Crisis averted as VAT droppedn Tribune Report

Demonstrations turned into celebrations yes-terday following the withdrawal of an unpop-ular VAT on private university education, end-ing nearly a week of sit-ins that ground tra� c to a halt in the capital and averting potential clashes between law enforcers and students.

The decision came following a directive from the prime minister that the tax be with-drawn.

In a U-turn on the contentious issue, the Awami League-led government appeared to back down in the face of public disapproval,

but won tremendous support in the process.Protesting students withdrew their block-

ades and began joyful rallies after receiving news that the government had withdrawn the VAT.

The decision to withdraw the VAT was an-nounced yesterday in a press release signed by Finance Ministry Senior Information O� cer Shahedur Rahman.

The press release reads: “The government does not want to create any interruption

at educational institutions and su� ering in public life. Considering the issue, the govern-ment has decided to withdraw the 7.5% VAT imposed on private universities, and private medical and engineering colleges.

“The government hopes students and teachers of private education institutions will discontinue their street agitation and return to class. The government hopes they will not do anything that could create obstacles for the development of the country.”

In a press brie� ng around 3:45pm yester-day, National Board of Revenue Chairman (NBR) Nojibur Rahman also announced that the 7.5% VAT on private university tuition fees had been withdrawn.

A special order signed by NBR Chairman Nojibur Rahman said the NBR, under section 14 of the Value Added Tax Act, 1991, withdrew the VAT on private university, private medical and engineering colleges.

“It will be considered that this order was executed from June 4, 2015,” the order read.

The order said that since private university PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

SECOND EDITION

STORIES, ANALYSES ON ANTI-VAT PROTESTS P3

PM WINS TOP UN ENVIRONMENT PRIZE PAGE 32

5 THINGS WE LEARNED FROM VAT PROTEST PAGE 3

CLINICAL DJOKER CAPS GREAT YEAR PAGE 25

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2015 | Bhadro 31, 1422, Zilqad 30, 1436 | Regd No DA 6238, Vol 3, No 152 | www.dhakatribune.com | 32 pages | Price: Tk10

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Crisis averted as VAT droppedmedical and engineering college education is expensive, imposing a VAT will increase stu-dents’ education costs.

The press release from the Finance Minis-try also said: “When the budget was passed in parliament in June, the original proposal for a 10% VAT on education at private univer-sities and colleges was reduced to 7.5% at the instruction of the prime minister. After nearly three months, a handful of students have em-barked on a movement against the VAT.

“Those who study at private educational institutions spend a lot of money but do not want to pay an extra 7.5% in taxes. That is why they have quit their classrooms and disturbed public life by holding rallies and creating scope to hinder development.”

Earlier in the morning, Bangladesh Chhatra League, the student wing of the ruling Awa-mi League, called upon the prime minister to withdraw the VAT.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith on Sunday said the government had not closed the door to discussion on the VAT issue.

“I am not rigid about the National Board of Revenue’s decision to impose VAT on tuition fees of private universities,” he said. Muhith said he had not been rigid on any matter dur-ing the six years he has served as � nance min-ister.

The taxman’s take on the issueIn the wake of widespread criticism for pro-

posing the VAT, the National Board of Reve-nue (NBR) on Sunday night sent a report on the VAT on private university tuition fees to Finance Minister AMA Muhith.

The report contains information on various countries that charge VAT on private educa-tion and estimates the amount of revenue that would be realised by imposing a VAT on pri-vate university education here.

The NBR report also laid out legal argu-ments for making universities liable to paying VAT, sources said. NBR o� cials said in many countries private education is not outside of the VAT net.

VAT is imposed on private university edu-cation in England according to a certain crite-ria. There is a 15% VAT on private education in New Zealand and a 7% VAT on it in Singapore, NBR o� cials said.

According to the National Board of Reve-nue, the government would have collected Tk150 crore by imposing a 7.5% VAT in FY2015-16.

The tax on private schooling would have cost an additional Tk1,500 per course per se-mester, according to a private university stu-dent.

In its report to the � nance minister, the NBR also provided details of several dozen pri-vate universities’ income tax � les for the last decade and a half.

The NBR reported that private universi-ties paid insigni� cant amounts of income tax

compared with pro� ts made from tuition fees and other charges.

The report contained information about in-come tax paid by 66 of 83 private universities in the country.

According to the report, the NBR estimated that the private universities should have paid Tk123.47 crore in income tax between FY1998-99 and September 12, 2015 on the basis of their stated income.

But they have paid only Tk47.78 crore in income tax during the period, while the rest of the amount remains pending as 25 universities have taken the matter to the High Court.

NBR � eld o� ces are now collecting more data to dig deeper into the issue, o� cials said.

Cops and kidsThe recent spike in street agitation against the VAT on private university education began on September 9 when a group of East West Uni-versity students took to the streets in Rampu-ra, clashing with police who � red rubber bul-lets at the students.

Nearly 30 students were injured in the clash in which law enforcers charged batons and opened � re on the students.

By the next day, the student movement had spread like wild� re across the city and else-where in the country.

Private university students staged protests at key intersections of the city demandingthe withdrawal of the VAT, choking o�

tra� c and leaving the capital in severegridlock.

Dhaka students were joined by their col-leagues in Sylhet, Chittagong and Rajshahi following the police action against private university students on September 9.

The rallies and blockades were largely peaceful, except for one incident on September 10 in which a group of unidenti� ed assailants scu� ed with protesters on the corner of Dhanmondi’s Road 27 and Satmasjid Road at the end of the day. Shortly afterwards, one student was clubbed on the head by a policeman while he was speaking to the media. He was sent to a nearby hospital in a rickshaw.

Water-cannon were deployed around the capital and police in riot gear, armed with ba-tons, shields and shotguns were seen in force at major intersections of the capital early yes-terday morning.

But the tense mood of the morning soon gave way to cheers of jubilation following the government’s withdrawal of the VAT.

“We are very happy now, because our demand has been ful� lled. Thanks to the government for withdrawing the VAT,” said Ahmed Jubayer, a Law student at Uttara University.

“It is our right to have a tax-free education … this victory restores our right to an educa-tion that is not taxed like a commodity, but is treated as a human right,” he added. l

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2015NEWS2DT

Even though students withdrew from the streets following the government’s decision to cancel VAT on tuition fees in private universities, the tra� c situation did not improve much yesterday as long queues of vehicles were seen around the city. The photo was taken yesterday at Kakali area MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Social Welfare Minister Mohsin Ali diesn Tribune Report

Social Welfare Min-ister Syed Mohsin Ali died of a cardiac ar-rest yesterday morn-ing at a hospital in Singapore. He was 67.

Acting secretary of the ministry

Rupon Kanti Sheel con� rmed the news: “He breathed his last in Singapore at 8.59 am (Bangladesh time),” the BSS reported.

A veteran freedom � ghter, Syed Mohsin Ali

left his wife, three daughters, relatives, party men and well-wishers to mourn his death.

He was an elected lawmaker from Hab-iganj-3 constituency.

He had been su� ering from pneumonia and some other diseases and went to Singa-pore recently for treatment there.

At the death of Minister Mohsin Ali, Pres-ident Abdul Hamid, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her cabinet colleagues, Jatiya Sangsad Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaud-hury, Leader of the Opposition in Parliament Begum Raushan Ershad, among others, have expressed profound shock. l

Pankaj: Water management next focus n Sheikh Shahariar Zaman

Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pankaj Saran yesterday said water manage-ment was going to be the next focus of the bilateral relationship.

“I think after the land boundary agree-ment, we seem to be heading for that di-rection,” he said at a discussion on Bangla-desh-India relationship in the city.

He said basin-wise management was men-tioned deliberately in the Bangladesh-India framework agreement signed in 2011.

There have been some discussions be-tween the two governments at informal level, not within the JRC (Joint River Commission) framework. But it was not being as intense as it should have been, he said.

About signing Teesta agreement, he said it was still in progress because it was better to work quietly behind the scene, rather than advertising progress.

“But I am con� dent it will happen, because that is the approach of India. It is something that both sides want to happen.”

He said water is a broad area what both the countries need to address. “I think once we get some con� dence boost from Teesta, then everything will become easier.”

Felani killingThe Indian envoy admitted that the Felani inci-dent was the most unfortunate incident in the relationship between Bangladesh and India.

When asked if the acquittal of BSF jawan who killed Felani would encourage more kill-ings in the border, he replied negatively.

“My answer to your question whether it will encourage more killings is no. It will not, because that is not the way Indian border guard functions.”

He said India wants to bring down the border killing to zero. Over the last couple of years, a number of steps have been taken to prevent such incidents and ensure better management of the border.

He said smuggling of cattle and cows across the border was perhaps one of the sin-gle biggest sources of illegal activites along the border.

A lot of time wastedThe Indian envoy said the implicit message of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Dhaka in June was “we have wasted lot of time. Let’s catch up”.

He said Bangladesh and India are the mas-ters of their own destiny and for that they need to identify who their friends are and who their partners are and how to take the re-lationship to a new height.

Visa The Indian High Commission has taken a num-ber of steps to reduce hassle of visa seekers.

Saran said now 10 Indian visa centres are op-erating in the country to provide service to visa seekers. He said they had decided eight months ago to introduce a system where nine out of 10 categories of visas would be issued without any appointment or token requirement.

At present, only tourists need to get ap-pointment prior to seeking visa from the high commission, he said. l

NEWS 3D

TTUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2015

NEWS ANALYSIS

Five things we learned from the VAT protestn Zafar Sobhan

The government can listenThe � rst and most important lesson we learned is that, contrary to popular opinion and expectation, the government is willing to listen to protests, and that, in the right circumstances, it is willing to reverse course. This � exibility on the part of the government signals both a political maturity as well as a growing self-con� dence that augers well, both for the government and for the public.

Compromise is not weaknessFor too long in Bangladeshi politics, the government reversing course on any question was seen as a sign of weakness, both by the

government, and possibly by the electorate, as well. This made compromise on almost any subject virtually impossible, as to compromise was seen as losing. What is notable about the government’s about face on VAT on private universities is that the move has been hailed as statesmanlike by the general public, and the government has gained points not lost them by virtue of its reversal. The lesson is clear, and this is a very positive development for our political culture.

No need for violenceI hope the opposition is watching carefully and noting that this protest succeeded in large part because it was peaceful. The notion that there is no alternative to the mayhem and murder of

political protests has been de� nitively disproved. Imagine what the BNP might have achieved over the past few years if it had pressed its case peacefully. In fact, it was the non-violent nature of the VAT protests which ensured that they did not alienate the public, something that was crucial to the movement’s success.

The only language the governmentunderstandsThat said, it should be noted that it was only when protesters took to the streets and shut the city down that they got what they wanted. The long campaign both before and after the tax was imposed was contemptuously ignored until the students took their beef to the streets. It should

never have had to get to that point. No violence is good, but if the only way we can change the government’s mind is to make the public feel the pain, then that remains a serious problem.

Public opinion mattersOne of the key advantages the protesting students had, and which was not lost on the government, was that there was widespread support for their movement, even among those who were being severely inconvenienced by it. In short, what the public thinks does make a di� erence, and there are limits to policies the government can enact which do not have popular support. Had the popular support not been there, the outcome may have been very di� erent. l

Protests turn into celebrationsn Tribune Report

Scenes of student protests turned into mas-sive celebrations yesterday as soon as news broke that the government will be withdraw-ing its VAT on private university education.

The road blockades across the capital transformed into jubilant processions, with students expressing joy for what they are see-ing as a victory for the united student move-ment.

Earlier around 10am, hundreds of private university students came to streets to join the sixth straight day of protests demanding withdrawal of the 7.5% VAT imposed on pri-vate university fees.

They staged sit-in programmes, block-ing roads in the city’s Uttara, Dhanmondi, Baridhara, Shyamoli, Panthapath, Mohakhali, Banani and Rampura areas.

Like the previous days, the road blockade resulted in huge tra� c jams across the capital and caused public su� ering.

But when di� erent media outlets started reporting about the government’s turnaround from the VAT decision, the jubilant students called o� their demonstrations and started moving away from the streets.

Following the news, the student gather-ings erupted in cheers and celebrations, with some students breaking down in tears with joy.

“The authority had to bow to the demands of the students. Private university students have proved that VAT [on education] is un-acceptable,” said University of Development Alternative’s BBA student Sakil Ahmed, who joined the celebrations yesterday.

Thanking Sheikh Hasina, he said: “Thanks to the prime minister for understanding that education is not a product. It is a right for all.”

Faiza Ahmed, a student of Da� odil Univer-sity, said: “Besides students from rich fam-ilies, many students from middle-class and poor families also come to study at private universities. If VAT on education had been implemented, then it would have been a bur-den for the low-income families.”

Meanwhile, when the breaking news ar-rived on VAT withdrawal, there was some confusion among students as they could not get word of any o� cial announcement.

Students of East West University, who were demonstrating near Rampura Bridge, were joined by other students from Independent University Bangladesh as they all brought out a procession around 2pm welcoming the prime minister’s directive to withdraw VAT.

The o� cial announcement � nally came when the Finance Ministry issued a press release, signed by Senior Information O� cer Md Shahedur Rahman.

The release read: “The government does not want to create any interruption at edu-cational institutions and su� erings in public life. Considering the issue, the government has decided to withdraw the 7.5% VAT im-posed on private Universities, medicals and engineering colleges.”

At 2:30pm, Md Salauddhin Mithu, one of the leaders of the student movement, o� cial-ly announced the end of protests by all pri-vate university students.

“If we did not take position on the street, there would have been no solution on the VAT issues” said Rubel, a � fth-year BBA student of East West University.

“It is a great achievement for us. We are glad that we could stage a non-violent pro-test,” said Ilias, an 11th semester student at EWU who had been involved with the move-

ment since the start.Rashed, a student of IUB, said: “It is good

to see a collective action by all private univer-sities. Without any collaboration, the decision [on VAT] would not have been changed.”

The government decision was celebrat-ed by students from East West University, Da� odil International University students, ASA University Bangladesh, European Uni-versity Of Bangladesh, State University, United International University, Universi-ty of Liberal Arts Bangladesh, BGMEA Uni-versity of Fashion and Technology, Asian University, Shanto-Mariam University, andUttara University.

Titumir students attack demonstratorsThe students of Government Titumir College yesterday attacked demonstrating private university students at the Kakoli intersection.

The attack took place when three buses carrying Titumir College students were stuck in the blockade.

Witnesses said Titumir students swooped on the private university students and beat them up indiscriminately.

However, the students from Titumir Col-lege claimed that they acted after their buses were vandalised by the demonstrators. l

Students demonstrating at Dhanmondi 27 intersection erupt in joy yesterday after hearing about the government’s decision to cancel the 7.5% VAT imposed on private universities RAJIB DHAR

How much private university students haveto pay n Shadma Malik

The students of private universities pay roughly around Tk700,000 as tuition and other fees for a four-year degree and diploma.

The fees for students of private medical schools would be almost twice the amount – hovering around Tk14 lakh.

The � gures emerged from interviews by Dhaka Tribune among the studentswho staged demonstration during last cou-ple of days protesting VAT suggests the � g-ures. The government yesterday announced withdrawal of the VAT on the private uni-versities and, medical and engineeringcolleges.

The VAT would then stand at around Tk52,000 had the tax not withdrawn. The amount is roughly equals to an average fee for one trimester.

According to the University Grants Com-mission (UGC) of Bangladesh, there are 83 pri-vate universities in the country approved by UGC. Of them, 75 are running their academic activities. The number of students enrolled in the private universities was around 330,000 as of 2014.

“In a four-year graduate programme, I’ll have to pay more than Tk600,000. With the semester course and other activities, now I have to pay Tk45,000 per semester,” said Imrana Tasnim, a second semester student of genetic engineering and bio technology of East West University.

Mahdeeb in his last semester of BBA at North South University pays semester fees of Tk58,000 for four courses, including student activities. When he was enrolled, the fee was Tk13,500 per course and it is now Tk16,500. So the new students pay Tk66,000 per semes-ter for four courses.

Tasnim Batool in her third semester in Computer Science and Engineering at Brac University said: “The fees per course in Brac University stands at Tk16,500. I need to pay Tk85,000, including student activityfees.” l

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2015NEWS4DT

Obaidul: BBIN cross-border vehicle run from Januaryn Shohel Mamun

Cargoes as well as passenger-carrying and personal vehicles from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal will be able to travel across each other’s borders from next January, Road Transport Minister Obaidul Quader has said.

The vehicles will cross borders in accord-ance with the BBIN motor vehicle agreement, the minister told reporters at the secretariat yesterday.

“A combined working group formed with representatives from the four nations met in Dhaka on September 8 and 9, and decided unanimously to allow [cross-border travel of] passenger and personal vehicles. They also prepared the draft protocol for movement of passenger and personal vehicles under the BBIN motor vehicle agreement,” Obaidul said.

However, sources at the Road Transport and Highways Division said delegates from the four countries – known as BBIN for their initials – are yet to agree on a draft protocol for operating cargo vehicles by the January deadline.

A number of problems, including

cross-border policy and immigration and cus-toms system, have been identi� ed against the operation of cargo vehicles, the sources said.

So the working group has decided to launch a trial run for cargo vehicles before meeting again to reach a � nal decision, the sources at Road Transport Division said.

When asked about a potential date for launch-ing cargo vehicle operations, Obaidul Quader said: “The proposed route for operating car-go vehicles has been a� ected by heavy rain. So, the working group has decided that a trial run for cargo vehicles will be held in October to take quick preparation for a draft protocol.”

Pointing out reasons behind the delay, Road Transport and Highway Division Sec-retary MAN Siddique said: “Immigration and custom policy are also causing delays in pre-

paring the draft protocol for cargo vehicles.”On June 15, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and

Nepal signed the BBIN motor vehicle agree-ment to ensure movement of passengers and goods among the four countries.

According to the agreement framework, the combined working group are supposed to conclude all formalities by December and passenger-carrying and cargo vehicles are supposed to start operating in January next year.

Meanwhile, the BBIN working group has reportedly also agreed to ease the visa issu-ance system for each other’s citizens, and held discussions on settling a policy on passenger movement, customs procedures, volume of passengers, transit fees, routes, insurance etc.

The road transport minister said a sec-retary-level meeting will be held in Dhaka on October 6 to discuss how to ease the visa system; he expressed hopes that the meeting would produce positive outcomes.

The four countries will also stage a car rally between November 14 and December 1 in or-der to promote the launch of the cross-border vehicle movement, Obaidul Quader added. l

Civil court, Coast Guard acts okayed in the cabinetn Tribune Report

The cabinet has approved the draft of the “Civil Courts (Amend-ment) Act, 2015” keeping the provision to increase the � duciary jurisdiction of the lower court judges to dispose of civil cases.

The cabinet has also approved the draft of the “Bangladesh Coast Guard Act-2015,” keeping the provision of punishment.

The approvals came in the regular cabinet meeting held at the Secretariat with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as the chair.

After the cabinet meeting, the cabinet secretary briefed re-porters that the amendment proposed increasing the jurisdiction of assistant judges to deal with civil cases of assets worth Tk15 lakh from the current Tk2lakh, while for senior assistant judges, it would be increased to Tk25 lakh from Tk4 lakh.

In the appellate courts, the amendment proposed that a dis-trict judge would deal with civil cases worth Tk5 crore, which is now Tk5 lakh, the cabinet secretary said.

“It would expedite the disposal of civil cases, since civil cas-es with more monetary value would be disposed o� in the lower courts at the district level,” he added.

The cabinet secretary said the Coast Guard Act has been framed in the same framework of the Border Guard Bangladesh Act. l

JU BCL men beat JCD leader on campusn JU Correspondent

Chhatra League members of Jahangirnagar University unit yesterday beat up a Chhatra Dal leader for writing what was described as negative comments on the ruling party’s stu-dent wing on Facebook.

The victim, Isra� l Chowdhury Sohel, a � -nal-year student of economics, is the joint convener of Chhatra Dal’s Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Hall unit.

He was assaulted at the social science fac-ulty building around midday.

Witnesses said the Ra� q-Jabbar Hall unit

Chhatra League president, Nawshad Alam Anik, asked Sohel to come out of the class-room, saying he would like to talk to him.

Several Chhatra League leaders, including Sumon Sarker, Ishtiak Ahmed, Mehedi Roman and Anik Kumar, then beat Sohel up with iron pipes, rods and wooden sticks.

The university’s Assistant Proctor Mehedi Iqbal arrived on the scene and sent the victim to the university medical centre.

But doctors recommended that Sohel be taken to Enam Medical College and Hospital at Savar for better treatment as he was in a critical condition.

Sohel told the Dhaka Tribune he was beat-en up badly. Chhatra League leader Nawshad told reporters that Sohel was beaten up as he made negative remarks on Chhatra League and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s son Sa-jeeb Wazed Joy.”

General Secretary of Chhatra League’s Jahangirnagar University unit Rajib Ahmed Rasel said the comments Sohel made on the social networking site disgraced the student organisation.

The assistant proctor, Mehedi, said actions would be taken if the victim lodged a com-plaint. l

Forest o� cer attackedn Our Correspondent, Maymensingh

A forest beat o� cer was severely injured af-ter a group of miscreants attacked him with sharp weapons in Fulbaria upazila, Mymens-ingh on Sunday night.

The victim, Solaiman Miah, was admitted to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital in critical condition. Police has arrested forest guard Yousuf Ali in connection with the attack.

Sources said a group of � ve or six miscre-ants attacked Solaiman and hacked him near Santoshpur beat o� ce around 10:30pm on Sunday. Being informed, police later went to the scene and took Solaiman to the MMCH. l

6 CU BCL men suspended n FM Mizanur Rahaman

Six members of Bangladesh Chhatra League’s Chittagong University (CU) unit were sus-pended from the party on Sunday night for breaching the organisation’s rules.

The suspended student activists are Sa-jidul Kabir of the mathematics department, Fahim of the accounting department, Shimul Bishwas of the marketing department, Imran Khan of the English department, Imam Hos-sain of the Islamic History department and Ataur Rahman of the Physiology department, sources said.

All six of them are the intake of the 2012-13 academic year in the university.

“They [the suspended activists] put a lock on the university’s main gate, violating the Chhatra League’s rules and regulations, which is why they have been suspended un-til October 5,” Alamgir Tipu, president of CU Chhatra League, told the Dhaka Tribune.

During the suspension, the six activists time, will not be allowed to take part in any political activities of the party.

The Chhatra League activists put the CU gate under lock and key on Sunday afternoon for a few minutes in protest of an alleged in-cident of mobile theft recently at the Chhatra League-dominated Shahjalal Dormitory. l

The BBIN working group has reportedly agreed to ease the visa issuance system

NEWS 5D

TTUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2015

Malaysia widens Bangladeshi migrants’ opportunities under G2G Plus schemen Adil Sakhawat

Malaysia has agreed to open more sectors for Bangladeshi migrants through a new man-power recruitment scheme called G2G Plus, said Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Em-ployment Minister Nurul Islam yesterday.

He said Malaysia would recruit Bangla-deshi workers in construction, service, man-ufacturing and agriculture sectors where it earlier hired only for the plantation sector.

Explaining the G2G Plus scheme, the min-ister said: “It is much like the G2G system but additionally o� ers the inclusion of Bangla-desh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (Baira) in the hiring process which

was absent in the G2G scheme.”“Malaysia hopefully will begin hiring a

huge number of workers from Bangladesh within a month through the government as well as private recruiting agencies. The mi-gration cost will be low under the G2G Plus scheme,” Nurul told reporters after a meeting with a visiting Malaysian delegation.

The six-member Malaysian delegation led by the secretary general of the country’s ministry of human resources, Saripuddin bin Hj Kasim, is now in Bangladesh to attend the sixth joint working group meeting with the Ministry of Ex-patriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment.

“The delegation said the migration cost would be Tk36,000-37,000 if anyone is re-

cruited via the Bureau of Manpower, Em-ployment and Training. In case of migration through private recruiters, the amount will stand at Tk60,000,” Nurul said.

The minister said the delegation was re-luctant to discuss recruting manpower from Bangladesh under the B2B scheme. “They were not interested to talk about any non-gov-ernment recruitment system and hence made no proposal regarding that.”

A Memorandum of Understanding is ex-pected to be signed with Malaysia today to expedite manpower export to the Southeast Asian country.

Nurul said Malaysia would hire from a da-tabase containing the details of migrants who

had registered themselves for migrating to the country.

The database currently has around 1.8 mil-lion names.

Baira President Abul Bashar said the expa-triates’ welfare minister had taken a timely decision to increase labour migration from Bangladesh to Malaysia.

He also emphasised the role of private recruiters in expanding the overseas labour market, saying that such recruiters are the experts in marketing the manpower business.

“The G2G Plus scheme will allow private re-cruiters under the Baira to work with the govern-ment for expanding the overseas labour market and we welcome such a move,” said Bashar. l

Advance train tickets go onsale todayn Shohel Mamun

Bangladesh Railways is going to start selling train tickets in advance from today in order to ease the journey of the home-bound people ahead of Eid-ul-Azha.

Railway Minister Mujibul Haque will visit Kamalapur Railway station today to monitor ticket sales.

Advance tickets for the Eid will be sold from today to September 19 and the return tickets will be sold from September 23 to 27.

Eid-ul-Azha will be celebrated in the coun-try on September 25.

Tickets for September 20 will be available today while the return ticket for September 27 will be made available on the 23rd of the month.

Tickets for September 21,22,23 and 24 will be sold on September 16,17,18 and 18 respec-tively.

Earlier, Railway Minister Mujibul Haque said: “A person can buy up to four tickets but the tickets will not be refunded.” l

Alleged militant � nancier Enamul remanded again n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong

Ready-made garments businessman Md Enamul Haque, charged with militant � nanc-ing in a case � led with Chittagong’s Hathaz-ari police station on February 19 under the Anti-Terrorism Act, was placed on two days’ remand yesterday.

Senior Judicial Magistrate Mahmudul Hasan passed the order after Enamul was pro-duced in court and shown arrested in a case lodged over the raid of Al Madrasatul Abu Bakar, the ideological training centre of new militant out� t Shaheed Hamza Brigade (SHB), in Hathazari upazila, said Prosecutor Abul Hashem.

Rapid Action Battalion 7 (RAB 7) raided the Hamza Brigade’s ideological training centre on February 19, and then busted the out� t’s military training centre two days later on Feb-

ruary 21. The elite force discovered the mili-tant out� t’s explosives warehouse on Febru-ary 29.

Enamul, director of Golden Touch Appar-els in the capital’s Turag area, was nabbed from his workplace by RAB 7 on September 5, after the elite force discovered that he had deposited money into the bank account of Hamza Brigade leader Moniruzzaman Masud alias Don.

On September 10, Enamul made a state-ment under section 164 of the Criminal Pro-cedure Code (CrPC) in a case lodged under the Anti-Terrorism Act with Banshkhali police station over the raid of a Hamza Brigade mili-tary camp on February 21.

He was later remanded for three days after being shown arrested in the Banshkhali case.

Hamza Brigade members Harunur Rashid, Md Asadullah, Mostakim Billah and Moham-

mad Yusuf, who were sent on three days’ remand, on Sunday made statements under section 164 of the CrPC before the court of Ad-ditional Chief Judicial Magistrate Shahidullah Kaisar in the Hathazari case.

On the night of August 18, the daughter of BNP former whip Sayed Wahidul Alam, Supreme Court Barrister Shakila Farzana, Supreme Court Advocate Md Hasanuzzaman Liton and Dhaka Judge Court Advocate Mah-fuz Chowdhury Bapon were arrested for alleg-edly � nancing the Hamza Brigade.

They confessed to depositing money into the account of Hamza Brigade leader Mon-iruzzaman Masud alias Don, but claimed to be returning their clients’ advance fees. They denied involvement in funding the militant out� t.

RAB 7 also found links between the Hamza Brigade and Dubai citizen Allama Libdi, with

evidence that Libdi visited Bangladesh sever-al times to give cash to the militant out� t.

RAB 7 nabbed 29 Hamza Brigade members and four alleged � nanciers. But RAB sources said the out� t’s kingpin was still on the run.

Between February and June, the elite force seized 25 sophisticated native and for-eign made arms including eight AK-22 ri� es, 4,443 bullet rounds, 76 powerful bombs, 150 kilogrammes of explosives, 30 kinds of bomb making materials out of which 2,000 bombs could be made and a large number of docu-ments.

RAB said the Chittagong-based Hamza Brigade – modelled on the Syria-based in-ternational militant out� t Mujahideen – was formed in November 2013 by former members of Islami Chhatra Shibir, the student wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami, Hefazat-e-Islam and oth-er militant groups. l

Hundreds of hectares of Aush � elds have been inundated in � oodwater at Bhabsan village in Naogaon district’s Manda upazila. Farmers are harvesting the paddy early to avoid rotting, but they still fear a signi� cant � nancial loss this season AZAHAR UDDIN

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2015NEWS6DT

Trucks not to enter Dhaka before 10pmn Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

In an attempt to regulate the Eid tra� c rush, the government has decided to bar trucks from entering Dhaka city before 10pm and recommended that work on Moghba-zar-Mouchak � yover stay suspended for the time being.

The restrictions will stay in place between September 20 and Eid day, according to deci-sions made by a special government taskforce yesterday.

“We have made 20 decisions to make trav-elling during the Eid holidays hassle-free for people,” Kaikobad Hossain, chairman of the taskforce, told the Dhaka Tribune following

the body’s � rst meeting at the city’s Nagar Bhaban.

The 20-point decision has been sent to all the relevant departments and transport or-ganisations as well as law enforcement agen-cies.

Kaikobad, who is also the executive direc-tor of Dhaka Transport Coordination Author-ity, said the Road Transport and Highways Division formed the special taskforce to ease holiday commuting and ensure road safety during Eid.

According to the minutes of the meeting, the taskforce recommended that all entry and exit roads of the capital be repaired ahead of Eid.

The city corporations and metropolitan tra� c police were asked to pay special at-tention in controlling the movement of the Gabtoli-bound cattle-laden trucks that cause jams. The taskforce further requested all de-partments concerned to assist the police in solving the capital’s tra� c congestion crisis.

All construction materials, including those of the Moghbazar-Mouchak � yover, must not obstruct tra� c movement, the meeting also decided.

The taskforce also asked the Dhaka north and south city corporations to take necessary steps to clean the waste left behind from sac-ri� ced cattle and to distribute bleaching pow-der among the city dwellers. l

BLOGGER RAJEEB MURDER TRIAL

Witness blacksmith identi� es machete buyern Md Sanaul Islam Tipu

One more prosecution witness yesterday testi� ed before a speedy trial tribunal of Dhaka in the case � led over the 2013 murder of blogger Ahmed Rajeeb Haider.

Judge Syeed Ahmed of Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal 3 recorded the deposition of blacksmith Manik Karmakar and � xed September 30 for next hearing in the case.

Manik told the court that Maksudul Hasan Anik, one of the seven students accused of the murder, had bought two machetes and four knifes for Tk2,600 from his shop located at Natunbazar in Vatara of the capital city before the killing of Rajeeb.

The witness also identi� ed accused Anik at the courtroom after giving deposition. Earlier, he also gave a judicial statement before the court on June 2, 2013 in this case.

The tribunal has so far recorded depositions of 11 prosecution witnesses including Rajeeb’s father Dr Nazimuddin, younger brother Newaz Mortaja Haider and cousin Kazi Galibul Islam.

On May 21, the court framed charges against militant group Ansarullah Bangla Team chief Mufti Jasim Uddin Rahmani, and seven students of the North South University (NSU) Redwanul Azad Rana, Md Faisal Bin Nayem alias Dweep, Maksudul Hasan alias Anik, Md Ehsan Reza alias Rumman, Nayem Sikdar alias Iraj, Na� s Imtiaz and Sadman Yasir Mahmud.

Of them, Rana, who was mentioned in the charge sheet as the planner of the murder, is on the run. All the seven other accused were produced before court by jail authorities yesterday.

In January 2014, detective Inspector Nibaran Chandra Barman submitted the charge-sheet, in which Mufti Jasimuddin’s name was mentioned as an “instigator.”

Ahmed Rajeeb Haider, known as Thaba Baba in the bloggers’ community, was an activist of the Shahbagh movement. He was hacked to death at Pallabi in Dhaka on February 15, 2013.

Later, his father Dr Nazim � led a case with the Pallabi police station. l

1 sentenced to death, 3 jailed for killing bank o� cialn Md Sanaul Islam Tipu

A Dhaka speedy trial tribunal yesterday awarded the death sentence to a young man and di� erent jail terms to three others for kill-ing a Brac Bank o� cial in 2011.

After examining records and witnesses, Judge Abdur Rahman Sardar of Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal-4 pronounced the verdict in the presence of three of the four convicts.

The condemned convict, Abdul Majid Dal-im, 34, of Purba Balikha village in Dhamrai upazila of Dhaka, was also � ned Tk20,000.

One of the accused, Jahangir Alam, 26, of Nayadangi village in Singair upazila of Man-ikganj, was sentenced to life imprisonment and � ned Tk20,000, for which he would spend an additional year in jail if he defaults.

The other convicts, Mohammad Idul, 26, of Goubda village in Rajarhat upazila of Kurigram, and Faruk Hossain, 27, of Jolapa-ra village in Sayedpur upazila of Nilphamari, were sentenced to � ve years’ imprisonment each and also � ned Tk5,000.

Of them, Faruk is on the run while the oth-ers are now in jail.

According to the case documents, TM Me-hedi Masud, a former Brac Bank o� cial of the

Gulshan branch in the capital, went to Jamga-ra in Savar by car after receiving a call from Abdul Majid Dalim on September 16, 2011.

Dalim, along with Jahangir, Idul and Fa-ruk, strangled Masud to death and dumped his body under Shubhulya Bridge in Mirzapur upazila of Tangail that day. The accused were professional kidnappers, and they killed the bank o� cial after snatching his car.

Masud’s body was later recovered by Mirzapur police in the area on September 17, 2011.

Sub-inspector Bimal Chandra � led a case with Mirzapur Police Station in this connection. Two years after the sensational murder, Tangail CID Inspector Zafar Iqbal, also the investigation o� cer of the case, submitted a charge sheet against the four accused on September 29, 2013.

A total of 19 prosecution witnesses gave depositions against the accused in the case.

Of the four convicts, Jahangir and Idul had given confessional statements under section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedures (CrPC).

Expressing satisfaction over the verdict, the victim’s mother Amena Begum told the Dhaka Tribune: “I will be more grateful to the judiciary if the judgment is implemented within a short time.” l

22 suspected Shibir men held in Chittagongn FM Mizanur Rahaman, Chittagong

Police yesterday evening detained 22 sus-pected Islami Chhatra Shibir members from a coaching centre in Chittagong’s Patiya upazila.

The details of the detainees could not be ascertained immediately, said Sub-Inspector of Patiya police station Shah Alam Hawladar.

He said police raided Probaho Coaching Centre near Patiya bus stop after a tip-o� that Shibir members were plotting subversion at a rendezvous.

Police also seized Jihadi literature and an-ti-government lea� ets from the possession of the detainees.

“The identities of the detainees are being veri� ed and legal actions will follow,” said SI Shah Alam. l

Court asks Mosharraf Hossain to surrendern Tribune Report

The High Court yesterday cleared the way for the lower court to resume trial proceedings of the Barapukuria coal mine case against former state minister for energy AKM Mosharraf Hossain.

It also directed Mosharraf to surrender before a lower court within 50 days in connection with the graft case.

The HC bench of Justice Bhabani Prasad Singha and Justice ASM Mujibur Rahman gave the order vacating the HC’s previous order that had stayed the trial proceedings of the case.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) had � led the case in February 2008.

ACC lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan said the 50-day countdown will begin after the order reaches the court. l

Razzaque’s � rst death anniversary today n Tribune Report

Today is the � rst death anniversary of Miah Abdur Razzaque, a former agriculture o� cer and father of Hasan Jahid Tusher, a senior reporter of The Daily Star.

Razzaque, born in Sreerampur village under Magura sadar upazila in 1923, was involved in di� erent social activities during his life.

He died of old age complications on this day last year, leaving behind four sons and two daughters.

To mark the death anniversary, recitations from the Quran and special prayers will be held at the deceased’s Sreerampur village home after Asar prayers today.

Special prayers will also be organised at all the mosques in the village on Friday after Juma prayers for the salvation of his departed soul.

Relatives and admirers have been requested to attend the prayers, stated a press release. l

A huge chunk is missing from the railing on one side of Postagola Bridge on the Buriganga River in Dhaka, creating around a 3.5 feet high gap and posing a great risk to small vehicles and children RAJIB DHAR

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2015NEWS 7

DT

Source: Accuweather/UNB

D H A K ATODAY TOMORROW

SUN SETS 6:03PM SUN RISES 5:45AM

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

36.4ºC 23.9ºC

Saidpur Kutubdia

SourceL IslamicFinder.org

F O R E C A S T F O R T O D A YDhaka 31 27Chittagong 33 27Rajshahi 33 26Rangpur 32 26Khulna 33 26Barisal 30 26Sylhet 34 26Cox’s Bazar 31 27

PRAYER TIMESFajr 4:27am

Sunrise 5:44amZohr 11:54am

Asr 4:19pmMagrib 6:03pm

Esha 7:22pm

WEATHER

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15

THUNDERSHOWER WITH RAIN

Housewife hacked to deathn Our Correspondent, Narsingdi

A housewife has been hacked to death by some miscreants at Tengorpara village, Po-lash upazila in Narsingdi.

Nasrin Akter, daughter of Abdul Jalil, went to sleep in her room on Sunday night. But yes-terday morning, her family members found her dead body, said police. On receiving information, police went to the spot and recovered the body.

O� cer-in-Charge of Polash police station told the Dhaka Tribune that they were yet to know the reason behind the killing.

A case was � led in this connection. l

Two minor girls drown in Kushtian Tribune Report

Two minor girls drowned in a waterbody at Darpara village in Daulatpur upazila yesterday.

The deceased were identi� ed as Mim, 10, daughter of Sukchand of Darpara village, and her cousin Ritu, 9, daughter of Riazul Haque of the same village. Mim and Ritu were stu-dents of class IV and III respectively of a gov-ernment primary school in the village.

OC of Daulatpur police station Aminul Is-lam con� rmed the incident. l

Mymensingh a division nown Shohel Mamun

The National Implementation Committee for Administrative Reform (Nicar) has approved the constitution of Mymensingh division as the eighth administrative unit in the country.

The decision was made at Nicar’s meeting at the Secretariat yesterday, with Prime Minis-ter Sheikh Hasina in chair.

Cabinet Secretary M Mosharraf Hossain

Bhuiyan briefed reporters in this regard after the meeting.

He said the new division will consist four districts: Jamalpur, Sherpur, Netrokona and Mymensingh. The total area of the division will be 10,584sq-km with a population of nearly 1.14 crore.

Earlier, the government directed the Cabi-net Division to take necessary administrative steps to turn Mymensingh into a division.

The cabinet division formed an inter-min-isterial committee to take measures in this regard.

At yesterday’s meeting, Nicar also ap-proved a proposal for the constitution of Bhandaria municipality in Pirojpur, a propos-al for the expansion of the boundary of Hom-na municipality in Comilla, and a proposal for the constitution of Bangura Bazar police sta-tion in Muradpur upazila, Comilla. l

Ershad: No good governance in the countryn Tribune Report

Chairman of Jatiya Party Hossain Mohammad Ershad yesterday said every day people were dying in the country as there were no good governance in the country.

The Jatiya Party chief said: “We do not know how many people die every day. Rajon was killed in front of us. But we could not be able to save him.

Where is our morality?” he said while ad-dressing the biennial conference, Khulna dis-trict unit, Jatiya Party held at Shahid Hodis Park in the city.

He said he was waiting to see when BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia would be landed in jail and how she is freed from there.

Criticising Khaleda Zia, he said Khaleda at a meeting in Mymensingh

several years ago had said: “Ershad will go to jail and remain there till his death.”

“Now I am alive and waiting to see who re-turns from jail after death,” he said.

“She has seen her younger son’s body, her elder son is staying abroad and most of her party leaders are in jail, and her partynow is in co� n and the last nail would bedriven into the co� n after she is jailed,” he said.

Accusing, BNP while in power patronized

terrorists and militants.He posed question “What would happen if

BNP comes to power again? Terrorism, bomb-ing will reappear and they would kill farmers, villagers demanding fertilisers and electrici-ty, as happened at B’Baria and Kansat during their tenure,” he said.

Ershad, also a special envoy of Prime Min-ister, said “Where is Khaleda

Zia? Why she does not come out to the street like me. Where are her party’s stalwarts and activists, they are now in holes, he said.

He said, Khaleda called upon the coun-trymen to come to the street and jointhe so- called movement against the govern-ment but the countrymen rejected her call, reports BSS.

Presided over by JP presidium member and convener of the conference committee of Khulna JP Sunil Shubha Roy, the conference was also addressed,

among others, by Water Resources Minister Barrister Anisul Islam Mahmud,Secretary General of JP Ziauddin Ahmed Bablu, Khulna city Unit JP presidentSheikh Abul Hossain and member secretary of the conference committee Sha� qul Islam Modhu.

A total of 544 councilors and thousands of delegates attended the conference. l

Students protest EEE department at RUn Our Correspondent, Rajshahi

Students of Applied Physic and Electronic En-gineering (APEE) department at Rajshahi Uni-versity yesterday protested the authorities’ decision to launch a new department under Engineering Faculty.

Sources said ,in the last academic coun-cil meeting, the university authorities took a decision to launch a new department namely Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE) under Engineering Faculty.

The students declared of boycotting class-es and examinations for inde� nite period in protest at the authorities’ decision.

More than 300 students of the department brought out a protest procession from in front of the university � rst science building which paraded the main streets of the campus and ended at a human chain in front of the univer-sity’s central library.

Addressing the human chain, students said that the new EEE department and existing APEE department cannot run under the same faculty as the syllabuses and course curriculum of the both departments is almost 90 percent same.

Giving reference to Dhaka University which earlier converted APEE department to EEE department, students informed none of the universities run both of the department at the same time.

“If the university authorities want to in-troduce new department, they should have to change the name of the existing APEE depart-ment to EEE, students however demanded. l

Workers of state-owned jute mills bring out a procession yesterday in Khulna city demanding � ve-point demand including their arrears DHAKA TRIBUNE

NEWS8DTTUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2015

Primary edn in sorry state in ShariatpurAbout 50,000 children lack access to education, as there is no primary school in 225 villages across the district

n Our Correspondent

Primary education in Shariatpur district is su� ering a setback due to poverty and the shortage of schools in all six upazilas.

About 50,000 children lack access to ed-ucation, as there is no primary school in 225 villages across the district, according to SEBA, an NGO working in Bhedarganj upazila.

The children, belonging to the age group of 8-12 years, do odd jobs for earning their liveli-hood instead of going to school.

According to sources in the district primary education o� ce, there are 667 government, 87 community and 40 non-government pri-mary schools in six upazilas of the district. Be-sides, there are 61 kindergarten (KG) schools. The total student enrolment is 198 thousand.

However, many of the students drop out of schools, as their poor parents are unable to bear their educational expenses.

The number of dropouts from primary schools is increasing in the district due to the poverty of their parents, sources said.

Azizur Rahman Miah, a farmer of Char Sensus village under Bhedarganj upazila, said he did not a� ord to send his six children to school due to his abject poverty.

Babul Majhi, a farmer of Chhaygaon in the upazila, said he also met the same fate as he was unable to bear the educational expenses of his four children.

The poor farmers have no interest in educat-ing their children. They are rather engaging their children in income generating work, like cattle grazing and rickshaw pulling. Some are even do-

ing odd jobs in restaurants and factories. The children sell their labour for poor wages

and often fall victim to ill-treatment or harass-ment at the hands of their masters, sources said.

On the other hand, most of the existing school buildings in char areas are in a deplor-able condition.

A large number of schools, damaged by � ooding and storms over the last few years, have not yet been repaired, the local people said. So classes in many char schools are held under the open sky. Most of the schools also have no tubewell, leaving the students to suf-fer from a drinking water crisis.

Ajaher Ali Molla, Headmaster of Pomlakar-ta Government Primary School in Pomlakar-ta village under Bhedarganj upazila, said his school, which was damaged by a storm few

years ago, could not yet be repaired. However, according to sources, some schools

in the district and upazila headquarters are run-ning with surplus teachers while those in rural areas lack the requisite number of teachers.

Sydur Rahman, headmaster of 19 No Baher-char Govt Primary School, said: “Shortage of teachers is one of problem in Chanrapur union.”

Sirajul Haque Sujan, headmaster of Ramb-hamrapur Govt Primary School, said: “Lack of accommodation and teacher shortage ham-pers education in the upazila.”

When contacted, Md Mizanur Rahman, Primary Education O� cer in Shariatpur, said, “Some children do odd jobs for earning their livelihood because of poverty.” “As a result, the number of dropouts from the primary schools is increasing in the district,” he added. l

Students of Binapani Government Girls High School block a road in Gopalganj Sadar Upazila yesterday, demanding removal of headmaster for his alleged irregularities DHAKA TRIBUNE

Schoolgirl commits suicide n Our Correspondent, Jessore

A schoolgirl allegedly committed suicide in Sirali Madanpur area under Monirampur upazila in the district yesterday.

The deceased Mush� kha Akhi,14, was daughter of Mosta� zur Rahman and class IX student of Saropal High School in the area.

Rakhia Sultana, mother of Akhi said that they had take dinner together. After taking dinner she went to bed.

Later, she found her daughter lying in blood and her wrists were amputated.

Jamuna, a teacher at the school did not al-low her to classes and Fazlu, another teacher beat up her mercilessly as she did not wear school dress on the day.

Akhi might have committed suicide by cutting o� her wrists as she could not bear the insult, Rakhia said.

Aklima, friend of Akhi, said: “ Akhi might have committed suicide over love a� airs.”

Akhi was in frustration as her relation with a youth named Akash, class X student in the school was broken up, she said.

Contacted, Sahdon Adhikari, head mas-ter of the school said that he could not know about the incident. SI Akram of Monirampur police station con� rmed the incident. l

Two killed overland dispute n Our Correspondent, Cox’s Bazar

A man was killed at Nazirpara village, Cox’s Bazar Sadar upazila yesterday afternoon over the ownership of a piece of land. Local sources said there had been a long-standing dispute between Markin Mia and Siddiq Gang over the ownership of a piece of land.

Markin Mia along with his family tried to put up resistance against Siddiq Gong when they tried to grab their land in the afternoon and a clash ensued between them.

During the clash Markin and his brother were injured indiscriminately. They were tak-en to Teknaf Upazila Health Compelx where Markin died. Police arrested four persons in this connection.

Meanwhile, a man was killed in a clash with rivals following a dispute over money at Gagli village in South Sunamganj upazila of Sunamganj. The deceased was identi� ed as Eklasur Rahman, 55, son of late Abdul Man-nan of the village.

Locals said an altercation ensued between Eklasur and his neighbour Alal Miah over the handover of some money at about 6pm.

At one stage, Alal along with his men at-tacked Eklasur and beat him mercilessly, leaving him seriously injured. l

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2015

ANALYSIS

Merkel’s refugee U-turn: blunder or pressure tactic?n AFP, Berlin

Just two weeks ago, Chancellor Angela Merkel won praise from Washington to Wellington for her bold decision to throw open Germany’s doors to refugees � eeing Syria’s brutal civil war.

But just as suddenly, Berlin announced a complete U-turn, saying Sunday it was reinstat-ing border controls and reintroducing asylum rules that it had essentially waived for Syrians.

The authorities, admitting that capacity had been stretched to the limit by the tens of thousands of new arrivals, called for a return to a more orderly situation.

Analysts on Monday derided the abrupt move, with the left-leaning Tageszeitung calling it an “absurd about-turn,” and con-servative Die Welt questioning whether “the German refugee policy had really been well thought through.”

“Angela Merkel risks undoing the very im-pression she has been basking in for the past few days – of an unbureaucratic, caring Ger-many, showing up the restrictive policies of other EU countries,” Tageszeitung wrote.

For about two weeks, Merkel and her allies had boldly insisted that they could keep the crisis under control.

Riding on a wave of euphoria that also helped mobilise thousands of volunteers to join in the country’s biggest post-war refugee relief

e� ort, cabinet ministers sang the same tune.But reality on the ground soon caught up.Local authorities particularly in the pros-

perous and conservative southern region of Bavaria have been complaining for months that they were struggling to handle the record in� ow of migrants.

When the steady in� ux suddenly turned into a huge wave of 20,000 people arriv-ing over a weekend in the regional capital Munich, an open rebellion erupted within Merkel’s own conservative camp, with her Bavarian allies at the CSU calling her policy a monumental disaster.

‘Miscalculation’The head of the CSU, Bavarian state premier Horst Seehofer, said opening German borders to unprecedented numbers of migrants “was a mistake that will occupy us for a long time.”

“We are getting ourselves into an emer-gency situation we soon won’t be able to con-trol,” he told news weekly Der Spiegel.

Questions also arose over the identities of migrants � owing into the country, with the CSU’s vice president Hans-Peter Friedrich saying it was “completely irresponsible to allow thousands of people to enter without checking and registering them, and one can’t really estimate how many IS � ghters or Isla-mists are among them.”

Faced with the mounting backlash, Merkel despatched her interior minister to announce the dramatic U-turn on Sunday.

“No one can fault Germany with regards to its welcoming culture,” said Interior Min-ster Thomas de Maiziere hours after he an-nounced the reinstated passport controls.

But “we cannot have the situation where someone who is supposed to be taken in by a neighbouring state of Germany says, ‘I prefer to go to Germany’.

“Sharing means sharing. And that must be implemented,” the minister said in an inter-view with public television ARD.

The Berliner Zeitung however was more forgiving, saying that even Merkel’s oppo-nents had no solution for the refugee crisis.

“Let’s use the time gained to better organ-ise the reception of refugees, and to de� ne Germany’s humanitarian possibilities and limits – and not for a pointless ‘I told you so’ debate,” it said.

Seen from the outside, however, the change appeared to be a tactic to pressure other European allies to share the refugee burden fairly.

Switzerland’s TagesAnzeiger said in its ed-itorial that it is a “signal for the EU... to come to a fair distribution of refugees.”

“Germany will not and cannot solve the refugee crisis alone.” l

WB: Gujarat best Indian state for businessn Reuters, New Delhi

Gujarat, the state Prime Minister Narendra Modi ran for more than a decade, is India’s best place for conducting business, the World Bank said on Monday, in a report that ranks the country’s states in an e� ort to encourage them to cut red tape.

The report, prepared with support from KPMG on the request of the Modi govern-ment, gains importance by coming before the World Bank’s annual Doing Business report, which ranks nations and is expected to be re-leased next month.

Last year, India slipped two spots in the re-port, and was ranked lower than Brazil, Rus-sia, China and South Africa - mainly because of delays in approvals for starting a business, tax payments, getting bank loans and proper-ty registration.

“The growth of business in India requires concerted action on several fronts - infra-structure, capital markets, trade facilitation and skills,” said Onno Ruhl, the World Bank’s India director. “The stark reality is that India remains a di� cult place to do business.”

Monday’s report suggested that such steps as o� ering single-window clearances for administrative approvals, if followed by all states, could improve India’s global ranking. l

Britain’s Labour to campaign to stay in EUn Reuters, London

Britain’s main opposition Labour Party will campaign to stay in the European Union no matter what the circumstances, the party’s new foreign a� airs spokesman Hilary Benn said on Monday, potentially putting him at odds with his new leader.

The election of Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader has raised fears among some pro-EU campaigners that he could scupper hopes of getting Labour voters to support staying in the bloc at a referendum due by the end of 2017.

Corbyn has been ambiguous about his views, saying he wants to wait to see what reforms Prime Minister Cameron can achieve.

.”...We will stay to � ght together for a bet-ter Europe. It is absolutely clear our policy has not changed,” Benn told BBC radio.

“We will be campaigning to remain in the European Union.”

When asked whether Labour would cam-paign to stay in under all circumstances, Benn said: “Under all circumstances.”

Britain’s allies say leaving the world’s biggest trading bloc would be foolhardy, ex-posing London’s � nancial powerhouse to EU rules it would no longer in� uence and torpe-doeing Britain’s remaining global clout.

Corbyn has criticised EU leaders for fail-ing to protect workers’ rights, opposed the bloc’s planned trade pact with the US and ac-cused the EU of allowing � nanciers to destroy Greece’s economy.

During the leadership campaign he told Reuters that if Cameron failed to deliver such reforms, the party would have to have a dis-cussion about its position, possibly at a spe-cial conference. l

Sri Lanka outlines justice, reparations plan for Tamil war victimsUN set to publish Sri Lanka war crimes report on Wednesdayn Reuters, Geneva

Sri Lanka’s new government on Monday said it was setting up a South Africa-style truth and reconciliation commission to look into atrocities during its long civil war, as it came under renewed pressure to prosecute perpe-trators.

South Africa, which confronted its own apartheid-era crimes through such a body, would advice the island nation on how to use the commission to help victims and to track down missing people, Foreign Minister Man-gala Samaraweera said.

He broadly outlined the plan, and other proposals to set up a criminal justice mech-anism and compensate victims, at a meeting of the UN Human Rights Council, hours after the world body announced it would release a long-delayed report on Wednesday calling for accountability for Sri Lankan war crimes.

Successive governments have promised to look into crimes committed by both sides dur-ing the 26-year con� ict between government forces and separatist “Tamil Tiger” rebels.

According to an earlier UN report, around 40,000 ethnic minority Tamils were killed in a � nal o� ensive ordered by former president Mahinda Rajapaksa in 2009.

But world bodies have been frustrated by a string of failed plans and a lack of criminal indictments.

Samaraweera told a meeting of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva that the

government planned an independent and credible “Commission for Truth, Justice, Rec-onciliation and Non-recurrence.”

“The reputation of the vast majority of armed forces was tarnished because of the system and culture created by a few people in positions of responsibility,” he added without elaboration.

Human rights groups say that Sri Lanka has failed to address continuing incidents of tor-ture by the police and military against minori-ty Tamils, whose leaders call for an interna-tional investigation.

Compassionate councilWithin the new reconciliation commission, leaders from the island’s main religions would form a “Compassionate Council” to help victims “discover the truth, understand what happened and help remedy any sense of injustice.”

The United Nations originally meant to

release its report on Sri Lanka in March, but agreed to hold o� for six months to let the new government look into why suspects had not been prosecuted.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al-Hussein praised the new gov-ernment’s e� orts, but told the meeting it was time to press on with publishing the report by investigators led by former Finnish president and Nobel laureate Martti Ahtisaari.

“Its � ndings are of the most serious na-ture,” Zeid said.

“This council owes it to Sri Lankans - and to its own credibility - to ensure an accounta-bility process that produces results, decisive-ly moves beyond the failures of the past and bring the deep institutional changes needed to guarantee non-recurrence,” he said.

President Maithripala Sirisena, who de-feated Rajapaksa’s unprecedented bid for a third presidential term in January, has made tentative steps towards reconciliation at the head of a broad reform coalition.

With a majority now assured after last month’s general election, the new Sri Lankan government is now better able to pass the ju-dicial and administrative reforms that would make it possible to prosecute those responsi-ble for war crimes.

Samaraweera, speaking in Geneva, also said a new constitution would be drafted as part of a broader political settlement that would properly address the grievances of the Tamil people. l

The Commission for Truth, Justice, Reconciliation and Non-recurrence will look into atrocities during the long civil war

WORLD 9D

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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2015WORLD10D

T

Opinion poll: Trump leads Republican race, support drops for Clintonn AFP, Washington, DC

Donald Trump and Ben Carson lead the Re-publican race for the US presidential nomina-tion, with the two non-politicians together ac-counting for more than half the support from potential voters, a new poll showed Monday.

The Washington Post-ABC News poll also found that Hillary Rodham Clinton, dogged by a controversy over her use of a private email server while serving as secretary of state, has steadily lost support over the past two months.

Though she still leads the Democratic � eld, potential voters gave her less than 50% support for the � rst time in Post-ABC surveys, with her popularity dropping most among white women.

Trump was favored by 33% of registered Republican and Republican-leaning inde-pendent voters.

That marked a nine-point increase since mid-July and a 29-point jump since late May, before he announced he was running.

Trump got the most support in this survey from potential voters without a college de-gree and those with incomes below $50,000.

He was followed by Carson, with 20% – 14 points more than in July. Other national polls have also shown him gaining more support since the � rst Republican debate last month.

The Republican candidates next face o� at a debate late Wednesday at the Ronald Rea-gan Library in Simi Valley, California.

Only the top 11 contenders will participate

in the event, hosted by CNN. Another debate preceding it will feature those candidates who did not make the cut.

Former Florida governor Jeb Bush, who pre-viously appeared the lead the Republican � eld, now only has 8% support – the lowest level in a Post-ABC poll for the 2016 race.

Senators Ted Cruz of Texas and Marco Ru-bio of Florida are next, at 7%.

The others were below 5% support – Sen-ator Rand Paul of Kentucky, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, Wisconsin Gover-nor Scott Walker and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.

Walker had a precipitous drop from 13% in July to 2% in the latest poll.

Clinton loses groundClinton was backed by 42% of Democrats or Democratic-leaning independents – a 21-point drop since July – followed by Senator Bernie Sanders with 24%, a 10-point increase since July.

Vice President Joe Biden, who is weighing a potential run but has warned he is still deal-ing with the death of his son Beau earlier this year, sat in third with 21%. That marked a gain of nine points for Biden.

If Biden decides against a run, Clinton’s support jumps 14 points to 56%, while Sand-ers only gains four points to 28%, according to the poll.

The survey, conducted by telephone Sep-tember 7-10, 2015 among a random sample of 1,003 adults nationwide, has a sampling error of plus or minus 3.5%. l

CHRONICLE

Missteps and backlash: Tony Abbott’s two years as Aussie PMTony Abbott, ousted as Australian Prime Minister by challenger Malcolm Turnbull on Monday, had a tumul-tuous two years in o� ce.

Here is a timeline of incidents since Abbott won the federal election in September 2013:

2015: September 11: Australian Immigration Minister Peter Dutton o� ends Paci� c island leaders with remarks about “water lapping at your door” fol-lowing regional talks involving climate change. Abbott is criticised for laughing at the comments. August 2: Australian parliamentary speaker Bron-wyn Bishop resigns amid mounting public anger over her travel expenses, with Abbott criticised for allowing his political mentor to remain in the role for more than three weeks after the � rst re-ports of her extravagant trips. May 12: Abbott and Treasurer Hockey unveil a budget to woo voters after the 2014 backlash, while promising to tackle slumping government revenue and a large de� cit. March 11: Abbott criticised for describing living in remote Aboriginal communities as a “lifestyle choice.”February 9: Abbott survives a leadership “spill” and calls for an end to “disunity and uncertainty,” after the motion is rejected 61 to 39 in a secret ballot.January 26: Abbott decides to knight Britain’s Prince Philip, attracting ridicule, with some con-servative supporters questioning his leadership.

2014:October 13: Abbott vows to “shirtfront,” or con-front, Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 summit later in the year over the loss of Austra-lian lives in the Malaysia Airlines MH17 crash over Ukraine. July 17: The government successfully pushes through another election promise – the repeal of the carbon tax imposed by the previous Labor administration on major polluters to try to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.May 13: Abbott and Hockey introduce a tough � rst budget with massive cuts to health and edu-cation spending to slash the country’s de� cit, but the unpopular move sparks street protests. March 25: A staunch monarchist, Abbott an-nounces that “knights” and “dames” titles will be reintroduced to recognise distinguished members of Australian society.

2013:November 18: Documents leaked by NSA whis-tleblower Edward Snowden allege that Australia tried to tap the phones of Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, his wife and several top o� cials in 2009. September 18: Abbott introduces a military-led e� ort to turn back asylum-seeker boats and send those that do arrive to remote Paci� c island de-tention camps. l

Source: AFP

11D

TEDITORIALTUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2015

INSIDE

We applaud the decision by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to withdraw the VAT charge imposed on private universities.

It reverses the controversial budget move to impose 7.5% VAT, originally proposed as 10%, on private universities,

medical and engineering colleges.Following the PM’s directive to Monday’s cabinet meeting, the Finance

Ministry and National Bureau of Revenue have con� rmed that this levy will now be withdrawn.

It brings to a close the prospect of private universities having to increase tuition fees or cut services to pay VAT. The additional burden this threatened to impose on the 450,000 students of private universities and their parents, would have been highly discriminatory.

By taxing the resources available to private universities, it would have severely undermined their ability to perform the core public service function of expanding education which is the basis of their status as not-for-pro� t trusts.

The prime minister demonstrates true leadership by showing her ability to listen and respond to the wide-spread public objections to the VAT proposal. It shows sound judgment and common sense on her part to change a government policy, even after several months of senior ministers striving to justify the controversial levy.

Credit should also be given to the private university students who have been peacefully demonstrating on this issue over the past week. It is heartening to see their e� orts rewarded.

Ultimately, this is a vindication of the overwhelming arguments against imposing VAT on education. The strong case against this has received support from many quarters including from the BCL president Saifur Rahman Sohag speaking at Dhaka University on Monday.

We hope the leadership shown by the prime minister will lead to a closer relationship between the government and private universities in working to improve access to and quality within the nation’s higher education system.

It shows good judgment and leadership to respond to public concerns and remove the threat VAT posed to private universities

PM shows real leadership on VAT

A victorious end

Not the hero we need right nowThe VATman has imposed himself on the city, and all the students could say was: Nana nana nana na, VATman

Be heardWrite to Dhaka Tribune

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Quality education should be a� ordablePrivate universities, by law, are non-pro� t institutions. No one is asking the question as to why non-pro� ts, which ideally have purely developmental agendas, are charging such high prices for education that our students, and their parents, are su� ering

The story of the No VAT movement could not have ended on a victorious note without the government. By retracting the faulty policy, the government has shown that they can take responsibility for bad decisions and change the course of events for the better, and that it is acceptable to do so

OPINION12DT

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2015

n SN Rasul

So the VATman strikes again. He, actu-ally, struck sometime in June but only now has the city’s university-going youth taken to the streets to protest,

just as the new semester begins. For the un-initiated: Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, aka AMA Muhith, or, a� ectionately, the VATman, has levied a 7.5% VAT on private university education. And if you were out on Thursday or Sunday, the students reacted with wide-spread protests, though, perhaps, at a slight delay.

These protests, as far as has been heard, were peaceful. There has been no violence and no sign of vandalism -- apart from random vehicles carrying the “No VAT on ed-ucation” slogans which, one presumes, were not done by the owners of the said vehicles. The metaphorical feces hit the fan when the police � red on the initial protest in front of East West University in Rampura. Some say this was disproportionate use of violence against the protesters, whose right to protest was protected legally under the Bangladeshi constitution. One is inclined to agree.

Other universities joined in soon enough, with the entire city coming to a stand-still be-cause of the blockade that the protesters had brought upon various crucial intersections of the city, in front of their respective campus-es: Rampura, of course, Bashundhara, Mo-hakhali, Airport Road, parts of Mirpur Road, among others.

As neither an economist nor a partial observer, my opinions are derived from the vantage point of a neutral observer, and hence, I am more inclined to try and see -- try being the operative word -- Muhith’s side. Perhaps, like the Dark Knight, Muhith is to Dhaka what Batman is to Gotham (I apolo-gise to the � ctional city of Gotham for the

comparison). Maybe there is method in his madness; maybe the VATman is the hero we need, not the one we want right now. Though why exactly we need him remains shrouded in stupendous mystery, especially with the rhetoric he has utilised.

But, for now, it seems, the VATman has imposed himself on the city, and all the students could say was: “Nana nana nana na, VATman.” The DC comics analogies end there, I promise.

Trying to � gure out, however, the rea-soning behind this supposed VAT has led to interesting discussions. And the eventual cop-out that the government has since then used as an excuse was the ultimate cherry on top of this clustermuck sundae.

First, a little bit of math. These are my as-sumed facts: 1) A 7.5% VAT on all private edu-cation. 2) Top private universities in Bangla-desh charge about Tk6,000 for each credit. Courses are usually three credits. 3) There are 450,000 private university students currently in Bangladesh. Let us, for the sake of making a point, assume all of these students went to the “elite” private institutions.

The imposed VAT would increase the cost of each credit by Tk450. The government, as a result, would be raking in a grand total of Tk20.25cr per credit. Per course? Tk60.75cr. That is about $7.8m. And if we take the entirety of a four-year degree, the govern-ment will have the privilege of juicing out close to Tk255.1cr, or $327m, from the already depleted sources of most private university students.

Depleted because -- this is nothing new -- these are not wealthy families. Due to limited number of seats in public institutions -- also not new -- even the middle class and the lower-middle classes have been forced to enroll their kids into private universities. This has come at the cost of land, savings,

gold, anything they could get their hands on. There’s a reason this city is bursting with private universities that never go out of busi-ness; one cannot walk on a street without running into a depressingly boxy building with a signboard advertising as such.

Finance Minister Muhith thinks oth-erwise. Apparently, these students are spending Tk1,000 a day. Even single people with jobs with a loaded daddy don’t spend that kind of money. People who do, tend to go abroad. Why would anyone in their right minds -- not considering sel� ess, charitable people in their “right minds” -- choose to stay here if they could a� ord to hightail out of here? They wouldn’t.

And then to say that the universities would be the ones paying the VAT and not the students themselves? There aren’t enough synonyms for “inane” to retort back with. As a consumer tax, and this has been said again and again, VAT is paid by the con-sumer. If, by some miracle, the government were able to cap private university tuition fees, the students would still pay in the form of lost out on resources, since these institu-tions are non-pro� t -- in theory. Nothing new there either.

But, maybe the students wouldn’t be so protest-happy if the government had a good track record of using our hard-earned tax money for good. All we see are � yovers under construction which cause more tra� c jams than they save, and are really a short-term solution to an immensely long-term prob-lem. All they can claim to be are obsequious motifs to an already collapsing city. Where would this $327m dollar go, exactly? If they had better roads to protest on and a compe-tent government to protest against, maybe there wouldn’t be a protest to begin with.

Some have also taken issue with the fact that the city has been brought to its knees as a result. Having just travelled from Bashun-dhara to Panthapath, utilising a mixture of walking, rickshaw-ing, and CNG-ing, through the little backward alleyways of Norda, Ba-nani, and Farmgate, I am inclined to sympa-thise with this sentiment. And it doesn’t help to see these protests turn into “hang-outs,” with some of the participants taking sel� es and dancing in the ensuing rain.

But these are desperate times. And, for a lot of these students, this is perhaps the only way they can be heard. If we weren’t inconvenienced, would we notice? Would any of us really care if we saw these proceedings without being stuck for hours on end in mindlessly numbing tra� c jams, forced to get out of air-conditioned cars to live, for one day, in the shoes of one of these students?

Probably not. Who knows? But don’t listen to a defeatist. Because, eventually, that’s what made us, and the government, listen. In a country where change is merely a fairy-tale, this is the extent to which you need to go. I guess in some forgotten crevice within some godforsaken slum, there’s maybe still some hope left. l

SN Rasul is a writer. Follow him on Twitter @snrasul.

Not the hero we need right now

The VATman has imposed himself on the city, and all the students could say was: Nana nana nana na, VATman

Would anyone really have cared if the students had protested in some other fashion?

Do our leaders know what it’s like to be in the shoes of these students? DHAKA TRIBUNE

OPINION 13D

TTUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2015

n Mohammad Saif Noman Khan

Education is our birth right. The government is entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring this seem-ingly small, but extremely signi� -

cant, right of ours. And the government, in its way to ful� ll this promise, had allowed private universities to commence operation. The intention was surely noble, providing access to quality and market-focused higher education for many. And then came the VAT.

The known world suddenly had come to an end. Stability had been disrupted. Tranquility had been disturbed. Seemingly, a signi� cant blow had been dealt to the private university sector. Especially the students. All students studying in those universities were on the streets, paralysing Dhaka, though peacefully.

The government was once again at the gallows, facing criticism, especially our hon-ourable � nance minister. Once again, every-one had been screaming at the government to withdraw the VAT so that we all could go

back to our normal lives. Maybe they were right. We have, too many times, settled for quick � xes and let the bigger problem go unresolved. Too many times. No wonder our children have learned well and are also seemingly going the same way, though in a non-violent way -- it’s just paralysing a city. Non-violent indeed.

Now, let’s take a di� erent perspective and see what the students were really protesting. They were protesting the VAT on tuition fees. Well, actually, no. It was not the VAT that bothered them. It was the a� ordability of the tuition fees at private universities.

They were disturbed as this VAT would have made the already high tuition fees at their universities even higher and disrupted their academic pursuits. I think there is an obvious point here which we are losing sight of. Actually, someday, we might also thank our honourable � nance minister for bringing this real issue in the forefront, albeit uninten-tionally.

He had imposed a VAT on private univer-sity tuition with the assumption that, since the tuition is already so high, why can’t they impose a VAT on an expensive product? He is right from an economic theorist standpoint, but there is a problem: This is education we are talking about. No one is raising the ques-tion: “Why is private university so expensive

in the � rst place?” “Is the existing tuition fee rational?” I repeat: Education is our birth-right.

Private universities, by law, are non-pro� t institutions. No one is asking questions as to why non-pro� ts, which ideally have purely developmental agendas, are charging such high fees for education that our students, and their parents, are su� ering. I have seen placards, videos, stories of hardships of students who are struggling terribly to a� ord these institutions. Why the hardship? Why the struggle?

Why aren’t these universities setting a tuition structure so that we don’t have to sell our land, our mothers’ ornaments, use up our fathers’ retirement funds, and borrow money at high interest to study in these places of education?

Now that the VAT has been withdrawn, as demanded, does it really solve the core prob-lem? Will quality higher education in the pri-vate universities suddenly become a� ordable to our meritorious masses? I think not. No one is talking about this. I see no placards asking to rationalise the existing tuition fees considering our current socio-economic standards. That, I believe, should be the main thing to ask for.

As far as I know, there is not much public knowledge about the surplus of private

universities. Though, from time to time, we hear stories of hundreds of crores of taka being accrued in pro� ts. I cannot verify such stories myself. I sincerely hope that is not the case. But if they are true, to some extent, we must now wonder why non-pro� ts need to accumulate such huge amounts of surplus. Is there any accountability? And before we lose sight, let’s just remind ourselves that these surpluses are generated from one single source: The tuition of the students.

These institutions were set up to ensure access to quality higher education and have it be a� ordable. Mind it. A� ordable. Let’s pub-lish the accounts of the private universities publicly, let us review where all the tuition is going. They are educational institutions. They are non-pro� ts. They are entrusted with the “holy” task of spreading the light of education. Let the truth be told.

Show us the private universities are charging a price which is adequate to cover only their operational expenses. Not to make pro� ts (irrational surplus). I am hopeful they will be able to satisfy us, and win our hearts as noble and society-focused non-pro� t insti-tutions. But let’s have a look � rst.

As far as the government goes, if they really believe private universities are making good money and are pursuing a business agenda, just go and tax them. Tax the pro� ts. But also, at the same time, remember your promise of making quality higher education a� ordable for the deserving ones. Deserving based on merit. Go and ensure that � rst. Ed-ucation is our birth-right, and you are man-dated to ensure that for citizens. Revenue maximisation, at least in this case, should not be � rst priority.

What about the quality of the education that is being delivered in private universities? Do they re� ect the price being charged? If yes, fantastic! If not, who is protesting that? Is there anyone asking this question? We are too busy with super� cial and immediate concerns. The government should imme-diately form a strong committee, with both

public and private representation, to review the quality of education of all the private uni-versities. After all, the government gave them the license to operate, and it is their moral obligation to make sure licensed institutions are ful� lling the promise.

Coming back to the popular issue: VAT or no VAT, we must ensure higher education remains a� ordable to our students who deserve it. I urge the government to take steps to review the existing tuition of all the private universities, and make sure they are a� ordable to our people. Yes, I strongly agree that education should never be treated as a product; the government should not allow anyone to treat it as such. The goal should be to lessen the burden, and not make it any more expensive.

Since our honourable � nance minister went in and opened Pandora’s Box, letting it get closed before some bigger issues got freed, let’s answer all these very important questions: We need to ensure quality and a� ordable higher education for the students who protested. Let their struggle not go to waste. Let’s honour the recently announced “no VAT” verdict. Let us look for a compre-hensive solution. Let the protesters have more than they asked for.

Send them back home with guaranteed quality education which they and their parents can a� ord. Let everybody win. With the recent decision to axe the VAT, the gov-ernment has shown that it is indeed in tune with the pulse of the people. I hope they will take this opportunity and capitalise on doing some further good, and serve the people the way they are mandated.

I will conclude with a quote from Rahm Emanuel: “You never let a serious crisis go to waste. And what I mean by that is it’s an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before." l

Mohammad Saif Noman Khan is Assistant Professor, Institute of Business Administration, University of Dhaka.

Quality education should be a� ordableWhy is private university education so costly in the � rst place?

Private universities, by law, are non-pro� t institutions. No one is asking the question as to why non-pro� ts, which ideally have purely developmental agendas, are charging such high prices for education that our students, and their parents, are su� ering

The issue of tuition fees goes beyond the VAT DHAKA TRIBUNE

OPINION14DT

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2015

n Samia Huq

I came to campus at 11am to talk to the protesting students, and to gauge what they were planning for the coming days as the No VAT on Education movement

continued. A few colleagues and I had decid-ed the night before that it may be a move in the right direction.

Less than an hour of arriving on campus came the news of the government’s with-drawal of VAT from private universities. Cheers of victory and jubilation soared through the roads, as students converged towards the cafeteria, enlivened with hurrahs and TV news channels airing the breaking news. This is such a victory! In my eight years at the university, I don’t think I can recol-lect another moment that was so joyous, so inspiring.

The victory is the students’ and theirs only. The fact that they could convene, co-ordinate, and demonstrate peacefully and consistently against a faulty policy, reinstates our faith in the youth of Bangladesh. The fact that the youth can traverse personal and political di� erences to tackle real policies that infringe on the lifeline of a nation, says that apathy may not have yet erased passion in the hearts and minds of those who have a stake in Bangladesh, who believe that this is their home, and will � ght to make it a better place.

Their resolve showed a way for those who feel that the country can no longer be salvaged from divisive politics. But more substantively, the students brought to the fore a debate on the commodi� cation of education, and who has the “right” to it in a developing country such as ours. In relation

to the discussion on education, the protest movement has also brought to surface the fairly contentious, yet long-held, discordance between the government and private streams of tertiary education.

In the course of the past few days, many learned for the � rst time that, contrary to popular belief, private universities do not educate the children of wealthy families only, but that a good 50% of the students are from middle income or even lower-middle income groups. I, along with a few colleagues, per-sonally know many stories of students work-ing part-time to cover costs, whose families are struggling to ensure that their children

receive a university degree.While government universities over-

whelmingly continue to be the � rst choice, barriers such as limited sets and session jams have diverted a � ow to the private ones. That being the case, private universities have opened themselves up to students from mixed socio-economic backgrounds, and have been nurturing all their pupils equally. Given this scenario, the long-held schisms that have rendered privatised domains of creative activity and initiative, the “other” of national progress, especially in the � eld of education, are archaic and call for a substan-tial revision.

Juxtaposed on the private/public binary is its evil twin, constituted by the English/Bengali divide. This may be a good time to re-evaluate what these distinctions mean in a globalising world, whether and how these � ssures can be mended and what every institution that identi� es itself with any one, or several, of the epithets may do to bridge these gaps. Education is a right and one of the most important routes to self-� ourishing and nation building. We envision a nation where these � ourished selves do not � oat around like self-interested, self-sustaining at-oms, but have the capacity to become organic and congealing particles of a bigger whole.

I believe, in the last few days, private university students have amply demon-strated that they will put themselves out there for a bigger, greater cause, thereby clearly making a case that they too, through numbers matched with conviction, are an integral part of nation-building. I applaud the private universities for their ability to harness and nurture diversity, to inculcate a spirit of belonging to and owning the nation, and for

instilling the ethos of discipline and non-vi-olence.

But the story of the No VAT movement could not have ended on a victorious note without the government. By retracting the faulty policy, the government has shown that they can take responsibility for bad deci-sions and change the course of events for the better, and that it is acceptable to do so. They have, perhaps, signaled that they do not be-lieve in belittling education by commodifying it, themselves.

But most importantly, given certain alle-gations of high-handedness levied at the cur-rent regime, they have shown that they too

can listen to the people, respect their right to protest, and allow citizens to be engaged in decision-making. This is what good politics is all about.

We hope that the No VAT movement will be a model for future dialogue between people and the powers-that-be, so that the conceptual and de� nitional parameters of nation-building can be further expanded and people’s participation may truly be factored into the democratic development of Bangladesh. l

Samia Huq is Associate Professor of Anthropology at BRAC University.

A victorious endRe� ections on the No VAT Movement

The story of the No VAT movement could not have ended on a victorious note without the government. By retracting the faulty policy, the government has shown that they can take responsibility for bad decisions and change the course of events for the better, and that it is acceptable to do so

Shouldn't everyone have access to learning? BIGSTOCK

15D

TBusiness TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2015

China’s accidental austerity requires state action

17 Stocks continue to edge higher 19Brent oil prices dip on

weaker China data16 H ome Fest Dhaka to be held on Nov 6-720

Income Tax Fair 2015 kicks o� tomorrow

n Tribune Report

Income Tax Fair-2015 begins tomorrow (Wednesday) across the country to encourage more people pay their income taxes regularly.

Industries Minister Tofail Ahmed will in-augurate the fair at the premises of the Of-� cers’ Club in the capital.

The National Revenue Board (NBR) is or-ganising the fair from September 16 to 22 si-multaneously at all the divisional and district headquarters.

A part from that, the NBR will also observe

National Income Tax Day today. Finance Min-ister AMA Muhith will inaugurate the event at Sonargaon Hotel in the capital.

NBR Chairman Nojibur Rahman made an o� cial announcement both for the scheduled fair and the Income Tax Day at a press confer-ence held yesterday at NBR headquarters.

“We did not set any target for revenue col-lection from the countrywide fair,” said Rah-man.

He said, “Our main target is to bag maxi-mum revenue from the fair aimed at improv-ing the number of the taxpayers to 30 lakh by

the � scal year 2018-19.”The fair will continue for seven days at the

divisional headquarters while four days at the district headquarters.

A total of 86 upazilashas brought under the fair for the � rst time this year. The mobile in-come tax fair will be held in the upazilas and the duration of the fair will be two days for 29 upazilaseach while one day is kept for the rest 57 upazilas.

The NBR authority has set the revenue tar-get of Tk1,76,370 crore during the current � s-cal year, of which 37% or Tk64, 971crore will be bagged from income tax.

The board had earned in-come tax worth Tk1,675 crore-from the tax fair last year fol-lowed by Tk1,117crore in 2013, Tk831 crore in 2012, Tk414 crore in 2011 and Tk113 crore in 2010.

The number of 1,49,309 taxpayers submit income tax return during the last year where the number was 52,544 in the year 2010.

The number of service re-cipients from fair improved to 6,49,185 in the last year com-

pared to 60,512, according to the NBR data. During the fair, the NBR will o� er people

various services including online facility for submitting income tax return and registering for e-TIN certi� cate.

Separate booths for women, disabled peo-ple and senior citizens have been placed in the fair. SonaliBank and Janata Bank will also set up booths at the venue, so people can pay their income tax.The fair will remain open for the visitors from 10am to 6pm.

The NBR has been organising the national tax fair since 2008 to develop a tax paying cul-ture among the people. lNBR Chairman Nojibur Rahman speaks at a press conference at the board of revenue headaquartrers in

the capital’s Shegunbagicha yesterday ahead of Income Tax Fair DHAKA TRIBUNE

Muhith: Bangladesh spends $4bn a year on foreign workers due to lack of local skillsn Tribune Report

Finance Minister AMA Muhith said as Bangla-desh lacked skilled workers, many local com-panies needed to hire foreigners to meet the demand, which caused an out� ow of $4bn a year.

He was speaking at the launching of a pro-ject - skill for employment investment - at a city hotel yesterday, organised by the Bangla-desh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA).

Under the project, a total of 260,000 work-ers from di� erent sectors including RMG, leather and IT will be trained. The project cost is estimated at $1.7b.

BGMEA will train 43,800 workers in next three years under the project. In the � rst phase, it has already trained 2,096 people while 1,350 workers are receiving training in 21 districts through 39 institutions. Finance Division is implementing the project along with di� erent government agencies and business bodies.

Finance minister said Asian Development Bank would provide the fund. He urged other development partners also to make contribu-tion.

FBCCI First Vice-President Sha� ul Is-lam, Vice-President Shahidullah Azim and Ex-President Abdus Salam Murshedy were also present.

“Without improvement of workers’ skills and e� ciency, it won’t be possible to implement our plans or dreams,” � nance minister said.

He said improvement of workers’ skill would help the country increase revenue earnings as foreign workers’ earnings now to-talled $4bn per year.

Muhith said to become a middle-income country, the country would need to increase the number of skilled workers.

Jalal Ahmed, additional � nance secretary and project director, said if the country failed to increase productivity, it would not be pos-sible to achieve the economic target.

Reaz Bin Mahmood, BGMEA vice-presi-dent, said the project would also be helpful in reducing unemployment rate and tackling the challenge of the products’ pricing.

“We are working in a disciplined way. The project works will get pace once some prob-lems regarding procurement and IT are re-solved,” he added.

Siddiqur Rahman, president-elect of BG-

MEA, said buyers urged the entrepreneurs to enhance workers’ e� ciency as there was no alternative to human resource development for better productivity.

To remain competitive in the global mar-ket, He called on the government to set a spe-cial rate of currency for the RMG sector as the

competitor countries witnessed devaluation of dollars.

BGMEA acting president SM Mannan Kochi said the RMG sector had a 25-30% shortage of skilled workers compared to the current demand and the situation needed to be im-proved. l

Finance Minister AMA Muhith at a launching ceremony of a project - Skills For Employment Investment - at a hotel in the capital yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

BUSINESS16DT

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2015

CORPORATE NEWS

National Bank Limited held its 32nd annual general meeting yesterday at a hotel in Dhaka. The bank’s chairperson, Zainul Haque Sikder presided over the meeting, where shareholders approved 10% stock dividend for the year ended on December 31, 2014

Mercantile Bank Limited has recently sponsored ‘Intra College English Language Fiesta 2015’ organised by Notre Dame English Language Club. The bank’s DMD, Mati-Ul-Hasan was present at the programme as special guest

Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited in Bangladesh has recently organised a seminar titled “Road to Automated Platform: Present and Future Outlook” in Dhaka. Executive director of Bangladesh Bank, Subhankar Saha was present on the occasion as chief guest

Dhaka Bank Limited (DBL) and Ria Money Transfer (Ria), a global leader in international money transfer and payment services, have recently announced launch of its new remittance payout service in Bangladesh. The bank’s DMD, Emranul Huq was present at the event along with Sujoy Kanjilal, director (South Asia) at Ria

Brent oil prices dip on weaker China datan Reuters, London

Brent crude oil fell yesterday as weak-er-than-expected Chinese data weighed on markets, adding to concerns that declining global demand would exacerbate a surplus of crude.

Traders also waited to see whether the US central bank raises interest rates for the � rst time in nearly a decade later this week.

Should interest rates rise, analysts expect oil to fall as a stronger dollar would under-mine demand from importing countries.

Oil prices have fallen almost 60% since June 2014 on the largest global surplus in modern times and concerns about a slowing Chinese economy.

Growth in China’s investment and factory output missed forecasts in August. A recent run of weak data from the world’s second-larg-est economy has raised the chances that third-quarter economic growth may dip below 7% for the � rst time since the � nancial crisis.

“There has been a very broad-based reac-tion to China across commodities, industrial metals and equities,” SEB chief commodities analyst Bjarne Schieldrop said.

Front-month Brent crude futures LCOc1 were down 38 cents at $47.76 a barrel by 0940 GMT.

US crude futures CLc1 were � at at $44.63 a barrel.

Barclays expects the spread between US

crude and Brent to narrow further from cur-rent levels, noting that “relative performance versus Brent continues to improve”.

The International Energy Agency said last week that ongoing production cuts would lead to a rebalancing of the oil market by next year.

The US oil rig count fell by 10 to 652 last week, the second straight weekly drop.

Yet several banks said the immediate out-look remained weak, with Goldman Sachs and Commerzbank cutting their oil price fore-casts last week.

Morgan Stanley said on Monday: “Both the supply and demand pictures look less favora-ble over the coming months ... Outside the US, oil fundamentals appear to be slipping seasonally.”

Barclays said: “Most producers seem to be coming around to the fact that 2016 oil and gas prices are unlikely to see a signi� cant re-covery.”

Macquarie noted that global auto sales, which fell 1% in August and 0.8% in July, were dragging on demand.

Kuwait and Iran have cut their crude pric-es to Asia to multi-year lows against top ex-porter Saudi Arabia as the battle for market share pits members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries against each other.

OPEC’s monthly market report will be pub-lished later yesterday. l

Dollar broadly weakerin Asian traden AFP, Tokyo

The dollar broadly weakened against its Asian peers yesterday as investors jostle their positions ahead of a crucial US interest rate decision later this week.

While the Federal Reserve is expected to lift borrowing costs before the end of the year, pol-icymakers’ decisions have been complicated by ongoing concerns about Chinese growth and other weaknesses across the global economy.

The greenback dipped to 120.23 yen from 120.57 yen Friday in New York, while the euro rose to $1.1367 from $1.1333 in US trade.

The euro was at 136.72 yen compared with 136.64 yen, ahead of a Bank of Japan policy decision, with talk swirling that it will soon unveil fresh stimulus measures to shore up the world’s number three economy.

Traders also edged out of the greenback and into high-yielding emerging market cur-rencies, with the Indian rupee, Singapore dol-lar and Philippine peso edging up, while its Australian counterpart also edged away from six-year lows.

The possibility of a US rate hike has kept global markets on edge, with economists debating over whether the Federal Reserve should take that step on September 17 or not.

“The Australian dollar, yen, euro, among a raft of others, are likely to see a short-term strengthening rally against the US dollar,” said Angus Nicholson, a market analyst at IG Mar-kets in Melbourne.

“But this is likely to dissipate as their longer-term trend in the second half of the year is further weakness against the dollar,” he added.

If the US central bank moves this week it would be the � rst hike in the benchmark fed-eral funds rate since 2006.

Data released over the weekend showed growth in China’s industrial production and retail sales accelerated in August, but the � gures missed analyst expectations and did little to ease international concern about the world’s second-largest economy.

Industrial production, which measures output at factories, workshops and mines, rose 6.1% year-on-year in August, while retail sales rose 10.8%.

The Australian dollar, which is seen as a benchmark indicator for sentiment towards China because of the country’s close trade ties, was up 0.24% at 71.16 US cents.

However, the Aussie’s earlier gains were clipped back as popular communications minister Malcolm Turnbull said he had re-quested a leadership vote, the second chal-lenge to Prime Minister Tony Abbott this year.

In other Asia-Paci� c currency trading, the dollar retreated to Sg$1.4074 from Sg$1.4133 Friday in Tokyo, and to 46.77 Philippine pesos from 46.81 pesos. It was also at 66.3525 Indian rupees compared with 66.5412 rupees.

The greenback slightly rose to Tw$32.53 from Tw$32.52, and to 14,329 Indonesian ru-piah from 14,324 rupiah. l

BUSINESS 17D

TTUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2015

India wholesale prices fall for tenth straight monthn AFP, New Delhi

India’s wholesale prices fell for a tenth straight month in August, government data showed yesterday, pulled down by falling fuel costs and hiking prospects of an interest rate cut.

The Wholesale Price Index (WPI), an in� a-tion indicator that measures the biggest bas-ket of goods, fell 4.95% last month compared with a year earlier, after slipping 4.05% in July, the commerce ministry said.

Economists surveyed by Bloomberg had estimated that the WPI would slump 4.4%.

“Wholesale price in� ation has now been in negative territory for ten consecutive months, and is at its lowest since monthly prices start-ed being tracked in 2005,” Capital Economics analyst Shilan Shah said.

“This strengthens our view that interest rates will be cut at the RBI’s policy meeting later this month.”

The � gures come hours before data on consumer prices is due to be released that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) uses to track in-terest rates. Retail in� ation is forecast to ease, Bloomberg has predicted.

Pressure has been growing for a cut in in-terest rates after RBI governor Raghuram Ra-jan kept them on hold last month after three earlier cuts this year. l

China’s accidental austerity requires state actionn Andy Mukherjee

Just when China’s slowing economy needs a public spending push, surging local govern-ment debt is acting as a � scal speed bump.

Recently released o� cial statistics show sub-national government liabilities swelled to 24tn yuan ($3.8tn) by the end of last year, up a staggering 34% over the previous 18 months. Out of this, about 15.4tn yuan is direct bor-rowing by local authorities; the rest is owed by related � nancial vehicles.

The jump in reported debt is partly due to more accurate stocktaking. Nevertheless, it shows the scale of the problems piling up in Chinese local authorities, which have bor-rowed heavily to fund spending on infrastruc-ture and property development.

The government is attempting to ease the burden by swapping local government debt into long-term municipal bonds with a lower rate of interest. But even though the scheme was recently expanded to 3.2tn yuan, it is still too small to make a signi� cant di� erence.

Besides, even if the cost of servicing their existing debts falls, local governments still face pressure to spend less. That’s because they have relied on sales of land to pump up their budgets: this source of income accounts for a third of their income. But the property market slowdown means revenue from land sales is down 38 percent so far this year.

The central government will o� set some of this untimely austerity by running a big-ger de� cit. Nevertheless, the overall drag on spending might still knock 0.8 percentage points o� China’s GDP growth, estimates Fitch Ratings.

How to ease the short-term pain? Aggres-sive monetary easing is one option, but that would risk sinking the yuan and hastening

capital out� ows. A better way to square the circle may be for the central government to take on some of the local debt by issuing long-term sovereign bonds.

Though China’s total debt has grown rap-idly in recent years, the central government’s

liabilities are currently less than 17% of GDP – signi� cantly lower than the 38% of GDP owed by local governments. It’s true that Bei-jing needs to preserve some of that strength in order to recapitalise China’s state-owned banks. Even so, it could use some of its spare

� repower for de� cit spending. Otherwise, the economy’s jerky ride could get bumpier. l

Andy Mukherjee covers Asian economies for Reuters from Singapore. The article was initially published at Reuters.

Workers make stu� ed dolls which are to exported to Europe and north America, at a factory in Lianyungang REUTERS

Shanghai leads Asia markets down, Fed rate move in focusn AFP, Hong Kong

Shanghai led a regional markets sell-o� yes-terday after another round of disappointing Chinese data at the weekend, with investors concentrating on a crucial US interest rate de-cision at the end of the week.

There was little reaction to news that Bei-jing intends to overhaul its vast state-owned � rms in a bid to give a boost to the world’s number two economy, while an earlier rally in some riskier assets petered out.

China on Sunday released another set of � gures that underline weakness in its huge economy - the main driver of global growth - following soft reports last week.

The government said growth in industrial production increased below expectations in August while retail sales accelerated a little more than forecast.

A gauge of manufacturing this month showed the sector contracting in August, while in� ation in consumer prices rose but those at the factory gate fell at their fastest pace in six years owing to slowing overseas demand and a slack property market.

While the data is soft, analysts said it could lead to further monetary easing measures by

authorities following � ve interest rate cuts since November.

In equities trade Shanghai sank 3.1% by lunch while Hong Kong was 0.1% lower. Seoul was almost one percent down. Tokyo slipped 1.5% in the afternoon, hit by big losses in tel-ecom � rms after media reported comments from Japan’s prime minister on the need to reduce mobile phone fees.

Sydney was marginally higher.Beijing also unveiled a broad set of reform

guidelines Sunday to partly privatise its vast state-owned companies aimed at making them more competitive overseas and increas-ing transparency.

The move comes after leaders in 2013 said they wanted the market to play a greater role in the economy, easing government in� uence on key sectors such as transport, energy pro-duction and arms manufacturing.

China overhaul plansAmong the reported changes are e� orts to modernise SOEs (state-owned enterprises), improve management of state assets and di-versify their ownership structures through “mixed ownership” - or the introduction of “multiple types of investors” - ultimately

meaning more private shareholders or capital.But Wu Kan, a Shanghai-based fund man-

ager at JK Life Insurance, said: “The econom-ic reports don’t look good so investors prefer to be on the sidelines. “The SOE reform rules were widely expected by the market and aren’t very detailed, therefore the reaction is limited. The market could fall to a lower level.”

The main focus this week is on the Federal Reserve’s policy meeting, with hopes it will hold o� hiking borrowing costs until later in the year.

The central bank is expected to announce a lift-o� before 2016 but its decision has been muddied by the latest bout of volatility to hit global markets caused by concerns about Chi-na’s economy and after Beijing announced a shock devaluation of its yuan last month.

“Trading will remain volatile ahead of the (Fed policy) meeting,” Bernard Aw, a strate-gist at IG Asia in Singapore, said.

“Sunday’s data reinforced concerns about China’s economy slowing down. Investors may expect more stimulus in the pipeline, which could provide some support to Chinese equities.”

US dealers ended last week on a high. The Dow jumped 2.05%, the S&P 500 climbed 2.07% and the Nasdaq rallied 2.96%. l

BUSINESS18DT

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2015

SECTORAL TURNOVER SUMMARY

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

Bank 326.16 7.46 25.09 9.01 351.25 7.56NBFI 137.43 3.14 11.32 4.07 148.75 3.20Investment 73.19 1.67 2.40 0.86 75.59 1.63Engineering 728.15 16.66 50.39 18.09 778.54 16.75Food & Allied 208.32 4.77 10.45 3.75 218.77 4.71Fuel & Power 435.22 9.96 27.10 9.73 462.32 9.95Jute 6.41 0.15 0.00 6.41 0.14Textile 411.05 9.41 18.98 6.81 430.02 9.25Pharma & Chemical 816.79 18.69 34.98 12.56 851.77 18.32Paper & Packaging 17.77 0.41 1.18 0.42 18.95 0.41Service 146.00 3.34 10.65 3.82 156.64 3.37Leather 72.88 1.67 3.95 1.42 76.83 1.65Ceramic 51.33 1.17 4.72 1.69 56.04 1.21Cement 249.41 5.71 14.95 5.37 264.36 5.69Information Technology 31.39 0.72 3.37 1.21 34.77 0.75General Insurance 49.46 1.13 2.65 0.95 52.11 1.12Life Insurance 114.55 2.62 7.46 2.68 122.01 2.62Telecom 74.27 1.70 6.09 2.19 80.36 1.73Travel & Leisure 136.92 3.13 12.37 4.44 149.29 3.21Miscellaneous 282.80 6.47 30.34 10.90 313.14 6.74Debenture 0.66 0.02 0.05 0.02 0.72 0.02

Prepared exclusively for Dhaka Tribune by Business Information Automation Service Line (BIASL), on the basis of information collected from daily stock quotations and audited reports of the listed companies. High level of caution has been taken to collect and present the above information and data. The publisher will not take any responsibility if any body uses this information and data for his/her investment decision. For any query please email to biasl@bol-online.com or call 01552153562 or go to www.biasl.net

News, analysis and recent disclosuresPOWERGRID: The Company has informed that Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commis-sion has enhanced electricity transmission tari� (wheeling charge) of Power Grid Company of Bangladesh Ltd. with e� ect from 1st September 2015. The tari� s � xed are as under: For Transmission of electricity end 230 KV, new rate is Tk. 0.2744; for 132 KV, the new rate is Tk. 0.2768 which was Tk. 0.2268 previously and for 33 KV, the new rate is Tk. 0.2791 which was Tk. 0.2291 previously.SAIFPOWER: As per Regula-tion 19(1) of the Dhaka Stock Exchange (Listing) Regula-tions, 2015, the Company has informed that a meeting of the Board of Directors will be held on September 20, 2015 at 3:00 PM to consider, among others, audited � nancial statements of the Company for the year ended on June 30, 2015.UNITEDINS: Credit Rating In-formation and Services Limited (CRISL) has announced the CPA (Claim Paying Ability) Rating of the Company as “AA” along with a stable outlook in consider-ation of audited � nancials up to December 31, 2014, unaudited � nancials up to June 30, 2015 and other relevant quantitative as well as qualitative informa-tion up to the date of rating declaration.SAIFPOWER: The Company has informed that they have signed agreements with Chit-tagong Port Authority (CPA) for the Repair and Maintenance of 04 Kalmar Brand Rubber Tyred Gantry (RTG) Cranes for 06

years for the contract price of Tk. 17,28,00,000.00 only and also for Supply of 01 Hydraulic Excavator for the contract price of Tk. 1,28,70,700.00 only for Chittagong Port Authority.Dividend/AGMMATINSPINN: 27% cash, AGM: 27.10.2015, Record date: 08.10.2015.BSCCL: 10% stock, AGM: 18.10.2015, Record Date: 28.09.2015.MODERNDYE: 10% cash, AGM: 15.10.2015, Record Date: 23.09.2015.GPHISPAT: 17% cash, AGM: 08.11.2015, Record date: 20.09.2015.SAIHAMCOT: 5% cash and 10% stock, AGM: 28.10.2015, Record date: 17.09.2015. BBS: 20% stock, EGM & AGM: 15.10.2015, Record date for EGM & AGM: 20.09.2015.APEXFOODS: 20% cash, AGM: 30.09.2015, Record date: 13.09.2015. APEXTANRY: 45% cash, AGM: 04.10.2015, Record date: 09.09.2015. BERGERPBL: 100% interim cash dividend. Record date for entitlement of interim cash dividend: 20.08.2015.PRAGATILIF: 17% cash and 5% stock dividend AGM: 29.09.2015,. Record Date: 20.08.2015.SHASHADNIM: 10% interim cash dividend for 2015, Record date for entitlement of interim cash dividend: 20.08.2015.NAVANACNG: 15% cash general shareholders (excluding Sponsors), AGM: 16.09.2015, Record Date: 18.08.2015.

CSE GAINER

Company Closing (% Change)

Aver-age (%

Change)

Closin-gAvg. Closing DHIGH DLOW Turnover

in MillionLatest

EPSLatest

PE

Fine Foods A 9.52 7.56 11.24 11.50 11.50 10.70 0.312 -0.27 -vePower Grid Co. -A 8.85 8.84 41.84 41.80 42.20 40.50 1.302 -0.15 -veAziz PipesZ 8.33 8.33 23.40 23.40 23.40 23.40 0.005 -2.12 -veEastern Cables-A 7.14 7.42 135.45 135.00 137.80 131.10 0.532 1.12 120.9Sonargaon Tex -Z 6.45 8.26 10.09 9.90 9.90 10.00 0.225 -2.26 -vePopular Life Insu. -A 6.33 6.38 94.00 94.00 94.00 94.00 0.016 2.89 32.5Republic Insu.-A 6.29 6.78 15.27 15.20 15.50 15.00 0.174 2.18 7.0Eastland Insur -A 6.19 6.19 24.00 24.00 24.00 24.00 0.002 2.44 9.8Pragati Gen. I -A 5.88 5.73 26.95 27.00 27.40 26.10 0.055 1.44 18.7Islami Bank BD - A 5.81 4.91 27.11 27.30 27.60 26.30 3.411 4.22 6.4

DSE GAINER

Company Closing (% Change)

Aver-age (%

Change)

Closin-gAvg. Closing DHIGH DLOW Turnover

in MillionLatest

EPSLatest

PE

Power Grid Co. -A 9.77 8.74 42.30 42.70 42.70 38.80 32.569 -0.15 -veEXIM Bank 1 MF-A 6.67 (26.00) 3.33 4.80 4.90 4.80 0.001 0.74 4.5Popular Life Insu. -A 6.59 6.69 90.57 92.20 93.00 85.10 33.574 2.89 31.37th ICB M F-A 6.34 3.96 105.00 107.40 107.80 103.70 0.021 20.76 5.1Fine Foods A 5.66 2.32 11.01 11.20 11.20 10.80 0.970 -0.27 -vePurabi G Insu.A 5.63 5.54 14.86 15.00 15.30 14.10 6.101 1.04 14.3Islami Bank BD - A 5.36 5.09 27.25 27.50 27.80 26.30 114.457 4.22 6.5SAIF Powertec-N 5.29 3.75 82.94 83.60 84.00 80.10 93.758 2.69 30.8Reliance Insur -A 5.17 5.97 49.17 48.80 48.80 48.60 0.059 5.12 9.6IFIL Islamic M.F.1-A 4.48 2.21 6.93 7.00 7.00 6.70 7.368 0.95 7.3

CSE LOSER

Company Closing (% Change)

Aver-age (%

Change)

Closin-gAvg. Closing DHIGH DLOW Turnover

in MillionLatest

EPSLatest

PE

Anwar Galvanizing-B -8.80 -8.51 63.45 63.20 66.00 62.40 0.318 0.68 93.3Standard Ceramic -A -8.80 -12.25 49.07 48.70 56.40 48.10 0.113 0.49 100.1Imam Button -Z -6.80 -2.94 14.54 13.70 15.60 13.50 0.206 -1.21 -veMidas Financing-Z -6.06 -5.83 15.50 15.50 15.50 15.50 0.017 -1.55 -veUsmania Glass -A -5.95 -3.76 118.45 116.90 120.30 116.10 0.334 -1.39 -veAnlima Yarn -A -5.79 -5.35 24.60 24.40 25.40 24.20 0.813 0.83 29.6Monno Ceramic -B -5.43 -6.00 47.30 47.00 51.00 47.00 0.659 0.16 295.6Hakkani P& Paper -B -4.95 -5.19 48.91 48.00 49.50 47.50 0.917 0.29 168.7Sinobangla Indu.-A -4.81 -5.81 27.87 27.70 28.70 27.70 0.890 1.25 22.3Beach Hatchery -A -4.55 -1.39 21.27 21.00 22.10 20.90 3.972 1.29 16.5

DSE LOSER

Company Closing (% Change)

Aver-age (%

Change)

Closin-gAvg. Closing DHIGH DLOW Turnover

in MillionLatest

EPSLatest

PE

Imam Button -Z -8.84 -6.34 13.88 13.40 14.70 13.40 0.524 -1.21 -veUsmania Glass -A -6.38 -2.87 119.32 115.90 123.00 115.00 13.588 -1.39 -veRahima Food -Z -5.95 -8.35 49.16 49.00 50.20 47.80 2.763 -0.47 -veMonno Sta� lers -A -5.87 -4.94 296.47 290.30 303.00 290.00 1.067 0.70 423.5Monno Ceramic -B -5.70 -4.81 47.87 46.30 50.50 45.60 9.139 0.16 299.2Al-Haj Textile -A -5.51 -2.02 131.72 127.00 135.90 125.10 72.273 1.07 123.1Meghna Con. Milk -B -5.38 -3.87 8.95 8.80 9.20 8.70 0.330 -4.49 -veStandard Ceramic -A -5.25 -5.35 50.07 48.70 52.50 48.00 3.420 0.49 102.2Beach Hatchery -A -4.98 -0.79 21.41 21.00 22.20 20.70 29.784 1.29 16.6Anwar Galvanizing-B -4.95 -4.83 65.42 63.40 68.60 61.00 16.277 0.68 96.2

DSE key features September 14, 2015Turnover (Million Taka)

4,370.15

Turnover (Volume)

115,759,550

Number of Contract

110,103

Traded Issues 323

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

161

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

158

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

4

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,691.41

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

32.62

CSE key features September 14, 2015Turnover (Million Taka)

278.49

Turnover (Volume)

9,472,646

Number of Contract

13,601

Traded Issues 251

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

109

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

134

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

8

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,582.55

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

31.30

BUSINESS 19D

TTUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2015

Stocks continue to edge higher n Tribune Report

Stocks continued to move up marginally for the second consecutive day yesterday amid cautious trade.

The market was traded higher in the morning with benchmark index touching almost 4,800-mark, pulled up by mainly large caps but lost its some steam at close.

The Dhaka Stock Ex-change benchmark index DSEX inched up over 17 points or 0.4% to 4,786.

The Shariah index DSES was slightly up 6 points or 0.6% to 1,175. The blue chip comprising index DS30 gained 6 points or 0.4% to 1,824. The Chittagong Stock Exchange Selective Catego-ry Index CSCX rose over 36 points to 8,905.

Most sectors posted mar-ginal gain with cement lead-ing the way by rising 1.4% after being worst su� erer in the previous session.

Non-banking � nancial institutions also soared 1%, snapping losing its streak. Banks, food & allied, tele-communication, power and pharmaceuticals were up marginally.

Engineering and textile sectors, however, declined slightly.

State-owned Power Grid

Company saw a robust gain of 9.8% on the news of Bang-ladesh Energy Regulatory Commission’s increase of transmission tari� for the company.

A few multinational � rms rallied while a majority of � rms remained almost un-changed.

The turnover at DSE stood at Tk440 crore, down 4.5% over the previous ses-sion’s value.

Activities remained con-centrated on pharmaceuti-cal sector, which accounted for almost 19% of the DSE total turnover. Beximco Pharmaceuticals was the most traded stocks, making up nearly 5% of the total turnover.

The gainers took a mar-ginal lead over the losers as out of 322 issues traded, 145 advanced, 138 declined and 39 remained unchanged.

Brokers say investors con-tinued to remain cautious ahead of Eid ul-Azha and the ongoing trial of top bro-kers allegedly involved with share market loan scam.

After Beximco Pharma-ceuticals, other top traded stocks included Lafarge Surma Cement, Aman Feed, Square Pharmaceuticals, United Air Ways and Islami Bank. l

Most sectors posted marginal gain with cement leading the way by rising 1.4% after being worst su� erer in the previous session

ANALYST

Daily capital market highlightsDSE Broad Index : 12576.60840 (+) 0.38% ▲

DSE - 30 Index : 1824.92894 (+) 0.35% ▲

CSE All Share Index: 14632.95590 (+) 0.40% ▲

CSE - 30 Index : 12576.60840 (+) 0.41% ▲

CSE Selected Index : 8905.85200 (+) 0.41% ▲

CSE TURNOVER LEADERS

Company Volume-Shares

Value in Million

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

Aman Feed-N 207,814 13.47 4.84 63.30 -4.24 66.10 67.50 62.80 64.80Beximco Pharma -A 172,219 11.90 4.27 69.40 2.51 67.70 69.60 68.00 69.08UNITED AIR-A 1,101,542 11.68 4.19 10.60 2.91 10.30 10.90 10.30 10.60Deshbandhu Polymer-A 582,615 10.24 3.68 16.90 1.81 16.60 18.20 16.70 17.57LafargeS Cement-A 91,927 9.88 3.55 108.90 2.83 105.90 109.80 106.00 107.51BSRM Ltd. -A 78,620 9.70 3.48 122.40 -3.09 126.30 127.00 120.70 123.35BEXIMCO Ltd. -A 319,964 9.63 3.46 30.00 1.01 29.70 30.40 29.60 30.09SAIF Powertec-N 84,879 7.05 2.53 83.60 4.89 79.70 87.00 79.10 83.11UCBL - A 337,736 6.99 2.51 20.60 -0.96 20.80 21.40 20.60 20.71BD. Thai Alum -B 166,345 6.25 2.24 37.40 3.60 36.10 37.90 36.90 37.57Olympic Accessories -N 115,057 5.83 2.09 50.30 -1.57 51.10 51.90 50.00 50.64LankaBangla Fin. -A 187,718 5.80 2.08 31.40 4.32 30.10 31.70 30.30 30.91United Power-N 39,821 5.74 2.06 143.50 -0.62 144.40 146.00 143.00 144.17Square Pharma -A 16,808 4.20 1.51 250.00 0.16 249.60 250.20 248.60 249.95Shahjibazar Power-N 23,445 4.13 1.48 174.00 -2.08 177.70 179.10 173.30 176.05

DSE TURNOVER LEADERS

Company Volume-Shares

Value in Million

% of Total-Turnover ClosingP Change

% ClosingY DHIGH DLOW Avg-Price

Beximco Pharma -A 2,965,431 204.88 4.69 69.30 2.21 67.80 69.50 67.80 69.09LafargeS Cement-A 1,457,588 156.89 3.59 108.40 3.14 105.10 109.00 105.40 107.64Aman Feed-N 1,969,471 127.39 2.91 63.30 -4.52 66.30 67.80 62.90 64.68Square Pharma -A 488,883 122.11 2.79 250.00 0.28 249.30 250.30 248.30 249.78UNITED AIR-A 11,477,561 121.57 2.78 10.60 2.91 10.30 10.90 10.30 10.59Islami Bank BD - A 4,200,970 114.46 2.62 27.50 5.36 26.10 27.80 26.30 27.25BD. Thai Alum -B 2,856,603 106.83 2.44 37.40 3.31 36.20 38.00 36.40 37.40ACI Limited- A 184,993 105.74 2.42 564.30 -2.17 576.80 602.00 560.50 571.58DESCO Ltd. -A 1,325,310 93.86 2.15 70.50 0.00 70.50 71.80 70.20 70.82SAIF Powertec-N 1,130,439 93.76 2.15 83.60 5.29 79.40 84.00 80.10 82.94BSRM Ltd. -A 654,690 81.42 1.86 123.10 -2.61 126.40 128.00 122.20 124.37Al-Haj Textile -A 548,686 72.27 1.65 127.00 -5.51 134.40 135.90 125.10 131.72UCBL - A 2,897,959 60.45 1.38 20.80 0.00 20.80 21.10 20.70 20.86Ifad Autos -N 579,907 60.20 1.38 103.40 0.78 102.60 104.80 102.10 103.80Deshbandhu Polymer-A 3,426,467 60.17 1.38 16.80 1.20 16.60 18.20 16.60 17.56

BUSINESS20DT

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2015

GP launches cloud storage solution n Tribune Report

Grameenphone has launched a new and unique digital service named – My Contacts – which will modernise the way smartphone users set backup for their contacts.

“My Contacts” is a cloud storage service which makes it easier to back up and transfer contact lists to new smartphones. My Contacts is developed and designed entirely to cater to the needs of customers and will be o� ered to all Grameenphone customers free of charge.

Grameenphone unveiled this new product for its valued customers at a press conference at a restaurant in the capital yesterday.

Speaking on the occasion, Moham-mad Muntasir Hossain, general manager of Grameenphone, said users can download the “My Contacts app” from both Google Play store and Apple store for free.

He said: “GP has always been striving to introduce innovative and useful products and services for its customers.

My Contacts will be very helpful for GP customers to secure their important contact information and retrieve them when needed, he added.

“Privacy is the major concern of this new products. We do not have any business reason and Grameenphone authority has no access to the backup,” said Muntasir.

This makes Grameenphone in association with Telenor the � rst Asian business unit to launch this � rst kind of service. My Contacts is a user-friendly cloud service that keeps se-cure the backup of all contacts.

If the users change or lose their phone, My Contacts can easily transfer the backup con-tacts to a new phone. The service also has a web interface where users can manage their contacts.

Mobile phones getting lost or stolen is a common phenomenon throughout the world, and in Bangladesh, most users are not aware of creating a backup of their phone contacts, which in most cases, is very frustrating.

There are also a good number of people who change their phone very frequently to stay updated with the latest technology.

In majority of the cases, the users have to undergo a manual process to copy their old phone contacts into the new one. My Con-tacts, in these circumstances, will prove to be a handy solution.

Using this simple mobile application, Grameenphone subscribers will be able to back up their mobile phone contacts in a se-cured cloud space. GP subscribers will be able to download these contacts when they change their handset or when required. So once the backup is done, it does not matter if the handset is lost, stolen, broken or upgrad-ed, users can easily get their contacts synced in their new phone within minutes.

Grameenphone, a part of Telenor Group, is a leading telecommunications service provid-er in Bangladesh with more than 53 million subscribers. l

H ome Fest Dhaka to be held on Nov 6-7n Tribune Report

Windmill Initiative, an in-house e� ort of Wind-mill Group, for the � rst time in Bangladesh, will organise a two-day “Home Fest Dhaka 2015” beginning from November 6, this year.

With the support from BRAC Bank Ltd, the event is scheduled to be held at International Convention City (ICCB), Gulnoksha, Bashun-dhara.

The announcement came at a press confer-ence held in the city yesterday.

The Home Fest Dhaka will launch a month-long nationwide ‘Interior Design Competition

‘among young, emerging interior designers and architects to � nd visually rich design which e� ectively uses material, space, color, texture, lightning and graphics.

The best designer will get Tk3 lakh as prize money while top designers in 17 cate-gories will get the chance to participate in the expo for feedback and booking, organiser an-nounced at the press conference.

“We have talent, we have resources but they just need to come together to create something stunning. This is the main idea behind “Home Fest Dhaka Interior Designing Competition,” said Sabbir Rahman Tanim,

CEO of Windmill Advertising. He also said, “In our country, we’ve sepa-

rate showrooms for all the components nec-essary, but these are all scattered all over the city. Home Fest Dhaka will bring everyone and everything on the same platform.”

The fest will display seventeen model rooms divided into three types of � ats-ac-cording to individual needs, fully furnished with furniture solutions, lighting solutions, paint solutions, tiles and � ttings solutions, and all other accessories at very special rates.

The partners of the Home Fest Dhaka 2015 are-BRAC Bank Limited, SSG, Aarong and

others. The partners will provide customised product bundles by taking budget, consum-er’s taste and fashion trend into considera-tion. In addition to the stalls of the partners, there will be other companies too with their attractive product lines.

The Press conference was attended, among others, by Reazuddin Mosharaf, managing director of Windmill Group, Sabbir Rahman Tanim, CEO of Windmill Advertising Ltd, Firoz Ahmed Khan, head of retail banking, BRAC Bank Limited, Aftab Mahmud Khurs-hid, CMO of Super Star Group (SSG), Moham-mad Abdur Rouf, COO of BRAC-Aarong. l

Guests at the seminar on Contribution of Micro� nance to GDP in Bangladesh organised by the Institute of Mircro� nance in the city yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

‘Privacy is the major concern of this new products. We do not have any business reason and Grameenphone authority has no access to the backup’

Gold hovers near one-month low as traders eye Fed meetingn Reuters, Singapore

Gold was trading near its lowest in a month yesterday, as investors waited for a Federal Reserve policy meeting later this week for clarity on when the US central bank will hike interest rates.

Spot gold was steady at $1,108.06 an ounce by 0633 GMT, after losing 0.3% on Friday. The metal had fallen to $1,098.35 in the previous session, its lowest since Aug 11.

US gold edged up 0.4% to $1,107.40, but also near its lowest in a month.

The Fed will kick o� a much awaited two-day policy meet tomorrow. Many expect trad-ers to remain on the sidelines until the Fed statement on Thursday, though prices could drop because of persistent uncertainty.

“Should the Fed choose not to raise rates, and issue dovish guidance, we would expect gold to rally,” said HSBC analyst James Steel.

“How strong that rally may be could de-pend on how equity and currency markets also react to the Fed’s decisions,” he said.

Gold prices have been hurt this year by un-certainty over the timing of the Fed’s � rst rate hike in nearly a decade.

Bullion has bene� ted in recent years from ultra-low rates, which cut the opportuni-ty cost of holding non-yielding gold while weighing on the dollar, in which it is priced.

Concerns over slowing economic growth in China, mixed economic data and volatility in � nancial markets have increased doubts about the timing of any US rate increase, which had been expected as early as this month.

Data on Friday showed US consumer senti-ment hit its lowest in a year in early Septem-ber and producer prices were � at in August, signalling moderate economic growth and tame in� ation that could weigh on the Fed’s decision whether to hike interest rates.

A small majority of forecasters are sticking to their guns and predicting the Fed will pull the trigger this week.

Investor positioning has not been encour-aging for gold prices.

Hedge funds and money managers cut their bullish stance in COMEX gold contracts to a three-week low in the week ended Sept 8, while boosting their short positions, US Com-modity Futures Trading Commission data showed on Friday. l

21D

TTUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2015T

-JUNCTION

Tomorrow is herePhoto: Bigstock

T-JU

NCTION

23webBlog techies

auto correctHow to change the radiator coolant?

24gadgetApple WWDC 2015

INSIDE

Third phase of Connecting Classrooms at British Council

Toshiba opens Bangladesh Liaison O� ce

Rise above all o� ce

NewsTUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2015

T-JUNCTION22DT

Anjans Eid extravaganza Ecstasy’s � agship outlet in Banani

This Eid, Anjans hits the market with its latest collection of scintillating attire and accessories. Introducing out-of-the-box trends in necklines, sleeves, hems, etc, the latest line features embroidered and printed cotton, linen cotton, andi cotton, andi silk and silk. This season, they are

also launching a striking collection of bangles, bracelets, earrings, neckpieces, anklets, rings, etc, in silver and metal. And let’s not forget the little ones; Anjans has saris, frocks, panjabis and salwar kameezes for them on shelves this season. l

The British Council organised the Connecting Classrooms III Launch on September 13, at British Council Fuller Road office. Honourable Minister Advocate Mostafizur Rahman, Ministry of Primary and Mass Education was the chief guest of the event.

Connecting Classrooms is the British Council’s flagship global education programme, co-funded by Department for International Development. Designed to help young people develop knowledge, skills and values to live and work in a

globalised economy and make a positive contribution locally and globally. It aims to build a capacity of 3000 teachers and 600 school leaders in Bangladesh to support them to integrate a range of core skills into the curriculum.

Honourable Minister, Advocate Mostafizur Rahman said “I appreciate British Council for the Connecting Classrooms programme, which is helping to promote the 21st century skills to further develop our students’ creativity, critical thinking, digital literacy and citizenship among young students – our future leaders of tomorrow. I believe this programme will complement the government’s initiative to help enrich education quality in Bangladesh”.

Director general, NAEM Professor Md Hamidul Haque attended the event as special guest while British High Commissioner, his excellency, Robert W Gibson graced the event as the guest of honour. A total of 150 guests attended the launch. l

On September 13, Toshiba Asia Pacific celebrated the official opening of its Bangladesh Liaison Office. Toshiba is the first Japanese electronics manufacturer to have set up an office in Bangladesh, and will enable the Toshiba Group to further enhance its presence in the country and support its economic development through infrastructural and energy solutions.The opening ceremony was held at Westin Dhaka and was officially inaugurated by guest of honour Md Tazul Islam, chairman, Standing Committee for Ministry of

Energy, Power and Mineral Resources; Japanese ambassador to Bangladesh, Masato Watanabe; Fumio Otani, corporate vice president, corporate representative (Asia), Toshiba Corporation and managing director, Toshiba Asia Pacific Pte Ltd; Kazuo Kusakabe, general manager, Bangladesh Liaison Office, and Sayaka Kanagawa, assistant general manager, Bangladesh Liaison Office. The office is located on the 13th floor of Crystal Palace, SE(D) 22, Road 140, Gulshan South Avenue, Gulshan 1, Dhaka-1212. l

Don Sumdany Facilitation and Consultancy presented a half day long certified workshop titled “Rise Above All” on September 12, in association and sponsorship by EMK Center, and in partnership with Vertical Horizon (VH). The entire module has been carefully selected and implemented with an aim to develop the mindset, motivate and inspire the students of O’levels, A’levels, SSC and HSC. The aim was to provide the youngsters with a clear career path. It also focused on helping them lose any sorts of negativity, ego,

fear - anything that is holding them back from achieving great success in their lives. Chief inspirational officer of Don Sumdany Facilitation & Consultancy, G Sumdany Don and managing director of Vertical Horizon (VH), Tawsif Alam Khan added some very insightful career advice.

“Live for today! Because life doesn’t get better or worse, life is as it is,” said Sumdany during the end of the event. The programme concluded with a certi� cate giving ceremony and a group picture with the youngsters. l

Ecstasy opens its � agship store on Banani Road 11. Featuring an exclusive line of on-trend attire, shoes, bags and perfumes, the store also o� ers online shopping. Log in to ecstasybd.com for more information. l

Tech T-JUNCTION 23D

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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2015

web

auto correct

Blog techies

How to change the radiator coolant?

Social media for the techies

n Chisty Rahim

The Internet is a wide world of opportunity and a strong mean of commucation. Undoubtedly the greatest discovery in the tech world, this source of information made way for people to commucicate with the world, in the easiest and the cheapest of ways.

Today we focus on blogging, which was adopted by the web long before newspapers started to make their stories available. And the tech community embraced it with open arms and occupied most of the blogosphere.

Breaking tech news, updates on incoming and ongoing latest gadgets and � rst hand reviews not only guided the readers through the tech world but also led them to a much insured and safer trade market.

Mashable is, as the name clearly dictates, a mash up of Twitter, Facebook, entertainment, news and everything else that exists in the tech world and everything that the techies talk about. This social media guide is the ultimate place for blog updates from any social media site and is worth a look.

After they paid for a “lost” next-gen Apple iPhone they pretty much stole the attention of almost everyone in the tech world and became the TMZ of it. It became front page coverage for newspapers all around the world. With some of the funniest commentators in the world, and hundreds of post relevant to scandals this site became a must follow one with a youth-vibe.

For the inside scoop of what’s trending around the world, follow this site. Om Malik’s creation has grown into one of the largest blogs worldwide. They cover news and analysis on Web 2.0, technologies and startups, social media, gaming and everything else. They also have a bunch of tech crazy writers who write over a 100 articles every day to cover em all! And that together led them to success.

n Tahsin Momin

In order for your vehicle to function e� ciently and e� ectively, the radiator and cooling system need to be cleaned every once in a while. Over time with normal wear and tear, the radiator builds up deposits that can jam the cooling system. A quick and inexpensive way to keep your system in shape is to clean the system with a radiator � ush. It is always a safe bet to � ush the radiator every two to three years.• Make sure your car is left idle for a while

and the system is completely cool before you begin.

• Refer to the owner’s manual to fi nd the radiator drain plug. Place a bucket underneath the drain plug, unscrew the drain plug, and let the old coolant drain completely.

• Screw back the drain plug and remove the radiator cap.

• Use a funnel to add about two litres of

radiator � ush solution and then � ll up the rest of the radiator with water.

• Put the radiator cap back on.• Start the engine and let it run until it gets

to its normal operating temperature.• Turn on your air-condition to full, and let

the car run for 10 minutes.• Shut down the engine and wait for it to

cool down completely. • Repeat the radiator draining process

again.• Now fi ll up the radiator with fresh coolant.• Make sure you dispose of the old coolant

safely. Old coolant is fatal; it can cause irritation to the human skin and its sweet taste can be enticing to pets.

Note that the temperature can be a dangerous issue when you are working on the engine. So make sure that you give plenty of time to your engine to cool before you start to drain the radiator. Don’t dash through this job, and always take the side of caution. l

Formerly known as ZeddNet, this site has existed for who knows how long. Founded in 1991, formerly on CompuServe and Prodigy, ZDNet was purchased in 2000 by CNET (CBS Interactive), and reports on a variety of tech news. They focus heavily on the usual suspects (Apple, Microsoft, Google), ZDNet also features product reviews, software downloads and tons of news and analysis on tech businesses and issues. l

Tools you need: Cross-head screwdriver or wrench, rags, radiator � ush solution, coolant, funnel, a bucket to drop in your used coolant

Time to complete: 30 minutesEstimated cost: Tk1,200

TechT-JUNCTION24DT

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2015

gadget

That’s hugeAfter the subtle changes to the Watch, they presented the audience with the new iPad Pro. This thing is huge. We’re talking about a 12.9-inch iPad here, a device that supports a full sized, virtual keyboard. We weren’t too sure what exactly to expect from such a large, mobile device. And we’ve only been given a glimpse of what it can actually do at the event. Then, of course, there are the facts. It’s got the new A9X memory chip, making it 1.8-times faster than the A8X.

Apple also claims that it is 80 percent faster than portable PCs shipped in the past six months. Because of its large size, they’ve managed to add four di� erent speakers (in each corner). In addition, it has a 10-hour battery life and 5.6 million pixels. What this iPad Pro can actually do is quite impressive, from what they’ve shown us on display. And, of course, they also revealed a new stylus called, get this, the Apple Pencil. As you can imagine, this drew a few laughs from the crowd. Steve Jobs, many years ago, expressed his distaste on styluses. He absolutely hated them. Well, here we are people, a new stylus. What is possibly more absurd is that this stylus doesn’t come with the iPad Pro. It’s sold separately at $99 (USD).The prices for the iPad Pro itself is something to be wary of. The 32GB edition will cost you $799, while the 128GB is $949. Yes, you can buy a perfectly new, quality laptop for those prices.

The new 6Have the new iPhone 6S and 6S Plus changed in design? Of course not. As expected, every year, there really aren’t any alterations to the new smartphones. Besides maybe the new, di� erent colours they will ship out. The 6S still has the 4.7-inch display, the same goes for the 5.5-inch display for the 6S Plus. The materials, however, have changed for the better. The new phones have the new Ion-X glass displays, the same found in the Apple Watch Sport. There’s the A9 chip, 70 percent faster in tasks and 90 percent faster in graphics than its predecessor.

Another big change for this version of the iPhone is the new 12-megapixel rear iSight camera, which is capable of shooting 4K video. Also, the 5-megapixel front camera possesses a Retina Flash that’s apparently 3x brighter than regular � ash. The features of the new camera, from what we’ve seen, were really impressive. Keep in mind, just because a phone has more megapixles doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a superior camera. There are many other factors that go into a quality camera.

With so many critics, people tend to forget it’s really not about the design. It’s about innovation. It’s about new technology and functionality. A welcoming fact for potential buyers is that the prices haven’t changed. What was proposed last year is the same this year. However, Apple astonished the crowd

with two di� erent payment options. Keep in mind, this is for the States for now. For the 6S, buyers will be able to pay $27 monthly installments, with no contract attached. The second method might capture many, with the option of leasing the new phone by paying $32 a month, which lets you trade in the current phone for a new model in the future.

We can only hope there was such a thing in Bangladesh, but that would be wishful thinking. Perhaps we’ll have it in � ve years time, who knows? There are many more details to be discussed with the new iPhones but we’ll reveal much more once we get our hands on the new devices for a future review. The so called 3D Touch technology, the new iOS 9, El Captain upgrade and many more will be revealed by the end of this month. l

n Mahmood Hossain

We won’t be going into every little detail from the event that introduced the new iPhone devices, along with others, so we’ll discuss the highlights instead. Whether you’re an Apple fan or not, let’s reserve the judgements for later. Like many others have already stated, we want to make it very clear that there isn’t anything revolutionary here. However, Apple continues to innovate, giving us features and options other leading brands may not.

Around the wristThe LIVE-streamed event � rst gave us the new and improved Apple Watch. There will be more and more bands for the watches to make it look more enticing. Luxury brand Hermes has teamed up with Apple to create a more sophisticated look to the watches. More importantly, they will have many more apps that are native for the Watch, like Facebook and GoPro. Its Watch OS 2 will be available on September 16.

Apple WWDC 2015What we know from the latest Apple event

25D

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Djoker plays pantomime villain to cap great yearn Reuters, New York

Novak Djokovic probably felt like he was battling against 20,001 people in the US Open � nal on Sunday, with grand slam king Roger Federer on the other side of the net backed by an Arthur Ashe Stadium full of his opponent’s closest friends.

As the match reached its gripping climax, they cheered every point Federer won and celebrated Djok-ovic’s errors as the Serb dug deep to eke out a 6-4 5-7 6-4 6-4 triumph.

There may have been a time when Djokovic would have been unsettled by his treatment but the world num-ber one swallowed any resentment and maintained his composure until he found himself kissing the silver trophy for his 10 grand slam.

“I can’t sit here and criticise the crowd,” said Djokovic, who crowned a brilliant season in which he won three grand slams events and was runner-up in the fourth at Roland Garros.

“On the contrary, I think it’s logi-cal to expect that a great player and a champion like Roger has the ma-jority of the support anywhere I play him.

“He absolutely deserves to have the support he does because of all the years and success that he had and the way he carries himself on and o� the court. No question about it.”

While Federer reached exalted status with his collection of an all-time record 17 grand slam titles, Djokovic is now the player dominat-ing the men’s game.

He has won nine slams in the last � ve years, collecting the Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open ti-tles in 2011 just as he has this year, and has held down the number one ranking in four of the past � ve sea-sons.

The mellowed Djokovic said he appreciated this grand slam tre-ble even more than his 2011 break-through.

“I’m a di� erent player, a di� er-ent person today than I was 2011,” he said. “As a father and a husband, experiencing a di� erent variety of things in my life, it’s a completely

di� erent approach to tennis today.“I feel more ful� lled. I feel more

complete as a player today than I was in 2011. Physically stronger, mentally more experienced and tougher as well.”

Djokovic showed plenty of that toughness after he scraped his right arm, the back of his right hand and right leg when he tumbled to the ground in the � rst set, after a three-hour delay due to rain, but carried on regardless.

Federer had not dropped a set in the entire tournament but Djok-ovic wiped out that distinction in 42 minutes.

The Swiss great had lost only two break points in the tournament but matched that number within his � rst four service games against one of the game’s greatest returners.

Djokovic, meanwhile, saved 19-of-23 break points held by Federer and rose up to cash in on six of his 13 opportunities in the � nal.

He was up by two breaks in the � nal set, only to see Federer roar back to break him once and threat-en again in the � nal game before the Serb � nally secured victory in a lit-tle less than three and a half hours.

“Today I was serving at 5-2 in the fourth set and Roger showed why he is a champion and... making me play to the last point,” Djokovic said.

“I have a tremendous respect for Roger and what his game is repre-senting to me and any other player.”

The win puts Djokovic level with Bill Tilden on 10 slams. Next up are Rod Laver and Bjorn Borg on 11. Then Roy Emerson at 12, and Rafa Nadal and Pete Sampras with 14, just below Federer.

“I’m obviously � attered and hon-oured to be a part of an elite group of players, legends of our sports,” the Serb added.

“I’m 28. I have always valued the care for my body, and my mind and had this holistic approach to life.

“I will continue on with the same kind of lifestyle, same kind of ap-proach. I think that kind of approach brought me to where I am today.

“Hopefully, this kind of approach will give me longevity and that I can have many more years to come, and

as I said, many more opportunities to � ght for these trophies.”

As for winning Federer-like adu-lation with the crowds, he said: “I’m there to earn the support and hope-fully in the future I can be in that position.” l

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2015

26

Brian Close, England’s youngest ever Test cricketer and the man

who had the courage to take blows from the fearsome West Indies fast bowlers on his body, has died at the

age of 84 on Sunday

REST IN PEACE

Sport‘WE WILL TRY TO GIVE MORE THAN HUNDRED PERCENT IN THE TWO TESTS’

NOVAK DJOKOVIC (SRB)Born : May 22, 1987Age : 28Birthplace : Belgrade, SerbiaResidence : Monte Carlo, MonacoHeight : 6-feet-2 (1.88m)Ranking : 1ATP Tour singles titles : 55Grand Slam singles titles : 10 (2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015 Australian Open; 2011, 2014, 2015 Wimbledon; 2011, 2015 US Open)Career Prize Money : $86,366,648

FINAL STATISTICS Djokovic FedererAces 3 11Double faults 5 5Break points 6/13 4/23Winners 35 56Unforced errors 37 54

Match time: 3hr 20min

US OPEN WINNERS2015 Novak Djokovic2014 Marin Cilic2013 Rafael Nadal2012 Andy Murray2011 Novak Djokovic2010 Rafael Nadal2009 Juan Martin del Potro2008 Roger Federer2007 Roger Federer2006 Roger Federer

Novak Djokovic of Serbia kisses the US Open trophy after defeating Roger Federer of Switzerland in their men’s singles � nal match in New York on Sunday REUTERS

Sport26DT

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2015

Bangladesh’s Test captain Mush� qur Rahim throws a ball during their practice session at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday MI MANIK

‘We will try to give more than hundred percent in the two Tests’n Mazhar Uddin

Tigers Test skipper Mush� qur Rahim ex-pressed that they have the capability to beat the 'new-look' Australia side, given they con-tinue playing the fearsome brand of cricket.

Recently fresh from the Ashes defeat to England, the Aussies have rested their two front-line quickies Mitchell Johnson and Josh Hazlewood while Adam Voges was named as Steven Smith's deputy.

10 of the 15 named for the Bangladesh tour have played less than 10 Test matches as Mush� q believes this a great opportunity for them to beat the untested Australians.

“Its not as though only if a young side comes to Bangladesh, will they lose. The South African side that played against us was top-class, but they still lost. India’s full side lost to us. The main thing was that we played good and consistent cricket this year and that’s why the wins have come.

“So our main target will be to keep the fo-

cus that we have kept this year. Now if, we don’t get a result despite playing well, that’s a di� erent issue, but our main target will be to play good and consistent cricket. I don’t think there will be a better opportunity to beat Aus-tralia, so we will try to give our 100 per cent and more than hundred percent in the two Tests,” Mush� q told reporters yesterday.

The 28-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman termed Smith and Glenn Maxwell as the key players for the visitors and expressed his de-sire to keep the exploding batsman Maxwell, who is making a comeback to the Test side, under pressure from the word go.

In the absence of David Warner, Johnson and Hazlewood Tasmania fast bowler Andrew Fekete and Western Australia opening bats-man Cameron Bancroft are very likely to wear the baggy green cap.

“It was expected because Hazlewood and Johnson were rested before. The players whom we predicted would come are all com-ing. There are two new players and we don’t

know much about them. But there is still time so hopefully we can know more about them by the time the series begins. Although this a young side, its an Australian team, we can’t forget that,” said the former Bangladesh one-day international captain.

Bangladesh Cricket Board has scheduled the National Cricket League ahead of the two-match series to give the cricketers some match practice while the current Bangladesh A team, which contains top line national players, tour to India will also help prepare the Tigers.

Mush� q, who did not want to talk about the plan they chalked out for the Aussies, hopes for a pitch that will assist his bowlers to take 20 wickets and at the same time help them score 400 plus.

Bangladesh were agonisingly close to a win in the � rst of the two-Test during Australia's last visit to Bangladesh in 2006. The Tigers skipper opined that the time have changed and they are now very much capable of pull-ing a win in the longer version. l

Uncapped Fekete, Bancroft named for Bangladesh tourn Reuters, Melbourne

Tasmania fast bowler Andrew Fekete and Western Australia opening batsman Cameron Bancroft are in sight of a test debut after being named in an inexperienced Australia squad for next month’s tour of Bangladesh.

The uncapped pair are the newcomers in captain Steven Smith’s 15-man squad, which includes 10 players with less than 10 tests, as Australia look to rebuild following a string of retirements after the Ashes defeat in England.

A late-bloomer who made his � rst-class debut only two years ago, 30-year-old Fekete will reinforce a pace attack shorn of Mitchell Johnson and Josh Hazlewood. The pair have been rested after a “heavy workload” in recent months, Cricket Australia said on Monday.

Fekete will battle one-test bowler Pat Cummins for a place in the tests in Chittagong (Oct. 9) and Dhaka (Oct. 17), with left-armer Mitchell Starc and seasoned workhorse Peter Siddle expected to lead the attack.

Bancroft, a 22-year-old right-hander who can also keep wicket, enjoyed a proli� c tour with Australia A in India and will hope to clinch one of two vacant opening spots fol-lowing the retirement of Chris Rogers and an injury to David Warner.

Two-test right-hander Joe Burns is anoth-er opening candidate, along with Queensland captain Usman Khawaja, who has been re-called for the � rst time in two years.

Batsman Shaun Marsh has again been spared the selectors’ axe despite failing twice during the Ashes in England when handed his chance.

“Our desire is that these players form the nucleus of our top-order, alongside Steve Smith and David Warner, for the foreseeable future, form and � tness permitting,” selectors chairman Rod Marsh said in a media release.

Seven-test batsman Adam Voges has been installed as an unlikely vice captain in place of Warner, who was scratched from the tour after breaking a thumb in England.

Hard-hitting limited-overs specialist Glenn Maxwell has also been recalled for the � rst time since the tour of the United Arab Emir-ates last year against Pakistan.

Legspinner Fawad Ahmed was omitted af-ter failing to impress in his limited chances in the Caribbean and England, opening the door for left-arm spinner Stephen O’Keefe, who played his sole test in the UAE last year and bowled well in the recent A tour of India. l

SQUAD:Steven Smith (capt), Adam Voges (vice

captain), Cameron Bancroft, Joe Burns, Pat Cummins, Andrew Fekete, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh,

Glenn Maxwell, Peter Nevill, Stephen O’Keefe, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc.

Andrew Fekete Cameron Bancroft

Sport 27D

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41 booters called up for Lopez’s � rst session n Mazhar Uddin

Fabio Lopez, the new Italian head coach of Bangladesh football team, will get 41 players including six new faces in his preliminary camp for the upcoming Fifa World Cup and Asian Cup Joint Quali� ers yesterday.

Among the six newbies are three forwards – Sohel Miah (Feni Soccer), Ruman (Sheikh Russel) and Nabib Newaz Jibon (BJMC) – and three defenders – Masuk Miah Johnny(M-SC), Rashedul Alam Moni (Brothers Union) and Shakil Ahmed (Abahani). Winger Faisal Mahmud, who last represented the national team in 2008, and defender Waly Faisal, who earned a recall after 2013 Sa� Championships were awarded for their consistent perfor-

mance in the Bangladesh Premier League. Amongst the 41 footballers 14 are from

Sheikh Jamal Dhamnondi Club, 10 from Sheikh Russel KC, wight from Abahani Ltd, four from Mohammedan SC, two each from

Brothers Union and Muktijoddha SKC. BJMC and Soccer Club Feni have one payer each from their side. The team will leave for BKSP today. Lopez will trim the squad to 23 mem-bers on September 20. l

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2015

Dhaka beat Narail in Kabaddi Azad Sporting Club earned two lonas as they beat Faridpur district 36-11 in the � rst game on the second day of the Aarong Dairy Women’s Federation Cup Kabaddi yesterday. In the second game at the Kabaddi Stadium, Dhaka defeated Narail 38-20 with the winners accu-mulating three lonas. In the two matches today, Dhaka Wanderers will face Narail while Faridpur will take on Institute of Kabaddi Jatrabari.

TRIBUNE DESK

‘Amazing’ Ko hailed over major recordNew Zealand’s prime minister led the congrat-ulations Monday after 18-year-old Lydia Ko made gol� ng history as the youngest winner of a women’s major title. “Amazing stu� ,” tweeted John Key. “Congratulations @lydiako on your win at the Evian Championship and becoming the youngest ever major winner in women’s golf.”

AFP

Gerrard:I can call all my managers except BenitezRafael Benitez was the best tactical manager Steven Gerrard ever played under but the former Liverpool captain said he felt the Spaniard did not like him as a person, according to an extract from his autobiography. Gerrard left An� eld to join LA Galaxy after 17 years at his boyhood club and has already gone on record to say he might have stayed had he been o� ered a role within current manager Brendan Rodgers’ backroom sta� .

REUTERS

Rooney out of CL openerWayne Rooney is out of the Champions League match at PSV Eindhoven with the injury he sus-tained in training before Saturday’s 3-1 win over Liverpool. Manchester United are resisting rush-ing their captain back into action for the group stage opener after he su� ered what is believed to be a hamstring injury, although the manager, Louis van Gaal, is hoping to have him available for Sunday’s Premier League visit to Southampton.

AGENCIES

Undisputed Mayweather happy to call it quitsFloyd Mayweather Jr. signed o� from profes-sional boxing as he had planned on Saturday, going out unbeaten and on his own terms as ‘The Best Ever’ after improving his career record to 49-0. After a stellar 19-year run that produced world titles in � ve weight divisions and earnings in excess of $800 million, May-weather bade farewell to the ring with a clinical display to earn a unanimous decision over fellow American Andre Berto.

REUTERS

Mourinho slams MartinezChelsea manager Jose Mourinho swore at Ever-ton boss Roberto Martinez after being made to wait for his post-match news conference following the champions’ 3-1 loss at Goodison Park on Saturday. A furious Mourinho decided to interrupt Martinez while he was speaking with a group of journalists near the pitch.

REUTERS

QUICK BYTES

SQUADSohel Miah, Nabib Newaj, Jibon Mohammed, Enamul Hoque, Faysal Mahmud, Imtiaz Sul-tan, Rasedul Alam, Sakil Ahmad, Emon Mahmud, Aminur Rahman, Shahedul Alam Sha-hed, Shahedul Alam, Abdul Baten Komal, Wahed Ahmed, Nasirul Islam Nasir, Masuk Miah, Ashraful Isam, Tawhidul Alam Sabuj, Jewel Rana, Ruman, Rezaul Karim, Waly Faisal, Ja-hid Hasan Ameli, Zahid Hossain, Hemanta Vincent Biswas, Topu Barman, Rasel Mahmud, Atiqur Rahman Meshu, Shakawat Hossain Rony, Linkon, Kesto Kumar, Toklis Ahmed, Monaem Khan Raju, Sohel Rana, Jamal Bhuiyan, Yeamin Ahmed, Yeasin Khan, Nasir Uddin Chowdhury, Rayhan Hasan, Mazharul Islam, Sahidul Alam, Mamunul Islam.

United make UCL return, City host JuveParis Saint-Germain (FRA) v Malmo (SWE) Paris Saint-Germain, the dominant force in French football, begin another quest to emu-late their domestic success on the European stage against Malmo, the 1979 European Cup runners-up, at the Parc des Princes. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who was rested as PSG dropped their � rst points of the season in Friday’s 2-2 draw with Bordeaux, will come up against his hometown club having made his professional debut with Malmo in 1999. PSG’s 33-game un-beaten European home record was snapped by Barcelona in a third straight quarter-� nal exit last season and the French club will be out to start a new streak against a Malmo side making just their second group stage appear-ance following last year’s debut campaign.

Real Madrid (ESP) v Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR)Real Madrid face an intriguing � rst-ever meeting with competition regulars Shakhtar Donetsk at the Santiago Bernabeu as Rafa Benitez prepares to make his European bow with the record 10-time champions. Cristiano Ronaldo extinguished any fears over his form in emphatic style on Saturday by scoring � ve goals in Madrid’s thumping 6-0 win over Es-panyol in La Liga that saw him overtake Raul as the club’s all-time leading league goalscor-er. Shakhtar, who had their � ve-year reign in Ukraine ended by Dynamo Kiev last season, are featuring in the group stage for the 11th time after knocking o� Austrians Rapid Vien-na in the play-o� round, having already seen o� Turkish out� t Fenerbahce in the previous round.

PSV (NED) v Manchester United (ENG)United are back in the Champions League after a painful exile last season, their � rst run-out seeing Memphis Depay make a quick return to the club he left in the summer. The sides clashed at the same stage of the 2000/20001 competition, with honours shared -- United losing 3-1 on the road, turning the tables with the same scoreline at Old Tra� ord. PSV gained automatic quali� cation as Dutch champions, while Louis van Gaal’s United eased through the play-o� route 7-1 against Brugge. The two coaches are well known to each other -- PSV boss Phillip Cocu having played under van Gaal at both Barcelona and for the Nether-lands.

Wolfsburg (GER) v CSKA Moscow (RUS)This encounter has a distinct sense of deja vu about it as Wolfsburg hosted their Rus-

sian rivals in their only previous Champions League campaign in 2009. The Bundesliga runners-up came out on top that day, only to fall in Moscow and eventually miss out on the knockout stages. Wolfsburg, quarter-� nalists in the Europa League last season, are on a 24-match unbeaten run in the Bundesliga at home.

Galatasaray (TUR) v Atletico Madrid (ESP)Turkish champions Galatasaray enjoyed their � nest European hour in 2000, when they de-feated Arsenal on penalties to win the former UEFA Cup. They host 2014 � nalists Atletico Madrid, who last lifted the European Cup in 1962 but tasted their � rst league defeat of the early season on Saturday when they went down 2-1 against Barcelona. Dutch maestro Wesley Sneijder will pull the strings for the home side at the Turk Telecom Arena while German international striker Lukas Podolski is the main threat up front.

Benfica (POR) v Astana (KAZ)Portuguese giants Ben� ca came agonisingly close to European glory, for the � rst time since back-to-back European Cups in 1961 and 1962, when losing the 2013 and 2014 Europa League � nals to Chelsea and Sevilla respectively. They take on Kazakh debutants Astana who are the � rst team from their country to qualify

for the Champions League group phase.

Manchester City (ENG) v Juventus (ITA)What should be a meeting between Europe-an giants has a feeling of uncertainty about it. City have got o� to a � ying start in the Premier League with � ve wins from � ve but their Champions League record over the last four years has been dire, to say the least, twice failing to get out of the group stage and then twice losing to Barcelona in the second round. Juventus, by contrast, went all the way to a surprise appearance in the � nal last year, before Barca beat them 3-1. But they have yet to win in three league games this season and con� dence is low ahead of their trip to the Eastlands.

Sevilla (ESP) v Moenchengladbach (GER)On paper, at least, this looked like the toughest group in the competition with teams from the traditional big four European super-powers. Yet Manchester City are the only ones ot have won a domestic match this season. Sevilla have managed two draws but two weeks ago they lost 3-0 at home to Atletico Madrid. Gladbach, though, have had a disastrous start to their campaign and are rock bottom of the Bundesliga after four straight losses, including Friday night’s 3-0 reverse at home to Hamburg. l

Juventus’ French defender Mario Lemina (C) takes part in a training session on the eve of the UEFA Champions League match Manchester City at the Juventus Training Center in Vinovo AFP

28DT Sport US OPEN

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2015

MOST GRAND SLAM WINNERS

17 Roger Federer (Swizerland) - Australian Open (4), French Open (1), Wimbledon (7), US Open (5)

14 Pete Sampras (US) - Australian Open (2), Wimbledon (7), U.S. Open (5)

14 Rafa Nadal (Spain) - Australian Open (1), French Open (9), Wimbledon (2), US

Open (2)

12 Roy Emerson (Australia) - Australian Open (6), French Open (2), Wimbledon (2), US Open (2)

11 Rod Laver (Australia) - Australian Open (3), French Open (2), Wimbledon (4), US Open (2)

11 Bjorn Borg (Sweden) French Open (6), Wimbledon (5)

10 Bill Tilden (US) - Wimbledon (3), US Open (7)

10 Novak Djokovic (Serbia) - Australian Open (5), Wimbledon (3), US Open (2)

Beaten Federer shrugs o� talk of retirementn AFP, New York

Roger Federer insists that he will return to the US Open in 2016 despite losing Sunday’s � nal 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 to Novak Djokovic.

Federer, who will be 35 next year, won his last title of � ve in New York back in 2008.

But at the presentation ceremony, he had no intention of following women’s champi-on Flavia Pennetta by announcing his retire-ment.

“I’m very pleased with where my game is at,” said Federer, who won the most recent of his 17 majors at Wimbledon in 2012.

“It feels like it has moved in the right di-rection. I’m back in the � nal for the � rst time since 2009. I love the sport. I’ve got a lot of passion. “One last thing -- I’ll see you guys next year.”

Federer was bidding to become the oldest champion in New York since 35-year-old Ken Rosewall in 1970.

But he failed to breach Djokovic’s formida-ble defensive skills, managing to convert just four of 23 break point opportunities.

The Swiss had come into the � nal not hav-ing dropped a set at the tournament and hav-ing lost serve just twice in 82 games.

He had also strung together 28 consecutive sets in a run stretching back to the Wimble-don � nal in July, which he also lost to Djok-ovic.

Federer, the world number two, still be-lieves he can still punch his weight at the highest level, with his � ve tour titles so far in 2015 only serving to boost his con� dence.

“I am very disappointed. I had my chances

on my racquet. I should never been down in the score the way I was,” said the Swiss.

“But Novak did a great job of fending them o� . It was a tough night.”

“I am playing a good year. I’m playing good tennis. I am happy with where my level is at. I’m able to beat the best players regularly.”

Federer said his success at the Cincinnati Masters on the eve of the US Open convinced him that he still had enough left in the tank.

It was his seventh triumph in the American Midwest, achieved by beating Andy Murray and Djokovic in the semi-� nals and � nal re-spectively.

“Cincinnati was a great feeling, beating the world number one and world number two in the same week. I don’t think I have done that before.

“I did win my tournaments, the ones I was supposed to. Year’s not over yet. I usually do have a strong � nishes to the season, and I hope I can do that again.”

Djokovic now has 10 majors, just one shy of Rod Laver and Bjorn Borg on the all-time list.

He is seven behind Federer but is six years younger.

Federer admits that the Serb will collect many more.

“Are you kidding me? I think he’s doing really well. He’s having a wonderful season, like in 2011 (when Djokovic also won three majors),” he said.

“He’s just really consistent. Seems like there are not many guys that can hang with him, don’t have the tools or dare to go for-ward, or they don’t dare to serve and volley against him because he’s so good on the re-turn. Which he is.

“He has perfected his game on the hard courts, no doubt about it. He was always a great clay-court player, and because he moves as well as he does, he’s solid and consistent now on the grass.

“He’s having an unbelievable career. He al-ready has a ton, so obviously he’s got to stay healthy and hungry, but obviously you would think he will win more.” l

Djokovic wins third Slam of the year

Novak Djokovic clinched his third Grand Slam title of 2015 and 10th career major with a 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 triumph over sentimental favorite Roger Federer in the men’s � nal. Shrugging o� a three-hour rain delay and the overwhelming hostility of the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd, the 28-year-old world number one captured his second title in New York to add to his 2011 triumph.

Serena stumped by Vinci code

Serena Williams was set fair to become the � rst woman since Ste� Graf in 1988 to

capture a calendar Grand Slam and lift a 22nd major title. Unfortunately for the 33-year-old American world number one, nobody told Roberta Vinci. The Italian world number 43, Roberta Vinci, clinched a shock 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 semi-� nal victory in the one of the biggest stunners in the history of the sport. Serena Williams then conducted a surly three-minute news conference before leaving the grounds within 30 minutes of the end of her match.

From drone to delight to retirement for Flavia

Flavia Pennetta certainly had a tournament to remember, not least as she became the oldest � rst time Grand Slam title winner in the Open Era. The 33-year-old Italian then announced her retirement from the sport. Earlier in the competition, her second round match against Romania’s Monica Niculescu was held up when a drone crashed into the stadium. “I was really scared, I thought it was a bomb and it was all over,” said Pennetta.

Heat treatment

The � rst week at Flushing Meadows saw daily temperatures soar to 35 degrees while crushing humidity led to a record 12 men quit their matches before the end of the second round. America’s Jack Sock had to be carried o� court after fainting in the afternoon sun. The players who quit found no sympathy from Roger Federer. “We’ve been here in North America for some time. It’s not like, all of a sudden, hot. I mean, it was more on the warmer side, but it’s not like impossible, to be quite honest. Really no excuse for that,” he said.

Nadal’s decline and fall

Rafael Nadal’s sad, rapid decline continued at the US Open where he surrendered a two-sets lead to lose 3-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 to Fabio Fognini. The third-round loss for the 14-time major winner was his earliest in 10 years in New York. He also � nished a Grand Slam season without a major title for the � rst time since 2004. Just as depressing for the Spaniard was seeing Fognini � re 70 winners beyond his reach. Until this US Open, Nadal had won 151 Grand Slam matches when he had taken the � rst two sets.

Golden girls lose shine

Maria Sharapova was at Bloomingdale’s and then in Greenwich Village, but she never made it to Flushing Meadows, withdrawing on the eve of the tournament because of a knee injury. Five of the remaining top 10 seeds failed to get beyond the second round. Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard slipped and fell in the locker room and su� ered a concussion that forced her to pull out of her fourth round match against Roberta Vinci.

MEMORIES FROM THE 135TH US OPEN

Sport 29D

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Inter Milan mid� elder Fredy Guarin shoots to score during the Serie A match match against archrival AC Milan at the San Siro Stadium in Milan on Sunday AFP

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2015

UEFA Champions League Ten Sports 12:45PM PSV Eindhoven v Manchester United Ten Cricket12:45PM Paris Saint-Germain v Malmo FF Ten Action12:45PM Manchester City v Juventus Star Sports 46:00PM AFC Champions League 2015Guangzhou Evergrande v Kashiwa Reysol

DAY’S WATCH

BUNDESLIGAHo� enheim 1 -3 Werder Bremen Vargas 49 Junuzovic 45, 90+3, Ujah 90+2

Schalke 2-1 MainzMatip 37, Huntelaar 61 Malli 42 Guarin strikes as Inter sink unhappy Milan

n Reuters, Milan

An emphatic strike by Fredy Guarin gave Inter Milan a 1-0 derby win over AC Milan on San Siro on Sunday to leave them as the only team with nine points from their opening three Se-rie A games and plunging their neighbours into further trouble.

Milan, who have angered new coach Sinisa Mihajlovic with their performances, have three points, although they livened up after Mario Balotelli came on for his debut in the second half as they maverick striker hit the post.

Atalanta forward Mauricio Pinilla scored two goals, the � rst with one of his trademark bicycle kicks, before he was sent o� in a pul-sating 2-2 draw at Sassuolo in which both teams missed penalties.

Three other matches also ended 2-2, with Carpi denied a � rst-ever top � ight win after conceding a late goal at Palermo and Napoli still winless this season after being held at Empoli.

Sampdoria’s match at home to Bologna was postponed because of a � ood alert in Genoa and Lazio beat Udinese 2-0 with two goals from Alessandro Matri.

Inter are followed by Chievo, Sassuolo, AS Roma, Palermo and Torino on seven. Title-holders Juventus have only one point after drawing 1-1 at home to Chievo on Saturday.

Milan forward Luiz Adriano got clear of the Inter defence three times in the � rst half, but his � rst e� ort was saved by Samir Handano-vic, the second went over the bar and the third was blocked by a defender.

Guarin broke the deadlock just before the hour, the Colombian forward powering to-wards the area and unleashing a left-foot shot which left Diego Lopez � oundering.

Balotelli came on to a deafening chorus of jeers from Inter fans but made an impact as he provoked Felipe Melo into being booked, hit the post with a 25-metre e� ort and was close again with a long-range free kick.

The drama at Sassuolo began when for-ward Nicola Sansone saw an early penalty saved by Marco Sportiello and Pinilla quickly made them pay. A cross was � oated over from the left and the Chile forward quickly got into position and met it with a perfectly executed overhead kick from 12 metres.

Francesco Magnanelli equalised with a 35-metre rocket, Pinilla pounced on a dread-ful back pass to put Atalanta back in front and Antonio Floro Flores made it 2-2 with a spec-tacular half-volley, all before halftime.

The drama continued as Pinilla was dis-missed early in the second half for a reckless and pointless sliding tackle, then Sassuolo’s Sime Vrsaljko was sent o� and conceded a penalty for a clumsy challenge.

Napoli, who have only two points from three games, twice came from behind for a 2-2 draw at Empoli with Lorenzo Insigne and Allan scoring to cancel out goals by Riccardo Saponara and Manuel Pucciarelli. l

Leicester storm back to beat Villa, go secondn Reuters, London

Leicester City staged a remarkable comeback from two goals down to beat Aston Villa 3-2 and go second in the Premier League table on Sunday, scoring three times in 17 minutes.

Villa seemed in control when Carles Gil’s curling shot after a lightning counter-attack put them 2-0 ahead just past the hour after youngster Jack Grealish’s � rst goal for his club had given them the halftime advantage.

But Leicester halved the de� cit in the 72nd minute through Ritchie De Laet and, roared on by a raucous home support, equalised through Jamie Vardy before substitute Nathan Dyer’s brave headed winner. Leicester have 11 points from � ve games, four less than Manchester City who still have a 100 percent record. l

Late strikes gives Werder win over Ho� enheimn AFP, Berlin

Werder Bremen scored two goals in injury time to earn a 3-1 win at Ho� enheim while Schalke 04 shook o� an early missed penalty to down Mainz 05 2-1 in Bundesliga action on Sunday.

Austria international Zlatko Junuzovic had given Werder the lead in the last minute of the � rst half before scoring the clinching third three minutes into injury time at the end of the game.

Second-half substitute Eduardo Vargas had equalised for Ho� enheim on 49 minutes but Nigerian forward Anthony Ujah put the visitors back in front two minutes into time added on, converting a pass from 37-year-old Claudio Pizzaro.

At the Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen, Dutch international Klaas Jan Huntelaar missed his fourth straight penalty for Schalke after just four minutes against Mainz before the home side took control with a 37th minute opener from German-born Cameroonian Joel Matip. l

Xavi makes triumphant Qatar league debutn AFP, Doha

His last competitive match was in front of more than 70,000 fans but Xavi Hernandez made his Qatar Stars League debut on Sunday watched by a crowd of just 2,253.

For a former world player of the year who has won 28 trophies, including the World Cup, two European Championships, and whose last performance for Barcelona was in June’s Cham-pions League victory, a sweaty night in down-town Doha may not have seemed like one of the most spectacular nights of a glittering career.

For Xavi’s new team though, Al Sadd, it was a perfect start to the season, winning 4-0 away in a one-sided clash against newly-pro-moted Mesaimeer, emphasising their deter-mination to go one better than second place last season. l

SERIE AVerona 2-2 TorinoToni 49-pen, Gomez 72 Baselli 66, Acquah 73

Sassuolo 2-2 AtalantaMagnanelli 22, Floro Flores 41 Pinilla 13, 33

Empoli 2-2 NapoliSaponara 3, Pucciarelli 18 Insigne 7, Allan 50

Palermo 2-2 CarpiHiljemark 6, Djurdjevic 87 Vitiello 24, Borriello 64

Lazio 2-0 UdineseMatri 64, 73

Sampdoria v Bologna - postponed until Sept 14

Inter Milan 1-0 AC MilanGuarin 58

Leicester City forward Jamie Vardy celebrates after scoring against Aston Villa during their Barclays Premier League match at King Power Stadium on Sunday REUTERS

DOWNTIME30DT

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2015

CALVIN AND HOBBES

PEANUTS

DILBERT

How to solve: Fill in the blank spaces with the numbers 1 – 9. Every row, column and 3 x 3 box must contain all nine digits with no number repeating.

CODE-CRACKER

CROSSWORD

SUDOKU

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS

CODE-CRACKER

How to solve: Each number in our CODE-CRACKER grid represents a di� erent letter of the alphabet. For example, today 2 represents N so � ll N every time the � gure 2 appears.You have two letters in the control grid to start you o� . Enter them in the appropriate squares in the main grid, then use your knowledge of words to work out which letters go in the missing squares.Some letters of the alphabet may not be used.As you get the letters, � ll in the other squares with the same number in the main grid, and the control grid. Check o� the list of alphabetical letters as you identify them.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

CROSSWORD

ACROSS1 Torment (6)6 Not many (3)9 Sharp (5)10 Polynesian drink (4)11 Replenish (5)12 Loud noise (3)13 Mute (6)15 Waistband (4)18 Verse form (4)21 Dairy product (6)24 Friend (Fr) (3)25 Nimble (5)28 Emit fumes (4)29 Fastener (5)30 Extremity (3)31 Held principles (6)

DOWN 1 Stringed instruments (5)2 Top airman (3)3 Ladder’s steps (5)4 Consumed (3)5 Pies and the needle (4)6 Lose colour (4)7 Make evident (6)8 Require (4)14 Pouring edge (3)16 Keen insight (6)17 Pungent (3)19 Oily fruit (5)20 Encounters (5)21 Naked (4)22 Fastened a knot (4)23 Uncommon (4)26 Spirit (3)27 Permit (3)

SUDOKU

SHOWTIME 31D

TTUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2015

SERIES REVIEW

WHAT TO WATCH

Fast & FuriousStar Movies 9:30pmBrian O’Conner, now working for the FBI in LA, teams up with Dominic Toretto to bring down a heroin importer by in� ltrating his operation.Cast: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez

HostelWB 11:25pm Three backpackers head to a Slovak city that promises to meet their hedonistic expectations, with no idea of the hell that awaits them.Cast: Jay Hernandez, Derek Richardson, Eythor Gudjonsson

Paranormal Activity 4Zee Studio 9:30pm In Manhattan, a bike messenger picks up an envelope that attracts the interest of a dirty cop, who pursues the cyclist throughout the city.Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Shannon, Dania Ramirez

n Showtime Desk

The recent child of Universal Studios and Illumination Entertainment, Minions barged hard into China with an estimated $20.1 million, making it the biggest opening day for an animated � lm in the country by a pretty high margin. Their inauguration grossed roughly 50% higher than second place Kung Fu Panda 2 and 40% higher than Despicable Me 2 back in January 2014, despite the � rst Despicable Me never being released in China.

In terms of local currency, Minions’ � rst day also jumps 44% higher than the Chinese summer blockbuster Monkey King: Hero is Back, which set a record as the most grossing Chinese animation of all time.

For the full weekend, the international estimate for the movie is $26.1 million in 57 territories accumulating to $748.5 million. Add in the US gross of $331.6 million, the grand total leads up to a whopping $1.08 billion, passing Toy Story 3’s $1.064 billion and well on the way to becoming the second highest grossing animated � lm of all time. l

Nisho and Aparna’s portrayal of a break-upn Showtime Desk

Afran Nisho and Aparna Gosh wrapped up a TV drama portraying the story of a break-up. Written and directed by Mabrur Rashid Bannah, the single episode drama, aptly titled Break-up Story, will be aired on Maasranga TV on the forthcoming Eid at 12:10pm.

The story follows Aparna and Nisho, who were close friends for a long time. Although Nisho secretly has feelings for Aparna, he was not able to reveal them to her at the time. But as time passes, they fall in love with each other.

Their relationship begins to rock after three years, when Nisho begins to micro-manage every aspect of Aparna’s life. She does not appreciate this and gradually pushes back towards him, � nally forcing him to leave her.

The rest of the story shall remain unknown till Eid-Ul-Azha. l

Sacred Harmony:Solo exhibition on Islamic Art

n Showtime Desk

An exhibition on Islamic Art showcasing the work of Tasleema Alam, a British-Bangladeshi artist now residing in Dhaka, Sacred Harmony will continue till Eidh-Ul-Adha. This time around, EMK Center has taken a di� erent type of exhibition and extended the event till September 22.

The works are all handmade and most

of it is used with precious metal leaf, either gold or silver. Described as Illumination, the craft of working with gold to embellish and decorate works of art is usually taken as sacred.

Many of the works displayed are calligraphic, based on the 99 divine names of God. These names are produced with local terracotta and mounted on raw silk, embracing the Islamic heritage.

Tasleema Alam was trained at The Prince’s School of Traditional Arts in London where such traditional skills are still taught today to keep these skills alive. Her works can be found in prestigious private collections.

All works in the exhibition are for sale or can be commissioned unless otherwise stated. l

Minions movie makes a $20.1 million China bow

Thank God it’s Tuesday

n Showtime Desk

ABC’s newest pilot is bringing anoth-er Shonadaland drama The Catch. This year, Shonda Rhimes is putting yet an-other feisty female face on her newest series. Mireille Enos plays Alice, who is an elite forensic accountant with a spe-cialty of exposing fraud.

Alice is strong, independent and � erce but that’s not all she appears to be in the crime thriller. Much like the leading ladies from Shonda Rhime’s hit series Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal and How to Get Away With Murder, Alice is a vic-tim of a turbulent love life where she is about to get conned by the person (Kier-en) she is getting married to.

The Catch will be co-produced by Helen Gregory and Kate Atkinson and exec produced by Rhimes, Beers, Julie Anne Robinson and Jennifer Schuur.

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PM wins top UN environmental prize for policy leadershipn Tribune Desk

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been named one of the winners of the United Na-tions’ highest environmental accolade for taking steps to address climate change.

The premier will accept the prize, the Champions of the Earth Award in the Policy Leadership, at a ceremony in New York on September 27, the UNB reported.

The award recognises Bangladesh’s initia-tives under Hasina’s government to prepare the country for the challenges it faces from climate change.

With a population of more than 160 mil-lion, Bangladesh is one of most vulnerable countries to the impacts of climate change in the world.

“Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has demon-strated leadership and vision in both making climate change an issue of national priority and advocating for an ambitious global response,” said UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner.

“As an early adopter and advocate of cli-

mate change adaptation policy, she continues to be an example to follow as world leaders seek to take action on climate change as part of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris climate conference in December.”

The award cites the progressive Bangla-desh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan of 2009, which made Bangladesh the � rst developing country to frame such a coor-dinated action plan.

Bangladesh is also the � rst country to set up its own Climate Change Trust Fund sup-ported by nearly US$300 million of domestic resources in 2009-2012.

“As one of the most disaster-prone coun-tries in the world, Bangladesh understands the importance of addressing the impact of climate change. The country is already expe-riencing its detrimental e� ects, and it is often the poorest and marginalised who feel it the most,” said Robert Watkins, UN Resident Co-ordinator in Bangladesh.

“I congratulate the government of Bang-ladesh for being proactive in tackling climate change as a priority of the country. It is also a clarion call for the global community to take action today, and to realise that climate change is not a problem of the future, it is al-ready happening in our lifetime.” l

Drugmaker Abbott tangles with West Bengal regulators over cough syrup complaintn Reuters

Abbott Healthcare is challenging West Ben-gal’s accusation that a sample of the compa-ny’s cough syrup contained excessive levels of codeine, the second multinational to ques-tion India’s regulatory testing regime in re-cent months.

Whether the sample of Abbott’s popular “Phensedyl” was a genuine product or a fake has not been established, but the suspect batch of 80,000 bottles has not been recalled.

Codeine is a sleep-inducing and analgesic drug derived from morphine.

The state laboratory in West Bengal � rst raised the alarm last November.

Abbott Healthcare is a unit of US-based Abbott Laboratories. Abbott Laboratories also has a listed subsidiary in India, Abbott India Ltd.

In the latest dispute, the laboratory found that a sample of Phensedyl contained more than twice the labelled amount of codeine, according to several state drug o� cials and correspondence between regulators and Ab-bott.

The original test was carried out by West Bengal after Phensedyl bottles were seized near the border with Bangladesh, said Samit Saha, a state drug inspector involved in the case.

Codeine-based cough syrups are banned in Bangladesh, and smuggling is rife as people pro� t from higher prices there compared to India.

According to a copy of the inspector’s re-port, the sample contained 21.37mg of co-deine per 5ml dosage, instead of 10mg spec-i� ed on the label.

Saha said two other samples from di� erent batches, however, showed normal codeine levels.

Phensedyl sales are estimated to be more than 3% of Abbott’s $1bn India revenue. The sales are dwarfed by Abbott’s global annual sales of over $20bn, but, as the Nestle case shows, fallout from safety scandals is unpredictable.

Three months ago, Nestle was forced to withdraw its Maggi instant noodles from Indi-an shelves because the food safety authority

banned the snack after its tests showed excess lead.

A court later overturned the ban in a partial victory for the Swiss food giant, but the alle-gations hurt the company’s reputation and that of the country’s regulators, who operate with few sta� and poorly equipped facilities.

The excessive codeine, an opium deriva-tive, would violate Indian drugs law. It trig-gered a “show cause” notice against Abbott, which was sent in March by the drug regulator

in Himachal Pradesh state, where Phensedyl is manufactured.

In its response in late April, Abbott de-nied the allegations and urged regulators to not take any action. Abbott said it had found nothing unusual in its own and third party testing of a retained sample from the same batch of Phensedyl.

The company also asked regulators to give it more information about the source of the suspect sample and the manner in which it was collected, so that it could establish whether it was genuine and proper process was followed.

“We are awaiting response from the au-thorities,” the company said in answer to the news agency’s query.

Excessive consumption of cough syrup with high levels of codeine can lead to health impli-cations such as sedation, behavioral changes and drug dependence, said Amitabh Parti, a doctor at Fortis Memorial Research Institute.

In February, West Bengal listed the poten-tially tainted batch as “not of standard quali-ty” in a monthly publication.

The bulletin, which is posted on the regu-lator’s website, is supposed to alert consum-ers and pharmacies in the state to suspect drugs. But the West Bengal drug controller, CM Ghosh, said he does not have the resourc-es to follow it up.

Safety breaches and scares are common in India. According to a 2012 parliamentary re-port, nearly one in 22 locally produced drug samples is of sub-standard quality in India.

India has just 1,500 drug inspectors re-sponsible for more than 10,000 factories, supplying medicines for a population of 1.2bn and exporting to nearly 200 countries. l

Eid-ul-Azha on Sept 25n Tribune Report

Eid-ul-Azha will be celebrated on September 25 in the country as the new moon of the Hijri month of Zilhajj was not sighted anywhere in Bangladesh last night.

The announcement came after a meeting of National Moon Sighting Committee chaired by Shamim Mohammad Afzal, director gener-al of the Islamic Foundation, at Baitul Mukar-ram in the capital, said a press released issued by the Islamic Foundation.

The statement said as none of the reports the committee received from di� erent parts of the country reported the sighting of moon, the Eid will fall on September 25, Friday.

The Islamic lunar calendar depends on sightings of the moon – a practice which can at times prove di� cult.

Eid-ul-Azha is the second of two religious festivals celebrated by Muslims around the world every year.

Muslim sacri� ce cattle to observe the day, and the meat from the sacri� ced animals is divided into three parts: the sacri� cing fam-ily keeps one part, gives one part to relatives, friends and neighbours, and donates one part to the poor and needy. l

The test was carried out by West Bengal after Phensedyl bottles were seized near the border with Bangladesh. Codeine-based cough syrups are banned in Bangladesh, and smuggling is rife as people pro� t from higher prices there compared to India

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