officials were not available to comment on the reported Boko Haram ambush, speaking only about the purported military strike.

Details of last week’s military operation had not been previously made public.

Car bombs in northern and central Iraq kill 2 n AP, Baghdad Officials say car bombings in northern and central Iraq have killed two civilians.

Police chief Colonel Hussein Ali Rasheed says a suicide bomber blew up his explosives-laden vehicle in the ethnically mixed town of Tuz Khormato on Wednesday, killing one bystander and wounding 27. The town is located about 200km north of Baghdad.

Another police officer said a

parked car bomb exploded in a commercial area in central Baghdad, killing one civilian and wounding five.

The figure was confirmed by a medical official. Both spoke anonymously as they were not authorised to release information.

The blasts came a day after a series of attacks killed 31 people. More than 4,000 people have been killed since April, including 804 just in August, according to UN figures. l

“It was a highly fortified insurgent camp with heavy weapons in (northeastern) Borno State,” army spokesman Ibrahim Attahiru said, adding that the camp was in the Kasiya forest.

Borno was placed under a state of emergency in mid-May, when the military shut down the mobile phone network to block Islamists from coordinating attacks amid an operation aimed at crushing the insurgency.

With the communication network switched off, details of attacks have been slow to emerge and difficult to verify.

Residents, victims as well as local political leaders have been largely unreachable, with military statements forming the main source of information in the ongoing offensive against Boko Haram. l

9

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Pakistani clerics suggest amendment to blasphemy laws n AFP, Islamabad Pakistan’s top religious clerics Wednesday suggested amendments to the country’s controversial blasphemy laws, proposing the death penalty for people convicted of making false accusations.

Blasphemy is an extremely sensitive issue in Pakistan, where 97% of the population is Muslim, and insulting the Prophet Mohammed can be punished by death under the country’s penal code.

Even unproven allegations can provoke a violent public response, and critics say the law is often used to settle personal scores.

The country’s Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) suggested the government should bring in the death penalty for people convicted of making false accusations of blasphemy.

“All the religious scholars agreed to

Salma alias Fatima (dressed in black), was recently arrested under the blasphemy law, upon the allegations from the Imam of a local mosque REUTERS put an end to the misuse of blasphemy laws,” scholar Allama Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi told AFP. “Keeping in view the suggestions of human rights activists and civil society members, the Council of Ideology has decided to fix the same

penalty for the person who falsely accuses of blasphemy as the accused,” he added.

Ashrafi said the proposed amendment would ensure that “nobody dares to use religion to settle personal scores.”

“The amendment will also silence critics of the blasphemy laws,” he added.

In 2011, Punjab governor Salman Taseer and minorities minister Shahbaz Bhatti were assassinated for demanding that the blasphemy law be reformed.

Asia Bibi, a Christian mother of five, remains in prison after being sentenced to death in November 2010 after another women claimed she had made derogatory remarks toward the Prophet Mohammed.

The council also reversed an earlier decision about the use of DNA as evidence in rape cases, which it had refused to accept. l

What lurks underneath your bed? n Tribune Desk Imagine waking up to the possibility of sticking your feet into a mouth full of razor shar p teeth?

That’s exactly what happened to Guy Whittall, Director at Humani and former Zimbabwean cricketer, when he awoke to find a two-metre crocodile hiding beneath his bed, just inches from where he had slept the night before, British newspaper Daily Mail has reported. A giant weighing 150kb, the Nile crocodile had sneaked into the Humani lodge in Zimbabwe, eventually spending the entire

night lying quietly under Whittall’s bed.

Whittall had been completely oblivious to the crocodile’s presence as it managed to lay there in hiding for more than eight hours overnight. The following morning, he had even gone on to sit and plan his day with his feet dangling off the edge of the bed, only a few centimetres from where the crocodile was.

Whittall was not aware of the beast until his housemaid screamed upon finding it under the bed.

“The really disconcerting thing about the

whole episode is the fact that I was sitting on the edge of the bed that morning, barefoot and just centimetres away from the croc.

Crocodiles are experts at hiding, that’s why they have survived on Earth for so long and why they are the ultimate killers in water.

They know how to keep quiet and go unnoticed, it’s in their nature. The crocodile came from the Turgwe River which is a couple of kilometres from the house. They often wander about the bush especially when it’s cold and raining. I think he liked it under the bed because it was warm,” Daily Mail quoted the

40-year-old as saying.

Whittall called in some of his co-workers and, with their help, removed the crocodile out of the room and back into Humani’s Chigwidi dam.

Mr Whittall said: “Of course he resisted being roped and hauled out from under the bed, that’s only natural. The only real danger is getting bitten because it can’t drown you.

The most important thing is to get its snout roped and secured and then it’s just a matter of restraining it and covering its eyes, to calm it down.” l

British scientist Stephen Hawking backs assisted suicide n AFP, London Stephen Hawking, the British theoretical physicist who suffers from motor neurone disease, has publicly backed the notion of assisted suicide for people with terminal illnesses.

“We don’t let animals suffer, so why humans?” the 71-year-old said in a BBC interview, although he insisted there should be safeguards.

Hawking is regarded as one of the world’s most brilliant living scientists, who shot to popular fame with his 1988 international bestseller “A Brief History of Time”.

He is also known for his disability, having spent most of his life in a wheelchair and speaking through a machine.

Hawking suffers from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a form of motor neurone disease that attacks the nerves controlling voluntary movement.

After suffering from pneumonia, he was once put on a life support machine which his wife was given the option of switching off.

Asked about the idea of assisted sui-

cide, Hawking said: “I think those who have a terminal illness and are in great pain should have the right to choose to end their lives and those that help them should be free from prosecution.”

“We don’t let animals suffer, so why humans?”

“There must be safeguards that the person concerned genuinely wants to end their life and they are not being pressurised into it or have it done without their knowledge or consent, as would have been the case with me.”

‘We don’t let animals suffer, so why humans?’ the 71-year-old said in a BBC interview, although he insisted there should be safeguards He was speaking in an interview aired Tuesday ahead of the premiere of a new film about his life on Thursday, and after the release of a new book last week entitled “My Brief History”. l

A Syrian opposition fighter rests inside a cave at a rebel camp in the Idlib province countryside, Syria. The main Syrian opposition coalition urged the international community to take swift action against the regime of President Bashar Assad in response to a UN finding that the nerve agent sarin was used in a deadly attack near the capital last month AP

Philippine military warns Muslim rebels to surrender ‘Snowden took documents n AFP, Zamboanga Philippine soldiers pursued heavily armed Muslim rebels through the streets and homes of a major city Wednesday, warning they would be killed or captured unless they surrendered.

About 200 members of the Moro National Liberation Front sailed into the southern port city of Zamboanga on September 9 to stake an independence claim and derail peace talks aimed at ending a decades-long insurgency.

Eighty-six MNLF gunmen, as well as 11 soldiers and four civilians have already died in the ensuing conflict, which has seen street battles in neighbourhoods occupied by the rebels as well as military helicopter rocket attacks.

Military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Ramon Zagala said fresh fighting took place Wednesday, and soldiers had orders to “neutralise” the remaining 30-40 rebels, who were roaming through houses in urban areas.

“We will continue with our calibrated military response until they are neutralised, either through being killed or captured, or they surrender,” he told AFP. “We want to let them know there is no dishonour in surrendering, when that saves lives.”

MNLF leader Nur Misuari had report-

Residents affected by the stand-off between government forces and Muslim rebels wash at an evacuation center inside n sports complex in Zamboanga AFP edly called for safe passage for his men back to their island strongholds as part of a failed ceasefire initiative, but President Benigno Aquino rejected the condition.

Zagala emphasised the military was intent on not allowing the remaining rebels to escape, with troops blocking strategic routes out to sea.

Nevertheless, he said the troops could not conduct a full-out assault against the rebels for fear of endangering an unknown number of civilians unable to leave the embattled neigh-

bourhoods.

“We want to finish this in the soonest possible time. But we want to ensure the safety and security of the civilians who are either trapped or being held hostage,” Zagala said.

The rebels have shown no intent to surrender despite being heavily outnumbered, with the military reporting that two more soldiers were killed on Tuesday.

Those deaths occurred as the military achieved one of its biggest breakthroughs, securing the release of more

than 140 civilians after taking back control of some neighbourhoods.

About 100,000 people, or roughly 10% of Zamboanga’s population, have been displaced due to the fighting, while the city has been brought to a standstill with schools closed and transport services suspended.

Muslim rebels have been fighting since the 1970s for an independent or autonomous homeland in the south of the mainly Catholic Philippines. An estimated 150,000 people have died in the conflict.

Muslims regard the southern Mindanao region as their ancestral homeland, although Catholic immigration and population increases over recent decades has made them a minority in many areas.

The MNLF signed a peace treaty in 1996 that granted limited self-rule to the south’s Muslim minority.

However, MNLF troops never gave up all their weapons, as they had agreed, and they have proved an enduring if sporadic security threat in parts of the south.

Misuari deployed his men to Zamboanga to show opposition to a planned peace deal between the government and the remaining major Muslim rebel group, the 12,000-strong Moro Islamic Liberation Front. l

from internal website’ n Reuters, Washington Former security contractor Edward Snowden was able to obtain secret documents revealing a massive US spying effort from the National Security Agency’s internal website, US officials said according to a report on Wednesday.

The classified documents leaked

by Snowden were posted internally, and Snowden’s job allowed him to single-handedly make digital copies without his supervisors’ knowledge, government officials told National Public Radio.

They did not tell NPR how Snowden took copied files out of the office, citing an ongoing investigation.

“We have an extremely good idea of exactly what data he got access to and how exactly he got access to it,” NSA’s chief technology officer, Lonny Anderson, told NPR. Anderson said the agency has taken steps to limit employees’ options for storing data since the NSA surveillance programs were revealed.

“One thing we have done post-media leaks is lock those down hard, so those are all in two-person control areas,” he told NPR’s “Morning Edition” program.

Snowden disclosed secret NSA programs involving the collection of telephone and email data to media outlets, including The Guardian and The Washington Post, which began publishing details in June.

He is wanted on US espionage charges and is living in temporary asylum in Russia.

The NSA disclosures have raised questions about US surveillance efforts and privacy as well as private contractors’ clearance procedures and access to sensitive data.

However, changes to data-sharing could also have national security implications given the push to share more intelligence among agencies after the September 11, 2001, attacks. Information sharing also arose as an issue in the Boston marathon bombing in April.

Anderson said other changes include limiting access to sensitive documents by “tagging” them with identifiers that will also allow supervisors to see who is viewing what data and what those individuals do with it.

The NSA’s internal website still exists but it would not be possible for anyone now to make such copies without risk of detection, he added. l

10 DHAKA TRIBUNE

Editorial

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Letters to

www.dhakatribune.com

the Editor

LETTER OF THE DAY

Quader Molla faces justice

Hefazat ‘divided’ over polls, 13-point movement September 14

I

t should never have come to this. If we look at the crimes that the tribunal found Quader Molla guilty of, and if we compare them to the crimes for which other defendants, both in the war crimes trials and in everyday judicial proceedings in Bangladesh, have received the death penalty, it is hard to argue that the death sentence he has received is excessive or unwarranted.

We do not know on what basis the tribunal originally judged that the crimes committed by Molla did not warrant a death sentence, but it seems fair to say that the sentence handed down on appeal by the Supreme Court appears to be more consistent with the crimes for which he It seems fair to say has been judged guilty by the that the sentence tribunal. handed down The unconventional proceon appeal by the dure through which we arrived Supreme Court at this final judgement, with the appears to be more law being amended retroactively consistent with the to allow the prosecution to apcrimes for which peal both verdict and sentence, he has been judged does not sit well with us, nor the fact that the law appeared to guilty by the tribunal have been amended in response to public pressure, which justice should be immune from.

However, in the final analysis, we cannot say that justice was not done. Quader Molla had been found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt by the tribunal, and, under the law of the land, the appropriate sentence for the crimes that he has been found guilty of, is death.

We hope that justice will continue to proceed in this case, and that the verdict is carried out with neither unseemly haste nor delay, in full accordance with the laws of this land.

A common standard for madrasas

CROSSWORD

The entire process for President Obama hasn’t been pretty. But has the process been messy because of President Obama, or because of the “messy” and “deceptive” politics of the US? It’s not just US politicians who conduct themselves this way; it’s world leaders, too.

Clearly, the Washington establishment is uncomfortable with how the President has done everything, as it looked “so wobbly and haphazard in some of his decision-making process” but, in reality, it’s been different, and the erstwhile law professor played very calm and fiddly. After all, every major development on Syria has looked, at times,

What is really happening at the border?

Very bold editorial!

DOWN 1 Floor coverings (4) 2 Female sheep (3) 3 Letting contract (5) 5 Coating on teeth (6) 6 Be concerned (4) 7 Baking chamber (4) 8 Prepared (5) 10 Worth (5) 16 Second of two (6) 17 Gem (5) 18 Halts (5) 20 Slight error (5) 22 Send out (4) 23 African river (4) 24 Frail (4) 27 Sheltered side (3)

as if the Obama administration was departing from the initial “red line” declaration to the decision to seek congressional authorisation to Kerry’s sceptical suggestion on Syria giving up chemical weapons.

But given the political climate, both in the US as well as in the ME, it isn’t all that easy to make this deal publicly.

He did it, finally, with the help of President Putin, another global leader in the offing who could also successfully offset his “Rambo” image, and emerged as a champ diplomat. If they’re successful at last, both of them deserve the coveted prize. sirajul_islam_1

‘Marketing research is just common sense’ September 16

These are useful tips!

The horses of Bangladesh September 12

Suhrawardy Uddayan used to be a beautiful race course. We cannot let these traditions be lost.

Muhotasim Ahmed The photograph of the boy walking the horse has a painting like quality and it has such a unique universality that no one can tell specifically that this picture is taken in Bangladesh. Proud to be a Bangladeshi.

YB

Be Heard

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The eye one made me speechless. “Wow” for the rest!

Sheikh Jinat Mahmid

Look at its eyes. Can you find the helplessness and sadness?

Aida Majid

Super wow! Wonderful to see and read.

Mariam Ispahani Never knew such beautiful horses still existed in Bangladesh. We should try, not only to maintain these traditions, but to make these events more popular. If I would have known of this, I would have gone there, and so would a thousand others. Once, Dhaka was a city of beautiful horses and elephants.

CALVIN AND HOBBES

PEANUTS

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS Crossword

How to solve Sudoku: 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.

scfbd.net

Great interview. Very inspiring.

Farhad Mahmud

WK

Send us your Op-Ed articles: opinion@dhakatribune.com

Rick

The empathy, with which the writers have talked about the country, makes me immensely happy and somewhat sad at the same time. I hope you guys grow up in a better Bangladesh than the one we have known. I hope your innocence never withers.

Adnan

September 15

SUDOKU ACROSS 1 Dissolve (4) 4 Interior decoration (5) 9 Respectful fear (3) 11 Part of a church (4) 12 Tantalise (5) 13 Region (4) 14 Repair (4) 15 Select group (5) 19 Coral isle (5) 21 Camping item (4) 25 Leave out (4) 26 Fruit (5) 28 Heap (4) 29 Briny (3) 30 Harsh (5) 31 Period of time (4)

Very well written for a 12/15 year old.

September 13

Email us at: letters@dhakatribune.com

T

September 14

Is this why Obama won the Nobel Prize?

Write to us at: Dhaka Tribune FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath Sukrabad, Dhaka-1207

he best way forward for our Qawmi madrasas is to accept government regulation that enforces a common national standard in their school curriculum. Such a move would be beneficial to madrasa students as well as the country as a whole.

A recommendation titled the Qawmi Madrasa Education Policy was submitted by a government committee to bring madrasa education more in line with the mainstream. The policy would introduce a six-tier education system and would also mandate the inclusion of subjects like English and social science, as well as a provision for women’s education. Such a move would be a step in the right direction.

Bangladesh can take a lesson from the Indonesian model, where Islamic schools are wideBangladesh can take spread, but do not offer a lesser a lesson from the education, instead integrating Indonesian model, modern scientific education where Islamic schools and standardised tests into the are widespread, but curriculum. do not offer a lesser Qawmi madrasa teachers and education students have said they would resist any efforts to regulate the Qawmi system, going so far as to say they would “sacrifice blood” to preserve their “uniqueness.”

These calls for resistance are counterproductive and are likely to hold back the prospects of madrasa students when it comes to the competitive job market.

As things stand now, the Qawmi system grants certificates that are not recognised by any authority, cutting these students out of the mainstream workforce, and dooming them to a future of very limited options.

Madrasas have every right to operate, and proposed regulations should not be seen as an anti-madrasa step. The notion that the Qawmi system is its own authority and should stay outside of common national standards is an outdated one and should be scrapped.

What will Bangladesh be like in 2040?

Whoa, what’s this? I thought they wouldn’t and couldn’t participate in elections, not without registering themselves as a political entity at least. If affiliated people can run from other registered platforms, then that’s their business. But can Hefazat run under its own name?

Adnan

Code-Cracker

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Op-Ed

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SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

Popular actions, unpopular government

Thursday, September 19, 2013

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n Mamun Rashid cabinet member called me late at night the other day.

The person has, for long, been a family friend. He thought all well wishers of the ruling party should unite and support them again, so that they can face the “not so worthy” opposition.

The gentleman could not figure out why, with so much development work done and people friendly activities carried out, the ruling party stalwarts failed to receive public support in the city corporation polls.

He spoke about the Barisal city corporation elections and gave a long list of development works done by the government: more than double power generation, flyovers, roads and culverts, railways and waterways development, among many.

He went on talking about Digital Bangladesh, promotions of thousands of government officials, enrolling thousands of rural schools for direct funding from the government, recruitment of various junior officials and support staff and an all-out support for women empowerment.

The ruling party totally forgot about the role of a strong opposition in democracy. Their activities were geared towards branding the opposition as a fascist party entirely deemphasising the pluralist side of democracy The gentleman is very intelligent. He didn’t forget to tell me that 38 out of the 39 generals of the Bangladesh army were promoted during this government.

Similar things happened in other forces too. Thousands of crores of taka have been allocated for modernisation of the armed forces. He went on listing other good jobs done by the government.

I was very puzzled and was almost resolved that the present government should naturally win the next election.

However, I held on to my breath and decided to put in some constructive criticism about the government. I must

thank him, unlike many of his friends and colleagues in the party, he decided to lend me his ears.

I thought the disconnect started with: allocation of all the good cabinet roles to relatively junior folks, while dedicated, senior party leaders became alienated from the core and were denied space in the party; picking some less knowledgeable, and more importantly, defocused persons for top regulatory roles; allocating many influential roles to the erstwhile leftist colleagues; letting the arrogant and retired public servants dictate the terms for elected public representatives – all of these have left many dedicated party stalwarts suffering from a crisis of identity.

I also thought that the ruling party and its key leaders should never have allowed a personal fight between a lawyer and a Nobel laureate to enter the public domain, and should not have diverted all their energy to undermine a single person so respected by the global community.

When the gentleman said he could not make out why and how educated people can support a political party hobnobbing with the anti-liberation forces, my one line reply was: sympathy for the “marginalised.”

The party in power wanted to kill the opposition. They were denied two more seats in the front row of the parliament. While all the cases lodged against their own party men during the interim government were withdrawn, they did not allowed the law to take its own course when it came to people in the opposition.

The ruling party totally forgot about the role of a strong opposition in democracy. Their activities were geared towards branding the opposition as a fascist party while entirely de-emphasising the pluralist side of democracy.

And it has not only been the opposition; despite being a democratic party, the ruling party has left very little space for the civil society and many respected individuals to breathe in the corridor.

They are often alleged to have put the wrong people in the right job based on

personal and political considerations.

Despite being a predominantly Muslim country; their relationship with the biggies in the Muslim world has been dented significantly. They have also lost respect from Europeans or North Americans. “India love” also didn’t work at all.

The cabinet member who rang me is a good-hearted person. He almost accepted all the allegations but posed a return question to me: will the situation change with the new government?

I was very puzzled and was almost resolved that the present government would naturally win the next election He thought it is going to be the same, if not worse. He strongly felt that, despite a change of guard, the mediocre government officers will continue to grab good positions on political considerations, businessmen, close to the political order, will become loan defaulters, the disciplined forces would be blamed for weak chain of command, and inefficient academics will be granted senior commercial roles and so on. It is going to be old wine in a new bottle, he strongly felt.

My voice became very feeble. Our martyrs who fought a valiant freedom fight deserved better than this. They did not expect the politics of this country to deteriorate in this way. Our vibrant youths didn’t expect this. Our hard working entrepreneurs have not earned this.

We need to change the course. We need to dream better and truly believe: “Dream is not what you get to see in sleep, dream is what does not let you sleep.”

We want our politicians and our change drivers also to join the dream for a better Bangladesh and then in every way possible to walk the talk. l Mamun Rashid is a business professor and financial sector entrepreneur.

11

Progress, in slow motion n FS Aijazuddin

W

atching Pakistan progress over the past sixty-six years has been like viewing a 16 mm movie projected in slow motion. Each frame of its history inches forward with images of Technicolor democracy spliced between sepia sections of military rule, and occasionally interposed between them, short spurts of interim governments. The residual impression is one of disjointed sequences, put together by a ham-handed, unskilled editor.

Over six and a half decades, it has taken four governors-general and eleven presidents (and two acting presidents) to have a president who could complete a full five-year term.

It has taken 17 prime ministers (excluding six who officiated on an interim basis) and there is yet to be one who has been able to or allowed to complete his term. Shaukat Aziz will claim that he was the exception, but his longevity as prime minister came less from a public mandate than the patience of his mentor, General Pervez Musharraf.

And it has taken a number of assemblies/Majlis-e-Shoora to reach a point of maturity where a national assembly could complete its full five-year term.

Pakistan’s political history can be summed up in a phrase: Democracy delayed, or denied, or decried.

It has now, however, reached the level that India had in 1977 when Mrs Indira Gandhi, following her post-emergency electoral defeat, handed over power (reluctantly) to the Janata Party, and three years later, in 1980, following its rejection at the polls by a disgruntled public, the Janata Party returned the favour.

Such orderly transitions are the litmus-test of democracy. “Any fool can hold elections,” an Indian parliamentarian explained at the time, “that is simply a matter of logistics. The true test of our maturity as a democracy, was when Mrs Gandhi lost and she handed the reins of government to the Janata Party, and then when Janata lost, they gave power back to her.”

In that sense, the Indians learned the finer lessons of Westminster-style parliamentary traditions comparatively quickly. It took the British themselves the decapitation of a king (Charles I), the deposing of another (his second son James II), and the abdication of a third (Edward VIII) to calibrate the relationship between the monarchy and the parliament to its present equipoise. And it took hundreds of years before MPs at Westminster learned to use parliamentary language without faltering into invective.

The general elections of 2008 introduced an innovation in Pakistan’s parliamentary menu that had never been tasted before – the bitter herb of coalition. That has now become standard fare, at tables both at the provincial and at the federal level.

Coalitions are now unavoidable just as once, not so long ago, All Party Conferences were popular. These androgynous APCs were in fact an euphemism applied to opposition parties that united temporarily to form an anti-government front, either to confront the government on a particular issue, or in an attempt to oust it.

Such moves were understandable.

Nothing can be more disheartening to a political party than not be able to see the horizon of government, especially if they have previously been in power.

“Opposition,” Roy Hattersley, a British politician whose Labour Party had experienced eighteen years (1979-1997) on the wrong side of the Despatch Box in the House of Commons, “is four or five years’ humiliation in which there is no escape from the indignity of no longer controlling events.”

The latest All Party Conference convened by Mian Nawaz Sharif’s government has nobler motives. It seeks to share responsibility at a multiparty level for decisions regarding national security and to discuss proposals for talks with the Taliban. It is a new twist to the concept of collective security, a phrase applied originally to geo-politics at an international level. The concept was that of a Roman fasces - the strength of a bundle of rods over one - or the motto E Unum Pluribus (out of many, one).

In a domestic context, security is necessarily collective. It affects every part and every party in the country. In theory, therefore, collective decisions by the APC should coalesce disparate interests; in practice, they will be suspect, seen as a ruse by the government to share part of the blame.

It has taken 17 prime ministers (excluding six who officiated on an interim basis) and there has yet to be one who has been able to or allowed to complete his term

The hardest task for the government will be to bring and retain all the parties on the same platform. The challenge for the political parties will be the extent to which they are prepared to subordinate their own interests to a common good.

Linked to the APC on security, is the recent metamorphosis of the former Defence Committee of the Cabinet (DCC) into a Cabinet Committee on National Security (CCNS). The mandate of the CCNS will be “to formulate a national security policy what will become the guiding framework for its subsidiary policies – defence policy, foreign policy, internal security policy, and other policies affecting national security.”

The CCNS will be fed policy options by specialised sub-committees which will be able to draw upon the expertise of specialists and information gathered by intelligence agencies operating within and outside the country. It is the sort of radial power that President Vladimir Putin (once czar of the KGB) commands from the Kremlin across the Russian Federation.

Its success will depend largely on the attitude of General Kayani’s successor as chief of Army staff and the cooperation of Pakistan’s hydra-headed intelligence agencies.

Failure could attract criticism as derisive as Dr Akbar Ahmed’s recent definition of post 9/11 US governments: “the mediocre leading the confused in pursuit of the dubious.”

FS Aijazuddin is the author of more than a dozen books. Article first published by Dawn.

Internet for all moves Bangladesh ahead n Sigve Brekke

T

his week, Bangladesh made a significant leap towards a mobile, digital future. Nationwide 3G will extend the power and the opportunities of the Internet to millions of Bangladeshis. Just like mobile connectivity is for everyone, Internet is for all.

Imagine a Bangladesh where a teenager in Natore can surf Wikipedia or stream CNN to get updated information for a school assignment. A Bangladesh, where youth in rural villages can download the latest Harry Potter novel as soon as it’s published online, or make Facebook friends in Serbia, Ghana or Mexico.

Imagine a Bangladesh where a chronically ill patient in Baliadangi can avail instant advice from specialists in Dhaka. Or where a farmer in Jessore can get agricultural advice at his service every day Imagine a Bangladesh where a chronically ill patient in Baliadangi can avail instant advice from specialists in Dhaka. Or where a farmer in Jessore can get agricultural advice at his service every day, and have instant access to profits, savings and insurance through a

trusted banking system. Some of these are already reality, some will soon be realised. All of them – and much more – will be possible in a digital Bangladesh.

For the past 16 years, Grameenphone and Telenor Group have been working to deliver mobile connectivity to mass market consumers across Bangladesh.

With a mission to help make Bangladesh moves ahead, our success to date has been built on a simple realisation: mobile communication is not a luxury good for the few. It’s for everyone.

Today, about 110m people in Bangladesh have a mobile connection. Dhaka is one of the fastest growing cities in the world on Facebook and internet traffic is growing by the day. Grameenphone’s number of data subscribers is up 60% over the past year, and data traffic is increasing steadily. Bangladeshis are ready for mobile broadband connectivity.

This week’s 3G auction marks an important mile-stone in the mobile era, and is a leap towards the country’s ambitious plans for a “Digital Bangladesh.”

With several competitors winning rights to offer mobile broadband (3G), customers can expect healthy competition and increasingly affordable rates for higher quality services. This means more connectivity for more people.

Bangladesh today has a robust mobile infrastructure. Leading operators like Grameenphone have invested significantly in building a modern telecoms network, and we are now ready to quickly roll out high-speed data services.

Beyond the obvious benefits for individuals and rural communities, instant connectivity will enable small and medium enterprises to more easily communicate with a global audience and serve customers worldwide. And imagine the dynamism and production that come out of a better connected, stronger and more innovative ICT community.

Mobile connectivity has a positive impact on people, business and societies. Studies conducted by Boston Consulting Group show a direct correlation between mobile penetration and GDP growth – a 10% increase in mobile penetration bring on average 1.2% increase in GDP. Internet connectivity brings with it a multiplier effect, and is expected to have an impact of 3-6% on GDP. As we are extending the opportunities of mobile Internet to everyone, we as mobile operators also have a responsibility to keep consumers safe online. In Telenor Group’s markets alone, 100m

Cell-phones have been the major carriers of Bangladesh’s Internet penetration DHAKA TRIBUNE children will go online over the next four years.

While the benefits of the Internet far outweigh the risks, building a healthy awareness and understanding of the Internet both among children and their parents is a responsibility we all share.

Telenor Group has been a proud contributor to the Bangladeshi telecoms revolution for almost two decades. As one of the world’s major mobile operators, we bring global partnerships and international resources and experience

to Grameenphone. Our relationships with the Internet’s major content providers and search engines will help bring the full benefits of mobile internet to everyone in Bangladesh.

Together, Grameenphone and Telenor Group will continue building a digital future for all in Bangladesh. Congratulations on taking this first step.

There is so much more to come. l Sigve Brekke is the executive vice-president of Telenor group and the chairperson of the Grameenphone Ltd board of directors.

12

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Entertainment

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Concert for Savar Tragedy victims n Punny Kabir A charity concert named “Made in Bangladesh” will be held tomorrow at Saffron, Gulshan 2. The event is intended to raise fund for the victims of the Savar Tragedy.

Warfaze, a leading band which has been entertaining the nation for almost three decades, will be the main attraction of the show. The drummer of the band Tipu shares his views about charity with Dhaka Tribune: “We always welcome causes that stand for humanity. We are looking forward to have a successful show so that Maya Foundation will get a handsome amount to help the victims of the Rana Plaza collapse.”

Tipu added that the band will pres-

ent an array of hit songs including “Boshe Achhi,” “Moharaj,” “Jibondhara” and more from their new album.

The show will also feature popular band Pentagon and renowned singer Elita.

Recently Maya Foundation organised a similar event in Canada to raise fund for Savar Tragedy victims. Now the foundation is planning its first event in Bangladesh and will donate the money to the victims directly.

Maya Foundation, an association of Canadian-Bangladeshis, aims to stay beside those who are the victims of natural or preventable disasters around the world. They want to spread awareness among the people of the world about the victims of disasters and seek help on their behalf. l

TODAY IN DHAKA Exhibition Conflict Within – Ascending Figures

By KS Radhakrishnan 12pm to 8pm Bengal Art Lounge 60 Gulshan Avenue Road 131, Gulshan 1 Verses Written Through Water

By Anisuzzaman 12pm to 8pm Institute of Asian Creative, Gulshan 2

Prachyanat will stage Bon Manush at 7pm today as part of the festival

SADIA MARIUM

Mohakal Natya Sampradaya celebrates 30 years in theatre n Afrose Jahan Chaity A thirteen-day theatre festival by Mohakal Natya Sampradaya has begun yesterday at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.

The theatre troupe celebrates its 30 years in theatre through the festival which is a part of Mohakal’s yearlong programme marking the event.

Eminent theatre activist Ramendu Majumder inaugurated the festival as chief guest. Theatre personalities Mamunur Rashid, Sara Zaker, Nasiruddin Yousuff, M Hamid, and director general of BSA Liaquat Ali Lucky spoke at the event as special guests. The opening speech was delivered by Mohammad Shahnewaz, a member of the festival committee. Afzal Hossain was the

convener of the inaugural ceremony.

The opening session was a rendezvous of theatre activists from all across the country.

Thirty theatre troupes including Mohakaal Natya Sampradaya from Bangladesh and six theatre troupes from India will stage a staggering number of 40 plays in the festival. Dhaka Theatre, Aranyak, Nagarik Natya Sampraday, Desh Natok, Loko Natyadal and a number of other local troupes are participating in the festival. The theatre productions will be staged at 7pm everyday at four different venues — National Theatre Hall, Experimental Theatre Hall, Studio Theatre Hall of Shilpakala Academy and the auditorium of Chhayanaut.

The festival is divided into three sections—the first four days feature

Sohel exhibits anguish through his artworks n Shadma Malik

social, political and economic field .

Sohel’s criticism of the concept of consumerism and avariciousness is dominant in his artworks, the entire showcasing is a bold representation of the distortions and extortions of the present day.

Sohel has explored the artist within himself and opted to take an “out of the box” step by not choosing his subject to be flower, landscape or abstract composition of sheer colours in his first major show.

The artist developed his language of art, by working for a long time in this series. Sohel worked with acrylic, water colour, pigment pen and computer graphics. His artworks of white human images in the black model board paper give a 3D effect.

About the exhibition, the artist says: “I have done my work in a simplistic manner, so that my message is clear to the mass. I feel blessed to be an artist and am grateful that I have my own language to communicate with the mass and take part in the development of the society.”

Sohel completed his BFA from Institute of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka in 1996 and participated in numerous group exhibitions, in both home and abroad. l

“Agony of Ecstasy,” the first solo exhibition of Anisuzzaman Sohel is on at the Dhaka Art Center till September 22, with Wakilur Rahman acting as the curator of the show. The substantial collection displayed is quite thought provoking and intriguing. The pieces lack the usual serene beauty of art, but some of the artworks have a rather grotesque and fascinating appeal to them.

The artist has focused on the materialistic aspects and the negative effects of globalisation. He demands the attention of the audience by representing the horrid reality of the uber consumerist society where people are exploited without being aware of it.

The exhibit has the power to extract the viewers from their comfort zone and wonder about the exploitation and reality behind the glitzy façades posed to attract the mass. It raises questions and prompts the viewers to delve deeper into Sohel’s artistic perspective.

The title of the exhibition “Agony of Ecstasy” is a literal interpretation and in many of the pieces displayed, the artist conveyed that human being are suffocated by the material reality and interpreted money as a pistol or bullet in the battle of

foreign plays, second four days feature plays of Rabindranath Tagore and the remaining last five days feature local productions.

Mohakal will premiere its latest production Prometheus on September 27 at Chhayanaut auditorium.

Prachyanat, a leading theatre troupe of the country, will stage its 27th production “Bon Manush” at the National Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy today. The play is a translated version of American playwright Eugene O’ Neill’s “The Hairy Ape” and is directed by Baqar Bokul.

Bunon Theatre will stage “Chaka” at the Experimental Theatre Hall of BSA and Nandikar, a theatre troupe from Chittagong, will stage Paap Punya at the auditorium of Chhayanaut. l

n Entertainment Desk Actor Ileana D’Cruz, who began her career in Bollywood with “Barfi,” said she was proud to be part of the team and that it was an honour and privilege and a matter of pride to get worldwide recognition through the film. She received critical appreciation and the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut for the film.

She is an established Telegu cinema actor with super hits like “Devadasu,” “Pokiri,” “Jalsa,” “Kick” and “Julayi,” under her belt.

Her recent big Bollywood film is with Shahid Kapoor called “Phata Poster Nikla Hero.” She seems to be having fun with co-star Shahid Kapoor with the two cracking plenty of jokes at each other’s expense. The petite actor says that her voice is a bit hoarse these days, thanks to the never-ending round of promotional appearances that she has made for her film.

While she is constantly in the limelight, Ileana says she is actually a private person: “I get a lot of satisfaction being in my own space, just being by myself. I think that happens when you spend so much time on the sets with so many people, you begin to value your space. In fact, if you ask me what my favourite activities are, I would say cooking and cleaning.”

While she has been making news on the professional front, there has been a lot of buzz about her personal life too, with rumours that she’s dating a foreigner.

As of now, the actor says that she is completely focused on the three films in her kitty. She says, “Next, I’m doing ‘Main Tera Hero’ with Varun Dhawan and ‘Happy Ending’ with Saif Ali Khan. Both are different in their own way. My plate’s full, that’s all I can accommodate — but I hope another ‘Barfi!’ comes my way soon.” l

ABC found fantasy genre success with “Once Upon a Time,” NBC with “Grimm,” and now Fox hopes to join them with “Sleepy Hollow.” The pilot episode, written by Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci (best known for their collaborations with JJ Abrams, including co-creating Fringe) and Phillip Iscove and directed by Len Wiseman (Underworld) moves quickly to set up what looks to be an enjoyable mix of action and horror with a healthy dose of humour.

Dropping us right into the midst of a ferocious Revolutionary War battle in 1781, Ichabod Crane, played by Tom

Neuralgic Window

by Mustapha Khalid Palash 10am to 8pm Athena Gallery AJ Heights Cha-72/1/D Uttor Badda Progoti Soroni Road Film Despicable Me 2 3D The Lone Ranger Oz The Great and Powerful Nishwartha Bhalobasa Jurassic Park in 3D Star Cineplex Basundhara City CORRIGENDUM Aparajita airs on RTV In the news item titled “Drama series Aparajita airs on ETV tonight” published on September 18, the name of the TV station was mistakenly mentioned as ETV. The drama series Aparajita is actually shown on RTV. We regret the error.

Paromita Mitra in today’s Soundorjo Kotha n Entertainment Desk The gorgeous and stunning Paromita Mitra, also known as Miss Mississippi 2013, will be the guest of today’s episode of “Soundorjo Kotha” to be aired on Banglavision at 9:05pm.

In the beauty show, Mitra will talk about her beauty secrets and will give suggestions to audience about beautification.

Paromita Mitra, first Bangladeshi-American to take part in Miss

Fox hopes to find success Ileana D’Cruz claims to be a with series Sleepy Hollow private person n Entertainment Desk

Agony with Ecstasy

by Anisuzzaman Sohel 3pm to 8pm Dhaka Art Centre House 60, Road 7A, Dhanmondi

Mison, comes face-to-face with a gigantic masked horseman and shoots him down. In case there was any doubt that this will not be a historical drama, the horseman promptly rises back up like Jason Voorhees and relentlessly keeps coming until Ichabod manages to behead him, but not before being (mortally?) wounded himself. He wakes up to find himself wandering about in 2013 and the show is off and running.

Meanwhile local cop Abbie Mills (Nicole Beharie) is introduced as she’s a week away from transferring out of town to train in Quantico, but it’s an open question as to whether she’s moving onward and upward or simply running away from her past. l

USA, represented her home state of Mississippi at the pageant. Mitra is a first-generation immigrant from Bangladesh. She went to the United States in 1992 when she was 1 year old. Her family later returned to Bangladesh, but moved to Hattiesburg permanently when Mitra was 5.

Besides focusing on Mitra’s lifestyle, the show will also talk about wedding shopping, diet, doctor’s consultation on beauty, stylish local celebrities and more. l

Karan Johar and RGV’s war of words n Entertainment Desk Karan Johar and Ram Gopal Varma have a history of engaging in Twitter wars but the “My Name Is Khan” director says he now wants to pick on someone else as RGV is “so last season” in his life.

Johar, 41, said their exchange of words on Twitter is just for fun.

“It is fun. We are having fun actually. It is war of words for everyone’s entertainment. According to me, right now, I really want to find a new filmmaker to pick on because he is so last season in my life,” Johar, who was in Delhi to promote “The Lunchbox,” said when asked about his Twitter exchange with RGV on Teachers Day. Varma, 51, had initiated the fight by poking fun at Johar’s 2012 hit film “Student of The Year” on Teachers’ Day. “If someone takes off from Karan Johar’s ‘Student of the year’ and makes Teacher of the year it will become the Disaster of the year,” RGV had tweeted.

Johar had promptly tweeted: “Disaster of the year is your territory Ramu, no one can ever replace the comfortable place you have made for yourself there.”

It was not for the first time that the two filmmakers fought on Twitter. In 2010, RGV had made fun of Johar’s “My Name is Khan.”

Johar has collaborated with Disney-UTV for the Ritesh Batra directed “The Lunchbox,” which hits theatres on September 20 with 600 prints in India. l

Did you know?

Wayne Rooney scored his 200th goal for Manchester United in their Champions League match against Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday

Sport

14 Ronaldo, Rooney star on good night for Euro giants

13

Thursday, September 19, 2013

DHAKA TRIBUNE

14 David Moyes salutes ‘worldclass’ Rooney

15 Ten Doeschate seals second win for Otago

Naveed sees potential for Bangladesh hockey n Raihan Mahmood

McLaren Mercedes' British driver Jenson Button (2L) competes against school children in a remote controlled race car during a promotional event ahead of the upcoming Formula One Singapore Grand Prix night race yesterday. The Formula One Singapore Grand Prix will be held from September 20 to 22 AFP

Radwanska powers through n AFP, Seoul Polish top seed Agnieszka Radwanska breezed through her first round match in the Seoul WTA tournament here Tuesday, brushing aside Romania’s Alexandra Cadantu in straight sets.

The 2012 Wimbledon finalist and world number four started off tentatively in the first set, but soon found her stride and finally overpowered Cadantu 6-4, 6-0.

Russian second seed Maria Kirilenko also made short work of her first round opponent, Chan Chin-Wei of Taiwan, with a brisk 6-3, 6-3 victory.

Kirilenko, who received treatment on her knee after the first set, said she

was confident her fitness would hold out for the rest of the tournament.

“Injuries happen sometimes. I was in quite a bit of pain at one point, but I played through it and it subsided,” she said.

To the delight of the home crowd, the surprise of the round was provided by wildcard entrant Jang Su-Jeong, who ousted the fourth-seeded Czech Klara Zakopalova in little more than an hour, 6-3, 6-1. “I felt I had nothing to lose, so just went for my strokes,” the South Korean said. “The crowd were great and helped me a lot,” she added.

Japan’s Kimiko Date-Krumm, who won the Seoul title in 2009, came back from a set down to defeat Britain’s Heather Watson 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. l

The head coach of the Bangladesh national hockey team Pakistani Naveed Alam believes Bangladesh can go far in international hockey if the infrastructure and the federation go through positive changes.

Speaking about the team’s performance at the Asia Cup and his three months in the country, Naveed said that all the ingredients for development already existed but the system had to change before the team’s results improved. “I felt some indiscipline in the team and the major problem behind this is Bangladesh national hockey team does not have a pipeline of players.

There are some players whose places appear to be cemented and because of that, they try to dictate terms.

If there are a pipeline of the players, there would have been competition slots in the national team and the players would have been on their toes, a coach then would have the power to omit the players who are not disciplined,” he said.

The coach thought that young players should be groomed more thoroughly. “All over the world where hockey is played, there are the shadow national teams. I mean the youth team, the A team and the age level teams. Players get groomed though these teams and

BCB send letters to DSAs and clubs n Minhaz Uddin Khan

submit the names of the representatives by September 24.

“It will probably take another two The Bangladesh Cricket Board began dispatching the letters to the Clubs, weeks after we receive the name of the District and Divisional Sports Associa- councilors to complete the other fortions asking for the names of the coun- malities in order to hold the election,” cilors for the upcoming board election. he said.

The letters are being sent through “We have started distributing the letter for the councillorship today courier while others are disbursed (yesterday). Hopefully by tomorrow through hand-to-hand and notes of the (today) it will reach the concerned au- receivers are being kept by the BCB. A three-member election commisthority,” informed BCB’s acting CEO Nizam Uddin Chowdhury to the media sion has formed by NSC with director general of BKSP Brig Gen Emadul yesterday.

The BCB CEO also informed that the Haque as the cheif election commisDSAs and the clubs have been asked to sioner. l

are ready when the call comes to put on the national jersey.

“They have to change their playing habits. Hockey is a team game and a moment of selfishness can destroy momentum. You need long term training and the players would have to start from an early age. I have prescribed a development program based on time phase to the hockey federation. Unless you get under a long tern system, it will be almost impossible to change the scenario,” he said.

The coach also noted the lack of proper training facilities. “There are no gymnasiums. Nowadays, the goal keeping practice machine is more than essential to prepare the goalkeepers to cope with international challenges. I would say that Bangladesh conceded seven goals against India off penalty corners and I felt the vacuum when the goals were scored,” he said. “Coaches with the concept of modern hockey is also a major requirement.”

Naveed, who had been contracted for six months, is scheduled to leave Dhaka for a month long vacation on Saturday. He is supposed to return to Dhaka after the Eid-ul Azha. “I have conducted a coaches training program and worked with the U-16 team. I believe that Bangladesh can go further, you have to start the re-modeling process and the sooner that happens, the better.” l

DPL matches pushed back n Minhaz Uddin Khan The Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis (CCDM) yesterday rescheduled the third and fourth round matches of the Dhaka Premier League due to the 48-hour strike.

The first three games of the third round which were supposed to be played today - Victoria Sporting Club versus Brothers Union, Gazi Tank Cricketers versus Kalabagan Krira Chakra and Prime Bank Cricket Club versus Cricket Coaching School – have been shifted to tomorrow. The other three games of the round will be played on September 22.

Round four matches are now scheduled to be held on September 24 and 26.l

Training camp for young Tigers

Pakistan’s acting chairman threatens to quit

Fact Finding Committee starts investigation

n Minhaz Uddin Khan

Najam Sethi, caretaker chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), said on Tuesday he would quit if the courts continued to interfere with his job.

Sethi has been stopped by the Islamabad High Court from carrying out his full duties and ordered to hold new board elections.

“I can’t pick the chief selector nor any of the selectors or take any decisions for Pakistan cricket,” he told the Geo News channel.

“No one is listening to us and we have a series against South Africa ahead of us,” he added in reference to next month’s matches in the United Arab Emirates.

“We have challenged the court decision and it will be heard on the 23rd of this month. If for some reason the hearing is not held I will then go to the Prime Minister.

“I will give him my resignation because I can’t afford to carry on like this,” said Sethi. In July, the court prevented Sethi from exercising his full duties after he was appointed acting chairman by the government. l

n Raihan Mahmood

The Bangladesh Cricket Board yesterday announced a three-week training camp for the U-16 and U-17 squads. The camp will begin of September 21 at the SAHARA-BCB National Cricket Academy.

The Board has requested the selected cricketers to report at the Mirpur Krira Palli on September 20.

U-17 Squad Openers: Omar Farooque (Dhaka Metro), Pinak Ghosh (Dhaka North), Asadullah Al-Galib (Sylhet), Md. Wahiduzzaman (Rajshahi), Oli Ahmed (Barisal) Middle orders: Shafiul Hayat (BKSP), Abbas Musa (BKSP), Sakib Al Sani (Dhaka North), Tonmoy Hassan (Dhaka Metro), Raihan Morshed (Dhaka North) Wicketkeepers: Jaker Ali (BKSP), Mahidul Islam (Dhaka Metro), Rabbi Hasan (Dhaka Metro) Pacer bowlers: Shahibul Motin (Dhaka North), Kazi Anik Islam (Dhaka

Metro), Nahid Islam (Rangpur), Mahidul Islam (Dhaka Metro), Salman Hasan (Barisal), Habibullah Habib (BKSP), Abdul Halim (BKSP) Spinners: Fahim Binhad (Dhaka South), Istiyak Ashraf (Dhaka Metro), Nayeem Hasan (Chittagong), Rahad Sharkar (BKSP) U-16 Squad Openers: Afif Hossain (BKSP), Aryan Fahim (Dhaka Metro), Rayan Rafsan Rahman (Dhaka South), Shakil Islam (Rangpur), Shartaz Aziz Khan (BKSP) Middle orders: Aminul Islam (BKSP), Jalal Uddin (Khulna), S. M Shahriar (Dhaka South), Asadur Rahman (Dhaka North) Wicketkeeper: Md. Sumon Ali (Khulna) Pacer bowlers: Yasin Arafat (BKSP), Golam Rabbi (Chittagong), Sheikh Alif Akhter (Khulna), Maidul Islam (BKSP), Shahriar Rahman (Dhaka North) Spinners: Siddikur Rahman (BKSP), Monirul Islam (Chittagong), Mejbaur Rahman (BKSP), Kazi Reazul Islam (BKSP), Hamim Haider (Dhaka Metro) l

n Reuters, Karachi

Bangladesh Football Federation’s Saff Championship Fact Finding Committee began their investigation yesterday by interviewing four team officials at the BFF House.

The team leader of the Saff Championship squad Sheikh Md. Maruf Hasan, goalkeeping coach Kees Kalk and fitness coach Muhammet Yamali appeared before the committee that is made up of BFF vice presidents Badal Roy and Tabith Awal and executive

National football team’s Dutch trainer Muhammet Yamali, (R) faces the BFF Fact Finding Committee at the BFF House yesterday COURTESY

committee member Shamsul Haque Chowdhury.

Chairman of the committee Badal Roy spoke to the press after the interviews. “We have started our work and hope to finish the formalities and to submit the report within seven days,” he said.

Badal said the goalkeeping coach was not happy with the goalkeeper and blamed him for conceding a few goals.

When asked about the injuries that occurred after two months training, Badal said some of the players had limitations and since skipper Mammunul Islam’s injury was not severe, the team management decided to wait until the last moment to see if he would have been fit to play.

Badal also said the Maruf Hasan recommended naming the team leader well in advance since a late appointing of the post makes it difficult to adjust with the players.

The committee will query players Mamunul Islam, Zahid Hasan Emily, Waly Faisal and Atikur Rahman Mishu today. l

14

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Ronaldo, Rooney star on good night for Euro giants n AFP, Paris Defending European champions Bayern Munich cruised to a 3-0 victory over CSKA Moscow on Tuesday as fellow European giants Manchester United and Real Madrid went goal crazy.

The Bavarians carried on from where they left off last season in the May final at Wembley as Austria leftback David Alaba got Pep Guardiola’s side off to a flying start in their Group D clash with a stunning fourth-minute free-kick.

Croatia striker Mario Mandzukic then knocked home an Arjen Robben free-kick, despite television replays suggesting three Munich players were offside, four minutes before half-time.

Robben wrapped up the scoring midway through the second half from the excellent Alaba’s lofted pass.

Wayne Rooney chalked up 200 goals for United with a brace as the English champions cantered to victory at Old Trafford in manager David Moyes’s Champions League group-stage debut against Bayer Leverkusen.

Beaten 4-2, it could have been worse for the visitors as both United’s star forwards Rooney and Robin van Persie incredibly missed open goals, although the Germans also hit the woodwork in a thrilling Group A encounter.

After the break Simon Rolfes’s deflected strike, which was going wide until it hit Michael Carrick, brought the Germans level, only for Van Persie’s acrobatic volley to restore United’s lead.

Rooney made amends for his earlier miss by taking advantage of a defensive error to beat Leno at his near post. Valencia then rounded off a vintage United counter-attack with a sizzling low drive that seemed to go through Leno.

Omer Toprak pulled back another goal, but there was still time for Van Persie to prod wide a Valencia cross

Fixtures Valencia (ESP) v Swansea (ENG) St Gallen (SUI) v Krasnodar (RUS) Zagreb (CRO) v Odessa (UKR) PSV (NED) v Ludogorets (BUL) Salzburg (AUT) v Elfsborg (SWE) Liege (BEL) v Esbjerg (DEN) Waregem (BEL) v Wigan (ENG) Maribor (SLO) v Rubin Kazan (RUS) Fiorentina (ITA) v Ferreira (POR) Pandurii (ROU) v Dnipro (UKR) Frankfurt (GER) v Bordeaux (FRA) Tel-Aviv (ISR) v APOEL (CYP) Kiev (UKR) v Genk (BEL) Thun (SUI) v Rapid (AUT) Freiburg (GER) v Liberec (CZE) Estoril (POR) v Sevilla (ESP) Real Betis (ESP) v Lyon (FRA) Guimaraes (POR) v Rijeka (CRO) Limassol (CYP) v Trabzonspor (TUR) Lazio (ITA) v Warsaw (POL) Tiraspol (MKD) v Anzhi (RUS) Tottenham (ENG) v Tromso (NOR) PAOK (GRE) v Karagandy (KAZ) Haifa (ISR) v Alkmaar (ESP)

and outdo Rooney for worst open-goal miss of the night. Madrid went two better than United as Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick in a crushing 6-1 win at Galatasaray in Group B. Isco opened the scoring for the Spaniards, for whom Gareth Bale made his Champions League debut in the famous white shirt as a secondhalf substitute, while Karim Benzema netted a brace.

In other games Manchester City got their first Champions League win for two years with a comfortable 3-0 success at Viktoria Pilsen in Group D. Edin Dzeko opened the scoring from the edge of the box following a Sergio Aguero pass before Yaya Toure let fly from 25 yards. Aguero bagged the third with a neat turn.

Former European Cup winners Benfica began with a 2-0 success over Anderlecht with first-half goals from Filip Djuricic and Luisao.

Meanwhile, in the other game in Group C, big-spending Paris Saint-Germain recorded a handsome 4-1 success at Olympiakos.

Record signing Edinson Cavani opened the scoring before Vladimir Weiss equalised for the hosts.

But Brazilian-born Italy midfielder Thiago Motta scored with two headers before centre-back Marquinhos celebrated his debut with a goal, although Zlatan Ibrahimovic missed a late penalty.

Italian giants Juventus had to come from behind to snatch a draw at FC Copenhagen in Group B. Nicolai Jorgensen shot the hosts ahead after 14 minutes but Fabio Quagliarella, enjoying a rare start for the Old Lady of Turin, equalised nine minutes into the second period.

Real Sociedad’s return to the Champions League after a 10-year European hiatus ended in defeat as Brazilian Alex Teixeira netted a brace in a 2-0 win for Shakhtar Donetsk in San Sebastian in Group A.l

Results

4-2

Sociedad

0-2

Galatasaray

1-6

Copenhagen

1-1

Benfica

2-0

Olympiakos

1-4

Bayern Munich

3-0

Moscow

Pilsen

0-3

Man City

Rooney 22, 70, van Persie 59, Valencia 79

Bulut 84

Jorgensen 14

Djuricic 4, Luisao 30 Weiss 25

Alaba 3, Mandzukic 41, Robben 68

Leverkusen

Rolfes 54, Toprak 88

Donetsk

Alex Teixeira 65, 87

Real Madrid

Isco 33, Benzema 54, 81, Ronaldo 63, 66, 90+1

Juventus

Quagliarella 54

Anderlecht PSG

Cavani 19, Thiago Motta 68, 73, Marquinhos 86

Dzeko 48, Y. Toure 53, Aguero 58

Ill-Fated Casillas Injured Again n Reuters, Istanbul

Real Madrid's Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo (C) celebrates with teammates after scoring during the Uefa Champions League match against Galatasaray at the TT Arena Stadium in Istanbul on Tuesday AFP

Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas was forced off in the 15th minute of Tuesday’s 6-1 Champions League Group B romp at Galatasaray after sustaining a rib injury in a collision with team mate Sergio Ramos.

Medical staff taped up the affected area but it quickly became clear the Real captain would be unable to continue and he was replaced by Diego Lopez.

Coach Carlo Ancelotti told reporters that he hoped Casillas would recover in three to four days but Spanish media reported the 32-year-old could be sidelined for two weeks.

“Iker had bad luck, that happens in football,” said Real’s hat-trick hero Cristiano Ronaldo.

“He did something to his ribs. He was down in the dumps but he will recover soon.”

Casillas fell out with former coach Jose Mourinho on his return and was replaced in the team by Lopez.

Mourinho’s successor Ancelotti has used Lopez in Real’s four La Liga matches this season but picked Casillas, who has retained his place in the Spain team, for their opening Champions League game. l

British trio primed for Europa ties Ronaldo reminds Bale n AFP, Paris

A revamped Tottenham Hotspur will headline the Premier League’s quest for Europa League success when the group stage begins today.

Spurs, winners of the competition in 1972 and 1984, will also be joined by Welsh outfit Swansea City and English second-tier side and European debutants Wigan Athletic.

Tottenham again finished agonisingly out of the Champions League places last season, consigning them to the Europa League for the third year running.

Andre Villas-Boas’s men were knocked out at the quarter-final stage on penalties

by Switzerland’s Basel a year ago, but a favourable draw - Tromso, Sheriff Tiraspol and Anzhi Makachkala accompany Spurs in Group K - has the north Londoners targeting another deep run.

Despite the departure of talisman Gareth Bale, who joined Real Madrid

for more than 90 million euros ($120 million) earlier this month, Spurs have reinforced their squad with seven new signings.

“Obviously the Europa League is a massive competition and we’ve got a big squad this season, so we’re looking to really challenge on all fronts,” said midfielder Andros Townsend, who faces increased competition following the arrivals of Christian Eriksen, Paulinho and Erik Lamela.

“We’re looking to go into Thursday’s game with confidence from the win (over Norwich) on Saturday and hope we get a good result.

“We’ve got the squad to challenge on all fronts, but first and foremost we’ve got to focus on getting out of our group,” added Townsend ahead of the visit of Norway’s Tromso.

Swansea travel to Valencia in their opening Group A match, marking a return to Spain for manager Michael Laudrup, who played for both Barcelona and Real Madrid and guided Getafe to

the quarter-finals in 2008.

Laudrup’s Premier League side, who qualified by virtue of winning the English League Cup, features a sizeable Spanish contingency, although exValencia winger Pablo Hernandez will miss out against his former club due to a hamstring injury.

“It will be another very difficult game for us,” said Laudrup, whose team were also drawn with Russian club Kuban Krasnodar and Swiss side St Gallen. “(Valencia) are a very good side, but our supporters will be looking forward to going over there, and obviously the players too.”

That sentiment was echoed by defender Ashley Williams, who added: “It is nights and games like this that you look forward to and as a squad we will certainly give this our very best shot.”

Wigan’s first foray into Europe comes with the Latics grinding it out in the Championship after their shock FA Cup win over Manchester City was followed by relegation from the top flight. l

who is boss at Real n Reuters, Madrid With his hat-trick against Galatasaray, Cristiano Ronaldo reminded new Real Madrid team mate Gareth Bale who is the boss on the pitch, after the Welshman had surpassed him off it as the world’s most expensive player.

The Portuguese forward grabbed three second-half goals as Real romped to a 6-1 away win in their Champions League Group B opener on Tuesday, taking his tally with the nine-times European champions to 206 goals from 204 games.

Bale’s arrival from Tottenham Hotspur for 100 million euros this month, surpassing the then-record 94 million they paid for Ronaldo in 2009, prompted the club to move swiftly to keep their leading scorer happy.

Ronaldo agreed a new contract with Real president Florentino Perez

David Moyes salutes ‘world-class’ Rooney

Cameron Defends Tottenham Fans’ Use Of ‘Y’ Word n Reuters, London n AFP, Manchester British Prime Minister David Cameron has backed the right of fans of Premier League soccer team Tottenham Hotspur to describe themselves using a term deemed offensive by some in the Jewish community.

Supporters of the club, which is located near one of London’s biggest Jewish areas, often chant “Yid Army” and “Yiddo” at matches but fans’ groups say the term is used as a badge of honour rather than as a derogatory remark.

The English game’s governing Football Association warned this month that its use could lead to prosecution and a ban on attending matches but Cameron said Tottenham fans should be allowed to continue using the word - which is Yiddish for “Jew”.

“There’s a difference between Spurs fans self-describing themselves as Yids and someone calling someone a Yid as an insult,” Cameron told the Jewish Chronicle newspaper in an interview published on its website (www.thejc. com) on Tuesday. l

Man United

Manchester United manager David Moyes lavished praise on Wayne Rooney after the striker inspired his side to a 4-2 victory over Bayer Leverkusen in their opening Champions League game.

The England striker scored twice and set up a late goal for Antonio Valencia to give the Premier League champions a strong start in Group A and further confirm his commitment to the United cause.

Moyes spent his first close season at Old Trafford fighting to keep Rooney at the club amid interest from Chelsea, and with three goals in two games, the 27-year-old has now reached the milestone of 200 goals for United.

He requires 50 further goals to surpass Bobby Charlton as United’s alltime leading scorer and Moyes says the prospect of a place in the club’s history books helped persuade the former Everton player to stay put.

“It was something that we made him aware of,” Moyes told reporters after Tuesday’s game at Old Trafford.

“More importantly, I wanted to get him back in really good condition and mentally correct when he was ready to play.

“I think you see him. He’s moving as well as he has done, he’s in a good place in himself at the moment, and obviously any centre-forward who’s scoring goals feels good about himself.”

Moyes added: “If you want to win the Champions League, you need to have several world-class players and Wayne would certainly come into that category.”

Rooney is only the fourth player to have reached a double-century of United goals, after Charlton (249), Denis Law (237) and Jack Rowley (211).

“I remember coming in and saying he’s got a real chance to be one of the all-time leading goal-scorers at this club,” Moyes added.

“If he keeps playing like he did tonight, he’ll get there. He was very, very good.”

Leverkusen coach Sami Hyypia, the former Liverpool centre-back, admitted that his side had struggled to get to grips with the effervescent Rooney. l

on Sunday which ties him until 2018 and reportedly makes him the world’s highest-paid player with a net annual wage of some 17 million euros.

“The last few days have been great for me,” Ronaldo told reporters.

“I am very pleased. We did what we had to do, which was to win, and the others drew (Copenhagen held Juventus 1-1), which is even better.

“Our next two games are at home so if we win them we will be doing really well towards making the next stage.”

Bale came on as a second-half substitute and played a part in setting up the fourth and fifth goals for Ronaldo and Karim Benzema.

Bale joked at his official presentation that Ronaldo was the boss when it came to team hierarchy and the taking of free kicks, but the midfielder got to take the set piece that led to Ronaldo’s second goal. l

Politics influenced World Cup decision: Blatter n AFP, Berlin Fifa president Sepp Blatter has admitted that the choice of Qatar as 2022 World Cup hosts was partly influenced by political and economic interests.

“Yes, there was definitely direct political influence,” Blatter told Thursday’s edition of German weekly Die Zeit, Blatter. “European leaders recommended to its voting members to opt

European leaders recommended to its voting members to opt for Qatar, because of major economic interests in the country

Manchester United's Wayne Rooney celebrates scoring against Bayer Leverkusen during their Champions League match at Old Trafford in Manchester on Tuesday REUTERS

for Qatar, because of major economic interests in the country.”

He made the admission when asked if Qatar had been chosen by world football’s governing body Fifa based on considerations other than sport.

While rumours of corruption still circulate around Fifa’s decision in 2010 to award the 2022 tournament to the Arab state, Blatter said: “We have just set up a new, independent ethics commission to re-examine the awarding of the World Cup to Qatar”. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

Ten Doeschate seals second win for Otago

Quick Bytes

Bangladesh U-19 tour of West Indies The Bangladesh Cricket Board yesterday announced the itinerary for Bangladesh U-19 team’s 20-day tour of the West Indies. The young Tigers will tour the Caribbean in October for seven ODI games against West Indies U-19. The visitors will lock horns with the hosts at Providence on October 7 in the first game of the tour. The second ODI will be held at Bourda on October 9. The remaining games will be played on October 11, 14, 16, 19 and 21 at different venues.

- MUK

n Agencies

Gopalganj lead karate tournament A total of 600 participants from 40 teams are taking part as the 4th Japan Cup Karate Championship that got underway at the Shaheed Suhrawardi Indoor Stadium in Mirpur yesterday.

Gopalganj District Sports Association clinched three golds on the opening day of the two-day event while Hope World Wide Karate Academy, Mirpur Karate Academy and Laxmipur District Sports Association won one each.

- SH

Bangladesh headed to youth football event Bangladesh Under-10 and U-12 football teams will take part in the 2013 Asian Youth Football Fest which will begin in theThe Republic of Korea on October 3.

Former national striker Alfaz Ahmed has been nominated as the coach of the U-12 side while Mahabubur Rahman Litu will take charge of the U-10 team. At a Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) development committee meeting yesterday, Bijon Barua was chosen to be Bangladesh’s team leader at the four day event.

- SH

Del Piero named Sydney FC captain Alessandro Del Piero was Wednesday appointed captain of Australian club Sydney FC for the upcoming season, with the Italian superstar calling it a great honour. The former Juventus great, the biggest signing in Australia’s domestic league history, has played a major role in increasing attendances, television audiences and media interest in the domestic A-League and has signed on for a second season. As a reward, he will captain Sydney during the 2013/14 season that gets under way in October, replacing Terry McFlynn. “This is a great honour for me to be given the captaincy of one of Australia and Asia’s biggest clubs,” Del Piero said. “It’s a very proud moment for me and I will give everything to help the club win the A-League Championship this season.” Del Piero is no stranger to being skipper, having captained Italian giants Juventus for 11 years. He has also skippered the national side. “Alessandro brings a wealth of experience to this role having successfully captained one of the world’s leading football clubs for more than decade,” said Sydney FC chairman Scott Barlow.

– AFP

Rudolph joins Glamorgan as overseas player

Glamorgan have signed South Africa left-hander Jacques Rudolph as their overseas player in the English County Championship for the next two years, replacing Australian Marcus North. The 32-year-old Rudolph has been a proven performer in county cricket, chiefly with Yorkshire between 2007-11, where he scored 5,429 first-class runs at an average of 52.20. He also had a brief stint with Surrey last year. “I enjoyed my time playing for Yorkshire, so I’m looking forward to the challenge at Glamorgan and hopefully enjoying similar success,” Rudolph said in a statement released by Glamorgan on Wednesday. He will play for second division Glamorgan in the 2014 and 2015 county seasons, pending clearance from Cricket South Africa.

Rudolph played the last of his 48 test matches for the Proteas against Australia in November 2012 and is currently participating in the Champions League Twenty20 competition with his South African franchise, the Titans.

– Reuters

Otago Volts batsman Ryan ten Doeschate plays a shot against Kandurata Maroons during CL Qualifiers in Mohali yesterday

Just a matter of hours after touching down in India Ryan ten Doeschate turned in a match-winning performance for the Otago Volts confirming his world-class status.

The Dutch international missed the Volts opening Champions League qualifying win against the Faisalabad Wolves but was granted a late release from county side Essex to join the Volts for their second game against Sri Lankan side the Kandurata Maroons.

The end result was a complete alround display from the 33-year-old in the six wicket Volts win.

While it is with the bat that ten Doeschate is best known for it was with the ball where this man-of-the-match showing started at least.

Ian Butler, James McMillan and Neil Wagner drilled the screws in early in the innings to restrict the Maroons to only 31 for one in the first seven overs.

However, Upul Tharanga took a liking to the bowling of spinner Nathan McCullum taking him for 30 off two overs to kick start his team’s innings.

Medium-pacer Jimmy Neesham also was expensive in the Maroons revival as they got themselves to 99 for two from 12 overs before captain Brendon McCullum chucked the ball ten Doeschate’s way.

He put a break on the Maroons innings bowling two tight overs with his off-cutters going for only nine runs and he also picked up two key wickets in the process.

Butler then got in on the act grab-

bing three wickets in the 18th over as the Sri Lankan side limped through to a competitive, but far from startling, 154 for nine from their 20 overs. ten Doeschate’s impressive deeds however just started with his bowling as he then rejoined the game with the bat at a time a few nerves were bubbling away in the Volts camp.

The score was 45 for two after 7.4 overs and the Volts had just lost premier batsman Brendon McCullum to a touch and go stumping decision.

Brief Score Otago Volts 157/4 Ryan ten Doeschate 63, Jimmy Nessham 32*, Neil Broom 25, Hamish Rutherford 20, Brendon McCullum 8; Dilhara Lokuhettige 4-0-20-3, Suraj Randiv 4-0-36-1) Kandurata Maroons 154/9 Upul Tharanga 76, Dilhara Lokuhettige 15; Ian Butler 4-0-21-3, Ryan ten Doeschate 2-0-9-2, James McMillan 3-0-17-1, Neil Wagner 4-0-28-1, Jimmy Neesham 4-0-39-1.

Those nerves however were quickly quashed as ten Doeschate delivered a master-class in how to win a game with the bat.

His placement, timing, running between the wickets and power game were all first class as he struck 64 from 32 balls before he departed caught on the boundary trying to pull a ball over square-leg.

However by that stage the damage was done as Neesham - who ten Doeschate shared an important 51 run fourth wicket stand with - made sure there were not any late hiccups. l

‘Anyone but Vettel’ at Warne rubbishes Hurley split talk Singapore Grand Prix n AFP, Sydney

n AFP, Singapore Sebastian Vettel looks set to extend his mastery of Formula One this week but neutrals and his rivals will be hoping for a different winner at the spectacular Singapore Grand Prix.

Former world champions Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen will compete the first time since being confirmed as a driving pair for Ferrari next year, a partnership which has set tongues wagging.

But all signs point to the likelihood that Vettel will be the man spraying champagne on Sunday night after taking another decisive step towards an astonishing fourth straight title.

The amiable German, 26, has won the last two night races around Singapore’s spotlit street circuit and three of the last four this season, opening up a 53-point lead over Alonso.

“My wins in 2011 and 2012 were the best because I think it’s one of the toughest races of the year to be honest, so to win is an amazing moment and you feel you deserve the champagne,” he said.

“It’s a very long race, the full two hours, so the race just seems to go on forever. The circuit itself is a killer because there are so many bumps, there’s

no room for mistakes.”

History continues to be the biggest target for Vettel, backed by the sport’s best team in Red Bull, who has already been crowned Formula One’s youngest single, double and triple world champion.

Vettel could now conceivably claim his fourth world title in a row as early as next month’s Japanese Grand Prix, and move just one away from fellow German Michael Schumacher’s five-year run from 2000-2004.

Vettel, who has won six of the 12 races this season, is poised to move past the likes of Ayrton Senna and Niki Lauda on the all-time list and become one of only four drivers with four titles or more.

Demanding weekend on street circuit However, Vettel’s steady march towards another world title, after overcoming a helter-skelter start to the season dominated by debate over disintegrating tyres, has not been universally popular.

Boos rang out from the tifosi at this month’s Italian Grand Prix, where the young German held off Ferrari’s Alonso at the famous team’s home race.

And “Anyone but Vettel” now has a presence on both Facebook and Twitter, in a sign that sections of the viewing public are not enthralled by another era of one-driver dominance. l

Cricket great Shane Warne Wednesday denied rumours of a split with girlfriend Elizabeth Hurley, tweeting that they were “not throwing in the towel yet” after the actress said her feelings were “too raw” to share.

A last minute no-show by the legendary leg-spinner at a press conference for his foundation earlier in the day added fuel to speculation in the British and Australian press that the celebrity couple had called it quits.

But Warne said on Wednesday evening that he and Hurley were working through their problems.

“Some of the reports re EH & me r absolute rubbish. Yes we’re sorting through some (private) issues. But we’re not throwing the towel in yet,” he wrote on Twitter.

Half an hour earlier “Bedazzled” star Hurley had posted: “Apologies to loyal followers for Twitter silence on recent events. Too raw & personal to share right now.”

The rumours were sparked by a lack of tweets between the pair with Hurley not sending Warne a 44th birthday message on September 13, although she was in England and he was in Australia visiting his three children.

Both of them are prolific social media users but Warne’s last tweet to his 47-year-old fiancee was on August 30.

She was reportedly due in Melbourne a

week ago but has not turned up.

A Hurley tweet earlier this month that read “The more I know of man, the more I love my dog” only added to the speculation.

Warne had been due to attend a press conference in Melbourne Wednesday regarding his foundation, which helps raise funds for ill and underprivileged children, but he pulled out just 90 minutes before it was supposed to start.

Cricket Victoria blamed a “scheduling conflict” while Warne tweeted his apologies.

“Hey guys apologies about today & the late notice everyone!”

The Telegraph newspaper said

journalists had been warned not to ask questions about the rumoured romance troubles, while other reports said Warne was lying low due to the supposed break-up.

The Sydney Morning Herald, a leading broadsheet, splashed the headline: “Shane Warne cancels ambassadors event, igniting Liz Hurley split rumours.”

The tabloid Sydney Daily Telegraph went further, asking: “Is Shane Warne’s ex-wife Simone Callahan behind his rumoured split with Liz Hurley?”

Warne and Hurley, the long-time former girlfriend of actor Hugh Grant, reportedly met in 2010 and confirmed their engagement via Twitter in 2011. l

Ford to step down as Sri Lanka coach n AFP, Colombo

Day’s Watch Star Sports 9:30am India A v West Indies A LIVE 3rd ODI UEFA Europa League 2013/14 LIVE Ten Sports 11:00pm Zulte Waregem v Wigan Athletic Ten Action 11:00pm Valencia v Swansea City

15

Thursday, September 19, 2013

School girls and officials pose for a photograph after a friendly football match during a football clinic organised by the US Consulate in Karachi on Tuesday. The match, consisting of Pakistani participants, is part of a sports diplomacy effort to strengthen relations between United States and other nations, according to the US Consulate REUTERS

Sri Lanka will seek a new coach after South African Graham Ford declined to extend his two-year term beyond January, cricket officials said on Wednesday.

“The national coach has indicated of his unavailability to continue after his contract expires in January 2014,” Sri Lanka Cricket said in a statement.

“He has taken this decision consequent to the discussions he had with his family on the options given by Sri Lanka Cricket.”

Ford, 52, who made known his decision to step down earlier this month, had been requested by the Sri Lankan board to reconsider after being offered undisclosed options.

Ford’s last assignment with Sri Lanka will be a series of three Tests, five one-day internationals and two Twenty20 games against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates in December.

Ford, a former South Africa coach who replaced Australian Geoff Marsh in early 2012, has been linked to the vacant coaching position with English county side Surrey.

Under Ford, Sri Lanka were runnersup to the West Indies in the World Twenty20 in 2012 and also won a home Test series against Pakistan.

Sri Lanka will need to have a new coach in place before the Asia Cup in Bangladesh in February. The next World Twenty20 is also due to be held in Bangladesh in March-April. l

16

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Home boss grants impunity to drivers

Back Page

Thursday, September 19, 2013

A LIFE CYCLE

MK Alamgir says no accident happens at one’s will

n Mohosinul Karim Drivers cannot be convicted on charge of murder from now on as no accident takes place at somebody’s will, said Home Minister Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir on Wednesday.

According to the penal code, only the intentional killing cases will be filed under section 302 and the rest under section 304 of the penal code, he said.

The meeting followed a 72hour symbolic strike from September 23 called by the Bangladesh Sarak Paribahan Sramik Federation The ministry has the authority to review the cases filed so far under section 302 as they were not lodged properly.

He said this at a meeting after transport owners and workers demanded withdrawal of accidental cases which were filed under section 302 of the penal code, and an end to money extortion from transports.

The owners and workers placed an eight-point demand at the meeting held on Monday at the home ministry conference room with Home Minister MK Alamgir in the chair.

The meeting followed a 72-hour

symbolic strike from September 23 called by the Bangladesh Sarak Paribahan Sramik Federation, the leading organisation of the transport sector.

Following the meeting, Osman Ali, secretary general of the federation, told reporters that they would call off their strike only after the execution of the decisions taken at the meeting.

The meeting agreed unanimously to stop money extortion by police in the name of examining papers and licenses of vehicles and by labour and owners organisations.

The ministries concerned have been instructed to take steps in this regard, said MK Alamgir.

He said the authorities concerned will take action against extortionists on regional and national highways in the name of labour and owners organisations.

The home and shipping ministries will take steps to stop toll collection at ferry and launch terminals across the country.

Communications Minister Obaidul Quader, Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan, State Minister for Home Shamsul Haque Tuku, Home Ministry’s Additional Secretary Mainuddin Khandokar, and Bangladesh Sarak Paribahan Samity’s General Secretary Khandokar Enayet Ullah attended the meeting. l

A group of young people of Bangladesh Cycle Lane Implementation Council brings out a bicycle rally in the city’s TSC area at DU yesterday, marking World Cycling Day MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Overdose turns antibiotics into silent killers

M&S to check Asian factory condition of antibiotics means many microorganisms have become resistant through mobile tech Studies suggest that overuse the treatment of complex diseases such enteritis and influenza are taking a lot for treating the lethal disease. Square’s Moniruzzaman Uzzal n Ciprocin and Beximco Pharmaceutimore time to heal than previously. as syphilis. n Tribune Business Desk A joint study conducted in 2009 by cal’s Neofloxin are two of most popular However, in less than a century, a A lack of awareness among consumers Marks & Spencer, a UK-based retailer, will use mobile phone technology to get information directly on the working conditions in Asian factories which produce its clothing.

The high street retailer has signed a deal with Good World Solutions, a non-profit social enterprise, to carry out research via mobiles in a way suitable for workers, who may not be able to read or write, the Guardian reported.

The survey will cover 22,500 workers in 30 factories in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, and could be extended to more factories over time.

The system has been tested on 2,000 workers in India and Sri Lanka over the past year.

“Factory owners will be fully informed, but the surveys will be carried out anonymously, rather than under the directives of their bosses,” said Fiona Sadler, head of ethical sourcing for M&S, while commenting on the survey.

The project is part of a growing movement by retailers towards the use of mobile phones and social networking to provide greater insight into the lives of those producing goods in farflung factories.

The idea of using mobile phones comes after a series of high-profile disasters at the Rana Plaza factory collapse, which killed over 1,100 workers and injured more than 2,500.

In May, sports brand Adidas began testing a system which allowed a number of its factories in Indonesia to detect issues of concern for workers via mobile text messages.

At the same time, Walmart collaborated with start-up LaborVoices on a project to get information from workers in 279 factories supplying the giant US retailer via its network of mobile users who are also able to warn fellow workers about dangerous or abusive factory employers. l

and the callous attitude of a large section of physicians have turned many lifesaving “antibiotic” drugs into silent killers.

Unlike in developed countries, Bangladesh does not have any strict regulations regarding over the counter (OTC) sales of antibiotic drugs, which, if in place, could have prevented people from purchasing antibiotics without prescriptions.

Those who run drug stores often do not hesitate to sell antibiotics without prescriptions, either because they are not concerned or trained well enough, or, at times, are too concerned about making profits.

From grocery shops in village markets to the most sophisticated of drug stores in the big cities, antibiotics are available in abundance and are being sold indiscriminately everywhere in the country.

However, it is not only the sellers for whom it is natural to not know about the evils of overuse or over-dosage of antibiotics. Even doctors in many cases do not hesitate to prescribe high-power antibiotics even for the simplest of complaints, such as colds and fevers.

The resultant situation is nothing short of alarming. As a consequence of overuse of antibiotics, many species of microorganisms which cause lethal diseases in the human body and are supposed to be neutralised by the antibiotics, have developed resistance to these drugs.

That has in turn rendered many of these drugs powerless to prevent the spread of germs.

Antibiotics are substances produced by or derived from certain fungi, bacteria, and other organisms, and can destroy or inhibit the growth of other microorganisms.

In 1928, Scottish biologist Sir Alexander Fleming invented penicillin, the first antibiotic that was widely used for

ground-breaking discovery like the antibiotic has been turned on its head and become a silent killer instead of saving lives, health professionals said.

A number of different studies have also hinted at the same predicament, suggesting that the indiscriminate and

the Pharmacy Department of Dhaka University and the Nottingham University of England showed that at least 40% of the bacteria have developed resistance to the antibiotic azithromycin.

Zimax, manufactured by Square Pharmaceuticals, and Zithrox, manufac-

Bacterial resistance to antibiotics uncontrolled use of antibiotics has led to many microorganisms developing resistance to these drugs.

As a result, crucial generic drugs like ampicillin, amoxicillin, ciprofloxacin and azithromycin have lost most of their effectiveness. Diseases like diarrhoea, pneumonia, bronchitis, gastro-

tured by Eskayef, are two of the most widely prescribed drugs of this genre in Bangladesh.

Doctors said due to overuse, ciprofloxacin had ceased to be effective in treating e-coli virus infections that cause diarrhoea. They said they were now having to use a stronger antibiotic

in this category.

Professionals said the Directorate General of Drug Administration, the authority in charge of looking after the country’s medicine market, has hardly any pressure about remedying the situation.

Professor Dr Md Sayedur Rahman of the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University said the uncontrolled use of any drug could be harmful for the human body but that the misuse of antibiotics had long term effects and led to the development of drug-resistant microorganisms which can then spread to other humans via soil, water and air.

He said most doctors in the country did not care about the age and weight of patients while prescribing antibiotics, or about telling the patients in detail about the proper dosages. All they care about is the commission they get from the pharmaceutical companies for prescribing their drugs, he added.

Professionals said surgery patients had to be given antibiotics because operating theatres in various hospitals in the country were not fully infection free and surgery wounds would not heal without antibiotics.

An absence of “antibiotic usage guidelines” meant that doctors were not bound to test the patients’ sensitivity towards a drug before prescribing it, leading to various side complications, they said.

Professor Dr Be-Nazir Ahmed, director (communicable disease control) of the Directorate General of Health Services, told the Dhaka Tribune that a process was underway for the formulation of guidelines to control the use of antibiotics in the country.

The guidelines would initially be implemented in the public hospitals and gradually all the hospitals in the country would be brought under it, he said. l

Police force expands in an unplanned way: Muhith n Asif Showkat Kallol Finance Minister AMA Muhith has strongly objected to creation of a tourist police force, saying the country’s police force has already expanded in an unplanned way.

The finance minister approved the proposal of tourist police on September 15, but in his note on the summary of the proposal he expressed strong dissatisfaction at the whole procedure of setting up of the force “bypassing all due processes and authorities to take the prime minister’s consent.”

The government has created 31 permanent cadre posts and 1,020 non-cadre posts for the tourist police force at a yearly cost of Tk206.5m.

The home ministry has, however, made appointments to 25 cadre posts and 598 non-cadre posts and approved 80 vehicles for the force.

The home ministry cited data of the Bangladesh Tourism Board to justify formation of the force, saying 70,678 foreign tourists had visited Bangladesh in the past five years and the tourist police would work for their protection.

The ministries of civil aviation and public administration have already given their consents to the proposal.

Muhith said there had already been enough drama centring the industrial police and now the home ministry had set up the tourist police, creating the manpower from one force. He expressed doubt if these specialised forces had any training.

He said the work forces of different sections of the police, including the Special Branch, had been increased, but it was not clear how these forces were being used.

The finance minister also expressed dissatisfaction at the home ministry’s failure to control the activities of the metropolitan police and the highway police. l

Teenager ‘mentally ill’ after forced marriage and beatings by local goon n Mohammad Jamil Khan

A 16-year-old girl has fallen mentally ill after being tortured by a local goon for refusing to settle down with him following a forced marriage.

Masuma Akter cannot even speak properly and bears marks of serious injuries on her head and different parts of body. Currently she is going under treatment at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), where her two legs remain tied to the bed as she often loses control of her body.

Masuma was a candidate for the HSC (Higher Secondary Certificate) exam from Loahir Madrasa of Muksud-

pur upazila of Gopalganj district.

On June 24, Sajib Matubbor, 25, abducted her as she was walking to the madrasa from her home and he later forced her into marriage through intimidation, alleged Masuma’s family members. After a week, Sajib’s father made them get a divorce and sent Masuma back to her home, calling her a “bad girl,” they said.

One month later, Sajib went to Masuma’s house and told her to come back to him. When she refused, he beat her up badly. Learning of the incident, Masuma’s family sent her away from Gopalganj to stay with her uncle in Madaripur. Sajib found her there alone

and after she again refused to accompany him, he hit her with bricks on the head, leaving her seriously injured.

Alerted by her cries for help, locals detained Sajib and handed him over to Madaripur police.

Later, on September 1, Masuma’s father filed a case of “attempt to murder” with Madaripur Sadar police station and admitted Masuma to Faridpur sadar hospital. As her condition deteriorated, the doctors of Faridpur Hospital suggested her transfer to DMCH, where she was admitted on September 7 and remains under medication.

While asked about the progress of the case, Sanjay Kumar, sub-inspector

of Madaripur Sadar police station, told the Dhaka Tribune that Sajib was sent to jail and they would submit the charge sheet of the case shortly after completing some relevant investigation.

Akmal Uddin, the father of the victim, however, claimed they were passing the days in fear as they suspected Sajib might come out of jail anytime.

Monriuzzaman, officer-in-charge of Madaripur Sadar Police Station said he had learnt about the case and the investigation officer would take necessary actions.

DMCH doctors have suggested Masuma’s family members take her back home so that she can recover from the trauma sooner. l

Editor: Zafar Sobhan, Published and Printed by Kazi Anis Ahmed at Romask Limited, 184, Tejgaon Industrial Area, Dhaka-1215. Editorial, News & Commercial Office: FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka 1207.

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Continue to the Business section...

Business

Business

B2 Call for greater

coordination among stakeholders

B3 Tax fairs collect Tk3.55bn

www.dhakatribune.com/business

Thursday, september 19, 2013

Call centre rules to be relaxed BTRC expecting a business boom through the relaxation n Muhammad Zahidul Islam The telecom watchdog of Bangladesh will withdraw the revenue sharing rules and ease the licensing process expecting higher growth in the country’s call centre business.

Further, it will relax other relevant rules and regulations to expand the industry in Bangladesh, said high officials of BTRC. “We introduced the service in the country in 2008. But after these five years, we have seen the industry has not grown to an expected level, although potentials are huge,” Sunil Kanti Bose, Chairman of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), told the Dhaka Tribune recently.

“So, we have decided to relax the rules and licensing process, which will help the business flourish,” he said.

The regulator wants to give the industry a relief from procedural and regulatory hassles to get licence.

Sunil Kanti Bose said they had to convince the government about changing the rules.

A high official of Bangladesh Association of Call Centres and Outsourcing said: “We have been informed of the decision unofficially, and are waiting to get formal announcement.”

At its last meeting, BTRC reached a decision introducing a simple registration

Highlights Local and international firms can do business at a same office room 0.5%-1% revenue will no longer need to be shared Licensing which now requires 2-3 months will be simplified

Call centre fact sheet Business Introduced in

2008

Total centres now

203

Number of international centres

2

Currently in operation Number of centres having licences cancelled

100+ 78

process in place of the existing two to threemonth formality.

The meeting sources said the regulator also lifted the 0.5%-1% revenue sharing rule.

The call centres have also been allowed to do joint business between local and international firms on a same office floor, which was earlier prohibited.

“There was a doubt that if local and international call centres run business on a common office floor, there might be illegal foreign call termination,” a high official of BTRC told the Dhaka Tribune.

BACCO leaders think while the neighboring country India is the pioneer of international call centre business, Bangladesh could not expand the business well.

According to them, BTRC’s step to relax rules will help the business flourish.

“This is definitely a right path BTRC is going to walk on, which demonstrates the regulator’s willingness to change the situation,” said Ahmadul Hoq Bobby, president of BACCO. “The facilitation of process will attract more investments both from home and abroad in the sector,” he hoped.

ABM Reazuddin Mosharaf, CEO of Windmill Infotech Ltd and a director of BACCO, told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday that they had been demanding the relaxation of rules since 2009.

“But our demand was never heard.

However, we would like to express our gratitude to the BTRC that it has finally listened to us.”

BACCO leaders said they focused on international market overlooking the local market.

But now they want to explore local market and are busy handling some multinational companies running business in Bangladesh.

They estimate the domestic market has already reached several millions business. l

Urea price disparity irks dealers

It may cause supply disruption in this peak season Urea is a key agricultural input that farmers body that operates six urea factories in the n Kayes Sohel apply on rice cultivation both in the rainy-seacountry.

A disparity in urea fertiliser pricing between the mill gates and buffer godowns has annoyed the dealers – in a sign of possible distribution disruption during the peak Aman season beginning from July.

Bangladesh Fertiliser Association (BFA), which comprises over 5,000 dealers, has long been demanding to fix a similar price at both the outlets for the vital agriculture input that is being used by nearly 87% farmers of the country.

“The disparity caused losses to dealers who collected urea from the buffer godowns at a higher price,” BFA Chairman Kamrul Ashraf Khan told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday over phone.

At the factory gates, price of urea is Tk700 per 50 kg bag, which is Tk735 at buffer godowns, according to Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC), the state-run

“Users of the fertiliser are mostly concentrated in the northern part of the country having no factory in the region, forcing dealers to purchase urea from buffer spots paying additional price,” said the BFA chairman.

He claimed the government is distributing fertilisers among seed dealers through BADC (Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation), which is contradictory to the law.

“Only authorised dealers are allowed to distribute fertiliser as per law.”

The BFA plans to take tougher programmes, including indefinite strikes, unless the government fixes same price of urea at the factory gates and buffer godwons, They are scheduled to announce the agitation programme from a press conference on Saturday next.

Analysts fear the farmers might have to suffer ultimately if the issue goes unheeded.

son (Aman) and dry season (Boro) when the peak demand for urea rises to 565,000 tonnes.

The country’s six urea factories remain inoperative for around half of a year due to the low gas pressure, leading the government to meet the annual domestic demand by importing around 1.7m tonnes against the total demand of 2.4m tonnes.

Government provides Tk60bn to Tk90bn worth of subsidies for urea each year as the country turns heavily dependent on the import of the chemical fertiliser.

Fertiliser distribution in Bangladesh has been completely privatised since 1989-90.

When the private sector has been allowed to import fertilisers in 1992, subsidies were eliminated.

Since 1995, the government is distributing fertiliser among the farmers through dealers across the country. l

EU retailers’ factory inspection guideline on September 23 n Ibrahim Hossain Ovi The Accord, a European Union retailer’s platform on Fire and Building Safety for Bangladesh garments factories, will hold a meeting with BGMEA on September 23 to give a guideline on common standard to be used to inspect the factories.

The meeting is aimed at having discussion on common standard for factory inspection regarding fire and building safety, funding to improve garment sector and to set next course of action.

‘In the meeting the accord will give guideline on common standard for fire and building safety measures, through which they would inspect the factories of their vendors’ A three member team lead by Sean Ansett, executive director of the Accord will arrive in Bangladesh on September 23, 2013. The other members of the team are Jenny Fagerlin, representative of Hand M and Philip Jacques, Head of Technical Co-operation of the EU to Bangladesh.

“In the meeting the accord will give guideline on common standard for fire and building safety measures, through which they would inspect the factories of their vendors,” said Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) Vice President Shahidullah Azim.

During the visit, the team is expected to fix the date for inspection and appoint auditor in Bangladesh to start inspection, he added.

Azim said the visiting team would announce fund for the inspection and to improve safety system of Bangladesh garment industry and “we expect the size of fund would be of around US$200m.” The accord will inspect 1500 factories they buy products from.

Accord, a platform of 86 retailers and apparel brands from the EU, had announced its work plan on May 15 to improve the fire and building safety issues.

The move came following the deadliest collapse of Rana Plaza building, which killed over 1,100 workers. l

2

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

Thursday, september 19, 2013

workplace safety

Call for greater coordination among stakeholders n Tribune Report

United Airways adds 2 new aircrafts

n Tribune Desk Report United Airways (BD) Ltd has inducted recently purchased two aircrafts in its fleet on Tuesday.

Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism, Muhammad Faruk Khan, inducted these aircrafts at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, said a press release.

Khurshed Alam Chowdhury, Civil Aviation Secretary, Air Vice Marshal Mahmud Hussain, Chairman of Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh, and Muhammad Abdul Mannan, Managing Director of Islami Bank Bangladesh Ltd, were present at the function. l

National and international stakeholders have been urged to forge a greater coordination among them to ensure sustainable improvement in workplace safety in Bangladesh.

The call emerged from a discussion in New York on Tuesday, according to a message received here yesterday.

The NYU Stern Center on Business and Human Rights brought together senior government officials from Bangladesh, local manufacturers, senior officials from the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Export Association (BGMEA), and representatives of Bangladesh civil society and workers’ organisations to discuss workplace safety and the future of the garment industry in Bangladesh.

Participants were joined by major US and European retailers, several Western governments, key intergovernmental organisations, and outside experts. NYU Stern Dean Peter Henry, Chair of Stern’s Board of Overseers William R. Berkley and NYU Stern Professor Michael Posner opened the meeting.

Lew Kaden, former Vice Chairman of Citigroup, moderated the discussion. This was the Center’s first major convening since its launch in March 2013. The meeting was organised by Sarah Labowitz who travelled on the Center’s behalf to Bangladesh in July.

Based in part on comments and suggestions made at this meeting, NYU Stern’s

Center will produce a report on workplace safety in the context of building a sustainable garment sector in Bangladesh that continues to contribute to the country’s economic growth and protects the rights of workers who are at the heart of the industry. The report will be released in the coming months.

The Center will convene a follow-up meeting in Dhaka early 2014.

The meeting focused on four broad topics related to workplace safety in Bangladesh: the economics of the sourcing relationship between buyers, suppliers, and subcontractors; the role of Western governments and intergovernmental organisations in enhancing workplace safety and worker empowerment; the regulatory landscape for the garment sector; and three recent efforts by the government, international brands, and the International Labor Organisation (ILO) to fill governance gaps.

Representatives of each of these three initiatives – the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety, and the National Tripartite Plan of Action – were at the table.

“Meeting at Stern encouraged a frank discussion of the challenges and opportunities in Bangladesh. It underscored the need for greater coordination among the various national and international actors, for greater transparency and for a longer term look at the sustainability of the current sourcing model,” Labowitz said. l

Airtel to open 3G awareness programme next week n Muhammad Zahidul Islam

BGMEA to make database on Rana Plaza victims

n Tribune Report

Bangladesh Garments Manufactures and Exporters Association (BGMEA) will develop a database of victims and their affected relatives of Rana Plaza tragedy to rehabilitate them.

BGMEA signed a tripartite memorandum of understanding (MoU) with a local company, TerraTech, which will develop the database under the supervision of Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS), said a press release yesterday.

BGMEA President Atiqul Islam, BASIS President Shamim Ahsan and TerraTech Chairman Habibullh Karim signed the MoU on behalf of their respective organisations. l

Airtel, the country’s fourth largest mobile operator in terms of subscribers, will open education and awareness programme for 3G (third generation) mobile services from next week.

It will also launch 3G in some parts of Dhaka and Chittagong by October, Sylhet

by November and all seven divisional headquarters by December.

“We are preparing for providing the best quality services and we will start education and awareness program to cater 3G services to our customers with best way,” said Chris Tobit, CEO of Airtel Bangladesh, at a press conference yesterday.

He said consumers need to understand

the data speed and about their devices and using pattern, as it is newer service in Bangladesh.

Replying to a question, he said though we have bought only 3MHz (megahertz), it will create no problem to providing quality service.

Airtel has already deposited its 3G spectrum and licence fees to the government, according to the CEO of Airtel.

Grameenphone and Robi have already declared that they would launch their 3G service by October in Dhaka and Chittagong.

On September 8 last, Robi, Banglalink and Airtel acquired 5MHz each, and Grameephone 10MHz in an auction on 3G spectrum. l

BIFFL, REPL inks Tk1bn loan deal

n Tribune Business Desk Bangladesh Infrastructure Finance Fund Limited (BIFFL) and Regent Energy and Power Ltd (REPL) signed a loan agreement yesterday.

BIFFL will extend term loan up to Tk1bn over a period of 12 years to build a 108MW gas-based power plant at Ghorashal, Polash and Narsingdi under the agreement, said a press release.

Executive Director and CEO of BIFFL Md Atiquzzaman and Managing Director of REPL Md Yasin Ali signed the agreement on behalf of their respective companies. l

Meena Bazar Club members win diamond rings

n Tribune Business Desk

Meena Bazar affiliated with Al-Hassan Diamond Gallery awarded three exclusive diamond rings to the Meena Bazar Club cardholders at Al-Hassan’s showroom at 68, Richmond Concord Gulshan-1, Dhaka on Tuesday.

These monthly winners were selected from the lot of Meena Bazar Club cardholder customers, said a press release.

The function was attended by one of the versatile actors Zahid Hasan, Meena Bazar Chief Operating Officer Saheen Khan, AlHasan Diamond Gallery Chairman Md Khabir Uddin and Managing Director Mohammad Khairul Hassan, Channel24’s Executive Director Hasnain Khurshed, CEO Tarun Chakrobarti, and other high officials of the two companies were present at the occasion. l

FSIBL opens Uzirpur branch

n Tribune Business Desk First Security Islami Bank Ltd started operation of its Uzirpur branch yesterday.

Deputy Managing Director Syed Waseque Md Ali inaugurated the branch, said a press release. Global Economic Forum president Enayet Karim, head of Marketing and Development Division Azam Khan, Barisal branch manager Shafiqul Islam, Galachipa branch manager Md Delowar Hossain, Uzirpur branch manager Mohmmad Alauddin and local elites were also present on the occasion. l

Bank Asia opens ATM booth at Rangs Bhaban

n Tribune Business Desk

Bank Asia Limited has opened a new ATM booth at the Rangs Bhaban in the city’s Bijoy Sarani. Director Sohana Rouf Chowdhury inaugurated the bank’s 81st ATM booth on Tuesday, said a press release. Industrialists Zakia Rouf Chowdhury and Romana Rouf Chowdhury, the bank’s Managing Director Md Mehmood Husain, Deputy Managing Director Aminul Islam and Executive Vice President Md Sazzad Hossain were also present on the occasion. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

Thursday, september 19, 2013

3

Dollar holds steady, Fed stimulus in focus n AFP, Tokyo

Taxpayers crowd in front of booths at the income tax fair to receive services in Dhaka yesterday

Focus Bangla

Tax fairs collect Tk3.55bn n Tribune Report Braving the Jamaat-called hartal, a large number of visitors went to the income tax fair in Dhaka yesterday and received services.

On the third day of the fair at Dhaka Officers Club, the crowd was seen more than the previous day waiting at the booths to pay income tax.

A total of over Tk3.55bn revenue was bagged by the National Board of Revenue in three days from the fairs in different places of the country.

Of the amount, Tk2.22bn was collected yesterday, serving 65,044 taxpayers and receiving 14,794 returns.

NBR sources said a number of 160,230 taxpayers received services at the fairs in three days, of which, 5,092 new and 28,074 old taxpayers registered for E-TIN. A total of 37,868 returns were submitted in this time.

Visiting the fair yesterday in Dhaka, all the booths were found crowded while many taxpayers were also seen waiting at the cor-

rection booths.

But some of the taxpayers alleged that the officials were making mistakes while registering E-TIN.

A number of 160,230 taxpayers received services at the fairs in three days, of which, 5,092 new and 28,074 old taxpayers registered for E-TIN “Although I filled my E-TIN form correctly, the tax officers have given me a certificate misspelling my name,” alleged Sharmin Nahar, a taxpayer while waiting at a correction booth.

“Now, I need to correct it at my own responsibility,” she angered.

The NBR set four correction booths after receiving many complains of mistakes.

An official at the booth said they were facing huge pressure due to influx of taxpayers at the fair and mistakes could happen.

“But the taxpayers can correct the mis-

takes from our booths quickly,” he said.

The there-day tax fair of NBR began on Monday at the seven divisional headquarters to raise awareness among the people to pay taxes.

Besides, the body is holding two-day fairs in 54 districts, of which, 24 districts began yesterday.

In Dhaka, there were 16 general booths, 44 E-TIN registration booths, two E-Payment booths, 72 return filing booths, 50 help desks, four correction booths and two emergency health booths.

The 24 districts beginning fair yesterday include Madaripur, Narshingdi, Faridpur, Manikganj, Tangail, Munshiganj, Joypurhat, Gaibandha, Kushtia, Meherpur, Chuadanga, Kishoreganj, Jamalpur, Netrokona, Sherpur, Patuakhali, Barguna, Natore, Naogaon, Lalmonirhat, Noakhali, Feni, Lakshmipur and Cox’s Bazar.

A one-day mobile fair began in the two hilly districts-Bandarban and Rangamati yesterday.

The fair will remain open for visitors from 10am to 5pm. l

The dollar held steady yesterday in Asia as investors await the Federal Reserve’s decision on whether to start reducing its massive stimulus and by how much.

In afternoon Tokyo trade the greenback edged up to 99.19 yen from 99.14 yen in New York Tuesday.

The euro was at $1.3360 and 132.51 yen against $1.3356 and 132.38 yen, helped by strong German economic data.

The dollar was likely to stay under the 100-yen mark in Asia before the outcome of the Fed’s two-day policy meeting later in the day, said Osao Iizuka, head of foreign exchange trading at Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank.

“Because of uncertainty (about) the result, traders are opting to square their positions instead of taking fresh bets,” Iizuka told Dow Jones Newswires.

The Fed is widely expected to scale back its $85 billion per-month bondbuying programme, with some analysts saying the market had already factored in a $5-$15 billion reduction in the scheme.

The initial dollar-yen reaction to the Fed’s decision may hinge on how the US stock market reacts, Iizuka said.

Wall Street Tuesday closed higher on greater investor confidence that the US economy could withstand an expected reduction of Fed bond purchases.

The Dow closed up 0.23% Tuesday, while Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 index gained 1.25% on Wednesday afternoon.

The dollar was mostly weaker against other Asia-Pacific currencies.

It declined to Sg$1.2600 from Sg$1.2635 on Tuesday, to 31.68 Thai baht from 31.82 baht and to 11,290 Indonesian rupiah from 11,335 rupiah.

The dollar also slipped to 1,082 South Korean won from 1,085 won, to 63.17 Indian rupees from 63.54 rupees and to 43.55 Philippine pesos from 43.72 pesos.

The US unit strengthened to Tw$29.65 from Tw$29.63.

The Australian dollar rose to 93.52 US cents from 93.11 cents, while the Chinese yuan fetched 16.21 yen from 16.18 yen. l

Stocks end flat in volatility as late selling cuts early gains n Tribune Report Stocks ended flat in a volatile trade yesterday, as late selling pressure cut the early gains.

The market successfully caught the positive wave from the very beginning of the trading session, mostly pulled up by buyers’ bullishness, but late hour sell offs dragged down the indices, dealers said.

The benchmark DSEX index closed at 4,116 with a slight fall of 2.7 points or 0.06%.

The blue chip index DS30 was up 11 points

or 0.8% to 1,519. The Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) Selective Categories Index, CSCX, rose 14 points to 8,029.

Strong selling spree in most of the micro cap scrips against positioning in most of the mid cap and large cap scrips dragged down the market sentiment in last two hours, said IDLC Investment in its daily market analysis.

Market outlook in line with investors’ perception has changed little bit as average turnover of last four trading sessions came up nearly to Tk6bn.

Alongside this, sector wise and scrip

wise shuffling helped increase turnover to Tk6.6bn, which was 3.7% higher over the previous session.

No significant movement was observed among the major sectors except non-banking financial institutions and power which gained 1.8% and 1% respectively. Telecommunications ended flat after losing streak over the last few sessions. Banks, pharmaceuticals and insurers witnessed losses.

Fareast Finance & Investments Ltd. declined more than 6% to Tk17.7 per share in its second trading day after gaining 90% from

its issue price of Tk10 on the first trading day.

The market breadth remained negative as out of 294 issues traded, 114 advanced, 161 declined and 19 remained unchanged.

Investors concentrated on textile stocks for the second consecutive session as the sector accounted for over 22% of the total turnover.

Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company Ltd was the most traded stock of the session with turnover worth Tk324.7m changing hands. It was followed by CMC Kamal, Jamuna Oil, RN Spinning, United Airways, Meghna Petroleum and Grameenphone. l

4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

Thursday, september 19, 2013

Focus on India’s Rajan at first central bank policy meeting n AFP, New Delhi India’s new central bank governor will be under intense scrutiny when he chairs his first policy review Friday faced with the “impossible trinity” of a weak rupee, rising inflation and slowing growth.

Most analysts bet “The Guv”, as Raghuram Rajan has been nicknamed, will debut on a cautious note and focus on inflation, which hit an unexpected sixmonth high of 6.1% this week, and resist business pleas to ease interest rates to try to revive growth.

The inflation rise underscores “the challenges faced by the new governor when the economy is obviously struggling”, said Daniel Martin, economist at Capital Economics. “We think he will keep policy rates on hold and keep them there for a while.”

Analysts say Rajan cannot loosen monetary policy for fear of pushing inflation higher and the rupee lower.

The central bank’s benchmark policy lending rate stands at 7.25%, and it hiked short-term rates in July to try to stabilise the rupee as it hit a string of lows.

“Anything suggesting wanting to remove these measures would risk undermining the rupee once again,” said Credit Suisse India economist Robert Prior-Wandesforde.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor has been lionised by India’s media, with one top columnist calling him the “Poster Boy of Banking” whose “chiselled features are as

sharp as his brain”.

But analysts say that Rajan, a former International Monetary Fund chief economist famed for forecasting the 2008 global financial meltdown, faces a Herculean task at the RBI’s helm as he seeks to tackle what economists call a trilemma, or an “impossible trinity” of problems.

With expectations of his abilities so high, “some are bound to be disappointed,” HSBC economist Leif Eskesen said.

India’s economy has gone dramatically downhill since the “Indian Summer” of the last decade, when annual growth regularly topped eight and nine percent.

The economy grew by five percent last year, its slowest pace in a decade, and some private economists forecast expansion this year at under four percent.

Meanwhile, the Congress-led government has become mired in graft scandals and policy paralysis that have sunk its popularity and sent foreign investors fleeing.

India’s public finances are also in trouble with the current account deficit - the broadest measure of trade - hitting a record high last year.

Rajan is seen as hesitant to go for growth at the risk of higher inflation - something he emphasised at his first news conference this month as governor, when he said the bank’s role was to ensure “low and stable expectations of inflation”.

His comments suggest he is likely to be “hawkish”, CLSA economist Rajeev Malik said.

The ex-professor at the University of Chicago has already sought to dampen expectations of what he can do, saying he has “no magic wand” and warning “some of the actions I take will not be popular”.

“The governorship of the central bank is not meant to win one votes or Facebook ‘likes’,” he said.

Since taking over September 4, Rajan has displayed an energy that contrasts sharply with the normal crawling pace of Indian policymaking, announcing a string of measures to liberalise financial markets and support the rupee.

His efforts to swell foreign exchange coffers have helped pushed the rupee higher, trimming its drop against the dollar this year to around 13% from close to 20% a month ago.

One extra headache Rajan faces is the potential fallout from a critical US Federal Reserve meeting, where the tapering of huge stimulus is expected be announced Wednesday.

Anticipation of such a move has already sparked an exodus of funds from emerging markets - greasing the fall of the rupee and currencies of other developing nations.

“There is still a chance that the RBI could be forced into action (and hike rates) if global markets return to panic following Wednesday’s US Fed policy decision,” said Capital Economics’ Martin.

“However, we think that Fed tapering is almost certainly factored in by markets at this stage,” Martin said. l

Pakistan’s internet censors seek help from canadian company n Reuters, Islamabad In a nondescript, creeper-draped building in the capital of Islamabad, a small team of men is purging Pakistan’s Internet.

Shadowy government officials are blocking thousands of pages deemed undesirable.

But they are not fast enough. So the government is now testing Canadian software that can block millions of sites a second.

The censorship helps shape the views of 180 million Pakistanis on militancy, democracy and religion. Online debates dissect attacks by US drone aircraft, the uneasy alliance with the United States and prospects for peace with arch rival India. But activists say liberal voices are increasingly silenced while militants speak freely. They worry customised filters will only deepen that divide.

“Secular, progressive and liberal voices are being increasingly targeted,” said Shahzad Ahmad, the founder of Bytes For All, which campaigns for internet freedoms from a small, crowded office. “Anything can be banned without debate.”

An internet provider who declined to be identified said the number of banned pages

doubled in five years, partly a reaction to cartoons or films offensive to Muslims.

Citizen Lab, a research centre at the University of Toronto, published a report in June showing the Pakistani government was testing filtering software supplied by Canadian firm Netsweeper. The Pakistani government and Netsweeper declined to comment.

In 2012, the government circulated a fivepage document seeking filtering software.

“Pakistani ISPs and backbone providers have expressed their inability to block millions of undesirable websites using current manual blocking systems,” the government said in the paper, a copy of which was seen

by Reuters. It said it needed a system “able to handle a block list of up to 50 million URLs”.

Activists from Bolo Bhi, an internet freedom group whose name means “Speak Up”, said Pakistan wanted the strict online censorship practiced in its ally China.

About 42 million Pakistanis can get online, the government says, and the Internet is one of the few places where they can speak freely, said Bolo Bhi director Farieha Aziz. Twitter helps voters reach leaders directly.

“Now Pakistanis can get direct access to

politicians. Previously they were just on television, telling you stuff,” Aziz said.

Bolo Bhi asked technology companies to refuse the bid and said US-based Websense, Cisco, Verizon, OpenDNS, and Canada’s Sandvine all agreed.

“Any company whose products are currently being used for government-imposed censorship should remove their technology so that it is not used in this way by oppressive governments,” Websense said in an open letter seen by Reuters. Instead, Netsweeper took the contract, Citizen Lab said.

Netsweeper has categorised 5 billion URLs and offers customised blocking and blocking by keyword, it says on its website.

Activists say tests run to install the filtering system led to the temporary blocking of sites like Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr.

State lawyers have referred to the tests in a court case in which the government is being sued by free-speech activists.

Many sites on human rights, news and religion are already permanently blocked.

“The internet Pakistan is seeing is not the same as the rest of the world is seeing,” said Ronald Deibert of Citizen Lab. l

Shanghai free trade zone will deal a blow to Hong Kong: Li n AFP, Hong Kong Asia’s richest man Li Ka-shing has warned that Shanghai’s new free-trade zone will have a “big impact” on Hong Kong, urging the city to up its game to avoid losing out.

China will allow unfettered exchange of its yuan currency in its first free-trade zone (FTZ), according to draft plans revealed exclusively by AFP this month, in a bold push to reform the world’s second largest economy.

The proposals showed the new Shanghai FTZ as an international trade and financial centre, which analysts say would challenge the free economy of Hong Kong.

“It (the FTZ) will have a big impact on Hong Kong,” Li said. “The free convertibility of the yuan will be favourable in the development of Shanghai.”

“If Hong Kong does not catch up, it will lag behind others,” he added, saying that Hong Kong’s GDP is already lower than that of rival Singapore.

When asked if Shanghai could rival Hong Kong within five to 10 years, he said: “I do not want to predict. But it will be faster than most people expect.”

Li, 85, also warned that the Hong Kong pro-democracy movement Occupy Central could harm the city’s economy, adding that it would “affect Hong Kong’s image as an international finance centre”.

After starting out in business as a plastic flower-maker, Li now commands a vast empire through Cheung Kong Holdings and Hutchison Whampoa, with global assets in property, telecoms, utilities, ports and retail.

He has a net worth of around $31bn, according to Forbes magazine.

Reports that he is selling his Hong Kong-based supermarket chain ParknShop, have triggered fears he is going to pull his businesses out of the city, although he has pledged not to leave.

“I love Hong Kong, I love the country.

Cheung Kong and Hutchison Whampoa won’t be moved away from Hong Kong,” he said at a press lunch on Tuesday and confirmed by his office Wednesday.

The draft FTZ plan for Shanghai shows it would support the establishment of foreign and joint venture banks and welcome privately funded financial institutions.

At present, China’s banking sector is overwhelmingly dominated by state-run institutions.

Hong Kong promotes itself as the business gateway to the world’s second-largest economy but is facing challenges such as high labour and rental costs.

“In one to three years’ time, if Hong Kong cannot revamp itself, it will lose its competitiveness to the trade zone,” chief China economist of ANZ Banking Group, Liu Ligang, told AFP after the scale of the plans was revealed. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

Thursday, september 19, 2013

Fed likely to reduce bond buying, pass policy milestone n Reuters, Washington The US Federal Reserve is expected to begin its long retreat from ultra-easy monetary policy on Wednesday by announcing a small reduction in its bond buying, while stressing that interest rates will remain near zero for a long time to come.

Most economists expect the Fed to scale back its monthly purchases by a modest $10bn, taking them to $75bn and signaling the beginning of the end to an unprecedented episode of monetary expansion that has been felt worldwide.

The baby step would begin to provide a bookend of sorts to the central bank’s response to the global financial crisis that reached fever pitch five years ago this week with the collapse of investment bank Lehman Brothers.

“It is an important milestone...juxtaposed against five years ago, when the Fed began the huge expansion of its balance sheet,” said Carl Tannenbaum, chief economist at Northern Trust in Chicago. “This is going to be the first step, potentially, in a very, very long walk.”

The Fed will announce its decision in a statement following a two-day meeting at 2pm (1800 GMT), and Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke will hold a news conference a half hour later. It is also set to release fresh quarterly economic and interest rate projections.

In slashing overnight rates to zero in late 2008, the Fed launched an extraordinarily bold campaign to shelter the US economy.

The effort included three rounds of bond purchases that more than tripled its balance sheet to around $3.6tn.

The actions, unthinkable to many within the Fed prior to the crisis, sparked intense criticism from those who feared the measures would create an asset bubble or fuel inflation.

But the central bank’s show of force was credited with saving the US and world economies from a much worse fate.

With the US economy now on a somewhat steady, if tepid, recovery path and unemployment falling, policymakers have said the time was drawing near to begin ratcheting back their bond buying with an eye toward ending the program around mid-2014.

While US government bond yields and mortgage rates have shot higher in anticipation of less Fed support, the central bank will still be expanding its balance sheet for many more months as it tries to wean the economy and financial markets from its ever-expanding stimulus.

Yellen And Forward Guidance

Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, in what is likely his penultimate news conference before stepping down in January, is expected to reinforce the central bank’s commitment to keep overnight rates near zero for a long time to come as a way to temper any jitters the bond market may feel.

The forward guidance on rates is aimed at holding down longer-term borrowing costs, which encompass investors’ views on the path of short-term rates.

5

Tesla enters race to build selfdriving car n Reuters

The facade of the US Federal Reserve building is reflected on wet marble during the early morning hours in Washington REUTERS That task may have gotten easier after former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers withdrew from the race to replace Bernanke when his term ends on January 31, restoring current Fed Vice Chair Janet Yellen to the front-runner position.

Yellen, who would become the first woman ever to hold the job if nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the US Senate, could be expected to maintain the policy path set by the Bernanke-led Fed. Investors and economists were less certain on where Summers might lead the central bank.

“I think that probably does add to the credibility of the forward guidance in terms of the greater expectation of continuity in the basic philosophy and direction of policy,” said David Stockton, a former senior Fed economist.

“If there had been as much uncertainty about the transition as there was a week ago, that credibility may have been less secure,” said Stockton, who is now a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Eco-

nomics in Washington.

The Fed has said it will not begin raising rates at least until the unemployment rate hits 6.5%, provided inflation does not threaten to pierce 2.5%. The jobless rate stood at 7.3% in August.

But 10-year bond yields have risen more than a percentage point since Bernanke initially discussed scaling back the Fed’s bond purchases, a signal that investors had brought forward their anticipated lift-off date for overnight rates.

Some analysts wonder if the Fed might try to hammer home the message that rates would stay lower for longer by reducing the unemployment threshold to 6%.

But it could prove hard for Bernanke to muster sufficient support from other members of the central bank’s policy-setting committee for such a move.

“They will be hesitant to put in any more explicit forward guidance,” said Dean Maki, chief US economist at Barclays Capital in New York. “They really cannot credibly say a lot about 1-1/2 years from now.” l

Electric car company Tesla Motors is working to produce a car capable of running on “auto-pilot” within the next three years, CEO Elon Musk said, joining tech giant Google and rival carmakers in the race to roll a driverless car into the market.

The California-based company’s autonomous car would allow the driver to hand 90 percent of the control of the car over to the vehicle’s computer system, Musk said in an interview with the Financial Times newspaper.

Fully autonomous cars would take longer to develop, he said.

The self-driving car would be developed in-house using Tesla’s own technology, not that of another company, Musk said in comments confirmed by a Tesla spokesperson.

Tesla’s online job board currently has a post for an Advanced Driver Assistance Systems Controls Engineer, who will be responsible for helping “Tesla’s effort to pioneer fully automated driving.”

On top of the technical obstacles, legal and safety issues must be overcome before driverless cars are allowed on the road.

European Union laws currently call for drivers to control their cars at all times.

And it is unclear whether the multibillion dollar car insurance industry has any appetite to back the cars until the technology is proven, although driverless cars would be free from human error and programmed to obey traffic laws, features that could appeal to insurers.

Buyers may also be skittish about purchasing a car that drives itself until its safety has been proved through real world experience.

Musk’s three-year timeline is more ambitious than timelines set out by other carmakers, as well as analysts that say it will take 10 to 15 years before self-driving cars become a reality.

Germany’s Daimler AG and Japan’s Nissan have both said they hope to begin selling self-driving cars by the end of the decade.

Daimler already offers technology that allows for partly automated driving such as traffic jam assistance in its top-line S-Class Mercedes, which can maintain distance to other cars in stop-and-go situations.

Google has fitted out several cars with radar-like equipment that lets them navigate roads in California and Nevada. Google did not immediately respond to an inquiry about the status of its driverless car program.

California Governor Jerry Brown signed a law last year allowing the Mountain View-based internet giant to test its self-driving cars on the road. l

6

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

Thursday, september 19, 2013

DSE Broad Index: 4116.17 ⇓ 0.06%, Turnover: 6529.77 M.Tk ⇑ 3.74%, PE: 13.00 Turnover 7,098.17 MTk . ⇑ 3.21% September 18, 2013 MarketCap. 2,010.05 BTk. ⇑ 0.16% CSE All Share Index: 12711 ⇑ 0.04%, Turnover: 568.40 M Tk. ⇑ 2.58%, PE: 12.76 Combined Turnover Leader

Avg. P

4.93

259.98

1345600 1067412

251.30

3.54

235.4 2

CMC Kamal Tex. -A

7892102

246.46

3.47

31.23

199.75

2.81

19.89

10040790 5994012

349.83

% of TTL

BD Submarine Cable-A

R. N. Spinning-A

BANK ABBANK | 2.95 | 32.60 | Vol. 304673 D: 23.30 ⇑ 0.43% | 23.32 | 24.00 / 21.00 C: 23.00 ⇓ 0.86% | 23.25 | 23.60 / 22.90 CITYBANK | 1.15 | 25.97 | Vol. 561800 D: 15.90 ⇓ 0.63% | 15.92 | 16.10 / 14.80 C: 16.10 ⇑ 1.90% | 16.07 | 16.20 / 15.70 IFIC | 1.10 | 18.34 | Vol. 228684 D: 19.90 ⇑ 0.00% | 20.02 | 20.20 / 18.00 C: 20.10 ⇑ 0.50% | 20.33 | 20.50 / 19.80 ISLAMIBANK | 3.78 | 27.16 | Vol. 240221 D: 36.30 ⇑ 0.00% | 36.35 | 36.40 / 33.00 C: 36.00 ⇓ 0.28% | 36.09 | 36.50 / 36.00 NBL | 1.05 | 15.76 | Vol. 2090214 D: 11.00 ⇑ 0.92% | 11.01 | 11.20 / 10.00 C: 11.10 ⇑ 0.91% | 11.01 | 11.20 / 10.80 PUBALIBANK | 1.92 | 21.18 | Vol. 252335 D: 30.70 ⇑ 0.33% | 30.61 | 31.70 / 28.00 C: 30.90 ⇑ 1.98% | 30.64 | 31.00 / 29.70 RUPALIBANK | 6.70 | 64.27 | Vol. 4100 D: 60.00 ⇓ 0.50% | 60.00 | 61.40 / 59.70 UCBL | 1.90 | 21.72 | Vol. 1305165 D: 17.60 ⇑ 0.57% | 17.76 | 18.00 / 16.00 C: 17.40 ⇓ 0.57% | 17.51 | 17.80 / 16.00 UTTARABANK | 3.42 | 26.97 | Vol. 141576 D: 25.50 ⇓ 0.39% | 25.45 | 25.90 / 24.00 C: 25.30 ⇓ 0.78% | 25.29 | 25.70 / 25.00 ICBIBANK | -1.60 | -13.03 | Vol. 189500 D: 5.90 ⇑ 0.00% | 5.99 | 6.00 / 5.90 EBL | 3.91 | 28.22 | Vol. 64355 D: 26.10 ⇑ 0.38% | 26.16 | 26.20 / 25.00 C: 25.50 ⇓ 1.16% | 25.54 | 26.70 / 25.10 ALARABANK | 2.03 | 14.91 | Vol. 325996 D: 13.90 ⇓ 0.71% | 13.94 | 14.50 / 12.90 C: 14.00 ⇑ 0.00% | 14.03 | 14.10 / 13.20 PRIMEBANK | 2.89 | 22.40 | Vol. 512160 D: 17.90 ⇓ 6.77% | 17.90 | 19.00 / 17.30 C: 18.00 ⇓ 6.74% | 18.31 | 20.00 / 17.80 SOUTHEASTB | 1.89 | 22.66 | Vol. 597135 D: 15.30 ⇑ 1.32% | 15.25 | 15.60 / 14.00 C: 15.20 ⇑ 0.66% | 15.12 | 16.60 / 14.00 DHAKABANK | 1.46 | 18.08 | Vol. 98347 D: 18.00 ⇑ 0.56% | 17.97 | 18.80 / 17.70 C: 17.80 ⇑ 6.59% | 17.81 | 18.00 / 17.50 NCCBANK | 1.90 | 15.88 | Vol. 401618 D: 11.40 ⇑ 1.79% | 11.40 | 11.60 / 10.20 C: 11.40 ⇑ 0.88% | 11.41 | 11.60 / 11.30 SIBL | 2.05 | 14.47 | Vol. 486764 D: 11.20 ⇓ 0.88% | 11.29 | 11.60 / 10.30 C: 11.30 ⇓ 0.88% | 11.33 | 11.50 / 10.30 DUTCHBANGL | 11.57 | 54.27 | Vol. 16500 D: 93.50 ⇓ 0.11% | 93.53 | 94.60 / 93.10 C: 88.50 ⇓ 1.67% | 91.17 | 93.00 / 88.50 MTBL | 1.17 | 17.27 | Vol. 96521 D: 14.70 ⇑ 0.68% | 14.64 | 14.80 / 14.30 C: 14.30 ⇑ 0.00% | 15.50 | 14.30 / 14.30 STANDBANKL | 2.33 | 14.41 | Vol. 344684 D: 12.70 ⇑ 0.00% | 12.81 | 13.00 / 11.50 C: 12.70 ⇑ 1.60% | 12.73 | 13.00 / 12.40 ONEBANKLTD | 2.35 | 15.34 | Vol. 727352 D: 14.30 ⇑ 0.70% | 14.42 | 15.00 / 12.80 C: 14.50 ⇑ 1.40% | 14.49 | 14.60 / 14.30 BANKASIA | 1.35 | 20.80 | Vol. 47700 D: 19.50 ⇓ 0.51% | 19.58 | 20.00 / 19.20 C: 19.20 ⇑ 1.05% | 19.20 | 19.20 / 19.20 MERCANBANK | 2.07 | 16.59 | Vol. 656924 D: 11.50 ⇑ 0.00% | 11.67 | 11.90 / 10.40 C: 11.50 ⇑ 0.88% | 11.47 | 11.60 / 11.00 EXIMBANK | 1.80 | 14.31 | Vol. 634568 D: 11.00 ⇑ 0.92% | 11.02 | 11.20 / 9.90 C: 11.20 ⇑ 1.82% | 11.07 | 11.30 / 10.80

TO M. Tk.

Jamuna Oil -A

UNITED AIR-A

CompanyCode | EPS | BV | Volume Traded (Share) DSE/CSE: ClosePrice ⇓/⇑ Chn % | Avg.Price | Hi / Lo

Vol.

191.31

2.70

JAMUNABANK | 2.47 | 18.56 | Vol. 94047 D: 13.40 ⇑ 2.29% | 13.34 | 13.50 / 12.00 C: 13.30 ⇓ 0.75% | 13.30 | 13.40 / 13.20 BRACBANK | 1.51 | 24.87 | Vol. 161286 D: 27.40 ⇓ 0.36% | 27.73 | 28.10 / 25.00 C: 26.80 ⇓ 1.11% | 27.23 | 27.60 / 26.50 SHAHJABANK | 2.61 | 14.47 | Vol. 209759 D: 13.50 ⇓ 0.74% | 13.55 | 14.00 / 12.50 C: 13.70 ⇑ 0.74% | 13.63 | 13.80 / 13.50 PREMIERBAN | 1.18 | 13.95 | Vol. 464341 D: 9.60 ⇑ 0.00% | 9.60 | 10.00 / 8.70 C: 9.60 ⇑ 0.00% | 9.65 | 10.00 / 8.70 TRUSTBANK | 0.50 | 18.00 | Vol. 93955 D: 16.60 ⇑ 0.00% | 16.85 | 17.00 / 15.00 C: 17.10 ⇑ 3.01% | 16.70 | 17.10 / 16.50 FIRSTSBANK | 1.85 | 13.89 | Vol. 256131 D: 11.30 ⇓ 0.88% | 11.47 | 12.00 / 10.30 C: 11.40 ⇑ 0.00% | 11.26 | 11.40 / 11.10 NON BANKING F I IDLC | 4.43 | 29.18 | Vol. 158930 D: 60.70 ⇓ 0.49% | 61.15 | 62.30 / 57.00 C: 60.90 ⇓ 0.49% | 61.36 | 62.50 / 60.90 ULC | 1.80 | 14.90 | Vol. 152509 D: 27.80 ⇑ 0.36% | 28.18 | 28.80 / 25.00 UTTARAFIN | 7.16 | 41.54 | Vol. 76758 D: 76.50 ⇓ 0.26% | 77.00 | 78.50 / 69.10 C: 77.00 ⇑ 0.92% | 76.93 | 77.00 / 76.50 MIDASFIN | 0.16 | 10.21 | Vol. 26000 D: 30.00 ⇓ 1.32% | 30.08 | 33.40 / 30.00 C: 31.60 ⇑ 9.72% | 31.60 | 31.60 / 31.60 FLEASEINT | 2.34 | 13.93 | Vol. 744735 D: 26.10 ⇓ 5.43% | 27.62 | 30.00 / 25.80 C: 26.10 ⇓ 5.09% | 26.74 | 27.60 / 26.00 PLFSL | 1.37 | 17.48 | Vol. 1903606 D: 23.90 ⇑ 2.58% | 24.46 | 25.60 / 21.10 C: 23.90 ⇑ 3.02% | 24.47 | 25.40 / 23.80 PRIMEFIN | 0.87 | 17.88 | Vol. 523900 D: 24.50 ⇓ 1.61% | 25.27 | 26.30 / 23.00 C: 25.00 ⇓ 0.79% | 25.27 | 26.50 / 24.60 PREMIERLEA | 0.10 | 11.37 | Vol. 295444 D: 11.00 ⇓ 6.78% | 11.41 | 12.30 / 11.00 C: 11.40 ⇓ 5.00% | 11.33 | 11.40 / 11.00 ISLAMICFIN | 1.03 | 15.48 | Vol. 1002909 D: 16.50 ⇓ 1.79% | 17.02 | 17.80 / 15.30 C: 16.50 ⇓ 4.07% | 16.89 | 17.50 / 16.50 LANKABAFIN | 1.61 | 31.07 | Vol. 711170 D: 62.40 ⇓ 1.11% | 62.98 | 63.80 / 56.80 C: 62.20 ⇓ 1.27% | 62.46 | 63.30 / 62.00 BIFC | 0.15 | 18.58 | Vol. 517288 D: 17.00 ⇓ 8.11% | 18.32 | 20.00 / 16.70 C: 17.00 ⇓ 7.10% | 19.24 | 20.10 / 17.00 IPDC | 1.23 | 19.43 | Vol. 278686 D: 19.00 ⇓ 6.86% | 20.02 | 21.60 / 18.90 C: 20.00 ⇓ 5.66% | 20.63 | 21.20 / 20.00 UNIONCAP | 0.54 | 17.85 | Vol. 48451 D: 28.00 ⇓ 1.75% | 28.13 | 28.90 / 26.00 C: 27.60 ⇓ 4.50% | 27.55 | 27.70 / 27.20 BDFINANCE | 0.57 | 14.77 | Vol. 453562 D: 20.10 ⇓ 1.95% | 20.99 | 22.00 / 18.60 C: 20.30 ⇓ 1.93% | 20.97 | 21.90 / 20.00 ILFSL | 0.35 | 12.19 | Vol. 2205000 D: 14.70 ⇓ 7.55% | 16.01 | 17.30 / 14.40 C: 14.70 ⇓ 8.70% | 15.60 | 17.50 / 14.50 PHOENIXFIN | 2.46 | 19.39 | Vol. 252994 D: 30.30 ⇓ 2.26% | 31.35 | 32.20 / 27.90 C: 31.50 ⇑ 3.28% | 30.99 | 31.50 / 29.00 FASFIN | 0.19 | 13.56 | Vol. 1301110 D: 15.50 ⇓ 4.91% | 16.12 | 16.90 / 15.00 C: 15.50 ⇓ 6.06% | 15.96 | 17.60 / 15.30 DBH | 4.47 | 21.27 | Vol. 162193 D: 62.00 ⇓ 2.05% | 62.41 | 64.50 / 57.00 C: 62.60 ⇓ 1.11% | 62.88 | 64.40 / 62.20 NHFIL | 0.57 | 12.70 | Vol. 695343 D: 30.60 ⇑ 0.00% | 31.63 | 32.40 / 28.50 C: 30.80 ⇑ 0.65% | 31.73 | 32.30 / 30.40

31.92

DSE Loser

DSE Gainer

C%

A%

CP

ISN Ltd.-A

9.73

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20.30

CMC Kamal Tex.-A

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BD. Autocars -B

9.13

10.14

51.40

8.01

6.73

105.20

8.00

6.23

8.10

Savar Refractories-Z BD Fixed Income MF-A

BAYLEASING | 0.72 | 25.55 | Vol. 272740 D: 28.70 ⇑ 0.00% | 29.28 | 30.50 / 27.50 C: 28.90 ⇓ 0.34% | 29.31 | 30.40 / 28.90 ICB | 109.65 | 769.98 | Vol. 9762 D: 2041 ⇑ 5.11% | 2007 | 2041 / 1900 C: 2002 ⇑ 5.09% | 2002 | 2005 / 1999 GSPFINANCE | 1.63 | 22.23 | Vol. 188107 D: 26.50 ⇓ 2.21% | 27.10 | 28.00 / 24.60 C: 26.50 ⇑ 1.15% | 26.69 | 27.00 / 26.50 FAREASTFIN | 0.68 | 13.64 | Vol. 2821500 D: 17.70 ⇓ 6.84% | 18.47 | 20.00 / 17.60 C: 17.90 ⇓ 7.25% | 18.42 | 19.90 / 17.70 INVESTMENT 1STICB | 75.63 | 942.30 | Vol. 50 D: 821.0 ⇓ 3.30% | 821.00 | 821.0 / 821.0 2NDICB | 44.10 | 253.11 | Vol. 250 D: 266.0 ⇓ 1.26% | 268.00 | 269.0 / 254.0 3RDICB | 26.16 | 235.16 | Vol. 3300 D: 181.2 ⇓ 4.73% | 181.21 | 182.0 / 180.0 4THICB | 29.24 | 229.24 | Vol. 5000 D: 169.0 ⇓ 6.11% | 168.60 | 170.1 / 166.1 5THICB | 23.45 | 188.92 | Vol. 500 D: 168.7 ⇓ 3.32% | 168.00 | 174.5 / 160.0 6THICB | 10.99 | 60.14 | Vol. 17400 D: 45.60 ⇓ 0.65% | 45.72 | 46.70 / 45.50 C: 45.00 ⇑ 0.00% | 45.00 | 45.00 / 45.00 7THICB | 13.53 | 98.60 | Vol. 1400 D: 79.00 ⇓ 7.06% | 80.71 | 85.00 / 79.00 8THICB | 12.47 | 70.07 | Vol. 12050 D: 50.10 ⇑ 1.21% | 49.98 | 51.00 / 45.00 1STBSRS | 14.43 | 161.88 | Vol. 9000 D: 89.20 ⇑ 1.36% | 89.18 | 90.50 / 87.00 C: 95.00 ⇓ 5.00% | 95.00 | 95.00 / 95.00 AIMS1STMF | 3.02 | 15.70 | Vol. 520250 D: 40.20 ⇑ 0.50% | 40.32 | 41.40 / 39.90 C: 40.30 ⇑ 0.00% | 40.66 | 41.50 / 40.00 ICBAMCL1ST | 7.14 | 48.54 | Vol. 138000 D: 31.60 ⇓ 0.63% | 32.20 | 34.60 / 31.40 C: 32.00 ⇑ 0.95% | 32.00 | 32.00 / 32.00 ICBISLAMIC | 2.21 | 26.81 | Vol. 98000 D: 17.20 ⇓ 0.58% | 17.44 | 18.30 / 17.00 GRAMEEN1 | 6.26 | 33.23 | Vol. 268750 D: 44.40 ⇑ 1.60% | 45.35 | 46.40 / 43.70 C: 44.70 ⇑ 1.36% | 44.82 | 45.10 / 44.50 ICB1STNRB | 4.06 | 35.31 | Vol. 12000 D: 23.50 ⇓ 0.84% | 23.58 | 23.90 / 23.20 ICB2NDNRB | 2.49 | 16.24 | Vol. 336000 D: 9.30 ⇓ 1.06% | 9.51 | 9.80 / 9.30 GRAMEENS2 | 2.17 | 16.41 | Vol. 944400 D: 16.20 ⇑ 1.89% | 16.38 | 16.90 / 15.00 C: 16.30 ⇑ 1.88% | 16.51 | 16.90 / 16.20 1STPRIMFMF | 0.64 | 11.63 | Vol. 747000 D: 18.40 ⇑ 2.79% | 18.86 | 19.40 / 17.50 C: 18.30 ⇑ 0.00% | 18.67 | 19.20 / 18.20 EBL1STMF | 0.55 | 12.62 | Vol. 295708 D: 6.50 ⇑ 0.00% | 6.53 | 6.60 / 5.90 C: 6.50 ⇑ 0.00% | 6.55 | 6.60 / 6.50 ICBAMCL2ND | 0.60 | 12.12 | Vol. 224500 D: 5.40 ⇑ 1.89% | 5.42 | 5.60 / 5.30 C: 5.50 ⇑ 7.84% | 5.50 | 5.50 / 5.50 ICBEPMF1S1 | 0.52 | 11.32 | Vol. 164000 D: 5.60 ⇑ 1.82% | 5.68 | 5.80 / 5.60 C: 5.60 ⇑ 1.82% | 5.62 | 5.70 / 5.40 TRUSTB1MF | 0.75 | 11.65 | Vol. 617485 D: 6.80 ⇑ 1.49% | 6.94 | 7.10 / 6.30 C: 6.80 ⇓ 1.45% | 6.90 | 7.00 / 6.80 PRIME1ICBA | 0.42 | 11.18 | Vol. 104000 D: 5.00 ⇑ 0.00% | 5.06 | 5.10 / 5.00 C: 5.10 ⇑ 2.00% | 5.05 | 5.10 / 5.00 DBH1STMF | -1.12 | 10.15 | Vol. 184000 D: 5.40 ⇑ 1.89% | 5.39 | 5.50 / 5.30 C: 5.40 ⇑ 1.89% | 5.37 | 5.40 / 5.20 IFIC1STMF | 0.83 | 11.88 | Vol. 732500 D: 6.30 ⇓ 3.08% | 6.47 | 6.70 / 6.30 C: 6.30 ⇓ 1.56% | 6.42 | 6.60 / 6.30

Fareast Islami Life-A Bangladesh Welding-A

C%

A%

CP

-16.32

-15.09

97.40

-9.79

-3.22

25.80

Fine Foods-A

-9.79

-3.69

25.80

Miracle Industries-B Anwar Galvanizing-B

-9.59

-5.17

19.80

-9.47

-4.11

30.60

PF1STMF | 0.51 | 11.11 | Vol. 226000 D: 5.10 ⇑ 0.00% | 5.20 | 5.30 / 5.10 C: 5.10 ⇓ 1.92% | 5.11 | 5.20 / 5.10 ICB3RDNRB | 0.00 | 10.60 | Vol. 526000 D: 5.00 ⇑ 2.04% | 5.09 | 5.20 / 5.00 C: 4.90 ⇑ 0.00% | 4.96 | 5.00 / 4.90 1JANATAMF | 0.78 | 10.68 | Vol. 170000 D: 5.60 ⇑ 0.00% | 5.68 | 5.80 / 5.60 C: 5.60 ⇑ 0.00% | 5.64 | 5.70 / 5.60 GREENDELMF | -0.82 | 9.72 | Vol. 329500 D: 5.10 ⇑ 2.00% | 5.10 | 5.20 / 5.00 C: 5.20 ⇑ 0.00% | 5.19 | 5.30 / 5.10 POPULAR1MF | 0.77 | 11.38 | Vol. 446541 D: 5.80 ⇑ 0.00% | 5.83 | 6.30 / 5.80 C: 5.80 ⇓ 1.69% | 5.82 | 6.00 / 5.80 IFILISLMF1 | 0.00 | 10.45 | Vol. 201000 D: 5.10 ⇑ 0.00% | 5.13 | 5.20 / 5.10 C: 5.10 ⇑ 0.00% | 5.10 | 5.20 / 5.10 PHPMF1 | 0.63 | 10.92 | Vol. 704500 D: 5.30 ⇑ 0.00% | 5.37 | 5.50 / 5.30 C: 5.30 ⇑ 0.00% | 5.34 | 5.40 / 5.20 AIBL1STIMF | -0.07 | 9.25 | Vol. 18000 D: 6.30 ⇑ 0.00% | 6.31 | 6.40 / 6.30 C: 6.30 ⇑ 1.61% | 6.25 | 6.30 / 6.20 MBL1STMF | -0.16 | 9.08 | Vol. 108000 D: 6.00 ⇑ 1.69% | 6.00 | 6.10 / 6.00 C: 5.90 ⇓ 6.35% | 5.98 | 6.00 / 5.90 SEBL1STMF | 0.94 | 11.85 | Vol. 1215550 D: 7.60 ⇓ 1.30% | 7.67 | 7.90 / 7.10 C: 7.40 ⇓ 2.63% | 7.54 | 7.70 / 7.40 EBLNRBMF | 1.07 | 10.88 | Vol. 12042 D: 6.60 ⇓ 1.49% | 6.60 | 6.60 / 6.20 RELIANCE1 | 0.95 | 10.33 | Vol. 803850 D: 7.80 ⇓ 1.27% | 7.99 | 8.20 / 7.80 C: 7.80 ⇓ 1.27% | 7.81 | 8.00 / 7.70 LRGLOBMF1 | 0.50 | 10.82 | Vol. 2500 D: 6.80 ⇑ 3.03% | 6.80 | 6.80 / 6.80 ABB1STMF | 0.92 | 10.63 | Vol. 30000 D: 6.90 ⇑ 0.00% | 6.90 | 7.00 / 6.80 NLI1STMF | 1.17 | 12.22 | Vol. 631800 D: 7.90 ⇑ 0.00% | 8.03 | 8.20 / 7.90 C: 7.80 ⇓ 1.27% | 7.91 | 8.10 / 7.80 FBFIF | 1.30 | 10.27 | Vol. 16500 D: 8.10 ⇑ 8.00% | 8.19 | 8.20 / 8.10 C: 8.10 ⇑ 6.58% | 8.05 | 8.20 / 7.90 NCCBLMF1 | 1.16 | 10.48 | Vol. 1745 D: 8.00 ⇑ 1.27% | 7.93 | 8.10 / 7.50 ICBSONALI1 | 0.00 | 10.39 | Vol. 395500 D: 6.20 ⇑ 0.00% | 6.25 | 6.40 / 6.10 C: 6.10 ⇑ 0.00% | 6.11 | 6.30 / 6.00 EXIM1STMF | 0.00 | 10.91 | Vol. 10000 D: 7.10 ⇑ 1.43% | 7.10 | 7.20 / 7.10 ENGINEERING AFTABAUTO | 4.29 | 52.65 | Vol. 516431 D: 116.3 ⇑ 0.43% | 117.09 | 120.0 / 104.3 C: 116.5 ⇑ 0.43% | 117.25 | 119.0 / 115.2 AZIZPIPES | 0.39 | -42.04 | Vol. 13350 D: 17.80 ⇓ 4.81% | 18.24 | 18.80 / 17.10 C: 19.00 ⇓ 7.77% | 19.00 | 19.00 / 19.00 OLYMPIC | 5.94 | 14.91 | Vol. 293875 D: 224.2 ⇑ 0.63% | 224.64 | 227.0 / 215.0 C: 223.6 ⇑ 0.49% | 224.09 | 233.5 / 222.6 BDLAMPS | -5.31 | 37.07 | Vol. 61400 D: 169.5 ⇓ 4.78% | 173.38 | 180.0 / 168.0 C: 169.4 ⇓ 5.52% | 174.55 | 180.0 / 166.0 ECABLES | 2.04 | 18.87 | Vol. 7700 D: 80.30 ⇓ 5.75% | 80.29 | 80.40 / 80.00 C: 75.30 ⇓ 4.92% | 75.88 | 77.00 / 75.00 MONNOSTAF | 5.31 | 44.78 | Vol. 12600 D: 454.7 ⇑ 5.67% | 462.70 | 467.7 / 440.0 SINGERBD | 9.99 | 45.74 | Vol. 280198 D: 219.2 ⇑ 0.23% | 222.50 | 227.9 / 200.0 C: 220.6 ⇑ 0.23% | 222.87 | 227.5 / 219.1 ATLASBANG | 11.98 | 207.70 | Vol. 26483 D: 188.3 ⇑ 0.43% | 188.94 | 192.0 / 171.0

BDAUTOCA | 0.25 | 6.23 | Vol. 185045 D: 51.40 ⇑ 9.13% | 51.59 | 51.80 / 46.80 QSMDRYCELL | 1.65 | 58.49 | Vol. 744750 D: 39.40 ⇓ 8.37% | 40.72 | 43.50 / 39.10 C: 39.50 ⇓ 8.35% | 40.57 | 42.10 / 39.30 RENWICKJA | 5.62 | -90.00 | Vol. 44300 D: 187.6 ⇓ 7.40% | 193.50 | 206.2 / 185.2 NTLTUBES | -2.52 | 312.10 | Vol. 110160 D: 85.40 ⇓ 4.69% | 88.28 | 92.90 / 82.00 BDTHAI | 0.43 | 39.35 | Vol. 1787773 D: 31.20 ⇑ 0.32% | 32.63 | 34.20 / 28.00 C: 31.30 ⇑ 0.64% | 32.64 | 34.20 / 31.00 ANWARGALV | 0.51 | 8.08 | Vol. 436000 D: 30.60 ⇓ 9.47% | 32.23 | 36.00 / 30.50 C: 31.80 ⇓ 9.92% | 31.93 | 33.10 / 31.80 KAY&QUE | -3.89 | 6.03 | Vol. 13500 D: 19.40 ⇓ 2.02% | 19.50 | 20.20 / 19.10 C: 19.60 ⇓ 7.55% | 19.57 | 19.60 / 19.50 RANFOUNDRY | 2.84 | 18.62 | Vol. 149500 D: 113.4 ⇓ 8.25% | 117.00 | 127.9 / 112.3 C: 115.0 ⇓ 8.59% | 116.28 | 118.0 / 115.0 SALAMCRST | 3.31 | 20.00 | Vol. 567900 D: 42.90 ⇓ 0.23% | 43.57 | 44.20 / 40.00 C: 42.60 ⇓ 0.23% | 43.52 | 44.00 / 42.50 GOLDENSON | 3.70 | 28.70 | Vol. 920886 D: 44.30 ⇑ 1.37% | 44.81 | 45.80 / 40.00 C: 44.30 ⇑ 1.61% | 44.59 | 45.50 / 44.00 BSRMSTEEL | 3.06 | 19.53 | Vol. 218849 D: 71.80 ⇓ 0.83% | 72.22 | 73.40 / 69.00 C: 71.60 ⇓ 0.56% | 71.57 | 73.10 / 71.20 NAVANACNG | 4.09 | 27.04 | Vol. 157502 D: 70.10 ⇓ 0.99% | 70.64 | 71.80 / 64.00 C: 70.10 ⇓ 0.85% | 70.41 | 72.70 / 64.00 DESHBANDHU | 1.16 | 12.02 | Vol. 1604925 D: 25.00 ⇓ 8.42% | 25.99 | 27.70 / 24.60 C: 25.00 ⇓ 9.09% | 25.98 | 28.00 / 24.80 GPHISPAT | 2.11 | 15.27 | Vol. 290100 D: 44.60 ⇓ 1.55% | 44.91 | 45.60 / 42.00 C: 44.70 ⇑ 0.22% | 44.90 | 45.60 / 44.50 BENGALWTL | 2.42 | 20.72 | Vol. 582400 D: 45.80 ⇑ 0.00% | 46.14 | 46.50 / 45.50 C: 45.40 ⇑ 0.00% | 46.09 | 47.00 / 43.50 NPOLYMAR | 2.01 | 324.37 | Vol. 190879 D: 69.20 ⇓ 6.11% | 71.87 | 76.60 / 68.30 C: 67.80 ⇓ 7.50% | 69.81 | 73.20 / 67.00 FOOD & ALLIED APEXFOODS | 2.54 | 90.81 | Vol. 132200 D: 111.2 ⇓ 4.79% | 116.57 | 125.0 / 108.6 C: 112.1 ⇓ 5.88% | 113.44 | 118.0 / 112.0 BANGAS | 7.20 | 50.27 | Vol. 187363 D: 465.0 ⇑ 5.20% | 447.72 | 475.0 / 409.0 C: 463.3 ⇑ 4.39% | 455.02 | 473.0 / 424.0 BATBC | 65.69 | 117.22 | Vol. 2650 D: 1499 ⇑ 0.09% | 1501 | 1560 / 1494 GEMINISEA | 10.88 | 9.69 | Vol. 2650 D: 261.8 ⇑ 3.11% | 259.25 | 264.0 / 253.0 NTC | 29.88 | 110.05 | Vol. 3200 D: 829.9 ⇓ 4.97% | 835.31 | 888.0 / 817.6 CVOPRL | 2.66 | 13.28 | Vol. 93300 D: 823.0 ⇓ 5.68% | 838.15 | 884.0 / 812.4 C: 812.0 ⇓ 7.15% | 817.45 | 875.0 / 812.0 AMCL(PRAN) | 6.53 | 53.37 | Vol. 249420 D: 307.4 ⇓ 0.84% | 326.42 | 337.1 / 286.0 C: 305.9 ⇓ 0.81% | 326.92 | 335.3 / 302.0 RAHIMAFOOD | 0.62 | 4.46 | Vol. 1056500 D: 31.00 ⇓ 5.20% | 33.91 | 35.90 / 30.00 C: 30.20 ⇓ 7.93% | 33.30 | 36.00 / 29.60 FUWANGFOOD | 1.26 | 12.37 | Vol. 961676 D: 26.50 ⇓ 5.69% | 27.26 | 28.50 / 26.00 C: 26.60 ⇓ 5.67% | 27.25 | 28.40 / 26.50 MEGHNAPET | -0.58 | -1.02 | Vol. 57000 D: 7.10 ⇑ 4.41% | 7.21 | 7.40 / 6.90 MEGCONMILK | -6.68 | -16.22 | Vol. 86500 D: 9.30 ⇓ 2.11% | 9.83 | 10.30 / 9.00

DHAKA TRIBUNE

BEACHHATCH | 1.01 | 12.48 | Vol. 1802206 D: 24.40 ⇓ 9.29% | 25.29 | 27.90 / 24.30 C: 24.30 ⇓ 9.67% | 25.47 | 27.90 / 24.30 FINEFOODS | -0.11 | 10.58 | Vol. 583000 D: 25.80 ⇓ 9.79% | 26.62 | 29.40 / 25.80 C: 26.10 ⇓ 9.69% | 26.84 | 29.00 / 26.10 RDFOOD | 0.91 | 16.84 | Vol. 2290200 D: 24.50 ⇓ 6.13% | 25.57 | 26.80 / 23.50 C: 24.40 ⇓ 7.92% | 25.61 | 27.60 / 24.20 GHAIL | 1.01 | 22.08 | Vol. 579420 D: 45.30 ⇓ 1.09% | 45.79 | 46.70 / 41.30 C: 45.20 ⇓ 1.09% | 45.44 | 46.40 / 45.10 FUEL & POWER LINDEBD | 31.71 | 144.00 | Vol. 28300 D: 725.1 ⇑ 0.96% | 734.95 | 745.0 / 721.0 PADMAOIL | 16.38 | 43.67 | Vol. 331896 D: 356.8 ⇑ 4.48% | 353.30 | 361.0 / 330.0 C: 355.1 ⇑ 4.35% | 354.09 | 360.0 / 343.0 EASTRNLUB | 6.32 | 68.68 | Vol. 6050 D: 428.5 ⇓ 2.86% | 426.45 | 435.0 / 410.6 BDWELDING | 0.33 | 16.82 | Vol. 1749143 D: 25.80 ⇓ 9.79% | 27.07 | 30.00 / 25.80 C: 25.50 ⇓ 9.57% | 27.10 | 30.50 / 25.40 SUMITPOWER | 3.17 | 19.26 | Vol. 770463 D: 34.60 ⇑ 2.06% | 35.02 | 36.00 / 31.00 C: 34.70 ⇑ 2.36% | 35.02 | 35.60 / 34.20 DESCO | 2.80 | 35.25 | Vol. 206399 D: 79.60 ⇓ 0.13% | 79.79 | 80.80 / 74.00 C: 78.60 ⇓ 0.13% | 78.46 | 79.00 / 77.50 POWERGRID | 2.56 | 48.08 | Vol. 49715 D: 56.30 ⇑ 0.00% | 56.74 | 59.00 / 55.00 C: 55.90 ⇓ 0.71% | 55.90 | 56.50 / 55.50 JAMUNAOIL | 22.78 | 50.24 | Vol. 1067412 D: 238.0 ⇑ 4.20% | 235.45 | 239.4 / 220.0 C: 237.7 ⇑ 4.67% | 234.87 | 239.0 / 226.0 MPETROLEUM | 16.98 | 40.41 | Vol. 561948 D: 275.1 ⇑ 1.44% | 275.24 | 279.8 / 250.0 C: 275.7 ⇑ 1.73% | 275.55 | 279.0 / 270.0 TITASGAS | 9.01 | 36.56 | Vol. 799684 D: 84.00 ⇓ 0.24% | 84.18 | 90.00 / 75.80 C: 84.00 ⇓ 0.12% | 84.16 | 84.80 / 83.10 KPCL | 4.73 | 15.86 | Vol. 153298 D: 50.00 ⇑ 0.60% | 50.39 | 53.00 / 45.00 C: 49.90 ⇑ 1.22% | 50.27 | 51.00 / 49.30 BEDL | 1.57 | 17.89 | Vol. 1448751 D: 34.60 ⇓ 1.42% | 34.95 | 35.90 / 32.00 C: 34.70 ⇓ 1.14% | 35.12 | 35.90 / 34.60 MJLBD | 2.73 | 30.24 | Vol. 144733 D: 72.60 ⇓ 0.41% | 72.74 | 75.00 / 67.00 C: 72.70 ⇑ 0.97% | 72.23 | 73.50 / 71.40 GBBPOWER | 1.86 | 22.63 | Vol. 2504616 D: 27.90 ⇑ 6.08% | 28.05 | 28.70 / 24.00 C: 28.10 ⇑ 5.64% | 28.12 | 28.90 / 27.00 SPPCL | 3.81 | 23.34 | Vol. 732710 D: 57.70 ⇑ 1.41% | 58.26 | 60.00 / 51.30 C: 57.90 ⇑ 1.76% | 58.35 | 59.70 / 57.40 JUTE JUTESPINN | 2.06 | 17.42 | Vol. 25850 D: 139.3 ⇓ 9.19% | 143.09 | 161.9 / 138.2 SONALIANSH | 5.54 | 218.80 | Vol. 42900 D: 165.3 ⇓ 4.67% | 170.21 | 177.8 / 161.0 SALEHCARPT | -2.10 | -161.37 | Vol. 0 C: 0.00 ⇑ 0.00% | 0.00 | 0.00 / 0.00 TEXTILE AL-HAJTEX | 1.35 | 15.64 | Vol. 230921 D: 107.5 ⇑ 0.75% | 105.13 | 114.8 / 96.70 STYLECRAFT | 20.00 | 287.30 | Vol. 500 D: 1158 ⇓ 3.90% | 1158 | 1200 / 1130 RAHIMTEXT | 0.51 | 73.88 | Vol. 13070 D: 314.8 ⇓ 6.62% | 326.86 | 333.1 / 311.0 SAIHAMTEX | 2.75 | 29.50 | Vol. 2233000 D: 32.30 ⇑ 3.86% | 32.77 | 33.60 / 31.50 C: 32.30 ⇑ 4.53% | 32.68 | 33.70 / 31.60 MODERNDYE | 0.91 | 10.37 | Vol. 9500 D: 168.6 ⇑ 7.73% | 171.26 | 172.1 / 165.0 DSHGARME | 0.72 | 12.00 | Vol. 155400 D: 77.30 ⇑ 6.04% | 79.50 | 80.10 / 69.00 DULAMIACOT | -8.46 | -27.78 | Vol. 5400 D: 9.60 ⇓ 4.00% | 9.63 | 9.80 / 9.50 TALLUSPIN | 2.56 | 12.06 | Vol. 1970800 D: 41.80 ⇓ 1.42% | 42.71 | 44.40 / 39.00 C: 42.00 ⇓ 1.18% | 42.87 | 44.00 / 41.80 APEXSPINN | 2.01 | 49.32 | Vol. 57800 D: 88.90 ⇓ 3.37% | 91.78 | 98.00 / 85.00 C: 90.00 ⇑ 2.86% | 94.18 | 96.20 / 90.00 MITHUNKNIT | 4.54 | 30.39 | Vol. 220454 D: 113.6 ⇑ 0.35% | 115.05 | 119.8 / 103.0 C: 114.2 ⇑ 1.69% | 115.16 | 118.0 / 112.5 DELTASPINN | 3.06 | 18.12 | Vol. 1987600 D: 37.10 ⇑ 3.06% | 38.30 | 39.50 / 35.30 C: 37.10 ⇑ 3.34% | 38.53 | 39.40 / 36.70

SONARGAON | 0.27 | 34.50 | Vol. 1638940 D: 22.30 ⇑ 0.45% | 23.68 | 24.40 / 20.00 C: 22.50 ⇑ 1.35% | 23.86 | 24.40 / 21.50 PRIMETEX | 1.01 | 63.54 | Vol. 841000 D: 26.80 ⇓ 2.19% | 28.32 | 29.50 / 26.20 C: 26.90 ⇓ 2.18% | 28.32 | 29.40 / 26.40 ALLTEX | -0.11 | 23.81 | Vol. 208000 D: 8.70 ⇑ 0.00% | 8.89 | 9.50 / 8.70 C: 8.90 ⇑ 0.00% | 9.00 | 9.20 / 8.90 ANLIMAYARN | 1.19 | 11.01 | Vol. 653000 D: 36.80 ⇓ 3.16% | 38.70 | 40.10 / 36.50 C: 36.50 ⇓ 1.88% | 37.19 | 39.40 / 36.00 HRTEX | 2.08 | 14.92 | Vol. 670659 D: 38.50 ⇑ 1.85% | 39.42 | 40.90 / 37.30 C: 37.80 ⇑ 2.44% | 39.19 | 40.50 / 37.20 CMCKAMAL | 1.37 | 19.31 | Vol. 7892102 D: 31.30 ⇑ 9.44% | 31.23 | 31.40 / 26.00 SAFKOSPINN | 0.95 | 21.78 | Vol. 1481884 D: 28.90 ⇓ 3.34% | 30.57 | 32.70 / 27.00 C: 28.90 ⇓ 3.67% | 30.77 | 32.90 / 28.00 SQUARETEXT | 4.32 | 31.82 | Vol. 323237 D: 93.90 ⇑ 0.11% | 95.12 | 96.80 / 90.00 C: 94.20 ⇓ 0.21% | 94.88 | 95.90 / 93.60 METROSPIN | -1.00 | 19.59 | Vol. 1912675 D: 19.70 ⇓ 1.50% | 21.40 | 22.00 / 19.00 C: 19.90 ⇓ 1.97% | 21.55 | 22.30 / 19.00 MAKSONSPIN | 0.16 | 20.55 | Vol. 8622891 D: 17.60 ⇑ 5.39% | 18.09 | 18.30 / 15.10 C: 17.60 ⇑ 4.14% | 18.32 | 18.50 / 17.40 DACCADYE | 1.21 | 31.13 | Vol. 1226455 D: 29.70 ⇑ 3.13% | 30.20 | 31.30 / 27.00 C: 29.60 ⇑ 1.72% | 30.17 | 31.20 / 29.00 RNSPIN | 2.80 | 16.58 | Vol. 5994012 D: 31.40 ⇓ 1.57% | 31.91 | 33.00 / 29.00 C: 31.30 ⇓ 1.26% | 31.95 | 33.00 / 31.20 BXSYNTH | 0.93 | 25.42 | Vol. 2587754 D: 17.80 ⇑ 2.89% | 18.69 | 19.00 / 16.20 C: 17.80 ⇑ 2.30% | 18.83 | 19.10 / 17.50 MALEKSPIN | -1.44 | 46.87 | Vol. 2300827 D: 27.00 ⇓ 3.23% | 28.05 | 29.00 / 26.00 C: 26.90 ⇓ 3.58% | 27.89 | 28.80 / 26.70 ZAHINTEX | 1.91 | 35.25 | Vol. 519600 D: 31.10 ⇑ 1.97% | 31.71 | 32.50 / 30.70 C: 31.00 ⇑ 0.98% | 31.20 | 31.50 / 31.00 SAIHAMCOT | 1.92 | 23.62 | Vol. 3337500 D: 29.40 ⇑ 2.44% | 29.62 | 30.10 / 29.00 C: 29.40 ⇑ 3.52% | 29.42 | 29.90 / 29.00 GENNEXT | 1.68 | 15.15 | Vol. 4048630 D: 22.60 ⇓ 0.44% | 23.19 | 23.90 / 20.50 C: 22.60 ⇓ 0.88% | 23.15 | 23.80 / 22.50 ENVOYTEX | 3.26 | 39.26 | Vol. 1233800 D: 52.80 ⇓ 1.12% | 54.23 | 55.00 / 49.00 C: 52.10 ⇓ 2.98% | 53.94 | 55.00 / 51.80 ARGONDENIM | 1.89 | 38.86 | Vol. 1010980 D: 37.10 ⇓ 1.07% | 38.07 | 38.70 / 33.80 C: 37.10 ⇓ 1.07% | 37.91 | 38.90 / 37.00 FAMILYTEX | 3.72 | 14.68 | Vol. 804500 D: 37.30 ⇓ 0.27% | 37.81 | 38.40 / 37.00 C: 37.20 ⇑ 1.92% | 37.48 | 38.00 / 36.50 PHARMACEUTICAL & CHEMICAL AMBEEPHA | 3.94 | 26.15 | Vol. 22883 D: 299.4 ⇓ 6.32% | 312.36 | 328.9 / 294.9 C: 295.5 ⇓ 6.10% | 305.97 | 327.0 / 290.0 BXPHARMA | 3.77 | 52.55 | Vol. 205131 D: 48.20 ⇑ 0.63% | 48.65 | 49.90 / 43.20 C: 48.20 ⇑ 0.21% | 49.07 | 49.90 / 48.20 GLAXOSMITH | 20.25 | 123.32 | Vol. 3954 D: 1082 ⇑ 0.37% | 1092 | 1105 / 1050 ACI | -5.82 | 126.42 | Vol. 35672 D: 178.0 ⇓ 1.39% | 180.78 | 186.0 / 173.0 C: 178.7 ⇓ 1.00% | 179.09 | 181.1 / 178.0 RENATA | 33.57 | 138.83 | Vol. 35925 D: 812.5 ⇑ 0.35% | 816.18 | 822.0 / 807.1 RECKITTBEN | 27.16 | 78.89 | Vol. 600 D: 877.5 ⇓ 1.99% | 878.33 | 885.0 / 871.0 PHARMAID | 5.06 | 26.30 | Vol. 120750 D: 218.7 ⇑ 0.88% | 223.76 | 230.0 / 216.0 KOHINOOR | 9.52 | 10.49 | Vol. 2006 D: 514.8 ⇓ 7.41% | 515.16 | 570.0 / 514.3 IBNSINA | 3.44 | 34.02 | Vol. 259620 D: 132.7 ⇓ 5.08% | 138.74 | 149.0 / 131.1 C: 132.8 ⇓ 5.14% | 139.06 | 153.9 / 131.0 LIBRAINFU | 4.64 | 1565.37 | Vol. 8000 D: 622.6 ⇓ 5.84% | 638.33 | 665.0 / 612.0 C: 650.0 ⇑ 0.00% | 650.00 | 650.0 / 650.0 ORIONINFU | 8.72 | 1.73 | Vol. 511600 D: 50.40 ⇓ 0.20% | 51.33 | 52.80 / 50.20 C: 49.80 ⇓ 1.39% | 51.55 | 53.40 / 49.50 SQURPHARMA | 6.93 | 37.18 | Vol. 356062 D: 174.3 ⇑ 0.23% | 174.45 | 175.1 / 157.0 C: 173.8 ⇑ 0.29% | 173.95 | 175.0 / 171.0 IMAMBUTTON | -1.68 | 5.67 | Vol. 35000 D: 8.90 ⇑ 0.00% | 9.14 | 9.60 / 8.80 C: 9.90 ⇑ 4.21% | 9.87 | 9.90 / 10.00 KEYACOSMET | 1.55 | 21.54 | Vol. 2151161 D: 27.70 ⇑ 0.73% | 27.93 | 28.50 / 25.00 C: 27.70 ⇑ 1.84% | 27.88 | 28.10 / 27.10

Share BERGERPBL | 32.46 | 100.20 | Vol. 800 D: 860.5 ⇑ 0.77% | 860.00 | 870.0 / 855.0 ACIFORMULA | 3.33 | 38.08 | Vol. 92000 D: 83.70 ⇓ 1.76% | 84.77 | 87.00 / 83.20 C: 84.00 ⇓ 0.71% | 84.49 | 86.00 / 83.80 MARICO | 27.53 | 62.47 | Vol. 22900 D: 842.9 ⇑ 0.18% | 852.42 | 874.0 / 839.8 C: 862.3 ⇑ 2.11% | 862.25 | 870.0 / 859.0 BEACONPHAR | 0.33 | 11.97 | Vol. 513600 D: 14.90 ⇓ 4.49% | 15.32 | 15.80 / 14.80 C: 15.00 ⇓ 3.85% | 15.33 | 15.80 / 15.00 ACTIVEFINE | 3.23 | 13.89 | Vol. 815692 D: 94.40 ⇓ 1.26% | 95.34 | 97.20 / 87.00 C: 94.60 ⇓ 0.63% | 95.23 | 96.90 / 94.10 SALVOCHEM | 0.68 | 10.57 | Vol. 1607571 D: 23.90 ⇓ 7.72% | 25.02 | 26.70 / 23.40 C: 24.20 ⇓ 6.56% | 24.91 | 26.40 / 24.00 GHCL | 2.14 | 57.31 | Vol. 206500 D: 47.50 ⇑ 0.21% | 48.00 | 49.40 / 47.30 C: 47.40 ⇑ 0.42% | 47.66 | 48.30 / 47.20 ORIONPHARM | 5.02 | 68.68 | Vol. 1251875 D: 65.00 ⇑ 0.31% | 66.10 | 67.00 / 58.40 C: 65.00 ⇑ 0.62% | 65.87 | 67.00 / 64.00 JMISMDL | 1.12 | 12.83 | Vol. 341500 D: 282.2 ⇓ 7.84% | 304.28 | 330.0 / 280.0 C: 278.0 ⇓ 8.49% | 293.55 | 320.0 / 277.3 CENTRALPHL | 0.61 | 10.99 | Vol. 896000 D: 33.40 ⇓ 0.60% | 33.69 | 34.70 / 33.30 C: 33.50 ⇑ 0.00% | 33.62 | 34.00 / 33.30 PAPER & PACKAGING HAKKANIPUL | 0.64 | 11.02 | Vol. 67000 D: 29.60 ⇓ 7.50% | 30.59 | 32.90 / 29.00 C: 29.60 ⇓ 7.79% | 30.55 | 32.90 / 29.20 SERVICE SAMORITA | 2.31 | 17.25 | Vol. 54065 D: 119.4 ⇓ 6.13% | 123.63 | 130.0 / 118.2 C: 132.8 ⇑ 2.31% | 132.75 | 140.5 / 125.0 SAPORTL | 1.23 | 38.39 | Vol. 862923 D: 28.30 ⇓ 2.08% | 29.60 | 30.90 / 26.10 C: 28.60 ⇓ 1.04% | 29.66 | 31.40 / 28.10 EHL | 2.87 | 18.48 | Vol. 1637191 D: 63.90 ⇑ 0.95% | 64.99 | 66.30 / 57.00 C: 63.50 ⇑ 0.16% | 64.53 | 65.30 / 63.00 LEATHER APEXTANRY | 6.57 | 69.38 | Vol. 796900 D: 147.9 ⇑ 3.79% | 151.47 | 154.9 / 145.1 C: 148.7 ⇑ 5.46% | 151.61 | 154.9 / 146.0 BATASHOE | 49.12 | 135.53 | Vol. 21800 D: 769.2 ⇓ 0.76% | 777.62 | 800.0 / 765.0 C: 761.0 ⇓ 3.45% | 790.31 | 807.9 / 760.4 APEXADELFT | 23.01 | 203.26 | Vol. 104000 D: 403.1 ⇓ 0.62% | 409.89 | 421.0 / 401.5 C: 414.4 ⇑ 0.10% | 414.39 | 420.0 / 411.0 SAMATALETH | -0.07 | 12.08 | Vol. 20500 D: 14.80 ⇑ 6.47% | 14.84 | 15.20 / 14.00 C: 14.50 ⇓ 3.97% | 14.50 | 15.10 / 14.00 LEGACYFOOT | 0.63 | 17.19 | Vol. 915797 D: 35.00 ⇓ 6.91% | 39.13 | 41.30 / 34.00 C: 37.10 ⇓ 5.60% | 41.53 | 43.20 / 35.40 CERAMIC MONNOCERA | 0.71 | 96.33 | Vol. 216700 D: 39.40 ⇓ 9.01% | 41.11 | 43.80 / 39.00 C: 39.80 ⇓ 8.92% | 40.57 | 44.80 / 39.40 STANCERAM | 1.07 | 15.97 | Vol. 31500 D: 40.80 ⇓ 5.99% | 42.00 | 45.80 / 39.50 FUWANGCER | 1.43 | 13.25 | Vol. 1627386 D: 22.20 ⇓ 5.13% | 23.16 | 24.80 / 21.10 C: 22.40 ⇓ 4.68% | 23.58 | 25.80 / 22.30 SPCERAMICS | 0.62 | 30.92 | Vol. 1468088 D: 19.20 ⇑ 1.59% | 20.23 | 20.70 / 17.50 C: 19.20 ⇑ 1.59% | 20.24 | 20.70 / 19.00 RAKCERAMIC | 1.98 | 16.76 | Vol. 527463 D: 56.40 ⇑ 1.26% | 57.45 | 60.00 / 50.50 C: 56.50 ⇑ 1.25% | 56.97 | 58.20 / 56.10 CEMENT HEIDELBCEM | 22.85 | 111.50 | Vol. 242750 D: 437.9 ⇑ 1.16% | 441.37 | 445.5 / 435.0 C: 435.5 ⇑ 1.00% | 437.92 | 446.0 / 431.0 CONFIDCEM | 6.23 | 90.76 | Vol. 326629 D: 131.9 ⇑ 0.00% | 132.67 | 134.7 / 130.0 C: 132.1 ⇑ 0.15% | 132.37 | 134.4 / 130.3 MEGHNACEM | 6.28 | 33.81 | Vol. 169000 D: 163.9 ⇓ 1.56% | 166.46 | 170.8 / 162.0 C: 163.9 ⇓ 1.56% | 164.07 | 166.1 / 163.7 ARAMITCEM | 3.03 | 14.65 | Vol. 164315 D: 85.90 ⇓ 2.05% | 87.66 | 91.90 / 81.00 C: 86.10 ⇓ 0.58% | 88.50 | 91.90 / 86.00 LAFSURCEML | 1.60 | 7.22 | Vol. 755500 D: 34.50 ⇓ 1.43% | 34.74 | 35.00 / 34.50 C: 34.60 ⇓ 1.42% | 34.73 | 35.00 / 34.50 MICEMENT | 4.14 | 40.00 | Vol. 279258 D: 93.10 ⇑ 0.54% | 93.10 | 95.00 / 84.00 C: 92.20 ⇑ 0.66% | 92.60 | 93.40 / 92.00

Thursday, september 19, 2013

PREMIERCEM | 3.59 | 22.92 | Vol. 182400 D: 114.4 ⇑ 0.88% | 115.16 | 117.0 / 114.1 C: 114.6 ⇑ 0.44% | 115.89 | 118.0 / 114.1 IT IINDUSTRIES ISNLTD | 0.28 | 17.31 | Vol. 373455 D: 20.30 ⇑ 9.73% | 20.30 | 20.30 / 19.00 C: 21.00 ⇑ 9.95% | 21.00 | 21.00 / 19.00 BDCOM | 1.00 | 14.91 | Vol. 1468673 D: 25.70 ⇓ 3.02% | 26.18 | 27.00 / 24.00 C: 25.50 ⇓ 4.14% | 25.87 | 26.80 / 25.30 INTECH | 0.94 | 10.08 | Vol. 1113830 D: 17.50 ⇓ 6.91% | 19.42 | 20.60 / 17.00 C: 18.20 ⇓ 4.21% | 19.77 | 20.90 / 17.80 AGNISYSL | 1.07 | 25.52 | Vol. 753910 D: 25.40 ⇓ 4.15% | 26.29 | 27.40 / 24.00 C: 25.90 ⇓ 2.63% | 26.53 | 27.70 / 25.40 DAFODILCOM | 1.12 | 11.14 | Vol. 1714765 D: 19.80 ⇓ 3.41% | 20.77 | 22.00 / 19.50 C: 19.60 ⇓ 4.39% | 20.76 | 22.00 / 19.30 AAMRATECH | 1.17 | 20.44 | Vol. 1028000 D: 40.70 ⇓ 1.69% | 41.60 | 42.40 / 37.30 C: 40.70 ⇓ 1.69% | 41.43 | 42.30 / 40.40 GENERAL INSURANCE BGIC | 1.65 | 20.33 | Vol. 69987 D: 29.60 ⇓ 0.67% | 29.88 | 30.30 / 27.90 C: 30.00 ⇓ 0.33% | 29.99 | 30.30 / 28.00 GREENDELT | 4.05 | 64.44 | Vol. 121797 D: 108.1 ⇓ 3.57% | 109.72 | 119.0 / 107.5 C: 109.2 ⇓ 1.62% | 107.65 | 112.5 / 107.1 UNITEDINS | 2.47 | 21.04 | Vol. 52200 D: 46.00 ⇓ 2.34% | 46.99 | 49.80 / 46.00 PEOPLESINS | 2.05 | 20.72 | Vol. 84300 D: 27.00 ⇓ 2.53% | 27.50 | 28.10 / 26.90 C: 26.80 ⇓ 2.90% | 26.89 | 27.60 / 26.50 EASTERNINS | 2.22 | 35.88 | Vol. 74480 D: 40.00 ⇓ 5.66% | 42.53 | 43.70 / 39.60 C: 41.70 ⇑ 0.00% | 37.60 | 41.70 / 41.70 JANATAINS | 7.84 | 170.69 | Vol. 21025 D: 260.0 ⇓ 3.08% | 263.68 | 271.0 / 255.5 C: 264.0 ⇓ 0.94% | 264.00 | 264.0 / 264.0 PHENIXINS | 2.70 | 20.96 | Vol. 116639 D: 40.30 ⇓ 3.59% | 41.25 | 42.20 / 39.90 C: 40.10 ⇓ 1.47% | 40.10 | 40.10 / 40.10 EASTLAND | 4.06 | 23.29 | Vol. 86898 D: 48.70 ⇓ 1.22% | 49.67 | 51.00 / 48.20 C: 47.60 ⇓ 3.45% | 48.20 | 50.00 / 47.20 CENTRALINS | 1.54 | 19.04 | Vol. 22800 D: 28.20 ⇓ 1.40% | 28.62 | 29.40 / 28.10 C: 28.50 ⇓ 2.06% | 28.50 | 28.50 / 28.50 KARNAPHULI | 1.56 | 19.42 | Vol. 119140 D: 23.50 ⇓ 2.08% | 23.82 | 24.20 / 23.00 RUPALIINS | 2.76 | 23.38 | Vol. 87412 D: 33.20 ⇓ 0.90% | 33.53 | 34.50 / 32.00 C: 33.50 ⇑ 0.60% | 33.78 | 34.10 / 33.50 FEDERALINS | 1.10 | 10.98 | Vol. 216680 D: 22.90 ⇓ 2.55% | 23.28 | 24.00 / 21.20 C: 22.70 ⇓ 4.22% | 23.35 | 24.00 / 22.70 RELIANCINS | 3.93 | 61.52 | Vol. 3686 D: 74.90 ⇓ 2.47% | 74.81 | 75.10 / 74.00 PURABIGEN | 1.05 | 18.71 | Vol. 298000 D: 22.20 ⇓ 3.48% | 22.86 | 23.50 / 22.10 PRAGATIINS | 2.01 | 50.30 | Vol. 25700 D: 60.00 ⇓ 1.48% | 60.31 | 61.50 / 59.10 PRIMEINSUR | 2.14 | 14.14 | Vol. 92150 D: 31.80 ⇓ 3.34% | 32.38 | 34.30 / 30.00 PIONEERINS | 3.11 | 23.84 | Vol. 155544 D: 72.40 ⇑ 0.00% | 72.63 | 74.00 / 70.00 C: 75.00 ⇑ 6.69% | 75.00 | 75.00 / 75.00 MERCINS | 1.53 | 14.50 | Vol. 123153 D: 26.60 ⇓ 2.21% | 27.07 | 28.00 / 26.50 C: 26.40 ⇓ 6.71% | 26.52 | 26.80 / 26.40 AGRANINS | 1.73 | 14.39 | Vol. 77100 D: 27.00 ⇓ 2.17% | 27.41 | 28.20 / 26.80 GLOBALINS | 1.09 | 11.78 | Vol. 106617 D: 29.50 ⇓ 2.64% | 30.54 | 31.60 / 29.30 NITOLINS | 2.59 | 15.41 | Vol. 18000 D: 35.20 ⇓ 2.49% | 35.33 | 36.20 / 35.20 ASIAPACINS | 1.84 | 13.76 | Vol. 54000 D: 29.20 ⇓ 5.19% | 29.76 | 31.10 / 29.10 C: 28.20 ⇓ 5.69% | 28.20 | 28.20 / 28.20 SONARBAINS | 1.68 | 13.38 | Vol. 235116 D: 24.30 ⇓ 3.57% | 25.22 | 26.20 / 24.20 C: 24.00 ⇓ 8.40% | 24.03 | 24.40 / 23.60 PARAMOUNT | 1.26 | 13.19 | Vol. 210175 D: 25.00 ⇓ 1.57% | 25.66 | 26.10 / 24.50 C: 26.10 ⇑ 2.35% | 26.05 | 27.00 / 25.00 CITYGENINS | 1.65 | 14.26 | Vol. 123397 D: 26.90 ⇓ 2.54% | 27.35 | 28.00 / 26.80 C: 26.80 ⇓ 2.55% | 27.15 | 27.60 / 26.70 CONTININS | 1.41 | 15.68 | Vol. 267075 D: 33.90 ⇑ 0.00% | 35.55 | 37.20 / 33.70 C: 32.60 ⇓ 4.12% | 33.04 | 36.20 / 31.50 TAKAFULINS | 2.19 | 15.17 | Vol. 159048 D: 41.60 ⇓ 5.67% | 42.61 | 46.50 / 40.00 C: 40.80 ⇓ 3.09% | 40.85 | 42.00 / 40.10

7 STANDARINS | 2.58 | 13.99 | Vol. 50000 D: 41.40 ⇓ 1.43% | 41.64 | 42.00 / 40.00 NORTHRNINS | 1.77 | 11.15 | Vol. 86521 D: 44.00 ⇓ 1.57% | 44.33 | 45.00 / 44.00 C: 44.80 ⇓ 5.49% | 44.91 | 45.00 / 44.80 REPUBLIC | 2.14 | 12.42 | Vol. 236110 D: 51.30 ⇓ 2.84% | 51.87 | 53.10 / 50.00 ASIAINS | 1.56 | 17.34 | Vol. 94377 D: 28.00 ⇓ 3.45% | 28.91 | 30.30 / 26.10 C: 28.30 ⇓ 1.74% | 29.16 | 30.00 / 28.00 ISLAMIINS | 1.29 | 11.96 | Vol. 29556 D: 32.00 ⇓ 0.62% | 32.19 | 33.10 / 29.00 C: 30.50 ⇓ 7.58% | 30.63 | 31.10 / 30.10 PROVATIINS | 1.90 | 14.30 | Vol. 62486 D: 28.90 ⇑ 0.00% | 28.92 | 29.70 / 28.00 C: 28.10 ⇓ 3.44% | 27.64 | 28.10 / 26.50 DHAKAINS | 2.84 | 18.02 | Vol. 160250 D: 40.50 ⇓ 1.94% | 40.81 | 42.20 / 38.00 C: 41.20 ⇓ 0.72% | 41.19 | 41.20 / 41.10 LIFE INSURANCE NATLIFEINS | 12.34 | 80.99 | Vol. 4655 D: 253.9 ⇓ 1.09% | 254.60 | 256.0 / 250.0 C: 247.0 ⇓ 1.20% | 257.82 | 264.5 / 247.0 DELTALIFE | 38.53 | 189.40 | Vol. 4575 D: 5985 ⇑ 0.66% | 6003 | 6099 / 5960 SANDHANINS | 2.39 | 28.22 | Vol. 48985 D: 71.30 ⇓ 0.83% | 71.60 | 72.70 / 65.10 C: 71.10 ⇑ 0.85% | 71.17 | 72.80 / 71.00 POPULARLIF | 3.70 | 715.41 | Vol. 13500 D: 165.9 ⇑ 0.12% | 165.93 | 168.0 / 165.7 FAREASTLIF | 9.21 | 60.79 | Vol. 142488 D: 97.40 ⇓ 16.32% | 98.24 | 110.0 / 92.00 C: 97.10 ⇓ 16.22% | 97.77 | 99.40 / 96.10 MEGHNALIFE | 10.82 | 48.87 | Vol. 50910 D: 105.9 ⇑ 0.67% | 106.41 | 108.0 / 97.00 C: 105.0 ⇓ 0.57% | 104.35 | 106.0 / 103.2 PROGRESLIF | 2.30 | 31.45 | Vol. 15099 D: 100.9 ⇑ 4.89% | 100.87 | 104.0 / 90.00 PRAGATILIF | 0.60 | 30.15 | Vol. 28500 D: 115.6 ⇓ 2.94% | 117.37 | 122.0 / 115.0 PRIMELIFE | 5.51 | 27.10 | Vol. 69100 D: 93.50 ⇑ 0.21% | 92.96 | 97.50 / 91.50 C: 92.10 ⇓ 1.07% | 94.68 | 95.00 / 92.10 RUPALILIFE | 3.75 | 31.25 | Vol. 25796 D: 97.50 ⇓ 2.69% | 98.58 | 106.0 / 97.00 PADMALIFE | 1.63 | 25.76 | Vol. 45500 D: 59.50 ⇓ 0.17% | 60.02 | 62.50 / 59.30 C: 60.40 ⇑ 0.83% | 60.40 | 60.60 / 60.10 SUNLIFEINS | 0.00 | 0.00 | Vol. 216250 D: 55.20 ⇓ 1.95% | 55.75 | 60.00 / 50.70 C: 55.50 ⇓ 1.07% | 55.86 | 57.00 / 55.10 TELECOM GP | 12.96 | 26.26 | Vol. 752041 D: 194.9 ⇓ 0.20% | 196.31 | 199.8 / 190.0 C: 194.5 ⇓ 0.05% | 196.19 | 199.6 / 193.5 BSCCL | 6.69 | 30.34 | Vol. 1345600 D: 263.8 ⇑ 5.90% | 260.14 | 270.0 / 230.0 C: 262.6 ⇑ 5.67% | 257.89 | 270.0 / 244.0 TRAVEL & LEISURE UNITEDAIR | 1.60 | 15.12 | Vol. 10040790 D: 19.70 ⇑ 0.00% | 19.89 | 20.60 / 18.00 C: 19.80 ⇑ 0.00% | 19.93 | 20.60 / 19.70 UNIQUEHRL | 4.02 | 86.29 | Vol. 697370 D: 88.40 ⇑ 1.26% | 88.61 | 90.00 / 78.60 C: 87.90 ⇑ 0.57% | 88.34 | 90.00 / 85.00 MISCELLANEOUS ARAMIT | 16.07 | 99.93 | Vol. 36000 D: 340.0 ⇓ 8.68% | 355.73 | 374.9 / 339.8 C: 359.0 ⇓ 0.28% | 359.00 | 359.0 / 359.0 BSC | 1.77 | 565.82 | Vol. 254755 D: 595.8 ⇑ 7.49% | 587.28 | 595.8 / 557.0 C: 595.3 ⇑ 7.49% | 586.07 | 595.3 / 552.0 GQBALLPEN | 6.55 | 250.45 | Vol. 182204 D: 164.6 ⇓ 1.50% | 167.56 | 172.0 / 160.0 C: 164.6 ⇓ 2.26% | 168.01 | 173.0 / 163.3 USMANIAGL | 0.50 | 26.03 | Vol. 225600 D: 178.6 ⇑ 1.53% | 184.59 | 191.9 / 175.6 C: 178.3 ⇑ 1.08% | 184.78 | 192.0 / 175.0 SAVAREFR | 0.23 | 12.32 | Vol. 6100 D: 105.2 ⇑ 8.01% | 103.93 | 106.9 / 100.0 BEXIMCO | 3.24 | 86.74 | Vol. 1701435 D: 33.00 ⇑ 1.23% | 33.45 | 34.10 / 29.50 C: 33.00 ⇑ 1.54% | 33.33 | 34.10 / 32.90 SINOBANGLA | 1.75 | 21.01 | Vol. 704500 D: 23.70 ⇓ 8.49% | 24.61 | 26.70 / 23.40 C: 24.30 ⇓ 7.25% | 25.07 | 27.00 / 23.80 MIRACLEIND | 0.14 | 14.90 | Vol. 672072 D: 19.80 ⇓ 9.59% | 20.35 | 23.50 / 19.80 C: 19.90 ⇓ 9.95% | 20.70 | 23.90 / 19.90 BOND IBBLPBOND | 0.00 | 1000.00 | Vol. 40 D: 954.3 ⇓ 0.29% | 942.86 | 958.0 / 952.0 C: 947.5 ⇓ 0.26% | 947.50 | 947.5 / 947.5

8

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

Thursday, september 19, 2013

Bribery scandal dents Big Pharma sales in China, GSK hardest hit n Reuters, Shanghai A crackdown on corruption in China’s pharmaceutical sector has hurt sales at international and local firms, with many doctors at Chinese hospitals refusing to see drug representatives for fear of being caught up in the widening scandal.

Britain’s GlaxoSmithKline Plc, the group at the center of the furore, has suffered the most. Industry insiders expect its China drug sales growth to slow sharply or even reverse in the third quarter after a 14% year-on-year rise in the three months to end-June.

But GSK - accused by Chinese police in July of using travel agencies as intermediaries to make illegal payments to doctors - is not alone, and a number of companies say their China sales in the second half of the year may take a substantial hit.

With the country’s healthcare spending forecast to nearly triple to $1tn by 2020 from $357bn in 2011, according to consulting firm McKinsey, China is a magnet for makers of medicines and medical equipment.

However, a string of investigations and visits by authorities to the China-based offices of global firms has sent a chill through the industry, prompting businesses to step up internal compliance and rein in sales teams.

Corruption in China’s healthcare industry is fuelled in part by low base salaries for doctors at the country’s 13,500 public hospitals, the main buyers of drugs.

“There is an awful lot of confusion out there,” the chief executive of French drugmaker Sanofi SA, Chris Viehbacher, told a conference in London last week.

“There was more of an impact in August and we are seeing less of an impact in September, but I think you will probably find, for at least the next couple of months, turbulence in the marketplace in some sectors.”

Pharmaceutical sales staff said their hospital visits had been slashed - both because sales reps are struggling to get access to doctors and because firms are playing it safe.

The cutback in promotional activities has forced a number of drug companies to scrap monthly or quarterly sales quotas.

“There’s a fall in sales for sure,” said a Shanghai-based sales rep at GSK, who declined to be identified because he was not authorised to speak to the media.

“Because of the current situation and rumours about peers being taken away by authorities, we’re going into hospitals less and less. We’re worried the same may happen to us,” he said, adding the lull in work meant he was spending more time drinking tea and worrying about redundancy.

Doctors “Reeling”

Simon Li, China general manager for healthcare information firm Kantar Health, said the probes had led to a “substantial sales decline”, especially in August.

“Multinational companies have cut back on almost all their marketing activities.

Some companies have told their sales reps to stay at home or take a vacation,” he said.

A former drug sales rep told Reuters that doctors who would normally see at least 10

An employee walks inside a GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) office in Shanghai sales staff a day had been spooked by the anti-corruption drive - a view echoed by executives at multinationals in China.

“A lot of doctors were sent reeling by this and they decided they just did not want to see anybody - but more recently things seem to be getting a bit more back to normal,” said the head of pharmaceuticals at one large drugmaker, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the topic.

A distributor working with foreign drugmakers in China said that while GSK products had suffered an outsize hit, anecdotal evidence suggested overall growth rates for overseas drug firms had slowed to around 8-10% from some 20% in 2012.

A spokesman for GSK in Britain said the firm was continuing to operate its business and supply healthcare products to patients in China.

“However, as we expected, we are seeing some impact to the business as a result of the ongoing investigation,” he said, declining to give specific sales projections for the third quarter.

GSK has said some of its senior Chinese executives appeared to have broken the law after police accused it of funnelling up to 3bn yuan ($490.08m) to travel agencies to facilitate bribes to doctors to boost the sale of its medicines. The company generated a modest 3.6% of its global drug sales in China last year but sees the country as an important source of future revenue.

Chinese Firms In Spotlight Too

Other large international drugs manufacturers including Novartis AG, AstraZeneca Plc, Sanofi, Eli Lilly & Co and Bayer AG have also been visited by Chinese officials in recent

Reuters

weeks.

More recently the investigations have spread to domestic firms.

China’s Sino Biopharmaceutical Ltd said bribery allegations aired on Chinese state television last week would hit sales team morale and drag on second half growth, Deutsche Bank said in a research note.

Privately-held Gan & Lee pharmaceutical, in which US investment bank Goldman Sachs Group Inc holds close to a 10% stake, is also investigating corruption allegations.

The probes have brought compliance to the fore.

The head of one distributor who works with international drug firms in China said his pharmaceutical clients had called him to check on various elements of his distribution network.

“They are nervous and want to ensure compliance,” he said, declining to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue.

Industry executives said weeding out corruption would be tough because bribes were viewed as top-up pay by doctors.

Milk powder makers, who often sell to hospitals, have also been caught out, with French food maker Danone SA saying it was investigating bribery allegations after a Chinese TV report this week.

“Pharma companies are just going to find ways around it. Some got caught because they used one or three travel agents, so they’re just going to use loads, or find another way to channel the money,” said a China-based executive at a foreign drugmaker.

“Until doctors stop taking bribes, nothing is going to change.” l

Male suicides rose after 2008 financial crash: study n AFP, Paris The 2008 financial crisis that devastated many Western economies also reaped a heavy toll in suicides among men, a study published on Tuesday suggests.

Health researchers analysed data for suicides among people aged over 15 in 54 countries, comparing rates before and after the crash.

In 2009, there were 4,884 more suicides compared with the normal trend, they said.

Suicide numbers in 2009 were 4.2% higher in 27 European countries and 6.4% higher in 18 countries in the Caribbean and Latin America.

The benchmark is the suicide trend for 2000-2007, extrapolated to 2009.

The increases occurred among men, rising 3.3% in 2009 compared with this trend, says the study, published online by the British Medical Journal (BMJ).

Among European men, there was an 11.7% rise in suicides in the 15-24 age group.

In the Americas, the biggest increase was among men aged 45-64, which saw a rise of 5.2%.

Among women, though, there was an overall decline of 0.5% in 2009 compared with what would have been expected if the crisis had not occurred.

“After the 2008 economic crisis, rates of suicide increased in the European and American countries studied, particularly in men and in countries with higher levels of job loss,” said the authors.

They noted that unemployment in Europe shot up in 2009 by between 17 and 35% according to the country, and by 25 to 36% in 2010.

In North America, unemployment rates began to rise in 2008, lifting by 23%, and almost doubled the following year. Caribbean and Central American countries had rises of 40-45% in the unemployment rate in 2009-10, but there was no increase in South American countries.

East Asian countries experienced a relatively small rise in unemployment, of 26-27% in 2009-10.

The survey covered 21 European Union member states; six non-EU countries, including Russia; the United States, Canada and 16 countries in the Caribbean and Latin America; four Asian economies (Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore) and five other countries, including Mauritius and Israel.

Suicide data for the United States came from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); data for the other countries came from the World Health Organisation (WHO) database.

Previous research into the link between economic crisis and suicides found that more than 10,000 people in Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong ended their lives after the 1997 crisis in Asia. l