Alal on 2-day remand BNP to stage countrywide demonstration Oct 8

Detectives arrest Jubo Dal President Moazzem Hossain Alal at Bijoynagar intersection in the capital on Wednesday. Photo: SK Enamul Haq

The Daily Star, 3 October 2012

A Dhaka court on Wednesday sent Jubo Dal President Moazzem Hossain Alal on a two-day remand in connection with a case filed for damaging and torching vehicles in front of BNP central office on Tuesday.

Detectives arrested Alal at Bijoynagar intersection in the capital, minutes after he came out of BNP Nayapaltan office on Wednesday.

Protesting the arrest and police ‘action’ on the party leaders and activists on Tuesday, BNP will stage countrywide demonstration on October 8.

BNP Acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir announced the programme at the party office.

Witnesses said Detective Branch (DB) of police intercepted Alal’s car and arrested him when he was crossing the intersection around 12:30pm.

Golam Sarwar, officer-in-charge of Paltan Police Station, told The Daily Star that the Jubo Dal chief was arrested for his alleged involvement with yesterday’s clash.

Alal was taken to the DB’s Minto Road headquarters, the OC added.

On Tuesday, the pro-opposition activists clashed with law enforcers in Nayapaltan area when news spread that ruling party men foiled an opposition rally in Netrokona.

Three cases were filed against over 500 opposition leaders and activists including Alal on Tuesday night in connection with the clash.

Witnesses said Alal emerging from the BNP central office, locked into a brawl with the law enforcers who have been cordoning it off since Tuesday evening. Later, he drove his car straight towards Bijoynagar and DB arrested him.

Provide security to all worship places: HC

The Daily Star, 3 October 2012

Expressing anxiety over the violence in Ramu of Cox’s Bazar, the High Court on Wednesday directed the government to provide sufficient security to all mosques, temples, churches, pagodas and other places of worship across the country.

Meanwhile, the HC in two other orders asked the government to explain in a week why its ‘inaction’ to protect the people across the country and Buddhist temples and houses in Cox’s Bazar and Chittagong should not be declared illegal.

In response to a writ petition, the HC bench of Justice Mirza Hussain Haider and Justice Kazi Md Ejarul Haque Akondo asked the government to take sufficient security measures for all places of worship.

It directed the government to submit a report to this court by October 17 after an investigation conducted by the committee formed on Tuesday.

The government formed the committee with the additional divisional commissioner of Chittagong as its chief to probe the incident of attack, arson and vandalism on the Buddhist temples and houses in Cox’s Bazaar.

The home secretary and inspector general of police will have to submit the investigation report to the HC, according to the order.

The bench also issued a rule upon the government to explain why the inaction of local police to protect the Buddhist temples and houses of minority people at Ramu, Teknaf, Ukhia and Patiya should not be declared illegal.

They came up with the rule and order after hearing a writ petition filed by Supreme Court lawyer Jyotirmoy Barua on Tuesday bringing allegation that the local police administration did not take any steps to prevent the attack.

In response to another writ petition filed by Supreme Court lawyer Eunus Ali Akond on Tuesday, the HC issued a rule upon the government to explain in a week why its ‘inaction’ to provide security to lives and properties of people of the country including religious minorities should not be declared illegal.

In the rule, the HC bench of Justice Naima Haider and Justice Muhammad Khurshid Alam Sarkar also asked the authorities concerned to explain why they should not be directed to pay compensation to the victims of attack and vandalism in those areas.

Eunus Ali filed the writ petition on Tuesday morning.

Following another writ petition, the same bench sought government’s explanation why its ‘inaction’ in protecting the Buddhist temples and houses in Ramu, Ukhia and Teknaf of Cox’s Bazar and Patiya of Chittagong should not be declared illegal.

The bench came up with the rule in a suo moto move following different newspaper reports on the vandalism. Supreme Court lawyer Advocate Shubroto Chowdhury Wednesday morning placed the reports to the bench seeking necessary order on the issue.

The home secretary, inspector general of police, deputy commissioners and superintendents of police of Cox’s Bazar and Chittagong and officers-in-charge of the Ramu, Ukhia, Teknaf and Patiya police stations have been made respondents to the rules.

Incensed apparently by a Facebook posting of a photo defaming the holy Quran, the mob destroyed 12 Buddhist temples and monasteries and more than 50 houses in Ramu, Ukhiya and Teknaf upazilas of Cox’s Bazar and Patiya upazila in Chittagong.

JP MP Reja’s house attacked

The Daily Star, 3 October 2012

Unknown miscreants attacked the house and office of Jatiya Party (Ershad) lawmaker HM Golam Reja in the city’s Mirpur area on Wednesday.

“A group of people numbering 50 to 60 hurled brick chips at Reja’s house around 12:30pm, said Abdul Latif, officer-in-charge of Kafrul Police Station.

“On information, police rushed to the spot and dispersed the unruly men”, he added.

Police suspected that the attack might have been carried out by the rival group of the MP from Shatkhira-4 constituency.

The attack came a day after the party decided to cancel his position as presidium member of Jatiya Party on charges of fraudulence.

The lawmaker claimed that his wife, Jinnatul Nahar, 45, and two daughters – Sharmin Reja, 26, and Tasnim Reja, 11 – were injured by broken window glasses and brickbats during the incident.

Reja, also the owner of BMB Travel Agency at Mirpur-10, said his commercial organisation was also attacked by the group.

Sonali chairman, directors asked to submit wealth info

The Daily Star, 3 October 2012

Anti-Corruption Commission on Wednesday asked the chairman and all directors of Sonali Bank to submit their wealth statements to it.

The ACC in a primary investigation has found no involvement of the governing body directors in the Sonali Bank loan scam, ACC Chairman Ghulam Rahman told journalists at his office in the afternoon.

Meanwhile, the anti-graft body will file cases against 27 senior officials of the Hall-Mark Group and Sonali Bank for the Tk 2,686-crore loan scam on Thursday, Ghulam said.

The graft watchdog was due to file the cases today, but some legal procedure delayed the matter, he added.

Eleven cases would be filed against six Hall-Mark officials, including its Managing Director Tanvir Mahmud and Chairman Jesmine Islam, and 21 officials of the state-run bank, including AKM Azizur Rahman, a former manager of its Rupashi Bangla Hotel branch, said Mohammad Shahabuddin, commissioner of the anti-graft body on Tuesday.

The charges include misappropriation, forgery, money laundering, cheating and breach of trust, he told The Daily Star.

A six-member enquiry team led by ACC Deputy Director Mir Mohammad Zainul Abedin Shibli on Tuesday submitted a report on the loan scam.

“On receiving the enquiry report, we gave our consent to filing the cases,” Shahabuddin said.

Since its formation on July 16, the probe committee interrogated 52 Sonali Bank officials and seven of Hall-Mark.

The ACC investigation found that Tanvir had swindled the money out through five categories of bank transactions against fake documents during the tenure (between 2008 and May this year) of the then manager of the bank’s Rupashi Bangla Hotel branch Azizur Rahman.

Charges pressed against 32 Islamic party men

This September 22 photo shows activists of 12 like-minded Islamist parties vandalise a police van in front of the Jatiya Press Club during a clash with police.

The Daily Star, 3 October 2012

Police on Wednesday pressed charges against 32 leaders and activists of 12 like-minded Islamist parties including Islami Oikya Jote Secretary General Abdul Latif Nejami in a case filed for damaging and torching vehicles in the city on September 22.

Masud Rana, a sub-inspector of Shahbagh Police Station and also the investigation office of the case, submitted the charge sheet to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s (CMM) Court of Dhaka.

The SI dropped the names of four leaders including Bangladesh Khelafat Andolan Ameer Maulana Shah Ahmadullah Ashraf from the charge sheet as police found no link of the leaders with the charges brought against them.

Police filed the case with Shahbagh Police Station following clashes between the activists of Islamist parties and law enforcers on September 22.

Twelve like-minded Islamic parties on that day fought pitched battles with police around the Jatiya Press Club in the capital to protest against an anti-Islam film and the French weekly’s cartoon demeaning Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

The protesters set alight five vehicles including a police van and vandalised more than 15 others.

Aussies into semis despite Pak upset

Pakistan skipper-allrounder Mohammad Hafeez (center) celebrates dismissal of Australian opening batsman David Warner (unseen) with teammates during the Super Eight match of the ICC Twenty20 Cricket at the Premadasa International Stadium in Colombo on Tuesday

The Daily sun, 3 October 2012

COLOMBO: Pakistan gave themselves a big chance of reaching the World Twenty20 semi-finals Tuesday with a shock 32-run win over Australia, who reached the last four regardless courtesy of their net run rate.

Pakistan made 149-6 after being sent in to bat in the group two Super Eights match at the Premadasa stadium, before a five-man spin attack restricted Australia to 117-7.

Prolific spinner Saeed Ajmal claimed 3-17, but it was 20-year-old Raza Hasan who was declared man of the match for conceding just 14 runs and taking two wickets in four overs of steady left-arm spin.

Both teams ended the Super Eights on four points each, which knocked winless South Africa out of the tournament.

Australia advanced to the semi-finals despite the defeat due to having the best net run-rate in the group. The result left India needing an emphatic win over South Africa later on Tuesday to stop Pakistan’s progress.

Sri Lanka and the West Indies have already qualified from group one.

Veteran Mike Hussey was Australia’s saviour with an unbeaten 54 off 47 balls as none of the other batsmen managed to cross 15 against the rampaging spinners.

Australia never looked comfortable after their in-form openers, Shane Watson and David Warner, were dismissed by the fifth over with only 19 runs on the board.

Australia, who needed to make 112 or more to qualify, achieved the target when Hussey cut seamer Umar Gul to the fence off the first ball of the final over.

Gul’s two overs at the end were the only ones by a seamer as the spinners shared 18 overs between themselves.

Pakistan’s innings revolved around left-hander Nasir Jamshed’s 55 off 46 balls, which contained four boundaries and two sixes.

After the openers were removed by the sixth over, Jamshed put on 79 off 55 balls for the third wicket with Kamran Akmal, who made 32 before both batsmen were dismissed in the space of three deliveries.

Abdul Razzaq marked his return to the side in place of Yasir Arafat to make 22 from 17 balls. Left-arm fast bowler Mitchell Starc claimed 3-20 for

Australia. —AFP

BCB begins hunt for budding female cricketers

The daily Sun, 3 October 2012

The women’s wing of Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) arranged a registration programme to discover talented women cricketers from around the country at the Sahara-BCB National Academy Ground on Tuesday.

To everyone’s surprise, hundreds of young and enthusiastic women, who dream to become the next Salma-Sukhtara gathered at the stadium to try their luck.

The registration started at 11 in the morning and by 3 o’clock in the afternoon, more than 400 women cricketers registered.

BCB President AHM Mostafa Kamal inaugurated the programme.

“This is only the beginning. We are aiming to arrange a carnival every winter in order to find out fresh talents,” said Kamal.

“We are quite satisfied with the response we received this time. Many might think it’s impossible to earn an opportunity like this in Dhaka. But we want to inform them that if they are really headworking and can dare to dream big, it is possible to fulfill that dream in Dhaka,” Kamal added.

A total of 408 female cricketers registered off which 278 women were from the Dhaka region. These players will later be short listed according to their respective division informed Kamal.

“We will take in any girl in whom we will see even a little bit of talent and the rest will be sent to their respective coaches officially.”

“Those who are already playing for divisional or club teams will not be allowed in this programme. This arrangement is for those, who don’t get to display their talent. We want new cricketers to walk into the circuit,” concluded Kamal.

BB revises banks’ deposit insurance premium rates

The Financial Express, 3 October 2012

Bangladesh Bank (BB) has set a new rate of premium for deposit insurance and coverage at Tk 0.08 (8 paisa) for every 100 taka to minimise any risk connected to the loss of depositors’ fund with a scheduled bank, officials said.

The amount payable as premium by all SCBs, SDBs, FCBs, and PCBs, will be Tk 0.08 (8 paisa). The amount payable as premium by the problem banks will be 10 paisa instead of 9 paisa. The banks that are now under an early warning system will have to pay such premium at 9 paisa per Tk 100 deposited, which was earlier 7 paisa, according to the Bangladesh Bank’s new provision.

In a BB circular issued in 2007, premium rate for Private Commercial Banks (PCBs) under Problem Bank category was 0.09 paisa, PCBs outside the ‘problem bank’ 0.07 paisa and for the then Nationalised Commercial Banks (that include SCBs, SDBs) 0.07 paisa.

The BB Tuesday issued a new circular refixing premium rates. The new premium rate will be effective from the first half of the calendar year of 2014, according to the new order.

“The BB approved the new risk-based premium rates and the amount of coverage, which will come into force after the government approves those,” a BB official concerned told the FE Tuesday.

Deposit insurance system was first introduced in Bangladesh in August 1984 aiming to minimise the risk of loss of money deposited with banks.

As per provisions of the law, the premiums collected from the insured banks are deposited in an account called the Deposit Insurance Trust Fund, maintained by the central bank. Presently, all 47 scheduled banks operating in the country are members of this Fund, which provides full protection to 88.7 per cent of the depositors.

Bangladesh has not so far experienced collapse of any bank, although two banks can be cited as crisis-ridden ones.

The Deposit Insurance Act 2000 says in case of an insured bank’s collapse or bankruptcy, BB shall pay an amount equal to the money of each depositor of that bank. However this amount will now not exceed Tk 0.2 million, which was earlier Tk 0.1 million.

Another circular of BB asked the banks to implement the SEC’s decision on Sunday last about margin-loan ratio.

The share-credit ratio, commonly known as margin loan ratio, will remain at 1:2 until June next year.

The 1:2 loan ratio means, if an investor has Tk 1 in cash or stocks worth Tk 1, he or she will be able to receive another Tk 2 as credit against the money or securities.

The ratio will come down to 1:1.5 from July 2013 and will remain effective until December of the same year.

From January 2014 the ratio will be 1:1 and from July 2014 it will be 1:0.5.

Building collapses in Old Dhaka

Rescue operation in progress after a six-storey building collapsed on two multi-storey houses at Shakhari Bazar in Old Dhaka early Tuesday morning.

The Financial Express, 3 October 2012

Nearly 50 residents were trapped inside three multi-storied buildings after a five-story building collapsed while being demolished at Shakhari Bazar in Old Dhaka Tuesday, police and firefighters said.

They suffered minor injuries while being evacuated, witnesses said.

The top floor of building No.14/A at Kailash Bose Lane collapsed on House No 18 and 19 when workers started demolition work there at around 8:30am, Monir Hossain, assistant director of Fire Service and Civil Defence Department said.

The first two floors and the top floor of the building collapsed while the middle floor tilted on the two nearby buildings keeping a number of residents confined inside the buildings for several hours, he said.

As the entrance of building No. 18 was blocked by the debris following the collapse, firefighters had to

remove those to rescue the trapped people.

“We rescued the trapped people by cutting grills of several windows of the buildings. Anyway, none received serious injury,” he added.

Owner of the collapsed building Madan Mohan Pal and demolition workers left the place immediately after the incident that created panic among the residents of the densely-populated area, he said.

Administrator of Dhaka City Corporation (South) Zillur Rahman visited the spot to oversee the rescue operation and told reporters that the workers were demolishing the infrastructure in an unplanned way.

“They (workers) were knocking down the building from ground floor that led such incident,” he said, adding that they will form a body to investigate into the matter before bringing the responsible to justice.

4th offshore bidding this month Block map for HC exploration awaits cabinet nod

The Financial Express, 3 October 2012

The block map for launching the country’s offshore bidding round for oil and gas exploration in the Bay of Bengal is now awaiting cabinet nod for approval, a top official said Monday.

The state-owned Petrobangla will formally launch the country’s fourth round bidding, inviting international oil and gas exploration firms to explore hydrocarbon in the Bay, following approval of the block map from the cabinet, he said.

Petrobangla has already drafted a block map with some 12 offshore gas blocks – nine in shallow water and three in deep water – for offering in the country’s upcoming offshore bidding round, planned to be launched this month.

It has created the blocks and demarcated those in line with the International Tribunal for the Law of the Seas (ITLOS) verdict that settled maritime boundary dispute between the neighbouring Bangladesh and Myanmar.

The tribunal based in Hamburg, Germany, upheld Bangladesh’s claim to an exclusive economic zone of 200 nautical miles in the Bay of Bengal, and to a substantial share of the outer continental shelf beyond.

Only the undisputed areas and the areas settled with Myanmar would be included in the bidding jurisdiction, he said.

But two discovered gas-fields – Kutubia and Teknaf – have been kept in the bidding as ‘ring-fenced’, sensing their special prospect.

The bid-winning contractors would have to provide 5.0 per cent extra profit of gas to Petrobangla, if gas is produced from these fields.

The dispute between Bangladesh and India remained pending with the Hague’s Permanent Court of Arbitration.

The verdict of the UN’s Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) is scheduled to be available in 2014.

The government finalised this month the production sharing contract (PSC) for its planned bidding round in October, allowing a 72.41 per cent higher domestic sales price for natural gas, discovered in the offshore blocks it would offer.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs stamped the seal of approval on the model PSC-2012 on September 11. Gas export, in any form, has been prohibited under the model PSC. This will be the country’s fourth bidding round following those in 2008, 2001 and 1997.

The bid documents are set to be available for sale on October 15 – December 15, with the bidding’s closing date in February 2013, said a Petrobangla official.

Gas prices are pegged to high sulfur fuel oil (HSFO) prices in Bangladesh. For the planned 2012 offshore bidding round, the floor price for HSFO was raised to $100 per tonne and the ceiling price set at $200 per tonne, Energy Secretary Mohammad Mesbahuddin said Tuesday.

The gas price would be around $5.00 per unit (1,000 cubic feet) based on the proposed pricing formula.

In the 2008 bidding round, the floor price for HSFO was fixed at $70 per tonne, and the ceiling price at $180 per tonne. Gas price was then around $2.90-$2.95 per unit.

According to the model PSC for the planned bidding round, Petrobangla’s regular profit sharing structure is – it will get no less than 55 per cent of profit if natural gas production is up to 75 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd), no less than 60 per cent if production is 76-150 mmcfd.

The organisation will get no less than 65per cent if the output is 151-250 mmcfd, no less than 70 per cent if output is 251-400 mmcfd, no less than 75 per cent if output is 401-600 mmcfd, and no less than 80per cent if output is above 600 mmcfd.

Other features of the model PSC includes full repatriation of profit, no signature bonus or royalty, no duty for equipment and machinery imported for operations during the exploration, development and production phases, cent per cent cost recovery, and production bonuses.

Exploration period for shallow water gas-blocks would be seven years instead of previous eight years, and for deep water it would be eight years instead of previous nine years.

The companies would also be able to sell the produced gas directly to third parties in the domestic market, without going through Petrobangla. But the latter would have the first right of refusal.