SECOND EDITION

SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016 | Magh 11, 1422, Rabius Sani 13, 1437 | Regd No DA 6238, Vol 3, No 278 | www.dhakatribune.com | 32 pages | Price: Tk10

DOCTORS VOW TO CONTINUE STRIKE PAGE 7

CALLING AN AMBULANCE? DON’T BOTHER PAGE 32

ANNISUL: GREEN DHAKA IN 3 YEARS PAGE 5

Gazipur factory boiler blast kills 5The factory has been warned several times in the past to shut down risky operationn Our Correspondent, Gazipur

At least � ve people, including a woman, were killed and 10 injured in a boiler explosion in a factory in Gazipur near Dhaka yesterday.

Of the deceased, authorities could con-� rm the identities of three. They are: Siddiqa Jebunnessa, 40, Md Selim, 45, and Kawsar Hossain, 40. The remaining two bodies have burnt so badly that they could not identi� ed until last night.

Injured workers including Abdul Kadir, 45,

and Kamal Hossain, 42, and the � ve dead bod-ies, were � rst taken to the Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed Medical College Hospital around 7pm.

Hospital sources said both the injured men, who have su� ered more than 30% burns, are in critical condition.

Witnesses said the boiler in the factory named Smart Metal and Chemical, located in Pubail of Gazipur, exploded with a loud bang around 4pm.

Around 30 people were working in the factory which caught � re right after the ex-

plosion. Many workers came running out to save themselves.

Jebunnessa, who was an assistant teacher at the local Baraibari Government Primary School, was walking past the factory when the explosion took place, said Joydebpur � re service station o� cer Hasibur Rahman.

The other two dead – Selim and Kawsar – were workers at the factory.

Four � re� ghting units from Gazipur and Tongi later brought the factory � re under control.

Local ward councillor Bazlur Rahman said the factory melt old tires to manufacture a special kind of oil used along with pitch for carpetting roads.

“Authorities have in the past asked the factory management several times to shut it down because of the risky process of burning and melting tires. But the management paid little heed,” Bazlur said.

Gazipur Deputy Commissioner (DC) SM Alam said a three member-probe committee, PAGE 2 COLUMN 4

Four dead in worst Canada school shooting in a decaden Reuters

The gunman suspected of killing four people and injuring several others in Canada’s worst school violence in a decade � rst shot his two brothers at home before opening � re at the remote community high school, a family friend and the town’s acting mayor said on Friday.

Police said a suspect was arrested after the shooting in La Loche, Saskatchewan, an impoverished community about 600 km (375 miles) north of the city of Saskatoon.

The town’s acting mayor, Kevin Janvier, told the Associated Press that his 23-year-old daughter Marie, a teacher, was shot to death.

He also said police told him that the gun-man � rst shot two of his siblings at home and then made his way to the school.

O� cials have not given a motivation for the shooting or named the suspect or vic-tims.

Mass shootings are rare in Canada, which has stricter gun laws than the United States. In the country’s worst school shooting, 14 college students were killed at Montreal’s Ecole Polytechnique in 1989. A shooting in 1992 at Concordia University in Montreal killed four.

A family friend said the teenaged suspect shot his two younger brothers before going PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

Bangladesh falls one notch in Democracy Indexn Tribune Report

Bangladesh was ranked 86th in the Index of Democracy 2015 of the Economist Intelli-gence Unit, down one spot from the previous year.

The EIU, a special arm of the leading in-ternational � nancial magazine “The Econo-mist”, released the index on January 21, pro-viding a snapshot of the state of democracy worldwide for 167 independent countries.

Bangladesh scored 5.73 out of 10 points when Norway secured top position with 9.93 points. Besides the number one Norway, the top � ve include Iceland, Sweden, New Zea-land and Denmark.

Among Saarc countries India came in at 35, Sri Lanka 69, Bhutan 101, Pakistan 112 and Nepal 105. Maldives is not included in the list.

North Korea was ranked worst out of 167 countries with 1.08 points. Syria, Chad, Cen-tral African Republic and Equatorial Guinea are the four other worst-ranked countries.

EIU in its report wrote: “The fearful era in which we live is not conducive to defending democratic standards or extending democra-cy’s reach across the globe.

“The latest edition of The Economist In-telligence Unit’s Democracy Index re� ects the situation in 2015, a year in which democ-racy was tested in the face of war, terrorism, PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

News2DTSUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Four dead in worst Canada school shootingto the school and shooting a teacher and an assistant.

“After he shot his two brothers, he walked back to school and he shot ... a teacher and a girl. They’re both dead. Four of them died,” said Joe Lemaigre, a family friend who lives on the outskirts of La Loche. “I know the family. Their mother worked in Fort McMurray and his grandfather went to Meadow Lake to do some shopping. That’s when he shot them.”

The shooting occurred in the high school and a second location, Canadian police said, adding they took the suspect into custody outside the school and seized a gun.

Chief Bobby Cameron of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations, which repre-sents more than 70 of the province’s Indian bands, said a few students were in surgery

Friday evening in Saskatoon, the province’s largest city.

“Everyone is still in shock and disbelief,” Cameron said. “It’s a very, very horribly trag-ic event.”

La Loche student Noel Desjarlais told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation that he heard multiple shots � red at the school, which has about 900 students.

“I ran outside the school,” Desjarlais said. “There was lots of screaming, there was about six, seven shots before I got outside. I believe there was more shots by the time I did get out.”

A cellphone video taken by one resident and broadcast by the CBC showed students walking away from the school across the snow-covered ground and emergency per-sonnel moving in.

“Obviously this is every parent’s worst nightmare,” said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who initially reported � ve people were killed. He was in Davos, Switzerland, for the annual World Economic Forum.

Among Canada’s provinces, Saskatche-wan had the highest rate of police-reported family violence in 2014, double the nation-al rate of 243 incidents per 100,000 people, according to a Statistics Canada report on Thursday.

Extra doctors and nurses were sent to treat patients in Keewatin Yatthe Regional Health Authority’s 16-bed hospital, said spokesman Dale West. He declined to say how many peo-ple had been injured.

“It’s really sad in La Loche today, very de-pressing,” said Tenisha Lemaigre, who lives

in the town of less than 3,000 people and said she knew many students.

Unemployment runs above 20 percent in the area but three-quarters of working-age people are classi� ed as retired or not looking for work, according to 2011 government � g-ures. Residents say the real unemployment rate is above 50 percent.

In 2014, a teacher expressed concern about violence at the La Loche school, noting that a student who had tried to stab her was put back in her classroom after serving his sen-tence, and another attacked her at her home.

“That student got 10 months,” Janice Wil-son told the CBC of the student who tried to stab her in class. “And when he was released he was returned to the school and was put in my classroom.” l

Bangladesh falls one notch in Democracy Indexmass migration and other crises, and, in some cases, su� ered serious setbacks. In our age of anxiety, the � rst casualty of fear and insecurity is often freedom.”

Almost one-half of the world’s countries can be considered to be democracies, but, as re� ect-ed in the democracy index, the number of “full democracies” is low, at only 20 countries; 59 countries were rated as “� awed democracies”.

Of the remaining 88 countries in the in-dex, 51 were classed as “authoritarian” and 37, including Bangladesh, were considered to be “hybrid regimes”.

Most “full democracies” are in western Europe. The list of full democracies includes two Asian countries, South Korea and Japan, one Latin American country Uruguay and one African country Mauritius.

“Flawed democracies” are concentrated

in Latin America, eastern Europe and Asia. “Authoritarian regimes” are concentrated

in Africa, the Middle East and the CIS coun-tries of eastern Europe. Around 2.6bn peo-ple, more than one-third of the world’s pop-ulation, live under authoritarian rule [with a large share being, of course, in China].

According to Joan Hoey, editor of the re-port: “An increased sense of anxiety and in-security in the face of diverse perceived risks and threats – economic, political, social and security – is undermining democracy.

“Defending democracy means upholding liberty, equality, tolerance and free expres-sion, promoting a democratic political cul-ture and fostering democratic institutions.”

About EIUThe Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) is the

world’s leading resource for economic and business research, forecasting and analysis. It provides accurate and impartial intelli-gence for companies, government agencies, � nancial institutions and academic organi-sations around the globe, inspiring business leaders to act with con� dence since 1946.

EIU products include its � agship Country Reports service, providing political and eco-nomic analysis for 195 countries, and a port-folio of subscription-based data and forecast-ing services. The company also undertakes bespoke research and analysis projects on in-dividual markets and business sectors. More information is available at www.eiu.com.

The EIU is headquartered in London, UK, with o� ces in more than 40 cities and a net-work of some 650 country experts and ana-lysts worldwide. It operates independently

as the business-to-business arm of The Econ-omist Group, the leading source of analysis on international business and world a� airs. l

Gazipur factoryheaded by ADC Rahenul Islam, has been formed to investigate into the incident. The committee has been asked to � le a report in three days.

The DC also said that families of the de-ceased had been given Tk10,000 each for the carrying funeral expenses.

Owner Iman Uddin and the other manage-ment sta� of the factory have been on the run since the blast took place.

District police chief Harunur Rashid a drive to arrest the factory owner is now on. l

BNP decides to hold council by Marchn Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

The BNP has decided to hold its long overdue national council by March to revamp its rank and � le.

Standing committee – the higest policy-making forum of the party – made the de-cision in a meeting at Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s Gulshan o� ce last night.

Party charter stipulates BNP to hold na-tional councils every three years, but the last time the party held a council was in Decem-ber 2009.

Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, acting sec-retary general of the BNP, briefed reporters after the meeting on its outcomes.

During the meeting, the policymakers of the party critised the government for not re-

ducing the price of oil which has sharply de-clined in the international market recently.

The BNP also adopted a condolence resolu-tion at the death of senior leader RA Gani, who was also a member of the standing committee.

According to meeting sources, the party’s top leadership has decided that incumbent parliament members will not be allowed to hold important posts at the district and upazila level committees.

Moreover, no leaders, no matter how in-� uential they are, will be allowed to hold more than one post across all of the party central and local-level committees during this year’s national counil.

However, the source could not give an exact date for holding the council but said it could be any time after March 15. l

Sohel Taj meets PM at Ganabhabann Abu Hayat Mahmud

Former state minister for home Tanjim Ah-mad Sohel Taj has expressed his willingness to make a come back to politics during a meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

According to sources, Sohel Taj met the PM for around an hour at her Ganabhaban

residence after the evening prayers.Other sources from inside the ruling Awa-

mi League said that this follows an initiative that the PM and party chief Sheikh Hasina took to bring Sohel Taj back.

The PM reportedly took the initiative after Sohel Taj’s mother Johora Taj, a former presidi-um member of the ruling party, died.

Sohel, son of Bangladesh’s � rst Prime Minister Tajuddin Ahmad, resigned from his cabinet post on May 31, 2009, just � ve months into taking of oath.

The government had then said that late president Zillur Rahman had not accepted his resignation.

At that time, media reported that Sohel

Taj felt o� ended by what was said to be “misbehavior” by a relative of the prime minister. He, however, did not show any o� cial reasons for his dramatic decision to resign even as an MP.

His sister Simeen Hussain Rimi was later elected in a by-election from the constitu-tional seat in Gazipur in his place. l

A � re� ghter trying to douse the � re that burnt � ve people to death in Gazipur yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

News 3D

TSUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016

The eviction drive in a slum in Kalyanpur, Dhaka has left many families homeless overnight. Unable to � nd another place of residence on such a short notice, hundreds of slum residents are now living under the sky MEHEDI HASAN

Ershad to sit with PM before quitting as special envoyn Tribune Report

Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad yesterday said that he did not want to quit the post of prime minister’s special envoy without con-sulting the premier, Sheikh Hasina.

“The prime minister honoured me by appointing as her special envoy. I cannot dishonour her by quitting the post without consulting her. I will certainly talk to her in this regard,” he said during an unscheduled meeting with his party colleagues at Banani.

The former military dictator also said the parliament would be functional if JaPa was strengthened. “It will bene� t the government too,” he said, according to a press release.

Ershad said he had appointed a co-chair-man and changed the secretary general for the sake of the party.

“This change has brought a huge wave among the leaders and activists. The party got life again and we will be able to make our party stronger. We are certainly the op-position party in parliament. We hope that

our lawmakers will not make any comment which may create confusion among the party leaders and activists,” he said.

At a press conference on January 17, Er-shad announced his younger brother GM Quader as co-chairman of the party and ap-pointed ABM Ruhul Amin Hawlader as secre-tary general relieving Ziauddin Ahmed Bablu from the post.

On that day, Ershad also requested the premier to relieve him from the post of spe-cial envoy and asked the party’s ministers to

step down. “The prime minister has gifted us three ministerial posts. But no one can play the role of an opposition party holding the post of a minister,” he added.

Talking to reporters in Chittagong on Fri-day, Bablu, an MP from Chittagong 9 con-stituency, claimed that his removal from the position of secretary general was part of a conspiracy. “But the conspiracy is not going to be successful. All members of the party, including Ershad and Rawshan Ershad, are united,” he said. l

Planning Ministry for common CSR guidelinesn Asif Showkat Kallol

The government is set to formulate a com-mon guideline to regulate how pro� table companies spend money on Corporate Social Responsibility.

The Planning Ministry believes that prof-itable � rms can contribute heavily in achiev-ing the United Nation (UN)’s Sustainable De-velopment Goals (SDGs) by spending in the country’s health, education, environment, security and children welfare sectors.

The guideline would focus on encourag-ing CSR processes at the company level and emphasise on how CSR should be integrated into business practices.

Investopedia de� nes Corporate Social Re-sponsibility (CSR) as a � rm’s initiatives to as-sess and take responsibility for the its e� ects on environmental and social wellbeing. The

term generally applies to e� orts that go be-yond what may be required by regulators or environmental protection groups.

According to sources, the ministry has re-cently sent a draft of the CSR guidelines to the ministries of � nance, commerce, social welfare and the national board of revenue and sought their opinions within 10 days.

The draft – titled “Developing the Na-tional CSR Guideline for Bangladesh” – was prepared by the CSR Center Bangladesh and was signed by Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal. The minutes of a meeting of stakeholders, held two years ago, was also at-tached with the draft.

The Planning Ministry also requested the other ministries to nominate their represent-atives to the proposed CSR guideline devel-opment committee.

During that meeting, participants, includ-

ing minister Kamal and CSR Center Chairman Farooq Sobhan, discussed how big corporate � rms in developed countries contribute through the CSR.

According to the Registrar of Joint Stock Companies and Firms (RJSC), thee were a to-tal of 47,434 registered � rms in the country at the end of the 2014-15 � scal year.

The draft guideline says a common CSR policy can contribute in creating positive branding for Bangladesh and corporate � rms can enhance global standards as well as ex-pand the global market of exportable items.

“By developing a national CSR guideline for Bangladesh, stakeholders can address and re-solve the issues of negative impacts and risks through engaging with a step by step approach to ways that intimate good governance, cli-mate change and environment, human rights and labour standards, etc,” the draft reads. l

2 US teens arrested in beating of Bangladeshi mann Tribune Report

The New York police have arrested two teen-age boys on charge of beating a Bangladeshi man up, reported New York Daily News.

According to the report, Mujibur Rahman, 43, was beaten by two teens screaming about IS when he walked his nine-year-old niece from school on January 16. The teens were arrested Friday.

The teens – a 14-year-old and a 15-year-old – were busted for assaulting Mujibur on a Bronx street, police said. The suspects — whose names were not released because of their ages — were charged with misdemeanor assault and harassment as a hate crime.

The older teen faces a list of other charges, including acting in a manner injurious to a child, added the police.

“The community is happy that the sus-pects were caught,” said state Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda (D – Bronx). “Now it’s time for healing and praying for these two kids. It’s a sad day in our society when teenagers attack people because of their religious belief.”

Mujibur was wearing traditional South Asian clothing when he was attacked in front of his horri� ed niece in Parkchester.

Shouting “ISIS! ISIS!” they allegedly punched the Bangladeshi immigrant until he collapsed, then kicked him, witnesses said.

Mujibur said in an interview: “The situ-ation could have been worse but my nine-year-old niece, a student at PS 119 in Park-chester, managed to call 911 on a cell phone and summon help when the horri� c hate crime erupted around 5:30pm.”

“She called my brother too, who came running,” he added.

Residents and community leaders ex-pressed outrage over the weekend following the attack.

The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY), urged the FBI to join the NYPD’s hate crime investigation. l

Shouting 'ISIS! ISIS!' they allegedly punched the Bangladeshi immigrant until he collapsed, then kicked him, witnesses said

SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016News4DT

Girl raped, forced into prostitution in Dhakan Tribune Report

A teenage girl, who was allegedly raped and forced into � esh trade, was rescued from a � at at Dhaka’s Azampur yesterday.

Police also arrested prime suspect Khali-lur Rahman and two of his associates – Shathi Akhter and Hatem Ali – during their drive.

Dakshinkhan police station’s duty o� cer Sub-Inspector Nur Alam told the Dhaka Trib-une that the 16-year-old girl had been held captive at Azampur � at since January 17. She somehow managed to send a text message to one of her friends on Friday afternoon, seek-ing help.

Her friend, in turn, informed the victim’s elder brother who approached police on Fri-day night. Sub-Inspector Alam said they raid-ed the � at near Azampur market shortly after receiving the complaint. He said the � at was used as a brothel.

The victim’s relatives declined comment. A source familiar with the matter said Khal-il had enticed the 16-year-old girl saying he would manage better jobs for her. But after the girl left home with him, Khalil allegedly raped her and later sold her to a pimp.

Police sent her to the One Stop Crisis Cen-tre at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital. A case was � led over the matter at the Dak-shinkhan police station. SI Nur said those arrested would be produced before the court today. l

Proper implementation of ban on polythene bags demandedn UNB

Environment activists and green shopping bag manufacturers yesterday demanded proper implementation of the ban on manu-facturing and selling of polythene bags.

Activists of Bangladesh Poribesh Ando-lon (Bapa) and several manufacturers of en-vironment friendly shopping bags formed a human chain in front of Jatiyo Press Club.

They urged the government for proper im-plementation of section 6(a) of the Environment Conservation Act 1995 to ensure punishment to the institutions and individuals involved in manufacturing and marketing polythene bags.

The speakers noted that a type of “tis-sue polythene,” which is produced from the same raw material that is used to produce polythene, has � ooded the market recently.

Though the manufacturers are claiming that tissue polythene is not harmful, it is equally harmful to the environment, claimed the activists.

Addressing the human chain columnist Syed Abul Maksud said the government have taken steps for encouraging people to use jute products and jute bags, but no step have been taken to stop manufacturing and mar-keting of polythene which is encouraging the polythene manufacturers.

Bapa General Secretary Dr MA Matin and its Joint General Secretary Iqbal Habib were also present at the programme. l

Bangladesh can be hub of nursing education n Sheikh Shahariar Zaman

Bangladesh has immense prospect in health education and can be a hub for nursing train-ing with proper recruitment policy, faculty and leadership development.

Professor and the founding Dean of the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Aga Khan University East Africa, Yasmin Amarsi, who visited Dhaka recently, felt that Bangladesh has quali� ed nurses but with a more struc-tured system, better services can be delivered.

Amarsi, who has been in the profession for four decades, came to Dhaka to assess how Aga Khan Development Network can help Bangladesh in developing nursing profession.

Quality, relevancy, access and making a di� erence are the four principles of engage-ment of any Aga Khan-led initiative and here it would not be exception, she said.

She met government o� cials and nurses during her stay. Amarsi told the Dhaka Trib-une in an exclusive interview that at least 500 nurses in Bangladesh have masters de-grees and some even have PhD degrees.

A Nursing Council governs the profession, while a nursing association looks after their interests, which gives a very positive picture.

She said faculty and leadership devel-opment can take nursing to new heights.Up-to-date curriculum, modern teaching and learning strategy, good university, qual-i� ed teachers among other issues can be

addressed under the faculty development programme, she said. She felt that with the improvement of faculty, many from abroad will come to Bangladesh to study nursing.

There is a shortage of three million nurses and Bangladesh can supply a portion of that. She was of the view that one-year clinical specialisation diploma programmes to de-velop nurses specliased in intensive care and paediatrics should be introduced.

Bangladeshi nurses only work in hospitals but the international trend is that they also do a lot of service in the community.

“They can do a lot in research or they can conduct clinics,” she said, adding that diversi-fying in this way would attract young people.

She felt that leadership development is important for the nurses as it will help them become self-con� dent decision makers and � ght for their rights.

She suggested doctors and nurses to study together for at least two years at the univer-sity. In the � rst two years, they should have same basic courses and by studying together, doctors will learn to respect nurses.

Absence of a recruitment rule is the big-gest challenge facing nursing profession here, she said. Amarsi said AKDN is yet to have a concrete plan in developing the sector.

“We are still at the process of assessing,” she said, adding: “I will prepare an assess-ment report and share it with the govern-ment.” l

PRAYERTIMES

Cox’s Bazar 24 17Dhaka 24 12 Chittagong 23 12 Rajshahi 24 10 Rangpur 23 11 Khulna 23 10 Barisal 25 14 Sylhet 25 10T 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 5:39PM SUN RISES 6:42AM

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW26.5ºC 8.4ºCTeknaf Rajshahi & Syedpur

SUNDAY, JANUARY 24

Source: IslamicFinder.org

Fajr: 5:21am | Zohr: 12:10am Asr: 4:02pm | Magrib: 5:38pmEsha: 7:08pm

SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016News 5

DT

CLOUDY

Mayor pledges green Dhaka in 3 yearsn Abu Hayat Mahmud

Dhaka North City Corporation Mayor Annisul Huq has urged the media to lend hands in making the city green and clean as it is a big challenge for both the mayors.

“It is a big challenge for us to make Dhaka a green and clean city. Our media cooperat-ed us to face the challenge in the past. I hope that this cooperation will continue in the fu-ture too,” Annisul said at a views exchange meeting with the editors of di� erent print and online media at a city hotel yesterday.

He urged the newspaper editors to allocate a two-inch space every day to publish di� er-ent awareness programmes of the city corpo-rations for the sake of the city people. All the editors agreed to the mayor’s call while some said that they were ready to spare more space to speed up the mayors’ e� orts towards mak-ing Dhaka a better city.

“We will turn Dhaka into a green city with-in the next three years. This plan will be im-plemented with the help of 1,000 volunteers, who will go door to door and urge the house owners to plant trees,” the mayor said.

Annisul, who took o� ce in May last year, said he was getting various supports from the prime minister, and the city corporation o� -cials and local ruling party leaders, especial-ly in conducting eviction drives in Tejgaon Industrial Area, Mohakhali, Mohammadpur, Gabtoli and Abdullahpur.

He said the city streets and footpaths would be freed from the grabbers by April this year. “We will arrange alternative space for the traders who are occupying the streets and pavements.”

The mayor also hoped that the waste man-agement department of the city corporation would complete building the 72 secondary transfer stations within the next two-three months and then the waste disposal contain-ers would be removed from streets.

“The shop keepers will be given 5,000 dustbins so that they do not dump garbage here and there. We have asked 1,200 leaders of traders’ organisations to follow rules,” he said.

Replying to a query, Annisul said that he had regular contact with Dhaka South City Corporation Mayor Sayeed Khokon, and that they share their thoughts and acts with each other. He said that the residents of Dhaka North and Dhaka South would get the same service.

The former FBCCI president said that the city corporation was working in coordination with the urban planners and the law enforce-ment agencies among other organisations concerned to develop the city’s tra� c situa-tion, and safety and security of the people.

He said that they had assured the bus owners and operators of providing necessary assistance to introduce a total of 3,000 brand new buses including 1,000 air-conditioned ones in � ve routes of the capital.

“The city will be brought under the cov-

erage of 2,500 powerful CCTV cameras. The Dhaka Metropolitan Police will control the cameras to maintain law enforcement,” the mayor added.

Annisul said that the government should hand over the charge of the city’s canals, lakes, parks and open spaces to the city cor-porations for better management. He also urged people not to set up businesses in res-idential areas.

The meeting was attended by the Daily Samakal Editor Golam Sarwar, the Daily Pro-thom Alo Editor Motiur Rahman, The Daily Star Editor Mahfuz Anam, the Dhaka Tribune Editor Zafar Sobhan, the daily Janakantha Editor Atiqullah Khan Masud, the daily Kaler Kantho Editor Imdadul Haq Milon, the daily Amader Orthoneeti Editor Nayeemul Islam Khan among others.

“We are satis� ed with the commitments you made to the city dwellers ... I think you should become a mayor in the next tenure too. We are [media] assuring you that we will highlight every step of the city corporation by publishing those regularly,” Golam Sar-war told the mayor. “It is our duty to publish more awareness programmes considering the interests of the city people,” he added.

Echoing Golam Sarwar, Imdadul Haq Mi-lon added: “We will not only publish the city corporation’s positive steps but also report on mistakes and irregularities.”

Dhaka Tribune Editor Zafar Sobhan urged the mayor to encourage young people to choose cycling which is environment friend-ly and healthy. “I will urge you to take steps for creating separate lane for bicycles on the city roads, if possible,” he added. l

Cattle trader shot dead by BSFn Our Correspondent, Naogaon

A Bangladeshi cattle trader died after being shot by India’s Border Security Force (BSF) members at Adatola border in Naogaon’s Sapahar upazila early yesterday.

Joynal Abedin, 42, from the South Patari village, died near pillar no 242 of the border around 4:30am.

Lt Col Ra� qul Hasan, commanding o� cer of BGB 14 battalion, said a number of cattle traders, including Joynal, crossed the border to enter India for bringing cattle on Friday night.

“His companions returned but he did not. His body was found near pillar no 242 in the Indian territory in the morning,” he said. l

JU teacher assaulted by BCL activists n JU Correspondent

Members of Bangladesh Chhatra League’s Jahangirnagar University (JU) unit have alleg-edly assaulted a teacher physically for trying to stop them from harassing an female visitor and beating up her male companion in public.

Source said Prof Md Mozahidul Islam of JU’s history department submitted a writ-ten complaint at the proctor’s o� ce yes-terday against government and politics de-partment’s masters student Md Abu Sadat Sayem, international relations department’s third-year student Jamshed Alam and Bangla department’s third-year student Jahid Hasan for assaulting him.

The accused students are residential stu-

dents at the university’s al-Beruni Hall and are known followers of JU Chhatra League’s Vice-President Md Ariful Islam, campus sources said.

According to the complaint, the incident took place at Munni Saarani on Thursday evening, when one of the accused Sayem harassed the female visitor on the campus and his two accomplices Jamshed and Jahid beat up her friend along with the girl.

Prof Mozahid said he was assaulted by the three accused students when he protested the sexual harassment and the physical as-sault of the visitors.

Asked what happened, Sayem admitted to beating up the male visitor because “he mis-behaved with me,” but did not comment on

harassing a woman and denied the allegation of assaulting any teacher.

The assaulted visitors could be reached for comments in this regard.

JU Proctor Prof Dr Tapan Kumar Saha told the Dhaka Tribune that his o� ce had received the written complaint of Prof Mozahidul Is-lam, and the authorities would take steps re-garding the matter following a probe report.

The authorities have already issued letters to the accused students seeking an explana-tion in this regard, Prof Tapan added.

JU Chhatra League’s General Secretary Ra-jib Ahmed Rasel said they had heard about the incident. “If the accused are proven guilty, the organisation will take stern action against them,” he told the Dhaka Tribune. l

Dhaka North City Corporation Mayor Annisul Huq speaks at a discussion with newspaper editors on the implementation of his plans to make Dhaka a clean and green city yesterday. The event took place at Pan Paci� c Sonargaon Hotel in the capital RAJIB DHAR

SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016News6DT

AL leader MA Aziz diesn Tribune Report

MA Aziz, acting president of Dhaka City Awa-mi League, died yesterday at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH). He was 68.

Aziz died of heart attack at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of DMCH around noon. He was admitted to the hospital around 11am with chest pain, said Publicity and Publica-tion Secretary of Dhaka City Awami League Abdul Haque Sobuj, reports BSS.

He was buried at Azimpur Graveyard after three Namaz-e-Janazas. The � rst was held in a place near his Hussaini Dalan residence, sec-ond one in front of Awami League central o� ce in Bangabandhu Avenue and the third at Dha-ka Alia Madrasa in Bakshikazar, Sobuj added.

Aziz left behind his wife, three sons, host of relatives, well-wishers and admirers to mourn his death.

President Abdul Hamid, Prime Minis-ter Sheikh Hasina and Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury in

separate messages of condolence expressed deep shock at his demise.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also visit-ed his residence around 4pm, PM’s Deputy Press Secretary Ashraful Alam Khokan said.

The premier showed her last respect and joined a munajat seeking eternal peace of the departed soul. l

Hironmoyee Melbandhon of DU Alumni held n Arif Ahmed

Dhaka University Alumni Association (DUAA) grand reunion titled “Hironmoyee Melband-hon 2016” was held at the university’s central playground yesterday.

The daylong programme started around 10am with people present at the programme singing the national anthem.

Delivering the welcome speech, DUAA member Dr A� a Dil, professor emeritus at Alliant International University, San Diego, California, said that Dhaka University has produced many talented individuals who are now contributing both at home and abroad.

“I always become very emotional when I am here. Thousands of memories � ash be-fore my eyes and I wonder if I will be present at such programmes in the future” said the 92-year-old A� a.

In her speech, she urged former students to uphold DU’s dignity through their creative and humanitarian activities.

Mesbah-ul-bar Chowdhury, the associa-tion’s oldest member who completed his MA in 1940, said the sound environment of the university was what he was most attracted to.

Addressing the reunion, he said: “The relationship between teachers and students was like father and son during our time and the atmosphere of education on the campus was also very good but the university has lost

its glorious tradition mainly because of the dirty student politics.”

“We all should task ourselves with the responsibility to bring back the past glory of this institution,” said the 97-year-old Mes-bah-ul-bar adding that he felt like going back to his student life.

Former DU vice-chancellor Prof Emazud-din Ahmed, also a prominent political scien-tist, said: “I have spent a lot of time in this campus and probably, I have achieved the most valuable things in life from here.”

Terming the upcoming 100th anniversary of the university as a great milestone, he said: “Most of the old aged alumni members may not be able to attend the gala ceremony in 2020 but today, we can enjoy the Hironmoyee Mel-bandhon with our friends and well wishers.”

DU Vice-Chancellor AAMS Are� n Sid-dique, in his speech, said the teachers and students of DU have always worked for es-tablishing truth and justice since its found-ing in 1921 and will continue to do so for the nation’s needs.

The programme was divided in three phases. In the � rst session, greetings were exchanged and a debate competition was held among the association’s members. The second session had a view exchange discus-sion and lunch. In the � nal session, a colour-ful musical ceremony was organised where proli� c artists performed. l

RAB DG: Tight security for Under-19 World Cup n Tribune Report

Rapid Action Battalion has taken strict meas-ures to ensure the security of players par-ticipating in the upcoming ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup which is scheduled to start on January 27.

The matches will be held at eight venues in four districts of the country.

In a press brie� ng held at Le Meridian ho-tel in the city yesterday, RAB Director Gener-al Benazir Ahmed said a monitoring cell has been established in the hotel to oversee secu-

rity of players in all four districts. Besides, a command centre will be established in every venue before the tournament starts, he add-ed.

Benazir said that the International Cricket Council and Bangladesh Cricket Board have also expressed their satisfaction over the se-curity measures taken during a discussion earlier.

The RAB DG said security will be strict un-til the tournament ends and bomb squads, dog squads and vehicle scanners will be op-erational in every place the teams reach. l

Guests at the reunion of Dhaka University alumni in one of the playground on the university campus yesterday. Titled Hironmoy Mohotsyab, the reunion was organised by Dhaka University Alumni Association DHAKA TRIBUNE

SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016News 7

DT

Two yaba peddlers held n Tribune Report

Police yesterday arrested two alleged yaba traders with 3000 contraband tablets from in front of BAF Base Zahurul Haque gate area un-der Patenga police station in Chittagong city.

The arrested were Md Manjur, 23, and Md Belal, 29, residents of Ichhanagar area under Karnaphuli police station.

Sub-Inspector (SI) Majharul Islam of Patenga police station, said on a tip-o� , a team of police arrested the two along with 3,000 yaba tablets in the area when they went there to sell the contraband tablets.

A case was � led under narcotics control act. l

Three die after taking liquorn Our Correspondent, Naogaon

Three people died and � ve others fell sick after taking excessive quantity of liquor at Enayetpur village of Badalgachhi upazila in the district yesterday.

The deceased were Hossain Ali, 33, son of Pukra Mandol, Abdul Mazid, 32, son of Lakhai Mondol of Nurpur village and Solaiman, 30, son of Surana of Enayetpur village of the upazila.

Ra� qul Islam, o� cer-in-charge of Badalgachhi police station, said a total of eight people including the three fell sick after taking liquor at a picnic on Friday midnight.

After fell sick they were rushed to Naogaon Sadar Hospital where Solaiman died.

Later Hossain and Mazid were shifted to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital where they died, said Ra� qul. l

57 schools shut over students’ sudden sicknessn Our Correspondent, Faridpur

The district administration yesterday de-clared 57 high schools shut for two days as 103 students of two schools fell sick due to unknown reason in three days till Thursday.

Executive Magistrate Mondip Gharai said a total of 103 students of Shibrampur R D Academy and Khalilpur High School in Mac-char union of Sadar upazila fell sick from Tuesday to Thursday.

The sick students were given treatment at Faridpur Medical College Hospital.

The district administration formed a three

member committee to investigate the reason behind their sudden sickness.

The committee members examined the physical condition of the sick students and visited the two educational institutions but could not detect the reason behind their sick-ness.

The schools have closed for further inves-tigation and safety, said district education o� cer Parimal Chandra Mandal.

Gonopoti Biswas Shuvo, supervisor of Faridpur Medical College Hospital, said the students might have fallen sick due to mass psychogenic illness (MPI) or mass hysteria. l

Abducted schoolboy rescued after nine daysn Our Correspondent, Khagrachari

Police rescued a kidnapped school boy from Guimara area of Khagrachari district early yesterday after nine days of the abduction.

The rescued victim was Shyob Akter Apon,12, son of Dubai expatriate Mohammad Kabir, hailed from Nangolmora area under Hathazari upazila. He is a student of Class Seven of Hathazari Parboti High School

The police also arrested six abductors. They are Nuruddin, Shiplu Nath, Apu Das, Osman, Md Sohel and Md Nuruddin.

Police said, Apon was abducted in the evening on January,13 from their residence Jesmin Bhaban at Hathazari Sadar after hostaging his mother at gun point.

Victim’s mother Jesmin Akter informed the police and � led a case with Hathazari thana after the abduction.

Following the case, a special team of Hathazari police after massive search freed the victim from a house at Guimara area under Khagrachari district.

Both victim and abductors were taken to o� ce of the district police super where the rescued released details of his captivity to the journalists.

“After the kidnap I was kept in a toilet of a house of Ali Hossain, tying my hands and legs and placing my lips under tap. I was fed with bread and juice in night only, “ Apon said.

The arrested abductors confessed that a band of nine miscreants abducted Apon by the direction of one Mostafa.

Victim’s father Kabir Hossain who comes from Dubai said Mostafa had done the heinous act over previous enmity with him.

Ha� z Akter, superintendent of police said the drive was continuing to arrest rest of the abductors. l

Striking doctors vow to continue striken FM Mizanur Rahaman, Chittagong

Striking doctors of private clinics and hospitals in Chittagong city have vowed to continue their programme until the cases are withdrawn against their three fellow doctors.

Dr Mujibul Haque Khan, president of Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA) Chittagong chapter, came up with the statement at a press brie� ng in Chittagong Press Club’s Engineer Abdul Khalek Auditorium around 3pm for fourth consecutive day yesterday.

Protesting the cases against Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH)’s gynecologist Dr Shameema Siddique Rosy and her husband Dr Mahbubul Alam and Dr Rana Chowdhury BMA arranged the programme.

“We demand a respectable solution to the ongoing problem while the inde� nite strike will continue until the cases are withdrawn,”

said Dr Mujibul.Following the start of the inde� nite strike

on Wednesday, healthcare system in the port city have collapsed as the few hospitals providing service is struggling to keep up with the increasing in� ux of patients.

Sources at Chittagong Medical College Hospital said the number of patients at the hospital’s emergency unit were increasing each day following the strike.

A total of 620 patients were treated in the last 36 hours, a source said adding that it was around 50 more than the previous day.

While visiting some private clinics and doctors chambers in the city’s GEC intersection area, this correspondent saw a number people standing outside the chambers, waiting for a doctor. Notices stating information on the strike were also seen hung outside the chambers.

The strike was enforced for an inde� nite period at all private hospitals, clinics and

diagnostic centres in the city by physicians under the banner of Bangladesh Medical Association in Chittagong.

When contacted, BMA Chittagong Chapter President Dr Mujibul Haque Khan told the Dhaka Tribune that they would continue the strike until the cases against the doctors were withdrawn.

He said the cases had been � led only to harass the doctors.

On January 19, Khairul Bashar – father of Meherunnesa Rima who died on January 10 for the alleged negligence of doctors after a caesarian surgery –lodged a case with Chief Metropolitan Magistrate court in Chittagong, accusing Dr Shameema Siddique and her husband Dr Mahbubul Alam for the death.

In another case lodged by one Jebal Hossen, Dr Rana Chowdhury – registrar of CMCH ward 24 – was accused of the same charge with the same court. l

Carrying bows and arrows members of indigenous communities of the northern part of the country yesterday stage a protest in front of National Press Club in the capital demanding their ancestral properties be returned to them SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

Advertisement8DTSUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016

Event 9D

T

SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016

n Features Desk

On a sunny day in winter, one rooftop was filled with tiny stalls. Different countries were showcasing their significant social identities inside each stall. They welcomed the visitors by offering packets of teabags and cookies. Where one country had a display miniatures of their famous landmarks, another was offering native toffees. Another corner of the market was blooming from the smell of muri and mowa, as well with the colour of Jamdani.

The open market event was the eight days of International Study Visit of British Council’s flagship global project ‘Active Citizens.” International study visits provide active citizens an outlet to learn from the host country and from each other.

Hosted by British Council Bangladesh, the programme completed its round yesterday. A team of 25 young volunteers from different countries had a visit from January 16 to 23 to Bangladesh as part of their educational journey.

Eight countries, including the United Kingdom, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Ukraine, Lebanon, Vietnam, Myanmar and Bangladesh participated in sharing their experiences so far. It was also to grasp a holistic and in-depth understanding of Bangladesh’s cultural context, and how by mobilising resources directed a positive social change through leadership was another aspect of it.

This youth leadership programme progressed through several interactive sessions about di� erent components of leadership, learning about identity and culture through dialogue and communication to give a clearer view of a community. The ultimate goal behind this was to prepare them for an action project plan through their own cultural study and assessment of its feasibility.

Every active citizen of this programme is currently involved in working in their own community. This visit brings different cultures to one place so that they can learn from each other. Guest participants visited the host community to see how things work in particular situations. Through this

mutual respect and understanding, it will ultimately create a global network of active citizens. The guest participants will take back the learning experience to their home country. Although, not all procedures would be applicable because ways of working differs from each other as the context and challenges are quite different. In turn, they will acquire only the necessary skills and knowledge that apply to their own situations. After returning to their home country, the guests will be cascading these learning tips with their peers, thus informally creating networks.

Previously, a similar study visit programme occurred in Bangladesh in 2012. British Council works with many civil society organisations to implement this project out in the field. The partners circulate the information about active citizen programmes as an enthusiastic youth could participate. Through the Active Citizen programme in Bangladesh 26,000 have been trained so far.

The history of establishing Active Citizen kicked off in 2009, when a massive youth survey named “Next generation Bangladesh” had taken place to know about contemporary youths’ inspiration, desire and responsibility towards the society for the future.

Surprisingly, the � ndings of the survey was globally consistent and every youngster was felt concern towards nations, however, besides being doubtful on their competence they didn’t know with what approach they should move ahead with.

With this concept as a cornerstone in 2009, British Council started this global flagship programme Active Citizen, aspiring to present a platform entirely dedicated for the younger generation, as they could serve society and build themselves as leaders.

Global programme Active Citizens has been running parallel in over 30 countries, promoting community cohesion, and development through capacity building of young leaders for civic engagement and volunteering. l

Learning through shared experience

United Kingdom representative Rio Floreza stated, “This workshop is an excellent opportunity to find about different culture that is being introduced by this study tour. It is more than just a formal PowerPoint presentation, it’s about bringing people’s cultures into light. One thing I’ve already noticed the different aspects of our cultures and we are willing to share that. And its seems to unravel very easily and naturally. Tea table in roof-top gardens, I’ve obviously brought things from my own country. I think food is a huge part of any culture, a cup of tea with biscuits is part of daily life.

We also put on traditional clogs in a traditional dance of north-east England. In terms of social activities, we found out very quickly that Bangladesh needs very little encouragement to break out into dance. I’m so excited about the energy the country has. There is real energy with humanity, which is a combination you don’t find other places in the world.”

Bangladesh representative Rakibul Islam Waleed: “Desire and expectations of every participant are the same. Initially, I thought maybe these thing would vary, but ultimately, I have discovered everyone is thinking in same way.”

Norhan from Egypt: “I love that the people here are so friendly, I was warmly welcomed as soon as I landed here and that made me feel like home. I would love to come back here anytime to visit and hopefully spend more time exploring.”

Xuan of Vietnam: “I don’t feel like I came to a different country when I arrived. The horrible traffic,

countless motorbikes, traffic noise everywhere, and engine smokes, it’s all too familiar to me and all too similar with that of Vietnam. The people here, just like in my country, are welcoming and I loved every moment I spent here. I really wanted to blend in and know a lot more about the local life here, but I had limited time to travel. So I am really looking forward to my next visit here in Bangladesh.”

Md Nilaaj from Sri Lanka, “I am from Trincomalee district, the eastern part of Sri Lanka. I grew up in a small village called Kenniya there. My village, along with a lot of other places of Sri Lanka, has been massively affected by the war caused due to the ethnic conflict in the duration of the past thirty years. After the war ended back in 2009, the youth in my community did not know what to do next.

Even though the post-war era brought in lots of opportunities for the youth, my colleagues, friends, family and everybody else in my village were unaware of these opportunities and the development of the country.

This lack of development and missed opportunities is caused due to the lack of means of communication. So when I heard about the British Council’s Active Citizens Programme, I immediately responded.

My aim is to finish my education and train myself well enough so I can go back and teach the people of my village everything that I’ve learned.”

Quotes

Career10DT

SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016

Tell us what an average day in your life looks like, starting with waking up.I probably should start with a complaint against myself: I sleep extremely late because I end up working at night. That is the time when I end up doing majority of my preparation and work; be it post production for the documentary � lm or data analysis or writing papers, this leaves little room for personal time. The days after I wake up are usually drenched in keeping up with deadlines and meetings, so the rush is omnipresent; yet after all of that you have this sense of triumph which is only hindered by a nagging period of silently planning your next moves insides your head.

What’s your biggest challenge in being an entrepreneur?Calling me an entrepreneur would be a long shot; I don’t believe I am one. I am more of an idea implementer; and that is honestly how all my projects start. Because majority of my projects are based on ideas that are yet to be implemented, the biggest challenge is driving the demand for it. Take Data Nudge for example; the trend of analysing market data for corporate decision making is still not commonplace in Bangladesh. So convincing people that: “Hey, the data shows that your production line is still ine� cient; you should try this instead,” is not that easy. The second challenge is � nding time to sleep, and when you do, actually falling asleep.

What’s your best tip for success so far?Have a big to do list? Start now. Backlogging is the biggest back stabber when you are controlling your own time.

Can you make time for yourself?(Laughs) Let’s put it this way, while being able to control a chunk of your time (outside university hours) for your own activities is fantastic, and you are free from the clutches of bosses, you soon realise you are a slave to the things you yourself set up. So in order to make time for leisure, you really have to plan for it way ahead.

If you could start from scratch, what would you have done di� erently?I am kind of in a limbo, with two legs on two boats. One in documentary � lm-making and the other in academia; and I often ponder whether things would have moved much faster had I just stuck to one. While I certainly do not regret this, and things have worked out well for me (the

other entertains me when I get bored with one) I probably wouldn’t recommend this to people. Your family will want to tear you apart in the little instance they see you � ash by.

Are you perceived di� erently by the elder generation because of your choices?Some take me way too seriously and some laugh me away. The latter is probably due to my childish nature of getting too excited about things. That said, elders do tend to have higher expectations from me, which in many cases I have to smother down because of lack of time and that, alas, often leads to disappointment. It’s a tricky thing balancing this.

Does your routine sacri� ce your relationships with friends and family?In a way I am no longer the social monkey

I used to be, but I do appreciate that the little time I get to spend, I spend with my closest ones. However, it has become a rare encounter meeting close people living further away from where I live, thanks to Dhaka’s tra� c.

What activity motivates you to go on in the darkest of days?As clichéd as it may sound, the light at the end of the tunnel. You always start with a vision and a goal, and you already knew perseverance will be a test; so in those darkest times, it is imperative for you to stay calm and carry on. Oh and cheesecake always helps!

What apps, tools and food can you not live without?I use a reader app (UB Reader), for reading things on the � y; and a note app (S Note and Google Keep) for jotting down ideas. I am an old fashioned kind of guy and nothing beats writing things down. For tools, it would be my watch (not a smart watch) and a camera. I su� ocate otherwise.Foodwise, pizza and cheesecake. Fat is the new sexy.

About supporting yourself, � nancially…

We re-invest everything back into Finding Bangladesh, so it is not really a pro� t making venture. The Data Nudge is aimed at being one and time will tell whether it can withstand the blows. Teaching at BRAC University always helps in those desperate times.

It isn’t exactly easy being your own boss. Would you suggest the lifestyle you lead to others?Only if you have a � rm resolve and can take the uncertainty in your life; if you enjoy the risk and challenges, a 9-5 lifestyle would bore you to death. l

Day in the life of an entrepreneur

O� cially a student of Economics, Adnan M S Fakir is often identi� ed as a documentary � lm-maker, a poet, a photographer, a social activist but above all a humanitarian. With an intense passion for travel, history, mythologies and folklore, Fakir is currently working on a documentary � lm series titled, Finding Bangladesh, with an aim for preserving the ancient stories and historical sites of Bangladesh to prove how extraordinary and fascinating the country really is. The purpose of the documentary series is to show how, more than often, much of our identity is rooted in our history; even history that delves well beyond our liberation war.

Adnan M S Fakir completed his Masters in Economics from University of Sussex, UK. He joined as a lecturer in the Economics and Social Sciences (ESS) department at BRAC University with his publications focused on health and behavioural economics. He recently initiated a data analytics project named “The Data Nudge” which analyses market data for companies with the intention of understanding e� ects of various interventions and provides workshops to teach data analysis to those interested in this niche market. He also writes poetry as a “fuel for the soul” and has published three books till date.

Adnan M S Fakir

INSIDE

Bangladesh’s application for the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank was de-nied this week because of a lack of parliamentary rati� cation.

The � nance minister has been candid in admitting that “our failure and negligence’’ is the reason why this important procedural step was not un-

deraken depsite the government’s support for joining the bank.Although the country’s observer status has been con� rmed and the membership

application may only be temporarily delayed, it is clearly in the national interest to rectify this error as soon as possible.

For his part, the � nance minister has promised to act swiftly and provided some grounds for assurance that the underlying case for investment in developing Bangla-desh’s road networks and connectivity will not be a� ected.

The same cannot be said, however, for the huge public inconvenience caused by cost-overruns and delays to the Moghbazar-Mouchak � yover project.

It is disgraceful that this project, originally scheduled for completion by December 2014, is now expected to take at least a further 18 months into 2017, because authori-ties have only recently realised the need to make major structural changes.

A BUET team noted two fundamental � aws in the design sourced from a US-based consultant. As well as having its upward ramps built to be shorter than the downward ramps instead of the other way round, the exit turns provided are all wrong, because the design was made for left-hand-drive tra� c.

The public needs more assurance that those responsible will be held to account to � x this problem.

Transparency without accountability is not su� cient. The government needs to be more responsive to public concerns and hold wrong-doers to account if it is to � x recurring problems.

Admitting to problems must be seen as only the � rst step towards � xing them

Fury and bloodbath in Pakistan

Development or democracy: Do we have to choose?A global UN survey in 2003 con� rmed that an overwhelming number of people also see democracy as a development priority. Most of the development projects are implemented with loans from foreign donor agencies. Usually, most of the donor agencies have goals speci� c to supporting democracy

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Quantum of solaceI believe people often exaggerate the severity of Dhaka tra� c. I mean, you go out to buy the latest season of the Game of Thrones DVD box-set, and by the time you return home, not only is the next season out, but the next book too. The eggs you bought from the supermarket have hatched before you get home

The attacks on these educational institutions point at the message the militants want to convey to the authorities and the rest of the Pakistan population -- they will continue to harm these institutions and the people who attend them because they are not Islamic

Good governance needs accountability as well as transparency

11D

TEditorialSUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016

Be heardWrite to Dhaka Tribune

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

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

www.dhakatribune.comJoin our Facebook community:

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The views expressed in Opinion articles are those of the authors

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Tribune or its publisher.

BIGSTOCK

Opinion12DT

SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016

n Ziauddin Choudhury

Once again, Islamic militants in Pakistan have struck an academic institution, this time a university near Peshawar, killing 20 people.

This violent incident follows a ghastly and more brutal attack by the same elements about a year back also in the same area that took the lives of 141 innocent students.

Ownership of both acts was claimed by the Pakistani Taliban, the group that has ter-rorised the north-west of Pakistan for over a decade now, and has succeeded in petrifying the law enforcement agencies of Pakistan. One wonders if these barbarous acts con-tinue to happen because the militants have become really invincible, or they are gaining strength through complicity of political forces now in play in Pakistan.

Either way, the attacks on these educa-tional institutions point at the message the militants want to convey to the authorities and the rest of the Pakistani population -- they will continue to harm these institutions and the people who attend them because they are not Islamic.

Only a few years ago, the current leader of Pakistani Taliban Maulana Fazlullah (the person who had ordered the assassination of Malala Yousafzai) had seized control of Swat valley in the north-west of Pakistan (his homeland) and established a so-called Islamic form of government there. Fazlullah

had been best known as the � ery and char-ismatic “Mullah Radio” for the pirate radio station he operated in Pakistan’s Swat Valley from 2004.

Initially, the Pakistan government had ignored the rise of Fazlullah, but he took the government’s indi� erence as encourage-ment, and turned his religious mission into a military campaign. In December 2008, his followers seized control of the Swat valley and began imposing their own brand of “Islamic justice.” He punished barbers who had trimmed beards along with shop-keep-ers who sold music cassettes and medical workers who o� ered polio vaccinations.

Schools that taught girls were attacked, and policemen and opponents were mur-dered. This is why he ordered the assassi-nation of Malala, who had protested the shutting down of girls’ schools.

Maulana Fazlullah was tolerated by the Pa-kistan Army because he had not yet joined Tehrik-e-Taliban of Pakistan, a force that the Pakistan Army was � ghting. It had hoped (with backing from the US), that Fazlullah could be used against the Pakistani Taliban. But the tables were turned when Fazlullah became the new leader of the Pakistani Tali-ban after the death of Hekmatullah Meshud, the leader who had succeeded the ferocious Baitullah Meshud.

In 2009, the Pakistan Army � nally launched a massive strike against Fazlullah and regained control over Swat, but not before signi� cant losses on both sides. Fazlullah and his men were believed to have escaped to inaccessible areas along the tribal belt bordering Afghanistan. He would launch his militant attacks, covert and overt, from various places without getting caught.

(It was wrongly reported that he was killed in a drone attack in March 2015).

The story of exploitation and control of religious elements in Pakistan date as far back as General Ayub Khan, but this was perfected by General Ziaul Huq, who is believed to be the facilitator of extremist politics in Pakistan.

He was the prime mover in founding and funding the Mujahids of Afghanistan, a motley force of religious radicals drawn from various parts of Pakistan, Central Asia, and Middle East (albeit with US and Saudi resources).

He generously channeled funds to create thousands of religious schools across the Afghanistan border to create hordes of radicals who fought the Russians. These radical products, who the madrasas con-tinued to churn even after the departure of the Russians, formed the core Taliban that Pakistan intelligence created to topple the later Afghan government.

It is no surprise that the Pakistan Army would later use a similar ruse to patron-ise one militant brand to contain another militant brand. The original Taliban was the handiwork of Pakistan intelligence, and its later division into Afghanistan Taliban and Pakistan Taliban is also their brainchild.

Lost in this game of power and control are the lives of thousands of innocent people, and the future of a country that has not been able to get rid of the tentacles of a powerful army that has virtually ruled the country for much of its existence.

Today, militancy in the name of Islam is a global phenomenon. Unfortunately, the vic-tims of this militancy are not only non-Mus-lims, but also Muslims. In fact, Muslims far outnumber the non-Muslims. For every one non-Muslim target, there are ten Muslims. When an Islamic militant strikes, he does not distinguish between non-Muslims and Muslims, he strikes because he is against anyone and everyone who is in his way.

To these militants, all secular estab-lishments are an anathema, all Western education is forbidden, and modern science and education are taboo because they reek of Western origin. Sadly, in Pakistan, despite the presence of many progressive elements and the achievement of many of their schol-ars in Western science and education, the overwhelming mixture of politics and reli-gion, and patronage of religious dogmatism from the top, have led to the rise of religious radicalism and extremism in the country.

The voice of the progressive and mod-erate elements (as in some other Muslim countries) is suppressed because the coun-try’s governance is not in their hands. The bloodbaths in the academic institutions of Pakistan and loss of innocent lives will con-tinue to happen unless politics is redirected in the country through a change in actual control, from the unelected power to real representatives of people. l

Ziauddin Choudhury has worked in the higher civil service of Bangladesh early in his career, and later for the World Bank in the USA.

The attacks on these educational institutions point at the message the militants want to convey to the authorities and the rest of the Pakistan population -- they will continue to harm these institutions and the people who attend them because they are not Islamic

The voices of progressive and moderate elements will continue to be suppressed if the politics of Pakistan isn’t directed toward true representatives of the people

The bodies of innocents will continue to pile up if religious dogmatism isn’t separated from political power REUTERS

Fury and bloodbath in Pakistan

Opinion 13D

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SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016

n Naim Ebna Rahman

The debate of “more development and less democracy” has been the subject of discussion in di� erent countries at di� erent times. In

recent years, the development or democracy debate has attracted the attention of policy-makers in Bangladesh. After the January 5 elections, it seemed that the present ruling party was also moving towards this model -- “more development and less democracy.”

In recent days, policy-makers of the present government have drawn our attention by arguing that we need development � rst and democracy second. But is this model appropriate for Bangladesh?

There are lots of examples of this model in the world, where many countries enjoyed rapid economic development. If we see the scenario of East Asian and South-East Asian countries such as China, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, etc, we see that they have gone through huge economic growth over the last 40 years.

Though China, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea, and Singapore were under some form of autocracy or one-party ruling system, they made huge economic progress and development.

There are also some exceptions in di� erent regions like Brazil, India, South Africa, and, obviously, the USA and Canada, where democracy accelerated with the pace of economic growth. Most noticeably, India, the largest democratic country in the world, from the very beginning of its journey after independence, has been enjoying the triumph of economic growth. Now, it has emerged as one of the economic powers of the world and marching towards becoming a developed country.

However, it seems Bangladesh has chosen the path of development. At present, development is not de� ned by only economic growth, rather by other multi-dimensional factors such as economic, social, political, and environmental development.

Good governance is a precondition of human development. Now, will less democracy ensure good governance in Bangladesh? If we suddenly turn into more of an autocracy than a democracy, there can certainly be huge consequences. We have been using the parliamentary democratic system since 1991, and the sudden change may not be accepted by the common people. This new model obviously will lessen our political freedom.

It can also raise corruption levels, and we have already experienced some big economic scandals in the banking sector. Bangladeshi people have a long history of � ghting against autocracy. And this political transition may bring about more violence,

chaos, and unrest in our society by creating social divisions.

Besides, the fact is, people across the world do want democracy, as there is more freedom of choice -- which is the main notion of human development as initiated by the UNDP. Public opinion all over the world shows a clear preference for democracy as the best form of government. A global survey by Gallup International across all continents in 2005 revealed that around 80% of men and women considered democracy to be the best available form of government.

A global UN survey in 2003 con� rmed that an overwhelming number of people

also see democracy as a development priority. Moreover, Bangladesh is basically an aid-based developing country. Most of the development projects are implemented with loans from foreign donor agencies. Usually, most of the donor agencies have goals speci� c to supporting democracy. For the EU, democracy is the founding principle and one of the fundamental objectives of its foreign policy.

We have some shortcomings in our democratic government system, such as ine� ciency, corruption, an ine� ective parliament, weak leadership, and the constant threat of coups. Since being independent from Pakistan in the 1970s, we

have su� ered two military coups, political violence due to an ine� ective two-party system, poverty, malnutrition, and low literacy rates, among others.

The latest incident was the occupation by the caretaker government -- for more than two years -- which was supposed to provide us with a free, fair, and credible election within three months. And thus, our democratic governance has been disrupted and hampered again and again.

So, it is clear that both “democracy before development” and “development before democracy” have had success in some parts of the world and have failed in others. In fact, a strong political system leads to economic development, whether it is a democracy or an autocracy. It is strongly recommended that our political system and political institutions are reformed and revised.

We have to ensure some democratic principles for proper economic development such as the free � ow of information, transparency, and the liberalisation of � nancial sectors. As development and democracy walk hand in hand, we can choose democracy, as we began our journey in 1972, with four fundamental principles -- and one of them was democracy. l

Naim Ebna Rahman is a freelance contributor.

Development or democracy: Do we have to choose?

A global UN survey in 2003 con� rmed that an overwhelming number of people also see democracy as a development priority. Moreover, Bangladesh is basically an aid-based developing country. Most of the development projects are implemented with loans from foreign donor agencies. Usually, most of the donor agencies have goals speci� c to supporting democracy

Suspending democracy for the sake of development is a model that has worked in some parts of the world. Can it work in Bangladesh?

Is it really an option to pay for development with our democratic ideals? SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

n Shammi Huda

According to Forbes magazine, Brussels and Antwerp are the worst cities for tra� c in world. Is there somehow a cosmic

relationship between them and Dhaka, since “Belgian” is an anagram for “Bengali”?

It’s an oft-heard complaint in Dhaka that people don’t go the extra mile. You can’t really blame them -- have you seen the actual state of tra� c?

The lawyer Aneek H often wonders that, at “the speed at which my car is moving in Dhaka tra� c, I won’t be surprised if the police clamp it for parking illegally in the middle of the road.”

I, for one, however, side with our ebullient PM on this matter. Like her, none of this glass half-empty or half-full nonsense for me; instead, the glass is just not going to be big enough. Indeed, our cup runneth over with positivity.

Being stuck in tra� c is a mark of development and a� uence. Without so many cars, there’d be no tra� c congestion. Our fruits of the summer now comprise of kathal, aam, and tra� c jaam. These tailbacks protect our democracy and system of government by ensuring that tanks physically can’t be deployed onto the streets, thus averting any chance of a military coup d’etat.

Another success is the amount of foreign exchange saved by our nation and the help to the balance of trade. Traditionally, criminals on the run used to � ee to India. Now they can just hide in tra� c.

I’d like to remind everyone of an earlier triumph in which Dhaka played an unsung but leading role: That of the development and evaluation of the NASA Mars-lander, Curiosity. It is a little known fact that, in 2011, it was test-driven on Dhaka streets.

Within a minute, it had sunk in a pot-hole, had a tire punctured, the camera stolen, been rear-ended by a truck, antennae snapped, scratched by a rickshaw, side-

swiped by bus, pooed on by birds, stopped by RAB, harassed by beggars, and stopped for bribes by tra� c police.

However, it then operated and transmitted fully for 45 minutes in an inhospitable hostile environment before irreparably breaking down. That was deemed beyond mission specs to survive the rigours of outer space and the red planet. In 2012, Curiosity did just that. Another feather in the cap for Dhaka.

I believe people often exaggerate the severity of Dhaka tra� c. I mean, you go out to buy the latest season of the Game of Thrones DVD box-set, and by the time you return home, not only is the next season out, but the next book too.

The eggs you bought from the supermarket have hatched before you get home.

You miss yet another chance to vote as another election comes and goes whilst stuck in gridlock. Even your period ends up coming late.

If caught up in a Dhaka snarl-up, even the late JC could immaculately conceivably miss his own second coming. Like a latter-day Rip Van Winkle, you emerge from tra� c hold-ups to � nd the ruling League has rebranded to League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

Road-side � ower boys and girls have started selling only dried � owers, in lieu of fresh ones, to save you the hassle. You don’t mind if the car A/C breaks down in the middle of the hottest summer heat, because you know it’ll be the cool season before you get home.

Customers don’t bother with getting those plastic spoons when buying ice cream, insisting on a straw instead. Finally, according to my mate, Saad H: “You know tra� c’s bad when Salman Khan can’t reach the pavement.”

In spirit of our Leader, Dhaka may throw you lemons, so make margaritas! Honk, Honk! l

Shammi Huda is a businessman.

Opinion14DT

SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016

I believe people often exaggerate the severity of Dhaka tra� c. I mean, you go out to buy the latest season of the Game of Thrones DVD box-set, and by the time you return home, not only is the next season out, but the next book too. The eggs you bought from the supermarket have hatched before you get home

By the time you reach your destination, the world is a di� erent place MEHEDI HASAN

For us city-dwellers, the summer fruits are kathal, aam, and tra� c jaam

Quantum of solace

15D

TBusinessSUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016

Forget the glut, oil enters irrational territoryWorld oil markets quietly breached an im-portant barrier as they crashed nearly 30% to below $30 a barrel in the opening weeks of 2016, crossing the fuzzy line separating a rational response to fundamentals from an irrational fear where the only way forward is down, down, down. PAGE 18

Smartphone users on the rise The number of Smartphone users in Bang-ladesh has increased by 3.1 millions to 8.2 millions in 2015, according to a recent report published by Counterpoint Technology Market Research. PAGE 16

Davos optimists see a new era of trade reform at handA rare note of optimism at Davos this year comes from the trade ministers, who will gather later yesterday for the � rst time since the World Trade Organization (WTO) closed the lid on 14 years of increasingly toxic stale-mate. PAGE 17

Capital market snapshot: Past WeekDSE

Broad Index 4,657.9 -0.8% ▼

Index 1,117.4 -0.1% ▼

30 Index 1,751.0 -0.6% ▼

Turnover in Mn Tk 29,417.2 -6.5% ▼

Turnover in Mn Volume 1,006.2 2.3% ▲

CSEAll Share Index 14,231.8 -0.9% ▼

30 Index 12,447.6 -1.1% ▼

Selected Index 8,654.4 -1.0% ▼

Turnover in Mn Tk 2,015.3 -6.0% ▼

Turnover in Mn Volume 79.5 -1.5% ▼

INSIDE

-3.6%

-13.0% -11.5%

-0.7% -3.2% -3.2%

-4.1%

-0.9%

-14.0% -12.0% -10.0% -8.0% -6.0% -4.0% -2.0% 0.0%

Jun-

13

Jul-1

3

Aug-

13

Sep-

13

Oct

-13

Nov

-13

Source: BB

Dec

-13

Jan-

14

Feb-

14

Mar

-14

Apr-1

4

May

-14

Jun-

14

Jul-1

4

Aug-

14

Sep-

14

Oct

-14

Nov

-14

Dec

-14

Jan-

15

Feb-

15

Mar

-15

Apr-1

5

May

-15

Jun-

15

Jul-1

5

Aug-

15

Sep-

15

LOAN GROWTH TREND OF SONALI BANK

Hallmark phobia grasps Sonali Bank MD: The bank’s business faced stagnation as a result n Jebun Nesa Alo

Sonali Bank has been su� ering stagnation of business over the past three years as the bank o� cers shy away from credit disburse-ment, fearing further credit scam like Hall-mark.

The bank o� cials are shying away from disbursing loans since the Hallmark loan scam, resulting in stagnation in the bank’s business, said Pradip Kumar Dutta, manag-ing director of the bank.

Moreover, he added, overall banking business is going through a sluggish mood due to lack of demand.

The credit growth of the bank continued to dim since 2013. The bank witnessed neg-ative growth every quarter, widening the gap between the credit growth achievement and its ceiling set at MoU.

The bank posted negative credit growth of 0.94% in July-September quarter last year compared to the same negative growth of

4.13% in October-December quarter of previ-ous year.

The adjusted loan growth of Sonali Bank stood at negative 4.92% in � rst quarter last year against the credit ceiling of 6% set for 2015 in MoU.

As the banks have to disburse a certain amount of loans to the government and agriculture sector every year, the ceiling of bank credit is determined on the basis of ad-justed loans so that the banks can disburse loans to other sectors. The bank’s MD said the � nancial indicators of the bank are being deteriorated for poor business performance.

“We took strict measure to expand cred-it, setting the certain target for respective o� cers,” he said.

The total outstanding loan of Sonali Bank came down to Tk28,660 crore in Sep-tember last year from Tk30,051 crore in De-cember 2013, according to the Bangladesh Bank data.

The amount of adjusted loans also de-

clined as the bank refrained from lending to large clients. The total adjusted loans stood at Tk19,633 crore in September 2015, down from Tk22,133 crore in December 2013.

The bank focused on SME and agricul-ture lending instead of lending large loan due to lack of good borrowers, said the top manager of Sonali Bank.

The advance deposit ratio of Sonali Bank was the lowest 43% among the state-run banks as of September last year.

Though the lending rate of most of the banks was in downward trend last year, Sonali Bank experienced a di� erent scenario with ris-ing lending rate to 8.68% in November last year from 8.54% at the beginning of the same year.

The Sonali Bank managing direction said his bank is awash with liquidity, but failed to lend due to lack of credit demand.

The total deposit of the bank stood at Tk75,834 crore as of September last year. Of the deposit, Tk28,660 crore has been lent in the market. l

Nepal keen to import raw jute n Asif Showkat Kallol

The Nepalese businessmen are planing to source raw jute and jute mill materials from Bangladesh as India continues to impose an economic blockade on Nepal due to adoption of new Constitution in the Himalayan nation.

Bangladesh commerce ministry o� cials said a four-member delegation from Jute Association of Nepal might visit Dhaka next week to discuss the matter. Nepal could also seek to import fuel oil and basic commodi-ties from China and Bangladesh.

According to a letter sent from Embassy of Nepal to commerce ministry, the Nepa-lese business delegation will be led by Raj Kumar Golchha, president of the Jute Asso-ciation of the Nepal.

An o� cial said after full implementation of the Motor Vehicles Agreement with In-dia, Bangladesh would seek transit facilities from India and the country’s commodities export to Nepal and Bhutan would increase.

Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal on July 15 last year signed a Motor Vehicles Agreement for seamless movement of peo-

ple and cargo among the neighbours. The MVA within the sub-grouping of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) nations would increase economic bene� ts for the region.

The big three parties including Federal Socialist Forum Nepal decided to pass the amendment bill in the Nepalese Parliament on Sunday even without a deal with the Madhesi Front, according to a report in Nepali Times, a Kathmandu-based online newspaper.

The top leaders of the three major parties are hop-ing that India will ease its stranglehold on the supply of fuel and other essential commodities when the bill is pushed through.

During the visit, the Nepalese delegation is like-ly to meet high o� cials at the commerce ministry and local businessmen to ex-change views on further pro-moting business relations between Nepal and Bangla-

desh, including in textiles and jute sectors. During last couple of months, four jute

mills in Nepal namely Biratnagara, Pathib-hara, CB and Niki Jute mills closed down. The major causes of the shut-down of sev-eral jute mills were lack of raw materials and the market for jute products.

The investment worth more than one billion rupees is at risk of going waste while some 12,000 people have been rendered job-less with the closing down of four jute mills. l

BANGLADESH MOBILE PHONE MARKET TREND

© 2015 Counterpoint Source: Market Monitor Q3 2015

18.0%

19.6%

13.5%

20.5%

23.8%

22.2%

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

0

1

2

3

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5

6

7

8

9

2014Q1 2014Q2 2014Q3 2014Q4 2015Q1 2015Q2 2015Q3

Smar

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Feature Phones Smartphones Smartphones

Business16DT

SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016

BANGLADESH MOBILE PHONE MARKET TREND

© 2015 Counterpoint Source: Market Monitor Q3 2015

18.0%

19.6%

13.5%

20.5%

23.8%

22.2%

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

2014Q1 2014Q2 2014Q3 2014Q4 2015Q1 2015Q2 2015Q3

Smar

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Mob

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Shi

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Ban

glad

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Mob

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Feature Phones Smartphones Smartphones

Planning Minister assures plastic manufacturers of funds to set up training institute n Tribune Report

Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal has assured plastic manufacturers of providing necessary funds for establish a training institute to create skilled workforce for the sector.

The minister came up with the assurance yesterday at the closing ceremony of an In-ternational Plastic Summit-2016 and a four-day 11th International Plastic Fair held from January 20, 2016 at Bangabandhu Interna-tional Conference Centre (BICC).

Leaders of the plastic industry demanded � nancial support to accomplish the project for a training institute, which is now under construction with a fund of Tk10 crore allo-cated by the government.

They also urged the government to pro-vide 20% cash incentive for the sector to re-main competitive in the global markets.

The training institute aims at creating skilled workforce for the sector as the sec-

tor is entering into an automation process, which needs more technical and e� cient workers.

“I will provide all the funds needed for the training institute, if you can implement the project by December,” said Kamal in re-sponse to the demand raised by the sector people.

The sector will get incentives for the ex-port but you have to set a plan to earn US$1bn by exporting plastic goods, he added.

Kamal said: “As we cannot enter into the EU and the US market due to the lack of technology, the manufacturers have to concentrate on higher end products and products diversi� cation. If we cannot do so, it will be di� cult to expand business and to survive.”

Bangladesh Plastic Goods Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BPGMEA) Pres-ident Jashim Uddin urged the government to formulate a new packaging policy as the demands for packaging goods are increasing

gradually in the country and also in export earnings.

Jashim also urged the government to im-plement the industrial park for the plastic sector as it will help to ensure compliant factory and to make them environmental friendly.

BPGMEA and Chan Chao International jointly hosted a four-day exhibition of plastic goods to attract international buyers as well as local consumers.

Plastic goods manufacturers from 20 countries participated in the fair with 350 stalls and display their products like house-hold items, packaging materials, moulds, toys, pharmaceutical items, furniture, mel-amine goods, apparel accessories and poly-propylene (PP) woven bag.

The summits was aimed at sharing the lat-est knowledge on how to address recycling of plastic waste and introduce latest technology to the industry to make it sustainable and en-vironmentally friendly. l

Smartphone users on the rise n Ishtiaq Husain

The number of Smartphone users in Bang-ladesh has increased by 3.1 millions to 8.2 millions in 2015, according to a recent report published by Counterpoint Technology Mar-ket Research.

Counterpoint is a fast-growing, innovative and independent market research and con-sulting � rm.

With almost one-fourth of population connected to internet, there is a huge op-portunity for the handset players to tap � rst time users by o� ering a� ordable, yet quality smart devices.

Industry insiders estimate that more play-ers will enter the handset market this year.

Rezwanul Hoque, secretary general of Bangladesh Mobile Phone Importers Associ-ation (BMPIA), said high import duty which is currently 25%, developing network infra-structure and awareness building among all parties including end users concerned are the challenges facing the regulators, network pro-viders and original equipment manufacturers.

He said Smartphone sale is expected to go around 8 million this year.

According to the report, the increasing penetration and declining average selling price (ASP) of the smart handsets are driving the growth of 3G while Long-Term Evalua-tion (LTE) or 4G is yet to go mainstream.

The declining ASP of 3G-enabled phone sets also led to decline the 2Gs market which contributed just 7.8% to the Smartphone market share in Q3 in 2015.

The report mentioned that the advanced phone’s contribution to revenues is estimat-ed at 60% while its volume is 23%.

Revenues from Bangladesh mobile handset market is estimated to cross $1 billion in 2015.

The number of feature phone users was 66 millions in 2014 while it stood at 70 mil-lions in 2015. The handset market revenues were 840.88 millions in 2014 while it stood at 1,005.75 millions in 2015.

The report said with 47.78% share in smart phone shipment, Symphony leads the mar-ket in Bangladesh in Q3 of 2015.

Symphony, Samsung, Lava, Walton, Max-imus are the key players in the market in this region.

The brands enjoy a good market share as well as consumers’ mind share.

With its market growth, an intense com-petition for entry into mid-level Smartphone

segment is expected. Cameras are one of the key features of

smart devices. Being price sensitive mar-ket, in Q3 of 2015, Bangladesh accounted for more than 64% with less than 5-megapixel Smartphone camera.

The elite class of cameras with more than 8-megapixel contributed almost 8.65% of to-tal Smartphones shipped in Q3 of 2015.

Although Bangladesh handset market is

not as crowded as the rest of Asian markets, the inability to understand and cater for lo-cal consumers along with regulatory barri-ers makes it di� cult for some of the global players to enter or extend their reach into the Bangladesh market.

The barriers help establish and emerge local players to grow faster than the interna-tional brands, using their local market knowl-edge, relationships and cost-e� ectiveness. l

Pro� t-booking drags markets down n Tribune Report

Stock markets witnessed volatile week in the last week, as cautious investors continued to prefer short-term pro� t booking.

Trading activities remained weak despite rate cut by the central bank to super invest-ment. The market fell three days out of � ve trading sessions while the rest two sessions closed � at.

The benchmark of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, was down 37 points or 0.8% to 4,658, ending marginal rally in the previous two weeks.

The blue-chip comprising index DS30 fell 10 points or 0.6% to 1,751. The DSE Shariah Index, DSES, inched over 1 points to 1,117.

The Chittagong Stock Exchange Selec-tive Category Index, CSCX, closed at 8,654, dropped 83 points or 0.8%.

Telecommunication sector was the week’s best performer soaring 3.5%, driven by the rally of Grameenphone on the news that the company grabbed the highest number of new subscribers last year. l

Business 17D

TSUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016

Davos optimists see a new era of trade reform at hand n Reuters, Davos

A rare note of optimism at Davos this year comes from the trade ministers, who will gather later yesterday for the � rst time since the World Trade Organization (WTO) closed the lid on 14 years of increasingly toxic stale-mate.

About 30 governments will be represent-ed, forming a potential coalition willing to forge new WTO deals and move on from deadlocked talks that grew from a meeting in Doha in 2001.

The WTO’s 162 members, meeting last month in Nairobi, agreed to disagree about the Doha round, e� ectively giving license to any country that wants to get the ball rolling on new reforms.

“That negotiation was an intense process, but the results provide an excellent base for future work,” European Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom wrote in an op-ed pub-lished by Politico this week. “It allows us to start re� ecting on new issues for the future in a positive, forward-looking spirit.”

The Doha round originally aimed to bol-ster developing countries, but the economic rise of China, India and Brazil, and the deep-ening negotiating quagmire led to Washing-ton and Brussels losing interest and all but giving up on meeting the demands of Beijing and New Delhi.

None of the “BRIC” economies’ trade min-isters will take part in yesterday’s meeting, which is to be hosted by Switzerland.

In the end, the Doha round went out with a whimper rather than a bang, the WTO ac-knowledging “di� erent views on how to ad-dress the negotiations”.

That admission turned the tables on In-dia and others who hoped to veto any move away from Doha, and gave the advantage to the US-led camp who favor new avenues of

trade reform. “(Doha) may be a zombie, but the WTO

negotiating arm, in its new dress, is alive and well,” wrote Gary Clyde Hu� auer, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute thinktank.

After 14 years of being stuck, nobody is rushing back into grand negotiations, but there is scope for a subset of members to pursue smaller deals in areas that are not covered by the original 1995 WTO rulebook, diplomats say.

Davos is a � rst chance to sound out such ideas.

“Anybody who has an issue that they are seeking a solution for should start having conversations and testing ideas and reach-ing out to potential allies and beginning to understand the concerns of opponents,” said U.S. Ambassador to the WTO Michael Punke.

“Those conversations will unfold for a period of several months, and then I think it

will begin to become clear which conversa-tions have the potential to be more formal.”

Ideas � oated by the EU and others range from competition policy to investment rules, small businesses, � shing regulations, and be-yond.

“(What) I’d support wholeheartedly - be-cause of the nature of what we’re dealing with on the continent, especially Kenya -- would be creation of a working group on digi-tal commerce,” said Kenyan Foreign Minister Amina Mohamed.

“Another one is the establishment of a global value chain partnership. It’s some-thing we’ve been discussing.”

Bringing talks to the WTO could reopen the risk of a veto by Doha die-hards, but trade experts say the alternative -- seeing all trading rules being written outside the WTO, in deals like the Trans-Paci� c Partnership -- might be even less palatable. l

Iran set to be hooked up to global banks in weeks n Reuters, London

Iran is set to re-engage with the banking world within weeks as international lenders link up with their Iranian counterparts us-ing global transaction network SWIFT, Iran’s Middle East Bank and a senior central bank o� cial told Reuters on Friday.

A nuclear deal between world powers and Iran led to the removal of the curbs on Teh-ran’s banking, insurance and shipping sec-tors last weekend, as well as restrictions on oil exports.

But for Iran to resume business with the global banking world - for the � rst time since 2012 - its banks need to be linked to overseas lenders on SWIFT. The system, the Society for the Worldwide Interbank Financial Tel-ecommunications, is used to transmit pay-ments and letters of credit.

“We have sent almost 40 SWIFTs to dif-ferent banks around the world and we have requested that now that the sanctions are lifted, we would like to exchange documents and whether they will consider a correspond-

ent banking relationship,” said Parviz Aghili, chief executive and managing director of Tehran-based Middle East Bank. “Some of them have come back and have asked for var-ious questions, for documents they need.”

“My feeling is it is going to take a couple of weeks or so before we start to see proper re-engagement. It will be slowly, slowly,” he said in an interview.

Aghili said other Iranian banks were in the same situation regarding SWIFT as his com-pany, which is listed on the Tehran Stock Ex-change and has total assets of around $1bn.

A senior o� cial with Iran’s central bank also told Reuters the transaction links would soon be restored.

“Really, it is a matter of just a few weeks, less than a month. Because all of our banks, whether private or state-owned banks, have taken the necessary bureaucratic steps, re-garding rejoining the SWIFT system,” the of-� cial said on Friday.

SWIFT did not respond to a request for com-ment on the status of communication between Iranian and international banks on its system.

Aghili added: “SWIFT has been turned on – it has always been on. The main issue has been we did not have proper correspondent banking relationships with so many banks around the world and because of sanctions, our SWIFTs remained unanswered.”

Middle East Bank, which is smaller than state-owned players such as Bank Melli, Bank Mellat and Bank Saderat, is owned by investors including small and medium-sized Iranian � rms.

‘Iran very attractive’ While international banks are expected to link up with their Iranian counterparts via SWIFT, Iran will also be looking to encourage foreign institutions to expand involvement in the country’s � nancial system.

But for many foreign banks, there are con-cerns about being caught up in ongoing US sanctions.

Many international sanctions relating to Iran’s nuclear programme were lifted but most involving US measures remain in place. Non-US banks may trade with Iran without

fear of punishment in the United States but US banks may not do so, directly or indirectly.

Washington’s sanctions prevent US na-tionals, banks and insurers from trading with Iran and also prohibit any trades with Iran in US dollars from being processed via the US � nancial system. This is a signi� cant compli-cation given the dollar’s role as the world’s main business currency.

European banks are also cautious - with some, including Deutsche Bank, remembering past � nes from US regulators for breaking sanc-tions, though Commerzbank has said it is re-viewing its policy of not doing business in Iran.

The Iranian central bank o� cial said banks from European countries including Germany, France, Britain and Italy, had been in talks to open branches after the lifting of sanctions.

“God willing, soon we will witness that too. Iran is a very attractive market for busi-ness and they know that,” the o� cial said.

By contrast, Aghili said he expected bigger banks to wait at least six to 12 months before they would look at doing serious business in the country. l

India roars back to Davos to seek overseas investment n Reuters, Davos

Colourful lions adorn a salon on the main street of Davos, inviting visiting business leaders to “Make in India”.

Optimism about the world’s fastest grow-ing economy contrasts with the economic gloom facing other emerging markets and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mantra en-capsulates a renewed con� dence among Indian business and political leaders at the 2016 World Economic Forum.

This year’s Davos push, led by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, has stirred memories of the ill-fated and extravagant 2006 “India Everywhere” marketing campaign that had aimed to showcase a resurgent India as a des-tination for foreign investment to rival China.

But the ruling party was routed soon after in elections and subsequent years laid bare India’s frailties; its woeful infrastructure, inability to deliver reforms and a huge balance of payments de� cit put it in the Fragile Five group of emerg-ing markets seen at most risk of � nancial crisis.

That has all changed, and the 140-plus strong India contingent at Davos is con� dent the turnaround this time is for real, driven by e� orts at reform and falling oil import costs.

“India will be a shining star, the I in the BRICs constellation is giving hope to the rest of the world that we won’t fall in the same trap that most of the world is in, that of slow growth,” Indian telecommunications tycoon Sunil Bharti Mittal told a panel at the World Economic Forum,

Indeed, the other BRIC emerging econ-omies - Brazil, Russia, India and China - are wrestling with problems. The � rst two are in a second year of recession, while this week China posted its weakest growth in 25 years.

India has � nally taken on the mantle of the world’s fastest growing big economy; its equities and bonds are favourites with emerging market investors who are betting that growth will accelerate further. l

European Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom addresses a news conference on the publication of the EU proposal on sustainable development in the negotiations for a TTIP in Brussels, Belgium REUTERS

Business18DT

SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016

CORPORATE NEWS

First Security Islami Bank Limited has recently held a conference for its managers to discuss operational performance of each individual branch of the bank. The bank’s managing director, Syed Waseque Md presided over the conference, said a press release

Southeast Bank Limited has recently donated Tk25 lakh for installation of CCTV Cameras at di� erent areas of Dhaka city, as a part of the bank’s corporate social responsibility. Mayor of Dhaka City Corporation (North), Annisul Huq received the cheque from Shahid Hossain, managing director of Southeast Bank Limited

Financial closure ceremony of syndicated IPFF term loan facility (US$58.5m) for United Ashuganj Energy Limited was recently held, said a press release. Governor of Bangladesh Bank, Dr Atiur Rahman attended the ceremony as chief guest

Forget the glut, oil enters irrational territoryn Reuters

World oil markets quietly breached an im-portant barrier as they crashed nearly 30% to below $30 a barrel in the opening weeks of 2016, crossing the fuzzy line separating a rational response to fundamentals from an irrational fear where the only way forward is down, down, down.

Animal spirits have taken over the futures markets of New York and London, with mo-mentum-driven algorithmic traders and big hedge funds driving oil prices far beyond the point that even once-bearish analysts say is justi� ed - at least in the medium-term - by supply and demand.

That marks a change from most of the past 18 months, when oil’s long descent from

$100 a barrel was broadly viewed as an often painful, sometimes lumpy adjustment to a fundamentally “new normal” in which OPEC would no longer restrain its supply, leaving US shale drillers to balance the market.

The process has taken far longer than ex-pected as shale � rms proved remarkably ag-ile, slashing costs and drilling in sweet spots to keep the oil � owing. As they did so, prices lurched lower, � rst in the summer and again this month.

But now things have gone too far, many say. Data due on Friday are likely to show that big funds and speculators in the U.S. oil market added to short positions that had doubled to a record 200 million barrels over the past three months.

“The price itself is irrational if you ask

me,” Khalid al-Falih, the new chairman of the Saudi state oil company Aramco and one of the Kingdom’s most in� uential energy � g-ures, said at the World Economic Forum an-nual meeting in Davos.

“Prices are supposed to be set by the mar-ginal barrel. The marginal barrel is certainly way higher than $30 a barrel.”

Few traders expect a quick recovery from this year’s slump amid pressure from the deep supply glut and signs of economic weakness in China - the world’s No 2 oil consumer.

Still, the evidence of oil’s unsustainable future at below $30 is mounting. US shale drillers are teetering on the brink of bank-ruptcy; Canadian oil sands producers are losing money with every barrel as their crude trades at $15; heavy oil from Venezuela and

Colombia is also underwater. Some $380bn in oil and gas projects have been postponed or canceled since 2014, according to consult-ants Wood Mackenzie.

“It’s not just the price, it’s the incessant sell-ing, every day. That surprised me,” says Amrita Sen Chief Oil Analyst at Energy Aspects. “We are really in the realm of irrationality.”

Not that the market has lacked excuses to sell: the rising US dollar; China’s stock mar-ket meltdown; a vague worry that the diplo-matic breakdown between Saudi Arabia and Iran had eliminated the already wafer-thin chance of an OPEC deal.

Some of them have been fundamental in na-ture - such as the warmest December weather on record and easing of sanctions on Iran - though neither should have been news to traders. l

Low oil price chance for Gulf economic reformsn AFP, Davos

The sharp drop in the price of oil, the life-blood of Gulf economies, is an opportunity to end subsidies and introduce reforms in the energy-rich region, ministers said Friday.

“With low prices... it is the right time” to cut subsidies on oil products, Kuwait’s Finance Minister Anas al-Saleh said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzer-land.

In a panel on the future of economic re-form in the Arab world, Saleh - also Kuwait’s acting oil minister - said that record low oil prices would make the lifting of subsidies on fuel products easier on consumers.

“We saw an opportunity to have people do the right thing, which is to pay the right cost of energy,” said Emirati energy minister Su-hail al-Mazrouei.

“We need to rethink about major reforms that make our budgets independent from oil revenues,” he added.

After liberalising fuel prices in June, Maz-rouei said the United Arab Emirates is look-

ing into lifting subsidies on other products and services, including on electricity.

“That’s not healthy,” he said, speaking of gas sold to electricity providers at subsidised rates, stressing the need to “apply interna-tional prices”.

The head of Bahrain’s Economic Devel-opment Board, Khalid al-Rumaihi, went further, describing the sharp drop in oil rev-enues as a “blessing in disguise,” because it provides an “opportunity for reforms”.

He named � scal reforms and widening the economic base in Gulf countries as poten-tial outcomes of lower oil revenues, which represent the bulk of receipts for most Gulf countries.

Saleh argued that governments will need to formulate a way to help needy citizens when oil rebounds.

“What if it goes up again? We’ll have to look at rationalising subsidies ... to those who need” them, he said.

Unlike Kuwait and UAE, Bahrain is a mi-nor oil exporter. It recently cut subsidies on diesel and petrol. l

Oil prices cast shadow over eurozone in� ation outlookn AFP, Frankfurt

Falling oil prices are weighing on the outlook for in� ation in the euro area this year, but the European Central Bank’s stimulus measures and the gradual economic recovery will drive in� ation higher again next year, an ECB sur-vey showed on Friday.

According to the ECB’s regular quarterly survey of professional forecasters, eurozone in� ation is expected to average 0.7% this year, but then pick up to 1.4% in 2017 and 1.6% in 2018, moving closer to the central bank’s target of just under two percent.

In a previous survey in the fourth quarter of last year, forecasters had been pencilling in an in� ation rate of 1% for 2016 and 1.5% for 2017.

“In the short term, respondents expect a strong dampening impact on in� ation from

the latest oil price developments,” the ECB wrote.

“However, most respondents continue to envisage a strong pick-up in in� ation in 2016 and 2017 ... shaped by the ongoing expansion of economic activity and supported by the monetary policy stance,” it explained.

“The weaker euro exchange rate in 2015 is expected to exert some upward pressure on in� ation in 2016 as well,” it added.

The ECB sees an in� ation rate of close to but just under 2% as conducive to healthy economic growth.

And while the central bank held policy unchanged at its � rst rate-setting meeting of this year on Thursday, ECB chief Mario Draghi said it would review that monetary stance at the next meeting in March if in� a-tion continues to remain stubbornly low. l

Biz Info 19D

T

SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016

In a press conference, University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) announced that the 9th ULAB Fair Play Cup Inter-Private University Cricket Tournament is starting on January 24 and will end on February 9. The

Press Conference was held at the auditorium of ULAB.

This year, 12 renowned private universities are participating in the tournament, including North South

University, BRAC University, Independent University Bangladesh, East West University, Eastern University, Southeast University, United International University, State University of Bangladesh, Green University of Bangladesh, Da� odil International University, European University of Bangladesh, and University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh. The tournament has already gained vast popularity for being the only cricket tournament for private university students in Bangladesh. Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) will provide technical support to the organisers for smooth execution of the tournament.

The objective of the ULAB Fair Play Cup is to establish good relations among private universities and to create an atmosphere of enjoyment and fairness in competition. ULAB hopes this initiative will contribute to the development of professional cricket among the youth. ULAB is the only private university with a tournament-standard playground where students can practise regular sports and exercise. Every year since 2006, ULAB has successfully organised the Fair Play Cup.

In the press conference, Lt. Colonel Md Foyzul Islam (Retd), registrar, ULAB; Juditha

Ohlmacher, advisor, Communications and Student A� airs, ULAB; Sheikh Mamun, coach, ULAB cricket team; and Md Hasanuzzaman, captain, ULAB cricket team informed the media about the event and answered questions from them.

A total of 20 T20 matches will be held in the tournament. The � rst match will take place on Thursday, January 24 between ULAB and East West University. After 12 matches, the best eight teams will � ght it out in the super 8 round to reach the semi � nal. Two winning teams from the semi � nals played on February 6 and 7; they will be playing for the trophy in the � nal on Tuesday, February 9. This year, the champion team will receive Tk40,000 and will earn the opportunity to participate in the Red Bull Campus Cricket World Final Tournament.

For online update and live score please visit the following website:http://cricket.ulab.edu.bd/

For more information please contact:ULAB Communications O� ce. Mobile:

01730 087041, communications@ulab.edu.bd l

9th ULAB Fair Play Cup Cricket starts

MOKA Bistro organises Dire Straits Tribute concert

MOKA Bistro has organised a Dire straits tribute concert to celebrate their reboot, where a famous Bangladeshi band Echoes performed hit numbers of legendary rock band Dire Straits. The event took place on January 21, 2016 at MOKA Bistro.MOKA Bistro is a � ne dine restaurant situated in Banani, which serves international cuisines all day. l

Indian restaurant “Handi” has recently opened its new branch at Dhanmondi in Dhaka. Asaduzzaman Noor, Minister of Cultural A� airs, formally inaugurated the branch. In the opening ceremony, owner of Handi restaurant Imtiaz Uddin Nawshad, Md Mamun ur Rashid, Abu Sayed Chowdhury and Mohiuddin Al Riyad were also present.

Great news for the food lovers, specially those who want international standard and

consider food as an art. Among the 100 delicious � avours, there is special donner, tandoori chicken, hot chicken wings, chicken nuggets, fried chicken, club sandwich, kabab, beef chicken, � sh burger, ice cream, fresh fruit juice and many more. l

Indian restaurant ‘Handi’ opens new branch at Dhanmondi

Downtime20DT

SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016

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 8 represents F so � ll F every time the � gure 8 appears.You have one letter in the control grid to start you o� . Enter it 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 Domestic animal (3)3 Powerful (6)8 Above (4)9 Female deer (3) 10 Have high opinion of (6)11 Su� er (6)14 Reposes (5)17 Tribes (5)20 Miracle (6)24 Keen insight (6)26 Groove (3)27 Fortune (4)28 Hexes (6)29 Tree (3)

DOWN 1 Dreadful (4)2 Virtuous (4)3 Fruit (4)4 Command (5)5 Revises and corrects (5)6 And not (3)7 Swarms (5)12 No score (3)13 Rounded vase (3)15 Vast age (3)16 Neckwear (3)17 Reduces to carbon (5)18 Sharp (5)19 Distend (5)21 Burden (4)22 Titled man (4)23 Quantity of paper (4)25 Drinking vessel (3)

SUDOKU

INSIDE

21D

TWorldSUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016

Iran, China vow tighter ties as Xi visitsIranian President Hassan Rouhani on Satur-day hailed a “new chapter” in relations with China after talks with President Xi Jinping, who is touring the region to boost Beijing’s economic in� uence.

PAGE 22

Saudi-Iranian proxy war over Syria spreads to DavosSenior Saudi and Iranian � gures clashed behind closed doors at a private meeting convened by the World Economic Forum in Davos this week to try to promote peace in Syria, participants said.

PAGE 23

Ten things to know about the race for the White HouseResidents of the US heartland state of Iowa will cast the � rst votes in the presidential nominations process on February 1, ahead of the November 8 election.

PAGE 24

Egypt uprising crushed � ve years after Mubarak revolt n AFP, Cairo

Five years after the uprising against Hosni Mubarak erupted, Egypt has returned to iron-� sted rule by a regime that brutally crushes opponents even as it battles a dead-ly, jihadist-led insurgency.

The blacklisted Muslim Brotherhood movement is the only group to have called for protests on Monday – the anniversary of the 2011 revolt.

In the run-up to the anniversary, the po-lice have intensi� ed a deadly crackdown against opponents of President Abdel Fat-tah al-Sisi’s repressive regime, activists said.

Several youth activists who took part in the 18-day uprising that ended Mubarak’s 30-year rule have been arrested in nighttime raids.

Decades of police abuse under Mubarak had been a key factor behind the 2011 revolt, and activists say these violations are back in full swing under Sisi.

Sisi, who has no political party, won a presidential election in 2014 after crushing all forms of dissent.

He has ruled Egypt with an iron � st since July 2013 when, as army chief, he ousted Mo-hamed Morsi, the Islamist who had succeed-ed Mubarak but only lasted a year in o� ce.

Since then hundreds of Morsi supporters have been killed and thousands imprisoned in a police crackdown, while dozens of secu-lar and leftist activists have also been jailed.

‘Rights crisis of huge proportions’Amnesty International said Egypt is now “mired in a human rights crisis of huge pro-portions” as the “country reverts back to a police state.”

“Peaceful protesters, politicians and jour-nalists have borne the brunt of a ruthless campaign against legitimate dissent by the government and state security forces,” it said.

Karim Bitar, analyst at the Paris-based Institute of International and Strategic Rela-tions, said Sisi’s regime has crushed the 2011 revolution.

Worried over the fact that the root causes that ignited the 2011 uprising still exist, the new authorities are going all out to prevent any protests on Monday, analysts say.

Millions had protested against Mubarak chanting “bread, freedom and social jus-tice,” but � ve years on none of these de-mands have been met, they say.

Compounding Sisi’s problem is an econ-omy that remains sluggish on falling invest-ments and tourist revenues, while a deadly insurgency led by the Egyptian a� liate of theDae’sh jihadist group has only swelled.

On Thursday, seven people including � ve policemen were killed in a bomb blast when police raided an apartment in Cairo. An Dae’sh a� liate claimed the blast.

“The rivalry with the state has only grown bigger,” said Gamal Eid, head of Cai-ro-based Arabic Network of Human Rights.

In the past few months, police have raided or shut down favourite hangouts of activists such as cafes, cultural centres and a publish-ing house near Cairo’s iconic Tahrir square –

the epicentre of anti-Mubarak protests.“The regime is trying to besiege

everything that is related to the January 25 revolution,” said Mohamed Hashem, owner of Merit publishing house that was raided last month.

It sells books criticising Sisi as well as Mubarak and Morsi’s Brotherhood.

“This regime is the enemy of the January 25 revolution,” said ex-lawmaker Mustafa al-Naggar.

Tired Egyptians back Sisi Sisi himself has warned against demon-strations on Monday, but that hasn’t stopped the Brotherhood from calling for protests.

An interior ministry o� cial said the lat-est crackdown was not aimed at “squeezing

the youths but avoiding chaos and in� ltra-tion of rioters among them.”

However, many Egyptians tired of years of political unrest and instability support Sisi, saying there are no alternatives and that some level of stability has been achieved by his regime.

“Enough about this revolution. It’s � ve years now and it has proved to be useless,” said Ahmed Mohamed, an owner of a pub-lishing house.

“I incurred terrible losses in the � rst two years, and I can’t bear anymore.”

The spirit of the 2011 revolution could be rekindled, however, said Bitar.

“The authorities have played on the fear of chaos... but this could change, especially on the back of a sluggish economic growth... and the � ght against terrorism.” l

CHRONOLOGY

EGYPT SINCE ITS REVOLUTION FIVE YEARS AGOTHE REVOLUTION

On January 25, 2011Massive anti-Mubarak protests erupt after a revolt topples Tunisia’s ruler in what becomes known as the Arab Spring. On February 1, more than a million demonstrators take to the streets in the country, with a great � ood of people con-gregating in Cairo’s Tahrir Square.

On February 11Mubarak resigns and hands power to the army, which suspends the constitution and dissolves parliament. About 850 people die during 18 days of revolt.

ISLAMIST VICTORY

From November 2011 to January 2012Egypt holds post-revolt parliamentary elections. Islamists win about two-thirds of the seats, half of which go to the Muslim Brotherhood. In June, the parliament is dissolved when a court rules it is illegal.

On June 30, 2012Brotherhood candidate Mohamed Morsi be-comes president after winning the election with 51.7 percent of the vote. He becomes Egypt’s � rst freely elected civilian and Islamist leader.

In AugustMorsi replaces Defence Minister Hussein Tantawi with military intelligence chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

MORSI OUSTED, SISI IN POWER

On July 3, 2013Sisi ousts Morsi after massive protests against his one-year rule, and freezes the Islamist-drafted constitution. Morsi denounces a “coup” as authori-ties launch a crackdown against his supporters.

On August 14Security forces move against two pro-Morsi pro-test camps in Cairo, killing at least 700 people.

Since Morsi’s removal, at least 1,400 people have been killed in a police crackdown on protests, mostly Islamists. Tens of thousands of Morsi’s sup-porters have been arrested and hundreds, includ-ing Morsi himself, have been sentenced to death.

In DecemberThe government declares the Brotherhood a “ter-rorist” organisation.

In January 2014Voters overwhelmingly approve a new constitu-tion that strengthens the role of the army.

On June 8Sisi is sworn in as president having won 96.9 per-cent of a vote boycotted by the Brotherhood and secular dissidents.

In late 2015A new parliament dominated by supporters of Sisi is elected.

JIHADIST UNREST, ECONOMIC ACCORDS

On February 10, 2015During a visit to Cairo by President Vladimir Putin, Egypt and Russia agree to jointly build Egypt’s � rst nuclear power plant.

On October 31A Russian passenger plane blows up in the Sinai, killing all 224 people on board.

On December 16Saudi Arabia pledges a total of $8bn in invest-ment and aid to Egypt, along with petrol sup-plies, over the next � ve years.

On January 21, 2016Chinese President Xi Jinping signs economic deals worth $15bn (13.8bn euros) with Egypt. l

Source: AFP

WorldSUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016

22DT

Iran, China vow tighter ties as Xi visitsn AFP, Tehran

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Satur-day hailed a “new chapter” in relations with China after talks with President Xi Jinping, who is touring the region to boost Beijing’s economic in� uence.

The Asian giant and the Middle East’s fore-most Shiite power aim to build economic ties worth up to $600bn within the next 10 years, Rouhani announced.

The two leaders oversaw the signing of 17 agreements in areas including politics, the economy, security and cooperation on peace-ful nuclear energy.

“With the Chinese president’s visit to Teh-ran and our agreements, a new chapter has begun in Tehran-Beijing relations,” Rouhani said in a televised speech, � anked by Xi.

It is the � rst visit to Iran by a Chinese pres-ident in 14 years, according to state news agency IRNA, and comes just days after sanc-tions against Tehran were lifted under a his-toric nuclear deal with world powers.

“Iran is China’s major partner in the Middle East and the two countries have chosen to boost bilateral relations,” IRNA quoted Xi as saying.

“China and Iran are two important devel-oping countries that must continue regional and international cooperation,” Xi added.

Beijing has long taken a backseat to other diplomatic players in the Middle East but ana-lysts say the region is crucial to Xi’s signature foreign policy initiative – known as “One Belt One Road” – touted as a revival of ancient Silk Road trade routes.

China, the world’s second-largest econ-omy, also relies heavily on energy imports from the Middle East.

Beijing is Tehran’s top customer for oil ex-ports, which in recent years were hit by US and EU sanctions over Tehran’s nuclear pro-gramme.

Trade between the two countries was

worth $52bn in 2014. They did not give details of their goal of developing relations worth $600 billion over the next decade.

According to Iranian media, more than a third of Iran’s foreign trade is carried out with China.

- ‘Constructive role’ -The two presidents issued a joint state-

ment outlining a long-term “comprehensive strategic partnership.”

The two countries agreed to enhance co-operation including in fossil and renewa-ble energy, transportation, railways, ports, industry, commerce and services, said the statement, published by Mehr news agency.

China has committed to “invest and � -

nance upstream and downstream energy pro-jects in Iran,” it said.

China “acknowledges Iran’s construc-tive role in the � ght against terrorism and maintaining peace and stability in the re-gion,” it added, while supporting Tehran’s increased role in regional and international a� airs.

China, along with the United States, Brit-ain, France, Germany and Russia, was among the countries that reached the agreement with Iran in July to curtail its nuclear activ-ities in exchange for ending international sanctions.

Xi, accompanied by three deputy prime ministers and six ministers, also brought with

him a large business delegation.He was scheduled to meet later Satur-

day with Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Xi’s tour, his � rst of the Middle East as Chi-nese president, has also taken him to Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

Riyadh and a number of Sunni Arab allies broke diplomatic ties with Iran this month after protesters angry over the execution of a prominent Shiite cleric ransacked Saudi dip-lomatic missions in Iran.

In Cairo, Xi o� ered $55 billion in loans and investments to the Middle East, a region where China wants to strengthen its econom-ic presence. l

ANALYSIS

Israeli-Palestinian battle does not end at death n AFP, Nablus, Palestinian Territories

After weeks of waiting for the funeral, Bas-sim Salah’s family still couldn’t bury his body when it was returned by the Israeli authorities too frozen and contorted to � t in the grave.

The 38-year-old Palestinian was killed in November while trying to stab an Israeli bor-der guard near an entrance to Jerusalem’s Old City, according to the police.

His body, like those of dozens of other Palestinians since a wave of attacks began in October, is the subject of a macabre dispute between the Israeli authorities and families seeking to grieve.

His brother Saad � icks through disturbing images of the corpse, after it was handed over by the Israelis to the Palestinian Red Crescent.

Before they could lay him to rest, his fami-ly in the West Bank city of Nablus was forced to watch the body slowly thaw after its return from storage in a freezer in an Israeli morgue.

“We only wanted the body to bury him in an honourable way,” Saad said.

According to Islamic tradition, burial should take place as soon as possible after death.

The Israeli government announced on Oc-tober 14 that it would not return the bodies of assailants as part of a range of measures de-signed to curb the spate of attacks.

Many funerals have been delayed, some-times for more than three months.

‘No respect’A total of 156 Palestinians and 24 Israelis have been killed in three months of violence. Most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out attacks.

At the height of con� scations, Israel held 56 bodies, according to the Palestinians.

But the majority have been released in re-cent weeks, with only 10 still being held.

Mazen Hassan Arabeh, 37, was killed on December 3 while carrying out an attack at a checkpoint, according to the Israeli authorities.

The director of Abu Dis Medical Centre said it took 20 people to carry the body when it was returned because it was “completely frozen.”

“It seems that they are tossing them in the refrigerator after their deaths without any re-gard for their shape,” Abdullah Abu Hilal said.

“The occupation does not respect them

even when they put their bodies in a fridge.”Rights groups have criticised the policy of

withholding bodies, saying it increases ten-sions. And much of the Israeli establishment agrees.

The issue has divided the Israeli military – which supports returning the bodies – and Pub-lic Security Minister Gilad Erdan, who wants to avoid funerals becoming political rallies.

The army has returned all the bodies from the West Bank, for which it is responsible.

But those from annexed east Jerusalem, under Erdan’s ministry, have been withheld.

“Until now, the bodies were held as every funeral turned into disruptions of order and a show of support for terror,” said a spokesman for Erdan.

However, Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon has argued for their return to ease tensions, according to Israeli media reports.

“Past experience has taught us that hold-ing bodies brings more harm than bene� t,” an Israeli o� cial told AFP.

‘Collective punishment’ Numerous marches have been organised in

Palestinian communities to demand the re-turn of the bodies.

When it does hand them over, Israel im-poses conditions such as that funerals take place at night.

Families are also sometimes made to pay a deposit of several thousand shekels (hun-dreds of dollars) which is forfeited if the fu-neral does not pass quietly.

In east Jerusalem, Mohammed Alyan is still waiting for his son’s body.

On October 13, Bahaa Alyan boarded a bus in Jerusalem with a friend, Bilal Ghanem, shooting and stabbing passengers and killing three people. Ghanem was arrested and Aly-an was killed.

His father called the retention of the bod-ies a “type of collective punishment and tor-ture, especially for those from Jerusalem.”

Israel also destroyed the family home as punishment, but he swears he will not submit to Israeli conditions for the body’s return.

“We will not bury him at night or pay a guarantee, and we won’t bury him outside Jerusalem,” he said. l

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, right, meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, ahead of a meeting in Tehran on January 23 AFP

WorldSOUTH ASIADeadly university attack controlled from AfghanistanThe Pakistani army said on Saturday the four gunmen who attacked a university in north-west Pakistan were trained in Afghanistan and the assault was controlled by a Paki-stani Taliban militant from a location inside Afghanistan. In a brie� ng to reporters from the city of Peshawar, military spokesman General Asim Bajwa said the militants who stormed Bacha Khan University in Charsadda on Wednesday, killing at least 20 people, received training in Afghanistan and crossed over into Pakistan from the Torkham border between the two countries. -REUTERS

INDIACongress paid stipend to Bose familyPrime Minister Narendra Modi on Satur-day released the digital copies of 100 � les related to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on his 119th birth anniversary at the National Archives of India (NAI). One of the declas-si� ed documents on Bose reveal that his Germany-based daughter Anita Bose had visited India in 1960 and stayed at the o� cial residence of then-Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. The Congress had been sending Rs. 6,000 per year to Bose’s daugh-ter until 1964. The party ceased to send money as Anita got married to Martin Pfa� , an American citizen, in 1965. -THE HINDU

CHINAChina hit by eye-watering cold snapMuch of China shivered Saturday as a teeth-chattering cold snap broke dec-ades-old records and snow fell in some parts for the � rst time in years, cancelling � ights and forcing many indoors. An orange alert was issued across the country as forecasts predicted eye-watering lows of -41 Celsius in some parts, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said. Orange is the second most severe cold weather warning on Chi-na’s four-tier scale, and forecasters said 30-year records were on course to be shattered in several parts of the country. -AFP

ASIA PACIFICThousands protest against Paci� c trade deal in MalaysiaThousands of protesters gathered in Kuala Lumpur Saturday to denounce the US-led Trans-Paci� c Partnership (TPP) trade alli-ance, demanding the government reject the accord in a parliamentary debate next week. The peaceful protest, involving various NGOs and opposition parties, saw scores of people wearing anti-TPP t-shirts and holding placards warning against the mammoth trade deal. -AFP

MIDDLE EASTUS: Military solution against Dae’sh in SyriaUS Vice President Joe Biden said on Saturday that the US and Turkey were prepared for a military solution against Dae’sh in Syria if a political settlement was not possible, amid uncertainty over scheduled peace talks. The latest round of Syria peace talks are planned to begin on Monday but were at risk of being de-layed partly because of a dispute over who will comprise the opposition delegation. -REUTERS

SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 201623

DT

Saudi-Iranian proxy war over Syria spreads to Davosn Reuters, Switzerland

Senior Saudi and Iranian � gures clashed behind closed doors at a private meeting convened by the World Economic Forum in Davos this week to try to promote peace in Syria, participants said.

The barbed exchange between Saudi Prince Turki al-Faisal and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif at an invitation-only meeting on Wednesday underlined the hos-tility between the two Gulf rivals, who are waging proxy wars in Syria, Yemen and Iraq.

Riyadh broke o� diplomatic relations and cut o� trade and transport ties with Tehran two weeks ago after protesters stormed the Saudi embassy in Iran. The protests erupted following the Saudi execution of a leading Shi’ite cleric that outraged predominantly Shi’ite Iranians.

The stando� highlights some of the rea-sons US-Russian-backed peace talks on Syr-ia may not open as planned in Geneva next week. There is no agreement on who should represent opponents of the Syrian govern-ment, and Riyadh-backed rebels are demand-ing that Russia � rst stop air strikes in Syria.

An o� cial photographer snapped Faisal and Zarif shaking hands outside the room. The picture was not distributed and any warmth evaporated when they sat around the table with UN and other senior o� cials.

Zarif denied any secret meeting with Prince Turki, a former head of Saudi intelli-gence and ambassador to the United States. Asked at a news conference the same day whether he would meet any Saudi o� cials in Davos, he said: “There won’t be any se-cret meeting.”

Prince Turki con� rmed to Reuters that he had attended the session with Zarif and others but declined comment on what was said, citing the o� -the-record ground rules of the meeting.

UN special envoy on Syria Sta� an de Mis-

tura, former UN Secretary-General Ko� An-nan, former Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa of Egypt, the foreign ministers of Italy and Austria and o� cials from Tur-key and several other Western nations were also around the table.

Sectarian strifeDe Mistura opened the meeting by saying the time was ripe for the Geneva peace talks because outside powers all wanted a politi-cal solution to the � ve-year-old civil war in Syria, the participants said.

However, several speakers questioned Russia’s motives for intervening in the con� ict since September with air strikes in support of President Bashar al-Assad. They cast doubt on whether Moscow and Tehran wanted any deal that would involve Assad’s eventual departure.

Zarif said Iran supported a political solu-tion and had set out a four-point peace plan when it was � nally invited to join interna-tional diplomacy on Syria last year. It had been excluded for years at US and Saudi in-sistence.

Without naming any country, he took a veiled swipe at Riyadh by condemning those, he said, who fanned and exploited sectarian di� erences between Sunni and Shi’ite Muslims across the region.

At his news conference, Zarif accused Saudi Arabia of having spent millions of dol-lars to lobby the US Congress against an in-ternational deal on Iran’s nuclear program. An agreement with Iran led to the lifting of UN sanctions on the country this week.

He said Riyadh had panicked after the embassy attack and the Saudis needed to “come to their senses.”

Prince Turki hit back in the closed ses-sion, blasting Iran’s role in the Syria con� ict, the participants said. Quoting an Arabic say-ing, he told Zarif: “I really like what you say but when I look at what you do, I wonder.”

Prince Turki, the 70-year-old youngest son of the late King Faisal, accused Iran of having 10,000 � ghters on the ground in Syria supporting Assad, participants said. He de-scribed the Syrian leader as a “terrorist kill-ing his own people” who was directly kept in power by Tehran, the participants said. l

The annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland on January 22 REUTERS

Germany wants extension of Schengen border controlsn Reuters, Berlin

A group of European Union countries in-cluding Germany is pushing for an exten-sion of border controls in the Schengen free-travel zone to help cope with Europe’s migration crisis, the Welt am Sonntag news-paper reported.

In a pre-released story, the Sunday news-paper said Austria, Belgium, Sweden and Denmark were also among those pressing for the extension of the checks on selected Schengen borders.

The initiative will be discussed at a meet-ing of EU interior ministers in Amsterdam on Monday, the paper reported.

If successful, it would allow Germany to prolong its border controls, due to lapse in May, for a further 1-1/2 years.

More than one million people arrived in Six Schengen members, including Germany

and four other EU countries, have reinstat-ed temporary border checks in the pass-port-free area.

The 26-nation Schengen free travel area, a centrepiece of European integration, is under pressure from the hundreds of thou-sands of migrants and refugees trying to reach the most prosperous EU member states. Many � rst arrive in Greece.

Austrian Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner threatened Greece with sus-pension from the free-travel zone if it fails to do more to control immigration, a sug-gestion other EU governments, notably in Eastern Europe, have also made.

“If the government in Athens does not � -nally do more to secure the outer borders, then we will have to openly discuss a temporary expulsion of Greece from the Schengen area,” she told Welt am Sonntag. “It is a myth that the Greek-Turkish border cannot be controlled.” l

Taliban want removal from UN blacklist before peace talksn Reuters. Doha/Peshawar

Afghanistan’s Taliban want to be removed from a UN blacklist before considering re-joining peace talks aimed at ending a 15-year civil war, a senior member said, as its political wing met activists at an uno� cial forum in Qatar.

After months of worsening � ghting, with the province of Helmand slipping out of government control and frequent suicide bombings in the capital.

Prospects of the Taliban, an increasingly strong presence on the battle� eld since the withdrawal of most international troops in 2014, joining any talks had appeared slim.

But a Taliban member told Reuters that the group could participate if the UN Se-curity Council canceled a resolution freez-ing assets and limiting travel of senior � gures. l

WorldSUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016

24DT

USAPoll: Trump in lead at 40.6%Republican front-runner candidate Donald Trump has a big lead in the race for the 2016 presidential nomination nationally, swamping his opponents with a 40.6% share of those surveyed, a Reuters-Ipsos tracking poll found on Friday. The survey of 582 respondents found Trump with a higher percentage of the vote than his next four challengers combined, with Texas Senator Ted Cruz drawing 10.5%, retired neurosur-geon Ben Carson with 9.7%, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush at 9.2% and Florida Senator Marco Rubio with 7.2%. -REUTERS

THE AMERICASVenezuela, Russia to � ght falling oil pricesVenezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said Friday he and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin have agreed to work together to � ght falling oil prices that have hit their economies. Maduro told business leaders that without doubt they were going to defend the market and had agreed with President Vladimir Putin to carry on working on a common vision and plan. He said he spoke to Putin by phone Fri-day about the situation in the oil market. -AFP

UKUK watchdog concerned about leak of o� cial statisticsHundreds of British civil servants received unauthorised access to potentially mar-ket-sensitive data earlier this week before it was o� cially released, the country’s statistics watchdog said on Friday. The UK Statistics Au-thority called on Britain’s employment minis-try to explain why a comment about monthly jobs data was sent to public employees shortly before its release on Wednesday. -REUTERS

EUROPEAustria gives Greece fresh Schengen warning, Germany protestsGreece faced fresh pressure Saturday over its handling of the migrant crisis after Austrian Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner warned that Athens faced temporary exclusion from the EU’s passport-free Schengen zone. Germa-ny’s Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier lashed out meanwhile at the warning, brand-ing it a pseudo-solution. This week Greece slammed a Financial Times report saying several European ministers and senior EU o� cials believed threatening suspension from Schengen could persuade Greece to protect its borders more e� ectively. -AFP

AFRICAUganda bans maids working in Saudi ArabiaThe government of Uganda said on Friday it will stop sending housemaids to Saudi Arabia, eclipsing a deal between the two nations to ship workers to the wealthy Gulf nation amid complaints of poor conditions and mistreat-ment. The ban will remain until working conditions in Saudi Arabia are deemed � tting, the Ugandan government said. Ugandan government has gotten complaints of workers being treated inhumanely by their employers in Saudi Arabia, according to the Ministry of Gender, Labor and Social Welfare. -AFP

Pentagon chief: Some anti-Dae’sh partners do nothing at alln AFP, Washington

Several members of the US-led coalition at-tacking the Dae’sh group in Iraq and Syria are doing “nothing at all” to help destroy the jihadists, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said Friday.

His comments mark a departure from the Pentagon’s typical depiction of the 65-mem-ber coalition, which carries the slogan “One mission, many nations,” and is frequently touted to highlight global resolve in the pre-dominantly US e� ort to defeat the Dae’sh group.

“Many of them are not doing enough, or are doing nothing at all,” Carter said in an interview with CNBC on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzer-land.

In a separate interview with Bloomberg TV, Carter called the anti-Dae’sh alliance a “so-called” coalition, highlighting frustra-tions the Pentagon has with some partners – particularly Sunni Arab nations – not doing enough.

Carter has spent the past week in Europe, primarily in Paris, where he sought to per-suade allies to step up their e� orts against the Dae’sh group.

He is meeting with representatives from

another 26 allied nations next month to make the same appeal.

Turkey’s porous border Carter reiterated calls for one such partner, Turkey, to bolster its � ght against the jihad-ists.

Turkey is allowing the US to use Incirlik, a geographically vital air base in the south, to strike Dae’sh targets in Iraq and Syria, but Carter said Ankara needs to do more to se-cure its lengthy border with Syria.

“Turkey is a long-time friend of ours,” he said during a Davos question-and-answer session.

Some Arab and Gulf countries including Saudi Arabia are nominally part of the coa-lition, but are now more focused on � ghting Iran-backed forces in Yemen.

The United States has carried out the bulk of the nearly 9,800 air strikes launched in Iraq and Syria since the summer of 2014.

But despite calls for additional help, Carter insists the coalition has the jihadists on a back foot, especially since the recap-ture of the Iraqi city of Ramadi and the tar-geting of their � nancial and illicit oil-selling capabilities.

In the wake of the terror attacks in Paris in November that left 130 dead, France and

Britain joined e� orts in Syria.Some of the other nations to have con-

ducted strikes in Iraq or Syria include Aus-tralia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Jordan, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.

Dozens more countries, including Ice-land, Italy and Panama, have pledged vary-ing degrees of support, for instance through the training of local security forces.

Requires global responseCarter’s exasperation could re� ect pressure from Washington, where hawkish critics say the Obama administration is moving too slowly to defeat the Dae’sh group.

The coalition has killed thousands of their � ghters and reclaimed large areas they once held, but the jihadists are still launch-ing attacks around the world, including in Indonesia, Afghanistan and Paris.

“They popped up in Jakarta, they popped up in Europe. They are global, it’s going to require a global response,” said Colonel Ste-ve Warren, a Baghdad-based spokesman for the coalition.

The United States, sometimes referred to as the world’s policeman, frequently stress-es the importance of partnering with other nations in its military interventions. l

FACTBOX

Ten things to know about the race for the White Housen AFP, Washington

Residents of the US heartland state of Iowa will cast the � rst votes in the presidential nomina-tions process on February 1, ahead of the Novem-ber 8 election.

Here are 10 key things to know about the US presidential campaign:

Republicans everywhereThe Republican � eld, with more than a doz-en candidates at the start, is unusually large and fractured. The rare absence of establish-ment-backed Republicans atop the � eld – even as relative political novices like Donald Trump have � ourished – has led some to predict a seri-ous splintering of the party.

Feel the BernThe success of Bernie Sanders has stunned many observers, especially as a self-proclaimed demo-cratic socialist in a country where the “socialist” label has been political poison. But while some young and liberal Democrats have embraced his blunt populist message, his lack of foreign policy experience could hurt him.

Teflon Don(ald)?Trump has taken Te� on politics to new heights, soaring in the polls despite (or because of) a steady stream of provocative statements that would have doomed many a candidacy. Instead, he has domi-nated the spotlight with what even critics say has

been a masterful use of social media.

GOP marathonRepublican leaders had hoped to avoid a long and costly primary battle that could pull the ultimate victor too far to the right. Yet analysts say that the nominating season could extend well into the spring, and that Republicans might not even know their candidate’s name until the party’s nominating convention in July.

Lesser of the evils?Many people in both parties might be holding their noses in the voting booth. Both Trump and Hillary Clinton have strong supporters, but also unusually high negatives in nationwide polls. A recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal survey found nearly half of US voters had negative views of Clinton, and six in 10 had such views of Trump.

Super PACsThe Supreme Court’s “Citizens United” ruling in 2010 made it far easier for the independent po-litical groups known as Super PACs to raise and spend huge amounts of money in favor of candi-dates, potentially a di� erence-maker. Yet some-one like the billionaire Trump, as he often points out, need not be beholden to big-money donors.

Madame President?Despite the unexpectedly strong challenge from Sanders, Clinton remains well-positioned to be-come the � rst woman to capture a major party’s

nomination. She could then make history as the country’s � rst woman president – in which case the ever-controversial Bill Clinton would become the � rst First Husband.

Third time unluckyYet, history and voter fatigue do not favor the con-tinued grip on power of a party that has already controlled the White House for two terms. There are exceptions, of course – most recently, the 1988 election of Republican George H.W. Bush after the eight-year Ronald Reagan presidency.

Hispanic voteThe Hispanic factor is worth watching. Both Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio have Cuban roots, and back-ers say they could help the party among tradition-ally Democratic Latino voters (70 percent of whom were Obama voters in 2012). But the two men have been jousting � ercely over which would be tougher on immigration. At the same time, many Latinos say Obama has not done enough for immigrants.

Wild cardsAs in every election, wild-card issues can dras-tically alter the dynamics. Some possibilities: a major terror attack involving Americans, new troubles in the Middle East, a contentious Su-preme Court ruling on immigration, another hot summer of racial tensions, a damaging FBI re-port on Clinton’s handling of State Department emails, and of course the fate of the oh-so-rocky US economic recovery. l

25D

TSportINSIDE

SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016

Shanto hundred steers U19 past ZimbabweNazmul Hossain Shanto’s well-composed hundred enabled Bangladesh Under-19 to register a comfortable 63-run win against Zimbabwe U19 in the opening day of the o� cial Under-19 World Cup warm-up matches. India, England and Pakistan also � exed their batting � repower to win their respective warm-up matches. PAGE 26

The brutal London derbyAlas! There will be no classic Jose Mourinho-Arsene Wenger feuds over the touchline this time, but still there will be plenty of action as the two London clubs locks horns today evening for three crucial points. Yes, it’s Arsenal against Chelsea, a rivalry that starts with Pride of London and that never ends. Arsenal fans mock Chelsea with history while Blues fans have a go with the CL title. PAGE 27

Chanderpaul ends 22-year int’l careerVeteran West Indies batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul, the seventh highest Test match run maker in history, announced his international retirement on Friday, 22 years after his debut. The 41-year-old former captain from Guyana ends his Test career on 11,867 runs. PAGE 28

Collapse of Murray’s father-in-law sours OpenThe Australian Open tennis championships were rocked late yesterday when Andy Murray’s father-in-law Nigel Sears collapsed during a match at Rod Laver Arena, overshadowing the world number two’s advance to the fourth round. Sears collapsed while watching the Serb’s third-round clash. PAGE 29

Adam Lallana celebrates with team mates and manager Juergen Klopp after scoring the winning goal for Liverpool during their Premier League game against Norwich at Carrow Road yesterday REUTERS

Lallana settles Liverpool thriller, Austin sinks Unitedn AFP, United Kingdom

Adam Lallana plundered a 95th-minute winner as Liverpool edged Norwich City 5-4 in a dizzying Premier League encoun-ter yesterday, while Manchester United crashed 1-0 against Southampton.

Jamie Vardy ended a seven-game scoring drought as Leicester City beat Stoke City 3-0 to move three points clear at the top of the table above Arsenal, who host Chelsea on Sunday.

Charlie Austin marked his debut with an 87th-minute winner as Southampton silenced Old Tra� ord, but the game of the day was at Carrow Road, where Liverpool and Norwich played out a Premier League classic.

United were booed o� after £4 million striker Austin gave Southampton victory by converting James Ward-Prowse’s right-wing free-kick with a header.

In a further blow to manager Louis van Gaal, right-back Matteo Darmian was forced o� after a second-half collision with Shane Long, exacerbating United’s defensive inju-ry crisis.

United remain � fth, but are now � ve points below Tottenham Hotspur, who strengthened their grip on fourth place by

coming from behind to beat London rivals Crystal Palace 3-1 thanks to a stunning Dele Alli goal.

Danny Drinkwater’s de� ected 42nd-min-ute strike put Leicester 1-0 up at home to Stoke and the mid� elder later set up Vardy to round Jack Butland and roll in his � rst goal in eight appearances. l

Norwich 4-5 LiverpoolMbokani 29, Naismith 41, Firmino 18, 63, Hoolahan 54-P, Henderson 55, Milner 75, Bassong 90+2 Lallana 90+5

Crystal Palace 1-3 Tottenham Vertonghen 30-og Kane 63, Alli 84, Chadli 90+5

Leicester 3-0 StokeDrinkwater 42, Vardy 66,Ulloa 87

Manchester United 0-1 Southampton Austin 87

Sunderland 1-1 Bournemouth Van Aanholt 45+1 Afobe 13

Watford 2-1 Newcastle Ighalo 46, Cathcart 58 Lascelles 71

West Brom 0-0 Aston Villa

RESULTS

Mashrafe named Wisden India’s best cricketer n Minhaz Uddin Khan

Bangladesh limited-over captain Mashrafe bin Mortaza has been named one of the Wisden India Cricketers for the year 2014-15. Ravichandran Ashwin, Vinay Kumar, Younis Khan, Dhammika Prasad and Joe Root are the other � ve cricketers of the year who were named for their stellar performances in the 2014-15 season.

Former India cricketer Anil Kumble and former India footballers Baichung Bhutia released the 2016 Wisden India Almanack on the second day of the Jaipur Literature Festival last Friday.

Mashrafe was sensational throughout the year as he led the Tigers to new heights. Un-der the leadership of the veteran paceman, Bangladesh quali� ed for the quarter-� nal stage of the 2015 ICC World Cup for the � rst time ever. The good run continued as Mashrafe, along with his team, won ODI se-ries’ against Pakistan, India, South Africa and Zimbabwe to make it the most successful year in Bangladesh’s cricket history. l

Messi to the rescue for under-par Barcan AFP, Madrid

Lionel Messi scored a spectacular winner as Barcelona moved to the top of La Liga with a hard-fought 2-1 win at Malaga yesterday.

The European champions were handed the perfect start when Munir El Haddadi tapped home the opener after just 64 sec-onds, but were far from their best and Mala-ga deservedly levelled through Juanpi either minutes before the break.

Messi had been struggling with a slight hamstring strain in the past week, but the � ve-time World Player of the Year made the di� erence once more as he volleyed home his 20th goal of the season to move Barca a point clear of Atletico Madrid in top spot.

Barcelona were without the injured Ney-mar and suspended Gerard Pique, but did have the luxury of welcoming back Messi and Luis Suarez after they missed the 2-1 win Copa del Rey win at Athletic Bilbao in midweek.

And Suarez made a telling impact after just a minute as he wriggled clear inside the area and although his low shot was kept out by Car-los Kameni, the ball fell invitingly for El Hadd-adi to tap home his fourth goal in three games.

Despite a great start, though, Barca were completely outplayed by Malaga in the � rst-half and were only saved by some wasteful play by the hosts in the � nal third. l

26DT BPL 2015

SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016

Tigers’ focus now shifts to Asia Cup, World T20n Minhaz Uddin Khan

The four-match Twenty20 international se-ries against Zimbabwe was a platform for Bangladesh to experiment with a number of combinations. That is why may be the series ending 2-2, despite the Tigers taking a 2-0 lead, is not causing sleepless nights.

Sources close to the national side yester-day informed that all the cricketers are in � ne mood and looking forward to the train-ing camp that starts today at Khulna’s Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium.

The Bangladesh think tank is in no mood to waste any time, given that marquee tour-naments like the Asia Cup T20 and the ICC

World T20 are right around the corner. The camp is the reason why the ongoing fourth edition of the Bangladesh Cricket League longer-version was suspended for a month.

A few members however, have gone on leave while others joined the team yester-day. At least six members, including opening batsman Tamim Iqbal, will be on leave for the next couple of days. Tamim yesterday caught a � ight to Thailand to attend to his wife who is expecting a baby soon.

The four T20Is saw Bangladesh introduce six debutants in the shortest format. Wick-etkeeper-batsman Nurul Hasan Sohan and all-rounder Shuvagata Hom made their inter-national bow in the � rst T20I.

And having won the � rst two matches con-vincingly the Tigers took the opportunity to experiment further and do the unthinkable; in-troduce four debutants in the third game of the series - star pacer from the Bangladesh Premier League Abu Haider Rony, middle-order bats-man Mosaddek Hossain, seamer-allrounder Muktar Ali and pacer Mohammad Shahid.

The fourth game, which was a series-de-cider for the Tigers, again saw changes, this time accommodating experienced players in the starting XI but the momentum was with Zimbabwe and thus the series end-ed 2-2. Among the newbies, Sohan was the most highlighted. He was decent behind the stumps replacing prominent keeper Mush-� qur Rahim while with the bat, he scored 52 runs in four games, including a highest of an unbeaten 30 in the second game.

The experiments might have cost the Ti-gers the series but it is understood head coach Chandika Hathurusingha is � ne with it. Fol-lowing the second win in the series, there were discussions among the think tank as to what to do next. The selectors had wanted to � rst win the series and go for experiments if there is room. But the head coach is said to have preferred full-on experimentation and didn’t mind losing the series. This had irked a few but then again, the decision was already made.

However, putting aside all the pending issues, the full focus is on the forthcoming multi-nation events. The Tigers’ � rst assign-ment will be the Asia Cup T20 which begins on February 24 in Dhaka followed by the World Twenty20 in India in March. l

U19 WORLD CUP OFFICIAL WARM-UP MATCHES

Shanto hundred steers U19 past Zimbabwen Tribune Report

Nazmul Hossain Shanto’s well-composed hundred enabled Bangladesh Under-19 to register a comfortable 63-run win against Zimbabwe U19 in the opening day of the o� cial Under-19 World Cup warm-up matches.

Three-time champions India, 1998 win-ners England and two-time champions Pa-kistan also � exed their batting � repower to win their respective warm-up matches yes-terday ahead of the global event which starts this Wednesday. There were also wins for Af-ghanistan and Sri Lanka.

The 11th edition of the biennial 16-nation tournament features nine Test-playing na-tions and seven Associate and A� liate Mem-bers – Afghanistan, Canada, Fiji, Namibia, Nepal, Ireland and Scotland.

Teams have been divided into four groups with the top two in each advancing to the Su-per League quarter-� nals and the other two qualifying for the Plate championships.

Bangladesh U19 v Zimbabwe U19William Mashinge’s � ve-wicket haul and Ryan Murray’s unbeaten 123 were not enough for the Zimbabwean youth to repeat what the seniors did last Friday. Eventual-ly it was Shanto’s 103-ball 102 that proved to be the deciding factor for the home side, who batted � rst to pile up a challenging 284 for nine in 50 overs.

Bangladesh later restricted Zimbabwe to 221 for seven to land an impressive win at Chit-

tagong’s Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium.

India U19 v Canada U19India, coached by batting great Rahul Dravid, thrashed Canada’s hapless bowlers to score a mammoth 485 for three on way to a 372-run victory. Captain Ishan Kishan smashed 138 o� 86 balls while Ricky Bhui struck 115 o� 71 balls. Canada folded up for just 113 in 31.1

overs as leg-spinner Mahipal Lomror claimed three wickets for 19 runs.

England U19 v Namibia U19England’s left-arm seamer Sam Curran grabbed � ve wickets for 10 runs in eight overs to steer his side to a comfortable 155-run win over Namibia. England made 307 for seven after being sent into bat with openers

Dan Lawrence (85) and Max Holden (81) shar-ing a � rst-wicket stand of 151 runs. Namibia was bowled out for 152 runs in reply.

Pakistan U19 v Nepal U19Pakistan scored 291 against Nepal with opener Zeeshan Malik making 83 and Umair Masood chipping in with a 36-ball 59. Nepal replied with 181 for nine to lose by 110 runs. Sameen Gul, Shadab Khan and Arsal Sheikh took two wickets apiece.

Sri Lanka U19 v New Zealand U19Shammu Ashan hit 66 o� 69 balls to steer Sri Lanka to a four-wicket win over New Zealand, whose 204 for eight after being sent in to bat revolved around captain Josh Finnie’s 54. Sri Lanka surpassed the target in 36.1 overs. l

BRIEF SCORESAfghanistan 277 v Ireland 151 (44.3 ov)

Afghanistan U19 won by 126 runs

Bangladesh 284/9 v Zimbabwe 221/7 (50 ov)Bangladesh U19 won by 63 runs

India 485/6 v Canada 113 (31.1 ov)India U19 won by 372 runs

England 307/7 v Namibia 152 (34 ov)England U19 won by 155 runs

Pakistan 291/7 v Nepal 181/9 (50 ov)Pakistan U19 won by 110 runs

New Zealand 204/8 v Sri Lanka 205/6 (36.1 ov)Sri Lanka U19 won by 4 wicketsAn action of the o� cial Under-19 World Cup warm-up between Bangladesh and Zimbabwe at

Chittagong’s Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium ICC

MOST RUNSPlayer Inns Runs HS Ave SR 50 4s 6sHamilton Masakadza (Zim) 4 222 93* 74.00 145.09 2 25 9Sabbir Rahman (Ban) 4 140 50 46.66 137.25 1 14 4Malcolm Waller (Zim) 4 128 49 32.00 182.85 0 8 8Vusi Sibanda (Zim) 4 115 46 28.75 122.34 0 13 4Soumya Sarkar (Ban) 4 86 43 21.50 130.30 0 9 5

MOST WICKETSPlayer Inns Overs Runs Wkts BBI Ave Econ SRGraeme Cremer (Zim) 4 16.0 106 6 3/18 17.66 6.62 16.0Shakib Al Hasan (Ban) 4 16.0 138 5 3/32 27.60 8.62 19.2Tendai Chisoro (Zim) 2 8.0 32 4 3/17 8.00 4.00 12.0Musta� zur Rahman (Ban) 2 7.5 37 4 2/18 9.25 4.72 11.7Sikandar Raza (Zim) 3 6.0 50 4 2/7 12.50 8.33 9.0

Uttar Baridhara con� rm return to top-� ightn Tribune Report

Uttar Baridhara Club con� rmed their return to the top � ight with a round to play in the Minister Fridge Bangladesh Championship League. Yesterday they sealed the fate with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Arambagh at Bir Shrestra Shaheed Sipahi Mostafa Kamal Stadium in Kamalapur.

Sentu Shen netted the all important goal in the second minute of injury time and consoli-dated Uttar Baridhara’s place at the top of the second-tier table. After 13 games they now have 24 points while Arambagh, at second place, trail them by four points. Arambagh, Bangladesh Police and T&T Club are the other three clubs vying for the second spot and a promotion alongside Uttar Baridhara.

Uttar Baridhara � rst claimed promotion to the top � ight in the 2013-14 season, but were not able to survive the league. After getting relegated from their maiden premier league season appearance, Baridhara came back strongly in this year’s second-tier.

Meanwhile, a win for Police against Agrani Bank today will move them jointly to second spot. With Arambagh already sitting below the league leader’s, T&T Club will also have the opportunity to join them given they beat Wari on Monday. Police and Arambagh, how-ever, will face each other in the � nal round on Wednesday. l

Sport 27D

T

SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016

FM Fahad beats India’s Saurabh AnandFide Master Mohammad Fahad Rahman defeated Saurabh Anand of India in the eighth round of the Chennai Open International Grandmasters Chess Tournament yesterday. The country’s youngest FM has � ve points to his credit after the end of the eighth round. Fahad lost to Russian Grandmaster Grachev Boris in the previous round last Friday.

–TRIBUNE REPORT

Lehmann taken to hospital with thrombosisAustralia coach Darren Lehmann has been taken to hospital su� ering from deep vein thrombosis, Cricket Australia (CA) said on Saturday. Lehmann, 45, reported a swollen left calf to team medical sta� before the � fth one-day international against India in Sydney on Saturday and was sent for a scan.

–REUTERS

Bayern go 11 clear as Lewandowski nets twiceBayern Munich opened the second half of the Bundesliga season with a 2-1 win at Hamburg on Friday as Robert Lewandowski’s goals took Pep Guardiola’s side 11 points clear. Bayern’s march to an historic fourth German league title seems unstoppable as Guardiola, who has said he will leave in May, attempts to sign o� his three years as coach with the treble of Champi-ons League, German Cup and Bundesliga titles.

–AFP

Cerci joins Genoa on loanItalian forward Alessio Cerci moved to his third club in the space of two years after joining Ge-noa on loan Friday, the Serie A out� t announced. Cerci joined Atletico Madrid from Torino on a three-year contract in 2014 but has been at AC Milan since the start of the season after joining the Rossoneri on an 18-month loan deal that saw Fernando Torres move the other way.

–AFP

Rainy Manchester ideal for Messi, jokes AgueroIt rains hard and often and is a far cry from the beaches of Barcelona, yet Argentina striker Sergio Aguero believes world player of the year Lionel Messi would � nd Manchester to his lik-ing. Manchester City striker Aguero said he had extolled the virtues of England’s north-west city to his compatriot and Barcelona forward who is the most valuable player in the game.

–REUTERS

UEFA approves use of goal-line technologyUEFA has approved the use of goal-line tech-nology in its competitions, starting with the Euro 2016 tournament in France, the acting head of European football Gianni Infantino said Friday. “We looked at it seriously...and � nally we decided to start with Euro (2016) and then move on to the Champions League,” Infantino told journalists following a UEFA executive meeting.

–AFP

QUICK BYTES

England’s Ben Stokes dives as he misses a catch on the second day of their fourth Test against South Africa at Centurion Park in Pretoria, South Africa yesterday AP

The brutal London derbyn Adnan Zahid

Alas! There will be no classic Jose Mourin-ho-Arsene Wenger feuds over the touchline this time, but still there will be plenty of ac-tion as the two London clubs locks horns to-day evening for three crucial points.

Yes, it’s Arsenal against Chelsea, a rivalry that starts with Pride of London and that nev-er ends. Arsenal fans mock Chelsea with the history, where Chelsea fans have a go with the elusive Champions league title and Arsenal’s Premier League drought for over a decade.

Today, the two meet in a “derby” devoid of long-standing antagonism and the one that � ts the Premier League’s marketing strategy perfectly. Both sides are exactly at the opposite ends of the point table, but Wenger knows by beating Chelsea they will surely be sending a message to the rivals that they are the title favourites.

Wenger will be wary of the potential threat that Chelsea caused Arsenal at the Emirates so many times since the Blues have a good record against the Gunners.

Diego Costa was at the centre of contro-

versy during Chelsea’s 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge in September after clashing with Arse-nal defender Gabriel Paulista, who was sent o� for retaliating against the Spain striker after a scu� e.

Petr Cech’s cross-town switch from Chel-sea to Arsenal still ba� es a lot of Chelsea fans and a lot of them are very angry with the

move. Same goes with Francesc Fabregas’ move to Chelsea from Barcelona. Fabregas was a love child to Arsenal fans before he moved to Barcelona. Later he joined Chelsea under Arsenal fans’ nemesis, Mourinho. Fab-regas also won the Premier league title last season under Mourinho with Chelsea, which he failed to win under Wenger. Both Cech

and Fabregas could be subjected to a social media � ght after the match.

The ill-feeling between the two bred bit-terness among the supporters and it allowed the clubs to be portrayed as con� icting arche-types: pragmatists v purists. But that only feeds the hype.

Arsenal have a promising record against the Blues when Mourinho is not in charge, so Chelsea will have to put in a strong per-formance if they’re to earn a win today. But last time Guus Hiddink visited Arsenal, he won 4-1 at the Emirates with the big boys like Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard, Florent Ma-louda and Michael Ballack.

Hiddink’s side have drawn four of their last � ve league outings, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if they’re able to hold the Gunners to a stalemate at the Emirates.

With both sides having all their key players back from injury, it will be some � lthy a� air today. But it will be observed on social media as to which fan base have the last laugh. l

Adnan Zahid is the Senior Administrator of Chelsea FC o� cial supporters club in Bangladesh.

Hales falls cheaply in England’s replyn Reuters, Pretoria

England lost opener Alex Hales cheaply and were 29 for one at tea after bowling South Af-rica out for 475 on the second day of the � nal test at Centurion Park on Saturday.

Captain Alastair Cook (14) and Nick Comp-ton (0) were not out after Hales continued his unconvincing form, falling for 15 when he was caught at point by Dane Piedt o� Kagiso Rabada in the � fth over.

England were still 446 runs behind after Quinton de Kock � nished 129 not out to be-come the third South African centurion of the innings and moving rapidly on from 85 at lunch. He brought up his maiden test century from 104 balls in an aggressive innings before running out of partners.

A stand of 50 for the eighth wicket with Kyle Abbott and 82 for the ninth with Piedt kept England in the � eld a lot longer than they had planned.

Frustration for the tourists, already 2-0 up in the series, was exacerbated by dropped catches, including two o� De Kock.

De Kock’s century followed tons on the � rst day for Hashim Amla and debutant Ste-phen Cook, o� ering South Africa hope of a � rst test win in more than 12 months and some consolation after losing the series.

England had looked likely to wrap up the South African innings swiftly when they took two wickets in the � rst four overs under sunny skies.

Temba Bavuma added only three to his overnight 32 before getting a faint edge to a leg cutter from Stuart Broad and Rabada was out � rst ball, trapped lbw to give James An-derson his only wicket of the innings.

Abbott fell lbw to Ben Stokes for 16 and Piedt played a dogged innings of 19 o� 104 balls in supporting De Kock before Stokes’ snagged him too. The England all-round-er � nished with � gures of 4-86 when he trapped Morne Morkel lbw.l

28DT Sport

SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016

AUSTRALIA R BA. Finch lbw I. Sharma 6 6D. Warner c Jadeja b I. Sharma 122 113S. Smith c R. Sharma b Bumrah 28 37G. Bailey c I. Sharma b R. Dhawan 6 14S. Marsh run out (Yadav) 7 14M. Marsh not out 102 84M. Wade c Dhoni b Yadav 36 27J. Faulkner b Bumrah 1 3J. Hastings not out 2 3Extras (b4, lb7, w8, nb1) 20Total (7 wickets, 50 overs) 330

Fall of wickets1-6 (Finch), 2-64 (Smith), 3-78 (Bailey), 4-117 (S. Marsh), 5-235 (Warner), 6-320 (Wade), 7-323 (Faulkner)BowlingI. Sharma 10-0-60-2 (1nb), Yadav 8-0-82-1 (1w), Bumrah 10-0-40-2, R. Dhawan 10-0-74-1 (4w), R. Jadeja 10-0-46-0 (1w), G. Singh 2-0-17-0INDIA R BR. Sharma c Wade b Hastings 99 108S. Dhawan c S. Marsh b Hastings 78 56V. Kohli c Wade b Hastings 8 11M. Pandey not out 104 81M.S. Dhoni c Warner b M. Marsh 34 42G. Singh not out 0 0Extras (lb3, w,5) 8Total (4 wickets, 49.4 overs) 331

Fall of wickets1-123 (S. Dhawan), 2-134 (Kohli), 3-231 (R. Shar-ma), 4-325 (Dhoni)BowlingHastings 10-1-61-3 (2w), Boland 10-0-58-0, Marsh 9.4-0-77-1 (2w), Faulkner 10-0-54-0, Lyon 8-0-58-0 (1w), Smith 2-0-20-0Man of the match: Manish Pandey (IND)Man of the series: Rohit Sharma (IND)Series: Australia win 4-1

SCORECARD, 5TH ODI

India’s Manish Pandey plays a shot during their � nal ODI against Australia in Sydney yesterday AP

Chanderpaul ends 22-year int’l careern AFP

Veteran West Indies batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul, the seventh highest Test match run maker in history, announced his international retirement on Friday, 22 years after his debut.

The 41-year-old former captain from Guy-ana ends his Test career on 11,867 runs, just 86 short of the West Indies all-time record held by Brian Lara.

Chanderpaul, a gritty and stubborn left-hander, made his debut against England in March 1994, in Guyana, hitting a half-cen-tury as the West Indies won by an innings and 44 runs.

His � nal Test was also against England last May in Barbados where the West Indies won by � ve wickets to level a three-Test series against Alastair Cook’s side.

Chanderpaul’s highest score in his 164 Tests was 203 not out - he achieved that � g-ure twice, against Bangladesh in Mirpur in 2012 and South Africa in Georgetown in 2005 and he � nished with an average of 51.37.

He hit a total of 30 Test centuries and 66 � fties.

Possibly, his � nest moment came in 2003 when he made 104 as the West Indies successfully chased a world-record 418 for victory in the � nal Test against Australia in Antigua.

But the writing was on the wall for Chand-erpaul when he was dropped for the two-Test series against Australia in June last year after making just 92 runs in the three Tests against England.

In his last 10 Test innings, he reached 50 just once.

Chanderpaul posted a top score of 150 in his 268 ODIs, � nishing with an average of 41.60 with his last 50-over match coming in the 2011 World Cup quarter-� nal loss to Paki-stan in Dhaka.l

Pandey’s debut ODI ton helps India avoid whitewashn Reuters, Sydney

Manish Pandey struck his maiden one-day century in a high-scoring thriller to secure India a pride-salvaging six-wicket victory against Australia in the � fth and � nal ODI in Sydney yesterday.

Staring at a series whitewash after four defeats, India rode Pandey’s scintillating 104 o� 81 balls to chase down a 331-run victory target with two balls to spare.

Centuries from David Warner (122) and Mitchell Marsh (102) helped Australia post 330-7 but Pandey’s knock in his only fourth one-dayer clinched the contest for India.

India needed a strong start from their openers to stay on course to chase down such a big total and the visitors got just that from Shikhar Dhawan (78) and Rohit Sharma (99).

Dhawan posted his third successive 50-plus score and Rohit fell agonisingly short of his third century in the series.

John Hastings dismissed Dhawan and Vi-rat Kohli (eight) in quick successions to halt India’s progress and Rohit left leaving India needing exactly 100 runs from 91 balls to win the contest. With the required run-rate sky-rocketing and skipper Mahendra Singh Dho-ni (34) struggling to time the ball at the other end, Pandey’s crisp hitting left India needing 13 runs o� the last over from Marsh.

Marsh began with a wide and had his next hit out of the ground by Dhoni but the Indian captain fell immediately to inject fresh dra-ma in the contest. l

CAREER STATS Mat Inns NO Runs HS Ave 100 50TEST 164 280 49 11867 203* 51.37 30 66ODI 268 251 40 8778 150 41.60 11 59T20I 22 22 5 343 41 20.17 0 0

Sport 29D

T

SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016

DAY’S WATCHFOOTBALL STAR SPORTS 1

2:20PMKFC T20 Big Bash League

Final: Melbourne Stars v Sydney Thunder

STAR SPORTS 2German Bundesliga

8:15PMEintracht Frankfurt v VfL Wolfsburg

10:15PMFC Schalke 04 v Werder Bremen

STAR SPORTS 4English Premier League

7:20PMEverton v Swansea City

10:00PMArsenal v Chelsea

TEN SPORTS 7:00PM

French Ligue 1 2015/16 AS Monaco v Toulouse FC

TEN ACTIONI-League 2016

5:00PMMumbai FC v Salgaocar FC

7:35PMBengaluru FC v Shillong Lajong FC

French Ligue 1 2015/16 10:00PM

Stade De Reims v AS Saint-Etienne 2:00AM

Olympic Lyon v Olympic Marseille

SONY SIXItalian Serie A

5:30PMFiorentina v Torino

8:00PMSampdoria v Napoli

1:30AMJuventus v Roma

SONY ESPNSpanish La Liga

9:00PMAtletico Madrid v Sevilla

11:30PMEspanyol v Villarreal

1:30AMReal Betis v Real Madrid

CRICKET TEN CRICKET

2:30PMEngland Tour of South Africa

4th Test, Day 3

TENNIS SONY ESPN

6:00AM & 2:00PMAustralian Open 2016

Day 7: Morning & Evening Session

HOCKEY STAR SPORTS 2

6:10PMHockey India League 2016

Jaypee Punjab Warriors v Dabang Mumbai

Britain’s Andy Murray jumps to hit a shot during his third round match against Portugal’s Joao Sousa at the Australian Open at Melbourne Park, Australia yesterday REUTERS

Collapse of Murray’s father-in-law sours Briton’s dayn Reuters, Melbourne

The Australian Open tennis championships were rocked late yesterday when Andy Murray’s father-in-law Nigel Sears collapsed during a match at Rod Laver Arena, overshadowing the world number two’s advance to the fourth round.

Sears, the coach of former French Open champion Ana Ivanovic, collapsed while watching the Serb’s third-round clash against Madison Keys, prompting medical sta� to rush to the 58-year-old’s aid.

Adding to the surreal atmosphere at Mel-bourne Park, Briton Murray was oblivious to the unfolding drama as he battled Portugal’s Joao Sousa in the neighbouring Margaret Court Arena.

Play was suspended for an hour at Rod La-ver Arena, as Sears received treatment before being � tted with breathing apparatus and carried from the stadium on a stretcher.

He was taken to hospital for further treat-ment and was being examined by a cardiolo-gist, organisers said.

A teary-eyed Ivanovic was eventually led back to centre court to continue her match against Keys and although the Serb fought hard she fell 4-6 6-4 6-4.

Murray, whose wife Kim Sears is due to

give birth to their � rst child next month, completed a 6-2 3-6 6-2 6-2 win over 32nd seed Sousa and was led straight from the court by an o� cial rather than conduct the usual courtside interview.

In an unnerving coincidence, Ivanovic’s second round match was also suspended after a spectator fell down the stairs at the same show court on Thursday.

Murray also skipped the post-match me-dia conference and the Scot’s only comment was con� ned to his match.

The medical emergency overshadowed the action on day six which saw Spanish third seed Garbine Muguruza dumped out of the tournament and Victoria Azarenka given a huge boost in her bid to win a third title at Melbourne Park.

The 2014 champion Stan Wawrinka also reached the last 16, staying on track for a blockbuster semi-� nal against Murray.

Muguruza, rated one of the few women capable of threatening champion Serena Wil-liams, slumped out at the hands of unseed-ed Czech Barbora Strycova, her 6-3 6-2 loss punching a hole in the draw.

With Romanian world number two Simo-na Halep sent packing in the opening round, seventh seed Angelique Kerber remains the top woman in the draw’s lower half. l

Victoria Azarenka celebrates after winning her third round match against Naomi Osaka at the Australian Open yesterday REUTERS

Djokovic back on Rod Laver Arena for Simon challengen Reuters, Melbourne

Defending champion Novak Djokovic returns to Rod Laver Arena for clash against Gilles Simon today as he looks to seal his place in the quarter-� nals of the Australian Open for the ninth year in a row.

The Serbian world number one, farmed out to Margaret Court Arena for his third round victory over Andreas Seppi, has yet to lose a set in the tournament but might � nd that record under threat against the indefati-gable Frenchman.

In a high quality opening session on the main stadium court, the � ve-times champi-on’s fourth round match follows that of his counterpart in the women’s draw, Serena Williams.

Williams, who already has six Melbourne Park titles in her trophy cabinet, has been similarly untroubled in reaching the last 16 and can be expected to easily deal with 21-year-old number 58 Margarita Gasparyan.

Gasparyan’s rather more successful com-patriot Maria Sharapova, the 2008 champi-on, opens the day on Rod Laver Arena with an intriguing intergenerational battle against Swiss teenager Belinda Bencic.

Parochial concerns mean Australia’s Daria Garvrilova takes the spotlight in the evening primetime slot in Melbourne Park’s biggest arena for her contest against 10th seed Carla Suarez Navarro. Four-times champion Roger Federer restores some grand slam pedigree to the court when he meets Belgian David Go� n in the � nal match of the day.l

Showtime30DT

SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016

Anwar Hossain portrays 25 years in France

n Promiti Prova Chowdhury

Anwar Hossain, a much lauded photographer of the country, is back with yet another set of his artistic work - an accumulated story of 25 years he spent in Paris, France, all illustrated in a photographic biography.

The veteran artist inaugurated his exhibition titled French Diaries: 25 Years, 25 Images at the La Galerie of Alliance Française de Dhaka on Friday in the presence of distinguished personalities in the � eld of photography.

Anwar was living in self exile in Paris

for the last 25 years and is in love with the vibe that the city, as well as its people has to o� er. “I had been in search of humanity and that Bengali essence throughout my stay in France,” says Anwar.

In 1993, when Anwar went to France, only around 5,000 Bangladeshi people were living there, whereas now the number stands at more than one lac, the artist claimed. During his stay, Anwar spontaneously captured places, people and moments across the country.

Most of the photos displayed in the exhibition were taken randomly at di� erent corners of Paris while a few of them are

more composed shots. One can get a glimpse of France’s economy, etiquette and interpersonal relationships in some of these photos. The set of photos also includes the activities of Muslim devotees and migrant Bangladeshis there. It caters to an impassioned kiss shared by a couple, a common scene on the streets of Paris. Besides such random shots there are photos that can serve as historical documents, for example the picture of Bangladeshis in a rally on February 21 at Trocadero, Paris.

“The inspiration for a photographer comes very instantly. In these 25 years I have taken

shots of things that interested me. From many in my stock of photos, I have selected only 25 for the exhibition,” the photographer shares with Showtime.

The exhibition will continue till Saturday, January 30. Visiting hours are Monday to Thursday from 3pm to 9pm, and on Friday and Saturday 9am to 12pm and 5pm to 8pm.

Dr Pierre Claquin, photographer and public health consultant graced the inauguration ceremony as the chief guest. Eminent photographer Nasir Ali Mamun accompanied the artist as the special guest. l

Most popular TV series’ of 2015nShowtime Desk

The FlashDC’s Flash took a transformational spin out of the comic books into a TV series, becoming, hands down, one of the best series’ on television. J P Finn and Glen Winter’s incredible production has brought the graphical accuracy of the series to a realistic level.

Flash played by Grant Gustin, gets his powers after getting struck by lightening that was influenced by a failed particle accelerator experiment. This phenomenon blesses him with powers beyond his control which he then learns to tame.

The series is full of action, thrill and drama along with captivating endings for each episode. With only the first and second season out, there isn’t much to catch up on. So make sure you get your popcorns ready before the next season comes out.

SupernaturalSouls of dead people, demons from hell, angels from up above and the Devil himself - you name it, this TV series has it all. Two

brothers Sam and Dean Winchester, played Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles, take on their dad’s profession of hunting demons, ghosts and everything supernatural to go on a never ending hunting spree.

This captivating horror series has already released 11 seasons and a total of 227 episodes. As for the last season, the show has yet to reveal three more episodes.

Big Bang StoryChuck Lorre and the Warner Bros’ Big Bang Theory seems like an unending series of comedy. No matter how often we watch it, we can never get enough. Prolonged for around 195 episodes over the past couple of years, this series has won the hearts of people all around the world. Yet, it seems as if the series still has more to offer. Apart

from winning the Emmy’s, the series has won numerous People’s Choice Awards.

According to the executive producer Steve Molaro, the upcoming season will focus a lot more on the other incredible characters in the series, putting Amy and Sheldon in the backseat.

The Big Bang Theory season nine will return to CBS on January 7, 2016, at 8pm ET.

The Walking DeadZombies in every corner, zombies on the rooftops and zombies on the streets; the walking dead apocalypse couldn’t be any more realistic than it is. Based on the comic book by Robert Kirkman, this gritty, realistic series captures every wave of the world as it goes through a zombie apocalypse.

The series instantly won the hearts of viewers, making it an overnight sensation. With around 75 episodes released, the directors and producers have promised that there’s a lot more to come.

Game of Thrones HBO dived into the medieval times with George RR Martin’s best selling book series A song of Ice and Fire, and it ended up making it one of the most popular and successful shows of all time. Game of Thrones is now one of the most watched, most anticipated television series’, swiftly making its way to the top of the charts.

The series started on April 7, 2011, and has now released around 50 episodes. The storyline circles around kings and queens all battling each other for one throne on King’s Landing. It also includes an elegant queen handling three dragons, a psychic kid with mind controlling powers, and giants and white walkers beyond a wall – what more do you want?

The series is famous for killing off its characters unexpectedly, and has creating unrest among dedicated viewers in doing so. With season six promised to be released on April 24, the anticipation for the new show is continuously building, with much more being expected from producers. l

Showtime 31D

TSUNDAY , JANUARY 24, 2016

WHAT TO WATCH

n Showtime Desk

The 14th edition of Dhaka International Film Festival began rounding o� its 9-day run with its award ceremony on Friday evening at National Museum Auditorium, Shahbag.

The best � lm award in the Australasian Film Competition went to A Few Cubic Meters of Love, a joint production of Iran and Afghanistan directed by Jamshid Mahmoudi, while Bangladeshi entry in the section, Anil Bagchir Ekdin, has been given honourable recognition.

Rubaiyat Hossain’s second directorial venture, Under Construction, has won the most accolades as a Bangladeshi entry including the audience award.

Thai � lmmaker Tom Waller has been awarded the best � lm director for a biographical � ction, The Last Executioner, while on the other side, Bangladeshi � lmmaker Abu Shahed Emon has been

given honours for his debut work in Jalal’s Story.

Thai actor Vithaya Pansringarm and Iraqi actor Mahmoud Abu Abbas have jointly won the best actor award for their performances in The Last Executioner and Samt Al Rai respectively. The best actress award went to Iranian Fatemeh Motamed-Arya for her role in Nabat, directed by Azerbaijani � lmmaker Elchin Musaoglu.

The best screenplay award went to Iranian Nilufar Mahloji for Se Mahi while the best cinematographer award went to Palestine Ibrahim Yaghi for Sara.

Presided by Shahriar Alam, the State Minister of Foreign A� airs, the ceremony was also graced by Hasanul Haq Inu, the Minister of Information, who was the chief guest. Festival director Ahmed Muztaba Jamal delivered the welcoming speech at the event, which drew attention to � lmmakers from around the globe. l

The Da Vinci CodeSony PIX 6:30 pmAmerican symbology professor Robert Langdon is summoned by the French police to investigate the grisly murder of the Louvre museum curator. Unfortunately, Langdon is the prime suspect and the invite is a mere ruse to capture him. His rescuer comes in the form of Sophie Neveu, the beautiful cryptologist grand-daughter of the dead curator, who helps him escape the cops.Cast: Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, Sir Ian McKellen

Night at the MuseumStar Movies 5:00 pmGood-hearted dreamer Larry Daley may be down on his luck, but he’s sure he’s destined for something big. He soon gets his wish when he accepts what appears to be a menial job as a nightshift security guard at New York’s Museum of Natural History. During Larry’s watch, extraordinary things start to happen. Roman gladiators, historical � gures and cowboys come to life and step out from their displays to wage epic battles.Cast: Ben Stiller, Carla Gugino, Dick Van Dyke

World War ZZee Studio 2:40 pmWatch the race against time of a UN employee who is trying to prevent the deadly outbreak of a Zombie Pandemic which is toppling armies, nations and more so, threatening to wipe out humanity.Cast: Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos, James Badge Dale

Cowboys & AliensStar Movies Action 2:52 pmIn the Old West, an amnesiac stranger awakes in the middle of the desert wounded in the belly with a bracelet in one of his wrists. He is attacked by thieves but defeats them. He rides a horse and heads to a former mining town, where the local preacher treats him. Then he sees the youth Percy Dolarhyde, who is the son of the powerful farmer Woodrow Dolarhyde, bullying with the bar owner Doc and the other locals. Cast: Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde

Dhaka International Film Festival announces winners

14th Dhaka International Film Festival: complete list of winners

Australasian Film Competition

Best Film: A Few Cubic Meters of LoveBest Director: Tom WallerBest Actor: Vithaya Pansringarm, Mahmoud Abu AbbasBest Actres: Fatemeh Motamed-AryaBest Screenplay-writer: Nilufar MahlojiBest Cinematographer: Ibrahim Yaghi

Spiritual Best Film: Today, LifelineBest Documentary: Nobody Home, Madres De Los Dioses

Children Film SectionBadal Rahman Best Film Award: Child Haus

Women Filmmakers Best � lmmaker: Narges Abyar, Rubaiyat Hossain (honorable mention)Best Documentary: K2 and The Invisible FootmenBest Short-� lm: Springtij

Shorts and Independent Best Film: Pan Ruo Yun Ni, Ketchup Kid

The Audience Award: Under Construction

Unavailability, worn out vehicles and little basic facilities render ambulances worthless in case of emergencies. Here is the � rst tranche of a series of two stories

Calling an ambulance? Don’t bothern Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

It would not be too hard to � nd people who have bitter experiences with ambulances, people who can tell true stories about how the lives of critical patients could have been saved if ambulances had the least of facili-ties.

O� cial count shows that more than three and a half thousand ambulances are oper-ative around the country, of which around only two thousand have proper registra-tions. But the uno� cial � gure is not less than 10,000, which is way above what the author-ities say.

Still, � nding an ambulance at the time of dire need is an ordeal in itself because most hospitals, especially the public ones, do not have enough ambulances of their own. As a result, in most cases, the private operators are the only option for people.

There is no comprehensive standard or study that can show what an ambulance should ideally have or how many in Bangla-desh have those facilities.

But the Dhaka Tribune has found that the available ambulances are absolutely ill-equipped for carrying patients.

Lack of basic facilitiesAccording to healthcare professionals, a standard ambulance should have a bed, an oxygen tank, stethoscope, blood pres-sure measuring machine and a � rst-aid box equipped with antiseptic medicine, sterile gauze and saline.

There should ideally be a doctor in the ambulance; but if that is not possible then there should at least be a paramedic who can use these equipments in case of emergency.

But in reality, apart from some high-ly-equipped and expensive ambulances be-longing to some four to � ve posh hospitals in Dhaka, most of the available ambulances just have a bed and an oxygen tank.

In most cases, the drivers and their help-ers, most of whom have very little or no edu-cation, are the people one has to rely on. The only thing they are capable of doing is using the oxygen tank.

There is no question of using stetho-scopes, BP machines and � rst aid equipment because most of these ambulances do not have them at all.

Prof Dr Rashid-e-Mahbub, former pres-ident of Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA), told the Dhaka Tribune: “We have often encountered critical patients whose life could have been saved if they got proper treatment in the ambulance, especially those coming to Dhaka from the district areas. What makes things worse is that there is no

regulatory mechanism to govern the opera-tion of ambulances in the country.”

Types and faresThe Dhaka Tribune has found that several di� erent types of ambulances are available in the country.

Starting from the big caravan ambulanc-es equipped with all kinds of state-of-the-art technologies to the cheap Indian Maruti Omni human hauliers, virtually every kind of vehicles are used for transporting patients.

Only a few modern Dhaka-based hospi-tals own these caravans which have all the facilities that a full-blown intensive care unit

(ICU) has. However, these well-equipped ambulances operate only within the limits of the capital city. Some of them also have air ambulance services in helicopters, which of course is hard for a middle class family to af-ford.

Dhaka-based hospital Ad-Din operates a general ambulance service at a relatively cheaper price. These are mainly Indian-made Maruti Omni human hauliers which operate within Dhaka at a � at rent of Tk260. These vehicles are generally equipped with a small bed and an oxygen cylinder.

Charity organisation Anjuman Mu� dul Islam also operates a similar ambulance ser-vice in Dhaka at more or less the same cost. But these ambulances are mainly used for carrying dead bodies.

This organisation generally charges from Tk600 to Tk1,800 for its ambulances. For the air-conditioned ambulances, the costs may go up to Tk2,400.

Forkan Ali, transport o� cer of Anjuman Mu� dul Islam, said they have some 23 ambu-lances of which nine are air-conditioned.

“Except for the airports, the ambulance services are available free of cost for all reli-gious groups both for carrying patients and dead bodies in and around Dhaka city. Dona-tions for such services are received at � xed rates for other places of the country as well.

Our drivers and carriers have the capacity to operate oxygen cylinders,” he said.

Mohammad Momin Ali, owner of private Alif ambulance service, said: “Fare di� ers depending on the quality of service. Distance is also a matter. Air-conditioned and non-AC ambulances have di� erent fares. The rela-tively new vehicles charge more than the older ones.”

He also said: “If are our ambulances are well-equipped, air-conditioned and new, then fare will be high. If people are not ready to rent them at high fare, what will we do with these new vehicles?”

For availing a privately owned non-AC ambulance within the limits of Dhaka city, one has to pay between Tk700 and Tk2,000 on an average depending on the distance, time of the day and condition of the vehicle.

In case of a private air-conditioned ambu-lance, the average costs are just double that is from Tk1,500 to Tk3,000.

The posh hospitals, who have modern ambulances, do not generally charge patients separately for the transportation. The cost of the ambulances are included in the overall bill for treatment.

Often the regular private ambulances car-ry patients from the capital to the other dis-tricts. That usually costs around Tk8,000 to Tk10,000 per trip. l

Back Page32DT

SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016

ANWAR HOSSAIN PORTRAYS 25 YEARS IN FRANCE PAGE 30

HALLMARK PHOBIA GRASPS SONALI BANK PAGE 15

SHANTO’S TON STEERS U19 PAST ZIMBABWE PAGE 26

Total 10,000

3,500 operative

2,000 registered

FACT SHEET: AMBULANCES IN BANGLADESH

Ambulance:Standard Repertoir

The drivers and their helpers, most of whom have very little or no education, are the people one has to rely on. The only thing they are capable of doing is using the oxygen tank

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