12 Feb, 2016

SECOND EDITION

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2016 | Magh 30, 1422, Jamadiul Awal 2, 1437 | Regd No DA 6238, Vol 3, No 297 | www.dhakatribune.com | 32 pages plus 24-page Weekend supplement | Price: Tk10

DMP to clean up its act n Tribune Report Dhaka Metropolitan Police has formed a four-member committee to select responsible and sincere police officials from outside Dhaka for appointing in the DMP. The decision to form the committee was taken at a recent conference in the wake of some of the recent incidents of harassment and assault by police that caused a stir. The inspector general of police was present at the conference held at Rajarbagh Police Lines.

In recent times, several such incidents took place, including the death of a tea-seller from burn injuries caused by police in the capital’s Mirpur, a rickshaw-puller sustaining leg injuries having been shot by police, harassment of a Bangladesh Bank employee, and sexual harassment of a private university female student.

At the monthly crime conference held at the DMP Headquarters yesterday, the matter of forming the four-member committee was disclosed.

A source in yesterday’s conference told the Dhaka Tribune the committee would include an additional commissioner, a joint commissioner and two deputy commissioners.

Before the deployment of any police official coming from outside the DMP, a recommendation from the committee would be needed.

The committee will verify the previous records and service history of the police of-

RANA PLAZA MURDER CASE

2 accused get bail n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu

A Dhaka court yesterday granted bail to two accused men in the murder case filed over the Rana Plaza collapse that killed at least 1,136 people in April 2013.

Dhaka Senior Judicial Magistrate Shahajadi Tahmida passed the order after Shahidul Islam and Md Yusuf Ali, two factory inspectors of the Labour Ministry, surrendered before the court and their counsel Sheikh Baharul Islam filed the bail petition.

However, public prosecutors Abdul Mannan Khan and Anwarul Kabir Babul, and Court Inspector Asaduzzman opposed the bail petition mentioning that the two men were charge-sheeted accused in the case.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 4

In the backdrop of allegations that the capital’s policemen are misusing their powers, the DMP is now trying to recruit responsible and sincere police officials from outside Dhaka RAJIB DHAR ficials and recommend them for deployment if found eligible.

The conference criticised role of former OC of Shah Ali police station AKM Shahin Mondol

and said he was negligent when the incident of the tea-seller receiving burns took place.

To prevent the recurrence of such incidents, DMP Commissioner Asaduzzaman

Mia instructed all officers-in-charge of the police stations under the DMP to strictly supervise their subordinates.

He also asked police officials not to harass any innocent person and not to arrest anyone based on suspicion. “Such acts tarnish the image of police.”

The DMP commissioner asked policemen to remain alert while on duty and also asked senior officials to properly train and advise their subordinates.

“Robbery, murder or similar crimes will be investigated by both police and the Detective Branch.”

DMP Deputy Commissioner (media) Maruf Hossain Sarder told the Dhaka Tribune some police officials were awarded at the conference for their service.

Deputy Commissioner of Tejgaon zone Biplob Kumar Sarker was awarded as the best deputy commissioner in the DMP for the fifth time while Pallabi zone Assistant Commissioner ABM Zakir Hossain was named the best assistant commissioner. Gandaria police station Officer-in-Charge Kazi Mizanur Rahman got the award for the best officer-in-charge.

The conference also discussed some other recent crimes and the DMP commissioner gave necessary directives in this regard.

DMP deputy commissioners, assistant commissioners and officers-in-charge of Dhaka’s 49 police stations attended the daylong conference. l

BNP to hold first elections to its top posts

Six dead in Saudi mass shooting

n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

be held only if any other leaders from the party decides to contest Khaleda and Tarique for chairperson and senior-vice chairman; otherwise they will be elected uncontested, said a source.

“Decision was made in the party’s standing committee meeting that election will be held for senior vice-chairman and the chairperson posts,” said Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, who himself has been serving as the acting secretary general of the party for half a decade because there has been no election.

Addressing reporters at a briefing at the party’s Nayapaltan office yesterday on the

A man killed six employees at an education department office in Saudi Arabia yesterday, the interior ministry said, describing it as a “criminal” attack.

The attack in which two others were wounded occurred in the southern province of Jazan at about 2:00pm (local time), ministry spokesman General Mansour al-Turki confirmed.

“This is a criminal act,” said Turki, adding that one suspect had been arrested.

He was unable to immediately confirm how the victims were killed but state television reported it was a shooting.

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 PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

The BNP has decided to change the party charter to hold elections to the top two posts during its upcoming national council.

Chairperson Khaleda Zia approved the proposed changes in a meeting of the party’s highest policymaking body – the standing committee – on Wednesday night.

Tarique Rahman, son of Khaleda Zia and party founder Ziaur Rahman, is currently the senior vice-chairman – the other top post that will see election for the first time during the council slated for March 19.

However, elections to these two posts will

n AFP

INSIDE

Now sedition case filed BPC stops relying on against Mahfuz Anam G2G to import fuel oil The High Court yesterday issued a rule asking the government as to why a criminal case should not be initiated against the authorities of Japan Bangladesh Friendship Hospital for keeping a toddler’s lifeless body on life support PAGE 3

Bangladesh has floated an international tender to import petroleum products after 13 years, doing away with government-to-government (G2G) negotiations. The move comes as the demand to cut oil prices in local market is high. PAGE 5

Dreams shattered Hosts Bangladesh Under-19’s dream of contesting the final of the U-19 World Cup was crushed by the West Indies yesterday in Mirpur. The junior Tigers lost the second semi-final by three wickets and the Windies youngsters will now prepare for the grand finale against India, scheduled for this Sunday at the home of cricket. PAGE 25

Scientists glimpse gravitational waves In a landmark discovery for physics and astronomy, international scientists yesterday said they have glimpsed the first direct evidence of gravitational waves, or ripples in space-time, which Albert Einstein predicted a century ago. PAGE 33

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Nahid: Chhatra Sangsad will aid student politics n Mohammad Al Masum Molla Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid yesterday told parliament that necessary steps would be taken to establish Chhatra Sangsad in all colleges and universities in the country.

An active Chhatra Sangsad – student parliament – in academic institutions will aid constructive student politics, which helps create good political atmosphere in a country, the minister said in reply to a question.

Student politics is the spinning house of democracy, the minister said, adding that student politics has had a glorious role in the politics of Bangladesh. He said Chhatra Sangsad used to be active in universities in the past, and is still active in some colleges and universities.

However, he did not mention in which universities Chhatra Sangsad is still operational.

The election to DUCSU has been a long-pending demand of the DU students as the election has not been held since 1990. l

The road under Mayor Hanif Flyover, near Syedabad bus terminal in the capital, is often occupied by trucks that are parked there, hampering vehicular movement in the area. The photo was taken recently MEHEDI HASAN

Union parishad polls to be held in six phases Al-Masum Molla and n Mohammad Adil Sakhawat The Election Commission yesterday announced that the first phase of Union Parishad elections would be held on March 22 in 752 unions.

The commission also stated that the UP elections, which will be in partisan line for the first time in history, will be held in six phases in 4,275 unions of the country.

Election Commissioner Md Shah Nawaz said: “The UP polls will be held in over 4,500 union parishads but initially, the commission

has decided to hold the polls in 4,275 union parishads.”

According to the EC, the second phase of the polls will be held on March 31 in 710 union parishads, the third on April 23 in 711 UPs, fourth on May 7 in 728 UPs, fifth on May 28 in 714 UPs, and the sixth phase of the polls on June 4 in 660 Ups. However, Shah Nawaz said that the schedule of the other five phases will be announced locally by the district election officials.

He also said that the dates of the polls were kept in line with the SSC and HSC examination schedule so that the examinees do

not face any trouble.

EC Public Relations Director SM Asaduzzaman informed that the candidates for the first phase of the UP polls have to file their nominations by February 22. The nominations will be under scrutiny on February 23 and 24, and the last date for the withdrawal of nominations will be March 2.

The symbols for the first phase will be distributed on March 3, he said.

In this partisan UP elections, the registered political parties can compete in chairman posts but for members and reserved women members seats the poll will be held

in the current non-partisan system.

When asked about law and security during the polls, the commissioner said: “As the polls will be held in phases, the commission believes that the law and order situation will be under control.”

“Since this is a root level election, everyone somehow knows the other. Therefore, I hope nothing will go wrong in the upcoming polls,” Shah Nawaz added.

He also issued a warning to law enforcers saying that if the commission finds any irregularities during the polls, stern action will be taken against the personnel responsible. l

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Six dead in Saudi mass shooting The identity and motive of the suspect were unclear.

Al-Ekhbariya state television, citing police, said the suspect was not an employee but had some business at the ministry.

Officers responded to a report that a man “was shooting at a number of employees while they were carrying out their duties,” the channel reported on its Twitter account.

On the internet, purported pictures from

the scene showed at least five ambulances outside a building resembling a low-rise apartment block. The attack occurred in the remote community of Ad Dair, several kilometres from the Yemeni border.

Jazan and other southern border districts have been shelled by rebels in Yemen since March last year when a Saudi-led coalition began air strikes and later ground operations to halt the advance of the Huthi rebels there.

2 accused get bail

More than 90 soldiers and civilians have been killed in shelling and skirmishes in the Saudi border region.

Elsewhere in the kingdom there have been mass shootings and bombings claimed by the Dae’sh group against the Shia minority community. The jihadist group has also targeted the security forces.

But criminal mass shootings are rare in Saudi Arabia. l

BNP to hold first elections to its top posts outcomes of the Wednesday night meeting, Fakhrul also said: “The standing committee requested the chairperson to bring necessary amendments to the party charter.”

Upon the party’s highest forum’s recommendations, chief Khaleda Zia approved the necessary amendments to article 19A of the charter.

The senior vice-chairman post was formed in 2009 during the last national council of BNP. There was no election and Tarique Rahman was appointed for the post.

In another previous council, the senior joint secretary general post was created and

given to Tarique Rahman.

The BNP constitution says that the senior vice-chairman will have the highest authority in the party in the absence of the chairperson.

The party, which threw itself out of parliament for the first time in 25 years by boycotting the January 5, 2014 national elections, has also formed an internal election commission for conducting the council elections.

Former parliament speaker and now a standing committee member, Jamiruddin Sircar, was made the chairman of the com-

mission. The other members of the commission are Harun Al Rashid and Aminul Huq. Fakhrul also told reporters that they had already formed 15 sub-committees ahead of the national council.

Regarding the venue of the council, he said they were yet to get any response from the Dhaka Metropolitan Police to their application to have the Suhrawardy Udyan.

Seeking anonymity, a standing committee member told the Dhaka Tribune that the Bashundhara Convention Centre is an alternative in case they do not get the Suhrawardy Udyan. l

Seeking order to send them to jail, they also told the court that none of the accused had earlier received bail from the lower court. They also mentioned that on February 8, the same court sent a Rajuk building inspector Awaled Hossain to jail after his surrender in the same case.

After hearing both sides, the court granted the bail to the two men on Tk10,000 bonds.

After the order, public prosecutor Babul said: “This is the first time that any accused got bail from the lower court in the sensational murder case.”

On December 21, 2015, a Dhaka court took into cognisance the charge sheet in the murder case that charged Rana Plaza owner Sohel Rana and 40 others. On June 1, 2015, over two years after the tragedy, the CID pressed murder charges against 41 people, including Rana Plaza owner Sohel Rana, in two cases.

The accused include Rana’s parents, owners of four factories, the then mayor of Savar municipality and 14 government officials.

Of the 41 accused, Sohel Rana among nine accused are now in jail and 19 accused are on bail while the remaining 15 accused are still on the run. CID also submitted another charge sheet against 18 people on charges of violating building codes in constructing the Rana plaza in Savar, on the outskirts of the capital. l

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Autistic academy to be set up in capital n Tribune Report

The government has taken initiatives to establish an autistic academy in the capital to raise autistic children like normal children through various training programmes.

Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid yesterday told the parliament initiatives were taken to establish the autistic academy under the “Establishment of Autistic Academy” project of the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education.

In reply to a query, the minister said three acres of land in Purbachal was acquired to establish the academy.

He said there would be two separate hostels, each with a 100-seat capacity, at the academy to accommodate boys and girls.

“Apart from this, there will be therapy systems in the hostels and game zones to help autistic children lead a normal life. An initiative has been taken to train 3,100 teachers by this year to bring autistic children into mainstream education,” said Nahid.

State Minister for Social Welfare Promod Mankin also told the parliament the number of people suffering from autism in the country stands at 38,678. l

Children and other family members of slain journalist couple Sagar Sarwar and Meherun Runi pay respect at their graves at Azimpur graveyard in the capital yesterday on the fourth anniversary of their murder MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

HC for criminal case against Japan Bangladesh hospital n Ashif Islam Shaon The High Court yesterday issued a rule asking the government as to why a criminal case should not be initiated against the authorities of Japan Bangladesh Friendship Hospital for keeping a toddler’s lifeless body on life support and other irregularities.

The court also wanted to know why an order should not be given to compensate the family members of the 16-month-old baby girl, Sumaiya Sabah.

Health secretary, director general of the health department, director general of the drug administration and the hospital’s managing director were asked to respond to the

rule within 10 days.

The bench of Justice Moazzem Hossain and Justice Bodruzzaman issued the suo-moto rule after two lawyers brought the matter to the court’s notice. Of the respondents, the drug administration DG and the hospital’s MD were asked to appear before the court on February 22, one of the lawyers Toufiq Inam told the Dhaka Tribune.

The hospital’s authorities were fined Tk11.5 lakh for various irregularities during a sudden drive by Executive Magistrate Md Helal Uddin on Wednesday. At one stage of the operation, the mobile court found the mother of the baby girl waiting outside the ICU.

She alleged that the hospital authorities were not giving any clear information regarding the health condition of her daughter, and that they took her signature on four papers which did not contain any details of the toddler’s health.

Based on her allegation, the team forcefully entered the ICU and found the baby already dead.

The victim’s family said that Sumaiya was admitted to the hospital on Monday with breathing problems. She was immediately taken to the ICU, where she remained away from her family until she died. The staff had also asked her relatives several times to bring medicine and saline for her. l

HC upholds death for Mufti Hannan, 2 others n Ashif Islam Shaon The High Court has reinstated a lower court’s verdict that awarded death sentence to three and life-term imprisonment to two Huji militants for the assassination attempt on former British High Commissioner Anwar Choudhury in 2004.

The bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Amir Hossain pronounced the judgement yesterday, more than seven years after the trial court verdict. All the convicts are now in jail.

“The death reference is accepted. Criminals’ appeals are dismissed and jail appeals disposed off,” Justice Rahim said in the short order delivered around 12:15pm. No defence lawyer was present at the courtroom during the delivery of the verdict.

The court started hearing on the death

references on January 6 this year. The High Court held hearing for nine days and on February 3 fixed the date to deliver its verdict.

The convicts filed the appeals against the lower court sentence in 2009.

Three people including an assistant sub-inspector of police were killed while Anwar and over 70 others injured in the grenade attack launched after the Jumma prayers at the shrine of Hazrat Shahjalal in Sylhet city on May 21, 2004.

Hailing from Sylhet, Anwar served as the British High Commissioner to Bangladesh from 2004 to 2008. He is currently serving as the British Ambassador to Peru.

Three militants of banned militant outfit Harkat-ul Jihad al-Islami Bangladesh (HujiB) – Mufti Abdul Hannan, Sharif Shahedul Alam Bipul, and Md Delwar Hossain alias Ripon –

were sentenced to death while two others – Hannan’s brother Muhibullah alias Muhibur Rahman alias Ovi and Mufti Mainuddin Khaja alias Abu Jandal – given life-term jail by the Sylhet Divisional Speedy Trial Tribunal on December 23, 2008.

Another case was filed over the use of explosives is currently under trial at a Sylhet court.

In his confessional statement, Hannan said that Jandal had supplied the grenades through Bipul and Ripon. HujiB received the grenades from Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

One of the defence lawyers, Mohammad Ali, told reporters that they would file an appeal with the Appellate Division against the sentence.

Mufti Hanna was given death sentence in the Ramna Batamul bomb blast case and is facing a number of other cases including the August 21 grenade attack case. l

Now sedition case filed against Mahfuz Anam

n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu A sedition complaint was filed against Daily Star Editor and Publisher Mahfuz Anam yesterday on charges of publishing corruption stories without verification against Awami League President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina based on information provided by the DGFI. Mostafizur Rahman Dulal, an assistant public prosecutor of the Dhaka’s Special Judge’s Court, filed the case with the Dhaka’s Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court under sections 123 (A), 124 (A) and 500 of the Penal Code.

Magistrate Snigdha Rani Chakrabarty directed the officer-in-charge of Kotwali police to assign an inspector-level official to conduct an inquiry into the allegation.

The court also said that it requires the government’s prior permission to take the charges into cognisance.

On receiving the permission from the Home Ministry, the police officer will conduct the inquiry and take necessary legal steps. The report will have to be submitted

by March 28, the court said.

The complainant mentioned that the Daily Star had published false and confusing reports on Sheikh Hasina during the military-led caretaker government in 2007-08. Five people, including a Dhaka University teacher and journalists of various daily newspapers, were included as witnesses in the case.

Dulal said the accused had aimed at removing Hasina from politics and bring anti-democratic forces to power to implement the prescription of the DGFI (Directorate General of Forces Intelligence). Such activities are tantamount to sedition, he said.

Several cases have already been filed in different districts against Mahfuz since February 3 after on a TV talk show he had admitted that he had made a big mistake by running the stories based on information provided by the DGFI. l

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Police accused of grabbing Hindu land in Jessore n Our Correspondent, Jessore Police in Jessore have been accused of grabbing lands leased to Hindu families despite the lease being a sub-judicial matter.

They have also been accused of speaking ill of the religion of the minority families during eviction.

Addressing a press briefing on behalf of the affected families at Jessore Press Club yesterday, Binoy Krishna Mallik, executive director of rights group Rights Jessore, said police carried out the eviction drive in Garikhana Road on the night of February 5.

“Police grabbed houses and businesses on

1.20 acres of land. They emptied the enterprises and locked them. When the families protested, they were threatened with false cases,” he said.

“An appeal case was filed against the lease in 1955 and the High Court is hearing it,” he added.

Binoy called on police to return the houses and businesses to the Hindu families, and also warned that stern steps would be taken otherwise.

Shafin Mahmud, assistant superintendent of police (Sadar) in Jessore, refused to make any comment on the allegation against police. l

Crude bombs exploded near BNP office n Tribune Report Three crude bombs went off near the central office of BNP in the capital’s Nayapaltan yesterday.

However, no one was reported injured in the incident.

According to witnesses, three bombs went off around 4pm opposite to the BNP office but no one saw who exploded the bombs.

Following the incident, Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal activists staged demonstrations in the area, chanting slogans and accusing the gov-

ernment for the blasts.

Additional police were deployed in the area after the incident.

Morshed Alam, officer-in-charge of Paltan police station, said police were investigating the incident and trying to find out who exploded the bombs.

On Monday, a faction of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal leaders and activists, who were deprived of any post in the newly formed central committee, ransacked BNP’s central office. They had also set fire on two motorbikes parked in front of the office. l

AIUB holds 16th convocation n Tribune Report

The 16th convocation of the American International University-Bangladesh (AIUB) was held yesterday at the university’s own plot in Uttara.

Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid presided over the ceremony and conferred the degrees to the graduating students as authorised by the president and chancellor, Abdul Hamid.

University Grants Commission Chairman Prof Abdul Mannan was the special guest, while Danish Ambassador to Bangladesh Hanne Fugl Eskjær was the convocation speaker.

A total 2,517 graduates were conferred de-

grees for successful completion of bachelors and masters degree programs of the AIUB. Three top students received the Chancellor’s Gold Medal, 10 were awarded the Dr Anwarul Abedin Leadership Award and 15 received the Vice-Chancellor’s Award.

Congratulating the graduating students, Minister Nahid stressed on quality higher education in the country’s universities for facing the competitive global market.

He said priority should be given to science and IT, engineering and technical education to fulfil the government’s commitment of building a digital Bangladesh.

Nahid also urged students to use their knowledge to contribute to national development. l

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BPC stops relying on G2G to import fuel oil n Aminur Rahman Rasel Bangladesh has floated an international tender to import petroleum products, doing away with the government-to-government (G2G) negotiations, to profit on a slumping global oil market.

“We want to procure of 9.875 million barrels (13,20,000 tonnes) of GASOIL and 1.440 million barrels of Jet A-1,” Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation Chairman AM Badrudduja told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

State-owned BPC incurred huge losses after introducing the G2G system in 200304. Yesterday, it floated a tender to import refined diesel (GASOIL) and Jet A-1. Bidders will be able to collect papers until February 18 and file quotations by February 22. Seven companies have already joined the fray.

The move comes at a time when the demand to cut oil prices in the local market is high.

Until 2003, the BPC imported petroleum products through tenders and negotiated premium rates –transportation, insurance and other costs- every six months. Recently, it imported refined diesel with a premium of $4.50

Nahid: Dhaka University is no Oxford of the East n Tribune Report

Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid has rued the state of education at the Dhaka University, popularly called the “Oxford of the East”.

“It is the largest and oldest university in Bangladesh. But over the last 50 years, I have only heard that the education quality has declined,” he told the Parliament yesterday replying to a question by Opposition Leader Rawshan Ershad.

He noted how every year, after the results were published, it was said that the passing rate had increased while the quality fell.

“The claim is not true,” he said. “Our quality has improved but it falls short of the expected standard. We should improve our quality further.”

Rawshan had asked why the Dhaka University was not among the top 100 universities of the world.

The education minister said a popular saying billed the Dhaka University as the Oxford of this region. “We have become used to the saying that Dhaka University is the Oxford of the East,” he said.

Nahid reasoned that quality education could not be ensured overnight. “I am saying again that we could not reach the standard expected from us but our quality is improving.” l

Muhith asked the Energy Division to cut oil prices.

The BPC has been importing about 5 million tonnes of fuel oil worth about $3 billion every year from 13 countries under the G2G deals. It made a profit of Tk3,500 crore in 2014-15 when oil plummeted between $40 and $50 per barrel from $117.

In 2011-12, it incurred a record Tk105.52bn loss. In 2003-04, the amount was Tk9.6bn.

Badrudduja claimed that buying oil at high rates and selling it at low prices back home had led to the losses.

Oil prices have been hiked several times at home. BPC officials, declining to be named, said the rise in losses were due to multi-level commissions being added to oil prices and under-the-table deals between top BPC officials and agents of foreign state-owned oil companies in Bangladesh.

They claimed that the exporters awarded the agents if they made Bangladesh procure oil when the prices were high. They also benefited from manipulating marginal rise in the premium, between $0.1 and $0.5 per tonne.

An average order amounts to the tune of 5 million tonnes. l

per barrel. Badrudduja said the government believed premium rate would be lower for importing oil through international tenders.

“It is a good decision,” Dhaka University geology teacher Prof Badrul Imam told the Dhaka Tribune. “This will bring transparency ... The premium, too, will come down.”

The Dhaka Tribune ran an exclusive report on May 22, 2013 on how BPC’s annual losses rose nearly 10 times in about 10 years after introducing G2G negotiations which aimed at “ensuring energy security and prevent procurement delays.”

G2G negotiations came into effect in 2005.

Under the agreement, BPC closed minimum two-year deals with the oil companies. Before that, its losses were lower under the competitive market tender policy.

The BPC recently informed the Finance Division that the international firms would not be interested in continuing business with it because of the huge government loans shown in its balance sheet.

BPC Chairman Badrudduja sought Finance Division’s permission to turn state loans of Tk43,577.93 crore to equity of the corporation after Finance Minister AMA

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JCD men embezzle money for slain comrade’s family n Asruf Uddin Seizel from Mymensingh Local Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) leaders in Mymensingh have allegedly misappropriated money given to the family of a slain activist by BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia. The family of former Gafargaon municipal unit JCD general secretary Ibne Azad Komol claimed they were threatened by Chhatra Dal leaders for asking them to return the money.

They wrote to Khaleda on February 8, complaining against the district’s JCD President Rukonuzzaman Rukon and the upazila’s Convenor Mahibur Rahman Nasim.

Komol was killed in August 2014. His father Abul Kalam accused three Bangladesh Chhatra League activists in a murder case.

BNP chief Khaleda met his family at her Gulshan office on November 23, 2014 and put Tk5 lakh in a fixed deposit account for Komol’s wife and gave a Tk3 lakh cheque to them.

But 15 days later, JCD leaders Rukon and Nasim gave Komol’s family only Tk1,40,000.

Nasim declined comment and Rukon could not be reached.

Komol’s father said: “When I sought money from Rukon, he told me to contact Nasim.

Nasim said, ‘your son is not worth more than that.’ So, we had no choice but to write to Khaleda Zia.” l

TEMPERATURE FOREC AST FOR TODAY

FOGGY FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12

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Students of Dhaka University post satirical artworks on the walls of the Faculty of Fine Arts yesterday in protest of the Dhaka Metro Rail route that is designed to go through the university campus RAJIB DHAR 32

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DHAKA TODAY SUN SETS 5:51PM

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Rangpur

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Khulna

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Barisal

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

TOMORROW SUN RISES 6:34AM

30.0ºC Patuakhali

12.2ºC Dimla

Source: Accuweather/UNB

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Cox’s Bazar

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Fajr: 5:15am | Jumma: 12:13am Asr: 4:15pm | Magrib: 5:53pm Esha: 7:21pm Source: IslamicFinder.org

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Hasina to Ansar & VDP: Protect public life n Tribune Report Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday asked members of Bangladesh Ansar and VDP to perform their duties with utmost sincerity and courage to protect public life and property.

The prime minister was addressing the 36th National Rally of Bangladesh Ansar and Village Defence Party (VDP) at Yead Ali Parade Ground at Ansar-VDP Academy in Shafipur, Gazipur, reported UNB. In her speech, Hasina hoped that the members Ansar and VDP would remain worthy partners and extend support in the future, as they did in the past, in turning Bangladesh into a poverty and illiteracy-free middle-income country by 2021 and a modern technology-based prosperous developed country by 2041.

“Through this, we will fulfil the dream

of our father of the nation in building Sonar Bangla.”

Terming Bangladesh Ansar and VDP a force that belongs to the common people,

Energy sector research needs spark n Aminur Rahman Rasel Participants at seminar on access to energy called for research to be conducted by universities to fulfil an array of needs, from basic information on energy poverty to innovation in renewable energy products and services.

Tawfiq-E-Elahi Chowdhury, energy advisor to the prime minister, yesterday said Bangladesh is the only country in the world to cover access to electricity in its constitution, but added: “The time has come to define the accurate energy demand and energy access situation through research.”

He also said the country’s universities must come up with innovative designs for solar-powered motorcycle charging stations.

“We have started several such stations and I think they are very good initiatives. We should involve our universities to create better and more effective designs for such stations,” he said.

Tawfiq was speaking at a seminar titled “Energy Access versus Energy Poverty: Implication for Policy Work” organised by the Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (SREDA) at Bidyut Bhaban in the capital.

SREDA member Siddique Zobair said his organisation will conduct a baseline survey this year to asses the energy access situation.

Zobair said increasing access to electricity is a top priority for policy makers. “We will soon try to prioritise the method of increasing that access. We will try to initiate a multi-tier approach, measuring energy access as a continuum of improvement based on the performance of the energy supply.”

Speakers said effective energy policy requires policy makers to define, measure and monitor energy access, efficiency and sustainability. They said policy evaluation can identify the most effective policies and help lift people out of energy poverty.

Ahmed Kaikaus, additional secretary to the Power Division, said the relationship between energy demand and energy poverty is an important part of the overall energy scenario. “Energy access and energy poverty are intricately related to each other.”

Shahidur Rahman Khandakar, visiting senior research fellow of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), said energy is a necessary good and its availability is an indicator of welfare.

“Households need to maintain a bare minimum of energy consumption – the energy poverty line – which is just like the expenditure poverty line,” he said.

Shahidur said the UN initiative on sustainable energy has three primary objectives – ensuring universal access to modern energy services, doubling the rate of improvement in energy efficiency and doubling the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.

Saiful Haq, director of the Institute of Renewable Energy and Anwarul Islam Sikdar, chairman of SREDA spoke at the programme. l

Hasina said this force has also immense importance as being the country’s biggest and grassroots force.

“Each member of this force is a partner to the country’s development. Some, 42,000 Ansar members have also kept operational the activities of economically important establishment alongside ensuring overall security,” she said.

The prime minister mentioned that the strong participation of Bangladesh Ansar at the recently formed Specialised Force Aviation Security to improve security at the airports is a sign of professional excellence.

She said Ansar members have been assisting in maintaining law and order through curbing terrorism in the country’s southwestern region while Ansar officers are working with good reputation at Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and Special Security Force (SSF).

The prime minister also elaborated var-

ious steps, including the construction of modern complexes in 15 battalion headquarters at a cost of Tk172 crore, undertaken by her government for the development of the Ansar and VDP force.

On the occasion, an attractive parade of different contingents of Ansar-VDP was arranged with parade commander Deputy Director Mohammad Syfullah Russell.

Earlier on her arrival at the parade ground, Sheikh Hasina was received by Home Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, Senior Home Secretary Dr Mozammel Haque Khan and Ansar and VDP Director General Major General Md Nazim Uddin.

The prime minister also handed over medals to Ansar and VDP officials for their outstanding performance in service.

Later, she attended a cultural programme and an exhibition of handicrafts produced by Ansar and VDP members. l

7

DT

News

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2016

Narayanganj repulsive with stinky, filthy water n Our Correspondent, Narayanganj

Residents of some parts of Narayanganj have been suffering immensely for the last four months due to stinky and filthy water supplied by the Narayanganj Water Supply and Sewerage Authority.

The worst affected areas of the city are Don Chamber, Khanpur, Missionpara, Deobhog, Netaiganj, Jamtala and Masdair.

Many residents of the city alleged that water supplied by the Wasa was not drinkable at all as it was stinky and had turned yellowish.

Habiba Akter Annonya, a resident of Don Chamber area, said: “Sometimes earthworf comes out with water from tap that is awful.

We are suffering from skin disease.”

Ajmeri Islam, a resident of Jollarpar area, told the Dhaka Tribune that water supplied by the Wasa had turned blackish. They could not even take bath with the water. The water remained stinky even after it was boiled.

Majharul Islam Rokon, a resident of Golachipa area, said: “We cannot drink the water supplied by Wasa. We have to buy water.”

“We have been suffering for the last four months since the advent of winter season.

Every year, we suffer in this way during the period. But there is no one to resolve the crisis, lamented Mehedi Hasan, a resident of Deobhog area.

Bring irritated by the supply of stinky and filthy water, residents of these areas were compelled to take to the street on Wednesday.

Hundreds of resident of the district under the banner of Amra Narayanganjbasi, a citizen platform, held a rally on Salimullah road. Parading different thoroughfares of the town, locals laid siege to the Wasa office, demanding measures to ease their sufferings.

The locals were very very infuriated that they poured the stinky water on the table of chief engineer of the Wasa. As the chief engineer was not present at the office, Beuty Hawladar Prova, assistant engineer of Wasa, accepted memorandum on behalf of her boos.

She told the Dhaka Tribune that they would inform the matter to higher authorities to take steps in the regard. Haji Nuruddin, president of Amra Narayanganjbasi, told the Dhaka Tribune that residents of Narayan-

ganj had been suffering due to corruption, negligence and ignorance of Wasa authority.

“People cannot be able even to use the water in washing and bathing. Many people are buying water to meet their household chores. When we take bath with the filthy and stinky water, our bodies become stinky.

“Many people are suffering from different kinds of diseases such as fever, diarrhoea, dysentery and skin diseases,” he said.

If the situation continues, these diseases will spread as epidemic, he cautioned.

At the rally, General Secretary of Amra Narayanganjbasi Md Nasir Uddin Montu, Panel Mayor Sharmin Habib, Councillor Khodeza Khanom, Freedom Fighters - Md Ajhar Hossain and Aliuddin Bhuiyan were present. l

Tk50 lakh of Pubali Bank goes missing n Tribune Report

About Tk50 lakh of Publai Bank reportedly went missing yesterday afternoon while the money was being transported to Chittagong from Sitakunda branch by a micro-bus. However, none was arrested in connection with the incident.

Abdus Sabur Mia, manager of Sitakunda Branch of Pubali Bank, said: “The micro-bus was transporting two sacks of money amounting Tk1.30 crore. However, a sack containing Tk50 lakh went missing on the way suddenly.

“Then, I asked them to return back to Sitakunda as soon as the staffs of the micro-bus informed me about the incident. Later, another sack containing Tk81 lakh was kept in the locker of my branch.” He said he had informed higher authorities about the matter.

“Most of the banks of Sitakunda area seek cooperation from the police for shipping money. However, the branch authorities did not seek help from us for transporting the money,” Md Iftekhar Hassan, officer-incharge of Sitakunda police station.

“The incident seems to be mysterious to us.

We will take legal steps after the bank authorities file case in this regard,” said Dulal Hossain, second officer of Sitakunda police station. l

15 BCL men sued for assaulting constable n Our Correspondent, Rajshahi

At least 15 activists of the Bangladesh Chhatra League, the students front of the ruling party, were accused in a case filed in connection with assaulting a constable.

Nasima Begum, mother of constable Razu Sarkar, filed the case with Rajpara police station on Wednesday night.

Moinul Islam Bappi, president of BCL New Government Degree College, are among the accused. Officer-in-Charge of Rajpara police station Mahmudur Rahman told the Dhaka Tribune that they yet to arrest any accused of the case. But they were conducting drive to arrest the culprits.

It is mentionable that Bappi with his associates beat up constable Razu indiscriminately at one stage of altercation over trivial matter. l

Madrasa teachers hold a human chain in front of the National Press Club yesterday demanding their inclusion in the new pay scale

2 ‘outlaws’ killed in Kushtia ‘gunfight’ with RAB n Tribune Report Two people believed to be members of an outlawed party were killed in a reported gunfight with members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) at Swastipur in Sadar upazila early yesterday.

Mosaddek Ibne Mujib, commanding officer of RAB 12, said they had information that a group of members of the outlawed party were staying in the area for holding a secret meeting, a team of the elite force conducted a drive there at about 3am.

Sensing the presence of RAB members, the party members opened fire on the elite

force forcing them to fire back that triggered a gunfight.

Akam Uddin Hia,25, son of Ansar Sheikh, and Liakat, 30, son of Abdul Jalil, both residents of Mrittikapara in Sadar upazila, were caught in the line of fire and injured. Their other associates managed to flee the scene.

Akam and Liakat were rushed to Kushtia General Hospital where doctors declared them dead.

Later, the bodies were sent to hospital morgue for autopsy.

RAB members recovered two foreign-made pistols, one rifle, two magazines and some bullets from the spot. l

MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

43 acres to be acquired for Parky, Patenga beaches n Tribune Report

Chittagong district administration took a decision to increase the facilities of Patenga and Parky beaches in Chittagong by acquiring 43 acres of land.

Deputy Commissioner of Chittagongr Mesbah Uddin made the disclosure in a meeting of Beach Management Committee held in DC office yesterday.

“Five acres of land in Patenga beach and 38 acres of land in Parky beach under Anwara upazila in Chittagong will be acquired and the procedure will be completed within next two months,” said the deputy commissioner. l

DT

8

News

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2016

Road subsides after gas line explosion n Tribune Report, Chittagong

Almost half a kilometre road in Sagarika area under Pahartali police station in the city subsided following a gas pipeline explosion yesterday.

The fire service officials suspected that the explosion might occur from an underground gas pipeline.

On information, a 30-member rescue team of fire service and officials of Karnaphuli Gas Distribution Company reached the spot.

Mujibur Rahman, officer of Agrabad Fire Service told the Dhaka Tribune that almost half a kilometer concrete road in the area got damaged.

“The underground gas pipeline might have caused the explosion,” added the officer.

“A portion of the road got ruptured and damaged. Besides, a slab of drain blew off and a culvert was badly damaged in the incident,” said Ranjit Kumar Barua, Officer-inCharge of Pahartali police station.

However, none was injured in the explosion, said the OC. l

Roadside hawkers leave their makeshift shops in a hurry just before police conducted a drive in Naraynaganj town yesterday to make the road free from illegal occupation DHAKA TRIBUNE

Road collapses just 10 days after inauguration n Our Correspondent, Panchagarh The Marea-Debiganj Road in Panchagarh collapsed after opening 10 days earlier.

Sources said a large portion of the road in the district became unfit for vehicles as potholes developed at several points of the road due to use of low quality materials for construction.

Brick-chips, sand and bitumen got damaged on 17 kilometre of the road in Sugar Mill area as the substances had not been set up firmly, said sources.

Roads and Highways Department sources

16 ships to join BSC fleet n Tribune Report Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan yesterday said 16 new ships would join the fleet of Bangladesh Shipping Corporation (BSC).

The minister made the announcement while talking to the reporters following a board meeting of the BSC in its conference room in Chittagong city.

“We are going to procure the new vessels to make the corporation more effective and stronger. Of the total number, six ships will reach the country by 2018,” said the minister.

“Rest of 10 ships will be procured for coal transportation to increase coal-fired power plants,” he added. Shipping Secretary Ashik Madhab Roy and BSC Managing Director HR Bhuiyan also attended the meeting. l

said Dhrubo Construction Ltd, a construction farm, was given the work in contact of Tk6.81 crore.

The farm sources said code on bitumen and stone was used to repair the road.

On January 12, the road was opened for people and a number of vehicles started to ply on the day.

But in the line of 10 days, the important portion of the road got damaged hampering the communication system.

Shamim of Bakduljhara, Nazrul, Yasin Ali businessman of Bakkodhur char area said the road became useless as the main portion of it

had damaged.

They alleged that the authority did not show any sincerity when the work was going on.

There was no inspection to the work.

Roads and Highways Department executive engineer Tanvir Siddique could not be reached by mobile phone for comment.

Locals brought out a procession yesterday protesting the use of low quality substances to construct the road.

Meanwhile,a team of roads and highway department visited the spot.

Owner of the construction farm could not reached for comment. l

6 robbers held with arms, ammo n Our Correspondent, Comilla Police have detained six suspected robbers with a pipe gun and two rounds of bullet from Homna upazila in Comilla yesterday.

The detainees are Akash, 23, Shofiqul Islam, 24, Sumon, 25, Kobir Hossain, 25, Md Alam, 35, and Rabiul Hassan, 29.

Officer-in-Charge of Homna police station Abul Foisal said: “We signalled two CNG-run autorickshaws to stop at Gouripur, but they attempted to speed away ignoring the signal.”

He said four police officials, including OC Abul Faisal, were injured in a scuffle when they tried to stop the suspected robbers from fleeing the scene.

Meanwhile, police recovered a pipe gun, two rounds of bullets and some local weapons from their possession. l

BNP-Jamaat-backed panel sweeps Chittagong Bar election n Anwar Hussain, Chittagong The BNP-Jamaat backed panel Jatiyatabadi Ainjibi Oikya Parishad bagged 10 out of 19 posts in Chittagong District Bar Association (CDBA) elections held on Wednesday.

Three panels-Awami League backed Chattagram Sommilita Ainjibi Somonnay Parishad, progressive and left-leaning Somomona Ainjibi Sangsad and BNP-Jamaat backed Jatiyatabadi Ainjibi Oikya Parishad vied for the posts.

The CDBA sources said a total of 45 candidates contested for the posts of 19 of-

fice-bearers including 10 executive committee members. Out of 3,406 voters, 2,828 lawyers cast their votes in the elections.

The Chief Election Commissioner announced the result of the polls around 12:30am yesterday.

BNP-Jamaat backed candidate Md Kafil Uddin Chowdhury was elected president defeating his nearest rival AL-backed candidate Ratan Kumar Roy. Kafil bagged 1278 votes while Ratan bagged 907 votes. Humayun Kabir who vied for the post of president from Somomona Sangsad panel bagged 620 votes.

Somomona Sangsad backed general secre-

tary candidate SM Jahed bagged 1206 votes while his nearest rival Somonnay Parishad backed Abu Hanif bagged 816 votes.

Oikya Parishad backed SUM Nurul Islam who contested for general secretary post bagged 775 votes.

The other office bearers are Mujibur Rahman Chowdhury, HS Abul Hasan, Md Russel, Md Saifuddin, Fazlul Bari, Dulal Chandra Debnath, Md Raihan Salehin, Azharul Haque, Md Fakhrul Islam, Md Moniruzzaman, Rubel Kumar Deb, Subhashis Sharma, Minhaj Uddin, Mostafizur Rahman, Nasir Uddin Ahmed Khan, Rashedul Islam Chowdhury and Shafiqul Islam Lito. l

9

DT

Feature

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2016

13+ health benefits of apple cider vinegar Reasons to keep apple cider vinegar handy in your pantry While the uses for white vinegar are plentiful, apple cider vinegar has arguably even more applications. Its wide-ranging benefits (rivaling the number of uses for tea tree oil and other nifty natural helpers) include everything from curing hiccups to alleviating cold symptoms, and some people have turned to apple cider vinegar to help with health concerns like diabetes, cancer, heart problems, high cholesterol, and weight issues..

Help tummy troubles Sip some apple cider vinegar mixed with water. If a bacterial infection is at the root of your diarrhea, apple cider vinegar could help contain the problem, thanks to its antibiotic properties. What’s more, some folk remedy experts contend that apple cider vinegar contains pectin, which can help soothe intestinal spasms. Try mixing one or two tablespoons into water, or clear juice like apple juice.

Cure hiccups Take a teaspoonful of apple cider vinegar; its sour taste could stop a hiccup in its tracks. One teen took the hiccup remedy further and created a lollipop that includes apple cider vinegar, which she says “cancels out the message to hiccup” by overstimulating the nerves in the throat responsible for the spasms.

Soothe that sore throat As soon as you feel the prickle of a sore throat, employ germ-busting apple cider vinegar to help head off the infection at the pass. Turns out, most germs can’t survive in the acidic environment vinegar creates. Just mix 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar with 1/4 cup warm water and gargle every hour or so.

Lower cholesterol More research is needed to definitively link apple cider vinegar and its capability to lower cholesterol in humans, but one 2006 study found that the acetic acid in the vinegar lowered bad cholesterol in rats.

Also, a Japanese study found that half an ounce of apple cider vinegar a day lowered cholesterol in people who participated in the panel.

Prevent indigestion Sip before eating, especially if you know you’re going to indulge in foods that will make you sorry later. Try this folk remedy: add 1 teaspoon of honey and 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar to a glass of warm water and drink it 30 minutes before you dine.

Clear a stuffy nose Next time you’re stuffed up, grab the apple cider vinegar. It contains potassium, which thins mucus; and the acetic acid in it prevents bacteria growth, which could contribute to nasal congestion. Mix a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in a glass of

Its antibacterial properties help keep acne under control, and the malic and lactic acids found in apple cider vinegar soften and exfoliate skin, reduce red spots, and balance the pH of your skin.

water and drink to help sinus drainage.

Lose weight Apple cider vinegar can help you lose weight. Here’s why: The acetic acid suppresses your appetite, increases your metabolism, and reduces water retention.

Scientists also theorize that apple cider vinegar interferes with the body’s digestion of starch, which means fewer calories enter the bloodstream.

Destroy dandruff On his website, Dr. Mehmet Oz recommends apple cider vinegar as a dandruff treatment.

The acidity of apple cider vinegar changes the pH of your scalp, making it harder for yeast to grow. Mix 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar with 1/4 cup water in a spray bottle, and spritz on your scalp. Wrap your head in a towel and let sit for 15 minutes to an hour, then wash your hair as usual. Do this twice a week for best results.

Clear acne Apple cider vinegar makes a great natural toner that can leave skin looking healthier.

Boost energy Exercise and sometimes extreme stress cause lactic acid to build up in the body, causing fatigue. Interestingly, the amino acids contained in apple cider vinegar act as an antidote. What’s more, apple cider vinegar contains potassium and enzymes that may relieve that tired feeling. Next time you’re beat, add a tablespoon or two of apple cider vinegar to a glass of chilled vegetable drink or to a glass of water.

Cut down nighttime leg cramp Leg cramps can often be a sign that you’re low in potassium. Since apple cider vinegar is high in it, one home remedy suggests mixing 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar and one teaspoon honey to a glass of warm water and drink to relieve nighttime leg cramps. Of course, by the time you walk to the kitchen to put the drink together, your cramp is likely to be history—but maybe that’s the point.

Banish bad breath If proper brushing and mouthwash doesn’t do the trick, try the home remedy of using apple cider vinegar to control bad breath.

Gargle with it, or drink a teaspoon (diluted with water if you prefer) to kill odor-causing bacteria.

Brighten that smile Gargle with apple cider vinegar in the

morning. The vinegar helps remove stains, whiten teeth, and kill bacteria in your mouth and gums. Brush as usual after you gargle.

You can also brush your teeth with baking soda once a week to help remove stains and whiten your teeth; use it just as you would toothpaste. You can also use salt as an alternative toothpaste. If your gums start to feel raw, switch to brushing with salt every other day.

Fade bruises Apple cider vinegar has anti-inflammatory properties; dabbing or laying an apple cider vinegar compress on a bruise can help fade the discoloration.

Control blood sugar A few swigs of apple cider vinegar could help keep your blood sugar levels balanced, according to several studies that have shown a link between the two. One study of people with type 2 diabetes who weren’t taking insulin found that taking two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar before bed resulted in lower glucose levels by morning. Another study at the Arizona State University found that insulin resistant people who drank a mixture of apple cider vinegar and water before eating a high carbohydrate meal had lower blood sugar afterward. Scientists think the antiglycemic effect of the acid is the key. l

Re-printed with the permission of Dhaka Foodies.

Source: http://www.rd.com/ health/wellness/apple-cidervinegar-benefits/1/?trkid=FBPAGE_ RD_20160204_HealthyEating_Wellness

DT

10

Writing

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2016

helps writers and entrepreneurs share their messages and reach new levels of success.

Kikolani Want to learn the dos and don’ts of digital marketing? You’ve come to the right place!

Kristi Hines at Kikolani specialises in latest trends and strategies when it comes to digital marketing and is a must have for businesses aiming for a stand out brand.

Social Triggers The ability to persuade is key, it makes or breaks the business. Derek Halpern, a marketing expert by trade, shares his own guidelines and strategies on making a sale.

His techniques are data oriented fueled by the finds in behavioral psychology.

PUBLISHING Bent on Books Every month Bent on Books, run by Jeremy Bent, shares their wish list which signifies the types of books they are looking to represent. They are also well versed in giving out advice on marketing and publishing.

Writers:

nxxxxx

Websites you absolutely cannot do without

The internet can be overwhelming at times, with any and all information readily available at the click of a button. Most people try to keep up with news and technology, and writers in particular want to keep up with the latest industry news, advice, and opportunities.

Naturally, no one has the time to sift through hundreds of sites in search for information.

So here’s a list of the best websites for writers working in different sectors, be it casual writers or professional ones.

BLOGGING Be a freelance blogger Taking your freelance blogging skills to the next level is what Sophie Lizard specialises in. Using her site as the base, become an expert in your field and see how your blogging income rises.

Beyond your blog Trying to grow blog audience? Engage with new fans by taking full advantage of Beyond your blog, its guidelines, and resources to get published.

hidden curiosity, creativity, productivity, and maximising them.

Paid to exist On your own terms, create a career that you love with the help of blogs, programs, and resources provide by Paid to exist. The founder, Jonathan Mead believes in getting paid for only the things you are passionate about.

FREELANCING

Brain Pickings Created by Maria Popova in order to document her spiritual, intellectual, and creative growth. It explores how we can move forward in creative thinking.

About Freelance Writing As you might expect, the site lives up to its name by posting practical posts on marketing your skills, pricing your services accurately, and dealing with clients in general.

Fiction University There is no right way to write according to Janice Hardy. Instead of telling writers what should be done, she tries to explain how industry rules can be made to work for you.

New articles and guest columns are posted everyday which provides insight into writing and publishing process.

Freelance Writing Successfully writing since 1997, Freelance Writing is still going strong. All you need to build the better career is go through their extensive collection of articles, tutorials, and resources. Keep track of new job opportunities as listings are updated on a daily basis.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

The Renegade Writer Linda Formichelli disagrees that you have to follow the rules to play the game. The Renegade Writer encourages breaking rules to break into the world of writing. This site is definitely for you if you’re one of those people trying to build a career on their own terms.

CREATIVITY & CRAFT

Author Media Author Media is a writer’s website strong enough to handle a growing online platform but is also easy to use. The team is made up of web designers, social media managers, and coders who share valuable tips and resources.

Ann Kroeker An author and life coach by trade, Ann Kroeker is determined to help writers achieve their goals by tapping into their

Men with Pens In this cruel business oriented world, content is king which means that everything from creating to online marketing have to

ProBlogger Founded by Darren Rowse, ProBlogger is a blog about how to blog. Their team provides you with tips to build a better blog and also offers resources to help monetise your blog.

be on point. Led by James Chartrand, Men with pens has shared over 1000 blog posts to help with all of your business needs.

MARKETING Giving Voice to Your Story Everyone has a story, something they always wanted to share with the world. Dorit Sasson

Go Teen Writers Love for writing starts at a very young age, and Stephanie Morill at Go teen Writers is very well aware of that. The main reason she created her blog was to encourage, inspire, and impart wisdom to teen writers who want to write a novel and publish it, but don’t know how.

Terribleminds People often sugar coat the flaws in your writing, but not Terribleminds. Chuck Wendig is your guy if you’re looking forward to very honest and sometimes hilariously vulgar truths about your work.

WRITING COMMUNITIES Wattpad According to them, Wattpad makes stories more social. Addressed as the biggest community in the world for writers and readers alike, Wattpad has created a platform where members are free to post, read original stories, and interact with one another.

Scribophile Scribophile is the go to place that ensures high quality feedback for your work. It works on a points system where you have to spend points to submit something, and receive some points back again for exceptional critique.

Fiction Writers Group Fiction Writers Group is a group on Facebook around since early 2009 whose community publishes a minimum of 3 anthologies per year. Any sort of self-promotion is strictly prohibited but is still a very popular source of community and friendship. l

The content was provided by SteamPug Writers, a pack of experienced wordsmiths and editors well-versed in producing dynamic content.

Contact them at steampugged@gmail. com or visit www.facebook.com/ SteamPugWriters

DT

Editorial 11

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2016

INSIDE

The good old days that weren’t That the past was some haven of tranquility inhabited by people of significantly higher measures of rectitude is a romantic notion held on to by certain poetic types who are too psychologically infirm to handle the prose that is present day reality. Look, we were the same species 20, 40, or a hundred years ago

PAGE 12

Grounded, immobile The strike by Pakistan’s national airline could not have come at a worse time for the organisers of the Karachi Literature Festival 2016. Their carefully made plans to ensure that their participants for the three day festival would reach Karachi in time and leave without delay were suddenly thrown in limbo

PAGE 13

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

Give jute a chance

T

Brutality in the Gandhi Ashram The Pakistan Army looted the ashram and took away all the valuable assets including doors and windows of the ashram. They also burnt all the books and historical documents of the ashram. The ashram lost not only its key volunteers but also all its property, documents, and books PAGE 14

Be heard Write to Dhaka Tribune FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka-1207 Email letters.dt@ dhakatribune.com

Send us your Op-Ed articles:

opinion.dt@dhakatribune. com www.dhakatribune.com Join our Facebook community: https://www.facebook. com/DhakaTribune

he cabinet’s approval of the 2016 Jute Law raises the prospect of more stringent enforcement of the Mandatory Jute Packaging Act 2010.

For this act which requires essential products, such as paddy, fertiliser and sugar to be packaged with jute sacks, to deliver its aim of reducing use of less environmentally friendly synthetic packaging, the Bangladesh Jute Research Institute estimates an additional 1.5 million bales of jute will need to be manufactured.

The best way to achieve this will be for the government to stop forcing private sector jute mills to compete with endlesslysubsidised state-owned jute mills.

State-owned jute mills have a long history of losses exacerbated by poor management and corruption. The government should not be committing more public money to keep them open. The increase in local demand enabled by the Jute Law should not be used as an excuse to squander further tax-payer funds on propping up inefficient jute factories.

Instead, the government should either allow loss-making state jute mills to be managed by the private sector or use their land to develop new industrial parks for other higher value manufacturing.

This would free up private jute mills to plan ahead and efficiently invest in growing their capacity to meet demand.

It is the best means available to allow Bangladesh’s jute processors to catch up with the major jute industries of China and India, which dominate 70% of the international market.

With worldwide demand for jute and jute-based products growing due to its durability and environmental advantages, there is a golden opportunity for the nation’s jute industry to reinvigorate itself by taking advantage of Bangladesh’s status as a major producer.

It must not be wasted.

There is a golden opportunity for the nation’s jute industry to reinvigorate itself by taking advantage of Bangladesh’s status as a major producer

DT

12

Opinion

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2016

The good old days that weren’t Were things really better in the past?

We can’t control time, but we can influence the future

n Esam Sohail

A

h … the good old days.

When politicians were honest.

When journalists had ethics.

When young people had morals.

When students were studious and diligent.

When … well, you get the picture. Such musings of nostalgia often help us cope with a world around us that seems, feels, and sounds like a bewildering zoo of petty people bent on expressing evil in big doses and small.

The problem is that recollections, like the children’s game of “telephone,” rarely capture the reality of the past and, more often, end up being the crutches for present day indifference.

That the past was some haven of tranquility inhabited by people of significantly higher measures of rectitude is a romantic notion held on to by certain poetic types who are too psychologically infirm to handle the prose that is present day reality. Look, we were the same species 20, 40, or a hundred years ago, with the same matrix of fears and foibles, vices and virtues, and hopes and hankerings as have today. The context, driven by anxiety and technology, may have readjusted the lines of the matrix but hardly altered it permanently.

No, politicians were not exactly too much more saintly “back in the good old days” either. Even an iconic Sher-eBangla AK Fazlul Huq was on the record in the Bengal Assembly responding to the opposition benches’ charges of nepotism

BIGSTOCK

by thunderously asserting that his distant nephew was given a job because the said young man had the greatest qualification for the position -- a kinship with the premier of Bengal!

Well, perhaps that was a very honest answer, if you look at it that way. Or take the near mythical Thomas Jefferson whose canvassers openly exchanged liquor for votes during several of his earlier campaigns for the Virginia legislature a few centuries ago.

as intense today as it was since the first press was jump-started into operation in this part of the world.

You want to talk about youth and morals?

It is true that “ … the children now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders, and love chatter in place of exercise …” Well, those words were written by Socrates, many, many, many years ago. I am pretty sure your grandparents heard similar laments from their parents and dished out

That the past was some haven of tranquility inhabited by people of significantly higher measures of rectitude is a romantic notion held on to by certain poetic types who are too psychologically infirm to handle the prose that is present day reality. Look, we were the same species 20, 40, or a hundred years ago Sure, many journalists in the past had awesome ethics and courage and all that.

But come on! For every Manik Mia and Enayetullah Khan, there were more than a few government stenographers like Maulana MA Mannan and Altaf Gauhar whose commendable writing abilities were always at the service of their respective masters in uniform.

That incredible appeal of writing praisepieces and hiding the faults of the rulers is

pretty much the same to yours.

Students? How should I put this politely … let’s see. That Nilkhet market where old tests, “suggestion” books, made-to-order academic papers, and theses are all available wasn’t exactly set up yesterday. Chances are pretty high that your parents, if they went to one of the premier public higher educational institutions in the city, were quite familiar with that place. And no, the scourge called “student politics” has rarely

been exclusively about the high-minded competition about debating ideals and ideas either.

None of this is to say that I am immune from imagined nostalgia. There are times that frustration with the current affair of things lead me to mutter: “Ah, the good old days.” Fortunately, before I can go too far down that silly rabbit-hole, my good friend Charlie has his retort ready: “You mean, the days when my people ruled over your people?”

See, Charlie comes from stock that is mostly British and that line has a punch to it for a Bengali, especially one whose ancestry goes back to Murshidabad.

The past is the past, and barring the breath-taking invention of the elusive time-machine, none of us is going back a nanosecond in time, let alone a generation or century. Romanticising a fondly remembered past that perhaps never was is fine as a staple of children’s bedtime stories and historical fiction novels.

As a practical antidote to what ails us in the present and what will bedevil us in the near future, such nostalgia is of very limited value. Instead of comforting each other about how awesome things were back in the “good old days,” perhaps our imaginations and energies are better used in crafting a future which can be the “good new days.” After all, the only control we have over Father Time is that of influencing the future. l Esam Sohail is an educational research analyst and college lecturer of social sciences. He writes from Kansas, USA.

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2016

Grounded, immobile Like its national carrier, Pakistan itself has come to a halt

A simple airline strike can cause nation-wide paralysis

REUTERS

n FS Aijazuddin

T

he sky over the Beach Luxury Hotel in Karachi was a cerulean blue, empty, silent. Crows cawed as they scavenged deserted dining tables for scraps of food. White gulls with markings perched immobile in a row, grounded, as grounded and immobile as PIA’s aircraft at Karachi’s Quaid-e-Azam International airport.

The strike by Pakistan’s national airline could not have come at a worse time for the organisers of the Karachi Literature Festival 2016. Their carefully made plans to ensure that their participants for the three-day festival would reach Karachi in time and leave without delay were suddenly thrown in limbo The strike by Pakistan’s national airline could not have come at a worse time for the organisers of the Karachi Literature Festival 2016. Their carefully made plans to ensure that their participants for the three-day festival would reach Karachi in time and leave without delay were suddenly thrown in limbo. A carefully structured showcase of Pakistan’s literary and cultural diversity stood in danger of becoming a national confessional, an admission to

habitués of such annual gatherings at Jaipur, Kolkata, Kasauli, and Kumaon -- that visiting Pakistan is still a daunting dangerous challenge, a modern 13th Labour of Hercules.

That the Karachi LitFest 2016 could be begun on time, each of its sessions conducted within time, and could end on time would have inspired even Stephen Hawking. Their productive combustion allowed new stars of talent to emerge, planets of intellect to rotate in their familiar orbit, and a constellation of Pakistan’s creative minds float towards each other, connect and continue, without colliding.

Whoever attended the Karachi LitFest 2016 -- and there must have been over a hundred thousand this year -- took away with them a moon-rock of memory, the precious recollection of an event they cherished above all. For some it must have been a book launch, for others the panel discussions, for many the opportunity to accompany practitioners backstage while they explained their craft, for a few the opportunity to meet Pakistan’s Galileos, Shakespeares, Byrons, George Eliots, Jane Austens, Voltaires, Marco Polos, and Machiavellis all under the same awning.

If one was forced to choose the best of the best of the Karachi LitFest, it would have to be the session when the poet Zehra Nigah permitted the audience to meander with her as a guide through the chambers of her mind. She would pause to recite one of her compositions. It might

be something reflective, on the loneliness of being in company, on the unkindness of old age, or about the savage assault on a village housewife -- itself, a brutal haiku on rape. Her stature deserves a discussant of proportionate skill, and she found one in Saif Mahmood, an Indian. Neither of them needed to remind their audience that while Urdu may be our official language and spoken with varying accuracy here, it is truly valued and preserved across the border, in India.

Inevitably, the Indian participants at the LitFest attracted inordinate attention.

Former Minister of External Affairs Salman Khurshid demonstrated that while manners may be inherited (he is the grandson of India’s first Muslim president, Dr Zakir Hussain), discretion is a lesson self-taught.

He avoided making any statements or observations that could be converted into bullets by the BJP and used against him in the rifle range of domestic politics. His compatriot Barkha Dutt -- the redoubtable Medea of the Indian media -- was introduced as enjoying an access to prime ministers that even their wives might envy. She then proved the point by flying suddenly to Islamabad for an unscheduled interview with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

Airline strikes are intended to discomfit commoners, not prime ministers. He has behaved towards the PIA strike with the same regal disdain that the French Louis XVI exhibited when disaffected Parisians in 1789 stormed the overcrowded Bastille: “Is it a revolt?” he asked.

“No, Your Majesty,” the courtier replied.

“It is a revolution.”

To spite Nawaz Sharif, his nemesis Imran Khan joined the PIA strikers in Karachi in an act of assurance. Astute as this move may be politically, the PTI leader may find himself in the same hot water one day. Revolutions have insatiable appetites. The French Revolution devoured both Louis XVI and his critic Jean-Paul Marat.

There must be some who wonder at the sudden, eruptive emergence of the PIA Joint Action Committee, a body that has exercised the disruptive power that the Karachi Shipyard Union did during Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s prime ministership. Those strikers were led by the firebrand Kaneez Fatima -- the Helen of Keamari who could stall a thousand ships in Karachi port. Her exhortations today drive the windmills of trade union seminars.

This action by PIA’s JAC must come as a surprise to a young generation of Pakistanis who have never experienced the paralysis a nation-wide strike can cause. It certainly came as a shock to the participants of the Karachi LitFest 2016, as Pakistani delegates struggled to find seats on alternative airlines, and foreigners ricocheted home via Dubai.

Each wondered whether Pakistan, like the grounded PIA and the immobile Karachi seagulls, would ever be airborne. l FS Aijazuddin lives in Lahore and is a columnist for Dawn, Pakistan’s main English-language newspaper. This article first appeared in Dawn.

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Opinion

Brutality in the Gandhi Ashram Even places of religious retreat could not escape the Pakistan Army’s atrocity (Retd) Quazi Sajjad Ali Zahir n LtBirCol Protik

I

n 1946, after communal riots broke out in Bihar, Calcutta, and Noakhali, Mahatma Gandhi started undertaking extensive tours in the riot-torn areas to bring peace and communal harmony. He came to Ramganj in Noakhali on November 7, 1946, after severe communal riots had broken out there.

One of the worst places of atrocities was Ramganj, where a total of about 132 people were killed. He camped in Chandipur village which was another badly affected area. He stayed in a tin-roofed house called Rajbari for one month.

From this house, he started his padajatra to 49 villages and preached among the masses the message of peace and harmony.

After one month, he continued his padajatra to other areas of Noakhali for three more months with the same aim. He worked with the communities to build confidence and peace. When Mahatma Gandhi came to Jayog on January 29, 1947, all sections of the local community extended him wholehearted support.

After about four months, on March 2, 1947, when riots in Bihar broke out, Gandhi left Noakhali for Bihar. A camp was set up in Kazirkhil village near Ramganj for coordinating the efforts for peace and harmony in accordance with his instructions. This camp was called Gandhi Camp. The few associates of Gandhi who worked with him during the four months were Charu Chowdhury, Reddy Palli Satya Narayan, Devendra Narayan Sarkar, Madan Mohan Chattopaddhay, Jibon Krishna Saha, Ajit Kumar Dey, etc.

Also among them were Kanu Gandhi (best remembered as Gandhi’s photographer), Abha Gandhi, Mridula Gandhi (widely known as Manuben Gandhi), and Bibi Amtus Salam (a lady from Patiala, Punjab).

Before departure, Gandhi instructed the leaders to continue the peace-building process and to bring harmony among the population. Gandhi’s associates continued the process of peace-building and providing relief to the affected families. Later, a permanent camp was set up as proposed

by Barrister Hemant Kumar Ghosh in Jayog village where a permanent ashram was set up, as this is the place where Gandhi received tremendous support for his mission.

Barrister Hemant Kumar Ghosh decided to donate all his property to Gandhi Ashram, but Gandhi advised him to use his funds for development of the poor in his area.

Barrister Hemant Kumar Ghosh made a charitable trust in the name of his father (Ambika) and mother (Kaliganga) and named it as Ambika-Kaliganga Charitable Trust, which was registered in 1949 after the death of Gandhi. 2,600 acres of land was donated by Barrister Hemant Kumar Ghosh to this trust which has now been reduced to 23 acres.

After the imposition of martial law by the Pakistan Army on October 7, 1958, the volunteers of Gandhi Ashram were

Gandhiji’s values of non-violence were not upheld in the treatment of his ashram

The Pakistan Army looted the ashram and took away all the valuable assets including doors and windows of the ashram.

They also burnt all the books and historical documents of the ashram. The ashram lost not only its key volunteers but also all its property, documents, and books

constantly harassed, a number of false cases were filed against them and many of them were arrested and sent to jail. Attempts were made to force them to leave East Pakistan, but many of the volunteers stuck to the ashram.

The properties of the ashram were forcefully taken away by some landgrabbers. It was almost impossible to continue the activities of the ashram. The team manager of peace mission Charu Chowdhury was detained in jail several times during the period 1963-71. He was released in 1971, after the liberation of Bangladesh.

In 1971, after the crackdown by the Pakistan Army, the Gandhi Ashram continued its humanitarian activities of helping the poor and victims of the war. But fear persisted in the area and the minority communities in the area also became victims of the widespread genocide.

On September 4, at around 11am, the

ashram was surrounded by the Pakistan Army and their collaborators. The ruthless Pakistan Army and their collaborators entered the ashram and shot dead volunteers and disciples of Gandhi.

Firstly, there was Devendra Narayan Sarkar who joined Mahatma Gandhi immediately when he came to Noakhali. He stayed back in the ashram as per instruction of Gandhi. When Pakistan Army entered the ashram, he was saying his prayer on the roof of the ashram where he was shot dead.

Then, Madan Mohan Chattopaddhay was also killed along with Devendra Narayan Sarkar.

In addition, Jibon Krishna Saha, who joined Gandhi in the peace march of 1946 was killed. He was engaged in development and peace activities in Bamni village under Raipur police station. As the Pakistan Army and their collaborators were looking for him, he went to Sylhet where he was captured and killed. Also, Ajit Kumar Dey,

who joined the Liberation War and took part in a number of operations in Panchgaon area, was also killed. It is known that he was killed by the collaborators of Pakistan Army immediately after liberation.

The Pakistan Army looted the ashram and took away all the valuable assets, including doors and windows of the ashram. They also burnt all the books and historical documents of the ashram. The ashram lost not only its key volunteers but also all its property, documents, and books. A part of the ashram was damaged.

After independence, Charu Chowdhury started reorganising the ashram and freed some of the land and properties from the land grabbers. In 1974, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman gave instructions to reorganise the Gandhi Ashram and to give it a legal identity and the file was processed for approval.

It took final shape with the Gazette Notification of the Bangladesh Government on October 2, 1975, where the “AmbikaKaliganga Charitable Trust” was renamed as “Gandhi Ashram Trust,” which included the property of the Gandhi camp and AmbikaKaliganga Charitable Trust. The aim of the ashram was mainly for rural development and for human rights.

The ashram was made autonomous. A committee with representatives from both the Bangladesh and Indian governments was formed to run the activities of the trust. l Lt Col (Retd) Quazi Sajjad Ali Zahir Bir Protik is a Freedom Fighter, a recipient of Swadhinata Padak, and a researcher on the Liberation War.

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2016

INSIDE 522 RMG units make less than 40% progress on remediation

A total of 522 RMG factories producing clothing products for Accord signatory brands have made less than 40% progress on remediation to improve their workplace safety.

In a meeting with the Bangladesh Garment Manufactures and Exporters Association (BGMEA), the Accord on Fire and Building Safety placed the list of 522 factories that made less than 40% progress towards ensuring their workplace safety standards, a meeting source told the Dhaka Tribune. PAGE 16

World tourism map redrawn since attacks, epidemics, migrants The world’s tourism map is being redrawn at lightning speed as holidaymakers switch preferences prompted by terror attacks, epidemics and migrant crises. PAGE 17

With TPP advancing, India pins hopes on China-backed trade bloc

India, concerned at being sidelined from the US-led Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), is stepping up efforts to reach agreement with an alternative trade bloc centred around China, and hopes to reach a deal this year. PAGE 18

Capital market snapshot: Thursday DSE Broad Index

4,581.3

0.2% ▲

Index

1,118.9

0.4% ▲

30 Index

1,759.6

0.6% ▲

Turnover in Mn Tk

5,056.6

39.5% ▲

118.5

25.7% ▲

All Share Index

14,145.5

0.3% ▲

30 Index

12,761.2

0.4% ▲

8,590.1

0.2% ▲

315.4

37.2% ▲

9.1

8.7% ▲

Turnover in Mn Volume

CSE

Selected Index Turnover in Mn Tk Turnover in Mn Volume

NBR to probe VAT evasion allegations in DITF n Syed Samiul Basher Anik The National Board of Revenue has decided to form a probe committee to dig deeper into the allegations that the participants in Dhaka International Trade Fair (DITF) evaded Value Added Tax. The three-member committee will analyse participants’ sales documents and the VAT payment receipts.

Officials said the NBR had taken the decision as VAT collection figure was found less compared to the rise of sales this year.

The Customs, Excise and VAT commissionerate, Dhaka (west), has sent a letter to Export Promotion Bureau (EPB), the fair organising body, seeking its support to the investigation.

In the letter, NBR requested the EPB to send a list of all the participating traders along with contact addresses.

Once the list comes to the NBR’s hand, the committee will send a letter to all the participants to submit their sales documents and the VAT payment receipts, officials said.

A total of 553 stalls and pavilions were allocated to the traders and foreign exhibitors under 13 categories in the month-long event that ended on January 31, said organisers adding that the revenue board mobilised Tk2.46 crore Vat from the fair.

The entrance of the DITF that concluded on January 31 According to NBR officials, small traders paid an average of Tk1,500 VAT daily while pavilions paid an average of Tk6,000 Vat daily.

However, the amount should be much higher if the increased of sales is taken into account.

The month-long fair witnessed a sale of Tk121.47 crore this year with an increase of Tk71 crore from the previous year’s sales.

The DITF also received export orders of Tk235 crore from international retailers

BSRM to merge Steels and Iron & Steels units n Kayes Sohel BSRM Steels, the flagship company of BSRM Group, plans to merge with BSRM Steel and Iron Company through a provision to be sanctioned through a court approval.

The merger of the country’s oldest and largest steel maker is expected to align the activities of a single value chain within one legal entity.

“The company has decided to merge under the provision of of the Companies Act by transferring all assets and liabilities of BSRM Iron and Steel Company to BSRM Steels Limited,” the company said in a statement yesterday.

The merger is subject to the consent of shareholders at its emergency general meeting scheduled for March 30 and approval from the High Court division.

This is one of the biggest internal corporate developments within the Group in recent times for consolidating the group’s strength and to grow the conglomerate.

The Chittagong-based BSRM Steels had recently enhanced capacity after successful completion of BMRE (Balancing, Modernisation, Rehabilitation and Expansion) work.

After the BMRE, the company’s annual

production was enhanced to 7,00,000 metric tonnes from 6,00,000 metric tonnes.

The company had to shut down mill from November 15 to December 7 last year to complete the BMRE work.

The company is mainly engaged in production and supply of “Xtreme 500W” deformed bars of reinforced steel. It had commenced its commercial operation in April, 2008.

To meet its total requirement, most of its raw materials are imported from Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Turkey, North America and South America. Yesterday on Dhaka Stock Exchange, its share prices rose sharply 8.2% to Tk93.3 a share. The company remained most favourite of the investors as it was the most traded stocks with shares worth Tk56.6 crore—the highest one-day trading turnover by a company in recent years.

BSRM Steels made more than Tk209.7 crore net profit in 2015, up nearly 70% from almost Tk124 crore made in 2014. BSRM Group is involved in steel sector  PAGE 16 COLUMN 4

FILE PHOTO: MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

compared to Tk85 crore from last year’s event, said officials.

They said the export order increased by 176% this year from one year ago.

The NBR targets to collect Tk1,76,370 crore revenue, including Tk64,262 crore VAT this fiscal year.

The board has become very desperate to reach the revenue target set for the fiscal year and is, therefore, looking for new sources like the DITF to boost VAT collection. l

Anti-VAT evasion raid to food shops underway n Tribune Report

The National Board of Revenue has launched massive campaign against value added tax evasion by fast food shops, hotels and restaurants.

The VAT audit, intelligence and investigation directorate of the NBR took the initiative after there were allegations that the businesses were not depositing VAT to the government exchequer though they had collected it from customers.

There are also allegations that many food stores and restaurants are not using Electronic Cash Register (ECR) or Point of Sales (POS)  PAGE 16 COLUMN 4

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2016

522 RMG units make less than 40% progress on remediation n Ibrahim Hossain Ovi A total of 522 RMG factories producing clothing products for Accord signatory brands have made less than 40% progress on remediation to improve their workplace safety.

In a meeting with the Bangladesh Garment Manufactures and Exporters Association (BGMEA), the Accord on Fire and Building Safety placed the list of 522 factories that made less than 40% progress towards ensuring their workplace safety standards, a meeting source told the Dhaka Tribune.

The meeting aimed at discussing the remediation progress was held between the BGMEA and the Accord in the city yesterday.

“We held talks on the remediation progress and the Accord informed us that a total

Stocks struggle to stay positive n Tribune Report

Stocks continued to struggle to stay positive in choppy trade yesterday with all the indexes closing marginally higher.

After moving with a limited range of 15 points throughout the session, the benchmark index DSEX inched marginally up almost 8 points to 4,581. With this rise, the index added around 20 points in the last consecutive three sessions.

The Shariah index DSES was up 5 points to 1,118. The blue chip comprising index DS30 gained 10 points to 1,759.

The Chittagong Stock Exchange Selective Category Index CSCX closed at 8,590 with a rally of 20 points.,Trading activities were sluggish despite improvement as the DSE turnover stood at Tk500 crore, sharply up about 40% over the previous session.

Lanka Bangla Securities said the market indicators reflected nervous opening of the day amid mixed performance in stocks.

“Earning declaration remained as major market trigger in near terms.”

Large cap sectors, like bank, non-banking financial institutions and telecommunications decreased by 0.9%, 0.8% and 1% respectively while power, food and allied and pharmaceuticals increased marginally.

Low cap cement sector witnessed a significant rise of 2.6%, led by Heidelberg Cement, soaring 3.2%. Engineering sector also came to spotlight as it rose 1.5%, driven by BSRM and BSRM Steel following their impressive corporate disclosures.

Both the scrips grabbed investor’s attention and became the turnover leaders, capturing 16.7% of the total traded value of the day.

Mutual funds that remained under pressure for a long time was the day’s biggest gainers with AIMS First Mutual Fund rising 8.8%, 4th ICB Mutual Fund 8.7% and Grameen Mutual Fund One 8.6%.

BSRM Steel was the most-traded stocks with shares worth Tk56.6 crore—the highest one-day trading turnover by a company in recent years. It was followed by Beximco Pharmaceuticals, United Power Generation and Distribution Company Limited, BSRM Steels and Al-haj Textile. l

of 522 factories made less progress,” BGMEA Vice-President Mahmud Hasan Khan Babu told the Dhaka Tribune.

“We will talk to those RMG owners to know the reasons behind the slow progress of remediation. We will take measures to speed up remediation.”

The BGMEA official said steps will be taken based on the findings after cross-checking the Accord Allegation with the individual assessment report of each factory.

Earlier, the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety gave a list of 36 RMG units, which made less remediation progress. Following that meeting, the owners were talked to, and the move brought a good result, he added.

Rob Wayss, executive director (Bangladesh Operations) of Accord told the Dhaka

Tribune that The Accord is working with the government and the industry people to set up an office to cover the factories located in the Chittagong zone. “It will help us better support the factories we work with.”

The outcries over safety issues began after the Rana Plaza factory disaster that killed over 1,135 workers and injured over 2,500 people on April 24, 2013.

After the factory collapse, the Alliance made a commitment to provide financial and technical support to improve fire and building safety standard of RMG factories from which they source products.

The Accord has completed its assessment of 1,600 factories alongside publishing Corrective Action Plans for 1,358 RMG units and doing a follow-up inspection on 1,304 factories. l

NBR exempts VAT on three coir felt products n Tribune Report National Board of Revenue (NBR) has temporarily exempted three local coir felt products from the existing Value Added Tax (VAT).

The three products made of coconut husk are-coir mattress, coir tape and coir felt.

Considering the growing potentiality of the industry, the NBR made the waiver to further boost the export of the three items.

Coir fiber is a natural fiber extracted from coconut husk, which is used in production of different products including mattresses, brushes and doormats.

Bangladesh also exports the products to many countries, particularly to the European countries.

On January 27, the VAT wing of NBR had issued a special order signed by its Chairman Nojibur Rahman in this connection.

The producers will not have to pay VAT on production of coir mattress, coir tape and coir felt till November 17, 2016, reads the NBR order.

However, they have to get VAT registration number and will have to file VAT returns regularly to avail the benefit, it mentioned.

The revenue authorities decided to waive VAT on coir felt products immediately after a request made by Awami League lawmaker from Bagerhat-2 constituency Mir Showkat Ali Badsha, according to officials.

In a recent letter to NBR, Badsha said: “If the VAT waiver decision is taken, it will help several coir-based non-traditional factories in Bagerhat and other southern districts to flourish.”

“The producers are exporting their coirmade products to different countries,” he added. l

WB to fix a 6-year credit assistance strategy for Bangladesh n Tribune report World Bank (WB) has arranged a two-day workshop, which will begin today in Habigonj, to fix a six-year credit assistance strategy for Bangladesh.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith, State Minister for Finance and Planning Abdul Mannan, Comptroller Auditor General and 50 other high officials from various related ministries will attend the workshop titled “Public Financial Management Reform Strategy 2016-2021.”

According to finance division officials: “World Bank will place a proposal as to what kind of financial help will be given to Bangladesh under new project assistance.”

The global lender will also want to know amount of funds required for the development projects and the types of expenditure by the government, they added.

Sources said: “World Bank might put emphasis on ensuring transparency and accountability in fund using in the development projects during the workshop and it also might urge the government to come out from its weak institutional capacity in implementing the foreign-funded projects.”

After the cancellation of Padma Bridge funding by World Bank, the relationship between Awami League-led government and the bank was worsened.

However, as the relationship has been improved, the global lender has now come up with renewed interest for funding the development projects.

An official of planning division said: “We will discuss about the financing matter for the implementation of the government’s seventh five-year plan. Revenue earnings will also be another issue to be discussed at the workshop.” l

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15

Anti-VAT evasion raid to food shops underway machines in financial transactions. But they are required by law to use such machines.

In 2009, the NBR made it mandatory for 11 types of business to install and use ECR machine and Point of Sales (POS) software to boost the VAT collection.

The types include hotels, restaurants, sweetmeat shops, community centres, all shops at mega malls in the metropolis, departmental stores, general stores, big and medium-size wholesalers and retailers at the metropolis etc.

NBR said most of the traders were yet to install the device, which it saw as “frustrating” after repeated calls since 2009.

A review of complaints by NBR showed that 80% of the complaints were made against food stores and restaurants, 10% against super shops and the remaining 10% against shops that fall in other types.

The VAT intelligence wing found the situation “very alarming” and went to start raiding shops in different parts of the capital city.

Although the previous such raid was limited to some specific restaurants and food stores, the current intiative will cover a larger part of the city.

During a day-long raid recently, a number of food stores in Khilgaon area were found non-compliant. Four seperate teams were engaged in the raid which covered 16 shops finding most of them using no ECR or POS device.

The non-compliance was identified as a way to evade VAT. “We targeted Khilgaon to make it a model area in VAT payment by bringing all the food stores there under the (ECR or POS) system,” said an official who was in one of the teams.

“Such drive will be launched gradually in different parts of the city including Gulshan, Banani, Dhanmondi, Uttara, Badda, Banasree, Motijheel, Old Town and Jatrabari,” he added.

Besides, such drive would also be conducted in other major cities like Chittagong to improve VAT collection.

The revenue board targets to collect Tk1,76,370 crore revenue, of them amount Tk64,262 crore as VAT, this fiscal year. l

BSRM to merge Steels and Iron & Steels units

since 1930 in the region.

Earlier, BSRM Steel increased its paid-up capital by issuing 10,450,000 ordinary shares of Tk10 each for the purpose of acquiring non-listed BSRM Iron and Steel Company at the ratio of one BSRM Steels shares to one BSRM Iron and Steel Company shares on November 10, 2010.

Bangladesh has more than 400 steel, re-rolling and auto-rerolling mills with a combined annual production capacity of eight metric tonnes against the total demand of only 4 million tonnes.

The government projects account for nearly 40% of total steel consumption. l

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2016

World tourism map redrawn since attacks, epidemics, migrants

Ambiente Fair 2016 kicks off today in Germany n Tribune Report

n AFP, Paris The world’s tourism map is being redrawn at lightning speed as holidaymakers switch preferences prompted by terror attacks, epidemics and migrant crises.

Jihadist attacks on tourists in Tunisia last year and the October 31 crash of a Russian plane which took off from its Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh have devastated the tourism sectors in both countries.

But Muslim countries everywhere are the main losers of the shift in tastes, sector professionals say, as tourists move to destinations they consider safe - so long as they’re also sunny.

Overall, world tourism has never been in better shape. Nearly 1.2 billion people travelled abroad in 2015, an increase of 4.4% over the previous year, but the casual observer could be fooled by the sight of deserted North African beaches, once tourist hotspots.

Tunisia, which built its tourism industry on guaranteed sunshine and rock-bottom prices, is the most stunning example of the devastating impact of security fears after murderous attacks targeted foreigners.

Visitor numbers to Tunisia tumbled by two million in 2015, leaving coast resorts empty, hotels idle and the economy in tatters.

Tunisia’s tourism sector accounted for almost 10% of the nation’s economy.

Tourists take a photo with the Blue Mosque turned white as the backdrop

‘Muslim countries are suffering’

Turkey is another victim of attack fears.

Germany’s TUI, the world’s biggest tourism group, said Tuesday that it had seen bookings to Turkey drop by 40% in the wake of an Islamic State suicide attack in Istanbul.

Turkish media, meanwhile, reported that visitor numbers to the top Turkish resort of Antalya dropped by 17% last month, the lowest level for the month of January in a decade.

Some destinations are collateral damage from attack fears, as tourists appear to make little distinction between countries within the Middle East or North Africa, as Jordan

Tarana: Approval to Robi-Airtel merger awaits public hearing n Tribune Report State Minister for Posts and Telecommunications Tarana Halim said final approval to Robi-Airtel merger agreement would depend on the outcome of public hearing and market survey impact report.

“We don’t oppose the merger agreement, but we have to wait until the outcome of public hearing and market survey impact report before giving final approval,” Tarana said at the inauguration of Telecom Reporters’ Network Bangladesh (TRNB) website yesterday.

Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) is set to hold a public hearing on the merger of Robi Axiata Ltd and Airtel Bangladesh Ltd on 17 this month.

As BTRC sought, other operators in the country have already given their opinion welcoming the proposed merger.

The agreement was signed on January 28 in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur with a

view to venturing into a joint business operation in Bangladesh.

About SIM registration, Tarana Halim said no tax would be imposed on the process. The registration now goes on across the country, which began on December last year.

She said finance minister was “fully convinced” on not taking the tax. “Mobile operators should not be worried as a written order regarding it will be announced in a day or two,” she added.

Tarana said she had asked to form three mobile teams to monitor biometric SIM registration work. In an announcement, the state minister said an initiative would be taken to provide smartphones to the insolvent rural people at only Tk25/30 monthly instalment.

“I have already talked to the Walton ( local smartphone brand) and asked them to supply the product at Tk2,000/2,500 so the insolvent people can afford at small instalments. I hope the initiative will be successful.” l

Rising risks to US economy warned n AFP, Washington Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen warned that the US economy faced risks from tightening domestic financial conditions as well as global economic turmoil.

Showing more pronounced concern over the economy than when she last spoke publicly, in December, Yellen’s comments less-

ened the possibility of another interest rate increase in its next policy meeting in March.

“Financial conditions in the United States have recently become less supportive of growth, with declines in broad measures of equity prices, higher borrowing rates for riskier borrowers, and a further appreciation of the dollar,” she told the House Financial Services Committee. l

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AFP

has found to its cost.

“There was no attack, but we were affected tremendously by a drop of visitors coming from Europe,” Jordan’s tourism minister Nayef al-Fayez said recently.

“All Muslim countries are suffering to a greater or lesser degree, even those which have been made totally secure, like Oman,” said Jean-Francois Rial, chairman of French travel operator Voyageurs du Monde.

“The only exception is Iran, but they’ve started from scratch,” he told AFP, noting that many European agencies have begun offering travel to Iran since Western powers have started dismantling sanctions. l

A total of 35 Bangladesh manufacturing companies including handicrafts, ceramics, jute products, plastic products and consumer products will take part in “Ambiente Fair 2016” in Germany beginning from Friday to attract buyers from across the globe.

The fair will continue from February 12 – 16. In the last expo, about 1,35,000 buyers from 152 countries attended the world’s leading trade fair for the consumer goods sector.

A total of 4,299 exhibitors from 96 countries will be presenting trends and innovations this season, said said a press release.

The exhibitors will display their products covering interior design items, jute baskets and products, kitchen accessories including ceramics and porcelain products, handicrafts, leather and other consumer products, the release added.

The following companies will participate in Ambiente Fair from Bangladesh including Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) of the government of Bangladesh.

The 35 Bangladesh companies that are going to showcase their products include Artisan Ceramics Limited, Asix BD, Ask Handicrafts, BD Creation Limited, Bengal Polymer Wares Limited, Brac Aarong, Conexpo, Corr – The Jute Works, Creation (Pvt) Limited, Desh Enterprises, Dhaka Handicrafts and Diamond Jute Diversification and Company. l

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Business

Heed the threats to globalisation n Edward Chancellor Is the international financial system on the verge of an “epoch-defining seismic rupture” accompanied by a return to global protectionism? This warning was made a couple of years ago by Claudio Borio, the respected head economist at the Bank for International Settlements. Since that time, emerging markets have crashed and some countries have resorted to capital controls to protect their currencies. The last time globalisation collapsed was in the 1930s. Looking back at this disastrous period, it is possible to identify some disturbing parallels.

The conventional view of the Great Depression, espoused by former Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke among others, is that it resulted from the US central bank’s failure to prevent a collapse of the domestic money supply. This interpretation is too parochial. In truth, America was caught up in a global crisis which had its origins in acute financial weakness in Latin America and Central Europe – the emerging markets of their day – a poorly designed international monetary system, unruly capital flows, plunging commodities prices and problems in the European banking system.

The gold exchange standard, which was established in the early 1920s, allowed British and US government securities to be used, alongside the precious metal, in foreign exchange transactions between central banks.

Within a few years, this new, more flexible currency system had resulted in the rapid expansion of currency reserves and facilitated enormous growth in foreign lending.

The United States lent heavily to Latin America and Central Europe. American holders of foreign bonds enjoyed higher yields

than were available at home. As default levels were low, they seemed to be taking little extra risk. In reality, underwriting standards on Wall Street were declining sharply and the recipients of foreign loans squandered much of the money they received. In 1928, global capital flows reversed after the Fed hiked rates and American investors repatriated capital to invest in the booming domestic stock market.

The reversal of foreign lending, according to economic historian Charles Kindleberger, “destabilized the world economy like a game of snap-the-whip played by children”. It coincided with a deepening decline in commodities prices, which left indebted primary producers unable to service their debts. By 1929, international trade prices and volumes were falling – an indication of worsening economic conditions which contributed to the October crash of that year. The following year, several South American countries, including Bolivia and Brazil, devalued their currencies and defaulted on their external obligations.

In the first half of 1931, the crisis spread to Austria, whose largest bank, the Creditanstalt, announced large losses after restating its accounts. The contagion soon reached Germany’s banking system – Kindleberger once mischievously suggested that American lenders were unable to distinguish between the two countries. Next in line stood Britain, whose merchant banks were heavily exposed to Central Europe. The British didn’t have the appetite to protect the gold peg. In September 1931, Britain devalued the pound. This was all too much for the governor of the Bank of England, Montagu Norman, who suffered a nervous breakdown. The Americans didn’t buckle so quickly. In October 1931, the Fed raised rates to stem a drain of gold. A banking

panic ensued and the United States felt the full force of the world depression.

By this point, globalisation was in full retreat. In place of free capital flows and relatively open trade came “blocked currencies” and “standstill agreements.” Capital controls prevented the repayment of foreign debts and hindered trade. Tariffs and currency devaluation in one country provoked hostile responses in others. Much ongoing trade was conducted between countries on a bilateral basis, requiring what was known as “exchange clearing” to keep payments in balance. In Germany, the newly installed Nazis developed their own trading bloc and pursued a nationalist agenda of economic self-sufficiency. Even the great liberal John Maynard Keynes supported the move away from localization: “Let goods be homespun,” he wrote in 1933, “and, above all, let finance be primarily national.”

Recent developments in the global economy bear some resemblance to this earlier period. The international currency system, with the dollar at its core, has proved infinitely elastic. Global foreign exchange reserves expanded by more than $10tn in the decade after 2002. The Fed’s easy-money policy ushered in the era of the global carry trade as companies in emerging markets took advantage of low US rates to borrow trillions of dollars.

In the interwar period, Germany was the world’s second-largest economy. China now occupies that position. Like Germany in the 1920s, China’s banking system has become bogged down with bad debts, its local governments have borrowed heavily to fund extravagant public works, and industrial excess capacity is rife. Europe’s banking system is also burdened with non-performing loans.

But since 2012, global foreign exchange

reserves have been contracting. Last year, emerging markets experienced net capital outflows for the first time in nearly three decades – and that’s continuing in 2016. Capital outflows have depressed emerging market currencies, which has made servicing their foreign debts more costly. The rating agencies have downgraded both South Africa and Brazil. As in the late 1920s, a bear market in commodities is causing havoc. Several energy exporters, from Azerbaijan to Saudi Arabia, have imposed capital controls.

Protectionism is once again in the air. Over the past couple of months, both the European Union and the United States have imposed tariffs on Chinese steel imports. Anti-immigration sentiment, which flared up in the 1930s, is being exploited once again by political extremists on both sides of the Atlantic.

Optimists might note the absence of the “fetters” of the gold standard today. Instead, the euro has brought its own brand of sclerosis to much of Europe. China’s dollar peg is another dysfunctional currency arrangement which will prove difficult to unravel.

In his 2001 book, “The End of Globalisation: Lessons from the Great Depression,” the historian Harold James observed that financial crises have often threatened open trade and monetary arrangements. The retreat from globalisation occurred so rapidly in the 1930s because it built upon longstanding grievances about immigration, trade and capital flows. Similar resentments are evident today. Though Borio’s warning of an “epoch-defining seismic rupture” has not yet come to fruition, it deserves to be taken seriously. l Edward Chancellor is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The article was initially published by Reuters.

With TPP advancing, India pins hopes on China-backed trade bloc

Samsung gets new managing director

n Reuters, New Delhi

Seungwon Youn has joined Samsung Electronics Bangladesh as the managing director (MD) recently.

He has been working for Samsung over the last 20 years and now appointed to Samsung as MD. “I am very excited that I have been given the opportunity of leading Samsung Electronics Bangladesh. We believe that Bangladesh is growing in such a pace that there is no look back, and we look forward to being an important part in the digital revolution of the country.”

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative ideas and technologies, redefining the worlds of TVs, smartphones, wearable devices, tablets, cameras, digital appliances, printers, medical equipment, network systems, and semiconductor and LED solutions.

Samsung employs 3,20,000 people in 84 countries with an annual sale of US$250 billion. l

India, concerned at being sidelined from the US-led Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), is stepping up efforts to reach agreement with an alternative trade bloc centred around China, and hopes to reach a deal this year.

New Delhi has long been seen by many countries as an intransigent player at the World Trade Organization (WTO), a multilateral forum that has struggled to find the consensus it needs to move forward.

Now, after 12 advanced economies accounting for 40% of the global economy signed a TPP deal this month, India’s trade negotiators feel they need to get a move on.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has backed an export-focused ‘Make in India’ drive as the path to prosperity for Asia’s third-largest economy, where per capita output is $1,688 a year, one fifth that in China.

With TPP out of reach - India was not invited to join - India’s negotiators are focussing instead on a Chinese-led grouping called the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) that would improve its access to Asian markets.

Trade representatives meet in Brunei from

A worker loads goods into a container at Thar Dry Port in Sanand in the western state of Gujarat REUTERS Feb. 15-19 to iron out differences on tariffs.

A senior New Delhi official, who asked not to be named, told Reuters that India was hopeful of striking a tariff-cutting deal this year, in the clearest indication yet that India wants to accelerate progress on a bloc first

launched in 2012.

Ganeshan Wignaraja of the Asian Development Bank said a breakthrough on RCEP would help mitigate the competitive disadvantage of India being absent from the TPP. l

n Tribune Report

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Biz Info

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2016

Coca-Cola in Bangladesh celebrates the love and joy of our mother tongue

New gaming ASUS laptop in affordable price Global Brand Private Limited, the sole distributor of ASUS has introduced new updated gaming laptops, “GL552VW,” in affordable prices. It is equipped with 6th Gen Intel Core-i5 processor, 1TB SATA Hard Disk, 8 GB DDR4 RAM and Intel HM 170 Chipset. It can give users a live and flawless visual experience with its NVDIA GeForce GTX 960M video graphics and 15.6 inch full HD LED display. Sonic Master technology is incorporated in the laptop for excellent audio experience. For networking this laptop comes with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, LAN Jack and HD Web CAM. It also comes with a 3200 mAh battery. With two-year international warranty, this product is priced at Tk76,500. l Contact: 01915476333.

Edexcel recognises the highest achievers of 2015 Pearson Edexcel, the largest awarding body in the UK and part of Pearson, in collaboration with the British Council, conducted its forth “Academic Award Ceremony” for the students who achieved outstanding results in their International-GCSE and A Level examinations in 2015. The award ceremony was held on February 6, in the Hall of Fame, Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC), Dhaka. More than 1,500 attendees including students, teachers, parents and distinguished guests attended the event.

There were 589 awardees who received Edexcel High Achievers’ Awards this year in four different categories. 382 students received awards for obtaining minimum 7 “A” grades in International-GCSE (formerly known as O Level); 75 students received awards for obtaining minimum 4 “A” grades in A Level; 61 students achieved the world highest marks in different subjects; 71 students received awards for “Best Performing School Students,” in the country highest and world highest category in International Primary and Lower Secondary Curriculum (P&LSC).

Junaid Ahmed Palak, MP, Honourable Minister for ICT of Bangladesh, was present at the grand award ceremony of Edexcel as the chief guest and handed over the certificates to the awardees. Allison Blake, the British High Commissioner, Barbara Wickham, director at British Council and

David Crowther, director at International Products and Global Partnerships, Pearson Qualifications was also present in the occasion as special guests.

Junaid Ahmed Palak, in his speech, thanked both Pearson Edexcel and British Council authorities for Bangladesh is one of the notable countries where a large number of students sit for Edexcel exams and every year many of them apply for higher studies to the world’s most prestigious universities such as Harvard, Cambridge, MIT, LSE etc. A large number of these students are also studying in both public and private universities in Bangladesh.

Among others Deep Adhikary, country examinations manager, British Council; Saidur Rahman, country manager, Edexcel Bangladesh; and Abdullah Liton, regional development manager of Edexcel were present at the occasion. l

Coca-Cola Bangladesh announced its plans to celebrate the joy and intimacy of speaking in one’s own mother tongue today, at a press conference.

The campaign is being launched with a simple insight that, despite changes all around us, there are some relationships that are best expressed in one’s own mother tongue. For us in Bangladesh, the month of February takes on more significance, as the whole idea of an International Mother Language Day is a gift of Bangladesh to the entire world.

During this campaign, Coca-Cola Bangladesh will make it possible, in a small way, for our beloved consumers to celebrate their relationships in Bangla, with great pride and love. There will be special labels on the bottles expressing dedications for intimate and loved relationships such as motherhood and friendship among others.

After launching this campaign in a limited manner last year and receiving very positive feedback, Coca-Cola Bangladesh is making it available in almost all markets across the country.

On this occasion, present at the launch

event were Shadab Ahmed Khan, managing director, Coca-Cola Bangladesh Limited, Tapas Kumar Mondal, managing director, International Beverages Private Limited, Gazi M Shamsuddin, chief operating officer, Abdul Monem Ltd. Shadab Ahmed Khan, from Coca-Cola Bangladesh speaking about the campaign said, “We live in an increasingly globalised world, but there are some things that simply do not have a substitute – the joy of expressing love and passion in one’s own mother tongue cannot be replaced.

We believe that through these special bottles, our beloved consumers all around Bangladesh will find joy at being able to spread their love in their own language.” l

Intra NSU art and photography exhibition and competition Intra NSU Art & Photography Competition and Exhibition 2016 was organised by NSUAPC- North South University Art & Photography Club for the 12th time since 2000. It started off with a vision to provide a platform for the students of North South University (NSU) to showcase their creativity and skills when it comes to art or taking photographs.

For the first time, artwork and photographs have been exhibited together, along with a collection of vintage cameras and photography books written by many renowned photographers. Receiving 1,022 photographs from over 100 photographers and 35 artwork from 11 artists of NSU, 75 photographs from 38 photographers and 20 artworks from nine artists were selected for the exhibition. The judges for the photography competition were Saud Al Faisal, a pioneer character in the photographic society, and Ashraful Awal Mishuk, a professional photographer as well

as an honorable faculty for Pathshala South Asian Media Institute and Hamiduzzam, renowned sculpture artist, for the artworks.

A total of 16 awards will be given in different categories such as Life, Portrait, Architecture, Conceptual, Landscape and Mobile category.

Three awards will be given for the best artwork exhibited.

The event was inaugurated by the vice chancellor in-charge of NSU, Dr Gour Govinda Goswami, Nasir Ali Mamum, a renowned photographer in Bangladesh and the director of Student Affairs at NSU. l

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CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Depressed (3) 3 Custom (6) 8 Declare (4) 9 Respectful fear (3) 10 Brasslike alloy (6) 11 Wrongdoer (6) 14 Playthings (5) 17 Short gaiters (5) 20 Ceased (6) 24 Of the eye (6) 26 Groove (3) 27 Fissure (4) 28 Required (6) 29 Bashful (3)

DOWN 1 Camera aprt (4) 2 Caution (4) 3 Burrowing animal (4) 4 Presentation (5) 5 Of birth (5) 6 Female sheep (3) 7 Tears (5) 12 Little devil (3) 13 Mashed fabric (3) 15 Lubricant (3) 16 Sheltered side (3) 17 Disdain (5) 18 Sharp (5) 19 Divide (5) 21 Dry (4) 22 Makes lace (4) 23 Obligation (4) 25 Billiard rod (3)

Downtime CODE-CRACKER How to solve: Each number in our CODECRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 1 represents P so fill P every time the figure 1 appears.

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

Some letters of the alphabet may not be used.

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

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

CALVIN AND HOBBES

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

PEANUTS

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS CODE-CRACKER

CROSSWORD

DILBERT

SUDOKU

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2016

INSIDE

EXPLAINER

What’s India’s interest in S China Sea? Obama climate plan’s broad scope to face sceptical Supreme Court The US Supreme Court’s unexpected move to block President Barack Obama’s policy to cut pollution from coal plants highlights what both sides in the legal fight agree is a key weakness in the rules – a provision that expands the scope of regulation far beyond curbing emissions from individual smoke stacks.

PAGE 23

Nigeria faces new rift over alleged Shia massacre Piles of rubble are all that remain of the residence of Nigeria’s most prominent Shia Muslim leader after it was demolished by bulldozers in the northern city of Zaria.

PAGE 24

Nato deploys migrant naval mission in Aegean

Nato launched Thursday an unprecedented naval mission in the Aegean Sea to tackle people smugglers taking migrants and refugees from the Turkish coast, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday.

PAGE 24

With territorial tensions in the South China Sea entering a new phase of confrontation, there are signs of growing Indian involvement in regional affairs.

Despite not being geographically in the South China Sea, India is increasingly being recognised as an actor in the balance of power. Today, in the first part of an explainer we focus on India’s interests in the disputed waters.

n Md Toufiqul Islam and Adil Mahmood Developments in the South China Sea have significant implications for India’s strategic interests and its role in the Indo-Pacific.

Yet New Delhi has traditionally maintained a safe distance from direct commentary on issues like the South China Sea maritime disputes, and instead emphasised on the need for freedom of navigation.

However, India now appears to be picking up the pace. Under the Modi administration, New Delhi has turned the “Look East Policy” into the “Act East Policy,” made direct comments on the need to resolve the South China Sea dispute, signed a joint strategic vision with the US for the Asia–Pacific and the Indian Ocean region and is in talks with key regional countries to increase security collaboration, especially in the maritime domain.

Just on Wednesday, a US defence official said the US and India have held talks about conducting joint naval patrols that could include the disputed South China Sea. On the very next day, China came up with a strong response, warning both the countries that outside interference will threaten peace and stability of the region.

So, the question remains, why India seems so keen to meddle with the South China Sea matters. Observers say India is frustrated with China’s growing influence in the Indian Ocean region in the last few years. With the so-called “string of pearls” strategy, China has been actively occupying the Indian Ocean, surrounding India from the sea with a chain of its ports and monitoring stations in the neighbouring countries (Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Myanmar).

India is giving an “asymmetric response” to these actions of China and actively develops relations with the countries of the South China Sea basin, primaring place with Vietnam and the Philippines, i.e. the countries that have the most burning problems in their relations with China.

For example, India last month struck a deal with Vietnam to set up a Data Reception and Tracking and Telemetry Station at Ho Chi Minh City in southern Vietnam.

Through this, experts say India will get a strategic toehold in the South China Sea region as its new satellite monitoring station in Vietnam is expected to be activated soon and linked to another existing facility in neighbouring Indonesia, amid China’s growing ambitions in the area.

India’s strategic interest

It is a surprising fact that the South China Sea has been classified as within India’s ex-

Disputed claims in the South China Sea CHINA

TAIWAN (claims Spratly Islands) Vietnamese claim

Scarborough Shoal Under Chinese control since 2012

Chinese claim

Philippines EEZ* claim Paracel islands Philippines Kalayaan** claim

VIETNAM

PHILIPPINES

Spratly Islands

Brunei claim Malaysian claim

BRUNEI

*Exclusive economic zone **Kalayaan islands, Palawan province

MALAYSIA

200 km

Claims, major outposts and facilities By country

Thitu Island Runway: 1,000 m

SOUTH CHINA SEA

Subi Reef Satellite photos show possible runway construction Itu Aba 1,195 m Gaven Reef

China Malaysia Philippines Taiwan Vietnam

Sand Cay Eldad Reef

Fiery Cross Reef 3,000 m Cuarteron Reef Spratly Island 550 m

Johnson South Reef

Hughes Reef

West London Reef

Mischief Reef Satellite photos suggest preparations for a runway

TAIWAN

CHINA

VIETNAM Swallow Reef 1,368 m 50 km

PHILIPPINES 200 km

BRUNEI MALAYSIA

Sources : D.Rosenberg/MiddleburyCollege/HarvardAsiaQuarterly/Phil gov’t/ChinaMaritimeSafetyAdministration/CSIS/AMTI

tended neighbourhood at the government level for over a decade (Chang 2015). When formulated in the mid-1990s, India’s “Look East Policy” originally focused on economic cooperation in Southeast Asia channelled through Asean. However, a Look East-2 focus in the 2000s cast India’s horizons more widely across the South China Sea into the Western Pacific/East Asia, with more overt security consideration. Accordingly, the Indian Navy’s 2007 doctrine statement India’s Maritime Military Strategy defined the South

China Sea as an area of “strategic interest” to India (Baruah, 2015). This leaves India with interests to be gained, maintained and if necessary defended – primarily through the Indian Navy’s unilateral presence and bilateral security arrangements. India’s Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Joshi made that clear in December 2012 when he announced that the Indian Navy could and would be deployed to the South China Sea to defend Indian energy security interests there.  PAGE 22

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21 By 2013, the increasing adoption of the Indo-Pacific as a strategic framework for India gave the South China Sea closer geopolitical relevance for India. Narendra Modi’s arrival in power in May 2014 saw his Act East readiness to strengthen India’s military and economic position in the South China Sea cutting across China’s own drive across the South China Sea (Chang 2015).

Vietnam: India’s main partner

With Vietnam, India’s “diamond on the South China Sea” (Brewster 2009), India’s Cooperation Framework agreement of 2003 and strategic partnership proclaimed in 2007 has become strengthened in its military side, in the wake of China’s growing strength in the South

China Sea. This partnership has been given teeth in recent years through military supplies, especially maritime, from India to Vietnam, which has attracted Chinese criticism (Bagchi 2014). Port facilities have also been extended by Vietnam to India at Cam Ranh Bay. The pace of India-Vietnam relations have quickened under the Modi administration (Thayer 2014), with a “pivot” (Karnad 2014) to Vietnam on the part of India, leaving an “axis” (Patil 2014) that is now implicitly China-centric. A significant development under the Modi administration is how the South China Sea has featured in their Joint Statements drawn up in President Pranab Mukherjee’s trip to Vietnam in September 2014 and

the visit by Vietnam’s prime minister to India in October 2014. These Joint Statements’ formulaic reiteration of freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, and adherence to international law, are an implicit criticism of China. The October 2014 visit also saw a slew of increased military assistance programmes by India to the Vietnamese navy. l

Ü Brewster, David. (2009) ‘India’s strategic part-

Ü

Ü REFERENCES

Ü Bagchi, Indrani. (2014) ‘India ignores China’s

frown, offers defence boost to Vietnam’, Times of India, October 29. Ü Baruah, Darshana. (2015) ‘Asia’s Nightmare: Could India and China Clash over the South China Sea?’, July 14, National Interest.

Ü

Ü

nership with Vietnam: The search for a diamond on the South China Sea?’, Asian Security, 5(1): 24-44.

Chang, Gordon. (2015) ‘Clash of titans: India’s “Act East” Policy meets China’s “Maritime Silk Road” in the South China Sea’, Journal of Political Risk, 3(7), June.

Karnad, Bharat. (2014) ‘Vietnam as India’s pivot’, New Indian Express, October 31.

Patil, Kapil. (2014) ‘India-Vietnam Axis: energy and geopolitical imperatives’, NAPSNet Policy Forum, December 8.

Thayer, Carl. (2014) ‘India and Vietnam advance their strategic partnership’, The Diplomat, December 11.

Chalk and cheese?

From Brooklyn, New York Former carpenter and filmmaker, the country’s longest serving independent member of Congress Calls himself a democratic socialist promising a “political revolution”

Donald Trump Republican 69 years old THE PERSON

POLITICS

Passionate support among young liberals Universal health care $15 minimum wage Free tuition at public universities Campaign finance reform

PROMISES

From Queens, New York Billionaire real estate tycoon and former reality TV star Considered on the right of mainstream Republicanism Popular with grassroots conservatives, white working and middle classes A wall on the Mexican border Deport millions of illegal immigrants To “stand up to China” “Make America great again”

Calls inequality the Reputation for great moral, talking tough, economic and “say-it-as-it-is” political issue of REPUTATION honesty, disdain the times, says for the “political class”, he would rein controversial comments about in Wall Street women, Mexicans and Muslims and tax the rich

ANALYSIS

Obama climate plan’s broad scope to face sceptical Supreme Court n Reuters, Washington, DC The US Supreme Court’s unexpected move to block President Barack Obama’s policy to cut pollution from coal plants highlights what both sides in the legal fight agree is a key weakness in the rules – a provision that expands the scope of regulation far beyond curbing emissions from individual smoke stacks.

Tuesday’s order, in which the court put a halt to the administration’s Clean Power Plan while a legal challenge goes forward in a federal appeals court, did not detail why the court’s five conservatives believed a stay was warranted.

The challengers, including 27 states, the coal industry, and business groups like the US Chamber of Commerce, have unleashed a broad array of legal arguments against the policy, which has been in effect since August and is the centerpiece of Obama’s strategy to combat climate change.

It focuses on a section of the plan set out by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that allows states to measure emissions cuts from a variety of sources “beyond the fence line” of power plants, including gains from renewable energy sources and

energy efficiency measures.

The challengers say the EPA has no authority under the 1970 Clean Air Act to expand its regulation of power plants outside the facilities themselves.

Jeff Holmstead, a lawyer representing the coal industry in the legal challenge, said that the provision of the Clean Air Act the EPA is focusing on has only been used previously to set air pollution standards for individual plants.

Lawyers for the challengers argue the EPA is seeking to go beyond the scope of the law because it cannot obtain the emissions goals.

Lawyers who support the Obama administration’s efforts agreed on Wednesday that the “beyond the fence line” provision is most vulnerable to legal attack, although they believe the government has strong arguments in its favor. They say the Clean Air Act does not preclude EPA’s plan and that the agency has used a similar approach when issuing previous regulations.

Targeted attack

The challengers’ line of attack is a targeted argument that could undercut the plan without requiring it to be struck down altogether.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2016

SOUTH ASIA

Two presidental candidates riding on a wave of anti-establishment anger are from opposite ends of the American political spectrum Bernie Sanders Democrat 74 years old

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If the court ruled against the administration on that part while upholding the agency’s broad authority to regulate emissions, the Clean Power Plan could survive in a modified form. It would need to be revised and reissued, with the EPA given another chance to find ways of curbing emissions within individual plants, lawyers involved in the litigation said.

Timing is a factor, however, as a Supreme Court ruling is not likely before Obama leaves office in January 2017. While a Democratic administration would likely seek to revive the plan if the Supreme Court struck part of it down, a Republican president is less likely to do so.

A revised rule could force even more costly regulation on individual plants, Donahue and other environmental lawyers say, including demands that they switch from coal to natural gas, which does not produce as many carbon emissions.

Opponents of the plan had reason to be buoyed by the Supreme Court’s unusual intervention in part because of increasing evidence the conservative majority are skeptical of the Obama administration’s environmental regulations. l

Rogue Afghan policeman kills five colleagues

A rogue Afghan policeman drugged his colleagues before shooting 5 of them dead, officials said Thursday, the latest in a series of insider attacks which have blighted pro-government forces battling the Taliban.

The incident took place Wednesday night at a checkpoint where 13 policemen were posted in southern Kandahar province, scene of some of the heaviest fighting between the Western-backed government and the Taliban in recent years.

-AFP

INDIA

Soldier found alive after 6 days buried under avalanche dies

An Indian soldier who survived being trapped under 8 metres of snow for six days after being caught in an avalanche died in hospital on Thursday. Hanumanthappa Koppad and nine colleagues were buried alive after a mass of snow collapsed on their post on the Siachen Glacier, which India and Pakistan have fought over intermittently for three decades.

Although presumed dead, Hanumanthappa, was found with a pulse by rescue workers at a height of 6,000 metres.

-TOI

CHINA

China warns on S China Sea as US, India consider patrols

China on Thursday responded to a report that the US and India are discussing joint naval patrols in the disputed South China Sea, warning that interference from countries outside the region threatens peace and stability.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said that countries from outside the area must stop pushing forward the militarization of the South China Sea, cease endangering the sovereignty and national security.

-REUTERS

ASIA PACIFIC

North Korea cuts hotlines with South Korea

North Korea on Thursday expelled all South Koreans from the jointly-run Kaesong industrial zone and placed it under military control, saying Seoul’s earlier decision to shutter the complex had amounted to a declaration of war. Pyongyang said it was seizing the assets of all the 124 South Korean companies operating factories in Kaesong, which lies 10km across the border inside North Korea. It also cut two key communication hotlines with Seoul, preventing any further official discussion of the situation at the complex.

-AFP

MIDDLE EAST

Death toll in Syrian civil war is 470,000

In five years of civil war, 400,000 Syrians have been killed and another 70,000 have perished due to a lack of basics such as clean water and healthcare, the Guardian newspaper reported on Thursday. With those injured in the confict, that amounts to more 11 percent of the population, it said, citing the Syrian Centre for Policy Research. A US-led coalition is trying to destroy Dae’sh militants in Syria and wants President Bashar al-Assad to go. But Russia and Iran are propping up Assad and oppose the opponents of Assad who are being supported by the West its Arab allies such as Saudi Arabia.

-REUTERS

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USA

Ex-HP boss Fiorina ends White House bid

Republican Carly Fiorina, the outspoken former chief executive of Hewlett-Packard who argued she would be the sharpest challenger against Democrat Hillary Clinton for the presidency, ended her White House bid Wednesday. While I suspend my candidacy today, I will continue to travel this country and fight for those Americans who refuse to settle for the way things are and a status quo that no longer works for them, Fiorina said in a Facebook post, one day after she finished seventh in the New Hampshire primary. -AFP

THE AMERICAS

Colombia’s FARC vow to end use of child soldiers

Colombia’s FARC rebels promised Wednesday to end recruitment of child soldiers, in a fresh bid to seal a peace deal ending a half-century conflict. At talks in Cuba, the leftist guerrilla group had already pledged to stop recruiting fighters under 17, but the Colombian government said that did not go far enough. International authorities and rights groups define any member of a force under the age of 18 as a child soldier.

-AFP

UK

EU leaders left to iron out remaining issues with UK

British and EU negotiators have substantially agreed a text of reforms aimed at helping keep Britain in the European Union but arguments over migration and treaty change will be left to political leaders to settle next week, diplomats said. After talks on Thursday in Brussels among top officials from London and the 27 other member states to review generally minor adjustments to proposals made a week ago, an EU source said they made good progress on clarifying technical and legal issues.

-REUTERS

EUROPE

German government ends row over tighter asylum rules

Germany’s coalition government said on Thursday it had reached a compromise in a row over new asylum rules that are intended to curb an influx of migrants, opening the way for them to pass to parliament for debate. The proposed measures were originally agreed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives and her centre-left Social Democrat coalition partners two weeks ago.

-REUTERS

AFRICA

Sudan summons US envoy over draft UN sanctions resolution Sudan said Wednesday it summoned the top US diplomat in Khartoum to protest Washington’s sponsorship of a draft UN resolution extending sanctions over Darfur that could target gold mining. UN Security Council Resolution 1591, which was passed in 2005, imposed travel bans and asset freezes on parties involved in the conflict in the western Darfur region. The panel of experts for the 1591 Sudan sanctions committee is expected to be renewed soon. A statement by foreign ministry, which summoned the US diplomat said the draft resolution includes paragraphs unfair to Sudan. -AFP

INSIGHT

Nigeria faces new rift over alleged Shia massacre n Reuters, Zaria Piles of rubble are all that remain of the residence of Nigeria’s most prominent Shia Muslim leader after it was demolished by bulldozers in the northern city of Zaria.

Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky’s compound was levelled after three days of clashes between the army and Shi’ite residents of the city in December in which rights groups say hundreds of Shias were killed. The army declined to give a Shi’ite death toll but said one soldier was killed and five were wounded.

The violence and its repercussions could further fracture a country battling a northern insurgency by hardline Sunni group Boko Haram, a secessionist movement in the southeast, militancy in the oil-rich Delta, as well as a growing economic crisis.

The clashes were the deadliest in living memory involving security forces and the minority Shi’ite community, say some Shias and rights groups.

Diplomats said the violence risked spawning a radical Shia militant wing much like the Boko Haram uprising began in 2009 after security forces killed hundreds of its members and its leader Mohammed Yusuf died in custody.

Boko Haram, which has pledged allegiance to Dae’sh, has killed thousands of people and driven more than 2m from their homes in Nigeria’s poor north.

After the Zaria clashes, the army detained a wounded Zakzaky. Sensing the explosive situation, the government flew him abroad for a few days for medical treatment to avoid creating a martyr like Yusuf, according to diplomats. He remains in custody.

Africa’s most populous nation, led by President Muhammadu Buhari, is home to around 180 million - roughly evenly split between Christians, mainly in the south, and Muslims, mostly in the north and predominantly Sunni. Shias are estimated to number under 4 million, according to a 2009 report by the U.S.-based Pew Research Center, but there are no official figures.

A political poster is seen on the wall of a house in Gyallesu district in Zaria, Kaduna state, Nigeria, February 3. Sectarian tensions are rising in Nigeria’s Muslim north, where hundreds of Shias were killed in clashes with the army in the town of Zaria in December, according to Shias and rights groups. The region is already grappling with an insurgency waged by the jihadist Boko Haram group REUTERS Zaria, 270km north of the capital Abuja, is a predominantly Sunni city with a population of about 500,000. It is a focus for inter-community tensions because it is also the spiritual centre of Shi’ite sect the Islamic Movement in Nigeria as home to its leader Zakzaky.

Human Rights Watch estimates there are around 3m members of the sect, a religious and political movement inspired by Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, which would represent most Shias in the West African country.

What provoked the December violence is disputed.

The army said members of the Shia movement had blocked the convoy of its chief of staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, as it travelled through Zaria on December 12, and tried to assassinate him. It said a shootout and street battles ensued and that it was forced to call in reinforcements.

Army officers showed pictures of guns, machetes, petrol bombs and swords with which they said sect members had attacked soldiers.

But members of the sect, which says it is a peaceful movement, and some rights groups say the army launched an unjustified attack, with the motive unclear, and opened fire on civilians. Some Shias showed Reuters videos on their phones of the dead and wounded.

The sect says more than 1,000 Shias could have been killed - it says the army had taken more than 400 bodies to several morgues and that 750 other people were missing.

President Buhari - himself a Sunni - has launched an investigation into the violence and its cause, and the destruction of the Shi’ite sites. It is unclear whether the bulldozers that entered Zaria were sent by the government or military. l

Nato deploys migrant naval mission in Aegean n AFP, Brussels Nato launched Thursday an unprecedented naval mission in the Aegean Sea to tackle people smugglers taking migrants and refugees from the Turkish coast, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday.

The move follows a request this week by alliance members Germany, Greece and Turkey for assistance in tackling Europe’s biggest migrant crisis since World War II. Speaking after Nato defence ministers approved the mission, Stoltenberg said Nato is “now directing the standing maritime group to move into the Aegean without delay and start maritime surveillance activities”.

The group comprises three ships that are currently under German command.

The Nato chief said the migrant crisis, driven by conflict and turmoil in Syria across the Middle East and North Africa, posed a major security threat to the 28-nation alliance.

“This is not about stopping and pushing back (refugee boats)... but about critical surveillance to help counter human trafficking and criminal networks,” he said.

The move is a major step forward into humanitarian territory for Nato, an alliance formed during the depths of the Cold War and which normally reserves its assets for strictly military matters.

German Defence Minister Ursula Von der Leyen said that “several Nato members had pledged ships” for the mission.

Sources said the force would likely comprise five to seven ships and that they

would carry out a surveillance mission. The return provision is to cover cases where the ships would rescue refugees at sea as they are obliged to do under international law if lives are in danger.

The European Commission welcomed the plan, but said it aimed to create its own border and coast guard system to fulfil the same function.

More than 70,000 made the dangerous crossing in January, with over 400 dying, according to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

The fear now is that hundreds of thousands more could follow this year with no prospect of a negotiated solution to the war in Syria which has killed more than 260,000 people and displaced half the population since March 2011. l

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2016

INSIDE SCORECARD

Windies’ Hetmyer credits transformation West Indies Under-19 cricket team had a disastrous start to their month-long stay in Bangladesh. The Caribbean youngsters reached Bangladesh several days before the ongoing U-19 World Cup, only to experience a 3-0 series sweep in a youth ODI series that served as preparation for the global event. PAGE 26

BANGLADESH UNDER-19S Pinak Ghosh c Paul b Holder Saif Hassan c Goolie b Joseph Joyraz Sheik b Springer Nazmul Hossain c Hetmyer b John Zakir Hasan† b Holder Mehedi Hasan Miraz c Frew b Paul Mohammad Saifuddin b Paul Saeed Sarkar b Paul Mosabbek Hossain b Springer Mehedi Hasan Rana not out Saleh Ahmed run out (Hetmyer/Paul) Extras (lb 6, w 13, nb 3)

R 0 10 35 11 24 60 36 3 14 10 1 22

Total (all out; 50 overs)

226

B 10 16 54 24 44 74 55 6 12 7 1

Fall of wickets 1-10, 2-27, 3-58, 4-88, 5-113, 6-198, 7-198, 8-205, 9-217, 10-226

Bowling Joseph 7-1-33-1, Holder 10-1-36-2, John 8-029-1, Springer 10-0-36-2, Goolie 2-0-13-0, Pope 6-0-35-0, Frew 4-0-18-0, Paul 3-0-20-3

Gold Girl gives up medals for father’s treatment Mahfuza Aktar Shila, ‘the Gold Girl of Bangladesh’, who won four gold medals for the country in swimming, including two in the ongoing 12th SA Games in Guwahati of India, has been forced to sell two of her medals to bear her father’s treatment expenses. Shila bagged two gold medals in the Games. PAGE 27

Bayern Munich eased into the German Cup semi-finals with a 3-0 victory over 10-man VfL Bochum on Wednesday with Robert Lewandowski scoring twice to keep their treble hopes on track. The Bavarians looked off the pace in the first half for the second game in a row. PAGE 28

Ibrahimovic sends PSG into French Cup quarters Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored twice as holders PSG eased past Lyon 3-0 to reach the quarter-finals of the French Cup on Wednesday, extending the capital club’s winning run to 16 matches. Ibrahimovic bundled in the opening goal just past the hour at the Parc des Princes, and the Swede added a second soon after. PAGE 29

R 38 14 60 22 62 9 4 12 2 7

Total (7 wickets; 48.4 overs)

230

B 25 12 59 43 88 33 3 21 9

Fall of wickets 1-44, 2-56, 3-118, 4-147, 5-177, 6-181, 7-217

Bowling

Dejected Bangladesh U19 captain Mehedi Hasan Miraz (R) trudges off the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium while an inconsolable Mehedi Hasan Rana ponders what might have been following their U19 World Cup semi-final loss to the West Indies yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

Bayern ease into German Cup semis

WEST INDIES UNDER-19S GD Pope b Mehedi Hasan Miraz TA Imlach† lbw b Mehedi Hasan Miraz SO Hetmyer c Saif Hassan b Saifuddin KU Carty b Saleh Ahmed Shawon SK Springer not out JU Goolie lbw b Saleh Ahmed Shawon KMA Paul b Saleh Ahmed Shawon MO Frew c †Zakir Hasan b Saifuddin RD John not out Extras (w 6, nb 1)

Miraz 10-0-57-2, Mehedi 6-1-28-0, Saifuddin 9.4-0-46-2, Shawon 10-0-37-3, Mosabbek 10-231-0, Saeed 2-0-21-0, Shanto 1-0-10-0 West Indies won by three wickets MoM: SK Springer (West Indies Under-19s)

Dreams shattered n Minhaz Uddin Khan

Hosts Bangladesh Under-19’s dream of contesting the final of the U-19 World Cup was crushed by the West Indies yesterday in Mirpur. The junior Tigers lost the second semi-final by three wickets and the Windies youngsters will now prepare for the grand finale against India, scheduled for this Sunday at the home of cricket.

Given that Bangladesh came ever so close to an ICC event final, the defeat has hurt millions of fans. But what is to be cherished in the upcoming days is the fighting spirit and determination exhibited by the youngsters in red and green. Bangladesh U-19 still have one game left in the tournament – the third-place playoff against Sri Lanka which is to be played in Fatullah tomorrow.

The hosts started the tournament with small ambitions. The team management divided the tournament into two segments – three group-stage matches and the three knockout matches. The strategy worked wonders as the nation produced its best ever result in the competition – finishing among the top four teams. The journey completed by the Bangladesh U-19 cricketers has now

set the standard for the future generations.

However, in spite of all the positives, Bangladesh’s decision to bat first raised a few eyebrows. The condition in the early morning favoured the pacemen, much to the delight of the West Indies. The first wicket, that of Pinak Ghosh, was initiated as early as the second over and from thereon in, the home side kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Joyraj Sheik put up some resistance but was dismissed soon after and it was up to captain Mehedi Hasan and Mohammad Saifuddin to rebuild the innings.

The duo did just that, guiding the hosts to a fighting total of 226. Mehedi’s 74-ball 60 was yet another display of the youngster’s growing maturity while Saifuddin, who scored a 55-ball 36, showed that he has the ability to become a genuine all-rounder.

However, following the end of the game, Mehedi said they fell 20-30 runs short and it was evident during West Indies’ chase as the visitors comfortably reached their target despite brief moments of confusion.

Windies captain Shimron Hetmyer and Shamar Springer were the architects behind the victory while dropped catches hardly helped Bangladesh U-19’s cause. l

Today’s Matches 5th Place Playoff, 9:00AM

England v Pakistan, Fatullah LIVE* 9th Place Playoff, 9:00AM

Afghanistan v Zimbabwe, Cox’s Bazar 11th Place Playoff, 9:00AM

New Zealand v South Africa, Cox’s Bazar *On Star Sports 1

BRIEF SCORES 7th Place Playoff, Fatullah

Namibia U-19 225/9 (Louwrens 59, Van Lingen 58, Lamichhane 3/35) beat Nepal U-19 210 (Dhamala 59, Van Lingen 4/24, Coetzee 3/34) by 15 runs

15th Place Playoff, Cox’s Bazar

Canada U-19 84/2 (Gill 38*, Taploo 12, Weleilakeba 1/5) beat Fiji U-19 83 (Patel 4/16, Patel 3/18, Suliman 2/31) by eight wickets

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2016

Hetmyer credits transformation for final berth n Minhaz Uddin Khan

West Indies Under-19 cricket team had a disastrous start to their month-long stay in Bangladesh. The Caribbean youngsters reached Bangladesh several days before the ongoing U-19 World Cup, only to experience a 3-0 series sweep in a youth ODI series that served as preparation for the global event.

But over time, the West Indies adapted to the conditions, overcame their weakness against spin and emerged as the finalist of the World Cup after beating Bangladesh by three wickets in the semi-final yesterday in Mirpur.

Windies captain Shimron Hetmyer, who played a pivotal role against the junior Tigers scoring a 59-ball 60 in pursuit of 227, credited his side’s ability to transform themselves and get accustomed to the conditions.

“It’s a very big transformation. Coming from the West Indies, where most of the balls don’t spin much and coming here to Bangladesh where the ball spins, the guys just needed a little time to adjust to the pitches and to the weather, all in one,” Hetmyer informed the media in the post-match press conference.

This is the second instance of the Caribbean youngsters progressing to the grand finale of the World Cup and yesterday’s win comes at a moment when the game is going through a tough time back home. The West Indies Cricket Board at the moment is mired in a tussle with the senior cricketers regarding their remuneration package. The long-standing issue has forced the WICB to think of sending a second-string team to the 2016 World Twenty20 after the board failed to negotiate a deal with the cricketers.

Hetmyer though was reluctant to comment on the issue when queried by the media personnel.

“I won’t really get into too much of that.

For my team, I think we have a very good team here and a very capable set of young men here for the next five-10 years,” said the left-handed batsman. l

MEDAL TALLY DAY 6 COUNTRY

TOTAL

India

138

78

20

236

Sri Lanka

25

49

76

150

Pakistan

7

22

43

72

Bangladesh

4

10

40

54

Nepal

1

12

19

32

Afghanistan

1

3

11

15

Maldives

0

2

1

3

Bhutan

0

1

4

5

Bangladesh goalkeeper Russel Mahmud Liton tries to take the ball on his possession from a Nepal footballer (blue) during the group match of the 12th South Asian Games in Guwahati yesterday. Bangladesh won the match 2-1 and entered the semi-final stage AP

West Indies U19 allrounder Shamar Springer jumps to the air after taking his side home during their ICC U19 World Cup semi-final against Bangladesh at Shere-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

Mehedi hopeful with future n Mazhar Uddin Bangladesh Under-19 cricket team’s hopes of playing the final of the ongoing U-19 World Cup came to an end yesterday when they suffered a three-wicket loss against the West Indies in the second semi-final at Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.

However, rather than pondering about what might have been, Bangladesh U-19 captain Mehedi Hasan informed that they would be better for the experience. This is the first time in the history of the age-level tournament that the junior Tigers have reached the last four and Mehedi believes the bitter memories of yesterday’s defeat will serve them well for the future.

“Bangladesh never reached the semi-final of the World Cup and I think this is the biggest achievement for us in the tournament.

Obviously we wanted to play the final but I

think everyone played good cricket throughout the tournament. We have some very promising cricketers in the side who I believe will go a long way and represent the Bangladesh team in the coming days,” Mehedi told the media after the game.

“As much as we say there’s no pressure, there is some at the U-19 level. We never played in front of such a big crowd. There were pressure and expectations on us to win the semi-final. We are still very young. We have to manage all this, and now that we have seen such situations, played in front of such big crowds, we will manage it well next time,” he said.

According to the skipper, the junior Tigers fell 20-30 runs short. Bangladesh made a poor start to their innings, struggling on 88/4 at one stage before Mehedi and Mohammad Saifuddin resurrected their cause. The home side eventually managed 226 before being

dismissed in the 50th over and Mehedi thinks his and Saifuddin’s departures deprived them from a few more runs which could have proved vital in the context of the game.

“We thought that it would have been good for us to bat first as we were unable to deliver with the willow in the previous game. But still, I think we were 20-30 runs short. Mine and Saifuddin’s dismissals at the end were crucial,” he said.

Mehedi, usually a cool-headed youngster, was unable to control his emotions in the post-match press conference and said he always harboured belief of a win, even when the Windies batsmen were going great guns.

“We had the belief right from the first ball but when the batsman struck the winning boundary only then did we realise that we lost the game. Even when they required 10 runs, we had the belief of winning the game,” he added. l

Bangladesh golfers struggle on day two n Asian Tour Mohammad Abdul Matin and Shakhawat Sohel yesterday emerged as the highest placed local players in tied-10th position on 136 following respective rounds of 68 and 66 in the second edition of the Bashundhara Bangladesh Open.

Bangladesh golf sensation Siddikur Rahman, who entered the tournament as one of the favourites, finds himself tied for 27th place along with six others. Siddikur carded two bogeys against as many birdies.

Thailand’s Thitiphun Chuayprakong produced a bogey-free round of five-under-par 66 to soar into the lead after the halfway stage of the $300,000 event. The 23-year-old Thai, who opened his campaign with a 65, highlighted his round with five birdies to grab a two-shot lead over Korea’s Soomin Lee on 11-under-par 131 total at the Kurmitola Golf Club. l

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QUICK BYTES Bangladesh women’s squad named for WT20 Bangladesh Cricket Board last Wednesday announced the 15-member national squad for the upcoming ICC Women’s World Twenty20, scheduled to be held in India from March 15-April 3.

Squad: Jahanara Alam (capt), Ayesha Rahman, Salma Khatun, Farzana Haque, Rumana Ahmed, Lata Mondal, Panna Ghosh, Fahima Khatun, Ritu Moni, Sharmin Akhter Supta, Nigar Sultana, Khadija-tul Kubra, Shaila Sharmin, Nahida Akhter, Sanjida Islam –TRIBUNE REPORT

Willian studied Beckham, Ronaldinho free-kicks

Gold Girl gives up medals for father’s treatment n UNB Mahfuza Aktar Shila, ‘the Gold Girl of Bangladesh’, who won four gold medals for the country in swimming, including two in the ongoing 12th SA Games in Guwahati of India, has been forced to sell two of her medals to bear her father’s treatment expenses.

Shila, who hails from a poor family at Pachnkabar village in Abhaynagar upazila of Jessore district, bagged two gold medals in

the Games in the 100m and the 50m breaststroke by setting up a new record.

As if it has turned into a habit for Shila to win medals in pool but she has failed to beat her family’s economic crisis.

Shila’s father Ali Ahammad Gazi, who is suffering from heart disease and has become weak due to illness, is struggling to maintain his family by selling dairy milk and cultivating land as share-cropper.

“Shila sold her two gold medals for treat-

Chelsea fans may have Ronaldinho and David Beckham to thank as they celebrate midfielder Willian slotting home free-kicks. The Brazil international, one of the few bright lights in a nightmare campaign for the defending Premier League champions, has found the net eight times in all competitions for the club, with six of those goals coming from free-kicks.

–REUTERS

Jessore DC in Shila’s house

Deputy Commissioner of Jessore district Dr Humayun Kabir yesterday visited Mahfuza Aktar Shila’s house in Abhaynagar upazila to assess himself the financial plight the Gold Girl’s family is in.

Shila’s house will now get electricity connection within seven days and a road connecting the house will also be constructed, Dr Humayun assured Shila’s parents during the visit.

Dr Humayun also greeted Shila’s father and her mother on their daughter’s outstanding performance in the ongoing Games and gave a good hearing to their miseries. l

Nagelsmann becomes youngest Bundesliga coach Julian Nagelsmann, who has yet to pass his final coaching exams, became the youngest head coach in the Bundesliga yesterday after the 28-year-old replaced Huub Stevens at struggling Hoffenheim. Nagelsmann, a youth coach at Hoffenheim, had agreed in October last year to take over next season.

–REUTERS

Nasri wants to end career at Manchester City Samir Nasri hopes to end his career at Manchester City despite the club replacing the injury-plagued midfielder with young striker Kelechi Iheanacho in their Champions League squad for the knockout rounds earlier this month. Nasri was initially expected to miss the rest of the season with a thigh injury he picked up in October.

–REUTERS

Sunderland’s Johnson pleads guilty England international Adam Johnson pleaded guilty to one count of sexual activity with a child, but denied two other charges, when he appeared at Bradford Crown Court on Wednesday. The 28-year-old Sunderland winger, who has played 12 times for England, also admitted one count of grooming a girl under the age of 16, a court official said.

–REUTERS

Hoewedes commits future to Schalke Schalke 04 captain Benedikt Hoewedes said he would not play for another club in Germany after signing a three-year contract extension until 2020 on Wednesday. The 2014 World Cup winner with Germany has been at Schalke since 2001 and cannot envisage leaving a “unique club”.

–REUTERS

ment of my heart disease as I failed to make arrangement for the same for a lack of money,” said Gazi with tears rolling down his eyes.

Karimon Nesa, mother of the Gold Girl, said, “We bear expenses for Shila’s study and sports by selling milk and taking loan from NGOs and locals.”

“My daughter brought the country hounour by winning medals abroad but no one tries to understand our misery; how we are running our family or how we bear up Shila,” added Karimon.

This correspondent found during his visit that Shila’s father and mother along with their other four children were living in a tinshed half-ruined house, where electricity is a day-dream to them.

Month before tournament, WT20 problems mount n AFP, New Delhi Storm clouds were gathering yesterday over cricket’s World Twenty20, with organisers still to release tickets or confirm the venues, less than a month before the tournament begins in India.

Hundreds of thousands of supporters are expected to attend the 16-team contest which begins on March 8, the first time India has hosted the world cup for the game’s newest and most popular format.

But with question marks over the presence of the West Indies and New Delhi yet to receive clearance to host matches, fans who need to secure flights, hotels and even visas are still unable to firm up travel plans.

The official line from the Indian board is that any glitches will be ironed out and there is no cause for alarm.

“Everything will be sorted out very soon,” Anurag Thakur, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), told AFP. But Paul Ford, co-founder of New Zealand’s Beige Brigade fan club, said it was now simply too late for some fans.

“We would have loved to travel to India as New Zealand have a good team this time round,” Ford told AFP. “But the delay in ticket sales and the venue being undecided has really made it hard

for the fans to plan their travel.”

Tickets for other major sporting events in 2016 such as the Rio Olympics in August and football’s European Championships which take place in France in June went on sale months ago.

Thakur told reporters last Friday that tickets would be released at the start of this week, a month before the first matches involving the tournament’s minnows.

But that deadline came and went and organisers have set next Monday as their new target, a month before India play New Zealand in the first heavyweight clash.

The delay can be explained in part by the uncertainty over whether New Delhi’s Firoz Shah Kotla stadium will receive all the permits needed to stage its four matches including the first semi-final.

While the Delhi High Court indicated on Monday it was likely to give its green light, it also left open the possibility that it would not make a final decision for nearly another three weeks.

Nevertheless, the BCCI says it has drawn up a Plan B without revealing which venues might step in. But the problems have evoked unfortunate memories of the ODI World Cup in 2011 when Kolkata lost its right to host matches after furious fans had already paid for their flights from England. l

Injured Steyn named in South Africa’s World T20 squad n AFP, Johannesburg South Africa on Wednesday named fast bowler Dale Steyn in their 15-man squad for the World Twenty20 tournament in India next month.

Steyn’s inclusion is subject to fitness as he has not played since suffering a shoulder injury in the first Test against England in December.

The South African squad includes 10 of the players who helped them reach the semi-finals of the 2014 World Twenty20 in Bangladesh.

South Africa’s 15-man squad

Faf du Plessis (captain), Kyle Abbott, Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock (wkt), AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Imran Tahir, David Miller, Chris Morris, Aaron Phangiso, Kagiso Rabada, Rilee Rossouw, Dale Steyn, David Wiese. l

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Barca set unbeaten record to see off Neville’s Valencia n AFP, Madrid An under-strength Barcelona set a new club record of 29 games unbeaten to progress to the Copa del Rey final with a 1-1 draw at Gary Neville’s Valencia on Wednesday for an 8-1 aggregate win.

Barca’s place in a fifth final in six years was assured after a 7-0 first-leg rout last week and without their star attacking trio Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar the under-fire Neville looked set to be handed some relief by Alvaro Negredo’s first-half opener.

However, 19-year-old Cameroonian midfielder Wilfred Kaptoum came off the bench to score his first Barca goal and preserve the European champions unbeaten run six minutes from time.

Sevilla are well-set to meet Barca in the final on May 21 as they traveled to Celta Vigo in the second-leg of the other semi-final yesterday leading 4-0.

“I’m very happy to be in the final. Everyone at Barca has had things so good in recent years we are used to reaching the final, but it is hard to be there every year,” said Barca boss Luis Enrique.

Valencia find themselves in the midst of a relegation battle in La Liga having not won for 12 league games, including nine since Neville took charge in December.

And Neville also left out some of the most important members of his squad for the crucial clash at home to Espanyol tomorrow.

“We are preparing the game already for [tomorrow], we know it is a big match,” said Neville.

“The focus after losing last week and Sunday has always been the match [tomorrow] against Espanyol. “I thought we deserved to win the game [Wednesday]. They weren’t perfect circumstances after last week, but the players played with dignity.” l

COPA DEL REY Valencia

1-1

Barcelona

Negredo 39 Kaptoum 84 Barcelona won 8-1 on aggregate

Bochum’s Janik Haberer (L) and Bayern’s Arjen Robben vie for the ball during the German Cup quarterfinal in Bochum on Wednesday

Bayern ease into German Cup semis n Reuters, Berlin Bayern Munich eased into the German Cup semi-finals with a 3-0 victory over 10-man VfL Bochum on Wednesday with Robert Lewandowski scoring twice to keep their treble hopes on track.

With coach Pep Guardiola’s move to Manchester City next season still making headlines, the Bavarians looked off the pace in the first half for the second consecutive game following their goalless draw against Bayer Leverkusen in the league on Saturday.

The second division club had the better chances in the first half, twice going close to scoring through striker Simon Terodde.

The Bundesliga leaders, who take on Ju-

RESULTS Heidenheim

2-3

Feick 10, Schnatterer 82-P

VfL Bochum

Hertha Berlin Ibisevic 14, 21, Haraguchi 58

0-3

Bayern Munich Lewandowski 39, 90, Thiago 61

Liverpool owners scrap ticket hike, apologise to fans n AFP, Liverpool Liverpool’s owners on Wednesday apologised and scrapped controversial plans to hike Anfield ticket prices after 10,000 fans walked out of the ground in protest at the weekend.

Principal owner John W Henry and chairman Tom Werner acted after legions of angry Reds fans stormed out of the ground in the 77th minute of Saturday’s home game against Sunderland.

The timing reflected the £77 ($112, 99 euros) being asked for the most expensive ticket at Anfield next season.

As a result of Saturday’s mutiny, the club’s owners announced a number of changes to their initial proposals in a structure which will also remain for the 2017/18 season.l

AP

ventus in the Champions League round of 16 later this month, had to wait 40 minutes for their first chance, with Poland striker Lewandowski firing home after a quick one-two with Thomas Mueller on the edge of the box.

Bayern had it easier in the second half with Mueller delivering a cutback for Thiago Alcantara to score his first goal of the season.

Lewandowski grabbed his second goal in stoppage time.

Hertha Berlin joined Bayern in the last four after seeing off second-tier Heidenheim 3-2.l

West Brom sneak past Peterborough n Reuters, London Premier League West Bromwich Albion won a penalty shootout 4-3 to beat third tier Peterborough United in a dramatic FA Cup fourthround replay on Wednesday. Lee Angol missed the decisive spot-kick in the shootout for Peterborough and West Brom will travel to championship side Reading in the fifth round. l

FA CUP FIXTURES

West Brom’s Ben Foster saves during the penalty shootout against Peterborough United in their FA Cup fourth round replay at ABAX Stadium on Wednesday REUTERS

Chelsea Reading Watford Shrewsbury Town Blackburn Rovers Tottenham Hotspur Arsenal Bournemouth

v v v v v v v v

Manchester City West Brom Leeds United Manchester United West Ham United Crystal Palace Hull City Everton

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2016

Ibrahimovic sends PSG into French Cup quarters n AFP, Paris

just past the hour at the Parc des Princes, and the Swede added a second soon after as PSG began to turn the screw.

Adrien Rabiot then netted a third on 75 minutes, with Laurent Blanc’s men staying firmly on course to repeat last year’s domestic treble. PSG will travel to six-time winners Saint-Etienne in the last eight having already knocked Christophe Galtier’s side out of the French League Cup in December.

“We didn’t start too well, we were a bit better towards the end of the first half. But we were much better in the second period,” Rabiot told France 3.

Blanc’s side host Chelsea in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie next Tuesday, but first they are at home to Lille tomorrow.

“As of Sunday, we’ll start preparing for the game against Chelsea. The game against Lille, with all respect to Lille, is badly timed,” said the coach.

“The calendar can’t get any tighter. If you talk to me about the fixture list, I get heated, so it’s better to avoid it.”l

Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored twice as holders Paris Saint-Germain eased past Lyon 3-0 to reach the quarter-finals of the French Cup on Wednesday, extending the capital club’s winning run to 16 matches.

Ibrahimovic bundled in the opening goal

FRENCH CUP, LAST 16 3-4

Bordeaux

Nantes

Crivelli 22, Poko 51, Malcom 98

Bammou 6, Sigthorsson 65, Audel 114, Bedoya 118

0-4

Sarre-Union

Lorient Jeannot 51, 90+2, Fofana 74, Barthelme 81

1-2

Troyes Nivet 78

Saint-Etienne Tannane 62, Maupay 107

3-0

PSG

Lyon

Ibrahimovic 63, 67, Rabiot 75

PSG coach Blanc extends contract until 2018 n Reuters, Paris

Paris St Germain coach Laurent Blanc has extended his contract until 2018, the Ligue 1 club said yesterday.

“I want to thank the club for the faith they put in me,” said Blanc, whose existing contract was expiring at the end of the season. The former France defender, who won the World Cup in 1998, joined the club in June 2013 replacing Carlo Ancelotti one year after ending his term as the Les Bleus coach. He led PSG to two successive Ligue 1 titles and an unprecedented treble of league, League Cup and French Cup titles last season. The capital side lead the Ligue 1 standings by a massive 24 points after 25 games. l

DAY’S WATCH CRICKET STAR SPORTS 1 9:00AM ICC U19 World Cup 2016 5th Place: England v Pakistan

GAZI TV Pakistan Super League 5.30PM Karachi v Lahore 10:00PM Islamabad v Peshawar

TEN CRICKET 5:30PM England Tour of South Africa 4th ODI

STAR SPORTS 3 8:00PM Sri Lanka Tour of India 2016 2nd T20I

SONY SIX 9:30PM Masters Champions League SF 2: Leo Lions v Virgo SK

TENNIS TEN SPORTS 8:30PM WTA Tour 2016 St Petersburg Ladies Trophy

SONY ESPN 5:30PM ABN Amro World Tennis

FOOTBALL STAR SPORTS 2 1:15AM German Bundesliga FSV Mainz 05 v Schalke 04

SONY SIX 1:40AM Italian Serie A: Carpi v Roma

TEN ACTION 3:00PM A-League 2015/16 Brisbane Roar v Newcastle 1:20AM French Ligue 1 Stade Rennais v Angers

Lyon midfielder Coretin Tolisso (C) vies with PSG defender David Luiz (L) and midfielder Blaise Matuidi during their French Cup round of 16 match at the Parc des Princes stadium on Wednesday AFP

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2016

Showtime

Here comes Deadpool n Showtime Desk Star Cineplex is set to release Deadpool, an American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, with the film’s local premiere coinciding with its global release.

“We think it is going to be a massive hit here in Bangladesh as tickets are already getting booked in advance,” informs an official of Star Cineplex.

Deadpool is the eighth installment in the X-Men film series. The film is directed by Tim Miller, with screenplay by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, and stars Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, Ed Skrein, T J Miller, Gina Carano, Brianna Hildebrand, Stefan Kapicic and Leslie Uggams.

The film follows Wade Wilson who, after being subjected to an experiment that leaves him with new abilities, hunts down the man who nearly destroyed his life.

Wade Wilson is a mercenary who spends his time in New York City protecting teenage girls from would-be stalkers. He meets female escort Vanessa Carlysle and they become romantically attached for nearly a

year when he suddenly collapses one night and is diagnosed with multiple organ cancer.

He reluctantly leaves Vanessa to undergo an experiment to cure his cancer, only to be injected with a special serum by Francis Freeman and subjected to days of torture

Dinner with your favorite RJ

n Showtime Desk Colors FM gives a chance to the listeners to meet their loving RJ. Not only meet, there is a chance to go for a dinner with their favourite RJ from Colors FM. To be able to avail this opportunity,

From the spot n Showtime desk Recently Pran RFL has shot a TVC for RFL water bottles under the guidance of Papyrus Communication. As a TVC that both advertises and raises awareness, the main motto is along the lines of how using unhealthy products can harm people, so wiser choices should be made when buying any new product. Russel O’neel from Papyrus Communication informs, “It’s a nice story which will make people understand that good health is greatly dependent on the type of products we use, and the hygiene factors behind each of those.” l

listenerswill have to send a message to 7171 or inboxing them on FB/ ColoursFM1016 explaining why they’d be the perfect dinner mate for that particular RJ. Text: CLR space <your name> space <RJ’s name> space message and send it to 7171. l

methods by Angel Dust for his mutation to kick in. When Wade is strapped into an airtight chamber, the drop in oxygen triggers a healing factor that removes his cancer, but severely disfigures his face and skin in the process. He escapes from the secret laboratory, but as he

cannot come to terms with his complexion, he keeps himself away from Vanessa. Wade moves into the home of an elderly blind woman named Al, and with the advice of his best friend Weasel, he becomes a masked vigilante named “Deadpool.”l

The dynamic duo: Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese

n Showtime Desk Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese have had a long history together, producing a total of eight films together. Some of these films shaped the foundation of boxing and mob movies till now. The two Titans of the film industry had so much to contribute in the traditional core of Hollywood, that the bond between the two deserves to be revisited. Here’s a list of interesting facts about the dynamic duo.

Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese did eight films together De niro, in an interview, said he wishes to do a total of 10 films with Martin in the future, and they are working on more films to come.

Martin Scorsese worked with Robert De Niro in the Raging Bull which is now considered as the foundation of boxing movies in Hollywood Martin Scorsese shot the boxing scenes first and then shot the non-boxing scenes.

It was shot in black and white because

colour films would be a hassle back in the 50s.

Robert De Niro improvised in some of the most popular scenes in his movies with Martin Robert De Niro improvised the popular dialogue “You talking to me!” while playing his role, in Martin Scorsese’s legendary movie, the Taxi Driver.

The movie features a simple taxi driver who shaves his head and comes out at night in the streets of New York looking for trouble.

For the making of GoodFellas in 1990, De Niro and Martin paired up after eight years The hit mob movie was filled with violence, murder, and abusive language, and was a hit back then. Considered as one of the founding pillars of mob movies, it successfully enlisted itself in the wall of fame winning several awards and recognitions. 1995 saw De Niro and Scorsese re-unite with Pesci after 1990’s Goodfellas for Casino.

Robert De Niro, Leonardo Dicaprio and Martin Scrosese joined together for a 15 minute short film back in 2015 The film made over 70 million dollars.

This Boy’s Life was the first movie Leonardo Di Caprio did with Robert Di Nero. Leo was 15 years old when he did the movie. Brad Pitt also did a small cameo in the movie, but Leo was considered as the star of the film. However, in a conference, Leo claimed that the star was not him, or anyone else, but Martin himself. l

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2016

Under Construction bags three awards in France n Showtime Desk

On the concluding day of the festival, these awards were handed over to director Rubaiyat Hossain while she and Shahana Gowshami, the leading actor, were invited to the festival. Prior to delivering the awards, the festival authority opined that the film is a “valiant work of a Bangladeshi woman filmmaker which placed at the heart of society and above all, though its from a woman it’s impartial stance is laudable.”

In response to her second film’s big win in France, the director says on Facebook, “Nothing could make me happier than being appreciated in the land of Agnes Varda and Chantal Akerman. This surely gives me more strength to continue on my filmmaking journey.”

Produced and distributed by Khona Talkies, the film is currently running at Star Cineplex and Blockbuster Cinemas for the third consecutive week. Khona Talkies expresses to hold independent screenings of the film at various cities of the country soon. l

Recently, Under Construction nabbed three awards at the Festival International des Cinemas d’Asie de Vesoul in France including the International Jury Award.

Chaired by South Korean filmmaker Im Sang-soo, the jury term the film a “perpetual and substantial depiction of women in an expanding city.”

The two others awards are Emile Guimet Award, given by the Society of Friends of Guimet National Museum of Asian Arts, Paris and Special Mention Critic Award, awarded by the Press Jury composed of Charles Tesson, artistic director of Critic’s Week at Cannes Film Festival, Eithne O ‘ Neill of the French movie magazine Positif and Vincent Malausa, critic of Cahiers du Cinéma. In the forthcoming April, the Guimet National Museum of Asian Arts will hold a special screening of the film at its museum in Paris.

Lamppost on live

n Showtime Desk Lamppost, a popular band among those who give ear to the country’s rock trend, will perform live on SATV for the show Clear SATV Live Studio at 11pm.

Influenced by local rock icons including Khalid of Chime and Guru Azam Khan, and international bands and artists including Modern Talkings, Phil Collins, George

Michael and Lionel Richie, the band tends to mainly work with the melody and folkfusion genres of music. Initially starting out with some experimental rock tracks, now the band has created some extraordinary numbers loved by their fans. In the current recession that plagues the country’s audio market, the band prefers to perform live.

The live musical programme is directed

by Ashrafuzzaman. l

EVENTS Being in Love With The King of the World

Lit Brunch: Readings from The Book of Dhaka

Performed by: Armeen Musa (with an opening set by Rushnaf Wahid)

Date and time: Saturday, 13 February at 11am

Date and time: Friday, Feb 12 at 7pm

Tickets: Cover charge of Tk200, redeemable for coffee/beverages.

Tickets: Tk800 available at Red Shift/ Radius or online Tk880 at www. imdhaka.com or www.jetechao.com (Limited seating so please book early) Details: Armeen Musa is a singer, songwriter whose new set is a performance of original and covered poetry and songs, in English, Bangla and even Urdu.

Bengal lights books and comma press UK proudly present Readings from The Book of Dhaka, an anthology of 10 short stories set in Dhaka *All events will be held at Red Shift Coffee Lounge at Radius Centre, 5th Floor, Bay’s Galleria, 57 Gulshan Avenue, Gulshan, Dhaka. Telephone 8833471-3 or 01730054403.

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Back Page

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2016

NBR TO PROBE VAT EVASION IN DITF PAGE 15

MEHEDI HOPEFUL WITH FUTURE PAGE 26

UNDER CONSTRUCTION BAGS 3 AWARDS IN FRANCE PAGE 31

BOOK FAIR 2016

AMAR EKUSHEY

Adults not impressed by children’s books n Nure Alam Durjoy The collection of children’s books at Amar Ekushey Boi Mela 2016 has failed to impress parents, writers and literature experts due to its lack of variety and quality.

The stalls carrying children’s books are flooded with ghost and horror stories, children’s comics and cartoon stories, complained several parents who brought children to the fair.

Eminent author Syed Manzoorul Islam said he was horrified by the amount of mistakes in children’s books at the fair this year.

“These books are full of wrong spellings and incorrect sentences. Most books are either ghost stories or on cartoon characters,” he told the Dhaka Tribune.

Bangla Academy should form a panel to ensure that the quality of children’s books is maintained, he added.

There are 58 book stalls located on the Suhrawardy Udyan side of the fair, dedicated to children’s literature.

Most of these stalls are flooded with titles such as “Motu-Patlu,” “Chhotoder Shera Bhoyonkor Bhuter Golpo,” “Vir the

Book Names Ei Boita Tomar Bangladesher Shahitya Bhasandolon o Muktijuddho Sera Dos Golpo Bishesh Sobishesh Obishesh Bangladeshe Matribhasar Adhikar: Proshasanik Abalokan Bangladesher Lokkahini Rokomari Pitha Sundarboner Katha Bangladesher Oli Ahad

Author Lutfur Rahman Riton

Genre Rhyme

Publishers Chandrabati Academy

Rafiqul Islam

Essay

Agamee Prokashoni

Syed Manzoorul Islam Hanif Sanket

Short Story Satire

Anya Prokash Ananya

Dr Hayat Mamud

Essay

Puthiniloy

Dr Ashraf Siddiki Hamida Banu Fakre Alam Abdul Hye Sikder

Essay Culinary book Essay Biography

Charulipi Prokashon Oitijjhya Bidya Prokash Adorn Publications

dren, according to the book sellers.

Mamunul Azim, an attendant at Shishughor Prakashani, said “Motu-Patlu” and “Bhoyonkor Bhuter Golpo” are the bestsellers in their stall; several other stall attendants said the same.

“These days, most writers and publishers seem to be more concerned about putting a book out, rather than ensuring that the product is up to the standard,” said Selina Hossain, chairperson of Bangladesh

Great,” “Shiva the Great,” “Bhuturey Barir Bhut Konya,” “Magic Tricks,” “Bhoyonkor Bhuter Golpo,” etc.

“It is difficult to find a book here that is appropriate for my children,” said Moudud Islam, one of the distressed parents. “I can’t find a book that does not contain any violence or horror tales. The number of good-quality children’s books seem to be very few.”

But the ghost stories and cartoon characters seem to be very popular among chil-

Shishu Academy.

“Writers should be especially careful when writing for children. If they cannot ensure the quality, they should not proceed further and should practice more,” she told the Dhaka Tribune.

Juvenile littérateur Lutfar Rahman Riton said the number of good writers have grown smaller. “There are many rhythm writers, but we see fewer talented writers, especially prose writers, nowadays.” He hoped that young writers would take up the mantle of children’s literature and help it develop in a proper way.

Number of visitors growing steadily

As the 11th day of the book fair closed yesterday, stall attendants reported an increasing number of visitors as well as good book sales.

The fair saw 131 books published yesterday, putting the number of new arrivals at 1,113.

Today the fair will open at 11am for the Children’s Hour, which will last until 1pm.

Publishers are hoping for better sales this weekend than last weekend’s Children Hour sales. l

Scientists glimpse Einstein’s gravitational waves In a landmark discovery for physics and astronomy, international scientists yesterday said they have glimpsed the first direct evidence of gravitational waves, or ripples in space-time, which Albert Einstein predicted a century ago.

When two black holes collided some 1.3bn years ago, the joining of those two great masses sent forth a wobble that hurtled through space and arrived at Earth on September 14, 2015, when it was picked up by sophisticated instruments, researchers announced.

“Like Galileo first pointing his telescope upward, this new view of the sky will deepen our understanding of the cosmos, and lead to unexpected discoveries,” said France Cordova, director of the US National Science Foundation, which funded the work.

The phenomenon was observed by two US-based underground detectors, designed to spot tiny vibrations from passing gravitational waves, a project known as Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory, or LIGO. It took scientists months to verify their data and put it through a process of peer-review before announcing it yesterday, marking the culmination of decades of efforts by teams around the world.

“LIGO has ushered in the birth of an entirely new field of astrophysics,” said Cordova.

Gravitational waves observed directly for the first time These tiny ripples in the fabric of space-time are produced by violent events like 2 black holes colliding or a star exploding: as these high-mass objects accelerate, they produce waves that spread outwards at the speed of light

Detection

2. The 2 laser beams travel perpendicular to each other

Giant laser interferometers (beam tunnels)

Mirror

Mirror

4 km Light trajectory

4k m

n AFP

Detector Laser source

3. A tiny difference between the length of the two beams indicates that a gravitational wave has travelled through the tunnel

Beam splitter

1. The laser beam is split along 2 paths

Observatories LIGOs*

2 detectors equipped with interferometers Hanford Washington state

Virgo USA Livingston Louisiana

Sources: Nature, CNRS

Albert Einstein

predicted gravitational waves in 1916 in his General Theory of Relativity

Cascina ITALY

The detection of gravitational waves

could allow astronomers to measure faraway stars, galaxies and black holes, shedding light on the origins of the Universe *Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatories

Gravitational waves are a measure of strain in space, an effect of the motion of large masses that stretches the fabric of space-time - a way of viewing space and time as a single, interweaved continuum.

They travel at the speed of light and cannot be stopped or blocked by anything.

Einstein said space-time could be compared to a net, bowing under the weight of an object.

Gravitational waves would be like ripples that

emanate from a pebble thrown in a pond.

While scientists have previously been able to calculate gravitational waves, they had never before seen one directly.

According to the MIT’s David Shoemaker, the leader of the LIGO team, it looked just like physicists thought it would.

“The waveform that we can calculate based on Einstein’s theory of 1916 matches exactly what we observed in 2015,” Shoemaker said.

The L-shaped LIGO detectors - each about 4km long - were conceived and built by researchers at MIT and Caltech.

The two instruments are 3,000km apart, and since both made the same reading, scientists consider their discovery confirmed.

Shoemaker said the new data “can really help to explain the formation of galaxies and overall large scale structures of the material in the universe.”

Indirect proof of gravitational waves was found in 1974 through the study of a pulsar and a neutron star, earning scientists Russell Hulse and Joseph Taylor the Nobel Prize in 1993.

“Humanity has now another tool for exploring the universe,” said Tuck Stebbins, head of the gravitational astrophysics laboratory at Nasa’s Goddard Spaceflight Centre.

“This is like the perfect outcome. The door is open to new discoveries,” he added.

“This is a new era in astrophysics.” l

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