Investigators await 2nd autopsy report

n Kamrul Hasan

Criminal Investigation Department (CID) o� cials probing Comilla Vic-toria Government College Sohagi Jahan Tonu murder case yesterday

said they were waiting for the sec-ond autopsy report as the � rst one could not reveal the cause of her death.

Dr Nazmul Karim Khan, special superintendent of police of Dhaka CID for Comilla and Noakhali zone, said the � rst post-mortem report had missed several issues. “We hope to get those from the second one.”

He said Tonu had been murdered PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

SECOND EDITION

THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2016 | Chaitra 24, 1422, Jamadius Sani 28, 1437 | Regd No DA 6238, Vol 3, No 352 | www.dhakatribune.com | 32 pages | Price: Tk10

TONUMURDER

CASE

AIRPORT

KAKOLI

Source: Bridges Division

MOHAKHALIPANTHAPATH

RAYER BAZAR

RUSSEL SQUARE

SHAPLA CHOTTOR

SUBWAY ROUTE 1

SUBWAY ROUTE 2

SUBWAY ROUTE 3

SUBWAY ROUTE 4

TONGI

AMIN BAZAR

GABTOLI

SAYDABAD

SIGN BOARD

RAMPURA TV

SADARGHAT

ROUTES

PROPOSEDSUBWAY

n Shohel Mamun

The Bridges Division and the Road Transport and Highways Division are at loggerheads over the plan to build an underground railway sys-tem in Dhaka.

The Bangladesh Bridge Authority, a wing of Bridges Division, brought forth a proposal to build a four-route city-wide subway system, at a semi-nar at the Shetu Bhaban on April 3.

However, the RTHD, coordina-tors for the Revised Strategic Trans-port Plan (RSTP), the long term um-

brella transport plan for Dhaka, says the subways are not included in the plan and the division has received no directives to do so.

RTHD Secretary MAN Siddique told the Dhaka Tribune that the RSTP, which spans the next 20 years, has already been � nalised following a large number of surveys and feasibility studies.

The RSTP includes the plans for the elevated metro rail system Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) project and the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project.

“We will send the RSTP to the

cabinet in June for approval,” he said.

The secretary said changes to Dhaka’s transport infrastructure cannot happen outside the purview of the RSTP.

“No one will have the authority to violate the RSTP. The government will authorise the construction of the proposed metro rail, some parts of which is underground. Outside of the RSTP, no one can make some-thing new,” he said.

Bridges Division Secretary Khandakar Anwarul Islam, on the

other hand, said: “We are working towards a good plan to build sub-ways across the city under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s directives.”

Bridge Authority sources said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina sat down with both the divisions and the Railways Division on March 13 and instructed the Bridges Division to plan for a subway system.

RTHD Secretary MAN Siddique, however, claimed that no such directive was handed out in that meeting.

PAGE 2 COLUMN 5

HRW: Arsenic kills 1 every 12 minutesn Abid Azad and

Nure Alam Durjoy

A damning report begins with a farmer in his mid-30s sweating from exertion after working the � elds.

The rural farmer, father to three children, and son to dead arsenic victims, could well become anoth-er damning statistic. He is already showing signs of lesions on his chest just like ones his parents had on their hands and feet.

According to a Human Rights Watch report, arsenic-related dis-

eases claim one person every 12 minutes throughout the year.

Titled “Nepotism and Neglect”, the New York-based activist or-ganisation stated in its report that Bangladesh had done precious lit-tle in the 20 years that arsenic was detected as a problem.

As a result, the report focusing on the failure to respond to the arsenic problem said it had not af-fected 20 million people.

The HRW report cites reports that say, of the 90 million children born between 2000 and 2030, up to � ve million are set to die from arse-

nic poisoning. Of course, the num-bers could decrease depending on government initiative to mitigate the problem.

The head of the health services directorate, Prof Dr Deen Muham-mad Nurul Haque, said the gov-ernment has strong campaigns in place to counter the e� ects of ar-senic. “The government also pro-vides treatment for those who have been a� ected.”

But HRW researcher Richard Pearshouse said: “Arsenic contami-nation has been found from at least

PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

Subway plan in chaos Metro vs subway: Plannersat oddsn Shohel Mamun

The Bridges Division's propos-al to build a four-route city-wide subway system was presented at a seminar at the Shetu Bhaban on April 3. Representatives of Road Transport and Highways Division and Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA) were present at the event.

At that seminar, Bangladesh Bridge Authority laid out a plan to build four subways across the capital and argued that they could replace the proposed elevated rail-way Mass Rapid Transit and the Bus Rapid Transit project.

The presentation was titled “Subway is safer than Elevated Structures during Earthquake,” and a large portion of it was ded-icated to reviewing how earth-quakes a� ected elevated transport systems in other cities such as Kobe in Japan.

“Underground Train is more e� cient and e� ective mode of transport in terms of environment, social and economic reasons,” the presentation said.

It outlined the problems of an elevated train, such as displace-ment, land acquisition, demoli-tion, reconstruction, tree cutting and environmental impact.

The Bridges Division compared the costs of the Metro Rail line 6 which will begin constructing very soon, connecting Uttara and Motijheel to the � rst two subway routes. It showed that the MRT 6 will cost $169 million per kilometre

PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

News2DTTHURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2016

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Investigators await 2nd autopsy reportand investigators were working hard to � nd the perpetrators.

Sources said investigators were focusing on the call list of Tonu’s mobile phone, especially the last few days before her death. They were checking who Tonu had called and also callers whose calls the girl had not received.

The Police Bureau of Investi-gation (PIB) is also working on the case and has already quizzed Tonu’s family several times.

Tonu’s father Yaar Hossain got angry when he was asked about the PIB interrogation and told the Dhaka Tribune that somebody was trying to manipulate the probe and defame his daughter by extensively focusing on the call list of her phone.

“I want my son back”Meanwhile, ten days have passed but Mizanur Rahman Sohag, friend of Tonu’s younger brother Anwar Hossain, could not be found till

yesterday. Sohag was allegedly picked up

by some plain-clothes men iden-tifying themselves as law enforce-ment o� cials from his house at Narayansar village of Comilla’s Burichang upazila on March 28.

Her mother Shahida Akhter claimed that Sohag had been picked up by some eight to ten plain-clothes men.

“One of the men said they needed Sohag for some reasons and he would return home the next day. But when he did not come back, we went to RAB and police. We also � led a gener-al diary with Burichang police station but my son is still missing,” she said.

“Now all I want is the return of my son.”

But police and RAB said they had not picked up Sohag.

Tonu’s younger brother An-war said Sohag is his friend from school.

“After we completed school, we

maintained regular contacts. I have no idea where he is but I feel sorry for him.”

Story of the ubiquitous Facebook profile photoOne of Tonu’s photos has been widely used by people as pro� le pictures on Facebook to protest against her death.

The picture, which shows Tonu in a tea garden, was taken by Al Amin, former president of Comilla Victoria Government College Theatre.

“I captured the photo last month as per Tonu’s request, which she made when I was walking down the tea garden to have a chat with one of the theatre members. She said she would use the photo as her pro� le picture on Facebook,” said Al Amin.

“Now thousands of Facebook users have used that picture as their pro� le pictures but the one who wanted to do so could not do it.”

Tonu joined the college theatre

in April last year and had been a key member of the group since then.

“She was basically a dancer and a background musician for plays,” said Rashedul Islam Jibon, presi-dent of the group.

Tonu’s father told the Dhaka Trib-une that his daughter had attended several cultural programmes inside the cantonment and her photo also appeared in several souvenirs of a cantonment-based publication.

“She did not take money for participating in the cultural pro-grammes. She just enjoyed per-forming.

“If I did not let her go out on the day she was killed and could keep her in the house, she would have been alive today,” said Yaar.

“The body was found inside the cantonment and it is quite impossi-ble that nobody saw how she died. The place where her body was found is patrolled by military police at reg-ular intervals,” added the father. l

HRW: Arsenic kills 1 every 12 minutes5,000 government deep tube wells of the 125,000 deep tube wells. However, the contamination rate was also noted to be higher than the national standard.”

He said the team found in many places that some people had taken control of deep tube wells set up by the government for public use. Pearshouse explained that those tube wells being used for personal bene� t, in turn deprived hundreds of safe and arsenic-free water.

The report touches upon three research � ndings that jointly point towards the high number of deaths due to arsenic poisoning.

One found among a sample of 115,000 people, arsenic exposure above 10 micrograms per litre in drinking water accounted for con-siderable excess mortality among adults in rural Bangladesh.

Another study analysed mor-tality over a decade among 11,000 people and found 21% of all deaths were due to arsenic exposure above 10 micrograms per litre.

Other researchers applied the risk of deaths from arsenic exposure identi� ed in these two studies, as

well as exposure � ndings from 2009, to estimate the annual death toll of 43,000 people from arsenic-related illnesses in Bangladesh each year, as published in the Bulletin of the World Health Organization.

HRW’s Pearshouse interviewed 134 people in � ve villages across the country. “Of which, 50 were people su� ering from arsenic-re-lated health problems. None of those 50 have died, as far as I know, but many of them had family mem-

bers who had died”, he told the Dhaka Tribune.

The government identi� es peo-ple with arsenic-related illnesses primarily via skin lesions, although the vast majority of those with arse-nic-related illnesses do not develop them, the report reads; adding that those exposed are at signi� cant risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and lung disease as a result, but many receive no health care at all.

The HRW report said the gov-

ernment identi� es arsenic patients by a particular set of dermatolog-ical symptoms. The Bangladesh government does not attempt to measure these deaths or serious illnesses caused by arsenic.

But DGHS chief Dr Deen told reporters at the Health Ministry yesterday that the HRW data was incorrect.

The government had no idea about the HRW’s work or what process they had used to reach the � ndings.

“There are no such data regard-ing the death caused by arsenic in the observation of the health de-partment,” he said.

“We have healthcare pro-grammes across the country. In the arsenic contaminated areas, there have been campaigns to motivate people for using surface water.

“The government also provides treatment to those a� ected by arse-nic,” Dr Deen added.

Interestingly, the HRW said in its report that it had written to the government asking the reason for its approach, but no reply had been received at time of publication. l

Subway plan in chaosThe government � rst announced a plan to build an underground rail-way in Dhaka in October last year. Planning Minister Mustafa Kamal told reporters then that the prime minister had asked the Planning Commission to ready a project and that the World Bank was interested in � nancing it.

Infrastructure expert Mehedi Ahmed Ansary said: “Dhaka City is so congested that it hinders infra-structure development. But that does not mean that we cannot de-velop the city. I would say that we de� nitely need to build subways.

“Besides, we have the RSTP for a long-term plan while the govern-ment has already surveyed to build elevated metro rail. In this situation if we want to build subways, we will need more surveys. Then we should make plans for the subways, otherwise it will not be e� ective.”

According to the Bridge Authority’s proposal, a 32km long subway will connect Sayedabad with Tongi, via Airport, Kakoli, Mohakhali, Mogh-bazar, Paltan and Motijheel, at a cost of $5.26 billion. It will be expanded to Narayanganj in the future.

The approximate travel time will be 52 minutes, with an inter-val frequency of four minutes. The subway will have 18 stations and 28 trains will run in both directions.

The subway will run for 12 hours carrying 60,000 passengers moving both ways per hour, meaning a total of 720,000 passengers each day.

The subway will be able to carry 216 million passengers in 300 days with an approximate average fare collection of $1.

The second subway route will connect Aminbazar with Sayedabad, a distance of 16 kilo-metres, passing through Gabtoli to Kallyanpur, Shyamoli, Asad Gate, Russel Square, Science Lab, New Market, TSC, Nagar Bhaban and Motijheel Ittefaq crossing. It will cost $2.87 billion to build.

The approximate travel time will be 32 minutes and 20 trains will run in both directions.

The return for the subway 2 is almost the same as subway 1. The Bridge Authority has initially planned to build the � rst two subways.

The third and fourth routes are in primary stage of planning and they will connect Gabtoli, Rampura and Sadarghat. The proposed third subway will also be expanded to Keraniganj Jhilmil. l

Metro vs subway: Planners at oddsand the subways will cost $195 mil-lion per kilometre.

The alignment of the proposed Subway 1 is almost the same as the MRT line 1, which is in the RSTP. Besides, the proposed BRT 3 and MRT 4 which is under RSTP, has a similar route with the Subway 2.

DTCA Executive Director Kai-kobad Hossain at that seminar op-posed the plan to build subways outside the Revised Strategic Trans-port Plan (RSTP) in strong terms.

“The government has a strategic

transport plan for 20 years which is currently under revision and the revision process is almost com-plete,” he said.

DTCA is in charge of the RSTP and has carried out a large number of surveys and feasibility studies to revise the plan.

“If any authority has been planning on the transport sector it should follow the revised STP. Otherwise not a single plan will be allowed,” Kaikobad said.

The director proposed ways in

which the subways could be incor-porated into the RSTP.

“The proposed subways are not included in the RSTP. However it would be possible to build subways following the RSTP’s direction. The RSTP has already proposed four metro rails, parts of which will be underground. I think that might be completely underground in the ex-isting alignment.

“But there is no opportunity to plan a new alignment for any Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) such as metro

rail or subways,” he said.Jamilur Reza Choudhury, who

presided over the meeting, said, “The metro rail which will connect Uttara to Motijheel is now under construction. So we have to think-ing properly before � xing the new subway route.”

“Besides, most of the city’s roads are constructed in a north to south alignment. We need to give importance to making new routes connecting the east and the west part of Dhaka,” he added. l

Human Rights Watch Senior Researcher Richard Pearshouse speaks during a press conference on arsenic poisoning at the National Press Club yesterday MEHEDI HASAN

The subway will be able to carry 216 million passengers in 300 days with an approximate average fare collection of $1

News 3D

TTHURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2016

JnU student killed in suspected militant attackKillers were chanting 'Allahu Akbar' while hacking the Gonojagoron Moncho activistn Mohammad Jamil Khan

A masters student of Jagannath University was killed by suspected Islamist militants in Old Dhaka’s Sutrapur area last night.

Nazimuddin Samad, 28, was a student of the law department’s evening batch.

He was attacked at Ekrampur in-tersection around 8:30pm by three assailants while walking to his home in Gendaria with another youth af-ter completing classes at the univer-sity near Bahadur Shah Park.

The youth accompanying the victim has remained traceless since the incident, police said.

Nazim is the son of Shamshul Haque from Bianibazar area of Syl-het. He was the information and

research secretary of Sylhet dis-trict unit Bangabandhu Jatiya Jubo Parishad. He was also an activist of Gonojagoron Moncho’s Sylhet wing.

His friends said that Nazim used to campaign for secularism on Facebook and was critical of radical Islamists. A day before the murder, he expressed concerns over the country’s law and order in a Facebook post.

Before Nazim, militants killed at least � ve secular writers and activ-ists, and a publisher since February last year. Banned militant group Ansarullah Bangla Team claimed responsibilities for those murders.

Police said that the killers who came on a motorcycle � rst inter-cepted them and then attacked Na-zim with machetes. At one point,

he fell on the street and then the at-tackers shot him to con� rm death before leaving the place. His brain spilled over the road in the attack.

Businessmen of the area closed the shops immediately after hear-ing the gunshots.

During the murder, the killers were chanting “Allahu Akbar,” po-

lice said quoting locals.Visiting the spot, the Dhaka Trib-

une reporter found the crime scene cordoned by the law enforcers and all the shops closed. Police recov-ered a bullet shell from the spot.

Nurul Amin, assistant commis-sioner of Sutrapur division, told the Dhaka Tribune that police went to the spot on information and found the body in a pool of blood. They were con� rmed about his identity by the ID found in his pocket.

Later, the police informed the university authorities and sent the body to hospital. Doctors at Sir Sal-imullah Medical College Hospital declared him dead at 9pm.

AC Nurul further said that it is clear that the assailants kept an eye on Nazim’s activities for long and

were aware of his way back home. “We are investigating the case sin-cerely to know the motive of the murder,” he added.

JnU Proctor Nur Mohammad said that Nazim got admitted to the university two months ago. “We have informed his family about the murder and are taking detail infor-mation about him,” he said.

Shamir Chandra Sutradhar, in-spector (investigation) of Sutrapur police station, told the Dhaka Trib-une: “Even though the spot was crowded at the time of the murder, they are not sharing any informa-tion with the police.

“However, we are trying to iden-tify the assailants by talking to the shopkeepers and residents of the area.” l

Child workers in state of virtual slaveryn Mohammad Jamil Khan

Child domestic workers in Bang-ladesh work for an average of 17 hours a day without weekly holi-days, and even so over half of them face psychical torture under their employers.

A nationwide study of 1,230 child domestic workers revealed that 53.7 percent of them have faced physical punishment and 17.6 percent of them have su� ered sexual harassment in the hands of their employers.Bangladesh Shishu Adhikar Fo-rum (BSAF) published the report, ‘Hidden Slavery: Child Domestic Workers’ at a programme at the National Press club yesterday. The study was conducted on 1,230 child domestic workers in all seven divi-sions of the country over the last seven months starting from Octo-ber 2015.

Nine out of ten children working as domestic helps told researchers

they had to start working from 7am and continue till 11-12pm while for the rest, work started at 5am.

The government’s National Child Labour Survey in 2013 found that there were 3.45 million work-ing children in Bangladesh aged between 5-17 years and of them al-most 14% were domestic workers.

The BSAF study said among child domestic workers, 87.7 per-cent were girls whose average age was 13.5 years.

Although nine out of ten chil-dren said they were paid a salary but their average monthly pay was Tk1,267. The rest of the children said they got nothing for their work.

About 40% of the children do not even have a suitable place to sleep. Nearly two out of ten said they had to sleep on the kitchen � oor while the others slept in the living room.

BSAF also combed through re-ports in the media from 2013 to

present time and found that a total of 16 children were murdered, 16 raped, 56 tortured and 21 commit-ted suicide at their workplace.

BSAF Chairperson Emranul Huq Chowdhury said it was high time the government focus on this issue and take immediate action towards poverty eradication and prohibit abusive practices towards child do-mestic workers through compre-hensive law.

“Although, a huge number of children are working in this sector but the government not include the job as a part of hazardous one even after repeated request,” says Sabira Sultana, National Advocacy Coordinator for World Vision.

Prof Dr Md Rezaul Karim of Ja-gannath University presented the summary of the report. AAMS Ar-e� n Siddique, vice chancellor of Dhaka University was present as the chief guest while BSAF chair-person Emranul Huq Chowdhury chaired the event. l

Fear still grips Banshkhali residentsn Anwar Hussain, Chittagong

An uneasy calm prevailed in Gon-damara union under Chittagong's Banshkhali upazila yesterday, two days after a violent clash left at least four people dead and another 30, including 11 police o� cials, injured.

Educational institutions, mar-kets and businesses remained al-most deserted as villagers stayed in their houses fearing arrest and further attacks.

Meanwhile, the National Com-mittee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Ports has called nationwide protests for to-morrow to express solidarity with Banshkhali residents.

Anu Muhammad, member sec-retary of the committee, in a press statement demanded exemplary punishment of those responsible for Monday's killing of innocent people.

“We also call for scraping projects that involve irregularities, corrup-tion and threat to human livelihoods and environment, including coal-� red power plants in Banshkhali and Rampal,” read the statement.

The committee held protests in Dhaka and Chittagong on April 5. Also, a 15-member delegation of the committee visited the area yesterday.

“We visited the area and talked to locals, witnesses, and relatives and family members of the dead and the injured. They told us that police had opened � re on a peaceful protest. They also said they were not aware that Section 144 had been imposed by the local administration,” said Hasan Maruf Rumi, Chittagong chap-ter coordinator of the committee.

Jatiya Mukti Council held a pro-test in front of Chittagong Press Club yesterday and Banshkhali Stu-

dents Unity Forum also observed a daylong general strike in the upazi-la in protest at Monday's deaths and the move to set up the plant.

The Homestead and Graveyard Protection Committee issued an ul-timatum yesterday, asking the gov-ernment to cancel the power plant project.

Liakat Ali, convener of the com-mittee, told the Dhaka Tribune people were ready to shed more blood if necessary but would never allow the construction of the plant.

“We urge the government to scrap the project within Friday. Otherwise, we will be forced to hold tougher protests,” said Liakat, also a local BNP leader.

“The government should back o� from installing the plant since it will deal a severe blow to the envi-ronment. Locals will lose their main sources of livelihood, ancestral homes and salt processing � elds.

“We will wear black badges to protest the brutal killing of inno-cent people. Special prayers will be o� ered at all mosques in remem-brance of the clash victims. We will not allow any development project at the cost of our lives and the envi-ronment,” added Liakat.

Two groups of villagers were at loggerheads over favouring and opposing the 1320MW coal-based plant to be set up on 600 acres of land by November 2019 in collabo-ration with a Chinese � rm.

Local Awami League leader Shamshul Alam is heading one group and the other group is led by Liakat.

A total of three cases were � led against 6,200 named and 63 un-named accused over Monday's in-cident. Police have so far arrested three persons. l

Dhaka University students stage a demonstration yesterday near the Shahbagh intersection in the capital, demanding justice for murdered DU student Sujon Mridha MEHEDI HASAN

THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2016News4DT

Tarique’s appeal hearing May 4n Ashif Islam Shaon

The High Court has set May 4 for holding the hearing on an appeal against the acquittal of BNP Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman of money laundering charges.

The bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Amir Hossain � xed the date yesterday to hear the appeal � led by the Anti-Corruption Commission.

ACC counsel Khurshid Alam Khan said that the High Court on January 12 had ordered to send summons to Tarique's London res-idence asking him to appear before a trial court. Tarique went to Lon-don on parole in September 2008 for treatment and has not come back.

The Bangladesh High Com-mission in London forwarded the summons to Tarique's address in London, where he has been living since 2008, but he did not respond to the notice. “The court will now start the hearing as he is a fugitive in the eyes of law,” the lawyer said.

On that day, the court also or-dered the authorities concerned to publish advertisements in at least two widely-circulated English and Bangla dailies.

The case was � led against Tari-que, and his friend and business partner Giasuddin Al Mamun in Oc-tober 2009 for laundering Tk204.1 million to Singapore between 2003 and 2007.

On November 17, 2013, a Dhaka court sentenced Mamun to seven

years’ imprisonment and � ned him Tk40 crore. The court acquitted Tarique saying that he had men-tioned the amount in his wealth submitted to the ACC.

ACC � led an appeal on Decem-ber 5, 2013 challenging Tarique’s acquittal. The High Court on Jan-uary 19 last year asked the lower court to send it the case records and ordered Tarique to surrender before the trial court in the case. It, however, asked the trial court to grant him bail after his surrender.

Meanwhile, the ACC in January 2014 launched a probe against the trial court judge, retired special judge Motaher Hossain, following speci� c allegations of amassing illegal wealth, abusing judicial power. l

JMB man Masum's death sentence upheldn Ashif Islam Shaon

The Appellate Division has upheld a High Court order to con� rm the death sentence of banned militant group Jama'atul Mujahideen Bang-ladesh (JMB) operative Masumur Rahman Masum in a case � led over the 2005 bombings in a Lakshmi-pur court.

A four-member bench led by Chief Justice Surendra Ku-mar Sinha yesterday scrapped a High Court verdict that acquit-ted another JMB activist Amzad Ali in the same case and ordered retrial.

The apex court gave the retrial order since the High Court in its

verdict in 2013 observed that the charges against Amzad had not been taken into cognisance prop-erly, Deputy Attorney General Shashanka Shekhar Sarker told re-porters.

The court also ordered the jail authorities concerned to shift Amzad from the condemn cell to general ward.

According to the case, members of the banned Islamist out� t on October 3, 2005 launched a bomb attack on Lakshmipur district court during a trial session leaving many people including a judge and a bench o� cer seriously injured. One of the injured later died at a hospital. l

WHO: Diabetes now a� ects one in 11 adultsn Shohel Mamun

The number of people living with diabetes has almost quad-rupled since 1980 to 422 million adults, with most living in de-veloping countries and the fac-tors driving this dramatic rise include overweight and obesity.

Diabetes now a� ects near-ly one in 11 adults, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said ahead of the World Health Day, to be observed today.

In 2012, the disease was the direct cause of some 1.5 mil-

lion deaths, with more than 80% of those occurring in low and middle-income countries. The WHO projects that diabe-tes will be the seventh leading cause of death by 2030.

The government is set to organise several programmes including special seminars and exhibitions to observe the day, State Minister for Health and Family Welfare Zahid Malik told reporters. He said that there are around 8 million diabetes pa-tients across the country and it was 7.1 million the last year. l

Defence arguments end in Shazneen casen Ashif Islam Shaon

The defence has � nished plac-ing arguments in the appeals case related to the rape and murder of Shazneen Tasnim Rahman in 1998.

A � ve-member Appellate Division bench, led by Chief Justice SK Sinha, heard submis-sions from the lawyers of � ve death-row convicts yesterday. It � xed May 10 for hearing argu-ments from the state counsels.

Khandker Mahbub Hossain and SM Shahjahan stood for the accused.

The defence read out state-ments from the paper-book. They raised questions about some witnesses and evidences considered by the High Court for delivering the sentences.

On March 29, a three-mem-ber bench started the hearing,

while two more judges were added to the bench yesterday.

Shazneen, a 15-year-old Scholastica student and youngest daughter of Transcom Limited Chairman Latifur Rahman, was raped and killed on April 23, 1998.

On September 2, 2003, the Women and Children Repres-sion Prevention Tribunal sen-tenced all the six accused to death. They are Shahidul Islam alias Shahid, a domestic help; Syed Sajjad Mainuddin Hasan, a contractor who was appoint-ed to repair the house; Sajjad’s assistant Badal; carpenter Shaniram Mandal; and two maids – Estema Khatun Minu and Parvin.

After hearing their appeals, the High Court acquitted Shan-iram but upheld the death sen-tences for the other convicts. l

THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2016News 5

DT

PRAYERTIMES

Cox’s Bazar 32 25Dhaka 39 26 Chittagong 33 27 Rajshahi 42 26 Rangpur 36 24 Khulna 39 25 Barisal 36 26 Sylhet 31 22T 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 6:17PM SUN RISES 5:44AM

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW38.2ºC 19.0ºC

Chuadanga JessoreTHURSDAY, APRIL 7Source: IslamicFinder.org

Fajr: 4:25am | Zohr: 12:01pmAsr: 3:29pm | Magrib: 6:20pmEsha: 7:47pm

PARTLY CLOUDY

Ansarullah explosives coming through bordern Mohammad Jamil Khan

Upon analysis of the arms and ex-plosives recovered from the dens of banned out� t Ansarullah Bangla Team in a recent drive in the cap-ital, police’s Detective Branch (DB) found those have been coming from outside the country.

The organisation is reportedly taking support from other militant out� ts, including Hizb-ut Tahrir and Jama’atul Mujaheedin Bangla-desh (JMB), in bringing these arms into the capital, according to sourc-es.

“These arms and explosives are mainly coming from the hill tracks and border areas of the country,” says Md Didar Ahmed, additional commissioner of Dhaka Metropol-itan Police (DMP).

Didar Ahmed also said they are working to track down the route through which these arms make their way in, giving priority to � nd-ing out who support and � nance the network of such activities. Police have already tracked down three Ansarullah dens and are working to uncover if any are left.

Meanwhile, the organisation has already shifted existing hubs to new locations after a joint drive by DB police and counter-terrorism and transnational crime (CT) unit saw the end of three such dens.

During this drive, interrogation and some recovered documents pointed to the fact that the organi-sation has eight hubs in the capital.

When inquired, Monirul Islam, additional commissioner of DMP and chief of the CT unit, told the

Dhaka Tribune that even though the Ansarullah dens were shift-ed before they could take action, there would be continued e� orts to locate them.

Sources in the DB informed that although Ansarullah members in the other dens � ed, the raid from three hubs in Mohammadpur, Badda and Dakkhinkhan yielded documents with information on suspected members and two possi-ble � nanciers.

Sources also said Ansarullah op-erational wing member Redowanul Azad Rana is currently in Malaysia from where he is trying to conduct activities in Bangladesh, along with an IT expert named Tamim Al Adnani.

Directed by these two, the exist-ing local members are now report-edly trying to make “book bombs,” which are easily transferable and law enforcers might not suspect them.

A DB high o� cial, requesting to remain anonymous, told the Dhaka Tribune that they have got proof that an organisation named Da-watul Islam is providing � nancial support to Ansarullah along with Hizb-ut Tahrir.

The raid of the Dakkhinkhan den yielded bombs set up inside books, usually dictionaries, said the o� cial.

Upon contact, Mashruqure Rah-man Khaled, deputy commission-er of DB police, said: “We are now analysing the evidence. We are looking into some suspects who used to live in the house, and try-ing to trace their locations.” l

Coal sector to get production sharing contractn Aminur Rahman Rasel

Similar to the gas sector, the gov-ernment is going to formulate a production sharing contract for the coal sector as well.

The Energy and Mineral Re-sources Division (EMRD) has al-ready asked its Hydrocarbon Unit to prepare a draft on this regard.

“We recently organised a semi-nar to � nd out how the production sharing contract will be prepared,” Hydrocarbon Unit Director General Md Harun-ur-Rashid told the Dha-

ka Tribune yesterday.He said that EMRD Addition-

al Secretary Muhammad Ahsanul Jabbar and other experts expressed their views at the seminar.

Seeking anonymity, a Hydro-carbon Unit o� cial quoted an expert saying at the seminar that Petrobangla – with its vast experi-ence – could go for coal exploration and development through the pro-duction sharing contract modality.

In this modality, the investor shall take the responsibility for tech-nical and investment risk in the de-

velopment of coal � elds as his liabil-ity and enter into contract with the client to produce a de� ned amount of coal per year, the expert said.

The produced coal would then be shared between the client and the investor or contractor, the ex-pert told the seminar.

The client will pay the contrac-tor the return on investment by of-fering him coal. The client will get his share of coal free and the con-tractor’s share of coal will be paid by the client, the expert said.

An o� cial of the Hydrocarbon

Unit said contractors take the risks in this process while the client will get the bene� ts of foreign invest-ment at an upfront agreed terms. The contractor shall be given due return on his investment for explo-ration during mining operation.

Considering circumstances pre-vailing in Bangladesh, a model coal production sharing contract appro-priate for attracting investment in the coal sector may be prepared and selection may be done by con-ducting international competitive bidding process, he said.

It would have been ideal if the country’s coal reserves could have been exploited with own resourc-es, but the option was not feasible due to limited resources, he added.

Production sharing contract is de� ned as a contract between a host government and a petroleum company for the exploration and production of petroleum resourc-es where the company’s costs are recovered from a percentage share of production and the balance is shared between the government and the company, he said. l

State banks to get Tk3,000cr less to meet capital shortfalln Asif Showkat Kallol

The government has reportedly decided to cut Tk3,000 crore from the revised annual budget that was originally allocated for allowing state-owned banks to meet their capital shortfall.

From the initial Tk5,000 crore allocation, the Finance Division decided to slash the amount in the revised budget to only Tk2,000 crore, because the government re-ported a revenue de� cit of Tk31,536 crore last � scal year.

“We have no choice but to slash the budget allocation because the total revenue shortfall has crossed the Tk30,000 crore mark,” a Fi-nance Division o� cial said.

Seeking anonymity, the o� -cial added that under the revised budget, state-owned Sonali, Jana-

ta, Agrani, Rupali and Basic Banks would not get any further money to cover their capital shortfall.

A senior o� cial of the division told the Dhaka Tribune that funds for meeting banks’ capital short-fall has reduced. On previous oc-casions, state-owned banks had been able to forcefully draw public funds from the Finance Division, but there was not enough funds to draw from this year, he added.

Of the Tk2,000 crore allocation under the revised budget, around Tk1,200 crore has already been dis-bursed to Basic Bank in December last year.

Bangladesh House Building Fi-nance Corporation is set to receive Tk200 crore from the allocation as Finance Minister AMA Muhith has already approved it.

The remaining Tk600 crore

would be distributed among Bang-ladesh Krishi Bank, Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank, Bangladesh Com-mercial Bank and Ansar VDP Bank, according to the revised budget.

Of the eight state-owned banks, six had capital shortfall totalling Tk14,054 crore at the end of De-cember 2015. Only Agrani and Bangladesh Development Banks were in the surplus.

Bangladesh Krishi Bank had the highest capital shortfall of Tk6,676 crore, followed by Basic Bank’s Tk3,050 crore shortfall, Sonali Bank’s Tk2,934 crore, Janata Bank’s Tk663.24 crore, Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank’s Tk582.94 crore and Rupali Bank’s Tk145.50 crore.

In the 2015-16 � scal year budget, the government allocated Tk5,000 crore budget to meet the state bank’s capital de� cit. l

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurates the construction of Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery at Dhaka Medical College Hospital yesterday by unveiling the foundation stone BSS

THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2016Advertisement6DT

THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2016News 7

DT

Fish hatchery in Lakshmipur beset with manifold crisisn Syful Islam Sawpan,

Lakshmipur

Fish hatchery at Raipur upazila in Lakshmipur district has been lying in poor condition due to manifold reasons.

Local sources said the biggest hatchery in the country was build up on 54-acre land in the upazila in 1989.

The function of the institution is seriously hampered as the posts of 51 out of 81 have been lying vacant for many years.

With the shortage of manpower, the institution is also facing crisis of water and electricity.

The time of � sh breeding is March to August. If the crisis can-not be solved immediately, the breeding will be hampered.

The hatchery was set up to produce fry of darkina, napit koi, baghagutum, baligara, silvercurf, gojar, Kalibous and rui � shes in 428 hectre area water body in river and canel under Chandpur irriga-tion and � ood controlled project. It started the work in 1981.

The institution became familiar across the country as it produced

standered fry. People from several areas of the country collected the fry from the hatchery. As demand of the fry increased, the institution began to face crisis.

Shortage of manpower was re-sponsible for the crisis, said the sources.

When visiting the area recently, it was found that only 30 o� cials were operating the function where it was supposed to be over 81.

There are seven resident build-ings for the employee of the hatch-ery. Many of them remain unused.

The buildings became on the verge of extinction due to uncared as nobody lives there.

The important posts of scienti� c o� cers remain vacant which serious-ly impacts the production of � sh fry.

Of the six, there are only two of-� cers and it is di� cult for them to operate the work as there are em-ploy shortage in many other posts.

According to o� ce sources, more than 30 ponds out of 69 can-not be used due to water shortage.

Theses ponds had not been re-paired for many years and they near to dry.

Maximum ponds have turned into play � eld due to lack of digging.

The water of canals are pollut-ed. Due to low voltage, the water cannot be lifted with tube well. As a result, maximum fry have died in recent times.

Mayor Ismail Khokon said: “Fishermen in the area like the � sh fry produced in the hatchery.”

But they are disappointed as the institution cannot meet up their demand, he added.

Chief scienti� c o� cer Md Jasim Uddin said: “It was the largest hatchery in Asia. But now it is the largest in the country.”

“It has lost its golden period and now it is facing many problems.If the existing problems can be re-moved, it will regain its proud,” he said. l

Workers of Future Spinning Ltd hold an agitation programme yesterday in front of BGMEA Bhaban in the capital demanding their due payment MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Khulna state-run jute mills’ strike continues n Tribune Report

The inde� nite strike enforced by the employees of seven state-owned jute mills in Khulnato press home their � ve-point de-mand entered into third day yes-terday.

The CBA and non-CBA Oikya Parishad of the seven jute mills – Crescent Jute Mills, Platinum Jute Mills, Khalispur Jute Mills, Star Jute Mills, Eastern Jute Mills, Jes-sore Jute Mills and Carpeting Jute Mills – enforced the strike on Mon-day morning.

The CBA leaders threatened to continue their road blockade pro-gramme from 6am to 2pm until April 7.

The demands of the workers include adequate allocation for the jute industry, payment of their arrears, formation of a wage board and stopping the move to privatise the state-owned jute mills.

Yesterday, 50,000 workers of seven state-run jute mills in Khul-na and Jessore blocked roads and railways demanding outstanding salaries.

They took position in Notun

Raastar More, Atra and Rajghat in Khulna and Jessore, blocked roads and railways with burning logs and tyres, bringing vehicular move-ment to a grinding halt.

Project Chief of Platinum Jubi-lee Jute Mills Mamunur Rahman said the workers had not been paid for eight weeks. “In this situation, I cannot do anything without direc-tions and money from BJMC [Bang-ladesh Jute Mills Corporation],” he said.

Liaison o� cer of Khulna BJMC zonal o� ce Mahabbat Ali said they were observing the situation. “We have informed the BJMC head-quarters of the latest situation and waiting for directions from the cen-tre,” he said.

The workers would meet tomor-row to chalk out fresh agitation plans.

Earlier on March 16, they had given the government an April 3 deadline to meet their demands.

On March 15, workers of seven state-run jute mills also blockad-ed the local highway and railway on a � ve-point demand including � nancing the mills by the govern-ment. l

Rizvi gets bail in arson casen Our Correspondent,

Comilla

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi was granted bail yesterday by a Comilla court in a case � led over a 2015 arson attack in the district’s Chaudda-gram.

Rizvi appeared in the court of Senior Judicial Mag-istrate Razia Sultana and

� led a bail petition through his counsel advocate Kaimul Haque Rinku.

The court granted the pe-tition.

Rinku said his client had earlier been granted bail in the case by the High Court.

The case was � led over the arson attack made on a Dhaka-bound bus of Icon Paribahan at Jagmohanpur area on Dhaka-Chittagong

Highway on February 3 last year. The � rebomb attack left eight people dead.

Sub-Inspector of Chaud-dagram police station Nuru-zzaman � led the case against 56 people, including Rizvi, BNP chief Khaleda Zia and journalist leader Shawkat Mahmud.

In the case, Rizvi was ac-cused of aiding and abetting in the arson attack. l

‘People from several areas of the country collected the fry from the hatchery’

News8DTTHURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2016

Mahfuj indicted in Narayanganj � ve murder casen Our Correspondent,

Narayanganj

Police yesterday pressed a charge sheet against Mahfuj in connection with the killing of � ve people, in-cluding two children, in Narayan-ganj.

Abul Khayer, investigation of-� cer of the case, submitted the charge sheet before Narayanganj Chief Judicial Magistrate Court.

Abul Khayer said although three people were accused in the killing case, they indicted only Ma� uz as involvement of two other people in the killing were not found during investigation.

Dr Khandakar Mohiuddin said: “Police � led the charge sheet after 80-day investigation.”

On January 17, � ve people – Taslima,35, her son Santo, 10,

daughter Sumaiya, 5, brother Morsedul, 22, and daughter-in-law Lamia, 25, were found dead at their residence.

Sha� qul Islam, husband of Taslima, � led a case with Narayan-ganj Sadar police station against three people – Mahfuz, Nazma and Shahjahan the following day. On the same day, the case was shifted to Criminal Investigation Depart-ment.

On January 18, police arrested Nazma and Mahfuz for their al-leged involvement in the killing.

On January 21, Mahfuz, nephew of Sha� qul Islam, admitted that he had killed four of his extended family by hitting them on the head with a grinding stone and another by pushing his head hard against a wall as his aunt Taslima refused to make illicit relation with him. l

Nor’wester ravages several parts of countryn Tribune Report

Two people were killed and scores injured and a number of tress up-rooted and houses damaged as nor’wester swept over south-west-ern part of the country.

In Khulna, a man died as a wall collapsed on him during a storm at Tutpara in the city on Tuesday night.

Local sources said Abdur Ra-him, 30, was injured critically as a wall collapsed on him while he was returning home from his workplace around 8pm. He was taken to Khul-na Medical College Hospital where on duty doctors declared him dead.

People of Khulna city remained without power for 14 hours as sev-eral eletrict pole were uprooted by the storm.

Apart from this, some pavilions set up at the venue of international trade fair has been damaged by the storm.

In Bagerhat, At least 10 people were injured and lots of houses damaged as a nor’wester swept through the district.

Deputy Commissioner (DC) of the district Jahangir Alam said the violent storm accompanied with hailstorm and thunderbolts wrecked havoc throughout the dis-trict for 30 minutes from 8pm to 8:30pm.

The storm uprooted a large number of trees and badly dam-aged huge paddy and other crops on vast tracts of land in the district, the DC added.

In its aftermath, the entire dis-trict plunged into a blackout as

more than 50 electric poles were uprooted by the storm.

A number of trees collapsed on the Bagerhat-Khulna and Dha-ka-Mawa highways during the storm, creating road blockade which led to tra� c congestion.

DC Jahangir, later, directed the upazila nirbahi o� cers of the re-

spective upazilas to prepare a list of the people a� ected by the storm and to estimate the losses.

In Chuadanga, an elderly wom-an was killed as a nor’wester lashed several upazilas of the district.

Witnesses said Sabina, a resi-dent of Majdah village in Alam-danga upazila, died on the spot as

a wall of her house fell on her af-ter being hit by the storm at about 6:30pm

Besides, several hundred hous-es were damaged and thousands of trees uprooted during the storm in di� erent areas of the district.

Power supply to di� erent areas got snapped as a number of electric

poles were uprooted by the storm.The Nor’wester that lasted 45

minutes in Jhenaidah damaged crops on a vast tract of land and uprooted hundreds of tress.

Communication on the Dha-ka-Khulna and Kaliganj- Chuadan-ga road remained suspended for 10 hours due to uprooted tress. l

A billboard was tilted at Goborchaka in Khulna city after a storm swept over the district on Tuesday night DHAKA TRIBUNE

5 denied bail in gang-rape casen Our Correspondent, Tangail

A Tangail court has sent � ve local transport leaders to jail rejecting their bail pleas in a case � led over the gang-rape of a housewife inside a moving bus.

Tangail Additional Chief Judi-cial Magistrate Court Judge Md Hamidul Islam made the order yes-terday when the � ve surrendered before his court and sought bail in the lawsuit.

The � ve are Zila Sarak Pariba-han Sramik Union Vice-president

Selim, Organising Secretary Jalu, Publicity Secretary Military Selim, Assistant General Secretary Elias and its former organising secretary Latif Miah.

The case’s Investigation Of-� cer and also Dhanbari O� cer-in-Charge (investigation) Khan Mo-hammad Hasan Mostafa said nine people were made accused in the case and of them, eight were al-ready bars while the other named Lablu was on the run.

On Friday morning, a transport worker’s wife gang-raped inside a

moving bus on Tangail-Mymensigh highway in Madhupur upazila.

Police arrested three people – bus driver Habibur Rahman Nayan, 33, supervisor Rezaul Karim Jew-el, 35, and helper Abdul Khaleque Bhutto, 30 in the case.

During primary questioning, the three pleaded their guilty in the hei-nous crime and were sent to a Tan-gail court, where Nayan and Jewel were placed on a three-day remand and Bhutto was sent to jail.

Later, the court recorded the statement in this regard. l

Arrest warrant against MP Ranan Our Correspondent, Tangail

A Tangail court yesterday issued an arrest warrant against ten per-sons including local Awami League MP Amanur Rahman Rana and his three brothers in freedom � ghter Faruk murder case.

Judge Md Aminul Islam of Sen-

ior Judicial Magistrate Court took the charge sheet of freedom � ghter Faruk Ahmed murder case in cog-nizance and passed the order.

Golam Mah� jur Rahman, of-� cer-in-charge of Tangail DB po-lice, also the investigation o� cer of the case, said AL leader and free-dom � ghter Faruk Ahmed was shot

dead near his residence in the town on January 18, 2013.

On January 22, 2013, Faruk’s wife Nahar Ahmed � led the mur-der case with Tangail Model police station against unidenti� ed crimi-nals.

On February 3, a charge-sheet was submitted against 14 persons. l

Feature 9D

T

THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2016

The Serenity of Kuakatan Mahmood Sadi

The best part of Kuakata beach is its serenity. Unlike Cox’s Bazaar, where roads get caught up in tra� c snarlups

just like in the capital, Kuakata is a land of tranquility and peace. The place still has a lot to o� er to those who prefer enjoying the seashore on their own, away from the hustle and bustle of cities.

If one can visit Kuakata during the o� -season, or the rainy season, the serenity and beauty they would be able to experience is unparralled.

Driven by that thought, me and four of my friends made a sudden short trip to Kuakata a few days ago.

For the uninitiated, one word of advice: don’t ever think that you will get into a bus and can reach Kuakata without facing trouble on the road. This was my fourth time visiting Kuakata and every time something happened on the way to make my journey a tough one. Either the bus fell into a ditch, or the bus became dysfunctional, or one of the seven ferries from Patualhali to Kuakata became unavailable. I have faced all these problems.

This time, it was the ferry. After enduring a 10 hour bus ride, we found that the last two ferries were not available as a public service warning signal number 2 was hoisted at the river port and signal 4 was hoisted at the sea port as well as at Kuakata beach.

As a result, we crossed the rivers in trawlers, made our way via a van, a bike and � nally a “Nosimon” ride to cross a little more than 32kms. When we reached the small town of Kuakata, it was about 10:30am. We started our bus journey at around 9pm the night before. So, you can

only imagine how long it took us to reach Kuakata.

Once we reached, we learned that their was a power cut for over two days, as a result of public storm signal 4 warning being hoisted over the sea. Moreover, there was intermittent rain and storm too. In fact, a sudden storm welcomed us as soon as we set foot on Kuakata town.

The good part was that the hotels were cheap. Because of the o� -season timing and the power cut, a 40% discount was o� ered at every hotel and resort. We brought it down to 50% initially, but soon enough, we succeeded in bring that further down to 60%, thanks to my friend’s negotiation skills.

I have to say that the experience

we gained during that short trip was amazing. First of all, � nding the second most popular sea beach of the country devoid of people really, was a unique experience. Also, experiencing it amid the storm and rain is something so beautiful that words have failed me.

The two days spent there were rather gloomy. We barely saw the sunlight. It was raining or about to rain every now and then. With the public storm warning signal number 4 raised over the beach, there was no way we could have swum in the sea. However, we had decent hotel rooms with balconies facing the sea. Just by sitting there with friends and sharing an old school “adda” was such

an experience that it can only be termed as “ethereal.”

During the second night, as the weather improved, we had a barbecue party at our resort’s lawn. There were no other guests in that resort so it was only us friends, with no one to break our party spirit.

During our two days there, we spent most of our time at the hotel room, enjoying the sea from our hotel balcony, not bothering to visit any of Kuakata’s tourist attractions. Despite it all, I can easily say that it was one of the truest vacations that I ever have had and the serenity and relaxation that I experienced was out-of-this-world.

Trivia for the Kuakata bound traveler The name Kuakata was created from the word “Kua,” the Bengali word for “well,” which was dug into the seashore by the early Rakhine settlers. They dug these

wells to collect drinking water, landing on Kuakata coast in the eighteenth century after, being disquali� ed from the Arakan lands by the Mughols. Afterwards, Rakhaine tribes followed suit.

Kuakata has several tourist attractions which include:

• The crab beach, where thousand of red crabs run free

• The Gangamoti reserve forest

• The Buddhist temple and the 200 year old well nearby

• The “shutki polli” and � shing village nearby is a good place for shutki connoisseurs.

How to go to Kuakata:• Direct bus service: ‘Sakura’

from Shaymoli. • Launch service to

Patuakhali and then a bus service from Patuakhali to Kuakata. l

I have to say that the experience we gained during that short trip was amazing. First of all, � nding the second most popular sea beach of the country devoid of people really, was a unique experience

PHOTOS: COURTESY

10DT

THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2016Feature

n Mahmood Sadi

The debate is over. Studies have � nally been able to tackle the correlation between married women and obesity. A recent research by Icddr,b, one of the most reputable organisations have published o� cial research � ndings revealing that nearly one in � ve married women in Bangladesh are obese or overweight.

The study also identi� ed a range of factors such as wealth index, educational status, hours spent behind watching television that contribute to gaining excess weight, which could be targeted in interventions to reduce the prevalence of obesity in married women.

What does the study say?In 2016, Haribondhu Sarma, head of Icddr,b’s Nutrition Programme, along with colleagues from Icddr,b and Stanford University, USA, analysed nutrition-related data from the 2011 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey to identify factors associated with being overweight or obese among women aged 18-49 years who were, or had been, married.

The results, recently published in the journal "BMC Obesity," revealed that out of 16,493 women who were studied as sample cases, around 18% were overweight or obese.

Urban women who are not in full-time employment were at 1.44 times higher risk of being overweight or obese than urban women involved in manual work. Women from wealthy and food-secure families were at higher risk of being overweight or obese in both rural and urban areas.

Talking about the study, Dr Tahmeed Ahmed, senior director, Nutrition & Clinical Services Division at Icddr,b said that these increased levels of obesity will have severe implications for the health budget of Bangladesh.

“Rates of obesity and overweight-related diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, chronic kidney diseases and heart diseases are going to escalate if not tackled,” he said.

Haribondhu Sarma, the principle investigator of the study said that the growing problem of obesity presents a challenge for public healthcare systems in low and middle-income countries.

“Traditionally, overweight and obesity were largely associated with high-income countries,” he said. “However, their incidence is increasing in low and middle-

income countries,” as suggested by this study. Healthcare systems in these countries traditionally devote their resources to problems like being underweight and infectious diseases, but as these countries experience increased economic development, they must also learn to manage nutrition-related, non-communicable diseases.”

Similar study in another country A study conducted by Ohio State University in USA which was conducted following more than 10,000 people for 22 years showed that women tend to gain weight in the two years following their marriage.

The scientists behind the Ohio State University study attributed the weight gain in women to having more duties around the house after tying the knot, which gives them less time to exercise.

Another research conducted by the researchers of Salonica

University of Greece which was based on 17,000 couples aged between 20 and 70, found that married couples exercised less frequently, had less sex, had poor nutrition and were “comfortable” in their lives.

Married couples spent more time eating together, sitting in front of the TV more and often ordered takeaway while exercising less.

What are the reasons?Nutritionist and weight specialist Zania Haque said that women gained weight immediately after giving birth and it took some time for a new mother to change the eating habits she adopted during her nine months of pregnancy and months of breastfeeding.

“Many women gain weight when they’re pregnant, especially � rst time mothers. During their � rst time as mothers, it is tiring and stressful for them to deal with motherhood. When men judge

them for the way they look, they get depressed. They � nd refuge in more food.”

Citing another reason, Zania said that the change in eating habit is another reason behind getting fat. “Your body is used to a certain style of cooking in terms of the spices used, the taste, etc. But you are likely to change this to impress your in-laws and husband and adopt their cooking methods. Your body reacts to this by altering your digestive pattern,” she said.

Besides, many unmarried women watch their diets and stay in shape simply to attract a partner. Once a partner has been “secured” through marriage, they no longer feel the need to look their best and therefore discard

many of the healthy lifestyle habits that kept their weight down.

Zania continued that there is nothing more damaging to a woman’s ego as hearing that her body is too � awed to be sexually appealing, particularly if the words are coming out of her husband’s or partner’s mouth.

“Being able to be there for your partner by listening to her and � nding out what causes her to eat, why she is unmotivated, is helpful. When she realises she doesn’t want to let you and herself down she may � nd the motivation needed to lose weight. Being open to what she has to say and being helpful will likely get her to stay focused." l

Married and obese?Does the wedding ring come with excess baggage?

PHOTOS: BIGSTOCK

Your body is used to a certain style of cooking in terms of the spices used, the taste, etc. But you are likely to change this to impress your in-laws and husband and adopt their cooking methods

INSIDE

Around 50,000 workers at seven state-run jute mills in Khulna and Jessore have abstained from work this week because they have not been paid for nearly two months.

These government-run jute mills are in gross violation of laws safeguarding the payment of wages.

Jute mills and other state-owned enterprises which make losses and are consequently forced to violate workers’ rights to timely payment, should be privatised or closed.

There is no justi� cation for keeping state jute mills open if they cannot even support their normal wage bill. It is completely unacceptable that these mills and other perennially loss-making state-owned enterprises continue to incur large losses requiring tax-payer subsidies.

The case of Adamjee, once the world’s largest jute mill, which was closed down in 2002, shows the folly of continuing to prop up loss-making state-owned jute mills.

Since being converted into an EPZ in 2006, the lands at Adamjee have gone from strength to strength as plots have been developed by a range of export-oriented, foreign, or joint-venture companies.

In the decade since, 40,000 jobs have been created in the Adamjee EPZ, which is 14,000 more than the formal payroll on the books when Adamjee Jute Mills was closed.

Karnaphuli EPZ in Chittagong, which has a similar history, created 55,000 jobs in the same period.

The opportunity costs of not making better use of state-owned land and resources are huge.

Not only are workers kept unsecured in poorly managed loss-making enterprises, but the country misses out on the chance to create more productive higher-value jobs through leasing out or selling the land to private investors.

The government should privatise loss-making state enterprises so their land can be better utilised to attract investment and grow the economy.

More jobs can be created for more workers by leasing and selling unproductive assets

Let’s get our priorities straight

Chewing the fatSchools can involve kids in physical activities like games and dance groups, with more emphasis on non-competitiveness. Classroom-based health education can make older children and teens aware of the importance of a nutritious diet and engaging in regular physical activity

PAGE 13

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PAGE 14

Security for the most vulnerableMany women in Bangladesh fail to report violence committed against them, because there persists a stigma regarding rape and domestic violence

What bothers me is the fact that only selective issues make us mad. We get outraged over things that happen at a sporting event, but we are completely desensitised to brutal murders

Turn loss-making state jute mills into EPZs

11D

TEditorialTHURSDAY, APRIL 7, 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

alone. They do not purport to be the o� cial view of Dhaka

Tribune or its publisher.

BIGSTOCK

n Adit Hasan Khan

Over the course of the past few months, I watched from afar some remarkable things in

Bangladesh. For instance, the government

proposed a value added tax on private universities, which common sense dictated would inevitably be passed on to the students.

The system would have a disproportionate regressive burden on students from middle class families. The students stormed the streets, utilised social media, and stopped the government from imposing the tax on private universities.

Shifting gears to issues of a very di� erent scale -- when there was a scu� e between two teenagers at Dhanmondi Lake, once again, the nation took to social media and condemned the behaviour in every way possible.

The incident eventually got police attention, and social media was abuzz with talk about the incident -- probably more than the incident merited.

When our national cricket team faced unfair rulings from the ICC, social media erupted again -- that did not lead to an outcome we would have wanted, but the world de� nitely learned about our outrage.

I list the incidents above to make a simple and obvious point. When we are outraged over something, big or small, we as a nation hold enough power to bring about some real change, or at least make enough noise to get attention from the ones who can bring about change for us.

What bothers me is the fact that only selective issues make us mad. We get outraged over things that happen at a sporting event, but we are completely desensitised to brutal murders.

Most of us are aware of the terrible fate of the bloggers of the secular blog Mukto Mona. Shortly after those incidents, religious minorities all over the country felt

unsafe, but for some reason, we are not outraged by any of this. We barely had a reaction over the attack on the Italian Catholic pastor.

The killing of a Hindu priest had an even shorter life span on mainstream news. We quickly forgot the attack on the Shia mosque, and now we are too involved in our own lives to notice the murder of a Christian convert freedom � ghter.

Having seen what the nation can do when it is enraged, I am dumfounded wondering why we are not enraged when a group of miscreants scream Allahu Akbar and take the life of a 68-year-old man who fought for the independence of this country.

We have created an environment where religious

extremism does not bother us anymore. Every time I am on social media, I see my Bangladeshi friends upset about the rhetoricof American presidential candidates.

I cannot forecast what would have happened if we devoted a fraction of that energy to � ght the atrocities that are routinely taking place in our own land.

Minorities have always been the targets of religious extremists in Bangladesh. If an organised study goes into calculating the number of temples that have been burned in Bangladesh over the last 10 years, the number is likely to be so

large we will all feel ashamed of ourselves.

Nevertheless, these murders have failed to get a strong enough response out of our citizens, and barely any attention from our leaders.

Now, as minorities prepare for a new wave of violence, we can all sit back and casually blame the government for everything.

But when the dust settles, one has to admit that we all contributed to this with our misplaced priorities. l

Adit Hasan Khan is a Graduate Teaching Assistant at the University of Mississippi.

Opinion12DT

THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2016

Our passion for cricket sometimes supersedes more important issues of social justice MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

What bothers me is the fact that only selective issues make us mad. We get outraged over things that happen at a sporting event, but we are completely desensitised to brutal murders

Violent crime and religious extremism deserve more attention than sports and viral videos

Let’s get our priorities straight

Opinion 13D

TTHURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2016

n Ahmed Hossain and Rashenda Aziz

The weight gain of a child is celebrated in our country by any parent -- at least in the beginning. Culturally,

food is our love; it’s our warmth, it’s our family. But as parents, many of us don’t see the impact of weight gain.

We conducted a study in two English-medium schools in Dhanmondi with 169 students of Class VI to Class X during the month of January 2016. It appears that the prevalence of overweight/obese children is around 19%. This is an increasing concern with respect to the health and wellbeing of the child. Increased prevalence of childhood obesity may have adverse, disturbing, and unpleasant implications when the child reaches adulthood.

It’s quite natural that parents don’t recognise obesity. In the American Heart Association, it is noted that if you are obese at 16, there’s an 80% chance you will re-

main obese as an adult. With obe-sity comes a long list of life-threat-ening ailments: Hypertension, type II diabetes, heart disease, cancer, respiratory problems, bone conditions, and many more.

Health problems related to obesity are not only physical, but psychological and social as well. Children who are obese have negative body image issues, which lead to lower self-esteem. Children feel depressed, and are nervous about their obesity issues, and this has a negative e� ect on their behaviour. Some scientists predict that with the increasing rates of childhood obesity, today’s kids will be the � rst generation to live shorter lives than their parents.

The weight gain of a child is due to the imbalance between caloric intake and the calories utilised (for growth, development, metabolism, and physical activities). Normally, the amount of calories a child consumes through food or beverages, if not used for energy activities, leads to weight gain in children. It is seen

that children and teens nowadays lack the required amount of physical activity, hence the calories are not used properly, and can lead to becoming obesity.

A sedentary lifestyle is also an important factor for abnormal weight gain, as many children spend most of their time in front of television sets, play video games, and sit in front of computers. Children snack more in front of televisions and spend time sitting without any physical activity. Again the television advertisements of energy-rich and sugar-rich foods in� uence children to make unhealthy choices. These unhealthy food choices may lead to weight gain and obesity.

At home, parent-child interaction is very crucial, as parents can in� uence children’s food choices and motivate them to have a healthier lifestyle. E� ective interventions in a family setting can be bene� cial towards changing a child’s food choices.

Children spend a signi� cant portion of their time at school.

Hence, school plays an important role in the life of the child. Children take at least one meal at school, hence, schools can encourage kids to make healthy food choices, such as reducing the intake of carbonated drinks or sugary foods, encouraging kids to drink healthy fruit juices, water, vegetables, and fruits.

Schools which provide meals can have healthy nutritious food items with emphasis on a balanced diet. Schools can involve kids in physical activities like games and dance groups, with more emphasis on non-competitiveness. Classroom-based health education can make older children and teens aware of the importance of a nutritious diet and engaging in regular physical activity.

Weight-loss programs like dietary management (eating more of � bre-rich foods) and increasing physical activity are recommended for children above seven years of age with risk of secondary complications.

Our community also has

insu� cient sidewalks, parks, and bike-riding facilities. Taking into consideration these limitations, physical activity can be improved by habits like walking to school, or parking cars away from stores so that kids can walk and take the stairs instead of elevators or escalators. It is essential that parents are aware of the potential risk the child faces due to obesity, and take actions to control the problem.

Childhood obesity needs attention as a major public health issue in Bangladesh. The complications caused due to childhood obesity are severe, and could continue to a� ect the health of a child even in adulthood. Hence, there is need to address this problem at every possible step through e� ective interventions and motivation strategies.

In Bangladesh, the government and other health care organisa-tions are not taking su� cient action and environmentally safe interventions for children to improve physical activity. Children need to adopt healthy behaviours as a lifelong practice, so that they can have a healthy life. This will lead to a nationwide healthy fu-ture for kids. l

Ahmed Hossain is an Associate Professor at the Department of Public Health, North South University. Rashenda Aziz is an MPH student at the Department of Public Health, North South University, and a research fellow at USAID.

Healthy diets are a lifelong practice REUTERS

Schools can involve kids in physical activities like games and dance groups, with more emphasis on non-competitiveness. Classroom-based health education can make older children and teens aware of the importance of a nutritious diet and engaging in regular physical activity

Childhood obesity has severe health consequences

Chewing the fat

Opinion14DT

THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2016

n John Tripura

During the 1971 Liberation War, around 300,000 Bangladeshi women were raped, tortured,

and murdered by the Pakistani occupation army with the support of Bihari and Razakar militias.

Though we now have an independent state, even after 45 years, the ever-increasing rate of rape is an alarming phenomenon, and depicts the diminishing value given to indigenous women in society.

According to Article 27 of the Constitution of Bangladesh, there is “equality before the law,” but there is no implementation of these laws in many cases. It is clearly visible that violence against women is a common occurrence in most parts of Bangladesh, whether the violence is physical or mental.

The recent incident of Tonu in an exclusive military area is really shameful for the nation. Even after two weeks of the incident, the criminals have not yet been identi� ed.

I do not know whether Tonu will get proper justice because of the experience of the Kalpana Chakma incident -- the fearless indigenous activist who was abducted in June 1996 by the army forces 19 years ago when

she was only 20 years old, whose perpetrators were never arrested and brought to justice.

But I am quite optimistic for Tonu, because there were thou-sands of people crying out on the streets and raising their voices de-manding justice. But, on the other hand, if we look at the case of Kalpana Chakma, 35 investigating o� cers were involved in the case, but still there is no substantive solution of the issue.

And although there are many indigenous women victims around the country, we have seen very few prominent people talk about the issues on a national platform. Here, we can see some kind of discrimination towards indigenous

people’s issues, furthering the culture of ignorance.

Many women in Bangladesh fail to report violence committed against them, because there persists a stigma regarding rape and domestic violence. According to a BRAC report, violence against women in the country has increased by 74% in 2015 compared to 2014. According to the report, 68% of violence against women is not documented.

Moreover, according to the Bangladesh National Women Lawyers’ Association website, in the overall violence against women and children, there has been an increase of 5% in 2015. Rape has increased at an alarming rate by 35%, due to dowry torture by 8%, and sexual harassment by 4%.

But for the indigenous women in Bangladesh, the situation is more brutal and vulnerable. The indigenous women have been either raped or sexually harassed in di� erent parts of the country, which is increasing day by day.

And due to the impunity perpetrators enjoy, the violence against indigenous women is continuing. The police also tend to blame the victims and take the side of the abuser. So, violence against women has become one of the most visible social issues

in our country, due to a culture of impunity.

However, according to the Kapaeeng Foundation human rights report, 85 indigenous women and girls fell victim to sexual and physical violence in 2015 around the country, with at least 26 cases of rape/gang rape, three killings, 11 physical assaults, 16 attempted rapes, � ve abductions, six cases of sexual harassment, and two cases of tra� cking.

A total of 69 cases of violence against indigenous women and girls in Bangladesh were documented. Among the 69 cases, 38 cases were reported from the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT).

The interesting thing is, the age group of these victims ranged from four to 50 years. Even children and older women are not safe in this country. 75% of the perpetrators were identi� ed as non-indigenous, 15% as indigenous, 6% were unknown, and law enforcement and personnel accounted for 1%.

Cases were � led against most acts of violence, but no proper action was taken against even a single case.

And most of the cases relating to violation against indigenous women in Bangladesh were based on land issues. The perpetrators or the land-grabbers violated the indigenous women and girls in order to terrorise the community

and unsettle them, and thus create opportunities for them to occupy the lands belonging to indigenous peoples.

The main reason for the increase in violence against indigenous women is that indigenous people do not have control over their own lands and territories. Malpractice in the justice system often deprives the victims from getting redress. And another main reason is for not fully implementing the CHT Accord, which was signed on the December 2, 1997.

For e� ective solutions, and to comprehensively address the issue of violence against women, we must recognise certain establishments, and underlying dynamics based on the complex social, cultural, religious, and economic ideologies that serve to maintain the unequal relationships between men and women in society.

The government should take proper actions regarding violence against women, and end the culture of impunity. l

John Tripura works for the Kapaeeng Foundation.

Stop the violence BIGSTOCK

Many women in Bangladesh fail to report violence committedagainst them, because there persists a stigma regarding rapeand domestic violence

Indigenous women su� er greatly as a result of continued discrimination

Security for the most vulnerable

E-commerce Day to be observed todayn Tribune Report

e-Commerce Association of Bangladesh (e-CAB) will observe e-Commerce Day today to pro-mote online business.

United International University (UIU) and e-CAB have jointly or-ganised a programme on its Dhan-mondi campus to observe the day.

State Minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak will be present on the occasion as the chief guest.

The association has already declared April as e-Commerce month to boost sales, target-ing Bangla New Year, Pahela Boishakh. E-CAB has been observ-ing April 7 as the e-Commerce Day since last year.

Razib Ahmed, president of

e-CAB, said for the advancement of e-commerce, it is high time the government declared April 7 as an e-commerce Day.

e-CAB has a total of 367 mem-bers.

Rezwanul Huque Jami, vice-president of the association, said the online shopping growth is gaining momentum while this trend will continue over the next couple of years.

A wide range of discounts on di� erent products have already been announced ahead of the day.

According to e-CAB, the total transaction of online shopping now stands at about Tk1,000 crore a year. The online transaction is gaining momentum as consumers are becoming more focused on it

with the blessings of information technology according to a report of LightCastle Partners (LCP) – a busi-ness management consulting � rm.

The trend to purchase via e-commerce platforms all the year round accounts for 37% while dur-ing religious festivals like Eid. l

15D

TBusinessTHURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2016

Capital market snapshot: WednesdayDSE

Broad Index 4,413.9 0.1% ▲

Index 1,067.6 0.2% ▲

30 Index 1,670.5 0.0% ▲

Turnover in Mn Tk 4,276.6 34.6% ▲

Turnover in Mn Vol 126.7 27.2% ▲

CSEAll Share Index 13,580.2 -0.1% ▼

30 Index 12,253.3 -0.1% ▼

Selected Index 8,248.6 -0.1% ▼

Turnover in Mn Tk 418.2 96.9% ▲

Turnover in Mn Vol 11.5 45.8% ▲

INSIDE

ILO team due Apr 17 to see workers conditionA high-level mission of International La-bour Organisation will visit Bangladesh on April 17 to learn the status of Bangladesh’s workers, their freedom of association, col-lective bargaining and safety standards, especially in RMG sector. The mission entitled “High Level Tripartite Mission Freedom of Association and CollectiveBargaining” will arrive in Dhaka under the leadership of Elizabeth Onuko. PAGE 17

Spanish port becomes global ‘smart city’ laboratory

In Spain’s historic port of Santander, park-ing is no longer a headache, rubbish bins never over� ow and grass is watered only when needed since this northern resort became a testing ground for “smart cities” around the world. PAGE 18

ILO team due Apr 17 to see workers condition A high-level mission of International Labour Organisation will visit Bangla-desh on April 17 to learn the status of Bangladesh’s workers, their freedom of association, collective bargaining and safety standards, especially in RMG sector. The mission entitled “High Level Tripartite Mission Freedom of Associ-ation and Collective Bargaining” will arrive in Dhaka under the leadership of Elizabeth Onuko. PAGE 16

Bangladesh e-commerce to see explosive growth in next 3 yearsn Asif Showkat Kallol and

Ishtiaq Husain

Trading is increasingly entering into the world of online in Bang-ladesh as today’s busy people look to � nd a simpler way in their daily purchases and transactions. The system is popularly dubbed as e-commerce. As E-commerce Day is set to be observed today, the Dhaka Tribune approached Rezwanul Haque Jami, vice-pres-ident of e-Commerce Association of Bangladesh (e-CAB), yesterday to talk about the new trend.

He says given the changing habits of tech-savvy people, there will be an explosive growth in the country’s e-commerce � eld over the next three years. According to him, the growth will increase to 40% per month from 36% now in next few years. Rezwanul said presently the monthly val-ue of the country’s e-shopping is Tk1,000 crore which continues to rise rapidly.

Dhaka Tribune: Where is Bangladesh now in e-commerce, particularly in South and South-east Asia?Rezwanul Haque: Bangladesh is now at the fourth place in e-commerce adoption among other nations in the region. But the situation could have been better if Internet penetration in the country was faster. India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan are doing well in increasing the people’s Internet penetration compared to Bangladesh.

Is the lack of trust among clients a major barrier in Bangladesh for e-commerce in gaining popularity? The debit and credit card holders of banks feel a lack of con� dence in the e-commerce system after a number of forgery incidents hap-pened recently. They fear they would be cheated by e-commerce � rms while using the system. Be-sides, low quality of products and services in online market places remain another reason behind failure in attracting many poten-tial buyers.

Why does e-commerce traders avoid cash-on-delivery system?Cash-on-delivery system bears

some risks. According to e-CAB members, around 10% of the cash-on-delivery followers face � nancial losses. Yet the system is popular in Bangladesh because of weakness in our � nancial system. This is also popular in India.

How is e-CAB handling the issue of low quality products and frauds in online market places?We have already made self-gov-erning policies for our (e-CAB) 367 members to ensure quality of products and services. The e-CAB has suspended membership of some e-commerce � rms including a courier service provider on alle-gations of presenting low quality products and services.

Is a law and a policy necessary to control the business and prevent unscrupulous traders from polluting the system?Yes. we have already started for-mulating an e-commerce policy. We think laws also need to be amended while new laws could be necessary in cases like ensuring authenticity.

What are you doing against the e-commerce frauds?We suspend website of those in-volved in online business frauds. We can do that if they use the country domain. But when they use international domain it’s not then possible for us to shut down their website. l

E-CAB Vice-President Rezwanul Haque Jami during an interview with Dhaka Tribune yesterday MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Business16DT

THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2016

ILO team due Apr 17 to see worker conditionsGovt claims workplace safety and workers’ rights have been improved in most factoriesn Ibrahim Hossain Ovi

A high-level mission of Interna-tional Labour Organisation will visit Bangladesh on April 17 to learn the status of Bangladesh’sworkers, their freedom of associ-ation, collective bargaining and safety standards, especially in RMG sector.

The mission entitled “High Level Tripartite Mission Free-dom of Association and CollectiveBargaining” will arrive in Dhaka under the leadership of Elizabeth Onuko.

The other members of the mis-sion include Sonia Regenbogen,

Marc Leemans, Karen Curtis and Veronika Vajdova.

During the three-day visit, the mission delegates will hold meet-ing with Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed, State Minister for the Min-istry of Labour and Employment Md Mujibul Haque,

ILO Country Director for Bang-ladesh Srinivas B Reddy, Senior Labour and Employment Secretary Mikail Shipar, BEPZA Chairman Major General Mohammad Ha-bibur Rahman Khan.

“The team will visit Bangladesh to know about the latest status of Bangladesh’s workers rights and safety issues especially in the RMG

sector,” Senior Labour and Em-ployment Secretary Mikail Shipar told the Dhaka Tribune.

Following the collapse of Rana Plaza building, the safety issue and workers rights came under the spotlight. The global trade un-ions, rights group from home and abroad and buyers kept putting pressure on the government and manufacturers.

The government and RMG sec-tor people in association with the buyers and donor agencies took several initiatives to ensure work-ers rights and workplace safety.

“We have been able to improve safety standard and workers’

rights. The inspection by the Ac-cord and the Alliance and National Initiative have found less than 2% factory risky for safety and led to closure of 38 RMG factories,” said Shipar.

In last three years, about 400 trade unions got registered with the Department of Labour, which re� ects that the workers rights to associate are being ensured, he added.

The mission also will hold meeting with the Bangladesh Em-ployers’ Federation (BEF), where Bangladesh Garment Manufac-turers and Exporters Association(BGMEA) and Bangladesh Knit-

wear Manufacturers and ExportersAssociation (BKMEA) will be pres-ent.

“We are invited to join the meet-ing as RMG sector is the highest employing sector in the country,” BGMEA Vice-President Mahmud Hasan Khan Babu told the Dhaka Tribune.

As a representative, BGMEA will present the current status of the sector and its success that came from a series of initiatives taken to improve safety and workers rights, said Mahmud.

Following the visit, the mission will submit its report to the ILO ex-pert committee, Shipar said. l

Indian � rm appointed as safety auditor for elevated expresswayn Tribune Report

The government has ap-pointed an Indian safety con-sulting � rm as the safety au-ditor for the Dhaka Elevated Expressway.

The cabinet committee on public purchase gave its con-sent yesterday to the Bridges Division proposal to appoint the Indian � rm – Intercontinental Consultants and Technocrats.

After the meeting, Cabi-net Division Additional Sec-retary M Musta� zur Rahman told journalists that the � rm will carry out safety supervi-

sion on the Dhaka Elevated Expressway for the next � ve years.

He said the cost of ap-pointing the safety consulting � rm will be Tk42.99 crore.

The construction of ele-vated expressway began last August.

The DEE project under a public-private partnership (PPP) venture is currently esti-mated to cost Tk8,940.18 crore.

The expressway, which is � rst in kind, will begin at Hazrat Shahjalal Internation-al Airport and run along the New Airport Road via Mo-

hakhali, Tejgaon, Moghbazar and Kamalapur Railway Sta-tion before connecting with the Dhaka-Chittagong high-way via Jatrabari.

According to Bangladesh Bridge Authority, the con-struction was scheduled to begin back in December 2011, but was delayed for over three years due to lack of funding.

In January 2011, the gov-ernment signed an agree-ment with Italian-Thai Devel-opment Public Construction Company Limited to build the four-lane expressway at a cost of Tk8,703 crore. l

BB board focuses on tightening cyber securityn Tribune Report

Bangladesh Bank board em-phasised on tightening cyber security into the central bank to avert repetition of tech-nical system breached that took away $81m from the central bank’s forex reserve account with the Federal Re-serve Bank of New York.

The central bank held the � rst board meeting after Fa-zle Kabir joined it as the new governor on March 20.

More three board mem-bers were sat at the meeting for the � rst time after a mas-sive reformation of central bank board by the govern-ment in the wake of largest digital heist.

The new members were

Secretary of bank and � nan-cial institutions division of � nance ministry, Mahbub Ahmed, who was replaced of Aslam Alam and others were Jamaluddin Ahmed and Rushidan Islam Rahman.

Board members main-ly discussed on how to re-move technical loopholes by strengthening the technolog-ical system and software.

Though, there was no � -nal decision in this regard but initially board instructed to develop a package design of what type of change is need-ed and which software will be mostly secured to use. Later, a consultant will be appoint-ed to consult with di� erent foreign software � rms to take � nal decision of bringing

change in technical system in Bangladesh Bank, according to the central bank source.

At the beginning of the meeting a presentation was made over the reserve heist to inform the board member formally that how the money was stolen and what steps were taken by Bangladesh Bank to retrieve money.

The board members sug-gested to put more e� ort and increase co-operational ac-tivities to recover money.

The board members were formally informed through a power point presentation over the stolen since begin-ning of the incident to last development, Jamaluddin Ahmed said reporters soon after the meeting. l

Business 17D

TTHURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2016

Dollar near 17-month low against yenn Reuters, Tokyo

The dollar hovered near a 17-month low against the yen yesterday after taking a fresh knock overnight on comments by Japan’s prime minister which suggested the authori-ties were cautious towards ar-resting the yen’s appreciation.

The US currency traded little changed at 110.300 yen JPY after falling to 109.92 late on Tuesday, its lowest since Oct. 31, 2014. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told the Wall Street Journal that coun-

tries should avoid seeking to weaken their currencies with “arbitrary intervention.”

Amid earlier turmoil in the global markets the yen has advanced steadily this year due to its safe-haven status and more recently on expec-tations that the Federal Re-serve would not hike interest rates as aggressively this year as initially anticipated.

But each signi� cant ad-vance had been accompanied by some wariness in the mar-ket that Japan could intervene to prevent a stronger yen,

which is an unwelcome fac-tor for a government trying to shore up a moribund economy.

“Japan will host the G7 sum-mit in May. It cannot a� ord to in-vite almost guaranteed criticism by intervening through yen-sell-ing after it adopted negative interest rates,” said Junichi Ishi-kawa, FX analyst at IG Securities in Tokyo. “The authorities also have to keep US political devel-opments in mind, as presiden-tial hopefuls Trump and Clin-ton have both been critical of Japan’s stance on currencies,” Ishikawa added. l

Stocks end in choppy trading Doreen Power makes happy debutn Tribune Report

Stocks ended � at amid chop-py trading yesterday as cau-tious investors continued to opt for pro� t booking.

The market moved be-tween red and green zones throughout the entire session as bull and bear were locked in race.

The benchmark index DSEX inched 4 points up to close at 4,413, after pro� t booking fell in previous session.

The Shariah index DSES was slightly up over 1 point to 1,067.

The blue chip comprising index DS30 witnessed a frac-tional rise of 0.3 point to 1,670.

The Chittagong Stock Ex-change Selective Category Index CSCX settled at 8,248, shedding 5 points.

The higher volume of trade of the debutant Doreen Power Generations and Sys-tems Limited has bolstered overall trade volume at DSE.

This has led to increase the DSE turnover which stood at Tk427 crore, sharply up about 35% over the previ-ous session’s value.

In its � rst trading day, stock prices of the Doreen Power that accounted for almost 16% of the days’ to-tal trade jumped 188.6% to Tk83.7 crore on its o� er value.

The company also con-tributed to the rally of power sector that surged nearly 2%, which was the highest gainer of the day.

Most other sectors like engineering, banks and phar-maceuticals closed margin-

ally higher while food and allied, telecommunications and non-banking � nancial institutions closed marginal-ly lower.

“The market took a breath after substantial swings in benchmark index,” said Lan-ka Bangla Securities.

Investors were closely watching the � rst quarter’s economic data to gauge the strength of recent uptrend in market, it added.

Shares of 316 companies were traded on the day. Of these, 102 companies closed positive, 160 negative while 54 remained unchanged.

After Doreen Power, oth-er turnover leaders included Keya Cosmetics, BSRM Limit-ed, The Ibn Sina, Aman Feed and Lanka Bangla Finance. l

NOVOAIR Dhaka Travel Mart kicks o� tomorrown Tribune Report

A four-day long internation-al tourism fair styled “NO-VOAIR Dhaka Travel Mart 2016” begins tomorrow in the capital.

The Bangladesh Monitor, country’s premier travel and tourism-related publication, is the organiser of the thir-teen edition of the fair.

Kazi Wahidul Alam, edi-tor of the Bangladesh Mon-itor and also the chairman of the NOVOAIR DTM-2016 Organising Committee came up with the disclosure while addressing press conference at a city hotel yesterday.

Civil Aviation and Tour-ism Minister Rashed Khan

Menon will formally inaugu-rate the Dhaka Travel Mart at Pan Paci� c Sonargaon Hotel in the city.

NOVOAIR Managing Di-rector Mo� zur Rahman and General Manager of Biman Bangladesh Airlines Syed Ahasan Hossain Kazi alsoaddressed the press confer-ence.

NOVOAIR, a leading pri-vate airliner, is the title sponsor while Bangladesh Tourism Board (BTB) and Bi-man Bangladesh Airlines are jointly supporting the event as partners.

About 50 organisations from home and abroad are taking part in the fair, which includes National Tourism

Organisations (NTOs), Air-lines, Tour Operators, Hotels, Resorts, Healthcare service providers and others.

The fair will remain open for the visitors from 5pm to 9 pm tomorrow while from 10am to 8pm from Saturday to Monday with an entry fee of Tk.25 per person. Ra� e draw will be held on the en-try coupons at 7.30 pm on the concluding day.

Kazi Wahidul Alam said “To unlock the country’s tourism potential, we had launched the annual event thirteen years back and we believe that Dhaka Travel Mart has been able to play some role in the development of the tourism sector.” l

Spanish port becomes global ‘smart city’ laboratoryn AFP, Santander

In Spain’s historic port of Santand-er, parking is no longer a headache, rubbish bins never over� ow and grass is watered only when needed since this northern resort became a testing ground for “smart cities” around the world.

Thousands of sensors have transformed the metropolis, known for the grand hotels and high-end casinos lining its beach on Spain’s northern Atlantic coast, into a high-tech laboratory.

Four hundred alone are buried beneath streets in the city’s busy heart to monitor whether parking spots are free or occupied.

Light panels at intersections and GPS devices direct drivers to the nearest available parking spaces, reducing tra� c congestion.

“An app allows you to pay for the parking with your smartphone and when the time runs out, you can extend it directly without having to go down to the street to put more coins in the meter,” said Cristina Munoz, a 32-year-old journalist.

When Luis Munoz, an IT pro-fessor at the University of Can-tabria, pitched the idea of creating a “smart city” to Santander o� cials back in 2009, he remembers the � rst thing they told him: “We have a huge problem with parking”.

Seven years later, Santander, with some 175,000 residents, is a

kind of living laboratory. With funding from the Euro-

pean Commission and a handful of foreign universities, around 20,000 sensors are up, down and all around - under the asphalt, af-� xed to street lamps and riding on top of city buses.

The devices, about the size of a shoebox with four antennae, col-lect data on rainfall and road tra� c which is sent to a control centre to help the city provide services more e� ciently and cheaply.

The pilot project has made Santander the most connected city in Europe “in terms of installed infrastructure”, said Munoz, and has even peaked foreign curiosity.

On a recent day, the professor wel-comed a delegation from Singapore that wants to share in the Spanish city’s experience.

Other cities such as Boston in the United States and Aarhus in Denmark have also shown interest in working with Santander.

The city is taking part in a dozen international projects whose re-sults are being closely monitored at a time when cities across the world, such as London and Tel Aviv, are deploying IT to deliver services.

Intelligent streetlights Sensors installed in bins for inor-ganic waste warn when they are full and ready to be collected.

The city receives 180 days of rainfall per year and the sensors ensure the automatic irrigation system in public parks only starts working when the soil is dry.

Santander will soon use sensors to ensure that its elegant wrought-iron streetlights reduce the light they emit when no one is nearby.

With a perennial smile, 49-year-old Angel Benito tweaks the display in the window of his shoe shop on one of Santander’s main pedestrian thoroughfares.

On the glass is a QR barcode which can be scanned by a smart-phone to provide information about the shop along with a link to its online sales page.

Back in 2012, he was the � rst shopkeeper to display such a code. Now there are 1,500 throughout the city.

“Customers can learn about our opening hours, our products, spe-cial o� ers,” he said of the system which even allowed him to take an order from a tourist who visited Santander on a Sunday when the shop was closed.

A smartphone app allows resi-dents and tourists to � nd shops, li-braries, medical centres and trans-portation.

Another provides residents in-formation about their water con-sumption in real time and sends an alert to their phone if there is a leak.

Residents creating appsSantander Mayor Inigo de la Ser-na acknowledges that the sensors raise concerns about privacy and the risk of cyber-attacks, but he said the goal is to further develop the system.

“There is a data protection law which we must follow and that is a guarantee,” he said.

“A smart city is one where if an-ything happens, all services start to act automatically. For example, if there is a crack in the pavement, a smart city should boost lighting on that street, send an alarm to locals and automatically detour tra� c,” he said. l

Business18DT

THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2016

CORPORATE NEWS

AG Motors, a concern of Anwar Group has recently signed a dealership agreement with Paugeot, a French automobile brand, said a press release. The agreement was signed by Hossain Khaled, managing director of AG Motors and Didier Richard, head of sales and marketing for India and Paci� c Region at PSA Peugeot Citroën

BSRM Group has recently signed a partnership agreement with United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) to support the ultra-poor women in rural areas by providing training on life skills. UNDP Bangladesh’s deputy country director, Nick Beresford and chairperson of BSRM Group, Alihussain Akberali have signed the agreement, said a press release

Standard Bank Ltd has recently held its 251st board meeting. The bank’s chairperson, Kazi Akram Uddin Ahmed presided over the meeting, said a press release

Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited has recently held a board meeting in order to evaluate the bank’s performance. The bank’s chairperson, Engr Mustafa Anwar presided over the meeting, said a press release

A resident uses a mobile phone to read a QR code on a public bus stop in Santander AFP

BFC opens its branch at Mirpur 10n Tribune Business Desk

Best Fried Chicken (BFC), a local fast food shop, has opened its 15th branch at Mirpur 10 for the food lovers of the area recently. The new branch is located at Plot -01, Road-03, Mirpur-10.

Opex and Sinha Group Chair-man Anisur Rahman Sinha formal-ly inaugurated the new branch.

The Executive Director of BFC Nizamul Karim Chowdhury and other o� cials along with invited guests attended at the inaugural ceremony.

In this new branch, consumers can enjoy the tasty food and hy-gienic environment with friends and family.

Among the experience, there are the BFC staples, crispy fried chicken, chicken cheese burgers, hot wings, chicken nuggets, special rice combo, chicken strips, French fries and beef cheese burgers. To sweeten the meal, one can � nish up with the deliciously soft ice-cream. l

Biz Info 19D

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THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2016

Panel Discussion on the need of digital skills for women

Healthy bites at BBQ Bangladesh

Spring breakers

The British Council recently organised a panel discussion titled, “Digital Skills – Can They Change Girls’ Lives?” The discussion considered the disparity between men and women in terms of access to the internet and smartphone use in developing countries, and how accessing both can have a signi� cantly positive impact on such economies.

Chowdhury Mufad Ahmed, additional secretary, Ministry of Education, Shahin Ahmed Chowdhury, director general, department of women a� airs, Mahmuda Rahman Khan, senior program development specialist, USAID Bangladesh and Dr Gitiara Nasreen, professor, gender, media, and ICT expert, University of Dhaka, took part in the discussion as panelists. Gaynor Evans, head of English, British Council, moderated the discussion.

The panel addressed vital areas pertaining to the topic including the challenges that young women and girls face to

gain relevant digital skills and the initiatives that are currently being taken to address and resolve the issue. It also considered how digital access can enhance economic empowerment and skill development of young girls, how young women and organisations can be encouraged to participate in the gender equality movement, how relevant policies and standards can be strengthened, and the role of governments and NGOs.

The various challenges that

stand in the way of women to achieve this potential include a gender digital divide, which has led to a gender skill imbalance and unequal opportunities for women. This is compounded by the need to overcome social norms, the need to embrace the opportunities for women that comes with access to technology and the need to work in multilateral partnerships to bring women in to the technology space.l

If you’re planning to shed a few pounds, eating out can be quite the challenge since fried food contains a high amount of sodium and processed ingredients that spell murder for your diet plan. Luckily, BBQ Bangladesh has a number of healthy recipes for you which do not compromise on taste.

The olive tender strips salad

puts juicy chicken strips on a bed of fresh greens, drizzled with honey mustard sauce and while the Sous-vide chicken salad is topped o� with a � avourful lemon dressing, their fresh garden salad is made tastier with creamy balsamic dressing and feta cheese.

Try these and more at BBQ Bangladesh. l

nPragya Rahman

Hallelujah! It’s Spring, which means it is the season to fall ill with all kinds of viruses and bacteria � oating around in the air. Never mind hay fever or dust allergies-your closest con� dant of the season. While the season comes every year to add colour and zest to life, it also bring with it an army of various viruses and bacteria. The spring breakers

that have been with us since the beginning of time and are the most socially acclaimed and culturally signi� cant are: the runny nose, high temperature, headache and or general pain, nausea and vomiting, lack of energy and diarrhea.

These conditions are so important in medicine that, in almost every illness, one looks out for at least one of these characteristics. A cocktail of all these conditions is considered very serious and is linked to a myriad of diseases. So if you � nd yourself experiencing these symptoms, your body is falling ill. It may also be your body’s subtle way of telling you to slow down and live a healthy and happy life.

Sometimes a phone call from the spring breakers might be exactly what you need in your life. If you’re one of those people who claim themselves to be a doctor, who has been to the doctors’ perhaps once in your life and your answer to everything is Paracetamol (like most people in Bangladesh). Then, a few days in bed living o� of a healthy,

balanced and nutritious diet in a nurturing, low and controlled stress zone is probably what you need. As far as the self-prescribing of medication is concerned, we as a nation, love to be stoic and show that we’re impervious to vulnerability. But taking medicine (especially anti-biotics, anti-virals and painkillers) without consulting your physician will not only bring on the adverse e� ects of the drugs but may also lead to problems caused by the

drug. Let’s evaluate this issue by looking at our old friend, good ol’ Paracetamol.

It was blessed upon humankind like manna from the heavens and could cure just about anything, or so we think, while this may rid you of your aches and pains temporarily, in the long run it will become the cause of more pain. People who keep popping painkillers for headaches especially migraine su� erers who rely on non-steroidal anti-

in� ammatory drugs (NSAID’s) tend to develop a much more severe and sometimes chronic form of headaches due to medication overuse. NSAID’s are not known to be gut-friendly and overuse may lead to acid re� ux issues and even ulcers. Always consult your physician before taking any medication and report any allergic reactions (anaphylaxis), immediately.

Let’s pretend for a while that the spring breakers have not necessarily attacked you with their fury but gave you a golden opportunity to have your health checked. You’re cold and achy and your stomach’s churning everything out into rubbish, now is the perfect time to pick up the phone and call a doctor. Now brace yourself, the doctor may order some general tests for you but don’t panic. Some of these will include a complete blood count, a lipid pro� le, a stool and urine test. You should put your doctor’s number on speed dial now and have these tests done at least twice a year even if you are � t as a � ddle.Always stay positive and remember that health comes first. If needed, take appropriate medication as prescribed by your doctor and you’ll live a long and healthy life. l

| health |

| women empowerment | | bites |

Downtime20DT

THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 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 15 represents K so � ll K every time the � gure 15 appears.You have two letters in the control grid to start you o� . Enter them in the appropriate squares in the main grid, then use your knowledge of words to work out which letters go in the missing squares.Some letters of the alphabet may not be used.As you get the letters, � ll in the other squares with the same number in the main grid, and the control grid. Check o� the list of alphabetical letters as you identify them.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

CROSSWORD

ACROSS 1 Unassuming (6) 6 Snake (3)9 Foolish person (5) 10 Gratis (4)11 Cathartic drug (5) 12 Anger (3)13 Supporting beam (6) 15 Uncommon (4)18 Excuse (4)21 Greek capital (6) 24 Regret (3)25 Abnormally fat (5) 28 Article (4)29 Light beer (5)30 Was ahead (3)31 Held principles (6)

DOWN 1 Niggard (5)2 Lyric poem (3) 3 Restaurant car (5)4 Vast age (3)5 Male deer (4)6 Dry (4)7 Calm (6)8 Look narrowly (4)14 Sharp blow (3)16 Shrewd (6)17 Female sheep (3) 19 Loyal vassal (5)20 A� rms with con� dence (5) 21 Seeds covering (4)22 Pay attention (4)23 Part of a shoe (4)26 Interdict (3)27 Become � rm (3)

SUDOKU

INSIDE

21D

TWorldTHURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2016

Cameron, family won’t take bene� t from o� shore funds in futurePrime Minister David Cameron, his wife and their children will not bene� t in future from any o� shore funds or trusts, a spokesman said on Wednesday as the British leader faced more questions over family tax a� airs. PAGE 22

The roots of Saudi’s harsh justice system Last year alone there were 151 executions in Saudi Arabia, the highest number in 20 years. About half died for non-violent o� ences, and about half were foreigners, according to an Amnesty Inter-national report, published on Wednesday. PAGE 24

Nepal, India alarmed by report of children tra� cked as slaves to UKNepal and India expressed alarm on Tuesday over a report that children as young as 10 from both countries are being sold as domes-tic slaves to rich families in the UK for $7,525 each. PAGE 23

Why Americans not included in #PanamaPapers

n Tribune International Desk

One of the many remarkable things about the massive leak of documents known as the Panama Papers is what’s so far been lack-ing. Americans.

The documents, related to a Panamanian law � rm that spe-cialises in creating shell compa-nies for many of the world’s rich-est people, provide a glimpse into how secret fortunes and ill-got-ten gains are moved through a shady � nancial network, accord-ing to the International Consorti-um of Investigative Journalism, which worked with news organ-isations around the world to ana-lyse the � les.

The clients and connections in-cluded current and former world leaders, famous athletes and bil-lionaires, but also notorious un-derworld operatives. The ICIJ says people in the US were involved. But hardly any are among the bold-faced names made public. One exception is Chicago-based � nancial coach and author Mari-anna Olszewski — who, according to ICIJ member the BBC, allegedly used the � rm, Mossack Fonseca, to hide her name as the owner of a secret o� shore account.

The seeming dearth of Amer-icans in the reports doesn’t nec-essarily mean that US citizens are more upfront, or more law abiding, than their counterparts

around the world, experts said. But there are a number of possible reasons why so few have showed up in the coverage.

First, this was a leak of more than 11m documents, and it will take some time for the ICIJ to scour them. “So maybe there are revelations about speci� c Amer-icans and secret funds that we haven’t heard about,” said Matt Gardner, executive director of The Institute on Taxation and Eco-nomic Policy, a research organi-sation.

At the same time, it’s possible that Americans who do this sort of thing simply worked with law � rms other than Mossack Fonse-ca.

There are numerous other � rms, large and small, American and foreign, that help wealthy cli-ents set up o� shore shell corpora-tions — which isn’t of itself illegal, as long as the clients aren’t try-ing to hide criminal proceeds or dodge tax collectors, experts said.

“This � rm is one of thousands in the world and there are hun-dreds or thousands just like it in the US,” said Ana Owens, a tax and budget advocate at US Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), a federation of state-level consum-er advocacy organisations.

“If a company in the US can do the exact thing for you as this company in Panama, then you might as well do it right here in the

US and its perfectly legal, which is the issue.”

She cited a series of stories by the Portland Business Journal last year that revealed federal au-thorities’ failed attempts to catch a California-based “corporation mill” committing fraud, despite evidence of � nancial crimes by companies related to the � rm.

In January, the British activist group Global Witness found sev-eral New York real estate lawyers who expressed willingness to help an undercover reporter form shell companies to secretly move sus-pect money from Africa.

US itself a tax havenTwo states, Delaware or Nevada, along with the US Virgin Islands, are known in particular for loose regulations and low taxes, making them attractive for people to hide their activities and assets behind a corporate facade.

The British-based Tax Justice Network released a “Financial Secrecy Index” of popular tax havens last fall that ranked the US third, behind Switzerland and Hong Kong, and far higher than Panama, at 13th.

What may keep more su-per-rich Americans from seeking tax havens is that they have less to lose, said Lee Sheppard, an ex-pert in international � nance at the nonpro� t research organisation Tax Analysts.

“For Americans, taxes aren’t all that high relative to other devel-oped countries,” Sheppard said.

But that doesn’t keep some from trying.

Larry Langdon, a former Inter-nal Revenue Service commission-er, said many of America’s biggest businesses, including Apple and Google, legally cut their tax bur-dens by forming companies in countries with even lower rates than the US — not only typical ha-vens like islands in the Caribbean, but also job-hungry countries like Ireland.

The IRS wants to catch Amer-icans who are breaking the law by hiding assets. But that has be-come di� cult as budget cuts have forced the IRS to prioritise large corporations over wealthy indi-viduals, he said.

Reform advocates say one pos-sible solution lies in a bill pending in Congress called the Incorpora-tion Transparency and Law En-forcement Assistance Act, which would require states to collect data on the “bene� cial owner-ship” of shell companies. That information could be made avail-able to investigators.

If they get their way, advocates say, Americans would have fewer opportunities to hide assets. l

[This is an excerpt of an NBC News article, which can be found at http://

nbcnews.to/205xzhU]

Shockwaves from the Panama Papers investigation

RUSSIAKremlin denouncesa bid to “destabilse”President Vladimir Putinand Russia in the run-up to elections

UKRAINE

CHINABeijing censoringreports on thePanama Papersinvestigation, whichhas implicatedsenior politicians

President Petro Poroshenkodenies any wrongdoingover three o�shoreaccounts in his name

UNITED KINGDOM“I own no shares, no offshoretrusts, no offshore funds,nothing like that”

FRANCENational Front Partydenounces “defamation”

PAKISTANPrime Minister Nawaz Sharif announcesformation of commissionto investigate allegationslinking family to o�shorecompanies

ARGENTINAPresident Mauricio Macri, accused with his father and brother of being directorsof o�shore company in Bahamas, says “there was nothing strange about the operation”

Family denies “falseand insulting”allegations againstLionel Messi

HSBC, UBS, CreditSuisse and SocieteGenerale say they didnothing wrong whenthey set up o�shoresubsidiaries usingMossack Fonseca

FOOTBALL

Investigation launchedBANKS

CHILEPresident of “Transparent

Chile” resigns after his nameappears in connection with

5 o�shore �rms

PANAMALaw �rm Mossack Fonseca denounces leaks as “a crime,a felony... an attack on Panama”. One of the firm founders say company has been “hacked byservers abroad”

UNITED STATES“Tax avoidance is a big

global problem”

ICELANDHuge demonstration

Prime Minister Sigmundur David

Gunnlaugsson resigns

#PANAMAPAPERS LEAK

Cameron, family won’t take bene� t from o� shore funds in futuren Reuters, London

Prime Minister David Cameron, his wife and their children will not bene� t in future from any o� shore funds or trusts, a spokes-man said on Wednesday as the British leader faced more ques-tions over family tax a� airs.

Cameron’s late father, Ian, was among the tens of thousands of people named in leaked documents from Panama law � rm Mos-sack Fonseca which showed how the world’s rich and powerful are able to stash their wealth and avoid taxes.

After having at � rst described it as a private matter, Cameron’s o� ce said on Tuesday that he and his family did not bene� t from any such funds at present. Cameron also said he did not own any shares or have any o� shore funds.

But his failure to say whether he or his family would bene� t in future only intensi� ed media speculation, with the story splashed across many newspaper front pages on Wednesday.

“There are no o� shore funds or trusts which the prime minis-ter, Mrs Cameron or their children will bene� t from in future,” a spokesman for Cameron said on Wednesday.

Cameron has cast himself as a champion in the � ght against tax evasion, particularly in British-linked territories such as the British Virgin Islands and Cayman Islands, but the opposition La-bour Party have said the “Panama Papers” show the government has failed to tackle the issue.

The Telegraph reported that Ian Cameron’s fund moved its op-erations to Ireland in 2010, the year Cameron became prime min-ister, as the directors believed it was about to “come under more scrutiny.”

Asked whether the prime minister considered Ireland an o� -shore jurisdiction, his o� ce repeated that Cameron had made clear he had no shares in any company and no o� shore funds.

“People already think Cameron is very posh, very rich and very out of touch. I expect most of the public probably assume he’s got some huge steaming pile of cash stored away somewhere,” An-thony Wells, a director at pollsters YouGov, said.

“The Conservative Party could be talking about something where they are strong, like crime or the economy, where it would help them win votes. Instead they’re not, they’re talking about something that’s really bad for them where Labour have some-thing to say.”

Finance minister George Osborne, who also comes from a wealthy family, was asked whether he had any o� shore funds.

“This Conservative government has done more than any La-bour government or any previous government to tackle tax eva-sion, to tackle tax avoidance, to get money into the exchequer that is owed to the public,” he responded. l

THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 201622D

T World

The banks that set up the largest number of o�shore �rms usingthe Panamanian law �rm as an intermediary

The main banks

#PanamaPapers: The banks implicated

Source: ICIJ/Le Monde

214,488 o�shore�rms

Societe GeneraleFrance

979

2/3 of which via a subsiary

2,300

SG Bank and TrustLuxembourg

HSBC

Switz.UBS1,100

Credit Suisse

1,105

Mossack FonsecaIn business since 1977

15,579 (7.26%) of them

365 banks

Nordeaset up

for

United Kingdom

Deutsche Bank

Denmark

Germany

WorldTHURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2016

23D

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SOUTH ASIASuu Kyi’s state counselor bill passes despite military protestMyanmar’s military lawmakers made clear their opposition to a bill to create a powerful new presiden-tial advisory role for Aung San Suu Kyi on Tuesday by refusing to take part in a lower house of parliament vote on it. The bill, which creates a state counselor position enabling Suu Kyi to work in both in the execu-tive and legislative branches, passed in the lower house but not before raising tension between the military and Suu Kyi’s party. -REUTERS

INDIAAmitabh Bachchan denies link with Panama PapersActor Amitabh Bachchan, whose name � gured in the Panama Paper leaks as allegedly having links with o� shore entities in two tax havens, on Tuesday denied any connection with those companies, saying his name may have been misused. He also claimed that even the news report had not suggested any wrongdoing on his part. -HT

CHINAChina opens lighthouse on S China Sea reefChina has expanded its presence in the contested South China Sea by switching on a lighthouse atop a reconstructed reef also claimed by Vietnam and the Philippines, state media said. The 55-meter-high facility on Subi Reef in the Spratly chain contains technology to monitor passing ships. China has turned Subi Reef - known as Zhubi in China - into an arti� cial island in the past year. -AFP

ASIA PACIFICJapanese military jet carrying 6 airmen missingA Japanese military jet carrying 6 airmen disappeared from radar over southern Japan on Wednesday afternoon, and the search has been suspended for the night. Defence Ministry said the U-125 search-and-rescue jet lost contact while it was � ying over mountains about 10km north of the Air Self-Defence Force’s Kanoya base in Kagoshima. -AFP

MIDDLE EASTArab-Jewish segregation comments spark criticism A far-right Israeli politician has been admonished by his party and roundly condemned by commen-tators after suggesting Jewish and Arab women should be separated in maternity wards in apartheid-style segregation. Betzalel Smotrich, a 36-year-old member of parliament from the Jewish Home Party, is an ultra-nationalist settler who is frequently outspoken on issues of religion and the Palestinians. -REUTERS

Mumbai teen’s child labour project gets nat’l platformn Thomson Reuters

Foundation, Mumbai

It began as a school project, became a citywide campaign, and is now a national social media campaign aimed at getting communities to address child labour in India.

Kunaal Bhargava, 17, a student at the American School in Mumbai, picked child labour for a classroom project. He approached Salaam Baalak Trust, a charity that works with street children, for help with material. The Mumbai police were so impressed with the poster cam-paign he created that it was adapt-ed for billboards across the city ear-lier this year.

This week, a citizen engagement platform LocalCircles, which con-nects its more than 1m members in discussions on governance and other matters of public interest, created a discussion group on child labour to seek input on the issue.

“We encounter it (Child labour) every day, so getting the commu-nity involved is an e� ective way to check child labour,” said Bhargava.

There are 5.7m Indian child work-ers aged between � ve and 17, out of 168m globally, according to the In-ternational Labour Organisation.

Members of the LocalCircles group can, in addition to o� ering suggestions, post pictures and re-port instances of child labour that the police and NGOs can act on, said founder Sachin Taparia.

The LocalCircles group for child labour is managed by the Indian Police Foundation, a think tank comprising police o� cials, bureau-crats and civil society leaders. l

Court asks whether India is for Hindus onlyn Tribune Desk

A Bombay High Court bench has asked the BJP-ruled Nagpur Mu-nicipal Corporation (NMC) wheth-er “India is for Hindus only”, while expressing anguish over the corporation’s move to recite ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ (a Hindu de-votional hymn) at an AIDS aware-ness programme.

The Nagpur bench of the court, while hearing a public interest lit-igation (PIL) suit on Tuesday, ex-pressed strong reservations over the plan to recitation of hymn,

praising Hindu God Hanuman, at the awareness event, which is tak-ing in association with a local or-ganisation called the Ram Mandir Trust.

“Why only recital of Hanuman Chalisa and why not from Qur’an, the Bible or other religious liter-ature? What is the nexus of AIDS awareness and Hanuman Chalisa recital? Is it only Hindus who con-tract AIDS? Is chanting of Hanu-man Chalisa the only remedy for eradication of this deadly disease? the division bench asked.

“If people can come for this

event, they will also come for rec-itation of Qur’an and Bible,” the court observed.

The judges disposed of the suit � led by former corporator, after both the NMC and programme convener, who is the ruling party’s leader in the civic body, agreed to disassociate with the two events (AIDS awareness and Hanuman Chalisa event).

The judges said that they were not against any religious programme, but only concerned with government agencies associating with it.

The judges asked the respond-ents (NMC and the temple trust) to keep at least an hour’s gap be-tween the AIDS awareness pro-gramme and the Hanuman Chali-sa recitation, which over 150,000 people are expected to attend. The court further directed to en-sure that separate banners are put up backstage during both the pro-grammes, with individual names of organisers. The NMC was also asked to give wide publicity to its AIDS awareness programme, without mentioning the Hanu-man Chalisa event. l

Nepal, India alarmed by report of children tra� cked as slaves to UKn Thomson Reuters

Foundation, New Delhi/Kathmandu

Nepal and India expressed alarm on Tuesday over a report that children as young as 10 from both countries are being sold as do-mestic slaves to rich families in the UK for $7,525 each.

An investigation by The Sun newspaper suggested that gangs operating in the north In-dian state of Punjab are preying on destitute Indian children, as well as Nepali children who migrated to India after earth-quakes hit their country last year.

The article published on Mon-day prompted British Home Sec-retary Theresa May to call for a police investigation into the al-legations of child tra� cking - “a truly abhorrent crime” - and ac-tion against perpetrators.

Government o� cials in Nepal and India said they are aware hu-man tra� cking is common, espe-cially after natural disasters, but were surprised victims are being sent as far away as the UK.

“We have no proof now. If any proof is found out during in-vestigation, we will bring those involved it the crime to justice. There is no question of leaving them without punishment,” Ya-dav Koirala, spokesman for Ne-pal’s Home Ministry, said.

“It is a known fact that children from poor families are tra� cked from states such as Bihar and Ut-tar Pradesh bordering Nepal. The last devastating earthquake in Nepal has added to this problem,” said an o� cial of the Indian home ministry, who did not want to be named.

He said cases of human traf-� cking were possible in Punjab where drug tra� cking is a prob-lem, and that the same gangs could be involved in buying and selling children as well.

‘Take a Nepalese to England’The Sun’s investigation was car-ried out by an undercover report-er posing as a wealthy British-In-dian visiting the city of Jalandhar, looking for a child worker to take back to the UK.

It quotes a trader called Mak-khan Singh, who had lined up three children for the reporter to choose from, claiming he had supplied mostly Nepali boys to rich families in England.

“Take a Nepalese to England. They are good people. They are good at doing all the housework and they’re very good cooks. No one is going to come after you,” he was quoted as saying.

South Asia is the fastest-grow-ing and second-largest region for human tra� cking in the world, after East Asia, according to the United Nations O� ce for Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

India, alone, is home to al-most half the world’s 36m slaves, according to the 2015 Global Slavery Index, produced by the Australia-based Walk Free Foundation.

Thousands of children, most-ly from poor rural areas, are tak-en to cities every year by gangs who sell them into bonded la-

bour or hire them out to unscru-pulous employers. Many end up as domestic workers or la-bourers in brick kilns, roadside restaurants or small textile and embroidery workshops. Many women and girls are sold into brothels.

40,000 children hit after quakesEarthquakes that struck Nepal in April and May 2015, killed some 8,800 people, left hundreds of thousands of families home-less and raised concerns among rights groups that tra� cking rings would take advantage of the vul-nerable.

Nepali o� cials say more than 40,000 children either lost their parents, were injured, or were placed in a precarious situation following the disaster.

Back in Britain, Home Secre-tary May called on The Sun to help with the police investigation in the UK.

“We encourage The Sun to share its disturbing � ndings with the Police and National Crime Agency so that appropriate ac-tion can be taken against the vile criminals who pro� t from this trade,” May said in a statement on Monday. l

The illustration of the poster Kunaal Bhargava created DNAINDIA

A pictograph of child and women slavery BIGSTOCK

THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 201624 WorldD

T

USATed Cruz, Bernie Sanders win WisconsinRepublican Ted Cruz and Demo-cratic challenger Bernie Sanders snatched victories in the crucial Wisconsin presidential primary Tuesday, sending a message to frontrunners Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton that their march to the nominations are not foregone conclusions. Cruz’s win in the Badger State is a serious blow to Trump and could alter the trajec-tory of the Republican race. -AFP

THE AMERICASNew Mexico envoy to US to tackle Trump tensionsMexico on Tuesday named a new ambassador to the United States who it said would tackle the an-ti-Mexican atmosphere generated in the US presidential campaign. Mex-ican President Enrique Pena Nieto promoted his current consul in Los Angeles, Carlos Sada, to ambassador in Washington in what his govern-ment called a shift in strategy. -AFP

UKJunior doctors stage 4th strike in bitter disputeJunior doctors in English hospitals went on strike again Wednesday, withdrawing all but emergency care in their fourth walk-out in a bitter dispute with the government over working conditions. More than 5,000 procedures and operations in the state-run National Health Service have been postponed as a result of the 48-hour action. The government has said it would impose new terms in August to force an end to nearly three years of dispute. -REUTERS

EUROPERussia in major security forces reshu� eRussian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday announced the creation of powerful new National Guard secu-rity force. The Kremlin said that the Naional Guard will answer directly to Putin and tackle terrorism and organised crime. Analysts say the move comes as the Kremlin strives to bolster its security apparatus ahead of parliamentary elections in September in the face of a crippling economic crisis authorities fear could stir unrest. -AFP

AFRICANigeria opens camp to rehabilitate Boko HaramNigeria’s military has opened a camp to rehabilitate Boko Haram � ghters who have surrendered and are repentant, the military said Tuesday. The military did not give any details of the camp is or how it run, but said the repentant mil-itants would be given vocational training so they can help contrib-ute to the economy. -AP

INSIGHT

The roots of Saudi’s harsh justice system n Tribune International Desk

In 2013, A Canadian school, which set up a a satellite campus in Saudi Arabia’s Jazan drew huge criticism from home after Saudi authorities had executed � ve Yemenis for murder, and put their corpses on display on a pole strung between two cranes as a warning to others at the city centre.

Though it’s a standard practice in the desert kingdom, but it was a bit too much for the Canadian authorities to digest, since the country considers itself one of the biggest defender of human rights in home and abroad.

Last year alone there were 151 executions in Saudi Arabia, the highest number in 20 years. About half died for non-violent o� ences, and about half were for-eigners, according to an Amnesty International report, published on Wednesday.

This year began on an even bloodier note, with 47 executions on January 2 alone, including that of a prominent Shia cleric who had spoken against the royal family.

Rooted in religionIn fact, Saudi Arabia puts fewer people to death than either China or Iran. But Saudi Arabia’s grim tally attracts attention for three main reasons.

One is that many of those put to death are foreigners (mostly poor migrant workers); anoth-er is that it executes people for “crimes” (like adultery or even sorcery) that are not considered o� ences in other countries; and the third is that its punishments — beheading, whipping, crucifying and stoning — are so shocking to civilised sensibilities.

These actions make it di� cult for allies to defend the kingdom, particularly because similar pun-ishments are often cited as part of the justi� cation for waging war on groups like Dae’sh and the Taliban.

And yet Saudi Arabia also ap-pears uniquely impervious to out-side pressure to change its ways, which are rooted in religion.

“Saudi Arabia has always been a very difficult country to push human rights change in,” says Alex Neve, secretary gen-eral of Amnesty International Canada. “It’s very resistant to external pressure, and it’s been ruthless in crushing internal re-form efforts.”

One of the leading experts on the country, Gregory Gause, the head of the international a� airs department at Texas A&M Univer-sity, agrees that the Saudis are not feeling the heat.

“The more power a country has

in the international system, the less they have to worry about hu-man rights reports,” he says. “And the Saudis have leverage because of oil.”

But Gause says there is one area where the Saudis are very touchy, and that may have in� u-enced the methods it used in the recent mass execution.

“They’re extremely sensitive to the comparison to the Islam-ic State (Dae’sh). Not many of the 47 were beheaded. Most of them were stood up in front of firing squads,” a decision, Gause says, that was “probably” influ-enced by a desire to differentiate the kingdom from the jihadist group.

Rule by fatwaIslam has no established clergy, and yet senior religious � gures can issue edicts or fatwas that have legal force in Saudi Arabia. Among them are about 700 qadis or religious justices who can de-cide individual cases.

These judges are known for their conservative world views. In 2008, for example, one of the most in� uential of these Saudi qa-dis issued a fatwa against Mickey Mouse, warning that mice and oth-er rodents were “soldiers of Satan.” Other Saudi fatwas ban Pokemon cards, Barbie dolls, marking Val-entine’s Day or bringing � owers to a sick person in hospital.

How rigorously a fatwa is en-forced can depend on the person-al religious authority of the man who issued it.

While the al-Saud family holds the throne, it is the al ash-Shaykh family that sits atop the kingdom’s religious, and therefore judicial, hierarchy as grand muftis. They are the direct descendents of Mu-hammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, who founded the kingdom’s o� cial creed of Wahhabi Islam in the 18th century.

Bonds of marriage and mutual interest have joined the two fam-ilies together for 270 years. The al ash-Shaykh family, more than the Sauds, are generally considered the true guardians of Saudi con-servatism.

The last grand mufti, Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah bin Baz, issued a fatwa that the sun rotated around the Earth, deeming it “lawful to kill whoever claims that the sun is static.” Bin Baz only changed his mind in 1985 after Saudi Prince Sultan bin Salman went into space on the shuttle Discovery and re-turned to Earth to say that he had seen the planet rotating.

The prince also succeeded in persuading Bin Baz to drop his long-standing insistence that the world was � at.

The kingdom’s only law bookThe vagaries of the Saudi justice system, however, can be seen in any number of cases, including that of Ali Hussain Sibat, a Lebanese TV personality who had his own call-in show where he wore a turban and peered into a crystal ball.

In 2008, Sibat visited Saudi Arabia on pilgrimage, and was unfortunate enough to be recog-nised by a member of Saudi Ara-bia’s Committee for the Promo-tion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, known colloquially as the religious police. He was hauled before a Sharia court and sen-tenced to death for “predicting the future.”

No such crime exists in the Sau-di criminal code, because there is no Saudi criminal code.

The ulama, the Saudi religious establishment, insists that no codi� ed law is required because all that needs to be said about law and punishment can be found in the Qur’an and the Sun-nah, the oral tenets of Islam that have been handed down over the centuries.

Consequently, Sharia court judges are free to improvise charg-es such as “predicting the future,” “breaking allegiance with the rul-er” or, in the case of the recently executed Shia cleric, “seeking for-eign meddling.”

Those charges are typically linked back to a broader catego-ry of o� ence that appears in the Qur’an.

In Sibat’s case, it was “sorcery.”

What has happened to him since his death sentence is unknown, but Saudi Arabia continues to behead men and women, most-ly foreigners, whom it accuses of casting spells and making magic potions.

Reform a long way offStill, it would be a mistake to imagine that removing the cur-rent establishment would lead to a more liberal regime, says Gause.

“The central parts of Saudi Arabia are extremely conserv-ative, socially. And if you had a true democratic system, I think you’d have a lot of people who are more socially conservative than the royal family coming to power.”

The practices that shock peo-ple, including the public behead-ings and the public display of bodies all seem likely to continue. Advocates of more democracy will remain targets.

“I think that the current re-gime feels itself to be in a threat-ened regional environment,” says Gause. “They’re also going to have to confront the domestic issues of falling oil prices, and what that means for government spending, and I think their im-pulse is not going to be to loos-en up. I think it’s going to be to tighten up.” l

[This is an excerpt from a CBC article, which can be found at http://bit.

ly/1OVq4GY]

Executions in Saudi Arabia

Source: Amnesty International Dhaka Tribune

2015 151

2014 90

2013

2012 79

79

2011 82

2010 27

2009 69

2008 102

2007 143

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THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2016

Ground honour for WI captain SammyDarren Sammy’s World Twenty20 success has been recognised by his native St Lucia after it was announced that the island’s main cricket ground would be renamed in his honour. The Beausejour Cricket Ground will now be known as the Darren Sammy National Cricket Ground. PAGE 27

'Bachao Football' meets BCB presidentA group of sports organisers and former footballers of the country with the slogan “Bachao Football” (Save Football) yesterday sought support from Bangladesh Cricket Board president Nazmul Hasan so that they can present their message to PM Sheikh Hasina. PAGE 26

Barca protected, fumes TorresFernando Torres raged that Atlet-ico Madrid are not treated equally to Barcelona by referees after his early red card turned their Champi-ons League QF, � rst leg around on Tuesday. Torres had put Atletico in front at the Camp Nou. PAGE 28

Homecoming for Liverpool’s Klopp Jurgen Klopp makes his eagerly anticipated return to Borussia Dortmund today when his Liverpool side visit the German giants in the � rst leg of their Europa League quarter-� nal heavyweight clash. Klopp spent seven years at Dortmund. PAGE 29

TALKING POINTS

Luis Suarez (R) heads to score for Barcelona against Atletico Madrid during their Uefa Champions League QF, � rst-leg at the Nou Camp on Tuesday REUTERS

BARCA’S 7-GAME ATM WINNING STREAKLuis Suarez made the di� er-ence for Barcelona once more against Atletico Madrid as his second-half double handed the Catalans a 2-1 Champions League quarter-� nal, � rst leg lead. Here, AFP Sports looks at how Suarez’s partnership with Lionel Messi and Ney-mar has allowed Barca to re-gain the upper hand on Diego Simeone’s side.

Barcelona 3 Atletico Madrid 1La Liga, January 11, 2015

Barca came into this clash in the midst of a crisis hav-ing lost at Real Sociedad in their previous league game and with coach Luis Enrique apparently one more defeat away from the sack.

Instead, Suarez, Messi and Neymar all scored in the same game for the � rst time in La Liga to kickstart a run of 12 wins in 13 games that would eventually carry Barca to the title.

Barcelona 1 Atletico Madrid 0Copa del Rey, January 21, 2015Just 10 days later the sides met again in the Copa del Rey with far fewer talking points as Atletico’s defensive set-up frustrated Barca for 85 min-utes until Messi stabbed in the rebound after his penalty

had been saved by Jan Oblak.

Atletico Madrid 2 Barcelona 3 Copa del Rey, January 28, 2015One of a series of bad-tem-pered a� airs between the two in recent seasons, Atleti-co ended with nine men and could have been even more depleted had now Barca mid-� elder Arda Turan not es-caped with just a yellow card for throwing his boot towards an assistant referee.

Torres had raised hopes of an Atletico � ghtback when he netted inside the � rst minute before Neymar’s equaliser left the hosts needing two more to progress.

Raul Garcia’s penalty put them back in front, but a Miranda own goal and second from Neymar sealed the tie before half-time.

Atletico Madrid 0 Barcelona 1La Liga, May 17, 2015

A year after Atletico won the title at the Camp Nou on the � nal day of the season, Barca got their revenge by sealing a 23rd La Liga crown thanks to Messi’s sumptuous solo e� ort.

Atletico Madrid 1 Barcelona 2La Liga, September 12, 2015

Messi only stated the next

meeting at the Calderon on the bench a day after the birth of his second son, but he again proved the match winner by prodding home Suarez’s layo� after Neymar’s brilliant free-kick had can-celled out Torres’s opener.

Barcelona 2 Atletico Madrid 1La Liga, January 30, 2016

Atletico couldn’t have started any better as their early dom-inance was rewarded with Koke’s 10th-minute opener.

Yet, two brilliant goals by Messi and Suarez in an eight-minute spell turned the game around before Filipe Luis and Diego Godin were justly sent o� either side of half-time to leave Atletico down to nine men once more.

Barcelona 2 Atletico Madrid 1Champions League, April 5, 2016Again Atletico went ahead as Torres punished some awful defending for his 11th goal against Barca, but the former Liverpool and Chelsea striker undid his good work by lung-ing in on Neymar and Sergio Busquets shortly after.

A second-half Barca on-slaught ensued and Suarez � nally made Atletico pay with two goals in 12 minutes to leave the tie � nely poised. l

KEY PLAYER: LUIS SUÁREZThe brains of the visiting team, mid� elder Koke played superbly in a � rst half in which Ter Ste-gen’s brilliant save from Antoine Griezmann kept the holders alive. But after Atleti went down to ten, the power and irresistibility of the home side took over, Andrés Iniesta their ever tireless and nerveless orchestrator. Meanwhile Suárez, as he did here against Bayer Leverkusen and Arsenal, proved that having a striker for whom the goalmouth is magnetic is the di� erence between winning and losing.

THE SIMEONE SPECIALTYMost teams struggle to cope against Barcelona with 11 men, but for the second time in little more than two months Atlético played at the Camp Nou with numerical inferiority. That they threatened with nine men in January’s Liga meeting, and with ten here, is testimony to their tactical nous, � tness and collective fortitude. And if their Herculean ef-forts earned little moments of fortune in keeping the score down, perhaps it is evidence of the old refrain that ‘the harder I work the luckier I get’.

HISTORY MAKERS?Part of the allure of this competition is that no club has successfully defended the UEFA Champions League title. This quarter-� nal is still open and what the � rst leg made clear is that the distance between the sides, even after so many Atlético defeats, is paper-thin. Even so, could this be the year the holders � nally do it? Can Barcelona overcome the tiredness, the hurdles, the stress, the travelling and the di� erent playing styles? We shall see.l

26DT Sport

THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2016

CHAMPIONS West Indies cricketer Dwayne Bravo attends the launch of the 'Ultimate Sports Coaching' cricket camp in Chennai yesterday AFP

Bachao Football group meets BCB presidentn Tribune Report

A group of sports organisers and former footballers of the country with the slogan “Bachao Football” (Save Football) yesterday sought support from Bangladesh Cricket Board president Nazmul Hasan so that they can present their message to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Ahead of the upcoming Bangla-desh Football Federation election, scheduled to be held on April 30, Bachao Football, an opposition al-liance of current president Kazi Salahuddin as well as the existing executive committee, met the BCB supremo at his Gulshan residence without the presence of one of its key leaders Sheikh Jamal Dhanmon-di president Manjur Kader. Moham-medan’s director-in-charge Lokman Hossain Bhuiyan was also absent.

Golam Sarwar Tipu, Sheikh Mohammad Aslam, Zakaria Pin-too, Ashrafuddin Ahmed Chun-nu, Shamsul Alam Manju, Kaisar Hamid, Abdur Ga� ar and Sha� qul Islam Manik were present among others.

Papon assured the organisers that he would talk about this issue with the Premier. “I listened to the players and organisers. They want changes in BFF. They gave me a re-sponsibility and I will try my best to raise the matter to the Prime Minister soon,” said the BCB boss.

On the other hand, BFF chief Salahuddin termed the e� orts of Bachao Football as a mere stunt be-fore the BFF election.

“I want to ask the question - who are they? Are they footballers? If they are national footballers or something like that then what is their contribution in the country’s football? There are some people who has been living abroad for the last 10 years and suddenly they are asking about the development of Bangladesh football,” said Salahud-din before adding, “I do not want to ask what they did as footballers. This is absolutely a stunt before the BFF election. All they want to show is that they are some stakeholders of Bangladesh football. Actually they are not.” l

TOP FIVE BOWLING DISPLAYS OF THE 2016 WT20

HARDIK PANDYA2/29 (3) against Bangladesh

The bowling � gure might not appear outstanding but his

last over in which he scalped two wickets helped his side defend 11 runs. His spell was lauded in many quarters as

one of the best performances in the sixth edition.

–MAZHAR UDDIN

SAMUEL BADREE2/16 (4) against England

The leg-spinner, who bowled the opening over in the

grand � nale, repaid the faith of captain Darren Sammy,

conceding just 16 runs from his quota of four overs. The 35-year old was economical

throughout the entire tournament.

MUSTAFIZUR RAHMAN

5/22 (4) against New Zealand

Although it came in a losing cause, the pace sensation still left his mark against the Kiwis.

Among his � ve scalps, the wily delivery that shattered the timber of skipper Kane Williamson was the best of

the lot.

BEN STOKES3/26 (4) against

New Zealand

With the exception of “that � nal over”, the right-arm seamer was consistent,

especially his bowling in the death overs. In the semi-� nal,

the Kiwis managed just 32 runs in their last � ve overs due

to Stokes’ brilliant spell.

MITCHELL SANTNER4/11 (4 overs) against India

The 24-year old left-arm spinner bowled brilliantly

against the hosts in the Super 10s, bagging four miserly

wickets. Santner extracted maximum purchase from the

Nagpur pitch as the home side were skittled out for a

paltry 79.

I listened to the players and organisers. They want changes in BFF. They gave me a responsibility and I will try my best to raise the matter to the Prime Minister soon

Sport 27D

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THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2016

Women’s players’ transfer todayThe players’ transfer of the upcoming Dhaka Premier Division Women’s Cricket League will be held at the Academy building of the Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla national stadium today. The players’ transfer of the women’s cricket league however, will not be similar to the mens’ players’ draft where the cricketers have been divided into di� erent categories. The 16 national women cricketers will receive Tk 1.5 lac-Tk 6 lac while the players outside the national pool will pocket Tk 20,000-Tk 1 lac. All the teams will face each other once in the league with the top six sides advancing to the next round.

–TRIBUNE REPORT

Goalkeeper hospitalised after lightning strikeAn 18-year-old Australian-born goalkeeper was in intensive care in a Malaysian hospital after being reportedly struck by lightning while training in Malacca, local media said yesterday. Stefan Petrovski, of mixed Malaysian and Australian heritage, was hit along with 21-year-old defender Muhd A� q Azuan as they left training with second tier Melaka United on Tuesday and were rushed to hospital.

–REUTERS

Kiwi shock jocks suspended over Stokes prankA pair of New Zealand radio presenters were suspended Wednesday for broadcasting a heated conversation with England all-rounder Ben Stokes’ mother without her knowledge. Radio Hauraki shock jocks Jeremy Wells and Matt Heath had been mocking Kiwi-born Stokes’ role in England’s loss to the West Indies in the World Twenty20 � nal on Sunday before the on-air incident. Stokes, who moved from Christchurch to England as a child, conceded four consecutive sixes in the � nal over to give the Windies victory, making him a target for some New Zealanders.

–AFP

Rangers return to elite after four-year exileRangers ended a four-year exile from the Scottish Premiership when they beat Dumbarton 1-0 with a second-half goal by James Tavernier to clinch the Championship title and automatic promotion at Ibrox Stadium on Tuesday. The victory means they will be back among the elite next season.

–REUTERS

QUICK BYTES

An action of the KFC Independence Cup match between Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi (C) and Brothers Union at Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday MI MANIK

Ground honour for Sammyn AFP

Darren Sammy’s success in cap-taining the West Indies to the World Twenty20 title has been rec-ognised by his native St Lucia after it was announced that the island’s main cricket ground would be re-named in his honour.

The Beausejour Cricket Ground will now be known as the Darren Sammy National Cricket Ground, with one of the stands to be named in honour of fellow St Lucian and Twenty20 winner Johnson Charles.

According to the West Indies Cricket Board, the announcement was made by the Prime Minister of St Lucia, Kenny D. Anthony, at a “welcome reception” on the island

on Tuesday.“The West Indies Cricket Board

would like to congratulate West In-dies captain, Darren Sammy and opener, Johnson Charles for the hon-our their home country St Lucia has bestowed on them,” the WICB added in a statement, issued from their St John’s, Antigua, headquarters.

Sunday’s victory over England, in a thrilling Kolkata � nal where Carlos Brathwaite hit four succes-sive sixes in the last over, meant the West Indies became the � rst team to win the World Twenty20 title twice.

Sammy, 32, was also the West Indies’ captain when they beat then hosts Sri Lanka in the 2012 � -nal in Colombo.

But immediately after the team’s latest triumph at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens ground, the all-rounder slammed the WICB for a “disap-pointing” lack of support, saying the team felt “disrespected” by their own o� cials. Sammy’s com-ments came on the back of a bitter pay dispute that has dogged West Indies cricket for several years.

Dave Cameron, the WICB pres-ident, responded by calling Sam-my’s remarks “inappropriate”.

However, Cameron added the board would meet players after the end of the Indian Premier League next month to persuade them to play for the West Indies, rather than opt for lucrative franchise Twenty20 leagues.l

Wedson, Emeka brilliance inspire Sk Jamal n Shishir Hoque

A brilliant hattrick by Wedson Anselme propelled Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi to a comprehensive 5-0 win over Brothers Union in the KFC Independence Cup at Bangab-andhu National Stadium yesterday.

Emeka Darlington and Wedson, who have been in superb form in the last two seasons, were involved in all � ve goals as the premier league champions inched closer to the semi-� nals after collecting maximum points from two match-es. Emeka netted two goals and as-sisted as many.

It took the Dhanmondi-based out� t 20 minutes to break the deadlock through the combination

of none other than Emeka-Wed-son. Receiving a through pass from Emeka, Haitian winger Wed-son rounded o� the opposition goalkeeper before placing the ball home into an empty net.

The deadly duo caused havoc just three minutes later to double Sheikh Jamal’s lead and this time it was Emeka who was the scorer.

Wedson further extended the lead in the 72nd minute after cap-italising on a de� ected lob from Enamul Haque.

Emeka made it 4-0 three minutes later, slotting home from a perfect-ly-weighted Wedson through pass.

Wedson then completed his � rst hattrick of the season in the 84th minute.

Earlier yesterday at the same venue, Rahmatganj MFS regis-tered their � rst victory in the sea-son-opening tournament following their come-from-behind 3-2 win against Feni Soccer Club.

Ghanaian striker Twum Frank put Feni ahead in the 12th minute, placing home a Akbar Hossain Ri-don cross.

A blunder by Feni custodian Os-man Goni though allowed Rahmat-ganj mid� elder Sohel Mia to equal-ise the margin in the quarter-hour mark.

Rahmatganj dominated pro-ceedings in the second half and de-servedly took the lead in the 66th minute. Congolese forward Siyo Zunapio tapped home a low Nurul

Absar cross.Zunapiyo netted his second of

the day six minutes later after the Feni netminder came out of the box only to � u� his lines. Zunapiyo drifted past the keeper, entered the penalty area alone and had enough time to head home.

Frank helped Feni reduce the arrears in injury time with a superb goal. The Ghanaian out-muscled his marker, collected a pass from Iqbal Hossain Bhuiyan, turned round and curled the ball into the far post.

Sheikh Russel will take on Team BJMC in their second match today while Mohammedan face new-ly-promoted Uttar Baridhara Club in the other tie of the day. l

28DT Sport

THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2016

Bayern Munich mid� elder Arturo Vidal vies with Ben� ca defender Victor Nilsson-Lindelof (R) during their Champions League quarter-� nal, � rst-leg in Munich, southern Germany on Tuesday AFP

Ben� ca treat Bayern defeat as moral victoryn Reuters, Lisbon

From the rapturous reception they received on their return home to the comments from their players and coach, it was clear that Ben� -ca regarded their 1-0 Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich as a moral victory.

Bayern had scored 18 goals in their four previous home Europe-an games and when Arturo Vidal gave them a second-minute lead in Tuesday’s quarter-� nal � rst leg at the Allianz Arena, the Portuguese champions appeared destined for a long night.

Instead, the defensive pairing of Victor Lindelof and Jardel suc-ceeded in doing what few others

have this season by keeping Robert Lewandowski o� the scoresheet, while full backs Andre Almeida and Eliseu nulli� ed Franck Ribery and Douglas Costa. Regarded as the rank outsiders among the eight quarter-� nalists, Ben� ca now be-lieve they have at least a chance of pulling o� a memorable win when they host the German champions in next week’s second leg.

“Bayern certainly wanted to win 5-0 but we played superbly,” mid-� elder Nicolas Gaitan told.

“We’ll be much stronger in our own stadium, with the backing of our supporters.” “The team played to a really high standard, they played with conviction and deter-mination,” coach Rui Vitoria said. “I’m a proud coach after seeing the team play with such personality.

“We came here to do our job without changing our strategy. The tie is open,” he added.

“Even when they scored in the second minute, I wasn’t worried because I know my team. The team were fantastic in the way they in-terpreted the match.” Vitoria’s team have shown they are at their most dangerous when battling against the odds. They lost their � rst three meetings with neigh-bours Sporting this season, yet won the one which really mattered last month when a 1-0 success took the top of the Portuguese league at the expense of their rivals. They have remained there ever since.l

Messi tax trial dates altered for Copa American AFP, Barcelona

Barcelona and Argentina star Li-onel Messi’s trial for tax fraud has been reset to its initial start date of May 31 after an earlier change in the schedule threatened his partic-ipation in June’s Copa America in the United States.

The initial decision to delay the start of the trial till June 7 would have seen Messi at least miss Argen-tina’s opening group game against reigning champions Chile in Santa Clara, California, on June 6.

However, a judicial source said yesterday that the trial would start as scheduled on May 31 after a “misunderstanding” regarding the dates without o� ering further details.

Messi and his father Jorge have been charged with tax fraud for al-legedly failing to declare 4.16 mil-lion euros ($4.74 million) in taxes related to his image rights between 2007 and 2009 through front com-panies in Belize and Uruguay.l

Bayern Munich 1-0 Ben� caVidal 2

64 Possession (%) 36 15 Total attempts 10 5 on target 1 8 o� target 4 2 blocked 5 5 Corners 2 5 O� sides 2 2 Yellow cards 2 0 Red Cards 0 11 Fouls committed 12 11 Fouls su� ered 10 665 Passes 287 591 completed 219

BAYERN v BENFICA

Barca protected, fumes Torres after red cardn AFP, Barcelona

Fernando Torres raged that Atlet-ico Madrid are not treated equally to Barcelona by referees after his early red card turned their Cham-pions League quarter-� nal, � rst leg around on Tuesday.

Torres had put Atletico in front at the Camp Nou before seeing two quick-� re yellow cards to leave the visitors a man light for over an hour. Luis Suarez � nally convert-ed Barca’s relentless second-half pressure into a 2-1 lead as he struck twice in 12 minutes.

However, Atletico were enraged as unlike Torres, Suarez escaped punishment for a kick out at Juan-fran and an o� -the-ball incident with Filipe Luis.

“They shouldn’t have been cards. If it had been the other way around then they wouldn’t have been given,” Torres told Spanish radio station Cadena Cope.

“With 11 (men) we would have won without any doubt.”

And the former Liverpool and Chelsea striker claimed UEFA have their priorities wrong after making

both sides play in their away kits to avoid a colour clash.

“UEFA worry about making us change shirts, but they didn’t ap-point a referee that is up to the lev-el of the Champions League quar-ter-� nals.”

Luis went even further by im-plying UEFA are scared of Barcelo-na not reaching the � nal.

“I don’t know what Barca play-

ers have to do to get sent o� just like us,” Luis told. “You can tell there is fear that Barca will be elim-inated.” Coach Diego Simeone was more measured in his criticism and was happy to escape Catalonia with the tie still in the balance.

“There were more than two inci-dents involving Suarez,” said Atlet-ico boss Diego Simeone.

“I can’t say what I think, but I

am not angry with Fernando (Tor-res) for sure. We had a great � rst-half, in the second we tried to limit the damage as much as possible for the game that is still to come.”

Barca boss Luis Enrique was understandably less sympathetic towards Torres. “Both of Torres’s two yellow cards are clear,” he said.

“They may have been uninten-tional, but they are clear.” l

Barcelona 2-1 Atletico MadridSuarez 63, 74 Torres 25

68 Possession (%) 32 19 Total attempts 7 5 on target 2 8 o� target 2 6 blocked 3 1 against woodwork 0 2 Corners 2 3 O� sides 0 3 Yellow cards 8 0 Red Cards 1 19 Fouls committed 16 687 Passes 219 631 completed 164

BARCA v ATLETICO

Atletico Madrid striker Fernando Torres (L) is shown a red card by referee Felix Brych during their Uefa Champions League quarter-� nal, � rst-leg against FC Barcelona at the Nou Camp, Barcelona, Spain on Tuesday REUTERS

Sport 29D

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THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2016

DAY’S WATCHFOOTBALL

TEN 112:00AM

UEFA Europa LeagueAthletic v Sevilla

TEN 212:00AM

UEFA Europa League Dortmund v Liverpool

TEN 312:00AM

UEFA Europa League Villarreal vs. Sparta Praha

BADMINTON STAR SPORTS 2

4:00PMMalaysia Open

HOCKEY STAR SPORTS 1

Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 20162:00PM

Australia v India 4:00PM

New Zealand v Canada 6:30PM

Japan v Malaysia

Sporting Braga players take part in a training session at the club's training grounds in Braga yesterday on the eve of their UEFA Europa League match against Shaktar Donetsk AFP

Dortmund homecoming for Liverpool’s Klopp n AFP, Paris

Jurgen Klopp makes his eagerly anticipated return to Borussia Dortmund today when his Liverpool side visit the German giants in the � rst leg of their Europa League quarter-� nal heavyweight clash.

Klopp spent seven years at Dortmund, guid-ing them to a pair of Bun-desliga titles as well as the 2013 Champions League � nal, but is now plotting the downfall of his former employers as Liverpool

bid to add to their haul of 11 European trophies.

The Reds have been plagued by inconsistency this term but have fared well against tougher opposition, and mid� elder James Milner is con� dent Liverpool can stand up to Dortmund.

“We don’t fear anyone and

we’ve proved this year we can beat anyone,” Milner told Liverpool’s o� cial website.

“We have to make sure we’re on our game and if we do that we’ve got every chance of going through to the next round.”

Having seen o� eternal rivals Manchester United

in the last 16, Liverpool will hope to use the An-� eld crowd to their ad-vantage in the return leg but Milner knows that all depends on securing a fa-vourable result at Signal Iduna Park.l

FIXTURES Braga v Donetsk Villarreal v Sparta Prague Athletic Bilbao v Sevilla Dortmund v Liverpool

IPL Maharashtra matches should be shiftedn BBC

A court in India has recom-mended the shifting of In-dian Premier League games from the western state of Maharashtra to save water, as parts of the state are su� er-ing from severe drought.

Some 20 IPL Twenty20 games are scheduled in the cities of Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur in April and May.

Pune and Nagpur are lo-cated in a region which has su� ered two consecutive droughts. The IPL is the rich-est of the world’s Twenty20 cricket leagues.

Top Indian and interna-tional players take part in the

tournament each spring.Eight teams will partic-

ipate in this year’s tourna-ment, scheduled to begin in Mumbai, Maharashtra’s cap-ital, on Saturday.

Judges of the Bombay High Court said on Wednes-day that a lot of water was re-quired to prepare the pitches for the tournament.

One report estimates that six million litres of water is needed for the upkeep of the pitches and the ground in the three cities.

“How can you waste wa-ter like this? Are people more important or IPL? How can you be so careless,” a judge was quoted as saying by the

NDTV news channel.“This is criminal wastage.

You know the situation in Maharashtra.”

The court is hearing a peti-tion on drought conditions in the state.

IPL chairman and MP Ra-jiv Shukla said on Tuesday that the games would go on as scheduled.

“As far as the question of drought, water is concerned, we are with the farmers of Maharashtra, we are ready to help in all possible ways. If the Maharashtra Govern-ment brings a proposal, then all of us will think in what way we can help the farm-ers,” he told reporters.l

Showtime30DT

THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2016

Six desi classics from the ‘1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die’

n Nate Rabe

Who doesn’t love to Google themselves? There is nothing more intriguing than staring into the still cyber waters of the Internet and whispering, “Who’s the fairest of them all?”

In the world of rock and roll there are many narcissistic ponds which inform us exactly who is the greatest, the best and the most popular. Usually these take the form of end-of-year round-ups. Or increasingly, they take over an entire edition of a monthly whenever the editors have run out of o� eat angles to cover the stars of the moment: The Top 100 Re� ae Albums of All Time! The Best 200 Singles of the 1990s! The 50 Best Overlooked Jazz Records You Must Own!

In 2005 the mother of all such compendiums landed in bookstores with the rather bossy title, 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Music freaks and bass players all around the world drooled with excitement as they thumbed its 960 pages to count how many of the albums on this “ultimate list” they once owned, had lent to an ex-girlfriend or had downloaded on to one of several external HDs.

While 1001 AYMHBYD (which has been regularly updated) is certainly exhaustive it has its detractors. Partisans are aghast that their favourites are not included. Classical music and jazz snobs suggest the number 1001 is far too ambitious as no more than 75 rock and roll records are worthy of serious re� ection. I’m somewhere in the middle. It’s easy to make a case of the top 10 or even 100 albums but what serious criteria separates 390 and 391? And why is there no 1002nd?

But these are just niggles. This behemoth of authority, unlike

most gigantic things, is actually great fun. And full of brilliant trivia that you absolutely must know. South Asian music lovers can also get some enjoyment out of the list as several Indian/Pakistani albums make the list.

Let’s dig in then and discover to what subcontinental albums this elite cohort of Western “rock and roll experts” give the big thumbs up.

Nat Bhairav [Rank 127]Pt Shivkumar Sharma, Pt Hariprasad Chaurasia, Pt Brijbhushan KabraSandwiched between The Beatles White Album [126] and The Incredible String Band’s The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter [128], 1967’s seminal classical album The Call of the Valley, is the top ranking Indian album on the list.

The three Pandits (Sharma, Chaurasia and Kabra) were Young Turks at this stage and trying to break down the doors of the crusty Hindustani classical music establishment. Only problem was they each played instruments which the keepers of the � ame dismissed as non-traditional: santoor, bansuri and guitar. Sharma had been approached to compose a “thematic” album based on ragas but one that would

be more accessible to the non-serious listener. With his two friends he repaired to a Bombay studio for what they thought would be another small notch in their professional belts. A novel experiment. What they produced, however, astounded the world. Dylan, George Harrison and David Crosby all praised the album and it went out to be the � rst and probably only window into Indian classical music the hippies ever had. It remains a huge seller and truly one of the most loved “world music” records ever made. A de� nite worthy recipient.

Sindhi – Bhairavi [Rank 130]Pt Ravi ShankarA few rungs down the ladder sits The Sounds of India, Pt Ravi Shankar’s primer on Indian classical music. Complete with spoken introductions this record caught the attention of thousands of fans who knew Shankar as a friend of George Harrison’s or that Indian bloke on the Concert for Bangladesh album.

Released in 1968 at the zenith of the Age of Aquarius, Shankar was the face of India for young America. Though many probably bought this and other Indian classical albums, one wonders how often they were actually played. Preceding Panditji at number 129 is The Notorious Byrd Brothers

by The Byrds. Following him at number 131 is The United States of America by The United States of America.

Light My Fire [Rank 178]Ananda ShankarAnanda Shankar, Ravi’s nephew, issued a clutch of albums in the 1960s and ‘70s that are best labeled Hindu-psychedelic. They were far more adventurous than anything released by his famous relative and pushed the sitar far from its classical shore. Seventeen years after his passing, Ananda Shankar’s contribution to the pop scene remains fresh, interesting and exciting. It is no surprise that his self titled album, Ananda Shankar makes this list. A step ahead of him at 177 is American Beauty by The Grateful Dead. Nipping at his heels at 179, comes Bitches Brew by Miles Davis. Illustrious company indeed!

One Two ChaChaCha [Rank 342]Usha Uthup (RD Burman)This inclusion is the most enigmatic. Listed as a single album and in violation of the editors’ rule not to include compilations, about a third of the way down the ladder at 342 comes Shalimar/College Girl. Clearly one of the editors had enjoyed grooving to the music on a double CD or cassette he’d picked up at a local grocery. Of course, RD Burman is now recognised outside of India as a stone genius and the subject of serious academic attention. So we include one of Shalimar’s many musical high points by way of posthumous appreciation.

Pyar Mange Hai Tumhi Se [Rank 342]Kishore Kumar (Bappi Lahiri)Bappi Lahiri, while much ballyhooed in India, has yet to achieve the sort of respect Burman or Asha Bhosle get from international audiences. And whether his inclusion in this “list of lists” is deliberate or accidental (see comment above) I for one am very happy for him. Kishore Kumar’s voice is always a wonder to behold. One step above at 341 our Bollywood friends is that original outlaw Willie Nelson’s album Red Headed Stranger. Breathing down their necks at 343 are funksters Earth Wind and Fire’s That’s the Way of the World.

Allah Hoo [Rank 713]Nusrat Fateh Ali KhanIf the previous entry was enigmatic, this one is shocking. How could the mighty, the ultimate the stupendous and gargantuan Shahenshah of Qawwali just stumble across the line at number 713? This is where I � nd myself wanting to join the critics and partisans. Such a low ranking speaks not to the quality or value of the music of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan but only of the narrow tastes of the editors. So, if you agree with me, play this � nal inclusion of desi sounds in the Bible of Rock and Roll Lists, at top volume NOW. And then repeat!

If you’re interested: number 712 belongs to Copper Blue by Sugar and number 714 to Alice in Chain’s Dirt. l

The article was � rst published in Scroll.in

n Showtime Desk

Kuddus Boyati, one of the popular faces of Bangla folk song, is all set to return with a di� erent � avour of music. Kuddus will be featured in a fusion hip-hop song “Asho Mama Hey.” Pritom Hasan, the composer of the song, blended the tune with the baul genre and the rhythmic speech form of hip-hop.

Pritom Hasan and Kuddus Boyati have sung the song together while Someshwar Ali penned the lyrics.

Talking about the song composition and music arrangement, Hasan said: “The

Bangla baul’s signature singing style could be vastly powerful if the fusion with baul song is carried out in a precise way. The song nearly took a year to � nish.”

“At the initial stage, it was just my urge to introduce Kuddus Boyati to the young generation. Now, I am delighted to work with such a legendary singer,” he added.

Tanim Rahman Angshu directed the music video while it’s shooting took place at di� erent locations in Old Dhaka and Tejgaon in the capital. On the occasion of Pohela Boishakh, the music video will come out on April 9 at the Gaanchill Music’s o� cial Youtube

channel. Kuddus Boyati has sung

Bangla folk and pala since he was ten. He became familiar in the arena of music and entertainment through an initiative taken by the iconic writer Humayun Ahned. Kuddus’s lent voice to “Ei din din noy aro din achey,” which was used in a TV drama by Humayun Ahmed, received positive acclaim after it was aired. Since then, Kuddus has held the reputation of being a steady, well loved singer performing on TV, radio and film alongside various cultural programmes at home and abroad. l

n Showtime Desk

Game of Thrones stars Kit Harington and Rose Leslie have o� cially stepped out as a couple, walking the red carpet together at London’s Olivier Awards. Looks like a wildling and a man of the Night’s Watch can indeed make it work. Rose Leslie, who played Ygritte on HBO’s Game of Thrones, and Kit Harington, the well tousled Jon Snow, o� cially stepped out as a couple at the Olivier Awards in London on Sunday. The pair were all smiles on the red carpet, laughing and whispering to one another in front of photographers.

They even shared a quick kiss for the cameras while hitting the red carpet.

The couple, who played on-

screen love interests in Game of Thrones, Harington and Leslie � rst fueled romance rumours in 2012, though they were presumed broken up by the end of the year.

They’ve evidently rekindled their relationship and have been spotted o� ering plenty of PDA in the last few months. l

n Showtime Desk

Actress Drew Barrymore was seen promoting Barrymore Wines at the Pebble Beach Food & Wine event hours after con-� rming divorce with her third husband Will Kopelman.

Drew and her husband for four years, Will Kopelman, con� rmed the rumours of their divorce on Saturday but said they will continue to be a family for their daughters. The former couple released a statement con-� rming their split and insisted

on putting their two kids, Olive and Frankie, as their priority.

The 41-year-old actress tied the knot with her third husband Will Kopelman at her estate in Montecito, California, on June 2012. Their daughters Olive and Frankie are three and 23 months respectively.

The Charlie’s Angels star in-troduced a new rose at the event and appeared cheerful, while she greeted wine lovers and fans in the Grand Tasting Tent at the festival. l

Showtime 31D

TTHURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2016

JATRA BIROTI LIVE

Bhaab featuring Shoeb of Gaan PagolApril 7, at 7pm.Shoeb is a classically trained singer who’s band Gaan Pagol is a local favourite. His unique take on Bangla folk music makes him a sought after performer. He has performed at Jatra Biroti on numerous occasions, always receiving tremendous response.

Open Mic April 8, at 7pmEach week this event grows in popularity. Always surprising, always fun. Open Mic provides a venue for YOU to sing, dance, recite poetry, juggle...whatever you wish.

Indian Classical Vocal PerformanceApril 9, 7pmAnol Chatterjee is a rising name in the � eld of Indian classical vocal music. The � avour of Anol’s music

is essentially of Patiyala Gharana, the style which was made popular by the great maestro Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan Sahab, but Anol has incorporated the best parts of other Gayakies or styles like Kirana, Jaipur, Agra Benaras etc to establish an attractive and beautiful style of his own. His exceptional sense and command over rhythm has made this Gayaki even more unique.He is accompanied on tabla by Koushik Banerjee. l

Kuddus is back

A wildling and a man of the Night’s match

Drew Barrymore’s post-divorce toast

Back Page32DT

THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2016

BD E-COMMERCE TO SEE EXPLOSIVE GROWTH IN NEXT 3 YEARS PAGE 15

GROUND HONOUR FOR WI CAPTAIN SAMMY PAGE 27

KUDDUS IS BACK PAGE 31

Report: Bangladesh 3rd in death penaltyn Tribune Report

Bangladesh courts have sentenced at least 198 people to death in 2015, bagging the third highest position in the world, said an Amnesty In-ternational report.

According to the report titled “Death Sentences and Executions Report 2015,” the South Asian na-tion also occupied the top spot among the South Asian countries where such sentences were handed out last year.

The Amnesty report also alleged that the proceedings of the Inter-national Crimes Tribunal, a special court established to try people ac-cused of crimes committed during the 1971 War of Independence, were marked with severe irregular-ities and violations of the right to a fair trial.

It stated: “Challenges to the ju-risdiction of the court continued to

be barred due to a constitutional provision. Statements from prose-cution witnesses shown by the de-fence to have been false were still used as evidence in court.

“A� davits by defence witnesses that the accused was too far from the site of the o� ence to be in-volved were not admitted. The gov-ernment prevented defence wit-nesses abroad from attending trials by denying visas. Appeals process-es were marked by similar � aws.”

It added: “Despite repeated calls by Amnesty International and oth-er human rights organisations to stop executions after unfair trials and � awed appeal hearings, three prisoners were executed in 2015, bringing the number of executions after ICT trials to four.”

As per the report released on Wednesday, Pakistan is the second top country in the region having imposed at least 121 death sentenc-

es last year while India occupied the third position by awarding cap-ital punishment to some 75 people.

Another South Asian country Sri Lanka bagged the fourth position by sentencing at least 51 people to death.

The report stated that at least 1,634 people were executed in 25 countries in 2015. “This represents a stark increase on the number of executions recorded in 2014 of more than 50%.”

In 2014, Amnesty Internation-al recorded 1,061 executions in 22 countries worldwide.

This is the highest number of ex-ecutions recorded in more than 25 years (since 1989), said the report.

Most executions took place in China, Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the USA – in that order.

“China remained the world’s top executioner – but the true extent of the use of the death penalty in Chi-

na is unknown as this data is con-sidered a state secret; the � gure of 1,634 excludes the thousands of ex-ecutions believed to have been car-ried out in China,” the report added.

Excluding China, almost 90% of all executions took place in just three countries – Iran, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, it further added.

“During 2015, 25 countries, about one in 10 of all countries worldwide, are known to have car-ried out executions – a rise from 22 in 2014. This number has de-creased signi� cantly from two dec-ades ago (39 countries carried out executions in 1996).”

140 countries worldwide, more than two-thirds, are abolitionist in law or practice.

In 2015, four countries – Fiji, Madagascar, the Republic of Con-go and Suriname – abolished the death penalty for all crimes.

In total, 102 countries have done

so – a majority of the world’s states. In 2015, Mongolia also passed a new criminal code abolishing the death penalty which will come into e� ect later in 2016.

Commutations or pardons of death sentences were recorded in 34 countries in 2015.

At least 71 people who had been sentenced to death were exonerat-ed in six countries in 2015: China (1), Egypt (1), Nigeria (41), Pakistan (at least 21), Taiwan (1) and USA (6).

At least 1,998 death sentences were recorded in 61 countries in 2015, a decline from 2014 (at least 2,466 death sentences in 55 countries).

At least 20,292 people were on death row at the end of 2015.

Reports indicated that at least nine people who were under 18 at the time of the crime for which they were sentenced to death were executed in 2015 – four in Iran and � ve in Pakistan. l

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