March 3, 2016

SECOND EDITION

THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2016

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Falgun 20, 1422, Jamadiul Awal 22, 1437

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Regd No DA 6238, Vol 3, No 317

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

Bangladesh opening batsman Soumya Sarkar sweeps during his run-a-ball 48 against Pakistan during their Asia Cup Twenty20 clash at Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

Tigers storm into Asia Cup final n Minhaz Uddin Khan

INSIDE

Hosts Bangladesh emerged as one of the finalists of the Asia Cup Twenty20 2016 defeating Pakistan by five wickets with as many balls to spare in a nail-biter at Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday.

Bangladesh finished second in the table with three wins and will take on India in the grand finale this Sunday at the same venue. India won three of three matches played and will take one minnows United Arab Emirates in their fourth game

of the competition today. This is the second time Bangladesh reached the final of a major tournament.

The first came in the Asia Cup 2012 where they faced Pakistan only to end as the runners-up, losing the game narrowly by two runs.

Bangladesh in order to ensure an easy route to the final needed a win in the game against Pakistan.

And to the amazement of all the fans, the Tigers had hit the gas right from the very beginning. A brilliant show with the ball had seen Pakistan batsmen struggle and eventually put up 129 runs on the board.

Chasing 130 runs, Bangladesh needed 18 runs from the last 12 balls. Courtesy Mohammad Sami’s two no balls in the 19th over and a brilliant boundary by Mahmudullah, Bangladesh scored 15 runs.

In the last over, the Tigers needed four runs to write history and it

Investigators suspect Banasree siblings were murdered Forensic experts’ suspicion that the two siblings from Dhaka’s Banasree might have been murdered get reinforced further as investigators yesterday said information provided by the parents and relatives did not match.  PAGE 2

came off the very first ball as Mahmudullah hammered Anwar Ali for a four over mid-wicket.

The foundation of the win however, was laid by opening batsman Soumya Sarkar. Soumya, who had struggled in the tournament until yesterday, slammed a run-a-ball 48 to take Bangladesh closer to target.

Returning batsman Tamim Iqbal started the show on a high as he flicked a six over deep square-leg region. Though the south-paw departed in the second over scoring seven, Soumya marched along to put up two 30-plus stands.

For the second wicket, Soumya posted 33 runs alongside Sabbir Rahman and followed it up by adding 37 runs for the third wicket with Mushfiqur Rahim.

Mahmudullah and captain Mashrafe bin Mortaza nailed the final coffin as the duo fetched an un-

beaten 27 runs in 11 balls to guide the Tigers to their shore and make the nation burst into celebration.

Earlier, Pakistan decided to bat on a barren pitch in Mirpur.

However, Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi’s decision turned into a nightmare after the Tigers crafted a flying start. Paceman Taskin Ahmed opened the game giving away only one run in the first over.

Al Amin Hossain came on to bowl the second and was spot on removing opener Khurram Manzoor.

In the fourth over, spinner Arafat Sunny, who replaced the injured Mustafizur Rahman in the playing XI, made the fully-packed stand in Mirpur rise to their feet as he rattled the stumps to dismiss opener Sharjeel Khan. In the next over Mashrafe came to the attack and also made an impact, pinning Mohammad Hafeez in front of the

HSBC Bank a major financier of Bangabandhu-1 Satellite Project The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation will finance the country’s first ever satellite Bangabandhu 1. Thales Alenia Space, a French aerospace manufacturer, has arranged this financing through a one-to-one discussion.

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stumps in the fifth delivery.

The leg-before decision by umpire Ruchira Palliyaguruge came into question as the action replays showed the ball would have gone over the timber.

Umar Akmal was the fourth Pakistan wicket to fall as his side were reeling on 28 for four in 4.5 overs.

This time Taskin had initiated the breakthrough as Shakib al Hasan took the catch at deep point.

This was the third time in the tournament that Pakistan suffered a batting debacle and only a couple of late partnerships saw them prevent disaster. From overs 14 to 20 Pakistan scored most of the runs in the game - 75 of them - as almost all the Bangladesh bowlers conceded at least 10 runs per over.

Sarfaraz Ahmed top-scored with a fine 42-ball 58 while Shoaib Malik made 41 off 30 balls. l

Rape alleged as revenge porn goes viral A sex video uploaded on Facebook by the male participant has drawn an allegation of rape from the Habiganj schoolgirl in the clip who said she had been filmed without her consent.  PAGE 32

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Investigators: Banasree siblings likely murdered

Nusrat Jahan, left, and Alvi Aman

n Kamrul Hasan Forensic experts’ suspicion that the two siblings from Dhaka’s Banasree might have been murdered get reinforced further as investigators yesterday said information provided by the parents and relatives did not match.

The family initially claimed the children had died from food poisoning on Monday, hours after “consuming contaminated food” at home. But after postmortem examinations, Dhaka Medical College forensic experts hinted at foul play.

They said they had found injury marks on the children’s neck. The boy had injury marks on his legs and his sister in the eyes. They said they were waiting for visceral test results to determine the cause of death.

Fourteen-year-old Nusrat Jahan and six-year-old Alvi Aman were declared dead at the DMCH after they had been brought there unconscious on Monday night. Family members claimed that the children slept after having leftover Chinese food at lunch and did not wake up.

Investigators said the mother Mahfuza Malek Jesmin had the same meal with her children but both Mahfuza and her sister Afroza Akter claimed only the children had Chinese food.

Besides, Mahfuza chose to stay at home when her children were taken to a nearby hospital, an act the investigators dubbed “unusual and suspicious.”

Afroza on Monday had told reporters at the DMCH that her sister and the children’s grandmother were at home at that time. Afroza, who lives down the road, claimed she had gone to her sister’s house after Mahfuza called her over phone.

Amanullah had rushed to the DMCH from his office.

Investigators said they were yet to find out the reason that had led to the murder. RAB 3 Commanding Officer Lt Col Khondokar Golam Sarowar, said a RAB team had brought back the parents – Amanullah and Mahfuza – and Afroza to Dhaka from Jamalpur yesterday.

RAB 3 Additional SP Mostaq Ahmed told reporters in Jamalpur that they had interrogated the couple for three hours before they were sent back. Sarowar said although they suspected family members’ involvement, they did not have enough evidence against anyone.

Sources close to the investigators said they suspected the children were murdered between 4pm and 6pm. The siblings were buried in Jamalpur yesterday.

Officials of Al-Razi Islamia Hos-

pital said Afroza and two others brought the children there in an apparent unconscious state. However, duty doctor Abdullah-Al Maruf said their primary tests did not indicate that the siblings were alive.

Police said they had doubts about the food poisoning story.

“Our initial investigation at the restaurant, from where the food was bought, did not find any evidence that the food there was toxic enough to cause death,” said Rampura Inspector Mustafizur Rahman.

The family’s maid said she had seen packed Chinese food in fridge.

Families in Banasree neighbourhood declined comment on the incident. A man claimed Nusrat’s tutor Sheuly Akhter, 28, had said her student opened the door around 3pm on Monday for her.

He further quoted Sheuly as saying that when she left the house at around 4:15pm, Nusrat’s mother was asleep and her grandmother was there too. Both the children were alive at that time.

RAB picked up Sheuly, two of Nusrat’s relatives and two security guards of the buildings for questioning.

RAB did not clarify if the five had been freed as of yesterday. Rampura SI Somen Kumar Barua, who is investigating the incident, said they would take in the parents and the aunt once RAB released them.

Meanwhile, the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Kazi Kamrul Islam yesterday ordered the chief of CID’s analysis department to conduct DNA profiling and chemical tests of evidence seized from the house.

Somen sought court order for DNA profiling test of bed sheet, pillow cover, tissue paper and blanket of the bed in which the children slept; chemical test of the leftover food and water bottle from the restaurant.

No case was filed until yesterday night with police over the incident.

Police said they would start a case if the parents did not. l

Vehicles and pedestrians suffer as digging of a road in the capital’s ever-busy Motijheel progresses at a snail’s pace. The road has remained in this condition for the last few days. The photo was taken yesterday MEHEDI HASAN

ACC sues Salam for ETV fund embezzlement n Adil Sakhawat

The Anti-Corruption Commission yesterday sued former Ekushey Television chairman Abdus Salam, accusing him of embezzling around Tk34 crore from the channel’s bank account through fake bill vouchers.

The case was filed by Deputy Director Shamsul Alam with the Tejgaon police station, ACC spokesman Pranab Kumar Bhattacharya said.

Case documents say during his term as the chairman of the TV channel, Salam misappropriated Tk33,34,94,286 through fake bill vouchers.

Salam has been in prison since January last year. He was shown arrested in a pornography case filed in November 26, 2014 with the Cantonment police station.

A senior ACC official requesting anonymity told the Dhaka Tribune the anti-graft body is also inquiring into an allegation of money laundering against Salam.

The commission yesterday also approved the charge sheet against four public administration ministry officials who have been accused of embezzling Tk20.5 crore from the Health Ministry through fake allotments. l

No one challenges Khaleda and Tarique n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla No BNP leader has chosen to challenge Khaleda Zia and her son Tarique Rahman for the party’s top two positions in the election scheduled for March 19 during the BNP’s sixth national council.

As the deadline for collecting nomination paper expired yesterday, only Khaleda and Tarique collected forms for the posts of chairperson and senior vice-chairman.

“Representatives of Khaleda Zia and Tarique Rahman collected the

nomination forms. We were waiting to know if anyone else would collect nomination paper, but no one did.

But it does not mean that they became elected uncontested. For this, we will have to wait until March 6,” said Nazrul Islam Khan, the returning officer of the council election.

“Party Chairperson Khaleda Zia has appointed Ruhul Kabir Rizvi as her election agent for competing in the chairperson post. Rizvi collected the nomination paper,” Nazrul, also the party’s standing committee member, told journalists yesterday.

BNP Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi collected the nomination form from the party’s Nayapaltan headquarters on behalf of Khaleda, while BNP Joint Secretary Mohammad Shahjahan collected the nomination paper for Tarique.

Khaleda Zia has been the party chairperson since 1984, while Tarique Rahman was appointed the party’s senior vice-chairman after the post was created in the 2009 council.

The one-page nomination paper,

which comes free of cost, asks for a proposer and a supporter – both members of the BNP council – to vouch for the hopeful candidate. It also requires the candidates’ monthly membership fee to be up to date.

Rustom Ali, who is in charge of fee collection, said: “Madam Khaleda Zia and Tarique Rahman sir have paid the annual fees. The monthly fee of standing committee members is Tk1,000.”

The BNP will hold its national council on March 19 where election would be held for party chair-

person and senior vice-chairman posts.

As per election schedule, nomination paper scrutiny will take place on March 5 and nomination paper could be withdrawn on March 6.

According to the BNP charter, the party chairperson will be elected through the direct vote of councillors in the national council, while the party, on February 10, decided to also hold election for the party’s senior vice-chairman post at the council. l

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Why are Bangladesh’s children being murdered? n Mohammad Jamil Khan Once considered unthinkable here, the murder of children has become increasingly commonplace in Bangladesh.

In just the first two months of this year, 49 children were murdered. Over the last four years, 1,084 children were murdered, according to data from the Bangladesh Shishu Adhikar Forum (BSAF).

What is driving Bangladeshis to murder children?

The experts are not entirely sure.

They point to a number of causes – a rapidly changing society, cold ambition, the inadequate punishment of offenders and the impact of television and the internet – to explain the phenomenon.

But none of these trends fully explains the sudden rise in violence against minors.

Nor do they explain filicide – the murder of a child by its parents – that has become the leading theory in the investigation into the deaths of two young siblings in Dhaka’s Banasree neighbourhood.

Experts said parents’ extramarital affairs sometimes drive them to kill their own offspring as a way of severing ties to a failed marriage.

Mohammad Ashraful Alam, chairman of the criminology and police sciences department at Maulana Bhashani Science and Technology University, told the Dhaka Tribune that child murders fall into two categories – murders where near relatives are involved and those committed by outsiders.

“Within the family, rising wants,

economic aspirations and long absences of a spouse for work can cause a breakdown in a marriage.

When one parent then looks for a way out, social expectations tied to the family are often seen as a barrier, and the children are representatives of that barrier.

“Slaying the offspring then appears to the perpetrators as the key to exiting the marriage,” Ashraf said.

“In the second type of murder – unemployment is a major driver of crimes against children. A large number of young adults are unemployed, frustrated and see kidnapping and ransom as an easy way to make money. A fear of exposure frequently causes kidnappers to kill their young hostages,” Ashraf added.

Professor Dr Shah Ehsan Habib of Dhaka University’s sociology department, agreed that the rise in the

gap between real life and expectations correlates with a rise in crime.

Frustrated aspirations can lead to violent crime and minors are easy prey, he said.

Psychologist Dr Mohit Kamal attributed the rise in child murders to a “loss of moral excellence and a cruel attitude” in society.

But BSAF Director AS Mahmood said the absence of proper investigation and trial procedures has created a culture of impunity and that this is at least as much to blame as any other reason.

According to BSAF, over 500 child killing cases from the last four years are still pending investigation.

Dr HM Kamruzzaman, deputy commissioner of police (Prosecution), said the absence of witnesses was the major problem in such cases.

HSBC Bank to be major financier of Bangabandhu-1 Satellite Project Showkat Kallol, n Asif Ishtiaq Husain The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) will finance the country’s first ever satellite Bangabandhu 1.

Thales Alenia Space, a French aerospace manufacturer and work order winner of Bangabandhu Satellite Implementation Project, has arranged this financing through a one-to-one discussion.

Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) signed a Tk2,967 crore agreement with Thales Alenia Space on November 11, 2015.

The HSBC will be the major financier while the local City Bank will provide the rest of the amount to construct this dream project of the current government.

An important meeting will be held in this regard at the BTRC office in the capital. High officials of Thales Alenia and the Bangabandhu Satellite project director will take part in the meeting with BTRC Chairman Dr Shahjahan Mahmood.

Dr Shahjahan Mahmood told the Dhaka Tribune that Thales Alenia arranged the financier but the government would have to pay off the loan.

“We hope this proposal would be better compared to that of other proposals. In spite of the fact we will have a discussion over the matter as far as our interest is concerned.”

An official of the commission said there is a pressure from the government end to expedite the project.

According to the BTRC’s provision if the country’s first-ever

Bangabandhu Satellite Project misses its installation deadline, Thales will have to pay compensation.

An official of the BTRC said the government had incorporated the provision as it wanted quick implementation of the project.

Thales Alenia has already embarked on the Bangabandhu Satellite Project so that they can complete the job within two years as per the government requirement.

On October 20 the Cabinet Purchase Committee approved the tender proposal in favour of Thales

as all other participants were non-responsive during the bidding process.

Once the satellite is launched into orbit, it will eventually help the country save $14m annually.

The government can also earn by renting the satellite.

Bangladesh has already signed a deal with Russia-based Intersputnik to take out a lease on an orbital slot worth $28m.

In June last year, four international companies – Great Wall Industry Corporation of China, MDA Corporation of Canada, Thales

Alenia Space, and Orbital ATK from USA – participated in the tender process of the installation and post-installation support services for launching the country’s first-ever satellite.

Though the MDA Corporation had the lowest bid of $222.75m, it could not win the tender because of some inconsistencies in the price it quoted.

Considering all facts, the committee reportedly selected the Thales Alenia Space, the second-lowest bidder that offered $248m for the project. l

Procedural delays, a lack of eyewitnesses and weak investigations contribute to the backlog of cases, sources connected to child rights said. Moreover, a majority of plaintiffs cannot afford lengthy legal proceedings, they added.

State Minister for Women and Children Affairs Meher Afroze Chumki told the Dhaka Tribune that financial and social support is provided in cases in which the victims are children.

Plaintiffs sometimes settle the case out of court, but the government is working to try and punish perpetrators, she added.

Home Minster Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said directives to improve the investigation process had been given in order to secure convictions and ensure that perpetrators are punished. l

Dhaka, Delhi discuss water, security, trade issues

n UNB Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali yesterday met his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj in New Delhi and discussed various bilateral issues, including water and security.

The two ministers at the meeting, held at the office of Indian external affairs minister, discussed various issues of Bangladesh-India bilateral relations, including water resources, trade and commerce, security and border management.

They agreed to have the next meeting of the Joint Consultative Commission (JCC), co-chaired by the two ministers, in Dhaka in July this year, according to a message received from New Delhi.

The foreign minister is currently in New Delhi to attend the first meeting of the Raisina Dialogue being held in New Delhi with the participation of many countries from the Asia Pacific region to discuss ways and means to achieve increased connectivity and regional security, among other issues. It started on March 1 and will end tomorrow.

On Tuesday evening, the foreign minister addressed the opening session of the dialogue with dignitaries like Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, former Sri Lankan president Chandrika Kumaratunga, former Afghan president Hamid Karzai and former president of Seychelles Sir James Mancham.

Mahmood Ali reiterated Bangladesh’s abiding commitment to peace, progress and prosperity in the region and extended its support for creating an area of peace in South Asia where all can live side by side as good neighbours. l

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PM's approval to be sought for 2D seismic survey deal signing n Aminur Rahman Rasel The Energy and Mineral Resources Division (EMRD) will send a summary to the Prime Minister's Office to go ahead with the signing of a deal with a foreign joint venture to conduct a 2D multi-client seismic survey of the country's offshore areas.

“We will send the summary for the prime minister's approval for inking a deal with TGS-NOPEC and Schlumberger, a Norwegian-US joint venture, to carry out a 2D multi-client survey this week,” an EMRD deputy secretary told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday, requesting anonymity.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is the minister in-charge of the Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry.

“We hope we will soon be able to sign the contract,” the deputy secretary said, adding: “After obtaining the prime

minister’s approval, the summary will be sent to the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs.”

According to the Petrobangla plan, the successful contractor will get two years to complete the survey. Petrobangla will share the profits from the sale of the data.

“The government formed a tender evaluation committee headed by a Petrobangla director to evaluate the documents.

The official evaluated and selected a firm to sign a 10-year deal with,” a Petrobangla official said.

The evaluation committee earlier recommended the EMRD to go ahead with the plan.

State-owned Petrobangla, on behalf of the government, invited re-tenders to conduct the survey on December 10 last year and received proposals from five global geophysical companies on January 31

this year.

The companies are Norway-US joint venture TGS-NOPEC and Schlumberger, Chinese company BGP, Russian firm Dalmorneftegeophysica (DMNG) and Russian Marine Arctic Geological Expedition (MAGE), and UK-Based Spec Partners Ltd. The survey will cover an area of around 118,000 square kilometres with water depth ranging from 20 metres to more than 2,500 metres.

The objective of the survey is to provide the oil and gas industry with 2D seismic data of the offshore areas of the country to help with basin evaluation, prospect generation and robust bid-round participation.

The survey, the first of its kind in the country’s history, was deemed necessary after Bangladesh’s maritime boundaries with Myanmar and India were settled. l

ACC to quiz 7 NHA officials n UNB The Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) will interrogate seven officials of National Housing Authority (NHA) in connection with an irregularity of plot distribution.

The national anti-graft agency yesterday sent a notice to the NHA chairman asking

them to be present at the ACC head office on March 10, according to official sources.

The ACC will quiz NHA joint secretary Azaharul Haque, its director Shannewaz Chowdhury, deputy directors SM Tipu Sultan and Al Mamun, assistant director Mustafa Kamal, former chief engineer Amir Ali Mondol and Mohibur Rahman.

Obituary n Tribune Report

Abu Mohammad Motahhar, former headmaster of Dhanbari Primary School, K a z i b a r i in Tangail, breathed his last on Tuesday at his daughter’s residence in the capital.

He was 93.

He was buried at the family graveyard around 10am yesterday in Dhanbari after namaz-e-janaza.

His qulkhawni will be held on Friday at his own residence in Dhanbari.

He was elder brother of AM Mufazzal, editor of the New Nation, and father of Abu Mohammad Masani, senior sub-editor of The Independent.

Family members have requested all to pray for the salvation of the departed soul of Motahhar. l

According to an allegation received by the ACC, some NHA officials in connection with each other allocated a plot to one violating the housing rules for their personal gains. The plot was earlier allocated to another person.

ACC deputy director Zulfikar Ali is probing the allegation. l

Police ordered to grill Shawkat Mahmud at jail gate n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu A Dhaka court yesterday rejected two petitions seeking bail and remand for journalist leader Shawkat Mahmud in a violence case, and directed police to interrogate him at jail gate.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate SM Masud Zaman gave the order after hearing the two petitions filed by police and the defence counsel.

The investigating officer, Sub-Inspector Subrata Guldarwas who was directed to grill Shawkat within three working days, filed one of

the petitions seeking a 10day remand order for the accused.

Shawkat's lawyer Md Sanaullah Miah, on the other hand, filed the other petition seeking bail for his client.

On February 22, 2013 the case was filed with Shahbagh police station on charges of perpetrating violence in the area.

On August 18 last year, detectives arrested Shawkat, also an adviser to the BNP chairperson, in front of Samurai Convention Centre in the capital’s Panthapath area. l

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1,000 blank ATM PM pins hope on technology use to remove corruption cards seized at Dhaka airport n Arifur Rahman Rabbi Dhaka airport's Customs officials yesterday seized 1,000 blank ATM cards imported from Hong Kong and collected by an unidentified person who could not be arrested.

Detectives said that they would investigate whether those cards were imported by the ATM forgery gang busted recently.

Customs Intelligence Joint Director Shafiur Rahman said that their officials were monitoring a person who had left the DHL counter in the airport with a bag around 11am. As they challenged him, the man fled the scene leaving the bag.

“Searching the bag, we found 1,000 ATM cards in small boxes and some other items – umbrella, caps, small motor parts, books and pens.

But there was no supporting legal documents for the consignment,” he told the Dhaka Tribune.

The consignment was sent from Hong Kong through DHL by a Thai Airways flight, the official added.

Another Customs official told the Dhaka Tribune that they would talk to the DHL officials to identify the receiver.

Such cards can only be imported

by banks and financial institutions upon approval of the Bangladesh Bank, officials said.

Monirul Islam, who heads the Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime Unit, said that the cards might have been imported by any ATM forgery gang.

The law enforcers recently arrested German national Piotr Szczepan Mazurek alias Thomas Peter and three local bank employees for stealing information of credit and debit cards by installing skimming devices at ATM booths, shops and banks for the last one year, and withdrawing crores of taka by making clone cards. They are now on police remand.

Detectives suspect that the gang having some 50 members have collected information of around 4,000-5,000 cards. The gang members include bankers, police officers and businessmen.

Peter's two associates – former Ukrainian policeman Andy and Romanian citizen Romeo – already left the country with no less than $27,000 with them, police said, adding that a UK-based Bangladeshi expatriate, Farid Nabir, had masterminded and coordinated the forgery. l

TEMPERATURE FOREC AST FOR TODAY

DRY WEATHER THURSDAY, MARCH 3

Dhaka

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Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina speaks at a programme arranged to mark the opening of 125 upazila ICT training and resource centres for education at her office yesterday. The centres were set up by Bangladesh Bureau of Educational Information and Statistics under the Education Ministry BSS

n UNB Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said it will be easier to free this society from corruption by making the best use of technology.

The prime minister said this while simultaneously inaugurating the Upazila ICT Training and Resource Centres (UITRCEs) in 125 selected upazilas through a videoconference at her office.

Sheikh Hasina said it will also be easier to implement development projects quickly, strengthen monitoring and expedite the pace of development in the country by using technology.

The government with support from Korean Exim Bank im-

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plemented the project involving Tk403 crore. Another 160 UITRCEs will be set up under the project in its next phases.

The prime minister said the country’s education process would fully be based on information and communication technology to flourish through digital system.

She said her government will set up UITRCE in every upazila to provide training to all teachers on ICT as they can teach their students in the classroom.

Hasina said the inauguration of these UITRCEs is a milestone in the history of the country’s education system, and mentioned that her government also set up 5,275 union digital centres while 8,000 post of-

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YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

TOMORROW SUN RISES 6:18AM

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15.4ºC Srimangal

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fices will be turned into digital centres in phases.

The prime minister said the main aim of her government is to ensure balanced development of the country and eradicate poverty through education and it is working round the clock to this end.

“The aim of our government is to reduce the income inequality between the rich and the poor…. we want to develop the country where people will get a better life.

Without education, we can’t eradicate poverty from the country,” she added.

Hasina said the UITRCEs will be turned into full-fledged ICT training labs with all facilities, which will speed up the ICT training for the teachers and students at primary and post- primary level institutions at the grassroots.

The UITRCEs will be utilised for ICT education of teachers, access to information by students, teachers, citizens, and local Education Management Information System (EMIS) data centres.

Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid and South Korean Ambassador to Bangladesh Ahn Seong-doo were present as special guests at the function, held with Education Secretary Sohrab Hossain in the chair. Director of Bangladesh Bureau of Educational Information & Statistics (BANBEIS) and Project Director of the UITRCE M Fasiullah also spoke on the occasion. l

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Fajr: 5:04am | Zohr: 12:11am Asr: 4:22pm | Magrib: 6:02pm Esha: 7:18pm Source: IslamicFinder.org

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Legal notice seeks speedy trial of seven-murder case

AL to hold rally on March 7

n

The ruling Awami League will hold a grand rally at Suhrawardy Uddyan on March 7 to mark the day of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s historic call for the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971.

AL General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam announced the rally after an internal meeting with Awami League and its affiliated bodies.

The meeting was held at the central Awami League office in the Bangbandhu Avenue of the capital yesterday evening.

Public Administration Minister Syed Ashraful Islam said Awami League President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will chair the rally. l

Tribune Report

A Supreme Court lawyer yesterday served a legal notice seeking a speedy trial of the Narayanganj seven-murder case and the withdrawal of the public prosecutor who did not let journalists stay in courtroom during hearing of the case.

Lawyer Yunus Ali Akhand requested the government to establish the speedy trial tribunal within 72 hours, otherwise he would file a writ petition with the High Court seeking remedy.

In the notice, the lawyer said the seven murders were committed in Narayanganj on April 27, 2014,

but the trial has not yet been concluded.

But according to the constitution, every person accused of a criminal case has the right to a speedy and public trial by an independent and impartial court or tribunal.

The public prosecutor of Narayanganj Sessions Judge’s Court ousted journalists from the courtroom when the court was recording depositions from the witnesses, which was unconstitutional, the legal notice read.

The law secretary and the solicitor of Law Ministry have been made respondents to the legal notice. l

n Abu Hayat Mahmud

Legal notice served to stop biometric SIM registration n Tribune Report A Supreme Court lawyer yesterday served a legal notice urging to halt biometric registration for SIM cards, claiming that it violates the privacy of users.

Md Humayan Kabir Pallab, who served the notice on behalf of a resident of Segun Bagicha in the capital, said in the notice that the biometric data for SIM cards was likely to be used for criminal activities if it fell into the wrong hands.

The move will create a high risk if national and international criminal organisations, networks or syndicates get access to the database, read the notice.

The lawyer said collecting such

information would be seriously prejudicial to his client as well as the whole society.

In the notice, posts and telecommunications secretary, law secretary, Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission, inspector general of police, Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner, Grameenphone, Robi Axiata Ltd, Airtel Bangladesh Ltd, Banglalink, Teletalk Bangladesh Ltd and Citycell were made respondents.

The petitioner will move to the High Court seeking legal protection if the government and mobile phone operators do not stop collecting biometric data and taking fingerprint within two days. l

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Most high rise buildings built violating rules n Anwar Hussain, Chittagong There are around 2,00,000 buildings including several thousands high-rise buildings in the premier port city. However, it is alleged that most high-rise buildings do not abide by the rules.

As per Environment Conservation Act, it is mandatory to obtain Environment Clearance Certificate and Location Clearance Certificate from Department of Environment (DoE) for constructing a high-rise building.

Both the Chittagong Development Authority and the DoE could not come up with any information regarding the exact number of high-rise buildings in the city.

The officials said some 30 highrise buildings have obtained certificates so far from the DoE. As per Building Construction Act, a 10-storied building having a height above 33 meters is regarded to be a high-rise one.

The city planners said that the DoE should intensify its monitoring and conduct drives on a regular basis against the errant owners who do not obtain permission for constructing a high-rise building.

Talking to the Dhaka Tribune, Sangjucta Das Gupta, assistant director (technical), DoE, Chittagong Metropolitan said they had already served notices to some owners for not obtaining necessary certificates.

“As per Environment Conservation Act, an owner of a high-rise building must obtain certificates from the DoE. Most of the owners

are reluctant to obtain necessary certificates from us for constructing high-rise buildings,” added the DoE official.

The CDA receives around 3,000 applications for building constructions a year. Of them, around 5% are for constructing high-rise buildings.

The DoE officials said they would prepare a list of all high-rise buildings in the city.

“There are some conditions stipulated by the CDA for building a construction in the city. However, many owners tend to violate many conditions after construction. The DoE should spring into action and penalise the errant owners,” said Shahinul Islam Khan, Chief Town Planner of the CDA. The leaders of the Real Estate and Housing Association of Bangladesh (REHAB) alleged that some clauses under the prevailing laws for constructing buildings were conflicting.

“Genuine realtors always abide by the existing laws for constructing buildings. Only 10% high-rise buildings are constructed by the realtors while rest buildings are constructed by individuals in the city,” said SM Abu Sufian, chairman of Chittagong standing committee of the REHAB. “The realtors in some cases show reluctance to obtain permission required for constructing a high-rise building. We are always reminding the realtors in this regard and the concerned authorities should also intensify its monitoring,” added Sufian. l

Illegal cigarettes seized in Ctg port n Tribune Report

Two shot dead for protesting extortion

The customs intelligence officials seized a container of cigarette imported under false declaration from Chittagong Port.

The customs officials yesterday morning conducted a physical test and seized the cigarettes.

The container contained 5,76,000 pieces of cigarettes belonging to ‘mond’ and ‘Easy Gold’ brands.

Mohammad Zakir Hossain, deputy director of Customs Intelligence Department, told the Dhaka Tribune that they would lodge a case under Special Powers Act in this regard. l

Correspondent, n Our Narsingdi

After being failed to realise money, some extortionists shot dead two youths at Bhagdi Moholla, Narsingdi municipality yesterday evening.

Police recovered the body of Arif Khandakar, 32, and Khokon Khandakar, 33, from the spot at night and sent those to morgue for autopsy, said Monjur Morshed, officer-in-charge of Narsingdi Sadar police station.

Quoting locals police said a group of extortionists had been demanding money from Rafique

Dhaka University Vice-chancellor Professor AAMS Arefin Siddique hoists the national flag on the Arts Faculty building premises marking the Flag Hoisting Day yesterday. On this day in 1971, the country’s national flag was first hoisted at the historic Bottola in front of the DU Arts building DHAKA TRIBUNE

Islam, brother-in-law of Khokon, a resident of the area for long.

Rafique Islam called on Khokon as the group went to his house to realise the extortion quipped with arms around 6:30pm.

Being informed Khokon with his cousin Arif rushed to the spot and locked into an altercation with the hoodlums.

At one stage, the criminals opened fire at Khokon and Arif, leaving them critically injured.

They were rushed to Narsingdi Sadar Hospital where the doctors declared them dead. A case was filed in this connection. l

Former mayor Mannan released on bail n Our Correspondent, Gazipur MA Mannan, the suspended mayor of the Gazipur City Corporation, has been released on bail.

He went home from Birdem hospital yesterday morning after securing bail from the High Court in 22 cases, his counsel Shahiduzzaman told the Dhaka Tribune.

Mannan, suffering from various ailments, was shifted to Birdem from Kashimpur jail on May 21 last year.

Several BNP leaders yesterday greeted him at the hospital gate after his release.

Mannan, an adviser to the BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, was arrested from Dhaka’s Uttara on February 11 last year for his suspected involvement in an arson attack on a passenger bus in Gazipur during BNP-led 20-party allience sponsored blockade on February 4.

Panel mayor Asadur Rahman Kiron was made the acting mayor upon a court directive the next month.

Police have pressed charges against Mannan in court in two cases. The government suspended him in August. l

DT

8

News

THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2016

Roads in dilapidated condition due to lack of repairs n

Zahirul Islam Khan, Madaripur

Maximum roads in the district have been lying in dilapidated condition due to lack of repairs and maintenance.

Sources said Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) had constructed 150 roads in four upazilas of the district few years ago.

Of them, Charmuguria-Srinodi, Bhurghata-Shashikar-Chalanbeel, Madaripur-Kalkini, Kalkini-Sahebrampur-Koira, Kalkinai-Enaetnagar-Bashgari, Kuldip-Jhaudi-Kalkini, Tekerhat-Kabirajpur, Tekerhat-Kadambari, Rajoir-Srino-

di, Madaripur-Shibchar roads have been lying in deteriorating situation.

Locals said the roads were in awful condition as crates and potholes had developed on it for lack of renovation.

Residents of Charmuguria Mithapur, Chilarchar,Kalkini, Surjamoni, Tekerhat, Khoazpur, Natunhat areas said they were the worst sufferers of the dilapidated state of the roads.

Krishak League leader Abdur Rob Bepari of Mithapur told the Dhaka Tribune that commuters were suffering severely as thousands of potholes had developed on maximum roads.

“Transportation of my factory

goods are hampered, but the Roads and Highway department did renovation of the road a few years back despite being informed several times about the repair of the road.”

Goods-laden trucks frequently got stuck on potholes that causes long tailback on the road, he added.

Ismail Hossain, a trader at Charmuguria village under Sadar upazila, said a 10-minute ride on the Charmuguria-Srinodi Road from Charmuguria Bazar to the town takes up to almost two hours.

Joianta Majumder, representative of a drug company, told the Dhaka Tribune that many portions of the roads in the district road

went under knee-deep water because of poor drainage system in rainy season.

He said: “Locals put brick chips on the damaged portion of the road so that traffic could run through the road.

He urged the Roads and Highway department to take immediate measures to repair these roads as soon as possible to ease sufferings of commuters.

When contacted, Deputy Assistant Engineer of Local Government Engineering Nirmul Kumar Bisws told the Dhaka Tribune that they had informed the higher authorities about the importance of repairing the roads. l

Four killed in road accident n Tribune Report A minor girl and her mother among three pedestrians were killed and another was injured when a picnic bus ran them over on the Chittagong-Cox’s Bazar Highway at Lohagara upazila, Chittagong yesterday afternoon.

The deceased were identified as Sumita Rani, 28, wife of Asim Kumar Dey and Sumita’s daughter Sema Rani, 6, and Arefa Beghum, 50, wife of late Ishaq Mia, said Inspector (investigation) Lohagara police station Kefayat Ullah.

Asim Kumar Dey is the lineman of Rural Electrification Board of Lohagara area while his daughter was a student of a local kindergarten school, said the inspector.

“A picnic bus of one MNA Fashion Limited ran over three pedestrians while its driver was trying to cross a motorbike, leaving three dead on the spot”, said the inspector.

On receiving information, police rushed to the spot and sent the bodies to the Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH)’s morgue for autopsy.

In Bagerhat, a person has been killed and five others have been injured as a bus turned turtle in Mongla port industrial area.

The identity of the deceased could not be ascertained yet.

Police said: “A Khulna-bound bus turned turtle while passing over a speed breaker on the road in Balurmath area around 7:30am, killing one on the spot and injuring the others.”

He said: “The injured are being treated at a local hospital. Of them, two are in critical condition.” l

Khulna people hold a human chain in the city yesterday protesting the recent child-murder across the country

Newborn’s body found in carton in Sirajganj n Tribune Report Police have recovered the body of a newborn from a carton in Hatikumrul intersection area in Sirajganj.

The newborn was two to three days old, witnesses said.

Locals noticed the body in a carton box and informed the police around 10pm Tuesday.

Solga SI Mostafizur Rahman said: “On information, police went to the spot and recovered the body at night.”

However, the body was not sent to the morgue for autopsy. l

Gold ornaments snatched n Our Correspondent, Barisal Miscreants snatched gold ornaments worth about Tk3.5 million after they shot the shop owner in the city yesterday.

Bullet injured Mirajul Huq, 35, one of the owners of Huq Jewelers at Hemayet Uddin Road in the city, said a gang of miscreants riding two motorcycles barred their vehicle in front of Bangladesh Bank and snatched the bag of ornaments.

After snatching the bag with more than 85 tolas gold ornaments, They shot Mirajul leaving him critically injured as he tried to resist them. Later, they fled the scene on their motorcycles.

Mirajul was admitted to Sher-eBangla Medical College and Hospital.

Ansaruddin, assistant commissioner of metropolitan police, said police set up check posts at different points of the city and started drive to arrest the miscreants and recover the looted items. l

Railway staff put on Two workers die remand for snatching after falling in septic n tank in Bogra Tribune Report

A Chittagong court yesterday placed an official of Railway Nirapatta Bahini on a two-day remand for his alleged involvement in gold bar snatching from a trader.

Md Mesbah, in-charge of the Pahartali railway station outpost, was produced before the court of Senior Judicial Magistrate Mahmudul Hasan.

Moshiur Rahman, inspector of Chittagong court, said the court granted a two-day remand against a seven-day remand prayer.

Earlier, the accused RNB official was suspended from service for his alleged involvement with snatch-

ing of gold bars.

Mentionable that Palash Nandy and Bishwajit, employees of Bishwakarma Bullion at Hazari Lane of the city went to Chittagong railway station for going to Dhaka with 205 tolas of gold bars on Monday morning. However, they could not get on the train and went to Pahartali railway station later.

Some persons identifying themselves as members of Detective Branch of the police took them to nearby RNB outpost and snatched the gold bars during frisking.

Later, Palash Nandy filed a case accusing three persons for snatching the gold bars. l

n Our Correspondent, Bogra Two construction workers died as they inhaled toxic gas while working inside a septic tank in Bogra’s Dublagari area yesterday morning.

The deceased are identified as Zahurul Islam, 35, son of Shahjahan Ali, a resident of Bilantha village in the district’s Sherpur upazila, and Sagor Miah, 22, son of Imdadul Haque, an inhabitant of Naldingi village in Khanpur union.

The duo were working inside

the septic tank of an under-construction building when the accident took place.

Police detained the owner of the house, Abul Kalam Azad, for questioning.

Khan Md Erfan, officer-incharge of Sherpur police station, said firefighters had recovered the two bodies from the septic tank.

“Sohel Rana, station officer of the fire department, became sick after he got down inside the septic tank to recover the deceased,” he added. l

9

DT

Feature

THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2016

Tempo tantrum

The unique public three-wheelers that populate Bangladesh

n Mahmood Sadi Great novelist Humayun Ahmed in one of his “Himu” novels had termed the “tempo” (a customised public auto-rickshaw that plies through Dhaka and other cities) a blessing for Dhaka’s roads. The tempo can

take on this wonderful mode of transportation. However, there is much that can be added to these observations, both positive and negative.

Firstly, tempo drivers and helpers are great navigators.

They don’t need any GPS or other navigation system to guide them

Tempo drivers and helpers are great navigators. They don’t need any GPS or other navigation system to guide them around

cover a lot of distance, moves fast and most importantly, it provides the passengers with the opportunity to travel while sitting down – a rare facility to be availed by a public commuter in this city.

Being almost a regular commuter on tempos, I fully agree with Humayun Ahmed’s

around. They also tend to have a clear idea of current traffic conditions - the when, where and for how long the traffic congestion is most likely to last are all engraved like a mind map in them. This knowledge is what makes these tempos such a great mode of transport – you can trust your driver to take you on age-

old driving routes or figure out a new one.

Navigating the tricky terrains of Dhaka However, there are more obstacles than just traffic on the labyrinth of roads in Dhaka. For example, police checkpoints.

Only last week, the traffic police along with Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) officials set up checkpoints at different parts of Dhanmondi, Lalmatia and Mohammadpur to check the vehicles’ papers and drivers’ licenses.

Most tempos (if not all) do not have the necessary papers, so they obviously couldn’t pass the check-posts. The tempo that I happened to be in at the time was stopped, and the vehicle’s ignition key was taken away.

That, however, was no problem, thanks to the inventive mind of the tempo driver. He used a screwdriver to turn on the ignition in no time, and before we knew it, he was happily chatting away about the incident to another fellow driver!

I only got to know because our driver was perfectly happy to stop with a vehicle full of passengers in the middle of the road when he spotted a tempo comrade. It’s totally normal to do this – in fact it is when the tempo drivers are chit-chatting, often in their own dialect, that they are able to share the news of traffic congestion wherever their travels had taken them for the day.

What happened afterwards was magical. My tempo driver suddenly veered into a left turn, spotted a free alley and took us into its depths, made a few turns and snaked his way through the traffic and voilà! We managed to avoid all the check-posts in place.

If I were alone I would have thought some of those alleys are dead ends, so it is reassuring to have these seasoned navigators at the helm of local tempos.

Integral but illegal My second observation is a mathematical one. I can’t help but note that one has to look at it from a philosophical perspective.

It starts with simple arithmetic.

If the combined age of the tempo driver and helper is 24 and if the driver’s age is 16, what is the age of the helper?

The answer is simple - eight.

According to interviews I conducted with over a hundred drivers and helpers over two years, the average age of a tempo driver is 16 years, and the average age of the helper tends to be around eight years old.

Both tempo drivers and helpers tend to be too young to have a legal license, which is why so few of them have their papers in order and hence, they are forced to avoid check-posts like the plague.

The tempo business is indeed very strange. The owners employ underaged drivers so that they can maximise their profits by paying minimum wages. A tempo that travels the Jhigatola to Farmgate route can make around Tk220 per ride. Usually, one tempo can make that trip for 12-15 times a day, depending on traffic. However, from each of these trips, the driver gets a meagre Tk35-50, and the helper gets even worse – only Tk10-20 per trip. He also gets one more benefit though – driving lessons, so that one day, he too can grow up to do the same. There are no formal driving tests, only this sort of informal apprenticeship.

This is how the tempo business is running, and has turned into a never-ending cycle.

According to BRTA director Saiful Haque, the transport regulators are aware of the fact that most tempos do not have a fitness certificate, and that most drivers do not have a license.

“This is the most informal mode of vehicles in Dhaka and other places across the country.

We have estimated that around 2,400 tempos are travelling on Dhaka roads, ferrying nearly 1.8 lac passengers on a daily basis,” he said.

Haque also added that BRTA has conducted several drives to stop this. “But after some time, they always end up going back to the roads,” he admitted.

However, he mentioned that the accident rate with tempos is relatively lower compared to other vehicles.

This leads us to the undeniable fact that although underaged and without training, tempo drivers are an integral part of urban traffic, and are doing their best to ferry the busy people of the city from one point to another.

On that note, happy tempo riding to you all! l

DT

10

Feature

THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2016

Bangladesh: The next hardware destination? to its lower production cost and labour wage compared to those of 19 countries in Asia and Oceania.

The JETRO study said in comparison to Japan, the cost of production in Bangladesh is less than half, (49.5 percent), while it is 81.9 percent in China, 73 percent in Vietnam and 80.6 percent in India.

Bangladesh is far ahead of Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Pakistan on the cost indicator and is in a better position than Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Indonesia, Cambodia, India, the Philippines, and China on the labour wage indicator.

“Japan is one of the world’s largest tech hardware manufacturers. If they find us an attractive destination for their investment, then we can obviously become a hardware manufacturing destination like Vietnam,” Sikdar said.

nMahmood Sadi It all started in 2010. Intel built its $1 billion chip manufacturing plant in Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam. Vietnam’s electronic manufacturing dream had arrived.

Gone are the days of textile and food exporting. People were saying hello to a hi-tech Vietnam.

But later in 2011 and 2012, the dream was dwindling, as the economy was shot and there was an environment that didn’t play well for foreign investors, and that was turning people off.

The latter half of 2012 had seen a change, with electronics factories popping up and all the tech giants across the world have shifted their assembling and manufacturing plant to Vietnam. The reason being price competitiveness.

The main draw for the tech companies including Intel, Samsung and Nokia from Vietnam was the low labour wages. In some cases, Vietnamese workers could be paid as little as one-third of the Chinese labour costs. Cheap labour was Vietnam’s new brand.

Bangladesh now takes the mantle of “cheap labour” brand from Vietnam’s shoulder and time has come to take the tech products manufacturing business from Vietnam as well, the industry stakeholders at least believe so.

In the last year, for the first time the largest tech association - Bangladesh Computer Samity (BCS) in collaboration with the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Division organised the BCS Expo - the largest exposition of the tech hardware in the country.

The theme of that expo was to promote “Made in Bangladesh” in the tech field. It’s true that one doesn’t often come across the tag “Made in Bangladesh” on any piece of technology, including computer hardware. Because, as a country, we are not hardware manufacturers - rather, we mostly import and, to a small extent, assemble.

That expo was supposed to be a stepping stone into the field of hardware manufacturing arena for Bangladesh.

Ironically, it was not.

The three day expo became a polished version of Laptop Fare, which too is usually being organised by the BCS, the platform which mostly comprised of seasoned computer hardware importers.

This year, the second version of that expo is going to take place from March 3-5 and the organiser, BCS, is hoping for a better outcome.

Admitting that the first one failed to play a significant role in promoting “Made in Bangladesh” at the tech hardware sector, the organisers this time said that the revolution will not take place overnight.

But they believed that it would take place soon.

The State Minister for ICT, Junaid Ahmed Palak however believed that the hardware revolution has already started.

He said that the ground breaking ceremony of the two blocks in Hi-Tech Park took place at February 28. Two companies, one Sri Lankan and one Indian, have already signed an agreement to set up their hardware manufacturing

mean that people will accept that, because there has to be a significant price margin as well as confidence among the people about your product.”

The BUET professor explained that the state-owned Telephone Shilpa Sangstha Ltd (TSS) had come up with a locally-made laptop named “Doel” just four years ago. “But people did not accept it as its battery life was not good. TSS, however, does have the facilities to produce computer hardware.”

“To be a manufacturer, you first need to provide significant amounts of money as grants for research and development so that you can come up with innovations. All the large hardware producers, such as Intel, Dell, HP, had a string of industry-university relationships, through which innovations occurred.”

Photo: BIGSTOCK

“Hardware innovation needs big investment and research facilities. Besides, it’s a competitive market. You can assemble or even manufacture a laptop, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that people will accept that, because there has to be a significant price margin as well as confidence among the people about your product”

plant in the Hi-Tech Park.

“More of such companies will come very soon to set up their plants. We are having negotiations with some of them,” Palak mentioned at a press conference after that.

Shyam Shundar Sikdar, Secretary of the ICT division said that Bangladesh will become the nest hardware manufacturing destination and he had no doubt about it.

When asked about the reason behind his string conviction, he came up with the answer - price competiveness.

In this free market economy, large corporations will go to those places which offer them the best business scope. “Bangladesh is now providing one of the best business scopes and it is one of the most attractive business destinations right now,” he said.

Referencing the latest survey of Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO), he said that Bangladesh has continued to be an attractive destination for Japanese companies to do business due

He also said that aside from the manufacturing destination of global tech giants, Bangladesh could manufacture its own hardware and create a brand of its own. “Our Walton is a success story. People have accepted their products with open arms. We can create more Waltons,” he said.

Dr Liakot Ali, director of the Institute of Information and Communication Technology (IICT) of BUET however thinks that becoming a hardware manufacturer is not an easy task.

“It needs a large establishment.

The government needs to devise a policy for that.”

Dr Ali pointed out that as a country, “we are not hardware manufacturers, rather mostly importers. Some of our companies also assemble some products here.”

“Hardware innovation needs big investment and research facilities. Besides, it’s a competitive market. You can assemble or even manufacture a laptop, but that doesn’t necessarily

The current and former presidents of Bangladesh Computer Samity (BCS) also agreed that to take the country’s computer hardware sector into the fast lane, there is no other way but to go in for industry-university partnership.

AHM Mahfujul Arif, the incumbent chief of BCS, and Faizullah Khan and Mostafa Zabbar, the former presidents, all said that there should be a strong relationship between the industry and universities.

Mostafa Zabbar, the founder of Bijoy Keyboard, pointed out: “All the greatest technological innovations in the world have occurred because of industryuniversity coordination. Without funding research and development activities in the universities, we cannot come up with new technologies, and without new technologies, we cannot have an edge in the competitive market of computer hardware.” l

DT

Editorial 11

THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2016

INSIDE

Our Jack, the revenant For a brief period, the ‘DiCaprio’ haircut was all the rage at local saloons. The saccharine notes of ‘My Heart Will Go On’ could be heard at every restaurant, and made its way into our local teledramas. This kind of fandom was almost comparable to our eternal love for the Brazil and Argentina football teams PAGE 12

Don’t play with our food Food security is not the result of a single factor, but an amalgam of multiple factors, and it affects people differently with regards to their gender, race, geography

BIGSTOCK

PAGE 13

Raising international transaction limits is a step in the right direction

Stand together, save lives We have to find a practical solution where we, as a society, can come forward for those families who are in need. Yes, crowdfunding is the practical solution 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.

B

angladesh Bank’s decision to triple the purchase limit on international card transactions to $300 and to extend their use for magazine and paper subscriptions is a step in the right direction.

It is a boon for cardholders shopping online and good news for anyone seeking to make legitimate purchases of items of goods and services from abroad.

While existing policies on capital controls have helped the government build up record foreign currency reserves, they also impose unnecessary bureaucracy and costs and can prevent businesses from making the most productive use of resources.

It is a huge concern that businesses often have to endure huge bureaucratic obstacles to meet legitimate business expenses overseas. This is not only a direct deterrent to investors but also places Bangladeshi enterprises at a disadvantage to competitors from other countries.

Absolutely essential payments for business services or educational and medical expenses for individuals are still being hindered by an outdated policy mindset which wrongly holds that sending any money abroad is harmful.

Indeed, the present framework actively encourages foreign exchange payments via informal and illegal hundi channels, contrary to the aims of anti-money laundering laws, and increases the scope for corruption by government officials.

The government needs to move away from the rigid capital controls currently in force to help Bangladeshi businesses compete internationally on a fair footing.

More such steps should be taken to deregulate currency controls to ease finance flows.

Foreign exchange laws should allow people and companies to easily buy and use the foreign exchange they need from banks directly.

If transactions are taxed at a small rate, this will benefit government finances, which are not helped by the current overly restrictive approach.

Ease outdated restrictions to enable people to spend their money for legitimate transactions

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DT

Opinion

THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2016

Our Jack, the revenant How one drowning loverboy saved Bangladeshi cinema

n Sabrina Fatma Ahmad

I

t was late in 1997 when a number of television channels, including Discovery and BBC, began to air special promotional documentaries as a run-up to the theatrical release of Titanic, James Cameron’s epic romantic tragedy.

Along with amazing notes and anecdotes about the actual ship’s history, viewers in Bangladesh were treated to behind-the-scenes footage of the making of what was then the most expensive film in Hollywood history, with special attention given to the main protagonists of the film, Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Rose (Kate Winslet).

Dicaprio, who had already graduated from an angsty indie actor to the One to Watch after his performance in Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet, had already begun to feature on posters plastered over the bedroom walls of teenage girls (and quite a few guys) all over the world.

Despite Titanic’s massive win at the 70th Academy Awards, it

The pair the world couldn’t get enough of

REUTERS

For a brief period, the ‘DiCaprio’ haircut was all the rage at local saloons.

The saccharine notes of ‘My Heart Will Go On’ could be heard at every restaurant, and made its way into our local tele-dramas. This kind of fandom was almost comparable to our eternal love for the Brazil and Argentina football teams

would have slid quietly down into obscurity in the mindset of Bangladeshis, were it not for one thing: A screening of the film, by special arrangement, at a few select local theatres in Dhaka.

This was long before the days of Star Cineplex and Blockbuster Cinemas.

The glut of low-rent, violent, and almost pornographic “masala” action films of 80s-90s Dhallywood had edged out the wholesome family films of a decade past, and that, coupled with the embargo on foreign films being shown in theatres in Dhaka, had pretty much ensured that cinema was an entertainment form limited to just the lowest of working class men (the theatres at the time were not considered respectable, or even safe, for women).

I remember, very vividly, the smell of the sandalwood-scented

air freshener, and the well-worn texture of the velvet-upholstered seating in Madhumita cinema theatre where I went to watch the film with my best friend Diya.

Despite the crude censoring (which pretty much amounted to parts of the famous nude scene being cut out, and some kind of black tape-style obscuring of Ms Winslet’s naughty bits in the rest of the scene), the music, the large close-ups, the scale and grandeur of the film, and not to mention, the chemistry between Jack and Rose ensured that not a single person left the theatre dry-eyed.

The commercial success of the screening led to its extension for additional screenings as word of mouth spread, and more people, across ages and classes, flocked to Madhumita and Balaka for their dose of Leo and Kate.

The Titanic fever struck

everyone, with locally made t-shirts, memorabilia, and merchandise flooding the market, and this being the days before selfies, and before Facebook became available in the region, photos of couples striking the “Titanic” pose on rooftops and on boats went viral over messaging platforms and Hi5, even making it to multiple featurettes on that barometer of popular culture, Ittyadi.

For a brief period, the “DiCaprio” haircut was all the rage at local saloons. The saccharine notes of “My Heart Will Go On” could be heard at every restaurant, and made its way into our local tele-dramas.

This kind of fandom was almost comparable to our eternal love for the Brazil and Argentina football teams.

The profits made by the

organisers of the screening prompted others to lobby for the license to screen more blockbuster films locally, drawing greater crowds, slowly breathing new life into the almost-forgotten practice of going to the movies with friends and family, prompting the opening of the two movie multiplexes in the city, putting the onus on local film-makers, both indie and mainstream, to raise their own standards and production values.

It would perhaps be a stretch to say that Titanic single-handedly revived the cinema culture in Bangladesh, but it certainly did start an important conversation about family entertainment.

And, save for the strict film connoisseurs, for just about everyone else, Titanic was synonymous with the ultimate “jodi” of Leo and Kate.

Fast forward a few years.

Kate, like her character Rose, had done very well for herself.

After relatively low-profile jobs for almost a decade, Winslet shot right back into the limelight with a well-deserved Oscar for The Reader.

Leo’s own story was very different. Shedding his chocolateboy image to become Martin Scorsese’s golden boy, and working with just about every major director, he gave us almost two decades of brilliant, nuanced, and impassioned performances.

His fan-base grew from giddy teenaged girls to seasoned film aficionados and everyone in between.

And yet, the lack of recognition at the Academy Awards had transformed him into a viral meme.

Year after year, the Leo fans around the world waited with bated breath to see if this was his year. And year after year, “our” Jack went plummeting back into the icy depths, denied.

For his deshi fans, it was not too different from watching our cricket team on the receiving end of snide comments from Indian commentators.

So when fate finally smiled on DiCaprio this year, it was more than just a win for him; it was validation for his millions of fans around the world for keeping faith in him.

For fans in Bangladesh, it is more than affirmation of our passion for fine films and good performances. This celebration brings with it layers of nostalgia.

Watching him walk up the steps to accept the golden statuette took us back to that dim theatre, leaning forward in those musty velvet seats, eyes wide as Jack spread his arms and screamed “I’m the king of the world!” l Sabrina Fatma Ahmad is Features Editor, Dhaka Tribune.

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Opinion

THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2016

Don’t play with our food A nation cannot prosper without food security for all intuitions (ie non-functioning and turbulent democracy) generate weak economic institutions which make the majority of the population vulnerable to poverty and hunger. The average number of hartals between 1991 and 2013 was 46 days per year.

According to an UNDP report, Bangladesh loses 4.5% of GDP per year as a result of such hartals.

Hartals and blockades increase the transport cost of agricultural input and output.

It not only increases the price of food, but also reduces the gain of the farmers. According to a recent survey of WFP (2013), the hartal resulted in a 10% to 25% income fall for the low-income groups, and farmers received 9% to 50% less than on normal days (especially those who produce perishable foods like fish and fruits).

In Bangladesh, where 80% of the people are engaged in the informal sector, political turbulence hits like deadly bullets. Falling wages and loss in production lead to unethical practices (eg use of unregistered pesticides and food syndication).

imported from India. Moreover, countries with fewer checks and balances is a dreamland for MNCs to dump products that might not get access if legal institutions were strong. For instance, the genetically modified Bt Brinjal (introduced by Monsanto-Mahyco corporation) is recognised as a “poisonous brinjal” by physicians because of its negative environmental and health externalities, but the government of Bangladesh has allowed it in 2013 (while it is not allowed in India and other regions).

What’s the solution?

It is evident that national level food sufficiency does not ensure food security at an individual level. Moreover, food security is not the result of a single factor, but an amalgam of multiple factors, and it affects people differently with regards to their gender, race, geography, and entitlements.

Reforms at two points are essential to ensure sustainable food security, within institutions and through institutions.

To begin with, reform requires the establishment of functioning

Secondly, reform through institution is required in the food chain. Nutritional aspects and food safety are threatened by the excessive use of harmful pesticides. It requires both positive check and preventive check. The positive check is possible through institutional settings that can support, firstly, massive awareness campaigns and farmers’ learning centres on the consequences of harmful chemicals, and secondly, by establishing a cold chain in order to secure freshness of the food.

Countries like the US, China, Brazil, Canada, and Australia ensure safe food for citizens without using toxic preservations.

In Dhaka, the problem of formalin can be solved only by establishing 100 cold storages in 50 markets.

This small step can be then replicated in other big cities, and from big cities to small cities; and finally, alteration of the nature of farming (eg crop rotation and use of organic fertilisers) that will not only improve soil quality, but also ensure safety of the food.

Preventive checks require

Food security is not the result of a single factor, but an amalgam of multiple factors, and it affects people differently with regards to their gender, race, geography Nutrition or poison?

n Kazi Md Mukitul Islam

I

n Bangladesh, food is a basic right affirmed by the constitution of the country.

However, a large number of people are still food insecure in this land of 160 million people.

According to the World Food Summit in 1996, food insecurity exists when there is not enough food available to meet the food demand; there is a lack of access to available food at all times to all people at an affordable price; and when available food fails to meet the safe and nutritional demands of the given population.

In Bangladesh, high population growth, frequency of natural disasters, and low productivity are traditionally considered as causes of food insecurity.

However, data shows that these problems are no longer prominent in the debate of food security, because the fertility rate has declined from 7.0 to 2.3 between 1974

DHAKA TRIBUNE

and 2013. Along with resilience to floods and cyclones, innovative farming (eg saline tolerant seeds and floating gardening) and green revolution since the 1980s have accelerated the overall food production (especially of rice).

In 1972, food production was 10 million metric tonnes (MT) for 70 million people (3 million MT shortage), while today it is around 35 million MT for 160 million people (surplus of 11 million MT).

In contrast, today, Bangladesh has the third largest hungry population after China and India. According to a World Food Program (WFP) report, 65.3 million people are food insecure in Bangladesh (45% of the population).

This gap between production and distribution requires a deeper understanding of the causes of food insecurity with specific focus on institutional weakness (both political and economic institutions). Weak political

Out of 10,000 samples tested by the Institution of Public Health, 60% were found adulterated with poisonous chemicals.

Absence of strong economic institutions and legal mechanisms (eg effective food distribution, crop insurance, cold chain, and proper monitoring) threatens not only nutritional safety of the population (at present 36% of people suffer from stunting), but also the accessibility of food.

In developing countries where institutional mechanisms are weak, food security is threatened from both local and international frontiers. In Bangladesh, when farmers don’t get sufficient price for their produce, they often export it to neighbouring countries through the black market.

The existence of parallel weak institutions in the neighbouring countries hamper food security and safety in our own country.

Most of the illegal chemical pesticides found in Bangladesh are

democracy and accountability.

It requires both goodwill of the political leaders, and also pressure by the civilians.

Bangladesh has made remarkable progress in many socio-economic indicators with the help of NGOs (it is often called the NGO capital of the world) and this “magic bullet” needs to be triggered at institutional reform this time to bring effective change in food management systems.

Amartya Sen showed how India escaped famine after independence with functional democracy. This was absent during the pre-independence period when it experienced severe famine that killed 5 million people.

Similarly, in Bangladesh, NGOs, the media, and other development actors can play an important role to ensure participation of the masses in the process of planning and execution in order to ensure accountability in the governance system.

proper monitoring and implementation of the law (ie Food Safety Act 2013). The government can also introduce licensing at production and distribution levels in order to check the use of food chemicals by greedy farmers and salesmen. Moreover, local governments need to be more vigilant, and should be supported with sufficient laboratory options to test food quality.

All these mechanisms implemented through effective institutions will not only improve earning capacity, but also ensure nutritional diets that are needed to rescue us from a nutritional poverty trap.

Besides, efficient distribution and security programs can also ensure food security at community and individual levels. l Kazi Md Mukitul Islam is a Master’s student at the Department of Development Studies, University of Malaya and Asia Fellow, Yayasan Khazanah Foundation.

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Opinion

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Stand together, save lives Crowdfunding is an effective and realistic way to help families in need

n Rasheek Irtisam

W

hile the Western world emphasises on personal achievement and an individualistic culture, we Bangladeshis, as a society, take pride in our collectivism. And, I personally feel grateful to be part of such a rich heritage and moral stance.

In 2012, one of my relatives had to go through an unexpected and expensive medical treatment. As you probably all know, the middle class doesn’t have much savings left for their treatment, even after working hard throughout their whole lives. And such was the case for them, too.

I saw, firsthand, how other family members rushed to respond to the crisis. Everybody contributed. Some emotionally, some financially. We raised money within the family so that the medical bills could be covered. I saw how a tragedy that seemed impossible to deal with at the time wasn’t actually unattainable when we collectively sought for the solutions.

And without anyone saying anything to me, I was taught one of the biggest lessons of my life, the core family value that our family endorses: “We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided.”

I was deeply moved by the incident. As a student, all I had to offer was the emotional support to my cousins. In hindsight, I wish there was a crowdfunding website where I could start a campaign to raise money then.

Crowdfunding is an alternative source of finance, where people raise monetary contributions for charitable, political, social, environmental, entrepreneurial, and many other causes.

For example, Ketto (www.ketto. org) founded by Varun Sheth -- a finance genius who worked as an interest rate swap dealer with ICAP, has become Asia’s mostvisited crowdfunding platform.

The site has raised more than Rs20 crore till date, and created over 10,000 campaigns for various social causes.

“Very early on, I realised that what I was doing had absolutely no value in the real world.

It did not improve this world in any way. There was no value that I was adding to society, which was something I was not comfortable with,” said Varun Sheth, when he was asked why he left his wellpaid job for a social cause.

Other countries have shown that crowdfunding can work. Why not try it in Bangladesh?

We have to find a practical solution where we, as a society, can come forward for those families who are in need. Yes, crowdfunding is that practical solution

Going to a hospital for treatment can be daunting. And when piled-up medical bills cannot be afforded, the experience turns into a nightmare.

Welfare states have systems where the government takes care of its fellow citizens’ well-being, especially when it is healthrelated. Expecting that from a government of a poor country such as ours would be a crazy demand.

We have to find a practical solution where we, as a society, can come

forward for those families who are in need.

Yes, crowdfunding is that practical solution. The idea is to create a platform that would enable thousands of Bangladeshis, who are in dire need of money, to raise money from foreign and local donors. The overall mechanism is very simple. All you need is a valid e-mail address to sign up to that site and start a campaign for free.

Once you have added the necessary details to your

campaign, such as reasons to raise money, how much money you want to raise, and how you want to disburse the money, you submit the proposal for approval.

Once it gets approved, you can then spread the word about the campaign and get people involved among friends, families, teammates, co-workers, etc.

Once the campaign starts receiving donations from the people you know, it can begin to attract the support of strangers.

BIGSTOCK

Wouldn’t that be nice? Parents who had never imagined going to a doctor to get an estimate for their little daughter’s treatment, now would be able to start a campaign.

If they get the attention of enough people, they will be able to provide treatment for her easily.

Wouldn’t it be similar to the story where baby Ismail’s mother found fresh water to save her son’s life in the midst of the Arab desert?

If one of our neighbouring countries can make way for a platform where they have supported thousands of people for various social causes, why are we lagging behind on this domain?

Do we lack the expertise to make such a platform, or are we just too apathetic to our fellow compatriot’s misery? l Rasheek Irtisam is a PhD candidate at Mississippi State University.

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Business 15

THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2016

INSIDE Gowher calls for foreign investment in Bangladesh denim industry

International Affairs Adviser to Prime Minister Gowher Rizvi urged foreign denim manufacturers to invest in Bangladesh’s denim sector as huge opportunities lied with the demand rising. PAGE 16

S&P: Global government debt to keep rising in 2016 The United States, China, Brazil and India are expected to keep world government debt rising this year, Standard and Poor’s said, despite a small reduction in the annual global borrowing bill. PAGE 17

Capital market snapshot: Tuesday DSE Broad Index

4,484.0

-0.6% ▼

Index

1,089.1

-1.0% ▼

30 Index

1,715.4

-0.4% ▼

Turnover in Mn Tk

4,406.4

-4.8% ▼

Turnover in Mn Vol

119.5

-8.4% ▼

All Share Index 13,842.8

-0.6% ▼

30 Index

12,554.3

-0.1% ▼

8,412.3

-0.5% ▼

CSE

Selected Index Turnover in Mn Tk

281.2 -44.9% ▼

Turnover in Mn Vol

9.0 -39.1% ▼

Credit growth exceeds MPS target n Jebun Nesa Alo Private sector credit growth rose sharply to 14.8% in the first month of current year surpassing the three year’s high of 14.2% growth achieved in December last.

The new height of growth touches the credit ceiling of 14.8% set for June in the latest Monetary Policy Statement (MPS) of January-June this year.

The net credit at private sector stood at Tk6,20,500 crore in January against the ceiling of Tk6,18,400 crore set for the month in monetary policy.

The total credit rose by Tk16,600 crore during the first month of current year from Tk6,03,900 crore in December last year.

Bangladesh Bank is not concerned about the sharp rise of private sector credit growth as public sector credit growth is still far below its target, said Allah Malik Kazemi, change management adviser to the central bank.

He said though the private sector credit growth already reached the target set for June, it will not put pressure on inflation until public sector credit growth crosses the ceiling of monetary programme.

He assumed that the rise in credit growth will continue as economy started to move forward.

He said banks are still overbur-

PRIVATE SECTOR CREDIT GROWTH TREND Actual

Programme

14.0%

14.2%

14.8%

13.7% 13.8% 13.2% 13.0% 13.2% 12.9% 12.7%

14.1%

14.8%

Jun 15 Jul 15 Aug 15 Sep 15 Oct 15 Nov 15 Dec 15 Jan 16 Feb 16 Mar 16 Apr 16 Jun 16 Jul 16 dened with excess liquidity despite the rise in public sector credit growth as the government is not taking money from the banking system.

As a result Bangladesh Bank has been taking money from the banks through issuing treasury bill.

Bangladesh Bank is taking Tk20,000-Tk24,000 crore every week from the banks through treasury bill, according to the central bank data.

Even several months ago, the central bank moped up money through reverse repo at 4.75%, but recently it started to mop up through treasury bill at 3% interest rate instead of reverse repo to reduce the cost.

The government is paying additional cost for managing excess liquidity, but the cost will go down if it starts borrowing from banking

system, said Kazemi.

The government has to pay more if it takes money from saving instrument instead of banking system, he said, adding that even taking money from saving instrument is preferred only to protect pensioners.

Public sector credit growth remained downward in January reaching the negative 8.7% f r o m 8.1% in December last year.

T h e growth was far below the target of

11.6% set for March in the monetary programme.

The total domestic credit growth also remained slower due to negative growth in public sector. The domestic credit growth stood at 10.5% in January against the ceiling of 13.7% set for March in monetary programme.

The credit growth to private sector rose sharply as bankers focused on small enterprises to expand credit areas, said a senior executive of a private bank.

Moreover, the central bank repeatedly instructed the banks to give priority on SME loans while big entrepreneurs were allured by foreign loans, he said.

Of the total loans, 24% went to the SME sector in the year 2015 while the rate was 19% in the year 2009, according to the central bank data. l

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Gowher calls for foreign investment in Bangladesh denim industry n Tribune Report International Affairs Adviser to Prime Minister Gowher Rizvi urged foreign denim manufacturers to invest in Bangladesh’s denim sector as huge opportunities lied with the demand rising.

He was addressing as the chief guest at the inauguration of a twoday Denim and Jeans.com Bangladesh show in Dhaka yesterday.

The event displays jeans and denim products along with fabrics to local and foreign jeans manufacturers.

“Bangladesh has become a global player in manufacturing RMG products and there is no reason that it cannot be the number one manufacturer in the world,” Gowher said.

He said as China was shifting its business from clothing to high-end industry, Bangladesh could take the chance to become the world’s largest supplier of clothing products.

The adviser added: “Bangladesh has made lots of investment in power and infrastructure. So you (foreign investors) can come up with your investment here in manufacturing industry.”

“Bangladesh now exports denim products of $2bn annually. The figure will increase and we want to raise our 2021 RMG export target.”

Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) Acting President Humayun Rashid said Bangladesh should be considered as a place of investment, not a source of import only.

“It is high time to invest in Bang-

Probe body to look into BSRM unusual price hike

n Tribune Report

Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) yesterday formed an enquiry committee to investigate into the unusual price increase in shares of Bangladesh Steel Re-Rolling Mills (BSRM) Limited in the stock exchanges.

Share price of the company closed at Tk210 a share on the day, which is nearly 100% increase from the price of just one-month back.

The two-member committee was asked to submit the probe report within next 20 working days.

In reply to the Dhaka Stock Exchange Enquiry, the company had earlier stated that it had no price sensitive information to influence the price movement.

Listed in 2005, BSRM is the first steel rolling mill in Bangladesh. l

A two-day Denim Expo begins at Radisson Hotel in Dhaka yesterday ladesh’s denim industry as the country is increasingly becoming a lucrative place of sourcing denim products,” he said, claiming that by 2021 Bangladesh’s denim export will reach $7bn.

Envoy Textile Assistant General Manager (marketing) Rizwanul Karim said the expo was a platform to inform the global consumers as well as the buyers about the capacity of Bangladesh Denim industry.

“The demand of Denim fabrics is increasing both locally and internationally. The growth is now 15%20% annually,” Rezwanul said.

Square Denim deputy manager Muhammad Zakir Hossain said since the denim industry was an emerging sub-sector of the RMG industry, the government should offer special policy support on import chemical, an essential ingredient of the products.

He said since the manpower was available in the country, investment could produce good returns.

“Considering the rise of demand, we are going to increase production capacity to 2m yards from existing 1.5m yards per month, Zakir said.

Another official of Square Tex-

MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

tile said Bangladeshi manufacturers should focus on research and development, making fabrics with different items and attracting global buyers attention to become the best in the sector.

Indian company Nandan Denim Director DK Jain said: “Bangladesh is highly potential country for us as it supplies products to the European and United States market.”

He said: “Bangladesh is a good source of garment products, even India imports from Bangladesh.”

Nandan Denim is also participating in the expo. l

Remittance drops slightly in February n Tribune Report The country’s remittance inflow dropped slightly by 4.8% in February compared to same period of the last year due to slower manpower exports amid global recession.

The expatriates sent a total of US$1.13 billion remittance during the month, which is lower from $1.18 billion in the same period of the last year and $1.15 billion in the previous month, according to the central bank data, released yesterday.

Earlier in January, remittance inflow witnessed a sharp fall by 12.23% compared to $1.31 billion in December last year.

In October last year, remittance experienced a 19.42% drop and later it recovered slowly in the last two months of the year. But at the beginning of 2016, the remittance started falling again.

The economy of middle-eastern countries is badly affected by sinking oil price which accounted for slower remittance growth, said a senior executive of a private bank.

The downward trend in global oil price also slowed the US economy, hitting emerging countries, he said.

Though remittance inflow remained slower but it has significant contribution to take the foreign exchange reserve at a new record high of $28 billion.

Forex reserve reached the new hieght on 25 February breaking the earlier record of $27bn.

The $342m came through stateowned banks, $11m through specialised banks, $767m through private commercial banks and $11.25m through foreign banks. l

Atiur: Bring online VAT payment under MFS n Tribune Report

Bangladesh Bank Governor Atiur Rahman called upon the National Board of Revenue to integrate online payment of value added tax with mobile financial services.

He said currently over 30m people in the country were using mobile financial services.

“So we request NBR to take step so people can pay VAT using MFS in addition to conventional method,” Atiur said at a a seminar yesterday.

The seminar was held on “VAT e-Payment, Integration with IBAS and other Commercial Banks under the VAT and Supplementary Duty Act, 2012” at the capital’s Institute of Diploma Engineering Building.

NBR’s VAT Online Project organised the seminar presided over by NBR Chairman Nojibur Rahman.

It discussed the integration of integrated VAT administration sys-

tem (IVAS) with integrated budget and accounting system (IBAS) of Controller General of Accounts (CGA) and the scheduled banks.

The new VAT and SD Act 2012 will come into effect from July 1 beginning online VAT registration process.

All the procedures including registration, payment, return filing, refund, legal actions under new VAT law will go online by December 2016.

“Currently, almost all the works of VAT management is done manually, which is time-consuming and full of hasssles,” said Atiur.

He assured the NBR that the central bank would ask all the commercial banks to cooperate with the process.

He also asked NBR to form a technical committee headed by Bangladesh Bank deputy governor Nazneen Sultana who is supervis-

ing the IT issues.

Bank and Financial Institutions Division Secretary M Aslam Alam also made such a call.

He said the country’s banking system was not yet prepared to face cyber attacks.

Finance Division Senior Secretary Mahbub Ahmed said harassment of taxpayers and mismatch in revenue collection figures between NBR and CGA would come down to zero once the online system was in place.

CGA Abul Kashem asked the NBR to increase the ceiling for payment of income tax through treasury challan, which is now Tk10,000, as it could be verified online now.

He alleged that the tax paid by the taxpayers through treasury challan in many cases was not being deposited to the government exchequer by 1-2 days.

He requested the taxmen to make sure that the deposit of challans was made by 1-2 days of submission by taxpayers.

Dhaka Bank Deputy Managing Director Shakir Amin Chowdhury said the NBR had to make plans and share them to banks if banks are to be included in the process.

NBR Member Jahangir Hossain said the revised VAT contribution as a share of gross domestic product would increase to 4.7% from 3.7% at the end of first year of the reform plan.

Currently, the NBR can use Sonali Bank payment gateway, which will gradually be extended to all the commercial banks.

VAT Online Project Management Consultant Team Leader Abdur Rahman Khan, NBR Member Farid Uddin, NBR commissioners and representatives from commercial banks also addressed the seminar. l

17

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THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2016

S&P: Global government debt to keep rising in 2016 n Reuters The United States, China, Brazil and India are expected to keep world government debt rising this year, Standard and Poor’s said, despite a small reduction in the annual global borrowing bill.

The rating agency released a new report saying the stock of global government debt was expected to rise 2% to $42.4tn, with new borrowing of $6.7tn set to continue to outstrip the amounts being repaid.

A number of major countries are

behind the underlying trend.

US borrowing is expected to increase 8% or $163bn year-on-year, while world number two economy China is forecast to ramp its borrowing 18% or $51bn.

The rise in China and in the likes of Brazil and India is set to drive year-on-year emerging market borrowing up 9.4% or $587bn and lift the total EM total debt stock to $6.8tn by the end of the year.

S&P said it saw the biggest absolute increase in annual borrowing in Brazil, which it expects will bor-

Stocks’ downslide continues for 6th straight session n Tribune Report Stocks closed negative for the sixth consecutive session despite a positive open.

Continued short-term profit booking dented the upward movement.

The benchmark index DSEX lost 21 points or 0.5% to close at 4,462.

The index moved both the sides of the fence by 50 points between intraday high of 4,504and intraday low of 4,454.

The Shariah index DSES shed 5 points or 0.6% to 1,083.

The blue chip comprising index DS30 moved down 2 points or 0.2% to 1,713.

The Chittagong Stock Exchange Selective Category Index CSCX ended at 8,369, dropping 43 points.

The power sector led the early rally but gains were smeared over selling pressure on almost all the sectors.

Engineering experienced the highest loss tumbling around 2%, followed by telecommunication 1.6%, banks 0.8% and food and allied 0.7%.

All other sectors like pharmaceuticals and non-banking financial institutions closed

down marginally.

However, volume of trade in value improved as the DSE turnover stood at Tk570 crore, which was over 31% higher than the previous session’s value.

Engineering had the highest contribution of 17.7% in turnover.

Shares of 311 companies were traded on the day. Of these, 163 companies declined, 104 closed higher while 44 remained unchanged.

BD Finance led the price gainer board with a 9.6% rally while Singer BD led the price loser board with a 19.9% loss as a reflection of their recent dividend declaration.

Orion Pharma was the most traded share with a turnover worth around Tk30 crore.

It was followed by Lanka Bangla Finance, Singer BD, Grameenphone, Summit Power, Beximco Pharmaceuticals, IFAD Autos United Power Generation and Distribution Company Limited.

Aims First Mutual Fund, Grameen One and First ICB will be delisted from the exchange at the close of business on the day, following their winding-up process. l

Euro feels European Central Bank pressure n Reuters, London The euro hit its lowest in almost three years against the yen and Europe’s shares extended their best run of the year yesterday, as data from the region’s big economies bolstered the case

for another strong dose of ECB stimulus next week.

Euro zone manufacturing activity expanded at its weakest pace for a year last month as deep price discounting failed to put a floor under slowing order growth. l

row $14bn more in 2015 an increase of 8%. Poland and India are both forecast to see $12bn increases which is an 38% rise for the former and 8% increase for the latter.

In contrast, Japan, the euro zone and others such as Canada, the UK, Mexico and Ukraine are expected to see year-on-year drops in headline borrowing numbers.

The euro zone is expected to see a near 6% drop, although its overall debt stock will also continue to creep up to just over 7tn euros as its countries borrow more than they repay. l

A woman walks past a rates board outside a Forex outlet in central London REUTERS

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THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2016

Sub-zero central banks may just chase inflation expectations lower n Reuters, London Hyperactive central banks warn of ‘unmoored’ inflation expectations but may well be weighing the anchor themselves.

Skewed by the oil price collapse of the past 20 months, headline inflation rates across Europe and Japan are currently near zero or even falling. Some economists now expect euro zone inflation for 2016 as a whole to be in the red and no longer dismiss the development as temporary monthly blips.

Fearful these low inflation rates might distort consumer and business behavior into putting off consumption today and wait for cheaper goods in future, central banks are scrambling to steer expectations back to inflation targets of about 2%.

And the only way they seem to be able to achieve that is by being as aggressive as possible in easing monetary policy to try and convince everyone they will eventually succeed in their goals.

The European Central Bank and its peers in Japan, Switzerland, Sweden and Denmark have all pushed their interest rates into negative territory and insist they will go further if needed. The ECB, for one, is widely expected to cut its minus 0.3% deposit rate next week by at least 10 basis points.

But if future inflation expectations are what policymakers are trying to buoy, it’s not working and there’s a growing chorus of concerns that negative interest rates may actually be feeding the problem.

By undermining banks’ profitability - hence their balance sheets and willingness to lend or even encouraging hoarding of physical cash to avoid deposit fees, financial markets at least have become unnerved about sub-zero interest rates and their unintended consequences.

“The road to Hell is paved with good intentions,” said Pictet Wealth Management’s head of asset allocation, Christophe Donay. “The implementation of negative interest rates by the BoJ and the ECB had quite the opposite result, rekindling deflationary fears through a shock to banks’ profitability.”

But there may also be a more mechanical distortion that adds fog to the horizon, reduces visibility and raises fears of a policy accident. It’s possible that as interest rates and bond yields go negative, they start to drag down gauges of inflation expectations, too and policy then just ends up chasing its tail.

Part of the problem is how central banks read the imprecise world of inflation expectations and whether their usual monitoring through the prism of government bond markets is still adequate in a climate of negative nominal yields.

So-called inflation ‘breakevens’ deduce a market view of future inflation by comparing nominal bond yields with those on inflation-protected bonds that promise a return regardless of inflation.

The measure previously favored by the ECB - the five-year, five-year breakeven forward rate, designed to measure average inflation between 2020 and 2025 - paints a truly alarming picture of faith in the ECB’s ability to rekindle inflation back to its target at any stage over the coming decade.

Challenging the ecb

Since the ECB last cut its already negative deposit rate in December, this inflation gauge has spiraled about 45 basis points lower to as low as 1.36% this week. It’s shown no sign of turning despite a recovery in world oil prices last month and growing expectations of deeper ECB deposit rate cuts and more stimulus. l

German anti-trust watchdog launches Facebook inquiry over user terms n DPA, Berlin Germany’s anti-trust authority has launched an investigation into possible abuse of user data by the world’s biggest social network Facebook.

The Bonn-based Federal Cartel Office said Wednesday it is investigating suspicions that Facebook abused its dominant position in the social network market with the terms and conditions covering user data, and that it possibly violated data protection rules.

“For advertising-financed internet services such as Facebook, user data are hugely important,” said cartel office president Andreas Mundt.

“For this reason it is essential to also examine under the aspect of abuse of market power whether the consumers are sufficiently informed about the type and extent of data collected,” he said.

The investigation comes less than a week after Facebook founder and chief executive

Mark Zuckerberg visited Berlin and admitted that the social media giant had been slow to respond to user posts containing hate speech.

Facebook has also come under fire from German privacy advocates claiming the US-based group collects too much data and is not transparent enough in how it uses the information.

Facebook collects a large amount of personal user data from various sources, enabling its advertising customers to better place their advertising, but the terms of service - which users must accept to access the platform - are difficult for users to understand, the cartel office said.

“There is considerable doubt as to the admissibility of this procedure, in particular under applicable national data protection law,” the authority said.

“If there is a connection between such an infringement and market dominance, this could also constitute an abusive practice under competition law,” the competition authority said. l

Pubali Bank Limited has recently shifted its branch in Kashimpur to new premises, said a press release.

The bank’s managing director, Md Abdul Halim Chowdhury was present on the occasion as chief guest

19

THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2016

| event |

| summit |

DIS ICT Olympiad 2016

Madviser to win 500K at the Seedstars Summit

With the inspiring motto that reads “Get Enlightened with ICT,” Daffodil International School (DIS) ICT Club hosted a day long event titled “DIS Inter Branch ICT Olympiad-2016” on July 28, 2016 at the DIU Auditorium, Dhaka.

Md Sabur Khan, chairman, DIS and Daffodil Group graced the occasion as chief guest while Professor Dr Yousuf Mahbubul Islam, vice chancellor of DIU was present as guest of honour.

Munir Hasan, general secretary of Bangladesh Open Source Network (BDOSN) and Professor Syed Akhter Hossain, head, department of Computer Science and Engineering, DIU attended as special guest.

Shahana Khan, principal of DIS welcomed guests to the Olympiad.

Around 200 students from Dhanmondi, Uttara, Sobhanbag and Chandpur branches of DIS participated to compete in different contests including ICT quiz, programming, logo programming, web design and motto writing.

Addressing as the chief guest, Md Sabur Khan, chairman, DIS and Daffodil Group appreciated

Seedstars, the global organisation with the mission of impacting people’s lives in emerging market through entrepreneurship and technology, launched its third edition of the Seedstars World competition in April 2015. The international team covered 54 countries, scouting for the best startups around the world.

Madviser won Seedstars Dhaka 2015 and has been selected to represent Bangladesh and participate in a two day bootcamp, an Investor Forum and the Grand Final of Seedstars World. The global winner of this edition will be rewarded with up to USD500,000 in equity investment.

The best startups in other sectors such as travel and space will also be rewarded with equity investments and grants of up to $550,000.

Madviser is a mobile application that helps users find their most suitable mobile plans.

On March 3, the Bangladeshi startup will represent the country and compete with 53 other startups from around the world for the title of “Seedstars World Global Winner.”

both students and organisers for arranging this Olympiad and motivated them to host national and international standard ICT Olympiads in the future.

Professor Dr Yousuf Mahbubul Islam, vice chancellor of DIU

spoke at the closing ceremony.

Professor Syed Akhter Hossain, head, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, DIU expressed his wish that students of DIS would shine in the world of technology. l

| fair |

| campaign |

Globalturn organises Denmark study fair

Let’s change lives through coding

“Denmark Education Fair and Seminar” was organised by Globalturn, Denmark’s Dhaka office on February 22, 2016. The event was conducted by Anne Marie Christensen, consul of the Royal Danish Embassy, and Soren Robenhagen, commercial counsellor, and was attended by potential candidates of higher education in Denmark.

Robenhagen discussed Denmark’s socio-economic conditions and what it is like to live and study in Denmark.

Christensen, on the other hand, informed the students about the visa application system and procedures. Her presentation was followed by a question and answer session involving the audience.

Several Danish universities participated in the fair. Spot and online counseling was also available by the Globalturn, Denmark and it’s Dhaka office.

For more information on studying in Denmark, please contact +45 50231317 (Denmark), 01817004581 (Dhaka) or mail at: global.turn@yahoo.com. l

DT

Biz Info

Kids Go Coding, a project that aims to empower underprivileged children with the knowledge of computer programming, will launch its first campaign in Bangladesh on March 5, with the tagline “Our Children, Our Future.”

The campaign is targeted to raise both financial and logistical support from people (including computers, laptops and tabs) to be presented to the underprivileged children who were taught coding under the project. It will continue until April 15, 2016 running both online and offline.

The campaign aims to reach both government and the private sectors from national, international and multinational arena. Kids Go Coding is an unmatched initiative in Bangladesh, that aims to turn around 15 million poverty-stricken children into valuable human resources and nurture them to become the next generation leaders.

More than 3,000 startups from Eastern and Central Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Latin America applied to participate in Seedstars World this year. Since April 2015, four regional teams and expert local juries have selected the most promising startups in 54 cities, from Santiago to Jakarta, passing

by Ramallah and Beirut.

At the summit, the speakers will discuss how technology and entrepreneurship impact billions of people’s lives in emerging markets. “Most people don’t really associate emerging markets to a billion of opportunities and we’re here to show them that these markets are already transforming into centres of innovation where talented people and changemakers grow,” explains Alisée de Tonnac, CEO at Seedstars World.

Around 1,000 entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, corporate executives, business angels, government officials, journalists and startup enthusiasts are expected to join for an amazing experience in Switzerland. l

Kids Go Coding will celebrate the completion of its first year in April 2016. The second year will focus on specific coding languages that will build students as website developers or app developers. It will manage internships for the successful graduates of the course by involving them in different software organisations where they will be able to implement their knowledge practically. The project has already started accumulating success stories. In partnership with Microsoft and World Bank, BetterStories Asia launched the Kids Go Coding initiative in May 2015, with 100 students from 2 non-profit schools; Jaago Foundation and Shohag Swapnodhora Pathshala, Mirpur.

To know more about the campaign, visit www. kidsgocoding.org or call at +8801777660652. l

DT

20

THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2016

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Agitate (4) 4 Church recess (4) 8 Spirit (3) 9 Fruit (4) 10 Work hard (4) 11 Raised platform (5) 12 Cult (4) 14 Fish eggs (3) 15 Fate (3) 17 Short sleep (3) 19 Church seat (3) 21 Dash (4) 23 Gather for oneself (5) 26 Weathercock (4) 27 Of sound mind (4) 28 Corded fabric (3) 29 Put away (4) 30 Reminder (4)

DOWN 1 Planet (6) 2 Rainbow goddess (4) 3 Sovereign (5) 4 Liable (3) 5 Concretion of nacre (5) 6 Droop (3) 7 Before (3) 11 Metal (5) 13 Deals with successfully (5) 16 Natural gift (6) 18 Softly (mus) (5) 20 Falter (5) 22 Back of the neck (4) 23 Donkey (3) 24 Floor covering (3) 25 Ply the needle (3)

Downtime CODE-CRACKER How to solve: Each number in our CODECRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 11 represents P so fill P every time the figure 11 appears.

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

Some letters of the alphabet may not be used.

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

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

CALVIN AND HOBBES

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

PEANUTS

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS CODE-CRACKER

CROSSWORD

DILBERT

SUDOKU

DT

World 21

THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2016

INSIDE

Trump, Clinton capture key wins on Super Tuesday n Reuters

Lessons learned from Super Tuesday Tuesday’s votes in a dozen US states have cleared the air in some respects, and muddied the waters in others.

PAGE 22

Afghan militants mount deadly attack on Indian consulate Afghan security forces on Wednesday killed four suicide bombers who targeted the Indian consulate in the eastern city of Jalalabad, following an attack in which at least two people were killed and 19 wounded, officials said.

PAGE 23

UN: Protecting migrant workers can benefit host countries’ economies Governments must provide migrant labourers with the same benefits and social protections they give their own citizens, which will boost their economies and worker productivity, a United Nations official said.

PAGE 24

Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton took big steps toward securing their parties’ presidential nominations on Tuesday with a series of stateby-state victories, but their rivals vowed to keep on fighting.

On Super Tuesday, the 2016 campaign’s biggest day of stateby-state nominating contests, Trump and Clinton proved themselves the undisputed front-runners to succeed Democratic President Barack Obama.

Now they are under pressure to show they can unify voters in their respective parties before the November 8 election and, in Trump’s case, avoid a potentially disastrous split in the Republican ranks.

US networks projected Trump won seven states, with victories stretching into the Deep South and as far north as Massachusetts, adding to a sense of momentum he had built last month by winning three of the first four contests.

Clinton’s victories in seven states were just as impressive but in many ways predictable, propelled by African-American voters in southern states. Clinton rival Bernie Sanders, a US senator from Vermont, also won his home state along with Colorado, Minnesota and Oklahoma but lost to her in Massachusetts, which he had hoped to win. The democratic socialist vowed to pursue the battle for the nomination in the 35 states yet to vote.

Trump’s main rivals, US senators Ted Cruz of Texas and Marco Rubio of Florida, said they were determined to remain in the race.

Cruz won Texas and neighbouring Oklahoma, as well as the Alaska caucuses, bolstering his argument that he had the best chance of stopping the New York billionaire.

Rubio, the Republican establishment’s favorite, was projected the winner in Minnesota, his first victory in the party’s nominating contests.

Trump waves off GOP criticism

At a news conference in a chandeliered ballroom at his seaside Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump, who has never held public office, dismissed furi-

ous criticism aimed at him by establishment Republicans.

Faced with a party in turmoil over his ideas to build a wall between the US and Mexico, deport 11m illegal immigrants and bar Muslims from entering the country, Trump declared he had expanded the party by drawing in disaffected blue-collar Democrats who like his tough-on-trade rhetoric.

The country’s top two elected Republicans, House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, had chastised Trump over his delayed disavowal of an endorsement by David Duke, a former leader of the Ku Klux Klan white supremacist group.

Clinton, who still faces a well-funded Sanders despite having taken control of the Democratic race, was eager to assail Trump as a way of getting her party’s voters used to the idea of her as the nominee.

“The stakes in this election have never been higher, and the rhetoric we’re hearing on the other side has never been lower,” Clinton told supporters in Miami.

“Trying to divide America between us and them is wrong, and we’re not going to let it work.” l

STATES

Super Tuesday results STATE RESULTS - LEADING CANDIDATES ALABAMA

ALASKA

Clinton Sanders

Trump Cruz Rubio

77.8% 19.2

100% of precincts reporting 397,890 votes

43.4% 21.1 18.7

100% of precincts reporting 856,123 votes

Trump 32.7% Cruz 30.5 Rubio 25.0

66.3% 29.7 96% of precincts reporting 215,529 votes

Sanders Clinton

58.9%

Democratic caucuses only.

40.4 98% of precincts reporting 121,596 votes

96% of precincts reporting 397,465 votes

GEORGIA

MASSACHUSETTS

Clinton Sanders

Trump Rubio Cruz

71.2% 28.3

99% of precincts reporting 753,562 votes

Clinton Sanders

38.8% 24.5

Trump Kasich Rubio

50.3% 48.5

23.6

99% of precincts reporting 1,290,442 votes

97% of precincts reporting 1,169,379 votes

MINNESOTA

49.0% 18.1 17.9

97% of precincts reporting 609,054 votes

OKLAHOMA Rubio Cruz Trump

61.7% 38.3

86% of precincts reporting 205,827 votes

36.8% 28.9

Sanders Clinton

21.2

92% of precincts reporting 111,698 votes

Cruz 34.4% Trump 28.3 Rubio 26.0

51.9% 41.5

100% of precincts reporting 335,554 votes

TENNESSEE

100% of precincts reporting 459,542 votes

TEXAS Trump Cruz Rubio

66.1% 32.4 99% of precincts reporting 371,082 votes

Clinton Sanders

38.9% 24.7

Cruz Trump Rubio

65.2% 33.1

21.2

99% of precincts reporting 854,400 votes

99% of precincts reporting 1,401,440 votes

VERMONT Sanders Clinton

15.1

COLORADO

Clinton Sanders

Clinton Sanders

36.4% 33.5

100% of precincts reporting 21,458 votes

ARKANSAS

Sanders Clinton

Cruz Trump Rubio

Republican caucuses only.

43.7% 26.8 17.7

99% of precincts reporting 2,813,952 votes

VIRGINIA Trump 32.7% Kasich 30.4 Rubio 19.3

86.2% 13.6

98% of precincts reporting 130,494 votes

Clinton Sanders

98% of precincts reporting 59,349 votes

Trump Rubio Cruz

64.3% 35.2

100% of precincts reporting 784,392 votes

Results as of 6:30am EST on March 2. Not all delegates allocated.

DEMOCRATS

34.7% 31.9 16.9

99% of precincts reporting 1,025,779 votes SOURCE: AP Election Services

REPUBLICANS

Hillary Clinton

Bernie Sanders

Donald Trump

Ted Cruz

Marco Rubio

John Kasich

Ben Carson

Iowa

23

21

7

8

7

1

3

New Hampshire

9

15

11

3

2

4

0

South Carolina

39

14

50

0

0

0

0

Nevada

19

15

14

6

7

1

2

Alabama

37

4

28

2

0

0

0

Alaska

-

-

11

12

5

0

0

Arkansas

18

7

13

9

6

0

0

Colorado

24

33

-

-

-

-

-

Georgia

66

23

36

14

11

0

0

Massachusetts

45

43

22

4

8

8

0

Minnesota

24

42

8

12

12

0

0

Oklahoma

16

20

12

14

11

0

0

Tennessee

40

22

30

12

2

0

0

Texas

122

48

20

57

0

0

0

Vermont

0

10

6

0

0

6

0

Virginia

61

32

17

8

16

5

3

543

349

285

161

87

25

8

Total

DT

22

World

THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2016

REALITY CHECK

Lessons learned from Super Tuesday Tuesday’s votes in a dozen US states have cleared the air in some respects, and muddied the waters in others.

The “Super Tuesday” contests showed Clinton reclaiming her mojo against Bernie Sanders. It was a big night for Donald Trump, too, but what will the establishment do about it?

Here are four lessons learned from the events of “Super Tuesday.”

Trump may be unstoppable

The billionaire businessman at the center of the Republican race cleaned up Tuesday night, winning seven of the 11 states at stake for his party, including the key swing state of Virginia. About 30% of the Republican delegates, the men and women who choose the nominee at the conventions, have been awarded so far through a proportional system, with Trump in the clear lead. After March 15, most state races are winner take all. By the end of the month, 62% of delegates will have been awarded. The longer the race goes, the more difficult it will be to oust Trump. If he obtains 1,237 out of the total 2,472 delegates, he clinches the nomination.

Meanwhile his two main competitors, Senators Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, are duking it out for the role of Trump spoiler.

Rubio fails to shine

Republican leaders may have thrown their weight behind Senator Marco Rubio as the antidote to Trump, but Tuesday’s results confirmed what millions of voters felt in their gut: it was too little, too late. After spending the past week brutally attacking Trump, scooping up major endorsements, and presenting his case as the mainstream candidate, Rubio finished a disappointing third-place on the night, behind Trump and Cruz. The last state to report its voting results, Alaska way out west, went to Cruz, for his third win of the day. Many have laid the debacle at the foot of the Grand Old Party. Rubio, who won in just one state -- Minnesota -- has vowed to go on. He is now staking his candidacy on winning his home state of Florida on March 15, even though Trump is leading in polls there.

Blocking the Donald

The Republican Party has been scrambling to prevent a Trump nomination, but nothing has worked. Now it’s crunch time. Some Republicans, notably Senator Ben Sasse, have suggested either a third party or independent run against Trump. Others point to party operatives potentially altering the rules of the convention in order to prevent a Trump takeover. With Rubio faltering, former candidate Lindsey Graham, an establishment US senator who detests Trump, points to a last resort.

Clinton regains pre-eminence

“By the end of tonight, we are going to win many hundreds of delegates,” Senator Bernie Sanders told his supporters, noting there were still another 35 states to vote after Super Tuesday. Even though he won four states Tuesday, the message from Sanders, who has based his campaign on ending economic inequality, fell flat among a crucial Democratic bloc: minority voters. More than 80% of African-Americans voted for Hillary in southern states, exit polls showed. And in Texas, two-thirds of Hispanic Democrats voted for her. Clinton also handily won among women, who represent more than half of the Democratic electorate. Altogether, Clinton has won 11 of the 16 primary races to date and holds a substantial delegate lead. Sanders stunned the establishment last year when he pulled ahead of Clinton in some states and drew huge crowds to his rallies. But his path has narrowed dramatically, and momentum is on Clinton’s side. l

Source: AFP

JNU student held on sedition charge receives bail

n Reuters, New Delhi An Indian court granted bail on Wednesday to a student arrested for alleged sedition in a case that led to mass protests and accusations the government is trying to stifle free speech.

Kanhaiya Kumar, 28, head of the student union at Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University, was arrested last month at a rally to commemorate the anniversary of the execution of a Kashmiri separatist.

The Delhi High Court granted the student six months bail on a surety of Rs10,000 ($150), defence lawyer Vrinda Grover said.

The case became a cause célèbre among opposition parties and free speech activists, who say India has become increasingly intolerant since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government was elected two years ago.

Although Kumar attended a rally questioning the execution of the separatist convicted for an attack in parliament, his lawyers say he rejected the use of violence and he made no incendiary comments.

Instead, his supporters say he criticised a right-wing student fraternity and a Hindu-nationalist umbrella group to which Modi’s ruling party belongs.

The police and government say the student’s jailing was justified because witnesses said he made anti-national comments. l

23

THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2016

Afghan militants mount deadly attack on Indian consulate n Reuters, Jalalabad Afghan security forces on Wednesday killed four suicide bombers who targeted the Indian consulate in the eastern city of Jalalabad, following an attack in which at least two people were killed and 19 wounded, officials said.

The violence, coming just days after dozens of people were killed or wounded in suicide attacks in the capital, Kabul, and the eastern province of Kunar, raises further questions over efforts to revive a stalled peace process with the Taliban.

A bomb in a car driven by one of the attackers was detonated near the Indian consulate, shattering doors and windows and destroying at least eight cars as explosions and gunfire rocked the area, witnesses said.

Security forces in armoured vehicles were seen moving to the scene, while civilians fled.

But the four attackers were killed before being able to enter the consulate compound, said Attahullah Khugyani, a spokesman for the governor of Nangarhar province.

Two people, a police officer and a civilian woman, were killed and 19 wounded, he said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which followed a suicide attack

The UN will delay the next round of Syria peace talks by two days to allow the cessation of hostilities in force since Saturday to take hold, UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura said.

International observers have acknowledged violations of the agreement intended to halt nearly five years of fighting while reporting that the level of violence has decreased considerably.

“We are delaying it to the afternoon of 9th March for logistical and technical reasons and also for the ceasefire to better settle down,” de Mistura said on Tuesday. The talks had been pencilled in for March 7.

The cessation of hostilities was “a glimmer of hope”, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said, although he accused the opposition of violating the agreement.

The opposition in turn says the Syrian government has breached the fragile truce by repeatedly attacking its positions, which the government denies.

“We will play our part to make the whole thing work,” Assad told Germany’s ARD television network, adding that the Syrian army had not reacted to truce violations in order to give the agreement a chance.

“The terrorists have breached the deal from the first day. We as the Syrian army are refraining from responding in order to give a chance to sustain the agreement.

But in the end there are limits and it all depends on the other side,” Assad said.

The cessation of hostilities agreement, drawn up by the US and Russia, is seen by the UN as an opportunity to revive peace talks which collapsed before they had even started a month ago in Geneva.

It also hopes the truce will allow humanitarian aid to be sent into besieged areas where many Syrians are living in dire conditions.

However, the opposition said it had yet to be officially informed of a new round of talks on March 9, insisting that no serious discus-

SOUTH ASIA

UN: Rohingyas left behind by election gains Myanmar’s persecuted Rohingya continue to languish in dreadful conditions with children dying because they are refused healthcare, the UN has warned, adding that the Muslim minority risked being forgotten in the afterglow of recent elections. The comments were made by a senior UN official following a visit to western Rakhine state. -AFP

INDIA

India: Pakistan must act on terror before talks Hours after Pakistan pledged action against the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba and its affiliates, New Delhi made it clear on Wednesday that the resumption of bilateral talks would hinge on Islamabad cracking down on the perpetrators of the Pathankot attack, Indian foreign secretary S Jaishankar said during an interactive session at the Raisina Dialogue, a conclave on geo-economics and geo-politics.

-HT

CHINA

China takes over Spratly island feature from Philippines An Afghan security personnel inspects the site of an attack in front of the Indian consulate in Jalalabad on Wednesday AFP on the nearby Pakistani consulate in January.

That attack was claimed by Dae’sh, which has a growing presence in Nangarhar, the province

of which Jalalabad is the capital.

In January, India’s consulate in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif was also attacked by insurgents. l

UN aims to restart Syria peace talks on March 9 n Reuters, Geneva

DT

World

sions can begin before detainees are freed and blockades are lifted.

Riad Nassan Agha, a member of the High Negotiations Committee, said the opposition would study the call for talks based on developments on the ground, adding that it heard of the March 9 date only through the media.

UN Secretary-General Ban Kimoon and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said there was an urgent need to implement the agreement and for the warring parties to return to the negotiating table, a UN statement said.

“They agreed on the importance of urgently moving forward simultaneously on implementing the cessation of hostilities agreement, providing vital humanitarian assistance to civilians, and returning to political negotiations,” the statement said.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Monday that while efforts were being made to track down alleged violations of the cessation of hostilities, there was currently no evidence to suggest they would destabilise the fragile

peace.

In a telephone conversation on Tuesday, Lavrov and Kerry reaffirmed the importance of coordination, chiefly military, between Moscow and Washington to strengthen the truce, the Russian foreign ministry reported.

De Mistura expected to see attempts to disrupt the ceasefire, saying these needed to be contained to avoid them spreading and undermining the credibility of the truce.

De Mistura wants the Syrian sides to focus on constitutional reform, governance, and hopes elections can be held in 18 months.

Prisoner releases would also be “very much up front on the agenda”, he said.

The agreement does not include Dae’sh or the al-Nusra Front, and Assad and his Russian backers have made clear they intend to keep attacking them.

The Saudi-backed “moderate” opposition says that because some of their fighters are in areas alongside Nusra, they fear being targeted too. l

Five China Coast Guard vessels have taken over Jackson Shoal, a disputed feature in the Spratly islands in the S China Sea some 140 nautical miles west of the Philippines’ Palawan Island, according to a report by the Philippines Star. Jackson Atoll is a popular fishing ground for Filipino fishermen, and is 33 nautical miles from Mischief Reef, a Spratly Island feature.

-THE DIPLOMAT

ASIA PACIFIC

Huge quake strikes off Indonesia but tsunami warnings cancelled A massive quake struck on Wednesday off the Indonesian island of Sumatra, a region devastated by the 2004 Indian Ocean quake and tsunami, but initial fears of another region-wide disaster faded as tsunami warnings were cancelled. Indonesian and Australian authorities called off their tsunami alerts within two hours of the 7.8 magnitude tremor.

-REUTERS

MIDDLE EAST

GCC labels Hezbollah a terrorist organisation The six-member Gulf Cooperation Council has designated Hezbollah a terrorist organisation, it said on Wednesday, ratcheting up pressure on the Iran-allied group that wields influence in Lebanon and plays a key role in the Syrian crisis. Gulf Arab states imposed sanctions on Hezbollah members in 2013 in retaliation for the group’s intervention in Syria’s civil war in support of President Bashar al-Assad. -REUTERS

World

Bolivian court probes fate of president’s love child Bolivian President Evo Morales has gone to court to establish whether a child he fathered out of wedlock is alive or dead. Morales previously acknowledged he had a child with his ex-girlfriend Gabriela Zapata during a two year affair but claims she told him the infant died shortly after birth. Zapata is now at the center of a corruption scandal shaking his administration, and her aunt revealed last week that the child was not dead, but alive and well.

-AFP

UK

UK fights to retain Dublin law to deport asylum seekers The British government is fighting in several court cases for the right to use European asylum law to deport refugees and asylum seekers back to countries. In a series of test cases, lawyers are challenging the government over its use of what is known as the Dublin regulation, which states that asylum seekers must apply for asylum in the first EU country they enter.

-THE GUARDIAN

EUROPE

Macedonian police reopen border for some refugees Macedonia intermittently opened its border with Greece to a tiny trickle of Syrian and Iraqi refugees Wednesday, leaving about 10,000 more people camped on the Greek side, with more arriving daily. Greek police say Macedonian police opened the Idomeni crossing three times Wednesday, each time for a few hours.

-AP

AFRICA

76 Hungry Boko Haram members surrender to Nigerian military Dozens of emaciated-looking Boko Haram members begging for food have surrendered in northeast Nigeria, the military and a civilian self-defense fighter said Wednesday.

76 people including children and women gave themselves up to soldiers last Saturday in Gwoza, about 100km southeast of Maiduguri, according to a senior officer.

-AP

Governments must provide migrant labourers with the same benefits and social protections they give their own citizens, which will boost their economies and worker productivity, a United Nations official said.

Of the estimated 232m migrants in the world in 2013, more than 95m are from the Asia-Pacific region, according to the UN’s Asia-Pacific Migration Report 2015 launched this week in Bangkok.

Migrants contribute significantly to GDP growth in host countries, while sending home about $435bn in remittances to developing countries in 2015, with Asia-Pacific nations receiving the highest amounts, the report said citing World Bank estimates.

Yet many face abuses at every step of the way, from recruitment agencies and job brokers at home to exploitative employers, officials and police abroad.

It is the responsibility of governments in the countries that send and receive migrants to have do-

mestic, regional and inter-country discussions to create the policies and conditions necessary for safe migration, said Hongjoo Hahm, deputy executive secretary of the UN’s regional development arm.

“When the recipient country provides social protection for the migrants - that is, health care, unemployment compensations, social safety net, education for their children ... productivity of the migrants increases. It clearly has a benefit to the national economy,” he said at the report’s launch on Monday.

Origin countries, he said, must create a system for orderly and structured migration.

“Too often, migrants have to rely on intermediaries that charge them exorbitant fees, and they are forever in debt, paying off their debt,” he said.

The region’s top country of origin for migrants in 2013 was India, with 14m migrants leaving the country, followed by Russia, China, Bangladesh, Pakistan, the Philippines, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Turkey and Indonesia.

The top destination in the region that year was Russia, with

CRUNCHING NUMBERS: Asia Pacific’s migrants and remittances Top countries of origin in Top recipients of remittances Asia-Pacific in 2013 in 2014 1.

India - 14.2m

India - $70.4bn

2.

Russia - 10.8m

China - $64.1bn

3.

China - 9.3m

Philippines - $28.4bn

4.

Bangladesh - 7.8m

Mexico - $24.9bn

5.

Pakistan - 5.7m

France - $24.8bn

6.

Philippines - 5.5m

Nigeria - $20.9bn

7.

Afghanistan - 5.1m

Egypt - $19.6bn

8.

Kazakhstan - 3.8m

Pakistan - $17.1bn

9.

Turkey - 3.1m

Germany - $15.8bn

10.

Indonesia - 3m

Bangladesh - $15bn places such as the Middle East and North America.

Hahm cited the Philippines which sends about 2m citizens abroad each year - as a country that supports migrants as they prepare to go abroad, and also helps them to acclimatise to life back home when they return. l

11m migrant arrivals, followed by Australia, India, Pakistan, Thailand, Kazakhstan, China, Iran, Malaysia and Japan.

Most of the region’s migrants go to nearby or neighbouring countries - with Asia-Pacific hosting about 59m migrants - while others go further afield to work in

‘Europe on cusp of humanitarian crisis at Greece-Macedonia border’ n Reuters, Geneva/Brussels The build-up of thousands of migrants and refugees on Greece’s northern borders is fast turning into a humanitarian disaster, the United Nations said on Tuesday as the European Union prepared to offer more financial aid.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) called for better planning and accommodation for at least 24,000 it said were stuck in Greece, including 8,500 at Idomeni.

“Europe is on the cusp of a largely self-induced humanitarian crisis,” UN refugee agency spokesman Adrian Edwards told a news briefing.

Migrants have become stranded in Greece since Austria and other countries along the Balkans migration corridor imposed restrictions on their borders, limiting the numbers able to cross.

Police chiefs from Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia, meeting in Belgrade, agreed to improve the system of joint registration of refugees to unblock gridlocks in Greece.

The burgeoning crisis adds to last year’s chaos when more than a million migrants and refugees

Migrant exodus to Europe continues unabated Increasing numbers of children and women risked the treacherous journey in the first months of 2016

2016 so far

131,724

Arrivals by country

Main countries of origin

arrivals by sea since Jan 1

41%

1,015,078 in the whole of 2015

410

SYRIA AFGHANISTAN IRAQ

27 17

dead or missing

3,735 in 2015

Who they are

ITALY

(with % change from 2015)

Children

Men

Mediterranean

46

34% (+9)

122,637 GREECE

EY

THE AMERICAS

Reuters n Thomson Foundation, Bangkok

RK

The US Supreme Court takes up Wednesday the biggest challenge in decades to legalised abortion, a divisive issue being addressed in the middle of the presidential campaign. With the court now split evenly between liberals and conservatives, all eyes are on Justice Anthony Kennedy, whose swing vote on this issue that has long roiled US politics could determine the availability of abortion services nationwide.

-REUTERS

UN: Protecting migrant workers can benefit host countries’ economies

TU

Supreme Court hears high-profile abortion case

(-12)

3 3

96%

2014

2015

2016

Annual arrivals by sea 221,374

GAMBIA GUINEA MOROCCO SENEGAL

100

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Source: UNHCR

arrived in the EU, many fleeing the war in Syria and walking from Turkey northwards.

Around 131,000 have reached the continent so far in 2016.

The European Commission, the EU executive, said it would float a plan on Wednesday to offer emer-

3,000

0.6

2,000

0.4 0.2

50

0

3,771

4,000

0.8

150

OTHER

Dead or missing

1,015,078

1.0

200

0

PAKISTAN NIGERIA

4

Monthly arrivals by sea 250

IRAN 1 1 1 1 1

of those arriving fled from just 10 countries

Women 20 (+3)

in millions

USA

in thousands

DT

24

THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2016

131,724

9,654 2010 11

12

13

14

15 2016*

1,000

410

20

0

2010 11

12

13

14

15 2016*

*Jan-Feb 2016 only

gency financial aid for humanitarian crises inside the 28-nation bloc comparable with operations it has launched elsewhere in the world.

Officials said the Commission plan would allocate €300m this year to helping any EU state, not only Greece, deal with such cri-

ses, and 700 million in all over the three years to the end of 2018.

The Greek government said it had asked the Commission for €480m worth of assistance, including ambulances, blankets and personnel to help with 100,000 asylum seekers. l

DT

Sport 25

THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2016

SCORECARD

INSIDE

Mamunul, Zahid suspended for a year

129

BANGLADESH Tamim Iqbal lbw b Irfan Soumya Sarkar b Amir Sabbir Rahman b Afridi Mushfiqur Rahim lbw b Malik Shakib Al Hasan b Amir Mahmudullah not out Mashrafe Mortaza not Extras (lb 4 w2 nb2)

R 7 48 14 12 8 22 12 8

Total (five wickets; 19.1 overs)

131

B 4 48 15 15 13 15 7

Fall of wickets 1-13, 2-46, 3-83, 4-88, 5-104

Bangladesh match-winners Mahmudullah (L) and Mashrafe bin Mortaza (C) are literally on cloud nine while Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi ponders what might have been following their Asia Cup Twenty20 clash at Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

Bowling Amir 4-0-26-2(w1), Irfan 4-0-23-1, Sami 4-0-30-0 (nb2), Afridi 4-0-20-1, Ali 2.1-025-0 (w1) Result: Bangladesh won by five wickets MoM: Soumya Sarkar (Ban)

‘It is by far our best T20 win’

n Minhaz Uddin Khan

Turkish champions Galatasaray have been banned from European competition for one year over the club’s failure to meet Financial Fair Play regulations, UEFA said.

Galatasaray’s chairman said the Turkish champions had lost about 164 million euros. PAGE 28

Total (seven wickets; 20 over)

Bowling Taskin 4-1-14-1, Al-Amin 4-0-25-3, Sunny 4-035-2, Mortaza 4-0-29-1, Shakib 4-0-26-0

Steyn returns to boost Proteas

Galatasaray get oneyear European ban

R B 1 7 10 8 2 11 58 42 4 11 41 30 0 2 13 9 0

Fall of wickets 1-1, 2-12, 3-18, 4-28, 5-98, 6-102, 7-129

The country’s football arena was shaken yesterday as captain Mamunul Islam and winger Zahid Hossain were each dished out a one-year national suspension for breaching team protocol. The verdict came following a two-hour meeting at the BFF House. PAGE 26

An “energised” Dale Steyn has passed his fitness tests and will play for South Africa in their threematch Twenty20 International series against Australia starting in Durban tomorrow. Steyn has missed most of South Africa’s season with groin problems. PAGE 27

PAKISTAN Khurram c Rahim b Al-Amin Sharjeel b Sunny Hafeez lbw b Mortaza Sarfraz not out Akmal c Shakib b Taskin Shoaib c Sabbir b Sunny Afridi c Sabbir b Al-Amin Anwar c Sabbir b Al-Amin Extras

For Bangladesh captain Mashrafe bin Mortaza, the five-wicket win against Pakistan was the biggest for the country as far as Twenty20 internationals are concerned. The Tigers coming into the tournament never believed that they would make it to the final of the five-nation tournament given their weak history in the format. They however, had the confidence of making a change and they did it in some style.

Riding on wins over Sri Lanka, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates, Bangladesh reached the final of the Asia Cup Twenty20.

This is only the second occasion the Tigers have reached the final of a major tournament. The Ti-

gers’ first final appearance also came in the Asia Cup in 2012 but it ended in bitter fashion as Pakistan pipped through by just two runs.

“I have been part of many Bangladesh wins. But the one [yesterday] is by far the best, at least in the T20 perspective. We have a big tournament (World T20) ahead where we need to qualify to play in the main round.

I believe the boys will take confidence from this win and also from the tournament,” Mashrafe told the media in the post match press conference yesterday.

Bangladesh experienced a similar situation four years ago to the one they faced yesterday against the same opponents. In the 2012 Asia Cup final, the Tigers were

stranded just two runs short of the target with Mahmudullah and Shahadat Hossain the unbeaten batsmen at the crease.

Mahmudullah was in the middle yesterday too but this time he succeeded, hammering a four off the first ball of the last over to take the Tigers to an emphatic win. The middle-order batsman remained unbeaten on 22 off 15 balls.

“He (Mahmudullah) still feels the day when we lost the game by only two runs. [Yesterday] he was almost in the same situation but I always had the belief in him.

I wanted him to get the winning runs. He did a fantastic job. Back in the dressing he told me he is delighted,” Mashrafe said.

As for the grand finale itself,

Mashrafe said, “That’s another big game for us. I am not worried of winning or losing. What I want is to see my team play as a unit and prepare in the best way possible within the time we have in hand.

We will decide what to do and what not to but before that, I want to prepare my team in the best way possible,” said Mashrafe. l

POINTS TABLE Teams

M W L Pts Net Rr

India

3

3

0

6

+1.467

Bangladesh

4

3

1

6

+0.458

Sri Lanka

3

1

2

2

-0.292

Pakistan

3

1

2

2

-0.464

UAE

3

0

3

0

-1.266

TALKING POINTS Gerrard woe as LA thrashed in CL exit Steven Gerrard’s hopes of leading the LA Galaxy to CONCACAF Champions League glory came to an abrupt end on Tuesday. Gerrard partnered new Galaxy signing Nigel De Jong in the LA midfield as the Major League Soccer side travelled to Torreon. PAGE 29

THE NEW ASIAN RIVALRY

TIGERS BRIMMING WITH CONFIDENCE

CHANGE OF APPROACH IN T20IS

Even a year or two ago, Full Member Zimbabwe and Associate Afghanistan were considered Bangladesh’s closest rivals. But slowly and surely, things have started to change. The newest cricket rivalry in town is undoubtedly that of Bangladesh and Pakistan.

Whenever the two sides meet each other, a lot of sentiments are exchanged between the fans. The rivalry took on a new dimension last year when the Tigers swept Pakistan in three ODIs and yesterday’s Asia Cup Twenty20 clash only added to the excitement.

There has always been a lack of confidence whenever the Tigers faced any big cricketing powerhouse previously. However, it all changed during the Sri Lanka tie last Sunday when the Bangladesh cricketers looked ever so hungry to seal a morale-boosting win. They started from where they had left off in the previous game, making life extremely difficult for the Pakistan batsmen. And in pursuit of 130, a confident and resolute approach saw the Tigers reach their destination with five wickets and as many deliveries in hand.

One must give credit to Tigers coach Chandika Hathurusingha for changing the mindset of the Bangladesh cricketers. The Tigers first transformed themselves in ODIs last year, defeating India, Pakistan and South Africa. The Tigers then shifted their gear in the shortest format, overcoming the challenge of Sri Lanka and Pakistan. That Bangladesh qualified for the grand finale, irrespective of what happens against India, will no doubt boost the cricketers’ confidence with the World T20 knocking at the door.

DT

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THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2016

Mamunul, Zahid suspended for a year n Shishir Hoque

TIMELINE DECEMBER 26, 2015 Bangladesh crash out of the Saff Championship group stages.

JANUARY 14, 2016 Zahid Hossain found drunk, subsequently kicked out of the national camp.

JANUARY 18, 2016 Bangladesh lose to an amateur Bahrain U-21 side to exit from the Bangabandhu Gold Cup. FEBRUARY 6, 2016 Seven national players, including captain Mamunul Islam, named in fact-finding committee’s report.

FEBRUARY 22, 2016 Bangladesh Football Federation serves show cause letters to the accused seven players.

India, UAE clash in dead-rubber n Mazhar Uddin India, who have already qualified for the grand finale, will take on the United Arab Emirates in an Asia Cup Twenty20 dead-rubber at Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium today.

The sub-continent giants displayed clinical cricket right throughout the tournament to beat hosts Bangladesh, arch-rival Pakistan and Sri Lanka en route to progressing to the final and will look to continue their brilliant run against a rather weaker opponent in the UAE. However, the team management might decide to rest some regular players ahead of the final and try out a few cricketers from the bench in order to acclimatise themselves with match conditions with the World T20 looming in the horizon.

The UAE, on the other hand, are yet to win a game in the 14th edition of the regional competition but did show some courage against the big boys.

Today's Match 7:30PM at SBNS

India v UAE

Maasranga TV, Gazi TV, Star Sports 1

Emirati skipper Amjad Javed has undoubtedly been the best performer for his side, be it with bat or ball, and will be eager to play a vital role yet again against a formidable Indian side.

The UAE’s task however, will be anything but easy as the Indians will be desperate to end their round-robin campaign with a victory. l

The country’s football arena was shaken yesterday as Bangladesh captain Mamunul Islam and winger Zahid Hossain were each dished out a one-year national suspension for breaching team protocol.

The verdict came following an eventful two-hour meeting of the national team management committee at the BFF House. The committee also decided to ban defender Yeasin Khan and midfielder Sohel Rana for six months while goalkeeper Shahidul Alam Sohel and defenders Atiqur Rahman Meshu and Yeamin Ahmed Munna escaped punishment but received stern warnings.

Mamunul, Zahid and the other punished players are now left with no option but to appeal the decision. National team management committee chairman Kazi Nabil Ahmed though informed that the accused footballers will get to play domestic football during this time.

“The complaints against Mamunul and Zahid were severe and we did not find their replies and explanations satisfactory. The committee decided to suspend them for a year from the national team.

But they can play domestic football according to their contracts during this time,” said the BFF vice-president, adding that the punishment

will be active from today.

The seven players in question were not included in the national squad for the upcoming 2018 Fifa World Cup second round qualifier away to Jordan after they were accused of breaking team discipline, including alcohol consumption and talking to the

VERDICTS ONE-YEAR BAN

Mamunul Islam, Zahid Hossain

SIX-MONTH BAN

Yeasin Khan, Sohel Rana

REPRIMANDED

Shahidul Alam Sohel, Atiqur Rahman Meshu, Yeamin Ahmed Munna media without permission during Bangladesh’s disastrous campaigns in the Saff Suzuki Cup and Bangabandhu Gold Cup. Only Sohel, Meshu and Yeamin will be able to join the national camp if Spanish head coach Gonzalo Moreno calls them back.

“We sat for a meeting 10 days ago where the committee temporarily suspended seven players after the fact-finding committee found evidence of ill-discipline against them. Then we formed a sub-committee to give the accused players the opportunity to confess

their deeds. The committee gave us their report after interviewing every player,” explained the BFF high-up.

He continued, “We decided that three footballers (Sohel, Meshu and Yeamin) should be warned and we will serve warning letters to them so that they conduct themselves properly in the future. Based on this, the national team head coach can include them in the squad. We got proof regarding the complaints against Yeasin and Sohel Rana so we decided to suspend these two players for six months.”

Mamunul has been one of Bangladesh’s key players in the last three years while all the suspended players were also regular starters.

This will be the first time the Bengal Tigers would play a World Cup qualifier without their captain.

Kazi Nabil though refused to be sympathetic towards Mamunul.

“Mamunul lied to the sub-committee which was a major offence.

He refused to the committee that he sheltered Zahid. But Zahid himself admitted that he was in Mamun’s room during that time. I do not want to sacrifice the future for the comfort of one or two games.

We did not get the desired performance from the players in the past because professional conduct and sense of commitment were missing along with overall discipline.” l

Fizz braces for English journey n Mazhar Uddin Bangladesh pace bowling sensation Mustafizur Rahman has signed for English county side Sussex for the upcoming season. The 20-year old will be the first Bangladeshi to feature for Sussex and the third Tigers cricketer after Shakib al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal to play in the English county circuit.

The Satkhira lad took the cricketing world by storm last year when he became the first player in history to pick up 11 wickets in the first two ODI appearances. He was also the first Bangladeshi cricketer to be named in the ICC ODI team of the year.

Mustafizur, who will also partake in the upcoming ninth season of the Indian Premier League for the Sunrisers Hyderabad franchise, will join Sussex as soon as his assignment comes to an end in India.

The left-arm paceman was earlier roped in by Pakistan Super League Twenty20 franchise Lahore Qalandars but was unable to participate due to a shoulder injury.

The “Cutter Master” has so far bagged 26 wickets in nine ODIs, 13 in 10 T20Is and four in two Tests.

“I am very excited to get an opportunity in county cricket. It has always been an ambition of mine to play in England and I am thankful to Sussex for this opportunity. I hope I can repay the faith they have shown in me with my performances on the field,” said Mustafizur.

He will replace former New Zealand captain Ross Taylor, who will be engaged with international duty in July, as the second overseas player for Sussex and turn out in the Natwest T20 Blast and the Royal London 50-over Cup. Sussex coach Mark Davis duly

expressed happiness with the addition of the new pace sensation.

“I am really excited to have Mustafizur join us at Sussex. He is a cricketer with incredible ability and is currently one of the bright young talents of world cricket. His unorthodox bowling variations make him a very difficult customer to bat against, and he will be a brilliant addition to our team,” he said.

Mustafizur is currently sitting out the ongoing Asia Cup T20 after incurring a side-strain injury during the round-robin clash against Sri Lanka last Sunday. l

27

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THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2016

WAQAR YOUNIS

QUICK BYTES

Pakistan Coach

Rakib clinches Sk Kamal Rating Chess Grandmaster Mollah Abdullah al Rakib emerged as the unbeaten champion in the Sheikh Kamal International Rating Chess Tournament beating fellow GM Ziaur Rahman in the ninth and final round at the Bangladesh Chess Federation hall-room yesterday.

Rakib earned a total of 8.5 points.

Fide Master Syed Mahfuzur Rahman Emon became the runners up with 7.5 points after defeating International Master Minhaz Uddin yesterday. Ziaur finished third with seven points. FM Aminul Islam also earned the same number of points but was placed fourth following the tie-breaking system. Minhaz and Nasir Ahmed ended fifth and sixth respectively. A total of 129 players including two GMs and IMs and six FMs and four Indian players participated in the event.

–TRIBUNE REPORT

Seven-star Sanjida propels Mymensingh National winger Sanjida Akter netted a sensational seven goals as her team Mymensingh earned an immense 16-0 victory over Rajbari in the inaugural match of the KFC National Women’s Football Championship at Kamalapur Stadium yesterday. Marzia also notched a hattrick while Maria and Sajeda scored two goals apiece.

In the day’s other match, BJMC registered a comfortable 9-1 win over Rangpur with star striker Sabina Khatun grabbing four goals.

–TRIBUNE REPORT

Platini appeals against six year ban UEFA president Michel Platini has made a formal appeal against his six year ban from football at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the tribunal said yesterday.

The French football legend has also asked the CAS to give a decision before the European Championships in France.

–AFP

Adam Johnson facing jail English soccer player Adam Johnson, who was sacked by Premier League club Sunderland last month, was facing jail after being found guilty yesterday of sexual activity with a 15-year-old girl. The 28-year-old winger, who has played 12 times for England, had admitted kissing and grooming the teenager at the beginning of his trial but had denied two more serious accusations of sexual activity.

–REUTERS

4-1-14-1

0,0,0,0,0,1 0,0,0,0,0,0 0,W,0,0,0,1 1,1,1,4,1,4 BALL BY BALL Young and fearless Bangladesh fast bowler Taskin Ahmed bowls during their Asia Cup Twenty20 clash against Pakistan at Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

I think we didn’t bat well and didn’t put enough runs on the board.

We batted poorly in the first 10 overs. I think we gave too much of a lead, it should have been easily a 160-170 pitch. We are losing too many wickets and it happened in the previous games also. Bowlers gave their best and tried to pull the game back. Yes, the game did come to us for a little while but that’s the way Twenty20 goes.

Bangladesh have developed into a very strong unit, especially when they are playing at home.

They have got some really good fast bowlers, especially Taskin [Ahmed]. I thought he bowled really well [yesterday]. They are growing with time and this is very good for them. l

Raqibul continues to shine in BCL n Minhaz Uddin Khan Central Zone top-order batsman Raqibul Hasan was the undoubted star in the second day of round four in the Bangladesh Cricket League longer-version yesterday.

The right-handed batsman scored 228 runs to steer his side to a massive total against East Zone. Raqibul’s double hundred saw him join veteran East Zone cricketer Alok Kapali as the highest scorer in the history of the competition. Alok in the 2015 season had scored as many runs against North Zone.

Central Zone v East Zone, SKICS

Raqibul hammered the highest score, 228 runs, in the tournament’s history and propelled his

team to a massive 588 in the first innings against East Zone. Central Zone resumed the day with Raqibul on 119 and Tanveer Haider on 10.

4TH BCL, RD 4, DAY 2 Central Zone 588/8 dec (Raqibul 228, Tanveer 110, Marshal 81) v East Zone 142/2 (Mominul 89, Imtiaz 37*, Sharif 1/28) Central Zone lead by 446 runs North Zone 296 (Muktar 64, Naeem 48, Ariful 43) v South Zone 247/4 (Anamul 70, Tushar 60*, Shahriar 52*) North Zone lead by 49 runs The duo held on to post 240 runs for the fifth wicket.

Raqibul had scored a first-class triple century back in 2007 so his

knock yesterday was his second best.

The Jamalpur batsman survived 338 balls and slammed 19 boundaries and two over boundaries. Tanveer on the other hand scored 110 runs before getting removed.

East Zone spinner Rahatul Ferdous picked up three wickets.

Later, East Zone batted 36 overs, trailing Central Zone by 446 runs with eight wickets remaining. East Zone captain Mominul Haque added 89 runs to the board before getting dismissed.

South Zone v North Zone, SKICS Academy Ground

South Zone trailed by 49 runs with six wickets remaining at stumps on day two against North Zone.

The contest of the two sides has

been even so far, given that there were no highlighting performance.

North Zone resumed their first innings on the day but added only 41 runs to their overnight score of 255 before being bundled out. Muktar Ali top-scored with 64 runs in the innings. South Zone spinner Sohag Gazi picked up three wickets.

In reply, South Zone openers made a smooth start but failed to sustain. Anamul Haque and Shahriar Nafees dominated to post 118 runs for the opening stand before Shahriar was removed by Sanjamul Islam for 52. Anamul survived to score 70 runs with the help of four boundaries and two sixes.

At stumps, South Zone had put up 247 runs in 79 overs. Tushar Imran was unbeaten on 60. l

Steyn returns to boost Proteas n Reuters, Cape Town An “energised” Dale Steyn has passed his fitness tests and will play for South Africa in their threematch Twenty20 International series against Australia starting in Durban tomorrow.

Steyn, one of the world’s leading pacemen, has missed most of South Africa’s season with groin and shoulder problems but is ready to face Australia in the warm-up series for the World Twenty20.

“A hungry, fit, energised Dale is a massive plus for us,” South Africa coach Russell Domingo told reporters on Tuesday. “He hasn’t played

for South Africa for a long period of time and he has come here with a great attitude.

“He is desperate to play, desperate to do well, he wants to win a World Cup, he wants to be involved in all formats of the game, so his energy levels are right up there and that bodes really well for us.”

Steyn has not featured in the 20over format for his country since the last World Cup in Bangladesh in 2014 after a self-imposed exile but is making a return to add experience ahead of the next tournament in India starting on March 8.

“The big thing for these type of

players is making sure the hunger and passion is there. He has definitely got that at the moment,” Domingo said.

“His skills are always going to be there, he is desperate to play for South Africa, and that is great news as a coach.”

South Africa start the series against Australia in Durban tomorrow before moving on to Johannesburg on Sunday. They complete the series in Cape Town on March 9.

The Proteas open their World Twenty20 campaign against England on March 18 and will also play Sri Lanka and West Indies in their pool. l

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Galatasaray get one-year European ban n Reuters, Istanbul Turkish champions Galatasaray have been banned from European competition for one year over the club’s failure to meet Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations designed to limit losses, UEFA said yesterday.

Galatasaray’s chairman last month told Reuters the Turkish champions had lost about 164 million euros ($177.79 million) over the last three seasons, overshooting guidelines set by European soccer’s governing body UEFA. UEFA had said in January that Galatasaray had failed to comply with its rules governing the permitted level of financial losses, paving the way for a potential ban.

Under FFP rules, which have been phased in since 2011, clubs who take part in European competition are not allowed to spend more than their generated income.

Designed to stop rich owners buying success by ploughing unlimited amounts of cash into their clubs, the rules are complex, especially as there is a certain amount of leeway.l

EPL Aston Villa

1-3

Gestede 79

Bournemouth

Everton Funes Mori 5, Lennon 30, Lukaku 60

2-0

Southampton

2-2

West Brom

Cook 31, Afobe 79

Leicester Drinkwater 30, King 45+1

Norwich

Rondon 11, Gardner 50

1-2

Redmond 68

Sunderland N’Doye 36, Borini 90

Chelsea Kenedy 1, Costa 45+1

2-2

Crystal Palace Wickham 61, 67

Leicester City forward Shinji Okazaki heads at goal during their Barclays Premier League match against West Brom at King Power Stadium on Tuesday

Gardner pegs Leicester back, Chelsea up to 8th n AFP, London Craig Gardner’s sublime free-kick prevented Leicester City going five points clear in the Premier League as West Bromwich Albion held the leaders to a 2-2 draw on Tuesday.

After Salomon Rondon put West Brom ahead, Leicester hit back through Danny Drinkwater and Andy King, only for Gardner to earn the visitors a point by arcing a free-kick into the top-left corner in the 50th minute.

“We made a lot of chances, but the ball didn’t want to go inside.

This is football,” Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri told Sky Sports.

“But I’m more happy now than after the match against Norwich. Tonight we played much, much, much better. We believe in ourselves and we continue to fight. Until the end, every match is important to us.”

Chelsea extended their unbeaten run to 12 league games with a 2-1 win at Norwich City that saw them climb from 11th place to eighth, five

Germany winger Andre Schuerrle claimed the first Bundesliga hat-trick of his career on Tuesday as Wolfsburg routed bottom side Hanover 96 4-0 away in the German league.

It was Schuerrle’s cross at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana which saw Mario Goetze score Germany’s winning goal in the 2014 World Cup final.

But the 25-year-old Schuerrle has struggled to hold down a firstteam place since joining Wolfsburg from Chelsea a year ago.

“I already have the match ball in the changing room,” beamed

Schuerrle as Wolfsburg got back to winning ways after Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at home to Bayern Munich.

“I was playing more as a striker tonight and the change paid off. Of course I’m pleased, but it’s the sort of game which is good for the soul.”

March 1 is a lucky day for Schuerrle who also scored a hattrick for Chelsea against Fulham in the Premier League exactly two years ago.

His performance will boost his standing at Wolfsburg and in this one game he has scored more goals than in his previous 33 matches for the Champions League side.l

points below the European berths.

Kenedy put the visitors ahead after just 39 seconds, the Brazilian wide man drilling home left-footed from outside the box to register the fastest goal of the season to date.

Bertrand Traore freed Diego Costa to lob Norwich goalkeeper John Ruddy from what looked like an offside position in first-half stoppage time, with Nathan Redmond reducing the arrears in the 68th minute.

Fabio Borini struck a stunning

last-minute equaliser to earn Sunderland a 2-2 draw at home to Crystal Palace that lifted Sam Allardyce’s side out of the relegation zone.

Everton ushered bottom club Aston Villa a step closer to relegation with a 3-1 win at Villa Park that left Remi Garde’s side eight points from safety.

Meanwhile, seventh-placed Southampton squandered an opportunity to close on the teams above them in a 2-0 loss at southcoast rivals Bournemouth. l

Menez hits brace as Milan reach Cup final

Schuerrle hits treble as Wolfsburg rout Hanover n AFP, Berlin

REUTERS

n AFP, Milan

BUNDESLIGA Hanover 96

0-4

Wolfsburg Shuerrle 36, 59, 62, Draxler 69

Ingolstadt Hinterseer 36

1-1

Cologne Modeste 72

Jeremy Menez ended an 11-month goal drought with a brace as AC Milan booked their first Italian Cup final in 13 years with a 5-0 rout of third division Alessandria on Tuesday.

Milan, 6-0 winners on aggregate, last featured in the Cup final in 2003 when they won it for the fifth time.

After a comprehensive victory which included a brace from centre-back Alessio Romagnoli and a late goal from on-loan Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli, the Rossoneri are now expected to meet Juventus in the May 21 final at the

Stadio Olimpico in Rome.

Mihajlovic praised both Menez and Balotelli, saying they would “be useful to us in the run-in”.

“Mission complete,” Mihajlovic told Rai Sport. “It was crucial for us to secure a place in the final and win with a big margin. We’re happy, it’s been 13 years and we’ve achieved one of our objectives of the season, although we’ll obviously be looking to also win the final.”

Menez emerged to become one of Milan’s most valuable players when he joined the struggling Serie A giants from Paris Saint-Germain in 2014, only to be sidelined with injury at the end of last season.l

29

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THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2016

Atletico ease past Sociedad

Real Sociedad goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli (C) looks at a ball sailing into the net next to Atletico Madrid forward Luciano Vietto (L) during their La Liga match at the Vicente Calderon stadium in Madrid on Tuesday

n AFP, Madrid Atletico Madrid closed the gap on La Liga leaders Barcelona to five points with a routine 3-0 win over Real Sociedad on Tuesday.

A bright start from the hosts was rewarded when Diego Reyes turned Koke’s low cross into his own net after just eight minutes.

Saul Niguez’s acrobatic volley doubled Atletico’s advantage a minute into the second-half before Antoine Griezmann’s penalty rounded off the scoring.

“We started the game very well

AFP

Gerrard woe as LA Galaxy thrashed in CL exit n AFP, Los Angeles Steven Gerrard’s hopes of leading the Los Angeles Galaxy to CONCACAF Champions League glory came to an abrupt end on Tuesday as Mexican sides dominated against their American quarter-final opponents.

Gerrard partnered new Galaxy signing Nigel De Jong in the Los Angeles midfield as the Major League Soccer side travelled to Torreon in Mexico to face Santos Laguna after grinding out a 0-0 draw in last week’s first leg.

But Galaxy’s hopes of advancing to the semi-finals of North America’s most prestigious continental club competition were wrecked in little over half an hour as Santos roared into a 3-0 lead en route to a 4-0 victory.

Another Galaxy new signing - former Chelsea and England star Ashley Cole

DAY’S WATCH CRICKET STAR SPORTS 1 7:30PM Asia Cup 2016 India v United Arab Emirates

FOOTBALL TEN ACTION 1:45AM Sky Bet Championship Birmingham City v Hull City

SONY SIX 1:30AM Spanish La Liga Espanyol v Real Betis

SONY ESPN 2:00AM Spanish La Liga Rayo Vallecano v FC Barcelona

- missed the tie after flying back to Rome for the birth of his first child.

The 35-year-old’s absence was all too evident as Santos punished some shambolic defending to take a stranglehold on the tie.

Martin Bravo shot Santos into the lead after 19 minutes, hooking home a volley

from the edge of the six-yard box after Galaxy failed to deal with a corner.

Ulises Davila doubled the lead four minutes later when his shot from outside the area deflected off Jelle van Damme and looped past Los Angeles goalkeeper Dan Kennedy.

It got worse for Los Angeles on 36 minutes when Cape Verde international Djaniny steered a header into the far post after more defending to make it 3-0.

Bravo grabbed his second on 61 minutes to complete the scoring on a night to forget for the visitors, who looked desperately short of match practice as they prepare for the start of the new MLS season this weekend.

Earlier, another Major League Soccer side exited when DC United could only draw 1-1 with Queretaro to go out 3-1 on aggregate. l

Wenger reveals Cazorla could miss rest of season n AFP, London Arsenal midfielder Santi Cazorla is set to miss the rest of the season after suffering an Achilles problem, Gunners boss Arsene Wenger revealed on Tuesday.

Cazorla has been out since November with a knee injury, but Wenger says the Spain midfielder now has an issue with tendonitis which could rule him out for the remainder of the campaign.

It was initially hoped the 31-year-old would be back at some point in March but, ahead of yesterday’s game with Swansea, Wenger gave a fresh prognosis on Cazorla.

“Santi is not doing too well,” he said. “He has some Achilles problems that hold him back.

“His knee is doing well but his Achilles has inflamed a little bit and we have to put him off impact.”

Asked if he is now set to return in April, Wenger replied: “We have to see now how he responds. He had always a little tendonitis on his Achilles and we have to see how he responds to that.” l

LA LIGA Atletico Madrid

3-0

Real Sociedad

Reyes 9-og, Saul 46, Griezmann 60-P

Las Palmas

4-0

Getafe

Willian Jose 7, Viera 28-P, Tana 49, 83

from middle to front which opened up the game for us,” said Atletico boss Diego Simeone.

“It is very difficult to imagine Barcelona losing games. We are concentrating on ourselves and bettering our own standards.” l

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THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2016

Chirkutt to perform in SXSW

Today in Dhaka

Jatra Biroti Live Performances

7:00pm Jatra Biroti, 60 Kemal Ataturk Ave

n Showtime Desk Bangladeshi fusion band Chirkutt has confirmed to perform in SXSW Music, an annual music festival that is scheduled to take place this March in Austin, Texas, United States.

On March 16 and 17, the band will perform at the International Day Stage and the Russian House on 4:00pm and 10:00pm (local

time), respectively.

SXSW Music, shortened form South by South West, is the largest music festival of its kind in the world with more than 2000 acts as of 2014 and celebrating 30 years in 2016.

Chirkutt shared the news on their Facebook page informing that they will be performing in the music festival alongside “more than 2300 bands from the

different parts of the world.”

“On this very emotional state of our journey, we promise to take Bangladeshi music to new heights in the global music scene one day,” the post reads further.

Apart from the performance at SXSW, the band will hold a few other gigs in Dallas, Austin, Florida, New York and Atlanta as a part of their month-long tour of USA. l

Today’s Jatra Biroti will feature Shorif Shadhu alongside his troupe. Jatra Biroti has had Shorif Shadhu and his troupe perform several times before and they have always been fantastic, soulful, and true representatives of the great Bangla folk tradition. l

The Rolling Stones to perform at a free concert in Cuba

Angry young SRK! n Showtime Desk After three consecutive comedy hits like Dilwale, Happy New Year and Chennai Express, the trailer of Fan came as a surprise to most SRK fans.

The trailer shows parts of the film, where SRK (who plays Gaurav in the film), is not in his usual happy mode. The cherubic smiles were replaced by by snarls and growls and cryptic warnings that shouldn’t be taken lightly. The King of Romance turns from an adorable man to a crazystalker and is not even seen smiling throughout the trailer.

Contrary to his jolly and romantic roles, SRK has earlier played the role of an “angry young man” in movies like Baazigar, Chak De India and Koyla.

In lieu of the Fan trailer, which emotion suits the larger-thanlife star more? l

n Showtime Desk Legendary rock band, The Rolling Stones announced on Tuesday, that they will perform for a free concert in Havana on March 25.

Titled “Concert for Amity,” the event will take place at the Ciudad Deportiva de la Habana, which is considered to mark the biggest act to play in Cuba since its 1959 revolution.

Just three days after President Barack Obama’s visit to Havana, the concert is expected to draw a massive audience in a country where the government once persecuted young people for

listening to rock music, then seen as a tool of Western capitalism.

“We have performed in many special places during our long career but this show in Havana is going to be a landmark event for us, and, we hope, for all our friends in Cuba too,” the band said in a statement.

The band also said that they will donate instruments and musical equipments from sponsors to Cuban musicians during their visit.

The Rolling Stones are currently touring Latin America. l Source: The Wall Street Journal

Jayita: I bought the rights to the song for Tk500

THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2016

WHAT TO WATCH Batman and Robin HBO 3:34PM Mr. Freeze, hurt and angered, freezes Gotham city. Poison Ivy, on the other hand, takes adavantage of the situation to grow her evil. With Gotham city in grave danger, only Batman can save every body. But this time he takes with him, and accomplice.

Watch the movie to find out how Robing and Batman saves the people of Gotham city through their heroic ventures.

Cast: George Clooney, Chris O’Donnell, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Uma Thurman, Alicia Silverstone

n Rumpa Farzana Zaman “I only paid Tk500 to buy my rights for ‘Tomar Jonno’,’’ says Jayita Mahalanobish with a smile.

Jayita Mahalanobish is a theater artist who better known as the director of Prothom Partho, a production by Theatre School Praktoni. The drama has three songs under its belt, each growing in popularity as the drama gains a greater fan following. In conversation with Showtime, Jayita shares how she purchased “Tomar Jonno,” one of the three songs, for a mere Tk500.

Back in the early 2000s, Jayita and her friends would go to Bishwo Shahitto Kendro and spend several hours chatting, sharing ideas and discussing art, music and culture. ‘’We used to share many new ideas back then. That ‘adda’ was the first step we made towards our media careers. It was a golden time for us,’’ says Jayita.

During one of those sessions, Dalim Kumar, one of her friends, sang the song “Tomar Jonno.” He also wrote the lyrics for the song.

On one of those days, Jayita asked Dalim to sell the song to her so she could use it in the future. Dalim didn’t give the offer a second thought. It was sold for Tk500. ‘’In 2000 and 2001, Tk500 was a big amount for struggling artists like us. In a time like that, buying a song fully knowing the uncertainty

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Spider-Man 2 UTV Action 9:30PM Spiderman realizes that his ego is getting in the way of his relationships socially.

He soon starts to loose his best friend who mourns the death of his father and plots revenge against none other than spider man himself.

Watch the movie to find out what happens next.

Cast: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Alfred Molina, Rosemary Harris

of the future was a risky, crazy decision to make,’’ Jayita smiles.

Now Jayita Mahalanobish is using that very five hundred taka worth song for her very first venture

Tania on a tight schedule

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as director. She is also singing the song herself. ‘’If someone has any goal or future plans, they should start investing because in the long run there is no loss.”l

The A-Team Star Movies 7:03PM Hannibal and his elite forces unit leads a special mission in Iraq but faces accusations of disobedience and theft after

Anushka-Virat reconcillation?

n Showtime desk

n Showtime Desk

Actress and host Tania Hossain will not host any more live shows and won’t be seen at any concerts for a month! No, she is not taking a break, not even going on leave. She will be busy with another production for a whole month. The team of a new drama production is going to Thailand for the shoot in March. Tania says, “though it seems fun to hear that we are going abroad for the shoot, but reality is, shooting in abroad is too hectic, I must say. But yes it’s fun.”l

Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli are back on talking terms. After the recent India versus Pakistan match, Anushka called up Virat to congratulate him after his brilliant performance on the field.

Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli split after differences cropped up between the two. The actress was busy with work after the break up with her cricketer boyfriend. It was alleged that Kohli wanted to marry while the actress was not prepared.

However, it seems that the couple has now moved a step closer than they were some time before. Social media was littered with AnushkaVirat relationship jokes after the new spark of reconciliation between the ex-lovers. l Source: Bollywoodlife

being framed by a fake FBI agent. Watch the movie to find out how Hannibal plots a perfect plan to clear their name.

Cast: Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Jessica Biel, Sharlto Copley, Patrick WilsonGerald McRaney The day the Earth stood still Star Movies HD 4:47PM An alien in human form visits Earth and passes on the message to destroy the planet and restart the spawning of life. Watch the movie to find out what happens next.

Cast: Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly, Kathy Bates, Jon Hamm, John Cleese Limitless HBO Hits 9:32PM A man drenched with pain and failure finds a way out of his misery but with the help of a drug. The drug enhances his personality as well as performance and makes path for him to swiftly make his way up the chain. But what he did not consider before taking the drug, is that it slowly damages you on the inside and soon after the drug runs out, he realizes what he has gotten himself into. Watch the movie to find out what happens next.

Cast: Bradley Cooper, Andrew Howard, Robert de Niro

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THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2016

1,000 ATM CARDS SEIZED AT DHAKA AIRPORT PAGE 5

CREDIT GROWTH EXCEEDS MPS TARGET PAGE 15

JAYITA: SONG’S RIGHTS COST ME TK500 PAGE 31

Rape alleged as revenge porn goes viral n Our Correspondent, Habiganj A sex video uploaded on Facebook by the male participant has drawn an allegation of rape from the Habiganj schoolgirl in the clip who said she had been filmed without her consent.

In a rape complaint filed with Habiganj Sadar police station on Tuesday night, the schoolgirl alleged that she had been lured into having sex on a promise of marriage.

She said she was later threatened with public exposure, using the

secret recording made of her, if she refused to continue having sex with her alleged rapist.

“An allegation of rape has been filed over the circulated video and we are conducting drives to track down the alleged perpetrator,” Sadar model police station Officerin-Charge Mohammad Nazim Uddin said.

According to the complaint, Junayed Ahmed Sagar, son of Abdul Hai of Paikpara village, had secretly videotaped the act in a residential hotel on Shaistaganj Railway Station Road on December

10, aided by his friend Kausar.

The schoolgirl in the video claims she had been misled by false promises of marriage by Sagar and alleged that she had been forced to continue having sexual relations with him on pain of public humiliation if she did not.

When, on February 25, the schoolgirl put an end to any further contact with him, Sagar retaliated by putting the clip on Facebook, according to the complaint.

The video has since gone viral.

“Sagar raped me under the promise of marrying me and

recorded us on tape. He circulated the footage on Facebook when I refused to allow the illicit relationship to continue. I want justice,” the schoolgirl said.

Her parents say she has tried to commit suicide several times, has withdrawn from her studies and now barely leaves the house.

They stand by their daughter’s account of the events and say they want to see Sagar arrested and charged for the offence.

Neither Sagar nor his father could be reached for comments. l

BSF kills one n Our Correspondent, Chapainawabganj

The Indian Border Security Force (BSF) has shot dead a Bangladeshi along the Chapainawabganj border.

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) said the incident took place in Johurpur in the early hours of yesterday.

Benazir Ahmed, 25, a resident of Gaipara village, is the fifth Bangladeshi shot dead by the BSF so far this year. BGB 9 Battalion Commander Lt Col Ahmed Junayed Alam Khan said a BSF patrol from Chandnichak camp shot Benazir deadn when he was trying to cross the border around 1am. l

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