28 Feb, 2016

SECOND EDITION

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2016

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Falgun 16, 1422, Jamadiul Awal 18, 1437

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Regd No DA 6238, Vol 3, No 313

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

Khasi livelihoods wrecked

by LBA land swap Azad, back from n Abid Moulvibazar For 250 Khasis in Moulvibazar’s Pallathal village, the loss of 146 hectares of paanjhum – betel leaf gardens – to India means the end of a way of life and increasing financial anxiety for the community.

Because the Land Boundary Agreement puts the land they once cultivated in India, some 50 Khasi families are being separated from their traditional source of livelihood. It is a matter of time before they must leave behind the land they tilled for generations.

But some indigenous rights activists are raising questions about the demarcation of the new international border.

“We have noted that the governments of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh have never obstructed Khasi people in their use of traditional land. But, after this recent survey, India has started to take possession of over 146 hectares of land which was historically owned by 50 Khasi  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

INSIDE Release of 3 more GM brinjal varieties in the offing The government plans to release 3 more GM brinjal varieties soon to make all the varieties developed so far available to farmers.  PAGE 3

Where have all the bookworms gone?

Córdoba is said to have been the most advanced city of Europe around 1000 AD.  PAGE 5

Little mags growing big in numbers Little magazines, also known as “chhoto kagoj” in Bangla, are an alternative space for writers to publish their literary works, has seen a steady growth in numbers and has attracted many young readers and writers at Amar Ekushey Boi Mela 2016.  PAGE 32

A Khasi man in Pallathal of Moulvibazar points at a wall (not in the picture) erected in the middle of a land they used to grow betel leaf on. The land is now part of India after the implementation of Land Boundary Agreement DHAKA TRIBUNE

Probe finds inspector in ATM scam n Mohammad Jamil Khan

The investigators have unearthed the involvement of an inspector-level officer of the DMP’s Gulshan Division in the recent ATM forgery.

During primary investigation, two police officers were found involved with the gang that had collected information of more than 4,000 debit and credit card users in the last one year.

Later the inspector was transferred to a police station in Rangpur range while investigation against the other officer is underway, a senior official of the Detective Branch of police told the Dhaka Tribune last night, seeking anonymity.

“After we get detail information about the inspector’s involvement with the gang, he can be shown arrested in the cases filed over the scam,” the DB officer added.

The law enforcers have so far arrested four persons – a foreigner and three officers of City Bank.

They are Piotr Szczepan Mazurek alias Thomas Peter, and Maksud, Rezaul Karim Shahin and Refaz Ahmed Roni.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

UTTARA GAS EXPLOSION Amir blitz in vain as India edge rivals Father also

dies after two children n Mohammad Jamil Khan

n

23-year old returned to the international arena and he ensured of making it a memorable one as he bowled his four overs at a stretch to dismiss three Indian top-order

The man who received burn injuries along with his wife and three children in a fire at his Uttara residence in the capital died yesterday, taking the death toll in the incident to three.

Fifty-year-old Shahnewaz succumbed to injuries while undergoing treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital’s burn and plastic surgery institute around 6pm.

“Shahnewaz sustained 95% burns,” said Partha Shankar Paul, resident surgeon of the institute.

Shahnewaz’s younger son, 14-month-old Zayan, and elder son, 15-year-old Sharleen, died within 12 hours of the explosion caused by a gas leak in the kitchen on Friday.

“We have already dug two

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 5

Minhaz Uddin Khan

If anything that had entertained millions around the globe in the India-Pakistan battle in the Asia Cup Twenty20 yesterday was pacer Mohammad Amir’s heroics. India had almost won the game when they restricted Pakistan to just 83 runs in 17.3 overs, the side’s third lowest total in the format and the lowest against India. India chased down the moderate target in 15.3 overs with five wickets in hand but not before Amir had put up a fight.

The wicket at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium has been atypical from the first game of the tournament and yesterday was no different as both the side’s pacemen

India all-rounder Hardik Pandya cannot hold back his joy following the dismissal of Pakistan batsman Shoaib Malik during their Asia Cup Twenty20 clash at Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK bulldozed the opposition batsmen.

Defending a lowly target was close to impossible but the Pakistan bowling attack was not short of determination, especially Amir.

The game was the biggest since the

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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2016

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Khasi livelihoods wrecked by LBA land swap families,” Bangladesh Adivasi Forum Secretary Sanjeeb Drong said.

“Boundary pillars were set keeping two-thirds of the traditional land of the local Khasi and Garo people inside India during the joint survey between India and Pakistan in 1947. However, India kept the traditional land of the people outside the fencing while setting up the border fence,” he added.

The transfer of the land is taking place under the Bangladesh – India Land Boundary Agreement of 1974 and enabling Protocol of September 2011. It was adopted on May 7, 2015 and later ratified on June 6, 2015.

Between July 31, 2015 and June 30, 2016 the physical exchange of exclaves and adverse possessions as well as the final boundary demarcation between Bangladesh and India will take place.

Already, bamboo pillars staking out India’s new territory are visible.

Annexure V to the Land Boundary Agreement reads: “The boundary shall be drawn from existing Boundary Pillar No 1370/3-S to 1371/6-S to follow the outer edge of

the tea garden and from Boundary Pillar No 1372 to 1373/2-S along the outer edge of the pan plantation.”

Dipayan Khisha, vice-chairperson of the Kapaeng Foundation, a local indigenous rights based organisation, said: “Despite this section’s instructions, the joint survey team of India and Bangladesh did not survey following the agreement. When we visited, we found that a large amount of paanjhum land under Pallathal village is going into the possession of the Indian state.”

Local lawmaker Md Shahab Uddin denied allegations that the LBA had been “violated.”

“The land will pass into Indian possession according to the LBA. There is no violation of the agreement. The land was adversely possessed by Bangladesh since 1974 and India is now taking possession of it legally,” he said.

The 2011 protocol to the LBA acknowledges the complicated circumstances of such situations in section 4.C(ii): “People living in the Adverse Possessions are technical-

ly in occupation and possession of land beyond the boundary pillars, but are administrated by the laws of the country of which they are citizens and they enjoy all legal rights, including rights to vote. They have deep rooted ties to their land which goes back decades and are categorically unwilling to be uprooted.”

It continues: “Many local communities have sentimental or religious attachments to the land in which they live. Over time, it became extremely difficult to implement the terms of 1974 LBA as it meant uprooting people living in adverse possessions from the land in which they had lived all their lives and to which they had developed sentimental and religious attachments to.”

Nevertheless, the 2011 enabling protocol says India’s Assam state will cede 30 hectares of land to Bangladesh, while Bangladesh will give up 146 hectares of land in Moulvibazar’s Pallathal area.

This means Pallathal village’s Khasi community will have to vacate the land when the demarca-

tion process is completed.

Lucas Bahadur, the Khasi punji montry or community head, told the Dhaka Tribune: “For generations we have lived off this land by cultivating paanjhum.”

He said the community had submitted complaints to the local member of parliament, the district commissioner, the upazila nirbahi officer, the upazila chairman and the National Human Rights Commission. “But we have not seen any initiatives from the government.”

Shahab Uddin, also a parliamentary Whip, told the Dhaka Tribune: “The government will try to relocate the affected Khasi people.”

The prospect of relocation is scant consolation for forty-five year-old Warless, an inhabitant of Pallathal village under Barlekha in Moulvibazar.

His face is lined with worry as considers the loss of six hectares of ancestral land and the only trade he has ever known.

“I had around 6,000 paan trees on my land. I will lose it all – my land and my livelihood.” l

Probe finds inspector in ATM scam Peter’s Bangladeshi wife Merina was also interrogated by the police, but she claimed that she had no idea about the scam.

Peter holds a German national identity card but came to Bangladesh with a Polish passport, police said.

Police claimed that a UK-based Bangladeshi expatriate, Farid Nabir, had masterminded and coordinated the forgery. Farid, however, rejected the allegation and claimed that he had assisted the police with information on Peter’s whereabouts.

On the other hand, the investigators have finalised a list of around 45 people for their involvement in the forgery and instructed the Immigration Department to bar them from leaving the country.

Md Shahjahan, additional deputy commissioner of DB police, said that legal action would be taken

against the suspects after analysing the information given by the arrestees during interrogation.

The suspects include 17 officers of four private banks, 11 businessmen, seven hotel owners and four foreigners – all members of the same gang.

The investigators said that the gang had robbed several crore taka from the account holders using clone cards from ATMs and POS machines at shops and residential hotels. The criminals had installed skimming devices in the ATM machines to copy the card information.

Earlier police said that at least 40 clients of three banks had lost around Tk20 lakh from their debit and credit cards on February 7-8.

Later Eastern Bank compensated 24 clients.

The DB official said that the two foreigners – Ukrainian Andy and

Romanian Romeo, both associates of Peter – had left the country in mid February with no less than $27,000 with them.

It was also learnt that a single bank had lost around Tk3.4 crore in Point of Sale (POS) terminal forgery last year.

The number of accused and the amount lost from the cards could go up remarkably after the end of the investigation, the anonymous DB source said.

On the other hand, a laptop and a mobile phone recovered from Peter’s house were sent to the forensic laboratory of the Criminal Investigation Department. More names and details of the plan could be learnt once those are analysed by the CID officials.

Bangladesh Bank said that the forgers had collected information of around 1,200 cards.

Tanvir Hassan Zoha, working as

technical analyst of the Police Bureau of Investigation, told the Dhaka Tribune that the figure would not be less than 3,000.

Monirul Islam, additional commissioner of the DMP, said that the way the gang had collected the money, it is impossible to complete the investigation without the help of the bank officials.

“We have got some crucial information from the arrestees and we are analysing those. Necessary action will be taken against those responsible after an in-depth investigation,” said Monirul, also the chief of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit.

DMP Commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia at a programme yesterday said that there should be a separate law so that the law enforcement agencies could work jointly with the banks and other stakeholders in such cases. l

Amir blitz in vain as India edge rivals batsmen. Amir, who touched 150.4 km/h on the day, removed Rohit Sharma for a duck in just the second ball of the innings and before India could open the account. Two balls later, Amir struck again, this time removing Ajinkya Rahana (nought) for another leg-before decision. In his second over, Amir showed Suresh Raina the way back to the dressing room after the batsman was caught at mid-on off an out-swinger.

Amir ended with miserly bowling figures of 3/18 and was complemented well by experienced cam-

paigner Mohammad Sami, who picked up two wickets, but as the match wore on, the Indian batsmen found run-scoring easy.

Riding on Virat Kohli’s 51-ball 49, India chased the target down to make it two wins in two matches in the tournament. But although India won the game, it was Amir who won the hearts.

Earlier, Pakistan were asked to bat first but the batsmen failed disastrously, bringing into question just how much they were actually helped by the recently concluded inaugural Pakistan Super League T20.

The Indian pacers troubled Pakistan batters the most. In-form opener Mohammad Hafeez started with a bang, hitting a picturesque boundary in the second ball off Ashish Nehra’s opening over. Nehra though had the final laugh, dismissing Hafeez in the fourth ball.

Attacking from the other end, pacer Jasprit Bumrah did not have to wait long to join the party. In his second over, Sharjeel Khan (seven) departed, leaving Pakistan in a spot of bother.

Khurram Manzoor made his T20I debut only to experience a

frustrating ending. He was expected to bring the Pakistan innings into balance along with former captain Shoaib Malik but no such recovery took place as both departed cheaply.

Shahid Afridi then arrived to the crease but failed to rescue his team, much like Wahab Riaz, as Pakistan were struggling on 52 for seven in 11.2 overs. And from there, the Pakistan tail-enders fared little better as they were dismissed for a paltry total.

All-rounder Hardik Pandya was the wrecker in chief with 3/8. l

Father also dies after two children

graves for the two minors and a third for their father, but we do not know if we will need to dig more,” Kamrul Ahsan, brother of Shahnewaz, told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday evening.

Shahnewaz died around half an hour after US envoy to Bangladesh Marcia Bernicat visited him at the hospital. He was working as a maintenance engineer at the US embassy in Dhaka.

Meanwhile, doctors said the condition of Shahnewaz’s wife Sumaiya had deteriorated.

With 95% burn injuries, she is undergoing treatment at the hospital.

Dr Partha said: “We are trying our best to offer all kinds of treatment that she needs but it is not possible to say something with certainty about patients of this kind.

“Shahnewaz and his two sons died from inhalation injury and Sumaiya is also having this problem,” he said.

The physician said the second son of the couple, Zarif, 9, was out of danger as his condition had improved.

“Zarif suffered 6% burns, but he is not mentally strong enough to endure this kind of accident,” added Dr Partha.

Shahnewaz’s brother Kamrul said the bodies of Zayan and Sharleen were sent to their maternal grandfather’s in Jhalakati of Barisal, as it is their mother’s wish that they be buried there.

“Sumaiya also asked us to lay her to rest at her hometown if anything happened to her,” he said.

“Zarif has not yet been informed that his father and two brothers have died. He still knows that they are undergoing treatment,” added Kamrul.

On Friday evening, Nishat, cousin of Shahnewaz, said Shahnewaz had complained about the gas leak ever since he moved in to the flat but the landlord paid no heed and took no action. She also demanded punishment of the landlord for his negligence.

Ali Hossain, officer-in-charge of Uttara West police station, told the Dhaka Tribune a probe had been launched and an unnatural death case had been filed by Shahnewaz’s brother.

“The doors and the windows of the flat were closed and gas leaked from the pipeline filled the house, resulting in the explosion,” he said.

He also suggested people to check gas pipelines carefully before moving in to new accommodations in order to avoid such accident. l

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3 remanded in Panchagarh priest murder n Our Correspondent,

SEDITION AGAINST MAHFUZ ANAM

Court seeks Home Ministry’s nod

n Tribune Report

Panchagarh

A Panchagarh court has granted police 18 days to interrogate three JMB members in two cases over the murder of Panchagarh priest Joggeshwar Roy. Senior Judicial Magistrate Marzia Khatun gave the order yesterday.

JMB members Alamgir, 30, Romjan Ali, 20, and Md Hafiz, 32, arrested in separate drives in Panchagarh and Nilphamari on Friday.

Sonto Gaurio Temple priest Joggeshwar, 50, was found slaughtered at his home on February 21.

Police claimed three killers took part in the killing and five others kept the crime scene under surveillance.

The trio had confessed that at least eight people were involved in the murder. l

A CNG-run authorickshaw driver tries to get his vehicle free from a cable line hanging dangerously low over the FarmgateIndira Road intersection in the capital during rush hour. The photo was taken yesterday SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

Chittagong Kotwali police yesterday sent a letter to the Home Ministry seeking its approval to register a sedition case against The Daily Star Editor and Publisher Mahfuz Anam.

The case was filed by SM Al Mamun, chairman of Sitakunda upazila and also president of Chittagong district (north) unit Jubo League, on February 17 at the Metropolitan Magistrate's court.

The court asked Kotwali police OC Jasim Uddin, to register an FIR upon approval of the authorities concerned.

Dozens of cases have been filed across the country after Mahfuz on a TV talk show on February 3 admitted that he had run graft stories against Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina on information fed by the DGFI. l

Release of 3 more GM brinjal varieties in the offing

Dr Kamal: Liberation War dream still unfulfilled

n Abu Bakar Siddique

Dr Kamal Hossain has urged the young generation to come forward and discharge their duties properly, saying the goal of the Liberation War is yet to be fulfilled.

Addressing a programme in Chittagong yesterday, he said the

The government plans to release three more genetically modified (GM) brinjal varieties soon to make all the varieties developed so far available to farmers.

The Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) has already sent an application to the Agriculture Ministry in this regard and it is now under consideration of the National Committee on Biosafety.

“We are waiting for the approval of the biosafety committee,” said BARI Director General Rafiqul Islam Mondol, adding: “Upon approval, we will distribute seedlings among a select group of farmers.”

The varieties of GM brinjal waiting for the approval are Bt Dohazari, Bt Singnath and Bt Khotkhotia.

BARI officials said they have so far developed Bt Uttara, Bt Kajla, Bt Noyontara, Bt ISD 006, Bt Singnath, Bt Dohazari, Bt Chyaga, Bt Khotkhotia and Bt Islampuri from local varieties by inserting the Bt gene – developed by the US-based agrochemical company Monsanto – into them after a seven-year experiment that began in 2006. India's Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Co Ltd provided the technical support for the experiment.

On October 30, 2013, BARI released four GM brinjal varieties – Bt Uttara, Bt Kajla, Bt Noyontara and Bt ISD 006 – without giving any satisfactory explanation on issues related to environmental and health hazards raised by campaigners.

“Now we are about to release

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three varieties. Upon getting successful result, we will go for the remaining two,” the BARI director general said.

In February 2014, the government primarily distributed Bt brinjal saplings among 20 farmers in Gazipur, Jamalpur, Rangpur and Ishwardi, but most of them yielded poor results.

In the last season, saplings were distributed among around 250 farmers in 19 districts Later in October that year, BARI distributed GM brinjal saplings among 108 farmers in 17 districts, including Manikganj, Tangail, Pabna, Kushtia, Comilla, Jessore and Dinajpur.

In the last season, saplings were distributed among around 250 farmers in 19 districts.

The release and cultivation of Bt brinjal has triggered massive protests among activists as the authorities failed to come up with satisfactory explanation for possible environmental and health hazards caused by these agro products.

“We have done the toxin test at a laboratory in the UK and did not find any harmful element,” the BARI DG told the Dhaka Tribune.

The Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Co Ltd, in which Monsanto has a

26% stake, developed the Bt brinjal varieties with financial support from the United States Agency for International Development. The Bt Brinjal variety was banned in India in 2010 after its harmful effects were exposed.

The company earlier developed brinjal varieties in the Philippines, but the move was stalled by a court order given after considering health hazards.

The Bangladesh government has meanwhile failed to maintain one of the core conditions of the biosafety committee – putting labels on the products – for marketing the previous GM brinjal varieties.

Rafiqul Islam earlier told the Dhaka Tribune that it would not be possible to ensure labelling at the retail level.

“But when the crops enter the market, the sacks will be labelled as 'Poison-free GM brinjal',” he added. l

n FM Mizanur Rahaman

war had freed Bangladesh from economic exploitation by Pakistan.

“People fought the occupation forces hoping to establish a society free from discrimination and based on justice. But it still remains elusive,” the Gono Forum president said. “I believe the young generation will materialise it one day.” l

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Prisoner's family alleges death from police beating n Kamrul Hasan Family members of a prisoner who died in a hospital in the capital yesterday afternoon claimed that he died of injuries inflicted on him by police beating.

The family of 32-year-old Abdul Alim Rana, who was taken to hospital from jail, also claimed that he was arrested on false charges.

But police said Rana was a drugs trader and was caught red-handed by locals when he and his associates were attempting a robbery in the city.

Rana was the son of Ismail Akon and family members said he worked in the construction industry.

Ismail told the Dhaka Tribune Rana went to the Geneva

camp area in Mohammadpur after a friend named Mozammel called him in the evening on February 19, saying he had run into a trouble.

“As my son reached there, a gang involved in drugs trade began beating him indiscriminately. Then they got him arrested by local police, who they have a good relation with. A false case was filed against him and he was beaten during remand before being sent to prison,” he claimed.

Officer-in-Charge of Mohammadpur police station Jamal Uddin Mir told the Dhaka Tribune Rana had been named in two cases filed with the police station.

“He was handed over to police by a mob who beat him for attempting to rob a

house. Locals also captured some of his associates but they managed to flee.

“Rana sustained injuries in the head after the beating. As he was ill, police sent him to jail even though his remand did not end. We also recovered the firearms he tried to use for shooting locals,” OC Jamal said.

The policeman denied the allegation of Rana's father, saying that Rana was no beaten during remand as he was already ill.

Jahangir Kabir, superintendent of Dhaka Central Jail, said Rana was already sick when he was put behind bars.

“He suffered a stroke and was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital where he died.” l

BNP: Make army probe report on BDR carnage public n UNB BNP yesterday demanded that the report of the investigation carried out by army into the brutal killing of 57 army officers in Pilkhana carnage be made public.

“A fair probe is yet to be conducted into the dreadful killings of army officers at Pilkhana. An army team, headed by then Lt Gen Jahangir Alam, had investigated the incident, but its report is yet to be published,” said senior BNP leader Hafizuddin Ahmed.

“Form this meeting, we demand that the report of the army probe team be made public,” he added.

Hafiz, a BNP vice chairman, came up with the demand

at a discussion arranged by the party at Dhaka Reporters’ Unit’s Sagar-Runi auditorium in memory of the army officers killed by a section of disgruntled members of BDR at the Pilkhana headquarters in 2009.

He alleged the BDR carnage was staged as part of a local and international plot to demoralise the army members.

The BNP leader termed the trial of the Pilkhana incident a farce and claimed that the real offenders and conspirators remain at large.

On February 25, 2009, several hundred BDR, now BGB, members took up arms against their superiors at the Pilkhana Darbar Hall and killed 74 people, including 57 army

Fire guts shoe store in Ctg

n Tribune Report, Chittagong A shoe store in the port city has been badly damaged in a fire.

Fire service officials blamed yesterday's blaze at the Nupur Market on poor electrical wiring.

They said seven firefighting units rushed to put out the fire at the Shahadat Shoe Store. It took nearly two hours to extinguish the flames. l

officials and then BDR chief Maj Gen Shakil Ahmed.

Hafiz urged the government to properly probe the incident to unearth the mystery behind it.

Another BNP vice chairman, Shah Moazzem, alleged that the agents of government had killed the most talented army officers in the name of BDR mutiny.

He said Sheikh Hasina as the Prime Minister of the country cannot avoid her responsibility for the BDR mutiny and the killings of army officers.

Moazzem said steps will be taken to observe February 25 the same way the February 21 is observed if BNP returns to power. l

Man caught with gold hidden in rectum n Tribune Report, Chittagong A man has been arrested with gold bars worth around Tk40 lakh at Chittagong's Shah Amanat International Airport.

Customs officials identified the smuggler as Md Parvez, 27, hailing from Fatickchhari upazila.

“Parvez arrived from the UAE at around 10:20am yesterday. He was trying to smuggle in eight gold bars by hiding them in his rectum,” said Chittagong Customs Assistant Commissioner Rizvi Ahmed. l

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Where have all the bookworms gone?

BIGSTOCK

n Mohammad Al Masum Molla Córdoba is said to have been the most advanced city of Europe around 1000 AD. There were several hundred public baths, paved roads and taxes. As further testimony to the city’s sophistication scholastic articles refer to the wealth of its library. It most likely boasted a collection of about 500,000 volumes in five languages including Sanskrit.

The library of Alexandria that was destroyed just after the beginning of the Christian Era (3 AD) is said to have had several thousand volumes. Libraries and their collection are typically one of the many measures of culture and advancement of a society.

By that measure, Bangladesh lacks terribly with less than 1,000 libraries across the country cataloguing a dismal number of books.

According to librarians, the number of visitors – of which there is only a visual tally, nothing concrete – is decreasing.

Perhaps worryingly still, the number of library-goers and reading habit appear to be decreasing.

Although there is little historical data to back up their observation, librarians almost unanimously agree that there are fewer readers now than there used to be. Librarians from around the country and even those managing university libraries in Dhaka agree that readership is declining.

facilities like air conditioned rooms and ease of access. Many job aspirants prepare for their exams at the library.” He said students from Buet and Dhaka University were also frequent visitors.

As regards other libraries elsewhere in the country, however, Mizanur agreed that readership was low and the situation was rather unpredictable due to a lack of maintenance of the libraries.

“There is no telling when they might be closed or open. Besides, there are only a few books there.”

There has not been a system of lending books since the establishment of the Central Public Library as of recently. With about 200,000 volumes, the library sees 15 books issued every day. But another library official admitted that while he could not confirm the numbers with register entries, there was a good chance many visitors frequented the library to enjoy cool draught of air from its powerful air conditioners.

Bishwa Shahitto Kendro’s mobile library programme reports the highest number of books issued per day with over 5,700 books on an average through its 45 mobile units that have a total collection of about 150,000 volumes.

The Kendro, founded 35 years ago with a vision to enlighten people, has around 200,000 books in its central library in Dhaka and cover 58 districts with mobile libraries.

The library has 10,000 members averaging around 60 visitors every

number of traditional libraries has decreased but the number of tele-centres has increased. “But almost 95% of them work as solely information centres and do not have any library facilities. They only provide information.”

Taking into account the claim that reading habit has not decreased but changed, he said the number of library-goers and inter-

According to available statistics of the National Library, most of the non-government libraries house less than 1,000 books each. There are only 120 libraries that have more than 5,000 volumes in their collection. Given that most of these libraries do not have adequate funds, there is little guarantee that their operations will sustain over the years to come.

Libraries and their collection are typically one of the many measures of culture and advancement of a society net users had grown hand in hand.

MA Mannan, another Dhaka University professor, said libraries were under the Cultural Affairs Ministry. “The popular perception is that the ministry deals with performing arts like music and dance and not really books and libraries.”

As a result, he said, libraries are highly neglected.

He pointed out that schools once used to have library hours.

“But there are no such compulsory hours in our schools or colleges now,” which was also a reason behind the decreasing reading habit.

Director of the Central Public Library in Dhaka Mizanur Rahman said: “We get about 2,500 visitors every day because we have better

Some of the libraries are financed by their members while others receive regular, albeit small, amount from the district council or the local temples or mosques.

According to a paper published last year by the Easter Librarian, an almost 50-year-old journal on library science, a focus group discussion with librarians found that 62% libraries have less than 40 visitors a day. Many of the librarians, who have a stable source of income, said they also contribute for the maintenance of the libraries from their own pockets.

Kazi Mostak Gausul Hoq, associate professor of Department of Information and Library Science at Dhaka University, said the

TEMPERATURE FOREC AST FOR TODAY

DRY WEATHER SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28

Dhaka

31

20

Chittagong

29

22

Rajshahi

DHAKA TODAY SUN SETS 6:00PM

30

18

Rangpur

31

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Khulna

30

19

Barisal

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

TOMORROW SUN RISES 6:22AM

32.5ºC Sylhet

14.0ºC Rajarhat

Source: Accuweather/UNB

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PRAYER TIMES

day who borrow 30 books.

The fully digitised library of the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) has a comparatively higher number of visitors. Equipped with WiFi and numerous computer terminals, this library has about 150,000 volumes. The top engineering university of Bangladesh has about 9,000 students and 600 teachers.

The main librarian agreed that the number of books issued was low – about 50 per day – compared to the number of students. “But as we have a very good online service and e-book service, students avail those services,” said Librarian Suraiya Begum. Having spent most of her working life minding the library, she said: “Despite all the services and technology, library visitors are on the decrease and the general habit of reading books is on a sharp decline.”

The Dhaka University with about 35,000 students in its 75 departments has 675,000 volumes of books and journals at its central library. According to Mohammad Noman Hossain, the assistant librarian, about 100 books are issued every day by both students and teachers. “With increasing online usage, the habit of reading books is going down. [Students] are getting everything online.”

There are a number of smaller libraries at the department seminar rooms. “Hence many of those students do not really have the need to come to the [central] library.” l Sylhet

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Cox’s Bazar

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Fajr: 5:07am | Zohr: 12:12am Asr: 4:22pm | Magrib: 6:00pm Esha: 7:16pm Source: IslamicFinder.org

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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2016

PM: Govt to construct int’l standard theatre complex n

Tribune Report

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said the government has a plan to construct a theatre complex of international standard as there is no such hall in the country for producing good stage dramas.

“There is no international standard theatre complex comprising all modern facilities in Bangladesh. We want to construct one,” she said at the

inaugural programme of the newly constructed Bangladesh Mohila Samity Complex in the capital’s Bailey Road area.

Hasina said she had talked to the finance minister in this regard. “The finance minister is very interested in it, and he said there would be no fund problem,” she was quoted by UNB. Hasina mentioned that whenever she went abroad, she would try to go to a theatre. “I saw helicopter landing on the

stage, train passing through the stage at foreign theatres. This is the age of digital technology… this is not a tough job to do, but in our country there is no theatre like that.”

Presided over by Social Welfare Secretary Dr Chowdhury M Babul Hasan, the function was also addressed, among others, by Bangladesh Mohila Samity President Sitara Ahsanullah and General Secretary Tania Bakht. l

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina joins other guests in a prayer after inaugurating the new building of Bangladesh Mohila Samity at Bailey Road in the capital yesterday

Shahiduzzaman made probono senior adviser of IPS n Tribune Report

N e w s Network E d i t o r and CEO Shahiduzz a m a n has been m a d e pro -bono senior adviser of the Romebased Inter Press Service (IPS), a leading communication and information system dedicated to development in the world.

Shahiduzzaman has also

been authorised by IPS Director General Farhana Haque Rahman to negotiate potential partnerships on her behalf with international, regional and national organizations, according to a press release issued yesterday.

The IPS has a special relationship with the United Nations and other intergovernmental bodies like the European Union.

It has implemented a number of communication programmes for or with UNFPA, Unesco, Fao, IFAD, Unep, CGIAR bodies, UNODA, CT-

BTO and others, tackling key development concerns.

It engages a growing group of emerging economies and other developing countries in an ongoing policy dialogue.

IPS also enjoys NGO consultative status with the UN’s Economic and Social Council (Ecosoc) and is an ODA-eligible international organisation with the OECD. IPS news agency counts on a network of 350 journalists reporting from 140 countries and covers all aspects of political, social, economic and cultural development. l

IFRC secy gen to inaugurate One Billion Coalition for Resilience n Tribune Report El Hadji Amadou Gueye Sy, secretary general of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), is coming to Bangladesh today on a twoday visit.

Apart from inaugurating a the national launch of a programme titled “One Billion

Coalition for Resilience,” the IFRC secretary general will also make courtesy calls to the prime minister, parliament speaker and several ministers.

He will meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at 6:30pm today. At 10am tomorrow, he will deliver a speech on “Changing Humanitarian Context: Role of Red Cross and Red Crescent” at the Na-

bab Nawab Ali Senate Building of Dhaka University.

At 12 noon tomorrow, the IFRC secretary general will inaugurate the national launch of the One Million Coalition for Resilience at the auditorium of the Holy Family Red Crescent Medical College at Easkaton in Dhaka.

He will leave Bangladesh in the early hours of March 1. l

NSU announces new VC n Tribune Report

Professor Atiqul Islam has been appointed as the new vice-chancellor of North South University by the university’s chancellor and the president of Bangladesh, Abdul Hamid.

He officially joined NSU as VC on February 25, said a press release. His last posting was at Edith Cowan University in Australia as the pro vice-chancellor. Earlier, Atiqul Islam served as the

dean of the Faculty of Business and Government at the University of Canberra.

In his long academic career, he served at the University of Sydney, NSW, Curtin University, University of Canterbury and the National University of Singapore.

He has a strong track record in negotiating international programmes and academic administration. He also has a reputation for being an innovative, efficient and visionary leader. Now

his mission is to lead the North South University to its next stage. Professor Atiqul Islam holds first class in both bachelors and masters in commerce from Dhaka University. He obtained another masters degree from the University of New South Wales and a PhD from the University of Sydney.

He is also a fellow of CPA Australia and a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia and New Zealand. l

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News

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2016

Native fish species decline in Karnaphuli River n Anwar Hussain, Chittagong Native fish populations in the Karnaphuli River have seen a sharp decline in recent years due to untreated solid and liquid waste discharged from industrial units and households.

According to local sources, many fish species like Chitol, Rita, Modhu Pabda, Rupchanda and Borguni are not found as before.

The aquaculture specialists alleged that the local shrimp fry collectors are also blame for the depletion of indigenous fish species in the river as they use push net for catching shrimp fry.

The green activists alleged that

most industries were running without Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) facilities and thereby posing a serious threat to the aquatic ecological balance of the Karnaphuli.

Manjurul Kibria, Associate Professor in Zoology department of Chittagong University said: “Scores of fries belonging to other fish species get caught and killed for catching a single shrimp fry using push net, one of the detrimental fishing gears.”

“We have conducted a survey in 2009 to ascertain the exact number of fish species available in River Karnaphuli. Once the Karnaphuli was abound with a total of 140 fish species which include 66 species of freshwater, 59 species of brackish

water and 15 species of migratory fish. However, we discovered that 20-25 species of freshwater and 10 species of brackish water have already become extinct while the rest fish species are also in peril,” said Kibria.

Referring to the rampant use of push nets, Manjurul Kibria who conducted the survey, said, Manjurul Kibria also cautioned that many more fish species in River Karnaphuli might go extinct if appropriate conservation measures are not taken on an urgent basis.

“Fish can be a major source of protein for the low and middle-income group of people in the country and we can easily meet

our daily protein demand through eating fish. However, it is alarming that many indigenous fish species are becoming extinct in the Karnaphuli,” said Prof Sayedur Rahman Chowdhury, Institute of Marine Sciences and Fisheries, Chittagong University.

Prabhati Dey, District Fisheries Officer, said: “A fish usually lives on the other species. Therefore, the disappearance of a fish species will naturally have its adverse knockon effects on the aquatic food chain. Moreover, the depletion in fish species is a clear indicator to the rampant water pollution.”

“The amount of DO (Dissolved Oxygen) is alarmingly decreasing

in Karnaphuli due to the rampant pollution discharged from stateowned and private industrial units.

Many types of toxic chemicals are being dumped into the river every day from several hundred small and medium mills and factories built on both banks of the Karnaphuli,” said Edris Ali, a researcher on Karnahuli River and also Associate Professor in Chemistry Department at Government Mohsin College.

“The Karnaphuli may turn into another Buriganga if the rampant river pollution goes unchecked,” warned Ali who is also Chittagong chapter Vice President of Poribesh Bachao Andolon, a green organisation. l

Tobacco farming threatens crop cultivation in Rangpur Correspondent, n Our Rangpur A section of farmers in Rangpur have been cultivating tobacco for the last several years as they achieved quick profit.

But this is ultimately threatening grain crops as their cultivation has reduced in that time span.

Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) SM Ashraf Ali said: “The farmers are still showing interests in tobacco farming due to more profits despite hectic government efforts to discourage its cultivation.”

Tobacco farming still continues at larger scale in the region following high price and lucrative incentives being provided by the tobacco companies.

“The government has been discouraging tobacco cultivation through the DAE and other agriculture and environment related organisations to save soil fertility and public health as well as environment from pollution,” he added.

According to DAE sources, farmers have so far cultivated tobacco on 16,507 hectares of land including 1,595 hectares in Rangpur, 115 hectares in Gaibandha, 11,075 hectares in Lalmonirhat and 3,722 hectares in Nilphamari districts in the region this season.

Tobacco cultivation did not increase during the last 20142015 seasons as the farmers cultivated the crop on 18,265 hectares land against 19,057

hectares of the previous 20132014 seasons in the region.

The farmers cultivated tobacco on 33,049 hectares of land during 2009-2010 seasons, 19,040 during 20102011 seasons, 12,665 hectares during 2011-2012 seasons and 17,793 hectares of land during 2012-2013 seasons in Rangpur agriculture region.

Harvest of tobacco will begin from February to end by March next and the farmers are expecting its bumper production this season as the tender plants are growing excellent amid favourable climatic conditions.

Farmers Echahaq Ali, Aiyub Ali, Azizul Islam and Abdul Khaleque of Kathihara village in Rangpur said they have cultivated tobacco on 1.5 to 2.5 acres of land this season like in the previous seasons.

They said they cultivate tobacco every year to get more profits than other crops and the tobacco companies encourage them through providing necessary inputs, cost-free seedlings and incentives with an assurance of lucrative prices.

According to the farmers, they generally spend Tk 20,000 to 22,000 for per acre of land in farming tobacco to produce 20 mounds per acre to earn a net profit of Tk60,000 to 70,000 on an average.

Ashraf said: “Farmers can earn more profits by cultivating wheat, sugarcane, hybrid variety mustard and other winter crops in relay methods using latest technologies.” l

Strawberry has grown abundantly in northern region of the country this year. A farmer is seen harvesting the fruit at a farm in Boarogacchi Pacchipara area in Paba of Rajshahi. The picture was taken yesterday AZAHAR UDDIN

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Special

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2016

United for diabetes awareness The threat of diabetes shouldn’t be taken lightly

n Muhammad Abdul Mazid

D

iabetes is a group of metabolic diseases, clinically known as Diabetes mellitus, in which a person has high blood sugar, either because the body does not produce enough insulin, or because cells do not respond to the insulin that is produced. Glucose is vital to human health because it’s the main source of energy for the cells that make up muscles and tissues, and that is why it is the main source of fuel of the body.

This high blood sugar produces the classical symptoms of polyuria (frequent urination), polydipsia (increased thirst), and polyphagia (increased hunger). If anyone has diabetes, no matter what type, it means he has too much glucose in his blood, although the reasons may differ and too much glucose can lead to serious health problems.

There are three main types of diabetes: Type I diabetes results from the body’s failure to produce insulin, and presently requires the person to inject insulin (also

added the word mellitus, from the Latin meaning “honey,” a reference to the sweet taste of the urine. This sweet taste had been noticed in urine by the ancient Greeks, Chinese, Egyptians, Indians, and Persians. Diabetes mellitus appears to have been a death sentence in the ancient era.

Indian philosopher Sushruta identified diabetes and classified it as Medhumeha. The ancient Indians tested for diabetes by observing whether ants were attracted to a person’s urine, and called the ailment “sweet urine disease” (Madhumeha). In his 14-volume medical encyclopedia The Cannons of Medicine (1025), Avicenna (980–1037) provided, for the first time, a detailed account on diabetes mellitus, “describing the abnormal appetite and the collapse of sexual functions,” and he documented the sweet taste of diabetic urine.

The endocrine role of the pancreas in metabolism, and indeed the existence of insulin, was not further clarified until 1921, when Sir Frederic Grant Banting (1891-1941) and Charles

A healthy life is possible with diabetes

Awareness could go a long way towards fighting and preventing diabetes. More people should know that type II is, to a large extent, preventable. The future need not be gloomy

referred to as insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, IDDM for short, and juvenile diabetes). Type II diabetes results from insulinresistance, a condition in which cells fail to use insulin properly, sometimes combined with an absolute insulin deficiency. Acute complications out of this disease include hypoglycenia.

Serious long-term complications include cardiovascular diseases chronic renal failure adequate treatment of diabetes is thus important, as well as blood pressure control and lifestyle factors such as smoking cessation and maintaining a healthy body weight.

The term diabetes was coined

by Aretaeusus of Cappadocia, derived from the Greek verb diabainein. In 1675, Thomas Wills

Herbert Best (1899-1978) led to the availability of an effective treatment -- insulin injections.

For this, Banting and laboratory director MacLeod received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1923.

The Bangladesh scenario

The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) estimated that 7.2 million or 4.8% of people living in Bangladesh had diabetes in 2007 and by 2025, that number is expected to grow to 9.2 million or 6.1% of the population. This explosion in diabetes prevalence will place Bangladesh among the top ten countries in terms of the number of people living with diabetes in 2025.

The Bangladesh Diabetic Samity (BADAS), established on February

28 in 1956 with the initiative of late National Professor Dr M Ibrahim (1911-1989), has a declared motto -look after all people with diabetes irrespective of their ability to pay, status, or other factors. BADAS, turning 60 today, has developed several institutions/projects and inspired a large number of affiliated associations all over the country to fulfill the mission.

BADAS is self-reliant and not donor dependent. BADAS is the pioneer, model, and first success story of Public Private Partnership (PPP) development in Bangladesh, and it has developed infrastructure through partnerships with the government.

BADAS provides services to the affluent and to people who don’t have diabetes and through a policy of cross-financing, and then help

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those living with diabetes with the surplus capital that it generates.

BIRDEM (Bangladesh Institute of Research and Rehabilitation in Diabetes, Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders) is the central institute of BADAS which provides comprehensive diabetic healthcare to the people. It is a unique creation of BADAS and has been acclaimed as a model institution in Asia and the Pacific. The institute has: (a) 650 in-patient beds, and (b) a large out-patient program.

BIRDEM has about 0.5 million registered diabetic patients, more than 4,000 people visit every day here, and out of these patients, 75-100 are new patients.

In review of this influx of patients treated every day, BIRDEM has been adjudged as a unique and successful health service provider across the globe.

BADAS adopted a decentralised model and has spread care throughout the country. There are 61 Affiliated Associations, almost one in every district and 10 subaffiliated at sub-district levels in Bangladesh. They are all affiliated with BADAS. They have to follow certain standards -- they must be democratic, transparent, must be run by social workers, and must be non-profit.

In that, BADAS has been able to create comparatively excellent diabetes awareness. Bangladesh is a developing country, but in terms of awareness of diabetes,

she is far ahead of some developed countries. Here, people in general are aware of the need to act to soften the possible impact of the diabetes epidemic.

Research is another area where BADAS puts great emphasis and this is unlike many other associations, particularly in developing countries. Research is a tool for the generation of context-based knowledge and also of skilled manpower. Recognising the contribution of BADAS in this sector, in 1982 the World Health Organisation declared BIRDEM as a Collaborating Centre for Research on Prevention and Control of Diabetes.

Awareness could go a long way towards fighting and preventing diabetes. More people should know that type II is, to a large extent, preventable. The future need not be gloomy; a full and healthy life is possible with diabetes. That is a very important message for all affected by diabetes. The developing countries typically focus on communicable diseases. Non-communicable diseases like diabetes have been neglected. More attention is required urgently before these countries are overwhelmed by the diabetes epidemic. l Muhammad Abdul Mazid is former Secretary and Chairman NBR, and presently Chief Co-ordinator, Bangladesh Diabetic Samity.

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Career

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2016

6 takeaways from British Council’s ‘Policy Dialogue On Social Enterprise’ in Dhaka n Ibrahim Mahbub After two days of thoughtprovoking, mind-bending keynotes, panels and hypernetworking at the British Council’s policy dialogue event titled “Social Enterprise: Impact and Opportunities,” a few common themes have emerged.

Entrepreneurs and panelists across the board think that social enterprises have to come up with sustainable business models while also creating a greater impact.

Impact without sustainability and scale does not make sense anymore Most of the social entrepreneurs and experts attended the double day gala of conversations and debates and recommended that social enterprises should come out of the conventional approach of depending on funding and grants, and should build more sustainable and scalable organisations.

Many of them argued it is futile to think about impact when you cannot not scale that impact and sustain them without being spoonfed as an organisation.

Entrepreneurs and panelists across the board think that social enterprises have to come up with sustainable business models while also creating a greater impact.

No regulation is no better than

bad regulation, and social enterprises need legal and policy frameworks It is hard for social enterprises, in today’s scenario, to have legal support and intellectual property rights since there is no specific framework present for them. There are organisations, arising in numerous forms, calling themselves social enterprises, and the absence of a framework makes it difficult to understand with their intent and value.

While it is holding back the growth of the sector, it is also making things difficult for the individual social entrepreneur to realistically make a difference. A conducive and flexible framework will help this sector grow and maximise the impact. So far, the sector or industry itself cannot be considered as a fully-fledged one.

On the other hand, it is also a challenge for policy makers and regulators to come up with separate policy and legal framework unless there is a clear conceptual framework of social enterprise.

To survive and flourish, social enterprises would need to transform Most of the social enterprises are

still lagging behind when it comes to competing with private corporations. However, that’s where social enterprises will have to be either today or tomorrow in terms of efficiency and need. They need to be solving more pressing and critical issues for the population and fill the demand-supply gap between the government and the private sector. If a social enterprise is not competent enough and can’t deliver something better than what exists in the market, it will struggle.

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This year’s “Policy Dialogue on Social Enterprise,” a twoday conference, titled “Social Enterprise: Impact and Opportunities” is the second of its kind. The conference, including a combination of keynotes, talks, panels, and insightful conversations, took place at the British Council, 5 Fuller Road, Dhaka.

Create value, make money and grow There is a negative connotation around the idea that social enterprises aiming to operate and make a profit at the same time.

Social enterprises should build large businesses, make enough profit to scale their impact and evolve. However, making money should not be the intention and must not be achieved at the expense of impact and value.

Technology is the thing Technology is no more an enabler.

The challenge is how we can make these technologies available to a greater span of people or use it to deliver better services to the population.

Instead of trying to adapt to traditional methodology, which social enterprises often do, they need to be in the game and bring in disruptive technologies to tackle social problems.

Telling stories always help There is a general lack of awareness about social enterprise in Bangladesh. Moreover, a huge misconception lies around the idea that social enterprises are essentially non-profit, small, voluntary organisations or NGOs. These entities do fall under the same bracket, however, it must be understood that they are not the only ones.

Social enterprises that are tackling global social issues must rethink of more sustainable ways to operate, with feasible business plans and creative financial models in place.

Experts and entrepreneurs recommended that we need to tell more stories of social enterprises and entrepreneurs in order to create knowledge, awareness, the right kind of motivation and at the same time, to inspire more people to start social enterprises. A conceptual framework must arise before legal ones are enforced, or the confusion of what social enterprises are shall last forever. l Reprinted from www.futurestartup. com

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Biz Info

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2016

First Ever Mega Gated Community in Bangladesh Rupayan Group launched Rupayan City Uttara, the first ever mega gated community in Bangladesh, today at Nolbhog, adjacent to Uttara Sector 12, Turag Thana, Dhaka.

Approximately 54 acres (134.5 bighas), Rupayan City Uttara comprises of state of the art facilities that identify with the highest standards maintained by the best gated communities worldwide.

Separate from the busy city life, the community features a round the clock security system. Besides containing apartments, villas, penthouses, shopping malls, schools and office spaces, it also has an abundance of open spaces and playgrounds for children along with other facilities integral for a modern urban citizen in a

residential area.

Sourav Ganguly, the Indian cricketing legend and the only Bengali to captain the Indian Cricket Team attended the event as the brand ambassador of Rupayan City Uttara. The event was also graced by the presence

of Engr Mosharaf Hossain MP, Honorable Minister of Housing and Public Works as Chief Guest, as well as Md. Harun-ur-Rashid, Chairman, Asian Group and Asian TV; GM Jainal Abedin Bhuiya, chairman of RAJUK; Alamgir Shamsul Alamin, president of

REHAB; Alamgir Kabir, chairman of Southeast Bank Ltd; and Deen Mohammad, chief advisor of Rupayan Group were special guests. LA Mukul, chairman of Rupayan Group, was also present in the event along with other eminent personalities.

Notably, gated communities are a highly popular choice of residence around the world.

The concept has also become popular in the neighboring India and Pakistan, where gated communities have already become a dependable residential system. In India’s Maharashtra, Ambi Valley City and Lasava City are prominent examples of highly sophisticated gated communities.

More such projects are developing in Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Bangalore.

Bahria Town in Pakistan is the largest gated community in Asia.

Rupayan City Uttara is the first step taken by Rupayan Group in Bangladesh in moving towards the most accepted means of secure residential system in the world. l

Online media in business promotion Speakers at a roundtable discussion on online media and global business stressed a need for the promotion of online media marketing and termed it an effective way to promote business in the global market. Metro Mail Canada, a global media and marketing company, organised the roundtable at the Gulshan Club in Dhaka to get the perspective of various stakeholders on how the online media and business can complement each other in a global environment. Metro Mail will soon launch its news portal and IP Radio from Canada to serve the global Bangladeshi community.

Many effective and large companies are using the strength of online media, including popular social media for marketing their products and services in highly interactive and competitive global markets. It is said that it is increasingly becoming an essential component of a company’s marketing and customer-based development platform. There is a growing importance of using online media because of its costeffectiveness, ability to reach targeted audiences quickly and broaden customer market at global level, they added.

Emamul Haque, director and CEO of Metro Mail Inc, greeted the participants and panellists with a welcome note, where he addressed the undeniable importance of online media and the many possibilities it provides, particularly in the world of business. He stressed on the need for businesses and any form of media to have a strong online presence in order to be able to make its mark on the global

Photo: BIGSTOCK platform.

Eminent journalist Syed Istiaque Reza, Head of News of Ekattor TV, presented the keynote paper. He started by stressing how “business itself is global.”

He went on to elaborate: “When business is all about transactions, one of the major components is communication. Keeping this in mind it is important to stay in touch with customers, business partners through whatever devices are at our disposal. Although social media and other online systems were not originally

designed for business use, one cannot deny the vast number of people using these platforms for sales, marketing communication and other forms of exposure. We now consider advertisements on social media sites as an option, but there are still many more ways and strategies we can think of in which business communication can evolve. Belonging to a social media site is like having one’s own personal broadcast network. With information technology taking over the marketplace, more and more people are turning to online and

social media to communicate.”

He ended his speech with, “Through online and social media, the world is a market, and not segmented territory.”

Masud Rahman, President, Canada Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industries, attended the event as the guest of honour and he began with a note thanks to the organisers.

“We appreciate the initiative taken by the Metro Mail Inc. in organising such an important and timely roundtable. Digital media and online tools remain

a largely untapped resource for companies. There are however many challenges to face and problems to deal with. Many marketers continue to struggle with developing technology to actions that influence consumer behaviour. The existing digital matrix cannot quantify the financial impact for such tools or channels for the business. The fact remains that there is no single solution.”

He ended on an important note, stressing the need for ethics in business. “The race is far from over. With social hybrid organisations making their foray in the business world, combining profit business ethos, with ever increasing urge towards social entrepreneurship, online media and global business is going to be multiplied manifolds, provided it is steered ethically, professionally as well as in a socially desirable way.”

Nazneen Ferdousi, advisor and Bangladesh Focal for the Metro Mail Canada, closed the session by reflecting on the panelists’ calls to action and touching on the culture of using and misusing online media, observing that one should be careful in choosing the right kind of message and media for the promotion of their business.

She concluded by stating that the Metro Mail is working to become the voice of the Bangladeshi community living abroad and promotes positive Bangladesh in the global market.

Over 50 participants including eminent journalists, business leaders, academia and civil society leaders attended the event and shared their insights. l

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Editorial 11

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2016

INSIDE

Changing the status quo Both Gandhi and Rosa Parks shared a very powerful virtue, that they had the courage to say no to a political system that demands their submission to injustice. Hence, until this realisation explodes within our inner being that the failures we witness are our individual failures, nothing can change PAGE 12

The tech-savvy kind of love It is unsettling to see children transfixed and consumed wholly in virtual reality -where characters in games matter more than the people in their lives PAGE 13

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Remembering Olof Palme The fight against racism was at Palme’s heart. He was an early critic of apartheid and made possible financial and material support to the ANC in South Africa 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.

Smooth visa delays to grow Bangladeshi-Thailand trade

angladeshi citizens have been experiencing unusually lengthy delays in visa applications for travel to Thailand.

The time taken to process visas for Bangladeshis has recently multiplied ten-fold without warning or explanation. Much unnecessary inconvenience and hardship is being caused for applicants, some of whom are having their passports held up for months by delays in processing.

A large number of business and family trips have had to be rescheduled or canceled due to these protracted delays which are deterring many Bangladeshis from making plans to travel to Thailand.

It is in the interest of both nations to fix the problem, as over 110,000 Bangladeshis travel to Thailand every year, many of whom are going for medical treatment and health services.

Bangladesh’s Ambassador to Thailand has raised concerns in meetings with the Thailand Foreign Affairs Ministry. For their part, Thai officials have given assurances that they too want to solve the issue urgently as their government greatly appreciates Bangladeshis choosing Thailand as a destination for medical treatment and tourism.

Fixing this problem is also important to help boost the growing bilateral trade between Bangladesh and Thailand which is currently worth around $1.2bn each year.

Officials at last week’s signing of an agreement to establish direct coastal shipping links that aim to more than halve the two weeks it takes to ship goods via Singapore, predict that trade could quadruple in coming years as connectivity improves.

It is very important to fix the visa delay issue soon to help cement and provide a strong platform on which to build the growing trade and travel links between Bangladesh and Thailand.

It is in the interest of both nations to fix the delays hampering visas

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Opinion

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2016

Changing the status quo Great change comes from the courage of ordinary human beings

n Ashikur Rahman

V

ery rarely in life do we come across an idea that is so profound that it makes you feel infinitely empowered. Jean-Paul Sartre, the prominent French philosopher, championed an idea of such nature. Sartre, in short, advocated a radical notion that human beings are inherently free to shape their respective identities, and any excuse of being burdened by traditions, norms, or beliefs is nothing but an apprehension to explore the unbounded possibilities of human existence.

In essence, his philosophy makes a revolutionary claim -- what we are is fundamentally a function of what we do.

Therefore, if we categorise ourselves as economically exploited, it is only because we have failed to find the inner strength to oppose the exploitation. If we label ourselves as politically oppressed, it is only because we have submitted to the evils of fear and failed to ignite our courage to oppose the oppression.

Sartre proposed that there is no pre-assigned meaning to our lives, apart from the ones that we choose to identify ourselves with. So, in the present day and age, when we often find ourselves in uncomfortable crossroads of our life, we must remember that we are solely responsible for the direction we take.

Thus, the French thinker gives us -- who often find ourselves lacking direction -- an honest realisation that, at the end, we all have a choice to say no. This, I believe, is the principal means through which we can fight any injustice. And no approach, other than the one mentioned, can be of greater relevance for today’s Bangladesh.

While we wake up every day to witness and experience the chronic chaos that has inherently gripped our society, economy, and political space, we rarely come across ideas that make us feel we have the capacity to change the status quo. In the current state of affairs, a grand blame game is being orchestrated -- where civil society leaders, politicians, businessmen, media, and jurists have engulfed themselves with such far-fetching rhetorics -- that each side has failed to develop any scope for genuine introspection concerning their respective role in determining where Bangladesh stands currently.

For good or bad, we the citizens know that these groups have mattered in shaping both

The actions of a single individual can spark a revolution

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Both Gandhi and Rosa Parks shared a very powerful virtue, that they had the courage to say no to a political system that demands their submission to injustice. Hence, until this realisation explodes within our inner being that the failures we witness within our economic, social, or political arena are our individual failures, nothing can change

our fortunes and misfortunes.

But, when we aspire for a better Bangladesh, where social justice can prevail and economic prosperity can co-exist with democratic rights, we are all given grand-standing recipes -- from comprehensive constitutional changes, consensus-building, to greater accountability of politicians, media, jurists, etc.

This approach makes citizens, at an individual level, barely see their role in changing the status quo. I believe, this is a selfdefeating philosophy, and it fails

to appreciate the atomic power of ordinary individuals in being the catalyst of great social, political, and economic change.

To better illustrate what I mean, when Gandhi was thrown off the first class train compartment in South Africa for being an ordinary Indian, it triggered a process of change that shaped the future of the British Empire. When Rosa Parks refused to get up from her bus seat to abide by the racists laws of Montgomery in United States, she sparked the early fires that burned down the inbuilt racial

prejudice of that era.

And yet, at that point in time, when Gandhi and Rosa Parks refused to submit to evils of their respective political order, they were mere individuals with simple aspirations. But, in spite of their ordinary identities, both Gandhi and Rosa Parks shared a very powerful virtue, that they had the courage to say no to a political system that demands their submission to injustice.

Hence, until this realisation explodes within our inner being that the failures we witness within

our economic, social, or political arena are our individual failures -- nothing can change. Moreover, it is in this simple realisation that the ordinary people of our country can find great resolve, since it professes a world where great changes don’t come from the technically superior minds of politicians, professionals, or elites, but the unbound courage of human beings with ordinary aspirations.

Sartre painted a world where we all have the freedom to say no when our conscience fails to endorse the status quo. His ideas hold the living generation, at an individual level, responsible for the miseries, prosperity, or freedom they experience; and if such a philosophy embodies any truth, it is that ideas can change the world.

Most importantly, we have to acknowledge and find inspiration from the idea that ordinary individuals can offer great challenge to social, political, and economic injustice. l Ashikur Rahman is Senior Economist at Policy Research Institute.

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Opinion

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2016

The tech-savvy kind of love Are new generations slowly losing their ability to speak to one another?

n Nusmila Lohani

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yes locked on the laptop screen, smart-phone screens or tabs, it is almost too difficult to have their attention long enough for a five minute face-to-face conversation.

Seeing how their hours are spent being at the receiving end of YouTube videos, online games, social media, etc, often makes me wonder if they are missing out on something more significant in life: Human relations.

In effect, when they are to speak to a person in person, they seem awkward -- their speech almost mumbled and sometimes inaudible. Simple things such as conversing with a grand-parent, greeting relatives at a gathering, or carrying their weight in a conversation become a daunting challenge. Love can do many things -- in this case, it makes them mime.

Young, full of potential, and at a vulnerable age, teenagers and children exhibit characteristics and behaviour that make me question their love for technology.

More or less, we all live through that awkward phase in life, courtesy of puberty. The duration of the particular phase varies among individuals, and a few lucky ones manage to salsa through it. Having crossed that period long ago, I still appreciate the constraints and exasperation that stun the sufferers.

Eyes still locked.

Sometimes completely zoned in their own world, a bubble of sorts that confines the gadgets, the internet, and friends on social media, they are at times wholly absorbed, with eyes locked and attention consumed, with what is on their beloved screens.

For unavoidable circumstances, God forbid, if they are to be without access to the Internet, they seem to be at some mortal disadvantage. Then their love for technology-based communication and entertainment transcends into something quite unpleasant -- tantrums or forlorn expressions.

Indicating that it is not the healthy kind of love, rather it is manic obsession, complete dependence, and outright detrimental behaviour that imprison them to a social media and technology-based life.

Speaking of social media-based life, it is common to observe parents now creating Facebook accounts under the name of their infant or young child. These accounts show the world, through the lens of Facebook, a trail of the child’s activities. I had the (mis) fortune of being curious enough to ask such a parent what exactly the purpose was.

It was a case when curiosity killed the cat, as I struggled not to cringe, but stand upright and listen politely as the parent somewhat bragged about what he thought was a pre-planned constructive decision that will

It is unsettling, to say the least, to see children transfixed and consumed wholly in virtual reality -- where characters in games matter more than the people in their lives, where activity on Facebook means more than what happens in their own house

When I speak to cousins of that vulnerable age now, I see issues different from what I had faced then, infiltrating the bubbles they live in. Sometimes the awkwardness of the interactions speaks volumes. To them, they are not the victims, because they are unaware of their circumstantial disadvantage. Or am I just unwilling to accept an imminent future void of human interaction and relations?

allow his child to become a better “Facebook user.” No, Dad, you are wrong. Children do not need to be “better” Facebook users, they need to be better people.

For the sake of argument, even if the nurturing of humanity in children isn’t really that important, children do not need a push to become familiarised with Facebook and such technology; they will eventually pick up on it with or without your help. Instead, what

Kids nowadays care too much about what’s inside these screens such parents’ focus on Facebook does is teach the child how one’s life should revolve around Facebook and social media, and how that takes precedence over other actually important things, such as courtesy or manners.

Clearly, what is more disconcerting is the role that parents or the “guardians” play in all this. A child is handed a tab or smart-phone too frequently to quiet him or her down. Is this what is to be considered as a diversion, a quick fix to the problems of parenting? At social gatherings, when the child cries or hinders the parents’ flow of mingling and small-talk, is it really a constructive means to simply hand a child a device that will inevitably consume his or her attention, not only for the duration of that gathering, but for a time much longer?

A social and behavioural phenomenon seen especially in the upper-class or upper-middle class families in urban Dhaka is when a tug at her orna or his shirt automatically gives the child unlimited access to an advanced electronic gadget. It may be amusing from a distance. Think about it, only if more problems could be settled by a shove of

an object in the right direction instead of understanding the problem and attempting to actually solve it, we all could have lived in better times. If only temporary solutions are what we seek and only if we can overlook the severe consequences in the long run.

Eyes locked and tongue-tied too.

Undoubtedly, children now are more equipped to operate many electronic devices, which have their own benefits. But are we so oblivious to their disadvantages?

Interest in outdoor activities may be too much to expect, but what about striking up a conversation?

Is it the lack of interaction with people that push them to live an anti-social existence within the confines of electronic screens?

Does the assistance of parents and others they receive in this regard make it so difficult for them to articulate their opinions and thoughts and communicate with people in person?

Their incessant love for technology has segregated them so much in terms of physical activity and familial interactions that one may worry that the apathy they seem to project so vividly can lead to the creation of a generation that

BIGSTOCK

is too self-absorbed to care for the greater good. It is unsettling, to say the least, to see children transfixed and consumed wholly in virtual reality -- where characters in games matter more than the people in their lives, where activity on Facebook means more than what happens in their own house. A lot depends on the move of a cursor and their electronic life-lines seem to have become an integral part of their lives, if not their whole lives.

Their incredible love for technology and simultaneous lack of interest in everything else may create severe problems and consequences, sooner rather than later. Can we not see the slow decay in their ability to speak to one another? We may live in a time when human interaction may as well be completely based on virtual communication, but is this era the transitional stage, or are we raising children prematurely adapted to a tech-savvy lifestyle?

Eyes locked, tongue-tied, and socially awkward -- that is what the tech-savvy love does for your child. l Nusmila Lohani works for the Dhaka Tribune.

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Opinion

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2016

Remembering Olof Palme It has been 30 years since Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme was assassinated, but his legacy is still very much alive

Palme had a passion for international affairs and a firm conviction in human rights

n Johan Frisell

O The fight against racism was at Palme’s heart. He was an early critic of apartheid during the 1970s -- far from obvious for a Western political leader at the time -and made possible financial and material support to the ANC in South Africa

n this day, 30 years ago, the Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme was coldbloodedly murdered on a street in Stockholm, the Swedish capital.

Up until today, the culprits of the assassination have not been tried and judged. As a matter of fact, the perpetrator and the motive are still unknown.

February 28, 1986 is a day that all Swedish grown-ups remember.

Practically every Swede can recall what she or he was doing at the moment when the news about the murder broke.

It was a shock to my country, which had been able to avoid the world wars that had struck the continent, and which had been almost free from terrorism and political violence.

I met Olof Palme once. During

the campaign for the general elections in 1982, he held a campaign meeting in my small home-town. I was a teenager with an emerging interest in politics. Mr Palme was famous for his rhetoric skills. He did not disappoint me at that meeting.

Olof Palme is remembered as one of the first Swedish politicians with a passion for international affairs and a strong conviction in the human rights. He fought to eliminate colonialism and support the self-determination of the nations in Latin America, Africa, and Asia.

In the divide between the USA and the Soviet Union, he insisted that there is a third way, a path of neutrality and non-alignment.

“Peace was his most important task, because he saw war as the greatest threat to humankind,” said Ingvar Carlsson, close collaborator and successor as

prime minister, at Palme’s funeral.

The fight against racism was at Palme’s heart.

He was an early critic of apartheid during the 1970s -far from obvious for a Western political leader at the time -- and made possible financial and material support to the ANC in South Africa.

At home in Sweden, he introduced legislation to promote equality between men and women, and to give women the power to shape their lives, to get an employment and to have an income.

The legacy of Olof Palme lives on. Even if the world in many aspects has made progress in these 30 years, the visions of this Swedish statesman are still being realised. l Johan Frisell is Ambassador of Sweden to Bangladesh.

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Business 15

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2016

INSIDE ECONOMIC ZONES TO BE OPENED TODAY PUBLIC SECTOR

PRIVATE SECTOR A K Khan Special Economic Zone NARSINGDI Abdul Monem Economic Zone MUNSHIGANJ

Mirsarai Economic Zone CHITTAGONG Mongla Economic Zone BAGERHAT

Meghna Economic Zone NARAYANGANJ Meghna Industrial Economic Zone NARAYANGANJ

Sreehatta Economic Zone MOULVIBAZAR

Bay Economic Zone GAZIPUR

Sabrang Tourism Park COX’S BAZAR

Aman Economic Zone NARAYANGANJ

PM opens development works of 10 economic zones today Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to formally inaugurate the development works of 10 economic zones today. PAGE 16

G20: World needs to look beyond ultraeasy policy for growth

The world’s top economies are set to declare yesterday that they need to look beyond ultra-low interest rates and printing money if the global economy is to shake off its torpor, and renew focus on structural reform to spark activity. PAGE 17

Oil industry sees Paris climate deal as chance to innovate If a crisis is a terrible thing to waste, the oil industry sees the Paris climate accord not as a death knell, but an opportunity to innovate and even grow. PAGE 18

Capital market snapshot: Past Week DSE Broad Index

4,567.6

-0.4% ▼

Index

1,115.2

-0.9% ▼

30 Index

1,753.2

-0.7% ▼

Turnover in Mn Tk Turnover in Mn Vol

19,848.7 -11.6% ▼ 538.9

1.3% ▲

All Share Index 14,098.1

-0.5% ▼

CSE 30 Index

12,753.5

0.1% ▲

Selected Index

8,566.3

-0.5% ▼

Turnover in Mn Tk

1,565.1

10.0% ▲

Turnover in Mn Vol

48.5

12.1% ▲

NBR to list and profile noncompliant taxpayers n Syed Samiul Basher Anik The National Board of Revenue has asked its field offices to prepare a list of non-compliant taxpayers so that the board can bring them under surveillance of tax collection.

The list will include the names of the taxpayers with present or previous history of tax irregularities, and of those who are allegedly hampering the collection efforts, said officials.

NBR Chairman Nojibur Rahman recently sent letters to the commissioners at income tax offices, customs houses, and customs, excise and VAT commissionerates asking to prepare the list and a profile of non-complaint taxpayers.

The revenue authorities took the decision to keep the tax dodgers,

both individuals and companies, under close watch so the tax evasions could be reduced significantly.

While doing the process, the tax officials may review the tax files and past records of taxpayers.

NBR chairman, earlier, told the media that the intelligence wing of NBR will chase “dishonest traders” while “honest traders” will be able to continue businesses without any worry.

Currently, less than 1% of the population of around 160m people in the country pay taxes regularly. The rate is 3% for Indians, less than 1% for Pakistan and only 0.3% for Vietnam, according to a survey report.

The Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific 2014 was prepared by the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pa-

cific (ESCAP) of the United Nations.

Although at least 7 million people earn enough to pay tax, only 1.75m have taxpayers identification numbers (TIN) in the country.

Among them, nearly 1.2 million files their tax returns regularly.

The government plans to increase the number of taxpayers to three millon by FY2018-19.

According to the Escap report, wealthier individuals have continued to avoid paying tax because of non-compliance and poor implementation of laws.

Currently, the tax GDP ratio in the country is 10%. The Escap survey suggests that Bangladesh has the potential to raise it to the 18%.

NBR officials said many taxpayers hide their actual income to evade tax while many plays a dilly-dally role while paying tax

mainly due to lack of manpower and monitoring.

The government loses around Tk40,000 crore of revenue annually mainly out of tax evasions plus tax exemptions.

With the letter, NBR chief asked the officials to ensure taxpayers-friendly atmosphere everywhere in the country.

“No tax evader, or dishonest person will be able to create obstacles in the process of ensuring revenue-friendly atmosphere, no matter how strong and powerful they are,” read Nojibur’s letter.

He urged the officials to go forward to meet the revenue target by overcoming such seen or unseen obstacles.

The NBR is assigned to mobilise a gigantic target of Tk176,370 crore revenue this fiscal year. l

Anisul: Building trust in ADR a must to settle business dispute

BB increases int’l credit card limit n Tribune Report

n Tribune Report

Bangladesh Bank has increased the purchase limit of International Credit Cards (ICCs) to US $300 for each transaction from the previously restricted $100.

Authorised Dealers (ADs) may allow their cardholders to use ICCs for online payment up to $300 against every single transaction, said a Bangladesh Bank circular issued yesterday.

The magazine or newspaper subscription fees were also allowed to pay through ICCs, said the circular.

Earlier, cardholders were only allowed to use their ICCs without exceeding $100 or its equivalent at a single transaction against legitimate purchases of items of goods and services from reputed and reliable sources abroad. l

Law Minister Anisul Huq yesterday said building trust and confidence in alternative dispute resolution (ADR) system to resolve trade disputes is very important for its effectiveness.

The minister came up with the remark at a seminar on “The role of SARCO as an Arbitration Centre in the Region”.

Bangladesh International Arbitration Centre (BIAC), DCCI and Saarc Arbitration Council (SARCO) jointly organised the seminar in the city.

“In an arbitration, the most important thing is trust and confidence. If we can create that trust and confidence, I guess enforceability will follow,” Anisul Huq said while he was addressing the seminar as the chief guest.

The global trade worth $600 billion remains unrealised due to sluggish business and trade disputes while Bangladesh accounts for around $400 million caused by disputes, said Anisul.

He said the magnitude of unresolved business and trade dispute and litigation are on the rise. It heightens the demand of quick disposal of pending cases for bringing dynamism into business and economic operations, the minister said.

If all institutions participating in the arbitration system can create trust and confidence, the trade judgement system will be more effective, Anisul said.

“The arbitrator took time to dispose of the disputes even in the recent past. Now they are showing good tendency, fixing date for written objection and replying on the first day of filing the complaint,” said former Chief Justice Tafazzal Islam.

This process of arbitration is getting momentum and it would really work as a good alternative to lengthy process of litigation, said Tafazzal.

Former adviser to caretaker government AF Hasan Arif, also former attorney general, suggested formation of a committee under the Law Ministry for overseeing implementation of the ADR system and sorting out barriers.

“There are some specific challenges including verseeing the functioning of ADR system, its further development and removing shortcomings of the ADR provisions in the Code of Civil Procedure for its further development that need to be addressed,” said former Attorney General Fida M Kamal in his presentation on the Future of Arbitration in Bangladesh.

Settling the growing commercial disputes under a fair, effective and time-bound framework will give impetus to the growth of intra-regional trade, alongside establishing a peaceful trade resolution link in the region, said DCCI President Hossain Khaled in his welcome speech.

He said SARCO can play the role of a catalyst, being a trusted partner of business communities to lower the occurrence of disputes. Khaled said the countries under Saarc umbrella are not substantially integrated in terms of trade, commerce and investment as it constitutes 3% of the world trade though Saarc has the potential to raise the intra-regional trade to 30% and global trade to 6%.

Ex-Chief Justice Latifur Rahman, Justice Md Awlad Ali, Justice Syed Amirul Islam, Chairman of International Arbitration Centre Mahbubur Rahman, CEO of BIAC Mohammad A Rumee Ali spoke on the issue. l

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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2016

PM opens development works of 10 economic zones today n

Tribune Report

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to formally inaugurate the development works of 10 economic zones today.

In an attempt to attract more foreign and domestic investments across the country, the PM will launch the overall development works of the economic zones through a video conference to be held at a programme at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) in the city.

The industries, to be set up at the nearly completed economic zones, may start operation within a year, said BEZA officials.

The government has undertaken a plan to establish 100 economic zones in phases over the next 15 years for creating more opportunities for investment, industrialisation and employment.

Once established, the economic zones are expected to increase export earnings by US$40 billion and generate about 10 million additional jobs. l

ECONOMIC ZONES TO BE OPENED TODAY

Stocks edged down amid volatility in the past week as quick profit booking broke two consecutive weeks’ marginal rise.

During the week that ended Thursday, the benchmark of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, was down 20 points or 0.5% to settle at 4,567, after gaining 16 points in the previous two weeks.

The blue-chip comprising index DS30 declined 13 points or 0.8% to 1,753. The DSE Shariah Index, DSES, lost 10 points or almost 1% to 1,115.

The Chittagong Stock Exchange Selective Category Index, CSCX, closed at 8,566, moving down 43 points or 0.6%.

The DSE daily average turnover was Tk496 crore, up more than 10% over the previous week. Almost half of the trade value came from engineering, textiles, fuel and power sectors which accounted for 21%, 15% and 11% respectively of the week’s total turnover.

Among the major gaining sectors, non-banking financial institutions sector was the week’s largest gainer rising slightly over 1%, led by Lanka Bangla Finance that

A K Khan Special Economic Zone NARSINGDI Abdul Monem Economic Zone MUNSHIGANJ

PUBLIC SECTOR Mirsarai Economic Zone CHITTAGONG

Meghna Economic Zone NARAYANGANJ

Mongla Economic Zone BAGERHAT

Meghna Industrial Economic Zone NARAYANGANJ

Sreehatta Economic Zone MOULVIBAZAR

Bay Economic Zone GAZIPUR

Sabrang Tourism Park COX’S BAZAR

Profit booking drags down stock market n Tribune Report

PRIVATE SECTOR

showed its muscle during the week after impressive dividend declarations for its shareholders.

The company was the week’s best performer, posting a rise of over 34% and the turnover leader.

The company declared 15% cash dividend and 15% stock dividend for the last year.

Textile and bank ended flat. The profit booking took place in sectors like food and allied and pharmaceuticals.

“Prolonging the monotonous tone of the recent past, the market ended the week with a marginal fall,” said IDLC Investments.

It said news-based trading behaviour characterised the market, last week.

Resultantly, Prime Finance faced 19.6% erosion after its no dividend declaration, where United Commercial Bank gained 4.4% after its promising annual declaration.

“The sellers, however, exerted dominance throughout the week, opting for profit booking from all cap classes,” said the IDLC. All the cap classes ended in negative zone with mid-cap and mini-cap stocks taking the highest beat, it said. l

Aman Economic Zone NARAYANGANJ

Summit to kick off construciton of blocks 2 and 5 in High-Tech Park today n Tribune Report Summit Technopolis is going to lay its foundation stone to develop its awarded blocks 2 and 5 of Kaliakoir Hi-Tech Park in Gazipur under Public Private Partnership today.

The infrastructure in Block No. 2 is entitled to be signature building while that in block 5 high-tech manufacturing unit.

The two blocks will spread over 65 acres and 29 acres of lands respectively on the 232-acre park.

On June 28 last year, Bangladesh Hi-Tech Park Authority and Summmit Technopolis signed a concessional loan agreement to construct the park on a design, build, finance, operate, own and transfer basis.

According to the agreement, Summit will invest US$207.59 million to construct multi-tenant building, convention centre, hotels, customs infrastructure, warehouse and industry area in Block No. 2.

On August 11, 2015, the government signed another agreement with Bangladesh TechnoSity Limited to develop Block No. 3 of the Hi-Tech Park.

TechnoSity began construction of development works on October 15,

2015 for expediting its construction.

Initially, TechnoSity will invest US$25 million for construction, and if necessary, the investment would increase 10 times.

The two blocks will spread over 65 acres and 29 acres of lands respectively on the 232-acre park As many as 70,000 employments will be created by the Hi-Tech Park while over one more lakh people will be employed indirectly.

The Hi-Tech Park will be equipped with uninterrupted gas, power and high-speed internet connection.

Hosne Ara Begum, managing director of Kaliakoir Hi-Tech Park Authority, said the investors from home and abroad will enjoy 10 years tax holiday, exemption of income tax for expatriate professionals, 10 years accelerated depreciation, exemption from import duties, 100% exemption of taxes for all exports and 100% equity for FDI companies. l

Biman new organogram finalised n Ishtiaq Husain Biman Bangladesh Airlines has finalised a fresh organogram and service rules with changes in some senior posts and recruitment policy as it struggles to get revamped, said official sources.

But the documents, finalised before the board of directors was dissolved in December last year, will now have to await approval until formation of a new board.

The new organogram has abolished the posts of deputy general manager and executive director, and introduced the posts of chief commercial officer and chief financial officer.

A number of more than 1,000 staff will also be recruited increasing the present number of total workforce to 4,575 from the current 3,400.

The new organogram and service rules have been finalised as per the guidance of a board sub-committee, said a Biman official. After having joined the airlines in January last year as managing directer and CEO, Kyle Heywood began working to form a new organogram.

The decision to increase manpower is expected to boost the operational activities of the national flag carrier. In some domestic airports including Jessore, Rajshahi, Saidpur and Barisal, Biman has had no manpower at all since it became public limited company in 2007.

Although the airlines began flight operation in all domestic routes in April last year, the stations remain without staff. The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) even warned that Biman would not get air operator certificate renewed in 2016 unless it deployed service staff in the airports.

But in the name of introducing different new posts, manpower was doubled since establishment of the airlines, according to official sources.

However in June 2007, Biman terminated 1,862 employees under voluntary retirement scheme and reduced the workforce to about 3,400 from 4,706. The step was taken to cut costs and make the carrier a healthy and profitable organisation.

In July 2007, among the sacked through VRS, Biman re-appointed 1,100 employees on casual basis.

Few years later, around 150 terminated employees of the airlines joined Biman anew in line with the Hight Court verdict.

Biman launched its operation on 4 January, 1972 after independence from Pakistan with 2,500 skilled and unskilled workforce without any capital and aircraft in the fleet.

In 2007 the national flag carrier started its journey as a public limited company with a view to ensuring better operation and development of air transport service. l

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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2016

G20: World needs to look beyond ultra-easy policy for growth n Reuters, Shanghai The world’s top economies are set to declare yesterday that they need to look beyond ultra-low interest rates and printing money if the global economy is to shake off its torpor, and renew focus on structural reform to spark activity.

A draft of the communique to be issued by the Group of 20 (G20) finance ministers and central bankers at the end of a two-day meeting in Shanghai reflected myriad concerns and policy frictions that have been exacerbated by faltering economic growth and market turbulence in recent months.

“The global recovery continues, but it remains uneven and falls short of our ambition for strong, sustainable and balanced growth,” the leaders said in a draft seen by Reuters.

“Monetary policies will continue to support economic activity and ensure price stability ... but monetary policy alone cannot lead to balanced growth.”

Geopolitics figured prominently, with the draft noting risks and vulnerabilities had risen against a backdrop that includes the shock of a potential British exit from the European Union and the crisis over rising numbers of refugees and migrants.

A senior official who had seen various versions of the text said the potential “Brexit” - to be decided by a referendum on June 23 - had not been mentioned in earlier drafts, but had been added after a strong case for was made for its inclusion by British officials.

“The risk of Britain leaving the European Union wasn’t in the draft on Thursday,” he said.

Divisions over debt, rates

There was no sign of any plan for specific coordinated stimulus spending to spark activity, as some investors had been hoping after markets nosedived at the start of 2016.

The G20 policymakers “judge

President of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) Jin Liqun and US Secretary of the Treasury Jack Lew attend a group photo session that the magnitude of recent market volatility has not reflected the underlying fundamentals of the global economy”, the communique draft said.

Divisions have emerged among major economies over the reliance on debt to drive growth and the use of negative interest rates by some central banks, such as in Japan.

Germany had made it clear it was not keen on new stimulus, with Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble saying on Friday the debt-financed growth model had reached its limits.

“It is even causing new problems, raising debt, causing bubbles and excessive risk taking, zombifying the economy,” he said.

The G20, which spans major industrialized economies such as the United States and Japan to the emerging giants of China and Brazil and smaller economies such as Indonesia and Turkey, reiterated in the communique a commitment to refrain from targeting exchange rates for competitive purposes, including through devaluations.

They pledged to “consult closely” on exchange markets.

Currency concerns

Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso told reporters on Friday Bank of Japan governor Haruhiko Kuroda had said during the meeting Japan’s that move to adopt negative interest rates were “aimed primari-

ly at achieving a 2% inflation target but are not targeting currencies”.

G20 host China used the meeting of the world’s top financial officials to try to dispel concerns about the world’s second biggest economy, and Beijing’s ability to manage it, that have grown since a market rout and a surprise devaluation last summer.

Chinese policymakers reiterated pledges not to devalue the yuan CNY=CFXS again, and Premier Li Keqiang told the G20 opening session on Friday there was no basis for continued depreciation of the yuan.

But there appeared to be concerns that some members may seek a quick fix to domestic woes through a weaker currency.

REUTERS

Japan’s Aso said he had urged China to carry out currency reform and map out a mid-term structural reform plan with a time frame.

“Chinese authorities need to present a mid-term structural reform plan with concrete schedule and a package of measures to stabilize yuan, based on recognition that communication between Chinese authorities and markets has caused market volatility and capital outflow,” he told reporters.

US Treasury Secretary Jack Lew also encouraged China on Friday to shift to a more market-oriented exchange rate in “an orderly way” and “refrain from policies that would be destabilizing and create an unfair advantage”. l

G20 to tell each other in advance about moves that could devalue currencies n Reuters, Shanghai Financial leaders of the world’s 20 biggest economies agreed to inform each other in advance about policy decisions that could lead to devaluations of their currencies, the chairman of euro zone finance ministers Jeroen Dijsselbloem said on Saturday.

The move is an addition to

the traditional declaration in G20 communiques that countries will refrain from competitive devaluations, Dijsselbloem said after a meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bankers in Shanghai.

“If policy decisions lead to devaluation, we should inform and consult in advance between the different countries,” he told reporters.

The decision was prompted by concerns among some of G20 financial leaders about the possibility of competitive devaluations in Japan or China, he said.

“Everyone was quite firm that we mustn’t go down that road, refrain from that completely,” Dijsselbloem said.

“There were some concerns that we would get into a situation of

competitive devaluations and once a country starts, the risk is very large that the next country will follow.”

He said in cases where devaluation is a consequence of monetary policy “motivated by real macroeconomic domestic reasons”, then members must make sure to inform each other in advance to avoid surprises.

Dijsselbloem said information exchanges would take place “in the G20 context” and through the International Monetary Fund when “useful”.

“The key thing is that we want to make sure that there are no surprises. This is an extra commitment between the G20 countries that they will refrain from competitive devaluations,” he said. l

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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2016

Oil industry sees Paris climate BRICS bank eyeing investments in deal as chance to innovate n Reuters, Houston If a crisis is a terrible thing to waste, the oil industry sees the Paris climate accord not as a death knell, but an opportunity to innovate and even grow.

The move is a shrewd one for an industry that has been on the defensive for years on climate issues, constantly fending off attacks that its products have contributed to an unhealthy rise in global temperatures.

While the landmark emissions-reduction agreement among 195 countries late last year was seen as a defeat for fossil fuel producers, executives and oil ministers sounded a clarion call this week at their first major meeting since the Paris talks for more research into how carbon capture technology can be cheapened and perfected.

The hope is that this and other technologies could sharply cut oil and natural gas emissions, protect the industry from the ramifications of climate change legislation and ensure developing economies still have access to inexpensive energy.

“If you could eliminate all of the carbon dioxide from fossil fuel combustion, then you could use those fuels as long as you want,” Robert Armstrong, director of the MIT Energy Initiative, said in an interview on the sidelines of IHS CERAWeek, the world’s largest gathering of oil executives.

He added that other sources of energy, including renewable technologies, should be part of the oil industry’s research focus, to transition away from fossil fuels in the coming decades.

“It’s just a matter of making

those technologies competitive in the market.”

That could help the oil industry avoid the worst-case scenario for a post-Paris world: governments forcing oil and gas production to cease in certain areas.

Ali Al-Naimi, Saudi Arabia’s oil minister, called climate change a greater challenge for his industry than even crude price CLc1 gyrations.

Naimi, who attended the Paris meetings, said his nation - the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries’ de facto leader is committed to finding technological solutions to slash emissions.

“We recognize the threat posed by climate change,” he said. “We and many others have invested time, money and brain power into seeking technological solutions to the challenges posed by climate change, in particular with carbon capture.”

Ryan Lance, chief executive of ConocoPhillips, spoke about the impact of climate change in Alaska, where his company is the largest oil producer. “I’ve seen the glaciers melting,” he said.

John Hess, CEO of Hess Corp, North Dakota’s third-largest oil producer, called climate change a “serious problem.”

“The world needs more energy, but it needs less CO2. We think we can get there,” Hess said in an interview.

Many expressed confidence the industry’s scientists - who perfected horizontal drilling and fracking that reinvented the industry - could find ways to prevent more carbon from polluting the atmosphere.

Their comments starkly contrasted with how some members of

the industry for years questioned the reality of climate change. A couple of energy companies have faced inquiries over their climate change disclosures.

The Paris deal, which must still be ratified, aims to limit the rise in global temperatures to “well below” 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), a level scientists see as a tipping point. Until now, the line was drawn only at 2 degrees.

Oil companies have pulled off technological surprises before. An Exxon Mobil Corp engineer invented the lithium ion rechargeable battery in 1975 amidst widespread concern oil supplies would run out.

While that battery failed to immediately take off, it is now used by Tesla Motors Inc to power its electric cars.

In an unusual twist, JB Straubel, Tesla’s chief technical officer, gave a keynote speech at the event.

hydropower, electricity n Reuters, Shanghai The New Development Bank established by the BRICS emerging nations plans to invest in infrastructure projects in those countries and is considering hydropower and electricity investments, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said.

Siluanov, speaking in Shanghai where central bank governors and finance ministers were meeting for a G20 conference, also said the bank is considering the possibility of allowing more members.

“We will mainly be investing in infrastructure projects, energy, with a priority on green energy developments,” he said, adding that some funding will be raised “in national currencies, in national markets to fi-

nance projects in the member states”.

Vladimir Kazbekov, vice president of the New Development Bank, told Reuters on the sidelines of the conference that the bank may be looking at science or high-technology projects in the future.

A press release distributed by the bank said the bank plans to employ about 100 staff globally by the end of 2016, with its first regional office to open in Johannesburg.

The bank received an ‘AAA’ institutional rating from domestic credit rating agencies and has appointed Bank of China and China Development Bank as rating advisers. Standard Chartered and Goldman Sachs have been appointed as advisers for international ratings, according to the release. l

CORPORATE NEWS

‘Force for good’

Naimi insisted the oil industry was a “force for good,” providing fuels for economic growth in developing nations.

“We should not be apologizing, and we should not ignore the misguided campaign to keep it in the ground,” the Saudi minister said.

Industry leaders say it is hypocritical for societies to continue to use products derived from fossil fuels while demanding an end to oil and gas extraction.

“It’s a bit Pollyannish to say that we can move away from the carbon age and still have rising expectations for living standards,” said Mark Papa, CEO of Silver Run Acquisition Corp. l

BRAC Dairy has recently organised a two-day event titled Aarong Dairy Distributor Conference 2016 in Rajendrapur, said a press release. The company’s director, Taufiqur Rahman was present at the event among others

OECD calls for G20 structural reforms as global growth prospects dim n Reuters, Brussels The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) called on Friday on the world’s 20 biggest economies to step up the slowing pace of reforms to boost economic growth amid slowing trade and weak investment.

Finance ministers and central bank governors of the 20 biggest economies, the G20, are meeting in Shanghai over the weekend to address the weaker global growth outlook.

“Global growth prospects remain clouded in the near term, with emerging-market economies losing steam, world trade slowing down and the recovery in advanced economies being dragged down by persistently

weak investment,” the OECD said.

“The case for structural reforms, combined with supporting demand policies, remains strong to sustainably lift productivity and the job creation,” said the OECD report, prepared for the G20 meeting.

The organisation has a task of monitoring reforms in the G20 to help the group deliver on its pledge from 2014 that they will increase global economic growth by 2% by 2018 through a series of coordinated structural adjustments to their economies.

“Even though progress is made in tackling some of the main challenges, the slowdown in the pace of reforms observed in 2013-14 has continued in 2015, even after taking into account measures that are in

the pipeline but that have yet to be fully implemented,” the report said.

The OECD said that the pace of reform was generally higher in Southern European countries like Italy and Spain, than among Northern European countries. Outside Europe, the reform leaders were Japan China, India and Mexico.

The slower than expected growth, especially in the world’s second biggest economy China, has added to uncertainty and volatility on financial markets, as ultra low or even negative interest rates have not provided the expected growth stimulus yet, but have already reduced returns on investment.

“Financial markets are increasingly volatile as capital searches for both yield and safety,” the OECD said. l

Rangs Limited, sole distributor of Mitsubishi Motors has recently revealed its most advanced SUV in Bangladesh yesterday. The SUV named Outlander was launched

by Shoeb Ahmed, COO of Rangs Limited

Southeast Bank Foundation has recently distributed scholarships among meritorious (Higher Secondary and Graduation level) students from poor families, said a press release. Governor of Bangladesh Bank, Dr Atiur Rahman was present on the occasion as chief guest along with Alamgir Kabir, FCA, chairperson of Southeast Bank Limited

| fiesta |

| Seminar |

Information systems at NSU On February 25, North South University organised the very first seminar based on MIS and its importance on daily life.

MIS stands for Management Information Systems, and is still in its growth stage in Bangladesh.

The seminar was hosted

by Ashik Imran Khan, senior lecturer of North South University in association with the NSU MIS Club. The event was titled Hi-Tech Furniture presents “The Inside Info: Information Systems Building The Youth for Tomorrow,” powered by Robi Axiata Limited.

The speakers were Imran Fahad, founder of Core Global;

Kishwar Sayeed, ex human resource head of BRAC and Tabassum Salsabil Chowdhury, lead educator of Microsoft Corporation. Mahjabeen Khaled, member of parliament and AK Faiyazul Haque Razu, chairman of Sher-e-Bangla Foundation were the guests of honour at the seminar.

Beginning with a short video about the NSU MIS club, Ashik Imran Khan explained the idea about how information systems has become a necessity and within five years, traditional systems will be replaced by information systems. He also encouraged the students to take MIS as their major. l

Lime & Thyme’s steak craze

Lime and thyme shall be presenting their “Steak Festival” with four types of steaks being available, including sirloin steak, T-bone steak, pepper steak and fish steak.

With each being served at Tk550 each (all inclusive), the options shall provide a tasty, nourishing and healthy meals for their customers. l

| conference |

Press conference | cuisine |

The Mughal specials Drawing inspiration from the richness of the historic era, The Mughal Kitchen serves authentic Mughal cuisine with a variety of inventive dishes, desserts and drinks. The items are made with the fresh ingredients by a team of veteran and highly-trained chefs.

The Mughal Kitchen launches six new dishes, each at Tk180 only. The items include kala vuna, chicken tikka, chicken boti, mutton boti, chicken chaap and beef sheek.

Every order shall have luchi, salads, tzaziki and soft drinks included within them. l

25th of February 2016 marks a historic day in the lives of over 650 students, as it was for the first time an Indian brand for Model United Nations, the Indian International Model United Nations came to Dhaka, Bangladesh to organise a Model United Nations (MUN) conference.

The opening ceremony taking place in the Army Golf Club, inaugurated by Fazal Rabbi Miah- the deputy speaker for the Bangladeshi Parliament, the Additional Private Secretary to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Mr. Rishabh Shah who is the Founder and President of IIMUN, along with the dean of North South University, Prof Dr Mohammad Mahboob Rahman.

The winning contingent of this conference will be eligible to participate in the IIMUN USA conference where students from all across the world will be coming together to debate in the headquarters of the United Nations in New York itself.

This conference in Dhaka has been presented by the Delhi Public School STS and IIMUN has partnered with the Dhaka Tribune as a media partner who will be covering the entire event. l

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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2016

| competition |

Young environmentalists awarded at IUB

The Department of Environmental Science and Green Planet Club of Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) organised the final round of the “Young Environmentalist Award 2015” on February 25. It was held at the IUB auditorium in Bashundhara.

Professor M Omar Rahman, vice chancellor, was the chief guest of the programme. Top five finalists of the competition

presented their solutions in front of a panel of judges.

Farhana Abdul from the School of Life Sciences, IUB, bagged the championship while SK Shafak Hossain and Safa Zil Aziz Anan came in as second and third respectively.

The winners also received book-money from the Department of Environmental Science of IUB. l

| festival |

The Peninsula Chittagong’s submarine fiesta

The Peninsula Chittagong is ready to present five unique kinds of delicious submarine burgers at their upcoming “Submarine Fest” from March 1 to 15. The occasion shall be hosted at the GEC West, an internal restaurant dedicated

to serving western food, which shall be furnished to decorate the festival with real ship wheels, bells, search lights and a large submarine entrance. The fest shall run from 11am to 11pm on each day. l

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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2016

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Radiant smile (4) 4 Inn (5) 8 Incentive (6) 9 Move quickly (4) 11 Swarms (5) 12 Beverages (4) 14 Part of the verb ‘to be’ (3) 15 Landed property (6) 19 Furniture item (6) 21 Prohibit (3) 22 Fish (4) 24 Joint (5) 27 Disguise (4) 29 Worn away (6) 30 View (5) 31 That follwing (4)

DOWN 1 Public transport (3) 2 Talisman (6) 3 Fashion (4) 4 Success (3) 5 Not concealed (5) 6 Golf mound (3) 7 Pay attention (6) 10 Be concerned (4) 13 Bishop’s territory (3) 14 Fix a tax (6) 16 Dry, of champagne (3) 17 Scrape off (6) 18 Faucets (4) 20 Prickle (5) 23 So be it! (4) 25 Insect (3) 26 Misery (3) 28 Outfit (3)

Downtime CODE-CRACKER How to solve: Each number in our CODECRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 23 represents B so fill B every time the figure 23 appears.

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

Some letters of the alphabet may not be used.

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

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

CALVIN AND HOBBES

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

PEANUTS

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS CODE-CRACKER

CROSSWORD

DILBERT

SUDOKU

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INSIDE

Greek migrant camp overflows as Balkan states cap arrivals More than 5,000 people were stranded at the Idomeni camp on Greece’s northern border with Macedonia on Saturday after four Balkan countries announced a daily cap on migrant arrivals.

PAGE 22

The UN Security Council votes to approve a resolution endorsing the planned halt in fighting in Syria at the UN Headquarters in New York on February 26

Guns fall silent as delicate Syria truce takes effect n Reuters, Beirut

Moderates seen making early gains in high-stakes Iran vote Moderates and reformists supporting President Hassan Rouhani appeared to have made a strong showing in high stakes elections that could speed or slow Iran’s post-sanctions opening to the world, according to early unofficial results on Saturday.

PAGE 23

Trump wins Christie backing, marches toward Super Tuesday Republican candidate Donald Trump on Friday won the surprise endorsement of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, the most prominent mainstream Republican to get behind the former reality TV star’s White House campaign.

PAGE 24

Guns mostly fell silent in Syria and Russian air raids stopped on Saturday, as a cessation of hostilities appeared to hold for its first day, described by the United Nations as the best hope for peace in five years of civil war.

Under the US-Russian accord accepted by President Bashar al-Assad’s government and many of his enemies, fighting should cease so aid can reach civilians and talks can open to end a war that has killed more than 250,000 people and made 11 million homeless.

Russia, which says it intends to continue strikes against areas held

by Islamist fighters that are not covered by the truce, said it would suspend all flights over Syria for the first day to ensure no wrong targets were hit by mistake.

Rebels reported what they described as occasional government violations, and one commander warned that unchecked, the breaches could lead to the agreement’s collapse. A Syrian military source denied the Syrian army was violating the truce agreement.

State media described rocket attacks near Damascus and several deadly attacks by Islamic State.

But overall the level of violence was far reduced.

“Let’s pray that this works because frankly this is the best opportunity we can imagine the Syrian people has had for the last five years in order to see something better and hopefully something related to peace,” UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura said at a midnight news

conference in Geneva.

He said he expected occasional breaches of the agreement but called on the parties to show restraint and curb escalation.

The agreement is the first of its kind to be attempted in four years and, if it holds, would be the most successful truce of the war so far.

But there are weak spots in a fragile deal which has not been directly signed by the Syrian warring parties and is less binding than a formal ceasefire.

Importantly, it does not cover powerful jihadist groups such as Islamic State and the Nusra Front, al Qaeda’s branch in Syria. Dae’sh claimed responsibility for a suicide car bomb in Hama province.

Nusra has called for redoubled attacks.

Moscow and Damascus say they will continue to fight those groups, and other rebels say they fear this may be used to justify attacks against them.

The truce is the culmination of new diplomatic efforts that reflect a battlefield dramatically changed since Russia joined the war in September with air strikes to prop up Assad. Moscow’s intervention effectively destroyed the hope his enemies have maintained for five years – encouraged by Arab and Western states – to topple him by force.

Like several other rebel figures contacted by Reuters, Fares Bayoush, head of the Fursan al-Haqq rebel group which fights under the banner of the Free Syrian Army (FSA), said front lines were far quieter. But he added that violations were taking place and if

continued could lead to the “collapse of the agreement."

“There are areas where the bombardment has stopped but there are areas where there are violations by the regime such as Kafr Zeita in Hama, via targeting with artillery, and likewise in Morek in northern Hama countryside.”

'There is calm'

A rebel fighter said government forces briefly fired artillery at a village in Aleppo province, which he said was under the control of the Levant Front, another group under the umbrella of the Free Syrian Army which has backed the truce.

Nevertheless he said the frontline was quieter than before the agreement took effect.

“There is calm. Yesterday at this time there were fierce battles.

It is certainly strange, but the people are almost certain that the regime will breach the truce on the grounds of hitting Nusra. There is the sound of helicopters from the early morning,” he told Reuters earlier on Saturday.

Fighting raged across much of western Syria right up until the cessation came into effect but there was calm in many parts of the country shortly after midnight, the Observatory said.

“In Damascus and its countryside ... for the first time in years, calm prevails,” Observatory director Rami Abdulrahman said. “In Latakia, calm, and at the Hmeimim air base there is no plane activity,” he said, referring to the Latakia base where Russia’s

REUTERS

warplanes operate.

Some gunfire had been heard shortly after midnight in the northern city of Aleppo, and there were some blasts heard in northern Homs province, but it was not clear what had caused them, Abdulrahman said.

After years in which any action by the United Nations Security Council was blocked by Moscow, Russia’s intervention has opened a path for multilateral diplomacy while undermining the long-standing Western demand that Assad leave power.

The Security Council unanimously demanded late on Friday that all parties to the conflict comply with terms of the plan. De Mistura said he intends to restart peace talks on March 7, provided the halt in fighting largely holds.

UN-backed peace talks, the first in two years and the first to include delegations from Damascus and the rebels, collapsed earlier this month before they began, with the rebels saying they could not negotiate while they were being bombed.

The government, backed by Russian air strikes, has dramatically advanced in recent weeks, moving close to encircling Aleppo, Syria’s biggest city before the war, and threatening to seal the Turkish border that has served as the main lifeline for rebel-held areas.

Washington said it was time for Russia to show it was serious about halting fighting by honouring a commitment not to strike Syrian groups that are part of the moderate opposition. l

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Irish government hammered Greek migrant camp overflows as Balkan as no clear winners states cap arrivals n AFP, Athens

Ballot boxes are emptied onto tables as the count gets under way at the RDS centre in Dublin, Ireland on February 27

n Reuters, Dublin Ireland’s two main political foes were left considering an unlikely alliance on Saturday after exit polls suggested voters had rejected established parties – including the ruling coalition – in favour of protest groups and independents.

Enda Kenny’s government looked to be the latest victim of European voters’ growing antipathy to mainstream politics even though his premiership has seen Ireland bounce back from a bailout to become the continent’s fastest growing economy.

Kenny’s centre-right Fine Gael

captured 25 to 26% of the vote, the exit polls said. That is far below the 36% it won five years ago and the 30% opinion poll rating it enjoyed at the start of campaigning.

With partners Labour in line to win just 7 to 8% of the ballot, the only viable option for government appeared to be a problematic alliance between historic rivals Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, whose vote the poll showed rose to 23%.

“Either we could have another election now and do away with the count, or we’ll let them muddle around for a month or so and maybe they can think the unthinkable,”

AFP

said Michael Marsh, a professor of politics at Trinity College Dublin.

“It’s hard to see any kind of government without Fine Gael and Fianna Fail getting together.”

No previous Irish election has seen Fine Gael and Fianna Fail – heirs to opposing sides in a civil war almost a century ago – fall below a combined 50% of the vote.

Framed as a debate over how to distribute the profits of accelerating economic growth, Kenny’s campaign to “keep the recovery going” rang hollow with many voters yet to feel any impact after years of austerity. l

US sets out limits on its spying as part of new data pact with EU n Reuters, Brussels The United States has set out limits to its use of data collected in bulk about European citizens after a new information-sharing pact was agreed this month, according to documents seen by Reuters.

A clear explanation of what information could be used for – preventing its “indiscriminate” and “arbitrary” use – was a key condition of the new Privacy Shield framework that enables firms to easily transfer personal data to the United States.

Under the deal, Washington agreed to create a specific new role within the State Department to deal with complaints and enquiries forwarded by EU data protection agencies. There will also be an alternative dispute resolution mechanism

to resolve grievances and a joint annual review of the accord.

In a letter to the US Department of Commerce, Robert Litt, General Counsel of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, says data collected in bulk can only be used for six specific purposes, including counterterrorism or cybersecurity.

Last-minute changes

Both EU and US businesses had lobbied hard to avoid transatlantic data flows being restricted after Safe Harbour was struck down by a top EU court.

Cross-border transfers are used in many industries for sharing employee information or when consumer data is shared to complete credit card, travel or e-commerce transactions.

The Privacy Shield will for the first time give Europeans a way to complain about US agents’ access to data transferred under the framework.

In another letter seen by Reuters, to EU Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova, US Secretary of State John Kerry commits to creating an “Ombudsperson” to deal with such complaints.

Under Secretary of State Catherine Novelli will take the role and ensure that where US agents’ access to data has been excessive, a remedy will be applied, the letter says.

But in a last-minute change to meet concerns raised by some EU data protection authorities, her remit will cover all forms of data transfers from the EU to the United States, not just those occurring under the Privacy Shield, Kerry’s letter said. l

More than 5,000 people were stranded at the Idomeni camp on Greece’s northern border with Macedonia on Saturday after four Balkan countries announced a daily cap on migrant arrivals.

The buildup began in earnest last week after Macedonia started refusing entry to Afghans and imposed stricter document controls on Syrians and Iraqis, slowing the passage of migrants and refugees to a trickle.

And the situation looked set to worsen significantly after Slovenia and Croatia, both EU member states, and Serbia and Macedonia said they would restrict the number of daily arrivals to 580.

The tighter controls have left thousands – including many children – stuck in Greece, as Europe’s worst migration crisis since World War II shows no sign of abating.

By Saturday, the number of people at Idomeni had reached 5,500, local police said, with 800 others gathered at another provisional camp some 20 kilometres (12 miles) away.

Since Thursday night, only 150 people have crossed into Macedonia, officials said, putting the total number of refugees and migrants currently on Greek soil at around 25,000.

Tensions were running high along the border with some 400 people protesting by the Idomeni crossing early on Saturday, demanding that the Macedonian authorities let them in.

“We are facing a humanitarian crisis that the others provoked. We have already tabled proposals for the provisions we need in order to fix this situation,” Greek Migration Minister Yiannis Mouzalas said on Saturday.

Friday’s announcement by four Balkan states came a week after Austria said it would only allow 80 people claiming asylum per day, and also pledged to limit the daily number of people crossing the country to 3,200.

The move has sparked a bitter spat between Athens and Vienna and Saturday saw some 200 people demanding safe passage for refugees protest outside the Austrian embassy in Athens, an AFP correspondent said.

Austria has repeatedly accused Greece of failing to police its borders properly and allowing many migrants to continue their journey northwards to western Europe.

“Europe can’t be indifferent to those of our partners who don’t respect their obligations,” Greek

President Prokopis Pavlopoulos said on Saturday, referring to the border restrictions.

Last week, the European Union told Austria that limiting asylum claims was “plainly incompatible” with European and international laws.

German concern

Mouzalas told Sto Kokkino radio that Greece intends to create provisional camps across the country to accommodate up to 3,000 people each, but “preferably 1,000 people, in order to cover their basic needs for a little while.”

Until the border situation is resolved, Greek authorities are trying to house migrants on the islands where they land by boat from neighbouring Turkey.

The overall situation on the islands has improvced somewhat, with the Athens News Agency reporting that recent days have seen a falloff in arrival numbers.

That also included Mytilene on the island of Lesbos. where “today there are 1,600 people while the camp can accommodate 4.000 people,” Mouzalas said.

In another development Saturday, German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere ahead of a Sunday visit to Morocco urged “swifter and more efficient” expulsion procedures for North African migrants whose countries Berlin wants to be classed as “safe countries.”

De Maiziere said he would go to Rabat seeking to boost cooperation and brushed off criticism from human rights groups which have decried a policy they say could, for example, threaten the safety of homosexual asylum seekers.

Relatively few Algerians, Moroccans and Tunisians – some 3,000 across January – have in fact sought asylum in Germany this year compared with the influx from war-torn Syria.

Bavarian conservative leader Horst Seehofer meanwhile urged Chancellor Angela Merkel to limit the number of people Germany is taking in after opening its doors to more than one million migrants last year. He noted that EU neighbours were responding by enacting political reforms aimed at dissuading more people from coming.

“The more we see European solutions aren’t working the more we have to put in place national measures – control of our national borders and sending refugees back,” said Seehofer, who suggested Merkel had lost touch with reality and popular sentiment. l

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Moderates seen making early gains in high-stakes Iran vote n Reuters, Tehran Moderates and reformists supporting President Hassan Rouhani appeared to have made a strong showing in high stakes elections that could speed or slow Iran’s post-sanctions opening to the world, according to early unofficial results on Saturday.

Tens of millions thronged polling stations on Friday to vote for parliament and the Assembly of Experts in a poll seen by analysts as a potential turning point for Iran, where nearly 60% of the 80 million population is under 30.

Even if reformists do not emerge with a majority in the 290seat legislature, dominated since 2004 by anti-Western conservatives, analysts say they will secure a bigger presence than in the past elections.

A first batch of results approved by the Guardian Council which supervises elections showed eight reformists, nine independents and 11 hardline “principlists” won seats.

Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli told state television early results for Tehran’s 30 seats would be announced on Saturday evening.

Conservatives usually perform well in the countryside while young town-dwellers tend to prefer moderate candidates.

Reformists seeking more social and economic freedoms and diplomatic engagement voiced high hopes of expanding their in-

Half a year after Barcelona launched a municipal plan to welcome refugees fleeing wars in places like Syria and Iraq, Spain’s second largest city is still waiting for them to arrive.

“This fills us with rage,” Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau, a former activist born out of the anti-austerity Indignados protest movement, told.

“The city is ready at the technical level, all our services are ready and residents are waiting with open arms.

But they don’t arrive.”

While EU interior ministers gathered in Brussels this week to try to hammer out a unified response to the biggest migration crisis in the bloc’s history, the city detailed its own “Barcelona Refuge City” plan.

When Colau announced the initiative in August, hundreds of residents of the Mediterranean, seaside city

Afghan blasts kill 25, jeopardising peace talks Twenty-five people were killed in two attacks in Afghanistan Saturday, including one in the capital, with the blasts putting attempts

by Kabul to persuade the Taliban to join peace talks set for next month in jeopardy. The Taliban later claimed responsibility for the attack near the Defence Ministry in the centre of Kabul. Twelve people, including 2 Afghan soldiers were killed and 8 others injured, a ministry statement said, while a previous toll given by Kabul police stated 9 were dead and 13 wounded.

-AFP

INDIA

Election officials count ballot papers after the closure of polling stations during elections for the parliament and Assembly of Experts, which has the power to appoint and dismiss the supreme leader, in Tehran on February 26 REUTERS fluence or even taking control of parliament and of easing conservative clerics’ grip on the 88-member experts’ assembly that chooses the supreme leader.

In the Assembly of Experts our initial expectation was 15 to 20% but it seems it will be beyond that.

Huge turnout

Newspapers hailed what they saw as a huge turnout, including many young voters. Polling was extended five times for a total of almost six extra hours because so many people wanted to vote.

Iran’s Financial Tribune newspaper said three million first-time

voters were among the nearly 55 million people aged 18 and over who are eligible to cast ballots.

The elections were the first since Tehran last year agreed with six major powers to curb its nuclear programme, leading to the removal of most of the stringent international sanctions that have paralysed the economy over the past decade.

Supporters of Rouhani, who championed the nuclear deal, are pitted against hardliners close to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameni. They are deeply suspicious of detente with Western countries, seen as adversaries implacably opposed to the 1979 rev-

olution that toppled the Shah.

Rouhani, who has promised more social and economic freedoms as well as diplomatic engagement abroad, voiced pride in the mass participation.

Interior Ministry spokesman Hosseinali Amiri said more than 33 million votes had been cast but that tally was not final. It would probably take three days to count all the votes, he said .

Mehr news agency published a list of both official and unofficial parliamentary winners so far, breaking down their affiliation as 82 conservative, 49 reformist and 71 independent. l

Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi on Saturday said the sedition case in connection with the controversial JNU event has been transferred to the force’s counter-terrorism unit Special Cell. I have directed my officers to transfer the case to Special Cell as the matter needs focused investigation.

In a case registered under Section 124 A (Sedition), the Special Cell shall do justice, Bassi told.

-THE HINDU

CHINA

China expresses ‘dissatisfaction’ at Aussie’s defence white paper China has expressed concern and dissatisfaction with Australia’s defence white paper, a multibillion-dollar framework for military acquisition and strategy over the coming decades that was released on Thursday. The white paper noted a number of points of friction, including over China’s territorial ambitions in the S China Sea. -THE GUARDIAN

ASIA PACIFIC

Barcelona waits for refugees, who aren’t coming n

SOUTH ASIA

JNU sedition case transferred to Special Cell

INSIGHT

AFP, Barcelona, Spain

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flooded the city hall with e-mails volunteering to help.

The plan was quickly followed by other cities across the country including Madrid, the Mediterranean port of Valencia and Cadiz in the southwest.

Faced with this outpouring of solidarity, Spain’s conservative government agreed to increase to 17,680 the number of refugees which the country would accept as part of a broader EU response to the migrant crisis. It had initially agreed to accept just 2,749.

“But since then, just 18 have arrived (in the whole of Spain), a ridiculous figure,” said Pascale Coissard, spokeswoman in the northeastern region of Catalonia for the country’s Commission for Refugee Aid. The agency has for months prepared to receive a chunk of the over one million people who have arrived in Europe fleeing from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan or Eritrea.

It boosted the number of places able to welcome refugees in Catalonia – the capital of which is Barcelona – to 41 from ten and will shortly open 50 more.

The agency has also reinforced its medical and psychological services and it is training municipalities in the region how best to deal with newly arrived refugees.

‘Working blindly’ The Catalan branch of the Red Cross, meanwhile, is recruiting social workers, interpreters and employment consultants and has set up three reception centres with up to 200 places for emergency situations.

“We are ready,” said Oscar Barbero, head of social services for the local branch of the Red Cross.

“But we are working blindly, without knowing when they will arrive, how they will arrive or how

many will arrive.”

The main problem is that Spain’s central government “is not providing any information,” said Ignasi Calbo, coordinator of the “Barcelona Refuge City” plan, for which $11.6m has been set aside.

And Brussels and European nations are also dragging their feet.

In late September, European leaders agreed on a plan to relocate 160,000 migrants from the countries they’re flooding into – mainly Greece and Italy.

But it has so far relocated just 600 – an unacceptable situation for Colau.

“In the summer we will go to the beach for a swim, in the same sea where each week people die because Europe is not providing safe passage,” she said.

“And while it does not, it will be an accomplice to these human trafficking mafias and boat sinkings.” l

Philippine army kills 42 militants in south Philippine security forces killed as many as 42 Muslim rebels claiming links with Dae’sh and captured their stronghold during five days of fighting in the mountains of a southern island, an army spokesman said on Friday. 3 soldiers were killed and 11 wounded when the forces seized the bastion of an affiliate of Jemaah Islamiah, a Southeast Asian network of Islamist militants, in the province of Lanao del Sur. -REUTERS

MIDDLE EAST

Arab coalition air strikes kill 40 in Yemen Air strikes by an Arab coalition fighting Iranian-allied Houthi forces in Yemen hit a market northeast of the capital Sanaa on Saturday, killing 40 people, residents said.

The strikes at Nehm district in Sanaa province also wounded 30, they said, adding that most of the casualties were civilians. -REUTERS

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USA

US presses Xi on S China Sea non-militarization The White House pressed Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday to expand his non-militarization pledge to cover the entire South China Sea, despite Beijing’s recent military activity in the area. Daniel Kritenbrink, senior director for Asian affairs at the National Security Council, spoke amid rising tensions between the two countries over China’s deployment of surface-to-air missiles, radar gear, air strips and fighter jets on an islet there.

-REUTERS

THE AMERICAS

Canada to present new assisted dying rules Canada’s parliament will present new rules for doctor-assisted dying by June 6, in compliance with a high court ruling issued a year ago, the attorney general said. The government will take an empathetic approach toward the legislation, balancing the rights of individuals and medical professionals while protecting the vulnerable.

-AFP

UK

Thousands join antinuclear march in London Thousands of people joined a protest in central London Saturday against the renewal of Britain’s nuclear weapons system Trident.

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of Britain’s main opposition Labour party, were set to address a rally following the march. A decision is expected to be taken later this year on replacing the ageing submarines which carry the Trident missiles at an estimated cost of $43bn.

-AFP

EUROPE

Danish minister resigns, ending government crisis Denmark’s environment minister resigned on Saturday, ending a crisis of confidence that had threatened to topple Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen’s minority centre-right government. The Conservative People’s Party, which has just six seats in parliament but whose support is crucial to Rasmussen’s minority government, on Wednesday threatened to withdraw its backing if the premier did not sack Kjer Hansen.

-AFP

AFRICA

Senegal bans protest against constitutional change The authorities in Senegal barred a protest in Dakar Saturday against plans to reform the constitution, which includes reducing the president’s term from seven years to five, the organisers said. A referendum on the shortened term and other constitutional reforms is to be held on March 20.

-AFP

Trump wins Christie backing, marches toward Super Tuesday n Reuters, Fort Worth, Texas Republican candidate Donald Trump on Friday won the surprise endorsement of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, the most prominent mainstream Republican to get behind the former reality TV star’s White House campaign.

Christie said the billionaire front-runner has the best chance of beating Democrat Hillary Clinton in the November 8 US presidential election - although Clinton has yet to secure her party’s nomination.

The endorsement gives Trump a further lift before next week’s Super Tuesday nominating contests.

It comes just a day after he took a battering from his two main rivals at a televised Republican debate.

Trump’s unorthodox candidacy has stirred controversy and shaken the Republican Party at its roots, but an increasing number of senior Republicans are becoming resigned to the idea he will be their candidate in November.

Trump is “rewriting the playbook,” said Christie, 53, who until two weeks ago was himself a rival for the Republican nomination.

Christie dropped out after failing to muster much support for his candidacy.

Trump, 69, who has never held public office, has campaigned as

Donald Trump, left, speaks next to his former rival for the Republican presidential nomination, New Jersey Governor Chris Christi, right, at a campaign rally where Christie endorsed Trump’s in Fort Worth, Texas on February 26 REUTERS a political outsider. He is riding a wave of voter anger at the slow economic recovery, illegal immigration and what he says is America’s diminishing role in the world.

“The best person to beat Hillary Clinton in November on that stage last night is undoubtedly Donald Trump,” Christie told a news conference on Friday, a day after the last Republican candidates’ debate before Super Tuesday.

The debate marked a new, more aggressive approach for US Senator Marco Rubio, 44, who has emerged as the Republican establishment’s

challenger to Trump. The other main challenger at the debate was US Senator Ted Cruz of Texas.

Trump has unsettled mainstream Republicans by winning three straight nominating contests - in New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada. Polls show he is likely to win big in key primaries on Tuesday.

“Since I started this whole thing I’ve been practically Number 1,” Trump said on Friday at a rally in Texas.

The 11 Republican nominating contests on Tuesday have a total

of almost 600 delegates at stake, and could set Trump up to clinch the presidential nomination.

Reuters/Ipsos polling data on Friday showed Trump ahead nationally in the Republican race with support at 44.2%, followed

by Cruz at 20.7% and Rubio in third place at 14%.

On the Democratic side, former Secretary of State Clinton is battling US Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Clinton and Sanders have been in a dead head over the past week, the Reuters/Ipsos data shows. l

ANALYSIS

Many minds made up for Clinton in South Carolina Denmark/South n Reuters, Carolina Betty Odom-Bell, a 47-year-old entrepreneur, took a financial risk last year when she opened a restaurant in Denmark, a small town in the middle of a deeply depressed part of rural South Carolina.

So when Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton visited Denmark earlier this month promising to transform the region into a “Corridor of Opportunity,” Odom-Bell felt reassured.

“It’s almost like we’re a forgotten town,” she said, describing her surprise at Clinton’s visit to the town of 3,500. “With her, there’s a connection. I don’t have that with Bernie,” she said, referring to Clinton rival Bernie Sanders.

Clinton is poised to win big over the US senator from Vermont in South

Carolina’s primary contest on Saturday, in part because of her outsized support among the state’s rural black poor - a bloc that Sanders has struggled to impress.

Over the past several weeks, she has stumped in parts of the state that are off the beaten-path, reinforcing connections with audiences that stretch back decades, and peppering her speeches with the names of local leaders.

Sanders in contrast, has focused his visits on South Carolina’s big cities and universities, rallying large audiences with his self-styled Democratic socialist platform, while relying heavily on surrogates to do his work elsewhere.

Plans offered by Sanders to address wealth inequality and improve access to education and healthcare have attracted interest, but many complain they do not feel they know him well enough to vote for him.

Allendale County’s 10,000 residents are nearly three-fourths black, and its unemployment rate, at about 9 %, is nearly double the national average.

About a third of the county’s population lives below the poverty line, making it fertile ground for candidates shopping progressive social policies.

Southern firewall Clinton’s campaign has said South Carolina will act as an early “firewall” against Sanders, who beat her in New Hampshire’s primary and posted strong showings in Iowa and Nevada, but is expected to do worse as the race shifts south.

Nationwide, Sanders has built on his popularity with young and liberal voters to narrow the race to a statistical dead heat. But Clinton still holds a massive 40% point advantage among black Democrats, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling.

Clinton’s advantage results in part from her husband Bill Clinton’s outreach to black voters during his presidency. Some voters also like that Hillary Clinton has promised to build on President Barack Obama’s agenda.

Over the summer, Clinton also hosted a listening session for local leaders, many from rural areas, and she recently won the endorsement of US congressman Jim Clyburn, the only South Carolina Democrat in the House of Representatives.

Sanders, meanwhile, has touted his college civil rights activism, met with black civil rights leaders and hosted an event at a historically black college. Some of those efforts have shown signs of success among young blacks.

But his campaigning in rural areas has been mainly by proxy - including a visit on Monday to Allendale by campaigners organized by National Nurses United. l

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‘Win against UAE boosted us’ n Minhaz Uddin Khan

INSIDE

Habibul, Rezaul lift nat’l bridge title Q Habibul Haque and SM Rezaul Karim pair emerged as the champions of the Khondkar Fazle Sobhan National Pairs Bridge Championship yesterday. In the nail-biting finale, Habibul and Rezaul Karim ended up topscoring with 278.97 points. PAGE 26

Federer plans tour return in April Roger Federer has delayed his ATP Tour return by a month and plans to make his comeback from knee surgery at the Monte Carlo Masters in April. The 17-times grand slam champion had initially intended to return at the Indian Wells Masters in California in March. PAGE 27

An eagle eyed Mohammad Mithun bats in the nets during training yesterday

Tigers face Lankans as Asia Cup hots up n Mazhar Uddin

Coquelin expects Utd to gun for Arsenal Arsenal midfielder Francis Coquelin is expecting an underperforming Manchester United to rise to the occasion when the sides meet at Old Trafford in the Premier League today. United are fifth in the league, 12 points back of leaders Leicester City. PAGE 28

MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

Bangladesh will be looking to continue their improvement in the shortest format of the game when they lock horns with Sri Lanka in a crucial Asia Cup Twenty20 clash at Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium today. The match begins at 7:30pm and Star Sports 1, GTV and Maasranga TV will telecast it live.

If the Tigers are to record their second consecutive win in the regional competition then the batsmen must stand up and be counted. The Bangladesh batsmen so far have been unable to fire from all cylinders, having posted 121/7 and 133/8 against

India and the United Arab Emirates respectively.

Senior cricketers in the shape of Shakib al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim, who are usually revered for their consistency, have been a disappointment in the 14th edition and will no doubt be desperate to shine in the middle-order.

There are no such concerns with Bangladesh’s bowling, however. The Tigers bowling attack exhibited a brilliant performance against the Emiratis, especially pacemen Mustafizur Rahman, captain Mashrafe bin Mortaza and Al Amin Hossain, who exploited the seamer-friendly Mirpur wicket and condition perfectly.

Bangladesh have never won

against the Lankans in their previous four encounters in the T20 format so the home side will definitely want to change that today.

The Lankans, on the other hand, have also performed similarly like the hosts. They were below-par with the bat against the UAE, scoring 129/8, while with the leather, the islanders were scintillating.

Skipper Lasith Malinga bagged four wickets, seamer Nuwan Kulasekara picked up three while spinner Rangana Herath notched two as UAE capitulated to 115/9.

The pitch at the home of cricket will once again provide assistance to the seamers throughout the entirety of the game. l

PLAYERS TO WATCH Klopp, Pellegrini's chance to shine With City manager Manuel Pellegrini on his way out and Liverpool boss Juergen Klopp just settling in, today’s League Cup final offers both coaches the chance to underline their worth. Pellegrini will be replaced by Pep Guardiola at the season’s end. PAGE 29

SOUMYA SARKAR (Bangladesh)

The dashing left-hander has been one of the brightest finds of Bangladesh cricket ever since his international debut last year. Soumya however, has not had the best of starts in the Asia Cup Twenty20, scoring 11 and 21 against India and the UAE respectively. The southpaw though impressed in spite of his brief stay at the crease against the Emiratis as he smashed two delightful fours and a beautiful six over the square-leg region. The 23-year old, who has a strike rate of 132.78 in the shortest format, would dearly love to blast a big knock against the Lankans today and return to regular run-scoring form.

NUWAN KULASEKARA (Sri Lanka)

The 33-year old seamer made a terrific start in the regional competition, recording miserly bowling figures of 3/10 to help his side defend their modest total of 129 against the UAE. The right-arm paceman bowled superbly and complemented his skipper Lasith Malinga and spinner Rangana Herath, who shared six wickets between themselves. The seamer-friendly pitch at the home of cricket in Mirpur will surely suit Kulasekara, who has a lot of variations up his sleeve.

–MAZHAR UDDIN

Hosts Bangladesh began their campaign in the Asia Cup Twenty20 with fresh memories of their recent successes. A 45-run loss against sub-continent rival India however, had slightly shaken the confidence of the Tigers.

The Tigers though ensured they would suffer no more hiccups against the United Arab Emirates in their second game as the Associate side’s challenge was duly nullified by the home side in a 51-run victory.

Although Bangladesh’s first win in the 14th edition of the regional competition came against a comparatively weaker opponent in the UAE, top-order batsman Sabbir Rahman believes the victory will nevertheless get the Tigers back on track and help them to regain their lost poise when they face Sri Lanka today.

“The win against UAE has enabled us to recover our lost confidence. It does not matter if it was a big or small game. We also won the game with a good margin so that gives you some boost and this is good for the games ahead,” Sabbir told the press conference previewing the clash in Mirpur yesterday.

“The team who plays better cricket will win. T20 is a format where strength and experience matters only a little." l

Today's Match 7:30PM at SBNS

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

WHAT MALINGA SAID On Bangladesh game

[Today] also it is a normal game.

Five teams have qualified for this Asia Cup and every single team is a tough team, we can’t get lazy against any team. We are not looking at the opposition. All players are concentrating on what they can do during the match, how they can be at their best for the match.

That’s what we are looking at. We are not thinking about the opposition much.

On Bangladesh’s bowling

Bangladesh have a good bowling attack. We all know that. We are also prepared for the match. We know exactly what to do to face their pace attack. We are not looking much at the names, we are just looking to play one ball at a time.l

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SCORECARD PAKISTAN R B Hafeez c Dhoni b Nehra 4 4 Sharjeel c Rahane b Bumrah 7 5 Manzoor run out 10 18 Malik c Dhoni b Pandya 4 12 Akmal lbw b Yuvraj 3 4 Sarfraz b Jadeja 25 24 Afridi run out 2 2 Riaz lbw b Jadeja 4 12 Sami c Raina b Pandya 8 16 Amir b Pandya 1 8 Irfan not out 0 0 Extras (lb4 w11) 15 Total ( all out; 17.3 overs) 83 Fall of wickets 1-4 (Hafeez), 2-22 (Sharjeel), 3-32 (Khurram), 4-35 (Malik), 5-35 (Akmal), 6-42 (Afridi), 7-52 (Wahab), 8-70 (Sarfraz, 9-83 (Sami), 10-83 (Amir) Bowling Nehra 3-0-20-1 (w3), Bumrah 3-2-8-1, Pandya 3.3-0-8-3, Yuvraj 2-0-11-1, Jadeja 3-0-11-2 (w3), Ashwin 3-0-21-0 (w5) INDIA R B Sharma lbw b Amir 0 2 Rahane lbw Amir 0 1 Kohli lbw b Sami 49 51 Raina c Wahab b Amir 1 4 Yuvraj not out 14 32 Pandya c Hafeez b Sami 0 2 Dhoni not out 7 3 Extras (b1 lb3 w8 nb2) 14 Total ( five wickets; 15.3 overs) 85 Fall of wickets 1-0 (Sharma) 2-2 (Rahane), 3-8 (Raina), 4-76 (Kohli), 5-76 (Pandya) Bowling Amir 4-0-18-3 (w6), Sami 4-0-16-2, Irfan 4-0-16-0 (nb1 w1), Riaz 3.3-0-31-0 (nb1, w1) Result: India won by five wickets Man of the Match: V Kohli (India)

People love T20s for sixes and fours: Dhoni n Minhaz Uddin Khan

India captain MS Dhoni has criticised the wickets being prepared for the Asia Cup Twenty20. The wickets prepared at the home of cricket in Mirpur have been different from the previous ones in recent times.

The tinge of green grass has aided the pacemen the most and made it hard for the batsmen, turning the matches into low-scoring ones. In the four games held so far in the regional competition, India’s 166 against Bangladesh in the tournament opener has been the highest while the lowest tally came yesterday when Pakistan were dismissed for 83 following a brilliant performance by the India bowlers, led by the pacers. In between, there have been a few 130-odd totals.

“The amount of movement we have seen so far, it is very difficult to just come out and play big shots.

One game we scored [166] but you know it seemed like a game where we will score 140. Because of the firepower and a few good overs, we were able to score [166] but other than that, all the other games played have been low-scoring games which is not very good.

We thought it will be a very good practice before getting into the T20 World Cup. When it comes to the

An Indian (L) and Pakistani fan cheer their respective teams during the Asia Cup Twenty20 clash between the two sides at Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN hitting, maybe not. When it comes to reading the game and respecting the condition, it has been good for us,” said Dhoni following their five-wicket win against arch-rival Pakistan yesterday.

“The reason why people love T20 is for the sixes and fours and you do not want 80s or 100s to be scored. Low-scoring should be a 135 or 130. In a way it is good for us. We are a side which plays ag-

gressive cricket so it pushes us to respect the condition when the wickets are not batting-friendly,” the India skipper added.

In the low-scoring affair yesterday, just when it seemed India would reach their destination with ease, Pakistan spearhead Mohammad Amir stood up to the occasion to put the Indians in trouble. Amir removed three Indian batsmen with only eight runs on the board

before Virat Kohli played an anchoring role, scoring a 51-ball 49 to take India home.

Following the game, Pakistan head coach Waqar Younis was effusive in his praise of Amir.

“Look he is bowling well and when someone is bowling well he is always an inspiration for younger fast bowlers. The way he swung the ball, the pace, the length; it was outstanding.” l

Habibul, Rezaul lift nat’l bridge title

TALKING POINTS, INDIA V PAKISTAN

n Tribune Report

l

Q Habibul Haque and SM Rezaul Karim pair emerged as the champions of the Khondkar Fazle Sobhan National Pairs Bridge Championship 2016 yesterday.

In the nail-biting finale held in the capital’s Engineering Institute, Habibul and Rezaul Karim ended up top-scoring with 278.97 points to clinch the title.

Mushfiqur Rahman Mohan and Mohammad Asaduzzaman duo became the runners up, Ali Ahammed and Sheikh Aminur Rahman finished third while Shamsuzzaman Kamal and Mohammad Salahuddin were placed fourth.

Bangladesh Enterprise Institute president Farooq Sobhan distributed the prizes among the winners as the chief guest.

IDLC Finance Limited head

of marketing communications Sherifa Amreen was also present

on the occasion as the special guest. l

l

Khondkar Fazle Sobhan (2L) hands over prizes to the champions of the National Pairs Bridge Championship yesterday RAJIB DHAR

Whatever the format or the venue, the battle between arch-rivals India and Pakistan never fails to create buzz among the cricket lovers all around the world. And the home of cricket in Mirpur was no exception yesterday when the two Asian powerhouses met in an Asia Cup Twenty20 encounter. India or Pakistan, the holiday crowd went wild every time a run was scored or a wicket was taken.

It was rather a disappointing batting performance by Shahid Afridi and his troop as Pakistan were skittled out for 83 – their third lowest total in the shortest format. Pakistan’s lowest total in T20Is came against Australia in 2012 when they were bundled

out for 74. Pakistan’s yesterday’s tally was also their lowest ever total against India.

l

Despite defending a relatively small total, Pakistan paceman Mohammad Amir provided a scintillating start with the leather. The left-arm seamer bowled a fiery spell, dismissing opening batsmen Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane for ducks in the first over of the innings. He then removed Suresh Raina in his next over as India were reeling on 8/3. The 23-year old ended up with magical bowling figures of 3/18 from his four overs but it was not enough as Pakistan eventually lost the game by five wickets.

– Mazhar Uddin

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QUICK BYTES IM Minhaz continues winning streak International Master Minhaz Uddin Ahmed continued his unbeaten run in the Sheikh Kamal International Rating Chess Tournament to stay at the top of the points table. Minhaz defeated Candidate Master Sohel at the Bangladesh Chess Federation hall-room yesterday. Minhaz earned five points following the conclusion of the fifth round to maintain his hundred percent winning streak.

Grandmasters Ziaur Rahman and Mollah Abdullah al Rakib and Fide Master Syed Mahfuzur Rahman Emon were placed jointly at second with 4.5 points each. Ten players are sharing third position with four points each.

–TRIBUNE REPORT

Bohn suffers mild heart attack American golfer Jason Bohn was in hospital Friday night after suffering a mild heart attack following his second round at the PGA Tour’s Honda Classic. The 42-year-old Bohn was listed in stable condition after being taken by ambulance to the Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center where doctors told him he had suffered a mild heart attack, the PGA said on its website. Bohn shot a 72 to make the cut but withdrew from the event after experiencing chest pains soon after he putted out on the 18th hole.

–AFP

England’s Finn out of World Twenty20 England’s World Twenty20 hopes suffered a setback on Friday when fast bowler Steven Finn was ruled out with a strained left calf. The 26-year-old Middlesex quick was down to lead England’s attack at next month’s global tournament in India despite missing the white ball section of the recent tour of South Africa with a side strain. But Finn has suffered a fresh injury blow and his place in England’s 15-man squad will now be taken by Yorkshire fast bowler Liam Plunkett.

–AFP

Hertha end winless run at Cologne Hertha Berlin strengthened their grip on third place in the Bundesliga on Friday with a 1-0 victory at Cologne. Visitors Hertha were without a win in five but Bosnia striker Vedad Ibisevic scored two minutes before halftime to hand Pal Dardai’s side their first league victory of 2016. Hertha moved four points clear of fourthplace Bayer Leverkusen.

–AFP

Bangladesh defender Waly Faisal (3L) takes a selfie alongside his team mates following their arrival at the BFF House yesterday. The national team's training camp for the upcoming 2018 Fifa World Cup second round qualifier against Jordan begins today COURTESY

Central at the summit, South still bottom n Mazhar Uddin Central Zone rose to the top of the Bangladesh Cricket League longer-version points table following their comprehensive 202-run win over North Zone in the third round at the academy ground of Sheikh Kamal International Cricket Stadium in Cox’s Bazar yesterday.

The other match of the day between East Zone and bottom side South Zone ended in a draw at the same venue.

Central v North

Resuming the fourth and final day on 22/2 in pursuit of a huge target of 422, North kept losing wickets at regular intervals and were eventually dismissed for 219. With the exception of Muktar Ali (60*), none of the other batsmen put up any sort of resistance as Central coasted

4TH BCL, RD 3, DAY 4 Central Zone 260 & 329/7 dec v North Zone 168 & 219 (Muktar 60, Sharif 3/19, Shuvagata 3/39) Central won by 202 runs South Zone 262 & 353 (Anamul 84, Taibur 74, Iftekhar 5/130) v East Zone 407 & 112/4 (Imtiaz 32, Moynul 2/18, Gazi 2/34) Match drawn

to a commanding victory. Central seamer Mohammad Sharif, who picked up four wickets in the first innings, took three wickets in the second essay to bag the player of the match award.

With one win and two draws, Central are at the summit with 34

points while North are second with 27 points.

East v South

Chasing an improbable 209 in 26 overs, East were able to manage only 112 for the loss of four wickets as the game concluded in a stalemate.

Earlier, South, beginning the day’s proceedings on 204/4, added a further 149 runs before losing the remainder of their wickets. Anamul Haque top-scored with a painstaking 197-ball 84 while Taibur Rahman provided valuable support, scoring 74. East off-spinner Iftekhar Sajjad notched a five-wicket haul to go with his three scalps in the first innings while Nazmul Islam accounted for four wickets.

South are languishing at the bottom with 15 points while East are third with 24 points. l

3rd Nat’l Women’s Hockey begins tomorrow

n Tribune Report The third edition of the 3rd Walton National Women’s Hockey League will get underway in the capital’s Maulana Bhasani Hockey Stadium tomorrow.

A total of nine teams split into three groups will take part in the event which will conclude next Sunday. The teams are as follows – Dhaka, Narail, Rangpur, Kishoreganj, Dinajpur, Patuakhali, Jhenidah, Rajshahi and Thakurgaon districts.

The tournament is beginning three weeks later than the scheduled date owing to the recently concluded 12th South Asian Games.

Only six sides participated in the previous edition where Narail clinched the trophy defeating Dinajpur in the final. Narail also won the inaugural edition of the tournament. l

Federer plans tour return in April n Reuters, Zurich World number three Roger Federer has delayed his ATP Tour return by a month and plans to make his comeback from knee surgery at the Monte Carlo Masters in April.

The 17-times grand slam champion had initially intended to return at the Indian Wells Masters in California in March.

In a Facebook post, Federer said: “I have now had a lot of great practices on the court and in the

gym. As it is a long year I don’t want to push it too hard and come back too soon.

“I will unfortunately not be able to make it back in time for the great event in Indian Wells but I do plan on playing in the desert next year.

“After consultation with my team I have decided to enter the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters.

Thanks for the support and I will see you back on tour soon,” the Swiss added. l

The two-day long 35th Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation annual sports competition came to an end at Demra’s Karim Jute Mills Field yesterday. The event was inaugurated by IME division secretary Mohammad Shahid Ullah Khandakar.

BJMC chairman Major Gen. Humayun Khaled (retd.) was also present among other guests, officials and organisers. Around 350 athletes from three zones – Dhaka, Chittagong and Khulna – participated in 50 categories

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‘Lewa’ nets 23rd league goal as Bayern go 11 clear n AFP, Berlin Robert Lewandowski scored his 23rd league goal of the season yesterday as runaway Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich went 11 points clear with a 2-0 win at Wolfsburg.

Pep Guardiola’s Bayern now have 62 points out of a possible 69, their tally exactly double that of Wolfsburg, who are eighth.

A tight tussle was settled by second-half goals as Kingsley Coman scored for the first time since November before Lewandowski netted for the 33rd time this season in all competitions.

The Poland hot-shot’s 23 league goals in 22 games keep him as the league’s top scorer.

Elsewhere, bottom side Hanover gained ground in the relegation battle with a shock 2-1 win at Stuttgart after an eight-match losing streak.

Swiss striker Josip Drmic scored his first goal for Hamburg in their 1-1 draw at home to Ingolstadt.l

BUNDESLIGA

VfL Wolfsburg

0-2

Bayern Munich Coman 66, Lewandowski 74

1-1

Hamburg Drmic 7

Hinterseer 61

1-2

VfB Stuttgart Werner 18

Werder Bremen

Ingolstadt Hanover Schulz 32, 84

2-2

Ujah 33, Pizarro 90

SV Darmstadt

Wagner 44-pen, Sulu 82

MAN UNITED V ARSENAL FACTS Arsenal have won none and lost six of their last eight Premier League trips to Old Trafford.

The Gunners’ win against United at the Emirates earlier this season ended a run of eight Premier League matches without a victory against the Red Devils for Arsene Wenger’s men (W0 D3 L5).

Only three players (Thierry Henry 20 in 2002/03, Frank Lampard 18 in 2004/05 and Cesc Fabregas, 18 in 2014/15) have assisted more goals in a single Premier League season than Mesut Ozil (17) in 2015/16.

Man Utd (33) have scored fewer goals after 26 league games than in any season since 1989-90 (30).

Manchester United have earned fewer points this season than in any other Premier League campaign after 26 games (41).

Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo (L) looks dejected at the end of their La Liga match against Atletico Madrid at Santiago Bernabeu stadium yesterday

REUTERS

Griezmann inflicts Zidane’s first Madrid defeat n AFP, Madrid Zinedine Zidane suffered his first defeat since taking charge of Real Madrid as Antoine Griezmann’s solitary goal kept Atletico Madrid’s faint La Liga title hopes alive with a 1-0 win at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Griezmann finished off a lovely team move eight minutes into the second half as Atletico became the first visiting team ever to win at the

Bernabeu three seasons in a row.

Diego Simeone’s men move to within five points of leaders Barcelona while Real’s chances of landing just a second title in eight years now look completely gone as they now trail Atletico by four points in third.

Barca can restore their eightpoint lead at the top when they face Sevilla today.

An error-strewn first half was

Real Madrid

LA LIGA 0-1

Atletico Madrid Griezmann 53

played at a pace that suggested both sides had already given up on their title hopes.

However, the hosts had a great chance to break the deadlock just three minutes after the restart when Ronaldo dragged his shot wide with just Oblak to beat from

Luka Modric’s through ball.

That miss proved costly five minutes later as Atletico produced the move of the match to snatch all three points.

Griezmann played in Filipe Luis in acres of space on the left and the Brazilian full-back showed great awareness to return the ball back into the path of the French international to fire low past Navas for his 20th goal of the season. l

Coquelin expects United Ulloa delivers Leicester, to be gunning for Arsenal Chelsea down Saints n Reuters Arsenal midfielder Francis Coquelin is expecting an underperforming Manchester United to rise to the occasion when the sides meet at Old Trafford in the Premier League today.

United, 20-times English champions, are fifth in the league, 12 points back of leaders Leicester City and have been booed by their own fans this season after some in-

different displays.

“I think it’s been a difficult (season) for Man United but in big games like this, we know that they’re going to turn up, because everyone loves these kind of matches,” Coquelin told the club’s website (www.arsenal.com).

“It would be a massive win for them to beat us. But we’re going to be ready.”

Arsenal are third in the table, five points behind Leicester. l

n AFP, London Substitute Leonardo Ulloa scored an 89th-minute winner as Leicester City breathed fresh life into their improbable Premier League title challenge by edging Norwich City 1-0 yesterday.

Two weeks on from a last-gasp 2-1 defeat at Arsenal, Leicester were on course to drop points again until Ulloa tapped in at the death to send Claudio Ranieri’s side five points clear at the summit.

Meanwhile, Guus Hiddink’s Chelsea extended their unbeaten run to 11 league games in a 2-1 comeback victory at in-form Southampton, who had won five and drawn one of their previous six league matches.

Home goalkeeper Fraser Forster established a new Southampton top-flight record of 708 minutes without conceding a goal, but he was finally beaten in the 75th min-

Leicester

EPL

1-0

Norwich

1-2

Chelsea

Ulloa 89

Southampton Long 42

Stoke

Fabregas 75, Ivanovic 89

2-1

Arnautovic 51-pen, 56

Aston Villa Bacuna 79

Watford

0-0

Bournemouth

West Ham

1-0

Sunderland

Antonio 30

ute when he allowed Cesc Fabregas’s cross to beat him.

Branislav Ivanovic headed in an 89th-minute winner from Willian’s corner, lifting Chelsea one place to 11th.

Marko Arnautovic scored twice as Stoke City won 2-1 at home to bottom club Aston Villa, who replied through Leandro Bacuna, while Watford and Bournemouth drew 0-0 at Vicarage Road. l

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Asia can help Infantino’s new FIFA era, says Sheikh Salman n AFP, Zurich Defeated candidate Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa told new FIFA president Gianni Infantino that Asia can light the way for the global body “to reinstate football’s credibility”.

Sheikh Salman, the head of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), lost out to UEFA secretary-general Infantino in Friday’s vote to succeed the banned Sepp Blatter.

The Bahraini royal said he was looking forward to working with the charismatic 45-year-old, multi-lingual lawyer.

“The AFC looks forward to working with the new-look FIFA and Gianni Infantino in order to reform the world football governing body and to reinstate football’s credibility globally,” said Sheikh Salman in a statement.

Despite his disappointment of losing out on the FIFA presidency, the sheikh called for unity as the sport’s ruling body looks to leave its scandal-hit recent past behind. l

DAY’S WATCH CRICKET

GTV, MAASRANGA TV, STAR SPORTS 1, 3 6:30 PM Asia Cup T20 2016 Bangladesh v Sri Lanka

FOOTBALL STAR SPORTS 4 7:50 PM Barclays Premier League Manchester United v Arsenal 10:30 PM Bundesliga Dortmund v TSG 1899 Hoffenheim 12:15 AM Frankfurt v FC Schalke 04

TEN HD 10:00 PM Capital One Cup: Final Liverpool v Manchester City 1:50 AM French Ligue 1 Olympique Lyonnais v PSG

TEN CRICKET 6:50 PM French Ligue 1 FC Nantes v AS Monaco

KABADDI STAR SPORTS 2 8:20 PM Pro Kabaddi League Mumbai v Jaipur 9:30 PM Vizag v Patna

Infantino - from Platini prodigy to FIFA president n AFP, Zurich Gianni Infantino made his name as UEFA’s master of ceremonies until scandal forced his boss Michel Platini out of the race for the FIFA presidency.

On Friday, after a remarkable journey, the shaven-headed Swiss-Italian lawyer ascended to the job that Platini coveted so much - the most powerful man in world football.

Since becoming UEFA general secretary in 2009, the 45-year-old Infantino became best known to the football public as the man who takes out the lottery balls when the draw is made for the Champions League.

Behind the scenes he also played a key role in giving the European confederation the financial power to rival FIFA. He was very much a behind-thescenes figure much valued by Europe’s leading clubs who battle for Champions League honours and riches each season.

Infantino was born in Brigue, less than 10 kilometres (six miles) from Viege, the home village of Sepp Blatter, the man he has now replaced as FIFA president.

But his rise would not have come

without Platini’s downfall over a suspect 2 million Swiss francs (1.8 million euros, $2 million) payment that Blatter approved to the Frenchman in 2011.

Platini is currently serving a sixyear ban imposed by FIFA. “We will restore the image of FIFA and the respect of FIFA and everyone in the world will applaud us,” Infantino told Friday’s FIFA

Congress after his election.

Infantino is multilingual, speaking English, German, French, Spanish and Italian. He is also a workaholic trusted by the big clubs who were Platini’s major backers.

Infantino has proposed increasing the 32-team World Cup to 40 countries while saying FIFA should consider allowing two or more countries to host the event.

With Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini on his way out of the club and Liverpool boss Juergen Klopp just settling in, today’s League Cup final offers both coaches the chance to underline their worth.

For Pellegrini, who will be replaced by Pep Guardiola at the season’s end, the match is one of his three remaining chances to add more silverware to the trophy cabinet he has helped stock in nearly three seasons at the club.

City’s League Cup success in 2014 came towards the end of the Chilean’s first year in charge and was swiftly followed by the Pre-

FIVE FACTS ABOUT NEW FIFA PRESIDENT Swiss of Italian origin, he speaks five languages: Italian, French, German, English and Spanish.

He studied law at the University of Fribourg in Switzerland.

Before joining UEFA he worked as secretary general of the International Centre for Sports Studies at the University of Neuchatel.

Joined UEFA in August 2000 and held various roles and positions before working his way up to secretary general in October 2009.

It was not until UEFA president Michel Platini was handed a provisional 90-day suspension over a corruption scandal that Infantino decided to run for FIFA president, making the announcement on October 26, 2015, after receiving the unanimous backing of the UEFA Executive Committee. l

Wembley final gives Klopp, Pellegrini chance to shine n Reuters, London

In his campaign, he said he wanted to give $5 million every four years to each member association and $40 million to each of the six continental confederations. l

mier League title. Another success today would allow him to walk away from the job with his head held high. Even if the trophy remains the lowest of City’s priorities, it is perhaps their best chance of success in a season that has recently spluttered.

Since it was announced that Bayern Munich boss Guardiola would be assuming control at the Etihad Stadium, City have lost back-to-back league games to slip six points off the lead and exited the FA Cup with a humiliating 5-1 defeat to Chelsea.

That match, and Pellegrini’s decision to rest almost his entire first-choice team, was a calculated

gamble by the City manager that his injury-hit squad could not compete in four competitions.

He has been explicit that the Champions League and Premier League remain the priorities and how much he prizes those trophies over the League Cup will become visible in today’s team selection.

For Liverpool boss Klopp, the incentive is not handing a parting gift to supporters but writing his name in the club’s record books for delivering a trophy in double quick time. Four months and 20 days since he joined the club, Klopp will lead his side out at Wembley looking to lift a major trophy just 143 days into his reign.

“Anything that you can imagine is possible, you can dream,” he said. “I have some nice pictures in my mind. We will get chances and to use them will be the key.”

Liverpool are record eight-times winners of the League Cup, but have gone four years without a major trophy since their victory over Cardiff City in 2012 in the same competition.

Klopp’s side have produced performances ranging from the majestic to the mediocre in his short time at the club with a 4-1 win over City at the Etihad Stadium in November, arguably the highest of the highs. l

Roma boss moving on from Totti spat n AFP, Rome Roma coach Luciano Spalletti said on Friday he didn’t want to speak any further about last week’s highly-publicised spat with club legend Francesco Totti.

Totti was excluded from Roma’s matchday squad hours before Sunday’s 5-0 rout of Palermo after the 39-year-old hit out at Spalletti and demanded more “respect” in a scathing television interview.

“I don’t want to speak about this story anymore. Everything is fine,” Spalletti said at a press conference ahead of Roma’s trip to Empoli in Serie A yesterday.

Totti, who is in his 23rd season with Roma, had been set to make a rare start last weekend after recovering from a troublesome injury, but he was discarded by Spalletti after voicing his frustrations publicly on the eve of the match.

However, Spalletti insisted things had since settled down, adding: “He did what I thought he was going to do. The next day he arrived early for training and did everything he had to do very peacefully.”

Fourth-place Roma, who trail leaders Juventus by eight points, have reignited their season since Spalletti replaced Frenchman Rudi Garcia. l

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OSCARS 2016: How to Choose the Best Filmmaking n Mosabber Rahman The 88th Academy Awards will hand out 24 Oscar statuettes for excellence in cinematic achievements, out of which only four deal with people in front of the camera, those are the actors.

The rest will honour the people who work behind the camera, and those are the film craftsmen.

The most essential aspects of filmmaking are: screenwriting, cinematography, editing and music. The person responsible to oversee all of this is the director whose main goal is to ‘manipulate’ the audience.

The first (and the cheapest) step is writing an original screenplay.

The most mesmerising story of the year was Ex Machina. Inside Out was a work of genius and should be studied by psychologists.

But Spotlight showed us that a screenplay can be a work of journalism unto itself and can change the world.

Next comes principal photography. The goal is to tell a story visually. Here’s an example from Sicario - we see soldiers in silhouette, against a pale-blue sky, slowly sinking towards a fire-red horizon, and then disappearing at the bottom of the frame, into total darkness; thus, creating a visual metaphor for the drift from hopelessness towards hatred and eventually violence.

It’s quite impossible to evaluate film-editing, since at its best editing is invisible. The power of Mad Max’s great action sequences were created by the magic of seamless editing. However,

2. Inside Out (Pete Docter, Meg LeFauve, Josh Cooley, and Ronnie del Carmen) 1. Spotlight (Tom McCarthy and Josh Singer) CINEMATOGRAPHY 5. Carol (Ed Lachman) 4. The Hateful Eight (Robert Richardson) 3. Mad Max: Fury Road (John Seale) 2. Sicario (Roger Deakins) 1. The Revenant (Emmanuel Lubezki) FILM EDITING 5. Spotlight (Tom McArdle) 4. The Revenant (Stephen Mirrione) 3. Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Maryann Brandon and Mary Jo Markey) 2. Mad Max: Fury Road (Margaret Sixel) 1. The Big Short (Hank Corwin)

sometimes we get a flamboyant film like Big Short that deliberately draws attention to itself and makes the audience a part of it.

Soundtracks contain four types of music: theme and action, place and character. The purpose of film-music is to enhance the scene. Half the success of Star Wars is due to composer John Williams who is a genius in inventing memorable themes and then clothing them with perfect orchestration. However, this year’s guilty pleasure is Ennio Morricone’s unabashedly glittering music of The Hateful Eight.

Who will win and who should win n Showtime Desk

Should win: Leonardo DiCaprio

Many of us already have our ballots in our hands circling our winners. But in the opinion of a small group of writers and critics, who do they believe will win and who should win? And it looks like it finally might be Leo’s year.

We take a look.

Best Actress Will win: Brie Larson Should win: Charlotte Rampling

Best Picture Will win: The Revenant Should win: Brooklyn Best Director Will win: Alejandro G Inarritu Should win: George Miller Best Actor Will win: Leonardo DiCaprio

Best Supporting Actor Will win: Sylvester Stallone Should win: Sylvester Stallone Best Supporting Actress Will win: Alicia Vikander Should win: Kate Winslet Best Animated Feature Will win: Inside Out Should win: Anomalisa Best Foregin-Language Film Will win: Son of Saul Should win: Son of Saul l

The most powerful songmoments of the year, for me, were two older songs - Abba’s “Waterloo” (The Martian) and Maccabees’ “We Grew Up in Midnight” (Steve Jobs). But the category is only for Best Original Song, and Sam Smith’s “Writing’s on the Wall” (Spectre) is destined to win the Oscar.

The three signs of a master director are: clarity in articulation of ideas, originality in storytelling, and control in filmmaking logistics. In terms of the magnitude of the logistics of filmmaking, no one can equal

George Miller. But in terms of originality of storytelling and articulation of ideas, Alejandro Iñárritu is the more deserving one.

Here’s my ranking of all the work of the essential film technicians in comparison with the other nominees of their category.

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY 5. Straight Outta Compton (J. Herman, Andrea Berloff, S. L. Savidge, and Alan Wenkus) 4. Ex Machina (Alex Garland) 3. Bridge of Spies (Matt Charman, Ethan Coen, and Joel Coen)

ORIGINAL SCORE 5. Carol (Carter Burwell) 4. Bridge of Spies (Thomas Newman) 3. Sicario (Jóhann Jóhannsson) 2. Star Wars: The Force Awakens (John Williams) 1. The Hateful Eight (Ennio Morricone) DIRECTOR 5. Room (Lenny Abrahamson) 4. The Big Short (Adam McKay) 3. Spotlight (Tom McCarthy) 2. Mad Max: Fury Road (George Miller) 1. The Revenant (Alejandro G. Iñárritu) l

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WHAT TO WATCH

February 28 Shakila Zafar

March 1 Justin Drew Bieber

March 2 Daniel Craig

March 2 Tiger Shroff

March 3 Tanisha Mukherjee

March 3 Shraddha Kapoor

Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones HBO 5:30pm Teenagers Jesse and Hector look forward to a carefree summer, but the murder of a neighbor leads to a terrifying encounter with the supernatural. After breaking into the neighbor’s apartment, Jesse and Hector find a collection of ritualistic art and other bizarre items. Jesse takes a journal of occult writings and soon after finds a strange mark on his arm. His subsequent erratic behavior leads Jesse’s friends and family to the realization that he is possessed.

Equilibrium WB 7:20pm In a futuristic world, a regime has eliminated war by suppressing emotions: books, art and music are strictly forbidden and feeling is a crime punishable by death.

Clerick John Preston is a topranking government agent responsible for destroying those who resist these rules.

When he misses a dose of Prozium, a mind-altering drug that hinders emotion, Preston, who has been trained to enforce strict laws of the new regime, suddenly becomes the one capable of overthrowing it.

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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2016

CHANGING THE STATUS QUO PAGE 12

TIGERS FACE LANKANS AS ASIA CUP HOTS UP PAGE 25

AMAR EKUSHEY

OSCARS 2016: HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST FILMMAKING PAGE 30

BOOK FAIR 2016

Little mags growing big in numbers n Nure Alam Durjoy Little magazines, also known as “chhoto kagoj” in Bangla, are an alternative space for writers to publish their literary works, has seen a steady growth in numbers and has attracted many young readers and writers at Amar Ekushey Boi Mela 2016.

The number of littles magazines, commonly referred to as little mags, participating at the book fair have been on the rise over the years. There were 45 little magazines in the fair in 2014 and 60 in 2015. This year, 85 little mags are taking part in the fair.

The little mag corner is located near the Burdwan House in Bangla Academy this year, slightly different than the rest of the fair as it is not as crowded.

Many little mags can be found in the corner, namely Chalchitra, Koratkol, Junction, Magic Lonthon, Shirdara, Loke, Deshlai, Chinho, Megh, Daag, Dhomoni, Prokash, Golpokotha, Charbak, Sorol Rekha, Mermaid, Protikatha, Porbo, Nihsorgo, Dhulipath, Festoon, Anindo, Droshtobbo, Gandiv, Jehetu, Shonkhochil, Anupranon, Chirkut, Polimati, Tritiyochokh, Ekobingsho, Kobitapatra, Shaluk and so on.

While the number of little mags may have grown, the quality has not imrpoved; rather, it has fallen, said Ektiza Ahsan, editor of little magazine Prantoswar.

“There are so many little mags available now because of technology. Before technology’s intervention, it used to take much longer to plan and publish a little mag, so quality was better ensured,” he told the Dhaka Tribune. “But nowadays, it takes a lot less time to bring out an issue, which means the planning is not properly done.”

Japan population shrinks by 1m n BBC Japan has been grappling with the problem of a rapidly ageing population for years New census figures in Japan show the population has shrunk by nearly one million in the past five years, in the first decline registered since 1920.

As of October last year the country has 127.1 million people, 0.7% fewer than in the last census.

Demographers have long predicted a drop, citing Japan’s falling birth rate and a lack of immigration.

The rapidly ageing population has contributed to a stagnating economy and worries of increasing health costs.

Sharp drop-offs

Visitors take a look at the collection of little mags at a stall on the Bangla Academy premises at Amar Ekushey Boi Mela 2016 yesterday RAJIB DHAR

Little mags are still a big arena for practising literature freely. Web mags or virtual pages of literature are very popular now, but most do not have a strong editorial body; little mags do He further said the real meaning and purpose of “little mags” are getting somewhat lost.

Nizam Biswas, a young poet who writes in little magazines,

said: “Little mags are still a big arena for practising literature freely. Web mags or virtual pages of literature are very popular now, but most of those do not have a strong editorial body; little mags do.”

Dipankar Ray, an attendant at Loke’s stall, said: “We generally receive decent response from little mag readers. More magazines are participating this year compared to last year.”

“It’s great to see the new generation of readers and writers showing interest in the culture of little magazine,” said Shammo Rayan, another poet.

Being the last day of the last weekend for this year, yesterday saw a huge turnout of visitors at the book fair. Thousands of book

lovers thronged the fairgrounds all day, boosting the sales.

Punishment demanded for Humayun Azad’s killers

Publishers, writers and readers gathered in front of the Burdwan House around 5pm yesterday commemorating author, poet and scholar Humayun Azad and demanding punishment for his killers.

They also demanded justice for blogger-writer Avijit Roy who was killed last year while returning from the book fair, similarly as Humayun Azad.

Bangla Academy General Director Shamsuzzaman Khan, poet Muhammad Samad, Aslam Sunny and Humayun’s publisher Osman Gani spoke at the event, among others. l

Japan now has 947,000 fewer people than when the last census was conducted in 2010, figures released by the internal affairs ministry show.

Only eight prefectures, including the capital Tokyo, saw a population increase, national broadcaster NHK. Reported.

The remaining 39 all saw declines, including Fukushima which saw the largest drop of 115,000 people.

Fukushima, site of the doomed nuclear power station, was hit especially badly by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

Japan has seen population growth for much of the past century, but this has been slowing rapidly in recent decades. The last census showed the population had completely stopped growing.

Friday’s numbers mark the first time a decline has been recorded in the census, which has been taken every five years since 1920.

Researchers are predicting a sharp drop-off in the working population and a simultaneous rise in the number of elderly in coming decades.

According to government projections, by 2060 about 40% of its citizens will be sixty-five or older, and the general population will be one-third smaller than it is now. l

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