Bangladesh youth hurt as bomb goes off in his pocket

A young man lies critically injured in a crude bomb blast at Kataban Sunday morning as he was allegedly carrying the crude bombs and became the victim of the explosion. — Sony Ramany

A young man was critically injured in a crude bomb blast at Kataban in the capital on Sunday morning.
Police claimed that the man, Anwar Hossain, aged around 30, was carrying the crude bombs and became the victim of the explosion.
Critically injured, he was rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. His two legs were critically burnt in the blast.
Shahbagh police inspector (investigation) MA Jalil said the youth and his associates were carrying the bombs. He suspected that the bomb was in his pocket.
As they were approaching the Shahbagh intersection, the bomb exploded in Anwar’s pocket, leaving him injured.
Being panicked after the situation, his associates hurled another bomb and fled the spot. However, the bomb did not explode.
Later, police rescued him and the bomb disposal unit of detective branch seized the unexploded bomb.
Police said the bombs they were carrying were not similar to the crude bombs being hurled during strike and other violence.
They, however, could not identify Anwar’s political and other background.
Anwar was from Munshiganj and he used to reside at capital’s Aftabnagar. (source)

Policeman killed in Chittagong

A policeman was stabbed to death and another three were injured as miscreants attacked them at Batali Hill under Khulsi police station in the Chittagong city on Sunday.
The deceased was Abdul Kaiyum, 26, son of Abu Yousuf of village Gachuya under Sondip upazila, and the injured were Md Salauddin, Ariful Islam and Md Sahabuddin. 
The injured were admitted to Chittagong Medical College Hospital.
Police said the victims were posted as security guards at the resident of deputy inspector general of police of Chittagong range Nouser Ali Khan.  
Assistant commissioner of Chittagong Metropolitan Police (Panchlaish zone) Shah Mohammed Abdur Rouf said that they came to know that some muggers perpetrated the killing.
‘We are trying to dig out the cause behind the attack as soon as possible,’ Abdur Rouf added.
One of the injured Ariful Islam said Sunday morning some miscreants tried to snatch the belongings of a passerby and they resisted them promptly. (source)

Houses attacked, burnt over FB posting rumour

At least 25 houses and four temples of Hindus were attacked and 11 houses set on fire by a group of agitated people at Bongram village of Santhia upazila in Pabna on Saturday following a rumour that a Hindu boy posted something on Facebook maligning Prophet Muhammad (SM).
Locals and the police said that the attacks were carried out in the morning following the rumour was spread by a group of people mostly youths and continued for several hours. 
The superintendent of police in Pabna, Miraj Uddin Ahmed, could not confirm whether the posting existed on the social media website, Facebook. 
He, however, told New Age, ‘We are investigating to find any such posting on the boy’s wall.’
He claimed that the situation was now under control after daylong ‘trouble’ as additional law enforcers were deployed in the affected area. 
Witnesses said that some people at the local bazaar showed a computer printout of the image of a Facebook group that allegedly demeaned Islam and the Prophet.
Being instigated, the locals attacked at the house of Rajib Saha, a class-X student of Miapur High School, who allegedly wrote something on his Facebook wall.
As the attackers did not find Rajib, they picked up his father Babul Saha, tied him and beat him up at the village market at about 11:00am and finally set their house on fire.
They also attacked properties of Hindu community including shops and looted their valuables, the witnesses said.
At least 11 houses at houses at the ‘Hindu-majority village’ were set on fire during the attacks, the witnesses said.
Fire engines rushed the village, but the attackers obstructed them from dousing the fire, said the witnesses.
The agitated people also attacked houses of about 15 families, leaving over a hundred people affected.
The hoodlumism continued for about six hours while most of the police were seen busy in protocol for visiting state minister for home, Shamsul Haque Tuku, also the local lawmaker.
The attackers clashed with the police and Rapid Action Battalion and the clashes continued in phases till evening. The police later rescued Babul but his son remained missing. 
Babul Saha at Ataikula Police Station, however, claimed that his son was innocent and could not write any content derogatory to Prophet Mohammad. 
Shamsul Haque laid foundation stone at Dakhil madrassah at Ponduriya some ten kilometres off the affected area.
The attackers put blockade on the Dhaka-Pabna highway putting tree-log, suspending traffic till evening.
The state minister, however, visited the affected area in the evening. He could not be reached till 10:15pm for comment. 
The witnesses said several hundred families of Hindu community were passing their time with anxiety.
The local administration in a announcement on public announcement system urged the people to be calmed assuring them of investigation into the matters.
Pabna deputy commissioner Kazi Ashraf Uddin said that a probe committee headed by additional district magistrate Munshi Mohammed Moniruzzaman would be instituted today to investigate the violence.  
Rice and corrugated-iron sheet were distributed among the affected families, said Ashraf.  
Ataikula police officer-in-charge Rezaul Karim said that two cases — one for the rumour and another for the violence — were being filed.   
Similar incident violence took place on September 29, 2012 when attackers ransacked, looted and burnt 12 Buddhist temples at Ramu in Cox’s Bazar. They had also looted 50 houses and set 15 of them in Buddhist villages on fire.
The attacks were apparently triggered by a fake Facebook posting of an anti-Islam photograph tagged to a fake account of a Buddhist youth on the social networking site. (source)

Odhikar for political dialogue

Rights organisation Odhikar on Friday said that the current political crisis should be resolved immediately by the two major political parties through discussion. 
In its monthly human rights monitoring report released on Friday, Odhikar said that it feared that the country’s human rights situation would become more vulnerable if both the political camps failed to resolve the ongoing political crisis. 
The rights watchdog also observed that ‘the peaceful political programmes should not be obstructed’ and the ruling Awami League government should refrain from exercising ‘unconstitutional, undemocratic and repressive activities’ like attacking peaceful procession and rallies.
The opposition parties should also conduct their programmes in non-violent manner, it stated.
According to the report, 27 people were killed and 3,433 injured in political violence in October. Twelve to the 27 were shot dead by law enforcement agencies during political violence.
At least 10 temples of the Hindu community were attacked and one of the temples was set on fire and 17 idols were vandalised in October, it said.
The organisation also demanded immediate repeal of the amendment to the Information and Communication Technology Act 2006 as the amendment made by the government recently had made enormous scope for violating human rights by misusing the law. 
‘The new amendment to the Act is also an obvious violation of right to privacy and personal liberty as stated in the constitution,’ Odhikar believed, ‘this Law is repressive and can be used to harass democratic values such as freedom of speech and expression.’
In the report, Odhikar expressed concern over deteriorating human rights situation in the country, and rights violation along the border by the Indian border security force.
‘The government should also ensure the safety and security of the Bangladeshi citizens residing in the bordering areas,’ it recommended as Indian Border Security Force have killed two Bangladeshi citizens and injured 11 others in the month.
Odhikar also blasted the extrajudicial killings by the law enforcing agencies. 
The report said that 15 people became victims of extrajudicial killings by law enforcing agencies. Three of them were killed in ‘crossfire.’
Infrastructural problems in apparel factories, security, health and safety measures for workers in workplaces need to be ensured, it recommended, adding that wages and festival allowances should be paid to apparel workers in time and repression must be stopped by the factory authorities and industrial police. (source)

Rice prices rise in city on supply shortage in Dhaka

Rice prices went up by Tk 2-4 a kilogram over the last couple of weeks as the Dhaka city’s market saw a supply shortage of the staple food because of recent general strike called by the opposition alliance followed by a long vacation on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha, traders said.
They said that the finishing stock of mininket, najirshail and BR-28, seven months after their harvest, also contributed to the supply shortage of rice on the market.
The prices of all varieties of rice increased by Tk 2-4 a kg in the last two weeks on both the wholesale and retail markets.
Coarse variety of rice was being retailed at Tk 36 a kg on Saturday while the price was Tk 33 before Eid.
Fine varieties of BR-28, miniket and najirshail rice were being retailed at between Tk 42 and Tk 45 a kg, Tk 48-Tk 50 a kg and Tk 52-Tk 56 a kg respectively. The prices were Tk 36-Tk 44, Tk 46-Tk 48 and Tk 50-Tk 54 respectively.
Mizanur Rahman, a retailer at Karwan Bazar, told New Age that the prices of rice increased by Tk 2-4 a kg after Eid-ul-Azha.
‘Wholesalers increased the prices of rice in the name of a supply shortage due to Eid vacation and recent hartal and so the retail prices have increased,’ he said.
Salim Uddin, a trader at Babubazar, told New Age that the wholesale prices of all varieties of rice increased a bit due to a supply shortage on finishing stock ahead of the new harvest season.
The prices of coarse varieties of rice will come down within a short time as the crops are going to be harvested within couple of weeks, he said.
Salim said that the prices of mininket, najirshail and BR-28 would continue to rise in the days to come due to a supply shortage on finishing stock ahead of April, the new harvest season for the varieties.
Fine varieties of BR-28, miniket and najirshail rice were wholesaling at between Tk 37.50-Tk 38.50 a kg, Tk 43-Tk 46.50 a kg and Tk 50-Tk 54 a kg respectively on Saturday while the coarse varieties of rice was being wholesaled at Tk 33.50 a kg, he said.
Zakir Hossain Rony, the owner of Sayem Rice Agency at Babubazar, said that the production of rice remained suspended for about 10 days as the workers of the rice mills enjoyed a long vacation on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha and so a supply shortage took place on the market.
‘Just after Eid, the supply chain interrupted by 60-hour general strike and the wholesale market saw a big shortage of rice which pushed the prices high,’ he said adding that during hartal the transport owners charged extra fare which also put impact on the prices.
Zakir also said that the prices of fine varieties of BR-28, miniket and najirshail rice would remain high up to coming Baishakh, the harvest season as the varieties produced only once in the year. (source)

Govt meeting with dev partners, lenders called off

A meeting scheduled for tomorrow between the government and the local consultative group comprised of representatives of development partners and lenders communities was called off on Saturday, officials said.
The 60-hour general strike called by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led alliance starts at 6:00am tomorrow.
The meeting was scheduled to be held at the National Economic Council at Agargoan in Dhaka.
‘We have called off the meeting,’ said ERD additional secretary Arastoo Khan.
He, however, said there was no strong connection with the opposition-backed political programme with the cancellation of the meeting. He said busy schedule of the finance minister AMA Muhith was a reason. 
He said a new schedule would be set soon.
Finance minister AMA Muhith and planning minister AK Khandaker were scheduled to address the meeting. Among others, representatives of the World Bank were supposed to attend it.
The WB, largest multilateral lending agency, skipped the previous two meetings due apparently to its ‘tainted’ relation with the present government over the bribery scandal into the Padma Bridge project.
The WB suspended $1.2 billion credit programme to the bridge project citing conspiracy of corruption by former communication minister Syed Abul Hossain.
Anti-Corruption Commission investigated into the matter, but the WB rejected the ACC findings.
Arastoo Khan said the meeting was crucial as the present government was about to complete its tenure. 
Discussion on the last five years’ achievements by the government was high on the agenda, he said.
About 48 Bangladesh-based representatives of bilateral and multilateral development partners, including five international financial institutions, 13 United Nation’s agencies are the members of the LCG which mainly contributes to the annual development programme financing. 
LCG members disbursed around $2.78 billion in the last financial year. Of which, $1.88 billion was net disbursement as $899.5 million was spent to pay interests on earlier loans. 
The government has targeted fetching net $2 billion from the lenders’ communities in the current fiscal after paying them $1.4 billion to maintain previous loan repayment liabilities. (source)

DSE okays demutualisation scheme, interim board

Dhaka Stock Exchange members on Saturday approved the demutualisation scheme of the bourse and a 24-member interim board, with all existing board directors, which will oversee the demutualisation process till formation of the final board in 90 days.
The approval came in an extraordionary general meeting of the bourse held at Sonargaon Hotel in the city.
As per the Demutualisation Act 2013, the interim board of the bourse has to arrange an election and annual general meeting of the bourse within the next 90 days to form the first demutualised board.
The DSE has to form the next board, which will be the first board of demutualised stock exchange, comprising 13 directors as per the demutualisation scheme approved by the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission.
In the existing 24-member board, 12 are member-brokers and 12 are independent directors whereas in the 13-member board of demutualised exchange, there will be four posts for member-brokers, seven independent directors, one for strategic partner and chief executive officer of the bourse.
The BSEC on September 26 had approved the demutualisation scheme according the Demutualisation Act enacted on April 29.
DSE presided Ahasanul Islam presided over the EGM while DSE senior vice-president Mohammad Shahjahan, vice-president Mizanur Rahman Khan and chief executive officer Kwapan Kumar Bala were present, among others. 
The EGM of the bourse was earlier stopped by a court order following a writ petition filed by its member Ahmed Iqbal Hasan. But, Hasan on Wednesday withdrew the writ petition on personal grounds.
The EGM of the bourse adopted its new memorandum of association and articles of association in line with the demutualisation scheme which will replace the existing ones.
The new memorandum of association will disallow any shareholder of the bourse to enter into the DSE office without getting permission from the proper authority.
The meeting of the bourse approved the agenda to increase its authorised capital to Tk 2,500 crore divided into 250 crore shares of Tk 10 each.
Following the approval the DSE members will be turned into shareholders.
As per the Demutualisation Act, the bourse has to apply to the Registrar of Joint Stock Companies and Firms for re-registration as a public limited company within the next seven days. (source)

City Bank gets new MD, CEO

Sohail RK Hussain has recently taken charge of City Bank as its new managing director and chief executive officer. 
Prior to this, he was additional managing director and chief business officer of the bank, said a news release.
Sohail obtained his MBA from the IBA, Dhaka University. He started his career as a management trainee in ANZ Grindlays Bank in 1990. He worked as the head of local corporate business in ANZ Grindlays, the head of Large Local Corporate 
Unit of Standard Chartered Bank and later the head of Corporate Banking and Structured Finance at Eastern Bank.
He joined City Bank as DMD and head of business in 2007. (source)

Banani kitchen market declared `formalin-free’

Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry on Saturday urged the government to restrict the import and distribution of formalin in the country by allowing only the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh to engage in its import and distribution.
The demand was raised at a programme at Banani kitchen market, organised by the FBCCI to declare it formalin-free from Saturday.
Banani kitchen market has become the 10th market to be declared formalin-free under an initiative of the FBCCI to curb the use of formalin in perishable agro-products, which poses serious health risks to citizens.
Addressing the occassion, FBCCI vice-president Helal Uddin said although the annual demand for formalin in the country’s industrial sector was estimated at only 40 tonnes, the official figures show that the actual import of formalin stood at 750 tonnes in the fiscal year 2010-11.
He said the government should give TCB the sole responsibility to stop its illegal use in preserving agro-products.
The programme was also addressed by communications minister Obaidul Quader, FBCCI president Kazi Akram Uddin Ahmed and Prime Bank Ltd managing director Ahmed Kamal Khan Chowdhury. (source)

Secretariat security, surveillance tightened

The police have ramped up security in and around the secretariat as the country is headed towards political confrontation over the next election.
Surveillance over secretariat officers and employees has also been increased, said intelligence officials.
Besides, there would be increased patrols in and around the secretariat, they said.
Officials said that the watch had been enhanced during the transition to the election with the ruling Awami League and the main opposition BNP confronting each other over the issue of poll time administration.  
The intelligence agencies said a section officials and employees were under the scanner since the 90-day countdown to the election began on October 27.  
Security checking at all the entrances to the secretariat has been enhanced to ensure that no unauthorized visitor enters, said a home ministry official.  
‘We asked the security personnel to ensure that none without valid entry passes enters,’ he said. 
No car without secretariat sticker is allowed entry, he added. 
The surveillance was enhanced last week after photocopies of a leaflet, which branded the Sheikh Hasina government as ‘autocratic,’ were found in the secretariat.
The leaflet urged ‘patriotic officers and employees’ to build resistance against the AL-led government.
It named several secretaries and two advisers of the PM, who allegedly made money using their influence.   
‘We have tightened surveillance as the government is passing through a transition,’ said additional deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police Mashiur Rahman, who looks after secretariat security.  
He told New Age that the overall security had been enhanced due to the prevailing situation.  
He, however, said the police had been asked to remain alert against any unofficial meetings, mobilization or gatherings at canteens or other places inside the secretariat. (source)

Citycell focusing on wireless broadband to face 3G push

Mehboob Chowdhury, chief executive officer of Citycell, talks about the present situation of the mobile company and the challenges it faces in the 3G era in an interview with New Age on Saturday. Interviewed by Ahmed Shawki New Age: What is the current situation of Citycell, the only CDMA technology mobile phone operator in the country? Mehboob Chowdhury: Our situation is not bad at all. We are in the phase of reorganisation in terms of nationwide network expansion to provide clients wireless broadband services as well as to improve our voice services. At this moment, we are focusing on rural or semi-urban market to provide clients there the quality facilities available in the urban areas. NA: Do you see any threat to the existence of Citycell as all mobile operators except Citycell got 3G licences? Mehboob: Not really. You see the destination of all operators is the long-term evaluation or LTE technology. You can reach to LTE by using CDMA technology or GSM technology. All other mobile operators chose the GSM and we took a different path. That is the only difference. As long as the data communication is concerned, which the 3G is all about, Citycell picked the concept before anyone else by introducing wireless internet. As a matter of fact, I see the 3G service as a blessing in disguise. It will increase the use of internet and we are now focusing on the nationwide network expansion for wireless broadband. NA: How Citycell is designing its network expansion? Mehboob: We will build a nationwide wireless internet network to spread the internet-based facility in the rural areas. Currently we have a capacity of providing up to 11MB speed which we will increase up to 14.7 MB. We are planning to start this by March next year. The regulatory approval and investment formalities are in progress for the expansion. NA: Citycell is witnessing a continuous downward trend in subscribers’ number for the last few months. How will you explain the trend? Mehboob: It is a fact and we are very much aware of that. To be honest, we could not serve our customers to the best of our ability because of many reasons. But now we are working on that. We will ensure better customer experience in coming days. We will deliver what we promise. And off course, the recent hype surrounding the 3G also took a toll on our subscribers’ base. NA: What do you think about the change of focus of mobile phone technology from voice service to data-based service? Mehboob: That is the beauty of technology. I believe that Bangladesh is entering into a data technology era and we have to be very careful how we brand this. High speed internet has so many usages and we should focus on the productive ones. Financial inclusion using internet should be one of the best possible use of data service. (source)

BNP, allies announce fresh 60-hr hartal for Nov 4-6

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led alliance on Saturday announced a fresh spell of countrywide 60-hour general strike for November 4-6 to press for holding of the next general elections under a ‘non-party’ neutral government.
The acting BNP secretary general, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, flanked by the secretary level leaders of the alliance at a news briefing at the BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office announced the hartal.
The hartal would be enforced from 6:00am Monday to 6:00pm Wednesday demanding free, fair and inclusive elections under a non-party government, Fakhrul said.
The BNP-led alliance earlier enforced a 60-hour countrywide shutdown from October 27.
Fakhrul said ambulance, fire service and media transports would be out of the purview of the hartal.  He said movement of pilgrims who would returned from Saudi Arabia after performing hajj would also remain out of purview of the hartal. 
Asked whether public examinations would remain out of the purview of the hartal, Fakhrul said the alliance would announce if a decision over the matter was taken.
Before the news briefing, the acting BNP secretary general held a meeting with secretaries of the components of the alliance at Khaleda’s Gulshan office.
Fakhrul said it was the responsibility of the government to set a date again for dialogue and take a fresh initiative for it.
But he alleged that without doing so the conversation of prime minister Sheikh Hasina and opposition leader Khaleda Zia was broadcast ‘unlawfully’ and ‘unethically’ by the mass media without consent of the opposition leader.
‘It is clear that the government has done it deliberately to block the path of dialogue and consensus,’ he said.
Fakhrul said the opposition leader during the phone conversation with the prime minister on October 26 had said that she was ready to talk anytime and anywhere after the hartal that ended on October 29.
He claimed that the ruling party was giving ‘lip service’ to dialogue, but actually it did not want talks and a consensus. ‘They [ruling party] staged various dramas so that there is no dialogue and consensus,’ he alleged.
Fakhrul referred to Khaleda Zia’s call on October 21 at a press conference for ‘unity through dialogue and consensus’. He said The BNP chairperson had presented an ‘alternative formula’ for election-time government. Besides, Fakhrul said, he had sent a letter to the Awami League general secretary requesting initiatives for dialogue and placed Khaleda’s proposal for an election time ‘non-party’ government in parliament.
He said the treasury bench members had rejected the opposition’s proposal through bitter criticism forcing the opposition to go for movement.
Fakhrul said participation of all political parties was essential for making the next general elections free, fair and acceptable to all.
He said the issue of a non-party government for holding the elections has turned into a ‘national demand to let democracy take its own course, to let people exercise their right to form a government by their choice through vote and to protect their fundamental rights’.
Fakhrul alleged that the government had incorporated the provision for holding the general elections under a ‘partisan’ government by bringing the 15th amendment to the constitution cancelling the provision for an election-time ‘non-party’ caretaker government with an ‘ill motive’ to ‘cling to power’.
He said the government was going to hold a one-sided election defying the opinions of all political parties, noted citizens and lawyers and international opinions.
The government was proceeding with a plan for establishing a ‘one-party’ rule, he alleged. (source)

Cyprus bank deposits levy risk to economy: analysts

AFP, Nicosia: The unprecedented decision to tap all bank accounts in Cyprus as part of an EU bailout is a threat to the entire economy of the Mediterranean island, an important financial centre, analysts say.

“The damage will be long-lasting,” said Fiona Mullen, an economic analyst specialising in Cyprus.

“Business and financial services were the only sectors generating jobs and tax revenue and they have just had a double whammy with both the increase in corporate tax and the hit on deposits,” she told AFP.

Early on Saturday, the government agreed to the levy on bank deposits in return for a desperately needed 10-billion-euro ($13 billion) bailout that will also see an increase in corporate tax from 10 percent to 12.5 percent.

Savers reacted with shock and anger at the bank deposit levy of up to 9.9 percent—the first eurozone bailout in which private depositors are having to help foot the bill.

At the same time, an additional “withholding tax” will be imposed on interest on bank deposits.

According to Marios Skandalis, vice president of the Cyprus Institute of Certified Public Accountants, “There is a very high risk that this could be the end of Cyprus as a strong and reliable financial centre.

“Both measures target a major sector of the Cypriot economy and will in the end have a negative impact on GDP,” he said.

“The whole banking system is based on trust. If the trust is lost, the whole system is going to collapse.”

The announcement early on Saturday ahead of a long holiday weekend in Cyprus sparked a brief run on banks, with depositors withdrawing cash from ATM machines in a desperate bid to reduce the amount they will have to pay on their deposits.

For German political analyst Hubert Faustmann, tapping the bank accounts of ordinary depositors is “an experiment.”

“Economic analysts don’t know how investors will react,” the Nicosia-based analyst told AFP. “The fallout is unpredictable,” with no-one knowing what will happen on Tuesday when the banks reopen after the long weekend.

“People who benefit from the status of the island as a tax haven and potential money launderers will pay their share, and that should satisfy German public opinion—but these measures also hit everybody else, and they can potentially kill the island,” Faustmann said.

Economist George Theocharides told private Cypriot channel Sigma TV that the levy on bank deposits could raise a potential 20 billion euros.

“It seems all deposits are affected and each account at each bank will be cut. The consequences are not just bad for Cyprus but negative for other eurozone countries and financial sectors,” he said.

According to Faustmann, “They opened a Pandora’s box. The question is: can it happen elsewhere?” he asked of a levy on deposits.

“They set a precedent which might have a domino effect: what if investors in all bailed out EU countries decide to withdraw money?”

The Cyprus parliament, originally due to meet later on Sunday to discuss emergency legislation pushing through the painful EU bailout, will now meet on Monday at 1400 GMT instead, state broadcaster CyBC reported.

As the scale of opposition to the measures became clear, President Nicos Anastasiades also postponed a planned address to the nation, it added.

CyBC said there was a possibility that Tuesday may now also be declared a bank holiday as the legislative process falters.

However, Faustmann believes that despite the opposition of the communist AKEL party, which has 19 of the 56 seats in parliament, the measure will have to pass—albeit experiencing a tough ride first.

“Parliament will have to vote it through because the alternative is bankruptcy. They cannot amend it, as far as I know, it is a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ vote—and a ‘no’ means bankruptcy,” he said.