25 Feb, 2016

SECOND EDITION

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2016

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Falgun 13, 1422, Jamadiul Awal 15, 1437

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Regd No DA 6238, Vol 3, No 310

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

MNCs abuse relaxed taxation to deprive govt of crucial revenue n Tribune Report Absence of monitoring and failure to extract information have allowed multinational corporations to take supernormal profits back home, particularly from less affluent countries.

These, coupled with relaxed taxation treaties between MNCs and governments, have deprived the poorer home countries of much needed revenue, economists say.

Renowned economist AB Mirza Azizul Islam said multinational companies evade tax mainly through manipulation of accounts and transfer pricing.

“They [MNCs] resort to under-invoicing and over-invoicing to transfer money back to their countries through tax evasion.

The government [of Bangladesh] should immediately monitor the matter properly. Although the job is challenging, but the government should give it a try,” he said.

According to a report, titled “Mistreated,” published by ActionAid, Bangladesh is at the receiving end of 18 such treaties – the highest in the world, closely followed by Mongolia 15, Pakistan 14 and Ethiopia 13.

Sri Lanka is the only other South Asian neighbour of Bangladesh to feature at the top of that list with 11 such treaties.

Relaxed deals restrict govern-

Temple vandalised in Panchagarh

ments’ power to properly tax global companies, limiting any country’s potential to utilise revenue and ensure corporate cash flow from poorer to richer countries, worsening inequality and poverty.

If the multinational corporations (MNCs) could be properly taxed by the governments of the lesser affluent countries, the money thus realised could have used to improve key public services and reduce poverty, the study says.

Among the treaties, a single clause on restricting imposition of withholding taxes on dividend payments costs around $85m losses every year in Bangladesh.

With an annual total health expenditure of approximately $25 per capita, remedying this alone could pay for health services for 3.4 million people, the study prescribes.

However, as the Bangladeshi experts said, there are more to it for the MNCs than the study reveals.

According to officials of the National Board of Revenue (NBR), MNCs evade taxes by abusing transfer pricing in different ways including capital flight, transfer of dividend and profit to its permanent establishments or parent companies, over-invoicing and under-invoicing during transactions of goods and services within their associated enterprises.

Officials also said that the  PAGE 2 COLUMN 2

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Different countries have negotiated dividend tax breaks

23%

Of the population are at risk of hunger (37 million people)

49%

Of children in primary school fail to complete a full five years education

43.3%

Of people live in poverty

COST OF TAX CUTS IN

BANGLADESH

US$85 MILLION

Given away through tax breaks in tax treaties annually

Source: ActionAid, 2014. Factsheet: Bangladesh.

Tigers fizzle out after promising start

Correspondent, n Our Panchagarh

A Hindu temple was attacked and vandalised in Panchagarh's Atwari upazila early yesterday, causing panic to spread among the local Hindus.

The attackers, who could not be identified, destroyed a dome, which was part of Sree Sree Hari temple's outer structure.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 5

n Minhaz Uddin Khan

Bangladesh batsman Mushfiqur Rahim looks to the heavens after failing to connect a delivery against India in their Asia Cup Twenty20 opener at Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

In what turned out to be an extremely disappointing batting performance, Bangladesh suffered a 45-run defeat against India in the Asia Cup Twenty20 opener at Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday.

In reply to India’s 166/6, the Tigers only managed to post 121/7 with  PAGE 2 COLUMN 2

INSIDE A few more months to finish BDR carnage case It may take two or three more months to finish the trial proceedings of the BDR carnage case at the High Court, even though more than a year has passed since the start of the appeal hearing.  PAGE 3

Mir Quasem’s appeal verdict on March 8 The Supreme Court is set to deliver its judgement on March 8 in the appeal case of condemned war criminal Mir Quasem Ali filed seeking acquittal from the charges.  PAGE 5

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UK-based Bangladeshi masterminded ATM forgery n Mohammad Jamil Khan Investigators have found that the mastermind and coordinator behind the recent ATM forgery incidents is a Bangladesh-origin British expatriate.

Although a foreigner and three City Bank officials have been arrested over the incidents occurred earlier this month, the mastermind – Farid Nabir – left the country before the scam was exposed. He hails from Pirmoholla area of Sylhet.

Arrested Piotr Szczepan Mazurek alias Thomas Piotr, who is a member of an international ATM

forgery gang, meet with the three bank officials – Maksud, Rezaul Karim Shahin and Refaz Ahmed Roni – through Farid, according to a high official of the Detective Branch.

The criminals analysed the related issues for a long time, the DB official told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday, requesting not to be named.

The information was found from the arrestees during interrogation.

The investigators came to know that the criminals received technical support from two other members of an international ATM forgery gang – Ukrainian Andy and Romanian Romeo.

At least 40 people having ac-

counts in three banks lost around Tk20 lakh from their debit and credit cards on February 7-8. The criminals had installed skimming devices in the ATM machines to clone the cards. The number of affected people and the amount could go up at the end of investigation, police said.

The arrestees confessed that Farid had brought the international members to Bangladesh a number of times with him. They first came to Bangladesh on December 13, 2014 and checked into Hotel Holiday Planet at Gulshan.

At that time, all but Piotr left the country on December 24. Piotr

used to coordinate with the local criminals and analyse the situation, while the other members maintained contact with him over the mobile phone.

After all preparations were done, Farid came to Bangladesh on January 20 while Andy and Romeo on January 31. Farid left the country for London on February 3 after finalising everything. Romeo left Bangladesh on February 13 and Andy on February 14.

However, Pitor was not able to leave the country as he married a Bangladeshi girl and rented a house in Gulshan 2.

Farid was identified from the

CCTV camera footage of the hotel.

The investigators are now assessing the footage to identify his blue Pajero Jeep.

Farid is involved in various anti-state activities in London, a DB officer said. “We are trying to know about his visits to Bangladesh and the persons he used to meet here,” the official said.

Md Shahjahan, additional deputy commissioner of DB police, said that the ATM forgery gang was not too small. “They might be involved in other forgery activities too. Farid himself planned and coordinated the ATM issue,” he told the Dhaka Tribune. l

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

First responders MNCs abuse relaxed taxation to deprive govt can cut road crash deaths n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla Stopgap measures are not enough to reduce road accident fatalities, speakers said yesterday on the concluding day of a two-day workshop on highway safety.

A system that involves the community as first responders is a must, workshop participants said, as part of their recommendations for the Health Sector Action Plan on Road Safety whose final draft is being prepared.

“Taking the right patient to the right hospital at the right time for the right kind of care” is at the heart of a good health system, Amit Gupta, emergency medical service (EMS) expert at AIIMS, New Delhi, said.

“A system means the set-up right from the time the victim is injured on the road until the time he is discharged from the hospital with adequate rehabilitation,” he said.

Whatever type of ambulance is used, there must be an efficient call centre-based universal emergency access number common for the whole country, Gupta said.

Addressing the workshop organised by the DGHS and WHO, EMS expert Matthew Varghese said that unless all hospitals are ensured to have the capacity in terms of human resources and equipment to take care of trauma victims, the development of an ambulance system would only shift deaths from the roadside to the bedside of the hospital.

Sanjeev Bhoi, another EMS experts at AIIMS, New Delhi, said: “Bystander care is a strong component of caring for a trauma patient... Training of school children in first-aid should start at the secondary level. This should include CPR, stopping of bleeding, splinting and transporting an injured victim safely to the nearest hospital,” he added. l

government cannot deal with this mostly due to unavailability of information.

“Authorities challenge the companies based on assumed information. But without concrete data, it is not easy,” said an NBR officials, requesting anonymity.

Former NBR chairman Muhammad Abdul Majid said: “They, in many cases, do not pay tax in the home country saying that tax had been paid in the other country.”

The authorities cannot verify the information due to the MNCs’ reluctance to cooperate and share information and an absence of monitoring mechanism, he said.

Officials also said that they now have a transfer pricing cell which is working to prevent money laun-

dering and tax evasion by MNCs. At present, there are around 200 foreign companies operating in Bangladesh in different sectors, including consumer goods, telecommunication, energy, beverage, cement, readymade garment and banks.

The ActionAid study identifies the tax collected by Bangladesh’s revenue authority NBR among the smallest in the world if the size of the economy is considered.

Thirty different countries have negotiated dividend tax breaks for direct investment in treaties with Bangladesh, each making small savings for its multinationals, the study says.

ActionAid Bangladesh Country Director Farah Kabir said women and children in poverty pay the price when crumbling public ser-

vices like schools and hospitals are starved of possible funding.

“It is time for our government to make tax fair and urgently revise very restrictive treaties that we have. Multinational companies should be paying their fair share in Bangladesh,” she said.

Currently, 66 million people in Bangladesh live in extreme poverty with less than $1.9 a day.

“Mistreated” was prepared based on a research that examined over 500 international tax treaties, revealing which ones most take away poorer countries’ ability to raise taxes on multinational companies.

It analysed tax treaties from lowand lower-middle income countries in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia that were signed since 1970. l

Tigers fizzle out after promising start Sabbir Rahman’s 32-ball 44 the only innings of substance. No other batsmen crossed 16 as India began their campaign with a convincing win.

Mohammad Mithun (one) in his return to the national set-up departed meekly and his fellow opening partner Soumya Sarkar fared little better, scoring 11.

Imrul Kayes’ (14) painstaking stay at the crease was cut short by Ravichandran Ashwin (1/23) while Shakib al Hasan (three) was unable to fire with the bat, leaving Bangladesh in all sorts of trouble. And following Mahmudullah’s (seven) departure, Bangladesh had no fire power left in the cylinder and it was just a matter of time before India coasted to victory.

India paceman Ashish Nehra (3/23) was the wrecker in chief while Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya picked up one each.

Earlier, despite a commanding start with the ball Bangladesh lost their way in the latter overs. The home side, aided by an unusual wicket forced the Indians onto the back foot with three early wickets.

The grass on the wicket helped

Bangladesh pacemen a great deal as the ball moved around viciously.

But the happy moments early on were short-lived, thanks to some horrific ground fielding. Coupled with that, a heroic effort by opening batsman Rohit Sharma, who recorded his 10th T20I half-century, propelled India to 166/6.

In just the second over of the innings, pacer Al Amin Hossain removed opener Shikhar Dhawan (two) leaving India reeling on 4/1.

Before things could cool down in the middle, Bangladesh captain Mashrafe bin Mortaza dismissed Virat Kohli (eight); the visitors struggling on 22/2. Kohli mistimed the ball to mid off to see Mashrafe bag his only wicket in the game and in the process, spark wild celebrations throughout the stadium.

Only 20 balls later, India lost their third wicket, that of Suresh Raina, with only 42 runs on the board in the eighth over. This time it was all-rounder Mahmudullah who initiated the dismissal as Raina came down the wicket only to miss the line of the ball and see the middle stump uprooted.

However, two fifty-plus partnerships, both involving Rohit saw a shift in the momentum of the game as Bangladesh conceded 114 runs in the last 10 overs.

Before his dismissal in the 20th over, Rohit smashed 83 runs from 55 balls with the help of seven boundaries and three sixes – all arriving in the latter part of India’s innings. The right-hander first added 55 runs for the fourth wicket with Yuvraj Singh (15) before posting 61 quickfire runs alongside Pandya (31) for the fifth.

The story however, could have been totally different had Shakib held on to a regulation catch in the 11th over when Rohit was batting on 21.

Bangladesh pace sensation Mustafizur Rahman, who had a stellar ODI debut against the same side last year, went wicketless in his quota of four overs, conceding 40 runs, while Mashrafe also proved to be expensive.

Al Amin (3/37), Shakib (1/15) and Mahmudullah (1/9) though stemmed the flow of runs and prevented India from posting a big total. l

Temple The temple is located at Molani area in the upazila’s Aloakhoa union.

Police said the attack might have been an attempt to create panic in the area, adding that none was arrested in this connection.

Built in 1961, the temple measures 10ft in length and 12ft in width. It has a large dome at the centre on the roof and four other domes on four sides. The vandals destroyed one of the four domes.

Siren Chandra Roy, a Hindu devotee, saw the damage done to the temple after he went there in the morning to offer prayers. He then informed the locals.

Local officials and police, including Panchagarh Additional Superintendent of Police Din Mohammad, Atwari police station Officer-inCharge Shah Alam, Atwari upazila Chairman Abdur Rahman Abdar and Upazila Nirbahi Officer Abu Rafa Mohammad Arif, visited the scene.

Bimal Chandra, general secretary of the temple committee, said the attack was made at some point in the late hours of night.

President of the temple Hirendra Nath Roy called on the police to arrest the attackers within 24 hours.

Atwari police station OC Shah Alam said the attackers would be arrested and subjected to legal action.

The additional superintendent of police said a probe into the attack had been launched.

“We are also investigating if the attack was an attempt to divert people’s attention from the recent murder of a Hindu priest in Debiganj.

“We are hopeful about solving the crime soon and the attackers will also be arrested,” added Din Mohammad.

As part of tightening security measures, police were deployed in the temple area.

The local Hindu community called for subjecting the perpetrators to exemplary punishment. l

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2016

BDR MUTINY

Victims’ families call for declaring Army Martyr Day n Arifur Rahman Rabbi

Families of slain army officers who were killed during the 2009 BDR mutiny light candles yesterday in memory of their loved ones. They also urged that February 25 be declared the Army Martyr Day MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

A few more months to finish BDR carnage case n Ashif Islam Shaon

It may take two or three more months to finish the trial proceedings of the BDR carnage case at the High Court, even though more than a year has passed since the start of the appeal hearing.

The state counsels said hearing of death reference and also appeals filed by the convicts are being heard by the High Court. So far, the state has finished placing paper books and arguments against the death convicts in the case.

At present, counsels of the death convicts are placing arguments for their clients. After it finishes, the state counsels will start placing arguments in their appeals filed against

the different jail terms including against the life-term convicts.

Talking to reporters yesterday, Attorney General Mahbubey Alam said: “The defence’s arguments on behalf of the death convicts may end this month. Then the hearing on the appeals filed separately by the convicts and state will be heard.

We hope for the verdict after it ends within two or three months.”

According to the office of the attorney general, the hearing started at a special bench of High Court on January 18 last year. The bench of Justice Md Shawkat Hossain, Justice Abu Jafar Siddiqui and Justice Nazrul Islam Talukder was formed that year to hear the death references, jail appeals and the appeals

filed by the convicts in the BDR carnage case.

The bench has held hearing 190 days so far. But defence counsels say the trial might take more time.

“This is the biggest ever criminal case in the country’s history.

The hearing has been going on regularly for a year. It will take more time,” said Aminul Islam, one of the counsels.

Several state counsels however blamed the defence counsels for delaying the trial, saying some defence lawyers do not come to the court regularly to place arguments.

More than 50 lawyers including state-appointed lawyers are defending the convicts at the High Court.

Defence lawyers claimed that

relatives of many convicts do not contact them to discuss the case.

Defence lawyers are often discouraged as they do not get fees from their clients.

During the BDR mutiny on February 25-26, 2009, at least 74 people including 57 army officials were killed at the force’s Pilkhana headquarters in Dhaka.

In November 2013 the court sentenced 150 soldiers of Bangladesh Rifles, now Border Guard Bangladesh, and two civilians to death, and jailed 161 for life for their involvement. It also gave rigorous imprisonment, ranging from three to 10 years, to 256, mostly BDR soldiers. The 277 other accused were acquitted. l

The families of slain army officers, killed during the 2009 BDR mutiny, have urged Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to declare February 25 the "Army Martyr Day" and make it a public holiday.

At a programme yesterday in Dhaka, they also demanded judicial investigation into the incident.

During the mutiny by the then Bangladesh Rifles at Peelkhana headquarters on February 25-26, the mutineers killed 57 army officers and 17 civilians.

Habibur Rahman, father of colonel Qudrat Elahi, urged the government to quickly dispose of the court verdicts over the mutiny. Col Elahi’s son Sakib Rahman demanded identifying people behind the incident.

Neherin Ferdousi, wife of colonel Mojibul Haque, said they had to face humiliating questions often about how much money the government gave them. “What we received so far was our right.”

Rights activist Sultana Kamal expressed frustration over the investigation progress. She said three investigation committees were formed but none of their reports have been made public.

“Does it mean that we cannot conduct investigations or that we we do not want to investigate?” she said adding that Bangladesh had a liability to identify and bring to book the perpetrators and solve the mystery.

A special court has sentenced 152 people to death and handed down various prison terms to 423 people in two cases filed over the mutiny.

In a media statement, the Border Guard Bangladesh said it would remember the martyrs of the mutiny through various programmes today. Representatives of the president and prime minister; the home minister, senior home secretary, chiefs of the three forces, BGB director general, among others, will pay their tributes at the Banani graveyard. l

Chhatra League men attack two Titumir College students n Kamrul Hasan

Two students of Titumir College received injuries after they were allegedly attacked by activists of the college unit Chhatra League yesterday morning for protesting increase of tuition fees at the government institution.

The injured students Rahmat Ullah, 21, and Iazul Islam, 26, were admitted to Dhaka Medical College

Hospital following the incident.

When asked, protesters said they have been voicing against the tuition fee hike for the last few days. They claimed that they were attacked on Monday too by Chhatra League men, when they were protesting peacefully but fortunately no one received any major injuries.

They said students of other colleges have to pay Tk3,100 as yearly tuition fees but Titumir College au-

thorities were demanding Tk4,217 from them. Moreover, admission fee of the college was Tk1,900 previously but now they are demanding Tk2,617, they alleged.

The students said they were protesting since the authorities increased the fees without any notice.

Jahirul Islam, one of the protesters, told the Dhaka Tribune that Chhatra League men started attacking them all of a sudden with sticks

and sharp weapons when they were protesting peacefully, leaving at least five protesters injured.

Titumir College unit BCL President Kazi Mirazul Islam Dollar denied the allegation and said general students chased the protesters as they found the agitation illogical.

He claimed that the Chhatra League men were nowhere near the incident.

Meanwhile, Banani police ar-

rested two Titumir students with lethal weapons after conducting a drive at the college’s Shahid Akkasur Rahman Akhi hall.

The arrested are Saidul Islam and Rezaul Karim. However, it could not be ascertained if they were members of Chhatra League.

Assistant Commissioner Rafikul Islam of Gulshan police zone said action has already been taken after being informed about the matter. l

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Tainted BCL leaders in central committee n DU Correspondent Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) leader Srijan Ghosh Sajeeb was arrested over the abduction of a bKash agent in May last year and spent more than five months behind bars. He was subsequently suspended from the ruling party student front.

But he has been given the post of an organising secretary in the BCL’s central committee announced on Monday.

Sajeeb, BCL’s former deputy sports affairs secretary, was arrested from Dhaka University’s Jagannath Hall along with four other BCL activists when they were allegedly taking ransom after kidnapping the bKash agent.

Like him, many others who were suspended from the student front in the past for their involvement in criminal activities, have made it to the Chhatra League’s new committee.

BCL’s former deputy secretary

Trashcan blitz to clean up capital n Tribune Report Dhaka South is to receive 5,000 public trashcans over the next six months as part of DSCC Mayor Sayeed Khokon’s latest effort to win the war on garbage.

But the mayor binned the notion that any initiative of this kind could be a success unless the public plays along and cleans up its act.

“If you randomly throw your trash here and there, the city will remain dirty and insects and mosquitoes will flourish,” he said, urging the public to use the new dustbins.

“Everyone must cooperate with the authorities to turn Dhaka into a clean city. Without the public’s help, no city corporation initiative can be

fruitful,” Khokon said.

He said public spaces including footpaths, roads, parks, playgrounds, markets and shopping malls would be fitted with trash receptacles in order to clean the city up.

The Dhaka South City Corporation mayor announced the trashcan plan during the inauguration of a 15-day mosquito control programme at the National Press Club in the capital on Wednesday.

He also said streetlamps in Dhaka South would be converted to LED lighting within a year.

Khokon publicised his personal mobile telephone number – 0171156 4987 – and invited the public to contact him if they had any problems or concerns. l

5th Bangla Olympiad award distribution ceremony held n Tribune Report The award distribution ceremony for the 5th Bangla Olympiad of International Turkish Hope School was held on Tuesday in the capital’s Dhaka Regency Hotel.

This year, a total of 938 students from 44 branches of 31 different schools participated in five categories – singing, poetry recitation, essay writing, dancing and drawing.

Among the participants, 105 were awarded with crests and cheques.

In a tribute to all martyrs of 1952, the school celebrates International Mother Language Day by organising a Bangla Olympiad every year. It is an annual inter-school competition arranged for the students to cultivate their interest and

intellect in Bangla. Schools and colleges of both English and Bangla medium curriculum took part in the competition which was held on February 13.

The award ceremony was attended by State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam as chief guest and Director General of National Academy for Educational Management Hamidul Haque as special guest.

The principal of International Turkish Hope School Bedrettin Suata presented crests of appreciation to the chief and special guests.

Shahriar Alam congratulated the organisers and the school and handed over laptops with Bangla keyboards installed to all participating schools’ principals to encourage further education of the Bangla language. l

Abdul Bashet Galib, who was arrested with firearms and did time in prison, has been made a vice president. Sakib Hasan Swim, former general secretary of the Chhatra League’s Dhaka College unit, is also a new BCL vice president.

Swim was suspend from the organisation in 2013 after he was named as one of the main accused in the murder of a Dhaka College student who was killed in a clash between two Chhatra League

factions.

Asked about giving posts to leaders with criminal records, BCL President Saifur Rahman Sohag said: “We have thoroughly checked everyone’s background before placing them in the committee. No controversial persons have been given posts.”

The new committee has 301 members although the BCL’s constitution says the committee should not exceed 251 members.

Sohag said they would reform the

constitution soon in this regard, while Secretary General SM Jakir Hossain reasoned: “Having too many leaders made us extend the committee.”

However, several BCL leaders claimed they were left in the cold even though they were dedicated to the organisation. They alleged that they were left out as they supported former joint secretary Shamsul Kabir Rahat and former president Mahmud Hasan Ripon. l

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A sudden storm forces drivers in Dhaka to turn on headlights, left, yesterday morning. The storm fell a tree and a boundary wall of the High Court, right

Gusty wind with rainfall sweeps n Ashif Islam Shaon country

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MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Mir Quasem’s appeal verdict on March 8

n Abu Bakar Siddique The country yesterday experienced a sporadic rainfall with thunder and hailstorm in different places, which the Met office termed usual and expected in the season.

According to Bangladesh Meteorological Department, the capital city experienced a 9 millimeter rainfall with gusty wind as well as hailstorm of 33 kilometers per hour.

“We are expecting the thunder shower at this period of the month due to the changing pattern of season,” said a meteorologist of the BMD. Regarding the thunder storm, the met office said: “We had been forecasting for the last few days that there would be such rainfall.”

However, some parts of the city experienced heavy hailstorm.

Besides the Dhaka city, most of the areas in the country except Rajshahi and Rangpur divisions experienced rainfall with gusty wind yesterday.

The Met office recorded the highest 81mm rainfall in Satkhira yesterday while Rangamati district of Chittagong division 72 mm.

The average projected rainfall in Dhaka in a single day in a year on February 23 was 2.6mm.

According to the Met office’s three-month long forecast, the country has experienced around 19% less rainfall than expected.

It also forecast that the capital city would experience around 29mm rainfall in February. l

TEMPERATURE FOREC AST FOR TODAY

The Supreme Court is set to deliver its judgement on March 8 in the appeal case of condemned war criminal Mir Quasem Ali filed seeking acquittal from the charges.

After the end of arguments in the case yesterday, the five-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha first set March 2 for pronouncing the verdict.

But the date was rescheduled for March 8 later in the day as the chief justice would not be available on that day.

During the final day’s hearing, Attorney General Mahbubey Alam prayed to the court to uphold the death penalty of the Jamaat-e-Isla-

Karnaphuli River. He played a key role behind the formation of alBadr and led the atrocities at its torture camps in the city.

On the other hand, the defence claims that Quasem was not present in Chittagong during the incidents and that the witness statements were not credible.

Mahbubey yesterday said that Jamaat had appointed lobbyists in the US to stop the war crimes trials spending over $25 million. Quasem made the deal, according to the government. A document in favour of the claim was paced before the court yesterday.

The court then questioned why the government had not file a money laundering case against Quasem. Mahbubey replied that he

mi leader given by the International Crimes Tribunal on November 2, 2014.

Al-Badr commander Quasem, now a top financier of the party that opposed the birth of Bangladesh in 1971, was found guilty on 10 charges of crimes against humanity in Chittagong. He was acquitted from four charges as the prosecution did not bring any witness against two charges and failed to prove the two others.

Quasem was given the capital punishment on two of the proven charges – abduction, torture and murder of 15-year-old freedom fighter Jasim of Sandwip, and Ranjit Das alias Lathu and Tuntu Sen alias Raju of Chittagong town.

Their bodies were dumped in the

Govt to cut gas supply to fertiliser factories n Aminur Rahman Rasel The government will temporarily suspend gas supply to fertiliser factories to ensure uninterrupted electricity during the irrigation season and summer, Prime Minister’s Energy Affairs Adviser Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury has said.

“Our priority is to ensure maximum power supply to irrigation pumps during summer for paddy production,” he told reporters in Dhaka yesterday. The government has been doing so for the last five years to facilitate irrigation.

But gas supply will remain uninterrupted at the state-owned Jamuna Fertiliser Factory. Power officials said if gas supply to seven Dhaka

CLOUDY THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25

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DHAKA TODAY SUN SETS 5:59PM

ago and had already fed 535.2MW to the national grid. Three of the plants are furnace oil-based and the other is gas-fired. Two of them were built by independent power producers – 52.2MW plant in Comilla and 108MW plant in Chittagong. State-owned company built the other 150MW plant in Gazipur and 225MW plant in Ashuganj.

Power generation has reached 14,271MW from 3,268MW in 2009.

The government plans to generate 24,000MW to ensure electricity for all by 2021. Monowar said 80% of the population had access to electricity. “We want to increase it to 95% within this government’s tenure.” l

fertiliser factories is halted, power plants will get an additional 200 million cubic feet of gas a day (mmcfd) which will boost power production by 500MW. Bangladesh’s irrigation season mainly lasts through March to June, and the government has to supply an additional 2,000MW to irrigation pumps.

Power Division Secretary Monwar Islam said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina would inaugurate four power plants through video conference today. She will also inaugurate 6,000 new power connections in Gopalganj’s Kotalipara.

He said the power plants went into production several months 31

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Barisal

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

TOMORROW SUN RISES 6:24AM

31.7ºC Madaripur

13.0ºC Dinajpur

Source: Accuweather/UNB

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would inform the Anti-Corruption Commission about the matter.

Khandker Mahbub Hossain, chief counsel for the war criminal, prayed to the court for his acquittal saying that the state counsels had failed to prove the charges.

Emerging from the court, he told reporters that Quasem should be acquitted as there was no witness and evidence. “The witnesses in the case are all hearsay witnesses,” Mahbub added.

According to the prosecution, Quasem was the president of Chittagong city unit Islami Chhatra Sangha, then student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, until November 6, 1971. He was then made general secretary of East Pakistan Chhatra Sangha.l

Petition against Justice Manik’s statements rejected n Ashif Islam Shaon The High Court has rejected a writ petition filed seeking a ban on publication and broadcast of statements by recently retired Justice Shamsuddin Choudhury Manik.

The bench of Justice Obaidul Hassan and Justice Krishna Debnath passed the order yesterday as it was not placed before the court properly.

Petitioner Zulfiqure Ali said that they would go to another bench with the petition soon. l Sylhet

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Fajr: 5:09am | Zohr: 12:12am Asr: 4:22pm | Magrib: 5:59pm Esha: 7:15pm Source: IslamicFinder.org

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Two more elevated expressways on cards n Shohel Mamun A plan to build two more elevated expressways, totalling 122 kilometres in length, is on the cards, the road transport minister has said.

Two elevated expressways connecting Dhaka to Ashulia, and Hemayetpur to the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway are being planned as part of a massive effort to expand the country’s highway network.

Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader announced the plans while speaking to journalists after signing an agreement with consultants High-Point Rendel, UK (HPR) at Setu Bhaban in Dhaka yesterday.

The HPR has been brought in to coordinate the various consultants working on the Padma multipurpose bridge project.

“We will build a 42km elevated expressway from Dhaka

international airport to Ashulia and the East-West Elevated Expressway from Hemayetpur to the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway.

“The East-West Elevated Expressway will be 80km long,” the minister said.

Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BBA) has also signed a Tk16.22 crore agreement with Australian consultants SMEC international Pty Ltd for the feasibility study of the two proposed elevated expressways.

Earlier, BBA completed the pre-feasibity study for the Dhaka-Ashulia elevated expressway project. According to that study, construction cost for Dhaka-Ashulia elevated expressway would be around $1 billion.

On another note, Obaidul said around 31% of the construction work on the 6.15kmlong two-tier Padma Multipurpose Bridge had been completed so far. l

Energypac participates in Elecrama 2016 n Tribune Report Energypac Engineering Limited participated at the International Exhibition of Electrical and Industrial Electronics Industry – Elecrama 2016 in Bangalore recently.

The event was held in Bangalore International Exhibition Centre from February 13 to February 17.

Energypac, a power engineering company and the country leader in providing end-to-end power solutions, showcased their regular and newly launched products at the exhibition which brought them

bookings worth $5 million.

Speaking at the event, the company’s Director and CEO Engineer Rabiul Alam said: “We are pleased to be a part of this prestigious event again. We have set standards of excellence, innovativeness, creativity and productivity not only in national but also in the global market.”

Elecrama is the world’s largest confluence of power transmission and distribution community. It features the biggest names in the global electrical T&D industry and to them the event serves as the perfect launch vehicle to introduce latest products and technology. l

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2016

PM likely to open Tongi-Bhairab double rail tracks today n Shohel Mamun It is expected that travel time between Dhaka and Chittagong by train will reduce by at least one and half hour from today after the opening of double rail track from Tongi to Bhairab on the Dhaka-Chittagong route.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is likely to inaugurate 64km long Tongi-Bhairab double rail track through a videoconference from Ganobhaban in the capital today.

“A passenger travels Chittagong from Dhaka in around six hours, which is going to be 4.20 to 4.30 hours from today,” said Railway Di-

rector General Amzad Hossain.

“After the introduction of the double track, train will run on 100 to 120 kilometres speed per hour.”

Currently, Dhaka-Chittagong route is capable to operate 44 trains and the number number will stand at 84 trains after the opening of the double line.

“We will receive 270 coaches from India and China this year. We have planned that three to four new train services will start operating on the Dhaka-Chittagong route after getting the new coaches,” he added.

Railway Minister Mojibul Haque said: “Dhaka-Chittagong railway

corridor is very important for international railway connectivity.

This route is the part of the trans Asian railway network which will connect India and Myanmar. When Dhaka-Chittagong route will come under totally double line, passenger and goods carriers might be increased more.”

The total length of the Dhaka-Chittagong route is 321km. Of the total distance, 250km will be double line from today and 71Km will remain single track.

Railway director general said: “The construction work of Lakhsam-Akhawra section (71.56km) is under tender process. This double

line will be completed by 2019. After the completion of the project, the Dhaka-Chittagong route will be totally double line.”

Tongi-Bhairab Bazar double line project approved by Executive Council of the National Economic Council on September 27, 2006 with cost of Tk2,113 crore while Asian Development Bank financed Tk1,824 and rest of the cost is coming from national exchequer.

Tender of the project was floated on September 20, 2010. The deal was signed with China Railway Group Ltd for construction work on July 27 2011. The CRGL started the construction work on November 2, 2011. l

HABIGANJ 4-CHILDREN MURDER

Arju Miah gives confessional statement

n Our Correspondent, Habiganj Arju Miah, an accused of the gruesome killings of four children at Sundrateki village in Bahubal upazila of Habiganj, yesterday confessed his involvement with the incident.

He gave confessional statement before the court of judicial magistrate Kaosarul Alam in the afternoon.

He confessed that he and more people were involved in the killings.

Senior Judicial Magistrate Koushik Ahmed Khandaker placed Hadibur Rahman Arju on a seven-day remand while Abdul Bashir on a five-day remand.

Earlier, police produced Arju and Bashir before the court on Friday with a 10-day remand prayer for each.

A total of three gave their confessional statements in connection with the killing of the four schoolboys.

Of them, Jewel Miah and his younger brother Rubel Miah gave confessional statements before the court under section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

Meanwhile, a probe body was formed to investigate whether police personnel were reluctant to find out the boys after their missing complaint was filed.

Habiganj police super Joydeb Kumar Bhodro told the Dhaka Tribune that the probe committee led

by Additional Police Super Shahidul Islam would submit its report soon.

Four schoolboys who had gone missing from Sundrateki village in Bahubal upazila on February 12 were found buried at the village on February 17. l

DT

News

Female students demo for buses n RU Correspondent Female students at Rajshahi University (RU) staged a demonstration yesterday in front of its Transport Office demanding more buses in different routes to carry them.

RU sources said there were 28 buses for 30,000 students. Of them, 15,000 are female students. They have to suffer more as the number of buses for them is only five.

Banasree Howlader, fourth year student of Law department of the university, said: “Everyday, we have to fight to reach the varsity as there is no sufficient rooms in the buses. It seems that the administration of the institution does not evaluate us as human being.”

“If the authorities think us as human being, they should come to help us by providing more buses,” she also said.

When contacted, Professor Moinul Haque, in-charge of the transport section of the varsity, said: “Its not possible for us to increase the number of buses due to lack of staffs.”

Recently, a bus also had been provided for the female students after a movement by them, said the sources. l

Five JMB men remanded n Tribune Report

Transport workers stage demonstration in front of the National Press Club in the capital yesterday protesting a ban on plying of three-wheelers on highways MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

‘Child labour should be monitored’ n Anwar Hussain, Chittagong

Speakers at a view-exchange meeting held at a local hotel yesterday in the port city said the child labour in the country should be monitored effectively.

World Vision Bangladesh, a Non-Government organisation organised the meeting with government and non-government organisations for effective monitoring child labour in workplaces.

With Mrittunjoy Langcham, child protection officer of World Vision Bangladesh in the chair, the meeting was attended by representatives from different agencies including labour office, police, social service, child rights defenders, juvenile organisations, ward coun-

cillors, social workers and civil society leaders.

“The number of children involved with child labour has decreased over the years in the country.

Out of total 34 lakh, as many as 29 lakh children are still involved with hazardous jobs and 16 lakh are deprived of receiving salary,” said Mrittunjoy Langcham.

Though it is not altogether possible to eliminate child labour from the country in the existing socio-economic context, we can bring it down to a tolerable limit, the discussants said.

They also demanded including the occupation of house help into the category of hazardous jobs for children since one in four female

domestic helps become victims of some forms of physical or mental torture including sexual abuse.

The government published a list of 38 hazardous works for children including butchery, chemical, working in bidi-cigarette factories, handling goods in ports and ships and working as a driver’s assistant for bus, truck and human haulers.

The speakers also urged the officials of Labour Department to intensify their inspection so that the employers cannot employ children in hazardous occupations.

Kazi Shahidul Islam, assistant director of Labour Department, Chittagong urged the registered medical practitioners not to issue false fitness certificates to any underage children. l

A Chittagong court yesterday placed five members of banned Islamic outfit Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) on one-day remand in a mugging case filed in 2015.

They were Bulbul Ahmed Sarkar alias Fuad, Shah Jahan Kajol, Minhajul Islam Sajid, Nurunnabi Raju and Mahbubur Rahman Khokon.

The court of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Nurul Alam Nipu passed the remand order after the Investigation Officer (IO) of the case produced the five JMB men before the court with threeday remand prayer in Sadarghat mugging case,” Metropolitan Magistrate (CMP)’s Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) (prosecution) Kazi Muttaki Ibn Minan said.

On September 23, 2015, a team of JMB activists blasted several grenades while mugging a local businessman named Satya Gopal in Majirghat area of Sadarghat that left two JMB men killed.

During investigation of the bomb blast, police found JMB’s involvement. They arrested five JMB members, including Towfiqul Islam Javed, 22, head of the outfit’s explosive wing, in the city’s Khoyajnagar area on October 5, last year.

The police also recovered nine handmade grenades, ammunition and a massive amount of explosives from his possession. l

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News

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2016

CHAPAINAWABGANJ SHILPAKALA ACADEMY

Irregularities setback for cultural activities Correspondent, n Our Chapainawabgnaj Chapainawabganj Shilpakala Academy cannot play proper role in flourishing art and cultural activists as the state-run organisation is beset with multiple problems such as manpower shortage, corruption and mismanagement.

Cultural activists said they had lost interest about the institution due to bureaucratic tangle and different types of irregularities done by officials of it.

Moreover, authorities concerned yet to take any measure in three years to renovate the institution since a portion of the Shilpakala Academy building was vandalised by Jamaat-Shibir activists soon after the announcement of

death penalty against Delwar Hossain Saydee over commiting crimes against humanity during Liberation War on February on February 28, 2013.

The institution started its journey in 1955 as Pakistan Art Council.

Later in 1980, the institution was given the name “Chapainawabganj Shilpakala Academy” in 1980.

Currently, there are only 45 students who are learning music, dance, drama and arts from here.

Faizur Rahman, a cultural activist, told the Dhaka Tribune that the institution has been beset with manifold problem since its inception.

“We should present our culture to the people across the country, but we cannot do so for many reasons. It It is unfortunate that there

is no separate section for Ghambhira song, a type of song performed with a particularly distinctive rhythm and dance with two performers, which is considered as the main branch of folk song among the people of Chapainawabganj.

“The institution has remained under the grips of a vested quarter since its interception. As a result, the organisation has been proved futile to make artiste and projecting their talent.”

The district Shilpakala Academy fails to build coordination among cultural organisations of the district which is located on the north-western part of Bangladesh.

Mahbub Alam, a Ghombhira artiste, told the Dhaka Tribune that the institution had no artiste.

Moreover, the artiste who has po-

tentiality cannot enter into the organisation due to interruption of the vested quarter.

“The Shilpakala Academy does not organise any type of training to strengthen skills of artiste. Most of programmes are arranged centring special days such as Independence Day, Victory Day and International Mother Language Day.” The institution yet to win any kind of national-level competition since its inception.

He also alleged that authorities concerned of the institution could not take measures to preserve the history of the district, its tradition and its folk songs.

A Kashem Anu, an artiste of Mohananda Sangit Niketon, told the Dhaka Tribune that the remuneration which the institution provided

to artiste was not sufficient.

Shahjahan Promannik, secretary of Threatre, Chapainawabganj chapter, said the committee which looked after the academy was indulged in various irregularities.

District Cultural Officer Md Farukur Rahman said the allegation brought out against academy committee was not true.

“The problems created over the last 30 years could not be solved within a few days. We are trying to create coordination among cultural activists and artistes of the district.”

About the renovation of the academy, he said the higher authorities had already visited the institution to determine the damage and money needed for repair works of the organisation. l

Man kills wife over trivial matter n Our Correspondent, Kurigram A man has allegedly hacked his wife to death during their brawling over a trivial matter at Baitkamari village, Raomari upazila, Kurigram yesterday.

The murder took place yesterday morning and the corpse of Mariam Begum, wife of Hazrat Ali, a resident of the village, was sent to Kurigram Sadar Hospital morgue for an autopsy.

Soon after the incident, police detained the alleged killer from the village.

Quoting locals police said college going daughter of Ali and Mariam remained missing for several days and the couple around 8am locked in altercation over her disappearance.

At one stage, Ali hit his wife’s neck with a machete, leaving her dead instantly. l

Members of Bangladesh Community Healthcare Service Providers observe a sit-in on the premises of Central Shaheed Minar in the capital yesterday demanding nationalisation of their job MAHMUD HOSSAIN APU

Woman held over grandchild’s murder

Three policemen accused of assaulting youth at fair

Correspondent, n Our Jamalpur

n Our Correspondent, Sirajganj

Police have arrested a woman in Jamalpur for allegedly killing her nine-month-old grandchild by poisoning over a family feud.

The incident took place at Ranrampur village under the sadar upazila’s Sharifpur Union. Locals claimed Anguri Begum poisoned her grandchild Miraj on Tuesday

morning. The toddler was rushed to Jamalpur General Hospital and later to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital but could not be saved.

Police arrested Anguri, who reportedly confessed to her crimes.

She told reporters that her step-son Aminul Islam (Miraj’s father) had beaten her over a minor argument several days ago. She took revenge on her grandchild by poisoning him. l

Three policemen have been accused of assaulting a young man after altercations over a trivial matter at a trade show in Sirajganj.

The three constables – Sumon, Shamim and Ariful – are originally from Rajshahi range but were posted in Sirajganj for additional duty.

The 22-year-old victim, Hira, was admitted to Sirajganj Sadar

Hospital after the incident took place on Tuesday night. He is the son of Shahidul Islam of Hossainpur village.

Hira said the three police officials were in plain clothes and he protested their misconduct with a trader at the fair organised by the local chamber of commerce and industry at Shahid Shamsuddin stadium.

“I did not understand their iden-

tities at first. They assaulted me as I got into an argument with them.

They also hit me hard with bricks in my head,” he said.

Ziaul Hasan Talukder, additional superintendent of police in Sirajganj, yesterday said the accused policemen had been sent back to Rajshahi range in the morning.

“We have also written to police high-ups in Rajshahi to take action against the accused,” he added. l

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Feature

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2016

Govt primary schools in Bangladesh to go digital Photo: BIGSTOCK

n Syeda Samira Sadeque Taking yet another leap towards a future digital Bangladesh, last week, the government launched a historic program that will enable access to digital content and multimedia for children in classrooms from underprivileged communities.

The Government of Bangladesh, in partnership with BRAC and Save the Children, launched the program on February 14, building off the initiative by BRAC. “If we want to prepare Bangladesh further to become a middle income country, then we have to prepare the majority for the future,” Safiqul Islam, director of BRAC Education Programme, told the Dhaka Tribune.

“Those without access to proper schooling are suffering from the quality divide. We believe this initiative will make them more educated and confident as well,” said Safiqul.

In a world increasingly digital – there is still an almost stagnant gap between the middle class and lower socio-economic class, this initiative by BRAC is likely to bridge various voids.

The whole digital divide causes those without access to digital technology to fall behind, added Safiqul, further emphasising on the importance of this program.

The program aims to provide every primary school-going child with access to a computer and digital multimedia content as part of the curriculum.

“The tablets have materials that are engaging, with selflearning mechanisms,” said Safiqul. “For children who want to learn more, they have provisions to access more information as well.”

The program was initiated

by BRAC around two years ago across four schools in Dhamrai, Mymensingh and in one school in Korail, Dhaka’s biggest slum. After the pilot period proved to be a

Photo: DHAKA TRIBUNE success, the government officially launched the program and called for it to reach 20 million primary school students across the country.

So far, the success has been

great.

“It’s unbelievable how self-confident the children can become,” added Safiqul.

“Even parents are having a great experience, watching

their children have access to information they are unable to provide them.”

He added: “We are hoping children will also show more eagerness to learn.”l

Dr Sara Edenheim’s Public Lecture at BRAC University Under the Linnaeus Palme International Exchange Programme between the Department of English and Humanities, BRAC University and Umeå Centre for Gender Studies (UCGS), Umeå University, the BRACU English department hosted a public

lecture, titled, “Performativity as a Symptom: The Trembling Body in the Works of Judith Butler” by Dr Sara Edenheim, Senior Lecturer at UCGS, on February 23, 2016 at the university auditorium. Dr Edenheim’s lecture was based on her recently published peer-

reviewed academic paper of the same title. Her lecture was based on a number of works of Judith Butler, the contemporary iconic theorist of feminist and queer studies, and it reexamined Butler’s key theoretical terms such as, ‘performativity’ and ‘heterosexual

melancholia.’ Based on her reading of Butler, the speaker critiqued the dominant tendency within feminist scholarship to use Butler’s notion of performativity, often sweepingly, while not paying equal attention to the issue of ‘heterosexual melancholia’, originally a Freudian term to name the unnamed loss that constitutes human subject. According to the speaker, performativity is the symptom of the heterosexual melancholia which defines gender identities and the desires seemingly attached to it. She further argued to take

Butler’s notion of the ‘trembling body’ seriously, since the acknowledgement of embodied vulnerability might open up a newer form of feminist politics away from the established western liberalism. The session ended with a lively question and answer session from an engaged audience.

Professor Firdous Azim, the chairperson of the Department of English and Humanities, handed over the token of gratitude to the speaker, and on behalf of the department, Dr Rifat Mahbub, assistant professor, organised the event. l

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Interview

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2016

In conversation with Shambhu Acharya n

it to be a part of their exhibition. I said I don’t just want to hang things up on a wall. I will go there, sit in the middle of the paintings, and paint on the spot. They loved that idea, and it all took off from there.

Another amazing moment for me was a workshop I did at Gallery Kaya with a lot of famous painters, starting from Hashem Khan and Kalidas Karmakar. They were all incredibly interested in my work and wanted to learn how I make my

Shuprova Tasneem

Shambhu Acharya first came into the spotlight in 1999, when he participated in the Arts Worldwide Bangladesh Festival at the Spitz Gallery in London. A maestro of pata chitra (scroll painting), Acharya’s traditional artwork has been a part of his family for the last nine generations. This week, we sit down with this quiet and unassuming folklore artist, who still resides in his hometown of Bikrampur in Munshigonj, and talk about his work.

that folk motif as a foundation for art always works very well, and it will continue this way. I have three daughters and a son, and they are all involved in these traditions.

They don’t need to learn it, it’s in their blood. However, I do think you need to encourage this sort of work more, but it has to be done in a certain way. There were some representatives from the European Union who were really interested in my work and wanted to build an art school nearby. Although I appreciated their efforts, I turned down their offer. This sort of art has to come from within - you can’t shut yourself up in a fancy building and learn it. You have to immerse yourself in your surroundings, and really experience our land and rivers and greenery.

What are you working on now?

I have finished a series on independence, starting from the Battle of Polashi in 1757 to the Liberation War of 1971. Hopefully there will be an exhibition in Dhaka soon. I am also working on painting village scenes that the new generation cannot experience in this mechanised age - people processing rice using dheki, people using langol and haath-pakha, blacksmiths and potters doing their work etc.

What do you do in your leisure time?

All of my time goes to painting. I spend 16-18 hours a day on it. In fact right now, I have an unfinished canvas in front of me. Painting is my life and always has been.

When did you first get involved in pata chitra?

My family has been involved in this traditional form of art for nine generations, so it has always been a part of our way of life. Even before I learnt the alphabets, I had picked up a pen/brush and I could paint. I remember as a child that I got a lot of praise for my drawing. It wasn’t just the praise though - I loved painting so much that when we would copy out Tagore’s poems in school, I would write the lines and then draw the picture that came with it, even though there was no need to! I used to constantly draw the village scenery around me as well, it was like a game to me. So I can’t pinpoint exactly when I became a part of this tradition - it has always been a part of me.

What sort of material do you use in your artwork?

Everything that I use is natural and a product of our land. I make my canvas with thick cloth, and use tamarind seeds, brick dust, egg

What is your future plan?

I will continue to do my work, and I hope people will enjoy it.

I am more than happy to have exhibitions in the capital, and I can work anywhere in the world, but I have no need to move away from my home. I am from the village, and village life and our folk culture and mythology has been my inspiration since I was a child.

I have no reason to be away from my motherland.

Photo: Acharya’s painting at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London yolk, shagudana, chalta leaves, tilak etc. Although I do use paint brushes from the market, I also make brushes using fur from goats. I feel like even that gives my work a separate feel and texture and makes it part of this age-old tradition of scroll painting - the sort you just can’t get from using manufactured goods.

What do you consider to be a turning point in your career?

The Bangla Academy reached out to me to participate in the Arts Worldwide Bangladesh Festival.

They were in search for original traditional artwork, that portrays our folk culture at the grassroots.

They came to my house and looked at my work, and they really wanted

canvas and use my colours. It was wonderful!

What do you think has to be done to continue this traditional artwork?

I think our heritage and traditions will always exist, and you will see that a lot of modern artwork builds on this foundation. My belief is

What advice would you give to future folk artists?

We want everyone to do this work, but it has to be done right.

Nowadays a lot of people don’t have the patience to make their own canvas and use natural ingredients, and that makes me sad. You can’t use manufactured paint and canvas and paint something in the traditional style, because it does not have the essence of folk. It breaks our ancient traditions, and the people who see that art are being deceived. This art is not only perceived through the eyes, but through the heart, and you have to put your heart into it. l

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Editorial 11

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2016

INSIDE

Lest we forget It would be wiser for them not to comment further with regards to this issue, since it is quite clear how their defence of human rights seem to be unsatisfactory, in the context of bringing solace to the souls of the martyrs PAGE 12

Is the certificate all there is?

Both parties choose to turn a blind eye to it because they both benefit from it.

The university gets to boast the large number of students who are graduating every year from their institutions, and the latter acquires the all-important certificate -- a symbol of pride

BIGSTOCK

PAGE 13

AIIB membership matters

T

A president for Myanmar So, how does it matter who becomes president? Maybe it does matter for Suu Kyi personally, after devoting 25 years for political change in Myanmar. But, where she has emerged as the most powerful civilian of the country, national interest must precede any personal ambition 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.

he finance minister has expressed confidence that this month’s placing of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank bill before parliament will smooth the path to authorise membership of AIIB. It is vital that Bangladesh progresses plans to join the new multilateral institution, which were delayed ahead of January’s formal launch in Beijing due to the government’s failure to complete necessary formalities.

With the government now considering plans for a Tk70,000 crore public-private partnership to construct an elevated expressway over the Dhaka-Chittagong four-lane highway, it is more important than ever to increase the total potential finance available to support new infrastructure projects.

According to the World Bank, Bangladesh needs to invest over $74bn in the coming decade to bring power grids, railways, roads, and water supplies up to global standards. To achieve this, infrastructure investment will need to increase significantly from the current level of around 3%.

New funding sources for major infrastructure projects are essential to help Bangladesh improve the inadequate and outdated infrastructure which acts as a barrier to economic development.

The AIIB’s goal of raising $100bn for infrastructure projects across Asia is important for Bangladesh, as it will directly stimulate regional growth and create more global funding for major projects.

Joining the AIIB will help Bangladesh attract the new investment for infrastructure improvement which our economy needs to improve competitiveness.

Long-term investment to plug gaps in infrastructure is vital to help the goal of becoming a middle-income country and create new high value jobs.

Improving infrastructure is key to enabling the economy to attract and sustain the virtuous cycle of new investment it needs to sustain growth and fulfill its full potential.

Infrastructure investment is vital to improve competitiveness and fulfill our economic potential

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Opinion

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2016

Lest we forget International human rights bodies have spoken against the death penalty, but it is a punishment that fits the crime of the Pilkhana massacre

n Saquib Rahman

T

he long-awaited trials began on November 24, 2009. On November 5, 2013, after nearly four years of lengthy trials, the court passed capital punishment on 152 perpetrators for their involvement in the BDR Pilkhana massacre, when the nation lost 74 people, including 57 Bangladesh Army officers.

Moreover, 161 perpetrators were jailed for life, 256 were jailed for various terms, and 277 persons received acquittals. As readers must already know, the death penalty remains a valid form of punishment in Bangladesh under its penal code, and there is hardly any constructive and meaningful discussion from educated quarters re-evaluating the need for such forms of punishment.

One of the main reasons behind this is probably the fact that the majority of people in Bangladesh still believe that harsh forms of

Elahi Rahman Shafique, and so many other innocent men and women, and right now I equate justice with the implementation of punishments on the perpetrators through the court -- however harsh that punishment may be.

I would like to believe that the roles played by Desh, We’re Concerned, including my articles published in the Dhaka Tribune, have put necessary pressure on the government to efficiently carry out the trial process. It has taken over four decades to start any meaningful trials of perpetrators of crimes in 1971, when 3 million people lost their lives. It was our failure to successfully prosecute those who were involved at the time, which led to the spreading of the culture of impunity in my country like a deadly virus.

Moving on to November 29, 2015, Attorney General Mahbubey Alam prayed to the High Court to uphold the lower court verdict that sentenced 152 convicts for killing 74 people. Provided prayers of the

The nation saw 74 people brutally murdered on this day, seven years ago

It would be wiser for them not to comment further with regards to this issue, since it is quite clear how their defence of human rights seem to be unsatisfactory, in the context of bringing solace to the souls of the martyrs, their families, activists of Desh, We’re Concerned, and all concerned citizens who want DAD Syed Tauhidul Islam and his monstrous partners hung to death

punishment are still necessary for establishing the rule of law throughout the country, especially considering the perpetual impunity enjoyed by the high and mighty.

While there may come a point in time in the future when the death penalty in Bangladesh shall be abolished, the realities and circumstances that exist in the nation today are very different from the West, and are not favourable towards a ban on the death penalty.

Having founded “Desh, We’re Concerned,” the only organisation to have campaigned for proper justice of the carnage throughout the years, in all honesty, I do not have it in me now to call for a moratorium on the death penalty.

I want justice for the senseless killing of my father, Col Quadrat

prosecution are heard, I reckon that two big guns in the rights arena, namely Amnesty and Human Rights Watch, will start reacting.

Human Rights Watch, in a report in 2012, had mentioned that “the mass trials of nearly 6,000 suspects raise serious fair trial concerns.” Asia Director of Human Rights Watch, Brad Adams, in his statements had said that culprits must be brought to justice, but not through “unfair” trial.

Furthermore, “justice has not been served with the verdict which, if carried out, will only result in violation of 152 more people’s human rights,” Amnesty’s deputy Asia-Pacific Director Polly Truscott had stated, upon the lower court’s verdict, in 2013. Such a statement was followed by their bold expression against capital punishment: “The sentences seem

designed to satisfy a desire for cruel revenge. The death penalty is the ultimate cruel, inhumane, and degrading punishment and has not been proven to be a deterrent to crime.”

Some 57 officers who were the protectors of the land and had represented the nation with pride at international fronts, were shot. Then bayoneted, mutilated, and thrown down the manholes. So whose “cruelty” should any human with a heart prefer to consider when it comes to Pilkhana?

The death penalty can be labelled “inhumane” and “degrading” in accordance to bookish definitions, but those countrymen who had lifted the martyred bodies out of the manhole drains weren’t the only ones whose spirits were shattered.

Rather, the whole nation, through the media, had experienced what inhumane and degrading actions can be. It is unarmed officers and civilians being at the receiving end of such heinous crimes.

In this case, the argument against the death penalty, which states that it has “not been proven a deterrent to crime” is not something a son who remembers a mutilated face every time he remembers his father, is prepared to hear.

It is high time that Amnesty and Human Rights Watch come up with a proper sketch (since only complaining is not really helping) of how they expect this trial to be carried out for it to be “fair” in nature. And perhaps, care to explain how their scholars define “justice” to my mother, who has not spent a day without tears in her eyes in the past seven years.

Otherwise, it would be wiser for them not to comment further with regards to this issue, since it is quite clear how their defence of human rights seem to be unsatisfactory, in the context of bringing solace to the souls of the martyrs, their families, activists of Desh, We’re Concerned, and all concerned citizens who want DAD Syed Tauhidul Islam and his monstrous partners hung to death.

Therefore, as long as it can be shown that the trial process is meeting the standard practice in Bangladesh, in context of criminal

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

trials, the trial must carry on at its own pace.

Moreover, taking into consideration the possibility of a few cases regarding the torture of perpetrators inside the prison during the period of trial, and chances of the innocent being punished (as per rights bodies, international and otherwise) certainly should not invalidate the whole trial process.

Human rights are extremely important. However, if particular Westernised definitions of rights keep us from claiming justice, then the international bodies must accept it with grace that their brand of human rights may not fit everywhere.

Lastly, as to unearthing the mystery behind the killings and finding the men behind the guns, Desh, We’re Concerned over the years has demanded for a separate judicial inquiry commission. The commission would be headed by a retired Supreme Court justice and would conduct investigations and eventually provide a public report.

Therefore, simply punishments given to the perpetrators and the execution of the 152 jawans shall not be enough. Justice will only be served when the conspirators are found and brought to the courts of law. l Saquib Rahman is the founder of Desh, We’re Concerned, a registered society for rights and social awareness.

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Opinion

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2016

Is the certificate all there is?

Universities and students are prioritising the wrong things when it comes to education

n Nitol Dewan

A

ccording to the list provided in the website for University Grants Commission of Bangladesh, around 85 private universities are operating in Bangladesh with a significant number of students. Among those universities, five or six are operating under the court’s stay order. It means that these universities have either been closed down by the government or are running unauthorised campuses.

Undoubtedly, the future of students who are studying in these universities are at stake. Naturally, questions arise about the quality of education being provided in most of these private universities.

As a sizeable number of students are enrolled in these universities, the matter most definitely has a huge impact on the wider society.

Every year, a significant number of students pass through the SSC and HSC exams with grades that do not qualify them to apply for admission to public universities. Most of these students end up enrolling in private universities.

Those who manage to get admission in well-known private universities have the golden opportunity of receiving a quality education.

But such opportunities do not come to those who enrol in private universities, which lack qualified teachers and facilities -- requirements which are all but integral to ensuring a quality education.

Despite that fact, the enrollment of students in these universities is on the rise, and they are graduating from these universities with impressive CGPAs every year. This paints a disturbing picture in which the importance of attaining a certificate trumps the need for receiving a quality education.

Before we embark on that discussion, it should be mentioned that this problem is acknowledged by both university authorities and the students themselves. But both parties choose to turn a blind eye to it because they both benefit from it. The university gets to boast the large number of students who are graduating every year from their institutions, and the latter acquires the all-important certificate -- a symbol of pride.

This usual happy scenario will prove to be an incurable disease for the country’s development in the long run, that is, if steps are not taken to put a stop to the problem immediately, since it concerns

A certificate alone does not ensure a bright future the careers of those students in particular and overall development of the country in general.

It is a well-known fact that the quality of education has deteriorated in most private universities due to the authorities’ lack of attention on following standard procedures in hiring teachers and enrolling students as well as fostering the proper educational environment.

As for the students, most of them lack the motivation and interest to gain in-depth knowledge of the subject they are studying because of these very problems. Most students don’t even realise that a few years down the line, they might be sitting idle with a certificate in hand, struggling to find a good job or any prospects at all.

However, it goes without saying, the proper contribution of this significant pool of students who have graduated from, or are still studying in, these private universities, is necessary if we are to even think of some day developing the country to an acceptable level.

No one is more capable of bringing about change than the students of a nation -- I urge them

BIGSTOCK

Both parties choose to turn a blind eye to it because they both benefit from it. The university gets to boast the large number of students who are graduating every year from their institutions, and the latter acquires the all-important certificate -- a symbol of pride

to carefully think and decide on the career they want to follow and make the most of their education, which will eventually contribute to their own progress in life.

Ultimately, it always comes down to the individual, who has to accomplish everything on his or her own.

Nevertheless, the role of the UGC in ensuring quality education for all, cannot be overlooked. The problem which has surrounded private universities and its students can come to an end if providing permission to new private universities is closely monitored by a professional team.

Instead of blaming private university authorities, the

government should take strict measures in tackling the problem at its root, leaving no loopholes for universities which do not abide by the rules and regulations of the UGC to continue operating.

Such actions could inspire existing private universities to step up their own internal education systems, eventually benefitting the students.

Nelson Mandela once said: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” To neglect education is to neglect progress itself. l Nitol Dewan works in the development sector.

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Opinion

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2016

A president for Myanmar Can Suu Kyi seize this opportunity of steering her country to a path of democracy? nominations for the executive post. The NLD is considering appointing military MPs to key government posts and as chief ministers of states, and expect, in return, that the military bloc will favour suspension of 59(f).

However, this move could be counter-productive, as reports hint at the military being miffed by NLD’s nomination of members of the military bloc for constitutional posts, requiring them to resign from their military assignments to take up constitutional posts.

Suu Kyi the crusader is radically different from Suu Kyi the ambitious statesman

n Mihir Bhonsale

W

ide speculations have embroiled the nominations for the presidential candidate in Myanmar. The National League for Democracy (NLD) leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, who indisputably holds the key to the nomination of president, is keeping her cards close to her chest.

One common speculation that has emerged from political circles in the country is that the NLD is considering the option of circumventing the constitutional provision that bars Suu Kyi from becoming the president.

This speculation is a significant departure from Suu Kyi’s much publicised statement following her party’s landslide victory, that, in the NLD-led government in Myanmar, she would be “above the president.”

She had called the government that she intends to form as the “national reconciliation” government, suggesting attempt at rapprochement with the military. As to who will become the president, will depend on the outcome of the behind-the-scenes negotiations between the NLD and the military until March 17, which is the last day for nominating the president and vice-presidents in the parliament.

Suspending Article 59(f)

Article 59(f) of the constitution bars anyone whose spouse or children are foreign nationals from becoming the president or vice-president. The constitutional provision made by military rulers of the country in the 2008 constitution has remained the bone of contention, ever since the NLD’s participation in parliamentary politics, when they cornered 43 of the 44 seats they contested in the by-elections.

Now, the NLD is mulling over the option of moving a motion in favour of suspending the Article 59(f) of the constitution that would allow their leader to become the president. Unlike the previous constitution, the 2008 constitution does not mention whether an article of the constitution can be suspended or not. Any motion concerning constitutional provision can be passed in the parliament only by a two-thirds majority, and hence taking the military into confidence would be crucial.

The media has reported that hard bargaining is on between the NLD and the military for suspension of the constitutional provision 59(f). Media is also abuzz with reports of an instruction to NLD MPs by the party high-command to brace for a session of the parliament that is said to have the constitutional hurdle crossed.

Suu Kyi and the NLD are said to have kept their options open. With the nominations of speakers and

REUTERS

deputy in upper and lower houses of the parliament complete, bearing a mix of NLD and non-NLD MPs, including a former military general, Suu Kyi has shown much purpose to the term “national reconciliation,” that she calls the government her party is going to form.

Among the speakers also included an ethnic Karen, a Kachin, and an Arakanese. The move of nominating ex lowerhouse speaker and former Union Solidarity Development Party (USDP) chair Thura U Shwe Mann, a close ally of Suu Kyi to a legal affairs commission shows that she would leave no stone unturned in getting the constitutional provision suspended. Thura U Shwe Mann was in favour of repealing Article 59(f).

Successful rapprochement between the military and the government-elect is required for any constitutional provision to be suspended the military and USDP seems to be not interested in giving the concession to the NLD for suspending the 59(f). Even the military seems uninterested.

Commander-in-chief of the defence forces, Min Aung Hlaing, who has got himself another five-year term has remained tightlipped over the nominations for the executive post.

In the couple of meetings with the NLD chief to discuss power transition in the country, Hlaing is not reported to have discussed

So, how does it matter who becomes president? Maybe it does matter for Suu Kyi personally, after devoting 25 years for political change in Myanmar.

But, where she has emerged as the most powerful civilian of the country, national interest must precede any personal ambition

The only factor that could possibly make military commander Min Aung Hlaing to give in to the compromise is in return seek Suu Kyi’s assurance that her government will not infringe upon the military’s vast economic interests, nor seek revenge for abuses under years of junta rule.

The suspension of the article 59(f) has not found empathy from the presidential office either, whose spokesperson Ye Htut had gone on record stating that suspension of any constitutional provision is possible only during emergency. The USDP is also not likely to favour the suspension, after Shwe Mann appointment to the key position has led to an apparent split in the militarybacked party.

In the nation’s interest

Continuing to use the corridors of power as the sanctum sanctorum of reforms introduced by the erstwhile military-led government would remain the single most

important challenge for the newlyelected NLD government in the country.

Widening the web of democratic reforms and reconciliation with ethnic minorities should be the priorities of the government elect. Suu Kyi’s elevation to the corridors of power in Myanmar have hardly helped stop the heavy fighting between the Shan rebels and the army in the northern Shan state.

The political dialogue set to start soon with eight ethnic groups who have signed the ceasefire, the government elect has a task at hand when it comes to ethnic reconciliation. So, Suu Kyi and her party have to cautiously tread with government formation so as to not tarnish its image nationally and internationally.

She cannot set a bad precedent by subverting constitutional provisions for fulfilling her ambitions. Whether Suu Kyi becomes the president or not, it is clear that she will single-handedly lead the government, as she had indicated after her party’s victory in the November polls that she would be “above the president.”

So, how does it matter who becomes president? Maybe it does matter for Suu Kyi personally, after devoting 25 years for political change in Myanmar. But, where she has emerged as the most powerful civilian of the country, national interest must precede any personal ambition. But, as many commentators have noted, Suu Kyi the activist and democracy crusader is radically different from Suu Kyi the statesman, who harbours the personal ambition of leading the country.

Suu Kyi is only one among the many heroes who cut their teeth in the 1988 uprising against the tyranny of General Ne Win’s oneparty rule. She was then known to be a moderate leader among the many shades of political leaders opposing the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC).

Like Suu Kyi, a hundred thousand activists have sacrificed their lives to fight for bringing democracy to the country before and since 1988.

Aung San Suu Kyi must seize this opportunity of steering the country into a path of holistic welfare of its people and democracy. Whether she becomes the president or not is of little consequence, but her stewardship could determine a lot about the course of the country’s future. l Mihir Bhonsale is a Research Assistant at Observer Research Foundation, Kolkata.

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Business 15

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2016

INSIDE Industrial Policy 2016 gets cabinet committee nod The cabinet committee on public purchase has approved the Industrial Policy 2016 giving special focus on a list of high-priority industries and creative industries for next five years. PAGE 16

Taskforce to hunt tax evading foreigners n Syed Samiul Basher Anik

US to press G20 to do more for growth

Worried about global growth, the United States will press G20 powers to boost their economies when the group’s finance chiefs meet in Shanghai this week, a senior US official said. PAGE 17

China industrial overcapacity damaging global economy China’s overcapacity in heavy industries is wreaking “far-reaching” damage on the global economy, with steel production “completely untethered” from market demand, the European Union Chamber of Commerce of China said. PAGE 18

Capital market snapshot: Wednesday DSE Broad Index

4,579.5

-0.4% ▼

Index

1,120.1

-0.8% ▼

30 Index

1,757.8

-1.1% ▼

Turnover in Mn Tk

4,851.5 -15.1% ▼

Turnover in Mn Vol

148.7

1.7% ▲

All Share Index 14,165.3

-0.5% ▼

CSE 30 Index

12,806.3

0.0% ▲

8,609.0

-0.5% ▼

Turnover in Mn Tk

527.9

34.4% ▲

Turnover in Mn Vol

14.4

12.4% ▲

Selected Index

The government has decided to form a taskforce involving government and private sector stakeholders to bring the tax-evading unauthorised foreigners under the tax radar.

An inter-ministerial meeting has already been held recently to discuss about the formation a high-powered taskforce that will enhance monitoring on the unauthorised foreigners for realising income tax from them.

In addition, the taskforce will also bring the employer organisations under surveillance to check whether the companies are following the NBR’s instruction in appointing any foreigner.

The meeting was held at the NBR Headquarters in the city with NBR boss Nojibur Rahman in the chair.

It is reported that many of the foreigners working in different sectors do not pay their due taxes despite having taxable income.

Many of them are living and working in the country without any work authorisation and also leave the country secretly without paying their due taxes.

“Against such a backdrop, an inter-ministerial meeting has decided to form a special taskforce to monitor on the issues relating to unauthorised foreign workers,” said NBR Chairman NojiburRahman while talking to the Dhaka Tribune.

He said: “The NBR will soon sit with different government agencies and ministries, and also with the business bodies including Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) and other foreign chambers to finalise the work plan to implement the decision.”

The revenue authorities came up with the decision to enforce the monitoring activities in line

National Board of Revenue is working to prepare a database of foreigners working in Bangladesh with the Finance Act 2015 that has authorised the NBR to check tax evasion from illegal foreigners, said officials.

According to the finance bill 2015, if found guilty, the companies that employ unauthorised foreigners, will have to pay 50% additional tax from their total payable tax or Tk5 lakh as fine, whichever is higher, as penalty for giving jobs to foreign nationals without necessary documents and work permits.

Currently, the NBR is working on for the formation of database of foreign workers through collecting information from different employer agencies and from different government agencies.

To this effect, the NBR has already sought recorded list of foreigners from Board of Investment, NGO Affairs Bureau, Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA), Immigration of Bangladesh Police and Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to implement the tax provisions.

It has also sent letters to different employer organisations asking them to provide information about foreigners employed in their firms.

According to the Income Tax Ordinance 1984, a foreign national needs to open a tax file in Bangladesh if they stays in Bangladesh for a period of 182 days or more in a year, or stays 90 days or more in a year after staying 365 days in previous four years in Bangladesh. They also need to present their tax clearance certificates from the NBR while crossing the immigration desk before leaving the country.

However, most of the foreigners now skip payment of their due taxes because of lack of immigration check posts.

Under such a circumstance, the NBR has also decided to set up income tax booths at immigration check-posts to prevent the foreigners from leaving the country without showing tax clearance certificates.

According to the plan, the

Agrani Bank MD gets show-cause n Tribune Report Bangladesh Bank has served showcause notice to Agrani Bank Managing Director Syed Abdul Hamid for his alleged involvement in loan irregularities.

The central bank issued the notice last week, citing 10 serious irregularities.

According to the notice, Hamid was asked to explain by March 3 why action

will not be taken against him.

The allegations include providing loan without the knowledge of the board of directors of the bank, loan classifying and loan rescheduling, branch transfer, violating rules, issuance of interest-free advance loan, etc.

Moreover, the central bank ordered the Deputy Managing Director of the bank, Mizanur Rahman Khan, to stand

aloof from any official work due to his alleged involvement with Moon Group loan irregularities.

But ignoring the central bank’s order, Hamid gave Mizanur charges for different departments.

The letter reads Hamid was involved in activities that go against the depositors’ interest. He also violated the board’s instruction and the central bank rule. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

board will set up separate check posts at all the international airports by June this year and will establish similar check posts at other immigration points including the land ports in phases, confirmed the officials concerned.

Although all the foreigners are to pay income tax at a rate of 30% on their incomes, only some 10,000 of them pay income tax annually while the rest depart the country without paying any tax.

Officials said, a good number of foreign workers evade taxes with the help of their employers as they stay in the country on temporary basis by renewing their work permits after every three months.

Currently, around 4.5 lakh foreign nationals, mostly from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, China, Taiwan, South Korea and some European and African countries are working legally or illegally in Bangladesh. According to the BoI data, nearly 12000 foreigners receives work permit from the authority every year. l

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Business

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2016

Industrial Policy 2016 gets cabinet committee nod n Tribune Report The cabinet committee on public purchase has approved the Industrial Policy 2016 giving special focus on a list of high-priority industries and creative industries for next five years.

At a meeting yesterday, the fiveyear policy formulated by the Ministry of Industries received the cabinet committee’s approval to replace the existing Industrial Policy 2010.

Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed, alternative chairman of the committee, presided over the meeting held at the Cabinet Division office.

“The Industrial Policy 2016 has been approved today (Wednesday) to replace the existing one in place since 2010. The new policy has listed some industries tagging as ‘high-priority’ while the current one entailed a list of ‘priority industries’. The new policy also focuses on creative industries,” M Mustafizur Rahman, additional secretary of cabinet division, told journalists after the meeting.

According to the new policy, the high priority industries are the sectors that create large-scale employment through speedy expansion and earn substantial sums of export earning. These industries will get priority in receiving government incentives for rapid development.

Six sectors are included in the high-priority category: agriculture and food processing, garment, ICT and software, pharmaceuticals, leather and leather products, and

DBBL launches Virtual Card for online payments n Tribune Report Dutch-Bangla Bank Limited has launched Virtual Card for individual apps developers and programmers to facilitate online payments.

The Virtual Card was officially launched yesterday through a press conference arranged by Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS) and Dutch-Bangla Bank Ltd at Westin Hotel in the capital.

Earlier, Bangladesh Bank had directed all banks to issue the Virtual Card.

A Virtual Credit Card is an online card. It is usually a free service provided by the orginal card issuer to their customers who want to make payments online. l

A worker busy at a rawhide processing plant in Dhaka. The new industrial policy has put leather and leather products on the high-priority list along with other five sectors MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU jute and jute goods.

The creative industries mean the sectors producing aesthetic and creative products by using artistic and innovative thinking and techniques or modern technology.

These include architecture, art and antique, design, fashion design, film and video, interactive laser software, software, and computer and media programmes, according to the new policy.

A new arrangement is underway to map out the creative industries

across the country under fresh policy and the government is going to provide policy and institutional support for expansion of those industries.

The priority sectors and sub-sectors will get timely and separate investment incentives, according to the new policy. Bangladesh Bank, National Board of Revenue, Board of Investment and other related agencies will take necessary steps.

Particular investment incentives, incorporate subsidies and tax and duty rebate will be proposed

for the areas falling behind economically and in industrialisation.

Under the fresh policy, the sizes of industrial units will be redefined and a firm with an asset value of above Tk50 crore and having 300 employees will be considered as a large industrial unit. In the current policy, the figures are Tk30 crore and 250 employees respectively.

But if a garment unit having a staff of more than 1,000 will fall under the big industry category, according to the new policy. l

DSE, CSE seeks full tax exemption for FY’16 n Syed Samiul Basher Anik The stock exchanges have requested the National Board of Revenue to completely exempt them from income tax this fiscal year.

The authorities said the facility has been sought for the sake of smooth operation of the country’s bourses after demutualisation.

Dhaka Stock Exchange and Chittagong Stock Exchange sent separate letters to the NBR Chairman Nojibur Rahman recently making the request.

In its letter sent on February 14, the CSE argued that the bourse needed 100% tax-free benefit to enhance its financial and operational capacity for greater interest of the stock market.

The bourse fears that its net asset value will reduce and price of the shares may decline if the tax

is not exempted, which could lead to creating difficulties for the exchanges to get fair prices from the strategic shareholders.

As per Demutualisation Act 2013, the bourse will have to sell 25% of its total issued shares to the strategic shareholders by 2016.

It will be very difficult for the bourse to sell its shares at expected high prices to the strategic investors if the NAV is dropped, the letter feared.

The DSE, in its letter on February 10, said it would need complete tax exemption for continuation of its ongoing reform measures under the demutualisation scheme.

Once provided, the exemption will help DSE attract strategic foreign investors for selling its shares in line with the conditions of demutualisation, said the DSE letter signed by its Managing Director

Swapan Kumar Bala.

Both the DSE and CSE became demutualised stock exchanges in November 2013 following enactment of the Demutualisation Act. After the demutualisation, both the bourses turned into profit-oriented entities.

With the budget for the fiscal year 2014-15, the government offered tax exemption facility for 5 years in graduated reducing rate for demutualised stock exchanges to maintain stability in the country’s capital market.

As per the existing rules, DSE and CSE will enjoy relaxed income tax provision from their income until FY2018-19. This year, the exemption limit is 80% while it will reduce to 60% in the FY201617, 40% in FY2017-18, and 20% in FY2018-19. From 2019-20, the bourses will have to pay income tax at the rate of 35%. l

Stocks fall on profit booking n Tribune Report

Stocks fell yesterday as cautious investors opted for quick profits from early rise.

The market opened higher in the morning adding some points from previous day’s rally due to earnings declaration of some firms, but failed to retain the momentum due to short-term profit booking sell-off beginning from mid-session.

The benchmark index DSEX was down 19 points or 0.4% to close at 4,580, after gaining 20 points in previous session.

The Shariah index DSES shed 9 points or 0.8% to 1,120. The blue chip comprising index DS30 moved down 19 points or 1% to 1,757.

The Chittagong Stock Exchange Selective Category Index CSCX ended at 8,608, dropping 42 points.

Participation in trading also took a heat as DSE turnover stood at Tk485 crore, down sharply 15% over the previous session.

Investor attention was mainly focused on engineering, financial institutions and power sectors, together accounted for almost half of the total trade.

Rally in financial institutions offset some losses while banks came to spotlight on the day, surging over 1% Highest profit booking took place on cement sector that tumbled 2.3%, followed by food and allied 1.4%, power 1.1% and pharmaceuticals 0.5%.

Telecommunications and engineering declined marginally.

Rally in financial institutions offset some losses. Banks came to spotlight on the day, surging over 1%, driven by United Commercial Bank and Dutch Bangla Bank that gained nearly 5% and 3% respectively following their dividend declarations.

Non-banking financial institutions also moved up over 1%, led by Lanka Bangla Finance.

IDLC Investments said morning zeal could not linger as the day passed since the investors became skeptical to the sustainability of the index and opted for profit booking from all cap classes.

The market breadth was also negative as out of 322 issues traded, 110 closed positive, 160 negative and 52 remained unchanged.

The country’s leading steel maker BSRM Limited was the most-traded stock with a turnover worth more than Tk28 crore.

It was followed by Lanka Bangla Finance, United Commercial Bank, Lafarge Surma Cement, IFAD Autos and Square Pharmaceuticals. l

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17

Business

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2016

Obama: China knows it cannot sustain export-driven growth model n Reuters, Washington US President Barack Obama said China recognized it could not sustain an export-driven growth model indefinitely but that it would take time to change.

Speaking to state governors at the White House, Obama urged them to

press the US Congress to approve the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact to boost US exports in a region where China is “the 800-pound gorilla.”

Obama said it was tempting for China to try to solve its short-term problems by dumping state-subsidized goods into the US market but said his administration had made

clear to China that would not work, Obama said.

“They recognize that they can’t forever sustain an export-driven growth model, but it’s going to take some time and it’s tempting for them to solve short-term problems by just dumping a bunch of state-subsidized goods into the US

US Treasury Secretary Jack Lew (left) participates in a joint news conference with Australian Treasurer Joe Hockey at the G20 Finance Ministers meeting REUTERS

US to press G20 to do more for growth n AFP, Washington Worried about global growth, the United States will press G20 powers to boost their economies when the group’s finance chiefs meet in Shanghai this week, a senior US official said.

The official said that Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew, representing Washington at the Group of 20 meeting, will also travel to Beijing to press on his Chinese counterpart the need to stick to its reform plans.

“Globally there remains a shortage of aggregate demand,” the Treasury official said, insisting on anonymity.

“We think the global economy can do much better.”

The official pointed to China’s slowdown and weak growth in Europe as contributing to overall weak demand around the world.

He said Lew would recommend to his G20 counterparts at the February 26-27 meeting “that all levers of policy be deployed,” meaning fiscal spending, monetary policy and structural reforms.

The official said that it was especially important that countries with strong finances spend and invest more to boost demand, at home and internationally.

“More and more it is important that those countries with fiscal space utilize that fiscal space,” he said.

The US will also emphasize the need for countries to stick to pledges not to engage in competitive devaluations of currencies to boost export competitiveness, a crucial issue as China’s yuan weakens, challenging its rivals to follow suit.

Grand bargain to rescue global economy seen unlikely

Stubbornly weak demand, falling equity markets and currency volatility pose a challenge to the Group of 20 (G20) major economies that some are comparing to its April 2009 meeting, at the height of the global financial crisis, when ministers agreed on coordinated stimulus to avert a worldwide depression.

Many G20 members are urging stimulus and better policy coordination, but with no convergence about what to do a deal along the lines of the 1985 Plaza Accord, which reversed a detribalizing surge in the dollar, appears unlikely.

“Financial markets need something refreshing, but we are not expecting a ‘Plaza’-like policy accord,” said a Japanese official. “There’s no magic bullet.”

With divergent monetary policies exacerbating currency market volatility, China, the G20 chair in 2016, has said strengthening policy coordination and reducing “negative spillovers” from domestic policy measures was a “pressing task”.

Others, including the United States and Japan, are planning to urge G20 states to do more to counter market turmoil and use fiscal policy to support the global economy.

Pointless movie sequel

In 1985, the Plaza Accord was struck among just five industrialized countries. Today, the divergent interests between the major developed and big emerging economies that make up the G20 makes agreement on strong, coordinated action much harder, analysts say. l

market,” Obama said in response to a question raising concerns about China’s exports of iron ore.

“We’ve been very clear with them about the fact that that’s not going to work, and we’re going to put in place tools to make sure it doesn’t work,” he said. Obama also said the United States had made

clear China needed to have an orderly market-based currency system that did not advantage its companies over their US counterparts.

“Right now, frankly, their intervention is to prop up their currency rather than to devalue it, because a lot of people have been nervous about the Chinese economy,” he said. l

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18

Business

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2016

China industrial overcapacity damaging global economy n AFP, Beijing China’s overcapacity in heavy industries is wreaking “far-reaching” damage on the global economy, with steel production “completely untethered” from market demand, the European Union Chamber of Commerce of China said.

‘We cannot allow unfair competition from artificially cheap imports to threaten our industry’ The Asian giant’s steel industry makes more than the next four largest producers combined - Japan, India, the US, and Russia - the report said, warning that more than 60% of China’s aluminium industry has negative cash flow.

In just two years, its cement production equalled the amount produced in the United States during the entire 20th Century.

Brussels has launched new an-

A worker leans on the scaffolding at a construction site in Tokyo, Japan ti-dumping probes into Chinese steel imports, as producers in both Europe and Asia struggle with global prices that have plummeted in the face of oversupply.

“Overcapacity has been a blight on China’s industrial landscape for many years now, affecting dozens of industries and wreaking far-reaching damage on the global

REUTERS

economy in general, and China’s economic growth in particular,” the chamber’s report said.

The issue has led to trade tensions between the world’s second-largest economy and developed countries that accuse it of dumping in their markets.

China accounts for half of global steel production but internal

demand has slowed sharply along with economic growth, forcing it to look overseas. Its steel exports soared 20% in 2015, according to Chinese Customs data.

The EU launched probes this month into imports of Chinese steel, with trade commissioner Cecilia Malmstroem warning: “We cannot allow unfair competition from artificially cheap imports to threaten our industry.”

This month, Luxembourg-based world leader in steelmaking ArcelorMittal blamed China for a colossal $8 billion loss in 2015, at a time when thousands of jobs are being cut across the industry.

But many Chinese steel firms are also losing money, and Beijing has announced plans to cut production by as much as 150 million tonnes over the next five years.

Despite authorities’ vows to tackle excess production, the EU chamber report said Beijing’s prioritisation of industrial policies over consumption meant “the Chinese government’s current role in the economy is part of the problem”.

To achieve change, it said the government needed “a willingness to change itself”. l

CORPORATE NEWS

Minister for Liberation War Affairs, AKM Mozammel Huq has recently inaugurated a Centre for Research on liberation war at Bangladeh Open University campus in Gazipur

Banglalink and Wedding Diary have recently signed an agreement on providing Banglalink Priyojon customers with discounts on all services provided by Wedding Diary, said a press release. The agreement was signed by Md Mahbubul Alam Bhuiyan, head of CBM - B2C (marketing) at Banglalink and Prito Reza, director of Wedding Diary

Training institute of NCC Bank has recently organised two daylong training workshop on Flora Bank UBS for its officers, said a press release. The bank’s additional managing director, Mosleh Uddin Ahmed inaugurated the workshop as chief guest

Sonali Bank Limited has recently held a divisional conference in Chittagong, said a press release. The bank’s chairperson, Fazle Kabir was present on the occasion

Global political risks push investors to bulk up cash defenses n Reuters, Hong Kong With the threat of a UK exit from the European Union no longer just a distant prospect, already battered investors are shoring up defensive positions against a host of intensifying geopolitical risks, including a “Brexit”.

Investors typically dismiss political gyrations as sideshows that might cause temporary market turmoil but with little long-term impact.

However, with markets volatile and assets from developed market equities to emerging market bonds a sea of red, the unusually high number of geopolitical risks stalking investors this year could expose already bruised portfolios to further losses.

“When you look into 2016, the one thing very clear is there are more fat tail risks out there than we’ve seen for a long time,” said Paul O’Connor, co-head of multi-asset at Henderson Global Investors in London. Across most Henderson funds, cash levels as a percentage of total assets are in the mid-teens, he said.

A fat tail risk refers to the higher-than-normal likelihood of an otherwise unusual event that would lead to extreme movements in returns, technically more than three standard deviations from the mean.

Current key risks include the UK leaving the euro zone, South China Sea tensions, Middle East conflicts, falling oil prices, the European refugee crisis and a highly uncertain US Presidential race.

Crucially, tail risks are growing at a time when global growth concerns and recent market dislocation have made investors crowd into a small number of trades, notably long US dollar, short oil and emerging market positions.

That means tail risk events could spark a dramatic unwinding of these positions as large numbers of investors seek to sell at the same time. l

Sony-Rangs launches sales campaign n Tribune Business Desk Rangs Electronics Limited has recently declared a new sales campaign titled, Good Luck Promotion 2016 on occasion of Asia Cup and T20 World Cup 2016, said a press release.

The campaign includes several offers which will remain available at all SONY-RANGS showrooms.

Head of Bangladesh branch office of Sony International Ltd, Stanley Tan has inaugurated the campaign. l

19

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2016

| dialogue |

| fashion |

| food |

British Council organises policy dialogue

Ecstasy’s ‘Smart Wardrobe Solution’

Meraki celebrates the end of winter

A two-day Bangladesh Policy Dialogue titled “Social Enterprise: Impact and Opportunities” took place on February 24 at British Council, Dhaka. Organised by the British Council Bangladesh, the Dialogue will continue till today.

The event brought together around 100 policy experts, social enterprise and social investment intermediaries and practitioners from Myanmar, Malaysia, India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and the UK, which includes personnel from organisations such as Social Enterprise UK, BRAC, Dnet and mPower. The dialogue provides an opportunity to contribute to the development of a Social Enterprise policy framework in Bangladesh.

Hedayetullah Al Mamoon, ndc, senior secretary, Ministry of Commerce, inaugurated the Policy Dialogue as Chief Guest.

Mark Clayton, Deputy British High Commissioner in Bangladesh and Rubana Haq, managing director, Mohammadi Group were also present as special guests.

Barbara Wickham, director of British Council Bangladesh was also present among prominent members of the society.

“It’s great to see policy makers actively engaging around the issues that currently lack specific policies or legal framework necessary for social enterprise in Bangladesh. The lack of easy access to legal advice, intellectual property protection and bankruptcy laws as well as access to finance and other necessary ingredients in the social enterprise eco-system make the life of social entrepreneurs more difficult. So we’re really pleased to be able to assist policy makers in effectively addressing and resolving the issues and strengthening this important sector of the economy,” said Barbara Wickham.

The two-day dialogue consists of nine sessions involving 33 eminent guests and panellists from the relevant sector to discuss about pressing issues faced by social enterprises. At the end of the dialogue, it will provide a set of recommendations for the policy makers. Two of the sessions will showcase the British Council’s work on Business and Investment Readiness (BiR) and Innovate, Invest and Grow (IIG) projects in Bangladesh to a wider audience.

Notably, this is the second Bangladesh Policy Dialogue organised by the British Council in Bangladesh. l

DT

Biz Info

Popular food joint, Meraki has announced a weekend-long special menu alongside its a la carte menu, to bid farewell to the glorious winter season.

This offer will be available every night from February 25 to 27. Thursday night’s menu will feature a seafood buffet, Friday night, a BBQ buffet and on Saturday night, foodies can enjoy a candlelight dinner course at Meraki.

For reservations, call +8801974268268 and

+8801973268268. All cardholders of SCB, UCB and EBL can avail a 15% discount on the special offerings.

Meraki 188, Gulshan Avenue, Gulshan-2, Dhaka.l

| welfare | If you like to match up with bae when you step out, there’s one less reason to stress about what to wear. This month Ecstasy introduces a formal and casual duet wardrobe for her and him, under the tag line “Smart Wardrobe solution”. Because twinning is winning. l

| fashion |

Natai Ghor

Shahid Hamid FIH, executive director of Dhaka Regency Hotel & Resort donates clothes to Pat Kerr MBE, overseas director of Shishu Polli Plus (SPP)

| welfare |

Blood donation campaign at Six Seasons

Founded in 2011 by Shimanto Hassan, inspired by his passion for Bangladeshi folklore and heritage, Natai Ghor aims to become the country’s leading lifestyle brand and manufacturer of genuine handcrafted clothes.

Their recently released Spring 2016 line is an explosion of warm orange, marigold and yellow, as well as deeper plum shades for sultry evenings, all in the comfiest of cotton. l

Marking this year’s International Mother Language Day, Six Seasons Hotel organised a blood donation campaign on February 17, at the hotel premises to pay tribute to the heroes who sacrificed their lives for the recognition of Bangla as our state language. Approximately,

30% of the hotel’s employees participated in this blood donation drive. As a part of Six Seasons’s CSR program, the hotel aims to organise this initiative every year. The entire campaign was supported by voluntary institution, Sandhani.l

DT

20

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2016

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Swift (5) 4 Liable (3) 6 Dash (4) 8 Reserved (5) 9 Extinct bird (4) 11 Indigo (4) 12 Show contempt (5) 15 Of the kidneys (5) 18 Incite (4) 20 Poker stake (4) 21 Ridiculous sham (5) 22 Spoken (4) 23 Poor actor (3) 24 Water pitchers (5)

DOWN 1 Bellows (5) 2 Examine searchingly (5) 3 Postpone (5) 4 Soon (4) 5 Implement (4) 7 Proverb (5) 10 Prima donna (4) 13 Midday (4) 14 Church office holder (5) 15 Weapon (5) 16 Norwegian (5) 17 Vegetables (5) 18 Long deep cut (4) 19 Minute particle (4)

Downtime CODE-CRACKER How to solve: Each number in our CODECRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 20 represents B so fill B every time the figure 20 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

DT

World 21

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2016

INSIDE

IN PICTURES: Amnesty identifies 10 key examples of countries violating human rights on massive scale CHINA

EGYPT

Modi lays low during JNU, Haryana unrests Amid the clamour of unrest sweeping university campuses and the state of Haryana near New Delhi, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has decided on a strategy that risks emboldening political opponents: silence is golden.

Escalating crackdown against human rights activists including mass arrests of human rights lawyers and series of harsh laws to remove dissenting opinions REUTERS

GAMBIA

Arrests of thousands in the name of national security, prolonged detention of hundreds without charges and trial, and the sentencing of hundreds of others to death AFP

HUNGARY

PAGE 23

Torture, enforced disappearance, and the criminalisation of LGBTI people, refusal to co-operate with UN on freedom of expression FLICKR USING CREATIVE COMMONS

Trump’s third straight win has rivals looking for answers Real state mogul Donald Trump inched closer to the US Republican presidential nomination after easily outdistancing his rivals in the Nevada caucuses Tuesday, giving him his third win in four early nominating contests.

PAGE 24

ISRAEL

Maintaining military blockade in Gaza as well as failing to comply with UN call to conduct credible probe in to war crimes committed during 2014 Gaza conflict AFP

PAKISTAN

Austria, Balkan nations, seek full stop to migrant influx

Severe human rights violations of its response to horrific Peshawar school massacre and its policy of shutting down international NGOs REUTERS

SAUDI ARABIA

Sealing off borders to thousands of refugees from Syria in dire need of shelter, and obstructing collecting regional effort to help them REUTERS

KENYA

Extra-judicial executions, enforced disappearance, and discrimination against refugees in its counter-terrorism operations REUTERS

RUSSIA

Refusal of acknowledging civilian killings in Syria and moves to block UN security council’s action in Syria AFP

SYRIA

Government ministers from Austria and Balkan nations along the migrant route toward Western Europe declared Wednesday that an eventual complete stop to the influx of people overwhelming the continent is inevitable due to security and other concerns, reports Associated Press.

PAGE 24

Brutally beheading those who dared to advocate reform or criticise ruling al-Saud family, and committing war crimes inj its military campaign in Yemen AFP

Killing thousands of civilians in direct or indirect attacks blocking international aid, and through acts of torture in detention AFP

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22

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2016

Advertisement

More JNU students arrested on sedition charge n AFP, New Delhi

New Delhi police said Wednesday they had arrested two students wanted in a sedition case that has sparked major protests after the pair gave themselves up following nearly two weeks on the run.

Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya surrendered to police at midnight on Tuesday after a court refused to grant them anticipatory bail in a case over a rally at the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi, at which a group allegedly chanted anti-India slogans.

The pair are accused of being among the organisers of the event at the JNU campus.

They face the same charge as JNU student union leader Kanhaiya Kumar, whose arrest earlier this month has brought thousands of students and teachers onto the streets. Many were outraged when Kumar was assaulted by right-wing lawyers as he appeared in court for a preliminary hearing last week in an apparently orchestrated attack.

Delhi police spokesman Rajan Bhagat said Khalid and Bhattacharya would be produced before the court later Wednesday.

Khalid’s lawyer Kamini Jaiswal said the two men had decided to cooperate with police, who had issued a wanted notice for them at the time of Kumar’s arrest on February 12 and alerted airports to stop them travelling abroad.

The two students have said they went into hiding out of fear for their safety following the attack on Kumar, but were ready to face justice.

The February 9 rally was held to mark the hanging of Afzal Guru over a deadly attack on India’s parliament in 2001. Guru denied plotting the attack carried out by Kashmiri separatists and some say he was not given a fair trial. The case has caused outrage at both ends of the political spectrum. On Wednesday the student wing of the ruling BJP came out on the streets to defend the government’s actions. l

23

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2016

INSIGHT

SOUTH ASIA

Modi lays low during JNU, Haryana unrests n Reuters, New Delhi Amid the clamour of unrest sweeping university campuses and the state of Haryana near New Delhi, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has decided on a strategy that risks emboldening political opponents: silence is golden.

Advisers describe a leader who is on top of events, but who prefers not to get sucked into rowdy debate on India’s public square.

In recent weeks, thousands of students have protested across the country over the arrest of a student leader for alleged sedition, while anger among the powerful Jat community over castebased job quotas spilled into deadly clashes in Haryana.

An adviser said that Modi would instead give a sober assessment of recent unrest to parliament, which convened this week for its budget session in a climate of confrontation that is likely to further stall his ambitious economic reform agenda.

At the weekend, rather than intervening, Modi blamed unnamed outside conspirators for “hatching conspiracies every day to finish and defame me”.

Leaders have echoed his rhetoric, with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday criticising “false propaganda, anti-government propaganda”.

Modi’s reticence, also evident during floods last year and a high profile attack by militants in early 2016, has undermined the image of a decisive leader who swept to power in May, 2014, defeating a Congress government led by the taciturn Manmohan Singh.

A new opinion poll showed Modi’s popularity holding up, while Congress has bounced back from its dire election showing of 2014, validating a strategy of blocking reforms and latching on

n AFP, Rome Italy’s highest court on Wednesday nullified a regional law in Lombardy dubbed “anti-mosque” by critics, easing regulations on the construction of places of worship in the country’s north.

The law, drawn up by the anti-immigrant party Northern League and voted in at the start of 2015, tightened rules regarding all religious buildings, but was wide-

Jumbo row over S Lanka’s elephant gift to NZ PM Sri Lanka gave visiting New Zealand Prime Minister John Key a baby elephant on Wednesday, sparking anger from animal rights activists who said it was cruel to separate her from her family. President Maithripala Sirisena presented a deed of ownership for five-year-old “Nandi” during a red-carpet welcome in Colombo for Key, who arrived for a two-day official visit.

-AFP

INDIA

India approves $150m Iran sea port plan India approved a $150m project to develop the strategic Iranian port of Chabahar, which includes a transit route to Afghanistan bypassing neighbouring Pakistan, a government statement said Wednesday. New Delhi signed a multi-million-dollar memorandum of understanding with Tehran last May to develop the port on its southeastern coast, but the deal had been stuck since.

-AFP

CHINA

China: Media ignores other South China Sea claimants’ weaponry A Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student walks past a graffiti inside the university campus in New Delhi on Wednesday REUTERS to protests as they flare up.

Leadership vacuum?

Modi’s silence on unforeseen events contrasts with his reputation as an effective communicator, through rousing speeches and social media, when broadcasting his vision of inclusive growth and development for India’s 1.3bn people.

When he does retreat from public view, aides have been known to step in, not always with happy consequences.

After the arrest for sedition of Kanhaiya Kumar, a student leader in New Delhi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh circulated a fake tweet that falsely suggested a campus protest had the support

of a notorious Pakistani militant.

Delhi’s police chief showed no remorse when officers failed to prevent lawyers manhandling Kumar in court, while education minister Smriti Irani backed a decision to fly Indian flags on campuses across the country as a reminder to “anti-national” elements.

In Haryana, its chief minister fell foul of the powerful Jat caste, which turned to violence when he failed to meet their demands for affirmative action on jobs and education.

More than a week of protests killed 19 people, injured 170, destroyed businesses, paralysed transport and cut water supplies to metropolitan Delhi. l

Anti-mosque law thrown out by Italy’s top court ly believed to target the wealthy region’s Muslim community.

It required new places of worship fit into the “architecture of the Lombard landscape” and be voted in by local referendum.

It also stipulated the religion in question be officially recognised by the state -- which Islam is not, because it lacks a signed agreement with the government.

According to the interior ministry, at the start of 2015 there were

DT

World

1.6m Muslims in Italy, 26.5% of whom lived in Lombardy, which boasts the country’s oldest and second largest mosque.

While there are over 700 places of Islamic worship in the country, there are only six official mosques, with many Muslims instead praying together in make-shift areas in a growing phenomenon the ministry dubs “garage mosques”.

The high court has yet to publish the motives of its ruling, but

the government had previously denounced the law as going against “the exercise of fundamental rights of religious freedom” and the principle of equality among citizens.

“The left cheers Allah Akbar,” Northern League hardliner and the region’s president Roberto Maroni said on Twitter, while Matteo Salvini, the League’s president, posted his “congratulations to the Islamic court” on its ruling. l

China on Wednesday complained the media were ignoring radars and weapons deployed by other claimants in the South China Sea, and unfairly targeting China, following reports of its deployment of fighter jets and radars on Paracels islands in the South China Sea. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying reiterated that as far as China was concerned, there was no dispute over ownership of the Paracels. -REUTERS

ASIA PACIFIC

Thailand to cut rice production Thailand’s prime minister on Wednesday told farmers to cultivate less rice to help the country manage its intensifying water crisis, as experts called this year’s drought the worst in decades.

Prayut Chan-O-Cha, the junta leader who grabbed power in a military coup two years ago, said his administration was working on a 20-year strategy to diversify the country’s agricultural sector. -AFP

MIDDLE EAST

Syrian opposition yet to agree to fighting halt Syria’s main opposition group said it has yet to commit to a US-Russian plan to stop fighting in Syria on Saturday, underlining rebel doubts over a deal they fear will not prevent Russian air strikes against them. Combatants are required to say whether they will agree to the cessation of hostilities by noon on Friday.

REUTERS

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World

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2016

USA

GOP: No hearings, no votes for Supreme Court nominee President Barack Obama urged the Republican-run Senate on Wednesday to fulfill its constitutional responsibility and consider his Supreme Court nominee, pushing back on GOP leaders who insist there will be no hearing or vote when he names a successor to the late Justice Antonin Scalia. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday that his 54-member GOP caucus was united against taking any step in the Senate’s advise and consent process.

-AP

THE AMERICAS

Morales loses referendum on extending presidency Bolivian President Evo Morales has lost a referendum on whether he could change the constitution to remain in power for a fourth term, the electoral commission confirmed late Tuesday. With 99.72% of votes counted, electoral board president Katia Uriona said that 51.3% of voters cast no ballots in the referendum, against 48.7% voting yes. -REUTERS

UK

Amnesty criticises UK for downgrading human rights Britain is setting a dangerous precedent by undermining human rights and contributing to a worldwide culture of impunity, Amnesty International has said in its annual report. Plans to scrap the Human Rights Act, the UK’s absence from EU refugee resettlement schemes, proposed new spying laws and the alleged downgrading of human rights are all cited by the group as evidence of a trend. THE GUARDIAN

EUROPE

Hungary to hold referendum on EU’s migrant quota plan Hungary will hold a referendum on European Union plans for a system of mandatory quotas, an initiative that Hungary’s government has rejected, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Wednesday. He said the plebiscite, the first of its kind in Europe, would be a major test of European democracy.

-REUTERS

AFRICA

Ten dead in Mali tribal violence At least 10 people were killed in northern Mali in the last week in reprisal killings over the murder of a tribal elder, officials told on Tuesday. A series of clashes took place between members of the Tuareg people, sections of which have led uprisings against Mali’s government for decades. Some have recently forged alliances with jihadist groups, while others are frequently accused of banditry.

-AFP

ANALYSIS

Trump’s third straight win has rivals looking for answers n Reuters, Washington, DC Real state mogul Donald Trump inched closer to the US Republican presidential nomination after easily outdistancing his rivals in the Nevada caucuses Tuesday, giving him his third win in four early nominating contests.

Broadcast networks called the state for Trump almost immediately after voting ended, with the state Republican Party confirming the victory soon after.

With returns still being tabulated, Florida Senator Marco Rubio was in second place, with Texas Senator Ted Cruz coming in third.

Trump’s decisive win is likely to further frustrate Republican establishment figures who, less than a month ago, were hoping that the outspoken billionaire’s insurgent candidacy was stalled after he lost the opening nominating contest in Iowa to Cruz.

But since then, Trump has tallied wins in New Hampshire, South Carolina, and now Nevada, with a suite of southern states ahead on March 1, so-called Super Tuesday.

Polls suggest Trump will do

US presidential nominations Trump wins Nevada Republican caucuses

100% counted

45.9 23.9

Donald Trump

Marco Rubio

21.4

Ted Cruz

4.8

3.6

Ben Carson

John Kasich

Source: RealClearPolitics

well in many of those Super Tuesday states, placing further pressure on Cruz, Rubio, and Ohio Governor John Kasich, another presidential candidate who was not a factor in Nevada, to come up with counter-measures quickly.

In the run-up to Nevada, most of Trump’s rivals left him alone, preferring to tussle with each other in a bid to be the last surviving challenger to the front-runner.

Not long after Trump’s win was certified in Nevada, Cruz’s campaign released a statement criticising Rubio for not winning the state, but did not mention Trump at all.

Rubio, who has emerged as the Republican establishment’s favourite to derail Trump’s progress, can take some solace in finishing second. But that also has to be viewed as somewhat of a setback considering that he had frequently campaigned in Nevada, having lived there for years as a child. A Cuban-American, he had attempted to rally the support of the state’s large Latino population.

Rubio had also benefitted from the departure Saturday of Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor, from the race. That brought

an influx of new funds, a bevy of endorsements, and a wealth of media attention. But none of it was enough to overtake Trump.

As for Cruz, he is facing mounting questions about the viability of his campaign. After Cruz’s Iowa win, Trump has made serious inroads among his core base of conservative supporters, draining anti-government hardliners and evangelicals.

Cruz attempted to appeal to Nevada’s fierce libertarian wing, appealing directly to those who supported local rancher Cliven Bundy’s armed protest against the federal government in 2014 and a similar more recent one staged by Bundy’s sons at a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon. But that, too, was not enough.

The upcoming March 1 primary in his home state of Texas is looming as a make-or-break moment for him.

Nevada’s contest had been viewed as a test of whether Trump had organisational might to match his star power. He had no such problems in Nevada. And he is expected to win the bulk of Nevada’s 30 delegates, That would give him more than 80 before February ends, dwarfing the tallies of Cruz and Rubio. l

Austria, Balkan nations, seek full stop to migrant influx n Tribune Desk Government ministers from Austria and Balkan nations along the migrant route toward Western Europe declared Wednesday that an eventual complete stop to the influx of people overwhelming the continent is inevitable due to security and other concerns, reports Associated Press.

“It is not possible to process unlimited numbers of migrants and applicants for asylum,” said a declaration issued by a meeting of EU members Austria, Slovenia, Croatia and Bulgaria, as well as Albania Bosnia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia. It cited “limited resources and reception capacities, potential consequences for internal security and social cohesion as well as challenges with regard to integration.”

At the same time, the document focused mostly on reducing the inflow of people — some fleeing war and persecution, others economic hardship — rather than totally cutting off the migrant flow into Austria, and from there to the

rest of Western Europe.

Noting that the right to asylum does not include choosing “a country of preference,” the document calls for common standards of registration and entry criteria for those with realistic chances for asylum.

“The migration flow along the Western Balkans route needs to be substantially reduced,” says the 19-point document. It declares that all nations at the conference will refuse entry to all “without travel documents, with forged or falsified documents or migrants making wrongful statements about their nationality or identity.

It urges all EU nations that have signed on to the Schengen agreement on open borders to refuse entry both to those who do not satisfy the entry conditions and to those who do but do not use the opportunity to apply for asylum.

Foreshadowing the declaration’s contents as she convened the meeting, Austrian Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner said her country wants not only to crimp the immigrant influx but to

Migrants wait to cross the border from Slovenia into Spielfeld in Austria last week REUTERS

put a full stop to it.

Austria is dealing with more than 90,000 applications for asylum — the second highest number in the EU proportionate to the country’s population. Austria has recently capped the number of asylum-seekers it will accept daily at its borders to 80, and limited the number of refugees it will let pass through the country.

That creates a bottleneck of refugees that is hurting nations fur-

ther south, including EU member Greece, the first point of landing for most of the migrants arriving by boat from Turkey.

The EU has set up a scheme to share 160,000 migrants arriving in Greece and Italy. Even that would be only a fraction of the total numbers, but so far, barely 600 people have been relocated, and only some EU partners have offered places for them — fewer than 5,000 spots in all. l

DT

Sport 25

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2016

WHAT DHONI SAID

INSIDE

ON ROHIT SHARMA The wicket was difficult. When you put on a score of around 160 runs on a wicket, it looks like scoring is easy but in reality it is not. We needed a partnership after we lost three early wickets and that was the right time for Rohit to step up. Good thing is Hardik Pandya went out and played big shots and Rohit made sure that he got more of the strike and stayed till the end. Overall he used the pace of the bowler and exploited the field well. I feel that was the kind of batting which was really needed and because of Rohit, Hardik could express himself and we got those extra 15-20 runs. Otherwise we thought a score of around 140 would be a good one.

AKM Zakaria will be sorely missed AKM Zakaria is widely known as an archaeologist, historian and translator, both at home and abroad, but his contribution in the early stages of the Bangladesh sports arena was rarely mentioned.

He was well renowned for his research work. PAGE 26

ON PANDYA’S KNOCK

Afridi reconsidering retirement Shahid Afridi yesterday said he was reconsidering plans to leave Twenty20 international cricket as he is facing pressure from his elder family members and close friends.

Afridi, who turns 36 next week, had retired from one-day cricket last year. PAGE 27

Indian batsmen Rohit Sharma (L) and Hardik Pandya run between the wicket during their 61-run partnership while Bangladesh's Mustafizur Rahman looks on during their Asia Cup T20 opener in Mirpur yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

Rohit drop vital: Mashrafe n Mazhar Uddin

Time’s right, says outgoing Baz New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum insisted the time was right to quit international cricket yesterday despite hitting one of his best innings just days earlier. It was not the way the 34-year-old wanted to retire, as Australia completed a 2-0 series sweep. PAGE 28

Memphis says he has not justified price tag Manchester United winger Memphis Depay has said he has not lived up to expectations since his big-money transfer from Dutch side PSV Eindhoven, but is working hard to improve.

Memphis joined United in June for a reported 25m pounds. PAGE 29

Shakib al Hasan’s dropped catch of Rohit Sharma early in his innings proved to be pivotal in the end as India romped to a relatively comfortable 45-run win over Bangladesh in the Asia Cup Twenty20 opener at Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday.

Rohit was batting on 21 when Shakib grassed a regulation catch and the Indian opening batsman grabbed the lifeline with both hands, adding a further 62 runs to his tally to propel his side to a challenging 166/6.

In reply, the Tigers managed only 121/7 with Sabbir Rahman’s 32-ball 44 the only consolation of the innings.

And according to Tigers limited-over skipper Mashrafe bin Mortaza, it would have been a totally different ball game altogether if the catch was taken.

“Yes, obviously it could have been a different case if Shakib held on to that catch but it’s part of game so we cannot do anything about it. In the matches you can drop catches. Regarding Shakib’s field placement, our main fielders usually stay around the boundary region in the latter stage of the in-

nings. At the same time, we had to keep a good fielder at point and Shakib is one of our best fielders.

But unfortunately, he missed it,” Mashrafe informed the media during the post-match press conference.

The Bangladesh bowlers did well right until the 15th over when India were batting on 97/3. However, Rohit, alongside Hardik Pandya, rescued the innings, putting on 61 runs

for the fifth wicket and Mashrafe believes the pair took the game away from Bangladesh’s grasp.

“Hardik obviously played his role but I think Rohit Sharma was the key as he got out in the last over and was set on the wicket.

He batted till 19.2 overs and that was the vital point. If a set batsman is on the wicket he can turn the game for his team in any situation,” he added.l

Hardik is a game changer. I have always said people who can bat and bowl they are the ones who can contribute in this format and the more you have, the better it is. If you have four or five parttime bowlers like Suresh [Raina], Yuvraj [Singh] and Virat [Kohli], it allows you to have more options. I feel it’s a game where having those all-rounders really helps. In other formats you often debate if you want a batsman at number seven or a proper bowler at seven or eight.

I feel it is a game of all-rounders and that’s why Hardik is good.

–MINHAZ UDDIN KHAN

SCORECARD INDIA INNINGS R B R Sharma c Soumya b Al-Amin 83 55 S Dhawan b Al-Amin 2 6 V Kohli c Mahmudullah b Mashrafe 8 12 SK Raina b Mahmudullah 13 13 Yuvraj Singh c Soumya b Shakib 15 16 Pandya c Mahmudullah b Al-Amin 31 18 MS Dhoni not out 8 2 RA Jadeja not out 0 0 Extras (b 1, lb 2, w 3) 6 Total (6 wickets; 20 overs)

166

Fall of wickets 1-4 (Dhawan), 2-22 (Kohli), 3-42 (Raina), 4-97 (Yuvraj), 5-158 (Sharm), 6-158 (Pandya) Bowling Taskin 3-0-22-0, Al-Amin 4-0-37-3, Mustafizur 4-0-40-0, Mashrafe 4-0-40-1, Mahmudullah 2-0-9-1, Shakib 3-0-15-1 BANGLADESH INNINGS Soumya Sarkar c Dhoni b Bumrah Mohammad Mithun b Nehra Sabbir Rahman c Dhoni b Pandya Imrul Kayes c Yuvraj b Ashwin Shakib run out (Sharma/Dhoni) Mushfiqur Rahim not out Mahmudullah c Sharma b Nehra Mashrafe c Jadeja b Nehra Taskin Ahmed not out Extras (lb 4, w 6)

R 11 1 44 14 3 16 7 0 15 10

Total (7 wickets; 20 overs)

121

B 14 3 32 24 8 17 6 1 15

Fall of wickets 1-9 (Mithun), 2-15 (Soumya), 3-50 (Imrul), 4-73 (Shakib), 5-82 (Sabbir), 6-100 (Mahmudullah, 16.3 ov), 7-100 (Mashrafe) Bowling Nehra 4-0-23-3, Bumrah 4-0-23-1, Pandya 4-0-23-1, Ashwin 4-0-23-1, Jadeja 4-0-25-0

India opener Shikhar Dhawan is castled by an Al Amin Hossain scorcher during their Asia Cup T20 encounter in Mirpur yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

India won by 45 runs MoM: Rohit Sharma (IND)

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2016

TALKING POINTS ROHIT SIZZLES AGAIN Rohit turned out to be Bangladesh’s nemesis in the World Cup quarter-final clash between the two sides last year and the right-hander yet again made merry yesterday against the Tigers bowlers. Following a reprieve on 21, Rohit took the opportunity with both hands, blazing his way to a fine 55-ball 83, featuring seven fours and three sixes.

DEATH OVERS COST TIGERS The Bangladesh bowlers kept a lid on proceedings right till the 15th over when India were struggling on 97/4. India though shifted their gear from thereon in, blasting 69 runs in the last five overs. Rohit, alongside Hardik Pandya, hammered the opposition bowling attack to all corners of the stadium. In the context of the game, the last five overs of the Indian innings is where Bangladesh probably lost the momentum, and with it, the game.

ABJECT BATTING SHOW In pursuit of 167, Bangladesh never looked settled and kept losing wickets in clusters. The untried and untested opening wicket pair of Soumya Sarkar and Mohammad Mithun failed to deliver and apart from Sabbir Rahman, who made a 32-ball 44, none of the other batsmen crossed 16.

–MAZHAR UDDIN

MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

SHABBY FIELDING DISPLAY Bangladesh’s fielding was not at all up to the mark after skipper Mashrafe bin Mortaza won the toss and decided to bowl first under overcast conditions.

Among all the misses however, the dropped catch of Rohit Sharma on 21 proved to be extremely costly as the Indian opening batsman added a further 62 runs to steer his side to a challenging total. Shakib al Hasan was the culprit while Taskin Ahmed was the unlucky bowler on that occasion.

New-look Lankans begin title defence against UAE n Minhaz Uddin Khan Holders Sri Lanka will begin their defence of the Asia Cup when they face the United Arab Emirates today evening at Mirpur’s Shere-Bangla National Stadium. The game begins at 7:30pm and Star Sports 1, Maasranga TV and GTV will telecast it live.

The Lankans won the last edition of the regional competition two years ago defeating Pakistan by five wickets at the home of cricket in Mirpur. However, a lot has changed since then, especially in the defending champions’ personnel.

Since the last Asia Cup, the island nation has seen drastic changes in the dressing room with veteran stalwarts like Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene hanging up their boots after storied careers that included a World Twenty20 win two years ago.

Opening batsman Tillakaratne

Today's Match 7:30PM at SBNS

Sri Lanka v UAE Maasranga TV, Gazi TV, Star Sports 1

Dilshan is one among few experienced campaigners left in the side and the good news for the Lankan fans ahead of the World T20 next month is that the right-hander is still going strong.

Alongside captain Lasith Malinga, left-arm spinner Rangana Herath and vice-captain Angelo Mathews, Dilshan will be looking

This is the first encounter between Sri Lanka and UAE in T20Is, although the teams have met in ODIs in 2004 and 2008.

T R I V I A

to shepherd a new-look team, and in the process, build up some momentum ahead of next month’s global showpiece event in India.

The Lankans arrived in Bangladesh on the back of a morale-shattering defeat against India in a three-match Twenty20 international series earlier this month.

UAE, in contrast, have current form in their favour. In the recently concluded qualifying round, the Emirati outfit got the better of fellow Associates Afghanistan, Hong Kong and Oman and the Lankans would do well not to underestimate them.

UAE have not qualified for the World T20 but that will hardly bother Amjad Javed’s troop who will be keen to make the best use of the opportunity, bearing in mind that this is only their third ever appearance in the Asia Cup. This will be the first instance of the UAE meeting the Lankans in the shortest format. l

Shaiman Anwar made only 48 runs in the three qualifying matches, but he is UAE’s highest scorer in T20s.

Earliest sports organiser Zakaria will be missed n Tribune Report Abul Kalam Mohammad Zakaria is widely known as an archaeologist, historian and translator, both at home and abroad, but his contribution in the early stages of the Bangladesh sports arena was rarely mentioned.

He was well renowned for his research work and has received the country’s highest civilian award, the Ekushey Padak, in 2015 and the Bangla Academy award in 2006 but it was only last year when the Bangladesh Sports Press Association honoured him with the award of the “Veteran Sports Organiser”.

But Zakaria Sir, also a former chairman of the Bangladesh Asiatic Society, was unable to attend the BSPA programme due to his ill health. And after a seemingly never-ending fight with lung and kid-

ney complications in the last three months, he breathed his last in the capital’s Samorita Hospital yesterday. He was 97.

He was the country’s first secretary of education, culture and sports but was forced to retire in 1976, only five years after taking over. During his tenure, he led the pioneering role in forming 21 sports federations of the country.

Apart from his professional and personal life, his endless research and writings, Zakaria Sir still had time for sports. He played football during his days as a Dhaka College and Dhaka University student.

Later, he became the vice president of the Bangladesh Football Federation at a time when football was at its lowest peak. He also served as the president of the Bangladesh Volleyball Federation from 1976-83.l

Veteran sports organiser Abul Kalam Mohammad Zakaria (3L) pictured with former India Prime Minister Indira Gandhi (C) in 1972

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2016

IN NUMBERS 0

QUICK BYTES Kerber crashes out in Qatar Open

Number of home Tests lost by New Zealand out of the 12 they had played under Brendon McCullum’s captaincy before this series.

Angelique Kerber was one of at least seven seeds who crashed out of the Qatar Open on Tuesday, in the German’s first singles tournament since winning her first Grand Slam title in Melbourne last month. The Australian Open champion lost her second round match - she received a first round bye - in straight sets 7-5, 6-1 to China’s Zheng Saisai, who is ranked 70 places below the world number two.

–AFP

7-0

Australia’s win-loss record in Tests under Steven Smith, in 11 Tests. They are yet to lost a Test under him since he started captaining in 2014-15.

10

Successive Tests by Australia in New Zealand without a defeat.

2010-11

The last time New Zealand lost two or more consecutive home Tests before this. They had lost two Tests to Australia and then to Pakistan in three consecutive home matches in 2010-11.

Pressure on LVG in Midtjylland return Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal remains a man facing problems as he has no margin for error as he attempts to maintain his team’s chances of a European trophy when they face Midtjylland at Old Trafford on Thursday.

United’s 2-1 defeat away to the previously unheralded Danish champions in their Europa League round of 32 first leg last week was a significant embarrassment for Van Gaal, with the local newspaper, the Manchester Evening News, calling for him to be sacked the day after the match.

–AFP

Mourinho hopes to be back in summer Jose Mourinho says he is in the dark about a possible switch to Manchester United but that he hopes to be back in football this summer.

The Portuguese, who was sacked as manager by Chelsea in December despite winning the English title last year, has been heavily tipped

by British media to take over from current United head coach Louis van Gaal in June but he was coy when asked by students at Singapore’s North Light secondary school.

–REUTERS

Sukur risks jail for ‘insulting Erdogan’ Turkey’s former international football star Hakan Sukur risks up to four years in jail after being charged with insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in posts on Twitter, reports said yesterday.

Prosecutors have charged Sukur with posting Tweets from his account @HakanSukur containing “insulting content against Mr President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his son,” the private Dogan news agency reported.

In his defence, Sukur, 44, said he did not intend to target the president in his posts, the content of which was not made clear.

–AFP

8

Australian captain Steve Smith (C) holds the trans-Tasman trophy with his team after winning the second Test against New Zealand at the Hagley Park in Christchurch yesterday AFP

Instances of two Australia batsmen scoring a century and another fifty-plus score in the same Test. In this Test, Joe Burns made 170 and 65 and Steven Smith 138 and 53 not out.

Australia’s return to the top hit by controversy n AFP, Christchurch Australia sealed a 2-0 series victory over New Zealand to reach the top Test ranking yesterday but captain Steve Smith was forced to defend their aggressive style as he was charged with dissent.

With Smith smacking 53 off 46 balls, Australia polished off the 131 runs they needed on the last day to reach their 201 target just after lunch in what was New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum’s final Test.

The match had no sooner finished than Smith was charged over

Tuesday’s profanity-laced confrontation with the umpires that earlier saw fast bowler Josh Hazlewood fined 15 percent of his match fee.

Adam Voges was not out 10, while the only wickets to fall on day five were those of Joe Burns for 65 and Usman Khawaja for 45 as Australia finished on 201 for three to win by seven wickets.

The victory confirmed Australia’s superiority after they won the first Test by an innings and 52 runs, and allowed them to overtake India as the world’s top Test side.

“It’s always special when you get to number one in the world.

That’s our goal as a team to be number one in the world in every format of the game,” Smith said.

However, Smith also had to dispute suggestions that Australia, often controversial over their uncompromising play and habit of sledging, or insulting the opposition, were cricket’s bully boys.

“I don’t think we’re not nice guys. We play a good hard, aggressive brand of cricket,” Smith said.

“For us it’s about knowing where that line is and myself and Josh Hazlewood have crossed that line in this Test match and that’s not what we’re about.

BANGLADESH CRICKET LEAGUE

East, North in driving seat n Mazhar Uddin East Zone paceman Abu Jayed and off-spinner Iftekhar Sajjad starred with the ball on the opening day of the third round in the Bangladesh Cricket League longer-version yesterday as South Zone were bundled out for 262 at Sheikh Kamal International Cricket Stadium.

In the other match of the day at the same venue in the coastal town of Cox’s Bazar, Central Zone were struggling on 243/8 against table-toppers North Zone.

East v South

Batting first, bottom side South were in early trouble, losing both their openers – Shahriar Nafees (18) and Fazle Mahmud (17) - in quick

4TH BCL, RD 3, DAY 1 Central Zone 243/8 in 73 overs (Sharif 46*, Sharifullah 46, Ariful 3/43) v North Zone South Zone 262 in 78.1 overs (Tushar 78, Mosaddek 65, Jayed 4/62) v East Zone 0/0 in 2 overs succession.

Sajjad (3/67) then dismissed Anamul Haque (11) and it was left upto veteran cricketer Tushar Imran (78) and youngster Mosaddek Hossain (65) to rebuild the innings.

The fourth wicket pair did just that, adding 147 crucial runs.

However, just when South were well on their way to a competitive first innings tally, Jayed (4/62) in-

tervened, dismissing both Tushar and Mosaddek.

South were unable to continue the momentum thereafter, losing their remaining seven wickets for 67 runs.

Central v North

Taking first guard, Central kept losing wickets at regular intervals and were eventually dismissed for 243 with as many as five players crossing 30.

In the face of some disciplined bowling by the North bowlers, led by seamer Ariful Haque (3/43), Central were unable to stitch together any significant partnership.

Mohammad Sharif and Sharifullah top-scored for Central with identical 46s. l

“Hopefully we can learn from that and continue to develop as a team and get better.”

For New Zealand the drubbing by their arch-rivals put a cloud on the much-loved McCullum’s farewell, as their captain took his final bow on the world stage after 101 Tests.

“We’re obviously disappointed to lose the Test match and the series but the right team won,” McCullum said.

“We threw everything at them at key times but they were able to withstand us. It’s not the ideal way to go out but at the same time, I’ve had a great time.”l

Evergreen Afridi reconsidering retirement n AFP, Dubai Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi yesterday said he was reconsidering plans to leave Twenty20 international cricket as he is facing pressure from his elder family members and close friends.

“I had announced that I will leave all cricket after the World Twenty20 in India but my elder family members and some friends are putting pressure on me to continue playing Twenty20 cricket, so I am thinking on that,” Afridi told.

“I have a family who told me that I retired from one-day on my own so I have to consider their advice on the Twenty20 retirement, but I have to look at all the factors before taking a final call,” said Afridi. l

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2016

Messi magic leaves Arsenal spellbound n AFP, London Lionel Messi left Arsenal spellbound as the Barcelona striker’s clinical double sealed a 2-0 last 16, first leg victory that put the Champions League holders firmly on course for the quarter-finals on Tuesday.

Barca coach Luis Enrique joked this week that all he needed to do was shout “Abracadabra” for Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez to deliver the kind of magic display that would bewilder the Gunners.

STATS ARSENAL

0-2

BARCELONA Messi 71, 83-P

35 7 2/1 4 1 3 1/0 13 361 291

Possession (%) Total attempts on target blocked Corners Offsides Yellow/Red Fouls committed Passes Passes completed

65 16 5/4 7 7 1 1/0 14 731 648

On this occasion, it was Messi who answered his coach’s call with a second-half brace as the Spanish champions survived a stern examination from Arsene Wenger’s side to escape the Emirates Stadium with a result likely to condemn the hosts to a sixth successive last-16 exit.

The leaders of La Liga, chasing a sixth European Cup triumph, are now unbeaten in 33 games in all competitions - a blistering streak

that includes 14 wins from their last 15 games.

After being dazzled by Messi’s magic wand, it will take an act of astonishing escapology for Arsenal to go through in the return leg at the Camp Nou on March 16.

“I liked everything about us today from the very beginning,” Luis Enrique said.

“I liked the way we scored and we had plenty of possession.

“Our opponent defended with every player in their own half but we still managed to hamper them.”

Wenger added: “Barcelona is a great team. The regret I had was we looked like we could dominate the game, then we give the goal away.

“Realistically it is very, very difficult, if not impossible (to make the quarter-finals).”

Aware that Arsenal’s refusal to curb their attacking instincts had left them fatally vulnerable in the Champions League knockout stages, Wenger set out to stifle Barca with a cautious game-plan.

Nacho Monreal had clearly taken Wenger’s words to heart and he earned an early booking for chopping down Ivan Rakitic. But there was more than just mindless muscle to Arsenal’s approach.

Aaron Ramsey sent Mesut Ozil clear down the left edge of the penalty area with an exquisite backheel and then raced onto the German’s return pass for a powerful shot that was blocked by the visitors.

Only a last-ditch block denied Hector Bellerin, with the rebound falling to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, whose scuffed close-range shot was straight at Barca goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen. l

Barcelona's Lionel Messi celebrates scoring their second goal against Arsenal at the Emirates on Tuesday AFP

Time’s right: Baz

SCORECARD NEW ZEALAND FIRST INNINGS 370 (B. McCullum 145, C. Anderson 72, B. Watling 58; N. Lyon 3-61)

n AFP, Christchurch

AUSTRALIA 1ST INNINGS 505 (Burns 170, S. Smith 138, A. Voges 60; Wagner 6-106, Boult 2-108) NEW ZEALAND 2ND INNINGS 335 (K. Williamson 97, M. Henry 66; Bird 5-59, Pattinson 4-77) AUSTRALIA 2ND INNINGS (overnight 70-1) J. Burns b Boult U. Khawaja c McCullum b Southee S. Smith not out A. Voges not out Extras (lb4, nb2)

R

B

65 45 53 10 6

162 66 46 19

Total (3 wickets; 54 overs)

201

Fall of wicket 1-49 (Warner), 2-113 (Khawaja), 3-179 (Burns) Bowling Boult 17-1-60-1, Southee 7-2-30-1, Henry 9-1-33-0 (nb1), Wagner 18-4-60-1 (nb1), Anderson 3-0-14-0 Result: Australia won by seven wickets Series: Australia won 2-0

0-2

NZ captain Brendon McCullum stands alongside his family after they lost the second Test against Australia in Christchurch yesterday AFP

New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum insisted the time was right to quit international cricket yesterday despite hitting one of his best innings just days earlier.

It was not the way the 34-year-old wanted to retire, as Australia completed a 2-0 series sweep by winning the second Test by seven wickets.

But McCullum did mark his swansong in trademark fashion, setting records for the fastest century and most sixes in Test history (107).

When the match ended, with an Adam Voges four getting Australia to the 201 they needed for victory, there were emotional scenes as McCullum led his side from Christchurch’s treelined Hagley Oval.

Australian captain Steve Smith, not out 53, ran over to shake McCullum’s hand.

When New Zealand had needed patience to occupy the crease for long periods of time to save the Test, McCullum could not hold back his natural aggression.

He smashed a first innings 145 in 79 balls, including the first ever 54-ball century, and 25 off 27 in his second bat.

But despite his own heroics, what mattered most for McCullum was the result and it did not turn out as wanted in his 101st and final Test.

“It’s not the ideal way to go out but at the same time, I’ve had a great time,” he said. “We’re obviously disappointed to lose the Test match and the series but the right team won.”

As he shut down his international career there were no tears from McCullum, although he was moved by a guard of honour by the Australians. l

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2016

Bayern expect to advance despite Juve fightback n Reuters

terrorising the Italians with constant attacks down the Bayern Munich remain con- JUVENTUS 2-2 BAYERN flanks.

Wide men Douglas Cosfident of advancing to the Dybala 63, Mueller 43, ta and Arjen Robben outChampions League quar- Sturaro 76 Robben 55 manoeuvred their markers ter-finals despite blowing a 36 Possession (%) 64 time and again as the Gertwo-goal lead in a thrilling 12 Total attempts 14 mans missed a hatful of op2-2 draw at Juventus in the portunities to further drive first leg of their Round of 16 7/3 on/off target 5/8 home their superiority in a encounter on Tuesday.

2 blocked 1 commanding first hour.

The 2013 champions 3 Corners 4 They were left frustratwere well worth the 2-0 1 Offsides 0 ed in the end, however, lead they had opened up knowing they had passed after a dominant hour in 1/0 Yellow/ Red 3/0 up on a victory that would Turin before the Italians hit 13 Fouls committed 18 almost certainly have been back with two goals in the 311 Passes 666 enough to secure a place in final 27 minutes to restore the last eight. parity ahead of the return 262 Passes completed 607 “We are going back with leg in Munich on March 16. a queasy feeling because we thought we would “We should not make the mistake and leave here with a win,” said keeper Manuel Neuwrangle too much with this result even if we er, who needed to be at his vigilant best to prewere leading by two goals during the game,” serve a draw as Juventus pushed for an unlikely Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge told a winner late in the game. post-match dinner early yesterday.

“We were playing well but suddenly it be“This is a very, very good result which came hectic and the atmosphere in the stadium keeps the door to the quarter-final wide open,” became more intense.” he said after Bayern failed to make it three Bayern are expected to be stronger in the straight wins against Juve in Turin. second leg with winger Franck Ribery and Juve, last season’s beaten finalists, have central defender Medhi Benatia gaining vallost just twice in their past 46 home games in uable playing time as late substitutes as both Europe, both times against the Bavarians, who marked their return from injury. again looked likely winners for much of the “I am confident that we can do it, that we match. can qualify. The coaching team and the playDespite a makeshift backline due to a string ers can pull it through in three weeks time,” of injuries to central defenders, coach Pep Rummenigge said. l Guardiola’s team took charge from the start,

STATS

DAY’S WATCH CRICKET MAASRANGA TV, GAZI TV, STAR SPORTS 1 7:30PM Asia Cup T20 2016 Sri Lanka v United Arab Emirates

STAR SPORTS 2 10:00AM Ranji Trophy 2015/16 Final Day 2: Mumbai v Saurashtra

FOOTBALL UEFA Europa League 2015/16

TEN SPORTS 10:00PM Lokomotiv Moskva v Fenerbahce 12:00AM Liverpool v Augsburg 2:00AM Man United v Midtjylland

TEN SPORTS UEFA Europa League 2015/16 12:00AM Rapid Wien vs. Valencia 2:00AM Tottenham v Fiorentina

TEN CRICKET UEFA Europa League 2015/16 12:00AM Athletic v Marseille

United’s Memphis says he has not justified price tag n Reuters Manchester United winger Memphis Depay has said he has not lived up to expectations since his big-money transfer from Dutch side PSV Eindhoven, but is working hard to improve.

Memphis joined United in June for a reported 25 million pounds ($35 million) after finishing the previous campaign as the Dutch league’s top scorer with 22 goals, but has struggled to settle in England.

“I haven’t yet lived up to everything people expected of me,” Memphis told British media.

“I have a lot of expectations of myself, and it will come - confidence and experience will help. You have to learn from your mistakes and keep working hard to improve.”

The winger said he was working closely with former midfielder and United assistant manager Ryan Giggs in a bid to find consistency and eliminate the mistakes.l

Bayern Munich forward Robert Lewandowski (C) jumps to head the ball between Juventus defender Patrice Evra (R) and Andrea Barzagli during their UCL round of 16 first leg match on Tuesday AFP

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Showtime

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2016

From the sets of Bhuban Majhi n Showtime Desk Parambrata Chatterjee and Aparna Ghosh starrer Bhuban Majhi, a Liberation War drama, is currently being shot in Kushtia.

A few released photos and videos showed us a glimpse of how the film’s cast and crew are having a great time working on the drama.

Fakhrul Areefen Khan, the director, shared how the team recently enjoyed a charming, moonlit night under the open sky, making the best of their times spent together. Despite having gruelling dawn-to-dusk shooting schedules, the actors have managed to enjoy any free time they’ve had.

To kill the monotony of their shoots, they even organised a few cricket matches where three teams under the leadership of lead actors. With Parambrata’s team, Team Nahir, finally defeating the rest.

“No particular ‘71 themed set has been created. The entire film is being mostly shot outdoors,”

says Khan. The film will consist of wide screen shots as it is not being confined to a particular studio set.

The National Award winning film-

maker earned plaudits after making his debut documentary Al Badar.

In the film, Parambrata plays the role of Nahir Baul, a spiritual

singer. Singers are usually not the type of people cut out for wars, but Nahir is inspired to join the struggle for independence by

a young lady, Farida, played by Aparna Ghosh.

The director also praised the lead actors, especially Parambrata, saying, “He is a good performer and also a good person. He possesses the extraordinary ability to get into character, immediately after learning its space and time.”

Kalikaprasad is in charge of composing the songs for the film.

Mamunur Rashid, Shushama Sarker, Nawshaba, Majnun Mijan, and singer Syed Waqeel Ahad are also part of the cast.

As was initially planned, the film went on the floor on February 4 and by March 10 the production set to complete shooting in Shelaidaha, Kushtia where the base camp for the shoots is located. Later, the team will shoot a few more scenes in Dhaka before wrapping up in Kolkata.

Bhuban Majhi’s filming is scheduled to conclude

by September and the film is predicted to come out in December, this year. l

Sanjay Dutt to walk out of prison today

Spanish artist Esperanza Romero’s works on display

n Showtime Desk

n Showtime Desk

Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt will be released today around 9am from the Yerawada Central Jail in Maharashtra. Dutt has served more than 50 months out of the five-year sentence pronounced by the court for possession of illegal arms in the March 12, 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts case. A regular remission was granted to Dutt by the authorities on account of his good conduct.

During his five-year term in prison, the actor prepared paper bags and received the salary of a “semi-skilled worker” which is currently set at Rs50 per working day. Dutt will be paid Rs450 rather than at least Rs38,000 as he has spent much of the amount on buying daily use items from the prison canteen.

A petition citing inequality has been filed by Pradeep Bhalekar in the Bombay High Court against the release of the celebrity prisoner.

Bhalekar had earlier written a letter asking Bombay High Court to stop Dutt’s release. The letter was disposed off by court.

Sanjay Dutt has been advised to take a chartered plane back home to avoid the media glare.

Celebrations have already begun

A 10 day solo exhibition of Spanish artist Esperanza Romero titled Unknown Spirit was inaugurated at the Gallery Cosmos-2 in the capital’s Mohakhali DOHS area on February 20, Saturday.

Nazim Farhan Choudhury, managing director of Adcomm, Amparo Porta, head of Inditex chair of Spanish Language and Culture, Dhaka University and eminent artist Shahid Kabir

to welcome Sanju Baba as his family, including wife Maanyata, kids Shahran and Iqra and sister Priya Dutt, awaits his return.

Friends are expected to pour in to meet Baba, as he is fondly called.

Scheduling his own plan, Sanjay will be visiting Siddhivinayak temple and will offer his prayers.

Afterwards he will be going to visit his mother Nargis’ grave.

As Dutt prepares for his release from prison, Mrs Maanyata Dutt has apparently instructed Sanjay Dutt’s marketing team to let it be known to producers that the post-incarcerated actor will not be available to play negative roles.

Positive roles are being whipped by three friendly directors Raj Kumar Hirani, Umesh Shukla and Sanjay Gupta who have scripts ready for the actor. l

inaugurated the exhibition while Kalidas Kormokar and Monirul Islam were also present.

Art patron Nevine Sultana organised the event.

Shahid Kabir said the works were poetic and the artist worked very methodically.

A number of Spanish expatriates living in Bangladesh gathered at the inaugural session.

Romero’s work includes the Unknown Spirit series, Migration 2, Mirando la tarde, Bandada de Pajaro, Narcissus and Icarus.

Esperanza Romero obtained a BA degree from the Camberwell School of Art, London, and a Master’s Degree from the Royal College of Art. She started an international career with exhibitions in France, Holland, Germany, United Kingdom, Spain, China, Italy, India and Japan.

The exhibition will remain open from 12pm to 8pm until February 29. l

Rosey Siddique reflects on Ponchonari Akkhyan

n Promiti Prova Chowdhury Rosey Siddique’s solo play Ponchonari Akkhyan narrates the tales of five women from five different social backgrounds.

The talented artist shares that the play has been her biggest achievement so far, and she feels blessed to have won the hearts of millions. The play was first staged in Virigina, USA in 2012.

Recently, the play was staged at Jahangirnagar University for the 27th time.

“It is not a drama, but a statement that in a male

dominant world, women’s pain is universal,” Siddique told Showtime. Every time the show is arranged, she feels the same kind of anxiety that she felt the first time it was staged. However, a deep sense of accomplishment sets in once each staging comes to a close.

Rosey plays five female roles in Ponchonari Akkhyan which is aimed at showcasing how women lack recognition as human beings and are humiliated, often regardless of their social and financial backgrounds.

The play, Rosey’s first on-

stage monologue, was written

by Harun Rashid who works with renowned theatre group Aronnok. He wrote the play in 2012 when Dhaka Theatre, the theatre group which Rosey belongs to, went to Virginia to perform at Bongomela, a congregation of the Bangla speaking community in the US. After the first show, the play received a highly positive response.

“I was extremely panicked during the rehearsals, however, after finishing the performance I felt proud to have successfully

represented my country at the fair,” shared Rosey.

Rosey went through a nervewrecking month long rehearsal period before hitting the stage, as her husband and director of the play Shahiduzzaman Selim “is a perfectionist,” she states.

“At that time Selim was sick.

So we decided that I would do a solo play. I would say that the play was like a gift from God. Even today, whenever I perform for this play, once the curtains close, I have to chat with the audience for at least two hours.

The response is overwhelming every time,” she said.

Why should someone go watch Ponchonari Akkhyan? In reply to the question, the jovial artist said: “Because it helps raise awareness on how we should be friendly to women, alongside which it also gives us a glimpse of how hard their lives are.”

Afzal Hossain designed the set and Wasim Ahmed was the light designer behind the 80 minute long play, while Shimul Yusuf and Chandan Chowdhury directed the musical scores. Rosey wholeheartedly thanks Shahiduzzaman Selim and Shimul Yusuf, who she claims have been the greatest inspiration behind the play. She especially mentions her two daughters – Toma and Sreema – who help her out with the music and costumes whenever the play is staged.l

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2016

WHAT TO WATCH Captain America: The First Avenger Star Movies 3:50pm Steve Rogers, a rejected military soldier transforms into Captain America after taking a dose of a “Super-Soldier serum”. But being Captain America comes at a price as he attempts to take down a war monger and a terrorist organisation.

Cast: Chris Evans, Tommy Lee Jones, Hugo Weaving, Hayley Atwell, Sebastian Stan.

Iron Man 3 Zee Studio 9:30pm Tony Stark is a self-described genius, billionaire, playboy, and philanthropist with mechanical suits of armor of his own invention. When his world is torn apart by a formidable terrorist called the Mandarin, he starts an odyssey of rebuilding and retribution.

Cast: Robert Downey Jr, Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, Stephanie Szostak.

Step Up 2: The Streets HBO 7:33pm Romantic sparks occur between two dance students from different backgrounds at the Maryland School of the Arts.

Cast: Briana Evigan, Robert Hoffman, Adam G Sevani, Cassie Ventura, Will Kemp.

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Back Page

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2016

IS THE CERTIFICATE ALL THERE IS? PAGE 13

INDUSTRIAL POLICY 2016 GETS CABINET COMMITTEE NOD PAGE 16

AMAR EKUSHEY

FROM THE SETS OF BHUBAN MAJHI PAGE 30

BOOK FAIR 2016

Nor’wester wreaks havoc on Boi Mela n Nure Alam Durjoy

A sudden spell of nor’wester and hailstorm wreaked havoc on Amar Ekushey Boi Mela venue yesterday, with visitors getting access to the grounds for only an hour in the afternoon.

Two and a half hours after opening time, the gates were finally opened at 5:30pm, only to be closed again at 6:30pm.

The decision to shut the doors early came after authorities failed to restore electricity connection to the book fair grounds, said Boi Mela committee’s Member Secretary Dr Jalal Ahmed.

Publishers also suffered huge losses after rainwater damaged many of the books left on display in the stalls. Damage was done to stalls and pavilions on both Bangla Academy and Suhrawardy Udyan grounds.

Annesha Prokashon Publisher Shahadat Hossain said most of his books on display became wet in the rain, but those stocked inside the stall were spared. Masud Rana of Abosar Prokashoni said all of their books had been damaged by the storm.

Mizanur Rahman Patoary, managing director of Mizan Publishers, said most of their books had also turned wet due to the rain.

Attendants of Shahitya Prakash

A sudden gusty wind with rainfall and hailstorm causes damage to a number of makeshift bookshops at the Ekushey Boi Mela in the capital yesterday MEHEDI HASAN and University Press Limited also said majority of their books were damaged by water.

Most of the stalls were surrounded by puddles of mud, while water could be seen stagnated in many places in the afternoon.

The place adjacent to the Nazrul Mancha under the banyan

tree in Bangla Academy was submerged in rainwater, along with the open Mancha and exit gate in Suhrawardy Udyan.

Visiting the place at 3pm, the Dhaka Tribune found fire service workers busy pumping water out from the grounds.

The makeshift corrugated

tin walls at Suhrawardy Udyan were damaged by the nor’wester.

Around 5pm, workers could be seen trying to repair the damages.

However, during the hour the Boi Mela stayed open, a good number of visitors were seen roaming around the dry paths of the fair grounds. l

Nepal aircraft crash kills all 23 aboard n AFP, Kathmandu

Rescuers have found the burnt-out wreckage of a passenger plane that crashed into a mountainside in Nepal on Wednesday, killing all 23 people on board, officials said.

The Twin Otter turboprop aircraft lost contact with air traffic control eight minutes after taking off from the tourist town of Pokhara early on Wednesday.

The army had deployed helicopters and foot soldiers to search Myagdi, a mountainous district around 220km west of Kathmandu, after locals reported seeing possible wreckage of the Tara Air plane.

Chief district officer Sagar Mani Pathak said there was “no possibility of survivors from the crash”, the latest in a series of fatal aviation accidents in the impoverished Hima-

layan nation.

“A small team has reached the crash site for an initial investigation,” said Pathak.

“It looks like the plane crashed into the hillside. The wreckage was still in flames when the team arrived and the bodies were scattered.”

The airline said the plane was carrying three crew and 20 passengers, one a Chinese and one a Kuwaiti national.

All the others were from Nepal and two of them were children.

A statement on its website said weather conditions were good when the plane took off for Jomsom, a popular trekking destination in the Himalayas about 20 minutes’ flight from Pokhara.

Pathak said a full team of rescuers would be unable to reach the

crash site, which is around 4,900 metres above sea level, on Wednesday.

‘It is very strange because it is a brandnew plane and the weather was clear in the morning’ “We are sending teams to bring down the bodies, but they have not arrived yet. It is not possible for a helicopter to land in the area,” he said.

Tara Air is a subsidiary of Yeti Airlines, a privately-owned domestic carrier founded in 1998 which

services many remote destinations across Nepal.

It suffered its last fatal accident in 2010 when a plane chartered by a group of Bhutanese tourists crashed into a mountainside in eastern Nepal.

Air travel is popular in Nepal, which has only a limited road network. Many communities, particularly in the mountains and hills, are accessible only on foot or by air.

Aviation expert Kunda Dixit said the flight path, which passes near two of the world’s highest peaks Dhaulagiri and Annapurna, was prone to very strong winds.

“Most flights in the area fly before 9:30am because very strong winds pick up after that,” he told AFP. “It is very strange because it is a brand-new plane and the weather

One killed in Dhaka New Market fire, three injured n Tribune Report A person was killed and three others received burn injuries in a fire that broke out in shop adjacent to the vegetable market in the capital’s New Market area.

The fire fighters rescued the four from the shop and rushed them to Dhaka Medical College Hospital where doctors declared Amjad, 25, dead, said Inspector Mojammel Haque, in-charge of DMCH police camp.

Deceased Amzad Ali, 30, is a scrap trader. The three others were his employees.

Atiqul Alam Chowdhury, inspector of the Fire Service Control Room, said the fire might have originated from a burning mosquito coil in the shop around 1:42am when the four people were asleep.

On information, two fire-fighting units rushed to the spot and doused the blaze around 2:30am, he added.

Dhaka Medical College Hospital sources said Amjad died of suffocation due to the fire.

Parth Shankar Paul, residential Surgeon of New Market police station told the Dhaka Tribune that Injured Shohag, 15, suffered 32% burn injuries, Yeasin, 25, suffered 12% burn, and Mehedi, 20, suffered 32% burn. l

was clear in the morning. The pilot is very experienced and focused on safety, I flew with him only 10 days ago.”

The country has in recent years suffered a number of air disasters which dealt a blow to its tourist industry.

Most have been attributed to inexperienced pilots, poor management and inadequate maintenance.

The country’s aviation sector has come under fire from international authorities and in 2013 the European Union blacklisted all Nepal’s airlines.

Nepal’s last major aviation accident was last May when a US military helicopter helping with earthquake relief crashed in bad weather, killing six Marines and seven other people. l

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