August 4, 2013

Longform

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Winning the global Race-tothe-Bottom

Shraban 20, 1420 Ramadan 25, 1434 Regd. No. DA 6238 Vol 1 No 135

International

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Egypt forces to cordon off protest sites

SUNDAY, AUGUST 4, 2013 | www.dhakatribune.com

Prime minister, education minister blame hartals, violence for disruption in exams n Mushfique Wadud

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Tannery relocation remains a remote possibility n Abu Bakar Siddique

Students of Rajuk Uttara Model College celebrating their success in HSC examinations yesterday along with the joy of topping the Dhaka Board MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Limon completes HSC with GPA 4 n Kailash Sarkar Maimed by Rab members during his HSC first year examination two years ago, Jhalakathi college student Limon Hossain this year secured GPA 4 in the HSC under Technical Education Board.

Limon sat for the examination from Kathalia Government PGS Boys’ School  PAGE 2 COLUMN 4

PM blames hartal for setback n Tribune Desk Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday, blamed the opposition BNP and Jamaat-Shibir for the declining rate of pass percentage in this year’s HSC and equivalent examinations, reports UNB. The overall pass rate in the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and its equivalent examinations has declined by 4.37%.

Results put education standards in question n MushfiqueWadud

The result of the HSC and equivalent examinations was published on Saturday and showed a pass rate of 74.30% against 78.67% last year.

“It is the BNP and Jamaat-Shibir who are responsible for this decline in pass percentage; they have to take responsibility,” she said.

Hasina said it was regrettable how anyone could fail to realise the  PAGE 2 COLUMN 6

INSIDE News

4 The Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC), a state-owned transport agency, has decided to operate its fleet of buses under its own management as it plans to stop leasing its vehicles and not renew the existing deals with private operators.

This year’s Higher Secondary Certificate examination (HSC) results saw a decline in the pass rate as 74.30% students made it through the public examination, compared to the previous year’s 78.67%.

The 4.37% drop was the first instance of decreasing pass rates over the last four years. Back in 2009, the pass rate had decreased to 72.78% compared to 74.85% in 2008.

Over the years, pass rates in public examinations have gone up significantly. In the last eight years, pass rates in HSC have crossed 60% and reached 70%, which even, in 2005 was around the threshold of 50 and in 2001, was around the 30s.

There has always been a debate regarding whether or not the pass rate can indicate the standard of education, and contrary to popular belief increasing pass rates represent improving education standards, it does not portray the right picture, according to educationists.

Sometimes, the pass rate depends on the examination system and how teachers check the scripts.

Metro

7 Patients are suffering as the operation theatres of Khulna Medical College Hospital have been closed for 14 days. Service at the OT came to a halt after a fire incident that gutted four machines on July 19.

Business

B1 The Eid shopping lists of consumers are no longer confined to just traditional clothes, shoes and jewelry as they want to be equipped with the latest phones and handheld gadgets.

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No plan to ban Jamaat: Ashraf n UNB

Jamaat ban can be boon for BNP: Party leaders, analysts

Amid the growing demand for the ban of Jamaat-e-Islami, Awami League general secretary and LGRD Minister Syed Ashraful Islam yesterday said the government has no plan to ban the Islamist party.

“The High Court declared Jamaat’s registration illegal for not fulfilling the registration conditions. Jamaat can get its registration back if it can convince the High Court and the Election Commission by fulfilling then conditions,” he said.

The minister said this while talking to journalists after opening a sales centre of “Shanti”, the bottled water of Dhaka Wasa, at Mirpur 10 in the capital.

A HC bench, headed by Justice M Moazzam Husain, on Thursday

n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

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The new trust-based economy

16 pages with 8-page business tabloid | Price: Tk10

HSC pass rate, GPA 5 fall A drop has been registered in the results of Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and its equivalent examinations as the combined pass rate this year is 74.30%. It is 4.37 percentage points less than last year when the pass rate was 78.67%.

The number of highest grade point scorers, GPA 5, has also fallen in all the education boards, except for Technical Education Board, compared to last year. A total of 58,197 students got GPA 5. The number was 61,162 last year.

As many as 1,002,496 students from 7,657 educational institutions took the examinations in 2,288 centres. Of them, 744,891 students became successful.

This year, boys are ahead of girls in terms of pass rate and GPA. Meanwhile, madrasa students have performed better than those under the Technical Education Board and the eight education boards.

The pass rate in general education board is 71.13%. It was 76.50% last year.

A total of 46,736 students got GPA 5. As many as 51,469 students got the highest grade point last year.

Of the eight general education boards, the pass rate is the highest in Sylhet board – 79.13% – and lowest in Chittagong (61.22%).

Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid ceremonially handed over the results to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday morning. The minister then formally announced the results at a press briefing at the secretariat around 1pm.

The results were available at the educational institutions from 2 pm. Moreover, the results were accessible on the

Op-Ed

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Many BNP policymakers think the party will be benefited whatever fate the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami faces whether it is banned or loses registration as a party. Even political analysts agree with the observation.

Meanwhile, some senior BNP leaders apprehend that the government was hatching conspiracy to split the BNP led 18-party alliance by putting pressure on Jamaat.

The BNP leaders, however, declined to make any statement in public in this regard.

The High Court on Thursday announced Jamaat’s registration with Election Commission illegal. Jamaat has already appealed with the Appel-

late Division against the verdict. If the Appellate Division upholds the High Court verdict, Jamaat cannot take part in the next general elections.

“If Jamaat is banned or disqualified for contesting the elections, the BNP will be the ultimate beneficiary as the Jamaat activists and supporters will work for the BNP. Jamaat will work for any political party that is opposing the Awami League,” Abul Maksud, a noted columnist, told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

Prof Emajuddin Ahmed, former vice-chancellor of Dhaka University, said: “I do not think the BNP will get any extra benefit if Jamaat is banned because the Jamaat votes are already with the BNP.”  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

Ten years have passed since the government decided to relocate tannery industries from the capital’s Hazaribagh area to a separate leather zone at Savar.

But by the time the tannery industries have wrecked a havoc on the environment of the area and the ecology of the Buriganga River, which is considered to be the lifeline of the Dhaka city.

The Department of Environment reported 22,000 cubic meters of raw and liquid waste from tannery units in Hazaribagh flow into the Buriganga, where the oxygen level is zero instead of the minimum six percent required for aquatic species.

More than 100 tonnes of solid waste, including dregs of finished leather, skins and chemical dust are dumped into the river.

More than 200 factories in Hazaribagh have been supplying raw materials for 58 years to Bangladeshi leather factories, currently earning an estimated Tk55bn per year.

Relocation tanneries from the capital to Savar has remained suspended for a decade due to disagreement between the authorities concerned and tannery owners over the bearer of cost.

Tannery owners are unwilling to pay for relocation and the setting up of a central effluent treatment plant (CETP) at the proposed site in Savar, 15 kilometres away from the existing site.

They reasoned the fivefold rise of the estimated cost for the project in the last decade and the government was originally responsible for the costs associated with relocation.

Recently, the government decided

to pay the relocation cost of Tk2.5bn demanded by the tannery owners.

The industries ministry, that took the project in 2003, would sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bangladesh Tanners Association and Bangladesh Finished Leather and Leather Goods Exporters Association soon to start implementation of the project.

As per the recent development, 20% of the CETP cost will be collected from the factories in 15 years at an interest of 5% annually. The rest 80% will be given by the government as equity.

Tannery owners are unwilling to pay for relocation and the setting up of a central effluent treatment plant (CETP) at the proposed site in Savar The government has fulfilled the long-standing demand of the tannery owners for compensation and setting up the high-tech CETP,” said Abu Taher Khan, project director of the Leather Park.

“We hope all the factories will relocate their tanneries now as the barrier has almost been removed,” he added.

Abdul Hai, secretary general of Bangladesh Finished Leather and Leather Goods Exporters Association, told the Dhaka Tribune that they would move from the present location after completing the CETP establishment in the proposed site.

The relocation project will cost a total of Tk10.28bn. Of which, Tk2.5bn will be spent as compensation, Tk6.39bn on CETP and Tk1.39bn on infrastructure facilities.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Sunday, August 4, 2013

US lauds security measures in Dhaka n Sheikh Shahariar Zaman The US Embassy in Dhaka has appreciated the government’s efforts to ensure safety and security for personnel and facilities in the midst of worldwide security warnings of potential terrorist attacks.

The embassy will remain closed today following direction by US Department of State to some embassies and consulates, which included the one in Dhaka, to remain closed or suspend operations.

In an email to the Dhake Tribune, Viraj LeBailly, director of the American Centre said: “It is possible we may have additional days of closing, depending on our analysis. We will announce any future decisions to close at an appropriate time.”

LeBailly said the State Department has been appraised, and due to an abundance of caution and care for employees and others who may visit US “installations” certain precautionary steps should be instituted.

She added: “Individual US Embassies and consulates will announce whether they are open or not, and whether they are implementing restrictions or other measures.”

The State Department issued a travel alert on Aug 2 to say that current information suggests al-Qa’ida and affiliated organisations continue to plan terrorist attacks in the Middle East, North Africa and elsewhere.

MILKY MURDER

Sagar’s wife detained n Kailash Sarkar

Rab yesterday arrested the wife of Maruf Reza Sagar who was reportedly with Jubo League leader Reazul Haque Khan Milky when he was murdered.

Sagar took Milky to Gulshan in his own car from the latter’s Mohammadpur residence on July 30, police said.

Rab 1 officials said Sagar’s wife, Fahima Islam Lopa, 25, was arrested at her Dhanmondi residence yesterday afternoon for assisting Jubo League leader Zahid Siddiki Tarek, who was the key accused in Milky murder case.

Tarek was killed by Rab ”crossfire” only hours after his arrest.

She will be produced at a Dhaka court today.

A gang of armed criminals gunned down Milky, a former organising secretary of Dhaka city (south) Jubo League, in front of Shoppers World in the Gulshan area. l

Results put  PAGE 1 COLUMN 1

Armed Police Battalion men stand guard around the US embassy in the city’s Baridhara area as security has been beefed up amid a US security alert worldwide MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

HC sentences former envoy for embezzling state fund n Syed Samiul Basher Anik The High Court has ordered three-year jail of former Bangladeshi ambassador to Abu Dhabi ATM Nazimullah Chowdhury for embezzling Tk2.1m from the state fund.

This is for the first time the High Court has upheld a verdict which was delivered by a special court during the previous military-backed caretaker government. That trial court sentenced Nazimullah to five years’ imprisonment in 2008.

“The tradition of such judgement has been introduced with the verdict on charge of embezzlement of state fund during his service in the United Arab Emirates,” ACC lawyer Khurshid Alam told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

The cases filed with the special

court have not seen any light. “And due to technical reasons, the state has lost many cases. This judgement has introduced a new era in this regard,” Alam observed.

Another ACC lawyer Harun-UrRashid, who stood for the state, also hailed the verdict.

The High Court delivered the verdict in the corruption case on August 1. ACC Deputy Director Abdullah Al Jahid on May 14, 2008 filed the case with Shahbagh police station. The trial court sentenced him to five years imprisonment on November 16 2008.

According to the first information report (FIR), three charges were brought against Nazimullah including irregularities in renting out the ambassador’s house, corruption in purchasing house décor for personal use and

Tannery relocation remains a remote possibility  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

With an aim to relocate the tannery factories from the capital’s Hazaribag to a separate leather zone at Harindhara, Savar, the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) took the project in 2003.

It has already sanctioned 200 acres of land for this project. When the project started, Tk1.1bn was spent on works like land filling, water treatment and power plant.

Meanwhile, the government on March 11, 2012 has given the work order to JLEPCL-DCL, a joint venture Chinese firm, to set-up CETP with a cost of a around Tk4.8bn.

Allegation surfaced that Industries Minister Dilip Barua had illegally favoured the contractor in violation of the terms of the agreement signed between the government and the contractor.

Dilip Barua allegedly forced the project authorities to disburse Tk74.7m in advance to the Chinese company though the provision of

disbursing any fund in advance to the contractor is absent from the agreement.

The agreement clearly states until and unless 15% work is completed, no money cannot be disbursed to the company assigned for the job.

“Minimum amount of progress bill should be 15% of total civil works which will include 80% Prorata against individual unit of works completed as per Bill of Quantities certified by the Project Manager,’” according to the mode of payment written in the agreement.

An official of the project, seeking anonymity, said the minister frequently puts pressure on them to pay the mentioned amount of bill which is clearly a violation of the agreement.

He also has not consulted with the ministry’s purchase committee though the decision should supposed to come from there, the source added.

When asked Dilip Barua denied the allegation and said they did not

disburse any money to the contractor as the project is yet to get approved in the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC).

Dilip Barua who appeared to be the middleman for the contractor firm also exempted the contractor from verification of the Detailed Engineering Drawing and Design of the CETP by Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) on September 02, 2012 which was compulsory as per the agreement.

The ministry document says the verification would be carried out by the BSCIC instead of the Buet.

Later on October 22, 2012 Ministry Secretary Mohammad Moinuddin Abdullah, however, scrapped the decision and reassigned Buet to do the job.

The CETP installation company JLEPCL-DCL is now sitting idle with the work order as the proposed project is awaiting approval of the Executive Committee on National Economic Council (ECNEC).l

appointment of two gardeners.

Harun-Ur-Rashid said the High Court jailed Nazimullah as two of the three charges were proved.

Regarding the proved charges, Harun said: “The court found evidence of corruption while appointing two gardeners for his residence. The accused did not appoint anyone. He used the signature of a cleaner on the documents while drawing the salaries and took the money.”

The High Court also found the former envoy had used state money to buy his personal decoration items.

Regarding the charge, from which the former ambassador was acquitted, the lawyer said: “Nazimullah was also accused of committing corruption while renting a house. The state exchequer faced loss as he shifted to a more

HSC pass rate, GPA 5 fall  PAGE 1 COLUMN 1

education board website and through SMS service.

The prime minister congratulated students of an institute in Jessore through video conferencing.

Both Hasina and the minister blamed the opposition parties for observing shutdowns and carrying out violent programmes during the examinations. Several tests had to be rescheduled due to hartals.

“Students had to take examinations under extreme pressure for the violent political programmes this year. These activities affected the results,” Nahid said.

He pointed out that examinations of 32 subjects had to be rescheduled for hartals while date of the test for English second paper under Chittagong Education Board was changed four times.

The examinations were held be-

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Jamaat as an ally of the opposition alliance contested the last two elections.

After Jamaat’s registration declared illegal, BNP is yet to fix up the party stance as its Chairperson Khaleda Zia is now in Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah.

The issue is yet to be discussed in the party forum and as it is very sensitive, the senior leaders of the party kept mum on this issue. However, leaders of different levels started calculating profit and lose centring the verdict.

BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Friday issued a statement which was read out in Kurigram by the party’s Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi.

The statement said the BNP was

against banning any political party, but refrained from making any comment on the cancellation of registration issue saying it was a sub-judice matter.

While talking to the Dhaka Tribune, many BNP leaders said the party would get the Jamaat’s votes if Jamaat was banned. It would also help BNP to accommodate more of its candidates since it would not have to sacrifice any constituency for Jamaat.

Finally, they thought that Jamaat would wage tough movement for their existence if it could not operate as a political party. This will help intensifying the BNP’s ongoing movement.

“Jamaat’s registration cancelation will not affect the election-cetring politics and the alliance. We have unity and thus we will remain the

future,” BNP standing committee member Moudud Ahmed said at a discussion yesterday.

But a section of party leaders expressed apprehension that the government was putting pressure on Jamaat only to bring the party into elections and to split the opposition alliances.

“If Jamaat decides to participate in the polls under the incumbent government, everything will be solved and Jamaat will not have to face any trouble. In fact, the government is trying to split the alliance,” Goyeshwar Chandra Roy, another standing committee member told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

The stance of BNP is also unknown over the recent verdicts in war crimes cases handed down against Jamaat leaders, including the former chief Ghulam Azam. l

tween April 1 and June 3 when there were nine countrywide shutdowns and in some regions more than that.

Unlike the recent trend, male students did well in terms of pass rate and achieving GPA 5. The pass rate among boys is 74.32% while 70.29% for the girls. A total of 31,638 male students got GPA 5 while 26,559 female students got the highest grade point.

Under the Madrasa Education Board, the pass rate is 91.46% which was 91.77% last year. A total of 6,009 madrasa students got GPA 5. Last year, the number was 7,073.

Pass rate in Technical Education Board this year is 85.03%, which last year was 84.32%. A total of 4,658 students got GPA 5. Last year, the number was 2,211.

A total of 164 students took the examinations in five overseas examination centres. Of them, 148 passed. As many as 32 students got GPA 5. l

Limon completes HSC with GPA 4  PAGE 1 COLUMN 2

Jamaat ban can be boon for BNP: Party leaders, analysts

expensive rented place by misuse of power. However, he later took approval from the ministry in this regard. Taking into account the approval, he was released from this charge.”

Since he was released from the charge, the High Court cut his imprisonment by two years.

“As per the High Court order, the accused has to surrender before the lower court within two weeks. After his surrender, the lower court will send Nazimullah to jail,” lawyer Alam said.

The HC gave the order after dismissing an appeal by Nazimullah challenging the trial court verdict.

Earlier in 2010, Nazimullah secured bail from the High Court.

The former ambassador is now staying abroad, foreign ministry officials told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

and Technical College in Kaukhali of Pirojpur. He had secured GPA 4 in SSC from the same institution.

Soon after his result was published yesterday, Limon talked to the Dhaka Tribune over phone from his village home in Jhalakathi, and in a very pleasant tone said: “I have secured GPA 4 in the HSC examination. I am so happy. Please pray for me.”

He also expressed his wish to enrol in higher education in Dhaka and sought everyone’s assistance, mainly from the prime minister.

“If anybody helps me, I would like to continue my studies after getting admitted to a university in Dhaka,” Limon said and added, “I would like to urge the prime minister to help in my higher studies.”

The teenager, who used to work at a brick kiln to bear his educational expenses, was shot in the leg by a Rab team during a raid to nab criminals in his village Chhaturia of Jhalakathi in the afternoon on March 23, 2011. He

was then returning home with his cattle from a nearby field. Later, he had to have his leg amputated.

“I could not take part in the test of a fourth subject in the HSC first year examination because of the shooting,” he said.

“Even though the incident caused me delay by a year in my academic life, it now matters nothing to me. Let me continue my studies. I must do better in the future.”

The elite force following the incident filed two cases against the college student. The government recently announced that his name would be dropped from the cases.

One case filed for possessing an illegal firearm was withdrawn on July 29 and process to withdraw the other is underway.

“The date for withdrawing the next case has been fixed on August 18,” said Limon.

His mother Henoara Begum also filed a case against six Rab personnel for maiming his son. l

Senior Adviser at Brac University Institute of Education Development, Manzoor Ahmed believes that pass rates cannot be used as indicators to determine the standard of education in the country.

“While increasing pass rates are encouraging, it does not always determine the standard of education. Similarly, when the pass rates fall, we cannot always say the education standard are deteriorating,” he said.

He claimed many students, who got high grades in the primary terminal examination, score badly in their competency test.

“In many cases, the present examination system cannot properly test competency as the system requires memorising,” he s aid.

Manzoor said “It is high time we evaluated the overall examination system.

University Grants Commission Chairman AK Azad Chowdhury said he believed when a teacher checked a script, he used to act as a judge.

“I do not think that a teacher will give more or less marks to a student,” he said.

He, however, admitted that in university admission tests many students, who achieve high grades in HSC examinations, do not fare better.

“Whether there is a problem in the university admission system or in the public examination, we should examine it,” he said.

There have been debates in recent years regarding increasing pass rates in all public examinations with some experts even raising questions about the trend being a political decision or not.

Niaz Asadullah, a researcher and an assistant professor at Reading University, UK, has done research on Bangladesh’s public examination system and believes that increasing or decreasing pass rates does not represent the standard of education.

“There is confusion over the use of creative questions. Teachers still prepare exam papers based on past systems. Therefore, through coaching, students can still secure a passing grade with ease. Here, memory is being tested instead of competence. So the high pass rate does not imply improvement in quality,” he said while talking to the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

No plan to ban Jamaat: Ashraf  PAGE 1 COLUMN 1

declared Jamaat’s registration illegal on a writ petition in the form of public interest litigation challenging the validity of the Election Commission decision that had given registration to Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami as a political party in 2008.

About Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s son Sajeeb Wajed Joy’s joining politics, the ruling party leader said: “New blood is needed in our politics… no matter whether s/he comes from inside and outside the country.”

Many of the young generation who are meritorious are going abroad for study. “It will be better for us if they return home and join politics,” Ashraf added.

Citing the example of Tulip Siddiq, daughter of PM’s younger sister Sheikh Rehena, Syed Ashraf said: “It is very difficult to be a candidate in British parliamentary polls. She achieved it through her merit and efficiency.”

On the quality of water in Dhaka city, the minister said: “Rivers surrounding the capital have become too polluted to treat. Water is for all. So, we must save it from pollution for the people.” l

PM blames  PAGE 1 COLUMN 4

importance of examination like HSC. “We repeatedly requested them [BNP, Jamaat-Shibir] to not declare hartals during the examinations, but they did anyways.”

In this regard, she said 32 HSC exam dates had to be changed due to hartals imposed by the opposition party. The date of HSC’s English second paper was changed four times. Finally it was held at after all other exams, whereas it was scheduled to be held in the first phase.

The Prime Minister said the frequent date changes for the exams badly affected the examinees, putting them under a lot of pressure.

“BNP and Jamaat-Shibir will have to tell the nation why they destroyed the future of the students by imposing hartals… Can anyone say what they had achieved by doing so?”

Hasina mentioned that the present government put the highest emphasis on the education sector and formulated an education policy that was acceptable by all.

She congratulated the teachers and all concerned for publishing the results within the stipulated time despite several hartals called by opposition parties. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Sunday, August 4, 2013

3

Families face hassle to get burial allowance for dead migrant workers Most are unaware that the allowance for transport and burial is distributed at the airport n Rabiul Islam The government’s initiative to ease hassle of relatives of dead migrant workers by handing over Tk35,000 at the Shahjalal International Airport for transport and burial did not work out because around half of the deceased’s relatives could not collect the fund on arrival of the corpses at the airport.

Relatives blamed the lack of campaign regarding the disbursement of the money from the Probashi Kallyan (Expatriates Welfare) desk at the airport, leaving them unaware of the facility.

Others claim that even though they knew about the initiatives, they did not have any idea about what was required of them leading to being turned down and adding to their woes.

Md Momin Ullah, of Tangail, went to Shahjalal International Airport to pick up the body of his maternal uncle, Md Babrut Khan, which arrived from Saudi Arabia on June 27, 2013.

“We received the body at night and were told from the cargo park area the money was available from the Kallyan Desk,” Momin told the Dhaka Tribune over phone on Wednesday.

He alleged nobody informed about the Tk35,000 financial assistance from the airport. Momin claimed that he went to the desk on July 10 to pick up the cheque but could not because he did not have the proper documents.

He brought the papers and went to the desk again on July 29 only to be turned down again.

“I am waiting for an e-mail of marriage registration certificate for verification of my uncle’s name as the name on his passport does not match with

5 injured in BCL-JCD clash in Gazipur n Our Correspondent, Gazipur At least five people were injured in a clash between Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) and Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) at Thana road of municipal area, Sreepur upazila, Gazipur yesterday.

Five cars and ten motorbikes were vandalised and four leaders of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), their youth wing Jubo Dal and student wing Chhatra Dal were injured by Chhatra League (BCL) activists. One activist of the ruling party was also injured in the clash.

Mofajjel Haq, 37, BNP president of Rajbari union, Alamgir Hossain, 43, co-organising secretary, Faysal, 28, member of Jubo Dal, Jahirul Islam, 23, member of Chhatra Dal and Roni Dey, 24, activist of Chhatra League sustained injuries. Severely injured Rony was transferred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for treatment.

Sreepur University College branch Chhatra Dal acting general secretary Najijul Hasan Mondol Rajib said Jakirul Islam Jiku, Rakib, Rony and other activists of Chhatra League obstructed Chhatra Dal leaders and activists while they were on the way to attend an Iftar at Sreepur Pilot Girls High School field. As a result, the activists of the two wings had an altercation, which resulted in a clash.

Sreepur upazila BNP Senior Vice-Chairman Kutub Uddin claimed the activists of Chhatra League attacked his men at Sreepur Thana road. Five of his men sustained injuries in the incident.

They torched five vehicles including the car of Dr SM Rafiqul Islam Bacchu, senior joint secretary general of Doctors’ Association of Bangladesh (DAB).

Denying the complaint, Chhatra League General Secretary of Sreepur University College branch Jakirul Islam Jiku said Chhatra League leaders and activists did not attack on Chatra Dal and Juba Dal members. It was an intra-party conflict between Abul Monsur and Kazi Khan.

Ratan Chandra Dey, father of Rony, lodged a case against five including BNP General Secretary Sahanur Sarkar as the prime accused and 200 unidentified people with Sreepur Model police station.

Meanwhile, Dr SM Rafiqul submitted a written complaint with Sreepur Model police station against the ruling party activists for the incident of attack and vandalism, said Omar Hossain, officer-in-charge of Sreepur Model police station. l

the name mentioned on my aunt’s national ID,” Momin told the Dhaka Tribune over phone, adding “we have nothing to do but to meet the office’s requirement.”

Finally, after verifying his ties to the deceased uncle, Momin went away from the airport with the cheque.

Officials of the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) admitted there was no organised mechanism in place to inform the relatives about the initiative or the documents of proof they have to produce to get the fund.

‘We received the body at night and were told from the cargo park area the money was available from the Kallyan Desk’ In most cases, officials of either BMET or District Employment and Manpower Offices (DEMO) or Wage Earners’ Welfare Board informed relatives in a scattered manner.

However, the relatives collect the cheques from DEMO offices if they fail to get it at the airport, the officials pointed out.

Their records shows 7,323 bodies were flown in to Bangladesh from May 10, 2010 to June of 2013. However, relatives of only 3,881 victims picked up the fund at the airport.

A BMET order requires the relatives to produce a union chairman’s certificate identifying the recipient of the cheque along with two attested copies of photographs, attested photocopy of his/her national identity card and photocopies of the deceased migrants’ passport, death certificates including airfare bills.

“I cannot give away cheques if the relatives of dead migrant workers cannot produce proper documents as I have to follow official order,” Jahidul Islam, assistant director of BMET and in charge of the welfare desk, told the Dhaka Tribune over phone.

An official of BMET, requesting anonymity, observed cheques can be distributed without any documents but the BMET order has to be cancelled.

Expatriates’ welfare and overseas employment secretary Zafar Ahmed Khan also agreed. “We introduced distribution of cheques from the airport to make the procedures hassle-free.”

“I have no objection to distribution of the cheques without documents,” he told the Dhaka Tribune on Tuesday.

The secretary supported his stance by saying relatives of dead migrant workers would not lie and whoever goes to pick up the body should be given the cheques.

Previously, BMET and DEMO provided a total of Tk 20,000 to relatives of each dead migrant worker. It took several months or even a year to get the money.

The expatriates’ welfare and overseas employment ministry took the decision to provide the financial assistance from the airport to lessen the hassles of the relatives. The Kallyan Desk was launched on May 10, 2010 to distribute the Tk35,000 cheques.

According to BMET website, a total of 8.3 million people have gone abroad for jobs since 1976 to 2012 and during the same period, the country received $1,05,005 million foreign currency as remittance, contributing largely to the national economy. However, there is no accurate data as to how many Bangladeshis are working abroad currently. l

Shibir goes berserk in city n Tribune Report Activists of Islami Chhtra Shibir, the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, exploded several homemade crude bombs and vandalised a number of vehicles in Mohakhali area of the capital yesterday.

Some 50 leaders and activists of Shibir brought out a procession in the morning as part of their countrywide demonstration protesting the High Court verdict that declared Jamaat’s registration as a political party “illegal”.

Later, they went berserk, exploded five to six crude bombs and vandalised three vehicles as police foiled their attempt of staging demonstration, said Banani police station OC Opurba Hossain. l

A rickshaw driver with passenger trying to escape from a burning car as Jamaat-Shibir activists went on a rampage on the Shaheed Farooq Road at Jatrabari on Saturday (top).

A masked activist throwing petrol bomb on Shaheed Faruk Road.

MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Lack of info about dead, survivors of Chittagong board sees Rana Plaza collapse irks civic leaders lowest pass rate in HSC n result debacle Tribune Desk

Citizens groups and worker rights organisations at a programme have expressed dissatisfaction over the lack of information on the dead and the survivors of the Rana Plaza collapse.

They also raised complaints about the lack of information on the delivery of commitments made by the government, foreign countries, international buyers, and local owners to compensate the survivors and relatives of the dead workers.

They demanded all the responsible agencies come up with an account of what they have already done to compensate the workers and the relatives, and also stressed forming a central body to monitor the delivery of the commitments already made.

The observations came at the launching of a report, titled ‘100 Days of Rana Plaza Tragedy: A Report on Commitments and Delivery’, prepared by the country’s leading think tank Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), reports UNB. The programme was organised by CPD at Cirdap auditorium yesterday.

In his keynote presentation on the report, CPD additional research director KG Moazzem noted that there is no updated information about the progress of the commitments made by international retailers, although H&M, Inditex, Primax, C&A committed to disbursing US$ 5 million for the families of the victims.

No progress is known about the commitment made by the companies which took orders from the factories housed in Rana Plaza, he added.

Moazzem also noted that hospitals and clinics have already started charging fees and costs of medicines for the workers requiring long-term treatment.

“The government’s commitment for a two-year support to the injured workers should consider the factor that many of the injured workers have to be unemployed for years to come.

The government should immediately disclose its plan to ensure long-term treatment facilities without any cost,” he said.

The families of those whose dead bodies are yet to be identified are in the most hapless condition, said Moazzem, noting that a total of 332 dead bodies are yet to be identified.

Speaking on the occasion, president of Bangladesh Garment Work-

n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong

Professor Rehman Sobhan talking about independent monitoring report on 100 days of Rana Plaza Tragedy, released by CPD at CIRDAP in the Capital on Saturday MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU ers’ Trade Union Centre Montu Ghosh said the actual number of the workers who died or were injured is being concealed by the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), although it has the list of the workers of the factories housed in Rana Plaza.

He also complained that people are at dark about the reports or the progress of the investigation of the committees formed by the government and the BGMEA to find out the causes and compensation of the Rana Plaza Collapse.

“We’ve learned that funds are coming to support the victim families as well as to work on improving the safety standards of the factories through different channels. But we aren’t clear how the money is being spent,” he said.

A committee with representatives from workers must be formed to monitor the interventions, he recommended.

“The government, the BGMEA and the foreign stakeholders are also working on improving the safety standards and for ensuring the rights of the workers. But the workers representatives are not made parts of these initiatives,” he said adding, “How the workers problems can be solved without soliciting the workers.”

Ain O Salish Kendra chairperson Hamida Hossain also recommended involving the workers in the monitoring of the implementation of the post-Rana Plaza collapse. “There should be a tripartite system of monitoring,” she said.

BGMEA former president Shafiul Islam Mohiuddin said his association has the information about the number of workers of the factories in-

volved and is ready to cooperate with any agency interested to support the victim families.

CPD chairman Prof Rehman Sobhan observed that the readymade garment (RMG) industry of the country is operating in a globalised market system -- the system is functioning by the principles of cost-cutting.

Can the safety in the RMG sector of the country be ensured in the globalised competitive market? questioned the noted economist. “At the end of the day, global competitive market will go on as it was,” he said.

Pointing out the factor that Bangladesh is only getting US$ 5 for making a shirt for New York-based retailers like Walmart, while the retailer is getting US$ 25 from selling it to the consumers, Prof Sobhan said, “We need to also get accountability from the people who are appropriating 25 dollars.”

BNP chairperson’s adviser Amir Khosru Mohammad Chowdhury said the regulatory oversight on the industry must be strengthened to ensure the standards in the RMG sector in the longer run.

“Governance is a very serious problem and it will take time to improve the regulatory oversight. But in the meantime, BGMEA should self-regulate itself to improve the conditions,” he said.

Speaking as the chief guest, Commerce Minister GM Quader said the government has formed different committees to address the problems of the RMG sector, including the burning issue of the compensation of the victims of the Rana Plaza Collapse.

The government is going to launch an action programme matrix very soon to coordinate the interventions, he added. l

The results of the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examinations under the Chittagong Education Board fell short of expectations this year with the lowest pass rate in the country.

The overall pass rate was 61.22%, compared to 72.31% of the previous year. The number of GPA 5 holders also fell, with 2,772 students achieving the highest grade, 373 fewer than last year.

Teachers, students and board officials blamed political unrest and lack of knowledge about the newly-introduced creative question system for the result debacle.

A total of 64,282 candidates from 196 colleges appeared in the HSC exams. 32,218 of the examinees were male, while 32,064 were female.

The pass rate in science group was 68.58%, humanities 54.80% and commerce 62.94% this year. The pass rate of male and female candidates was 61.25% and 61.18% respectively.

Pizush Dutta, examination controller of the board, said political instability was the main cause for the poor results.

“Usually, we prepare a timetable leaving two to three days’ interval between each exam, so that students get enough time to revise,” he told reporters while publishing the results at a press conference. “Due to frequent shutdowns during the exams, the board had to change the routine several times.”

The board had to rearrange the schedule 12 times due to hartals, Dutta said. Citing an example, he said the

date for English second paper was deferred four times, which resulted in a 66% pass rate, whereas 89% passed the English first paper.

Sumon Barua, college inspector of the board, told Dhaka Tribune the examinees’ “mental” preparation was affected due to the frequent changes in the exam schedule.

Md Arif Billah, a candidate from the Government Haji Mohammad Mohsin College, said the one-and-half month exam schedule dragged on for almost three months, which hampered preparations and not achieving the expected results. Moreover, many students, as well as teachers, said the new creative question method might have contributed to the setback.

Shekhar Dastidar, principal of Chittagong Government College, said students depended on private tutoring to understand the new method, rather than in college, so they failed to learn properly.

“Most college teachers are not familiar with the creative learning system as they were not trained properly. Thus, the students failed to get proper lessons in the classroom,” he said.

As a result, the students from the region risk lagging behind in further education, the principal added. Tahmina Binte Hossain, also of the Haji Mohsin college, said she was less confident with the new question method, and she did not get the anticipated GPA grade.

Meanwhile, Abdul Mannan, deputy commissioner of Chittagong, said he would talk to the board chairman to investigate the result fiasco. l

4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Sunday, August 4, 2013

BRTC to stop leasing buses to private operators n Mohosinul Karim The Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC), a state-owned transport agency, has decided to operate its fleet of buses under its own management as it plans to stop leasing its vehicles and not renew the existing deals with private operators.

Rather BRTC’s service will be operated with the agency’s own manpower from different offices across the country, including Dhaka city.

It is also going to introduce an eTicketing system, in a bid to reduce hassles of manual ticketing, and to attract more passengers.

BRTC will operate its fleet of 1,158 buses under its own management and manpower Private operators cause damage to public property and funds, communication ministry observes e-Ticketing to be introduced on every route Earlier, the ministry of communication, to protect public interest and assets asked the BRTC to stop leasing out buses to private operators.The ministry observed that private operators do not take proper care of the leased buses, resulting in major damage of public property and funds.

In accordance, the BRTC has already stopped leasing its buses.

Confirming the development, Jasim Uddin Ahmed, chairman of the stateowned transport agency told the Dhaka Tribune, “BRTC will operate its fleet with its own manpower. Some measures have already been taken in this regard.”

“We have already stooped leasing our buses and held up renewals of deals, which were awarded before December 31 last year. The BRTC will take back its leased vehicles from private operators after completion of their

lease period,” he said.

Jasim Uddin said buses that come back from their private operators will go through maintenance and will later be operated by BRTC. According to ministry of communication officials, the BRTC has now become a profitable agency, and earned taka 15m in profits last year.

Irregularity and corruption of BRTC employees were the main reasons behind its losses. Though it was a losing concern, the ministry and BRTC management expanded its fleet and routes to make it profitable, said ministry officials.

BRTC chairman said, “The target of expanding our fleet and routes has been achieved. We have earned significant profits. We believe that the figures of our profits will increase in the future. We are going to begin an eticketing system for passengers soon. It will allow them to travel without hassle in BRTC buses.”

Meanwhile, the new e-ticketing system has already been introduced on the Motijheel-Uttara route and soon all commuters of the capital would be able to benefit from it. BRTC is currently operating 640 buses in the capital and 88 new air-conditioned buses have been recently included to its fleet, he said.

He said the BRTC now has a total of 1,158 buses, which have been operating on different routes of the country.

There are some buses in the workshops undergoing maintenance. These will also start plying the roads once the work is complete.

According to BRTC officials, the remainder of the buses have been operating on other long and local routes of the country. The agency already started its Eid transport activities from August 1.

The BRTC fleet comprises three kinds of buses – Single Decker, Double Decker and articulated – mainly imported from India, China, South Korea and Sweden, they said. l

Teenage girl murdered after gang rape Police said when Subarna was ren Our Correspondent, Narsingdi turning from the field, a group of young A teenage girl was murdered after being gang raped at Nalbata village under Raipura upazila of Narsingdi on Friday.

The dead Subarna Akhter, 14, was daughter of Golam Mostafa Mia from Nalbata. Her family said she went to collect jute sticks from the fields on Friday evening and did not return home at night.

WEATHER

Temperature unlikely to change

men forced her to a nearby jute field and raped and strangled her to death afterwards. The body was dumped in a nearby pond.

Subarna’s parents later informed the village chairman, who then lodged a case with police in Raipura. Her body was sent to the Sadar hospital for autopsy, where it was confirmed she had been raped. l

n Tribune Report

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

Moderately heavy falls were also likely at places, Met Office said.

Day and night temperature may remain nearly unchanged over the country. The sun sets in the capital at 6:40pm today and rises at 5:30am tomorrow.

Country’s highest temperature 35.2 degree Celsius was recorded at Jessore and Chandpur and lowest 24.0 degrees at Teknaf yesterday.

Highest and lowest temperatures recorded in some major cities yesterday were:

B2M Technologies Limited received the best performance award as value added service provider from Grameenphone at CP Meet recently.

Grameenphone Chief Marketing Officer Allan Bonke handed over the award to Rizwan Bin Farouq, managing director of B2M Technologies.

B2M Technologies General Manager Md Tariqul Islam, Assistant General Manager Shahzad Faruk and ASM Rafiq Ullah, head of Grameenphone’s value added services (VAS) department were also present in the occasion.

B2M Technologies Limited has been offering innovative value added services to Grameenphone’s customers.

Among the services, sports, entertain-

High

Low

Dhaka Chittagong Rajshahi Rangpur Khulna Barisal Sylhet Cox’s Bazar

34.5 31.2 35.1 34.4 34.0 33.4 32.9 31.3

27.5 26.2 27.1 27.8 26.8 26.9 24.6 25.2

Shehri and Iftar time Day

Shehri

Iftar

Ramadan 25/Aug 4 Ramadan 26/Aug 5 Ramadan 27/Aug 6

4:02am 4:03pm 4:04pm

6:43pm 6:42pm 6:42pm

PRAYER TIMES Fajar Sunrise Zohr Asr Magrib Esha

4:07am 5:28am 12:05pm 4:42pm 6:45pm 8:02pm

Source: IslamicFinder.org

Foot bridge collapse within 12 hours of construction n Our Correspondent, Khagrachhari At least 65 feet long rooftop of an under construction foot bridge collapsed on Tuesday in Dighinala upazila under Khagrachhari district after 12 hours of its construction.

The bridge collapsed due to usage of low quality materials and negligence of both the assigned construction farm Rip Enterprise and Khagrachhari Hill District Council (KHDC), villagers alleged.

KHDC sources said they had invited tenders on national dailies during mid-June last year where Construction farm Rip Enterprise won the bid with Tk25m as the lowest bidder. It started the construction work of the 180 meter foot bridge over Mainee River between Dighinala Thanaghat and Narikelbagan in mid-November last year.

As per the terms and conditions of the tender, an engineer has to be present at the site to observe the construction work regularly but the site engineer Mohammad Shamsul Hoque has never been there, not even after the incident took place, they claimed.

“He [Mohammad Shamsul Hoque] might have taken bribes from the contractor, that is how the construction farm managed to use low quality materials; he also did not perform his responsibilities as the site engineer,” they alleged.

President of Dighinala Bazar Committee Mohammad Nurunnabi alleged that Rip Enterprise used low quality rock, silt, iron and cement in the construction but KHDC authority did not take any action after realising that.

Terming the incident “expected,” he demanded formation of a probe committee to investigate into the corrupt practices of KHDC authority and Rip enterprise.

Dighinala Upazila Awami League President Mohammad Abul Kashem blamed the KHDC engineer for not ensuring quality products, which resulted into the incident. Such practices tarnish the image of the government, he said.

He convened the Anti- Corruption Commission (ACC) to investigate into the matter.

Dighinala Upazila Nirbahi Officer P K M Anamul Karim termed the incident as an example of the kind of projects

run by KHDC. “I did not see any engineer when I paid a visit to the site the day after the rooftop collapsed,” he said.

Rip Chakma, Managing Director (MD) of Rip Enterprise denied the allegations and said the 65 feet long rooftop might have collapsed due to heavy rainfall.

Site Engineer Mohammad Shamsul Hoque denied the allegation by saying that he was present at the site during the construction work but refused to make any comment when asked about reasons behind the collapse.

Executive Engineer of KHDC Jibon Roaza termed the incident unexpected and admitted that it happened due to the negligence of both Rip Enterprise and KHDC. He pointed the appointment of engineer Muhammad Shamsul Hoque as the site engineer as a factor behind the mishap.

A committee would be formed upon consulting with KHDC Chief Kujendra Lal Tripura and stern action would be taken against those found guilty, he added. l

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

22 fishermen kidnapped in Sundarbans n Tribune Desk Pirates kidnapped 22 fishermen and looted fish and fishing nets worth over Tk 8 lakh from 50 trawlers in different rivers and canals in the Sundarbas under Sharankhola upazila on Friday.

General secretary of upazila Matshyajibi Samity Md Mujibur Rahman said a gang of 15-20 pirates belonging to ‘Sirsha Bahini’ swooped on the trawlers when around 500 fishermen were fishing in the evening, reports UNB. They beat up the fishermen and looted their fish and fishing nets.

They kidnapped 22 fishermen and demanded Tk 50,000 from family of each fisherman for their release.

They also threatened to kill the fishermen if their demand is not meet within a week, he said.

Coastguard Mongla west zone operation division staff officer Lt Commander Mufti Mahmud said the have launched drives to rescue the kidnapped fishermen. l

B2M Technologies Limited receives 67.49% pass and 4,740 secure GPA-5 best performance award from GP

n UNB

City

A group of colourful indigenous people perform a dance at the capital’s Engineers’ Institute Auditorium observing the International Indigenous day

in Jessore board n Tribune report

ment, infotainment and different news services are provided through short message service (SMS and wallpapers, animations and games are provided

through wireless application protocol (WAP) platforms. The company also provides ring back tone (RBT) services. l

Around 67.49% of examinees passed the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and its equivalent exams from Jessore Education Board, with 4,740 students securing GPA-5 this year.

Based on various attributes, including the number of examinees and those with GPA-5, the Jessore Education Board published the list of top 20 colleges under it, out of which 8 colleges are from Khulna.

Jhenaidah Cadet College topped the list, followed by Khulna Military Collegiate School in second place with 27 GPA-5 students, and Jessore Cantonment College took third place.

Among the other colleges that made it to the top 20 from Khulna are Government Girls’ College in fourth place, City College fifth, Public College seventh, Government BL College ninth, Government Pioneer Girls’ College 11th, Bangabandhu College 15th and BN School and College 17th.

Science student Umma Salma Khan with GPA-5 said she was not expecting the results because of continuous hartals and political unrest which hampered her studies and concentration during the exams. A student of Government Pioneer Girls’ College, Salma said she is fortunate to have GPA-5 because many of her classmates did not obtain such good results. l

Bangladeshi among three charged with bribery scheme in US n Tribune Desk

A former FBI agent and two others, including a Bangladeshi, have been charged in the Southern district of New York with engaging in a bribery scheme to secure confidential, internal law enforcement documents about a ‘prominent individual’ in Bangladesh.

Acting Assistant US Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, US Attorney Preet Bharara of the Southern District of New York, and Inspector General Michael E Horowitz of the Department of Justice made the announcement, according to a web release of the United States Department of Justice, says a UNB report.

Rizve Ahmed, 34, a native of Bangladesh also known as Caesar, sought confidential information about a Bangladeshi politician, and to locate and harm him/her and others associated with him/her, the release said.

However, the release has not mentioned the name of the Bangladeshi politician who was identified as ‘a prominent individual’ of Bangladesh affiliated with an opposing political party’.

“According to allegations in the complaint unsealed today in the White Plains federal courthouse, from about September 2011 through March 2012, Lustyik, Thaler and Ahmed engaged in a bribery scheme on behalf of Ahmed, a native of Bangladesh who sought confidential law enforcement information pertaining to a prominent citizen of Bangladesh who was affiliated with an opposing political party (Individual 1),” the release added.

Ahmed sought, among other things, to obtain information about Individual 1, to locate Individual 1, and to harm Individual 1 and others associated with Individual 1, it added.

As part of the scheme, Lustyik and Thaler exchanged text messages, in-

cluding messages about how to pressure Ahmed to pay them additional money in exchange for confidential information.

For example, in text messages, Lustyik told Thaler, “We need to push [Ahmed] for this meeting and get that 40 gs quick . . . . I’ll talk us into getting the cash . . . . I’ll work my magic . . . . We r sooooooo close.” Thaler responded, “I know. It’s all right there in front of us.

Pretty soon we’ll be having lunch in our oceanfront restaurant . . . .”

As another example, in or about late January 2012, Lustyik, upon learning that Ahmed was considering using a different source to obtain confidential information about Individual 1, texted Thaler, “I want to kill [Ahmed] . . . . I hung my [***] out the window n we got nothing? . . . . Tell [Ahmed], I’ve got [Individual 1’s] number and I’ m pissed. . . . I will put a wire on n get [Ahmed and his associates] to admit they want [a

Bangladeshi political figure] offered n we sell it to [Individual 1].”

Robert Lustyik, 50, a former FBI special agent in the White Plains Resident Agency, is accused in a criminal complaint of conspiring with his friend, Johannes Thaler, 49, of soliciting cash payments from Thaler’s acquaintance, Rizve Ahmed, 34, aka “Caesar,” in exchange for confidential, internal law enforcement documents and information that Lustyik could access by virtue of his position at the FBI. Ahmed and Thaler were arrested today on the charges in the complaint and will be presented later today before US Magistrate Judge George A Yanthis in the federal court in White Plains.

Lustyik is currently detained in connection with an unrelated indictment in US District Court for the District of Utah, where he will be initially presented on the charges in the complaint.

Lustyik, Thaler, and Ahmed are each

charged in a four-count complaint.

Count one charges Lustyik, Thaler, and Ahmed with conspiring to bribe a public official.

Count two charges Lustyik and Thaler with soliciting and receiving bribes. Count three charges Ahmed with bribing a public official and offering to bribe a public official. Count four charges Lustyik with unlawfully disclosing a Suspicious Activity Report.

If convicted, Lustyik, of Westchester County, faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison. Thaler, of Fairfield County, Conn., faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Ahmed, of Fairfield County, faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

As part of the scheme, Lustyik and Thaler exchanged text messages, including messages about how to pressure Ahmed to pay them additional money in exchange for confidential information. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Long Form

5

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Winning the global Race-to-the-Bottom The race to the bottom doesn’t stop at low-wage non-benefit-oriented labour standards in Bangladesh

NASHIRUL ISLAM/DHAKA TRIBUNE

I

n Syed Mafiz Kamal

t took the tragedy of Savar collapse, and more importantly a blow to the RMG sector (projected significant reduction of foreign orders), to initiate a serious discussion about labour rights and labour voices in Bangladesh. The prayer remains that the discussion gains traction, and urgently resolves the pressing issue at stake. Indifference can be made an option but it ought to be a recipe for disaster.

The tragic event along with the accompanied issues have been discussed and debated by myriad experts, at various levels and from distinct perspectives. A lot of argument has been about economic growth versus value-oriented cost of labour exploitation. As expected, the economic argument sounds most intellectually appealing.

As for me, I can only imagine the pure economic value that those 1,100-plus individuals would have added to our economy during their lifetime. I bet it would be a lot more than the cost of maintaining good labour standards and required regulations. Anyhow, the discussion at large has remained inward-looking, and a broader discussion has to be undertaken from a zoomed-out view. Where is Bangladesh in the global economy?

Is it winning the race to the bottom?

When Nobel Laureate economist Joseph Stiglitz talked about the notion “race to the bottom,” I could only imagine that he envisioned the state of affairs of Bangladesh jotted all over the crafted notion. Before dipping into a critical argument, I must give a disclaimer: this post is not an RMG sector bashing rhetoric.

The argument against “race to the bottom” is the lower cost of labour (read lower labour standards in between lines) keeps Bangladesh on a competitive edge and helps our society prosper

The achievements and the advancements of the Bangladeshi garments sector are well-celebrated and wellunderstood in most circles. It is the cash cow of Bangladesh. It inculcates 80% of our exports, contributes significantly to our economy by $20bn, reduces trade deficit, creates 4 million jobs and in turn fosters social empowerment for young women. It’s past exponential growth and the prospected future growth is also commendable.

However, big accomplishments should bring big responsibilities!

The plight of Bangladeshi societal economic conditions, many of which are born due to the prevalence of the cash cow, have to be analysed. There are problems which some would consider as unintended consequences of

global capitalism; I would rather state them as structural economic problems which we shouldn’t settle for.

The prominent problem is the race to the bottom: essentially the argument that in an unregulated global capitalist order “competition” will dictate transnational corporations (TNC) to ravage the land and labour of (mostly) developing nations which are offering the lowest non-common denominator standards. Unfortunately for Bangladesh, it is winning this gross race where compromise hits rock-bottom in a case for competition of retaining business.

Why mostly developing countries?

The honest reality is that western societies do not wish their land and labour to be grossly exploited, and that is the reason the garments industry is in places like Bangladesh. The western world have refused to live in hyperpolluted environments and compromised standards of living dictated by market forces. Early on, they have adhered to labour empowerment via trade unions that has served them well for a good amount of time, at least until the 21st century.

The argument against “race to the bottom” is the lower cost of labour (read lower labour standards in between lines) keeps Bangladesh on a competitive edge and helps our society prosper. The argument does have a lot of weight, but it should not be solely viewed from a market fundamentalist perspective.

The question is how low the labour standards need to be. Do we need to hyper-commodify labour? Does the cost of labour need to be five times less than that of China? Does the labour cost need to be the lowest in the world? Does it need to be “slave labour,” as proclaimed by the spiritual leader of 1.2 billion Catholics (read consumers)?

Does it need to be $0.25/hr –below the UN wage estimate of $2/hr – which is just enough to keep the individual and her/his family afloat on the poverty line? Do they deserve a minimum wage or a living wage? And all these wage and compensation compromise, when profits are (or were) surging in the sector and income inequality is alarmingly broadening in the society!

What are the real costs and negative externalities at stake? These are just a few from a laundry list of hard questions that we cannot shy away from.

Neither should we hide behind the mask of realism, posing the argument of business loss to competition. Global competition is a reality, but so is the plight of our labour/society. And, these shouldn’t be false choices. After all, what is the point of growth without real development?

The race to the bottom doesn’t stop at low wage non-benefit oriented labour standards in Bangladesh. It is reflected in the complacent regulatory measures by authorities to conduct appropriate oversight. The infamous account of 18 regulators for over 100,000 facilities in Dhaka is shameful compared to global standards. The degraded environmental accounts of

Bangladesh are also negative exemplars. Just to pick on one of the worst: the defamed ravaging of our land and air in the tanneries of Hazaribagh, a complementary export industry to garments, is another achievement of low standards.

The tanneries there discharge about 30,000 cubic metres of liquid chemical waste every day on our lands and waters. By that count it would fill the Empire State Building every week.

The solid waste and chemical fumes also come with the package. Alarming indeed!

Another structural problem remains – that of crony capitalism. The fact that over 10% of our lawmakers are owners of our cash-cow RMG factories, and a significantly higher number is estimated to have business links, disrupts the fundamental nature of global competitive market mechanism.

If you believe that is a chance phenomenon, then there is little to have a progressive conversation. But the “business losing to competition” argument has no grounds when the nature of the business is crony, which inhibits innovation and production at the very early and local level of global supply chain.

Now, let’s come to the question: where is Bangladesh in the global economy? As an RMG export-oriented economy it is at the beginning of the supply chain. It is an important one because it is the second biggest exporter and, if similar growth remains (just may be!), it is expected to become the biggest in few years. Hence, the importance of Bangladesh is not negligible. However, it is surely vulnerable.

Overlooking the newly-earned uneasy reputation, the low labour cost and low standards cannot be seen as an incentive forever. Neither can we milk the cow dry. At a macro-level, if even the slightest bit of global market mechanism works, then the TNCs will move on to a different place. May be to neighbouring Myanmar or somewhere in Africa! They are not expected to have any loyalty.

Despite the huge labour pool, labour will not be cheap forever. Other than labour and special share of the supply market, unfortunately for Bangladesh, there is no other bargaining chip. In these aspects, China was in our seat some years ago but they diversified simultaneously, faced the reality and moved on.

We have not made our labour force even pseudo-skilled. We have to build human capital – there is no alternative. We have kept our economy vulnerable to one sector. Neither are we talking about serious diversification of the economy. We keep justifying the status-quo because “we can’t find another labour intensive sector, as every other sector is capital intensive.”

The western model of post-industrial-revolution development, where the “economy matures” from one sector to another, may not work for Bangladesh because we are at a new era of modernisation. Bangladesh has to realise so. Today, everyone in the global supply chain is supposed to be

Despite the huge labour pool, labour will not be cheap forever.

Other than labour and special share of the supply market, unfortunately for Bangladesh, there is no other bargaining chip

winners of globalisation. But the unfortunate truth is: winners are only the middle people.

In case of garment sector it’s the garment agencies and international buyers/retailers whose profit-share is significantly high. Losers are the consumers and the labours. Consumers (mostly in the West) because they are under-empowered and contribute to externalities, and in real terms don’t benefit from the low cost of production. And labour because of obvious reasons, some of which are underlined above. l Syed Mafiz Kamal is a team coordinator at TEDxUNPlaza and a student at New York University.

RAJIB DHAR/DHAKA TRIBUNE

6

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Nation

Sunday, August 4, 2013

49,000 children engaged in work deprived of primary education in Cox’s Bazar District administration sources say the children are active among 350,000 fishermen in different upazilas Visits to Kutubdia’s Tobler Chor, from Cox’s Bazar informed that among education office said the students are Dwip. Starting work at 8am, these n Our Correspondent, Cox’s Bazaar Porir child labourers toil until evening, with Moheshkhali’s Shonadia, Cox’s Bazar’s the 70,000 fishermen active in 12 vil- being provided with textbooks and Nearly 49,000 child labourers, working at different dried fish farms around the Cox’s Bazar coastal area, lack education facilities, putting the district’s mandatory primary education programme under scrutiny.

Sources at the district administration’s education department informed that almost 49,000 child labourers are currently active among the 350,000 fishermen in Kutubdia, Moheshkhali, Teknaf, Ukhia, and Cox’s Bazar Sadar area.

Most of these children, who are of school going–age, come from poor families.

Around 4,000 children are working round the clock on the Moheshkhali Char area and the embankments at Poshchim Para of Sabrang union’s Shah

only a half hour’s break for lunch. The daily remuneration for their hard work is just Tk70-80.

Responsibilities of child labourers at the fish farms include cleaning fish, hanging them out to dry in the sun, and helping in packing the fish in sacks for storage Rabiul Hasan, 12, son of day labourer Salimullah in Moheshkhali’s Kutubjom village, said: “With ailing parents at home, I have to work for a living. My brother and I work round the clock to earn only 180 each day, which helps our family of six to survive.” Both brothers were forced to drop out from school four months ago.

Fodnar Dail & Nazirartek showed the children working in unhygienic conditions.

Many are suffering from skin diseases due to constant contact with salt water and dried fish.

Aman Ullah, 13, and Abul Hossain, 12, hailing from Cox’s Bazaar’s Nazirartek and Fodnar Dail respectively, said they had to quit school seven months ago and start working at dried fish farms in order to fight the pangs of poverty.

The child labourers at the fish farms also informed that their main responsibilities include cleaning fish, hanging them out to dry in the sun, and helping in packing the fish in sacks for storage in the afternoon.

Anwar Hossain, a dried fish seller

lages of Nazirartek and Fodnar Dail, around 20,000 are children.

Local fishermen are exploiting the low cost of child labour, he added.

Chairman of Cox’s Bazar Fishing Boat Owners Association, Kabir Ahmed Shawdagar informed that 49,000 children – under the age of 14 – have left school to work in different dried fish farms of the district.

The district’s primary education office informed that 317,225 students are enrolled in 599 government and private schools in eight upazilas.

Among them, 15.41%, or 46,000 students eventually drop out, putting dents in the realisation of the government’s mandatory primary school education programme.

An official from the district primary

food, in order to draw them to schools.

However, the parents prefer to send their kids to different workplaces for extra earnings.

Many children are also being forced to become involved in professions like prawn gathering, dry fish preparation, restaurant waiters, wood gatherers etc.

Vice-Chancellor of Cox’s Bazar Medical College, and a Paediatric specialist Arup Datta said insecticides and DD powder – which is used to kill mosquitoes – is used in the fish drying process.

Exposure to these materials is very harmful for children, as they are more vulnerable to the toxic elements.

Extensive exposure can lead to skin diseases, diarrhoea and various other illnesses, he added. l

Rural and nongovernment institutions surpass urban and public colleges under BEB

n Our Correspondent, Barisal

River erosion in the Jamuna River washed away around 50m of the river embankment on the right side of Jamuna, near Kutubpur in Sariakandi upazila, Bogra on Friday.

Assistant Engineer of the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) Ariful Islam disclosed the information. As a result of the erosion, water from the Jamuna River was entering into the Bangali River through a small canal, he added.

Executive Engineer Nurul Islam said they had ceased the river bank protection work as the erosion got out of control in the area, adding that the work would begin when the water level goes down in seven to 10 days time.

Arif Billah, a local, alleged that the BWDB had been using sand instead of soil for the protection of the river bank.

Several other locals claimed that many people were already marooned and several educational intuitions and religious infrastructures were washed away due to erosion in the area. l

Disappointing failure rate at top colleges of BEB n Our Correspondent, Barisal

Load shedding at Benapole port disrupts activities n Tribune Report

Students and teachers of different institutions celebrate their success after publication of the HSC and equivalent examinations result yesterday. Shahid Syed Nazrul Islam College, Mymensingh (top left); Narayanganj Women’s College (top right); Bogra Cantonment Public School and College (middle left); Rangpur Baitul Mokarram Model Kamil Madrasa (middle right); Pabna Cadet College (bottom) FOCUS BANGLA

Comilla education board faces chronic shortage of staff n UNB The Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board of Comilla faces a chronic shortage of staff that has been impeding its workflow and affecting service delivery.

The organisation is being run with half the manpower required. It has 106 officials and employees at present (from class I to class IV), although, as per the organogram, it should have 210.

The remaining 104 posts are vacant.

According to sources, Comilla Education Board was formed in 1962 to cover 15 districts of the undivided Chittagong division – with 600 officials and 110 employees.

During its inception, the number of schools and colleges under its jurisdiction were 532 and 27 respectively.

In 1988, the number of schools increased to 1050 and colleges to 211.

Later, in 1996, the three districts of

A Bangladeshi boy, who was picked up by Indian Border Security Force (BSF) from the Medenipur border in Jibannagar upazila in Chuadana district on Friday, was released three hours later.

Lieutenant Colonel Gazi Asaduzzaman, commander of Chuadanga 6 Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), said BSF members from Putkhali camp picked up Shamim, 12, of the Horiharonagar village in the upazila, from the border at about 9am while he was cutting grass for cattle.

After the incident, BGB sent a letter to BSF regarding the incident and requested a flag meeting, reports UNB. In response to the letter, a company commander level meeting was held between the two border security forces in the afternoon, which was followed by the release of Shamim by BSF, the commander added. l

River erosion washes away 50m embankment n Our Correspondent, Bogra

The rural and non-government educational institutions have outshone urban and public colleges under Barisal Education Board (BEB) this year, in terms of number of examinees, success rate and students who obtained a GPA of 5.0 in HSC examinations.

In the list of the top 20 educational institutions under BEB, prepared based on the results of HSC, 13 are non-government and rural colleges, while the others are public and cadet colleges, said sources from BEB. As many as 52,173 students – 25,996 boys and 26,177 girls – from 265 institutions took the HSC examination this year in 86 centres under BEB. Amongst the districts under BEB, Barisal surpassed the other districts in terms of number of examinees, number of institutions and success rate. l

Significant number of examinees from top colleges under Barisal Education Board (BEB) have failed in this year’s HSC examination, according to a chart listing the top 20 colleges under BEB on the basis of number of examinees, success rate and number of GPA-5 achievers.

Only Barisal Cadet College topped the chart by achieving a 100% success rate and obtaining a GPA 5 with 46 examinees.

Amongst other colleges on the list, 245 secured a GPA 5 and 65 out of 870 examinees of Amrita Lal Dey College failed. 127 failed and 112 secured a GPA 5 from 858 examinees of Barisal Government Women’s College. 129 achieved a GPA 5 and 177 failed from 803 examinees of Barisal Government Syed Hatem Ali College. 36 obtained a GPA 5 and 56 failed amongst 491 examinees of Mahilara College of Gournadi Barisal. l

BSF releases Bangladeshi boy in Chuadanga n Tribune Report

Chittagong Hill Tracts, Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar fell under the jurisdiction of the Chittagong Education Board.

In 2001, Sylhet Education Board was established in Sylhet, which was earlier a part of the Chittagong division.

The newly formed board covered four districts – Sylhet, Habiganj, Sunamganj and Moulvibazar.

Of the 108 sanctioned posts of class III employees, 44 were filled; the other 64 posts remain vacant. Of the 61 posts of class IV employees, 47 are now filled At present, Comilla Education Board has six districts under it, Comilla, Chandpur, Brahmanbaria, Noakhali, Laxmipur and Feni.

The board now conducts Junior School Certificate, Secondary School Certificate and Higher Secondary Cer-

tificate examinations in these districts.

Sources said, the board’s service delivery standards and manpower recruitment have not been at par with its network expansion in the past decade.

It has 1,900 schools and 313 colleges to take care of now.

At present, 16 class-I officers are working at the board from the 24 sanctioned posts, while there is one class-II officer out of the 19 required.

Of the 108 sanctioned posts of class III employees, 44 were filled; the other 64 posts remain vacant. Of the 61 posts of class IV employees, 47 are now filled.

Comilla Education Board Secretary Professor Oliur Rahman said despite manpower crisis, the board “is running smoothly.”

Admitting that everyone employed by the board has to take on additional workload because of the crisis, he said new employees would be recruited soon. l

Benapole land port in Jessore has been experiencing a severe power crisis, with only two hours of daily power supply. The power shortage is disrupting activities of business organisations that use the port daily.

Shahidul Islam, manager of Jamuna Trading told banglanews24.com: “Hundreds of organisations which use the port are facing difficulties due to power crisis, as all official activities are now done electronically.”

Although government officials had promised to provide round-the-clock electricity, nothing has been implemented so far, he added.

Abdul Jalil, deputy director (traffic) of Benapole land Port said: “Electricity goes off around 8am and comes around 5pm every day. All works of the land port are now being conducted with the help of power generators.”

Sometimes, it takes the whole night to release imported goods, he added. l

NEWS IN BRIEF Twin sisters drown in Bogra

Twin sisters drowned in a pond at Titlagari village in Nandigram upazila of Bogra on Friday night. The deceased were Tithi and Tisha, 5, of the village. Family members said the siblings went missing at around 8:30pm on Friday. After a frantic search, family members found their bodies afloat in a pond near their house. They were taken to a local hospital where the on-duty doctors declared them dead. A pall of gloom descended upon the area following the incident, reports UNB. – Tribune Report

Couple held with Phensidyl in Rajbari

Police arrested a couple carrying 76 bottles of Indian Phensidyl syrup from the Chandpur bus stand area in Kalukhali upazila of the Rajbari district on Friday. The arrestees were Ohidul Islam and his wife Monika Begum of the upazila, reports UNB. Officerin-charge of Kalukhali Police Station Azizur Rahman said acting on a tip-off, police arrested Ohidul and his wife Monika and recovered the contraband drugs from a locally made human hauler called Nasiman

from the area in the morning. A case under the Narcotics Control Act was filed in this connection. – Tribune Report

2 cops injured by ‘robbers’ in Dinajpur

Two policemen were injured in an attack by a group of alleged robbers at Nalshisha in Nawabganj upazila in Dinajpur district on Friday night. The injured policemen were identified as Sub-inspector Mizan and constable Siraj, reports UNB. Shawkat Ali, officer-in-charge of Parbotipur Police Station, said a gang of robbers attacked Subinspector Mizan and constable Siraj while they were patrolling the Phulbari-Madhyapara Road of the area at around midnight.

The robbers beat them mercilessly and stole a motorcycle and pistol. The injured policemen were admitted to Rangpur Medical College Hospital. – Tribune report

Police-Jamaat clash injures 7 in Bogra

A clash broke out between Jamaat-Shibir activists and police in Bogra district town’s Shaat Rasta intersection on Saturday morn-

ing, with crude bombs exploding and rubber bullets being shot. Witnesses said the clash took place when law enforcers tried to foil a procession by Jamaat-Shibir activists, protesting the recent High Court verdict of declaring their party’s registration as a political party illegal. The agitated activists hurled brickbats and five to six crude bombs at police, who retaliated with 12 rounds of rubber bullet. Assistant Commissioner of Bogra Police Gaziur Rahman said no law enforcer was hurt during the clash. – Tribune report

Youth held with revolver, bullets in Khulna

Police arrested a young man carrying a foreign revolver, five rounds of bullets and six sharp weapons from a cyber café near City College in Khulna city on Friday. The arrestee was identified as Ehsan Hossain Bijoy, 23, an employee of the café and a resident of the city’s Musalman Para, reports UNB. Police said acting on a tip off, the cyber café named RSS, adjacent to City College, was raided and Bijoy, along with the weapons and ammunition was arrested at around 5pm.

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Metro

7

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Patients suffer as operation theatre at KMCH remains shut for 14 days Hospital sources say they will not admit new patients until the burnt machines are replaced

n Tribune Report Patients are suffering as the operation theatres of Khulna Medical College Hospital have been closed for 14 days.

Service at the operation theatre (OT) came to a halt after a fire incident that gutted four machines on July 19.

At least 200 patients receiving healthcare at the hospital have been passing their days with grave anxiety over getting proper treatment.

Relatives of some patients have already shifted them to other hospitals to avoid the upcoming obstacles and get smooth medical service.

According to hospital sources, the authorities will not admit any new patients until the burnt machines are replaced, reports banglanews.

Rekha Biswas, who has been suffering from intestinal cancer and was admitted to the surgery department of the hospital, said: “I was supposed to get an intestinal transplant surgery.

But, nothing could be done so far as the OTs have been shut for several days.”

“I am very scared about my condition,” she said, adding that she may be taken to another hospital if the situation continues.

Another patient Alamgir, a college student enrolled in the orthopedics department, was critically injured in a road accident. His father Fazlur’s only remaining option is to console his son, as he does have the financial ability to take his son to a clinic as well as to a hospital.

Similarly, at least 200 patients of the hospital have been experiencing the same situation.

“Patients with limited finances cannot go to other hospitals for treatment.

Most of them have sold all of their belongings to provide money for surgery,” said Alamgir.

KMCH Anesthesiology Department Junior Consultant Dr Sheikh Farid Uddin Ahmed on Wednesday said: “The problem was created as a fire caused by an electric short circuit damaged the anesthesia machine, diathermy machine and lights of the operation room.

“So it has become difficult to conduct a surgery. Despite this, we are conducting surgeries on critical patients in the other two OTs.” Surgery Department Assistant Register Dr Mostafizur Rahman said: “Machines worth Tk15m were burnt down,” adding that: “We are unable to conduct surgeries due to lack of equipment.” l

Almost 20% of illegal structures were evicted yesterday with the initiative of Bangladesh Army at the capital’s Mohakhali Rail Gate area

Barisal Cadet College tops the BEB chart n Our Correspondent, Barisal

Students show victory sign after the publishing of HSC results of Chittagong College yesterday

FOCUS BANGLA

20 injured in Sylhet clash n Tribune report

JCD infighting: case, counter case filed in Chittagong

At least 20 people were injured in a clash between villagers over a trivial dispute at Gobindasri in Bianibazar upazila on Friday.

Police said an argument took place between two villagers, Nasir Uddin and Dulov Ali, over sleeping inside a local mosque after Juma prayer.

At one stage, two groups – one led

by Nasir and another by Dulov – armed with lethal weapons attacked each other, leaving 20 injured. Of the injured, six were rushed to Sylhet Osmani Medical College Hospital, UNB reports.

n UNB Two separate cases were lodged on Friday in connection with the Wednesday’s clash between two factions of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) in Chittagong.

On Wednesday evening, two rival groups of JCD locked into a clash over the newly formed city unit JCD committee, leaving at least seven people, including the unit’s General Secretary Belayet Hossain Bulu, injured.

Police said Ayesha Begum, mother of Riku, one of the injured, filed an

attempt to murder case with Khulshi police station, accusing four identified and 20-25 unidentified people.

The four identified accused are general secretaries of the city unit Jubo Dal and JCD Mosharraf Hossain Dipti and Belayat Hossain Bulu respectively, and Bulu’s followers – Abdul Hye and Bihari Guddu.

Meanwhile, M Zahir, JCD activist loyal to Bulu, filed a counter case with the same police station against 11 identified, including Riku, and 40-50 unidentified people. l

Barisal Cadet College with its 46 examinees topped the Barisal Education Board (BEB)’s charts, with 100% success rate.

Out of the 870 examinees of Amrita Lal Dey College in Barisal, 245 obtained a GPA of 5.0 while 805 succeeded.

52,173 students-25,996 boys and 26,177 girls-from 265 institutions sat for the HSC examination this year in 86 centres under BEB. Of them, 1,853 students obtained a GPA of 5.0. From the girls, 960 achieved a GPA of 5.0 while 72.82& succeeded. From the boys, 893 achieved a GPA of 5.0 while 70.55% passed.

The number of students who achieved a GPA of 5.0 under the BEB in 2012 and 2011 was 1,895 and 1,310 respectively.

In terms of success rate, 71.69% of the examinees have passed this year compared to 66.98% and 71.12% in 2012 and 2011 respectively, said Prof Muhammad Shah Alamgir, controller of examination BEB. He claimed that the measures taken to avert the use of unfair means during the examinations, may have resulted in the swings in pass rate this year compared to the previous years.

The number of examinees expelled for adopting unfair means increased to 87, from last year’s 57.

Examinees of business studies topped the group list with a 80.24% success rate compared to 68.81% success rate in the science and home economics group and 66.96% in the humanities and Islamic studies group, informed Prof Shah Alamgir. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

BRTA initiatives for smooth journey of home-goers n Tribune Report To ease road congestion before Eid, the government has banned heavy vehicles on highways and urged people to use alternative routes to reach destinations.

According to an order issued by Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) yesterday, heavy vehicles will not run on the national and regional highways from three days before of Eid. The vehicles include truck, lorry, covered van, nosimon, korimon, tempo, votvoti, bikes etc. Besides, ramshackle vehicles will not be allowed to ply on the highways.

However, vehicles carrying daily necessaries, perishable goods and fuel are allowed to ply on the highways.

The BRTA officials have asked people to travel via the new routes that have been launched from Dhaka to Chittagong and Sylhet.

They advised the Sylhet and Brahmanbaria-bound people to use Jatrabari-Demra route via Sultana Kamal Bridge to ease the traffic in Kanchpur area.

Two alternative routes have been introduced from Dhaka to Chittagong One is through Pagla-Chashara-Narayanganj Link–Signboard road via Babubazar Bridge and Postagola

Bridge while the other one is through Tongi Station Road-Shaheed Ahsanullah Master flyover-Mirerbazar-Ulukhola-Kanchon Bridge-Vulta-Madanpur.

Three alternatives routes have been introduced from Dhaka to Sylhet.

The alternative route-1 for Sylhet, is via Babubazar Bridge or Postagola Bridge towards Pagla-Chashara-Narayanganj Link-Signboard.

The second alternate route to Sylhet is via Tongi Station Road-Shaheed Ahsanullah Master flyover-Mirerbazar-Ghorashal Shaheed Moyejuddin Bridge-Panchdona.

Sylhet bound passengers may also try the route via Tongi Station Road-Shaheed Ahsanullah Master flyover-Mirerbazar-Ulukhola-Kanchon Bridge-Vulta.

Small vehicles traveling to Narshingdi, Brahmanbaria and Sylhet are asked to take the Khilgaon-Bashabo-Madartech-Nondipara BridgeSheikher Jayga-Amulia Staff Quarter-Sultana Kamal Bridge route.

The passengers complain about the traffic condition going awry on way to Sylhet and Chittagong before Eid. It takes about 15-20 hours whereas the usual journey is about 5-6 hours.

The BRTA hoped the newly launched routes would effectively curb traffic congestion on the highways and remove people’s sufferings. l

Formalin detection kit introduced in Dhaka Zoo n Moniruzzaman Uzzal The Dhaka Zoo authorities have introduced formalin detection kit to examine whether any food is contaminated with formalin.

Food suppliers allegedly sell formalin-contaminated food items to the zoo that are hazardous to animal health.

Officials said many animals fall sick after taking adulterated food.

Now there are about 1500 animals of 121 species that include herbivores, carnivores, small mammals, reptiles and birds at the Dhaka Zoo. Dr Md Enayet Hossain, curator of the Dhaka Zoo, said they started examining food from July 24, with the help of formalin detection kit bought from the science laboratory.

It will help ensure supply of formalin free foods to the animals, he hoped.

In return for anonymity some employees and officials of the zoo said contractors who supply food to the zoo

do not supply quality food for the animals.

The suppliers in connivance with a section of zoo officials supply low quality and formalin-soaked food and very often the quantity is less than the requirement.

But the food suppliers submit a huge fake bill, the officials added.

They also said formalin test cannot be carried out regularly. Moreover, there is no kit to identify carbide, which is usually used for ripening fruits like banana, pineapple and others.

When asked, the deputy curator said they were very much aware of taking food from contractors.

Everyday cows are slaughtered in front of zoo officials. A group of officers are regularly monitoring the quality of fruits and fish, the official claimed.

He also admitted and said that they cannot examine food regularly because if they want to do so they need more formalin detection kits. l

Eid shopping has reached its peak this week. The photo was taken yesterday from the capital’s Bashundhara City Shopping Mall

FOCUS BANGLA

8 Tunisian forces dismantle explosive in third bomb scare of day n Reuters, Tunis Tunisian security forces dismantled a bomb found near the home of a military colonel on Friday, witnesses said, the third bomb scare to be reported in the same day.

Security forces have declined to officially comment on the incident, but some said privately that Islamist militants appear to be launching an intensified campaign against Tunisian security forces.

“I think the terrorists are trying to send a message to the army and security forces,” a policeman near the site of the dismantled bomb said. “We’ve received the message and we’re going to defend our nation from them, and they will not succeed.”

On Monday, Islamist militants ambushed and killed eight soldiers in a remote region near the Algerian border, in one of the deadliest attacks in decades.

The assault followed two bomb attacks near security forces in Tunis, the first time the capital has suffered such attacks. No one was hurt.

The North African country is now struggling to combat rising instability amid a growing political crisis, as the secular opposition tries to oust the moderate Islamist-led government.

Tunisian forces also on Friday launched a heavy ground and air strike campaign on militants at Mount Chaambi near the Algerian border, a remote area where the army has been hunting Islamist militants since December.

Earlier on Friday, a man in a neighbourhood 10km north of the capital was killed when he accidentally blew himself up preparing a bomb. Another man in a nearby suburb blew off his own hand as he prepared an explosive device. He was arrested and taken to hospital. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

International

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Egypt forces to cordon off protest sites Interior Ministry spokesperson describes protesters as ‘brainwashed’ to attack broadcasters perceived as secular opponents of the Islamists n AP, Cairo Authorities outlined plans Friday to break up two sit-ins by supporters of deposed President Mohammed Morsi, saying they would set up a cordon around the protest sites, and riot police used tear gas to disperse demonstrators threatening a TV complex.

Morsi backers also showed their defiance by briefly setting up a third camp near the airport, but later folded their tents and left.

The interim government seeks to end a political stalemate that has paralysed Egypt and deeply divided the country. Supporters of Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood say they will not disperse until he is returned to power.

The second-ranking US diplomat arrived in the Egyptian capital for talks on the political crisis, as Secretary of State John Kerry warned both sides that “the last thing we want is more violence.”

Also Friday, Amnesty International reported cases of alleged killings and torture at the hands of Morsi supporters inside the protest camps, saying that one man had his throat cut and another was stabbed to death.

In southwestern Cairo, police fired tear gas at Morsi supporters who rallied in front of Media City, a site housing most of Egypt’s private TV stations, a security official said. A second official told the state news agency that protesters tried to “obstruct traffic in an attempt to affect work at the complex.”

The rally was “a desperate attempt by rioters from the (Islamist) current,” Maj Gen Abdel-Fattah Othman, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry, told the private TV station Mehwer.

He described the protesters as “brainwashed” to attack broadcasters perceived as secular opponents of the Islamists. Last year, Morsi supporters held a sit-in near Media City, often

A Young Egyptian supporter of Morsi wearing a mask attends a children march to protest against the death of Morsi supporters harassing TV personalities and forcing many of them to sneak into the studios from other entrances.

Demonstrators said they gathered there to protest the lack of local media coverage of their activities, and insisted their gathering was peaceful.

Health ministry official Khaled el-Khateeb said 23 people were injured in the clashes; and security officials said two conscripts were also wounded, including one with birdshot.

The security officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to address the media, said 31 rioters were detained following the clashes. Footage of the detainees sitting on the ground outside the me-

dia city was aired on private channels.

The new unrest came as state-controlled TV reported that security forces will establish a cordon within 48 hours around the two main protest sites in Cairo where thousands have been camped out since before Morsi was ousted by the military on July 3.

The government offered protection and “safe passage” to those willing to leave the two main camps — a large one outside the Rabaah al-Adawiya Mosque in eastern Cairo and a smaller one near Cairo University’s main campus in Giza. The leadership had earlier given orders to police to end what it described as “threat to national security” and sources of “citizens’ terrorism.”

AFP

Authorities will let people leave without checking their identities or arresting them, but they will not allow anyone into the protest camps, the report said. It did not elaborate on the next steps, but the government earlier said it will use water cannons and tear gas in dispersing the crowds.

The security cordon around the protest camps raises the possibility of new violence, which has killed more than 130 Morsi supporters and injured hundreds since the military coup. The ouster followed mass demonstrations calling for Morsi to step down after a year in office, saying his policies had failed and he had put power in the hands of his Islamist group. l

Another dies as Sri Lanka troops fire on villagers n

A girl stands at a shop in a New Delhi slum. Government figures showing poverty has reduced by a third since 2004 has set a row between Indian political parties REUTERS

Indian row over poverty and policy reaches Harvard, Columbia n Reuters, New Delhi Indian government figures showing that poverty has been cut by a third since 2004 has set off a row between the country’s main political parties on whether the data is accurate, and a slanging match between two of the world’s best-known economists on the implications for policy.

The debate boils down to what path India should take in coming years as slower growth puts further poverty reduction at risk in the world’s second-most populous nation.

The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) backs growth-oriented reforms that would include a curb on public spending, while the ruling Congress party believes subsidies and a range of social welfare projects have lifted millions out of penury.

Neither of these parties has a commanding lead in opinion polls ahead of general elections due by next May, so they will be competing fiercely for the votes of the poor.

India’s Planning Commission said last week that 138 million people – more than the combined population of Britain, Spain and Australia – had climbed out of poverty between fiscal 2004/05 and 2011/12. That left the official number of poor among a population of 1.2bn at 269m .

“The reduction of the poverty level is a clear manifestation and endorsement of the pro-poor policies and the policy of inclusiveness of the UPA regime,” said Bhakta Charan Das, a spokesman of Congress and its United Progressive Alliance coalition that has been in power since 2004. Critics say the numbers have been massaged to look good and any gains are pitiful compared to countries like China or Indonesia.

Congress party policies, which include guaranteed employment for 100 days a year and plans to provide subsidised grain to 800 million people, are also a huge financial drain. India’s budget deficit is already around 5% of GDP and is seen as a major contribu-

tor in drooping investor sentiment.

“It is certainly an achievement,” said Nobel laureate Amartya Sen of the reduction in poverty. “Is it a fantastic achievement? No, because the poverty line is low.” A Harvard University professor of economics and a confidant of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Sen is widely seen as a major influence on the Congress party’s jobs and food programmes. Jagdish Bhagwati, professor of economics and law at Columbia University, says Sen is an apologist for Congress and its brand of welfare spending at the cost of reforms. “Sen is not simply wrong; he also poses a serious danger to economic policy in India,” Bhagwati wrote in a newspaper column. “The UPA government is now poised to damage the economy, and to harm the poor ... because its near-paralysis reforms meant that revenue growth has slowed too, making it more difficult to finance reforms on health, education and expansion for the poor. “At the same time, owing to electoral pressures and with the populist rationales provided by the likes of Sen, the expenditures on such policies are set to go up this year.”

Many economists say the government has delayed decisions on opening up the insurance and pension sectors for foreign investment, tax and other reforms and that the inertia has squandered gains of high growth before the 2008 global crisis.

The BJP, which pursued high-growth policies when it was in power from 1998 to 2004, says the Planning Commission’s figures on poverty are fixed, and aimed at giving Congress a pre-election boost.

“So far as we are concerned we want a decent living for the poor., their empowerment, not simply poverty alleviation,” BJP spokesman Prakash Javedkar said.

According to the World Bank, about 33% Indians were living on less than $1.25 a day, in 2009-10 compared to 41.6% in 2004-05.l

AFP, Colombo

A second Sri Lankan protester died from wounds suffered when troops fired on villagers demonstrating against contaminated water supplies, police said Saturday, as tensions remained high in the area.

Heavily armed police and Special Task Force commandos were still in the village of Weliweriya following Thursday’s shooting and locals reported people were fearful of leaving their houses.

“People are afraid to go outside of their houses because of the security forces’ presence,” A Siridamma, the senior Buddhist monk in the area just outside the capital, told reporters.

Criticism of the army’s use of force has mounted since the shootings.

The independent Lawyers Collective on Saturday condemned the crackdown against the peaceful protest by villagers who were demanding clean drinking water for thousands of residents of Weliweriya.

One man died Thursday night from the shooting while another man who

was injured died overnight in hospital, police said, raising the death toll to two.

Dozens more protesters were wounded when police opened fire on hundreds of demonstrators. Local television footage showed troops with automatic weapons, some clad in body armour, firing into crowds.

“Evidence clearly establishes that deplorable levels of force, including live bullets, were used on the unarmed villagers,” the Lawyers Collective said in a statement.

Local media rights group, the Free Media Movement, said security forces also launched an “inhuman attack” against journalists covering the protest Thursday, beating up some journalists and smashing cameras.

The military said it had named a five-member board of inquiry to probe the allegations against the troops.

“The board has been asked to go into all aspects, including whether proper norms have been followed in dealing with the situation, who ordered the troops to deploy and on what basis,” said spokesman

Hassan Rouhani becomes Iran’s president n Dubai, Reuters Moderate cleric Hassan Rouhani took office as Iran’s president on Saturday, succeeding Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei endorsed him, Iranian media said.

Rouhani’s resounding election win in June raised hopes of a negotiated end to the dispute over Iran’s nuclear program. That would avert a possible new war in the Middle East.

The start of Rouhani’s presidency puts an end to Ahmadinejad’s eight years in office during which Iran

grew more isolated and came under wide-ranging United Nations, US and European Union sanctions over its nuclear program, putting enormous pressure on the economy.

Rouhani faces huge challenges, including combating inflation he put last month at 42%, bringing down high unemployment and bridging the political divisions between conservative, moderate and reformist factions. His most immediate test is persuading parliament to approve his candidates for cabinet positions, which he is expected to introduce on Sunday after he takes the oath. l

Hassan Rohani gestures to the media at a news conference in Tehran

REUTERS

Brigadier Ruwan Wanigasooriya.

Locals in Weliweriya, 20km northeast of Colombo, were protesting against runoff from a rubber glove-making plant that they say has polluted their groundwater supply.

The main opposition United National Party also condemned the shooting and said the attack against unarmed civilians was a sign the country was heading for a military dictatorship.

A resident said the protest erupted Thursday because locals felt police had ignored the longstanding complaints that the glove factory was discharging chemical waste.

Dipped Products Ltd, who maintains the manufacturing plant, said it was confident the water issue was unrelated to their operations but were cooperating with authorities to “settle” the matter.

Sri Lankan authorities are under separate pressure from Western powers to deliver on promises to investigate allegations of war crimes and ensure ethnic reconciliation more than four years after militarily crushing Tamil separatists. l

Australian woman tricked into buying apples she thought were iPhones n Tribune Desk It is usually quite easy to tell the difference between an apple, the fruit, and the Apple iPhone. But it appears that is not necessarily true for everyone. An Australian woman caught up in a scam ended up paying $1,200 for two actual apples when she was trying to buy two iPhones.

According to Australian Herald Sun, the 21-year-old victim placed an advertisement on a website called Gumtree asking if anyone had an iPhone for sale.

She received a response from another woman who said she could sell her two. They met at a McDonald’s, where the buyer handed the seller $1,200 and was in turn handed two “iPhone boxes that looked new.”

The woman didn’t check to see what was inside the boxes. When she finally opened them after she got home, she found fruit instead of phones.

Police from the Queensland town of Upper Mount Gravatt, near Brisbane, pointed out that people should be “wary” when buying online, the news website read.

Commenters on the Web were less kind. Marcin Karpinski joked: “Nowadays, phones are smarter and more intelligent than their owners.” l

Al-Qaeda tells Morsi supporters democracy not the way n Reuters, Abu Dhabi Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri urged Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood and its supporters to abandon democracy and seek to govern through the full implementation of Islamic law.

In a 15-minute recording posted on Islamist websites on Saturday, Zawahri also criticised Islamists who had formed political parties in Egypt and supported the Egyptian military in ousting former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi.

“I give this piece of advice to whoever supported Morsi and I tell them first we have to admit that legitimacy doesn’t lie in elections and democracy but it lies in Sharia,” Zawahri said.

“Sharia is not electing Morsi president of a republic, a president of a secular and nationalistic state,” he added.

The recording, posted two days after US Secretary of State John Kerry gave his seal of approval to Egypt’s new leaders saying that they had restored democracy, also lashed out against US policy and the Egyptian army.

“The crusaders, the secularists, the pro-US army and former Mubarak supporters and a few of those who are linked to the Islamists have worked with Gulf money and US planning to overthrow Mohamed Morsi’s government,” Zawahri said.

More than 300 people have been killed in Egypt since the army removed Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood from power on July 3 in response to mass protests against his rule.

The popular mood in Egypt had swung against the Brotherhood after Morsi was accused of trying to establish himself as a new dictator during his first year in office.

Morsi’s supporters have been staging two main sit-ins in Cairo since his ouster asking to bring him back to power. l

WORLD WATCH 40 Indonesians missing off Malaysia after boat sinks

Rescuers were searching for 40 missing Indonesians on Saturday after a boat carrying them home to celebrate Eid sank off Malaysia. Two ships, four speedboats and two helicopters were dispatched to scour the seas off Malaysia’s southern Johor state but were unable to spot any of those missing, an official with the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) said. The boat, thought to be carrying 44 passengers, sank in heavy seas Thursday night around 24km off the coast, he said, adding four people were rescued on Friday. It is thought the Indonesians chose to travel on the boat because they were working illegally in Malaysia and wished to bypass border controls on their trip home.

Florida education goals violate civil rights

Florida was hit with a complaint filed with the US Department of Justice on Friday accusing it of race-based education goals that violate civil rights laws by setting “severely lower expectations” for black and Hispanic students. The Southern Poverty Law Center and Legal Aid Society of Florida’s Palm Beach County jointly filed the complaint on behalf of public school children. The complaint said the Florida Department of Education’s recently adopted student achievement goals, under which Asians are expected to perform best and blacks the worst, “violate fundamental civil rights.”

US diplomat kills man in car crash, leaves Kenya

Kenyan police said an American diplomat was speeding crossed the centre line in his SUV, and rammed into a full mini-bus, killing a man on Friday. US Embassy officials in Nairobi rushed the American and his family out of Kenya the next day, leaving the crash victims with no financial assistance to pay for a funeral, or for hospital bills of the eight or so others who were seriously injured. Haji Lukindo was the family’s only source of income.

UK lawmakers told not to rub statues’ toes

Parliamentary officials in Britain want lawmakers to keep their hands off Margaret Thatcher’s toes. Authorities were considering roping off statues of former prime ministers, including Thatcher and Winston Churchill, because they were suffering wear and tear from legislators rubbing their toes for luck. Members of Parliament traditionally touch the statues in the House of Commons lobby before entering the chamber. Deputy House of Commons curator Melanie Unwin told Parliament’s Works of Art Committee that statues of Thatcher, Churchill, Clement Attlee and David Lloyd George “are seriously under threat due to the tradition of touching the toes of the statues for good luck.”

DHAKA TRIBUNE

International

Germany ends Cold War spying pact with US, UK pushed for in recent weeks, is a necessary and proper consequence of the recent debate about protecting personal privacy,” Germany’s Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said in a statement.

British Foreign Office brushed off the significance of the German move. “It’s a loose end from a previous era which is right to tie up,” the Foreign Office said in a statement, noting that the agreement had not been used since 1990.

A spokeswoman for the US embassy in Berlin, Ruth Bennett, confirmed that the agreement had been canceled but declined to comment further on the issue.

A German official, speaking on condition of anonymity, also said the cancellation would have little practical consequences.

He said the agreement had not been invoked since the end of the Cold War and would have no impact on current intelligence cooperation between Germany and its Nato allies.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorised to publicly discuss the issue. Germany is currently in talks with France to can-

Nine killed in attack on Indian consulate in Afghanistan n AFP, Jalalabad Suicide bombers targeted the Indian consulate in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad on Saturday, detonating an explosives-packed car outside the building and killing nine civilians, including a child.

A spokesman for the Taliban militant group immediately denied any responsibility for the attack, which rocked the city and left a mosque, private houses, tailors and other nearby shops in ruins.

“A car containing explosives hit a barrier near the consulate and detonated,” said Ahmadzia Abdulzai, spokesman for Nangarhar province, of which Jalalabad is the capital.

Nangarhar police chief Sharif Amin confirmed that the consulate was the intended target of the blast, which created a large crater in the road as bloodstained survivors ran for cover.

The interior ministry condemned the “heinous” attack and said 21 civilians were wounded.

Ambulances rushed to the scene and took the injured to hospital as security forces cordoned off the area, where several large buildings were badly damaged.

Syed Akbaruddin, a spokesman for the Indian foreign ministry in New Delhi, said via Twitter that all officials were safe after the attack – the first major strike in Afghanistan during Ramadan.

India, which has spent more than two billion dollars of aid in Afghanistan since the Taliban regime fell in 2001, has been previously targeted in the war-torn country.

In 2008, a car bomb attack on the Indian embassy killed more than 60 and, in 2010, suicide attacks on two guesthouses killed at least 16 people including seven Indians.

Jalalabad is situated on the key route from the Pakistani border region – where many militants are based – to Kabul, and it has been the location of repeated attacks in recent years.

The hardline Taliban have led a 12year insurgency against the Afghan government since being overthrown in a US-led invasion for harbouring al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

But Afghanistan is beset by a myriad of armed groups ranging from Islamist rebels to criminal gangs and militias formed during the Soviet occupation in the 1980s and the 19921996 civil war. l

n Reuters, Moscow US fugitive Edward Snowden seems assured of a warm welcome in Russia and may even achieve celebrity status in his new home, but history suggests he will no longer be master of his fate and a Moscow exile will bring some difficult challenges.

The former US spy agency contractor finally left Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport on Thursday after spending nearly six weeks confined to its transit zone while a diplomatic battle over his future raged between Russia and the United States.

Former Russian intelligence officers said things will not be easy for Snowden – a highly interesting catch for the Kremlin – if the legacy of earlier defections is any guide.

“Precedents show us that life is hard for defectors from their countries,” Lev Korolkov, a former officer in the Soviet KGB security service, told Reuters.

“They experience a huge internal stress that can last for a very long time, sometimes for the rest of their lives – even for those who stayed, such as Kim Philby,” he said, referring to one of the British ‘Cambridge ring’ who spied for the Soviet Union during and after World War Two. “He (Snowden) was free only as long as he was in the transit zone,” Korolkov added.

Snowden is not the first employee of the US National Security Agency (NSA) to defect to Moscow.

NSA cryptologists William Martin and Bernon Mitchell defected to the Soviet Union during the Cold War in 1960 because of disenchantment with US intelligence gathering methods. The pair denounced Washington for spying on its own allies – charges echoed

by Snowden half a century later.

But Martin later called his choice foolhardy as he became disillusioned with the less than ideal life in the Soviet Union and the relevance of their revelations quickly faded.

Snowden’s revelations was particularly strong, with civil rights campaigners recalling the mass surveillance carried out by secret police in communist East Germany and during the Nazi era.

Chancellor Angela Merkel went so far as to raise the issue of alleged NSA spying with President Barack Obama when he visited Berlin in June.

“The government needs to do something to show voters it’s taking the issue seriously,” said Henning Riecke of the German Council on Foreign Relations, a Berlin-based think tank.

“Ending an agreement made in the pre-Internet age gives the Germans a chance to show they’re doing something, and at the same time the Americans know it’s not going to hurt them.

Given the good relations between the intelligence agencies, they’ll get the information they need anyway.”

According to Snowden, Germany has been a particular focus on US intelligence gathering operations in recent years. Several of those who plotted and carried out the Sept. 11, 2001, US terror attacks had lived in Germany. l

EU careful as US decides to close embassies n Reuters, Brussels The European Union is taking “all necessary precautions” after the United States said it would close some embassies on Sunday because of security concerns, a spokesman said.

“We are aware of the move by the US and we are in contact with our US counterparts,” European Commission spokesman Alexandre Polack said. The EU had no immediate comment on an announcement by the US government that it was issuing a worldwide travel alert, warning US citizens about the “continued potential for terrorist attacks, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa.”

The State Department said on Thursday that American embassies that would normally be open this Sunday – including those in Abu Dhabi, Baghdad and Cairo – would be closed that day because of the unspecified security concerns.

The chairman of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, Ed Royce, said on Friday al-Qaeda appeared to be linked to the threat that prompted the closure of the embassies. l

British Defectors Other precedents are hardly more encouraging. Philby, recruited by the Soviets at Cambridge in the 1930s, lived under virtual house arrest after his defection, drank heavily and suffered from loneliness and depression.

Fellow double agent and comrade Guy Burgess also became heavily dependent on alcohol and, despite defecting, continued ordering clothes from London.

Of the high-profile British defectors, only George Blake – not a member of the

A demonstrator holds a poster that reads in Portuguese: “The freedom of Snowden is my freedom,” in Sao Paulo, Brazil AP Cambridge ring – seems to have done well in exile. He married a Russian, is still alive at 90 and was awarded a medal by President Vladimir Putin last year.

The Cold War is long over but some things do not change. Snowden is a useful propaganda tool for the Kremlin, which often accuses Washington of preaching on human rights abroad what it fails to practice at home.

“He no longer belongs to himself. He is a political personality and a pawn,” said Anna Kachkayeva, a prominent media expert.

United Nations experts are investigating allegations that rebels killed dozens of Syrian soldiers in a village near Aleppo after they captured it from government troops, an incident

that could amount to a war crime, the world body’s human rights chief said Friday.

Navi Pillay said in a statement that a UN team in the region is looking into reports about killings that followed the battle in Khan al-Assal in July. Pillay

said the team has examined activists’ videos and collected accounts from people in Aleppo on an incident that she called “deeply shocking.”

While abuses by troops loyal to President Bashar Assad have been systematic and widespread through-

“He is like a ticking time-bomb. Maybe they will save him up for something and put him on television – or maybe not.”

The Kremlin’s decision to harbor Snowden has gone down well with Russian public opinion. “I don’t think he is a traitor, so I think we did the right thing,” said a Moscow resident who gave his name as Ivan.

Forty three percent of Russians back the plan to harbor Snowden while 29% are against, according to a survey published on Wednesday by independent pollster Levada. l

Maoists strike near Buddhist site in east India n AFP, Patna Maoist guerrillas blew up a railway track in an eastern Indian state, disrupting rail traffic near Bodh Gaya, Buddhism’s holiest site, a railway official said Saturday.

The blast came after Bodh Gaya in the state of Bihar, which attracts Buddhists and other visitors from all over the world, was hit by multiple

small bomb blasts last month.

The government called the blasts a “terror attack” after nine bombs exploded but there has no claim of responsibility for the explosions.

In the latest attack, Maoist rebels blew up a portion of railway track in Gaya district late Friday night, an officer of the East Central Railway, Amitabh Prabhakar, told AFP. “No one was injured but rail traffic

United Nations probes allegations of rebel atrocities in Syria n AP, Beirut

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History shows NSA leaker Snowden may face tough exile in Russia

British Foreign Office brushes off significance of the move, notes the agreement had not been used since 1990 “The cancellation of the adminis- cel its part wof the agreement as well. n AP, Berlin Public reaction in Germany to trative agreements, which we have Germany cancelled a Cold War-era surveillance pact with the United States and Britain on Friday in response to revelations by National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden about those countries’ alleged electronic eavesdropping operations.

The move appeared largely symbolic, designed to show that the German government was taking action to stop unwarranted surveillance directed against its citizens without actually jeopardising relations with Washington and London. With weeks to go before national elections, opposition parties had seized on Snowden’s claim that Germany was complicit in the NSA’s intelligence-gathering operations.

Government officials have insisted that US and British intelligence were never given permission to break Germany’s strict privacy laws. But they conceded last month that an agreement dating back to the late 1960s gave the US, Britain and France the right to request German authorities to conduct surveillance operations within Germany to protect their troops stationed there.

Sunday, August 4, 2013

out the two-year conflict, human rights groups have said the frequency and scale of rebel abuses also has increased in recent months. Specific allegations against opposition fighters include claims that rebels have routinely killed captured soldiers

Free Syrian Army fighters cover dead bodies, which according to them belong to forces loyal to Assad, in the northern town of Khan al-Assal

REUTERS

and suspected regime informers.

Rebels say any such violations are condemned and an unfortunate result of the brutal regime crackdown.

In a letter to the UN Security Council obtained Friday, the opposition Syrian National Coalition urged council members to “take immediate steps to refer the Syrian case to the International Criminal Court,” the world’s permanent war crimes tribunal.

“Only by holding the violators of human rights accountable for their crime will the violence in Syria end,” said the letter dated August 1 and signed by the coalition’s UN representative, Najib Ghadbian.

The letter made no mention of Khan al-Assal, but it “condemns all atrocities committed by all parties.”

The coalition noted Monday’s statement by Paulo Pinheiro, head of the UN commission investigating human rights abuses in Syria, to the UN General Assembly saying “massacres and other unlawful killings are perpetrated with impunity” — most by pro-government forces and some by anti-government armed groups.

Opposition fighters in recent weeks have suffered major setbacks on the battlefield. Infighting among various armed groups also has plagued rebel ranks, weakening the opposition’s campaign against Assad’s rule.

The capturing of Khan al-Assal on July 21 was a rare success for the opposition. Syrian state media reported that rebels killed 123 “civilians and military personnel” there.

Preliminary findings of the UN probe suggests that armed opposition groups, in one incident documented by video, executed at least 30 individuals, the majority of whom appeared to be soldiers, Pillay said. l

was disrupted for a few hours,” he said.

Last month, more than 50 Maoist guerrillas ambushed a police patrol in Bihar, killing the district police chief and four others.

The revolutionaries, described by the government as the country’s most serious internal security threat, have waged a decades-long battle across central and eastern states to overthrow local and national authorities. l

Fourteen killed in Iraq violence n AFP, Baghdad Gunmen shot dead a woman and her two daughters in Iraq Saturday and a roadside bomb killed a man and his son as nine died in other attacks, officials said.

Iraq is witnessing its deadliest violence since 2008, when it was emerging from a prolonged and bloody sectarian conflict between Sunni and Shiite Muslims.

The woman and her two adult daughters were killed in their home near Baquba, north of the Iraqi capital.

A Sahwa anti-al-Qaeda militiaman said the women may have been informants for the security forces.

Gunmen also killed two brothers who were former Sahwa members near Baquba, where a bomb in the city killed one person and wounded five.

Sunni militants consider Sahwa militiamen, who joined forces with the United States from late 2006, helping to turn the tide of the war, to be traitors and frequently attack them.

In Tikrit, also north of Baghdad, a roadside bombing killed a man and his 11-year-old son as they walked in the city centre.

Gunmen also killed a judge’s two bodyguards in the northern province of Nineveh, and militants attacked a police checkpoint with automatic weapons, killing a policeman.

The judge was not with the guards when they were killed.

An explosion near a market in Baghdad and another on a main road killed three people and wounded 10.

Militants frequently plant bombs in public areas in an attempt to sow fear and reduce confidence in the government. l

10 DHAKA TRIBUNE

Editorial

Letters to

www.dhakatribune.com

Rana workers must be helped without delay

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hundred days on from the Rana plaza tragedy, a large number of workers remain without help.

Over a thousand employees from the collapsed factories gathered at the site this week for the unveiling of a memorial. Interviews with workers who have been left without livelihoods suggest that promises of help and rehabilitation made by the BGMEA and government have in many cases failed to materialise.

To some extent, notably in relation to bereaved families of workers killed The world is at the site, compensation watching the RMG promised by the governindustry not just ment is contingent on DNA to ensure it gets reports and these cases its house in order will presumably be dealt to prevent future with once reports are duly tragedies, but to processed. ensure moral and More generally however, legal recompense is whilst medical treatment provided to victims appears to have been provided to the surviving injured, on leaving hospital a large number of victims have not received any compensation or outstanding salaries.

The BGMEA in particular appears not to have grasped the nettle of setting out a clear schedule and timetable for compensation. Coming so shortly after complaints of inaction following the Tazreen fire, the BGMEA has no excuse for complacency and delay in compensating Rana victims.

The world is watching the RMG industry not just to ensure it gets its house in order to prevent future tragedies, but to ensure moral and legal recompense is provided to victims. The government should require BGMEA to speed up the process to ensure Rana plaza workers are compensated without further delay.

Justice for Felani and Bangladesh

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he trial for the murder of Felani, a 15 year old Bangladeshi girl shot dead by the Indian Border Security Staff (BSF) is due to begin on August 13.

This is a positive development and we hope that this will be a first step towards ensuring that no such incidents happen in the future.

Unfortunately, Felani was only one of the many victims of the BSF’s violence on the India-Bangladesh border. According to rights groups, 19 people were killed by the BSF in the January to November The trial for Felani’s 2012 period alone. In June murder marks the 2013 two cattle traders first attempt at were shot dead on the accountability for border, an incident that the brutal actions was initially denied by the of the BSF. We hope Indian High Commission that justice will be in Dhaka. served and that this What is particularly will set a precedent shocking about the Felani case is that the BSF left her body hanging on top of the barbed wire fence on the border for several hours.

India and Bangladesh have a long-standing, historic friendship and they are one of our most important economic partners. Highly visible incidents of brutality such as Felani’s murder by our supposed partners understandably sparks outrage among the Bangladeshi population and undermines this valuable relationship.

The trial for Felani’s murder marks the first attempt at accountability for the brutal actions of the BSF. We hope that justice will be served and that this will set a precedent for completely stopping the abuses at the border.

This will go a long way towards rehabilitating India’s image among the people of Bangladesh.

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LETTER OF THE DAY

The negatives of Bangladesh

Child labour in our households

July 30

Day in and day out, we are passing through growing uncertainty that seems to be the forerunner of our future. It seems that we are progressing headlong toward being classified as a “failed state.” The country is sunk deep in many negatives that have become an accepted part of our daily national life. Putting it in perspective of our worst thing first, it can be summed up as follows.

Endless violence, on any excuse; hartals at the drop of the proverbial hat; needless and unending political stand offs; price hikes, and, on top of it all, toppling or tilting multistory buildings. When and where will all this end? We are at the end of our miseries, mostly brought on by our power hungry and irresponsible politicians. Now the weather has also added to the miseries, with vast areas in the country flooded, and the unceasing rains, with unbearable heat soon to follow.

Is this all a prelude for a special “Judgement Day” for Bangladesh? If so, no one but ourselves will have brought it on us. It is for all our political sins, related to sinking deep in making “black money” through various related criminal activities, of which smuggling seems to be the most pious!

Overall however this seems to be unjust, because when all is said and done, those who indulge in the above-mentioned misdeeds are but a small minority, may be not exceeding 5, at most 6 numerical digits, (max 9 lacs) at most! Their usual crimes relate to going after “black money” in one form or another, land grabbing, and permit and permission providing to self-interested people, out to make a fast buck. Meanwhile the number of people who suffer only from natural calamities are far in excess of millions, many of whom have lost their lands and all worldly goods due to some form of natural calamity, and are mostly innocent and poor.

This suffering for all of us, starting from our cost sharing of the tolls paid to policemen to all other excesses, seems to be our fate.

May be this is our “Judgment Day” on earth, possibly heralding the beginning of our end.

Engr SA Mansoor Dhaka

dhakatribune.com

‘It is probable that many things will happen contrary to probability’

July 30

Good article. Campaigns are needed on a national scale for awareness. We need to provide these kids with an education so that one day they can rise above their social class and contribute to our nation.

Shibli K. Aziz Most of the rich men don’t want to develop them, because then they (the rich men) will not get workers for their homes and factories. Also they will not be able to show off as rich so they make rules for them to stay poor.

Tarique Boss Households are increasingly employing children under the age of 14. Moreover, they are “cheaper,” and more obedient, than older domestic aides.

These child labourers work for 15-18 hours every day, sweeping, scrubbing, cooking, and cleaning our households, in return for three meals and meager incomes. Many of them sleep on unhygienic kitchen floors and without mosquito nets for less than 6 hours a day. Even worse, many are frequently subjected to physical punishments for minor mistakes and whims of their “masters.”

Jim Ofonda

Saudi man uses his life savings to save Bangladeshi expat

July 30

July 30

fuad hossain Quite a subjective article. Most of the 7 billion people don’t have proper access to the new media and are not subject to consumerism. They buy according to their need, and choose the best possible option which is purely based on the qualities of the product inside, not the packaging. Clever advertising does not matter to the middle class, all that matters is which products provides the best possible utility in the least possible price. There never has been a time when the masses ever had any economic liberty since the industrial revolution and never will be. But I guess a bit of optimism never hurt anyone.

Mashallah may Allah give this caring man heaven.

Imran

TI • fuad hossain And where do the middle class get to know about “which products provide the best possible utility in the least possible price” if not through clever advertising.

A rare Arab employer, indeed.

rutland

Be Heard

How long till the Jamaat ban?

July 30

AL ban Jamaat? Never!

Parveen Ahmed

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Sunday, August 4, 2013

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS Crossword

Sudoku

9 7 3 1 4 2 6 8 5

4 5 8 9 7 6 3 1 2

6 1 2 5 3 8 4 7 9

2 6 1 4 9 3 7 5 8

8 3 5 7 6 1 9 2 4

7 9 4 8 2 5 1 3 6

3 8 9 2 1 4 5 6 7

1 2 7 6 5 9 8 4 3

5 4 6 3 8 7 2 9 1

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Op-Ed

Sunday, August 4, 2013

11

What failed in Pakistan won’t work in Egypt n David Rohde

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Bike-share is an example of a more egalitarian consumption model

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The new trust-based economy

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n Farzana Nawaz recent Thomas Friedman op-ed in the New York Times was dedicated to the topic of the “sharing economy,” a fast-growing phenomenon that has swept the world, especially North America and Western Europe, in the last few years.

An innovation that was spurred by the financial crisis, it’s an interesting new economic model that is opening up new horizons in the consumer-producer relationship in the capitalist marketplace.

So, what is this “sharing economy,” exactly? At the core the concept is a simple one – it’s a mechanism to monetise the unused or extra” resources most people have available to them.

A great example of this, which Friedman explores in great length, is AirBnB. AirBnB is an online property-listing platform where homeowners can rent out extra rooms in their apartment, guest-houses or vacation rentals (i.e., your home while you are on vacation elsewhere) to travellers. It allows every homeowner to transform their homes into a bed and breakfast (‘BnB’) at their convenience and turn their idle resources into a source of income.

Since its launch, AirBnB has seen explosive growth with over 34,000 listings in 192 countries around the world. According to Friedman’s interview with the founders, this summer up to 200,000 people will sleep in rooms they have rented out through

the service every night. The variety of properties listed forces one to pause in awe – castles, yurts, caves, private islands, glass houses, light houses, igloos and even tree-houses are available to be rented out from private owners.

It’s easy to see the appeal of this type of a system. As a traveller, you have the opportunity to take a break from expensive hotel rooms or dingy hostels and have a unique experience.

If you’re lucky, you even get to avail yourself of insider knowledge and tips on the city you are visiting from the host.

As a host, you not only get to make money out of your spare property, but you also get to meet interesting people from all around the world, a fact that’s explicitly mentioned as a draw of the service on many of the hosts’ profile pages. As someone who has used AirBnB both as a host and a guest, I can attest to both of the above.

Aside from the interesting financial model, as Friedman points out, the real innovation of AirBnB is in building a “trust-based network. Guests and hosts are able to rate each other online, which is a big incentive to deliver a good experience since a series of bad reviews can significantly lower your chance of getting new business or finding future accommodation.

While a similar review model has been used before by sites like ebay, the trust” component is much more crucial in a service like AirBnB. It is a big psychological hurdle to overcome to agree to open your home up to

strangers or to decide to be guests at the home of someone you never met. What the success of AirBnB demonstrates is that once this hurdle is overcome the rewards can be immense.

Services based on the ethos of “sharing” are gaining popularity in other areas as well. Ride-sharing businesses such as Lyft, on-demand, short-term car rentals such as Zip car and even bike-sharing facilities in big cities like New York, Paris and Montreal are encouraging people to rethink their ideas of how personal property can be used communally or how much “personal” property we need in the first place.

The new economic model based on sharing and trust is proof that we can shape the system of capitalism into something that is more egalitarian, and ultimately, more human While the “sharing economy” is based on the idea of maximising the use of a limited amount of resources, I would argue that this also has the wonderful benefit of moving us towards a more “enlightened” version of capitalism.

It allows us to improve our quality of life by not only by generating new sources of income and giving us cheaper access to a bigger range of

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services, it also does this with a low impact on the environment and allows us to engage more meaningfully with fellow human beings. It transforms us from atomised, individual consumers to members of a community that is vested in each other’s interest, at least to some degree.

For emerging economies, the “sharing” model should be particularly interesting. As low-income countries move up the economic ladder, we have seen an explosion of consumerism in many places around the world.

However, history shows us that such steep increase in consumption on a mass scale is not sustainable from either an environmental or economic point of view.

However, we are not necessarily doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past. The “sharing economy” shows us a good way to avoid consumerist excess. Since most of these services are based on new technological innovations, they are also fundamentally “of our time.”

There is no question about the fact that now is an interesting time for capitalism. The global financial crisis has raised some very difficult questions, one of which is our role as consumers in the system. The new economic model based on sharing and trust is proof that we can shape the system of capitalism into something that is more egalitarian, and ultimately, more human. l Farzana Nawaz is a governance expert currently working in media.

What is the simple truth? n Dr Kara Santokie How life can change in 32 years. I wasn’t exactly fresh-faced when I emerged from the depths of a PhD program at the University of Toronto, but I had managed to escape some of the worst of the ravages of self-despair that the experience of doctoral programmes often bring. It was in this spirit that I moved to Chittagong to be a professor of Political Science at the Asian University for Women in 2012.

Having travelled and lived fairly extensively in India and Nepal for my doctoral fieldwork, I assumed that I would fall right into the social milieu— with the same grace and ease as each dawn’s call to prayer. I was wrong.

I quickly realised that Bangladesh doesn’t do gentle. Its own nascent and turbulent path of nationhood belies any such naive notion. Rather, it picks you up, shakes you down, and whips you into shape. Life boot-camp.

You don’t really have much say in the matter, unless you would rather fall on your head. Being rather fond of my cerebral cortex, I had no choice but to learn how to love what I found. And what I found, and where I found it, were both quite unexpected.

Professionally, I worked with delight. I love to teach, and the joys of teaching students from all over South Asia were unlike anything else I had experienced. Personally, the sheer rawness of Chittagong was unexpected. It strips you down to essentials. Soon enough, teaching, loving students, expressions of suspicion while in public, heat, noise and hartals (political strikes) all blended into the fabric of life.

Even with brown skin, I was quickly categorised as a foreigner, and in an uncertain and sometimes-violent political context, this meant fairly extensive restrictions on freedom. I was forced to divide my time between my apartment and the University. A bit of a change for someone who would roll home at 2 am or trek alone in Peru without a second thought.

But life can be surprising. Yes, I had avoided some ravages of self-despair, but I hadn’t managed to leave all of my existential angst behind in North America. And having been without a clear home for a few years prior, solitude in a city of over 6.5 million people can bring everything inside of you into stark relief.

What if politics followed a path with heart?

With no social life and cacophony of citywide wake-up calls at 5.30 am every day (unlike most of my colleagues, I was fine with this), I had ample time to ponder these things. Since I have no family, I was able to convert one of my bedrooms into a yoga and meditation room, and thus, my metaphysical wanderings had a physical space.

Now, finally, I can capture it in one question— what is the simple truth? In other words, what was the truth in my own life? How can I live such that I do what I must with joy and love, regardless of whether I am lonely, frustrated, happy, tired, wondering why I am on the other side of the world, en-

joying a good biryani, tired of having to get dressed before 6 am on hartal days, worried that my students might not be grasping abstract International Relations theories, exhilarated that my students have such high levels of political awareness, missing my music lessons, etc.

And I eventually figured out that I could find the answers to these questions by trying to live a life guided by mindfulness and simplicity, and by trying to be a loving presence to whomever I came into contact. These things are easier said than done, but in the complexity of Chittagong, I first began to see some tiny benefits of simple answers in my life.

Spending most of my time alone became much easier. Very simply, I could be very good company for myself! It gave the time and space for that most simple of exercises— meditation— which conferred simple yet life-changing benefits (never mind the din of weddings 7 days per week from November to March!). I also came to realise that doctoral training is training for complexity.

Yet, although one might teach complex material, the teaching itself need not be complex. I simplified my approach drastically, with fantastic results. The art of pedagogical mindfulness was a gift. Finally, human relationships also need not be complex (although we often make them so). Joy and love can be spread in simple ways.

I began teaching music after being approached by some students. These young women persisted even after I initially hesitated to undertake the task, and I will always be grateful that they helped me to find myself in this way.

I eventually took on piano students,

one young violinist, and ran a school choir. The simple act of helping others to learn the language of music was not only deeply fulfilling, but it also helped me to see the simple truth of what was important for myself. And now they can take this gift to others. We are selves-in-relation, but we paint those relations in our words and actions.

Asking what is the simple truth can be a politically loaded question.

Being a Professor of Political Science in Chittagong meant that I was often asked for my thoughts on Bangladeshi politics. I had angry and frustrated students, I experienced the challenges of daily life that political unrest created, and I lived in a place that was constantly in the world headlines.

Yet I wonder, what would happen if we asked what is the truth for the average Bangladeshi citizen? Is it the same as those who claim to act on her/ his behalf? The streets of Chittagong are pervaded with a sense of weariness and frustration. There is something palpably negative in the atmosphere, but people, like humans everywhere, also try to live as best as they can.

What if those who exercise power in social and political groups were mindful of the real effects of their actions on people’s lives? Is the simple truth really about ecclesiastical verities that motivate action? What of how people are severely limited in the best expression of their lives and how a country continues to be crippled in crucial ways?

What if the people of Bangladesh were asked for their truth? What if politics followed a path with heart?

It’s a very non-academic question, but also a very simple one. l Dr Kara Santokie is a freelance contributor.

mid violent clashes in Egypt, White House officials argued this week that the United States can’t cut off its $1.3bn a year in assistance to Egypt. To do so would cause Washington to lose “influence” with the country’s generals. Vital American security interests are at stake, they said, and keeping the torrent of American aid flowing gives Washington leverage.

If that argument sounds familiar, it is. For the last decade, the United States has used the same logic in Pakistan. The US has given $11bn in military aid to the Pakistani military in the name of maintaining American “influence” in Islamabad. From new equipment to reimbursements for Pakistani military operations, the money flowed year after year, despite complaints from American officials that the Pakistanis were misusing funds and inflating bills.

The core question is simple: can democracy emerge in the region?

Can the United States do better in Egypt? Pakistan and Egypt are vastly different, but as the Obama administration fervently embraces its Pakistani tactics in Egypt, it’s worth examining the results of the American dollars-for-generals approach.

A decade on, little has changed in Pakistan. The country’s military continues to shelter the Afghan Taliban, hundreds of American and Afghan soldiers have died in cross-border attacks from Pakistan and the army remains by far the most powerful institution in the country.

cut off American aid to any government the carries out a coup. How? By ignoring it.

“The law does not require us to make a formal determination as to whether a coup took place, and it is not in our national interest to make such a determination,” a White House official told the New York Times. “We will not say it was a coup, we will not say it was not a coup, we will just not say.”

In other words, America will look the other way to maintain “influence” with the Egyptian military. One of the lessons from the last decade in Pakistan is that money might buy American officials a seat at the table.

But Pakistani generals or Egyptian generals will not necessarily listen.

And they will definitely blame their problems on us. For the last decade in Pakistan, military officials have used pro-military media outlets to spread a message that an all-powerful United States is behind the country’s ills.

The drone strikes are a case in point. Since 2004, the Pakistani military has covertly supported American drone strikes in the country. For years, they allowed American drones to fly out of a Pakistani military base.

Pakistani air force planes could have easily shot down slow-moving, propeller-driven American drones at any time - if given the command.

At the same time, Pakistani generals and civilian officials publicly condemned the attacks as an outrageous American violation of their sovereignty. The Taliban insurgency inside the country was fuelled by drone strikes, they argued.

No mention was made of the fact that many of the Jihadist groups were originally trained and funded by the Pakistani military to serve as proxies against India. After initially supporting the Jihadists, Pakistan’s military has lost control of many of them.

America will look the other way to maintain ‘influence’ with the Egyptian military

Yes, the government of outgoing Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari performed poorly and mismanaged the country’s economy. And it’s wrong to assume or argue that an effective, efficient civilian government would emerge if Pakistan’s army would give up its decades-old domination of the country.

But what did the United States get for its $11bn? One goal of providing US military aid was to get the Pakistani military to crack down on the thousands of Afghan Taliban who have lived, trained and planned operations from inside Pakistan since 2001. But so far that has not happened. Republicans and Democrats poured money into the coffers of the Pakistani military but it did not change the Pakistani military’s long-running view that Afghan Taliban and other militants are useful proxies against Pakistan’s arch-rival India.

American officials say the $11bn did allow the United States to get what it most wanted: drone strikes in Pakistan’s tribal areas that weakened al Qaeda and may have thwarted terrorist attacks in the United States. The strikes fuel sweeping anti-Americanism in Pakistan, but the cold political calculus for any American president, officials argue, is preventing terrorist attacks on the homeland.

So far, the Obama administration appears intent on following the same aid-for-leverage approach in Egypt.

The White House delayed the delivery of four new F-16 fighters to Egypt this week. But the fact that the Egyptian military has already killed 140 protesters, twice as many as Iran did in its 2009 crushing of the Green Movement, apparently gives administration officials little pause.

In a visit to Pakistan this week, Secretary of State John Kerry gave the administration’s most full-throated defence of the Egyptian military yet.

“In effect, they were restoring democracy,” Kerry said in a Pakistani television interview. “The military did not take over, to the best of our judgment – so far, so far - to run the country.

There’s a civilian government.”

Last week, the White House announced that the Obama administration would not enforce an American law requiring the US government to

Some of the same patterns are emerging in Egypt. The Egyptian military blames the United States for the country’s ills. They also oversee a vast economic empire that enriches senior officers.

Dalia Mogahed, an expert on Egypt and the former executive director of the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies, believes the United States should take a more aggressive stance in Egypt.

Providing $1.3bn per year with few questions asked is not a recipe for change.

“We need clear conditions on aid that we actually follow through with,” Mogahed said in an email. “We’re dealing with military massacres of protestors. Our values and our interests dictate that we condition aid on the immediate halt of excessive force and holding accountable those responsible for it.”

It’s wrong to assume or argue that an effective, efficient civilian government would emerge if Pakistan’s army would give up its decades-old domination

One administration official, who asked not to be named, argued that there was no alternative to Egypt’s generals. If the Sinai, for example, becomes a safe haven for militants, they would pose a direct threat to Israel and the United States. The official said he was sceptical that civilian governments could emerge that could stabilise Egypt and secure the Sinai.

That is the same argument American officials have been making in Pakistan for years. The core question is simple: can democracy emerge in the region?

Putting conditions on American aid that require the Egyptian military to carry out elections will help answer that question. Hurling billions at generals will not. Pakistan has taught us that much. l David Rohde is a columnist for Reuters, two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize and a former reporter for The New York Times.

12

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Entertainment

Sunday, August 4, 2013

‘Porshi 3’ releases today

ON TV

n Afrose Jahan Chaity

Sabrina Porshi’s 3rd solo album “Porshi 3” hits the market today.

All songs are composed by popular Bangladeshi musicians, Bappa Mazumder, Arifin Rumy, Imran, Odit and Jewel Morshed along with renowned Indian music composers Dev Sen and Amlan -Pupul.

This is the first time music composers from the two Bengals have composed an entire album for a singer. Moreover, Imran and Porshi have lent their voices to a duet of a Hindi song. Celebrated lyricists, Asif Iqbal, Sohel Arman, Julfikar Rasel, Anurup Aich, Robiul Islam Jibon and Priyo Chatyapadhay have written all the songs.

She wishes to take her musical talent much further and expand her horizons into other genres of music, particularly classical music.

Regarding the album, Porshi shared with the Dhaka Tribune: “I have done new things in my new album. The songs are very melodious and rhythmic. Also, I have tried rock, R&B, classical and melody. It was a blessing to work together with renowned lyricists and composers from the two Bengals and the lyrics are really very touching.”

“This is the first time I lend my voice to a Hindi song, along with my ten other Bangla songs. The song was written by Junayed Warsi.

Our audience listens to Hindi songs too. So, I think the audience, hopefully, will enjoy the extract in the song and will love to hear Hindi songs sung with my voice,” Porshi added.

Porshi has also expressed her satisfaction, saying: “We have tried our best to give good lyrics to the music lovers. ‘Jonom Jonom’ already gathered positive responses from my audience. I request that the audience buy original CDs from the market.”

The album is being releasing under the banner of G-Series. She released her first solo album, “Porshi”, in 2010 and it turned out to be a big hit. In that album, songs like “Lojja” and “Tomaryb Porosh” are loved by thousands all over the country and also internationally. In 2012, she released her 2nd Solo album, “Porshi 2”, which was also appreciated by all. She also worked on some mix albums and did a lot of play-backs and jingles.

Recently she has been performing all over the country and captivating audiences with her charming personality, ability to connect with audiences instantly and, above all, her musical ability. Porshi has also done many international tours in which she performed in her own unique style. l

MOVIES 5:52pm WB Cloverfield

6:15pm Zee Studio Robin Hood

6:30pm Fox Movies Premium Once Upon A Time S2 Ep14

7:30pm Star Movies Tangled

9:00pm Zee Studio Hostel

9:30pm HBO Happy Feet 2

9:30pm WB

The Dark Knight

11:20pm Fox Movies Premium

‘Shakrain’ to air on SA TV n Entertainment Desk The comedy drama “Shakrain” will be aired on SA TV on the second day of Eid. Written by Shagor Jahan, and directed by Moniruzzaman Lipon, the story revolves around the “Shakrain Festival”, also known as the kite festival, celebrated in old Dhaka.

The drama “Shakrain” is about a boy named Shebaaz and a girl name Shefali, who, along with their friends,

participate in a competition as part of the kite festival. The game of kite flying takes the highly competitive form of kite fighting, with everyone attempting to snag each other’s kites or knock other kites down.

The drama upholds the beauty of the traditional kite festival with fireworks ligthing up the sky above of old Dhaka at nightfall. At one point, Shefali gets injured by a firecracker and her rival Shebaaz comes to her rescue. l

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

11:36pm HBO

Cowboys & Aliens

12:00am Star Movies Land Of The Lost

TALKSHOW 7:30am ATN News Shat Rong

9:00am Independent TV Ajker Bangladesh

10:30am ATN Bangla Onno Dristi

12:10pm Channel 24 Beyond the Gallery

7:30pm ATN News After Thoughts

8:30pm ATN News Talk of the Week

9:50pm RTV

Dhrupodi Kahini

Ranbir Kapoor increases his remuneration to Rs 15 crore n Entertainment Desk

10:10pm Somoy TV Shompadokio

COMEDY 9:30am Star World The Big Bang Theory 11:30am Z Cafe Friends

1:00pm Colors

After “Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani” set the cash registers ringing at the box office, Ranbir Kapoor has reached a new high and so has his remuneration.

According to sources, the actor who shot Abhinav Kashyap’s “Besharam” in 100 days for Rs150m, has charged the same amount to his close friend and debutante-director Vicky Singh for a 42 day filming schedule of the movie “Roy.” A source close to the film said: “Roy is a two hero film. It has Arjun Rampal alongside Ranbir. But yes, Ranbir has charged his regular fee of Rs150m for the film.”

We had earlier reported on Nov 17, 2011 that after the success of Imtiaz Ali’s “Rockstar”, the actor, who had signed to star in Anurag Basu’s “Barfi” and Ayan Mukerji’s “Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani” for Rs80m, was planning to up his price to a whopping Rs150 per film.

At present, Ranbir also commands a percentage share of profits from his films. l

Comedy Nights With Kapil 3:30pm Comedy Central America’s Funniest Home Videos 5:30pm Big CBS Love The Game

7:30pm Sony SAB Baal Veer

9:30pm Comedy Central Citizen Khan

10:00pm Big CBS Prime It Only Hurts When I Laugh

DRAMA 11:30pm Zee Tv Ramayan

1:30pm Star Plus Sivaji

4:00pm Zee Tv Pavitra Rishta

6:15pm Zee Studio Robin Hood

8:15pm NTV

Ogothon Gothon Potioshi

7:30pm Star World Greys Anatomy

Popular actors from small screen will be dancing in an Eid special programme “Chonde-Tale” on Boishakhi TV. Bonna Mirza, Shokh, Mehazabien Chowdhury, Ria, Nadia-Likhon, Munmun, Sohel, Rothy, Shohag and many more will take part in the dance performance DHAKA TRIBUNE

8:00pm Zee Café Pretty Little Liars

Pattinson’s past and present Bollywood rides on Chennai Express to new girlfriend cross paths international markets n Entertainment Desk

n Entertainment Desk Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s much-awaited Chennai Express is lined up for a strong release in non-traditional international markets.The movies Chennai Express is making a breakthrough.

The Rohit Shetty-directorial movie has been locked for release in Morocco, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France and Israel.

“Shah Rukh Khan has a strong fan-

base and the demand for the movie is enormous overseas. We are releasing the movie in over seven non-traditional markets and the movie will also witness a day and date release for the first time in Peru for any Hindi film,” Amrita Pandey, executive director (Syndication, International Distribution and Disney Media Distribution), Studios, Disney UTV, said in a statement.

The movie also features Deepika Padukone, and it is being heavily promoted all across. l

There was reportedly an awkward meeting between Robert Pattison’s reported current girlfriend, Riley Keough, and his ex-girlfriend, Kristen Stewart, at an event in Hollywood.

The “tense” encounter occurred on Thursday, August 1, at the House of Blues in West Hollywood when the two Hollywood starlets were attending a Joan Jett concert.

Kristen reportedly did not seem pleased when Riley, who previously worked with her on the set of the ‘Runaways’, approached her to hug her.

A source told a Hollywood tabloid that of the brief exchange between the two, which only lasted a couple of minutes, was far from comfortable and that the two appeared to keep their distance from one another the rest of the evening.

Pattison and Keough, who have only been dating for a short time, are reportedly head over heels for each other, preferring to spend time together at home, and steering clear of the Hollywood nightlife.

A source reportedly said: “Rob and Riley are having a really great time together, even though it’s very early. There is an attraction to each other. They just get each other. Rob

thinks Riley has a cool level head and is not impressed by stardom at all. Rob just loves that about her.”

“He loves that she’ll go into his kitchen for like 10 minutes and come back with a delicious plate of pasta.

They just do typical stuff that has pretty much started all his relationships.

They get into debates about politics, human rights, things they had read in the papers that morning,” the source added.

“She’s pretty good on the piano and he’ll often pull out his guitar and they’ll have a mini jam session, making up silly songs and funny limericks,” sources also said. l

8:30pm Sony Aadalat

8:50pm My Tv

Moner Onek Rong

9:30pm Star World Touch

NEWS 10:00am Diganta

Diganta Shongbad

2:00pm Desh Tv

Shongbad Shomoi

5:00pm Banglavision Shongbad

6:45pm RTV

Shondhar Shongbad

9:00pm Independent TV Raater 9tai Bangladesh

10:00pm Maasranga Primetime news

MISC 8:30am Vh1

Good Morning Vh1

11:30pm MTV MTV Jump

1:30pm Nat Geo Adventure Delinquent Gourmet

3:30pm For Traveller Twist Of Taste

5:30pm FTV F Men

7:30pm TLC

Ocean Models

8:30pm AXN

The Apprentice Asia

9:30pm Zee TV

Dance India Dance

Did you know?

At World Cup 1996, Australia and West Indies refused to play their matches against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka due to security concerns, causing both matches to be awarded to Sri Lanka by default.

Also, Sri Lanka were awarded a victory for their semi-final by default against India because of crowd riots

Sport

Sunday, August 4, 2013

14 Barcelona mark 14 Lazio captain Neymar home bow suspended for with eight-goal rout illegal betting

Red and Greens edge past Thai youths Rony scores his second goal of the tour, Bangladesh team return today n Shishir Hoque Super substitute Shakhawat Hossain Rony was on song once again as it was his strike that enabled Bangladesh national team to end their Thailand tour on a positive note beating Thai national U-19 team 1-0 at Osotspa Stadium in Bangkok yesterday.

Bangladesh head coach Lodewijk de Kruif opined that the forwards squandered plenty of scoring opportunities and that they should have netted five or six goals. However, the second-half

Playing XI Sohel (GK), Meshu, Nasir, Linkon, Waly, Sohel Rana, Jamal, Mamun (C), Toklis, Wahed, Emily Subs: Raihan, Munna, Rony, Reasat goal by Rony was enough for the visiting side to earn their first victory in two matches. The Red and Greens lost to Thai premier league club Osotspa Saraburi FC in their first match.

Kruif was, however, satisfied with the performance his charges put on yesterday, but at the same time admitted that there is still room for improvement in the finishing department. “Our boys played a good match today (Saturday). Ball possession, man to man marking and technically we played good today. The problem is in the finishing line. Otherwise, it should have been five or six goals by our players,” expressed the Dutch.

The Bangladesh team were sent

Bangladesh national captain Mamunul Islam exchanges flags with the captain of the Thailand national u-19 captain at Bangkok yesterday to Thailand as part of the preparation for the upcoming Saff Championship

Junior Tigers win rain interrupted warm-up n Mazhar Uddin The Bangladesh U-19 side went off to a winning start in their England tour on Friday. The visitors were led by leftarm spinner Rahatul Ferdous who’s five-for enabled them to beat the England Development Programme (EDP) U-17 squad in a rain interrupted warmup match at the Brockington pitch in Loughborough University.

Winning the toss EDP U-17 team elected to bat first, but wickets at regular intervals saw them getting bowled out for 204 runs in 49.5 overs. Ferdous claimed five wickets for just 29 runs while leg spinner Zubair Hossain and left-arm fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman picked up two wickets for Bangla-

desh. Haseeb Hameed scored highest 66 runs for the EDP side while Keiran Smith made a fifty.

In reply, the visitors were in deep trouble having been reduced to 74-5 in 21 overs before an unbroken stand of 113 runs between wicket-keeper Jasim Uddin and Nazmul Hossain put them back on track. Jasim Uddin was unbeaten on 54 while Nazmul was batting on 41 when rain brought an early close to the match.

Bangladesh were 187-5 in 42 overs and were declared as winners after no more further action was allowed.

Bangladesh will play their first match of the tri-nation series against the strong Pakistan U-19 side on August 5. l

in Nepal next month. They were initially set to play two friendly matches

Young Tigers ace exams n Mazhar Uddin

The young tigers of Bangladesh have done quite well, academically at least, as their HSC results were published yesterday. Opener Anamul Haque Bijoy, U-23 player Soumya Sarkar, fast bowler Taskin Ahmed and two of the U-19 cricketers who are currently in England, Abu Hayder and batsman Saimon Chowdhury got A+ and A respectively in their HSC exams.

Anamul Haque Bijoy the student of BKSP who returned from the middle of the series against Sri Lanka in March for the preparation of his HSC exams flew for England with the Bangladesh “A” team yesterday heard that he got a GPA of 3.60 but said he would check his results after he lands. Another young pacer Taskin Ahmed got GPA 3.10 while young all-rounder Soumya Sarkar got A-. l

BFF

against the Thai national team, but due to the hosts’ tight schedule the

plan had to be altered and instead the matches were played against a Thai club side and the national U-19 team.

With a loss to the club side and a win over the Thai youths, the Red and Greens conceded two goals while they also netted two. Kruif believes the tour helped to strengthen the bonding in the team and the “Thailand trip is a good experience for the boys.”

Kruif made four changes from the previous playing XI as goalkeeper Sohel, defender Meshu and Toklis replaced Mamun Khan, Kasto and Mobarak, who had to be benched with injury. Skipper Mamunul Islam also returned to his usual midfield area and replaced Mithun Chowdhury. Speedy winger Zahid Hossain, who missed the first match due to injury, was not available for this match as well. However, German expatriate Reasat Khaton was able to get some match practice after he replaced Mamunul in the second-half.

The visitors started the game in blazing fashion as they almost scored in the opening minute when Toklis’ goal bound powerful shot was deflected for a corner by a defender. After a dominating first-half, Bangladesh exerted more pressure on their opponents, but kept on missing chances.

Emily went close as his strike shook the goal post in the 54th minute, but later the striker’s accurate pass was enough for Rony who calmly netted the winner in the 73rd minute.

The 10-day tour has been cut to nine days as the Bangladesh side will return home today evening. l

n Raihan Mahmood Bangladesh Hockey Federation desperate to arrange some practice matches for the national hockey team ahead of the Asia Cup is now focused on bringing the Singapore team to Dhaka.

The national hockey team is expected to fly to Malaysia on August 21 and the federation wants the team to engage in a few warm up matches before their departure.

However the initiatives are still uncertain as BHF’s invitation to Indian clubs proved futile.

BHF invited a number of Indian club sides — Punjab National Bank, Air India and Oil and Natural Gas

Corporation (ONGC) — to play practice matches against the Bangladesh national team at the Maulana Bhasani Hockey Stadium but all efforts failed at the last moment due to different complicacies.

Meanwhile the Pakistani head coach of Bangladesh Naveed Alam also expressed concerns about playing against club teams fearing injuries and he preferred national team as the opponents for the practice matches.

Khwaja Rahmatullah, the general secretary of the Bangladesh Hockey Federation said they have already sent the invitation to their Singaporean counterparts. “We have invited them to play a couple of practice matches

n Reuters

Shila 61st in World Swimming n Shishir Hoque

Bangladesh’s only female representative in the World Swimming Championship Mahfuza Khatun Shila finished 61st among 74 participants in the 50m breaststroke event in Barcelona, Spain, yesterday. With the event Bangladesh’s World Championship campaign also came to an end.

The Navy swimmer produced one of the best timing in recent times as she clocked 35.63 seconds, 0.43 seconds lesser then what she clocked in the 8th Bangladesh Games to win gold medal.

Shila, however, failed to beat her best timing 35.43 second which she recorded in the 2010 South Asian Games to win the silver medal in Dhaka.

Earlier, country’s fastest swimmer Mahfizur Rahman Sagor finished 59th among 105 participants in the men’s 50m freestyle while Anik Islam finished 61st among 78 participants in the 50m butterfly event. l

13

15 Pietersen and Bell defy Australia

BCB to send Abul to Australia for major surgery n Mazhar Uddin Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) decided to send fast bowler Abul Hasan, who is suffering from a back injury, to Australia for treatment. The cricketer picked up the injury during the away series in Sri Lanka in March and has been sidelined since then.

BCB earlier decided to send the 20-year-old to Bangkok, but later changed their mind. “The board members wanted to send me to Bangkok, but as it’s a major surgery they are sending me to Melbourne,” said Abul.

The board members wanted to send me to Bangkok, but as it’s a major surgery they are sending me to Melbourne He also informed that despite carrying the back pain till now, he is confident of making a comeback.

However, the pacer is set for a long lay-off as he prepares for surgery on a slipped disc. He had recurring back pain since the Test series in Sri Lanka.

It has degenerated into a prolapsed lumbar inter vertebral disc, according to national team physio Vibhav Singh.

BCB sports physician Dr Debashish Chowdhury said the sooner the surgery takes place the better, because he could be out for more than a year.

“Even if the operation takes place today, he will probably miss out on the World Twenty20. We are trying to find out where he can be sent as soon as possible,” he said. l

Hockey federation seeks Singapore practice match

Mishra’s six wickets helps India to series whitewash Leg-spinner Amit Mishra took six wickets as India completed a series whitewash over Zimbabwe in the fifth oneday international at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo on Saturday.

Mishra has bamboozled the Zimbabwe batsmen throughout the series and recorded figures of six for 48 as the home side collapsed to 163 all out.

India chased down the modest total with ease, Ravindra Jadeja hitting a massive six to complete the game with seven wickets still intact and 96 balls left in the innings.

“The first two games were very well fought out by Zimbabwe, but the guys stepped it up in the next three and we are pretty happy with the performance,” India captain Virat Kohli said in a television interview after the game.

“Belief is key, all these 11 guys who played on the field believe that they can win games all by themselves and that is a big thing in international cricket. It has been a beautiful thing to be part of.”

India won the toss and elected to field first in overcast conditions that suited the bowlers. Only Sean Williams (51) put up any sort of fight for the Zimbabweans, with Hamilton Masakadza (32) the only other player to get out of the teens.

Mishra’s six wickets took his tally

DHAKA TRIBUNE

after Eid that on August 13 or 14. The coach of the Singapore hockey team has responded positively but he needs the consent of the federation, we are hoping for a positive response from the Singapore Hockey Federation,” said Rahmatullah.

Bangladesh will also play a friendly match with Pakistan as the part of their final preparations ahead of Asia Cup Hockey tournament in Malaysia .

Naveed Alam said that he has almost confirmed the match on August 22 and will also look forward to play another before the final challenge begins.

Bangladesh plays Korea on August 25, faces Oman on 26 and wrap up their group formalities on August 28.l

Score Card Zimbabwe

V. Sibanda c Karthik b Unadkat H. Masakadza b Jadeja B. Taylor c Raina b Sharma T. Maruma c Karthik b Ahmed S. Williams c Kohli b Mishra M. Waller c Sharma b Mishra E. Chigumbura lbw b Mishra T. Mutombodzi c Raina b Mishra N. Mushangwe b Mishra K. Jarvis not out B. Vitori c Kohli b Mishra Extras (4lb, 3w, 3nb) Total (all out, 39.5 overs)

5 32 0 4 51 8 17 4 16 12 4 10 163

Bowling

M Sharma 6-0-25-1, Unadkat 6-1-8-1, Jadeja 10-0-42-1, Ahmed 7-1-27-1, Raina 2-0-9-0, Mishra 8.5-48-6.

India

C. Pujara b Jarvis S. Dhawan c Taylor b Jarvis A. Rahane b Waller R. Jadeja not out D. Karthik not out Extras (4b, 2lb, 12w) Total (3 wkts, 34 overs)

0 41 50 48 10 18 167

Bowling

India’s Ravindra Jadeja bats as Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor watches during the final game of the five-match ODI series at Queens Sports Club in Harare yesterday AFP for the series to 18 at an average of just 11, more than double the next highest Indian wicket-taker, Jaydev Unadkat, who managed eight.

India lost Cheteshwar Pujara (0) in the first over of their reply, bowled by the excellent Kyle Jarvis who took two for 18 in eight overs, but never looked

troubled in their chase.

Shikhar Dhawan (41), Ajinkya Rahane (50) and Jadeja (48 not out) provided a solid base for the thumping win. l

Jarvis 8-3-18-2, Vitori 5-0-41-0, Chigumbura 4-0-11-0, Mushangwe 6-026-0, Mutombodzi 5-0-29-0, Williams 2-0-18-0, Waller 4-0-18-1.

Toss: India.

Match Result

India won by seven wickets.

Series

India won the five-match series 5-0

14

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Barcelona mark Neymar home bow with eight-goal rout n AFP, Barcelona

Barcelona's Lionel Messi (R) tries to score against Santos's goalkeeper Vladimir during their Joan Gamper trophy football match at the Nou Camp in Barcelona on Friday

Gerrard enjoys Greek gifts in testimonial n AFP, Liverpool Liverpool supporters paid tribute to captain Steven Gerrard as their Reds continued preparations for the start of the Premier League season with a 2-0 victory over Greek side Olympiakos on Saturday.

The Anfield friendly served as a testimonial match for Gerrard, who hoped to raise around £1 million for his charitable foundation as he marked his 15 years with his home-town club.

After a close-season dominated by the future of controversial forward Luis Suarez, currently the subject of a £40 million bid from Arsenal, it must have been a relief for manager Brendan Rodgers to focus on matters on the pitch as he prepares for Liverpool’s opening league fixture against Stoke on August 17.

Suarez, who is banned for the opening six fixtures of the coming campaign as a legacy of his highly-publicised biting of Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic late last season, watched from the bench for the opening hour before being introduced into the action.

His name had been greeted by cheers from the 44,362 Anfield supporters before kick-off with television cameras focusing on at least one banner in the stands which begged “Please Stay Luis Suarez.”

While Suarez’s arrival as a substitute was warmly received by home fans, Rodgers would also have been happy to focus on life beyond the Uruguay international, handing starts to recent signings Simon Mignolet, Kolo Toure and Iago Aspas, while a fourth newcomer, Luis Alberto, was among the substitutes. l

Bale bids teammates goodbye as Real deal looms n AFP, London Tottenham take on Monaco on Saturday without Gareth Bale, who misses the pre-season friendly in the Principality through injury ahead of a likely defining week for his forecast world record transfer to Real Madrid.

The Wales superstar bid “an emotional farewell” to his teammates in London on Friday, autographing their shirts before they left for Monte Carlo, according to a report in The Sun. The Spurs forward sits out Saturday evening’s match, and may also miss Wales’ friendly against Ireland in Cardiff on August 14, with a minor hamstring problem.

As Bale works on his fitness, Tot-

tenham chairman Daniel Levy will sit down for his first face-to-face talks with Real Madrid president Florentino Perez in Miami next week, possibly on Wednesday, The Times suggested.

Real are in Florida, where Levy has a holiday home, for a pre-season warm-up.

They are keen to see Bale at the Bernabeu ahead of their opening league game against Real Betis on August 18.

The 24-year-old is set to become the most expensive player of all time, an honour currently held by Cristiano Ronaldo, who moved from Manchester United to Real for 94 million euros ($125 million, £82 million) in 2009.

Levy is reportedly holding out for a transfer fee in excess of £105 million while Real are looking to strike a deal at

Lazio captain suspended for illegal betting

Coventry City deducted 10 points

n AFP, Rome

n Reuters, London

An Italian sports tribunal on Friday suspended Lazio captain Stefano Mauri for six months and fined the Serie A club 40,000 euros ($53,000) for their involvement in an illegal betting scandal.

The sentence was relatively lenient as prosecutors had asked for a fourand-a-half year ban for Mauri, who was detained for a few days last year in the inquiry. Prosecutors had also asked for Lazio to be docked six points as a penalty and Genoa and Lecce three points.

In the end Lecce were fined 20,000 euros while Genoa were acquitted entirely of any involvement.

A total of eight players were investigated, one of whom decided to collaborate with investigators. Out of the six others, three were acquitted.

The three others — Mario Cassano, Stefano Ferrario and Alessandro Zamperini — were given suspensions ranging between four months and two years.

The fall-out to the so-called “Calcioscommesse” — football betting — investigation has been felt since 2011 with several high-profile names implicated.

Italy has a history of match-fixing scandals, although they have tended to precede sporting success.

The 1980 “Totonero” scandal saw AC Milan and Lazio relegated to Serie B while star striker Paolo Rossi was banned for two years. He came back just in time to be Italy’s hero in their 1982 World Cup victory. l

Coventry City have been given a 10-point deduction but handed a lifeline after the Football League allowed them to start the League One season, the English third tier club said on Friday.

The club spent an unbroken 34 years in the top flight from 1967 until 2001, have been in administration since March following a bitter row with Arena Coventry Limited (ACL), the owners of their home ground the Ricoh Arena.

ACL rejected proposals which would have brought the club out of administration on Friday and forced the Midlands outfit to put their current parent company, Coventry City FC Ltd, into liquidation.

The Football League, however, have transferred the club’s share in the competition to the administrators’ preferred bidders, the Otium Entertainment Group, allowing the club to begin their new campaign away to Crawley Town on Saturday.

“The Board has agreed to transfer the Club’s share on the basis that it accepts a 10 point deduction for the 2013/14 season,” the Football League said in a statement. “This decision will enable Coventry City to continue its membership of The Football League, despite the failure of its CVA...”

The increasingly bitter row between the club’s owners and ACL means they have decided to play their home matches for the next three seasons at Northampton Town’s Sixfields Stadium.l

Ecuador's President Rafael Correa (R) hands a pair of shoes to the family members of deceased Ecuador's player Christian Benitez during his funeral in Quito on Friday. On left is the late Christian's father Ermen and in center is Liset REUTERS

Thousands bid farewell to late Ecuador star n AFP, Quito Thousands of fans filed past the coffin of Ecuadoran football hero Christian Benitez for a statesman-like farewell in Quito on Friday after an autopsy confirmed he had died of heart failure in Qatar.

The 27-year-old striker, who was eyeing next year’s World Cup, died suddenly after his first game with Qatari club El-Jaish last Sunday, shocking fans as far away as Mexico, where he played for Club America last season.

His family wept as thousands of people stood in line to enter a sports

REUTERS

Brazilian international Neymar and new manager Gerardo Martino got their first taste of the Camp Nou on Friday as Barcelona destroyed Santos 8-0 to lift the Joan Gamper trophy.

The Brazilians were confirmed for the annual glamour friendly as part of the transfer agreement that saw Neymar move to the Catalan giants in June.

But they were hopelessly exposed by a strong Barca side as two goals from Cesc Fabregas, allied to further strikes from Lionel Messi, Alexis Sanchez, Pedro, Adriano, Jean Marie Dongou and an own goal from Leo made it a comfortable evening for the hosts.

However, the biggest cheer of the night was reserved for Neymar when he made his bow at half-time and the 21-year-old made a positive impression despite failing to get on the scoresheet himself as he teed up Fabregas’ second and Barca’s sixth of the night 20 minutes from time.

“I am not too worried about not scoring,” Neymar told Catalan TV staion TV3.

“It is just great to be here playing for Barcelona and to play with players like Xavi, Cesc and Messi.”

Martino, who has succeeded cancerstricken Tito Vilanova, named a strong side on his own first home outing as the club’s new boss with the likes of Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Serio Busquets and Dani Alves starting for the first time in pre-season following their participation in the Confederations Cup. It didn’t take the hosts long to get into their stride though as Pedro fed Messi to fire home the opener from a tight angle after just eight minutes. l

arena where the man affectionately known as “Chucho” was lying in a glass-top coffin, partly covered by the Ecuadoran national flag.

Before the funeral, his body underwent a second autopsy at the request of his wife and family, amid suspicion that he was not given adequate attention at a Qatari hospital after he complained of abdominal pains.

Luis Chiriboga, president of the Ecuadoran Football Federation, said the examination concluded that Benitez was “destined to die” due to a coronary problem that “could only be detected after his death.” l

around £85 million with a makeweight, possibly Fabio Coentrao, thrown in.

On Friday, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger claimed Bale’s proposed mega transfer made a mockery of UEFA’s Financial Fair Play rules.

“It makes a joke of it. It’s quite amazing that in the year where the Financial Fair Play comes in, the football world has gone completely crazy,” the Frenchman said. “You wonder what kind of impact and effect it has on the football world. It looks like it has made everybody worse than before.”

Meanwhile, Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has revealed he told Real to sign Bale when he was still in charge at the Bernabeu last season.

Mourinho, who joined Chelsea in

June and has since been replaced at Madrid by Carlo Ancelotti, told ESPN: “I asked the club to buy him last season but it was not possible.

“It looks like it is happening this season so I am happy for them because they get a fantastic player but, of course, the numbers are huge numbers and the kid has to go now and there’s pressure to prove that he’s worth that investment.

“I think he’s a fantastic player and the way my Real Madrid was playing, I think it was an easy player to fill a space and to get into that tactical dynamic.

“I don’t know what Carlo is thinking now but Carlo is an experienced coach and for sure will get the best out of him.” l

Real Madrid's assistant coach Zinedine Zidane holds the ball during a training session at UCLA in Los Angeles, California on Friday AFP

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

Pietersen defies Australia

Quick Bytes

34th National Women Chess starts Aug 18

The preliminary phase of 34th National Women Chess Championship will start from August 18, Sunday, at Bangladesh Chess Federation hall room.

It’s an open event for all women and girl chess players and no entry fee is required. Interested women and girls can enroll their name on or before August 17, Saturday, at Bangladesh Chess Federation, 2nd Floor of National Sports Council (NSC) old building. Top seven players from the preliminary phase will qualify for the final round.

Reigning women’s champion, runnerup, International Woman Masters and top two women rated players will play straight in the final phase.

-RM

n AFP, Manchester

First skyscraper race held in China Hundreds of runners in China sprinted their way up 82 floors and more than 2000 stairs as the country’s first ever “vertical run” was held in a Beijing skyscraper on Saturday. Thomas Dold of Germany emerged on top of the 330 metre (1080 feet) tall China World Trade Center Tower 3, Beijing’s tallest building, just 10 minutes and 22 seconds after setting off from its ground floor to take the men’s title. “You have to run between three and four steps per second,” Dold said, adding that he had bounded up the building’s 2041 stairs two at a time. Around 600 runners took part in the competition, part of an international skyscraper racing circuit which sees races up some of the world’s tallest buildings New York’s Empire State Building and Taiwan’s Taipei 101.

– AFP

High winds suspend play at women’s British Open

High winds forced a suspension of play at 12:30 local time (1130GMT) in Saturday’s third round of the women’s British Open at the Old Course, St Andrews. South Korea’s Choi Na Yeon, the halfway leader on 10 under par, had not started her round. She was due out at 13:40. The wind was averaging 26mph with gusts of 38mph and the play became unplayable due to balls moving on the greens.

– AFP

Isner, Tursunov advance to ATP semi-final

John Isner, seeking his second title in as many weeks, booked a semi-final matchup with Dmitry Tursunov on Friday at the $1.76 million ATP and WTA Washington Open. US eighth seed Isner, who won last week in Atlanta, fired 18 aces to defeat Cyprus’ Marcos Baghdatis 6-7 (5/7), 6-4, 6-4 while Russia’s Tursunov outlasted Australia’s Marinko Matosevic 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (7/4) in another quarter-final at the hardcourt event. “I was pretty confident even though I lost the first set,” Isner said. “I know I’m not going to win every tie-breaker. I was in a good rhythm and serving well.

– AFP

Lugano leaves PSG for West Brom Uruguay defender Diego Lugano has ended a difficult two-year spell with Paris Saint-Germain by moving to Premier League side West Bromwich Albion, the French champions announced on Friday. In a brief statement on their website, PSG revealed that Lugano had been transferred to The Hawthorns and thanked the player “for his professionalism over the length of his contract.” However, they did not give any further details as to the terms of the deal. Lugano, 32, joined PSG from Turkish giants Fenerbahce in the summer of 2011 but has made just 12 league appearances for the club in two years.

- AFP

England's Kevin Pietersen watches his shot as he hits Australia's Nathan Lyon for a six during the third day of the third Ashes Test match at Old Trafford cricket ground in Manchester, northern England yesterday REUTERS

Stosur, Razzano advance with upset wins n AFP, Carlsbad Former US Open champion Samantha Stosur and Virginie Razzano notched upset victories on Friday to set up a semi-final clash at the WTA Tour’s Southern California Open.

Fifth-seeded Australian Stosur ousted second-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland 7-5, 2-6, 6-3.

French wild card Razzano continued her remarkable run at the $795,707 US Open tuneup with a 6-7 (6/8), 7-5, 7-6 (10/8) triumph over third-seeded Czech Petra Kvitova.

Razzano, who has also beaten twotime Grand Slam champion Svetlana Kuznetsova and eighth-seeded Span-

iard Carla Suarez Navarro this week, saved two match points in the third-set tiebreaker en route to the victory.

The three-hour, 35-minute match was the second-longest on the WTA Tour this year, behind Bethanie Mattek-Sands’ three-hour, 42-minute victory over Anastasia Rodionova on the clay courts of Charleston in April.

Razzano took a 5-3 lead in the third set, but let three match points slip away. Kvitova, a former Wimbledon champion, served for the match at 6-5, but Razzano broke her to force the decisive tiebreaker.

Kvitova rolled to a 5-2 lead, but Razzano rallied and sealed it on her fifth match point.l

n AFP, Barcelona Russia’s Yuliya Efimova broke the women’s 50m breaststroke world record on Saturday morning, the fourth record to fall at these world swimming championships in Barcelona.

Having won the world 200m breaststroke title on Friday night, the 21-yearold Efimova clocked 29.78secs in the morning’s 50m heats at Barcelona’s Palau Sant Jordi pool, shaving just two hundredths of a second off the fouryear-old record set by Jessica Hardy of the USA. Efimova was the fastest into Saturday evening’s semi-finals and will be looking to add the sprint gold to her 200m world crown and 100m silver with the 50m final to come on Sunday on the last day of the championships.

This is the third women’s breaststroke world record to fall in Barcelona and the fourth in total -- all set by women.

Lithuanian teenager Ruta Meilutyte broke the 100m breastroke record in the semis on her way to winning the gold and Denmark Rikke Moller Pedersen

n

Star Cricket 4:00pm The Ashes 2013 LIVE Test 3 Day 4 Star Sports 4:30pm SBK Superbike World Championship LIVE

Azarenka hits a backhand during her quarter final match against Radwanska at the Southern California Open at La Costa Resort & Spa on Friday in Carlsbad, California AFP

Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell kept Australia at bay with bold fifties but England still had plenty of work to do in the third Test at Old Trafford on Saturday.

At tea on the third day, Ashes-holders England were 211 for four -- a deficit of 316 runs -- and still needing a further 117 runs to reach a total of 328 that would see them avoid the follow-on But they had at least denied Australia who, at 2-0 down with three to play, had to win this match to stand any chance of regaining the Ashes, a wicket in the session.

Pietersen was 78 not out and Bell, who’d already made two hundreds this series, 51 not out with the fifth-wicket duo’s partnership so far worth 101.

England resumed Saturday on 52 for two after Australia had made 527 for seven declared on the back of captain Michael Clarke’s commanding 187.

It was Clarke’s highest Test score against England and the highest in an overseas Test by any Australian since nightwatchman Jason Gillespie’s extraordinary 201 not out against Bangladesh seven years ago.

Shortly before Friday’s close, Australia paceman Peter Siddle removed opener Joe Root and nightwatchman Tim Bresnan.

England captain Alastair Cook was 36 not out and Jonathan Trott two not out.

However, Trott was out for five when he edged a good length ball from fast bowler Ryan Harris low to Clarke at second slip.

Trott’s exit brought in fellow South Africa-born batsman Pietersen, arguably England’s most talented batsman.

Pietersen, however, was fortunate not to nick his first ball, an excellent delivery from Harris, and then got off the mark only by just keeping out a fine

yorker from the same bowler.

Meanwhile left-hander Cook completed a 138-ball fifty including seven fours. Pietersen, after a nervy start, began to find his touch with two wellpulled fours in successive balls from left-arm fast bowler Mitchell Starc.

But shortly before lunch Starc had Cook caught superbly for 62 by diving wicketkeeper Brad Haddin, who held a right-handed chance off a genuine glance.

Then Bell, on four, survived an appeal for a catch by Haddin off Starc with the ‘Snicko’ device, not part of the Decision Review System that has caused so much controversy this series, indicating he’d got a thin edge.

At lunch, England were 119 for four with Pietersen 33 not out and Bell unbeaten on four.

Pietersen then attacked Nathan Lyon, danced down the pitch to drive the off-spinner for two superb sixes in successive balls as he completed a 71ball fifty also including six fours.

Bell, one of England’s best players of spin, followed suit by driving Lyon for a six of his own before he drove Starc to the extra-cover fence and next ball deliberately late cut him for four behind square.

All-rounder Shane Watson, with the first ball of a new spell, appealed for lbw against the advancing Pietersen, then on 62.

Tony Hill ruled in the batsman’s favour and Australia opted against a review only for DRS to indicate Pietersen would have been out had they challenged the New Zealand umpire’s decision.

Australia took the new ball with England 198 for four off 81 overs but, three balls later, Bell drove Starc down the ground, with his subsequent three off Siddle seeing him to a 93-ball fifty including eight fours and a six. l

Russia’s Efimova breaks world 50m breaststroke record

Doncaster sign One Direction pop star

Day’s Watch

ESPN 7:30pm Ricoh Women’s British Open LIVE Sony Six CPLT20 LIVE 1.00am Hawksbills v Tallawahs 6.00am Amazon v Zouks

15

Sunday, August 4, 2013

AFP, London

Doncaster Rovers made the most unlikely signing of the season on Thursday when they agreed a deal for One Direction pop star Louis Tomlinson.

Doncaster-born Tomlinson is more well known for his exploits with the chart-topping British band, who shot to fame after appearing on the television talent show ‘The X Factor’ in 2010.

But the 21-year-old, who once worked at the club as a hospitality waiter and is a Rovers season ticket holder, will get the chance to fulfil a boyhood dream after signing for the English Championship club as a noncontract player in aid of Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice in Sheffield. l

Russia's Yuliya Efimova smiles after breaking the women's 50-metre breaststroke record during the heats of the women's 50-metre breaststroke swimming event in the FINA World Championships at Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona yesterday AFP set a new 200m breastroke mark in the semi-finals before finishing second to Efimova. USA long-distance star Katie Ledecky of the USA also took nearly six

seconds off the 1500m freestyle record.

Both of Hardy’s breaststroke records over 50 and 100m have now fallen in Barcelona. l

Gatlin aiming to block out doping scandals n AFP, Linz American sprinter Justin Gatlin says he is concentrating on himself and not thinking about recent doping scandals ahead of the world championships, which start next week in Moscow.

The 2004 Athens Olympic champion will be one of the main favourites for 100m gold in Russia as many of his main rivals will be missing.

Fellow American Tyson Gay and Jamaican Asafa Powell will be absent after failing drug tests, although the latter had not made the Jamaican team anyway. The reigning world champion Yohan Blake, another Jamaican, is also out with injury.

It means Gatlin will start the competition as the main rival to twice triple Olympic gold medalist and world record

holder Usain Bolt.

While he was himself twice banned for doping, Gatlin has refused to get involved in the current debate.

“I have to stay concentrated and get ready for the worlds,” he said in an interview with Austrian press agency APA. “The show must go on. I think a lot of athletes think like that. Staying concentrated and winning for your country, that’s what counts.”

Gatlin’s second failed dope test in 2006 saw him banned for four years but he has since made a comeback.

And at 31-years-old he will go into the Moscow worlds as the fastest man this year in the field - faster still than Bolt.

He and his American teammates are training in Linz until August 5 before heading to Moscow, where the worlds start on August 10. l

16

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Back Page

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Capital’s fourth flyover opens at Kuril today n Abu Hayat Mahmud The long-awaited Kuril Flyover will open today with the aim of reducing traffic congestion.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the 3.1km long overpass.

People have been hoping that the flyover will save time for commuters by making traffic flow more easily.

The flyover was constructed at a cost of Tk3.03bn, financed by Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) in collaboration with the Ministry of Housing and Public Works.

Project Builders and China Major Bridge Engineering jointly built the 8.9m wide and 14.6m high flyover, which is comprised of four sections, providing uninterrupted connection among Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Nikunja, Banani, Rampura and Purbachal neighbourhoods.

According to a Rajuk estimate from 2007, around 157,000 vehicles coming from the five aforementioned areas cross the Kuril intersection every day.

Commuters coming from the west of the capital will use loop 1 to go to Pragati Sarani and Purbachal. Commuters from Pragati Sarani and its adjoining areas will use loop2 on their way to Nikunja.

Two more loops will be used by the

passengers from Banani and the west side of the Airport Road to go to Pragati Sarani. The Commuters from Purbachal City will also use these loops on their way to Banani.

Nurul Huda, chairman of Rajuk, said they have completed almost all work to open the flyover to commuters, except completion of the foot over-bridge loops 2 and 3. The incomplete work will be finished within December, he said.

Construction work for the Kuril flyover started in June 2010. The present government had approved a tender at a cost of Tk1.54bn. Since then, the project costs have soared to Tk3.06bn.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the construction work of the flyover on May 2, 2010.

Rajuk initially targeted December 2012 for the opening the flyover, but it later deferred the timeline twice to March and June this year.

Rajuk officials blamed frequent general strikes and failure to acquire land on time for the delay of the completion of the project.

The flyover consists of: 65 spans, 101 PC girders, 294 piles, 69 piers, 28 k-slabs, 36 box girders, 10 ramps, 4 loops (2 U-loops and 2 Y-loops), 20 traffic directions, 2 pedestrian over-bridges and a bridge over Balu river. l

Final preparations are being taken as the long-awaited Kuril flyover is ready to be inaugurated. The photo was taken yesterday

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

COMMITMENTS TO GLOBAL COMMUNITY

Efforts to improve labour rights see slow progress n Sheikh Shahariar Zaman The government is walking on a thin rope as implementation of the commitments it made to the global community to improve labour rights situation in the country has lost momentum.

As many as 100 days have elapsed since the Rana Plaza caved in and the government has five months left to fulfil certain commitments.

The public administration ministry is scrutinising our proposal. They sought clarification three times and we sent our reply The stakes are too high as it will not only harm over $20bn readymade garment industry and four million jobs but also tarnish the image of Bangladesh.

The government on May 4 gave a commitment to recruit additional 200 inspectors by December but till Aug 2 only four had been appointed. The deadline of April 30 for adopting a national occupational safety and health plan too has passed with no visible headway.

The government spelled out the time-bound commitments twice – first after fire incident at Tazreen Fashions and second after Rana Plaza collapse – in three broad areas: legislative, administrative and practice. And the scorecard is not satisfactory.

“If the government cannot fulfil the commitment, there will be a disaster,” Labour Secretary Mikail Shipar told the Dhaka Tribune on Thursday.

He, however, said the foreign stakeholders would understand if certain conditions cannot be fulfilled.

“It is an ongoing process. If we don’t act to fulfil the commitment, then we should be ready for the inevitable consequences,” he said: “We are appraising them time to time.”

He, however, acknowledged the fact that the foreign stakeholders had a deep mistrust of Bangladesh as it, in the past, committed a lot of things but failed to deliver those.

Commitments

The government committed itself to reforming labour laws and accordingly it did so in July but adoption of the na-

Fact Sheet Deadline

Status

Labour Law Reform

July 15

Done

Adoption of National Occupational Safety and Health Policy

April 30

Yet to be adopted

Appointment of 200 inspectors

December 31

*Four inspectors appointed

Upgradataion of the Department of Inspection for December 31 Factories and Establishment to a Directorate

Proposal is scrutinized by the Public Administration Ministry.

Number of business establishment

Manufacturing units: 242,818 Shops, service organistaions: 2,015,117 (According to BBS data in 2001)

Existing number of inspectors

Factory Inspectors: 56 Shop Inspectors: 39

tional occupational safety and health plan which was supposed to be completed by April 30 is yet to be readied.

The safety and health plan is currently under final review; the cabinet might take a decision on it after the eid, Mikail said.

The review and adjustment of relevant laws, rules and regulation on fire and building safety has to be done by the deadline of December 31 this year

but even a little progress has not been achieved to this end.

The government formed a taskforce on building and fire safety for the readymade garment sector which it is yet to be functional.

The labour ministry has already submitted a proposal to upgrade the inspection department for factories and establishments to a directorate of the public administration ministry.

“The public administration ministry is scrutinising our proposal. They sought clarification three times and we sent our reply,” the labour secretary said.

The deadline for meeting the commitment will be over in December but no government allocation has been earmarked for running the directorate in the current budget. “If it is upgraded to directorate, we will get special budget.”

The directorate will have 2,291 posts

and it must need the approval of the finance ministry.

About the inspector recruitment, the secretary said four had already been appointed and his ministry is trying to recruit another 36 by August.

About the appointment of rest 140 inspectors, Mikail said the department needs to be upgraded before the recruitment.

“We cannot even recruit them on an ad hoc basis as there are not adequate number of posts,” he said.

In case the department is not upgraded to directorate, the ministry will have to undertake a project to recruit additional inspectors, he said.

According to Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, the country had 0.242m manufacturing organisations and over 2m shops, restaurants and other service organisation in 2001.

“We have 56 factory inspectors and 39 shop inspectors to cover all the organisations,” Mikail said.

The inspection department for factories has offices in four old divisional cities and only one shop inspector each in 20 districts, he added. l

Ex-MP Aworanga dies in road crash

n Tribune Report Former lawmaker Hemayet Ullah Aworanga died in a head on collision between his personal car and a passenger bus on the Dhaka-Mawa highway in Lohajang upazila of Munshiganj.

He was among four dead and seven injured in the accident.

Sub-Inspector (SI) Pradyut Sarkar of Lohajang police station said: “The

57-year-old former MP and three of his companions died on the spot, near Khanbari around 4:00pm as they were heading to Shariatpur.”

The other three deceased were identified as Jalal Munshi, Md Yasin and Ratan Talukder, he said.

“The collision took place after a tyre burst and the four-wheel drive lost control on steering,” said the SI. Aworanga was elected twice, in 1991 and 2001, from Shariatpur-1 constituency from Awami League. He had a long political career with the AL and affiliated organisations until he joined BNP. Mostly known for his involvement in cadre-based politics, Aworanga was one of the very few staunch supporters of Awami League who attempted a small but futile revolt immediately after the assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1975 and fled the country to escape backlash from the then military regime. 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

B2 BDBL to roll out mobile banking by December

B3 Fresh move to attract foreign investment in telcos foiled

sunday, August 4, 2013

Business www.dhakatribune.com/business

Cell phones added to Eid shopping lists n Muhammad Zahidul Islam With Eid coming soon the shopping lists of consumers are no longer confined to just traditional dresses, shoes and jewelry.

Consumers today want to be equipped with the latest gadgets, as mobile phone handsets and other handheld devices have been rapidly gaining in popularity.

Middle class to high-end consumers have been buying such devices at a healthy rate prior to Eid. “Usually 1million to 1.2 million mobile sets are sold monthly in the market. We expect it to increase by more than 50% during this month of Ramadan,” said Hasan Mehedi, head of marketing of Samsung Electronics.

He expected Samsung’s sales to rise by 60% to 70% ahead of Eid and expected to increase their market share as well, which is now at 5%.

Hasan Mehedi said: “Usually the sales of handsets go down in the first and second weeks of Ramadan, and jumps to a peak in the last two weeks ahead of Eid. But this year, the sales were increasing from the first week.”

Market sources said,in terms of number,the demand for low cost handsets is much higher than the high value ones.

“As Samsung always concentrates on quality and not in numbers, our market share will never be very much high here in Bangla-

Eid shoppers crowd a mobile phone shop in Dhaka yesterday desh,” he added.

“Some gadgets have become essential to our daily life and we cannot live without them. So users need to by it and before Eid, sales double,” said a senior executive of a different company.

The shoppers as well as the shopkeepers in the markets of Dhaka’s Panthapath and

Rajib Dhar

adjoining areas looked abuzz with people buying hand held devices.

Different brands of mobile phone handsets have offers marking the occasion as Samsung offered T-shirts of English premier football club Chelsea with each of their Galaxy-star setswhich were selling atTk7,900 per set. The offer also includes a lottery-

where 20 lucky customers can go visit London and watch a Chelsea match live.

Maximux has offered Robi data and T-shirts also with their Fingertip model, price at Tk9,995. Micromax offered loud speakers and an earphone.

Market sources have said different brands have offered additional incentives for customers who will be replacing old phones with new ones, provided they were bought from the same company.

An executive of the local handset vendor Symphony said their sales have almost doubled in the last part of Ramadan. He expressed hope that the sales would be even more in the next few days.

Along with mobile handsets, sales of almost all kinds of IT products have gained in momentum. Laptops, digital cameras, musical devices, multimedia players, memory cards, pen drives and graphics cards have been selling like hotcakes. The companies have also provided various incentives such as discounts and gifts to get hold of customers.

Vendors of IT products mainly of BCS Computer City in Agargaon and Multiplan Computer City in Elephant Road have expressed their satisfaction over the sales ahead of the festival.

At the same time, mobile operators offered different packages and recharge bonus offers marking the occasion. l

Polao rice price sees sudden fall BB finds loan forgery of n Asif Showkat Kallol The fine rice used for cooking polao have seen a sudden fall in price by Tk10-15 per kilogram in a week, due to “import and lower demand” in the market.

The price came down to Tk85-90 in the city’s retailers from the last week’s Tk95-100, which is a different sign from the usual trend of increase just before Eid. The fine rice in packet was being sold at Tk108-110.

According to the traders, supply of polao rice like chinigura has increased with import from neighbouring India and a relative decrease in demand, especially among the middle class people.

Observers said the coarse rice price hike might have discouraged the middle class consumers to buy polao rice in their usual amounts this year.

A fortnightly report of the government’s Food Planning and Monitoring Unit (FPMU) showed the wholesale price of coarse rice in the city’s retail market went up by 3.2% to Tk32 a kg.

“We usually face an increased demand before Eid. But this year the market is dull, and

the price has went down,” said Shafiul Alam, a retailer of fine rice at Moulvibazar market in Dhaka.

He now hopes the sales will increase again after Eid when arrangement of marriage ceremonies is expected to go up after the Ramadan fasting.

A total of 300 fine rice mills are operating across the county. Presently, the country has a demand of fine rice of nearly 29,000 tonnes annually.

The wholesalers in the capital purchase fine rice mainly from millers of Noagoan, Kushtia, Dinajpur, Chaipainawabganj, Bogra and Rajshahi districts.

Nirod Barun Saha, President of Rice Dealers’ Association of Naogaon said: “The sluggish demand and the import of Indian rice are responsible for price fall of fine rice.”

The polao rice in different brand names are available in the market, which are becoming increasingly popular among the consumers.

Bangladesh’s fine rice like basmati and chinigura are also being exported to different the European and Middle Easter countries, said the traders. l

Tk500k in City Bank n Jebun Nesa Alo Bangladesh Bank has allegedly found a loan forgery in the City Bank’s Chowk Bazar Branch in Chittagong.

The central bank on July 30 wrote a letter to the bank, asking it to detect the fraud and inform BB within August 6.

A senior Bangladesh Bank official said recently the branch approved a loan of Tk500,000 for its client Abu Taher. The loan agreement was signed by its staff Tahmidur Rahman. However, the borrower has not been informed about the loan.

Abu Taher filed a complaint with the central bank against the forgery. The City Bank recognised the incident and promised necessary steps against the forgery as Bangladesh Bank summoned them for hearing.

“We have found the authen-

ticity of the case of forgery. So we directed the bank to find out the fraud,” said a senior executive of the central bank.

“The person involved in the incident is one of our agents. He has already been terminated,” City Bank Managing Director and CEO K Mahmood Sattar told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday. “We have already apprised Bangladesh Bank of the action.” l

2

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

sunday, August 4, 2013

BDBL to roll out mobile banking n

by December

Commodity prices gain on US, Chinese data AFP, London

n Tribune Business Desk Bangladesh Development Bank Ltd (BDBL), a state-owned commercial bank, is set to introduce mobile banking this year, said a top official of the bank.

“We want to go mobile banking targeting to reach the disadvantaged group. We’ll send a proposal to Bangladesh Bank by the next 15 days to get its license,” said Dr Md Zillur Rahman, Managing Director of the BDBL. Dr Zillur informed that BiKash Ltd will only transfer money but BDBL mobile financial service will have options of money transfer, withdrawal and deposit, says BSS. “We’ll introduce the mobile financial service by December,” he said adding that this service would reach all 64 districts by 2014.

The senior banker said the service will enable millions of banked and unbanked people to deposit, withdraw and transfer money through mobile phones.

Oil prices sink after mixed US jobs report

n AFP, New York

Crude oil prices sank yesterday after a weaker-than-expected jobs report in the United States cast a cloud over demand in the world’s biggest oil consumer.

New York’s main futures contract, West Texas Intermediate for September delivery, closed at $106.94 a barrel, down 95 cents from Thursday.

In London trade, Brent North Sea crude for delivery in September fell 59 cents to finish at $108.95 a barrel.

The keenly awaited US monthly jobs report came in mixed and weaker than expected.

The report weighed on Wall Street stocks and sent the dollar lower.

“If the job market (reading) is lower than anticipated, so is the prospect of demand for oil,” said Phil Flynn of Price Futures Group.

Oil retreated after two straight days of gains, which notably found support Thursday from upbeat manufacturing data in the US, China and the eurozone.

“Crude oil continued to trade on its favored correlation with equities” and shrugged off a decline in the dollar, said Tim Evans of Citi Futures.

Typically a weaker dollar encourages demand for the dollar-priced commodity.

The US worldwide alert against possible terrorist attacks in August may be helping to support oil prices from further falls, Flynn said.

On Friday the US State Department warned US citizens to use caution, warning of intelligence indicating Al-Qaeda continued to plan terrorist attacks, particularly in the Middle East-North Africa region in August.

The warning came a day after the US announced some two dozen embassies or consulates would be closed on Sunday as a precaution. l

Detailing the m-banking, the BDBL MD said any mobile user can register and open up a bank account and then do transactions through their mobile phones in easy and convenient manner.

None will have to come to the bank rather the bank will go to them once the mobile banking service is put in place, he said adding that it will be 24-hour banking.

He said the main objective of the e-banking is to make sure poor people’s easy access to banking services. “This green banking service will also create thousands of employments in rural areas as a good number of authorized agents would be appointed across the country.”

Hundreds of billions taka kept in the name of rural associations but those money remained idle and does not come to main activities of the country’s economy.

“We want inject those idle money to banking channel through mobile banking,”

said the senior banker.

Citing salient features of the banking service, he said free account opening, profit sharing among clients of the service are among those.

Eighty percent of the deposited money of clients would be spent as loans, he said, adding that it will in real sense give a big boost to the country’s poverty alleviation activities.

In the mobile banking service, he said, the BDBL plans to conduct all sorts of banking activities starting from opening of 10 in the mobile banking service taka account and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

The BDBL has earned Tk800m as net profit in 2012 while it disbursed Tk4.5bn as loans and realised Tk2.8bn during the same period.

The BDBL, having assets of Tk30bn and liability of Tk15bn, has now 26 branches across the country and of them three banks are in rural areas. l

RBI intervenes to rescue rupee

United Airways flies to three new international routes from September

n AFP, Mumbai India’s central Reserve Bank of India was believed to have intervened in the foreign exchange market yesterday to rescue the rupee from near-record low levels,dealers said.

“The RBI is believed to have sold dollars at around 61.12 levels,” said a dealer at a Mumbai forex outfit, asking not to be named.

The currency recovered briefly to 60.89 levels but slipped again to end at its lowest-ever closing of 61.10, dealers said.

The rupee, Asia’s worst performing major currency this year, hit a lifetime low of 61.21 to the dollar last month in intraday trade.

Slackening domestic growth, weak exports, rising foreign fund outflows and India’s high current account deficit have battered the rupee.

Demand for the dollar has also increased amid expectations of a sooner- than-expected scaling back of US stimulus as the American economy recovers, analysts said.

“The rupee remains in a very bearish state. Until the government takes steps to boost capital flows into India, the situation will not improve,” said Param Sarma, chief executive of NSP Forex.

Analysts fear that the currency could fall to the 62 rupee to the dollar level or lower in coming months if the US Fed starts to taper off its stimulus.

Oil and base metal prices gained this week as positive US and Chinese economic data fuelled higher demand expectations, according to analysts.

Gold futures retreated, giving up recent gains on an overall improving US economic outlook despite Friday’s mixed jobs data.

“The gold price came under noticeable pressure on the back of again surprisingly good US economic data and consequently firm equity markets,” said analysts at Commerzbank.

Gold is seen as a haven investment in times of economic turbulence.

By late Friday on the London Bullion Market, the price of gold dropped to $1,309.25 an ounce from $1,331 a week earlier.

Silver fell to $19.46 an ounce from $20.02.

On the London Platinum and Palladium Market, platinum gained to $1,436 an ounce from $1,428.

Palladium dipped to $730 an ounce from $731. Base or industrial metal prices rebounded.

“Surprisingly positive economic data in the US and China give metal prices a boost,” said Commerzbank analysts.

By Friday on the London Metal Exchange, copper for delivery in three months rose to $7,063 a tonne from $6,873 a week earlier. l

n Tribune Business Desk

RBI governor Duvvuri Subbarao, in a speech in southern city of Hyderabad on Friday, said that the bank will roll back recently announced tightening measures “only after stability has been restored to the foreign exchange market”.

Last month the RBI brought in a range of measures to prop up the rupee, including raising short-term interest rates and lowering the amount banks can borrow or lend under its liquidity limits. l

Bangladesh’s private airline United Airways (BD) Ltd is going to launch flights from Dhaka to three international destinations including Singapore, Doha and Karachi from the next month.

The airline, first-ever public limited company in the aviation sector of Bangladesh, is currently operating international flights to Jeddah, Dubai, Muscat, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Kathmandu and Kolkata. It is also operating flights from Chittagong to Muscat and Kolkata, reports UNB. “We’ve already obtained permission from Singapore and Qatar civil aviation authorities for flights operation. We are introducing our new destinations from September this year,” said Capt Tasbirul Ahmed Choudhury, Chairman and Managing Director of the United Airways.

Started on July 10, 2007, the airline is now operating flights to all major domestic sectors from Dhaka. It will also launch flights on Dhaka-Yangon route by end of this year.

United Airways has a total nine aircrafts in its inventory, which include one DASH 8-100, two ATR-72, four MD-83 and two Airbus-310 aircrafts. One more MD-83, ATR-72 and two Jetstream are expected to be included in the fleet very soon.

“We will fly to other Gulf destinations including Riyadh, Dammam, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah also. Gulf is the most important market for Bangladeshi airlines. One in two people flying to abroad goes to the six Gulf countries as more than 60% of the country’s over 7 million migrant workers are currently employed there,” said Capt Tasbir. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

sunday, August 4, 2013

Fresh move to attract foreign investment in telcos foiled Mobile operators syndicated to resist new competitor in 3G auction

n Tribune Business Desk A fresh move for foreign investment in the country’s telecommunication sector has been foiled due to the syndicated hindrance posed by the cellular phone operators, said officials.

They said the operators made the move to avert any kind of competition from new foreign firms in upcoming auction for 3G spectrum assignment, reports BSS. Sunil Kanti Bose, chairman of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), said they are yet to get any assurance from the new firms for 3G auction, although three foreign companies showed interest.

“It seems to us that no foreign operator would take part in the forthcoming 3G auction,” added Bose.

Earlier, one renowned operator from Asia and two from Europe communicated with the regulator after publishing 3G guideline and showed interest to participate in the process.

Officials said the regulator, in the 3G guideline, at first offered 2G licence to the new entrant, as the interested firms said that they need the licence to compete with exiting operators, but the operators opposed the move and forced to cancel it.

A Japanese company NTT DOCOMO was in race as the last foreign firm, but dropped out recently following hindrance from the local operators, officials added.

They informed regulator imposed 70% charges on the 2G licence for the new entrants following syndicated pressure from operators.

“The NTT DOCOMO, even after paying the 70% charges, was ready to invest both in 2G and 3G services, but the existing operators apprehending it risky managed to change the rule again, and so the new entrant has to pay full amount for 2G,” added the officials.

Customers are choosing smart phones at a store in Dhaka. The country’s IT-loving people are long waiting for 3G to be auctioned in next month Rajib Dhar “Finally, the NTT DOCOMO gave up its move that made the country loser form getting huge amount of foreign investment.”

Now, the operators have started lobbying again for changing the auction process and make the unsold block free for all.

Meanwhile, Banglalink, Robi and Grameenphone threatened that they would not take part in the auction if the process is not changed.

In the wake of their threat, the regulator has shifted the auction date to September 8 from the September 2. The deadline of application submission has also been extended to August 12, which was previously scheduled to end on August 1.

According to BTRC auction process, par-

ticipants who bid for 10MHz spectrum will be allowed for bidding for the unsold spectrum. The participant who bids for 5MHz will not be eligible for bidding the unsold block, it said.

The operators have stood against the auction procedure, as it would put an end to any possible syndication.

“The operators are in a syndication to manipulate the 3G auction which will not be possible if the present auction procedure method prevails,” the officials added.

The regulator decided to issue three 3G licences among the five operators while stateowned Teletalk, which is offering 3G services on trial basis, to be awarded licence without participation in the auction. l

Bear spell continues to hit stock market n Tribune Report Bear spell continued to hit stock market as both indices and volume of trade were on the slide.

Factors, including disappointing half-yearly earnings, imminent Eid-ul-Fitr and fear of post-Ramadan political uncertainty in the run up to general election have made investors cautious, analysts say.

Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) has officially discontinued the general index, DGEN, from Thursday onwards. It is now being replaced

by DSEX, a free-float based weighted index developed by the Standard and Poor's.

In the week that ended on Thursday, the DSE broad index (DSEX) lost 67.5 points or 1.7% to close at 3,979. The blue-chip DS30 index ended at 1,477, shedding 1.2 points or 0.08%.

The Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) Selective Category Index, CSCX, declined 150

points or 1.9% to 7,703. Investors' participation at DSE precipitated further as total turnover in the past week stood at Tk15.9bn compared to previous week's Tk23.5bn. The average daily turnover of the week was Tk3.2bn, down 32% over the previous week's average of Tk4.7bn.

“Over disappointing earnings and approaching Eid-ul-Fitr closure, investors broadly went for selling mode almost throughout the week,” said IDLC Investments in its weekly market analysis.

The week started pessimistic, with fears gripping investors as share prices might decline in the days ahead. Resultantly, DSEX lost 59 points in the opening session, while turnover posted a two month low of Tk2.2bn.

Investors were pursuing meticulous strategy in their trading and continued to remain 'watchful' over the turnaround phenomenon, said IDLC. “Institutional and big investors adopt-

ed ‘wait and see’ strategy which reflected in lower turnover,” said a dealer. Losers took a strong lead over gainers as out of 294 issues traded during the week at DSE, 221 declined, 66 advanced and seven remained unchanged.

Only five sectors ended in positive last week with Food and Allied seeing the biggest gainers once again with 12.4% increase. Among the major sectors, pharmaceuticals posted the highest gain during the week with 5.4% rise followed by telecommunications 3%.

Banks lost the most with 4% decline followed by NBFIs 3.3% and fuel and power 0.8%% respectively.

Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company Ltd became the week’s top turnover chart with shares worth Tk1.4bn changing hands followed by Meghna Petroleum, Olympic Industries, Padma Oil, GrameenPhone, Jamuna Oil, Square Pharma, Titas Gas, United Airways and Bangladesh Shipping Corporation. l

3

Bangladesh to import 850K tonnes of wheat in FY14

n Tribune Report

The government has set the wheat import target at 8,50,000 tonnes for the current fiscal year to ensure the country’s food security for the period.

Of the amount, around 200,000 tonnes will be imported from Ukraine under a government to government contract while the rest would be collected through tender.

As per the decision, wheat would be imported at a unit price of US$307 per tonne which totals to $61.4m through the Chittagong port.

As on June 17, the government had a stock of 1.05m tonnes of grain, out of which 8,15,000 tonnes accounted for rice, and 2,36,000 tonnes for wheat.

The government has decided to import wheat as it believes in maintaining a certain wheat reserve, said an official of ministry of food. ‘’The government procures wheat from international markets in addition to the local market to ensure food security,’’ he said, adding: “As a part of this, we are going to import 200,000 tonnes of wheat from Ukraine to meet the demand.’’

Bangladesh government has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ukrainian government after going through negotiations. The State Food and Grain Corporation of Ukraine will supply the projected amount to Bangladesh.

The government has also floated a tender to import 50,000 metric tonnes of wheat through international quotation. l

Dollar falls after lackluster US jobs report

n AFP, New York The dollar skidded lower against other major currencies yesterday after the US jobs report came in weaker than expected.

The euro bought $1.3279 around 2100 GMT, up from $1.3208 at the same time Thursday.

The dollar fell to 98.89 yen from 99.52, while the euro slipped against the Japanese currency, to 131.35 yen from 131.45.

“The US dollar is lower, reversing earlier intraday gains after the release of a soft US jobs report,” said Nick Bennenbroek of Wells Fargo. The Labor Department’s monthly jobs report came in mixed and weaker than expected.

The unemployment rate fell to 7.4% in July from 7.6% in June, but on the downside the US added only 162,000 jobs, far short of expectations. Job gains in prior months were revised lower.

“With the market primed for a blockbuster number, today’s just-average results were a clear disappointment to dollar bulls,” said Boris Schlossberg of BK Asset Management.

Wells Fargo’s Bennenbroek said the so-so data did nothing to clarify the future direction of the Federal Reserve’s bond-buying program.

The dollar fell against the Swiss currency to 0.9290 franc from 0.9366 late Thursday. The pound bought $1.5284, up from $1.5115. l

4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Career

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Take hold of your career in your 20s n Career Desk If you are twenty-somethingyears-old having reckless fun and wandering about with no time to think about tomorrow, it is time for a reality check. Psychological research CAREER shows that 80% of the events ASCENT that affect you and the people that influence you occur during your twenties. This means that these are the defining years of your adulthood.

Capitalising on the second decade of your life for professional and personal gains as opposed to the age old myth of taking things easy in your twenties is the latest trend. You should be working on the foundation of your career starting from right now.

Work your assets off: Talent is cheap but dedication is expensive. You might be the most creative and knowledgeable person around but if your talent cannot bring in results, it is just wasted potential. Seeing your colleagues so confident and poised at their jobs should not shake your confidence in the early days of your job. There is a difference between knowing your job well and mastering your job. It takes 5 years and about 10,000 hours, to master any skill. Learn as much as you can

Read your email before hitting the “send” button: Review the text of your email; check whether you have attached all the files and fixed errors. Choose a brief and relevant subject line for your email. Proofread after using the grammar and spellchecker.

bigstock.com

from your first job; give time and dedication to get good at it.

Tweet less, read more: Read in-depth instead of headlines and 140-character tweets. When you are forced to read a book, your creativity, thoughtfulness and thinking skills are enhanced. The key to your future success depends on the experiences of those in the past.

Read books and see your career flourish.

Enhance your technical expertise: Long gone are the days when you could simply make do with proficiency in Microsoft Office to get away with computer skills in your resume. With the rising influence of the IT sector in every industry, it is prudent to gain credentials in advanced computer skills like

Photoshop, HTML/CSS, WordPress, MySQL etc. Since some of your brain wiring still continues to develop in your 20s, it is the best time to invest time learning new skills.

Settle down with the best job you find: As odd as it sounds to suggest settling down in one’s twenties, research has found that more than 65% of lifetime wage growth happens in the first ten years of one’s career. If you keep swinging from job to job in your 20s thinking more opportunities lie ahead, then chances are that you will spend your 40s regretting these swings, when salaries peak and level-off. The string of random jobs during 20s then seems substantially costly. Hence it is wiser to look for a footing in the job market with the best job offer in hand. l

Stop covering for lazy colleagues n Ahsan Sajid

relationship outside the office, don’t be afraid to get right to the point. Explain how you feel personally and professionally impacted, and how you want to help him or her deal with the issue, but not do their work for them. Be sure to state you are no longer going to cover for anybody’s inefficiency or ineptitude.

For every nice person, there is someone out there to take advantage of this niceness and nowhere is that more true than at work. It’s not only the nice people being taken advantage of: it’s YOUR CUP also the gullible and the new emOF TEA ployees. If you have a colleague repeatedly having you do his or her work, it’s time to take a stand.

Stick to the decision: Having the talk is easier than following through. The cycle will not stop till you actually make it stop, so after the talk if they come back for help, make sure you remain steadfast. bigstock.com

Identify ways in which you’re covering for your colleague: There’s a difference between being supportive and enabling laziness. Are you finishing projects not your own so the team doesn’t look bad?

Are you doing work because someone else’s performance impacts your job? Are you making excuses for others? Are you lying to your boss on someone else’s behalf?

Consider how covering is interfering with your work: Covering for someone eventually takes its

It is surprising how being careful about the simplest things you do at work can take you a long way in your professional career. ComCORPORATE municating is a core part of HANDBOOK any job, and since electronic mails have monopolised the mode of business communications, knowing proper email etiquette is a mandate.

The countless number of times you have forgotten to attach the files in an email while stating clearly that “the files have been attached” or the numerous typographical errors have done damage to your professional image.

Here is a guideline to help you refine your professional image through emails:

This is a checklist of to-dos in your 20s for a life-time career boost Value time: The time you are wasting today cannot be bought back. At their 20s, people are deluded into believing that there is still time to “waste” and “figure it out.” Sadly, there isn’t. You should make the most of your opportunities in these crucial years of your life.

Email etiquette: Look professional in emails n Career Desk

toll. You may be spending less time with family, constantly feeling anxious, your own work may be suffering and at worst, your boss may be noticing.

Talk frankly to your colleague: Next time they bring half finished work, take them away from the floor to have a frank and private talk.

Don’t be afraid of hurting someone’s feelings: You are having a professional talk, so despite your

Be ready for failure: The most difficult part of this process is to be ready for some failure. Allow your colleague to fail; you don’t have to take the additional stress. The only way your bosses will find the weak link is by seeing it themselves.

Remind yourself of where the road leads: The next time another colleague comes to you for help because of his or her own laziness, remind yourself where this kind of relationship will eventually head and make sure you tactfully refuse. Your job is not to make everyone happy. l

Expect your emails to be forwarded or go public: Do not write anything that has the potential to harm your image or that of others. If it is an important email or intended for a large audience, get it read by a second person for opinions.

Plan in advance: Clearly state the actions expected of the receivers and expected dates for response and provide ample time.

Mention deadlines and important dates clearly. When you request action, provide all the information your reader needs to submit. If you expect multiple actions, use bullet points to list the actions in bold fonts. When replying to a request, check whether you have addressed all the necessary queries.

Be succinct: Keep your emails brief and relevant. Use bullet points where possible. Write short, complete sentences and use blank lines between groups of texts. Make different paragraphs for different ideas. If your emails need to be large, include a summary and/or recommendations.

Standardise your emails: Use standard fonts of 10-12 size for easy reading. Do not use abbreviations the reader might not be familiar with. Avoid all-caps, emoticons and smiley faces, unique abbreviations (LOL) and excessive use of punctuations. Using graphics and colored texts distracts the core purpose of the message. Adopt situation appropriate greetings and endings to your emails.

Add the human touch: Avoid sarcasm, criticism and finger-pointing. Use active, positive language. Elaborate your sentences if not doing so would make you appear abrupt. Reply with a “thank you” only when the situation demands. Unnecessarily jamming someone else’s inbox is unprofessional. Be confident about what you send because once it is sent, it cannot be undone. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Career

Naming your business

Know Your Job Position: ISO coordinator Company: Fast Moving Consumer Goods Level: mid level § Implementation of ISO 9001:2000 quality standards at production process. l Awareness building about the ISO quality standards among employees l Help the employees prepare the Quality Planning at Production Process- (better planning approach abiding ISO 9001 standard, for the production process) l Brief employees about the Work Instructions of Production Process and create a Bengali version of ISO quality instructions for employees.

n Tasnuva Amin Nova What’s in a business name?

Plenty. When it comes to the success of a small business, the name can have profound effects on the branding of the business.

STARTUP A business is first intro101 duced by its name to customers and employees so it is directly responsible for the first impression it gives to them about the business. Choosing the right name for your business is one of the most strategically important decisions of a startup. The business name serves as a mighty marketing tool for your business. Pick the wrong name and customers will steer away from you. But with the right name, you may have more business than expected.

Some people prioritise the naming process above all; so much that their entire planning revolves around it. While this is certainly not productive, keeping some room for naming in the planning process is important.

Once a name is decided comes the legal procedures of having it registered. It is mandatory that you search the availability of your business name on the internet with the Registrar of Joint Stock Companies and Firms (RJSC).

If a company already exists with the same name, consider looking for an alternative name. Duplicity can cause detrimental consequences. Your business visions are long term. You don’t want your brand name confused with another.

After getting the Name Clearance certificate from RJSC for your authentic business name, you have to pay the adhesive stamp fees, approximately BDT 5000*, including the fees for articles of association and memorandum of association to a designated bank.

A good business name is one that is memorable, catchy, web-friendly and sanguine.

ReluctantLeader: After working in a firm for 5 years, I’ve recently found myself in ASK MENTOR a position where I have to lead junior members. I’ve always been full of self doubt which is why I’ve never considered leadership roles. I don’t feel ready for this, what should I do?

Should I share my doubts with my boss?

Mentor: No don’t share; it does not come to people and worse, most Bangladeshis don’t understand it.

I do understand your kind of personality needs independent work assignments. But here, you do have to work in leading in teams. I do not know which industry you are from, but often times going into consultancy helps.

Work-life: Lately I have been too

bigstock.com

On the contrary, lengthy, meaningless acronyms and product/service centric business names characterise bad names.

You can seek professional help from marketing consultants, but they come with a handsome price tag. Online branding agencies like Wow Branding and Brandings offer worksheets and eBooks to help you create smart brand names.

Finding the perfect name for your business can be strenuous and confusing. How do you know which name works and which does not? Here are a few things to remember when naming your business:

Look for a unique name: There is nothing more devastating to entrepreneurs than seeing their businesses confused with others’, especially with a badly reputed one.

Your name should have a positive vibe: The name should generate enthusiasm and optimism in the minds of people doing business with you.

Do not get caught up with trends: Trends are temporary. Think about the long run. Adding something-FC to a restaurant name does not always work.

Avoid difficult names: How often would you take the name of a business whose name is too much of a hassle to pronounce? The more people talk about your brand the more you benefit. Choose a name that’s easy for your customers to utter.

Pick an attractive sounding name: Pick a name that looks and sounds attractive on the phone, website, letterhead and social media. l

engrossed in my work due to a substantial increase in workload. I have not been paying any attention to my family. This has created lots of family problems causing considerable mental stress. What concerns me is that this stress is taking its toll on the quality of my work. How can I maintain a decent balance between my work and family life?

Mentor: Take a break. Yes, you heard it right. Go away. No phone, no emails (ok, maybe once a day).

Take a long one so that you can unwind from work, think and then finally revive your family relationship.

This is the way ahead, I think. Unlike many countries where a fixed number of holidays are a must, and where one is not allowed to work more than a fixed number of hours, here it is not respected. So you need to shut down the system.

Send us your opinions, feedback and career-related queries at career@dhakatribune.com

5

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Don’t use a name that will limit you down the road: You might be specialising in a particular product but that does not mean your business has to be named after it. It will restrict your expansion to other market segments.

ISO 9000 family of standards is a quality management system and designed to help organisations ensure that they meet the needs of customers and other stakeholders while meeting statutory and regulatory requirements related to the product. The standards are published by ISO, the International Organization for Standardization, and available through National standards bodies.

ISO 9000 deals with the fundamentals of quality management systems.

Know Your Organisation

Your name should reflect your identity: The name should dignify your business values, quality etc.

Fees are quoted from the RJSC website and are subjected to change.

Follow these career experts on Twitter to stay on the edge of your career

Laurie Ruettimann @lruettimann: With over a decade of experience in Fortune 500 organizations, Laurie Ruettimann is an influential speaker, writer and social media expert focused on the human capital management industry. She received her SPHR certification in 2001 from The Human Resources Certification Institute and is an active member of The Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM). Ruettimann is also a certified recruiter and trainer through various credentialed organizations.

GautamGhosh @GautamGhosh: Gautam is a member of the HR team at Philips India. Earlier he was a freelance Social Business and HR Consultant. He has been featured as a Social Media Thought Leader on Forbes.He specializes in the areas of HR, Organization Development and how businesses can leverage Social Media for Organizational Learning and Employee Engagement. Gautam’s experience in the corporate world was as a HR Manager at Deloitte Consulting. l

Ogilvy & Mather is one of the largest marketing communications companies in the world. Through its specialty units, the company provides a comprehensive range of marketing services including: advertising; public relations and public affairs; branding and identity; shopper and retail marketing; healthcare communications; direct, digital, promotion, relationship marketing. Ogilvy & Mather services Fortune Global 500 companies as well as local businesses through its network of more than 450 offices in 120 countries. It is a part of the WPP Group (NASDAQ: WPPGY, www.wpp.com.) For more information, visit www.ogilvy.com.

Ogilvy & Mather has nine divisions: OgilvyOne (direct and digital marketing), OgilvyInteractive (digital marketing and strategy), Neo@Ogilvy (digital and direct media), Ogilvy PR (public relations), Ogilvy CommonHealth (health care communications and marketing), OgilvyAction (analytics and experiential marketing), Ogilvy Government Relations (government affairs), OgilvyEntertainment (branded content), RedWorks (production and design) and OgilvyNoor (Muslim consumer practice).

Specialties Advertising, activation, direct marketing, digital marketing, public relations, interactive marketing, health marketing, social marketing Headquarters The Chocolate Factory 636 11th Avenue New York, NY 10036 United States Website: http://www.ogilvy.com Industry: Marketing and Advertising

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

sunday, August 4, 2013

DSE Broad Index: 3911.75 ⇓ 1.69% Turnover: 15877.81 M.Tk ⇓ 32.33%, PE: 12.31 Turnover: 17,216.53 MTk. ⇓ 32.30% August1,2013 MarketCap. 1,906.06 BTk. ⇓ 0.28% CSE All Share Index: 12143 ⇓ 1.87% Turnover: 1339.48 M Tk. ⇓ 31.94%, PE: 12.12 Combined Turnover Leader BD Submarine Cable-A

4875940

Meghna Petroleum -A

4528259

Olympic Ind. -A Padma Oil Co. -A Grameenphone-A

CompanyCode | EPS | BV | Volume Traded (Share) DSE/CSE: ClosePrice ⇓/⇑ Chn % | Avg.Price | Hi / Lo

BANK ABBANK | 2.95 | 32.60 | Vol. 1493317 D: 23.80 ⇓ 11.19% | 23.72 | 28.00 / 22.00 C: 24.20 ⇓ 9.02% | 24.09 | 28.00 / 23.10 CITYBANK | 1.15 | 25.97 | Vol. 2524468 D: 17.00 ⇓ 8.60% | 17.17 | 19.80 / 16.20 C: 17.20 ⇓ 6.52% | 17.19 | 19.20 / 16.90 IFIC | 1.10 | 18.34 | Vol. 3491292 D: 21.00 ⇑ 10.53% | 20.63 | 21.70 / 16.70 C: 20.40 ⇑ 6.81% | 20.46 | 22.10 / 17.00 ISLAMIBANK | 3.78 | 27.16 | Vol. 1401188 D: 35.90 ⇑ 0.28% | 35.82 | 37.00 / 32.50 C: 35.60 ⇓ 1.39% | 35.48 | 36.00 / 35.00 NBL | 1.05 | 15.76 | Vol. 9042505 D: 11.70 ⇓ 7.87% | 11.55 | 13.00 / 11.30 C: 11.80 ⇓ 7.81% | 11.70 | 12.90 / 11.30 PUBALIBANK | 1.92 | 21.18 | Vol. 1668434 D: 31.20 ⇓ 3.41% | 31.37 | 33.00 / 29.00 C: 31.20 ⇓ 4.29% | 31.20 | 32.50 / 28.90 RUPALIBANK | 6.70 | 64.27 | Vol. 136272 D: 58.90 ⇓ 4.85% | 58.95 | 63.50 / 56.80 C: 58.60 ⇓ 7.72% | 59.57 | 63.40 / 57.10 UCBL | 1.90 | 21.72 | Vol. 14548952 D: 18.50 ⇓ 1.07% | 18.40 | 20.10 / 16.50 C: 18.40 ⇓ 1.60% | 18.36 | 19.60 / 16.30 UTTARABANK | 3.42 | 26.97 | Vol. 1110008 D: 25.20 ⇑ 0.00% | 25.33 | 27.00 / 23.00 C: 25.30 ⇓ 1.17% | 25.13 | 27.00 / 24.50 ICBIBANK | -1.60 | -13.03 | Vol. 431500 D: 5.80 ⇓ 3.33% | 5.87 | 6.20 / 5.70 EBL | 3.91 | 28.22 | Vol. 1466467 D: 27.00 ⇑ 2.66% | 26.90 | 28.00 / 25.00 C: 26.00 ⇓ 0.76% | 26.00 | 27.70 / 24.50 ALARABANK | 2.03 | 14.91 | Vol. 2620901 D: 14.70 ⇑ 2.08% | 14.67 | 15.50 / 13.00 C: 14.40 ⇑ 1.41% | 14.51 | 15.20 / 14.00 PRIMEBANK | 2.89 | 22.40 | Vol. 1910465 D: 21.10 ⇓ 22.71% | 21.17 | 27.80 / 20.00 C: 22.00 ⇓ 17.60% | 21.24 | 28.00 / 21.00 SOUTHEASTB | 1.89 | 22.66 | Vol. 3614890 D: 16.60 ⇓ 0.60% | 16.58 | 17.50 / 15.30 C: 16.50 ⇓ 1.79% | 16.52 | 17.20 / 15.00 DHAKABANK | 1.46 | 18.08 | Vol. 674290 D: 19.90 ⇓ 7.87% | 19.71 | 22.00 / 18.00 C: 19.50 ⇓ 9.72% | 19.56 | 21.80 / 18.20 NCCBANK | 1.90 | 15.88 | Vol. 2218356 D: 11.90 ⇓ 3.25% | 11.94 | 13.50 / 10.90 C: 12.00 ⇓ 4.00% | 12.07 | 12.70 / 11.00 SIBL | 2.05 | 14.47 | Vol. 2276644 D: 12.50 ⇓ 2.34% | 12.60 | 13.70 / 11.50 C: 12.70 ⇓ 2.31% | 12.70 | 13.20 / 11.50 DUTCHBANGL | 11.57 | 54.27 | Vol. 206350 D: 98.60 ⇓ 2.09% | 98.70 | 102.0 / 90.00 C: 98.00 ⇓ 2.00% | 98.00 | 98.00 / 97.00 MTBL | 1.17 | 17.27 | Vol. 224841 D: 14.60 ⇓ 4.58% | 14.62 | 16.00 / 13.40 C: 15.00 ⇓ 7.41% | 13.50 | 15.00 / 15.00 STANDBANKL | 2.33 | 14.41 | Vol. 3315121 D: 13.80 ⇓ 6.76% | 13.80 | 16.00 / 13.00 C: 13.70 ⇓ 6.80% | 14.54 | 15.00 / 13.40 ONEBANKLTD | 2.35 | 15.34 | Vol. 5504229 D: 15.20 ⇑ 4.11% | 15.18 | 17.00 / 13.00 C: 15.20 ⇑ 2.01% | 15.04 | 15.90 / 13.20 BANKASIA | 1.35 | 20.80 | Vol. 1370604 D: 18.40 ⇑ 0.00% | 18.22 | 19.50 / 16.80 C: 18.00 ⇑ 0.00% | 17.97 | 19.10 / 16.10 MERCANBANK | 2.07 | 16.59 | Vol. 1600967 D: 11.80 ⇓ 3.28% | 11.82 | 12.50 / 10.90 C: 11.70 ⇓ 5.65% | 11.70 | 12.70 / 11.10 EXIMBANK | 1.80 | 14.31 | Vol. 3175054 D: 12.10 ⇓ 3.97% | 12.07 | 13.50 / 11.00 C: 12.10 ⇓ 3.97% | 12.11 | 12.70 / 11.70 JAMUNABANK | 2.47 | 18.56 | Vol. 2690504 D: 13.80 ⇓ 16.36% | 13.94 | 17.00 / 12.40 C: 13.90 ⇓ 15.76% | 13.89 | 16.40 / 13.70 BRACBANK | 1.51 | 24.87 | Vol. 1290640 D: 29.70 ⇑ 1.37% | 29.67 | 31.00 / 25.60 C: 29.40 ⇑ 2.08% | 29.26 | 29.80 / 26.00 SHAHJABANK | 2.61 | 14.47 | Vol. 1397801 D: 14.50 ⇓ 1.36% | 14.45 | 15.50 / 13.10 C: 14.50 ⇓ 3.33% | 14.37 | 15.10 / 13.20

Vol.

4585219 2548479 3786899

TO M. Tk. 1,477.91 1,208.17 989.20

% of TTL 8.58 7.02 5.75

Avg. P 303.1 266.81 215.74

DSE Loser

DSE Gainer

C%

A%

CP

GlaxoSK (BD)-A

31.61

32.21

881.50

19.47

68.00

Savar Refractories-Z

19.30

Familytex (BD) Ltd.-N

18.86

15.52

35.30

894.50

5.20

350.99

Berger Paints-A

17.13

16.93

826.00

675.69

3.92

178.43

Marico BD Ltd-A

17.07

19.17

653.60

PREMIERBAN | 1.18 | 13.95 | Vol. 2917967 D: 10.10 ⇓ 8.18% | 10.13 | 11.50 / 9.30 C: 10.10 ⇓ 9.01% | 10.16 | 11.50 / 10.00 TRUSTBANK | 0.50 | 18.00 | Vol. 409935 D: 17.40 ⇓ 6.45% | 17.49 | 19.00 / 16.00 C: 17.50 ⇓ 4.37% | 17.51 | 18.50 / 17.50 FIRSTSBANK | 1.85 | 13.89 | Vol. 1134401 D: 12.30 ⇓ 3.91% | 12.35 | 13.10 / 11.40 C: 12.40 ⇓ 3.88% | 12.40 | 13.20 / 11.70 NON BANKING F I IDLC | 4.43 | 29.18 | Vol. 1069585 D: 56.40 ⇓ 15.44% | 56.85 | 66.50 / 54.00 C: 56.40 ⇓ 14.42% | 57.28 | 64.00 / 56.00 ULC | 1.80 | 14.90 | Vol. 461930 D: 27.40 ⇓ 5.19% | 27.27 | 30.00 / 25.50 UTTARAFIN | 7.16 | 41.54 | Vol. 370894 D: 74.70 ⇑ 1.08% | 74.64 | 76.20 / 66.60 C: 74.10 ⇓ 0.13% | 74.10 | 77.60 / 67.00 MIDASFIN | -1.99 | 10.05 | Vol. 18800 D: 31.00 ⇓ 8.82% | 31.00 | 34.50 / 30.90 FLEASEINT | 2.34 | 13.93 | Vol. 788470 D: 24.90 ⇓ 6.39% | 25.02 | 26.70 / 23.00 C: 24.60 ⇓ 6.82% | 24.85 | 26.00 / 24.60 PLFSL | 1.37 | 17.48 | Vol. 2078018 D: 22.80 ⇓ 7.69% | 22.73 | 27.00 / 20.70 C: 23.00 ⇓ 8.00% | 22.96 | 26.00 / 22.70 PRIMEFIN | 0.87 | 17.88 | Vol. 1700359 D: 25.20 ⇓ 12.20% | 25.39 | 30.00 / 25.10 C: 25.30 ⇓ 13.36% | 25.49 | 29.00 / 25.10 PREMIERLEA | 0.10 | 11.37 | Vol. 435482 D: 10.90 ⇓ 2.68% | 10.93 | 11.50 / 10.00 C: 10.90 ⇓ 2.68% | 10.91 | 11.20 / 10.10 ISLAMICFIN | 1.03 | 15.48 | Vol. 1990516 D: 15.50 ⇓ 8.82% | 15.44 | 17.50 / 13.90 C: 15.20 ⇓ 10.59% | 15.20 | 17.00 / 15.10 LANKABAFIN | 1.61 | 31.07 | Vol. 2514628 D: 48.80 ⇓ 12.70% | 48.97 | 57.00 / 45.30 C: 49.30 ⇓ 11.65% | 49.69 | 56.00 / 49.00 BIFC | 0.15 | 18.58 | Vol. 265025 D: 13.30 ⇓ 14.19% | 13.47 | 15.50 / 13.00 C: 14.10 ⇓ 7.24% | 14.10 | 15.00 / 14.10 IPDC | 1.23 | 19.43 | Vol. 189336 D: 16.10 ⇓ 9.04% | 16.18 | 18.00 / 15.60 C: 16.60 ⇓ 3.49% | 16.63 | 17.70 / 16.00 UNIONCAP | 0.54 | 17.85 | Vol. 516633 D: 30.10 ⇓ 8.51% | 30.49 | 33.50 / 30.00 C: 30.80 ⇓ 11.49% | 31.10 | 34.80 / 29.00 BDFINANCE | 0.57 | 14.77 | Vol. 535730 D: 16.80 ⇓ 13.85% | 16.99 | 20.00 / 15.70 C: 17.10 ⇓ 12.76% | 17.15 | 19.50 / 17.00 ILFSL | 0.35 | 12.19 | Vol. 1336515 D: 12.10 ⇓ 15.38% | 12.32 | 14.80 / 12.00 C: 12.50 ⇓ 13.19% | 12.61 | 14.40 / 12.00 PHOENIXFIN | 2.46 | 19.39 | Vol. 892507 D: 31.90 ⇓ 5.06% | 32.17 | 35.00 / 30.00 C: 34.40 ⇑ 3.61% | 34.40 | 34.40 / 31.00 FASFIN | 0.19 | 13.56 | Vol. 2660971 D: 13.10 ⇓ 13.82% | 13.03 | 15.30 / 12.00 C: 13.30 ⇓ 12.50% | 13.09 | 15.00 / 13.00 DBH | 3.40 | 16.80 | Vol. 90698 D: 60.20 ⇓ 1.63% | 60.28 | 63.00 / 55.00 NHFIL | 0.57 | 12.70 | Vol. 1031194 D: 27.90 ⇓ 6.38% | 27.39 | 32.50 / 26.80 C: 27.00 ⇓ 7.22% | 27.00 | 30.90 / 27.00 BAYLEASING | 0.72 | 25.55 | Vol. 954934 D: 27.90 ⇓ 3.46% | 27.86 | 29.80 / 25.00 C: 28.00 ⇓ 3.78% | 27.98 | 30.00 / 27.10 ICB | 109.65 | 595.98 | Vol. 35333 D: 1854 ⇑ 2.77% | 1853 | 1950 / 1741 C: 1820 ⇑ 0.65% | 1820 | 1908 / 1820 GSPFINANCE | 1.63 | 22.23 | Vol. 268447 D: 23.80 ⇓ 7.03% | 23.92 | 26.00 / 22.00 C: 24.00 ⇓ 6.98% | 24.00 | 25.50 / 24.00 INVESTMENT 1STICB | 64.70 | 137.05 | Vol. 1500 D: 905.0 ⇓ 1.46% | 905.00 | 960.0 / 905.0 2NDICB | 33.02 | 76.34 | Vol. 10750 D: 336.6 ⇓ 1.61% | 334.59 | 372.0 / 320.0 3RDICB | 24.83 | 58.91 | Vol. 17100 D: 215.2 ⇓ 5.99% | 215.33 | 270.0 / 209.1

4THICB | 23.40 | 58.63 | Vol. 29500 D: 210.0 ⇓ 2.33% | 210.00 | 242.1 / 191.0 5THICB | 18.93 | 41.95 | Vol. 21000 D: 181.1 ⇓ 6.31% | 181.08 | 235.0 / 181.0 6THICB | 10.58 | 26.73 | Vol. 435900 D: 75.80 ⇑ 5.42% | 75.35 | 76.90 / 69.10 C: 76.00 ⇓ 1.30% | 75.14 | 76.10 / 68.00 7THICB | 13.47 | 32.05 | Vol. 19700 D: 106.9 ⇑ 3.79% | 107.00 | 112.0 / 94.30 8THICB | 12.33 | 29.54 | Vol. 354180 D: 76.60 ⇑ 3.10% | 76.42 | 81.00 / 71.00 1STBSRS | 14.43 | 161.88 | Vol. 106080 D: 100.3 ⇓ 1.08% | 100.58 | 104.9 / 98.00 AIMS1STMF | 2.27 | 15.70 | Vol. 2158775 D: 48.00 ⇓ 10.11% | 48.42 | 54.00 / 47.50 C: 47.90 ⇓ 11.13% | 48.25 | 53.50 / 47.80 ICBAMCL1ST | 7.14 | 48.54 | Vol. 566000 D: 49.80 ⇓ 7.95% | 49.94 | 57.00 / 47.40 ICBISLAMIC | 2.21 | 26.81 | Vol. 231500 D: 20.70 ⇓ 8.81% | 20.75 | 23.50 / 20.00 GRAMEEN1 | 6.26 | 33.23 | Vol. 958750 D: 49.30 ⇓ 13.96% | 49.82 | 57.80 / 47.50 C: 48.30 ⇓ 17.86% | 48.75 | 59.00 / 48.30 ICB1STNRB | 4.06 | 35.31 | Vol. 567000 D: 28.90 ⇓ 7.07% | 29.06 | 32.00 / 28.10 C: 28.00 ⇑ 12.00% | 28.00 | 28.00 / 28.00 ICB2NDNRB | 2.49 | 16.24 | Vol. 4499000 D: 13.60 ⇓ 4.23% | 13.57 | 15.00 / 13.20 C: 13.40 ⇓ 8.84% | 13.56 | 14.00 / 13.40 GRAMEENS2 | 2.17 | 16.41 | Vol. 3163650 D: 18.00 ⇓ 13.88% | 18.07 | 22.00 / 17.80 C: 18.10 ⇓ 13.81% | 18.17 | 21.20 / 17.90 1STPRIMFMF | 0.64 | 11.63 | Vol. 1682000 D: 15.70 ⇓ 21.11% | 15.81 | 20.10 / 15.20 C: 15.90 ⇓ 19.70% | 15.94 | 20.20 / 15.70 EBL1STMF | 0.99 | 12.62 | Vol. 1421500 D: 8.50 ⇓ 6.59% | 8.57 | 9.20 / 8.50 C: 8.70 ⇓ 4.40% | 8.58 | 9.10 / 8.50 ICBAMCL2ND | 0.60 | 12.12 | Vol. 313500 D: 6.10 ⇓ 8.96% | 6.15 | 7.00 / 6.10 C: 6.40 ⇓ 12.33% | 6.45 | 7.50 / 6.40 ICBEPMF1S1 | 0.52 | 11.32 | Vol. 822000 D: 6.30 ⇓ 11.27% | 6.32 | 7.40 / 6.20 C: 6.60 ⇓ 10.81% | 6.21 | 7.30 / 6.10 TRUSTB1MF | 0.61 | 11.65 | Vol. 3578000 D: 8.60 ⇓ 12.24% | 8.60 | 9.90 / 8.40 C: 8.60 ⇓ 12.24% | 8.60 | 10.20 / 8.10 PRIME1ICBA | 0.42 | 11.18 | Vol. 446000 D: 6.40 ⇓ 9.86% | 6.35 | 7.10 / 5.90 C: 6.20 ⇓ 11.43% | 6.20 | 6.90 / 6.10 DBH1STMF | -1.12 | 10.15 | Vol. 1206500 D: 6.00 ⇓ 13.04% | 6.10 | 6.80 / 5.90 C: 6.10 ⇓ 12.86% | 6.12 | 6.80 / 6.00 IFIC1STMF | 0.47 | 11.88 | Vol. 2082500 D: 7.70 ⇓ 8.33% | 7.69 | 8.30 / 7.60 C: 7.70 ⇓ 7.23% | 7.70 | 8.40 / 7.60 PF1STMF | 0.51 | 11.11 | Vol. 607500 D: 5.80 ⇓ 9.38% | 5.84 | 6.40 / 5.70 C: 5.80 ⇓ 14.71% | 5.80 | 6.40 / 5.70 ICB3RDNRB | 0.00 | 10.60 | Vol. 1658000 D: 5.80 ⇓ 7.94% | 5.87 | 6.60 / 5.40 C: 5.80 ⇓ 9.38% | 5.80 | 6.70 / 5.80 1JANATAMF | -1.23 | 10.68 | Vol. 1233000 D: 6.20 ⇓ 8.82% | 6.17 | 6.90 / 6.10 C: 6.20 ⇓ 11.43% | 6.21 | 7.00 / 6.20 GREENDELMF | -0.82 | 9.72 | Vol. 1196500 D: 5.70 ⇓ 8.06% | 5.77 | 6.20 / 5.60 C: 5.80 ⇓ 7.94% | 5.73 | 6.30 / 5.70 POPULAR1MF | -0.47 | 11.38 | Vol. 3920000 D: 6.30 ⇓ 11.27% | 6.31 | 7.20 / 6.20 C: 6.30 ⇓ 12.50% | 6.31 | 7.10 / 6.20 IFILISLMF1 | 0.00 | 10.45 | Vol. 1816500 D: 5.30 ⇓ 7.02% | 5.30 | 5.80 / 5.20 C: 5.50 ⇓ 6.78% | 5.44 | 5.70 / 5.30 PHPMF1 | -0.67 | 10.92 | Vol. 2606000 D: 5.90 ⇓ 13.24% | 5.99 | 6.80 / 5.90 C: 6.10 ⇓ 11.59% | 6.06 | 6.80 / 5.90 AIBL1STIMF | -0.07 | 9.25 | Vol. 434000 D: 6.40 ⇓ 12.33% | 6.45 | 7.20 / 6.30 C: 6.90 ⇓ 6.76% | 6.90 | 6.90 / 6.90 MBL1STMF | -0.16 | 9.08 | Vol. 681500 D: 6.30 ⇓ 10.00% | 6.35 | 7.00 / 6.30 C: 6.50 ⇓ 10.96% | 6.45 | 6.90 / 6.40

Prime Bank-A PrimeFin. 1st MF-A ICB Sonali Bank 1 MF-A AB Bank 1st MF-A Jamuna Bank-A

C%

A%

CP

-22.71

-22.40

21.10

-21.11

-20.47

15.70

-17.89

-22.06

7.80

-17.35

-16.21

8.10

-16.36

-16.33

13.80

SEBL1STMF | 1.48 | 11.86 | Vol. 5791000 D: 10.00 ⇓ 13.79% | 9.99 | 11.70 / 9.80 C: 10.00 ⇓ 15.25% | 10.04 | 12.40 / 10.00 EBLNRBMF | 0.22 | 10.88 | Vol. 121500 D: 8.00 ⇓ 11.11% | 8.15 | 9.10 / 8.00 RELIANCE1 | 0.35 | 11.36 | Vol. 4265500 D: 10.40 ⇓ 12.61% | 10.27 | 12.10 / 10.00 C: 10.70 ⇓ 11.57% | 10.72 | 12.50 / 10.20 LRGLOBMF1 | 0.50 | 10.82 | Vol. 49500 D: 7.00 ⇓ 9.09% | 7.10 | 7.70 / 6.90 ABB1STMF | 0.46 | 10.63 | Vol. 326500 D: 8.10 ⇓ 17.35% | 8.17 | 9.50 / 8.10 NLI1STMF | 0.71 | 10.33 | Vol. 2991500 D: 11.20 ⇓ 15.15% | 11.00 | 13.20 / 10.70 C: 10.90 ⇓ 16.79% | 10.83 | 13.00 / 10.60 FBFIF | 0.00 | 10.27 | Vol. 9500 D: 9.50 ⇓ 3.06% | 9.50 | 9.50 / 9.00 NCCBLMF1 | 0.00 | 10.48 | Vol. 53000 D: 9.50 ⇓ 14.41% | 9.52 | 10.90 / 9.00 C: 10.90 ⇓ 0.91% | 10.90 | 11.50 / 10.90 ICBSONALI1 | 0.00 | 10.39 | Vol. 2409500 D: 7.80 ⇓ 17.89% | 7.81 | 9.40 / 7.70 C: 7.90 ⇓ 16.84% | 7.94 | 9.40 / 7.70 EXIM1STMF | 0.00 | 10.91 | Vol. 71500 D: 7.90 ⇓ 15.05% | 7.87 | 9.00 / 7.70 C: 9.10 ⇓ 7.14% | 9.10 | 9.10 / 9.10 ENGINEERING AFTABAUTO | 4.29 | 52.65 | Vol. 1663652 D: 108.1 ⇓ 3.05% | 107.87 | 115.0 / 95.70 C: 108.1 ⇓ 3.14% | 108.16 | 114.6 / 105.0 AZIZPIPES | 0.39 | -42.04 | Vol. 12900 D: 15.50 ⇓ 4.32% | 15.73 | 16.90 / 15.50 C: 16.00 ⇓ 3.03% | 16.38 | 17.50 / 16.00 OLYMPIC | 5.94 | 14.91 | Vol. 4585219 D: 226.7 ⇑ 8.11% | 223.60 | 229.7 / 185.0 C: 227.7 ⇑ 8.22% | 222.55 | 230.0 / 195.0 BDLAMPS | -5.31 | 37.07 | Vol. 24954 D: 128.5 ⇓ 3.17% | 129.05 | 140.0 / 125.4 C: 125.2 ⇓ 4.57% | 125.32 | 133.0 / 118.3 ECABLES | 2.04 | 18.87 | Vol. 26360 D: 59.30 ⇓ 4.35% | 59.23 | 60.00 / 53.00 C: 55.20 ⇑ 0.36% | 55.24 | 60.00 / 55.10 MONNOSTAF | 5.31 | 44.78 | Vol. 200 D: 177.3 ⇓ 2.58% | 180.00 | 182.0 / 170.0 SINGERBD | 9.99 | 45.74 | Vol. 703053 D: 192.7 ⇑ 3.16% | 193.39 | 198.0 / 169.9 C: 193.1 ⇑ 2.99% | 192.91 | 198.9 / 174.2 ATLASBANG | 11.98 | 207.70 | Vol. 46060 D: 176.2 ⇓ 1.89% | 175.70 | 188.9 / 168.0 BDAUTOCA | 0.25 | 6.23 | Vol. 36558 D: 20.90 ⇓ 8.33% | 20.98 | 22.70 / 20.80 QSMDRYCELL | 1.65 | 58.49 | Vol. 363772 D: 33.90 ⇑ 0.30% | 33.80 | 37.00 / 31.00 C: 33.50 ⇓ 0.30% | 33.30 | 34.00 / 32.80 RENWICKJA | 5.62 | -90.00 | Vol. 29100 D: 135.5 ⇓ 3.90% | 138.33 | 157.0 / 132.5 NTLTUBES | -2.52 | 312.10 | Vol. 139840 D: 59.50 ⇓ 3.72% | 59.73 | 66.20 / 55.70 BDTHAI | 0.43 | 39.35 | Vol. 403472 D: 19.70 ⇓ 8.80% | 19.74 | 23.00 / 18.00 C: 20.00 ⇓ 6.54% | 19.94 | 21.90 / 19.00 ANWARGALV | 0.51 | 8.08 | Vol. 94500 D: 14.50 ⇓ 2.68% | 14.50 | 15.00 / 14.40 C: 14.00 ⇓ 7.28% | 14.00 | 14.00 / 14.00 KAY&QUE | -3.89 | 6.03 | Vol. 28500 D: 13.00 ⇓ 10.34% | 13.08 | 14.10 / 13.00 C: 14.50 ⇓ 2.68% | 14.50 | 14.50 / 14.50 RANFOUNDRY | 2.84 | 18.62 | Vol. 52500 D: 62.00 ⇑ 0.00% | 62.05 | 63.90 / 61.00 SALAMCRST | 3.31 | 20.00 | Vol. 1039110 D: 37.30 ⇓ 8.35% | 36.97 | 41.00 / 33.50 C: 37.70 ⇓ 6.91% | 37.25 | 41.00 / 36.80 GOLDENSON | 3.70 | 28.70 | Vol. 1297080 D: 38.50 ⇓ 6.55% | 38.19 | 42.00 / 35.00 C: 39.40 ⇓ 3.43% | 39.30 | 41.00 / 37.70 BSRMSTEEL | 3.06 | 19.53 | Vol. 1244364 D: 69.50 ⇓ 6.33% | 70.01 | 77.00 / 64.00 C: 69.80 ⇓ 5.55% | 69.87 | 76.20 / 69.10 NAVANACNG | 4.09 | 27.04 | Vol. 533899 D: 68.30 ⇓ 4.34% | 68.34 | 74.90 / 64.00 C: 68.80 ⇓ 3.91% | 68.70 | 73.80 / 65.80

DESHBANDHU | 1.16 | 12.02 | Vol. 598181 D: 19.80 ⇓ 0.50% | 19.68 | 20.20 / 18.00 C: 19.90 ⇓ 0.50% | 19.69 | 20.50 / 19.20 GPHISPAT | 2.94 | 14.51 | Vol. 254800 D: 48.10 ⇓ 3.22% | 47.98 | 50.90 / 43.20 C: 47.30 ⇓ 4.25% | 47.12 | 50.00 / 46.60 BENGALWTL | 2.42 | 20.72 | Vol. 505000 D: 41.60 ⇓ 2.58% | 41.52 | 43.00 / 41.10 C: 41.40 ⇓ 3.27% | 41.51 | 43.00 / 41.00 NPOLYMAR | 2.01 | 324.37 | Vol. 184983 D: 40.60 ⇓ 1.46% | 40.65 | 44.50 / 36.80 C: 40.40 ⇓ 1.46% | 40.40 | 47.30 / 40.40 FOOD & ALLIED APEXFOODS | 2.71 | 96.70 | Vol. 124550 D: 70.30 ⇓ 5.64% | 70.02 | 78.50 / 69.00 C: 70.30 ⇓ 4.87% | 70.30 | 79.00 / 70.30 BANGAS | 7.20 | 50.27 | Vol. 286086 D: 543.4 ⇓ 7.41% | 537.68 | 700.0 / 502.0 C: 554.9 ⇓ 2.51% | 548.45 | 700.0 / 510.0 BATBC | 65.69 | 117.22 | Vol. 230810 D: 1434 ⇑ 15.53% | 1435 | 1500 / 1245 C: 1440 ⇑ 18.14% | 1440 | 1440 / 1279 GEMINISEA | 10.88 | 9.69 | Vol. 4300 D: 140.0 ⇓ 5.98% | 140.00 | 149.9 / 138.5 NTC | 29.88 | 110.05 | Vol. 7350 D: 869.8 ⇑ 7.69% | 870.00 | 900.0 / 805.0 C: 888.8 ⇑ 4.56% | 888.75 | 910.0 / 835.0 ZEALBANGLA | -23.01 | -193.09 | Vol. 1300 D: 7.70 ⇓ 1.28% | 7.78 | 8.00 / 7.50 CVOPRL | 2.66 | 13.28 | Vol. 212210 D: 427.1 ⇑ 4.71% | 424.30 | 444.9 / 380.0 C: 436.0 ⇑ 8.19% | 433.40 | 445.0 / 371.1 AMCL(PRAN) | 6.53 | 53.37 | Vol. 242300 D: 170.5 ⇓ 2.18% | 169.96 | 189.8 / 166.1 C: 176.0 ⇑ 1.56% | 173.33 | 189.0 / 169.1 SHYAMPSUG | -36.87 | -355.85 | Vol. 300 D: 7.00 ⇓ 7.89% | 7.00 | 7.00 / 7.00 RAHIMAFOOD | 0.62 | 4.46 | Vol. 108000 D: 14.40 ⇓ 2.70% | 14.40 | 15.20 / 14.00 C: 14.60 ⇓ 0.68% | 14.69 | 15.90 / 14.60 FUWANGFOOD | 1.26 | 12.37 | Vol. 1023832 D: 23.50 ⇓ 5.62% | 23.68 | 25.30 / 22.00 C: 23.60 ⇓ 6.35% | 23.81 | 25.10 / 23.30 MEGHNAPET | -0.58 | -1.02 | Vol. 3000 D: 5.60 ⇑ 5.66% | 5.60 | 5.70 / 5.40 MEGCONMILK | -6.68 | -16.22 | Vol. 10500 D: 6.90 ⇑ 1.47% | 7.00 | 7.20 / 6.50 BEACHHATCH | 1.01 | 12.48 | Vol. 825580 D: 16.00 ⇓ 4.19% | 16.06 | 18.00 / 14.50 C: 16.30 ⇓ 3.55% | 16.26 | 17.40 / 16.00 FINEFOODS | -0.11 | 10.58 | Vol. 143850 D: 15.80 ⇓ 4.82% | 15.81 | 17.40 / 15.50 C: 16.00 ⇓ 4.19% | 16.00 | 16.50 / 16.00 RDFOOD | 0.91 | 16.84 | Vol. 1060636 D: 19.90 ⇓ 4.78% | 19.99 | 22.00 / 18.00 C: 19.90 ⇓ 5.24% | 19.90 | 21.50 / 19.70 GHAIL | 1.01 | 22.08 | Vol. 1404100 D: 42.70 ⇑ 0.47% | 42.69 | 43.90 / 38.00 C: 42.10 ⇑ 0.48% | 42.04 | 44.00 / 38.00 FUEL & POWER LINDEBD | 31.71 | 144.00 | Vol. 95400 D: 610.2 ⇑ 5.12% | 623.09 | 648.9 / 580.5 PADMAOIL | 16.38 | 43.67 | Vol. 2548479 D: 350.1 ⇑ 3.30% | 353.56 | 369.0 / 310.0 C: 349.4 ⇑ 3.01% | 352.42 | 370.0 / 315.0 EASTRNLUB | 6.32 | 68.68 | Vol. 1650 D: 291.6 ⇓ 2.80% | 293.33 | 300.0 / 290.0 BDWELDING | 0.33 | 16.82 | Vol. 646503 D: 17.30 ⇓ 7.49% | 17.44 | 19.00 / 16.00 C: 17.30 ⇓ 6.49% | 17.33 | 19.00 / 17.30 SUMITPOWER | 3.17 | 19.26 | Vol. 1389209 D: 35.20 ⇓ 2.22% | 35.29 | 38.00 / 31.30 C: 35.50 ⇓ 1.11% | 35.27 | 38.00 / 34.60 DESCO | 2.80 | 35.25 | Vol. 1028489 D: 79.00 ⇓ 2.23% | 78.92 | 83.00 / 74.00 C: 79.90 ⇓ 1.48% | 79.80 | 81.00 / 76.50 POWERGRID | 2.56 | 48.08 | Vol. 150337 D: 54.70 ⇓ 4.37% | 54.67 | 58.70 / 50.00 C: 54.00 ⇓ 3.57% | 54.00 | 56.00 / 54.00 JAMUNAOIL | 22.78 | 50.24 | Vol. 2659813 D: 235.1 ⇑ 3.84% | 235.60 | 248.1 / 209.0 C: 234.8 ⇑ 4.08% | 235.95 | 248.0 / 215.7

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JUL. 28 – AUG 01, 2013 Sectotal Index: BANK: 33,500.19 ⇓ 3.04% NBFI: 19,534.95 ⇓ 4.79% INVS: 5,234.32 ⇓ 6.45% ENGG: 5,845.89 ⇑ 2.96% FOOD: 7,227.57 ⇑ 1.86% F&P: 10,738.72 ⇑ 2.79% TEXT: 2,833.31 ⇑ 1.19% PHAR: 16,417.35 ⇑ 3.33% PAPR: 783.39 ⇓ 0.49% SERV: 3,009.35 ⇓ 0.77% LEAT: 4,455.03 ⇑ 5.12% CERA: 472.88 ⇓ 2.33% CMNT: 4,030.52 ⇑ 0.63% INFO: 6,711.06 ⇓ 0.05% GINS: 9,134.08 ⇓ 1.23% LINS: 96,932.76 ⇓ 1.07% TELC: 1,393.25 ⇑ 3.36% MISC: 6,013.31 ⇓ 5.99% MPETROLEUM | 16.98 | 40.41 | Vol. 4528259 D: 277.0 ⇑ 9.88% | 275.79 | 285.0 / 232.0 C: 276.5 ⇑ 10.56% | 274.64 | 286.0 / 230.0 TITASGAS | 9.01 | 36.56 | Vol. 5180209 D: 83.90 ⇓ 4.11% | 83.85 | 90.00 / 76.10 C: 83.50 ⇓ 4.24% | 83.36 | 89.90 / 83.00 KPCL | 4.73 | 15.86 | Vol. 1815240 D: 52.00 ⇓ 0.76% | 51.92 | 55.10 / 47.10 C: 52.20 ⇑ 0.77% | 52.06 | 55.00 / 50.20 BEDL | 1.57 | 17.89 | Vol. 2125024 D: 33.50 ⇓ 0.59% | 33.39 | 35.40 / 30.20 C: 33.80 ⇓ 0.29% | 33.31 | 35.00 / 31.20 MJLBD | 2.73 | 30.24 | Vol. 264056 D: 70.90 ⇓ 2.48% | 70.84 | 75.10 / 64.00 C: 70.60 ⇓ 1.67% | 69.76 | 73.00 / 64.50 GBBPOWER | 1.86 | 22.63 | Vol. 1457929 D: 25.20 ⇑ 0.00% | 25.06 | 26.00 / 22.00 C: 25.40 ⇓ 0.78% | 25.36 | 25.90 / 23.00 SPPCL | 3.81 | 23.34 | Vol. 3192440 D: 58.40 ⇓ 0.68% | 58.45 | 61.10 / 51.10 C: 58.60 ⇓ 0.17% | 58.48 | 61.30 / 55.90 JUTE JUTESPINN | 2.06 | 17.42 | Vol. 2700 D: 74.80 ⇓ 1.97% | 74.80 | 77.00 / 72.50 SONALIANSH | 5.54 | 218.80 | Vol. 36000 D: 121.9 ⇓ 2.56% | 121.98 | 128.3 / 118.3 TEXTILE AL-HAJTEX | 1.35 | 15.64 | Vol. 47452 D: 55.10 ⇑ 0.36% | 55.67 | 58.00 / 53.20 RAHIMTEXT | 0.51 | 73.88 | Vol. 2100 D: 185.2 ⇓ 0.75% | 185.20 | 198.5 / 182.0 SAIHAMTEX | 2.75 | 29.50 | Vol. 1437500 D: 29.30 ⇓ 3.30% | 29.31 | 30.90 / 28.80 C: 29.50 ⇓ 2.32% | 29.22 | 30.20 / 28.70 MODERNDYE | 1.09 | 12.93 | Vol. 300 D: 62.00 ⇓ 4.62% | 62.00 | 62.00 / 59.00 DSHGARME | 0.72 | 12.00 | Vol. 3500 D: 26.70 ⇓ 2.20% | 26.67 | 29.50 / 26.40 DULAMIACOT | -8.46 | -27.78 | Vol. 14100 D: 7.90 ⇓ 4.82% | 8.13 | 8.30 / 7.60 TALLUSPIN | 2.56 | 12.06 | Vol. 8221837 D: 33.90 ⇑ 3.99% | 33.88 | 36.20 / 30.00 C: 33.90 ⇑ 3.99% | 33.97 | 35.90 / 31.30 APEXSPINN | 2.01 | 49.32 | Vol. 11000 D: 59.40 ⇓ 7.48% | 59.44 | 65.70 / 58.00 MITHUNKNIT | 4.54 | 30.39 | Vol. 306292 D: 82.90 ⇑ 2.98% | 83.12 | 84.50 / 75.00 C: 82.80 ⇑ 4.55% | 82.05 | 83.90 / 76.20 DELTASPINN | 3.06 | 18.12 | Vol. 1014000 D: 31.10 ⇓ 0.96% | 31.10 | 32.90 / 30.80 C: 31.10 ⇑ 0.32% | 31.03 | 32.90 / 30.50 SONARGAON | 0.27 | 34.50 | Vol. 175825 D: 13.10 ⇓ 1.50% | 13.25 | 14.30 / 12.90 C: 12.80 ⇓ 4.48% | 12.84 | 13.40 / 12.10 PRIMETEX | 1.01 | 63.54 | Vol. 394500 D: 21.90 ⇑ 4.78% | 21.85 | 22.10 / 20.70 C: 22.40 ⇑ 4.19% | 22.46 | 23.20 / 20.50 ALLTEX | -0.11 | 23.81 | Vol. 226500 D: 7.40 ⇓ 1.33% | 7.38 | 7.60 / 7.20 C: 7.40 ⇑ 0.00% | 7.38 | 7.60 / 7.30 ANLIMAYARN | 1.19 | 11.01 | Vol. 1067700 D: 28.10 ⇑ 6.44% | 28.22 | 29.50 / 26.00 C: 27.90 ⇑ 6.90% | 27.64 | 28.80 / 25.00 HRTEX | 2.08 | 14.92 | Vol. 249000 D: 25.10 ⇓ 2.33% | 25.19 | 27.00 / 25.00 C: 24.50 ⇓ 2.39% | 24.50 | 27.60 / 24.00 CMCKAMAL | 1.37 | 19.31 | Vol. 2274173 D: 24.80 ⇑ 4.20% | 24.61 | 26.20 / 21.50 SAFKOSPINN | 0.95 | 21.78 | Vol. 356819 D: 17.00 ⇓ 1.73% | 17.09 | 18.50 / 15.50 C: 17.10 ⇓ 6.56% | 17.17 | 17.90 / 16.80 SQUARETEXT | 4.32 | 31.82 | Vol. 288933 D: 86.90 ⇓ 0.80% | 86.65 | 89.30 / 78.00 C: 86.80 ⇓ 0.23% | 84.00 | 87.00 / 78.30 METROSPIN | -1.00 | 19.59 | Vol. 566449 D: 14.00 ⇓ 4.11% | 14.02 | 15.30 / 13.30 C: 14.00 ⇓ 4.11% | 14.08 | 15.40 / 13.50 MAKSONSPIN | 0.16 | 20.55 | Vol. 6848101 D: 13.50 ⇑ 5.47% | 13.52 | 14.90 / 11.60 C: 13.50 ⇑ 4.65% | 13.55 | 14.50 / 12.60 DACCADYE | 1.21 | 31.13 | Vol. 674409 D: 26.10 ⇓ 2.25% | 26.15 | 27.10 / 24.00 C: 26.60 ⇓ 0.75% | 26.45 | 27.70 / 26.00

BDCOM | 1.00 | 14.91 | Vol. 265814 D: 19.90 ⇓ 1.49% | 20.01 | 20.70 / 18.00 C: 20.20 ⇑ 0.00% | 20.08 | 22.00 / 19.00 INTECH | 0.94 | 10.08 | Vol. 354064 D: 12.30 ⇓ 13.99% | 12.33 | 14.20 / 12.00 C: 12.80 ⇓ 11.72% | 12.50 | 14.00 / 12.60 AGNISYSL | 1.07 | 25.52 | Vol. 279294 D: 21.50 ⇑ 0.47% | 21.42 | 22.60 / 19.50 C: 21.40 ⇓ 0.93% | 21.40 | 22.00 / 21.00

RNSPIN | 2.80 | 16.58 | Vol. 12252660 D: 26.80 ⇑ 6.35% | 27.01 | 27.70 / 22.70 C: 26.80 ⇑ 5.10% | 26.90 | 27.50 / 24.70

PAPER & PACKAGING HAKKANIPUL | 0.64 | 11.02 | Vol. 3500 D: 16.00 ⇓ 5.33% | 16.00 | 16.10 / 16.00

Pharmaceutical & Chemical AMBEEPHA | 3.94 | 26.15 | Vol. 43740 D: 261.8 ⇑ 12.31% | 261.76 | 266.0 / 220.0 C: 260.4 ⇑ 15.99% | 259.62 | 263.8 / 216.0 BXPHARMA | 3.77 | 52.55 | Vol. 1289830 D: 45.10 ⇓ 6.43% | 45.33 | 52.00 / 41.50 C: 45.30 ⇓ 7.17% | 45.83 | 49.00 / 45.10 GLAXOSMITH | 20.25 | 123.32 | Vol. 48000 D: 881.5 ⇑ 31.61% | 883.48 | 898.0 / 698.0 ACI | -5.82 | 126.42 | Vol. 35422 D: 142.3 ⇓ 4.82% | 142.30 | 160.0 / 131.0 C: 147.4 ⇑ 1.94% | 151.50 | 159.0 / 140.0 RENATA | 33.57 | 138.83 | Vol. 85029 D: 678.8 ⇑ 8.97% | 679.55 | 698.0 / 580.0 RECKITTBEN | 27.16 | 78.89 | Vol. 2200 D: 690.2 ⇑ 12.76% | 692.00 | 701.1 / 618.9 C: 660.0 ⇑ 3.13% | 660.00 | 660.0 / 660.0 PHARMAID | 5.06 | 26.30 | Vol. 183800 D: 170.6 ⇓ 1.67% | 170.32 | 186.0 / 162.2 KOHINOOR | 9.52 | 10.49 | Vol. 15420 D: 368.0 ⇑ 7.32% | 366.25 | 371.0 / 315.0 IBNSINA | 3.44 | 34.02 | Vol. 28060 D: 81.20 ⇓ 2.64% | 81.43 | 84.00 / 74.00 LIBRAINFU | 4.64 | 1565.37 | Vol. 2200 D: 227.0 ⇑ 4.13% | 226.67 | 231.0 / 215.1 ORIONINFU | 8.72 | 1.73 | Vol. 168900 D: 39.50 ⇓ 0.25% | 39.62 | 41.50 / 38.80 C: 40.00 ⇑ 0.00% | 40.00 | 42.90 / 36.50 SQURPHARMA | 9.01 | 50.83 | Vol. 2336068 D: 219.2 ⇑ 6.20% | 216.74 | 220.0 / 187.0 C: 219.3 ⇑ 6.20% | 216.86 | 219.9 / 200.5 IMAMBUTTON | -1.68 | 5.67 | Vol. 54000 D: 7.10 ⇑ 0.00% | 7.10 | 7.80 / 6.90 C: 7.70 ⇓ 4.94% | 7.70 | 7.70 / 7.70 KEYACOSMET | 3.19 | 19.99 | Vol. 2583370 D: 27.90 ⇓ 0.36% | 27.88 | 28.80 / 24.90 C: 27.90 ⇓ 0.36% | 27.82 | 28.80 / 26.00 BERGERPBL | 32.46 | 100.20 | Vol. 52500 D: 826.0 ⇑ 17.13% | 825.53 | 826.0 / 710.0 ACIFORMULA | 3.33 | 38.08 | Vol. 78500 D: 69.90 ⇓ 4.25% | 70.00 | 73.60 / 69.00 C: 72.90 ⇓ 0.27% | 70.95 | 74.90 / 69.00 MARICO | 27.53 | 62.47 | Vol. 195500 D: 653.6 ⇑ 17.07% | 655.03 | 666.5 / 555.0 C: 647.5 ⇑ 48.00% | 643.75 | 660.0 / 600.0 BEACONPHAR | 0.33 | 11.97 | Vol. 991075 D: 14.30 ⇓ 1.38% | 14.33 | 15.40 / 13.00 C: 14.40 ⇓ 1.37% | 14.37 | 15.40 / 14.20 ACTIVEFINE | 3.23 | 13.89 | Vol. 3494145 D: 83.50 ⇓ 3.91% | 83.80 | 90.30 / 74.80 C: 84.00 ⇓ 3.34% | 83.72 | 92.90 / 80.00 SALVOCHEM | 0.68 | 10.57 | Vol. 1060688 D: 17.70 ⇑ 1.72% | 17.78 | 19.00 / 15.50 C: 18.00 ⇑ 2.86% | 17.93 | 19.10 / 17.10 GHCL | 2.14 | 57.31 | Vol. 265750 D: 42.40 ⇓ 5.15% | 42.43 | 44.90 / 42.10 C: 42.20 ⇓ 4.95% | 41.92 | 44.40 / 41.80 ORIONPHARM | 5.02 | 68.68 | Vol. 2935280 D: 63.80 ⇓ 2.74% | 63.49 | 70.90 / 56.60 C: 63.80 ⇓ 3.19% | 63.28 | 67.00 / 60.10 JMISMDL | 1.12 | 12.83 | Vol. 788000 D: 85.60 ⇑ 6.07% | 86.18 | 93.00 / 72.80 C: 85.90 ⇑ 7.24% | 85.40 | 92.00 / 73.10

SERVICE SAMORITA | 2.31 | 17.25 | Vol. 500 D: 72.00 ⇓ 2.70% | 72.00 | 72.00 / 72.00 SAPORTL | 1.23 | 38.39 | Vol. 503224 D: 24.70 ⇓ 3.14% | 24.73 | 26.00 / 22.50 C: 24.90 ⇓ 2.35% | 24.91 | 27.00 / 23.00 EHL | 2.87 | 18.48 | Vol. 448325 D: 45.30 ⇓ 1.74% | 44.82 | 47.00 / 39.60 C: 45.40 ⇓ 1.52% | 45.04 | 46.50 / 43.00 LEATHER APEXTANRY | 7.07 | 66.44 | Vol. 399750 D: 92.50 ⇓ 11.40% | 93.12 | 110.0 / 91.30 C: 91.00 ⇓ 10.34% | 93.32 | 110.0 / 90.00 BATASHOE | 49.12 | 135.53 | Vol. 60088 D: 646.8 ⇑ 12.19% | 648.16 | 670.0 / 576.0 C: 668.0 ⇑ 17.19% | 668.00 | 668.0 / 580.0 APEXADELFT | 23.01 | 203.26 | Vol. 205800 D: 288.9 ⇓ 3.73% | 285.13 | 320.0 / 280.2 SAMATALETH | -0.07 | 12.08 | Vol. 11500 D: 11.30 ⇓ 13.08% | 11.33 | 12.90 / 11.00 LEGACYFOOT | 0.63 | 17.19 | Vol. 79496 D: 13.20 ⇓ 8.97% | 13.33 | 14.30 / 13.00 C: 12.90 ⇓ 11.03% | 12.90 | 13.70 / 12.70 CERAMIC MONNOCERA | 0.71 | 96.33 | Vol. 30900 D: 25.90 ⇑ 0.00% | 25.93 | 27.40 / 25.20 STANCERAM | 1.07 | 15.97 | Vol. 3000 D: 33.60 ⇑ 5.66% | 33.60 | 33.60 / 31.80 C: 32.00 ⇑ 4.92% | 32.00 | 32.00 / 31.50 FUWANGCER | 1.43 | 13.25 | Vol. 983998 D: 17.30 ⇓ 5.46% | 17.20 | 18.60 / 16.00 C: 17.50 ⇓ 4.89% | 17.75 | 18.30 / 15.80 SPCERAMICS | 0.62 | 30.92 | Vol. 918460 D: 15.10 ⇓ 10.12% | 15.15 | 18.00 / 14.50 C: 15.20 ⇓ 8.98% | 15.23 | 17.20 / 14.00 RAKCERAMIC | 1.98 | 16.76 | Vol. 423365 D: 50.90 ⇓ 3.78% | 51.02 | 57.00 / 46.10 C: 50.40 ⇓ 3.08% | 50.45 | 52.00 / 46.40 CEMENT HEIDELBCEM | 22.85 | 111.50 | Vol. 106500 D: 307.7 ⇑ 4.59% | 308.31 | 314.0 / 282.5 C: 300.1 ⇓ 2.18% | 303.37 | 314.8 / 290.0 CONFIDCEM | 6.23 | 90.76 | Vol. 1271424 D: 125.4 ⇑ 0.56% | 125.82 | 133.9 / 115.0 C: 125.8 ⇑ 1.62% | 126.04 | 133.0 / 117.2 MEGHNACEM | 6.28 | 33.81 | Vol. 86200 D: 110.6 ⇑ 9.72% | 110.60 | 110.6 / 96.60 C: 107.9 ⇓ 1.91% | 107.90 | 107.9 / 98.10 ARAMITCEM | 3.03 | 14.65 | Vol. 129316 D: 68.00 ⇑ 1.80% | 67.80 | 68.80 / 63.60 C: 66.40 ⇑ 0.61% | 66.40 | 67.00 / 65.10 LAFSURCEML | 1.60 | 7.22 | Vol. 2706000 D: 31.10 ⇓ 2.20% | 31.11 | 32.30 / 30.90 C: 31.10 ⇓ 1.58% | 31.13 | 32.00 / 31.00 PREMIERCEM | 3.59 | 22.92 | Vol. 638200 D: 117.0 ⇓ 0.09% | 116.83 | 127.6 / 108.9 C: 120.0 ⇑ 3.27% | 117.82 | 126.0 / 110.2 IT IINDUSTRIES ISNLTD | 0.28 | 17.31 | Vol. 77903 D: 13.10 ⇓ 0.76% | 13.15 | 13.60 / 12.00 C: 13.50 ⇑ 3.85% | 13.50 | 13.50 / 12.50

GENERAL INSURANCE BGIC | 1.65 | 20.33 | Vol. 635522 D: 29.00 ⇓ 5.54% | 29.17 | 33.00 / 27.40 C: 29.40 ⇓ 3.61% | 29.49 | 31.00 / 27.50 GREENDELT | 4.05 | 64.44 | Vol. 349910 D: 104.3 ⇓ 0.67% | 105.96 | 117.0 / 95.00 C: 101.6 ⇓ 3.70% | 101.59 | 110.0 / 100.0 UNITEDINS | 2.47 | 21.04 | Vol. 79533 D: 51.30 ⇑ 5.56% | 50.96 | 52.40 / 47.20 PEOPLESINS | 2.05 | 20.72 | Vol. 162136 D: 26.90 ⇓ 3.93% | 26.75 | 29.30 / 24.20 C: 26.40 ⇓ 4.69% | 27.28 | 28.20 / 25.70 EASTERNINS | 2.22 | 35.88 | Vol. 72720 D: 36.30 ⇓ 1.89% | 36.36 | 39.30 / 35.30 C: 38.00 ⇑ 0.00% | 34.20 | 38.00 / 38.00 JANATAINS | 7.84 | 170.69 | Vol. 20586 D: 221.0 ⇓ 6.55% | 221.15 | 241.0 / 220.0 C: 228.3 ⇓ 4.88% | 228.25 | 241.3 / 228.0 PHENIXINS | 2.70 | 20.96 | Vol. 210473 D: 38.40 ⇓ 7.47% | 38.61 | 43.10 / 37.50 C: 39.00 ⇓ 12.16% | 38.76 | 40.40 / 38.00 EASTLAND | 4.06 | 23.29 | Vol. 405150 D: 44.90 ⇓ 4.06% | 45.05 | 48.40 / 40.00 C: 44.00 ⇓ 7.37% | 44.00 | 47.50 / 44.00 CENTRALINS | 1.54 | 19.04 | Vol. 73261 D: 28.20 ⇓ 5.05% | 28.57 | 31.00 / 27.50 C: 30.40 ⇓ 5.00% | 30.40 | 31.50 / 28.50 KARNAPHULI | 1.56 | 19.42 | Vol. 98822 D: 22.20 ⇓ 4.72% | 22.45 | 24.00 / 21.80 RUPALIINS | 2.76 | 23.38 | Vol. 373712 D: 32.20 ⇓ 2.72% | 31.88 | 34.00 / 30.00 C: 32.30 ⇓ 3.58% | 30.00 | 33.00 / 32.00 FEDERALINS | 1.10 | 10.98 | Vol. 243650 D: 22.40 ⇓ 2.61% | 22.42 | 23.70 / 21.20 C: 22.70 ⇓ 2.16% | 22.54 | 23.50 / 20.60 RELIANCINS | 3.93 | 61.52 | Vol. 25889 D: 72.30 ⇓ 4.49% | 72.33 | 81.00 / 70.00 C: 82.00 ⇑ 7.47% | 82.00 | 82.00 / 82.00 PURABIGEN | 1.05 | 18.71 | Vol. 330721 D: 21.00 ⇓ 2.78% | 21.05 | 23.50 / 20.00 PRAGATIINS | 2.01 | 50.30 | Vol. 51404 D: 55.70 ⇓ 3.97% | 55.96 | 60.00 / 52.00 C: 55.00 ⇓ 5.17% | 55.00 | 55.00 / 55.00 PRIMEINSUR | 2.14 | 14.14 | Vol. 373076 D: 25.90 ⇓ 13.38% | 25.62 | 30.70 / 25.00 PIONEERINS | 3.11 | 23.84 | Vol. 345535 D: 73.70 ⇓ 4.78% | 73.96 | 81.50 / 70.00 C: 78.00 ⇓ 4.88% | 78.00 | 81.00 / 75.00 MERCINS | 1.53 | 14.50 | Vol. 345487 D: 25.40 ⇓ 5.93% | 25.25 | 27.50 / 24.00 C: 26.10 ⇓ 6.79% | 26.14 | 26.60 / 25.50 AGRANINS | 1.73 | 14.39 | Vol. 82989 D: 23.50 ⇓ 0.42% | 23.55 | 25.00 / 22.00 GLOBALINS | 1.09 | 11.78 | Vol. 306602 D: 29.00 ⇓ 9.94% | 28.83 | 34.90 / 28.00 NITOLINS | 2.59 | 15.41 | Vol. 49877 D: 32.20 ⇓ 13.21% | 32.00 | 37.80 / 32.00 C: 34.20 ⇓ 10.00% | 34.20 | 34.20 / 34.20 ASIAPACINS | 1.84 | 13.76 | Vol. 283500 D: 26.40 ⇓ 11.11% | 25.89 | 29.50 / 25.50 SONARBAINS | 1.68 | 13.38 | Vol. 139810 D: 21.80 ⇓ 5.63% | 21.93 | 25.00 / 19.90 C: 23.00 ⇑ 4.07% | 23.85 | 23.00 / 22.00 PARAMOUNT | 1.26 | 13.19 | Vol. 58448 D: 20.90 ⇓ 9.13% | 20.89 | 24.10 / 20.00 C: 22.20 ⇑ 0.00% | 20.00 | 22.20 / 22.20 CITYGENINS | 1.65 | 14.26 | Vol. 219485 D: 24.20 ⇓ 6.56% | 24.23 | 28.00 / 23.00 C: 24.00 ⇓ 8.40% | 24.02 | 26.60 / 24.00 CONTININS | 1.41 | 15.68 | Vol. 375113 D: 28.30 ⇑ 4.43% | 28.29 | 30.50 / 25.00 C: 29.00 ⇑ 7.01% | 29.00 | 29.00 / 27.10 TAKAFULINS | 2.19 | 15.17 | Vol. 232347 D: 29.90 ⇓ 6.85% | 30.02 | 34.40 / 28.90 C: 31.00 ⇓ 5.49% | 31.00 | 33.40 / 31.00

LIFE INSURANCE NATLIFEINS | 12.34 | 80.99 | Vol. 75554 D: 241.8 ⇓ 3.20% | 242.06 | 255.0 / 230.0 C: 245.0 ⇑ 3.81% | 245.00 | 245.0 / 245.0 DELTALIFE | 38.53 | 189.40 | Vol. 11200 D: 4733 ⇓ 5.70% | 4776 | 4857 / 4563 C: 5117 ⇓ 16.11% | 5117 | 5230 / 5034 SANDHANINS | 2.39 | 28.22 | Vol. 169858 D: 67.80 ⇓ 8.13% | 68.33 | 74.00 / 62.80 C: 68.70 ⇓ 5.89% | 68.73 | 71.10 / 66.10 POPULARLIF | 3.70 | 715.41 | Vol. 57737 D: 146.4 ⇑ 0.83% | 145.75 | 147.7 / 130.0 FAREASTLIF | 9.21 | 60.79 | Vol. 159420 D: 107.8 ⇑ 0.47% | 104.49 | 112.8 / 98.00 C: 102.4 ⇓ 2.57% | 101.65 | 109.7 / 96.10 MEGHNALIFE | 10.82 | 48.87 | Vol. 129500 D: 89.60 ⇓ 1.54% | 89.12 | 91.40 / 80.00 C: 90.00 ⇓ 4.26% | 89.21 | 95.00 / 87.20 PROGRESLIF | 2.30 | 31.45 | Vol. 7719 D: 98.00 ⇑ 8.89% | 97.63 | 99.00 / 85.00 PRAGATILIF | 0.60 | 30.15 | Vol. 145874 D: 95.70 ⇑ 0.63% | 96.20 | 100.0 / 90.00 PRIMELIFE | 5.51 | 27.10 | Vol. 54692 D: 90.50 ⇓ 6.31% | 90.56 | 98.00 / 85.00 C: 92.00 ⇓ 9.80% | 92.00 | 92.00 / 92.00 RUPALILIFE | 3.75 | 31.25 | Vol. 39064 D: 90.50 ⇑ 5.23% | 89.44 | 92.30 / 82.00 C: 85.00 ⇓ 15.00% | 85.00 | 90.00 / 85.00 PADMALIFE | 1.63 | 25.76 | Vol. 311500 D: 54.00 ⇓ 8.47% | 54.57 | 66.00 / 53.10 C: 54.10 ⇓ 5.09% | 54.10 | 63.00 / 54.10 SUNLIFEINS | 0.00 | 0.00 | Vol. 333000 D: 47.10 ⇓ 3.48% | 46.92 | 49.20 / 46.30 C: 47.70 ⇓ 0.63% | 47.40 | 49.00 / 46.00 TELECOM GP | 12.96 | 26.26 | Vol. 3786899 D: 183.8 ⇑ 3.03% | 184.68 | 187.5 / 161.0 C: 184.1 ⇑ 3.20% | 184.29 | 187.0 / 170.0 BSCCL | 7.14 | 23.70 | Vol. 4875940 D: 295.7 ⇑ 3.57% | 295.37 | 322.9 / 264.0 C: 294.5 ⇑ 3.15% | 294.97 | 322.0 / 279.0 Travel & Leisure UNITEDAIR | 1.60 | 15.12 | Vol. 18591871 D: 19.80 ⇑ 0.00% | 19.75 | 21.00 / 17.80 C: 19.80 ⇓ 0.50% | 19.76 | 20.60 / 18.00 UNIQUEHRL | 4.02 | 86.29 | Vol. 4303245 D: 87.20 ⇓ 9.54% | 86.45 | 96.40 / 77.80 C: 86.80 ⇓ 9.49% | 86.34 | 95.70 / 85.50 MISCELLANEOUS ARAMIT | 16.07 | 99.93 | Vol. 7000 D: 214.6 ⇑ 0.94% | 215.00 | 224.0 / 211.0 BSC | 1.77 | 565.82 | Vol. 692705 D: 521.0 ⇓ 2.66% | 524.72 | 565.0 / 495.3 C: 521.3 ⇓ 3.64% | 524.97 | 560.0 / 501.3 GQBALLPEN | 6.55 | 250.45 | Vol. 565574 D: 144.1 ⇓ 3.81% | 144.21 | 160.0 / 126.0 C: 143.1 ⇓ 3.18% | 143.12 | 154.5 / 138.0 USMANIAGL | 0.50 | 26.03 | Vol. 78616 D: 111.2 ⇑ 1.28% | 110.95 | 120.0 / 99.00 C: 110.0 ⇑ 0.82% | 110.00 | 118.5 / 108.0 SAVAREFR | 0.23 | 12.32 | Vol. 1000 D: 68.00 ⇑ 19.30% | 68.00 | 68.00 / 61.50 BEXIMCO | 3.24 | 86.74 | Vol. 8258733 D: 32.30 ⇓ 14.55% | 32.46 | 40.70 / 30.60 C: 32.60 ⇓ 13.76% | 32.81 | 39.00 / 31.00 SINOBANGLA | 1.75 | 21.01 | Vol. 149500 D: 18.40 ⇓ 0.54% | 18.32 | 19.30 / 17.90 C: 18.10 ⇑ 0.56% | 18.06 | 18.80 / 17.50 MIRACLEIND | 0.14 | 14.90 | Vol. 94627 D: 11.40 ⇓ 2.56% | 11.51 | 12.00 / 11.10 C: 11.70 ⇑ 0.00% | 11.70 | 12.00 / 11.20 BOND IBBLPBOND | 0.00 | 1000.00 | Vol. 1615 D: 940.8 ⇓ 0.21% | 940.00 | 945.0 / 932.5 C: 945.0 ⇑ 2.72% | 923.67 | 945.0 / 910.0 ACIZCBOND | 0.00 | 1000.00 | Vol. 414 D: 839.0 ⇑ 0.24% | 850.00 | 840.0 / 816.0 C: 760.0 ⇓ 7.99% | 760.00 | 830.5 / 760.0 BRACSCBOND | 0.00 | 0.00 | Vol. 100 D: 1087 ⇓ 1.85% | 1100 | 1115 / 1080

8

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

sunday, August 4, 2013

EU-China solar deal triggers court threat n AFP, Brussels The EU voted yesterday to implement a much-lauded deal to avoid a trade war over cheap imports of Chinese solar panels, but a European industry group threatened a legal challenge.

Concessions are being implemented to prevent trade tensions spilling over into other disputed areas and will come into force on August 6, the European Commission said. Europe’s solar panel industry body, EU ProSun, said it would take the case to an EU court in Luxembourg, although it was not immediately clear what the impact of such a move would be on the agreement.

A Commission spokesman said the agreement had “almost unanimous” backing from governments around the 28-state bloc.

“A huge majority voted in favour...(and) no member states voted against,” the spokesman told a regular news briefing.

The Commission, the powerful EU executive that fights trade disputes on behalf of the world’s most lucrative integrated market, said it had “adopted a decision to accept the undertaking offered by Chinese exporting producers of solar panels, as well as a regulation exempting these participating companies from the payment of provisional anti-dumping duties”.

EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht said when announcing the deal that Brussels hoped the solar-panel compromise could serve as a template for resolving other tit-for-tat disputes on products ranging from steel pipes and telecoms equipment to wine and chemicals.

De Gucht said that the agreement, which runs to the end of 2015, was the best Europe could get. But solar panel manufacturers said

Workers install a solar panel in Jiuquan, Gansu province that they had been sold out, while importers warning they would suffer higher prices as a result of the deal. The head of EU ProSun, Milan Nitzschke, said the deal was illegal as

bloc member states had waived through approval without “content, price ceilings and market volumes” being known.

He said the terms of the compromise

US unemployment sinks to 7.4% as 162,000 jobs added n AFP, Washington The US unemployment rate fell to a four-year low of 7.4% in July as the economy added 162,000 jobs, the Labor Department said yesterday in a weaker-than-expected report.

The decline in the jobless rate from 7.6% in June surprised analysts, who had expected only a one-tenth point drop.

Although jobs growth came in less than expected, analysts pointed to the trend of a slowly improving labor market four years after the Great Recession ended.

“The pace of US job creation took a step back in July, but the modest slowdown does not alter the forecast for the rest of 2013,” said Ryan Sweet of Moody’s Analytics.

Sweet added that the slowdown was “inevitable” in an economy that has had an average 1% growth rate for the past three quarters.

The mixed jobs report raised conflicting speculation about whether the Federal Reserve would soon begin tapering its $85bn a month bond- buying program.

The White House said the data further confirmed the economy was recovering, and called on opposition Republican lawmakers

to replace the sequester - automatic severe spending cuts - with a balanced deficit reduction plan. “With the recovery entering its fifth year, we need to build on the progress we have made so far and now is not the time for Washington to impose self- inflicted wounds,” said Alan Krueger, President Barack Obama’s chief economic adviser.

John Boehner, the Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives, said Obama’s stimulus and other fiscal policies had “left our economy treading water with slow growth, high unemployment, and stagnant wages” and argued for his business-friendly party’s alternatives.

Private-sector employers appeared cautious about expanding their payrolls amid tepid growth in the economy, adding a much weaker-than-expected 161,000 jobs, down from a downwardly revised 196,000 in June.

In a sign of the weakness of the jobs market, about half of the gains were in retail trade and food services and bars,typically low-paying jobs. The government added 1,000 jobs.

Downward revisions to overall jobs growth figures for May and June sliced away 26,000 jobs. The average pace of jobs growth

over the last three months was 175,000.

The July jobs growth was well below the 175,000 expected on average by analysts.

But at 7.4%, the jobless rate was the lowest since December 2008. The number of unemployed people fell slightly to 11.5m.

The soft jobs news weighed on markets.

Wall Street stocks traded modestly lower after setting record highs on Thursday;Treasury yields spiked. The New York benchmark oil price fell about 1% and the dollar slipped, losing 0.5% against the euro.

IHS Global Insight’s chief US economist, Douglas Handler, said the report muddies the debate about when the Fed may begin tapering the bond-buying program, known as quantitative easing. The two-tenths point drop in the jobless rate “adds credence to a sooner vs. later argument,” he said.

“But other mitigating factors - a reduced labor force and near-term weakness in average hours and earnings - argue for starting this tapering in 2014.”

Ian Shepherdson of Pantheon Macroeconomics said the decline in the jobless rate puts it on track to hit the Fed’s fourth-quarter target of 7.2-7.3%. l

REUTERS

would allow Chinese firms to hoover up more than 70 percent of the solar market “at a price level which continues to encourage dumping.” l

IMF warns of tough Spain jobs outlook

n AFP, Madrid

The IMF told Spain yesterday it faces five more years with an unemployment rate topping 25% as it pressed Madrid to enact new reforms including measures to help firms slash wages instead of axing staff.

Spain’s economy, the fourth largest in the eurozone, has been shrinking for two years and official data show the unemployment rate hit 26.26% in the second quarter of this year, slightly below the record 27.16% posted in the first quarter.

The outlook for Spain’s economy, the fourth largest in the eurozone, is “difficult and risks are high,” the International Monetary Fund’s annual report said, predicting a 1.6% economic contraction this year, zero growth in 2014 and growth of just 0.3% in 2015.

“The weak recovery will constrain employment gains, with unemployment remaining above 25% in 2018,” said the report compiled

by IMF staff. The Washington-based institution said it expected the Spanish unemployment rate to hit 27.2% this year, then dip to 27% next year, 26.9% in 2015, 26.6% in 2016, 26% in 2017 and 25.3% in 2018.

In its previous World Economic Outlook report in April, the Fund had said it expected the jobless rate to dip below 25% two years earlier, declining to 24.7% in 2016. l