Professional Documents
Culture Documents
DA 6238 Vol 2, No 5
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Duncan: When I see her [PM Sheikh Hasina] I will urge her to look ahead and ask herself where she wants her Bangladesh in five or 10 years time
There is an extradition treaty between the United Kingdom and Bangladesh which is available for use, Gibson said, when asked about the status of Tarique and if the UK will support any move by Bangladesh government to bring him back. Replying the same question, visiting British Minister of State for International Development Alan Duncan said: In the United Kingdom, it is entirely a matter of court and it has nothing to do with politicians. It is not for me or any minister to decide on this whole thingThis is not a political decision. BNP chief Khaleda Zias son Tarique
Two children dressed in tiger outfits interact with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at a programme in Bangabandhu International Conference Centre yesterday, organised marking the Seventh World Autism Awareness Day BSS
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Cricketers of Sri Lanka (top) and West Indies warm up during yesterdays training session at the SBNS ahead of todays first semifinal of the T20 World Cup AP AFP
INSIDE
News
4 Finance Minister AMA Muhith is reluctant to give money for shifting the Mawa ferry ghat from the Padma bridge site to Shemulia in Munshiganj. 5 The traffic lights and countdown timers in the city are proving worthless in terms of controlling vehicular movement automatically. 11 Ambassador Abdul Monem, the Bangladesh permanent representative at the UN, invited me to accept an award in New York as part of the celebration of the 94th anniversary of the birth of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Op-Ed
Entertainment
Nation
Sri Lanka in the first semifinal of the ICC World Twenty20 at Sher-e-Bangla
6 Over 250 speedboats and trawlers are illegally plying on different river routes in Barisal amid the risk of being caught in a norwester.
12 National Film Day will be celebrated today for the third consecutive year since the current government declared a special day for the local film industry.
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Traders bring watermelon from rural areas to the capital with a view to make handsome profit. The photo was taken from Badamtali ghat yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE
Rajshahis Divisional Commissioner Helal Uddin said the meeting decided to form a committee. It would be shortly formed comprising efficient officials as they could examine the obstacles properly and put forward suggestions to the cabinet division. A deputy commissioner of Rajshahi Division said the DCs who are also district magistrates made the proposal in the last DC conference to form separate police units. Most of the DCs claimed that although they are responsible for everything under their jurisdiction, the Superintendents of Police (SPs) do not follow them and carry out their requests. Sometimes they regret that police are not sent for operating mobile courts and dealing with emergencies. Despite being members of the district law and order committees, SPs do not attend the meetings under DCs. They only send their representatives in the meet-
ing, the DCs claimed. The situation has been created after the police force took command. As a result, the officials of the civil administration have to suffer a lot. Even they cannot operate mobile courts and eviction drives properly for non-cooperation from police. The DCs said the proposal was made taking the situation into account and ignoring the dependence on the police administration. It will be better for the civil administration if the government allows them to form separate units, they added. The cabinet secretary said, We are examining the proposal, put forward by the deputy commissioners, as to whether it is conflicting with the CrPC or any other laws. We have decided to form a committee which will make suggestions about our doings. He denied the allegation of having any conflict between the civil and the police administration at field level. l
reaction. However, some doctors continue to prescribe Pioglitazone, Rosiglitazone and Gatifloxacin. Faizul said it was common among doctors to prescribe Flupenthixol-Melitracen, adding that it should be banned in Bangladesh considering risk-benefit ratio. Naser Shahriar Zahedi, president of Bangladesh Pharmaceuticals Society, emphasised on the need to ensure the safety and efficacy of the drugs. Calling for bans on the six generic drugs, Zahedi however recommended that the pharmaceutical companies be allowed to finish the raw materials they already had in stock. AKM Shamshuzzaman, chief scientific officer of the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), said abnormal heart rhythms caused by Flupenthixol-Melitracen prompted India, the UK, the USA, Ireland, Canada, Japan and Australia to ban the drug.
The drugs
It is learnt that Pioglitazone is used for treating type 2 diabetes in certain patients. It works by lowering blood sugar by making the cells of the body more sensitive to the action of insulin. Rosiglitazone is an oral drug also used in treating type 2 diabetes patients, as the drug reduces the amount of sugar (glucose) in the blood. Flupentixol is an antipsychotic drug used to treat schizophrenia and other psychoticdiseases. It is alsousedin many cases on low doses as an antidepressant. Gatifloxacin is used to treat a variety of bacterial infections. It works by stopping the growth of bacteria. Tegaserod is used to treat irritable bowel syndrome in women who have constipation as a major symptom. Tegaserod relieves constipation by shortening the time stool remains in the bowel, reducing stomach pain and bloating. Sibutramine is used for treating obesity. It regulates chemicals in the brain that reduce hunger or craving for food. l
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When I see her [Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina] I will urge her to look ahead and ask herself where she wants her Bangladesh in five or 10 years time, Duncan said in the press conference before his meeting with the prime minister. When asked about his assessment on the Bangladesh readymade garment sector in the post-Rana Plaza situation, he said the big problem was that the size of the garment industry had grown far more than the regulation needed to govern its standard. This year has to be the year in which standard in the readymade garment sector catch up with the growth of the sector over the last 25 years, he said. l
PM goes tough
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Windies 14 diagnosed with SL eye revenge over game might be the last Twenty20 into give their sides a place in the ternational for Jayawardene and Sanganthrax in Sirajganj win akkara, the two senior juggernauts of semi-final. Sri Lankas decision to pick Ranga- Sri Lankasbattingif they fail to qualify n UNB na Herath in place of Ajantha Mendis for the final. However, although Jay PAGE 1 COLUMN 2
At least 14 people have been detected to be carrying the germs of anthrax at Raghunathpur village in Raiganj upazila. The district civil surgeons office confirmed the presence of the viral disease in their bodies through medical tests on Monday. Civil Surgeon Mainuddin said the 14 people were found to have been attacked with anthrax as they prepared the meat of a cow of Shaheb Ali, infected with the deadly disease two weeks back. The symptoms started appearing after seven days. The local administration treated them locally. One of them was admitted to Bogra Mohammad Ali Hospital in a critical condition. l
in their previous game paid huge dividends as the diminutive spinner spun his side to the last-4 with a five-for against the Kiwis. This offers a sweet headache for the Lankan management to choose one from their two leading spinners for this very important knockout clash. If the 36-year-old is preferred, Lankan management would dearly love to witness a repeat of his Chittagong heroics against the Gayles and the Bravos. It is no secret that the Lankan batting depends to a great extent on their three senior batting trio Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara and Tillakaratne Dilshan who all need to fire in order to post a good total. The
awardene has done pretty well in the tournament so far with 134 runs to his name, Sangakkara is yet to do justice to his superstar tag. Sangakkara, in fact, has had a horrible run so far scoring just 18 runs from his three innings which is so unlike him. The sweet memory of lifting the Asia Cup not too long ago at the SBNS might be a source of inspiration for the Lankans who absolutely reigned supreme against Bangladesh in the bilateral series before the Asia Cup began. So, the advantage of playing in these conditions for so long in the recent past also gives them an extra edge over the West Indies. West Indies all-rounder Darren
Bravo was right when he quickly acknowledged that. They (Sri Lankans) have played a lot more games in Bangladesh than West Indies, Bravo said. But West Indies are a solid Twenty20 side which has all its bases covered despite the absence of all-rounder Kieron Pollard. Their collaborative effort has seen them qualify for the semi-finaleven though the menacing Chris Gayle had hardly hit the blistering form which we normally associate with his batting. Gayles only notable contribution so far has been a half-century against Australia which some would say was slow by his standards.Marlon Samuels is another player who also has not done justice to his name. However, these didnot matter much asDarren Bravo and skipper Darren Sammy took charge whenever their team needed them the most. The duo
has so far earned two incredible victories with the bat for theirteam against quality oppositions. The Australia match went right down to the wire while the Pakistan team simply had no clue as to what hit them in the final few overs of West Indies innings. West Indies also have an advantage of playing all their matches of the tournament so far at SBNS. They have won matches with the bat between 15th and 20th over and it hardly mattered whether they were chasing or setting targets. Therefore, all the Lankan bowlers including Lasith Malinga need to be aware of this as there is very little margin for error in this format of the game and apparently silly mistakes can change the complexion of the game in the final overs. All in all, it promises to be another exciting match in prospect. l
Lawmaker Nazrul Islam urged the premier to appoint doctors and teachers in the vacant posts in community clinics and schools and make sure that they stay in the workplaces. Hasina said: Many of us have tendency to stay in the capital city instead of our working stations. Why do they need a job if they do not stay at their workplaces? Replying to a supplementary question of Shafiqul Islam Shimul, Hasina said the government was not thinking about increasing the age limit for government job. Replying to a written question of Jatiya Party lawmaker Selim Uddin, the premier said the new pay scale for government employees would be declared in the next fiscal year. Mentioning that a pay and service commission would be formed, Hasina said the recommendations of the commission might be submitted within next six months. Replying to JaPa lawmaker Mohammad Ellias, she said the government took initiative to build an international standard stadium in Coxs Bazar saying the procedures of site selection is going on. l
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News
Officials of a mobile court seize fake homeopathic medicines during a raid in the capitals Uttar Badda yesterday
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Terming the case false, Asad claimed that his father was subjected to village conspiracy
Asad placed a book Muktijuddhe Brahmanbaria written by Jaidul Hossain and claimed that all the five charges brought against his father by the prosecution were described there. But the book never mentioned Mobaraks name as a war criminal of Brahmanbaria. After his deposition, prosecutor Shahedur Rahman started to cross examine him. The tribunal set today for further grilling of the witness. Mobarak was indicted on April 23 last year on five charges of crimes against humanity that include killing of 33 people in Akhaura, vandalising temple, torturing and killing Ashuranjan Deb at a razakar camp, and abductions and killings in Shyampur. Khodeja Begum, whose father was allegedly killed by Mobarak, filed a case with Brahmanbaria court on May 3, 2009, which was transferred to (ICT)-1 in 2011. The tribunal then asked its investigation agency to probe into the matter. l
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CONSTRUCTION OF NEW FERRY GHAT
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People who use wheelchairs lead a rally in the capital yesterday, marking World Autism Awareness Day
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n Tribune Desk
Unilever Pureit recently celebrated World Water Day in Dhaka, Chittagong and Khulna. In order to mark the day, Pureit mobile team along with its safe water advisors served more than 18,000 glasses of safe drinking water to people at various location using Pureit devices installed in Pureit vans Unilever Pureit Celebrated World Water Day 2014 Unilever Pureit celebrated World Water Day 2014 in Dhaka, Chittagong and Khulna recently. To mark this day, Pureit mobile team with its Safe Water Advisors served more than 18,000 glasses of safe drinking water to people from Pureit devices installed in Pureit Vans that travelled in various locations around the above mentioned places. Pureit is a revolutionary innovation of Unilever that started its journey in Bangladesh from 2010 and promises to provide safe drinking water that is colorless and odorless through its advanced 4-Step GermKill technology without the hassle of boiling and the cost of electricity or gas. Moreover, quality of Pureit water meets international safe water guidelines set by USEPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency). l
The projects will help staff, factory owners, management, supervisors and workers to work together
Almost a year on from the collapse, it is inspiring to hear how the survivors have sought to maintain their dignity and re-establish their livelihoods, despite such severe, crushing injuries and psychological trauma. We can all learn from their stories, said Duncan. The UK minister started the day with visiting survivors of the collapsed Rana Plaza building and the Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed (CRP) in Savar, which receives funding from UK aid.
Visiting UK Minister Alan Duncan speaks to a survivor of Rana Plaza collapse at the Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed in Savar yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE
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News
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LSBF, DU to collaborate on international research n Tribune Report
London School of Business and Finance (LSBF) and the University of Dhaka yesterday announced plans to pursue a mutually-beneficial academic collaboration to promote pre and post-doctoral research as well as a large international student and faculty development programme. The proposal is part of a wide-ranging agreement signed last week in London, said a LSBF press release. The agreement marks an important development for both institutions with aims to maximise the opportunities for mobility of students and faculty between the two institutions and facilitate international research across several fields. The memorandum of understanding also paves the way for further initiatives, including joint course development, a credit transfer scheme as well as a new Interactive Learning Hub (iHub) at Dhaka University campus. Shibli Rubayat Ul Islam, professor and dean of Business Studies Faculty at DU, said: The steady economic and financial growth of Bangladesh even on a volatile international market requires more international collaboration with institutions. We hope a new horizon has opened up for mutual collaboration for both the institutions. Komil Mamajanov, director of International Strategy at LSBF, said: We are proud to be working with the University of Dhaka and we are confident that it will be an extremely successful venture. l
A traffic police manually controls traffic system at Purana Paltan intersection in the city yesterday Professor Nazrul Islam, chairman of Centre for Urban Studies, said: Since urbanisation and traffic management in Dhaka are completely unplanned, the problems are not going to disappear soon. It might get worse in the future if the government doesnt take effective steps for decentralisation. Professor Dr Sarwar Jahan, Department of Urban and Regional Planning at BUET, told the Dhaka Tribune: If the government
doesnt take strict measures for decentralisation, none of the tools like overpass, underpass, elevated expressway and metro rail will produce the desired result in reducing traffic congestion. l
The existing fare for CNG-run autorickshaws is Tk25 for the first two kilometres
During the meeting, the association placed a five-point demand including stopping police harassment in the name of checking driving licenses. Quader assured that the communications ministry would request police to stop harassment of CNG drivers. As per recommendation of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology overhauling of engine of auto-rickshaw has to be carried out from a certified workshop, the minister said. The committee will work to ensure our five-point demand, Dhaka Mohanagar CNG Auto-rickshaw Owners Association General Secretary ATM Nazmul Hasan told the Dhaka Tribune. l
WEATHER
38.2C Jessore
Source: Accuweather/UNB
16.0C Rangpur
Members of Battery-run Easy-bike Workers Union take to the street at Shaheb Bazar in Rajshahi city yesterday area under Motihar police station of the district. Local sources said when Sweet was driving his auto-rickshaw through Ranibazaar area around 11-45 am on Monday, accidentally, he knocked a rickshaw with his vehicle and the rickshaw-puller fell down on the road. Being furious by the incident, local people caught Sweet and gave him a mass beating, injuring him fatally. Later, he died at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital. Ziaur Rahman Zia, officer-in-charge of Boalia Model police station, said police were investigating into the matter. Moreover, the inter-district transport strike in Thakurgoan entered day 10 yesterday. Acting General Secretary of Thakurgoan Motor Paribahan Sramik Union Nur Islam Chutu said they had gone on
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PRAYER TIMES
Fajar Sunrise Zohr Asr Magrib Esha 4:33am 5:49am 12:02am 4:32pm 6:15pm 7:32pm
Source: IslamicFinder.org
the transport strike on March 24 following the death of a transport worker who had been beaten to death by some local hoodlums. The organisation is also demanding ban on the plying of locally made human hauliers Nasimans and Karimans on highways. Deputy Commissioner of the district Mukesh Chandra Biswas said they were trying to resolve the crisis. l
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n Anisur Rahman Swapan, Barisal
Over 250 speedboats and trawlers are illegally plying on different river routes in Barisal amid the risk of being caught in a norwester at any moment while on large rivers. These small transports do not pay anything in tax, have no registration, fitness certificate and route permit, but are still carrying passengers, thus endangering lives every day. They are allegedly in operation because their owners maintain liaison with Barisal port officials, river safety and traffic management authorities, river traffic police and Barisal port police. 200 locally-assembled trawlers, each with a 16 horsepower engine, were seen running commercially in different Barisal port areas. These trawlers anchor in different landing stages like Kalibabur Ghat, Chandmari Ghat, Beltala, Taltali, Charmonai Ghat, Charkawa Ghat, Band road and Amanatganj, and transport people from and to areas, including Charmonai, Sreepur, Bukhinagar, Girail, Shibpur, Jangalia, Hazir Haat, Chandramohon, Bisherkathi, Patkathi, Dighirpar, Dhulia, Madhukhali, Baherchar, Saheber Haat, Mehendiganj, Vashan Char, Char Biswas, Char Kalmi and several others. Besides, more than 50 speedboats, carrying 6-8 passengers each, are plying commercially on the routes from Barisal DC Ghat and Laharhat Ghat to different destinations in Barisal and Bhola. Most of these water transports are operated by minor boys and untrained youths. They run these even when weather conditions are adverse. Carrying passengers on these sorts of water transports having no registra-
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Nation
Passengers are seen getting on an illegal speedboat at Kalibaburghat in Barisal yesterday tion and route permit is illegal, admitted Mahruf Hossain, inspector of the Shipping Ministry. We, however, can do nothing except inform the port police of such illegal operation as any water transport with up to 16-horsepower engine do not need to be registered according to the present marine law of the country, said Abul Bashar Mazumder, deputy director, river safety and traffic management department of Barisal BIWTA. The Dhaka Tribune talked to Abdul Gani and Abdur Rashid who own illegal speedboat and trawler. They claimed they are just providing the passengers with additional facilities to reach destinations within the shortest period. They said number of accidents and casualties involving these watercrafts are negligible compared to other water transports. We want route permits from the authorities concerned to run our services legally. They, however, said there is no law to legalise our transports so that we can use those for carrying passengers, the two said. The officer-in-charge of Barisal river port police station said they lack ad-
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equate legal capability and jurisdiction to stop operation of such transports. These transports are popular as they can take people to destinations rather quickly compared to low-speed large water transports that often fail to maintain schedules due to fog and navigability problems, Dr Rabin Ghosh, who regularly travels by speedboat, told the Dhaka Tribune. Sayedur Rahman Rintu, vice-president of Barisal Launch Owners Association, said earnings of legal watercraft owners have dropped by nearly 40% because of the illegal ones. l
Headmaster jailed PBCP warns of tough action if Bangalees for embezzling implicated in Bharoti murder case students fund galees for any crimes in the hilly different Pahari organisations. Our Correspondent, n districts had become a common The statement said accusing any Khagrachhari n Our correspondent, Barisal particular community for the mur- practice, General Secretary Masum
A Barisal court ordered a headmaster of a school to be sent to jail rejecting his bail prayer for alleged misappropriating of student scholarship fund. Court sources said Hafiz Ahmed, acting headmaster of Mollar Haola Community Primary School in Tungibaria union of Barisal Sadar upazila, and his four associates were accused in a case of misappropriating Tk1,930,100 from the student scholarship (Upabritti) fund in the years between 2002 to 2012. The accused embezzled the said amount by registering fake students, forming managing committee of the schools comprising family members and relatives, preparing fake and forging documents of scholarship disbursement. Umme Habiba, an assistant teacher of the school, lodged a case in this connection with Kotwali police station on September 1 last year. The accused appeared before the court and appealed for bail yesterday. Rafikul Islam, the magistrate of the court, rejected bail prayer of the headmaster, the prime accused and ordered to send him to jail while granting bail of rest of the four accused. l Tough movements will be waged if Bangalees are implicated in the murder of Bharoti Chakma, warned Parbatya Bangalee Chhatra Parishad (PBCP) through a statement. The statement, signed by PBCP General Secretary of Khagrachhari unit SM Masum Rana, also criticised different media reports based on fabricated press releases by der without any proper investigation would hamper the investigation process. Publishing reports on the murder based on press releases by different Pahari organisations prior to any reports or information from the probe body was equivalent to inciting a beefed up situation in the hilly districts, it added. Claiming that accusing the Ban-
said: There is no witness to the Bharoti murder, but a particular section is trying to provoke the situation by accusing the Bangalees for the murder. On March 29, an unidentified body of a woman was recovered from Kiyang Ghat area of Khagrachhari. Different Pahari organisations claimed that the deceased was Bharoti Chakma. l
Students of Bangladesh Agriculture University bring out a procession on the campus, protesting the killing of one of their fellows DHAKA TRIBUNE
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Juris
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JURIS QUOTE
If you have ten thousand regulations you destroy all respect for the law.
Winston Churchill
LAW CARTOON
BIG STOCK
points fail. In short, it was stressed upon that the national courts do not use the public policy as an unfair weapon by which they might negate enforcement of an otherwise valid arbitral award. The situation was dealt with strongly by the US courts. They have made their position clear regarding interferences in international arbitration by way of public policy. In the landmark case of Scherk v Alberto-Culver Co (1974), it was
National courts may interpret public policy grounds differently, which would further depend on the particular judge and the general approach of the national courts
elucidated that the concept that all disputes must be resolved with US laws or US courts should not be encouraged. We have witnessed that a different approach was taken by the Indian courts. In an Indian supreme court case, namely Renusagar v General Electric (1993), it was stated that an international arbitral award would be refused if it was in contradiction with any public policy and if such enforcement would be contrary to (i) fundamental policy of Indian Law, (ii) the interests of India or (iii) justice or morality. The second phrase may commission a huge area. The scope for refusing any arbitral award increases vastly as the interest of India can be interpreted hugely as well. Having the scope of refusing an arbitral award on the basis of public policy terminates the capacity of fairness. Any national court act-
ing in such a manner really shows the extent of how often systems become shackles and bind our own hands. It is important in the modern world to pave the way for alternative methods of dispute resolution and deal with public policy issues smartly. Although it is difficult to avoid public policy grounds wholly, it is not impossible to strike a balance between conflicting interests which eventually sabotages an arbitration process. As public policy varies from regime to regime, and often from country to country, there can never be any fixed guidelines on what it should include. However, one can expect more initiatives being taken internationally, much like the one by ILA, as that would help different countries to come under a similar term and all of them would fix a framework when they choose to use the public policy defence. One of the most important directives regarding the matter could be the directions given towards the Judges. They should be given proper training and a clear understanding of what is to be taken into consideration and what is required to be done when an arbitral award is given. Being a signatory of the New York Convention does bestow severe responsibilities. It should always be kept in mind that refusal to enforce arbitral awards on the basis of public policy can be harmful and therefore may have disadvantageous consequences. Thus, it is of paramount importance to uphold the arbitral awards, without undue hindrance by the courts on the ground of public policy, for the development and growth of our country. Bangladesh has massive investment and growth opportunities but a logged judicial system and disregard of alternative dispute resolution practices will serve as a deterrent for potential international investors, if not dealt with in the proper manner. l Ashiqul A Khan is an Associate and Sk La-Tainur Rahman is a Legal Team Member at Legacy Legal Corporate. The writers can be reached at info@legacylegalcoporate.com.
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awyers are social engineers who provide legal support to the public. They play an important role in establishing rule of law in the country. Generally, lawyers enjoy higher social status all over the world. In the developed countries, only the brilliant students with outstanding results can avail the opportunity to study law and subsequently, if qualified, become lawyers. But unfortunately, we see a worsening scenario in Bangladesh. There is a well-known saying among the general people in Bangladesh that a person who has nothing to do becomes a lawyer. Becoming an advocate seems to be the easiest profession in Bangladesh. Anybody having an LLB degree from any institute (be it from any of the self-styled private universities or substandard evening colleges, barring exceptions), may appear in the enrolment examinations conducted by the Bangladesh Bar Council and becomes an advocate set for legal practice. Nowadays, most of the advocates try to make money by hook or by crook. Hardly do they care about the dignity, ethics, and traits of this noble profession. They do not always follow the professional conducts and etiquettes expected to be followed by a legal practitioner. The situation becomes very despicable when one finds out that many of the advocates even do not possess the basic knowledge of law. Nevertheless, they are learned advocates! Thus, these so-called advocates are contributing to lowering the dignity of the community of lawyers. Consequently, general people do not pay due respect to this profession any more. The Bar Council of Bangladesh is responsible to a great extent for such mortifying situation. The Bar Council is a statutory, autonomous body constituted under the Bangladesh Legal Practitioners and Bar Council Order, 1972. The key functions of the Bar Council are: (i) To admit persons as advocates on its roll and to hold examinations for the purpose of admission (ii) To entertain and determine the cases of misconduct
against advocates and to order punishment in such cases (iii) To lay down standard of professional conduct and etiquette for advocates (iv) To promote legal education and to lay down standard of such education in consultation with the universities in Bangladesh imparting legal education Lately, there have been innumerous allegations of corruption against the Bar Council. There are rumours that only a handsome bribe is enough to get a licence to practise law. Again, nobody can prevent someone from being an enrolled advocate, if he is politically recommended. The enrolment examination conducted by the Bar Council faces allegations of serious mismanagement. Question papers leaking out before examinations is happening every now and then. In fact, leak-out of question paper of various public examinations have become a common phenomenon. Previously, to become an advocate, one had to give a written examination and an interview. In 2012, along with written
test and interview, another layer of examination was introduced as a preliminary test. It was a good step indeed to maintain the standard. However, that did not prove to be very effective. Now many examinees get the correct answers through messages in their cell-phones at the examination halls in absence of proper invigilation. Taking the opportunity of poor invigilation, the examinees talk to each other during the examination and grab the correct answers easily. Widespread copying in the written examination is also alleged by many examinees who once appeared in the examination. In many cases, the examinees pass the examinations adopting unfair means. Thus, many ineligible persons pass the enrolment examinations and become advocates, who ultimately show appalling performances in dealing with clients and conducting cases, and upset the dignity of legal profession. Legal practitioners are closely involved in politics all over
the world. The Bar Council consists of 15 members, of whom 14 members are elected by the advocates, and the Attorney General for Bangladesh is the ex-officio chairman of the Bar Council. The committees of the local bar associations are also elected by the advocates. Undoubtedly, this is a commendable democratic practice. However, the reality of Bangladesh is that no sector is free from the clutch of dirty politics. Division is everywhere. The Bar Council is not an exception to that. The Attorney General for Bangladesh is always appointed on political consideration by the party in power. The members are also elected based on their political affiliations. The problem becomes acute when the standards of being an advocate are compromised intentionally to serve the purpose of winning the election, the ultimate consequence of which is nothing but lowering the standard of this profession. It is an open secret that there are huge political recommendations for partisan candidates to be enrolled as advocates. Specially after passing the preliminary and the written examination, a number of candidates lobby to influential partisan advocates for passing the interview anyhow. Given the picture drawn above, members of legal fraternity are highly concerned. Many believe that it is the Bar Council, which can come forward to prevent the deteriorating situation of the law profession. The Bar Council can look into the allegations made against it and prevent them from occurring in the future. A month-long intensive training program should be introduced for the newly enrolled advocates to acquaint themselves with the professional conduct and etiquettes. The Bar Council should also broaden the syllabus of enrollment examinations and monitor the standard of the legal education given by the private universities and evening colleges. This way, the Bar Council can contribute to upholding the dignity of this profession. If the Bar Council takes these abovementioned steps sincerely, the lost esteem of this profession can be restored among the general people. l Omar Hasan Al Zahid is an Advocate, Judge Court, Dhaka.
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World
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1) Sunken fishing boats are seen at the Riquelme Cove, in Iquique, northern Chile, after a powerful 8.0-magnitude earthquake hit off Chiles Pacific coast, killing at least six people. 2) Locals take refuge at the city stadium following a tsunami alert after the powerful earthquake hit off Chiles Pacific coast in Iquique AFP
In Brussels, Kerry was yesterday continuing intensive efforts to resolve the standoff, making a series of phone calls with his negotiating team in Israel, his spokeswoman Jen Psaki said. He was expected to spend the morning at NATO headquarters for brief pull asides with foreign ministers as well as to make calls from the US mis-
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World
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Suicide bomber kills six police at Afghan ministry n AFP, Kabul
A suicide bomber blew himself up at the Afghan interior ministry yesterday, killing six police officers just three days before the countrys presidential election, which the Taliban have vowed to disrupt. The attack came as the three leading candidates to succeed President Hamid Karzai made a final push for votes with rallies on the last day of campaigning. Kabul has been rocked by a string of high-profile attacks in the run-up to Saturdays US-backed election, which will be the first democratic handover of power in Afghanistans turbulent history. The suicide attacker wearing a military uniform detonated himself near the gate of the ministry killing six policeman, interior ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi told AFP. He said that the blast occurred in an annex to the ministry, which is one of the most closely-guarded buildings in the Afghan capital. We heard a huge bang from the interior ministry and we were ordered to our (reinforced) safe room, an Indian diplomat who was working next door to the ministry told AFP on condition of anonymity. The election is seen as a benchmark of progress since the Taliban were ousted from power in 2001, and the militants have urged their fighters to target polling staff, voters and security forces. On Saturday, the Kabul headquarters of the Independent Election Commission (IEC) was attacked when five Taliban militants occupied a nearby building and unleashed rockets and gunfire at the fortified compound. All five attackers were killed by Afghan security forces six hours after the attack began, and there were no other casualties. Another IEC centre, Kabuls most prestigious hotel and a guesthouse run by a US anti-landmine charity have also been targeted in recent weeks. Former World Bank economist Ashraf Ghani, Abdullah Abdullah, runner-up in 2009, and former foreign minister Zalmai Rassoul are the leading contenders in the eight-man race. l
The British nuclear submarine HMS Tireless approaches the port of Gibraltar. The protracted search for missing Flight MH370 was boosted yesterday with the arrival of British nuclear submarine HMS Tireless in the Indian Ocean AFP
People walk under cherry blossom trees in full bloom at a park in Tokyo. Japan said it was assessing whether to issue a tsunami advisory after an 8.2 magnitude earthquake struck off Chiles Pacific coast AFP
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any congratulations to Bangladeshs womens cricket team for securing their first ever victory in an ICC global event by beating Sri Lanka by 3 runs, in their final Group B match at the ICC World Cup in Sylhet this week. It took an excellent bowling performance from Bangladesh to achieve this important milestone. For a womens team which is still new to international cricket, this is a commendable accomplishment. It is also highly welcome for home fans after disappointing performances by Bangladeshs mens team during their run in the World Cup. Most encouraging of all is that spectators have been enthusiastically filling stands throughout the ICC Womens World Twenty20, regardless of whether Bangladesh is playing or not. The pitches and crowds at Sylhet have earned many plaudits from visiting teams, who have been praising the atmosphere and support which they have been receiving in Bangladesh. This speaks well for the countrys hosting of the World Cup as the tournament edges towards its key semi-final stages. But it is especially important for womens sport that the womens tournament be well supported. Womens teams all around the world are often neglected by sponsors and television, because they draw smaller crowds than men. Any signs of this changing should be welcomed. We hope this weeks victory and the higher profile for womens sport generated by the World Cup will provide inspiration and acts as a springboard to encourage more Bangladeshi women to greater heights in sport.
We hope the higher profile generated by the World Cup will encourage more women to greater heights
Be Heard
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s the government meets to discuss an increased budget for the coming fiscal year, it has to hand varying forecasts for GDP growth, which mostly remain around the 6% level. The Asian Development Banks outlook is the least optimistic projecting GDP to grow by 5.6%, which is notably lower than the governments revised target of 6.5%. While this remains above average in the current world economy, all observers agree the country could perform much better and achieve a growth rate closer to 8% if necessary reforms were undertaken. The government needs to improve infrastructure and restore long-term political stability to guard against factors that threaten to slowdown GDP growth rates. In this regard, it is welcome that the government is promising to invest in new infrastructural developments and has talked to the World Bank about plans to enhance regional connectivity, including two hoped-for hydropower projects with Bhutan, India and Nepal. It is also encouraging that the World Bank has pledged to provide a record $2.8bn in funds to support education, health and poverty alleviation programs. These are important to encourage inclusive and broad-based economic growth. To move the country on to a higher growth path however, policy-makers must prioritise reforms, such as lowering bureaucratic hurdles and trade barriers, to enable the private sector to productively attract and make the best use of investment. By focusing on improving education, investing in infrastructure and providing a better investment climate, the economy can be freed from artificial obstacles which hamper or limit opportunities for growth.
Prioritise reforms, such as lowering bureaucratic hurdles and trade barriers, to help the private sector
PEANUTS
CROSSWORD
ACROSS 1 Partly open (4) 3 Ancient tongue (5) 8 Yield (4) 9 Thunder god (4) 11 Scottish dances (5) 12 Flying toy (4) 14 Encountered (3) 15 Wards off (5) 18 Wander away (5) 19 Serpent (3) 21 Snow vehicle (4) 24 Sound (5) 26 Alone (4) 27 Location (4) 28 Choose by vote (5) 29 Plunder (4) DOWN 1 Book of the Bible (4) 2 In a frenzy (4) 4 Top card (3) 5 Swarms (5) 6 Not working (4) 7 Cosy retreats (5) 10 Fissure (4) 11 Of the kidneys (5) 13 Concise (5) 16 Stains (4) 17 Ministers residence (5) 18 Venomous ill will (5) 20 Earth (4) 22 Extinct bird (4) 23 Young horse (4) 25 Dry, of wines (3)
SUDOKU
YESTERDAYS SOLUTIONS
Crossword
How to solve Sudoku: 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 numberrepeating.
Sudoku
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Op-Ed
11
or dogma, but took a keen interest in the political developments of his time. He was distressed by the episodic communal violence that punctuated the politics of the 1940s. Following the transfer of power and the partition of India in 1947, he joined those who were determined to bring an end to the frenzy of communal violence that swept through the Indian subcontinent. In 1954 he helped draft the famous 21 point manifesto of the United Front led by his uncle Sher-e-Bangla A K Fazlul Huq. He played a prominent part in the mass upsurge of 1969 against President Ayub Khan, and in the round table conference convened by Ayub in its wake. He gave his support to the 11 point demands of the students of East Pakistan. During Bangladeshs war of liberation he refused to collaborate with the Pakistan army despite the inevitable pressures. His commitment to democracy, and his interpretation of the same was akin to Abraham Lincoln. He dedicated his energy to the freedom and wellbeing of men. He protested vehemently against any form of corruption, venality, and exploitation. When the education department of our country was becoming corrupt, Murshed stressed that the role of teachers was to instil values, indicating that they should be at the forefront in protesting against any undesirable situation. We should be cognisant of the range and depth of his knowledge which included writings on diverse subjects in top flight journals and magazines. His association with the Anjuman-e-Mufidul Islam showed his concern for the poor. He was president of Rotary and Lions clubs, and was deeply involved with many cultural and social causes. As a powerful voice of humanity, to him man was the measure of all things. Inevitably, men like Murshed have to confront many obstacles. Socrates was forced to drink the cup of hemlock; Murshed too was subjected to many pressures by the government for his honesty, integrity, and above all his independence. But unlike the proverbial Faust he did not sell his soul, remaining uniquely courageous in maintaining his freedom.
A unique voice
S
n Halima Akhtar
M Mursheds aristocratic background was a fitting precursor to a brilliant academic career. He rose to pre-eminence as a jurist imbued with a deep sense of social justice. His contribution to the field of literature and belles-lettres was no less outstanding. All in all, he lavishly bestowed upon us his vast store of wisdom on various issues ranging from jurisprudence to politics to innumerable social causes.
n Arnold Zeitlin
mbassador Abdul Monem, the Bangladesh permanent representative at the United Nations, invited me to accept an award at his mission quarters in New York as part of the celebration of the 94th anniversary of the birth of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on St Patricks Day (March 17). As a result, I now have a shiny plaque that proclaims I am an eminent journalist, because of my reporting for the Associated Press during Bangladeshs liberation war in 1971. And the AP thought I was just doing my job! Also, I was therefore able to share the Bangladesh UN missions feast of curry, nan, dal, spicy cauliflower, and tandoori chicken, as well as a huge chocolate birthday cake, while elsewhere in New York the Irish and Irish-for-the-day had to be content with drinking green beer and eating the St Patricks day traditional corned beef and cabbage. Lawrence Lifschultz, who doesnt need a plaque to designate him as an eminent journalist, was also honored. He has written books and articles insightful about Bangladesh and other subjects. We had never met. The opportunity to chat about our Bangladesh experience made the evening special for me. I am not so sure Sheikh Mujib would have approved of my award. I last saw him some time in late 1974 or early 1975, in the last year of his life, when he passed through Manila. I was an AP correspondent in Manila back then. When he saw me among the journalists at Manila airport, he pointed me out to his host, Philippines President Fer-
dinand Marcos, and said, Watch this man. He is very dangerous. Three months after Mujib was killed in August 1975 in Dhaka (a dire event I covered until the government threw me out), Marcos threw me out of the Philippines, giving me a record of being expelled by two different Asian governments in less than 90 days. The recent occasion at the Bangladesh mission was an opportunity to reminisce about Mujib as well as to briefly discuss his legacy.
been mostly self-inflicted. Lawrence did point out as evidence for his argument examples of the CIAs behind-the-scenes presence in such coups as in Iran, Guatemala, and Chile. Ive seen much the same CIA activity myself in the Congo and, of course, along the Pakistan-Afghan border. I concluded that Mujibs legacy was an independent Bangladesh, with all its faults and its promise. Bangladeshs more exuberant performance since it split from Pakistan has more than
Mujibs legacy was an independent Bangladesh, with all its faults and its promise
Lifschultz also spoke. He detailed the American involvement in the coup in which Mujib was murdered, an association he discovered after much investigation. After our talks, the subject was the central part of a Q&A with the predominantly Bengali audience who filled the UN missions meeting hall. It was at this point that Lawrence and I disagreed. I tend to discount a shady direct American involvement in that coup, partly because I have heard so often in Bangladeshi living rooms Bengalis whining about American, Indian, Chinese, and Russian conspiracies victimising the hapless Bangladesh. I believe conspiracy theory talk stems from a denial of Bangladeshs responsibility for its own fate. Disastrous wounds in Bangladeshs history (and there have been too many) have
substantiated the claims of Bengalis that they had been suppressed by West Pakistan and the central government, especially when you look at the mess Pakistan has made of itself since then. Accessible and generous as he was to a fault in both cases Mujib left a darker side that is once more endangering the land he so loved. His grab for total power under a one-party Baksal led to his death and a spiraling into military dictatorship that took decades to halt. The same drive for power ended the lives of two other politicians closely identified with the independence of Bangladesh Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto (hanged in 1977) and Indira Gandhi (assassinated in 1984). The country is now in the midst of a political crisis arising out of a foolish boycott by the BNP, which has given
almost untrammeled power to Mujibs daughter, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, leading toward what could be called a one-person rule. I told the Bengali audience at the UN mission that I preferred to have opposition party leaders in the parliament house instead of being in jail. I have spent too much time over the years trying to help friends jailed for politics. That St Patricks morning, I received a message from Moudud Ahmed that I read out loud to Ambassador Monem. Moudud wrote: Let people know that there is no democracy in Bangladesh. I had to be in jail for three months recently only for making political statements. So I have stopped talking. I [went] to jail in 1955 at the age of 16 in the language movement, and led the Independent East Pakistan Movement in England in mid-sixties, and organised the defence of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in the Agartala Conspiracy Case, and took part in the war of liberation, [only] to see a Bangladesh where I cannot criticise the government freely for fear of being arrested and have an unelected government run without any accountability to people. Mujib also left the beginning of a legacy of insular family politics that also contributed to his death, and has led to gridlocking at the highest levels of the government. Now we have ruling mothers seeking a repeat of bad history by seemingly grooming their sons, Joy and Tarique, as successors. They threaten to turn the patriotic cry of Joy Bangla, to Joy Tarique. l Arnold Zeitlin reported on the 1971 war for the Associated Press. He currently teaches at Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, China.
As a jurist, he was a pre-eminent exponent of the rule of law. Like many great legal minds he drew his inspiration from a variety of historical, philosophical, and theological sources. Yet he was able to interpret these sources in his own inimitable fashion. His genius lay in the ability to fashion these diverse influences into his own brilliant individualism. He was acutely aware of the fact that excessive insistence on the letter of the law often violates the spirit. In recounting his legal skills, one is reminded of the artfulness of Portias intervention in Shakespeares Merchant of Venice. The letter of law, and the contract between Antonio and Shylock clearly required Shylock payment of the eponymous pound of flesh, but he was prevented from exacting this by Portias artful insistence that not a drop of blood be shed in the process. The application of the rule of law is ultimately down to the deft, and even witty, handling of the law by legal practitioners. Murshed demonstrated his talent in this connection by reforming innumerable laws and unravelling their complexities; offering us something truly unique in the process. He can be compared to great jurists such as Marshall, Oliver Wendell Holmes, and Lord Denning. He was forever kind and generous with his affectionate advice for his juniors, without ignoring those senior to him. His relations in this area were governed by mutual self-respect and tolerance. Mursheds reputation as a great judge came through some famous cases like the Mahmud and Samabarton Mamlas, all of which are landmarks in the legal history of Pakistan. His forte lay in constitutional law as evidenced by the Ministers and Pan cases. His fame was not just confined to the shores of his country, but he had an international reputation in this regard. Like all great judges, his judgments were not only impartial but tinged with humanity and compassion. Indeed, few took exception to his judgments. But the hallmark of a truly great man is the ability to rise above the narrow confines of his profession. Murshed never allowed himself to be shackled by any particular ideology
He demonstrated his talent by reforming innumerable laws and unravelling their complexities
As a man, Murshed was loving to his family and affectionate to his friends. His compassionate vision of Islam still inspires us. Not only was he a truly international figure, but he will continually inspire us as someone whose values and principles, as well as his steadfastness in this regard, often without recompense, are worth emulating in an age of time serving convenience. l Halima Akhtar is a freelance contributor.
We must develop a process to immediately react to any policy changes in our competing countries
We wont achieve our dream of reaching $75bn in exports unless our garments exporters shift into more specialised zones
Frankly speaking, our entrepreneurs and exporters now desperately need gas to run their industries. Chittagongs entrepreneurs are weeping, if not crying, for want of gas. We need an integrated solution and our government needs to gear up on that front. We need effective ports in Chittagong and Mongla. Maybe we need a third seaport at Ramnabad channel in Patuakhali and a deep-sea port at Sonadia soon in order to ensure transport
Though our exports have increased by more than 14% during the eight months of the current fiscal, despite no dramatic upside in US economy or a cloudy European economy, increasing this by more than 20% year on year without any specific stimulus could be a daunting task. Bangladesh Bank is seen continuously buying US dollars from
exporting friends. Along with these we must develop a dynamic process to immediately react to any policy changes in our competing countries, especially India, with regard to their readymade garment exports, if not other exports too. l Mamun Rashid is a business professor and financial sector entrepreneur.
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DHAKA TRIBUNE
Entertainment
Mahiya Mahi in three disguises
n Entertainment Desk
Mahiya Mahis new film Dobir Saheber Songsar will hit the cinemas tomorrow. The pretty newbie will be seen in three different avatars in her upcoming flick. Mahi will be seen playing three different roles of Chumki, Daisy and Protikkha. The story revolves around finding the real identity of Protikkha. About her roles in the film, Mahi said: Working in three different characters was not easy for me. I have managed to do so with the enormous support from the generous cast and crew. I request my audience to have fun watching the film in theatres. Comedy is a difficult genre and making people laugh is a challenging task, she adds. The movie will hit ninety one cinema halls all over the country. The actor recently participated in a flash mob of the T20 theme song. The music video will be aired on different satellite TV channels soon. Mahi has won the hearts of the audience with her potent performing ability to carry out demanding characters in the media. Her film Agnee, where Mahi is seen as an action heroine was a mega hit that earned in crores , her male counterpart in the movie was Arifin Shuvoo. l
Hridoye Robi features Tagore songs in contemporary style n Hasan Mansoor Chatak
Nirjher Chowdhury, an aspiring music composer and singer is going to release his first audio album titled Hridoye Robi which entirely consists of Tagore songs. The event is on April 4 at the Bengal Silpalaya, Dhanmondi. Filmmaker and architect Enamul Karim Nirjher will unwrap the album at the event where the singer is suppose to present all the new songs from his forthcoming album. At the age of ten, Nirjher went to learn Tagore Songs in Chhayanaut, a Dhaka based popular musical institution and soon after, he began his line of work with a Tagore song Kon Aalote Praner Pradip Jwaliye Tumi Dhorai Aso along the consonance of his mothers tune. From my very childhood I wanted to release an entire album of only Tagore songs, said Nirjher. Mostly romantic and favorite Tagore songs are placed in the album and the selection does not shape any method or theme. Popular Tagore songs including Bhalobese Sokhi, Aj Jotsna Raate Sobai Gese Bone and Elem Natun Deshe along with others are in the track list. Western musical tune and instruments are used ingeniously in the album with the contemporary listeners in mind. I used grand piano in a song and jazz pattern in another as we tried to provide western variation of music, keeping in mind the new generation listener of Tagore songs. At present, Nirjher is serving as a teacher at Chhayanaut. Though he previously composed music for a mixed album titled Maatir Sure which contains folksongs, Hridoye Robi is his first solo album in which he composed music alongside rendering the songs. Rokon Emon helped his compositional works. Currently, Nirjher is also a member of a band named Dharok, which formed aiming to bring hundred years old Bangla folk and other songs back in contemporary form. From Charjapad to Tagore, songs get contemporary reverberation. Dharok is planning to bring out their own album. l
Bruce Springsteen and Chris Martin to perform at Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame induction
n
Entertainment Desk
Coldplay rocker Chris Martin and Bruce Springsteen are among the names that have been confirmed to perform at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction ceremony later this month. Martin, 37, will have the honour of inducting Genesis rocker Peter Gabriel at the ceremony taking place at Brooklyns Barclays Center in New York on April 10 while it has been confirmed that The Boss will perform with his E Street Band before inducting them into the Hall. REM frontman Michael Stipe has been enlisted to induct iconic rock band Nirvana into the Hall of Fame which will come just days after the 20th anniversary of Kurt Cobains death in 1994. Tom Morello is also expected to hit the stage to induct Kiss, who have been locked in a dispute with the Hall of Fame organisers after they reportedly snubbed several members of the band who arent part of the original line-up. According to the Detroit Free Press, Paul Stanley who co-founded Kiss along with Gene Simmons, said: Yes, its going to be a great night, because we will pay respect to how the band started. But our issues with the Rock Hall have not subsided. While they will be inducted, Kiss have stated that they will not perform. Also confirmed to appear is The Roots Questlove who will induct Hall & Oates while Glenn Frey of The Eagles will honour his former band mate Linda Ronstadt who will be celebrated with a musical tribute from Stevie Nicks, Carrie Underwood, Sheryl Crow and Emmylou Harris. l
Sport
The off spinner has been the one getting the wicket against us. We dont mind the left arm spinner, hopefully we won play him like New Zealand. We know what we are going to come across. And this bunch of guys in the dressing room is very confident. Even when everything seems gloom we have the belief that the person in the middle can do well. Thats what happened in the last games, he said. Stay calm and bat till the end is Sammys theory which evidently has cost most of his opponents. It was even in the last game against Pakistan that West Indies were reeling at 87 for five when Sammy and Dwayne Bravo exhibited powerful hitting in the last five overs picking 81 runs. For me I just stay calm. If you notice most of the partnerships, came from one of our most T20 experienced player in Dwayne (Bravo), we just stay calm and keep telling ourselves, once we bat to the end, bat deep, anything is possible we have shown that over the last few months, he added. The 30-year-old has grown in to a great leader for the Caribbean side over the years. He is a lively character both on and off and he said he enjoys the role, but informed that he will not continue as the Test captain after the tournament ends. l
DHAKA TRIBUNE
13
14 Bayern draw
14 Fifa orders
15 Feni Soccer
WEST INDIES
CHRIS GAYLE Runs 140, HS 53, (4x11, 6x6), SR 116.66 One of the most destructive batsmen in world cricket, the giant left-handed is yet to flourish in the World T20. However, the platform is perfectly set for the Jamaican to entertain the Bangladesh crowd with some Gayle-storm DARREN SAMMY Runs 101, HS 42*, (4x12, 6x5), SR 224.44 Captain courageous is what they call him and a lot will depend on his contribution today. So far he has been dismissed once in four innings which indicates what a smooth finisher he turned out with the bat. His fielding and bowling are just the added ingredients which makes him great as a leader SAMUEL BADREE Wkts 10, BBI 4/15, Econ: 5.62 In pitches like SBNS, Badree gives his team the perfect balance. The leg spinner opens the bowling and more importantly has so far gone under six runs an over. Two more wickets will make him the highest wicket taker in the tournament and he will definitely be eying the Lankan openers to achieve the feat
KEY PLAYERS
MAHELA JAYAWARDENE Runs 134, HS 89, (4x16, 6x3), SR 131.37 If Sri Lanka loses, it could be the last World T20 for the 36-year-old. Batting at No 3 Mahela has stirred the Lankans to victory on many occasions and with the batting unit in an inconsistent shape a lot will depend on his shoulders ANGELO MATHEWS Runs 60, HS 43, (4x3, 6x2), SR 127.65, Wkts 4, BBI 3/16 The ODI captain of the side Mathews should play a very crucial part today. He opens the bowling and it will be interesting how he fares in front of Gayle and Dwayne Smith. Meanwhile, his batting also provides the cushion in the lower middle order RANGANA HERATH Wkts 5, BBI 5/3, Econ: 0.85 The left-arm spinner has been the rabbit out of the magic hat for Sri Lanka. He played their do-or-die encounter against New Zealand and ended up with the best T20 figures. With the ball turning and skidding at Mirpur, it will be an interesting battle between the WI hitters and the spinning wizard
SRI LANKA
Meg Lannings 65-ball 126 against Ireland is the highest score in the tournament, and the highest ever score in Womens T20a West Indies have yet to beat Australia in three T20 meetings
Australia captain Meg Lanning said that her team would do all it could to defend its title. Weve played some good cricket up until this point and enjoyed the atmosphere in Sylhet. The big games are still to come and this is a situation weve found ourselves in recent times and hopefully that experience
South Africa cricketers warm up at a training session during the ICC World Twenty20 tournament in The Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka yesterday AFP
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Cameron calls for shirt price re-think
British Prime Minister David Cameron has given his support to calls for a rethink regarding the 90 ($150, 109 euros) cost of the new replica England football shirt. The price of the shirt, identical to the one that will be worn by the England team at this Junes World Cup finals in Brazil, proved controversial immediately following its launch earlier this week. Sports minister Helen Grant had already gone on Twitter to say: On 90 England #football shirts for fans, its not right. Loyal supporters are the bedrock of our national game - pricing needs a rethink. AFP
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Sport
Manchester United's Nemanja Vidic heads to score against Bayern Munich during their Champions League quarter-final first leg tie at Old Trafford in Manchester on Tuesday
REUTERS
RESULTS
1 1 1 1
Atletico Madrid
Diego 56
Man United
Vidic 58
Bayern Munich
Schweinsteiger 66
The hosts spent most of the first half watching Bayern string passes across the face of their penalty area, but in the 40th minute they let a huge chance to take the lead go begging. United introduced Shinji Kagawa for
Giggs at half-time and after Schweinsteiger had put a warning shot over De Geas bar, the hosts went ahead. Rooney arced a corner towards the back post from the left flank and the unmarked Vidic strained his neck to steer the ball into the bottom-right corner with the side of his head. Guardiola responded by introducing Mario Mandzukic for Mueller and the move paid swift dividends, with the Croatian heading down Rafinhas cross for Schweinsteiger to crash an equaliser into the top-left corner. Schweinsteiger was shown a second yellow card in the last minute after sliding in on Rooney and Guardiola will also be without Martinez in the second leg after he was booked for a foul on Javier Hernandez. l
Barcelona forward Neymar celebrates after scoring against Atletico Madrid during their Champions League quarter-final first leg match at Camp Nou stadium on Tuesday REUTERS
FIXTURES
FC Porto AZ Alkmaar Lyon FC Basel v v v v Sevilla Benfica Juventus Valencia
trophy along with AZ Alkmaar of the Netherlands and Swiss club Basel, have never faced Juventus, their neighbours from across the Alps, before. Swiss champions Basel will have to play their first-leg clash against 2004
UEFA Cup winners Valencia behind closed doors after being punished for the violent behaviour of their fans. UEFA also fined FC Basel 107,000 euros ($147,500) after objects, including cigarette lighters, were thrown on to the pitch in their last-16 clash against Salzburg, with the referee halting the game for 10 minutes. AZ take on Benfica, last seasons beaten finalists who saw off Tottenham Hotspur in the last round. The last Spanish representatives, Sevilla, travel to face 2011 winners Porto, who ended Napolis interest in the competition with a 3-2 win on aggregate in the last round. l
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Sport
15
QUICK BYTES
Feni Soccer players celebrate their win against Sheikh Russell during the Independence Cup quarterfinal match at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday COURTESY
Walton Cricketers reached the second round of the Chiang Mai International Six-a-Side Cricket as the group champion after beating Perth Postels of New Zealand by six wickets yesterday. Opting to bat first, the New Zealand outfit were restricted to 28 for three in their stipulated five overs. Walton Cricketers cruised to victory in the very first over without losing any wicket as both Mehrab Hossain Jossy and Ilyas Sunny remained unbeaten on 26 and 4 respectively. The draw of the second round will be revealed today. RM
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors joined Guangzhou Evergrande at the top of their AFC Champions League group after a superb strike gave the 10-man Korean side a 1 0 win over the defending champions Wednesday. Guangzhou entered the Group G match at the Jeonju World Cup Stadium with a 12-match unbeaten run in the competition, and a chance to claim a place in the knockout rounds with a victory over their hosts. And their hopes were boosted when the Korean side, who won the tournament in 2006, had Jung Hyuk sent off midway through the second half after the midfielder received his second caution of the game. But, with 14 minutes remaining, Lee Jae-sung spotted that Leonardo was on the run, and lofted a fine through pass to the Brazilian -- who met it on the edge of the Guangzhou box with a side-footed volley that gave goalkeeper Zeng Cheng no chance. The victory saw Jeonbuk draw level with Guangzhou with seven points, although the Chinese side lead the group because of their better record in the head-tohead matches between the two sides following their 3 1 win over Jeonbuk in southern China two weeks ago. AFP
Brazilian soccer star Pele poses with his book, "Why Soccer Matters" before he signs copies at a Barnes & Noble bookstore in New York on Tuesday AFP
DAYS WATCH
BTV, Gazi TV, Maasranga TV Star Sports 1, HD1 ICC World T20 2014 3:30PM 1st Semifinal (Womens) Australia v West Indies 7:30PM 1st Semifinal (Mens) Sri Lanka v West Indies UEFA Europa League: QF Leg 1 Ten Sports 1:35AM FC Porto v Sevilla FC Ten Action 1:35AM Olympic Lyons v Juventus Sony Six NBA 2013 14 5:30AM Atlanta v Chicago 8:00AM Sacramento v LA Lakers 2:30PM Yonex Sunrise India Open 2014: Day 2
Serena Williams poses for photographs on Crandon Park beach in Key Biscayne, Florida on Saturday AFP
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BANGABANDHU 1 SATELLITE
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Back Page
Bangladesh Navy frigate Abu Bakr leaves the Chittagong naval jetty yesterday to participate in the International Fleet Review 2014 in Chinas Qingdao
BANGLAR CHOKH
n Tribune Report
Sir John Peace, chairman of Standard Chartered PLC, is scheduled to arrive in Dhaka last night on a two-day official visit. During his tour, he will meet senior officials of the government, and clients and staff of the Standard Chartered Bank. This is the first time any chairman of the British banking giant is visiting Bangladesh. Sir John Peace will be accompanied by Sunil Kaushal, regional CEO for India and South Asia for the Standard Chartered Bank. Sir John was appointed chairman of the Standard Chartered PLC board in 2009, after having joined the board in 2007 as deputy chairman. Sir John was knighted in 2011 for services to business and the voluntary sectors. He is also the chairman of Burberry Group PLC and Experian PLC. l
DHAKA TRIBUNE
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B4 GM avoided defective
Vice President for the South Asia Region at the World Bank, while releasing the report through video conference. Luis Andres, report co-author and lead economist for Sustainable Development for the South Asia Region said: The South Asia region continues to suffer from a combination of insufficient economic growth, slow urbanisation, and huge infrastructure gaps that together could jeopardise future progress. To bring its infrastructure up to scratch, the bank said the region needs to invest between 6.6% and 9.9% of 2010 GDP a year. That is as much as three percentage points over the current 6.9% invested by the region, which includes Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, in
2009. More than a quarter of the population still lack access to electricity, far more than the less than 10% who lack it in other parts of the developing world. The bank said governments should ensure infrastructure access extended to the people who need it the most women, the poor and marginalised groups and move away from a build, neglect, and rebuild mindset by investing in the rehabilitation and maintenance of infrastructure assets. In South Asia only 71% of the population has access to electricity, ahead of Sub-Saharan Africa at 35%, but well behind the rest of the developing world at above 90%. According to businesses in South Asia, a lack of electricity is the biggest barrier to their growth. l
The growth of remittance was slowed since one year due to falling manpower export, political unrest and sluggish investment climate
Of the remittance received in March, $398m through state-owned commercial banks, $15.52m through specialised banks, $840.69m through private commercial banks and $19m through foreign commercial banks. Manpower export from Bangladesh has significantly declined as no new job market was created overseas in more than a year. Moreover, many of the major recipient countries continued restricting recruitment from Bangladesh. The major countries to recruit manpower from Bangladesh are Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, Qatar, Malaysia, Oman and Singapore, of which, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait and Oman have imposed restriction on recruitment from Bangladesh. Only four lakh workers migrated to different countries in 2013 compared to over six lakh in 2012, according to a report by the Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU). To boost remittance inflow, Bangladesh Bank has created separate savings instruments for non-resident Bangladeshis (NRBs). The instruments include, among others, non-resident foreign currency deposits, US dollar premium bonds and wage-earners development bonds, according to Bangladesh Bank. Smart cards or mobile phone banking services were also introduced to facilitate sending home the remittance.l
n Tribune Report
CNG filing owners association yesterday urged the National Board of Revenue (NBR) to remove 0.50% minimum income tax limit on the total revenue earned by the CNG filing stations as they term the imposed tax is illogical. The government has fixed the selling price of feed gas at Tk23 per cubic meter
B3 COLUMN 5
B2
Stocks gain for third day with higher turnover
n Tribune Report
Stocks gained for the third consecutive session yesterday with significant improvement in turnover, as investors continued to snap up heavyweight stocks. The market opened with a positive note and the upward trend continued till close. At the end of the session, the benchmark DSEX ended at 4,595 with a rise of 69 points or 1.6%. It is its single-day highest rally in recent months. The blue chips comprising index DS30 rose 28 points or 1.8% to close at 1,646. The Shariah index DSES went up by 14 points or 1.5% to close at 1,001. Turnover crossed Tk500 crore at DSE after 15 trading sessions, registering more than 58% increase over the previous sessions value of Tk315 crore. Three days of uptrend in a row suggests that market is benefiting from optimism about expectation of improved corporate profitability of listed companies in coming days, said Lanka Bangla Securities. Positive sentiment was also generated by pledge of Asian Development Bank to continue to provide US$130m financial support for share market reform program as the government is planning to table the Financial Reporting Act, 2013, it said. IDLC Investments said the days rally was supported by ongoing dominance from large caps. Additionally, the market sentiment got added boost from quarterly earnings expectation, it said. Zenith Investments said as the overall market kicks into gear, few stocks with less promising trend also went up with other fundamentally sound scrips. Investors should remain vigilant, and carefully pick their stocks before making any swift decisions, it said. Gainers took a strong lead over the losers as out of 296 issues traded, 207 advanced, 75 declined and 14 issues remained unchanged on the DSE. All the large cap sectors posted hefty gains. Food and allied remained the top gaining sector with over 3% gain, followed by pharmaceuticals 2.6% and, fuel and power over 2%. Banking sector pulled back sharply gaining 1.2% market capitalisation and topped as the top volume generating stocks in the days session. Other than that, engineering, fuel and power, and pharmaceuticals sectors were also advanced with sector capitalisation up by 2.3%, 2.2% and 2.5% respectively. l
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Stock
DSE GAINERS Company
Closing (% change) 9.96 9.39 8.34 7.95 6.44 6.23 6.14 5.80 5.65 5.49
Golden Son -A Usmania Glass -A Eastern Cables-Z Mercantile Bank -A Renwick Jajneswar-A Marico BD Ltd-A S Purbanchol Power-N UNITED AIR A GBB Power Ltd-A AramitCementA CSE GAINERS Company Standard Insurance-A Delta Brac HFCL A Phoenix Finance-A Golden Son -A Usmania Glass -A Mercantile Bank -A Eastern Cables-Z ICB -A Uttara Finance -A AIBL 1st Is. M. F.-A
Average (% change) 7.80 8.46 2.92 5.89 9.17 3.63 3.15 2.89 3.85 3.80 Average (% change) 10.00 9.97 8.92 7.08 8.90 3.87 5.75 5.00 4.86 4.80
Closing average 54.02 202.56 160.96 18.70 432.37 1,202.92 62.45 14.22 24.02 56.84
Closing 55.20 202.70 167.60 19.00 434.80 1,215.20 64.00 14.60 24.30 57.60
Daily high 55.20 202.70 170.00 19.10 439.00 1,215.30 64.30 14.90 24.50 59.00
Daily low 48.00 180.00 155.00 15.90 425.80 1,140.00 54.30 12.50 23.20 52.40
Turnover in million 53.288 88.769 9.384 91.432 1.643 18.104 30.120 46.320 12.946 4.980
Latest EPS 3.35 5.10 1.40 3.00 5.32 46.53 5.35 0.98 1.65 2.56
Latest PE 16.1 39.7 115.0 6.2 81.3 25.9 11.7 14.5 14.6 22.2
Closing (% change) 10.00 9.97 9.61 9.52 9.46 6.25 5.74 5.52 5.34 5.19
Closing average 36.30 64.00 30.78 53.97 202.42 18.26 160.26 1817.25 72.87 8.08
Closing 36.30 64.00 30.80 55.20 202.50 18.70 160.30 1826.30 73.00 8.10
Daily high 36.30 64.00 30.90 55.40 202.50 18.90 166.50 1830.00 73.00 8.10
Daily low 36.30 64.00 30.00 50.90 195.00 17.50 155.00 1790.00 72.80 8.00
Turnover in million 0.036 0.032 0.985 4.977 2.316 4.745 0.401 0.363 0.062 0.049
Latest EPS 2.96 3.46 2.60 3.35 5.10 3.00 1.40 40.46 7.49 1.24
Latest PE 12.3 18.5 11.8 16.1 39.7 6.1 114.5 44.9 9.7 6.5
(+) 1.52% (+) 1.43% (+) 1.73% (+) 1.53% (+) 1.11% (+) 1.69%
Traded Issues Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis) Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis) Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis) Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.) Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)
Average (% change) -5.56 -7.64 -7.24 -6.92 -8.26 -3.35 -4.66 -4.00
Closing average 34.50 8.95 58.91 10.49 60.00 120.52 310.73 58.98
Daily high 36.00 9.10 62.50 10.60 62.00 125.60 320.70 61.70
Daily low 34.00 8.70 57.70 10.10 60.10 118.40 303.00 56.00
Turnover in million 1.811 0.017 80.320 0.108 0.021 7.858 4.257 12.329
Latest EPS 0.28 -50.84 7.26 -25.08 0.60 1.18 5.01 3.33
-4.92 -4.86
-4.55 -2.91
31.26 155.66
30.90 152.70
32.50 164.20
30.70 152.00
8.597 10.211
0.02 0.88
1563.0 176.9
Closing (% change) -8.53 -7.62 -6.33 -6.03 -5.61 -4.91 -4.89 -4.76
Average (% change) -5.13 -6.70 -6.71 -5.88 -5.76 -6.61 -5.97 -4.08
Closing average 34.80 60.12 7.37 115.46 18.50 308.49 31.19 8.00
Daily high 35.60 67.50 7.60 116.00 18.50 310.00 31.50 8.00
Daily low 34.00 57.90 7.20 115.30 18.50 306.00 31.00 8.00
Turnover in million 0.487 13.105 0.125 0.110 0.001 0.340 0.390 0.008
Latest EPS 0.28 7.26 0.52 3.56 0.59 5.01 0.02 -2.58
-3.95 -3.72
-2.75 -2.29
36.73 68.15
36.50 67.20
37.10 71.40
36.20 66.50
0.241 0.802
0.38 1.70
96.7 40.1
ANALYST
SECTORAL TURNOVER SUMMARY
Sector Bank NBFI Investment Engineering Food & Allied Fuel & Power Jute Textile Pharma & Chemical Paper & Packaging Service Leather Ceramic Cement Information Technology General Insurance Life Insurance Telecom Travel & Leisure Miscellaneous Debenture
Three days of uptrend in a row suggests that market is benefiting from optimism about expectation of improved corporate profitability of listed companies in coming days
CSE Total
DSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company BATBCL -A LafargeS Cement-Z Grameenphone-A Padma Oil Co. -A Square Pharma -A Eastern Housing -A
Mercantile Bank -A
DSE Million Taka 380.63 120.66 62.54 361.59 1436.24 454.53 10.29 415.35 419.61 1.81 138.36 65.53 17.59 417.66 29.28 50.36 81.40 262.93 60.95 215.21 1.45
% change 7.61 2.41 1.25 7.23 28.70 9.08 0.21 8.30 8.39 0.04 2.76 1.31 0.35 8.35 0.59 1.01 1.63 5.25 1.22 4.30 0.03
Million Taka 37.93 9.59 4.85 27.79 31.31 51.01 61.38 26.55 37.21 9.85 39.31 2.32 33.21 5.70 3.18 4.97 34.52 18.47 22.00 0.07
% change 8.22 2.08 1.05 6.02 6.79 11.06 0.00 13.31 5.76 8.07 2.14 8.52 0.50 7.20 1.24 0.69 1.08 7.48 4.00 4.77 0.02
Million Taka 418.56 130.26 67.38 389.37 1467.55 505.55 10.29 476.74 446.16 39.02 148.21 104.84 19.91 450.86 34.98 53.53 86.37 297.45 79.42 237.21 1.52
% change 7.66 2.38 1.23 7.12 26.85 9.25 0.19 8.72 8.16 0.71 2.71 1.92 0.36 8.25 0.64 0.98 1.58 5.44 1.45 4.34 0.03
Familytex (BD) Ltd.-N BD Submarine Cable-A Olympic Ind. -A National Tubes -A Meghna Petroleum -A
CSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company LafargeS Cement-Z
Volume shares 493,373 5,994,000 921,993 486,992 601,204 1,970,175 4,890,649 438,240 130,270 2,120,400
Value in million 1233.14 319.51 201.97 169.48 165.10 116.34 91.43 88.77 84.89 82.76
% of total turnover 24.64 6.39 4.04 3.39 3.30 2.33 1.83 1.77 1.70 1.65
Daily closing 2522.70 51.20 220.00 346.50 275.00 59.00 19.00 202.70 649.50 37.30
Price change 4.24 -1.92 1.99 0.41 1.74 3.87 7.95 9.39 1.56 -4.85
Daily opening 2420.20 52.20 215.70 345.10 270.30 56.80 17.60 185.30 639.50 39.20
Daily high 2539.90 54.50 220.40 355.00 275.90 60.20 19.10 202.70 660.00 42.30
Daily low 2300.00 51.10 202.00 315.00 260.00 51.50 15.90 180.00 640.00 36.90
Daily average 2499.40 53.31 219.06 348.01 274.61 59.05 18.70 202.56 651.68 39.03
Volume shares
Prepared exclusively for Dhaka Tribune by Business Information Automation Service Line (BIASL), on the basis of information collected from daily stock quotations and audited reports of the listed companies. High level of caution has been taken to collect and present the above information and data. The publisher will not take any responsibility if any body uses this information and data for his/her investment decision. For any query please email to biasl@bol-online.com or call 01552153562 or go to www.biasl.net
Grameenphone-A UNITED AIR A Padma Oil Co. -A Familytex (BD) Ltd.-N BSC A BD Submarine Cable-A Square Pharma -A Eastern Housing -A Delta SpinnersA UCBL - A BEXIMCO Ltd. -A Appollo Ispat CL -N aamra technologies-A Golden Son -A
530,500 103,800 1,229,102 42,070 218,000 18,395 56,626 39,970 160,475 215,000 301,107 210,661 194,800 133,425 92,225
Value in million
28.23 22.76 17.74 14.65 13.11 12.01 11.76 10.99 9.43 8.41 7.05 6.50 5.28 5.07 4.98
% of total turnover
8.48 6.84 5.33 4.40 3.94 3.61 3.53 3.30 2.84 2.53 2.12 1.96 1.59 1.52 1.50
Daily closing
51.10 219.90 14.60 346.60 58.20 649.50 207.20 275.60 58.50 37.60 23.70 31.10 27.30 37.90 55.20
Price change
-2.29 2.09 5.04 0.61 -7.62 1.60 1.02 1.89 3.17 -4.33 3.95 4.71 2.63 2.16 9.52
Daily opening
52.30 215.40 13.90 344.50 63.00 639.25 205.10 270.50 56.70 39.30 22.80 29.70 26.60 37.10 50.40
54.40 220.50 14.80 351.60 67.50 660.00 209.90 276.10 60.60 43.00 23.80 31.40 27.50 38.40 55.40
50.80 215.10 13.70 344.50 57.90 640.00 206.00 269.80 56.70 37.20 22.90 29.60 26.50 37.50 50.90
Daily average
53.20 219.29 14.43 348.34 60.12 652.89 207.66 274.97 58.79 39.13 23.40 30.88 27.11 37.98 53.97
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Business
B3
Hectic efforts for attracting European Robis smartphone fair kicks off today entrepreneurs in ICT sector
n Muhammad Zahidul Islam
Both the government and the countrys information communication technology (ICT)-based entrepreneurs have jointly launched a massive drive for attracting the potential European entrepreneurs to the emerging ICT sector in Bangladesh. As part of the move, Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS), the apex body of the Software and Information, has been organising a series of meeting not only in Dhaka but also in various cities in Europe to attract investors. BASIS yesterday held the EuropeBangladesh Technology Summit 2014 B2B Matchmaking session & seminar on Business Partnership Opportunities for Foreign IT companies in partnership with Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Nyenrod Business University. The special business session, which was held at the BASIS office, also aimed at convincing the European investors, especially from the Netherlands. Addressing the session, all the speakers sought more investment from the European countries in the countrys ICT-based industry. A delegation comprised of ten Dutch IT companies took part in the day-long event which also included consultation between the Dutch delegation and the BASIS, in his presentation said: "There has been no corporate tax for software and IT services and zero tax for the import of computer and hardware in Bangladesh. Simultaneously, foreign companies can also repatriate 100% of their profits." Fahim Mashroor, former president of the BASIS, informed the Dutch entrepreneurs that the foreign currency regulation of Bangladesh is very simple while copy right and information security law is very resilient. BASIS also advised the Nordics business delegation to hold meeting with Bangladesh Bank officials and the Board of Investment to get more information for building up their confidence. BASIS informed the export revenue in this sector has witnessed an enormous increase from US$24m to $200m in last five years while they have targeted to reach $1bn within next five years. The seminar was attended, among others, by Nazrul Islam Khan, secretary of ICT division and Carel Richter, Charge d Affaires, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Earlier, Bangladeshi delegate visited Hannover in Germany, Copenhagen in Denmark and Oslo in Norway as part of the move to attract the European investors in the countrys ICT sector. A Danish delegation will visit Bangladesh in June, disclosed Russel T Ahmed, secretary general of BASIS. l
local entrepreneurs. Dutch companies have expressed their keen interests to invest here in ICT related-service sector. They, however, wanted to know about the investment security situation in Bangladesh. Replying to a quarry BASIS president Shameem Ahsan said, Our ICT polity is the worlds most modern polity where industry people led in the policy making process. Regarding political uncertainty Shameem Ahsan said: We had faced some challenges during election period but we have already overcome such a volatile situation. Besides Bangladesh, some other countries like India and Vietnam also face the same sort of crisis but political instability cant hold back our growths in the ICT sector.
Zunaid Ahmed Palak, state minister of ICT division said, We have identified ICT as a key pillar and tools for the countrys socio-economic transformation and development. The government has demonstrated a determination to promote ICT services industry in the country providing cheaper bandwidth and alternate connectivity, he added. Moreover, the government has taken appropriate and immediate measures in creating world class IT infrastructure by setting up dozen of Hi-Tech Park in different parts of the country. The visiting Dutch delegation, which will visit Kaliakoir Hi-Tech Park today, is scheduled to attend more networking sessions. AKM Fahim Mashroor, director of
A three-day long Robi Smartphone and Tab Expo-2014 begins at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in Dhaka yesterday, which will showcase the latest models of smartphone and tablet brought by different brands. State Minister for Information and Communication Technology, Junaid Ahmed Polok will inaugurate the fair as chief guest. Al Amin Dewan, media coordinator of Expo Maker, made the announcement at a press conference yesterday. Expo Maker is organiser of the event. Nokia, Samsung, Acer, Flora Ltd, Lenovo, Asus, LG, Ainol and some other brands will exhibit their latest mobile handsets with new applications. Different apps makers are also going to come up with their new products. The visitors will be offered special discounts and prizes on purchase of a product in the fair, said Al Amin Dewan.
Around 10 pavilions and eight stalls at the fair have been set up, which will remain open from 10am to 8pm till Saturday. The entry is free of charge. ICT Secretary Md Nazrul Islam and President of Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS) Shameem Ahsan will also attend the inaugural function as special guests. Expo Maker will organise a seminar on raising awareness about mobile security today while mobile operator Robi will hold another seminar on 3G service tomorrow on the sidelines of the fair. Expo Maker has also launched a facebook-based competition named Tag, Share and Win on the occasion of fair. The competition already got started in Expo Makers facebook page. The winner will get a Nokia Lumia 1520 handset. Besides, there are eight more attractive prizes, said Nahid H Siddique, head of operations of Expo Maker. l
me in troubles. I needed to pay technicians repeatedly to repair and found that costs turned higher than the gridline power. The meeting was held at the NBR headquarters in Dhaka. BSREA president Dipal C Barua spoke at the meeting and informed that they had so far installed solar panel systems in 30 lakh households. He urged the NBR to consider their budget proposals to help expand the sector.
The paper mill owners demanded reduction of import duty on related chemicals to 3% while the book publishers asked for income tax waiver on donations given to set up libraries. Besides, Advertising Agencies Association urged to reduce tax at source on advertisements from 10% to 5%. Photographic association demanded making the business tax-free as they are in dire straits. They made the demands at pre-budget meets with National Board Revenue in Dhaka yesterday. NBR chief chaired the meetings. We want cutting import duty on paper chemicals to 3% and set a minimum Vat rate for the next five years to help expand the industry, Mostafizur Rahman, president of Bangladesh Paper Mills Association. He said the country has 72 mills in the country with a total capacity of producing 12 lakh tonne papers against a local demand of 8 lakh tonne. The surplus products are exported to 30 different countries, Mostafizur Rahman said.
Bangladesh Gyan O Srijanshil Prokashon Samiti, a platform of book publishers, sought income tax waiver on donations made for libraries. We seek income tax waiver on donations made for libraries, Osman Gani, president of the Samiti. He also urged to cut duty on import of papers, alleging that the local paper producers are charging as much as they wish. Bangladesh Patthopustok Mudron O Biponon Samiti, an association book printers and traders, also placed their budget proposals. Its president Amirul Ali alleged the imported books were also enjoying tax free facility which was given to the local book printers. Some local writers are misusing the system. They publish books from aboard and then importing and show them as reference books, Amirul Ali said. In response to allegations, NBR chief Ghulam Hussain stressed the need of introducing a uniform system in the sector to prevent corruption. Bangladesh Paper Importers Association said the involvement Bangladesh Standards Testing Unit (BSTI) in the release of products will led to harassment of importers. Its president Alamgir Haque requested the NBR to refrain BSTI from the process. Advertising Agencies Association of Bangladesh urged for reduction of tax at source on advertisements from 10% to 5%. Its president Ramendu Majumdar placed the proposal. Photographic Association demanded removal of all duties from the photography business their business is longer a profitable one as there are small studios set up across the country. l
The sweetmeat manufacturers asked for reducing Vat on sweetmeat to 6% from 15%. There are many sweetmeat outlets in the small towns and rural areas. They sell to low-income group people and have to pay 15% Vat, said Aminur Rahman, general secretary of Bangladesh Sweets Manufacturers Association. He said they had long been demanding reduction of Vat but received no response from the government, and had to pay Vat twice.
Aminur Rahman said they were paying Vat both from outlets and factories but the law required them to pay only from outlets. In this regard, he mentioned Section 6 of the Value Added Tax Act 1991 and urged the NBR to collect Vat from outlets only as its creating complicacies for them. Bangladesh Sugar Refiners Association also presented their proposals and urged the NBR to consider duty-waiver for the sector. NBR Chairman Ghulam Hossain presided over the meet. l
The City Bank Ltd organised a signing ceremony for structured financing arrangement for Regent Energy and Power Limited in order to raise a term loan of US $50.2m and Tk300m while preference shares of Tk430m for setting up a 108 MW gas fired independent power plant at Ghorashal, Narsingdi
NCC Bank Limited signed an agreement with Airtel Bangladesh Limited to provide mobile banking services to Airtel subscribers. Md Omar Faruque Bhuiyan, the banks executive vice president and Rubaba Dowla, chief service officer of Airtel Bangladesh seen handing over the signed agreement
Union Capital Limited held its 16th annual general meeting on Monday at the LGED Auditorium in Agargaon, Dhaka. The companys chairperson, Chowdhury Tanzim Karim presided over the meeting
and Tk30 for compressed natural gas whereas the CNG filing stations have to pay Tk1.58 for production of each cubic meter of gas, said AKM Alamgir Khan, finance secretary of Bangladesh CNG Filing Station and Conversion Workshop Owners Association yesterday at NBR headquarters in the city. The CNG filing station owners are getting only Tk0.18 by selling per unit of CNG, which has resulted in losses in many of the stations outside the capital, he added. Imposition of 0.50% minimum income tax limit is illogical under any circumstances and it needs to be removed
as the companies are running out their businesses with continued losses while many of the owners have not only become sick but also bankrupts. AKM Alamgir came up with the demand for withdrawing the minimum tax-limit while placing a set of proposal to the NBR for its consideration for the upcoming FY2014-15 budget. Demanding withdrawal of tax and duties, he said the government should also withdraw the 5% Advance Income Tax and imposed tax on the profits and also withdraw 3% Advance Trade VAT in the import of CNG kits and spare parts from the sector. l
B4
DHAKA TRIBUNE
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A view of the US model of Cefaly Technology's new head band device to be used against migraines, at the Cefaly Technology headquarters in Herstal, Belgium. A small technology company based in southern Belgium is set to take on the giant US market with its crowning achievement: an anti-migraine headband. The product of years of medical and technological research, the device is a diadem fitted with electrodes designed to take the edge off migraines before they develop into acute blinding pain AFP
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In the early 2000s, GM, like the other Detroit automakers was under intense cost pressure, in the face of competition from overseas rivals and a legacy of high labor costs. Those and other financial issues eventually led to GMs 2009 bankruptcy. GM did change the ignition switch, in 2006, but the process did not comply with the companys own rules, documents and testimony show. Parts maker Delphi told congressional investigators last week that the redesigned switch on the 2007 models was harder to move out of position, but the force required to turn the switch was still below GMs original speci-
he Chevrolet logo is displayed on the steering wheel of a Cruze Eco at the General Motors headquarters April 1 in Detroit, Michigan. General Motors has recalled millions of vehicles in recent months due to a power steering defect and a faulty ignition-switch AFP fications, according to a timeline released by the investigators. A separate, April 26, 2006, document called a validation sign-off , authorized changes to the switch, including a new spring, designed to increase the force required to move the switch. The document showed that the part number did not change, when redesigned, an issue which GM said hampered its own internal investigation. It is inconceivable, Barra said,
With over 100 million users concentrated in the ex-Soviet Union, VKontakte (In Touch) is Russias most popular social network, far outstripping Facebook to which it is often compared. Analysts estimate that VKontakte has 40% of the Russian social network market share compared to Facebooks 25%. Himself often compared to Facebooks founder Mark Zuckerberg, Durov is seen as a the poster boy for a new kind
Durov has fallen out with United Capital Partners over his independent development of a hugely successful messaging service Telegram which the shareholders believe should have been developed as part of VKontakte. Durov had already sold his 12% stake in the firm in January and many analysts had expected that the 29-yearolds exit from the company he founded after leaving university in 2006 was only a matter of time. His stake was bought by the Mail.ru group part-controlled by Russias richest man Alisher Usmanov, with whom Durov is believed to be on friendly terms. Mail.ru now holds almost 52 percent in VKontakte.
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