SECOND EDITION

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2015 | Poush 8, 1422, Rabiul Awal 9, 1437 | Regd No DA 6238, Vol 3, No 246 | www.dhakatribune.com | 32 pages | Price: Tk10

JAITLEY SUES KEJRIWAL OVER GRAFT CLAIMS PAGE 22

HOUSE HELP PROTECTION POLICY APPROVED PAGE 32

NEW LUSTRE FOR BENGAL’S GOLDEN FIBRE PAGE 3

Warrants against 24 in Rana Plaza murder case n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu

A Dhaka court yesterday accepted a charge sheet against 41 people accused in the mur-der case � led over the 2013 Rana Plaza col-lapse, and also issued warrants for the arrest of 24 of them.

Sohel Rana, owner of the collapsed build-ing who is now behind bars, was named the prime accused in the charge sheet while the 24 facing warrants are in hiding.

The remaining 16 are out on bail. Dhaka Senior Judicial Magistrate Md Al-

Amin took cognisance of the charge sheet and issued the warrants.

The judge also asked Savar Model police to submit a report on compliance regarding the arrest warrants on January 27, 2016.

On June 1, the Criminal Investigation De-partment pressed charges against 42 people, including Sohel Rana, in the two cases � led over the collapse of Rana Plaza. The other case was � led under the Building Construc-tion Act.

Of the accused appearing in the two charge sheets, 17 were named in both. Sohel Rana’s father Abdul Khalek, mother Marjina Begum and 12 government o� cials have also been named.

PAGE 2 COLUMN 3

n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

The Election Commission yesterday did the bare minimum, disposing o� allegations of code of conduct breach against three ruling party lawmakers by only warning them after they apologised.

This comes only a day after the Election Commission (EC) sought Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s intervention in stopping Awami League ministers and lawmakers from taking part in campaigning ahead of the December 30 municipality elections.

According to the electoral code of conduct for the upcoming elections, very important persons (VIPs) and public servants, who en-joy government bene� ts, are not allowed to participate in electioneering or any of the election activities. These persons are only al-lowed to go to their areas on the election day and cast votes.

The code also says that if the commission, upon scrutiny of document evidence and investigation, � nds allegations of miscon-duct true, then it can sentence the accused

PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

Blatter, Platini bannedfor eight yearsn BBC Online

Fifa president Sepp Blat-ter and Uefa boss Michel Platini have been sus-pended for eight years from all football-related activities following an ethics investigation.

They were found guilty of breaches surrounding a £1.3m ($2m) “disloyal payment” made to Platini in 2011.

Both men denied any wrongdoing. The bans come into force immediately.

Fifa boss since 1998, Blatter, 79, had al-

ready announced he was quitting ahead of Febru-ary’s presidential elec-tion.

Platini, 60, was tipped as a future leader of foot-ball’s world governing body and had hoped to succeed Blatter.

A three-time Europe-an Footballer of the Year and former captain of France, he had been in charge of Uefa - European football’s governing body - since 2007.

PAGE 2 COLUMN 4

Khaleda demands army deploymentfor municipal pollsn Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has demanded army deployment in the upcoming munici-pality polls scheduled for December 30 in 234 districts across the country.

The former premier alleged that it is a con-spiracy of the government to hold the local government election in partisan line.

“Army should be deployed to hold a free, fair and credible election. We can hope the election would be fair if army was deployed. Sheikh Hasina does not want army deploy-ment,” Khaleda told a rally of freedom � ght-ers in the capital’s Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh yesterday.

On December 19, after holding a meeting with the representatives of law enforcement agencies, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad said army deploy-ment ahead of municipality polls was not necessary as the law and order situation was under control.

The BNP chief, who does not have any bar to participating in the municipality poll cam-paign, alleged that it would not be possible

PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

EC doing the bare minimum against breaches of polls code

This burning microbus was torched during a clash between the supporters of rival mayoral candidates in Chouddogram municipality of Comilla district yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

News2DTTUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2015

Khaleda demands army deploymentto hold a free, fair and credible election un-der the incumbent government.

Khaleda also alleged that the Awami League is using the police as a partisan force though there are some good people in the force who “want fair election but said they do not have anything to do as they have to carry out the instructions of their high-ups.”

The BNP chief said if a fair election is held, 80% votes will be cast in favour of the sheaf of paddy, the election symbol of the BNP.

Criticising the incumbent Election Com-mission as spineless, Khaleda Zia said: “We cannot expect anything good from it. The Aw-mai League ministers, lawmakers and leaders are breaching electoral codes of conduct but the commission is not taking any action.”

She alleged that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also breached the electoral code and

a complaint was lodged with the commission but it remained silent.

Khaleda said holding the municipal elec-tion in partisan line is also a new conspiracy of the government.

In the beginning of her speech addressed to freedom � ghters, Khaleda said three mil-lion people were killed in the Liberation War but there is a controversy over the number.

Pointing her � nger to the civil and police administration, she said: “You did not do an-ything wrong – you just carried out the order of Sheikh Hasina. So Hasina will be punished, not others. Everything will happen as per law.”

Urging people to raise voices against the government, Khaleda said all have to raise their voices to oust the government from o� ce.

On the trial of war criminals, Khaleda said: “We are in favour of the trial but that should be

transparent and of international standards.”She said Awami League targeted to destroy

the BNP by putting BNP leaders behind bars. l

Warrants againstEight-storey Rana plaza that housed � ve gar-ment factories, a shopping complex and a branch of Brac Bank, crumbled on April 24, 2013, killing over 1,135 people, mostly female workers, and injuring more than 2,500.

The two charge sheets described the own-er of the building and o� cials of the garment factories as cold-blooded murderers for al-lowing workers to work despite knowing that the building had developed cracks and there were signi� cant risks involved. Police arrest-ed Sohel Rana four days after the collapse. l

EC doing the bare minimumpersons to a maximum of six months in jail or Tk50,000 � ne or both. The three MPs in question are Sha� qul Islam Shimul from Na-tore, MA Maleque from Dhaka and Showkat Hasanur Rahman Rimon from Barguna.

They did not appear before the commis-sion in person; rather they sent letters to the commission seeking apology for breaching the code of conduct.

Seeking anonymity, an EC o� cial told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday that the commis-sion pardoned the MPs on “humanitarian grounds” because they had acknowledged their mistakes and apologised.

While talking to the Dhaka Tribune, for-mer election commissioner Brig Gen (retd) M Sakhawat Hossain said: “There is no reason to think that the Election Commission is helpless. They have been given enough power. Imple-menting that power is the commission’s duty. If they cannot do that, then it is their failure.”

Asked about the EC seeking the PM’s in-tervention, Sakhawat said: “Why would the EC seek the PM’s intervention? PM never im-plements anything. The constitution clearly says what the EC’s duties are.

“It appears that things are going out of the EC’s capacity [to control]. Violence and

breaching of electoral code of conduct are es-calating everywhere. But the EC is not taking any drastic actions,” he said.

ViolenceViolence among the supporters of rival candi-dates before elections – both national and local government – is very common in Bangladesh.

As the municipality election day is draw-ing nearer, reports of violence from across the country are also increasing in number.

Yesterday, at least 50 people were injured, shops and business houses vandalised and vehicles were torched as the supporters of rival mayoral candidates clashed in Choud-dogram municipality of Comilla.

Authorities had to deploy BGB and RAB members alongside policemen to keep things under control after the Monday evening clash took place between supporters of Awami League nominated candidate Mizanur Rah-man and rebel Awami League candidate Imam Hossain at the Chouddogram Bazar area.

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia yesterday requested the EC to deploy army for main-taining law and order before and during the municipality elections.

Before every elections her party took part in

the recent years, she placed the same demand, which the government never entertained.

Other actionsMeanwhile, taking media reports into cog-nisance, the EC yesterday asked the return-ing o� cers concerned to take legal actions in connection with allegations of polls code violation against � ve Awami League lawmak-ers, including a minister and a whip, in dif-ferent municipalities, an EC o� cial said.

The commission has also asked the rele-vant returning o� cers to take actions against three mayoral candidates – Awami League’s Abul Kalam Azad Mintu in Ishwardi of Pabna, BNP’s Prof Poritosh Chakrabharti and Jatiya Party’s Latiful Khabir in Badarganj of Rang-pur – for breaking election rules.

In addition, the commission is also launch-ing an investigation against three police sta-tion o� cers-in-charge in Jagannathpur of Su-namganj, Hatia of Noakhali and Ishwarganj of Mymensingh municipalities for being biased in favour of certain candidates in their areas.

Shamsul Alam, deputy secretary to the EC Secretariat, said that the local returning of-� cers and the police superintendents would jointly conduct the investigations. l

Blatter, Platini banned foreight yearsBlatter has also been � ned 50,000 Swiss francs (£33,700) and Platini 80,000 Swiss francs (£54,000).

Why are they banned?Blatter and Platini were found guilty of eth-ics code breaches surrounding a £1.3m ($2m) “disloyal payment” made to the Frenchman in 2011.

Both claimed the payment was honour-ing an agreement made in 1998 for workcarried out between 1998 and 2002when Platini worked as a technical adviser for Blatter.

The payment was not part of Platini’s written contract but the pair insisted it was a verbal agreement, which is legal under Swiss law.

German judge Hans-Joachim Eckert, the chairman of Fifa’s adjudicatory chamber, held disciplinary hearings for the pair last week.

Charges included con� ict of interest, false accounting and non co-operation, with in-vestigators submitting a � le of more than 50 pages.

Statement - key points“The proceedings against Mr Blatter primar-ily related to a payment of CHF 2,000,000 transferred in February 2011 from Fifa to Mr Platini.

“Mr Blatter, in his position as president of Fifa, authorised the payment to Mr Plat-ini which had no legal basis in the written agreement signed between both o� cials on 25 August 1999.

“Neither in his written statement nor in his personal hearing was Mr Blatter able to demonstrate another legal basis for this pay-ment.

“His assertion of an oral agreement was determined as not convincing and was re-jected by the chamber...

“Mr Platini’s assertion of an oral agree-ment was determined as not convincing and was rejected by the chamber.” l

Khaleda sparks controversy over number of 1971 martyrsn Tribune Report

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia yesterday ex-pressed her doubt over how many people were killed during the country’s Liberation War in 1971.

“There is still a controversy about the ex-act number of people martyred in the Liber-ation War,” she said in her address at a rally of freedom � ghters at the Institution of Engi-neers, Bangladesh.

The BNP chief said di� erent books and documents show di� erent numbers in this regard.

Referring to books written by Sector Commander AK Khandakar and Tajuddin Ahmed’s daughter Sharmeen Ahmed, Khale-da said like the freedom � ghters several peo-ple have been harassed by the government

for writing the truth in their books.The BNP chief said the Awami League did

not want the country’s independence in 1971. “Rather their leader wanted to be the prime minister of the united Pakistan,” she said.

“You [freedom � ghters] would not have become freedom � ghters if Shaheed president Ziaur Rahman had not proclaimed the coun-try’s independence in 1971,” said Khaleda.

The former premier claimed that the Awa-mi League gave the national � ag in the hand of Razakar Maulana Nurul Islam. “And then we were blamed! Have they forgotten what they did? War criminals are in their house. Why actions were not taken against them?”

Khaleda also alleged that the Awami League started the cross� re in the country. “They started cross� re with the killing of Sir-aj Sikder and it is still continuing.” l

Jubo League man killed in AL in� ghting in N’ganjn UNB

An activist of Jubo League was killed and 25 others including three with bullets were injured in a clash between two factions of Awami League over occupying a sand quar-ry at Char Hogla village in Sonargaon upazila yesterday.

The deceased was identi� ed as Jamal Hos-sain, 32, an activist of Jubo League and son of Abdul Khalek of the village.

Manjur Kader, o� cer-in-charge of Sonar-gaon Police Station, said Nasir Uddin Mem-ber, president of no 9 ward unit Awami League and Harun-or-Rashid, a local unit Jubo League leader had been at loggerheads over the ownership of a sand quarry (sand mahal) near the bank of Meghna River.

As a sequel to the enmity, both the Awami

League leader and Jubo League leader locked into an altercation over the issue on Monday. At one stage, the supporters of Nasir, equipped with sharp weapons and arms attacked the supporters of Harun, triggering a clash.

Later both groups exchanged gunshots and attacked each other with the sharp weapons, leaving Jamal killed on the spot and 25 others injured.

However, three people-Sumon Mia, Alam-gir Hossain and Saiful Islam went missing, said OC. At least 10 houses and eight shops were vandalised during the clash.

The injured were rushed to di� erent hos-pitals and clinics.

On information, police rushed in and brought the situation under control.

Additional police have been deployed in the area to avert further trouble. l

News 3D

TTUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2015

KSA resumes Umrah services for Bangladeshis n Abid Azad

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has lifted its ban on Umrah services for Bangladeshi citizens.

The Saudi embassy in Dhaka sent a letter in this regard to the Ministy of Foreign A� airs on December 14.

The Foreign Ministry then noti� ed the Ministry of Religious A� airs about the matter yesterday, said the Religious Ministry’s Pub-lic Relations O� cer Anwar Hussain.

Primarily, 70 hajj agencies in the country will be permitted to provide the services, he said.

There are 300 Hajj agencies in the coun-try, out of which 204 have been allegedly in-volved in irregular activities, and there have been complaints against them, he added.

Earlier on November 19, the Dhaka Trib-une reported that Saudi Arabia has again opened its doors for Bangladeshis to perform Umrah, but from now on only six authorised travel agencies will be allowed to send peo-ple to the pilgrimage.

Qasswa, the certi� ed Umrah service provider agency of the Saudi government, reached an agreement with six travel agen-cies in Bangladesh to resume the Umrah services here, said Riaz Mahmud, director of Qasswa, at a press conference in the capital’s Banani area during his visit last month.

The six travel agencies are Bicon Travel Agency, Jumar Travel and Tours, Panbright Travels, Priyanka Travels, Heritage Air Ex-press and Ali Air Travels and Tourists.

The Saudi government banned the issu-ing of visas to Bangladeshi nationals for per-forming Umrah on March 22 this year, based on allegations of human tra� cking in the name of Umrah.

The Saudi government said more than 1,000 Bangladeshis had been living in the KSA illegally since they went there to per-form Umrah last year.

Soon after noticing the matter, the Sau-di government blacklisted Bangladesh and stopped issuing visas to Bangladeshis, the Dhaka Tribune reported earlier. l

Jamaat leader held at Naya Diganta MD’s house n Tribune Report

Police early yesterday arrested a Jamaat-e-Is-lami leader from the residence of Daily Naya Diganta Managing Director Shibbir Mahmud’s house in Dhanmondi area of the city.

Mezbah Uddin Bhuiyan, 55, was a former secretary of Noakhali Municipal Jamaat’s committee. He had been on the run for near-ly three years.

Mezbah was arrested around 12:30am from a raid conducted by a team led by Dhan-

mondi acting o� cer-in-charge and Inspector (Investigation) Mohammad Helal Uddin.

“Shibbir claimed that Mezbah was one of his tenants,” Helal said.

The arrestee was a warranted accused in at least 13 cases � led with Sudaram police station in Noakhali, he added.

The OC said Sudaram police were informed and a team had already left for Dhaka.

Meanwhile, the security of the building Mohammad Jamal and Mahfuj told the Dha-ka Tribune that building owner Daily Naya

Diganta Managing Director Shibbir Mahmud was not present when the arrest was made.

They said Mezbah and his wife took the � at on 7th � oor garret of the building on rent three months back.

Early yesterday around 12:10am two police vans came. Police locked the main gate before they went to the for 7th � oor of Mazbah’s � at.

O� cer In-Charge of Sudaram Police Station Anwar Hossain said a total of 13 cases had been � led against Mezbah on charge of sabotage and violence under the speedy tribunal act. l

New lustre for Bengal’s golden � bren Abu Bakar Siddique

The country’s languishing jute sector is get-ting a boost from the Mandatory Jute Pack-aging Act which requires major agricultural commodities including rice, wheat, sugar and fertilisers to be packed in locally pro-duced jute sacks.

To promote the sector, the government began to implement the Mandatory Jute Packaging Act 2010 on November 30 this year. The creation of local demand by gov-ernment � at is expected to bolster the jute sector, which has taken a hit from competi-tion from synthetic packing.

Major agricultural commodities includ-ing paddy, rice, wheat, maze, fertilisers and sugar must now be packed in local jute pack-ing. Violators face a maximum of one year in jail or a � ne of Tk50,000, or both, for using non-biodegradable synthetics to pack com-modities.

Rice millers, considered a key element in the success of the initiative, were initially unwilling to use jute for various reasons, in-cluding an alleged shortage of jute sacks. But since November 30, most millers have started using jute packing, following pressure from the government through the mobile courts.

“We have had an 80% success rate in im-plementing the act now that most rice millers are using jute sacks,” said Mohammad Kefae-tullah, director of the government’s jute de-partment.

Kefaetullah said rice millers alone use around 360 million jute sacks each year. “If just jute sacks were used instead of poly-thene in this sector alone, the whole situa-tion would change,” he said.

Nirod Baran Saha, convener of the Naogaon Rice Millers Association, said mill-ers had started using jute sacks as per the law, but said the price of rice had increased slightly due to higher packing costs.

“Since November 30, we have been using locally produced jute sacks. I fear there could be a shortage of the material next month when the rice harvest arrives,” he said.

But Humayun Khaled, chairman of the Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation (BJMC) told the Dhaka Tribune that the government has the capacity to meet year-round and seasonal demand for jute sacks. “Rice millers have long claimed that shortages are likely – even inevi-table – but the claim is totally baseless.”

The BJMC appointed hundreds of dealers across the country a year ago to ful� l millers’ orders. But rice millers say they do not want to deal with the sack dealers because they are not willing to supply sacks on credit.

“We millers have run our business on cash and credit for as long as I can remember, but sack dealers want cash in advance. This is to-tally unacceptable for us,” Nirod said.

There are 24 government-owned jute mills in Bangladesh, of which 22 spin jute

while the remaining two produce machinery for the mills.

Due to a shortage of funds, the BJMC has in the past been unable buy su� cient raw jute from farmers on time and on a regular basis, negatively impacting both farmers and mills.

To address this, the government recent-ly allocated Tk100 crore to procure raw jute from farmers.

Around 7 million bales of raw jute are pro-duced annually in Bangladesh. According to the International Jute Study Group under the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), some 3.5–4 million farm families are involved in the production of jute.

BJMC Chairman Humayun Khaled said the Mandatory Jute Packaging Act, if implemented properly, will boost the jute sector, with mills running around the clock. He said it would help protect 66,000 BJMC labourers’ jobs. l

Dhaka Wasa installed two water pumps near this blackwater ditch in the capital city's Syampur area, leaving local people with no other options but to collect water for drinking and household use from this unhygienic setting MEHEDI HASAN

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2015News4DT

Recording of deposition begins in the Zia Charitable Trust casen Md Sanaul Islam Tipu

The recording of deposition of Har-un-ur-Rashid, the investigating o� cer of the Zia Charitable Trust Graft case against BP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and others began yesterday.

The case was � led against the BNP Chair-person and three others.

However, Khaleda Zia, also a three times former prime minister, skipped the court hearing due to her illness in the case � led by the Anti-corruption Commission (ACC).

Judge Abu Ahmed Jamadar of the Dhaka Special Judges Court 3 recorded the state-ment of Rashiduzzman, Senior Manager of Metro Makers Ltd.

The court also partially recorded depo-sition of the investigation o� cer and ACC’s Deputy Director Harunur Rashid in the Zia Charitable Trust Graft case.

The court adjourned the trial proceedings until December 31.

Before recording of depositions of the witnesses, defense counsels cross-exam-ined Sonali Bank Deputy General Manager(DGM) Abdul Gafur, its Assistant Gener-al Manager (AGM) Harunur Rashid, Sen-ior Principal O� cer Harun-or-Rashid Fakir and General Manager Amin UddinAhamed.

The four Sonali Bank o� cials gave depo-sitions on December 10 in the case. They are now posted in di� erent branches of Sonali Bank in the capital.

Meanwhile, at the beginning of the hear-ing, defense counsel Md Sanaullah Miah submitted two petitions for non-appear-ance of Khaleda Zia mentioning that she could not appear before the court due toher illness.

The court granted the pleas. A total of 31 prosecution witnesses gave

depositions in Zia Charitable Trust Graft case.However, the trial proceeding has

now been stopped in Zia Orphanage

Graft case as a petition of Khaleda Zia is pending for disposal with the AppellateDivision.

The court on December 10, directed Khaleda’s counsel to submit the Appellate Division order on the case by January 14, or else the court will start recording deposition in the case.

In 2011, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) � led a case, accusing four persons, including Khaleda Zia, on charge of abusing power to collect Tk6.19 crore for Zia Charita-ble Trust.

The ACC � led Zia Orphanage Trust Graft case against Khaleda Zia, her son Tarique Rahman and four others in 2009 on charges of embezzlement of over Tk2.1 crore by form-ing the trust.

ACC’s public prosecutors Mosharraf Hos-sain Kajol, Mir Abdus Salam appeared before the court while AJ Mohammad Ali and Abdur Razzak Khan, Aminul Islam were present on behalf of defence. l

Captive power plant owners urged to increase e� ciencyn Aminur Rahman Rasel

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasi-na’s Energy Adviser Taw-� que-E-Elahi Chowdhury yesterday asked all captive power plants to increase their e� ciency by 60%.

He was speaking at a sem-inar titled Energy E� ciency and Textile: Lifeline of the Economy organised by Bang-ladesh Textile Mills Associa-tion (BTMA) in a city hotel.

The adviser said the pro-duction of gas had decreased gradually. The government, however, is trying to maintain continuous gas supply to all the industries and an initiative was taken to bring 500 million cubic feet of Lique� ed Natural Gas (LNG) from Qatar.

He also said 10 new wells will be drilled next year to ex-plore the potential of � nding more gas.

Presenting the key note pa-per at the seminar, M Tamim, professor of Mineral and Pe-troleum Engineering of BUET said the long-term objective is to establish market-based proper energy pricing to en-sure reliable and quality ener-gy supply.

As an interim measure, gas usage must be prioritised by giving industry the highest

consideration.“Another very important

interim measure is demand side management (DSM) through conservation and ef-� ciency improvement”, said Dr Tamim.

Co-generation of heat and power (CHP) has the highest thermal e� ciency of all gas usage and textile being the major export contributor and the best candidate for CHP, the sector should be given captive power priority provid-ed that the CHP is adopted in the sector, he said.

BTMA President Tapon Chowdhury said Textile Mills are resorting to energy e� ciency devices through co-generation process and other means to get maximum output from the use of gas.

It is estimated that BTMA member mills produce 1200-1300 MW power to run their own production and thus save national grid power to that ex-tent.

Recently, a 100% increase in gas tari� for captive genera-tors pushed up our cost of pro-duction enormously, he said.

AK Azad, former president of Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry said gas production will be reduced from 2017. l

DMCH correspondent still missing, GD � led n Tribune Report

The Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) correspondent for several media outlets, Aw-rangjeb Sajib, has been missing since Sunday.

His wife Morsheda Begum � ned a general diary about her missing husband with Shah-bagh police station yesterday morning, where she mentioned that Sajib left home for work around 7am on Sunday and went missing.

She was then told by an alleged eyewit-ness named Shakil that Sajib had jumped into the Buriganga River from a launch near Munshiganj around 10:30am on Sunday, leaving his belongings behind.

“As far as I knew, he had no job in Mun-shiganj that day, so there was no reason for him to go there or to jump into the river,” she told the Dhaka Tribune. Many of Sajib’s col-leagues echoed Morsheda’s concerns.

Sub-Inspector Ershad Alam of Chandpur Marine Police said he visited the spot de-scribed by Shakil. But locals were not able to verify Shakil’s account.

Additional Superintendent of Marine Po-lice Mokhlesur Rahman said Sajib’s mobile phone call list would be checked to determi-nine if he had traveled to Munshiganj. l

PRAYERTIMES

Cox’s Bazar 27 20Dhaka 25 14 Chittagong 25 17 Rajshahi 24 13 Rangpur 23 10 Khulna 25 12 Barisal 26 16 Sylhet 24 9T E M P E R AT U R E F O R E C A S T F O R TO DAY

Source: Accuweather/UNB

D H A K ATODAY TOMORROW

SUN SETS 5:17PM SUN RISES 6:38AM

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW27.0ºC 6.5ºC

Kutubdia & Teknaf BadalgachhiTUESDAY, DECEMBER 22Source: IslamicFinder.org

Fajr: 5:16am | Zohr: 11:57am Asr: 3:39pm | Magrib: 5:17pmEsha: 6:38pm

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2015News 5

DT

LIGHT TO MODERATE FOG LIKELY

Poison box helps people learn before mistakesn Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

Meena Begum from the Hasil village in Siraj-ganj district is the perfect example of the an-cient proverb: “Learn from your mistakes.”

Starting from lifesaving drugs to antisep-tic liquids to insecticides, manufacturers put a label on almost every packet that says: “Keep away from children.”

Meena, mother of two, probably did not take the warning too seriously and kept a bottle of Savlon, an antiseptic liquid, on the bedside table, until her toddler daughter La-mia drank it.

After several hours of hospital anxiety and stomach-cleaning drills, she says: “Now I keep all hazardous things inside the ‘poison box’.”

As part of a Australian government-fund-ed project, the Centre for Injury Prevention and Research, Bangladesh (CIPRB), has re-cently distributed 2,400 “poison boxes” to the residents of the Hasil village.

The local people have been advised to lock all drugs and poisonous materials, es-pecially pesticides, in these boxes away from the reach of children.

“In the village areas, women remain busy with household chores and hence cannot keep an eye on their children all the time. Now, if they start using these boxes, they will at least be relieved from the tension of keeping the children away from poisonous substances,” said Aminul Islam, a former sec-retary of the local union council.

The project was based on a recent CIPRB baseline survey conducted in Bramagacha union in Sirajganj district. Covering a total of 5,048 households, the survey found that there were 2,469 children between zero and six years of age.

The survey also found that a total of 367 of those children – 210 boys and 157 girls – have been into poison-related mishaps. And among them, those aged between one and two years are the most vulnerable.

Sohagi Akter, mother of two sons and a resident of the same village, has also learned

from her mistake.“Two months ago, my younger son, two

and a half years old, ate soap from the bath-room. He had to be hospitalised for this. The doctors advised us to keep such things out of the children’s reach,” Shohagi said.

“But now I keep all the shampoo, soap, blades, drugs and other things inside the [poison] box and lock it. Now children can-not get their hands on any of these danger-ous thing,” she said.

AKM Fazlur Rahman, executive director

of CIPRB, said: “In rural areas, children have easy access to poisonous substances because parents keep fertilisers, pesticides and even detergent powders on the � oor.

“We found that it is one of the key causes of poison-related accidents.”

Ikhtiar Ahmed, project coordinator of CIP-RB, said that � rst they had given councelling to the parents about the dangers of keeping hazardous things in the open and then the boxes were supplied to those houses that have children between zero to six years of age.

Hamid Aktar Sweety, a promoter of CIP-RB, said she monitors the households every week for updates and to make sure that the households are using these boxes.

“At � rst, people were not aware of the is-sue. Now people are conscious and are using these boxes,” Sweety said.

Fazlur Rahman also said: “It is a small-scale programme. We conducted a baseline survey and we will do further surveys again. If we � nd people are bene� tting from this then we will try to expand the project.” l

Women and children of the Hasil village in Sirajganj pose for a photograph with the poison boxes recently MOHAMMAD AL-MASUM MOLLA

20th meeting of GOC held at parliament n UNB

The 20th meeting of Jatiya Sangsad’s Govern-ment Organisation Committee (GOC) was held yesterday at the parliament building, moder-ated by Committee President Sawkat Ali.

The meeting elaborately discussed the ac-tivities of Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) controlled under the Ministry of Com-merce. The meeting was informed that the TCB has received 662 audit objections, of which 172 have been settled and the rest will be disposed through bilateral and trilateral meetings.

The committee recommends allocating the TCB with Tk24.85 crore to increase its storage capacity of 900 tonnes by building eight warehouses and three cold storages. l

Akbar Ali Khan: Local govt not independent n UNB

Local government now cannot work inde-pendently despite being an independent body, according to former caretaker govern-ment adviser Dr Akbar Ali Khan.

“Local government is not directly a part of central government. It is an independent body. Despite being a small entity, it has huge tasks and responsibilities,” he said at a dis-cussion in the capital yesterday.

Brac’s Community Empowerment Pro-gramme and the Hunger Project jointly or-ganised the discussion on Localisation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at BRAC Centre Inn.

Dr Akbar Ali, also a former bureaucrat, said Upazila Parishad has been weakened

through nomination of the members of par-liament (MPs) as its adviser while local elites also always put pressure on the local govern-ment.

Calling up the members of civil society to play their role as watchdog in this regard, he said representatives of the local government must place their demands to the central gov-ernment and child marriage, which is one of the impediments to women’s empowerment, should be eradicated.

Bangladesh has achieved marked pro-gress in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), particularly poverty elimination, but there is no remarkable progress in hu-man development index, Akbar Ali said.

Bangladesh lags behind in ensuring nutri-tion and access to safe drinking water to all,

he said, it must come up with the right prior-ities to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which will begin in 2016.

Former governor of Bangladesh Bank Dr Saleh Uddin Ahmed said despite having re-markable progress in achieving MDGs, Bang-ladesh did not achieve all goals, so it must formulate work plan in context of MDG reali-ty to achieve the SDGs.

The work plan should be a participatory one, he said. Goals could not be achieved with any one-sided plan, which comes from the central government.

UNDP resident coordinator to Bangla-desh Robert Watkins and global vice-pres-ident of the Hunger Project Dr Badiul Alam Majumder, among others, spoke at thediscussion. l

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2015News6DT

BGB honours Liberation War heroes

n Tribune Report

On the occasion of BGB Day 2015, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) held a reception to honour the former members who had received gallantry awards for their contribution during the Lib-eration War in 1971.

The families of two Bir Shreshtas, eight Bir Uttams, 32 Bir Bikrams and 15 Bir Protiks were invited to the reception, held at Bir Uttam Fazlur Rahman Khandakar auditorium in the capital’s Pilkhana area yesterday afternoon, for the reception.

BGB Director General Aziz Ahmed presided over the event, where Liberation War A� airs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque was present as chief guest.

At the reception, the honourees’ families were presented with gifts, according to a press note.

Besides Dhaka, similar receptions were held across the coun-try for the war heroes in di� erent regions. l

BTCL to update Gulshan phone numbers todayn Tribune Report

Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Ltd (BTCL) is going to start updating telephone numbers under 881 and 882 groups in the capital’s Gulshan area today, according to press release.

A total of 3,800 telephone numbers starting with 881 and 882 – from 8818000 to 8819999 and from 8820200 to 8829999 – will updated, and the subscribers will be noti� ed and given their new numbers after the changes take place, said the press note, issued on Sunday.

Once the process is complete, the list of new numbers will be available at the BTCL website. In case of emergencies, subscrib-ers can contact the BTCL call centre at 16402, or the numbers 9853388, 9851000, 9850000 and 9887488. l

BNP candidate’s house attackedn UNB

At least 15 people were injured as some mis-creants attacked the house of a BNP-backed mayoral candidate at Bank Colony area here yesterday.

Witnesses said 20/25 miscreants, riding motorbikes, swooped on the residence of BNP-backed mayoral candidate Badiuzzam-an Bodi and � red blank shots when he was in a meeting with his party men in the after-noon. He returned to his house today after securing bail in a violence case.

At one stage, the supporters of Bodi hurled brickbats towards the miscreants, triggering a clash that left 15 people injured.

The miscreants also vandalised some fur-niture of the house and motorcycles during the incident. However, Badiuzzaman Bodi escaped unhurt. l

Japan seeks security for its development projectsn Asif Showkat Kallol and Kamrul Hasan

The Foreign Ministry has asked the Home and Finance ministries to ensure safety and security of Japanese citizens in Bangladesh engaged in 14 development corporation projects.

Director of the East Asian and Paci� c Region Wing of the Foreign Ministry Syed Muntasir Mamun yesterday sent a letter to the Home Ministry, � nance secretary and in-spector of police to take necessary measures in this regard, said an o� cial.

A police headquarters source said they had already provided security not only to Japa-nese expatriates who work in Bangladesh but

to all foreign citizens living in the country.According to the Foreign Ministry letter,

the Japanese projects include the improve-ment of safety and security system in airports in Dhaka, Chittagong, Jessore and Saidpur; small-scale water resources development project in Sylhet; and the Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit project.

The other Japanese development activ-ities in Bangladesh include the National Power Transmission Network Project, the Mataribari Ultra Super Critical Coal Project in Cox’s Bazar, Jica’s Livelihood Improvement projects in Kishoreganj, Netrakona and Brah-manbaria.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal

yesterday told the Dhaka Tribune that the government had already provided security to all foreigners in the country and will contin-ue to do so.

Last November, the Japanese ambassa-dor in a letter requested the home minister to ensure safety of Japanese nationals and personnel engaged in Japanese development corporation projects.

On October 05, Japanese national Kunio Hoshi was killed in Rangpur, � ve days after the killing of an Italian citizen in Dhaka’s dip-lomatic zone.

Japan government’s top spokesman ex-pressed outrage over the killing of the Japa-nese citizen. l

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2015News 7

DT

MUNICIPALIT Y POLLS 2015

MUNICIPALIT YPOLLS 2015

M U N I C I P A L I T Y P O L L S 2 0 1 5

M U N I C I P A L I T Y P O L L S 2 0 1 5

Supporters of Awami League backed mayoral candidate conduct campaign riding on a pick up van. The photo was taken from Tanore, Rajshahi yesterday AZAHAR UDDIN

Polls postponement gets mixed reaction n Our Correspondent, Thakurgaon

The voters and candidates of Ranisankail municipality have expressed mixed reaction after a bench of High Court postponed the upcoming election.

Sources said the postponement of the election had become hot issue of discussion among the people everywhere-in tea stalls, markets and working places.

The bench of the High Court consisting of Justice Jinat Ara and Justice AKM Shahidul Islam postponed the election on December 8, for six months after hearing a writ petition � led by a councillor candidate Md Shariful Islam, said the sources.

Shariful � led the writ petition challenging the declaration of election schedule with-out solving the problem in delimitation of boundaries and without publishing it in the

gazette.The court also issued rule on the Secre-

tary, Ministry of Local Government and Ru-ral Development, chief election commission-er, deputy commissioner of Thakurgaon and others to show cause within two weeks why the election schedule without area demarca-tion should not be declared illegal.

Shariful said: “I have done it for the inter-est of the voters. Many voters are living in the municipality area, and they were going to be deprived in casting votes.”

The candidates are continuing the elec-tion campaign as they are not concerned over the issue.

Regarding the postponement of election, Awami League mayoral candidate Alamgir Sarkar said due to the postponement of elec-tion, the atmosphere of election was ham-pered.

Mayoral candidate of Jatiya Party Shamsul Ara� n said that if there was any legal prob-lem that should have been solved earlier. Af-ter the � ling of nomination papers and after scrutiny, the postponement of election is not proper.

Mobarak Hossain, president of Ran-isankail press club, said the people in the municipality were in confusion about the election.

He also said he had heard the copy of writ petition had reached in the municipality.

Returning o� cer of the municipality and UNO Md Nahid Hasan said he had also heard the news of the postponement of election through electronics and print medias. But yet he had not received any written order.

“After getting written document from the court, only I can order to stop campaign,” said Nahid yesterday evening. l

Khulna BNP demands PaikgachhaOC removaln Our Correspondent, Khulna

Leaders of a committee formed by the BNP’s Khulna city and district units for coordina-tion tasks of the upcoming municipal elec-tions demanded the removal of the o� cer-in-charge of Paikgachha police station on various allegations yesterday.

They raised the demand in a memoran-dum submitted to the deputy commissioner at noon.

The allegations mentioned in the mem-orandum inlcude the occupation of BNP’s election o� ces by Awami League members, police raids on BNP members’ houses in the name of operations to check militan-cy, extorting money from BNP members,and also threatening them not to join elec-tioneering.

A copy of the memorandum was also sent to the chief election commissioner via fax.

The coordination committee leaders claimed that the o� cer-in-charge of Paik-gachha police station, Ashrafuzzaman, had threatened several top BNP leaders of the district, including chief election agent of the mayor candidate Dr Abdul Majid and Paikgachha upazila BNP’s General Secretary advocate Abu Sayeed, to refrain from cam-paigning or face arrest.

They alleged that local Jubo League mem-bers attacked and took over the election o� ce of a BNP candidate in Paikgachha’s Saral Bazar area on December 19, while OC Ashrafuzzaman and Awami League leaders asked BNP members not to join campaigns a day earlier.

The committee leaders also claimed that the Dakop upazila nirbahi o� cer had compared watching TV at BNP candidates’o� ce with violation of electoral code of con-duct.

They urged the authorities concerned to take legal actions against the irregularities. l

12 candidates � nedn Our Correspondent, Moulvibazar

A mobile court � ned three mayoral and nine councillor candidates in Moulvibazaryesterday for violating electoral code and conduct.

The mobile court led by Kulaura upazila Assistant Commissioner (land) Alamgir Hus-sein conducted the drive in Kulaura munici-pal area in the afternoon.

Moulvibazar district Election O� cer Is-ta� zul Haque Akand and Kulaura Upazila Election O� cer Zillur Rahman accompanied the assistant commissioner.

The court has � ned BNP mayoral candi-date Kamal Uddin Ahmed Tk5,000, Awa-mi League candidate Sha� Ahmed Salman Tk2,000 and independent candidate Sha� Alam Younus Tk5,000.

Besides, nine councillor candidates of di� erent wards of the Kulaura munici-pality – Murad Ahmed, Harunur Rashid,Ruman Ahmed Rumel, Abdul Motlib Khu-kon, Shamim Ahmed Chawdhury, Md Mo-staque, Almas Pervez Talukdar, Iqbal Ahmed Shamim, and Baby Begum Chowdhury – were � ned Tk5,000 each for violation of the election rule. l

SITAKUNDA MUNICIPAL POLLS

AL triangular battle may appear as boon for BNPn Anwar Hussain, Chittagong

With eight days left for the forthcoming mu-nicipal polls, Awami League is going to face a three-pronged battle in Sitakunda munici-pality as two nomination-deprived mayoral candidates are contesting as rebel candidates after resigning from their respective posts of the party.

The voters observe that the internal dis-pute in the ruling party might appear as a boon for the BNP-nominated mayoral candi-date Syed Abul Mansur. The locals think that the triangular battle in the ruling party might help BNP-nominated mayoral candidate to reap bene� t from the internal feud.

Syed Abul Mansur, mayoral candidate who is contesting from Bangladesh Nationalist Par-ty said there were a total of six mayoral candi-dates in Sitakunda municipality which is the highest in 10 municipalities in Chittagong.

This time a total of 34 mayor aspirants are vying for the upcoming municipal polls slated for December 30. The 10 municipali-ties where the polls are going to be held are Sandwip, Banshkhali, Chandanaish, Satka-nia, Mirsarai, Patiya, Raozan, Rangunia, Bar-yarhat and Sitakunda.

Badiul Alam, vice-president of Awami League Sitakunda municipality managed to win party ticket for contesting as a mayoral candidate from the ruling party for the upcoming polls.

On the other hand, Nayek Sha� ul Alam, incumbent mayor of Sitakunda municipality is contesting as a rebel mayoral candidate. After failing to get party ticket, Sha� ul Alam resigned from his post of acting president of Awami League Sitakunda upazila.

Meanwhile, Mohammad Sirajuddowla also resigned from his post of the president of Awami Legue Sitakunda municipality and contending as a rebel candidate.

Badiul Alam who is contesting with elec-toral symbol ‘boat’ alleged that both Nayek Sha� ul Alam and Mohammad Sirajuddowla are isolated from the people.

“My party has chosen me considering my popularity in the locality. I am con� dent of winning the polls with a wide margin”, add-ed Badiul.

“I had served as the mayor of Sitakunda municipality for � ve times. This time I did not want to join the race. However, my party at � rst nominated me and as per my party’s desire, I made up my mind to contest the polls. Howev-er, a vested quarter with vested interest thwart-ed my nomination. Being deprived, I decided to vie as an independent candidate and resign from my party,” said Nayek Sha� ul Alam.

“I was involved with the politics of the AL for long 30 years. However, I regret to say that my party deprived me of the nom-ination. I have always been with the people

in their well and woes and they insisted me on joining the fray. I will win with a landslide victory,” said Nayek Sha� ul Alam.

“Badiul does not belong to the ideology of the AL. It is Badiul Alam who was the head of Gram Sarkar during the regime of late pres-ident Ziaur Rahman,” alleged Sha� ul Alam.

Mohammad Sirajuddowla who is contest-ing with electoral symbol ‘jug’ said: “Though Awami League did not nominate me, the people will elect me.”

“I have always been a bona� de and dedi-cated activists for the Awami League. How-ever, AL did not evaluate me. That’s why I decided to quit the party and contest the polls,” added Sirajuddowla.

“Awami Leauge high command nomi-nated a candidate to vie for the race who is isolated from the people. The voters in Si-takunda will never vote for any isolated can-didate,” added Sirajuddowla. l

News8DTTUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2015

180,000 yaba pills seized in Ctg, two drug traders heldn Tribune Report

Police on Sunday night arrest-ed two suspected drug traders along with 1,80,000 pieces of contraband yaba pills worth around Tk1.4 crore from Oxy-gen Circle area under Bayezid police station in the city.

The arrested were identi-� ed as Md Sirajuddin, 36, a resident of Ukhiya upazila of Cox’s Bazar district and Mo-hammad Arafat, 32, a resident of Satkania upazila of Chit-tagong.

Mohammad Arafat is the car driver of Md Sirajuddin who lives in Khulshi area in the port city.

Mohammad Mohsin, of-� cer-in-charge of Bayezid po-lice station, said: “Acting on a tip-o� , we conducted a drive

in Oxygen Circle area and searched a jeep carrying the duo that was going to Hathaz-ari upazila to Anwara upazila in the district.

“After searching the vehicle, we seized about 180,000 piec-es of yaba tablets, wrapped in-side plastic bags and arrested the duo,” added the OC.

“During primary quizzing, the arrestees confessed that they belonged to an interna-tional drug smuggling syndi-cate”, the OC said.

“Though Sirajuddin told us that he is a resident of Ukhiya, we suspect that he is a national of Myanmar. However, we are looking into the matter”, said the OC, adding that a case was lodged against the arrestees with Bayezid police station under Narcotic Control Act. l

Suspected robber beaten to deathn Our Correspondent,

Meherpur

A suspected robber was beat-en to death at Chaltatla village under Sadar upazila yesterday.

The deceased was Izarul Isalm, 41, of Bhavanipur vil-lage.

Sources said a gang of rob-bers entered the house of Saudi Arabia expatriate Mintu Sheikh in the village around 4am. They looted gold orna-ments, mobile phones, cash and valuables at gunpoint.

Hearing screaming of the family members, the villagers went to the spot and tried to con� ned the robbers.

The robbers blasted several bombs and managed to � ee the scene leaving Izarul as he was con� ned by the family members meanwhile.

Later, the villagers beat up him leaving critically injured.

On information, police went to the spot and rescued Izarul.

Later, he was sent to Me-herpur General Hospital where on duty doctor de-clared him dead.

When contacted, Ahsan Habib, o� cer-in-charge of Meherpur police station, said Izarul was wanted in several cases including murder and robbery. l

Trader shot deadin Cox’s Bazarn Our Correspondent,

Cox’s Bazar

A trader was allegedly shot dead by robbers at Adarsha vilage in Khurushkul area un-der Sadar upazila yesterday.

The deceased was Nurul Absar, 25, son of Nurul Islam of Kaorapara village in the area.

Sources said a gang of rob-bers tried to rob Absar’s gro-

cery shop in the area at night. The robbers shot him after he tried to resist them. He died on the spot.

On information, police went to the spot and recov-ered the body.

When contacted, Aslam Khan, o� cer-in-charge of Cox’s Bazar Sadar police sta-tion, said the police were try-ing to arrest the criminals. l

News 9D

T

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2015

Bangladesh High Commission in London celebrates Victory Day

IBA graduation 2015

Holiday treats at Le MeridienCity’s Newest Hotel gears up for Christmas and New Year’s Eve merry-making

Celebrations of Bangladesh’s Victory Day began as the chants of “Joy Bangla, Joy Bangla, Joy Bangla,” could be heard in south London at an event organised by the Bangladesh High Commission on December 15, a day ahead of Victory Day.

It wasn’t only the Bangalis but mainstream English journalists and diplomats from various countries of the world, who were also part of the celebrations.

The event, which is the � rst of its kind, was a reception hosted by Nadeem Qadir, minister (Press), Bangladesh High Commission, London at the Kiplings Restaurant in the city, amid drizzles.

At the event, Nadeem Qadir said, “It is an e� ort to introduce the real Bangladesh, beautiful Bangladesh to the mainstream media and the world at large. We need to change the mind-set about Bangladesh as we are making great strides under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.”

The venue was packed by 5pm as the guests were eager to know more about Bangladesh’s glorious history, celebrate its culture and enjoy traditional spicy food.

Graduation of batches BBA 19th, MBA 48th, 49th, and EMBA 16th and 17th of IBA of University of Dhaka was held on December 19, 2015 at Bashundhara Convention Hall. Honourable vice chancellor, professor Dr AAMS Are� n Siddique of University of Dhaka was present as the chief guest of the programme. Renowned industrialist and the chairperson of Summit Group Md Ajij Ahmed Khan was present as the special guest. The director of IBA, professor Dr AKM Saiful Mojid presided over the programme. Professor Mojid encouraged the graduates to acquire knowledge and

improve their professional skills. Professor Dr Md Jahangir Alam, the chairperson of MBA, gave the welcome speech. In his speech, professor Dr Khair Jahan Sogra, the chairperson of EMBA, congratulated the graduates for their success. The chairperson of BBA, Professor Niaj Ahmed thanked everyone who were involved with the success of this programme. The vice chancellors from di� erent universities, teachers of IBA, high ranking o� cers of di� erent institutes were present at the graduation programme. The family members of the students were also present at the graduation ceremony.

Classical Music Concert at IUBIndependent University, Bangladesh (IUB) hosted a Classical Music Concert on December 20 from 5pm to 8pm at IUB’s Auditorium.

The concert was conducted centring around classical music where Maestro Alif Laila was on sitar with her expression of the ragas. On tabla there was Rupak Bhattacharjee.

Sitar Maestro Alif Laila has always been an art lover and never failed to mesmerise the audience with her sitar. She has performed internationally and gained tremendous appreciation.

Rupak Bhattacharjee on the other hand, being associated with teaching in the Department of Electronics at Srerampore College, holds a generous a� ection on Indian classical music, especially on tabla.

Rashed Chowdhury,

chairman Board of Trustees of IUB, Towhid Samad, former chairman of Board of Trustee and Governing Council, IUB and Professor Omar Rahman, vice chancellor of IUB were present at the occasion among other distinguished personalities.

Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) is proud to host the arrangement. This occasion was a real treat for the evergreen classical music lovers. l

Le Méridien Dhaka gears up to meet guest expectations for Christmas and New Year’s Eve with a host of great o� ers. Merry-making begins before Christmas Eve as the Chocolate Room at Latest Recipe expands to retail with the hotel’s latest product line “Chocolate by Le Méridien Dhaka,” available for sale at its lobby lounge bar Latitude 23 along with a delectable selection of Christmas cakes and cookies. Coming in chic boxes of six, 12 and 24 pieces of these decadent creations, the chocolates cost Tk600++, Tk1,000++ and Tk1,800++ respectively.

On Christmas Eve (from 7pm till midnight), all three of the hotel’s major dining venues will be revved up with Christmas delicacies. While the popular all day dining restaurant Latest Recipe will be doling out a special Christmas Bu� et Dinner (at Tk3,600++ per person) with over 100 dishes, including roast whole turkey with cranberry sauce in glazed chestnut, potato and carrot stew, roast duck with caramelised cinnamon pears, chocolate yule log cake, grissini stick, variety of pasta, walnut avocado blue cheese salad, etc. Its classic Italian restaurant Favola will be o� ering a Five-Course Christmas Dinner (at Tk3,800++ per person) with choices of three main courses such as chestnut stu� ed turkey breasts with cranberry sauce and two desserts as mouth-watering as yoghurt panna cotta with strawberry sauce and Sicilian cassata with candied fruits and soft pistachio cream, the speciality Mediterranean restaurant Olea Three-Course Christmas Dinner (at Tk3,800++ per person) with assorted mezzeh platter of grills and kebabs

and choices of main course from Egypt, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

Christmas Day will bring merriment in tenfold as the hotel hosts its � rst Children’s Christmas Party by the Skyline In� nity Pool (rooftop). Starting from 10:30am till 3:30pm, with magic show, ventriloquism, balloon show, table tricks, fortune-telling, face painting, bioscope, ball house, candy � oss, popcorn, mu� ns and cupcakes, hot chocolate with marshmallows and milkshakes, it promises to be a memorable Christmas for the littlest guests. Not to mention that Santa will be attending the event with a bag full of goodies and gifts.

December celebrations will continue till New Year’s Eve with the completely ingenious New Year’s Eve Bu� et Fest (on December 31, from 7pm to 1am). With an entry fee of only Tk5,000++ for multiple access to � oor 15 dining outlets including 15 Above (English pub), guests may eat all they can, anywhere they can, as many times they can and as long as they can within the six hours gastronomic exposition. The special one-night bu� et at Favola and extended bu� et at Latest Recipe present exotic cuisine such as smoked salmon cucumber salad, cucumber mint soup, Bloody-Mary mussels, sushi, sashimi and maki, assorted satays, almond-apple stu� ed rabbit roll served with green almond sauce, beef braised in red wine, onion and gravy scented in tru� e oil, green apple mint shooter, carrot cake with cream cheese icing, etc.

For more information, call +8801723595463, +88028900089 or contact reservations.dhaka@lemeridien.com.

Best of 2015

Best phablet/big phoneSamsung Galaxy Note 5This is a beast of a phone. It is, by far, the best large smartphone option in the Android market. It’s also the best Note model Samsung has every created. The 5.7-inch Quad-HD Super AMOLED display lets you take advantage of all its features to the fullest.

LG V10We can consider this phone, which was released late in the year, a close runner-up to the Note. The extra real-estate on this phone, as you can see by its bezels, comes pretty

darn close to the winner. Again, the features in this phone are quite similar to that of the Note, alongside its powerful performances.

Best compact smartphoneiPhone 6SThe latest from Apple isn’t really a big surprise. And by compact standards, with a 4.7-inch display, it meets all expectations and more. This phone is blindingly fast with Apple’s new A9 chips. Even though it’s slightly more a� ordable than its larger sibling the 6S Plus, you aren’t missing out on much in performance or features. This phone is

still the best in the market of its size, and still remains the favourable � agship.

Sony Xperia Z5 CompactAfter watching Sony crank out two phones a year, the Z5 Compact is a very close second to the 6S, if not the best of the Android bunch. What you’re getting here are some of the experiences of the larger Z5 and Z5 Premium in a much more compact body. For some, bigger isn’t always better. For some, this is the perfect size.

Best smartphone cameraSamsung Galaxy Note 516-megapixles at its best. This barely tops the list of having the best camera on a smartphone. It’s almost as if you’ve invested in a genuine point-and-shoot camera. The colours are brilliant, and it produces very sharp and crisp images. Let’s not forget the 4K video recording either.

LG V10Déjà vu? Well, it’s not really a surprise because these two phones are really amazing at what they do and what they can provide. The V10 camera is absolutely amazing. LG knows how to create that point-and-shoot experience with added customisation abilities. This is a very close second to the Note 5. You could say it shares the number one spot because nowadays, the quality in smartphone cameras are only getting better.

Best bang for your buckOne Plus XWe can’t all head out and grab ourselves a � agship phone. Most of us like to stay within

our budget and make wise investments. This year’s best budget phone has to go to the One Plus X. The 5-inch AMOLED display is magni� cent for a smartphone of this price range, which gels well with its build quality and overall experience.

Moto XAt the time of its release, it was the best phone Motorola had ever produced. With its pure Android experience, 20-megapixel camera and high-end specs, it packs a pretty punch.

Best overall smartphoneThis special award, which is safe to say, goes to the Nexus 6P by Huawei. Great battery life, performance and display, and it really isn’t that expensive compared to other � agship smartphones. Its beautiful design is nothing to skip over either. Google has a knack for picking up the right company to collaborate with on their Nexus phones. If this phone was a prize-� ghter, the 6P would be, pound-for-pound, the best smartphone of the year.

It’s been a good year for most smartphone brands, both at home and abroad. What waits for us in 2016 can surprise us in a very good way. There’s no real hitch on the pathway to supremacy for smartphones. We get so caught up on the latest features, and complaints alike, that we really don’t expect too much from the top companies of the world. We’ve seen the sexiest smartphone in the Samsung Galaxy Edge to the biggest let-down of the year in the HTC One A9. One thing is for sure, people learn from their mistakes and improve onto the next � agship or best budget buy. l

A list of smartphone winners of the year

Tech10DT

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2015

n Mahmood Hossain

When you think there’s not much these giant tech companies can do, they hit you with an incredible package of features you can hold in your hands.

Smartphones are getting smarter, while people are getting, well, you know. In any case, we take a look at the best of the best in this year’s race to become the king of the hill in the smartphone world.

INSIDE

The UNDP’s Human Development Report suggests that Bangladesh needs to innovate with respect to productivity and skill in order to get on a higher growth trajectory.

Our improvements in the Human Development Index in the recent past have been admirable. Throughout the 90s and the 2000s, Bangladesh moved up in the HDI, but this growth has stagnated in the last four years. This year, the HDI remains the same as last year, suggesting that a new approach should be taken to break this plateau.

Right now, Bangladesh ranks 142 out of 188 countries in the HDI. We can do better. Already, Bangladesh has been performing better than neighbours India and Pakistan. Globally, however, Bangladesh has been improving fast but not fast enough.

We can do better.It is not enough to be driven solely by the replication model of growth. We

agree with economist Dr Wahiduddin Mahmud’s assessment that it is time to switch to an innovation-based approach. That means investing in skills and technology as well as having more long-term vision.

Furthermore, holistic policy interventions must ensure that the poor and the marginalised do not get left behind. Strategic interventions may be required to stimulate sectors such as education and health care. Even though great leaps forward have been made in the last 25 years, access to technology in the SAARC remains woefully inadequate -- in South Asia, 1.4 billion people lack access to the Internet.

It will not su� ce to simply stay on the same course -- Bangladesh is at a turning point in its growth path. The right investments will encourage innovation and stimulate the economy in new ways. As the world moves forward in the global digital economy, it is imperative Bangladesh does not get left behind.

It will not su� ce to simply stay on the same course -- Bangladesh is at a turning point in its growth path. The right investments will encourage innovation and stimulate the economy in new ways

Into the wild black yonder

The future of digital � nanceWhat happens in India ought to be of great interest to many countries. In Bangladesh, regulatory changes are also under consideration by Bangladesh Bank for mobile � nancial services and it will be interesting to see how the pathways of India and Bangladesh unfold in the months and years ahead

Be heardWrite to Dhaka Tribune

FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka-1207

Email letters.dt@dhakatribune.com

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

com www.dhakatribune.com

Join our Facebook community:

https://www.facebook.com/DhakaTribune

PAGE 13

PAGE 12

PAGE 14

No turning backIn 1971, let me assure you, it was inconceivable that more than four decades down the line, the fault lines in our society would still be de� ned along the lines of ‘pro-liberation’ and ‘anti-liberation.’ How can we still accommodate that rhetoric?

People like Donald Trump and groups like ISIS serve to highlight the fact that this divide is, in fact, very real and tangible. Heretics and extremists have been shoved together into a gladiator ring to � ght to the death until only one victor remains, or none at all

Innovation can propel us forward

11D

TEditorialTUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2015

BIGSTOCK

n SN Rasul

There is a photograph taken in Tehran in 1979 by Hengameh Golestan, one of Iran’s most well-known photographers.

It depicts a large group of women, attired smartly in dresses and overcoats, some with smiles on their faces, some with their hands raised, made-up, elegant, distinguished, protesting the just-passed Hijab law.

Another one of Kabul, taken by a certain Dr Podlich, shows a classroom full of half a dozen or so people.

In the front, again, there are women, this time three of them, seated with their legs uncrossed, in thigh-length skirts, listening intently to what the teacher has to say. One of them betrays a dangerous seriousness; the other a patronising competence.

Staying in Kabul, this time in black and white, two medical students are discussing fervently with their professor. They are looking at the photo; it looks like a limb, but one cannot be sure.

They, too, are all female. They are perhaps discussing a new case, a patient, or the best way of going about carrying out their next assignment. All of them have short hair, tied up in exquisite buns and/or wavy pixie cuts. This one is taken in the 60s.

These are snapshots before my time, taken out of context, when my parents were barely teenagers. These are photographs presented to us to show us how certain places were before fundamentalist Islam took over, before the in� uence of politics combined with religion wreaked havoc with the free-� owing nature of certain societies.

Bangladesh, too, was like this at one time. It has, as I’ve grown older, been taken over by minute and irrelevant discussions on tiny details of Islam, by hijabs and niqabs,

by mandatory visits to the mosque for every single waqt of prayer.

Our collective family albums could pay homage to a time before time, when the women stood straight on their wooden chairs and looked into the camera with daggers, and the men, always so straight while standing up, tastefully kept their ascetic faces stern and serious.

This kind of tendency to romanticise an age that has left us is not uncommon. We speak of the golden age as if it was something established, something the people were very much aware of at the time.

A time when everything was almost as it should be. Photographs such as these are shared with the thought that such an age we can never have back, but look, see how beautiful and lovely it was at that time.

How people connected, and cared, and lived for each other; how life was simple and easy and all we were happy with was the life we had and the people we knew.

In truth, however, such a time never existed. People of that time probably vied for a time before phones and televisions, and before that, for a time before radios perhaps.

But it cannot be denied that we currently � nd ourselves at a very unique point in history.

With the advent of the Internet and other, faster means of communication, we have been placed in an age where we know more about us and the world around us than ever before.

We are able to, at once, know something instantly and let someone know instantly.

Every one of us is a witness and a journalist, a victim and a criminal.

Everything has, in short, become something.

With the fall of the Berlin Wall, political scientist Francis Fukuyama had said that we had reached “the end of history,” that we had established the correct method by which the world needed to run, ie democracy, and civil liberties were seen to be apex of people’s psychological and socio-political evolution.

But the story of radical Islam, especially post-9/11, has created a new history, a new wall that has created a divide, a dichotomy of extreme ideologies, between the East and the West, between liberalism and conservatism, between us and them.

These divides had, perhaps, always

existed. But had they been so poignant in their implementation? Even the current idea of all-inclusive culture and society is a result of an acute awareness of the divisions which de� ne us.

People like Donald Trump and groups like ISIS serve to highlight the fact that this divide is, in fact, very real and tangible. Heretics and extremists have been shoved together into a gladiator ring to � ght to the death until only one victor remains, or none at all.

What some fail to realise is that there is no one true solution to any of these problems. Yes, it would be ideal if all of us were perfectly attuned to the needs of others, and respected each other’s cultures and religions, and wanted to live together in some perfect cocoon of self-actualisation without harming or oppressing our neighbours.

But that will never happen, not as long as our respective cultures are actively incompatible with what the other side has to say and believe.

So: Where are we headed? To bring up the issue of Trump and ISIS again, the fact that these people have a platform on which they stand, one which isn’t as shaky as we may want to believe, is troublesome, and could lead us everywhere and anywhere. When jokers can take over and pretend to run the world, it is only a matter of time before they start to do so for real.

We know that we are at a precipice, and the coming few years will change our world as we know it. We are headed towards lands unknown, shores untouched, skies that have yet to see the light of day.

When we reach there, though, will we come out the other side, our heads held high, or under the bleak, strange darkness of a wild and hostile empire? l

SN Rasul is a writer. Follow him @snrasul. 

Into the wild black yonder

People like Donald Trump and groups like ISIS serve to highlight the fact that this divide is, in fact, very real and tangible. Heretics and extremists have been shoved together into a gladiator ring to � ght to the death untilonly one victor remains, or none at all

The world is a dichotomy of extremes REUTERS

It’s only a matter of time before jokers run the whole world

Opinion12DT

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2015

Opinion 13D

T

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2015

n Kabir Kumar

India’s central bank has long had a reputation for trailing many other countries, including Bangladesh, when it comes to creating the right environment

for digital � nance to � ourish. Bangladesh and other countries had moved ahead of India on inclusive digital � nance.

That view, however, is changing, particularly after the Reserve Bank of India announced in August that 11 applicants had been approved to launch payments banks by early 2017. Nearly half of those approved to be payments banks -- � ve to be exact -- are sponsored by telecom operators.

The payments bank is a new category of specialised bank that o� ers a variety of payment services as well as interest-bearing deposit accounts, a feature that extends beyond what a typical non-bank electronic-money issuer is often allowed to do. From a regulatory perspective, payments banks have as much muscle as one can wish to o� er the full range of payments and deposit services available in the bank business, though payments banks are prohibited from extending any credit themselves and must place their assets in safe and liquid investments.

The sweeping announcement was a surprise to many in India who had anticipated that the RBI could only approve the Department of Post as a payments bank.

A key question is whether India provided licenses to the right mix of players. Our initial assessment is that RBI got a lot right by approving a strong cast of institutions and partnerships with enough � nancial muscle to take risks and experiment with di� erent business models.

This is the � rst time RBI has awarded licenses or approvals to such a large number of applicants at one time. By doing so, they took a portfolio approach and stacked the batting order. Approvals were given to lead sponsors from one or more in each category: MNO (Airtel, Idea, Reliance, Vodafone, Uninor), prepaid issuer (Paytm, Tech Mahindra, and others), agent or business correspondent company (FINO), non-bank � nance company (Cholamandalam), and government (Department of Post).

Commercial banks are also participants in a number of the newly licensed entities. For instance, Kotak Mahindra has a 20% stake in the entity that will be set-up by Airtel; State Bank of India will have up to a 30% stake in the entity set-up with Reliance; multiple banks, including ICICI Bank, have a stake in FINO; and multiple banks have a stake in National Securities Depository Limited (NSDL). Many expect that with banks involved, payments banks will quickly move to linking payment services with credit issued by these banks.

RBI also seems to have struck the appropriate balance between innovation, stability, and customer protection. The payments bank requirements have capital requirements, promote stake dilution roadmaps, and deposit protection measures with the intent of protecting public deposits.

Moreover, included in the approvals were India’s largest corporate houses and high net worth individuals, not to mention Jack Ma, whose Alibaba has a 25% stake in Paytm, one of the awardees. By awarding the licenses to some of India’s strongest corporates, RBI is saying that it will back innovative models, but only if they have � nancial muscle behind them.

The RBI also recognised that a payments bank must be � nancially sound from the outset if it is to weather anticipated challenges during the growth phase and survive long enough to make a pro� t. Speci� cally, payments banks will need to develop massive agent networks, a large share of the cost of the business, which will require upfront investments with only long-term returns on investment.

Aside from the 11 payments banks, the RBI also recently approved two commercial banks and 10 small � nance banks, increasing banking supply signi� cantly for the � rst time in 15 years. RBI promises to issue more licenses “on tap” or with speedier approval

processes. These bold moves by the RBI will be a game changer for India’s � nancial system overall. These latest steps by the RBI along with signi� cant interventions by the Prime Minister’s O� ce and the Ministry of Finance provide an unprecedented opportunity to boost � nancial inclusion in India.

The approved payments banks have hit the ground running. Paytm has over 120 million wallets with average transaction amounts of Rs10. The payments bank license will allow Paytm to extend to smaller cities and rural areas with a model that is all digital. Reliance will combine the roll out of its low cost smartphones and data coverage with banking services. Telenor has partnered with a newly-minted commercial bank to focus on some of the most challenging Indian geographies in the north. Almost every new payment is hiring data scientists to develop models that will allow lending to take place by checking data from cell phone use.

It’s not all going to be smooth sailing. Some wonder if telecom operators setting

up their own payments banks will behave in an anti-competitive way when it comes to communications access and data. One safety measure has been that the telecom regulator has already chosen to regulate USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data, a communication protocol usable over any phone) with a pricing cap and also ensure that SMSes related to � nancial services are priced at the lowest tari� o� ered to any SMS.

The RBI will also need to prepare itself to supervise a new class of � nancial institution, even though payments banks do not issue credit and are considered less risky in some ways. RBI will need to create appropriate regulations that enable innovation and encourage a level playing � eld. At a workshop recently, one of the payments banks wondered if they would be forced to issue passbooks or other documentation, fearing those costs would undermine their ability to scale up.

The shake-up in India’s banking system could lead to a string of innovative products and services that we have not yet dreamed of. What happens in India ought to be of great interest to many countries. In Bangladesh, regulatory changes are also under consideration by Bangladesh Bank for mobile � nancial services and it will be interesting to see how the pathways of India and Bangladesh unfold in the months and years ahead. There is much to be learned by watching and learning from each other. l

Kabir Kumar is a Senior Financial Sector Specialist at CGAP, a global partnership of 34 leading organisations that seek to advance � nancial inclusion.

The future of digital � nance

What happens in India ought to be of great interest to many countries. In Bangladesh, regulatory changes are also under consideration by Bangladesh Bank for mobile � nancial services and it will be interesting to see how the pathways of India and Bangladesh unfold in the months and years ahead

Mobile � nancial services have a rocky road ahead of them

Can digital banking survive the upcoming regulatory changes? BIGSTOCK

Opinion14DT

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2015

n Enayetullah Khan

The concept of the good war may sound oxymoronic to some across the political spectrum, the kind of term peddled by some slick

operative of the war industry of the West, or one of its couriers in the form of shady arms-dealers who are the illegal bene� ciaries when nations go to war. Maybe some misguided ideologue who wouldn’t know what to do with himself if all the wars suddenly wrapped up in the Middle East.

In 1971 though, the war fought in these lands that would go on to form an independent Bangladesh for its 75 million residents, at least from their side on the ground and humanity’s point of view, was every bit the good � ght. Our cause was just, and our hands were forced. Despite

all the post-war e� orts at constructing an underlying theme of Bengali nationalism by tracing its origins right back to the Language Movement of 1952, over time all of these have unravelled.

While it is true that some of the more radical student groups were pushing Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to declare independence outright in the lead-up to his historic March 7 address at the Racecourse Maidan, our leader clearly was not convinced by such urgency. Like a true democrat, he wanted the path of dialogue to exhaust itself before moving to such a course. No one knew better than their own “Mojibor” of old, the pulse of the Bengalis.

It was the commencement of Operation Searchlight, and the serial atrocities committed by the Pakistani army in its � rst phase (till early May) that provoked a collective outrage on the part of the population that no army in the world could hope to suppress. They were destined to fail, and so they did, spectacularly. Today as a result 160 million Bangladeshis wake up every morning entitled to expect the same freedoms as others who belong to independent nations, that we believe to be democracies. But can they, or do they really? From its politicians (not including the rulers of the day obviously) to its journalists and human rights defenders, its hopelessly repressed minorities, and perhaps most

frustrating of all, the politicised bureaucracy, is it Bangladesh that is failing to live up to the promise of liberation, or Bangladeshis?

“Beyond a certain point, there is no turning back,” wrote Franz Ka� a, the celebrated Czech writer, in “Re� ections on Sin, Su� ering, Hope and the True Way,” before shattering any preconception from forming with the refrain: “That is the point that must be reached.” The generation of 71 who fought for and attained our vaunted independence, were undoubtedly pushed to that point.

Yet once they were, the result was always inevitable. Overnight, throughout Bangladesh, the most ordinary, easygoing, peace-loving souls of the Bengalis were transformed into a ferocious form of indignation. And from that point onwards, there was going to be no turning back.

It almost required a sense of certainty, for as one of the sub-sector commanders during the war said, “I left home to � ght, and knowing I wasn’t seeing mother again without returning victorious.”

This is one of the abiding feelings of what informed the original spirit or inspiration, today’s much-distorted concept of muktijuddher chetona, that one recalls from the period. There was also the sheer unacceptability across the entire population regarding Islamabad’s actions, which were grossly unjust. So there prevailed a degree of consistency among the population on what constituted right and wrong.

Today, almost no such consensus exists across the population on almost any issue. In 1971, let me assure you, it was inconceivable that more than four decades down the line, the fault lines in our society would still be de� ned along the lines of “pro-liberation” and “anti-liberation.” How can we still accommodate that rhetoric? It is high time however, that we begin to display some of the maturity necessary to rise above the maelstrom of party politics, for there is nothing that seems to accentuate our di� erences more in this day and age than the AL-BNP divide.

Today, under the leadership of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government, we � nd ourselves at another critical juncture in the trajectory of our nation -- only this time in the � eld of developing our society while growing our economy for maximum bene� ts to the most number of people. Other nations � nd themselves similarly poised. Yet history (or is it biology?) teaches us that not everyone will make it.

Whether or not we now proceed to advance in keeping with the times, or fall o� and get relegated to the lower leagues in humanity’s great march creating history, will depend mainly on whether we can rise above some of the petty di� erences pulling us asunder, and summon some of that clarity we had in 71. There can be no more turning back on the dream of delivering the promise of Bangladesh. We have reached the point of no return. And therein lies our opportunity. l

Enayetullah Khan is Editor-in-Chief of Dhaka Courier and UNB.

No turning back

In 1971, let me assure you, it was inconceivable that more than four decades down the line, the fault lines in our society would still be de� ned along the lines of ‘pro-liberation’ and ‘anti-liberation.’ How can we still accommodate that rhetoric?

Can we get back to the clarity of 1971?

Could we have imagined back in 1972 what Bangladesh would turn into in 2015?

15D

TBusinessTUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2015

Oil price hits 11-year lowBrent crude prices fell to their lowest in more than 11 years yesterday, hounded by a relentless rise in global supply that looks set to outpace demand again next year. PAGE 18

German investor sentiment robust at year-endInvestor sentiment in Germany is still on the increase, amid con� dence that Europe’s big-gest economy is robust enough to withstand the refugee crisis and the economic slow-down in China, a leading survey said. PAGE 17

Stocks jump on BB moveStocks posted a steep rise yesterday, clawing back losses over the last couple of weeks.The market � nally manged to break the nine-day-long bearish spell after the central bank relaxed bank’s capital market exposure rules, sparking optimism among investors resulting in strong rally. PAGE 16

Capital market snapshot: MondayDSE

Broad Index 4,578.9 1.5% ▲

Index 1,101.2 1.1% ▲

30 Index 1,734.1 1.1% ▲

Turnover in Mn Tk 4,888.7 40.5% ▲

Turnover in Mn Volume 96.9 22.8% ▲

CSEAll Share Index 13,979.8 1.5% ▲

30 Index 12,407.1 0.9% ▲

Selected Index 8,507.4 1.5% ▲

Turnover in Mn Tk 219.0 -4.3% ▼

Turnover in Mn Volume 7.6 6.5% ▲

INSIDE

Tofail: WTO decision to help LDCs make best use of duty-free access n Tribune Report

Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed said the decision of relaxing export rules of origin for the least developed countries would help to ensure maximum use of duty-free and quota-free market access.

He was brie� ng media in Dhaka yester-day about the just concluded 10th World Trade Organisation Ministerial Conference in Nairobi, Kenya.

Tofail Ahmed led the delegation of LDCs to the conference which saw the WTO member countries agreed to ease the RoO for the LDCs to 25% value addition from the existing 30%.

That means the total export value of an LDC export product can have up to 75% imported components and still enjoy du-ty-free and quota-free market access to the developed countries’ markets.

“E� ectiveness of preferential market access, especially the use of duty-free and quota-free market access, depends on the RoO,” said Tofail Ahmed.

He said: “Due to rigid conditions of RoO, the LDCs cannot enjoy the bene� ts. The relaxation decision comes following a long-time negotiation of the LDCs including Bangladesh.”

“In the conference, I focused on the LDCs’ concerns and fought to establish their rights.”

Commenting on the capacity of grabing

service waiver facilities, the minister said: “We had been able to extend deadline and had to concentrate on capacity building and being well-equipped.”

He added: “It is very tough to realise the demands from the developed countries.”

The businesspeople said the decision to relax the rules would also open window of global outsourcing as Bangladesh would be able to export products manufactured using 75% imported raw materials.

“It is an epic-making decision for the phar-maceutical industry and if the patent waiver facility was not extended, Bangladesh could not use its potentiality,” said Incepta Pharma-ceutical Managing Director Abdul Muktadir.

“Bangladesh now will be able to provide newly invented medicines to consumers,” he added.

Muktadir said the decision would also

help Bangladesh develop medical tourism as “we will be able to provide medicines like Hepatitis C vaccines and some other rare products at cheap prices not only in Bangla-desh but also in the global market.”

Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Syed Nasim Manzur said it would open a new global window of out-sourcing going beyond the leather and RMG exports sector.

In the Nairobi declaration, the WTO member states made decision on four is-sues, which include relaxation of RoO for LDCs, extension of preferential market ac-cess waiver and patent waiver for pharma-ceutical products until 2030 and subsidies for domestic transportation of export-ori-ented agricultural products until 2030.

Currently, di� erent countries impose separate RoOs for LDC exports; Bangladesh currently enjoys preferential treatment on products with 30% value addition.

Bangladesh’s RMG products now add value locally by an average of 40%, but o� -cials say exports would increase if the deci-sion is adopted and implemented faithfully by preference granting countries.

Senior Commerce Secretary Hedayetul-lah Al Mamoon, International Chamber of Commerce President Mahbubur Rahman and BGMEA Vice President Mohammed Na-sir were also present at the brie� ng. l

World’s automotive battery supplier giant to enter local market next month n Kayes Sohel

GS-Yuasa, one of the world’s largest Japa-nese automo-tive battery manufac tur-ers, is set to enter next month into B a n g l a d e s h

market, mainly dominated by local � rms.For strengthening its foot from the very

beginning, the company has already set up a $15 million battery assembly plant in Chit-tagong with an initial production capacity of 30,000 batteries per month.

GS-Yuasa, which accounts for more than 8% share of the world market and around 30% share of the Asian market, has strategic alliances with all leading Japanese vehicle manufacturers such as Toyota, Honda, Maz-da and Mitsubishi to provide technological-ly advanced high quality batteries.

“We have set up a unit in Bangladesh to assemble automotive battery. It will start commercial production in January 2016,” Riku Imai, manager, Market Development at GS Yuasa, told a group of journalists

recently. GS-Yuasa has teamed up with Eastern Lu-

bricants Blenders Limited, a local � rm and a subsidiary of Bangladesh Petroleum Corpo-ration, to distribute its products across the country.

“Bangladesh automotive battery market is very potential as its economy is growing,” said Imai.

GS-Yuasa executive described how the idea came to him to penetrate into Bang-ladesh, saying: “When I visited here � rst time, I saw there are many Japanese brand cars driven across Bangladesh. However, I was afraid that there is no Japanese brand battery available here.”

“On the other hands, it is a great opportunity to intro-duce our quality battery to the market. Now I am very glad to launch our Yuasa brand battery business in Bangladesh.”

Moreover, Bangladesh automotive battery market is very potential as its econ-omy is growing, he said.

Imai said the number of automobiles produced across the world will in-

crease steadily in the future, many of which will be in Asia as well as in Bangladesh.

“The Asian market is the most important one for us because GS Yuasa has number one market share here.”

GS Yuasa had built foundation for batter-ies in Japan one century ago. As a top manu-facturer of batteries, the company has con-tinued developing more advanced batteries up until today based on its corporate policy of “Innovation and Growth”.

At present, the company also produces batteries, power supply systems, lighting equipment, special equipment and other electrical devices. l

Business16DT

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2015

Axiata sets foot in Nepal telecom market n Tribune Report

Axiata Group Berhad (Axiata) announced expansion of its regional footprint and entry into the Nepal market through acquisition of the Himalayan nation’s number one mobile operator, Ncell Private Limited (Ncell).

Robi Axiata Dhaka o� ce yesterday in a statement con� rmed the news.

Ncell is the number one operator in Nepal with a stronghold of close to 57.5% revenue market share and 48.8% subscriber market share.

Through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Axiata Investments (UK) Limited, Axiata has entered into a conditional sale and purchase agreement with TeliaSonera UTA Holdings BV and SEA Telecom Investments BV for the 100% acquisition of Reynolds Holdings Lim-

ited (Reynolds). According to the statement, the acquisition

of Reynolds for the purchase price of $1.365 billion plus customary adjustments at closing e� ectively secures Axiata with an 80% equity interest, a controlling stake in Ncell.

Industry insiders said Nepal is one of the emerging economies with steady GDP growth in Asia. With a mobile penetration of unique subscribers of 51%, the country has experienced a mobile subscriber growth at an average of 18% from 2012-2014.

Following the acquisition, Axiata will have contiguous presence and reach � ve key countries across South Asia. Axiata’s com-bined footprint in South East Asia and South Asia will cover a total population of 1.77 bil-lion and further solidify the Group as one of the leading mobile operators in the region

with over 280 million customers from 2682 million today.

President & Group Chief Executive O� cer of Axiata, Jamaludin Ibrahim said: “As with all our investments, we see our entry into Nepal as a long-term strategic move for the Group.

At the same time, Axiata is also committed to playing a major part in the development of the country by o� ering high-speed data con-nectivity and products on a par with its eco-nomic progress. Being a responsible corporate citizen and major contributor to the country’s economy is key to our long-term vision.”

Axiata enters the Nepal market with a local partner holding 20% direct local shareholding in Ncell as per the local law. The partner is an independent party familiar to the Group and well-versed in telecommunications industry and regulatory environment in Nepal. l

Prime Bank launches corporate credit cardn Tribune Report

Prime Bank has launched the new corporate credit on the World MasterCard platform.

Ahmed Kamal Khan Chowdhury, man-aging director of Prime bank, launched the new card at a ceremony held yesterday in the capital.

“The card o� ers our clients a life of privi-lege and luxury globally as well as within the country,” said Kamal.

The new o� er is manly for corporate cli-

ents. The charge of the card will be free for the � rst year and annual charge will be Tk5,000 from the second year.

Employees having a monthly income of over Tk50,000 will be eligible to apply for the card while the earning limit is Tk5lakh for businessmen.

Foreigners will get the card subject to hav-ing foreign currency account above $5,000.

The World MasterCard is a premium brand-ed card with over 1,300 global o� ers covering travel, dining and golf experiences. l

Stocks jump on BB moven Tribune Report

Stocks posted a steep rise yesterday, clawing back losses over the last couple of weeks.

The market � nally manged to break the nine-day-long bearish spell after the central bank relaxed bank’s capital market exposure rules, sparking optimism among investors resulting in strong rally.

The benchmark index DSEX rose more than 67 points or 1.5% to 4,578.

The Shariah index DSES gained 12 points or 1.2% to 1,101.

The blue chip comprising index DS30 set-tled at 1,734, rising almost 20 points or 1.2%.

The Chittagong Stock Exchange Selective

Category Index CSCX was up 123 points to 8,507.

On Sunday, Bangladesh Bank excluded banks’ equity investment in its stock mar-ket subsidiaries from the calculation of the banks’ capital market exposure.

From January, banks’ capital given to their stock market subsidiaries will not be counted as stock market exposure.

Lanka Bangla Securities said Dhaka stocks leaped up, fueled by relaxation of the central bank’s rule on bank’s capital market exposure.

IDLC Investments said the market broke the nine-session-long bearish spell yesterday as optimism resurfaced, riding on the news of � nal resolution on the bank’s capital mar-

ket exposure adjustment. “Relief from the fear of anticipated sell-

ing pressure from institutional end as well as hope for fresh investments rejuvenated investment sentiment of the market partici-pants. Moreover, availability of undervalued stocks due to recent negative momentum in the market attracted opportunistic investors.”

With the positive development, Regent Textile Mills Limited escaped selling pres-sure as it rose over 8% for the � rst time since its debut on Tuesday last.

Trading activities, however, also im-proved as the DSE turnover stood at Tk488 crore, which is more than about 23% over previous session. l

ISP licences of ABSCO, Sea Beach reinstated n Ishtiaq Husain

Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulato-ry Commission (BTRC) has reinstated the licences of two internet service provider companies – ABSCO and Sea Beach Online Limited.

On September 6, the regulator canceled the licences on the grounds that they didn’t renew their business permits, paying all dues, within the stipulated time

At a recent meeting, the regulatory body took the decision to restore the licences.

Over the last six months, the commission has canceled 63 licences of ISPs as they failed to renew their documents.

Earlier in June, BTRC canceled licences of 30 ISPs and in September 33 ISPs for the same reason.

Following the cancelation of ABSCO and Sea Beach’s licences, the two companies ap-plied to BTRC for reconsidering their licence cancellation one month and a half later.

In its application, ABSCO apologised to the commission for not being able to pay the licence fee timely before 23 February, 2013.

“Because of decreasing market situation during 2012-14 period, we couldn’t pay the licence fee in due time. Even it was tough for us to pay the salaries of our employees and to bear our daily operational and administrative expenses,” read the application.

An o� cial of BTRC told the Dhaka Tribune that as ABSCO and Sea Beach Online Limit-ed cleared all their dues, the commission has decided to reinstate their licences for ensur-ing uninterrupted internet services for sub-scribers.

Internet Service Providers, also known as Internet Access Providers, are business or-ganisations o� ering users access to the inter-net and related services.

The ISPs provide services such as internet access, internet transit, name registration and hosting, dial-up access and leased line access.

The main objective of ISPs is to send the internet services to the doorsteps of people and strengthen data communication. l

Dollar weakens against yen in Asian AFP, Tokyo

The dollar weakened against the yen yester-day as demand for the safe haven Japanese currency grew on declines in world equities and oil prices.

The initial rally in the dollar against its major rivals that came after the Federal Re-serve’s interest rate hike has faded as dealers focus back on the struggling global economy.

“As global stocks are facing selling pres-sure again and oil prices remain stagnant, investors tend to buy the yen as a risk-o� op-tion,” said Yosuke Hosokawa, head of the FX sales team at Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank.

The Japanese unit is often seen as a secure investment target in time of volatility and uncertainty.

Japan’s central bank on Friday tweaked its stimulus but crucially left its vast 80 trillion yen annual asset-buying programme unchanged. The announcement saw an initial spike in the dollar against the yen but it soon retreated. l

6-month replacement warranty on Walton LED TVs n Tribune Report

Walton has expanded its facility for its val-ued customers through o� ering conditional six months replacement warranty for its pro-duced LED (Light Emitting Diode) televisions started from December, 2015.

Along with the replacement warranty, the customers will also enjoy two years warranty for panel, spare parts and services of LED tel-evision. Earlier, the replacement facility on Walton brand LED televisions was only three months, said a press release.

As the local brand is committed towards their customers to provide best products with highest facilities at a� ordable rates, it has expanded the replacement warranty on its LED TVs by another three months.

“Walton brand LED televisions are now the customers’ top choice as the company manufactures world-class televisions with lat-est technology, advanced machinery, highly skilled and experienced engineers,” said Md Abdul Bari, assistant director of Walton Group.

The extension is aimed at enhancing the customers’ satisfaction, said Bari.

To bring the technological advancement towards the people’s doorstep at a� ordable rates, they are o� ering high quality LED tel-evisions at the prices of CRT TVs, he said. l

Prime Bank Ltd launches new corporate credit card on the World MasterCard platform

Business 17D

TTUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2015

German investor sentiment robust at year-endn AFP

Investor sentiment in Germany is still on the increase, amid con� dence that Europe’s big-gest economy is robust enough to withstand the refugee crisis and the economic slow-down in China, a leading survey said.

The investor con� dence index calculat-ed by the ZEW economic institute rose for the second month in a row to 16.1 points in December, after a 10.4 points increase in No-vember, the think tank said in a statement.

“The large in� ux of refugees is above all a major challenge facing policy-makers and civil society in Germany ... (and) the eco-nomic slowdown in emerging markets is ex-erting pressure on the German export indus-try,” said ZEW president Clemens Fuest.

“Overall, however, con� dence is growing that the German economy is su� ciently ro-bust to meet these challenges in the coming year,” Fuest said.

For the survey, ZEW questions analysts and institutional investors about their cur-rent assessment of the economic situation in Germany, as well as their expectations for the coming months.

The sub-index measuring � nancial mar-ket players’ view of the current economic situation in Germany was largely unchanged, edging up by 0.6 point to 55 points, ZEW said.

‘Solid rise’Analysts said the headline index was slightly higher than they had expected.

The “solid rise ... suggests that the econ-omy is faring pretty well,” said Jennifer McKeown at Capital Economics.

The data “support earlier survey evidence that neither the Volkswagen scandal nor the Paris attacks have taken a signi� cant toll on the German economy,” she said.

Nevertheless, the current level was still lower than that seen during the � rst half of the year, so it could point to a slowdown in growth, McKeown continued.

“We maintain our forecast that German

GDP (gross domestic product) growth will slow from 1.5% this year to about 1.2% in 2016,” she said.

ING DiBa Carsten Brzeski said investors appeared to have “somehow overcome their disappointment after the European Central Bank meeting and have become more op-timistic about the growth prospects of the German economy.”

At its meeting earlier this month, the ECB trimmed back one of its key interest rates slightly and extended its bond purchase pro-

gramme for another six months, but inves-tors had been expecting much more robust action to tackle the stubbornly low level of in� ation in the euro area.

Brzeski noted that the ZEW index had “a rather poor track record when it comes to predicting GDP growth.”

However, “despite another very turbulent year with the Greek crisis, the Chinese slow-down, the refugee in� ux and increased geopo-litical tensions, the German economy has con-tinued its solid growth performance,” he said.

“Domestic demand, and in particular pri-vate consumption, has become an important growth driver. Looking ahead, the economy should continue its current positive, though not breathtakingly strong, momentum next year,” Brzeski added.

BayernLB economist Stefan Kipar agreed.“Economic prospects aren’t going to cloud

over in the next six months,” he said.“In fact, growth could even gain a bit of

momentum, driven by strong consumer de-mand,” Kipar predicted. l

The German investor con� dence index calculated by the ZEW economic institute rose for the second month in a row to 16.1 points in December AFP

India introduces bill for bankruptcy law in parliamentn Reuters, New Delhi

The government yesterday introduced a bill in parliament aimed at bringing sweeping changes to an outdated and overburdened bankruptcy system, setting deadlines for the � rst time for processing insolvency cases.

At present, Asia’s third-largest economy has competing laws with unclear jurisdic-tions to deal with the liquidation or revival of companies.

This often results in the process dragging on for years, in� ating costs for investors and taxpayers. The bill, introduced by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in the lower house, seeks to enact a single bankruptcy code.

Under current rules, even deciding wheth-er to save or liquidate an ailing company can take years, leaving it in the hands of managers who can - and do - strip assets with impunity.

Foreign and domestic investors say the di� culty in exiting ventures is a deterrent in their investment decisions. l

Battle for young customers heats up in banking sector n Reuters, Hong Kong

Banks in Hong Kong are intensifying the bat-tle for young customers key to their future retail pro� t, o� ering online perks and mobile banking products in a bid to erode the domi-nance of HSBC in its Asian stronghold.

Like peers around the world, banks operat-ing in Hong Kong including Bank of China Ltd and Citigroup Inc are trying to improve their online banking products to lure tech-savvy students and young professionals as they are about to open their � rst bank account.

For HSBC the battle to win the hearts of young Hong Kongers is particularly impor-tant as retail banking activity in the Asian � nancial center helped drive its overall pro� t up 2% in the � rst half of this year.

The London-based bank, which has put China at the center of its global strategy, is also in the process of deciding whether to move its global headquarters to Hong Kong.

A survey of 2,500 people conducted in No-vember by specialized research � rm RFI, gave Bank of China a bigger market share among bank customers aged 18-24 than HSBC, which

dominates in all other categories. These customers loathe spending time at

bank branches and seek a lender that can al-low them to carry out multiple transactions from their smartphone.

“I would rate both the online and mobile services o� ered by Bank of China as good as they allow me to pay my parking tickets instantly, and this is very important to me,” said Chun Hoi Lau, a 23-year-old student at the University of Hong Kong.

Bank of China, which says the young gen-eration is a key customer segment, allows clients to carry out cross-border payments through an app, uses the popular WeChat social media platform to handle customers’ queries and has introduced a popular virtual securities investment contest for students.

“We have been developing a comprehen-sive strategy with a set of products and servic-es delivered through their preferred channels to suit their life styles,” the bank told Reuters.

Bank for life The jury however is still out on which lend-er is making e� ective inroads among the

young, a segment targeted because people often stick with a bank for life once they have made their choice, analysts said.

In a detailed survey commissioned by HSBC, and conducted by Nielsen last year, the bank said its market share of 18-24 year olds was nearly double that of Bank of China. It said it was aware of the increasing need to o� er more online services.

“We are investing heavily in developing new capabilities to meet customers’ needs,” said Kevin Martin, HSBC’s head of retail bank-ing and wealth management, Asia Paci� c.

HSBC will next year launch more products for smartphones and digital payments as well as new security features, Martin added.

Citibank is also appealing to younger cus-tomers with 19 “smart” branches in Hong Kong that boast the sleek lines of Apple Inc’s retail stores, touch panels, video conferenc-ing facilities and iPads to access a wide range of banking services.

Hong Kong spokesman James Gri� ths said Citibank was also o� ering customers discount-ed fees on stock and forex trading via digital platforms to encourage more transactions. l

Business18DT

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2015

CORPORATE NEWS

Bonik Barta and Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies accord a reception to former Bangladesh Bank governors Mohammed Farashuddin and Salehuddin Ahmed

Quazi ASM Anisul Kabir has joined Standard Bank Limited as its deputy managing director yesterday, said a

press release. Prior to his joining, Kabir was the deputy managing director of Prime Bank Limited. He started

his banking career as a probationary o� cer at Islami Bank Bangladesh

Limited in 1986

Oil price hits 11-year lown Reuters, London

Brent crude prices fell to their lowest in more than 11 years yesterday, hounded by a relent-less rise in global supply that looks set to out-pace demand again next year.

Oil production is running close to record highs and, with fresh barrels poised to enter the market from the likes of Iran, the Unit-ed States and Libya, the price of crude is set for its largest monthly percentage decline in seven years.

While consumers have enjoyed lower fuel prices, producers have hacked back spending and cut thousands of jobs, while exporting nations have su� ered tumbling revenue.

Brent futures fell by about 2% to as low as $36.05 per barrel yesterday, their weakest since July 2004, and were down 45 cents at $36.43 at 0905 GMT.

Brent crude futures haven fallen more than 18.5% this month, their steepest fall since the collapse of failed US bank Lehman Brothers in October 2008.

US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures dropped 33 cents to $34.40 a barrel, their lowest since 2009.

“Really, I wouldn’t like to be in the shoes of an oil exporter getting into 2016. It’s not exactly looking as if there is light at the end of the tunnel any time soon,” Saxo Bank sen-ior manager Ole Hansen said.

“For every dollar we move lower, that brings forward increased stress in the sys-tem.”

The price of oil has halved over the past year, shredding the � nances of oil producers such as Nigeria, which faces its worst eco-nomic crisis in years, or Venezuela, which has been plunged into deep recession.

Even wealthy Gulf Arab states have been hit. Last week top OPEC exporter Saudi Ara-bia, Kuwait and Bahrain raised interest rates as they scrambled to protect their currencies.

Daniel Ang, an investment analyst at Phil-lip Futures in Singapore, said Brent could be testing its 11-year low because the United States lifted its export ban, which has been in place since the oil crisis of the mid-1970s.

“This gives Brent more weakness than WTI, as seen from the narrowing WTI-Brent spread.”

“However, at the end of the day, I would think that prices would face strong support as they move lower, and I would think that we would not see prices below $30,” Ang added.

Yesterday Iraq devalued its dinar currency to o� set the impact of lower oil, while Azer-baijan ditched its currency peg after burning through more than half its foreign exchange reserves this year.

Morgan Stanley said that “the hope for a rebalancing in 2016 continues to su� er serious setbacks”. It cited US output being “more re-silient than most models originally indicated”.

US oil supply will make its way to global

markets in the coming year after the govern-ment voted to lift a 40-year-old restriction on crude exports, but it will face sti� competi-tion for market share.

Russia now pumps more than 10 million barrels per day (bpd), the most since the col-lapse of the Soviet Union, while OPEC output is close to record levels above 31.5 million bpd and well above the cartel’s notional tar-get of 30 million bpd.

Iran will add to global supply when it re-sumes shipments next year after the lifting of international sanctions, while a peace deal in Libya could lead to higher exports. l

A worker refuels a car at a petrol station AFP

Gold up on softer dollarn Reuters, London

Gold rose yesterday, as uncertainty about how fast the Federal Reserve will tighten in-terest rates next year weighed on the dollar.

Stronger European shares and a renewed slump in crude oil prices, which hit levels un-seen since 2004, curbed gold’s ascent.

The metal is usually seen as a hedge against oil-led in� ation, while appetite for risk keeps demand for safer assets such as gold limited.

Spot gold was up 0.5% at $1,071.31 an ounce by 1031 GMT, following a 1.4% gain on Friday.

Liquidity is expected to drop as trading enters the last two weeks of the year.

The metal saw bids on Friday after the dollar slipped against the yen on views the Bank of Japan may not ease policy as much as expected.

However, the outlook for the dollar re-mains constructive on higher US rates.

“The dollar will continue to be a drag for gold next year and more importantly the US real rates and equity risk premium will help drive gold lower,” Deutsche Bank analyst Mi-chael Hsueh said.

“We have a view that we’ll get 3 to 4 25 ba-sis point US rate hikes in 2016, bringing the 10-year real rate lower, although ... the yield curve is expected to ease a bit, but still not making it easy for gold,” he added. “We are targeting $980 for the fourth quarter next year.”

The benchmark 10-year US Treasury yield steadied at 2.2%. As gold pays no interest, the rise in returns from US bonds and other mar-kets is seen as negative for the metal.

Gold had fallen 2% on Thursday, the met-al’s biggest single-day loss in � ve months, as the Federal Reserve raised U.S. interest rates for the � rst time in nearly a decade.

In the run up to the Fed move, speculators built a record bearish bet in COMEX gold, US Commodity Futures Trading Commission data showed on Friday, a factor that could trigger some short-covering.

“We believe the pace of US rate hikes will decide the fate of gold,” ANZ said in a note.

The metal could revisit $1,000 for the � rst time in six years if it breaks below its early December low at $1,045, according to techni-cal analysts. l

Microsoft Bangladesh Limited on Tuesday announced retail availability of Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL throughout Bangladesh. The newest � agship devices to join the Lumia portfolio and the � rst to ship with Windows 10, the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL deliver a familiar and consistent experience that extends across your Windows devices, including innovative features like Windows Hello beta for Lumia and Continuum for phones. Combined with stunning HD displays, new PureView cameras with 20 megapixel sensors and triple LED natural � ash that shoot 4K video, as well as the latest in processing power, Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL represent the best innovation from Microsoft.

“We designed Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL for people who want the most productive smartphones running the most productive operating system,” said Sandeep Gupta, general manager, Microsoft Mobile Devices Sales, Emerging Asia markets. “People like mobile professionals who want a premium phone that can work like a PC now have the perfect partner for their Windows 10 devices in Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL. With full Windows 10 and features like Continuum for phone, it’s easy to do

more than ever from your phone whether you’re in the o� ce, at home or on the road,” he adds.

Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL: Premium and Capable Handsets • Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL are the

� rst Lumia phones to come pre-loaded with Windows 10 with built-in O� ce to access all your � les via OneDrive and the cloud.

• Both the devices feature Continuum for phones, enhanced by the optional Microsoft Display Dock accessory. This Windows 10 feature allows people to use their phone like a PC by connecting it to a monitor and transforming it for larger-screen entertainment, or adding a keyboard and mouse to work like a PC with Windows 10 apps like Microsoft O� ce, while simultaneously taking calls or performing other tasks.

• Both devices feature a QuadHD AMOLED display featuring up to 564ppi.

• Microsoft’s PureView technology is built into both Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL cameras, boasting a 20MP sensor and triple LED natural � ash.

• Integrated with Cortana, it’s easy to set news updates, calendar reminders, messages, appointments or even � ight information.

• To make this all possible, both phones also have the latest-generation Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ processors to get these things done faster. Full device specs are available http://

www.microsoft.com/en/mobile/#

Price and availabilityLumia 950 is approximately priced at Tk56,000 and Lumia 950 XL at Tk64,000, available at all the Microsoft authorised resellers stores in Bangladesh. l

Biz Info 19D

T

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2015

Novo Nordisk has supported to organise a camp for children living with diabetes to develop con� dence and knowledge for better management of diabetes under the changing diabetes® in children (CDiC) Programme.

CDiC Program in Bangladesh is a joint initiative of Novo Nordisk, Bangladesh Diabetic Somity (BADAS) and World Diabetes Foundation.

Bangladesh has the world’s largest clinic for children living with diabetes under the CDiC programme to help improve quality of life, psychological well-being, self-esteem, and self-con� dence, said Prof AK Azad Khan, president of Diabetic Association of Bangladesh.

The purpose of the camp is to help children living with diabetes learn more about the disease, its control and optimal management, to provide counselling for parents in e� ectively dealing with their children’s diabetes and to share experiences about coping with diabetes, said Prof Kishwar Azad, director, CDiC and Perinatal care of Diabetic Association of Bangladesh.

Changing Diabetes® in Children (CDiC) Program is part of Novo Nordisk’s strategy for access to care, and builds on four priorities within “the right to health:

availability, accessibility, a� ordability and quality of healthcare,” said A Rajan Kumar, managing director of Novo Nordisk.

The success of Novo Nordisk’s long-lasting partnership with DAB for years is rooted in shared fundamentals: focus, commitment, consistency and trust focusing on education, awareness, research, prevention and diagnosis, and seek to make these activities self-sustaining, Rajan explained.

The two-day camp was organised at Brac CDM Savar. A total of 80 children living with diabetes have participated at the camp. The camp will feature a lot of inspirational activities: celebrating the national Victory Day, concerts, comedy shows, talent shows and dance shows for children to build their con� dence.

“We are doing business following triple bottom line philosophy that made us liable to society and environment. CDiC is a burning example of our business philosophy towards achieving long sustainable development goals,” said Dr Mohammad Saiful, head of Marketing of Novo Nordisk.

Jakob Haugaard, deputy head of Mission, Embassy of Denmark also participated at the programme as the chief guest. l

The Municipal Elections 2015 are set to take place on December 30. HiFi Public, in collaboration with the Asia Foundation and supported by DANIDA, UK AID and Sida, organised the Elections Hackathon 2015 based on the upcoming elections. The two

day long hackathon is underway at the Six Seasons Hotel, Dhaka.

The Hackathon is aimed to provide a platform from which young participants can compete to provide useful and exciting online/mobile applications that will assist voters in accessing information relating to the Municipal Elections. The objective of the event is to encourage the youth to be better informed regarding

the upcoming election, and to develop online applications that provide free and transparent information to all voters.

Over 100 enthusiastic participants joined the event, including students, faculty members of di� erent universities, and

employees of various ICT professional organisations.

The welcome speech was given by Kutub Uddin Kamal, editor, HiFi Public, who introduced the crowd to the event and explained the motive behind this initiative and what it aims to achieve.

This was followed by an interactive brie� ng from Sara Taylor, deputy country representative of the Asia Foundation, who explained what concepts the participants could engage in with examples of such hackathons held in other nations across the world. Highlighting the importance of women participation in tech, she also lauded the female participants.

Shahriar Rahman, COO of HiFi Public, spoke about the importance of the youth’s participation in the electoral processes and how technology can play a signi� cant role in ensuring free and fair elections.

Zahed Eshaque, chief software architect of ZeTeq, explained to the participants on the more technical aspects of the task they

have to undertake. The contestants will be judged on the basis of innovation, usability, impact and growth potential. Contestants began pitching their ideas from 4pm in front of the judging panel.

A panel of seven expert mentors was present at the venue to help guide the participants and provide assistance as required. Mentors included, M M Mamunuzzaman, founder and CEO, Software Global Consultancy, Zahid Eshaque, chief software architect, ZeTeq Systems, Lut� Chowdhury, head of Sales, G&R Ad Network, Md Nurul Islam, senior programmes o� cer, the Asia Foundation, Mir Junayed Jamal, project manager, EWG, the Asia Foundation, Mohammad Arif Iftekhar, senior software engineer, ZeTeq Systems and Sha� at Alam, CTO, HiFi Public.

The programme will concluded yesterday at 6pm. The winning teams will receive laptops, smart phones, and other exciting prizes. l

Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL in Bangladesh

Novo Nordisk organised a camp for children

Elections Hackathon 2015 kicks o�

Downtime20DT

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 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 18 represents C so � ll C every time the � gure 18 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

Across 1 Winner (6)4 Faucet (3)7 Combine (5)8 Song bird (6)11 Depressed (3)12 Poet’s Ireland (4)13 Steering Apparatus (4)15 Wigwam (5)16 Speak (5)20 Skin eruption (4)23 Hindu Queen (4)24 Bees’ sound (3)25 Carry too far (6)27 Lair (3)28 Surrenders (6)

Down1 Manservant (5)2 Undergroundpassages (7)3 Book of the Bible (4)4 Money drawer (4)5 Minute particle (4)6 Church seat (3)9 Anger (3)10 Pinch (3)14 Utmost (7)17 Sailor (3)18 Conclude (3)19 Uprisings (5)20 Ill-mannered (4)21 So be it! (4)22 Divine (4)24 Concealed (3)

SUDOKU

INSIDE

21D

TWorldTUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2015

India � nance minister sues Kejriwal over graft claimsIndia’s � nance minister on Monday � led a defamation suit against Delhi’s leader who had accused him of large-scale corruption in his former role as head of the capital’s cricket association. PAGE 22

Splintered Spanish vote points to fraught coalition talksSpain’s major parties, taking stock after the most fragmented national election result in the country’s history, embarked on Monday on potentially long and arduous talks to form a coalition government. PAGE 23

Court rejects plea to reverse Delhi gang-rapist’s releaseIndia’s Supreme Court Monday rejected an appeal against the release of the youngest convict in a fatal gang-rape, sparking fury from the victim’s parents who said the rul-ing was a betrayal of women. PAGE 24

Obama’s � nal year to test presidential powersn AFP, Washington

Barack Obama has reveled in defying pre-dictions that 2015 would make him a lamed-uck president, but securing his � nal year goals – from closing Guantanamo to enact-ing gun control – will test the limits of White House power.

The last year of a US presidency can be a pitiful thing.

Many a commander-in-chief who be-strode Washington like a political Colossus can struggle to command much at all. New crises erupt, and victories won in the spring of an administration unexpectedly provoke a winter of discontent.

In their � nal years, George W. Bush watched the economy fall o� a cli� , Ronald Reagan was ensnared by the Iran-Contra scandal, Bill Clinton was impeached and Woodrow Wilson had a stroke.

For Obama, a long-avoided morass in Syr-ia and a costly quagmire in Iraq may come to de� ne 2016, as fears grow about the threat from the Islamic State group.

But Obama has o� ered Americans an al-ternative vision for his own eighth and � nal year in the Oval O� ce.

“I’ve never been more optimistic about a year ahead than I am right now,” he said before heading to Hawaii for an end of year family vacation.

“In 2016, I’m going to leave it out all on the � eld.”

Obama has proved himself remarkably adept at cauterizing the loss of power.

In 2015, he thwarted a recalcitrant Repub-lican-controlled Congress to reach a land-mark nuclear deal with Iran and inked a glob-al environmental accord that, in his words, can begin to “solve the climate crisis.”

He watched the Supreme Court enshrine gay marriage into law and tentatively agreed a vast trans-Paci� c trade deal that gives

teeth to his “pivot to Asia” and could shape geopolitics in the Paci� c for generations.

His approval ratings – although dented by fears about Islamic State terror after the San Bernardino attack – are around 45 percent, higher than Bush’s and roughly the same as Reagan’s at the same point.

In 2016, Obama will try to keep momen-tum by deploying all the tools and trappings of o� ce – from the bully pulpit to high-pro-� le presidential visits.

His voice will echo across the 2016 cam-paign, as he hits the road in support of ex-pected nominee Hillary Clinton and a Dem-ocratic third term that would emboss his presidency.

Before that, he is likely to become the � rst sitting president since Calvin Coolidge to visit Cuba.

But even that short trip across the Strait of Florida illustrates how much Obama’s � -nal year success is out of his hands.

A trip to the land Fidel Castro would be rich in symbolism, an echo of Reagan’s � rst visit to the Soviet Union in 1988, or Richard Nixon’s visit to China.

But without Congress’s willingness to end the embargo on Cuba, a visit would not thaw the last frosty remnants of the Cold War in the Americas.

Equally, ratifying the landmark trans-Pacif-ic trade deal still requires reluctant Democrat-ic lawmakers to vote in favor. That may have to wait until after the November election.

Ready to deal Publicly, at least, Obama is optimistic about dealing with the opposition-dominated Con-gress, even after being repeatedly burned – even if it is an election year, and even if disdain for the 44th president is a rare issue upon which Republicans can all agree.

Yet recent agreements on taxes, the budget and early childhood education have

left the White House more hopeful that pro-gress can be made on issues like criminal justice reform.

It is a cruel irony that America’s � rst Afri-can-American president has struggled to im-prove race relations, or address sentencing laws that see a disproportionate number of young black and Hispanic men go to prison.

“There is a con� uence of interests, I be-lieve the time is ripe for this issue,” said a senior administration o� cial, speaking on condition of anonymity. “There is a process and it is on track.”

Obama is even holding out hope, howev-er unlikely, that congressional Republicans will relent in their opposition to gun control and on closing Guantanamo.

On both issues, the White House is al-ready considering executive orders to bypass Congress and enact reforms, something that would ignite a political and legal � restorm.

Obama’s e� orts to bring a generation of immigrants out of the shadows o� ers a pre-view of what those � ghts could look like.

Experts predict lengthy court battles and a possible political backlash, all of which could leave supporters in limbo and a key Obama policy goal in the hands of the Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, the president’s perceived ex-cessive use of executive orders could alter the delicate balance of power in Washington.

As a presidential candidate, Obama crit-icized George W. Bush over executive over-reach.

“I taught the Constitution for 10 years, I believe in the Constitution, and I will obey the Constitution of the United States,” Oba-ma once said on the campaign trail.

“We don’t want to be like Bush,” said an o� cial who recently left the Obama admin-istration, discussing the problems of closing Guantanamo by executive order.

But neither does Obama want to run out the clock on his presidency. l

US President Barack Obama speaks at the National Archives in Washington, DC, December 15, on the 224th Anniversary of the Bill of Rights AFP

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 201522D

T World

Indian � nance minister sues Kejriwal over graft claimsn AFP, New Delhi

India’s � nance minister on Monday � led a defamation suit against Delhi’s leader who had accused him of large-scale corruption in his former role as head of the capital’s cricket association.

Arun Jaitley personally went to a Delhi court under tight security to sue Delhi Chief

Minister Arvind Kejriwal and � ve other mem-bers of his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for making “false and defamatory” statements against him and his family members.

The minister sought 100 million rupees ($1.5 million) in damages over Kejriwal’s “baseless and wrong” allegations that he mis-used funds during his 13-year tenure as presi-dent of the Delhi and District Cricket Associa-

tion (DDCA) that ended in 2013.A bitter war of words erupted between the

two last week when federal investigators raided Kejriwal’s Delhi o� ce in connection with a cor-ruption case involving his principal secretary.

Kejriwal in turn accused Prime Minister Nar-endra Modi of waging a political vendetta and branded him as “a coward and a psychopath,” alleging o� cers were sent to � nd � les related to

“the DDCA scam that implicates Jaitley.” Jaitley has since rejected the claims repeat-

edly and has described them as the chief min-ister’s “propaganda technique to de� ect atten-tion when you yourselves are in the dock.”

Kejriwal hit back at the minister on Twitter after the criminal and civil suits, asking Jait-ley to prove his innocence to an independent enquiry committee. l

Splintered Spanish vote points to fraught coalition talksn Reuters, Madrid

Spain’s major parties, taking stock after the most fragmented national election result in the country’s history, embarked on Monday on potentially long and arduous talks to form a coalition government.

With neither Prime Minister Mariano Ra-joy’s conservatives nor left-wing parties win-ning a clear mandate to govern, the country faces weeks of uncertainty that has cast doubt on the durability of its � agship economic re-forms and unnerved � nancial markets.

Despite garnering the most votes, the center-right People’s Party (PP) had its worst result ever in a parliamentary election as Spaniards angered by high-level corruption cases and soaring unemployment turned away from the party in droves.

The outcome was reminiscent of a simi-lar situation in neighboring Portugal, where the incumbent conservatives won an Oc-tober election but a socialist government backed by far left parties was sworn in.

The inconclusive vote heralded a new era of pact-making, shattering a two-par-ty system that has dominated Spain since the 1970s, with an unexpected surge from upstart anti-austerity party Podemos - the latest of several strong showings by popu-list parties in European elections - giving it a potential role as kingmaker.

“We’re starting a period that will not be easy,” Rajoy told cheering PP supporters at party headquarters in central Madrid. “It will be necessary to reach pacts and agree-ments and I will try to do this.”

However, the likelihood of a PP-led coa-lition faded with Podemos’ third place, out-pacing fellow newcomer Ciudadanos whose market-friendly policies had been seen as a

natural � t for the PP. A tie-up between the PP and Ciudadanos would yield 163 seats, short of the 176 needed for a majority.

Ciudadanos leader Albert Rivera on Mon-day urged the main opposition Socialists, which � nished second in the ballot, to sup-port a minority PP government on a law-by-way basis.

“Spain can’t allow itself to become Greece. Spain can’t become a chaotic coun-try,” he told broadcaster Telecinco.

But the Socialists reiterated they would not back Rajoy, although they did not fully rule out supporting another PP candidate,

in what would be a de facto grand coalition.Overall, Podemos’ strong showing tipped

the balance to the left of the political spectrum with � ve left-wing parties led by the Socialists and Podemos together winning 172 seats.

Such a left-wing alliance will be hard to form, however, as groups di� er on econom-ic policy and the degree of autonomy that should be awarded to the wealthy north-eastern region Catalonia, home to an en-trenched independence movement.

The Spanish constitution does not set a speci� c deadline to form a government after the election. l

WorldSOUTH ASIASuicide bomber kills six in attack near KabulA suicide bomber on a motorbike attacked a joint NATO-Afghan patrol near Bagram air base in Afghanistan on Monday, killing six members of NATO’s Resolute Support mission and wounding six other soldiers and police, o� cials said. NATO headquarters in Kabul con� rmed the deaths but did not con� rm the nationalities of the casualties, in accordance with its normal practice. REUTERS

INDIAIndia welcomes Nepal’s move to amend charter India welcomed the decision of the Nepal government to amend its new constitution to address key demands of agitating Madhesis regarding proportional representation and constituency delimitation. India’s foreign ministry said the accomodations o� ered a way out of the “current impasse in Nepal.” TOI

CHINAChina prosecutors sue environment departmentChinese prosecutors have � led a lawsuit against a county-level environmental protec-tion department, accusing it of “failing to ful� l its regulatory duties” in its supervision of a local sewage � rm. China’s Supreme People’s Procuratorate said the lawsuit � led by prose-cutors in Shandong province last week marked the � rst time prosecutors had sued a govern-ment department in a public interest case. The suit comes after China’s leadership has vowed to crack down on severe levels of air, water and soil pollution, including the heavy smog that often blankets major cities. REUTERS

ASIA PACIFICPhilippine to spend $1.8bn on military modernisationPhilippine President Benigno Aquino promised Monday that 83.9 billion pesos ($1.77 billion) allocated for military mod-ernisation projects would be spent by 2017 as the country faces a territorial dispute with China. Aquino said his administration had already spent 56.79 billion pesos of the total scheduled for full disbursement by 2017 on “big-ticket” modernisation programmes. AFP

MIDDLE EASTIsrael to deploy medium-range missile shield in 2016Israel plans to deploy its new medium-range missile interceptor David’s Sling by mid-2016 after the US-backed system passed � nal trials, defence o� cials said on Monday. Da-vid’s Sling is designed to shoot down rockets held by Israeli antagonists such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah guerrillas with ranges of 100 to 200 km (63-125 miles), as well as cruise missiles and drones. Together with the Iron Dome short-range rocket interceptor and the Arrow ballistic missile interceptor, both operational, the measures form a multi-level shield that the Israelis are developing with Washington’s help as a bulwark against Iran and its allies on the Israeli border. REUTERS

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 201523

DT

The new Spanish parliament

Socialist Party

Unidad Popular Others

Partido Popular11

Podemos

Ecologists-Communists

Radical leftCiudadanos

Right

Centre-right

26

69

2 9040

123

Absolute majority 176The previous parliament

10945

185

350seats

Source: Interior ministry

The 4 main parties

2220.6

14

28.7

Definitive results(as a % of the vote)

(numbers of seats)

US glossed over Oman’s human rights record during Iran talksn Reuters, Washington/Muscat

As the United States negotiated this year’s nucle-ar pact with Iran, the State Department quietly agreed to spare the Gulf sultanate of Oman from an embarrassing public rebuke over its human rights record, rewarding a close Arab ally that helped broker the historic deal.

In a highly unusual intervention, the depart-ment’s hierarchy overruled its own sta� ’s assess-ments of Oman’s deteriorating record on forced labor and human tra� cking and in� ated its rank-ing in a congressionally mandated report, US o� cials told Reuters. The move, which followed protests by Oman, suggests the Obama admin-istration placed diplomatic priorities over human rights to pacify an important Middle East partner.

In the weeks leading up to publication of the State Department’s in� uential annual Tra� cking in Persons (TIP) report, top advisers to Secretary of State John Kerry disregarded � ndings by its Middle East diplomatic bureau and a US govern-ment o� ce set up to independently grade global e� orts to � ght human tra� cking, the o� cials said.

In April, diplomats in the State Department’s Near Eastern A� airs bureau and experts in the Of-� ce to Monitor and Combat Tra� cking in Persons

agreed that Oman would be downgraded from “Tier 2” to a status known as “Tier 2 Watch List,” one notch above a level that can incur US sanc-tions, according to an internal department memo seen by Reuters.

Oman, they agreed, had not done enough to improve the plight of migrant laborers and do-mestic workers who make up a large part of its expatriate community.

In June, when the � nal report is usually published, the advisers to Kerry took an unusual step. They put the entire 382-page document on hold, two sources with knowledge of the process told Reuters.

But the case of Oman illustrates how even a small country that is strategically signi� cant to the United States can win concessions despite Washington’s public insistence that it bases its ranking system solely on human rights.

In its protests over the possible downgrade, Oman stressed its broader strategic importance to the United States, according to US o� cials.

While it is not unusual for a country’s ranking to be contested between the State Department’s human rights analysts and political bureaus such as Near Eastern A� airs, high-level intervention to change a ranking after those two parties have agreed is extremely rare.

By the time this year’s TIP report was pub-lished on July 27, � ve weeks later than usual, Oman’s ranking had been maintained at “Tier 2.”

“I’m not aware of a case where something like this has happened before,” said Mark Lagon, the TIP o� ce’s ambassador-at-large from 2007 to 2009 and now president of Freedom House, an advocacy group in Washington.

The reprieve has important implications. Watch List countries are de� ned as those where the absolute number of victims of severe forms of tra� cking is “very signi� cant or signi� cantly increasing,” according to the State Department.

A Western diplomatic source said he believes Kerry is “protecting Oman when it comes to this issue,” referring to human tra� cking.

Kerry’s press o� ce declined to directly ad-dress whether he deliberately shielded Oman in the latest TIP report.

A Reuters investigation published on Aug. 3 revealed a high degree of “grade in� ation” in this year’s rankings.

An unprecedented number of diplomatically sensitive countries such as Malaysia, China, Cuba, Uzbekistan and Mexico wound up with ratings higher than recommended by the State Depart-ment’s own human rights experts. l

Homeless in Los Angeles brace for El Ninon Reuters, Los Angeles

As Los Angeles grapples with a huge home-lessness problem, El Nino weather patterns are likely to bring torrential downpours in coming months and add to the misery of the thousands of people who sleep on the city’s streets.

“It is a crisis in LA, and I don’t think peo-ple realize the magnitude of it,” said John Kump, an outreach program manager at the charity People Assisting the Homeless.

Los Angeles’ homeless population is estimated at about 44,000, with many of them concentrated in a bleak and chaotic square-mile patch of downtown known as Skid Row.

The number of makeshift tents and ve-hicles used by the homeless has shot up by 85 percent in just the last two years to 9,535, according to the Los Angeles Homeless Ser-vices Authority, an independent agency set up by the city and the county.

Mayor Eric Garcetti proposed in Septem-ber spending $100 million to combat the problem. But he stopped short of declaring a state of emergency that would lift barriers to housing people, or calling on the gover-nor and federal government for funding.

‘Very difficult’The last two El Ninos, in the winters of 1982-83 and 1997-98, each walloped Los Angeles with more than 30 inches (76 cm) of rain - double the amount that the city normally receives each year - according to William

Patzert, a climatologist at NASA’s Jet Propul-sion Laboratory near Pasadena.

Even as American cities grapple with a chronic shortage of a� ordable housing, as well as budget constraints on social pro-grams, many municipalities across the Unit-ed States have also been clamping down on homeless encampments.

Retired trucker Samuel Cole, 85, has

lived in a camper for the past two years after his landlord raised the rent by $100. Van-dals broke his generator, so he no longer has electricity.

Like so many others, he said that a lack of running water is one of his biggest prob-lems.

“I just have to wash o� best I can,” Cole said. “Very di� cult.” l

WorldUSASenator Lindsey Graham ends US presidential bidLindsey Graham, the hawkish Republican senator who has called for thousands of US troops in the Middle East and warned Amer-icans against nominating Donald Trump for president, announced Monday he is exiting the White House race. He has expressed par-ticular bitterness towards Trump, describing him as a xenophobic bigot for his comments about Muslims and at one point this month saying American voters should tell the bom-bastic billionaire to “go to hell.” AFP

THE AMERICASDilma’s odds improve, but ally demands growthBrazilian President Dilma Rousse� ’s key ally in Congress is certain it can head o� an impeachment threat, but key ally Sena-tor Eunicio Oliveira, senate leader of the fractious Brazilian Democratic Movement Party, in return demanded a radical change of policy course to pull the economy out of its deepest downturn in 25 years. REUTERS

UKConservatives split on EU after PM’s Brussels tripPrime Minister David Cameron’s trip to Brussels last week has exposed divisions in his party over Britain’s relationship with the EU, with one senior lawmaker saying on Sunday he wanted to quit the bloc and another hinting at a top-level rebellion. The comments came after Cameron met fellow European leaders on Thursday to discuss his demands for changes to Britain’s ties with Brussels. REUTERS

EUROPEEU prolongs Russia sanctions over UkraineThe European Union agreed Monday to prolong damaging economic sanctions against Russia for its involvement in the Ukraine crisis for another six months amid sharp di� erences over relations with Moscow. Meanwhile, Russia con� rmed it was imposing a food embargo against the Ukraine next month over Kiev’s trade deal with the EU. A free trade deal between Ukraine and the EU is set to enter into force from January 1. AFP

AFRICATwo migrants drown, 108 rescued o� LibyaTwo migrants trying to reach Europe by boat drowned o� Libya on Monday, another 10 were missing and more than 100 were rescued, the Libyan coastguard said. “We saved 108 people but two drowned and 10 others were reported missing,” coastguard Colonel Ashraf al-Badri said. “The boat was almost completely under water” o� Janzour town some 10 kilometres (six miles) west of Tripoli, he said. Libya has for years been a stepping stone for migrants seeking to reach Europe, but smugglers have stepped up their lucrative business since the 2011 fall of Moamer Kadha� . AFP

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 201524D

T

This weather pattern has become increasingly powerful in the last 15 years

Sources: NASA, WMO, Oxfam

El Nino will hit harder in 2016

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Warmequatorial

current fromPaci�c

-180 -120 -60 60 120 1800

1997December 7

2015December 6

in Southeast Asia and Africa,intensi�es storms

in the east andcentral Paci�c

Peaks October to January

but persistsinto the 1st quarter

Has causeddrought

21,700 killed

117.8m a�ected

4.8m isplaced people. $33bn damage in 27 pays

40 to 50 million people a�ected:famine, epidemics, water scarcity

Sea level in millimetres

Heavy �ooding in South America

Countries at risk include:Papua New Guinea, Ethiopia,Malawi, Haiti, Honduras

SatelliteTopex-Poseidon Satellite

Jason-2Toll 1997-1998

Forecast for early 2016 (Oxfam)

Court rejects plea to reverse Delhi gang-rapist’s releasen AFP, New Delhi

India’s Supreme Court Monday rejected an appeal against the release of the youngest convict in a fatal gang-rape, sparking fury from the victim’s parents who said the rul-ing was a betrayal of women.

Amid growing outrage at the freeing of the 20-year-old, judges said there were no legal grounds to allow a petition by the Del-hi Commission for Women, which wanted to reverse his release from a youth correc-tional facility.

At a hearing presided over by Justice AK Goel and U.U. Lalit, the court said “there is nothing in the law” that would allow them to order him back behind bars and he there-fore could not be detained any longer.

The ruling was greeted with despair by the parents of the victim, 23-year-old Jyoti Singh, who has become the symbol of the plight of women in a country with frighten-ing levels of sexual violence.

Her rape and subsequent death from internal injuries three years ago sparked some of the biggest demonstrations in In-dia’s recent history, which intensi� ed after being broken up by heavy-handed police tactics.

It also triggered deep soul-searching about the treatment of women in a country where rape victims are often stigmatised and frequently pressured by police and rela-

tives to drop allegations.“There are no words to describe our dis-

appointment,” her father Badrinath Singh told AFP.

“We don’t understand all these laws. We only know that the system has failed us.”

The convict, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was one of a group of six who abducted the young physiotherapy student after she had spent an evening at the movies with a male friend.

They lured her onto an o� -duty bus and then took it in turns to rape her and violate her with a metal rod before throwing her onto the road. She died of her injuries near-ly a fortnight later in a Singapore hospital.

One of the six committed suicide while on remand and the other four adult attack-ers were given the death penalty, although the sentence has yet to be carried out pend-ing an appeal.

‘Licence to rape’The youngest of the convicts was sent to a juvenile correctional facility for a three-year term – the maximum allowed under Indian law.

Jyoti’s mother, Asha Devi, said Monday’s ruling showed India had “not learned any lessons from this case” and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to introduce laws with tougher sentences for sex attacks.

“They have basically handed young

criminals a licence that says before the age of 18 you can rape girls, do whatever you want, because our laws do not have any provisions to punish you,” she told reporters.

“They only care about men... women are only betrayed, like they always have been.”

Both parents were brie� y detained on Sunday after police broke up a protest against the release on security grounds. But they attended a fresh demonstration Mon-day near parliament that drew crowds from far and wide.

“Modi is our prime minister and I have just one question for him: ‘If a case like my daughter’s is being ignored, then what kind of murder, what kind of a rape, will it take for the law to be changed?” the mother told AFP as she arrived at the rally.

News that he had been freed from the correctional facility and was now being sheltered by a charity was only revealed on Sunday when the juvenile justice board signed his release papers.

However police sources said he was in fact handed over to the charity – which has not been named over fears of an attack on its premises – on December 9.

Under Indian law, the victim of a sex at-tack cannot be named but the parents last week called for people to use Jyoti’s name in a bid to end the stigma often attached to victims. l

25D

TSportINSIDE

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2015

Tigers trio picked at PSL draft on day oneShakib al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal and pace sensation Musta� zur Rahman were picked by di� erent franchises on the � rst day of the Pakistan Super League Twenty20 Draft held at the Pakistan National Cricket Academy in Lahore yesterday. Shakib was the � rst Bangladesh cricketer to get picked in the draft. PAGE 26

Bolt thrives despite athletics’ annus horribilisUsain Bolt shone at the Beijing world championships, but athletics was later mired in a shocking doping-linked corruption scandal that plunged the Olympics’ number one sport into crisis. Bolt bagged an unprecedented � fth treble gold medal haul at a global championship in the Chinese capital in August. PAGE 27

Bale scores four as Real hit 10, Atletico beatenGareth Bale scored four times as Real Madrid came from behind to beat nine-man Rayo Vallecano 10-2 in a wild game at the Santiago Bernabeu to close the gap on La Liga leaders Barcelona and Atletico Madrid to two points as Atletico missed the chance to move clear. PAGE 28

‘King’ Williamson top of world after winning tonNew Zealand phenomenon Kane Williamson shot to the top of the Test batting rankings yesterday following his match-winning century against Sri Lanka. He also ended the year with an astounding 90.15 Test average, well clear of the next best 76.83 by Australian Adam Voges. PAGE 29

Why are they banned?Blatter and Platini were found guilty of ethics code breaches over the "disloyal payment".

Both claimed the payment was honouring an agreement made in 1998 for work carried out between 1998 and 2002 when Platini worked as a technical adviser for Blatter.

The payment was not part of Platini's written contract but the pair insisted it was a verbal agreement, which is legal under Swiss law.

German judge Hans-Joachim Eckert, the chairman of Fifa's adjudicatory chamber, held disciplinary hearings for the pair last week.

Charges included con� ict of interest, false accounting and non co-operation, with investigators submitting a � le of more than 50 pages.

Statement - key pointsl The payment made in February 2011 had

"no legal basis" in the contract signed by both men when Platini started working for Blatter on 25 August, 1999.

l Both men's explanation that there was an "oral agreement" over the payment was rejected as "not convincing".

l Blatter's actions did not show "commit-ment to an ethical attitude", and both men were found to be in "a con� ict of interest".

l Platini also failed to act with "complete credibility and integrity" and showed "unawareness of the importance of his duties".

l The committee said there was "not suf-� cient evidence" to establish the pay-ment was a bribe, but both men demon-strated an "abusive execution" of their positions.

Blatter - 'I will fight'Blatter was in de� ant mood at a news con-ference he had called in advance of the pun-ishments being made public.

"I will � ght," he said. "I will � ght for me and for Fifa."

He said he was "really sorry" that he is still "a punching ball" and that he has be-come tainted in the eyes of humanity.

He added that he thought he had

convinced the Fifa ethics tribunal that the payment from Fifa to Platini was legitimate.

He plans to appeal, � rst to Fifa, then Cas. He may also take legal action under Swiss law if needed.

Reaction - 'A drowning man'Fifa reform campaigner Damian Collins and former Football Association chairman David Bernstein believe it is the end for Blatter.

"The � sh rots from the head down and we know how rotten the head of Fifa was," said British MP Collins.

Bernstein told BBC Radio 5 Live: "He's a drowning man really, there's no coming back from this.

"He'll � ght, I'm sure of that. He's not a soft touch. He will � ght but he is doomed. He is yesterday's man."

What will Platini do?He boycotted his hearing in Zurich on Friday in protest, claiming a decision already ap-peared to have been made.

His lawyers attended, but it looks as though the Frenchman is preparing to take the matter to Cas.

In the meantime, Uefa has issued a state-ment, revealing it is "extremely disappoint-ed" with the decision.

It added: "Once again, Uefa supports Michel Platini's right to a due process and the opportunity to clear his name."

What now for Fifa?World football's governing body has been in turmoil for several months, following nu-merous allegations of corruption.

Seven Fifa o� cials were arrested at a Zu-rich hotel at the end of May.

And US authorities have charged 39 football o� cials and sports business executives over more than £134m ($200m) in bribes for football television and marketing deals.

Swiss prosecutors are also investigating Fifa's management as well as the award of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar. l

Who will be the next Fifa boss?The presidential election is due to take place on 26 February. Voting will take place by secret ballot, with all Fifa’s 209 member states having a vote each. There are currently � ve candidates to take over:Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa - 50, Bahrain, president of Asian Football Confederation;Tokyo Sexwale - 62, South Africa, politician, businessman and former political prisoner;Prince Ali bin al-Hussein - 39, Jordan, a former Fifa vice-president and 2015 Fifa presidential candidate;Gianni Infantino - 45, Switzerland, Uefa general secretary and a member of Fifa's reform committee;Jerome Champagne - 57, France, a former Fifa assistant general secretary and former French diplomat.

Blatter, Platini bans: Why and what next

26DT Sport

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2015

PESHAWAR ZALMI

Shahid Afridi, Wahab Riaz, Darren Sammy (WI)

Kamran Akmal, Mohammad Hafeez, Chris Jordan(ENG)

Tamim Iqbal (BAN), Junaid Khan, Jim Allenby (ENG)

Mohammad Akram

KARACHI KINGS

Shoaib Malik, Shakib Al Hasan (BAN), Sohail Tanvir

Imad Wasim, Ravi Bopara (ENG), Lendl Simmons (WI)

Mohammad Amir, Bilawal Bhatti, James Vince (ENG)

Mickey Arthur

ISLAMABAD UNITED

Shane Watson (AUS), Andre Russell (WI), Misbah-ul-Haq

Samuel Badree (WI), Mohammad Irfan, Brad Haddin (AUS)

Sharjeel Khan, Mohammad Sami, Khalid Latif

Dean Jones

QUETTA GLADIATORS

Kevin Pietersen (ENG), Sarfraz Ahmed, Ahmed Shehzad

Anwar Ali, Jason Holder (WI), Luke Wright (ENG)

Zul� qar Babar, Umar Gul, Elton Chigumbura (ZIM)

Moin Khan

LAHORE QALANDARS

Chris Gayle (WI), Dwayne Bravo (WI), Umar Akmal

Mohammad Rizwan, Yasir Shah, Sohaib Maqsood

Musta� zur Rahman (BAN), Kevon Cooper (WI), Cameron Delport (SA)

Paddy Upton

PLATINUM

CATEGORY

DIAMOND

GOLD

HEAD COACH

PAKISTAN SUPER LEAGUE, PLAYER DRAFT (DAY 1)

Gemcon V-Day Golf concludes n Tribune Report

The three-day long Gemcon Victory Day Cup Golf Tournament 2015, sponsored by Gem-con Group concluded at the Kurmitola Golf Club on Saturday, December 19. The tourna-ment began on December 17.

Shahriar Alam, MP Honorable State Min-ister, Ministry of Foreign A� airs Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, was present during the award night as chief guest and gave away prizes to the winners.

Kazi Shahid Ahmed, Chairman, Gemcon Group, Kazi Nabil Ahmed MP, Vice-Chair-man, Gemcon Group, Ameenah Ahmed, Di-rector, Gemcon Group along with high civil and military o� cials attended the award giv-ing ceremony.

Gemcon Group has been sponsoring the prestigious tournament for nine years. l

Dean Jones arrives in Lahore after visa rown AFP, Islamabad

Former Australian batsman Dean Jones � nal-ly arrived in Pakistan on Sunday night to take over as coach of a team in the new Twenty20 league after landing earlier without a valid visa, o� cials said.

Jones arrived from Dubai Saturday night but was refused entry because he had no valid visa for Pakistan and returned to the emirate.

“Jones has arrived at Lahore via a � ight from Dubai,” an immigration o� cial at La-hore airport, told AFP.

“This time his visa and other travel docu-ments were complete,” he said.

Last week the 54-year-old was hired as the head coach of Islamabad United in the Paki-stan Super League (PSL).

The � rst edition of the PSL Twenty20 league will be held in Dubai and Sharjah from February 4. l

Tigers trio picked at PSL draft Musta� zur roped by Lahore, Shakib in Karachi while Tamim bagged by Peshawar on day onen Minhaz Uddin Khan

Bangladesh ace all-rounder Shakib al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal and pace sensation Musta� zur Rahman were picked by di� erent franchises on the � rst day of the Pakistan Super League Twenty20 Draft held at the Pakistan National Cricket Academy in Lahore yesterday.

Shakib was the � rst Bangladesh crick-eter to get picked in the draft. The Bangla-desh one-day international and Twenty20 vice-captain was roped by Karachi Kings from the Platinum category with a remuner-ation of USD 140,000.

Shakib will play alongside Pakistan star Shoaib Malik, Sohail Tanvir, Mohammad Amir and Bilawal Bhatti while Ravi Bopara and Lendl Simmons are the other two for-eigners in the side.

O� -Cutter specialist Musta� zur was the second Tigers member to get picked as the 19-year-old left-arm pacer was the � rst crick-eter from the Gold category (USD 50,000) to be roped by Lahore Qalandars. The tourna-ment will be Musta� zur’s � rst international level Twenty20 tournament since his inter-national in June this year. The young pacer will share the dressing room with West Indi-ans Chris Gayle, Kevon Cooper and Dwayne Bravo alongside Pakistanis Umar Akmal and Yasir Shah.

Meanwhile, Gold category’s Tamim was

picked by Peshawar Zalmi, the same side where Shahid Afridi, Darren Sammy, Kamran Akmal, Mohammad Hafeez and Wahab Riaz will be playing.

The other Bangladeshis at the draft – Mush� qur Rahim, Soumya Sarkar and Shahriar Nafees – remained unsold. On the � rst day of the players’ draft, the � ve teams

chose nine players each from the Platinum, Diamond and Gold categories. The sides will have to pick at least seven more on the sec-ond day today. l

Former cricketers (L-R) Ijaz Ahmed, Mohammad Akram, Rameez Raja, Dean Jones, Mushtaq Ahmed, Moin Khan and Wasim Akram pose for a photograph during the drafting of players for the Pakistan Super League yesterday AFP

Sport 27D

T

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2015

Five-horse race in second-tier footballThe Bangladesh Championship League spiced up yesterday as � ve teams joined the title race in the � rst phase when Uttar Baridhara defeated overnight leaders Agrani Bank 2-0 at Kamalapur stadium. After Ariful opened the scoring in the 76th minute, Monir sealed the result in injury time to earn Baridhara their second league win after conceding four draws. The result left � ve clubs – Bangladesh Police, Arambagh KS, T&T Club, Agrani Bank and Baridhara – with equal 10 points � ghting for the top position in the eight-club league as goal di� erence separates the sides.

TRIBUNE REPORT

Utd not as ‘glum’ as during Moyes’ tenure: JonesThe mood in the Manchester United dressing room under manager Louis van Gaal is not as bad as it was during the “glum” days of David Moyes’ tenure, defender Phil Jones has said after Saturday’s 2-1 Premier League loss to Norwich City. A six-game winless streak in all competitions saw United bow out of the Champions League in the group stages and out of the top-four in the Premier League, nine points behind surprise leaders Leicester City after 17 games.

REUTERS

Qatar rejects ‘groundless’ worker deaths claimQatar dismissed as “groundless” Monday a claim that as many as 7,000 people would die working on projects for the 2022 World Cup, bullishly defending its preparations for football’s biggest tournament. Doha said that the allegation -- made by the International Trade Union Confederation last week -- was a “falsehood” and represented “a deliberate distortion of the facts”.

AFP

Drogba-less Ivory Coast � nally achieve gloryIn a drama-� lled 2015, the Elephants of the Ivory Coast without the inspirational Didier Drogba � nally delivered on a long-term promise to win a second Africa Cup of Nations title with TP Mazembe from DR Congo crowned African club champions for a � fth time. Since reaching the 2006 � nal against hosts Egypt, the Ivorians led by skipper Drogba have promised so much at the continent’s showpiece football event only to fall short of repeating their � rst and only triumph in 1992.

AFP

Brazilian Elano arrested after ISL � nalPolice arrested Brazilian mid� elder Elano Blumer late Sunday for allegedly assaulting the co-owner of rival FC Goa team after his side Chennaiyin’s dramatic win in the Indian Super League � nal. The former Manchester City and Galatasary star, who captains Chennaiyin in the ISL, was later released on bail, police inspector Chetan L. Patil told AFP over phone from Margao.

AFP

QUICK BYTES

Reckitt Benckiser Bangladesh Limited recently signed national cricketer Rubel Hossain as their brand ambassador. Raghu Krishnan, general manager of RB Bangladesh-Sri Lanka Cluster, Mahbub Baset, marketing director, Nayan Mukherjee, � nance director, and Jude Martino, marketing manager were present on behalf of the company during the signing ceremony

Bangladesh national footballers attend a practice session at Trivandrum outer stadium in Kerala, India yesterday. Bengal Tigers will face Afghanistan in their Sa� Suzuki Cup 2015 opener on Thursday BFF

Bolt thrives despite athletics’ annus horribilisn AFP, Paris

Jamaican sprint superstar Usain Bolt shone at the Beijing world championships, but athletics was later mired in a shocking dop-ing-linked corruption scandal that plunged the Olympics’ number one sport into crisis.

Bolt bagged an unprecedented � fth treble gold medal haul at a global championship in the Chinese capital in August, suitably in the same Bird’s Nest stadium where his career took o� in in the 2008 Olympics.

But the towering Jamaican’s feats were overshadowed by revelations that threw track and � eld’s world governing body, the IAAF, into turmoil.

At the same Beijing world champs where Bolt shone, former British double 1500m Olympic champions Sebastian Coe beat Sergey Bubka in a vote to take over from Lamine Diack as IAAF president.

No sooner was Coe installed than Diack was revealed to have accepted bribes worth up to one million euros to allow doped Rus-sian athletes to compete. A “horror show”, in

Coe’s words.Coe, who was IAAF vice-president for

eight years under Diack and had previous-ly described the Senegalese as the sport’s “spiritual leader”, insisted he had had no inkling of corruption within his organisation.

Diack remains under investigations by French authorities, while the World Anti-dop-ing Agency (WADA) is also preparing a report on allegations of corruption within the IAAF.

Such was the external pressure, Coe ended his 38-year association with US sportswear company Nike, for whom he worked in the lu-crative role as an ambassador, in a bid to elim-inate any possible con� ict of interest. l

Australia’s Khawaja says hamstring injury woes overn AFP, Melbourne

Usman Khawaja said Monday he was con� -dent his recurring hamstring problems were behind him as the batsman works towards a recall to the Australia team for the second Test against the West Indies.

Khawaja returned from a spell on the side-lines in Sunday’s Big Bash League Twenty20 match, scoring an explosive 109 o� 70 balls for the Sydney Thunder in their one-run win over the Melbourne Stars.

“I’m very happy I got through the game. I feel really good today,” Khawaja told reporters.

“Just normal general soreness, the ham-mies feel really good.”

The 29-year-old is expected to return to Australia’s Test side against the West Indies at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Satur-day, at the expense of either Joe Burns or Shaun Marsh.

Pakistan-born Khawaja has been out for a month since injuring his hamstring during Australia’s second Test against New Zealand in Perth. l

28DT Sport

Bale scores four as Real hit 10, Atletico beatenn AFP, Madrid

Gareth Bale scored four times as Real Madrid came from behind to beat nine-man Rayo Vallecano 10-2 in a wild game at the Santiago Bernabeu to close the gap on La Liga leaders Barcelona and Atletico Madrid to two points.

Atletico missed the chance to move clear at the top on their own as they had captain Gabi sent-o� in a 1-0 defeat at Malaga.

Barca have a game in hand as they weren’t in La Liga action this weekend after sealing the Club World Cup with a 3-0 win over River Plate in Japan earlier in the day.

It is the � rst time in 55 years that a team

has scored 10 goals in a La Liga game, how-ever, the Madrid fans still voiced their disap-proval towards under � re coach Rafael Be-nitez after Real found themselves 2-1 down inside 12 minutes.

Red cards inside half an hour for Tito and Raul Baena opened the � oodgates, though, as a double from Cristiano Ronaldo and a hat-trick for Karim Benzema added to Bale’s most proli� c day in three years as a Madrid player.

Real had won their previous 14 meetings against their humble rivals from across Ma-drid and looked well set for another routine afternoon when Bale teed up Danilo for the opener after just three minutes.

A red card proved to be Atletico’s down-fall too as their nine-game winning run came to an end after Gabi carelessly picked up two bookings in � ve minutes just after half-time.

Malaga striker Charles had been denied by two � ne saves from Atletico ‘keeper Jan Oblak in the � rst-half, but just when the hosts were becoming desperate the Brazil-ian � nally found a way through four minutes from time when his de� ected e� ort sneaked in at the near post.

Elsewhere, Celta Vigo maintained their one-point lead over Villarreal in the battle for fourth place as both sides won 2-0 away at Granada and Real Sociedad respectively. l

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2015

Real Madrid 10-2 Rayo VallecanoDanilo 3,Bale 25, 42, 61, 70, Amaya 10,Ronaldo 30-pen, 54, Jozabed 12Benzema 48, 79, 90

Real Sociedad 0-2 Villarreal Suarez 27, 88

Granada 0-2 Celta Vigo Orellana 21, Aspas 45

Athletic Bilbao 2-0 LevanteSan Jose 55, Williams 82

Malaga 1-0 Atletico MadridCharles 86

RESULTS

Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale heads to score past Rayo Vallecano’s Antonio Amaya (R) and Ze Castro during their Spanish La Liga match at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on Sunday AP

Barca target further glory after world titlen AFP, Yokohama

Barcelona striker Luis Suarez warned that the Spanish giants will be hungry for even more silverware after capturing a record third Club World Cup.

“After a competition like this the majority of teams su� er a dip,” said Suarez. “We have to avoid that and we have that desire to keep on winning titles and show that we’re the best team in the world.”

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bar-tomeu described Lionel Messi as the great-est ever after the Argentine wizard returned from a bout of kidney stones to score Barca’s opener.

“Leo Messi is the best player in the histo-ry of football,” he said. “It’s spectacular what we have achieved.”

Messi became the � rst player to score in three Club World Cup � nals, after leading Barca to victory in 2009 and 2011, when he netted with a deft � ick of his left boot nine minutes before half-time. However, it was the proli� c Suarez who stole the show with a second-half double, collecting the player of the tournament and golden boot awards af-ter scoring � ve goals in two games in Japan.

Astonishingly, Messi (47), Suarez (46) and Neymar (41) have plundered 134 goals in 2015 -- more than Real Madrid. l

Show some � ght Klopp warns � opsn AFP, Watford

Jurgen Klopp challenged his Liverpool � ops to prove they have the stomach for a � ght af-ter capitulating in a woeful 3-0 defeat against Watford.

Klopp’s side fell apart after a blunder from Reds goalkeeper Adam Bogdan was punished by Watford’s Nathan Ake in the third minute at Vicarage Road on Sunday. 

Showing little resistance against tena-cious opponents, Liverpool conceded a slop-py second goal when Odion Ighalo bullied Martin Skrtel into another mistake in the 15th minute.

can summon now the going is a little tougher.

“After Southampton and Manchester City everyone thought ‘wow’. That was one part

of what we can do. Now everyone saw the complete other side,” Klopp said. 

“Maybe the truth is somewhere in the middle, but I know how strong this team can be.

“We don’t feel good today of course. We came here to do something really di� erent from what you saw.

Klopp had no qualms about criticising Bogdan for his mistake, but he felt referee Mark Clattenburg could have blown for a foul before Ake scored because he virtually kicked the ball out of the goalkeeper’s hands. 

“We made bigger faults than the ref but in my opinion he had both hands on the ball so it is a foul,” Klopp said.

“Mistakes can happen, that is football, but the reaction has to be better. We lost our minds after the goal. l

British TV personality Christine Bleakley poses with British football player Frank Lampard as they leave after their wedding at St Paul’s Church in Knightsbridge, London on Sunday AP

Sport 29D

T

‘King’ Williamson top of world after winning tonn AFP, Hamilton

New Zealand phenomenon Kane Williamson shot to the top of the Test batting rankings yesterday following his match-winning cen-tury against Sri Lanka. 

He also ended the year with an astounding 90.15 Test average, well clear of the next best 76.83 by Australian Adam Voges.

The modest 25-year-old, who claims he is not obsessed by statistics, was unbeaten on 108 as New Zealand reached their 189 target in the second Test in Hamilton for the loss of � ve wickets. 

The win wrapped up the series 2-0 for New Zealand after their 122-run victory in the � rst Test where Williamson had scores of 88 and 71 before a rare blemish in the � rst innings of

the second Test when he was out for one. He started the Hamilton Test as

the third-ranked Test batsman behind England’s Joe Root and South African AB de Villiers, but passed both with his unbeaten century. 

But following a Test in which he reached

a number of milestones, Williamson was un-comfortable being the focus of attention. 

“From my perspective the most pleasing thing is each game you set out you want to contribute as best you can to a team perfor-mance,” he said.

“That’s all I want to do really. You talk

about (record) years and things. Its very di� -cult to look at it like that.”

New Zealand took just under an hour on the fourth day to wrap up the second Test. 

The previous morning Sri Lanka were in command before the initiative swung on a day when Williamson stood alone as the one batsman who could handle the short-pitched bowling strategy orchestrated by both sides. 

Williamson said the wicket held no demons and shot selection was the key. 

“All the guys like to play (the pull shot) but like any shot, on some surfaces it’s important you try to select the right one,” he said. 

“I was a victim of that in the � rst innings as well (and) I wanted to make sure I was more sound in my decision-making.” l

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2015

SRI LANKA 1ST INNINGS292 (A. Mathews 77, M. Siriwardana 62; Southee 3-63) NEW ZEALAND 1ST INNINGS237 (Guptill 50, Santner 38; Chameera 5-47) SRI LANKA 2ND INNINGS133 (Mendis 46; Southee 4-26, Wagner 3-40) NEW ZEALAND 2ND INNINGS R BT Latham c Pradeep b Chameera 4 9M Guptill c Karunaratne b Chameera 1 16K Williamson not out 108 164R Taylor c Vandersay b Chameera 35 53B McCullum c Mathews b Chameera 18 35 M Santner c Chandimal b Lakmal 4 19B Watling not out 13 36Extras (lb1, nb5) 6 Total (for 5 wickets, 54.3 overs) 189

Fall of wickets1-4 (Latham), 2-11 (Guptill), 3-78 (Taylor), 4-130 (McCullum), 5-142 (Santner) BowlingChameera 17-1-68-4 , Lakmal 12-4-20-1, Herath 11-0-48-0, Pradeep 12-1-43-0, Mathews 1-0-4-0, Siriwardana 1.3-0-5-0

Series: New Zealand 2-0

NZvSL, DAY4

11 Test victories for New Zealand under Mc-Cullum’s captaincy - joint second-highest

behind Stephen Fleming’s 28 wins in 80 Tests.

13 Number of consecutive home Tests without a defeat for New Zealand. Their

last loss at home was against South Africa, by nine wickets in Hamilton in 2012.

1 New Zealand batsman who have scored more Test centuries than Kane Williamson’s 13 -

Martin Crowe has 17. Williamson is tied with his team-mate Ross Taylor.

12 Whitewashes by New Zealand in Tests, in-cluding this 2-0 win. 7 Tests lost by Sri Lanka

this year - most in any calendar year for them.

New Zealand team celebrate winning the series on day four of their second Test against Sri Lanka at Seddon Park in Hamilton yesterday AFP

Atalanta 1-3 NapoliGomez 54 Hamsik 52-pen, Higuain 62, 85

Fiorentina 2-0 ChievoKalinic 20, Ilicic 32

Verona 1-1 SassuoloToni 39 Floccari 35

Roma 2-0 GenoaFlorenzi 42, Sadiq 89

Frosinone 2-4 AC MilanCiofani 19, Abate 50, Bacca 55, Alex 77, Dionisi 84 Bonaventura 90+3

Sampdoria 2-0 PalermoSoriano 53, Ivan 76

Torino 0-1 Udinese Perica 41

Inter Milan 1-2 LazioIcardi 61 Candreva 5, 87

RESULTSCandreva ‘ruins Christmas’ for Intern AFP, Milan

Italy international Antonio Candreva struck twice including a late winner as Lazio stunned leaders Inter Milan 2-1 on Sunday to throw the Serie A title race wide open.

Inter welcomed Stefano Pioli’s men to the San Siro expected to restore their four-point lead on title rivals Fiorentina and Napoli after their respective wins over Chievo and Atalanta.

But despite Mauro Icardi levelling Can-dreva’s � fth-minute opener just after the hour, Roberto Mancini’s league leaders were stunned three minutes from time when Candreva hit his second to end Lazio’s sev-en-game winless streak and bolster Pioli’s bid to avoid the chop. l

Napoli striker Gonzalo Higuain (R) and Atalanta’s Gabriel Paletta vie for the ball during their Serie A match in Bergamo, Italy on Sunday. Napoli won 3-1 and Higuain scored twice AP

Showtime30DT

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2015

‘Amrai Pari’ on ATN Bangla n Showtime Desk

The third series of Amrai Pari was launched yesterday. A TV show that encourages communities in Bangladesh to work together to improve their economic well-being and prepare them for the e� ects of extreme weather.The eight-part series of Amrai Pari (together we can do it) will visit communities across the country as they work with their neighbours to become more resilient by diversifying crops, improving local infrastructure or � nding new ways of earning. The programme hopes to inspire and inform people by providing a platform for communities to share their knowledge. Amrai Pari demonstrates simple, low cost solutions to everyday problems that can be easily replicated.

This series sees co-presenters Shohel Hossain, Dipanbita Iety, Manoj Kumar Pramanik and Sahana Rahman travelling the country covering stories from strengthening sea defences in Kutubdia and discovering new ways of earning money from bamboo in Cox’s Bazar, to community-led mangrove reforestation in Shatkhira and an innovative way of purifying pond water in Lalmonirhat.

Episode one features a story from the village of Hothkhali, in the Barisal division, where rising water levels from the canal are causing homes and land to � ood. In response, Minoti Rani, a member of the local women’s organisation, decided to do something about it.

“I told my husband that the canal hadn’t been excavated for some time. I said we

should start digging the canal out ourselves and use the soil to raise the plinth of our house,” she said.

Before long, other villagers joined in too and, after seeing the success of the project, the local government agreed to support the re-excavation of the rest of the canal. Richard Lace, country director for BBC Media Action, Bangladesh said, “By

showcasing stories like Minoti Rani’s, we hope that Amrai Pari will encourage others to take action in their own lives by working together. It also aims to equip people to be better able to access support from local government. Our research shows that more than a third of viewers of the � rst two series took action to be better prepared for natural hazards or long-term problems, like food

shortages, as a result of watching the show.”Amrai Pari will be aired on ATN Bangla every Sunday at 8pm and repeated on Wednesdays at 9:30am.

BBC Media Action has produced the series with funds from the UK Department for International Development and the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid Department. l

Drama Shop recruitingDrama Shop starts its journey as a professional troupe in the Dhaka theatre scene in the victorious month of December. The group of young actors are already rehearsing for their � rst production Doito Manob, written and directed by H R Anik. Drama Shop is calling out for members for production purposes. Interested participants from Dhaka are requested to contact on 01915275577, 01919161971, 01819540805. l

Showtime 31D

TTUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2015

SkyfallSony PIX 11:00pmWhen Bond’s latest assignment goes gravely wrong and agents around the world are exposed, MI6 is attacked forcing M to relocate the agency. These events cause her authority and position to be challenged by Gareth Mallory (Ralph Fiennes), the new Chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee. With MI6 now compromised from both inside and out, M is left with one ally she can trust: Bond. 007 takes to the shadows - aided only by � eld agent, Eve (Naomie Harris) - following a trail to the mysterious Silva (Javier Bardem), who’s lethal and hidden motives have yet to reveal themselves.Cast: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes

SurvivorWB 1:36pmSurvivor is an British American spy thriller � lm. After being mysteriously framed for a terrorist bombing, a Foreign Service O� cer must evade government capture and death by a ruthless assassin in order to stop the real perpetrator’s master and much deadlier plan. But she is forced to go on the run when she is framed for crimes she did not commit.Cast: Milla Jovovich, Pierce Brosnan, Dylan McDermott

Sherlock HolmesHBO 11:20pmSherlock and Dr Watson have just closed the case of the occult magician Lord Blackwood. But when he comes back from the dead and goes killing again, Holmes and Watson must begin their search again. They have to � ght against the stupidity of Scotland Yard. To add to his problems, Sherlock has to cope with the temptation of Irene Adler.Cast: Robert Downey Jr, Jude Law, Rachel McAdams

WantedStar Movies 7:30pmWesley Gibson (James McAvoy) hates his life. He works as a clerk and is sick of his boss who humiliates him constantly. He has a girlfriend who has betrayed him by sleeping with his best friend and colleague. That is when Wesley meets the sexy Fox (Angelina Jolie). She brings excitement into his life when she tells him about his own father who had been part of a secret ancient organisation called Fraternity headed by Sloan (Morgan Freeman). They persuade Wesley to become a part of Fraternity too. Watch the � lm to see how his life is transformed overnight.Cast: James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman l

WHAT TO WATCH

n Showtime Desk

The host of the Miss Universe pageant mistakenly announced the wrong winner on Sunday, who then had to give up the crown and hand it over to a 26-year-old actress and model from the Philippines.

It was the � rst edition of the annual beauty show since it was thrust into controversy when then co-owner and US presidential candidate, Donald Trump, made disparaging remarks about immigrants.

Host Steve Harvey incorrectly announced that Miss Colombia had won the 64th edition of the contest, broadcast live on the Fox television network.

The eventual winner, Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach, a Filipino-German actress and model born in Stuttgart and raised in Cagayan de Oro, was initially runner-up. But then Harvey announced to the audience that he had made a ga� e.

Ariadna Gutierrez Arévalo, 21, of Sincelejo, Colombia, had already been crowned by Miss Universe of 2014, Paulina Vega of Barranquilla, Colombia, who was forced to remove the crown and give it to Miss Philippines. Olivia Jordan, 27, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, � nished third.

“I’d like to apologise wholeheartedly to Miss Colombia and Miss Philippines for my huge mistake,” Harvey said on Twitter. “I feel terrible.”

Wurtzbach appeared to take the blunder in her stride. “It’s a very non-traditional crowning moment,” she said backstage afterwards in a video clip of a conversation with Miss USA posted by the Miss Universe pageant on its Twitter feed. “It is very 2015.” Earlier, when asked why she wanted to be Miss Universe, Wurtzbach said: “I will use my voice to in� uence the youth and I would raise awareness to certain causes

like HIV awareness, that is timely and relevant to my country.”

It was the � rst Miss Universe title for a contestant from the Philippines in more than 40 years.

Notable momentsMinutes before the pageant ended, a vehicle drove up onto a sidewalk near the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, where it was held and plowed into pedestrians, killing one person and injuring at least 36, o� cials said.

Las Vegas authorities said they were trying to determine whether the driver, a woman who was detained, drove onto the sidewalk intentionally or due to impairment.

Among the notable moments of the pageant, Flora

Coquerel of France, who was at the Paris stadium the night of the November attacks by militants, reached the � nal � ve and Ariana Miyamoto of Japan, whose father is African-American, reached the last 10.

Miyamoto’s height of 1.73 m (5.7 ft) and bronze skin are unusual in Japan and her selection to represent Japan created an online � restorm in her native country.

For the � rst time, viewers had a chance to vote on the winner, rating contestants in the swimwear, evening gown and interview competitions.

Until recently, the pageant was co-owned by Comcast Corp’s NBCUniversal and Trump, who is leading national polls in the 2016 Republican presidential nomination race.

Earlier, Trump’s remarks about Mexicans in announcing his presidential candidacy in June drew sharp criticism, and the Spanish-language network Univision pulled out of a deal to televise the pageant.

Trump, who has sued Univision for $500 million, bought out NBC’s stake in the Miss Universe Organization, which produces both Sunday’s pageant and the Miss USA contest. He sold the company in September.

The panel of judges included former National Football League great Emmitt

Smith, celebrity blog mogul Perez Hilton and 2012 Miss Universe

winner Olivia Culpo. Hilton said the two most important things about the pageant were the vastly larger audience and Trump was no longer owner. l

n Showtime Desk

Chandrabati Kotha, a national grant-winning � lm directed by Rashed Chowdhury has gone on the � oor in three di� erent locations in Kishorganj on December 17. Shooting will take place for about a month and will resume again next year.

The story centres around Chandrabati, a medieval Bengali poet widely considered as the � rst female Bengali language poet. The story is adapted from Mymensingh Geetika a collection of folk ballads from the region of Mymensingh.

Dilruba Hossen Doyel, model and actor, has donned the role of Chandrabati while Gazi Rakayet and Nawshaba are starring in other lead roles.

Before shooting began the actors went through a series of rehearsals to help get them acquainted with the roles and the challenge of acting in the backdrop of a medieval setting.

Produced by Bengal Creations, the � lm is expected to release sometime in late 2016. l

Miss Universe 2015: Trial and error

Chandrabati Kotha begins shootingChandrabati Kotha begins shooting

Back Page32DT

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2015

CHANDRABATI KOTHA BEGINS SHOOTING PAGE 31

STOCKS JUMP ON BB MOVE PAGE 16

TIGERS TRIO PICKED AT PSL DRAFT PAGE 26

Guatemala detains 33 migrants from Nepal, Bangladeshn AFP

Guatemalan authorities Monday were hold-ing 33 undocumented migrants from Nepal and Bangladesh found being transported in a bus on the outskirts of the capital and pre-sumed to be trying to make it to the United States.

The group, all men, was arrested on Sun-day in the east of Guatemala City during a police operation triggered by a tip-o� about possible smuggling of migrants in the area, the police said in a statement.

There were 16 Nepalese and 17 Bangla-deshis on the bus, the statement said, adding

that they were also suspected of wanting to enter the United States. They were taken to a hostel run by the state migration service in the south of the capital.

How the men made it from their home-lands in South Asia to Central America was not given.

However in June, Guatemalan o� cials ar-rested four Guatemalans suspected of smug-gling migrants from Asia and Africa to the United States.

And in August, police discovered 11 Nepa-lese, seven Bangladeshis, a Salvadoran and a Honduran holed up in a house in the south of the country. l

Country gets house help protection policyn Shohel Mamun

The draft of the Domestic Worker Protection and Welfare Policy 2015, the � rst ever of its kind in the country which is aimed at ensur-ing basic rights and facilities for house helps, was approved by the cabinet yesterday.

The policy says the employer or any of his relatives cannot subject the domestic help to any kind of emotional or physical abuse or even cannot behave abusively.

“Those violating the policy will be pun-ished according to the existing law. The government will bear the entire cost of treat-ment if any domestic worker is physically tormented,” said Cabinet Secretary Sha� ul Alam while briefed reporters after the cabi-

net meeting at the Secretariat.He said the government would launch

a helpline for domestic workers to provide them with necessary assistance.

“The government will outline a series of programmes to raise public awareness of vi-olence against domestic helps,” said Sha� ul.

According to the policy, domestic helps will be classi� ed as full-time and part-time workers and their payments will be set by their employers through negotiations.

Domestic helps will have to be paid by the � rst week of the month and their wages will have to be deposited in bank if they have no guardians. Also, other expenses such as living, clothing and treatment will not count as wage.

The duration of work of house helps will be

set in a way that ensures available time for sleep-ing, leisure, recreation and leave. They should be provided with a safe and healthy place to live.

The policy says domestic workers can en-joy leave upon the permission of their em-ployers, but mentions no speci� c weekly, monthly or yearly leave.

Maid will be allowed 16 weeks of mater-nity leave during pregnancy and it will come into e� ect a month before delivery.

Domestic workers aged 14 can be em-ployed for doing light work while those aged 18 will do both light and heavy work. Also, those above 12 can be employed if they are provided with study opportunities upon per-mission of the guardians.

Md Mujibul Haque, state minister for La-

bour and Employment, yesterday told the Dhaka Tribune the policy on domestic work-ers is aimed at protecting them from any un-toward incidents.

He said the government would form moni-toring cells to implement the policy, and those would be headed by chief executive o� cers in city areas, deputy commissioners in districts and upazila nirbahi o� cers in rural areas.

“The government will also form vigilance committees to protect domestic workers and ensure their welfare. The committees will comprise public representatives of city cor-porations, municipalities and union parish-ads,” added Mujibul.

The cabinet secretary said the policy was formulated in line with the labour law. l

Tulip: Bangladeshi men will also make their way intoUK parliamentn UNB

Tulip Siddiq, granddaughter of Bangaband-hu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and a member of the House of Commons in the UK, hopes that Bangladeshi men will also make their way into the British parliament alongside women.

Tulip, daughter of Sheikh Rehana and niece of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, made the statement during a brief stay at Sylhet airport yesterday morning.

The 32-year-old British MP credited her victory to the relentless support of expatriate Bangladeshis, especially the people of Sylhet in the UK.

Tulip said she came here � rst to express her gratitude to the people of Sylhet during

her � rst visit to Bangladesh after being elect-ed as a British MP.

During her stay, her husband Christian William and her mother Sheikh Rehana ac-companied her.

Tulip arrived at 9:55am and left for Dhaka at 11:30am.

Shahjalal University of Science and Tech-nology Vice Chancellor Dr Aminul Haque Bhuiyan, local lawmakers Yahya Chowdhury and Shahana Rabbani, and Sylhet unit Awa-mi League Organising Secretary Advocate Misbah Uddin Siraj were present at the air-port to receive her, among others.

Tulip Siddiq was elected MP for Hamp-stead and Kilburn with Britain’s Labour Par-ty’s ticket on May 7 this year. l

A paddy farmer brushes o� dew from the paddy leaves with a stick in the early morning yesterday at Alimganj in Rajshahi’s Godagari upazila. With a cold wave sweeping over the region, paddy farmers are being careful that the thick fog does not damage the harvest and seedbeds AZAHAR UDDIN

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