PAGE 3Mosharraf: New charge a big challenge

PAGE 7Turag grabbing continues as re-demarcation yet to start

PAGE 8Turkey arrests 45 IS recruits

PAGE 5Study � nds river management projects o� course

PAGE 9Cocaine smugglers turn to South Asia for new routes

SECOND EDITION

7 TRAFFICKED GIRLS RETURN HOME PAGE 3

HUMAN TRAFFICKING - VIII: WHO SHELTERS TRAFFICKERS? PAGE 32

BTRC CANCELS 30ISP LICENCES PAGE 15

MONDAY, JULY 13, 2015 | Ashar 28, 1422, Ramadan 25, 1436 | Regd No DA 6238, Vol 3, No 91 | www.dhakatribune.com | 32 pages | Price: Tk10

Sadistic killers upload video of child beaten to deathn Mohammad Serajul Islam, Sylhet

Humanity was defeated once again on July 8 when a group of men took immense pleasure in torturing a 13-year-old boy to death and later uploading a video of the beating to the internet.

The horrifying incident took place around 7:30am on Wednesday, July 8, in Kumargaon on the outskirts of Sylhet city.

The 28-minute video, recorded on a mo-bile phone camera, shows the victim, Sheikh Samiul Alam Rajan, tied to a pole in front of a workshop in the still-closed Sultan Ali Mar-

ket, beside the Dhaka-Sunamganj road. From the video, it seemed there were � ve to six men who took part in the barbaric torture.

The video was not recorded in secret, said Akhtar Hossain, o� cer-in-charge of Jalalabad police station. “The criminals themselves re-corded the heinous incident and uploaded it to the internet; they enjoyed doing it,” he told the Dhaka Tribune.

Rajan’s tormentors subjected him to the unrelenting beating as “punishment” for al-legedly trying to steal a van, as they were heard saying in the video. “We will teach you

PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

Tenacious Tigers resume huntBangladesh con� rm Champions Trophy berth, end eight-year droughtn Minhaz Uddin Khan

All-rounder Nasir Hossain and paceman Musta� zur Rahman elevated Bangladesh to the driving seat af-

ter skittling out South Africa for a paltry 162 in 46 overs. And the elegant Soumya Sarkar simply put the � nishing touch as the Tigers levelled the three-ODI series, courtesy of their comprehensive seven-wicket win in the second match at Sher-e-Bangla National Sta-dium yesterday. This is Bangladesh’s biggest margin of victory against any Test nation in terms of balls remaining.

With the win, Bangladesh put paid to all the lingering doubts and clinched their berth in the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy in Eng-land. The Tigers required only one victory to seal their place in the eight-team tournament and they did just that against the Proteas, that too with imposing authority.

Prior to yesterday’s ODI, the Tigers had their backs against the wall. Their twin de-feats in the Twenty20 internationals and the eight-wicket loss in the � rst ODI made Bang-ladesh Cricket Board president restless and brought the dressing room morale down. That Bangladesh have performed heroics recently only added to the frustration.

However, the determined Tigers did not PAGE 2 COLUMN 3

Screenshots from the video showing Sheikh Samiul Alam Rajan, 13, being tortured. His tormentors uploaded the video to the internet after the beating in Kumargaon, Sylhet on Wednesday

Tiger teammates rush to congratulate Mahmudullah after he dismisses Protea big hitter David Miller in the second ODI at Mirpur yesterday SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

MONDAY, JULY 13, 2015

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Sadistic killers upload video of childa lesson today so that you can never steal in your life again,” they said using crude language.

After Rajan succumbed to his injuries, one of the killers, Muhit Alam, 32, tried to dump his body but was caught red-handed by locals around 11:30am.

Informed about the suspect, police went to the spot and took Muhit into custody and recovered Rajan’s body from a microbus. The body was identi� ed by Rajan’s family at the police station on Wednesday night.

The elder of two brothers, Rajan was from Bade Ali village in Kandigaon union under Sylhet Sadar upazila, near Kumargaon. His father Sheikh Azizur Rahman is a microbus driver. Rajan had studied up to Class VI before he dropped out of school and started selling vegetables to support his family, his father told the Dhaka Tribune.

On the day of the incident, Rajan left home early in the morning to sell vegetables as his fa-ther was out on a trip, said Rajan’s mother Lub-na Akhtar. As he did not return home all day, Lubna went to the police station that night to � le a general diary. She was told there about a boy’s body found earlier in the day. Taking a look at the body, Lubna recognised it as her son’s.

A murder case was � led in this regard by Jalalabad police, in which Rajan’s father lat-er became a plainti� . Muhit was listed as the prime accused in the case, while his brother Kamrul Islam, 24, their accomplice Ali Haider, 34, and guard Moyna Miah, 45, were charged with murder as well.

Police submitted a petition to place Muhit in remand for seven days before the Sylhet Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court 2. The hearing will take place today, OC Akhtar Hossain said.

“We are working to arrest the rest of the accused. One of them, Kamrul Islam, is a mi-grant in Saudi Arabia, so we have alerted the authorities concerned so that he cannot � ee the country,” the OC said.

“My son was not a thief. He lost his life to satisfy the expatriate’s desire to catch a thief. I want justice for my son; I want his killers to be arrested and punished,” said Lubna.

Nothing short of psychopathic behaviourWatching the video of Rajan’s pain-� lled screams as his killers laughed and kept beating him, one would think the clip was from a � lm.

The culprits poked and prodded Rajan all over his body, especially in sensitive areas. They kept hitting him indiscriminately and asking him how he would like to take the beating. “We know all methods of beating,” they said in the video.

When Rajan asked for water, they told him to drink his own sweat. They kept laughing as they beat the life out of Rajan.

One of them recorded the entire incident. While the criminals beat Rajan, they kept

asking whether the video was being recorded properly. “The whole world will see when we release the video on Facebook,” said the one who was recording, and they all broke out in another round of laughter. l

Tenacious Tigers resume huntlet the situation get the better of them as they bagged only their second ever win against the Proteas and � rst since 2007.

In pursuit of 163, Bangladesh lost open-er Tamim Iqbal (� ve) in just the second over bowled by paceman and hero of the � rst ODI, Kagiso Rabada. No 3 batsman Liton Kumar Das also proved to be ine� ective, having been dismissed for 17. The Tigers however, were never shaken as Soumya and Mahmudullah added 135 runs for the third wicket, their highest for any wicket against the Proteas.

Soumya played the role of the aggressor and charged at the Proteas bowling attack at will, hammering 13 boundaries and a six in his 79-ball 88. The Satkhira lad’s third � f-ty was complemented well by cool opera-tor Mahmudullah, who struck half a dozen boundaries en route to his 13th half-century.

Earlier, a timely response from the bowl-ers enabled the home side to bundle South Africa out for a mediocre 162, their lowest total against the Tigers. O� -spinner Nasir and left-armer Musta� zur bagged three wickets each and were the wreckers in chief.

The Proteas’ previous lowest total of 184 came in the 2007 ICC World Cup where the Tigers won the game by 67 runs. This was the eighth time in the last two years that South Africa were bowled out for less than 200 against an Asian opponent.

Asked to bowl � rst on another slow Mirpur deck, Musta� zur initiated the early break-through by surprising Quinton de Kock with

extra bounce that caught the shoulder of the bat before landing safely at the hands of gully � elder Sabbir Rahman.

Rubel Hossain, replacing Jubair Hossain in the line-up, later dismantled Hashim Amla’s o� stump in the 13th over after the Proteas skipper added 29 runs with Faf du Plessis, which eventually turned out to be the highest partnership for the visitors.

The precise � eld set by Mashrafe bin Mor-taza for each batsman was also something that showed that the hosts had done their homework. Batting at No 3, Du Plessis played the role of an anchor with his 64-ball 41 but he lost three partners in double quick time before he too perished in the 29th over with South Africa in deep trouble at 93 for � ve.

After dismissing Rilee Rossow and Du Ples-sis, Nasir trapped Kyle Abbott with a quicker one to � nish o� with his career best � gures – three for 26 runs in eight overs.

Mashrafe used six bowlers in the match with every bowler bagging at least one wick-et with the exception of Bangladesh’s most celebrated cricketer Shakib al Hasan. The left-arm all-rounder remained wicketless but was the most economical, giving away 30 runs in 10 overs. All the six Bangladesh bowlers conceded less than four runs per over in what was a commanding and vir-tuoso performance. Such was the Tigers’ dominance that the Proteas smashed only two boundaries between the seventh and32nd over. l

Five new Aman varieties releasedn Abu Bakar Siddique

The government released � ve new Aman va-rieties including two stress-tolerant paddy varieties yesterday with an aim to boost the country’s rice production.

Of the varieties, Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) has developed four and Bang-ladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA) developed the other one.

Each of the BRRI varieties bear di� er-ent specialities including saline-tolerance, drought- tolerance, aromatic and zinc-en-

riched qualities.The BRRI varieties were initially named

BRRI 70, 71, 72 and 73, said the institute’s Director General Jibon Krishna Biswas. How-ever, issues surrounding naming one of the varieties “71” caused the o� cial naming to be postponed until getting the response of Agri-culture Minister Matia Chowdhury, he added.

In addition to these new varieties, Bang-ladesh has already developed seven more sa-line-tolerant, three drought-tolerant and two submergence-tolerant paddy varieties.

“Apart from the extreme climate tolerance

and speci� c specialities, all of the newly in-vented varieties have a high-yielding capac-ity. The government has released those as it wants to increase the production of rice on the limited space of land,” said Anwar Faruque, additional secretary of the Agricul-ture Ministry.

Of the new varieties, the BINA Dhan 17 is able to produce seven tonnes of Aman paddy per hectare which is the highest so far, while the average Aman paddy production rate is 3.5 tonnes per hectare.

And all the newly introduced Aman varie-

ties have the average production capacity of 5 to 5.5 tonnes per hectares.

Since the country’s independence, the government-owned research institutes have invented 83 rice varieties. Of them, BRRI has introduced 66 varieties and BINA has intro-duced 17 varieties. Of the total rice varieties, BRRI introduced 33 Aman and BINA released 13 Aman varieties.

According to the Department of Agricul-ture Extension (DAE), the annual paddy pro-duction in Bangladesh is around 3.38 million tonnes. l

Trader found dead after four daysn Mohammad Jamil Khan

A businessman, picked up in Dhaka by men identifying themselves as detectives on July 8, was found dead early yesterday. Police re-covered the body of Momin Box, 45, in Kalshi area of Pallabi. The body was sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital morgue for autopsy.

Pallabi police station OC Dadon Mia said Momin might have been strangled to death as there were no injury marks. Momin was a criminal and accused in at least 12 cases, in-cluding murder, extortion and subversion.

“Momin and his driver Sohel went missing on July 8. The driver later returned but Mo-min’s location could not be traced.”

Momin’s son-in-law Mrinal Haque told the Dhaka Tribune Sohel was dropped o� by the abductors in Kuril area. l

Banks toremain openon July 15 n Tribune Report

Bangladesh Bank has asked the banks to keep open their branches on July 15 located in ap-parel industrial areas to facilitate getting sal-ary and allowances by the garment workers.

Banks have been advised to keep their branches functioning in Dhaka City, Ashulia, Tongi, Gazipur, Savar, Narayanganj and Chit-tagong industrial area on Wednesday ahead of Eid ul-Fitr, said a circular issued yesterday.

The banks have also been advised to pay proper allowances to the o� cers who will at-tend the o� ce on the government holy day, according to the circular. l

At a token hunger strike in Dhaka yesterday, Chevron Bangladesh Ltd’s workers and employees union demand payment of dues before Eid and reinstatement of all sacked employees MEHEDI HASAN

NEWS2DT

NEWS 3D

TMONDAY, JULY 13, 2015

7 girls tra� cked to India return homen Tribune Report

Seven Bangladeshi girls who were tra� cked into India over the last three years were hand-ed over to their families during a programme at the o� ce of a non-governmental organisa-tion in the capital yesterday.

The girls hail from Dhaka, Bagerhat, Khul-na, Jessore, Comilla and Barguna.

Non-governmental organisation Light House organised the reunion programme at its Banani o� ce.

Recalling how his daughter was tra� cked, the father of a victim of Comilla said he married o� the girl to a man in Jessore three years ago.

“She is my elder daughter. A few days af-ter her wedding, her husband took her to his home in Jessore. My younger daughter also went with them for a visit but I have not heard

from either of my daughters ever since,” he said.

The father said he had lately come to know that his daughters had been tra� cked into In-dia and they were in Chennai.

Home Ministry’s Additional Secretary Abu Hena Md Rahmatul Monim, who was the chief guest at the programme, handed over the sev-en girls to their families.

He also advised guardians to maintain greater caution while letting girls respond to job o� ers.

“There are some wicked people in the country who are driven by cupidity to get in-volved in the human tra� cking trade.

“This problem is tarnishing our image abroad while the victims’ families and rela-tives are also subjected to terrible su� erings,” said Rahmatul.

The government o� cial said creating mass awareness of illegal migration was also cru-cial. “It is now imperative that e� ective meas-ures are taken to stop human tra� cking.”

Md Harun-ur-Rashid, chief executive of Light House, said the family reunion pro-gramme was arranged to convey concern to the families of victims so that they can be aware of the bitter consequences of the crime of human tra� cking.

Madras Christian Council of Social Service representatives Prasanna Gnanamani, John Robert Silvanus and Mani Dilip Kumar, who brought back the seven victims in Bangladesh on Saturday, attended the programme.

Professor Ishrat Shamim, president of Centre for Women and Children Studies, and Nicholas Biswas, team leader at Light House, were also present. l

Mosharraf: New charge a big challengen Shohel Mamun

Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employ-ment Minister Khandker Mosharraf Hossain formally joined the o� ce of the Local Gov-ernment, Rural Development (LGRD) Minis-try yesterday.

Before joining the o� ce, Mosharraf met Awa-mi League General Secretary Syed Ashraful Is-lam at the latter’s residence yesterday morning.

Mosharraf, father-in-law of Hasina’s daughter Saima Wazed Hossain Putul. Came to the ministry around 11:30am.

State Minister for Rural Development and Cooperative Division Moshiur Rahman Ranga, Secretary of Rural Development and Coopera-tive Division MA kader Sarker, LGRD Division Acting Secretary Abdul Malek received him at the o� ce.

Mosharraf will look after the LGRD Minis-try as an additional responsibility.

Syed Ashraful, son of Bangladesh’s acting president Syed Nazrul Islam during the 1971 Liberation War, was relieved of his duties and made a minister without portfolio on Thursday.

Khandker Mosharraf Hossain said the new

charge of the ministry is a big challenge for him as the area of its activities covers the whole country.

The minister made the statement in a press brie� ng at his o� ce yesterday.

“Though it is a big challenge it will not be a problem to handle two ministries,”Mosharraf said in the brie� ng.

In reply to a query he said he had met Syed Ashraf to get his permission before joining the o� ce as he is party’s general secretary.

“Ashraful assured me of providing all-out support,” he said. l

Police to take immediate action against extortionists n Mohammad Jamil Khan

Police yesterday said they would show zero tolerance to extortionists and take immediate action against them to ensure maximum se-curity ahead of Eid-ul-� tr.

Inspector general of police and Dhaka Met-ropolitan Police (DMP) commissioner while attending two separate programmes in the capital came up with such statement.

DMP Commissioner Asaduzzaman Miah said this while attending a clothes distribu-tion programme among poor people in front of Azimpur Girl’s School and College.

No matter who the person is, immediate action will be taken against him as soon as any complaint is put forward, he said.

If the accused is a police o� cial then the person will be shown no mercy, he said em-phatically.

The DMP boss further said: “I would not say that there has been no extortion com-plaint but it is too minimal in number.”

“Along with regular police force, plain-clothes police o� cials will be deployed on streets and in market places in the guise of customers,” said the DMP boss.

Meanwhile, AKM Shahidul Haque, police chief, while visiting security system in the capital’s Gulshan area, claimed that law and order situation in the country is under control.

“We have taken all necessary steps to in-crease security system before a day of Eid when houses remain empty as people go to their village homes during Eid vacation.” l

Zafrullah contempt hearing beginsn Tribune Report

The International Crimes Tribunal began fresh contempt proceedings against freedom � ghter and Gonoshasthaya Kendra founder Zafrullah Chowdhury yesterday.

The three-member second tribunal, led by Justice Obaidul Hassan, asked him to explain why he should not be punished for contempt and � xed July 22 for delivering further orders. Zafrullah will have to appear before the court on that day.

This is the third time the Magsaysay-win-ner has been implicated with contempt charg-es for demeaning the trial of war crimes.

On the last occasion, the judge punished him by asking him to stand on the dock for an hour after he, along with several members of the civil society, criticised the punishment handed down to British journalist David Berg-man in a statement.

Later he made comments to the media on the tribunal compound. Alleging that his com-ments were demeaning for the tribunal, � ve individuals moved the contempt plea on July 6.

On that day, Zafrullah said: “Today’s con-tempt of court verdict is a proof of the mental sickness of the three judges. Ensuring justice is not possible if the judges cannot tolerate criticism. When they cannot tolerate criticism and lack rationality, they hide themselves un-der cover of law.”

The plainti� s’ lawyer Khan Mohammad Shameem Aziz said that Zafrullah had at-tacked the judiciary and challenged the au-thority and dignity of the tribunal. l

Homeward-bound people start leaving the capital to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr with their near and dear ones. The photo was taken at Sadarghat launch terminalin Dhaka yesterday RAJIB DHAR

NEWS4DTMONDAY, JULY 13, 2015

Another arrested in liquid cocaine haul case n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong

Chittagong Metropolitan Police’s Detective Branch yesterday nabbed one more person in connection with the alleged smuggling of liquid cocaine, which was found recently in a container of sun� ower oil at Chittagong Port.

With this arrest, � ve people have so far been detained; however, the alleged importer of the much talked about consignment, Khan Jahan Ali Limited chairman Nur Mohammad, has been on the run, police said.

Acting on a tip-o� , a DB team nabbed Me-hedi Alam, a securities company o� cial and cousin to another arrestee Golam Mostafa Sohel, from the port city’s Agrabad area at around 4:30pm, said DB Deputy Commission-er Kusum Dewan.

Mehedi is the brother-in-law of a Bangla-deshi expatriate, Fazlu Mia, in London, Eng-land, whose involvement was also found in this smuggling case, the DB chief added.

He also said Fazlu Mia’s business partner Bakul Mia, also in London, was the key per-son behind the smuggling, while the DB is trying to nab all who are behind the o� ence.

The DB’s ADC SM Tanvir Arafat said they would produce Mehedi before the court seek-ing remand today.

“We found Mehedi’s involvement in the at-tempt to deliver the consignment from Chit-tagong Port,” he added.

Meanwhile, the previously arrested COSCO Shipping Agency Manager AKM Azad pleaded for bail before the court of Metropolitan Mag-istrate Farid Alam, while the court rejected the bail request and sent him to jail, said CMP Additional Deputy Commissioner (Prosecu-tion) Kazi Muttaki Ibn Minan.

On June 6, the Directorate of Customs In-telligence and Investigation, on police infor-mation, sealed the container at Chittagong Port, which was suspected of carrying 2,140 kilogrammes of liquid cocaine.

On June 27, the existence of cocaine was found in a drum, inscribed with the number 96 out of a total 107, in the container in a labo-ratory test at Dhaka.

On June 28, police lodged a drug case with Bandar Police Station in this regard while the CMP’s DB is investigating the case.    

The DB and CIID nabbed the alleged import-er Khan Jahan Ali Limited’s o� cial Golam Mo-stafa Sohel, COSCO Shipping Agency Manager AKM Azad, Mondol Group’s Commercial Exec-utive Atiqur Rahaman and real estate company o� cial Mostafa Kamal in this connection.

Among the previous arrestees, three were in the second phase of remand, except COSCO manager Azad.

The CMP’s 10-member probe body and the CIID’s four-member probe body have been investigating the much-talked about cocaine seizure, besides the IO. l

Fake stamps in circulation, two arrested n Mohammad Jamil Khan

An organised gang of criminals in collusion with some dishonest government o� cials and sta� is manufacturing fake stamps and receipts for court fee.

Criminals sell a Tk100 fake stamp for only in between Tk30 and Tk40 and a Tk100 re-ceipt for court fee for the same.

The original government price for a stamp and a receipt for court fee is Tk100 each. A government sta� can buy a stamp for Tk98 and a receipt for the same price from which they draw a bene� t of Tk2 each.

But if they buy a fake stamp or a court fee receipt for only Tk30 to Tk40 from criminals they can reap a bene� t of Tk60 to Tk70.

As the fake stamps are sold out from gov-ernment o� ces no one questions about its authenticity and criminals easily escape po-lice dragnet.

Monirul Islam, Joint Commissioner of the Detective Branch of police disclosed such in-formation while addressing a brie� ng at the media and community center of Dhaka Met-ropolitan Police yesterday.

He said that they got such information fol-

lowing the arrest of two members of a fake stamp manufacturing gang.

Police recovered fake stamps worth Tk25 lakh from their possession.

“Based on information, police � rst con-ducted a drive in Paltan area on Saturday evening and arrested Kazi Tofayel with fake stamps and court fee receipts,” says Monirul Islam, also the chief of the DB police.

On the basis of information gleaned from Tofayel the DB team later conducted a drive in Kumkumari area of Ashulia and arrested Nasir Uddin with fake revenue stamps and receipts for court fee. The DB team also seized fake stamps-making machines from there, he said.

“In primary interrogation, we have got names of some other people involved in such criminal activities.”

The arrestees confessed that they had been involved in manufacturing fake stamps for the last four years in connivance with some government sta� and o� cials in Dhaka and its nearby districts.

The DB chief said generally people buy fake stamps unknowingly but later they suf-fered after it is detected as a fake paper which has no legal value at all, Monirul said. l

NEWS 5D

TMONDAY, JULY 13, 2015

Study � nds river management projects o� courseWater Development Board must plug leaksn Nure Alam Durjoy

Projects undertaken by the Water Develop-ment Board (WDB) are not compatible with the silt-dominated hydrogeomorphology of a lower riparian country like Bangladesh, a study has found.

A joint baseline study by Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) and the Bang-ladesh Water Integrity Network (BAWIN) has found that the WDB’s existing water manage-ment system does not adequately allow for the e� ects of sedimentation.

As a result, river � ow systems have been broken and water-logging has been caused in some areas.

The report was unveiled at a press confer-ence at the Midas Centre in the capital’s Dhan-mondi neighbourhood yesterday.

Based on secondary data from September 2014 to June 2015, the study titled Virtuous-ness in Bangladesh Water Management: Pres-ent Perspective and Development Aspects, analysed good governance in city corporation

and coastal region water management. It found that corruption among WDB o� -

cials hampered good governance. The study suggested that existing laws and

guidelines be updated and that the Water Re-sources Council be activated as a watchdog body in light of the National Water Act, 2013.

The paper was presented by Jahangirnagar University Professor Dr Sheikh Tawhidul Is-lam with Dr Syed Ha� zur Rahman, also from the same university, and TIB executive direc-tor Dr Iftekharuzzaman present.

According to the study, water supply sys-tems in Dhaka city are controlled by political leaders and brokers in non-institutional coop-eration with Dhaka Water Supply and Sewer-age Authority (WASA) o� cials.

“WASA and WDB are full of commitments to water management, but there are de� ciencies in implementation” said Dr Iftekharuzzaman.

“In some areas, it was found that local bro-kers and political leaders wield tremendous in� uence over WASA’s water distribution sys-tem,” he added. l

Power Division rubbishes reports that foreign banks spurned Rampaln Aminur Rahman Rasel

The Power Division yesterday denied seeking � nancing from several French banks which reportedly declined to invest in the Rampal power project on environmental and social grounds.

The Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Company Pvt Ltd (BIFPCL) is setting up the 2 x 660MW Maitree Super Coal-� red Thermal Power Project in Rampal, Bagerhat. The mega plant, sited close to the Sundarbans, a Unesco World Heritage Site, has drawn strong opposi-tion from environmentalists.

“The news of rejection by the French banks to � nance Rampal project is irrelevant,” Mir Mohammad Aslam Uddin, senior information o� cer of the Ministry of Power, Energy and

Mineral Resources said in a statement.“Various newspapers have reported that

three French banks, namely, Credit Agricole, Societe Generale and BNP Paribas would not invest in Rampal power plant.

“The fact is that neither the Power Divi-sion nor the Rampal project’s implementing organisation, BIFPCL, requested these banks to � nance or invest in the Rampal project,” said the statement, a copy of which was sent by the Power Division to the Dhaka Tribune.

On the Unesco’s decision to send observers to the Sundarbans, it said: “The Power Divi-sion welcomes the Unesco decision to send a team of observers to the Sundarbans. The Power Division � rmly believes that during the visit they will see the real position and after the visit their views on the Rampal project

would change. They surely would carry a pos-itive impression about the power project.”

On alleged non-compliance with provisos for the Rampal project set down by the De-partment of Environment, the statement said: “The Department of Environment on August 5, 2013, approved the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Report for the 1,320MW Maitree Super Thermal Power Plant after stip-ulating 59 conditions [not 69 as alleged] for di� erent stages of developing the power pro-ject.”

Among these, some conditions will be complied with during the project implemen-tation period and the remaining stipulations, which are applicable after the project imple-mentation period, will be given due impor-tance. l

Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman speaks at a press conference at which TIB and the Bangladesh Water Integrity Network (BAWIN) unveil a joint study on water management. The conference was held at the Midas Centre in Dhaka DHAKA TRIBUNE

RAB wins Bangabandhu Award for Wildlife Conservationn Mohammad Jamil Khan

Rapid Action Battalion has won the Bangab-andhu Award for Wildlife Conservation 2015.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina handed over the award at the inaugural ceremony of the national forestation campaign and tree fair held at the National Agronomist Institute in the capital yesterday, on the occasion of World Environment Day.

RAB Director General Benazir Ahmed and Additional Director General Col Ziaul Ahsan received the award.

Hasina thanked and praised RAB for activi-ties in wildlife and environment conservation and raising public awareness of these two is-sues.

Environment and Forest Ministry o� cials were present at the event, among others. l

NEWS6DTMONDAY, JULY 13, 2015

Freedom � ghter, wife killedn Our Correspondent, Natore

A freedom � ghter and his wife have been killed by unidenti� ed assailants at Parshain-gol village under Singra upazila in Natore.

The deceased are Noni Gopal Kundu, 75, and his wife Chitra Rani Kundu, 65. Noni was the son of Baku Kundu of the village.

Locals said unidenti� ed assailants might have entered their house and su� ocated the couple to death sometime early Sunday.

On information from the locals, police went to the spot and sent the bodies to Natore Sadar morgue for autopsy in the morning.

Singra OC Nasir Uddin Mondol said: “We are assuming that the couple might have been su� ocated to death. No one else lived in the house, so case has not been � led regarding the incident from the side of the family members.”

Upazila Chairman Abul Kalam Azad said: “Noni used to work as a small contractor. Both of his sons live in India and he doesn’t have any close relatives here..”

He also demanded the immediate arrest of the culprits.

Meanwhile, Upazila Freedom Fighters Command have issued 24-hour ultimatum to arrest at least one of the culprits. l

Indian ‘Kiranmala’ popular among Eid shoppers in SylhetSales have increased signi� cantly especially after Ramadan 15n Our Correspondent, Sylhet

Eid shopping frenzy is intensifying in Syl-het as Eid-ul-Fitr approaches – shoppers are crowding at the malls and markets to � nd the perfect attire for the biggest religious festival in the country.

The sales have increased signi� cantly es-pecially after Ramadan 15, and the shops are catering to customers from morning until the time of sehri, several salespersons told the Dhaka Tribune.

Both local and foreign-style clothes are in demand among shoppers, especially young girls and women, this correspondent found while visiting several shopping outlets around the city.

This year, Kiranmala, a salwar-kameez dress inspired from Indian TV show of the same name, is the most popolar choice of attire among young girls and women in the city. Other top choices include Arundhati and

Behula three-piece kameezes, also inspired by Indian TV shows, as well as “� oor-length tops” especially favoured by young women.

Locally-made traditional clothes are among the favourites as well. People are buying kameezes made by jamdani, benarasi, taant and cotton materials in bulks, shopkeepers said.

“People are attracted to the � ashy Indian clothes, but our local kameezes are equally good in quality and designs. I have always pre-ferred our local traditional clothes, and those are what I am getting for my family this Eid,” said Senjuti, student at Sylhet MC College.

However, there are complaints about fake clothes being sold in the markets.

Ra� qul Islam, resident of Sylhet’s Mazum-dari area, said: “I bought a Kiranmala kameez for my sister from a store the other day. When my niece saw it and wanted the same kameez for herself, I went to the same store but could not � nd it. I looked for the dress in other

stores as well, but the Kiranmala kameezes the salespersons showed me were completely di� erent from what I had bought earlier.

“It seems the shops are selling di� erent clothes under the Kiranmala brand. This is fraud.”

Terming this year’s Eid sales better than pre-vious year’s, Mahi Uddin, owner of the biggest shopping mall in Sylhet, said: “People’s taste in clothes is changing with time. There is a demand for Indian-style clothes, but there is a huge de-mand for Bangladeshi-style clothes, too. And we are catering to our customers’ demands.”

Police has tightened security around the city during the Eid shopping frenzy. All va-cations have been cancelled for police and around 1,700 personnel have been deployed around the city to ensure safety for the shop-pers as well as people during Eid, said Assis-tant Deputy Commissioner Rahmat Ullah of Sylhet Metropolitan Police. l

Markets bustling with Eid shoppersn FM Mizanur Rahaman, Chittagong

As Eid-ul-Fitr is approaching fast, people from all walks of life are now having busy time in last moment’s shopping.

In the last few days, sellers even forget the time of meals as they have to deal with customers almost round the clock.

Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) has undertaken secu-rity measures to ensure hassle-free shopping for the upcoming Eid-ul-� tr in the city.

Police and RAB personnel have been deployed at the key points of the city along with the markets, said CMP sources.

While visiting several markets including Akhtaruzzaman Cen-tre, Singapur Shopping mall, Lucky Plaza in Agrabad, Ameen Centre Plaza in Lalkhan Bazar, GEC, Riaz Uddin Bazar, New Market, Teri Bazar, the corre-spondent found heavy crowds of Eid shoppers in those places.

It is a common scenario in each and every shopping mall that customers are bargaining with salesmen.

Shoppers, however, alleged that traders were taking higher pric-es from them comparatively than the last year.

Di� erent brands of local saris like silk, katan, Tangail and Indi-an Kanjilal are in high demand among women customers.

Bangalore Silk Katan, Anarkoli and Lehenga, Pakhi dresses, and Kiron Mala dresses are being sold at higher prices ranging from Tk5,000 to Tk50,000, said sellers.

Asad Iftekhar, president of Sanmar Ocean City Traders’ As-sociation, told the Dhaka Tribune that during the pick time of Ramadan sales would go around Tk30,000,000 on average daily while sales will increase from two or three days earlier of the Eid.

However, the torrential rainfall caused the down fall of the sales in last two days, said Asad.

Riazuddin Bazar Bonik Kolyan Somity’s President Mahbunul Alam said people of all walks of life were busy to shop for their families with reasonable prices from the traditional market.

Apart from shopping malls, a number of makeshift shops have been set up on several footpaths of the city which is causing traf-� c congestion in several points of the city. l

CMP has undertaken security measures to ensure hassle-free shopping for the upcoming Eid-ul-� tr in the city

MONDAY, JULY 13, 2015

Source: Accuweather/UNB

D H A K ATODAY TOMORROW

SUN SETS 6:49PM SUN RISES 5:19AM

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

35.2ºC 24.1ºC

Srimangal Rangamati

SourceL IslamicFinder.org

F O R E C A S T F O R T O D A YDhaka 34 26Chittagong 32 26Rajshahi 34 26Rangpur 33 26Khulna 34 26Barisal 34 26Sylhet 33 25Cox’s Bazar 31 27

PRAYER TIMESFajr 3:50am

Sunrise 5:18amZohr 12:04am

Asr 4:44pmMagrib 6:49pm

Esha 8:19pm

WEATHER

MONDAY, JULY 13

THUNDERSHOWER WITH RAIN

Turag grabbing continues as re-demarcation yet to startn Abu Hayat Mahmud

Encroachment on some parts of the Turag River in the northwestern part of the capital continues as re-demarcation has not yet been carried out and the authorities concerned have turned a blind eye to the problem.

Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Au-thority (BIWTA) last year decided to re-de-marcate the river and recover the encroached land this monsoon with the help of the Ship-ping Ministry and the o� ces of the deputy commissioners in Dhaka and Gazipur.

But no such step has yet been taken even though it is high monsoon, making it easy for grabbers to grab more riverbed and riverbank lands.

In de� ance of a High Court order and a di-rective of the prime minister, grabbers keep constructing structures such as industries, markets, shops, garages, restaurants and ed-ucational institutions on the riverbank lands illegally. A group of sand traders also operate their business by � lling up riverbed lands.

The Dhaka Tribune correspondent during

a recent visit saw a range of establishments erected by grabbing lands on both sides of the river in Gabtoli, Borobazar, Harirampur, Jahanabad, Sinnirtek, Jagannathbad, Golbari, Kanundia, Ashulia and Tongi.

BIWTA Chairman Commodore Mohammad Mozammel Haque could not be reached for comment on the progress of re-demarcation despite repeated attempts.

In November 2014, BIWTA former chairman Dr Md Samsuddoha Khandaker told the Dhaka Tribune setting up demarcation pillars in the middle of the river was a wrong step, adding that further demarcation would be done.

In April 2011, Gazipur district administra-tion wrongly demarcated the river by setting up pillars at the low-water mark, thus exclud-ing much of the riverbed.

BIWTA sources said around 600 acres of riverbank lands had been grabbed from Tongi to Aminbazar.

Attempts have also been made by Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) and Bangladesh Water Development Board to recover occupied lands but they could not make much progress.

In July last year, the Supreme Court cleared the way for removing all structures, exclud-ing those set up by the government to serve public interests, erected on the banks of four rivers encircling Dhaka - Shitalakhya, Balu, Turag and Buriganga.

Back in 2009, the High Court ordered to re-move all illegal structures and erect demarca-tion pillars in accordance with the CS and RS survey. The pillars were to be placed 150 feet away from the river slope.

The river was originally 1,500 feet wide which had now taken the shape of a canal be-cause of continuous encroachment.

On May 6 this year, the Supreme Court stayed a High Court order on setting up de-marcation pillars in the river in the capital’s Mohammadpur in response to a petition � led by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh.

The High Court then instructed the author-ities to evict all illegal establishments along the riverbanks.

An order was also given to mark the rivers according to the Cadastral survey and set up pillars. l

Nakhalpara residents still facing water crisisAnnisul asks Wasa to solve crisis within 10 daysn Abu Hayat Mahmud

Mayor of Dhaka North City Corporation Ann-isul Huq asked o� cials of Dhaka Water Sup-ply and Sewerage Authority to solve ongoing water crisis of West Nakhalpara in the capital within next 10 days.

The mayor gave the order to concerned of-� cials while visiting the area with Wasa o� -cials and ward councillors.

During the visit the mayor also talked with local people over the problems.

Local people told the mayor that they had been facing water crisis everyday as Wasa was repairing water supply pipelines in the area

for last one and half month. Addressing Wasa o� cials Annisul said: “I

hope the problem would be solved before the upcomimg Eid-ul-Fitr.”

The newly elected mayor Annisul Huq has visited the area several times and assured locals that their problems would be solved within a few days, but people are still su� er-ing from scarcity of water.

Responding to a journalists’ question, Annisul said to overcome the city dwellers harassment, all digging for utilities develop-ments would be � nished by February from the next year.

Rahamat Ullah, a resident of the area, said:

“Wasa has started renovation of water pipelines over a month ago as water was stinky in the area, but their renovation is yet to be � nished.”

Rita Parvin said they had to buy water for household chores every day as they were not getting water properly.

Md Abdur Rahman is considering to set up deep well as many of his tenants were saying that they would leave his house, if the water crisis was not eased within a few days.

Aeysha Akter said she had been buying water of Tk500 every day since the beginning of Ramadan. She said: “I may shift from the place to another area of the city as the prob-lem is not reducing.” l

PM to inaugurateThanchi-Alikadam Roadn Our Correspondent, Bandarban

Prime Minister (PM) Sheikh Hasina will inau-gurate the Thanchi-Alikadam Road in Bandar-ban on July 14, the highest road of the coun-try, 2,500 feet above from sea level.

Sources said, PM will inaugurate the 33 kilometer-long and 18 feet wide road, through video conference at the Gono Bhaban.

With inauguration of the bridge, a new horizon will be opened up for the people of South-Eastern region in the country’s hill area as it will reduce around 40 kilometer road connection between Bandarban and Cox’sBa-za and Tanci-Alikadam-Cox’sBazar.

According to sources, Road and Highway Department started the construction work of the road in 1991 with a cost of Tk80 crore. Only 4 kilometer work of 33 Kilometer long road was completed within 2001.

Later, the construction work was handed over to Engineers Construction Battalion of Bangladesh Army. They started work with full speed but it stopped in 2006 due to fund crisis.

In 2010, the army started the work again with a cost of Tk120 crore.

Lieutenant Colonel Monoarul Islam, in-charge of the project said, the construction work of the road is near to complete.

“The dream of the hill people will be true at last” he said.

“Tourism and business will get a new mo-mentum in the region due to complete the road,” said upazila chairman Abu Kalam. l

Security guard killedn Tribune Report

A security guard of Chittagong Port Authority was killed and three others were injured as a speedy truck ran them over inside a dockyard in Chittagong Port yesterday afternoon.

The dead was identi� ed as Mohammed Ali, 40, while identity of the injured could yet to be ascertained immediately, said Sub-Inspec-tor Ahmed Ullah Bhuiyan of Bandar police station.

He said the security guard died on the spot around 12:30am when a speedy truck hit four people.

The body was sent to Chittagong Medical College Hospital morgue for autopsy. l

Dhaka South City Corporation demolishes a police outpost in Posta, Lalbagh area yesterday which partially collapsed a few days back posing risk to the locals DHAKA TRIBUNE

NEWS 7D

T

WORLD8DTMONDAY, JULY 13, 2015

Drug kingpin ‘Chapo’ Guzman brazen jailbreak a blow to Mexican presidentn Reuters, Mexico City

Mexico’s most notorious drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman broke out of a high secu-rity prison on Saturday night for the second time, escaping in a tunnel built right under his cell, and heaping embarrassment on Pres-ident Enrique Pena Nieto.

The kingpin snuck out of the prison through a subterranean tunnel more than 1.5 km (1 mile) long that ended in a building site in the local town, National Security Commis-sioner Monte Alejandro Rubido told a news conference yesterday.

Guzman, who had bribed his way out of

prison during a previous escape in 2001, was seen on video entering his shower area at 8:52 pm on Saturday (0152 GMT yesterday), then disappeared, the National Security Commis-sion (CNS) said.

Wanted by US prosecutors and once fea-tured in the Forbes list of billionaires, Guz-man was gone by the time guards entered his cell in Altiplano prison in central Mexico, the CNS said.

“This is going to be a massive black eye for Pena Nieto’s administration,” said Mike Vigil, former head of global operations for the US Drug Enforcement Administration.

“I don’t think they took into account the

cunning of Chapo Guzman and the unlimited resources he has. If Chapo Guzman is able to make it back to the mountainous terrain that he knows so well in the state of Sinaloa ... he may never be captured again.”

Beneath a 50 cm by 50 cm hole in the cell’s shower area, guards found a ladder descend-ing some 10 meters into the tunnel, which was about 1.7 meters high and 70-80 centim-eters wide. Prison workers were quickly de-tained over the escape.

Rubido said 18 o� cials from the peniten-tiary had been taken in for interrogation at the unit specializing in organized crime of the Attorney General’s o� ce. l

Malala opens school for Syrian refugeesn Reuters, Bekaa Valley

Malala Yousafzai, the youngest winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, celebrated her 18th birth-day in Lebanon yesterday by opening a school for Syrian refugee girls and called on world leaders to invest in “books not bullets.”

Malala became a symbol of de� ance after she was shot on a school bus in Pakistan 2012 by the Taliban for advocating girls’ rights to education. She continued campaigning and won the Nobel in 2014.

“I decided to be in Lebanon because I be-lieve that the voices of the Syrian refugees need to be heard and they have been ignored for so long,” Malala told Reuters in a school-room decorated with drawings of butter� ies.

The Malala Fund, a non-pro� t organisation that supports local education projects, paid for the school in the Bekaa Valley, close to the Syrian border. It can welcome up to 200 girls aged 14 to 18.

“Today on my � rst day as an adult, on behalf of the world’s children, I demand of leaders we must invest in books instead of bullets,” Malala said in a speech.

Lebanon is home to 1.2 million of the 4 mil-lion refugees that have � ed Syria’s war to neigh-bouring countries. There are about 500,000 Syrian school-age children in Lebanon, but only a � fth are in formal education. l

Turkey arrests 45 IS recruitsn AFP, Istanbul

Turkish security forces have over the last three days detained 45 foreign nationals seeking to cross into Syria to join Islamic State jihadists from the southeastern city of Gaziantep, the Dogan news agency reported yesterday.

If con� rmed, the detentions would mark a stepping up of pressure on IS by the Turk-ish authorities after the arrest of 21 suspected members of the group in Istanbul and else-where on Friday.

Gaziantep has long been seen as a staging post for IS recruits who travel to the city by bus after � ying from their countries to Istan-bul. They then make the short illegal journey

over the border to Syria.Dogan news agency said that yesterday

alone, 25 foreign nationals, mainly citizens of Tajikistan, had been arrested at Gaziantep bus station.

It said that police units had been working intensively at the bus station since Friday and had in total detained 45 people who wanted to cross into Syria to join IS.

Many would-be jihadists had also brought their families with them, it added.

The suspects have undergone health checks and are being interrogated, after which they will likely be deported.

In a separate operation, Turkey had on Fri-day detained 21 suspected members of IS, of whom three were foreigners, in several cities

including Istanbul, state media said.Western states have repeatedly accused

Turkey of not doing enough to halt the � ow of jihadists across its 911-kilometre (566-mile) border with Syria.

Turkey � ercely rejects the accusations, saying it is making every e� ort to secure a long border. In turn, it has accused the West of not playing its part to shoulder the burden of hosting 1.8 million refugees from Syria.

In an apparent bid to de� ect criticism, Turkish authorities have arrested a number of suspected militants in recent months.

The latest arrests came after a two-day vis-it this week by a senior US delegation during which Turkey pledged more cooperation in the � ght against IS jihadists in Syria. l

Kurdish militants threaten to attack Turkey damsn AFP, Istanbul

A Kurdish militant group yesterday threat-ened to target dams harnessing hydroelec-tric power in southeastern Turkey, accus-ing the government of violating a fragile cease� re.

The Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) said in a statement quoted by the pro-Kurd-ish Firat news agency that the building of the dams was aimed at displacing people and to help the Turkish military rather than creating energy.

Turkish forces and the rebel Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) have largely observed a cease� re since 2013 but tensions have � ared again in the last months as the parties remain short of a � nal deal.

The KCK – considered the urban wing of the PKK – said it would use all means, includ-ing guerrilla attacks, to prevent the construc-tion of dams.

“From now on, all the dams and vehicles used in the construction will be targeted by our guerrilla forces,” the KCK said, urging contractors involved in new projects to leave the areas.

The KCK said that while it had demonstrat-ed great responsibility in observing the cease-� re, the Turkish state had failed to observe the conditions of the truce.

It said there was no need to build addition-al hydroelectric dams in the region. Turkey argues the projects are needed to improve its energy self-su� ciency.

Kurds, widely seen as the world’s largest stateless people, are Turkey’s largest minori-ty and the main group in the southeast of the country. l

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai, centre, poses with girls for a picture at a school for Syrian refugee girls, built by the NGO Kayany Foundation, in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley yesterday. Malala, the youngest winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, celebrated her 18th birthday in Lebanon by opening the school and called on world leaders to invest in ‘books not bullets’ REUTERS

Merkel: Greece deal will not be ‘at any price’

n AFP, Brussels

German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned yesterday a Greek bailout deal would not come “at any price” as she arrived for a euro-zone summit aimed at bridging gaps on how to keep Greece in the single currency.

“There will be no agreement at any price,” Merkel told reporters in Brussels as she joined leaders from the 19-country eurozone.

Merkel pointed to the question of trust in the hard-left government in Athens, which she called “the most important currency,” and warned of “tough negotiations” ahead.

The chancellor said the eurozone � nance ministers’ meeting ahead of the summit had not yet agreed on a document for formally launching negotiations for a bailout.

European sources said the meeting of � nance

ministers, known as the Eurogroup, was still continuing as leaders arrived for the summit.

Sources said the ministers want Greece to endorse further economic reforms in return for a third bailout estimated at more than 80 billion euros.

They said a draft document included a German proposal for Greece to set aside 50 billion euros in assets as a guarantee it will act on promises to pursue a business privati-sation plan.

The draft will eventually be submitted to the eurozone leaders.

“The Eurogroup works on a document with brackets, and will ask the heads of state and government to � ll the gaps,” an EU dip-lomat said.

Brackets are used in diplomatic text to de-note areas of disagreement. l

WORLD 9D

TMONDAY, JULY 13, 2015

Blast damages citadel in Unesco-listed Aleppon AFP, Beirut

A bomb explosion yesterday in a tunnel near Aleppo Citadel in Syria damaged a wall of the fortress that is part of the Unesco-listed Old City, state media and a monitor reported.

The blast partly destroyed the wall of the monumental 13th century citadel that over-looks the Old City, said the o� cial SANA news agency and the Syrian Observatory for Hu-man Rights.

“A powerful explosion was heard after mid-night Saturday. It was caused by the blowing up of a tunnel in the Old City near the Aleppo Citadel,” the Observatory said.

“The blast caused the collapse of part of the wall of the citadel,” said Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman.

The Observatory said the rebels dug the tunnel “but it was the regime which blew it up to prevent them from reaching an army position.”

Abdel Rahman said the explosion was fol-lowed by clashes between rebels and govern-ment forces who are battling for control of the northern city. l

Chad warning on veil ban after deadly Boko Haram bombingn AFP, N’Djamena

Chadian police yesterday warned that any-one found wearing the Muslim full-face veil would be arrested, after a Boko Haram suicide bombing in the capital left 15 dead.

Saturday’s attack in a bustling N’Djamena market by a man disguised as a woman in a full-face veil also injured 80.

“This attack just con� rms that a ban” on the full-face veil was justi� ed, national police spokesman Paul Manga said.

The bomber detonated his explosives belt when he was stopped for security checks at the entrance to the city’s main market.

Muslim-majority Chad banned the full-face veil, ramped up security measures and bombed militant positions in Nigeria last month after the � rst ever Boko Haram attack in its capital. l

Cocaine smugglers turn to South Asia for new routes, marketsn Reuters, Dhaka/New Delhi

Police who seized Asia’s largest known ship-ment of liquid cocaine at a Bangladeshi port late last month say it was headed for India, the latest sign that drug cartels are increas-ingly plying their trade in South Asia.

It isn’t clear whether India was the � nal destination for the cocaine, worth as much as $14 million, or whether it was a transit point for other markets in Asia and Europe.

“They wanted to redirect it to India when it got stuck at Chittagong,” Bangladeshi po-lice o� cial Mohammad Kamruzzaman said. Kamruzzaman said they found correspond-ence that said the shipment was headed for “any port in India.”

One thing is clear - big drug busts in the re-gion are becoming more common.

Over the past three months, Indian and foreign police sources said larger than usual

amounts of high-purity cocaine carried main-ly by South American and African drug mules have been seized in India.

Multi-kilo hauls have also turned up in Kathmandu.

The seizures point to South Asia’s role as a possible transhipment hub, as highly or-ganised gangs, possibly from Latin America, look to hide their tracks to US and European markets by taking advantage of soft security at the region’s ports.

Like other global businesses, groups such as Mexico’s Sinaloa or Paci� c Cartel also see Asia as a growth market, and have turned up in Australia, Hong Kong and the Philippines in recent years.

The United Nations believes more cocaine is moving through South Asia undetected.

“This is a huge wake-up call,” said Cristi-na Albertin, the South Asia representative for the United Nation’s O� ce on Drugs and Crime

(UNODC), referring to the Bangladesh bust.Up until now, much of counter-narcotics

agencies’ work in the region was focused on the smuggling of heroin and synthetic drugs and especially on Afghanistan, which pro-duces some 90 percent of the world’s illicit opiates.

The recent hauls of cocaine have taken them by surprise.

The UNODC has been training port o� cials in Chittagong on how to better follow paper trails that help spot suspicious cargos and gave o� cials drug testing kits.

But the kits were adapted to the region and so didn’t have the test for cocaine. “Now we will also have to give them that,” Albertin said.

Cocaine use, while still low compared to Europe and North America, is on the rise among newly wealthy party-goers in the top cities of Asia’s fast growing economies. l

Israel arrests Jewish suspects over church arsonn AFP, Jerusalem

Israeli police said yesterday they have arrest-ed several Jewish suspects over an arson at-tack last month at a shrine where Christians believe Jesus performed the miracle of loaves and � shes.

The arson sparked widespread condemna-tion from Christians globally, while drawing attention to religious hate crimes in Israel.

Police did not provide a number or further details on their identities, but an ultra-na-tionalist organisation said three young Jewish men had been arrested. l

Iran, powers near to historic dealn Reuters, Vienna

After more than two weeks of marathon nego-tiations, Iran and six world powers were close to nailing down an historic nuclear deal that would bring sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on Tehran’s atomic program, diplomats said yesterday.

But Iranian and Western o� cials said it was unlikely they would be able to � nalise an agreement yesterday, saying the earliest an agreement could be ready was more likely Monday.

“We are working hard, but a deal tonight is simply logistically impossible,” Alireza Miryouse� , a spokesman for the Iranian del-egation, said on Twitter. “This is a 100-page document, after all.”

A Western o� cial said Tehran and Wash-ington would need time to consult their capi-tals once an agreement was reached.

US Secretary of State John Kerry cautioned that some di� cult issues remained on the 16th day of ministerial negotiations between Iran, the United States, Britain, France, Ger-many, Russia and China.

“I think we’re getting to some real deci-sions,” Kerry told reporters in the Austri-an capital. “So I will say, because we have a few tough things to do, I remain hopeful. Hopeful.”

Several diplomats said an agreement that would end more than a year and a half of ne-gotiations was so close that it could come as early as yesterday. In a sign that something might be in the works, both Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi were also due to join the talks yesterday.

However, a senior US o� cial played down speculation that an agreement was in the works yesterday, and reiterated Kerry’s point that “major issues remain to be resolved in these talks.”

French Foreign Minister Laurent said he hoped the high-stakes negotiations were � -nally drawing to a close. l

Greece’s Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras talks to the media as he arrives at a euro zone leaders summit in Brussels, Belgium, yesterday. Euro zone leaders will � ght to the � nish to keep near-bankrupt Greece in the single currency REUTERS

WORLD10DT

MONDAY, JULY 13, 2015

Thousands of animals killed in � oods n AFP, New Delhi

Ten endangered Asiatic lions, 1,670 blue bulls and 87 spotted deer were amongst hundreds of wild animals killed in the recent � oods to hit Gu-jarat, a government report said yesterday.

The � ash � oods that hit Saurash-

tra region of the state in late June also killed at least 55 people with thousands evacuating their homes for safer areas after heavy rains.

Gujarat is home to about 500 Asiatic lions in their last remaining sanctuary globally.

“Besides, carcasses of 1670 blue bulls, 87 spotted deer, nine black bucks

and six wild boars were also recov-ered,” it added.

In the worst a� ected parts of the re-gion water levels rose by almost 2.8 me-tres (nine feet) in a short span of time.

Forest department o� cials assess-ing damage to wildlife said they had come across lions in “weak health and shocked condition.” l

Pope laments corruption as ‘gangrene of a people’n AFP, Asuncion

Pope Francis decried the scourge of corruption as the “gangrene of a people” on Saturday in Paraguay, one of the poorest countries in South America and where graft is rampant.

The 78-year-old pope – in Paraguay on the last stop of a three-nation tour of South America – also railed against ideol-ogies and hammered home the central theme of his trip to his home continent: equality.

Speaking to an enchanted crowd of 5,000 at a small stadium in the capital Asuncion, Francis drifted away from his scripted re-marks, saying that “ideologies end badly, they do not work, they do not take into account the people.”

“Look what happened with ideologies in the last century... they ended in dictatorships, always,” he added, applause ringing out in response.

In a question-and-answer session, he denounced corruption, which plagues several countries in South America.

But perhaps to avoid o� ending his hosts, he stressed that it was a recurring problem “among all peoples of the world.”

As he had done on previous stops during his trip, � rst in Ecua-dor, and then Bolivia, Francis called for an end to poverty – also endemic in the region – and lamented today’s consumer society.

Wealth creation should not be “only for the bene� t of a few,” he said to more acclaim, and must be extended to “each citizen, without exclusion.”

He urged political leaders not to “sacri� ce human lives on the altar of money and pro� t.”

“In economics, in business and in politics, what counts � rst and foremost is the human person and the environment in which he or she lives,” he said. l

Pope Francis speaks during his visit to the people of Banado Norte in Asuncion yesterday. Pope Francis visted the poorest neighborhood of Paraguay before ending his Latin American tour AFP

11D

TEDITORIALMONDAY, JULY 13, 2015

INSIDE

It is a very bad idea for the government to be considering reopening Adamjee Jute Mills.

As a nationalised enterprise, it incurred a loss of over Tk1,200cr in the 30 years before it was closed in 2002. Closure was necessary as

the golden age of the old jute industry is behind us, with jute sacks being replaced by cheaper synthetic materials.

While interest in jute as an environmentally-friendly material is reviving, there is no justi� cation for spending tax-payer funds on increasing production by state-owned jute mills. Bangladesh has many privately-owned jute mills which do not deserve to be undercut by loss-making state mills.

The 295 acres at Adamjee should be developed as an industrial park, as was originally envisaged when they were handed over to BEPZA in 2004. It makes no sense to turn back the clock now.

Moreover, the RMG sector, which has long replaced jute as the country’s leading industrial employer and export earner, desperately needs land to develop modern, safe, purpose-built factories, and help prevent another disaster like Rana Plaza.

Helping garment companies secure new sites to allow more manufacturers move out of unsafe multi-storey factory buildings in Dhaka, would support far more jobs and income than re-opening an old jute mill could ever generate.

Subsidies to all remaining state-owned jute mills should be cut o� . If they cannot compete with the private sector on a level playing � eld, they should be shut down just as Adamjee was shut down.

The government should utilise the land of loss-making state jute mills to allow newer pro� table sectors to grow. It must not throw good money after bad business.

Use land to develop modern, safe, purpose-built RMG factories. Tax-payers should not bear the burden of loss-making SOEs

Use Adamjee’s land sensibly. Don’t turn back the clock

The middle-class curry

A building block in the Saarc visionCaution is not enough. India-Pakistan relations must always be handled with caution, precaution and, if one may coin a phrase, post-caution

Be heardWrite to Dhaka Tribune

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PAGE 14

Tainted ZakatIn 2015, when starvation is no longer a major problem in the country, why do people have to go into a state of delirium when something is handed out free of cost?

Are we still not middle class? Who are we? Because, if thrift and hard work no longer de� ne us, that’s what we should pass on to our future generations

BIGSTOCK

n Towheed Feroze

The latter part of Ramadan is preserved for charity; the wealthy coming to the aid of the less fortunate. This has been the norm

for centuries and I am not mistaken in stating that helping the poor during a religious festival is integral to all faiths.

However, the evolution of how society interprets faith, vis-a-vis the prevalent credo, gives us a diluted form of spirituality laced with sleaze. I am sorry if I have hurt anyone, but religion in modern-day society seems more tilted towards PR rather than inner satisfaction.

The deaths of 27 people during the handing out of free clothes in Mymensingh is but a glaring example as to how charity has been � rmly placed within a very material

template.Reportedly, the lackeys of the tobacco

moghul, used batons on people who lined up to collect free gifts.

Locals have said that such a human frenzy happens every year when this individual hands out clothes before Eid.

This means there have been occasions of mad rushes in the past but our benevolent man never thought it necessary to take the help of the law to ensure a systematic way to tackle the whole Zakat-giving process.

Of course, if there is no ruckus and pandemonium, people from surrounding villages won’t know about the event and it won’t go down in rural lore.

The objective was very crass: To let everyone know that a person was handing out stu� to the down-trodden.

Just a little more expenditure perhaps to

pacify certain quarters! Question is, will this sad episode work as a lesson for other such large-hearted men with plenty to spare?

Making a spectacle out of charity has become common culture. Just look at what a lot of us do during Eid-ul-Azha when animals are sacri� ced. The competition at that time is about who has bought the biggest cow for the highest amount.

The person who paid over a lakh for a sacri� cial animal becomes the talk of the area, village, or town.

People look at him with reverence; even the local mullah feels privileged to perform the slaughtering duty for him.

The ultimate act of wealth publicity is to walk into a cow/goat/camel market, look at � ve of the best animals and say: “Oi, aigula kaar? Shobgula baan!” (Whose animals are these? Tie them up and bring them).

In the past, the trend among � lm actors was to take a truck loaded with clothes and food to rural areas, astutely having such acts be covered by the press. So, helping anonymously has been out from this society for a long time.

If I do good then you must see it!Come back to the current episode; while

we blame the tobacco man for not managing the distribution of clothes properly, we also have to point out the nature of people who come to collect free items.

Maybe such a frantic rush would have been understandable in the 70s, when Bangladesh was struggling to deal with the e� ects of war, famine, and political upheaval. But in 2015, when starvation is no longer a major problem in the country, and extreme poverty has been reduced to a large level, why do people have to go into a state of delirium when something is handed out free of cost?

And that too in Mymensingh, not a remote place or a “char” area!

Coming down to reality -- Eid-time culture is bizarre, although there is a lot of talk about the holy month injecting much-needed modesty and humility in us.

Reality is, today, roughly seven days before the major day of celebration, this Mymensingh tragedy is already out of the national psyche. With shopping and fashion obsession taking over, all will be forgotten.

Practically speaking, it’s absurd to expect society to remember the deaths, though it would be apt if the government were to issue a declaration stating that Zakat distribution on a large scale must be carefully managed, with support from local police.

I know, on the ground, that means handing something extra to the law enforcers, which should not be a problem for the rich. Everyone’s happy and no one has to die. Only the gossip-fueling epic rush will have to be ruled out.

Oh well, at least human lives will be spared. And, if publicity is so essential, then why not video the whole Zakat-giving event and then play it at the local bazaars on strategically-placed screens for all to see?

As for our tobacco moghul, time will tell if, like the famous Amjad Hossain TV character Jabbbar Ali, he gets to eat Eid morning shemai inside a jail cell or not. l

Towheed Feroze is a journalist currently working in the development sector.

Tainted Zakat

In 2015, when starvation is no longer a major problem in the country, why do people have to go into a state of delirium when something is handed out free of cost?

Have we lost the true meaning of charity? BIGSTOCK

OPINION12DT

MONDAY, JULY 13, 2015

OPINION 13D

TMONDAY, JULY 13, 2015

n MJ Akbar

The India-Pakistan relationship is vulnerable to history, geography, ideology, sabotage, uncertainty, and miscalculation. Ever since Pakistan

launched its � rst war for Kashmir, within 10 weeks of freedom in 1947, the corpse of good intentions has been repeatedly buried in the malignant shroud of warriors. War, in all its nuanced dimensions -- declared, semi-declared, undeclared -- has sent even the well-meaning into the retreat of a fragile status quo.

The ideologies of India and Pakistan are at cross-purposes, if not inimical. Those invested in confrontation, litter communications with barely-concealed land-mines. And uncertainty has always been the father of miscalculation. Legacy issues are fraught with peril.

The future is hostage to a strategic eco-system into which no less a person than a nation’s defence minister can casually drop mention of nuclear weapons. Perhaps there is a justi� cation. A strident war cry is often fed to hawks when the leader sets o� in search of a dove.

One cannot fault Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for being careful. The last time he made a bid for amity with India, he lost his job, and almost his life, to an army coup. His successor, General Pervez Musharraf, attempted, after some sabre-rattling, to sustain the peace process, but lost his nerve at the last minute during the most di� cult day in India-Pakistan talks, at the Agra summit.

Politics, and providence, have given Nawaz Sharif a second chance. He has displayed the courage to make another e� ort. Experience of failure will serve both Islamabad and Delhi well as they search for success.

When the frippery of democratic fencing subsides, the intelligent jury of Indian public opinion will still have a serious question to ask: Is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s outreach shaped by conviction?

For Prime Minister Modi, this is the last, but vital, building block in his vision of a resurgent Saarc that can o� er prosperity to the impoverished in an environment of shared peace. The foundations were laid on the day he was sworn in, when every Saarc leader was invited to Delhi.

Nawaz Sharif must have been a bit bewildered by this initiative, but he seized it. As has happened before, saboteurs

intervened, but Narendra Modi was set on his course. Working with sustained pace and unprecedented e� ort, he strengthened India’s ties with other Saarc nations. His visits to Nepal and Bangladesh will be remembered as turning points.

This could hardly have gone unnoticed in Islamabad. That old temptation of ring-fencing India with hostile neighbours was being upturned, replaced by the whisper of “Saarc-minus-one.”

There were many advocates in Delhi for this option, arguing that the status quo with Pakistan was a much safer place than yet another encounter with adventure. But India’s prime minister was not yet ready to give up on his vision.

Prudence placed one condition: Before he could act, he had to be con� dent about Pakistan’s response. In the last week of January, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar was appointed foreign secretary. In the midst of a harrowing schedule, he made a very quiet trip to Islamabad. Obviously, we cannot know what transpired, but you do not have to very intelligent to guess that the ball was back in play.

The Agra summit had collapsed over the

de� nition of terrorism. A consensus on its meaning was obviously crucial. This was achieved. As a consequence, Pakistan has agreed to expedite the trial of those accused of master-minding the Mumbai attack in 2008.

But what brought all pieces together was Prime Minister Modi’s decision to go to Pakistan in 2016 for the Saarc summit. This is what links today’s Ufa talks to the swearing-in ceremony of 2014, and the goal of a new sub-continent, energised by economic growth rather than escalating confrontation.

No one in his senses believes that all problems can be solved; but they can be resolved through mutually acceptable mechanisms. There was one that had been crafted out as a follow-up to Agra, and would have been revived if former Indian prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee had been re-elected in 2004.

Caution is not enough. India-Pakistan relations must always be handled with caution, precaution, and, if one may coin a phrase, post-caution. If anything, the last is most vital. Saboteurs may have been temporarily � nessed into silence, but they are not dead. A crucial test will lie in border stability.

If borders bleed, the environment is poisoned. Both nations recognise this, and

meetings have been scheduled at NSA and operational levels to minimise tension and incidents. The big, if unspoken, concern is the threat of high-voltage terrorism with all its destabilising consequences.

The great strength of this shift towards peace is the enormous support of public

opinion in both countries. The people have risen beyond the past, for they know that this is the only way to change the future. l

MJ Akbar is an Indian journalist. He is the founder of The Sunday Guardian. This article was � rst published in The Sunday Guardian.

A building block in the Saarc vision

Caution is not enough. India-Pakistan relations must always be handled with caution, precaution, and, if one may coin a phrase, post-caution

Both India and Pakistan need to leave the past behind REUTERS

OPINION14DT

MONDAY, JULY 13, 2015

n Mohd Fahad Ifaz

I always thought: “I come from a mid-dle-class family. I am middle class.” And growing up, I probably was.

Middle class meant the kind of family which was not deprived, but you could not just have anything you wanted.

You might have gone out for dinner on an extra-special day, like your birthday or your parents' anniversary, to some fancy Chinese restaurant. A family vacation to Cox's Bazaar was a rare treat, as was “imported” juice and Cadbury chocolates. For many, “new clothes” included the ones bought by their father for Eid, clothes of the same colour and design for all the siblings, or the kind their mothers stitched on a Singer sewing machine with a foot pedal.

Today, we eat out just because we’re at the shopping mall and we “feel like it,” even though dinner is waiting at home. I can watch three � lms back to back, if I want to, and spend more on popcorn than the ticket price. I can take the next bus or the � ight to Cox's Bazaar. I can buy as many new clothes as I desire, whether they are “on sale” or “new arrivals.”

So am I not “middle class” anymore? I remember some of my uncles were not

middle class; they were “business class.”

They had a lot more money than my father. Yet, I never thought of them as rich.

We might have lived in rented houses with two bedrooms, a dining room, and a kitchen. We had to sleep on the � oor when guests stayed over. We did not have satellite channels and the only source of entertain-ment was BTV.

Going to an “English” medium school was considered our pathway to becoming “busi-ness class.”

Business class was di� erent from middle class.

Our parents drilled it into our brains early: “You have to study hard and make something of yourself.” The community we grew up in,

marks and ranks were discussed among the aunties. After college every year, a batch was sent to public universities and another to private universities. We never thought of this as an achievement, it was just a norm.

Meanwhile, our rich uncles sent their kids abroad for their BBA or engineering degree and hoped for them to come back and join

the family business. Some of them returned. Most would move to a big city outside the country and take up a job.

Business class wants to be “middle class” -- hurray!

I had a friend in college whom I thought of as “rich.” He had a car and a chau� eur, went swimming, and went abroad for holidays.

Today, we can have all those things, and much more.

But are we still not middle class? Who are we?

Because, if thrift and hard work no longer de� ne us, that’s what we should pass on to our future generation. When we have kids, should we get them another new t-shirt, even though they do not need one? Should we push them to study hard even when we know that scores don’t really matter? Is an interna-tional school necessary, or is a regular school good enough?

Where do we set the boundaries, when in our hearts we will want them to have everything our money can buy?

And yet, we want them to “make something of themselves,” and not be dependent on us.

We would want them to be de� ned by who they are, not the clothes they wear. We will want them to have lots of money and use it wisely. But also, to value all the things money can never buy.

I suppose we are a “mix and match” -- an impressive collage of values and ways of life.

We are the new Bangladeshi middle class. l

Mohd Fahad Ifaz is a Private Sector Development Consultant and co-founder at EDGE Consulting Ltd and amarCV.com.

The middle-class curry

Are we still not middle class? Who are we? Because, if thrift and hard work no longer de� ne us, that’s what we should pass on to our future generation

Does having more money change our class? BIGSTOCK

15D

TBusiness MONDAY, JULY 13, 2015

Indonesia eyes return to OPEC as oil crisis looms

17Stocks stay volatile ahead of Eid vacation

19Low-paid British workers brace for more austerity

16 Muhith frowns at number of Vat paying � rms

20

BTRC cancels 30 ISP licences n Tribune Report

Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory commission (BTRC) has cancelled licences of 30 Internet Service Providers (ISPs) for not re-newing their respective licences in time.

BTRC also asked the ISPs to pay their dues within the next 10 days, or else warned of tougher legal actions against them.

Legal and licensing department of the BTRC yesterday served a notice in this regard.

“If the ISPs don’t pay the pending amount within the stipulated time, the regulatory body will take legal action as per Telecommu-nication Act 2001,” said the notice.

The companies are-Nextel Telecom, Poly IT Limited, J GlobalAccess Ltd, B. J. Interna-tional Co, Flora Limited, CPM Blue Online, Ektoo Limited, Global Technology Ltd, M/s. G Net Technology, Axis Technologies, Sigma Systems, M/S. Web Internet, M/s I-net, Gaib-andha Electronics & Computers Ltd, M/S M G Electronics, M/S Zia Online, M/S T-Network, M/S Triunetech, Smart Systems & Consult-ants Limited, M/S Mecca Madina Traders, M/S Hazari Business centre, M/S E-net, M/S Sys-tel IT, M/S Western Communication, M/S IT Sources, S. A. Telecom System Limited, M/s BeaConnet Online, M/S Zero 4 Network, Kara-toa Online Limited and SAS Technology.

An Internet Service Providers (ISPs), also known as Internet Access Providers, is a busi-ness or organisations that o� ers user access to the Internet and related services.

They provide services such as internet ac-cess, internet transit, name registration and hosting, dial-up access, leased line access. l

Call money market stable amid pre-Eid poor demand n Jebun Nesa Alo

The call money rate in the � nancial market came down to 5.65% in the second week of current month, a paradigm shift from the regular trend of rate hike particularly ahead of Eid ul-Fitr, the biggest festival of Muslim community.

The downturn is attributed to excess li-quidity prevailing in the market.

The weighted average call money rate was 5.79% at the end of June.

On the other hand, Bangladesh Bank con-tinued to mop up money from the market through reverse repo even ahead of the festival when usually banks are supposed to borrow money from the central bank through repo.

The central bank mopped up Tk16,000 crore from the � nancial market on Thursday last while repo was zero.

BB is counting huge interest against re-verse repo as above Tk10,000 crore is being mopped up per day from the market for the last three months, said a senior executive of Bangladesh Bank.

“The central bank will count loss due to reverse repo,” said Bangladesh Bank Change Management Advisor Allah Malik Kazemi.

He said banks usually borrow money from the central bank ahead of festival to meet up the market demand but the scenario is opposite this time as the market is awash with liquidity.

The call money rate is far below the repo

rate 7.25% which kept the banks away from borrowing through repo, he said.

The call money rate was declining continu-ously from 8.57% in January as well as depos-it and lending rate, according to the Bangla-desh Bank data.

It went up to 8% during the last Eid festi-val and a plenty of money was borrowed from Bangladesh Bank through repo by the banks.

The deposit rate came down to 7% in May from 7.26% in January while lending rate dropped to 11.82% from 12.32% during the same period.

Despite signi� cant fall in lending rate, pri-vate sector credit growth remained steady ranging between 13% and 13.6% over the last six months.

The private sector credit growth slightly rose to 13.6% in May from 13.3% in April this year.

The public sector credit growth remained negative even in June, said Bangladesh Bank source.

The growth rate remained negative since February and stood at negative 2.7% in May, according to the central bank data. l

8.6% 8.2%

7.7%

7.6%

6.4%

5.8%

5.7%

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul

TREND OF CALL MONEY RATE IN 2015

BSEC amends mutual fund conversion norms Converted open-end funds allowed to be listed with stock exchanges n Tribune Report

Securities regulator, BSEC, has amended the mutual fund conversion rules allowing con-verted open-end mutual fund from closed-end to list with the stock exchanges.

Listing of already operated open-end fund is optional but might get trading platform on the OTC (over the counter) market at the Dha-ka Stock Exchange.

The Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission published the amended rules on Wednesday last.

Under some of the salient amended rules, if the unit holders of the existing closed-end mutual fund do not accept the conversion proposal made in the board of trustee meet-ing, the trading of the fund must remain open. Earlier, fund managers required approval of the unit holders to convert the fund.

Units of open-end fund will be in demate-rialised form and may be listed with the stock exchanges.

Under conversion, the legal requirement of minimum subscription of the sponsor of the closed-end scheme is exempted. Howev-er, the existing unit-holders will be treated as initial subscribers to the scheme.

The time period to collect initial subscrip-tion is exempted for the scheme. However, it will complete the initial subscription collec-tion through public o� ering, if any, within the stipulated period of conversion.

The BSEC amended the conversion rules of mutual fund against the back drop of many listed closed-end mutual funds now being converted into open-end funds, which are non-listed.

While a closed-end mutual fund o� ers only limited number of shares and puts the

brake on issuing new units after it is launched, open-end does not have any curbs on the amount of shares to be issued.

The regulator has actually brought chang-es in the mutual fund conversion rules to set trading facility for the state-run Investment Corporation of Bangladesh (ICB)-operat-ed closed-end mutual funds, sources said.

ICB will have to be wrapped up its eight closed-end MFs by next year as the BSEC expand-ed operational period several times of the funds earlier.

Currently, nine open-end funds – � ve operated by ICB and four by private � rms – are being operated in the market sold from their respective of-

� ces or through selling agents and brokerage � rms.

In late 2013, the securities regulator had formulated norms on converting process of closed-end mutual fund to open-end ones. l

BUSINESS16DT

MONDAY, JULY 13, 2015

BRAC Bank Limited has recently completed 14 years of inclusive banking. On the occasion of 14th anniversary, BRAC Bank recognised its longest serving employees of the bank in a ceremony attended by the bank’s MD and CEO, Syed Mahbubur Rahman

Airtel Bangladesh Limited has recently signed a corporate agreement with Nabila Boutiques Ltd in order to provide 15% discounts to members of Airtel Favourites and Airtel employees on each purchase from Nabila Boutiques Ltd. Head of PR & IC at Airtel Bangladesh Limited, Shamit Mahbub Shahabuddin and head of admin of Nabila Boutiques Ltd, Subhash Chandra Das were present at the signing ceremony among others

Public Relations Association of State owned Banks (PRASB) has recently organised an Iftar party in a restaurant in Dhaka. Deputy general manager of Sonali Bank and president of PRASB, Mofazzal Hossian was present at the event among others

Banglalink has recently inaugurated new premises for its sales and care center at Uttara, Dhaka. The company’s regional (Dhaka) director Nur-E-Alam Siddiquee was present on the occasion among others

Low-paid British workers brace for more austerityn AFP, London

Money was already tight for single mother Nicola Marshall and looks set to get tighter in a new austerity drive in Britain that will a� ect millions of low-paid workers.

“There’s going to be people out there who simply don’t have money to spare,” said the 37-year-old part-time o� ce worker, who relies on tax credits to top up her £11,000 (15,000 euro, $17,000) a year salary.

Britain is slashing the credits, which cur-rently help 4.5 million households, in a drive to reduce welfare dependency that has prompting warnings the cuts would hit the poor - and could be counterproductive.

The measures form the core of £12bn of welfare savings over the next � ve years as Prime Minister David Cameron’s newly-elect-ed Conservative government seeks to elim-inate a budget de� cit. Reducing tax credits and restricting them to two children will cut £6bn from a system that costs £30bn a year, something � nance minister George Osborne said was “simply not sustainable”.

Unveiling his budget on Wednesday, Os-borne told the House of Commons that tax credits were “subsidising lower wages”.

To o� set the change, he announced the in-troduction of a higher minimum wage for the over 25s and income tax cuts for the lowest earners, promising to “make work pay”.

Analysts warned however that these meas-ures would not mitigate the bene� t cuts, prompting charities to warn the poorest could see their incomes slashed.

“In practical terms it means families forced to choose between paying the bills or missing meals,” said Nick Bryer, head of UK policy and campaigns for Oxfam.

Britain ‘has lost compassion’ The changes were hailed by Conservative lawmakers, and the mass-selling Daily Mail

tabloid said it was a bold assault on Britain’s “bloated” welfare system.

“It was nothing less than a blueprint for transforming Britain into a better, more pros-perous country - of self-reliant families, res-cued from welfare dependency to enjoy the dignity and rewards of work,” it said.

But others cautioned that the changes could hit exactly the working families the Conservatives claim to champion.

Three million families will lose about £1,000 a year under the tax credit cuts, which

would reduce the incentive to work for people already receiving bene� ts, said Paul Johnson, director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

Monique Ebell, analyst at the National In-stitute of Economic and Social Research, said the measures were “inconsistent”.

“While the changes in income tax thresh-olds should modestly strengthen the incen-tives to enter or stay in work, the government has worsened the work disincentives embed-ded in the tax credit system,” she said.

Marshall and her 11-year-old daughter cur-rently receive £5,000 in tax credits and hous-ing support, but her total income is still well below the £26,000 national average.

“The only reason we’re not really strug-gling is because my ex-husband pays main-tenance,” she told AFP by telephone from her home in Kent, in southeast England.

She has not yet calculated the impact of the changes on her budget, but notes that the system already acts as a disincentive to work more by o� setting any increase in salary with a higher tax bill and a cut in tax credits.

The promised new rise in the minimum wage will not a� ect Marshall, as she already earns more than the proposed amount.

“The reality of the situation is you’re not going to be able to make everyone earn a de-cent wage immediately, but you’re going to cut their money before they have the oppor-tunity to earn any more,” she said. l

Thousands of people marched in London in October against falling real wages AFP

BUSINESS 17D

TMONDAY, JULY 13, 2015

Indonesia eyes return to OPEC as oil crisis loomsn AFP, Jakarta

Indonesia is seeking to rejoin OPEC to get ac-cess to cheaper oil supplies as demand soars and domestic production falls, but critics say the move is an unwelcome distraction from e� orts to overhaul the country’s troubled en-ergy sector.

Resource-rich Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s largest economy, was part of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) for almost 50 years until suspending its member-ship in 2009 after becoming a net oil importer.

The switch to becoming an importer came as domestic demand soared and output dropped due to a lack of investment from foreign com-panies, put o� by complex regulations, corrup-tion and growing economic nationalism.

With oil imports surging as the economy booms and the energy sector still in urgent need of reform, the government is looking for cheaper supplies and has taken the unusual step for an oil importer of requesting to rejoin the 12-member exporting cartel.

“It is only natural that we should build relations with exporters,” Energy Minister Sudirman Said said before heading to an OPEC meeting at the organisation’s headquarters in Vienna last month, where he was seeking to have the suspension lifted.

After the meeting, the energy ministry said that some OPEC members had backed Indo-nesia rejoining.

OPEC has refused to comment but analysts said the group, which has members from the Middle East, Latin America and Africa, is like-ly to welcome an applicant from Asia.

“We understand the application is viewed favourably because Indonesia would again pro-vide OPEC with a member nation in Asia and thus broaden the geopolitical base of the group,” Ann-Louise Hittle, vice president of Macro Oils research at Wood Mackenzie, told AFP.

The OPEC statute states that “any country with a substantial net export of crude petro-leum” can become a full member. But it also says associate membership is possible for countries who do no qualify as full members, the course Indonesia is likely to pursue, ana-lysts believe.

Observers also say Ecuador has set a prec-edent for Indonesia, by suspending its mem-bership in 1992 and rejoining in 2007.

‘Just giving up’ But some observers questioned the wisdom of the move, suggesting that trying to rejoin OPEC and source cheaper supplies from out-side Indonesia could slow the momentum of the government’s attempts to reform the cor-ruption-tainted, domestic oil and gas sector.

When reform-minded President Joko Widodo took power last year, he set up a team to look at overhauling the sector, which critics have said is plagued by a shadowy “oil ma� a” who skim o� huge, illicit pro� ts.

Some progress has been made. In May, state-owned energy company Pertamina said it would disband its oil-trading arm Petral, which supplies one third of the country’s dai-ly oil needs but has been dogged for years by concerns about a lack of transparency.

But the reform team, which undertook a six-month assignment to assess the sector, made other recommendations, such as shift-ing to a newer type of cleaner burning, more e� cient petrol, and there are fears such e� orts could be stymied by the new focus on OPEC.

“What is the use of Indonesia approach-ing OPEC, even if only as an observer?” wrote Faisal Basri, the former head of the govern-ment’s reform team, on his blog, and added the country appeared to be “just giving up”.

Reform is seen as urgent. During its heyday in the 1990s Indonesia produced close to 1.6 million barrels of oil per day, which easily cov-ered demand and left plenty more for export.

But by last year, Indonesia was importing 689,000 barrels a day to cover its domestic needs, the bulk of which was for transport, Benjamin Tang, a senior analyst for Wood Mackenzie’s Asia Paci� c Re� ning research service, told AFP.

Some have called for Indonesia to wean itself o� oil to help ease the looming supply crisis - but there seems little chance of that, with many new cars and motorbikes hitting the roads every day as the middle class rap-idly expands. l

Police o� cers stand guard on the rooftop of Vienna’s OPEC headquarters before the start of a meeting of OPEC oil ministers REUTERS

Iran trade with GCC set to grow but oil spat loomsn AFP, Kuwait City

Iran should boost trade with its Gulf Arab neighbours if a deal on its nuclear programme sees sanctions and an oil embargo lifted, but higher Iranian crude production could wors-en tensions within OPEC, analysts say.

As of Saturday, the prospects of such a deal were still very much in question, with no sign of an end to a nail-biting deadlock after 15 straight days of negotiations in Vienna be-tween Iran and major world powers.

Iran’s oil exports plummeted as a result of the embargo imposed by the United States and European Union, dropping from about 2.2 million barrels per day (bpd) in mid-2012 to about 1.2 million bpd now.

Fellow OPEC members Saudi Arabia, Ku-wait and the United Arab Emirates boosted production to make up for that, keeping sup-ply levels stable.

Iranian o� cials have said Tehran is looking to return to pre-embargo levels, though ex-perts say production increases will take time.

“All additional Iranian production will go to export but this will not aggravate the sur-plus on the market because the increase will be gradual,” said Jassem al-Saadun, head of Kuwait’s Al-Shall Economic Consultants.

“I think it may take Iran a few years before reaching the target of an additional one mil-lion barrels.”

Saudi Jadwa Investments said in a recent report that Iran would add just 150,000 bpd by the fourth quarter of this year.

“We do not see this (lifting of sanctions) re-sulting in Iranian crude � ooding the market in the near-term,” Jadwa said.

Eventually though, Iran will be able to reach pre-embargo levels, setting the stage for a showdown within OPEC.

A fight for quotasSome OPEC countries, especially Gulf Arab nations, have been pumping furiously in a bid to keep the oil price down and drive out com-petitors, especially US shale producers.

Saudi Arabia alone is producing 10.3 million bpd - about a third of the OPEC output ceiling.

Experts say that once Iran reaches its pre-vious production levels, Saudi Arabia and others will not be keen to reduce their shares of production.

OPEC has already seen tensions high, with poorer members such as Algeria, Angola, Ven-ezuela and Libya pushing for overall output to be reduced so prices can rise and they can boost revenues.

“The real problem starts when OPEC mem-bers begin to � ght for quotas amid oversupply and market share disputes,” Saadun said.

“If Iran, Venezuela, Algeria and Libya - all of which need to pump more - enter into a dis-pute with the Gulf producers, then it could be the end for OPEC,” he said.

However, when it comes to trade with the six countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Iran’s new economic freedom is ex-pected to lead to a boost.

More than 80% of Iran’s trade with the bloc is with the United Arab Emirates, and Tehran is the UAE’s fourth-largest trading partner.

Most of that trade originates from Dubai, home to a 400,000-strong Iranian communi-ty that runs a large business network. l

BUSINESS18DT

MONDAY, JULY 13, 2015

SECTORAL TURNOVER SUMMARY

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

Bank 145.71 2.63 9.56 2.09 155.27 2.59NBFI 173.54 3.13 15.17 3.32 188.72 3.15Investment 96.95 1.75 6.37 1.39 103.33 1.72Engineering 676.82 12.22 58.12 12.70 734.94 12.26Food & Allied 147.69 2.67 8.27 1.81 155.96 2.60Fuel & Power 649.16 11.72 58.79 12.85 707.96 11.81Jute 2.68 0.05 0.00 2.68 0.04Textile 330.36 5.97 30.73 6.71 361.09 6.02Pharma & Chemical 1778.40 32.12 101.51 22.18 1879.91 31.36Paper & Packaging 27.56 0.50 3.44 0.75 31.00 0.52Service 88.36 1.60 5.61 1.22 93.96 1.57Leather 11.59 0.21 0.59 0.13 12.18 0.20Ceramic 75.06 1.36 4.32 0.94 79.38 1.32Cement 460.20 8.31 62.06 13.56 522.26 8.71Information Technology 32.80 0.59 2.89 0.63 35.69 0.60General Insurance 11.75 0.21 0.85 0.19 12.60 0.21Life Insurance 45.76 0.83 1.79 0.39 47.55 0.79Telecom 279.06 5.04 28.52 6.23 307.58 5.13Travel & Leisure 150.30 2.71 22.77 4.98 173.06 2.89Miscellaneous 353.77 6.39 36.26 7.92 390.03 6.51Debenture 0.01 0.00 0.03 0.01 0.04 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 disclosuresACI: (H/Y Un-audited): Consoli-dated Pro� t after tax (excluding non controlling interest) from Jan’15-June’15 was Tk. 2,398.78 m. with Consolidated basic EPS (total) of Tk. 60.28 as against Tk. 158.31 m. and Tk. 4.01 respec-tively for the same period of the previous year. Moreover basic EPS without one-o� gain for the same period is of Tk. 7.04 and Tk. 4.01 respectively. Whereas Consolidated Pro� t after tax (ex-cluding non controlling interest) from April’15-June’15 was Tk. 2,319.96 m. with Consolidated basic EPS (total) of Tk. 58.30 as against Tk. 113.03 m. and Tk. 2.86 respectively for the same period of the previous year. Moreover basic EPS without one-o� gain for the same period is of Tk. 5.06 and Tk. 2.86 respectively.MBL1STMF: (Q1 Un-audited): Net Pro� t/(loss) from April’15 to June’15 was Tk. 126.92 million with earnings per unit of Tk. 1.27 as against Tk. (8.79) million and Tk. (0.09) respectively for the same period of the previous year.LAFSURCEML: The Company informed that e� ective from July 10, 2015, Lafarge S.A., one of the two sponsor groups of Lafarge Surma Cement Ltd. (LSC), has merged with Holcim Ltd. to form LafargeHolcim Ltd. As a result of the above merger in the Group level, one of the LSC�s sponsor groups is now LafargeHolcim Ltd. However in Bangladesh, due to the current corporate struc-tures of both LSC and Holcim Bangladesh Limited, both shall remain as separate companies

and are still competitors until communicate otherwise.BGIC: ARGUS Credit Rating Services Limited (ACRSL) has an-nounced the CPA (Claim Paying Ability) Rating of the Company as ‘A+’ for long term and ‘ST-2’ for short term in consideration of � nancials of the Company up to December 31, 2014 (audited), Q1FY15 (unaudited) and other relevant quantitative as well as qualitative information up to the date of rating declaration.IFIC: Credit Rating Agency of Bangladesh Limited (CRAB) has announced the rating of the Company as ‘AA2’ in the long term and ‘ST-2’ in the short term along with a positive outlook based on audited � nancial statements of the Company up to 31 December 2014 and other relevant quantitative as well as qualitative information up to the date of rating declaration.MIRACLEIND: Credit Rating Information and Services Limited (CRISL) has rated the Company as ‘BBB+’ in the long term and ‘ST-3’ in the short term along with a stable outlook in consideration of its audited � nancials up to June 30, 2014, unaudited � nancials up to March 31, 2015 and other relevant quantitative as well as qualitative information up to the date of rating declaration.BSRMSTEEL: The Company has informed that the Board of Directors of the Company has decided to issue Zero Coupon Bond of Tk. 2,000.00 million subject to the approval from the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission.

CSE GAINER

Company Closing (% Change)

Aver-age (%

Change)

Closin-gAvg. Closing DHIGH DLOW Turnover

in MillionLatest

EPSLatest

PE

AramitCementA 9.87 10.12 34.50 34.50 34.50 34.50 1.610 0.72 47.9Aziz PipesZ 9.47 9.68 20.84 20.80 20.90 20.80 0.005 -2.64 -veNLI 1st M F-A 9.41 8.94 9.26 9.30 9.30 9.00 0.149 1.83 5.1AIBL 1st Is. M. F.-A 9.09 8.35 4.80 4.80 4.80 4.80 0.401 4.76 1.0AsianTigerSandhani GF-A 9.09 6.57 8.11 8.40 8.40 7.60 0.121 0.60 13.5Saiham Cotton-A 8.90 6.46 20.26 20.80 21.00 19.50 1.410 1.43 14.2Trust Bank 1st MF-A 8.16 6.90 5.27 5.30 5.30 5.10 0.957 0.69 7.6ICB Emp. PMF-A 7.84 8.24 5.52 5.50 5.60 5.30 0.116 0.61 9.0DBH 1st MF-A 7.69 6.92 4.17 4.20 4.20 4.00 0.186 -0.47 -veGreen Delta M.F.-A 7.69 5.04 4.17 4.20 4.20 4.00 0.615 -0.12 -ve

DSE GAINER

Company Closing (% Change)

Aver-age (%

Change)

Closin-gAvg. Closing DHIGH DLOW Turnover

in MillionLatest

EPSLatest

PE

MBL 1st M. F.-A 10.00 11.70 4.39 4.40 4.40 4.00 3.810 5.08 0.9AramitCementA 9.87 9.91 34.50 34.50 34.50 34.50 8.953 0.72 47.9AIBL 1st Is. M. F.-A 9.09 9.84 4.80 4.80 4.80 4.80 4.312 4.76 1.0AsianTigerSandhani GF-A 8.86 7.08 8.32 8.60 8.60 7.80 3.123 0.60 13.9Saiham Cotton-A 8.33 7.27 20.52 20.80 21.10 19.50 24.322 1.43 14.3NCCBL Mutual Fund-1-A 7.89 7.61 4.10 4.10 4.10 3.90 6.959 -2.12 -veACI Limited- A 6.98 5.87 634.55 639.10 642.20 605.00 824.605 120.56 5.3EBL NRB M.F.-A 6.98 5.81 4.55 4.60 4.70 4.50 0.030 0.61 7.5PrimeFin. 1st MF-A 6.09 3.98 12.02 12.20 12.40 11.60 7.397 0.40 30.1Trust Bank 1st MF-A 6.00 4.56 5.27 5.30 5.40 5.10 7.444 0.69 7.6

CSE LOSER

Company Closing (% Change)

Aver-age (%

Change)

Closin-gAvg. Closing DHIGH DLOW Turnover

in MillionLatest

EPSLatest

PE

Kay & Que (BD) -Z -9.84 -9.84 11.00 11.00 11.00 11.00 0.001 0.28 39.3Samata LeatheR -Z -9.52 -9.23 28.51 28.50 34.20 28.50 0.028 -0.05 -veRupali Life Insur.-B -9.30 -9.47 32.23 32.20 34.30 31.40 0.448 5.33 6.0Hakkani P& Paper -B -9.23 -8.28 48.39 47.20 53.70 46.80 2.098 0.29 166.9Familytex (BD) Ltd.-A -9.15 -8.09 13.98 13.90 14.70 13.80 9.001 2.92 4.8Paramount Insur-A -7.80 -8.00 13.00 13.00 13.00 13.00 0.007 1.32 9.8National Life I -A -7.07 -7.05 171.02 171.00 171.10 171.00 0.086 12.46 13.7ACI Formulations-A -6.53 -5.53 220.70 216.00 230.00 215.00 18.868 6.80 32.5Midas Financing-Z -6.47 -6.41 13.00 13.00 13.00 13.00 0.025 -1.55 -veFAS Fin. -A -5.60 -5.84 11.77 11.80 11.80 11.70 0.020 -0.32 -ve

DSE LOSER

Company Closing (% Change)

Aver-age (%

Change)

Closin-gAvg. Closing DHIGH DLOW Turnover

in MillionLatest

EPSLatest

PE

Hakkani P& Paper -B -9.64 -7.20 49.34 47.80 53.70 47.70 7.451 0.29 170.1Rupali Life Insur.-B -9.19 -9.72 32.43 32.60 33.00 32.00 1.347 5.33 6.1Familytex (BD) Ltd.-A -9.15 -8.03 13.97 13.90 14.40 13.80 65.385 2.92 4.8ACI Formulations-A -6.49 -5.99 219.38 216.20 226.90 212.00 242.028 6.80 32.3Standard Ceramic -A -5.62 -4.95 44.97 43.70 47.50 42.20 2.643 0.49 91.8Golden Harvest Agro-N -5.28 -4.03 30.92 30.50 32.50 30.30 26.937 1.32 23.4Zahintex Ind.-N -4.76 -2.59 16.20 16.00 17.20 15.90 6.220 1.03 15.7Libra Infusions-A -4.74 -4.33 331.67 331.60 334.00 328.00 0.597 3.38 98.1Samata LeatheR -Z -4.45 -2.71 32.35 32.20 33.50 32.00 0.783 -0.05 -veAtlas BD-A -4.13 -2.20 127.67 125.30 130.50 125.00 1.506 -1.24 -ve

DSE key features July 12, 2015Turnover (Million Taka)

5,537.54

Turnover (Volume)

123,586,200

Number of Contract

113,424

Traded Issues 312

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

146

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

162

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

4

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,620.31

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

31.76

CSE key features July 12, 2015Turnover (Million Taka)

457.66

Turnover (Volume)

12,172,088

Number of Contract

16,473

Traded Issues 246

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

109

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

132

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

5

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,526.80

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

30.63

BUSINESS 19D

TMONDAY, JULY 13, 2015

Stocks stay volatile ahead of Eid vacationn Tribune Report

Stocks continued to gain marginally for the fourth consecutive session with volatility yesterday, ahead of � ve-day Eid holiday be-ginning from Wednesday.

The benchmark of the Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, gained slightly more than 15 points or 0.4% to close at 4,615.

The Shariah index, DSES, was also marginally up over 2 points or 0.3% to 1,136. The blue chip comprising index DS30 soared almost 16 points or 0.9% to 1,811. The Chittagong Stock Exchange was up 18 points to settle at 8,645.

Trading activities im-proved signi� cantly, as turn-over crossed Tk500 crore to stand at more than Tk553 crore, up 16 % over the pre-vious session.

Turnover heavily cen-tered on ACI Limited and Lafarge Surma Cement, as following the former’s dec-laration of half yearly earn-ings which was impressive and the latter’s completion of global merger with Hol-cim.

Most of the major sectors closed � at. Food and allied, telco, pharma and energy gained 0.5%, 1.3%, 0.8% and

0.9% respectively. Textile, cement and engineering were down by 0.4%, 1.5% and 1.2% respectively.

Gainers and losers re-mained exactly same as out of 310 issues traded, 138 ad-vanced, 138 declined and 34 remained unchanged.

Lanka Bangla Securities said market saw volatile trading ahead of the long Eid holiday. It said investors’ participation increased as sellers came to book pro� t.

On the other side, promising earnings declaration from value stocks sparked strong buying interests among the investors, it said.

It said some blue-chip stocks of pharma, energy and telecommunication sectors outstripped the sell-ing force in market closing the benchmark index above 4,600 points mark.

IDLC Investments said the broad index DSEX inched up, backed by earn-ings expectations and scrip-wise stories. But, investors showed clear preference to blue chip scrips, as the blue chip index DS30 moved up by 16 points.

“The gaining streak has attracted investors from the sideline, pushing the turno-ver higher.” l

The broad index DSEX inched up, backed by earnings expectations and scrip-wise stories. But, investors showed clear preference to blue chip scrips, as the blue chip index DS30 moved up by 16 points

ANALYST

Daily capital market highlightsDSE Broad Index : 11716.47270 (+) 0.33% ▲

DSE - 30 Index : 1811.20349 (+) 0.89% ▲

CSE All Share Index: 14202.81610 (+) 0.20% ▲

CSE - 30 Index : 11716.47270 (+) 1.13% ▲

CSE Selected Index : 8645.25080 (+) 0.21% ▲

CSE TURNOVER LEADERS

Company Volume-Shares

Value in Million

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

LafargeS Cement-A 516,990 58.30 12.74 111.30 -2.62 114.30 116.00 110.20 112.78ACI Limited- A 50,249 32.24 7.04 643.60 7.03 601.30 646.30 620.00 641.64BEXIMCO Ltd. -A 639,030 22.09 4.83 34.60 1.76 34.00 35.00 34.00 34.56Grameenphone-A 61,223 20.93 4.57 343.50 1.27 339.20 345.70 338.90 341.87Khulna Power-A 266,191 20.13 4.40 75.10 2.18 73.50 76.00 74.30 75.63UNITED AIR-A 1,804,653 19.80 4.33 10.90 -1.80 11.10 11.30 10.80 10.97ACI Formulations-A 85,493 18.87 4.12 216.00 -6.53 231.10 230.00 215.00 220.70Olympic Accessories -N 267,176 16.85 3.68 62.00 -2.05 63.30 65.00 61.50 63.08Beximco Pharma -A 222,355 14.89 3.25 67.60 4.00 65.00 68.00 65.00 66.98United Power-N 86,303 13.28 2.90 153.30 -2.17 156.70 157.00 152.00 153.93Appollo Ispat CL -N 436,947 9.27 2.02 21.20 -0.93 21.40 21.80 20.90 21.21Familytex (BD) Ltd.-A 643,880 9.00 1.97 13.90 -9.15 15.30 14.70 13.80 13.98FAR Chemical-N 167,753 7.78 1.70 46.70 3.78 45.00 47.00 45.70 46.38BD Submarine Cable-A 57,462 7.59 1.66 131.70 -1.50 133.70 134.00 131.00 132.10Square Pharma -A 29,338 7.58 1.66 258.40 -0.35 259.30 260.50 257.60 258.49

DSE TURNOVER LEADERS

Company Volume-Shares

Value in Million

% of Total-Turnover ClosingP Change

% ClosingY DHIGH DLOW Avg-Price

ACI Limited- A 1,299,516 824.61 14.89 639.10 6.98 597.40 642.20 605.00 634.55LafargeS Cement-A 2,945,849 329.15 5.94 110.70 -3.15 114.30 117.00 110.10 111.73Grameenphone-A 721,420 246.91 4.46 344.10 1.44 339.20 345.30 338.10 342.25ACI Formulations-A 1,103,217 242.03 4.37 216.20 -6.49 231.20 226.90 212.00 219.38Beximco Pharma -A 3,190,864 212.86 3.84 67.30 4.02 64.70 68.00 65.00 66.71BEXIMCO Ltd. -A 5,122,986 177.40 3.20 34.60 1.76 34.00 35.10 34.10 34.63Khulna Power-A 2,097,552 157.58 2.85 75.40 2.31 73.70 76.00 73.80 75.12Ifad Autos -N 1,352,191 135.71 2.45 100.00 -1.19 101.20 103.00 98.40 100.36UNITED AIR-A 11,198,758 123.43 2.23 11.00 -0.90 11.10 11.40 10.80 11.02HeidelbergCement -A 173,217 113.26 2.05 653.30 3.44 631.60 665.00 632.40 653.87Olympic Accessories -N 1,773,625 111.95 2.02 61.60 -2.69 63.30 65.80 60.90 63.12Active Fine Chem.-A 1,810,472 109.53 1.98 61.10 3.21 59.20 61.70 59.40 60.50Khan Brothers-N 3,500,424 106.15 1.92 29.40 -3.61 30.50 31.50 28.90 30.33Square Pharma -A 368,089 95.19 1.72 259.60 0.31 258.80 261.00 257.40 258.60United Power-N 604,253 92.83 1.68 153.10 -1.73 155.80 157.80 151.90 153.63

BUSINESS20DT

MONDAY, JULY 13, 2015

Weak RMG factory retro� tted into earthquake-resistant building n Tribune Report

A garment factory in Ashulia has been retro-� tted into an earthquake-resistant building.

A Japanese expert with local engineers con-ducted the systematic retro� tting construc-tion work in DK Knitwear Ltd – this is for the � rst time a structurally weak factory building in Bangladesh converted with Japanese retro-� tting technology, says a JICA press release.

Retro� tting is a technology that could be used to make a vulnerable building earth-quake resistant without demolishing it and usually it costs 30% to 40% of the new con-struction cost of the targeted building.

After the tragic incident of Rana Plaza, the Japanese government through Japan Interna-tional Cooperation Agency (JICA)  initiated a project titled  “RMG Sector Safe Environment Project” and created a Tk100 crore fund with the Bangladesh Bank for � nancing the RMG owners to make their building safe for the workers.

Under the programme, JICA opened up the doors for the RMG owners to assess their factory buildings as well as to take the oppor-tunity of the provided JICA fund to make the building strengthen.

As per the JICA’s call, a total of 300 RMG

factories applied for being assessed and 214 selected for the assessment by another JICA’s project called  “Capacity Development on Natural Disaster Resistant Techniques of Con-struction and Retro� tting for Public Build-ings (CNCRP)” being implemented by Public Works Department (PWD).

The CNCRP project and DK Knitwear Ltd, a sister concern of DK Group, had taken the initiative to conduct the retro� tting by pro-viding soft loan of US$850,000 to the owner.

DK Managing Director  Syed A.Q.M. Za-hid  said they were con� dent of structural safety as the factory was purposefully con-structed as an industrial building.

JICA’s proposal through BKMEA/BGMEA with low rate of interest for long term grew the interest of the owners for the loan, he said.

However, he said it was indeed a mixed feeling where funds were planned for nonpro-ductive heads and price for being compliant were not directly shared by any of the buyers.

JICA Senior Representative Hiroyuki Tom-ita said Japanese technology and experience to make building earthquake resistance can help Bangladesh to strengthen its vulnerable RMG buildings for avoiding any tragic inci-dent like Rana plaza in future. l

Muhith frowns at number of Vat paying � rmsn Tribune Report

The low number of value added tax paying � rms caused dissatisfaction to Finance Min-ister AMA Muhith who thinks more � rms are eligible but not paying the tax.

“Only 60,000 business � rms currently sub-mit VAT returns although the number of eligi-ble companies should be at least 3-6 lakh,” he said at a function in the city yesterday.

The minister said bringing all the eligible companies under the Vat net was the main challenge of the government.

National Board of Revenue organised the function to award the highest Vat paying � rms on the occasion of National Vat Day and National Vat Week.

A number of 119 companies across the country were awarded for the � nancial year 2013-14 at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre.

Nine companies received awards at nation-al level and 110 at district levels in three cate-gories– production, service and business.

The recognition came in the form of crests and certi� cates which were distributed by � -nance minister among the recipients.

Top national-level and Dhaka division Vat paying � rms received the awards from Mu-hith at the yesterday’s function.

The rest of the recipients were honored at separate functions in seven divisional head-quarters- Chittagong, Sylhet, Comilla, Rang-pur, Rajshahi, Khulna and Jessore.

At the national level, Titash Gas Field (Brahmanbaria), Koilastila Gas Field (Sylhet) and Rashidpur Condensate Fractionate Plant (Habiganj) topped the list in production cat-egory.

Rural Electri� cation Board (Joar Sahara, Dhaka), Chowdhury Tea Warehouse (Chit-tagong) and National Television Ltd (RTV) be-

came the highest payers under service category.In the business category, Gallery Apex

(Tongi), Aarong (Lalmatia, Dhaka) and Mosta-fa Mart Pvt Limited (Bashundhara City) were the highest payers.

At the district level, 39 companies were honored under production category while 35 under service and 36 under business catego-ries.

Addressing the function, Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and In-dustry president Abdul Matlub Ahmad urged the government to reduce Vat rate for small and medium enterprises.

Matlub also demanded implementation of the Vat and Supplementary Duty Act-2012 Re-view Committee’s recommendations which

include raising the Vat-free turnover to Tk36 lakh from Tk24 lakh and turnover limit to Tk1.50 crore from Tk80 lakh now for 3% turn-over tax.

The government has recently increased the Vat-free turnover limit to Tk30 lakh from Tk24 lakh.

The FBCCI chief also requested the NBR to organise Vat fairs across the country to mo-tivate and raise awareness among the busi-nessmen to deposit the collected Vat from consumers to the government exchequer properly.

Economic a� airs adviser to prime minister Masiur Rahman laid emphasis on the revenue board being careful about the acceptability of tax measures to the taxpayers.

“If the tax measures are not acceptable to the taxpayers, they will look for chances to evade taxes,” he said.

Chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on � nance ministry Abdur Razzak suggested the NBR to scrutinise the possibil-ity of � xing the minimum house rent for dif-ferent posh areas in cities for income tax pur-pose to prevent tax evasion.

Rich people were showing house rent far below the actual � gure to evade income tax, said Razzak.

He said high-income groups including doc-tors, engineers and lawyers were not paying tax properly.

Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed said the revenue board stressed the need to stop harassment to taxpayers in the process of tax payment.

NBR senior member Farid Uddin presid-ed over the function also addressed by NBR member Enayet Hossain and Vat commis-sioner (Dhaka North) Masud Sadik, Vat Online Project director Rezaul Hasan.

The award recipients will enjoy a number of bene� ts for one year from the issuance of the date of award, which include priority while reserving seats in public transports and access to VIP lounges at the airports.

Their spouse and children will also get priority while reserving cabins in the public hospitals while the awardees will get invita-tions to national programmes, including any citizens’ reception organised by the munici-palities and city corporations.

The programme was organised for the � fth consecutive year to create more awareness among people and businesses about paying Vat.

The NBR is assigned to collect Tk176,370 crore revenue in the current � scal including the highest Tk64,262 crore from Vat. l

The VAT award winners pose for a photograph after the honoring ceremony held at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre yesterday MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

REB proposals okayed to procure 1.32 lakh SPC poles n Tribune Report

The cabinet committee on public purchase has approved the proposal of Bangladesh Rural Electri� cation Board to procure a total of 1,32,577 spun pre-stressed concrete (SPC) poles, transformers and conductors from nine private � rms at a cost of over Tk363 crore.

The approval came yesterday at the cabi-net committee meeting, with Finance Minis-ter AMA Muhith in the chair.

The SPC poles, distribution transformers and conductors would be purchased under the Rural Electri� cation Expansion Program II Project for Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna, Ra-jshahi, Rangpur and Sylhet divisions, Joint Secretary Musta� zur Rahman told the jour-nalists after the meeting.

He said the Rural Electri� cation Expansion Project started in the six divisions last year, which would come to an end in June 2018.

Musta� zur said the local � rms would sup-ply SPC poles and distribution transformers and conductors within the stipulated time to complete the project.

According to the proposal, after comple-tion of the project a total of 2.50 lakh consum-

ers will get electricity connection. According to the “Rural Electri� cation Ex-

pansion Chittagong-Sylhet Division Program II” proposal, Techno Venture Limited, Dhaka was shortlisted to supply of 4,190 distribution transformers at Tk34.59 crore.

Electropac Industries Ltd will support the work by providing 30,000 SPC poles at over Tk62 crore while TSCO Power Ltd will supply 29,162 SPC poles at around Tk62 crore.

Dada Engineering Ltd will provide 26,423 SPC poles at over Tk55 crore while Royal Green Product Ltd will supply 26,423 SPC poles at over Tk55 crore under the “Rural Electri� cation Expansion Dhaka Division Pro-gram II” project.

Gemcon Ltd will provide 22,426 SPC poles at a cost of more than Tk46 crore while Con-tech Construction Ltd, Dhaka will provide 22,426 SPC poles at over Tk46 crore under the “Rural Electri� cation Expansion Rajsha-hi-Rangpur Division Program II” project.

SBS Cables Ltd, Dhaka will supply conduc-tors, ACSR and Bares for the construction of 7,375 kilometres line at over Tk51 crore under the “Rural Electri� cation Expansion Chit-tagong- Sylhet Division Program II” project. l

21D

TMONDAY, JULY 13, 2015T

-JUN

CT

ION

22school survivalA dream come true

23trendingBuckle up’s Eid collection

24healthThe healthy fast

INSIDE

Countdown to EidPhoto: Buckle up

MONDAY, JULY 13, 2015

A dream journey

T-JUNCTION Schoologistics22DT

school survival

We are Rifat Tashnia and Nusrat Zahan Happy, students from the BBA department of Da� odil International University. Our entire student life we have both dreamt about studying abroad and � nally, in the year 2015, DIU gave us the opportunity to study for one semester at the Department of International studies of Dongeso University (DSU), Korea. Let us tell you the most overwhelming story of our life, beginning from the very � rst day.

One day, we received a mail from our university urging us to apply for the Korean government scholarship programme for one semester at Dongseo University, Korea. The very � rst requirement was good academic result and we both had a CGPA of 3.99 and 4.00 till our � fth semester. Without any delay, we both applied along with other students from di� erent departments. After submitting our applications it didn’t seem like we had any hope to be selected. There were so many students who applied from all over the world, what were the chances of us being selected?

During the viva we were slightly nervous and noticed that lots of students were waiting along with us. Suddenly, Rifat noticed me waiting as well and asked me, “Did you apply for this scholarship too?” Before we knew it, we hit it o� and ended up making it through the interview. Little did we know what the future had in store for us.

Soon afterwards, she got a phone call from the o� ce of International A� airs, DIU and was given the good news that she was selected for the Korean Government Scholarship Program 2015. A while later, I got the same phone call too. It was the very � rst time that the Korean government selected two students from the same university. We felt on top of the world!

On March 5, after our initial excitement died down and we completed processing our visa, we � nally felt like we had reached another milestone - one that took us closer to our destination. We never forgot how confused we were during our transit at the Thai airport. Nor did we forget how nerve wrecking it was when our names were being

announced when we couldn’t be found. After our little hiccup, we reached the plane and � nally, o� we went. Once we reached Busan airport, Korea and everything looked like a fantasy. We asked each other “Is this for real?”

Once we reached, Mr Dan from International Exchange Center of Dongseo University was waiting to receive us. After 20 minutes we reached Dongseo University. We felt slightly uncomfortable as it was di� cult to cope with the weather. It was surprisingly cold. However, once we entered our dorm, all signs of tiredness vanished. We got the key to our room and that’s when we realised that a new, exciting phase of our life had just begun.

At the fresher’s orientation the next day, we met students from di� erent countries and were introduced to many students who were just like us. Mr Leo Choi did our registration and we selected six courses for the semester. We settled down and then began � guring out our meal plans. We bought the necessary equipment to start cooking and setting up our kitchen. On one of these trips, we met another Bangladeshi named Rashid who was doing his PhD. He turned out to be of immense help, guiding us throughout our trip.

Classes began on March 9 and that’s when we noticed that the teaching methodology was totally di� erent from that in Bangladesh. Each class didn’t just comprise of one long lecture. We had time slots allocated for lectures, group study, discussion, and videos. We learnt so much, it felt like we could keep

these lessons for the rest of our lives. Our classmates were very co-operative too.

Interestingly, we celebrated Bangladesh’s Independence Day and Pohela Boishakh with our professors, our international friends and with other Bangladeshi students as well. To be able to showcase our culture in Korea gave us immense pride. On March 26, we met the President of Dongseo University, Jekuk Chang and gave him a Bangladeshi souvenir on behalf of the chairman of DIU, Md Sabur Khan. Jakuk Chang too, celebrated with us and was extremely nice, praising us for our scholarship.

We travelled around Seoul, Jeju island, Taejondae island, Geoje island, Nampodong, Somoyon and many other places. It really was a beautiful country with so much too see and experience.

We were there for one semester to enrich our knowledge and explore new experiences. After getting the opportunity to go there, we can easily say that our life has totally changed. We really feel like we have learned so much. So much more than what courses or class lectures could teach us. We’ve taken back experiences that we’ll hold dear to us for years to come. We are grateful to our university for giving us this opportunity. We really feel like every student should be aware of these scholarships and should apply given the chance. We truly cannot thank DIU and DSU enough for giving us the chance to really live our dreams.l

n Rifat Tashnia and Nusrat Zahan Happy

Tempt T-JUNCTION 23D

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MONDAY, JULY 13, 2015

Buckle up’s Eid collectionKeeping in mind the moody, ever-changing weather of this season, Buckle Up’s festival collection is inspired by the di� erent shades of the sky.

The men’s line features panjabis, short fotuas, and trousers in silk, cotton motka silk and linen, in shades of evening blue, cloudy white and sunset gold.

The women’s line features a variety of

tops, kurtis, two-piece kameez sets and jumpsuits in lace, georgette, linen, satin, and silk, in a variety of colours that are adorned with block prints, embroidery and more.

There’s even a kid’s line for little boys, featuring panjabis.

Find Buckle Up outlets at Jamuna Future Park and Bashundhara City l

trending

T-JUNCTION Take Care24DT

MONDAY, JULY 13, 2015

drinks such as tea, co� ee and � zzy drinks as they are diuretics which stimulate faster water loss.

• As the invites for iftar parties keep pouring in, and you catch up with your friends in every hip joint o� ering a good iftar deal, keep in mind that good food comes at a cost. Home cooked food is generally more healthy and contains less unhealthy fats than those available at restaurants.

health

news

Dos and don’ts to survive the rest of Ramadan

The healthy fastn Mithul Roy

Ramadan is that time of year when our craving for fried and/or sweet food goes into overdrive. Keeping that in mind, it is also important to keep the calories in check for the sake our health. Besides, who wants to carry around a load of extra weight on Eid?

The dos: • Keep your diet simple and don’t surprise

your body with unusual food. Make sure your diet contains food from all major food groups. Include fruits and vegetables, carbohydrates, proteins, milk and dairy products as well as healthy fats.

• Go all out on complex carbohydrates, especially during sehri as they burn slowly

to release energy. Complex carbs will help you feel full and energetic for longer. Barley, wheat, oats and other cereals along with millet, semolina, beans, lentils, wholemeal � our and basmati rice are good sources of complex carbohydrates.

• Fibre-rich food is also digested slowly. Go for bran, whole wheat cereals, green beans, apricots, prunes, � gs, grains and seeds and unskinned potatoes.

• There is no iftar without dates and they are the perfect food to break your fast as they are power-packed with energy and help replenish lost calories very quickly.

• Break your fast by drinking plenty of water, which not only helps you rehydrate, but also reduces the chances of overindulgence and prevents the oily food from giving you heartburn. If possible, have plenty of fruits and fruit juices of your choice. Avoid packaged juice, instead try to make your own fruit juice or smoothies or go for the good old lemonade.

The don’ts • Deep-fried food such as pakoras, samosas,

begunis (we never said it would be easy), piyaju, parathas, chops and other favourites is the perfect ticket to blocked arteries.

• Fast-burning, heavily processed foods that contain re� ned carbohydrates (sugar and white � our) such as cakes, biscuits, chocolates and sweets, like our favourite chomchom, kalojam, roshogolla and their syrup drenched friends.

• It’s also worth avoiding caff eine-based

A seminar on the role of the media in promoting higher education, organised by the Public Relations O� ce of Eastern University (EU), was held on July 11 at the seminar hall of EU. Nurul Islam Nahid, MP Honourable Minister of Education, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh was the chief guest. Abul Khair Chowdhury, chairman in the board of trustees ofwu EU was present as the guest of honour and Swadesh Roy, executive editor, Daily Janakantha, Mosta� z So� , executive editor, Daily Samakal and Tushar Abdullah, head of news, Somoy TV were present as special guests.

The seminar was chaired by the Vice Chancellor of Eastern University, Prof Dr Abdur Rab while Rahul Raha, current a� airs editor of Channel 24 presented the keynote speech. Prof Dr Abdul Hannan Chowdhury, pro vice chancellor of EU delivered the welcome speech.

In his speech, the chief guest said that education will lead the entire nation, with the print and electronic media playing a key role in promoting education. Mass media can transform a nation to prosperity, he stated. In this pursuit, mass media can contribute towards blossoming all levels of education to build a knowledge based society. He also added that the media across the world is playing such roles. Besides, the mass media also plays its role in safeguarding the society and the nation. l

As we say this, we realise it is impossible to follow these rigid health outlines. You don’t necessarily have to follow it to the tee. Indulging in a few treats now and then is � ne. It’s okay to have a sweet here and a samosa there; the health police won’t catch you. However, remember that staying healthy is pivotal this time of the year so keep the binging on grease and sugar to a minimum.l

Seminar on role of the media in promoting higher education at Eastern University

Healthy alternatives• Baked samosas and boiled

dumplings• Chapattis made without oil• Baked or grilled meat and chicken• Milk-based sweets and puddings,

such as roshmalai and bar�

25D

TMONDAY, JULY 13, 2015

END OF AN ERA AS CASILLAS LEAVES REAL FOR PORTO

MOHAMMEDAN, BROTHERS FIRE BLANKS

26 2827

Manchester City have agreed a 49m pounds ($76.07m) deal to sign

England winger Raheem Sterling from Premier League rivals Liverpool,

British media reported on Sunday

AGREED

SportMASHRAFE LAUDS CHARGES, SOUMYA RELIEVED

Bangladesh pacer Rubel Hossain celebrates with Nasir Hossain after cleaning up Proteas opener Hashim Amla during the second ODI at SBNS yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

BCB’s selection interferenceBangladesh Cricket Board president Nazmul Hasan had expressed his concerns following the Tigers’ defeats in the two Twenty20 internationals and the � rst ODI. The series of meetings in order to � nd out the reasons behind the losses only a day before the second ODI and his direct interference with the playing XI had irked many within the board. It was understood that the national selec-tors did not take Nazmul’s suggestions sportingly and it was feared that the situation might take a turn for the worse. Luckily, the cricketers came out strong and put up a much better display compared to the recent ones. This can either be interpreted

in two ways – the BCB supremo taking the credit for yesterday’s impressive performance or that it was just another good day in the o� ce for the Tigers.

Tamim back to square one?Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal made a brilliant comeback through the bilateral home series against Pakistan recently. The left-handed bats-man slammed back-to-back centuries in the ODIs and hammered a double hundred in the � rst Test. But since then, the graph has taken a downward slide – again! In the bilateral home series against India, Tamim scored 19 and 16 in the only Test. He

came back to form scoring 60 in the � rst ODI but failed to maintain his recent success as he scored only 13 and � ve in the next two matches. In the ongoing bilateral home series against South Africa, the southpaw only managed � ve and 13 runs in the two Twenty20 internationals. He started the ODI series on a low note, getting dismissed for a duck in the � rst game before continuing his struggles in the second ODI too, managing only � ve runs. Bangladesh will expect him to roar back to form, and soon.

The wonder that is NasirFollowing the bilateral home series against India,

Bangladesh ODI and T20 skipper Mashrafe bin Mortaza had claimed all-rounder Nasir Hossain to be the best o� -spinner of the side. Nasir was shy upon hearing his captain’s statement and turned it down gently, saying, “A cat is the king of the jungle when there is no Tiger in it.” But, he is proving his captain’s statement in every way possible. Since his return into the ODI side last March, Nasir has been more of a regular bowler and bowled in all of the 11 matches that he played in. In 61.4 overs, Nasir picked up 13 wickets and the performance against South Africa yesterday, 8-0-26-3, is on top of the list.

–MINHAZ UDDIN KHAN

TALKING POINTS, BANVSA, SECOND ODI

BAN v SA, 2ND ODISOUTH AFRICA INNINGS R BHM Amla b Rubel 22 37Q de Kock c Sabbir b Musta� zur 2 9F du Plessis c Soumya b Nasir 41 64RR Rossouw b Nasir Hossain 4 24DA Miller c Mashrafe b Mahmudullah 9 24JP Duminy c Sabbir b Musta� zur 13 21F Behardien c Nasir b Mashrafe 36 44CH Morris lbw b Rubel Hossain 12 13K Rabada b Musta� zur 10 25KJ Abbott lbw b Nasir 5 11Imran Tahir not out 1 4Extras (lb 4, w 3) 7 Total (all out; 46 overs) 162

Fall of wickets1-16 (de Kock), 2-45 (Amla), 3-59 (Rossouw), 4-74 (Miller), 5-93 (du Plessis), 6-100 (Duminy), 7-116 (Morris), 8-138 (Rabada), 9-160 (Abbott), 10-162 (Behardien)BowlingMusta� zur 10-1-38-3, Mashrafe 5-0-17-1, Shakib 10-0-30-0, Rubel 9-2-34-2, Nasir 8-0-26-3, Mahmudullah 4-0-13-1 BANGLADESH INNINGS R BTamim Iqbal b Rabada 5 7Soumya Sarkar not out 88 79Litton Das b Rabada 17 14Mahmudullah c Amla b Abbott 50 64Shakib Al Hasan not out 0 4Extras (w 5, nb 2) 7 Total (3 wickets; 27.4 overs) 167

Fall of wickets1-5 (Tamim Iqbal), 2-24 (Litton Das), 3-159 (Mahmudullah)Bowling Abbott 5-0-22-1, Rabada 7-0-45-2, Morris 3-0-29-0, Tahir 8.4-1-40-0, Duminy 2-0-20-0, Behardien 2-0-11-0

Bangladesh won by 7 wickets, level series 1-1

Sport26DT

MONDAY, JULY 13, 2015

We were not surprised at all, says Behardienn Minhaz Uddin Khan

South Africa middle-order batsman Farhaan Behardien yesterday said his side were not surprised at the way Bangladesh bounced back to level the series in the second and penultimate ODI at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.

Following the � rst ODI which the Tigers lost by eight wickets, morale was low in the Bangladesh camp.

But the home side scripted a brilliant comeback in yesterday’s second ODI, cantering to a seven-wicket victory, and Behardien informed that they were always aware of the Tigers’ strength.

“We were not surprised at all. They played well over the last month or so against Pakistan and India, so it was not surprising at all. They started really well with the few early wickets when we went to bat. I thought we played the � rst 10 overs really well. After that spell, we got in the game but just lost quick wickets. No, we were not surprised at all. They played really well today (yesterday),”

Behardien told the media in the post-match press conference.

Behardien stated that 162 was a below-par total against the high-� ying Tigers and added that the way the Proteas batsmen gave away their wickets proved to be detrimental to their cause.

“I think it was the soft dismissals that cost us the game. Faf [du Plesiss] was our main batsman on the day having scored 40 (41). If he had stayed, we would have had another 10 overs and we might have posted 180 or even 200. But the game got di� erent. If you have 160 target and you start strong and fast like Bangladesh got, something like 60 in the � rst 10 overs, the game gets pretty much done,” said the 31-year old.

Behardien praised Soumya Sarkar for his brave 79-ball 88 which gave the Tigers only their second ever win against the Proteas.

“There were early wickets but Soumya played really well. It just didn’t go our way. It was Bangladesh’s day today (yesterday). They played really well today (yesterday),” he said. l

Questions raised over committee’s suggestion n Mazhar Uddin

The Tigers’ recent performance against South Africa has paved the way for the Bangladesh Cricket Board to enquire for solutions from the technical committee, comprising six for-mer national cricketers.

However, the suggestion from the tech-nical committee, containing ASM Faruque, Ishtiaque Ahmed, Jahangir Shah Badshah, Sha� qul Haque Heera, Mainul Haque and Athar Ali Khan has raised quite a few eye-brows. The committee apparently suggested that Anamul Haque, Rubel Hossain and Ara-fat Sunny should all have been included in the playing XI for the second and penultimate ODI yesterday.

Just like the other Test-playing nations, the BCB also included their best and knowl-edgeable former national stars in the commit-tee and honestly, there is no doubt with re-gards to the skills and experience of all the six members of the committee but the way they are going about their responsibility has given birth to many questions.

With all due respect to the six members, they should try to keep the context of modern cricket in mind when they forward any sug-gestions. l

Mash lauds charges, Soumya relievedn Mazhar Uddin

Bangladesh ODI and Twenty20 skipper Mashrafe bin Mortaza believes a change in mentality enabled them to return to winning ways against South Africa as the Tigers levelled the three-match series 1-1 following their con-vincing seven-wicket win in the second ODI at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday.

The home side managed to bundle out the formidable Proteas batting line-up for a paltry total of 162, courtesy some brilliant bowling from Nasir Hossain and Musta� zur Rahman, who shared six wickets between them. Bang-ladesh opener Soumya Sarkar smashed a blis-tering 79-ball 88 to inspired his side to the destination with 22.3 overs to spare.

“The chemistry is very normal. This is a sign of a good side. Because if you are always in a winning spree, you will win more often than not and it is a sign that I always want to see even if our team lose. I wanted to see what the team does when they lose. So, I am very lucky, and our team is lucky that they worked hard on the � eld and they were mentally strong. That looked really good when we were � elding,” Mashrafe told the media in the post-match press conference yesterday.

When queried if they were nervous ahead of the challenge of squaring the series in the second ODI, Mashrafe said, “Actually, I don’t know about the challenge. I think everyday is a new challenge. What I understand by the term challenge is that I have a son and a daugh-ter, and my challenge is to make them good human beings. And everything else, I don’t take those as a challenge. I don’t have any big-ger challenge than that,” said Mashrafe.

And after the win over South Africa, the Tigers have con� rmed their place in the 2017

ICC Champions Trophy to be hosted by Eng-land. However, Mashrafe informed that he never thought of qualifying for the tourna-ment rather his main aim was to continue playing good cricket.

The Narail Express also praised his bowl-ers, along with Mahmudullah, who made a comeback into the side from his � nger inju-ry and added that his presence has always helped the side.

Soumya Sarkar on the other hand said it was a relief to have � nally convert his start into a big score.

“Actually, I did not make any speci� c plan and all I wanted to do is to � nish the game and bat till the end. In comparison to the Pakistani bowlers they (South Africa) were not giving any loose deliveries while the Pakistani bowl-ers gave at least one bad delivery in every over so I think it was much tough for me compared to my innings against Pakistan,” said Soumya.

The 22-year old, who smashed Imran Tahir for a six over deep mid-wicket to � nish the game, went past Mohammad Ashraful’s high-est of 87 runs back in the 2007 ICC WC where the Tigers clinched their maiden win against South Africa. However, the left-hander in-formed that he was not aware of the feat. l

162 Runs scored by South Africa, their lowest score in seven matches

when batting � rst against Bangladesh. They scored more than 250 in each of the six previ-ous ODIs when batting � rst.

8 Times in the last two years that South Af-rica have been bowled out for less than

200 runs. Each of those eight instances have been against Asian teams - three times each against Sri Lanka and Pakistan and once each against India and Bangladesh. Six of these eight times have also been in Asia.

2 Number of times South Africa have been bowled out in 16 ODIs against Bangladesh

- in this game and during the 2007 World Cup. Bangladesh won both games.

17  ODIs that Bangladesh have won at home in bilateral series since 2012, the

second-most for any team. The only team to win more is Sri Lanka, with 21 victories.

6 Number of consecutive innings for Hashim Amla in ODIs without a 50-plus score, his

joint-longest streak. The only other time he went six innings without a 50-plus score was during the � rst six innings of his ODI career.

3 Boundaries scored by South Africa be-tween the 8th and 32nd over. They lost

� ve wickets during this 25-over period and scored only 74 runs at a run-rate of 2.96.

Bangladesh opener Soumya Sarkar celebrates scoring a half century during their second ODI against South Africa at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

What I understand by the term challenge is that I have a son and a daughter, and my challenge is to make them good human beings. And everything else, I don’t take those as a challenge

Sport 27D

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MONDAY, JULY 13, 2015

Junior Tigers a step away from gloryBangladesh Under-19 are just a step away from sealing the seven-youth ODI series after winning the fourth match against their South African counterparts by eight wickets at City Oval in Pietermaritzburg yesterday. Moham-mad Saifuddin was the wrecker in chief for the visitors with 4/42 as the home side, taking � rst strike, were restricted to 170 from their stipulat-ed 50 overs. In reply, the junior Tigers cantered home in just 40.2 overs with eight wickets in hand. Half-centuries from opener Saif Hasan and Nazmul Hossain Shanto propelled Bangla-desh U-19 to their destination. The � fth youth ODI will be held at the same venue tomorrow.

–Tribune Desk

Hull name change plan rejected againHull City’s bid to change their name to Hull Tigers has been rejected for a second time, the Football Association announced Saturday. The council of the FA, the sport’s governing body in England, voted down the proposal from Hull, who were relegated from the Premier League last season. Hull’s Egyptian-born owner Assem Allam � rst � oated the idea of incorporating the nickname in the East Yorkshire club’s formal name in 2013 -- and has threatened to sell up should he not get his way.

–AFP

Jamaica beat Canada, Costa Rica and El Salvador drawEl Salvador salvaged a 1-1 draw with Costa Rica when substitute Dustin Corea scored a 91st-minute equaliser in their CONCACAF Gold Cup match in Houston on Saturday. Costa Rica had one foot in the quarter-� nals when they paid a steep price for sloppy defending from a free kick. The ball was � oated in from the left and Corea was given enough space to connect with a left-footed volley from six yards and send the large crowd into a frenzy.

–Reuters

Lehmann hints at Australia changesAustralia coach Darren Lehmann has said the tourists are prepared to make changes for the second Ashes Test, amid speculation all-round-er Shane Watson is set to be dropped. England won the series opener by a crushing 169 runs with more than a day to spare in Cardi� on Saturday. The match saw Watson twice out in familiar fashion, lbw in both innings for modest scores of 30 and 19, while Australia captain Michael Clarke only utilised his medium-paced bowling for 13 overs in the match.

–AFP

Tomic rift may be irreconcilable - RafterFormer world number one Pat Rafter says the rift with outspoken young star Bernard Tomic remains deep and possibly irreconcilable after Tomic’s outburst at the sport’s national govern-ing body last week, a report said Sunday. Tomic created headlines in Australia and was dumped from Australia’s Davis Cup team after he lashed out at Tennis Australia (TA) and Rafter at a post-match news conference at Wimbledon.

–AFP

QUICK BYTES Triumphant Cook has faith in England’s futuren AFP, Cardiff

England captain Alastair Cook said his new-look team had proved they “could compete with Australia” after they wrapped up a con-vincing win in the � rst Ashes Test with more than a day to spare.

Saturday’s 169-run success in Cardi� saw Cook’s men go 1-0 up in the � ve-match series and was an ideal way for England to mark their � rst match under new Australian coach Trevor Bayliss.

Australia, set what would have been a new Ashes fourth-innings record winning total of 412, were dismissed for 242 just over an hour after tea on the fourth day.

England paceman Stuart Broad produced the latest of several decisive Ashes hauls in tak-ing three for 39 on Saturday after man-of-the-match Joe Root had got the hosts going with 134 in a � rst-innings total of 430. Cook could scarcely have wished for a better all-round ef-fort than the one England produced in Cardi� .

“It’s really important for this group of play-ers to show that we can compete with Aus-tralia,” Cook said.

Although it is 14 years since Australia won an Ashes series in Britain, there had been specula-tion they would have a mental edge over Eng-land following a 5-0 whitewashing of Cook’s then side during the previous Test contest be-tween the two sides ‘Down Under’ in 2013/14.

However, England’s team in Cardi� fea-

tured four Ashes debutants in opener Adam Lyth, wicket-keeper Jos Buttler, o� -spinner Moeen Ali and fast bowler Mark Wood.

“I remember sitting here before the Test match and everyone was talking about what happened in the previous series,” Cook said. “I was getting a little bit frustrated because there’s nothing we can do about that, but as

a group of players to start this series well was important.

“It shows that if we do the basics well and play with the right kind of attitude we can put Australia under pressure,” Cook, England’s all-time leading Test run-scorer added.

“It’s not going to work every time, and I’m sure the Australians will bounce back at cer-tain times but if we can go out there are show o� our talent then we’re a dangerous side.”l

England unchanged for second Ashes TestEngland on Sunday named an un-changed 13-man squad for the second Ashes Test against Australia which starts at Lord’s on Thursday. Stuart Broad led England to a 169-run victory in the � rst Test as Australia collapsed either side of lunch on the fourth day at Cardi� ’s Sophia Gardens on Saturday.

Mohammedan, Brothers � re blanksn Shishir Hoque

Mohammedan dropped points for the third time in the Manyavar Bangladesh Premier League, this time against Brothers Union, as the day’s lone match ended

in a goalless draw at Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.

The traditional Black and Whites saw their unbeaten run of nine matches come to an end in the previous round against Sheikh Russel. And against a Brothers side missing their best man Augustine Walson, Mohammedan fared slightly better than their defeat against

Sheikh Russel. The Arambagh-based out� t are now third in the 11-team standings with 27 points from 14 matches while Brothers are two places behind in � fth with 25 points from the same number of outings.

The Oranges took the � eld yesterday with-out the top-� ight’s top-scorer Walson, who was suspended after receiving a red card against Farashganj last week. Nigerian Ezeo-dika Simon replaced him.

Mohammedan went agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock at the half-hour mark when Cameroonian mid� elder Belinga Ama-bara tried his luck from the edge of the box with a powerful left-footer that curled inches wide of the post.

Brothers and former national goalkeeper Biplob Bhattacharjee made a double save in the 73rd minute to keep the scoreline goal-less. First, Ismael Bangoura’s weak shot failed to test Biplob and then Jewel Rana unleased a powerful shot but the Brothers custodian punched the ball away to safety.

Three minutes later, Brothers mid� elder Shariful Islam missed a great opportunity to give his side the lead as Nigerian defender Eleta Benjamin tackled from behind to see o� the danger.

Jewel squandered the best chance of the game in the � nal minute of regulation time when his volley from the edge of the six-yard box surprisingly missed the target.l

India claim series with 62-run victoryn Reuters, Harare

India’s Ajinkya Rahane and Murali Vijay put on a century opening stand to lay the plat-form for a 62-run victory over Zimbabwe and a series win in the second one-day interna-tional at Harare Sports Club on Sunday.

After the tourists were sent in to bat, the pair put on 112 for the � rst wicket as India posted 271 for eight in their 50 overs.

Zimbabwe found quick scoring di� cult from the start of their reply and were eventu-ally bowled out for 209 with an over remain-ing in their innings.

Captain Rahane took 83 balls for his score of 63, while Vijay managed just three bound-aries, two of them sixes, as he top-scored for

India with 72 from 95 balls.They were the only two half-centuries of

the innings and after they departed India lost wickets at regular intervals on the slow pitch.

Zimbabwe seamer Neville Madziva posted career best � gures in all List A matches of four

for 49 in his 10 overs.The home side stumbled in their reply and

when their century hero from Friday’s nar-row four-run loss, skipper Elton Chigumbura, was dismissed for nine they had slumped to 43 for three in the 11th over.

Opener Chamu Chibhabha provided lone resistance with a neatly compiled 72 from 100 balls before he was run out by a direct hit from Rahane.

Experienced spinner Harbhajan Singh, who has returned to 50-over international cricket af-ter an absence of four years for this tour, bowled tidily to register one for 29 in his 10 overs.

But the pick of the Indian bowlers was me-dium pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar with four for 33 from his allotted overs. l

ZIM V IND, 2ND ODIIndia271 for 8 (Vijay 72, Rahane 63, Madziva 4-49) Zimbabwe209 all out (Chibhabha 72, B Kumar 4-33)

India won by 62 runs, win series 2-0

Sport28DT

MONDAY, JULY 13, 2015

The Spain hero Real let gon AFP, Madrid

Spain captain Iker Casillas spent a glorious quarter-century at Real Madrid but hit a rough patch in his last years at his boyhood club which sold him Saturday to FC Porto.

In 2010 Casillas, now 34, made front pages worldwide in a photograph of him raising the World Cup in South Africa after leading Spain to the title for the � rst time.

But last summer the image was of a deject-ed Casillas on his knees as a rout by the Neth-

erlands helped dump Spain out of the World Cup in Brazil.

With Madrid, Casillas had enchanted the Bernabeu Stadium for years with his catlike re� exes, gravity-defying saves and fearless one-on-ones, earning the nickname “Saint Iker” from fans.

O� the pitch, the square-jawed athlete and his television presenter girlfriend Sara Carbonero are darlings of the glossy celebrity magazines along with their toddler son Martin.

In 2000, Iker, the boy from the Madrid sub-urb of Mostoles, became the youngest ever goalkeeper to play in a Champions League � -nal, at 19 years and four days of age. He kept a clean sheet in that 3-0 win over Valencia.

He went on to scale the heights with Real, racking up � ve Spanish and three European league titles plus 11 other trophies with the club.

But his lustre dimmed over the past three years for Real Madrid and in the end the club did not hesitate to get rid of him as they de-velop a younger squad.

They sold him to the Portuguese side de-spite Casillas making it clear he wanted to see out his contract at Real to 2017. l

End of an era as Casillas leaves Real for Porton AFP, Madrid

Real Madrid’s emblematic captain and goal-keeper Iker Casillas is set to leave the club for FC Porto after 25 years during which he won everything in the game with the Spanish gi-ants.

“Real Madrid and FC Porto have agreed the transfer of Iker Casillas to the Portuguese club,” Real Madrid said in a statement on Sat-urday after three days of intense negotiations.

At 34 years Casillas leaves a club with which he grew up, joining Real’s youth acade-my aged nine in 1990 and winning 19 trophies during his 16 seasons as a professional.

“One of the best goalkeepers in this club is

not just leaving, today the greatest goalkeep-er in the history of the club and in the histo-ry of Spanish football is moving on to a new stage in his footballing career,” the statement said.

Casillas had two years left on his contract, but the highly-anticipated transfer is seen as an historic turning point for the club who are reported to be trying to recruit Manchester United’s 24-year-old Spanish goalkeeper Da-vid de Gea in a bid to rejuvenate after � nish-ing second in La Liga last season behind Bar-celona, who also won the Champions League title.

“Iker is leaving, but his legacy is here for-ever. His attitude and actions in the 725 games

he played in the our jersey shine a light on the path for those who dream of being part of this team,” the statement said.

“For Real Madrid today is a day, above all, of thanks and recognition .... This goodbye evokes thousands of sensations and memo-ries charged with hope, anticipation, sacri� ce, strength and unique triumph,” the club said.

In 2010 Casillas made front pages world-wide in a photograph of him raising the World Cup in South Africa after leading Spain to the title for the � rst time.

But last summer the image was of a deject-ed Casillas on his knees as a rout by the Neth-erlands helped dump Spain out of the World Cup in Brazil. l

Djkokovic beats Federer in 4 sets for 3rd Wimbledon title n AP, London

Novak Djokovic got the better of Roger Feder-er at Wimbledon again.

The defending champion outplayed Feder-er in four sets Sunday to win his third Wimble-don title and ninth Grand Slam championship.

In a repeat of last year’s � nal, won by Djokovic in � ve sets, the top-ranked Serb overcame the loss of seven set points in the second set and pulled away to beat the sev-en-time champion 7-6 (1), 6-7 (10), 6-4, 6-3.

The top-seeded Djokovic broke No. 2 Federer four times and saved six of the seven break points he faced.

In winning the 40th career matchup be-tween two of the greats of the game, Djokovic prevented Federer from winning a record eighth Wimbledon title.

The 28-year-old Djokovic further cement-ed his status as the dominant player in the game and one of the all-time greats, still in the prime of his career. l

REACTIONS“10 years together and many moments. A great captain.”

–SERGIO RAMOS

“What more can be said about this man….. I’m sad to see Iker leave a club that he adored and gave everything too for so many years…. He is a friend an amazing person and one of the best goalkeepers in the history of the game…. A true Real Madrid legend…Gracias Amigo.”

–DAVID BECKHAM

“Iker has put up with a great deal. He has su� ered psychological pressure and they treated him di� erently to other players. I have watched him su� er for many years. It is Florentino who is pushing him out because he wanted to end his career at Real Madrid.”

–MARI CARMEN (IKER’S MOTHERS)

2015 Novak Djokovic (SRB)

2014 Novak Djokovic (SRB)

2013 Andy Murray (GBR)

2012 Roger Federer (SUI)

2011 Novak Djokovic (SRB)

2010 Rafael Nadal (ESP)

2009 Roger Federer (SUI)

2008 Rafael Nadal (ESP)

2007 Roger Federer (SUI)

2006 Roger Federer (SUI)

2005 Roger Federer (SUI)

Novak Djokovic shows o� the trophy after winning his Men’s Singles Final against Roger Federer at the Wimbledon yesterday REUTERS

Sport 29D

T

MONDAY, JULY 13, 2015

Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza celebrates after winning their Women’s Doubles Final match against Elena Vesnina and Ekaterina Makarova at the Wimbledon in London on Saturday REUTERS

Mirza helps Hingis to � rst Wimbledon title in 17 yearsn AFP, London

Martina Hingis won her � rst Wimbledon title since 1998 when she and partner Sania Mirza captured the women’s double trophy on Sat-urday.

Hingis, 34, and 28-year-old India star Mirza came from a set down and 2-5 behind in the � -nal set to beat Russian duo Ekaterina Makaro-va and Elena Vesnina 5-7, 7-6 (7/4), 7-5.

It was the top seeds’ � rst Grand Slam title as a team having only decided to play togeth-er in March this year.

Hingis won the Wimbledon doubles with Helena Sukova in 1996 and Jana Novotna in 1998.

For Mirza, it was a maiden women’s dou-bles title at a Grand Slam although she has won three mixed doubles at the majors.

“It’s been another lifetime. Seventeen years, usually you’re lucky to win it once or happy to be out here and play on the Wim-bledon grounds. It’s above my expectations,” said Hingis who was also the singles champi-on at Wimbledon in 1997.

“I have a great partner to pull me through. It takes guts and courage being 5-2 down in the third set. Couldn’t have asked for more drama how to win it.”

The � nal was halted at 5-5 in the deciding set due to fading light and to allow the Centre Court roof to be closed.

When the players returned, Hingis and Mirza raced through the next two games to take the title.

“To come out here at Wimbledon, this is something we dream of as kids,” said Mirza.l

Winning start for Gerrardn AFP, Los Angeles

Los Angeles Galaxy coach Bruce Arena said Steven Gerrard is still a month away from full � tness after the Liverpool legend made a win-ning start to his career with the Major League Soccer giants Saturday.

Gerrard played the opening 45 minutes of the Galaxy’s 2-1 win over Mexican side Club America, just under two months after his last appearance for Liverpool.

The former England mid� elder admitted he was short of match � tness but hopes to get as

much game time as possible under his belt as he attempt to settle in to his new surroundings.

“Physically, it was tough,” Gerrard said afterward. “I haven’t played a competitive match for six or seven weeks so it was very im-portant that I got out there and got 45 minutes.

“Hopefully I get some more minutes Tues-day (in the US Open Cup match at Real Salt Lake) and be ready for the big game on Friday (against the San Jose Earthquakes).” The Gal-axy’s former US national team coach Arena said Gerrard was “probably about a month away from being � t enough to play a full match.”l

Fiji qualify for Olympics after New Zealand expelledn Reuters, Wellington

Fiji’s under-23 men’s side advanced to next year’s Rio Olympics after a 4-3 victory on pen-alties over Vanuatu following New Zealand’s expulsion from the � nal for � elding an ineli-gible player during the tournament.

The � nal had ended 0-0 after extra time.Fiji are the � rst country other than Aus-

tralia or New Zealand to represent Oceania at the Olympic soccer tournament, though their quali� cation was mired in controversy.

New Zealand defender Deklan Wynne, who was born in South Africa, was deemed ineligible just hours before the � nal against the Fijians by an Oceania Football Confeder-ation disciplinary committee, a decision that angered New Zealand Football who felt the game should have been postponed.

“Given the circumstances regarding the process around the decision, Sunday’s Olym-pic qualifying � nal should have been post-poned,” NZF chief executive Andy Martin said in a statement after the game had kicked o� in Port Moresby. “Representations have been made to OFC, FIFA and the Paci� c Games Council supported by NZ Olympic Committee and Sport New Zealand.

Martin said NZF had been blindsided by the outcome, having been told the case would be referred to world governing body FIFA for a decision.

“While we � rmly believe tonight’s match should have been delayed, we will continue to do everything in our power to ensure that any � nal decision is only reached after a proper and fair process has been carried out,” Martin added.l

Utd complete Darmian dealn AFP, London

Manchester United have completed the sign-ing of Italy right-back Matteo Darmian from Torino, the English Premier League side an-nounced Saturday.

The 25-year-old defender arrived in Eng-land on Friday for a medical after a fee was agreed with the Serie A side, thought to be in the region of £12.7 million ($19.7 million, 17.7 million euros).

He was United’s second capture of the day after the club earlier announced they had struck a deal with Bayern Munich to sign Ger-many captain Bastian Schweinsteiger, subject to a medical and personal terms being agreed with the 30-year-old mid� elder.

Darmian has penned a four-year contract with the option to extend for a further year.

The Red Devils � nished fourth in the Pre-mier League last season, manager Louis van Gaal’s � rst in charge at Old Tra� ord.

“It is a dream come true to be joining Man-chester United,” Darmian said.

“When the opportunity to join the biggest club in the world came along, it was some-thing I had to do.

“To work with Louis van Gaal, a manager that has achieved so much in football, is such an exciting prospect.”

Van Gaal, the former Ajax, Barcelona, Netherlands and Bayern Munich boss, said Darmian was a “great addition” to his side.

“Matteo is a right-sided full back with the

versatility of also being able to play on the left,” the Dutchman said.

“He is a strong defender and has the ability to go forward in the attacking positions which is a fantastic attribute to have and much need-ed in the fast rhythm of the Premier League.

“I am delighted to welcome Matteo to the club and look forward to working with him in the coming days.” l

Los Angeles Galaxy mid� elder Steven Gerrard (R) jumps for the ball against Club America mid� elder Francisco Rivera at Stubhub Center on Saturday AP

DOWNTIME30DT

MONDAY, JULY 13, 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 2 represents N so � ll N every time the � gure 2 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 Wicked giant (4)3 Slender sticks (4)7 Tiny (3)8 Brown pigment (5)11 Dexterous (4)12 Heroic (5)13 Permit (5)15 Cult (4)18 Regretted (4)19 Niggard (5)20 Make e� ort (5)21 Swathe (4)23 Has on (5)24 United (3)25 Unwanted plant (4)26 Refuse to admit (4)

DOWN1 Of the eye (6)2 Mob (6)4 Be indebted (3)5 Dis� gure (6)6 Become � rm (3)9 Worn away (6)10 Uncooked (3)11 Longing (6)14 Of the wolf (6)16 Landed property (6)17 Reliable (6)19 Cry, as a cat (3)21 Archer’s weapon (3)22 Born (3)

SUDOKU

SHOWTIME 31D

TMONDAY, JULY 13, 2015

WHAT TO WATCH

The Hunger Games: Catching FireHBO 11:30amKatniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark become targets of the Capitol after their victory in the 74th Hunger Games sparks a rebellion in the Districts of Panem.Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth, Jack Quaid

How to Train Your DragonZ Studio1:25pmA hapless young Viking who aspires to hunt dragons becomes the unlikely friend of a young dragon himself, and learns there may be more to the creatures than he assumed.Cast: Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson

Superman ReturnsWB 2:33pmSuperman reappears after a long absence, but is challenged by an old foe who uses Kryptonian technology for world domination.Cast: Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth, Kevin Spacey

CELEBS ON SOCIAL

Ricky Martin@ricky_martin The competition is getting better and #TeamRicky is getting stronger. #TheVoiceAu

SHILPA SHETTY @TheShilpaShetty In my own creation SSK parrot embellished sari https://instagram.com/p/5B6Yg3I2Zy/

Kris Jenner@KrisJenner Oh no big deal, just reading my magazines on the way to London!! Beautiful @kendalljenner… https://instagram.com/p/5B605TG-KF/

n Showtime Desk

It can be hard to remember things like television show premieres or a � nale you have been waiting to see in our busy lives. Especially during Eid holidays, local TV channels introduce tonnes of exciting shows that make you lose track of old favourites. In comes a brand new TV guide application to take away all your show scheduling blues.

The new app is a joint collaboration between DataSoft Systems Bangladesh Ltd and MOBIOAPP.

In a ceremony held at the Pan Paci� c Sonargaon yesterday, Hasanul Haq Inu, the Information Minister, unveiled the app while Mahbub Zaman, Managing Director of DataSoft Systems Bangladesh Ltd, Monjurul Ahsan Bulbul, the Chief Editor of Boishakhi TV and others were present. Abdur Noor Tushar hosted the ceremony.

Primarily launched only for Android devices, TV Guide Bangladesh has already introduced customised schedules for 30 TV channels including most of the local stations. Soon users will be connected to over 100 channels that air in Bangladesh.

“The app has been created to modify people’s lifestyle. I hope this is the best Eid gift to all the people of Bangladesh,” said Mahbub Zaman.

Already available at Google Play Store, the app will allow users to experience many features including trailers, upcoming festival-speci� c programmes, customisation and alert on favourite programmes or stars. Interesting features like video streaming, interactive feedback and chatting with stars on demand will be added to the app in the process. l

2015’s anticipated releases

n Mithul Roy

Carly Rae Jepsen is set to release her third studio album E•MO•TION, which was meant be released early 2014 but has been pushed back to August 21 of this year. It has been reported that up to 250 songs were composed before settling for the � nal few - a testament to the sheer hard work the pop star has put into it.

After her major success with Young and Beautiful in The Great Gatsby, Lana Del Rey fans have something equally exciting to

look forward to. The singer-songwriter is set to release her third album Honeymoon this September. Her stars are de� nitely on the rise with her song Big Eyes, as a title track to the � lm of the same name, getting a golden globe nomination for best original song.

Releasing this July, Mobile Orchestra is the � fth studio album by American electronica project, Owl City. Ariana Grande’s third album Moonlight is also set for a late 2015 release.

After their sixth album Ghost Stories was

released, Coldplay has a � nal album for their loyal fans. The album is named Head Full of Dreams. In Martin’s words, they are looking at their seventh album like the seventh Harry Potter book - the addition to their legacy. They’re not ruling out the possibility of another album in the future but they are considering it to be their last album to propel them to give it their all. l

Never miss another show with TV Guide Bangladesh

BACK PAGE32DT

MONDAY, JULY 13, 2015

DJOKOVIC TAKES 3RD WIMBLEDON TITLE PAGE 28

NEVER MISS ANOTHER SHOW WITH TV GUIDE PAGE 31

CALL MONEY MARKET STABLE AMID POOR DEMAND PAGE 15

n Abid Azad back from Cox’s Bazar

Since 1996, human smugglers and tra� ckers have thrived in Teknaf and, supported by massive pro� ts, have built up a recruitment network throughout the country.

According to local inhabitants and o� cials, the tra� cking business could not have devel-oped without four key persons in the Teknaf area: the local MP, UP chairman, upazila chair-man and panel mayor of the municipality.

Allegations of these powerful individuals’ links to organised crime are an open secret in Teknaf.

A Bangla national daily newspaper report-ed that MP Abdur Rahman Bodi topped a police and intelligence agency list of players of the three top criminal activities in Teknaf – human tra� cking, yaba smuggling and il-legally naturalising Rohingya immigrants, as well as illegal hundi business.

He was listed along with 26 of his relatives.In Teknaf, there are two factions of the

Awami League – one is pro-MP Bodi and the other anti-Bodi.

The anti-Bodi faction is led by union pari-shad Chairman Nurul Alam, recently selected as Teknaf Jubo League president.

A follower of former AL MP Mohammad Ali, Nurul has built up his own group to carry out his political activities, and to � ght against Bodi and his supporters.

On the other hand, Bodi and upazila Chair-man Jafar are on the same side.

Police and BGB o� cials are wary of go-ing on record about political patronage for human tra� ckers, saying they fear reprisals from high levels of the government.

The Dhaka Tribune has learned that local representatives have bene� ted from the ille-gal trade. Some have invested � nancially in human smuggling and tra� cking operations.

Tra� ckers and people smuggling brokers provide manpower and funding for election campaigns, it was learned.

Sources said MP Bodi had asked local rep-resentatives to raise funds for him to be able to make large donations to the poor.

“But think about it ... Where does Bodi get all this money from and how do all of his fol-lowers raise so much money for him?” asked

a BGB o� cial.A local union parishad member in Teknaf,

on condition of anonymity, said: “If we name tra� ckers, we will face tremendous pressure. They are very wealthy. Even if they are caught, it will not take much time to secure bail.”

The Teknaf economy largely depends on human tra� cking, the yaba trade, illegal nat-uralisation of the Rohingyas and other illegal activities, locals said.

But in Teknaf, police and local represent-atives are wary of publishing a formal list of suspects of everyone – from top to bottom – believed to be involved in human tra� cking or the yaba business.

Human rights activists have called for a probe into the income and assets, over the last decade, held by MP Bodi and other Teknaf members of parliament, chairmen, law enforcement personnel and locally pow-erful persons.

They also asked: where does all this illegal money go?

Although both law enforcement and local elected o� cials have been implicated in or-ganised crime by Teknaf inhabitants, no local

representative or law enforcement o� cial has so far been brought before the law.

Yet it is widely believed that human traf-� cking could not take place without the com-plicity of government o� cials.

On May 26, the Dhaka Tribune reported that a recent intelligence report submitted to the Prime Minister’s O� ce said that because of the direct involvement of law enforcement agencies with these rackets, investigations into these cases see little or no progress.

A separate report was also submitted to the Home Ministry recommending action against 24 police o� cials.

The report said only 688 cases out of 2,501 cases � led since 2004 over incidents of hu-man tra� cking have been disposed of, ac-cording to the Police Headquarters monitor-ing cell.

Since the tra� cking business took o� in 1996, no accurate data has been compiled on how many people have attempted to migrate, how many have died, or how many have gone missing.

According to a report by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), be-

tween June 2013 and June 2014 more than 53,000 people � ed by sea from the Bangla-desh-Myanmar border region.

Executive Director Abul Kashem of the NGO HELP Cox’s Bazar, who has worked on anti-tra� cking issues since 2011, said: “Often, o� cials are not aware about what tra� cking is. They evade the issue saying that people go to Malaysia of their own accord.”

Kashem says: “Tra� ckers carry out their activities under the shelter of protection pro-vided by their patrons.”

But several chairmen in Teknaf denied involvement in human tra� cking. One even denied it was a problem there.

Teknaf upazila Chairman Jafar Ahmed claimed: “There is no human tra� cking in the Teknaf area.”

He said: “The Myanmar government pro-vides opportunities for Rohingyas to go to Ma-laysia by sea. Some Bangladeshis go with them. But now everybody is exaggerating about it.

“I had no idea that one could make such a huge amount of money from human traf-� cking. I just came to know about it from the media.” l

HUMAN TRAFFICKINGIN OUR TIMES - VIII

In the wake of the Asian boatpeople crisis, the Dhaka Tribune’s Abid Azad travels down the migration routes along Bangladesh’s jagged coast in search of answers. On the quayside alongside migrant smuggling boats he � nds desperation and ambition in equal measure, and � nds menacing eddies that portend far more trouble for the migrants than they bargained for. Beyond the horizon, in foreign waters, a vast network of human tra� ckers lies in wait. For Bangladeshis looking for a back door to a better life, a vast tide of greed and cruelty threatens to sweep away naïve hopes and whole communities with it. This is the last tranche of the multi-part investigative report on human tra� cking in Bangladesh. Watch out for a series of four case studies starting tomorrow

These are some victims of human tra� cking rescued recently at sea and sheltered in a government o� ce in Teknaf, Cox’s Bazar ABID AZAD

Who shelters human tra� ckers?

Editor: Zafar Sobhan, Published and Printed by Kazi Anis Ahmed on behalf of 2A Media Limited at Dainik Shakaler Khabar Publications Limited, 153/7, Tejgaon Industrial Area, Dhaka-1208. Editorial, News & Commercial O� ce: FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka 1207. Phone: 9132093-94, Advertising: 9132155, Circulation: 9132282, Fax: News-9132192, e-mail: news@dhakatribune.com, info@dhakatribune.com, Website: www.dhakatribune.com