PAGE 32Earthquake preparedness 101

PAGE 5Manjur’s motorcade attacked

PAGE 6Female Jagannath University teacher assaulted

PAGE 3Khaleda not a city corporation voter in Dhaka

PAGE 4Quick rentals getting 70% subsidy

EC FINALISES PREPARATIONS PAGE 3

LAST-MINUTE CAMPAIGNS WOO VOTERS PAGE 5

BANGLADESH NOT READY FOR THE BIG ONE PAGE 32

SECOND EDITION

MONDAY, APRIL 27, 2015 | Baishakh 14, 1422, Rajab 7, 1436 | Regd No DA 6238, Vol 3, No 16 | www.dhakatribune.com | 36 pages | Price: Tk10

‘Revolutionise silently’n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has urged the people of Dhaka and Chittagong to take re-venge by voting against the government’s “misdeeds and misrule” and thus usher in a silent revolution on April 28.

The former prime minister also called upon the voters to cast their votes early and to guard the polling centres so that nobody can change the result of the elections. At the same time, she wants voters to accept the results if the polls are fair and build resistance at every ward if they see rigging.

Addressing a press conference at her Gul-shan o� ce yesterday, Khaleda presented 33-point shopping list of reasons why people

should vote against what she said were the government’s misrule and misdeeds.

Khaleda, who usually speaks with a stone face at press conferences, appeared emotion-al yesterday, with her mood swinging from grief when talking about her sons and smiles when talking about a political reconciliation.

She began by expressing condolences to victims and the families of Saturday’s deadly earthquake in Nepal. The former opposition chief in parliament also condemned the as-sault on women during the Bangla new year celebrations on Dhaka University campus.

Towards the middle of her speech, Khale-da got extremely emotional and shed tears, which even many senior journalists present

PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

‘People won’t respond to her’n Tribune Desk

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said the people of the country will not respond to the call of a “repressor and killer” like BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia any more.

“Nobody will respond to the call of a repres-sor and killer like her,” she said in an apparent counter of Khaleda’s call for casting votes for her party-backed candidates in the upcoming Dhaka and Chittagong city corporation polls.

“The way she had devastated public life, will people respond to her call anymore? The country’s people did not like her destructive activities,” she said referring to the recent ac-tivities during the BNP-Jamaat’s hartal and blockade programmes, reports the UNB.

Speaking at a press conference at her of-� cial residence Ganabhaban to brief about her recent Indonesia tour, Hasina questioned the logic to cast votes in favour of the BNP-backed mayoral and councilor candidates in the city polls.

“The way Khaleda Zia and her cadres burned people, the way she ordered doing so, who will cast their votes for them?”

The Prime Minister mentioned that any-one who has the sense of humanity and con-science will never cast hi or her votes for BNP or Jamaat or the 20-party alliance.

“Only those who don’t have humanity and conscience could be there beside BNP and Ja-maat,” she added.

PAGE 2 COLUMN 3

Aftershocks cause more terror as Nepal quake toll tops 2,500n AFP

Powerful aftershocks rocked Nepal Sunday, panicking survivors of a quake that killed more than 2,500 and triggering new avalanches at Everest base camp, as mass cremations were held in the devastated capital Kathmandu.

Terri� ed residents, many forced to camp out in the capital after Saturday’s 7.8-magni-tude quake reduced buildings to rubble, were

jolted by a 6.7-magnitude aftershock that com-pounded the worst disaster to hit the impover-ished Himalayan nation in more than 80 years.

At overstretched hospitals, where medics were also treating patients in hastily erected tents, sta� were forced to � ee buildings for fear of further collapses.

“Electricity has been cut o� , communica-tion systems are congested and hospitals are crowded and are running out of room for stor-

ing dead bodies,” Oxfam Australia chief exec-utive Helen Szoke told AFP.

Climbers reported that the aftershock caused more avalanches at Mount Everest, just after helicopters airlifted to safety those injured when a wall of snow hit base camp on Saturday, killing at least 18 people.

The deadliest disaster in Everest’s histo-ry comes almost exactly a year after an ava-lanche killed 16 sherpa guides, forcing the

season to be cancelled, and as around 800 mountaineers were gathered at the start of the new season.

AFP’s Nepal bureau chief Ammu Kan-nampilly, who was on assignment at base camp, reported that six helicopters had man-aged to reach the mountain on Sunday after the weather improved.

A stunning image captured by the PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

Cities enter polls amid blame-game

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia address separate press conferences in the capital yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

MONDAY, APRIL 27, 2015

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Relief from Bangladesh reaches Kathmandun Tribune Report

An aircraft of Biman Bangladesh Airlines reached Kathmandu yesterday afternoon with relief and aid teams following a directive of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Bangladesh Air Force’s C-130 aircraft load-ed with 10 tonnes of relief materials landed at Kathmandu, said a press release from the Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR) signed by Assistant Director Reza-ul Karim.

The relief includes medicines, tents, dry

food, drinking water and blankets, the release read.

Six medical teams of the army were in-cluded in the aid team.

However, the release did not mention when the team will return home.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had earlier directed the authorities to send aid for Ne-pal after a 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck the Himalayan country on Saturday causing deaths of more than 2,200. Scores of build-ings collapsed in the quake. l

‘Revolutionise silently’at the conference cannot remember her doing ever before in public.

“You have seen how they [ruling party men] behaved with me. My husband Ziaur Rahman gave his life for the country. A few days ago, I lost my younger child [Arafat Rahman Koko]. My only surviving son [Tarique Rahman] is undergoing treatment after being tortured inhumanly.

“At this age [when I should have retired], I am trying to restore people’s right. Now you are my relatives. My all activities are centered around you. So, I give you the responsibility for giving � tting replies to the all the repressions in� icted upon me,” Khaleda said in a voice soaked in emotions.

Soon, however, she regained composure and came down hard on the ruling party for carrying out planned attacks to kill her.

She said that although she had come under attack repeated, none of the criminals had been identi� ed or arrested as yet. “This proves that I was their target.”

The BNP chief explained why they are taking part in the city elections although only a month ago they were in the middle of a serious movement, looking to topple the government and make way for a national election under non-partisan arrangements.

“City polls are non-partisan in nature. City polls give us the opportunity to hold party programmes even in small scales. The government has been barring us from holding any kind of programmes.”

She also said: “We are seeing these elections as a test for the ruling party, the Election Commission and the law enforcers. This election is non-partisan. State power will not change through this. If the elections are not fair, then it will be proved again that a fair national election under this government is not possible.”

The former premier said that the government, the EC, the law enforcers and the heavily politicised administration have so far utterly failed in the test.

She also slammed the EC for taking a “deceptive” decision of keeping troops stand-by instead of deploying them during the polls. “This proves again that they [EC] do not trust the army. It also proves that they see army as a barrier to the ruling party’s plan to rig votes.”

Khaleda was all smiles towards the end of the speech. Asking Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to leave her vanity, also reminding her that it would not always be her time.

“Let the city election be fair because it will not change power. You have done a lot of wrong things to cling to power.

“Now, being at state power is as dangerous as riding a tiger... Do not be scared. We are not as vengeful as you... Come back to the path of democracy and dialogue. We will � nd a safe exit route for you and will contest election in a level playing � eld. People will choose their representatives. Let us open that path,” said a smiling Khaleda addressing her long time rival. l

‘People won’t respond to her’Terming Khaleda Zia slipshod, the Awami League chief said how she is now seeking votes in favour of BNP-backed Mayor candi-date for Dhaka North, whose symbol is ‘Bus’, after burning thousands of buses during the countrywide blockade and hartal.

“Doesn’t she [Khaleda] have any shame? How is she seeking votes for the Bus symbol, which she burned recently,” she questioned.

Hasina also said that the people of the coun-try are not fools at all. “She [Khaleda] though that the people of the country are fools, and they will cast their votes in favour of BNP-backed candidates as she asking for.”

Hasina questioned further is it unique in the world the way Khaleda Zia burned people and vehicles? “I don’t know anybody saw such movement in the world history…it never hap-pened in any country,” she said.

She termed it as a ‘heinous act’ the way she burned people to death alive. “The way she burned people to death, how she is now seek-ing votes,” she added.

The Prime Minister recalled the horrible days during the blockade and hartal time. “What a hell-like situation she (Khaleda) cre-ated at that time in the name of blockade and hartal.”

She also questioned about the existence of the transport blockade at present. “I don’t know whether the blockade is continuing or not,” she said.

Hasina also questioned about the maturi-ty of Khaleda Zia’s leadership. “What type of

leader is she who doesn’t know when to en-force a programme and when to withdraw it,” she said.

The Prime Minister regretted that the peo-ple of the country are so ill-fated to have a leader like Khaleda who is only e� cient in kill-ing people. “Whenever BNP came to power it made the lives of people miserable,” she said.

Replying to another question, Hasina said that the win and defeat are the part of elec-tions. “If people cast their votes in favour of our support-blessed candidates then we’ll win, otherwise not.”

About today’s press conference of Khaleda Zia where she asked the people of the country to take revenge on the government with the city polls, the Prime Minister said: “Revenge on whom, if people take revenge for her 92 days’ destructive politics, then on whom they will take the revenge,” she added.

She trashed Khaleda’s remarks as irrespon-sible and full of double standard.

The Prime Minister claimed that Khaleda violated the code of election conduct by taking out processions with a large number of motor vehicles for election campaign through ob-structing vehicle movement on the streets.

Responding the BNP chief’s claim that the government has already laid out its blueprint for the city corporation elections, she said that nobody knows better than her about election blueprint, and refereed to Magura, Mirpur, Dhaka-10 by-lections during the BNP rule and the voter-less elections on February 15, 1996. l

Aftershocks cause more terror as Nepal quake toll tops 2,500agency’s South Asia photo chief Roberto Schmidt showed a massive cloud of snow and debris cascading onto base camp, burying scores of climbers and � attening tents.

“People being stretchered out as choppers land -- half a dozen this morning,” Kannampilly said in a text message. “Weather clear, some snowfall.”

Aid pours inO� ers of help poured in from around the world, with dozens of nations or aid groups volunteering everything from sni� er dogs to an in� atable hospital. India dispatched 13 military aircraft to Nepal loaded with tonnes of food, blankets and other aid.

The Kathmandu-based National Emergency Operation Centre put the toll in Nepal at 2,430 while around 6,000 more people had been injured.

O� cials in India said the toll there now stood at 67, while Chinese state media said 18 people had been killed in the Tibet region.

“We have deployed all our resources for search and rescues,” police spokesman Kamal Singh Bam told AFP. “Helicopters have been sent to remote areas. We are sifting through the rubble where buildings have collapsed to

see if we can � nd anyone.” The fresh aftershocks forced Kathmandu

airport to close for around an hour as air tra� c controllers evacuated their centre. Several � ights had to be diverted in mid-air.

The country’s cellphone network was working only sporadically, while large parts of the capital were without electricity.

Devastation in KathmanduAFP correspondents in Kathmandu reported that tremors were felt throughout the day, including one strong aftershock at dawn before the 6.7-magnitude follow-up quake that struck in the afternoon.

The historic nine-storey Dharahara tower, a major tourist attraction, was among the buildings brought down in Kathmandu Saturday.

Police said around 150 people were thought to have been in the tower at the time of the disaster, based on ticket sales.

“At least 30 dead bodies have been pulled out. We don’t have a number on the rescued but over 20 injured were helped out,” Bishwa Raj Pokharel, a local police o� cial, told AFP.

“We haven’t � nished our work there, rescue work is still continuing. Right now, we

are not in a position to estimate how many might be trapped.”

As rescuers sifted through the huge mounds of rubble in the capital, some using bare hands, hospitals were overwhelmed with victims who su� ered multiple fractures and trauma. Morgues were over� owing with bodies.

At the city’s oldest Bir Hospital, an AFP correspondent saw grieving relatives trying to swat away � ies from around a dozen bodies placed on the � oor of the morgue after storage space ran out.

The � rst mass cremations were held at the Pashupatinath district of Kathmandu, with the smoke from the funeral pyres wafting across a swathe of the city.

Samir Acharya, a doctor at Nepal’s Annapurna Neurological Hospital, said medics were working out of a tent set up in a parking lot to cope with the injured, while some patients were too scared to stay in the building.

‘I thought I was dead’ -Experienced mountaineers said panic erupted on Saturday at Everest base camp, which has been severely damaged, while one

described the avalanche as “huge”. “We have airlifted 52 from the base camp

so far, 35 have been brought to Kathmandu,” said Tulsi Gautam of Nepal’s tourism department which issues permits to climb the world’s highest mountain.

“Those who are able are walking down. Others are being airlifted.”

George Foulsham, a Singapore-based marine biologist, described the moment disaster struck.

“I was outside, saw a white 50-storey building of white come at me. I ran and it just � attened me,” he told AFP.

“I tried to get up and it � attened me again. I couldn’t breathe, I thought I was dead. When I � nally stood up, I couldn’t believe it passed me over and I was almost untouched.

“I saved for years to climb Everest. It feels like the mountain is saying it’s not meant to be climbed for now.”

Nepal and the rest of the Himalayas are particularly prone to earthquakes because of the collision of the Indian and Eurasia plates.

An 6.8 magnitude quake hit eastern Nepal in August 1988 killing 721 people, and a magnitude 8.1 quake killed 10,700 people in Nepal and India in 1934. l

NEWS2DT

NEWS 3D

TMONDAY, APRIL 27, 2015

EC � nalises preparations for city pollsn Abu Bakar Siddique in Dhaka and

Tarek Mahmud from Chittagong

Election materials including ballot papers have already reached the o� ces of the re-turning o� cers concerned, as the Election Commission � nalises its preparations for the city corporation elections in Dhaka and Chit-tagong tomorrow.

Arrangements are already in place to send the election materials to the polling centres by today, before voters head to cast their ballots from 8am tomorrow; the elections will take place until 4pm tomorrow without any interval.

The mayoral and councillor candidates al-ready wrapped up their election campaigns last midnight as per the election rules.

The government has declared a general holiday tomorrow in Dhaka North City Cor-poration, Dhaka South City Corporation and Chittagong City Corporation so that all voters can exercise their voting rights.

As part of the Election Commission ar-rangements, around 50,000 polling agents will perform their duties in the three city cor-porations on election day.

Four magistrates will be present at each of the 143 wards in three cities —57 in DSCC, 36 in DNCC and 41 in CCC – to conduct mobile courts until Wednesday.

The magistrates along with around 80,000 law enforcers including personnel from the police, RAB, BGB, Coast Guard and Ansar, will deal with the incidents of election violence through summary trials.

However, the army will stay inside the can-tonment as the Election Commission retreat-ed from its previous decision to deploy three battalions of the army in the three cities.

In DSCC, there are 1,870,753 voters who will cast their ballots at 889 polling stations; in DNCC, there are 2,345,374 voters who will vote at 1093 polling stations; in Chittagong, there are 1,813,449 voters who will exercise

their voting rights at 719 polling centres.

Preparations in ChittagongCCC Election Returning O� cer Md Abdul Bat-en said the necessary election materials have already arrived in the port city, adding that the materials would be distributed among 719 presiding o� cers today.

Thirty BGB platoons have already been deployed across Chittagong, while the police, Ansar and RAB forces would be deployed at the poll centres from today.

Each general poll centre and vulnerable poll centres would get 22 and 24 law enforcers respectively, including armed personnel.

Around 17,000 police and Ansar men would be deployed for security inside the polling centres in Chittagong, while the police, RAB and BGB would be deployed as striking forces outside the centres. The CMP have also set up round-the-clock check posts with CCTV mon-itoring in the port city’s entry points.

Besides, 140 executive magistrates and 10 judicial magistrates have been assigned for maintaining law and order situation during the polls across Chittagong city.

Fourteen vigilance teams, led by the assis-tant returning o� cers of the local EC o� ce, are also monitoring all election activities.

Abdul Baten, the CCC returning o� cer, said the Election Commission would take help from law enforcement agencies to con-duct raids at the city’s residential hotels, rest houses, guest houses and other areas to check for any outsiders staying in the city to disrupt the elections.

The EC would also secure the MA Aziz Sta-dium, the place where the results would be announced from, the returning o� cer added.

“We will take control the entire stadium area from today to set up a four-tier security system. None was allowed to move across the area on election day as well as 12 hours before and after the election date,” he said. l

Tabith alleges threats against party menn Tribune Report

BNP-backed Dhaka north mayoral hopeful Tabith Awal during his yesterday’s campaign raised several allegations about arrest, threat and harassment against party activists.

“Awami League supporters and law en-forcement o� cials have been threatening our aspirants and polling agents with arrest while the ruling party-backed candidates continue to violate electoral code of conduct,” he said.

“Attacks on our party activists as well as supporters have continued. Also, our polling agents have been constantly threatened. No

one can campaign fearlessly when the situa-tion is so.

“Nevertheless, we hope the Election Com-mission will take care of these,” added Tabith.

The young aspirant passed a hectic day campaigning from morning to evening as yes-terday marked the last day of campaigns for city corporation polls.

He started the campaign at Bashtala in Shahajadpur around 8:30am and later visited a number of areas, including Rampura, Mal-ibagh, Moghbazar, Karwan Bazar, Farmgate, Khamarbari, Shyamoli, Kalyanpur and Mirpur 1 intersection.

In the afternoon, Tabith campaigned at Kazipara, Taltola, Mohakhali bus stand, Ni-kunja, Uttara, Banani kitchen market and Gulshan 1 intersection.

During the campaign, he said he was hopeful that elections would be free and fair.

“I believe the Election Commission will take all the steps necessary to ensure a free and fair election.”

Tabith claimed he had got people’s sup-port everywhere he had gone to campaign.

“Despite attacks on our activists and also cases � led against them, I have stayed in the race,” he said while campaigning at Shyamoli. l

Khaleda not a city corporation voterin Dhakan Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia will not get the chance to cast her vote in the much-antici-pated Dhaka city corporation polls to be held tomorrow.

“I am not a city corporation voter. I am list-ed under the Dhaka cantonment area, which is not a part of the city corporation,” she said responding to a query at a press conference in her Gulshan o� ce yesterday.

Khaleda Zia used to live in a house at Sa-hed Moinul Road in the cantonment, from which she was evicted in 2010 following a a court verdict that cancelled the house’s allot-ment. Since then, she has been staying in a rented house in Gulshan 2.

The last time she cast her vote in an elec-tion was in 2008 general election, when she was a voter of the cantonment area. As her party boycotted the 2014 general election, she did not get to cast her vote.

Asked whether the countrywide transport blockade was still in e� ect, Khaleda said: “The blockade is not my programme, but of the 20-party alliance. As we have not been able to sit together, we have not been able to make a decision in this regard. But as you can see, the blockade programme is now inactive.”

Asked how her party would proceed in case her party-backed candidates were de-feated in the city polls, Khaleda said: “Let the elections be held; we will decide our course of action after seeing the results.”

Regarding her violation of the electoral code of conduct by using a huge motorcade for campaign, as alleged by both the Election Commission and the ruling party leaders, Khaleda said: “There were only a few security vehicles and a vehicle for women. There were more media cars. How was the electoral code of conduct violated, then? The ministers have been throwing allegations, but the Election Commission is silent in this regard.”

On the allegation of a back-door negotiation to stop the movement, Khaleda said: “We have to resolve our own problems... Why do diplo-mats have to resolve our crisis? Why should foreigners interfere in our internal matters?” l

Tabith Awal, Awami League-backed mayoral candidate of Dhaka North City Corporation, campaigns in Dhaka’s Eskaton area on the last day for campaigning for the polls yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

NEWS4DTMONDAY, APRIL 27, 2015

School-goers struggle to walk along a dug-up road at Agargaon, Taltola area in Dhaka yesterday. Such dilapidated condition of the roads is one of the myriads of problems that besets the capital and lies as challenges for the new mayors SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

Quick rentals getting 70% subsidy disbursementn Asif Showkat Kallol

For two months during last year, the govern-ment had to spend 70% of its total subsidy in the power sector for purchasing electrici-ty from independent and quick rental power plants.

The government disbursed Tk1,297.49 crore to the Power Development Board for the months of October and November in 2014; of this amount, Tk932.24 crore was allotted for buying electricity from the quick rental plants.

The Finance Division issued a letter yes-terday to Power Division Secretary Monowar Islam, granting the disbursement of the sub-sidy as a loan to the PDB – with a 3% interest rate along with a � ve-year grace period.

The Power Division will now have to pay the loan back in six-month instalments, meaning it would take 15 years to pay back the entire amount, according to the letter.

An o� cial of the Finance Division said the government has loaned the PDB Tk5,000 crore in subsidy between July and November last year, with most of the amount earmarked for quick rental plants.

The government has already increased its power subsidy allocation to Tk9,000 crore from the Tk7,228 crore allocation set in the budget for the ongoing � scal year, as the pro-duction of quick rental plants had increased during the time, said the o� cial who request-

ed to stay anonymous.For the next � scal year, the amount of

power subsidy however is expected to be less than Tk6,000 crore, he added.

Several meetings had been held between the Finance Division and the Power Division for reducing the cost of each unit of power purchased from rental plants, but the initi-ative fell apart because of interference from the politically in� uential people involved with the rental power business, the o� cial said.

According to the PDB, average cost of every unit from furnace-oil-run rental power plant is Tk15.50, while the cost of each unit from diesel-run rental power plant is Tk19.50; for the PDB, the average cost of every unit of electricity generation is now Tk6.10. The PDB sells the power to consumers for a price of Tk5.75 to Tk6.5.

The Power Division claimed that it would be able to save Tk3,200 crore as it negotiat-ed lower tari� while renewing the tenure of some 13 rental power plants having capacity to generate 877 megawatts of electricity.

Currently, the PDB purchases 1,420MW electricity from rental and quick rental pow-er projects and 1,066MW from independent power plants.

Earlier, in the revised budget for the 2013-14 � scal year, the government raised its subsi-dy allocation for rental power by Tk500 crore from the original allocation of Tk5,000 crore. l

EWG � nds several violations of the electoral code of conductn Shadma Malik

The electoral code of conduct has been violated during the campaign of city corporation elec-tions in Dhaka and Chittagong, according to the Election Working Group (EWG).

Presenting its � ndings during the campaign period of April 7-23, EWG Director Dr Md Abdul Alim said the violation occurred a signi� cant amount of times, both by the mayoral and the councillor candidates in the three city corpo-rations. The presentation took place at a press conference in the National Press Club in Dhaka yesterday.

According to the EWG’s observation, three major violations took place during the cam-paign period.

One of them was by Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad, who said he was above the elector-al code of conduct. The Election Commission sent him a letter asking him to refrain from join-ing the campaign, but he ignored the request and actively participated in the campaign.

The second violation was the attack on BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s campaign motorcade on April 20 in Karwan Bazar, Dha-ka. Around 150 activists of di� erent wings of the Awami League vandalised the vehicles in Khaleda’s motorcade.

The third major violation was committed by

a member of Awami League’s advisory coun-cil, who said the Election Commission might ask for army deployment, but the government would deny its request.

To observe the electoral campaigns in Dhaka North, Dhaka South and Chittagong city corpo-rations, the EWG appointed 67 long-term ob-servers (LTO) – 18 in the DNCC, 28 in the DSCC and 21 in the CCC.

Throughout the campaign, the LTOs also observed minor or small-scale violations made by the mayoral and councillor candidates.

For example, the electoral code of conduct clearly states that candidates are not to use party a� liation information during the campaign, but the mayoral candidates and councillor aspirants in all three city corporations used political identi-ties for their campaigning purpose.

Also, the stipulated time for using micro-phones and loudspeakers was from 2pm to 9pm, but the candidates were found to be using loudspeakers outside of the allocated time for their campaign procedure.

The returning o� cers were also found to be a weak deterrent to rule-breaking by the candi-dates, despite the fact that they had the powers to cancel candidacies where appropriate.

The EWG director also said voters had ex-pressed concern to EWG LTOs regarding their safety and security on the day of the election. l

Extortion case � led against former APS to Mosharrafn Tribune Report

An extortion case has been � led against Sa-tayajit Mukharjee, former APS to Expatriate Welfare Minister Khondoker Mosharraf Hos-sain, with Paltan police station of Dhaka Met-ropolitan Police.

Managing Director of Technomedia Limit-ed, Joshoda Jibon Debnath in a written com-plaint stated that on January 1 and January 8, Satayajit extorted a sum of Tk10 lakh in two instalments from him. He had earlier threat-ened the complainant that if he did not give him the money, he would stop his business.

Satayajit had gone to Joshoda’s Dhaka of-� ce located at the NSC Tower in Purana Paltan in person and demanded the money.

At that time, Satayajit was the assistant pri-vate secretary to the expatriates welfare and overseas employment minister and also the general secretary of Faridpur district unit of Bangladesh Chhatra League, Joshoda stated, reports the BSS.

Joshoda said he could not refuse Satyajit at that time as he was the APS to a minister, but Satayajit was recently removed from his post by the minister on charge of extortion and corruption, which encouraged him to sue him. l

RAB chief criticises Khaledan Kamrul Hasan

Rapid Action Battalion Director General Bena-zir Ahmed yesterday criticised BNP Chairper-son Khaleda Zia for seeking votes on behalf of her party-backed mayoral aspirants in Dhaka.

“Cases were � led over the attacks on Khaleda Zia’s motorcade. The culprits will be identi� ed after investigation. But it is unexpected that a person like her campaigned for her party-nomi-nated candidates violating electoral code.

“Such activities give wrong massage to people,” he told reporters at the RAB head-quarters. He made the remark in response to a query about an armed Chhatra League ac-tivist who was present when Khaleda’s mo-torcade came under attack at Banglamotor last week.

“As many as 5,000 RAB personnel will be deployed in Dhaka and Chittagong during the election. There will be 268 patrol teams in 134 wards of the two cities,” the RAB chief said, adding that 134 motorcycle teams, 134 teams in plain clothes and 36 striking forces would be on the � eld.

The elite force will use GPRS-mounted ve-hicles, to be monitored by RAB headquarters, so that they can take prompt action.

Asked about army deployment, the RAB chief said that decision would be taken by the Election Commission. l

NEWS 5D

TMONDAY, APRIL 27, 2015

LAST-MINUTE CAMPAIGNS

Khokon, Annisul, Afroza woo voters

n Tribune Report

Three Dhaka city mayoral candidates of the Awami League and the BNP were busy cam-paigning in di� erent areas as yesterday was the last day to conduct campaigns for city elections scheduled for tomorrow.

Awami League-backed mayoral aspirant Sayeed Khokon yesterday said he would ac-cept the city corporation election result even if it showed his defeat.

Describing himself as a person who has a clean image, Khokon said he did not get in-volved in any business by abusing power even though the Awami League had taken o� ce six years ago.

“So, there is no allegation against me.”While campaigning in the capital’s

Sayedabad, Khokon said he hoped the city dwellers would vote for him in the elections. Local Awami League leaders joined the cam-paign.

The Dhaka South City Corporation may-or hopeful said he would work togetherwith leaders of all parties for the city’s devel-opment and also for the peace of city dwell-ers.

After Sayedabad, Khokon went to Jatrabari and campaigned there, urging people to cast their ballots for him. He visited Wards 47, 49, 50, 53 and 54 under Dhaka South City Corpo-ration.

“I have a right to request the city dwellers to vote for me because this is the city where I belong.”

In the evening, Khokon addressed a press conference at his election campaign o� ce at Bangabandhu Avenue, where he once again urged voters to vote for him before o� cially closing the election campaign.

Another Awami League-backed mayoral candidate, Annisul Huq, said during his cam-paign that he has capability, experience, hon-esty and enthusiasm for work.

“I want to turn Dhaka into a modern city while you have a vote and just two days to make a � nal decision,” these were his last words during a press conference at a commu-nity centre in Ward 10 of Darus Salam.

“When you vote, you have to elect your mayor who is best capable of holding that posi-tion of a modern Dhaka. I will meet you Tues-day night if I win the elections. Otherwise, you will see me on Wednesday morning where I

will welcome the winner with garlands.”The Dhaka north mayoral candidate also

read out a letter which outlined his future plans for Dhaka city.

He also described how he would solve sev-eral problems step by step.

Annisul also displayed a model of future Dhaka featuring all the amenities of a modern city. He said he would implement the model if elected the mayor.

“I have carefully avoided the use of all kinds of politically vulgar words during cam-paigns and I want to do so in the future as well. I trust you and I hope you will not get confused.”

Annisul started his campaign at Mohakhali bus stand from where his motorcade visited all the wards under Dhaka North City Corpo-ration.

Afroza to accept results, conditionallyAfroza Abbas, wife of BNP-backed Dhaka south mayoral candidate Mirza Abbas, yester-day promised to accept the election results if it is deemed free and fair by the people and the media.

She also urged newsmen and security forc-

es to act impartially during tomorrow’s elec-tion.

Afroza made the remarks while election-eering in the capital’s Paltan area after visit-ing the house of senior Supreme Court lawyer Ra� q-Ul Haque.

She hoped that her husband, now in hid-ing, would win the election if the voters are not barred from exercising their franchise freely. “The government will witness a silent revolution.”

On the last day of campaigns, Afroza also went to Shiddeswari, Arambagh, Motijheel, Fakirerpool, Dilkusha areas.

In Dilkusha, Afroza told reporters that the supporters of her husband had been harassed by ruling party activists since the � rst day of electioneering on April 9.

“But the Election Commission and the law enforcers never took any action against them,” she claimed.

Accusing the government of not granting the bail petition of Abbas, who is a former minister, Afroza said she had got huge re-sponse from the residents of Dhaka south.

She again demanded deployment of army with judicial power. l

Three women � ghting male candidates for general CCC councillor seatsn Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong

Unlike the 2010 city elections that saw no women candidates running for a general councillor seat in Chittagong, this year – three women aspirants have shunned the seats reserved for women and are � ghting to get elected a ward councillor in a general seat.

The three female candidates – Fatema Badsha from Ward 23, Rabeya Sultana from Ward 11 and Momtaz Begum from Ward 4 – said they chose to run against other male candidates in general seats as reserved female ward councillors were deprived of many powers, allotment and chances.

“Like the general ward councillor contest-ants, we [women candidates] also give many promises to the voters; but after winning as a councillor for a reserved seat, we do not get equal distribution of opportunities to carry out development works or to ful� l our electoral pledges. As a result, voters grow to distrust us. So, this year we are contesting against the men for general ward councillor posts,” said Fatema.

“I have been involved with politics for a long time, and I have seen there is not enough equal rights for reserved female ward coun-cillor under the present structure of the city corporation,” added Fatema, joint secretary of Jatiyatabadi Mohila Dal’s Central Committee.

For the annual development budget, the female councillors from reserved seats – who have to cover three wards – are allotted only half of what the general councillors in those three wards get in total, Fatema said.

Also pointing out the futility of reserved seats, Awami League-backed Rabeya said: “Re-served female ward councillor is like a show-case post without any power or opportunity.

“While such a ward councillor has to win after convincing the voters of three general wards, the general ward’s contestants have to convince only their respective area’s voters,” said Rabeya, claiming that the triple amount of work was an injustice to the candidates who ran in the women’s reserved seats.

While Fatema and Rabeya are running to

win equal opportunities as ward councillors, Momtaz – whose husband BNP leader Mah-bubul Alam was the immediate-past council-lor in her ward – said she was running in the general seat as part of a political strategy.

Mahbub is currently behind bars in a case, but Momtaz said: “The government inten-tionally implicated my husband in a false case, but the local voters will give an answer to it with their votes.”

CCC Election’s Returning O� cer Md Abdul Baten said there are 41 general wards and 14 reserved female wards for the 70 lakh voters of the port city.

In the election, Fatema would � ght against four male competitors, Rabeya three and Momtaz against � ve competitors, said EC sources.

Saying women empowerment was absent in the local government of the country’s sec-ond largest city, the three women contestants added they wanted to win in their respective seats to prove that women were more eligible than male candidates. l

Manjur’s motorcade attackedn Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong

The motorcade of the BNP-backed mayoral candidate in Chittagong was attacked yester-day allegedly by Awami League supporters in the city’s Polytechnic area.

On the � nal day of campaigning ahead of tomorrow’s city polls, miscreants swooped in on M Manjur Alam’s campaign motorcade as it was passing the area; BNP Vice-Chairman Abdullah Al Noman was accompanying the mayoral candidate at the time.

In a press brief following the incident, the BNP claimed that supporters of the Awami League and its associate bodies attacked the motorcade, injuring eight to ten of Manjur’s campaigners as well as vandalising several vehicles.

Khulshi police station O� cer-in-Charge Sukanta Chakrabarty said he has heard about such an incident, but added that nobody has lodged any complaint with the police station.

The BNP had held a press conference where BNP’s Chittagong city unit President Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury blamed the ruling party for trying to repress Manjur’s campaign with the help of law enforcement agencies. l

From left, Annisul Huq, Afroza Abbas, and Sayeed Khokon carry out last-minute campaigning in the capital yesterday ahead of tomorrow’s elections. Annisul and Khokon are running for the mayor’s o� ce in Dhaka North and Dhaka South respectively, while Afroza has been campaigning for her husband Mirza Abbas in the south RAJIB DHAR/ MEHEDI HASAN/DHAKA TRIBUNE

NEWS6DT

Mahi attacked early Sunday morningn Kamrul Hasan

In another attack on non-Awami League-backed mayoral candidates, Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh-backed candidate Mahi B Chowd-hury’s car was attacked early yesterday morn-ing by unidenti� ed miscreants at Sat Rasta in the capital’s Tejgaon area.

Mahi, his wife Ashfah Haque Lopa and his chau� eur Shahid Mandol were injured in the attack, which took place on their way home after attending a television programme of the ATN News around 2:40am.

Mahi’s personal secretary Jahangir Chow-dhury said Tejgaon Shilpanchal police re-fused to receive their complaints at night and asked them to come to the police station in the morning.

Tejgaon Shilpanchal police station Sub In-spector Nazrul Islam informed that the case was � nally � led around 8:30pm.

Monirul Islam, joint commissioner of de-tective police, told the reporters that Mahi alleged that the same attackers who had at-tacked Bikalpadhara Bangladesh President AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury in 2004 were behind this attack.

“Mahi says BNP has been pressuring him not to contest the mayoral polls,” he said.

Mahi, now receiving treatment at United Hospital, said: “The miscreants broke glasses of my car and tried to pull me out of the car hold-ing my hair, saying, ‘ Now we have ful� lled your

desire to contest the election.’”Claiming that the government failed to en-

sure security for candidates, Mahi reminded: “It is the government’s responsibility to ensure the safety of the aspirants.”

Apart from this attack, the motorcade of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia was attacked thrice in the last seven days while she at-tempted to canvas for her party-backed can-didates.

BNP-backed Chittagong City Corporation

candidate M Manjur Alam and his supporters were also attacked yesterday afternoon, and councillor aspirant Sarwar Wadud Chowd-hury and Nazmul Huda, a supporter of Habiba Chowdhury, were attacked on Saturday.

The ruling party leaders, however, claim that people aggrieved and angered by the deaths of more than 100 people who were killed during the BNP-led alliance’s anti-gov-ernment movement since January could be behind these attacks. l

MONDAY, APRIL 27, 2015

Female Jagannath teacher assaultedn Mohammad Jamil Khan

Within a week of the horrifying sexual assault during Pohela Boishakh celebration at Dha-ka University, a female teacher of Jagannath University (JnU) was assaulted allegedly by a leader of Bangladesh Chhatra League yester-day.

The teacher of public administration iden-ti� ed the attacker as Araz Miah, 22, joint sec-retary of the JnU unit Chhatra League and a student of Islamic history and culture of 2009-10 session.

Campus sources and witnesses also pro-vided the same information.

The teacher told the Dhaka Tribune yes-terday that Araz had interrupted her near the sociology department on her way to her own department around 12:30pm.

As an altercation ensued, at one point she slapped Araz who had made indecent remarks at her. “Immediately after that, the Chhatra League leader assaulted me,” the teacher said.

The teacher later � led a complaint and a case with Kotowali police station.

When contacted, Dr Noor Mohammad, acting proctor of the university, told the Dha-ka Tribune: “We immediately suspended the student temporarily from the university and

a three-member probe body with Dr Ali Nur as the chief has been formed to investigate the matter.

“The committee has been asked to submit its report in seven days. We also asked law en-forcers to take necessary action as the victim has � led a criminal case with the police.”

A source said Araz is a close associate of JnU Chhatra League unit Secretary Sirajul Islam who helped Araz left the campus after the incident.

Asked about it, Sirajul however said Araz was a general student and “I do not even know him – why would I help him about it?”

Abul Hasan, o� cer-in-charge of Kotowali

police station, told the Dhaka Tribune that they had started investigating the case � led by the JnU teacher.

Meanwhile, police are yet to take any ac-tion regarding the Pohela Boishakh assault and have failed to trace anyone responsible for those assaults.

Members of the Detective Branch of police are now investigating the incidents.

When contacted, DB Joint Commissioner Monirul Islam told the Dhaka Tribune that they were receiving information over mobile phones about the Pohela Boishakh attackers, “but most of them are fake. However, we are trying our best to trace the responsible people.” l

Jihad murder accused gets bailn Md Sanaul Islam Tipu

A Dhaka court yesterday granted bail to Abdus Salam, one of the charge-sheeted accused in a case � led over the death of Jihad who fell into an abandoned pipe on Shahjahanpur Railway Colony premises of the capital.

Metropolitan Magistrate Md Aminul Haque passed the order after a hearing on the bail petition � led by Salam’s lawyer in the case.

On March 8, Salam surrendered before a Dhaka magistrate court after the expiry of his four-week bail. The court sent him to jail rejecting his bail petition.

Police on April 7 submitted the charge sheet in the case accusing Salam, owner of contractor � rm SR House that installed the deep tube-well, and Jahangir Alam, senior sub-assistant engineer of Bangladesh Railway

of negligence in performing their duties properly.

The body of Jihad was pulled put by a band of indomitable volunteers around 2:45pm on December 27 last year, around 15 minutes after the � re service called o� a nearly 23-hour search in the 17-inch diameter abandoned shaft.

Dhaka Medical College Hospital doctors declared Jihad dead when he was taken to the hospital.

Jihad fell into the pipe, some 40 yards from his house, the previous day while playing with friends.

Victim’s father Nasir Fakir � led the murder case with Shahjahanpur police against Salam and Jahangir alleging that the incident was the result of negligence by the contractor and the railway o� cials concerned as they had not sealed the pipe. l

Omera LPG and Omera Cylinders launched in Bangladeshn Tribune Report

Omera LP Gas and Omera Cylinders have been o� cially launched in Bangladesh. State Min-ister of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid formally inaugurated the prod-ucts as the chief guest at an event held in Ra-disson Blu Dhaka Water Garden on Wednesday.

Among others, Md Abubakar Siddique, sec-retary of Energy and Mineral Resources Division and chairman of OPL & OCL, and AM Badruddu-ja, chairman of Bangladesh Petroleum Corpora-tion (BPC), were present as special guests.

Considering the growing demand of cus-tomers, Omera Petroleum Limited (OPL) has started LPG venture in Bangladesh with ut-most commitment of convenience of availa-bility, functionality and safety.

To ensure uninterrupted distribution throughout the country, OPL has made robust investment for European Standards bottling and storage facilities in Mongla, Ghorashal, Bogura and Mirasharai with consolidated ca-pacity of 100,000 metric tonnes.

To ensure state-of-the-art product quality, OPL has its own cylinder manufacturing fac-tory named as Omera Cylinders Limited (OCL) in Habiganj. OCL maintains the highest inter-national quality control standard DOT4BA 240 and DOT4BW 240 for its cylinders which is approved by the Explosive Bureau of the Government of Bangladesh.

The factory has a capacity of 500,000 cyl-inders’ production annually. The LPG cylin-ders will be available in three di� erent sizes and two di� erent colours. l

North South University’s 18th convocation this yearn Tribune Report

North South University (NSU) is going to hold its 18th convocation at its Convocation Plaza this year. As nominated by the NSU chancel-lor, Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid will preside over the ceremony and confer de-grees to 2,034 graduates.

Professor Randy Beutler, president of Southwestern Oklahoma State University, USA, will deliver the convocation speech.

Prof Amin Sarkar, PhD, vice-chancellor of the NSU, Benajir Ahmed, chairman of the NSU Board of Trustees, and other board members along with deans of four schools will take part in this degree awarding ceremony.

In this convocation, gold medals will be awarded in two categories: the Chancellor’s category and the Vice-Chancellor’s category. Valedictorian Muneera Chowdhury with nine other gold medalists from the undergraduate and graduate programmes will receive the Chancellor’s and Vice Chancellor’s gold med-als. This year, 1,483 and 551 students will be graduating from undergraduate and graduate programmes, respectively.

The ceremony will be telecasted live on Ekattor TV, Channel i and ATN Bangla.

A cultural programme will be held for the graduating students, followed by a convoca-tion dinner. The programme will be telecast-ed live on SATV. l

Dhaka North mayor contender Mahi B Chowdhury gets treated at the United Hospital in the capital yesterday, following an attack on his car in Tejgaon, Dhaka DHAKA TRIBUNE

NEWS 7D

TMONDAY, APRIL 27, 2015

WEATHER

Source: Accuweather/UNB

D H A K ATODAY TOMORROW

SUN SETS 6:25PM SUN RISES 5:27AM

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW32.8ºC 19.2ºC

Chittagong Bogra

MONDAY, APRIL 27

SourceL IslamicFinder.org

F O R E C A S T F O R T O D A YDhaka 29 20Chittagong 32 23Rajshahi 29 21Rangpur 28 22Khulna 21 22Barisal 30 22Sylhet 30 21Cox’s Bazar 30 23

PRAYER TIMESFajr 4:08am

Sunrise 5:27am

Zohr 11:57am

Asr 4:37pm

Magrib 6:25pm

Esha 7:45pm

RAIN OR THUNDERSHOWER

Manjur, Nasir neck and neck in CCC mayoral race n Ashif Islam Shaon

It’s anybody’s race, observers of the Chit-tagong City Corporation mayoral contest said yesterday, as Awami League-backed AJM Na-sir and BNP-backed M Manjur Alam braced for a close � nish.

With just a day to go before the election, there is no clear favourite for the port city race for top job.

The political calculus involved is complex – with several discrete but sizeable interest groups at play, each of which could easily swing the vote.

Experts said export processing zone and garment workers accounted for half a mil-lion votes, people connected to the port city’s many shrines and mausoleums represented some 400,000 votes and slum dwellers ac-counted for 300,000 votes. They said winning the hearts and minds of these voters was the way to victory for the contenders.

Manjur’s Orange will take on Nasir’s Ele-phant to woo some 1,813,449 voters.

In addition, national politics added anoth-er dimension to the city contest and loomed large as a factor in voters’ choices.

At his last press conference, Manjur’s chief election agent and the BNP city unit chief Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury said: “We

urge voters: If you do not want to see this government any longer, vote for us...Nobody stays in power forever.”

Campaigning for his party’s candidate, Shipping Minister Shahjahan Khan on Sat-urday said: “The prime minister cares for Chittagong. If the people here want develop-ment, they need to vote for our candidate to strengthen her hand.”

Waterlogging is Chittagong city voters’ top concern. It was also a top electoral issue dur-ing the last city polls on June 17, 2010. Manju defeated his rival largely on this issue, poll watchers said.

Manju’s inability to sort the problem out during his 5-year tenure could work against him. A severe downpour ahead of polling day could easily swing the vote.

On the other hand, residents of the port city recall the rowdiness of Nasir’s followers, many of whom are well-known extortionists and criminals.

Close associates of the two candidates, asking not to be named, told the Dhaka Trib-une that they both have vote banks who could swing the polls results.

Party insiders told the Dhaka Tribune that Manjur and his family have more than 30 small and medium charitable organisations which provide help with the campaign. Every

Ramadan, many poor people receive � nancial help from him. These bene� ciaries form part of his vote bank.

Manjur’s main business concern is the Mo-stafa Hakim Group. The group of companies includes enterprises like Eagle Textiles and Taj Mahal Brand Cement, employing thou-sands of people who are also voters.

Jamaat and Shibir votes may also give him strength at the ballot box.

Manjur was elected councillor thrice from the Kattoli area. He has had nine spells as act-ing mayor of CCC. His camp claims that city corporation sta� are loyal supporters.

Nasir’s popularity lies with educational institutions and sports organisations. Apart from the general public, he will get more than 50,000 votes from these sectors, his cam-paigners claimed.

His campaigners claim new voters, num-bering around 73,850, will be his trump card at the polls. Some 217,000 voters from the Hindu and other communities will likely sup-port him, they added.

Nasir is the Vice-President of Bangladesh Cricket Board. He is also President of Nasira-bad Cooperative Housing Society where many people live. He also enjoys good relations with organisations connected with Chittagong port, his supporters said. l

KCC councillors boycott general meetingn Our Correspondent, Khulna

A general meeting of Khulna City Corpora-tion (KCC) was suspended in progress yester-day after 34 ward councillors boycotted the meeting after presenting their three-point demand.

Sources said the councillors came to the 15th general meeting of the KCC, which took place at Shahid Altaf Auditorium in Khulna, 20 minutes after it started around 11:30am yesterday.

Out of 41 councillors, 34 attended the meeting to present their three-point demand to the mayor and left the meeting half an hour later, announcing that they would not attend the general meetings until their demands were met.

The demands are: recruitment of 10 drain workers in every ward, cancellation of Sub-Assistant Engineer Ajmal Hossain’s promotion to assistant engineer, and cancel-lation of ward secretaries’ appointments to di� erent lucrative positions.

Speaking at a press brie� ng at the council-lors’ rest room, Panel Mayor 1 Anisur Rahman Bizwas and Panel Mayor 2 Sheikh Ha� zur Rahman said: “All our councillors agree with the demands, and none of them will attend the general meetings unless the demands are met.”

Ward 25 Councillor Ali Akbar Tipu said: “There is a lack of coordination between the mayor and the councillors, which creates an opportunity for corruption and hinders de-velopment work.”

“The mayor rarely listens to what we councillors have to say; he only has time for the government o� cers,” Ward 21 Councillor Shamsuzzaman Miah Swapan complained.

KCC Mayor Md Moniruzzaman Moni said he would discuss the demands with the coun-cillors in a meeting today.

He also said the recruitment of drain work-ers, albeit di� culties due to an amendment of city corporation law in 2009, is in progress, and Sub-Assistant Engineer Ajmal Hossain is merely seeing to additional responsibilities of an assistant engineer; he has not been pro-moted to the designation.

About the ward secretaries, the mayor said new secretaries were appointed because many ward councillors did not want to work with the previous secretaries. l

Father, son killed in motor blastn Our Correspondent, Kushtia

A man and his son were killed as a motor ex-ploded in Daulatpur upazila early yesterday.

The dead were identi� ed as Malitha alias Hek-mat Ali, 50, and his nine-year-old son Sohan.

Daulatpur police station ASI Rabiul Islam said, electric short circuit caused the blast of the motor of shallow machine around 11pm, leaving the duo dead on the spot. l

Ruling Awami League-backed mayoral candidate AJM Nasir Uddin, left, conducts last minute campaign for the Chittagong City Corporation polls at Kazir Dewri in the port city yesterday. Meanwhile, M Manjur Alam, right, backed by the BNP exchanges greetings with voters on the last day of the campaign at the city’s Chatteshwari area MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

NEWS8DTMONDAY, APRIL 27, 2015

People hurriedly come out of o� ces and homes in panic and stand on the road in Alupatti area of Rajshahi after tremors were felt in the district and elsewhere again yesterday AZAHAR UDDIN

5 robbers arrestedn Our Correspondent, Barisal

Police arrested � ve robbers from di� erent are-as of Uzirpur upazila of the district yesterday.

Sources said robbers took away a truck from Gutia area under Uzirpur upazila on 24 April.

A case was � led with Uzirpur police station in this connection.

On the basis of the case, police conducted raids in Gutia area under Uzirpur upazila and arrested four robbers from there.

They are Abdulla ,17, Md Swapan ,18, Md Milan ,19, and Md Rubel 19.

On the basis of their confessional state-ment, police arrested another robber Hasan Miah ,35, from Goalando market area along with the stolen truck.

Md Hasan Miah, son, of Yakub Ali, hails from Goalando area under Rajbari district. l

RMG owners urged to help Rana Plaza victims’ childrenn Our Correspondent, Gazipur

Speakers at a programme in the district have slammed the ready-made garment owners for not playing due role for the sake of the children who lost their father or mother in the Rana Plaza disaster that claimed 1,135 lives on April 24, 2013.

The participants made the statement in an event titled “Sishu Conference” hosted by Sishu Palli Plus at Tengra village in Sreepur upazila yesterday, where the children who are being bene� ted from the organisation were present as well.

Speaker Md Saifur Rahman, Sreepur social welfare o� cer, said whereas the country’s RMG owners, who have become rich by dint of the labour of the workers, have remained indi� erent to the su� ering of the children, in this regard many foreigners including British national Rob Jenkinson have come forward with their helping hands.

Sishu Palli Plus Director Sayed Shamsul Alam Chowdhury who presided over the con-ference said a total of 147 children of the Rana Plaza victims are getting � nancial assistance every month.

A class-VIII student named Farzana Ak-ter, hailing from Satvagia village in Shivchar upazila of Madaripur district, said she lost her mother in the deadly disaster and since then the organisation has been giving a donation of Tk3,500 to her and her brother each month.

The assistance has immensely helped them to keep continuation of their studies, she went on.

Sreepur Upazila Vice-Chairman Ra� quel Islam Mandal Bulbul and Telhati UP Chairman Abdul Baten, among others, were present in the event. l

Bangasonahat port infrastructural problems bane for tradersn Our Correspondent, Kurigram

Bangasonahat land port in Kurigram has been awaiting infrastructural overhaul after it was opened a year ago, putting traders in peren-nial troubles.

They continue to pay taxes to do business without having access to the facilities they need, with the government appearing to be indi� erent to improving infrastructures.

Bangladeshi traders are allowed to import 10 types of products from India but can export any sort of product through the port, which provides easy and cost-e� ective connectivi-ty with Assam, Nagaland, Tripura, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya.

The government in the last four months has earned Tk8 crore in revenue from local traders who imported only coal and rock.

Traders are importing coal and rock from India through the port located in Bhurungimari upazila since December last year, but the import and export of all the products permitted by gov-ernments of both countries has not yet begun.

Traders in the upazila say this has made them face losses.

Port workers meanwhile say they are forced to accept low wages as import and ex-port activities are yet to begin in full swing. They also say they are devoid of fair payments due to the lack of complete infrastructure.

Ataul, a porter, says the labour leaders re-cruiting more and more workers in exchange for their own bene� ts has aggravated the problem.

“There are now many workers who remain unemployed. As for me, I can load and unload goods from only two to three trucks a week,

earning a mere Tk400-500. This is impossible to run my family with this paltry sum.”

Shahin Ahmed, a local trader, says the lack of proper infrastructure has slowed down business to a greater extent.

“Another problem is that the Sonahat rail-way bridge, which connects the Dudhkumar River, is a risky route, which has caused busi-ness expenses to go up.”

Sarker Rakib Ahmed Jewel, president of the port’s C&F Agent, has called on the au-thorities to build the required infrastructures and to construct a new railway bridge.

Commissioner of Customs, Excise and VAT Commissionerate in Kurigram, Md Shakil Khandaker, said the authorities should focus on resolving the problems that traders are fac-ing not only to increase revenue but to boost import and export as well. l

World Veterinary Day observedn Our Correspondent, Rajshahi

Teachers and students of Rajshahi University observed World Veterinary Day on the cam-pus yesterday.

Over 150 teachers and students of animal husbandry and veterinary science depart-ment under the banner of ‘Veterinary Stu-dents Association’ brought out a colorful procession from in front of the administrative building of the university around 11am.

Vice Chancellor Prof Muhammad Miz-anuddin inaugurated the function by releas-ing pigeons.

The theme of the day in this year is “Vector Borne Diseases with Genetic Potential” l

200 RMG workers fall sick after drinking water n Our Correspondent, Gazipur

Some 200 workers fell sick after drinking wa-ter at a garment factory in Ashulia area yes-terday.

Sources said the workers fell sick as they drank water from the supply line of the facto-ry in the morning.

Later, the ailing workers were admitted to Ganasastho Kendro Hospital. The production manager of the garment factory ATR Limited refused to make any comment to journalists. l

23 held while returning from Indian Our Correspondent, Jessore

Members of Border Guard Bangladesh arrest-ed 23 Bangladeshi nationals while entering the country through Putkhali border point yester-day morning, after going to India illegally.

The arrestees hailed from di� erent are-as of Narail, Faridpur and Khulna districts. Putkhali BGB Battalion-23 camp commander Subedar Sha� Uddin Hawlader said on a tip-o� , a team of the border force conducted a drive in Charer Math area in the morning and arrested eight women, three children and 12 men while they were trying to enter the Bang-ladesh territory during their return from India without valid documents. l

NEWS 9D

T

MONDAY, APRIL 27, 2015

BCS Teachers’ Association, Comilla district unit form human chain yesterday in the town demanding punitive action against Bhandaria Upazila Nirbahi O� cer and Assistant Commissioner (land) for their outrageous and arrogant conduct with Bhandaria Government College teacher Md Montaj Uddin during Higher Secondary Certi� cate examination on 9 April DHAKA TRIBUNE

AL leader shot dead n Our Correspondent, Cox’s Bazar

A local Awami League (AL) leader, also a un-ion parishad member, was shot dead by mis-creants at Rangikhali in Teknaf upazila on early yesterday. The deceased was identi� ed as Sha� q Ahmed,50, member of Nhilla union.

Kazi Matiul Islam, o� cer-in-charge of Teknaf police station said a group of miscre-ants opened � re on Sha� q in the area while he along with his friends was gathering at a tea stall in the area ,leaving him dead on the spot.

On information, police recovered the body and sent it to Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital morgue for autopsy.

Police also arrested a man named Abul Bashar,25, of the village, in connection with the killing. A case was � led in this connection. l

Sunamganj maternity centre awaits upgrade for 64 years n Our Correspondent, Sunamganj

Infrastructural development has never been carried out at the Mother and Child Welfare Centre in Sunamganj since its establishment 64 years ago, heightening the su� erings of patients.

The number of patients has risen steadily over the years but there has been no upgrade of the facility in terms of manpower and pa-tient beds.

There are some 35,600 pregnant women in the district at present and locals say the six-bed facility, located on the DS Road area and roofed over with corrugated iron, has to be modernised to ensure proper care for these

women. Pregnant women and children from � nan-

cially disadvantaged families mostly seek medical care at the facility, which currently serves 40 newborn babies in the outdoor sec-tion every day. Some 10-15 expectant moth-ers undergo procedures every month at the facility.

But patients have to face unavailability of hospital beds and many even stay on the � oor during treatment.

The facility has two doctors and seven nurses but there is no intensive care unit to serve patients in need of the service.

Deputy Director of the Family Planning Department’s Sunamganj o� ce, Md Mozam-

mel Haque, said a total of 98 mother and child welfare centres across the country had been upgraded except the one in Sunamganj.

He said three proposals for modernising the centre had been sent to the Health Ministry that include construction of a � ve-storey build-ing on the same land with a facility of 20 beds.

“The ministry is processing the proposals.”The president of Sunamganj District

Sasthyagrahita Forum, Shergul Ahmed, said many families are insolvent to spend Tk15,000-20,000, which is a typical amount charged at private clinics or hospitals for child delivery.

Dr Jasim Uddin Khan, healthcare o� cer at the facility, said the authorities had been

urged for the last six years to upgrade it to a 20-bed centre but no step had yet been taken to implement the proposal.

Sunamganj Civil Surgeon, Md Abdul Hek-im, emphasised the necessity of improving the facility.

He opined that doing so would help pa-tients receive better services but could not say when necessary steps towards that would be taken.

Sunamganj 4 lawmaker, Pir Fazlur Rah-man, told the Dhaka Tribune he had already talked to the health minister about upgrading the facility several times.

“I will try my best to bring the issue to the minister’s immediate attention.” l

WORLD10DT

MONDAY, APRIL 27, 2015

HRW: Egypt’s trial of Mursi ‘badly � awed’n Reuters

The trial of former Egyptian President Mo-hamed Mursi, deposed by the army and sen-tenced to 20 years in jail, was “badly � awed” and appears to have been politically motivat-ed, Human Rights Watch said on Sunday.

A court on April 21 convicted Mursi and 12 other Muslim Brotherhood members of violence, kidnapping and torture over the deaths of protesters in 2012. They were acquitted of murder, which carries the death sentence.

The rise to power of the Brotherhood, a decades-old Islamist movement, after the Arab Spring uprisings polarised Egypt’s pop-ulation and led to months of unrest.

The army ousted Mursi in mid-2013 after mass protests against his rule. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, army chief at the time, went on to win presidential elections last year.

Human Rights Watch said Mursi’s de-

tention without charge for more than three weeks after his removal from o� ce violated Egyptian law, and it criticised the prosecu-tion’s heavy reliance on the testimony of mil-itary and police o� cers.

“Whatever political responsibility (Mur-si) may have, the prosecution didn’t estab-lish his criminal guilt in this case,” the rights group said in a statement entitled “Egypt: (Mursi) Trial Badly Flawed.”

It also cited a spokesman for the defense team saying the lawyers were only allowed to visit Mursi once in November 2013. Another lawyer was cited as saying the defense did not call witnesses out of fear for their safety.

Reuters could not immediately reach a for-eign ministry spokesman for comment on the report, but a government statement last week rejected criticism of the Mursi’s sentencing as “unacceptable interference in (Egypt’s) inter-nal a� airs, let alone disrespect of the rulings of the Egyptian judiciary.”

Mursi and his co-defendants deny the charges against them and are expected to ap-peal. Their case is part of a wider crackdown on the Brotherhood launched after the army overthrew the Islamist president.

Harsh rulings against thousands of Mur-si supporters, including death sentences handed down in mass trials, have been widely condemned abroad, including by rights groups, the United States and the European Union.

HRW also said the authorities had not in-vestigated the killings of Mursi supporters at the 2012 demonstrations, creating “an ap-pearance that the case was politically moti-vated against the Brotherhood.”

Mursi faces charges in four other cases in-cluding leaking secrets to Qatar, conspiring with the Palestinian militant group Hamas to destabilise Egypt, and organising a jail-break during the 2011 uprising against Hosni Mubarak. l

UN chief asks Indonesia not to execute drug convictsn Agencies

Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general, has appealed to Indonesia to stop the planned executions of nine prisoners within days for drug-related crimes.

The nine - from Australia, Nigeria, Brazil, Ghana, the Philippines, and Indonesia - have been transported to the high-security prison island of Nusakambangan, where they are set to face a � ring squad, despite mounting inter-national criticism.

Indonesia has so far informed eight of the death row inmates, including two Aus-tralian members of the so-called “Bali Nine” group, and one Nigerian, that they will be ex-ecuted in a matter of days, possibly as soon as Tuesday. l

Harper Lee saves Mockingbird play from closuren BBC

Author Harper Lee has started a non-prof-it company to produce a play of her iconic book To Kill a Mockingbird in her hometown of Monroeville, after a dispute was set to end the show.

Licensing � rm Dramatic Publishing had not extended the performance rights for the production, so Lee stepped in with Mocking-bird Company.

It will produce the play from 2016, giving proceeds to local communities.

Dramatic Publishing said on its Facebook page it was “thrilled.”

It added: “We are also happy to announce that the play will be performed by Mocking-bird Players, who have acted this American classic so well for so long. We believe that this is the best way (from the stage) to celebrate Ms Lee’s masterpiece throughout the greater Monroeville area.” l

Another crisis will hit Nepal capital today – sanitation

n Joseph Nathan for Hindustan Times

At 9pm, hours after the earthquake the tremors are still on, though they are get-ting milder compared to all afternoon. Fear has gripped Kathmandu and people are all out in the streets and open areas for fear of another round major tremors. It is dark and chilly, with no power, rather total blackout, no piped gas supply and no water supply. The biggest worry in the city now is about the sanitation problem that is go-ing to hit by tomorrow morning. Even the big hotels which have piped gas supply are without it.

American Embassy has called in all Amer-ican citizens in Nepal and given them shelter inside the closed gates.

It was national day for the Dutch today and all had gathered at the Summit Hotel, by the pool side for the celebrations. Soon as the � rst tremors happened, the entire swimming pool water was out of the pool and swept o� everybody around it. In fact this has hap-pened with most of the pools in Kathmandu. Surprisingly the new building have survived better than the old constructions and 200 to 300 year old temples have been reduced to the ground including the major tourist attrac-tion the Durbar Square.

Bharatpur Medical College run by an In-dian national has about 200 to 300 Indian medical students who have been evacuated and given shelter in camps. I was at the Golf course in Chitvan when the tremors � rst hap-pened and the woods were swaying violently as we saw it from the golf course.

Everyone present remained in the middle of the course till about 4 pm and the animals in the woods hid inside all day.

With barely any connection with the world outside, Himalayan Times is bringing out a black bordered earthquake edition with only local news tomorrow and we are trying hard to put what we can together at the moment. l

Report: Russian hackers read Obama emailsn AFP

Emails to and from President Barack Obama were read by Russian hackers last year in a breach of the White House’s unclassi� ed computer system, New York Times said on Saturday.

Earlier this month, US o� cials admitted there was a cyber “event” late last year, but refused to con� rm reports Russia was behind the attack.

However the incursion was “far more intru-sive and worrisome” than publicly acknowl-edged, the newspaper said, citing senior Amer-ican o� cials briefed on the investigation, and saying the hackers were presumed to be linked to — or even working for — Moscow.

The hackers, who also got into the State Department’s unclassi� ed system, obtained access to the email archives of people inside the White House, and perhaps some outside, with whom Obama regularly communicated, Times said.

It was from those accounts that they reached emails that the presi-dent had sent and received, according to the o� cials. l

Nepalese resident Suresh Parihar plays with his 8-month-old daughter Sandhaya as he is treated for injuries sustained in an earthquake at a city hospital in Kathmandu yesterday AFP

MONDAY, APRIL 27, 2015WORLD 11

DT

If Greece falls, no one wants their prints on the murder weaponn Reuters

“We’re going bust.” “No, you’re not.” “You’re strangling us.” “No we’re not.” “You owe us for World War Two.” “We gave already.”

The game of chicken between Greece and its international creditors is turning into a vicious blame game as Athens lurches closer to bankruptcy with no cash-for-reform agree-ment in sight.

Europe’s political leaders and cen-tral bankers and Greek politicians agree on only one thing: if Greece goes down, they don’t want their fingerprints on the murder weapon.

If Athens runs out of cash and defaults in the coming weeks, as seems increasingly possible, no one wants to be accused of having pushed it over the edge or failed to try to save it.

Greece’s leftist government has already identi� ed its culprit of choice - Germany, Europe’s main paymaster, accused of having in� icted toxic austerity policies on Greeks, causing a “humanitarian crisis.”

Euro zone governments are preparing the ground to blame the novice government of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras for having blustered, obstructed, failed to meet com-mitments and evaded hard choices while Athens burned.

“We are doing everything we can to save Greece from itself, but in the end, it’s up to them,” is the message pouring out of Berlin, Brussels and IMF headquarters in Washington.

Tsipras and outspoken Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis tried at � rst to mount a co-

alition against Berlin, touring France, Italy, Britain, Brussels and media studios after their election. They found no allies outside the media.

Tsipras revived demands for reparations for the Nazi German occupation of Greece in 1941-44, which his government put at 279 bil-lion euros ($303.5 billion) - more than its 240 billion euro bailout from the euro zone and the International Monetary Fund.

Berlin responded that it had already compensated victims and a 1990 agreement with the four victorious World War Two powers on German unification had put an end to war claims.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been careful to express goodwill and tried to build a relationship of trust with Tsipras while insisting Greece must meet its lenders’ reform conditions, which include � ercely re-sisted pension cuts and labor reforms.

“Everything must be done to prevent” Greece running out of money, she said after talks with Tsipras last week. “On the German side, we are prepared to provide all the sup-port that is asked of us. But of course reforms must be done,” she added.

Investors brie� y hoped her pledge might be a turning point, similar to European Cen-tral Bank President Mario Draghi’s 2012 vow to do “whatever it takes to preserve the euro.”

But Merkel’s comments could also be interpreted as an exercise in pre-emptive blame avoidance. Unlike Draghi, she did not say who should do everything to stop Greece going bust.

Her � nance minister, Wolfgang Schaeuble,

is openly sceptical of whether Athens can avoid crashing out of the euro zone.

Angry euro zone � nance ministers made clear they were far from a deal with Greece, rejected Varoufakis’ plea for early cash in return for partial reform and told him they would not even discuss longer-term funding and debt relief until Greece signed and imple-mented a full reform plan.

While Greece’s leaders insist Europe must heed and respect the democratic will of the Greek people, its creditors reply that they too have democratic mandates from their voters.

In Varoufakis’ narrative, euro zone coun-tries did not lend all that money to save Greece in the � rst place but to protect their own banks, which had imprudently lent Ath-ens billions.

Nonsense, say euro zone o� cials. Those banks took losses in 2012 when Greek debt to private bondholders was restructured.

Varoufakis has widened the circle of blame to the ECB, accusing it of “asphyxiating” Greece by starving its banks of liquidity and severely limiting their short-term lending to the government.

That prompted an indignant response from ECB President Mario Draghi, who told the European Parliament the central bank’s support for Greece amounted to some 110 billion euros, but it was barred by treaty from monetary funding of governments.

For weeks Greek o� cials have been telling their euro zone counterparts they have run out of money, only to � nd spare cash to make the next debt payment. “They have cried wolf so often that when they are really going bust,

no one will believe them,” one EU negotiator said on condition of anonymity.

Insiders say the ECB is determined that the central bank will not be the institution that pulls the plug. If it considers support for Greek banks is no longer tenable, it will seek a political decision by European Union governments.

“This is not something unelected central bankers should decide,” a source in the Eu-rosystem of central banks said.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker is eager to hold Tsipras’ hand until the last minute in the hope that he will impose an unpalatable economic reform deal on left-wingers in his Syriza party before it is too late.

For Juncker, one of the fathers of Europe’s single currency, the departure of a single member from the 19-nation euro zone would be a grievous blow to the bloc’s global stand-ing and could set a dangerous precedent, en-couraging investors to speculate against oth-er member states in future crises.

Even if it stayed in the euro zone, a Greek default on other European govern-ments or the ECB would be one of the most acrimonious moments in the history of the European Union.

Amid mutual recrimination over ruined Greek savers and cheated European taxpay-ers, some fear demonstrations by Greek pen-sioners or hospital patients and violence in Athens.

If it happens, there will be plenty of blame to go around, but no one to take re-sponsibility. l

Thousands march in Baltimore, US, to protest black man’s deathn Reuters

At least 2,000 people protesting the unex-plained death of a black man while in police custody marched through downtown Bal-timore on Saturday, pausing at one point to confront o� cers in front of Camden Yards, home of the Orioles baseball team.

In the biggest protest since 25-year-old Fred-die Gray died on Sunday, two clusters of march-ers chanting “shut it down” started out at di� er-ent times before merging during the afternoon into a single wave headed toward City Hall.

Gray is the latest in a series of black men around the country who died under question-able circumstances during police encounters. Their deaths have triggered an outcry in the United States over what many see as law en-forcement’s unjusti� ed use of force against African-Americans.

Last year, there were weeks of protests across the country following the shooting death of unarmed black teen Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and the death of Eric Garner, in New York City who was placed in a chokehold during an attempted arrest.

Saturday’s protests came a day after Bal-timore’s police commissioner conceded that police had failed to provide Gray with timely medical attention for a spinal injury he had su� ered sometime after he was apprehended and put inside a transport van. Police have

not explained how he sustained the injury. He died a week after his arrest on April 12.

During the march, some of the demonstra-tors confronted about 50 police o� cers in front of the baseball stadium, where the Bal-timore Orioles were due to play the Boston Red Sox at 7:05 p.m. There were no plans to

cancel or postpone the game.The demonstrators pushed up against a

wall of barricades and waved signs at o� cers, who stood silently in two lines. Some pro-testers kicked and dented police cars parked nearby but there was no forceful response by the o� cers. l

A demonstrator puts on a Baltimore City Police hat taken from a destroyed police car while protesting the death Freddie Gray, an African American man who died of spinal cord injuries in police custody, in Baltimore, Maryland on Saturday AFP

Philippines calls on ASEAN to urge China to halt land reclamationn Reuters

The Philippines called on its Southeast Asian neighbors to unite in urging China to halt rec-lamation of land in the South China Sea, but the call failed to raise widespread support ahead of a regional summit.

China claims 90% of the South China Sea, which is believed to be rich in oil and gas. Its claims overlap with those of Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan.

Recent satellite images suggest China has made rapid progress in � lling in land in con-tested territory in the Spratly islands and in building an airstrip suitable for military use and that it may be planning another.

In a speech to foreign ministers ahead of the o� cial opening of the 10-member Asso-ciation of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Philippine Foreign Minister Albert del Rosa-rio did not name China directly but said its “northern neighbor” was quickly advancing with land reclamation.

“Is it not time for ASEAN to say to our northern neighbor that what it is do-ing is wrong and that the massive recla-mations must be immediately stopped?” Rosario asked.

The territorial dispute is seen as one of Asia’s hot spots, posing risks that it could re-sult in con� ict as countries aggressively stake their claims.

China has said the recent construction is meant to serve civilian purposes such as � sh-ing and search and rescue. l

EDITORIAL12DT

MONDAY, APRIL 27, 2015

We welcome the enthusiastic participation of mayoral candidates for tomorrow’s Dhaka City Corporation elections in the Meet Dhaka series of television debates.

As it is the � rst time in over 20 years, that Dhaka is seeing a contested mayoral campaign, it is vital these elections see constructive debate about what needs to be done for the city, and brings forth better policies and manage-ment to move the city forward.

The televised debates are a positive sign of hope for the future. Making Dhaka better is a tall order, and debates on their own do not guarantee change. Professionals from di� erent areas must come together to tackle the issues of city planning, housing, sanitation, health, education, transportation, the environ-ment, and disaster management.

Decentralisation is imperative to make Dhaka city more livable. The root of many of our problems is the overcrowded nature of our capital, and therefore geographically redistributing institutions and amenities of both city corpora-tions is a sensible way to start tackling this issue.

These city corporation elections are a chance to move away from the parti-san politics we see in our national elections and really focus on the things that need to be done on the ground level. The current crop of younger mayoral candidates and fresh faces has shown a willingness to come forward and talk openly about the key issues.

We hope the policy discussions have helped voters make up their minds and are an indicator of better things to come.

We hope the debates will help bring better policies

Talking about Dhaka’s problems

Be heardWrite to Dhaka Tribune

FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Sukrabad, Dhaka-1207Email letters.dt@dhakatribune.com

Send us your Op-Ed articles:opinion.dt@dhakatribune.com

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Be heardWrite to Dhaka Tribune

FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka-1207Email letters.dt@dhakatribune.com

Send us your Op-Ed articles:opinion.dt@dhakatribune.com

www.dhakatribune.comJoin our Facebook community:

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Hijra heroines speak out on Oyasiqur murderApril 6

M Sirajullah These people should be awarded some kind of national award for their heroism. The entire transgender people community should have a place in society and should not be treated as outcasts anymore. Our PM’s attention is solicited.

Dev Saha  Kudos to these brave transgender people for nabbing these butchers. The law en-forcement should reward these brave hearts

for their courage.

R_Chow If our police force had any courage they would capture a lot of criminals ... not only these two ... but that’s a di� erent story! Congratulations to Labonno and her com-panions for being so brave! Unfortunately, in our country they are not looked after ... we have so much to learn!

Khan If the transgender people can do a wonder-ful job, why can’t the police?

Seraphim Khan: Because the “genderless” aren’t neces-sarily weaker than the ones with a gender. Con-grats on missing the entire point of the article.

R_Chow Seraphim: :)

DTBreaking the oath

April 6

sundar  It is heartening to see that at least one

person in the medical profession has some sense of shame and guilt for his activities

in the profession. So far, I have some knowledge of this profession, I can safely

bet that they constitute a class completely devoid of any sense of shame, ethics, civil-ity, decency, honesty, or any attributes be-

� tting a human being. I � nd no di� erence between a doctor and a butcher. Money is

the only thing they are concerned about.

Police seek Rubel’s exemption

April 6M Sirajullah 

I do not know the exact wording of this section of law. But in general, all over the

world, rape is de� ned as sexual encounter with a child (below 18 years of age), adults without valid consent (forceful, fraud, and

gang rapes). Sexual relations with adults with consent are not considered rape. Un-

der this de� nition, thousands of rapes are committed in Bangladesh every day

because of child marriages. That should be punished � rst. The child marriages should

be seriously dealt with by life imprison-ment of the man and the parents both.

Reward the brave bystandersApril 7Nasim Moloch  Yes, this is something the government should be doing. But AL is deeply con� ict-ed. Some want to hype up blogger killings abroad, some want to downplay them altogether, some want to help, others would rather make a deal with the Hefazat types. This is where a lack of principle gets you. Thank God for the transgender folks and other passersby for simply doing what is right. Good on them.

Iqbal Ahmedi  Mourn Oyasiqur by honouring his helpers. They couldn’t save him but they do show that our society has good citizens who make it worth defending.

Momoaswan  Give them all medals. The shop assistant, the beggar, the transgender persons, and the passerby -- it doesn’t matter. What counts is they did something and showed more bravery than the cowards who groom and incite the brainwashed to kill.

Aid fall o� not all bad newsApril 6Oppal  Isn’t this what we want, to be self-reliant? Not dependent on others?

We are appalled by the vicious assault on Mahi B Chowdhury, the Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh-backed mayoral candidate for Dhaka North City Corporation.

The candidate’s car was attacked while he was returning home from a TV studio in the early hours of Sunday morning. Choudhury, his wife and driver were all injured in the incident and he su� ered a serious injury to his eye.

It is unforgivable that anyone should be assaulted in this way. For a candi-date to be targeted for attack so shortly after several recent incidents involving the motorcade of BNP chief, Khaleda Zia, shows a lamentable lapse in poll time security.

The government and Election Com-mission must act urgently to catch the culprits and completely stop all attempts to intimidate and harass candidates.

All citizens and politicians must be able to engage in campaigning free from fear and harassment.

It is incumbent on leaders and candidates in all political parties to unre-servedly condemn these attacks and support the police in apprehending those responsible. The reported participation of AL supporters in obstructing the BNP chief’s vehicles is especially concerning and deserving of condemna-tion.

The ruling party has to ensure the law applies equally to all and that there will be no hiding place for any of its supporters found to be involved in these disgraceful actions.

All parties must work together with the Election Commission to guarantee the law will be upheld and the election can proceed fairly without further incidents.

Stop these disgraceful attacks on candidates

Act urgently to catch the culprits

OPINION 13D

TMONDAY, APRIL 27, 2015

n Kamran Reza Chowdhury

BNP chief Khaleda Zia’s motorcade for her city polls campaign came under attack by a section of the ruling party

front organisations such as Bangladesh Chhatra League, Jubo League, and others, according to media reports.

The common people, who welcomed the government’s city polls card as an escape route for the BNP-led alliance, the party that is largely responsible for the violent petrol-bomb politics which has been going on since January 6, have raised their collective eye brows at the attacks on a three-time premier. The role of the police has once again frustrated the citizenry as they did not take the appropriate measures to foil the attacks which took place in Karwan Bazar.

This near inertial role of the police must stop, and the BNP chief would have been given a chance to launch their electoral campaign, subjected to full compliance with the code of conduct. A sense of uneasy calm grips people, who are basically apprehensive of BNP would restarting its hartal-blockade-petrol-bomb brand of politics.

The BNP alleged that the attacks were aimed with the motive of killing Khaleda Zia, following some “provocative” comments Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina made on her arch foe’s electoral campaign.

Personally, I do not think the attacks were perpetuated to kill Khaleda Zia. The attacks, with or without the AL leadership’s nod, were the acts of some over-enthusiastic lead-

ers of the front bodies, no doubt, mainly to please Sheikh Hasina. The attackers will use their photos which appear in the media and social media as leverage in the party rank and � le. They would be thankful to the media for making them “netas.”

In case of a change of in government, many of the attackers would switch to the ruling party. In case of arrests, their party would put up posters demanding their re-lease ... a fortune indeed.

A common scenario in Bangladesh, in every party, be it small or large: Some lower-level leaders instigate rival parties campaigning near their rallies, processions, or o� ces, either by throwing brickbats or hurling abusive words at the party leaders. Thus, scu� es or acts of vandalism are fre-quent. The reality is people will always take the side of the victim, not the attacker; and in this particular situation, the people’s sympa-thy will go to the BNP and Khaleda Zia.

It is hard to ascertain whether the AL lead-ership had instructed its ru� ans to attack Khaleda Zia, but it will not be unfair to say that the ruling party wants the BNP chief to go back to its politics of violence, hartals, and blockades.

Khaleda Zia has been campaigning for the mayoral polls as if it is the general elec-tion, defying her bad health conditions, to reorganise her party leadership, and also to mend the mistakes she made after January 5 through her non-stop blockade and hartals. The AL has branded BNP-Jamaat as militant organisations, both home and abroad, ex-

ploiting the su� erings of the victims of petrol bombings and the destruction caused during the blockade-hartal.

AL prefers Khaleda Zia the “jongi netri” to Khaleda Zia the political leader, and BNP’s return to its politics of violence would fetch a good amount of political mileage for the the ruling party, of course, at the cost of the econ-omy and the people’s well-being. It is easier to tackle a “militant BNP” than a political BNP, since the AL’s popularity has dipped because of general anti-government sentiments.

The AL should let BNP continue its political programs, accepting the reality that BNP are possibly not in any position to dislodge Sheikh Hasina through a mass upsurge. The ballot is the only way forward. It will also help the ruling party to reorganise itself for the next polls, local and national -- the party that led our struggle for independence must not sponsor the petty acts of petty leaders. l

Kamran Reza Chowdhury is a journalist.

How to attack the opposition

n Towheed Feroze

For the last few days, Gallipoli, the sea-side spot in Turkey where bloody war raged during WW1, has been featuring

regularly in the international as well as the local media.

The common approach is irrespective of who took part in the war and which side lost or won; this should be a time to remember the dead from all sides and pray for peace.

The commemorations of the First Great War have gained momentum in recent times as the centenary of the global con� ict is being observed almost everywhere, though one cannot but feel that in remembering the Great War and the times preceding it, there is a deliberate attempt to leave out the complex “unethical” machinations (on the part of leading nations) of the turn of the century that led to millions dying on the front with-out even realising the actual reason for the confrontation.

A very vague trigger presented is the killing of the Archduke Ferdinand, though the core reason for the war was nothing but imperial ambition. It was pure greed for pow-er plus the desire to control the resources of other nations that resulted in worldwide war.

To be honest, the reasons for war still remain the same: Cutting out all the socio-political/moral rhetoric, the basic premise

for con� ict even in 2015 revolves around economic issues -- sometimes direct but mostly, due to indirect connections leading to oil, gas, and other mineral reserves.

One other pivotal point is to expand the market which again is related to accumu-lation of more wealth for one, usually the winning side.

So when WW1 is being commemorated with relatives of those who fell in Gallipolli speaking in emotion � lled voices about their forefathers dying while � ghting, the unmis-takable demon of imperialism comes out.

What were the soldiers � ghting for? Were they engaged for a better world for all or were they simply serving one sel� sh set of nation-alistic ideals?

The Great War would not have happened if almost all the major powers of the globe at the beginning of the 20th century were not ravenously competing to assert their superi-ority. I know nations not desiring to control others overtly or covertly is an impractical thought in any time period.

What is disturbing is how soldiers’ deaths on the � eld are being paid respect to with no clear denunciation of � agitious political maneouvering that sent and still send men to die.

Today, when the soldiers, the pawns on the � eld who fell in millions, are recalled in elaborate ceremonies, the countless � aws of

statesmen that have triggered wars over the centuries are never condemned in public.

Instead, an attempt is made to glorify the sacri� ce.

Just days ago, when, at a major event held at Gallipoli, tribute was paid to the fallen men, with sermons invoked from the holy books underlining the call for peace, some who are inclined to scratch beyond such choreographed events possibly thought that these pre-planned programs were just aimed at subtle lionisation of colonial credo.

A few weeks ago, an international me-dia house showed a documentary where veterans of the Korean War from both sides met at one of the con� ict zones to recall a bloody engagement, involving not opposing countries but two distinct ideologies: Com-munism and capitalism.

That war from 1950 to 1953 ended with millions killed but without any conclusion. In plain language: To assert the force of a political thought, scores lay dead.

Bluntly speaking, in 2015, the Korean War has little or no relevance, slipping from pub-lic knowledge, becoming the forgotten war.

Wars change the course of politics in the world; that is a fact. What it cannot do is pro-vide solid justi� cation for millions of deaths.

The irony is when young soldiers grow old and the wars they fought in become just a frayed page in history, having no impact

on current state of things, the stark division lines of the past fade, bringing veterans of opposing sides at preserved battlegrounds to get philosophical and unanimously say: All war is hell!

After all, when death is near, divisions appear irrelevant.

This has happened when wheelchair-using former military men of the Battle of Iwo Jima met.

Will I be wrong in stating that one day, perhaps years from now, enemies of other recent con� icts will also unite and utter the same lines?

It’s a custom to pay tribute to the dead, to pray and expect a better world; however, in this whole arrangement, there must be a section where leading world leaders should acknowledge that human society can only be better once greed for more power is under check.

Of course, I am being naive.While the soldiers in perfect alignment

walked to salute the large cenotaph remem-bering those killed in Gallipoli, Oscar Wilde’s witty cynicism came to mind: As long as war is regarded as wicked, it will always have its fascination. When it is looked upon as vulgar, it will cease to be popular. l

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

Gallipoli from the shadow of imperialism

MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

OPINION14DT

MONDAY, APRIL 27, 2015

n Shayan S Khan

With only the visit to the polling booth now left, a look back on the campaign may reveal events over the 7-day stretch

from April 14-21 to be most telling in our � nal reckoning. Provided the election does indeed prove credible in the end, the government should be prepared for a blowout. Especially if the vote falls along the same faultlines that characterise our national politics.

In this, the opposition BNP, or the can-didates backed by them, have enjoyed an advantage to be sure, being able to � eld their half of Bangladesh politics’ two star per-formers for a limited but decisive spell of the campaign during which most people would have been making their minds up.

The government and its stooges were visibly unnerved by the response Begum Khaleda Zia received from normal people, the coverage she commanded in the media (that the PM especially disliked). The � ght she has sustained is pretty remarkable for a woman of her age, at her stage of life. It goes woefully unrecognised in the discourse, whereas the other side is adept at composing psalms to its leader out of everyday events.

But the way the government’s apologists were seen � rst condemning as “a matter of principle,” the very serious attacks on Begum Zia from appallingly close range, before in the very next sentence condoning them based on

the hypothesis that disgruntled “common-ers” were venting their anger, was as pathetic as it was disgraceful -- the height of intellec-tual dishonesty. And the people saw through it with their eyes closed.

It was pathetic because the perpetrators of the worst attacks -- that took place in Kawran Bazar on April 21 -- were identi� ed by the media, and they were identi� ed as members of Chhatra League. Their names and posi-tions within the BCL’s labyrinthine structure were provided, beside close-up shots of their faces.

To take refuge in the fact that no-one was o� cially charged or arrested or even

acknowledged by the police is cowardly, not to mention idiotic, for that is one fact that is never going to change.

Get with the program -- the people’s faith in the police is lower than their sock’s roll. Any argument premised upon the police having found nothing is simply not credi-ble, because everyone knows the police in Bangladesh can never � nd anything. Except opposition activists and apparently would-be terrorists. After which, no-one else can � nd them.

Crouched on top of this leaky edi� ce you have the government’s hypothesis, their dodgy conjecture, and in some tellings wild speculation, that the people have taken up arms (as some of the attackers were carrying, again captured on � lm by credible photo-journalists) against the BNP-Jamaat force. We should like to believe those who govern us have slightly more faith in our civility. Or loud and clear, the government should know better than to judge the people by its own standards.

Whatever aspersions the people may harbour for all that happened while they were besieged by the BNP’s movement over the � rst three months of the year, no-one expects redress, if that, in any form or through any process except the legal one. No one, not even those who lost loved ones to petrol bombs, has advocated anything to the contrary. A secure, responsible government would su� er no qualms over condemning the

attacks on Khaleda Zia outright, minus any caveats.

But the AL’s dependence on its front organisations to maintain its current rule without a mandate from the people as a whole, makes it necessary for them to condone their barbarity, to which the government has no right to append the general public. That is what makes it downright disgraceful.

The same reasoning of course, explains why you won’t see those who were captured on � lm getting a cheap thrill out of sexually harassing a number of women in the midst of all the revelry on April 14 at the DU campus brought anywhere near justice. And why Moja Losss?, the irreverent social media campaigners, had to rein in their operations abruptly.

The government may assume its elaborately-wrought shenanigans and false narratives manage to fool the people, but really all they do is insult our intelligence -- a lesson likely to be dealt, at least in Dhaka and Chittagong, through the ballot. But will it be learnt? The prime minister, during her last press conference on Sunday, was visibly smarting from the public’s receptiveness to her great rival during the campaign. Come Tuesday night, she might be smarting harder still. l

Shayan S Khan is executive editor of the Dhaka Courier, and senior editor at UNB.

All done bar the voting

The government may assume its elaborately-wrought shenanigans and false narratives manage to fool the people, but really all they do is insult our intelligence

BIGSTOCK

15D

TBusiness MONDAY, APRIL 27, 2015

Asian central banks to ease further

10 years later, YouTube is a hit but faces challenges

DSEX hits biggest-single day fall in 21 months

17 1916Stock stakeholders want amendment to income tax law

20

Remittance from Gulf countries reboundsn Jebun Nesa Alo

Shedding the negative trend for more than a y ear, the  remittance in� ow to the country re-bounded from the middle-eastern countries in the last nine months, thanks to the reopening of the manpower market for Bangladeshi workers in some of the Gulf nations after seven years.

The in� ow of remittance rose by 7.6% in the � rst nine months of the current � scal year where the country had experienced a fall of 13% in remittance earnings during the same period of the last � scal year.

The country received remittance of US$6.68bn in July to March of the � scal year 2014-15 from the gulf countries compared to $6.21bn in the same period of 2013-14, accord-ing to the Bangladesh Bank data.

The expatriates sent remittances worth $7.12bn in the � rst nine months of � scal year 2012-13. After a long break, the Ministry of Labour of Saudi Arabia � nally overturned the ban on the recruitment of Bangladeshi man-power in February, 2015.

The number of manpower export into the middle-eastern countries rose by 30% to 25,883 in February, just after lifting the re-striction on Bangladeshi workers, compared to 19,928 in the same period of the last year.

The number of Bangladeshi workers to the middle-eastern countries is now gradually increasing with sending 31,443 migrants in March, an increase of 39% from 22,595 in the same month of the last year, according to the latest data of Bureau of Manpower, Employ-ment and Training (BMET).

Remittance, the lifeblood for the country’s foreign exchange reserve, had slowed down for more than a year due to the ban on recruit-ing Bangladesh workers by Saudi Arabia, the largest manpower destination.

The manpower export witnessed a down-ward trend in January this year with posting

10% negative growth.Despite the ban on the recruitment of

Bangladeshi workers in the middle-eastern countries, the country witnessed an increas-ing remittance in� ow trend from other de-veloped nations soon after restoration of po-litical stability in Bangladesh, said a senior executive of Bangladesh Bank.

As a result, World Bank had ranked Bang-ladesh 7th position in the list of remittance recipient countries in the year 2013, he said.

During the � scal year 2013-14, remittance accounted for 66% of the foreign reserve while it was almost 9 times of the current ac-

count balance in the same � scal year. According to the Bangladesh Bank data,

the country received highest remittance worth $814m in March from the middle-east-ern countries in last seven months.

The � gure was 15% higher from $708.71m in the previous month and 5% higher from the same month of the last year.

Earlier, country received $829m remit-tance in July from the gulf countries.

The country received $2.44bn remittanc-es in between July to March in the � scal year 2014-15 from the key remittance sourcing country Saudi Arabia, 5% rise from $2.32bn in the same period of the last year.

The number of manpower export in the Saudi Arabia rose by 389% to 3,731 in last two months, after lifting the restriction on recruitment from Bangladesh, compared to 763 in the same months of the last year. The remittance from other than middle-eastern countries increased by 6.67% to $4.57bn in the � rst nine months of the current � scal year compared to $4.28bn in the same period of the last � scal year.

The country received a total of $11.25bn re-mittance in the nine months of the � scal year 2014-15, which was 7% higher from $10.49bn in the same period of 2013-14, according to the central bank data. l

Japanese companies want relaxed IPO rulesn Tribune Report

Japanese companies have sought relaxed public issue rules to increase their investment in Bangladesh.

According to the existing initial public of-fering (IPO) rules, companies having mini-mum paid-up capital of Tk40 crore will have to be converted into public limited compa-nies.

A Japanese delegation recently requested the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Com-mission (BSEC) to exempt foreign companies and foreign joint venture companies from the provision as they argued this will attract large scale foreign investment not only from Japan, but also from other countries.

The delegation, led by JBCCI President and JETRO Chief Representative Kei Kawano, met BSEC Chairman M Khairul Hossain, said Ja-pan Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JBCCI) in a statement yesterday.

The meeting was told that large scale Japanese investments are expected to come to Bangladesh soon following therecent mutual visits of the two Prime Minis-ters of Bangladesh and Japan, the statement said.

There are around 9,000 Japanese compa-nies in Thailand and around 3,000 Japanese companies in Indonesia and compared to

that, Bangladesh has only 223 Japanese com-panies.

“So, there is a huge potential of investment from large number of Japanese companies both in large and small scales.”

The delegation pointed out that large Jap-anese companies that are already in Bang-ladesh or planning to invest in Bangladesh are facing problem with BSEC requirements, where it mentions that if the paid up share capital exceeds Tk10 crore, any company needs to get BSEC approval for raising capital.

If the paid-up share capital exceeds Tk40 crore, it will have to be converted into a pub-lic limited company and if the paid-up share capital exceeds Tk50 crore, it will have to go for IPO.

In response to the proposal, the BSEC

chairman assured that any Japanese owned or Japanese joint venture company (of any form), which will apply to BSEC for waiver of conversion to public limited company, will be given permission within three business days.

In future, no Japanese company or Japa-nese joint venture company will have to be converted into a public limited company if paid up share capital exceeds Tk40 crore and the companies will not have to go for public if the paid up share capital exceeds Tk50 crore, said the statement quoting BSEC chairman.

But private limited companies need to take approval from BSEC when its paid up capital exceeds Tk10 crore since it is a requirement of the rules. l

visit our website @www.dhakatribune.com

Banks closed tomorrow in Dhaka, Chittagong citiesn Tribune Report

All bank branches located in both Dhaka South and North City Corporation, plus Chittagong City Corporation areas have been asked to close down their business operations tomor-row to help voters exercise their franchise.

Bangladesh Bank issued a circular in this regard yesterday, asking the banks to close their branches in the city corporation areas.

The Election Commission has announced the schedule for the city corporation polls in Dhaka and Chittagong going to be held tomorrow. l

If the paid-up share capital exceeds Tk40 crore, it will have to be converted into a public limited company and if the paid-up share capital exceeds Tk50 crore, it will have to go for IPO

BUSINESS16DT

MONDAY, APRIL 27, 2015

Asian central banks to ease furthern Reuters, Bengaluru

Emerging Asian central banks are expected to cut interest rates again in the coming months, but economists polled by Reuters are doubt-ful the moves will signi� cantly boost growth or in� ation.

The � ndings echo results from earlier this week in Reuters surveys of more than 250 economists in Europe and North America who also expect more easing.

But the polls there showed only modest upgrades to growth estimates and a still de-pressed outlook on in� ation.

Twenty-seven central banks around the world have eased monetary policy in some manner or other so far this year.

The Reuters surveys across Asia, which bring the total number of forecasters polled above 300 globally this week, found nearly all central banks in the region, with a few excep-tions such as New Zealand and South Korea, were set to ease policy again.

The People’s Bank of China will probably loosen policy most in the region and is ex-pected to cut both of its two key interest rates by end-June and lower banks’ reserve require-ment ratio again soon afterward.

The PBOC cut its benchmark lending rate by 25 basis points last month, followed by an aggressive one-percentage-point cut in banks’ reserve requirement ratio over the weekend.

The Reserve Bank of India, which has al-ready cut rates twice outside regular meet-ings since January, will probably do so once more ahead of its June meeting and lower its benchmark repo rate again before the end of this year.

“There is growing realisation that de-mand-supportive and anti-de� ationary meas-ures need to be undertaken expeditiously, preferably in the � rst (half) of the year,” wrote Michael Spencer, Asia Paci� c research head at Deutsche Bank. But whether those steps will work remain in doubt.

Median estimates for growth and in� ation across all emerging Asian economies, and even Japan, have been downgraded from a survey three months ago.

That suggests further stimulus will proba-

bly not work as well as policymakers and in-vestors hope.

“In China, we maintain our view that there are rising risks of a mini-hard landing in 2015, as policy easing has not happened as quickly and aggressively as we had expected,” Spen-cer added in the note.

China’s gross domestic product is expect-ed to expand at a steady 7% in the next four quarters, unchanged from where it is current-ly and implying growth will stay stuck at a six-year low for a long time.

A mix of poor factory activity, rapidly cool-ing in� ation, a weak property market and

uneven export demand has bu� eted China’s economy.

Beijing has been pumping trillions of yuan into the banking system to re-engineer its economy, shifting to one led by consumption rather than exports and investment. But weak loan demand has dented those e� orts.

Tokyo has had an even tougher battle. The Bank of Japan has been conducting some form of quantitative easing since the late 1990s with a short interruption, but on the whole that has done little to boost growth or lift in� ation.

Economists surveyed expect Australia and South Korea to report slightly slower growth this year and next compared with the Janu-ary poll. India’s economy is predicted to grow 7.4% this � scal year and 7.8% next, but even that is based on expectations for two more rate cuts from the RBI this year.

The International Monetary Fund expects India’s growth rates to be the fastest for any economy in the world. l

German business con� dence hits 10-month highn AFP, Frankfurt

German business con� dence rose to its high-est level in 10 months in April, as recovery in Europe’s biggest economy continues apace, but optimism could soon begin to stall, the Ifo economic institute said Friday.

The Ifo institute’s closely watched busi-ness climate index rose to 108.6 points this month, its highest level since June 2014, the think tank said in a statement.

It was the sixth consecutive monthly in-crease and was better than analysts had been expecting.

“The upswing in the German economy con-tinues,” said Ifo president Hans-Werner Sinn.

In particular, companies’ assessments of their current business situation “once again improved considerably,” Sinn said, but noted that “optimistic assessments of the business outlook were scaled back slightly.”

Ifo calculates its headline index on the ba-sis of companies’ assessments of their current

business environment and the outlook for the next six months. The sub-index measuring current business rose to 113.9 points, also the highest level since June 2014.

But the outlook sub-index slippedslightly by 0.4 point to 103.5 points, the insti-tute said.

Analysts said the slight decline in expecta-tions was no cause for concern just yet.

“Despite the drop in expectations, there is no reason to ring the alarm bell,” said Natixis economist Johannes Gareis.

In fact, the increase in the assessment of the current situation “suggests that the Ger-man economy is still gaining momentum,” the expert said.

And further ahead, “we expect strong tail-winds from cheap oil, the low euro and low interest rates to drive the German economy forward,” Gareis said.

BayernLB economist Stefan Kipar also felt that the German economy had “got o� to a good start in the second quarter. Further-

more, the outlook for the coming months is positive.”

Postbank economist Thilo Heidrich said the Ifo index “has been in a clear uptrend since November 2014” and attributed the slight softening of expectations component to uncertainty about Greece.

“Overall, the index points to a continu-ation of the current recovery. In view of the current favourable fundamentals, such as the low oil price, the weak euro and the positive situation on the labour market, we expect the German economy to continue to grow during the course of the year,” Heidrich said.

Unstoppable confidence? For ING DiBa economist Carsten Brzeski “Ger-man business optimism seems to be unstop-pable, paving the road for an excellent year of growth.”

The German economy “is in decent shape. The � rst months of the year point to a good, though not excellent, growth performance in

the � rst quarter. And the next quarters should not be very di� erent,” he added.

Domestic demand was strong, thanks to record high employment, rising wages, fall-ing energy prices and booming consumer de-mand driven by record low interest rates, the expert said.

Just a day earlier, the GfK consumer con� -dence index rose to its highest level since Oc-tober 2011, “con� rming the picture of almost euphoric consumers,” Brzeski said.

Commerzbank economist Joerg Kraemer was more cautious, however. The Ifo index “can’t go much further now,” he said.

“Demand growth from the emerging mar-kets has eased o� substantially, for one thing, and German pro� t margins are coming under gradual pressure from the marked rise in unit labour costs. One should not become over-optimistic for Germany’s growth outlook,” Kraemer warned. Earlier this week, the gov-ernment upgraded its growth forecasts for both this year and next year to 1.8%. l

Google launches its own mobile telephone servicen AFP, New York

Google said Wednesday it was launching its own US mobile wireless service, with considerable potential savings for cus-tomers using their devices at home and for international travel.

The service called Project Fi is only available by invitation for now, and only for the Google Nexus 6 smartphone.

The service will use Wi-Fi hotspots along with the US mobile networks of Sprint and T-Mobile, and also may be used in 120 countries without roaming charges.

It will be o� ered at a monthly cost of $20 for basic service plus $10 per month for each gigabyte of data used.

Customers will only pay for the data they use, unlike some carriers which of-fer packages.

“Project Fi enables us to work in close partnership with leading carriers, hard-ware makers, and all of you to push the boundaries of what’s possible,” a Google blog post said.

“By designing across hardware, soft-ware and connectivity, we can more fully explore new ways for people to connect and communicate.”

The service “automatically connects to more than a million free, open Wi-Fi hotspots we’ve veri� ed as fast and relia-ble,” Google said.

“When you’re not on Wi-Fi, we move you between whichever of our partner networks is delivering the fastest speed, so you get 4G LTE in more places.”

Google said the connections will be encrypted and the phone number “lives in the cloud, so you can talk and text with your number on just about any phone, tablet or laptop.”

For global travel, Project Fi will enable low-cost calling in many countries, and data access at 3G speeds without addition-al charges. l

A clerk counts 100 Chinese yuan banknotes at a branch of China Merchants Bank in Hefei REUTERS

Twenty-seven central banks around the world have eased monetary policy in some manner or other so far this year

BUSINESS 17D

TMONDAY, APRIL 27, 2015

China’s smartphone makers bet on cricket, Bollywood to conquer Indian Reuters, Mumbai

China’s smartphone makers are drafting in cricket teams and Bollywood stars to conquer India, their largest overseas market and a key testing ground for their international expan-sion, as they try to rebrand as more than just sellers of cheap handsets.

Xiaomi Technology - the fast-growing No 3 global smartphone maker valued at $45bn af-ter a December funding round - hosted its � rst global launch outside of China in New Delhi on Thursday, unveiling its feature-heavy Mi 4i model that supports six Indian languages at 12,999 rupees ($205).

“It speaks volumes to our focus on India, our intentions, and (is about) really putting our investment where we believe the future of the company is,” Hugo Barra, Xiaomi’s vice president of international operations, said.

And they are not alone. Manufacturers including Gionee, Huawei Technologies and Lenovo (0992.HK) are trying out new retail strategies, marketing plans and research for devices in India, as they look to push into new markets.

Huawei and Gionee, for instance, are sponsoring franchises in the Indian Premier League, a wildly popular cricket tournament, while Lenovo and Oppo have adverts featur-ing movie heartthrobs Ranbir Kapoor and Hrithik Roshan as they try to build brand ap-peal among ordinary Indians.

India is the world’s third-largest smart-phone market, but with just one in 10 people using such handsets still has huge growth po-tential.

Chinese smartphone makers are in many cases unknown outside India’s larger cities, but they are beginning to win market share from better known rivals such as Samsung Electronics Co Ltd and even homegrown Mi-cromax, which in the fourth quarter became the country’s leading handset supplier.

With growth saturating at home, compa-nies from China and Taiwan have either en-tered or ramped up India operations over the past year. Six were among the top 20 smart-phone vendors in the December quarter.

Based on shipments data tracked by re-search � rm Canalys, the top � ve Chinese smartphone companies and Taiwan’s Asustek Computer Inc together accounted for 13% of shipments in the period.

Sales PlansFast growth and cut-throat competition has forced the new Chinese entrants to intensify their sales push, adapting plans previously tried out in China to suit local customers.

Xiaomi, a � ve-year-old company known as China’s Apple, entered India in July last year through a tie-up with online retailer Flipkart. It later partnered a leading electronics retail chain with a pan-India presence to boost its sales.

Arvind Vohra, head of Chinese manufac-

turer Gionee’s India operations said, he was focused on physical distribution, and would only then go online. Gionee sold 4 million de-vices and made almost $500m in sales in the year ended March.

“There was a huge challenge with the stig-ma attached to Chinese brands initially,” said Rushabh Doshi, a Singapore-based analyst at research � rm Canalys.

“A lot of new vendors are testing out online retail � rst, trying to see if the brand is picking up in India and then ramping up their opera-tions based on the feedback they get from the consumer base.”

Industry watchers say that now a focus on research and local production will help Chinese � rms o� er high-end features at low cost, positioning them well in a market that will grow at around 36 percent a year over the next � ve years, according to consulting � rm Zinnov.

Gionee, which was among the � rst Chinese device makers to enter India, has 1,200 em-ployees working on R&D and expects to set up a manufacturing base in India.

For Xiaomi, the research on the processor used in the Mi 4i was led by a team in Ben-galuru. The company could also make the phone locally once it sets up a manufacturing presence here, Barra said.

“(The Mi 4i) is not a Chinese design that is imported to India, this is a product that is de-signed with this market in mind,” he said. l

10 years later, YouTube is a hit but faces challengesn AFP, Washington

Ten years after its launch, YouTube has become a household name for online video but faces an array of rivals in the market and lingering questions about its business model.

The � rst video uploaded April 23, 2005 -- an 18-second clip of co-founder Jawed Karim at the San Diego Zoo -- o� ered little indication the service would become the leader in Internet video and a key part of the Google empire.

A decade later, YouTube has more than one billion users, with localized service in 75 countries and 61 languages.

Some 300 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute, and “every day people watch hundreds of millions of hours on You-Tube and generate billions of views,” according to the YouTube statistics page.

Google is reserving its 10-year anniversary celebration for May 10, marking the day the site went public, a spokesman told AFP. But analysts and others were talking about the milestone.

“Everyone in the world knows YouTube, even my mom,” said Dan Rayburn, analyst at Frost and Sullivan who also writes a blog about streaming media.

YouTube played a key role in the Arab Spring uprisings and other political movements. It has faced bans in some countries, notably for the distribution of a � lm about Muhammad which o� ended some Muslims, and has faced criticism for being used to distribute unauthorized copyrighted content.

Seeking a business model Rayburn said that even though YouTube is immensely popular around the world, it is not clear if it has a real business model.

Google bought YouTube in 2006 for some $1.6 billion in stock -- raising eyebrows about what was then the Internet � rm’s biggest acquisition -- and now generates considerable revenue, but also has high costs.

“Even today, Google will not say if YouTube is pro� table,” Rayburn noted. “But 90 percent of analysts say it is not pro� table.”

Rayburn said that even though YouTube popularized the idea of online video, the videos are mainly “user generated content” that does not attract revenue from users or advertisers.

“To stream premium content like � lms and television programs, people go to Net� ix or Hulu or iTunes,” he said.

“YouTube has struggled to � nd its core busi-ness. The vast amount of content on it cannot be monetized.”

But a report by Morgan Stanley analyst Ben-jamin Swinburne earlier this year said YouTube is “a high-growth, valuable asset” for Google with tremendous potential.

The report said YouTube generated some $4.7bn in revenue in 2014, and that it can do even better by investing in premium content - such as the paid video channels it recently unveiled and other kinds of subscriptions.

“Given Google’s hefty resources, we have been surprised it has not been willing to invest more directly in premium content,” the report said.

The research � rm Tre� s says in a recent report that YouTube represents about three percent of the value of Google but that its importance is growing. l

A man uses his mobile phone in front of a screen showing a logo of Xiaomi at the launch ceremony of the Mi Note in Beijing REUTERS

BUSINESS18DT

MONDAY, APRIL 27, 2015

SECTORAL TURNOVER SUMMARY

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

Bank 130.28 3.81 10.47 3.19 140.74 3.76NBFI 70.27 2.06 5.46 1.66 75.72 2.02Investment 20.98 0.61 1.01 0.31 21.99 0.59Engineering 420.80 12.32 47.88 14.57 468.68 12.52Food & Allied 89.48 2.62 3.66 1.11 93.14 2.49Fuel & Power 905.32 26.51 92.08 28.02 997.39 26.64Jute 0.91 0.03 0.00 0.91 0.02Textile 394.80 11.56 50.25 15.29 445.06 11.89Pharma & Chemical 762.82 22.34 41.41 12.60 804.23 21.48Paper & Packaging 11.30 0.33 6.57 2.00 17.87 0.48Service 170.46 4.99 7.71 2.35 178.17 4.76Leather 16.18 0.47 0.37 0.11 16.55 0.44Ceramic 12.95 0.38 2.41 0.73 15.36 0.41Cement 37.34 1.09 5.99 1.82 43.33 1.16Information Technology 59.10 1.73 4.27 1.30 63.37 1.69General Insurance 15.25 0.45 0.75 0.23 15.99 0.43Life Insurance 35.24 1.03 1.42 0.43 36.67 0.98Telecom 123.95 3.63 19.28 5.87 143.23 3.83Travel & Leisure 55.36 1.62 11.26 3.43 66.62 1.78Miscellaneous 81.12 2.38 16.33 4.97 97.44 2.60Debenture 1.31 0.04 0.00 0.00 1.31 0.03

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 disclosuresCITYBANK: 15% cash and 5% stock dividend, AGM: 28.06.2015, Record Date: 10.05.2015. EPS of Tk. 2.66, NAV per share of Tk. 27.72.CENTRALINS: 7% cash and 8% stock dividend, AGM: 23.06.2015, Record Date: 07.05.2015. EPS of Tk. 2.21, NAV per share of Tk. 22.91.Unaudited Financials: ABBANK: (Q1 Un-audited): NPAT= Tk. 576.60 million with EPS of Tk. 1.08 ( Restated 0.97) as against Tk. 414.47 million and Tk. 0.78 (0.69) respectively. NLI1STMF: (Q3- Un-audited): NPAT= Tk. 68.95 million with Earnings per unit of Tk. 1.37 as against Tk. 51.13 million and Tk. 1.02 respectively. MATINSPINN: (Q3 Un-audited): NPAT= Tk. 301.65 million with EPS of Tk. 3.09 as against Tk. 226.42 million and Tk. 2.32 respectively.Board Meeting: BAYLEASING on April 30, 2015 at 4:00 PM, RE-NATA on April 30, 2015 at 3:00 PM, MEGHNACEM on April 29, 2015 at 3:00 PM, MJLBD on April 29, 2015 at 7:00 PM, FASFIN on April 27, 2015 at 4:00 PM, RANFOUNDRY on April 27, 2015 at 3:00 PM, NFML on April 27, 2015 at 4:00 PM.APOLOISPAT: Credit Rating Agency of Bangladesh Limited (CRAB) has announced the entity rating of the Company as BBB3 with a stable outlook based on audited � nancial statements up to June 30, 2014, management prepared report up to March 31, 2015 and bank liability position (March 28, 2015) and other relevant quantitative as well as qualitative information up to the date of rating declaration.CITYBANK: The Board has also decided to increase the Authorized Capital of the Company from Tk. 1,000 crore to Tk. 1,500 crore and accordingly, amendments of Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Company subject to obtaining approval of Bangladesh Bank and by shareholders as well as to comply the required compliances.KEYACOSMET: The Company has further informed that the 18th AGM (pending AGM for the year 2014) of the Company will now be held on May 16, 2015 instead of June 12, 2015 at 10:30 AM at Fac-tory Premises at Jarun, Konabari, Gazipur for the year ended June 30, 2014.CNW: Trading of the shares of Bangladesh Steel Re-Rolling Mills Limited will commence at DSE from April 27, 2015 under N category. DSE Trading Code for Bangladesh Steel Re-Rolling Mills Limited is BSRMLTD and DSE Company Code is 13238.ACI: The Company has informed that they have entered into agree-ments whereby S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc., a Corporation incorporat-ed under the laws of the State of Wisconsin, USA has purchased the Brands in the categories of Insect Control, Air Care and Toilet Care Products on mutually bene� cial terms at a price of Taka 250.54 crore and that Advanced Chemical Industries Limited will continue to be the Distributor of the Products for a period of 5 years.APEXFOODS: The Company has informed that the Board of Direc-tors of the Company has decided to sell the immovable property (land) measuring 10.22 acres in Mouza Kalampur, Chandora, Kalia-koir, Gazipur at the price of Tk. 15,43,22,000.00 to Apex Fashion Wear Limited.

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EPSLatest

PE

GreenDeltaInsu -A 10.00 0.34 44.15 48.40 48.40 43.40 0.006 2.96 14.9Keya Cosmetics -A 10.00 7.73 17.42 17.60 17.60 16.10 1.634 2.02 8.6R. N. Spinning-Z 9.26 8.50 23.37 23.60 23.70 21.00 7.642 2.19 10.7ACI Formulations-A 8.34 6.49 143.16 142.90 145.00 139.00 12.223 3.27 43.8Apex Foods -A 5.75 5.75 92.00 92.00 92.00 92.00 0.009 3.20 28.8Republic Insu.-A 5.73 5.73 16.60 16.60 16.70 16.50 0.002 2.56 6.5Prime Islami Life -A 4.65 4.65 45.00 45.00 45.40 41.00 0.203 4.95 9.1Aramit -A 4.17 4.17 275.00 275.00 275.00 275.00 0.054 14.12 19.5Reckitt Benckiser -A 2.27 2.27 1421.50 1421.50 1422.00 1420.00 0.026 42.33 33.6Social Islami. B-A 2.24 1.41 13.62 13.70 13.80 13.20 1.103 2.74 5.0

DSE GAINER

Company Closing (% Change)

Aver-age (%

Change)

Closin-gAvg. Closing DHIGH DLOW Turnover

in MillionLatest

EPSLatest

PE

Keya Cosmetics -A 9.43 7.41 17.10 17.40 17.40 16.10 9.008 2.02 8.5ACI Formulations-A 9.03 7.51 144.82 144.90 146.10 138.50 181.413 3.27 44.3Apex Foods -A 8.51 5.44 92.43 94.40 95.50 88.00 2.326 3.20 28.9Kay & Que (BD) -Z 4.46 14.03 13.33 11.70 12.10 11.00 0.002 -1.41 -veR. N. Spinning-Z 4.19 2.10 21.92 22.40 23.40 20.80 9.177 2.19 10.0AB Bank 1st Mutual Fund-A 4.00 1.00 5.06 5.20 5.50 4.60 0.006 0.68 7.4DBH 1st MF-A 2.70 3.50 3.84 3.80 3.90 3.70 0.159 -0.47 -vePhoenix Fin. 1st MF-A 2.50 3.54 4.10 4.10 4.10 4.00 0.043 0.66 6.21st Janata Bank MF-A 2.44 1.46 4.17 4.20 4.20 4.10 0.128 0.84 5.0Social Islami. B-A 2.24 3.38 13.75 13.70 14.00 13.40 13.612 2.74 5.0

CSE LOSER

Company Closing (% Change)

Aver-age (%

Change)

Closin-gAvg. Closing DHIGH DLOW Turnover

in MillionLatest

EPSLatest

PE

Popular Life Insu. -A -23.24 -23.89 110.00 110.00 110.00 110.00 0.033 2.89 38.1Shasha Denims -N -12.61 -9.29 38.76 38.10 40.50 37.30 5.899 3.17 12.2AB Bank - A -11.06 -11.77 17.62 17.70 17.90 16.80 1.522 3.88 4.5Midas Financing-Z -9.91 -9.91 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 0.020 -3.24 -veNational Housing Fin.-B -9.79 -10.19 17.97 17.50 18.40 17.50 0.169 1.97 9.1Imam Button -Z -9.78 -7.90 8.39 8.30 8.60 8.30 0.056 -1.48 -veGQ Ball PenA -9.74 -6.17 80.93 77.80 82.00 77.80 0.085 2.21 36.6BDCOM Online-A -9.34 -9.23 23.30 23.30 23.30 23.30 0.031 1.68 13.9Premier Leasing-Z -9.20 -8.53 7.94 7.90 8.30 7.90 0.164 0.08 99.3Rahima Food -Z -9.17 -8.12 20.03 19.80 20.50 19.70 0.100 -0.42 -ve

DSE LOSER

Company Closing (% Change)

Aver-age (%

Change)

Closin-gAvg. Closing DHIGH DLOW Turnover

in MillionLatest

EPSLatest

PE

Popular Life Insu. -A -35.63 -35.84 93.26 92.50 99.90 92.40 12.963 2.89 32.3Shasha Denims -N -12.76 -9.21 39.03 38.30 41.40 37.10 186.529 3.17 12.3AB Bank - A -12.00 -12.23 17.66 17.60 18.00 17.50 8.316 3.88 4.6Modern Dyeing -Z -9.57 -31.00 69.00 69.00 69.00 69.00 0.004 -0.50 -veRupali Bank - A -9.27 -8.95 37.33 37.20 41.00 37.00 0.278 2.04 18.3BGIC -A -9.15 -13.02 12.83 12.90 13.50 12.80 0.750 1.31 9.8EXIM Bank 1 MF-A -9.09 -9.09 6.00 6.00 6.00 6.00 0.002 0.56 10.7Sonargaon Tex -Z -8.94 -16.83 11.17 11.20 11.60 11.10 0.997 -0.84 -veBD Submarine Cable-A -8.66 -13.48 118.38 114.90 125.10 114.00 50.860 0.64 185.0Phoenix Finance-A -8.19 -5.00 16.14 15.70 16.80 15.50 1.716 1.64 9.8

DSE key features April 26, 2015Turnover (Million Taka)

3,415.21

Turnover (Volume)

71,343,923

Number of Contract

91,471

Traded Issues 308

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

33

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

270

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

5

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,343.46

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

28.41

CSE key features April 26, 2015Turnover (Million Taka)

328.58

Turnover (Volume)

8,595,884

Number of Contract

14,557

Traded Issues 223

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

29

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

187

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

7

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,273.02

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

27.55

BUSINESS 19D

TMONDAY, APRIL 27, 2015

DSEX hits biggest-single day fall in 21 monthsn Tribune Report

Stocks saw steep fall yesterday with the benchmark index, DSEX, su� ering biggest single-day fall for the � rst time in 21 months.

The stock market appeared to be largely reacting to the news of powerful earthquake that hit Nepal, along with the continued worry over the unsettled political unrest at home, analysts say. The DSEX closed at 4,097, tumbling almost 98 points or 2.4% - its lowest level since November 5, 2013 and largest single-day fall since August, 2013.

The Shariah Index DSES dropped 20 points or 2% to 1004. The comprising blue chips DS30 was down 34 points to 1,621.

Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) Selective Categories In-dex, CSCX, closed at 7,648, losing 167 points.

During the session, all the sectors collapsed with non-banking � nancial institutions losing 4%, life insurance 3.6%, power 3%, banks 2.5% and pharmaceuticals 2.4%.

Telecommunication, cement and food & allied also lost more than 1% each. Some dealers said investors worried about what would happen if a major earthquake hit Bangla-desh, accelerating sell-o� in the market.

IDLC Investments said in the backdrop of catastrophic earthquake in neighboring country as well as heating up of local political frontier, market started in a demoralised tone.

It said fear of political chaos coupled with free falling index level made investors watch further downside, which ultimately created a self-ful� lling prophecy.

“Getting panicked in such complex situation, investors lashed out, as DSEX observed the biggest fall of the year.”

Lanka Bangla Securities, however, said the selling fren-zy that started � ve days ago continued and the market took another hard hit.

“Investors were very cautious as they were pondering about which direction the market will take after the upcom-ing city corporation elections.”

Trading activities also witnessed lackluster as the DSE turnover stood at Tk340 crore, which was 9.6% lower over the previous session. l

Getting panicked in such complex situation, investors lashed out, as DSEX observed the biggest fall of the year

ANALYST

Daily capital market highlightsDSE Broad Index : 4094.47983 (-) 2.33% ▼

DSE - 30 Index : 1558.13262 (-) 2.17% ▼

CSE All Share Index: 12600.4925 (-) 2.01% ▼

CSE - 30 Index : 10229.5234 (-) 2.06% ▼

CSE Selected Index : 7648.0923 (-) 2.14% ▼

CSE TURNOVER LEADERS

Company Volume-Shares

Value in Million

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

United Power-N 298,916 57.02 17.35 183.70 -7.32 198.20 203.90 180.90 190.77Moza� ar H.Spinning-A 656,515 23.53 7.16 34.80 -3.33 36.00 37.00 34.70 35.84Ifad Autos -N 250,234 19.24 5.86 78.00 -1.89 79.50 79.90 76.10 76.90WesternMarine -N 335,977 17.49 5.32 50.60 0.80 50.20 54.00 50.30 52.06MJL BD Ltd.-A 116,848 14.66 4.46 121.90 -2.87 125.50 129.00 118.00 125.47BD Submarine Cable-A 113,345 13.46 4.10 114.40 -8.99 125.70 125.70 113.20 118.73ACI Formulations-A 85,385 12.22 3.72 142.90 8.34 131.90 145.00 139.00 143.16ACI Limited- A 21,753 11.59 3.53 507.80 -3.26 524.90 562.00 500.00 532.83BEXIMCO Ltd. -A 410,588 11.44 3.48 27.40 -5.84 29.10 29.50 27.10 27.86UNITED AIR-A 1,392,519 9.95 3.03 7.10 -5.33 7.50 7.40 7.00 7.15R. N. Spinning-Z 326,968 7.64 2.33 23.60 9.26 21.60 23.70 21.00 23.37Shasha Denims -N 152,186 5.90 1.80 38.10 -12.61 43.60 40.50 37.30 38.76Grameenphone-A 18,186 5.82 1.77 319.40 -1.27 323.50 323.50 318.80 320.03SAIF Powertec-N 79,500 5.70 1.73 68.30 -7.20 73.60 74.20 67.30 71.67Shahjibazar Power-N 31,871 5.34 1.63 167.10 1.64 164.40 173.00 164.10 167.68

DSE TURNOVER LEADERS

Company Volume-Shares

Value in Million

% of Total-Turnover ClosingP Change

% ClosingY DHIGH DLOW Avg-Price

United Power-N 2,335,700 450.03 13.18 185.50 -6.41 198.20 204.00 181.50 192.68ACI Limited- A 525,765 284.63 8.33 508.40 -3.84 528.70 568.30 500.00 541.36WesternMarine -N 3,796,985 196.93 5.77 50.60 0.00 50.60 55.00 50.00 51.86Shasha Denims -N 4,778,869 186.53 5.46 38.30 -12.76 43.90 41.40 37.10 39.03ACI Formulations-A 1,252,662 181.41 5.31 144.90 9.03 132.90 146.10 138.50 144.82SAIF Powertec-N 1,611,447 114.82 3.36 68.90 -6.39 73.60 75.00 67.00 71.25Khulna Power-A 1,726,325 110.23 3.23 63.10 -2.17 64.50 67.50 62.70 63.85Ifad Autos -N 1,044,893 82.01 2.40 78.50 -1.26 79.50 80.30 77.50 78.49Shahjibazar Power-N 467,768 78.66 2.30 167.50 1.33 165.30 173.00 164.00 168.15Grameenphone-A 227,960 73.09 2.14 320.20 -1.42 324.80 324.80 318.20 320.62MJL BD Ltd.-A 569,390 69.87 2.05 121.90 -2.71 125.30 128.80 121.20 122.71Square Pharma -A 272,439 67.85 1.99 248.20 -1.12 251.00 252.30 247.00 249.04Moza� ar H.Spinning-A 1,594,192 57.35 1.68 34.90 -4.38 36.50 37.00 34.00 35.97BEXIMCO Ltd. -A 1,927,006 53.66 1.57 27.50 -5.50 29.10 29.60 27.10 27.85SummitAlliancePort.-A 974,778 52.45 1.54 52.90 -2.04 54.00 56.00 52.40 53.81

BUSINESS20DT

MONDAY, APRIL 27, 2015

Stock market stakeholders want amendment to income tax lawn Tribune Report

Stock market stakeholders called for amend-ing income tax law to remove complexities over deduction of tax at source on capital gains of companies and partnership � rms.

Currently, custodian banks, merchant banks and � nancial institutions or trading Right Entitlement Certi� cate (TREC)-hold-er companies have to collect information by their own on deduction of tax at source on capital gains from companies and partnership � rms through ascertaining pro� t of the com-panies.

However, TREC holding companies found it di� cult to implement the provisions due to procedural complexities in existing trading practices of the companies and � rms.

Representatives from Bangladesh Secu-rities and Exchange Commission (BSEC),

Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE), Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE), Association of Trading Right Entitlement Certi� cate (TREC) Holders and Central Depository Bangladesh Limited (CDBL) made the call at a meeting with the income tax wing of the National Board of Rev-enue in the city yesterday.

The income tax wing of the NBR organised the meeting to discuss its legal provisions on the deduction after it found lack of clarity over implementation of the tax on capital gains.

The NBR in FY2014-15 slapped 10% tax at source on capital gains that custodian banks, merchant banks, � nancial institutions or TREC-holder companies, but the tax collec-tion remain unimplemented due to unavaila-bility of actual information on net pro� t of the companies.

The DSE through a recent proposal � led be-fore � nance ministry said it is almost impossi-

ble to collect necessary information including realised gain and acquisition costs if linked accounts are maintained in di� erent places.

Currently, about 9,791 companies have Bene� ciary Owner’s (BO) account out of 3.2m total BO account holders. Of the number, many companies have more than one BO ac-count with di� erent houses.

“In most of the cases, the companies and the � rms maintain either more than one BO account or linked accounts of the original one with di� erent trading houses, which creates di� culties in information collection on real-ised gain and acquisition cost from di� erent houses,” an o� cial attending the meeting told the Dhaka Tribune.

As of FY2013-14, the companies have to pay capital gain tax at the time of submission of tax return at the year-end on the basis of their declared net pro� t and gain. l

BSRM debuts at stock markets today n Tribune Report

Share trading of Bangladesh Steel Re-Roll-ing Mills Limited (BSRM) begins today at the stock exchanges.

Its public o� er was oversubscribed by more than 20 times. The company received Tk1,232.38 crore against its public o� er of Tk61.25 crore.

The Chittagong-based steel maker raised the fund from public using the � xed price method by � oating 1.75 crore ordinary shares of Tk35 each, including a premium of Tk25.

Alliance Financial Services will manage the initial public o� ering, the proceeds of which will be used for BSRM’s ongoing expan-sion and loan repayment.

The company’s earnings per share, as of December 2013, stood at Tk5.06 and net asset value per share Tk52.09.

BSRM Steels, a unit of BSRM, is already listed on the stock market. Yesterday at the Dhaka Stock Exchange, each BSRM Steels share fell 2.3% to Tk66.4 a share. l

Japanese � rm exempted from VAT on remaking of Bangabandhu � lmn Tribune Report

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has exempted a Japanese � rm from payment of value added tax on remaking of a digital � lm made on the struggle of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

The board, with a special order, recently provided the exemption to the Japanese � rm Goto. Inc. on remaking of the 30-minute large format digital � lm that will be projected at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Novo Theater.

The Japanese company that develops dif-ferent models of planetarium has been sup-plying and maintaining the technological equipment of the planetarium at the Novo Theater, o� cials said.

As per Prime Minister’s observation, the � lm, which was already developed by the Jap-anese � rm, needed remaking, the NBR order reads.

Finance Division has allocated a total of

Tk4.92 crore for the remaking of the � lm, but it has not allocated any additional money for the VAT payment.

As the digital � lm will help young genera-tion and visitors know about the life of Bang-abandhu and is considered as an important document from the research perspective, the NBR is making the exemption as per section 14 (1Ka) of Value Added Tax Act 1991, the or-der signed by NBR � rst secretary Mohammad Faizur Rahman reads.

Section 14 (1A) of the act deals with giv-ing exemptions to import of product orproviding services to di� erent international agreements, memorandums of understand-ing (MoUs), conventions etc as reciprocalbasis.

Bangabandhu Novo Theater director gen-eral Arshad Hossain told Dhaka Tribune that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in September last year instructed the authorities to do some re-doing on the � lm that was prepared earlier by the Japanese � rm. l

USAID announces programme to empower workers in Bangladeshn Tribune Report

The US Agency for International De-velopment (USAID) has announced a three-year Worker Empowerment Pro-gram in Bangladesh to support labour rights, union organising and women’s empowerment in the ready-made gar-ment sector.

The announcement coincides with the second anniversary of the April 24, 2013 Rana Plaza garment factory col-lapse in Dhaka that killed over 1,100 workers and injured over 2,500, said a statement of USAID released on Friday in its website.

“USAID Worker Empowerment Pro-gram demonstrates the United States’ vigilance in promoting fundamental labor rights, including workplace safety and health, so tragedies such as Rana Plaza can be prevented in the future,” said Jonathan Stivers, USAID assistant administrator for Asia.

“We have partnered with the gov-ernment of Bangladesh, international donors, and the garment industry to empower workers by giving them a real voice in this vital sector and to reform labor laws consistent with international standards.”

The new Worker Empowerment Programme aims at strengthening the capacity of independent workers’ or-ganisations by empowering the work-ers in these organisations, and particu-larly women workers, with the skills and support necessary to protect their rights, promote their interests and im-prove conditions in their workplace and community.

This program complements the ex-isting Global Labour Programme that trains workers on labour laws, provides legal support to workers and assists workers in organising and registering new unions.

Since inception, this program has registered nearly 300 new labor unions in the ready-made garment industry, covering more than 65,000 workers.

The European Union and the Unit-ed States, in close cooperation with the ILO, will remain closely engaged with the government of Bangladesh in the spirit of partnership to continue work together to ensure that economic growth and sustainable development go hand-in hand with workers’ safety and rights, read the statement.

Rana Plaza, an eight-storey building located at Savar that housed � ve RMG factories collapsed on April 24, 2013, killing over 1,135 workers and injuring over 2,500 people.

Following the factory disaster, the workers rights issues came under the spotlight and the global community including Bangladesh government and the sector people have taken steps to ensure workers’ rights in the work-place. l

The � le photo shows the Dhaka Stock Exchange building’s entrance doors. DSE along with other organisations held a meeting with the income tax wing of the National of Board of Revenue in the city yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

21D

TMONDAY, APRIL 27, 2015T

-JUN

CT

ION

Scent-sualPhoto: Saudia Afrin

22school survivalHead start

23

make-upToss that ish!

24pointersSweet slumber

Developmental Disabilities Software collaborates with Smiling Children Special SchoolTherap Services has agreed to collaborate with Smiling Children Special School (SCSS) by signing a MoU to help improve the quality of service that is provided to the students and their special needs. Through signing this MoU, they’ll be able to maintain extensive documentation, all of which are currently recorded and maintained using a paper based system. This collaboration is strictly a knowledge sharing arrangement;

there is no � nancial involvement. SCSS sta� will be able to maintain and update data using a software all in real time. The risk of losing or damaging paper forms is reduced when student records are securely stored on the web. The agreement will also help Therap gain practical knowledge of the intellectual disabilities and special needs industry. This will result in designing a better product suited to the needs of the industry.

INSIDE

MONDAY, APRIL 27, 2015

nSyeda Samira Sadeque

“Do you ever take a rickshaw ride and jump o� halfway without paying the rickshaw puller?” Thomas Dougherty, legal advisor at the US Embassy, asked the curious audience. They shook their head to his question.

“No? Why?” he continued. “Because that would be unfair. Someone’s put in a lot of hard work, and they’re not being compensated for it. And that is exactly what you’re doing when you’re downloading music for free.”

Dougherty was speaking at the Volunteer for Intellectual Property (VIP) Camp, which was organised by the Bangladesh Copyright & IP Forum (BCIPF). They were celebrating World IP Day through this daylong camp on Saturday at the Social Sciences Faculty Building, Dhaka University.

“Although the World IP Day is on April 26, we decided to have our programme on Saturday as it is the weekend and more students would be available,” Barrister ABM Hamidul Misbah, founder of BCIPF, told the Dhaka Tribune.

Out of 400 students who applied, 100 people across Bangladesh were selected to participate in the programme.

Intellectual property is a topic that has become a rising issue, especially in recent years as the Internet has blurred the line

between public and private property. The VIP camp addressed various issues on the protection, rights and preservation of intellectual property, and aimed to educate the Bangladeshi youth on this subject matter.

“We keep hearing about copyright issues, but never quite understand,” said Maliha Binte Mohiuddin, a Dhaka University student participating in the camp. “I want to learn about it.”

“Currently, the biggest void about the discourse of IP in Bangladesh is the lack of awareness,” Misbah told the Dhaka Tribune.

“That is the weakness we are working on,” he said. “We are expecting these students to go out and spread this knowledge. We are building ambassadors.”

At the event, prominent individuals from di� erent sections of society spoke and shared their knowledge of and experience with IP.

Mosharraf Hossain, deputy secretary at Ministry of Cultural A� airs, Ahsan Habib, editor of Unmad, Abdullah Arif, professor at Da� odil International University, Minhaz Anwar, entrepreneur, musician Hamin Ahmed and Aminul Rajiv, photographer, were among those who spoke.

Hamin, from the band Miles, spoke of their band’s battle with Bollywood music director Anu Malik over a 2004 plagiarism of their song from a 1997 album, for a

Creating youth ambassadors to protect intellectual protection

news

school survival

nPragya Rahman

April is here, which means time will soon � y and exams will be knocking on the door even before you know it. So if you start revising now, once the exams start you’ll be less stressed out, more prepared, all geared up and ready to ace all the toughest of questions like a boss.

Smarty-pants ways to studyThe best way to study is to not study for long hours at a stretch and not study overnight or pull all-nighters, as these make you absorb a great deal of information over a very short period of time and eventually your memory only remembers fragments of the information that you have learnt. It is wisest to study for 45 minutes, three to four times a day. It is advisable to study in advance before a big test so that you can be prepared. Procrastination is not an option for you right now, it’s a sin. Think of it like the death penalty right now!

This way, it will be easier for your memory to retain the information that you take in. Your concentration will not be disrupted as your brain will not be strained since it will not be working for hours over time. You will be working for the exact amount you need to and will get to have the desired amount of breaks. Studying is not just reading, it is trying to understand the material that is given to you. If you do not understand it when you read it � rst, try to break it down into parts. Often times talking to yourself and making yourself understand the material in a simpler manner may help.

PropsMaking notes on � ash cards, spidergrams, venn diagrams, rewriting your notes in coloured pens using at least four to � ve di� erent colours will surely make studying a lot more fun. This will help boost your memory and make your new notes look really cool. Pat yourself on the back once you’re done writing all your notes and

when you take a look back at them, you’ll be proud of yourself. Your best friend during revision will be your highlighters and your post-it tabs and notes. Use your post-it tabs to mark speci� c parts in your book and make tiny notes with a pencil about the importance of that particular line, paragraph, page or quote. You can use your post-it note to make a more in depth analysis of the particular page you’ve chosen, especially if it’s a library book.

Helping handsThe Internet is always there to lend you a hand with studies. However relying on the Internet for too much information

may land you in trouble if you don’t know which websites to look at. This is why you should always be in close contact with your teachers and tutors, if there’s anything that’s bothering you, please do not hesitate to ask them. Please remind yourself that it is their job and duty to help you out with anything that you may struggle with and if you’re already starting revision they will be more than happy to help. It may not even be a bad idea to form a study group with friends and share your revision ideas and exchange tips with them. So that at the end of the day you all get the best grades possible. Wishing you all well, good luck! l

Mahesh Bhatt movie.“It was the � rst time a musical entity

had sued a � lm company as big as Mahesh Bhatt,” he said, and went on to explain the importance of raising these issues no matter how big the players are in their � elds.

“We had the desired result almost immediately,” he said, “which showed us that the law to address these issues could be there.”

Sabrina Are� n, another student from Dhaka University who was selected to participate in the camp, said she enjoyed Ahsan Habib’s session most.

“He presented on creative thinking, and I learned that whichever sector we are in, creative thinking can be done there. You don’t need to work only in the arts,” she said.

Among the presenters as well as the participants, the common inspiration seemed to be the youth of Bangladesh.

“We work a lot with the youth and young professionals who encounter IP issues, and promote awareness about these issues,” said Misbah. “We covered topics such as how IP can help economic growth, and can play a role in increasing employment.”

Maliha, who studies disaster management, voiced a similar opinion.

“If the youth can become concerned about this issue, we can de� nitely prevent piracy,” she said. “That’s why it’s important to mobilise the youth in this � eld.”

The event was supported and sponsored by Bellissimo Premium Ice Cream, Department of Copyright, Design and Trademark, BASIS Students’ Forum, and the EMK Center. l

Head startA comprehensive guide to ace your exams

T-JUNCTION Schoologistics22DT

Phot

os: B

igst

ock

Tempt T-JUNCTION 23D

T

MONDAY, APRIL 27, 2015

Your guide to typical make-up lifespans

Toss that ish!make-up

Phot

os: B

igst

ock

n Sabrina Fatma Ahmad

Say goodbye to skin problems caused by make-up that’s past its expiry date. Here’s how long you can safely use these products.

Mascara 3-6 monthsMost experts say you should toss your wand after 3 months, but if you’ve really splurged on one, you can hang on to it as long as 6 months, provided you’re not breaking out into eye infections, and you never, ever share. At the � rst sign of a stye, drop that brush and go shopping.Pro tip: If your mascara is starting to go goopy, screw it up tight, and dip the tube in warm water for a few minutes, to warm it up and liquefy.

Eyeliner1-2 years

Sharpen your kohl pencil regularly, and keep the cap on when you’re not using it. If you � nd the liner has gotten hard, and snags against the delicate skin of your eyelids, try warming it up a bit before you use, for an intense colour. If that doesn’t improve on the hardness, throw it out.Liquid liners should be replaced every 3 months since they are notoriously good at picking up germs.

Eyeshadow (powder) 2-4 yearsConsidering our humid climate is a natural breeding ground for bacteria and fungus, store these in a cool, dry place. Clean the brushes regularly, and don’t use immediately after an eye infection. Your shadow palette will thank you, and so will your eyes.

Foundation6 months – 1 yearIf you’re a cream user, opt for coverage that comes in a bottle with a pump. Let’s face it, not everyone remembers to sanitise their hands before dipping a � nger into a pot, and unless you’re meticulous about cleaning your brushes and sponges, it’s best to stick to a pump that minimises contact. Also, if the product starts to separate, toss it. For powder users, pay attention to the smell and colour of your compact, and – we cannot stress this enough – remember to clean your brushes.

Blushes and Bronzers3-4 yearsThe same principle as applied to eyeshadow powders and powder foundation, also applies for blushes and bronzers. Store in a cool, dry place, and clean your applicators. Also, remember to close your compact the whole way before storing away. Lip care

2-3 yearsTreat these babies right, and your lipstick, gloss and rouge will love you right back. Remember to stay away from them when you have cold sores, unless you use a disposable applicator that you never double-dip. Typically, a lipstick that has gone hard should be tossed, but you can melt this down, pour into an old balm pot and re-use as tinted balm.

Nail polish1-2 yearsMaximise the shelf life of your nail polish by screwing the cap on tightly after each use. If you see the product separating, it’s probably better to toss. And never, ever use nail polish when you’re su� ering from a fungal infection.

T-JUNCTION Take Care24DT

MONDAY, APRIL 27, 2015

health

nPareeza Shehnaaz Khan

Yes, we’ve all heard that binge eating before bed is the worst thing you can do to your body if you’re working towards a more svelte silhouette. How many of us break that rule, though? You pause your favourite series on your laptop, saunter over to the fridge and boom! You catch a glimpse of the leftover chicken korma and polau from your khala’s house and can’t stop yourself from setting a heaping plate in your microwave. Put that plate down! Sure, you can snack before hitting the sheets, but watching what you gulp down is what will help you keep your weight in check. Let’s talk about the dos and don’ts of the late night munchies.

The bad boysEating that wedge of sinful goodness called pizza can seem like a great idea at 2am. It’s easy - you’ll nuke it, inhale it and work it o� the next day. Sadly, that’s not always the case. The real issue is that the grease and fat that junk food is made up of is going to put your digestive system in overdrive and make it really hard for you to get a good night’s rest. The same goes for double cheeseburgers, heavy pasta dishes and all the other carb-loaded goodies that just taste so good but do nothing positive for your body.

Eat this insteadIf you feel like you absolutely cannot do

pointers

Sweet slumbernAmreen Rahaman

If you’re not sleeping well with your beau, worry not. Sleep problems among couples are more widespread than you let yourself believe. Truth be told, sleeping with your partner isn’t always the rosiest experience. You’re probably a late night owl, and he’s an early riser; or perhaps the both of you have your fair share of tossing, turning and even some blanket stealing. Either it’s too cold for you, or too hot for him, the pillows are too hard, the mattress too soft. The list is never ending. Read on to � nd how you can get a way around it so that the two of you can enjoy a good night’s shuteye.

SnoringIf you’re a light sleeper and cannot tolerate snoring, ask your partner to try a few of these tricks.• Studies show that sleeping on your

side helps you snore less. If you � nd it uncomfortable for way too long, then it’s perhaps time to � nd a new mattress.

• Use mouth guards that will help open up the airway and reduce snoring.

• Avoid alcohol, ca� eine and heavy meals two hours before going to bed.

• Keep your nasal passage clear.

Stolen coversIf you want to avoid an argument over who stole the blankets, get two of them. Although this may not sound like the ideal solution, once you get comfortable and open to the idea of two sheets, this is one trick that will help most with sleep issues.

Rising temperaturesSometimes partners have inverse temperature needs – while one of you enjoy sleeping with the A/C on, the other prefers a light fan and sheets to get through the night. Again, using two sheets for each of you in bed can help you cope with both of your needs. If it gets too cold, you can always use the extra sheets, while your partner can shed his.

Space issuesA study by Sleep to Live Institute used actigraphy to examine the e� ects of a larger and smaller mattress on a couple’s sleeping patterns. It was shown that couples who used a larger mattress/bed disturbed each other less during the night and were more comfortable. Remember the golden rule - when it comes to beds, size does matter.

Put that plate down!What not to eat before catching those z’s

5 tips to help get better shuteye together

without something less ful� lling, turn to whole grain bread. Layer a piece with mustard and a few spoons of tuna or a lean piece of meat. You can even add a bit of cheese as it’s actually good for you when eaten in moderation. You can even make a roll out of the red wheat “ata rooti” with local cheese and a few veggies to calm those cravings.

The instant squadJust because you’re lazy, don’t turn to that speedy cup of noodles in your cabinet to � ll that belly. Noodles aside, most instant foods such as canned goods and ready-made meals are chock full of preservatives that will make you feel bloated to the point where you feel like a beached whale and set you up for a night of tossing and turning.

Eat this insteadMake yourself a small bowl of pu� ed rice, doused with a bit of mustard oil. It’s � lling and a more natural route to take.

The sweet nothingsIce cream, deshi sweets and sugar-laden cereals won’t do you any favours. Lay o� that cake when the clock strikes 12. You de� nitely don’t need a sugar rush when you need to be getting some shut-eye.

Eat this insteadKeep dried fruits like � gs and raisins handy. If the mere thought of that combination appalls you, a bit of peanut butter mixed with some good old dark chocolate will do the trick. l

Mismatched sleep patternsCouples with alternate sleeping patterns must � nd a middle ground. You two can try to go to bed earlier in the evening, while the night owl may leave the bed later into the night to return again. If that doesn’t sit well with the two of you, one of you can go to bed earlier than your partner. However, this will only work if neither of you is a light sleeper and don’t mind a bit of sound during the night. l

The most important step is to be armed with a variety of healthy food for when you get the hankering to snack in the wee hours of the night. Otherwise, you'll just reach for whatever's there and we all know that's not always the best bet.

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Photo: Bigstock

25D

TMONDAY, APRIL 27, 2015

BAYERN WIN TO CLOSE IN ON BUNDESLIGA TITLE

ANSAR & VDP CLINCH PIONEER CROWN

ASLAM CONFIDENT OF TURNAROUND IN LONGER-VERSION

26 2927

Mick Schumacher Jnr enhanced the famous name on Sunday by claiming victory in only his third Formula Four race on his debut

weekend in the sport

MAIDEN VICTORY

Sport

Tests will not be easy, says Shakibn Minhaz Uddin Khan from Khulna

Ace all-rounder Shakib al Hasan tagged Ban-gladesh as the favourites prior to the limit-ed-over leg of the ongoing bilateral home se-ries against Pakistan and his assertion proved to be absolutely correct as the Tigers swept the three-match ODI series and the lone Twenty20 international.

The world’s premier all-rounder in � ve-day cricket and T20s, however, painted a re-alistic picture ahead of the � rst of two Tests against their subcontinent rival at Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium, slated for tomorrow.

“I do not think the Test series will be that easy. See, I have to be realistic. I do not think we should have a set target in Test matches. Having said that, if we are able to maintain our con� dence that we had gained from the ODI series then we might be able to put up some good competition,” Shakib told the media yesterday after their � rst practice session.

Shakib believes the home side’s bowling attack is superior to that of their opponents but said Pakistan boasted some experienced batsmen at their disposal.

“I think our bowling attack is better com-

pared to what they have at the moment. They might be experienced with the bat but the form our batsmen are in at the moment, I hope we will be able to put up a good show. If you compare the two sides, even our � elding is better. So, I hope all of our departments will perform,” added the ODI vice-captain.

Bangladesh have three uncapped players in their Test line-up – batsmen Liton Kumar Das and Soumya Sarkar and paceman Mo-hammad Shahid – and Shakib expressed his belief that the trio would be able to live upto the expectations of the fans.

“Soumya had a � ying start to his ODI ca-

reer. I hope he will hold onto that in the Tests too, if he is given the opportunity. Liton had a very good season in the domestic circuit and deserves his place in the team. It will totally depend on the management to make them play or not but I believe he has the potential to perform for the team. And, I have played with Shahid in the Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League and has seen his potential � rst-hand. He is a young talent. Although the pacers in our country do not get much pur-chase from the wicket, I hope he will develop into a better player with proper guidance,” said Shakib.l

(L-R) Imrul Kayes, Shakib al Hasan, Mominul Haque, Tamim Iqbal and Mush� qur Rahim stretch during a training session in Khulna yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

Sport26DT

MONDAY, APRIL 27, 2015

Pakistan leg-spinner Yasir Shah bowls in the nets under the watchful eyes of spin-bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed and head coach Waqar Younis in Khulna yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

MESSILOOK-ALIKE?

Aslam con� dent of turnaround in longer-versionn Minhaz Uddin Khan from Khulna

Budding Pakistan opener Sami Aslam yester-day said the two Test matches will be a whole new-ball game compared to the limited-over leg of the series and believes they will give a much better account of themselves when they take on Bangladesh in the � rst � ve-dayer at Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium tomorrow.

Ever since arriving in Bangladesh on April 13, the visitors have experienced a torrid time as they went down to morale-sapping defeats in the lone practice match followed by the three-match ODI series and solitary Twen-ty20 international. All the three departments of Pakistan – batting, bowling and � elding –

failed on several occasions in the face of some dominant performances from the home side.

Aslam though thinks � ve-day cricket will be totally di� erent and said Pakistan would have the edge as they are the world’s fourth best Test side according to the International Cricket Council Test rankings. The left-hand-ed batsman added that the arrival of experi-enced cricketers like Misbah-ul Haq and You-nis Khan will boost the visitors, who are low on morale.

“Test is entirely di� erent from ODI and T20 and I am pretty much con� dent that my team will do better. We are number four in this format and we have a strategy. Misbah and Younis have come into the side so we can win the series,” Aslam told the media.

Aslam is a former Pakistan Under-19 cap-tain and has played a lot of cricket against Bangladesh in the age levels. The occasional right-arm medium-pacer was a part of the Pa-kistan U-19 team in the 2012 ICC U-19 World Cup in Australia. In the following edition two years later in the United Arab Emirates, he successfully captained the side to the � nal.

The 19-year old was duly rewarded for his impressive performances as he was selected in the starting XI for the third ODI against Bangladesh last Wednesday. And, the young-ster did not disappoint as he made 45 o� 50 balls and added 91 runs for the opening wick-et alongside ODI captain Azhar Ali.

“Playing international cricket in the U-19 level was good and the exposure helps you as you come into the top-level of international level. I am working hard and if given an op-portunity, I am very much con� dent that I will play a vital role in the Test series,” said Aslam. l

Decorated Khulna all ready for � rst Testn Hedait Hossain, Khulna

The south-western city of Khulna has worn a decorated look ahead of the � rst of two Test matches between Bangladesh and Pakistan at Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium, slated for tomor-row. Di� erent points of the city have been adorned with colours and lightings and all necessary steps have been taken to prevent any untoward incident. The arrival of the two teams last Saturday night took the excite-ment to a new level.

The Khulna-Jessore link road, Mujgunni,

Boara, Nurunnagar, Joragate, New Market, Shibbari, Dak Bangla Circle and several other intersections of the city have been decorated with posters and lightings.

The SANS, which last hosted a Test match

in November last year, has been renovated. The broken chairs in the stands have been re-placed with new ones while the giant screen is in tip-top shape. The Manjural Islam Rana stand has also been upgraded.

“The venue is ready to host the Test match. Both the teams had their � rst practice sessions today (yesterday) and are pleased with the arrangements so far. Now we are waiting for the � rst ball of the � ve-day game to be bowled. We hope the 11,000 seats will be � lled during the game,” said SANS venue manager Abdus Salam.

Tickets of the � rst Test match will go on sale from today. Two United Commercial Bank Limited branches - Helatola Road and Khan Jahan Ali Road - in the city of Khulna will distribute the tickets.

UCB vice president and chief of Khulna branch, Mohammad Moslehuddin, said, “We will start selling tickets from April 27 (today). The interested ones can collect the tickets from the two dedicated branches. We have planned to sell at least 8,000 tickets from the two branches. One person will be able to buy a maximum of two tickets.” l

Galleries Ticket PricesEastern Stand Tk 20Western Stand Tk 50Club House Tk 75Int’l Stand Tk 100Grand Stand Tk 300

Sport 27D

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MONDAY, APRIL 27, 2015

Skipper Ramdin con� dent Holder will recoverWest Indies captain Denesh Ramdin said he was hopeful that all-rounder Jason Holder will be � t for the third and � nal Test against England in Barbados on Friday. Holder fell badly in his delivery stride, turning his left ankle, as West In-dies slumped to a nine-wicket defeat to the tourists on Saturday. Although the promising Bajan was stretchered o� the � eld, evidently in some pain, Ramdin said the initial analysis was that the inju-ry was not as bad as it seemed.

–Reuters

Auckland land Oceania titleAuckland City maintained their iron grip on the Oceania Champions League by winning their � fth consecutive title after edging Team Wellington 4-3 on penalties on Sunday to book another spot at the lucrative FIFA Club World Cup. Auck-land looked to be cruising to a seventh continental crown when Portuguese for-ward Joao Moreira slipped a 14th minute penalty under Wellington goalkeeper Michael O’Kee� e to put the favourites ahead in Suva, Fiji.

–Reuters

Wu secures landmark winWu Ashun became the � rst Chinese golf-er to win a European Tour title on home soil by claiming his national open by one shot on Sunday after Englishman David Howell faltered on the last. Howell need-ed a birdie on the par-� ve 18th for victory but sent his lengthy � rst putt from o� the green seven feet past the hole and his par attempt missed tamely on the low side to hand Wu the China Open title in front of a delighted gallery.

–Reuters

Watford promoted to EPL in dramatic styleWatford clinched promotion to the Pre-mier League in dramatic fashion as their rivals slipped up in the � nal seconds on Saturday. Slavisa Jokanovic’s side had moved to the brink of reaching the top-� ight with a 2-0 win at Brighton earlier in the day.But fourth-placed Norwich con-ceded an equaliser in a 1-1 draw at Rother-ham and third-placed Middlesbrough slumped to a 4-3 defeat at Fulham after conceding a last-minute goal.

–AFP

Westwood makes it an Indonesian hat-trickBriton Lee Westwood made it an Indo-nesian Masters hat-trick by winning the Asian Tour title on Sunday but only after surviving a playo� with Thai Chapchai Nirat after blowing a � ve-shot lead. The former world number one, winner of the event on his two previous appearanc-es in 2011 and 2012, could only muster a � nal round of one-over-par 73 and sev-en-under total of 281 after letting slip the healthy overnight advantage.

–Reuters

QUICK BYTES

England pacer James Anderson (C) celebrates with captain Alastair Cook (L) after the dismissal of West Indies batsman Jason Holder during their � nal day of the second Test in Saint George’s on Saturday AFP

Gladiators claim Citycell Basketball crownn Shishir Hoque

Dhaka Gladiators clinched the Citycell Feder-ation Cup Basketball Championship 2015 fol-lowing their 92-66 points victory over Dhum-ketu Club in the � nal at Dhanmondi Indoor Basketball Gymnasium yesterday.

Soyab continued his � ne form in the tour-nament as he caged 23 points despite not be-ing fully � t while Shadis netted 22 points.

Tarek scored highest 46 points for the los-ing side and was later adjudged the player of the � nal. The Dhumketu star caged a total of 110 points in the tournament.

The Gladiators defeated the same oppo-nents in the group stage and victorious cap-tain Shawon admitted that the win gave them con� dence for the � nal.l

Ansar & VDP clinch Pioneer crownn Shishir Hoque

Bangladesh Ansar and VDP came from behind to seal the title of the Dhaka North and South City Corporation Pioneer Football League, beating Tangail Football Academy 3-2 in the � nal at Bangabandhu National Stadium yes-terday.

Jewel, who netted a total of 22 goals in the tournament, grabbed the winning goal to en-sure Ansar’s title in their debut season.

Tangail, however, began the game bright-ly and dominated the � rst half but lost their concentration in the � nal half an hour as An-sar strode to victory.

Tangail striker Arif put his side ahead in the 53rd minute before Joy Chandra Barman doubled the lead just � ve minutes later.

Ansar forward Shamim Shahed reduced the arrears in the 66th minute from a free-kick while mid� elder Borhan brought parity 12 minutes from the � nal whistle, courtesy of a � ne chipped � nish over the onrushing goal-keeper.

The � nal laugh belonged to Ansar as strik-er Jewel secured victory in the 89th minute, leaving the hard-working Tangail boys in de-spair. Jewel was adjudged the player-of-the-� nal for his winning goal and an assist.

Meanwhile in the day’s third-place deciding match, Fakirapool Surjo Tarun Sangha edged past Bangladesh Football Supporters Forum 1-0 and quali� ed for the third-tier along with the champions and runners-up side.l

Dhaka Gladiators pose with the Citycell Federation Cup Basketball Championship 2015 trophy at Dhanmondi Indoor Basketball Gymnasium yesterday COURTESY

Cook hails outstanding Andersonn Reuters, St George’s

England captain Alastair Cook gave the cred-it for Saturday’s second-Test win over West Indies to James Anderson after the seam bowler’s blistering spell in the morning trans-formed the game.

A draw looked the likeliest outcome when play resumed on the � fth and � nal day but Anderson removed three West Indies bats-men with the second new ball, including Kraigg Brathwaite for 116, as his team claimed six wickets before lunch.

“The new ball was really crucial. It was all

about trying to put the ball in the right areas and credit Jimmy, what an outstanding spell that was,” said Cook who ended unbeaten on 59 as England reached their target of 143.

“I can’t fault the lads, it was a tough wicket to get any kind of result, slow and � at. To get 20 wickets the way we did was a great e� ort, down to attitude, character and a lot of skill,” he add-ed after England went 1-0 up in the series.

“You can always improve on a perfor-mance but the lads were brilliant. The wick-ets have been slow and hard to force a result on but we’ve put in a lot of hard work and got our reward today.”l

BRIEF SCOREEngland 1st Inninngs: 464 all out (Root 182*, Ballance 77, Cook 76, Trott 59, Bishoo 4-177) 2nd Innings: 144 for 1 (Ballance 81*, Cook 59*)West Indies1st Innings: 299 all out (Samuels 103, Broad 4-61) 2nd Innings: 307 (Brathwaite 116, Bravo 69, Anderson 4-43)

England won by nine wickets

Sport28DT

MONDAY, APRIL 27, 2015

Manchester United’s Spanish goalkeeper David de Gea reacts after letting in an Everton goal during their EPL match at Goodison Park in Liverpool yesterday AFP

Everton win leaves Man Utd feeling jitteryLeague leaders Chelsea held by Arsenaln AFP, London

Arsenal missed the chance to halt Chelsea’s march towards the Premier League title with a disappointing 0-0 draw at home to the runa-way leaders at The Emirates on Sunday.

In a London derby with few clear chances, Chelsea produced a typically organised dis-play to frustrate the hosts and preserve their 10-point lead at the top with � ve games left.

Jose Mourinho’s side have 77 points and a win over Leicester City in midweek would leave them all but certain of their � rst league title since 2010. Second-placed Manchester City have 67, having played a game more, lev-el with Arsenal in third.

While Chelsea strengthened their hold on � rst place, Manchester United’s top four aspi-rations su� ered a setback as Louis van Gaal’s side were beaten 3-0 by clinical Everton.

First-half goals from James McCarthy and John Stones put the hosts in control and sub-stitute Kevin Mirallas sealed victory late on to push Everton into the top half of the table for the � rst time this season.

Fourth-placed United enjoyed 65 percent of possession but lacked any real cutting edge with striker Radamel Falcao’s frustration complete when he had a well-taken e� ort dis-

allowed for o� side.United’s defeat, following last week’s loss to

Chelsea, leaves them still a comfortable seven points above � fth-placed Liverpool although that gap could be sliced to four if the latter win their game in hand at Hull City on Tuesday.

Everton made a mockery of the Premier League table as they beat Manchester United 3-0 in � ne style at Goodison Park on Sunday – their third straight home win over the Red Devils in as many seasons. Had United won on Merseyside, they would have climbed into second place.

But this defeat, left Louis van Gaal’s side fourth in the table with four matches to play as goals from James McCarthy, John Stones and Kevin Mirallas saw Everton rise into 10th place.

Only the top three teams in the Premier League at the end of the season gain direct entry into the � rst round of the Champions League, with the side � nishing fourth facing the unwanted prospect of a qualifying round. l

RESULTSEverton 3-0 Manchester UnitedMcCarthy 5, Stones 35, Mirallas 74

Arsenal 0-0 Chelsea

No Euro hangover as PSG hit Lille for sixn AFP, Paris

Paris Saint-Germain quickly got back on track after their Champions League loss to Barcelo-na as Ezequiel Lavezzi netted a hat-trick in a resounding 6-1 win over Lille at the Parc des Princes on Saturday.

With leading scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic suspended, Maxwell opened the scoring in-side the � rst minute, Edinson Cavani netted twice and Argentine forward Lavezzi got the � rst hat-trick of his Ligue 1 career to hand the capital club their biggest league win since April 2012.

The win moved them three points clear of Lyon at the top of the table before OL face Reims on Sunday.

With Lille having won six of their previous seven matches to move into contention for European quali� cation, this looked likely to be PSG’s toughest remaining � xture as they battle it out for the title with Lyon.

However, the northern club’s normally wa-tertight defence crumbled as they fell to their biggest top-� ight defeat since a 6-1 hammer-ing at Monaco in April 1985.

But for PSG it was the perfect response af-ter what was ultimately a rather meek Cham-pions League quarter-� nal loss at the hands of a far superior Barcelona side.

“After the disappointment of our elimina-tion we needed to focus on the league again, that was the aim of our preparation over the last three days,” said coach Laurent Blanc.l

RESULTSPSG 6-1 LilleMaxwell 1, Cavani 4, 73-P, Basa 59Lavezzi 29, 44, 77

Bordeaux 1-1 MetzKhazri 83 Sassi 27

Rennes 2-1 NicePrcic 47, Konradsen 90 Bautheac 23

Toulouse 1-1 NantesRegattin 23 Bedoya 89

Caen 0-2 Guingamp Beauvue 50, Marveaux 66

Evian 1-2 BastiaSunu 43 Kamano 59, 86

RESULTSAtalanta 2-2 EmpoliGomez 43, Saponara 41, Denis 90+3 Maccarone 60

Genoa 3-1 CesenaBertolacci 38, Carbonero 69Perotti 45+3-P, Pavoletti 53

Lazio 1-1 ChievoKlose 45+1 Paloschi 76

Torino 2-1 JuventusDarmian 45, Quagliarella 57 Pirlo 35

Parma 1-0 PalermoNocerino 22-P

Verona 3-2 SassuoloJuanito Gomez 30, Moras 35-og, Toni 63, 71 Floro Flores 89

Torino beat Juve for � rst time in 20 yearsn Reuters, Milan

Torino came from behind to beat Serie A lead-ers Juventus 2-1 in a pulsating derby on Sun-day and prevail over their more glamorous neighbours for the � rst time in 20 years.

Juventus looked set to continue their 17-match unbeaten run in the � xture when Andrea Pirlo put the visitors ahead with a typ-ically majestic free kick in the 35th minute.

But Matteo Darmian levelled for Torino on the stroke of halftime and Fabio Quagliarella scored the winner against his former club in the 57th minute, just after Pirlo had struck the post from another free kick.

However, second-placed Lazio failed to take advantage as they were held to a 1-1 draw at home to lowly Chievo, leaving them 14 points adrift of league leaders Juventus with only six games left.

Earlier on Saturday, Inter Milan’s Mauro Icardi scored with two minutes remaining to hand them a 2-1 win over AS Roma in Serie A on Saturday, while AC Milan’s slim hopes of playing in Europe next season were dented in a 2-1 defeat to Udinese.

Inter took a 15th-minute lead as Brazilian Hernanes was given too much space and drilled home a left-footed shot, but Roma levelled when Radja Nainggolan was teed up by Miralem

Pjanic to � re in 18 minutes after the restart.With both sides looking for the winner in

the closing stages, it was the home side that came out on top.

The result left second-place Roma on 58 points, level with Lazio, but crucially just � ve clear of Napoli in the battle to secure a top-three spot and a Champions League qualify-ing place.

In the day’s early kicko� , second-half goals by Giampiero Pinzi and Emmanuel Badu handed Udinese victory over AC Milan.

Milan are 10th with 43 points and six games to go. Udinese are 12th with 38 points from 32 games. l

Sport 29D

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Star Sports 2Spanish La Liga12:40 AMValencia CF v Granada CFTen ActionSky Bet Championship12:45 AM Bournemouth v Bolton WanderersSony SixIndian Premier League 8:30PM Punjab v Hyderabad

DAY’S WATCH

MONDAY, APRIL 27, 2015

Lacklustre Bayern win to close in on titlen Reuters, Berlin

Bayern Munich scraped past Hertha Berlin 1-0 on Saturday thanks to a late goal from Bastian Schweinsteiger and the Bundesliga title will belong to the Bavarians if VfL Wolfsburg fail to win on Sunday.

Pep Guardiola’s league leaders are 15 points clear with four matches left and will celebrate their third successive domestic crown if second-placed Wolfsburg cannot manage a victory at Borussia Moenchenglad-bach on Sunday.

Guardiola rested several players who helped crush Porto 6-1 in midweek to ad-vance to the Champions League semi-� nals.

Treble-chasing Bayern had Schweinsteiger � t again and Spaniard Javi Martinez back on the bench for the � rst time since tearing knee ligaments last year but never hit top form against the battling Berliners.

A � ne run from Mitchell Weiser ended with him cutting the ball back for Schweinsteiger to score the only goal 10 minutes from time.

Borussia Dortmund winger Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang converted an audacious penalty and set up another goal in a 2-0 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt that kept their Europa League hopes alive.

The Gabon international chipped a 24th-minute penalty down the middle of the goal as keeper Kevin Trapp dived too early.

Aubameyang then charged down the wing and crossed for Shinji Kagawa to score the second goal as Dortmund, last season’s run-ners-up, moved up to eighth on 39 points, three behind sixth-placed Augsburg.

The top six qualify for European competi-tion, or the top seven if Bayern or Wolfsburg win the German Cup.l

Bayern Munich’s Bastian Schweinsteiger celebrates after scoring the all-important goal against Hertha Berlin during their Bundesliga match in Munich on Saturday REUTERS

RESULTSBorussia Dortmund 2-0 Eintracht FrankfurtAubameyang 24-P, Kagawa 32

Hanover 96 1-2 Ho� enheimStindl 24 Modeste 2, Schipplock 83

VfB Stuttgart 2-2 FreiburgGinzcek 24, Harnik 27 Petersen 58-P, 85

Hamburg 3-2 AugsburgOlic 11, Lasogga 19, 71 Bobadilla 25, Werner 69

Cologne 1-1 Bayer LeverkusenFinne 83 Brandt 60

Bayern Munich 1-0 Hertha BerlinSchweinsteiger 80

Chelsea dominate PFA team of the yearn AFP, London

Chelsea dominated the team of the year an-nounced Sunday by Professional Footballers’ Association, with six players from the Premier League champions-elect in the side voted for by their fellow pros in England.

Jose Mourinho’s side, who face London ri-vals Arsenal later on Sunday, are well clear at the top of the table and on the brink of bring-ing the English title back to Stamford Bridge for the � rst time since 2010.

Eden Hazard, one of the nominees for the PFA’s player of the year award, was in mid-� eld along with Chelsea team-mate Nemanja Matic, while star striker Diego Costa, who has scored 19 goals in the Premier League so far this season, was selected up front.

Blues captain John Terry and centre-back partner Gary Cahill were at the heart of the PFA team’s defence, with full-back Branislav Ivanovic also included.

Manchester United’s David de Gea was in goal for the PFA side, while the mid� eld also featured Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho and Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez.

Meanwhile Tottenham Hotspur and Eng-land rising star Harry Kane was chosen to partner Costa in attack. l

PFA TEAM OF THE YEARDavid de Gea (Manchester United); Ryan Bertrand (Southampton), Branislav Ivanovic (Chelsea), John Terry (Chelsea), Gary Cahill (Chelsea); Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool), Nemanja Matic (Chelsea), Alexis Sanchez (Ar-senal); Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur), Diego Costa (Chelsea)

Langerak to face Bayern in cup semin AFP, Berlin

Australia goalkeeper Mitchell Langerak will face holders Bayern Munich for Borussia Dortmund in Tuesday’s mouth-watering Ger-man Cup semi-� nal with Germany interna-tional Roman Weidenfeller ruled out.

A pelvis injury to World Cup-winner Wei-denfeller means Langerak will keep his place in Dortmund’s goal for the clash at Munich’s Allianz Arena having played in Saturday’s 2-0 league win at home to Eintracht Frankfurt.

The Munich showdown will be a repeat of both the 2012 and 2014 German Cup � nals in Berlin when Dortmund routed Bayern 5-2 three years ago, when Langerak came o� the bench early on after a Weidenfeller injury.

Pep Guardiola’s Bayern took revenge with a 2-0 extra-time victory in Berlin last year.l

Kerber shocks Wozniacki in Stuttgart � naln AFP, Stuttgart

Germany’s Angelique Kerber extended her winning streak to 11 matches with a three-sets win over Caroline Wozniacki to win Stutt-gart’s WTA tournament in Sunday’s � nal.

Having knocked out previous champion Maria Sharapova in the second round, Kerber recovered from losing the � rst set to earn a 3-6, 6-1, 7-5 victory over former world number one Wozniacki. Since winning the Charleston tournament a fortnight ago, Kerber carried her impressive form onto Stuttgart’s clay courts.

Her win over Sharapova was the � rst time the Russian had tasted defeat in Stuttgart in her fourth tournament here.

The � rst set of Sunday’s � nal was all Wozniacki, who broke Kerber in the fourth game then held her serve to take a 4-1 lead before the set was eventually served out.

The German rallied to control the sec-ond, blasting her way out to a 3-0 lead before breaking the former world number one in the sixth game for a 5-1 lead to serve out the set.

Both players traded breaks in the third be-fore Wozniacki looked to be heading for her second tournament victory of 2015 at 5-3.

But Kerber made her shots count and with the Dane under immense pressure on the base line, Wozniacki was broken in the ninth and 11th games to give the German victory in just over two hours.l

Angelique Kerber (L) and Caroline Wozniacki pose next to the winner’s prize, a Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet, after the � nal of the WTA Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart yesterday AFP

DOWNTIME30DT

MONDAY, APRIL 27, 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 15 represents V so � ll V every time the � gure 15 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 Believe (6)5 School of whales (3)7 Soak (3)8 English river (6)11 Do wrong (3)12 Sends out (5)14 Prophet (4)16 Famous (5)18 Not pretty (5)20 Swelling (4)21 Halts (5)23 Decay (3)24 Journeyed for pleasure (6)27 Metal-bearing rock (3)28 Corn spike (3)29 Gage (6)

DOWN1 Incision (3)2 Period of time (3)3 Negative quality (7)4 Article (4)5 Quickly (mus) (6)6 Mock (6)9 Part of a shoe (4)10 Wrongdoing (3)13 Shaving the head (7)14 Scanty (6)15 Christian festival (6)17 Border (4)19 Expressing negation (3)22 Game of skull (4)25 Colour (3)26 Female deer (3)

SUDOKU

SHOWTIME 31D

TMONDAY, APRIL 27, 2015

Dreek drops debut albumnew release

WHAT TO WATCHTELEVISION

Bollywood Bang Bang BB4U Music 2:30pmCatch your favourite Bollywood stars like Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif in their hit music videos

Vh1 Music Diaries BVh1 3:30pmThe one and only TV show about India’s international and independent music scene.

MTV Select BMTV 5:00pmA daily, phone-in music show, featuring all the latest music and celebrity guests.

CELEBS ON SOCIAL

Ed Sheeran @edsheeran Shaving makes me go from 24 to 12 real quick

Karan Johar@karanjohar Devastating visuals of destruction in Nepal....thoughts, prayers and all protective energies for this tragic loss of life......

Ellie Goulding @elliegoulding Nothing like a 3 mile night time speed run in LA’s Art District...

Because I’m happyActress Najnin Akter Happy had her time in the limelight and has now almost become a household name after the � asco with Bangladeshi cricketer Rubel. The recent consecutive earthquakes may literally have had us all shook up, but she had a di� erent view on the matter, as you can see from what she posted on her Facebook page. In translation, it basically says, “Wow! There was an earthquake just now, I’m sure. I feel really good because I didn’t miss this one.” We have no comments on this one as we’re speechless at the moment.

n Showtime Desk

Hard rock band Dreek has enthralled audiences at gigs since their emergence in the Djuice Drockstars and have made their presence felt on the radio, as well as live TV shows numerous times, but the band’s � rst album � nally came out last Friday.

The launch, which was held on April 24th, at the Russian Cultural Centre,

featured live performances from several leading bands of the country including Powersurge, Arbovirus, Mechanix and Radioactive. Hamin Ahmed, the president of BAMBA and the guitarist of Miles unveiled the album.

The album comprises a total of 9 tracks. Three of these, “Tarunner Michile”, “Notun Alo” and “Golok Dhadhaye,” were released on Radio Foorti last year.

The songs of the album can be downloaded free of cost from www.dreek.co, while a collectors’ edition will be available at themallbd.com. The members of Dreek announced, a portion of the funds raised through album sales will be used as a donation for the welfare of autistic children.

themallbd.com is the title sponsor of the album, while the album launch was partnered by Maker Events.l

n Showtime Desk

This week, we bring you Jamshed Chowdhury, the front man of Powersurge, a band that has rocked stages and delighted masses of metal fans. What we wanted to know was what the man who is also the PR Director at Qinetic Music is listening to in his free time.

n Showtime Desk

And the award goes to...Pete Townshend from the classic band, The Who is all set to receive the 2015 Stevie Ray Vaughan Award. Townshend was chosen because of his support and dedication to the MusiCares MAP Fund’s addiction recovery programs. Bruce Springsteen will do the honours when it comes to presenting the award.

A parting giftWe already knew that Chris Martin of Coldplay and actress, Gweneth Paltrow had “consciously uncoupled” last March. What many didn’t know however, is that their divorce is now � nal and Martin had quite the parting gift for Paltrow. He presented her with handwritten songs about her. These songs will be worth a whole lot in the future and Martin wanted his children and ex wife to have them. How sweet is that?

1. Beat It-Michael JacksonThe � rst ever English song that I ever heard, courtesy of my sister and yes, it had to be Michael Jackson.

2. November Rain-Guns n rosesThe lyrics, the whole composition and obviously that bold solo by Slash. Let’s not forget the video.

3. Master of Puppets-MetallicaThe whole concept behind the lyrics and the structuring of the song. Amazing and aggressive ri� lines.

4. Under the bridge – Red hot chili peppersAmazing composition and lyrics. I could heavily attach with the lyrics.

5. And Justice for all- MetallicaThe song is one of the best metal songs that I’ve ever heard. The whole album is a master piece

6. Iron Maiden-Fear Of the DarkThe best chorus line ever. And its Maiden! What’s unfair is that I only get to choose 10 songs.

7. Dead Embryonic Cells-SepulturaOne of the best thrash metal songs of all time. I feel like breaking everything apart.

8. Odekha Shorgo-ArtcellThe � rst ever Bangla metal song that made me go nuts and makes me feel alive.

9. Oshamajik-WarfazeBest metal song from the Bangladeshi music industry

10. Ohom-The Watson BrothersThe lyrics, tune and the soul of the song is something that made me fall in love with it from the word go. l

Turn it upplaylistsoundbytes

BACK PAGE32DT

MONDAY, APRIL 27, 2015

ALL DONE BAR THE VOTING PAGE 14

TESTS WILL NOT BE EASY, SAYS SHAKIB PAGE 25

REMITTANCE FROM GULF COUNTRIES REBOUNDS PAGE 15

Bangladesh not ready for the big onen Abu Bakar Siddique

Bangladesh is neither ready for a major earth-quake nor a major man-made disaster, disas-ter management expert Professor Mahbuba Nasreen told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

“The public just does not know what to do in an emergency,” she said.

Saturday’s severe earthquake left at least three dead in three districts in Bangla-desh, with one dying when a mud wall col-lapsed and two collapsing in panic duringthe tremor.

At its epicentre in neighbouring Nepal, the quake measured 7.8 on the Richter scale, ac-cording to the US Geological Survey.

Many more were injured while evacuating

their o� ces and houses in both the country’s cities and rural areas.

Professor Mahbuba said the deaths and injuries were mostly the result of panic and ignorance.

Causalities could be avoided if people were aware about what to do in the event of an earthquake, she added.

During earthquakes, people should remain calm and position themselves beneath beams and evacuate buildings or dwellings after the shock waves subside.

Besides not having adequate preparation, the country does not know how to reduce damages during natural disasters, she said.

Citing the Rana Plaza disaster of 2013, she said the government took several days to

complete the rescue operation and remove debris from the disaster site.

According to Bangladesh Meteorological Department records, the last major earth-quake – with a magnitude of 8.5 on the Rich-ter scale – hit the region in 1950. Its epicentre was in Assam, India.

In 1918, a major earthquake with a magni-tude of 7.6 hit the region, which its epicentre in Srimangal, Bangladesh.

Professor Mahbuba said public awareness campaigns were needed to prepare the public to cope with such situations.

But she added that the government has in-cluded awareness-building lessons on earth-quakes in primary schools since 2013.

The director general of the department of

disaster management, Dr Abdul Wajed, said the country has paid more attention to facing disasters than preventing them.

The government is improving its capacity to handle such disasters by procuring tools and equipment to run rescue operations.

It aims to make some 62,000 volunteers ready to work as rescuers. Some 24,000 vol-unteers have been trained so far.

Mandatory building codes are in place to avoid large-scale structural failures during such events, he added.

But Professor Mahbuba said procuring equipment is just part of the solution. Ensur-ing adequate roads and paths to operate res-cue equipment, especially in crowded cities like Dhaka, is equally important. l

Business as usual at tremor-tilt towers, despite Rajuk bann Shohel Mamun

Rajuk has identi� ed several multi-storey buildings in the Bangshal and Banani areas of the capital which may have tilted as a result of Saturday’s tremor.

No casualties were reported, said Rajuk, but o� ce workers forced to continue going to work in risky buildings, said they were anx-ious about their safety.

The Dhaka Tribune yesterday found a six-storey commercial building in Bangshal tilted to one side.

Bangshal police outpost In-Charge Abdul Kuddus said: “The building is tilting towards the adjoining building. The police evacuated and locked the building in the presence of Rajuk.”

Shah Alam Chawdhury, director of Rajuk Zone 5 who visited the building on Saturday, said the building was not authorised by Ra-

juk, adding that legal action would be taken.Abdul Gafur, the owner of the building, de-

clined to comment to the Dhaka Tribune. Meanwhile, 24-storey Ahmed Tower and

FR Tower, both on Banani’s Kamal Ataturk Av-enue appear to have tilted towards each other.

Security guards Ra� k and Azad of Ahmed Tower said o� cials of Rajuk, � re service and the police visited the buildings on Saturday. They quoted Rajuk o� cials as saying that an examination is needed to determine whether the buildings have tilted.

Rajuk posted a notice on the side of the building banning the use of the building for three days; but the owners and tenants con-tinue to use it � outing the ban.

SMHI Faruk, the owner of FR Tower, de-nied getting any notice from Rajuk, while Ahmed Tower owner Ahammadur Rahman refused to comment. l

Earthquake preparedness 101n Tribune Desk

BEFOREl Identifying potential hazards ahead of time can

save lives. l Repair plaster cracks in ceilings and foundations.

Anchor overhead lighting � xtures and fans to the ceiling.

l Place large or heavy objects on lower shelves.l Repair defective electrical wiring and leaky gas

connections. l Identify interior columns and beams, which can

serve as safe zones. l Keep a � ashlight, a portable battery-operated

radio and extra batteries on hand.l Hang emergency telephone numbers in a

suitable place in your house.l In case family members are separated – because

adults go to work and children go at school – select a well-known meeting place to reunite.

DURINGl Be aware that some earthquakes are actually

foreshocks and a larger earthquake might occur.

If indoorsl Stay away from glass, windows and anything

that could fall. Stay in bed if you are there when the earthquake strikes, unless you are under a heavy light � xture that could fall.

l In that case, move to the nearest safe place. l Do not use the elevators.

If outdoorsl Stay there. Move away from buildings, street

lights and utility wires.

If in a moving vehiclel Stop and stay in the vehicle. l Avoid under trees, overpasses and utility wires.

If trapped under debrisl Do not light a match. Do not move about or kick

up dust.l Tap on a pipe or wall so rescuers can locate you. l Cover your mouth with a handkerchief or clothing. l Use a whistle if one is available. Shout only as

a last resort. Shouting can cause you to inhale dangerous amounts of dust.

AFTERl Check yourself for injuries. After you have taken

care of yourself, help injured or trapped persons. l Don’t try to move seriously injured people unless

they are in immediate danger of further injury.l Clean up spilled medicines, bleaches, gasoline or

other � ammable liquids immediately.l Open closet and cabinet doors cautiously. l Inspect your home for damage. If your home has

experienced damage, get out. l

BIGSTOCK

After another earthquake jolts Dhaka, a six-storey building of Wega Apparels Ltd (right) tilts to its left causing its workers to panic and rush out of the building yesterday RAJIB DHAR

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