24 September, 2013

B3

5

Business

Study on Chittagong seaport starts today

Ashwin 9, 1420 Zilkad 17, 1434 Regd. No. DA 6238 Vol 1 No 183

Long Form

Who am I? The Bangali v Bangladeshi debate in simple terms

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2013 | www.dhakatribune.com | SECOND EDITION

TMAG

Embracing Nowness

16 pages with 8-page business tabloid, plus 16-page T-Mag tabloid | Price: Tk10

RMG workers agitate for wage hike Ansar camp looted in Gazipur, over 100 factories shut  Tribune Report Industrial zones of Gazipur and Savar and parts of the capital turned into battlefields as readymade garment workers clashed with police and blocked roads demanding a living wage yesterday.

An Ansar camp was looted while at least 115 vehicles and 10 factories were vandalised, forcing the authorities to shut over 100 apparel units for the day.

The clashes left over 140 people injured.

P2

BGMEA SEEKS SECURITY

Sporadic demonstrations over the week demanding minimum monthly wage of Tk8,000 erupted into violence yesterday with a group of youths attacking an Ansar camp at Joydevpur of Gazipur and looting firearms and

Egypt bans Muslim Brotherhood group  AP, Cairo An Egyptian court on Monday ordered the Muslim Brotherhood to be banned and its assets confiscated in a dramatic escalation of a crackdown by the military-backed government against supporters of the ousted Islamist president Mohammed Morsi.

The ruling opens the door for a wider crackdown on the vast network of the Brotherhood, which includes social organisations that have been key for building the group’s grassroots support and helping its election victories. The verdict banned the group itself — including the official association it registered under earlier this year — as well as “any institution branching out of it or...receiving financial support from it,” according to the court ruling, made public on Egypt’s state official news agency MENA.

The Brotherhood will remain with God’s help, not by the orders by the judiciary of el-Sissi The judge at the Cairo Court for Urgent Matters also ordered the “confiscation of all the group’s money, assets, and buildings” and said that an independent committee should be formed by the Cabinet to manage the money until final court orders are issued. The verdict can be appealed.

The Brotherhood was outlawed for most of its 85 years in existence. But after the 2011 ouster of autocrat Hosni Mubarak, it was allowed to work openly, formed a political party and rose to power in a string of post-Mubarak elections.

In March, it registered as a recognised non-governmental organisation.

“This is totalitarian decision,” leading group member Ibrahim Moneir said in an interview with Qatari-based Al-Jazeera Mubashir Misr TV. “You are losers and it (the Brotherhood) will remain with God’s help, not by the orders by the judiciary of el-Sissi,” he added, referring to military chief Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, who led the overthrow of Morsi on July 3.

The court did not immediately make public the grounds for its ruling. The verdict came in a suit raised by lawyers from the leftist party Tagammu party, accusing the Brotherhood of being a “terrorist” and “exploiting religion in political slogans.” Several other courts are looking into similar suits. 

ammunition. Four Ansar members, including a commander, were injured in the sudden attack; they were admitted to a hospital in Uttara.

Negotiations for wage hike failed to reach a conclusion as of last week as workers’ representatives asked for Tk8,000 as minimum monthly wage while owners offered less than a half – Tk3,600, resulting in frustration among workers’ rights groups.

Mosharraf Hossain, assistant superintendent of Gazipur Industrial Police, said authorities had decided to suspend production at most of the factories in Gazipur yesterday.

Most of the apparel units in Tejgaon industrial area were also closed as workers engaged in clashes with police and torched two microbuses and a motorcycle there.

Communications on Dhaka-Mymensingh and Dhaka-Aricha highways

remained suspended for nearly four hours from the morning as the agitating workers put barricades at different points in Tongi and Savar. They also damaged at least 115 vehicles on the highways.

The marauding workers also vandalised at least six RMG units on Dhaka-Tangail highway at Konabari in Gazipur and several others in Savar.

“They make huge profit. When we demand our wages, they say we are not worth that much,” said Sabuj Hawlader, a swing operator of Diganta Sweaters’ Factory at Konabari.

The workers said expenses had gone beyond their reach and they had nothing to do but realise the demand for wage hike at any cost.

Workers of three garment factories attacked an Ansar camp in Bhogra Bypass area of Joydevpur around 8:30am PAGE 2 COLUMN 4

BNP lands on a new strategic programme 

Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

The fact that BNP’s grassroots level leaders had got into the grove of electioneering was clearly evident during their chief Khaleda Zia’s recent rallies in the country’s north.

During the September 8 rally in Narsingdi, although she asked the leaders and activists to blockade all roads and railways if caretaker system was not restored, the banners and posters that the supporters put up reflected very little of that.

However, regardless – at least on the surface – of what the grassroots may be thinking, the main opposition party is planning a set of strategic programmes to force the government to give into their demands.

The party has already threatened that it would paralyse the country by enforcing continuous shutdowns, sitins and road blockades, if the government did not reinstall the provision for caretaker government system in the constitution by October 25.

Now, another plan has surfaced in which the capital city will be isolated from the rest of the country. To that end, the party planners have identified some 40 Dhaka-bound points around the country, which, if blocked, could end up fulfilling their plan.

They believe that the party was now organisationally strong enough to be able to stage such programmes.

BNP leaders believe that paralysing the country alone would not be enough PAGE 2 COLUMN 6

Government may opt for hard loan to fund populist projects  Asif Showkat Kallol The government is planning to cross a band for hard-term foreign loans to expedite implementation of development projects of public interest before the upcoming general elections.

It will request the International Monetary Fund to widen the ceiling the global lender imposed as one of the pre-conditions for the $1bn extended credit facility provided to Bangladesh, officials said.

The technical committee on non-concessional loans of the finance division took a decision last week to request an IMF mission, which is now in Dhaka, to extend the ceiling so the government could support implementation of the projects.

Finance Secretary Fazle Kabir chaired the meeting.

The government has estimated that it would require $4.84bn both as hardterm loans and guaranties against the

semi-government and other organisations would be needed to implement the projects, said a senior official of ERD who attended the meeting.

ERD data shows accumulated hardterm foreign loan amounted to $2.9bn at the end of June this year as compared to an IMF agreed ceiling of $3.25bn.

The IMF mission is expected to fix the performance criteria of hardterm foreign loan ceiling for the next March-December period, based on which the instalments of the $1bn ECF would be disbursed.

The IMF has already released three out of seven equal instalments of the ECF and their current mission is to review the economic situation of the country – based on which the fourth instalment would be decided. The latest one of $136m was disbursed on May 30.

During their stay until October 8, the four-member mission will hold meetings with Finance Minister PAGE 2 COLUMN 6

Even Hasina cannot reach Ashraf  Partha Pratim Bhattacharjee He is the spokesperson of the ruling Awami League and also of the government. He is supposed to be one of the most available persons. But Syed Ashraful Islam is rarely seen anywhere – important activities of the Awami League and the government.

Even Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina cannot get a hold of him nowadays.

A source in the ruling party told the Dhaka Tribune that Hasina had called Ashraf, the party’s general secretary and the LGRD minister, on Thursday, September 19, but he had neither taken the call nor called her back.

Syed Ashraf does not attend meetings of the party; he does not even attend his ministry office.

A source in the LGRD ministry said on condition of anonymity that Ashraf had attended the office only

INSIDE News

6 Part of the GulistanJatrabari flyover might be opened for public use though work has not been completed. The deadline for the flyover’s construction has been postponed several times.

Nation

7 A bridge on the Harai River in Chandana in Rajbari does not have approach roads.

International

8 The death toll from a double suicide bombing on a church in Pakistan rose to 81 Monday, as Christians protested across the country to demand better protection for their community.

Op-Ed

11 Farzana Nawaz: Fundamentalism is a topic that occupies a large part of the collective consciousness in most parts of the world today.

once this year – on May 19.

Ashraf did not also attend the last cabinet meeting on September 16 and skipped all the sittings of the current parliament session as of Thursday.

Frustrated and irritated by this, Sheikh Hasina was considering changing her party’s general secretary by summoning a special council session of the party, a number of Awami League leaders told the Dhaka Tribune.

However, Awami League high-ups confirmed that there was no possibility of holding a council session before the upcoming general elections as the party would be busy electioneering.

Syed Ashraful Islam was elected the Awami League’s general secretary in the party’s 18th tri-annual council session held on July 24, 2009, and was re-elected on December 29 last year. He became the LGRD minister after Sheikh Hasina’s government assumed office.

The central and grassroots leaders of the Awami League have often complained about Ashraf’s “isolation and inactiveness” as he has almost no connection with them.

At one of her series meetings with the party’s grassroots-level leaders on Friday, Hasina asked Joint General Secretary Mahabub-Ul-Alam Hanif about Ashraf. As Hanif could not give satisfactory information, Hasina expressed her disappointment at him, saying: “You are supposed to make Ashraf active!”

The Awami League chief then told Hanif that she would replace Ashraf by convening a special council session of the party, a source told the Dhaka Tribune.

On Saturday, Ashraf showed up at the grassroots’ meeting at Hasina’s official residence Ganabhaban nearly four hours after the meeting had started.

PAGE 2 COLUMN 2

2

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

No confusion about Hefazat’s unity, says Shafi  Tushar Hayat, Chittagong Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh’s head Shah Ahmad Shafi has cleared any confusion that arose after recent news reports questioned the organisation’s unity.

In a statement issued yesterday Shafi said: “We have neither dropped any leader from the committee, nor was anyone expelled from the organisation at the conference held at Babunagar madrasa at Fatikchharhi two days back.”

The central committee is functional said the statement adding that: “We have just formed a central Shura committee and a sub-committee at the conference to mobilise organisational activities.”

After a conference in Fatikchharhi on Saturday, Hefazat leaders told reporters that joint secretaries of the organisation Mufti Fayez Ullah and

Cheap politicians and land grabbers cause communal violence: Mozena  Sheikh Shahariar Zaman US Ambassador to Bangladesh Dan Mozena blamed “cheap politicians and land grabbers” for the violence in Ramu and on minorities.

Chatting on Facebook on Monday, Mozena said: “I believe the violence against Buddhist temples and monasteries at Ramu and Ukhia last September and against Hindus in February this year was the work of outside cheap politicians and nasty land grabbers.”

The ambassador’s comments came during a discussion on the US Embassy-Dhaka’s Facebook page on “The Power of One: Individual Action, Shared Peace”, about the role of individuals in building a “Sonar Bangla.”

He said: “My travels about Bangladesh have made clear to me that Bangladeshis of different religions and ethnicities can and do live side-by-side in peace and harmony. Bangladeshis themselves want to live in peace.”

He said the best democracy is democracy that is closest to the people, adding: “America supports Bangladesh’s ongoing efforts to decentralise governance, to take governance closer to the people.”

He said the opposition parties must play a role for democracy to work.

“The opposition has a big role to play in a democracy, which is why I endeavour my opposition friends to take their seats in the parliament and contribute constructively to the legislative process.” 

Non-cadre officers face off with senior secretary  Mohosinul Karim A group of administrative officers and personal officers – class II non-cadre officers of the ministries – yesterday had a heated exchange with the Public Administration Ministry’s senior secretary in his office over their demand for upgradation of status to class I officers.

Witnesses said a delegation of administrative officers and personal officers association’s liaison committee led by its coordinator Muzahidul Islam Selim and leader Ruhul Amin went to meet with the senior secretary in his office.

They placed their demand to take immediate steps to upgrade their status.

But the senior secretary replied them negatively, saying the ministry formed a three-member committee led by its Additional Secretary Ms Dilruba.

The ministry would take further steps only after getting their recommendations, he said.

The secretary’s s reply angered the officers who reacted angrily and demanded immediate steps in this regard.

“Food Ministry’s Administrative Officer Ershad Ali who is expected to retire within a year began shouting in the office. The secretary also reacted sharply and ordered them to get out of the office,” said coordinator Selim.

The association leaders went out immediately. They also went to ask pardon from the secretary later, Selim told the Dhaka Tribune.

Abdus Sobhan Sikdar, senior secretary to the Public Administration Ministry, admitted that they assured the class II officers of considering their demand.

But still they were making a nuisance of themselves, said the secretary. 

Mainuddin Ruhi had been dropped from the central committee.

Shafi said that “anti-Islamic and atheist forces” had been spreading propaganda to confuse people to prevent “greater unity and headway of Hefazat.”

He urged Islamic scholars and devoted Muslims to unite and defy such propaganda.

Shafi who is also the chief of Al-Jamiatul Ahlia Darul Ulum Muinul Islam (Hathazari madrasa), condemned a reported ban by Brac University on students wearing the “Niqab”.

He urged that punitive measure should be taken against those responsible.

The private university, however, denied the allegation it had banned any student on the basis of religious grounds but action was taken for not following the university’s official dress code. 

RMG workers take to the streets in Gazipur yesterday demanding wage hike

Police informer, 6 others killed in city  Mohammad Jamil Khan

A police informer was hacked to death in the capital’s West Rajabazar area while six others were killed in different incidents across the city yesterday.

The victim police informer was Mohammad Nasim, 30, who used to drive the vehicle of plain-clothes police of Sher-e-Banglanagar police station.

Abdul Momin, officer-in-charge of the police station, told the Dhaka Tribune Nasim joined the work three months ago.

He helped police arrest several muggers in the area, added the police official.

A gang of local terrorists numbering 10-15 swooped on the second floor of the house No. 57/2 West Rajabazar and attacked Nasim with sharp weapons.

The gangsters stabbed Nasim in-

discriminately in different parts of his body.

Critically injured Nasim was rushed to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), but he succumbed to his injuries.

In another incident, Sadeq Ali, 45, fell from the fourth floor of an under-construction building after being electrocuted at Gate No. 4G in North Kajla of Jatrabari area.

The victim hailed from Kishoreganj district, Besides, police recovered the body of a young man from a pond of Matuail area of Jatrabari around 5pm and sent it to Sir Salimullah Medical College Hospital for autopsy.

A housewife Ayesha Akter, 22, wife of Farid Hossain, of House 26 and Road 2 in Sonirakhra allegedly committed suicide by hanging herself from ceiling fan centring family feud.

Ayesha’s husband Farid rushed her

JAMAAT’S 48-HOUR HARTAL VIOLENCE

Two other injured drivers die  Mohammad Jamil Khan

The three drivers, who were severely burned when violence erupted during Jamaat-e-Islami’s 48-hour general strike, have all died of their injuries, with all their deaths reported yesterday.

Bus driver Nazrul Islam Bhuyan, 35, succumbed to his injures around 6am while the injured truck driver Sekendar Bepari, 42, died later that morning around 9am. The third driver, Shamsur Rahman Samsu, 55, died around 3pm.

Samsu was travelling to Panchagarh from Sirajganj with fertiliser. His truck was attacked and set on fire by hartal activists when he stopped near the Bogra-Shahjahanpur road on Wednesday night.

Samanta Lal Shen, director of Burn and Plastic Surgery unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) said they

tried their utmost to save the victims but the patients were in critical conditions.

Nazrul had 65% burns after Jamaat-Shibir activists set fire to his bus near Gazipur bypass area as he was taking a bus full of passengers to Dhaka on Wednesday.

Later in the evening, Sekendar received 52% burns when Jamaat-Shibir activists set fire to his truck in Comilla’s Chouddogram when he was on his way to Chittagong from Dhaka.

Nazrul’s wife Sabina was wailing as she came to receive her husband’s body from the hospital while Sekender’s brother looked stricken when he received the body.

Chouddogram police filed cases against 59 Jamaat-Shibir activists, and Joydebpur police lodged cases against 16 Jamaat-Shibir activists. 

Even Hasina cannot reach Ashraf PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

Seeing Ashraf coming, Hasina told party Presidium member Kazi Zafarullah: “See, he has come today to attend the meeting as I scolded him yesterday!”

However, after some time Ashraf sought Hasina’s permission to leave the meeting because of “fever.”

Hasina asked him to stay because she wanted to talk with him. But Ashraf left Ganabhaban as soon as the meeting ended without talking with Hasina, a party leader told the Dhaka Tribune.

Ashraf was not in the country when Hasina met with leaders from his own district Kishoreganj. Meeting sources said the grassroots leaders had expressed resentment at Ashraf’s absence both at the meeting and in his own constituency. However, they still preferred Ashraf as the party candidate in the upcoming national polls.

Ashraf went to London on August 25 and returned home on September 15 although he had promised to return before the start of the ongoing session of parliament on September 12, sources said.

The Awami League second-in-com-

mand has spent almost all days in his official residence on Bailey Road since his return.

The resentment of the grassroots and central party leaders against Ashraf escalated after the wide-margin defeat of the Awami League in the Gazipur mayoral polls as the party had already conceded consecutive loss in four other city corporation elections.

Syed Ashraf had no visible role in these elections to the Barisal, Rajshahi, Sylhet, Khulna and Gazipur city corporations.

There was a rumour at that time about Ashraf’s resignation, which he dismissed. But then the party seemed divided over his role – one group blamed him for failing to infuse dynamism in the organisation and the other favoured giving him the chance to complete his tenure as the general secretary.

At a meeting of the Awami League Parliamentary Party at Ganabhaban on July 16, some party lawmakers demanded that Hasina remove Ashraf.

Dhaka Tribune tried to get Ashraf’s comment, but he did not receive calls when he was contacted several times. 

to DMCH in critical condition at around 11:45am where the on-duty doctors declared her dead.

Soon after Ayesha’s death, Farid fled the hospital, said Mozammel Haque, inspector of DMCH police outpost.

Mohamamd Dulal, 25, fell from an under-construction building of Robi Builders of 6/2/1/2 on Navana Road in Kalyanpur of Mirpur area.

Mizanur Rahman, sub-inspector of Mirpur police station, said the body was sent to DMCH morgue and an unnatural death case was filed with the police station.

Mohammad Mamun, 27, died after falling from the 7th floor of a garment factory established near Gate No. 1 of BGB headquarters in Pilkhana.

Besides, Mohammad Iddris, 14, a waiter of a secretariat road hotel, was electrocuted.

The victim hailed from Nurpur village of Lakhali of Habiganj district. 

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Government Submit DNA report may opt for TAZREEN FASHIONS FIRE

by October 1: HC  Tribune report

The High Court has given police eight more days for submitting the DNA test reports of the family members of the 25 unidentified workers who died in the Tazreen garment factory fire.

The HC bench of Justice Quazi Reza-Ul Hoque and Justice ABM Altaf Hossain yesterday also directed the Health Department’s director general to shift victim Sumaya, who is now suffering from cancerous tumour in her brain, to Dhaka Medical College Hospital from the United Hospital within 72 hours.

At least 111 people were killed and many injured in the fire at Tazreen Fashions last year. Anthropologists Naznin Akter Banu, Saydia Gulrukh Kamal and Mahmudul Hasan Sumon submitted to the HC the names of 25 victims who had not been included in the official list. 

BGMEA seeks security  Tribune Report

State Minister for Home Affairs Shamsul Huq Tuku yesterday assured the BGMEA of deploying law enforcement agencies to avert untoward incidents in the RMG factories.

The assurance came after a BGMEA team led by its acting President SM Mannan Kochi met Shamsul Huq Tuku and Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan Monday night.

“We want security for our work.

We need cooperation of the workers’ unions,” said SM Mannan Kochi.

The appeal for cooperation came

at a time when workers’ unions are threatening to continue demonstration for their wage hike.

“We demanded Tk8000 as minimum wage for the garment workers.

We don’t support violence,” said Montu Ghose, a rights activist.

After a tripartite meeting earlier, Shipping Minister Shahjahan Khan said outsiders instigated workers to deteriorate the situation. He said the final pay structure would be set through negotiation.”

At the meeting, Labour and Employment Secretary Mikail Shipar, BGMEA Vice-President Shahidullah Azim, and union leaders were present. 

RMG workers agitate for wage PAGE 1 COLUMN 3

and looted eight rifles and 135 bullets, leaving four .Ansar members injured.

The attackers, whom the Ansar authorities described as outsiders, later set fire to four of the arms on the camp ground.

Four other rifles were later found in roadside shrubs and bushes, said Ansar and Village Defence Party (VDP) officer of Gazipur Sadar upazila Noor Mohammad.

But the bullets remained missing.

Our Gazipur correspondent reports: Workers of Rose Knitting and Sumon Textile Limited went to an adjacent RMG unit – Colosus Apparel Limited – and asked their fellows to come out after 8am. They jointly attacked the nearby Ansar camp with sticks and bamboo and looted the rifles and bullets.

Apan Mollah, commander of the camp, and three of his colleagues – Alamgir Hossain, Mahalam and Abu Raihan – were injured in the attack.

The violence on street had started around 8:30am when over 10,000 workers of different garment factories equipped with sticks and bamboo had gathered on the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway in Tongi, police said.

The angry workers vandalised at least 100 vehicles at Chandona, Bhogra, Bason, Borobari and Pagarh on Dhaka-Mymensingh highway and Konabari on Dhaka-Tangail highway, said Iqbal Hossain, sergeant of Naojor Highway Police.

Six policemen were among 35 people injured in clashes in Karnapara, Ulail and Savar bus stand areas on Dhaka-Aricha highway and at least five buses were damaged. Authorities an-

nounced suspension of work at 11 factories, industrial police said.

Moniruzzaman, a sub-inspector of Tongi police station, said the law enforcers were compelled to charge truncheons and fire teargas shells, rubber bullets and gunshots on the agitating workers in a bid to free the highway.

The clash left more than 100 workers injured.

According to police and witnesses, 17 of the injured workers were rushed to Tongi Upazila Health Complex.

Among them, 12 were shifted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital in critical condition.

In the capital, workers from several factories gathered at the Nabisco crossing in Tejgaon area and hurled bricks at the roadside factories. They also torched two microbuses and a motorcycle parked in front of the Ha-Meem Group factory gate.

Agitating workers vandalised at least four vehicles on the Tejgaon-Gulshan Link Road, halting traffic in the adjacent areas during morning rush hours.

Police fired 20 rounds from shotgun and lobbed teargas shells to bring the situation under control, said Mohammad Moniruzzaman, officer-in-charge of Tejgaon Industrial Area police station.

At Mohakhali garment workers of some 15 apparel factories blocked road and vandalised a number of vehicles at Amtoli intersection. Five sustained injuries during the clash with police, said OC of Mohakhali Police Camp Mahbub Hasan.

Workers also blocked roads at Badda in the capital. 

PAGE 1 COLUMN 3

AMA Muhith, Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr Atiur Rahman and senior officials of ministries of agriculture and power, Economic Relations Division, National Board of Revenue and Planning Division.

A finance division official said the government has not been able to issue $500m foreign currency bonds with its tenure nears ending, prompting it to go for the alternative of the hard-term loans.

He said the Awami League-led alliance government had wanted to show bright picture of development ahead of the general elections.

The technical committee on non concessional loans at its meeting advised the ERD to try to increase the grant element of the hard-term loans from 30% to 35%. The duration and grace period of the loans would have to be increased through negotiations with the development partners.

The technical committee decided not to issue an international sovereign bond as the present government had not enough time for documentation, tendering process and other necessary preparations. 

BNP lands on a new strategic programme PAGE 1 COLUMN 3

to intimidate the government; rather, they believe that Dhaka, the centre of all economic and administrative activities, must be quarantined to make the government feel vulnerable.

A senior leader said the 40 strategic points would be on those routes that connected the capital with the other divisional headquarters, namely Chittagong, Khulna, Barisal, Sylhet, Rajshahi and Ranpur.

Initially, the plan is to block those 40 points; but as people’s participation increases, more similar strategic points will be included in the plan.

Based on their experiences from 1996 and 2006, BNP believe that the administration and police tend to be less compliant during the last days of a government. The party now wants to take advantage of that situation as they believe that law enforcers will be less strict after October 25.

Sources said eight separate teams, headed by the senior leaders, would keep a close watch on these points.

Standing committee member and seasoned politician Tariqul Islam, who has the experience of being part of such allout movements, would be coordinating the programme.

Party chief Khaleda Zia will oversee and monitor the overall movement, sources said.

“I am not disclosing the movement strategy as yet. But this much I can tell you that we will do whatever it takes.

We will keep people in our steps because we know what they expect,” Goyeshwar Chandra Roy, a standing committee member, told the Dhaka Tribune.

The ongoing session of parliament, which is also its last, will end on October 24. On that count, if the government is to meet BNP’s demand for caretaker government, the constitution has to be amended within that date.

The opposition party has braced itself for giving the government till then to bring back the caretaker system. In the meantime, Khaleda Zia will be addressing rallies in Khulna and Sylhet to drum up anti-government sentiment. 

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

3

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

BNP blames AL for ‘foiling’ UN initiative  Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

The main opposition BNP blames the ruling Awami League for not responding positively to the United Nations initiative to resolve the existing political crisis in the country which, it says, made the effort gone in vain.

BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir yesterday said when UN Secretary-General Ban Kimoon during his conversation had proposed a dialogue between the two parties at the UN, party Chairperson Khaleda Zia had given consent to such arrangement.

“But on September 10, UN Assistant Secretary-General for political affairs Oscar Fernandez-Taranco phoned our Vice-Chairman Shamsher Mobin Chowdhury and informed him that the Awami League had not responded to the call,” Fakhrul told journalists at the party’s Nayapaltan headquarters.

He also claimed that Bangladesh Permanent Representative to the UN AK Abdul Momen’s statement that the BNP had not been invited by the UN was not true.

“He is spreading confusion. Mr Momen did not present the issue prop-

HC stops 5000 appointments in health sector  Nazmus Sakib The High Court yesterday suspended appointment of more than five thousand employees of third and fourth grade in the health sector.

The HC bench of Justice Farah Mahbub and Justice AKM Zahirul Hoque halted the appointment process for three months following two separate petitions filed in this regard. Besides, it also issued a rule as to why the appointment process should not be scrapped.

Seven including the secretaries of health and public administration ministries, director generals of the health and family planning departments have to respond to the rule.

The health department issued a job circular for 915 posts at the Daily Ittefaq on November 22, 2012. The Family Planning department on March 21 published a recruitment circular for 4,294 posts in its website.

Supreme Court lawyer Aftab Uddin Siddique and two job candidates named Tariqul Islam and Abdullah-Hill Mahbub recently lodged the writ petitions claiming that there were irregularities in the recruitment process. 

DCC polls not possible now: Shah Newaz  Mohammad Zakaria Election Commissioner Md Shah Newaz yesterday said it would be impossible for the Election Commission to hold the local government elections including the much-awaited split Dhaka City Corporation polls ahead of the next parliamentary elections.

The commission cannot hold the split city corporations’ election as the Local Government and Rural Development Ministry did not delimit three wards in Sultanganj under the Dhaka South City Corporation, he told reporters at his office.

However, the commissioner said the EC could not prepare the voter list of Sultanganj as the LGRD Ministry did not solve the complexity.

The ministry informed the EC that it would be impossible to delimit the wards within the shortest time, he also said.

“The commission cannot hold the election as it is under the LGRD Ministry. If the ministry did not want, the commission would not hold the polls.

As per the laws, the commission is just holding the elections,” he added.

About sending letter to the political parties, Election Commissioner Md Shah Newaz said it was a routine work. “The secretariat is concerned about the matter. I could not say about it,” he added.

About Bangladesh Nationalist Front, Shah Newaz said the EC did not give time to the emerging party third time violating the laws. The EC decided to reinvestigate the investigation report of the party as it opposed.

However, he said the commission would decide about giving registration of new political parties at the end of this month. 

erly before the nation,” Fakhrul said.

He urged the government to come forward to resolve the crisis: “We still believe that good sense will prevail and the government will bring a bill on polls-time interim government in the current session of parliament.”

The BNP leader warned that the government would have to take responsibility for any untoward situation in case it did not meet the demand.

Regarding the prime minister’s UN visit, Fakhrul said: “The prime minister has gone to the United Nations with a large entourage. She will hold a meeting with the UN secretary-general. We hope that the prime minister will take initiatives and also be cordial to resolve the prevailing crisis.”

Fakhrul said the people of the country expected that the government would take initiatives to hold an inclusive election under a non-partisan interim government.

Asked if the BNP would place any bill on the interim government in parliament, he said: “We do not see any rationality of doing so. We have repeatedly urged the government to hold a dialogue but it has not paid any heed.” 

Jamaat-e-Islami’s student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir activists assault law enforcers as their procession was halted in New Market area of the city yesterday

JAMAAT-SHIBIR ATTACK

60 including 13 policemen injured across the country  Tribune Report Activists of Islami Chhatra Shibir, student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, yesterday clashed with police across the capital and different districts in the country leaving around 60 people including 13 policemen injured.

During the clashes, police fired gunshots and teargas canisters alongside charging batons while Shibir men vandalised a large number of vehicles, exploded crude bombs and threw brick chips at the lawmen, who detained around 15 Shibir men.

The clashes took places when the Shibir men brought out processions as part of their earlier scheduled programme to stage demonstrations protesting the Supreme Court and the International Crimes Tribunal verdict against Jamaat leaders in connection with war crimes.

In capital: The Shibir men clashed with the police in Elephant Road, New Market and Jatrabari areas where around 15 people, including two policemen, were injured and some 10 Shibir men detained.

The clashes left the transport movement on the roads in the area suspended for around one hour creating traffic jam and panic among the commuters, witnesses said.

According to witnesses, the first

clash took place in New Elephant Road around 2pm and then New Market and Jatrabari around 2pm when around 20 vehicles were damaged and some 20 crude bombs exploded.

“Police went into action charging batons to disperse the unruly Shibir men who damaged vehicles, exploded bombs that created traffic jam and panic among commuters,” said Yiasir Arafat, officer-in-charge of New Market police station.

In Feni: At least 15 people including six policemen were injured in a clash between police and Shibir men at Sonagai upazila of the district. At least 10 vehicles were damaged. During the clash, chases and counter chases took place among them turning the area into a battle field and forcing the business establishments shut around 1pm.

Subhash Chandra Paul, OC of Sonagazi police station, said Shibir brought out a procession despite restriction and at least six policemen were injured in the clash. On the other hand, Sonagazi Jamaat Chief Md Mostofa said police meddled with their peaceful procession leaving at least 10 of them injured.

In Chandpur: A clash between police and Shibir men in the town left at least 10 people injured while five of the Shibir men were detained.

The clash took place in the bus terminal area around 10 when police

War crimes case against Nizami accelerated  Udisa Islam The war crimes tribunal has so far recorded testimony of 25 witnesses out of 107 listed in the case against Jamaat-e-Islami chief Motiur Rahman Nizami of who eight gave their deposition this month.

The prosecution said they would place Investigation Officer of the case Abdur Razzaque Khan tomorrow, which means he would be the last prosecution witness to testify against Nizami.

The tribunal on August 28 granted a prosecution plea to include five new witnesses, putting the number to 107 Yesterday, two seizer list witnesses gave their depositions and were cross examined. They are Ejab Uddin, assistant librarian of Bangla Academy, and Swapan Kumar Saha, keeper of history and classical section of National Museum.

As the International Crimes Tribunal 1 headed by Justice ATM Fazle Kabir set the whole day yesterday for Nizami trial, two other cases in the cause list were deferred.

Nizami was indicted on May 28 last year, the same day when the charges against death-row convict Jamaat lead-

er Abdul Quader Molla were framed.

Deposition of witnesses in Nizami case began on July 22 the same year.

The tribunal on August 28 granted a prosecution plea to include five new witnesses, putting the number to 107.

However, it expressed resentment over the prosecution’s delaying the proceedings by adding more witnesses. It also ordered that the case proceedings would be held every working day.

After yesterday’s proceedings, the tribunal set today for defence hearing on charge framing against Jamaat leader ATM Azharul Islam.

This is for the second time the tribunal deferred the indictment hearing.

The prosecution ended their hearing on September 3.

The tribunal on July 25 took the charges into cognisance against the Jamaat assistant secretary general.

The prosecution pressed six charges of crimes against humanity Azhar had allegedly committed in Rangpur during the 1971 Liberation War. Meanwhile, the tribunal deferred deposition of the 11th prosecution witness in the case against accused Mobarak Ali alias Mobarak Hossain to September 29.

Mobarak is accused of five charges of crimes against humanity that include murder, torture and abduction in Akhaura of Brahmanbaria. 

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Huda dissolves BNF, Jahanara says he cannot  Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

the EC informing his decision.

After being expelled from the BNP, Huda, the youngest member of BNP’s first standing committee, announced forming the BNF in August 2011.

BNF applied for EC’s registration with the symbol of “sheaf of wheat,” which is very much similar to the BNP’s “sheaf of paddy.” BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia protested the EC’s move to register the party.

Also a former communications minister during the BNP’s 1991-06 government, Huda’s expulsion was later withdrawn.

In June last year, he resigned from the party, but later claimed that he had withdrawn the resignation letter and he was still with the BNP. Yesterday, he said: “In 2012, I appointed Abul Kalam Azad as the chief coordinator of the BNF. But unfortunately he engaged in conspiracy to weaken the nationalist force.”

On the 10th national elections, he urged the prime minister to dissolve parliament before the next polls and also called for restructuring the EC in consultation with the leader of the opposition.

He said everyone including the United Nation wanted to see an inclusive election except for India. “I hope that India will extend its support to the demand of participatory election and play an important role in putting pressure on the incumbent government.” 

fired 14 rounds of bullets apart from charging batons.

In Satkhira: Jamaat and Shibir men brought a procession in the judge court area of the town and exploded several crude bombs causing a panic among the locals.

OC Shahjahan Ali of the Sadar police station said the Jamaat-Shibir men fled the scene before police reached the spot.

In Sylhet: Jamaat-Shibir men beat up a policeman and vandalised at least 12 vehicles in the city’s Bandarbazar area from where police detained 16 Jamaat-Shibir men, reports UNB. The victim was identified as Humayun, a sub-inspector of Shahporan police station. Witnesses said about 60-70 Jamaat-Shibir activists brought out a procession from the area around 10am as part of their central programme.

As the procession reached Karim Ullah Market the unruly activists beat up SI Humayun mercilessly and vandalised his motorbike. Later, they vandalised 12 other vehicles.

In Rajshahi: At least 10 people, including two policemen, were injured as Jamaat-Shibir activists clashed with police at Sahebbazar of the city.

Shibir brought out a procession in the area around 11am when they hurled two crude bombs and brick chips at police leading to a clash while the lawmen fired rubber bullets and tear shells. 

Former BNP leader Nazmul Huda yesterday dissolved the much-debated Bangladesh Nationalist Front (BNF) and urged the Election Commission not to register the party.

“I am requesting the Election Commission to cancel BNF’s registration.

As its convener, I am withdrawing the application submitted to the commission,” Huda told reporters at his office in the capital.

Few weeks earlier he claimed that he had no connection with the BNF as he had been expelled from the party.

Jahanara Begum, co-chairman of the BNF, claimed that Huda had no right to say anything about the BNF as “he is not a member of the party.”

Contacted, Jahanara last night told the Dhaka Tribune: “Who is Huda? He is not in the party. He was expelled.

[So] he has no right to say anything about the BNF’s registration. His name was not mentioned in the application which we submitted to the Election Commission.”

At the press conference, Huda said: “I reinforced BNF as a political party to uphold the ideology of my leader Ziaur Rahman. But now the chief coordinator of the party Abul Kalam Azad destroyed the spirit and trying to divert it in a different way. This is why I dissolved the BNF.” Huda said he would send a letter to

Immigration clearance for Maldives blocked  Rabiul Islam

Closing arguments begin in Mueen-Ashraf case

The government has halted issuance of immigration clearance to Bangladeshis who aspire to go to Maldives for doing jobs, said officials of Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET).

“We have taken the decision as our workers do not get jobs after going there,” BMET director general Begum Shamsun Nahar told the Dhaka Tribune over phone yesterday. She also said the number of Bangladeshi nationals have reached to the maximum limit in Maldives which is a small country.

While talking to the Dhaka Tribune at his office on Sunday, Bangladesh Migrant Welfare Society executive director Haroon-or Rashid said a section of unscrupulous recruiting agencies send workers to Maldives but after few months they had to return empty handed.

BMET director (immigration) Abdul Latif Khan, however, claimed that incidents of cheating are minor in number.

“We have knowledge of one or two cases out of 100 migrants but they did not complain to us,” Latif told the Dhaka Tribune at his office on Sunday.

During the current year, about 8,000 Bangladeshi workers have gone to the Maldives, according to BMET statistics.

BMET data says about 28,000 Bangladeshi workers have so far gone to the Maldives since 1976. 

The prosecution yesterday started placing closing arguments in the war crimes case against alleged al-Badr leaders Chowdhury Mueen Uddin and Ashrafuzzaman Khan.

Prosecutor Shahidur Rahman told the International Crimes Tribunal 2 that Mueen had been “operation-in-charge” of para militia force al-Badr, which was formed with the members of Islami Chhatra Sangha – then student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, while Ashraf played the role of “chief executor.”

The fugitive accused had played key role in the killing of intellectuals just before the country’s independence. They were executing the plan of the Pakistani

 Muktasree Chakma Sathi

occupation army which aimed at crippling the nation by eliminating the most meritorious citizens, he added.

Later, Shahidur submitted arguments on charge six that says from around 8-9:45am on December 13, 1971, a number of armed persons including Mueen and Ashraf abducted a number of intellectuals from the Dhaka University campus.

The prosecutor named the intellectuals and said martyred Prof Gias Uddin, physician Golam Mortuza, and intellectuals Abul Khayer and Dr Fazle Muhi were among them.

Defence counsel Abdus Shukur Khan and Salma Hye Tuni were present at the tribunal. The tribunal set today for further procedure of the case. 

4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Metro rail project getting final shape

Sea-netting project sees no headway

The communication ministry is set to appoint consultant for the Tk220bn work, which will be opened by prime minister ‘soon’  Our Correspondent, Cox’s Bazar A Japanese company, Nippon Koei cy, preparing detailed designs and con- The government initiative to put safety should not be disclosed publicly.”  Mohosinul Karim Meanwhile, the communication Ltd, is apparently on the top of the list struction of the rail network. nets around Cox’s Bazar beach areas, The government is likely to finalise the appointment of a consulting firm for the Dhaka Metro Rail Project, with the target of starting its work from next month.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to lay a foundation stone for the project at Uttara soon. The date will be fixed after the PM returns from New York next week.

MAN Siddique, secretary of the communication ministry’s roads division, told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday that the ministry had finalised preparations for laying the foundation of the construction work.

The secretary, however, declined to disclose the name of the probable consulting firm, saying: “It is yet to be finalised. We will finalise it before arranging the foundation stone setting ceremony. Before getting approval of the (cabinet) purchase committee, it

ministry is in the final stage of appointing a consulting firm for the project at an estimated cost of Tk9.3bn.

We have already acquired 14.5 acres of land in Uttara from Rajuk for construction of a metro rail depot. The main construction work will begin in the 2017-18 fiscal year The total expenditure for constructing the nearly 20km metro rail line in the capital has been estimated at Tk220bn.

According to sources at the ministry and Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA), the consulting firm will be selected by a technical committee from seven international organisations that bid for the position.

as the lowest, and the best qualified bidder fulfilling the government’s conditions.

The DTCA has begun analysing the financial proposal of the company, the sources said. After scrutiny by the technical committee, it will be sent to the cabinet committee on public purchases for approval.

According to DTCA officials, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) on September 3 gave its approval to appoint Nippon Koei as the consulting firm for the metro rail project.

The chosen consulting firm will prepare a detailed design, supervise the construction work and supply the equipment and rolling stocks for the project. It will also monitor and work to improve the management of the mass rapid transit system, they added.

Of the total expenditure, JICA will provide about Tk166bn for consultan-

The Bangladesh government will finance the remaining Tk54bn for land acquisition, rehabilitation of displaced residents and other relevant works.

The metro rail, consisting of high speed electric trains with engines in the front and back, will run from Uttara to Motijheel every 20 minutes, carrying at least 60,000 passengers every hour.

“We have already acquired 14.5 acres (5.9 hectares) of land in Uttara from Rajuk for construction of a metro rail depot. The main construction work will begin in the 2017-18 fiscal year,” a DTCA official said.

The project will be implemented in three phases. A portion from Pallabi to Hotel Sonargaon is expected to start operation in the first phase in 2019. The second portion from Hotel Sonargaon to Motijheel is likely to start in 2020, while the final part from Uttara to Pallabi in 2021. 

crowded by tourists and sea-swimmers, has long been stuck in a bureaucratic bottleneck.

The plan to install safety netting was hailed by experts who believed it would not also increase security of visiting tourists but also make the beachcentric tourism industry more viable.

Each year, large numbers of tourists from home and abroad visit Cox’s Bazar to spend their holidays. Swimming remains a popular leisure activity despite occasional reports of drowning and near-drowning.

In order to make swimming more secure, the government had undertaken the project to put up nets at four key points of the seashore - Laboni point, Diabetic Hospital, Kolatoli and Seagull point.

However, since its initiation, there has been little headway in the project despite several attempts by the dis-

Entrepreneurial talent hunt begins

Sabirul Islam

 Tazlina Zamila Khan The entrepreneurship week 2013, that’s aim to provide an opportunity to young entrepreneurs and inspire to engage in entrepreneurial activity, has started from yesterday.

The week was launched with a motivational workshop on “Creating 2000 entrepreneurs from across the country in 2013.”

Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI), Junior Chamber International (JCI) and Bangladesh Association for software and Information Services (BASIS) organised the workshop at Daffodil International University’s auditorium in capital’s Sobhanbagh.

At the workshop, Sabur Khan, president of the DCCI has officially declared an entrepreneurship week starting from September 23 to September 30.

DCCI in association with Bangladesh Bank has come forward to create 2000 new entrepreneurs in 2013.

Young people of the country, who are enthusiastic about business or dreaming to become an entrepreneur

WEATHER

Temperature unlikely to change  UNB Light to moderate rain or thundershowers accompanied by temporary gusty wind is likely to occur at a few places over Rangpur, Rajshahi, Dhaka, Khulna, Barisal, Chittagong and Sylhet divisions in 24 hours till 6pm today.

Moderately heavy falls are also likely at places over the country, Met Office said. Day and night temperature may remain nearly unchanged over the country.

The sun sets in the capital at 5:53pm today and rises at 5:49 am tomorrow.

Country’s highest temperature 36.7 degree Celsius was recorded today at Rajshahi and lowest 24.4 degrees at Rangamati.

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

High

Low

Dhaka Chittagong Rajshahi Rangpur Khulna Barisal Sylhet Cox’s Bazar

34.2 33.2 36.7 35.2 34.8 35.0 35.8 33.0

27.2 27.5 26.8 27.4 26.5 26.6 27.5 26.5

one day, are invited to submit their innovative projects in DCCI’s website by September 30 to take part in ‘Entrepreneurship and Innovation Expo-2013’.

After primary selection of innovative ideas or projects from 64 districts, finally 2000 selected projects will be exhibited in a two-day-long exposition named ‘Entrepreneurship and Innovation Expo 2013.’

The exhibition will be held in capital’s Bangabandhu International Conference Center from November 1 to November 2. Sabirul Islam, a young entrepreneur, who is also an author and a global speaker, delivered his speech as a key speaker at the inaugural programme of the week to motivate the young generation for becoming a successful entrepreneurs.

The young entrepreneur’s bestselling book ‘The World at Your Feet’ has created a board game- ‘Teen-Trepreneur’ at the age of 18 for teaching the young generation the basic of business.

Students of 650 schools of United Kingdom have been playing the game as a part of their school syllabus.

He said: “Money was not all too difficult to make in modern day society. The real challenge was to be able to make a difference.” Sabirul said he came to Bangladesh to encourage young people to believe in living a life with purpose, meaning and valuing legacy.

Vice Chancellor of Daffodil International University Dr M Lutfar Rahman, Junior Chamber International’s President Mustafizur Rahman Sohel spoke at the programme. 

10 hurt in clash  Our Correspondent, Narayanganj At least ten people were injured and four others went missing in a clash at Bhatibandh area in the river Meghna under Sonargon police station in Narayanganj yesterday.

Injured Masud Rana said a dredger and three bulkhead started lifting sand from the river Meghna at Bhatibandh spot at11pm. The villagers got out and obstacle them but the sand lifters attacked on the villagers.

Sub-Inspector of Shonargaon police station Azizul Islam said the sand lifters might have picked them up. 

1,000 overseas job seekers registered  Tribune Report

Traders of Karwan Bazar attack RMG workers after they came out of a factory which was shut in fear of violence

4:33am 5:47am 11:51pm 4:12pm 5:53pm 7:08pm

Source: IslamicFinder.org

MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Around 1,000 workers from Dhaka and Barisal divisions have registered their names for foreign jobs till yesterday.

Of them, 8,352 aspirant workers were registered in Dhaka and the remaining workers were registered in Barisal till 5pm yesterday, said officials.

Institute of Information and Communication Technology (IICT) of Bangladesh University of Engineering Technology is providing technical assistance to Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training for conducting the online registration across the country.

The IICT Director Saiful Islam told the Dhaka Tribune that number of workers would be increased gradually.

He said there were password problems at few centres on the opening day and later the problems were solved.

The registration will be held gradually in other divisions. 

Favourable conditions elude civil society: Report  Tribune Report

A new index published yesterday by the global civil society network, CIVICUS, shows that many governments around the world are failing to keep their pledges to create an environment that allows citizens to mobilise and participate in civil society.

“Despite countless promises from governments that they will protect civil society, the majority of citizens around the world live in environments in which they do not have the capacity to participate freely and fully in the activities, organisations and movements that seek to better their lives and improve their societies,” CIVICUS Secretary-General Danny Sriskandarajah said in a statement.

The CIVICUS “Enabling Environment Index” (EEI) is the first rigorous attempt to measure and compare the conditions that affect the potential of citizens to participate in civil society. It ranks the governance, socio-cultural and socio-economic environments for civil society in 109 countries, according to a press release.

TOP 10 EEI scores Rank

Country

1

Bottom 10 EEI scores

EEI score

Rank

Country

EEI score

New Zealand

0.87

100

Vietnam

0.37

2

Canada

0.85

101

Angola

0.37

3

Australia

0.84

102

Ethiopia

0.36

4

Denmark

0.81

103

Zimbabwe

0.35

5

Norway

0.80

104

Guinea

0.35

6

Netherlands

0.79

105

The Gambia

0.32

7

Switzerland

0.79

106

Burundi

0.31

8

Iceland

0.79

107

Iran

0.31

9

Sweden

0.79

108

Uzbekistan

0.29

10

USA

0.79

109

DRC

0.26

Evidence from around the world suggests that the conditions for civil society are far from perfect. Bangladesh is not mentioned in the list.

New Zealand tops the list, followed

by Canada, Australia, Denmark and Norway, while the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has the worst rated EEI, followed by Uzbekistan, Iran, Burundi and the Gambia.

“It is worrying that countries such as Ethiopia (8th lowest) and

Vietnam (10th lowest), which have received substantial development assistance and are often praised by the international community for their economic performance, have such poor environments for civil society. Either donor governments and financial institutions have not found ways to improve conditions for a vibrant civil society or are actively turning a blind eye to repressive measures,” the statement says.

“The three worst ranking African countries – DRC, Burundi and the Gambia – are heavily dependent on aid flows. This means that donors have an important lever to improve conditions if they chose to use it, whether it is by working with governments or by directly supporting local civil society,” stated Sriskandarajah.

Co-author of the report, CIVICUS Research Officer Ciana-Marie Pegus cautions that the EEI currently has limitations as it looks at long-term factors that create the conditions for healthy citizen engagement, and is not necessarily indicative of current events.

“There certainly is no civil society utopia. In many countries with high EEI scores, we have seen recent funding cuts for civil society and instances of repression in others. For example, in Canada, which ranks second on the EEI, government-civil society relations have been strained due to reports of active undermining of sections of civil society,” said Pegus.

The world alliance for citizen participation is based in Johannesburg, South Africa. 

Smaller parties call for restoration of caretaker system for credible polls  Anisur Rahman Swapan, Barisal

PRAYER TIMES Fajar Sunrise Zohr Asr Magrib Esha

trict’s successive deputy commissioners – namely Sajjadul Islam, Md Gias Uddin Ahmed and Md Joynul Bari.

“Every now and then we have reports of tourists drowning or nearly drowning because of the absence of an effective system to eliminate dangers on their lives. Safety nets in seawater could be very a life-saver,” Abu Morshed Chowdhury Khoka, president of Cox’s Bazar Civil Society, said.

Noted educationist Prof Shomeswar Chakravarti also expressed his concern over the delay in project implementation.

“Sea-netting can be found in many countries including India, South Africa, Australia, West Indies and Sri Lanka.

The system has been proved effective in those countries. I don’t know what’s keeping our administration from following a similar path,” he said.

In this regard, the current deputy commissioner of Cox’s Bazar, Md Ruhul Amin, said plans were underway to expedite the process in implementing the project. 

Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal yesterday brings out a procession in the city’s Shahbagh, calling for the long march beginning today in protest against the construction of power plant in Rampal RAJIB DHAR

An alliance of smaller parties at a public meeting in Barisal yesterday demanded restoration of the caretaker government system for holding free and fair elections.

Leaders of the five-party alliance, named Jatiya Sarthey Jatiya Oikker Lokkhey (national unity for national interest) called for a referendum on restoring the caretaker system. They also vowed to resist any general elections held under the ruling party.

AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury, chairperson of Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh and a former president of the country, said elections should be conducted freely and fairly by restoring the caretaker government system in the constitution.

Badruddoza said the present govern-

ment failed to rule the country and had politicised every sphere of administration, judiciary and law enforcement, as well as the Anti-Corruption Commission and the Election Commission.

Kamal Hossain, president of Gano Forum, said Sheihk Hasina’s role was controversial as she came to power through the caretaker government system, and then abolished it to stay in power for ever.

“People should not surrender to the whim of a single person,” he said.

“There is no instance in the democratic world about elections under ruling party without dissolving the parliament, and people will resist such kind of elections,” he added.

Kader Siddiqui, president of Krishak Sramik Janata League, said Hasina had launched the movement for the caretaker system, but now she was acting

like a mother willing to kill her own child for power and self-interest.

“We should not play any political game on a non-level playing field under Sheikh Hasina as the referee, because the country and its people are not safe under her leadership,” he said.

Mahmudur Rahman Manna, convener of Nagorik Oikya, said both the leaders of the opposition and the ruling party had declared war on each other, so a third-force was needed to stabilise the nation and run the country smoothly.

Manna was hopeful of the alliance fielding candidates in all 300 seats of the Jatiyo Sangsad.

ASM Abdur Rab, president of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, cautioned Hasina against arranging the elections without dissolving parliament, saying it would be a sure way for her ouster. 

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Long Form

5

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

Who am I? The Bangali v Bangladeshi debate in simple terms

 Raihana Shams Islam

A

strange debate has been the source of my life-long exasperation. Are we Bangali or Bangladeshi?

I used to find my smart, “enlightened” school-friends putting all their cards on the table to “win” the identity debate. Not being on the enlightened side, I found it annoying and ridiculous then, and I still feel the same way.

Why can’t I be both? In fact, I am both, no matter what any erudite intellectual wants me to believe. I was born a Bangali. And as I am a fortunate citizen of Bangladesh, my nationality is bound to be Bangladeshi; just as the nationality of a Bangali from Kolkata is Indian. With respect to my Indian-Bangali friend I am a Bangladeshi-Bangali, while with regard to my Chakma-Bangladeshi brethren, I am nothing but a Bangali-Bangladeshi.

I fail to see why there must be a scuffle on this point. These two identities have been hijacked by two opposite factions of our politically bipolar country, making this debate all the more intense and complex. But why should I give away the patent of my identity to anyone’s political avail?

My cultural heritage says I am, undeniably, a Bangali and my nationality just ought to be Bangladeshi. If they are to be mutually exclusive, then my identity remains incomplete.

My donning of hijab stems from my own religious conviction.

But has my head-cover also veiled my Bangali self?

Most recently, though not entirely unique to this point in time, another dimension has been added to this issue. A Bangali/Muslim debate. It appears as if a practising Muslim cannot live compatibly with his/her Bangali identity! An artificial conflict is being orchestrated between Islamic tradition and Bangali culture.

This debate is even stranger and more unnatural because most other nations in this world possess such dual identities, as they should. One would struggle to find a nation totally devoid of religious influences of some sort, but religion itself can hardly stand on its own.

There is always a superposition of

I believe I am a natural fusion of my faith and my culture; both are intricately inter-twined in me. If an artificial rift is created between my identities, it will only serve to tear me apart

religious beliefs unto a local ethno-cultural framework. The successful fusion of the two is paramount to the smooth progression of human races. No one in this world can be only Muslim (or Hindu, Buddhist, Christian etc); he/she would also have an ethnic identity.

This ethnicity bears in itself food habit, clothing, language, culture, human relationship and everyday lifestyle. Faith and religious practices are set upon this ethnic lineage to bring out the best in human behaviour.

Religiosity refines, reforms and ameliorates people’s habitual and spiritual lives. An Arab Muslim, a Bangali Muslim and an American Muslim are never the same.

But a practising Muslim also observes some scriptural rules and guidance, based purely on his/her faith, which remain unmodified irrespective of country, creed, culture or time, for example, wearing hijab or keeping a beard. It’s true that neither all Muslim women wear hijabs nor do all Muslim men have beards. However, every Muslim who is respectful to his/ her faith, recognises and honours the statuses of hijab and beard (and many other things) in Islam.

Is there any conflict between these religious practices and our Bangali heritage? First of all, who is a Bangali?

Someone who speaks Bangla and is, most probably, born in this country or in West Bengal (or at least, has forefathers who had inhabited these lands).

This much is straightforward.

What else? What are the conditions or pre-conditions that define a Bangali? I am not an anthropologist and I struggle at this point. But I believe one very basic characteristic would be our common food habits.

We, the Bangalis, are famous for our love for rice (although, in no way can we exclude anyone if he/she is not too keen on rice!).

This has been true for as long as these lands have remained agricultural. I think most of us would be left discontented if we could not eat rice and curry with our hands. There is absolutely no difference between a devout bearded peasant and an urban

secular professor in this regard.

In summer seasons, I absolutely adore aam-dudh-bhat (rice with mangoes and milk) and I believe that many other Bangalis might, too (whether everyone can afford it or not, is a different question). Local and personal differences in taste cast aside, there is a territorial universality in our food preferences that undoubtedly makes us all Bangalis.

What does our Bangali tradition say about our clothing? Would that be saree-lungi? Quite possibly so. But the way in which a saree is worn has changed over time. Also the form of blouse we wear with sarees was once snubbed as “ultra-modern” a couple of hundred years ago. So, convention in clothing is not something static, it evolves over time.

I was born in a Bangali Muslim family. My ancestors have been Bangali Muslims for many generations. A majority of the people of this country has a similar ancestral history. My mother, my grandmothers and the great-grandmothers and the other women I have been around would be my natural role-models for the Bangali Muslim culture of clothing for women.

Some of them have worn sarees without ghomta (veil), some with ghomta. Some wore burkha outdoors, some didn’t. I am sure that this diversity is commonplace amongst most Muslim families of this land. I have been wearing hijab for the past few years. I have taken up hijab or the head-covering to go with my salwar kameez (or saree on special occasions).

My donning of hijab stems from my own religious conviction. But has my head-cover also veiled my Bangali self?

I am still in love with saree, just like any other Bangali woman. I will not have anyone dismiss my natural ethnicity just because I have chosen to practise my faith! If I am told that a Muslim is not to wear a saree or, a Bangali cannot possibly have a hijab, I would consider that utter insanity, or ethnocentric intolerance springing out of sheer ignorance! And then, there is lungi for men.

“Educated” Bangali men have been extremely hesitant about wearing lungi in public for quite some time now.

This has nothing to do with Islam.

This is pure inferiority complex, a fruit of western education. Should, then, a village farmer or a neighbourhood hujur be deemed more Bangali than an esteemed talk-show guest in that respect?

How a nation regards its human relationships is also a part of its ethnic culture. We have very closely-knit family structures. This is one strong attribute that places us in a superior position compared to many western “civilised” nations in the world. Just one example will suffice.

The way in which we love our mothers is unparalleled. I don’t know of any other nations that has as many songs dedicated to mothers as we do in Bangla. Islam also places a great emphasis on family and family values.

Moreover, a mother has been granted the position of highest regard in Islam.

Islamic principles and Bangali tradition have found the most beautiful amalgam in this respect.

If we think of our cultural practices, there is a wide difference of choices

the past few decades. Many of us see this as a display of our patriotism. That is perfectly acceptable.

It only becomes unacceptable when this custom is imposed on the whole of population as a pre-condition for being a true Bangali patriot. Firstly, this custom has not been a part of the rural life. Secondly, there are many practising Muslims who consider this ritual (flower to commemorate the dead) incompatible with Islamic ethos. But their patriotism or their Bangali-ness cannot be put under scrutiny because of this religious stance.

How do you measure patriotism?

Well, two true measures should be how one feels for his/her homeland and what one actually does to serve the homeland. What we do for our country is crystal clear for everyone to see. But what we feel is in our hearts, not always so visible to others. One may shower love for one’s country with flowers at the Shahid Minar; another may offer prayers to Allah and pray for the country’s well-being in munajat. It would be wise not to gauge one’s patriotism on the other’s “barometer.”

All the people of a nation do not have to fit in one stringent cultural formula. In fact, they never do. That would be contradictory to diversity and, is unnatural

between the classes. Our urban intellectual conditioning will not match in various respects with pastoral preferences. For example, the educated middle-class urban Bangalis are quite in love with Rabindra sangeet. Nothing else touches our hearts the way these songs do. It is true for me and true for almost everyone.

But if someone doesn’t feel the same, would that expunge his/her Bangali-ness? Do the rural Bangalis listen to Rabindra-sangeet? These are not the songs that are close to their hearts. But each of them is as much a true Bangali as his/her urban counterpart. All the people of a nation do not have to fit in one stringent cultural formula. In fact, they never do. That would be contradictory to diversity and, is unnatural.

There is a custom wherein people take flowers to the Shahid Minar or the Jatio Smriti-shoudho on special days to commemorate the martyrs. This has been a custom of the urban life since

Such a lengthy enunciation has only one objective. I believe I am a natural fusion of my faith and my culture; both are intricately inter-twined in me. If an artificial rift is created between my identities, it will only serve to tear me apart.

Please do not try to divide the indivisible. Please do not make me choose between my two eyes. A one-eyed vision cannot possibly envisage life in its totality. The idea of being just a “pure Muslim” or a “pure Bangali” is as impossible as gold ornaments made of 24-carat gold!

I am a Bangali Muslim, who happens to be a Bangladeshi. No order of preference exists here. Forcing people to take sides will have devastating consequences. I implore to the goodwill of everyone concerned to refrain from any such attempts.  Dr Raihana Shams Islam is an associate professor at the Department of Physics, Rajshahi University.

6

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Rush to open part of the Gulistan-Jatrabari flyover for use  Abu Hayat Mahmud At least part of the Gulistan-Jatrabari flyover might be opened for public use, though work has not been completed on the entire project.

The deadline for the construction of the flyover has been postponed several times, none of which were met. Now a date has been set for part of the much anticipated flyover’s opening.

The Jatrabari-Gulistan flyover has been named after one of Dhaka’s previous mayors Hanif and open sometime before the last day of the present government’s term in office on October 24.

Dhaka South City Corporation’s (DSCC) Chief Executive Officer Md Ansar Ali Khan told the Dhaka Tribune: “The construction of the Mayor Hanif Flyover is in its last stage and will be open for public use on the first or second week of October.”

He said when Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina returns from her trip abroad she will inaugurate the 10km long overpass.

He said that they were trying to open the main part of the flyover for public use from Shanir Akhra to Gulistan by October.

He added: “Over 90% of the total project work has been completed. It will take until December to complete construction of the ramps.”

However a visit to the area this week revealed that only the main sections of the flyover from Shanir Akhra to Gulistan was complete.

Last month, State Minister for Local Government Jahangir Kabir

Nanok said the flyover would most likely be open for traffic movement by the first week of October, and that work on the Kutubkhali-GulistanPalashi portion of the overpass would be open for vehicular movement before Eid ul-Azha.

The concerned authorities had first said that part of the flyover would be inaugurated in September after the Prime Minister inaugurated the start of construction in June, 2010.

In April last year, Nanok said the flyover would be ready by December 16.

Later, M Ashiqur Rahman, project director and superintendent engineer of DSCC said it would be inaugurated on March 26, this year, and in April he told the Dhaka Tribune the flyover would be completed by June.

There are 13 ramps in total, including six entry and seven exit ramps connecting with existing roads and bus terminals.

The flyover will have seven toll booths and a control room, which has already been built in Jatrabari. The overpass connects Dhaka with Chittagong, Maowa and Demra and links to roads in Jatrabari and Gulistan.

Being built at a cost of Tk23bn, the flyover is the first Public Private Partnership (PPP) project in the country that is being constructed on a “build, own, operate and transfer” basis. The Orion Group was given the contract to build the flyover in 2005.

According to the contract, the investor will transfer the facility to the government after a concession period of 24 years. 

Construction work of Gulistan-Jatrabai is going on. The photo was taken yesterday from Tikatuli point

8 held for theft inside Sonali Bank, placed on 2-day remand

Eviction of batteryrun rickshaws from port city demanded  Mohammad Jamil Khan The Detective Branch (DB) of Police  Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong yesterday arrested eight people on Transport workers, including rickshaw pullers, auto-rickshaw drivers and owners held a rally on the premise of Chittagong city’s Shaheed Minar yesterday morning, demanding eviction of battery-run rickshaws from the port city.

They also submitted two memorandums to Chittagong City Corporation Mayor and Deputy Commissioner of Chittagong to press home their fourpoint demands.

The demands are eviction of battery-run rickshaws, seal off the rickshaw garages, providing registration of rickshaws and introducing 4,000 more auto-rickshaws in the city.

Several thousands of people of Chittagong Mahanagar Rickshaw ChalokMalik Somonnoy Songram Parishad and Auto-rickshaw and Auto-tempo Shramik Union participated in the rally.

The speakers said if the government did not fulfill their demands within September 30, they would call dawndusk strike on October 3.

Siddik Mia, president of Chittagong Mahanagar Rickshaw Chalok-Malik Somonnoy Songram Parishad, presided over the rally. 

suspicion of stealing Tk900,000 from a client inside Sonali Bank’s Lalmatia branch last month.

Police claimed the suspects were members of a criminal gang, called “Tana Party”. The arrestees were identified as Harun-or-Rashid, 45, Badal, 42, Emdadul Haque, 48, Mostofa, 45, Mohammad Lation, 30, Mohammad Harun, 40, Younus, 30, and Hannan, 50.

Monirul Islam, joint-commissioner of DB, said Hamidur Rahman, an executive, went to the Sonali Bank branch in Lalmatia to get a pay-order of Tk2m

on August 26. At the time, members of the gang, who were waiting inside the bank posing as customers, stealthily took away Tk900,000 from Hamidur’s bag. The theft was captured on the bank’s close circuit camera.

Based on the security camera footage, DB started raiding different areas of the capital and arrested the gang members After the incident, Hamidur filed a case with Mohammadpur police station and the intelligence department started investigating the case, Monirul said while addressing a press briefing at the Dhaka Metropolitan Police media

centre yesterday.

Based on the security camera footage, DB started raiding different areas of the capital and arrested the gang members. Police also recovered Tk300,000 from their possession, he said.

Monirul added that they did not get any complaint or proof of involvement of bank officials in the theft.

Meanwhile, a Dhaka court placed the eight suspects on two days’ police remand for questioning about their activities. Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Mostafizur Rahman passed the order following a DB request for a 10-day remand, Mohammad Mizanur Rahman, general recording officer of the court, said. 

Cattle market under KCC management this time  UNB, Khulna The Khulna City Corporation authorities, like the past three years, have decided to run the city’s makeshift cattle market under its own management ahead of Eid-ul-Azha as they got no response for lease despite repeated calls for tender submission.

Although the KCC authorities have invited tender three times till now, no one showed interest in securing its lease through buying or submitting tender schedule.

The cattle market is scheduled to open at Jhoraghat Wholesale Kitchen Market in the city on October 9.

Sources said KCC has been running the Jhoraghat cattle market since 2010

and has accumulated an increased revenue compared to the previous years.

Earlier the cattle market was run under private management on contract basis.

The highest revenue income of the corporation from the cattle market was Tk4.7m till 2009. However, the earnings had hit Tk10m in each of the last two years. The authorities had invited tender involving Tk9,410,616 on August 29 after taking the last three year’s revenue into account. The tender was re-invited on September 2 and September 15 since they received no response.

However, according to sources, the ones who wanted to secure lease of the cattle market refrained themselves from the bidding process as they found the tender “too high and risky.” 

Two RMG employees embezzle Tk11.5m  Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong

Absconding gold smuggler held in Chittagong  Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong Police nabbed an alleged gold smuggler from Shah Amanat International Airport in Chittagong city on Sunday. The person was attempting to flee from the country to Dubai.

The arrestee, Abdus Sattar, 26, who was accused of a gold smuggling case lodged with the capital city’s airport police station and was absconding for the last eight months.

Mizanur Rahaman, additional deputy commissioner at Chittagong Shah Amanat International Airport, said Sattar was nabbed on Sunday around 11am when he was attempting to go to Sharzah, Dubai from the country by Air Arabia.

In primary interrogation, Sattar refuted the allegations against him, but a team from DMP came in the port city and identified him on Sunday night, he said. Later, they took him to Dhaka, he added.

Immigration Police sources said a sack of gold bars weighted 10 kg were recovered from the wash room of arrival lounge of Shah Jalal International Airport in Dhaka on January 7. Three were nabbed, including a Civil Aviation security man, in this connection. Sattar managed to flee that time but a case was lodged with airport police station in Dhaka accusing him with the three detainees. 

NASHIRUL ISLAM

A mobile court conducted drive at Gulistan and evicted adulterated medicine shop yesterday

Integrated efforts a must to make Rangpur city smoke-free  Tribune Desk Integrated efforts of all concerned is necessary for turning the public places and transport in Rangpur City Corporation (RCC) area into smoking free, speakers told a discussion.

The RCC and Association for Community Development (ACD) jointly organised the advocacy meeting at the RCC conference room on Sunday with its panel mayor Abul Kashem in the chair, reports BSS. Programme Officer of ACD Hosne Ara Parveen Farzana presented keynote paper narrating consequences of smoking, indirect smoking, smoking in public places.

Terming tobacco as the biggest human killer, she said every sixth

adult death is being caused by tobacco in Bangladesh where 43% adults are consuming cigarettes, bidi, and other tobacco products.

She said 57,000 people are dying annually consuming tobacco products and 1.2 million suffering from lung cancer, cerebra-vascular, coronary artery, chronic obstructive pulmonary and other tobaccoattributable diseases.

Besides, the nation spends Tk51bn every year in treating patients suffering from tobacco-related diseases in one of the largest tobacco consuming country of Bangladesh where 46m adult people are using tobacco in various forms, she said.

She asked all concerned for strictly implementing the guideline prepared following the amend-

ed Tobacco Control Act- 2013 in the RCC area to stop smoking at all public places, transports band other places in building a smoking free city.

In his speech, RCC panel mayor Abul Kashem called upon all concerned for working unitedly for strict implementation of the amended Tobacco Control Act-2013 and subsequent guideline to free public places and transports from smoking in RCC area.

Chief Executive Officer of RCC Ruhul Amin Khan, its Secretary Fazlul Kabir, Councilors Jafrin Islam Ripa, Jahangir Alam Tota, Sekendar Ali, Mahbubar Rahman Manju, Tauhidur Rahman, Akram Hossain, Moktar Ahmed, Haradhon Roy Hara and Badal Rahman were present. 

FOCUS BANGLA

Two employees of a foreign RMG company misappropriated Tk11.5m from company’s fund and police arrested them and recovered Tk4.55m from their possession on Sunday.

The arrestees are Golam Faisal Ivan, 30, executive of Human Resource department of Geebee Bangladesh Limited, an Indian readymade garment (RMG) company at CEPZ in the port city, and Nurul Islam, 35, driver of the company’s General Manager Prasonno Sai, said DB sources.

DB sources said Prasonno withdrew Tk11.5m from a private bank in the port city on September 5 to pay the salary of his company’s workers, but he could not disburse.

He then asked his driver Nurul Islam to take the carton of the money to his

residence, said Md Shafiqul Islam, CMP commissioner, at a press conference yesterday afternoon.

When Prasonno came to know that Nurul Islam did not go to his flat with the money, he immediately filed a general diary with Panchlaish police station.

During investigation, Ivan pretended to help police to find out the driver and the money, said Md Kamruzzaman, assistant commissioner of DB in CMP. But noticing Ivan’s suspicious movement, police interrogated him.

During the interrogation, Ivan confessed that he along with the driver took the money, said the DB official.

Based on Ivan’s statement, police nabbed Nurul Islam with Tk4.55m from Jhirjhiri Para area of Cox’s Bazar on Sunday. The duo is in DB custody, said CMP commissioner Shafiqul. 

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Nation

7

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

BSF releases 3 teens of Bangladesh  Our Correspondent, Feni Border Security Forces of India secretly released three Bangladeshi teenagers on Sunday evening whom they had picked up from Parshuram frontier, Feni about one month back.

The returnees were Jahid Hossain, 13, Syed Ali, 14, and Md Rubel, 16. All of them were from Baur Pathor village of Feni.

BSF were supposed to hand them over to Bangladesh Border Guard (BGB) formally.

“Family members of the abducted teenagers confirmed their release.

The teens were sent back to Bangladesh through Bilonia border area,” Commander Lieutenant Colonel of BGB Battalion 4 Khaled Mahmud said.

The three boys had gone to Bilonia border area under Parshuram upazila for cultivation.

They had been detained by BSF from there on August 30, sources said. 

Pirates escape from police  Our Correspondent, Noakhali

Traditional boat race was held in the Bangali River in Gaibandha yesterday. Thousands of people enjoyed the race

Bridge lies useless due to lack of approach roads  Our Correspondent, Rajbari

A bridge on the Harai River in Chandana of Sadar upazila in Rajbari district does not have approach roads.

Since the 36.60metre long and 7.03metre wide bridge was constructed for Tk35.2m by Rajbari Roads and Highways division (RHD) started in September last year and was completed in June, but no connecting approach roads were built to enable people to use it.

The situation around the bridge is unfit for vehicular movement especially during the rainy season. Residents of Khoksha, Machpara, Kalukhali, Kushtia, Kamarhati, Belgahci and Pangsha upazilas complained that the lack of connecting roads to the bridge is hampering communication and transport

to and from these areas.

Farmers and traders are the worse sufferers because they have difficulties when transporting produce to markets in local and district headquarters, while those needing medical assistance are often unable to reach hospitals on time.

The bridge continues to lie unused while all vehicular movement takes place via an old bailey bridge, which is in dire need of repair.

During a visit to the area yesterday, this correspondent found the bailey bridge overburdened with traffic and pedestrians. People said they feared for their safety when they crossed the bridge.

Local residents said the bailey bridge is used by over 2000 people every day, among them students, teach-

Local people formed a human chain in Thakurgoan yesterday, demanding safer road

Eight transformer lifters arrested in Rangpur  BSS Eight members of an organised gang of inter-district electric transformer-lifters were arrested with four stolen transformers on Sunday.

The police said acting on secret information, they started chasing a Rangpur bound truck carrying the lifted electric transformers from Syedpur’s Kazirhat area near Paglapeer on the Rangpur-Dhaka highway.

At one stage, the transformer lifters attacked the police near Mominpur area and police had to retaliate in self-defence, injuring two of the criminals. After a long chase, police arrested them.

The arrestees are Hasibur Rahman and Amjad Hossain of Khalishpur upazila in Khulna, Kabir Hossain and Ali of Tarakanda upazila in Mymensingh, Kamrul Sheikh of Kashianai upazila and Bablu of Haridaspur in Gopalganj, Saiful Islam of Akhaura upazila in Brahmanbaria and Moshiar Rahman of Gangachara upazila in Rangpur districts. 

Concerns over blight and pest attacks on Aman crops

ers, traders and farmers of from the upazilas’ villages, who risk their lives when they use the bridge instead of the new bridge that lies idle.

People said though the government constructed the bridge but it is not benefitting anyone.

When contacted about the matter Bimol Kumer Shonnashi, assistant executive engineer of RHD said the approach roads on either side of the bridge could not be built due to fund shortage.

He said: “We have written to the head office seeking funds and we will start construction of approach roads as soon as we get the funds.”

RHD Executive Engineer Somiron Roy said he would have to visit the area to take prompt steps for the approach roads construction. 

FOCUS BANGLA

Huge valuable books and manuscript uncared in Bogra library  Hasibur Rahman Bilu, Bogra Huge number of valuable books and manuscripts remained uncared at the Government Woodburn Public Library, Bogra since last 10 years.

Local people said the administration and the library authority were yet to take any initiative to save around 18,000 old books and manuscripts facing decay in the old building of the library.

However, Md Shafiqur Rahman, deputy commissioner of Bogra and president of the library’s managing committee, denied such allegation, and claimed that the authorities had taken proper steps in this regard.

The library officials said thousands of valuable books were kept in the dumb building, which was established in 1853 during the British rule with a view to encouraging reading habit among the people.

Former teacher of Bogra Zila School

FOCUS BANGLA

Two pirates, including the leader of a pirate gang in the south, fled from the custody of Noakhali police yesterday.

Earlier on Sunday, police arrested pirate leader Imran and his associate Jasim from Bayezid Bostami in Chittagong, from where they were sent to the Sudharam police station in Maijdee.

The police said both men complained of stomach aches at night, so early yesterday station officer-in-charge Jahidul Islam Roni sent them to Noakhali General Hospital with the two constables on a CNG-run auto rickshaw. On the way to the hospital, they pushed the two constables out of the vehicle and fled.

Noakhali Police Superintendent (SI) Md Anisur Rahman “closed” the two constables who accompanied Imran and Jasim in connection with their escape. He has given the OC a 12-hour ultimatum to re-arrest them.

The sub-inspector said necessary actions had been taken against the police personnel. 

Shyamal Bhattacharya told that only Tk15,000 would have saved the ancient manuscripts that were lying in the old library without any care.

The library officials said thousands of valuable books were kept in the dumb building, which was established in 1853 with a view to encouraging reading habit among the people Earlier in 2004, following the establishment of Edward Park in Bogra, the old library management committee was dissolved as it was decided to shift the old library to the new building. The shift, however, is yet to completed, library authorities claimed.

Assistant Liberian Md Rokonuzzman said counting of the books and other valuable goods, including manuscripts was completed for the shifting. 

 Our Correspondent, Gaibandha Farmers in Gaibandha are fearful they might not be able to hit production targets for Aman harvest this year due to a pest attack.

According to the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), nearly 128,200 hectares of land in seven upazilas of the district were used for Aman cultivation this year and fixed a target of 326,900 tonnes after harvest.

Though DAE officials are still confident of meeting the target for Aman paddy, farmers have are worried because of an attack of stem borer pest locally called “majra poka”.

Farmers’ concerns have been raised because they have noticed various plant diseases have infected the paddy, particularly Leaf Sheath blight caused by the Rhizoctonia solani fungus that

forms lesions and spots and Leaf roll or curl caused by a fungus or virus.

The worst affected area is Sundarganj upazila, where Aman seedlings planted on vast tracts of land have turned yellow from the blight of insects and disease.

Farmers have sprayed pesticide bought locally to save their crop but with little effect. They said the insecticide is often adulterated and that is the reason they have not been effective Farmers have sprayed pesticide bought locally to save their crop but with little effect. They said the insecticide is often adulterated and that is the reason they have not been

effective. Many said dishonest traders are engaged in a brisk business of selling adulterated insecticides and taking advantage of farmers.

A farmer from Sundarganj upazila’s Ghagoa, Emdadul Haque said he was worried about the crop because of the pests and disease.

He said if steps are not taken to control the blight then the damage to crops and cop land would be extensive.

Agricultural officials said they were advising farmers how best to protect their crops and fields.

DAE Deputy Director Mir Abdur Razzak told the Dhaka Tribune that agricultural officer are advising farmers how to use insecticide brands such as Virtaco, Marshal and Contact for best results. He said action would be taken against anyone found to be involved in the sale of adulterated pesticides. 

Boro procurement progressing fast in Gaibandha  BSS

No trace of abducted madrassa girl

The Boro rice procurement drive of the food department has been progressing fast in the district since May 19 amid much enthusiasm to the millers.

Sources said the government has fixed a target to procure 23,619 tonnes of boiled rice and 1,080 tonnes of sundried rice from the millers through 11 purchasing centres in all the seven upazilas in the district during the current Boro season.

Price of per kg of boiled rice has been fixed at Tk29 and sun-dried rice at Tk28, the sources said.

The food department has already inked deals with 640 millers of the district in an aim to make the procurement drive a success. Of the total, some 21,645 tonnes of rice have already been purchased from the millers, said an official of the food department.

M Saiful Alam, food controller of the district, said the rice procurement target might be achieved as the drive would continue till September 30.

Necessary measures have also been taken to procure the paddy from the farmers so that they would get fair prices of rice and paddy, he added. 

Although it is two days since a madrassa girl has been abducted from Enayetnagar village under Iswarganj upazila in Mymensingh, law enforcers are yet to trace the girl.

Victim’s family alleged that police could not rescue the girl and arrest any abductors even after two days of the incident. They urged law enforcers to rescue the girl immediately.

Family members said when Aziza Sultana, 13, a class VII student at Dekuarchar Dakhil Madrassah was going to her madrassah on Sunday morning, a group of miscreants abducted her and fled the scene by a car.

Md Kamrul Islam, officer-in-Charge of Iswarganj police station, said police raids are on to arrest the abductors.

Meanwhile, a schoolgirl who was raped by a youth in Iswarganj upazila, has been undergoing treatment at Mymensingh Medical College and Hospi-

Five injured in hospital roof collapse  Our Correspondent, Noakhali At least five people including women and children were injured after the roof of Noakhali General Hospital child ward collapsed Sunday afternoon.

The injured were identified as Ali Albor, a patient of thalassemia, Nur Banu, Tanjil, Faruq and Mohona.

Hospital sources said Nur Banu and Ali Akbor were in critical condition and the rest were released after preliminary treatment.

When asked, Dr Mosleuddin, a superintendent of the hospital, said the building’s foundation was laid in 1968 and was inaugurated after the Liberation War. He claimed the public works department were irresponsive regarding the issue, though several notices were sent. 

 Our Correspondent, Mymensingh

tal (MMCH) for last two days.

The girl, 11, a class VII student was allegedly raped by one Md Alamin, 25, son of Chand Miah of Chapila Kanda village in Iswarganj.

Local people said Alamin violated the girl when she was alone at her grandfather’s house at Chapila Kanda Friday noon.

Later, Alamin’s father Chand Miah went to the house of victim’s grand father on Friday night and begged pardon.

But, in Saturday morning, Alamin’s family members allegedly ransacked the house of the victim’s grandfather.

They then threatened if the victims’ family files case against Alamin, they would have to face dire consequences.

Being intimidated, victim’s family did not lodge any case.

Officer-in-Charge of Iswarganj police station Md Kamrul Islam said they would take necessary actions against Alamin, if any complaint was filed against him. 

NEWS IN BRIEF Two army men electrocuted in Bandarban Two soldiers of Bangladesh Army died after being electrocuted at Bandarban Cantonment early yesterday. The deceased were identified as sepoy Rubel, 26, from Dinajpur, and sepoy Jemerul Haque, 24, from Chapainawabganj. Both were posted at 143 Field Workshop unit of Bangladesh Army. Major Mashiur of Bandarban Brigade informed that both Rubel and Jemerul came in contact with a high voltage electric wire while plucking green coconuts from a tree in the area around 1am, leaving both of them critically injured. They were taken to local military medical unit and then to Chittagong Combined Military Hospital (CMH) where doctors pronounced them dead. – UNB

Youth found dead in Bogra Police recovered strangulated body of a young man from Bezore area of the town on Sunday night. The deceased was identified as Zahid Hasan Joy, 20, a first year honours student and son of Nur Mohammad of Abatpur village under Raninagar thana in Naogaon. Joy used to

live in a mass in Jahurul Nagar area for his academic purse. Locals spotted the body at Bezore in the town around 9:30am and informed police, who recovered and sent it to morgue for autopsy. Police suspected that miscreants strangled Joy somewhere else and dumped the body beside the road in the area. Sub-inspector Mohammad Sidddique of the district Detective Branch of police said there were seen some strangulation marks in the deceased’s neck. The motive behind the killing could not be ascertained yet. – UNB

Demu train to hit SylhetAkhaura route today Bangladesh Railway will introduce Diesel Electric Multiple Unit (Demu) train service on Sylhet-Akhaura route today.

Railways Minister Mujibul Haque will formally launch the Demu train service on the route at Sylhet railway station.

With its two engines at both ends, each Demu train, imported from China, has a capacity to carry around 300 passengers.

On April 24, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the first-ever Demu trains service on Dhaka-Narayanganj route to make travel for passengers easier, fast and comfortable. – UNB

8

DHAKA TRIBUNE

International

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Pakistan Christians protest as church attack death toll rises to 81  AFP, Peshawar The death toll from a double suicide bombing on a church in Pakistan rose to 81 Monday, as Christians protested across the country to demand better protection for their community.

The attack on All Saints church in the northwestern city of Peshawar after a service on Sunday, claimed by a Taliban faction, is believed to be the deadliest ever to target Pakistan’s small Christian minority.

Doctor Arshad Javed of the city’s main Lady Reading hospital told AFP the death toll had risen to 81 overnight, including 37 women. A total of 131 people were wounded.

Christians demonstrated in towns and cities around Pakistan, including Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar and Faisalabad, to protest against the violence and demand better protection from the authorities.

In Islamabad more than 600 protesters blocked a major city highway for several hours during the Monday morning rush hour, causing long tailbacks, an AFP photographer said.

Paul Bhatti, the president of All Pakistan Minorities Alliance (APMA) who was minister for national harmony in the last government, told AFP the attack was the deadliest ever targeting Christians in Pakistan.

“We are very clear that it was an incident of terrorism. Christians are not the only target of terror, whole Pakistan is a victim of terrorism,” said Bhatti, whose brother Shahbaz was assassinated in 2011 for speaking out against the country’s blasphemy laws. He added Christian schools would close for three days of mourning.

Senior Peshawar police official Najeeb-ur-Rehman said security around churches in the city would be stepped up, but survivors of the bombing spoke of their fears of further violence.

“We had very good relations with the Muslims -- there was no tension before that blast, but we fear that this is the beginning of a wave of violence against the Christians,” Danish Yunas, a Christian driver wounded in the blast, said.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif strongly condemned the “cruel” attack, saying it violated the tenets of Islam and Pope Francis also spoke out against the violence, calling it “a bad choice of hatred and war.”

The small and largely impoverished Christian community suffers discrimination in the overwhelmingly Muslim-majority nation but bombings against them are extremely rare.

The 400 or so worshippers were exchanging greetings after the service when the bombers struck, littering the church with blood, body parts and pages from the Bible.

Sectarian violence between majority Sunni and minority Shia Muslims is on the rise in Pakistan but Sunday’s bombings will fuel fears the already beleaguered Christian community could be increasingly targeted.

A faction of Pakistan’s umbrella Taliban movement, Junood ul-Hifsa, claimed responsibility for Sunday’s attack, saying it was to avenge US drone strikes on Taliban and al-Qaeda operatives in the country’s tribal areas along the Afghan border.

“We carried out the suicide bombings at Peshawar church and will continue to strike foreigners and non-Muslims until drone attacks stop,” Ahmad Marwat, a spokesman for the group, said.

Prime Minister Sharif has called for peace talks with the Taliban and two weeks ago won backing from the country’s main political parties. But after a week that began with the militants killing an army general in the northwest and ended with the church attack, some are questioning whether dialogue is the right approach. 

Christians protested across the country to demand better protection for their community

AFP

ATTACK ON PAKISTAN CHRISTIANS MARCH 2012-13 March 2012: Tania Rubeeca is abducted, raped repeatedly, and forced to convert Islam before being married off to a Muslim man May 2012: Muhammad Kamran is beaten for converting to Christianity in Karachi July 2012: Pastor Victor Samuel Maseeh is kidnapped in Punjab by seven men, three of whom are in police uniforms; 11 Christian nurses at a hostel in Karachi are poisoned August 2012: A 11-year-old boy is burned, tortured, mutilated and murdered in Faisalabad; Rimsha Masih, a 11-year-old Christian girl with Down syndrome, is accused for allegedly burning the Quran, publicly beaten and then jailed; A 20-yearold veterinary student is abducted, forced to conver, and physically and mentally abused in Punjab September 2012: St Francis Xavier’s Catholic Cathedral is attacked with gunfire and rocks in response to a blasphemous film on Islam; Shumaila Bibi is abducted Pakistani Christians clean an area in front of All Saints Church in Peshawar

and forced to convert to Islam and marry her abuser; Two Christians are killed and two injured when a group tried to get “taxes on non-Muslims” from a Christian colony in Karachi; Pastpr Babar Bhatti is shot by extremists in Punjab October 2012: Bawa Chak Presbyterian Church in Punjab and Philadelphia Pentacostal Church are in Karachi are vandalised on separate occasions January 2013: 15-year-old Christian girl is brutally tortured, raped and left unconscious by her landlord and another man March 2013: A group of Christian children is beaten up by extremists; Mob burns 180 Christian homes and two churches in Lahore about alleged remarks on Prophet Muhammad; Armed men beat three Christian women, and force them to strip and walk naked in a village in Punjab; 18-year-old Adnan Masih tortured to death in police custody in Lahore after being arrested on suspicions of kidnapping a Muslim woman Source: Global Post

AFP

Still 168 million locked in child labour: UN Snowden ‘wears disguise,

Al-Qaeda-linked fighters killed in clash with Syria rebels  AFP, Geneva

 Reuters, Beirut

A Libyan commander and a dozen other fighters from al-Qaeda’s Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant have been killed in clashes with rival rebel forces in northern Syria, a monitoring group said, in the latest spate of internecine rebel violence.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said six local fighters were also killed in Sunday’s battle with ISIL in Hazano, west of the city of Aleppo and close to the border with Turkey.

Clashes pitting the al-Qaeda-linked ISIL and Nusra Front brigades against less effective but more moderate rebel forces have been intensifying recently, especially in opposition-held territory along Syria’s northern and eastern borders.

The infighting has undermined the rebel military campaign against President Bashar al-Assad. Their uprising began as peaceful protests against four decades of Assad family rule but degenerated into a war that has killed more than 100,000 people. 

The number of child labourers worldwide has dropped by a third since 2000, the UN labour agency said Monday, but warned that progress was not being made fast enough.

The number of child labourers fell to 168 million last year from 246 million in 2000, said an International Labour Organisation (ILO) report released ahead of a Global Child Labour conference in Brasilia next month.

It hailed particular progress in cutting the number of youngsters doing hazardous work, “likely to harm the health, safety or morals of children,” which had fallen to 85 million from 171 million in 2000.

“We are moving in the right direction, but progress is still too slow,” said ILO director-general Guy Ryder.

“If we are serious about ending the scourge of child labour in the foreseeable future, then we need a substantial stepping-up of efforts at all levels.

There are 168 million good reasons to do so,” he said in a statement.

While the numbers have fallen substantially, 11% of the world’s children

WORLD WATCH Snake on plane grounds Qantas flight

Teenager set free in China after Internet outcry

A tiny snake as slender as a pen forced the grounding of a Japan-bound Qantas flight in the Australian city of Sydney overnight, stranding hundreds of passengers. The non-venomous reptile, about 20cm long, was found near the doorway of a Boeing 747-400 bound for Tokyo on Sunday night, a Qantas spokeswoman told AFP. It was uncertain where the reptile had come from but the Department of Agriculture has identified it as a Mandarin ratsnake which is mainly found in Asia. All 370 passengers were booked into hotels overnight and a replacement flight left Sydney on Monday morning.

Police in China on Monday released a teenager detained for questioning on his microblog authorities’ handling of a man’s death, a move that triggered an Internet outcry over censorship.

State media had said that the junior high school student, surnamed Yang, sixteen, was the first person detained under strict new rules to tackle what the government calls the spread of online rumours. Yang had said that a man described by police as having committed suicide had been murdered instead.

Police said the man committed suicide by jumping from a high-rise building on September 12, after a visit to a karaoke club and that Yang’s “phony” posts had prompted some residents to stage a protest.

French court fines mother for 3-year-old’s “Jihad” T-shirt A woman who sent her three-year-old son – called Jihad – to school in a t-shirt marked “Jihad, Born September 11, I am a bomb” was fined and given a suspended jail sentence by a French court on Friday.

Bouchra Bagour was found guilty of condoning a criminal act, along with her brother Zeyad, who bought the child the t-shirt recalling Islamist militant group al-Qaeda’s attacks on New York on September 11, 2001, that killed close to 3,000 people. Overturning an earlier acquittal, the appeals court in the southern town of Nimes fined the woman 2,000 euros ($2,700) and gave her a one-year suspended jail sentence, doubling that fine and suspended jail sentence for the uncle.

are still working instead of attending school – half of them doing hazardous work, stressed Constance Thomas, who heads the ILO’s International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (Ipec).

The organisation has set a 2016 target of ridding the world of hazardous child labour, which includes dangerous work within a wide range of sectors including agriculture, mining and construction.

To further reduce child labour, she stressed that countries needed to forge ahead with more policies promoting education, social protection measures and poverty reduction, as well as creating decent jobs for adults to remove the need of sending children to work.

Most child labourers are found in the Asia-Pacific region, which counts 78 million of them, down from 113.6 million in 2000.

Thomas said Cambodia especially had seen a “fairly dramatic decrease” in child labour, which now affects 12% of its children, compared to 26% in 2000.

But Mongolia, which until recently was on track to eliminate the worst forms of child labour, has suffered a

significant setback, with figures rising nearly two% from 2007 after a harsh winter storm ruined the livelihoods of many families, she said.

In Sub-Saharan Africa, the worst-hit region in proportion to its population where more than 21% of children work, Uganda, Cameroon and Madagascar were among those making good progress, while Rwanda is heading “in the wrong direction,” Thomas said.

The ILO report also showed that 9.2 million children are considered underage labourers in the Middle East and North Africa, while some 12 million are found in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Agriculture remains the sector where most child labourers are found, accounting for nearly 59% of all working children, the report showed. But an increasing share were also working in more urban settings such as the manufacturing industry.

The report noted that progress has especially been made in reducing the number of girls in child labour, with the number falling by 40% over the 12-year-period, a drop the ILO attributed to a variety of gender-focused measures in many countries. 

in danger’: lawyer  AFP, Moscow US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden is living under guard at a secret address in Russia and sometimes emerges in disguise, although he remains in such danger that even a family visit could endanger his security, his lawyer said Monday.

Snowden has avoided all contact with media since arriving in Russia on a flight from Hong Kong in June and his lawyer Anatoly Kucherena has become his unofficial spokesman.

“I am his only link with the outside world at the moment. Even his contacts with his parents are carried out through me,” Kucherena said in an interview published in Itogi weekly magazine.

Kucherena gave few details of how Snowden occupies his time, but said he is able to go out in disguise.

“He would walk past you and you wouldn’t recognise him,” he told Itogi.

“It’s a question of clothes and small alternations to his appearance. So I’m not deceiving anyone: he really does

HIV infections plummet since 2001: UN

Russia tows Greenpeace ship to port, activists risk charges  AFP, Moscow

Jailed Pussy Riot member goes on hunger strike A jailed member of Russia’s Pussy Riot punk band said she was starting a hunger strike on Monday to protest against “slave labour” in her penal colony and said she had received a death threat from a senior prison official. Nadezhda Tolokonnikova was sentenced to two years in jail in August 2012 after performing what the band called a “punk prayer” in a Moscow cathedral in a protest against President Vladimir Putin that came amid street protests against his rule.

Activists from various organizations during an AIDS awareness rally at Marina beach in Chennai

 AFP, Geneva New HIV infections have plummeted by a third overall since 2001 and more than halved among children, the United Nations said Monday.

Globally, 2.3 million people contracted the AIDS virus last year – down 33% from 2001, while 260,000 children became infected – over a third fewer than in 2009 and 52% down from 2001.

“The annual number of new HIV infections continues to decline with especially sharp reductions in the number of children newly infected with HIV,” said UNAIDS executive director Michel Sidibe.

Hailing progress in distributing antiretroviral drugs that prevent the transmission of the virus from pregnant women to their unborn children, the UN body said it may be possible

walk freely around on the streets.”

Snowden has also made quick progress in learning Russian, his lawyer said.

“He is an extremely fast learner as far as the Russian language is concerned,” Kucherena said in another interview that will air Monday on Kremlin-funded RT television.

Snowden spent more than a month in transit in Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport before slipping out and has not made any public appearance.

The 30-year-old former CIA security analyst is wanted by the United States after revealing details of massive surveillance by the National Security Agency to the media.

While describing an isolated existence, Kucherena said Snowden did not regret his decision to give up his life in the United States.

“He’s not disappointed. He believes he did everything right,” he told RT. Kucherena, a high-profile lawyer who is an advisor to President Vladimir Putin, said he is working for free, as Snowden’s personal money is running low. 

PTI

to slash new infections among kids by 90% in the next two years.

In its annual report on the state of the global pandemic, the agency said the drugs had prevented more than 670,000 children contracting the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) which causes AIDS from 2009 to 2012 alone.

Last year, 1.6 million people died AIDS-related deaths, down from 1.8 million in 2011 and 2.3 million in 2005. 

Russian border guards were on Monday towing a ship of the environmental lobby group Greenpeace to an Arctic port where its activists could face charges for a protest on an oil rig owned by the Gazprom energy giant.

The Arctic Sunrise ship, which Russian security forces have controlled since storming the vessel in a dramatic helicopter operation on Thursday, is to arrive in the Russian Far Northern port of Murmansk on Tuesday, the group and officials said.

Thirty activists from the group, including four Russians, are on board the vessel. Russia’s powerful Investigative Committee said the crew may have committed piracy, which carries a prison term of up to 15 years in Russia.

“It’s looking like a Tuesday morning arrival. The ship has slowed down, due to weather conditions we believe,” a Greenpeace spokesman told AFP. A Russian security source quoted by the Interfax news agency also said that the ship was expected in Murmansk on Tuesday, without giving a time.

The Russian authorities said that the Arctic Sunrise was attached to a Russian tugboat to be taken into Murmansk after the captain refused to steer it himself. 

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Shabab ‘chief’ says no non-Somali militants in Nairobi siege

 AFP, London

An alleged commander in the Somali Shabab rebel group on Monday denied press reports that Westerners or women were involved in the hostage standoff at a Nairobi mall that has killed at least 69 people.

The man, who claimed he had been in contact with the Islamist attackers inside the Westgate shopping centre, also said the militants would not negotiate an end to the siege.

The man, who called himself Abu Omar, was speaking to BBC radio after several British newspapers reported that Samantha Lewthwaite, the widow of one of the suicide bombers in the 2005 attacks on the London transport network, could have masterminded the attack.

“There are some rumours spreading around that say that there have been American, British and other attackers of different nationalities involved,” Abu Omar said.

“I can confirm to you that none of that is true, I know that is baseless rumours that have no justification for them.”

He claimed that women would never be involved in perpetrating such attacks.

“To verify, we do not employ our sisters to carry out military attacks of this type so these are just baseless rumours that have no substance to them,” he said. The man added: “There will be no negotiations.”

“We’ve spoken to the mujahid inside Westgate and they told us that the Kenyan government was urging them to negotiate and was also giving them some incentives to come to the dialogue table. 

International

Gunfire, explosions as Kenyan troops battle to save mall hostages  AFP, Nairobi Kenyan security forces were locked in a fierce, final battle with Somali Islamist gunmen inside an upmarket Nairobi shopping mall on Monday as huge explosions and a barrage of heavy gunfire echoed out of the complex.

A thick cloud of black smoke billowed out from the Westgate mall as Kenyan officials said the 50-hour-long siege – which has seen the gunmen massacre at least 62 people and take dozens more hostage – was close to being resolved.

The number of people killed, which had earlier been confirmed to be 69, was lowered to 92 by Red Cross officials on Monday. They said the miscalculation had been due to “double counted bodies.”

The dead include four Britons including a British-Australian, two French women, two Canadians including a diplomat, a Chinese woman, two Indians, a South Korean, a South African and a Dutch woman, according to their governments. Also killed was Ghanaian poet and former UN envoy Kofi Awoonor, 78, while his son was injured.

This was the latest update as of 9pm BDT when this report was filed.

“We think the operation will come to an end soon,” Interior Minister Joseph Ole Lenku told reporters camped outside the vast part Israeli-owned complex, which was popular with wealthy Kenyans and expatriates.

He added that some hostages had been freed, but without giving specific numbers. Two gunmen were also killed

Suspected rebels kill soldier in Indian Kashmir  AFP, Srinagar

Suspected militants shot and killed a paramilitary soldier and critically wounded another on Monday in a busy market in Indian Kashmir’s main city of Srinagar, police said.

The rebels, armed with a pistol, shot the soldiers from the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) while they were buying vegetables at the market before fleeing the scene, a senior police officer said.

“One of them died on the spot and the other is hospitalised with critical injuries,” the city’s police chief, Ashiq Bukhari, told AFP. About a dozen rebel groups have been fighting Indian forces since 1989 for independence or merger with Pakistan of the heavily militarised Himalayan region. Tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians, have died in the fighting.

Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since the two countries won independence from Britain in 1947.

Overall militant violence has declined in Kashmir since India and Pakistan began a peace process in 2004, and attacks in Srinagar itself are rare now.

But there have been intermittent shoot and run incidents involving police and suspected militants.

No rebel group immediately claimed responsibility for Monday’s attack.

In July suspected rebels lobbed a grenade at a police vehicle in Srinagar carrying a prisoner who later died in a hospital.

Militants also killed eight soldiers during an ambush on the outskirts of Srinagar, the deadliest such attack in five years, marring a landmark visit by Prime Minister Manmoha Singh. 

in the fighting.

The Kenyan Red Cross said at least 63 people were recorded missing, thought to include hostages as well as those possibly killed or still hiding. Around 200 people were wounded, officials said.

Somalia’s al-Qaeda-linked Shabab insurgents have claimed the attack, which began midday on Saturday, when the gunmen marched into the complex, firing grenades and automatic weapons and sending panicked shoppers fleeing.

Kenyan army chief Julius Karangi said the gunmen had different nationalities. Several foreign fighters, including Somalis with dual nationalities, are members of the Shabab force.

“They are from different countries.

We have sufficient intelligence this is global terrorism,” Karangi said.

Shabab spokesman Ali Mohamud Rage warned that the hostages would “bear the brunt of any force directed against the mujahedeen” – signaling that hostages were being used as human shields.

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta vowed the attackers will “not get away with their despicable and beastly acts.”

A Kenyan security source and a Western intelligence official said Israeli forces were also involved in the operation, along with British and US agents.

The Shabab rebels said the carnage was in retaliation for Kenya’s military intervention in Somalia, where African Union troops are battling the Islamists. 

9

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

ICC judge excuses Ruto for a week to deal with Nairobi crisis  AFP, The Hague The International Criminal Court on Monday excused Kenyan Vice President William Ruto from his crimes against humanity trial for a week so he can deal with the Nairobi militant attack.

“In the light of the circumstances... the Chamber does excuse Mr Ruto from the proceedings before the court... for one week only,” Judge Chile Eboe-Osuji said at an urgent hearing.

Ruto is the highest-ranking serving official to be tried by the ICC, and is the first suspect to be excused to go home to work in the history of the 10-yearold court.

Ruto’s lawyer Karim Khan, who had asked for his client to be excused for two weeks, told the judge that Ruto was hoping to catch a flight to Kenya leaving the Netherlands at 11:00 am (0900 GMT).

“The world would have found it intolerable if the US president and deputy president wasn’t there after 9/11,” Khan told the court.

“Well, this is Kenya’s 9/11.”

Ruto is in The Hague defending himself against charges of masterminding some of the 2007-08 post-election violence that left over 1,000 people dead and several hundred thousand displaced.

Ruto, 46, and his co-accused, Kenyan radio boss Joshua arap Sang, 38, stand accused of stoking the worst violence in the east African country since independence in 1963.

The three-judge bench is to rule at 0930 GMT whether to adjourn the trial while Ruto is away.

Prosecutor Anton Steynberg argued that only a one-week adjournment was necessary for Ruto to put people in place to deal with the Nairobi crisis,

while the defence had requested two weeks.

“It’s really a very trying moment for our country,” Ruto said outside the court after the judge excused him.

“We hope that some people will begin to contextualise and begin to appreciate the challenges that Kenya is going through, the region is going through and the complications that are brought by what is going on here,” Ruto said of the ICC. Even before the Nairobi militant attack, the court was weighing whether to excuse Ruto from large portions of his trial so he can perform his official functions.

Ruto has also already asked for his trial to be held nearer to home, in Tanzania or Kenya, something the court has so far rejected.

President Uhuru Kenyatta is also charged with crimes against humanity, and his trial is due to start in November.

“Both myself and the president have committed ourselves to be present here in court so that we can clear our names, but we have to counterbalance our responsibilities and legitimate requirements to 40 million Kenyans,” Ruto said.

“I will be home hopefully this evening to assist in my capacity as deputy president, managing the situation at home.”

Somali Shebab militants on Monday threatened to kill the hostages they are holding in a Nairobi shopping mall as Kenyan troops move to end their siege after the militants killed at least 68 people.

An urgent motion filed by Khan on Sunday asked for an adjournment so that “Mr Ruto can return to Kenya to deal with an ongoing and extremely serious matter of national security.” 

Sri Lanka hardliners warn of ‘new war’ after vote  AFP, Colombo Sinhalese hardliners Monday urged Sri Lanka’s president to reduce powers of a regional council won by Tamils in an election hailed internationally as a step towards ethnic reconciliation after decades of war.

The National Heritage Party (JHU) said the first semi-autonomous body won by the minority Tamil National Alliance (TNA) could eventually lead to the division of the island on ethnic lines.

The opposition TNA won 30 out of 38 seats in polls for a provincial council in Jaffna established 26 years ago, but ruled directly by the president until elections Saturday in an area scarred by ethnic strife.

“The real war has just begun,” said Udaya Gammanpila, a leader of the JHU which is a coalition partner of President Mahinda Rajapakse’s government. “The TNA will revive the separatists’ campaign through the provincial council.”

In theory, the country’s nine provin-

cial councils have powers over police and land. Until now, none of the councils have actually exercised those powers but the TNA is pressing a claim to have both under its control.

“We are entering a new phase of the war. It is not a war that will be fought with guns and bombs,” said Gammanpila.

He said the JHU had told the government it was not too late too trim the powers of the council and prevent the start of a new political conflict that could be internationalised.

Rajapakse came to power in 2005 on a strong nationalist platform, supported by the JHU, a party initially formed with a band of influential Buddhist monks who oppose power-sharing with Tamils.

Rajapakse has strengthened his hold on power after crushing Tamil rebels in May 2009 and declaring an end to 37 years of ethnic bloodshed in which at least 100,000 people were killed, according to UN estimates.

During a bitterly fought election campaign, the president had accused

Chief Minister-elect for Sri Lanka’s northern provincial government, retired Supreme Court Justice CV Wigneswaran flashes a victory sign following a media briefing in Jaffna AP the TNA of raising expectations of a separate state. However, after the results were announced Sunday, TNA’s chief minister-elect C.V. Wigneswaran told reporters in Jaffna that he was

willing to work with Colombo.

He said there was mistrust between Sri Lanka’s majority Sinhalese and minority Tamils, but he had “great faith in humanity” to resolve differences.

HEALTH

Positive outlook in heart disease tied to fewer deaths  Reuters

Relatives of soldiers and policemen killed in recent attacks gather beside their coffins ahead of a funeral procession in Sanaa. Suspected al-Qaeda militants killed at least 31 Yemeni soldiers and policemen in attacks in the south of the country on Friday REUTERS

China’s Bo Xilai to appeal life sentence  AFP, Beijing Former senior Chinese politician Bo Xilai has informed the court that convicted him to a life sentence over corruption that he will appeal, a source told AFP Monday, adding further drama to the high-profile case.

“He informed the court yesterday of his request for an appeal following the verdict,” a source with direct knowl-

edge of the situation said.

The court in the eastern city of Jinan sentenced Bo on Sunday to life in prison after a sensational trial that exposed intrigue and wealth at the highest levels of the ruling Communist party.

Bo, a member of the party’s top 25-member Politburo before his downfall, was convicted of bribery, embezzlement and abuse of pow-

er. He had been a popular politician with an unusually open and charismatic style, but his leftist streak and open ambition concerned the leadership.

The catalyst for his fall came when his top aide – then-Chongqing police chief Wang Lijun – fled in February 2012 to a US consulate with evidence that Bo’s wife had murdered a British businessman. 

People with heart disease who are more upbeat and excited tend to live longer than those who don’t have such a positive outlook, a new study suggests, possibly because they are often more active.

Researchers surveyed people with ischemic heart disease – when the heart doesn’t get enough blood due to narrowed arteries – and found earning a high score on measures of “positive affect” was tied to a greater chance of being a regular exerciser and a lower risk of dying over the next five years.

“It adds to the body of literature suggesting that there may be relationships between positive affect…and all-cause mortality,” Richard Sloan, who studies psychological risk factors and heart disease at Columbia University Medical Center in New York, said.

But, “It’s going to take more than this to be confident that there’s a link in the way we’re confident there’s a link between depression and (a higher risk of ) heart disease,” Sloan, who didn’t participate in the new research, told Reuters Health.

The new study included 607 heart patients who were seen at one Danish hospital.

Susanne S Pedersen from Tilburg University in The Netherlands and her colleagues asked the patients about their quality of life, mood and lifestyle habits including physical activity in 2005. Then they used death and hospital records to track participants through 2010.

On a mood scale ranging from 0 to 40,

where higher scores indicate feeling more relaxed, self-confident and excited, half of participants scored a 24 or above. (Negative affect was measured separately – so a person could score high or low on measures of both positive attitude and insecurity or helplessness.)

During the follow-up period, 30 of the high positive affect patients died of any cause, compared to 50 people with a lower positive attitude score.

Some of that association appeared to be driven by exercise habits, the researchers found. People with high mood scores were more likely than other participants to say they exercised at least once a week, and exercisers were half as likely to die as non-exercisers.

There was not a clear difference, however, in how often people were hospitalised for heart-related conditions, based on their positivity. During the study period, about half of all participants were hospitalised for a heart attack, heart failure or chest pain, for example, according to findings published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.

The researchers said past studies also found a link between having a positive outlook and better heart health, but it was unclear what explained the association.

“There is some evidence to suggest that even among people who are already ill, who already have heart disease or diabetes or related conditions, that those people who are happier also have better outcomes,” Julia Boehm from Chapman University in

Orange, California, who has studied psychological wellbeing and heart health, said.

Health behaviors such as exercise are one possible explanation for that link, she told Reuters Health. Some researchers have also proposed another mechanism, suggesting optimism may affect physiologic processes in the body that would ultimately influence heart health, such as inflammation levels.

Pedersen and her colleagues noted that they did not have information on participants’ type or intensity of exercise. The researcher also said the study can’t say how exercise and positive affect may be linked.

“We do not know what comes first (also known as the ‘chicken and egg’ problem) and thus cannot make any conclusions about the direction of causality - is it exercise that increases positive affect or positive affect that leads to more exercise with an effect on mortality or both?” Pedersen told Reuters Health in an email.

“Irrespectively, it cements what we already know - namely that exercise is good for the heart.”

Boehm, who wasn’t involved in the new research, said there isn’t enough evidence to tell people with heart disease to be happier or more optimistic in order to improve their outcomes. But she agreed with Pedersen that there are data to support recommending exercise to those people for heart health.

“Hopefully you would have the added benefit of feeling more happy (and) optimistic,” she said. 

10 DHAKA TRIBUNE

Editorial

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Letters to

www.dhakatribune.com

the Editor

LETTER OF THE DAY

Handicrafts get a helping hand

September 19

W

e are delighted that the government has accepted the proposal of the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC), which calls for an initiative to increase the creation and export of handicrafts in our country, and will finalise the national handicraft policy next month.

This is a step in the right direction as this policy will not only help out our local artisans, many of them rural women, it has the added advantage of keeping our culture and traditions alive, and thriving, bearing in mind that the end result is that it would make the handicraft sector economically viable and more sustainable.

This policy will As part of this policy, the not only help out government will provide financial support to the artisans who our local artisans, are engaged in such crafts, and it has the added give them scope for earning advantage of a living with their craft with keeping our culture cash incentives for export as and traditions alive, well as multiple opportunities and thriving to showcase their products to prospective buyers throughout the year.

The policy also calls for increasing production, upgrading a market strategy and reorienting a human resource development strategy to aid in this venture.

Currently, Bangladesh exports $1bn worth of handicraft products, but as there is a large market out there – European countries such as Germany, Italy, Spain and England, as well as the USA, Japan and Australia have expressed an interest in handicraft products – there is potential for more profit.

The government would do well to take full advantage of this opportunity.

No to bribes, yes to VAT

A

t a time when the government is actively encouraging everyone to pay their taxes, a report on the irregularities and the malicious culture of bribes in the Tejgaon divisional office is uncalled for.

To ensure that small and medium-sized businesses pay their VATs, the authorities need to get their act together and drive corruption out of their system.

To facilitate and encourage VAT payments for businesses, the government already has a package vat system.

However, harassment by the tax authorities while paying VAT means less and less businesses are likely to register and/or pay their taxes. It is also possible that businesses would Prompt action must underestimate their payments be taken so that the to compensate for the extra businesses, new or costs they incur as bribes paid. mature, big or small, Furthermore, the allegation can pay their VATs that start-up businesses have to and taxes without pay under the table to get necimpediments essary paperwork processed is a bad omen for the fledgling SME sector of Bangladesh.

Entry procedures for new businesses in this country are already daunting; hence, the authorities must make them more accessible for entrepreneurs.

The blunt denial of the malpractices is neither believable nor sufficient for the tax authorities. Why a person, willing to pay taxes to the government, needs to endure harassment is beyond anyone’s comprehension.

Prompt action must be taken to remedy the situation, so that the businesses, new or mature, big or small, can pay their VATs and taxes without impediments.

CROSSWORD DOWN 1 Mysterious (6) 2 Young bear (3) 3 Single entity (4) 4 Formal ceremony (4) 5 Harbour towns (5) 6 As new (6) 7 Garden tool (3) 13 Alternatively (2) 14 Waxed spills (6) 16 Behold! (2) 17 Inferior (6) 19 Innermost parts (5) 20 In the direction of (2) 23 Machine for weaving (4) 24 Close friend (3) 26 Consumed (3) 27 Tennis term (3)

September 17

The news published in many newspapers on September 17, 2013 is heart wrenching. Unable to bear the death of her six-year-old daughter Chandra Mukhi, Nazneen Akhter, a senior reporter of the Daily Janakantha, jumped from the balcony of their fourth floor flat in Kalyanpur on September 16, the day her daughter had died. She survived the fall; may she also find the strength to bear the agony and despair.

It is the most cruel turn of fate to see the demise of one’s own child. Why do these sort of events take place? Our creator is the Most Beneficial, the Most Merciful, then why does he let this happen?

We pray to almighty Allah to spare parents from this unimaginable pain.

Nur Jahan Chittagong

Quader Molla to walk gallows September 17 SM Tahidul Islam Feeling so happy.

Rainer Ebert Before you start cheering, please remember that this illegal and unethical sentence was made possible through a retroactive amendment to Bangladesh’s war crimes law, in violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Bangladesh is a state party. Do you want Bangladesh to be a nation of law, or a nation celebrating the absence of rule of law?

WaliulHaqueKhondker Rainer Ebert: I think you missed this last bit of the news item: “On June 20, the Appellate Division asked seven senior lawyers to place their opinion as amicus curiae (friends of court) on whether the amendment of the tribunal law would be applicable in Quader Molla case.”

Naheed Shame on you Rainer Ebert. You judge Bangladeshis for celebrating! Oh but we are cheering, we are cheering loud and proud! You seem to ignore the fact that precisely because men like these were allowed to walk free that we have endured over four decades of utter absence of the rule of law. When we have had closure by righting the wrongs, which were ... stalled, we won’t have the rule of law or be able to call ourselves a nation of law!

Qawmi madrasas to resist regulation September 18

I think there is nothing wrong if Urdu textbooks are used for teaching and learning.

For them Urdu is a special part of their institutional teaching methods. If this is causing disadvantage for them in terms of what the rest of the country can enjoy from education then the best way is to talk to them and work out a win-win situation where they will be happy in maintaining their tradition and also adopt to make their institution more effective in terms of the modern era.

Why would they want to deliberately create disadvantage for their students and graduates? It is probably a question of fear of reforms.

If reforms can be combined with them participating in creating a win-win situation then the outcome would be better, harmonious and more effective in our national integration and future progress.

Muhammad Ahmedullah

Ershad Khandker Economic backwardness is the primary reason. The struggle of those who live in the fringe cannot be understood unless you study it. The benumbing lack of kindness and broadmindedness in village areas is the reason.

The shocking lack of respect that the have-nots receive from families they serve, caste superiors, law enforcers, area big-shots, in-laws when they plan to marry or have their brothers/sisters marry, natural calamities and crop failures, and much more. Yes, cinema has become a big question mark. Indeed, it teaches very wrong things. But, overwhelmingly, cinemas still show the “good guy/bad guy” equation.

The objectification of women and their bodies displayed makes those who are already under so much duress and dehumanised be wrongly influenced .

Alcohol is also shown as a manly drink.

However, the title of the piece could be more toned down. Fact is, nothing justifies rape.

Mohammad Tanvir Khalid Can’t agree more. We together messed up everything. Heroes, the directors, the producers who are looking for another blockbuster or at least a safe return on their investment are culprits to the same extent.

And our test of entertainment is pathetic, in most cases. And to make things worse, different groups of people interpret the same thing differently and fail us to have a consensus and do something.

Be Heard Write to us at: Dhaka Tribune FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath Sukrabad, Dhaka-1207 Email us at: letters@dhakatribune.com Send us your Op-Ed articles: opinion@dhakatribune.com Visit our website: www.dhakatribune.com Come join our Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/DhakaTribune

CALVIN AND HOBBES

PEANUTS

CODE-CRACKER ACROSS 1 Take place (5) 5 Thrust (4) 8 Oneness (6) 9 Ancient linear unit (5) 10 Trick (4) 11 Biblical quotations (5) 12 Fate (3) 15 Vend (4) 18 Region (5) 21 Female deer (3) 22 Game of skill (4) 24 Look narrowly (4) 25 Fertile spot (5) 28 Out-of-the-way (6) 29 Fewer (4) 30 Measuring instrument (5)

Why won’t they rape?

Have mercy on mankind

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS Crossword

Sudoku

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Op-Ed

11

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Syria casts shadow over UN amid Iran hopes  Louis Charbonneau

A

Paradox of righteousness: In Egypt, a nation torn by fundamentalism, Brotherhood supporters fighting for ‘democracy‘ pelt an army tank supposedly protecting secularism AFP

The age of fundamentalism  Farzana Nawaz

F

undamentalism is a topic that occupies a large part of the collective consciousness in most parts of the world today. Earlier this month we had the 12 year anniversary of 9/11, an event that arguably had the biggest impact on the global political landscape in recent memory, and that brought the issue of terrorism, and Islamic fundamentalism along with it, to the forefront.

However, I would argue that fundamentalism is not a discreet characteristic of certain groups of people or particular ideologies. Rather, we live in an age of pervasive fundamentalism and we all participate in it regardless of our chosen set of beliefs or ideology.

One of the definitions the Merriam Webster dictionary provides for fundamentalism is: “A movement or attitude stressing strict and literal adherence to a set of basic principles” (emphasis added). Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, the Westboro Baptist Church are examples of religious fundamentalist organisations. One can argue that laws enforcing strict secularism in France or the recent “values charter” in Quebec that bans the wearing of religious symbols by public employees constitutes a type of secular fundamentalism.

The attempt to combat religious fundamentalism has given rise to fundamentalist responses from the secular, liberal forces, the most horrific recent example of which can be found in Egypt where the attempt to suppress the Muslim Brotherhood led to the death of thousands of people.

Of course, the reasons behind Egypt’s second revolution are complex and the battle between religious and secular forces is only one part of it.

However, it’s hard to deny that the need to “protect” secularism provided ample cover for a lot of recent atrocities there.

In the political sphere, differences between various ideologies have also hardened into “fundamentalist” posi-

tions on crucial issues such as climate change and response to the global financial downturn. While there have always been disagreements among adherents of different ideologies, what makes the current moment unique is the degree of polarisation between the various camps. Each camp or group seems to be closed off by such rigid beliefs in their worldviews that it makes the prospect of dialogue or a middle ground very difficult.

An interesting explanation for why people in general seem to be prone to fundamentalism or moral closure of this sort comes from Jonathan Haidt, a contemporary social psychologist who has been investigating the issue of morality and the left-right political divide in the United States.

Haidt posits that from an evolutionary point of view, morality has served a very important purpose in human society where it gave large groups of people (beyond the family or clan) the ability to come together and accomplish great things. “Sacred values” have acted as the lightning rod which allowed diverse groups of people to put aside their differences and act for a common cause – from the construction of the Mayan pyramids to fighting in wars.

Should we be all compelled now to become moral pragmatists and give up our ideals for middle-ground compromises?

Haidt points out that while religion has historically served as the most prominent “sacred value,” examples can be found in recent history where other values have played similar roles, for example, patriotism. As Haidt says, we “circle around” flags, as it helps us to trust each other so that we can

fight the enemy. However, this act of “circling” or coming together also has enormous psychological payoffs – it makes us feel good to be part of groups and to be able to clearly mark out the “enemy” or “other.”

However, this very aspect of morality, taken to fundamentalist extremes, also distorts our view of the “truth.”

As Haidt says, “morality binds and blinds.” It cripples open-minded, critical thinking and instead encourages us to think of dissenters as “evil,” or, if we are feeling more charitable, “stupid.”

In other words, it gives rise to moral self-righteousness or hubris.

However, as societies become more heterogeneous, this causes serious conflicts, which is what we are witnessing in many countries around the world, ours included. The unwillingness to accept the fact that the other side might have a legitimate point of view (even though we might disagree with it) or something worthwhile to contribute leads to the breakdown of democratic discourse and leads to the oppression of the powerless by the powerful, which is the antithesis of democracy.

A brief aside here – it is quite interesting that the proliferation of information and availability of media seems to have done little to stem the tide of polarisation. The United States is a particularly good case study for this, but similar trends can be found in other countries too.

Recent research indicates that people self-select the media outlets that most closely correspond to their own point of view. Given the plentitude of choices, readers (or viewers) tend to seek out things that reinforce their existing worldview instead of those that challenge them.

Lest I sound too “holier than though” by this point, let me confess that until quite recently I had refused to read the Economist because I found their editorial stance a bit too “pro-market.”

Previously, major news outlets often served as the consensus builders

in societies by providing readers with a multitude of viewpoints. However, the fragmentation of the media market has meant that the role and ability of these traditional media powerhouses to create common ground has declined.

Morality gave large groups of people (beyond family or clan) the ability to come together and accomplish great things

As the problems we face as a collective have become more complex, bafflingly, we seem to be retreating into simplicity of approach, which is fueled by our moral fundamentalism. But, the demands of our time dictate that we need to do better. The challenges we face are daunting enough that they should require us to set aside our moral blinders and see if we can use every tool that is available to us, regardless of their source.

But how do we get there? Should we be all compelled now to become moral pragmatists and give up our ideals for middle-ground compromises? Not at all. However, as Haidt says, we should all strive for a bit of “moral humility” – the recognition that any point of view, regardless of how alien to our own, might have something worthwhile to contribute and that our own point of view, no matter how fond we are of them, is only one among many.

Perhaps that can be the beginning of a morally humble, sophisticated and pluralistic point of view, which is so necessary for the diverse and increasingly complex world we live in.  Farzana Nawaz is a Giz returning expert and editorial fellow at the Dhaka Tribune. She can be reached at farzana.nawaz@gmail.com.

slew of international crises takes centre stage this week as the UN General Assembly meets in New York - Syria’s bloody civil war, the possible appearance of Sudan’s president despite an arrest warrant for alleged genocide, and outrage over a massive US cyberspying program.

There are also some hopes for good news. Many of the 193 UN member states are looking for signs of a thaw in relations between arch-enemies Iran and the United States.

US officials say a meeting is possible between President Barack Obama and Iran’s newly elected centrist President Hassan Rouhani, and if it happens, it would be the first meeting of US and Iranian government heads since before the 1979 revolution. That would mark a big change from the annual rants in recent years against Israel and the United States by Iran’s former president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

UN Secretary-General Ban Kimoon said the top agenda item will be Syria’s 2-1/2-year civil war, which the United Nations says has killed more than 100,000 people and displaced millions, who have been forced to flee the country.

No one expects a breakthrough in the crisis this week, though there may be approval of a UN resolution backing a US-Russian plan to rid Syria of chemical arms.

“Syria is the biggest peace, security and humanitarian challenge we face,” Ban told reporters last week. “Let us be clear - the use of chemical weapons in Syria is only the tip of the iceberg.

The suffering in Syria must end.” The resolution to be considered by the UN Security Council would back the US-Russian plan to remove Syria’s chemical weapons by June 2014 to avoid US air strikes.

Syria’s ally Russia and the United States continue to disagree sharply on how to end the war, with Moscow blaming the rebels for chemical attacks and blocking peace talks, and Western powers blaming Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Washington is still struggling to persuade Moscow not to veto another Syria resolution amid Russian objections to any threat of force against Assad’s government.

Israel v Iran In his fifth General Assembly speech, Obama will on Tuesday touch on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and the situation in the Middle East and North Africa, including Syria, the White House has said.

Two years ago, the fragile Israeli-Palestinian peace process was the focus of the General Assembly. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas received a standing ovation as he waved his application for full UN membership, doomed due to US opposition, for an independent Palestinian state.

The White House said Obama plans to meet with Abbas in New York. He will also meet in Washington on September.

30 with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is listed as the last General Assembly speaker on October 1.

Israel worries that some Western countries are eager to relax the crippling sanctions they have imposed on Iran for refusing to halt uranium enrichment. Netanyahu, diplomats say,

intends to offer new warnings about Iran this year.

The General Assembly, which according to Ban will be attended by at least 131 heads of state or government and around 60 foreign ministers, will meet in a temporary container-like building due to the renovation of its iconic hall. Its narrow hallways and cramped rooms could facilitate a spontaneous meeting between Obama and Rouhani.

Brazil v US Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff is the first leader to take the podium when the annual General Debate opens on Tuesday. Her speech comes a week after she canceled a state visit to the United States because of revelations that Washington spied on her personal communications and those of other Brazilians.

“I don’t think Rousseff is going to pull her punches when she opens the General Assembly,” a European UN ambassador told Reuters. “And she’s not alone in being angry about the NSA (National Security Agency) spying program.”

Syria’s ally Russia and the United States continue to disagree sharply on how to end the war

It is not clear if Obama, who is the second speaker, will respond to any criticism from Rousseff.

Sudan v ICC with Ahmadinejad absent, the most controversial figure to appear this week may be Sudan’s President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who is wanted by The Hague-based International Criminal Court for suspected genocide and other alleged crimes against humanity in Sudan’s Darfur region.

Bashir said on Sunday he planned to attend and had already booked a hotel in New York. He is slated to speak on Thursday afternoon.

Samantha Power, US ambassador to the UN, has described Bashir’s visa request as “deplorable.” However, the United States is not a member of the ICC, so US authorities are not legally bound to arrest Bashir. The United States also has a 1947 agreement with the UN allowing leaders of all member states – friend or foe – to attend UN events.

It would not be the first time a controversial figure disliked by the US government appeared. Along with Ahmadinejad, former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi proved controversial with his rambling 1-1/2-hour speech against the West in 2009. Venezuela’s late President Hugo Chavez called President George W. Bush “the devil” in 2006.

In 1974, Yasser Arafat, head of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation, wore a holster as he stood at the podium and denounced Zionism. And retired Cuban leader Fidel Castro’s fourhour speech in 1960, in which he blasted US imperialism, remains the longest General Assembly address to date.  This article has been yndicated from Reuters.

Gender equality and how Islam sees it  Muhammad Eusha

O

ne particular issue that Bangladesh has looked pretty concerned about in the past few years is that of “gender equality.”

Women and men are supposed to be equal to men in terms of “rights.”

According to feminists, women must be entitled to play any role in society that a man is able to play. A man is not to be differentiated from a woman in terms of ability and potential. Moreover, the duties which are traditionally thought to be assumed only by women are to be shared by men as well.

For example, child-care at home is not to be considered as a duty only for females anymore. The male parent should contribute significantly in duties such as changing diapers. In short, duties should not be, in any way, dependent on the sex of the person to which they are assigned.

What is wanted in the name of “gender-equality,” as has been discussed in the last paragraph, is something that makes my mind assume a sceptic disposition.

I think it is necessary to understand how many followers of Islam see it.

There are fundamental differences, both physical and mental between men and women. Just as there are differences between a shirt and a pair of pants. They have different attributes and serve different purposes. A shirt is simply not designed to cover our bottom half and vice versa.

The concept of equality in the case of men and women is somewhat similar. Women are physically and mentally fit for the purpose nature asks them to serve. Men, on the other hand, have been assigned a duty in the society as well. Each of these two sexes has been given attributes that are useful in serving the purpose they are intended to serve.

To illustrate the concept introduced in the last paragraph, let us consider the physical structure of the sexes.

Women have been given the physical mechanism needed to not only harbour a baby for ten months but to nurse and feed it in the later phase.

It is interesting to note that men’s breasts are unable to feed the baby.

God has created this discrimination.

Believers can argue that the Creator could have given men one breast for feeding babies and women another.

But instead, women have to bear both.

In the same way men do not carry the baby for four and a half months and then ask women to carry it for four

unwise and against the fundamental laws of nature to claim that no difference should exist in terms of responsibilities between men and women.

There are many who would stand up and point out that despite having physical differences, men and women

I believe Islam has shown a remarkable astuteness in assigning duties to the sexes. Men and women have been given responsibilities that they are fit for

and a half more. The woman must carry it all by herself! These physical signs clearly indicate that it is the woman who is intended to carry the baby and feed it.

The man, on the other hand has a tougher structure, can go through physical strain and endure adverse conditions. This indicates that while the mother is carrying the baby, the man is supposed to work and support her adequately. The division of responsibilities is thus pretty clear. It is thus

are equal in terms of mental qualities and abilities. This is very true indeed!

Women can not only be as intelligent as men are but sometimes can show surpassing mental abilities. It is definitely not true that women are inferior performers in mathematics or other technical fields of knowledge.

Studies show that women are less represented than men in higher level mathematics and scientific subjects in America. America is still not producing as many female physicists as male

ones, even though, in terms of education and other civil rights, a woman in America “enjoys” so called equality with men. Science is still powerfully dominated by men.

Why is there such a strange and unexpected imbalance? Women are not stopped from enrolling themselves in courses on physics and mathematics.

Perhaps women, in general, are simply not interested in being a Newton or an Einstein!

Women in general, go wherever you may, are interested in the sources of love. They want to bond. They want to build a family. I have met women of varying educational achievements of different nationalities. Nowhere did a woman ever seem more interested in the quantum mechanical model of the hydrogen atom than her own family and above all, her man.

One wonders where the question of men being “better” than women comes in. It is incredibly stupid to call women inferior or to call men superior. They have separate qualities, separate abilities and separate duties. I believe Islam has shown a remarkable astuteness in assigning duties to the

sexes. Men and women have been given responsibilities that they are fit for.

Some writers in our country, influenced by some writers from the West, support concepts of gender-equality and feel embarrassed about how our country is not developing because our women are not as liberated as the ones in other lands.

They also try to somehow establish that Islam says women are equal to men. I do not think women were ever declared to be equal to men in Islam.

One may disagree with what Islam says and say women are equal to men, but no one should fabricate a quote to support their point of view.

Islam never raised an objection against women studying, working or running businesses. If Islam ever imposed certain restrictions on the free-mingling of women and men, it was to ensure the safety of women and to ensure that the society does not become immoral by indulging in pleasure and lust, while forgetting that the real goal of life is to achieve spiritual purity.  Mohammad Eusha is a freelance contributor.

12

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Entertainment

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Unseen Splendour: Joarder discovers treasure trove SM Sultan’s 86 unseen sketches on display at Bengal Gallery

Abul Kashem Joarder, friend of legendary artist SM Sultan, serendipitously discovered a drawing book of a from a pile of books and papers left uncared for. A total of 86 unsigned sketches done in charcoal and pencil were in Joarder’s possession, and now these are on displayed at Bengal Gallery with the title “Unseen Splendour.”

His hardships over decades about these drawings has now turned out be the true tale of Solomon’s treasure.

Each of the drawings are priced at more than Tk100,000, and in total, the artworks are worth more than Tk10m.

Joarder, a presidency graduate of geography, was a teacher at Michael Madhusudan College in Jessore in the fifties where he met Sultan, and the two became friends. Later Joarder moved to Dhaka’s Shiddheswari, and on a trip to Dhaka, Sultan stayed there for a few days. That was when he did the sketches. Joarder kept the sketch book for decades and then forgot about it.

He rediscovered it a few months ago, when his nephew Syed Aminul Haque Kaiser asked

him about his days with Sultan.

Joarder shared: “I’m happy to get such an honour from Bengal Gallery.”

Art critic Moinuddin Khaled said to the Dhaka Tribune: “The show is a historical incident, because very little information is available about Sultan’s life in fifties and sixties, and his work during that time was totally unseen until this exhibition. Now a whole new dimension is created contextually to judge the rare genius of Sultan.”

Moinuddin said: “Due to the ravages of time, all the papers of the sketchbook have become sepia brown but the contours of the drawings are intact.”

“The bold lines of the sketches hold the signature of Sultan and the authenticity of these are beyond question,” he added.

The artworks mostly deal with well-built human figures in his signature style, with a rural backdrop. With simplicity, his solitary life surrounded by pets and wild animals in Narail was also reflected in a few displayed works.

The exhibition also features a flute handcarved and used by Sultan himself.

The show will continue till October 11. 

James goes for digital distribution

Brazilian guitar maestro to perform at Alliance Française de Dhaka  Entertainment Desk

RAJIB DHAR

 Yusuf Banna

Tisha to develop cultural ties with Korea  Shadma Malik Popular actor Nusrat Imrose Tisha has been appointed as the Goodwill Ambassador for Public Diplomacy for a period of two years by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea.

The announcement was officially declared yesterday, and Ambassador of Korea Lee Yun-young handed over the appointment letter, followed by a reception at the embassy. The selection of a Bangladeshi as an ambassador of public diplomacy is due to the fact that Korea and Bangladesh are celebrating forty years of diplomatic ties.

Appreciating the cooperation and honour bestowed to her by the Embassy, Tisha expressed: “I’m honoured and excited to promote the culture of the Republic of Korea to the people of Bangladesh. I will also try my level best to have successful a cultural exchange between the two countries.”

The ambassador of Korea believes that Tisha will be able to work with the

embassy closely to enhance mutual understanding and promoting further cultural exchange between the two countries.

The ambassador said: “At the Busan Film Festival in October 2012, ‘Television’ was appreciated by the people.

The young talented actor Tisha’s performance in the movie amazed the viewers. For diplomatic cultural exchange, we believe Tisha is the perfect one to promote the culture of Korea to the people of Bangladesh.”

While talking about film Television’s entry at the Oscars, Tisha comments: “I believe that I am blessed with good luck and in recent times. Much good news is coming my way. I feel great that people are acknowledging my efforts and inspiring me in various aspects.”

“The film ‘Television’ was selected for various internationals festival and was highly appreciated by all,” Tisha said. “It is so wonderful that ‘Television’ is representing Bangladesh at the 86th Academy Awards.” 

The Embassy of Brazil in Bangladesh and Alliance Française de Dhaka presents an “Exceptional Recital” by Arnaldo Freire, the world-famous Brazilian classical guitar maestro on Friday, September 27 at 6:30pm at La Galerie, AFD. Arnaldo is the first Brazilian musician to visit Bangladesh. He will feature a number of well-known Brazilian guitar pieces by famous composers of his country.

 Entertainment Desk Due to the proliferation of online piracy, musicians are going for digitial releases of their previous and upcoming works on legal digital platforms to control this exploitation. Recently, rock star James of Nagar Baul went for the safe route of digitising his works and making them available internationally.

James signed up with ME Label, a company dedicated to digitising works of Bangladeshi singers and bring some semblance of control to the widespread of online piracy. Through this venture, James is distributing his albums internationally and the bulk of James’ discography is available on major music platforms including iTunes, Amazon, Rhapsody and Google Play.

ME Label will also be releasing two

compilations of some of James’ hit songs with the title “James Mix Volume 1 and 2.”

The signing took place at Mushroom Entertainment’s headquarters in New York City with CEO Rousseau Mannan, CFO Manim Mahmud and James.

James is the lead guitarist and vocal of the band Nagar Baul. For his distinct voice, unique style and breakthrough lyrics, James is one of the biggest stars in the rock music arena of Bangladesh.

He is called guru by his numerous supporters who consider him their spiritual leader.

Along with his successful career in Bangladesh, James is also popular in India for lending his voice to a few super hit Bollywood tracks.

He met Pritom, a famous Bangali music director of Bollywood in 2004.

In 2005, James was the playback singer in a movie named “Gangster.” The song “Bheegi Bheegi” was a blockbuster hit.

The song remained at the top of Bollywood Hit List for more than a month, and James became a star in India.

Then he sang another song named “Chal Chalein” in a movie named “Woh Lamhe” in 2006. This was also another massive hit. In 2007, he was again the playback singer for two songs titled “Rishtey” and “Alvida (Reprise)” in the movie named “Life in a Metro.” Both songs were successful and James created a unique seat for himself in Bollywood.

James is also working on an unreleased song named “Bebasi” in a movie named “Warning.” The movie will release in late 2013 and is the most expensive movie in Bollywood’s history. 

TODAY IN DHAKA Exhibition

Unseen Splendour by legendary artist SM Sultan artworks 12pm-8pm Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts Dhanmondi

Family drama series Shanti Niloy airs on NTV On September 28 at 6 pm, he will be giving a master class on “Brazilian guitar: techniques and styles” in AFD’s auditorium. Persons interested in attending this special class are requested to register as soon as possible at AFD’s reception office and pay a fee of Tk1,000. During his master class, the maestro will focus on different Brazilian music styles, chords, and rhythmic structure, such as Bossa Nova, Samba, Choro and Frevo.

Learners are expected to benefit immensely from such an exciting and exceptional master class, as it will offer them an awareness of the differences between European classical music and Brazilian music, the latter being very colorful and complex in texture. 

 Entertainment Desk

The family Drama series “Shanti Niloy” airs on NTV at 9:45pm. It will be aired every Wednesday and Thursday. The drama is written by Abul Hayat and directed by Amlan Biswas.

Popular soap actors Abul Hayat, Sharmili Ahmed, Raisul Islam Asad, KS Firoz, Intekhab Dinar, Najnin Hasan Chumky, Shatabdy Wadud, Jeny, Araby, Shoshy, Nayan, Nishu and many more stars can be seen in the drama. tory of the drama series revolves around Mr Rashid and his family. His wife is a peaceful woman. Rashid has a daughter named Reshma who is a university student.

X-Men director to produce Kaiju monster drama

Theater

Kadambini Prangon (India), 7pm National Theatre Hall Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy Segunbagicha

Ramleela faces FIR for hurting religious sentiment  Entertainment Desk The release of “Ramleela’s” trailer has created uproar in Jaipur among religious extremists. The trailer that got rave reviews from critics has now stirred up a controversy for allegedly “hurting religious sentiments.”

On Saturday, a Jaipur court directed police to register a case against the filmmaker along with actors Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone for turning different groups against each other on religious grounds.

Advocate Pawan Sharma has filed a complaint against the film, in the court of the additional chief metropolitan magistrate.

“In the complaint, we have stated that

going by the promo, the movie ‘Ramleela,’ which is slated for release on November 15, is promoting enmity between different groups on the grounds of religion,” said Sharma. He said that the court took cognizance of the complaint and asked Jaipur’s Shyam Nagar police station to register a first information report (FIR). “The court has directed the police to investigate the complaint,” he added. At press time, the FIR had not yet been lodged at the police station.

When we asked the film’s publicists about the controversy, they said: “There is no official statement on the matter from the makers as of now.” 

Concert Renaissance Time: 9pm- late night Spaghetti Jazz Rob Bhaban (5th Floor), Plot 3 Gulshan 2

Festival

North & South Indian Food Festival Seasonal Tastes restaurant The Westin Dhaka Gulshan 2

Film

Despicable Me 2 3D Oz The Great and Powerful Nishwartha Bhalobasa Jurassic Park in 3D Star Cineplex Basundhara City

She is in a relationship with a guy named Shihab who is a final year engineering student.

Rashid’s orphan nephew Kajol, who is doing his PhD in Human Relations, lives with them. An emotional mental patient named Bijly who is their neighbor, bothers Kajol.

Another family member Nishi, an orphan and a divorcee who is Rashid’s neice, also resides with them.

Finally, Monir who is a street child, is also included in the family.

One day Rashid decides that he will rent out half of his house, under the condition that the tenant should be from his hometown. After a wait, he finally finds a suitable candidate. 

 Entertainment Desk Guillermo del Toro’s “Pacific Rim” made Kaiju (giant creatures inspired by the Japanese monster movie genre of the same name) all the rage this sum-

mer, and now “X-Men” director Bryan Singer is getting in on the craze.

According to “Deadline,” Singer and his Bad Hat Harry production house are producing a “modern monster drama” for the SyFy network called

“Creature At Bay.” It’ll start with a 90-minute pilot episode written

by John Cabrera, who created the digital series H+ (also produced

by Singer).

The pilot sounds like it’ll kick off in a similar fashion to “Pacific Rim” (one of whose Kaiju is pictured above). “Creature At Bay” will take place in the aftermath of a Kaiju attack on northern California, after the US military successfully takes the giant monster down.

Rather than focus on more huge battles, however, it sounds like “Creature At Bay” will take a closer look at how the attack and its aftermath bring the world’s attention on a small town, presumably where the incident took place.

There’s no word on when we might see “Creature At Bay.” It sounds like the show is still in the early phases. 

Did you know?

AC Milan striker Mario Balotelli’s run of 26 successful penalties in a row was ended by Napoli goalkeeper Pepe Reina during their Serie A match against AC Milan on Sunday

Sport

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

14 Honours even in ‘El Cashico’

14 Ronaldo leads Real rout

DHAKA TRIBUNE

13

15 Alonso cycling team plans collapse

Shafiq continues to dominate  Shishir Hoque

Shafiq Ahmed of Golden Chess Club continued his winning streak in the Berger Paints 39th National ‘A’ Chess Championship as he defeated Md Jamal yesterday to keep his solo lead at the top of the points table after 3rd round. Grandmasters Zia, Rakib and International Master Sagar shared the second spot.

Shafiq played with black pieces with Dutch defense and won the game after 45 moves at the media centre of Bangladesh Olympic Association (BOA).

With maximum 3 points, Shafiq will have real test today when he faces GM Rakib in the 4th round.

However, GMs Ziaur Rahman and Abdullah Al Rakib also registered victories in their respective third round match yesterday. Zia, who played with black pieces, beat Mohammed Hafizul Islam Chapal while Rakib played with white pieces in Torre attack and beat Debaraj in 35 moves. IM Minhazuddin Ahmed Sagar beat IM Abu Sufian Shakil.

Reigning champion GM Niaz Murshed, placed third, drew with Razib.

Niaz offered draw after 23 moves but Razib refused and continued the game before Razib agreed to the proposal in the 33rd move.

In the day’s other games, Fide Master Mehdi Hasan Parag of Access Group beat his teammate FM Kh Aminul Islam and FM Sk Nasir Ahmed drew with FM Mohammad Javed. 

Grandmaster Ziaur Rahman ponders his next move during his National ‘A’ Chess Championship match against Mohammed Hafizul Islam Chapal at the BOA media centre yesterday

Zahid misses meeting, criticises coach

 Raihan Mahmood National winger Zahid Hossain appeared at the BFF House yesterday but was too late to be officially interviewed by the Fact Finding Committee.

Zahid was due at the BFF House at 3:00pm but arrived at around 5:00pm as

the committee members were about to leave. Chairman of the committee Badal Roy said they just had time to exchange greetings. Earlier Zahid was asked to appear before the Fact Finding Committee on Sunday but he could not be reached by any means.

Zahid explained the situation. “I am suffering from high fever and I was not in Dhaka, I was in Tangail and my mobile phone network does not work well inside my house, that’s why BFF failed to communicate with me. However I saw in the newspapers what was going on so I started from Tangail but there was traffic and I couldn’t arrive in time.”

Zahid underperformed in Bangladesh’s first Saff match against Nepal and was left out for the second game against India. He reportedly misbehaved with head coach Lodewijk de Kruif after being questioned about his performance in the match against Nepal. Zahid returned to the side for the match against Pakistan but apart from creating an early chance for Emily, he was failed to impose himself on the game.

Zahid seemed angry with the coach’s attitude. “I could not play well as the head coach did not allow me to play

my way and because of that, I could not play well. I was also a little worried over the issue of taking money from two clubs and that might have also affected my performance,” he said.

Zahid thought that he was a victim of Lodewijk de Kruif’s whim. “I may not play under him in the national fold. He is a high-profile coach from a high-profile country and we are low-profile players of a low-profile country. How did he came to know that I had taken money from two clubs? When he brought it up, it made me shaky. Why didn’t he pick me against India? Everybody does not know how to play pressing football, I was trying to play how he wanted me to play,” said Zahid.

The winger also thought that excessive training contributed to the team’s failure in Nepal. “He made us work three sessions per day. We did not fully recover from the pressure. Mamunul was not there and I failed to make good combinations with other player and it also affected the team’s performance.

The Fact Finding Committee finished their investigation by interviewing forward Shakahwat Hossian Rony, who appeared before Zahid. 

Pran-BSJA Media Cup begins today

Battle of the Primes

 Raihan Mahmood

 Mazhar Uddin

The Pran-Frooto BSJA Media Cup Cricket comprising 26 media houses of the country starts at the Moulana Bhashani Hockey Stadium today.

The tournament, organised by Bangladesh Sports Journalists Association (BSJA) and sponsored by Pran RFL. In the official press conference of the meet former national captains and national selectors - Minhajul Abedin Nannu and Habibul Bashar Sumon, former star national cricket opener Mehrab Hossain Opee and Ms. Afroza Nannu drew the number of the draw.

Director of Pran RFL group Eleas Mridha, Brand Manager of Pran RFL Group Mohammadur Atikur Rahman, BSJA President Syeeduzzaman, General Secretary Syed Sayeedur Rahman Shameem and tournament director Arifur Rahman Babu were also present on the occasion.

The participating media houses include ATN News, Channel 71, Channel 24, New Age, Daily Star, Gazi TV, Channel 9, Bangla Vision, Naya Diganta, Manabzamin Alokito Bangladesh The Independent, Kaler Kantho, Channel I, Prothom Alo ,Dhaka Tribune, Maasranga TV, Radio Today, Ittefaq, Boishakhi TV, RTV, BSS RisingBD, Shamokal, Shokaler Khobor, New Nation. 

After three matches, most teams are not where they expected to be and the fourth round matches of the Dhaka Premier League (DPL) that begin today promises exciting action.

Three matches will be played today, with two crucial games involving defending champions Victoria Sporting Club and last year’s runnersup Prime Bank Cricket Club.

It will be a battle between the Primes at BKSP-3. Prime Bank and this year’s giant killing side Prime Doleshwar share second spot behind Mohammedan SC, who have all three of their games to head the points table.

Doleshwar, who survived a relegation scare last season by a whisker, are a spirited side with national players likes Mominul Haque and Sohag Gazi along with their Sri Lankan recruit Roshane Shiwanka Silva in fine form as well. After beating Abahani in their second game, Doleshwar dominated favourites Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club and defeated them by seven wickets.

Prime Bank, on the other hand, will heavily rely on their batting options like hard hitting Ziaur Rahman and Sri

Lankan Bhanuka Rajapaksha and with Zimbabwean skipper Brendon Taylor they look a strong batting unit.

The holders of the major 50-over tournament Victoria, led by Tigers all-rounder Nasir Hossain, are sitting at seventh spot with three points while their opponent Kalabagan Krira Chakra are placed 10th in the table with just one win under their belt. Kalabagan, captained by Naeem Islam, lost two close matches in the league so far and they will want to make sure they don’t suffer the same fate today at Fatullah. But there is no good news for them as their star all-rounder Shakib-al-Hasan will be unavailable in this match also as the left hander is yet to recover from his thumb injury.

Meanwhile at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Gazi Tank Cricketers will be facing lowly Cricket Coaching School (CCS), who are yet to register a point this year. With two wins so far, Gazi led by Mahmudullah will be favourites for the game and it looks CCS will have to wait a bit longer to get on board. It will be a glorious chance for Gazi fast bowler Rubel Hossain to go ahead in the wicket taking tally. The quickie has been in fine form this season, bagging 13 wickets in three matches that include two five-fors and a hat-trick. 

England hit back at Lehmann’s ‘dour’ jibe

Championship league in 3 phases  Shishir Hoque

The BFF professional football league committee meeting at the BFF house yesterday came to the decision that the next season of the Bangladesh Championship League (2013-14) will be held in three phases like the Bangladesh Premier League.

The committee also decided to hold the players’ transfer window for the Bangladesh Championship League from October 20 to November 20. the championship clubs are not eligible to take part in the Super Cup, there will be a new tournament named the “Champions Cup” for the 2nd tier clubs. Apart from this, the championship clubs will play in the Federation Cup and Independence Cup, and the Federation Cup is expected to be held next month.

Three new venues have been recommended for the season- Shaheed MirajTapan Stadium in Manikganj, Bhasha Shaheed Barkat Stadium in Gazipur and Tangail Sadium. 

MUMIT M

 AFP

Former national captains- Minhajul Abedin Nannu(3L), Habibul Bashar Sumon(2R) and Director of Pran RFL group Eleas Mridha(C) hold on a jersey each during a press conference of the Pran-Frooto BSJA Media Cup Cricket at the BOA auditorium yesterday MUMIT M

England defended their approach to cricket aafter Australia coach Darren Lehmann said Monday they were a “dour side”.

Although England completed a third straight Ashes Test series win at home to Australia last month by taking a five-match series 3-0, they were criticised for an excessively defensive approach with both bat and ball.

Lehmann, was asked on a BBC radio show what he thought of England’s style. “Dour. It’s not the type of cricket I’d play. At times I’d like to see their over-rates picked up,” Lehmann replied.

Lehmann also called on the Australian public to make life so difficult for Broad during the Ashes rematch he will want to cry and go home.

His comments saw him fined by the International Cricket Council while former Australia captain Ian Chappell said Lehmann had been a “hypocrite”

as Australians, who’ve traditionally always waited for the umpire’s decision, were in no position to complain about opponents who didn’t walk.

England managing director of cricket Hugh Morris, responding to Lehmann’s latest remarks, said he’d no problems with the brand of cricket played

by Alastair Cook’s side.

“I’m really happy with our style,” Morris said Monday at a Lord’s news conference to announce England’s Ashes squad.

“Over the last five years our results have spoken for themselves. Over the last 12 months since Alastair Cook became captain we’ve played four (Test) series, we’ve won three and drawn one,” the former England batsman added.

“That included a win in India, which was the first time (for England and where Australia were whitewashed 4-0 earlier this year) in 28 years, and a 3-0 win against Australia here (in England). 

14

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Ronaldo leads Real rout  Reuters

Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates scoring against Getafe during their La Liga match at Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on Sunday

Honours even in 'El Cashico'  AFP

Monaco came from behind to earn a 1-1 draw with defending French champions Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday to keep hold of top spot in Ligue 1.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic volleyed PSG into an early lead in the French capital, but Monaco’s 60-millioneuro striker Radamel Falcao bundled in an equaliser for the visitors as the first clash between the league’s two financial heavyweights finished level.

The draw kept Monaco in first place on 14 points, two ahead of PSG, who moved into second, ahead of Saint-Etienne on goal difference.

“It was a good match. Paris played well but so did we,” said Monaco boss Claudio Ranieri.

Ibrahimovic had endured a slow start to the season with just one goal prior to Sunday, but last year’s leading scorer made an immediate impact at the Parc des Princes as he gave PSG a fifthminute lead.

Falcao then hauled Monaco level on

Results Lorient

Aboubakar 23, Monnet-Paquet 44, S. Diallo 58

3-3

Lyon

3-1

Nice

4-0

B. Gomis 26, Grenier 55, Briand 72 Cvitanich 32-pen, Bautheac 44, Bruls 69, Bosetti 73

Bordeaux

Diabate 8-pen, Sertic 24, Saivet 30

Nantes

Veretout 24

Valenciennes

20 minutes as he threw himself at Joao Moutinho’s teasing cross into the box, the Colombian bravely putting his body on the line to head beyond Salvatore Sirigu.

Ibrahimovic was soon played through

by Marco Verratti but the striker elected to cut back onto his right foot and, rather than shooting, over hit a chip towards the far post as he tried to pick out an advancing Lavezzi.

There was further frustration for Ibrahimovic after the interval as he flicked a low cross from Lavezzi the wrong side of the post.

Ferreira Carrasco volleyed wide when

well placed, while substitute James Rodriguez and Layvin Kurzawa took turns to test Sirigu from distance but the contest began to peter out as the second half wore on.

However, Cavani twice very nearly snatched all three points for PSG in stoppage time. The Uruguayan was firstly denied by a fantastic sliding intervention from Andrea Raggi after he chested down Blaise Matuidi’s lofted pass and shot on the turn before he sent a header narrowly wide of the near post as Monaco withstood a late threat.

“We put them in difficulty, we had the chances but we failed to take them.

We can be happy with the performance we produced, (it was) one of the best of the season,” said PSG midfielder Blaise Matuidi.

Earlier, Lyon halted a run of six matches without a victory as they beat promoted Nantes 3-1.

Nice climbed to fifth after thumping lowly Valenciennes 4-0 to mark the inauguration of their new Allianz Riviera stadium in style, while Lorient fought back from two goals down at home to draw 3-3 with Bordeaux. 

REUTERS

 AFP Two of Spain’s four Champions League participants go head-to-head for the first time this season when Barcelona host Real Sociedad at the Camp Nou on Tuesday.

The Basques have had an unhappy time since securing qualification to the Champions League for the first time in a decade with an impressive 4-0 aggregate victory over Lyon.

Jagoba Arrasate’s men have taken just two points from three league games against Levante, Atletico Madrid and Malaga since and were also beaten at home Shakhtar Donetsk in their Champions League opener.

However, captain Xabi Prieto is confident that despite going to arguably the toughest venue in Spain, they can turn things around quickly.

“We can’t always score four goals.

Indeed, we have had clean sheets in five of the eight games we have played and this in the long-term in a good

 Reuters

Moyes plugs in the hairdryer  Reuters Manchester United manager David Moyes left his players in no doubt about his feelings after a crushing 4-1 defeat at rivals Manchester City had him holding his head in his hands.

Monday’s newspapers reported that the Scot had given his beaten side a blast of the infamous Alex Ferguson ‘hairdryer’ treatment after the match.

Moyes, who took over from compatriot Ferguson at the end of last season, refused to confirm the full intensity of the dressing down but it was clear some hair had been ruffled at the very least.

“It’s just what I’d have done if I’d...

I’ve been here many times with Everton

and don’t think I’ve suffered a defeat like this with Everton,” the former Goodison boss told reporters when asked whether he had resorted to a first use of his predecessor’s favourite appliance.

“So I just told the players the way I would have told players at any other club if I don’t think they’re doing it.” added Moyes. “They’re good players, they’re good pros, they know when they’re bang at it and when they’re not.”

The headlines talked of a humiliation, rather than just a beating, for Premier League champions whose limitations were cruelly exposed.

United were without striker Robin van Persie, who did not start due to a groin injury, but Moyes refused to use

that as an excuse.

Instead, the manager demanded an immediate reaction from his players in the Capital One (League) Cup tie at home to Liverpool on Wednesday.

“We’ll make sure we react. Every manager has bad results. I’m no different.”

United were 4-0 down after 50 minutes and City’s new manager Manuel Pellegrini said he too was surprised by the scoreline.

“You don’t expect to win 4-1 against Manchester United,” he told reporters.

“It’s very big and the way we did it is always important.

“We will enjoy this. It gives the team a lot of confidence.” 

Gareth Bale injured himself in the warmup and was forced to wait for his Bernabeu debut but Real Madrid did not miss him as Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice in a 4-1 win over Getafe in La Liga on Sunday.

Getafe stunned the home crowd by scoring after only five minutes, as the visitors played on amid appeals for a possible foul on Ronaldo, and Lafita’s long-range shot was deflected past a wrong-footed Diego Lopez.

Getafe’s Angel Lafita made the most of another sluggish start from Real, though normal order was soon restored when Pepe equalised in the 19th minute and Ronaldo scored with a penalty in the 33rd as the chances fell thick and fast. Isco grabbed his fourth of the campaign after the break, and after Getafe were reduced to 10 men.

The game was put beyond doubt when Ronaldo took a quick free kick out on the left flank, setting Isco clear in the area and the Spanish international curled a shot inside the far post.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side moved up to third with 13 points from five games, two behind joint leaders Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, who both maintained perfect starts with wins on Saturday.

“We put them in difficulty, we had the chances but we failed to take them.

We can be happy with the performance

In-form Barcelona host struggling Sociedad

'Much more to come from Ozil'

Paris Saint-Germain's Swedish forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the French L1 football match against AS Monaco at the Parc des Princes Stadium in Paris on Sunday AFP

Results

Mesut Ozil’s three assists in table-topping Arsenal’s 3-1 victory over Stoke City were merely a sign of things to come, manager Arsene Wenger said on Sunday.

Wenger has already compared the club’s record 42 million pounds ($67 million) signing to former favourite Dennis Bergkamp in his ability to influence games.

“I believe that once he is completely integrated we’ll see even more of him but he has shown today that he is a great player,” Wenger said of the German playmaker.

“You could see today he has a good pace as well. At the moment he focuses a lot on his passing but he can create individually as well.

“When you look at his numbers, the assists are not a coincidence, it’s just the reality of his game.”

Arsenal’s ability to challenge for the title will hinge on Ozil’s impact and his three games so far augur well.

“He is a similar type (to Bergkamp),” Wenger said in the Sunday Telegraph in the buildup to the game.

“I think Ozil, at the start, has more a midfielder’s mentality. But he can score, yes.

Ozil’s status as Arsenal’s playmaker behind striker Olivier Giroud will also help lift some of the weight off Jack Wilshere’s shoulders with Wenger saying the England midfielder was exhausted in the Stoke game.

“Jack played now five games. Normally I should have rested him today but he did fight very hard and he was a bit exhausted in the end and that’s why I decided to take him off,” Wenger said. 

Fixtures Barcelona Levante Malaga Atletico Madrid

v v v v

Real Sociedad Valladolid Almeria Osasuna

thing,” he told the club’s website.

“We are making chances and if we continue to do so then the goals will arrive.

“After five games we have six points, it is not a crisis situation, but it is obvious that we would like to have more points and we believe we can do more.

“Now we have to concentrate on Barcelona who are a fantastic team and even more so in their own stadium, but we go there believing we can achieve something.”

By contrast, Barcelona have started the league season with five straight wins and started to show signs of their best form with consecutive 4-0 victories over Ajax and Rayo Vallecano in the past week. 

Real Madrid

0-0 0-0 4-1

Valencia

3-1

Real Betis Celta Vigo Pepe 19, Ronaldo 33-pen 90+2, Isco 59 Jonas 33, 74 Victor Ruiz 82

Granada Villarreal Getafe

Lafita 6

Sevilla

Gameiro 52

we produced, (it was) one of the best of the season.”

Promoted Villarreal remained unbeaten on their return to the top flight but slipped to fourth with 11 points, after being held to a 0-0 draw at Celta Vigo.

Brazilian striker Jonas scored twice to help Valencia to a 3-1 home win over bottom side Sevilla, easing the pressure on new coach Miroslav Djukic after four straight defeats in all competitions.

Jonas stroked in the opener late in the first half, and after Sevilla equalised just after the break, he struck a wonderful low shot from outside the area. Victor Ruiz looped in a header for the third in the 82nd minute.

Valencia climbed to ninth with six points, one ahead of Real Betis in 12th, who drew 0-0 at home with Andalusian rivals Granada.

A third goalless draw in four outings for Pepe Mel’s Betis showed they continue to struggle without last season’s injured top scorer Ruben Castro. 

Di Canio sacked

by Sunderland  AFP Paolo di Canio was sacked as manager of basement club Sunderland on Sunday after just seven months in charge of the north-east side.

Sunderland announced they had parted company with the fiery Italian a day after Saturday’s 3-0 defeat at West Bromwich Albion left them bottom of the table with just one point from their opening five league games.

“Sunderland AFC confirms that it has parted company with head coach Paolo di Canio this evening,” a club statement said as the curtain came down on his brief spell at the Stadium of Light which only started on March 31.

“Kevin Ball will take charge of the squad ahead of Tuesday night’s Capital One (League) Cup game against Peterborough United,” the statement said.

Sunderland’s defeat at the Hawthorns was compounded by the fact West Brom’s opening goal was scored by Stephane Sessegnon, a player sold to the Midlands club by di Canio amid some bitterness on transfer deadline day. 

Epic win for Napoli  AFP Napoli goalkeeper Pepe Reina ended Mario Balotelli’s career streak of 21 successive penalties but failed to see his side reclaim top spot Sunday despite a first away league win over Milan in 27 years.

Napoli’s 2-1 win was their first Serie A victory over the Rossoneri at the San Siro since a side led by Argentine legend Diego Maradona beat Milan in April 1986.

But despite Rafael Benitez’s men dominating Massimiliano Allegri’s injury-hit side, the Azzurri failed to hold on to the two-goal lead that would have seen them reclaim top spot after Balotelli reduced the arrears in injury time.

Napoli opened the scoring after just six minutes when Miguel Britos headed home Raul Albiol’s headed delivery from

Result Milan

Balotelli 90+1

1-2

Napoli 2

Britos 6, Higuain 53

Jose Callejon’s free kick.

Then Christian Abbiati failed to hold a rocket from Gonzalo Higuain despite the Argentinian falling to the ground as he struck with his right foot.

Barely 10 minutes later Balotelli was fouled in the area but despite being unbeaten in 21 previous attempts for club and country in his career, he saw his spot-kick effort stopped by Reina.

Balotelli finally beat Reina when, in the first minute of injury time, he sent a curling shot from the edge of the area past the Spanish keeper at his far post.

Milan pressed for an equaliser but fell to their second reverse of the campaign and remain 11th, eight points adrift of Roma and Napoli. 

Napoli goalkeeper Pepe Reina celebrates after saving a penalty against AC Milan during their Italian Serie A match at the San Siro stadium in Milan on Sunday REUTERS

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

15

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Quick Bytes

Istanbul derby halted after fans rush pitch Hundreds of fans halted the Istanbul derby between Galatasaray and Besiktas after storming the pitch at Istanbul’s Olympic Stadium on Sunday, local media reported. Police used teargas in an attempt to restrain fans who rushed on to the field after Galatasaray midfielder Felipe Melo was shown a red card, CNN Turk said. Galatasaray were leading 2-1 in the third minute of added time when the match was halted, sending the players sprinting for the safety of the locker rooms. The match was the first Istanbul derby of the season and follows months of civil unrest in Turkey’s largest city over government plans to demolish a city park at the central square of Taksim.

Besiktas’ politicised fan base, dubbed ‘Carsi’, was a prominent force in the antigovernment protests and often clashed with police during the peak of the unrest in June.

– Reuters

Thiago Silva likely to miss for weeks Paris St Germain centre back Thiago Silva will be out of action for an undefined period after picking up a thigh injury during Sunday’s 1-1 Ligue 1 home draw against Monaco, coach Laurent Blanc said. “He will have to undergo examinations tomorrow or the day after,” Blanc told a news conference. “It’s obviously a muscular problem so I think we have lost him for a little while.” Thiago Silva appeared to receive the injury in the 15th minute by jumping for a defensive header and immediately asked to be replaced. With Alex already out of the game injured, the French champions had to play with an unusual pairing of close season recruit Marquinhos and substitute Zoumana Camara.

– Reuters

Hulk happy in Russia and nearing top form Zenit Saint Petersburg’s Brazilian forward Hulk on Monday said he was happy in Russia and nearing top form after an emphatic weekend victory left his side as joint league leaders. Hulk, 27, sought to lay to rest rumours that he was unsettled at Zenit after his side clinched a confident 4-0 win over hosts Rostov at the weekend. Zenit, Spartak Moscow and reigning champions CSKA Moscow are all on 20 points from nine matches after this weekend’s round of matches with Zenit taking the first spot due to their better goal difference. Hulk, who has yet to regain top form after a leg injury, said that he pushed himself to the limit in both of the matches which he has played since his return.

“Of course, I wasn’t 100-percent ready for the matches with Valencia (in the Champions League) and Rostov and failed to show everything I can do in these encounters,” he said.

– AFP

Interpol laud capture of match-fixing mastermind Law enforcement agency Interpol lauded the work of Singapore authorities on Monday for arresting the ‘mastermind’ of the world’s largest soccer match-fixing syndicate thought to be worth millions of dollars. Interpol secretary general Ron Noble did not reveal the identity of the ringleader arrested

by Singapore’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) last Tuesday but it is believed to be Singaporean Tan Seet Eng. Italian prosecutors have accused Tan, also known as Dan Tan, of heading an organisation to fix soccer matches worldwide and Italian police issued an arrest warrant for him earlier this year. “I’m confident that Singapore law enforcement authorities have arrested the mastermind and leader of the world’s most notorious match-fixing syndicate,” Noble told reporters in Singapore.

– Reuters

Day’s Watch ESPN 1:55pm AFC Cup 2013 LIVE Padang v East Bengal 11:55pm Liga BBVA 2013/14 LIVE Barcelona v Real Sociedad Star Sports 2013 CLT 20 LIVE 4:20pm Titans v Brisbane Heat 8:20pm T&T v Sunrisers Hyderabad Ten Sports 10:55pm DFB Pokal 2013/14 LIVE 1860 Munich v Dortmund

Besiktas fans throw plastic chairs onto the pitch during the Turkish Super League derby football match against Galatasaray at Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul on Sunday. Hundreds of fans halted the Istanbul derby after storming the pitch at Istanbul's Olympic Stadium. Galatasaray were leading 2-1 in the third minute of added time when the match was halted, sending the players sprinting for the safety of the locker rooms REUTERS

Panesar gets England recall for Ashes 

AFP

Controversial spinner Monty Panesar was given a chance to revive his England career after being named Monday in a 17-man squad for the forthcoming Ashes tour of Australia.

England also selected uncapped trio of Yorkshire batsman Gary Ballance, Durham all-rounder Ben Stokes and former Ireland seamer Boyd Rankin for a tour where they they will bid to win a fourth straight Ashes series against arch-rivals Australia -- something they last achieved in the 19th Century.

Otherwise a squad again captained

by Alastair Cook contained few surprises, with England again relying on the bulk of the side that completed a 3-0 home Ashes win over Australia last month.

Panesar has long been regarded as England’s second-best spinner behind off-break bowler Graeme Swann.

However, the 31-year-old Panesar,

England squad Alastair Cook (Essex, capt), Matt Prior (Sussex, vice-captain), James Anderson (Lancashire), Jonny Bairstow, Gary Ballance (both Yorkshire), Ian Bell (Warwickshire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Michael Carberry (Hampshire), Steven Finn (Middlesex), Monty Panesar (Essex), Kevin Pietersen (Surrey), Boyd Rankin (Warwickshire), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Ben Stokes (Durham), Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire), Chris Tremlett (Surrey), Jonathan Trott (Warwickshire) who has taken 164 Test wickets at 33.78, was fined by police for urinating in public after he was ejected from a Brighton nightclub on August 5 and then effectively sacked by south coast county Sussex.

A delighted Panesar told his Twitter followers: “Absolutely thrilled to be in ashes squad.”

Both Rankin and Stokes impressed

during the recent 2-1 one-day series loss to Australia but the 23-year-old Ballance, out for nought on his ODI debut against Ireland earlier this month, was given his chance on the back of consistent performances. He has shone in the First Division of the County Championship where he has made 995 runs in 13 matches at an average of over 52 with three hundreds.

Ballance could now challenge county colleague Jonny Bairstow for England’s problem No 6 position.

As for Stokes, Miller said: “He’s proved over the last year or so that he’s developing his game rapidly, he’s an exciting prospect.”

All three of the uncapped Test trio were born overseas, with Ballance growing up in Zimbabwe before coming to county side Derbyshire as a 16-yearold while Stokes is the New Zealandborn son of a former Kiwi rugby league international, although he grew up in Cumbria, northern England. 

Whatmore confident of Pakistan’s resurgence  AFP Pakistan cricket coach Dav Whatmore admitted Monday he was “embarrassed” by his side’s Test defeat to minnows Zimbabwe but insisted they could bounce back against South Africa.

Pakistan lost the second Test against Zimbabwe by 24 runs earlier this month to leave the two-match series tied at 1-1, a result which saw them drop from fourth to sixth in the Test rankings.

The defeat revived calls to replace captain Misbah-ul Haq and Whatmore before the clash against number one Test team South Africa in the United Arab Emirates next month.

The Proteas will be full of confidence going into the series after their pace attack helped them thrash Pakistan 3-0 in South Africa at the start of the year.

Since Whatmore took over in March last year, Pakistan have won only one Test and lost five.

The 59-year-old told AFP Zimbabwe

Alonso deal to buy cycling team collapses  AFP The deal for Spanish two-time Formula One champion Fernando Alonso to rescue the financially stricken Euskaltel Euskadi cycling team has collapsed, the team confirmed on Monday.

The Basque team announced that a deal had been agreed “in principle” for Alonso to fill a funding gap in their sponsorship after it lost 3.5 million euros ($4.7 million, £3 million) of local government funding due to spending cuts.

The team’s main sponsor, telecommunications company Euskaltel, filled that funding gap themselves for this season, taking their contribution to seven million of the team’s nine million euro budget However, it said that level of investment was unsustainable and it was announced in August that the

team would be shut down at the end of the season should another sponsor not be found.

And with the breakdown in negotiations it appears as if the last hope to save the 19-year old team have disappeared.

“The negotiations between Euskaltel and the representatives of Fernando Alonso for the acquisition of the cycling team Euskaltel Euskadi on behalf of the Asturian driver, which began with an agreement in principle on August 31, have ended without an agreement,” the team said in a statement.

“For Euskaltel it is sad news that after the hope generated by the agreement in principle, a definitive agreement has not been formalised to guarantee a professional future for the members of the team and to reward the fans that have been loyal until the last

moment.

“We would like to explain the details of the negotiations, because we have done our part, with total honesty, but it is not possible because we need to respect the confidentiality of the negotiations.

“Having not achieved an agreement, Euskaltel is unfortunately obligated to restart an organised and responsible closure of the project.”

Despite the uncertainty over the team’s future, Euskaltel achieved their first ever victory in the team classification of a grand tour in the recently completed Tour of Spain.

However, cyclists contracted to the team for the 2014 season, including Olympic gold medallist Samuel Sanchez, had already been given permission to speak to other teams about finding a place in the peloton for next season. 

had been tougher than they expected, but he was confident his men would bounce back in the two-Test series starting in Abu Dhabi on October 14.

“Zimbabwe gave us better preparation and they were bit stronger than a lot of us thought about them,” he said.

“All three adjectives -- upsetting, disappointed and embarrassing -- can be used to describe the way I feel after the defeat against Zimbabwe.”

Whatmore refused to blame any individuals but said the side had let itself down with both bat and ball.

He said the different opposition and different conditions in the UAE -- typically low, slow pitches similar to those found on the subcontinent -- would demand a different line-up. However Whatmore backed Misbah as captain.

“Misbah has some wonderful leadership qualities and has been successful since he took over,” said Whatmore.

“My observations are that by nature he is a methodical person who thinks deeply before making decisions. This is reflected in his batting as well,” said Whatmore. 

Swede Stenson claims FedEx Cup crown  AFP

Sweden’s Henrik Stenson earned the biggest payday in golf by closing with a two-under 68 Sunday to claim two trophies in one day -- The Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup title.

Stenson finished with a 13-under 267 overall score to beat Jordan Spieth by three strokes at the East Lake course, giving him the Tour Championship and its $1.4 million payout, along with the FedEx Cup title with its $10 million prize. “To win both these trophies today it feels incredible,” Stenson said.

Stenson became the first European to win both the FedEx Cup and The Tour Championship.

Stenson birdied the 15th hole and cruised home with three consecutive pars for his fourth USPGA Tour title.

Venus in the pink but Azarenka awaits  AFP Former world number one Venus Williams, resplendent in a floral dress and pink dreadlocks, showed glimpses of her old power by blasting past German Mona Barthel 6-3, 6-1 to reach the second round of the Pan Pacific Open on Sunday.

No longer the force of old and currently only 62nd in the world, the 33-year-old American still had too much firepower for Barthel in Tokyo, taking just 63 minutes to sweep past her 34thranked opponent.

The seven-time grand slam singles winner, whose career has been blighted since being diagnosed with the autoimmune disorder Sjogren’s Syndrome in 2011, faces an uphill task to extend her stay, however, with top seed Victoria Azarenka -- runner-up to Serena Wil-

liams at the US Open earlier this month – her next opponent.

Carefully coiffed braids poking through the top of her sun visor, Williams took the first set with a fierce forehand which caught the back of the baseline and wrapped up proceedings by bludgeoning a backhand past Barthel.

Williams celebrated with a polite curtsy to an appreciative crowd at the venue for the 2020 Olympic tennis. She shrugged when asked about Azarenka.

“I’ve played so many matches in my career I’m ready for whatever happens on the court,” she told reporters after making her first appearance at the Tokyo meet since reaching the quarterfinals in 2009.

Ninth seed Sloane Stephens, one of the new generation of American players, who once claimed the Williams sisters refused to sign an autograph for

her at a tournament in Florida when she was 12, thrashed Switzerland’s Stefanie Voegele 6-3, 6-2 to advance to the second round.

In other matches, twice major winner Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia flattened Argentine qualifier Paula Ormaechea 6-1, 6-2 while 14th-seeded Belgian Kirsten Flipkens was tested in a 7-6 (74), 7-5 win over Czech Barbora Zahlavova Strycova, who also came through the qualifying draw of the 30th edition of the tournament.

Fifteenth seed Sorana Cirstea kicked off the $2.3 million event with a routine 6-4, 6-4 victory over Julia Goerges.

World number one Serena Williams, who won her 17th grand slam singles title at the US Open, pulled out at the last minute due to fatigue while twice Pan Pacific champion Maria Sharapova withdrew with shoulder pain. 

France's Gilles Simon (R) poses holding his trophy after beating his French opponent Jo-Tsonga during their ATP Moselle Open final on Sunday in Metz. Simon won 6/4, 6/3 AFP

16

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Back Page

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

DMCH now a 2,300-bed health facility Flyover approach road at west end is feared to block entrance to new building that houses country’s first Bone Marrow Transplant Unit

 Moniruzzaman Uzzal The Dhaka Medical College Hospital is all set to offer better healthcare services as the 600-bed new extension building is scheduled to open in just over a week’s time.

The construction of the handsome looking 10-storey building, built at a cost of Tk1.07bn, houses the first Bone Marrow Transplant Unit of the country – much to the relief of the cancer patients.

Not only that, the new advanced facilities are also expected to significantly ease the severe pressure of patients that the authorities have to deal within the old infrastructure. With the additional accommodation in the new building, the DMCH, the biggest public healthcare facility in the country, becomes a 2,300-bed hospital.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to inaugurate the new building, called DMCH 2, on October 3.

However, with just over a week to go before the opening, the hospital authorities are worried whether the new building will be able to function fully because of the construction of the much-hyped Gulistan-Jatrabari flyover.

The construction of one of the approach roads to the flyover that runs besides the new building is currently underway. The construction firm in charge of building the approach road has put up a number of high walls that have almost entirely blocked one of the entrances to the new DMCH building.

As a result, after the new building is opened, the vehicles carrying patients would have to go around either

the Gulistan roundabout or the Bakshibazar intersection for entering the building. That, in turn, would kill a lot of time and give rise to serious traffic congestion in the area, hospital authorities feared.

DMCH Deputy Director Dr Md Mushfiqur Rahim recently sent a letter to the administrator of the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) informing about the predicament.

In the letter, Dr Rahim alleged that neither the DSCC nor the contractor had consulted the DMCH authorities before putting up the walls. He urged the DSCC authorities to keep the entrance of the new building free for the sake of smooth services.

Dr Bayezid Khurshid Riaz, project director of DMCH 2, told the Dhaka Tribune that both the new hospital building and the flyover were equally important public projects.

He said a number of DSCC high officials, including the administrator, chief executive officer and chief engineer, had already visited the site after getting Dr Rahim’s letter.

He said they had assured him of taking effective measures so that both the hospital and the construction of the flyover could go on smoothly without getting into each other’s’ ways.

Sources said the various departments under the Medicine Faculty of DMCH would be shifted to the new building. Only the departments under the Surgery Faculty would remain in the old building.

They also said the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit would be set up on the 9th floor of the new building. 

The Bosila Road in the City Protection Embankment area often remains overcast by dust because of vehicular movement, compelling commuters to cover up their faces. The photo was taken yesterday MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

MEDICAL AND DENTAL ADMISSION

Ministry fixes 120 as the cut mark for qualification  Moniruzzaman Uzzal Amid criticisms about the low quality of education in private med schools, the health ministry has decided that the cut mark for qualifying in this year’s medical and dental admission tests would be 120.

In last year’s medical admission tests, the lowest score with which a candidate got into a public medical college was 163.5. The lowest score with which a candidate got into a public dental college was 164.

On the other hand, many students with scores of merely 110 got admission in some of the private medical colleges.

Seeking anonymity, an official, placed high in one of the decision making bodies, told the Dhaka Tribune that before the private medical colleges emerged, they did not have to worry about the quality of the medical students.

He said the authorities must think whether a student, who had scored only 120 out of 200 in the admission tests, should be allowed in a medical school or not.

The decision was taken yesterday in a high-level meeting held at the conference room of the ministry with Health Minister AFM Ruhal Haque in the chair.

The Dhaka Tribune has learnt that the Syndicate of Dhaka University in a recent meeting decided that the minimum cut mark should be 140 and in a letter requested the ministry to implement the decision in the soonest possible time.

The ministry, however, after having discussed the DU Syndicate request in yesterday’s meeting, unanimously landed on the cut mark of 120.

The public and private medical colleges in the country enroll students on the basis of the results of one common admission test. The dental colleges

– both public and private – also have their common tests.

These tests carry 100 marks for the written examination plus 100 marks for the weights of the HSC and SSC results.

Out of the latter 100, HSC results carry 60 marks and SSC 40.

A grade point average (GPA) of 5 in HSC equals 60 marks while a GPA 5 in SSC equals 40. A candidate must have an aggregate GPA of 8 from the two exams, which must not include any GPA of less than 3.5.

In 2012, the health ministry fixed 110 as the minimum cut mark for the medical colleges and 105 for the dental colleges.

However, as many seats in the dental colleges remained empty because not enough students could get the requisite score, the authorities decided that everyone who appeared in the admission tests would be allowed in.

Dr Moazzem Hossain, president of

Bangladesh Private Medical Association, said: “In the last three years, the decision on the cut mark was made after the results of the written exams had been published. Last year, 51,000 students got 110 marks. This year, the decision is made beforehand. We do not know how many students can secure 120.

“If enough candidate cannot obtain the minimum cut mark this year, then the seats in the colleges, especially the dental colleges, will remain vacant,” he added.

Dr Zahedul Hoque Basunia, registrar of the Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council, told the Dhaka Tribune: “The decision [for setting 120 as the cut mark] will help increase the standard of medical students. Last year those who got only 10 marks in the medical admission tests were allowed admission in the private colleges.” 

Teachers movement makes JU admission tests uncertain  Mahadi Al Hasnat

Shoili, wife of mountaineer Sajal Khaled, speakes at a press conference organised yesterday by Sajal Mission, a platform for retrieving Sajal’s body, urging the government to take initiatives and provide sponsors to bring his body back home DHAKA TRIBUNE

No trace of Sajal’s body, belongings  Md Atiqur Rahman

The four-member inquiry team that comprises the wife of deceased climber Sajal Khaled and his brother-in-law has returned from Kathmandu with a summit certificate and a medal from the Nepalese government which is first of its kind for Bangladeshi mountaineers.

The team went to Nepal in September 4 to explore the reasons and issues surrounding the death of the Everest-climber and retrieve his belongings.

Addressing a press conference in the city yesterday, Sajal’s wife Tahmina Khan Shaily demanded formulation of a policy for the mountaineers so that this misfortune would not happen to anyone else. She also requested all to lend their hands in getting the fact behind Sajal’s death.

Shahjahan Mridha Benu, vice-president of Mountaineering and Trekking Club; Shamsul Alam Babu, an expert on mountaineering; and Nasir Khan Shaket, Sajal’s brother-in-law, were also present at the programme.

While talking to the Dhaka Tribune she said: “We received a police report which provides confusing information.

The original report, which was written

in Nepalese language, says Sajal died as he ‘slipped’ from the Everest while the English version says he was ‘flown away’ by the air.”

Mohammed Sajal Hossain, popularly known as Sajal Khaled, 35, died in May while descending from the Everest, a few hours after he successfully climbed it as the fifth Bangladeshi. His body is said to be lying somewhere on the South Summit, about 28,750 feet above the sea-level.

The inquiry team also thanked Bangladesh government for its assistance in proceeding with the matter swiftly.

The government had hired a Sherpa team for $20,000 to recover the body.

The team failed to do that and even claimed to have seen no body at all.

However, one member of the team later confessed (to some other mountaineers) to having seen one.

Shaily claimed that Sajal’s belongings – two bags, camera, laptop, memory card, video camera and currency were not found. His passport and the agreement paper were not found too, even though the agreement document was supposed to be with the Seventh Summit Agency.

It has been learnt that the agency

had an agreement with Sajal which was carried out by Himalayan Guide. Moreover, Sajal took the assistance of Pemba Dorje Sherpa (Pem Dorjee) and two other Sherpas.

Allegations say the Sherpa associates had “abandoned” him in a death zone, although they were given large sums of money to help him on his descent from the Everest.

On top of that, Lakpa Nuru Sherpa, one of the 10 Sherpas, dispatched a message to Sajal’s wife through another Sherpa named Som Bahadur. Lakpa Nuru said Sajal’s body had been left nearby the South Summit Balcony, and that Pem Dorje was responsible for the death of Sajal.

Shahjahan Mridha told the Dhaka Tribune: “Mismanagement and negligence of the Nepal authorities are behind Sajal’s death.”

He claimed that there was a “mafia” to handle all this matter.

Sajal hailed from Srinagar area of Munshiganj and was the youngest of six siblings. Besides the Everest, he had climbed the Mera Peak and Chulu West. He directed a children’s movie called “Kajoler Dinratri,” which was released in last Eid-ul-Fitr. 

Teachers and students fear the ongoing conflicts at Jahangirnagar University (JU) could delay admission tests for 2013-14 sessions and lead to session jams,.

Deans of four faculties - Prof Dr Syed Kamrul Ahsan of arts and humanities, Prof Dr Md Abul Hossain of mathmetical and physical sciences, Prof Dr Amir Hossain of social sciences, and Prof Sheikh Md Monzurul Haque of law boycotted the last two meetings of the Admission Tests Direction committee.

A movement calling for the removal of the vice-chancellor (VC) by the General Teachers’ Forum (GTA) lead to the deans’ decision not to participate in any of the university’s formal meetings, as long as VC Prof Anwar Hossain remains in office because they do not have any “faith” in Prof Hossain.

The admission tests to enroll as first year student for 2013-14 is scheduled to take place from November 2 till November 9. But the university’s authori-

ties have not proceeded with any official steps to hold them.

Sources said they were yet to publish requirements for eligibility of applicants in newspapers. The absence of the deans at the meetings means a complete admission tests schedule could not be prepared.

Although, university authorities have sent several notices to deans and directors of the six faculties and two institutions under the university, several deans have not attended the committee’s official meetings.

The deans supporting the GTA’s call said the education ministry has not taken any steps with regard to their proposal to appoint Pro-VC (education) Prof Dr M A Matin to be in-charge of the committee.

Social Science faculty’s dean Prof Dr Hossain told the Dhaka Tribune: “We have clarified our stance to the education ministry that we would not attend any important meetings of the university while Prof Anwar Hossain is in chair.

We also informed them that we would

not start procedures for the admission tests with the writ petition filed by some influential persons, on our shoulders.”

“As long as our conditions are still not met, we will not be attending meetings,” he said.

Prof Dr Nasim Akhter Hossain from the Department of Government and Politics said: “Admission tests are a serious matter, both for the university and applicants. The teachers agitating should take this into account and tone down their actions to hold the admission tests in due process.”

VC Prof Anwar Hossain commented on the movement and protest when he said: “The applicants are being held hostage to the agitation. The university cannot run like this.”

He said: “I have ordered the Admission Tests Direction committee today [Monday] to arrange a meeting on Thursday so we would be able to publish details on the admission test procedures in newspapers as we decide at the meeting.” 

TAZREEN FASHIONS FIRE

Submit DNA report

by October 1: HC  Tribune report The High Court has given police eight more days for submitting the DNA test reports of the family members of the 25 unidentified workers who died in the Tazreen garment factory fire.

The HC bench of Justice Quazi Reza-Ul Hoque and Justice ABM Altaf Hossain yesterday also directed the Health Department’s director general to shift victim Sumaya, who is now suffering from cancerous tumour in her brain, to Dhaka Medical College Hospital from the United Hospital within 72 hours.

Government report says, at least 111 people were killed and many injured in the fire at Tazreen Fashions at Ashulia in Savar on November 24 last year.

Anthropologists Naznin Akter Banu, Saydia Gulrukh Kamal and Mahmudul Hasan Sumon submitted to the HC the names of 25 victims who had not been included in the official list. 

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.

Phone: 9132093-94, Advertising: 9132155, Circulation: 9132282, Fax: News-9132192, e-mail: news@dhakatribune.com, info@dhakatribune.com, Website: www.dhakatribune.com

Continue to the Business section...

Business

B2 EU Accord to start

factory inspection in November

B3 Study on Chittagong seaport starts today

Tuesday, september 24, 2013

Business www.dhakatribune.com/business

Islamic banks growing faster ‘They are less vulnerable to risk than conventional banks’ n Jebun Nesa Alo Islamic banking industry is growing faster than the conventional banks as the banks contributed 23.12% of profit to the industry in 2012 though the shariah-based banks are still a minor proportion, grossly one fifth of the total banking sector, according to a Bangladesh Bank report released recently.

Bangladesh has a large population of Muslim, and among them, the embrace of Islamic banking is increasing at a faster rate due to their faith, said a senior executive of Bangladesh Bank.

According to the report, the profit to total assets ratio of Islamic banks reached 9.74%, which is higher than that of the industry average of 8.14%. On the other hand, the non-profit income to total assets ratio was only 1.4% as compared to the industrial average of 2%.

“Islamic banks and financial institutions fared better than conventional ones in the last global financial crisis, which may be a reason why we see niche presence of Islamic financing widening steadily in non-Muslim countries including the advanced Western economies,” said Bangladesh Bank Governor

Dr Atiur Rahman.

Islamic banks have been operating in Bangladesh for three decades alongside the traditional banks. Islamic banks have certain similarities to the conventional banking system due to working in a similar financial environment.

The ROA (return on assets) of the Islamic banking industry is higher at 1.13% compared to the overall banking industry of 0.84% in 2012.

The ROE (return on equity) of Islamic banks stood at 17%, which is higher than that of the overall banking industry ROE of 10.56%, indicating the earnings of Islamic banks become higher compared to their equity position.

Islamic banks’ classified investment to total investment ratio of 3.9% showed a relatively better position as compared to 10% for the overall banking industry, said the report.

In the perspective of stability in the financial system, Islamic banks are less vulnerable to risk than conventional banks. They are able to pass the negative shocks on the asset side to the investment depositors, said a senior executive of Bangladesh Bank.

The risk-sharing arrangements on the de-

posit give secondary protection to the bank, in addition to its book capital. They also tend to be more conservative for providing a stable and competitive return to investors, he said.

Compared with the overall banking industry, the combined share of Islamic banks (excluding Islamic banking branches/windows of conventional banks) is 16.85% in assets, 19.85% in investments, 18.33% in deposits, 14.3% in equity and 17% in liabilities as of end December 2012, said the report.

Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited is the first bank that introduced commercial banking based on Islamic Shariah with foreign shareholding in Bangladesh in 1983.

Since then Islamic banking has been growing progressively together with the conventional banks.

Currently, 7 banks are operating as fullfledge Islamic banks with 750 branches while nine conventional banks are offering Islamic banking through setting up 20 widows.

Islamic banks are now focusing on a wider horizon, encompassing not only the conventional shariah products but also involved with SME’s and microfinance and financing in agriculture sector. l

Onion import loans get cheaper

Taxpayers welcome E-TIN

n Tribune Business Desk

n Syed Samiul Basher Anik

Onion importers will get loans at an interest not more than 12% as Bangladesh Bank impost the lending rate limit yesterday.

The rate takes immediate effect and will continue until the year end.

The central bank also relaxed the loan-margin ratio to make the import cheaper and said the banks are free to set the margin at minimum level based on relationship with their clients.

It relaxed the terms of financing onion imports to facilitate adequate supply of the essential commodity in the market, said a circular issued to the commercial banks.

It said price of the commodity recently witnessed volatility in the local market due to high price in the international market.

The commerce ministry earlier requested Bangladesh Bank to take steps to cut the interest rate to 10% and consider a relaxed margin ratio to help bringing down the prices ahead of Eid-ul-Azha and Durga Puja.

In a letter to the central bank, the ministry argued that the banks are now charging 18% to 20% interest on the loans and advances. l

The Electronic Taxpayers Identification Number (E-TIN) has received a good response as over 400,000 taxpayers have registered with the newly introduced system in around three months period.

As of September 22, a total of 407,672 people registered with E-TIN while 80, 547 are new ones and 327,125 taxpayers re-registered with the electronic system, NBR officials said yesterday.

The revenue authorities introduced the system on July 1 to boost revenue collection, reduce hassles and prevent issuance of fake TINs. “We have received immense response to E-TIN from the taxpayers,” NBR member M Bashir Uddin Ahmed told the Dhaka Tribune. “During the initial period of its introduction, it was a bit complex and there were some technical problems. But, all these has already been sorted out and solved.”

He said: “By conducting a survey till August, we have find out 97,000 new taxpayers.

If you add the new taxpayers registered with E-TIN, the new number now stand at over 170,000, which would now contribute to the revenue collection.”

NBR has now an automated database for TIN holders where existing and new ones will have to register with the E-TIN within December 31 and through the process, the existing 10 digit TIN will be replaced with 12-digit ones. There would be no effectiveness of old manual 10-digit TIN from January 1 next.

In FY 2012-13, the income tax wing of NBR collected Tk366bn against its target of Tk353bn with a 27.62% growth.

For the FY13-14, NBR set a revenue target of Tk1.36tn and the introduction of E-TIN is expected to help the revenue board to achieve the target, said an official.

According to the newly introduced system, computer generated TIN certificates will be issued as soon as the application procedure is completed online. A team of NBR is working on automation of TIN database with the assistance of International Finance Corporation (IFC).

The web portal is now linked with the National Identity Card database of the Election Commission to verify individual applicant while corporate taxpayers’ application will be checked with the database of the Registrar of Joint Stock Companies and Firms. l

Shariah banking faces recession better: Atiur n Tribune Report During the last global economic crisis, the Islamic banks and financiers emerged successful compared to the conventional ones, which probably had encouraged expansion of such banking even in non-Muslim countries, said Bangladesh Bank governor.

Dr Atiur Rahman was addressing a seminar in Dhaka yesterday on the “Prospects and challenges in development of Islamic finance in Bangladesh.”

Islamic Financial Service Board (IFSB) and Bangladesh Bank jointly organised the seminar.

IFSB secretary general Jaseem Ahmed and Bangladesh Bank’s deputy governor SK Sur Chowdhury, among others, were also present.

“Islamic banks and financial institutions fared better than conventional ones during the last global financial crisis, which might be a reason why we see niche presence of Islamic financing widening steadily in non-Muslim countries including the advanced Western economies,” observed the central bank boss.

Referring to Islamic banking in Bangladesh, he traced back the establishment of first such bank in the 1980s.

“Now, there are eight Islamic banks run wholly on Sharia principles.”

Further, as many as 17 conventional banks including one foreign bank are running Islamic branches, Dr Atiur added.

He said more conventional banks have requested for approval to become the wholly Shariah-based, which indicates robust customer demand in Bangladesh for Islamic financial services.

“Barring one exception of a small sick Islamic bank in process of restructuring, the Islamic banks in Bangladesh generally have higher capital adequacy ratios and lower non-performing loan ratios than their conventional banking counterparts.”

“Aggregate assets and deposits of Islamic banks in Bangladesh have nearly doubled in the last four years; by end 2012 aggregate assets and deposits both crossed trillion taka threshold, comprising around a fifth of total banking sector assets and liabilities,” continued Dr Atiur.

He also praised the inclusive nature of Islamic banking which is “evidenced in their growing and already significant engagement in agricultural, SME and microfinance, so far without any refinance support like those available for conventional banks.”

BB chief, however, put stress on the challenges which are coming hand in hand with the ongoing growth trends and the emerging new growth prospects. l

2 Oil prices mixed after upbeat China manufacturing data

n AFP, Singapore

Oil prices were mixed yesterday in Asian trade despite upbeat manufacturing data from China, which raised hopes of firmer demand in the world’s top energy consumer.

New York’s main contract, West Texas Intermediate for delivery in November rose three cents to $104.78 in afternoon trade, while Brent North Sea crude for November eased two cents to $109.20.

Global banking giant HSBC said Monday its preliminary purchasing managers’ index of manufacturing activity in China hit 51.2 in September, the highest since March when the index stood at 51.6.

It was higher than last month’s final reading of 50.1, which improved from an 11-month low of 47.7 in July and ended three months of contraction, according to the bank.

A PMI reading above 50 indicates growth, while anything below signals contraction.

“There is an upbeat sentiment about demand for crude in China, especially with the Chinese government providing support in the money markets and allowing corporations to pick up speed,” Kenny Kan, market analyst at CMC Markets in Singapore, told AFP. Chinese authorities have so far been reluctant to introduce large-scale stimulus measures, but in late July did announce some steps to boost growth, such as reducing taxes on small companies and encouraging railway development. l

Euro higher after Merkel election victory

n AFP, Singapore

The euro was higher yesterday in Asian trade as German chancellor Angela Merkel clinched her third term in a convincing election victory.

The euro bought $1.3525 at 0330 GMT, up from $1.3524 in New York trade late Friday. It bought 134.00 yen from 134.36 yen.

The US dollar dipped to 99.09 yen, from 99.35 yen.

Merkel’s triumphant conservative Christian Democrats fell just a few seats short of their own majority with 41.5% of Sunday’s vote, according to provisional final results.

Merkel’s stunning score - the conservatives’ best result since the country’s joyous reunification in 1990 - meant that she nearly became the only chancellor to win an absolute majority since Germany’s first post-war leader, Konrad Adenauer, 56 years ago.

“The election has gripped international interest as the eurozone is coming out of a recession, and continuity is what the markets favour,” Kelly Teoh, market strategist at IG Markets in Singapore, said in a note.

“This was seen in the euro breaking the 1.34 resistance level.”

Meanwhile, analysts said talk of the US Federal Reserve ending its massive monetary stimulus programme continues to impact on markets despite the central bank’s official announcement last week that it would delay the “taper”. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

Tuesday, september 24, 2013

EU Accord to start factory inspection in November n Tribune Report The Accord of European Union retailers will start apparel factory inspection in Bangladesh from November.

The decision emerged from a meeting between the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and a team from the EU retailers’ platform on fire and building safety for Bangladesh garments factories at BGMEA office in Dhaka yesterday.

The meeting discussed about common standards for the inspection, funding arrangements to improve the industry and to set next course of action.

The team includes the Accord executive director Sean Ansett, H&M representative Fagerlin Jenny, C&A representative Philip Chamberlin, representatives of Devon Ham Caroleny Haycock and Rosey Hurst.

“The Accord will start inspection from the first week of November and they would

inspect 1,800 factories (instead of 1,500) as their list of vendors enlarged,” Shahidullah Azim, BGMEA Vice President told the reporters after the meeting.

There will be two types of funds – one for inspection to be collected from the donors and accord members, and the other would be for vendors.

Azim said the inspection will take around one year period as the number of factories increased.

On September 28, the Accord is scheduled to submit the list of vendors and a report on risk assessment they have already prepared to International Labour Organisation (ILO) to make a common safety standard, he said.

Accord, a platform of 87 retailers and apparel brands from the EU, had announced its work plan on May 15 to improve the fire and building safety measures.

The move came following the deadliest collapse of Rana Plaza building, which killed over 1,100 workers. l

GP launches hospitality facility at Balaka lounge

n Tribune Business Desk

Grameenphone (GP) has recently launched a hospitality facility for its Platinum Plus STAR customers at Balaka lounge of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka.

Owner of Balaka lounge, Ruposhi Bangla Hotel signed the partnership agreement with GP at the inauguration ceremony, said a press release.

The function was also attended, among others, by Ruposhi Bangla Hotel general manager James P McDonald, marketing communications manager Shahidus Sadeque, assistant director Dipu Chowdhury and Grameenphone head of corporate communications Syed Tahmeed Azizul Huq. l

Global finance rating

BB Governor gets ‘C’ n Tribune Report Global Finance magazine has named the heads of the central banks of Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan as the World’s Best Central Bankers over the past year.

They achieved an “A” rating on Global Finance’s Central Banker Report Cards.

Bangladesh Bank governor Dr Atiur Rahman has been graded “C” in the report published on Sunday while the central bankers of Chile and the European Union earned “A-” ratings.

The world’s biggest economy the United States’ central bank chief Ben Bernanke was given ‘B+’ rating while the second biggest economy China’s central bank chief Zhou Xiaochuan received a ‘C’ rating The Central Banker Report Cards, published annually by Global Finance since 1994, grades central bank governors of more than 50 key countries and the European Union on an “A” to “F” scale for success in areas such as inflation control, economic growth goals, currency stability and interest rate management.

“A” represents an excellent performance down through “F” for outright failure. Subjective criteria also apply.

The world’s biggest economy the United States’ central bank chief Ben Bernanke was given “B+” rating while the second biggest economy China’s central bank chief Zhou Xiaochuan received a “C” rating.

About India’s new central bank head Raghuram Rajan, the Global Finance magazine said it was “too early to say.”

Global Finance publisher Joseph Giarraputo notes: “As developed economies begin the gradual route to recovery and some of the largest emerging markets continue to slow, the world’s central bankers face a challenging time in managing monetary policy to positively influence economic stability and growth.”

“Every year, we assess the determination of central bankers to stand up to political interference and their efforts at influencing their governments on such issues as spending and economic openness to foreign investment and financial services,” he added.

In 2012 report, Bangladesh Bank governor Dr Atiur Rahman received the same rating “C.” The report gave the central bank chiefs of Australia, Philippines, New Zealand, Malaysia and Taiwan “A” ratings. l

LankaBangla Finance signs MFA with IPFF Project, BB

n Tribune Business Desk LankaBangla Finance Limited (LBFL) has signed a master facility agreement (MFA) as a participating financial institution in the Investment Promotion and Financing Facility (IPFF) project of Bangladesh Bank (BB).

Under the agreement signed on Thursday, LankaBangla Finance will have financing facility from the World Bank, administered by Bangladesh Bank, for extending credit facilities to infrastructure projects under public private partnership (PPP).

Bangladesh Bank deputy governor and project director Md Abul Quasem and LBFL managing director Mohammed Nasir Uddin Chowdhury signed the agreement on behalf of their respective organisations at the central bank head office in Dhaka, said a press release. l

PILIL gets MA Wahhab as Chairman

n Tribune Business Desk

M A Wahhab has been elected as chairman of the Board of Directors (BoD) of Prime Islami Life Insurance Limited (PILIL) in the 129th Board meeting.

He is associated with many other financial and educational institutions in private sector. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

Tuesday, september 24, 2013

Study on Chittagong seaport starts today n Syed Samiul Basher Anik National Board of Revenue starts a two-day study on the seaport and Customs House in Chittagong today to identify why the clearing and forwarding activities take much than expected time.

The Bangladesh Time Release Study-2013 would help identify the tailbacks that adversely affect the timing and results in delay of releasing import cargos and, delay and challenges to expeditious shipments in exports, said a official.

He said it would facilitate ensuring timely release of cargo from the seaports and check false declaration in import consignments.

With support from the South Asia Regional Trade Integration (SARTI) program of the International Finance Corporation and UK Aid, the piloting is scheduled to be concluded tomorrow, said a statement yesterday.

The project will be administered by the revenue authorities while Org-Quest Research Limited will conduct the study and C&F and Shipping Agents will cooperate the research company.

The study will follow World Customs Organization (WCO) time release study – a methodology developed by the WCO and the World Bank.

Under the study, the NBR will measure the actual performance of activities related to trade facilitation.

The study is expected to help the revenue authorities to measure relevant aspects of the effectiveness of operational procedure carried out by the Customs, other regulatory agencies and private sector stakeholders in the standard processing of imports, exports and transit movements. l

The Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) was in the dark about the recent “unusual” rise of share prices of low cap companies.

“We did not look into the matter so far because we remained busy with the important tasks like demutualisation process,” Ahsanul Islam Titu told a press briefing at the DSE office yesterday.

Shares of some small and medium cap companies, including Modern Dyeing, CVO Petro Chemical, Bangas, Anawar Galvanising, Tallu Spinning and Mithun Knitting have increased abnormally in recent times, brokers said.

Some retail investors have already burnt their fingers as the market remained volatile over the price hike of poorly performing stocks, traders said.

Replying to a question, Titu said: “We cannot investigate spontaneously unless anybody lodged allegation against those companies. Everybody has rights to make profits.

This is nothing wrong.”

However, he said they can easily detect unusual trading through the surveillance

DSEX sinks to five-week low

n Tribune Report

A view from Chittagong Port

Nashirul Islam

DSE in dark about ‘unusual’ price hike of low cap stocks n Tribune Report

3

system. “DSE surveillance department is now working to find out the reasons behind such unusual price rise of low cap companies,” he said.

The listing department has also a power to suspend share trading of any company, but it remained ineffective, he said. “If we go for action, it will give negative signal to the market,” he added.

‘We cannot investigate spontaneously unless anybody lodged allegation against those companies. Everybody has rights to make profits. This is nothing wrong’ About alleged anomalies on space allotment in its under construction 13-storied building among the 250 members, the DSE president categorically denied the allegation. “The space has neither been allotted nor leased out among the members,” he said.

“Members are only permitted to use the space in stock trading activities. They have

to surrender the space when they would leave the stock business,” he said.

Replying to a question, he said the demutualisation scheme as proposed by the bourses is expected to be finalised by the regulator

by September 26. Before giving approval to the proposed scheme, a hearing will be held tomorrow, he said Describing his experience about OIC summit in Turkey he took part recently, the DSE president said financial products are popular in the Islamic countries. “We are working on introducing an Islamic Shariah Index to increase investment of Islamic Shariah-based banks in the stock market,” he said.

About the refinancing scheme fund for the small investors, who have lost money in the market downswings in 2010-2011, he said the merchant banks and stock brokers are yet to apply for the fund. “The Investment Corporation of Bangladesh (ICB) is ready to distribute the fund,” he said.

DSE Senior Vice President Md Shajahan, Vice President Md Mizanur Rahman Khan, Directors Shahed Abdul Khaleque, Khugesta Nur-E-Naharin and Chief Executive Officer Dr Swapan Kumar Bala were present. l

Stocks continued to slip for the fifth session in a row yesterday with DSEX sinking to more than five-week low, amid fears of political chaos in the run up to general election.

After rising more than 40 points in the morning, the benchmark index edged 15 points or 0.4% lower to 4,021, its lowest since August 14. The blue chip DS30 index dropped 17 points or 1% to 1,467.

The Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) Selective Categories Index, CSCX, declined 24 points to 7,852.

The already subdued sentiment deepened further over the fresh political violence, said a leading broker.

Some investors preferred to leave the market and some, mainly institutional ones, took position, he said.

The total turnover at DSE stood at Tk5.2bn, an increase of more than 25% over the previous session.

Some buy pressures in the morning have spurred a short-term rally in small and mid-cap shares, but the momentum failed to change the scenario in the end, said Lanka Bangla Securities in its daily market analysis.

All the major sectors ended in red.

Telecommunications posted the highest losses of 2.34%, followed by financial institutions and power going down by 1.3% and 0.71% respectively.

“Offbeat market sentiment and volatile political scenario yielded another red session.

Market scenario was volatile as investors kept watchful over future developments in political frontier,” said IDLC Investment.

The market breadth also remained negative as out of 294 issues traded, 144 advanced, 125 declined and 25 remained unchanged.

Out of 18 sectors, textile outperform all other sectors for last seven trading sessions with turnover value of nearly Tk1.46bn and market capitalisation of 1.62%, followed by insurance and IT sectors.

“It seems that investors have somewhat adopted a fascination towards the textile sector, as its dominating performance remains intact,” said Zenith Investments Limited.

“This fascinations which is clustered to one single sector only, should be spread among other industries as well to push the market in positive territory.”

Tallu Spinning topped the turnover chart for the second consecutive session, accumulating a turnover of nearly Tk190m.

Other leading turnover leaders were CMC Kamal, Generation Next, Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company Ltd and Saiham Textile.

ICB AMCL, a closed ended fund, was the biggest loser following the announcement of its de-listing scheduled next week. l

4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

Tuesday, september 24, 2013

China manufacturing hits 6-month high: HSBC n AFP, Beijing

A general view of the US Federal Reserve building as the morning sky breaks over Washington

Fed’s underlying message a bad signal for US profit growth n Reuters, New York The euphoria with which investors in the US stock market greeted the Federal Reserve’s decision to stick with its easy-money policy has begun to evaporate, as the message the Fed was sending about a less-than-stellar economy sinks in.

An economy still in need of a safety net may be too weak to produce robust earnings growth, meaning that the Standard & Poor’s 500 valuation, now at its most expensive on a price-to-earnings basis since 2010, becomes harder to justify.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 is up 20% so far this year and hit new highs last week, boosting the index’s forward p/e ratio to 14.94, its highest since early 2010. At that time, though, company earnings were improving more rapidly than now as business activity rebounded from the depths of the recession and financial crisis in 2007-2009.

Profit growth for 2013 is expected at about 6 percent, a far cry from the 31 percent achieved in 2010. That undermines the case for further gains in stock prices and has led some investors to consider reducing their earnings forecasts.

“The Fed’s no-confidence vote in the economy really causes us to revisit our profit estimates for the rest of this year and next,” said Leo Grohowski, chief investment officer at BNY Mellon Wealth Management in New York. “I would not be surprised to see consensus numbers get adjusted.”

Investors are more likely to be prepared to pay higher prices for shares if they think earnings are expected to rise, so if current profit expectations fail to materialize, valuations could be stretched.

Markets had expected the Fed last Wednes-

day to cut back on its $85bn a month in bond purchases, which have been behind its efforts to spur economic growth, and have injected money into the financial system. Instead, the Fed kept its stimulus in place and cut its projections for economic growth in 2013 and 2014.

Despite the weaker forecast, stocks jumped, but on Thursday and Friday the markets largely gave back the gains, partly amid fears of a government shutdown or debt default because of political gridlock in Washington but also because of concerns that prices had got over-extended. Now, investors’ focus in the next few weeks is going to be on both Congress and third-quarter results, both of which will help show whether the Fed’s prudence was warranted.

If stocks hold up it may be because of a rally in the bond market since the Fed announcement makes Treasuries less attractive.

The 10-year Treasury yield rose to around 3% in recent weeks, bringing in asset allocation investors who found that yield more appealing. Now, it is back down to 2.74%.

Growth has slowed substantially since the peaks of this earnings cycle. For the second quarter, earnings increased 4.8%, the 15th straight quarter of S&P 500 profit growth.

The S&P 500’s big gains in 2013 have caused the forward price-to-earnings ratio to rise to 14.94 from 12.7 at the end of 2012. Multiple expansion has come as investors bet on improved growth that would in turn allow the Fed to reduce its extraordinary support for the US economy.

That ratio is about the same as the 14.8 level it was at the start of 2010, when yearover-year profit growth was much higher.

While that’s not considered expensive by historical standards - the average forward p/e is estimated at about 17 by S&P - it does fuel

REUTERS

concerns about valuations. Earnings growth is now expected at 6.3 %for 2013, and estimates for the year have fallen about one percentage point in the past 90 days, according to Thomson Reuters StarMine data. The concern is that earnings growth will continue to slip as the economy’s path remains mediocre.

“If the Fed needs to continue to keep their foot on the gas pedal, it implies that we’re not gaining the momentum that current stock prices have priced into their valuations,” said Rick Meckler, president of investment firm LibertyView Capital Management in Jersey City, New Jersey.

The sunny outlook has also meant that the best performing stocks have been growth-oriented names. After a weak August, companies with already high p/e ratios and high short interest rebounded, and have outperformed for the balance of the year.

Netflix, the S&P’s best performer with a 239% gain for the year so far, has a very high forward p/e ratio of about 106, according to Reuters data. Electric car maker Tesla, up more than 400% for the year so far and a long-time favorite of short-sellers, is trading at about 112 times earnings forecasts.

In a sign of how frothy the market may have become, shares of cybersecurity company FireEye Inc and digital advertising company Rocket Fuel Inc, soared on their stock trading debuts on Friday, both more than doubling in price at one stage.

“There’s not a lot of room for error,” Meckler said. Companies have also become less able to rely on cost cutting to boost their bottom lines, with sales growth anemic. Yearover-year revenue growth has ranged from a decline of 0.8% to a gain of 3.6% over the past four quarters, according to Thomson Reuters data. l

China’s manufacturing activity expanded in September to a six-month high, HSBC said Monday, a further sign that a rebound in the world’s second-largest economy is gaining momentum on improving demand.

The British banking giant’s preliminary purchasing managers’ index (PMI) for September hit 51.2, the highest since March when it stood at 51.6, HSBC said in a statement.

The result was higher than last month’s final reading of 50.1, which had improved from an 11-month low of 47.7 in July and ended three months of contraction, according to the bank.

The index tracks manufacturing activity in China’s factories and workshops and is a closely watched gauge of the health of the world’s second-largest economy. A reading below 50 indicates contraction, while anything above signals expansion.

‘We expect a more sustained recovery as the further filtering-through of finetuning measures should lift domestic demand’ The September figure suggested China’s ongoing growth rebound is consolidating on the back of “simultaneous improvements” in overseas and domestic demand, HSBC economist Qu Hongbin said in the release.

“We expect a more sustained recovery as the further filtering-through of fine-tuning measures should lift domestic demand,” he said.

“This will create more favourable conditions to push forward reforms, which should in turn boost mid- and long-term growth outlooks.”

Chinese authorities have so far been reluctant to introduce large-scale stimulus measures, but in late July did announce some steps to boost growth, such as reducing taxes on small companies and encouraging railway development.

The first half of this year saw analyst concerns about China’s economy mount after an expected rebound from growth of 7.7% last year - the worst performance in 13 years - failed to materialise.

Growth stood at 7.7% in the first three months of this year and slowed further to 7.5% in the April-June period, but recent data, including strong exports and industrial output, have pointed to renewed strength in the economy.

HSBC said the final September PMI reading will be published next Monday. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

Tuesday, september 24, 2013

5

BlackBerry move away from consumers unlikely to stem decline n Reuters, Toronto BlackBerry Limited’s plan to retreat from the consumer market in favour of its traditional strength serving businesses and governments is widely seen as a desperate move that industry watchers warn will only accelerate its downward spiral.

The strategic shift and dramatic restructuring are fueling fears about BlackBerry’s long-term viability. The uncertainty created could easily push a growing number of its telecom partners, business customers and consumers to abandon the platform.

“Perception is nine tenths of reality and if customer and supplier confidence continues to fall it doesn’t matter how much cash they have on the balance sheet. Things could get worse,” said GMP Securities analyst Deepak Kaushal.

The Canadian smartphone maker, once the leader in wireless email, announced the change in focus on Friday afternoon when it also said it will report a quarterly loss of close to $1bn and slash more than a third of its workforce.

networks and employees are increasingly allowed to choose their preferred device, blurring the boundary between business and consumer markets.

For example, Credit Suisse is not supporting the Blackberry 10 and is helping employees globally to switch to iPhone and Android-run devices.

“We don’t support BlackBerry 10 because of the added cost to our servers,” said Credit Suisse US-based spokeswoman Marcy Frank.

The bank still supported older BlackBerry devices because there were plenty of staff who continued to use them, she said, but added: “We’re driving people toward bring your own device (BYOD)...we encourage people to give up their BlackBerry.”

The head of technology procurement at a major North American bank, who declined to be named because he is not authorized

at 60 companies in various industries and none had a strategy of adding more BlackBerrys to their mobile device fleets. Redman’s own company has limited capacity to handle Blackberry devices.

“The writing is on the wall,” he said.

Carrier jitters

BlackBerry’s shift away from consumers will also change the dynamic with network operators, who have already been burned by the poor showing of the Z10 and a string of previously delayed product launches.

The company on Friday wrote off almost $1bn, mostly on a ballooning stockpile of Z10s it must discount sharply, even as it launched a fresh flagship device - the larger-screen Z30.

Poor sales of the Z10 made it difficult to get carriers to commit to the Z30, according

specifically on BlackBerry but said it would support its customers.

Highlighting the problems that have come to define BlackBerry in recent years, the company suspended the launch of its popular BlackBerry Messenger instant chat application for iPhones and Android devices scheduled for this weekend.

The next nortel?

Many industry analysts are now drawing parallels between BlackBerry and Nortel Networks Corp, the now-defunct Canadian telecom equipment giant.

Both companies, at their peaks, were the largest publicly listed names on the Toronto Stock Exchange. But as Nortel’s revenue collapsed, it dumped employees in repeated restructurings and was eventually broken up and sold in parts.

Bring your own device

In response to queries about its future sales strategy BlackBerry said on Sunday it would provide more detail when it announces quarterly earnings on September 27.

On Friday, Chief Executive Thorsten Heins said the strategic shift to focus on so-called enterprise customers would play to the company’s strengths in security and reliability.

“Security matters and enterprises know the gold standard in enterprise mobility is BlackBerry,” he said in a statement.

Blackberry still has a substantial subscriber base - 72 million users globally at the end of June, though that did decline from 76 million three months earlier.

The company has struggled ever since Apples iPhone and Samsung Electronics Co Limited’s Galaxy phones, using Google’s And’roid software, grew to dominate a market that was previously BlackBerry’s and had once made it highly profitable.

BlackBerry bet heavily that its Z10 touchscreen smartphone - the first powered by its new BlackBerry 10 operating system - would help it recoup some of the luster it enjoyed when users of these devices were mostly lawyers, bankers and politicians.

The bet has not paid off. GMP’s Kaushal estimates as many as 3 million of the latest BlackBerry 10 phones are gathering dust with distributors who have been unable to sell them. For the second quarter, the company said it expects to have sold about 3.7 million BlackBerry smartphones to end users.

“I don’t understood why they thought they ought to be pursuing the consumer at all, given the fact that Apple and Samsung really had the strength in that area,” said Ross Healy, a portfolio manager with MacNicol & Associates, whose clients own BlackBerry shares.

A shift back to corporate customers is no clear fix. Many big organizations are already handling rival devices on their internal

A Blackberry Z10 is displayed at a store in Toronto to speak to media, said that while email and security are features in BlackBerry’s favour, employees were increasingly turning to Apple and Android.

“We will purchase a limited number of BB10 but our inventory of BlackBerry devices will definitely and drastically reduce as we implement a broader BYOD implementation over the next 18 months,” he said.

BlackBerry was losing support at companies even before Friday’s warning, said Phillip Redman, vice president of mobile solutions and strategy for Citrix Systems Inc, which provides software that helps companies manage mobile devices.

He said he had met with technology staff

REUTERS

to a source at BlackBerry, who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the situation.

“Many carriers will now pull much if not all of the BlackBerrys from the shelves because shelf space is valuable and coveted and there are many other handset vendors who would eagerly invest a lot to displace BlackBerry,” said a former senior BlackBerry executive who used to negotiate directly with carriers.

A spokesman for US operator Sprint Corp said questions about any change in how BlackBerry devices are sold should be directed towards the company. A Verizon Wireless spokeswoman also declined to comment

BlackBerry has already hired advisors to look at finding a buyer for all or some of the company.

Given the dismal picture, Morningstar analyst Brian Colello said BlackBerry is likely to quickly attempt to go private or sell off some, or all, of its business units.

But he said he was no longer confident that a private equity buyer, who would shield management from the scrutiny of being a listed company, could turn the company around.

“We see no hope for BlackBerry at this point,” Colello stressed in a note to clients following the warning on Friday. He said, in his view, BlackBerry was in “a death spiral.” l

6

Share

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Tuesday, september 24, 2013

DSE Broad Index: 4021.08 ⇓ 0.39%, Turnover: 5213.39 M.Tk ⇑ 25.64%, PE: 12.61 Turnover 5,658.68 MTk . ⇑ 25.35% September 19, 2013 MarketCap. 1,955.25 BTk. ⇓ 0.73% CSE All Share Index: 12433 ⇓ 0.40%, Turnover: 445.29 M Tk. ⇑ 21.96%, PE: 12.42

CompanyCode | EPS | BV | Volume Traded (Share) DSE/CSE: ClosePrice ⇓/⇑ Chn % | Avg.Price | Hi / Lo

BANK ABBANK | 2.95 | 32.60 | Vol. 272509 D: 23.10 ⇓ 0.86% | 23.21 | 23.50 / 21.00 C: 23.00 ⇓ 0.43% | 23.04 | 23.20 / 22.50 CITYBANK | 1.15 | 25.97 | Vol. 225406 D: 15.20 ⇓ 1.94% | 15.35 | 15.60 / 14.00 C: 15.20 ⇓ 2.56% | 15.29 | 15.70 / 15.20 IFIC | 1.10 | 18.34 | Vol. 181668 D: 19.40 ⇓ 1.02% | 19.53 | 19.80 / 18.00 C: 19.50 ⇓ 1.02% | 19.65 | 20.00 / 19.40 ISLAMIBANK | 3.78 | 27.16 | Vol. 316622 D: 36.40 ⇑ 0.28% | 36.38 | 36.50 / 32.70 C: 36.00 ⇑ 0.28% | 36.06 | 36.80 / 35.70 NBL | 1.05 | 15.76 | Vol. 1297254 D: 10.60 ⇓ 0.93% | 10.69 | 10.90 / 9.70 C: 10.70 ⇓ 0.93% | 10.77 | 11.00 / 10.70 PUBALIBANK | 1.92 | 21.18 | Vol. 193063 D: 30.70 ⇓ 1.60% | 30.76 | 32.00 / 28.40 C: 30.50 ⇑ 0.00% | 30.47 | 30.80 / 30.20 RUPALIBANK | 6.70 | 64.27 | Vol. 14613 D: 58.80 ⇑ 0.51% | 58.50 | 59.30 / 55.00 C: 57.60 ⇓ 6.95% | 57.57 | 58.00 / 57.50 UCBL | 1.90 | 21.72 | Vol. 729589 D: 17.10 ⇑ 0.00% | 17.09 | 18.00 / 15.40 C: 17.00 ⇑ 0.00% | 17.01 | 17.20 / 16.00 UTTARABANK | 3.42 | 26.97 | Vol. 211535 D: 25.10 ⇓ 0.40% | 25.15 | 25.50 / 22.70 C: 25.00 ⇓ 0.40% | 25.06 | 25.40 / 25.00 ICBIBANK | -1.60 | -13.03 | Vol. 129000 D: 5.80 ⇑ 0.00% | 5.80 | 5.90 / 5.80 EBL | 3.91 | 28.22 | Vol. 102590 D: 26.50 ⇑ 1.53% | 26.49 | 27.00 / 23.50 C: 26.10 ⇑ 0.77% | 26.09 | 26.50 / 25.90 ALARABANK | 2.03 | 14.91 | Vol. 137114 D: 13.80 ⇓ 0.72% | 13.91 | 15.10 / 12.60 C: 13.90 ⇑ 0.72% | 13.91 | 14.00 / 13.00 PRIMEBANK | 2.89 | 22.40 | Vol. 190938 D: 17.50 ⇓ 0.57% | 17.49 | 17.60 / 16.00 C: 18.00 ⇑ 0.56% | 17.69 | 18.00 / 17.00 SOUTHEASTB | 1.89 | 22.66 | Vol. 618939 D: 14.80 ⇓ 0.67% | 14.85 | 15.00 / 13.50 C: 14.70 ⇓ 0.68% | 14.67 | 14.90 / 14.60 DHAKABANK | 1.46 | 18.08 | Vol. 160870 D: 17.30 ⇓ 1.70% | 17.41 | 17.80 / 15.90 C: 17.30 ⇓ 3.35% | 17.34 | 17.70 / 17.20 NCCBANK | 1.90 | 15.88 | Vol. 390358 D: 11.00 ⇓ 1.79% | 11.10 | 12.00 / 10.20 C: 11.10 ⇓ 0.89% | 11.17 | 11.30 / 11.10 SIBL | 2.05 | 14.47 | Vol. 313122 D: 11.10 ⇑ 0.00% | 11.17 | 11.40 / 10.30 C: 11.10 ⇓ 0.89% | 11.12 | 11.30 / 11.10 DUTCHBANGL | 11.57 | 54.27 | Vol. 10160 D: 92.10 ⇑ 0.00% | 91.99 | 92.20 / 85.00 C: 88.10 ⇑ 1.26% | 88.10 | 88.10 / 88.10 MTBL | 1.17 | 17.27 | Vol. 24840 D: 14.40 ⇑ 1.41% | 14.40 | 14.50 / 12.90 C: 14.60 ⇓ 2.67% | 14.50 | 14.60 / 14.30 STANDBANKL | 2.33 | 14.41 | Vol. 259375 D: 12.40 ⇓ 2.36% | 12.55 | 13.00 / 11.50 C: 12.50 ⇓ 1.57% | 12.49 | 12.60 / 12.40 ONEBANKLTD | 2.35 | 15.34 | Vol. 605057 D: 14.10 ⇓ 0.70% | 14.13 | 15.00 / 13.30 C: 13.90 ⇓ 2.11% | 14.00 | 14.20 / 13.90 BANKASIA | 1.35 | 20.80 | Vol. 14212 D: 19.10 ⇓ 1.55% | 19.15 | 19.40 / 17.50 C: 19.00 ⇑ 0.00% | 19.00 | 19.00 / 19.00 MERCANBANK | 2.07 | 16.59 | Vol. 389383 D: 11.20 ⇓ 3.45% | 11.27 | 11.50 / 10.80 C: 11.20 ⇓ 2.61% | 11.28 | 11.40 / 11.00 EXIMBANK | 1.80 | 14.31 | Vol. 818039 D: 10.70 ⇓ 0.93% | 10.77 | 11.50 / 9.80 C: 10.70 ⇓ 1.83% | 10.77 | 10.90 / 10.70 JAMUNABANK | 2.47 | 18.56 | Vol. 136153 D: 13.40 ⇑ 0.00% | 13.30 | 14.00 / 12.30 C: 13.00 ⇓ 2.26% | 12.97 | 13.00 / 12.80 BRACBANK | 1.51 | 24.87 | Vol. 178487 D: 27.20 ⇓ 0.37% | 27.26 | 27.70 / 25.00 C: 27.00 ⇑ 0.75% | 26.89 | 27.00 / 24.20 SHAHJABANK | 2.61 | 14.47 | Vol. 223944 D: 13.60 ⇑ 0.00% | 13.64 | 14.00 / 12.90 C: 13.60 ⇑ 0.74% | 13.58 | 13.70 / 13.50

Combined Turnover Leader

Vol.

TO M. Tk.

FAS Fin. & Inv. Ltd-B

18326000

CMC Kamal Tex. -A

5953258

213.01

283.13

Tallu Spinning -A

4206425

193.85

G Next Fashions-A

7835940

184.33

BD Submarine Cable-A

588030

147.21

% of TTL 5.00 3.76 3.43

Avg. P

DSE Gainer

C%

A%

CP

15.45

BD. Autocars -B

10.00

12.47

56.10

Agrani Insurance-A

10.00

5.58

28.60

Desh Garments-B

9.96

9.23

101.60

7th ICB M F-A

In Tech Online-A

9.95

9.69

21.00

Rahima Food -A

9.94

10.37

37.60

Modern Dyeing-B Imam Button -Z

35.78 6.09

3.26

23.52

2.60

250.35

PREMIERBAN | 1.18 | 13.95 | Vol. 303754 D: 9.40 ⇑ 0.00% | 9.40 | 10.00 / 8.50 C: 9.40 ⇓ 2.08% | 9.47 | 9.60 / 8.70 TRUSTBANK | 0.50 | 18.00 | Vol. 111713 D: 16.40 ⇓ 1.20% | 16.47 | 16.70 / 15.00 FIRSTSBANK | 1.85 | 13.89 | Vol. 200427 D: 11.20 ⇓ 0.88% | 11.24 | 12.00 / 10.50 C: 11.20 ⇓ 0.88% | 11.20 | 11.30 / 11.00 NON BANKING F I IDLC | 4.43 | 29.18 | Vol. 83960 D: 58.90 ⇓ 1.17% | 59.15 | 61.00 / 55.00 C: 59.40 ⇓ 0.67% | 59.31 | 60.10 / 58.50 ULC | 1.80 | 14.90 | Vol. 79763 D: 26.60 ⇓ 1.12% | 26.65 | 26.80 / 25.00 UTTARAFIN | 7.16 | 41.54 | Vol. 54841 D: 74.80 ⇓ 1.97% | 74.88 | 76.40 / 68.70 C: 74.40 ⇓ 2.87% | 74.50 | 76.00 / 74.20 MIDASFIN | 0.16 | 10.21 | Vol. 30000 D: 30.00 ⇑ 3.81% | 30.00 | 30.00 / 30.00 FLEASEINT | 2.34 | 13.93 | Vol. 388028 D: 24.60 ⇑ 1.23% | 24.27 | 24.90 / 22.00 C: 24.30 ⇓ 0.41% | 23.87 | 24.70 / 23.00 PLFSL | 1.37 | 17.48 | Vol. 613748 D: 22.50 ⇓ 1.75% | 22.61 | 24.00 / 20.70 C: 22.60 ⇓ 2.16% | 22.66 | 23.20 / 22.00 PRIMEFIN | 0.87 | 17.88 | Vol. 166950 D: 23.90 ⇓ 0.42% | 23.99 | 24.50 / 23.00 C: 23.80 ⇓ 1.24% | 24.03 | 24.40 / 23.80 PREMIERLEA | 0.10 | 11.37 | Vol. 321500 D: 10.20 ⇓ 2.86% | 10.24 | 10.40 / 10.10 C: 10.40 ⇓ 1.89% | 10.46 | 10.50 / 10.40 ISLAMICFIN | 1.03 | 15.48 | Vol. 541200 D: 15.80 ⇑ 0.64% | 15.67 | 16.00 / 14.20 C: 15.80 ⇑ 0.64% | 15.61 | 16.00 / 15.40 PHOENIXFIN | 2.46 | 19.39 | Vol. 168905 D: 29.10 ⇓ 1.69% | 29.28 | 30.50 / 27.00 C: 29.20 ⇓ 1.68% | 29.41 | 29.60 / 29.20 FASFIN | 0.19 | 13.56 | Vol. 18326000 D: 15.10 ⇑ 1.34% | 15.46 | 15.50 / 14.20 C: 15.00 ⇑ 0.67% | 14.70 | 15.20 / 14.30 DBH | 4.47 | 21.27 | Vol. 148800 D: 63.20 ⇑ 2.93% | 62.53 | 63.80 / 60.00 C: 63.50 ⇑ 3.59% | 63.34 | 63.90 / 62.50 NHFIL | 0.57 | 12.70 | Vol. 278665 D: 29.10 ⇑ 0.34% | 29.35 | 30.00 / 27.00 C: 29.10 ⇑ 0.34% | 29.23 | 29.70 / 28.50 BAYLEASING | 0.72 | 25.55 | Vol. 112688 D: 27.20 ⇓ 1.81% | 27.40 | 28.40 / 25.50 C: 27.40 ⇓ 1.44% | 27.37 | 27.50 / 27.10 ICB | 109.65 | 769.98 | Vol. 5012 D: 1959 ⇓ 1.76% | 1963 | 2000 / 1899 C: 2019 ⇓ 4.99% | 2019 | 2019 / 2019 GSPFINANCE | 1.63 | 22.23 | Vol. 100682 D: 25.20 ⇑ 0.00% | 25.20 | 26.00 / 23.00 C: 25.70 ⇓ 0.77% | 25.45 | 25.90 / 25.20 FAREASTFIN | 0.68 | 13.64 | Vol. 1576500 D: 17.20 ⇓ 3.37% | 17.43 | 17.90 / 17.20 C: 17.30 ⇓ 3.35% | 17.51 | 17.90 / 17.20 INVESTMENT 1STICB | 75.63 | 942.30 | Vol. 100 D: 821.5 ⇑ 0.06% | 820.00 | 822.1 / 821.0 2NDICB | 44.10 | 253.11 | Vol. 200 D: 264.9 ⇑ 0.00% | 264.90 | 264.9 / 264.9 3RDICB | 26.16 | 235.16 | Vol. 500 D: 170.9 ⇓ 1.78% | 170.00 | 180.0 / 168.2 4THICB | 29.24 | 229.24 | Vol. 2700 D: 168.8 ⇑ 0.24% | 168.89 | 169.0 / 168.0 6THICB | 10.99 | 60.14 | Vol. 26400 D: 47.10 ⇑ 2.17% | 46.86 | 47.50 / 46.00 7THICB | 13.53 | 98.60 | Vol. 1000 D: 73.10 ⇓ 7.47% | 73.00 | 73.20 / 73.00 8THICB | 12.47 | 70.07 | Vol. 13500 D: 52.40 ⇑ 2.14% | 52.37 | 53.00 / 51.90 1STBSRS | 14.43 | 161.88 | Vol. 31000 D: 96.90 ⇓ 3.96% | 97.67 | 101.0 / 94.00 C: 95.60 ⇓ 8.34% | 95.60 | 95.60 / 95.60 AIMS1STMF | 3.02 | 15.70 | Vol. 254750 D: 39.10 ⇓ 1.51% | 39.27 | 40.00 / 39.00 C: 39.20 ⇓ 2.00% | 39.23 | 39.70 / 38.60 ICBAMCL1ST | 7.14 | 48.54 | Vol. 278000 D: 29.80 ⇓ 9.97% | 29.89 | 31.80 / 29.80 C: 30.20 ⇓ 9.85% | 30.20 | 30.20 / 30.20

ICBISLAMIC | 2.21 | 26.81 | Vol. 35000 D: 17.20 ⇓ 1.71% | 17.31 | 17.80 / 17.10 GRAMEEN1 | 6.26 | 33.23 | Vol. 249000 D: 44.60 ⇓ 0.89% | 44.78 | 45.50 / 44.40 C: 44.50 ⇓ 2.20% | 44.15 | 44.80 / 43.70 ICB1STNRB | 4.06 | 35.31 | Vol. 3000 D: 23.50 ⇓ 2.89% | 23.50 | 23.60 / 23.50 C: 26.00 ⇑ 0.00% | 26.00 | 26.00 / 26.00 ICB2NDNRB | 2.49 | 16.24 | Vol. 233500 D: 9.10 ⇓ 3.19% | 9.21 | 9.50 / 9.10 C: 9.30 ⇑ 0.00% | 9.11 | 9.30 / 9.10 GRAMEENS2 | 2.17 | 16.41 | Vol. 590700 D: 16.00 ⇓ 1.23% | 16.12 | 16.30 / 16.00 C: 16.10 ⇓ 0.62% | 16.09 | 16.20 / 15.80 1STPRIMFMF | 0.64 | 11.63 | Vol. 847000 D: 20.40 ⇓ 2.39% | 20.48 | 21.20 / 19.80 C: 20.50 ⇓ 1.91% | 20.43 | 22.70 / 20.00 EBL1STMF | 0.55 | 12.62 | Vol. 317923 D: 6.40 ⇓ 1.54% | 6.51 | 6.60 / 5.90 C: 6.60 ⇑ 1.54% | 6.53 | 6.60 / 6.50 ICBAMCL2ND | 0.60 | 12.12 | Vol. 19000 D: 5.30 ⇓ 1.85% | 5.35 | 5.50 / 5.30 C: 5.40 ⇑ 1.89% | 5.40 | 5.40 / 5.40 ICBEPMF1S1 | 0.52 | 11.32 | Vol. 292000 D: 5.70 ⇑ 1.79% | 5.70 | 5.80 / 5.60 C: 5.50 ⇓ 3.51% | 5.51 | 5.60 / 5.50 POPULAR1MF | 0.77 | 11.38 | Vol. 452914 D: 5.80 ⇑ 0.00% | 5.78 | 5.90 / 5.30 C: 5.80 ⇑ 0.00% | 5.77 | 5.80 / 5.30 IFILISLMF1 | 0.00 | 10.45 | Vol. 208000 D: 5.10 ⇑ 0.00% | 5.18 | 5.20 / 5.10 C: 5.10 ⇑ 0.00% | 5.06 | 5.10 / 5.00 PHPMF1 | 0.63 | 10.92 | Vol. 272500 D: 5.40 ⇑ 0.00% | 5.40 | 5.50 / 5.30 C: 5.40 ⇑ 0.00% | 5.42 | 5.50 / 5.30 AIBL1STIMF | -0.07 | 9.25 | Vol. 15500 D: 6.30 ⇑ 0.00% | 6.35 | 6.40 / 6.30 C: 6.10 ⇑ 0.00% | 6.05 | 6.10 / 6.00 MBL1STMF | -0.16 | 9.08 | Vol. 147500 D: 6.10 ⇓ 1.61% | 6.18 | 6.30 / 6.10 C: 6.00 ⇓ 1.64% | 6.00 | 6.00 / 6.00 SEBL1STMF | 0.94 | 11.85 | Vol. 655200 D: 7.70 ⇑ 0.00% | 7.70 | 8.00 / 7.70 C: 7.70 ⇑ 0.00% | 7.66 | 7.70 / 7.50 EBLNRBMF | 1.07 | 10.88 | Vol. 35000 D: 7.60 ⇑ 2.70% | 7.69 | 7.90 / 7.40 RELIANCE1 | 0.95 | 10.33 | Vol. 393200 D: 7.80 ⇓ 2.50% | 7.90 | 8.50 / 7.40 C: 7.80 ⇓ 2.50% | 7.81 | 7.90 / 7.80 LRGLOBMF1 | 0.50 | 10.82 | Vol. 500 D: 6.60 ⇑ 0.00% | 6.60 | 6.60 / 6.60 ABB1STMF | 0.92 | 10.63 | Vol. 37000 D: 6.80 ⇓ 1.45% | 6.86 | 6.90 / 6.80 NLI1STMF | 1.17 | 12.22 | Vol. 264800 D: 7.90 ⇓ 1.25% | 7.96 | 8.10 / 7.90 C: 8.00 ⇓ 2.44% | 8.03 | 8.20 / 7.90 FBFIF | 1.30 | 10.27 | Vol. 13000 D: 8.80 ⇑ 0.00% | 8.85 | 8.90 / 8.50 NCCBLMF1 | 1.16 | 10.48 | Vol. 1000 D: 8.00 ⇓ 4.76% | 8.00 | 8.00 / 8.00 ICBSONALI1 | 0.00 | 10.39 | Vol. 356000 D: 6.10 ⇓ 4.69% | 6.20 | 6.40 / 6.10 C: 6.10 ⇓ 3.17% | 6.12 | 6.30 / 6.00 ENGINEERING AFTABAUTO | 4.29 | 52.65 | Vol. 489733 D: 110.3 ⇓ 1.96% | 111.31 | 114.0 / 102.0 C: 110.4 ⇓ 2.13% | 111.63 | 114.5 / 109.5 AZIZPIPES | 0.39 | -42.04 | Vol. 3500 D: 17.60 ⇑ 0.00% | 17.71 | 18.00 / 17.00 OLYMPIC | 5.94 | 14.91 | Vol. 247087 D: 220.3 ⇓ 1.21% | 222.04 | 225.4 / 215.0 C: 221.2 ⇓ 0.23% | 221.75 | 224.0 / 220.0 BDLAMPS | -5.31 | 37.07 | Vol. 140752 D: 174.4 ⇑ 9.75% | 173.81 | 174.7 / 166.9 C: 174.9 ⇑ 10.00% | 174.84 | 174.9 / 173.0 ECABLES | 2.04 | 18.87 | Vol. 29740 D: 80.00 ⇑ 0.38% | 78.49 | 81.80 / 76.50 C: 73.80 ⇓ 7.75% | 73.84 | 74.10 / 73.50 MONNOSTAF | 5.31 | 44.78 | Vol. 8400 D: 488.4 ⇑ 8.29% | 488.10 | 488.4 / 487.0

DSE Loser ICB AMCL 1st M F-A Keya Cosmetics-A

C%

A%

CP

-9.97

-12.68

29.80

-7.69

-7.87

25.20

-7.47

-9.55

73.10

-6.90

-6.91

149.80

-6.33

-6.48

7.40

SINGERBD | 9.99 | 45.74 | Vol. 183403 D: 212.0 ⇓ 0.70% | 213.00 | 216.0 / 201.0 C: 212.6 ⇓ 0.65% | 213.24 | 217.0 / 211.1 ATLASBANG | 11.98 | 207.70 | Vol. 16669 D: 186.5 ⇑ 1.08% | 184.83 | 188.0 / 168.0 BDAUTOCA | 0.25 | 6.23 | Vol. 96634 D: 56.10 ⇑ 10.00% | 56.01 | 56.10 / 49.00 QSMDRYCELL | 1.17 | 57.54 | Vol. 494829 D: 36.70 ⇑ 4.86% | 35.76 | 37.30 / 32.00 C: 36.40 ⇑ 2.82% | 35.65 | 37.00 / 34.10 RENWICKJA | 5.62 | -90.00 | Vol. 27200 D: 185.9 ⇑ 3.97% | 185.77 | 193.9 / 180.5 NTLTUBES | -2.52 | 312.10 | Vol. 106420 D: 81.50 ⇑ 0.49% | 82.07 | 83.80 / 81.00 BDTHAI | 0.43 | 39.35 | Vol. 1844383 D: 34.40 ⇑ 9.55% | 33.51 | 34.50 / 30.00 C: 34.40 ⇑ 9.55% | 33.85 | 34.50 / 31.90 ANWARGALV | 0.51 | 8.08 | Vol. 622500 D: 33.60 ⇑ 9.45% | 33.60 | 33.70 / 32.50 C: 34.70 ⇑ 9.46% | 34.68 | 34.80 / 33.90 KAY&QUE | -3.89 | 6.03 | Vol. 25330 D: 16.50 ⇓ 5.71% | 16.56 | 16.90 / 16.20 C: 17.40 ⇑ 0.00% | 16.63 | 17.40 / 17.40 RANFOUNDRY | 2.84 | 18.62 | Vol. 176000 D: 116.2 ⇑ 8.70% | 113.58 | 117.0 / 107.0 C: 117.0 ⇑ 9.55% | 115.36 | 117.2 / 112.0 SALAMCRST | 3.31 | 20.00 | Vol. 155150 D: 41.40 ⇓ 0.72% | 41.59 | 42.30 / 37.60 C: 41.50 ⇑ 0.24% | 41.42 | 42.00 / 41.10 GOLDENSON | 3.70 | 28.70 | Vol. 367903 D: 42.10 ⇓ 0.94% | 42.58 | 43.10 / 38.30 C: 42.20 ⇓ 0.47% | 42.27 | 43.00 / 42.00 BSRMSTEEL | 3.06 | 19.53 | Vol. 352790 D: 69.40 ⇓ 1.28% | 70.10 | 71.00 / 68.00 C: 69.30 ⇓ 1.70% | 69.98 | 70.50 / 69.10 NAVANACNG | 4.09 | 27.04 | Vol. 113056 D: 67.80 ⇓ 0.73% | 68.14 | 69.90 / 62.00 C: 67.40 ⇓ 1.46% | 70.50 | 73.00 / 67.10 DESHBANDHU | 1.16 | 12.02 | Vol. 1113875 D: 23.60 ⇓ 1.67% | 23.91 | 24.60 / 22.80 C: 23.90 ⇓ 0.83% | 24.07 | 24.60 / 23.60 GPHISPAT | 2.11 | 15.27 | Vol. 73400 D: 42.20 ⇓ 0.94% | 42.21 | 42.40 / 39.00 C: 42.10 ⇓ 2.09% | 43.38 | 44.20 / 42.00 BENGALWTL | 2.42 | 20.72 | Vol. 257800 D: 45.50 ⇑ 3.17% | 44.81 | 46.20 / 43.60 C: 44.70 ⇑ 1.59% | 44.14 | 45.50 / 43.50 NPOLYMAR | 2.01 | 324.37 | Vol. 195108 D: 65.60 ⇑ 4.13% | 66.53 | 69.00 / 60.00 C: 66.90 ⇑ 5.52% | 66.20 | 68.00 / 64.50 FOOD & ALLIED APEXFOODS | 2.54 | 90.81 | Vol. 120750 D: 106.3 ⇑ 3.00% | 106.68 | 112.0 / 100.0 C: 107.6 ⇑ 4.87% | 110.17 | 112.8 / 100.2 BANGAS | 7.20 | 50.27 | Vol. 166153 D: 542.2 ⇑ 7.49% | 529.66 | 542.2 / 469.0 C: 542.1 ⇑ 7.50% | 532.84 | 542.1 / 500.0 BATBC | 65.69 | 117.22 | Vol. 4400 D: 1414 ⇓ 2.06% | 1416 | 1440 / 1400 C: 1477 ⇓ 1.55% | 1477 | 1498 / 1425 GEMINISEA | 10.88 | 9.69 | Vol. 5550 D: 255.3 ⇑ 8.50% | 249.01 | 255.4 / 237.0 NTC | 29.88 | 110.05 | Vol. 2800 D: 817.6 ⇑ 0.62% | 817.74 | 824.0 / 815.0 C: 816.1 ⇓ 15.05% | 816.07 | 816.1 / 816.0 ZEALBANGLA | -23.01 | -193.09 | Vol. 400 D: 8.50 ⇓ 1.16% | 8.50 | 8.50 / 8.50 CVOPRL | 2.66 | 13.28 | Vol. 73780 D: 876.6 ⇑ 7.36% | 872.00 | 877.7 / 820.0 C: 860.7 ⇑ 7.41% | 860.65 | 861.3 / 859.0 AMCL(PRAN) | 6.53 | 53.37 | Vol. 217100 D: 304.2 ⇑ 8.72% | 297.89 | 304.2 / 280.0 C: 305.5 ⇑ 8.72% | 299.23 | 305.5 / 282.2 SHYAMPSUG | -36.87 | -355.85 | Vol. 200 D: 8.60 ⇑ 6.17% | 10.00 | 8.80 / 8.40 RAHIMAFOOD | 0.62 | 4.46 | Vol. 380500 D: 37.60 ⇑ 9.94% | 37.58 | 37.60 / 37.00 C: 37.00 ⇑ 9.47% | 37.01 | 37.10 / 35.50 FUWANGFOOD | 1.26 | 12.37 | Vol. 573894 D: 26.30 ⇓ 1.87% | 26.38 | 27.00 / 24.60 C: 26.40 ⇓ 1.12% | 26.49 | 27.00 / 26.20

MEGHNAPET | -0.58 | -1.02 | Vol. 1000 D: 6.00 ⇓ 3.23% | 6.00 | 6.00 / 6.00 MEGCONMILK | -6.68 | -16.22 | Vol. 22500 D: 8.00 ⇓ 1.23% | 8.09 | 8.40 / 7.90 BEACHHATCH | 1.01 | 12.48 | Vol. 846719 D: 23.60 ⇓ 2.48% | 24.12 | 25.40 / 22.00 C: 23.60 ⇓ 3.28% | 24.17 | 25.40 / 23.40 FINEFOODS | -0.11 | 10.58 | Vol. 579000 D: 26.60 ⇑ 5.98% | 26.16 | 27.30 / 23.00 C: 27.20 ⇑ 6.67% | 26.21 | 28.00 / 25.20 RDFOOD | 0.91 | 16.84 | Vol. 1199311 D: 24.20 ⇑ 1.68% | 24.12 | 24.40 / 21.50 C: 24.30 ⇑ 2.10% | 24.12 | 24.50 / 23.70 GHAIL | 1.01 | 22.08 | Vol. 520440 D: 43.80 ⇓ 1.35% | 44.01 | 44.60 / 40.00 C: 43.80 ⇓ 2.01% | 43.74 | 44.30 / 43.80 FUEL & POWER LINDEBD | 31.71 | 144.00 | Vol. 13300 D: 701.0 ⇓ 2.01% | 705.49 | 719.0 / 695.0 PADMAOIL | 16.38 | 43.67 | Vol. 247869 D: 341.6 ⇓ 0.87% | 342.39 | 347.0 / 340.6 C: 341.7 ⇓ 0.41% | 342.82 | 346.0 / 340.2 EASTRNLUB | 6.32 | 68.68 | Vol. 7650 D: 412.2 ⇑ 2.16% | 405.49 | 415.0 / 378.3 BDWELDING | 0.33 | 16.82 | Vol. 1380283 D: 25.50 ⇑ 0.79% | 25.30 | 27.40 / 22.80 C: 25.70 ⇑ 1.98% | 25.18 | 26.00 / 24.50 SUMITPOWER | 3.17 | 19.26 | Vol. 480051 D: 32.90 ⇓ 0.30% | 32.88 | 34.90 / 29.70 C: 32.90 ⇓ 1.20% | 33.08 | 34.00 / 32.70 DESCO | 2.80 | 35.25 | Vol. 96074 D: 76.40 ⇓ 0.39% | 76.71 | 77.80 / 70.00 C: 75.50 ⇓ 1.69% | 75.02 | 76.00 / 74.00 POWERGRID | 2.56 | 48.08 | Vol. 53000 D: 55.70 ⇑ 1.46% | 54.97 | 56.00 / 54.00 C: 53.90 ⇓ 3.06% | 54.27 | 55.10 / 53.50 JAMUNAOIL | 22.78 | 50.24 | Vol. 324104 D: 232.0 ⇓ 0.26% | 231.55 | 233.4 / 220.0 C: 230.3 ⇓ 0.78% | 230.42 | 232.0 / 228.9 MPETROLEUM | 16.98 | 40.41 | Vol. 269637 D: 265.9 ⇓ 1.19% | 266.85 | 270.8 / 255.0 C: 265.7 ⇓ 1.59% | 266.38 | 269.7 / 265.4 TITASGAS | 9.01 | 36.56 | Vol. 418632 D: 81.90 ⇓ 0.85% | 82.04 | 82.90 / 74.40 C: 81.60 ⇓ 1.33% | 81.65 | 82.00 / 81.10 KPCL | 4.73 | 15.86 | Vol. 163978 D: 47.70 ⇓ 1.65% | 47.85 | 49.00 / 44.00 C: 47.70 ⇓ 2.05% | 47.68 | 48.20 / 47.50 BEDL | 1.48 | 19.43 | Vol. 619250 D: 32.10 ⇓ 1.53% | 32.50 | 33.50 / 29.50 C: 31.90 ⇓ 0.93% | 32.06 | 33.00 / 31.60 MJLBD | 2.73 | 30.24 | Vol. 153512 D: 70.50 ⇓ 1.67% | 70.94 | 71.80 / 65.00 C: 70.00 ⇓ 0.57% | 70.15 | 71.00 / 70.00 GBBPOWER | 1.86 | 22.63 | Vol. 553046 D: 26.80 ⇓ 0.74% | 26.66 | 29.00 / 24.30 C: 27.10 ⇑ 0.37% | 26.67 | 28.00 / 26.20 SPPCL | 3.81 | 23.34 | Vol. 517660 D: 55.00 ⇓ 1.61% | 55.31 | 56.50 / 50.40 C: 55.30 ⇓ 1.25% | 55.27 | 56.70 / 54.90 JUTE JUTESPINN | 2.06 | 17.42 | Vol. 23600 D: 131.3 ⇓ 2.96% | 132.67 | 140.0 / 126.2 NORTHERN | -13.80 | -6.19 | Vol. 200 D: 23.50 ⇑ 9.81% | 23.50 | 23.50 / 23.50 SONALIANSH | 5.54 | 218.80 | Vol. 29250 D: 168.8 ⇑ 3.37% | 169.23 | 172.3 / 166.1 TEXTILE AL-HAJTEX | 1.35 | 15.64 | Vol. 473862 D: 120.9 ⇑ 9.91% | 117.18 | 121.0 / 99.00 STYLECRAFT | 20.00 | 287.30 | Vol. 600 D: 1085 ⇑ 3.85% | 1085 | 1110 / 1044 RAHIMTEXT | 0.51 | 73.88 | Vol. 3450 D: 310.1 ⇑ 8.65% | 307.25 | 310.3 / 288.1 SAIHAMTEX | 2.75 | 29.50 | Vol. 3696200 D: 35.80 ⇑ 8.48% | 34.89 | 36.10 / 33.30 C: 35.80 ⇑ 8.48% | 35.01 | 36.30 / 33.00 MODERNDYE | 0.91 | 10.37 | Vol. 7000 D: 149.8 ⇓ 6.90% | 149.43 | 160.1 / 144.9

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Share

Tuesday, september 24, 2013

7

September 23, 2013 Sectotal Index: BANK: 31,493.39 ⇓ 0.52% NBFI: 20,199.21 ⇓ 0.51% INVS: 4,600.86 ⇓ 1.07% ENGG: 6,201.38 ⇓ 0.31% FOOD: 10,260.86 ⇑ 3.80% F&P: 10,420.77 ⇓ 1.38% TEXT: 3,338.01 ⇑ 2.71% PHAR: 17,365.09 ⇓ 0.03% PAPR: 1,238.57 ⇑ 3.45% SERV: 3,004.88 ⇓ 2.02% LEAT: 5,427.68 ⇓ 2.00% CERA: 532.67 ⇓ 1.63% CMNT: 4,532.47 ⇓ 1.19% INFO: 8,520.60 ⇑ 4.19% GINS: 9,624.54 ⇑ 3.03% LINS: 112,107.23 ⇑ 1.35% TELC: 1,332.89 ⇓ 3.06% MISC: 6,391.86 ⇓ 0.71% DSHGARME | 0.72 | 12.00 | Vol. 138700 D: 101.6 ⇑ 9.96% | 100.25 | 101.6 / 93.30 DULAMIACOT | -8.46 | -27.78 | Vol. 15300 D: 9.30 ⇑ 1.09% | 9.35 | 9.60 / 9.10 TALLUSPIN | 2.56 | 12.06 | Vol. 4206425 D: 46.00 ⇑ 1.55% | 46.08 | 46.60 / 43.90 C: 46.10 ⇑ 1.54% | 46.12 | 46.50 / 44.80 APEXSPINN | 2.01 | 49.32 | Vol. 33600 D: 90.10 ⇑ 1.69% | 90.87 | 95.00 / 88.20 C: 90.00 ⇓ 4.05% | 90.00 | 90.00 / 90.00 MITHUNKNIT | 4.54 | 30.39 | Vol. 460876 D: 121.4 ⇑ 3.50% | 122.23 | 124.5 / 110.0 C: 120.7 ⇑ 3.34% | 121.46 | 124.0 / 118.3 DELTASPINN | 3.06 | 18.12 | Vol. 1004100 D: 37.20 ⇑ 1.36% | 37.37 | 38.20 / 36.50 C: 37.20 ⇑ 0.81% | 37.34 | 37.90 / 35.40 SONARGAON | 0.27 | 34.50 | Vol. 855342 D: 24.30 ⇑ 1.25% | 24.61 | 25.80 / 22.00 C: 24.50 ⇑ 5.15% | 24.98 | 25.60 / 22.00 PRIMETEX | 1.01 | 63.54 | Vol. 1711750 D: 32.70 ⇑ 9.73% | 32.23 | 32.70 / 31.00 C: 33.00 ⇑ 10.00% | 32.57 | 33.00 / 30.70 ALLTEX | -0.11 | 23.81 | Vol. 151000 D: 8.60 ⇑ 0.00% | 8.65 | 8.80 / 8.50 C: 9.00 ⇑ 2.27% | 8.81 | 9.00 / 8.50 ANLIMAYARN | 1.19 | 11.01 | Vol. 875000 D: 40.00 ⇑ 7.24% | 39.29 | 40.40 / 37.70 C: 39.70 ⇑ 7.59% | 39.16 | 39.70 / 38.40 HRTEX | 2.08 | 14.92 | Vol. 881417 D: 44.80 ⇑ 9.80% | 44.45 | 44.80 / 39.90 C: 43.90 ⇑ 8.93% | 43.92 | 44.30 / 42.40 CMCKAMAL | 1.37 | 19.31 | Vol. 5953258 D: 35.70 ⇓ 2.99% | 35.78 | 38.90 / 33.20 SAFKOSPINN | 0.95 | 21.78 | Vol. 881256 D: 30.60 ⇑ 4.08% | 31.29 | 32.30 / 27.00 C: 30.60 ⇑ 3.73% | 31.57 | 32.20 / 30.20 SQUARETEXT | 4.32 | 31.82 | Vol. 172252 D: 92.10 ⇓ 0.22% | 92.34 | 93.20 / 90.00 C: 91.60 ⇓ 0.11% | 91.66 | 93.20 / 90.00 METROSPIN | -1.00 | 19.59 | Vol. 1309834 D: 20.70 ⇑ 8.38% | 20.31 | 20.90 / 17.20 C: 20.70 ⇑ 7.81% | 20.30 | 20.90 / 19.00 MAKSONSPIN | 0.16 | 20.55 | Vol. 3549562 D: 17.90 ⇑ 1.70% | 17.97 | 18.50 / 15.90 C: 18.00 ⇑ 1.12% | 17.95 | 18.50 / 17.30 DACCADYE | 1.21 | 31.13 | Vol. 2514792 D: 31.40 ⇑ 8.65% | 31.10 | 31.60 / 26.50 C: 31.30 ⇑ 8.68% | 30.83 | 31.40 / 29.00 RNSPIN | 2.80 | 16.58 | Vol. 3944155 D: 31.80 ⇓ 0.63% | 32.17 | 32.80 / 29.50 C: 31.90 ⇓ 0.31% | 32.13 | 32.80 / 31.70 BXSYNTH | 0.93 | 25.42 | Vol. 779188 D: 17.40 ⇓ 1.14% | 17.50 | 18.00 / 16.00 C: 17.20 ⇓ 2.27% | 17.39 | 18.10 / 17.00 MALEKSPIN | -1.44 | 46.87 | Vol. 2350905 D: 28.10 ⇑ 4.07% | 27.79 | 28.50 / 25.00 C: 28.10 ⇑ 3.69% | 27.86 | 28.50 / 27.20 ZAHINTEX | 1.91 | 35.25 | Vol. 1824250 D: 34.50 ⇑ 9.87% | 33.93 | 34.50 / 28.30 C: 34.60 ⇑ 9.84% | 34.14 | 34.60 / 32.00 SAIHAMCOT | 1.92 | 23.62 | Vol. 1873750 D: 27.70 ⇑ 1.84% | 28.11 | 28.70 / 27.20 C: 27.70 ⇑ 1.84% | 28.32 | 29.40 / 27.40 GENNEXT | 1.68 | 15.15 | Vol. 7835940 D: 24.10 ⇑ 8.56% | 23.50 | 24.30 / 20.00 C: 24.30 ⇑ 9.46% | 23.65 | 24.40 / 22.00 ENVOYTEX | 3.26 | 39.26 | Vol. 575360 D: 52.80 ⇓ 0.38% | 52.87 | 53.90 / 50.00 C: 52.90 ⇓ 0.19% | 52.60 | 53.00 / 52.20 ARGONDENIM | 1.89 | 38.86 | Vol. 482720 D: 38.10 ⇑ 3.81% | 37.69 | 38.50 / 33.10 C: 37.90 ⇑ 3.55% | 37.56 | 38.20 / 36.80 FAMILYTEX | 3.72 | 14.68 | Vol. 421000 D: 37.00 ⇑ 3.06% | 36.32 | 37.30 / 35.90 C: 36.80 ⇑ 3.08% | 35.58 | 37.00 / 35.00 Pharmaceutical & Chemical AMBEEPHA | 3.94 | 26.15 | Vol. 10997 D: 308.0 ⇑ 8.72% | 304.16 | 308.0 / 281.3 C: 318.3 ⇑ 8.75% | 312.21 | 318.3 / 270.0 BXPHARMA | 3.77 | 52.55 | Vol. 197036 D: 47.20 ⇓ 0.42% | 47.21 | 48.00 / 42.70 C: 47.10 ⇓ 1.05% | 47.05 | 47.50 / 46.80 GLAXOSMITH | 20.25 | 123.32 | Vol. 900 D: 1007 ⇓ 0.24% | 1008 | 1015 / 1001

ACI | -5.82 | 126.42 | Vol. 26979 D: 171.4 ⇓ 0.17% | 171.13 | 180.0 / 170.0 C: 172.4 ⇑ 0.94% | 172.70 | 179.9 / 171.0 RENATA | 33.57 | 138.83 | Vol. 20965 D: 762.1 ⇓ 2.04% | 767.06 | 785.0 / 760.6 RECKITTBEN | 27.16 | 78.89 | Vol. 150 D: 856.0 ⇓ 2.55% | 856.00 | 856.0 / 856.0 PHARMAID | 5.06 | 26.30 | Vol. 79200 D: 209.9 ⇓ 1.08% | 212.36 | 216.8 / 207.7 IBNSINA | 3.44 | 34.02 | Vol. 287084 D: 124.9 ⇑ 0.48% | 124.72 | 130.8 / 114.0 C: 124.3 ⇓ 0.32% | 126.54 | 132.0 / 121.0 LIBRAINFU | 4.64 | 1565.37 | Vol. 3600 D: 569.5 ⇑ 5.04% | 569.72 | 582.0 / 555.0 ORIONINFU | 8.72 | 1.73 | Vol. 345600 D: 49.40 ⇑ 3.56% | 49.35 | 50.90 / 47.80 C: 50.40 ⇑ 5.88% | 49.36 | 50.40 / 47.00 SQURPHARMA | 6.93 | 37.18 | Vol. 291937 D: 172.2 ⇑ 0.12% | 171.84 | 173.0 / 157.0 C: 171.6 ⇓ 0.29% | 171.59 | 172.2 / 171.0 IMAMBUTTON | -1.68 | 5.67 | Vol. 70000 D: 7.40 ⇓ 6.33% | 7.50 | 7.90 / 7.30 C: 9.00 ⇓ 2.17% | 8.88 | 9.00 / 8.50 KEYACOSMET | 1.55 | 21.54 | Vol. 1854922 D: 25.20 ⇓ 7.69% | 25.29 | 25.70 / 22.40 C: 25.40 ⇓ 7.30% | 25.27 | 25.60 / 24.90 BERGERPBL | 32.46 | 100.20 | Vol. 2355 D: 809.0 ⇓ 1.86% | 808.12 | 825.0 / 807.0 ACIFORMULA | 3.33 | 38.08 | Vol. 90550 D: 80.50 ⇓ 1.23% | 80.60 | 82.90 / 80.00 C: 79.50 ⇓ 2.45% | 79.75 | 80.90 / 78.00 MARICO | 27.53 | 62.47 | Vol. 25900 D: 817.5 ⇓ 2.83% | 820.82 | 843.5 / 810.0 C: 805.2 ⇓ 4.94% | 805.17 | 820.0 / 800.0 BEACONPHAR | 0.33 | 11.97 | Vol. 264875 D: 14.80 ⇑ 0.68% | 14.71 | 15.00 / 13.30 C: 14.90 ⇑ 2.05% | 14.77 | 15.00 / 14.70 ACTIVEFINE | 3.23 | 13.89 | Vol. 728064 D: 93.10 ⇓ 0.43% | 93.12 | 93.80 / 85.00 C: 93.00 ⇑ 0.00% | 92.67 | 93.50 / 92.00 SALVOCHEM | 0.68 | 10.57 | Vol. 1032882 D: 23.10 ⇓ 0.43% | 23.05 | 24.00 / 20.90 C: 23.30 ⇓ 1.69% | 23.07 | 23.50 / 22.70 GHCL | 2.14 | 57.31 | Vol. 249500 D: 48.20 ⇑ 2.77% | 47.72 | 49.10 / 46.50 C: 48.40 ⇑ 4.54% | 48.06 | 48.50 / 46.30 ORIONPHARM | 5.02 | 68.68 | Vol. 701140 D: 63.20 ⇓ 0.94% | 63.48 | 64.20 / 57.50 C: 63.00 ⇓ 1.41% | 63.30 | 64.30 / 63.00 JMISMDL | 1.12 | 12.83 | Vol. 303500 D: 322.1 ⇑ 8.74% | 321.61 | 322.1 / 305.0 C: 314.2 ⇑ 8.72% | 314.10 | 314.2 / 310.0 CENTRALPHL | 0.61 | 10.99 | Vol. 796500 D: 36.30 ⇓ 2.42% | 36.01 | 36.70 / 35.40 C: 36.00 ⇓ 2.44% | 35.76 | 36.10 / 35.10 PAPER & PACKAGING HAKKANIPUL | 0.64 | 11.02 | Vol. 91000 D: 38.80 ⇑ 9.92% | 38.80 | 38.80 / 38.00 C: 39.20 ⇑ 9.80% | 39.14 | 39.20 / 38.00 SERVICE SAMORITA | 2.31 | 17.25 | Vol. 56184 D: 118.3 ⇑ 9.94% | 117.20 | 118.3 / 106.0 C: 110.1 ⇑ 0.09% | 110.10 | 110.1 / 110.1 SAPORTL | 1.23 | 38.39 | Vol. 373662 D: 26.70 ⇓ 1.48% | 26.85 | 27.80 / 25.00 C: 26.60 ⇓ 1.85% | 26.88 | 27.50 / 26.50 EHL | 2.87 | 18.48 | Vol. 634374 D: 59.20 ⇓ 0.67% | 59.65 | 61.80 / 53.80 C: 59.30 ⇓ 0.17% | 59.43 | 62.00 / 58.00

LEATHER APEXTANRY | 6.57 | 69.38 | Vol. 408800 D: 134.2 ⇓ 1.76% | 136.10 | 142.0 / 132.9 C: 134.2 ⇓ 1.47% | 136.23 | 141.1 / 133.1 BATASHOE | 49.12 | 135.53 | Vol. 4040 D: 755.4 ⇓ 1.82% | 757.61 | 770.0 / 750.0 C: 732.2 ⇓ 4.79% | 732.20 | 732.2 / 732.2 APEXADELFT | 23.01 | 203.26 | Vol. 74400 D: 391.2 ⇓ 0.23% | 395.32 | 422.0 / 388.0 SAMATALETH | -0.07 | 12.08 | Vol. 2500 D: 15.00 ⇑ 2.04% | 15.33 | 15.10 / 15.00 C: 14.30 ⇓ 1.38% | 14.35 | 14.40 / 14.30 LEGACYFOOT | 0.63 | 17.19 | Vol. 284724 D: 46.50 ⇑ 9.93% | 46.25 | 46.50 / 38.10 C: 49.10 ⇑ 9.84% | 49.06 | 49.10 / 47.00 CERAMIC MONNOCERA | 0.71 | 96.33 | Vol. 147970 D: 40.40 ⇓ 4.72% | 41.49 | 43.80 / 40.00 C: 40.80 ⇓ 2.39% | 40.96 | 43.90 / 40.00 STANCERAM | 1.07 | 15.97 | Vol. 155500 D: 44.10 ⇑ 7.30% | 43.13 | 44.60 / 42.00 C: 41.70 ⇑ 6.65% | 41.71 | 43.00 / 40.10 FUWANGCER | 1.43 | 13.25 | Vol. 690360 D: 21.50 ⇓ 2.71% | 21.73 | 23.50 / 20.00 C: 21.50 ⇓ 2.71% | 21.90 | 22.20 / 21.50 SPCERAMICS | 0.62 | 30.92 | Vol. 566457 D: 17.70 ⇓ 2.21% | 17.77 | 18.50 / 16.30 C: 17.70 ⇓ 2.75% | 17.71 | 18.60 / 17.40 RAKCERAMIC | 1.98 | 16.76 | Vol. 285482 D: 53.00 ⇓ 2.93% | 53.40 | 55.00 / 49.40 C: 53.70 ⇓ 1.10% | 53.61 | 54.00 / 53.30 STANCERAM | 1.07 | 15.97 | Vol. 4500 C: 41.70 ⇑ 6.65% | 41.71 | 43.00 / 40.10 CEMENT HEIDELBCEM | 22.85 | 111.50 | Vol. 169250 D: 403.8 ⇓ 1.73% | 405.60 | 427.0 / 401.3 C: 403.6 ⇓ 1.99% | 407.01 | 412.0 / 402.0 CONFIDCEM | 6.23 | 90.76 | Vol. 224620 D: 125.5 ⇓ 0.95% | 125.81 | 127.1 / 114.1 C: 125.3 ⇓ 1.34% | 125.81 | 128.5 / 124.0 MEGHNACEM | 6.28 | 33.81 | Vol. 170800 D: 146.5 ⇓ 5.42% | 149.33 | 154.0 / 145.0 C: 146.0 ⇓ 5.50% | 148.65 | 150.1 / 146.0 ARAMITCEM | 3.03 | 14.65 | Vol. 173706 D: 81.00 ⇑ 0.37% | 81.47 | 82.90 / 78.00 C: 80.00 ⇓ 1.84% | 78.74 | 82.00 / 77.10 LAFSURCEML | 1.60 | 7.22 | Vol. 825000 D: 33.40 ⇓ 0.89% | 33.57 | 34.00 / 33.40 C: 33.50 ⇓ 0.89% | 33.66 | 35.80 / 33.50 MICEMENT | 4.14 | 40.00 | Vol. 633820 D: 94.40 ⇑ 1.40% | 94.20 | 95.40 / 84.00 C: 94.40 ⇑ 1.94% | 94.01 | 95.00 / 92.20 PREMIERCEM | 3.59 | 22.92 | Vol. 197000 D: 108.1 ⇓ 2.17% | 108.90 | 112.1 / 106.9 C: 108.5 ⇓ 1.81% | 108.42 | 111.0 / 107.0 IT IINDUSTRIES ISNLTD | 0.28 | 17.31 | Vol. 349157 D: 26.60 ⇑ 9.92% | 26.52 | 26.60 / 21.90 C: 27.10 ⇑ 9.72% | 27.09 | 27.10 / 26.70 BDCOM | 1.00 | 14.91 | Vol. 1863905 D: 29.40 ⇑ 8.49% | 28.42 | 29.80 / 26.00 C: 29.10 ⇑ 7.78% | 28.80 | 29.70 / 27.50 INTECH | 0.94 | 10.08 | Vol. 1748108 D: 21.00 ⇑ 9.95% | 20.83 | 21.00 / 18.00 C: 21.10 ⇑ 9.90% | 21.00 | 21.10 / 20.10 AGNISYSL | 1.07 | 25.52 | Vol. 883691 D: 26.50 ⇑ 4.74% | 26.19 | 27.00 / 23.00 C: 26.80 ⇑ 5.51% | 26.18 | 27.20 / 25.40

DAFODILCOM | 1.12 | 11.14 | Vol. 1328219 D: 21.00 ⇑ 4.48% | 20.73 | 21.30 / 18.10 C: 21.00 ⇑ 3.45% | 20.58 | 21.40 / 19.90 AAMRATECH | 1.17 | 20.44 | Vol. 1246550 D: 37.40 ⇓ 2.09% | 37.13 | 38.40 / 34.40 C: 37.30 ⇓ 2.10% | 37.09 | 38.50 / 36.30

PROVATIINS | 1.90 | 14.30 | Vol. 94470 D: 29.00 ⇑ 8.61% | 28.12 | 29.20 / 26.00 C: 29.20 ⇑ 4.29% | 29.20 | 29.20 / 29.20 DHAKAINS | 2.84 | 18.02 | Vol. 65000 D: 40.80 ⇑ 6.25% | 40.44 | 41.70 / 35.00 C: 39.90 ⇑ 4.45% | 40.25 | 41.40 / 39.00

GENERAL INSURANCE BGIC | 1.65 | 20.33 | Vol. 89321 D: 29.20 ⇑ 0.69% | 29.09 | 29.70 / 28.00 C: 29.70 ⇑ 2.77% | 29.09 | 29.70 / 28.70 GREENDELT | 4.05 | 64.44 | Vol. 55715 D: 104.7 ⇑ 2.45% | 103.63 | 108.7 / 100.0 C: 105.5 ⇑ 0.48% | 105.15 | 106.0 / 105.0 UNITEDINS | 2.47 | 21.04 | Vol. 25600 D: 46.70 ⇓ 3.31% | 47.50 | 48.20 / 46.00 PEOPLESINS | 2.05 | 20.72 | Vol. 72625 D: 27.80 ⇑ 4.91% | 27.68 | 28.40 / 25.00 C: 27.50 ⇑ 5.36% | 27.48 | 28.10 / 27.00 EASTERNINS | 2.22 | 35.88 | Vol. 37200 D: 41.40 ⇑ 7.25% | 40.63 | 42.00 / 38.10 C: 41.00 ⇑ 8.75% | 41.20 | 41.40 / 41.00 JANATAINS | 7.84 | 170.69 | Vol. 96536 D: 288.5 ⇑ 8.66% | 284.35 | 288.5 / 242.5 C: 292.3 ⇑ 8.74% | 288.98 | 292.3 / 270.0 PHENIXINS | 2.70 | 20.96 | Vol. 43250 D: 40.90 ⇑ 2.51% | 40.28 | 42.00 / 39.10 KARNAPHULI | 1.56 | 19.42 | Vol. 85340 D: 23.90 ⇑ 5.75% | 23.55 | 24.20 / 22.00 RUPALIINS | 2.76 | 23.38 | Vol. 232360 D: 33.20 ⇑ 2.15% | 33.02 | 33.60 / 30.00 C: 33.20 ⇑ 2.47% | 33.12 | 33.70 / 32.50 FEDERALINS | 1.10 | 10.98 | Vol. 255696 D: 23.60 ⇑ 4.89% | 23.18 | 24.00 / 20.30 C: 23.70 ⇑ 3.95% | 23.33 | 23.80 / 22.30 PRAGATIINS | 2.01 | 50.30 | Vol. 55916 D: 60.00 ⇑ 2.21% | 59.91 | 60.50 / 55.00 C: 62.60 ⇓ 2.95% | 62.57 | 64.00 / 62.00 PRIMEINSUR | 2.14 | 14.14 | Vol. 153935 D: 33.60 ⇑ 8.74% | 32.65 | 33.90 / 29.50 C: 32.60 ⇓ 5.51% | 32.58 | 33.00 / 31.20 PIONEERINS | 3.11 | 23.84 | Vol. 97226 D: 70.50 ⇑ 1.29% | 70.08 | 71.30 / 68.40 MERCINS | 1.53 | 14.50 | Vol. 133329 D: 27.90 ⇑ 5.68% | 27.21 | 29.00 / 24.90 AGRANINS | 1.73 | 14.39 | Vol. 127288 D: 28.60 ⇑ 10.00% | 27.63 | 28.60 / 23.50 GLOBALINS | 1.09 | 11.78 | Vol. 148324 D: 30.90 ⇑ 8.42% | 29.97 | 31.10 / 25.80 NITOLINS | 2.59 | 15.41 | Vol. 103598 D: 35.70 ⇑ 5.93% | 32.77 | 36.20 / 31.00 C: 34.00 ⇓ 7.86% | 34.00 | 34.00 / 34.00 ASIAPACINS | 1.84 | 13.76 | Vol. 55500 D: 29.10 ⇑ 2.83% | 29.09 | 29.60 / 28.00 C: 29.70 ⇑ 7.61% | 29.72 | 30.00 / 28.30 SONARBAINS | 1.68 | 13.38 | Vol. 374061 D: 26.10 ⇑ 9.21% | 25.23 | 26.20 / 23.00 C: 26.40 ⇑ 10.00% | 26.15 | 26.40 / 25.00 PARAMOUNT | 1.26 | 13.19 | Vol. 230476 D: 25.70 ⇑ 7.53% | 24.59 | 26.00 / 22.60 C: 25.60 ⇑ 9.87% | 24.75 | 25.60 / 24.00 CITYGENINS | 1.65 | 14.26 | Vol. 214178 D: 27.80 ⇑ 6.92% | 26.74 | 28.20 / 25.00 C: 27.40 ⇑ 4.98% | 26.28 | 27.90 / 25.10 CONTININS | 1.41 | 15.68 | Vol. 258633 D: 35.40 ⇑ 9.26% | 33.97 | 35.60 / 30.80 C: 35.30 ⇑ 9.97% | 33.51 | 35.30 / 30.20 TAKAFULINS | 2.19 | 15.17 | Vol. 202956 D: 41.40 ⇑ 9.81% | 40.67 | 41.40 / 35.00 C: 39.70 ⇑ 6.15% | 36.63 | 41.10 / 39.00 STANDARINS | 2.58 | 13.99 | Vol. 41888 D: 41.10 ⇑ 8.16% | 39.29 | 41.80 / 36.00 C: 40.00 ⇑ 2.30% | 39.67 | 40.00 / 39.00 NORTHRNINS | 1.77 | 11.15 | Vol. 122591 D: 44.00 ⇑ 2.80% | 42.80 | 44.40 / 40.00 C: 44.40 ⇑ 4.47% | 44.43 | 45.00 / 44.00 REPUBLIC | 2.14 | 12.42 | Vol. 89487 D: 51.90 ⇑ 2.77% | 51.45 | 53.00 / 49.00 C: 54.00 ⇑ 8.00% | 54.00 | 54.00 / 54.00 ASIAINS | 1.56 | 17.34 | Vol. 80934 D: 28.60 ⇑ 6.72% | 27.80 | 29.00 / 24.50 C: 28.70 ⇑ 7.09% | 27.18 | 28.80 / 26.00 ISLAMIINS | 1.29 | 11.96 | Vol. 187676 D: 33.00 ⇑ 9.27% | 32.66 | 33.20 / 28.00 C: 32.00 ⇑ 8.84% | 32.04 | 32.30 / 32.00

LIFE INSURANCE NATLIFEINS | 12.34 | 80.99 | Vol. 5220 D: 247.4 ⇓ 0.08% | 246.09 | 250.0 / 245.0 C: 249.0 ⇑ 4.62% | 249.00 | 258.0 / 240.0 DELTALIFE | 38.53 | 189.40 | Vol. 11575 D: 6021 ⇓ 0.69% | 6026 | 6120 / 5982 SANDHANINS | 2.39 | 28.22 | Vol. 31120 D: 71.00 ⇑ 1.00% | 70.44 | 71.30 / 69.80 C: 69.90 ⇓ 0.29% | 69.92 | 70.10 / 69.60 POPULARLIF | 3.70 | 715.41 | Vol. 21731 D: 165.6 ⇓ 0.54% | 165.51 | 169.6 / 155.0 FAREASTLIF | 9.21 | 60.79 | Vol. 58236 D: 93.60 ⇓ 1.78% | 94.23 | 95.10 / 88.00 C: 94.80 ⇑ 3.61% | 94.77 | 96.90 / 93.00 MEGHNALIFE | 10.82 | 48.87 | Vol. 33800 D: 101.9 ⇑ 0.69% | 101.18 | 102.8 / 100.0 C: 100.7 ⇑ 0.60% | 100.74 | 102.0 / 100.5 PROGRESLIF | 2.30 | 31.45 | Vol. 27319 D: 94.00 ⇓ 0.95% | 94.04 | 96.00 / 88.00 PRAGATILIF | 0.60 | 30.15 | Vol. 34500 D: 116.4 ⇓ 0.26% | 115.65 | 119.0 / 113.5 PRIMELIFE | 5.51 | 27.10 | Vol. 66746 D: 95.00 ⇓ 1.86% | 96.28 | 97.00 / 87.20 RUPALILIFE | 3.75 | 31.25 | Vol. 14012 D: 95.40 ⇓ 2.45% | 95.50 | 98.50 / 94.00 PADMALIFE | 1.63 | 25.76 | Vol. 52500 D: 60.30 ⇓ 0.99% | 60.80 | 61.90 / 60.10 C: 60.30 ⇓ 1.79% | 60.86 | 62.00 / 60.00 SUNLIFEINS | 0.00 | 0.00 | Vol. 216650 D: 54.00 ⇑ 1.89% | 53.30 | 55.10 / 50.00 C: 53.60 ⇓ 0.56% | 52.30 | 54.80 / 51.70 TELECOM GP | 12.96 | 26.26 | Vol. 538800 D: 186.5 ⇓ 2.10% | 187.57 | 193.0 / 186.1 C: 186.1 ⇓ 2.62% | 187.89 | 194.0 / 185.3 BSCCL | 6.69 | 30.34 | Vol. 588030 D: 247.5 ⇓ 4.14% | 250.45 | 260.0 / 238.0 C: 247.3 ⇓ 4.18% | 249.25 | 255.0 / 246.8 Travel & Leisure UNITEDAIR | 1.10 | 12.87 | Vol. 7106735 D: 18.40 ⇓ 3.66% | 18.61 | 20.50 / 17.50 C: 18.50 ⇓ 3.14% | 18.67 | 19.10 / 18.40 UNIQUEHRL | 4.02 | 86.29 | Vol. 437390 D: 85.70 ⇓ 1.27% | 86.07 | 87.50 / 78.20 C: 85.90 ⇓ 0.92% | 86.16 | 87.20 / 85.50 MISCELLANEOUS ARAMIT | 16.07 | 99.93 | Vol. 101700 D: 345.3 ⇑ 8.72% | 343.49 | 345.3 / 325.0 C: 327.4 ⇑ 8.73% | 327.40 | 327.4 / 327.4 BSC | 1.77 | 565.82 | Vol. 140470 D: 579.8 ⇑ 0.00% | 585.34 | 596.0 / 573.5 C: 579.3 ⇓ 0.09% | 583.87 | 594.0 / 560.0 GQBALLPEN | 6.55 | 250.45 | Vol. 124122 D: 159.2 ⇑ 0.25% | 160.08 | 162.5 / 143.0 C: 159.9 ⇑ 0.63% | 159.95 | 163.0 / 158.0 USMANIAGL | 0.50 | 26.03 | Vol. 148869 D: 165.1 ⇑ 1.16% | 166.56 | 170.0 / 162.0 C: 165.3 ⇑ 1.79% | 168.18 | 172.0 / 164.5 BEXIMCO | 3.24 | 86.74 | Vol. 1793754 D: 31.70 ⇓ 1.55% | 31.90 | 35.00 / 29.00 C: 31.80 ⇓ 1.55% | 31.98 | 32.50 / 31.70 SINOBANGLA | 1.75 | 21.01 | Vol. 398000 D: 23.60 ⇓ 0.42% | 23.79 | 24.30 / 23.20 C: 24.00 ⇑ 1.69% | 24.03 | 24.50 / 23.50 MIRACLEIND | 0.14 | 14.90 | Vol. 630900 D: 19.80 ⇑ 2.59% | 20.47 | 21.10 / 18.00 C: 19.90 ⇑ 0.51% | 20.63 | 21.40 / 19.30 BOND IBBLPBOND | 0.00 | 1000.00 | Vol. 35 D: 954.8 ⇑ 0.03% | 942.86 | 955.8 / 953.0 ACIZCBOND | 0.00 | 1000.00 | Vol. 38 D: 870.0 ⇓ 0.06% | 870.00 | 870.0 / 870.0 C: 843.5 ⇓ 1.46% | 843.50 | 850.0 / 840.0 BRACSCBOND | 0.00 | 0.00 | Vol. 10 D: 1080 ⇓ 1.82% | 1080 | 1080 / 1080

8 D

DHAKA TRIBUNE

A

V

I

D

Business R

I

Tuesday, september 24, 2013

C

A

R

D

O

Time to reimagine the mandate of state banks n Mir Mahfuz ur Rahman The state-owned banking sector was key to the creation of the industrial sector in Bangladesh.

This fact cannot be disputed by students of the industrialisation of the Bangali nation. The formation of the four banks, Sonali, Agrani, Janata, and Rupali, including Pubali Bank, which was later privatised, have been critical to the allocation of capital for large scale industrial projects in East Pakistan and then Bangladesh. In fact, after independence, it is access to capital from these banks, which have provided a platform for Bangali entrepreneurs to emerge as industrialists.

The current state of affairs of the state-owned banks, where deposit is growing, and lending has been held up in a challenging environment, and their declining market share, begs the question whether the state owned banks should still be mandated to be the industrialisation pioneers or each become specialised banks, with specific areas of concentration. One idea may be that specific industries, such as infrastructure, textiles, SME or other thrust sectors should be their specific focus.

Another idea may be that they ought to become channels for mediation of deposits and act as intermediaries, whereby they lend to private banks who will onward lend to the private sector. Stateowned enterprises borrowing or large infrastruc-

ture projects may remain as an on-going specialised in-house scope of activity for these banks.

This though process, may be standing as an anathema to leading government and private intellectuals, is the dire inefficient use of resources by the state-owned banks when compared to the private sector banks. This has continued even when the state owned banks have continued to attract deposits by common folk, who believe in

(US$56.4bn) as of March 2013. During the last five years, the sector grew at a rate of 19.7%. Sector deposit stood at Tk5.5tn ($70.5bn) as of March 2013. It registered 20.5% CAGR during last the five years. That is double digit sector growth, which is impressive given GDP growth of 5-6% on average.

Interesting, and standing as a challenge for the state owned banks, private commercial banks (including Islami shariah based banks) hold almost

As a poor country, we simply must do better to manage and provide returns on the savings of common people

these institutions, even after their dismal performance, but the banking sector simply failing to hold their trust in due regard.

Over the past thirty years, the decline of the state banks, and the rise of the private sector banks have completely changed the banking landscape in the country. The sector is currently made up of 30 private commercial banks (PCBs), including 6 Islami shariah based banks, 4 state-owned banks (SCBs), 9 foreign commercial banks (FCBs), 4 specialised banks and 9 newly licensed commercial banks.

The growth of total lending has been robust, with total credit in the banking sector being Tk4.4tn

67.8% market share while Islami banks, foreign banks, state-owned banks hold 21.3%, 5.0% and 21.1% respectively.

More challenging, the amount of default loans in the banking system hovered around Tk220bn in three consecutive years, starting from 2009. But it made a quantum jump in 2012 to reach Tk430bn at the end of the year. The uptrend continued and the Bangladesh Bank figures showed the classified loan amount at Tk510bn at the end of March last.

The failure of the state-owned banks, which account for almost half of the classified loans in the banking sector, is shown by the simple math

then that 21% of the lending holds 50% of the defaulted loans. While these may be legacy issues that the current banks’ leaders should not be held responsible, the discussion regarding their true effectiveness may be paramount.

Most interesting is the recent World Bank aide memoire that showed that the deposit in state owned banks actually increased in the period after the revelation of the bad loans. The banks’ deposit growth increased 18.14% year-on-year on August 1, 2013. While this may be a dwindling trend in the long run, as the private banks open their banking access to the rural areas due to admirable regulatory guidelines, the deposit growth in the state-owned banks means more liquidity in these banks to lend.

However, given their dismal lending record, the future risk associated with the banking sector, and simple capital allocation, in a capital deficit economy, is compelling.

As a poor country, we simply must do better to manage and provide returns on the savings of common people. A revamping of their mandate, to refocus the state banks vast deposit resources and network, to infrastructure, SME or export growth, or even to be a long term lender to the private sector banks as a major focus, will provide all of us with a healthier financial future. l The write is a merchant banker.

Euro zone business activity growing faster n Reuters, London Business activity in the euro zone has grown faster than expected this month as new orders flood in at their fastest pace in over two years, surveys showed on Monday, adding to signs that the economy is healing.

The surveys suggest the region’s economic recovery was becoming more broad-based with growth in both Germany and France, the bloc’s two largest economies.

Markit’s Flash Composite Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) jumped to 52.1 from last month’s 51.5, its highest since June 2011 and beating expectations for 51.9.

The pace of growth in the bloc’s dominant services sector beat all forecasts in a Reuters poll. The PMI came in at 52.1, well ahead of August’s 50.7 and comfortably above median expectations for a more modest rise to 51.

A reading above 50 indicates growth.

“These surveys show a real underlying swell of improvement. It’s all looking very positive,” said Chris Williamson, chief economist at Markit.

Businesses in Germany, Europe’s largest

A woman walks by a shop in central Athens economy, expanded at a faster pace than last month and in France, the bloc’s second biggest economy, activity increased - albeit marginally - for the first time in 19 months.

New business in the bloc increased again this month, according to the composite subindex, which rose to 51.6 from 51, pushing business expectations among services firms to an 18-month high.

Williamson said the composite PMI, which surveys thousands of companies across the region and is seen as a good guide to economic growth, pointed to a 0.2% expansion this quarter, matching a Reuters poll taken

REUTERS

earlier this month. “Although there are still risks to the euro zone economy, there’s certainly nothing here to suggest any chance of a return to recession soon,” Williamson said.

Manufacturing activity eased this month but firms were able to pass on rising input costs to customers. The PMI dipped to 51.1 from August’s 26-month high of 51.4. A sub-index measuring output fell to 52.1 from 53.4.

A Reuters poll had predicted a rise to 51.8.

Williamson noted that the earlier upturn was probably exaggerated by a bounce-back resulting from better weather and a jump in car production. The cost of materials used by

factories increased for the first time in eight months but manufacturers passed on some of this to customers. The output price index rose to 50.8 from 49.6.

Inflation fell to 1.3% in August, well below the European Central Bank’s target of close to but below 2%, warranting the bank’s pledge to keep interest rates at current levels or lower for an extended period of time to help the recovery.

ECB President Mario Draghi said last week the euro zone economy, which ended its recession in the second quarter, remained “fragile”, and unemployment was “still far too high”. l