September 28, 2013

called potassium

Ashwin 13, 1420 Zilkad 21, 1434 Regd. No. DA 6238 Vol 1 No 187

global warming 95% man-made

inspires Inter to sink Fiorentina

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2013 | www.dhakatribune.com | SECOND EDITION

16 pages | Price: Tk10

Building height limit around airport raised It was allegedly done in the interest of a few people in a posh area n Abu Bakar Siddique A recent government circular set a new 220 feet height restriction on structures within 4km radius from the Hazrat Shajalal International Airport.

Earlier the restriction was 150 feet.

The previous order issued in 2006 was aimed at demolishing 111 buildings in the city that obstructed the take-off and landing of the airplanes in Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

“The new order will obviously nullify the previous one as the Civil Aviation Authority (Caab) does not deem it harmful for their business,” said Md Golam Mostafa, director of development control of Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk).

In 2006, Rajuk and the Caab jointly identified 111 buildings built in the approach surfaces of the Shahjalal and

Tejgaon old airports in violation of civil aviation rules.

Those buildings mainly located in Gulshan, Banani, Nikunja, Khilkhet, Dalipara, Baunia and Madrasa Avenue were marked as hazardous for safe landing and take-off of passenger and cargo planes, according to Caab sources.

Of the places, Gulshan, Banani and Nikunja are popularly known as the areas of the aristocrats and rich men and the value of the land in those areas are higher than any other places in the capital.

However, a Rajuk official in return for anonymity told the Dhaka Tribune that the government had to give in to the pressure of an influential quarter and increased the height restriction on buildings in the vicinity of the airport.

He said the owners of a few buildings including Hotel Westin and Uday  PAGE 2 COLUMN 2

Airplanes have to fly over many buildings near the runway to land at or take off from Shahjalal airport in Dhaka. These structures pose risks to aircraft operation

BNP drafts election manifesto

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

Pre-election tensions may raise credit risks: The party envisions higher-middle income country by 2030 n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla Moody’s

Hasina seeks global support to complete war crimes trial

Rising political tension in the run up to the general election may result in downgrading Bangladesh’s credit ratings, warned the global credit rating agency Moody’s Investors Service.

Moody’s discusses several scenarios in a credit focus titled “Bangladesh: Weak Governance and Political Tensions Constrain Sovereign Creditworthiness” released yesterday.

In the last four years, the agency rated Bangladesh as ‘Ba3 stable’ - a rating that indicates the presence of speculative elements and significant credit risks.

In the latest analysis Moody’s says political tensions and weak governance in Bangladesh, particularly in the runup to the parliamentary elections due early next year, are credit constraints.

“Although macro variables have remained relatively unaffected so far, we have seen that prolonged political turmoil and weak governance in other countries are ultimately detrimental to investments, exports, aid flows, and therefore growth,” it said.

Since Bangladesh’s previous electoral cycles were also accompanied by an increased incidence of strikes and protests in the year before elections, Moody’s warns that this time there are newly emerging factors that may lead to increased strains on the sovereign’s credit profile.

n UNB, New York

n Kayes Sohel

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 2

INSIDE News

6 The construction work of the integrated Moghbazar-Mouchak Flyover in the capital faces delay as the piling works encounter the pipeline infrastructure haphazardly laid underground a decade ago.

Nation

7 A gang of racketeers are smuggling ration books issued to Rohingya people by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees out of the country.

Entertainment

12 A melodious evening is in store for the audience at the Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre, Gulshan branch today at 6:30pm. Renowned flautist Ustad Captain Azizul Islam will perform in the event which is organised by IGCC in association with Asian Paints, IRCON and Marico Bangladesh.

Main opposition party BNP has prepared the first draft of its manifesto for the next national elections, incorporating a number of new ideas including one for making Bangladesh a higher-middle income country by 2030.

The BNP think tank, comprising a number of pro-right intellectuals and former bureaucrats, presented the draft to party Chairperson Khaleda Zia Thursday night at her Gulshan office.

According to a copy of the draft that the Dhaka Tribune has accessed, BNP wants to take Bangladesh’s per capita income to $4,000-$5,000 by the year 2030, thus making the country a high-middle income one.

For achieving that target, the draft said an annual GDP growth of 10% would be needed.

In the 2012-13 fiscal, Bangladesh achieved a 6.1% growth rate.

The draft manifesto spells out BNP’s plans to stop extrajudicial killings, fight terrorism, restore discipline in financial sector and publish wealth statements of lawmakers and government leaders.

It also reflects the party’s thoughts on judiciary, police administration and relationship with foreign countries.

According to the draft charter, BNP believes that a substantial and accessible “reserve of coal” can be a long term and sustainable solution to the raging power shortage in the country. It says the party will raise mass awareness and build national consensus in order to

ensure the best use of the existing coal reserve in the country.

The think tank initially proposed the title “Rupkalpa 2030,” roughly translated as “Vision 2030” in English.

Acting secretary general of the party Mirza Fakrul Islam Alamgir, among others, was present during the presentation.

Among the fresh ideas that appear on the draft is a pledge for formulating a policy for the appointment of judges

Highlights of BNP’s draft election manifesto Inclusive society Making wealth statements public mandatory for elected representatives Coal for sustainable power development Making education free for boys till class 10 Setting up police commission Policy for appointing judges to the apex court Curbing political interference in stateowned banks Encourage inter-religion dialogue to fight terrorism Formulating crop, poultry and livestock insurances Health insurance for the marginalised 10% GDP growth rate for reaching per capita income of $4,000-$5,000

Climate change will hit poor countries hardest, IPCC study shows n Tribune Desk

Low-income countries will remain on the frontline of human-induced climate change over the next century, experiencing gradual sea-level rises, stronger cyclones, warmer days and nights, more unpredictable rains, and larger and longer heatwaves, according to the most thorough assessment of the issue yet.

The last major UN assessment, in 2007, predicted runaway temperature rises of 6C or more by the end of the century. That is now thought unlikely by scientists, but average land and sea temperatures are expected to continue rising throughout this century, possibly reaching 4C above present levels – enough to devastate crops and make life in many cities unbearably hot.

As temperatures climb and oceans warm, tropical and subtropical regions will face sharp changes in annual rainfall, reports The Guardian,  PAGE 2 COLUMN 2

to the country’s apex court.

The charter also pitched a plan for establishing a “police commission” for bringing about time-befitting reforms to the country’s police force.

It adds that the BNP wants to bring an end to all kinds of extrajudicial killing and “inhuman extrajudicial torture” by establishing rule of law because the party is committed to upholding the “sanctity of all citizens.”

BNP also wants to ensure discipline in the country’s financial institutions by strengthening the Bangladesh Bank and ending political interference in the operations of the state-owned banks.

The draft says “fighting terrorism does in no way mean going against religion.” It adds that BNP will not allow any act of terrorism within the territory of Bangladesh. This pledge is apparently a reflection of what Khaleda Zia told Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last year in New Delhi.

According to the draft, BNP’s strategy for fighting terrorism will be “alleviating poverty, solving the problem of unemployment, massive publicity of the precious anti-terrorism messages in the religious scriptures and encouraging inter-religion dialogue.”

The party’s foreign policy will be to get engaged in a “special relationship” with the neighbouring and the Arab countries. It also reflects BNP’s plans to get engaged in dynamic trade relationships with Europe and the other western countries.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday urged the international community to extend its all-out support to the ongoing trial process of war criminals in Bangladesh for the sake of justice, human rights and the rule of law.

She demands equal voice in Bretton Woods Institutions “The trials are being held maintaining the highest standard of judicial practices. I urge the international community to support this trial process for the sake of justice, human rights and the rule of law. Successful completion of the trial will free the nation from disgrace ensure sustainable peace and prosperity in the country,” she said.

The Prime Minister made the call while delivering her speech in Bangla like her father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at the 68th Session of the United Nations General Assembly held at the UN Headquarters.

Hasina, who for the very first time talked about the trial of war criminals at the UN, said during the Liberation War in 1971, Pakistani occupation forces in collaboration with their local cohorts perpetrated genocide, rape, ar-

son and crimes against humanity, and over three million people sacrificed their lives and a quarter of a million women lost their honour to achieve independence.

Since then, she said, it has been the ardent hope and aspiration of the nation to bring the perpetrators to justice.

“Accordingly, our government constituted two War Crimes Tribunals under the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act of 1973 to try them.”

But, Hasina alleged, the anti-liberation forces have been working to destroy the secular nature of Bangladesh and they got the direct patronage of the BNP-Jamaat alliance government (2001 to 2006) that coalesced to form terrorist outfits.

It began with bomb and grenade attacks killing people, especially the secular leaders and Members of Parliament.

Recalling the grenade attack on August 21, 2004 on her and also the killing of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on August 15, 1975, she said, “My younger sister Sheikh Rehana and I survived only because we were out of the country at that time. These gruesome attacks cemented my resolve to eliminate terrorism, and to adopt tough Anti-Terrorism and Anti-money Laundering Acts.”  PAGE 2 COLUMN 6

2

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Saturday, September 28, 2013

KSA to ease grip on recruitment from Bangladesh n Rabiul Islam The government of Saudi Arabia is likely to ease restriction on recruitment of Bangladeshi workers following an advice from a ministerial panel, reported the Arab News yesterday.

“We have not received any official letter in this regard but we hope the Saudi government would do so,” Bangladesh Labour Counsellor in Riyadh Md Emdadul Hoque told the Dhaka Tribune over phone yesterday.

He said Kingdom of Saudi Arabia did not officially put ban on recruitment from Bangladesh but it had slowed down significantly since 2009.

According to website of Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET), a total of 14,666 workers went to KSA in 2009, 7,069 in 2010, 15,039 in 2011 and 21,232 in 2012.

However, a total of 1,32,124 workers went to KSA in 2008, 2,04,112 in 2007, 1,09,513 in 2006 and 80,425 in 2005.

According to Bangladesh Bank, the country received a total of $14,461.14m from abroad in 2012-2013. Of the amount, 3,825.18m came from Saudi Arabia, the highest remittance from a single country.

The Arab News reports there are more than 1.28m Bangladeshi workers in Saudi Arabia.

The steps taken by the Bangladesh government in introducing a process of selecting workers and training them up have convinced KSA to lift ban, said Emdadul.

“We have been able to bring changes in the behaviour of our workers in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi government had

already allowed Bangladeshi workers to transfer Iqama and change their professions.”

“Recruitment from Bangladesh will resume on a gradual basis beginning with house servants such as maids and drivers,” the Arab News reported.

It said:“The Saudi government would continue to issue visas for Bangladeshi workers, especially to carry out the government‘s cleaning and maintenance contracts.”

The Saudi Embassy has been asked to keep a watch on the measures taken by the Bangladeshi government to ensure that criminal elements are not hired.

Bangladesh pledged that it would not send nationals with criminal backgrounds to the kingdom, the Arab News continued.

Saudi Arabia will also launch a new service to lease housemaids by monthly contracts within two weeks.

The move will allow customers to hire maids on a weekly or hourly basis.

Saad Al-Badah, head of the National Committee for Recruitment at the Council of Saudi Chambers, said the Saudi Manpower Services Company would soon launch the service.

The company has already signed contracts to put various types of workers on the market for houses and other establishments.

“The company has managed to recruit more than 6,000 male and female workers from India, the Philippines, Nepal, Cambodia and Vietnam,” said Al-Badah adding that they would work in different sectors.

Anybody can apply for the service by accessing to the company’s website. l

ASI detained for gambling n Tribune Report

Members of a US delegation of businessmen call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in her hotel suite in New York Thursday

Robi soft-launches 3G in capital, port city today

Yunus urges fashion Hasina seeks global world to support The prime minister said at home her government was entrenching democRMG workers racy to ideologically defeat terrorism and extremism while the commisTribune Desk n sions on election, anti-corruption, huGP to follow tomorrow man rights, and information had been Highlighting the pitiable condition of bi’s customer care centre in Muradpur, strengthened. garment workers, Nobel Laureate Prof Muhammad Zahidul Islam n where editors of two local newspapers In respect to foreign affairs, Hasina Muhammad Yunus has urged the fashion leaders and designers to stand up in solidarity with them all over the world.

He made the appeal while presenting the keynote speech at a UN event for first ladies in the USA, said a release of Yunus Centre yesterday, reports UNB. Fashion for Development, an NGO devoted to promoting and supporting fashion industry to support development issues, honoured famous founder and editor of ‘The Beast’ Tina Brown on this occasion for her life-long devotion to standing up for women causes.

Prof Yunus handed over the Award on behalf of the ‘Fashion for Development’.

Both Tina Brown and Anna Wintour, Chief Editor of the Vogue magazine and the Guru of fashion world, spoke highly of the Nobel Laureate’s contribution to improving the life of the poor women around the world.

Prof Yunus elaborated his proposal of International Minimum wage and Happy workers Tag for improving the lives of garment workers.

Prof Yunus, Chancellor of Glasow Caledonian University, launched the new GCU campus in New York. l

Mobile phone operator, Robi will softlaunch its 3G services in the capital and Chittagong city today, however, the commercial launch of the service would have to wait at least another week for the regulator’s approval.

Robi can commercially launch 3G in Dhaka and Chittagong within the next seven or 10 days, a high-up with the operator told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

“We are arranging parallel inauguration programmes in Dhaka and Chittagong tomorrow (today) morning.

But, I’m sorry to say, we cannot launch it commercially from day one,” a Robi official said.

According to sources, Robi started its test 3G services in the capital and Chittagong last week while at the same time, it sought approval from Bangladesh Telecom Regulatory Commission (BTRC).

But with BTRC Chairman Sunil Kanti Bose abroad for the last two weeks, it could not get the necessary consent.

Meanwhile, Robi confirmed, Telecommunication Minister, Advocate Shahara Khatun will attend the launching ceremony at its headquarters today.

On the other hand, in Chittagong, the services will be launched from Ro-

An assistant sub-inspector of police (ASI) of Dhanmondi police station was detained for gambling along with 12 civilians in the capital’s Hazaribagh area early yesterday.

The ASI was identified as Mainul Islam and handed over to his reporting authority following the detainment. The remaining 12 gamblers were sentenced to varying jail terms. The incident was the latest proof of organised criminal groups running their businesses in the capital with the support of unscrupulous members of the law enforcement agencies.

Sources said, a team of Rapid Action

Battalion led by Major Raqibul Islam made the arrests after raiding a gambling den in the early hours of Friday. The nature of their wagering, however, couldn’t be known. In this regard, Raqibul Islam said they had arrested those people while gambling from an apartment block and an unspecified amount of money was confiscated from them.

Later, a mobile court sentenced one of the 12 civilians to three months in jail and others 15 days each.

About the detained ASI, Inspector Ashok Chowhan, officer-in-charge of Dhanmondi police station, said the department would take disciplinary action against him. l

BNP drafts

Building height limit around airport raised

 PAGE 1 COLUMN 4

 PAGE 1 COLUMN 2

For developing human resources, BNP wants to make education free for boys up to class ten, apart from pledging to do the same for girls till graduation.

The party also wants to set up a “university of excellence” and launch an “education television channel” for the expansion of education.

To develop the agriculture sector, the draft charter proposes formulating crop, poultry and livestock insurances so that farmers get more interested in taking calculated risks. The BNP also wants to enrich the agriculture database to ensure access to all kinds of information for all.

Despite several attempts, the Awami League government has failed to come up with crop insurance facilities for the farmers.

The BNP will gradually introduce health insurance for the poor and marginalised population in the country. It also wants to pull down the population growth rate to zero.

The charter lays out the BNP’s plans to build an “inclusive society” by eliminating all kinds of divide and disagreement and uniting people to work under one umbrella to build a prosperous nation.

In order to encourage accountability among public representatives and the government institutions, the BNP wants to make the tax ombudsman functional and activate the provision that binds the elected public representatives and everyone else involved in the government ranks to publish wealth statements, the charter says.

Piyas Karim, a teacher at Brac University who was present at yesterday’s meeting, last night told the Dhaka Tribune that the manifesto had been prepared keeping the entire society in mind.

“We told the chairperson that she must become the leader of the whole nation, not just the party. She agreed on almost all points of the manifesto.

“If we can learn the lessons from our past mistakes and advance accordingly, implementation of this Vision 2030 is very much possible.” l

Tower in Gulshan are playing important role in changing the government mind.

The Rajuk official also said: “The Eastern Bank Ltd authorities are putting pressure on us over the last few weeks to raise the height limit of structures so that they can add more flats to their existing 13-storey head office

building located at Gulshan.

The Rajuk has so far demolished only three structures located at Nikunja and Baunia as per its list of buildings that flouted civil aviation rules. As for others it could do nothing as some of the building owners filed writ petition against the Rajuk and Caab decision.

Air Commodore Shafiqul Alam,

member (operation and planning) of Caab, told the Dhaka Tribune that new height limit would vary from one area to another.

Earlier, the permitted maximum height of a building within a 4-km radius of the runway was 150 feet. From now on it will be 220 feet as per the new order.

Pre-election tensions may raise credit risks: Moody’s  PAGE 1 COLUMN 1

The first factor noted is of election dynamics becoming more challenging this time owing to the abolition of the neutral caretaker government system and the emergence of Islamist forces in an otherwise secular state.

Second it notes how weak governance could have economic consequences, with the spate of industrial accidents, particularly surrounding the garment industry, which have dented the country’s reputation as a low-cost garment producer.

It said the government’s lax oversight of worker safety has lead to the industry being subjected to intense international scrutiny, leading to the US suspending - albeit with a limited

scope - trade benefits to Bangladesh.

Moody’s warns if the European Union ratchets up sanctions as well then export growth could suffer.

As the elections approach, political tensions are likely to rise, and Moody’s envisages three scenarios, with the first two weighing heavily on the sovereign credit profile: The first scenario involves unresolved political differences remaining, to the extent that the military is forced to intervene, thereby delaying the electoral process and prolonging political uncertainty, which will undermine foreign investment and economic growth.

In the second scenario, elections are held, but tensions continue unabated.

It says that even if elections are held on schedule, but continued strikes

and political tensions would probably weigh on investors’ decisions and adversely affect economic growth.

Moody’s notes the lack of a permanent solution to the electoral mechanism suggests that escalating tensions and violent protests would resume in the next election cycle.

The final scenario assumes a mutually agreeable electoral process that is accepted by both parties. This would be credit neutral, as it would lead to a more stable political situation with limited event risks -- factors that are incorporated into the Ba3 sovereign rating.

A study by the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry estimates that general strikes have resulted in the economy losing as much as $200m per day, or

Climate change will hit poor countries hardest  PAGE 1 COLUMN 2

quoting the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, released on Thursday in Stockholm.

The report will be published online on 30 September.

East Africa can expect to experience increased short rains, while west Africa should expect heavier monsoons. Burma, Bangladesh and India can expect stronger cyclones; elsewhere in southern Asia, heavier summer rains are anticipated. Indonesia may receive less rainfall between July and October, but the coastal regions around the south China Sea and Gulf of Thailand can expect increased rainfall extremes when cyclones hit land.

“It is virtually certain that in the long term, global precipitation will change.

PID

High latitude countries, such as in Europe or North America, are expected to receive more rainfall, but many … subtropical arid and semi-arid regions will likely experience less precipitation …

Over wet tropical regions, extreme precipitation events will very likely be more intense and more frequent in a warmer world,” said the report’s authors.

They added: “Monsoon onset dates are likely to become earlier or not to change much while monsoon withdrawal rates are very likely to delay, resulting in a lengthening of the season.” Developing country scientists and commentators have welcomed the report, which they said backed their own observations.

“The IPCC makes the case that climate change is real and happening

much more strongly than before. We are already seeing the effects of climate change in Bangladesh and across south Asia. It’s not news to us. Most developing countries are facing climate change now. They do not need the IPCC to tell them that the weather is changing”, said Saleemul Huq, director of the International Centre for Climate Change and Development, based in Dhaka.

Scientists have also lowered projections of sea-level rises. Depending on future greenhouse gas emissions, sea levels will rise an average of 16-24in (4062cm) by 2100. Nevertheless, there will be significant geographical variations; many millions of people living in the developing world’s great cities, including Lagos and Calcutta, are threatened.

will be present. At the ceremony, customers would be able get their first taste of 3G. Video call between Dhaka and Chittagong will mark the inauguration ceremony, sources said.

Earlier, at a press conference, Michael Kuehner, chief executive officer of Robi had said they will begin 3.5G services in selected areas of Dhaka, Chittagong, Comilla and Sylhet by the end of this year.

He hoped 35% of the total population of the country will come under their 3G coverage by the first quarter of 2014.

Meanwhile, market leader Grameenphone is preparing to inaugurate its next generation services tomorrow.

It has already started test services at different areas in Dhaka from September 17, said Tanveer Mohammad, Chief Technology officer of Grameenhone.

Banglalink, the second largest operator in the country, demonstrated its 3G services on September 25 at a city hotel, with the commercial launch scheduled for mid-October, Ziad Shatara, CEO of Banglalink told the Dhaka Tribune. l

 PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

0.2% of GDP – a significant setback for an emerging economy like Bangladesh.

So far, political unrest has not had a visible impact on macro variables, but it is expected that growth in FY2014 will be marginally lower at 5.8% year-onyear than the central bank’s estimate of 6.2%, while the government’s budgeted estimate factors in growth at 7.2%.

The Readymade garment industry is the mainstay of Bangladesh’s economy, accounting for nearly 80% of its exports and employing more than three million people. In November last year, fire at a garment factory lead to the death of 111 workers, and this April, a building with four garment factories collapsed in Savar claiming 1132 lives, all of which damaged the country’s reputation globally. l

said her government aimed to cement peace by resolving outstanding issues with its neighbours, increase cooperation with them through strengthening connectivity and maintain good relations with all countries of the world as per dictum, “Friendship towards all, malice towards none,” of the Father of the Nation.

Hasina also requested the developed countries to grant the LDCs duty- and quota-free access to their markets, an equal voice in the Bretton Woods Institutions and in the International Financial Institutions, and free movement of labour. Implementation of Mode IV of the GATS is also essential for the benefit of both sending and receiving countries, she added.

Noting that the formulation of the post-2015 Development Agenda was a daunting task for all member states, she said: “We need to be united in agreeing on a common set of the development agenda that would fulfil our aspiration in building a just, prosperous and sustainable world where no person or nation is left behind. Bangladesh, representing 160 million progressive and resilient people, will lead these efforts from the front,” She noted that the progress of Bangladesh in all spheres had, however, been sadly held back by climate change as 1 degree Celsius increase in temperature would lead to a metre rise in sea level submerging a fifth of Bangladesh, and forcing 30 million “climate migrants” to move elsewhere.

“I, therefore, reiterate the call that I had made at the 64th UNGA for a legal regime to ensure social, cultural, and economic rehabilitation of the climate migrants. I also call again for a fast track funding mechanism for the ‘Climate Change Fund’ for LDCs to ensure sustained funding for the realisation of our adaptation and mitigation action plans,” she said.

Mentioning that the commitment to global peace was proven by Bangladesh’s role as a top troop contributor to UN peacekeeping and Vice-Chair of the UN Peace Building Commission, Hasina said it was also reflected by the country’s position on disarmament and the non-proliferation agenda.

“I am happy to be first in the region to be signing the Arms Trade Treaty, and acceding to the remaining CCW instruments in this year’s Treaty Signing Event. Our role on world affairs is based on justice and democratic values, which assures international peace and security, and supports disarmament,” she added. l

Weather disasters are also more likely in a warmer world, the report suggests. Although the global frequency of tropical cyclones is expected to decrease or remain essentially unchanged, they may become more intense, with stronger winds and heavier rainfall.

Life in many developing country cities could become practically unbearable, given that urban temperatures are already well above those in surrounding countryside. Much higher temperatures could reduce the length of the growing period in some parts of Africa by up to 20%, the report said.

Dr Camilla Toulmin, director of the International Institute for Environment and Development, says: “Climate models are not yet robust enough to

predict impacts at local and regional scales, but it is clear … that everybody is vulnerable in some way.”

Oxfam predicted that world hunger would worsen as climate change inevitably hurt crop production and disrupted incomes. They suggested the number of people at risk of hunger might climb by 10% to 20% by 2050, with daily per-capita calorie availability falling across the world.

“The changing climate is already jeopardising gains in the fight against hunger, and it looks set to worsen,” said Oxfam. “A hot world is a hungry world.

If the remainder of the 21st century unfolds like its first decade, we will soon experience climate extremes well outside the boundaries of human experience.” l

“The height limit was raised mainly in view of the city’s Gulshan and Banani areas as those two locations are less used by airplanes,” said Shafiqul.

The Rajuk has to obtain the height clearance from the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh as per the aircraft rules of 1937 and civil aviation rules of 1984 prior to approving any construction plan. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

3

Saturday, September 28, 2013

500MW from India not possible before November Trial transmission on limited scale begins Her Indian counterpart, Manmohan n Aminur Rahman Rasel Singh, is expected to join the inauguAlready behind the schedule by nine months, the grid interconnection project will not be able to add more than 175MW before November as work on substation and transmission line have not been fully operational yet.

The test transmission of electricity from India began around 10:45am yesterday at Kushtia’s Bheramara substation for the first time, adding 50MW to the national grid. By September 30, this would increase to 175MW, project officials said.

The project, which aims at purchasing 500MW electricity from India, was scheduled to be completed within December 2012 at a cost of Tk10.79 billion.

Although the project cost has been revised upward by Tk5bn, officials now say it will not be fully ready to transmit 500MW from India before November.

However, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is set to inaugurate the commercial transmission of power imported from India on October 5.

ration programme via video link from Delhi.

“We have started importing power from India for the first time on an experimental basis with limited scale. We hope that a total 500MW will be imported from India by November this year,” acting managing director of the Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB) Chowdhury Alamgir Hossain told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

Kazi Ishtiak Hasan, project director of Grid Interconnection between Bangladesh (Bheramara) and India (Bahrampur), said work on some equipment of the substation and the transmission line would end in November this year.

Until then the transmission would be limited to 175MW although the project’s installed capacity was 500MW. On February 19, the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) gave nod to the PGCB about the revised project to construct grid inter-

Khaleda leaves for Jessore today n Tribune Desk

BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia leaves for Jessore today and will address a public rally in Khulna on Sunday, aiming to mobilise public support in favour of the opposition’s demand for arranging the next polls under a non-party administration.

As part of its movement strategy, the BNP-led 18-party alliance is going to arrange the rally at Khulna Circuit House ground tomorrow afternoon, reports UNB. The BNP chairperson will start her journey for Jessore from her gulshan residence around 3:30pm, Khaleda’s media wing member Sayrul Kabir Khan told UNB on Friday.

This will be the fourth out of eight 18-party rallies to be arranged in eight regions of the country to increase people’s involvement in their ongoing anti-government campaign to force the government to restore now-abolished caretaker government system to oversee the polls.

Earlier, the BNP chief addressed rallies in Narsingdi on September 8 while Rangpur on September 15 and Rajshahi on September 16.

After Khulna, Khaleda, also the lead-

er of the opposition in parliament, will address a rally in Sylhet on October 5.

Earlier, the Khulna rally was scheduled to be held on September 22. The rally was rescheduled for September 29 due to bad condition of its venue, the Khulna Circuit House ground.

Khaleda’s Barisal rally scheduled for September 29 was postponed and the fresh date for it will be announced later. She will also address rallies in Dhaka and Chittagong after Eid-ul-Azha, the second largest religious festival of Muslims.

Addressing a press conference at Khulna Mohammedan Sporting Club auditorium on Friday, Khulna city BNP president Nazrul Islam Manju said the rally will turn into a human sea as they have taken every necessary preparation to make it a grand success.

Meanwhile, the roads and islands in city have been decorated with arches, lighting and portraits of Ziaur Rahman, Khaleda Zia and Tarique Rahman. Placards, posters, banners and portraits of the party aspirants for the next general election in the district were also hung along the roads. A huge number of arches have also been erected along the ways on Khaleda’s route to Khulna from the capital. l

connection between Bangladesh and India for supply of electricity.

The cost of the project has been increased to Tk15.79bn from the original outlay of Tk10.79bn.

The PGCB under the Power Development Board was scheduled to implement the project by 2012.

The project includes construction of 27km transmission line and two substations and acquisition and development of 113 acres of land.

The cost of 1kW of electricity from India is expected to be Tk4 with a wheeling charge of Tk0.80. The PGCB will charge the PDB Tk0.23 per unit.

Dhaka and New Delhi signed a memorandum of understanding to import 500MW of electricity in January 2010 during a visit by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India.

Bangladesh was supposed to get 250MW of electricity from India in July 2013, but the deadline was missed because of a delay in the setting up of transmission lines on the Indian side. l

BNP wants level playing field for polls n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

The main opposition BNP yesterday reiterated its threat of not participating in the general elections if level playing field was not created, adding that lopsided polls will be resisted.

“The government is repeatedly saying that BNP will take part in the election at

Family of Bakhtiar forms human chain demanding capital punishment The family members, friends and relatives of Bakhtiar Mohammad Latif, who was killed by unidentified criminals at his residence on September 13, formed a human chain in front of the National Press Club yesterday, demanding capital punishment of the killers.

They also staged a silent procession holding different posters and banners that lasted for an hour, protesting the killing.

Bakthtiar’s parents Jahid Al Latif and Shamsunnahar Ferdousi were present at the human chain among others, where they alleged that the police was not performing their duties properly.

Addressing the rally, Shamsunnahar said the police showed interest in the

case for first couple of days, but for some mysterious reasons they were not paying attention into it at present.

“I want nothing but capital punishment of the killers,” she said.

Meanwhile, Jahid Al Latif said the police, after the incident, assured them that they would arrest the criminals as early as possible. But two weeks after the incident, they even failed to arrest a single person in this connection.

They were just wasting time in the name of investigation, and the criminals went into hiding taking the opportunity, he alleged.

He also urged the prime minister to help them arrest the killers of his son.

Ritu Akter, a classmate of Bakhtiar, said some criminals not only killed an innocent life but also destroy a dream

the last moment. We will participate in the polls when level playing field will be created. No election will be held in the country without a non-partisan government,” said Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, acting secretary general of the party.

Addressing a discussion at a city hotel, organized by MBA Association of Bangladesh, Fakhrul said an old party

MBA Association of Bangladesh organises a roundtable discussion titled Future Bangladesh and Development Thought based on the political ideas of Tarique Rahman yesterday MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

JATRABARI STUDENT MURDER

n Mohammad Jamil Khan

A bus loses control and crashes into the Kadam Fountain in front of the High Court on Thursday

that might have contributed to the country’s development.

“Law enforcers need to come forward in ensuring proper security and awarding adequate punishment to the killers,” she said.

Earlier, Latif was shot dead as he attempted to prevent an unidentified group of attackers from entering his family’s residence in North Jatrabari.

The investigation was handed over to the Detective Branch of Police and police suspected that it might have happened in a pre-planned way.

Contacted, Minhazul Islam, assistant commissioner of police of the Demra division, said they were investigating into the incident, and expressed hopes that they would be able to unearth the mystery soon. l

The family members of Bakhtiar Ahmed Latif who was killed on September 13 form a human chain in front of the National Press Club yesterday demanding arrest of the killers of their beloved son MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

like Awami League has become politically bankrupt.

“Awami League has lost its ground.

It is repressing the opposition leaders and activists. It is formulating new laws imposing censorship on rallies and meetings. From this, it is proved that Awami League has become politically bankrupt,” he alleged.

The spokesperson of the party alleged that the country’s economic situation was gloomy just because of the government’s corruption. Fakhrul also claimed that the GSP facilities were withdrawn because of the government’s failure and now unrest was prevailing in the sector through the instigation of a government minister.

Regarding the constitution amendment, Fakhrul said, “This constitution is not Qur’an or Bible. Awami League amended the constitution repeatedly for their own interests but now they are saying just the opposite.”

Regarding the party’s senior vice chairman Tarique Rahman’s thoughts, Fakhrul said: “His [Tarique’s] philosophy is to move the country forward. The way late President Ziaur Rahman dreamt of beautiful future, the same way Tarique Rahman dreams of a happy future.” l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Bus hits fountain in capital, leaves six injured n Tribune Report

At least six people were injured after a bus hit a fountain in front of National Eidgah yesterday afternoon while trying to avoid collision with a rickshaw.

According to witnesses, a Gulistanbound bus of Shubhojatra Paribahan rammed into the Dhaka Bank Fountain, also known as Kodom Fowara, at the capital’s National Eidgah intersection while trying to save a rickshaw. The driver of the bus lost control over the steering as he tried to avoid collision with a rickshaw coming from the opposite direction around 2:30pm.

Regarding the incident, Sub-Inspector Shah Alam of Shahbagh police station said the incident took place as the road was light in traffic and both the bus and rickshaw were plying recklessly.

The SI said the driver and his helper managed to flee the scene, leaving the vehicle on the spot.

The injured persons were admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital and the bus was seized and brought to the station, he added. l

Malaysia to recruit only 10,000 workers n Rabiul Islam

Aduri’s employer placed on 3-day remand

Malaysian Deputy Human Resources Minister Datuk Ismail Abd Muttalib yesterday said the country would recruit only 10,000 workers from Bangladesh, clearing up a media confusion over the exact number of workers to be recruited.

“The country is actually planning to bring in 10,000 workers, instead of 1.4 million as was reported,” Malaysian English daily The Star quoted the minister saying in parliament.

Mr Ismail was replying to a query from a member of parliament who asked for a clarification over the matter. He said the Malaysian government would recruit those workers in its plantation sector by early next year.

The confusion was created when several Malaysian dailies reported last month that the country would recruit 1.4 million Bangladeshi workers, taking cues from a statement made by Bangladesh’s expatriates’ welfare and overseas minister.

Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, the minister, visited Malaysia last month and held meetings with its interior minister and the human resources minister.

While talking to journalists, the expat minister said the Bangladesh government had registered 1.4 million people as part of a programme to send workers in Malaysia, Bangladesh High Commissioner to Malaysia AKM Atiqur Rahman told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

However, he mentioned, the Malaysian media “misquoted” him as saying the country’s government would recruit all the 1.4 million workers.

In his Friday parliament speech, Mr Ismail also said, “As of September 23, a list of 8,703 applicants was provided by the Bangladesh government to the police and immigration department. From these, 2,288 have been filtered and 75 were found to have criminal records.”

He further said the recruitment of the workers was “stringent” and only three out of the 10 companies that had applied for workers had received approval. l

A Dhaka Court on Friday placed Nowrin Jahan Nadi on a three-day remand in a case filed for torturing 11-year-oldgirl Aduri and dumping her into a city dustbin from where police recovered her four days back.

Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Nuru Mia passed the remand order after Pallabi police placed Nadi in the court seeking a fiveday remand for interrogation.

In the remand prayer police said they needed to take Nadi on remand to interrogate her. The court, however, rejected the bail prayer of Nadi.

Pallabi Police Station Sub-inspector Enamul Haque Khanker filed the case against Nadi under the Women and Children Repression Act-2003.

SI Enamul filed the case against four people for torturing Aduri. Three others accused are Saiful Islam Masud, husband of Nadi, Chunnu Mira, brother-in-law of Masud and Roki, brother-in-law of Chunnu Mira.

Shamima Begum, deputy commissioner of Woman Support and Investigation Division of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said the other accused went into hiding soon after the incident.

“We are investigating into the

n Mohammad Jamil Khan

incident in coordination with the Pallabi Police Station and trying to arrest them,” says DC Shamima.

Meanwhile, advocate Manzill Murshid, president of the Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh, visited the Dhaka Medical College Hospital to ensure treatment and legal aid service for Aduri.

Talking to the Dhaka Tribune he said they would provide all kinds of legal support to Aduri and take all necessary steps to provide her with better medical service.

Earlier, Assistant Sub-Inspector of Cantonment police Abdul Mannan rescued Aduri from a dustbin of DOHS Baridhara area last Monday.

She took her to the DMCH neurosurgery department. Later, she was shifted to One-stop Crisis Centre with the help of DMP Victim Support Centre where she is now undergoing treatment.

About the health condition of Aduri, Bilkis Akter, coordinator of the specialised centre, told the Dhaka Tribune that Aduri was improving but as the injury marks were very deep it might take her some more time to recover.

However, we are providing her with medicine and nutritious food so that she can recover shortly, she added. l

4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sangskritik Muktijote is set to get EC’s registration n Mohammad Zakaria The Election Commission is set to grant registration of the Bangladesh Sangskritik Muktijote, as the commission did not receive any demand and objection from any section after publishing mass circular in the media in this regard.

EC officials said the commission had prepared the registration file of the new party and it would be presented at the next commission meeting, adding that the section concerned had prepared the file of Muktijote.

If the EC approves the registration, Sangskritik Muktijote would be the 40th registered political party in the country.

Saying that Sangskritik Muktijote had fulfilled all the conditions of the EC registration, Convener of the new party, Abu Layes Munna yesterday told the Dhaka Tribune that the party was formed on November 24, 2000. It had been running organisational activities since then, he added.

“After getting the registration certificate from the commission, we would start the formal activities of the party across the country. We would organise the party’s 12th anniversary in November this year and then we would announce our next agenda,” he said.

AR Shikdar was the chief of the party and Aminur Rahman was the chief executive, the convener added.

According to the EC investigation report, the officials found the existence and activities of Bangladesh Sangskritik Muktijote in 30 districts and 101 upazilas, whereas the party claimed to have its activities in 34 districts and 113 upazilas across the country.

According to registration conditions, to gain EC registration a party must have a central committee and committees in at least 21 districts and 100 upazilas of the country with at least 200 voter support in each of these committees.

Meanwhile, a total of 43 political parties applied to the EC for getting registration, but applications of 41 parties were rejected during primary scrutiny. However, the EC also extended the time frame for seven parties out of the rejected 41 for fulfilling the registration conditions.

The seven parties being investigated are Bangladesh People’s League, Bangladesh New Sangsad League, Bangladesh Gonoseba Andolon, Bangladesh Gono-Odhikar Dal, Bangladesh Liberal Democratic Party, Bangladesh Anjuman Al Islah and Bangladesh Gonoshakti Dal. l

News

Saturday, September 28, 2013

Health ministry looking for honest officials for DGHS Three officials have been transferred last week as they failed to prove their honesty in running projects that involve huge funds On Wednesday, the health ministry the transfer of Dr Jaforullah. ing run by the DGHS under the Health n Moniruzzaman Uzzal They said everyone knew that he Population Nutrition Sectoral Develop- issued a letter for the transfer of three The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has been looking for honest and experienced officials for a number of posts under the Directorate General of Health Services.

These posts include director, line director, deputy director, programme manager and deputy programme manager for a number of different institutes and operational programmes under the DGHS. The ministry on Wednesday transferred three officials of director and deputy director ranks who were engaged with a number of programmes.

Reportedly, they were transferred because the programmes involved huge funds and these officials had failed to prove their honesty.

A number of DGHS officials have said a fear of forced transfer and posting had got hold of them.

The Dhaka Tribune has learnt that a total of 17 operation plans were be-

ment Programme (HPNSD) of the government. The ministry has been looking to recruit honest people in the posts for line director, programme manager and deputy programme managers for these programmes.

The Dhaka Tribune has also learnt that a number of intelligence agencies have given reports to the Prime Minister’s Office which said most of the DGHS officials, who run these operational plans, were corrupt.

The reports said these officials took hefty bribes and resorted to widespread irregularities in the procurement processes.

The reports also said most of these corrupt officials were lower and midlevel leaders of the Swadhinata Chikitsak Parishad (Swachip), the ruling party backed doctors’ association.

Sources said the latest spree of transfers was a result of those reports submitted by the intelligence agencies.

high officials of the DGHS. Among them, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) Dr Md Lutfar Rahman was appointed as the new director of the Institute of Public Health and Nutrition (IPHN) and a line director of the National Nutrition Programme.

Dr Lutfar replaced Professor Dr Eklasur Rahman, who had been sent to per-1 of the health ministry for further posting.

They were advised to join their new posts within September 30.

Among others, Dr AKM Jaforullah, who was the programme manager of the Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) programme, was made an OSD. He would be replaced by Dr ASM Anwar Kamal, who had so far been working as the programme manager of Disease Control.

Seeking anonymity, a number of DGHS officials told the Dhaka Tribune that they were surprised to learn about

was a dishonest officer but he managed to keep his post because he had strong connections with a number ministers.

Another high-ranked DGHS official told the Dhaka Tribune that on Thursday, the secretary of the health ministry had asked him to look for and make a list of honest and experienced officials by next week.

He said the secretary had confirmed him that at least five to six programme managers and deputy programme managers of a number of operation plans would be transferred by next week.

Professor Dr Khondokar Md Sifyetullah, director general of DGHS, told the Dhaka Tribune: “It is true that ministry has been looking for honest and experienced managers to run the different institutes and programmes.

But transfer and postings in different government institutes is a common practice.” l

Samson H Chowdhury web portal launched n Tribune Desk

Asian community needs greater connectivity: Dipu

A web portal on the life, works and contributions of late Samson H Chowdhury was launched through a ceremony at the Square Hospital Auditorium in the capital on Thursday.

Samson H Chowdhury was a widely recognised industrialist and also the founder chairman of Square Group.

The portal was officially inaugurated by Anita Chowdhury, chairperson of Square Foundation and Anita Samson Foundation’s Trustee Board.

During her speech at the ceremony, Anita said: “Samson H Chowdhury was not just an icon to the Square Family, but also to the entire populace of Bangladesh.

The younger generation will get to know his legacy through this website and be inspired to bring positive changes to the country.”

“It should be noted that Samson H Chowdhury was a remarkable corporate personality with a lasting legacy.

From the humble beginnings of a rural pharmacy, he used his dedication, hard work and intellect to establish the largest corporate organisation of the country – Square Group,” she added.

She also said the web portal – www. samsonchowdhury.com – would consist of information on his life, works and contributions to the economy and development of Bangladesh. l

Foreign Minister Dipu Moni has emphasized the importance of connectivity as one of the key instruments for achieving the ultimate goal of “Asian Community.”

She was speaking at the annual ministerial breakfast meeting of the foreign ministers of Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) in New York, on the sidelines of the 68th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, said a foreign ministry press release yesterday. She affirmed full support for Turkey’s candidature for the membership of ACD and welcomed Turkey as a new member of the organisation.

The Foreign Minister also held a bilateral meeting with Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma to discuss the agenda of the 40th meeting of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) in her capacity as the Chairperson of the CMAG. Dipu also attended the 12-member NAM Ministerial Committee meeting in

WEATHER

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

Moderately heavy falls were 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 5:49pm today and rises at 5:50am tomorrow.

Country’s highest temperature 35.6 degree Celsius was recorded at Jessore and lowest 23.0 degrees at Rangamati yesterday. Highest and lowest temperatures recorded in some major cities yesterday were: City

High

Low

Dhaka Chittagong Rajshahi Rangpur Khulna Barisal Sylhet Cox’s Bazar

33.5 31.6 34.2 30.7 34.6 33.5 33.6 32.2

26.0 26.0 26.6 25.2 27.0 26.2 25.0 25.5

PRAYER TIMES Fajar Sunrise Zohr Asr Magrib Esha

4:34am 5:48am 11:50pm 4:09pm 5:50pm 7:05pm

Source: IslamicFinder.org

n Tribune Report

The long march protesting Rampal power plant organised by National Committee to protect Oil Gas Mineral Resources Power and Ports enters into Khulna through Fultola yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

11-year-old girl raped n Mohammad Jamil Khan An 11-year-old girl was raped allegedly by her paternal uncle at her home in capital’s Jatrabari area yesterday.

The victim’s uncle took her to the hospital around 1:30pm after the incident.

At present, the victim is undergoing treatment at the One-stop Crisis Centre (OCC) of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH).

According to victim’s uncle finding her [the victim] alone in her house, Mahbub forcibly took her to a vacant room beside the house and threatened that if she shouted or made any noise then he would beat her up. After that, he started molesting her, but, a local woman noticed the scene.

“She along with other locals rescued her and handed over Mahbub to Jatrabari police after giving him a

thrash,” he added.

The mother of the victim, told she went to the market nearby to buy daily goods keeping her daughter alone in the house.

“After returning home, I could not find her in her room and so, started searching nearby. Later, the locals told me that they found her from a vacant space beside our building in an unconscious state,” she said while tears streamed down her face.

She told Mahbub was a CNG-run auto-rickshaw driver and maternal cousin of her husband Kurban Ali who lived just beside their house.

The victim is a student of a local madrasa at Kajla area in Jatrabari.

Filing of a case is under process by the victim’s family members, accusing Mahbub Hossain, 25, informed Rafiqul Islam, officer-in-charge of Jatrabari police station. l

New York, reports UNB. Speaking on the occasion, she said Bangladesh, guided by its constitutional obligation to support oppressed people throughout the world waging a just struggle against foreign occupation, has never failed to stand on the side of the Palestinian people and would continue to do so.

Noting the initiatives undertaken by US Secretary of State to bring two parties to the negotiation table, Dipu called for a more proactive role of the UN in realising the inalienable and legitimate rights of the Palestinian people for an independent, viable, contiguous state of Palestine.

Earlier at the 12th Commonwealth foreign ministers’ meeting, Dipu Moni called for greater cooperation between the Group of Friends community of the UN Alliance of Civilisations and the Inter-agency Coordination Group against Trafficking in Persons (ICAT) – in mobilising resources to support the capacitybuilding of law enforcement agencies and security forces of developing country members of the Group. l

Implement climate treaty: Youth camp n Mamun Chowdhury, Noakhali The three-day-long South Asia Youth Camp has called on world leaders to address issues related to climate change.

On Thursday the camp started with 80 participants from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka, who said they want the climate treaty implemented immediately in the greater interest of the human race.

They staged an extraordinary protest against continued procrastination about the treaty’s implementation, by lying on the road in front of the Noakhali Press Club to depict the lives affected and being lost due to climate change.

The camp is hosted by Participatory Action Network in association with OXFAM and several other voluntary organisations.

Earlier on Wednesday a press conference was held where the network’s Chief Executive Nurul Alam Masud

spoke along with South Asia Chapter Coordinator Annarose, head of Humanity Watch Hasan Mehdi, president of Noakhali Press Club Ziaul Haque, and journalist Moniruzzaman Chowdhury.

Nurul Alam in his keynote speech said 80% of South Asia’s poor live in rural areas and their livelihood depend on agriculture and water, so agricultural and water management is the key to eradicating poverty through sustainable and equitable growth. But 33% of common water bodies have already been encroached on threatening South Asian rural communities’ livelihoods. He said urgent action is needed to achieve food insecurity in South Asia by 2050.

The network conducted surveys to collect information from the participants attending pervious camps, which revealed cross-boundary river basin management was a major problem in South Asia. He said that due to barriers upstream that stopped the flow

of water in the Ganges-BrahmaputraMeghna and Sindh basins, communities downstream, especially in coastal areas, were vulnerable to increased salinity, floods, water logging and high sedimentation.

He said fresh water is becoming scarcer due to rising sea levels leading to contamination and salinity. While, the melting ice caps in the Himalayan range is leading to worse flooding across the region.

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation agreed to establish a food bank and a seed bank as well as address climate change, but the multilateral policies were yet to be implemented properly, according to the survey report.

Some bilateral agreements on transboundary water management had been reached but riverine communities have not benefitted because the treaties are inadequately implemented. l

RAMPAL POWER PLANT

Green activists oppose government press note n Manik Miazee The national committee for protecting the Sundarbans yesterday strongly denounced the government press note issued on Thursday, saying it proved that the government was “unreasonable and irresponsible.”

In the press note issued on Thursday, the government claimed that a section of people and organisations were spreading “propaganda” against the plant, which is set to be established at Rampal in Bagerhat under joint initiative of Bangladesh and India.

At a press conference at the Dhaka Reporters Unity, it placed a threepoint demand for shifting the Rampal Thermal Power Plant far away from the Sundarbans, cancelling the plant’s inauguration by the prime minister, and evaluating the project observation

reports of the joint committee of local and international specialists.

Member secretary of the national committee for protecting the Sundarbans Abdul Matin yesterday declared their demands.

Addressing the programme, columnist Syed Abul Moksud said the Rampal plant project was against public interest and it would change the country’s geographical map within the next 20 years.

“In a democratic country, a government cannot take up undemocratic projects like the Rampal,” he said. “Because of such behaviour of the government it seems like the country has become a monarch state.”

Syeda Rizwana Hasan, chief executive of Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers’ Association, demanded that the final Environmental Impact Assess-

ment report be made public.

Dhaka University teacher Asif Nazrul alleged that the government had initiated the project just before the election only to please the Indian government.

Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik (SHUJAN) General Secretary Bodiul Alam Majumder also spoke at the event.

The government issued the press note to clarify its stance on the project in the face of the long march of environmentalists advancing towards the plant’s site, which is barely 14km off the Sundarbans, in a bid to stall the project.

On Wednesday, prime minister’s Energy Adviser Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury announced that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina would lay the foundation stone of the 1,320MW power plant on October 22. l

National Committee for Protecting the Sundarbans arranges a press conference at the Dhaka Reporters Unity yesterday NASHIRUL ISLAM

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Prescription

5

Saturday, September 28, 2013

A little something called potassium It is very essential to maintain a proper health and lifestyle

QUICK TIPS

n Gazi Kashif Yousuf

Beans and yogurt

Researchers have proved that a balance between potassium and sodium in diet can regulate blood pressure and heartbeat very smoothly, thus reducing risks from common curable disorders to fatal diseases.

However, potassium is often taken for granted and the information regarding appropriate and desired minerals in food is quite unknown to the general population. They are just not consumed on regular basis for many different reasons ranging from eating habits to pure ignorance, which is certainly not uncommon. A decent health can be maintained through consumption of these foods that are high in potassium.

Next on the list are beans and yogurt.

Beans perhaps stand no chance when it comes to popularity, but it does give you substantial amount of potassium.

Popular of its kind are lima beans, lentils or split peas, but white beans are the frontrunners. Only half a cup of these can refuel you with almost 600mg of life-saving potassium. Then you have soybeans which aren’t a frequent diet to us but half a cup of it, freshly cooked, give us 500mg of potassium.

Yogurt is more preferred amongst the general population. With regular usage in traditional curries, simulated juice or even direct consumption, not only does it provide a good amount of potassium but also takes care of the consumer’s digestion tract.

Potato, banana, milk and orange juice

Foods like sweet potatoes for example is a very useful item that you can consume: one pack of these can give you a staggering 694mg of potassium. Interestingly enough it ranks highest on the list of foods with high amount of potassium, even above bananas, which many believe to be in the top of the list. More or less everyone consume bananas, milk and orange juice on a daily basis: sometimes, more often in a day – they are all highly rich in potassium

Tomato sauce

Another type of food that would be very ideal is tomato sauce, a virtually universal food item which is very popular all over the world. Regardless of what type of food you have, tomato sauce is not just served in fast food shops and restaurants but also at homes with certain snacks. Many would wonder if raw tomato is better, but concentrated form of squashed tomato, likely in the form of a paste of puree, is much more so than its natural form.

Consider one cup of tomato paste and you have 664mg of potassium; in the same amount of puree you have 594mg of it, while in juiced form you get just over 400mg of this vital mineral. To say the least, tomato sauce is perhaps the most delicious form of potassium you can consume.

FOOD THERAPY

Cramp less with calcium We know that milk is a drink of heaven and can be taken at any age. It is a good source of calcium. Studies have found that supplementing with 500 to 1,200 milligrams of calcium daily may ease premenstrual symptoms. Other research suggests that getting calcium from foods (low-fat dairy, whole grains, cruciferous vegetables, spinach, and beans) may also ease PMS.

Bitter gourd manages sugar in diabetes Bitter gourd has been shown to be effective in treating Type I diabetes in rats or mice by increasing pancreatic insulin secretion. Additionally, scientists found an insulinlike molecule in bitter gourd. Although bitter gourd may reduce the number of insulin injections required to manage Type I diabetes, it cannot replace insulin treatment completely or heal this form of the disease. In Type I diabetes, also called i n s u l i n - d e p e n d e nt diabetes, the pancreas does not produce or secrete enough insulin to keep blood sugar levels low. Bitter gourd can play a role in the prevention and treatment of Type II diabetes, which is also called insulin-independent diabetes or adult onset diabetes. This form of the disease usually occurs in people who are overweight and inactive.

Kakrol protects liver Kakrol is a vegetable of India and Bangladesh. A study in Japan showed that kakrol significantly lowered liver cholesterol and triacylglycerol levels in rats. Furthermore, n-butanol extract from kakrol caused a significant concentration-dependent decrease in the pancreatic lipase activity. Furthermore the study found that dietary kakrol reduces liver lipids by inhibiting lipid absorption. Now kakrol can be considered an effective food to deal with fatty liver.

|

Compiled by: Dr Kazi Mahbuba

If we only make sure we do not fall into the “too high” or “too low” potassium zone, we can assure a regular boost to our health system that keeps it happy and functioning without any inconvenience Carrot juice and fish

Carrot juice is so good that about threefourth of a cup fills you up with nearly 500mg of potassium. Now, to many of your relief, we come to a less conservative zone.

Our next food is fish. We have always thrived on farming and fishing with it being essential to complete our general approved diet. Many of us living in the cities are concerned that we might not be getting adequate nutrients from the frozen fish that we buy from supermarkets.

However, we are often fortunate enough to have fresh fish brought by fishermen straight from the rivers and canals.

Proper amount of potassium intake on a regular basis is not a rich man’s preference. If we only make sure we do not fall into the “too high” or “too low” potassium zone, we can assure a regular boost to our health system that keeps it happy and functioning without any inconvenience. l

Easy operation to cure high blood pressure n Dr Sajol Ashfaq Hypertension is an increasingly important medical and public health problem.

In Bangladesh, approximately 20% of adult and 40-65% of elderly people HEALTH suffer from hypertension.

NEWS High incidence of metabolic syndrome and lifestyle-related factors like obesity, high salt intake, and less physical activity mostly play important role in causing hypertension. Usually high blood pressure is controlled by different types of anti-hypertensive drugs. A recent study showed a surgical option which can control hypertension.

In the near future, millions of patients with high blood pressure could have a simple operation on an artery in the neck to treat this condition.

The research showed that removal of a cluster of nerves (carotid body) in the neck, where blood-flow is fastest, can control the blood pressure very smoothly.

Scientists at Bristol’s School of Physiology and Pharmacology identified the cluster, about the size of a grain of rice, on either side of the carotid artery which has

the highest blood-flow of any organ in the body. It is thought that the organ is overactive in patients with high blood pressure and sends messages to the brain to keep pressure high. The carotid body detects the amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood, and causes breathing and blood pressure to change until blood oxygen levels are back to normal.

It is hoped the relatively simple operation could be done in the future to help the millions of patients who suffer from hypertension – those who cannot be treated with medication properly.

Laboratory tests on rats have shown removing one of the organs cured the condition. A clinical trial involving 20 people have been done, and are awaiting results. If successful it is hoped the procedure could be ready within next three years.

Patients with high blood pressure are first advised to change their lifestyle such as cutting down on smoking and drinking alcohol and doing more exercise. Some are given medication to try and control blood pressure, but about 15% of them are struggling to do so. This procedure could help them a lot to maintain normal blood pressure.

The study was funded by the British Heart Foundation and published in the journal Nature Communications. l

The research showed that removal of a cluster of nerves in the neck, where blood-flow is fastest, can control the blood pressure very smoothly Previously, researchers had no definite idea about these organs’ contribution on blood pressure control. Now this procedure could be a very effective option to drug-resistant hypertensive patients.

Be easy if nose bleeds

Nosebleeds are common incidence in children, mostly caused by nose picking. Parents, along with the child, tend to get very scared during an episode of nosebleed. But they often stop on their own and can be treated safely at home. During bleeding, stay calm and reassure your child. With your child upright in a chair or on your lap, tilt his or her head slightly forward. Gently pinch the soft part of the nose (just below the bony ridge) with a tissue or clean cloth.

Keep pressure on the nose for about 10 minutes; if you stop too soon, bleeding may start again. Do not have your child lean back. This may cause blood to flow down the back of the throat, which tastes bad and may cause gagging, coughing, or vomiting. Have your child relax a while after a nosebleed. Discourage nose-blowing, picking, or rubbing.

Gargle for sore throat

A sore throat burns, feels scratchy and may cause pain that makes it hard to talk or swallow. The usual cause of sore throat is a virus or bacteria. For fast and effective sore-throat relief, nothing beats an old-fashioned saltwater gargle. Salt acts as a mild antiseptic, and also draws water out of mucous membranes in the throat, which helps to clear phlegm. Dissolve half teaspoon salt in a glass of warm water, gargle and spit out. Repeat up to four times a day.

| Compiled by: Shirso Sikder

6

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Saturday, September 28, 2013

16 pirates held with arms in Chittagong

3 leaders of Islami Shashontantra Andolan held n Tribune Report

n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong Members of Bangladesh Coast Guard in a day-long drive nabbed 16 pirates with firearms and sharp weapons from the coastal areas of Banshkhali upazila in Chittagong yesterday.

The arrestees were Rahima, Rahim, Hossain, Hanif, Robi, Belal, Akbar, Sihab, Ahsan, Hekab, Kafil, Syeda, Rokeya, Hanifa, Jamal and Ahmadullah.

All the arrestees were cohorts of pirate Abdul Hakim alias Baissha Dakat and accused of the 33 fishermen murder case lodged with Banshkahli police station.

The gang leader Hakim could not be nabbed, said coast guard sources.

Acting on a tip-off, a specialised team of the coast guard conducted drives at Chanua and Kadurkhali of the upazila from 9am to 4pm and nabbed the 16, said Captain Abidur Rahman, zonal commander of Bangladesh Coast Guard (East Zone).

The coast guard also seized two light guns and nine machetes from their possessions, he said.

The arrestees were handed over to Banshkhali police station. l

Fire fighters with local people extinguishing fire that broke out at a shoe factory in Lalbagh in the city yesterday

FOCUS BANGLA

MOGHBAZAR-MOUCHAK FLYOVER

Setback in piling work delays construction n Abu Hayat Mahmud The construction work of the integrated Moghbazar-Mouchak Flyover in the capital faces delay as the piling works encounter the pipeline infrastructure haphazardly laid underground a decade ago.

A section of officials and engineers concerned with the construction project attributed the delay to an unplanned and faulty installation of water and gas pipelines, sewer pipes and power and telephone cables.

The procrastination of the construction project leads to sufferings of the city dwellers.

The Moghbazar-Mouchak Flyover Project Director Nazmul Alam told the Dhaka Tribune construction work slowed down as the piling works were frequently come across pipelines and

cables haphazardly laid underground.

LGED Executive Engineer Nazmul added that they were facing no other problems except this on the way to implement the project.

The flyover construction will be completed by 2015, he hoped.

In reply to a query about where the construction materials and equipment were kept, the project director said they used Siddheshwari Girl’s High School ground and backyard of Dhaka Polytechnic Institute to put them.

The site engineers of construction companies involved with the project echoed the same as Nazmul.

They said pipelines and cables were arbitrarily installed underground which was causing the delay in doing the piling works, first and foremost task for doing any major construction.

While digging roads as part of piling

work to install pillars, pipelines surfaced, and to keep those utility operating networks unaffected, project designs were needed to be changed that consumed time, they added.

Sometimes, the redesigning took a whole week when coming across the unexpected underground pipelines just in the middle of the piling work, said the engineers.

Meanwhile, locals alleged that their sufferings were at their peak because of severe traffic congestion, noise and air pollution in the wake of the ongoing construction.

A Malibagh resident Tanvir Ahmed said roads in the area narrowed as they were occupied for putting bricks and other construction materials out there.

The narrowness of the roads had contributed to an unbearable traffic jam in the rush hour, he added.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on February 16 this year inaugurated the 8.25km integrated MoghbazarMouchak Flyover.

The overpass aimed at easing traffic movement across the north and south ends of the capital as part of the 20year Strategic Transport Plan for the capital.

After competition, the flyover will have a total of 15 ramps for vehicular access to and exit from the flyover.

The ramps are at Shat Rasta, Bangladesh Film Development Corporation, Holy Family Hospital, Eskaton, Rajarbagh Police Lines, Moghbazar crossing, Malibagh, Mouchak, Shantinagar and Rampura.

The project is being implemented by the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) under the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Develop-

ment and Cooperatives.

The estimated cost of the four-lane flyover is around Tk7.73bn of which the government is providing about Tk2bn, Saudi Fund for Development about Tk3.76bn and OPEC Fund for International Development about Tk1.97bn.

The project was approved at an Executive Committee of National Economic Council meeting on March 8, 2012.

The LGED in 2005 carried out the feasibility study of the project funded by the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development.

The Danish and Bangladesh joint venture firms M/S Simplex-Navana JV and Bangladesh-India joint venture firm, MCCC-4 ACL-ODC, will complete the construction in two years, and MCCC (No. 4)-SEL-UDC JV. Toma Constructions carries out construction works on sub-contract. l

Police arrested three leaders of Islami Shashontantra Andolan (Islamic Constitution Movement) and its student wing Islami Chhatra Andolan from the National Press Club premises in the capital yesterday.

The three were detained when leaders of the two organisations brought out a procession around 3:30pm in front of the press club, protesting arrest of six of its leaders, said Abdul Jalil, officer-in-charge (Investigation) of Shahbagh police station.

He said the police had foiled their rally by charging batons.

In the procession, the leaders alleged that their office was set on fire by law enforcing agencies on Thursday night.

The three detained were identified as Md Asaduzzaman, secretary general of Islami Chhatra Andolan, Md Soyeb and Alal Miah.

Earlier on Thursday night Rapid Action Battalion conducted a drive at the office of the Islami Chhatra Andolan in capital’s Purana Paltan area and arrested six of its leaders, including the president on charges of running propagandas against the government by using facebook, twitter and other social media.

The six leaders of Islami Chhatra Andolan held were, President Ariful Islam, Publicity Secretary Abdur Rahman, Madrasa Affairs Secretary Emadullah Fahad, Cultural Secretary Rahmat Ulllah, Executive Member Sheikh Maru and Dhaka City unit (East) leader Sirajul Islam. l

Armed robbers loot lawyer’s house n Tribune Report A gang of armed robbers looted gold ornaments and valuables worth around Tk1.2m from the house of a lawyer in the capital’s Sabujbagh early yesterday.

The victim, lawyer Khalilur Rahman, said soon after the robbers entered the house they held all the house members hostage at gun-point and carried out the looting.

Officer-in-Charge of Sabujbagh police station Babul Miah said a gang of 10-12 robbers broke into the lawyer’s house around 3:30am and looted valuables worth Tk1.2m.

“On information, the police rushed to the scene,” said the OC, adding: “We are trying to arrest the gang members.” l

Highway or death trap?

50 killed this year alone on Chittagong-Mirsharai route Mainuddin Chisti, a bus driver who on the highway. n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong Most of the accidents go unreported has been plying the route for 30 years, With over 150 road accidents causing 50 fatalities so far this year, the 50km stretch of the Dhaka-Chittagong highway from the port city to Mirsharai upazila – has become a death zone for commuters.

About 100 others were injured in the accidents that took place between January and September 24 this year, according to newspaper reports.

Concerned traffic officials and engineers said reckless driving, the tendency to overtake vehicles, lack of traffic signs at appropriate locations and roadside markets were the key contributors to the accidents on the route. The ignorance of pedestrians and drivers about traffic rules, coupled with the flouting of rules by young and new drivers – were also reasons behind the road crashes.

told the Dhaka Tribune: “Small vehicles, particularly the CNG-run threewheelers, are being driven by unskilled drivers. They keep crisscrossing the roads at every opportunity. It disturbs the drivers of large vehicles and ultimately causes accidents.”

Syed Zakir Hossain, officer-in-charge at Baro Awlia highway police camp in Sitakunda, said: “Buses and lorries have to follow the maximum speed limit of 80kmph and 60kmph respectively, but the drivers do not follow the speed limit.”

A total 19 cases were recorded in connection with 27 road crashes in the last eight months on the ChittagongMirsharai route, the OC said, adding that about 3,000 cases were lodged against drivers bringing unfit vehicles

as the families of the victims and transport owners settle the issue between themselves, he said. The OC however rejected allegations that the highway police neither checked speed limits of vehicles nor monitored traffic regularly.

“We use modern technology to track movement of vehicles on the highway, if any of those exceed the speed limit.

Our members at highway check posts also check for drunk-driving and fake driving licences,” he said.

Subhas Barua, a traffic specialist and the vice-president of Forum for Plan Chittagong, said a country like ours needs a three metre shoulder on the side of a road. The four lane Dhaka-Chittagong highway project, he suggested, should include road divider, overpass

and underpass to avoid road crashes.

According to the statistics of Bangladesh Road Transport Authority, about 1.4m vehicles ply across the country, which require at least 2.8m skilled drivers. But only 960,000 drivers have valid driving licences, while around 1.84m unskilled drivers operate without any valid licence.

Mrinal Chowdhury, president of Bangladesh Road Transport Workers’ Federation (east zone), said the transport workers, especially drivers, cannot evade responsibility for the accidents and casualties on the highways.

“We have already conducted a research on the issue and identified 12 problems with the drivers including rash driving, tendency for overtaking, inexperience, lack of training and knowledge of traffic rules, and drug addiction,” he said. l

Students learning through extracurricular activities n Mohammad Atiqur Rahman

The third National Bidyalay Natya Dal (Binad) Conference kicked off yesterday.

Students of 52 schools from 13 districts around the country participated in the event.

The first day of two-day long event

hold a session where the students shared their experiences of learning through extracurricular activities like drama, essay competition, workshops, trainings

Shyamali Nasrin Chowdhury addressing the inauguration ceremony of Binad conference at Liberation War Mouseum in the city yesterday MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

and many more, all conducted by Binad.

Educationist Shyamoli Nasrin Chowdhury chaired the event as the chief guest.

She said: “Does hartal [general strike] mean killing people by burning? Is it the spirit of the liberation war?

These cannot be a way of protest.”

She addressed the students as “a flock of brightest pigeons” and hoped that one day they would turn Bangladesh again into “Shonar Bangla” (golden Bengal).

Rajib Das, a class ten student of Selim Nazir High School in Pabna stood as the district champion this year.

He said: “After going through the activities I could get a hold on the idea of ‘human rights’ and the history of my country.”

Binad hold the programme at the Liberation War Museum in the capital.

Motahar Uddin Akand, deputy director of Binad, said: “Our activities are targeted to make the students aware of human rights, gender equality and liberation war. These will help them build the capacity of free thinking and leadership qualities.” l

ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury, president of Chittagong city unit Awami League, speaking at a press conference in the port city yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

ANARCHY OF JAMAAT-SHIBIR

Mohiuddin gives ultimatum to the law enforcers n Tushar Hayat, Chittagong Chittagong city unit President of Bangladesh Awami League ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury gave an ultimatum to the law enforcers at a press conference yesterday.

‘The country cannot run with the direction of those who got only 30 seats in the parliament’ He expressed his will to take law in their own hands if the law enforcers failed to take action against the JamaatShibir men engaged in rampage, arson attacks and blasting bombs at the conference held at his residence in the afternoon.

“The belongings of the leaders, who

have been giving direction of anarchy, will not remain untouched,” he said giving a deadline on October 20 to the law enforcers to arrest the people behind the bomb blasts, rampage and arson attacks.

Mohiuddin, also a former mayor of Chittagong City Corporation, said the miscreants were being united against the government under the patronisation of the opposition party, which had gotten only 30 seats in the past parliamentary polls.

“The country cannot run with the direction of those who got only 30 seats in the parliament,” he said adding that the next parliamentary election would be held under the constitutional provision.

City unit Senior Vice-President AKM Belayet Hossain and Joint Secretary Ibrahim Hossain Babul were also present at the conference. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Nation

Business through ration books

Teenager rescued while being trafficked Ration books issued to Rohingyas by UNHCR smuggled out of country n to India Our Correspondent, Cox’s Bazar

n Tribune Desk

A teenage girl was rescued by the police on Thursday from Gorerkanda area in Satkhira while being trafficked to India.

Two were arrested for alleged involvement in trafficking the girl.

The victim was identified as Rumi Khatun, daughter of Yusuf Ali, hailing from Shaplapul village under Teknaf police station in Cox’s Bazar, reports UNB. Police said a couple brought Rumi from Cox’s Bazar to traffic her to India.

Through a drive, police rescued the girl from a house with the help of the local people, while acting on a tip-off, said police.

Masud Rana and his wife Almorjan Khatun, were held from the house. l

A gang of racketeers are smuggling ration books issued to Rohingya people by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees out of the country.

The syndicate has been operating their business at two registered refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, dodging the district administration for the last couple of years.

UNHCR, in association with the government has provided the books to Rohingyas to ensure various kinds of assistance, including food, clothes and medical care, for the migrated people.

The books have great demand among people who are illegally living in several western countries, prompting smugglers to ship the books to abroad.

The books contain no photograph of their bearers, rather an MRC number was given against each book to identi-

fy its owner, offering ample scope for their misuse.

With the help of forgers, many illegal residents in foreign countries replace the books’ information and use the book to entitle them to live in those countries as refugees. The issuance of ration books to displaced Rohingyas is among the reasons for their influx in Bangladesh, a source said.

A source who preferred to remain unnamed said the syndicate members purchase each ration book in between Tk1,000 and Tk5000 and sell those at Tk20,000 to Tk70,000.

The books are then shipped abroad where they are worth over Tk100,000 to the people who lack valid residential documents.

A good number of Rohingya refugees as well as many residents of Baharchara and Ramu upazilas have already moved to some western countries in-

7

Saturday, September 28, 2013

cluding France, the Netherlands, Italy and the USA, abusing the ration book system over the years.

According to senior repatriation assistant of Cox’s Bazar Refugee, Relief and Repatriation Centre Shah Jahan, the district is home to two government camps where 24,700 refugees reside.

“Among them, some 14,000 refugees live at Nayapara camp of Teknaf, while another 10,700 refugees are dwelling at Kutupalang camp of Ukhiya,” he said.

The government issued ration books for the displaced Rohingyas in 1992, 1994 and 1997 to give them assistance.

“Many Rohingyas have fled from camps without submitting their ration books to us. They later sell the books to the members of smuggling syndicate, who then send those to outside of the country. There are some other Rohingyas who sell their books by choice and tell us

the books got lost. Afterwards, they collect their rations through a special token for some days and finally receive new ration books,” Shah Jahan said.

In order to rectify the situation, he said, a new kind of ration books containing the bearers’ photographs would be issued from October 1.

“All the old ration books would be replaced with the new ones too. And even the new books would be holepunched each time the bearers would receive their ration so that they cannot be used for human-trafficking anymore,” he said.

When contacted, a UNHCR official on condition of anonymity, said they were not supposed to prevent ration books’ misuse.

“The government is looking after the issue and it is necessary to make be sure that the deserving person receives the ration,” he said. l

Man kills self in Jessore n UNB A man killed himself by drinking beverage mixed with sleeping pills in Kharki area of Jessore town on Thursday.

Earlier, the deceased Ashique Ahmed, 42, a resident of T & T area in the capital, made an attempt to kill his daughter Oishee Sultana, 14, in the same way by feeding her the same drink.

According to victim’s family members and hospital sources, Ashique along with his daughter Oishee had come to his ancestral house on September 13.On that night, Ashique dissolved some 100 sleeping pills in the beverage Coca-Cola and made her daughter drink some of it and then he himself took the rest of the drink.

Sensing the matter, locals rushed both the father and daughter to Jessore 250-bed hospital where doctors declared Ashique dead.

The condition of Oishee was stated to be critical. Being informed, police recovered the body. l

Irrigation cost soars in northern districts n Hasibur Rahman Bilu, Bogra Farmers in 16 northern districts are being compelled to count a lofty amount as irrigation charges this year due to acute drought in the area.

The drought-like situation has seriously jeopardised Aman production this season, they said.

Compiling the amount of money that the farmers are paying as supplementary irrigation cost reaches around Tk5bn in the region.

A farmer of Jagonnathpur Village in Shahzahanpur upazila under Bogra district said he had to contact a local who owned an irrigation equipment, for ensuring water supply to his paddy field

This season, drought has compelled the farmers to irrigate paddy fields using deep tube wells at a greater cost in the northern zone of the country

NEWS IN BRIEF Farmer killed in lightning strike A farmer was killed in lightning strike at Khashmohal village under Gangni upazila in Meherpur yesterday afternoon.

Locals said Lal Mohammad, 40, son of Ansar Ali, was struck by a thunder bolt while he was working in a paddy field near his house. He died on the spot. – Our Correspondent

10 hurt in Shibir-cops clash in Rajshahi At least 10 people were injured as activists of Islami Chhatra Shibir clashed with police at New Market area in Rajshahi city yesterday.Officer-in-Charge of Boalia police station Ziaur Rahman Zia said some Shibir activists brought out a procession in the city demanding release of its detained leaders and activists including Rajshahi University unit secretary Saifuddin Yahiya around 11:45am.As police obstructed them they hurled brickbats at the law enforcers and blasted crude bombs, triggering a clash.Police fired rubber bullet and tear gas shells to disperse them.Later, they arrested 11 Shibir activists from the spot.

The injured were admitted to different clinics in the city. – UNB

2 held with Yaba, heroin in Rajshahi A team of narcotics control department in a drive arrested two people along with Yaba tablet and heroin at Raipara under Razpara in Rajshahi city on Thursday.

The arrested were Badshah Sarkar, a driver of BRTC bus service, and Sadik Hossain, an alleged smuggler. Deputy Director of the department Ali Aslam Hossain said acting on secret information, a team conducted a drive at Raipara on the Rajshahi-Chapainawabganj Highway around 5pm and intercepted a BRTC bus.

After searching the bus, they recovered

995 pieces of Yaba and 400 gram heroin under the seat of the driver. Later the team arrested the duo suspecting their involvement in the incident. – UNB

Road accident kills woman in Jessore A woman was killed when a recklessly driven bus ran over her at Jamtala in Jessore district on Thursday. The deceased was Safura Khatun,35, of Samta village in Sharsha upazila. Matiar Rahman Shikder, sub-inspector at Bagachra police camp, said the accident took place when a Jessore-bound bus coming speedily from behind ran over Safura just when she got down form a human hauler at Jamtala on the Benapole-Satkhira Highway and was about to cross the road, leaving her critically injured.Later she died on the way to Jessore Medical College Hospital.Police could not arrest anyone as the driver managed to flee. – UNB

Housewife killed for dowry in Pabna A housewife was beaten to death allegedly by her husband and motherin-law over dowry at Haripur Diarpara village in Chatmohor upazila on Thursday.The deceased was Nasima Khatun, 28, wife of Sifat Hossain of the village, and daughter of Arshed Ali of Baraigram in Natore district. Police said Sifat,a van-puller by profession, married Nasima 15 years back and since then he had often tortured her over dowry. On Thursday, Sifat and his mother Sebarun Begum picked up a quarrel with Nasima and beat her mercilessly over the issue, leaving her critically injured. Later she was rushed to Chatmohor Upazila Health Complex where doctors declared her dead. Asaduzzaman Munshi, officer-incharge of Chatmohor Police Station, said police arrested Sebarun while Sifat went into hiding after the killing. A case was filed in this connection. – UNB

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Officials of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) told a large number of motorised equipment has been installed in the region to ensure irrigation in the paddy fields.

The department has set this year’s target from rice cultivated from Aman at 4.6m tonnes, harvested on approximately 1.7m hectares of land.

However, the target seems to be way far from reach due to the drought, said the officials.

Md A H Bazrul Rashid, Deputy Director, DAE, Bogra said 18,606 irrigation

Bumper T-Aman yield likely in northern region n Tribune Report A bumper production of Transplanted Aman (T-Aman) is likely in the northern region as farmers are expecting to outstrip output targets amid favourable weather conditions.

According to sources at the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), farmers have cultivated the crop on about 1,822,363 hectares of land this season – 75,915 hectares more than the previously targeted acreage of 1,746,448.

Harvest is set to begin from the second week of October, BSS reports.

T-Aman is a high-yield and droughttolerate crop variety similar to varieties such as BRRI dhan 33, BRRI dhan 39, BRRI dhan 56 and 57, BINA dhan 7 and BU dhan 1.

As things stand now, the season’s

likely production of clean Aman may come at around 4.8m tonnes, which would be over 100,000 more than the what was previously predicted to be over 4.6m tonnes.

The government had planned to bring 1,603,451 hectares of land under cultivation to produce 4,350,964 tonnes of T-Aman, 126,606 hectares of land to produce 202,570 tonnes of local variety rice and 16,327 hectares of land to produce 54,090 tonnes of the hybrid variety.

The farmers, however, have exceeded the targets on all accounts.

The T-Aman plants are growing superbly now following expected rainfalls in the past weeks with no major incident of pest attacks, said horticulture specialist Khondker Md Mesbahul Islam of the DAE. “About 16.65% of the growing

T-Aman plants are now in the tillering stage, 36.57% in panicle initiation stage, 30.21% in booting stage, 3.64% in milking stage and 0.94% in doubh stage.”

Talking to BSS, farmers Ali Haider, Mahbubur Rahman, Sukanto Kumar, Haripado Das and Abul Hossain expressed their satisfaction with the steady growth of T-Aman. They said there had been adequate rainfalls since the start of August after a month-long drought-like situation.

Noted rice scientist Dr M A Mazid, who is working with BRAC International (South Asia and Africa), had earlier predicted a bumper production of T-Aman for this season.

The Rangpur regional additional director of the DAE, Sikander Ali, also predicted a similar production provided weather remained in favour of the farmers. l

TEACHERS’ RECRUITMENT IN COLLEGE

BCL factional clash leaves 25 injured including six cops n Our Correspondent, Gaibandha At least 25 people, including six members of the police, were injured in a factional clash between two groups of Gobindaganj unit Bangladesh Chhatra League on Thursday, following an altercation over recruitment of teachers in Gobindaganj Degree College.

Quoting the locals, police said the altercation began between two groups of Chhatra League, one led by local lawmaker Monowar Hossain Chowdhury and another by Upazila Parishad Chairman Abul Kalam Azad, over the recruitment of seven teachers, includ-

ing the vice-principal of the college.

At one stage of the altercation, Azad-led Chhatra League activists had beat three activists of the other group around 1pm. Protesting the attack, Monowar-led Chhatra League activists brought out a procession around 7pm, chanting slogans against Azad.

Later, when the procession reached Choturanga intersection of the town, Azad’s men equipped with weapons charged at the procession, resulting in a clash between the two groups. The clash, lasting almost two hours, had spread panic among the locals and caused long tailbacks on the highway.

Sources said upon information, police went to the spot and charged batons to disperse the agitated activists. They also fired tear gas shells and rubber bullets to bring the situation under control.

According to sources, the clash had left several injured including policemen. Among the injured, eight activists including two policemen were admitted to Bogra Shahid Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital.

Inspector Mehedi Hasan of Gobindaganj police station said the police were compelled to charge batons and fire rubber bullets on the clashing men to bring the situation under control. l

equipments are currently in operation in the district to serve 77, 215 hectares of land out of a total of 1,92,510 hectares.

“Farmers in the area have to pay Tk1200 per 100 decimal on an average as supplementary irrigation charge,” he said. According to Bogra weather office, till September 26 this year only 32mm (millimetre) rainfall has been recorded whereas it was 345 mm last year during this season.

Sources at the DAE Rangpur and Rajshahi offices said the level of underground water has fallen drastically in several areas including Chapai Nawabganj, Bogra, Rangpur, and Dinajpur in the northern part of the country.

Md Shahjahan Ali, 45, farmer of Bozratek village in Bholahat upazila under Chapai Nawabganj district told this correspondent that he had to pay Tk600 to the Barendra Irrigation Project for irrigation in his 33 decimal of land.

Farmer Rostam Ali, a farmer of Jagonnathpur Village in Shahzahanpur upazila under Bogra district told he had to contact a local who owned an irrigation equipment, for ensuring water supply to his paddy field.

“I will have to pay Tk500 as irrigation charge for cultivating Aman this season,” he said.

Another landowner Md Al Amran Raton of Kalingira village in Ghoraghat upazila under Dinajpur district said he had to count Tk1000 as the irrigation charge for his 50 decimal of land. l

Implementation of UN charter for persons with disabilities stressed n Our Correspondent, Barisal Speakers at an exchange of views underscored the need for implementing UN charter for persons with disabilities to ensure basic human rights for them.

The speakers said the rights of individuals with disabilities are grounded in a human rights framework based on the United Nations Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, international covenants on human rights and related human rights instruments.

They said persons with disabilities are entitled to exercise their civil, political, social, economic and cultural rights on an equal basis with others under all the international treaties and Bangladesh should follow and implement that.

The full participation of persons with disabilities benefits society as their individual contributions enrich all spheres of life, the speakers observed, adding that this is an integral part of individual’s and society’s well-being and progress for a society for all - with or without disabilities.

All should be involved in promoting and protecting the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities, they added.

The programme was jointly organised by three voluntary organisations of the region – Association for Research, Development and Rights Implementation of Disabled (ARDRID) and Mobilisation for Alternative Programme (MAP).

Dr Syed Habibur Rahman, right activist, presided over the programme, held at Caritas Auditorium in the city.

Badiuzzaman Al-Amin, executive director of the ARDRID, presented keynote paper and Shuvangkar Chakroborty, executive director of the MAP, conducted the programme.

A number of people who work for human rights participated in the event. l

8

DHAKA TRIBUNE

International

Al Shabab say new attacks coming

Kerry welcomes UN climate report, urges action n AFP, Washington US Secretary of State John Kerry Friday called the latest report on climate change by an influential UN panel “yet another wakeup call,” urging strong action to battle its impacts.

“This isn’t a run of the mill report to be dumped in a filing cabinet. This isn’t a political document produced by politicians. It’s science,” US Secretary of State John Kerry said, in a strongly worded statement responding to the findings in the first volume of a long-awaited review.

“If ever there were an issue that demanded greater cooperation, partnership, and committed diplomacy, this is it.”

Kerry called the report “yet another wakeup call: Those who deny the science or choose excuses over action are playing with fire.”

He added: “The costs of inaction grow beyond anything that anyone with conscience or common sense should be willing to even contemplate.”

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said it was 95 percent convinced humans had caused more than half of the last six decades’ worth of warming.

The Nobel-winning group predicted temperatures would rise from 0.3 to 4.8 degrees Celsius (0.5-8.6 degrees Fahrenheit) this century, and that sea levels would rise between 26 and 82 centimeters (10.4 and 32.8 inches) by 2100.

“Only action by human beings can save the world from its worst impacts,” Kerry said.

“With those stakes, the response must be all hands on deck.” l

Saturday, September 28, 2013

n AFP, Nairobi

Giant tabular icebergs surrounded by ice floe drift in Vincennes Bay in the Australian Antarctic Territory

UN panel says global warming 95% man-made n Reuters, Stockholm Top climate scientists blamed mankind more clearly than ever as the main cause of global warming in a report on Friday meant to guide governments in dealing with rising temperatures, delegates said.

“It’s been accepted,” Jonathan Lynn, spokesman for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), told reporters of a final summary for poli-

cymakers approved at the end of the week-long meeting in Stockholm.

He gave no details but delegates said the report raised the probability that most global warming since the mid20th century was man-made to 95%, from 90% in its previous report in 2007 and 66% in 2001.

The report also says that a recent slowdown in the rate of global warming is unlikely to last, delegates said.

AFP

It projects ever more heatwaves, droughts, floods and a creeping rise in sea levels unless urgent action is taken to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Almost 200 governments have agreed to work out a UN deal by the end of 2015 to combat global warming, partly by shifting from fossil fuels towards renewable energies.

The panel will release full details of the report later on Friday. l

Somalia’s Shabab on Friday threatened fresh attacks against Kenya, as police scoured the smoking rubble in Nairobi’s Westgate mall devastated by their assault for bodies and clues.

The al-Qaeda linked Shabab gloated at the massacre of at least 67 people in the mall, which saw a group of gunmen storm the part Israeli-owned complex at midday Saturday, firing from the hip and hurling grenades at shoppers and staff, before holding off Kenyan and foreign forces with a barrage of bullets for four days.

“The mesmeric performance by the Westgate Warriors was undoubtedly gripping, but despair not folks, that was just the premiere of Act 1,” the group said in one of a string of messages posted on Twitter overnight.

Since President Uhuru Kenyatta announced an end to the unprecedented 80-hour siege late Tuesday, the Shabab have claimed responsibility for an attack Thursday on a police compound on the border with Somalia, killing two officers.

Attacks are common in Kenya’s northeastern border with Somalia, with regular grenade blasts or shooting ever since Kenyan troops crossed into southern Somalia two years ago to attack Shabab bases.

Kenya meanwhile entered its third and final day of official mourning, with flags at half mast across the country.

Dozens of prayer meetings were held while counselling centres are supporting relatives of the 61 people listed as missing after the attack, one of the worst in Kenya’s history.

Close to 200 people were wound-

ed in the four-day carnage, which saw running battles between militants and security forces in the complex, one of Nairobi’s largest shopping centres, which was popular among wealthy Kenyans, diplomats, UN workers and other expatriates.

Police have pleaded for patience as Kenyan and international teams – including from Britain, the United States, Israel, Germany, Canada and Interpol – combed the charred rubble of the devastated mall for dozens still missing.

With around a third of the building collapsed – as though hit by an earthquake – and with the risk of booby traps amongst the mangled wreckage, the work of international forensic and security experts scouring the vast complex for bodies and clues will take days to complete.

Top Interpol official Jean-Michel Louboutin, speaking near the mall, told AFP the challenge for investigators was to try “to remove the three levels that collapsed and see what is underneath.”

Interpol issued an international arrest notice at Kenya’s request for 29-year-old Samantha Lewthwaite, dubbed the ‘White Widow’, a reference to her marriage to one of the suicide bombers who killed 52 people in London’s July 2005 terror attacks.

Nairobi accuses her of alleged links to the Shabab and the possession of explosives in a 2011 plot, and there has been widespread media speculation over her possible role in Nairobi’s deadly siege, despite no concrete evidence so far.

Five suspected attackers were killed in the mall and 11 other people detained, officials said. l

5 police die in restive, Muslim Thai south n AFP, Narathiwat Five police officers racing to the scene of an ambush in southern Thailand were killed Friday when their car crashed after hitting spikes laid by suspected insurgents, authorities said.

The incident in Narathiwat province came as officers responded to a call for back-up from colleagues attacked nearby by some 20 militants, police said in a statement.

“Their car hit spikes dropped by militants,” Army Colonel Theerapan Paeruang said.

A civilian was also killed by stray bullets in the gun battle between rebels and police at the ambush site, the statement added.

A shadowy conflict waged by Muslim militants in Thailand’s southern region has left more than 5,700 people dead since 2004.

Insurgents frequently lay spikes in the road to slow or stop security forces reaching remote areas where they have planned ambushes or bomb attacks.

Experts say rebels have become increasingly well co-ordinated in their attacks.

In Friday’s violence officers investigating a bomb blast came under heavy fire from rebels hiding in dense forest.

The gunbattle lasted for an hour with at least three police injured, according to an AFP photographer at the scene.

“The militants were on higher ground on a hill and opened fire at forensic police who were investigating the bomb blast,” he said.

“The most seriously injured was shot in the chin.”

The violence comes despite several rounds of peace talks between the government and the rebels, who are seeking some form of autonomy for the region, which was annexed by Buddhist-dominated Thailand a century ago.

The next round of talks is expected to take place next month, despite a recent surge in deadly militant attacks on Thai security forces. l

Iraq ratifies nuclear test ban treaty n AFP, Vienna

Greenpeace to appeal Russian detention

UN investigates Syria chemical cases after August 21

n AFP, Moscow

UN chemical weapons inspectors in Syria are investigating seven cases of alleged chemical or biological weapons use, including three incidents around Damascus after the August 21 attack which almost triggered US air strikes.

The inspectors expect to finalise their work in Syria on Monday and issue a report by late October that will give more details of the August 21 incident which they have already said involved the use of sarin gas, a statement from the UN in Damascus said on Friday.

The US and its allies said the initial report showed Damascus was behind the attack. President Assad’s government has denied the accusation, blaming rebels instead. The incidents also include an alleged chemical weapons attack in March in the northern town of Khan al-Assal, where authorities say rebels killed 25 people, including 16 soldiers.

Rebels said government forces were behind it.

The two other cases from earlier this year both date back to April - one in the Aleppo district of Sheikh Maqsoud and another in the town of Saraqeb in the northern province of Idlib.

The three most recent incidents were in Bahhariyeh and Jobar, both east of central Damascus, on August 22 and 24, and Ashrafiat Sahnaya to the southwest of the capital on August 25, the UN statement said. l

Iraq ratified Friday the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), an accord that however cannot enter into force until the United States, China and six other states follow suit.

“Iraq’s commitment to relinquish the most devastating kind of weapons by banning nuclear explosions ... inches us closer towards the realisation of a zone free of nuclear weapons in the Middle East,” said Lassina Zerbo, executive secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO).

Iraq’s move, formalised at UN headquarters in New York, raises the number of countries that have adhered fully to the treaty to 161.

In the Middle East, Egypt, Israel, Iran, and Yemen have not yet ratified the CTBT, while Saudi Arabia and Syria remain outside as non-signatories.

Efforts to create a zone in the Middle East free of nuclear weapons have failed to make progress, with a hopedfor meeting in late 2012 failing to take place.

To enter into force, the CTBT must be signed and ratified by 44 specific states, only 36 of which have done so including France, Russia and Britain.

The remaining eight are China, the United States, India, Pakistan and North Korea; Israel, widely believed to have atomic weapons; Iran, suspected of wanting them; and Egypt. l

Greenpeace on Friday said it would appeal a Russian court decision to detain all 30 crew members of ship involved in a high seas protest against Arctic oil drilling, vowing not to be intimidated.

The Lenin district court in the northern city of Murmansk ruled Thursday that 22 crew members will remain in pre-trial detention for two months during the investigation into alleged piracy over the September 18 protest at a Gazprom oil rig.

“We will not be intimidated, we will appeal these detentions, and together we will prevail,” Greenpeace Executive Director Kumi Naidoo said in a statement.

“These detentions are like the Russian oil industry itself, a relic from an earlier era,” he added.

Among those to be held for two months was the ship’s American captain, Peter Willcox. He was also the captain of Greenpeace’s Rainbow Warrior ship, which French secret services bombed and sunk in New Zealand in 1985.

The court also ordered the twomonth detention of photographer Denis Sinyakov, a former staff photographer at AFP and Reuters who was working for Greenpeace as a freelancer.

The other eight of the 30-strong

A man runs away from a huge wave pushed up by Typhoon Usagi on a wharf in Shantou, south China's Guangdong province, on September 22. Typhoon Usagi killed at least 25 people AFP

crew of Greenpeace’s Arctic Sunrise icebreaker, whose detention was prolonged by three days, face new hearings on Sunday that could see them detained for a further period.

Their cases were postponed because the court lacked information on the activists or could not find interpreters, the Interfax news agency reported.

Greenpeace Russia said on Twitter that the eight had been taken for meetings with investigators on Friday.

The court concluded marathon hearings into the 30 crew members of Greenpeace’s ship early on Friday. The activists, 26 of them foreign nationals from 17 different countries, are being held in prisons in the Murmansk region.

Russian investigators have accused the Greenpeace activists of piracy after two of them tried to scale state energy giant Gazprom’s Prirazlomnaya oil platform in the Barents Sea. The group has denied committing piracy and accuses Russia of illegally boarding its ship in international waters.

In protest at the detention of photographer Sinyakov, several Russian news websites, including that of NTV national television channel and Novaya Gazeta opposition newspaper blacked out all their photographs on Friday. l

n Reuters

WORLD WATCH French mountaineer discovers lost treasure

A French mountain climber high in the Alps has stumbled across a box of precious jewels thought to be debris from a plane crash decades ago. The hoard of sapphires, emeralds and rubies worth hundreds of thousands of dollars was found high on one of the glaciers on Mont Blanc. The metal case marked “Made in India” is believed to have come from one of two Air India crashes in 1950 and 1966. Police praised the honesty of the climber for handing the treasure in. Local police officer Sylvain Merly said the climber asked to stay anonymous. Police now hope to find someone connected to the owner.

Spanish MPs to consider changing time zones

Spanish MPs are to consider changing time zones by an hour after a report said this would improve eating, sleeping and working habits. The document by a parliamentary commission said “Spain for more than 71 years has not been in the correct time zone.” In 1942, the Spanish dictator General Franco moved Spain onto Central European Time to follow Nazi Germany. The report says Spain should be in the same time zone as the UK and Portugal. Spain - on the western edge of Europe - is currently one hour ahead of GMT during the winter and two hours ahead in the summer.

India’s ‘hugging saint’ celebrates 60th birthday

India’s “hugging saint,” who has hugged more than 32 million people around the world, celebrated her 60th birthday on Friday in the company of disciples from around the globe. The celebrations for the charismatic spiritual leader, known as Amma or “mother” to her millions of devotees, have stretched over three days at her ashram complex in Amritapuri, on a stretch of coastline in southern India’s Kerala state. The guru, formal name Mata Amritanandamayi, hugs people in her globe-trotting crusade to spread “selfless love and compassion,” according to her website.

She launched her ashram several decades ago and it receives millions of dollars a year in donations.

Spanish mum charged for killing her adopted girl

A Spanish judge on Friday jailed a 44-year-old mother on charges of killing her Chinese-born, 12-year-old adopted daughter, whose mysterious death has gripped the country. The woman, Rosario Porto, was charged with “homicide, possible murder” while awaiting the results of toxicological tests on her daughter’s body, said a Spanish court.

The body of the girl, Asunta Yong Fang Basterra Porto, was discovered in the early hours of September 22 in woodlands near Santiago de Compostela, just hours after her parents had reported her missing.

DHAKA TRIBUNE

International

Five dead, dozens feared trapped in Mumbai building collapse n

Bribes and beer: Delhi nightspot in legal strife n AFP, New Delhi

AFP, Mumbai

A five-storey residential block collapsed in Mumbai at daybreak on Friday, killing at least five people and leaving dozens feared trapped inside, in the latest building disaster to hit India’s financial capital.

Rescue workers scrambled to find survivors amid the debris of the flattened block, owned by the city’s civic administrative body, the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai, in the east of the city.

“My heart is thumping with fear.

I’m just hoping,” said tearful housewife Shanta Makwana, whose daughter and grandchildren were trapped inside the building in which she also used to live.

Several diggers were pressed into action to lift some of the larger slabs of concrete, allowing teams of rescuers to begin the task of taking out bodies and searching for those still alive.

One woman was removed covered in dark red patterned cloth and carried to a waiting ambulance on a stretcher. Crowds of women waiting nearby could be heard sobbing.

A crushed teddy bear and a dismantled gas stove were among the items poking out from the rubble.

“Figures show five deaths and 27 injured up to 2pm,” Vijay Khabale-Patil, the corporation’s spokesman, said.

The injured have been taken to nearby hospitals.

Local politician Bhai Jagtap said that 22 families lived in the destroyed block.

“The rest of the people are down below, calling people from inside. Rescuers are doing their level best to save lives,” he said after visiting the scene.

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) also said that 22 families were housed there.

Rescue workers pull survivors from the debris of the flattened block Local commander Alok Avasthy from the NDMA’s response force initially said up to 70 people were feared trapped.

The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai said that the building was for employees of the local administration and their families, who had been asked to leave earlier this year.

“The building was around 30 years old. We had issued a notice to them in April, to vacate the building, but they did not act,” Khabale-Patil said.

He did not explain why the families had been asked to leave.

“My uncle and aunt have been stay-

ing here for years. I rushed here after hearing the news on TV. But the police are not telling us anything. We are just waiting,” said receptionist Neha Jagdale.

Five other blocks have collapsed in or close to Mumbai in recent months, including one in April that killed 74 people.

Two builders and seven others were arrested in connection with the April collapse of the unauthorised and partly finished building.

Three buildings caved in around Mumbai in the month of June alone, killing 25 people between them.

9

Saturday, September 28, 2013

AFP

The incidents have highlighted poor quality construction and violations of the building code, caused by massive demand for housing and endemic corruption.

The high cost of property in Mumbai and surrounding areas pushes many low-paid families, especially newly arrived migrants from other parts of India, into often illegal and shoddily-built homes.

More than half of the city’s residents live in slums, while across India the urban housing shortage was estimated at nearly 19 million households in 2012. l

Hauz Khas Village in New Delhi is to the Indian capital what Brooklyn is to New York City or Shoreditch is to London – a bustling area of art galleries, bars, shops and 20-something hipsters.

But a court order last week that closed dozens of popular restaurants has thrown a spotlight on the rapid rise of a zone that is a microcosm of India’s anarchic, unsafe and corruption-riddled urban development.

The restaurants were closed for five days by the National Green Tribunal, a government environment court, which found that 34 restaurants had failed to obtain emissions permits or build waste water treatment facilities.

“This problem had been festering for the past couple of months, but nobody took it seriously and now it has backfired,” said Virat Chhabra, marketing manager of multi-cuisine restaurant Mia Bella.

“When push came to shove, the authorities forced us to shut down,” said Chhabra, adding that the restaurant faced a loss of nearly Rs350,000 over the weekend, when it usually swarms with middle-class professionals and expats.

The tribunal allowed Mia Bella along with 25 of the 34 shuttered eateries to re-open on Wednesday, provided they addressed the pollution concerns.

Hauz Khas Village houses about 75 art galleries, designer boutiques, bistros and bars, many competing for views atop colourful concrete buildings that overlook the ruins of a nearby 13th-century tomb built next to a lake.

The “Village” has expanded vertically at break-neck speed, with building owners adding floors for new bars and restaurants. In the narrow alleys at ground level, power cables dangle

overhead while giant back-up generators hum in the background.

“This country works on money. If you have the cash or know the right guys, then your work is sorted. If not, then you toil for months, even years,” the owner of one of the restaurants told AFP on the condition of anonymity.

This attitude has led to fears that fire and building regulations are routinely flouted in the rush to add new premises in the area, a bohemian alternative to the five-star hotels and shopping malls of the capital.

Many restaurateurs believe last week’s court action was because they failed to line the pockets of local officials adequately. Several admitted to paying nearly Rs10m to obtain their licences when starting out.

Monthly they slip up to Rs10,000 to the police, or hand over crates of beer, to keep the loud music blaring late at night – a violation of a Supreme Court order that prohibits loud music between 10pm and 6am.

Pankaj Sharma, the activist who filed complaints against the restaurants in court, said tackling the waste problem was just the tip of the iceberg.

Concerns remain about restaurants illegally drawing groundwater from the area, the overcrowded parking, as well as air and noise pollution caused by diesel-powered generators.

“The place is a complete death trap.

God forbid if ever a fire breaks out, there will be a lot of chaos,” Sharma told AFP. “The village went from a cultural hub to an eating hub and that would have been all right had these guys been able to sustain the place.”

As in other business sectors, entrepreneurs complain they face a choice between paying bribes to secure the licences they need, or face a frustrating wait of months. l

India: INC in fix over In focus: Selective blasphemy in Pakistan criminal lawmakers n Syeda Samira Sadeque

n AFP, New Delhi Rahul Gandhi, number two in India’s ruling Congress party, turned on the government on Friday, calling a recent move to prevent criminal lawmakers from being ejected from parliament “complete nonsense.”

The comments from Gandhi, chief campaigner for Congress as they fight for a third consecutive term in national elections due next year, sparked speculation that it was a deliberate damage control plan after the party was portrayed as being weak on corruption.

The government moved an executive order earlier this week attempting to overturn a Supreme Court decision that national and state lawmakers should be disqualified if they are convicted in criminal cases carrying jail terms of more than two years.

“My opinion on the ordinance is that it is complete nonsense and should be torn up and thrown away,” said a bearded Gandhi at an impromptu press conference in New Delhi on Friday.

“If you want to fight corruption in the country... we cannot continue making these small compromises.”

After Gandhi left the press conference, Congress spokesman Ajay Maken said, “Rahul has clear dispositions. He is our leader and this is our party’s official stand.”

The ordinance was decried by the main political opposition as unconstitutional and condemned by anti-corruption activists who openly questioned the government’s oft-stated commitment to battling endemic and growing graft in India.

Rahul’s mother Sonia is India’s most powerful politician as head of the Congress party, which has ruled India for most of its post-independence history under the leadership of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty.

The ordinance, which needs the president’s approval, allows convicted lawmakers to continue to participate in parliamentary proceedings, but would bar them from voting after debates or receiving a government salary.l

Lawmakers from Pakistan’s Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), chaired by former-cricketer Imran Khan, are calling called for amendments to Pakistan’s infamous blasphemy laws which have a history of being used for falsely accusing many of its minority Christian population.

According to Dawn.com, the call came a day after the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) ruled out the death penalty for false accusations of blasphemy, further claiming that the blasphemy laws do not need amendment.

Saim Saeed, a freelance journalist from Pakistan says, “PTI just wants to draw away some heat from the liberals and minorities...

“Imran Khan himself said that he likes the blasphemy laws as they are. He has been quoted to say that it’s not the laws that are the problem, it’s their abuse,” he added.

It seems rather sudden, then, that his party which lost elections only this May, is calling for an amendment to the laws which are often used only against Christians and not Muslims who vandalise Christian properties or offend their values.

Even more interesting is the fact that Pa-

Suu Kyi’s NLD marks Silver Jubilee

the fact that he was pushing for reforms to the blasphemy law, was what got him assassinated. He was not the only proponent of reform who suffered. Salman Taseer, a Punjab governor, was also assassinated recently the same year by his own bodyguard for suggesting a change to the laws.

While it is clear that this could be an unsafe campaign for the PTI, the question is: how likely is it that amendments will be made? “Not very,” Saeed says. He argues that this is just PTI’s way of covering up for their lack of response to the recent killings of Christians on their watch.

According to a report by the BBC, [the] “law enacted by the British was general in nature, prescribing punishments for intentionally destroying or defiling a place or an object The pews of All Saints Church in Peshawar on September 23, following an attack on the of worship or disturbing a religious assembly.”

At the moment, reports show the law church in the north-western city AFP is only applied against non-Muslims in Pakistan. The country’s Christian comkistan’s Jamaat-e-Islami wing has extended legislator saying this,” Saeed said.

This is particularly strange because Tali- munity often faces vandalism of churches support for this move, which also raises the ban and al-Qaeda-affiliates have claimed re- and other property, which would count eyebrows of many.

“I’d be sceptical of Jamaat-e-Islami’s sponsibility for the 2011 killing of Shahbaaz as blasphemy under the laws stated support. They’ve always been close to the Bhatti, a Christian minister who had been above. While amendment may be a disTaliban ideology and have insisted the blas- outspoken about making amendments to tant dream, in the very least the first step phemy laws remain unchanged. I myself am the blasphemy laws. While his own religious ought to be implementing them fairly having difficulty understanding a Jamaat affiliation may not have made him a target, across all communities. l

Pakistan bus bomb kills 18

n AFP, Yangon

n AFP, Peshawar

Aung San Suu Kyi marked the 25th anniversary of the founding of her National League for Democracy (NLD) party Friday with a fresh appeal to overhaul the country’s military-drafted constitution.

“If the constitution is not amended, we cannot say that the country is going on the democracy track... the 2015 general elections will not be fair,” Suu Kyi said.

The charter – approved in a referendum in 2008 as Myanmar reeled from a devastating cyclone – is a major obstacle to Suu Kyi’s ambition to run for president in the 2015 elections.

It blocks anyone whose spouses or children are overseas citizens from leading the country, a clause widely believed to be targeted at the Nobel laureate, whose two sons are British.

It also ring-fences a quarter of the seats in parliament for unelected military personnel.

Hundreds of party members and supporters gathered at the NLD’s ramshackle offices in central Yangon to celebrate the party’s Silver Jubilee.

In a speech shown on a screen to a crowd that spilled onto the street outside, Suu Kyi thanked supporters around the world for standing behind

A powerful bomb tore through a bus carrying government workers in restive northwest Pakistan on Friday, killing at least 18 people, officials said.

More than 40 others were wounded in the attack on the bus hired by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial government to take staff home from work.

The blast came on the edge of provincial capital Peshawar, which has long been a flashpoint for a local Taliban insurgency targeting government officials, security forces and ordinary civilians.

A double suicide bombing on a church in the city on Sunday killed 82 people, an attack that horrified even a nation used to a daily diet of blasts and shootings, and cast doubt on proposed talks with the Pakistani Taliban.

Nasir Durrani, the police chief of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, told reporters the remote-controlled bomb was planted at the back of the bus, which was reduced to a tangled mess of twisted metal by the force of the blast.

Another police officer, Najeebur Rehman, said 18 people had been killed. Shah Farman, provincial minister of information, confirmed the toll and said there were 44 wounded.

Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi (C) applauds during a ceremony at the National League for Democracy (NLD) headquarters in Yangon on September 27 AFP the party in its long struggle against repression.

“We have been able to survive for the last 25 years because of the stand and support of the people from all over the world who believe in the same values in which we believe,” she said.

The NLD was founded in 1988 after a popular uprising against the military junta that left thousands dead.

Two years later, the party won elec-

tions in a landslide – but the results were never recognised by the regime.

Suu Kyi was under house arrest at the time and spent much of the following two decades in detention, until she was freed after controversial elections in 2010.

The democracy icon is now an opposition lawmaker as part of sweeping reforms under a new quasi-civilian regime that took office in 2011.l

Eyewitness said the blast was so powerful it threw victims’ bodies clear of the vehicle and onto the roadside.

“The sound of the blast is still ringing in my head, I cannot explain it in words,” Lal Zada, 40, a government employee whose right leg was severely wounded, said.

Lal Zada lost his brother-in-law, also a government employee in the blast.

“All of a sudden, there was a huge explosion. The bus shattered and something hit me in my leg and I fell to the floor. It was horrible,” he said.

The target was government employees, Sahibzada Mohammad Anis, the commissioner of Peshawar, said. The bus was heading to the town of Charsadda when the bomb went off.

A near-identical attack on a government staff bus in another Peshawar suburb in June last year killed 19 people.

Horrific scenes were seen in Peshawar’s main Lady Reading hospital where nine dead bodies and 32 injured were taken.

The injured screamed for help in the emergency unit while doctors and medics were seen rushing in and outside the wards, providing medical treatment and wheeling the critically injured to the operating theatre. l

20 dead as asylumseeker boat sinks off Indonesia n AFP, Jakarta At least 20 people, mostly children, have drowned and many are missing after an Australia-bound boat carrying Middle Eastern asylum-seekers sank off Indonesia, police said Friday.

“Local people found 20 dead bodies floating in the water, most of them are children,” said Warsono, a police official in Cianjur district of West Java province on Indonesia’s main island of Java.

The official, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, added that the boat was believed to have been carrying 120 people, and that 25 adults had so far been rescued alive.

He said they were asylum-seekers heading to the Australian territory of Christmas Island and those who had died and the survivors were from Jordan, Lebanon and Yemen.

It was just the latest deadly sinking of an asylum-seeker boat off Indonesia, a hub for would-be refugees trying to reach Australia.

It came just days before Australia’s new Prime Minister Tony Abbott visits Indonesia, where his tough policies aimed at stemming the flood of asylum seekers have caused anger. l

10 DHAKA TRIBUNE

Editorial

Saturday, September 28, 2013

Letters to

www.dhakatribune.com

the Editor

LETTER OF THE DAY

Battery-run rickshaws ply in city flouting ban

Changing the culture of street ‘justice’

September 22

Instead of rewarding the ingenuity of our rickshaw mechanics, we impose penalties. We should be coming up with solutions. Ways to make the rickshawpullers’ lives easier and not more difficult. How about designing some lightweight rickshaws with gears? sahmed001

Last week a group of students blocked the DhakaChittagong highway and caused serious damage to several vehicles to protest the death of a fellow student in a road accident. Unfortunately, these types of incidents of vandalism and destruction of property of innocent bystanders has become the norm in Bangladesh and this culture of wanton disregard for the damages and suffering of others needs to end While the students’ immediately. grievance might The protesting students be legitimate, torched at least three vehicles and vandalised 10-12 other their method of vehicles on the highway. seeking justice by The blockade of the highway inflicting damage on caused a 30km long tailback innocent passersby on both sides of the highway, is anything but causing undue delay and acceptable suffering to the commuters.

While the students’ grievance might be legitimate, their method of seeking justice by inflicting damage on innocent passersby is anything but acceptable. This type of mindset of taking the law into your own hands just to express your anger is not only juvenile, it also amplifies the original harm by creating new victims.

As it creates a culture of undermining the rule of law, it is also deeply harmful to the fabric of society in the long run.

As a nation we need to wholeheartedly reject the notion that it is acceptable to commit violence against innocent passers-by when we feel aggrieved. Strict punitive measures need to be taken against those who seek to perpetuate this culture of retribution and violence.

Boost to duty free access by China signals confidence Bangladesh’s exports to China have been rising fast, growing from under $100m in 2008 to $458m in 2013. This growth really took off after zero-tariff access to the Chinese market was extended in 2010 for around two thirds of the products which make up the country’s export basket.

It is encouraging then that This is a huge boost Chinese Foreign Minister to trade relations Wang Yi announced China will and should help increase this duty and quotaBangladesh to free access to cover 95% of reduce its trade Bangladesh’s export products, deficit with the when he met Prime Minister world’s biggest Sheikh Hasina at the UN this exporting economy week.

This is a huge boost to trade relations and should help Bangladesh to reduce its trade deficit with the world’s biggest exporting economy.

It also reflects the importance which China is attaching to planned talks to develop economic corridor projects with Bangladesh, India and Myanmar Exports to China are currently mainly based around garments, fish and crabs, jute and leather goods. Not only do these sectors have potential to significantly grow further but the extension of duty free access also enhances the competitiveness of Bangladeshi products from other sectors.

The government should build on this welcome news to further improve mutual trade and co-operation with China.

CROSSWORD

Are we hypocrites?

September 22

I don’t think BRAC University is against the niqab.

But it is a hard job making certain of one’s identity without seeing her face. It’s necessary for security purposes. Does one go against the niqab by showing their open face? I don’t know. Do you know?!?!

Yeasin Ahamed Polash Brac has female guards. You are writing without having a clear idea. For that matter, that student has been allowed to resume classes.

Tarana

Washington invites AL and BNP for talks September 21

Even without the reply made public, the conscious citizens are fully aware of the firm and final position of both the PM and the Leader of the Opposition.

Waliul Haque Khondker

DOWN 1 Chinese boat (6) 2 In a frenzy (4) 3 Musical note (5) 4 Top card (3) 5 Is weak-minded (5) 6 Morse element (3) 7 Arch (3) 11 Danger (5) 13 Dance (5) 16 Guard against attack (6) 18 Temporary stop (5) 20 Erect a tent (5) 22 Seize with the teeth (4) 23 Vegetable (3) 24 Boy (3) 25 Perfect score (3)

September 23

Razit Zulfiquer This is probably the saddest thing I have seen.

But man, she does have the spirit to survive for her family! Kudos to that!

I would be happy to give her some money if possible.

Parveen Ahmed But what happens to all the state benefits that people like her are supposed to be getting from my tax money?

September 21

Malcolm Arnold I am a foreigner here and had a slight heart attack. I was referred to LabAid in Dhanmondi. I did the tests needed and was told by the professor that I needed a bypass operation. One artery was totally blocked, one 75%, and one 40%. Here in Bangladesh, it’s a life-threatening procedure.

Luckily, a friend visited and asked another doctor to look at my case (not possible, ethically). He did and to his shock he saw my medical report was falsified. The facts were that I had one artery at 40%, another 60%, and the third was all clear. Medication would suffice.

I took my reports to Australia and the medic there told me I should sue this professor and his hospital. If this was in my country, I would get millions and millions of dollars. This professor would not be allowed to be a doctor and would face criminal procedures.

My thoughts are for those Bangladeshis that went through unneeded and expensive surgery, putting themselves in big debt and even into the cemetery.

Matt Islam It’s a real problem and one that gets very little attention here. I can only hope that this becomes an important issue because it’s getting so bad that those suffering it are accepting it without second thoughts.

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

TEDxDHAKA event on Saturday evening September 21

A really good initiative. TED is a source of inspiration for many!! concerned.citizen

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

School students have fun learning Liberation War history September 21

Thanks for this report. :) Nabila Tabassum Chowdhury

CALVIN AND HOBBES

PEANUTS

CODE-CRACKER ACROSS 1 Pretended (4) 4 Says further (4) 8 Mingle (3) 9 Slightly cold (4) 10 Satellite (4) 11 Insignificant (5) 12 Flying toy (4) 14 Spoil (3) 15 Unhappy (3) 17 Short sleep (3) 19 Pinch (3) 21 Ready and fluent (4) 23 Planet (5) 26 Duration (4) 27 Comfort (4) 28 Perform (3) 29 Middle East port (4) 30 Pay attention (4)

Mother undaunted

The other side: Medical mistrust

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS Crossword

Sudoku

DHAKA TRIBUNE

T

H

E

O

T

H

E

Op-Ed R

S

I

D

About respecting and protecting our women

BIGSTOCK

T

n Matthew Islam he United Nations in a recent study which surveyed around 10,000 men from nine sites in six countries, including Bangladesh and excluding India, found the prevalence of rape and violence committed by men on women to be a staggering 23% at the low end, amounting in 1 in 4 men admitting to have committed at least one rape.

In Bangladesh the numbers are chronically mortifying; incidences of physical and sexual violence were found to be at 57% to 55% of those surveyed on a rural-to-urban ratio.

It’s highly probable that our sons and daughters will become victims of this trend if not an active participant in such a tragedy

I was shocked to have discovered this statistic. It blew away all my clichéd notions regarding the issue, including the problem being a “class centric” one. Pardon my ignorance but the report has also opened my eyes as to how wrong I was when I believed that sexual violence had a larger prevalence in India, Pakistan and the west than it had here in our own backyard. It also got me thinking as to why we hear so less of these incidences in Bangladesh as opposed to the hue and cry in India and elsewhere. Are men in our society more permissible of such brutal acts?

Abuse of women, both physical and sexual, in our society today is wide-

spread and on the increase. It’s also on the up in societies where the female population is beginning to overtake the male population by significant numbers, especially where they are excelling in all strata of life.

Disturbingly, the study also found that the reasons/justification the men sighted for such actions ranged from them claiming a sense of sexual entitlement over women followed by when they claimed motivations arising out of fun or boredom, closely trailed by anger or punishment and finally inebriation.

There was a time when Asia as a continent, based on its rich culture, respect towards women traditionally, family bonding and shared history claimed moral superiority over the west. It is deeply distressing to realize that those days are well and truly over now.

The problem with violence towards women is not a distant one, it’s global and local. It exists by their very numbers, somewhere close to you, right now. The World Health Organization reports statistics which alarmingly state that a third of all women around the world are victims of sexual violence.

We are at a crossroads in human history, where it is our duty to ask ourselves basic questions as to why this is happening and what we can do to stem the rise of such deplorable behaviour in our society. We need to collectively take control of this from the root.

You can’t just shrug your responsibility in fighting this, by citing western cultural imports as having resulted in an influx of such deviancies in our society and/or by saying there is nothing you can do about it. We can no longer continue to wear blinkers because our sons and daughters will inherit this future.

In a sad realization from the statistic above, it’s highly probable that our sons and daughters will become

11

Saturday, September 28, 2013

E

victims of this trend if not an active participant in such a tragedy.

Yes there are laws, adequate and or inadequate to deal with rape, violence and sexual assaults on women but the debate for the protection of women must not end in parliament, media, NGOs or corridors of law enforcement.

We need to tackle this within every home.

The epidemic requires a consistent and widespread personal effort from everyone because it chaotically reflects on our failure in protecting the honor of our women. Too long have we sat by and seen our mothers, sisters and daughters getting abused and/or raped.

So how do we combat this? For starters we, mothers, fathers, teachers, elders of the society must act with increased urgency and a much more proactive approach in combating this within our own houses.

We must, across the board break with traditions both social and pseudo religious that we have inherited in giving more priority to women rights. We must work harder to displace for-gender stereotypes that dictate women as having limits to what they can or cannot do.

We must guide our children into respecting women later in life. We must raise ourselves to a standard that visibly and vocally demonstrates such an attitude. We must become more open about discussing issues regarding sex with our children.

The men in every family have a duty to lead by example, and where needed intervene early in a child’s life to correct unacceptable behaviour because lets face it, a lot of these tendencies are visible early on and correctable. You must raise your voice and call out the names of friends, family and neighbours who have engaged in such acts.

History will judge us for not having done anything, so do something about it. Anything, no matter how small a contribution, will add to an ever growing voice against such brutal incidences, creating a society that acts when its moral values and dignity are attacked. If we fail, we risk leaving a legacy truly devoid of any courage or honour for future generations to look up to and be inspired by.

Lets not be the generation that finds it acceptable that the next series of gang rapes, child rapes, wife beating, servant abusing maniacs went free or kept multiplying because we failed to do what we had to. l Matthew Islam is a Barrister-at-Law, a textile businessman and a columnist at DT.

‘Fair and lovely’ n Syeda Samara Mortada

T

he story is an old one. Boy comes to see girl. Girl is dark skinned. Boy rejects girl.

Every girl living in South-Asia grows up with a pre-conceived notion that she ought to be fair skinned in order to get married, and find her happily ever after. But the tale does not end here; a lighter complexion only is not going to get her to places.

She also needs to get rid of her dark circles, her pimples and work on her skin so that it does not defy her age.

How does one do that? By using a cream for each of these skin problems of course, and by taking a skin 101 course offered free of cost on the idiot box sitting in your living room!

Earlier, while it was only skin lighting creams that were a girl’s best friend, now she also has age miracle creams, under eye creams and BB creams stocked away in her closet.

This concept of “achieving picture perfect skin” has been used by the media, to its advantage, over and over again. But the pattern of such advertisements is changing with evolving times.

Earlier, while a girl who was rejected in marriage used Fair and Lovely to become pretty and marry her dashing prince, today she climbs the steps of success in her career using the same cream. Thus, although the concept remains the same, the idea is more suited to today’s women.

It is also interesting to note that while Fair and Lovely in our country was previously aimed towards women of lower income families, today the advertisements are manifold, reaching out to working women, stay at home women and young college girls.

But while critics from all spheres attack Fair and Lovely, there are various other creams that pass on similar messages. “Go sleeveless on him” is the tag-line of another famous company. Garnier’s BB cream, Olay’s anti-wrinkle cream, all focus on similar concepts highlighted above.

Before and after photos of women, photos of women wearing a zipped mask, and removing that mask only to reveal their newly acquired skin, after using a particular brand of cream are common advertisements shown on TV. Nowadays, there are skin measurements strips that will analyse the shade of your skin weekly after using a particular product. There are many more “attractive” offers to help you decide on your perfect brand, the one that suits your skin best!

When Nina Davuluri, was crowned Miss USA, despite being Indian by origin, and when she smilingly brushed

away all racist remarks thrown at her direction, she became the ideal representative of the East.

Later, when word came out that she would not fit into the Miss India requirements, because of her dark skin, despite being Miss USA, the story of the East’s obsession with fair skin became much more distinct.

Lightening creams account for 40% of all beauty products sold in India (Goon and Craven, 2003). While such research is yet to be conducted in Bangladesh, one may assume that similar results are likely.

Sonali Johnson, in the Journal of Health Management says “India’s historical preoccupation with fair skin is in fact racism and sexism expressed through various cultural and historical mediums and reinforced by the contemporary beauty industry.”

This concept of ‘achieving picture perfect skin’ has been used by the media, to its advantage, over and over again

Thus, the media uses women’s sentiments to build a multi-million dollar industry, by exploiting such emotions.

That such creams have physical and mental implications, (from ingredients such as mercury and hydroquinone which are known to burn skin, according to Savita Malik, in The domination of fair skin: skin whitening, indian women and public health), is often neglected as the end result is of most importance to those using such creams.

Nandita Das, a well-known Indian actress supported a movement called “Dark is Beautiful,” an awareness campaign that celebrates the beauty and diversity of all skin tones. When Das says, “Stay Unfair, Stay Beautiful,” she reaches out to many women across the seas.

If more women like her support such causes, instead of becoming brand ambassadors to such creams, it will show that success has more to do with talent, not the shade of one’s skin. Women all over the world will learn to change their role models and focus on what is necessary: to prove themselves through their education, experience and faculty.

They will learn that those around them should appreciate them for what they are from within, and that they should pick substance over show. l Syeda Samara Mortada is the Associate Editor of ICE Today and freelance writer.

Israel challenged by Iran charm offensive n John Davison

A

s Iran’s new president reaches out to the West with a message of moderation, Israel’s hawkish approach on Tehran’s nuclear programme looks likely to come under pressure, experts say.

President Hassan Rowhani on Tuesday emphasised the peaceful nature of the Islamic republic’s atomic programme, telling the UN General Assembly that “nuclear weapons ... have no place in Iran’s security and defence doctrine.”

“For the past eight years, Israel’s efforts to convince the world ... to tackle Iran’s nuclear designs head on relied on ... adamant, Holocaustdenying Ahmadinejad,” commentator Chemi Shalevan wrote in Haaretz newspaper.

“Ahmadinejad ... served as Israel’s number one talking point, its strategic propaganda asset, a poster boy who selfexplained Tehran’s sinister designs.”

Rowhani’s message is a “real diplomatic challenge for Israel,” Professor Uzi Rabi, an Iran specialist at Tel Aviv University, told AFP.

‘Israel’s government and prime minister are facing difficulties convincing the international community to treat Iran the same way it has treated it before’

Israel scrambled to denounce the speech, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling it “cynical” and “full of hypocrisy.”

“This is exactly Iran’s strategy – to talk and play for time in order to advance its ability to achieve nuclear weapons. Rowhani knows this well,” charged Netanyahu.

But Rowhani’s diplomatic overtures, which stand in stark contrast to the belligerent statements so commonly heard from his predecessor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, are proving to be quite a challenge to the Israeli premier.

“The last time Netanyahu was at the United Nations, it was much easier for Israel to argue on Iran. I’m not sure shouting ... is the best Israel can come up with (this time),” he said.

Last year, Netanyahu stood before the UN General Assembly and drew a red line on a cartoonish depiction of a bomb, saying the international community must act to prevent Iran from using its nuclear programme to build a weapon, a charge accepted by the West but denied by Tehran.

This year, when he addresses the UN General Assembly on October 1, the

Israeli leader will seek to play down the differences between Rowhani and his predecessor, the top-selling Yediot Aharonot daily said.

“Netanyahu will say that, like Ahmadinejad, Rowhani also adheres to the goal of destroying the State of Israel and attacking the entire Western world.”

Rabi agreed: “Israel is trying to make sure everyone is keenly aware that the Iranian charm offensive is just tactics – it doesn’t mean there’s real change.”

Israel’s concerns over a thaw were further stoked on Monday when officials said US Secretary of State John Kerry would hold his first nuclear talks with Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif at a landmark meeting at the UN headquarters on September 26.

“Netanyahu ... is not going to be in the negotiations room so he’s trying to remind the US of the reality that there’s not been evidence of change,” Dr Emily Landau of Tel Aviv University’s Institute for National Security Studies told AFP. Israel fears the meeting could undermine its efforts to put further pressure on Iran, according to Dr Raz Zimmt, a research fellow at Tel Aviv University’s Iranian studies centre.

“Israel’s government and prime minister are facing difficulties convincing the international community to treat Iran the same way it has treated it before,” Zimmt told AFP. “In the West, they see Rowhani as totally different from Ahmadinejad.

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani bows towards the assembled delegates and international heads of state as he concludes his address to the 68th United Nations General Assembly REUTERS They’re right, but ... Rowhani hasn’t come up with a concrete proposal on how to resolve the nuclear issue.

“Any pact between Iran and the West ... might isolate Israel,” Zimmt said.

Washington has been “working behind the scenes to allay Israeli concerns and has said that the Iranian president will be judged by his actions,” Israel’s Maariv newspaper said on Sunday.

But Rowhani’s “charm offensive,”

together with developments in the wider Middle East region, may trump Israel’s protestations, analysts warned.

“Both the US and Iranian administrations have decided there’s a window of opportunity to talk,” Zimmt said.

As part of efforts to burnish the Islamic republic’s image, Rowhani’s delegation to the UN includes a Jewish MP, Iranian media reported. l This article has been syndicated from AFP.

12

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Entertainment

Saturday, September 28, 2013

Flautist Azizul Islam performs at IGCC today

SHARAT UTSAB 1420

n Entertainment Desk

Satyen Sen Shilpi Goshthi organised a cultural programme yesterday on the premises of the Faculty of Fine Arts in Dhaka University. The event titled Sharat Utsab 1420 welcomed the advent of autumn in the country

Handicrafts fair ends at BSA n Entertainment Desk A six-day handicrafts fair titled “SAARC Handicrafts Exhibition and Fair 2013” ended at the National Art Plaza auditorium of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy on September 27.

SAARC Cultural Centre, Sri Lanka and Cultural Affairs Ministry of Bangladesh jointly organised the event with the aim to strengthen mutual harmony among the SAARC countries through promoting traditional local handicrafts industry and developing the cultural institutions.

The regional event featured design workshop, presentations by experts and participants, interaction with designers and organisers, remarks by moderator, buyer-seller meet, review meeting on SAARC map of cultural industries and awarding of

certificates to the participants.

Around eighteen craftsmen from Bangladesh, ten from Pakistan, eight from India, six from Sri Lanka and four from Bhutan have participated in the show.

Besides, cultural programmes featuring renowned cultural organisations and personalities entertained visitors at the fair every evening.

With Cultural Secretary Dr Ranjit Kumar Biswas in the chair, BSA Director General Liaquat Ali Lucky delivered the welcome speech at the closing programme. Director of SAARC Cultural Centre GLW Samarasinghe also addressed the occasion, among others.

The event wrapped up with a gorgeous cultural function that featured dance and music presentations by eminent artistes of the country. l

TODAY IN DHAKA Exhibition

Aangina Group painting exhibition Time: 3pm-8pm Dhaka Art Center Dhanmondi

Theatre Bhelki

Nabonat Time: 7pm Chhayanaut Auditorium Dhanmondi Supari Killer Prachya (Kolkata) Time: 7pm National Theatre Hall Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy

Segunbagicha, Dhaka

Film

Rabindranath Thakur Jibon O Somoy Documentary by Mujibur Rahman Time: 11am Bangladesh Film institute Auditorium Kalabagan

A melodious evening is in store for the audience at the Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre, Gulshan branch today at 6:30pm. Renowned flautist Ustad Captain Azizul Islam will perform in the event which is organised by IGCC in association with Asian Paints, IRCON and Marico Bangladesh.

One of the best features of the shows at IGCC is that, it provides entertainment for free for the audience of the country as entry to these shows requires no ticket or pass.

Ustad Captain Azizul Islam was born at Rajbari, Bangladesh in 1945. Ustad Islam was passionate about playing flute right from his childhood. He has been trained by acclaimed artists such as late Priyada Ranjan Sengupta, Ustad Velayet Ali Khan, late Ustad Bahadur Khan, late Pandit Debendra Murdeshwarand and Pandit VG Karnad. Through proportionate synthesis of classical, western and traditional folk forms, he has developed a unique style of playing the flute that has won plaudits worldwide.

Ustad Islam has performed at the Golden Jubilee celebrations of the annual “Doverlane Music Conference” at Kolkata in 2002. He has also performed at Vivekananda Hall, Kolkata, Kolkata Sangeet Research Academy, Salt Lake Music Festival, India Habitat Center in

New Delhi, Nehru Centre at Mumbai and Rotary South Asian summit in Hyderabad. Apart from India, he has also performed in USA, Australia, Singapore and Malaysia.

Ustad Islam is a regular performer for Bangladesh Betar and Bangladesh Television. He is a gold medalist from the Rotary Club of Metropolitan Dhaka and the Ashfaque-Najma Foundation, Bangladesh and received “Bhashani Padak” from Anonnya Sangskritik Goshti, Dhaka. He was twice awarded “City Cell – Channel i Music Award” in 2005 and 2007 for best instrumental music. l

Shashi’s new role shows the hardships of a film extra n Entertainment Desk Talented actor Shashi, who loves to do challenging roles, has recently acted as a film extra in a tele-film written and directed by Alvy Ahmed.

The story of the film is about the hardships faced by an extra in Dhallywood. It is a story with a zest of freshness that is not the regular norm of TV media. In the tele-film “Dipaboli Tumi Phoenix Hoye Utho,” Shashi plays the titular character.

Her life takes an unusual turn when she meets a Mafia don, who promises to launch her as a heroine of a big budget film.

When she shares the news in the movie set where she is currently working, overnight she becomes a very important person. Even, the heroine of the film starts to regard her with respect.

But alas! Cruel fate shows its harsh face and the movie is never made. The story moves forward with Dipaboli’s struggle after her fall from grace.

About her role in the tele-film, Shashi, who came into the limelight with her performance

in Salahuddin Lavlu’s soap “Ghar Kutum,” said: “This role has a completely different dimension and was truly challenging in all sense. It is quite touching as it shows the humiliation our society is capable of bestowing on a person, once he or she is removed from a position of importance.

I am grateful to Alvy Ahmed for trusting me with such a difficult role.”

Shashi believes the tele-play will be considered as another milestone of her career.

Director Alvy Ahmed states: “I am truly impressed with Shashi, as she played the role with grace and finesse. She is a terrific actor and will definitely go a long way.”

The tele-film will be aired during Eid-ul-Azha in GTV. l

Disney to release three high-profile Bollywood movies Residential workshop on n film held in Cox’s Bazar Entertainment Desk

Disney is making a bold move in India

next year, releasing three high-profile Bollywood movies under its own label

in a territory that has been notoriously tough for US studios to crack - a potentially lucrative market that until recent-

ly has largely resisted Hollywood movies in favor of local-language films from

a prolific film production industry.

Until now, Disney, which owns the market-leading film and TV group UTV, had been content to leave the UTV brand and its low-budget Spotboy label to their own devices.

But since the integration of Disney and UTV in India last year, the studios’ team has been looking for the right stories to develop into the first set of Disney branded local productions, said Siddharth Roy Kapur, managing director of studios for Disney UTV. “We are confident we have a slate of movies that capture the essence of the Disney brand - heartwarming, uplifting and fun for the whole family,” he said.

UTV has also taken on the Indian release of selected Disney movies under the UTV banner.

The trio of films - “PK,” “Jagga Ja-

Aamir’s dramatic turn in real life n Entertainment Desk

On-screen, we’ve seen Aamir Khan transform dramatically from one film to the next — from a businessman (Ghajini, 2008) to a college student (3 Idiots, 2009) to a cop (Talaash, 2012). Now, in real life too, it seems, Aamir has taken up a role he’s never been associated with before: Aamir has turned a stay-at-home dad, though only for a short while.

The actor, who recently wrapped the shoot of his upcoming film, “Dhoom:3,” has had a rather busy year. He was also caught up with the shooting schedule of Rajkumar Hirani’s “PK.” Now, he’s found the perfect reason to take a break and stay at home — to take care of his son, Azad, who will turn two in December. This decision of his has allowed his wife, filmmaker Kiran Rao, to go on a vacation with some of her friends.

A source close to the actor reveals, “Aamir got the chance to spend some quality time with his son, Azad. Since his wife Kiran (filmmaker) is travelling,

the actor has turned a stay-at-home dad to take care of the little one.”

Kiran, we’re told, is on a 10-day vacation to Arunachal Pradesh. And doting husband Aamir, it seems, didn’t want his wife to have to worry about her son constantly while she was travelling.

The source adds, “Aamir is also doing all urgent work meetings at home, while he’s postponed the ones that can wait. He’s done this to be around Azad all the time. So, he’s managed to stay on track with work without having to leave Azad with the nanny.”

What makes Aamir’s gesture even more special is the fact that in a previous interview to this paper, he had expressed his desire to visit northeast India, especially Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, with Kiran. But, we guess, daddy duties take priority for the star. l

soos” and “ABCD 2” - are all being made under the wing of Disney-UTV. All three of the new Disney titles can loosely be described as family films, and all are expected to be released in 2014-15. “PK,” which is in production, marks the re-teaming of helmer Rajkumar Hirani with Bollywood star Aamir Khan, the director-actor team behind global hit “3 Idiots.”

“Jagga Jasoos,” which begins shooting in November, reunites “Barfi !” director Anurag Basu with that film’s star, Ranbir Kapoor, in a musical comedy about the zany adventures of a young detective. Bollywood leading lady Katrina Kaif is also onboard.

“ABCD 2” is a sequel to 3D dance film “Any Body Can Dance,” and will again be directed by celebrated choreographer-director Remo D’Souza and feature Prabhudheva. l

n Entertainment Desk 20 Emerging Bangladeshi filmmakers produced four films in Cox’s Bazaar, as part of a weeklong residential workshop.

It was organised by British Council in partnership with Children’s Film Society Bangladesh and First Light. The workshop was led by Daniel Smith and Nina Jones.

These 4 short films will be premiered publicly at the upcoming International Children’s Film Festival Bangladesh in January 2014.

The workshop was organised with the aim to develop the skills of the future film makers of Bangladesh and to exchange knowledge between British

and Bangladeshi filmmakers.

Eminent director Morshedul Islam said: “This kind of residential programme on filmmaking is very new in Bangladesh. After taking part in the event, interestingly, I am getting calls from well known Bangladeshi film makers to organise programmes such as this.”

Nina Jones, an UK based filmmaker, said, “When I was asked to come to Bangladesh I was expecting to find young people with a limited knowledge of film and the filmmaking process, but in reality it was completely opposite. The young people have a fantastic knowledge of film and endless enthusiasm as well, it was a delight to work with them.” l

Roder Orchestra airs on NTV tonight n Entertainment Desk

Single episode drama “Roder Orchestra” airs on NTV at 9pm tonight. The drama is an adoption from Nirendra Nath’s poem “Amolkanti Roddur Hote Chechhilo,” written by Shibu Kumar Shil and directed by Rawnak Ripon.

Popular soap actors Abul Kalam Azad, Jayraj, Dihan, Sneha, Shoma, Shuchona Afrose, Hasan Ferdous Jewel, Shoibal, Shujib Nur, Shoyeb Munir and many more stars are in the drama.

Story of the drama series revolves around a lonely man named Amolkanti who spends a simple and usual life.

Out of desolation and loneliness he leaves the world without bothering his surroundings. His absence is hardly felt by anyone as he was not a prominent person.

Throughout his life, Amolkanti has faced many hardships and saw the different faces of the people around him.

In life, he hardly had anyone who genuinely cared for him.

But, at one point, there were people who had showed some semblance of affection and he truly did miss that phase of his life. l

Did you know?

Dhoni’s strike rate of 331.57 against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Thursday was the highest in the history of the CLT20, taking into account innings of minimum 25 runs

Sport

14 Cambiasso inspires Inter to sink Fiorentina

13

Saturday, September 28, 2013

DHAKA TRIBUNE

14 Bale set for Bernabeu debut in Madrid derby

15 Double-ton schoolboy makes history

Gazi Tank look to stop Doleshwar’s dream run n Reazur Rahman Rohan

Nayan Ali swims on his way to set a new national record in the National Age Level Swimming at the Syed Nazrul Islam National Swimming Complex in Mirpur yesterday

MUMIT M

Forum blasts BCB election process n Raihan Mahmood The Bangladesh District and Divisional Sports Organiser’s Council, popularly known as “the Forum”, strongly criticized the government’s influence and interference in the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) election process and warned they would make stronger protests if their objections were not heeded.

In a press conference at the Dhaka District and Divisional Sport Association office yesterday, forum leaders slammed the government’s role in violating the democratic atmosphere and expressed surprise that the entire BCB election procedure would take only 13 days.

Ashikur Rahman Miku, secretary general of the forum, said the letter asking for the councillorship provided only eight days for confirming the name and of those, two days were holidays and another two were lost due to strikes.

According the constitution, the letter

should have been given 45 days’ notice for nominating councilors. “We want a fair election, not a biased and faulty one.

“The country has never seen any sports federation election wrapped up in 13 days. At least 21 days were provided. The BCB elections in 1998, 2000 and 2004 lasted for 28 days. It is ridiculous to see the election of the BCB, the biggest sports federation in the country, will take 13 days - to be specific, in 10 days,” said Miku.

Miku also pointed out that the draft voters list published yesterday on a holiday. As per the election schedule, the hearing of any objection to the voters list will take place on Sunday, September 29. “It is totally ridiculous. For example, if any objection is put against any voter, how will the election commission inform him and how will the person face the hearing as all the procedures will be wrapped up within a working day? Is it possible for any person to come to the

Another 71 for Siddikur, Pariya in lead n Fazley Rabbi Moon Bangladesh golfing star Siddikur Rahman carded another equal par 71 in the second round of the Asia-Pacific Panasonic Open at the Ibaraki Country Club yesterday.

Starting the day in 14th position, the 28-year-old made five birdies and an equal number of bogeys to fall to 25th spot in the US$1.48m Asian Tour event.

Grouped with Thai golfers Jazz Janewattananond and Chapchai Nirat, the 2010 Brunei Open winner will start the third round at 9.10 local time today.

Meanwhile, Pariya Junhasavasdikul of Thailand went into the lead at the halfway point of the event after sinking a clutch birdie putt on the last hole. Earlier, the player ranked 15th on

the Order of Merit, made bogeys on the third and sixth holes to fall behind the leaders, but bounced back brilliantly later in the day after some coaxing from his caddy.

The Thai, who started from the 10th tee, struggled to get his round going and needed a 15 footer birdie putt to send him to the top of the table.

He posted a one-under-par 70 to hold a one-shot lead ahead of overnight leader Shingo Katayama of Japan, who struggled to a 73.

Tetsuji Hiratsuka of Japan, who won the 2011 Asia-Pacific Panasonic Open, shot a 66 to share third position with Masahiro Kawamura.

In fourth position one shot behind are Indonesian Rory Hie (69) of KoreanYoung Han Song (69), Japan’s Yoshikazu Haku (66) and Australian Brad Kennedy (66). l

capital to face the election commission in one day if he lives outside Dhaka?” queried Miku.

The leaders revealed that the nominated councilors from Narail, Jamalpur, Chittagong Division, Khulna Division, Rajshahi Division, Barisal Division, Munshiganj, Manikganj, Khulna, Sylhet Division and Sylhet, Sunamganj and Meherpur were selected through an unfair procedure. In Narail Ashikur Rahman Miku, in Jamalpur Abdullah al Fuad Redwan, in Rajshahi Division Mahmud Jamal, in Khulna division Mortaza Rashidi Dara, in Khulna Shamim Ahsan were selected by the relevant sports associations but instead of sending these names, Ashrafuzzaman Pintu, Shipon, Imtiaz Ahmed Kislu, advocate Saiful Islam’s were named as the councilors Narail, Jamalpur, Rajshahi and Khulna. Sheikh Sohel’s name has been sent from the Khulna Division where Dara was selected by the divisional sports association.

Four senior national hockey players demanded a fair probe procedure of Bangladesh’s dismal show at the Asia Cup Hockey and said they would accept any punitive actions against them if found guilty, at a press conference at the Moulana Bhashani National Hockey Stadium yesterday.

Star forward Russell Mahmud Jimmy, goalkeeper Zahid Hossian, midfielder Quamruzzman Rana and defender Imran Hossain Pintu said they have been blamed for the team’s poor showing and their personal lives have suffered due to various media reports.

Nonetheless, they acknowledged that

the team had played badly and failed to live up to the nation’s expectations.

Jimmy was shocked to see some of the information that has been published in the media though the report of the probe committee is still to be submitted to the federation. “I am shocked to see some media reports saying that the players drank alcohol before the Oman match. It was said by an official who requested anonymity. It is totally false. My question, is who is saying these things to the media? It’s ruining our personal images,” he said.

“We are afraid of being made scapegoats. The probe committee consists of people who can save BKSP players, the navy team players and

DPL Standings Team Skeikh Jamal Brothers Union Doleshwar Mohammedan Gazi Tank Victoria Kalabagan CA Prime Bank Abahani Kalabagan KC Khelaghar CCS

P 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

W 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 1 1 0 0

L 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 3 3 4 4

NR Pts RR 0 6 3.330 0 6 3.194 0 6 3.003 0 6 -1.903 0 6 1.254 1 5 2.306 1 5 -1.376 0 4 2.533 0 2 2.460 0 2 -0.460 0 0 -6.507 0 0 -7.834

Day's Fixture Prime Doleshwar v Gazi Tank, SBNS Mohammedan v Prime Bank, BKSP-3 Victoria SC v CCS, Fatullah also wants to bounce back from their defeat in the last match. After back to back defeats, with two wins and equal losses, Prime are eighth in the standings and their foreign recruits Zimbabwean skipper Brendan Taylor, Sri Lankans Lahiru Thirimanne and Jeevan Mendis must shine if they are o break the losing streak.

Prime’s manager Sharif echoed his counterpart and said, “We are ready to turn around in the league. We believe we will definitely win tomorrow (today).”

In the third game of the day, bottom table Cricket Coaching School (CCS) will be facing another tough challenge when the face Victoria SC at Fatullah.

Victoria won two matches while a washout against Kalabagan CA means they have five points. CCS lost all four games they played. l

RECENTLY ENGAGED DJOKOVIC IN PLAYFUL MOOD

(Clockwise from top) Novak Djokovic of Serbia takes pictures, sits in the referee’s seat, cuts a cake along with Li Na of China before a charity game to mark the opening of 2013 China Open Tennis Tournament in Beijing on Yesterday. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the China Open AFP/Reuters

Senior hockey players ask for fair probe n Raihan Mahmood

It was also revealed that Akram Khan, Naimur Rahman Durjoy, Monjur Kader were nominated as councilors though they were not affiliated members of Chittagong Division, Manikganj and Munshiganj district sports associations respectively. Alamgir Khan Alo’s nomination from Barisal division is also not legal as the committee expired a long time ago. Shafiul Alam Chowdhury Nadel’s nomination from Sylhet, Rezwanul Haque Raza’s councillorship from Sunamganj were also illegal, the form claimed.

Yusuf Jamil Babu, the president of the forum, said the president of the district and divisional sports association is the legal authority to nominate councilors but in many places, the decision was made by other parties. “We will officially lodge the complaints to the election commission on Sunday and will decide what further action we can take at the end of the day,” he said. l

An upbeat Prime Doleshwar will be facing Gazi Tank Cricketers in a bid to go to the top of the Dhaka Premier League table today. The match at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium promises to be a cracking contest between the two side, both coming in the game with wins in their last match.

Doleshwar will be keen to continue their magical run in the competition and live up to their reputation as giant killers. Abahani, Sheikh Jamal DC and Prime Bank CC have all been victim to Doleshwar’s impressive performance.

With a bunch of talented youngsters like Mominul Haque, Sohag Gazi, Taijul Islam the club’s skipper and discarded national cricketer Forhad Reza is very optimistic about the game and said, “We don’t have any big names in the team so everyone tries to give their best. We all play for the team and that’s the reason the big clubs are not able to stop us.”

Gazi Tank, on the other hand, will try to find motivation from their last win against CCS. Retired New Zealand cricketer Scott Styris hammered a century in Gazi’s last win and his performance will once again be crucial in the middle order while national fast bowler Rubel Hossain, the leading wicket taker with 15 wickets, will lead the bowling department.

Both teams have won three matches out of four, but Doleshwar are third in the table with a better net run-rate while Gazi are placed fifth.

Meanwhile, Mohammedan SC are eager to return to their winning ways when they take on Prime Bank CC in their fifth match today. After a brilliant start to their campaign, the Black and Whites faltered in their last match by tasting a heavy defeat of 239 runs to Sheikh Jamal DC. Mohammedan, having six points, had to field a weakened side in their last match as their Afghan recruit Mohammad Nabi returned for his national duty while Sri Lankan Tillakaratne Dilshan and Mashrafe

bin Mortaza were rested with injuries.

However, the Mohammedan camp will breathe a sigh of relief today with Dilshan and Mashrafe expected to play in the match at BKSP-3, while commonly known as the mystery spinner, Ajantha Mendis will also add to the strength.

“Dilshan is back and Mashrafe is also expected to play. We will take the field eyeing a win as we always do,” said Wasim Khan, manager of the club.

Last year’s runners-up Prime Bank

players who are affiliated to Usha. We the ones in their black book, as we demanded the players transfer,” he added.

Zahid said it seemed that all the fault belonged to the senior players.

“We request a full-fledged probe and the coach, team management are also part of the failure. Was the team composition right? Did the team lack efficient midfielders? - and many aspects also should be scrutinized.

“We will accept any punishment if we are the ones to blame, but before that’s been confirmed, everyone’s throwing arrows at us.

We want a neutral and fair probe procedure,” said Zahid. l

Nayan Ali sets new swimming record n Shishir Hoque

Last-eight lineup confirmed in Pran-BSJA Media cricket

Nayan Ali set a new national record in the boys’11-12 group of 100 metre freestyle event in the Bashundhara 29th National Age Level Swimming at the Syed Nazrul Islam National Swimming Complex in Mirpur yesterday. Nayan clocked 01:05.61 minutes to clinch the gold. The previous record was 01:06.07.

BKSP’s dominance in swimming continued on the opening day as they topped the chart with 14 gold, 12 silver and seven bronze. Bangladesh Ansar were placed second with three gold, five silver and three bronze while Lalonshah Swimming Club bagged two gold. l

n Shishir Hoque Gazi TV, Maasranga, Kaler Kantho, Rising BD and Daily Star joined Channel 9, Samakal and Radio Today in the quarter-finals of the Pran-Frooto BSJA Media Cup cricket after posting victories yesterday at the Moulana Bhashani National Hockey Stadium yesterday.

Gazi 38/0) crushed Channel 71 (32/5) by five wickets, Maasranga (79/4) beat RTV (77/2) by one wicket, kaler Kantho

( 120/1) outplayed The Independent (37/5), Prathom Alo (71/0) thrashed Ittefaq (70/4), Rising BD (33/0) rout New Nation (31/5) while Daily Star (99/1) earned a 8-run victory over ATN News (91/2).

The quarter-finals will be held today at the same venue.

Meanwhile, the Dhaka Tribune won their last group match by four wickets over Baisakhi TV. After Baisakhi made 87/4 from their six overs, the Tribune chased down the target with two overs to spare for the loss of one wicket. Skipper Reazur Rahman Rohan, who made 33 not out, was named player-of-the-match.l

14

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

Saturday, September 28, 2013

Bale set for Bernabeu debut in Madrid derby n Reuters, Madrid

Inter Milan's Esteban Cambiasso (R) celebrates with his teammate Mauro Icardi after scoring against Fiorentina during their Italian Serie A match at the San Siro stadium in Milan on Thursday REUTERS

Cambiasso inspires Inter to sink Fiorentina n Reuters Esteban Cambiasso inspired a stirring fightback as Inter Milan struck twice in the last 18 minutes to record a 2-1 victory on Thursday and hand Fiorentina their first Serie A defeat of the season.

The Argentine midfielder, back to his best after struggling last season, cancelled out Giuseppe Rossi’s secondhalf penalty before Brazilian fullback Jonathan grabbed the winner with seven minutes to go.

Both unbeaten teams went into the match with 10 points from four games and Fiorentina delivered the first blow when Italy forward Rossi converted a penalty on the hour after Joaquin was tripped.

It was the fifth league goal of the

season for Serie A’s joint top scorer who is back in action after suffering successive knee injuries which sidelined him for the best part of two years.

Fiorentina, who had looked dangerous throughout the first half, sat back on their lead and gifted Inter a goal from a corner in the 72nd minute.

Goalkeeper Neto flapped at the ball and his team mates missed another chance to clear before Cambiasso, 33, acrobatically hooked in the equaliser.

Fiorentina seemed more likely to grab the winner until Ricky Alvarez’s cross found Jonathan at the far post and he eluded Matias Fernandez’s weak challenge to smash the ball into the roof of the net.

Inter, vastly improved under new coach Walter Mazzarri, are now level with Juventus and Napoli on 13 points, two behind leaders AS Roma who have a 100 percent record. l

With his Real side misfiring and city rivals Atletico flying high, world record signing Gareth Bale may be in for a baptism of fire when he makes his home debut in Saturday’s Madrid derby at the Bernabeu (2000 GMT).

The 100-million euro ($135 million) Wales winger was due to play his first match at Real’s giant arena last weekend against Getafe but tweaked a thigh muscle in the warmup and was hastily withdrawn from the starting lineup.

Coach Carlo Ancelotti rested Bale for Wednesday’s 2-1 win at promoted Elche, when Real needed a controversial Cristiano Ronaldo penalty deep into stoppage time to secure victory, but told reporters the 24-year-old would be back to face Atletico.

Instead of taking to the field against one of the league’s weakest teams, however, Bale will be up against a firedup side who have won all six of their matches and top the table on a perfect 18 points with champions Barcelona.

Diego Simeone’s Atletico will also be buoyed by last season’s memorable 2-1 King’s Cup final victory against Real in the same stadium, the first victory for the club against their bitter city rivals in any competition in 14 years.

Atletico’s triumph was particularly sweet for their long-suffering fans as it left Real without major silverware and helped hasten the departure of coach Jose Mourinho.

Mourinho’s successor Ancelotti has yet to get the best from his hugely expensive squad and the Italian delivered some blunt criticism after Wednes-

day’s unconvincing display at Elche, a club whose entire squad is worth less than half the fee Real paid Tottenham Hotspur for Bale.

Intensity and personality are exactly what former Argentina captain Simeone, a combative midfielder for clubs including Atletico, Sevilla, Inter Milan and Lazio, has instilled in his squad since he took over in late 2011.

None has benefited more from the Argentine’s guidance than Brazilian Diego Costa, who has started the season with a bang and tops the La Liga scoring chart alongside Barca’s World Player of the Year Lionel Messi on seven goals.

A burly forward who likes to rattle opponents with an aggressive playing

Fixtures Valencia Almeria Real Sociedad Real Madrid

v v v v

Rayo Vallecano Barcelona Sevilla Atletico Madrid

style, Costa netted the equaliser in last season’s Cup final and his battle with Real’s central defenders Sergio Ramos and Pepe will be one of the most intriguing aspects of Saturday’s game.

“We are working, taking each game at a time, and the only thing that concerns us is doing things well at Atletico Madrid,” Simeone told a news conference after Tuesday’s 2-1 La Liga win at home to Osasuna.

“We are on a positive run, the fans are happy.

“Each day the responsibility is growing and the demands even more and that’s why we have to rest properly and train hard.”l

Old allies AVB, Mourinho to collide n AFP, London Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur will put their Premier League title credentials to the test when they renew their rivalry at White Hart Lane on Saturday.

Both teams made a raft of new signings during the close season and have made steady starts to the new campaign ahead of the 149th encounter between the two London clubs.

An injury-time goal from Paulinho gave Spurs a 1-0 win at Cardiff City last weekend that took them level on points with Arsenal at the top of the table, while Chelsea are two points back following a 2-0 victory over Fulham.

The game will not want for subplots, with Portuguese managers Andre Villas-Boas and Jose Mourinho due to face off for the first time since they

ended their collaboration at Inter Milan in 2009.

Villas-Boas failed to emulate his former mentor during an unsuccessful eight-month stint at Chelsea between 2011 and 2012, but in Spurs he has found a club with its eyes on the same prizes.

Spurs have conceded only one goal to date, in a 1-0 loss to Arsenal on September 1, and Villas-Boas says such parsimoniousness will stand them in good stead for the visit of his former team.

“What we’re seeing this season in the Premier League is that it’s tight at the top. I would expect a tight encounter,” said the Spurs coach, whose side crushed Aston Villa 4-0 in the League Cup in mid-week.

“We’ve looked solid at the back; not just clean sheets, but the amount of opportunities allowed. We’ll have to show that ability again.”

Chelsea centre-back David Luiz, who has made just one league start under Mourinho, says it would be wrong to attach too much importance to the touchline duel between the managers.

Fixtures Tottenham Aston Villa Fulham Hull City Man United Southampton Swansea City

v v v v v v v

Chelsea Man City Cardiff City West Ham West Brom Crystal Palace Arsenal

“It’s Chelsea and Tottenham, not just Mourinho and Villas-Boas,” the Brazilian told the Chelsea website.

Arsenal saw a run of 10 consecutive away wins come to an end in 1-1 draw at West Bromwich Albion in the League Cup on Wednesday, but they prevailed on penalties to maintain their recent

momentum.

Arsene Wenger’s side are unbeaten in eight games in all competitions, but on Saturday they visit a Swansea City side smarting after their League Cup defence was ended by second-tier Birmingham City.

Manchester United reacted to their 4-1 derby humiliation at Manchester City last weekend by eliminating Liverpool in the League Cup and the champions will hope to get back to winning ways in the league by defeating West Brom.

City continued their goal-scoring form by avenging last season’s FA Cup final loss to Wigan Athletic with a 5-0 League Cup win over the Championship side in mid-week, ahead of a trip to Aston Villa on Saturday.

Montenegro striker Stevan Jovetic opened his account for City with a brace and will hope to keep his place in the starting line-up at Villa Park.l

Napoli target to bounce back after first Serie A slip n AFP, Florence Napoli face struggling Genoa away in a bid to reclaim top spot in Italy’s Serie A on Saturday, when AC Milan host Sampdoria in the hope of finally kickstarting their disastrous season.

Napoli, believed to be the biggest threat to champions Juventus, dropped two precious points in a surprising 1-1 draw at home against basement side Sassuolo on Wednesday.

It came days after the league new boys were thrashed 7-0 at home by Inter Milan and allowed Roma to stretch their lead at the top of the table to two points following their 2-0 away

win at Sampdoria.

Despite claiming Napoli did not under-estimate a determined Sassuolo side, coach Rafael Benitez was coy after the game.

“We have to learn from this match,” said the Spaniard.

Fixtures Genoa v Napoli AC Milan v Sampdoria The slip means the Azzurri will head to Genoa, who by Saturday’s game will have met five of the top six teams from last season, extra determined to secure all three points.

Slovakian forward Marek Hamsik, who has scored four goals in five games, said: “It wasn’t a satisying re-

sult for us, but now we have to look ahead to Genoa and make amends.”

Having just scraped into the top three at the end of last season, a raft of injuries and some poor displays have seen AC Milan drop to 12th.

Massimiliano Allegri’s side are already 10 points behind Roma and are missing recently-signed playmaker Kaka, who is sidelined with injury, as well as other key players including striker Mario Balotelli.

Serving a three-game ban for being sent-off in last week’s 2-1 home defeat to Napoli, Balotelli was conspicuous by his absence when Milan scraped a 3-3 draw away to Bologna on Wednesday.

Balotelli on Thursday apologised to his fellow players and the fans for his costly outburst.l

Villarreal's defender Mario (C) vies with Espanyol's midfielder Victor Sanchez (R) and defender Hector Alfredo Moreno during their Spanish league match at the El Madrigal stadium in Villareal on Thursday. Villarreal won the match 2-1 AFP

Trio continue tussle for top spot in France

Klose joins Gomez Wolves face tough task against Bayern on injury list n AFP, Berlin AFP, Berlin

n AFP, Paris

Germany coach Joachim Loew will be without both his first-choice strikers for next month’s World Cup qualifiers after Miroslav Klose joined Mario Gomez on the injury list.

Klose, 35, who earlier this month equalled Gerd Mueller’s record of 68 international goals for Germany, underwent surgery on his right foot on Wednesday in Munich and is expected to be out for at least the next two weeks.

Germany are also without Mario Gomez, who has a knee injury, leaving third-choice striker Max Kruse of Borussia Moenchengladbach as an option.l

Defending champions Paris Saint-Germain and fellow title hopefuls Marseille will continue to jostle for Ligue 1 supremacy with early-season pace-setters Monaco this weekend.

On Sunday Monaco travel to midtable Reims who have lost just once in seven outings and conceded only one goal since mid-August.

Second-placed PSG, who are in the middle of a run of five fixtures in 15

Fixtures FC Lorient PSG Evian Sochaux Nice Lyon St Etienne

v v v v v v v

Marseille Toulouse Bordeaux Valenciennes En Avant Lille Bastia

days, return to the capital on Saturday to host Toulouse. Marseille visit Lorient in Saturday’s early game. Elsewhere, Lyon will host Lille.l

n

VfL Wolfsburg admit they face an uphill task in their bid to try and stop Bayern Munich’s march to the top of the Bundesliga table on Saturday.

Bayern are on a 31-match unbeaten streak in the Bundesliga and last tasted defeat at home to Bayer Leverkusen in October 2012.

Pep Guardiola’s side go into the weekend’s matches in second place in the table, trailing leaders Borussia Dortmund on goals scored before facing the Wolves at the Allianz Arena.

Having blitzed Schalke 4-0 in

Gelsenkirchen last Saturday in the league and routed Hanover 96 4-1 in the German Cup on Wednesday, Bayern are showing signs of further progress under Guardiola since he succeeded

Fixtures Leverkusen Bayern Munich Dortmund Hertha Berlin Hoffenheim Frankfurt

v v v v v v

Hanover 96 VfL Wolfsburg Freiburg Mainz Schalke 04 Hamburg SV

Jupp Heynckes as head coach in June.

In contrast, Wolfsburg team manager Mike Schuessler admitted he

“didn’t find many weaknesses” after watching Guardiola’s Bayern, while director of sport Klaus Allofs said: “We’ll need a good performance to get a result there.”

Elsewhere, league leaders Dortmund host Freiburg on Saturday with a question mark over left-back Marcel Schmelzer after the Germany defender aggravated a thigh injury in the 2-0 German Cup win over seconddivision 1860 Munich.

Dortmund are definitely without right-back Lukasz Piszczek, who is recovering from hip and groin surgery, midfielder Ilkay Gundogan, who has a back injury, and captain Sebastian Kehl, who has torn ankle ligaments. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Quick Bytes Sagar retains lead International Master Minhazuddin Ahmed Sagar of Bangladesh Ansar remained in the lead at the end of the 6th round of the Berger Paints 39th National ‘A’ Chess Championship after beating Md Jamal Uddin in at the BOA media centre yesterday. Sagar, who won the game in 43 moves, now has 5.5 points. In the day’s big game, Grandmaster Ziaur Rahman of Dhaka Mohammedan beat teammate and reigning champion GM Niaz Murshed to move to the second position with five points. Zia, playing with the white pieces, used an English Opening and won in 40 moves. GM Abdulla Al-Rakib of Access Group is placed 3rd with 4.5 points, and drew his game with Fide Master Sk Nasir Ahmed of Titas Club. In other matches, Grandmaster Enamul Hossain Razib beat International Master Abu Sufian Shakil of Access group, FM Kh Aminul Islam of Bangladesh Ansar beat Shafiq Ahmed of Golden Chess Club, FM Debaraj Chatterjee beat FM Mehdi Hasan Parag and FM Mohammed Javed beat Mohammed Hafizul Islam Chapal of Dhaka City Sagar will face Rakib in the 7th round today.

– SH

Women’s handball roll into semis

Dhaka, Rangamati, BJMC and Dinajpur cruised into the semi-finals of the Walton Invitational National Women’s Handball Tournament yesterday. Dhaka defeated Rajshahi 17-8, Dinajpur outplayed Kustia 22-10, Rangamati edged past Bangladesh Police 17-16 and BJMC thrashed Naogaon 27-3 in the quarterfinals at the M Mansur Ali National Handball Stadium. In semi-final action today, BJMC will take on Dinajpur while Dhaka will face Rangamati.

-SH

Sport

Saturday, September 28, 2013

15

History-making Siddikur qualifies for World Cup n AsianTour Asia will be well represented at the US$8 million ISPS HANDA World Cup of Golf at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club from November 21-24, 2013 with 13 of the continent’s top stars from seven nations, including first-timer Siddikur of Bangladesh, qualifying for the prestigious event.

Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee and Kiradech Aphibarnrat, who are the past and current Asian Tour No 1s respectively, will spearhead the region’s challenge along with Korea’s K.J. Choi, an Asian Tour honorary member and eight-time winner on the PGA Tour, countryman Bae Sang-moon, India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar and Anirban Lahiri, Liang Wen-chong and Wu Ashun of China, Filipino duo Angelo Que and Juvic Pagunsan and Siddikur.

Japan will also be represented in the ISPS HANDA World Cup of Golf, with its two players to be confirmed later.

All eyes will be on Bangladeshi trailblazer Siddikur, who will become the first player from his country to compete in the World Cup. He became the first man to win on the Asian Tour at the 2010 Brunei Open and has since established himself by finishing in the top-10 of the Order of Merit in 2010 and 2011 and 17th last season.

“I’m very excited to represent Bangladesh in the World Cup. This will be the first time that Bangladesh will feature in the World Cup and it’ll be an historic moment. I’ve played in the qualifiers before but have never made

it into the event proper, so this is just great,” said the 28-year-old Siddikur.

“It will have a great impact for my country. Golf is getting more popular and people do recognise me along the streets back home and I feel proud to be the flagbearer for golf in my country.

There’s no shortcut to success. Hard work and more practice will only make me a better player and that is what I strive to do every day.

“I’ve definitely developed a lot since I started playing on the Asian Tour.

My first win in Brunei was something that I’ll never forget and I always try my best to get that second win on the Asian Tour. Hopefully it’ll not be long

before I get my hands on another title again,” added the Bangladeshi, who is currently 17th on the Asian Tour Order of Merit following four top-10s.

Asian Tour Chairman Kyi Hla Han said: “We are delighted that 13 players from Asia have qualified for the ISPS HANDA World Cup of Golf, which is another strong sign of progress made by our players. Asia will contribute the second highest total number of players in the World Cup after Europe and we have every confidence that our players will compete well.

“It is fantastic to see that Siddikur has qualified for the World Cup which is a first ever by a Bangladeshi. I am hopeful that his participation at Royal Melbourne will generate a lot of interest on him in Australia and also back home in Bangladesh.”

The ISPS HANDA World Cup of Golf, which will be played under a new format this year, will feature an individual competition offering prize money of US$7 million while nations with two qualified players will compete in the team event offering US$1 million in prize money.

The last time Asia won the World Cup was in 2002 through the Japanese team of Shigeki Maruyama and Toshi Izawa. Prior to that, the Chinese Taipei duo of Hsieh Min-nan and Lu Lianghuan triumphed at the 1972 edition in Royal Melbourne.

Torakichi Nakamura and Koichi Ono of Japan were the first Asian pair to win the World Cup in 1957 when the event was held in their home country. l

Double-ton schoolboy makes history, misses WG Grace mark n AFP, London Teenage batsman Dominic Sibley hit 220 not out against Yorkshire on Thursday to become the youngest player to score a double century in the history of England’s County Championship.

His feat, at the age of 18 years and 21 days, also made him the second youngest player to score 200 runs in a firstclass game in England, behind only the legendary WG Grace, who achieved the feat aged 18 years and 12 days.

The right-handed batsman batted for nine and a half hours at The Oval, facing 512 balls and recording 21 fours and two sixes. He was making only his third four-day appearance for Surrey.

He enjoyed a partnership of 236

with Hashim Amla, before the South Africa star was dismissed for 151.

Surrey, who have already been relegated from the First Division, ended the third day of the contest on 572-4 in response to Yorkshire’s first-innings total of 434. Sibley, given permission by his school to miss four days of A-level study to play in the game, admitted his record-breaking day was a dream come true, especially since he was batting with his hero Amla.

“I didn’t have many chances to score this morning because Yorkshire bowled really tight,” Sibley told BBC London 94.9.

“I was so relieved to finally get my hundred but, when I went to 200, it was just unbelievable. l

Under-14 tennis Rebeka Sultan Joya and Afrana Islam Prity reached the final of the girls’ singles ATF Asian U-14 Series Tennis Tournament yesterday at the National Tennis Complex in Ramna yesterday. Joya defeated Shah Safina and Prity overcame Fabiha Lamisa Shuchona in the semi-finals. In the boys’ singles, two Bangladeshis - Md Kawsar Ali Rubel Hossain – and two Pakistanis Haris Irfanul Hoq and Sahib Zada Mohammad Ali - won their quarter-final matches to advance to the last four.

- SH

Spot-fixer Westfield reveals prison torment

Former Essex pace bowler Mervyn Westfield has revealed his torment at spending four months in prison after being found guilty of spot-fixing. Westfield was jailed in 2012 and banned from professional cricket for five years and club cricket for three for accepting £6,000 ($9,606, 7,124 euros) to concede more than 12 runs in an over in a 40-over match against Durham in September 2009. The 25-year-old served his time in Belmarsh prison in south-east London and he admits the whole experience was a nightmare that has scarred him for life. “They took me down to the room, handcuffed me and put me in the security van,” he said in a film recorded by the Professional Cricketers’ Association.

– AFP

Serena secures yearend world number one Serena Williams has secured the year-end world number one ranking for the third time in her glittering career, the WTA said Friday, after adding nine titles this season including two more Grand Slams. The 32-year-old American power-hitter, now on a career total of 55 titles with 17 major wins, also achieved the feat in 2002 and 2009.

Williams joins Justine Henin and Martina Hingis as a three-time year-end number one, with only Steffi Graf (8), Martina Navratilova (7), Chris Evert (5) and Lindsay Davenport (4) ahead of her. “Serena has proven time and time again throughout her career that she is an incredible champion, both on and off the court,” said WTA chairman and CEO Stacey Allaster said in a statement. – AFP

Lawyer dismisses ‘vague’ Rauf allegations n AFP, Lahore Asad Rauf’s lawyer Friday rubbished a Mumbai police chargesheet which declared the Pakistani Test umpire “wanted accused”, saying his client will not go to India.

Mumbai police last week presented a chargesheet alleging Rauf was involved in an Indian Premier League (IPL) betting scandal which surfaced in May this year and ended in life bans for two Indian players, including Test paceman Shanthakumaran Sreesanth.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) withdrew Rauf from the Champions Trophy in June before removing him

from the Elite Umpire panel pending an inquiry by the world governing body.

Rauf’s legal adviser, Syed Ali Zafar, said: “We have not officially received any chargesheet from Mumbai police, we came to know whatever was reported in the media. “Rauf is a well-known, professional and a competent Pakistani umpire.

“We think Mumbai police is doing his character assassination and it’s a conspiracy against him,” Zafar, flanked by Rauf, said at a press conference.

“Whatever is being reported in the press is all false and I strongly deny it on behalf of Rauf. At the moment we don’t want to give any importance to it and it doesn’t have any legality.” l

Five sixes in an over, Dhoni hits fastest CLT20 fifty n

Agencies

Chennai Super Kings’ captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni added another feather to his hat on Thursday as he raced to the fastest fifty in the history of Champions League Twenty20 (CLT20) in just 16 balls.

The Indian skipper achieved the milestone against Sunrisers Hyderabad, largely at the expense of Thisara Perera, before his home crowd in Ranchi to give his side enough runs to script a 12-run win.

Dhoni’s belligerent fifty beat the previous CLT20 record of 18-ball fifty scored by Mumbai Indians’ Kieron Pollard.

The West Indian set the

record in the 2009 edition while playing for Trinidad and Tobago against the New South Wales.

Ranchi witnessed a typical Dhoni, who also slammed 34 runs off Perera’s over, the highest number of runs scored in an over in the tournament.

Dhoni beat Kieron Pollard’s record by scoring fifty in 16 balls, hitting Hyderabad’s Thisara Perera for 34 runs in an over.

Dhoni finished on 63 off 19 balls, punctuated with one four and eight big sixes, which helped Chennai post 202 against the Hyderabad. Hyderabad made a match of it but could only reach 190 in the end to concede a narrow defeat. l

Day’s Watch ESPN 5:30pm MotoGP World Championship LIVE Qualifying La Liga 2013/14 LIVE 9:55pm Almeria v Barcelona 1:55am Real Madrid v Atletico de Madrid ESPN HD Barclays Premier League LIVE 5:35pm Tottenham v Chelsea 7:50pm Manchester United v West Brom Star Cricket 8:20pm 2013 CLT20 LIVE Chennai Super Kings v Brisbane Heat

Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni deposits one in the Ranchi crowd against Sunrisers Hyderabad during their Champions League T20 match at Ranchi on Thursday INTERNET

Barcelona forward Lionel Messi (2R) arrives in court to answer charges of tax evasion in Gava yesterday. Barcelona forward Lionel Messi and his father Jorge have paid five million euros ($6.6 million) as a "corrective payment" to the Spanish authorities after they were accused in June of filing false tax returns, a court statement said on September 4 REUTERS

Messi in court over Tax fraud n AFP, Gava Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi appeared in court Friday to answer charges of evading 4.16 million euros ($5 million) in taxes in a case that stunned the sporting world.

Crowds of reporters and fans gathered as the 26-year-old Argentine international, four time winner of the FIFA World Player of the Year, arrived by car shortly before 11:00 am (0900 GMT).

Dressed in a dark jacket and white shirt, Messi made no comment as he walked up to the entrance of the court in Gava, the coastal suburb of Barcelona where he lives, for the closed-door hearing.

His father Jorge Messi, who was summoned to go before the judge

ahead of the player, had arrived an hour earlier with his lawyers.

The two were summoned on charges of evading tax on the player’s image rights to the tune of 4.16 million euros.

They have denied wrongdoing, pointing the finger at a former agent of the player.

The court said Jorge Messi paid the tax authorities five million euros in August – the 4.16 million euros claimed by the taxman plus interest -- which is likely to significantly reduce any sentence should they be found guilty.

‘I am not worried’ Lionel Messi’s form on the field has scarcely been affected, with the Barcelona forward scoring 10 goals in just seven matches this season as the Span-

ish champions remain unbeaten.

“I am not worried, I’m always on the sidelines of all that, just like my dad.

We have our lawyers and our advisors who handle these things. We trust in them and they will solve the issue,” he said in July.

Nor does it appear to have tarnished his image among Barcelona fans.

“What I want is for this to be resolved quickly so Messi can relax and focus on the football,” said one fan outside the court, Joaquin Bosch, 60, wearing a Barcelona shirt.

The case began in June when a prosecutor accused the Messis of evading tax by ceding the player’s image rights to “purely instrumental entities” in Belize and Uruguay.l

India court clears Srinivasan to contest BCCI vote

Kvitova floors Venus to set up Kerber final clash

n AFP, New Delhi

n AFP, Tokyo

India’s Supreme Court on Friday cleared the country’s cricket chief N. Srinivasan to seek a third term in his role at an election this weekend, but barred him from taking charge immediately after the vote.

A cricket association in eastern Bihar state had petitioned the court to stop Srinivasan from contesting the vote for president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) because his son-inlaw was charged in a corruption scandal.

Srinivasan’s son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan is among several officials, players and bookmakers charged with cheating and criminal conspiracy in a spot-fixing scandal that has rocked the Indian Premier League, a Twenty20 tournament run by the BCCI. “Why he is in charge if his son-inlaw has been charge-sheeted,” the Press Trust of India quoted the judge as asking Srinivasan’s lawyers. l

Petra Kvitova ended the run of a resurgent Venus Williams at the Pan Pacific Open on Friday, winning a high-octane shootout 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 to reach the final of the $2.3 million event, where she will face fellow “lefty” Angelique Kerber.

The German Kerber had too much firepower for Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki, the fifth seed beating the former world number one 6-2, 7-6 to reach her seventh career final.

Kvitova, the 2011 Wimbledon champion from the Czech Republic, repelled everything Williams threw at her in a pulsating Tokyo semi-final, the seventh seed holding her nerve to tear through the deciding tiebreak 7-2 and complete victory in two hours, 24 minutes.

“That was definitely one of my best matches of the season,” Kvitova told AFP after playing her third match in two days.

“I knew she would attack and I had

a little trouble so I just tried to do the same to her.”

A see-saw match which began in bright sunshine with Williams in the ascendancy caught fire in the second set.

Kvitova began ripping winners past the former world number one, who took the rare step of calling hitting partner David Witt to her chair for a pow-wow after being pegged back to a set-all.

But Kvitova refused to buckle, finding the sweet spot repeatedly -- to the frustration of the seven-times grand slam singles champion, whose ranking has plummeted to 63rd in the world after being diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder in 2011.

The American unravelled at crunch time and an absorbing clash ended under floodlights when Kvitova, who had held a 6-0 lead in the tiebreak, converted her third match point by forcing Williams to hook a forehand long after another fierce salvo from the baseline.l

16

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Back Page

Saturday, September 28, 2013

WORLD TOURISM DAY OBSERVED

No harm will be done to Sundarbans: Minister n Tribune Desk Bangladesh observed World Tourism Day yesterday amid concerns of conservationists that a coal-fired power project being implemented at Rampal will have adverse impact on the biodiversity of the Sundarbans, a global heritage and a key tourist attraction in Bangladesh.

A platform of conservationists, joined by leftist political parties, is leading a “long march” with the slogan “Save Sundarbans” to Rampal in Bagerhat demanding that the government scrap the coal-based power plant, whose work is set to be inaugurated by the prime minister on October 22.

Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Faruk Khan, however, has said the government would not do anything that might have adverse effects on the ecology of the Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest.

“We need electricity and at the same time we need to protect our environment. We would not do anything harming the Sundarbans,” Khan told reporters at Dhaka University’s TSC yesterday after a rally brought out to celebrate the world Tourism Day-2013.

Responding to a query, the tourism minister said the government assesses environmental aspects before taking any development project. “The power plant will be set up far from the Sundarbans and the most modern technology will be used there,” reports UNB.

Citing an example how each person harms the environment, he said: “The environment will be affected to some extent for people.”

Amid the growing demand for its cancellation, the government on Thursday said some individuals and organisations are misleading people through propaganda against the proposed 1320MM coal-fired Rampal thermal power plant to be built near the Sundarbans.

Faruk Khan said the tourism industry is performing better in recent years with the growing number of domestic and international tourists.

“The number of tourists was 200,000 a few years back but it was 588,000 last year…we earned Tk 60-65 million earlier but the earnings stood at Tk 100.93 million in 2012-2013,” he added.

Earlier yesterday, a colourful rally, led by the tourism minister, was brought out from Ramna Park which ended at the TSC. Tour Operators Association of Bangladesh, Aviation and Tourism Journalists Forum, Bangladesh, Association of Travel Agents of Bangladesh, Ruposhi Bangla Hotel, Regency Dhaka, American International University, Bangladesh, Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation, Bangladesh Tourism Board and Bangladesh Kite Foundation, among others, took part in the rally.

This year’s theme was “Tourism and Water: Protecting our Common Future.” l

A colourful procession marking the World Tourism Day goes past the Ramna Park in the capital yesterday

Sense of insecurity still haunts Ramu Buddhists Most people, including Muslims and Buddhists, still cannot understand why the Buddhists were attacked Reza Chowdhury, back n Kamran from Ramu, Cox’s Bazar The entrance of the three-metre lane leading to the Shima Bihar, the central Buddhist temple in Ramu of Cox’s Bazar, a centuries-old shrine that was raged by a religious bigot-led Muslim mob just a year ago, was decorated by a golden makeshift archway.

It was very early in the morning and a crowd of visitors, both local and foreign, had already gathered to get a glimpse of the newly-rebuilt majestic pagoda with traditional Buddhist architecture mainly seen in Myanmar.

However, frantic efforts from authorities and local Muslims and the message engraved on the patina that read “let us get and start afresh” did little to allay the fear of unknown among the 15,000 Baruas, who are mostly poor living in ghetto-like houses for centuries.

They thank the government all right for helping them rebuild their ransacked houses that look like train compartments for the way they were placed.

“We have better houses than before; but a sense of fear grips us at night. Lest they come again,” Jonu Barua, 75, told the Dhaka Tribune.

“Now the army and the BGB patrol at night. What will happen after they leave?” he asked, adding that Ramu had always been an example of “excellent

Hindu-Barua-Muslim” ties for centuries.

The houses of Jonu Barua and 25 other families near the Shima Bihar were destroyed by religious extremists a year ago, amid silence of the moderate Muslims and virtual inaction of law enforcers.

On September 29 last year, religious zealots instigated the local Muslims to take part in the anti-Buddhist devastation following a rumour that the holy Qur’an was defamed on the internet by a Buddhist.

Witnesses say not just the BNP and Jamaat men, even the Awami League,

the party that generally gets the vote of the Buddhists, were also involved with the attacks.

“A rumour is in the air. Every now and then we hear comments that they [the religious bigots] will come again after the Army and BGB withdraw from the area. They will torture our women, not to mention burning down houses,” Mitu Barua, a female student in her 20s, told the Dhaka Tribune.

Dipti Barua of Madhya Merongloya, where more than 500 Buddhist families live, is very concerned about her two daughters.

A rebuilt Buddhist temple at Ramu

“We sleep by day, not at night. We cannot forget [the horrors]. We have never thought of a situation like this,” Dipti told the Dhaka Tribune.

Similar fear grips the Buddhists in the north Mithachhari Barua Para.

“This is hard to forget. We are really scared,” Ratan Barua, a drugstore owner, told the Dhaka Tribune.

However, very few of these ill-fated Buddhists have any other option.

“Where will we go? This is our land.

We have to live here,” Mong Lha Pro Pinto, a local school teacher, told the Dhaka Tribune.

Most common people, including both Muslims and Buddhists, still cannot understand why the Buddhists were attacked.

“The Buddhists have never been troublemakers. The Hindus, the Baruas and the Muslims used to live like brothers. Allah knows why they were attacked,” said Anwar Hossain, a resident of North Mithachhari Barua Para.

Then again, leaders of the Buddhist community said the climbing price of land in Ramu, where some 15,000 Baruas live, could be a cause of the attacks.

They said the proposed Bangladesh-Myanmar friendship road had made Ramu an important place.

“The attacks were staged mainly to intimidate the Buddhists. You know Buddhists are non-violent people. So,

such attacks would at one stage force them to leave the place,” Tarun Barua, the general secretary of Shima Bihar, told the Dhaka Tribune.

“But we will not leave,” he affirmed.

Local Buddhist leader Nitish Barua said the attacks could be a result of the attacks on the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.

“Government probes have identified a good number of Rohingya sympathisers in Cox’s Bazar responsible for the attacks. They wanted to take revenge on us,” he said.

The Buddhist leaders said the attacks would not have taken place if Awami League leader and upzila chairman Sohel Sarwar Kajol, who was elected by their votes, stood beside them.

“He [Kajol] might have thought that although the votes of the Buddhists were important, maintaining a pro-Islam image was more important for him to succeed in the next votes,” Tarun Barua, vice-president of Maitree Bihar management committee, told the Dhaka Tribune.

On September 29-30 last year, religious bigots attacked and looted 12 shrines in Ramu, Ukhia and Teknaf upzillas in Cox’s Bazar and Patia in Chittagong.

In some places like Khorulia near Ramu, however, Muslims stood up against the zealots and prevented the attack on their Buddhist neighbours. l

World Rabies Day today Rights to information still a far cry n Moniruzzaman Uzzal The number of death from rabies in Bangladesh has come down significantly over the last few years as people all around the globe will observe the World Rabies Day today.

According to the statistics of the Communicable Disease Control (CDC) of Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) the number of death from rabies in Mohakhali Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH), now known as National Rabies Prevention and Control Centre, were 167 in 2006.

The World Health Organisation is reported to have donated 10,000 vial ARB Vaccine to Bangladesh to meet its emergency need But the number on 31st July of 2013 came down to 46.

However, the number of patient from dog bite has increased in recent time.

A total of 43,259 patients took treatment at the same hospital in 2010 but it went up to 86696 till 31st July of 2013.

Now-a-days the rabies treatment is being badly hampered throughout the country because of lack of two types

of tissue culture vaccine – (Anti Rabies Vaccine (ARB) and Rabies Immune Globulin (RIG).

DGHS was providing this vaccine at free of cost to the 65 health centres all over the country. But now it is not supplying the vaccine depriving a huge number of patient from the treatment for dog bite.

The doctors are advising patients to buy the vaccine on their own. Each vaccine costs Tk500-700.

The World Health Organisation is reported to have donated 10,000 vial ARB Vaccine to Bangladesh to meet its emergency need.

DGHS is providing limited number of vaccine to rabies prevention and control centres in 65 districts. They will buy 40,000 more vials but it is under process of procurement. Amid huge crisis of vaccine DGHS is going to celebrate the World Rabies Day-2013 today.

Professor Dr Be-Nazir Ahmed, Director of CDC of DGHS told the Dhaka Tribune that National strategic plan for elimination of the disease from dog bite by the year 2020 has been adopted.

He claimed that Bangladesh is very successfully running national programmes to prevent and control rabies. It has become role model to other south Asian countries. l

World Right to Information Day today financing shall increase, corruption n Rabiul Islam of the same shall decrease and good With most public and private offices running without arrangements for responding to people’s queries – a key element of a 2009 act – Bangladesh joins a global bandwagon of 94 countries observing the World Right to Information Day today.

The Bangladesh government enacted the Right to Information Act in 2009 that asked all government and non-government organisations to appoint designated officers to provide information to people.

But still many organisations have not appointed any such officers.

According to the Right to Information Act-2009, within 60 days after commencement of this act all authorities existing prior to such commencement shall appoint a designated officer for each of the units for providing information.

If the right to information of the people is ensured, the transparency and accountability of all public, autonomous and statutory organisations and of other private institutions constituted or run by government or foreign

governance of the same shall be established, the act said.

A senior official of the Information Commission said around 15,000 designated officers hadso far been appointed tothe government and non-government offices.

The official,however, admitted that many offices had not yet appointed the designated officers for providing information.

“We have not taken strong measures as the Right to Information act is a new law,” Chief Information Commissioner Mohammad Faruk told the Dhaka Tribune over phone yesterday.

He observed if harsh measures were taken the law might not work.

The chief commissioner, however, said letters had been sent to the offices to appoint the officers and the number is rising.

On the occasion,Bangladesh will organise rallies and discussions highlighting the significance of the right to information.

India passed the right to information act in 2005, a little ahead of Ban-

gladesh, the chief information commissioner said.

Suraiya Begum, an assistant director of Research Initiatives, Bangladesh, recently at a training programme on the act alleged that officers at many government and non-government offices were reluctant to give information.

She said common as well as many educated people are still unaware about the existence of the right to information act and its benefits.

Lack of public awareness and the reluctance of the media to use the law for professional purposes were identified as the challenges by the information commission in its annual report for 2012.

Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu recently tabled the annual report in parliament.

Between January 1 and December 31, 2012, people submitted a total of 16,475 applications – 13,921 to the government wings and 2,554 to the NGOs – for information, according to the report.

Of the total, the 15,799 applicants had their requests entertained, the report said. Over 4% (676) of the applications for information were in process. l

MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Faruk Khan blames media for halting Carnet decision n Ashif Islam Shaon Tourism Minister Faruk Khan yesterday alleged that the ministry could not get the finance minister’s nod to a proposal for continuing duty-free entry of cars owned by tourists under two UN conventions “because of media reports.”

“When we were about to come to a decision on the matter, media reported that around 1,000 cars had entered the country under the privileges of Carnet de Passages [a customs document that identifies a driver’s motor vehicle required to take a vehicle into a significant but diminishing number of countries around the world] and they had not been taken back,” he said at a seminar.

He said his ministry had also decided on designating a colour for such vehicles so that they did not get mixed with other imported cars.

“But then the National Board of Revenue opposed the proposal, saying the Carnet facilities should not be entertained any longer,” he told the seminar in reply to queries from private tour operators.

The programme was jointly organised by Bangladesh Tourism Board, Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation, the Tour Operators Association of Bangladesh, and the IUCN as part of the observation of the World Tourism Day. The private tour operators criticised the government for its decision to impose 15% tax on all inbound and outbound tourists. They alleged that the government never considered the tourism sector as a priority sector.

Tourism Secretary Khurshed Alam Chowdhury said during the last budget the government had sought desired allocation from a few select sectors for their overall development.

“But the finance ministry later declined,” he said. “Tourism was never a priority in thebudget,” he said, urging the private sector to come forward and invest to boost the sector.

“The government cannot take a lead in this sector and will never do so in near future, but we will help you go forward. Tourism is booming everywhere.

We cannot miss the train!” he said.

IUCN Representative Ishtiaq Ahmed, Bangladesh Parjatan CorporationChairman MdMaksudulHasan, andleaders of the Tour Operators Association of Bangladesh, among others, spoke at the event.

Earlier in the morning, a rally led by Tourism Minister Faruk Khan paraded the city streets from Shahbaghto the TSC on Dhaka University campus to mark the tourism day.

An open air folk concert was organised by the Association of Travel Agents of Bangladesh at Ramna Park in the evening.Foreign tourists were welcomed at Shahjalal International Airport withsouvenirs.A two-day photo exhibition on tourist destinations organised by the Parjatancorporation in association with DOTS ended at the TSC yesterday. l

Editor: Zafar Sobhan, Published and Printed by Kazi Anis Ahmed at Romask Limited, 184, Tejgaon Industrial Area, Dhaka-1215. Editorial, News & Commercial Office: FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka 1207.

Phone: 9132093-94, Advertising: 9132155, Circulation: 9132282, Fax: News-9132192, e-mail: news@dhakatribune.com, info@dhakatribune.com, Website: www.dhakatribune.com