February 17, 2016

SECOND EDITION

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2016

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Falgun 5, 1422, Jamadiul Awal 7, 1437

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Regd No DA 6238, Vol 3, No 302

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www.dhakatribune.com | 32 pages | Price: Tk10

Top four oil exporters agree to freeze output n Reuters Top oil exporters Russia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Venezuela agreed yesterday to freeze output levels but said the deal was contingent on other producers joining in - a major sticking point with Iran absent from the talks and determined to raise production.

The Saudi, Russian, Qatari and Venezuelan oil ministers announced the proposal after a previously undisclosed meeting in Doha. It could become the first joint Opec and non-Opec deal in 15 years, aimed at tackling a growing oversupply of crude and helping prices recover from their lowest in over a decade.

Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi said freezing production at January levels - near record highs - was an adequate measure and he hoped other producers would adopt the plan.

Venezuelan Oil Minister Eulogio Del Pino said more talks would take place with Iran and Iraq on Wednesday in Tehran.

"The reason we agreed to a potential freeze of production is simple: it is the beginning of a process which we will assess in the next few months and decide if we need other steps to stabilise and improve

INSIDE Police roll out new anti-militancy unit The police yesterday launched the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crimes (CTTC) unit, the latest move in the government’s effort to put down militancy and terrorism.  PAGE 3

Hunt on for taxevading millionaires

Oil prices jumped to $35.55 per barrel after the news about the secret meeting but later pared gains to trade near $33 on concerns that Iran may reject the deal and that even if Tehran agreed it would not help ease the growing global glut BIGSTOCK the market," Naimi told reporters.

"We don't want significant gyrations in prices, we don't want reduction in supply, we want to meet demand, we want a stable oil price.

We have to take a step at a time," he said.

Oil prices jumped to $35.55 per barrel after the news about the secret meeting but later pared gains to trade near $33 on concerns that Iran may reject the deal and that even if Tehran agreed it would not help ease the growing global glut.

Opec member Iran, Saudi Arabia's regional arch rival, has pledged to steeply increase output in the coming months as it looks to regain market share lost after years of international sanctions, which were lifted in January following a deal with world powers over its nuclear programme.

"Our situation is totally different to those countries that have been producing at high levels for the past few years," a senior source familiar with Iran's thinking

told Reuters.

Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh also indicated Tehran would not agree to freezing its output at January levels, saying the country would not give up its appropriate share of the global oil market.

Special terms

The fact that output from Opec kingpin Saudi Arabia and nonOpec Russia - the world's two top producers and exporters - is near

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has taken up a massive plan to hunt the people with over Tk1 crore in the country to bring them under the tax net after conducting a fresh countrywide survey on them.  PAGE 15

Badwip publisher sued by police Police have sued Badwip Prakashan owner Shamsuzzoha Manik and two others for printing and selling a book with contents that could hurt religious sentiments. Badwip’s stall at the ongoing book fair was shut down on Monday.  PAGE 32

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

IFJ concerned Warrant issued for arrest over Mahfuz of Mahfuz Anam Anam cases n

Biggest private investment in power sector now official

n Tribune Report

The proposed 612-megawatt imported coal-fired power plant in Banshkhali of Chittagong is all set to become the biggest private sector investment in the country’s power sector.

A joint venture of Bangladesh’s S Alam Group, and China’s SEPCO-3 Electric Power Constitution Corporation and HTG Group will build the ultra super critical thermal power plant with a net capacity of 1,224MW at a cost of $2.4bn (over Tk188.4bn).

The government has selected SS Power 1 Ltd, a concern of the S Alam Group, for building the first unit through tender process while

Tribune Report

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has expressed concern over the cases filed against The Daily Star Editor Mahfuz Anam for carrying “confusing” and “defamatory” reports in his daily about Awami League President Sheikh Hasina during the 2007-08 military-backed caretaker regime.

In a statement issued yesterday, IFJ said the attempts to pursue coordinated legal proceedings against the editor was a clear attempt to intimidate the media and muzzle press freedom in Bangladesh.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 3

A Narayanganj court yesterday issued a warrant for the arrest of The Daily Star Editor Mahfuz Anam in a defamation case.

Narayanganj Senior Judicial Magistrate Saiduzzaman Sharif passed the order after taking the case into cognisance yesterday afternoon.

Mohsin Mia, joint secretary of Narayanganj District Lawyers Association, filed the Tk10 crore defamation case against Mahfuz Anam for carrying “confusing” and “defamatory” reports in his daily about Awami League President Sheikh Hasina during the 2007-08 military-backed caretaker regime.

Confirming the Dhaka Tribune about the arrest warrant, petitioner’s counsel Mahmuda Mala said the next hearing in the case will be held on March 28.

According to the case statement, the “fake stories” published by Mahfuz Anam on Sheikh Hasina in his daily during the 2008 caretaker government’s regime defamed the  PAGE 2 COLUMN 3

n Aminur Rahman Rasel

SS Power 2 Ltd was given an unsolicited deal to build the second unit under the speedy supply of power and energy act of 2015.

Yesterday, Power Development Board Secretary Mazharul Haque and SS Power Ltd Chairman Mohammed Saiful Alam signed a contract at the Bidyut Bhaban in Dhaka.

The agreement says that the government will buy electricity from the plant at the rate of Tk6.61 or 8.259 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh). The tariff, however, will vary with the ups and downs in coal price in the international market.

A non-binding memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed with renowned global coal  PAGE 2 COLUMN 3

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Top four oil exporters agree record highs complicates any agreement since Iran is producing at least 1m barrels per day below its capacity and pre-sanctions levels.

However, two non-Iranian sources close to Opec discussions told Reuters that Iran may be offered special terms as part of the output freeze deal. “Iran is returning to the market and needs to be given a special chance but it also needs to make some calculations,” said one source.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich said freezing output was not a problem for his country as he anyway expected its production to be flat this year versus 2015.

An Iraqi oil ministry source said Baghdad was also happy to freeze production if all parties agreed.

“The agreement (if successful) should support oil prices but there are reasons to be cautious. Not all Opec members have signed up to the deal - notably Iran and Iraq. History would also suggest that compliance may be an issue,” said Capital Economics’ analyst Jason Tuvey.

Opec has been quarrelling for decades over output levels and Russia, which last agreed to cooperate with Opec back in 2001, never followed through on its pledge and raised exports instead.

Also complicating any potential

agreement is the geopolitical rivalry in the Middle East between Sunni Muslim power Saudi Arabia and Shia Iran. Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies are fighting proxy conflicts with Russia and Iran in the region, including in Syria and Yemen.

In Syria’s five-year-old civil war, Riyadh politically and financially backs some rebel groups battling President Bashar al-Assad’s government, which has gained the upper hand with the help of Russian warplanes and Iranian-backed Shi’ite militias.

Russian budget

The Doha meeting came after more than 18 months of declining oil prices, knocking crude below $30 a barrel for the first time in over a decade from as high as $115 a barrel in mid-2014.

The slump was triggered by booming US shale oil output and a decision by Saudi Arabia and its Opec Gulf allies to raise production to fight for market share and drive higher-cost production out of the market.

But although US output has begun to decline and global demand has been robust it has still not been enough to offset booming global production which has led to oil stockpiles rising to record levels.l

Biggest private investment

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

suppliers Glencore, Bayan and AGP, who have mines in Indonesia, Australia, South Africa, Russia and Colombia.

Speaking at the contract signing programme, Tawfique-E-Elahi Chowdhury, energy adviser to the prime minister, said: “Just a few years ago, it was unthinkable that a private company could invest $2.4bn to produce electricity from imported coal.”

In support of the government’s stance regarding unsolicited deals signed under the speedy supply act, the adviser said: “Power generation would have been still stuck in red tapes had the speedy supply

of power and energy not been enacted.

The act aims at quick disposal of contracts to meet the raging demand for power and energy in the country.

Abdus Samad, vice-chairman of the S Alam Group, said this project is rare in the country because it is being implemented without any bank loan.

“That is why there is no chance of having a negative impact on the economy or the banking sector of Bangladesh,” he said.

Samad also said that since Bangladesh does not have labour expert in handling coal, the necessary

manpower for the project would be brought from abroad.

Slated for a March 2016 start of construction work, the plant is expected to start supplying power to the national grid by November 2019.

The Centre for Environmental and Geographic Information Services (CEGIS) submitted an environmental impact assessment (EIA) report to the Department of Environment (DoE) in August 2015.

But DoE has yet to approve the report.

Of the total project cost of $2.4bn, more than $1.7bn will come from the foreign investors. l

Mahfuz Anam on a TV talk show on February 3 admitted that he made a “big mistake” by running “corruption” stories based on information provided by the DGFI during the 2007-2008 caretaker regime.

“I admit it. It was a big mistake as an editor, in my journalism career,” Anam said on the talk show.

Until yesterday, more then 40 cases have so far been filed on charges of defamation and sedition against Mahfuz Anam for running

“false corruption stories” against Sheikh Hasina.

“The IFJ is seriously concerned by the legal harassment of Mahfuz Anam as result of reporting in the public interest at a time of political crisis.

The high number of cases and the filing of these across the country indicates an aggressive politically-motivated effort to harass a senior editor and a key newspaper in the Bangladesh,” the statement reads.

It said: “The use of sedition and defamation laws is this case is extremely concerning. Sedition laws are regarded as a relic of the past but are too often being revived as a means to silence political opposition and criticism in the region. This is a worrying development in an already extremely challenged media environment of Bangladesh.”

It also urged the judiciary to intervene in the matter to ensure a full and fair trial, with all cases being heard in one court. l

IFJ concerned over Mahfuz Anam cases

Warrant issued for arrest of Mahfuz Anam prime minister that led her to the jail.

Meanwhile, thirteen more cases were filed against The Daily Star Editor Mahfuz Anam yesterday for publishing “confusing” and “defamatory” reports in his daily about Awami League President Sheikh Hasina during the 2007-08 military-backed caretaker regime, reports UNB. Of the cases, 11 were filed on defamation while the rest two on sedition charges.

In Sherpur, former president of district Chhatra League Anwarul Hasan Utpal filed a sedition case with the court of Sherpur Chief Judicial Magistrate Saifur Rahman.

The court asked the officer-in-charge of Sadar police station to take the case after taking permission from the Home Ministry.

In Habiganj, Sheikh Moktar Hossain Benu, general secretary of district unit Krishak League, filed a case against Mahfuz Anam on charge of sedition with the court of Senior Judicial Magistrate Nishat Sultana. The court fixed April 18 for the next hearing.

Two defamation cases were filed in Barisal. Advo-

cate Rafiqul Islam Khokon, member of Bangabandhu Ainjibi Parishad, and Advocate Quayum Khan Kaisar filed the Tk100 crore cases each with the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court.

In Comilla, Abu Taiyab Api, president of Comilla South District unit of Bangladesh Chhatra League, filed a case with the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Cognisance Court 1 Joynab Begum, while Tariqul Islam Nayan, president of Daudkandi upazila unit BCL, filed another case with the Senior Judicial Magistrate Cognisance Court 3.

In Jessore, former president of Chougachha upazila unit Awami League Shahjahan Kabir filed a Tk10 crore defamation case with the Senior Judicial Magistrate Court.

Taking the cognisance of the complaint, the court asked the English daily editor to appear before it by March 6.

Anwar Hossain, general secretary of district unit Chhatra League, filed another case with the court of Jessore Sadar Cognisance Court Abu Ibrahim.

In Satkhira, assistant pub-

lic prosecutor (APP) Advocate Sahedur Rahman filed a case with the court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Mahidul Haque.

The court summoned Mahfuz Anam to appear before it.

In Bagerhat, district Chhatra League President Monir Hossain filed a Tk10,000 crore defamation case with the court of Senior Judicial Magistrate Zahidul Azad.

In Jhalakati, Advocate Bony Amin Baklai, a member of Jhalakati Bar Association, filed a Tk5 crore case with the court of Senior Judicial Magistrate.

In Kushtia, Adasul Haq Soleman, president of district unit “Amra Mujib Shena,” filed a Tk50,000 crore defamation case with the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Sazedur Rahman.

In Lalmonirhat, general secretary of district unit Swechchhasebak League Advocate Shariful Islam Raju filed a Tk100 crore case with the court of Additional Chief Judicial Cognisance Court 1 Mehedi Hasan.

Earlier, 27 more cases were filed against The Daily Star Editor Mahfuz Anam in different parts of the country. l

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Police roll out new antimilitancy unit n Mohammad Jamil Khan

This stretch of road beside an under-construction flyover in the capital's Anandabazar area can hardly be used due to its dilapidated condition, causing immense suffering to the local commuters. The photo was taken yesterday MEHEDI HASAN

SEXUAL HARASSMENT OF UNIVERSITY STUDENT

Warrant issued for arrest of SI Ratan n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu A Dhaka court yesterday issued a warrant for the arrest of Ratan Kumar Hawlader, a sub-inspector of Adabor police station, in a case filed for sexually harassing a female student of a private university.

Dhaka Fourth Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal's Judge Saleh Uddin Ahmed passed the order after taking the probe report of the case into cognisance.

The court also directed the of-

ficer-in-charge of Adabor police station to submit report on the execution of the arrest by March 16.

The victim was present in court during the hearing yesterday.

On February 10, Metropolitan Magistrate Emdadul Haque submitted the judicial probe report to the chief metropolitan magistrate after conducting a judicial probe over the allegation.

During the probe, Magistrate Emdadul Haque recorded depositions of five witnesses. They are the victim, her husband, mother,

Three Gazipur cops closed for assaulting nurse n Our Correspondent, Gazipur Three members of Gazipur Detective Branch (DB) of police were closed yesterday on charge of assaulting a nurse of Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmad Medical College (STAMC).

The DB police officials are Assistant Sub-Inspector Mushfiqur Rahman, Constable Anwar and Fazlul Hoque.

Gazipur Superintendent of Police (SP) Mohammad Harun-ur Rashid closed the DB police officials yesterday morning after visiting the hospital. During the visit, the SP assured of ensuring justice for the victim.

The STAMC authorities said Mushfiqur, Anwar and Fazlul at around 10:30pm on Monday went to the emergency unit of the hospital in search of a suspected criminal named Rana. However, Rana managed to escape the spot sensing the presence of the police.

The DB team blamed the hos-

pital's Senior Nurse Abul Fazal for helping the criminal escape and they started beating him up there mercilessly with sticks. At one stage, they tried to pick Abul Fazal up from his workplace but as the victim's colleagues and physicians intervened they left the spot.

Later, injured Fazal, general secretary of STAMC Diploma Nurse Association, was admitted to the hospital.

Angered by the police atrocity, the hospital's staff immediately brought out a procession and declared a work abstention programme creating immense suffering to the patients.

Finally agitating staff withdrew the programme as the SP said that action had already been taken.

STAMC Residential Medical Officer Abdus Salam confirmed the incidents to the Dhaka Tribune and said: “Normalcy has returned to the hospital after the action and assurance of justice given by the SP.” l

human haulier driver Md Sukkur Ali and shop owner Khokan.

The investigation report said examining the statements of the witnesses it is proved that the court found the allegation of the sexual harassment true.

The report also said SI Ratan and two other police personnel of Adabor police station stopped the victim's rickshaw around 3pm on January 31 while she was on her way to a bookstore on Nurjahan Road.

The policemen confined the ASA University student to an elec-

tronics shop in front of the Japan Garden City at Shekhertek in Mohammadpur and harassed her for about 45 minutes accusing her of being a yaba peddler.

The SI had asked the shop owner to pull down the shop's shutter and leave and then he opened her jacket and handbag and sexually harassed her in the name of searching yaba tablets.

Later, the victim filed a case against the policemen with the Dhaka Fourth Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal. l

n Tribune Report

Razzaq on Monday snatched away five gold bars from Rezaul Karim in North South Road of Bangshal in Old Town.

Rezaul was going to Jessore with 900 kilogrammes of gold from the capital’s Tantibazar area. SI Ashraful along with his informant Abdur Razzak stopped Rezaul in front of New Suveccha Hotel on the North South Road in Bangshal around 7pm on Monday and tried to snatch the gold.

When the businessman shouted, people caught both of them from the area. Later, Bangshal police patrol team took them to the police station. Police also recovered the snatched gold bars from their possession.

The police yesterday launched the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crimes (CTTC) unit, the latest move in the government’s effort to put down militancy and terrorism.

Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Monirul Islam will head the 611-member strong specialised unit, which will include an additional deputy inspector general-level officer, four police superintendents, ten additional superintendents and 20 assistant superintendents.

So far only Monirul has taken up his post. Speaking to the Dhaka Tribune, the CTTC chief said no other official had yet joined the unit.

Personnel will be drawn from the ranks of the Detective Branch (DB) and intelligence units of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), and from among new recruits.

The CTTC will be headquartered in Dhaka’s Minto Road near DB HQ, sources said.

“CTTC will not investigate militancy-related cases filed in the courts. Our brief is to monitor terrorism,” Monirul said. “We will follow up, investigate and conduct research relating to militant groups and terrorism.”

Nurul Huda, a former inspector general of police, said forming the new unit was an effective decision. Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said the unit, which initially will not be very large, will deal with cybercrimes, terrorism and militancy. l

Banani police SI closed for snatching gold bars A sub-inspector of the Banani police station Ashraful Islam was closed yesterday for his reported involvement in snatching gold bars from a person in Old Town area of the city.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner Maruf Hossain Sarder confirmed the withdrawal of the sub-inspector.

Meanwhile, Bangshal police station Sub-Inspector Helal Uddin yesterday filed a case with the station against Ashraful and Abdur Razzaq, an informer of police.

Police also filed a case against Rezaul, from whom the gold bars were snatched, under the Special Power Act on charge of gold smuggling.

All of them were detained by police when Ashraful and Abdur

Three-member investigation committee formed

Meanwhile, the DMP has formed

a three-member committee to investigate the incident, Maruf said.

The committee members are – DMP Joint Commissioner Belalur Rahman, Lalbagh Zone Deputy Commissioner Mofizuddin Ahmed and DMP DB Deputy Commissioner Mashrukur Rahman.

Court granted remand

A Dhaka court of Metropolitan Magistrate Abdullah Al Masud yesterday granted 3-day remand for SI Ashraful, police source Abdur Razzak and five days remand for gold bars bearer Rezaul Karim.

Police Inspector Sheikh Mohammad Nasiruddin of Bangshal police station, also investigation officer of the case, produced them before the court seeking a 7-day remand for interrogation. l

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49 BNP leaders, activists charge-sheeted in arson case Charge sheets will be produced before the Dhaka metropolitan magistrate on March 6

n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu Police yesterday submitted two separate charge sheets against 49 BNP leaders and activists including barrister Rafiqul Islam Miah and Amanullah Aman in a case filed for arson with Paltan police station.

Sub-Inspector Mizanur Rahman of Paltan police station, also inves-

tigation officer of the case, submitted the charge sheets – under the Penal Code and under Explosives Substance Act – to Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court General Recording Officer Sub-Inspector Jalal Uddin.

The SI also appealed for issuing arrest warrants against 27 accused in the case including Rafiqul, Ab-

dul Awal Mintoo and Faruk, showing them as fugitives in the case.

The charge sheets will be produced before the Dhaka metropolitan magistrate on March 6 to decide the next course of action in the case.

Of the 49 accused, 22 BNP men including Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) Central President Rajib Ahsan, BNP leader Shahid Uddin

Chowdhury Annie and Ariful Haq Arif were on bail in the case while 27 BNP men including barrister Rafiqul Islam Miah, Barkatullah Bulu, Khairul Kabir Khokon, Abdul Awal Mintoo, Shimul Biswas, Joynal Abedin Farooq, Sharafat Ali Sapu, Sultan Salauddin Tuku and others have remained fugitive.

According to the case, on Jan-

uary 6, 2015, miscreants set fire to a Motijheel-Banani route bus in front of Rupali Bank in the capital’s Bangabandhu Avenue in Gulistan.

They also exploded three crude bombs during the incident.

Nurul Islam, driver of the bus, filed a case with Paltan police station on the same day in this connection. l

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Khaleda: government harassing journalists n Tribune Report BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia yesterday alleged that the government was harassing the media and journalists by filing cases against them to hide its misdeeds.

“The government continues to take anti-democratic steps against the freedom of speech. The ruling party closed down the publications of many newspapers including Amar Desh and some private television channels,” she said.

“Fair investigation into the murders of journalists is not being carried out. And this how the government is trying to hide its misdeeds,” she said at a press release

A grey-backed shrike takes off at the Botanical Garden in Mirpur in Dhaka yesterday

signed by Khaleda’s Press Secretary Maruf Kamal Khan.

Issuing a note of warning, Khaleda said: “I am warning all the quarters concerned about the consequences of repressions of journalists and gagging the differences of opinion.”

The former premier expressed her concern over the shown-arrest of Mahmudur Rahman and demanded his release immediately.

“After securing bail from the highest court and then shown arrest on another case seems to me as an audacity and which is tantamount to contempt of court,” he said referring Mahmudur Rahman’s arrest and remand. l

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

Dhaka-Chittagong four-lane highway project cost goes up by 77% n Tribune Report The cost of Dhaka-Chittagong fourlane highway project, one of the first-track projects, has gone up by around 77% to Tk3,817 crore from the original cost estimated nine years ago.

The cost was revised upward

by Tk626cr from the third revised cost of Tk3,190cr in 2013 and by Tk1,656cr from the initial estimated cost of Tk2,161cr in 2006.

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec)

yesterday approved the upward revised cost of the project in a meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair at the NEC conference room.

The project was first revised in 2009 by increasing the cost to Tk2,382cr due to the correction of the project profile and changes in the design; the second revising was done in 2012 by raising the cost to Tk2,410cr due to increase in land acquisition costs.

About the raise, Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal said after

When the project first got Ecnec nod in 2005, the 192.30km fourlane highway was supposed to be completed by June 2012.

According to the Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation Division, around Tk2,500cr, which is around 65% of the fourth upward revised cost, was spent up to November last year.

The Roads and Highways Department is implementing the mega project.

Ecnec gave nod to total nine development projects worth over

the Ecnec meeting that fresh acquisition of some areas and land scarcity have led to the rise in project cost and delay in deadline.

He hoped that the highway will be completed by this year.

He said the proposed Dhaka-Chittagong elevated expressway will also be built over this fourlane highway.

Deadline for the project completion has also been extended for the fourth time to December 2016 from the latest extension of December 2015.

Tk4,961cr, including the revised cost of the Dhaka-Chittagong highway.

The other approved projects include establishment of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Novo Theatre in Rajshahi at an estimated cost of Tk222cr; construction of 12 barracks at different units of Bangladesh Police for Tk219.17cr; construction of 456 flats for government staff at Malibagh in Dhaka at a cost of Tk194.69cr; and construction of 288 residential flats for the staff of Department of Public Works in Mirpur. l

Elephant corridor through Indo-Bangla border in talks n Abu Bakar Siddique

The Indian union home ministry has agreed to sign an agreement with Bangladesh to open the borders to allow a cross-border natural elephant corridor between the two countries so that wild elephants can have an easier and safer passage.

Indian newspaper New Indian Express ran a report on January 26, which said the Indian home ministry had cleared the proposal after getting the approval from the country’s forest department.

“The Indian side have given the clearance; now we have to make our move so that the agreement

TEMPERATURE FOREC AST FOR TODAY

LIGHT TO MODERATE FOG

can be sealed soon,” said Yunus Ali, chief conservator of forests at the Forest Department in Bangladesh.

The Ministry of Environment and Forests will now communicate with the Ministry of Home Affairs to collaborate with the law enforcement agencies, especially Border Guard Bangladesh, regarding the corridor, he said.

The natural routes for elephants across the Bangladesh-India border are currently all blocked by a fence put up by the Indian authorities, which causes wild elephants to stray from track and end up in human habitats, often resulting in human-elephant conflicts.

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two centuries because of fragmentation and destruction of their habitat, caused by expansion of agriculture and human settlement.

To prevent elephant extinction in this region, a meeting between Bangladesh and India was held last year under a project titled ‘Strengthening Regional Cooperation for Wildlife Protection’ to convince the two governments, said Akbar Hossain, deputy chief conservator of forests.

The meeting prompted the Indian forest department to send the proposal of opening the natural elephant corridors across the border to their home ministry, said Akbar, also the director of the World

According to Forest Department, at least 226 people and 62 elephants have been killed in such conflicts in the country in the last 13 years.

In addition, elephant attacks have destroyed thousands of homes and crop fields in the areas near the border in the country. Being a flagship or umbrella species, elephants are considered a symbol of a healthy ecosystem, but they are currently critically endangered in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh now accounts for around 200 wild elephants, though the number was above 500 in the mid 20th century.

The number of wild elephants has decreased in Asia in the last 33

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YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

TOMORROW SUN RISES 6:30AM

34.0ºC Cox’s Bazar

13.7ºC Dinajpur

Source: Accuweather/UNB

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Bank-funded project.

Seven locations along the Bangladesh-India border have already been identified that elephants usually use as their passage routes. The locations are in the Indian states of Assam, Tripura and Mizoram along the Bangladesh border.

Ishtiaq Uddin Ahmed, country representative of International Union for Conservation of Nature Bangladesh, said: “If the natural corridors are open, the conflict between humans and elephants will be reduced, as will other damages such as destruction of crops and houses.

If elephants are left alone in peace, they will not cause any harm.” l Sylhet

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Fajr: 5:15am | Zohr: 12:13am Asr: 4:17pm | Magrib: 5:55pm Esha: 7:11pm Source: IslamicFinder.org

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‘Raise awareness against sound pollution’ n Abu Bakar Siddique Making common people aware about the negative impacts of excessive sound is the only way to reduce sound pollution in the country, speakers said at a discussion yesterday.

“As usual, there is an act in place to curb sound pollution in the country, but it is not properly implemented,” said Prof Dr Pran Gopal Datta, former vice-chancellor at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University. “If we cannot make people aware of the effects of sound pollution, no law will have a significant impact.”

The event, the inception work-

shop of a project titled “Comprehensive and Participatory Project on Sound Pollution Control,” was held at LGRD Auditorium in the capital.

Referring to the excessive use of hydraulic horns in the capital city, Dr Datta, who is also a leading ear-nose-throat specialist in the country, said car owners and drivers have been using these horns in their vehicles for no specific reasons, when these horns create loud sound at a range that is not healthy for humans.

This issue could be easily resolved if automobile drivers were made aware of its effects via proper consultation, he said while ad-

dressing the workshop.

The Department of Environment has undertaken the project to comprehensively control sound pollution to spread awareness against the phenomenon among not only common people, but also among government agencies which are responsible for implementing the law, such as Bangladesh Road Transport Authority, local governments and traffic police, said Farid Ahmed, director of the project.

The project's deadline is in June 2017, he added.

According to the Department of Environment, Dhaka-dwellers are exposed to sound that is 13-40 decibels more than what is recom-

mended.

Car horns, generators, sound systems set up for concerts and miking announcements, construction work, industries, trains and aeroplanes are considered to be major sources of sound pollution in the country.

According to the Sound Pollution (Control) Rules 2006, any machine used for construction work which creates loud – especially above 100 decibels – sound cannot be used within 500 metres of any residential area.

The recommended sound level for residential areas in the coutnry is 55 decibels during the day and 45 decibels at night. l

Suspected criminal killed in 'gunfight'

n Tribune Report A suspected criminal was killed in a “gunfight” with members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) in Tongi Nodi Bondor area in Gazipur yesterday.

The deceased was Jewel, 25, an accused in several cases including murder. He was also an accused in a case filed for gouging out his wife's eyes.

Lieutenant Col Tuhin Mohammad Masud, Commanding officer of RAB-1, said being tipped off a mobile patrol team carried out a raid around 3:30am yesterday.

Sensing the presence of the elite force, the criminals opened fire on the RAB officials, he added.

Commanding Officer of RAB-1 said RAB officials in retaliation fired back that left Jewel dead. RAB personnel recovered one foreign handgun, one live ammo, one magazine and one knife from the spot. l

Members of National Garments Workers’ Federation bring out a protest procession near National Press Club in the city yesterday demanding reinstatement of 42 employees of Han Wen BD Ltd who were illegally fired from their jobs MEHEDI HASAN

Bir Pratik Taramon Bibi hospitalised Correspondent, n Our Mymensingh Critically ill Bir Pratik Taramon Bibi has been admitted at Mymensingh Medical College Hospital (MMCH).

She was brought in to the hospital on Monday afternoon and was admitted at the hospital's Coronary Care Unit (CCU), where she is currently on breathing support. Sources said she had been suffering from respiratory disease.

Talking to the Dhaka Tribune, MMCH Director Brig Gen (retd) Md Nasiruddin said a medical board would be formed for the Taramon's treatment. He said if neces-

sary, the hospital will take all financial responsibility for her treatment as well.

Bir Pratik Taramon Bibi's real name is Taramon Begum.

She was born in Kacharipara, a village in Rajibpur upazila of Kurigram district, to Abdus Sohban and Kulsum Bibi. She was married to Abdul Mazid and had a son and a daughter.

During the Liberation War in 1971, Taramon took part in the war from Sector 11, in Shankar Madhabpur in Kurigram, under Sector Commander Abu Taher. To recognise her bravery in the battleground, Bangladesh government honoured her with the title Bir Pratik in 1973. l

Man gets life for raping physically challenged girl n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu A Dhaka court yesterday sentenced a man to life in prison for raping a physically challenged young girl.

The Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal 5 Judge Tanjina Ismail delivered the verdict after she found fish trader Md Jahangir Alam Mujahid, son of Malam Miah of Charshibpur village in Banchharampur upazila of Brahmanbaria, guilty in the trial of the case.

The court fined him Tk2 lakh with another three years of rigorous imprisonment if he failed to pay the fine.

The court also asked the authorities concerned to give the money to the victim.

The accused used to live in South Pirerbagh in the capital's Mirpur area with his family in a sublet.

According to the case statement, the convict raped the physically challenged girl on March 29, 2014 in his room.

After the incident, the victim's father Abul Kalam filed a case with Mirpur police station under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act on April 2, 2014 after which police arrested Jahangir.

Sub-Inspector Ataur Rahman, also investigation officer of the case, submitted a charge sheet against Jahangir on May 31, 2014.

The court indicted him on August 26, 2014. l

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Singapore to provide training to 1,150 teachers n Tribune Report Singapore will provide training to 1,150 teachers and officials of technical education sector of Bangladesh at Nanyang Poliytechnic International (NYPi) in Singapore.

A partnership agreement was signed in this regard in Singapore between Bangladesh and Singapore yesterday in presence of Minister for Education Nurul Islam Nahid, says an education ministry press release.

Ashoke Kumar Biswas, director general of the Directorte of Technical Education, Bangladesh, and Foong TzeFoon, chief executive officer of NYPi signed the agreement on behalf of their respective sides.

As per the agreement, a total of 1,150 teachers of polytechnic institutes and officials of government and non-government education related organisations will participate in 60 training courses in Nanyang Polytechnic International (NYPi),

Singapore in next three years. The duration of the trainings will be one to six weeks. The NYPi will also set up 10 modern laboratories at 10 polytechnic institutes in Bangladesh with the assistance of Skills and Training Enhancement Project (STEP) under the Ministry of Education “Bangladesh has achieved remarkable progress in technical education sector through concerted efforts and firm commitments of the government and also utilis-

ing the assistance of development partners,” said Nurul Islam Nahid.

The minister also mentioned that the 420 teachers and officials of technical education sectors, who underwent training in Nanyang Polytechnic International in Singapore in 2014, are contributing to bring a positive impact in the technical education sector.

Education minister also expressed his optimism that the overall environment of the technical education sector of Bangladesh

Another accused in Himu murder case arrested, sent to jail

3 BCL men injured in miscreants’ attack Mizanur Rahaman, n FM Chittagong

Mizanur Rahaman, n FM Chittagong

A Chittagong court yesterday sent Mahbub Ali Khan Dany, an accused of gruesome Himadri Majumdar Himu murder case, to jail after he was arrested from Chittagong city’s Panslaish area.

Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP)’s Assistant Commissioner (AC) (prosecution) Nimalendu Bikash Chawakrabarty said the court of Additional Metropolitan Session Judge Nurul Islam had given order to send him to jail after he was produced before the court.

Earlier, police arrested Danny, son of Md Ali, from his house at Khaja Manjil at Panchlaish Residential area yesterday morning.

Himadri Majumdar Himu, 18, a A-level student of Summerfield School and College, was allegedly pushed off the roof of a four-storied building in Panchlaish Residential Area on April 27, 2012 by his friends after being tortured by dogs.

Family members and police said Himu was murdered as he strongly took position against drug. He died in Dhaka after fighting for 26 days for life.

Asit Das, uncle of the deceased, lodged a case with Panchlaish police station accusing five people.

Police submitted the chargesheet of the case on September 30, 2012 accusing Junaid Ahmed Riad, Shah Selim Tipu, Shahadat Hossain Shaju, Mahbub Ali Khan Danny and Zahidul Islam Shaon.

All of them were indicted on February 3, 2014. Tipu and Shaju are on bail while the others are on run.

The argument by the prosecution ended on October 10, last year while the prosecution. l

would be developed further with the training of 1,150 teachers and officials and setting up of 10 modern laboratories.

Arrangement of training and setting up of laboratories will cost Tk56 crore, of which NYPi will bear 31.15% and STEP will bear 68.85%.

It can be mentioned that the Skills and Training Enhancement Project is being implemented with the funding from Government of Bangladesh, World Bank and Canada. l

A mobile court in Moghbazar area of the capital yesterday fines owners of motorbikes for Illegal parking

RAJIB DHAR

A leader of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) of Chittagong Medical College (CMC) unit was hacked and two others were injured in an attack by unidentified miscreants in Nasirabad area under the city early yesterday.

The injured were CMC’s BCL organizing secretary Nahid, its cultural affairs secretary Anik and activist Mehraj, said police sources.

Police and campus sources said the incident took place in Nasirabad Housing Society area around 3:30am while miscreants stabbed Nahid with sharp weapons.

The miscreants stabbed Mehraj and Anik while they were going to the spot to rescue Nahid.

Later, they were rushed to the CMCH where Nahid was shifted at ICU as his condition deteriorated.

Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP)’s Assistant Commissioner (AC) Asif Mohiuddin told the Dhaka Tribune that a case was filed in this connection. l

Teachers fined for helping Workshop on electronic examinees in Dakhil exams govt procurement held n UNB A mobile court yesterday sentenced a madrasa teacher to one year’s imprisonment and fined four other teachers for helping some Dakhil examinees with unfair means at an exam centre in Wazirpur upazila.

Omar Faruk, a teacher of Sakrail Alim Madrasah, was jailed for one year while four other teachers Ibrahim, principal Ramijuddun, Rafikul Islam - of the same institution and Moktar Hossain, a teacher of Kalihata Madrasah, were fined Tk20,000 each.

All of the teachers were on duty at the examination centre of Wazir-

pur Alim Madrasa during yesterday’s Dakhil examination.

The mobile court of Wazirpur upazila nirbahi officer Jhumur Bala handed down the punishment.

The UNO told reporters that the convicts took snaps of the English 2nd paper question using mobile phone and sent those outside the examination center.

Then they collected the answers and supplied those among the examinees with the help of the invigilators.

Being informed, the UNO rushed to the examination centre and set up a mobile court.

Later, he handed down the verdict after verifying the allegations. l

n Tribune Report

A day-long awareness workshop on electronic government procurement (e-GP) was held at the Deputy Commissioner’s conference room yesterday.

Central Procurement Technical Unit (CPTU) of the Ministry of Planning organised the workshop. Deputy Commissioner of Thakurgaon Mukesh Chandra Biswas presided over the workshop.

Director of CPTU Aziz Taher Khan, Programme coordinator Mamun Rahman, Assistant Director Badal Rahman and Chief Executive officer of Thakurgaon Zila Parishad Abu Taher Md. Masud Rana ad-

dressed the workshop.

The speakers said that at present in Bangladesh the amount of government purchase is 78 crores of taka where the misuse is equivalent to 1.5 per cent of the GDP. But in e-tendering the misuse would come down and corruption in tendering process would also come down to a considerable extent.

The speakers observed that if e-tendering is introduced in all the department of the government the quality of tendering would improve, transparency and liability would also be improved a lot and scope of business would be extended for the computer literate common people. l

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Three people beaten to death n Tribune Report Three persons were beaten to death by locals in Rajshahi, Narshingdi and Narayanganj yesterday.

An alleged burglar was beaten to death by a mob in Dorshonapara area, Poba upazila, Rajshahi in the early hours of the day.

Senior Police Super of Rajshahi district Abdur Rashid told the Dhaka Tribune that locals had caught Hasan Ali, 25, son of Tafjur Ali of Darshanpara area in the upazila, around 2am while he was stealing goods from the grocery shop of one Deljan Begum.

The locals gave him a good beating, leaving him critically injured. He was taken to Poba upazila health complex where he died.

The body was sent to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital for an autopsy.

In Narsingdi, a suspected robber was lynched in an attack at Taltali village, Palash upazila.

Officer-in-Charge of Palash po-

Local people stage demonstration in Tinmatha area, Poba upazila, Rajshahi yesterday protesting torture on two boys over stealing of mobile phones AZAHAR UDDIN lice station Abul Kalam Azad said Yusuf Miah, 25, son of Tota Miah of Baluchar village in the upazila,

along with his associates stormed into the house of one Mansur Miah at Taltali village around 3am for

Minor boy found dead two days after his abduction Correspondent, n Our Gazipur

death. Several injury marks have been found on his body.”

Deceased’s father Mokarrom said: “Solaiman went missing while he was coming to my shop from house around 5pm Saturday. Since then he remained missing.

At night on the same day, someone called me over the mobile phone asking for a ransom of Tk1.5 lakh.”

Mokarrom said he had filed a case with Joydebpur police station regarding the matter on Sunday. l

Police recovered the body of a four-year-old boy from Kashimpur Surabari area two days after his abduction from Gazipur.

Solaiman, son of Mokaram Hossain Akmat of Bhenuarchar area, went missing on Saturday.

Later, his body was recovered from a bush in Kashimpur Surabari area around 8am Monday.

In-Charge of Chakraborty police camp Sub-Inspector Saiful Islam said: “On receiving information from the locals, we went to the spot and recovered the body from the bush in Kashimpur Surabari area and sent it to Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed Medical College morgue for an autopsy.”

He said later Solaiman’s family members went to the morgue and identified his body at night.

The SI said: “He might have been suffocated to

School teacher’s house looted

Man to die for killing siblings

n UNB

n Tribune Report

Robbers looted valuables from a house of a schoolteacher in Madina Market area of the city early yesterday.

Asharaful Islam Chowdhury, assistant headteacher of Kalibari City Model School, said a gang of masked robbers entered his house by breaking open the gate.

Later they held the house inmates hostage at gunpoint and tied up them with rope.

Then the bandits looted 11 tolas of gold, Tk one lakh and eight mobile phone sets. l

A court in Chittagong yesterday sentenced a person to death on charge of killing two of his younger brothers at Sultanpur village in Raozan upazila on July 22, 2013.

According to prosecution, convict Abul Kalam hacked his brothers Abu Sufian Azad, 48, and Abu Morshed Azad, 35, with machete over dispute centering ancestral properties, leaving them critically injured.

The duo were admitted to Chittagong Medical Col-

lege Hospital (CMCH) where they succumbed to their injuries.

Later, Sufian’s wife filed a murder case accusing Kalam.

He was arrested on August 3, 2013 and gave confessional statement before the court.

Police submitted charge sheet on October 30 in the year while the court framed the charge against Kalam on February 25, 2014.

The court led by Md Robi-Uz- Zaman handed down the verdict after examining the records and witnesses. l

committing robbery.

Sensing the presence of the bandits, locals encircled them and

caught Yusuf while his cohorts managed to flee.

Later, they gave him a good thrashing, leaving him critically injured.

On information, police took the victim to Palash Upazila Health Complex around 7am where doctors declared him dead.

In Narayanganj, a youth was beaten to death by some hoodlums at Shahi Bazar, Fatullah police station, Narayanganj.

The deceased was identified as Md Shahjahan, son of Amir Hossain, a resident of Chitashal area.

Local sources said local goons – Rony, Saju, and Sohel – beat up him mercilessly on February 9 as he refused to give extortion of Tk2 lakh. Later, he died at Dhaka Medical College Hospital where he died yesterday morning.

Family members of the victim told the Dhaka Tribune that they yet to file any case over the murder as police were reluctant to file case. l

Between photography and performance

n Abid Azad Atish Saha, who works in the field of photography and performance art, spent 53 hours by confining himself to an 8x10 feet box in the Dhaka Art Summit.

“I will wait and wait in different corners of the box; I will be sitting, lying, staring at the ceiling” said Atish whose work is based in Dhaka.

“I want to challenge the way people see things by posing questions about identity in a world that is becoming increasingly paranoid about difference and diversity,” he added.

One of the 13 artists who Daniel Baumann selected to be on the short-list for the 2016 Samdani Art Award, Atish participated in the Dhaka Art Summit with a performance and a photoexhibition.

His photo-exhibition represented the community of people who are dependent on the Buriganga river, one of the country’s most polluted rivers where a lot of the inhabitants from the surrounding area also bathe in.

“I made a string of temporary studios in the river water along

the bank equipped with a white backdrop and minimal studio light,” he said.

Atish further said: “The water is almost pitch black. Most people won’t even touch the water for any good reason. The individuals I photographed come from the rural areas of Bangladesh to fend for themselves in the mega city.

They are part of the unknown multitude - migrant workers, subaltern people, climate refugees and also communities living on the banks of the river since half a century.”

Via both photography and performance, Atif attempts at exploring and exposing a deep understanding of people’s individuality, the private space which is violated by society, the motherland’s independence, the struggle of being a minority, identity crises, and religious extremism, which he often relates to his own personal experiences.

More recently he has been awarded the Overseas Press Club of America Award and the VQR Prize for Photography for his coverage of the Rana Plaza garment factory which collapsed in April 2013 and killed more than 1000 people. l

Things you need to know about Zika Virus

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Feature

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2016

n Features Desk For the past few days, amid all other news, one that is getting everyone’s attention and instilling fear within them is Zika virus.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an outbreak of the virus is affecting large parts of Latin America and the Caribbean, and may spread to all countries in the Americas. Based on the proportion it is spreading, the WHO has announced Zika as a public health emergency.

The possibility of these coming to Bangladesh still looks a bit implacable, however, since Zika resembles dengue, which is quite prevalent in our country, it is still wise to gather proper knowledge about the virus.

The virus was first identified in Uganda in 1947 and was unknown in the Americas until 2014. The disease is usually relatively mild but Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the regional arm of the WHO, says, it may be linked to cases of brain damage in newborn babies in Brazil.

The Zika virus spreads through the bite of an infected mosquito, the same mosquito that transmits dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever. There is no vaccine for Zika.

However, recent developments in Dallas and Texas in USA reveals that, Zika is now being spread through sexual contamination as well, which makes this even more deadlier than dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever.

This virus is usually relatively mild, with symptoms such as skin rash, fever, muscle and joint pain, lasting up to seven days. It is uncommon for people infected with Zika to seek hospitalisation.

“In the Americas, there is no evidence that the Zika virus can cause death,” PAHO says, “but sporadic cases have been reported of more serious complications in people with preexisting diseases or conditions, causing death.”

According to WHO, there is growing evidence that links Zika to microcephaly, a neurological disorder in which babies are born with smaller-than-normal heads and brains. However, information about the possible transmission of Zika from infected mothers to babies during pregnancy or childbirth is “very rare” – according to the PAHO. One in four people infected with Zika develop symptoms and many cases of Zika go undetected, making it difficult to estimate the true scale of the outbreak in the Americas. PAHO says there are no reliable estimates of the number of cases in the region. Based on reports from affected countries, PAHO estimates there are at least 60,000 suspected cases, though the real figure is anticipated to increase. l

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Spinning yarns some clothes that we have worn to many events too. This includes both day-wear and evening wear.

We’ll be making these available for all very soon, insha’Allah. We do hope people will keep an eye out for clothing and accessories made using FRC Pina fabric.

n Mahmood Sadi I met Umaima Dawood during an event at the Edward M Kennedy Centre in Dhanmondi. It was the closing day of a workshop on tourism and Umaima came with her parents. An attractive lady in her twenties, she seemed like the type who could easily grab anyone’s attention at any event.

However, what was more striking about her was the shawl that dangled from her shoulder.

It was of the most unusual make, but was stunning nevertheless.

Unable to resist asking her about it, it turns out, the shawl really was extraordinary - it was one made using pineapple yarn.

Here’s a snippet of a conversation with her as she explained the science of making fabric out of pineapple!

Whose idea was it to create yarn out of pineapple?

Pineapple is grown in abundance in the Modhupur, Chittagong Hill Tracts and Sylhet. The managing director of FRC Bangladesh D J Agro Ltd, Dawood Farhan, travelled all over the country and went beyond borders to learn more about the field of agriculture, poultry and livestock.

His innovative nature and extensive knowledge of history led him to find ways to utilise waste into a consumer product, similar to a technology employed in the Phillipines for many years.

His personal research led him to meet the then and present day chief of Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), David Hall at a conference.

Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) at that point had their own extensive research on this subject matter and were looking for a likeminded individual who would lead this project commercially, but also serve the interest of creating employment in the tribal, deprived and sexually exploited women community.

Dawood has always been a supporter of the concept of creating employment opportunities for all, especially those deprived and exploited socially. Soon enought, the two ideas met and merged and Fiber Resource Centre Bangladesh

When it comes to commercialising the sale of such a niche type of material - what type of techniques are you employing?

Our marketing strategy is simple and straightforward. We want the people of Bangladesh to know that this product is coming from their own country, being made by their own people and needs to be worn and promoted by its people too. That is essentially our unique selling point.

With a fabric like this - all natural and so versatile in its uses, the prospects are endless. I really do believe there are many styles, many uses, many benefits to using this material (FRC Bangladesh) came to be, a centre that specialises in creating material out of waste.

The yarn that is produced from pineapple - is it as good as yarn produced from corpus?

This is a different material, so it is quite difficult and almost impossible to compare the two.

Pina is a very high grade material

and produces fabulous materials and yarn. Moreover, the cloth has a fantastic look and feel to it, in addition to it being environmental and skin friendly.

Can you shed some light on the process of making yarn from pineapple?

It is a simple process that involves extracting fiber from

leaves, which are then processed naturally to prepare it before turning it into yarn.

Have you used this fabric to make general day-to-day wear?

We currently produce FRC Pina silk, FRC Pina cotton and FRC Pina cotton/silk, all of which is suitable for everyday wear/ accessories. In fact, we have made

What are the prospects for pineapple yarn?

It is an environmental friendly fabric, a product that is used up completely without leaving any negative footprint. With time, consumers have become very conscious which is great news for all of us. At the same time, consumers are also very fashion conscious. With a fabric like this - all natural and so versatile in its uses, the prospects are endless. I really do believe there are many styles, many uses, many benefits to using this material.

It is a new concept, so people will generally take some time to understand it better, but once they do, and also know of the manifold benefits to society at large - we know they will be as excited and interested about the FRC Pina fabric and products, if not more! Insha’Allah. l

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Editorial 11

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2016

INSIDE

Chinese whispers Poetic justice has followed China’s indelicate handling of the matter. What might have been a quiet display in a small corner of a large summit has now taken the world’s media by storm, seen and heard of by millions of people PAGE 12

Hear their voices Technology can disproportionately improve the lives of millions of children who lack access to much-needed basic services

PAGE 13

MEHEDI HASAN

Protected by trees One does not have to wait to see the devastation unfolding 50 years from now in the Bay of Bengal delta. Indeed, the account of the last 50 years says it all.

The information suggests that frequency and increasing force of extreme weather conditions from cyclones, together with the tidal surge, have been major causes for the plundering of the Bay of Bengal coast

PAGE 14

Be heard Write to Dhaka Tribune FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka-1207 Send us your Op-Ed articles: opinion.dt@dhakatribune.com www.dhakatribune.com Join our Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/ DhakaTribune.

The views expressed in Opinion articles are those of the authors alone. They do not purport to be the official view of Dhaka Tribune or its publisher.

Closing book stalls is not the police’s job

T

he action by police in shutting down a stall at the Ekushey Boi Mela for selling a book that allegedly hurts religious sentiments raises some important questions.

Both the law and the book fair’s rules contain restrictions on books with objectionable content.

However, the police action appears arbitrary because no request or deadline was given to the publisher in advance as required by the book fair’s rules. Organisers confirm they too had not received any formal complaints when the stall was raided.

Moreover, the police also acted pre-emptively by shutting the stall down entirely, instead of simply removing the publications in question.

The raid occurred after police noted people on social media complaining about the contents of Islam Bitorko, a book of essays on discussions about Islam, compiled by Shamsuzzoha Manik, publisher of Badwip Publications. Other publications on religious topics were also seized on the grounds that they too allegedly breached the rules and their presence posed a threat to security at the fair.

It is concerning that the police did not follow the procedures clearly set out in the fair’s rules.

Had they done so, the contents of the books concerned might well be considered a matter for the courts.

Instead, by acting arbitrarily, the police have given the impression that publishers and writers can have their works seized and stalls closed down simply on the basis of negative comments in Facebook alone.

This undermines assurances made ahead of the fair to provide greater security for writers who have been threatened by religious extremists.

By acting peremptorily, the police have not only overstepped their authority, but have given comfort to groups and individuals who threaten writers and wish to deny freedom of speech for everyone.

The duty to ensure security must not be used as an excuse for arbitrary censorship.

The duty to ensure security must not be used as an excuse for arbitrary censorship

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Opinion

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2016

Chinese whispers Do we really need to take works of art off the wall?

n Zeeshan Khan

T

he recently concluded Dhaka Art Summit, the world’s largest exhibition of South Asian art, featured contemporary pieces by artists from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and other countries in the region.

The pieces were conceptual and relied on interpretation, but what the summit organisers had not counted on was the Chinese ambassador’s interpretation of diplomacy.

On the first day of the fourday summit, Ambassador Ma Mingqiang, upon encountering the exhibit by film-makers Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam titled “Last Words,” threatened the organisers of the summit with dire consequences if they did not take down the work.

He said the exhibit, which featured the final letters of five monks who protested the Chinese occupation of Tibet through selfimmolation, offended him, which, incidentally, was exactly the point.

It offends almost all of us that peaceful monks have been driven

Poetic justice has followed China’s indelicate handling of the matter. What might have been a quiet display in a small corner of a large summit has now taken the world’s media by storm, seen and heard of by millions of people

to commit such extreme acts in the defense of freedom, and though he did not mean it like that, he took the bait all the same.

This was not the first time the Chinese embassy has deemed it worth their official influence

Art is allowed to be political to obstruct an art event in Bangladesh.

In 2009, an exhibition called “Into Exile: Tibet 1949-2009” was shut down at the behest of the Chinese government because it depicted Tibetan refugees crossing mountain-passes to get to India following the Chinese takeover of Tibet.

There was nothing explicitly subversive about the exhibition.

Like the art at the summit, it consisted of real, documentary images. In fact, Drik Gallery, where the 2009 exhibition was held, is a press photography institute, and routinely puts on exhibitions with journalistic themes.

BIGSTOCK

The Chinese regime has recently taken other widely criticised positions on humanitarian issues, such as the ban on fasting during the month of Ramadan for Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiyang, teaching local artists how to have a “correct view of art,” and forbidding puns on television and the radio to “preserve linguistic purity.”

China also puts the most number of people to death every year.

But all of that happens within the jurisdiction of China’s own national boundaries. Shutting down privately-run art exhibitions in another country is something

else altogether.

That China can exert this much influence on the internal affairs of less powerful countries in the region speaks of its hegemonic intentions, and its ability to throw its weight around when they think the occasion calls for it -- but that it should do so for essentially nonpolitical things like art summits also points to its insecurities.

Methinks the Chinese government doth protest too much, and in doing so belies the statement that Tibet is not an integral part of China. If it were, five photographs would not cause it so much trouble.

Poetic justice has followed

China’s indelicate handling of the matter.

What might have been a quiet display in a small corner of a large summit has now taken the world’s media by storm, seen and heard of by millions of people.

Those five photos have gained an overnight, international audience, and the white cloth that shrouded it from visitors in Bangladesh has exposed it to activists and political commentators all over the globe.

Shooting oneself in the foot with such perfect precision is a fine art in itself. l Zeeshan Khan is a writer and journalist.

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Opinion

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2016

Hear their voices Children need better sanitation facilities. Technology can help the school budget funded by student tuition fees are left to the discretion of private managers.

Theoretically, these managers are accountable to a School Management Committee (SMC) comprised of local leaders.

The SMC is meant to oversee the utilisation of school funds but a lack of transparency and accountability mechanisms means that these funds are often “diverted” away.

Save the Children, along with partner organisations, has a plan to work with the Ministry of Education to set a unified budget for schools so that sufficient money is spent on maintaining WASH facilities and raising children’s voices in the decisionmaking process of SMCs. Save the Children has partnered with a local technology firm, mPower Social, to develop social audit tools that can help raise the voices of school children.

An innovative tablet application called VOICE has been developed which allows children to report problems with their school sanitation facilities.

School authorities receive updates from an automatic web dashboard and are able to respond

very successful in other parts of the world.

Perhaps Bangladesh is ready for this too? Otherwise, unless the government or other donors scale up this initiative, it may remain limited to only 30 schools in Savar.

Information technology is transforming health care systems around the world and has the potential to have great impact in the education space too.

Technology can disproportionately improve the lives of millions of children who lack access to much-needed basic services.

But this will only happen if donors, NGOs, the government, and private sector companies focus on the needs of children on their behalf.

In Bangladesh, thanks to the Digital Bangladesh vision of the current government and the innovations of the ICT Ministry and A2I, new technologies are revolutionising the nation’s service delivery system.

For children living in underserved communities who often can’t get the care that they need, innovative and easy-to-use social audit tools based on technology can play an important role in

Technology can disproportionately improve the lives of millions of children who lack access to much-needed basic services

Girls suffer the most due to unsanitary conditions in schools

n Shazia Omar

T

he horrid stench of human waste fills every corner of the room. The floor is ankle-deep with unidentified brownish fluids. No tissues, towel, soap, or water in sight. The last time this bathroom experienced the hard scrub of a brush and disinfectant is a distant memory.

These are the conditions of many toilets in Bangladeshi schools.Where students should be able to relieve themselves during breaks when the need arises, they resort to “holding it in” and avoiding drinking water at school altogether, both of which lead to negative health effects such

as urinary tract infections and painful constipation.

“Personal hygiene is an issue, especially for girls, but there’s no one to tell the story from their point of view. Schools are so busy with other things,” said Md Mamunur Rashid, Manager, Save the Children, Bangladesh.

Girl children often miss school during their menstrual cycle because there aren’t sufficient wash facilities in schools.

Unusable bathrooms thus become a barrier to gender inclusivity.

Children have limited avenues by which they can raise their voices and school administrators rarely address student complaints.

A group of children from the National Children’s Task Force

DHAKA TRIBUNE

conducted a study on secondary schools in Savar with support from Save the Children, Bangladesh.

The study revealed that not only do students lack access to decent sanitation facilities, they also are sometimes subjected to the task of cleaning the teachers’ bathrooms, which are off-limits for the students themselves.

While there is typically an ayah or cleaner in each school, they are responsible for cleaning the entire school premises so the bathrooms are often overlooked.

Non-government secondary schools are run by private individuals.

While teacher salaries are directly disbursed by the government, other elements of

to the needs and ensure that facilities are maintained. This also allows for monitoring from external authorities.

The system creates a mechanism for children to voice their concerns and for follow-up actions to be tracked.

Anyone can take a look, and please do. This makes possible a new way of crowd-funding from readers of our own community.

If you would like to contribute to alleviating the situation in any of these schools, please get in touch with us here: http://nctfbd. org/nctf-voice.

Creative crowd-sourcing websites such as Kiva that link underprivileged citizens directly with privileged citizens have been

helping them raise their voices to ask for help.

We must also wonder about how to make such tools commercially viable.

Perhaps private sector companies targeting consumers at the bottom of the pyramid could consider supporting such initiatives.

Media and civil society may also play a role to vocalise the needs of under-served children and make sure new solutions reach and benefit all families, urban and rural, girls and boys, rich and poor. l Shazia Omar is an activist for the extreme poor and Head of ProgressTracker at mPower Social.

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Opinion

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2016

Protected by trees We need to save trees to save ourselves

n Moazzem Hossain

T

hree global studies have been at the forefront in recent years to make the case that global warming induced climate change would bring coastal areas under extreme conditions.

First, The Fifth Assessment Report (2013), of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), predicts that the global average temperature will rise between 0.64 degrees Celsius and 1C by 2100 and would hit the coastal areas hard with extreme weather conditions.

Second, a study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) identified 20 large port cities of the world which, in terms of population, would be the most exposed to coastal flooding by the 2070s.

Fifteen of the cities are in Asia, with the first eight being in India, Bangladesh, China, Vietnam, Thailand, and Myanmar.

This global screening study of the Paris-based organisation makes a first estimate of the exposure of the world’s large port cities to coastal flooding because of storm surges and damage due to high winds.

The third study by the World Bank (2012) emphasises that it is essential that a range of risks focusing on developing countries, especially the poor, for global warming induced climate change be outlined.

All these high profile reports have come to a common conclusion: The coastal regions of the world would suffer heavily both in economic and social terms from frequent climatic hazards.

However, one does not have to wait to see the devastation unfolding 50 years from now in the Bay of Bengal delta. Indeed, the account of the last 50 years says it all.

The information suggests that frequency and increasing force of extreme weather conditions from cyclones, together with the tidal surge, have been major causes for the plundering of the Bay of Bengal coast.

Most recently, back-to-back Category-4 cyclones brought to this region huge loss of life and property along the coasts of Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Andhra Pradesh and Orissa, India (Sidr, Aila, Nargis, Phailin, Mohasen, and Komen).

Over the last half a century, almost 40 cyclones have hit the

Can trees save us from climate change?

DHAKA TRIBUNE

One does not have to wait to see the devastation unfolding 50 years from now in the Bay of Bengal delta. Indeed, the account of the last 50 years says it all. The information suggests that frequency and increasing force of extreme weather conditions from cyclones, together with the tidal surge, have been major causes for the plundering of the Bay of Bengal coast

Bay of Bengal coast. COP21 in Paris, last December, made it clear that the Bangladeshi coast is one of the most vulnerable regions which will need extra care, and require more and more support with adaptation funds.

The Bangladeshi government, with its Climate Trust Fund and with the support of the UN Green Fund, has been investing in the coastal areas with numerous adaptation projects.

One of these initiatives was to protect the coastline by planting and growing millions of trees.

The government has such projects on the coasts of Teknaf and Cox’s Bazar. Over the years, the native breed of Zhaou has been

planted in the millions in the area.

Abu Taher published a piece on February 10 which was not only mind-boggling but sad as well.

Fifty thousand trees had a been robbed over the course of few nights from the Teknaf area recently.

The Forest Department planted half a million trees along the coastline in 2006-07. The trees have been growing exceptionally well over the last eight years.

Now, 50,000 trees are gone, leaving behind a man-made catastrophe under the nose the Forest Department.

The locals say that, these days, the coastline has become a haven for tree robbers at night. It has

been also reported that the tree robbers alone cannot plunder the Zhaou forest the way they did.

There had to be some involvement of unscrupulous forest department employees.

During my foray in the area of adaptation research, I found that it has been now established that native breeds of trees are most effective in protecting the coastline.

The World Agro Forestry works with suitable native trees in both coastal and mountain areas to protect the lives and livelihoods of the vulnerable regions.

In the era of climate change, the trees protecting the coastline are precious things, and plundering

them after seven to eight years of growth is tantamount to slaughtering humanity.

The Teknaf incident is unprecedented. In the past, it has come to the media that people rob the trees from both sides of the highways in broad daylight, as if those trees on the road side are free for all.

One wonders if the kings of the forest or roads and highways know that the PM of this nation has been awarded the world’s highest prize for her role in conserving and protecting the nation from the impact of climate change.

What is urgent now is to invest in an awareness campaign and facilitate policing the plantation forests involving the coastal community.

The trees are the lifeline of the coastal areas and needs care and de facto community ownership by the locals as well.

Moreover, education institutions in the coastal areas can also be engaged in protecting the plantation forests. The responsibility does not end at planting trees, they also need care and protection in perpetuity. l Moazzem Hossain is an Associate Professor in the Business School at Griffith University, Australia.

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Business 15

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2016

INSIDE

EPZ workers get benefits denied so far The EPZ Labour Law 2016, draft of which was approved on Monday by cabinet, will provide workers in the country’s eight Export Processing Zones a legal platform to enjoy compensation, provident fund, group insurance, encasement of earned leaves, festival bonus, maternity leave. PAGE 16

Saudis, Russia agree oil output freeze

Energy giants Saudi Arabia and Russia agreed yesterday to freeze oil output to try to stabilise the market if other major producers do the same. PAGE 17

Hunt on for tax-evading multi-millionaires

Number of people with at least Tk2 cr up by nearly 2,500 in four years n Syed Samiul Basher Anik The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has taken up a massive plan to hunt the people with over Tk1 crore in the country to bring them under the tax net after conducting a fresh countrywide survey on them.

The revenue authorities undertook the plan, as the number of rich taxpayers is very low if compared with the actual number of rich people in the country.

The NBR plans for the initiative after instructions from Prime Ministers Office, and ministries of Finance and Commerce, according to sources.

A letter from the high authorities has asked the NBR to conduct a survey to bring the rich people under the tax net to boost the internal revenue collection.

Currently, NBR don’t have any updated list on how many people in the country have over Tk1 crore

NUMBER OF PEOPLE WITH TK2 CRORE People with Tk2 crore

Year 2011

4,303

2012

4,865

2013

5,145

2014

5,329

2015

6,761

*According to tax returns submitted by taxpayers *Source: NBR

despite that the number of such people is increasing.

There were 4,303 people having Tk2 crore in 2011, 4,865 people in 2012, 5,145 people in 2013, 5,329 people in 2014 and 6,761 people in 2015, according to NBR data based on income tax returns filed by taxpayers.

NBR officials said: “The individuals having assets like cars

and houses are almost twice the number of existing taxpayers, but bringing them under the tax net remain always a challenging job.”

Explaining the reasons behind the poor number, NBR officials stated that the rich people showed huge bank loans and other liabilities in their income tax returns to pay less tax.

Most of the taxpayers file their income tax returns by calculating their wealth based on registered value of land and apartments that are very low if compared to actual market price, they added.

According to NBR plan, the officials will be divided into various teams and will visit from the city corporation areas to the union parishads to find out such rich people. The teams will collect info on movable and immovable properties belonging to such people.

Once the survey is completed, the NBR will start bringing such

people under the tax net.

The current tax collection scenario of the country is very much disappointing as less than 1% of the population pays tax in the country.

Although the number of individual taxpayers is around 18 lakh in the country, however only 12 lakh of them files tax returns regularly.

The NBR team will also seek assistance and collect data from Bangladesh Bank, Bangladesh Road Transport Authority, and from Real Estate and Housing Association of Bangladesh to figure out the rich people’s number.

According to government data till January, there are 1,14,265 bank accounts in the country belonging to people having over Tk1crore. The number of such bank accounts has increased by 36,000 in the last four years.

The numbers were 78,150 in 2011, 90,655 in 2012 and 98,591 in 2013, and 108,974 in 2014. l

Digital transaction under big expansion plan Showkat Kallol and Ishtiaq n Asif Husain

Indian central bank to hold its horses while others bolt

Financial markets and borrowers rooting for the Reserve Bank of India to ease policy this year could be in for a disappointment – in stark contrast to 2015 when it lopped 125 basis points off the repo rate. PAGE 18

Capital market snapshot: Tuesday DSE Broad Index

4,578.9

-0.1% ▼

Index

1,118.9

-0.5% ▼

30 Index

1,752.7

-0.5% ▼

Turnover in Mn Tk

4,608.1

3.4% ▲

Turnover in Mn Vol

112.1

10.7% ▲

All Share Index 14,135.1

-0.0% ▼

30 Index

12,739.5

-0.4% ▼

CSE

Selected Index

8,587.3

-0.0% ▼

Turnover in Mn Tk

278.6

1.1% ▲

Turnover in Mn Vol

8.7

-2.9% ▼

In a massive step, the government is going to expand digitalisation of financial transaction across the country and take it beyond the banking system.

With the initiative implemented, the people who are now excluded in the current system can also enjoy making electronic payment or transaction while buying a service or a product.

New areas of transaction including agricultural sector and different services will be brought under the facility.

Prime Minister’s Office issued a circular yesterday as the government has formed a 16-member task-force to prepare a model on “effective financial inclusion.”

The model will be intended to bring more sectors and common peole within digitalised transaction network, said official sources. A national strategy on digital financial inclusion will be worked out from advices to be given by the newly formed task-force.

The intiative is expected to provide people living in remote areas with more facilities through Digital Centres located across the country.

“Now digital financial service is limited to only banking system. But the new plan will take it beyond the banks and include different services like transport and sectors like agriculture,” SK Sur Chowdhury, deputy governor of Bangladesh

Bank, told Dhaka Tribune.

He added: “As 75% of the country’s people use mobile phone, digital financial inclusion of more people in remote places can be a success.”

The task-force will advise the authorities concerned on licensing and per-

As 75% of the country’s people use mobile phone, digital financial inclusion of more people in remote places can be a success mission to conduct the business. The task-force is led by director general (administration) of PMO and includes representatives from Cabinet Division, Finance Division, Bank and Financial Institutions Division, Bangladesh Bank, Local Government Division, Social Welfare Directorate, Postal Division, Insurance Development and Regulatory Authority, Micro-credit Regulatory Authority, SME Foundation, Sonali Bank, Bangladesh Krishi Bank, One House-One Farm project, and Access to Information programme.

Official sources said the inter-ministrial task-force will hold four meetings in a fiscal year.

According to the terms of reference of the task-force, it will also coordinate among different ministries and divisions

on the matter. Access to Information (a2i) Programme is an UNDP and USAID supported project (programme) having its office at the Prime Ministers’ Office.

The union digital centres offer mobile financial services and a good number of them offer life insurance services. Approximately 100,000 people take mobile financial services from the digital centres per year and has opened around 3,700 life insurance schemes.

More recently, a2i started piloting a transfer management system in one district to digitally manage payment of 6 different public transfers (social safety net) to the beneficiaries.

In addition, in partnership with Bangladesh Bank, a2i has facilitated an innovative rural decentralised banking system.

Already 150+ rural branches of three private banks started operation under the scheme—the number is expected to grow to 500+ during this financial year.

Already, during the last few months of operation, these branches have mobilised a total of $4.5m in savings from approximately 50,000 people. In addition, baseline research is launched to identify design principles of appropriate financial products for rural populace. l

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Business

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2016

EPZ workers get benefits denied so far n Ibrahim Hossain Ovi The EPZ Labour Law 2016, draft of which was approved on Monday by cabinet, will provide workers in the country’s eight Export Processing Zones a legal platform to enjoy compensation, provident fund, group insurance, encasement of earned leaves, festival bonus, maternity leave.

“According to the draft law, workers will enjoy compensation for injury and death, provident fund, group insurance, encasement of earned leaves, festival bonus, maternity leave with full wage, training to enhance productivity and skill and transportation facilities, seeking anonymity a high official told the Dhaka Tribune.

As per the EPZ Workers’ Welfare Association and Industrial Relations Act, 2010, there were no instructions about the workers rights and benefits. There were instructions on how to form Workers Welfare Association (WWA) and also bar to lock out, he said.

Though there were these benefits

Workers Welfare Association to be a voice for worker under the proposed EPZ Labour Law for the workers, it had no legal base, which has been integrated in the drafted rule, which aimed at empowering workers to raise their voice for rights, he added. Earlier these benefits were provided through instructions.

They will get right to works as

full-fledged collective bargaining agents under the WWA but the workers have to go through election to elect leaders and can be affiliated with the federations, he adds.

On Sunday, the cabinet gave approval to the draft “Bangladesh EPZ Labour Law 2016”, keeping

DHAKA TRIBUNE

provisions for forming legal trade unions in factories inside the Export Processing Zones (EPZ), a long standing demand of the international rights group as well as the global retailers.

Meanwhile, the workers’ leader claimed that the EPZs workers will

not be able to enjoy full-fledged trade unionism.

By an association, it is not possible to ensure facilities of unionism, Nazma Akter, president of Sammilito Garment Sramik Federation, told the Dhaka Tribune.

“We want full-fledged trade union to ensure workers rights inside and outside of the EPZs in the country and the government has to do it,” she said.

“Before formulating the drafted law, BEPZ talked to WWA leaders, entrepreneurs so that wevery ones’ vice can be included in the amendment,” Nazma Binte Alamgir, general manager, public relations of the Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA) told the Dhaka Tribune.

Now, the workers’ associations will get legal status, which was not in the existing law, to form trade union in factories inside the EPZs, said Nazma. The workers will practice under WWA, she added.

Currently, eight EPZs employed over 4.2 lakh workers in its 453 factories. l

Stocks fall marginally n Tribune Report

Stocks closed marginally lower yesterday snapping up the gain in previous session as investors continued to make short-term profits.

The market was in the positive territory with a limited range in most part of the trading, but late selling pressure wiped off early gains.

The benchmark index DSEX was down 6 points or 0.2% to 4,578.

The Shariah index DSES shed 5 points to 1,118. The blue chip comprising index DS30 dropped nearly 9 points to settle at 1,752.

The Chittagong Stock Exchange Selective Category Index CSCX ended at 8,587, suffering a fractional loss of 0.7 points. Large caps faced slight correction after rise in previous session while micro caps managed to remain positive.

The negative performers include banks, food and allied, pharmaceuticals and telecommunications. The negative performers are non-banking financial institutions, power, engineering and textile and insurance.

The total turnover stood at Tk460 crore, up 3.4% higher than the prevision session’s value.

Lanka Bangla Securities said after opening roughly flat, stocks have once again moved lower making no notable movement in market.

“Investors buying appetite remained subdued as the market showed no clear direction in index. Rise in NPLs in banking system might have conveyed negative cues to the market sentiments.” l

A tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) gets inked among Directorate General of Family Planning (DGFP), Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and EngenderHealth Bangladesh (EHB) at BGMEA Conference Room at Karwan Bazar in the capital yesterday COURTESY

MoU signed to strengthen family planning service in RMG factories n UNB A tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed to strengthen family planning service provision within the premises of garment factories.

Directorate General of Family Planning (DGFP), Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and Engen-

derHealth Bangladesh (EHB) signed the MoU at BGMEA conference room in the capital on Tuesday.

The specific objectives are to ensure DGFP family planning commodities and other applicable services available within the readymade garment factories and improve knowledge on family planning information and services among garment workers.

Under this MoU, DGFP would supply family planning logistics and commodities to garment factories based one requirement and under a simple indent procedure and will also support with financial assistance to clients as per DGFP rules.

BGMEA on the other hand will provide support to individual garment factory to place indent for required FP commodities to con-

cerned Family Planning Office and guide and monitor the garment-level commodity distribution activities.

EngenderHealth Bangladesh will provide training to clinical service providers working at garment factory clinics and will orient peers and garment workers and their supervisors regarding awareness raising on the use of contraceptives. l

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Business

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2016

Saudis, Russia agree oil output freeze n AFP, Doha Energy giants Saudi Arabia and Russia agreed yesterday to freeze oil output to try to stabilise the market if other major producers do the same, Qatar’s oil minister said.

The Saudi and Russian oil ministers, along with their Venezuelan and Qatari counterparts, “agreed to freeze the production at (the) January level provided that other major producers follow suit,” said Qatar’s Energy Minister Mohammed bin Saleh al-Sada.

“This step is meant to stabilise the market,” said Sada, who is acting president of the OPEC oil cartel, describing the meeting in Doha as “successful”.

Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi said: “This is the beginning of a process which we will assess in the next few months and decide whether we need other steps to stabilise and approve the market.

“We don’t want significant gyrations in prices. We don’t want a reduction in supply. We want to meet demand and we want a stable oil price,” he said.

He added: Freezing oil producers’ output will be adequate to improve the oil market.

Benchmark Brent North Sea

Russia’s Energy Minister Novak, Qatar’s Energy Minister al-Sada, Saudi Arabia’s Oil Minister al-Naimi and Venezuela’s Oil Minister del Pino attend a joint news conference following their meeting in Doha REUTERS crude oil was up 81 cents at $34.20 a barrel in London trading following the announcement.

Oil prices have tumbled about 70% since June 2014, hit by oversupply, sluggish demand and worries about the global economic outlook.

They have also been pressured by the return of Iran to world markets after the lifting of international sanctions linked to its nuclear

programme.

Other producers, both OPEC and non-OPEC members, are expected to “start intensive communications almost straight away,” said the Qatari minister, who will lead the talks.

The 13-nation OPEC oil cartel, of which Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Qatar and Iran are members, has refrained from cutting output as it looks to maintain market share

in the face of competition from US shale oil producers.

Russia - which is not a member of the oil cartel - has seen its recession-hit economy damaged further by the slump in oil prices.

Naimi said that the four countries who met yesterday agree “that freezing now at that January level is adequate for the market.”

“Freezing now at the January level is adequate for the market, we

believe,” he said.

“We recognize today the supply is going down because of current prices. We also recognise that demand is on the rise.

“The reason we agree to a potential freeze of production is simply, it is the beginning of a process which we will assess in the next few months and decide if we need other steps to stabilize and improve the market,” Naimi said. l

German investor confidence hits Asian stocks rise again on stimulus 16-month low hope, crude oil jump n AFP, Frankfurt

Worries about slowing global growth and uncertainty about the economic consequences of low oil prices sent investor sentiment in Germany to a 16-month low in February, a leading survey showed yesterday.

The investor confidence index calculated by the ZEW economic institute declined by 9.2 points to 1 point in February, its lowest level since October 2014, the think tank said in a statement.

Analysts had been expecting an even steeper drop to zero points this month.

“The looming slowdown of the world economy and the uncertain consequences of the falling oil price put a strain on the ZEW” index, the statement said.

“In view of these developments, the concern over an increased credit default risk has already caused stock and bond prices for many banks in Europe, Japan and the US to slump,” said Sascha Steffen, ZEW’s head of international finance and financial management research.

For the survey, ZEW questions analysts and institutional investors

about their current assessment of the economic situation in Germany, as well as their expectations for the coming months.

‘In all, we do not see German growth grinding to a halt, but we still envisage a slowdown’ The sub-index measuring financial market players’ view of the current economic situation in Germany fell by 7.4 points to 52.3 points in February, its lowest level since January 2015, ZEW said.

Hit by market turmoil

“Growth prospects for the German economy have taken a hit from latest market turbulences,” said ING DiBa economist Carsten Brzeski.

“Against the background of the latest market turmoil, this drop in investor sentiment is anything but a surprise. Tumbling stock markets, a stronger euro and more general concerns about the global growth outlook have clearly dent-

ed optimism about the German economy’s growth prospects,” the expert said.

Capital Economics economist Jessica Hinds agreed.

“February’s ZEW investor survey suggests that the recent turmoil in global financial markets and the soft tone of the domestic data continued to weigh on investor sentiment,” she said.

“This leaves the index at its lowest level since October 2014 and implies that only a very slim majority of investors see economic conditions improving in the next six months.”

Hinds said that the ZEW data “adds weight to our view that German growth is set to slow.”

According to preliminary data last week, Germany’s gross domestic product (GDP) expanded by 0.3% in the final quarter of last year, bringing full-year growth to 1.7%.

“In all, we do not see German growth grinding to a halt, but we still envisage a slowdown,” she said.

ING DiBa’s Brzeski said the disappointing data would cause market participants to look even closer at possible next stimulus moves by the European Central Bank. l

n UNB Asian stocks rose for a second day Tuesday as rising hopes for more central bank stimulus and a jump in crude oil prices gave investors relief from the mauling that markets have suffered so far this year.

Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 index climbed 0.9 percent to 16,166.84 after soaring 7.2 percent the day before, which was its biggest daily gain since September.

South Korea’s Kospi rose 1.4 percent to 1,889.48 and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng advanced 1.6 percent to 19,230.47. The Shanghai Composite Index in mainland China gained 2.6 percent to 2,816.32 and Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was up 0.3 percent to 4,859.40. Benchmarks in Taiwan and Southeast Asia also rose.

With U.S. markets closed for a holiday and therefore providing no guidance in either direction, the global stock rally extended into a second day. Investor sentiment remained positive that central banks would continue to ease monetary policy thanks to comments from the head of the European Central Bank. With the ECB set to discuss

policy measures on March 10, Mario Draghi told the European Parliament on Monday that the bank has a range of instruments it can deploy if it decides more stimulus is needed. Earlier, a disappointing report on Japanese economic growth also raised hopes for more policy easing.

“The key question is whether markets have reached a turning point, or is this merely a pause in a period of value destruction,” said Michael McCarthy, chief analyst at CMC Markets in Sydney. “Company reports in the U.S. and Australia are broadly supportive, but trade and growth data from Japan and China released yesterday was worse than expected. On the positive side, the ECB appears set to ramp up support following President Draghi’s comments overnight.”

Oil futures bounced higher, with benchmark U.S. crude rising $1.22, or 4 percent, to $30.67 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose $3.23 to settle at $29.44 a barrel on Friday. Brent crude, a benchmark for international oils, added $1.11 to $34.50 a barrel in London. l

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2016

Indian central bank to hold its horses while others bolt n Deepti Govind Financial markets and borrowers rooting for the Reserve Bank of India to ease policy this year could be in for a disappointment – in stark contrast to 2015 when it lopped 125 basis points off the repo rate.

Should they hold steady, it would put India increasingly out of step in a world where most central banks appear to be racing to ease policy.

That’s not yet the consensus though.

In the latest Reuters poll, a clear majority predicted RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan would trim rates once this year – from 6.75% to 6.5%.

But the risk is if inflation, at 5.7% in January and above the RBI’s target of 5% by March 2017, continues to rise as it has over the past six months.

Economists at Capital Economics wrote: We think that the window for further easing following the cumulative 125bp of rate cuts since January 2015 has now shut.

Capital Economics is one among only 8 of 33 economists in the latest Reuters survey who predict the RBI will hold policy steady this year.

Rajan’s battle to keep inflation low could also be undermined by the government, which may overshoot its deficit target when it an-

A police officer stands guard in front of the Reserve Bank of India nounces its budget for the next fiscal year on Feb 29.

Against all that, the minority view of no rate cuts this year may well morph into the consensus.

Indian consumers have historically had to deal with sticky prices, even though retail inflation has nearly halved since late 2013, and could continue to do so.

In contrast, inflation in many developed economies has cooled drastically in the past year resulting in central banks from Asia to Europe easing policy and adding stimulus. Some economies, such as the euro zone, are even faced the risk of deflation.

Yet, there are many reasons why inflation in India might not be on a

REUTERS

downward course and that is, perhaps, why expectations of further rate cuts may have become out of sync with reality.

The Indian government has gradually increased excise duties on fuel, even as global oil prices have collapsed over 70% since mid2014, and is set to bump up salaries of public sector employees by a sig-

CORPORATE NEWS

nificant amount in its budget.

A weaker Indian rupee, owing to the global capital flight to safer assets, has also pushed up import costs.

A much hotter January than usual could hurt harvest crops like wheat, a staple ingredient in the average Indian’s kitchen, and push up food inflation.

Recent comments from government officials appear to suggest they are leaning towards relaxing the central bank’s inflation targets although Rajan has repeatedly stressed the importance of standing by those goals.

Indeed, even though there are doubts over the accuracy of India’s growth data, the economy is still growing at a relatively healthy pace compared with both emerging market peers and developed nations.

India’s central bank may have been among the first to kick off a round of global policy easing last year, a strategy still being played by its major counterparts – but the RBI might just hold its cards this year. l Deepti Govind is a Specialist Polling Correspondent on the Reuters Polls team and is responsible for leading coverage of the global economy and central bank monetary policy since April 2014. The article was initially published at Reuters.

Oil edges ahead on news of output freeze n AFP, London

AB Bank Limited has recently handed over 5000 blankets to Bangladesh Bank for distributing among deprived population affected during winter, said a press release. The bank’s deputy managing director, Sajjad Hussain handed over the blankets to SK Sur Chowdhury, deputy governor of Bangladesh Bank

Managing director and CEO of Social Islkami Bank Limited, Md Shafiqur Rahman has recently congratulated Shitangshu Kumar Sur Chowdhury, Abu Hena Mohd Razee Hassan and Nazneen Sultana on being reappointed as deputy governors of Bangladesh Bank, said a press release

Training institute of NCC Bank has recently arranged a week-long training course on credit management. The bank’s managing director and CEO, Golam Hafiz Ahmed was present at the opening ceremony as chief guest

NRB Global Bank Limited has recently opened its Mahila Branch at Panthapath in Dhaka. The bank’s chairperson, Nizam Chowdhury inaugurated the branch

Oil crept higher yesterday on news that Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Qatar and non-OPEC member Russia have agreed to freeze their crude production at January levels.

In late morning London deals, Brent North Sea crude for delivery in April advanced 50 cents to $33.89 per barrel. US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for March delivery added 35 cents to $29.79 a barrel from Monday’s closing level.

Energy giants Saudi Arabia and Russia agreed yesterday to freeze oil output at January levels during a meeting in Doha, the Qatari oil minister said.

The Saudi and Russian oil ministers, along with their Venezuelan and Qatari counterparts, “agreed to freeze the production at (the) January level provided that other major producers follow suit,” said Qatar’s Energy Minister Mohammed bin Saleh al-Sada, who is acting president of the OPEC oil cartel.

However, analysts said the market response was muted because some traders had hoped for a reduction in oil output to curb the vast supply glut. l

Daraz offering big discounts Daraz, a leading online retailer, is offering savings during Home Makeover Week from (HMW) Feb 15-21, where top brands for home entertainment, home décor, kitchen, home office appliances and more, will be offered at big discounts.

Daraz.com.bd kicks off their Home Makeover Week with deals and discounts on products from top brands such as Panasonic, Miyako, General, Hitachi, Shimizu, Atashi, Butterfly, among many others.

Some of the top contenders during HMW are microwaves

by Panasonic, which is offering 60% off, LG 43” LF590T Full HD LED TVs at 53% off, Sony and Samsung 40” LEDs following closely behind at 44% off. Among home appliances Sohana multi door refrigerators is offering 40%

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2016

Shoilpik introduces lifestyle solutions Fashion house Shoilpik has introduced “a lifestyle and furniture solution” section.

Offering fashionable outfits since 2004, they have now expanded to home decor.

Recently, Shoilpik inaugurated their new show room at Axes Road in Chittagong, which also features the new section. l

discount on their products.

To take advantage of the offers during HMW, consumers can simply visit https://www.daraz. com.bd/big-home-makeover/ Visit http://bit.ly/1KizQDj for direct purchase.

To top it off, Daraz is having a Flash Sale on Samsung 32” LED TV, offering up to 40% off, only on Tuesday February 16, from 7-10pm. l

Address: 643, Agrabad Axes Road Chittagong.

Contact: 01847186000, 0312525078 Website: www.shoilpik.com Facebook page: www.facebook. com/Shoilpik-Furnituer. www. facebook.com/Shoilpik-Limited.

Paris getaway with Robi An unorthodox experience was set up by Robi Axiata Limited for young couples who were celebrating Valentine’s Day in the city. If love was a journey, then what could have been a better way to perhaps take a getaway to the city of love, Paris, with the valentine, that too by cycle. In order to make this wish come true, Robi, along with its technology partner SoftwindTech, introduced an impressive virtual reality experience where young couples can race in the city of Paris while enjoying the beautiful experience.

Two tandem bicycles were customised and equipped with the latest technology, where two couples raced to reach the Eiffel Tower in Paris. A curved 30-feet cyclorama screen added a new

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dimension to it as the couples experienced the beauty of Paris to the fullest. The virtual city of Paris with magnificent lights and fireworks made this journey of love worth remembering.

A leaderboard was maintained which was being updated every hour. Every hour the couple which took the least amount of time to reach was awarded with an attractive gift pack from Robi.

It was marvelous how the crowd kept cheering for the couples to paddle even faster.

With such a massive reception from the crowd, Robi is planning to introduce this amazing technology to more university campuses in the coming months. Interested people can check Robi Facebook page to stay updated. l

“We have been working with SoftwindTech for over three years now, and providing such valuable experiences to the masses is simply the beginning.

From cognitive virtual reality and mapping to lifestyle apps, stay tuned with us for more surprises.”

- Mir Shariful Karim Softwindtech is a leading digital marketing and communication company which pioneered in blending modern technologies to promote products in the most innovative way. This latest technology of immersible reality was introduced to young students at North South University campus recently. It grabbed attention from the very beginning, and couples flocked around and enjoyed every bit of their journey with this technological wonder.

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2016

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Sibilate (4) 5 Interior decoration (5) 8 Busy (6) 9 Harvest (4) 10 Large (3) 12 Go back (6) 13 Precious metal (6) 15 Stringed instrument (6) 18 Container (6) 20 United (3) 21 Ugly amphibian (4) 23 Show clearly (6) 24 Healing ointment (5) 25 Require (4)

DOWN 1 Stringed instruments (5) 2 Frozen treat (3) 3 Play for time (5) 4 Drink slowly (3) 5 Fault (7) 6 Solid square (4) 7 Storm (4) 11 Worshipped image (4) 12 Arbitrator (7) 14 Modern Persia (4) 16 Male honey-bee (5) 17 Finished (5) 18 Mild explosions (4) 19 Prison room (4) 21 Metal (3) 22 Top card (3)

Downtime CODE-CRACKER How to solve: Each number in our CODECRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 21 represents V so fill V every time the figure 21 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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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2016

INSIDE

South China Sea takes centre stage at US-Asean summit n Reuters, California

David Cameron on back foot over proposed Brexit deal British Prime Minister David Cameron fended off changes on Tuesday to a draft deal he has cut to help keep Britain in the EU, as the European parliament said it could not guarantee to pass the reforms.

PAGE 23

Turkey accuses Russia for Syria hospital strikes Turkey on Monday accused Russia of an “obvious war crime” after missile attacks in northern Syria killed scores of people.

PAGE 24

US President Barack Obama and allies from Southeast Asia will turn their attention to China on Tuesday on the second day of a summit intended to improve commercial links and provide a united front on maritime disputes with Beijing.

After a first day focused on trade and economic issues, Obama and his counterparts from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) will try to arrive at a common position on the South China Sea during a second day of talks at Sunnylands, a California resort.

China and several Asean states have conflicting and overlapping claims in the South China Sea, but not all the Southeast Asian nations agree on how to handle them.

US officials want the summit to produce a statement calling for China to follow international law and handle disputes peacefully.

“We will be continuing to work with our Asean partners on a potential statement that we might issue together,” White House national security adviser Susan Rice told reporters on Monday.

“We obviously have issued such statements in the past with Asean, and in it we consistently underscore our shared commitment to a peaceful resolution of disputes, freedom of commerce

Disputed Spratly Islands Claims, major outposts and facilities By country

Thitu Island Runway: 1,000 m Subi Reef Satellite photos show possible runway construction Itu Aba 1,195 m Gaven Reef

China Malaysia Philippines Taiwan

SOUTH CHINA SEA

Sand Cay

Fiery Cross Reef 3,000 m

Vietnam

Cuarteron Reef Spratly Island 550 m

Johnson Hughes South Reef Reef

West London Reef

Eldad 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

and navigation, the rule of law, and the necessity of disputes being resolved through peaceful, legal means.”

Though China dominated the summit, the White House emphasised non-China related aspects, such as strengthening commercial ties. The chief exec-

utives of IBM, Microsoft and Cisco were brought into Monday’s private sessions with the leaders to help make the point.

But even business leaders were watching the South China Sea issue.

“What keeps us up at night is that one of the big tension areas

is the South China Sea,” said Alexander Feldman, president of the US ASEAN Business Council.

“We would like as a business community to see those differences and overlapping claims be addressed in a way that is done though discussion rather than military confrontation.” l

FACTBOX

Things to know about Obama’s summit with Asean leaders

Indian opposition raises concerns over JNU protests Indian opposition leaders raised concerns on Tuesday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi over widening protests on university campuses, as the heated political atmosphere again threatened to stall reforms in parliament.

PAGE 24

President Barack Obama is hosting Southeast Asian leaders at an unprecedented summit in California started Monday as he looks to deepen ties with the region’s fast-growing economies. But a nation not invited — neighbouring power China — will be the proverbial elephant in the room as the leaders grapple with sensitive territorial disputes. US officials have been saying the two-day summit at the Sunnylands estate is not directed against China, but the military might and economic clout of the rising Asian power is likely to loom over their discussions.

Some things to know about the summit--

Top issue: South China Sea The top security issue on the agenda.

Although the US is not a claimant, but it has spoken out against China’s conduct and the Navy has sailed close to some of the China-built artificial islands, angering Beijing but getting some quiet encouragement from most Asean members. The US is looking for Asean to take a unified stance by calling for the territorial disputes to be resolved according to international law.

Trade and TPP America has longstanding economic interests in Southeast Asia. US companies have invested $226bnin the region, and two-way trade was $254bn last year. On Day One at Sunnylands, the leaders discussed how to expand trade and investment with

the help of US entrepreneurship and innovation. Also likely on the agenda: the Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP, Obama’s flagship achievement on trade. The four Asean members in TPP — Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam — will want to know if the US Congress will ratify the pact, which remains in doubt. Other Asean members, like Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand, have expressed interest in joining TPP at a later date.

Threat from Dae’sh The US wants to deepen counter-terrorism and intelligence cooperation with Southeast Asian nations since Dae’sh appears to be gaining a foothold in the region.

Awkward questions about human rights The 10 members of Asean run the gamut of political systems, from open democracy to one-party rule. Obama will emphasise the importance of the rule of law and civil society but likely avoid open criticism of a particular nation. Human rights activists have faulted the US for inviting unelected leaders, like Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who seized power in a May 2014 military coup. Also attending is Cambodia’s Hun Sen, who has used violence and intimidation against political opponents and is making his first official US visit during a 31-year tenure as prime minister. l

Source: AP

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David Cameron on back foot over proposed Brexit deal n Reuters, Brussels British Prime Minister David Cameron fended off changes on Tuesday to a draft deal he has cut to help keep Britain in the EU, as the European parliament said it could not guarantee to pass the reforms.

Fresh from talks in Paris the night before, where President Francois Hollande pressed French demands for changes in a text it fears will give British banks an unfair advantage, the British prime minister met EU executive chief Jean-Claude Juncker and leaders of the EU legislature.

Two days before a summit where all sides hope to seal an agreement, Cameron made no public comments during his stay in Brussels and one person present at one of the meetings said he seemed very stressed.

But Manfred Weber, the centre-right leader in the parliament and an ally of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, said Cameron appeared “strongly convinced that he can convince the people” to back continued EU membership in a referendum expected to take place in June.

Speaking in Prague summit chairman Donald Tusk, who presented the draft proposal two weeks ago, said EU leaders would need to walk “an extra mile” to

reach an agreement.

Whatever national leaders concluded, the legislature’s German president said he could not guarantee European deputies would deliver the necessary legislation, notably on welfare benefits.

“This is not possible in a democracy,” Martin Schulz said after meeting Cameron.

But he also pointed out that parliament had “no veto” over the accord, and he, Weber and other leaders of major parties said they would legislate within the “framework” of the deal.

Britain wants to be excused from closer political integration and seeks guarantees its banks will not be discriminated against by the euro zone and a brake on immigration from the EU. But parliamentary leaders voiced concern that cutting special deals for London could encourage others to seek favours.

“It’s Pandora’s box,” one parliamentary official said of the prospect of the 750-seat legislature getting to grips after the British referendum with redrafting laws to benefit London. “The parliament is unpredictable. It can be monkeys with guns.”

Among national governments, EU officials hope a final deal can be hammered out during the two-day summit, with talks going

SOUTH ASIA

Thousands displaced in Myanmar rebel clashes Over 3,000 people have fled their homes in northern Myanmar following clashes between two ethnic rebel groups, the UN said on Tuesday, raising fears the government’s fragile peace efforts could be fracturing. It is a rare instance of the country’s ethnic armed groups turning on each other and comes during a complicated transition from an army-backed government to Suu Kyi’s pro-democracy party.

-AFP

INDIA

BJP wins by-election in Muzaffarnagar

British Prime Minister David Cameron is welcomed by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker prior to their meeting at the European Commission in Brussels on Tuesday AFP through the night if necessary.

Issues still to be settled include concerns, especially in France, that guarantees that the sterling-based City of London does not suffer from deals cut by the 19-nation euro zone may allow British banks a chance to benefit from lighter local regulatory constraints.

Sources close to the negotiations say British diplomats and officials have been defending Tusk’s draft against efforts by others to chip away at Britain’s perceived gains.

Eastern Europeans, whose

citizens are most likely to be hit by a new “emergency brake” to discriminate against foreign EU workers in giving social benefits, are pushing to limit how long Britain might exercise that right.

And they and others are pressing to ensure as much as possible of the new deal is restricted only to Britain, so other countries do not follow its lead.

The summit will also focus on the migration crisis facing Europe and stemming in part from the war in Syria. l

First Silk Road freight train arrives in Tehran from China

India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday won a by-election in a troubled corner of the country, after running a divisive campaign that opponents called a test case for a bigger state election in 2017.

BJP swept the Muzaffarnagar election, beating out powerful regional parties and reducing its main nationwide rival, the Congress party, to third place.

-REUTERS

CHINA

China warns US over Washington plaza name China’s Foreign Ministry warned the US on Tuesday there would be “serious consequences” if a plaza in front of the Chinese embassy in Washington, DC was named after a pro-democracy dissident and Nobel Peace Prize winner. By unanimous voice vote, the US Senate on Friday backed a plan to name the plaza after Liu Xiaobo, jailed for 11 years in 2009 on subversion charges for organising a petition urging an end to one-party rule. -REUTERS

ASIA PACIFIC

n Reuters, Shanghai/Dubai A freight train from China arrived in Tehran on Monday, Iranian and Chinese media reported, calling it a historical first that opens a new trade link between countries seeking to strengthen ties as Iran emerges from years of economic isolation.

The train, carrying 32 containers, arrived in Tehran after a 14day, 10,399km journey from Yiwu city in east China, Iran’s ISNA news agency reported. The agency didn’t say what kind of goods were shipped on the train on a route that took it via countries like Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.

The train’s journey was 30 days shorter than the time usually taken by ships to sail from Shanghai to Iran’s Bandar Abbas port, China’s Xinhua news agency quoted Iran’s transport minister and railway chief, Mohsen Pour-Aqaei as saying.

With the lifting of nuclear-related sanctions, Iran is being heavily courted by China. Beijing sees the country as a key part of its “One Belt, One Road” policy to increase trade and open new mar-

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KAZAKHSTAN

Almaty

Vietnam wants stronger US role in S China Sea

Yining

Bishtek

Urumqi

Ashgabat Tehran

Tashkent

CHINA

IRAN

Yiwu kets for its firms as its domestic economy slows.

A big part of the policy is to expand the use of railways between China and Europe to shorten goods travel time, creating a modern ‘Silk Road’, Beijing has said.

Xinhua also quoted Iran’s transport minister as saying one freight train would now travel from China to Iran every month. These trains would eventually be bound for Europe, helping Tehran develop into a transit centre between the

two regions, according to quotes attributed to the minister.

Chinese state news agency Xinhua quoted China’s ambassador to Iran, Pang Sen, as saying that countries along the railway line would look to upgrade their infrastructure to make the route faster and better.

During a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Iran in January, the two countries agreed to increase bilateral trade more than 10-fold to $600bn in the next dec-

ade, with cooperation on nuclear energy and the “One Belt, One Road” project.

The two countries are also cooperating on a high-speed rail project linking Tehran to Iran’s northeastern holy city of Mashhad, Tasnim News Agency reported earlier this month.

It quoted Iranian President Hassan Rouhani as saying that the $2bn project was finalised after Xi’s visit and would take 42 months to build. l

Vietnam’s prime minister has urged a greater US role in preventing militarisation and island-building in the South China Sea, the government said on Tuesday, in a rare call for Washington’s support to curb Beijing’s maritime expansionism. During Asean summit in California on Monday, premier Nguyen Tan Dung suggested US to use a stronger voice and more practical and more efficient actions, in comments likely to rile China.

-REUTERS

MIDDLE EAST

Iran’s first post-sanctions oil exports to Europe begin Iran is poised to export its first oil shipments to Europe since international economic sanctions were lifted in mid-January, the oil ministry’s SHANA news service reported on Monday. It said two million barrels of oil were being pumped aboard a tanker at Kharg Island in the Gulf, bound for French energy giant Total.

-AFP

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USA

Poll: Sanders closing gaps with Clinton Marco Rubio is down, John Kasich is up and Donald Trump is still head and shoulders above the rest of the Republican field, according to the results of the latest national NBC News/SurveyMonkey weekly online tracking poll released Tuesday. Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton’s advantage over Bernie Sanders has narrowed to its smallest in the last seven weeks.

Among Democrats, Clinton leads Sanders 50% to 40 %.

-POLITICO

THE AMERICAS

Pope Francis asks Mexican indigenous people for forgiveness Pope Francis has asked Mexican indigenous people in Chiapas state for forgiveness over they way they have been excluded from society. He made this appeal while celebrating Mass in three native languages after a new Vatican decree approved their use. The pontiff also warned about threats to the environment.

-CNN

UK

UK intervenes in row over writing laws on animal skin British government intervened Monday to try and save the tradition of printing all laws on vellum made of animal skin, which dates back beyond the Magna Carta but is under threat to cut costs. The House of Lords decided last week that the centuries-old practice would be scrapped and laws would be printed on paper instead of goatskin or sheepskin in a bid to save per year.

-AFP

EUROPE

Tusk: Excluding Greece from Schengen won’t solve migrant crisis Excluding Greece from the open-border Schengen area will not solve the migrant crisis that is testing Europe’s cohesion to its limits, EU Council President Donald Tusk said on Tuesday. Europe needed to improve the protection of its external borders, he told reporters after talks with Greek prime minister.

-REUTERS

AFRICA

Cameroon stages major attack on Boko Haram base in Nigeria Cameroon’s special forces have killed 162 Boko Haram militants in Nigeria’s northeastern town of Goshi, destroying bomb factories and weapons to retake the extremist stronghold, the government said.

The town is now under the control of Nigerian forces after the operation led by Cameroon special forces from February 11 to Feb. 14, Cameroon’s communication minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary said late Monday. -AP

Turkey accuses Russia for Syria hospital strikes n Reuters, Kiev/Beirut Turkey on Monday accused Russia of an “obvious war crime” after missile attacks in northern Syria killed scores of people.

Almost 50 civilians were killed when missiles hit at least five medical facilities and two schools in rebel-held areas of Syria on Monday, according to the United Nations, which called the attacks a blatant violation of international law.

At least 14 were killed in the northern town of Azaz, the last rebel stronghold before the border with Turkey, when missiles hit a children’s hospital and a school sheltering refugees, a medic and two residents said. Missiles also hit a hospital in the town of Marat Numan in the province of Idlib, south of Aleppo.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said a Russian missile had hit the buildings and that many civilians including children had been killed. Turkey’s foreign ministry accused Russia of carrying out an “obvious war crime.”

But Russian Health Minister Veronika Skvortsova said Russian air strikes were targeting Dae’sh infrastructure and she had no reason to believe that Russian planes had bombed civilian sites in Idlib.

Syria’s ambassador to Russia said US war planes were responsible.

White House national security adviser Susan Rice on Monday

condemned in the “strongest terms” the intensified bombing of northern Syria, adding that it ran counter to commitments to reduce hostilities made by major powers last week in Munich.

The Syrian civil war, reshaped

by Russia’s intervention last September, has gone into an even higher gear since the UN sought to revive peace talks. The talks in Geneva were suspended earlier this month before they got off the ground.

World powers agreed in Munich on Friday to a cessation of hostilities in Syria to allow humanitarian aid to be delivered, but the deal does not take effect until the end of this week and was not signed by any warring parties.

But in a further clouding of the Munich deal, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Monday that any ceasefire did not mean each side had to stop using weapons, and that nobody was capable of securing the conditions for one within a week.

At a news conference in Kiev, Turkey’s prime minister doubted Russia’s commitment to any deal to cease hostilities, pointing to comments from Moscow that it would continue its air strikes regardless.

French charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said seven people were killed and at least eight staff were missing after missiles hit a hospital in the province of Idlib, west of Aleppo, in a separate incident. l

SHOWCASE

Hillary on epic Twitter rant about SCOTUS nomination battle Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has taken Republicans to task in an epic Twitter rant about the looming battle to name a new Supreme Court justice of the United States. The Democratic presidential contender said Senate Republicans’ pledges to block any

nomination by President Barack Obama marked a “new low” in partisan politics. While she previously has stressed the need to fill the seat left vacant by Justice Antonin Scalia’s death, Clinton went further in this series of 11 tweets posted late Monday.

Indian opposition raises concerns over JNU protests n Reuters, New Delhi Indian opposition leaders raised concerns on Tuesday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi over widening protests on university campuses, as the heated political atmosphere again threatened to stall reforms in parliament.

Lower House of the parliament Lok Sabha convene on February 23 for a session in which the government will present its annual budget and try to enact key economic reforms, including the biggest overhaul of taxes since independence in 1947.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu said the government was ready to discuss all major issues, including the protests, after opposition lawmakers raised the issue with Modi at an all-party meeting aimed at preparing the

ground for the upcoming session.

His comments came against the backdrop of the biggest Indian nationwide student protests in a quarter of a century that followed the arrest of a student leader at a rally to mark the anniversary of the execution of a Kashmiri separatist.

Mohammad Afzal Guru was hanged amid controversy three years ago over his role in a 2001 attack on parliament that brought India and Pakistan to the brink of war. The Supreme Court called the evidence against him circumstantial.

Students, academics and journalists took part in a fresh round of demonstrations on Tuesday to protest the arrest for sedition of Kanhaiya Kumar, president of the student union at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in Delhi.

In a counter demonstrations,

Police stop activists from various Hindu right-wing groups as they try to cross a barricade during a protest against the students of Jawaharlal Nehru University outside the university campus in New Delhi REUTERS government supporters staged a noisy protest outside the gates of the university that is known for its tradition of left-wing student politics.

They burned an effigy of a JNU “traitor” and accused students of trying to break apart India with the support of the opposition Congress and communist parties. l

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2016

INSIDE

BANGABANDHU AND BANGAMATA GOLD CUP PRIMARY SCHOOL FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT

Shila gets hero's reception by CUJA Double gold medal winner in the SA Games 2016, Bangladesh swimmer Mahfuza Khatun Shila was facilitated

by Chittagong University Journalism Association at the National Press Club in the capital yesterday. PAGE 26

Curtain downs on 12th SA Games The 12th South Asian Games 2016 has been concluded in Shillong and Guwahati of India yesterday with Bangladesh winning only two bronze medals from boxing in the last day. Shamina Akter finished third in the women’s 51kg weight category. PAGE 27

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina hands over the Bangamata Primary School Football Tournament trophy to Kalsindur Govt Primary School of Mymensingh at Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday COURTESY

Kalsindur girls make it three, Rajakhali school win boys title n Tribune Report The girls of Kalsindur Govt Primary School made it three times in a row when the school from Mymensingh emerged as the champions of the Bangamata Begum Fazilatunnesa Mujib Primary School Football Tournament beating Khoddorkowr Govt Primary School of Rajshahi 3-1 at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.

Cox’s Bazar’s Rajakhali Govt Primary School also became the champions of the Bangabandhu Gold Cup Primary School Football Tournament beating Maricha Govt Primary School of Dinajpur 3-2 in a tie-breaker in the final on same day at same place.

It was again a usual dominating battle for the Kalsindur girls as they finished the job in the stipulated time. While Rajakhali boys had to toil hard as their game ended 1-1 in the stipulated time before sealing the title on penalty shootout. Abid scored for the victors while Bipul netted for the losing side.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina distributed the prizes among the winners as chief guest. l

Jahanara aims to improve ranking Ronaldo back on CL goal trail at Roma Zinedine Zidane reckons Cristiano Ronaldo is on top form as the Portuguese looks to increase his Champions League goals tally when they visit AS Roma in the first leg of their last-16 tie. Ronaldo is the competition’s leading marksman this season. PAGE 28

Nadal, Ferrer unworried by Zika Spanish tennis stars Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer insisted Monday they were unworried by Brazil’s Zika virus outbreak as they prepare to compete at the Rio Open ATP tournament this week. “I’m not at all afraid,” Nadal, 29, told a press conference. PAGE 29

n Minhaz Uddin Khan Bangladesh women cricket team captain Jahanara Alam said reaching into the main event of the ICC World T20 after playing the qualifiers will give the team extra confidence. Bangladesh women defeated Zimbabwe women in the semi-final of the ICC World T20 qualifier held in Bangkok in December last and qualified for the main event besides Ireland women. Bangladesh team never played a qualifier before as last time, in 2014, they played the tournament directly as hosts.

The right-arm pacer Jahanara informed that the Bangladesh eves will target to finish higher in the ICC ranking after the tournament.

“We played as the hosts last time. It was the first world cup that we had played. But this time we had to qualify first to become a part of it and I believe it will motivate the team and also give them confidence. We aim to be in seventh or eighth position in the ranking after the tournament. We will try our level best to meet the ambition,” said Jahanara at the sponsor

declaration ceremony of the Bangladesh national women’s team for the World Twenty20, 2016.

In the ceremony held yesterday, the Bangladesh Cricket Board announced Cute Cosmetics as the sponsor of the Tigress for the upcoming world event.

Jaharana played the last World Twenty20 two years ago. This time however the responsibility has doubled up for her as she took over the captaincy role from veteran all-rounder Salma Khatun.

25-year-old Salma wasn’t in her best shape when the board decided to select Jahanara as the captain of the Twenty20 side in No-

vember 2015. Jahanara said about her new role and responsibility, “It is always a good feeling to become captain of the national team. I was only a player in the last world cup but this time I am the leader. I am very happy.”

“But it does not mean that I will be in extra pressure. We have many senior cricketers in the team and all of them have the ability to lead. My role will be to make decisions at times but that also won’t be hard for me as all the members of the team are helpful to each other. I hope the experience ahead will be a good one,” said the 22-year-old from Khulna.

Bangladesh women have not been into competitive cricket for some time now and there won’t be much before they head to the World event in India next month.

The last time Bangladesh eves played any international match was the qualifier in last December. But Jahanara believes the board tried enough to arrange international series but all the top ranking teams were busy playing amongst themselves.

“We have some practice matches with the boys team and also have two warm-up matches in the world cup. I believe those matches will be enough for us to get prepared. We cannot cry that we did not get enough matches because our ranking is the main problem.

We need to improve our ranking if we want ICC to give us international matches. The team is in good shape now and I hope we will get good result in the World Twenty20.”

Bangladesh is in Group B and will kick-off their ICC World Twenty20 campaign facing hosts India at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore on March 15. l

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2016

Beach tennis starts on Saturday

DT BEST XI

RISHABH PANT(WK)

GIDRON POPE

Left hander opening batsman scored 267 runs at 44.50, took 5 catches and 2 stumpings as a wicket-keeper

Another left hander hard hitting opener scored 232 runs at 38.66 also picked up 7 wickets at 23.14 with his off spinners

JACK BURNHAM

Right handed top order batsman was the highest scorer of the tournament with 420 runs at an average of 84)

SARFARAZ KHAN

Right hand middle order batsman was a consistent run scorer with 355 runs at an average of 71

n Tribune Report

CHARITH ASALANKA

Left hander middle order batsman scored 276 runs at 46.00 also bowls occasional off spinners

The inaugural edition of Walton Beach Tennis Tournament 2016 will get underway at world’s longest sea beach in Cox’s Bazar on Saturday.

Sixteen male and female players who had played in the quarter-finals of the Victory Day Tennis Tournament at the end of last year will take part in the three-day long meet.

Sre Amol Roy, Anwar Hossain, Ranjan Ram, Dipu Lal, Biplob Ram, Mamun Bepari, Akhtar Hossain and Munir Hossain will play in the men’s singles while Afsana Islam Prity, Shah Safina, Ayesa Sultana, Rebeka Sultana, Popy Akter, Sraboni Biswas, Fabiha Lamisa and Eity Akter will participate in the women’s singles. l

3 venues to be inspected today n Tribune Report MEHEDI HASAN (CAPT)

Dependable middle order batsman scored 242 runs at 60.50 also took 12 wickets at 17.66 is also the captain of the team

MOHAMMAD SAIFUDDIN Pace bowling all-rounder picked up 13 wickets at 14.92 is also a big hitter scored 75 runs at 25

SHAMAR SPRINGER

Another batting all rounder scored 285 runs at 57.00 took seven wickets with his medium pacers

SHAWON GAZI

An economical left arm spinner who gives important break-throughs bagged 12 wickets at 13.75

ALZARRI JOSEPH

Typical West Indian fast bowler with sheer pace and bounce took 13 wickets at 13.76 is a dangerous bowler with the new ball

SANDEEP LAMICHHANE Leg spin bowler is also the second highest wicket taker of the tournament with 14 wickets at 17.07

China millions lure poor South America players n AFP, Montevideo They may lack Barcelona or Chelsea’s glamour, but Chinese football clubs are luring skillful South Americans with irresistible multimillion-dollar checks in their quest to make China a world soccer power.

While Argentina’s Lionel Messi or Brazil’s Neymar bathe in glo-

ry as well as cash at Barcelona, a lower-profile Latin legion is hearing the call of the east, where big-money transfers offer precious economic security for players from poor families.

Luis Paulo Rosenberg, an economist and former vice-chairman of Brazilian club Corinthians, sees such players as “purely economic actors”.

Unlike US teams who have scooped up European stars nearing retirement such as England’s David Beckham and Steven Gerrard, Asian sides want top players with their best years ahead of them.

Clubs in China in particular are paying huge sums to get them, matching the level of major transfers in Europe - but focusing on

Latin America, where such riches are a distant dream.

Brazilian midfielder Ramires last month transferred from Chelsea to Jiangsu Suning in China for $31 million and scored on his debut. His countryman Alex Teixeira, 26, has just joined him at the Chinese club, which outbid Liverpool to sign him from Shakhtar Donetsk for $56m. l

A six-member delegation team will visit three venues – Mymensingh, Rangpur and Rajshahi – today ahead of the franchise-based Bangladesh Super League which is expected to be held in October/November this year.

Acting secretary of Sports and Youth Ministry Akhtar Uddin Ahmed, BFF vice-president Badal Roy, managing director of Saif Powertec Tarafdar Ruhul Amin, BFF official Ahmed Syed Al Fatah and CEO of Celebrity Management Group (CMG) Dharamdutt Pandey will fly to Mymensigh Stadium in the morning before moving on for Rangpur and Rajshahi stadium respectively. l

FIFA hears Blatter's appeal against eight-year ban

n Reuters, Zurich Double gold medal winner in the SA Games 2016, Bangladesh swimmer Mahfuza Khatun Shila was felicitated

by Chittagong University Journalism Association at the National Press Club in the capital yesterday. A day after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina instructed to provide better accommodation facility for Shila, the swimmer requested to get the promised place situated in Dhaka so that she can continue her practice MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

Banned FIFA president Sepp Blatter was at the headquarters of soccer’s governing body on Tuesday for a hearing to appeal against his eightyear suspension from the sport.

Blatter, 79, was banned in December along with European soccer boss Michel Platini over a payment of 2 million Swiss francs ($2 million) made to the Frenchman in 2011 by FIFA with Blatter’s approval for work done a decade earlier.

FIFA’s ethics committee, which imposed the bans on Blatter and Platini, said the payment, made at a time when the former was seeking re-election, lacked transparency and presented conflicts of interest. Both men denied wrongdoing.

The case is now being heard by FIFA’s Appeal Committee.l

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QUICK BYTES Cahill leaves China’s Shanghai Shenhua Former Everton midfielder Tim Cahill’s described his exit from Shanghai Shenhua as “heartbreaking” after his contract with the Chinese Super League club was terminated because he does not fit into new coach Gregorio Manzano’s plans. “I’m very sorry to announce that I have reached an agreement with Shanghai Shenhua to terminate my contract after being told that I’m not part of the new coach Manzano’s plans... having only just signed a new contract in November,” he said.

–REUTERS

Butt to head United's academy Manchester United have named former midfielder Nicky Butt as head of their academy as the club continues to overhaul their youth coaching set-up. The 41-year-old, who was part of United’s ‘Class of 92’ along with the likes of Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and David Beckham, made 387 appearances for the club between 1992 and 2004, winning six Premier League titles.

–REUTERS

Jelavic quits West Ham for China Croat striker Nikica Jelavic has quit English Premier League club West Ham to join Chinese second division side Beijing Renhe, the London side announced Tuesday. Jelavic, 30, had made just one Premier League start since joining the Hammers in the summer, having fallen further down the West Ham pecking order after the arrival of Nigerian forward Emmanuel Emenike in the January transfer window.

–AFP

Shevchenko joins nat'l coaching staff Former Ukraine striker Andriy Shevchenko has joined the national team’s coaching staff ahead of the 2016 European Championship, replacing assistant coach Olexandr Zavarov. Shevchenko is Ukraine’s record scorer with 48 goals in 111 games and won the Ballon d’Or in 2004 at AC Milan. He retired after Euro 2012 which Ukraine cohosted with Poland. The Football Federation of Ukraine (FFU) decided not to extend assistant coach Zavarov’s contract, head coach Mykhaylo Fomenko said while presenting Shevchenko to the press. “We made our choice in favour of Shevchenko who will be working with the Ukraine’s coaching stuff,” Fomenko told reporters.

–REUTERS

Contingents of SAF countries marching past at the closing ceremony of the 12th South Asian Games in Guwahati yesterday

AP

Curtain downs on SA Games n Tribune Report The 12th South Asian Games 2016 has been concluded in Shillong and Guwahati of India yesterday with Bangladesh winning only two bronze medals from boxing in the last day.

Shamina Akter finished third in the women’s 51kg weight category while Basona Khandokar earned Bangladesh the last medal in the women’s 75kg weight category yesterday.

Bangladesh finished fifth in the 12-day long meet where a total of 2,672 athletes took part in 226 events over 22 disciplines. They won a total 75 medals including

only four gold, 15 silver and 56 bronze. Bangladesh’s four gold medals came from swimmer Mahfuza Khatun Shila (2 gold), weightlifter Mabia Akter Simanta and shooter Shakil.

India continued their domination at the top of the table with 188 gold, 90 silver and 30 bronze summing 308 medals while Sri Lanka placed second with 25 gold medals, 63 silver and 98 bronze. Only Nepal, Bhutan and Maldives are behind Bangladesh in the table. l

MEDAL TALLY COUNTRY

G

S

B TOTAL

INDIA

188 90 30

308

SRI LANKA

25 63

98

186

PAKISTAN

12

37

57

106

AFGHANISTAN 7

9

19

35

BANGLADESH

4

15

56

75

NEPAL

3

23

34

60

MALDIVES

0

2

1

3

BHUTAN

0

1

15

16

India’s Dhoni backs Pietersen for IPL n AFP, New Delhi Indian skipper MS Dhoni on Monday backed big-hitting batsman Kevin Pietersen for the upcoming Indian Premier League, saying he expects no discipline problems from the controversial ex-England captain.

New franchise the Rising Pune Supergiants bought Pietersen for $514,500 at a player auction for the next edition of the glitzy Twenty20 tournament starting in April.

Dhoni said his fellow teammate would be a great asset to the Supergiants who are making their debut at the IPL, replacing one of two teams barred over a corruption scandal that engulfed the tournament’s 2013 edition.

Pietersen has been banished from the England team since the Ashes tour disaster in 2014, over several discipline issues. In 2009 Pietersen was forced to resign as captain after a fallout with coach Peter

Moores, who was later sacked.

“Again, you know people are often judged by what comes in the media, but when you actually meet them they are totally different. I don’t think there will be any issue with discipline,” Dhoni said at an IPL promotional event in Delhi.

“As I said, KP is a fantastic player, someone who is very aggressive and at the same time very expressive on the field. It is good to have him in the side,” he said.

The 35-year-old Pietersen has played in previous IPLs and has been in recent excellent form in South Africa’s Ram Slam competition and Australia’s Big Bash League.

Dhoni said younger players in the Pune team can learn from Pietersen’s experience that includes 104 Tests and 136 one-day internationals during his decade-long career.

Dhoni said he was also keen to reunite with former New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming after he was hired by Pune as head coach. l

Industrialist and owner of the Indian Premier League's Rising Pune Supergiants cricket team Sanjiv Goenka (L) and team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni unveil the team jersey at an event in New Delhi on Monday AFP

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Ronaldo back on Champions League goal trail at Roma FIXTURES

Gent v VfL Wolfsburg Roma v Real Madrid

n Reuters Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane reckons Cristiano Ronaldo is on top form as the Portuguese looks to increase his Champions League goals tally when they visit AS Roma in the first leg of their last-16 tie on Wednesday.

Ronaldo is the competition’s leading marksman this season with 11 goals, a record for the group phase. Zidane, a Champions League winner playing for Real in 2002, said Ronaldo was on top of his game after the Portuguese scored twice in Saturday’s 4-2 Liga win over Athletic Bilbao.

“Cristiano is very important on the wing because when he attacks one-on-one he’s very good... he’s very hard to defend against,” Zidane added before the game at the Stadio Olimpico. “That’s how we scored the first goal (against Athletic).”

Left back Marcelo has recovered faster than expected from a shoulder injury that forced him to miss Saturday’s home game, was back in training on Monday and named in

Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo (L) poses for a picture along with his teammates during journey to Rome for their Champions League match against AS Roma the match squad.

“We have to be especially wary of the speed of (Roma’s) players because that could hurt us,” Real striker Karim Benzema was quoted as saying in Mundo Deportivo.

“They’re going to play to win because it’s a very important game for them at home. We must win too

because we know that to qualify the key is the first leg... If we’re at our best we’ll win.”

The match pits two recently appointed coaches against each other after Zidane and Luciano Spalletti took charge last month.

Spalletti returned for a second spell at Roma, who are on a run

of four wins in Serie A, to replace Rudi Garcia.

Spalletti will have been pleased to see striker Edin Dzeko end his three-month scoring drought with a goal in Roma’s 3-1 win at Carpi on Friday, although the man Real must especially guard against is winger Mohamed Salah, who also netted.l

United need to win trophy to save season: Rooney n Reuters

Euro slips further away? n AFP, Milan The Euro 2016 selection hopes of Mario Balotelli have suffered another potential blow after the AC Milan striker infuriated his club coach Sinisa Mihajlovic by failing to heed his instructions.

Although Mihajlovic refused to single out the striker, there was little doubt over the coach’s intended target after he had to be held back by assistants when he went for Balotelli at the final whistle of a 2-1

home win over Genoa.

The incident dominated the post-match press conference, and although Mihajlovic tried to play it down, his anger was palpable.

“I’m not naming any names. All I can say is I made a mistake and that from now on, any player who doesn’t give it everything until the 94th minute of the game doesn’t play again,” said the Serbian.

Balotelli had already fallen down the pecking order with Italy coach Antonio Conte. l

Manchester United need to end their trophy drought by winning either the Europa League or the FA Cup and finish in the Premier League’s top four this season to get the fans back on board, captain Wayne Rooney said.

Knocked out of the Champions League and six points behind Manchester City at fourth in the Premier League, United face Danish side FC Midtjylland in the Europa League on Thursday before a trip to third-tier Shrewsbury Town in the FA Cup. The club last won a trophy in 2012-13, when they romped to the Premier League title in Alex Ferguson’s last season in charge, and have struggled so far under manager Louis van Gaal.

Saturday’s 2-1 defeat by Sunderland led the Dutchman to all but rule out their chances of finishing in the Champions League positions.

“The important thing now, I feel, is to win trophies again this season,” Rooney told British media.

“Obviously the Champions League is massive for this club and it was disappointing to go out of it.

But our main aim has to be to make sure we can get in that top four.”

United failed to emerge from the Champions League group stages and slipped into the Europa League, an outcome derided by fans and former players alike.

Rooney, however, said the club could not afford to take the opportunity to win silverware lightly.

“It would be great if we can win (the Europa League),” he added.

“It’s not where we wanted to be at the start of the season but it’s where we’ve found ourselves so why not go and try to win it.

“This is more or less a new team so for ourselves, as a team, we need to win something. The fans want to see us win something again.” l

Platini hopes to be back at UEFA for Euro 2016 n Reuters, Zurich Banned UEFA president Michel Platini said he hoped to clear his name in time for the 2016 European Championship soccer tournament in June after attending a hearing on Monday to appeal against his suspension.

Platini was banned for eight years in December along with FIFA president Sepp Blatter over a payment of two million Swiss francs ($2.03 million) made to the Frenchman in 2011

by FIFA with Blatter’s approval for work done a decade earlier.

“It’s been a very good hearing, very well conducted, with people who have been sincere,” Platini said after the hearing by FIFA’s Appeal Committee. “I am quite happy with the way it has gone.

“I hope to work again as soon as possible, go back to the office as soon as the decision has been given by the Appeal Committee and then prepare the Euro (tournament),” he told reporters after an eight-hour hearing at the headquarters of soccer’s world ruling body.

“I am waiting to come back to work on this great football party... which will take place in France,” he added, referring to the 24-team Euro 2016 finals being held from June 10-July 10.

FIFA’s Ethics Committee said the payment, made at a time when the former was seeking re-election, lacked transparency and presented conflicts of interest. l

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Nadal, Ferrer unworried

by Zika virus at Rio Open n AFP, Rio de Janeiro Spanish tennis stars Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer insisted Monday they were unworried by Brazil’s Zika virus outbreak as they prepare to compete at the Rio Open ATP tournament this week.

“I’m not at all afraid,” Nadal, 29, told a press conference. “I go out

at night, and I know there’s a risk, but I’m just happy to be back here again.

“If I get sick well then that’s just bad luck,” insisted the 14-time Grand Slam winner.

“I can see for myself that people here are going about their business as if everything was okay, so things can’t be that bad.

Rafael Nadal of Spain gives a press conference at the Rio Open tennis tournament in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Monday AP

DAY’S WATCH FOOTBALL TEN SPORTS Uefa Europa League 2015/16 12:00AM Fiorentina v Tottenham 2:00AM Valencia v Rapid Wien

TEN ACTION 7:35PM I-League 2016 Mohun Bagan v Shillong Lajong FC 1:45AM Uefa Champions League Roma v Real Madrid

TEN HD 1:45AM Uefa Champions League Roma v Real Madrid

SONY SIX 11:30PM Spanish La Liga Sporting Gijon v FC Barcelona

CRICKET GAZI TV Pakistan Super League 5:30PM Karachi Kings v Peshawar Zalmi 10:00PM Islamabad v Lahore Qalandars

TENNIS SONY ESPN 12:30AM Rio Open, Day 3

“People are going to the beach, going out for walks, having dinner in restaurants,” the world number five continued.

Ferrer, ranked sixth in the world, said he had been reassured

by Brazil’s efforts to wipe out the mosquitoes which carry the virus.

“We’ve been told that everything possible has been done so that there will be no mosquitoes, which is comforting,” he said.

“We’ve been wearing long trousers at night but I’m not getting obsessed by the whole thing.”

Brazil has been most affected by the outbreak that has spread rapidly through Latin America and the Caribbean, with 1.5 million people in the country infected since early 2015.

While it causes only mild flulike symptoms in most people, scientists suspect when it strikes a pregnant woman, it can cause her baby to be born with microcephaly, or an abnormally small head.

“The whole thing seems to have been blown out of proportion,” Nadal said. l

German tennis player Julia Gorges returns the ball to Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia during their WTA game on the first day of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Monday. Gorges won the match 6-0, 6-1 AFP

Kiwis want greener wicket for second Test n AFP, Wellington Despite being thrashed in the first Test against Australia after batting first on a green wicket, New Zealand want an even greener surface for the second Test.

New Zealand asked for a green top in Wellington, lost the toss and paid the ultimate price as the Australian bowlers exploited the seaming conditions.

It only took 48 overs to end New Zealand’s first innings, but as the pitch baked under the hot sun and

flattened out, Australia batted for nearly six sessions to set up victory by an innings and 52 runs.

With the second Test starting in Christchurch on Saturday, New Zealand coach Mike Hesson would like a wicket so green it holds its seaming ability for at least two days.

It would mean that even if New Zealand lose the toss again there would still be benefits for pace spearheads Trent Boult and Tim Southee bowling second.

Hesson said the Josh Ha-

zlewood-led Australian attack exposed New Zealand batting shortcomings against seaming good-length deliveries which the Australian top order did not have to face.

“You have to accept they put the ball in good areas and the ball seamed, so you’re going to nick it,” he said.

“That’s something we’d like to think if we were in a similar situation we’d be able to do something similar.

New Zealand will continue to

Bencic becomes first teenager since 2009 to crack WTA top 10 n Reuters, London Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic became the first teenager in seven years to reach the top 10 of the WTA rankings after she climbed to ninth in the world on Monday.

A run to the final at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy ensured that Bencic, 18, became the first woman aged under 20 to enter the top 10 since Caroline Wozniacki in 2009.

“As a small kid, everyone is dreaming to one day become top

10,” Bencic, who won two titles in 2015, said in a statement.

“I now realise that all the hard work paid off. Until now, I didn’t know if I would make it. But this is an amazing moment for me and just... my dream.”

A sport that was once the domain of teenage champions, with players such as Steffi Graf, Monica Seles, Aranxta Sanchez-Vicario and Martina Hingis winning grand slam titles before turning 20, has seen a shift in recent years.l

WTA RANKINGS Player 1 Serena Williams 2 Angelique Kerber 3 Simona Halep 4 Agnieszka Radwanska 5 Garbiñe Muguruza 6 Maria Sharapova 7 Flavia Pennetta 8 Petra Kvitova 9 Belinda Bencic 10 Lucie Safarova

Points 9245 5700 5545 5210 4991 3672 3611 3582 3505 3481

be without experienced batsman Ross Taylor and first-choice spinner Mitchell Santner who remain sidelined by injury and will miss the second Test.

Australia, meanwhile, are sweating on the fitness of Peter Siddle who took three for 37 in New Zealand’s first innings but only bowled eight overs in the second before suffering a back strain.

Captain Steve Smith said Siddle would be monitored over coming days to see if he will be fit enough to play on Saturday. l

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Remembering Manna nShowtime Desk Manna, the Bangladeshi superstar who dominated the country’s film industry as an action hero for more than two decades, died from a heart attack in 2008. Today is his eighth death anniversary.

On the morning of February 17, Manna was rushed to the hospital and died shortly after arriving. He was only 48 years old. Manna’s fans still can’t believe and come to terms with the actor’s untimely demise. The Ammajan hero is still an idol to his fans and newcomers who have joined the industry.

SM Aslam Talukder, better known as Manna, was one of the more popular Bengali film actors in Bangladesh.

He was born in Elenga village in the district of Tangail. Manna’s acting career began in 1984 after he was discovered through a talent search program, Notun Mukher Shondhane by the National Film Development Corporation of Bangladesh

along with Sheli Quader. Later, Manna and Sheli Quader tied the knot and Sheli left the industry. He acted in around 350 movies in his career. Manna won the hearts of millions of Bangladeshis by playing the character of the archtypical hero fighting against corruption, in around 200 films such as Ammajan, winning the best actor award in 2006. Soon after, he also tried his hand at producing films.

One of the first films that brought Manna to attention was Danga, premièring in 1992. Other Manna blockbusters were Trash, Chadabaz and Abbazan. Manna had at least 15 unfinished films in the works before he died.

The veteran actor was secretary general of the Bangladesh Film Actors Association, and in that capacity he played a significant role in the campaign against “vulgarity, obscenity and piracy” in Bangladeshi films. A Dhaka film industry analyst said films starring Manna, and his perennial interest Champa, were often hugely popular and profitable.

Special nationwide prayers have been arranged by the Manna Foundation to pray for his departed soul. l

Perry and Bloom up for next level nShowtime Desk Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom’s romance appears to have been going from strength to strength.

And it seems Bloom is keen on Katy Perry becoming a pretty permanent fixture in his life, as she has now met his five-year-old son Flynn.

The pair, who have been spotted hanging out several times already this month, “spent all day together” on Saturday.

They attended a kids’ birthday party at Robert Downey Jr’s house with Orlando’s son Flynn, and Katy even sat in the back of the car with Flynn when Orlando drove them to the party.

Perry and Bloom were first rumoured to be an item after reportedly getting flirty at a Golden

Globes after-party, less than a month ago. Even though this romance is said to be in the early, honeymoon stages, the source revealed that the pair kept their hands to themselves at the familyfriendly event.

Since the Golden Globes, Perry and Bloom were reportedly spotted out and about a number of times, including a celebrity-packed dinner at the Sunset Tower Hotel.

Bloom was previously married to Victoria’s Secret model Miranda Kerr, with whom he shares son Flynn.

The pair split in October 2013 after three years of marriage.

Perry was married to actor Russell Brand from 2010 to 2012, but last romantically linked to singer-songwriter John Mayer. The ex-couple wasw spotted ringing in the New Year together on December 31 at The Nice Guy in West Hollywood. l

Zohad at the National Grammy Awards nShowtime Desk Zohad Reza Chowdhury, the voice of the popular band Nemesis, has represented Bangladesh at the 58th National Grammy Awards that was held in Los Angeles, California on Monday, February 15.

This rare honour was acquired through Qinetic Music, an online digital distributor for Bangladeshi music, which is also a member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.

The news went viral on Facebook yesterday when the official pages of Nemesis and Qinetic Music shared pictures of Zohad attending the grand award ceremony.

Jamshed Chowdhury, director of public relations at Qinetic Music, told Showtime: “This year, Grammy wanted a musician who would represent Bangladesh at the ceremony.” He added: “However, the process was not so easy. The musician is selected upon his popularity in their home country. This is judged via through their online activities and how much profit they had made.”

Qinetic helps promote Bangladeshi music in the international music scene.

The musicians and bands that are signed up by the label are marketed online with an aim to earn optimum profit; the respective musicians receive their share of revenue.

Zohad had a phone conversation with Jamshed upon

attending the main show.

Quoting Zohad, Jamshed said: “He enjoyed the event a lot. The most fascinating part was to be able to see a number of musicians, producers and music label companies under one roof.

He got to meet the musicians whom he had idolised for years.”

Zohad is expected to return to the country after around six days. l

Where is Rani? nShowtime Desk Rani Mukerji gave birth to a baby girl Adira around two months ago. Since then, the actress hasn’t been spotted by the media, and has devoted all her time to taking care of her little girl. Rani has always been fond of children, and has pampered her brother Raja’s daughter. So naturally, she is a doting mummy to her own tiny tot. She is a very hands-on mom and refuses to let Adira out of her sight.

The actress also said that the baby is God’s greatest gift to her and husband Aditya Chopra. l

Taylor Swift and Kendrick Lamar win big at Grammy’s

n Showtime Desk Taylor Swift and rapper Kendrick Lamar were honoured big at the 58th Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on Monday, February 15.

Swift bagged Best Pop Vocal for her album 1989, Best Music Video for her single Bad Blood and the key award of Album of the Year for 1989. Lamar, who was nominated in a total of 11 categories, won the Grammy for Best Rap Album for To

Lady Gaga donned David Bowie for the entire night

Pimp a Butterfly.

Receiving the award from rap legend Ice Cube and his son O’Shea Jackson Jr, 28-year-old Lamar appreciated the growing recognition of rap and hip-hop. “This is for hip-hop,” he said. “We will live forever - believe that.”

Lamar won three more Grammy’s for Best Rap Performance for Alright, Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for These Walls with Bilal, Anna the Wise and Thundercat,

and Best Rap Song for Alright with Pharrell, Kawan Prather and Sounwave.

Ed Sheeran won the award for Best Pop Solo Performance and Song of the Year for his hit single Thinking Out Loud.

Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars received the award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for their huge hit Uptown Funk, which also earned them the coveted Record of the Year trophy.

Jack Ü feat. Justin Bieber won a Grammy for Best Dance Recording for Where Are Ü Now and Amy, Asif Kapadia’s acclaimed documentary film about Amy Winehouse, won Best Music Film.

The ceremony was presented

by LL Cool J and also included tributes to the late David Bowie from Lady Gaga and a homage to the late Glenn Frey from Eagles members Don Henley, Bernie Leadon, Timothy B Schmidt and Joe Walsh with Jackson Browne. l

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2016

Grammy winners 2016:

A quick-read list

The 58th Annual Grammy Awards were held Monday night. Here is a list of some of the big winners Best rap album To Pimp A Butterfly: Kendrick Lamar Best country album Traveller: Chris Stapleton Song of the year Thinking Out Loud: Ed Sheeran & Amy Wadge, songwriters (Ed Sheeran) Best new artist Meghan Trainor Album of the year 1989 by Taylor Swift Record of the year Uptown Funk by Mark

Ronson featuring Bruno Mars Best dance recording Where Are Ü Now: Skrillex and Diplo with Justin Bieber Best pop duo/group performance Uptown Funk: Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars Best urban contemporary album Beauty Behind the Madness: The Weeknd Best alternative music album Sound & Color: Alabama Shakes Best rock performance Don’t Wanna Fight: Alabama Shakes

Glamour galore at Grammy Red Carpet The 58th Grammy Awards were held Monday evening in Los Angeles, as Taylor Swift and Kendrick Lamar won big. Here’s a look at the singers who best strutted their stuff on the red carpet.

Lady Gaga performed an emotional medley of David Bowie’s hits in tribute to her hero, who died earlier this year.

She opened the performance dressed as Ziggy Stardust, complete with newly dyed red hair, singing Space Oddity before breaking into Changes, Ziggy Stardust, Suffragette City, Rebel Rebel, Fashion, Fame, Let’s Dance and Heroes.

At the end of her performance, a smothering Gaga received a standing ovation from the crowd as she embraced Chic’s Nile Rodgers, one of Bowie’s producers, who joined her for the performance. l

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BIG EXPANSION PLAN FOR JAHANARA AIMS TO NEMESIS’ ZOHAD AT THE DIGITAL TRANSACTION PAGE 13 BETTER RANKING PAGE 26 GRAMMY AWARDS PAGE 31

AMAR EKUSHEY

BOOK FAIR 2016

Writers, publishers condemn closing of book stall n Nure Alam Durjoy Writers and publishers criticised the closing of Badwip Prakashan’s stall at Amar Ekushey Boi Mela, saying this incident will make way for more restrictions on free-thinking writers and publishers.

The decision is also in contradiction with the spirit of the book fair, which is held every year to remember and rejoice the 1952 Language Movement, the epoch fight for the right to use mother language and protest against discrimination launched by Bangalis against the oppressive forces of then West Pakistan, they said.

“This will shrink the space for writers and publishers who practice free thinking,” Dr Muhammad Zafar Iqbal told BBC yesterday.

On Sunday, police shut down the stall of Badwip Prakashan at the book fair for housing and selling books that could “hurt religious sentiments” and detained three people.

Visiting the Badwip’s stall yesterday, this correspondent found two police officials stationed in front of the closed stall.

Last year, the fair authority shut down the stall of Rodela Prakashani for similar reasons.

Robin Ahsan, publisher at Srabon Prakashan, heavily critcised the action. “This book fair has always been a melting pot of differing opinions and a place for free thinkers,” he told the Dhaka Tribune.

Online activist Baki Billah was

Visitors take a break from roaming around and browsing the stalls at Amar Ekushey Boi Mela 2016 and enjoy a friendly chat yesterday MEHEDI HASAN found at the book fair castigating the fair authorities: “Bravo Bangladesh government and police! They cannot arrest machete holders and killers, but they show their strength by arresting writers who hold pen for freethinking.”

“If you want to criticise a book or a write-up, you can do that by writing your own opinion. You cannot shut down a book stall for that,” said Khalid Maruf, a young writer.

Terming Bangla Academy’s decision to close the stall whimsical, another young writer named Farzana Afrin said: “It is not right to ban a write-up or a book or a

publisher. As a writer, I would say my writing space is curtailed.”

Protests brewed in the social media as well. Users of different social media platforms lambasted the Bangla Academy authorities for closing down the stall, terming the reason given by the authorities “baseless”.

When contacted, Dr Jalal Ahmed, the fair committee’s member secretary, defended the committee’s decision, saying: “Shutting down a stall that breached the fair guidelines is not against the essence of our Language Movement; rather, it was done to protect the

essence of the movement.”

He further said: “I have seen the book, no sensitive people can accept it.”

Meanwhile, attendants at different stalls reported fewer visitors yesterday compared to the last few days. But the book sales were satisfactory, they said.

“Sales increased at our stall, even though we had fewer visitors,” said Annesha Prakashan publisher Shahadat Hossain.

At least 84 new titles were published at the fair yesterday, raising the number of new arrivals to 1,789. l

Badwip publisher sued by police n Tribune Report Police have sued Badwip Prakashan owner Shamsuzzoha Manik and two others for printing and selling a book with contents that could hurt religious sentiments. Badwip’s stall at the ongoing book fair was shut down on Monday.

The other accused are stall manager Shamsul Alam and Fakir Taslim Uddin Kajol, owner of the press where the book was printed.

Meanwhile, a Dhaka court yesterday granted five-day remand for Shamsuzzoha, one-day for Shamsul and two-day for Fakir.

From a press briefing at Shahbagh police station yesterday afternoon, Abdul Baten, deputy commissioner of police, said the case was filed under Information and Communication Technology Act. In reply to a query, he also said: “We received information about the book’s provocative content on social media and intelligence report. We kept an eye on social media to spot such messages.”

The book’s online version went viral and that was why they filed the lawsuit under the ICT act, Abdul Baten added.

When the DC was informed that the book was a translation of pieces by foreign writers, he told the Dhaka Tribune that the case was still at the initial stage of investigation.

“If the book is a translation, we have nothing to do with those foreign writers,” he noted.

Shahbagh police produced the three accused before the Dhaka Court seeking a seven-day remand for each. On behalf of the accused advocate Rafiqual Islam submitted a bail petition to the court.

After hearing Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Amirul Haider Chowdhury rejected the bail petitions and passed the remand order. l

New cancer treatment sparks excitement n BBC

A therapy that retrains the body’s immune system to fight cancer has sparked excitement after more than 90% of terminally ill patients reportedly went into remission.

White blood cells were taken from patients with leukaemia, modified in the lab and then put back.

But the data has not been published or reviewed and two patients are said to have died from an

extreme immune response.

Experts said the trial was exciting, but still only “a baby step.”

The news bubbled out of the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s annual meeting in Washington DC. The lead scientist, Prof Stanley Riddell from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre in Seattle, said all other treatments had failed in these patients and they had only two-to-five months to live.

In the trial, cells from the immune system called killer T-cells were taken out of dozens of patients. The cells normally act like bombs destroying infected tissue.

The researchers genetically modified the T-cells to engineer a new targeting mechanism – with the technical name of chimeric antigen receptors – to target acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

Prof Riddell told the BBC: “Essentially what this process does is,

it genetically reprograms the T-cell to seek out and recognise and destroy the patient’s tumour cells. “[The patients] were really at the end of the line in terms of treatment options and yet a single dose of this therapy put more than ninety percent of these patients in complete remission where we can’t detect any of these leukaemia cells.”

But one cancer expert said they still felt in the dark on the full significance of the study, as the data is

not available.

Also seven of the patients developed cytokine release syndrome so severe that they required intensive care, and a further two patients died.

While those odds may be acceptable if facing terminal cancer, the side-effects are much greater than conventional leukaemia treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy, which work in the majority of patients. l

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