08 March, 2016

SECOND EDITION

TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 2016

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Falgun 25, 1422, Jamadiul Awal 27, 1437

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Regd No DA 6238, Vol 3, No 322

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

WOMEN’S DAY SPECIAL

2016 sees women empowered

PHOTOS: DHAKA TRIBUNE, ALLISON JOYCE (SURFER GIRLS)

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Most Bangladesh women happy despite odds

Society fights back against stalkers

A nationwide opinion poll has found that most of the women in Bangladesh are happy despite all odds.

Stalkers are a constant plague – harassing young girls and women and attacking anyone raising voice to protest them.

Equal opportunities in policymaking a must for women empowerment While the country prepares along with the world to observe the International Women’s Day today,

women empowerment still remains a great challenge here.

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Sexual harrasment: Change of attitude urged Most working women and female students are often harassed sexually on the roads, buses, at their workplaces, at educational institutions, and even at home.

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‘The world will never change for us’ n Kamrul Hasan

The Dalit Nari Forum holds a human chain in front of the National Press Club yesterday marking the International Women’s Day, which is observed today MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Most Bangladesh women happy despite odds n Tribune Report A nationwide opinion poll has found that most of the women in Bangladesh are happy despite all odds.

Asked whether they are happy with their current status of lifestyle, 71.35% of the respondents said yes, 22.90% said no, while 5.75% were not sure about their present condition.

Of those interviewed, nearly 76% of rural women and 66% of urban women gave positive answer to the question.

Conducted by Bangla Tribune, the poll interviewed a total of 4,800 women from across the country on the eve of the International Women’s Day. With a confidence level of 95% and a margin of error of 2%, the survey was conducted across the 64 districts in the country on February 22-29.

A total of 600 women were picked from each of the eight divisional headquarter cities for the poll.

The interviews were conducted at crowded public places; respondents were selected randomly and the surveyors maintained a 10-minute interval between interviews done with a fixed questionnaire.

Asked if they get sufficient support from their family members in crisis period, 65.33% of women answered yes. On the other hand, 23.19% said they sometimes got family support while 10.94% came

up with negative replies.

In reply to the question whether they get the opportunity to choose their professions, 37.92% answered yes while 31.69% said no.

Despite all those positive findings, 38.31% said they do not have the authority to visit any preferred place freely. On the other hand, 31.31% said they can visit their preferred places Of the respondents, 63.50% think that they are eligible for any profession while 17.98% say they are not and 18.52% think the question is not applicable for them.

Asked whether they were allowed to select their preferred subjects, 66.35% came up with positive replies and 23.29% replied in the negative.

In the economic sphere, women feel that they are playing a vital role as 52.79% women answered that they have full access to the decision-making procedure in their families. On the contrary, 23.29% said they did not have such access.

Nearly 44% women can spend their family wealth for serving

their own purpose. On the other hand, 24.52% said they cannot.

Of the interviewees, 66.90% said they are able to make their own decisions regrading spending their own money while 11.79% do not have the authority.

Significantly, 58.02% think that the country has not yet witnessed any mentionable success regarding women empowerment even though women have taken the topmost positions in Bangladesh.

However, some 37.17% opined that the country has achieved much success in terms of women empowerment.

Most of the women said they have been performing very significant role in shaping the future of their children. Nearly 50% of respondents made positive replies while only 10.50% offered negative answers.

Despite all those positive findings, 38.31% said they do not have the authority to visit any preferred place freely. On the other hand, 31.31% said they can visit their preferred places.

Nearly 33% respondents said they have fallen victim to mental torture while some 17% complained of physical torture.

Although Bangladeshi women continue to face numerous challenges, the findings of the opinion poll highlights that the positive thinking of the women of the country would pave the way for building more equitable and decent society. l

A 10-year-old domestic help set herself on fire in the capital’s Ramna area last month as she was unable to endure her employer’s torture.

Joba Akhter was admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital with 95% burns while her employer Mehedi Hasan Kollol brought her to the hospital claiming that she had set herself ablaze. But he failed to give a reason for the incident.

Groaning with pain at the hospital, Joba later said she could no longer endure the enormous work pressure and repeated physical torture by Kollol and his wife.

The girl died a day after she had been hospitalised.

Like Joba, many housemaids are killed every year in the country. In some incidents, cases were filed while others go unreported.

To ensure protection for domestic workers, the government adopted the “Domestic Workers Protection and Welfare Policy 2015” late last year, but the workers are yet to enjoy their rights and protection.

Statistics show that violence against domestic workers has decreased over the last eleven years but there has been no notable success when it comes to ensuring that their rights are protected. According to Ain O Salish Kendra, 46 female workers were assaulted by their employers in 2015. The number was 61 in 2014, 78 in 2013, 100 in 2012, 117 in 2011, 81 in 2010, 83 in 2007, 126 in 2006 and 136 in 2005.

Some 828 maids were assaulted by employers over the last eight years, and 411 of them were killed, 69 were raped, eight were killed after rape, and 61 committed suicide.

More than half the victims were aged between 7 to 18.

Ayesha Begum, who worked at four houses in the capital’s Mohammadpur, told the Dhaka Tribune she had to work for 12 hours a day to make Tk6,000 per month.

She said employers were mostly very rough in their attitude towards her.

“If I fell sick, my employers would force me to work more on the following day or later. If I was sick for three days or more, they would deduct a certain amount from my wage,” she said.

The situation has been found to be worse for those who live at the house where they work. They are paid a paltry wage on the ground that their food and accommodation are arranged by employers. But many such workers said their living conditions are very poor and they are provided leftover food.

Asking not to be named, a nineyear-old domestic help at Darus Salam area said she had been working at a house for the last two years.

“If I was in my hometown in Madaripur, I would have been a fourth-grader this year but poverty compelled me to stop studying and start working. In the house where I work, I sleep in the kitchen at night.

Also, I am given food only after all the members of my employer’s family have their meal. Most of the time, I have to eat leftover food,” she said.

“I do not know how much I get for my work because the money is given to my family. I heard that my wage is Tk3,500 a month but Tk500 is deducted as my employer arranges my meals,” she added.

On the other hand, some domestic workers said they are treated well by their employers and are also paid on time. But they admitted that their employers do not send them to school.

None of the domestic workers the Dhaka Tribune talked to was aware of the fact that there is a policy to ensure his or her rights and protection.

Ranu, a house help in Mirpur, said: “No matter what the government does, I know that nothing can change the world for us.”

The policy, approved by the cabinet on December 21 in 2015, has been hailed by activists, who are of the opinion that this will bring a change in the lives of domestic workers.

Members of the National Domestic Women Workers Union said the situation would change as soon as the policy was implemented.

They said it will not only give domestic workers more safety and security but will go a long way to stop violence against them once implemented and enforced.

Murshida Akter, general secretary of the union, said the policy would create awareness among the masses.

“As a result, there will be less incidents of torture of domestic workers. Also, the policy will give them some kind of legal protection, which they did not have in the past,” she said.

Speaking about the issue of human rights, National Human Rights Commission Chairman Dr Mizanur Rahman told the Dhaka Tribune: “It is not like you have to give it to me because I am demanding it from you. As a human being, I deserve this.

“If the government wants to do something that betters the lives of domestic workers, it has to enact a law, not a policy. This is because a policy cannot make a person accountable for his work but a law can,” he added. l

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Society fights back against stalkers n Kamrul Hasan

Stalkers have been a constant plague to our society – harassing young girls and women everywhere and attacking anyone raising their own voice to protect their loved ones.

In many such cases, the violence of stalkers had resulted in deaths or injuries of family members of the harassed woman.

But in recent years, efforts from different quarters have reduced to some extent the number of concerned citizens being killed each year by stalkers and sex offenders.

Between 2010 and 2013, an average of 17 people were killed each year for protesting incidents of sexual harassment, according to figures from Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK).

But over the last two years, the average dropped to only eight fatalities per year.

Analysts say the sharp fall might be partially attributed to a strengthened enforcement of justice against stalkers.

According to ASK estimates, the past two years alone saw around 260 stalkers being handed jail sentences – ranging from a week to six months – for harassing girls and women on the street.

When justice is served swiftly, it sends a warning to other stalkers and makes them think twice before targeting someone, rights activists say.

Fast police response to reports of sexual harassment is also said to have saved many lives.

Nazrul Islam, assistant inspector general of police (media), said police all over the country have been instructed to prioritise all cases related to sexual harassment.

The chairman of Dhaka University’s criminology department, Prof Zia Rahman, suggested that emergency phone numbers could be used to accelerate the response time between an incident of sexual harassment and the time it takes for the police to reach the scene.

He, however, pointed out that most people have already lost faith in law enforcers after failing to get their support

in cases of sexual harassment in the past.

To remedy this, the police need to become more people-friendly by reorganising the force, Prof Zia said.

The failure to offer continuing protection also weakens the public’s reliance on the police force and further endangers the families of the victims.

Several victims and their relatives told the Dhaka Tribune they could not depend on the police and had to arrange for their own protection after the culprits secured bail and started to threaten them for withdrawing cases.

Reason behind attacks

Looking at figures from Ain o Salish Kendra, men appear to be more vocal than women when it came to protesting sexual harassment. Of the 68 people who were killed between 2010 and 2013, 26 were women and 58 were male.

The number of the injured have also fallen in the past couple of years. Compared to the 1,896 concerned citizens who were injured for protesting sexual harassment between 2010 and 2013, only 476 people were attacked and hurt during the past two years.

Although the numbers have gone down, human rights organisations say the situation was far from a satisfactory level.

Since 2010, at least 52 girls were forced to stop going to school because of stalkers.

Specialists blamed the culture of impunity, lack of moral values and a faulty education system for the crisis.

Dr Mizanur Rahman, chairman of National Human Rights Commission, said stalkers become aggressive when they face resistance because their families had failed to instil any moral value in them.

The education system in our country only increases the burden on children and do not teach about morality, the NHRC chief added.

Ayesha Khanam, president of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad, also said the failure of families to teach morality to children is behind such attacks. l

Salma, 22, is a day labourer and a working mother. She has to bring her 18-month-old daughter, Mariam, along to work because there is no one at home to watch over the child. In the photo above, Salma unloads coal from a cargo ship on the bank of Turag River in Aminbazar, Savar, keeping an eye on her daughter who is playing nearby. The photo was taken yesterday RAJIB DHAR

Poll: 40.42% women had arranged marriage n Tribune Report A large number of women in Bangladesh had arranged marriage, according to the nationwide Bangla Tribune opinion poll conducted interviewing a total of 4,800 women from across the country.

Asked whether they were allowed to make the decision about their own marriages, 40.42% of the respondents said no while 29.63% said yes.

Nearly 43% of rural women and 39% of urban women have given negative answer to the question.

Asked do they get the opportunity to choose their preferred life part-

ners, only 29.69% answered yes while 35.19% said no.

Surprisingly, 30.13% of rural women gave positive answer to the query while 29.25% were urban women who came up with a yes.

However, asked if they were allowed to make decision on conceiving children, 49.02% of women said that they had played a major role in the decision-making process while 17.92% gave negative replies.

Of the respondents, 50.88% of rural women came up with positive replies while 47.17% of urban women said yes.

Besides, 52.79% women answered

that they have full range of access in decision-making procedure in their families. On the contrary, 23.29% said they did not have the access.

With a confidence level of 95% and a margin of error of 2%, the survey was conducted across the 64 districts in the country on February 22-29.

Out of the 4,800 interviews, 600 women were picked from each of the eight divisional headquarter cities.

The interviews were conducted at crowded public places; respondents were selected randomly and the surveyors maintained a 10-minute interval between interviews done with a fixed questionnaire. l

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Equal opportunities in policymaking a must for women empowerment n Kamrul Hasan While the country prepares along with the world to observe the International Women’s Day today, women empowerment still remains a great challenge here.

This year’s slogan is “Pledge for Parity” to promote and achieve gender equality around the world.

A leading indicator in establishing gender equality is women empowerment.

There are several factors – lack of proper education, social prejudice, lack of awareness, etc – that hinder the empowerment of women in the country, especially in situations that require decision-making skills, say civil society members, political leaders and human rights activists.

According to Global Gender Gap Index 2015 published by the World Economic Forum, the femaleto-male ratio in the positions of legislators, senior officials and managers is 0.06, which means women are almost absent in any policy-making process in the country.

Our political sector is a glaring example of this disparity.

At present, around 20% MPs are women – around 14% selected in reserved seats, and only 6% elected.

Due to the existing election system, the MPs in reserved seats do not have the same authority as the elected MPs. The reserved seat MPs are generally selected from the ruling party, and rarely have any accountable representation in parliament.

It is the lack of willingness in the political parties that create this division, said political experts and activists.

“This huge difference of male and female representation in politics has to be eradicated to empower women,” said Badiul Alam Majumder, general secretary of Sushashoner Jonno Nagorik (SHUJAN).

“In order to increase the number of female representatives in parliament, the reserved seats have to be contested in the elections as well,” he told the Dhaka Tribune. “Female candidates must be provided with equal opportunities so that

SP Shamsunnahar, left, and Constable Mita Biswas, in the driving seat, made history on January 26, 2016 by becoming the first women to command a police week parade and driving the PM’s parade inspection vehicle respectively FOCUS BANGLA

‘This huge difference of male and female representation in politics has to be eradicated to empower women’ they can compete with their male counterparts.

“To achieve that, political parties have to invest the same resources to train their female activists as they do for their male activists.”

“A social awakening is needed to achieve women empowerment,” said advocate Fazilatunnessa Bappi, an MP in a reserved seat. “It is a common phenomenon for the society to use religion whenever the issue of women’s rights is raised. It’s a vicious cycle, and it needs to be broken by creating social awareness.”

“All the political parties need to band together in the greater interest of preserving women’s rights,”

said Hasan Mahmud, chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on the Ministry of Forests and Environment. “If they all stand together, the country will see gender equality through women empowerment soon.”

Ayesha Khanam, president of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad, said the authorities concerned must align the local development in women empowerment with international agendas. “This is where the CEDAW comes in, because without it, empowering women in the country is impossible.”

The Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women, or CEDAW, was adopted by the UN in 1979. Bangla-

desh ratified it in 1984, but it held reservations on some articles that demand equal rights for men and women in all sectors – personal and public – on the basis of possible conflict with Sharia law.

Ayesha said: “The government needs to rid itself of these reservations and fully embrace CEDAW. Only then would the government be fully bound to this convention to achieve women empowerment and establish gender equality in the country.”

Dr Mizanur Rahman, chairman of National Human Rights Commission, said the government’s intention regarding women empowerment is clear from its stance in holding reservations on the CEDAW articles.

“How can you fruitfully adopt a treaty if you have reservation on its core point?” he asked.

Fazilatunnesa said the government was working on this issue. l

38.31% women cannot move freely outside n Tribune Report The nationwide Bangla Tribune opinion poll among 4,800 women from across the country has found

that a large number of women in Bangladesh cannot visit their preferred destinations freely.

Asked whether they can visit their preferred places freely,

38.31% of the respondents said no while 31.31% said yes.

The problem seemed to prevail equally among rural and urban women. Of those interviewed, near-

ly 40% of rural women and 38% of urban women gave negative answer to the question. On the other hand, 31.04% of rural women and 31.58% of urban women said yes. l

Female scientists blaze the trail at BFRI n Anwar Hussain, Chittagong Breaking the stereotype that women are less interested in pursuing a career in science and technology, female scientists at the Bangladesh Forest Research Institute (BFRI) in Chittagong are leading the path in research and administration with considerable success.

A total of 79 scientists are working at the institute, located in Sholoshahar, Chittagong city. The institute boasts 16 female research officers, field investigators and research assistants.

A female director now leads this 520-person research organization.

The position of chief research officer is also held by a woman. Moreover, two women are heading the seed orchard and the pulp and paper divisions. The affiliated BFRI High School is also headed by a woman.

Speaking to the Dhaka Tribune, Director Dr Shaheen Akhter said that top positions held by women in the BFRI were a testament to women’s empowerment in our society.

“There is a general misconception in our society that women are not capable of making decisions and running administration well. I think we have broken the myth and we have proven our mettle through our work.

We have invented more than 50 popular technologies so far,” said the director who obtained her PhD degree in Wood Science from the UK. “I studied chemistry and after graduating from Chittagong University I joined the BFRI in 1984.”

Dr Khurshid Akhter, the chief research officer at BFRI, thinks women are increasingly getting into professions traditionally thought to be fit for men only, and doing better.

“Women are always more sincere and more devoted to their profession compared to their male counterparts,” said Dr Akhter, who obtained her PhD in Wood Science from Jahangirnagar University.

“I had a long-cherished dream of pursuing a career in a research based profession. After graduating from Chittagong University, I joined the BFRI in 1987,” she said.

“We have all the potential to fly high if we get all necessary support from family members and colleagues,” she added.

Dr Akhter believes Bangladeshi women have come a long way and initiatives are needed to get them involved with scientific and research work on a greater scale.

Sadaf Noor, an associate professor at Chittagong University said that congenial atmosphere is needed for women to excel in science, technology and related professions.l

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SEXUAL HARASSMENT

Victims, rights activists urge change of attitude n Arifur Rahman Rabbi Most working women and female students are often harassed sexually on the roads, buses, at their workplaces, at educational institutions, and even at home.

However, there is no specific data on sexual harassment in Bangladesh. A 2015 ActionAid survey found almost all participants considered such harassment “violence against women” but over 80% said they would not seek police help as they did not have faith in them.

Victims and rights activists blamed the education system and degrading social values. They said a change in attitude towards women was needed.

Dhaka tribune spoke to a number of working women and female students about the issue. Their comments had stark similarities.

They said the most common forms of sexual harassment were being

pushed by men and “eve teasing” or verbal slur.

The ActionAid survey said different forms of sexual harassment identified by women include derogatory or obscene comments by passersby, passengers and buyers (88%), sexual nuances through abusive language (46%), derogatory comments by drivers or conductors (86%), shopkeepers and sellers (69%).

“Men often say 'sorry' after pushing women to convince others that the body contact was unintentional, which of course is not true in most cases,” said a woman.

Another woman described how the drivers' assistants in public buses try to feel their bodies. “Many male passengers also harass us in various ways,” she said.

Harassment is common in public places like markets and festivals.

“People present at the scene would support the harasser if the victim

told the Dhaka tribune that existing laws were enough. “We do not need new laws … Swift trials and punishments for such offences will deter offenders to some extent.”

Bangladesh Mahila Parishad's President Ayesha Khanam said the victims have to make a point by protesting against harassment, to show the offenders that they cannot go scot-free. “If the victims raise their voices, the offenders will refrain from such acts,” she added.

Jagannath University's psychology department Chairman Ashok Kumar Saha said the victims usually keep mum about sexual harassment “out of shame and fear.”

“They inform their families or close ones when they cannot take it any more.”

Rights activist Alina Khan said she viewed the harassment as “eve teasing.” “These can be curbed if the law is implemented properly and if police dealt with them seri-

protested,” a woman claimed. “So most of the time the victims do not protest.”

A number of women were sexually assaulted on the Dhaka University campus last Pohela Boishakh.

Police have so far arrested a suspected molester.

Asked whether they thought the law could protect them from harassment, most of those interviewed by the Dhaka Tribune said they did not. “People need to change their attitude and family should play a big part in teaching moral values,” one respondent said.

The ActionAid survey found 76% girls under 20 and 44% women over 30 were victims of sexual harassment and assault. It claimed half the victims kept silent. The culture of silence was so strong that only 54% of the victims informed their families, it noted.

National Human Rights Commission Chairman Mizanur Rahman

Drama unfolds over housemaid’s death in Kafrul n Kamrul Hasan Around 200 locals in Kazipara in the early hours of yesterday blocked roads, demanding immediate arrest of those who threw a housemaid off the roof of an 11-storey building on Sunday morning.

Protests continued till 11am yesterday before law enforcers dispersed them. At noon, the protesters came to Kafrul Police station after her body was taken there from Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

Protesters later went to the NAM Garden government officials’ staff quarters at 12:58pm. They blocked the road in front of the complex and demanded the arrest of the alleged killers.

Within 10 minutes, some people under the lead of a man in a red T-shirt, started persuading people that they should bury the girl in a religious manner, and said the case the protesters wanted had already been filed.

The man and his associates however refused to provide their names and said only they were locals.

Meanwhile Usman Goni, the father of the 15-year-old housemaid, Jonia, was taken to the police station by some of the protesters,

raped before being killed by Rummon and demanded his arrest. He said as Ahsan Babib was trying to save his son, both he and his wife should be accused in the case.

He said: “Jonia was working for Ahsan Habib for some days, as her mother Phul Banu's replacement, but she was raped and murdered by Rummon, Ahsan’s son.”

Usman alleged the government official was spreading his influence to bring the case in their favour.

Police could have easily informed the victim’s family and reporters and said a case had already been filed by the father of the deceased, and that further complaints would be considered as supplementary, and the UD case would automatically be turned into a murder case, sources said.

DMP Deputy Commissioner (Mirpur Zone) Kaimuzzaman said they would not spare anyone found guilty, despite their identity and status.

Police sources said they had already arrested four people – building caretaker Siddiqur Rahman, 50, Imdadul Haque, 30, lift supervisor Riyasadul Haque, 28, and Sohel Rana, 24 – and taken them under two-day remand. l

A grieving Fulbanu, mother of domestic worker Jonia (15), demands immediate arrest of her daughter's alleged killers in front of Kafrul police station in the capital yesterday RAJIB DHAR saying the case would be filed only after he signed it. At 1:45pm police dispersed them, and after a while the remaining protestors took the body to Shewrapara graveyard where Joni was buried around 4pm.

Police delayed taking the case until around 3:20pm, as the supplementary of the unnatural death

TEMPERATURE FOREC AST FOR TODAY

DRY WEATHER TUESDAY, MARCH 8

Dhaka

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(UD) case had been filed the previous day. Usman had accused Jonia's employer Ahsan Habib, Habib’s wife Naznin Akhter and their son Rummon Bin Ahsan for the death of his daughter. Ahsan is the chairman and director of the National Freedom Fighters’ Council.

Usman alleges his daughter was 24

Rajshahi

DHAKA TODAY SUN SETS 6:05PM

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Rangpur

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Khulna

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YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

TOMORROW SUN RISES 6:13AM

34.9ºC Khepupara

16.4ºC Srimangal

Source: Accuweather/UNB

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ously,” she told the Dhaka Tribune.

The ActionAid survey claimed 81% respondents said they would not approach police for help against sexual harassment in public places. As many as 65% respondents said police tended to blame women; 57% claimed police took complaints lightly; 53% said police did nothing about their complaints; while 12% said they feared further harassment by police.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police's Deputy Commissioner (media and public relations) Maruf Hossain Sarder said they take harassment complaints very seriously. “We have a Women Support and Investigation Division to deal with them,” he said.

“We take swift actions whenever we receive complaints. Our teams patrol the roads. If anyone falls victim to sexual harassment anywhere, they can approach the nearest police team,” Maruf said. l

Legal notice served to two ministers n Ashif Islam Shaon Supreme Court lawyer SM Julfiqar Ali has served legal notice to Food Minister Qamrul Islam and Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque for criticising Chief Justice SK Sinha for his reported remarks in war criminal Mir Quasem Ali's case.

Qamrul on March 5 said Jamaat leader Mir Quasem’s appeal should be reheard by a new Appellate Division bench excluding the CJ. Justice Sinha criticised the tribunal’s prosecution and investigators for failing to prove four charges against Quasem. He also flayed government for not filing a case against Quasem for appointing lobbyists against the war crimes trial process.

Qamrul, state minister for law when the tribunal was formed, thinks Justice Sinha’s remarks questioned his intention.

Minister Mozammel demanded Justice Sinha’s resignation. Other speakers who attended the discussion organised by Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee also criticised the chief justice. l Sylhet

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Fajr: 4:57am | Zohr: 12:09am Asr: 3:32pm | Magrib: 6:07pm Esha: 7:33pm Source: IslamicFinder.org

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Uprooted tree kills filmmaker Mithu Mir Quasem’s appeal n Arifur Rahman Rabbi Noted artist and national award-winning director Khalid Mahmood Mithu died yesterday afternoon after a tree fell on him while he was on his way home from office.

The incident took place around 2pm in the capital’s Dhanmondi Road 4. Khalid was on his way home from office on a rickshaw when a krishnachura tree – which stood at the edge of the footpath – fell on the rickshaw, leaving Khalid critically injured as he was crushed under the tree.

The rickshaw puller was also injured in the incident.

Locals said the nor’wester on Sunday might have loosened the roots of the tree and it suddenly fell in the afternoon the following day.

Dhanmondi police station OC Nure Alam Mia said Khalid was declared dead by doctors around 2:30pm after locals rushed him to

the nearby Gonoshasthya Nagar Hospital.

Terming it a tragic accident, the OC said that they had removed the tree from the spot and the road was clear for traffic movement.

Khalid’s family said they informed his only son Arjo Shrestho who was in London and they would discuss about burial after he reached Dhaka. Until then, Khalid’s

body will be preserved at Birdem Hospital.

Meanwhile, hearing the news, many media and cultural personalities rushed to Khalid’s residence in Dhanmondi and expressed their condolences.

Born in 1960 in Dhaka, Khalid completed his Master of Fine Arts (MFA) from Institute of Fine Arts in Dhaka University. He directed his first film “Gahine Shobdo” for which he won the National Film Award in 2010 in the best director category. Another film he directed, “Jonaki’r Alo,” also gained him popularity.

He also won Arab Bangladesh Bank Award in 2007 in the 16th National Art Exhibition organised by Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.

He is survived by wife Kanak Chanpa Chakma, who is also a noted artist, and their two children – son Arjo Shrestho and daughter Shiropa Purnais. l

verdict today n Ashif Islam Shaon The Apex court is all set today to deliver its verdict on the appeal case of war criminal Jamaat-e-Islami leader Mir Quasem Ali. Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha will lead the five-member appeal bench of Justices Syed Mahmud Hossain, Hasan Foez Siddique, Mirza Hussain Haider and Mohammad Bazlur Rahman.

The date was fixed on February 24 by the Appellate Division after it concluded hearing from both prosecution and defense.

AG Mahbubey Alam yesterday hoped Quasem’s capital punishment would be upheld.

He said the SC would deliver the verdict on the basis of statements of witnesses, evidence and documents. The politicians’ recent remarks about the trial proceedings

will not affect the verdict.

On the other hand, Quasem’s lawyer Khondokar Mahbub Hossain hoped his client would get justice.

Al-Badr commander Quasem, now a top financier of the party that opposed Bangladesh’s birth, was found guilty on 10 charges of crimes against humanity in Chittagong.

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

Their bodies were later dumped in the Karnaphuli River.

He played a key role behind the formation of al-Badr and led the atrocities at its torture camps in the city. Quasem appealed against the judgment on November 30, 2014 seeking acquittal. l

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Cabinet nods draft of Bus Rapid Transit Law Travel time from Gazipur to Dhaka to be 20 minutes

n Shohel Mamun The cabinet has approved in principle the draft of the Bus Rapid Transit Act 2016, with an aim to reduce the time it takes to travel between Dhaka and Gazipur to as little as 20 minutes.

The approval was made yesterday at the weekly cabinet meeting in secretariat with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, Cabinet Secretary Mu-

hammad Shafiul Alam said: “The law will regulate the BRT system designed to reduce traffic jam in Dhaka and Gazipur.

“Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) means a dedicated lane for bus which is to be constructed from Gazipur to Dhaka into the existing six-lane [road],” said the cabinet secretary.

The project started on November 31, 2012, to set up a dedicated bus lane with the capacity to transport 40,000 passengers per hour on

the Gazipur-Airport-Jhilmil route.

The February 2015 deadline for completing a detailed design of the bus lanes from Airport to Gazipur has not yet been met. However, the project authority has recently floated a tender for the Gazipur BRT depot.

The first phase of the 42km BRT project is to be constructed from Gazipur’s Shibbari to Dhaka airport and the second phase from Dhaka airport to Keranigonj’s Jhilmil. It would take 42 minutes for a bus to travel the

entire route and only 20 minutes to reach the airport from Gazipur.

Shafiul said: “The BRT Act 2016 proposed a provision of a Tk5,000,000 fine and a 10-year imprisonment for illegal operation of the BRT or illegal handover of operating license.

“The law also proposed 10 years of jail or Tk5,000,000 fines for selling tickets without approval by the authority; however the staff of BRT will be awarded two years of im-

prisonment and Tk50,000 fine for the violation of rules,” he added.

“The law also proposed the formation of a seven-member committee for fixing the fares from time to time with directives from the government,” the cabinet secretary said.

“The licence holders will ensure compulsory insurance for the passengers and provide compensation for death or injury by any accidents,” he added. l

MP Liton’s bail extended again n Our Correspondent, Gaibandha

Goods-laden trucks get stuck at Sonamasjid land port yesterday. Export-import activities through the port have remained suspended since Sunday as stone traders went on a strike protesting hike in the price of Indian stones AZAHAR UDDIN

Workers stage demo protesting cut in salaries n Tribune Report Workers of a shoe factory at Chittagong Export Processing Zone (CEPZ) staged demonstration for the second consecutive day yesterday, protesting a cut in increments and salary arrears.

Several thousand workers of Young International (bd) Ltd, a Koran company, took to the streets and staged demonstration by closing down the main gate of the export processing zone.

The workers went for the agitation as the factory authorities slashed the annual salary increment from 10% to 2%.

On information, law enforcers, including industrial police, rushed to the spot and took position in front of the main gate of the CEPZ. Thousands of workers could not enter into the export processing zone during the agitation.

Abul Kashem, assistant director

of Industrial Police, Chittagong said a negotiation meeting was held in the afternoon.

Talking to Dhaka Tribune, Khurshid Alam, general manager of CEPZ, said the negotiation meeting was successful.

“As many as 3,000 workers work at the shoe factory. The factory authorities agreed to fulfill their demands and the workers also agreed to join their workplaces from today. As per the decision of the meeting, the workers will receive their outstanding salary of one month on March 10. Besides, the annual increment will be given to the workers as per the labour rules,” added the general manager of the CEPZ. Harunur Rashid Hazari, CMP deputy commissioner (port), said no untoward incident took place and the aggrieved workers left the spot after they were assured of fulfilling their demands. l

A court in the district yesterday further extended interim bail of Manjurul Islam Liton, ruling party lawmaker from Gaibandha1 constituency, till pril 10, in a case for shooting a minor boy.

Executive Magistrate Hakim Mohammad Moinul Hasan Yousuf granted the extended bail, when the lawmaker appeared before the court in the afternoon.

Gaibandha court’s police Inspector AKM Enamul Karim said the court in line with the bail extension order fixed Aril 10 for the lawsuit’s next hearing.

MP Liton was enjoying bail in another case launched against him on charge of residence vandalism and looting while the case’s hearing date was fixed for December 14 as well.

JMB man indicted in double murder case at shrine in Ctg n Tribune Report Detective Branch (DB) of Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) yesterday submitted a charge sheet against a member of banned militant outfit Jama’atul Muhahideen Bangladesh in a case filed for killing a priest and his assistant slitting their throats in city’s Bayezid area.

Sub-Inspector (SI) Santosh Chakma of DB also the Investigation Officer (IO) of the double murder case submitted the charge sheet implicating JMB man Sujon alias Babu before the court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) around 12:30pm, said Assistant Commissioner (AC) of CMP (prosecution) Nirmalendu Bikash Chawakrabarty.

A religious preacher named Rahmat Ullah Amin, 55, known as Nangta (Nude) Fakir and his assistant Abdul Kader were murdered by slitting throats inside a shrine in Chittagong city’s Bayezid’s Akbar Tila area on September 4, last year.

Abdul Kader’s brother filed a case accusing unidentified persons with Bayezid police station in this connection.

Soon after filing of the case, police detained one Abdul Mannan for his alleged involvement with the killing.

Afterward, DB police had busted a den of JMB arresting five persons, including Chittagong’s JMB head of explosive wing Tawfiqul Islam alias Javed from city’s Khowajnagar area on September 6. During the drive, police also arrested Babu from the spot where police found his involvement with the Bayezid double murder.

SI Santosh Chakma said: “The JMB man Babu gave his confessional statement before the court over the Bayezid double murder case on October 7 while Babu admitted his involvement in the murder”.

Earlier, Bayezid police had investigated the murder case and later on the case was handed to the DB police. l

On November 24, the Gaibandha 1 MP sought permanent bail, but the court for the first time extended his bail.

On November 8, court granted him bail till the period of the parliament session to ensure his joining there.

On October 2, Liton allegedly shot and wounded an eight-yearold boy named Sourav at Sundarganj; the same day, Liton and his supporters allegedly vandalised a house in the upazila.

Sourav’s father filed the attempted murder case on October 2, while the victim of the looted house filed the vandalism case against MP Liton and nine others on October 7.

The lawmaker had been behind bars since October 14, when detectives arrested Liton from his sister’s house in the capital’s Uttara. l

Robber killed in Magura ‘gunfight’ n Our Correspondent, Magura A leader of a robber gang has been killed in a “gunfight” with the police in Kushundi Bridge area of Magura sadar upazila early yesterday.

The deceased is Amirul Islam Liton, 32, son of Idris Mollah, of Azampur village of the upazila.

Magura Additional Police Super Tariqul Islam said a gang of robbers were preparing to commit robbery in Kushundi Bridge area.

Acting on a tip-off, a police team from sadar police station conducted a drive there.

Sensing the presence of the police personnel, the robbers opened fire at the law enforcers forcing them to fire back. Later, police recovered Liton’s body from the spot.

Police also recovered a foreign made pistol and five rounds of bullets from the spot.

Litan was accused in several robbery cases. l

DT

8

News

TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 2016

Seed godowns in Madaripur remain uncared n Zahirul Islam Khan, Madaripur The government seed and fertiliser godowns in the district have remained in sorry state for a long time amid risk of burglary, grabbing and theft due to mismanagement and negligence of the authorities concerned.

When visited, the godowns of every union council were found abandoned.

The 62 godowns for preserving seed and fertiliser, have no boundary wall since long.

According to sources, Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) use the godowns to distribute seed of paddy, jute, different Rabi crops and vegetables to the farmers at a fixed rate.

In addition to that, different types of fertiliser are also distributed in line with the set rules. Hence, the godowns play very essential role to ensure smooth supply of agro-inputs.

Boundary walls of maximum building collapsed long back, but authorities concerned have not taken any initiative yet to erect

Dhaka-Mymensingh rail link snapped for 6 hrs n Tribune Report Train communication in the Dhaka-Mymensingh route remained suspended for six hours after a train collided with a truck at Kewatkhali rail crossing yesterday morning.

Officer-in charge of GRP Police Station Ahad Ali said Dhaka-bound passenger train ‘Bhawal-56’ hit a truck at Kewatkhali rail crossing on Dha-

ka- Mymensingh Highway around 6am.

The driver and the helper of the truck were injured in this incident.

They were sent to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital. A tailback was created in Dhaka-Mymensingh route as some trains got stuck on both side of the rail track.

The train communication resumed around 12am. l

Youth beaten to death in Chittagong n Tribune Report A youth was beaten to death with hammer allegedly by his colleague at a furniture shop at Rangunia upazila in Chittagong yesterday morning.

The deceased was identified as Md Delwar, 26, son of Md Abul Kalam, a resident of Purba Kodala village under Raykhali of Joynagar area of the upazila.

The SI told the Dhaka Tribune that a brawl was ensued

between Delwar and his colleague Iskandar over a trivial matter around 9:30am.

At one stage of altercation, Iskandar hit him with a hammer.

Sayed Nazrul Islam, an official of Rangunia Health Complex, said Delwar was left in front of the health complex unconsciously around 10am and he died after a few minutes.

Iskandar went into hiding soon after the killing. A case was filed in this connection. l

150 rare species tortoises seized in Jessore n Tribune Report Members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) seized 150 tortoises of a rare species from Mandartala area in Sadar upazila of Jessore district early yesterday.

Rab-6 sources said tipped off that some rare species tortoises were being smuggled into the country from India, a team of the elite force conducted a drive in the area and

intercepted a truck at about 12:30am.

Sensing the presence of the Rab members, the smugglers managed to flee from the scene.

Later, the Rab members recovered 150 tortoises of a rare species, stuffed in eight sacks, after searching the vehicle.

The seized tortoises were handed over to the Forest Department. A case was filed in this connection. l

new boundary.

Local people expressed frustrating views saying that untoward incident may happen any time, if the proper security is not ensured for the government godowns as soon as possible.

Locals demanded of the authority for erecting boundary wall in the surrounding area to avoid unauthorised entrance of local people into the godowns area.

Hemayet Hossain, DAE officer of the district said, quality seeds are distributed from this godown.

Despite repeated request to the

higher authorities to ensure the proper safety and protection for the godowns, they paid no heed to resolve the problem.

Hossen Bepari of Kalikapur village in Sadar upazila said the seed building was built in the British period. It was used as the union council office in Pakistan period.

Now it is on the verge of extinction, he added.

Kazi Shamsur Rahman of Puranbazr area said the godown land had been grabbed meanwhile by local musclemen and influential.

Shamsul Haque Khan of the village said the seed office should be repaired soon.

Locals use the seed office of Taltala village in Jhaudi union as toilet as it is not used more preserving seed and fertiliser, Abdul Jalil of the village.

Villger Hossen Boyati said the building might collapse anytime causing serious havoc to the people.

When contacted, DAE Deputy Director Abdur Razzak said the government had decided to repair the seed buildings soon. l

9

DT

Interview

TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 2016

Q&A: Guy Chapman Ruchira Ghosh Cambridge International Examinations and the Outstanding Learner Awards

n Adil Sakhawat What is the overall philosophy of Cambridge in its approach to education?

Our aim is to support education through a syllabus that is international in outlook, but local in relevance and which gives them the skills they need to get in to university and get on in life beyond formal education.

What students must above all take with them as they move on from school is fundamental understanding and skills, an informed curiosity and a lasting passion for learning. This approach guides all of our syllabus development.

How does Cambridge International Examinations support schools in implementing effective teaching practice?

Our comprehensive professional development programme gives teachers delivering our programmes the best preparation to help their students do well. We recognise that teaching is about developing the skills and abilities of every child, not just exam grades.

We conduct face-to-face training events in Bangladesh every year, including workshops led by Cambridge trainers. We conduct over 1200 training events every year around the world to provide teachers with the skills and knowledge they need to help their students succeed. We also offer online training courses.

We are also investing heavily in our Teacher Support site. A priority over the next two years is to make this site a single signon, one-stop shop, for teachers and school leaders. The redeveloped site will offer a range of services, including an online community and access to free and paid-for personalised content and professional development opportunities.

Additionally, we offer Cambridge Professional Development qualifications for teachers which help develop teachers’ thinking and practice, and build the knowledge and skills they need to help students succeed.

As well as getting support from Cambridge, we should not underestimate the value schools place on the support they get from one another. We are therefore planning to roll out Cambridge school communities and associations for schools in regions where we work. These

communities will provide schools with the opportunity to share best practice and support one another in the successful implementation of Cambridge programmes.

Please tell us about the growth of Cambridge International Examinations in Bangladesh.

We have seen significant growth of our programmes in Bangladesh.

More than 60 schools across the country now offer Cambridge programmes. The number of schools offering Cambridge programmes in Bangladesh has risen 10 % each year.

we use technology. In October 2016, we will introduce onscreen Cambridge Secondary 1 Checkpoint tests in English and Science for lower secondary students. The on-screen tests will be available as alternatives to the paper-based versions, and schools can choose the format that best suits their needs.

We introduced Cambridge O Level Global Perspectives for first teaching in September 2015 and the first examination will be in June 2018. This is the newest addition to our Cambridge Global Perspectives suite of

subject.

Our revised International AS & A Level syllabuses, and support materials, emphasise key concepts. They enable students to gain a greater depth as well as breadth of subject knowledge, an understanding of how subject content links to real-world research and development and a fluency when it comes to talking about their subject and how the different topics link together.

We are continuing to expand our regional teams around the world to bring us closer to schools and help us understand

PHOTO: MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Why are more schools choosing to offer international programmes for their students?

The desire to learn by looking beyond our own society is now more evident than ever, with millions of young people around the globe striving to maximise their potential through education with international characteristics.

For many, that involves gaining globally recognised qualifications, or spending time outside their home country for part of their education. The worldwide growth in international education in the first part of this century illustrates this.

What are your future plans (for Bangladesh and abroad)?

We will continue to focus on helping our schools worldwide to improve. This means continuing to revise our programmes to reflect developments in education, enhancing our professional development and developing new support services.

We are also becoming increasingly innovative in how

qualifications. This development will allow our Cambridge schools in Bangladesh to offer a skillsbased programme that encourages students to think critically and analytically about a range of global issues. It is based on the Cambridge approach to active learning. (NB. We won’t know take-up in Bangladesh until schools make entries).

We are revising our International AS & A Level syllabuses in consultation with some of the world’s leading universities – including the University of Cambridge, Harvard and MIT. This is part of our continuous review programme of Cambridge qualifications to keep them up-to-date.

They told us that what really helps students succeed at university is a firm grasp of the subject’s key concepts. These are the ideas that help to develop a deep understanding of subjects, help students make links more easily between topics and enable them to solve problems or understand new aspects of their

local needs. This expansion is driven by the increased demand for international curricula from parents and governments.

What are the challenges for education in Bangladesh?

The key challenges for the education in Bangladesh are the same for education ministries, schools and educators around the world. They include: • The shrinkage of low- and middle-skill level employment in most societies, coupled with often high demand for (and scarcity of) people who can think creatively, work collaboratively, take responsibility, handle uncertainty and challenge.

• The falling away of jobs for life, as economic change accelerates and employment structures are liberalized, and the growing risk that the specific skills and knowledge taken from full-time education will not last for a (lengthening) working life.

• The rise of digital technology, in at least two important senses:

the requirement for high levels of digital competence in a wide range of occupations; and the disruption/enrichment of traditional models of learning and assessment.

• 21st century globalization, in which an increasing number of us compete for our jobs with people in other countries, work across borders, and struggle with problems that no country in isolation can solve.

How is Cambridge helping schools to tackle these challenges?

Our experience at Cambridge, working with schools in 160 countries, suggests that in tackling these challenges, we should beware of simplistic, “one-sizefits-all” solutions, but also take heed of some sound common principles.

Excellent education is based on excellent teachers: a successful education develops the skills and abilities of each child. Every child is different, and learns differently from other children, even those at a similar attainment level. Only skilled teachers, attentive to the progress and difficulties of every child, and able to adapt their teaching plans and classroom practice, can deliver success.

Education does not start with exams: it is important to assess what is learnt, and for reasons of social equity it is hard, perhaps impossible, to avoid the use of exams as an instrument of formal assessment. But clearly learning, not exams and tests, is the purpose of education.

Examinations should be designed to encourage, recognise and reward desired learning. They should not be regarded as an end in themselves.

A well designed curriculum should develop skills for life: We all know from experience that much of the knowledge and technique we were required to demonstrate in school examinations does not remain important to us throughout life.

Conversely we have to learn much that is necessary and useful to us after we leave formal education. So education needs to give greater emphasis to the acquisition of transferable skills and learning skills, alongside core knowledge. The school curriculum should place great weight on the development of higher order thinking skills, which better prepare young people for the analytical challenges they will face in life. l

DT

10

Feature

TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 2016

Talking sexual

SNV programme aims to break taboo regarding sexual health among the youth

n Syeda Samira Sadeque Sex and reproductive health, or just women’s health in general, is often talked about in whispers and muted voices in our society.

But with increasing access to information in this era of the Internet, things are changing.

Last month, SNV Netherlands Development Organisation released a video named “Decoding SRHR” (Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights), exploring university students’ awareness of

the taboo surrounding sexual and reproductive health.

“Every youth has a world of questions, and while this generation has access to the Internet, they often get misled by incorrect, misleading information,” says Farhtheeba Rahat Khan, who leads SNV’s project Working With Women.

“They don’t have a proper guidance to inform what’s wrong and right.”

This awareness seems to exist among the youth. “Basically,

if you’re not being educated about this issue by someone legitimate, then you’re going to get enlightened by wrong sources,” one of the students said in the video.

“We need to break the silence.

We need to ensure proper environment for them to ask questions. When the environment is right, they will ask,” added Farhtheeba. “The silence must be broken, so that the right people can ask questions to the right people, and have access to the right information.”

The four-minute long video featured students as well as professors at a seminar organised by SNV at North South University (NSU) in January. The event was hosted to break the taboo surrounding sexual and reproductive health.

The seminar, where Dr Shuchi Karim and Dr Nazneen Akhter presented keynote papers, aimed to break the taboo of open conversations of sex – and it already seems to be working.

“We should not be ashamed of this issue,” said one of the students. “This way, we can

overcome the challenges we are facing regarding SRHR.” “We should raise our awareness about this issue from a point of personal willingness, and not just through seminars,” opined another.

Mushfiqua Zaman Satiar, advisor, SRHR and Gender at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, along with Professor Dr Gour Gobinda Goswami, vice chancellor (in-charge) at NSU, and Professor Dr GU Ahsan, dean, School of Health and Life Sciences of NSU, were also present in the seminar.

The video, which was released for the World SRHR Day in early February, is relevant today as numerous programmes across the country have been organised to mark International Women’s Day. There are various issues surrounding women’s struggles, successes, health, empowerment - and sexual and reproductive health should been regarded as of equal importance.

Often, women are more shy to discuss these issues, that too in a public setting. The number of women who spoke in the video

against the number of men is testament to how much more of a tabooed issue it is for women than for men.

“If you see the crowd that came for the event, less than 30% were female,” says Farhtheeba. “Women are still silenced and need access to information and service points.

There should be gender-parity and a female-friendly environment created so girls and women can have access to right information, by the right people, at the right time.” l

PHOTO: BIGSTOCK

Four questions with Nazia Andaleeb Preema The Women In Leadership president talks plans and the future

n Baizid Haque Joarder Tell us a bit about the “Inspiring Women Award.”

I believe that people need to be made aware about the women from this subcontinent. Not only globally, but also in Bangladesh.

As an artist, I portray the problems and issues plaguing women in my paintings. But we need to tell the rest of the society about inspirational women and their stories of how they became empowered. That is why we began this initiative under our organisation, Women in Leadership two years ago. It has a few branches and one of them is the Inspiring Woman award. The first time we launched this award in 2014 was because we wished to inspire and award successful and inspiring women from major fields. We are trying to include as many sectors as possible.

Last time, we included women from Joyeeta, a government organisation that applauds and helps women entrepreneurs. I think this recognition is required not only to acknowledge their

contribution, but also to inspire other women in the society and allow them to be empowered.

What is the criteria for the award?

What really matters is excelling in a particular field and making your mark.

There are a lot of categories that we’ve broken this down to.

We can’t say that we’ve covered the whole country but we did as much as we could. Women with inspirational stories of their own are nominated in each category from which, a jury decides on the winners. In my opinion, everyone who is nominated is a winner but since we need to choose one, we award a woman who acts as the ultimate role model for that particular field.

We will also be sharing these inspiring stories at the event today and we believe that the stories have the ability to make a difference.

What are your goals for the future?

The primary agenda is to inspire people and the society. I think

more and more initiatives are being taken up to support women. We need more and better organisations to help support women.

Our organisation intends to mentor mid level women employees by high level employees which would allow them to gain important skills which in turn, would help them to achieve their goals.

We’ll also be unveiling the first issue of a Bi-monthly publication from Women In Leadership at today’s event, which will showcase all such inspirational stories of women who are flourishing in their respective sectors.

Women are taking up leadership posts in many fields, as the president of WIL, where do you want to see Bangladeshi women in the next ten years?

On one hand, there are a lot of women in influential positions, on the other, there are many more who aren’t. The gap between them is huge. Women are succeeding in most fields, and we really need to tap into this to fully realise

the true potential of a woman.

I believe that the number of successful women should be greater than what it is at right now.

And in order to achieve that, we need to bring forth, the potential

for women who are flourishing despite the struggles. With a combined effort, we need to give all women that final push and bring out the best in them. l

PHOTO: COURTESY

11

TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 2016

| award |

| recognition |

| celebration |

CIE awards the outstanding

Nando’s awards Simanta

BDS celebrates oral health

Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) is one of the the world’s renowned providers of international education programmes and qualifications in association with the British Council Bangladesh. Recently, they announced the winners of the Outstanding Cambridge Learner Awards, Bangladesh in the capital.

The awards celebrated outstanding academic achievements of secondary school learners in Bangladesh in the November 2014 and June 2015 Cambridge examination series. Recipients from different categories were all presented with certificates.

Professor AKM Saiful Majid, director of the Institute of Business Administration of the University of Dhaka, was the chief guest. Other esteemed guests at the event included Alison Blake, British high commissioner to Bangladesh; Barbara Wickham, country director of British Council Bangladesh; Guy Chapman, deputy director, International Network, Cambridge International Education; Ruchira Ghosh, regional director of South Asia, CIE and Martin Lowder, head of Client Relations of British Council.

The welcome speech at the event was delivered by Barbara Wickham. Alison Blake, AKM Saiful Majid, and Guy Chapman also expressed their appreciation and views through their respective speeches.

“I have high expectations for the achievers and for the country, and very sincerely appreciate British Council and CIE for encouraging and acknowledging the efforts of the high achievers,” said AKM Saiful Majid.

Guy Chapman added, “It is a proud moment for us to celebrate our outstanding learners from across Bangladesh.

Our programmes are designed

to prepare students with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in education and career. Hence, I am delighted to recognise so many great achievements today.”

Ruchira Ghosh also elaborated on the occasion saying, “Events like this one are very important for Cambridge because students are at the heart of everything we do. We also recognise that effective teaching is key to student success and are pleased that Cambridge teachers in Bangladesh are increasingly engaged with the professional development opportunities we offer to help improve their teaching practice.”

“I am so happy to be able to attend the Cambridge Outstanding Learner Awards for the first time in Bangladesh and to congratulate the students, parents and teachers face to face,” concluded Martin Lowder.

61 learners from 20 schools celebrated their exceptional performance in Cambridge examinations at the event. This year, 22 Cambridge learners achieved the highest marks in the world in Cambridge International AS, A Level and O Level subjects. In total, 29 learners attained the highest marks in Bangladesh in a single subject. These students excelled in a diverse range of subjects including mathematics, chemistry and economics.

The awards also celebrated the achievements of those learners who have been recognised for their high achievement based on outstanding performance in subjects not widely taken in the country, and also for learners who have achieved the total highest cumulative marks across multiple subjects.

The recipients stood out amongst thousands of candidates worldwide. l

Mabia Akhter Simanta has captured tremendous attention for her astounding performance at the South Asian Games 2016, bringing home the Games’ first gold medal in the women weightlifting category. Moreover, her tears of joy and show of patriotism during the Bangladesh National Anthem at the presentation ceremony touched the hearts of millions.

Nando’s, an international food chain in Bangladesh brought

by MGH Restaurants Private Limited (MRPL), honoured her achievement by presenting her a crest and appreciation certificate on March 7 at their Gulshan 1 outlet in view of the International Women’s Day 2016.

The program was attended by Mabia Akhter Simanta herself, Mohith-ul Bari, associate director of MRPL and other Nando’s officials. Nando’s believes that women like Mabia stand as a role model for all others not only in Bangladesh but around the globe.

Her achievement and dedication represents the capability of all women to equally participate in all forms of work, which are usually male dominated. l

DT

Biz Info

Bangladesh Dental Society (BDS), along with Unilever Bangladesh’s oral care brand Pepsodent, celebrated the World Dentist Day 2016 with various activities on March 6 at the International Convention City, Bashundhara. More than 2,000 dentists from all over the country attended the programme. Rallies, raffle draws and cultural programs were also part of this day-long celebration. l

| contribution |

The Radhuni three

| compliment |

Radisson’s tribute Embracing International Women’s Day this March, Radisson Blu Dhaka Water Garden salutes all women for their contribution the to society as a whole. The international five-star hotel aims to shower gifts and pamper female guests with complimentary services and slashed off rates on numerous deals to make them feel as special as they are. The occasion will be themed in the royal shade of purple, representing stability and fierce energy, both associated with the essence of womanhood.

Female guests will be entitled to enjoy a 25% discount in all F&B outlets, a three course menu at Sublime starting at an exclusive price of Tk2,200, a buy-two-getone-free offer for any food item purchased at ChitChat and a buy-one-get-one-free offer at Spa ESC. l

Three exceptional women have been awarded the Radhuni Kirtimoti Shommanona award for 2015 for their outstanding contributions in their individual fields of work. The award ceremony took place on March 4, just before International Women’s Day, at the Grand Ballroom of Dhaka’s Le Meridien Hotel. Square Food and Beverage Limited has been awarding exceptional contribution by women in the fields of journalism, social welfare and entrepreneurship through Radhuni Kirtimoti Shommanona for over a decade.

The United Nations announced this year’s message

on International Women’s Day as the “Pledge for Parity.”

Based on that message, vice chairperson of Square Group, Ratna Patra, delivered a welcome speech at the beginning of the ceremony. She expressed hope that the achievements of today’s three winners will inspire many other capable women in future. The special guests at the ceremony including editor of The Daily Samakal, Golam Sarwar, executive director of NGO Banchte Shekha, Angela Gomes and managing director of Mohammadi Group, Rubana Huq also delivered thoughtprovoking speeches. l

DT

Editorial

12

TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 2016

INSIDE

‘Your dream evolves as you move forward, so start acting on it’ Women are like earth. They are like soil.

They have multiple strengths like our soil. They are adaptive to circumstances more than anyone. At the same time, women can be fiery as well PAGE 12

Is the city safe for women?

It is our responsibility to make our city safe for women, because if half of the population of Bangladesh suffers from a lack of safety, the country simply cannot move forward PAGE 13

Mum’s the word There is a popular saying in Bangla: ‘Nari mayer jaat,’ which means women are in the end mothers. The underlying belief is that she is someone docile who will not defy authority, no matter how repressive it is 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.

BIGSTOCK

Make equal rights an everyday reality

W

omen all over the world are still far from being equally represented across workplaces and public life.

This year’s International Women’s Day rightly highlights the global need to accelerate gender parity.

For Bangladesh, it is a reminder that there is still a long way to go to root out discrimination against women and ensure equality of opportunity.

While there is much to celebrate in the growing number of women holding senior positions across business and society, including the highest political positions in the land, collectively women are still held back from fulfilling their true potential.

Although there are positive signs of rising consciousness about the harm done by early marriage and violence against women, this is not enough to bring equal opportunity.

Examples abound across society of barriers to equality, both in the form of overt discrimination and ingrained societal attitudes, preventing women from closing the gender gap that prevails in most workplaces.

Supporting equality needs to be a year round practice, not an annual aspiration if the big picture is to change.

This is especially important because women’s empowerment has been key to underpinning recent successes in improving equal access to education and delivering healthcare improvements.

Attitudes and aspirations must change if we are to make it the norm for women to be equally represented across all aspects of society and ensure equal opportunity for all.

The government must do more to raise expectations by reforming discriminatory laws and encouraging women’s participation and leadership across all spheres of education, employment, and public life.

Everyone will benefit if we can prevent women’s skills and talents from being held back.

Change attitudes and raise expectations to ensure women are equally represented in all aspects of society

13

DT

Interview

TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 2016

‘Your dream evolves as you move forward, so start acting on it’ Samira Zuberi Himika, founder of Team Engine Ltd, talks about the unique challenges for women in entrepreneurship both inside and out.

What is the prime strength of a woman?

Women are like earth. They are like soil. They have multiple strengths like our soil. They are adaptive to circumstances more than anyone. At the same time, women can be fiery as well.

How did you dream growing up would be like when you were a kid?

Has it been any different?

By the grace of the Almighty, I have had a very blessed childhood.

I have travelled so much with my family, unlike my friends.

But I wasn’t very ambitious or sharp in my studies till the eighth grade. Music has been my only interest, and my parents were sure that I wouldn’t be able to do anything else. I have been wellgroomed to be a singer, but while pursuing my honours in media communication, I developed a fascination for social and communication-based work.

I am a late bloomer, and I grew up in every stage of life according to circumstances. I am still

If you have a dream, start chasing it without wasting time, says the founder of Team Engine Ltd

n Armin Zaman Khan

T

he multi-talented Samira Zuberi Himika is an entrepreneur, development professional, communications specialist, campaigner, art promoter, product designer, and singer -- the list can go on.

The dreamer and founder of Team Engine Ltd had an exhilarating journey to success, for which she is worth all the admiration from the entire community, especially women. A woman so strong and persistent can be very mild and sensitive from the inside -- that is what we discovered after a rendezvous with the lady herself.

What motivates you to do what you have been doing for so long?

As an entrepreneur, it has only been five years of my life, so it hasn’t been so long, but these are the outcomes of some things that I have been involved in for a long time. I think I understand the DNA of it, and I feel very happy and compassionate about the work that I do.

It gives me fulfillment when I

see some of my work contributing to making positive impacts on a lot of people.

I have tried to learn new things in every phase of my life, and have always strived to improve my skills. That need for selfsatisfaction and that urge to justify my existence in this world to help others have been the driving strength of my life.

Who do you look up to in life? Who is your biggest inspiration?

I have met all kinds of people throughout my life. Everyone has a good side worth admiring, and I even like to take the very best in the worst.

I feel blessed to have met wonderful people who have mostly shown me their goodness and inspired me all the way.

My team of exceptionally hardworking fellows inspires me the most. I might appear to be extroverted, but I am very selective about choosing friends, and extremely sensitive about my feelings. Anybody I meet with whom I can relate to myself inspire me as well.

How difficult or easy has it been

Women are like earth. They are like soil. They have multiple strengths like our soil. They are adaptive to circumstances more than anyone. At the same time, women can be fiery as well

being a woman?

I believe it is my responsibility to stand out as a human being, so that no one can tie me down with the limitations of being a woman.

It wasn’t very difficult earlier, but now that I am in a leadership position, lots of people are not able to digest this fact.

It is hard to be a female leader without being called bossy, but I am trying my best to prove them wrong. We should never allow anybody to judge us as women, but rather as individual human beings. I specialise in communication, so I have adapted the quality to be able to blend in with every kind of people.

Whenever I feel that someone is judging or underestimating me as a woman, I ensure my

stance to prove my strength as a human being first. You can always ignore the people who try to pull you down, otherwise, deal with them with lots of patience, and eventually they’ll recognise you for what you are worth. I think one can earn how he or she wants to be perceived. I have been earning it.

What does beauty mean to you?

What makes you feel beautiful?

Beauty is all about being natural.

Beauty is skin deep, but I believe that having a good heart makes a person even more beautiful.

We do lots of things just to be appreciated by others, but I believe in being satisfied with myself. Whenever I feel confident and happy, not doing anything wrong, that’s when I feel beautiful,

growing and learning.

Any tips for women with big dreams?

Yes, I would definitely suggest all of them to stop dreaming, buckle up, and chase it right away without wasting their time.

Your dreams evolve as you move forward, so start acting on it as soon as you feel ready. Your aims and dreams can be of any dimension, but it will only be achieved if you are passionate and determined about it. l Armin Zaman Khan is the Founder of BookmyLook (formerly Zappyup.com), a premier online destination for booking, rating, reviewing, and recommending beauty and wellness professionals in Dhaka.

DT

14

Opinion

TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 2016

Is the city safe for women?

Women face a tremendous amount of harassment in Dhaka every day. We need to make it stop

Let’s make the streets safe for everyone

Majid and n Tamanna Nisha Chakma

D

haka city. Every day there are many people on the road, rushing to work. Not only men, but also women are working in the city, and most of them use public transport. But is public transport safe for them? Is the city itself safe for women?

Public transport is one of the biggest problems for women. Rush hour in Dhaka takes place over two time slots -- one is in the morning from 8-10am, when people rush to attend office/school and another is 5-8 pm, when regular office hour ends. Travel during rush hour is a dreadful experience for most people, but for working women, it is a more daunting experience.

Public transport system is in a dire state. And for women, the system is even more horrible because during rush hour, people try to get on the bus by any means necessary. Often, there are no queues or discipline, which makes getting on the bus even tougher for women.

There are nine seats in every bus which are reserved for female passengers, but it has become a matter of joke. Most of the time, women face problems to get those seats because the reserved seats are often occupied by male

BIGSTOCK

passengers. When a woman requests the men to vacate the seat, she is often subjected to harassment.

Though BRTC (Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation) has “women only” buses in the city, the buses are very few in number compared to the working women in the city. In addition, these buses do not maintain a fixed time schedule or a permanent route.

The public transport system in Dhaka is not women-friendly.

Harassment and humiliation have become the norm.

After dusk, the city becomes extremely dangerous for working women. Several months ago, two women were gang-raped in a running micro-bus in Uttara.

The victims went to the police and filed cases, and fortunately, the culprits were finally arrested.

But in most cases, such victims don’t have the courage to go to the police.

There are also serious problems regarding security when it comes to using public toilets. There are no usable and secure public toilets for women in the city. Though the new mayors of the city promised to improve the situation, there have not been any significant changes in this regard.

Not only in everyday life, but the general situation has worsened for women even in festivals and

It is our responsibility to make our city safe for women, because if half of the population of Bangladesh suffers from a lack of safety, the country simply cannot move forward

public gatherings. How can we forget how several women were harassed in Dhaka University’s TSC on Pohela Boishakh last year?

Even after so many months, the police have failed to make any headway to detain and arrest the offenders of the said incident, even though the IGP of police told the media that they have the CCTV footage of the incident, and were able to identify some of the offenders.

Several student organisations protested against the offenders and demanded immediate justice, but police remained inactive and did not probe and investigate the matter further.

Even at the scene of the incident, other students helped the victims, while members of the police force stood dormant. Police should do their jobs by being more active and ensuring security for women in public places.

Several months ago, a biker gang in Motijheel AGB colony killed a woman. A government employee was the victim.

Police arrested the main culprit, though the family of the dead woman said that they had been threatened so that they would withdraw the complaint.

If criminals and offenders always get bail or remain free after committing heinous crimes, then no one can stop them. They will commit more crimes, and they will become more violent.

It is the duty of law enforcement agencies to arrest and detain such miscreants. It is also the responsibility of the public to protest against the criminals and ensure safety of women everywhere in the country.

In such situations, we should increase public awareness. A social movement can bring about an effective change. The number

of police officers is inadequate compared to the size of our population. There is corruption.

Most criminals commit crimes with some kind of protection.

It is extremely regrettable that our society does not support the liberty of women, and so working women face harassment on roads every day.

If we acknowledge the severity of the general situation for women, cases of harassment will decrease in number.

It is our responsibility to make our city safe for women, because if half of the population of Bangladesh suffers from a lack of safety, the country simply cannot move forward. l Tamanna Majid is a Senior Research Assistant at James P Grant School of Public Health (JPGSPH) at BRAC University. Nisha Chakma is a teacher at Monasa Learning Limited.

DT

15

Opinion

TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 2016

Mum’s the word Women are mothers, but they are also a lot more

n Habiba Nowrose

A

rcheologist Joseph Szombathy found a female figurine while excavating near the town of Willendorf in Austria. This figurine is an important icon of prehistoric times.

The statue has enlarged breasts and a stomach, and a greatly emphasised pubic area. Seeing this resemblance with pregnant woman, and as it is carved in limestone, dyed with red ochre pigment, researchers hypothesised that this statue might have been a symbol of fertility.

The nomadic society may have used it in their rituals. The red ochre pigment covering it is thought to symbolise the menstrual blood seen as a life-giving agent.

It has also been thought that the nomadic man used it as a good luck charm and carried it with him when they went hunting. The seven circles of braids on the faceless head of the statue is the source of this assumption.

It is also assumed that this figurine not only reminded them of their female mates, but its facelessness also portrayed mystical powers of a female goddess.

Many researchers and anthropologists believe that in prehistoric times, societies were matrilineal, where the authority

that women’s ability to give birth reminded men of their own life, and eventual end.

Theorist Mary O’Brien believes that it is men’s psychological need to compensate for their inability to bear children which made them construct institution of dominance. Family is one such institution of dominance.

Family is the founding unit of society and state. Not only does it maintain legitimate heir and protect private property, but also it teaches humans the lessons of patriarchal state. No matter how many wives there are, the father remains one, according to the laws of patriarchy.

The supreme authority a father has over every member and every object goes with monotheism.

Through learning to fear the father, we learn to fear personality cults, authority, and we learn to submit ourselves in front of authoritarian figures even if it is exploitative and repressive.

Children learn from family that women are to submit and men are to dominate, and if anyone disobeys they can be punished with violence.

There is a void in the concept of a modern day happy family -- and motherhood too. Though motherhood once was respected and came with authority and power for women, patriarchy has successfully learned to bend

Despite how beautiful motherhood may seem, the reality is bittersweet

There is a popular saying in Bangla: ‘Nari mayer jaat,’ which means women are in the end mothers. The underlying belief is that she is someone docile who will not defy authority, no matter how repressive it is. It is not a matter of surprise that the working sector which has the least pay and worst working conditions tend to have the highest number of female workers

of family and tribe was in the hands of women. Before modern testing, the enlarged stomach of a pregnant woman was the only way of knowing who was responsible for giving birth.

Motherhood, thus, was seen as a symbol of power, honour, and something holy. Many feminist theorists believe men feared women’s ability to give birth. It was a mystical power to them.

Even after their role in giving birth was discovered, they felt the need to institutionalise violence in order to declare their own supremacy. Researchers believe

motherhood for its own purpose.

Throughout a girl’s life, she is reminded that she is to become a mother one day, and only because of this, she is valuable. As if she lacks worth on her own, she lacks value as a full grown person.

This philosophy of motherhood and family curtails the value of everything she does. Unless she is a mother, unless she is a married woman with a family, everything is futile, no matter how many glorious achievements she has. The restrictive nature of motherhood does not stop only at the individual level. So deep-seated is this be-

lief of motherhood, that I believe it has become the underlying philosophy legitimising unequal pay and exploitative working conditions.

The very moment we use the word mother, we imagine a woman who does not have something as dirty as sexuality.

A mother is someone who is pure, who is ready to accept the torturous monotony of child-bearing and rearing, and repetitive, back-breaking housework. She is someone meek, gentle, and kind enough to bear with every kind of exploitation in the name of motherly love, even

outside the family.

There is a popular saying in Bangla: “Nari mayer jaat,” which means women are in the end mothers. The underlying belief is that she is someone docile who will not defy authority, no matter how repressive it is.

It is not a matter of surprise that the working sector, which has the least pay and worst working conditions, tend to have the highest number of female workers. It is a matter of utter shock that a mother would kill her own children, but no one cares to explore the exploitative nature of child-rearing.

Motherhood takes more from women than it gives. The honour of motherhood does not make her equal to men. It does not give her equal rights to property, it does not give her equal pay, equal opportunity to work with men, and be recognised as an equal citizen in the eyes of the law.

It curtails her mobility, takes away crucial time from the path of developing her potential to the fullest sense. It alienates her from the rest of the world, keeping her confined within the four walls of

BIGSTOCK

a home along with the children.

She is alienated from other women who experience the same kind of exploitation she does.

In most cases, motherhood works as an impediment to organising against institutionalised violence and exploitation against women. Only a few days ago, a mother in Dhaka city threw away her own child fearing social stigma. The child was born outside wedlock as a result of rape. One of the newspapers reported that she was in trauma.

It is also indeed one kind of motherhood. If motherhood is the highest form of women’s achievement as patriarchal society says, then why not embrace that motherhood which comes through rape?

Are we ready to accept the motherhood of the woman who killed her own children? There are cracks in the mask of docile, domesticated motherhood. Are we ready to accept what is being unveiled? l Habiba Nowrose is a professional photographer.

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16

Bangla Tribune Opinion Poll

TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 2016

Do you play a role in the economic decision making in the family?

60 50

52.79%

Do you feel qualified enough to join any profession?

80 70

63.50%

60

40

50

30

23.29%

20

40

21.13%

30 20

10 0

2.79% Yes

No

Sometimes

Not applicable

18.52%

No

Not applicable

10 0

Yes

Have you made an independent career choice?

Do you have a say in your children's upbringing?

50

17.98%

40

49.54%

35

40

37.92%

31.69%

25.83%

30

28.56%

30

25 20

20

10.50%

10

15

11.40%

10

4.56%

5 0

Yes

No

Sometimes

Not applicable

0

40

43.38%

35

40

30

30

24.52%

26.79%

31.31%

28.50%

5.31% Yes

No

Sometimes

Not applicable

10

1.88%

5 0

Yes

No

Sometimes

Not applicable

Did you decide when to take children?

Do you spend your own money independently?

50

60.90%

49.02%

40

50

33.06%

30

40

17.92%

20

30 20

11.79%

10 0

38.31%

20

80

60

Not applicable

15

10

70

Sometimes

25

20

0

No

Are you free to move as you like?

Can you spend the family's money independently?

50

Yes

Yes

No

15.35% Sometimes

11.96% Not applicable

10

0

Yes

No

Not applicable

Was getting married your own decision?

40

40.42%

40

30

TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 2016

Have you ever been a victim of mental abuse?

50

29.96%

29.63%

32.98%

35

37.38%

28.13%

30 25 20

20

15 10

10

1.52%

5 0

Yes

No

Not applicable

0

Yes

35 30

29.69%

35.19%

35.13%

37.17%

40 30

15

20

10

4.81%

10

5

Yes

No

Not applicable

0

Yes

66.35%

60 50

40

40

23.29%

30 20 10

Yes

10.35%

20

Not applicable

0

No

23.19% 10.94%

10

Yes

No

Sometimes

0.54%

Not applicable

Do you consider yourself to be happy overall?

62.98%

80 70

60

71.35%

60

50

50

34.08%

40

30

22.90%

30

20

20

2.94%

10 0

65.33%

30

Have you ever been a victim of physical abuse?

70

40

Not applicable

70

50

0

No

Has your family supported you in dealing with problems?

Did you pick your discipline by yourself?

60

Not applicable

58.02%

60

20

70

Sometimes

50

25

0

No

Do you think there has been sufficient social and economic development for women?

Did you marry the man you like?

40

Yes

No

Not applicable

5.75%

10 0

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17

on Women Empowerment

Yes

No

Not applicable

DT

18 Business

TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 2016

NBR plans to award young, female, professional taxpayers n Syed Samiul Basher Anik The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has undertaken a fresh move to recognise taxpayers under three more new categories for their outstanding contribution to the government exchequer.

The new categories will include-young, female and other taxpayers (mainly professionals).

As per the plan, a total of 303 taxpayers, consisting of 101 taxpayers from each categories, will be recognised to encourage more people to pay tax which will help widen the overall tax net and ensure increased revenue collection, said officials concerned.

The NBR has come up with the latest move as it found that the contribution of young and female taxpayers is on the rise but still they are being deprived of getting any recognition from the state.

The country’s revenue authorities mostly award heavy weight taxpayers, mostly businesses, considering the volume of payments.

In addition, professionals like doctors, lawyers, teachers, chartered accountants, engineers are also contributing to the government exchequer though they have apparently failed to secure their

NBR currently awards prestigious tax cards to highest taxpayers DHAKA TRIBUNE positions in the list of prestigious tax card winners as given by National Board of Revenue (NBR).

The taxpayers under the three new categories will be awarded on the basis of their income tax statement and tax payment figure as paid in the latest fiscal year once the NBR move comes into effect.

Taxpayers from the three categories are now normally obtaining e-TINs and paying tax as the government has made it mandatory for having an e-TIN for obtaining a number of services including registration and fitness renewal of vehicles, opening letters of credits, getting loans and credit cards, ISD telephone line and application for

utility services including gas and electricity connection, said NBR officials.

Currently, the NBR awards prestigious tax cards to top 20 entrepreneurs, 10 each from individual taxpayers and companies, for paying the highest income tax at the national level. The tax cards are awarded in line with the National Tax Card Policy 2010.

The cardholders enjoy privileges to attend the state programme and get priority in using vehicles while their family members also get priority in medical services.

In addition, the NBR now also award the three highest and two long time taxpayers from each city

corporations and districts for their contribution to previous fiscal year.

The revenue authorities will amend the existing policy for awarding the top taxpayers by including the three categories as best taxpayers, officials added.

The apex trade body Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry has been requesting the NBR to amend the existing policy as it deprives many highest taxpayers due to its limitations.

Placing its proposal, FBCCI has also requested NBR to award highest taxpayers dividing them into seven categories for proper distribution of the awards. The categories are- individual, corporate, entrepreneurs, female entrepreneurs, disabled, senior citizens and service sector professionals.

In this regard, NBR Chairman Md Nojibur Rahman said: “National and district wise tax cards deprive many actual highest taxpayers.”

“People want to pay tax and we are working for ensuring congenial tax payment atmosphere for them.

As women and youth consist of a large portion of the country, we want to recognise their contribution,” he added. l

Japan central bank to cut Stocks end flat in volatility next fiscal year’s growth n Tribune Report

n Reuters, Tokyo The Bank of Japan (BOJ) is expected to cut next fiscal year’s economic and price forecasts at a quarterly review in April, sources say, reflecting growing gloom in the bank after its most recent stimulus measures fell on stony ground.

Downgrading its forecasts could heighten pressure for additional easing measures, though there is waning confidence that monetary policy is providing an effective boost to the economy.

The BOJ’s decision to adopt negative interest rates in January failed to boost stock prices or arrest an unwelcome rise in the yen, and the economy remains stagnant despite nearly three years of its pumping between 60 and 80tn yen ($530700bn) annually into the economy. l

Stocks continued to end flat amid extreme volatile trade yesterday, as late selling pressure cut early gains.

The market moved between red and green zones the whole day, but finally it closed flat with a lower volume of trade.

The benchmark index DSEX inched 8 points or 0.2% higher to close at 4,443, after hitting highest 4,452 in the morning and lowest 4,436 in the final session.

The Shariah index DSES edged over 1 point lower to 1,077. The blue chip comprising index DS30 continued to witness a fractional fall of 0.5 points to 1,703.

The Chittagong Stock Exchange Selective Category Index CSCX shed 14 points to 8,305.

Lacklustre trading activities continued as the DSE turnover was hovering around Tk300 crore over the last two sessions due to bout of selling pressure for redemption of two mutual funds.

Telecommunications sector was the worst loser declining 0.7%, led by the sector’s lone-listed company, heavyweight Grameenphone.

Engineering sector was the best performer, surging more than 3%, driven by BSRM Limited and BSRM Steel, which

rallied on the day after heavy price correction in previous session due to price adjustment with dividend.

Most other sectors, including food & allied, pharmaceuticals, banks, power, textile, cement and non-banking financial institutions closed flat.

Lacklustre trading activities continued as the DSE turnover was hovering around Tk300 crore over the last two sessions The gainers, dominated by mainly low cap issues, took a strong lead over the losers as out of 316 issues traded, 143 closed positive, 111 negative and 62 remained unchnged.

BSRM Limited continued to become the top-traded stocks with a turnover worth Tk18.6 crore.

It was followed by Orion Pharmaceuticals, Quasem Drycells, Lanka Bangla Finance, Malek Spin-ning and CMC Kamal. l

Biman’s outgoing board sits today n Ishtiaq Husain Biman Bangladesh Airlines has convened a meeting of board of directors today though the civil aviation ministry dissolved the board led by Chairman Jamal Uddin Ahmed three months ago.

As the court ordered the authorities to hold annual general meeting by March and as the country’s law requires a company to hold a board meeting before AGM, there was no alternative to calling the meeting, said Biman Acting CEO M Asaduzzaman.

The board meeting today will set a date for AGM, which, official sources said, could be later this month. All pending decisions are also expected to be settled at the meeting.

Asaduzzaman said the ministry dissolved the board “due to its failure in holding AGM in time,” and a new board would be formed after the upcoming AGM. Officials said the board crisis had just added to the woes of long-struggling national flag carrier. They said the process of making a number of major decisions halted because of the situation.

The airlines had to stop the preparation to start scheduled operation in five routes which included Dhaka-Delhi, Dhaka-Hong Kong, Dhaka-Colombo, Dhaka-Male and Dhaka-Guangzhou.

At a meeting on 27 December last year, the board decided to resume flights to Delhi in February and to Hong Kong in April, and to commence operation in the three new routes in April.

The meeting said the working papers on launching operation in Guangzhou, Colombo and Male routes were ready while preparation of business case to resume Delhi and Hong Kong routes was near to completion.

Although Biman was supposed to start sales at least two months before commencement of operation, lack of decision hampered the work. l

Capital market snapshot: Monday DSE Broad Index

4,435.5

-0.8% ▼

Index

1,078.9

-0.7% ▼

30 Index

1,703.8

-0.9% ▼

Turnover in Mn Tk

3,002.0 -10.9% ▼

Turnover in Mn Vol

82.9 -10.6% ▼

CSE All Share Index 13,693.4

-0.6% ▼

30 Index

-0.7% ▼

Selected Index

12,407.7 8,320.6

-0.6% ▼

Turnover in Mn Tk

332.7

47.6% ▲

Turnover in Mn Vol

10.4

39.9% ▲

DT

19

Business

TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 2016

BIS: Faith in central banks’ healing powers faltering n Reuters, London Financial markets’ shaky start to the year shows they are losing faith in the “healing powers” of central banks, the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) said on Sunday while voicing concerns over sub-zero interest rates and emerging economies.

The Swiss-based organization, which fosters cooperation between central banks in the pursuit of monetary and financial stability, said that recent worries over Chi-

na’s economy, oil and commodity prices and some European banks had come as fundamental shifts take place in the global economy.

International bank-to-bank lending is contracting for the first time in two years, the use of dollar-denominated debt to drive growth in emerging markets has ground to a halt on a strengthening of the currency that has also served to send US companies rushing to borrow in euros.

At the same time, world growth remains subdued, overall debt con-

CORPORATE NEWS

Edison Group, the parent company of Symphony, recently holds its annual conference in Dhaka. The group’s chairperson, Aminur Rashid and managing director, Jakaria Shahid inaugurated the event

Premier Hotels and Resorts Ltd recently sign an agreement with Heidelberg Cement Bangladesh Ltd (HBCL) on using its cement brand, Scan Cement for construction of its prime project, Hotel Hilton in Dhaka.

HCBL director Syed Abu Abed Saher and Premier Hotels MD Moin Iqbal recently inked the deal on behalf of their respective sides

Bangladesh Export Processing Zone Authority member Abdul Halim Molla and Hoi Bun Fashions Ltd director Waseem Siddiqui recently sign an agreement to set up a readymade garment manufacturing plant of Hong Kong-based Must Group in Ishwardi EPZ with an investment of $30m

Arif Khan has been appointed as new CEO and managing director of IDLC Finance Limited as on March 1st, said a press release. Khan has played a vital role in development of capital market as a commissioner of Bangladesh Securities & Exchange Commission (BSEC) during past 5 years. He has over 24 years of experience, of which 15 years with IDLC.

tinues to rise and negative interest rates in large parts of Europe and Japan suggest that some leading central banks are running low on ammunition to quell market volatility that could pose a threat to the global economy.

“The latest turbulence has hammered home the message that central banks have been overburdened for far too long post-crisis,” the head of the BIS monetary and economics department, Claudio Borio, said in its first quarterly report of the year.

“Market participants have tak-

en notice. And their confidence in central banks’ healing powers has - probably for the first time - been faltering. Policymakers, too, would do well to take notice.”

The comments dovetailed with concerns about the potential side-effects of negative interest rates, which are effectively a charge on commercial banks’ spare cash.

A study in the BIS report showed the different ways negative rates were being implemented by the likes of Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, Japan and the European Cen-

tral Bank, which is expected to go even deeper into negative territory on Thursday.

Knock-on effects

Evidence from Switzerland showed that banks there had not introduced negative rates on customers’ savings but had instead increased costs on loans such as mortgages to curb losses.

“If negative policy rates do not feed into lending rates for households and firms, they largely lose their rationale,” the study said. l

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20

TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 2016

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Long detailed stories (5) 4 Festive occasion (4) 7 In smooth even style (6) 8 Pursue (5) 10 Headwear (4) 11 Heavenly body (5) 12 Tree (3) 14 Part of a shoe (4) 17 English river (4) 19 Adults (3) 20 Sheeplike (5) 23 Miss achievement (4) 25 Wash lightly (5) 26 Very sad (6) 27 Horned ruminant (4) 28 Cut off (5)

DOWN 1 Unrevealed fact (6) 2 As well (4) 3 Appear to be (4) 4 Truths (5) 5 Greek letter (3) 6 Fall (6) 9 Summit (4) 13 Papal ambassador (6) 15 Augury (4) 16 Make beloved (6) 18 Of the sun (5) 21 Rainbow goddess (4) 22 Agreeable (4) 24 Anger (4)

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

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

Some letters of the alphabet may not be used.

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

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

CALVIN AND HOBBES

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

PEANUTS

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS CODE-CRACKER

CROSSWORD

DILBERT

SUDOKU

DT

World 21

TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 2016

INSIDE INSIGHT

EU leaders row over Balkans migrant route closure Pakistani lawyers’ group behind spike in blasphemy cases A little-known alliance of hundreds of lawyers in Pakistan is behind the rise in prosecutions for blasphemy, a crime punishable by death that goes to the heart of an ideological clash between reformers and religious conservatives.

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Militants attack Tunisian forces, 50 killed Dozens of jihadist fighters stormed through the Tunisian town of Ben Guerdan near the Libyan border on Monday attacking army and police posts in a raid that killed at least 50 people, including civilians, the government and residents said.

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n AFP, Brussels Divided EU leaders argued Monday about a plan to declare the Balkans migrant route closed as they held a summit with Turkey’s prime minister to urge Ankara to accept large-scale deportations of economic migrants.

At the last minute, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Commission chief JeanClaude Juncker insisted that a mention of the route closure be dropped from the proposed closing statement of the summit in Brussels, European sources said.

The row underlined the deep divisions in the 28-nation European Union as it tries to harden its stance in the face of the worst refugee crisis to hit the continent since World War II. More than 1m refugees and migrants have arrived in Europe since the start of 2015 -- mostly arriving in Greece from Turkey -- with nearly 4,000 dying while crossing the Mediterranean.

“On the issue of how we can decrease the number of refugees not just for some countries but for all countries including Greece, the issue cannot be that something is closed, but that we find

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200km

The EU could decide to close the Balkans refugee route

Principal migration routes

9,086

ITALY 97

2,700,000 120,369 GREECE

MALTA

Syrian refugees since March 2011

TURKEY

321

Mediterranean Sea

SYRIA IRAQ

Current measures: - Caps on arrivals imposed

by Austria and others - Border restrictions EU aid promised: - €700m over 3 years for Greece - €3bn for Turkey 1,250,000 migrants arrived in Europe in 2015 129,455 people arrived in Europe via the Mediterranean in 2016 (March 1) Source: OIM

a sustainable solution with Turkey,” Merkel said as she arrived in Brussels.

The EU is putting the onus on Greece and Turkey, which is the launchpad for most migrants who cross the sea to the Greek islands and then travel up through the Balkan countries to reach wealthy Germany and Scandinavia.

Austria last month abruptly capped the number of asylum

seekers it would accept, triggering a domino effect of border restrictions along the Balkans that has trapped tens of thousands of desperate migrants on the border between Greece and non-EU Macedonia.

‘This route is now closed’

Merkel -- who is facing pressure at home over her open-door policy towards refugees -- and Juncker had objected to the initial draft

statement approved by EU ambassadors on Sunday, which said: “Irregular flows of migrants along the western Balkans route are coming to an end. This route is now closed.”

The draft raised concerns that agile smugglers would circumvent EU barriers and take alternative routes, which those working on the migrant problem say could run through Bulgaria or Albania.  PAGE 22 COLUMN 1

Europe and the migration crisis Though winter weather generally discourages migrants from Mediterranean Sea travel, more than 84,000 people had already arrived between January 1 and February 16, the International Organisation for Migration says, up from 11,000 in all of January and February last year. Most are from Syria, but many are also from Afghanistan and Iraq.

More than 400 are dead or missing.

Republicans desperate to stop Donald Trump from capturing the party’s presidential nomination are wrestling with whether to unite behind Ted Cruz, a polarising figure popular with the conservative Tea Party movement.

GERMANY

Q&A

How big is the challenge?

Trump or Cruz? US Republicans face tough choices

The refugee crisis in Europe

How have European Union countries reacted?

In a word, badly. Greece, where the vast majority of people land after short trips by boat from Turkey, is unable to manage the arrivals. It can’t shelter them and lacks the capacity to even correctly register their entry.

Doubting the speed and effectiveness of a European solution among 28 countries, nations further along the route migrants take to get to more prosperous nations have tightened

border controls and built fences without keeping neighbors informed.

from outside have been patchy, and too few people have been moved.

What is the EU doing?

Why aren’t they coming up with new policies?

The EU has set up a scheme to share 160,000 migrants arriving in over-burdened Greece and Italy. It has emphasised the need to deport people who are not fleeing conflict and therefore not entitled to stay. Some countries are also accepting refugees from outside Europe, in places like Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan, so they don’t have to make the dangerous journey.

How well is it working?

It’s not. In six months, barely 600 people have been relocated from Greece and Italy. In any case, only some EU partners have offered places for them, fewer than 5,000 spots in all. More than 1m people arrived in 2015, yet EU figures suggest that just 900 have been officially sent back.

National efforts to resettle refugees

In short, they think the policies in place are good enough to do the job. A new European border and coast guard agency is in the pipeline already and due for endorsement by July. Several EU member countries are opposed to drawing up new policy measures when the ones they have are simply not being respected, diplomats say.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said that it would be “laughable” for the EU to approve new quotas when it has barely started to share refugees under existing agreements.

So what came out of this summit?

EU leaders on Monday had urged Ankara to live up to its pledge to crack down on migrant movements, after

Turkey was promised billions in refugee aid, an easing of visa rules for Turks and a fast-track EU membership process. They expressed concern that countries in the western Balkans are “waving through” migrants, permitting them move to neighboring countries. This will be backed by a pledge to respect the passport-free area’s border control rules. They also underlined that people not entitled to stay must quickly be sent back and that asylum seekers do not have the right to choose where they want to stay.

Concern was also expressed about migrant movements in the Western Balkans and the need to slow the flow without closing borders. Above all, everything they have agreed so far “should be implemented rapidly.” By the way, the leaders will come back to the migration issue in a month, at their March 17-18 summit. l

Source: AP

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21

EU leaders row over Balkans migrant route closure Brussels sees curbing the flow of migrants as part of a plan to restore by the end of the year the full functioning of Europe’s cherished passport-free Schengen zone after the series of border closures.

It was timed with calls for better cooperation from Turkey -- currently home to 2.7m Syrian refugees -which signed a deal with the EU in November last year to curb the migrant flow.

Arriving at the summit, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu

said his country was ready to work “shoulder to shoulder” with Europe on migration, while also raising Ankara’s long-stalled EU membership bid.

“Turkey is ready to work with EU. Turkey is ready to be member of EU as well,” he said as he arrived in Brussels.

Davutoglu said Sunday he would discuss with his EU counterparts efforts to begin building schools and hospitals for refugees within weeks with the €3bn pledged by the bloc under the November deal.

‘Large-scale’ deportations

EU president Donald Tusk said in his invitation letter for the summit that success depended largely on securing Turkey’s agreement for the “large-scale” deportation from Greece of economic migrants who do not qualify as refugees.

Syrians, who top the influx of 1.13m people into Europe over the past 14 months, are considered genuine refugees requiring admission under international law.

Despite progress in implement-

US drone strike kills 150 in Somalia n Reuters, Washington, DC The US military carried out a drone strike over the weekend targeting a training camp run by Somali jihadist group al-Shabaab, north of capital Mogadishu over the weekend, killing more than 150 fighters, the Pentagon said on Monday.

“It was a successful strike,” said Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis, adding US intelligence indicated the group was preparing

for a “large scale attack” and posed a threat to US and African Union forces in Somalia.

“Initial assessments are that more than 150 terrorist fighters were eliminated,” he added.

The al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab was pushed out of Mogadishu by African Union peacekeeping forces in 2011 but has remained a potent antagonist in Somalia, launching frequent attacks in its bid to overthrow the Western-backed government. l

ing the November deal with Turkey, the EU said, too many people were still heading from Turkey to Greece, with nearly 2,000 arriving daily in February.

Summit co-host the Netherlands said the bloc would not only push Turkey to stop the flow to Europe of all non-Syrian migrants but also eventually war-hit Syrians themselves.

But Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras -- who has said he will not allow his country to become a

“warehouse of souls” -- renewed calls Monday for fellow EU members to honour a deal to relocate thousands of refugees.

“These agreements that we do not implement are not agreements at all. So now there is a difficult situation that we have to handle,” he said.

The bloc adopted a scheme last September to relocate 160,000 asylum seekers from Greece and Italy, but only 872 people have actually been moved, according to the latest EU figures. l

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INSIGHT 10 dead in Pakistani Pakistani lawyers’ group behind militants’ Qadrirevenge attack spike in blasphemy cases n Reuters, Peshawar n Reuters, Islamabad Pakistani militants said a suicide bombing at a court on Monday in which at least 10 people were killed was revenge for the hanging of a man convicted of the 2011 killing a prominent liberal politician who had called for reform of blasphemy laws.

The Pakistani Taliban’s Jamaat-ur-Ahrar faction claimed responsibility for the attack.

Group spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan said in an emailed statement the bombing “was especially done as vengeance for the hanging of Mumtaz Qadri”.

“The Pakistani courts give decisions against the laws revealed

by Allah, and convict and hang innocent people,” Ehsan said in his statement.

Qadri, a bodyguard-turned-assassin, was executed last week for killing Salman Taseer, the then governor of Punjab province, after he had called for reform of blasphemy laws that mandate death for insulting Islam or its prophet.

Police said the bomber had intended to enter the court in the northwestern town of Shabqadar, near the ethnic Pashtun region, and set off his explosives when guards challenged him.

Senior police official Sohail Khalid said two police personnel, as well as four women and two children were among at least 10 people killed. Nearly 30 people were wounded.

Human rights groups say the laws can be abused by people trying to settle scores or involved in feuds and members of Pakistan’s religious minorities are vulnerable to unfair treatment under the legislation.

The laws are at the heart of an ideological clash between reformers and religious conservatives in Pakistan.

Hard-line religious leaders have declared Qadri a hero and Ehsan said his faction would continue to attack courts. l

A little-known alliance of hundreds of lawyers in Pakistan is behind the rise in prosecutions for blasphemy, a crime punishable by death that goes to the heart of an ideological clash between reformers and religious conservatives.

The group, whose name translates as The Movement for the Finality of the Prophethood, offers free legal advice to complainants and has packed courtrooms with representatives, a tactic critics say is designed to help it gain convictions.

The stated mission of the Khatm-e-Nubuwwat Lawyers’ Forum and its leader Ghulam Mustafa Chaudhry is uncompromising: to use its expertise and influence to ensure that anyone insulting Islam or the prophet is charged, tried and executed.

“Whoever does this (blasphemy), the punishment is only death.

There is no alternative,” Chaudhry told supporters crammed into his small office in Lahore.

The campaign could complicate the government’s tentative efforts to reform blasphemy legislation, a tough task in a country where support for the law is widespread.

Chaudhry was the defence lawyer for Mumtaz Qadri, executed on Monday for gunning down the popular governor of Punjab province in 2011 over his criticism of the blasphemy law.

Chaudhry argued, ultimately unsuccessfully, that the bodyguard was justified in killing Salman Taseer, because he committed blasphemy by publicly questioning the law.

In death, Qadri was a hero for many. Tens of thousands of people gathered in a park in the city of Rawalpindi for his funeral on Tuesday, showering his casket with flowers.

Even discussing blasphemy is a challenge in Pakistan, and officials and activists say accusations can be used by complainants to settle personal scores and intim-

Dozens of jihadist fighters stormed through the Tunisian town of Ben Guerdan near the Libyan border on Monday attacking army and police posts in a raid that killed at least 50 people, including civilians, the government and residents said.

Local television broadcast images of soldiers and police crouched in doorways and on

rooftops as gunshots echoed in the centre of the town. Bodies of dead militants lay in the streets near the military barracks after the army regained control.

Authorities sealed off the nearby beach resort town of Djerba, a popular destination for foreign and local tourists, imposed a curfew on Ben Guerdan and closed two border crossings with Libya after the attack.

SOUTH ASIA

Suu Kyi party rebuts fake Myanmar president release Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party on Monday denounced as fake a widely circulated letter purporting to reveal its choice of proxy Myanmar president. With just days to go before they are set to announce their preferences on Thursday, and with Suu Kyi still blocked from the role by the junta-era constitution, a letter purporting to reveal the selecting emerged on social media on Sunday.

-AFP

INDIA

Police arrest man who offered Rs1.1m to shoot Kanhaiya Kumar

A supporter of a religious party holds a picture of Mumtaz Qadri while attending a protest rally to condemn the execution of Qadri in Islamabad on March 4 REUTERS idate liberal journalists, lawyers and politicians.

At the same time, authorities are seeking to reduce room for abuse by insisting senior police officers are involved in cases and ruling that criticising the law does not constitute blasphemy itself.

Qadri’s execution was seen as a sign itself that the government was determined to take firmer action, and it coincides with a nationwide crackdown by the powerful military on Islamist militants and their religious allies.

Jails filling up

Since Khatm-e-Nubuwwat was founded 15 years ago, the number of criminal blasphemy cases filed in Punjab, the group’s home base and Pakistan’s most populous province, had tripled to 336 by 2014, according to police figures.

It fell to 210 in 2015 as stricter provincial rules were applied, but critics said the number was still too high.

Chaudhry said he had personally been involved in more than 50 criminal blasphemy cases, and said his group had grown to 700 lawyers in Punjab, where the majority of blasphemy cases are heard.

He claimed that his group repre-

sented almost every complainant in cases across Punjab province and its motivation was not financial. However, both claims couldn’t be independently verified.

He said member lawyers investigated cases to ensure they were genuine, although they had not found an unjustified blasphemy complaint yet.

The law dates back to colonial times, but was rarely implemented until about 20 years ago.

It states that anyone found to have defiled the name of Prophet Mohammad in writing or speech, including by “innuendo or insinuation, directly or indirectly”, should be punished with life imprisonment or death. In 1990, that was strengthened to “death and nothing else”.

No one in Pakistan has been executed for blasphemy so far, but jails are filling up with those sentenced to death, and there have been sporadic assassinations of the accused and people involved in their defence.

At least 65 people, including lawyers, defendants and judges, have been murdered over blasphemy allegations since 1990, according to figures from a Center for Research and Security Studies report and local media. l

Militants attack Tunisian forces, 50 killed n Reuters, Tunis

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World

It was not clear if the attackers crossed over the border, but it was the type of militant operation Tunisia’s government had feared as it prepares for potential spillover from Libya, where Islamic State militants have gained ground.

Soldiers killed 33 militants and arrested six, the Interior Ministry said. Hospital and security sources said at least seven civilians were killed along with ten soldiers.

More than 3,000 Tunisians have left to fight with Dae’sh and other groups in Syria and Iraq.

Tunisian security officials say increasingly they are returning to join the militant group in Libya.

Tunisian forces have been on alert for possible militant infiltrations since last month when a US air strike targeted mostly Tunisian Dae’sh militants at a camp in Libya. l

The Delhi Police on Monday arrested a man who put up posters offering a reward of Rs1.1m for shooting JNU students’ union president Kanhaiya Kumar. The police earlier questioned Adarsh Sharma - who said he was the president of Purvanchal Sena - in connection with a case registered over sticking posters announcing the reward.

-HT

CHINA

China communist party punished nearly 300,000 for graft in 2015 China’s ruling Communist Party punished nearly 300,000 of its members last year for corruption, its graft watchdog said amid a wide-ranging crackdown by President Xi Jinping on official malfeasance. The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said on its website that 200,000 cadres were given light punishment for graft, while 82,000 received heavy punishment.

-AFP

ASIA PACIFIC

Marshall Islands take on India in nuclear disarmament fight Tiny Marshall Islands sought in the International Court of Justice on Monday to force India to get on board with nuclear disarmament. The republic of the Marshall Islands says that the world’s 9 nuclear weapons states have violated various obligation to dismantle their nuclear arsenals. India was the first to be heard, on Monday, followed during the week by Pakistan and Britain.

-REUTERS

MIDDLE EAST

Syria opposition signals attending Geneva talks A member of the main Syrian opposition council indicated on Monday it will go to talks that the UN aims to convene in Geneva, though another opposition official said they had yet to make a decision. A member of the High Negotiations Committee, Riad Nassan Agha told that their inclination was to go.

-REUTERS

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TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 2016

USA

Diplomats voicing alarm to US about Trump Foreign diplomats are expressing alarm to US government officials about what they say are inflammatory and insulting public statements by Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump, according to senior US officials. Diplomats from Europe, the Middle East, Latin America and Asia have complained in recent private conversations about Trump’s xenophobic statements.

-REUTERS

THE AMERICAS

Bolivia, Russia signs deal on $300m nuclear research lab Bolivia signed a $300m deal with Russia on Sunday to build a worldclass nuclear research lab in the South American nation, President Evo Morales announced. “Now we are able to deliver major cooperative projects - in this case with Russia as well as with China and Europe sometimes,” the president said at a ceremony signing documents for the deal.

-AFP

UK

UK police: Dae’sh looking for spectacular attacks Dae’sh fighters want to carry out enormous and spectacular attacks against Britain and the Western lifestyle in general, Britain’s most senior anti-terrorism officer said on Monday. London Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said the threat from the group which has taken over large parts of Syria and Iraq was evolving, and that it was keen to repeat elsewhere incidents such as last year’s Paris shootings.

-REUTERS

EUROPE

EU open to increasing 2030 carbon target EU director of climate strategy, Artur Runge-Metzger has said he is open to increasing the EU’s carbon target for 2030, in a backdown by the European commission. Last week, the commission ruled out any increase in the bloc’s target of cutting emissions by 40% by 2030 on 1990 levels, sparking an outcry from several countries and green groups.

-THE GUARDIAN

AFRICA

Australia seizes huge weapons cache headed for Somalia An Australian Navy ship has seized a huge cache of weapons near Oman’s coast from a fishing vessel bound for Somalia. The Australian navy, which patrols waters around the Indian Ocean, said it had seized nearly 2,000 AK-47 rifles, 100 rocket-propelled grenade launchers, 49 PKM machine guns, 39 PKM spare barrels and 20 mortar tubes from the fishing vessel.

-REUTERS

Four notable moments of Sunday’s Michigan Democratic debate Democratic White House hopeful US Senator Bernie Sanders walked into Sunday night’s debate in Flint after weekend victories that kept his candidacy alive while his formidable opponent, the front-runner Hillary Clinton was eager to look ahead to the other primaries ahead. The stage was set for things to get tense, and they did, quickly. Here are few most notable moments from the debate--

The heated ‘trade’ exchange

The fighting really took off during a tense exchange on trade. Clinton started it off by vowing to fight companies trying to buck taxes by moving overseas when Sanders swung back, criticising Clinton for supporting previous trade deals. “When a company decides to leave like Nabisco is leaving, they have gotten tax benefits from Chicago and Illinois to stay there, I will claw back the benefits. They will have to pay them back if they are leaving a place that actually invested in them. I am also going to go after companies like Johnson Controls in Wisconsin,” Clinton said. “They came and got part of the bailout because they were an

auto parts supplier and now they want to move headquarters to Europe.” Sanders responded sarcastically. “I am very glad, Anderson, that Secretary Clinton discovered religion on this issue. But it’s a little bit too late,” Sanders said, going on to say that “Nafta supported by the secretary cost us 800,000 jobs nationwide.”

‘Excuse me, I’m talking’

Clinton put the spotlight on Sanders’ position against the auto industry bailout. “In 2009, President-elect Obama asked everybody in the Congress to vote for the bailout. The money was there and had to be released in order to save the auto industry and 4m jobs and to begin the restructuring.” Clinton continued: “I voted to save the auto industry. He voted against the money to save the auto industry. I think that was a pretty big difference.” Sanders began to respond: “If you are talking about the Wall Street bailout where some of your friends destroyed this economy.” “You know —,” Clinton began to interject.

“Excuse me, I’m talking,” Sanders shot back. “If you’re going to talk, tell the whole story,” Clinton said.

“Let me tell my story; you tell yours,” Sanders said.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton listens to rival Bernie Sanders during the US presidential candidates’ debate in Michigan on Sunday REUTERS

Sanders’ Wall Street transcripts: ‘There ain’t nothing!’

Sanders again called on Clinton to release the transcripts of all her paid Wall Street speeches.

Clinton responded: “I will be happy to release anything I have as long as everybody else does too.

What really is behind that question, Republicans and Democrats, is whether I can stand up to Wall Street.” But Sanders didn’t let that one go. “While I am your opponent, I release it. Here it is. There ain’t nothing!” Sanders said.

Clinton and Sanders and racial ‘blind spots’

Clinton and Sanders were both asked whether they understand what it’s like to be a person of colour in the the US. “Being a white person in the United States of America, I

know that I have never had the experience that so many people in this audience have had,” Clinton said.

“I think it’s incumbent upon me and what I have been trying to talk about is to urge white people about what it is like to have the talk with your kids, scared that your sons or daughters even could get in trouble for no good reason whatsoever.”

Sanders gave a similar response.

“To answer your question, I would say and I think it’s what the secretary said, you don’t know what it’s like to be living in a ghetto and to be poor. You don’t know what it’s like to be hassled when you walk down the street or get dragged out of a car,” Sanders said. “I believe as a nation in the year 2016, we must be firm in making it clear.” l

Source: POLITICO

REALITY CHECK

Trump or Cruz? US Republicans face tough choices n Reuters, Washington, DC Republicans desperate to stop Donald Trump from capturing the party’s presidential nomination are wrestling with whether to unite behind Ted Cruz, a polarising figure popular with the conservative Tea Party movement.

Cruz, a US senator from Texas, won nominating contests in Kansas and Maine on Saturday, bolstering his argument that he is the leading alternative to Trump, the blunt-spoken billionaire businessman.

Mainstream Republicans are unhappy with Trump’s calls to build a wall on the border with Mexico, deport 11m illegal immigrants and temporarily bar all Muslims from entering the US soil.

Many establishment Republicans are reluctant, however, to rally behind Cruz, whom they see as too conservative for the general electorate in the November 8 election to succeed Democratic President Barack Obama.

Cruz has run as an outsider

GOP presidential candidates Ted Cruz, right, and Donald Trump at a debate REUTERS bent on shaking up the Republican establishment in Washington.

A favourite of evangelicals, he has called for the US to “carpet bomb” the Dae’sh militant group and has pledged to eliminate the tax-collecting Internal Revenue Service and four Cabinet agencies.

But he angered many Republican colleagues when he led the call in 2013 for a standoff in the US Congress that led to a 16-day shutdown of the federal government.

Some Republicans argue Cruz is not polling strongly enough in states such as Florida and Ohio. Both will soon hold nominating contests, leading some in the party to question whether backing Cruz would be the best way to stop Trump.

Unforgiving math

To win the nomination, 1,237 delegates are needed. Cruz has won 300 and Trump 374. US Senator Marco Rubio, 44, of Florida, an establishment favourite still seen by some in the party as an option to Trump, stood to build on his 123 delegates after winning the 23-delegate Puerto Rico primary on Sunday. Ohio Governor John Kasich trails with 35 delegates.

Some establishment Republicans say the best way to stop Trump would be for Rubio to win the 99-delegate Florida contest and Kasich the 66-delegate Ohio primary. Both states award all their delegates to the top vote-getter.

If Cruz, Rubio and Kasich can collectively prevent Trump from getting the needed majority of delegates, they could force a brokered Republican Party convention in July in Cleveland.

Even if Cruz gets the second-highest vote total, he may have trouble claiming the nomination at the convention over Trump.

Cruz has feuded with party leadership, including Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, and has often accused fellow Republicans of selling out conservative principles.

Although he has been in the Senate for four years, Cruz has not won a single endorsement from any other senator. He touts that on the campaign trail as evidence he is an outsider.

Cruz pushed to repeal Obama’s signature healthcare reform law in 2013, which shut down the government for more than two weeks.

If nothing else, the internal debate reveals a party still deeply divided about how to move forward with Trump and Cruz leading the primary fight. l

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INSIDE

Tigers three new T20 stars The thirty-year-old has taken himself to a new height in the recently concluded Asia Cup 2016 with his stylish yet exciting batting. Mahmudullah has been phenomenal with the bat and remained unbeaten in four amongst five innings. PAGE 26

Jamal face Philippine champions today Bangladesh Premier League champions Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi will take on Philippine champions Ceres FC in their second match of Group E in the AFC Cup 2016 at the Bangabandhu National Stadium today at 6pm. PAGE 27

Bangladesh national team players arrive at Dharamshala-Kangra airport yesterday to take part in the ICC World Twenty20 tournament

I don’t believe in heroism: Mahmudullah Uddin Khan n Minhaz from Dharamshala

Arsenal will not give up on title: Wenger Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is refusing to write off his side’s chances of lifting the Premier League trophy this season after Saturday’s 2-2 draw with north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur left them eight points behind leaders Leicester City. PAGE 28

Djokobvic steers Serbia to last-8 World number one Novak Djokovic overcame fatigue and an inspired opponent to help Serbia beat Kazakhstan 3-2 in their Davis Cup first-round tie and set up a mouthwatering quarter-final clash with holders Britain in July. PAGE 29

BCB

Asia Cup Twenty20 2016 runners-up Bangladesh reached Dharamshala yesterday for the ICC World Twenty20. Bangladesh got to their first stop of the tournament within a day after completing the Asia Cup final against India on Monday. The inform Tigers had put up a brilliant fight against the giants before losing the game by eight wickets. But the cricketers are not troubled with the hectic schedule, a likely thing given the form they are in at the moment.

The Tigers will take on Netherlands to begin the World Twenty20 qualifying round campaign tomorrow. And before that they get to attend only one practice session, today and acquire the most of the unknown condition here.

But that should not matter according to side’s inform batsman Mahmudullah. The right-arm all-rounder said the Tigers have been into match practice in for some time now and are shared of the basic knowledge of the likely condition at the city of Gods which has an average elevation of 1457 meters (4780 feet).

It is learnt that few months ago

Bangladesh team batsman Mahmudullah reacts before departing to India at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport yesterday MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusingha had a made a visit to Dhakaramshala and all the other venues Bangladesh will be playing in the World Twenty20. During the unnoticed tour the national coach noted all the vital facts of the ground and the conditions and has shared with his team.

The rain however can be the spoiler. For the last three days it has been raining hard in Dharamshala to take down temperature and the forecast says it likely to be the same for at least a week.

Bangladesh was considered as the weakest in the Twenty20 form of cricket. But in the just conclud-

ed Asia Cup Twenty20, the Tigers have managed turn the table and change the perspective, just like they had done in the one-day internationals and a bit in Tests.

There is a big debate why a hot team like Bangladesh need to play the qualifying round of the Twenty20 World Cup. Now that the team has emerged as the runner-up in Asian Championship, the argument has gone strong.

It won’t be a surprise for the Bangladesh cricketers to think similar but they have lightened their heart making the brain understand that they are under a process.

“We have nothing much to do here, we have to come through a procedure. We look to have a good qualifying round and it is good that we are getting to play few matches before the main event,” said Mahmudullah to the reporters at Dharamshala Airport yesterday.

Mahmudullah comes into the tournament with high hopes at the back. A batsman whose batting sense in Twenty20 was in question, made all the jaws open with his brilliant performance in Asia Cup. With three unbeaten innings the right handed batsman averages 121 scoring as many runs in five matches. The best, the unbeaten 22 off 15 balls which got Bangladesh their historic win against Pakistan and made the Tigers set the final against India.

With success also in the ICC World Cup 2015, two back to back centuries, Mahmudullah is now being considered as a big tournament player for Bangladesh.

When asked if it will be hard to live up to expectation as a hero in the World Twenty20, Mahmudullah said, “I dont believe in heroism. I aim to contribute for the team whenever I can. I keep focus in the present and the future; don’t think of what I have done in the past.” l

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Tigers three new T20 stars

Mahmudullah

The thirty-year-old has taken himself to a new height in the recently concluded Asia Cup 2016 with his stylish yet exciting batting.

Mahmudullah has been phenomenal with the bat and remained unbeaten in four amongst five innings of the regional competition and guided Bangladesh to victory in three occasions. The Mymensingh lad scored 121 runs in five games at an outstanding average of 121.

But more importantly the experienced cricketer played with sheer class and displayed some clear hitting and scored runs in quick time helped Bangladesh to launch in the latter part of the innings. And undoubtedly Mahmudullah, who is now the key player for the Tigers in the T20s, will play a vital role in the upcoming ICC World T20 mission in India.

DT ASIA CUP BEST XI

Dinesh Chandimal 149 runs at 37.25

Rohit Sharma 138 runs at 27.60

Virat Kohli 153 runs at 76.50

Sabbir Rahman 176 runs at 44.00

Mahmudullah 121 runs at 121.00 and 4 wickets

Hardik Pandya 7 wickets at 14.71

Sabbir Rahman

Man of the tournament Sabbir Rahman showed his ability at the important number three spot of the Tigers batting line-up. The 24-yearold exciting batsman is the second highest run scorer of the Asia Cup with 176 runs at a strike rate of 123.94. The right-hander, smashed a magnificent eighty off just 54 balls with ten fours and three sixes, single handedly guided Bangladesh to eventually post a winning total of 147/7 in twenty overs and winning it by 23 runs against Sri Lanka. The good looking cricketer has changed the approach of the Tigers as his ability to counter-attack the opponent bowlers in pressure moments helped Bangladesh to make a comeback in the game.

Al Amin Hossain

Fast bowler Al Amin Hossain has become an integral part of Bangladesh. He has picked up 11 wickets in five games with the best bowling figures of 3/25 against Pakistan.

The 26-year right arm pacer bowled brilliantly in the crucial death overs for the Tigers and also managed to give the important break-thorughs.

And the conditions in Dharamsala where Bangladesh will play the qualifier of the ICC World T20 is likely to offer some extra pace and bounce for the seamers and Al Amin will look to cash in from that.

MS Dhoni (Captain) 42 runs at 42.00

Al Amin Hossain 11 wickets at 12.18

R Ashwin 4 wickets at 21.00

Jasprit Bumrah 6 wickets at 15.66

Mohammad Amir 7 wickets at 11.57

MAZHAR UDDIN

ASIA CUP T20 2016 TOP FIVE RUN SCORERS Sabbir Rahman (Ban) Virat Kohli (Ind) Dinesh Chandimal (SL) Rohit Sharma (Ind) Tillakaratne Dilshan (SL)

Innings 5 4 4 5 4

Run 176 153 149 138 132

HS 80 56* 58 83 75

Ave 44 76.50 37.25 27.60 44.00

SR 50/100 123.94 1/0 110.86 1/0 109.55 2/0 132.69 1/0 121.10 1/0

TOP FIVE WICKETS TAKERS Al-Amin Hossain (Ban) Amjad Javed (UAE) Nuwan Kulasekara (SL) Mohammad Amir (Pak) Hardik Pandya (Ind)

Meghna Group of Industries (MGI) director, Tahmina Mostafa (3R) hands over the Bangladesh National Cricket Team’s new jerseys for ICC World Twenty20 to captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza (3L) recently. (L-R) National team opening batsman Tamim Iqbal, national cricket team’s sponsorship right holder and managing director Ziauddin Adil, national cricket team manager Khaled Mahmud Sujon and executive director (marketing) of Meghna Group of Industries Asif Iqbal were also present at the occasion

Overs 16.5 14.0 15.0 16.0 17.3

Run 134 113 95 81 103

BATTING Most Sixes Mahmudullah (Ban) 6 Highest Average Mahmudullah (Ban) 121.00 Highest Strike Rate Mahmudullah (Ban) 165.75 Highest team total India 166/6 against Bangladesh Lowest team total 81/9 UAE against India

Wkts 11 8 7 7 7

BBI 3/25 3/25 3/10 3/18 3/8

Ave 12.18 14.12 13.57 11.57 14.71

Econ 7.96 8.07 6.33 5.06 5.88

BOWLING Best Average Mohammad Amir (Pak) 11.57 Best Economy Rate Mohammad Amir (Pak) 5.06 Best Strike Rate Al-Amin Hossain (Ban) 12.18 Best bowling figure Lasith Malinga (SL) 4/26 against UAE Most runs conceded in an innings Kulasekara (SL) 4-0-44-1 against Ban

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TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 2016

QUICK BYTES Messi or Ronaldo?

Indian argument ends in murder!

Indian police said Monday a man has been charged with murdering his friend after a heated argument over whether Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo is the world’s best footballer. They said the Nigerian national stabbed one of his countrymen to death after the two of them wrangled over whether the Barcelona star or the Real Madrid forward was better. Police Inspector Kiran Kabadi told AFP an offence of murder had been registered against Michael Chukwuma, 21, over the death of 34-year-old Obina Durumchukwu on Sunday in the northern Mumbai suburb of Nallasopara.

Bangladesh women cricket team player Salma Khatun takes a selfie during a photo session prior to their World T20 mission at the BCB Academy ground yesterday MI MANIK

AFP

Kyrgios hits back at Tomic in Davis Cup Nick Kyrgios has hit back at Bernard Tomic after his compatriot accused him of feigning illness to skip Australia’s Davis Cup match against the United States at the weekend. In comments to team captain Lleyton Hewitt, picked up by courtside microphones on Sunday, Tomic said Kyrgios had “faked” injuries twice to avoid Davis Cup ties.

REUTERS

Glasgow’s ‘Old Firm’ drawn together Celtic and Rangers will meet for the first time in more than a year after the Glasgow sides, known as the “Old Firm”, were drawn together in the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup. Premier League leaders Celtic sealed their berth in the last four with a 3-0 win over Morton on Sunday, while Championship (second tier) side Rangers reached the semis with a 4-0 win over topflight team Dundee on Saturday.

REUTERS

Confidence back for Arsenal ahead of Hull trip Aaron Ramsey says that Arsenal will resume their FA Cup defence at Hull City on Tuesday with confidence restored following Saturday’s 2-2 draw with north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur. Arsene Wenger’s side had come in for heavy criticism after back-to-back defeats had seen them fall away in the Premier League title race, prompting Alexis Sanchez to claim that some of his team-mates lacked the hunger to be champions.

AFP

Jamal face Philippine champions Ceres today n Tribune Report Bangladesh Premier League champions Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi will take on Philippine champions Ceres FC in their second match of Group E in the AFC Cup 2016 at the Bangabandhu National Stadium today at 6pm.

The Dhanmondi giants would like to take this game as comeback from their humbling 4-0 defeat against Singapore outfits Tampines Rovers in their opening game last month. The visiting side on the other hand had a positive start to their debut campaign holding Malaysian experienced club Selangor 2-2 at home.

Sheikh Jamal head coach Shafiqul Islam Manik looked wary of his opponents having been

admitted he had rare idea about the Philippine outfits. “We had asked for video footages (Ceres) to the BFF, but we didn’t get that.

We watched few Youtube videos, which are not of good quality. So it has been really tough getting information about the opponents.”

Manik also complained of not getting opportunity to train at the match venue. “Our players haven’t played on this ground for the last six months. It would have been in favour of us if we could practice at BNS,” The veteran coach hinted to drop Mazharul Islam Hemel and Shahidul Alam Sohel is likley to replace the keeper. He also blamed Hemel’s ‘silly mistakes’ for their huge defeat at the hand of Rovers.

While asked what areas they need

to improve for today’s clash. “We conceded due to lack of concentration of the goalkeepers and the defence. But we are trying to make the players stay concentrated for 90 minutes,” Cameroon-born Vietnamese player Nguyen Hang is not in Sheikh Jamal squad and could be replaced

by Enamul or Kasto Kumar. But Manik confirmed there are not any major concerns in the squad.

Ceres La Salle assistant coach Frank Muescan expects a tough test against the home side spreading full of praises for Sheikh Jamal. “The first game we played we proved that we can be at this level.

Regarding tomorrow’s (Tuesday) match, we highly respect the opposition because they are the home team and assume that they are pretty prepared and that they will be stronger than the last match,” Frank continued, “This team (Sheikh Jamal) is really aggressive in the opposition’s defending third.

We expect high pressure from the beginning. They have quality players and some big strong foreign players as well.”

Ceres have only one local player (goalkeeper) in their squad. Frank informed they have two foreign Spanish strikers, two Koreans, and most of the others are Spanish-Filipinos. He added that his Spanish left-back is not fully fit but the rest are 100 percent fit. The club rested a few players in the last match ahead of today’s match. l

WHAT THEY SAID Sheikh Jamal head coach SHAFIQUL ISLAM MANIK We haven’t got the full effort from the players yet. I want their full effort and our target is to win.

The players need to be honest and do their job on the pitch. We have national team players and foreign players. So I would hope that my players would give their best tomorrow. But I do think that the opposition is in better shape because they are playing matches regularly and doing a lot of running.

Sheikh Jamal captain WEDSON ANSELME After losing the first game it becomes a vital match for us. We will try to do our best and give hundred percent. If everybody concentrates on the game and play their best we will win the game.

Ceres assistant coach FRANK MUESCAN We just played our last game in the cup, which we lost. It’s a wake-up call for us. We had four straight wins before the loss. As far as preparation is concerned, the players are 100 percent prepared mentally and physically. But we need to be stronger because this is a big match for us. This will be a big opportunity for us.

Ceres captain Juan Luis Guirado Our first game was okay. We gave our best effort. We are here again for the second game. I expect a tough test tomorrow (Tuesday) because they are the home side. We respect them.

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Mata says sorry to fans after West Brom red n AFP, London Juan Mata apologised to Manchester United fans on Monday after the first red card of his career proved costly in a 1-0 defeat at West Brom on Sunday.

The Spaniard collected two yellow cards in just 158 seconds at the Hawthorns, as United were left to play with only ten men for over an hour.

Mata was shown his first yellow for needlessly blocking a Darren Fletcher free-kick, and was sent off for a late tackle on the former United midfielder.

Louis van Gaal’s men are now three points behind fourth-placed Manchester City in the race for the Champions League, who also have a game in hand.

Their best chance of qualifying for Europe’s premier competition now looks to be by winning the Europa League. They play Liverpool for the first time in Europe in the last 16 of that competition on Thursday, with Mata set to play as his ban only covers domestic football.

“After almost 500 games as a professional player, this Sunday I was sent off for the first time in my career.

As you can imagine, it’s not easy for me to write these lines,” Spain midfielder Mata wrote on his blog.

“The truth is this is a new and strange situation for me, not easy to assimilate, but we learn from everything. I know that, in football, we see things like these every week, but obviously what hurts more is that my team-mates had to fight with 10 men for a long time.

“I have the feeling that both decisions were rigorous; that, in many occasions, we see more serious fouls that are not penalised in such a way, but at the same time I could have avoided them and I take responsibility. l

Real Madrid midfielder James Rodriguez (C) and teammates take part in a training session at Real Madrid Sport City in Madrid yesterday on the eve of their UEFA Champions League match against AS Roma AFP

Bale in Zidane’s plans for return against Roma n Reuters

Gareth Bale looks set to reinforce Real Madrid against AS Roma in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie at the Bernabeu on Tuesday after a promising return from injury at the weekend.

Real should also have Toni Kroos, Luka Modric and Marcelo back after they missed Saturday’s 7-1 rout of Celta Vigo when Cristiano Ronaldo scored four goals.

Bale, who has scored an aver-

FIXTURES

Wolfsburg v Gent

Wolfsburg lead 3-2 from first leg

Real Madrid v Roma Madrid lead 2-0 from first leg

age of nearly a goal a match in La Liga this season, should help Real keep the Roma defence busy as the Italian side try to come back from a 2-0 deficit in the first leg in Rome two weeks ago. The Welsh forward tore a calf muscle against Sporting

Gijon on Jan. 17 and had a setback during his recovery last month.

However, Bale had scored 11 goals in eight matches in La Liga prior to that injury and showed he could comfortably pick up where he left off. He struck 14 minutes after coming on as a substitute on Saturday and now has a tally of 14 goals in his 16 league matches.

Striker Karim Benzema remains doubtful with a thigh muscle problem and teenager Borja Mayoral could again stand in for him.

Zidane will want his most experienced players, though, to ensure Real stay in the hunt for an “Undecima” (11th) European Cup as they target the only major trophy they can still realistically win this season.

Roma also boosted their confidence for the task in Madrid with a 4-1 home win over Fiorentina in a key clash for third place in Serie A on Friday, including two goals from their quick winger Mohamed Salah, who played on loan at Fiore last season. l

'Arsenal will not give up on title' n Reuters

Boca Juniors' Carlos Tevez shoots the ball during their Argentina first division match against River Plate in Buenos Aires on Sunday. The match ended 0-0 AFP

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is refusing to write off his side’s chances of lifting the Premier League trophy this season after Saturday’s 2-2 draw with north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur left them eight points behind leaders Leicester City.

A three-game winless run in the league has severely dented Arsenal’s hopes of ending their 12-year wait for the league title. However, they still have nine games to turn their fortunes around.

“The championship is far from over,” Wenger told reporters on Monday ahead of his club’s FA Cup fifth round replay against second

tier side Hull City on Tuesday.

“We have beaten twice Leicester. People have to look at the other teams. We will not give up in the championship. We will fight until the end.”

Wenger also confirmed he will make a few changes to his side for Tuesday’s game as they bid to become the first club since Blackburn Rovers in the 1880s to lift the FA Cup trophy three years in a row and only the third club ever to do so.

“I will have to make (changes).

I’m not concerned by replacing one player for another. I have to rotate a bit and keep the balance in the team,” Wenger said.

Wenger heaped praise on goalkeeper David Ospina, who made

nine saves during Saturday’s draw with Spurs, after doubts were raised about the Colombian’s ability to fill in for the injured Petr Cech, who has been a major factor in this season’s successes.

“I rate him as a world-class goalkeeper and he had been unfairly treated,” the Frenchman said of Ospina.

“I played him against Olympiakos (Piraeus) and it’s a shame at that time his stats did not come out in the press, but I never questioned his quality.”

Midfielder Alex Iwobi, who has made 10 appearances this campaign, has been included in the squad to face Hull and Wenger described the 19-year-old as an “interesting player”. l

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DAY’S WATCH FOOTBALL TEN SPORTS 1:45AM UEFA Champions League Wolfsburg v Gent

TEN ACTION UEFA Youth League 9:00PM

Djoker steers Serbia to last-8 clash with Britain n Reuters World number one Novak Djokovic overcame fatigue and an inspired opponent to help Serbia beat Kazakhstan 3-2 in their Davis Cup first-round tie and set up a mouth-watering quarter-final clash with holders Britain in July.

Djokovic beat Mikhail Kukushkin 6-7(6) 7-6(3) 4-6 6-3 6-2 in an absorbing five-hour contest before Viktor Troicki completed Serbia’s comeback with a 6-2 6-3 6-4 win over Aleksandr Nedovyesov.

Battling cramps while committing a flurry of double faults and unforced errors in the opening three sets, a weary-looking Djokovic drew strength from passionate home support in the Aleksandar Nikolic Arena.

“The fans were fantastic and their support got me out of trouble at key moments in the game,” Djokovic, who had to receive treatment for an eye infection in the week leading up to the tie, told a news conference.

“My body told me several times during the match that it’s had enough but with this crowd behind me, my heart and mind prevailed.”

Troicki made light work of Nedovyesov in a straight-sets win to give Serbia a home tie against Britain, who were 3-1 winners over Japan, after world number two Andy Murray beat Kei Nishikori. Nishikori came back from two sets down to force a decider, but Murray held firm and closed it out in four hours and 54 minutes. l

RESULTS

At Birmingham (indoor, hard)

Great Britain

3-1

Japan

Andy Murray (GBR) bt Kei Nishikori (JPN) 7-5, 7-6 (8/6), 3-6, 4-6, 6-3 Evans (GBR) v Daniel (JPN) - not played At Belgrade (indoor, hard)

3-2

Serbia

Kazakhstan

Novak Djokovic (SRB) bt Mikhail Kukushkin (KAZ) 6-7 (6/8), 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 Viktor Troicki (SRB) bt Aleksandr Nedovyesov (KAZ) 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 At Pesaro (indoor, clay)

At Guadeloupe (outdoor, clay)

5-0

France

Canada

Richard Gasquet (FRA) bt Philip Bester (CAN) 6-1, 7-6 (7/4) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) bt Frank Dancevic (CAN) 6-7 (7/9) - retired At Hanover (indoor, hard)

Germany

2-3

Czech Repulic

Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) bt Tomas Berdych (CZE) 6-3, 7-5 - retired Lukas Rosol (CZE) bt Alexander Zverev (GER) 6-2, 6-3, 6-1 At Melbourne (outdoor, grass)

5-0

Italy

Switzerland

Marco Cecchinato (ITA) bt Adrien Bossel (SUI) 6-3, 7-5 Paolo Lorenzi (ITA) bt Antoine Bellier (SUI) 6-3, 6-2 At Gdansk (indoor, hard)

Poland

2-3

Argentina

Leonardo Mayer (ARG) bt Michal Przysiezny (POL) - 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (7/4), 6-2, 6-3 Hubert Hurkacz (POL) bt Renzo Olivo (ARG) 4-6, 7-6 (8/6), 6-4

Australia

1-3

United States

John Isner (USA) bt Bernard Tomic (AUS) 6-4, 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (7/4) Groth (AUS) v Sock (USA) - not played At Liege (indoor, clay)

Belgium

2-3

Croatia

David Goffin (BEL) bt Marin Cilic (CRO) 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 Borna Coric (CRO) bt Kimmer Coppejans (BEL) 7-6 (7/5), 6-2, 6-2

QFs: Real Madrid v Benfica 11:00PM QFs: RSC Anderlecht v FC Barcelona 1:45AM UEFA Champions League Real Madrid v Roma

SONY ESPN 1:00AM

The Emirates FA Cup Replay: Hull City v Arsenal

CRICKET

STAR SPORTS 2 ICC World T20 2016 3:00PM Qualifiers: Zimbabwe v Hong Kong 7:30PM Qualifiers: Scotland v Afghanistan

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Showtime

TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 2016

5 Bollywood feminist flicks n Showtime Desk Gender biasness and misogyny is rife everywhere. Challenging conventional ideas, Bollywood films have depicted women out of their traditional stereotypes, which eventually gathered appreciation for the actor. Female-centric films in Bollywood have gained some focus on certain characters as well, such as:

wedding in the film, complaining that Rani’s conservatism is unattractive to him. The film depicts a simple coming-of-age story of a naive and introvert girl.

Heartbroken, but compelled to get over it, Rani goes on her solo journey to Paris and Amsterdam.

Along the way, she meets many interesting people who teach her a lot about herself. When she returns to India, she brims in sincerity and self-love.

through in her final trimester of pregnancy, she travels to Kolkata with the determination to find her husband. Everyone she encounters tells her that her husband probably left her because he didn’t want to raise the baby with her.

She slowly figures out that her husband’s death was part of a bigger incident involving the federal government and a rogue agent-turned-terrorist. Vidya continues to look for answers despite being threatened.

National award winner Khalid Mahmud Mithu is no more

n Showtime Desk

English Vinglish (2012) Gauri Shinde’s English Vinglish stars Bollywood icon Sridevi, who plays a housewife named Shashi Godbole. The film depicts her journey of self-discovery from a coy housewife to confident speaker in English. She secretly takes language classes in New York City after being mocked for her inability to speak English.

Queen (2014) Queen stars Kangana Ranaut as a young woman named Rani.

Her husband calls off their

Astitva (2000) Written and directed by Mahesh Manjrekar, the film stars Tabu in a struggle for her identity as a woman. Feminist in its tone and tenor, the film argued that a woman is not just a dutiful wife and a dedicated mother. Her world should not be, and is not, centered around a man.

Kahaani (2012) Kahaani depicts the Vidya Bagchi’s (played by Vidya Balan) persistence to track down her missing husband. Even

Fashion (2008) In Fashion, Priyanka Chopra stars as Meghna Mathur, an ambitious model. She goes to Mumbai against her parents’ consent to chase her dream. Struggling through several rejections, she finally catches her break after making some good friends and exhibiting confidence during a meeting with an executive at a major modeling agency.

However, her health and relationships slowly begin to deteriorate after her involvement with drugs and alcohol. In order to get her career back on track, she has to overcome her addictions and phases of depression. l

WHAT TO WATCH amongst humans in Midgard (Earth), where he soon becomes one of their finest defenders.

Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Hopkins, Natalie Portman San Andreas HBO 9:30pm This movie follows Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor, which was long ago conquered by the dragon Smaug Cast: Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage Madagascar 3 Zee Studio 9:30pm Thor Star Movies 9:30pm The powerful but arrogant god Thor is cast out of Asgard to live

Alex, Marty, Gloria and Melman are still fighting to get home to their beloved Big Apple. Their journey takes them through

Europe where they find the perfect cover: a traveling circus, which they reinvent Madagascar style.

Cast: Ben Stiller, Jada Pinkett Smith, Chris Rock Godzilla Movies Now 6:35pm The world is beset by the appearance of monstrous creatures, but one of them may be the only one who can save humanity.

Cast: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Bryan Cranston Priest WB 7:50pm A priest disobeys church law to track down the vampires who kidnapped his niece.

Cast: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Bryan Cranston l

National award winning filmmaker and artist Khalid Mahmud Mithu died when a tree fell on him in Dhanmondi in the city of Dhaka.

March 7, 2016, Monday, Khalid was leaving his Dhanmondi residence by a rickshaw on Monday afternoon. A tree fell on him, leaving him injured.

He was taken to the hospital immedietly. Soon after, the doctor declared him dead.

Khalid Mahmood Mithu was a man of many talents. He born on January 1, 1960 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. He completed his MFA from the Institute of Fine Arts at University of Dhaka in 1986.

Simultaneously, Mithu worked on filmmaking and painting media.

Mithu did 10 solo painting and photography exhibitions in Bangladesh, USA and Japan. He has taken part in 134 major group exhibitions in USA, England, Canada, Australia, Netherlands, France, Nepal, China, India, Japan, Korea, Slovenia, German and Bangladesh.

He made 150 musical

programs, 30 feature films and many documentary films.

Mithu achieved acclaim, as he won 29 prestigious awards for the best in film direction, scriptwriting, painting, photography and cinematography.

The most important awards include Excellence Award of Art Mirai International Art Exhibition by Metropolitan Art Museum in Tokyo, Japan in 2005. All media best award in Florida, USA in 1997, award on Experimental Painting from the Institute of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka in 1988. National Awards on photography in 1986, ‘89, ‘91 and ‘92. Best Film Director Award in 2004, Best Scriptwriter Award 2003. His film Gohine Shobdo received the Bangladesh National award in four categories in 2010.

His film Jonakir Alo got the Audience Choice Award at the 12th Asian Film Festival, Mumbai.

His wife Kanak Chapa Chakma is also a reknown artist and his children Arjo Sreshta and Shiropa Purna are also award winners in several areas of arts and performance. l

Souls performing at Bengal She Fest-2016 n Showtime Desk Celebrating International Women’s Day, Bengal Plastics has arranged Bengal She Fest 2016. The event will be held today 2pm at Sultana Kamal Women’s Complex in Dhanmondi. Souls, Tahsan and the band, Kona, Akhi Alamgir and Shayan will perform at the concert during the event.

Registration for the event is

valid and free only for females.

Only one male per registration can attend the event as a guest.

For details and registration, visit the event page online. l

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TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 2016

Afsana Mimi shapes her own world amid discrimination n Promiti Prova Chowdhury

with gender discrimination.

The world is set to observe International Women’s Day today with this year’s campaign theme #pledgeforparity. On a day that celebrates various achievements of women and calls for action to accelerate gender parity, Showtime talks to Afsana Mimi. She is an icon among female actors of the country who gradually found her way into direction and currently is leading two organisations, a production house named Green Screen and the Bangladesh Film and Television Academy.

What inspires you?

Begum Rokeya inspires me. That is why, I never consider discrimination to be an obstacle. It is important how you see the world, not how the world sees you. Because the world may perceive you from various aspects. I am not denying the existence of gender discrimination but it never affected me.

Whenever I failed in something or did not achieve the expected results, I knew that happened because of lack of my qualification, not because of my gender.

When I achieved something that was because I was sincere and caring towards my work. When I lead my team, I have a lot of fights, arguments, with both male and female co-workers. I grew up in Bangladesh. Have I not fallen victim of eve teasing? Yes I have. But when I was in college, I, along with my friends, teased back the teaser rather than being scared of him.

Do you celebrate women’s day?

I definitely connect to it as a woman. Despite criticism, the special days do create an impact on people and hence, bear a significance.

I am a human and a woman. Both the identities are important. I never thought that life would have been better if I was a man. I am proud to be a woman.

This year’s theme for IWD is pledging for gender parity. As a leader, a performer, do you face gender discrimination?

Men and women are “different” by their bodily features, which is natural and biological. The problem starts when people focus on that.

Racism, religious discrimination, economic discrimination – these are different forms of discrimina-

tion.

I never bore “discrimination” in my heart and did things in my way.

It is easy to stigmatise someone who follow their hearts. I did not face discrimination because I never gave it a chance. My philosophy is different. I am surrounded by different forms of discrimination.

When I do not breed it inside me, and do not care what the world

thinks of me, I do not face it. I have created a shield from within. I believe I have two identities: one of a human and the other of a woman.

I hold the two identities with equal importance and strength.

Discrimination exists the way you perceive it. For example, religion is one’s personal choice. But isn’t politics dividing the nation in the name of religion? Same goes

What is required for “freedom of women”?

Not only for women, for all genders, education and financial independence is the only key.

This country is divided by a lot of factors - religion, education, wealth, politics. Only enlightenment can help us to change the situation, to progress. I was born in a middle class family. If I was

born in a poor family where my parents could not provide me with education, then I would not have been able to think this way.

Are you independent?

100% How can one become independent?

You can become independent in all manners gradually, once you are financially independent. Your income is related to the process.

The society is progressing and going backwards at the same time. We are getting connected to the world, the rate of literacy is increasing. But we are losing moral values. So there is both the beautiful and the ugly. A fight between them is always on. However, under such circumstances women are progressing.

Sometimes I get tired and fall behind when I fight with the ugly. I do not fall behind because of men.

The ugliness can reside in women as well. I fight for a beautiful life, for my work, for a beautiful country and for a beautiful world.

I fall behind because of scarcity of knowledge, intelligence, courage.

Decisions can be wrong. A person can make numerous errors but I do not consider that a problem.

I am surrounded with lots of discrimination in this world, but, I have shaped my world in my way. l

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TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 2016

BB BANK ACCOUNT HACKED IN US

A portion of money recovered n Tribune Report Being unnerved over the huge $100m taken away by hackers from its overseas account with a US bank, Bangladesh Bank (BB) yesterday said a portion of the hacked money was already brought back and rest portion’s destination was already traced out.

“BB Financial Intelligence Unit is in active touch with the Philippines Anti Money Laundering Authority to recover the rest portion,” said the BB in a statement issued after a month into the incident.

However, the central bank did not disclose the amount of hacked money.

The statement also stated that a legal step will be taken to bring back the money immediately after completing investigation currently being carried out by the Philippines Anti Money Laundering Authority and if needed World Bank’s Stolen Assets Recovery process will be adapted.

For the sake of fair probe, the information collected through investigation from and outside of the

country has not been disclosed, it said.

“The cyber attack is very new for Bangladesh, though such incident is very familiar in the banking system of the developed world,” said the central bank.

In sharp contrast with the BB statement, sources said BB itself is in doubt over getting back money stolen by suspected Chinese hackers to the Philippines from the central banks overseas account with a bank in New York, despite desperate efforts to recover the stolen money.

“It is very tough to bring back hacked money which has already exchanged many hands and it is a matter of legal complexities,” said a senior central bank official requesting not to be named.

He noted that Bangladesh Bank has cyber security loopholes through which hackers get access to the account.

Over the “hide and seek” seemingly played by the central bank to make the matter public, Finance Minister AMA Muhith said: “We have had no knowledge about the matter till today but the incident

happened on February 5. Bangladesh Bank authority should have let me inform about the matter earlier.”

“I could not say any more about it because I am yet to receive any report from the Bangladesh Bank.

I have known this from newspaper reports,” the finance minister told reporters at his resident.

A central bank official said a portion of the money transferred to Sri Lanka has been brought back.

According to BB, it has currently around $28bn foreign currency reserve and 30% of which is in the form of liquid asset and the rest has been invested in bonds and gold in overseas financial markets.

The Inquirer.net, a Philipnes news web portal, reported on March 4 that the National Bureau of Investigation of Philippines was investigating a Chinese-Filipino who allegedly played a key role in the laundering operation.

The Chinese-Filipino, who is known to the gambling community and has business interests in Manila, is suspected to be the conduit of the laundering activities, the re-

port said referring to a source privy to the investigation.

On February 28, it reported that the financial regulators of the South East Asian country were investigating what could be the biggest single money laundering activity ever uncovered in the Philippines—a total of $100 million that was brought into the country’s banking system.

The money was sold to a black market foreign exchange broker, transferred to at least three large local casinos, sold back to the money broker and moved out to overseas accounts, all in a matter of days, it said.

More importantly, the suspected illicit funds are said to be part of funds stolen by computer hackers recently from the accounts of a bank overseas, which Inquirer sources said was a financial institution in Bangladesh, said the report.

“The initial report is that some funds went missing in Bangladesh and the suspicion is that this bank— or the central bank of that country, itself—was hit by hackers based in China,” reads the report.

The suspected illicit funds first entered the Philippine financial system through a Makati City branch of Rizal Commercial Banking Corp through a transaction handled by one of its branch managers with foreign exchange broker Philrem.

“Once converted into pesos, the funds were consolidated from five individual bank accounts into a single corporate account of a Chinese-Filipino businessman who runs a ‘junket operation’ flying in high network gamblers from overseas to play in local casinos,” the report said.

The bank immediately filed a suspicious transaction report with anti-money laundering cell once its officials got wind of the activity, thus alerting regulators, said the report.

The funds are owned by a Macau-based client of the junket operator, the report said referring to gambling industry sources, adding that these funds were used to either ‘buy chips’ or ‘pay for casino losses’ incurred at Solaire Resort and Casino, City of Dreams Manila and Midas Hotel and Casino. l

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