SECOND EDITION

TUESDAY, MAY 19, 2015 | Jyoistha 5, 1421 Sha’ban 1, 1436 | Regd No DA 6238, Vol 3, No 37 | www.dhakatribune.com | 32 pages | Price: Tk10

PAGE 8Raped Indian nurse dies after 42 years in coma

PAGE 4Journalists harassed, threatened

PAGE 5Govt-people collaboration needed for SDGs

PAGE 6FF’s family evicted, grave enclosure vandalised

PAGE 3SC: Solve Jamuna Resort matter in eight weeks

PREPARATORY SCHOOL CLEANER SACKED, VICE-PRINCIPAL RELIEVED FROM POST PAGE 3

TRAFFIC SOLUTION TURNS OUT TO BE A BIGGER PROBLEM PAGE 32

‘I have only seen this in � lms’A man who jumped into the sea from a tra� cking ship describes horror he experienced

Salahuddin Ahmed reunited with wife in Shillongn Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

Hasina Ahmed, the wife of BNP joint secre-tary general Salahuddin Ahmed, has been reunited with her husband who went missing March 10 and reappeared across the border in India on May 11.

After the meeting with her husband in a hospital in Shillong, in the Indian state of

Meghalaya, Hasina told journalists that she wanted to take Salahuddin to a third country for medical treatment.

The thirty minute meeting between man and wife, following the BNP leader’s mysteri-ous disappearance over two months ago, was described as an emotional reunion.

Half of the half-hour meeting was spent crying, Abdul Latif Jony, assistant o� ce sec-

retary of the BNP, told the Dhaka Tribune.After shedding tears during the reunion

with his wife, Salahuddin Ahmed asked how the members of his family were and inquired about BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, Abdul Latif Jony said.

Hasina Ahmed was meeting her husband for the � rst time since Salahuddin went miss-ing. She entered the hospital around 8:30pm

and stayed till 9pm. She had left Dhaka on Sunday.

“I am very grateful to the Indian govern-ment, the local administration and hospital authorities for sheltering Salahuddin and giving him medical treatment. My husband is seriously ill. We will try to take him to a third country for further treatment, following

PAGE 2 COLUMN 2

13 illegal migration seekers rescuedin the Bayn Tribune Report

Law enforcers yesterday rescued a total of 13 Bangladeshis in Teknaf of Cox’s Bazar and in the Bay of Bengal near the Saint Martin’s Island.

All these people are aspiring immigrants looking to sneak into Malaysia illegally, re-ports our Cox’s Bazar correspondent.

Lt Abujar Al Zahid, commander of Teknaf 42 BGB battalion, said a group of cattle trad-ers saw six Bangladeshis when their boat was passing the Merulla area in Myanmar around noon. The traders then rescued these Bang-ladeshis and brought them to the Shah Parir Dwip jetty where BGB members took them into custody.

Those rescued are Md Shahin Miah, 24, and Md Zahidul Islam, 30, from Narsingdi; Md Jasim Uddin, 19, from Joypurhat; Md Faruq Hossain, 27, and Md Musa, 19, from Chit-tagong. The identity of the sixth person could not be known immediately.

Earlier, around 4am, Coast Guard person-nel rescued seven Bangladeshi nationals o� the Myanmar coast after they were thrown from a � shing trawler packed with migrants heading to Malaysia.

Lt Shahid Hossain Chowdhury, Coast Guard station commander in Teknaf, said the mem-bers of his force were on a routine patrol when they found the Bangladeshis � oating aimless-ly on a boat near the Saint Martin’s Island.

The rescued seven are Shahdat Hossain, 35, from Joypurhat; Alauddin, 24, and Mamun

PAGE 2 COLUMN 2

n Abid Azad from Teknaf, Cox’s Bazar

Alauddin Sheikh, 28 and naked, jumped into the sea in the middle of the Bay of Bengal, no longer able to bear the severe torture his ab-ductors were in� icting on him on the human tra� cking ship he was aboard.

He, together with six others abducted nearly three months ago by human smug-glers, jumped into the sea and were later res-cued by a � shing boat from Myanmar. A few days ago, they reached Myanmar’s Mundu

with help from the � shermen.Yesterday, they were rescued by members

of the Bangladesh Coast Guard after they had reached Shah Parir Dwip on a small � shing boat with help from some Muslims from My-anmar. Seven other people were rescued by members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) from Teknaf in Cox’s Bazar the same day.

“There were 68 people on the large ship. Four were women, including one from Bang-ladesh. There were several among us who were less than 18 years old. We had some

physically challenged people with us, too. Before us, � ve others jumped into the sea to escape the torture. Three of them died. We do not know what became of the other two,” Alauddin, a resident of Jhenidah district, said.

This correspondent met him at the Teknaf police station last evening after he and his six companions were handed over to the police by the Coast Guard.

“There are still many more people on the ship. They [the abductors] told us that they

PAGE 2 COLUMN 2

Alauddin, in black t-shirt, is one of the seven men who jumped into the sea from a human tra� cking ship and were rescued by the Coast Guard yesterday. They have been kept at the Teknaf police station ABID AZAD

TUESDAY, MAY 19, 2015

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1ONE BELT ONE ROADChina wants to sign MoU with Bangladeshn Sheikh Shahariar Zaman

Bangladesh supports the One Belt One Road, a Chinese initiative, to revive old Silk Route through land and sea for economic develop-ment.

“We are party to it and support it,” Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque told the Dhaka Tribune.

Beijing formally approached Dhaka to join the initiative and expressed its desire to sign a memorandum of understanding to seal the deal, he said.

“We asked for the concept paper. We will decide about it after getting it,” the foreign secretary said adding that Bangladesh wants to know how China wants to materialise the mammoth project.

One Belt One Road is a Chinese framework for organising multinational economic develop-ment primarily in Eurasia through two main components, the land-based Silk Road and oceangoing Maritime Silk Road.

It was unveiled by Chinese leader Xi Jin-ping in September and October 2013.

During the visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to China last year, the issue was dis-cussed between the two leaders.

Bangladesh wants to make it as a transit hub and engage in many initiatives to connect all the neighbouring countries in South and Southeast Asia.

“We are discussing a number of connectiv-ity projects including BBIN, BCIM initiative and Bimstec,” said an o� cial of the Foreign Ministry seeking anonymity. Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal [BBIN] connectivi-ty project is at � nal stage and expected to be signed next month, the o� cial said.

Bangladesh Communications Minister Obaidul Quader is now in New Delhi and had a fruitful meeting on the BBIN with his Indian counterpart Nitin Gadkari, the o� cial added.

On May 15, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Tsinghua University in Beijing said New Delhi and Beijing both sought to connect fragmented Asia.

“There are projects we will pursue individ-ually. There are few such as the Bangladesh China India Myanmar [BCIM] Corridor that we are doing jointly,” Modi said.

The BCIM economic corridor initiative is almost at � nal stage. The second joint study group meeting of the initiative was held in Bangladesh last year. The next meeting will be held in India this year. l

PM: AL govt’s aim is to create, not to destroyn UNB

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said her government’s aim was to create, not to destroy, and ensure peace, not to unleash confrontation, and steer the country towards development, not to degradation.

“We are running the state keeping this aim in our mind,” she said.

The prime minister was addressing a pro-grmamme on the occasion of the World Tele-communication and Information Society Day 2015 and observance of the 150th anniversary of International Telecommunication Union.

Posts and Telecommunications Division and Bangladesh Telecommunication Regula-tory Commission jointly organised the pro-gramme at Bangabandhu International Con-

ference Centre. Like natural calamities, the country sometimes have to face human-in-duced calamities, the prime minister said, re-ferring to the destructive activities unleashed across the country by the BNP-Jamaat alliance without notice from January 5.

“They [BNP-Jamaat] went for arson at-tacks, burning people to death, torching bus-es and trains and houses. They killed innocent

people in the name of movement.”Hasina said such movement had never

been seen in the past. “They committed such hatred activities which we never want to see.”

She said her government wanted the coun-try’s economy to be independent alongside development of the lifestyle of the country’s people. “We have been working to achieve the desired goal.” l

13 illegal migration seekers rescued in the BayMolla, 19, from Jhenidah; Jasim Munshi, 35, Id-ris, 20, Ismail Hossain, 35, and Imran Ali, 22, from Sirajganj. They have all been kept in the custody of the Saint Martin’s unit of Coast Guard.

Meanwhile, in a press released issued yesterday, Bangladesh Navy said they had also detained two alleged human tra� ckers named Shaid Gazi from Jhenidah and Wadud

from Sirajganj along with these seven.Thousands of poor Bangladeshis and Ro-

hingyas from Myanmar attempt the peril-ous journey to Malaysia and other Southeast Asian nations every year.

Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia have sparked outrage by turning away some over-loaded vessels, and thousands of migrants are

still believed to be stranded at sea after a Thai crackdown disrupted long-established peo-ple-smuggling routes.

Nearly 3,000 migrants have swum to shore or been rescued o� the three nations over the past week.

Bangladesh’s police and border forces have also launched a crackdown on the smugglers. l

‘I have only seen this in � lms’would free us after 18 months if we worked as � shermen and paid them Tk2.3 lakh. After that we could send Tk8,000 back to our fami-lies, they told us.”

Alauddin never knew that his good friend Shahid Gazi, also from Jhenidah’s Kaliganj area, would turn out to be a member of the gang of human smugglers. He said Shahid lured him aboard by saying that they were go-ing on a vacation to Cox’s Bazar.

“My perception of Shahid changed after we came to the Kutubjum area in Moheshkhali of Cox’s Bazar. Shahid locked me in a small room in a boarding house there. Then I was taken to the house of a person named Faruq. This Faruq is an uncle of Luthu alias Russel. I learned the name of Russel because I heard Shahid talking to him over the phone several times,” Alauddin said.

“I was the � rst person to be taken to that house. Later, 15 more people were abducted and brought there.

“I got really scared when I found out that I had been sold for Tk35,000 to a person named Afsar, who is a godfather. Afsar boarded us on a small boat and eventually, we were brought to that big ship.

“We were kept in that house for 17 days. You would not believe me if I said that every-body, even children, carried arms in Mohesh-khali – but it is true. Armed people, including children, guarded the house so that we could not escape.”

Pointing at the policemen, Alauddin boldly said: “Even the police do not have those kinds of weapons. I’ve only seen such big and heavy weapons in � lms.”

Like Alauddin, the other 12 people had similar stories to tell.

The only mode of communication be-tween the mainland and Moheshkhali island are speed boats. They were all � rst taken on speed boats, held captive at gunpoint, and taken to similar safe houses on Moheshkhali. After a few days’ stay in captivity, someone boarded them onto small boats and took them to the big ship in the deep sea.

“The torture began as soon as I boarded the big ship. They [the abductors] were 10 in number. One of them was a Bangladeshi and all of them carried arms. I have only seen this kind of thing in � lms,” Alauddin continued.

“They told us not to worry. They said we were lucky as we were going to Malaysia and there we would get good jobs on � shing boats.”

Alauddin said he had a computer and mo-bile phone repair shop back at his village in Kaliganj, Jhenidah.

One hundred grams of rice, three to four dried red chillies and a cup of water twice a day – around seven in the morning and after midnight – was the only food they got to eat.

“Every evening, they � red blank rounds with their guns to frighten us, so that we would not try to escape. The Bangladeshi ab-ductor translated the instructions for us. The

rest of them sounded like Thai people.“They tortured us with iron rods, pipes,

knives and sticks. They even burnt my hand with cigarettes. We were not allowed to say a word. Even when we asked for water, they beat us up. The children cried all the time. They tor-tured the women the most – mercilessly.”

After Alauddin and the others jumped ship, � shermen from Mynamar rescued them from the sea and took them to a hilly, forested area. They had to walk for days through the jungle. They were weak and sick from days of near starvation. Many of them were naked. Final-ly, they reached Mundu, in Myanmar, where they met some Muslims who gave them food, clothing and shelter. They also showed them the way by which they could reach the Naf river in Teknaf of Cox’s Bazar.

“The Muslims from Myanmar warned us not to tread into the Mogh area. They said the Mogh would either kill us or hand us over if they found us. If that happened, we would have to languish in Myanmar jails for seven years,” Alauddin continued.

“So we kept walking for days through the hilly terrain. Finally, with help from some Myanmar people, we got onto a boat that dropped us near Shah Porir Dwip. From there, the Coast Guard men rescued us.

“I am a free man again and this is a new life for me. I feel relief after being able to breathe the air of my motherland again,” Alauddin said. l

Salahuddin Ahmed reunited with wife in Shillongwhatever legal process is required of us,” she said.

Asked whether legal issues were discussed with Salahuddin, Hasina said: “Because he is ill, he could not speak very much. I will come tomorrow morning and talk to him about these things.

“I will try to bring a lawyer with me.”Salahuddin is being held at the under-trial

prisoner’s cell at Shillong Civil Hospital, in In-dia’s Meghalaya state, on charges of entering India without valid documents.

Salahuddin Ahmed earlier told journalists he wanted to return to Bangladesh soon. His party, the BNP, has sought government coop-eration to bring him back to Bangladesh and to send him abroad for medical treatment.

According to Indian media reports, Sala-

huddin has not yet appeared in court because doctors do not think he is � t enough to do so.

Salahuddin told local journalists he was forcibly taken to Shillong – hands tied and blindfolded – before being dropped o� in the Meghalaya capital. He was speaking to jour-nalists on the way to having a CT scan taken.

“I am still alive,” Salahuddin said to jour-nalists as he entered the main building of the Shillong Civil Hospital.

The erstwhile BNP spokesman described to reporters how he came to be in their city: “I told police … My hands were tied and I was blindfolded. It was a long journey. It seemed like 12 to 14 hours, with a two-hour stop. I was dumped at Shillong Golf Club. And then I asked local people to call the police.”

When asked whether he had surrendered

to police, Salahuddin said: “Local people called the police at my request. After telling them my story, they thought I was a mental patient.”

“Interpol has issued a red alert against me. The government did not do the right thing. I am not a convict, I am not absconding. Why they did it, I do not know. I want to return to Bangladesh,” Salahuddin said.

BNP spokesperson Asaduzzaman Ripon told journalists: “He [Salahuddin] is ill. We want the government’s cooperation to bring Salahuddin back to the country and to send him abroad for further medical treatment.”

Asked whether Salahuddin was receiving government cooperation, Ripon said: “Sala-huddin was found in India without a pass-port; we are yet to apply for one.” l

We are discussing a number of connectivity projects including BBIN, BCIM initiative and Bimstec

NEWS2DT

NEWS 3D

TTUESDAY, MAY 19, 2015

Proposal okayed for including third country in water transit protocoln Shohel Mamun

The cabinet has approved a draft proposal from the Shipping Ministry for amending the exist-ing Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade (PIWTT) with India, keeping a provision to in-clude a third country under the protocol.

The approval came from a regular cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasi-na at the secretariat yesterday.

Following the meeting, Cabinet Secretary (Reforms and Coordination) Nazrul Islam told reporters: “The amendment has proposed some basic changes in the protocol agreed upon

in the secretary-level meeting of the two coun-tries held at New Delhi on April 20 this year.

“According to the proposed amendment, the PIWTT agreement which expired on March 31 this year, will be extended preliminarily for the next � ve years. Both sides can extend it further as per mutual understanding. “Another impor-tant proposal is keeping a provision to include any third country under the protocol.”

Replying to a query, he said, initially, Nepal and Bhutan were the targets and the names would be � nalised later.

The original PIWTT agreement was signed in 1972, and has since been renewed many times. l

Court asks for report on Khaleda’s atheist remark by June 18n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu

A Dhaka court yesterday gave police one more month to submit a probe report against BNP chief Khaleda Zia in a case � led for branding the Awami League as a party of atheists.

Metropolitan Magistrate Shamsul Are� n � xed June 18 as Shahbagh police failed to sub-mit the report on the day.

According to the complainant, Bangladesh Jananetri Parishad President AB Siddique, Khaleda on October 14 last year made “false” remarks saying “secularism is Awami League’s mask and that it is a party of atheists.” l

Preparatory school cleaner sacked, vice-principal relieved from her postn Mohammad Jamil Khan

The authorities at Mohammadpur Prepara-tory Higher Secondary Girls’ School have de-cided to permanently sack one of its cleaners, who is accused of sexually assaulting a stu-dent on the school premises on May 5.

At a meeting of the school’s Board of Trus-tees yesterday, it was decided that the cleaner named Gopal who worked at the school’s ele-mentary wing and was suspended on Saturday would now be removed permanently from the school.

The board also decided to relieve Vice-Prin-cipal of the school’s English medium section Jinnatun Nesa from her responsibilities be-cause of her inappropriate remarks following the incident.

The board also condemned the aggressive

behaviour shown by some guardians and out-siders during demonstrations that were staged to protest the sexual assault.

Conveying the message from the board, a notice was put up on the school gate yesterday.

In the notice, it was mentioned that the school authorities had taken immediate action after receiving an allegation regarding the in-cident. The probe body that was formed to in-vestigate the claim identi� ed Gopal as the per-petrator, and the board consequently had him permanently sacked.

M Tamim, a member of the Board of Trus-tees, told the Dhaka Tribune that based on the victim’s statement, it was found that Gopal had attempted to molest the student on the after-noon of May 5.

He said Gopal had brandished a knife on the day and forcibly dragged the student to a quiet

place inside the school compound. “The girl was very brave and she punched

him [Gopal] in the abdomen before � eeing to her fellow classmates,” said Tamim, who is a professor at Buet and a former adviser to a care-taker government.

Meanwhile, yesterday’s notice at the school’s gate praised Jinnatun Nesa’s 36-year-long ca-reer as a teacher at the school, but added: “For the sake of investigation and fair judgement, a decision has been made to relieve her [Jin-natun] from her present post.”

The notice continued: “It is very regrettable that some guardians and outsiders showed ag-gressive attitude after the incident. They also psychically harassed the honourable principle and other teachers of the school in front of the institute’s children and also vandalised school property. The authority expresses its deep con-

demnation of such behaviour.”The attempt to molest a student on May 5,

however, was not the � rst such sexual assault at the school.

O� cials at the school said a chemistry teach-er was sacked in December 2014, after allega-tions surfaced against him for sexually harass-ing a student.

Following the recent May 5 incident, M Tamim had said that in order to ensure better security at the school in the future, authorities would soon set up 12 CCTV cameras in the girls’ section as well as transferring all male employ-ees from there, appoint female supervisors for the girls’ toilets and hire female security guards.

The school currently remains closed, report-edly for Shab-e-Meraj and summer holidays, and is scheduled to resume its activities from May 26. l

SC: Solve Jamuna Resort matter in eight weeksn Tribune Report

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has given eight weeks to resolve a High Court ruling over the deal between the government and the Jamuna Resorts Ltd authorities.

The four-member bench led by Chief Jus-tice Surendra Kumar Sinha yesterday passed the order, clearing a leave-to-appeal � led by Bangladesh Bridges Authority (BBA).

The court also asked the authorities con-cerned to maintain the status quo.

During the hearing, barrister Ra� que-Ul Huq moved for the JRL authorities while Attorney General Mahbubey Alam stood for the state.

On April 30, the Supreme Court stayed un-til May 17 the cancellation the deal between the government and the JRL authorities.

On April 23, a High Court bench stayed the same notice for three months and asked the government not to bar the JRL authorities from operating their business.

The government appealed against the de-cision with the apex court chamber judge on April 26. The chamber judge stayed the High Court order and sent the petition to the reg-ular bench of the Supreme Court for hearing.

BNP leader Abdul Awal Mintoo is the leaser and a partner of the JRL. Recently he failed to take part in the Dhaka city polls.

The JRL had sought lease of 1,200 acres of land for 30 years on the east side of Bangaband-hu Bridge in Tangail from the Bridges Authority on November 21, 1999 to set up the resort.

The Bridges Authority on April 1 this year served a notice cancelling the agreement “for not clearing dues and not signing the certi� -cate of satisfaction.”

The JRL moved Dhaka Judge’s Court against the decision. The court on April 2 stayed the notice after a primary hearing but turned it down on April 22 following a full hearing.

Soon after, the executive magistrate of Tangail seized all properties of the JRL and handed those over to the Bridges Authority. The JRL then appealed against the cancella-tion order with the High Court. l

Police obstruct a procession of Gonoshonghoti Andolon heading towards the Ministry of Home A� airs to demand immediate rescue of migrants stuck at sea and punishment for the human tra� ckers. The photo was taken in front of the secretariat in the capital yesterday MEHEDI HASAN

NEWS4DTTUESDAY, MAY 19, 2015

Journalists harassed, threatened n Tribune Report

Two journalists were harassed and another one threatened by police in separate incidents in the capital yesterday.

They are Samakal’s Sta� Correspondent Indrajit Sarker, Bangladesh Pratidin’s Senior Correspondent Sakhawat Hossain Kawser and Independent TV’s Senior Broadcast Journalist Mahbub Alam Lablu.

Indrajit said Ali, a constable of Ramna po-lice, grabbed him by his collar and dragged him onto a police van as he was bargaining with a rickshaw puller over fare in Moghbazar.

“The policeman chided me and also threat-ened with torture. When I showed my identi-ty card, he snatched it and threw it away. He was also uttering o� ensive words,” said Indra-jit, who later informed senior journalists and police o� cers of the matter.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police acting deputy commissioner (media and public relations) SM Jahangir Alam Sarker said the constable’s

suspension had been ordered. Bangladesh Pratidin’s Sakhawat said he

stopped his motorcycle near O� cers’ Club in Ramna after Sergeant Shamsuzzaman signalled him. The sergeant and a constable then snatched the motorbike key without saying anything.

Sakhawat protested the act but the police-men threatened him and threw derogatory words at him.

The third victim, Mahbub, was threatened with death by a group of men who identi� ed themselves as plainclothes police and were carrying � rearms.

The journalist said he was in a microbus in Moghbazar and protested when a black car carrying the men was honking loudly. “They showed me � rearms and threatened to kill me.”

Bangladesh Crime Reporters Association protested all three incidents and called for action against the o� enders after proper in-vestigations. ADC Jahangir said the DMP com-missioner had been informed of the incidents and he had ordered o� cials to take action. l

NEWS 5D

TTUESDAY, MAY 19, 2015

TIB: City polls not free and fairn Nure Alam Durjoy

Corruption watchdog Transparency Interna-tional Bangladesh has said the recent elec-tions to three city corporations cannot be called free and fair.

The Bangladesh wing of the global body made this observation public in a presenta-tion delivered before journalists at a confer-ence in Dhaka yesterday.

The paper presented was styled “Tracking the process of Dhaka South, Dhaka North and Chittagong City Corporation Elections 2015.”

TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman said: “The components needed to call an elec-tion free and fair were absent from the polls to Dhaka North, South and Chittagong city corporations.”

The paper is based on qualitative and quan-

titative studies conducted in three cities. One of the conclusions of the research is that the limitations in the existing election rules worked against the cause of holding free and fair polls.

The study says despite having the power to more, the regulatory activities of the Election Commission were limited to issuing warning notices and � ning councillor candidates.

Because of the election regulator’s weak-nesses, except for one, all the mayoral candi-dates in the two Dhaka city corporations sur-passed their expenditure limits, said the TIB.

It said the EC did not take any immediate steps regarding the dilemma centring de-ployment of troops, which created disputes. Election o� cials took part in vote rigging and helped others in occupying polling centres, free-style stamping on ballot papers, barring media workers, and so on.

It was seen that political parties directly motivated the elections which by nature are non-partisan. Ruling party men occupied cen-tres on a large scale to ensure victory. Some centres witnessed clashes between fractions of the ruling parties.

TIB slammed the opposition parties for failing to ensure agents in all centres and the decision to quit without taking the consent of the mayoral candidates.

The study recommended that the govern-ment recti� es the � aws in the Election Rules 2010 and the EC applies its constitutional powers for free and fair polls in future.

TIB also recommended the appointment of an “ace person” who is above all pressures and political in� uences and introducing elec-tronic voting machines and closed-circuit tel-evision cameras to stop forgery. l

Experts: Government-people collaboration needed for sustainable developmentn Abu Bakar Siddique

Contribution of local communities as well as the private sector is necessary along with government initiatives to make development sustainable in Bangladesh, experts agreed at a South-South Cooperation event in the capital yesterday.

Speaking at the event, a discussion titled “Alternative models of � nancing for develop-ment: Strengthening public, private and com-munity partnerships,” HK Yong, senior fellow at the Institute of Strategic and Internation-al Studies in Malaysia, said in a developing country, a government alone cannot ful� l all

responsibilities of development with its own resources if aiming to attain sustainable de-velopment goal.

Mentioning di� erent large infrastructure development projects in the world, Yong said taking initiatives in partnership basis could make the hurdle easier to overcome.

Rubana Huq, managing director of Moham-madi Group who was also in attendance, cited the example of low-cost housing scheme for 700 RMG workers in Gazipur and said if the � -nancial institutions came forward to invest in such projects, a large number of slum-dwellers would be able to leave their current inhuman and underdeveloped living condition behind.

The business community can also come forward to invest money to improve the living status of their workers by setting up schools and other facilities, which ultimately improves people’s sustainability, she further said.

Ruksana Pervin Sweety, president of Com-munity Housing Development Fund in Sir-ajganj, small community initiatives needed technical support from larger development communities to run their projects successfully.

Dr Arastoo Khan, member secretary of Planning Commission Bangladesh, said the domestic resource mobilisation was very im-portant to attain sustainable development in the country. l

Muhith: Scienti� c knowledge, tech necessary for SDGn Abu Bakar Siddique

Use of scienti� c knowledge and technolo-gies is mandatory for developing countries to achieve sustainable development goals (SDG) and they also need to implement their own innovations, Finance Minister AMA Muhith said yesterday.

Addressing a press conference following the conclusion of the two-day International Conference on South-South Cooperation at Pan Paci� c Sonargaon Hotel yesterday, the minister also said South-South Cooperation would pave the way to sharing such practices among the partnering countries.

“There are enough polices and laws which we can use as the mode of technology trans-fers from one country to another,” he said.

However, development partners who are from the North still have an important role to help the developing countries attain sustain-able development goals by providing their committed o� cial development assistance (ODA), the minister said.

The developed countries committed to provide the ODA as the amount of 0.7% of their Gross National Income (GNI) in 1981. However, they have yet to provide the com-mitted amount to the developing countries.

In addition, the developed countries have yet to provide the committed 0.2% of ODA to the least developed countries despite having committed to do so, the minister said, adding that without having the adequate ODA, the achievement of such ambitious development is not possible.

Muhith also stressed the importance of do-mestic resource mobilisation from the private sectors as well as community investment to make the SDG tour smooth. l

NEWS6DTTUESDAY, MAY 19, 2015

FF’s family evicted, grave enclosure vandalisedn Our Correspondent, Munshiganj

A freedom � ghter’s mother named Komola Begum, 85, from Hatvogdiya village in Louha-jong upazila of the district, along with her two sons has been allegedly evicted from their homestead.

Freedom � ghter Abdul Malek Morol had died four years after the 1971 Liberation War and his father Taijuddin Morol also passed away next year.

Since then widow Komola had been strug-gling to survive with her two children. She owns a piece of land next to her homestead and has been using it for cultivation. The duo’s graves including the freedom � ghter are located at corner of the land.

Recently, some miscreants led by local in-� uential, namely Joynal Akon, from nearby Kurigaon village, grabbed the homestead as well as the nearby land by evicting them ille-gally.

When asked, Komola Begum acknowl-edged the allegation, telling even the miscre-ants cut down her 10-12 trees worth Tk3 lakh early Sunday.

During the eviction, Joynal’s musclemen

also looted her valuables from the house and at one stage, they damaged the enclosure of the graves and the crops.

When contacted, Louhajong Freedom Fighters’ Deputy Commander Md Mohiuddin Babul Munshi said: “Abdul Malek Morol is a gazetted freedom � ghter and his mother Ko-mola Begum has been receiving the allowance in favour of her son.”

Being heard of the eviction, he informed the matter to the administration, the com-mander continued.

In this regard, the victim’s son Quddus Morol launched a case with Louhajong police station.

Louhajong police station OC Md Reazul Hoq said: “We have received the complaint and action will be taken against the culprits after investigation.”

In reply to a query by the correspondent, the OC vehemently denied to disclose the names of the accused in the case.

About the comment, a local advocate named Kazi Mozammel Hossen Romel said: “There is no such provision if there is a court order. It’s the duty of police to disclose any in-formation about lawsuit.” l

WDB land grabbed n Our Correspondent, Gopalganj

A group of in� uential people have grabbed 100 acre land of Bangladesh Water Develop-ment Board (BWDB) illegally � lled up with sand nearby Sonadanga bridge in Gopalganj district.

Sources said the in� uential group led by Panu Molla and Naoajish Ali Khan grabbed the land near the Baluga River in Sonadanga village.

They had � lled the land by lifting sand from the river with dredger and set up perma-nent houses. Faruque Sikder, of the village, said the bridge had been lying in vulnerable condition as Naoajish and his cohorts lifted sand from many points of the river.

The only road beside the river might be damaged anytime. Erosion might be occurred due to unplanned sand lifting, he said.

Dredger Habib Mian said: “I have known

that Panu and Naoajish have taken the land as lease from BWDB.”

Solaiman Mian, a poor man of the village said that Panu and Naoajish � lled the land by taking money from the landless people in the name of giving shelter.

“But now they take money as rent from the people who were provided house.” he said.

Another person of the village seeking an-onymity said Panu and Naoajish had been grabbing land of the Hindu people and gov-ernment land for long with the help of ruling party’s musclemen.

Debashish Das, assistant land o� cer of Kasiani upazila said: “We have already taken steps to stop land grabbing and lifting sand from the river.” Contacted Naoajish said: “We have built houses on the land to help poor people.” BWDB executive engineer Md Moshi-ur Rahman said: “No body has been given the land as lease.” l

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i i

NEWS 7D

TTUESDAY, MAY 19, 2015

Source: Accuweather/UNB

D H A K ATODAY TOMORROW

SUN SETS 6:36PM SUN RISES 5:14AM

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

36.0ºC 22.6ºC

Mongla Sylhet

SourceL IslamicFinder.org

F O R E C A S T F O R T O D A YDhaka 34 28

Chittagong 33 26

Rajshahi 33 26

Rangpur 32 24

Khulna 33 24

Barisal 32 24

Sylhet 34 24

Cox’s Bazar 30 26

PRAYER TIMESFajr 3:47am

Sunrise 5:13amZohr 11:55am

Asr 4:34pmMagrib 6:36pm

Esha 8:06pm

WEATHER

TUESDAY, MAY 19

THUNDERSHOWER WITH RAIN

Tk5 crore down the drain excavating Mayur Rivern Our Correspondent, Khulna

Khulna residents are extremely disappointed seeing the end result of the Tk5 crore re-ex-cavation of Mayur river. The river is still � lled with water hyacinths and layers of silt depos-its in the river have not been removed.

Near the Boira Swashan ghat (crematory) bridge on the river, the picture was not pretty. The water was unclean and black with gar-bage and other wastes � oating like chars (river island) at the mouths of the canals connected to the river.

Greater Khulna Unnayan Sangram coordi-nation committee President Sheikh Ashraf uz Zaman said: “The ecavation work was hope-less. We expected that the Mayur river would be turned into source of fresh water. Boats would be running up and down the river

and there would be no more water logging in Khulna. Instead the excavation turned out to be a ruse for a massive rip-o� .”

Following the long-time demand of local people, Khulna City Corporation (KCC) had taken up a project to dredge the Mayur and Hatiya rivers including 22 canals, to resolve water-logging problem in the city.

Financed by Asian Development Bank, the Nagar Anchal Unnayan (City Area Develop-ment) project was implemented by Local Gov-ernment and Engineering Department (LGED) through contractor � rm Jamil Iqbal JV.

The dredging of Mayur river began on Feb-ruary 3, 2014; about 5,900 kilometre area of the river was dredged up at a cost of Tk 5.78 crore.

The work ended on November 10, 2014.Last March, the progress report of the

project stated 100% completion. Of the bill, Tk4.62 crore was paid with the remaining amount to be paid after � nal survey of the riv-er, stated the report.

Amzad Hossain of Gollamari area said: “80% of the Mayur river is still covered in hya-cinths. The water is still as polluted as before. The encroached areas of the river have not been excavated.”

Executive Engineer of the project Md Sai-fuddin said: “Without taking measurements it cannot be said if the river was excavated or not. A post work survey will be done and that will tell us what is the situation. We have issued a letter to Dhaka and soon a team of ex-perts will carry out the survey.”

KCC Mayor Md Moniruzzaman Moni said only the expert team’s survey can give us the real picture of the excavation progress. l

Man held for killing three daughtersn Tribune Online Report

Police arrested a man from Baizid Bostami area in the port city early yesterday on charg-es of killing his three daughters.

Acting on a tip-o� , a team of police con-ducted a drive in the area around 12:30am and arrested Abdul Gani, a resident of Chowdhury Para area under Chakaria upazila of Cox’s Ba-zar district.

Later, he was taken to Chakaria police sta-tion. During interrogation, Abdul confessed that he had killed his three daughter over family feud. On Friday, he allegedly killed his three daughters – Aysha Siddiqa, 11, Hiru Jan-nat, 9, and Tofura Jannat, 2. l

Tabligh Jamaat ameer killedin Sylhetn Our Correspondent, Sylhet

Some unidenti� ed assailants killed Sylhet city unit ameer of Tabligh Jamaat in Sowda-gortula area.

Police recovered body of Ibrahim Abu Khalil, 55, which was slitted by throat yester-day morning.

Police have detained his � rst wife and their son for interrogation.

Assistant Deputy Commissioner (media) of Sylhet Metropolitan Police Rohmot Ullah said: “He might have been murdered over family dispute. Injury marks have been no-ticed on his neck and stomach.

“Assailants tied up his hands and legs and murdered him sometime on Sunday night,” he said.

He said: “Ibrahim had three wives and owned a lot of land properties.”

Family members said Ibrahim had re-turned to the country from a Tabligh Jamaat in India two days back. He went to sleep in his room after having dinner on Sunday night.

Later, the family members found his body after entering the room on Monday morning.

He said the body was recovered and sent to Osmani Medical College morgue for autopsy.

Ibrahim’s son Sajid said the assailants have taken way a laptop and gold ornaments. l

Arrest of Ananta’s killers demandedn Our Correspondent, Sylhet

Sylhet unit Ganojagoron Moncha yesterday submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina demanding arrest and trial of the people who have killed writer and Muktomona blogger Ananta Bijoy Das a few days back.

Leaders and activists of the platform sub-mitted the memorandum to the prime minister through Deputy Commissioner Shahidul Islam.

In the memorandum, they demanded justice for all bloggers and Ganojagoron Moncho activists who had been killed by unidenti� ed assailants.

It stated that killers of blogger Rajib Haider, organiser of Ganojagoran Moncho Jogot Jyoti Talukdar, writer Avijit Roy and blogger Oyas-iqur Rahman Babu were yet to be arrested or

identi� ed. Murders of progressive people is going on due to ine� ciency of law enforcers.

If the state fails to ensure justice for victims, the extremists will not spare free thinkers.

A gang of assailants hacked blogger Ananta Bijoy Das on May 13, two months after the kill-ing of writer-blogger Avijit Roy.

He was an activists of Ganojagoron Mon-cho, a platform which is demanding a ban on Islamist parties and death penalty for convict-ed war criminals.

Mahanagar Muktijoddha Sangsad Com-mander Bhobotosh Roy Bormon Rana, Cul-tural Organiser of Ganojagoron Moncha Monir Helal, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Bangladesh Anwar Hossain Sumon, among others, were present. l

Conscious citizens take part in the 15-day mass signature collection campaign of Bangladesh Students’ Union at Oporajeyo Bangla of DU yesterday. The student body targets to collect 1 million signatures to protest the Pohela Boishakh sexual assault and the May 10 police attack on its activists DHAKA TRIBUNE

WORLD8DTTUESDAY, MAY 19, 2015

Raped Indian nurse dies after 42 years in coman AFP, New Delhi

A nurse died yesterday after 42 years in a coma following a brutal rape, in a case that led India to ease some restric-tions on euthanasia.

Aruna Shanbaug su� ered brain damage and had been in a vegetative state in a Mumbai hospital since being strangled with a dog chain and sexually assaulted by a hospital worker in 1973.

The 66-year-old Shanbaug had suf-fered a bout of pneumonia in recent days and was on a ventilator, o� cials at King Edward Hospital in Mumbai told the Press Trust of India news agency.

Shanbaug was attacked by a ward boy in the basement of the hospital

where she was discovered 11 hours lat-er, blind and su� ering from a severe brain stem injury.

Left bedridden, she spent more than four decades being cared for by a team of doctors and nurses at the hospital.

Her attacker was freed after a sev-en-year jail sentence.

“Her actual death happened in 1973 (the date of the attack). Now what has happened is her legal death,” her friend and journalist Pinki Virani told Zee News TV channel.

“Our Aruna has given our country a big thing in the form of a law on pas-sive euthanasia,” Virani said.

Shanbaug’s plight became a focal point of debate on euthanasia in India

after Virani appealed to India’s top court in 1999 to allow her to die with dignity. Indian laws do not permit euthanasia or self-starvation to the point of death.

But in 2011 the Supreme Court de-cided that life support could be legally removed for some terminally ill pa-tients in a landmark ruling that allowed “passive euthanasia” for the � rst time.

The court said withdrawing life sup-port could be allowed in exceptional circumstances, provided the request was from family and supervised by doctors and the courts.

The supervision was required to prevent “unscrupulous” family mem-bers attempting to kill o� wealthy rel-atives, the Supreme Court had said. l

US, EU alarmed at Morsi mass trial death sentencesn AFP, Cairo

The United States and Europe expressed alarm Sunday at death sentences for Egypt’s ousted president Mohamed Morsi and doz-ens of others.

Morsi was among more than 100 defendants given the death penalty Saturday for their role in a mass jailbreak during the 2011 uprising.

Washington expressed concern over the verdict, saying it has “consistently spoken out against the practice of mass trials and sentences.” “We continue to stress the need for due process and individualised judicial processes for all Egyptians in the inter-ests of justice,” a State Department o� cial said.

The European Union’s top diplomat Federica Mogherini said the trial was � awed and that the bloc believed the sentence would be re-vised upon appeal. “The court decision to seek the death penalty... was taken at the end of a mass trial that was not in line with Egypt’s obligations under international law,” she said in a statement.

However, the country’s foreign ministry denounced global condemnation of the verdict as “unacceptable interference in the internal a� airs of the country.” l

Merkel: World must step up � ght against antibiotic resistancen AFP, Geneva

Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel yesterday urged all coun-tries to help combat the misuse of antibiotics, which is fuelling drug resistance and allowing long-treatable diseases to become killers.

In an address in Geneva, Merkel stressed the interconnected-ness of global health systems, insisting all nations must work to-gether to root out the problem of antimicrobial resistance – when bugs become immune to existing drugs.

“What is important is to see to it that the e� ectiveness of the existing antibiotics is ensured and that we use them for pure-ly medicinal purposes,” she told diplomats and health experts gathered for the opening of the World Health Organisation’s main annual conference.

“I think each and every country ought to agree such a plan,” she told the assembly, stressing that time was of the essence to halt the misuse of antibiotics both for humans and animals.

The UN health agency has warned that without urgent action, the world could be headed for “a post-antibiotic era” in which common infections and minor injuries that have long been treat-able once again become killers. l

Italy, France, Germany sign European drone projectn Reuters, Brussels

Italy, France and Germany yesterday agreed to develop a Eu-ropean drone programme for reconnaissance and surveillance, seeking to inject momentum into a proposal � rst considered in 2013 to reduce reliance on US and Israeli technology.

In a joint signing ceremony, the defence ministers of the three countries pledged a two-year study to lay the basis for a Europe-an drone to be operating by 2025 and said Spain and Poland had expressed interest in joining the plan.

“It’s a very important step for European cooperation, a critical cooperation which we must have at our disposal in many thea-tres of operation,” French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said, alongside his German and Italian counterparts.

Competing national needs, corporate rivalry and a lack of gov-ernment support have undermined past e� orts. Large drones operated by European armed forces are mostly based on US or Is-raeli designs, creating a dependence on foreign technology that some European companies and o� cials see as bad for European industry and military capabilities. Airbus, Dassault and Alenia Aermacchi are likely to develop the drones. l

WORLD 9D

TTUESDAY, MAY 19, 2015

EU to militarise � ght against people smugglersn AFP, Brussels

EU ministers yesterday said they would ap-prove plans for an unprecedented naval mission to stop people smugglers as NATO warned that Islamic militants might be hid-ing among the � ood of migrants crossing the Mediterranean.

The ambitious operation starting in June will involve the deployment of warships and surveillance aircraft o� the coast of Libya.

The European Union’s military plan also includes the possible destruction of smug-glers’ boats in Libyan waters, although that will require a UN Security Council resolution to be in line with international law.

Already 2015 is shaping up as the deadliest year for refugees crossing the Mediterranean, with more than 1,800 dying this year. In to-tal more than 5,000 have died in the past 18 months.

EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini said approval by the 28-nation bloc’s foreign and defence ministers at a “very intense” meeting in Brussels would help push the United Nations into action.

“I think that after we take the decision to-day it is more likely for the Security Council to take a resolution,” the former Italian for-eign minister said, adding that the naval mis-sion could be operational “within weeks.”

NATO head Jens Stoltenberg said so far the 28-nation EU had not asked for help from NATO but the alliance was “ready to help if there is a request.”

Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain have already promised to deploy warships for the mission, a rare joint EU military venture.

A � nal decision, however, depends on a UN Security Council resolution, which Mogherini said she was con� dent would be forthcoming.

However, Rights groups have criticised

the military option, saying it will not solve the problem of complex smuggling networks and of a huge number of people � eeing war and poverty. Andrew Stroehlein of Human Rights Watch said it was “utter madness.” l

IS rockets kill � ve in Palmyran AFP, Beirut

The Islamic State jihadist group � red a bar-rage of rockets on residential neighbourhoods in Syria’s ancient city of Palmyra, killing � ve civilians including two children, a monitoring group said yesterday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported � erce clashes between the ji-hadists and government troops on the out-skirts of the city’s 2,000-year-old Unesco world heritage site.

According to Syrian antiquities director Mamoun Abdulkarim, two rockets fell Sunday on the garden of Palmyra’s museum, which houses statues, sarcophagi, and other well-pre-served artefacts, without causing any damage.

IS has surrounded the city after launching a � erce assault on May 13, brie� y overrunning parts of the north and east. l

Saudi bombs Yemen rebels as truce expiresn AFP, Sanaa

Saudi-led coalition warplanes resumed strikes on rebel positions in southern Yemen yesterday after a � ve-day cease� re expired, jeopardising e� orts to deliver desperately needed aid.

The humanitarian truce ended at 2000 GMT Sunday despite calls from a UN envoy and relief agencies for an extension.

An hour later, air raids hit the rebel-held presidential palace in the main southern city Aden as well as a base of the pro-rebel special forces, military o� cials and witnesses said.

The coalition also targeted rebel positions in Aden’s neighbourhoods of Tawahi and Khor Maksar, said the sources, without pro-viding details on casualties.

The Saudi-led regional coalition has waged an air war on the Iran-backed Shiite Huthis rebels and their allies since late March in an e� ort to restore the authority of exiled Presi-dent Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi. l

Shi’ite forces move in on Iraqi city taken by Islamic Staten Reuters, Baghdad

A column of Shi’ite militia � ghters arrived at a military base near Ramadi yesterday as Baghdad moved to retake the western Iraqi city that fell to Islamic State militants in the biggest defeat for the government since last summer.

The US-led coalition stepped up air raids against the Islamists, conducting 19 strikes near Ramadi over the past 72 hours at the re-quest of the Iraqi security forces, a coalition spokesman said.

The militia, known as Hashid Shaabi or Popular Mobilisation, had been ordered to mobilise after the city, the capital of Anbar province, was overrun on Sunday.

The militiamen give the government far more capability to launch a counter-attack, but their arrival could add to sec-tarian animosity in one of the most vio-lent parts of Iraq. Ramadi is dominated by Sunni Muslims. l

Vatican: Pope ‘angel of peace’ Abbas comment was encouragementn AFP, Vatican City

Pope Francis’s reference to Palestinian pres-ident Mahmud Abbas as “an angel of peace” was meant as encouragement for him to pur-sue peace with Israel, the Vatican said yester-day, after the words whipped up controversy on social media.

The pope often presents heads of states with a large bronze medallion representing an “angel of peace,” and did so when he met Ab-bas on Saturday, when he used the phrase in remarks addressed to the president, accord-ing to journalists present.

His words – which came just days after the Vatican riled Israel by saying it was preparing to sign its � rst accord with Palestine – were pounced on on social media amid a dispute about the exact words he used.

Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi was unable to clarify, but said it was clear what the pope’s meaning was, even if he could not ver-ify his words.

“Each of us must be an angel of peace for others. I was present at the audience but I did not hear the pope’s exact words,” he said. l

As anti-migrant sentiment rises, Thailand makes arrestsn Reuters, Bangkok

Thailand arrested the suspected kingpin of a human tra� cking network yesterday, the lat-est bust in a crackdown on people smuggling that has triggered a humanitarian crisis on the region’s seas.

The Royal Thai Police said they suspected Patchuban Angchotipan, a former o� cial in the provincial government of the southern Satun province, was the boss of a large hu-man tra� cking network.

“In Satun province he is high-level,” said Thai national police chief General Somyot Poompanmuang. “He is the chief. He has many subordinates.”

Patchuban, whose nickname is ‘Kor Tong’, has been charged with a range of o� ences in-cluding human tra� cking, smuggling illegal migrant workers into Thailand, detention of others leading to bodily harm and holding people for ransom.

Meanwhile, Thailand expressed concern yesterday at a wave of anti-migrant vitriol on social media, which the government said underlined why it cannot accept any more of the asylum seekers who have been arriving by

boat on its shores.Following an appeal from US Secretary

of State John Kerry, Thailand’s junta said it would set up temporary shelters for those that did make it ashore, prompting an out-pouring of bile on social media from those who do not want migrants to stay.

“Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha is wor-ried about the social media trend right now that shows that the government should not help irregular migrants in the Indian Ocean because of concerns that they will be a bur-den on Thailand in the long-term,” Colonel Sansern Kaewkamnerd, deputy government spokesman, said yesterday in a statement.

Vitriol directed at Rohingyas was particu-larly worrying, said Thai author and social media commentator Kaewmala, who goes by a screen name to protect her identity.

Many in Thailand are calling for Washing-ton to intervene, using the hash tag #USAM-USTHelpRohingya.

“You said we don’t have humanity, if you’ve it, then just let them stay in ur coun-try. Always nosy with other countries. #US-AMUSTHelpRohingya,” one Twitter user, @IcezPandadang, wrote in English. l

A British soldier looks on as migrants disembark from British warship HMS Bulwark at Catania harbour, Italy on May 14 REUTERS

ADVERTISEMENT10DT

TUESDAY, MAY 19, 2015

11D

TEDITORIALTUESDAY, MAY 19, 2015

INSIDE

Dhaka’s new mayors must make reducing tra� c congestion their top priority.The su� ering in� icted on city residents by the capital’s dysfunctional tra� c system is

growing daily, and has latterly been heightened by the lessening of hartals.We cannot a� ord to wait any longer for authorities to address transport problems with

the urgency they deserve. Studies suggest congestion costs Dhaka’s economy some Tk200bn every year. The gridlock it

brings deters investment and reduces quality of life for all residents.The new mayors must urgently adopt a holistic ap-

proach to delivering improvements. Stopgap measures will not be enough.

A comprehensive, long-term plan that takes into account future needs is imperative to bring about real change. This should include supporting more decentralisa-tion to ease pressures on Dhaka.

Dhaka needs to learn from cities such as Bangkok, which has dramatically reduced congestion in the last � fteen years.

While the planned metro rail project will increase capacity, more can be accomplished more quickly by reforming the city’s bus and taxi networks. Less than 5% of Dhaka’s population currently uses cars to get to work, but over half the capital’s scarce road space is occupied by private cars.

The most cost-e� ective way available to lower congestion is to improve the quality and e� ciency of our bus services, so more commuters are tempted out of cars and CNGs.

Helping all residents to move around freely must be the mayors’ most urgent priority. Without improvements, not just Dhaka but our entire national economy will su� er. We need the mayors and government to act now to get the city moving.

A comprehensive plan is needed to reduce tra� c congestion. New mayors must make it their top priority

Vision needed to get Dhaka moving

Steps to secularismThere is a di� erence between a secular thinker and a secular politician

Migrating to uncertaintyMigrant workers do not have anyone to look out for them

The killing � eldMurder is the most e� cient method of controlling the population -- its mind and its numbers

Be heardWrite to Dhaka Tribune

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PAGE 12

PAGE 13

PAGE 14

OPINION12DT

TUESDAY, MAY 19, 2015

n Ashikur Rahman

The systematic murders, one after the other, of free-thinkers, have touched a deep, emotional chord within pro-gressive actors in the country. Not

only do the heinous acts by Islamist out� ts remind us of their medieval vision for our socio-political space, it also compels us to revisit the pertinent question -- can Bangla-desh impede and defeat the rise of a radical, Islamist political order?

Of course, the incompetence of the law enforcement agencies in bringing to book the individuals or organisations concerned have raised eyebrows all over the world as it is slowly and steadily undermining the presence of a fundamental human right: The ability to think, speak, and write freely.

However, there is also an interesting divide that has surfaced, which demands our sincere re� ection and scrutiny, namely between progressive secular thinkers and secular political actors concerning how one should react to such events and the intensity with which one must condemn such heinous acts of insanity. This is perhaps best re� ected by Professor Zafar Iqbal’s criticism of Sajeeb Wazed Joy by mentioning that his reaction to these issues will facilitate fundamentalism and militancy.

Earlier, Sajeeb Wazed Joy pointed out that the government was walking a � ne line as it did not want to be perceived as patrons of atheism, and thus the prime minister had o� ered private condolences to Professor Roy after his son Dr Avijit Roy was murdered. He also noted that, given that some major political actors within Bangladesh, especially BNP and Jamaat-e-Islam, continuously try to cast AL as an anti-Islamic political out� t, it becomes increasingly challenging for the AL to � ght that propaganda and perception, and to defend their ideological position on secularism.

The truth is that such tension between secular thinkers and politicians are not new in this continent. Rabindranath Tagore often criticised Mahatma Gandhi -- both ardent supporters of secularism -- for using religious reference to explain the nature of “Swaraj.”

More precisely, when Bapu visited socially backward Hindu villages, he often argued that Swaraj was a style of governance that was put in place by Lord Ram when he came back from Lanka to Ayodhya. Similarly, when he visited Muslim villages, Bapu argued that Swaraj was a political order that was established by Prophet Muhammad when he

returned from Medina to Mecca. Of course, one can understand that the

primary objective of Gandhiji was to speak in a language that was understood by the common man -- irrespective of their religious di� erences. Thus, there is a di� erence between strategies that politicians consider to be useful in addressing a particular social issue, and responses and political activities that a secular thinker feels a politician ought to undertake.

Moreover, it is my sincere belief that such a heterogeneity in strategies and responses between secular politicians and thinkers do not undermine the fundamental cause -- as it makes the socio-political organisations sup-porting a particular value more adaptive to the needs and sentiments prevailing within any particular country.

Thus, we need to deconstruct the over-simpli� ed and naïve lens that demands politicians and thinkers to have a similar role in society, as their respective constituencies and constraints do not allow them to harness similar responses and reactions to any event of importance.

To conclude, there is no denying that Pro-fessor Zafar Iqbal is a well-meaning advocate of progressive values. However, there is an acute disconnect in advocating what needs to happen and implementing them in reality.

Political personalities operate in that realistic realm and not in some abstract space of ide-as, and that is why they have to weigh their action with caution.

Even Abraham Lincoln could not publicly argue that he believed blacks should have the right to vote, because he knew the US was not ready for such progressive changes. But does that mean he was encouraging a racist political order?

Hence, we have to appreciate that there is a di� erence between a secular thinker and a secular politician. While the former has the freedom and scope to advocate and scruti-nise the most progressive values, the latter has to believe in the process of incremental change by dealing with political realities of his or her time so that he or she can make necessary alliances to move forward.

Consequently, secular forces must � nd more unity and understand the constraints each face; since we all believe in making Bangladesh progressive, liberal, and secular, we must also accept and appreciate that the journey forward is di� cult. l

Ashikur Rahman is Senior Economist, Policy Re-search Institute.

Steps to secularism

There is a di� erence between a secular thinker and a secular politician. While the former has the freedom and scope to advocate and scrutinise the most progressive values, the latter has to believe in the process of incremental change

BIGSTOCK

OPINION 13D

TTUESDAY, MAY 19, 2015

n Sushovan Dhar

Jeeban Puri from Sindhupalchowk dis-trict in Nepal, while working as a driver in Damam, Saudi Arabia, wanted to get back home desperately after the recent

7.8-magnitude earthquake which struck Nepal. Reaching his place, he discovered that his three-year-old son had died and his house was totally destroyed.

Only 10 months into his job, he carried a debt of Rs150,000 ($1,500) which was paid to a broker who arranged it. Puri, who borrowed this amount at 36% interest, is now badly trapped. He needs to spend time in Nepal to look after his family and rebuild a shelter, but the length of his stay would also lengthen the debt burden. His salary of $250 a month is insu� cient to see o� the loan as most of his income is exhausted on his family’s basic needs.

Not only in Nepal but in many impover-ished parts of Asia, Africa, and Latin America, agents demand large amounts of money from aspirant migrants, forcing desperate men from these regions to take loans with outra-geous interest rates to meet the demands. The limited scope of legally-authorised migration, increasing restrictive immigra-tion policies, and tighter border controls by receiving countries make it a lucrative market for migration services � ourish. The expanded and wide-ranging fees for their services are frequently very high. This leads to hapless migrants getting entangled in di� erent forms of debt to a variety of parties.

Debt imposes conditionsSuch indebtedness may not essentially be to the agents providing migration services. The agents mostly insist upon payment once the journey has been made. This results in a patchwork of loans from money-lenders or other agencies at home or abroad that migrants resort to in order to obtain the huge amounts required to pay for their passage and a job.

It is not an exception that savage means are often used to force their families at home into paying o� , throwing migrants under immense pressure to repay the debts by any means possible. In a number of cases, large debts can make migrants defenceless against forced labour in destination countries.

Last November, the brutal murder of two Indonesian migrant workers in Hong Kong invited a lot of reaction. More so because the two victims, Sumarti Ningsih and Seneng Mujasih, were sex workers and both of them had landed at Hong Kong as domestic work-ers. But after losing her job, Mujasih over-stayed her visa and resorted to the sex trade since she hadn’t been able to pay her agency fees. Steep recruitment fees are, in numerous occasions, responsible for pushing women towards prostitution.

According to Hong Kong-based NGO Asia Paci� c Mission for Migrants, huge amounts are collected in the name of placement and training. Such fees range from 31,000-37,000 Hong Kong dollars while the wage is around 4,110 Hong Kong dollars ($530). Often, they have to pay their whole salaries to service the debt, leaving them with nothing to survive yet compelled to borrow more and landing

permanently in a vicious debt-cycle. This debt-cycle intemperately curtails

people’s chances to fend for themselves and, in addition to the anxiety of losing their free-dom and being deported, creates conditions in which they dragged into highly exploita-tive, often lurid, employment relations and extremely pitiable working conditions. The situation for migrant workers, especially in the Gulf countries, is often miserable. Many are forced to take on hazardous work in terrible heat.

Till date, more than 400 migrant workers, mostly Nepalese, have perished on Qatar’s building sites since the country won its bid to host the FIFA World Cup 2022, prompting demands of shifting the competition some-where else.

The Kafala system, a sponsorship proce-dure used to regulate migrant workers in Qa-tar and the Gulf countries, con� nes workers to single employers who sponsor their visas. This infamous practice bestows extensive powers to the employer and imposes massive restrictions on migrant workers.

There are extensive reports of coercion, abuses, exploitation, and other mistreat-ments by sponsors using this legal system. Stories of torture, rape, and murder are also common. This widely condemned system is akin to modern slavery. However, many migrants in other regions and countries face similar conditions as immigration laws and regulations tie them to speci� c jobs with speci� c employers.

These regulations secure the temporal transience and spatial � xation of the migrant workers and hinders their free movement

in the “free” labour market to which they belong, in theory. Though such workers are not legally bound to the individual employer, in reality they have very limited mobility and are treated like bound-labourers.

Amran from Bangladesh wanted to escape the drudgery of unemployment back home and longed to work abroad. This 23-year-old borrowed money, at high interests, from wherever he could, managing the $7,000 needed to pay a local Bangladeshi agent to obtain employment as a construction worker in Singapore.

Only nine months into his job in concrete assembly, Amran fell and broke his leg so severely that his bones popped out through his skin. In spite of doctor’s advice to keep him in the hospital for further medical care and treatment, his employer sent him back to the worker’s dormitory barely a week later, with a metal plate and 60 screws inserted into his leg.

Left to fend for himself with a supply of pills and food supplied by friends, he’s eventually healed but left with a permanent disability and a large debt. He currently � nds himself unemployable. Singapore, a mod-el for stability and business-friendliness, employs around a million foreign workers to keep its economy running, especially in its booming construction sector and shipyard operations. However, when it comes to work-er-friendliness, numerous stories similar to Amran’s suggest something terrible.

Debt-trap and exploitationLabour migration and the associated debt-trap leads to grievous restriction on workers’

freedoms, � xing them into immensely asym-metrical relations of power and dependence. A careful scrutiny would suggest that coun-tries dependent on migrant workers frame immigration policies in such a manner that the latter is deprived of independent access to the labour market or any mobility within.

They are often given short-term work permits, and a range of additional restrictions on their rights and freedoms are imposed, de-pending on the country, and on the particular type of work permit they are issued. They are sometimes legally prohibited from joining trades unions, and deliberately left out of labour legislations and safeguards that exist for other workers.

Such conditions create extremely coercive forms of exploitation. On the other hand, it might take months, or even years, for a num-ber of ordinary migrant workers, especially manual workers, to repay debts incurred in order to migrate. Regrettably, during this time, they are most likely to experience violence and physical con� nement, as well as severe labour exploitation due to their indebtedness and other liabilities.

Sadly enough, many countries in the south which depend on migrant remittances to cover their balance of payments and pro-pel their economy, lack the requisite pro-ac-tivity to safeguard the citizens. Thus, migrant workers, caught in a vicious cycle of debt and abominably exploitative working conditions, do not have anyone to look out for them and are condemned to such inhumane conditions for the rest of their existence. l

Sushovan Dhar is an activist. He is based in Kolkata.

Migrating to uncertainty

REUTERS

OPINION14DT

TUESDAY, MAY 19, 2015

n Ikhtisad Ahmed

Bangladesh has performed a legal miracle, and in so doing, has become the envy of the world. It has evolved beyond other existing nations, its

laws superior to theirs. Murder, the literal act of killing, is legal. It has been justi� ed so � agrantly, so heavily, so convincingly, that those espousing its virtues have not only started believing in their own lies, they have also numbed the populace into acceptance.

Murder is the most e� cient method of controlling the population -- its mind and its numbers. While the rest of the world dithers, Bangladesh understands why it ought to be celebrated.

People have been killed in the name of politics for years now, with no consequence. The outrage at a little known man being shot during the rule of a military dictator that was integral to bringing him down and subse-quently consigning him to the status of the longest running joke in Bangladeshi politics has given way to killing becoming, � rst, an accepted form of protest, then an e� ective one, and � nally a numbers game that disap-points when it fails to register in the three, four, � ve � gures.

A nation that is so obsessed with how many of its people were killed during the Liberation War as to make it a punishable o� ence to study, analyse, or question it, does not care about how many die on its streets in the name of politics. This is how the pro-cess of legalising murder started. As with all things in the country, it came from the top,

and trickle-down failed, keeping the power to decide who lives and who dies concentrated at the top. The lower echelons contented themselves with providing willing bodies.

People have been killed in the name of law enforcement. Separation of powers is a utopian ideal that has no place in modern autocracies of the ruling class masquerading as democracies.

The superpowers � aunt their prosperity owing to this regularly. A country has not made this presumption since having its name recognised by the international brotherhood, that does not even pretend to be about or for its people, cannot be expected to be foolish enough to believe in this dated principle.

The police, the military and everything in between and over and above are there to preserve the broken state machinery. Their brains and brawns are, as they have always been, for sale. The elite class is Clotho, the

highest bidder is Lachesis and the collective law enforcement body is Atropos. The rest of the population is game, and hunting season never ceases in this tropical paradise.

People have been killed in the name of business. Money weighs heavier than gold and human beings. Crushed limbs, ribs and spines are not enough of a sacri� ce at the altar of capitalism, falling desperately

short of the particular entrepreneurial deity worshipped in Bangladesh. Statistics that are not fully analysed are absorbed and regur-gitated, the drive for ever-higher numbers entrenched as a religion that is beyond reproach.

The true cost of doing business is meas-ured as often as the idiocy of the economic goals and achievements proudly announced by the ruling class are: Never. Corporate mur-der and manslaughter are more merciful than death by starvation. Murder, thus, is not only

necessary, it is desirable. Rising numbers are bonuses, and bonuses are the best.

People have been killed for their words. People have been killed for their thoughts. Words and thoughts are illegal weapons of the mass’s destruction. They get in the way of moral and ideological bankruptcy, toying with people, clouding their judgement, cor-rupting their minds. They are cruel, heinous crimes that cannot be allowed in a civilised society. The might of the pen, exhibited by the Language Movement that paved the way for independence, is a fallacy.

Thankfully, in Bangladesh, if the state ma-chinery does not get those who dare to think for and express themselves, its nemeses certainly will. The killings are virtuous, and virtue maketh the man.

There are fewer voices now in Bangladesh than there were three months ago. There will be fewer still in three months’ time. This is a population that is desensitised, its spirit broken, its humanity extracted and expelled. This is a nation that has continued to be op-pressed by the ruling class, the once foreign poison replaced by a local vintage.

The people are now expected to be silent to remain alive. If they dare speak, they only have themselves to blame for their death. When they do, inevitably, die, as all humans must, no tears will be shed, for even the croc-odile ones have dried up. The soulless, com-pliant, condemned populace is sleepwalking towards an irredeemably failed state. l

Ikhtisad Ahmed is a writer and an erstwhile lawyer. He can be contacted on Twitter via @Ikhtisad.

The killing � eld

Murder is the most e� cient method of controlling the population -- its mind and its numbers. Bangladesh understands why it ought to be celebrated

BIGSTOCK

15D

TBusiness TUESDAY, MAY 19, 2015

Oil prices rise on Middle East � ghting; OPEC output in focus

17Stocks end on � rm note with buoyant trading

19Japan machinery orders rise, but weak outlook hits rebound

16Tofail: Indo-Bangla trade � nds new window

20

PM opens World Telecommunication Day events n Tribune Report

Bangladesh has chalked out two-day pro-grammes marking the World Telecom-munication and Information Society Day (WTISD)-2015.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the programmes yesterday in the city’s Bangab-andhu International Conference Centre (BICC).

She released a commemorative postal stamp on the occasion.

Posts and Telecommunications Division along with BTRC, BTCL, Teletalk and private mobile phone operators has organised the events. State Minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak will lead a rally in the city today, which will start from Manik Mia Avenue and terminate at the BICC parading di� erent city streets.

International Telecommunication Union observed the day on Sunday. The theme of the day this year is “Telecommunication and ICTs: Drivers of Innovation.”

Bangladesh organised an online essay competition marking the World Telecommu-nication and Information Society Day.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasian distributed prizes and certi� cates among winners of the competition in the event.

A seminar was also held on the day’s theme at the same venue as part of the yesterday’s event.

Four keynote papers were presented. Robi Executive Vice President Shahed Ahmed presented a paper on “Connectivity and In-ternet,” Grameenphone Regulatory A� airs Director Hossain Sadat on “Innovation in ICT and Telecom,” Professor Dr Syed Akter Hos-sain of Da� odil University on “Content and Application” and Professor Dr Rukonuzzam-an of North South University on “Telecom-munications Driver for Development.” l

Ministers to discuss Tk3tn budget proposal for FY16 today n Asif Showkat Kallol

The government has prepared a budget outlay of Tk2.98tn with a de� cit of 5.3% of GDP for the next � scal year (2015-16), which is sched-uled to be discussed at the Prime Minister’s o� cial residence Gonobhaban today.

The cabinet ministers including � nance, planning and commerce are expected to attend the meeting, which is likely to � nalise it after considering the small details of the budget, Fi-nance Ministry o� cials said yesterday.

It would consider issues, including the revenue collection target, allocation for im-plementing new government pay scale, cor-porate tax issue and ways to attract foreign investment.

The proposed budget will be 23.85% high-er than the previous � scal’s revised budget of Tk2.40tn.

The next � scal year’s budget de� cit is like-ly to cross Tk900bn from the earlier estimat-ed Tk862bn as the Annual Development Pro-gramme has been � xed at Tk970bn.

The growth rate of gross domestic product (GDP) is likely to be � nalised at 7.2% for the new � nancial year.

Finance Division o� cials said most of the budget de� cit is likely to be handled by is-suing government bonds, which could raise nearly Tk600bn while Tk304bn will come from foreign sources as assistance.

In the next budget, interest of the savings instruments will be lowered to 8% from the

existing 13% because of pressures from the country’s banking sector as the bankers pre-dict a huge amount of liquidity and idle mon-ey in banks.

Regarding the budget de� cit, an o� cial said the budget de� cit is likely to cross 5% of GDP for the � rst time which may create pres-sure on the foreign money market.

The meeting will also settle other disputed issues including budget de� cit, bank borrow-ing, state banks’ capitalistion fund and subsi-dy amount.

The government revenues are projected to drop to Tk1.35tn from Tk1.49tn this � scal year – leaving more than Tk613bn in de� cit. The next � scal year’s revenue earnings are es-timated to be Tk1.76tn. l

Experts: Investment needed for reaping demographic dividend

n Tribune Report

Experts have expressed their concern that Bangladesh could lose its one-time opportuni-ty to reap bene� ts from the demographic divi-dend unless the government invested more in projects to improve human resource capital.

The country is expected to reap the ben-e� ts of a young population until 2031, after which the trend will reverse and the popula-tion will start to age.

“The government should focus on human resource development to generate high em-ployment and productivity during the peak period of demographic transition,” said Chris-tophe Lefranc, UNFPA Asia-Paci� c Region-al Adviser for Population and Development while presenting a keynote on Global Perspec-

tives on Demographic Dividend at the third session of the concluding day of the two-day high level meeting on south-south and trian-gular cooperation in Dhaka yesterday.

Demographic dividend is de� ned as the economic growth potential that can result from shifts in a population’s age structure, mainly when the share of working-age popu-lation (15-59 years age) is larger than those of the non-working-age share. Such a scenario helps a country to cut spending on depend-ents and spur economic growth.

“This one-time window of opportunity should be translated into dividend before the dependency ratio rises again with the elderly population,” said Christophe.

Bellal Hossain, professor of Population Science Department at Dhaka University, said

the demographic dividend, which could be reaped between 2011 and 2031, would allow Bangladesh to have a massive, young, pro-ductive labour force and 30 years from now, the dependency ratio will still be well below its current level of about 58%.

Till 2031, Bangladesh can potentially reap the bene� ts of demographic dividend as de-pendency ratio is expected to decline to 43% by then (2031). But afterwards, the dependen-cy ratio would increase again, says the report.

According to a report prepared by a group of authors, led by Geo� rey Hayes at the Uni-versity of Waikato, population of Bangladesh is projected to reach 265m from 156m now.

The most dramatic change to be expected in future is the increase in the elderly popu-lation, de� ned conventionally from the age of 60 and over, the report said.

The number of elderly would increase by � ve times, from 11.2m in 2011 to 55.7m in 2061.

Given that the labour force will be growing at a much slower rate than the elderly population in future, the num-ber of workers per elderly per-son will decline.

The population aged under 15 years will experience ab-solute decline from 51.9m in 2-011 to 28.3m in 2061. Under 15 population would increase by about 5m over the 50-year projection period. l

Finance Minister AMA Muhith speaks at the closing session of the two-day meeting on the post-2015 development agenda RAJIB DHAR

The theme of the this year is ‘Telecommunication and ICTs: Drivers of Innovation’

BUSINESS16DT

TUESDAY, MAY 19, 2015

CORPORATE NEWS

Japan machinery orders rise, but weak outlook hampers economic rebound n Reuters, Tokyo

Japan’s core machinery orders grew in March for the � rst time in two months but they are seen slipping in the current quarter, suggest-ing that weak capital spending could further sap momentum from an economy struggling to rebound from a recession.

The 2.9% month-on-month rise in core or-ders, a highly volatile data series regarded as an indicator of capital spending in the coming six to nine months, beat economists’ median estimate of a 1.8% gain, Cabinet O� ce data showed on Monday.

That followed a revised 1.4% drop in Feb-ruary. The data comes ahead of a government report on gross domestic product which is expected to show two straight quarters of moderate growth in the world’s third-largest

economy following last year’s recession. The worry for policy makers is the weak

outlook for capital spending which is seen as crucial to driving a virtuous cycle of higher income, consumer spending and robust eco-nomic growth.

Companies surveyed by the Cabinet O� ce forecast that core orders, which exclude those of ships and electric power utilities, will fall 7.4% in the current quarter.

In January-March, core orders rose 6.3% from the prior quarter, up for three quarters in a row and marking the biggest gain in seven quarters.

The Cabinet O� ce maintained its assess-ment of machinery orders, saying they show a moderate pickup move.

The GDP report tomorrow is expected to show capital spending grew 0.8% quar-

ter-on-quarter, after sliding for three straight quarters through December.

Japanese � rms have been slow to imple-ment their solid capital spending plans de-spite record pro� ts, given the uncertain eco-nomic outlook.

On Friday, Bank of Japan Governor Haru-hiko Kuroda said the economy was gradually emerging from recession, but he acknowl-edged last year’s sale tax hike dealt a bigger blow on growth than initially expected.

The BOJ kept monetary policy steady last month even as it cut its price forecasts as slumping oil costs and soft consumption ground in� ation to a halt, pushing it further away from the bank’s ambitious 2% target.

Compared with a year earlier, core orders rose 2.6% in March, versus a 7.2% decline seen by analysts in the Reuters poll. l

Cranes are parked in a company compound in Tokyo REUTERS

Asian markets mostly lower, weak yen supports Tokyo n AFP, Hong Kong

Asian markets retreated yesterday morning following a strong end to last week and de-spite another record close on Wall Street, al-though Tokyo was supported by a weaker yen.

The euro continued to hold its strength, even though there has been no breakthrough in talks between Greece and its creditors on overhauling its bailout terms.

Hong Kong eased 0.63%, Shanghai lost 0.57%, Sydney fell 0.43% and Seoul shed 0.10%. Tokyo rose 0.49%.

Regional investors took a breather after Friday’s rally across most indexes, overshad-owing another record � nish on the S&P 500.

The US gains came after more weak data indicating a recovery in the world’s number one economy may not be as strong as thought, making an expected interest rate hike unlike-ly in the near future.

US industrial production fell 0.3% in April, the � fth straight month of decline, according to Federal Reserve data, while the University of Michigan’s US consumer sentiment index plummeted to 88.6 in May from 95.9 in April.

That came after � gures last week showed the US producer price index fell in April, confound-ing forecasts for a rise, while retail sales saw their weakest year-on-year growth since 2009.

“Investors are likely to start the week in cautious mode as markets assimilate the im-pact of weaker than expected US data and wait on developments in the Greek debt saga,” Ric Spooner, chief market analyst in Sydney at CMC Markets, wrote in an e-mail to clients.

“The � rst Fed rate hike now seems at least several months away. While this supports eq-uity valuations, it also means that the outlook for world growth remains subdued,” he said, according to Bloomberg News.

The S&P 500 edged up 0.08 percent to another record high and the Dow added 0.11 percent but the Nasdaq dipped 0.05 percent.

On currency markets the prospect that US rates will remain at record lows for now had little e� ect on the dollar, which rose to 119.63 yen in Tokyo, from 119.41 yen in New York late Friday. The euro fetched $1.1430 and 136.74 yen, against $1.1446 and 136.67 yen.

While the single currency remains supported, traders are keeping tabs on Greece’s talks with the European Union and International Monetary Fund as they struggle to agree a deal that will re-lease billions of euros of much-needed funds. l

Dutch-Bangla Bank Limited has recently awarded scholarship to 4,100 students, who passed HSC/ equivalent examination in 2014. Finance Minister, Abul Maal A Muhith was present on the occasion as chief guest in Mirpur, Dhaka. Currently the bank gives scholarships to 20,495 students

Standard Chartered Bank has recently signed an agreement with Samsung Mobile Bangladesh on providing the bank’s VISA, MasterCard credit card holders opportunities to buy Samsung products through InstaBuys at 0% Interest for 12 EMI and also avail other cash discounts. The bank’s head of retail products and segments, Shafquat Hossain and Choon Soo Moon, country manager, Samsung India Pvt Limited, Bangladesh Branch O� ce was present among other high o� cials at the signing ceremony

NCC Bank has observed its 22nd anniversary on Sunday at its head o� ce in Dhaka. The bank’s chairman, Md Nurun Newaz Salim inaugurated the programme

BUSINESS 17D

TTUESDAY, MAY 19, 2015

n Reuters, Singapore

Oil prices edged up yesterday following � ghting in Iraq and Yemen, but Iranian comments that OPEC was unlikely to cut output as well as signs of strengthening US production capped gains.

Front-month Brent futures were up 12 cents at $66.93 a barrel by 0556 GMT. US crude rose 26 cents to $59.95.

Prices were supported by concerns that con� ict in Iraq and Yemen could disrupt sup-plies after Islamic State mili-tants said they had taken con-trol of the Iraqi city of Ramadi in a big blow to the government.

In Yemen, a Saudi-led coali-tion resumed air strikes against Houthi militia in Aden, a port-city on the shores of key Mid-dle East oil routes.

Despite these Middle East con� icts, analysts said oil mar-kets remained oversupplied, and that the glut could worsen if U S-production picked up and output by producer-club OPEC remained strong.

“Oil prices appear to have outpaced the improvement in underlying fundamentals,” Barclays said on Monday.

“We expect selling interest in the $65.00/67.00 area to cap WTI crude oil ($70.00/$72.00 area for Brent crude) and look for a move lower in range over the coming weeks. Our down-side targets for WTI and Brent

are $54.24 and $63 respectively.” Iran’s Deputy Oil Minister

Rokneddin Javadi told Reuters on Monday that OPEC was un-likely to cut output at its next meeting in June, and that Iran hoped its crude exports would return to pre-sanctions levels of 2.5 million barrels per day (bpd) within three months once a deal to lift an oil embar-go is � nalised.

A deal over Iran’s disputed nuclear programme between Tehran and world powers could see sanctions on Iran lifted if a more permanent pact is � nal-ised in June. Because of the sanctions, Iranian oil exports have fallen to about 1 million bpd since 2012, mainly to Asia.

In the United States, Gold-man Sachs said that despite an expected dip in output in the second half of this year, production would increase by 205,000 bpd in 2016.

Yet most producers require higher prices. Deutsche Bank said that of major exporters only the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait still have a balanced budget at current prices.

“With forward markets sug-gesting that the drop in prices is more permanent than tempo-rary, a period of adjustment will therefore be necessary,” it said.

Brent for delivery in May 2017 is only $4 per barrel cost-lier than spot prices, implying an expectation that prices will not rise sharply soon. l

Iran deputy oil minister: OPEC unlikely to cut output n Reuters, Kuala Lumpur

The Organisation of the Pe-troleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is unlikely to imple-ment a production cut at its next meeting in June, a senior Iranian o� cial said on Monday.

Asked if OPEC would cut output at the upcoming June 5 meeting, Iran’s Deputy Oil Minister Rokneddin Javadi told Reuters: “I don’t think so.”

Iran, along with Venezuela, has repeatedly called for OPEC to cut output to shore up low prices that have eaten into pro-ducers’ oil revenues. Javadi’s comments signal an admission that the group was unlikely to agree to a reduction, espe-cially after its current strate-gy has succeeded in curbing non-OPEC output and allowed OPEC to regain market share.

OPEC, led by oil kingpin Saudi Arabia, decided at a meeting in November to main-

tain output and keep global markets amply supplied so that low prices would force high-cost U S shale oil produc-ers to cut production � rst.

Javadi indicated later that Iran is still likely in June to push for output reduction or cooper-ation on the right amount of oil to be delivered to the market.

The meeting could “rein-force cooperation between the members because OPEC is an organisation that could make policies for oil price orienta-tion,” Javadi told reporters on the sidelines of the Asian Oil and Gas conference in Kuala Lumpur.

Export levels after sanctions lifted Iran hopes its crude oil exports will return to pre-sanctions levels within three months once a deal with major powers to lift an oil embargo is � nal-ised, he said. l

An oil re� nery is seen at sunrise with the Rocky Mountains in the background in Denver REUTERS

Oil prices rise on Middle East � ghting

BUSINESS18DT

TUESDAY, MAY 19, 2015

SECTORAL TURNOVER SUMMARY

Sector DSE CSE TotalMillion Taka % change Million Taka % change Million Taka % change

Bank 505.98 6.71 38.44 6.31 544.42 6.68NBFI 237.84 3.15 26.30 4.32 264.13 3.24Investment 46.18 0.61 2.37 0.39 48.56 0.60Engineering 1175.90 15.60 112.92 18.53 1288.81 15.82Food & Allied 273.96 3.63 10.35 1.70 284.30 3.49Fuel & Power 1610.06 21.35 108.14 17.75 1718.20 21.08Jute 1.46 0.02 0.00 1.46 0.02Textile 513.19 6.81 48.22 7.91 561.41 6.89Pharma & Chemical 1174.88 15.58 53.29 8.75 1228.16 15.07Paper & Packaging 31.91 0.42 2.59 0.43 34.50 0.42Service 370.34 4.91 29.94 4.91 400.28 4.91Leather 22.48 0.30 2.47 0.40 24.94 0.31Ceramic 219.67 2.91 18.25 3.00 237.92 2.92Cement 137.22 1.82 7.58 1.24 144.80 1.78Information Technology 132.46 1.76 6.62 1.09 139.08 1.71General Insurance 46.79 0.62 2.05 0.34 48.84 0.60Life Insurance 56.95 0.76 5.58 0.92 62.53 0.77Telecom 392.01 5.20 47.58 7.81 439.60 5.39Travel & Leisure 224.67 2.98 42.61 6.99 267.28 3.28Miscellaneous 365.83 4.85 43.93 7.21 409.76 5.03Debenture 0.10 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.10 0.00

Prepared exclusively for Dhaka Tribune by Business Information Automation Service Line (BIASL), on the basis of information collected from daily stock quotations and audited reports of the listed companies. High level of caution has been taken to collect and present the above information and data. The publisher will not take any responsibility if any body uses this information and data for his/her investment decision. For any query please email to biasl@bol-online.com or call 01552153562 or go to www.biasl.net

News, analysis and recent disclosuresBDWELDING: 5% stock divi-dend AGM: 25.06.2015, Record Date: 09.06.2015. EPS of Tk. 0.19, NAV per share of Tk. 17.18.Financials: [Company: (Quar-ter): Current EPS/Previous EPS in taka]BGIC (Q1 ): 0.87/0.81. STANDBANKL: (Q1): 0.27(re-stated 0.23)/0.24(0.21). AFCAGRO: (Q1): 0.92(re-stated 0.80)/0.58(0.51). TUNGHAI: (Q1): 0.25(re-stated 0.23)/0.24(0.13). SAFKOSPINN: (Q1): 0.16(re-stated 0.15)/0.30(0.25). BDWELDING: (Q1): -0.11(restat-ed –0.10)/0.12(0.12). CMCK-AMAL: (Q1 ): 0.35(restated 0.31)/0.33(0.30). MERCANBANK: (Q1): 0.04/0.29. GHCL: (Q1): 0.52/0.62.EXIMBANK: Credit Rating In-formation and Services Limited (CRISL) has rated the Company as AA- in the long term and ST-2 in the short term along with a stable outlook in consideration of audited � nancials up to December 31, 2014, unaudited � nancials up to March 31, 2015 and other relevant quantitative as well as qualitative informa-tion up to the date of rating declaration.IPO Subscription: Aman Feed Limited Subscription 25.05.2015 TO 04.06.2015. O� er Price per share Tk. 36.00, Market Lot (Shares) 200.Dividend/AGMNBL: 10% stock dividend, AGM: 14.09.2015, Record date: 30.08.2015.ORIONPHARM: 15% cash divi-dend, AGM: 28.06.2015, Record

Date: 21.05.2015.ISNLTD: No dividend, AGM: 28.06.2015, Record date: 16.06.2015.PURABIGEN: 15% stock divi-dend, AGM: 30.07.2015, Record date: 07.06.2015. JANATAINS: 10% stock divi-dend, AGM: 25.07.2015, Record Date: 21.05.2015. AMBEEPHA: 28% cash divi-dend, AGM: 14.06.2015, Record Date: 25.05.2015. ISLAMIINS: 5% cash and 10% stock, AGM: 13.06.2015, Record Date: 19.05.2015.NCCBANK: 10% stock divi-dend, AGM: 24.06.2015, Record Date: 18.05.2015.PEOPLESINS: 13% cash dividend, AGM: 09.06.2015, Record Date: 18.05.2015.LEGACYFOOT: 5% stock, AGM: 13.06.2015, Record Date: 14.05.2015. RUPALIBANK: 15% stock , AGM: 31.05.2015, Record date: 14.05.2015.UNIQUEHRL: 20% cash divi-dend, AGM: 25.06.2015, Record Date: 24.05.2015. WATACHEM: 5% cash and 25% stock dividend, AGM: 11.06.2015, Record Date: 14.05.2015. CMCKAMAL: 12.50% stock dividend, AGM: 31.05.2015, Record Date: 17.05.2015. ARAMITCEM: 10% cash divi-dend, AGM: 13.06.2015, Record Date: 13.05.2015. GOLDENSON: 12.50% cash dividend, AGM: 27.06.2015, Record Date: 14.05.2015. GQBALLPEN: 10% cash divi-dend, AGM: 25.06.2015, Record Date: 14.05.2015.

CSE GAINER

Company Closing (% Change)

Aver-age (%

Change)

Closin-gAvg. Closing DHIGH DLOW Turnover

in MillionLatest

EPSLatest

PE

Kay & Que (BD) -Z 10.00 10.00 12.10 12.10 12.10 12.10 0.001 0.28 43.2Wata Chemicals -A 10.00 8.61 195.50 198.00 198.00 188.00 0.156 5.79 33.8ISN Ltd. -Z 9.89 10.25 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 0.011 0.16 62.5Shurwid Ind. -N 9.79 7.88 20.53 21.30 19.50 18.20 3.701 0.53 38.7Golden Harvest Agro-N 9.73 8.65 24.61 24.80 23.00 21.50 3.162 1.32 18.6Apex Tannery -A 9.71 9.27 109.88 113.00 103.00 100.00 1.003 2.19 50.2First Finance- A 9.57 7.36 12.55 12.60 11.80 11.50 0.046 1.60 7.8Singer BD -A 9.42 6.71 166.39 169.60 158.00 154.20 6.202 -0.32 -veNitol Insurance -A 9.17 7.34 24.58 25.00 22.90 22.90 0.675 3.14 7.8Islami Ins.BD-A 9.09 7.46 18.00 18.00 18.00 18.00 0.004 1.32 13.6

DSE GAINER

Company Closing (% Change)

Aver-age (%

Change)

Closin-gAvg. Closing DHIGH DLOW Turnover

in MillionLatest

EPSLatest

PE

Singer BD -A 9.90 6.68 165.88 169.80 169.90 155.00 44.261 -0.32 -veShurwid Ind. -N 9.90 8.23 20.51 21.10 21.10 19.40 22.440 0.53 38.7Golden Harvest Agro-N 9.82 6.16 24.12 24.60 24.60 22.80 24.435 1.32 18.3AFC AgroBiotech-A 9.71 6.47 51.66 53.10 53.20 49.50 150.814 3.20 16.1Rupali Bank - A 9.65 9.33 44.17 44.30 44.40 43.00 1.280 5.84 7.6BGIC -A 9.59 4.95 15.48 16.00 16.00 14.30 3.964 3.48 4.4Apex Tannery -A 9.48 6.87 109.03 112.00 112.00 104.50 10.494 2.19 49.8AsianTigerSandhani GF-A 9.09 7.09 7.10 7.20 7.20 6.50 0.954 0.60 11.8UNITED AIR-A 8.97 6.36 8.36 8.50 8.50 7.80 136.798 0.86 9.7Northern G Insur-A 8.76 0.74 20.35 21.10 21.30 19.50 3.351 4.80 4.2

CSE LOSER

Company Closing (% Change)

Aver-age (%

Change)

Closin-gAvg. Closing DHIGH DLOW Turnover

in MillionLatest

EPSLatest

PE

IFIL Islamic M.F.1-A -9.52 -10.09 5.70 5.70 5.70 5.70 0.009 0.95 6.0Pragati Gen. I -A -9.29 -9.21 25.42 25.40 28.00 28.00 0.015 1.64 15.5NLI 1st M F-A -9.09 -9.09 8.00 8.00 8.00 8.00 0.000 1.83 4.4ICB Sonali Bank 1 MF-A -6.56 -6.56 5.70 5.70 5.70 5.70 0.003 0.97 5.9Prime Insur -A -6.25 -6.38 14.98 15.00 15.50 14.40 0.020 1.12 13.4Intl. Leasing-B -5.51 -9.14 11.63 12.00 13.50 12.70 10.589 -3.08 -vePeople`s Leasing-A -4.70 -5.73 14.14 14.20 14.90 14.90 3.953 0.56 25.3H.R. Textile -A -4.62 -4.46 18.63 18.60 19.50 19.50 0.180 0.86 21.7ICB Emp. PMF-A -4.55 -5.42 4.19 4.20 4.50 4.30 0.017 0.61 6.9Delta Brac HFCL-A -4.25 -0.23 79.43 76.60 80.00 76.60 0.067 6.04 13.2

DSE LOSER

Company Closing (% Change)

Aver-age (%

Change)

Closin-gAvg. Closing DHIGH DLOW Turnover

in MillionLatest

EPSLatest

PE

CMC Kamal Tex. -A -9.32 -10.71 14.42 14.60 14.70 13.70 9.150 1.24 11.6ICB AMCL 1st NRB -A -8.25 -8.26 17.76 17.80 19.50 17.50 0.451 2.61 6.8Karnaphuli Insur -A -5.77 -7.86 14.53 14.70 15.00 13.50 0.431 1.48 9.8Intl. Leasing-B -5.56 -9.23 11.51 11.90 12.00 11.40 63.641 -3.08 -veBangladesh Welding -Z -4.32 2.32 16.30 15.50 17.50 15.30 9.690 -0.40 -veNitol Insurance -A -4.18 -6.62 25.25 25.20 26.00 24.70 1.476 3.14 8.0People`s Leasing-A -3.38 -6.01 14.08 14.30 14.60 13.50 36.218 0.56 25.1Zaheen Spinning -N -3.35 0.00 20.87 20.20 22.00 20.10 22.857 1.36 15.3EXIM Bank 1 MF-A -3.23 -3.54 6.00 6.00 6.00 6.00 0.010 0.56 10.7BSRM Ltd. -N -3.11 -3.81 56.29 56.10 57.70 55.20 94.758 0.73 77.1

DSE key features May 18, 2015Turnover (Million Taka)

7,539.86

Turnover (Volume)

202,787,271

Number of Contract

167,226

Traded Issues 310

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

253

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

54

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

3

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,490.03

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

30.18

CSE key features May 18, 2015Turnover (Million Taka)

609.23

Turnover (Volume)

21,393,170

Number of Contract

27,149

Traded Issues 235

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

183

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

48

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

4

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,416.93

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

29.30

BUSINESS 19D

TTUESDAY, MAY 19, 2015

Stocks end on � rm note with buoyant tradingn Tribune Report

Stocks ended the day on a � rm note yesterday as heavy weight sectors such as bank and telecommunication led the rally.

The benchmark index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, surged more than 91 points or 2% to settle at 4,407 after remaining � at over the past four sessions.

The Shariah Index DSES was up 18 points or 1.8% to 1,069. The comprising blue chips DS30 gained 35 points or 2.2% to 1,665.

Chittagong Stock Ex-change (CSE) Selective Cate-gories Index, CSCX, ended at 8,304, rising 239 points.

Trading at the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) remained strong, as � ow of fresh funds pushed the volume of trade higher. The DSE total turnover stood at Tk750 crore, which is more than 6% over the previ-ous session and highest since October 28 last year.

All the large cap sectors shined except food and al-lied that closed marginally lower. After a long time, banking sector showed ro-bust performance that ral-lied nearly 3%, led by state-

owned Rupali Bank that rose 9.7% after it reported that its � rst quarter earnings stood at over Tk35 crore, a jump of almost 70% over the same period a year earlier.

Telecommunications also moved up over 2%, followed by non-banking � nancial in-stitutions 1.6%, cement 1.5% and pharmaceuticals 1.3%.

Low-cap engineering sectors also performed well with a rise of 4.4%, driven by Singer Bangladesh and Shurwid Industries, which saw the largest gain of al-most 10% each.

Lanka Bangla Securities said index refurbished its up-ward movement after passing a few days of consolidation backed by banking stocks.

It said market turnover continued to hit high amid quarterly earnings season.

Gainers took a strong lead over the losers as out of 307 issues traded, 242 advanced, 51 declined and 16 remained unchanged at DSE.

Power generation compa-ny dominated the trading. Khulna Power Company Limited was the most trad-ed stocks with shares worth nearly Tk34 crore changing hands. l

Index refurbished its upward movement after passing a few days of consolidation backed by banking stocks

ANALYST

Daily capital market highlightsDSE Broad Index : 4407.42899 (+) 2.12% ▲

DSE - 30 Index : 1665.84315 (+) 2.19% ▲

CSE All Share Index: 13578.98150 (+) 1.71% ▲

CSE - 30 Index : 10972.93260 (+) 1.55% ▲

CSE Selected Index : 8304.38340 (+) 1.72% ▲

CSE TURNOVER LEADERS

Company Volume-Shares

Value in Million

% of Total-Turnover ClosingP Change % ClosingY DHIGH DLOW AvgPrice

BD Submarine Cable-A 265,056 41.19 6.76 159.90 5.20 152.00 152.00 142.00 155.42UNITED AIR-A 4,503,641 37.36 6.13 8.40 9.09 7.70 8.40 7.80 8.30BEXIMCO Ltd. -A 786,003 25.67 4.21 32.40 4.18 31.10 31.40 30.30 32.66BSRM Ltd. -N 435,174 24.75 4.06 57.30 -1.72 58.30 61.00 56.50 56.87United Power-N 105,315 22.50 3.69 212.50 -3.01 219.10 224.30 215.00 213.65Khulna Power-A 282,829 18.61 3.05 64.70 -1.67 65.80 67.70 64.30 65.80WesternMarine -N 404,191 18.57 3.05 46.50 4.26 44.60 46.80 43.80 45.94RAK Ceramics-A 235,003 17.22 2.83 72.70 1.54 71.60 71.60 66.00 73.25S Purbanchol Power-N 297,082 16.85 2.77 55.30 2.41 54.00 54.00 54.00 56.73SAIF Powertec-N 183,793 14.77 2.42 79.10 -1.74 80.50 81.90 74.70 80.37SummitAlliancePort.-A 257,942 14.10 2.31 53.40 -0.74 53.80 56.00 52.40 54.66Aftab Auto.-A 180,406 11.63 1.91 64.50 3.53 62.30 63.70 58.40 64.47Moza� ar H.Spinning-A 305,718 11.42 1.88 37.00 0.54 36.80 38.80 36.00 37.36Intl. Leasing-B 910,276 10.59 1.74 12.00 -5.51 12.70 13.50 12.70 11.63Baraka Power-A 293,743 10.32 1.69 35.30 -1.12 35.70 36.00 33.00 35.12

DSE TURNOVER LEADERS

Company Volume-Shares

Value in Million

% of Total-Turnover ClosingP Change

% ClosingY DHIGH DLOW Avg-Price

Khulna Power-A 5,124,319 339.47 4.50 64.50 -2.71 66.30 67.90 64.00 66.25United Power-N 1,364,833 292.41 3.88 212.70 -3.05 219.40 221.00 212.00 214.25BD Submarine Cable-A 1,729,863 270.04 3.58 161.80 6.52 151.90 164.60 150.00 156.11BEXIMCO Ltd. -A 7,026,492 229.99 3.05 32.50 4.17 31.20 33.20 31.40 32.73S Purbanchol Power-N 4,021,409 227.52 3.02 55.20 2.41 53.90 58.90 54.00 56.58RAK Ceramics-A 2,866,446 210.89 2.80 73.40 2.51 71.60 75.80 71.50 73.57ACI Formulations-A 911,997 192.24 2.55 207.10 -1.43 210.10 217.00 205.00 210.79SAIF Powertec-N 2,360,794 190.28 2.52 79.20 -1.61 80.50 82.60 78.80 80.60AFC AgroBiotech-A 2,919,191 150.81 2.00 53.10 9.71 48.40 53.20 49.50 51.66Baraka Power-A 4,282,113 150.13 1.99 35.10 -1.13 35.50 36.00 34.50 35.06UNITED AIR-A 16,367,922 136.80 1.81 8.50 8.97 7.80 8.50 7.80 8.36ACI Limited- A 280,319 133.60 1.77 471.90 -0.13 472.50 484.70 470.10 476.61BD. Thai Alum -B 3,097,965 131.85 1.75 42.00 -3.00 43.30 43.90 41.70 42.56Ifad Autos -N 1,234,268 131.19 1.74 108.00 8.54 99.50 109.40 101.00 106.29Square Pharma -A 524,414 129.89 1.72 249.70 1.46 246.10 250.50 246.00 247.69

BUSINESS20DT

TUESDAY, MAY 19, 2015

Tofail: Indo-Bangla trade � nds new window n Tribune Report

Indo-Bangla trade has found a new window as the Indian gov-ernment has revised its trade policy with a focus on regional and bilateral trade.

Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed yesterday said this while brie� ng reporters, after a meeting with visiting Indian Commerce Secretary Shri Ra-jeev Kher at his secretariat of-� ce in the city.

“As the Indian government is very much liberal in trade, both Bangladesh and India can now play a vital role in South Asian trade and commerce,” he said.

According to Indian High Commission in Dhaka, exports from Bangladesh to India were little over US$257m against its imports worth about $3bn from India during July-December period of the � scal 2014-15.

“We’ve discussed the ways on how Bangladesh and India can play a signi� cant role in global trade. Our basic focus was to see how India Bangladesh together can integrate in vertical manner in various sectors,” Rajeev Kher

told the reporters. Rajeev Kher also said, “We’ve

also discussed about the renew-al of trade agreement between Bangladesh and India and sever-al other issues for further trade liberalisation in both sides.”

India has revised trade poli-cy focusing on regional market access among the South Asian countries, he added.

Commenting on the revised India-Bangladesh Trade Agree-ment, commerce minister said, “The draft of the deal, which has already been � nalised, will be signed during the In-dian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Dhaka in June.”

As per the proposed trade agreement, Bangladeshi vehi-cles will be able to use Indian territory to transport goods to Nepal and Bhutan while India can also use Bangladeshi ports for commercial purpose, said Ahmed.

As India has long been demanding for duty-free ac-cess of 225 Indian products to Bangladeshi market, the gov-ernment has � nally decided to allow duty-free access of 23 In-dian products to Bangladesh. l

Azman named as new GP CMO n Tribune Report

Grameenphone Board has named Yasir Azman as the new Chief Marketing O� cer to re-place the company’s outgoing CMO Allan Bonke from June 15 2015.

Yasir, a Bangladeshi, has 17 years of commercial experi-ence, including 5 years of exec-utive management experience in both FMCG and telecommu-nications sector, says a press release.

Besides, he played various op-erational and leadership roles in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan for all Telenor business units when he took over as the head of Telenor Group Distribution & e-Business in January 2013.

Commenting on manage-ment change, Grameenphone Chief Executive O� cer (CEO), Rajeev Sethi, said: “Allan (Bonke) has had a tremendous impact on the market in the last three years and we are very grateful for all his e� orts in

guiding the company to win in the market place and retain our market leadership.”

“I trust that Azman will bring in previous experience in Bangladesh and his new expe-riences from India and with the Telenor Group to bring in fresh winds of change and keep us planted and ready for the new market challenges ahead.”

In-coming GP CMO, Yasir Azman, said he was excited to be back in Grameenphone to work with his colleagues, associated partners and most importantly to serve GP cus-tomers.

“I’m looking forward to be a part of taking Grameenphone to the next level in its ‘Internet for All’ ambition by building on greater collaborations between key players and exploring the greater digital space,” he said.

Yasir is an MBA from IBA. Earlier, he attended executive educational programmes or-ganised by London Business School and INSEAD. l

21D

TTUESDAY, MAY 19, 2015T

-JUNCTION

22breakthroughsGIST Tech-I Compe-tition, 2015

23gadgetG4 from LG

24reviewBatman: Arkham Knight (2015)

The opening ceremony of the Tiger Cement 7th BUET Debating Club National Debate Championship was recently held. The ceremony was attended by Prof Khaleda Ekram, honourable vice chancellor of BUET, Prof Dr Delwar Hossain, director of Student’s Welfare and Dr Tanvir Manzur, moderator of BUET Debating Club. The tournament will run from May 16 to May 31, 2015. The title sponsor for the event is Tiger Cement and the co-sponsors are Reckitt-Benkiser and Qubee. A total of 96 teams consisting of nearly 300 debaters and approximately 150 judges will be attending the tournament. l

7th BUET Debating Club National Debate Championshipnews

INSIDE

PHOTO: BIGSTOCK

Method in the madnessMethod in the madness

n Chisty Rahim

Rasheeq Islam and Sabira Mehrin Saba, made it to the semi finals at GIST Tech-I competition, 2015. GIST (The U S Department of State’s Global Innovation through Science and Technology) is an organisation that aims to provide a demonstrative platform for researchers, entrepreneurs and any/all science enthusiast around the world and help them bring their ideas to life.

Rasheeq Islam created an illustrative project of how used-up cooking oil from restaurants and street vendors can be used to make bio-fuel for vehicular usage, hence decreasing crude oil consumption.

“I don’t want the people to vote for my project just so that I can go to the finals. I want them to vote for me so that my idea can get recognised and be presented in a global platform. So that one day, if not me, someone else can materialise my idea.”

Sabira Mehrin Saba (Team Bhitti), Aiman Absar, Parashar Saha and Sabira (all from Institute of Business Administration,

University of Dhaka) have won Global Social Entrepreneurship Competition in 2014. The competition was organised by Foster School of Business, University of Washington. This year they have qualified to the semis hoping to have enough votes to win.

“My idea Bhitti is about eco-friendly housing materials for the poor segment of Bangladesh. These housing materials are a combination of adobe bricks and ready-mixed adhesive made of sugarcane bagasse which makes the product disaster-resilient and affordable at the same time. This idea aims to improve the poor housing infrastructure of our country.

If this idea gets to win the competition, it will receive seed fund and incubation that will help develop the plan and bring a positive change in the society.”

The voting lines close on June 11. Follow the link below to support the Bengal tigers and help them go all the way with their innovative ideas to make a change for good:

www.gistnetwork.org/news/2015-tech-i-semi-finalists-announced. l

The orientation programme by the American International University – Bangladesh (AIUB) for newly enrolled students of undergraduate and graduate programmes for the summer semester 2014-2015 was held on May 13 and 14, 2015 at the AIUB Auditorium. The students and their parents and guardians were informed about the rules and regulations, academic

procedures, including registration, examination systems and other academic matters.

The vice chancellor Dr Carmen Z Lamagna chaired the orientation programme. And Nadia Anwar, founder and vice president (Student Affairs) supervised the orientation programme. The pro-vice chancellor Dr Charles C Villanueva, vice

GIST Tech-I Competition, 2015

Orientation at AIUB

Science for a better Bangladesh

breakthroughs

TechTUESDAY, MAY 19, 2015

T-JUNCTION22DT

Photos: Courtesy

news

president (Academic) Prof Dr Tafazzal Hossain and deans from different department spoke on this occasion.

Prior to the students’ orientation sessions an orientation programme for newly appointed teachers of the university was also held on May 14, at the AIUB Auditorium. The pro-vice chancellor Dr Charles C Villanueva and vice president (Academic) Prof Dr Tafazzal Hossain introduced the newly appointed teachers at the outset and highlighted the academic matters and

rules and regulations of the university for maintaining the high quality education of international standard of the university to face global challenges.

After the core sessions of the orientation programmes, the question and answer session was held where the pro-vice chancellor who replied to the various queries raised by the students, guardians and the newly appointed teachers. The programmes were also attended by the AIUB registrar, deans, departmental heads, teachers and officers of the university. l

Tech T-JUNCTION 23D

T

TUESDAY, MAY 19, 2015

Kaymu launches iOS app

G4 from LG

Keyboard by choice, and they are both free

It’s the latest and greatest from the other camp in South Korea

apps

gadget

Kaymu.com.bd, a leading online shopping community in Bangladesh, has launched its iOS app in Bangladesh for iPhone users on May 18. The online shopping app is designed to provide a convenient platform for buyers and sellers on the go.

The mobile app is designed to make online shopping accessible to even more people, with great features that enable sellers to conveniently list products and allow buyers to select from a wide variety of products at a glance.

The app will further enhance user experience by bringing buying and selling to the � ngertips of Kaymu’s users. The app will allow customers to place orders on the go and will help Kaymu reach users who do not have regular access to computers. The app will o� er a fast and intuitive navigation, as well as easier buyer and seller account management.

Commenting on the launch of the iOS app, country manager of Kaymu Bangladesh Limited Hendrik Chasse said, “We are extremely excited about the launch of the iOS app. Kaymu Bangladesh can now be accessed by any smartphone to both shop and sell products on the move. Given the surge in smartphone penetration in Bangladesh over the last few years, this is a necessary step to reach customers that do not have regular access to computers and continue to establish Kaymu as the leading online shopping community in Bangladesh.”

The launch of 3G in Bangladesh has signi� cantly increased the importance of mobile apps and has given rise to m-commerce in the country. There has been a signi� cant and continual growth in the use of iphones in Bangladesh.

n Mahmood Hossain

Many may argue that when it comes to Android � agship smartphones, Samsung has a � rm hold in the market. While their rivals may have more exposure and marketing campaigns out the wazoo, LG has created a monster of their own that should not be ignored. The G4, we are glad to say, is a successful predecessor to the G3.

DesignIt’s true, you won’t be blown away at � rst glance, but the design hasn’t been given signi� cant changes. It still has a 5.5-inch display with the power and volume buttons on the back underneath the rear camera. Not too many people are a big fan of this design, but LG believes this is what will di� erentiate them from the rest in the market. The G4 is wider than the Galaxy S6 yet not as huge as the iPhone 6 Plus. The only real di� erence between last year’s model is that the G4 has more squared-o� corners and there’s a slight curve on the back.

But the curve isn’t as extreme as its cousin the G Flex 2. LG even states the G4 is 20% less likely to shatter than its predecessor. Which may di� er from the many leather-back choices LG provides costumers with the new phone. The standard grey with slight grooves makes it look like a cheaper plastic version, which is clearly evident. Whether you opt for the standard or leather is up to you. However,

that plastic back has its advantages. You can remove the back and its battery, alongside the Micro SD card. Two things you can’t do with the Galaxy S6.

The G4’s display is absolutely magni� cent. Yes, it’s the same 5.5-inches, QHD, 2560x1440 display just like the G3. But it’s brilliantly brighter and possesses more accurate colours. To top things o� , it works wonderful in direct sunlight. There’s no over saturation and it’s a pure delight to simply stare at. Clearly, this is a huge plus, and you might even argue that it has the best display in the market right now.

FeaturesA big change to the new model is the 16-megapixel rear camera with a super bright f/1.8 aperture lens. Believe it or not, at the moment, it’s the brightest one you can � nd in the Android market. It also has the same laser-assisted autofocus as the G3, but has added a new colour spectrum sensor, which is underneath the LED � ash. The manual settings are so ridiculously detailed, LG claims that it might even replace your base level DSLR camera. We can seriously go into a page of explanations of how amazing this new camera is. The sharp images produced from the G4’s camera is only the tip of the iceberg.

Since we don’t have the space to gush about its camera, we can still share the characteristics that make this monster tick. There’s a new six-core Qualcomm

Snapdragon 808 processor, with 3GB of RAM. By comparison, it’s not as fast as the S6 or the HTC One M9, but you’ll only notice this di� erence if you have the phones side by side. This leads us to the 3,000mAh battery, which can last you a full day on heavy use. If you’re a moderate or a light user, you’ll be pleased to know this rolls right into the second day. And remember, the battery is removable so you can replace it when necessary.

The verdictSure the plastic build might not look expensive, but you’ll have the leather options available when it’s available in the mass market. And yes, it might be as quick as the other two � agship phones, but we’re only nitpicking and it’s as fast as anyone would be satis� ed with. Don’t forget the incredible sharp and bright images in its great display. The camera is the best in the Android market and the overall touch and feel of the phone makes for an awesome experience. You did good LG, you did damn good. l

As per the statistics provided by the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), mobile Internet users reached 43.167 million at the end of March this year thanks to mobile technology driving Internet penetration. This increase was mainly seen after the launch of 3G services in the year 2012. This boost has led to an m-commerce explosion in Bangladesh, as the number of users who access the Internet via their phones is growing rapidly and leapfrogging traditional desktop use in Bangladesh.

Kaymu is trying to tap into the potential cache of consumer masses by developing its app on iphone and android to allow the shopping experience to be at the users’ � ngertips.

The launch of this latest iOS app, along with the already available android app, is part of an attempt to facilitate the growing mobile Internet user base in Bangladesh. Kaymu.com.bd’s mobile app, for both iOS and Android users, is available for download through the App Store and Google Play Store here. l

Gaming

Batman: Arkham Knight (2015)

T-JUNCTION24DT

TUESDAY, MAY 19, 2015

DC’s “M-rated” entertainment

review

n Chisty Rahim

The makers of the acclaimed Batman Arkham saga created another masterpiece sure to become a hit, just like the previous ones! Batman Arkham Knight is all set and ready to be released on June 23, 2015, targeting a much wider range of gamers all around the world. It will be available for all gaming devices starting from Play Station, PC and X-box to mac OS and GNU/Linux computers. Even though it might take a bit more time for

the game to be available for PC, it’s de� nitely worth the wait!

The Rock Steady Studios did a spectacular job developing the game to a � ne entertainment source for a wide range of players who are into action-adventure gaming. The graphic features of the game are o� the chart, undoubtedly the best one in the series. Already awarded for being the “Most Anticipated Game,” Batman Arkham Knight will be another � ne addition to their great achievements, as well as for the publishers, Warner Bros and Interactive Studios. The ultra-de� ned visuals and captivating storyline of the game has earned itself “Mature-Rating.”

The game stars Batman and the supporting hero of the night crawler - Commissioner James Gordon, Robin, Night-wing, Cat-woman and many more. Initially it starts o� from the mid-section of the story, in which batman has already become quite a well-recognised vigilante in Gotham City and has just recovered from an injury after killing joker. With tranquility spreading across his city, he remains unsure of whether to continue his quest as “The Batman” or not, still under the denial of the discreet and unaccepted bond he shared with the master

of chaos, the joker. But with unexpected threats arising from the darkness, as the old enemies (penguin, Harley Quin and Two-face) unite together to kill him and Scare-crow scheming a devious plan to drive him out of his cave and bringing him out on the open, he is compelled to put his suit and mask back on and get to work!

The game features a new super-villain the Arkham Knight. Arkham Knight is a militarised version of batman, just a tad bigger, stronger and meaner. The character is in all black with an “A” symbol on the chest, abbreviated from Arkham Asylum.

The players get to roam across Gotham City taking down thugs and criminals in a shadow mode and protect the city of Gotham from any threat, as Batman. In the trailer, they show glimpses of joker girl in action along with a few other villains. Presumably, the new and graphically improved bat-mobiles will be available to the players in the game; drivable by the players and can be summoned at will.

According to the GeForce (www.geforce.com/games-applications/pc-games/batman-arkham-knight/system-requirements) webpage, the requirements for the game would be as follows:

Minimum requirements: OS: Win 7 SP1, Win 8.1 (64-bit operating system required)Processor: Intel Core i5-750, 2.67 GHz | AMD Phenom II X4 965, 3.4 GHzMemory: 6GB RAMGraphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660Graphics Memory: 2GBDirectX®: 11Network: Broadband Internet connection requiredHard Drive Space: 45GB

The link below might come in handy if you need an idea about the pricing and availability of the computer parts in Bangladesh: www.computersourcebd.com.

The game will be available in stores soon after the release, and it might take a bit more time for it to become available in the stores in our country. You can pre-order the game online and get free shipping from Amazon, and to help you out, follow the link below:

Amazon: www.amazon.com/Batman-Arkham-Knight-PlayStation-4/dp/B00IQCRKT8. l

25D

T

Eat, sleep, practise but no gossiping, facebooking: GK coach Schweichler n Shishir Hoque

The residential camp of the Bangladesh foot-ball team got underway yesterday as 27 boot-ers among the 32-member preliminary squad reported for training at BFF House yesterday.

Sheikh Russel KC winger Zahid Hossain (illness) and Nasir Uddin Chowdhury and Yeasin Khan (head injuries) were unable to report while Jamal Bhuiyan will join the camp this Monday following his vacation in Denmark. Bangladesh-born German expatriate Reasat Khaton is expected to join the camp on May 30.

In the absence of Dutch head coach Lodewijk de Kruif, who is currently vaca-tioning in the Netherlands, and his deputy Saiful Bari Titu, German goalkeeping coach Christian Schweichler and assistant coach Masud Parvez Kaiser are guiding the national side. Bangladesh Football Federation general secretary Abu Nayeem Shohag yesterday in-formed that De Kruif will return to Dhaka to-morrow to take charge while Titu is scheduled to return from Malaysia this Saturday.

During the camp, Schweichler’s instruc-tions were simple: “Eat, sleep and practise but no gossiping and facebooking during this time. It’s a great opportunity for the players to prove their worth in the World Cup quali� ers.”

Captain Mamunul Islam is su� ering from an injury and was unable to play the last three matches for Sheikh Jamal DC in the Manyavar Bangladesh Premier League. The talismanic mid� elder, however, is hopeful of a return sooner rather than later.

“I am feeling better but still on the road to recovery. I do not want to take any risks but wish to play the warm-up matches if I get ful-

ly � t. Hopefully, I can start pressure training within two or three days,” said Mamunul yes-terday.

Bangladesh will kick o� their 2018 Fifa World Cup second round quali� ers against

Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan on June 11 and 16 respectively. Both the quali� ers will be held at Bangabandhu National Stadium.

Ahead of the World Cup quali� ers that will also double up as the qualifying stage for the

2019 Asian Cup, Bangladesh will also face Sin-gapore and Sa� champions Afghanistan on May 30 and June 2 respectively in two Fifa international friendlies at Bangabandhu Na-tional Stadium. l

TUESDAY, MAY 19, 2015

DJOKOVIC WINS FOURTH ITALIAN OPEN

MESSI LEADS BARCA FROM CRISIS CLUB TO CHAMPIONS

WOMEN’S TRIO OFF TO MALDIVES TODAY

26 2827French defender Eric Abidal is awarded with the 2015 UNFP

Honour Trophy during a ceremony in Paris on Sunday

HONOURED

Sport

Mamunul Islam, central mid� elderNot only the � rst two home matches in the World Cup quali� ers, the two warm-up matches against Singapore and Afghanistan are also important for us because we will get to

know about our standard from these two games.

Nasirul Islam Nasir, center-backOur initial target is the � rst two matches at home where we want to put up a positive result. I always tried to give my best in training ever since I got back to the national team

for the home series against Sri Lanka (last year).

Now, I want to give my hundred percent e� ort.

Sohel Rana, left-wingerThe next one year will be very hectic because of many inter-national matches, including the World Cup quali� ers and the Sa� Championship. We have to work hard although the

players are a bit tired after a long domestic run.

Hemanta Vincent Biswas, attacking midfielderIt is a great opportunity for us to play in the World Cup quali� ers and we must utilise this opportunity. The � rst two matches against Kyrgyzstan

and Tajikistan are important and we have to collect points from these games.

Enamul Haque, strikerI have been waiting for this day for a long time. I am glad that I got back my form and returned to the national team for the World Cup quali� ers. I am excit-ed and proud to be in the side.

Jahid Hasan Ameli, strikerI think, as long as I have played for the national team at home, we have performed well. This time, we have a good squad. If we work together, I believe we

can produce something good. I have experience of playing against Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

Ashraful Alam Rana, goalkeeperI am thrilled after getting called up to the national squad for the very � rst time in my career. I will give my best for the country. I am mentally prepared to � ght for a place in the playing XI.

German GK coach Christian SchweichlerIt is a great opportunity for the players and also for the BFF to show the world what they can do at the highest lev-el of football.

WHAT THEY SAID

Jahid Hasan Ameli (L), Enamul Haque (C) and Hemanta Vincent Biswas share a light moment at BFF House yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

Sport26DT

Anamul eager to reclaim opening slotn Mazhar Uddin

Anamul Haque is fully � t and the right-hand-ed opening batsman is eager to get his place back in the national fold for the upcoming home series against India, slated for next month.

The 22-year-old sustained a dislocation on his right shoulder during Bangladesh’s World Cup game against Scotland in March and has been out of the team since then. He, however, made a quick rehabilitation after undergoing surgery and came back strongly in the domestic longer version league – Bangladesh Cricket League – where he slammed two � fties and a century.

“I have played well in the BCL where I was able to score some runs to bring back the con-� dence in me since returning from the inju-ry. I have recovered from the shoulder injury and if I get selected, I am looking forward to do well against India in the upcoming home series,” said Anamul.

Meanwhile, the 23-member preliminary squad warmed themselves up before the of-� cial training session begins tomorrow with the cricketers reporting to trainer Mario Vil-lavarayan for � tness test.

The majority of the cricketers present at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yester-

day spent time at the gym and worked on strength training.

Fast bowler Rubel Hossain, who picked up a side-strain during the � rst Test against Pa-

kistan earlier this month, is making good pro-gress on his � tness while Sha� ul Islam is also expected to be � t for selection before the � nal squad is named. l

TUESDAY, MAY 19, 2015

BFF Academy included in second tiern Shishir Hoque

Less than a year since it began its journey, the Sylhet Football Academy will form a team and take part in the country’s second tier – Bang-ladesh Championship League – from the up-coming edition. The decision to include the country’s only football academy in the com-petitive level was taken at BFF House yes-terday during a professional football league committee meeting.

The committee also decided to host the BCL with the participation of 10 clubs, includ-ing � ve new ones. The league will be held in two phases for the very � rst time in history but the schedule is yet to be � nalised.

Young Men’s Fakirerpool Club, T&T Club and Bashabo Tarun Sangha were promoted from the third tier last season and the trio will join Agrani Bank, Wari Club, Arambagh, Victoria Club and Uttar Baridhara in the second tier while Police Athletic Club and BFF Academy were included for the � rst time.

“We took a decision to include a team from the BFF Academy in the upcoming Champi-onship League in order to give them an oppor-tunity to play and compete. We believe they will shine in the league and will also get bene-� tted � nancially,” said BFF senior vice-presi-dent Abdus Salam Murshedi yesterday.

The committee also � nalised the starting date of the second phase of the Manyavar Bangladesh Premier League, which will begin on June 20. The mid-season inter-club play-ers’ transfer window will open on May 30 and continue till June 19. l

Women’s trio o� to Maldives todayn Shishir Hoque

It is a big day for Bangladesh striker Sabina Khatun, goalkeeper Sabina Akter and mid-� elder Mirona who will � y to Maldives today afternoon to play in the MAF Women’s Cham-pionship 2015 in Male. The Bangladesh trio will be representing Dhivehi Sifainge Club, an out� t of Maldives National Defense Force.

The MAF (Football Association of Mal-dives) Women’s Championship will kick o� on May 24 and end on June 12. Sabina and her compatriots are expected to play four match-es.

It was 22-year-old Sabina Khatun’s trip to Maldives earlier this year that opened the doors for the female footballers of the coun-try. The striker was the � rst ever female foot-baller to be recruited in a foreign league and her dazzling performance paved the path for the future. Sabina Khatun played for Police Club in the Maldives Women’s Futsal Fies-ta in March-April where she netted 36 goals from just six matches, averaging six goals per match.

The deputy chairperson of BFF women’s football committee, Mahfuza Akter Kiron, informed that Sabina Khatun will earn dou-ble than her last trip as she will receive $1200 along with air ticket, accommodation and other facilities while � rst-timers Sabina Akter and Mirona will be paid $600 each.

“I went there alone last time, but I’m ex-cited that I will go there with two of my teammates this time. We will give our best and hopefully we can uplift the image of our country,” said Sabina Khatun yesterday. “As a striker my target in any tournament is to be-come the highest scorer.”

The trio made their domestic debut togeth-er in the Citycell National Women’s Football Championship in 2009 before making their international debut a year later. l

Anamul Haque and Soumya Sarkar pose for a photo during training at SBNS yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

Zim � y to Pakistan for high-stakes tourn AFP, Harare

Zimbabwe have left Harare for a high-stakes tour of Pakistan, national cricket association spokesman Lovemore Banda said Monday.

“The team has left (Harare),” Banda told AFP. “They are going (to Pakistan) via Dubai.”

There were doubts whether the � ve-match tour would go ahead after the massacre of 45 minority Shiites in an attack on a bus in Kara-chi last week.

It is the � rst tour of Pakistan by a Test-level team since seven Sri Lankan cricketers were wounded during a 2009 attack by militants in Lahore.

Zimbabwe are scheduled to arrive in Pa-kistan Tuesday and play two Twenty20 and three one-day internationals amid massive security at the Gadda� Stadium in Lahore.

Since the attack on the Sri Lankans, Paki-stan have staged ‘home’ matches in the Unit-ed Arab Emirates.

Views on the tour are mixed with Sri Lan-ka-born Zimbabwe coach Dav Whatmore up-beat.

“I appreciate the signi� cance of this tour to Pakistan and I am happy to go,” he told Zim-babwe radio. l

Bangladesh female footballers Sabina Khatun (R), Sabina Akter (C) and Mirona are all smiles at BFF House yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

We took a decision to include a team from the BFF Academy in the upcoming Championship League

Sport 27D

T

TUESDAY, MAY 19, 2015

Ben� ca retain titleBen� ca won the Portuguese title for the 34th time on Sunday after a 0-0 draw away to Vitoria Guimaraes combined with a 1-1 draw for nearest challengers Porto at Belenenses. The Lisbon giants, coached by Jorge Jesus, can no longer be caught by bitter rivals Porto, who are three points behind with one game remaining and crucially lose out in the head-to-head be-tween the sides. It is the � rst time that Ben� ca have won back-to-back titles in 31 years and the third time they have won it under Jesus. Porto would have taken the � ght down to the wire but, after Jackson Martinez had given them a � rst-half lead against Belenenses, Tiago Caeiro equalised with only six minutes left.

AFP

Ayew named Ligue 1 African player of the yearGhana mid� elder Andre Ayew celebrated his � nal days with Marseille by being named on Monday best African player in France’s Ligue 1. Ayew, 25, � nishes in front of Ivory Coast’s Max-Alain Gradel (Saint-Etienne)and Tunisia’s Aymen Abdennour (Monaco). The young wing-er -- a member of the Ghana side that lost to Ivory Coast 9-8 on penalties in this year’s Africa Cup of Nations � nal -- was picked by a jury of journalists and will receive the Marc-Vivien Trophy handed out by French radio RFI and TV channel France 24 later Monday.

AFP

Rogers to retire after AshesAustralia opening batsman Chris Rogers said Monday he plans to retire from Tests after this year’s Ashes series in England. At the age of 37, the left-hander said he was on track to � nish his international career at the end of the � ve-Test Ashes series in August. “I’m very happy, I’ve been pretty fortunate to have this second go at it and have loved every moment of it,” Rogers told Fox Sports. “But time calls on everyone and I think it’s nearly up for me. I think to go out in the Ashes and in England where I’ve played a lot of cricket is pretty � tting.”

AFP

Zenit snatch Russian titleZenit St Petersburg won their fourth Russian title after a 1-1 draw with minnows Ufa at their Petrovsky ground on Sunday. Going into the game, only FC Krasnodar could prevent Zenit from landing the title but to do so, they needed to win. Krasnodar were held 2-2 by rock-bottom Torpedo Moscow, leaving them eight points behind with just two matches left. The 1984 Soviet league winners Zenit previously won the Russian title in 2007, 2010 and 2012 but had finished runners-up the past two seasons to CSKA Moscow.

AFP

Ingolstadt promoted to BundesligaFC Ingolstadt secured promotion to the top tier of the German Bundesliga for the � rst time in their young history on the penultimate day of the season on Sunday. The Bavarians came from behind to win 2-1 at home to Leipzig and clinch the championship, with second-placed Darmstadt seven points back.

AFP

QUICK BYTES

Djokovic wins fourth Italian Openn AFP, Rome

Top seed Novak Djokovic warmed up for the French Open with a comprehensive 6-4, 6-3 victory over Roger Federer to claim his fourth Italian Open title on Sunday.

In the absence of seven-time champion Rafael Nadal, ousted in the quarter-� nals, the Serbian produced a near � awless perfor-mance on centre court to defend his title and hand Federer his fourth � nal defeat in Rome.

With Roland Garros a little more than a week away, Djokovic could emerge as the fa-vourite to claim what is an elusive title in the French capital, especially in light of Nadal’s current woes on clay.

The Spaniard has won only one title on the surface this year, at Buenos Aires, and been

beaten by Italian Fabio Fognini, Andy Murray, Djokovic and Switzerland’s Stan Wawrinka in recent tournaments.

Djokovic, meanwhile, has brought his game to boiling point this week to claim his � fth title of the season and take his head-to-head record over the Swiss ace to 21-18.

On this performance, Djokovic will be hard to beat at the French Open, where Nadal’s bid for a 10th title could be compounded by a lack of top seeding.

Djokovic is on a 37-match winning streak at the highest-level tournaments and after he took his winning streak this year to 22 match-es, he said: “The fact I’ve managed to win that many matches in a row ... gives me a reason to believe I can do it again.”

The Serbian traded blows with Federer

from the opening stages and, at 5-4 ahead, converted his � rst break of the set with a re-turn winner that clipped the edge of the tram-line.

Federer was not without some choice shots of his own, the classy Swiss powering a back-hand winner down the line to save a second break point in the second game of the second set.

But Djokovic’s precision, power and pace looked unstoppable.

He took the early lead with a break for 2-0 and, after taking a three-game advantage be-hind a total of 30-12 baseline points won, was never in danger.

Djokovic secured his fourth Rome trophy in just 76 minutes as Federer struck a fore-hand wide on match point. l

Tearful send-o� for Liun AFP, Shanghai

China’s greatest track and � eld athlete Liu Xiang said goodbye to his adoring fans in his hometown of Shanghai Sunday in a tearful ceremony after the Diamond League meeting.

“I have been moved by your concern for me, your understanding and your encourage-ment,” said Liu, the 110m hurdles champion at the 2004 Olympics, a month after he an-nounced his retirement.

“I am grateful and very honoured,” added the 31-year-old, his eyes glazing as he strug-gled to contain his emotions.

Many fans at Shanghai Stadium stood motionless with their hands over their mouths, while others wiped tears as Liu spoke

from the trackside.Liu’s retirement last month sparked an

outpouring of emotion for an athlete who was loved for his achievements and also won wide sympathy for his heart-breaking setbacks.

After claiming China’s � rst men’s track and � eld gold at Athens, Liu was hotly tipped to claim victory at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, but limped out of the � rst heat, stun-ning home fans at the Bird’s Nest stadium.

Despite appearing to hit form leading up to London 2012, Liu clattered into the � rst hur-dle in his opening heat and after being helped up, he hopped the length of the track before symbolically kissing the last barrier and ex-iting the arena. He has not run competitively since. l

Novak Djokovic of Serbia gives champagne to a cameraman after winning the men’s � nal match against Swiss Roger Federer at the ATP Tennis Open on Sunday at the Foro Italico in Rome AFP

Sport28DT

From crisis club to championsn AFP, Madrid

A year that equals the best in Barcelona’s history, with La Liga in the bag and Champi-ons League and Copa del Rey � nals to come, couldn’t have started more inauspiciously.

The Catalans opened 2015 with a 1-0 defeat

at Real Sociedad on the � eld and descended into full blown institutional crisis o� it.

Lionel Messi and Neymar had been left on the bench in San Sebastian after returning back from their Christmas holidays later than the rest of their teammates, a decision which didn’t rest well with the former as he skipped an open training session with the club’s fans the next day.

On the same day, sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta was sacked and his assistant and club legend Carles Puyol walked.

The following week Luis Enrique’s job was on the line as champions Atletico Madrid vis-ited the Camp Nou, but rather than leave their coach out to dry, Barca produced their best performance of the season and set in motion a run of 29 wins in 32 games to propel them to glory on all fronts.

“From the game against Real Sociedad,

everything changed,” Messi admitted weeks later.

The attitude, the desire of the team to go out on the � eld in a di� erent way and to press.

The biggest change came from Messi him-self, though. A week after the Sociedad game, the four-time World Player of the Year had to watch Cristiano Ronaldo pick up his third Ballon d’Or and pronounce he was coming for Messi’s record.

“I see him strong, quick, competitive. He has returned to being the player I had the privilege to coach,” said the most successful coach in Barca’s history, Pep Guardiola, after watching a Messi masterclass eliminate his Bayern Munich side in the Champions League last week.

If Messi’s 54 goals and 30 assists have been the catalyst for Barca’s stellar run, Neymar and Luis Suarez have starred in the support-ing role.

Messi’s upturn in the new year coincided with Suarez recovering his best form after a four-month ban for biting at the World Cup and a switch in positions between the two as the Uruguayan played more centrally to allow Messi to use his full repertoire of skills from a deeper role.

Suarez has added a di� erent dimension to Barcelona, a directness and, at times, nasti-ness that o� ers more variety than had even Guardiola’s trophy-laden four years in charge.

Meanwhile, Neymar’s 37 goals means he has struck more than the likes of Samuel Eto’o, Ronaldinho, Rivaldo or Thierry Henry ever managed for Barca in a single season.

Although often overlooked given his star-studded squad, Enrique also deserves his share of the credit. l

TUESDAY, MAY 19, 2015

RESULTSValencia 1-1 Celta VigoOtamendi 71 Hernandez 8

Villarreal 2-1 MalagaMoreno 82, 87 Darder 90

Elche 2-3 Athletic BilbaoJonathas 32, 45 Aketxe 80, San Jose 87, Williams 90+2

Deportivo 2-0 LevanteLopo 21, Juanfran 79

Atletico Madrid 0-1 Barcelona Messi 65

Real Sociedad 0-3 Granada El-Arabi 74, Ibanez Castro 79, Rochina 88

Cordoba 1-2 Rayo VallecanoLuso 57 Baena 21, Embarba 78

Espanyol 1-4 Real MadridStuani 73 Cristiano Ronaldo 59, 83, 90+1, Marcelo 79

Sevilla 2-1 AlmeriaIborra 65, 70 Bifouma 30

Getafe 1 -1 EibarHinestroza 33 Borja 36

FIVE FACTS115 goals from Messi, Suarez and NeymarThe decision to add Luis Suarez to an already stellar front line has reaped great reward for Barcelona as he, Lionel Messi and Neymar have broken the previous club record of a century of goals scored by the strike force of Messi, Thierry Henry and Samuel Eto’o in the treble winning 2008/09 season.Of those, 79 have been scored in the league accounting for 73 percent of Barca’s overall 108 goal tally.

23 clean sheetsLuis Enrique’s men have been as frugal at the back as they have been proli� c up front with a remarkable 23 clean sheets in 37 league matches to date.

Xavi and Iniesta influence fadingThe two bedrocks around which the Barca team was built during Pep Guardiola’s golden era of 14 trophies in four years between 2008 and 2012, Andres Iniesta and Xavi have only started together four times this season.

Five-star 11 times overThe champions have shown no mercy time and again this season, scoring � ve goals or more in 11 of their 37 matches.Cordoba su� ered the most in an 8-0 thrash-ing earlier this month, whilst Granada, Elche, Rayo Vallecano and Getafe have also been hit for six.

Ever-present MessiUnlike most of his teammates, Messi has escaped Enrique’s penchant for roating his squad. The Argentine has played every min-ute of the league season apart from being sat on the bench for the � rst-half in a 1-0 defeat to Real Sociedad in January. l

Top Scorers in La Liga45: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)41: Messi (Barcelona)22: Griezmann (Atletico), Neymar (Barcelona)20: Bacca (Sevilla)16: Alberto Bueno (Rayo Vallecano), Aritz Aduriz (Athletic Bilbao), Suarez (Barcelona)15: Benzema (Real Madrid)14: Jonathas (Elche)13: Bale (Real Madrid), Sergio Garcia (Espanyol)12: Mandzukic (Atletico Madrid), Nolito (Celta Vigo), Parejo (Valencia), Rodriguez (Real Madrid), Vietto (Villarreal)11: Barral (Levante), Larrivey (Celta Vigo), Stuani (Espanyol)10: Alcacer (Valencia)

Barcelona players celebrate clinching the championship title after the Spanish La Liga match against Atletico Madrid at the Vicente Calderon stadium in Madrid on Sunday AP

0 - 1

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Arsenal thwart Man Utd as De Gea departsn AFP, Manchester

Tyler Blackett’s late own goal compromised Manchester United’s hopes of automatic Champions League quali� cation as Arsenal drew 1-1 at Old Tra� ord in the Premier League on Sunday.

The hosts took the lead when Ashley Young crossed for Ander Herrera to volley home, but Arsene Wenger’s side earned a point in the 82nd minute when Theo Walcott’s shot nicked o� Blackett and looped over United substitute goalkeeper Victor Valdes.

The result kept Arsenal two points above United in third place in the table and the FA Cup � nalists can secure a Champions League group-stage berth by winning at home to Sun-derland in their game in hand on Wednesday.

But of more pressing concern is the future of goalkeeper David de Gea, heavily linked with Real Madrid and who may have already made his � nal United appearance after being forced o� by injury in the second half.

Arsenal were unchanged for the sixth game running - the � rst time that has hap-pened since January 1994 - and as has been their approach in recent major showdowns, they were content to let their opponents at-tack them.

It led to a number of half-chances for Unit-ed, with Young, Radamel Falcao, Chris Small-ing - captain in Wayne Rooney’s absence - and Juan Mata all threatening. l

Roma come from behind to beat Udinesen AFP, Milan

Roma remain on course to secure automatic quali� cation for next season’s Champions League group stage after coming from behind to beat Udinese 2-1 at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday.

Vassilis Torosidis was the match-winner for Rudi Garcia’s side, pouncing to net from close range in the 65th minute after the Udinese defence had made a hash of dealing with a harmless-looking Radja Nainggolan cross.

Earlier, Croatian youngster Stipe Perica, who is on loan from Chelsea, put the away side in front, but Nainggolan arrived unmarked to convert a � ighted Francesco Totti cross from six yards and bring Roma level.

Roma are second with two games remain-ing, one point clear of capital rivals Lazio, who were 1-0 winners away to Sampdoria on Sat-urday night thanks to a goal from Argentine defender Santiago Gentiletti.

Third place comes with a place in the play-o� s for next season’s Champions League, but Napoli remain in contention too - Rafa Ben-itez’s side will close to within three points of Lazio if they can bounce back from their Eu-ropa League semi-� nal loss to Dnipro and beat already-relegated Cesena on Monday.

Earlier, a 1-0 home defeat to Palermo rel-egated Cagliari to Italy’s Serie B as Genoa and Torino recorded valuable wins to main-tain their hopes of qualifying for the Europa League. l

Sony Six8:30PM Indian Premier League Quali� er 1: Chennai v Mumbai

DAY’S WATCH

TUESDAY, MAY 19, 2015

SERIE AAtalanta 1-4 Genoa Pinilla 18-pen Pavoletti 30, Bertolacci 57, Falque 61, 73

Cagliari 0-1 Palermo Vazquez 9

Verona 2-1 EmpoliMoras 24, Sala 67 Saponara

Torino 2-0 Chievo Lopez 51, 69

Roma 2-1 UdineseNainggolan 45, Torosidis 65 Perica 19

EPLManchester United 1-1 ArsenalHerrera 30 Blackett 82-og

Manchester United’s English striker Wayne Rooney walks on the pitch with his son Klay after their English Premier League match against Arsenal at Old Tra� ord in Manchester on Sunday AFP

‘In� ammatory’ KP comments hard to overlook: Straussn AFP, London

Andrew Strauss said Sunday that “in� amma-tory comments” made by Kevin Pietersen in his controversial autobiography helped ex-plain the star baatsman’s ongoing exile from the England team.

Pietersen, England’s leading all-time run-scorer across all formats, has been in the international wilderness since the team re-turned from their 5-0 Ashes thrashing in Aus-tralia last year.

Strauss’s � rst week in his new post also saw him sack England coach Peter Moores, but it was his take on Pietersen that provoked the greatest public criticism.

Strauss, who infamously let slip exact-ly what he thought of his former team-mate with an obscenity picked up on a stray broad-cast mic last year, gave his most complete ex-planation to date as to why Pietersen was still barred from the England set-up in an article for Britain’s Sunday Times newspaper.

“Regardless of form, I hope people can ap-preciate why it is still not right for Kevin Pi-etersen to come back into the team,” Strauss wrote.

“Despite the depth of public feeling on this issue, the fact is that over the 16 months since his last appearance in an England shirt little has happened to heal the wounds, on both sides, from the fall-out over his omission and the in� ammatory comments made in his book about members of the team cannot easily be overlooked,” the 38-year-old former opener added. l

Lacazette, Blanc take honours in awards nightn AFP, Paris

Lyon striker Alexandre Lacazette was named France’s player of the year at a ceremony in Paris on Sunday as Paris Saint-Germain boss Laurent Blanc won the Ligue 1 coach of the year prize. Lacazette won the award, voted for by his peers, ahead of PSG trio Zlatan Ibrahi-movic, Javier Pastore and Marco Verratti after a remarkable season in which he has scored 27 Ligue 1 goals to help Lyon � nish second and qualify for next season’s Champions League. l

Kaka inspires Orlando to thrashing of Galaxyn Reuters

Defending champions LA Galaxy su� ered a humiliating 4-0 defeat to Major League Soc-cer newcomers Orlando City on Sunday, with an inspired Kaka creating a goal and scoring a penalty.

With three wins from 12 games, Galaxy are level on points with Sporting Kansas City, who hold the sixth playo� spot.

Former World Player of the Year Kaka start-ed the move which led to Orlando’s 12th min-ute opener, Brek Shea heading a Rafael Ramos cross back across goal where Eric Avila nod-ded home.

Orlando, who had not won at home before Sunday’s game, found it far too easy to open up the Galaxy defence and in the 34th min-ute Kaka broke down the left and slipped the ball to Cyle Larin, who slotted home to make it 2-0.

The Brazilian was then brought down in the penalty area by Galaxy goalkeeper Jaime Pendedo and rose to con� dently drive home from the spot in the 56th minute. l

PSG head coach Laurent Blanc, (L) mid� elder Javier Pastore (C) and mid� elder Marco Verratti attended the 24th edition of the UNFP trophy ceremony in Paris on Sunday AFP

DOWNTIME30DT

TUESDAY, MAY 19, 2015

CALVIN AND HOBBES

PEANUTS

DILBERT

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.

CODE-CRACKER

CROSSWORD

SUDOKU

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS

CODE-CRACKER

How to solve: Each number in our CODE-CRACKER grid represents a di� erent letter of the alphabet. For example, today 11 represents L so � ll L every time the � gure 11 appears.You have two letters in the control grid to start you o� . 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, � ll in the other squares with the same number in the main grid, and the control grid. Check o� the list of alphabetical letters as you identify them.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

CROSSWORD

ACROSS1 Quantity of paper (4)6 Metal (3)7 Hindu garment (4)9 Location (4)10 Echo sounder (5)11 Register (5)12 Tavern (3)14 Work of � ction (5)17 Younger son (5)20 United (3)21 Decoration (5)23 Commence (5)25 Ill-mannered (4)26 Consumer (4)27 Obscure (3)28 Exploit (4)

DOWN1 Rural (6)2 Wait on (6)3 Bearing (4)4 Pallid (3)5 Melody (3)7 Alone (4)8 Bird (5)10 Male child (3)13 Nominates (5)15 Fullness of sound (6)16 Traditional story (6)18 Eastern ruler (4)19 Perfect score (3)22 Dry (4)23 Public transport (3)24 Obtain (3)

SUDOKU

SHOWTIME 31D

TTUESDAY, MAY 19, 2015

WHAT TO WATCH

Batman Begins AWB 9:30pmAfter training with his mentor, Batman begins his war on crime to free the crime-ridden Gotham City from corruption that the Scarecrow and the League of Shadows have cast upon it.Cast: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson

Madagascar BZee Studio 7:50pmSpoiled by their upbringing with no idea what wild life is really like, four animals from New York Central Zoo escape, unwittingly assisted by four absconding penguins, and � nd themselves in Madagascar, among a bunch of merry lemurs.Cast: Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer

The Lost World: Jurrasic Park CStar Movies 7:00pmA research team is sent to the Jurassic Park Site B island to study the dinosaurs there while another team approaches with another agenda.Cast: Je� Goldblum, Julianne Moore, Vince Vaughn

n Showtime Desk

Zakia Bari Mamo heads back to the small screen action with a single episode drama, just after the release of her third big screen venture Chhuye Dile Mon last month.

Mamo is paired with Nayeem for the television play Statement, which recently wrapped up production. Written by Kamruzzaman and directed by Muzakkir Adi, the play depicts the blessing of a friendship between a girl and a boy, while the girl is suffering from a recent heartbreak.

In the play, Mamo, the winner of a National Film Award for her performance in Daruchini Dip, portrays the role of the girl named Riya who struggles to be on the right track, passing behind the pitfalls from a heartbreak. Munira Mithu, Evan and Promee donned the other major roles in the play.

Talking about the project Nayeem said, “The work has been excuted perfectly as expected. Though the director is new in his line of work, I reckon he will show the world his aptness through Statement.”

The play will air shortly on TV, stay tuned for the date and time. l

n Mahmood Hossain

It truly is the end of an era. Mad Men paved way for countless periodical adaptations of the early to mid 20th century. And let’s not forget the signi� cant impact the revival of the 60s has had in men’s fashion. As the show came to an end this past Sunday, we’ve realised it’s been more than just the fashion, and the obscene amount of cool in smoking and drinking. Well, at least they made it look cool. The show also delivered some very memorable lines that will stick with us for many years to come.

“If you don’t like what’s being said, change the conversation.” - Don Draper (Season 3, Episode 2)“Since when is forgiveness a better quality than loyalty?” - Roger Sterling (Season 4, Episode 5)“Sometimes when people get what they want, they realise how limited their goals were.” - Joan Harris (Season 1, Episode 13)“That poor girl. She doesn’t know that loving you is the worst way to get to you.” - Betty Draper Francis (Season 6, Episode 9)Bob: How are you?Pete: Not great, Bob!- Pete Campbell (Season 6, Episode 13) l

Artist Laila Sharmeen is to exhibit her work on mixed media at the � rst Tokyo International Art Fair, beginning from 22nd to 23rd of May 2015 at Harajuku Quest Hall.

Her work shows both a modernist preoccupation with time, � ux, the loss of a centre and disappearance of faith, and a concern for beauty and truth, alongside imagination and solitude. Her thinking has been in� uenced by the ancient philosophical text Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, containing Hindu and Buddhist concepts particularly the ones regarding three duties that each individual must perform. These are Datta, Dayadvam, Damyata meaning give, compassion and control. Datta Dayadvam Damyata is Laila’s mantra for peace and serenity in this world of turmoil. l

Mamo back on TV pairing with Nayeem

Mad dialogue

An artist in Tokyo

n Showtime Desk

The Embassy of France in Bangladesh, in cooperation with Agence Française de Developpement and Alliance Française de Dhaka, stepped up with an event of an exhibition and screening to raise awareness of climate change from May 16th to the 23rd at the Alliance Française de Dhaka.

An exhibition entitled 60 Solutions Against Climate Change, comprising of 21 photos by photographer Yann Arthus-

Bertrand from his famous Earth from Above series, is on display at the La Galerie.

Multiple screenings of a � lm titled Humankind vs Climate Change will take place from May 17 to 21, while a single screening and discussion with the director of Are You Listening! will take place on May 19 at 6pm.

The organised event is marking the 21st UN Climate Change Conference (COP21), which is going to be hosted by France in December 2015 to � nd solutions on the impacts of climate changes. l

Exhibitions on climate change on display

BACK PAGE32DT

TUESDAY, MAY 19, 2015

DISCUSSION ON TK3TN BUDGET PROPOSAL TODAY PAGE 15

MAMO BACK ON TV WITH NAYEEM PAGE 31

EAT, SLEEP, PRACTISE BUT NO FACEBOOKING PAGE 25

Tra� c solution turns out to be a bigger problem n Mohammad Jamil Khan

Tra� c in the capital yesterday was described “as a total collapse of the system” by residents and police alike, after a digital tra� c signal system intended to replace manual control proved to be a failure.

Tra� c was nearly paralysed in Farmgate, Shahbagh, Panthapath, Mohakhali, Dhan-mondi, Rampura and Uttara areas during the morning rush hour.

“Generally, it takes no more than two hours to reach Uttara from Dhanmondi, but it took more than four hours – most of it spent sitting still,” Sangita Sarker, a teacher, said.

Faruk Hossain, a section o� cer of Jagan-nath University, said: “I regularly travel to the university from Mirpur in an hour and a half, but it took four and a half hours. Dreadful!”

Finally shutting down the digital system around 9:30am and reverting to manual traf-� c management, police brought the � ow of tra� c almost back to normal by 2pm.

“As per the order of the Dhaka Metropoli-tan Police commissioner, we manually direct-ed tra� c after 9:30am,” said Khan Moham-mad Rezowan, deputy commissioner of tra� c for DMP south division.

He told the Dhaka Tribune that the city’s tra� c system had collapsed under the auto-mated tra� c system.

Earlier on Friday morning, the automated “time counter tra� c signal system” was intro-duced at 12 points in the capital from Kakoli to Shahbagh. DMP o� cials said the system was set up by city corporation engineers.

The system was introduced under a clean air and sustainable environment project joint-ly implemented by the two Dhaka city corpo-rations and the DMP.

While Friday passed uneventfully, by Sat-urday evening tra� c jams had started to pile up, building up to the gridlock yesterday morning.

DMP sources said similar initiatives taken in the past had been equally ine� ectual.

But they said the decision to use the auto-mated system was made anew after the two newly elected city bosses took charge of Dha-ka’s south and north city corporations recently.

A high o� cial of the DMP, asking not to be named, told the Dhaka Tribune that city cor-poration engineers introduced the experimen-tal project without conducting a proper anal-ysis, resulting in the collapse of tra� c � ows.

Asked about it, Engineer Sihab Uddin, co-ordinator of the project, said it was an exper-imental system and improvements would be made.

DMP sources said Dhaka South Mayor Say-eed Khokon recently met DMP Commissioner Asaduzzaman Miah to discuss tra� c issues. The decision to introduce the automated signal system was taken at the meeting, sources said.

Witnesses said the total collapse of tra� c � ows caused many commuters to get down from their vehicles and walk to their destina-tions.

Commuters said the automated system and the movement of VIPs and VVIPs – both of which brought tra� c to a standstill – added to their woes.

DMP tra� c department sources said the Tk25 crore “Dhaka Urban Transport” project � nanced by the World Bank in 2005 sought to establish signal lights at 69 points on 59 streets of the capital. The project work ended in November 2009.

A massive campaign was launched at the time to create awareness about tra� c signals and mo-bile courts were deployed to punish violators.

The DMP tra� c department introduced the automated system twice between 2009 and 2012, but both times tra� c � ow deterio-rated within days.

Mosleh Uddin Ahmed, DMP joint com-missioner (tra� c), said the system would be introduced again after meetings with city cor-poration engineers and o� cials.

“The automated tra� c signal will only be reintroduced after all the problems are solved,” he said. l

PM: Bangladesh to march forward in step with technologyn UNB

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday cat-egorically said Bangladesh would march for-ward adopting all modern technologies as they come along in the future.

“The modern technologies that will emerge in the coming future, Bangladesh will step forward keeping up the tempo with those technologies,” she said.

The prime minister said this whileaddressing a programme centring World Tele-communication and Information Society Day 2015 and observing the 150th anniversary of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

Post and Telecommunications Division and Bangladesh Telecommunication Regu-lator Commission jointly organised the pro-gramme at Bangabandhu International Con-ference Centre.

The prime minister said the government that started its journey in 2009 with the dream to establish digital Bangladesh has transformed it into a reality as people could now receive various public services digitally at their doorsteps.

She said her government had been devel-oping the infrastructure of the ICT sector in the country to bring the fruits of the sector to the common people.

She said steps had been taken to connect Bangladesh with a second submarine cable to increase the capacity of the internet to 1,300GBps while capacity of existing subma-rine cable had been increased up to 200GBps to meet the growing demand on internet across the country.

“We hope that the work of the second sub-marine cable will be completed within De-cember 2016,” she said.

The prime minister also mentioned that the government introduced national web portal – “the largest web portal in the world” with 25,000 websites of various public organ-isations.

She narrated that e-commerce, e-transac-tion, e-banking and other activities on trade and commerce as well as e-signature and communication through video conferencing have been started in various organisations, enabling work to completed faster and more e� ectively.

Talking about the country’s own satellite, the prime minister said the government was going to launch Bangabandhu Satellite into orbit in 2017, and were currently moving ahead to this end to make the initiative a suc-cess.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also released a commemorative postage stamp and a � rst day cover marking the WTISD 2015 and 150th anniversary of the creation of International Telecommunication Union . l

A police sergeant swoops on a man following a heated argument over tra� c mismanagement at Moghbazar intersection in the capital yesterday. During the unbearable gridlock across the city, passengers of a bus became furious when tra� c police allowed only a few vehicles to pass and restricted others. Some passengers got down and protested the whimsical act of the tra� c police MEHEDI HASAN

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