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Leading News
Contracts signed to set up five
peaking power plants of 420mw
UNB, Dhaka
The government Monday signed contracts with foreign EPC
contractors to set up 5 peaking power plants in the public
sector.
The power plant projects are Bera 70 MW, Hathazari 100MW,
Dohazari 100MW, Gopalganj 100MW and Faridpur 50MW.
Peaking plants means these plants will be run during the
peak hours from 4 pm to 11 pm when demand for electricity
is excessively high.
Furnace oil will be used to run the plants because of the
gas crisis. Per kilowatt hour (per unit) electricity
production cost at the plants will be between Tk 8-12
while the present average production cost is Tk 2.
As per the contracts, the EPC contractors will complete
the supply, install and commission of the plants within 15
months from the signing of the contracts on turnkey basis.
This means the plants are expected to come into operation
by August 2011. The state-owned Power Development Board (PDB)
will implement the projects with funds from the public
exchequer.
PDB secretary Md. Azizul Islam signed the contracts with
the representatives of the contract winning companies at a
function at the DPDC head office in the city.
Prime Minister's Adviser Dr. Towfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury,
State Minister for Power Mohammad Enamul Haque, State
Minister for Home Affairs Shamsul Haque Tuku, Power
Secretary Abul Kalam Azad, PDB Chairman ASM Alamgir Kabir,
the British High Commissioner and the South Korean
Ambassador were present at the function.
As per the contracts, the local Consortium of Energypac
Power Generation Ltd & Energypac Engineering Ltd will set
up Faridpur 50-MW plant at a contract value of Tk 383.54
crore.
The same consortium will set up the 100 MW Gopalganj at a
cost of Tk 693.08 crore while Korean Hyundai Heavy
Industries will install the 70 MW Bera plant at a cost of
Tk 484.68 crore.
Guandong Power Engineering Corporation of China will set
up two plant-Dohazari 100-MW plant at a contract value of
Tk 971.69 crore and Hathazari 100-MW plant at a cost of Tk
908.74 crore.
The Energypac will supply the British Rolls Royce machine
while the Chinese Guandong, which local agent is a
business firm of a minister, will supply the Wrtsila
machine of USA and the Hyundai will supply its own machine
for the projects.
The PDB had invited tenders in November last year
targeting to set up total 10 peaking power plants within
next 15 to 18 months.
Reversing
Climate Change
Bhutan’s PM for taking lead role by SAARC leaders
UNB, Thimpu
Bhutanese Prime Minister Lyoncchoen Jigme Y. Thinley,
whose country is hosting the first ever SAARC summit, has
called for taking a lead by the SAARC leaders in reversing
the climate change.
"Contemplate on some disturbing facts. The Himalayan
glaciers are receding at an alarming speed. Our mountains
are less majestic, less awe inspiring. The rising
temperature has not only melted the fresh snow and
stripped further layers from past centuries, they now look
like a high wall of grey and jagged outcrop of rocks," he
said.
The Bhutanese Prime Minister made the remarks while
inaugurating the SAARC Journalists Summit at Hotel
Zhiwaling on Monday evening.
The theme of the SAARC Journalists Summit-V is Environment
and South Asia. Painting a gloomy picture of the climate
change, the theme of the 16th SAARC Summit, Thinley said
the sea levels are rising at an equally alarming pace and
together with the glacial melt, causing climatic trends
that are devastating South Asia.
"So, we are losing our water and food, suffering
calamities like floods, earthquakes and storms, and all
that is basic to human well-being and happiness. South
Asia cannot afford to ignore these common signs," he said,
adding: "We must take a lead in reversing climate change."
Reaz Uddin Ahmed, who leads a 10-member SAFMA delegation,
chaired the opening session of the 2-day summit being
participated by around 130 senior journalists from eight
SAARC member countries. Secretary General of SAFMA Imtiaz
Alam of Pakistan gave the welcome address.
Asked whether the 16th summit to be held in Thimpu on
April 28-29 will create a new fund to deal with the
adverse impacts of the climate change, Prime Minister
Thinley told UNB that a separate declaration containing
various projects on the climate change will be made from
the summit.
He said South Asia Development Fund (SADF) will finance
the projects on climate change. The Permanent Secretariat
of the SADF with initial capital of US$ 300 million will
be inaugurated by the summit leaders in Thimpu on April 28
(Wednesday).
PM
to get fitting reply from Bhola people soon: Moudud
UNB, Dhaka
BNP front ranking leader Barrister Moudud Ahmed has hit
back at Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina by saying the
dwellers of Bhola will give her a fitting reply soon.
Moudud made the remarks when reporters at a press briefing
on Monday sought his reaction over the Prime Minister's
reported comment on Sunday that Bhola dwellers in the
by-election that were held on Saturday had given a fitting
reply to the politics of conspiracy of the BNP.
He again said Bhola dwellers would give a fitting response
to Sheikh Hasina's comment in future elections.
Addressing the briefing at the BNP chairperson's Gulshan
office in the afternoon Barrister Moudud Ahmed MP said the
incumbent Chief Election Commissioner and two Election
Commissioners should resign voluntarily if they have any
sense of self-respect as they have totally failed to
fulfill their responsibility in holding free, fair and
impartial by-election in Bhola-3 parliamentary
constituency comprising of Lalmohan and Tojumuddin
upazilas.
He said the present Election Commission has lost the
public's acceptability and they should resign immediately.
He said if the by-election is not cancelled, a decision
will be taken later by the party centrally.
Replying to a question Moudud said they are in movement
and programme had been announced. Their demand and stand
will remain both against the government and the Election
Commission, he added.
The former Law Minister described various incidents of
attacks and threat to voters and BNP leaders and workers,
violent activities, vote rigging and driving out of BNP
polling agents by the ruling Awami League during the Bhola
by-poll which a team of BNP led by Moudud found during
their visit to the constituency.
Some footage of victims of attacks and threats were
displayed through multimedia presentation at the briefing.
The BNP leader said BNP polling agents from 57 polling
centers out of a total of 86 were driven out within 10 to
11 am on the election day. The ruling party unilaterally
sealed the ballot papers and rigged the election,
according to Moudud.
The party continuously faxed its allegations over 53
polling centers to the Returning Officer and the Election
Commission on the Election Day.
Moudud said the Election Commission should stop and cancel
the election instantly. He said 60 percent of votes had
been cast till 11 am, which means 11 votes were cast per
minute.
He questioned if that was physically possible, or even
digitally. No vote was cast after 1 pm he said. BNP
leaders Abduallah Al Noman and Amanullah Aman also spoke
at the press briefing.
Cabinet okays
amended ACC Act
Provision of five year jail term for false allegation
UNB, Dhaka
The Cabinet Monday approved in principle the amended Anti
Corruption Commission (ACC) Act' 2004 keeping provision of
punishment for making false corruption allegations.
The 66th meeting of the present cabinet held at the
Bangladesh Secretariat with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
in the chair brought two amendments in the ACC Act in a
bid to make the law up-to-date and to make the commission
more independent and effective. Briefing media men at the
Press Information Department (PID) conference room, Press
Secretary to Prime Minister Abul Kalam Azad said following
the amendments brought in the ACC Act, the commission from
now on can seek help from any government department and
institution during investigation process of any allegation
or case.
"Following the amendments, if ACC thinks that it needs the
help of any expert, experienced and skilled government
official to investigate into any allegation, then it can
take the desired help from the particular person," Azad
said.
Besides, punishment for making any false allegations will
be five years according to the approved amendment, Azad
told the reporters.
Addressing her cabinet colleagues, Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina reiterated her government's strong commitment to
make the ACC stronger and more independent, Azad said.
The Prime Minister said the commission will have to be
facilitated with an ideal environment for working
independently.
Besides, accountability of the commission will be ensured,
she said.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the cabinet
meeting was informed about the latest situation of the
country's power sector.
The Prime Minister was briefed about the government's
short term, mid term and long term plans and projects to
add necessary power to the national grid within an
acceptable time.
The Press Secretary said the government has so far been
successful to add 700 MW of electricity to the national
grid while within next one or two months 400 MW more is
expected to be added to the grid.
Nor’wester leaves
1000 wounded in Pabna, one dead in C’nawabganj
UNB, Pabna
More than 1,000 people were injured when a severe storm
tore through Pabna district at 5pm Monday.
Padma and Jamuna char areas are the worst affected where
kutcha houses were blown away or razed to the ground. The
victims including women and children were wounded in house
collapse and flying saucers.
Hundreds of trees were uprooted, electric poles twisted,
extensive damage caused to standing boro crop and litchis
in sadar, Iswardi, Sujangara, Bera, Chatmohar and Atowari
upazila.
As the electric supply disrupted with the beginning of the
storm, the entire affected area remained in darkness till
8-30 pm. Details of damages from the affected upazilas are
awaited.
Another report from Chapainawabganj said Monimul Islam
(16), rice mill worker, died under the wall collapse
during the storm that swept through the district at 4 pm.
The storm lasting about 10 minutes damaged to kutcha
houses and standing crops.
A report from Habiganj said thunderbolt left six persons
deaf and dumb. A group of people were gossiping under the
open sky in Pithuarkandi village of Ajmeriganj on Sunday
night when the thunderbolt struck nearby. Six of them lost
the hearing power.
BSF kills yet another
Bangladeshi
23 killed in over 3 months, 103 in 13 months
TBT Report
Indian Border Security Force (BSF) killed one more
Bangladeshi along Daudpur border in Birampur upazila in
Dinajpur early Monday as the killing spree on Bangladesh
border continues unabated despite India's repeated pledges
to stop such killings.
With this BSF killed 23 Bangladeshi nationals in over
three months and 103 in last 13 months. The number of
Bangladeshis killed by BSF during the nine years period
from January 1, 2000 to April 26, 2010 stands at 828. BSF
also injured 859 and abducted 899 Bangladeshis in the same
period.
According to UNB News Agency, a cattle trader was shot
dead by BSF along Daudpur border in Birampur upazila in
Dinajpur early Monday. The victim was identified as
Shahidul Islam, 18, son of Abdul Sattar, of Daudpur
village of the upazila.
BDR sources said when Shahidul went near border pillar no
290/32 BSF troop of Bhimpur camp opened fire on him,
leaving him dead on the spot. The BSF men also took away
the body of the youth. BDR sent a letter to BSF seeking
return of the body.
The killings of unarmed Bangladeshis by the BSF on the
border are continuing in clear violation of the spirit of
good neighborliness as well as international law and
despite repeated pledges by the Indian authorities to stop
it. In every meeting between BSF and BDR and also between
the higher level officials of the two countries, the
Indian side assures that killing of Bangladeshis by its
forces on the border would come to an end immediately. But
this pledge is seldom implemented.
Back Page
Yarn price meeting again ends without
decision
UNB, Dhaka
Like Sunday, the meeting to fix a 'rational' rate of yarn
and to consider yarn imports through Benapole Port
apparently ended without any conclusive decision again on
Monday too, although the Textiles and Jute Minister termed
it fruitful. "All the stakeholders are happy, but we
haven't fixed any price. I hope everything will remain at
a rational level," said Abdul Latif Siddiqui while
briefing reporters after the meeting at the Ministry.
He termed the outcome of the meeting as fruitful adding,
"There will be an understanding among them (BGMEA, BTMA,
BKMEA etc) and the market will be stable again." Meeting
sources said that the BKMEA and BGMEA proposed to fix the
price of per kilogram yarn in between US $ 3.60 to US $
3.80 but the BTMA thinks that the price cannot be reduced
from US $ 4 to 4.1.
The Textiles and Jute Minister, however, lamented that ill
forces are being active to destabilize the government even
in the recent price hike of yarn.
He said that the illegitimate capital of the military
rulers and those who opposes the trial of the war
criminals are behind the scene in destabilizing the market
of yarn.
Answering a question, he said that the issue to import
yarn through Benapole Port was discussed in the meeting
but there was no decision in this regard, nor on forming a
committee to rationalize price.
"In the free global market, everyone will have to be clear
to their own morales," he added. Chaired by Abdul Latif
Siddiqui, the meeting was attended among others by
Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association
(BGMEA) president Abdus Salam Murshedy, Bangladesh
Knit-wear Manu-facturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA)
president Md Fazlul Hoque, Bangladesh Textile Mills
Association (BTMA) acting president Monzurul Hoque and
Bangladesh Specialised Textile Mills & Power Loom
Industries Association (BSTMPLIA) member secretary Sheikh
Abdul Hakim.
BGMEA president Abdus Salam Murshedy said that the price
of yarn in the local market did not increase rationally in
comparison to the international market. He hoped that the
yarn price, which increased to US $1 over the last few
days, would come to a stable situation adding, "From now
on, impractical and irrational price would not be taken."
BKMEA 2nd vice president MA Baset said that they had had
discussions over fixing the rational price considering the
price of production but were yet to arrive at any concrete
decision.
HC orders for steps
to prevent misuse of electricity
Court puts an end to Rangpur DC’s wasteful tennis
hobby
UNB, Dhaka
The Rangpur DC is to face music for playing lawn tennis
under floodlights at night amid serious countrywide power
outage, as the High Court has issued a rule asking him to
explain why directions should not be given to take legal
action against him for defying government restriction on
use of electricity.
Issuing the rule upon a public interest litigation (PIL)
writ petition, an HC division bench comprising Justice AHM
Shamsuddin Chow-dhury and Justice M Delwar Hossain on
Monday directed BM Enamul Huq, DC of Rangpur, to stop
playing tennis for three months.
Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB), a rights
watchdog, filed the PIL writ petition after browsing a
catchy report published in a newspaper from the capital on
April 21.
Besides, the HC in its interim order directed the
authorities concerned to form a probe body to inquire into
the event and submit a report before the court within a
fortnight. In addition, the HC asked the government to
form a vigilance team in each city corporation to monitor
the misuse of electricity at shops and business
establishments and submit a report to the court within a
month.
Establishment Secretary, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of
Power, Energy and Mineral Resources and the Deputy
Commissioner (DC) of Rangpur have been made respondents in
the case. Advocate Manzill Murshid appeared for the writ
petitioner.
Young man languishes in jail for no
fault of his
UNB, Panchagarh
A young man of mid 20s sentenced to jail for life is
languishing in prison for the last six months for no fault
of him.
The victim, Abdul Mannan, is co-accused of abduction of
Jesmin Akter who is happily living away in Gazipur with
her husband.
Jesmin, 18, of Baleapara village in sadar upazila had
eloped with her lover Rashidul of the same village in
November last year. They were married and lived in Gazipur.
Soon after Jesmin eloped, her father Hasiruddin, a
peasant, filed a case with Panchagarh police, allegedly at
the behest of thana officer. He accused Rashidul and his
friend Mannan of abducting Jesmin with promise of
lucrative job. Police were quick in arresting Mannan, son
of a peasant of the same village. Produced before the
court he was sent to prison on November 25. Police could
not trace out Rashidul and Jesmin who were living in
Gazipur, both working in garments factory.
Police investigation officer in the case Fazlar Rahman
submitted charge sheet to the court against Rashidul and
Mannan for trial in the tribunal under the Women
Repression Act. Tribunal judge Abdus Saleq found them
guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment, Rashidul in
absentia and also fined them Tk 50,000 each. The verdict
was pronounced on April 5.
Finally police traced out the couple, Jesmin and Rashidul.
They were arrested from Gazipur a couple of days ago and
brought to Panchangarh. In police custody Jesmin, who is
in advance stage of giving birth of baby told reporters on
Monday that she had willingly left home with her lover
Rashidul. She was not abducted and Mannan was in no way
involved in their affairs.
Jesmin wondered why Mannan has been implicated in the
case. She regretted that innocent Mannan has been
languishing in jail for them and demanded his immediate
release.
"We were not hiding. We maintained regular contacts with
our parents by mobile phone," she added. Panchagarh thana
officer said they had been looking for Rashidul and Jesmin
since her father lodged the case. Now they were traced out
and arrested. They will be produced before the court today
(Tuesday).
Mystery shrouds
arrest of SI Gautom’s killers
UNB, Dhaka
Mystery shrouds the arrest of a suspected killer of Gautam
Roy, a sub-inspector of Bangshal police station, as both
police and RAB claimed the arrest of the killer.
RAB said they arrested two suspected killers of Gautom
identified as Ali Haider, 21, and Jakir Hossain alias Kala
Jakir from city's Sutrapur and Dholaikhal areas
respectively on Sunday night.
Both of them revealed that they along with another
accomplice Manik were involved in the killing mission, and
that it was a pre-planned incident.
But Sutrapur police arrested another suspected killer
identified as Ahmed Ali alias Haider alias Hadi from
Bhajahari Saha street off Tipu Sultan road on Friday
night. Police quoting Ahmed Ali said he along with Jakir
and Manik were involved in the killing. A Dhaka court had
already recorded the confessional statement of Ahmed Ali
under Section 164 of CrPc Saturday. Ahmed Ali confessed
that he along with Jakir and Manik were involved in the
killing.
7 killed in
Sirajganj, Khulna, Savar road crushes
UNB, Dhaka
Five people were killed and seven others injured in
separate road accidents in Sirajganj and Khulna districts
on Thursday afternoon.
The deceased were identified as Azhar Ali, 42 and his
daughter Buri, 16, of Maheshpur village in Lalpur upazila
and Abdus Sattar, 35, of Baraigram upazila of Natore
district and two siblings Rumi, 14, and Rami, 12, daughter
and son of Ruhul Amin of Ashashuni upazila of Khulna.
In Sirajganj, three people, including father and daughter,
were killed and another two injured as a microbus hit a
trolly-van at Khalkula in Tarash upazila. Police said the
accident occurred at about 2:30pm when the microbus
knocked the brick laden trolly-van from behind, killing
the microbus passengers Azhar, Buri and Sattar on the
spot.
In another incident in Khulna, two siblings were killed
and another two injured as a bus rammed a motor cycle at
Naksha in Koyra upazila.
Meanwhile, a Kuwaiti expatriate and his elder brother were
killed and two others were seriously injured in a
head-on-collision between a truck and a microbus near
Ghoshbag here Monday morning. The deceased were identified
as expatriate Zulhash, 38, and his elder brother Sukur
Ali, 40, sons of Siraj Miah of Jharbari village in Pirganj
upazila of Dinajpur district. Police and locals said when
the Zulhash and Sukur along with their cousin were going
to Dinajpur by a microbus at about 7:30am their vehicle
collided with a truck coming from opposite direction
leaving the two brothers dead on the spot and their cousin
Nazrul and microbus driver Mostafa critically injured.
Another report adds: An electrician of JK Garments in
Savar municipal area died when caught in a machine of the
factory this (Monday) morning. The deceased was identified
as Golam Mostafa Manik, 40, of Sadarpur village in Savar.
13
Shibir activists arrested in Bogra; 10 injured
UNB, Bogra
Police on Monday afternoon arrested 13 Shibir activists in
connection with the BCL-Shibir clash case that took place
at Azizul Huq College campus last year.
Police said shibir activists brought out a procession from
Edward Park at 1:30pm protesting indecent speech against
their national leaders and marched towards Judge Court.
When the procession reached Circuit Road, police swooped
on the Shibir activists and baton-charged them, leaving 10
injured. Then the law enforcers arrested 13 Shibir
activists.
The arrested are Samiul Islam, alias Shamim, Akram Hossain,
Idris Ali, Sabbir Hossain, Zoynal Abedin, Khairul Islam,
Zahurul Islam, Abdul Wahab Bappi, Tanzil Mandal, Rubel
Rana, Ruhul Amin, Ariful Islam, and Kafi.
Later, police produced them before the court.
AKM Khalekuzz-aman, OC of Sadar thana, said the arrested
are anonymous accused of the case.
Editorial
Job opportunities for
youths
President
Zillur Rahman has emphasized on initiatives to create new job
opportunities for the country's young generation with a view
to flourishing their talents, thoughts and creativity.
Graduates should be built up in such a way that they can take
their position both in national and international arena
showing their own talents, he remarked while presiding over
the 9th convocation of East West University at Bangabadhu
International Conference Center on Sunday. Addressing the
function, the President hoped that the country's universities
would continue their highest efforts to provide pragmatic,
standard and quality education for the greater interest of the
nation.
Mentioning that a huge number of students come out every year
acquiring degrees from government and private universities,
Zillur Rahman said although the graduates are not deficient in
terms of talent and qualification, many of them remain
unemployed as the country's job market is not expanding in the
same proportion. Unemployment is harmful for persons, family,
society and above all the states because it breeds
frustrations that destroy the people's thoughts and creativity
and turns them into maniacs, the President said, before
mentioning that the power of the imagination can play a role
in leading a life on the good track.
It goes without saying that despite various limitations and
constraints education at different levels is expanding in the
country and huge number of youths including many brilliant
ones are coming out with degrees from different public and
private universities every year. But unfortunately, enough job
opportunities are not being created. As a result many
brilliant youth with higher degrees are remaining unemployed
or under-employed much to the inconvenience of themselves and
their families. The nation is also suffering as its highly
educated manpower is remaining unutilized.
From this point of view, President Zillur Rahman has stressed
very rightly the need for creating new job opportunities for
the country's young generation. Needless to say, it amounts to
wastage of national workforce if the highly educated young
people remain unemployed. But absorbing them in productive
sectors is not an easy task as the facilities for employment
in our country is very limited mainly because of slow pace of
industrial growth and lack of enough new investments. Massive
industrialization with the help of large scale domestic and
foreign investments are needed to ensure creation of new job
opportunities.
It may be pointed out here that mere higher education of our
youths is not sufficient to meet the need of the economy and
pave the way for employment. Along with general education,
technical and scientific education should also be encouraged
so that youths can be equipped with scientific, technical and
technological knowledge to work in different fields as
required by the changing time. It is known to all that skilled
manpower is in high demand nowadays both at home and abroad.
So importance should be give on this also.
There are a large number of public and private universities in
the country and they are producing a large number of degree
holders annually. But simply passing out from the universities
with higher degrees or distributing certificates will hardly
serve the purpose. The need of the hour is to produce real
work force which will be able to meet the demand of the
competitive work market at home and abroad. To this end, the
country's universities would have to attain the international
standard so that no one can any raise question about their
quality of education. The universities would have to play a
responsible role in building a happy and prosperous Bangladesh
for fulfilling the expectations of the nation.
BCL again
There
seems to be no end to the unruly role and violent activities
of the activists of the pro-government Bangladesh Chhatra
League (BCL). Ten students were wounded in clashes over a
trifling matter between activists of BCL of Suya Sen Hall and
Zia Hall of the Dhaka University on Sunday. Injured students
have been admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital and the
Dhaka University Hospital.
Meanwhile, eight students were injured in clashes over
admission trade between two groups BCL activists in Bogra
Government Azizul Huq Degree College on Sunday. The injured
students have been admitted to local hospitals. Additional
police forces have been deployed on the campus to control the
situation.
Violence, extortion, tender manipulation, infighting and
attack on rival student organisations by the activists of BCL
at different educational institutions are going on unabated.
Different circles have repeatedly urged the AL leaders to
bring the unruly activists of BCL under control in the
interest of the party, the government and the people. But very
little or no result has been yielded.
Stopping violence on campuses appears to be a very difficult
task as different educational institutions continue to be
restive. Since the assumption of power by AL in January 2009
educational institutions have been rocked by violence
involving different student groups specially those belonging
to BCL. In the campus violence several students have been
killed and educational activities in a number of educational
institutions suspended. In most of these incidents on the
campus mainly BCL was involved. In view of this fact, to put
an end to violence on the campus the government should bring
the unruly BCL activists under control. Atmosphere on the
campus will continue to remain vitiated and violent until the
BCL activists can be controlled.
Analysis
India's international unease
Unlike Beijing, New Delhi is finding it
difficult to adapt to its status as an emerging global power.
Dominique Moisi
Some countries are
naturally at ease with the concept and the reality of
strategic power. Such was clearly the case of France under
Louis XIV, the Sun King in the 17th century, and such is the
case today of China, whose leadership is comfortable with the
balance-of-power games of classical Europe.
India is clearly in a different category. In economic terms,
its confidence has been boosted by the way the western world
now looks at it with a mixture of respect and greed: "What
kind of deals can I strike with such an emerging market, whose
population will soon be the largest of any country in the
world?"
Yet, in order to understand India's political and diplomatic
relationship with the outside world, the most enlightening
comparison is with America in 1920. Like the US after the
First World War, India is realising that its status and role
in the world have been deeply transformed in the last two
decades. And, like America then, India is not naturally at
ease with the notion of exercising global power.
India's history and culture, from Asoka, its emperor in the
third century BC, to Gandhi, push it to emphasise ethics and
to consider itself an "exceptional" nation in its relationship
with the world. Contrary to China, India finds it difficult to
adapt to its status as an emerging "Great Power".
It would be a gross exaggeration, of course, to speak of an
Indian "inferiority complex". And yet India constantly
measures itself against China, remains obsessed with Pakistan,
and has recently begun to look more critically at its
relationship with the US.
Dissimilar
It is natural for India to proclaim its "democratic"
superiority to China while recognising that on all strategic
fronts it is not in the same league. But is it even possible
to draw a comparison between what one Indian academic has
called the "robotised Chinese man" and the vast human
diversity of India?
India seems to worry more than ever about China's evolution.
China's key role within the G20, together with the relative if
not absolute decline of the western powers, seems to have
reinforced the hardliners in Beijing and the nationalism of a
China that seems less ready than ever to accept any criticism
of its human rights record. Viewed from New Delhi, the vision
of a reasonable, prudent, and ultimately satisfied China - a
vision "sold" to the world by the minister mentor of
Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew - appears less than obvious.
When it comes to Pakistan, too, India seems to lack
confidence. On all fronts - demographic, economic, military,
and political - India is far above Pakistan. But India does
not seem to know how to deal with its north-western neighbour,
and even less whom to deal with in its government.
The largest democracy in the world cannot say openly that it
almost preferred the military dictatorship of General Pervez
Musharraf to the chaos of the current situation. In reality,
what prevails in India is a deep sense of frustration with
Pakistan. India's overtures to Pakistan's government have
largely remained unanswered, and when Indian officials express
their unease, the US, if not the international community,
accuses them of behaving irresponsibly.
Aloof
If India seems not to believe that America and its allies can
really "succeed" in Afghanistan, it is unwilling to resign
itself to a return of the Taliban to power, which could in
turn lead to Talibanisation of Pakistan. Yet India seems to
behave in a very "European" way in Afghanistan; it is ready to
send money and experts, but not troops.
India's worries and frustrations in Afghanistan and Pakistan
translate into a mixture of disillusion and irritation with an
America that, seen from New Delhi, allows itself to be
manipulated by Pakistani officials. Indians cannot quite
decide whether the Americans are simply "naive" or duplicitous
- either way, they are not reassured.
Whatever the case, the current warming of relations between
India and Russia, symbolised by Prime Minister Vladimir
Putin's recent visit, does not translate into a grand reversal
of alliances, as India's break with Russia in the 1990s did.
India's exchanges with Russia are only one-fifth of what they
are with China. What prevails nowadays in New Delhi and Moscow
is simple pragmatism.
While there is room for Europe in India's view of the world,
for it (as for China) Europe is above all an economic rather
than a political reality. When it comes to politics, bilateral
relations prevail, and from that standpoint France and Germany
seem more important than Great Britain. The Raj era may be
visible in the buildings of New Delhi and in the uniforms of
the Indian army, but Britain has lost any competitive edge
that it once had in India. The past is truly passed.
India's unease about strategic power, and its resemblance to a
gigantic European Union united only by the English language,
reflects its ongoing search for a new international identity.
In this quest, India is impaired by its lack of practice in
the exercise of power on a grand scale. It is not about to
become a second China - it lacks both the means and the
ambition. That is a further reason for the West to engage and
invest in India.
Dominique Moisi, a founder and senior advisor at the Ilfri
(the French Institute for International Relations), is
currently a professor at the College of Europe in Natolin,
Warsaw.
Thrown to the
wolves
The
Taliban accepted the Turi surrender with the condition
that tribal elders would be loyal to the Taliban, would
dismantle the current lashkar, would never raise another
anti-Taliban lashkar in the area again and would support
the Taliban's efforts in implementing Shariah.
Tayyab Ali Shah
The
more than half a million forsaken people in Kurram Agency
continue to bear the brunt of sectarian violence,
increasing Talibanisation and apathy of the Pakistani
government. Though the people of Kurram are no strangers
to sectarian violence, they have never seen so much
long-lasting bloodshed since the creation of Pakistan.
Previous sectarian clashes that would occur every five to
seven years never lasted for more than two to three weeks,
as the tribal leaders and Pakistani government would
always intervene. But the situation has taken a nasty
twist since the arrival of the Taliban in the area three
years ago, and 3,100 people have been killed since July
2007.
Pakistani authorities have, so far, failed in controlling
the persistent violence and have failed in opening the
major Parachinar-Peshawar road on a permanent basis. This
road has remained closed for the last two years except
when heavily escorted food convoys travel on it. Even
these convoys are not safe. In the first week of March, a
fleet of food trucks and some buses, escorted by security
forces, was attacked by suicide bombers, killing 14 and
injuring another 25 people. In the last week of March, six
truck drivers who were returning from carrying goods to
the Shia communities of Upper Kurram, were kidnapped and
killed by the Taliban. A letter found in the pocket of one
dead driver warned that anyone supplying goods to the
Parachinar Shiite community would meet a similar fate.
Similarly, a military vehicle on its way from Tal to
Parachinar was hit by an IED in the third week of April,
killing four paramilitary personnel and injuring another
five.
In this situation, the Shiite community, as a whole, and
some Sunni tribes like the Mangal in Upper Kurram find it
extremely difficult and risky to move out of Kurram
Agency. Shias cannot travel outside the agency through the
Tal-Parachinar road connecting Kurram Agency with Peshawar
as it is controlled by the Taliban. There are no PIA
flights to the only airport of the area, located in
Parachinar. There is only one four-seater private jet that
charges Rs 10,000 for a quick flight from Parachinar to
Peshawar and potential passengers have to wait for at
least one month to get a seat on it. Both the Shia and
Sunni people of Kurram Agency have to travel through
war-torn Afghanistan to reach Peshawar and other parts of
Pakistan. There is a severe shortage of life-saving drugs
and the basic commodities needed for everyday life. Even
if some items are available, they are extremely expensive.
Many government servants have gone unpaid for the last two
years and some have even committed suicide because of the
difficult life and lack of financial resources.
Many natives of the Kurram Agency blame state policies
regarding Afghanistan for the death and destruction in
their area. According to them when the International
Security Assistance Force (ISAF) strengthened its posts on
the border with Waziristan in 2006-07 - after the
Pakistani government signed peace accords with the local
Taliban - al Qaeda and Taliban fighters tried to pass
through the Kurram Agency to cross over into Afghanistan;
Kurram providing the shortest route to Kabul. The Turi
tribe and other Shias declined to give passage to the
Taliban through their area and complained to the local
authorities who, unfortunately, did not take any action.
The Taliban attacked the Turi to punish them for their
refusal to provide them a safe passage, an act that has
led to the current dire situation of the Turis. Both Shia
and Sunni elders also hold government officials
responsible for contributing to the ongoing tensions in
Kurram, particularly in Parachinar, the capital of the
agency. Shia elders assert that two political agents of
the area asked them to facilitate the Taliban's movements
or be ready for the consequences.
To defend themselves against the Taliban, all of the
Kurram tribes have established their own lashkars (tribal
militias), but these lashkars are no match for the
better-financed, well-armed and well-trained Taliban. On
March 20, 2010, Taliban forces attacked the Masozai tribal
lashkar to avenge the death of 12 of their colleagues who
were killed a day earlier when the lashkar attacked the
convoy of Taliban commander Mullah Toofan. After several
hours of fighting in which 15 persons were killed and
around 20 were injured from both sides, the local tribal
lashkar was left with no option but to surrender to the
Taliban. The Taliban accepted their surrender with the
condition that the tribal elders would be loyal to the
Taliban, would dismantle the current lashkar, would never
raise another anti-Taliban lashkar in the area again and
would support the Taliban's efforts in implementing
Shariah. After these guarantees and promises, Mullah
Toofan freed 22 hostages taken from the Masozai lashkar.
There is an urgent need for the government of Pakistan to
take effective action and help the people of Kurram live a
peaceful and non-violent life. The people of Kurram are
trying to help themselves through the creation of peace
jirgas and lashkars but their resources are too meagre to
create any durable peace, or fight the Taliban. They feel
betrayed by the state. It is high time that the state of
Pakistan intervenes in favour of the people who have
suffered too much for too long.
The writer is a Canadian Pakhtun. He has post-graduate
education in Business Administration from the University
of Toronto and Public Policy from the University of
Regina. He can be reached at tayyab05@gmail.com
Grassroots
summit
President Evo Morales, who organised the gathering, also
announced plans to mount a referendum of two billion
people on solutions to the climate crisis within a year.
Andres Schipani
Rich
countries should reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50 per
cent and set up a court to punish climate crimes,
according to an international conference of grassroots
climate groups and social movements in Bolivia.
President Evo Morales, who organised the gathering, also
announced plans to mount a referendum of two billion
people on solutions to the climate crisis within a year.
Speaking at the close of the four-day World People's
Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother
Earth, Morales called on the UN to listen to the voice of
the poorest. "The UN has an obligation to listen to its
people and social forces. If the UN doesn't want to lose
its authority, they should apply the conclusions of this
conference. And if they don't, I am convinced that the
peoples will apply their wisdom, recommendations and
documents," he said.
The conference - which was attended by 30,000 people,
according to the organisers, including NGOs, scientists,
as well as union and government delegations - resolved to
push for proposals that keep fossil fuels in the ground,
protect indigenous rights, and reject plans to pay
countries not to cut down forests through schemes like
Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (Redd).
"This alternative has to succeed because the alternative
to Cochabamba is Copenhagen and Copenhagen came out with a
so-called solution to climate change that in no way meets
the severity of the climate crisis," said Canadian author
and activist Naomi Klein.
"Here in Cochabamba you have one of the governments that
is really negotiating for its own survival saying we can't
afford to lose and you have all of civil society lining up
behind that government and saying we don't want to
negotiate away any country's survival, we refuse to be
part of any negotiation like that," she said.
The united opposition to the forest conservation scheme
Redd - under which countries earn carbon credits for
keeping forests intact - will concern many rich countries
who are depending on it to provide billions of dollars but
must convince indigenous peoples of its value.
Many delegates doubted if world leaders would pay much
attention to the talks.
Viewpoints
Murder will out
I was
frightened for my country the day Benazir was assassinated and
horror of horror, the scariest moment of all, when Zardari was
elected as the president of Pakistan.
Roedad Khan
Political
crimes are far worse than common crimes because, in the former
case, only individuals are wounded, whereas in the latter, the
existence of free society itself is threatened. I was
frightened for my country the day Benazir was assassinated and
horror of horror, the scariest moment of all, when Zardari was
elected as the president of Pakistan.
Who killed Benazir? Who cut short her life so full of promise?
The UN commission assigned to enquire into the facts and
circumstances of her death does not answer this question. For
some inexplicable reason, its hands seemed to be tied. It was
appointed, it seems, not to unmask the killer, but only to
determine the facts and circumstances of the assassination!
The duty of carrying out a serious, credible, criminal
investigation to determine who conceived, ordered, and
executed this heinous crime remains with the PPP government.
Isn't it tragic that even after 28 months of her assassination
nobody knows who killed her?
"Men may lie. Circumstances never lie," is a guiding principle
of the law of evidence. Some facts and circumstances
determined by the UN commission of inquiry speak for
themselves and are worth quoting:
* "The Commission is persuaded that the Rawalpindi Police
Chief, CPO Saud Aziz, did not act independently of higher
authorities, either in the decision to hose down the crime
scene or to impede the Post-Mortem examination." -Section 259
(x)
* "The rapid departure of the only back-up vehicle in which Mr
Malik and other senior PPP leaders rode, was a serious
security lapse." -Section 236. (It allowed Ms Bhutto's damaged
vehicle to become isolated?)
* "There was not an effective criminal investigation of either
the Karachi or the Rawalpindi attacks. This is inexplicable."
-Section 238
* "Ms Bhutto was killed more than two years ago. A government
headed by her party, the PPP, has been in office for most of
that time, and it only began the further investigation, a
renewal of the stalled official investigation in October 2009.
This is surprising to the Commission." -Section 247
* "The Commission's effort to determine the facts and
circumstances of Ms Bhutto's assassination is not a substitute
for an effective, official criminal investigation. These
activities should have been carried out simultaneously."
-Section 247
Many questions arise in one's mind that remain unanswered:
* Mr Zardari is on record having said - not once but a number
of times - that he knew who the killers of his wife are. If
so, why hasn't he brought this vital piece of information to
the notice of the police?
* The FIR is a very important document as it sets the process
of criminal justice in motion. The success or failure of the
prosecution in a murder case depends to a large extent on the
contents of the FIR and when it was lodged. Why didn't Zardari
lodge an FIR in the police station at the earliest
opportunity?
* The post-mortem, the examination of a body after death, is a
legal requirement and is carried out by pathologists in order
to identify the cause of death. Why did Zardari refuse to have
post-mortem performed on BB's body? Why was it refused by the
police? Why were they not interested in identifying the cause
of BB's death?
The assassination of Benazir, a stain on the nation's
conscience, still haunts me. Tragically, her death is fast
becoming a non-event. It seems no one is interested in
unraveling the mystery surrounding her assassination or
unmasking the perpetrator or perpetrators of this dastardly
crime. Should the high and mighty, with blood on their hands,
get off so easily when ordinary people committing petty crimes
are sent to jail?
"It is essential," the UN report says, "that the perpetrators
of the assassination of Benazir Bhutto be brought to justice.
The government of Pakistan should ensure that the further
investigation into the assassination of Ms Bhutto is fully
empowered, and resourced and is conducted expeditiously with
no hindrance."
Is the PPP government prepared to do that? Even though it's
already very late, will the PPP government set up a
high-powered judicial commission headed by a judge of the
Supreme Court?
The blood of Benazir calls for justice, not revenge. The PPP
government owes it to its martyred leader to unmask her
killer, whoever he may be, and bring him to justice. Let an
enquiry be held in broad daylight. We will not be able to live
with ourselves if we do not see to it that the truth is
unveiled. The interests involved are too great and the men who
wish to stifle the truth are too powerful, and the truth will
not be known for sometime. But there is no doubt that
ultimately every bit of it, without exception, will be
divulged.
Truth carries a power within it that sweeps away all
obstacles. And whenever its way is barred, whenever someone
does succeed in burying it for any time at all, it builds up
underground, gathering such explosive force that the day it
bursts out at last, it blows up everything with it.
The writer is a former federal secretary of Pakistan.
Email: roedad@comsats.net.pk, www.roedadkhan.com
Action
against Iran? Do it at your peril
Sensing the
mood, Malaysia's Petronas has stopped shipments of
gasoline to Iran. However, the negotiations are likely to
be difficult and protracted.
Dr. Bhaskar Balakrishnan
Buoyed
by a string of recent successes US President Barack Obama
has shifted into high gear his drive for sanctions to
punish Iran for its nuclear defiance. Iran's calculated
intransigence has compounded matters.
The confrontation with the United States also gives Iran's
hardliners a means to strengthen their grip over the
country. Now the prospect of new UN sanctions against Iran
casts a dark shadow over the region. After Obama's
announcements that he would seek effective sanctions
sooner than later, it would be difficult for him to back
down. China has come under pressure to play along, or at
least not obstruct ?this effort.
In New York, the P-5 plus Germany are negotiating a new UN
draft which new curbs on Iranian banking, a full arms
embargo, tougher measures against Iranian shipping, moves
against members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard
Corps and firms they control and a ban on new investments
in Iran's energy sector.
Sensing the mood, Malaysia's Petronas has stopped
shipments of gasoline to Iran. However, the negotiations
are likely to be difficult and protracted.
Obama's recent successes-the healthcare reform package,
the New START treaty, and the recent Nuclear Security
Summit, plus the barely concealed threat of trade
restrictions on China have given fresh momentum to the
push for sanctions. This is despite the petulant refusal
of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to attend the Nuclear
Security summit in the wake of US-Israeli differences over
the resumption of Israeli settlements activities. Iran's
nuclear programme has moved a notch further towards the
nuclear weapons threshold.
It has developed a new generation centrifuge and has
announced plans to enrich its stockpile of nearly 2 tonnes
of low enriched uranium (LEU 3.5 per cent) to 20 per cent.
But LEU is sufficient for pressurised light water reactors
for power generation. Moving up from 20 per cent enriched
uranium to the weapons grade 90 per cent highly enriched
Uranium (HEU) can be done relatively quickly.
A few more years down the road, Iran's heavy water Arak
reactor could start up, to enable production of weapons
grade Plutonium from natural Uranium, though this route is
technically more difficult.
One scenario would be for Iran to find some reason to
withdraw from the NPT, and go on to produce a sufficient
stock of HEU within about 3 months. With over 50 kilograms
of HEU, making a nuclear bomb is quite simple. A further
exercise in brinkmanship would be to announce enough
stocks of HEU for nuclear weapons, but stop short of
testing a device.
Another nightmare scenario would be if HEU leaks into the
hands of non-state actors, a major concern at the Nuclear
Security Summit.
Iran has reacted to threats of air strikes mooted by
Israeli and US commentators. It has hardened its key
nuclear facilities by putting them underground and
installing air defence systems, prompting one US think
tank to suggest that Israel or the US might use nuclear
weapons to damage Iran's nuclear installations
underground.
Other possible Iranian reaction such as obstructing the
crucial Hormuz straits, with the resulting devastating
impact on oil prices has already aroused considerable
concern around the world. New aggressive UN sanctions
could be just the excuse for Iran to withdraw from the NPT
(as had been done not long ago by North Korea), ratcheting
up tension further.
Iran's reaction to sanctions is likely to be aggressive
and unpredictable. Oil prices would move up immediately on
fears of conflict and disruption. Iran's assets such as
the Hezbollah and Hamas could be activated pushing Israel
over the brink and launching a strike.
Israel is currently believed to possess between 75 and 400
nuclear warheads with the ability to deliver them by
intercontinental ballistic missile, aircraft, and
submarine.
Moreover, sanctions would be difficult to implement unless
there is a high degree of international consensus and
political will, which at the present time is lacking.
Both China and Russia are not keen on sanctions. The US
would find its task in Afghanistan greatly complicated
given that Iran is strategically placed as Afghanistan's
neighbour.
The countries in the region would bear the brunt of the
impact of all these developments. India is one of those
which would be seriously affected, and has therefore been
against sanctions and advocated settling the matter within
the IAEA, or through diplomatic negotiations. At the
recent IBSA and BRIC summits this view was echoed.
Given all these factors, the countries in the region
should urge the P-5 and the UN Security Council not to act
rashly. They would do well to take into account the
concerns of the countries of the region before arriving at
a decision. It is for the countries in the region to
strongly articulate their concerns before it is too late.
Maybe it is time for India and the Gulf states to take
this initiative.
Dr. Bhaskar Balakrishnan is a former Indian ambassador
to Cuba and also served as India's representative at ILO
in Geneva. He has a PhD in particle physics.
All in the name of Zionism
Israel is a Zionist state. Everybody knows that. There is
no (Jewish) politician in Israel who misses an opportunity
to repeat this.
Uri Avnery
Israel
is a Zionist state. Everybody knows that. There is no
(Jewish) politician in Israel who misses an opportunity to
repeat this.
Last week, when we celebrated the 62nd Independence Day,
we were flooded by a deluge of patriotic speeches. Each of
the Ciceros, without exception, declared his total
commitment to Zionism.
By the way, when it comes to the Zionist character of
Israel, there is complete agreement on this between the
leaders of Israel and their enemies. The Iranian big-mouth
declares at every opportunity his conviction that the
"Zionist regime" will disappear. Arabs who refuse to utter
the name of Israel speak about the "Zionist entity". Hamas
and Hezbollah condemn the "Zionist enemy". But no one of
them - friends and enemies alike - spells out what it
means. What makes the state into a "Zionist" one?
For me, this is Chinese. I mean, everybody knows that
China is a "communist" country. Friends and enemies speak
about "Communist China" as something that is self-evident.
But what does this mean? What makes it communist?
When I was young, I learned that communism means the
nationalization (or "socialization") of the means of
production. Does this describe the reality in China? Or
rather the exact opposite?
Communism aimed at creating a classless society, leading
in the end to the "withering away" of the state
altogether. Is that happening in China?
So what remains of communism in China? Only the name,
which serves as a cover for a group of powerful rulers who
use the Communist Party as a means for maintaining a
despotic regime.
And, of course - the ceremonies, symbols and banners. Karl
Marx would have called them "opium of the people".
And back from the Manifesto of Marx and Engels to the
"Jewish state" of Theodor Herzl. Herzl's Zionist vision
was quite simple: All Jews, must go to the Jewish state.
Those who do not will be Germans, Britons, Americans or
members of any other nation, but definitely not Jews.
In the Zionist school in Palestine we were taught that the
essence of Zionism is the negation of the Diaspora (called
Exile in Hebrew). Not just the physical negation, but the
mental, too. Not only the demand that every single Jew
come to the Land of Israel, but also a total repudiation
of all forms of Jewish life in Exile, their culture and
their language (Yiddish/Jewish). The absolutely worst
thing we could say about anybody was to call them an
"Exile Jew". Herzl's own writings exude, in places, a
strongly anti-Semitic odor.
And lo and behold, "Zionist" Israel is embracing the
Diaspora, loving the Diaspora, kissing the Diaspora. The
Zionist executive is sending emissaries to the Jewish
communities throughout the world in order to reinforce
their "Jewish culture".
The leaders of the "Zionist state" depend to a large
extent upon the Diaspora and use it for their own
purposes. The Exile-Jewish AIPAC ensures the subjection of
the US Congress to the will of the Israeli government. The
"Anti-Defamation League" (which should more properly be
called the "Defamation League") is terrorizing the
American media in order to prevent any criticism of
Israeli policy. In the past, the United Jewish Appeal was
essential for the economic wellbeing of Israel.
For years, the foreign policy of Israel has been based
upon the power of the Jewish "exile" community in the US.
Every country, from Egypt to Uzbekistan, knew that if it
wanted aid from the American Congress, it had first of all
to acquire the support of Israel. In order to get access
to the American Sultan, they first had to get past the
Israeli gatekeeper.
What has all this to do with Zionism? What has remained of
Zionism, except the historical fact that the Zionist
movement has given birth to Israel? Empty platitudes, and
an instrument for achieving quite different objectives.
Inside our political system, Zionism serves various and
contradictory aims. If one speaks in Israel of "Zionism",
one means "not Arab". A "Zionist" state means a state in
which non-Jewish citizens cannot be full partners. Eighty
percent of Israel's citizens (the Jews) are telling the
other twenty percent (the Arabs): The state belongs to us,
not to you.
The state constructs settlements in the occupied
territories because it is Zionist. It builds in East
Jerusalem because it is Zionist. It discriminates against
its Arab citizens in almost every field because it is
Zionist. There is no dastardly act that cannot be wrapped
in the Zionist flag. If Dr. Samuel Johnson were living in
Israel today, he would say "Zionism is the last refuge of
a scoundrel".
The "Zionist left" is also waving this flag in order to
show how patriotic it is. In the past, it used it mainly
to keep its distance from the radical left, which was
fighting against the occupation and for the two-state
solution. Nowadays, after the "Zionist left" has itself
adopted this program, it continues to wave the Zionist
flag in order to differentiate itself from the "Arab"
parties. In the name of Zionism, the "Zionist Left"
continues to reject any possibility of including the Arab
parties in a future government coalition. This is an act
of self-mutilation, since it prevents in advance any
possibility of the "left" returning to power. That's
simple arithmetic. As a result, the "Zionist left" has
practically disappeared.
The way the Israeli right is using the Zionist flag is far
more dangerous. In their hands, it has turned into a
banner of pure hate.
For years now, the plague of "talkbackists" has been
spreading. The immense majority of the talkbackists belong
to the extreme right and express themselves in a style
reminiscent of the darkest periods of the last century.
The appellation "traitor" for leftists is the most
moderate in this lexicon, and the demand for their
execution has become quite commonplace. (When my name
happens to be mentioned on one of the websites, it
routinely draws behind it a train of dozens, and sometimes
more than a hundred talkback epithets spewing pure
hatred.)
The words "handing me over to the foreigner" are the most
serious accusation in Jewish tradition. "The moser" (he
who hands over) was a Jew who betrayed another Jew to the
gentile authorities and deserved death. It was precisely
this accusation that sealed the fate of Yitzhak Rabin.
Lately, this has become the main accusation hurled by
Israeli fascists against the left. Recently, an extreme
campaign of incitement was launched against the New Israel
Fund, a US-based institution that supports many leftist
NGOs in Israel. The fund is accused of financing
organizations that "helped Judge Goldstone", the
"anti-Semitic Jew" who is spreading despicable lies
against the Zionist State. (Disclosure: the organization I
am active in, Gush Shalom, which is also uncovering war
crimes, never received a dime.)
Anat Kam, a soldier who "stole" secret documents from the
army command and helped the Israeli newspaper Haaretz to
expose a war crime, was also accused of "serving the
enemy". She has been indicted for "aggravated espionage",
a crime bearing a life sentence.
"Traitors", "Enemy Agents", "Destroyers of the
Fatherland", "Knife in the back" - these epithets are
becoming part of the mainstream discourse in Israel. One
should not dismiss them.
Not so long ago, just such language led to historic
tragedies in Europe.
International
India,
Afghanistan discuss Taliban, regional security
Agency, Delhi
Afghan President Hamid Karzai held talks with Indian
leaders on Monday about his efforts to reach out to the
Taliban for a negotiated settlement of the nine-year old
conflict in his country.
New Delhi fears any Afghan plan to broker a deal with the
Taliban will undermine its security and give rival
Pakistan greater influence there. Pakistan, one of a
handful of countries that recognised the Taliban regime
before the U.S. invasion in 2001, is seen as a key player
in any plan for reconciliation.
"We discussed... reintegration and reconciling of those
elements of the Taliban and others who have accepted the
Afghan Constitution, who are not part of al Qaeda, who are
not part of any terrorist network," Karzai said after
talks with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Karzai has proposed a plan to reintegrate low-level
fighters back into Afghan society and also sought to
reconcile with senior insurgents provided they give up
weapons.
An immediate breakthrough is unlikely, analysts say,
pointing to previous offers to re-integrate fighters that
failed to make much progress. The Taliban have also
rejected any offer of talks saying foreign forces must
first leave Afghanistan. "The prime minister and I
discussed the situation in Afghanistan, the situation in
the region and our common struggle against terrorism and
extremism," Karzai said reading from a statement.
Karzai will be travelling to Bhutan on Tuesday to attend a
regional summit where the prime ministers of India and
Pakistan will also be present and could meet, Indian
Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna said on Monday.
"I am not ruling it out," the state-run Doordarshan
channel quoted him as saying in Thimphu, the capital of
Bhutan, of a possible meeting between the leaders of India
and Pakistan.
The rivalry between India and Pakistan has extended to
Afghanistan where the two are battling for influence.
New Delhi saw a militant attack on a Kabul guest house
that killed six Indians in February as a signal of efforts
to reduce New Delhi's influence in Afghanistan. It was the
third major attack against Indian interests in two years.
"I conveyed to President Karzai that the perpetrators of
such attacks will not succeed in undermining India's
commitment to assist the Afghan people," Singh said in his
statement.
Pakistan denies any involvement and in turn accuses India
of using Afghan territory to destabilise its troubled
Baluchistan region.
New Delhi has several developmental projects in
Afghanistan, including construction of power lines and
highways worth $1.3 billion.
PML-Q to table 19th
amendment in parliament
Dawn Online, Islamabad
The Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) has announced that it
will table the 19th constitutional amendment in parliament
because it wants to do away with the clauses of the 18th
Amendment on which it expressed its reservations.
Addressing a press conference here on Sunday, PML-Q
president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain said the ruling
coalition should avoid repeating the mistakes it made
while formulating and approving the 18th amendment. It
should create a national consensus in an effort to resolve
the problems of price hike and loadshedding.
Mr Shujaat said that it was surprising that a party that
had launched a countrywide campaign for independence of
the judiciary had backtracked from its earlier position.
He said that if parliament passed a bill to change the
name of Pakistan, it would be against the ideology of
Pakistan and the apex court was the body to strike it
down.
Mr Hussain said after the approval of the 18th amendment,
the people were still confused on some clauses about which
his party had registered reservations by notes of dissent
on at least four clauses; however, their reservations were
overlooked by the ruling elite.
Mr Hussain opposed the deletion of clause 17(4) of the
Constitution and hand put up an amendment in the Senate
before passage of the 18th amendment, saying that
so-called democratic parties had amazingly joined hands to
continue autocracy within political parties by bypassing
intra-party elections.
He said that the third amendment was about Article 61
insertion of which had opened vistas of parliament on
corrupt and dishonest elements, by decreasing punishment
for corrupt has enabled corrupt to hold public offices
which was against principles of sanity.
Pak SC directs Petroleum
Ministry in LNG case
Dawn Online, Islamabad
Pakistan Supreme Court on Monday suggested the government
to reconsider a multi-billion dollar contract for LNG
import.
A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar
Muhammad Chaudhry asked the Secretary Petroleum to consult
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and inform the court if
the Economic Coordination Committee could reconsider the
LNG import contract.
However, the Chief Justice made it clear that this was not
a court order but just a suggestion for the government.
The Supreme Court took suo motto notice of the case after
a newspaper claimed that the Ministry of Petroleum ignored
the lowest bidder in awarding a contract of 3.5 million
tons of LNG import.
However, S. M. Zafar, who appeared on behalf of the
Ministry of Petroleum, rejected the claim, and said that
the reporter was misled by some vested interests.
He also rejected the allegations that the National
Exchequer would loose US$ 1 billion due to awarding a
contract to the French Company.
Territorial integrity,
security paramount: Indian Army chief
ANI, Srinagar
Chief of Indian Army Staff (COAS), General Vijay Kumar
Singh, has said territorial integrity and security is
paramount for the country"s armed forces.
Undertaking a maiden three-day visit of Jammu and Kashmir
as army chief earlier this week, General Singh
acknowledged that the Kashmir Valley and other remote
regions of the State are affected by terrorism, and
therefore, there was a need to pursue a policy of
proactive engagement in synergy with the state police, the
paramilitary forces, the state and central governments.
He said this would ensure the complete eradication of
terrorism.
General Singh said the armed forces would not hesitate to
aggressively engage infiltrators from across the border,
and added, that every effort would be made to prevent the
terrorist leadership from reviving terrorism in the state.
He said he was quite aware of the harsh conditions under
which the troops were operating, and supported all
initiatives that would strengthen their efforts to face
the challenges to national security.
General Singh said the army is ready to face all
contingencies to safeguard the security and interests of
the people of the state.
Having commanded a unit and a division in the Kashmir
Valley and also holding the post of Chief of Staff of the
Srinagar-based strategic Chinar Corps, General Singh chose
to visit the sector on his maiden visit as COAS.
He ruled out a dilution of the Armed Forces Special Powers
Act, saying it would adversely affect the army"s
operations in the Kashmir Valley and other sensitive areas
of the state.
India, Pakistan PMs to hold talks in
Bhutan this week
AFP, Thimpu
The prime ministers of India and Pakistan will hold talks
at a conference in Bhutan this week, officials in New
Delhi said Monday, as the rival nations inch towards
resuming their peace dialogue.
The proposed meeting between Manmohan Singh and Yousuf
Raza Gilani, on the sidelines of a two-day summit of the
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC),
is ostensibly over a water-sharing row.
"As of now there is a move for them to discuss the water
dispute, but what comes up during the dialogue only time
will tell," a senior official in Singh's office told AFP.
The dispute dates back to 1984, when India began building
a dam affecting a river shared by the two countries.
The summit in the Bhutanese capital Thimpu opening
Wednesday is supposed to culminate in a declaration
entitled "Towards a Green and Happy South Asia", but
attention will likely focus on bitter relations between
Pakistan and India.
India broke off all dialogue with neighbouring Pakistan
after the 2008 Mumbai attacks, which killed at least 166
people and which New Delhi blamed on Pakistan-based
militants.
A tentative resumption occurred in February when top
foreign ministry bureaucrats met in Delhi, but talks ended
with India insisting full talks would require Pakistan to
bring those responsible for the Mumbai carnage to justice.
Nepal Maoists call
indefinite general strike from May 2
IANS, Kathmandu
In an echo of the days when they were an underground
banned party, Nepal's former Maoist guerrillas Monday
announced an indefinite general strike from May 2 in the
Himalayan republic.
Calling it the 'third people's movement', Maoist chief and
former prime minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda said
his party had chosen it as a last resort in a bid to keep
the flagging peace process and task of writing a new
constitution alive.
The ruling parties were seeking to derail the tasks and
seek to dissolve parliament where the Maoists are now the
largest party, he said.
Prachanda said the shutdown would continue till the
government met his party's demands.
The former rebels are seeking to ensure lasting peace in
war-torn Nepal and a new constitution, Prachanda said.
Meanwhile, with Nepal's Maoist guerrillas announcing a
show of might on May 1 followed by an indefinite general
strike nationwide, a concerned European Union has asked
the former rebels not to trigger a crisis.
The ambassadors of EU nations Denmark, Finland, France,
Germany, Great Britain and the European Union met Maoist
chief and former prime minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal
Prachanda Monday along with the ambassadors of Norway and
Switzerland.
Expressing concern at the lack of progress in the peace
process and at the raised political tensions, the
delegation has asked the Maoist chief to show flexibility
and make concessions in order to avoid a crisis. A
statement issued by them said they were deeply concerned
at the demonstration planned for May 1 and the impact on
the economy and tourism the general strike threatened from
May 2 would have.
Thai pro-govt supporters
call for martial law
AFP, Bangkok
Thailand's elite-backed "Yellow Shirts" called on Monday
for a state of martial law to end anti-government protests
as the rival "Red Shirts" blocked police convoys heading
to the strife-torn capital.
The Yellows have said they will take action to "protect
the country" if authorities do not deal with the thousands
of anti-government Reds in the capital, stoking fears of
factional violence.
Thailand's revered king spoke on television for the first
time since the protests broke out in mid-March, addressing
a group of newly appointed judges. He did not address the
ongoing crisis.
"Do your job with honesty. In this country there may be
some people who forget their duty. You should be an
example by working honestly and properly, your job is very
important," King Bhumibol Adulyadej told the judges.
Thailand's opposition has asked for an audience with the
82-year-old king, who has intervened in previous bouts of
civil unrest. Twenty-six people have been killed and
almost 1,000 injured in the capital this month in
Thailand's bloodiest street violence in almost two
decades.
The Reds are on alert for a crackdown by security forces
on their fortified camp in the heart of Bangkok, where
tensions remain high after a grenade attack late Sunday on
the house of a former premier injured 11 people.
The movement, seeking immediate elections to replace a
government it sees as elitist and undemocratic, said it
would launch nationwide action to stop troops from
travelling to the capital, which is under a state of
emergency.
"Reds everywhere will stop police and army from coming to
Bangkok," said one senior leader, Nattawut Saikuar.
Hundreds of security forces have been detained in a series
of incidents, mainly in the northern stronghold of the
Reds, mostly supporters of ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra
who was ousted in a 2006 coup.
East
Jerusalem construction frozen
AP, Jerusalem
The Israeli government has imposed a de facto freeze on
new Jewish construction in the city's disputed eastern
sector despite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's public
insistence it would not be stopped in the face of U.S.
pressure, Jerusalem municipal officials said Monday.
The apparent freeze would likely reflect Netanyahu's need
to mend a serious rift with the U.S. over Israeli
construction on lands the Palestinians claim for a future
state, and to bring the Palestinians back to the
negotiating table. However, it remained unclear if the
slowdown actually constituted a moratorium or how long it
would last.
An Israeli government official claimed a weekslong delay
in reviewing plans for new construction was a bureaucratic
issue and not evidence of a freeze. But the fact that new
plans are not going ahead dovetails with signs that the
Palestinians might ease their demand that the contentious
construction stop before they resume peace talks.
Jerusalem Councilman Meir Margalit of the dovish Meretz
Party said top Jerusalem officials intimately involved
with construction projects told him Netanyahu's office
ordered a freeze after Israel infuriated Washington last
month by announcing a major new east Jerusalem housing
development during a visit by U.S. Vice President Joe
Biden.
Palestinians claim that sector of the city as their future
capital and after word of the project got out, they called
off indirect peace talks that the U.S. was about to start
brokering.
Russian company selling
cruise missile in a shipping box
ANI, London
A Russian company's decision to market a cruise missile
that can be launched from a shipping container, has led
defence experts to warn of a new danger of ballistic
weapons proliferation.
It is feared that the covert Club-K missile attack system
could prove "game-changing" in fighting wars with small
countries, which would gain a remote capacity to mount
multiple missiles on boats, trucks or railways.
According to The Telegraph, Iran and Venezuela have
already shown an interest in the Club-K Container Missile
System.
Defence experts say the system is designed to be concealed
as a standard 40 foot shipping container that cannot be
identified until it is activated.
Priced at an estimated 10-million-pounds, each container
is fitted with four cruise anti-ship or land attack
missiles. The system represents an affordable "strategic
level weapon". Club-K is being marketed at the Defence
Services Asia exhibition in Malaysia this week. Novator,
the manufacturer, is an advanced missile specialist that
would not have marketed the system without Moscow"s
approval.
Obama seeks to recapture
2008 magic in November
Reuters, Washington
U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday launched an effort
to get voters who propelled him to victory in 2008 to
rally behind Democrats and help turn back Republican
challengers in November congressional elections.
Obama, in a video message distributed to his supporters,
formally leaped into the election campaigns for November
in which Democrats are trying to protect their strong
majorities in the U.S. House of Representatives and the
Senate.
Democratic fortunes have sagged in recent months and most
political analysts believe Republicans are poised to make
major gains in November.
Obama rode to victory in 2008 with the benefit of millions
of first-time voters who had not been involved in
politics. He is seeking to recapture that grass-roots
appeal for his party this year, specifically reaching out
to young people, African-Americans, Latinos and women.
Energizing voters is a potentially difficult step because
Obama's name is not on the ballot in November and voter
turnout in non-presidential election years is typically
much lower than in years when a presidential election is
held. In the video message distributed to 13 million
supporters by email, Obama said party loyalists were asked
a few months ago to help set priorities for 2010 and
provide advice on how best to win elections in November.
"You told us your first priority was to make sure the same
people who were inspired to vote for the first time in
2008 go back to the polls in 2010. So that's what we're
going to do," Obama said.
British ambassador escapes
explosion in Yemen
AP, San'a, Yemen
The British ambassador in Yemen narrowly escaped a suicide
attack Monday, when a young man in a school uniform
detonated his explosives belt near his armored car at a
poor neighborhood of San'a, officials said.
The attack - the first such suicide bombing in the capital
in a year - raised questions over the Yemeni government's
U.S.-backed campaign against al-Qaida militants, who have
found a haven in parts of the mountainous, impoverished
nation where the central government's control is weak.
Washington has dramatically stepped up counterterrorism
aid to San'a over the past year, warning that al-Qaida's
offshoot in Yemen has become a global threat, particularly
after it claimed responsibility for the failed Christmas
Day attempt to bomb an American jet liner heading for
Detroit.
A British Embassy spokeswoman said the ambassador, Timothy
Torlot, was unhurt in the attack Monday morning, which
wounded three bystanders, including a woman.
The ambassador's vehicle was passing through the
impoverished San'a district of Noqm when the explosion
went off nearby, the Interior Ministry said in a
statement.
BASIC countries want
legally binding climate change agreement
IANS, Cape Town
India, China, Brazil and South Africa Monday called for
finalising a legally binding treaty on reduction of carbon
emission latest by 2011 and indicated that the world could
not wait indefinitely.
The third meeting of BASIC (Brazil, South Africa, India
and China) ministers concluded in Cape Town April 25. The
meeting was cut short by a day as Indian Environment
Minister Jairam Ramesh had to leave early.
'The ministers noted news reports that domestic
legislation in the US had been postponed and indicated
that the world could not wait indefinitely, as it hinders
our ability to reach an internationally legally binding
agreement,' said a joint statement released here Monday.
The statement said the ministers feel that a legally
binding outcome should be concluded during climate change
meet at Cancun, Mexico in 2010, or at the latest in South
Africa by 2011.
'Developing countries strongly support international
legally binding agreements, as the lack of such agreements
hurts developing countries more than developed countries,'
it said.
The ministers said that negotiations should follow a
two-pronged approach. One track is on long-term
cooperative action to combat climate change. The other is
for developed countries to commit to what extent they will
reduce their greenhouse gas emissions after 2012, when the
current commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol runs out.
The ministers were of the view that it will not be
possible to deal with mitigation actions by developing
countries, without also dealing with support for those
actions and the two-fold commitments by developed
countries to both provide finance for developing countries
and reduce their own emissions.
U.S., Russia say need
spirit of WW2 trust to build ties
Reuters, Moscow
U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian counterpart Dmitry
Medvedev said on Sunday their nations need the spirit of
mutual trust they enjoyed during World War Two to build
true partnership.
The two leaders issued a joint statement marking the 65th
anniversary of Soviet troops and their American allies
meeting at the Elbe River near the German town of Torgau,
a few days before the final defeat of Nazi Germany.
"The atmosphere of mutual trust and shared commitment to
victory, which accompanied the historic handshake at the
Elbe, is especially called for today when Russia and the
United States are building a partnership for the sake of a
stable and prosperous world," said the statement published
by the Kremlin.
"We are convinced that, acting in the 'spirit of the Elbe'
on an equitable and constructive basis, we can
successfully tackle any tasks facing our nations and
effectively deal with the challenges of the new
millennium."
Obama made a priority of trying to "reset" relations with
Moscow that hit a post-Cold War low during Russia's 2008
war with Georgia.
Earlier this month Russia and the United State signed a
landmark nuclear arms reduction pact, a crucial element of
Obama's high-profile push to curtail the global nuclear
threat.
Medvedev has said he and Obama have "changed the
atmosphere" in Russian-U.S. ties.
Late Poland president's
twin runs to replace him
AP, Warsaw, Poland
Polish opposition party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski said
Monday he will run in summer elections to replace his twin
brother, the incumbent president who was killed in a plane
crash. Law and Justice party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski,
60, said he will run to continue the mission of his
brother and others killed in the crash.
"The good of Poland is a common duty that requires an
ability to overcome personal suffering, to undertake the
task despite a personal tragedy," Kaczynski said in a
written statement.
"This is why I have taken the decision to run for the
president of Poland. I have the family's support in this
decision," said Kaczynski, who served as prime minister in
2006-2007.
The elections were moved up to June 20 after President
Lech Kaczynski, his wife Maria and 94 others - including
top civilian and military leaders - were killed April 10
in Smolensk, Russia, en route to World War II observances.
They were to pay respect to some 22,000 Polish officers
killed in 1940 by the Soviet secret security in the Katyn
forest and in other places.
George W. Bush to release
memoir on November 9
Reuters, New York
George W. Bush, whose presidency was marked by the
September 11 attacks and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,
will release a memoir on November 9, his publisher said on
Monday. The book, "Decision Points," will center on 14
decisions Bush made in his eight years as president,
including "his flaws and mistakes, as well as his historic
achievements," The Crown Publishing Group said in a
statement.
Bush will do a national tour to promote the book, which
will sell for $35, said Crown, a Random House imprint,
which is part of the German media giant Bertelsmann AG.
The former Texas governor left the White House in January
2009 with one of the lowest presidential approval ratings
in history, with the unpopular wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan and the financial crisis weighing on his
legacy.
"President Bush brings readers inside the Texas Governor's
Mansion on the night of the hotly contested 2000 election;
aboard Air Force One on 9/11 in the gripping hours after
America's most devastating attack since Pearl Harbor;
inside the Situation Room in the moments before launching
the war in Iraq," said the publisher.
Bush also writes about "his historic and controversial
decisions on the financial crisis, Hurricane Katrina,
Afghanistan, Iran, and other issues that have shaped the
first decade of the 21st century."
Business/Economy
Bhutan
can be a prospective market for Bangladeshi products
BSS, Thimphu
Entrepreneurship on the part of Bangladeshi businesses
kept untapped Bangladesh-Bhutan economic links with
current trade balance largely favouring the landlocked
Himalayan kingdom, Bhutanese officials said here Monday.
"It appears that Bangladeshi businessmen consider Bhutan
to an insignificant market despite huge prospects of their
products in our country," the economic affairs secretary
of the landlocked Himalayan kingdom Sonam Tshering told
BSS.
He added that Bhutan could be a very prospective market of
Bangladeshi products like construction materials along
electronic accessories while Thimphu currently imported
products including readymade garments, ceramics and shoes
against its exports of fruits and minerals.
But with the channeling the two items alone, Bhutan's
current export to Bangladesh now sands for US $25 million
while its imports on the other hand is only $3 million,
while Tshering bluntly said Indian businesses were filling
up the vacuum in Bhutanese market despite the wider
geographic distances compared to Bangladesh.
The senior Bhutanese comments came as the heads of
governments of the eight-nation South Asian Association
for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) were set to take a
decision to implement the much talked about SAFTA, the
regional free trade agreement, in their attempts to reduce
the existing trade gaps between themselves.
Bangladesh officials in their diplomatic mission in Bhutan
admitted that scenario but said things appeared to be
changing slowly with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's maiden
official tour to Thimphu five months ago when the two
countries signed a transit protocol also allowing Thimphu
to use Bangladesh's ports ad a trade agreement under which
18 Bhutanese products would get duty free access to
Bangladesh market.
Bangladeshi and Bhutanese officials said the formal trade
relations between the two countries began in 1978 while by
1988 the trade volume was worth $1 million, which now
stood at $27 million, though largely in favour of the
Himalayan Kingdom.
Tshering, however, appreciated the developments in recent
months ad proposed the opening of a second land route from
Haluaghat of Bangladesh's Mymensingh district with Eastern
Bhutan alongside the current road links from Burimari of
Lalmonirhat with western Bhutan for enhanced trade links.
He said the understanding reached between the two
countries allowing Thimphu to use the Mongla Port facility
would reduce Thimphu's dependence on India's Kolkata Port
alone while it would enable Bangladesh earn a huge revenue
to reduce the existing trade gaps.
The Bhutanese official also said off late discussions were
floated for direct bus services between Dhaka and Thimphu
and expected the increased connectivity through the
service would expand bilateral trade links along with
cultural connectivity. "Currently, the Burimari is the
only point in your country to link our Phuentsholing in
western Bhutan while another road link between your
Haluaghat and our eastern part could intensify the trade
links . . . the proposed bus service could greatly help
ensure the cherished connectivity," Tshering said.
Malaysia
keen to invest in power, telecom sectors
BSS, Dhaka
The visiting Malaysian business delegation Monday
expressed keen interest to invest in communication,
telecommunication and power sectors in Bangladesh.
They showed the interest at a meeting of the Bangladesh-
Malaysia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BMCCI) held at
a local hotel. President of Federation of Bangladesh
Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) Annisul Haque
and BMCCI President Syed Moazzem Hossain addressed the
meeting, among others.
The FBCCI president highlighted the present investment
opportunities and incentives offered by the Bangladesh
government.
He urged the Malaysian investors to come forward to invest
in the infrastructure development sector in Bangladesh.
The BMCCI president gave the assurance of extending all
sorts of cooperation to the Malaysian business mission for
investment either in joint collaboration with local
entrepreneurs or in 100% foreign ownership on built,
operate and own (BOO) or built, operate and transfer (BOT)
basis.
The eight-member Malaysian business mission arrived in the
city earlier in the day on a three-day visit to explore
the possibilities of business opportunities in
infrastructure development and related services including
construction of rail line, roads, highways and bridges.
The mission will hold meetings with the communication
minister, the chairman of Board of Investment and leaders
of different chamber bodies.
US home sales data lifts recovery sentiment,
Asian markets
AFP, Hong Kong
Investors in Asia on Monday welcomed housing data out of
the United States, which boosted confidence that a
recovery in the world's biggest economy was on track.
However, concerns over Greece's debt crisis lingered
despite the government formally asking for a
multi-billion-dollar loan to help it avoid a default.
Washington on Friday released estimates showing sales of
newly constructed single-family homes jumped nearly 27
percent month on month in March, the biggest surge in 50
years, a dealer said.
The figure was also up nearly 24 percent from March 2009,
according to the Census Bureau and the Department of
Housing and Urban Development data. The news lifted Wall
Street, which in turn gave impetus to Asian markets. Tokyo
surged 2.30 percent, or 251.33 points, to 11,165.79 and
Hong Kong ended 1.61 percent higher, adding 342.57 points,
to 21,587.06
"The positive economic data in the United States on the
new home sales for March boosted optimism for economic
recovery," Victor Shum, a Singapore-based analyst with the
Purvin and Gertz energy consultancy, told AFP. Sydney was
closed for a public holiday.
Japanese exporters were sent higher by a weaker yen as
dealers moved into riskier assets due to strong stock
prices. Toshiba surged 2.44 percent, Sony gained 1.54
percent and Canon was 3.53 percent higher.
Toyota surged 3.36 percent on a report in the Nikkei
business daily saying the company would see an annual
profit instead of the loss previously forecast. The dollar
was trading at 94.22 yen in Tokyo afternoon trade, after
rising to a three-week high of 94.37 earlier after 93.97
in New York late Friday.
The European unit, which shot as high as 1.34 dollars
briefly in New York on Friday as Greece officially
requested a rescue package from the European Union and
International Monetary Fund, fell back in Asia on Monday.
It was quoted at 1.3376 dollars in Tokyo morning trade,
down from 1.3384 dollars in New York late Friday.
Dealers remained wary of the euro after Athens requested a
45-billion-euro (60-billion-dollar) rescue from the EU and
IMF.
The country hopes to get the package in place before a May
19 deadline to pay bondholders more than eight billion
euros, which if it misses could prove a crippling default.
"Greece's requesting aid is not a positive lead in itself.
The point is whether the loan will be implemented smoothly
or whether Greece can achieve fiscal rehabilitation," he
said.
Greece to announce new deficit-cutting steps
after EU-IMF talks
AFP, Athens
Greece will announce new steps to slash its public deficit
at the conclusion of ongoing talks with a joint mission
from the European Union, the European Central Bank and the
International Monetary Fund, the finance minister said on
Monday.
"This is a direction to which we subscribe and translates
into specific measures and policies which will be
announced as soon as the procedure is completed," Greek
Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou said in a
statement. He added that Athens had a "shared" goal with
the mission currently in the Greek capital to finalise the
details of a support loan worth some 45 billion euros (60
billion dollars).
"Our shared approach is simple, that Greece must
drastically cut its deficits in coming years, check its
debt and make all structural adjustments to render the
Greek economy more competitive," he said.
Greece has set itself the unprecedented task of slashing
its public deficit to 8.7 percent of output this year. The
European Commission last week estimated the deficit at
13.6 percent.
It is also labouring to reduce its public debt from its
current level of nearly 300 billion euros, but its efforts
have been severely undermined by steeply rising borrowing
costs as investors fear a Greek default is looming.
Oil price not hampering economic recovery :
Kuwait
AFP, Kuwait City
Kuwait Oil Minister Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah al-Sabah said on
Monday that current oil prices of 75 to 85 dollars a
barrel do not hamper the global economic recovery.
"So far in 2010, we have witnessed a stable level of oil
prices at between 75 and 85 dollars a barrel," the
minister told the opening session of the 18th Middle East
Petroleum and Gas Conference. "This price will not create
hurdles for the world economic recovery," said Sheikh
Ahmad.
Oil prices extended gains in Asian trade Monday after a
rise in US home sales stoked optimism for a firmer rebound
in the world's biggest economy, analysts said.
New York's main contract, light sweet crude for delivery
in June, rose 41 cents to 85.53 dollars a barrel.Brent
North Sea crude for June was up 35 cents to 87.60 dollars.
The Kuwaiti minister, whose country is OPEC's fourth
largest exporter, said the OPEC cartel will step in to
raise output if oil prices soar above 100 dollars a
barrel.
Sheikh Ahmad said Kuwait will continue to invest in crude
capacity increases to reach its target of four million
barrels per day by 2020. "Our current production capacity
is 3.1 million bpd and if compared with our quota of about
2.2 million bpd, it means we have a capacity surplus of
around one million bpd," he said.
The minister said Kuwait is targeting 3.5 million bpd in
2015 and four million bpd by 2020 and "we plan to sustain
it until 2030."
Kuwait, which discovered non-associated natural gas for
the first time in 2006, is still on target to produce one
billion cubic feet (28 million cubic meters) per day of
non-associated, or free gas in 2016.
The emirate currently produces around 140 million cubic
feet per day of non-associated gas, but this is way behind
its original target for 2010 of 200 million cubic feet per
day. As a result, Kuwait in February signed a technical
service agreement with Shell to develop its difficult free
gas reserves.
Sheikh Ahmad said Kuwait "encourages other IOCs
(international oil companies) to follow the Shell
example," adding that the emirate is in talks with a
number of oil majors and hopes to make an announcement
shortly. The chief executive officer of Kuwait Petroleum
Corp. (KPC) Saad al-Shuwayeb told reporters that Kuwait
also produces one billion cubic feet of associated gas
alongside its crude oil output.
But despite its abundant reserves, the emirate still has a
gas shortfall due to rising domestic power consumption and
started to import liquefied natural gas by vessel in
significant quantities at the beginning of April.
It plans to import an average 500 million cubic feet per
day of LNG until the end of October, according to Shuwayeb.
Developing countries get more say in WB
functioning
BSS/PTI, Washington
Emerging economies, including China and India, were given
a greater voice at the World Bank, as member nations
approved a slight shift of voting shares in favour of
developing countries, while agreeing to raise more money
for global aid.
The World Bank and The International Monetary Fund (IMF)
concluded their annual spring meeting here by increasing
the voting rights of India, China and Brazil, among
others, thus giving them more say in the institutions'
functioning.
This represents a total shift of 4.59 per cent to
developing and transition countries since 2008, the IMF
and the World Bank said in a joint communique after the
meeting.
As a result, India's voting power increased from 2.77 per
cent to 2.91 per cent while China whose rights increased
from 2.77 per cent to 4.42 per cent was the biggest
benefactor.
The shift places India at the seventh biggest place after
the United States (15.85 per cent), Japan (6.84 per cent),
China, Germany (4 per cent), France (3.75 per cent) and
the United Kingdom (3.75 per cent).
"The change in voting-power helps us better reflect the
realities of a new multi-polar global economy where
developing countries are now key global players," said
World Bank President Robert B Zoellick.
The change gives emerging nations more say in how the bank
is run and how its funds are disbursed. "This change in
voting share, giving developing countries over 47 per
cent, is a significant step," he told reporters here,
hoping shareholders will review the approach in 2015.
Membership of the financial institution gives certain
voting rights that are the same for all countries, but
there are additional votes which depend on a country's
financial contributions to the organisation.
Zoellick said at a time when multilateral agreements
between developed and developing countries have proved
elusive, this accord is all the more significant.
This increase fulfills the Development Committee
commitment in Istanbul in October 2009 to generate a
significant increase of at least 3 percentage points in
Developing and Transition Countries (DTCs) voting power
"We, in calculating this, looked at size of the world
economy, using purchasing power but also exchange rate
measures, but also, as a development institution, the
contribution to development including the contribution to
IDA, our fund for the poorest".
The governments also approved over USD 90 billion in extra
money for the World Bank's various arms that provide aid
and capital to member countries.
Zoellick said the shift in voting powers was designed to
try to reflect past contributions, citing the example of
Japan that has been "a very gracious contributor".
EU president sees eurozone stability despite
Greek debt woes
AFP, Tokyo
The European Union will maintain eurozone stability
despite the Greek debt crisis, EU president Herman Van
Rompuy said on Monday.Speaking in Japan, he said Greece's
budgetary difficulties had provided a stern test for the
27-nation grouping but it would emerge intact.
"My impression is that, although our troubles are far from
being over, I am convinced that we shall maintain the
stability of the eurozone," he said in a speech at Kobe
University.
The head of the IMF, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, said at the
weekend he was keen to accelerate a joint aid package with
the eurozone for Greece that could see Athens receive up
to 45 billion euros (60 billion dollars).
But Germany has been much less enthusiastic to rush to
Greece's aid with an unpopular bailout weeks before a key
regional election on May 9.
Van Rompuy said the Greek crisis was "a situation not
foreseen when the rules of the monetary union were
defined". "But step by step the Union and Greece will
overcome the situation," he said. "The euro area member
states and European institutions have agreed on a common
framework to provide support to Greece. This, in itself,
is no small achievement." Athens is scrambling to get the
EU and IMF package in place ahead of a May 19 deadline to
pay bondholders more than eight billion euros, leaving
only a small window to act or face a crippling default.
Greece has seen its cost of borrowing soar as investors,
fearing default, have demanded greater risk premiums for
their loans, which in turn has pushed the country's debt
even higher.
Last week Greece was hit by a gloomy EU revision of its
deficit, and a new debt ratings downgrade despite its
insistence it can meet its fiscal targets.
Japan to
search seafloors for rare metals
AFP, Tokyo
Japan plans to scour the seafloors in its exclusive
economic zone for rare metals needed in high-tech products
in a drive that may irritate Asian rival China, a report
said Monday.
Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's cabinet is expected to
approve as early as June the national strategy on securing
undersea resources, the Kyodo News agency reported, citing
a copy of the government document.
Japan and its Asian rivals are scrambling to secure rare
metals needed for a range of products from fuel-efficient
hybrid cars and batteries to cellphones and liquid crystal
display televisions.
Last year the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and
Technology announced plans to send robotic submarines to
study areas near seabed volcanos, where so-called
hydrothermal vents belch out minerals.
Experts believe exploiting those remote and hard-to-reach
deposits will become feasible despite the huge technical
challenges and expense, as certain minerals become more
scarce worldwide.
National
Massive farming of fingerlings,
fish in rice fields begins to combat poverty
BSS, Rangpur
The massive programme of farming 3.5 crore GIFT Tilapia
fingerlings in rice fields to produce 700 tonnes
additional fish worth Taka 11 crore this season has
already began in the country's 10 northern districts.
Rangpur-Dinajpur Rural Service (RDRS) has been
implementing the programme after the poor and marginal
farmers achieved success by producing 293 tonnes
additional fish and 1.2 crore fingerlings in rice fields
to improve their livelihoods last year.
RDRS with 11 partner organisations timely distributed
broods those are now producing quality fingerlings in Boro
rice fields to help the poor earning profits, tackling
poverty and meeting their nutrition demand by GIFT Tilapia
farming and selling fingerlings. The 3-year project of
'Enhancing Impacts of Decentralized (fish) Seed Production
(EIDSP)' funded by Department of International Development
(DFID) of the UK is being implemented and will be
completed by June 2011 in Bangladesh, India and Nepal.
This season, a total of 3.5 crore Tilapia fingerlings will
be produced involving 8,827 rice field farmers, who are
already successfully breeding Tilapia broods after recent
moderate rainfalls in their boro-rice fields during this
Boro season.
To make the programme successful, 2.3 lakh GIFT Tilapia
broods fish have been reared in cages by the Satellite
Brood Rearers at the community level and those were
distributed to the enrolled farmers for breeding in 790
hectares of rice fields.
The selected farmers have been developed small ditches in
boro rice fields and released the Tilapia broods from late
March to mid-April, and breeding will continue during
April- May when the farmers will start selling their
fingerlings.
Besides, the project has been supporting 709 seasonal pond
farmers for rearing the major carp's dhani (half-inch
sized fries) and 709 kg of dhani will be distributed among
them to produce more 3.5 million fingerlings
approximately.
Because of availability of the quality fingerlings at
community level, the farmers are becoming more interested
in culturing fish and requesting for more Tilapia broods
this time, Project Coordinator Sattyanarayan Roy of EIDSP
told BSS this afternoon.
He said that more than 3.5 lakh GIFT Tilapia fingerlings
worth Taka 4 crore will be produced during Boro season and
700 metric tonnes additional Tilapia fish worth Taka 7
crore in these districts before the T-Aman harvest this
year.
After completion of the project by the year 2011, a total
of 21,000 targeted farmers of these districts will produce
six crore GIFT Tilapia fingerlings and 6,000 tonnes
additional Tilapia fish worth Taka sixty crore annually,
he said.
Natural, manmade catastrophes trigger
fish species declining in NW region
BSS, Rajshahi
Various kinds of natural and manmade catastrophes have
been triggering the declining process of the open water
fisheries and aquatic resources everywhere in the
country's northwestern region.
Talking to BSS here, the fisheries scientists and
researchers revealed that the gradual environmental
degradation caused by the global warming and as well as
over fishing, over capacity and by- catch management have
been adjudged as the major reasons behind the declining
condition.
Prof Dr Altaf Hossain, a senior most teacher of Zoology
Department of Rajshahi University, mentioned that the
fisheries and aquatic resources are economically,
ecologically, culturally and aesthetically important to
the society and the nation as well.
Besides, he added that fisheries is one of the major sub-
sectors of agriculture, which play a dominant role in
nutrition contributing about 80 percent to the national
animal protein intakes, employment, earning foreig
currency and other areas of economy.
Referring to different research findings Prof Hossain said
the existing open water area including rivers, numerous
beels and floodplains, is gradually declining because of
flood control, drainage and irrigation project as well as
the adverse impact of Farakka barrage.
Likewise, the rapid population growth in the country and
the faster rate of expansion of agricultural, domestic,
irrigation and industrial activities for which water is
essential, frequently shifting priorities from inland
fisheries development to other uses. The stagnation in
fish production over the year is attributed mainly to a
gradual reduction of the total productions of inland
capture fisheries.
In spite of huge highly productive inland water area, the
continuing decrease in fish catch increasingly threatens
the livelihoods of numerous fishermen.
Meanwhile, Dr Hossain stated that the fish production from
the open water has declined due to many other factors like
water quality degradation by pollution, environmental
modification, fish diseases and high fishing pressure.
Environmental pollution by the pesticides is one of the
major causes for the reduction of open water fish
production. In this context, he mentioned around 5,000
tons of pesticides ultimately dissolved in the water of
crop lands, floodplains and drained into other water
bodies.
Kindergartens providing quality
education : Motahar
BSS, Rangpur
State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Motahar
Hossain MP has said that the private sector Kindergartens
have been providing quality education in producing worthy
citizens for the welfare of the society and the nation.
The government started distributing books among the
students of the Kindergartens from last year and more
steps would be taken for registrations of the institutions
and providing training to the Kindergarten teachers
throughout the country, he said.
He said this at a reception ceremony accorded to him and
views- exchange meting arranged by North Bengal
Kindergarten and Pre- Cadet School Society (NBKPCSS) at
Rangpur Zila School auditorium in the city Sunday.
Over 500 heads of different educational institutions from
all over eight districts of newly formed Rangpur division
took part in the ceremonies with President of the NBKPCSS
Alhaj Shah Mohammad Golzar Hossain in the chair.
Deputy Commissioner of Rangpur BM Enamul Haque was present
as the special guest.
Vice-president of the NBKPCSS Moinul Islam, its Secretary
General Mohammad Ali, heads of different government and
non- government educational institutions also addressed
the occasions. In his speech, the Sate Minister said that
the standard of education in the Kindergartens is more
improved than those of the government and registered
primary schools and the students are getting quality
educations in the Kindergartens.
Despite various constraints, the Kindergartens are being
run with the money being received from the guardians of
the students when the government is providing money for
the government and registered primary schools in the
country.
Motahar called upon the teachers' communities for working
with more sincerity and dedication to ensure quality
education in all educational institutions including
government and registered primary schools for producing
worthy citizens of the future.
CHT to get 80 pc govt
allocated fund to combat malaria
BSS, Khagrachari
The government has taken a five-year programme with an
outlay of Taka 280 crore to combat the prevalence rate of
Malaria, one of the most contagious disease from the
country.
Out of the total Taka 280 crore, 80 percent or Taka 224
crore will be allocated for the three hill tracks
districts where persist the high prevalence of this
mosquito-carrying disease for a long.
This was reveled here on yesterday at a discussion meeting
held at Shilpakala Academy auditorium as part of
programmes to mark the Malaria day.
Presided over by Acting Civil Surgeon of the district Dr
Ali Ashraf, the meeting was also addressed by Police Super
Abu Kalam Siddiq, Sadar Upazila Parishad Chairman Mohammed
Sane Alam, parishad member Bir Kishore Chakma Atol, Shahab
Uddin Mia and Poura Mayor Mohammed Anwar Hossain, among
others.
The day was observed in the district under the auspicious
of Khagrachari District Administration through org-anising
daylong massive programmes including rally, meeting and
fair at District Shilpakala Academy here.
A colourful rally brought out at the town led by Zila
Parishad Chairman Kujendra Lal Tripura this morning.
First software launched for
digitized Khasland management in Naogaon
BSS, Naogaon
The country's first digitized software has been launched
for modernized system of allocation and management of
agriculture khaslands in Naogaon keeping in view to build
Bangladesh a medium income country by 2021.
Naogaon district administration launched the software
yesterday at a function arra-nged in the conference room
of the Deputy Commissioner (DC) in presence of the
district and upazila level officials, UNOs, upazila
chairmen, professionals and journalists. Naogaon DC Ahsan
Habib Talukder formally launched the Database Software
evolved by Pankouri Software and Services under the
Khasland and Settlement Management Information System
Project of Naogaon district administration.
Programmer of the software Abdullah Al Rafi Chowdhury
elaborately narrated a series of advantages of the
Software that will enable preserving all information in
the Database of the Software about the Khasland of all 11
upazilas of the district.
The Software will ensure digitized systems for preserving
the lists of the landless people, identifying the
khaslands without any complexity for allocating those
among the deserving landless people preventing double
allocations for the beneficiaries.
It will also ease and expedite the whole process of
khasland allocations, reduce time for the process, help
implementing government decisions in allocating khaslands
in a easier way and ensure complete transparency and
accountability of the process.
Besides, the Software will help proper utilization of the
khaslands to assist the landless people getting their due
khaslands to change their socio-economic conditions and
achieve economic self-reliance and eradicating poverty in
the district.
"It is a step forward for the district in the process of
building a digital Bang-ladesh and a medium-income nation
by the year 2021 as envisioned by the present government
led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina," the DC said in his
speech.
Diarrhoea breaks out in epidemic
form
UNB, Narail
Diarrhoea has broken out in the district town and in rural
areas in an epidemic form.
Doctors said due to drought and scorching heat of the sun
the disease spread out alarmingly in the district. Huge
numbers of diarrhoea patients from far-flung areas are
coming to Sadar hospital daily. Sources said upazila
health complexes are full of diarrhoea patients most of
them are children.
Due to lack of accommodation in the diarrhoea ward of
Sadar hospital patients are being treated in the open
space under canopy. Even the hospital is facing problem to
treat the increasing number of patients due to acute
scarcity of oral saline packets and other necessary
medicines.
Local leaders urged the authority concerned to set up
health camps in different affected areas of the district
to treat the patients on emergency basis.
‘Exclusive breastfeeding can
reduce malnutrition’
UNB, Dhaka
There is no alternative to breastfeeding as exclusive
breastfeeding until the babies' six months of age can
greatly help reduce malnutrition, according to an expert
physician.
"Colostrums are the live vaccines for the children,"
director of the Institute of Public Health and Nutrition (IPHN),
Prof Dr Fatima Parveen Chowdhury told UNB.
She said mothers sho-uld start breastfeeding their babies
within one hour of birth and exclusively breastfeed the
child up to six months of age to keep their babies free
from malnutrition.
Dr Chowdhury noted that children after six months of age
should be given home made foods along with breastfeeding
for proper growth of their bodies.
Describing breastfeeding as the best source of babies'
nutrition, she said if the malnutrition problems could be
solved for the children, the budget for the health sector
would be reduced by 50 percent. "Only dissemination of
knowledge can solve some 50 percent of the nutrition
problems," she added.
The physician suggested that babies as well as adults
should not drink soft drinks as such soft drinks could
create obesity among the society.
Sports
Sheikh Russel blanks Farashganj 2-0
TBT report
Sheikh Russel Krira Chakra blanked Farashganj Sporting Club
2-0 in the Bangladesh Football League at Bangabandhu National
Stadium in Dhaka on Sunday.
With the first half ended goalless, Salah scored the first
goal for Sheikh Russel eight minutes after the break and then
Rajon scored yet another on 79 minutes to make the game safe
and ensure full points for Sheikh Russel.
Chittagong Mohamme-dan Sporting Club and Brothers Union played
out a 1-1 draw in the other match at MA Aziz Stadium in
Chittagong.
Brothers Union went ahead when Bentil hit the net 14 minutes
after the kick-off but the visitors were subdued against the
spirited display from the Chittagong team after the change of
ends. The hosts came back into the game with Amin scoring the
equalizer on 62 minutes.
Feni Soccer Club slumped to a 0-1 defeat against Muktijoddha
Sang-sad Krira Chakra at its own backyard.
Kanchan scored the all important goal for Muktijoddha on 75
minutes to hand the hosts a frustrating defeat at Feni
Stadium.
Shuktara Jubo Sangsad defeated Biani Bazar Sporting Club 2-1
at Sylhet Stadium.
Mutebi scored after 42 minutes for Shuktara, while Topu
doubled the lead on 68 minutes. Biani Bazar reduced one goal
through its overseas recruit in the next minutes.
Bangladesh
wary of T20 tough guys
AFP, Dhaka
Bangladesh must play its best cricket to overcome tougher
rivals if it is to move up in the World Twenty20 in the
Caribbean, captain Shakib Al-Hasan said.
The Tigers must beat at least one of their group A
rivals-defending champion Pakistan or formidable Australia-to
pass the preliminary round of the 12-nation tournament.
"These are tough teams, so I'm being realistic," Shakib told
AFP. "In fact, I am not very optimistic. We will have to play
quality cricket to get into the second round."
Bangladesh won just three matches-against Kenya, Zimbabwe and
the West Indies-out of their 14 T20 internationals in 2006 and
2007.
In their seven matches at the two previous World Twenty
events, the Tigers have won just one match - against the West
Indies.
"We're well prepared, and we have some players in form. If we
can play our own game, maybe we will qualify for the second
round," said Shakib, adding he was not happy with his own
batting form.
Chief coach Jamie Siddons agreed, saying the team had a "very
tough game" ahead of them.
"We need to play very good cricket to get into the next round.
We will concentrate on our own game, not on the team we are
playing against," the Australian told AFP.
The Tigers, however, will be quietly dreaming of repeating
their spectacular victory at the inaugural World Twenty20 in
South Africa in 2007, when they unexpectedly beat West Indies
and entered the second round.
But in the second edition of the tournament in England in
2009, the Tigers lost to non-Test playing Ireland, exiting the
competition in the preliminary round, a performance Siddons
had blasted as "ridiculous".
Bangladesh's success will largely depend on the performances
of swashbuckling opener Tamim Iqbal, fast bowler Mashrafe
Mortaza, veteran batsman Mohammad Ashraful and Shakib.
Mashrafe, 26, who is also a useful lower-order batsman,
appears to have recovered from a knee operation, playing well
in a domestic T20 tournament.
"He will definitely bolster our pace attack and his late-order
power batting could come in handy too," said Bangladesh's
chief selector Rafiqul Alam.
Despite Ashraful being out of form, "his ability to improvise
in limited overs cricket makes him an important part of the
team", Alam said.
Ashraful, 25, was dropped for the recent series against
England after failing repeatedly with the bat.
The Bangladesh captain, however, was worried about news of
Tamim's recent injury, with the 21-year-old opener hurting his
wrist while fielding in a domestic T20 tournament match.
"We cannot afford to lose him now. I hope he will recover
before the tournament," he said.
Bangladesh have included two relatively new faces for the
tournament-batsman and back-up wicketkeeper Jahurul Islam, 23,
the highest run-scorer in recent domestic tournament, and
all-rounder Sohrawordi Shuvo.
The Tigers will begin their World Twenty20 Cup campaign with a
match against Pakistan in St Lucia on May 1 before facing
Australia in Barbados on May 5.
Glitzy IPL set to
lose its ringmaster
AFP, New Delhi
Embattled Indian Premier League chief Lalit Modi faces the
axe this week, possibly on Monday, as allegations of
corruption swirl around the money-spinning tournament.
The Indian cricket board (BCCI), which owns the IPL, has
made up its mind to sack Modi after the government
launched a tax probe into alleged financial irregularities
in the high-profile Twenty20 event.
"Either Modi goes on his own, or he will be pushed out," a
senior member of the tournament's governing council told
AFP. "His position as IPL chief has become untenable."
The BCCI has called an emergency meeting of the IPL's
governing council in Mumbai on Monday to discuss
allegations that include unsubstantiated media reports of
match-fixing in the tournament.There have been several
indications over the past few days that Modi's days are
numbered.
The board's top brass, including president Shashank
Manohar and secretary N. Srinivasan, skipped the IPL
awards ceremony on Friday night ahead of Sunday's final of
the tournament's third edition. Of the 14 members of the
IPL governing council, only three-former India great Sunil
Gavaskar, ex-BCCI chief Inderjit Singh Bindra and Modi-attended
the ceremony in Mumbai.
Other glaring absentees were superstar Sachin Tendulkar,
even though he won both the best batsman and best captain
awards, and current national skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Some media reports have suggested Modi may himself step
down after Sunday's final to avoid further embarrassment.
Modi could also lose his post as chairman of the T20
Champions League, a club tournament jointly organised by
the cricket boards of India, Australia and South Africa.
The inaugural Champions League was held in India last
year, while the second edition is scheduled to be played
in South Africa in September.
The IPL, which began in 2008, features the world's top
cricketers playing the popular Twenty20 format of the game
for eight franchises owned by India's wealthy businessmen
and film stars.
Two more franchises are to be added for the 2011 season.
The ruthlessly ambitious and brash Modi has run the IPL
like a personal fiefdom, signing lucrative deals as
sponsors tumbled over each other to join the party.
Real stays on
Barca's shoulders
AFP, Madrid
Brazilian super-sub Kaka ended a six-week injury absence
by grabbing the winner for Real Madrid in a 2-1 victory
over Zaragoza on Saturday which kept his side on the
shoulders of Barcelona at the top of
La Liga.
The onus was on Real after Barcelona had earlier beaten
Xerez 3-1 at the Nou Camp to open up a four-point lead,
and the night started badly when they lost Rafael Van der
Vaart to injury. Raul, who came on for the Dutchman, saw a
shot come back off the post in the first half before
putting Real into the lead after the break and the
visitors appeared to be comfortably in control when
Zaragoza were reduced to 10-men after Matteo Contini was
red-carded.
However, Adrian Colunga rounded keeper Iker Casillas to
equalise and Zaragoza continued to stretch the Real
defence on the counter-attack.
Real were reduced to shots from distance as they
desperately sought the winner until Kaka came off the
bench to score with just eight minutes left.
Real coach Manuel Pellegrini praised his side's battling
qualities.
"We had two or three very good chances in the first half
which we did not take but the team kept going until the
final minute. It is always worrying to see the team
nervous but we were able to overcome this to win," he
said. Barcelona striker Thierry Henry struck his first
goal in over two months as defending champions Barcelona
beat nine-man Xerez.
Coach Pep Guardiola sent out a makeshift side with several
players rested ahead of next week's Champions League
semi-final clash against Inter Milan while Dani Alves was
suspended.
Following an opener from Jeffren Isaias, Henry, given a
rare start, then found the back of the net for the first
time since he scored against Racing Santander in
mid-February. A minute later Mario Bermejo brought
bottom-side Xerez back into the game and the visitors had
several chances to equalise at the start of the second
half before Zlatan Ibrahimovic converted a Yaya Toure
cross to give Barcelona a two-goal cushion.
Xerez lost their composure in the final minutes with
Matias Alustiza and Fabian Orellana both dismissed.
Mentality was the key rather than tactics due to the
importance of the game last Tuesday (against Inter) and
the upcoming match on Wednesday," said Guar-diola.
Pakistan dreams
of title repeat
AFP, Karachi
Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi believes his injury-hit and
controversy-plagued side can bury its problems and
successfully defend its World Twenty20 title.
Problems on and off the field have been part and parcel of
Pakistan cricket down the years, and the lead-up to the
2010 World Twenty20, which starts in the West Indies on
Friday, has been no different.
Penalties sparked by the team's disastrous tour of
Australia have been imposed on seven top players while
Twenty20 expert Umar Gul and all-rounder Yasir Arafat have
been ruled out through injury.
Gul, who is the leading wicket-taker in Twenty20 cricket
with 43 victims in 26 matches, while also boasting the
best figures of 5-6 against New Zealand in the World
Twenty20 in England last year, hurt his shoulder.
Arafat has an injured calf.
"Gul is a big loss but with Mohammad Asif, Moha-mmad Aamir
and Mohammad Sami (Gul's replacement) we have the
firepower to bring the Cup back to Pakistan," said Afridi,
who was one of the penalised players from the chaos in
Australia.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) fined Afridi three
million rupees (35,000 dollars) after bizarrely sinking
his teeth into the ball during a one-dayer against
Australia in February.
Afridi was also put on a six-month probation.
Younus Khan, who led Pakistan to their World Twenty20 win
in England last year before retiring from the shortest
format, and another former captain Mohammad Yousuf were
banned for an indefinite period for "infighting".
Shoaib Malik, who recently married Indian tennis pin-up
Sania Mirza, and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan were banned for one
year and fined two million rupees each (24,000 dollars).
Kamran Akmal and his younger brother Umar were also
heavily fined and put on six months probation.
The penalties were imposed after Pakistan's tour of
Australia where they lost all three Tests, five one-dayers
and a Twenty20 international. In the fall-out, Intikhab
Alam was replaced as coach by legendary paceman Waqar
Younis.
Arafat's replacement Mohammad Irfan, a 6ft 8in (2.03m)
tall left-arm paceman, will be a danger in the Caribbean
with his height and bounce.
Afridi said the players have put all the problems behind
them.
"The past is history," said Afridi, player of the
semi-final and final in the World Twenty20 last year. "We
have prepared well for our title defence and there is no
reason why we should not win."
Minus Younus and Yousuf, who also missed the first two
World Twenty20s, and Malik, Pakistan look light in
experience in the middle order, but Afridi disagrees.
"It does add pressure on me, but we also have Kamran, Umar
(Akmal), Misbah-ul-Haq, Moha-mmad Hafeez, Khalid Latif,
Salman Butt and allrounder Abdul Razzaq, so I hope all the
players will step up," said the skipper.
Afridi also hopes for a happier return to the West Indies
after the trauma of the 2007 World Cup.
"We had a nightmarish experience of the 2007 World Cup and
I don't even want to remember that," said Afridi of an
event where Pakistan exited in the first round and coach
Bob Woolmer died.New coach Waqar Younis believes spinners
Afridi and Saeed Ajmal can prove match-winners on
Caribbean pitches.
Pakistan, who are in Group A, face Bangladesh on May 1 and
Australia the following day with both matches in St Lucia.
Zimbabwe sets sight
on return to Test arena
AFP, Johannesburg
Zimbabwe's participation in the World Twenty20 will
provide an opportunity for the country's players to
showcase an improving cricket situation in their
politically fraught nation.
Zimbabwe have not played a Test match since September
2005, although they have continued to play at one-day and
Twenty20 international level. The country withdrew from
the Test arena in 2006 at a time of turmoil in the
domestic game, which was coupled with increasing political
pressure against President Robert Mugabe's government. At
the time, it seemed cricket in Zimbabwe was in terminal
decline. Many of the country's leading players quit in
protest and there appeared to be deep racial divisions
after leading all-rounder Heath Streak was fired as
captain in 2004.
His successor, Tatenda Taibu, the country's controlling
body. Before that, Zimbabwe were co-hosts of the 2003
World Cup with South Africa, but England forfeited their
match rather than travel to the country, while Andy Flower
and Henry Olonga wore black armbands in protest against
the political situation and effectively went into exile.
Arsenal’s title hopes end
AFP, London
Arsenal's already slim hopes of piping Manchester United
and Chelsea for the Premier League title disappeared after
a goalless draw with Manchester City at the Emirates
Stadium on Saturday.
The point, which left third-placed Arsenal seven points
behind United with only six available from their remaining
two games, was of more use to City.
Roberto Mancini's men are currently fifth and hope to
overtake Tottenham for fourth place and therefore qualify
for the Champions League next season.
City's hopes of doing just that, which will hinge on a
home game with Tottenham next month, have been hit,
however, by what appears to be a serious injury to
goalkeeper Shay Given.
The Republic of Ireland international was carried off on a
stretcher in the second half after hurting a shoulder
making a save.
Former Arsenal title winners Patrick Vieira and Kolo Toure
were both in the City starting line-up.
Emmanuel Adebayor began on the bench, however, on his
return to the club he left acrimoniously before this
season started, with the Togo forward barracked by a large
section of the Arsenal fans. Adebayor angered Gunners'
supporters earlier this season by running the length of
the field to celebrate his goal in City's 4-2 win over
Arsenal at Eastlands in September.
Robin van Persie was handed the Arsenal captaincy on his
first start since suffering an ankle injury in November.
Bacary Sagna, the Arsenal defender, headed wide from an
early corner but opening exchanges saw no clear chances.
Arsenal winger Theo Walcott was dazed when Vincent
Kompany's fair challenge saw his head hit the turf, but he
was soon able to recover.
City defender Wayne Bridge had already taken a knock and
was replaced by Micah Richards just before the half hour
mark.
Van Persie used his pace to get into a shooting position
but Toure arrived just in time to block.
Arsenal forced a couple of corners as the first-half
neared an end but the second saw Mikael Silvestre head
harmlessly over.
Samir Nasri forced Given into a save before van Persie
found the side-netting with another effort from a similar
position on the left.
Van Persie headed a Nasri cross over as Arsenal began the
second half looking like they intended to change that
sorry statistic.
On came Adebayor in the 51st minute to a hail of abuse
after Vieira had been applauded off.
The City striker had passed a pre-match fitness test on a
thigh injury to make the bench and was soon the subject of
a robust challenge by Alex Song.
Tomas Rosicky sent a drive from the edge of the box
straight at Given, who hurt a shoulder tipping a Diaby
drive round a post.
The Irishman needed lengthy treatment and was eventually
replaced by rookie Gunnar Nielsen, the Faroe Islands
international, who was making his City and Premier League
debut.
Nielsen was far busier in the closing minutes than Given
had been all game but kept his composure to ensure City
went back to the north-west with a valuable point.
Rain helps GP-BCB Academy to draw
UNB, Chittagong
Rain helped GP-BCB National Cricket Academy team to make a
draw against touring Standard Bank National Cricket
Academy team of South Africa on the 4th and final day of
the first four-day match at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury
Stadium here on Sunday.
Chasing a huge target of 395 runs in the 2nd innings, the
hosts GP-BCB Academy team resumed the innings today at
2:30 pm, four and
half hours behind the schedule due to rain, with overnight
145 for 3 and finally scored 250 for 9 in 75 overs at
stumps on the last day.
Earlier, South Africa Academy team posted 371 runs in the
first innings and 274 runs in the 2nd innings giving a
challenging target for the home side after dismissing them
for 251 in the first innings on Friday.
Shubagoto Hom, who resumed batting with 24 runs,
contributed team highest 74 runs off 133 balls that
featured eleven boundaries while another night-watch
batsman Mahmudul Hasan (31) scored useful 55 runs off 72
balls with nine fours.
K Maharaj, who grabbed one wicket on Saturday, today
finished with four wickets for 62 runs while O Pienaar and
G Vrich took two wickets each for 35 and 25 runs
respectively.
GP-BCB Academy's opening batsman, who scored a century in
the first innings and made a half century in the 2nd
innings, was named as man of the match along with all
rounder K Maharaj of South Africa Academy team.
Brief score: South Africa Academy - 371 all out in 77.2
overs (1st innings); 2nd innings - 274 all out in 82. 2
overs, Y. Yallie 82, T Bodbe 48, D Pienaar 31, A Birch 21,
K. Zondo 21, Saqlain Sajib 4/91, Tanvir Haider 3/43.
GP-BCB Academy - 251 all out in 67.1 overs (1st innings),
2nd innings -250 for 9 in 75 overs (overnight 145 for 3 in
37 overs); Shubagoto Hom 74, Ronny Talukder 58, Mahmudul
Hasan 55, Mohammad Mithun 26, Sabbir Rahman 14, K Maharaj
4/62, G Vrich 2/25 and O Pienaar 2/39.
Bangladesh Davis Cup team to leave for Iran
today
UNB, Dhaka
A-six-member Bangladesh Davis Cup team leaves here for
Iran today to take part in the Davis Cup Asia/ Oceania
Region Group-3 competition that begins in Tehran the same
day.
Eight countries - Bangladesh, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Saudi
Arabia, Syria, Vietnam and host Iran - will participate in
the six-day meet, organized by Islamic Republic of Iran
Tennis Federation.
Bangladesh and Lebanon were promoted to group-3 from
group-4 of the last year's meet.
Bangladesh team consists of four players, one non-playing
captain and a team manager.
Bangladesh team: Amal Roy (Engineers Club), Shibu Lal and
Ranjan Ram
(NTC), Alamgir Hossain (American Club), Sk Moin Uddin
Waliullah Jhilan (non playing captain), and Mohammad Ali
Din ( team manager).
Sri Lanka desperate to add Twenty20 to
collection
AFP, Colombo
Sri Lanka, world champion in the 50-over format in 1996,
is desperate to add the Twenty20 title to its collection
in the Caribbean after a series of near-misses.
Captain Kumar Sanga-kkara's men lost the World T20
championship by eight wickets to Pakistan at Lords last
year.
Two years earlier, the Sri Lankans lost to Australia in
the final of the World Cup while the same opponents went
on to deny them a semi-final place in the inaugural World
Twenty20 later in 2007.
"Our focus is to bring the cup home this time after we
lost to Pakistan last year. A Twenty20 World Cup will be
good for our collection," team manager Anura Tennakoon
told AFP.
Sri Lanka have gone for a blend of youth and experience
for the Caribbean World Twenty20 that runs from April 30
to May 16. The squad boasts one of the most lethal bowling
attacks on the international scene, from the pace of
Lasith Malinga to the spin of Muttiah Muralitharan and
Ajantha Mendis.
The tropical Indian Ocean Island will also look to
Tillakaratne Dilshan to reproduce his starring role of
2009 when he captured the Player of the Tournament award.
Sangakkara says the team is in a transition period where
some seniors are reaching the end of their careers while
younger players are making a push to fill the gaps.
"We now have to try and get the combinations right and the
players right. So it's tough but it's also interesting,"
Sangakkara said. Sri Lanka's 15-man squad has barely
practiced together, with most of the players contracted to
the Indian Premier League.
"Most of the experienced players were in India and that
has hampered our preparation. I think if we can get
everyone together and perform, our chances are pretty
good," said Tennakoon.
Sri Lanka make up Group B alongside New Zealand and
Zimbabwe and former skipper Mahela Jayawar-dene says
neither team can be taken lightly.
"New Zealand has got a really good all-round team which
can be totally devastating. Zimbabwe has done well,
especially in the West Indies and have got some explosive
players who can really take it away from you," he said.
The last time Sri Lanka played in the Caribbean,
Jayawardene led them to the final of the World Cup in
2007. This time round, he hopes the team can go all the
way and bring home the silverware.
"You have to make sure that on a match day, you turn it on
and get the job done. So, we have to really take one game
at a time, get through the group stage which is very
important and then try to continue all the way." Uncapped
batsman Dinesh Chandimal is the only rookie in the 15-man
squad that includes the world's leading Test and one-day
wicket taker Muralitharan.
Nadal looking for Rome crown
AFP, Rome
Rafael Nadal will start his bid for a fifth Rome Masters
title this week, secure in the knowledge that he is back
to his best and already dreaming of reclaiming his French
Open crown.
A week ago Nadal won an historic sixth straight Monte
Carlo Masters crown, ending an almost year-long wait for a
trophy since triumphing in Rome 12 months ago. It is
perhaps a surprising claim for a 23-year-old who already
has 37 tour titles to his name but Nadal really was in a
rut. But now his confidence and form are back after a long
period of injury that interrupted the second half of his
season last year.
Nadal is eager to play at one of the four tournaments he
has almost owned these past six years-the others being the
French Open, where he won four in a row until his fourth
round exit last season, and Barcelona which he had won
five times consecutively until skipping this year's event
to prepare for Rome. "Rome is one of my favourite
tournaments alongside Barcelona and Monte Carlo and not
just because it's on clay and because I've been successful
over the years, but also for the atmosphere and the fans
who are always warm and friendly," he told Saturday's
edition of the Italian Sports Week magazine.
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