wednesday, april 28, 2010 BAISHAKH 15, 1417, JAMADIuL AWAL 12, 1431 Hijri

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Leading News

16th Summit begins today
SAARC leaders to address climate change

UNB, Thimpu

The South Asian leaders assembled in this panoramic mountainous city to attend the 16th SAARC summit beginning today (Wednesday) to take a joint initiative to tackle the terrible impact of the changing climate as well as to boost trade among the 8-member regional grouping.
Climate change is the key theme of the Thimpu Summit, as the impact of the changing climate is not only the greatest long-term threat to the region but a pressing global challenge as well.
Addressing the threat of climate change is an integral component of the overreaching SAARC goal of poverty in South Asia. Bangladesh and the Maldives are recognized as the worst victims of the global warming.
Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, host Bhutanese Prime Minister Jigme Y Thinley, Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed, Nepalese Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, Pakistan Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani and Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse will attend the Silver Jubilee Summit.
The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) that started its journey from Bangladesh in 1985 with a dream of improving the socio-economic condition of 1.5 billion people of this impoverished region marks Silver Jubilee this year.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who arrived in Thimpu this (Tuesday) morning, will lead Bangladesh at the two-day summit. She will deliver a statement along with other SAARC leaders at the opening session to be held at the Grand Assembly Hall tomorrow (Wednesday) afternoon. Prime Minister Hasina is likely to call for establishment of SAARC Himalayan Council, in the model of the Artic Council, for assisting affected countries in the region.
She may propose for setting up an International Adaptation and Research Center in Bangladesh for recommending adaptive measures because of the country's years of experience in adaptation.
Representatives of nine observers with SAARC - Australia, China, Iran, Japan, South Korea, Myanmar, Mauritius, USA and the European Union - will also be present at the summit.
Bhutan, a founder member of the SAARC, is hosting the summit for the first time within two years of the establishment of a democratically elected government in 2008 ending the 100 years of monarchy. The 16th summit will make a separate declaration on climate change.
Two agreements - one on environment and the other on trade in services - will be signed during the summit.
The SAARC convention on environment is expected to promote cooperation among the member countries in the field of environment and sustainable development.

 Private Television Channel 'Channel 1' shut down
UNB, Dhaka

Channel 1, one of the country's leading private television channels, was shut down at 7pm Tuesday by the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) on charges of violating its rules.
Talking to UNB, a senior reporter of the now defunct Channel 1 said two BTRC directors rushed to their office at Udoy Tower at Gulshan 1 and asked the authorities to switch off the transmission in their presence. Ultimately the telecast of the private TV channel was closed down at 7pm preceded by an announcement of closure.
It was learnt that the moment the announcement of the final closure was aired, staff at the premises broke down in tears. Channel 1, which had started airing its programmes on January 24, 2006, had over 750 staff at different sections including 450 in the capital.
Earlier on Tuesday morning, Minister for Post and Telecommunication Razi-uddin Raju said Channel 1 would be shut down within 'one or two days' on accusations of violating the rules of the Bangladesh Tele-communication Regu-latory Commission.
The Minister expressed the government's decision to shut down the channel at a press briefing at his office after concluding a meeting with BTRC officials on Tuesday morning.
He said Channel 1 had been operating for long violating the rules of the BTRC including changed ownership and frequency and there is no other option but to shut down the TV channel.
Replying to a query, Raziuddin Raju said that the BTRC chairman issued a notice to the Channel 1 authorities over three months back asking why 'Channel 1' had not been shut down, and that the channel would now be shut down in this regard.
He also said that after Channel 1 is shut down, its license may be cancelled.
Speaking on the occasion, BTRC chairman Major General (Retd) Zia Ahmed said that the government has taken the decision to shut down the TV channel.
About the upcoming Jamuna Television channel, he said it was broadcasting without BTRC approval and so was shut down immediately upon accusations of violating the BTRC rules and regulations.

 BNP holds countrywide protest rallies today
TBT Report

Protesting government's repression and demanding resignation of the Election Commissioners, the main opposition BNP is observing countrywide protest rallies today (Wednesday). The protest rallies will be held in all districts, municipilites and the divisional headquarters.
Protesting massive vote rigging and offenses committed by ruling party activists during Bhola-3 by-poll and the government's repression on opposition leaders and activists, BNP leaders announced the programme at a protest rally in the capital on the last Sunday.
They said rallies will be turned into a movement to topple the government if it creates any disturbances to disperse agitators intentionally.
While talking to this correspondent, BNP standing committee member MK Anwar said the government in collaboration with the Election Commission (EC) has smashed country's democracy and democratic and constitutional institution like EC. If the situation continues for long, one party rule system will be established in the country where other political parties will never be allowed to do politics.
He said the agitation rallies will be turned into a massive wave against the government if it creates any hindrances during party's countrywide agitation programme. The election commission has lost its credibility through arranging the much-talked by-poll of Bhola-3 constituency. In order to hide its own failure, an investigation team headed by a local EC official was formed, he alleged.
Responding another query, he said decision is yet to be taken whether the party will take part in the Dhaka City Corporation election or not under the one-eyed election commission. BNP Vice-chairman Abdullah Al Noman told this correspondent that the nationalist forces would not go for movement normally instead of holding peaceful protest programme against the government's misdeeds. But they will be compelled to forge movement if it does not change is repressive political trend.

    Workers block Dhaka-Sylhet Highway for pay hike
UNB, Narayanganj

About 30,000 workers of Sinha Group of Industries blocked the busy Dhaka-Sylhet highway at Kanchpur for about six hours Tuesday causing severe traffic jam and untold miseries to the commuters.
Workers of garments factories an textile mills owned by the Sinha Group took over the highway at Kanchpur at 8-30 am to press home 10-point demand including wage hike, payment of arrears, Eid bonus and other benefits.
Witness accounts said at least 10 vehicles trying to cross the demonstrators were damaged and more than a dozen of people wounded.
Police and elite force RAB rushed to the spot. But exercising wisdom the law enforcers refrained from resorting to take any action against overwhelming number of slogan mongering workers. The angry demonstrators also chased the police.
The labour leaders told the law enforcers they will not withdraw the blockade until Anisur Rahman Sinha, chairman of the group, comes and assures them of conceding to their demands. Defying scorching heat of the high noon, the workers squatted on the highway burning tiers and tubes. Movement of traffic on the busy highway came to a halt. Hundreds of buses, trucks, cars, ambulance remained stranded causing immense miseries to the commuters. Vehicles were lined up stretching up to Daudkandi on the south and Bhulta in Roopganj on the northeast, witnesses said.
Anisur Rahman Sinha accompanied by Narayan-ganj Deputy Commissioner Shamsur Rahman and Police Super Afzal Hossain reached Kanchpur at 1pm. Standing on a truck Sinha, through a hailer, held out assurance to the workers of considering their demands.

   Tk 1,000 cr to be allocated for raising skill of workers : Mosharraf

BSS, Dhaka

The government will allocate Taka 1,000 crore in the upcoming budget for raising skill of workers through providing training so that they can get decent jobs at home and abroad.
The present government attaches top priority to the creation of jobs as the rate of unemployment and underemployment is very high in the country which creates an immense pressure on the job market.
The government is committed to creating at least one job for every family and ensuring protection of rights and welfare of the employed workers and the workers, who are displaced due to closure of mills and factories.
Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment and Labor and Employment Minister Engineer Khan-daker Mosharraf Hossain said this while inaugurating as the chief guest a workshop here Tuesday.
Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment and Labor and Employment and Inter-national Labor Organization (ILO) jointly organized the workshop at Sonargaon Hotel here.
Secretary of Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment and Labor and Employment Md Nurul Haque chaired the session.
Ambassador of EC delegation to Bangladesh Dr Stefan Frowein, ILO representative Gagan Rajhhan-dari, secretary general of Bangladesh Employers Federation Farooq Ahmed, also spoke.

   HC stays ACC notice on Mahmudur
UNB, Dhaka

The High Court on Tuesday stayed for three months the operation of the March 10 Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) notice that had asked Mahmudur Rahman, acting editor of Amar Desh, to explain some alleged corruption charges.
Passing the interim order upon a petition, an HC division bench comprising Justice Nozrul Islam Chowdhury and Justice Jahangir Hossain issued a rule asking the ACC to explain why the impugned notice should not be declared illegal.
The ACC in its notice had made allegations of corruption against Mahmud, also former executive chairman of the Board of Investment during the past BNP-Jamaat alliance government, that include gaining financial benefits by abusing power from Shinepukur Ceramics Ltd, illegally employing one Lutfullah at the Board of Investment and unusual transactions with IFIC Bank Ltd at its Dhanmondi branch in the city.
Acquiring wealth through illegal means, sending workers abroad by using false identities and holding a meeting with government officials at Uttara were also among the allegations made by the ACC.

   PSTU closed after students-police clash
UNB, Pabna

Pabna Science and Technology University (PSTU) has been closed for a month following a series of clashes between students and police over the last couple of days.
The university authorities in a notice said that the academic activities of the university will resume on May 29 next.
Campus sources said that students of the university have been continuing demonstrations from Sunday to press home their demands to reduce session fees and others academic fees. The series of clashes occurred between police and students while at least 28 people both students and cops were injured during the clashes. Police arrested 19 students accused of creating unrest on the campus.
Proctor of the university Kamruzzaman filed a case in this regard.

Back Page

Meeting with Gilani
Hasina for congenial relations among South Asian countries

UNb, Thimpu

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday said Bangladesh attaches high importance to congenial relations among the South Asian countries to promote peace, stability and development in the region and reiterated Bangladesh's commitment to maintain good relations with all its neighbors.
"We want to promote peace, stability and development in the region," she said while Pakistan Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raja Gilani called on her at Bangladesh House of SAARC Village in the Bhutanese capital this afternoon.
The Prime Minister underscored the need of working together to make SAARC a meaningful organization through positive measures, concerted actions and mutually reinforcing cooperation.
Press Secretary to the Prime Minister Abul Kalam Azad, who was present at the meeting, later briefed the reporters. Hasina said Bangladesh and Pakistan could work together to add further momentum to the SAARC process and to make SAARC a more vibrant and meaningful regional organization. Mentioning the running of governments in all the eight SAARC countries by democratically elected people, she said strengthening of democracy and parliamentary system are urgently needed for the desired development of the region.
The Prime Minister said there is ample potential for enhancing the bilateral trade between Bangladesh and Pakistan and this should be exploited to increase the trade volume and also to narrow down the trade imbalance between the two countries. She expressed the hope that Pakistani investors would take interest in investing in pharmaceutical, textile, information technology, telecommunication and agro-based industries in Bangladesh.
Pakistan Prime Minister Raja Yusuf Gilani requested Sheikh Hasina to play a vital role in making the SAARC a stronger regional organization as she has the experience of leading democratic movements as well as family background of leadership. Later, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina paid a courtesy call on the Maldives President Dr Mohammad Nasheed at the Maldives House in the SAARC Village here. During the meeting, the two leaders held detailed discussion on climate change, as both the countries are most vulnerable to the climate change. The Maldives President praised Sheikh Hasina for her bold leadership in the UN Climate Change Conference at Copenhagen last year in favour of all affected countries.
The issues of various bilateral interests also came up for discussion during the meeting. Later, in the evening, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina called on Afghan President Hamid Karzai at Afghanistan House in SAARC Village. During the meeting, the two leaders underscored the need of combating terrorism and militancy in order to strengthen democracy and ensure peace and stability in the region.

   Build economically self-reliant country to make independence meaningful: President

UNB, Dhaka

President Zillur Rahman on Tuesday emphasized building the country as economically self-reliant with a view to making its independence meaningful.
"Today we're the citizens of an independent and sovereign country… it is responsibility of all particularly the young generation to build the country as economically self reliant for making the independence meaningful," he said.
The President made the remarks while presiding over the 4th convocation of Ahasanullah University of Science and Technology (AUST) at the Bangabanbhu International Conference Center. Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid was the special guest at the function while Quazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad, chairman of Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF), was the convocation speaker. Addressing the function, President Zillur said it should be ensured that every citizen of the country can have two handfuls of rice twice a day and also live in peace."
Congratulating the graduates, he urged them to join in the nation-building by giving top priority to honesty and sincerity and also showing their talents and creativity. "You'll be a bridge between the past and the present. And with your success, Bangladesh will become the best among the South Asian countries," the President said. About the role of the universities, he said the activities of the universities should be multifarious for the quest of knowledge so they could play important role in creating skilled manpower by facilitating endless exercises of knowledge, creative activities and the researches.
President Zillur hoped that the private universities would fix reasonable tuition fees by considering the country's overall socioeconomic condition. "The path of higher education for the country's poor students will have to be facilitated for establishing a just society," he said. AUST Vice Chancellor Prof Dr M Anwar Hossain and president of Ahsania Mission Kazi Rafiqul Alam also spoke on the occasion.

   Bangladesh expects $7 billion from WB as credit assistance: Muhith

UNB, Dhaka

Finance Minister AMA Muhith on Tuesday said Bangladesh is expecting $7 billion from the World Bank as credit assistance over the next five years to implement different development projects in the country.
Of the amount, the World Bank would provide $2.8 billion in the next year including $1.2 billion for the Padma Bridge. Besides, $811 million would come in the current fiscal including assistance in the skills and training, Chittagong water supply and social safety programmes. The Finance Minister revealed these at a press conference at the Ministry Tuesday afternoon after returning home from Washington early this morning.
Referring to his meetings with the World Bank on Friday, he said that next year's assistance by the World Bank would include $150 million for employment generation, $120 million for the private sector, $150 million for South Zone Power Distribution, $150 million for primary education, $355 million for Bangladesh river course management and training, $120 million for dairy and $350 million for health and nutrition development.
Asked about the details of the discussions with the World Bank, Muhith said that they focused on good governance and corruption as well as on the Public-Private-Partnership (PPP). He said that the World Bank wanted to see the independence of Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) is protected as well as various regulatory commissions.
"Now many parties are found when tender is floated, which were not seen earlier. Now people have started believing that work can be done without corruption." He hinted that the appointment of consultants for the Padma Bridge would be completed by this October while the contract would be awarded by November. "The work can begin by next February or March, but we have to acquire the lands and relocate those people." He informed that Bangladesh is preparing for a five-year plan on food security and the government is optimistic to present it at the end of this year before the trust fund body on global agriculture and food security for general endorsement. Muhith took part at a roundtable in Washington along with US Secretary of Treasury Timothy Geithner, World Bank President Robert Zoellick and US Philanthropist Bill Gates.
As part of the G-8 and G-20 initiatives to advance food security, donors have invested in the Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme, a new trust fund administered by the World Bank. Initial donors to the fund include the USA, Canada, Spain, South Korea and the Gates Foundation. The donors disclosed the amount of money they committed to the fund.

   BDR Mutiny: November 1 fixed for framing charges against accused

UNB, Dhaka

A special court, trying 675 BDR mutineers under 44 Rifles Battalion of Dhaka Sector, on Tuesday fixed November 1 for framing charges against the accused in the BDR mutiny case. The special court-5 with outgoing BDR Director-General Maj Gen Mainul Islam presiding, resumed at 10:15 am Tuesday and continued its proceedings for over one hour.
After the hearing, the court was adjourned till 10am on November 1 when the charges will be framed and read out against the accused.
Court sources said 675 accused were put on the dock, of them 27 were put on fetters. As the court resumed, Prosecutor and Commanding officer of 44 Rifle Battalion Lt Col Kazi Anirudda narrated the allegations against the accused and observed that the accused have committed punishable offences under the Bangladesh Rifles Order, 1972 section 10A (1) as they staged the mutiny at the BDR Pilkhana headquarters on February 25-26 last year. The court infor-med the accused that they would get at least 27 days to prove their innocence as per the BDR act.
Two other members of the court were Lt Col AKM Gulam Rabbani and Major Sayeed Hasan Taposh, while Attorney-General representative DAG Sarwardi assisted the court in the much-orchestrated mutiny trial as per the law of the border force.
At least 73 people, including 57 army officers deputised to the border force, were killed in the Pilkhana BDR headquarters during the February 25-26, 2009 mayhem.

   SAARC journalists produce SAFMA Declaration on Climate Change

UNB, Paro, Bhutan

Journalists from South Asia having met at the SAARC Journalists Summit-V here Tuesday resolved to save the planet, mother South Asia and its natural reso-urces and eco-systems from climatic and environmental degradation.
The summit was organised by South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA), South Asian Women in Media (SAWM) and South Asia Media Commission (SAMC) on April 26-27 April.
Bhutanese Prime Minister Jigmi Thinley inaugurated the summit on Monday.
In a declaration issued on Tuesday, the SAFMA expressed deep concern at the adverse impact of climate change on human and ecosystems and natural resources in the South Asian region and a lack of adequate action at national, regional and international levels to preserve our climate, natural resources and the planet. It also expressed concern about the Himalayan glaciers' retreat at an alarming rate for the past few decades, eroding one of the major sources of the existence, and the melting of the Siachen glacier due to an absurd conflict.
The declaration noted that rising sea levels means that Maldives may submerge and 20 percent of low-lying areas of Bangladesh may sink in the Bay of Bengal displacing 25 million people.
It called for upholding principles of equity and human and ecological rights in all processes of decision-making and implementation of policies, laws and program-mes on climate change.
The declaration sought an effective management and conservation of natural resources that curb ostentatious consumption and promote ecologically-friendly sustainable development beneficial to humankind.
It suggested effective negotiation among all countries, especially those most vulnerable, towards concrete solutions to mitigate pollution and adapt to climate change.
It reiterated that access to and free flow of information empowers peoples and societies to make informed decisions on options for mitigation and adaptation;
The declaration acknowledged the role of the media in disseminating information on climate change and making society realise the necessity to adapt to a low-carbon and eco-friendly lifestyle.

   BD to import palm oil from Indonesia
UNB, Dhaka

Bangladesh is keen to import palm oil from Indonesia under G2G business system, with the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) enabled as the agency to import it.
In this regard, a commercial delegation from Indonesia will visit Bangladesh very soon and a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will be signed between the two countries. This was revealed at a meeting between Indonesian ambassador to Bangladesh Zet Mirzal Zain-uddin and commerce minister Faruk Khan at his office Tuesday.
During the meeting, Joint Secretary (export) to the Commerce Ministry Manoj Kumar Roy and first secretary of Indonesian emb-assy Hendra P. Iskandar were present.
The minister asked the ambassador to import readymade garments, pharmaceuticals, jute and jute-made goods, home textiles and ceramics from Bangladesh.
He also asked the ambassador to invest and cooperate in the Bangladesh tourism industry as Indonesia has vast experience in this sector.
The ambassador invited the commerce minister to inaugurate a three-day Indonesian Trade Fair assu-med to be held on May 11 at Sonargaon hotel. Faruk Khan accepted his invitation.

Editorial

16th SAARC Summit

The South Asian leaders have assembled in Bhutanese capital Thimpu to attend the 16th Summit of the 8-member South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) beginning today (Wednesday) to take a joint initiative to tackle the disastrous impact of the climate change and to boost trade among the countries of the region. Climate change is the key theme of the Thimpu Summit with Bangladesh and the Maldives being recognised as the worst victims of the global warming.
Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, host Bhutanese Prime Minister Jigme Y Thinley, Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed, Nepalese Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, Pakistan Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani and Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse will attend the SAARC Summit. The SAARC was launched from Bangladesh in 1985 with an aim to improve the socio-economic condition of the people of this impoverished region. With the passing of time Afghanistan has joined the SAARC as its eighth member. Representatives of nine observers - Australia, China, Iran, Japan, South Korea, Myanmar, Mauritius, USA and the European Union - will also be present at the summit
Bhutan, a founder member of the SAARC, is hosting the summit for the first time.Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina arrived in Thimpu Tuesday morning to lead Bangladesh team at the two-day summit. She is expected to deliver a statement tomorrow afternoon. The 16th summit will make a separate declaration on climate change -Towards a green and happy South Asia.Two agreements - one on environment and the other on trade in services - will be signed during the summit. On the sidelines of the summit, Hasina will hold bilateral meetings with South Asian leaders including Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh.
Bhutanese Prime Minister Lyoncchoen Jigme Y. Thinley has called for taking a lead by the SAARC leaders in reversing the climate change. 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."
The SAARC Summit is expected to make efforts to work out ways and means to reverse the possible disastrous impact of the climate change and environmental catastrophe. But it is difficult to be very much optimistic about the success of the initiatives. The SAARC is now twenty-five years old. During this period SAARC members had made various endeavours to improve the lot of the people of the region, but very little result has been achieved because of the inter-state discord and distrust. In other words, during the last quarter century SAARC has been unable to achieve its goal of improving the condition of the people specially in the field of poverty alleviation. There has been very insignificant headway in regional cooperation for trade expansion and economic uplift. In the last SAARC Summit a decision was taken to build up a SAARC Food Bank to help the member country in times of crisis, but any progress in this respect is yet to be visible.
Most importantly, even after 25 years of existence, the SAARC members have not been able to remove the discord and distrust among themselves and establish solid unity of purpose. Let us hope that the Thimpu Summit of SAARC will be dedicated to build and consolidate solidarity among the member countries along with addressing the climate change issue.

  Natural calamity

A number of people have died during natural calamity at different places of the country in the recent days. Four people were killed and over 1,000 injured when a severe storm swept over Pabna district on 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 and extensive damage was caused to standing boro crop in sadar, Iswardi, Sujangara, Bera, Chatmohar and Atowari upazila.
Another report from Chapainawabganj said Monimul Islam (16), a rice mill worker, died when the wall collapsed during the storm on Monday. The storm lasting about 10 minutes damaged kutcha houses and standing crops.
Earlier, five people were killed and 50 others injured by a thunderstorm that swept over different areas of Sadar upazila of Maulvibazar district on April 19 night. Of them three were killed when trees fell down on their tin-shed roofs and the rest were killed in thunderbolt. More than 600 houses were damaged and 1,500 families affected by the storm. The storm also damaged around 2000 thatched houses, standing IRRI, Boro crops and uprooted a large number of trees. On April 18 two people were killed and 30 others injured in lightning and wall collapse during a nor'wester which lashed Lalmonirhat district. Four people, including an assistant sub inspector of police , were killed and five police personnel injured in a wall collapse during a nor'wester that swept over Rangpur on April 13. Besides, at least 10 people were injured as tornado swept over four upazilas of Lalmonirhat on April 14.
Nor'wester and storm are very common in the country during this part of the year. These cause serious losses of lives and properties every year. This year also nor'wester and tornado have hit different areas. We mourn the deaths caused by the nor'wester and convey our sympathy to the affected people. We urge the government to take prompt action to help the people injured and affected by the calamity.

Analysis

Breathing life into SAARC

Common linkages, in terms of history, geography, language, etc. among Saarc countries are numerous. Sheer logic and enlightened self-interest dictate that they pool their resources and experiences for the collective good.

Iqbal Ahmad Khan

SAARC summits are supposed to be an annual affair; yet, on the 25th anniversary of the founding of Saarc, Thimpu, the mountainous capital of picturesque Bhutan, will be hosting the 16th summit on April 28-29.
Political developments account for the incongruity between the desire of the founding fathers and ground reality. The demolition of the Babri mosque by Hindu extremists, multiple nuclear tests by India and Pakistan, the Kargil misadventure, the Mumbai terrorist attacks, etc. served to spread tension and anxiety across South Asia.
Saarc, a cooperative venture among nations of the region, was invariably a victim. Its meetings were postponed to be rescheduled when tempers had cooled. The passage of time did not completely heal the wounds. The residual mistrust and suspicion prevented constructive deliberations. Regrettably, it was the antagonism between Pakistan and India, the body's leading member-states, which represented the principal hurdle in the realisation of the laudable goals enshrined in the organisation's charter.
Things are not expected to be any different in Thimpu. The 15th summit was held in Colombo in August 2008. The next one, under the provisions of the charter, should have been convened in 2009. As if Saarc was jinxed, 26/11 intervened and bitter recriminations between the traditional South Asian rivals - Pakistan and India - nearly brought them to the brink of hostilities. In the charged atmosphere it became highly unfeasible for the South Asian 'family' to get together in Thimpu in the pursuit of peace and prosperity through regional cooperation.
Fortunately, better sense has prevailed. The prime ministers of India and Pakistan have had cordial exchanges and their foreign secretaries have deliberated on how to break the stalemate. The hitch is the mechanism to be adopted to ensure that the ensuing bilateral dialogue is sustainable, meaningful and productive. It is this obstacle that the prime ministers of Pakistan and India are expected to address in the event of their meeting on the sidelines of the Thimpu summit. A productive meeting would give a great boost to the regional body. By the same token a sterile outcome would serve as a dampener to regional cooperation.
The January 2004 Islamabad summit signalled a breakthrough in relations between India and Pakistan as evidenced in the Musharraf-Vajpayee agreement on the commencement of the composite dialogue process between the two countries. In tandem the Saarc summit produced perhaps the most important document since its creation in Dhaka in 1985 - the agreement on a South Asian Free Trade Area or Safta.
The 25th anniversary of Saarc should normally have been a cause for celebration with the member-states showing off the glittering road they have traversed together in their quest for "peace, stability, amity and progress in the region" as envisaged by the Saarc charter. Regrettably, peace and stability remain a forlorn hope. The region's landscape has been bloodied by terrorism and insurgencies, and mutual distrust and suspicion have undermined amity. The notable exception is Sri Lanka's impressive victory over terrorism.
As for overall collective progress the record has been patchy. At the heart of the organisation lies the endeavour towards rapidly enhancing intra-regional trade and commerce. In the quarter century that has elapsed since its establishment the total volume of trade among Saarc countries is approximately one per cent of their total foreign trade. This stands in stark contrast to the European Union (EU) where the intra-EU trade is an impressive 70 per cent and Asean where it touches 30 per cent of overall foreign trade.
Saarc does, however, have impressive accomplishments to its credit. As mentioned earlier, the 12th Saarc summit produced Safta. This framework agreement envisages, rather ambitiously, zero customs duty on practically all products by 2016. The social charter incorporates cooperation in the crucial but neglected areas of poverty eradication, population welfare, women empowerment, youth mobilisation, human resource development, health and protection of children. Similarly, as early as 1987 Saarc leaders adopted the Regional Convention on Suppression of Terrorism. The convention was further strengthened at the Islamabad summit by the signing of an additional protocol criminalising funding of terrorist acts.
However, progress in the economic and social spheres has not been matched by corresponding progress on the political side. There exist a host of problematical issues between Saarc member-states, but regrettably there is no mechanism within the organisation for their resolution. The bad blood created by these political disputes tends to permeate other areas of cooperation and retards overall development.
It would lend Saarc both power and prestige were a high security council consisting of the foreign ministers of all member-states to be established to address any issue or development which threatened regional peace and security. It is only in an environment of peace and security that meaningful social and economic cooperation can take place in the region. This would call for an amendment in the charter which prohibits deliberation on contentious bilateral issues and a change in the behavior of India which has opposed the raising of bilateral disputes.
Common linkages, in terms of history, geography, language, etc. among Saarc countries are numerous. Sheer logic and enlightened self-interest dictate that they pool their resources and experiences for the collective good.

  A summer of discontent?

The most important test will be whether the momentum created by the redefined constitutional arrangement is used to deliver effective governance.
 
Dr Maleeha Lodhi

The enactment of the 18th Constitutional Amendment has deservedly earned the country's political parties, especially the ruling People's Party, much credit. But this accomplishment has been accompanied by controversy over a number of issues.
In doing away with the constitutional obligation to hold internal elections the amendment has struck a blow to party democracy. A related provision has evoked criticism that party leaders can now effectively suspend the fundamental right of parliamentary members to vote according to their conscience. The renaming of the North West Frontier Province has stirred long simmering ethnic tensions and sparked opposition from people in Hazara, with demonstrations continuing there.
The amendment's provision on judicial appointments has been challenged in the Supreme Court in what some see as an impending clash between the executive and the judiciary. A debate has also been ignited about the authority of the court to review the amendment if it changes the basic structure of the Constitution.
Despite this, the consensus forged among disparate political forces on the rebalancing of powers between the president and prime minister, and between the centre and the provinces, is a significant political development that ought to restore constitutional equilibrium in line with popular expectations.
The achievement has generated a mood of triumphalism in the government. But this needs to be tempered by the recognition that it is governance by which people will judge the ruling coalition, not by how power relations are reordered. Forging agreement over power relations within the political system is one thing, its actual operation quite another.
It is not clear in this regard whether the government has figured out the full implications of a decentralised polity with a weaker centre. An implementation committee has been announced whose first task should be to understand the ramifications of the provincial autonomy provisions and ascertain whether supporting legislation will be required and what changes will have to be made in the rules of business.
Meanwhile, the PPP-led coalition needs to address itself more purposefully to governance than it has done so far. The ambiguous power arrangement in place in the past two years contributed to a dysfunctional government. With the previous imbalances removed by the 18th Amendment there is now an opportunity to set a new course. The first test of this will be if and how Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani reshapes the cabinet. Will he be able to replace cronyism with merit and match need by capability?
The most important test will be whether the momentum created by the redefined constitutional arrangement is used to deliver effective governance. So far reactive governance has been in evidence, rather than a policy approach driven by a sense of urgency and fashioned by a clear vision. Governance has largely taken the form of ad hoc, piecemeal and inchoate responses to the unprecedented challenges that the country faces. Often the government has acted to deal with the crisis of the moment rather than prevent problems from exploding in its face.
Nothing illustrates this better than the fact that it has taken two years and the eruption of protests against power outages for the government to unveil a strategy of energy conservation to deal with the growing power crisis. While necessary, this is obviously not sufficient as a policy response. Energy saving has to be part of a credible overall strategy that focuses on how to get the existing power generating capacity going - by addressing the circular debt issue.
Today there is social or political ferment across the country with diverse factors driving this in different provinces. There are daily demonstrations against power outages in cities across Punjab and towns in Sindh. Targeted killings and attacks on settlers persist in Balochistan, signifying the tip of a dangerous iceberg. And in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa tensions continue to flare up in the wake of the renaming controversy.
The PPP administration confronts the challenge of governance in this environment of rising social discontent in which a dithering approach is no longer tenable. People in urban Punjab and rural Sindh have been taking to the streets against the crushing burden of load shedding. Public frustration has been exacerbated by the erratic and uneven pattern of power outages, which are seen to have imposed a greater burden on some rather than others.
Absent, as this street restiveness has built up, has been the calming or reassuring hand of leadership. This is also exhibited in the lack of public engagement by governmental leaders to assuage people's anxieties. Whether the measures announced to manage load-shedding and distribute the burden more "rationally" can take the edge off rising public discontent is yet to be seen. Already the threat of non-compliance looms. Traders across the country have been defying the early closure order and vowed to keep markets open. The MQM has expressed misgivings over the effects of the decisions on Karachi.
Meanwhile, as the protest demonstrations have spread ordinary citizens have been joined by traders, even transporters in several Punjab cities. The pattern of unrest so far indicates three worrying trends. One, more urban groups have been joining the protests. Demonstrations are having a domino effect in encouraging diverse groups to articulate a range of grievances.
Two, none of the political parties seem to have shown the capacity to manage or control the angry, tire-burning crowds of youth. This was exemplified by the two-day riots in Bara Kahu (Islamabad) when protestors were also able to reverse the rise in transport fares. And, three, the protests are increasingly assuming ethnic overtones, and spurring the demand for the creation of new provinces - Saraiki, Hazara.
In what can be a long hot summer of outbursts of public anger over the rising burdens of a fraught and precarious economic situation, there is a clear and present danger that these can become unmanageable. The risk is greater if the government fails to act in a manner commensurate with the urgency and seriousness of the situation.
Nor can outside help, that the government banks on all the time, address a potential summer of discontent. The chronic official tendency to look for external bailouts has served to defer or deflect from efforts that the government needs to make itself. The costs of delayed actions are too obvious to merit elaboration.
The government needs to replace its fitful, fire fighting mode of governance by a coherent approach that guides its response to pressing issues. Muddling through in a context of social unrest and dire economic conditions will only compound the myriad problems at hand.
Whether managing the economy, addressing the energy crisis or dealing with security issues, the government needs a systematic and sustained approach that inspires public confidence that problems are being addressed instead of taking patchy actions dictated by the exigencies of the moment.
Already the gap between challenge and response and between rule and governance has accentuated public doubts about the government's ability to manage growing public disaffection.
The prerequisite for effective governance at a minimum involves three things. First, an implementable vision or overarching strategy to guide specific policy actions. Second, organising for this mission by positioning competent people in the right places. And, third, a capacity to motivate and mobilise people behind the goals set so that policy measures can be enforced and complied with.
Understanding the interplay between challenge, opportunity and risk is integral to matching strategy to situation. The 18th Constitutional Amendment offers an opportunity to Prime Minister Gilani to chart a new course and start dealing with festering problems before they produce more spasms of public anger. Inability to do this will mean that the country will continue to drift in an increasingly charged environment, lacking direction and the means to meet urgent challenges.

The writer is a former envoy of Pakistan to the US and the UK, and a former editor of The News.

Viewpoints

How an American “import” is shaking up U.K. politics

Britain's first television debates in the run-up to the general election have transformed the traditional two-horse race into an electrifying three-way contest.

Hasan Suroor

For years, British politicians derided televised election debates as a vulgar American "import" which the mother of parliamentary democracy could well do without. The whole idea, they said sniffily, smacked too much of presidential-style electioneering with its stress on razzmatazz rather than substance. Even Tony Blair, embarrassingly starry-eyed about anything American, was against it arguing that it made no sense in a system which already provided for direct contact between voters and their leaders.
The real reason, of course, was the fear of venturing into uncharted territory - a fear fuelled by scare stories from across the pond about how even the most sure-footed politician could blow his/her chances in an unguarded "moment of madness" in front of TV cameras. George W. Bush Sr.'s defeat in the 1992 elections is memorably attributed to just such a moment when he was caught looking at his watch during a debate with Bill Clinton, a gesture which was taken as a sign of his indifference to voters.
So, let's acknowledge, it was rather courageous of Gordon Brown, especially given his reputation for caution, and David Cameron, his Tory rival, to offer themselves as guinea-pigs in Britain's first television debates in the run-up to next week's general election. But, even so, one doubts, whether they really recognised the risk they were taking. Indeed, with hindsight, they must be kicking themselves for it.
For, the two debates held so far (the third and the last is due this week) have been a disaster for both leaders with Nick Clegg, the relatively inexperienced and unknown head of the Liberal Democrat party, running away with all the prizes. Relishing the role of the plucky outsider, he was able, on both occasions, to label Messrs Brown and Cameron (and by extension Labour and the Tories) as the two sides of the same "old" establishment with nothing new to offer while portraying himself and his party as the "change" that Britain needed.
Mr. Clegg's dramatic "victory" has turned him into a political star overnight. In the media, he is being hailed as the new pin-up boy of British politics. And his party (once derisively dismissed as consisting of a bunch of muesli-eating, sandal-wearing day-dreamers) is now seen as the only credible show in town while Labour and the Tories are struggling to make sense of the "Cleggmania" sweeping the country.
"Has the whole world turned yellow?" a Tory candidate asked, alluding to Lib Dems' party colour, as she looked at the post-debate polls.
Such has been the impact of the debates that all bets are now off and, for the first time in more than 30 years, the traditional two-horse race for power between Labour and the Tories has transformed into an electrifying three-way contest. Lib Dems are now neck-and-neck with the Tories and Labour in the third place.
It is a "historic" surge for Lib Dems, as The Economist noted, and even if they are not able to sustain the bounce until the polling day it is now looking increasingly unlikely that either Labour or the Tories - depending on who emerges as the single largest party - will be able to form a government without their support.
Because of the quirks of Britain's first-past-the-post electoral system, Lib Dems will always trail behind the other two parties in terms of seats even if they dramatically increase their share of the national vote. But, on present showing, they can hope to win enough seats to be able not only to dictate the complexion of the next government but also to do it on their own terms. They have already made known their shopping list: it includes key Cabinet posts and radical electoral reforms that would pave the way for an end to the current system that they say works against smaller parties. And, in a sign of the times, both Labour and the Tories have indicated that they are willing to consider.
Coming back to the debates, it is not really surprising that Mr. Clegg should have done well (outsiders with no baggage and nothing to lose invariably do); nor was Mr. Brown's stuttering performance exactly unexpected given his lack of articulation and charisma. What was unexpected was Mr. Cameron's lack-lustre performance.
With his media-savvy image and reputation for supposedly possessing the best presentation skills in Westminster, the debates looked tailor-made for him. In the event, though, he simply crumbled under pressure and was particularly pathetic in the first debate, failing to impress either on style or substance.
Mr. Clegg, on the other hand, won on both - and in both debates. Even the much-ridiculed Mr. Brown was able to deliver a few soggy punches, mostly on economy. But, the man, tipped to be the hero, simply failed to get going. This has led to a whispering campaign within his own party putting him under huge pressure to raise his game in the next debate on Thursday.
Meanwhile, back in America, they are apparently not even aware that Britain is going to the polls - and couldn't care less judging from the following from New Statesman's Washington correspondent:
"I have yet to see a single piece of U.S. television news coverage of the British election, even when the three leaders adopted yet another piece of Americana by staging the first U.S.-style televised debate on 15 April."
Famous American insularity? Or just sheer indifference towards the Brits?

  Bush, oil and the Iraq war

Bush was not the only member of his administration who had strong ties to the oil and gas companies. Vice President Dick Cheney amassed tens of millions of dollars as head of Halliburton Oil Company.

Ralph Shaw 

Many political observers have long claimed that big corporations and moneyed interests have hijacked the American democracy. They contend that representative democracy in the US is only a farce and that, in reality, a culture of political patronage and deal-making flourishes in which there is no real accountability to the governed. The elected representatives, especially the ones at the top, are helped into power by powerful business interests and, once there, they serve their clients rather than their constituents. It might appear cynical, but a critical look at the last Iraq War certainly gives credence to this view.
It is no secret that George W Bush's presidential campaign was heavily financed by the US oil industry. Centre for Responsive Politics - a non-profit organisation - estimates that oil and gas firms with donations totalling around $ 1.89 million were among the top 10 contributors. The presidential inaugural committee received another million from the same group and the contributions by individuals connected with the oil industry, though comparatively less in amount, were in addition. In fact, Mr Bush's indebtedness to this special interest group went way back to his gubernatorial campaigns. He received more than $ 0.5 million for each of his 1994 and 1998 campaigns for governor of Texas.
Bush was not the only member of his administration who had strong ties to the oil and gas companies. Vice President Dick Cheney amassed tens of millions of dollars as head of Halliburton Oil Company. Commerce Secretary Donald Evans was head of Tom Brown Incorporated and held up to $ 25 million in the oil exploration company. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice was one of the directors at Chevron. There is something mystifying in the prescient announcement by BBC News on January 29, 2001 that said, "The concentration of energy connections is so pronounced that some critics are calling the Bush government 'the oil and gas administration'." It went on to state that there were concerns that the private financial interests of the cabinet members could influence future US energy policy decisions and that exactly is what seems to have transpired.
The argument that military action against Iraq was motivated by a desire to assure continued cheap supply of oil to the US is rather flimsy. Having been defanged by military and economic sanctions after the first Gulf War, Saddam Hussein was in no position to influence either the supply or the price of oil in any significant manner. UN sanctions limited the amount of oil Iraq could sell and part of the $ 16 billion generated from oil sales went to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia by way of war reparations for the first Gulf War. Such straitened circumstances left little room for adventurism on the part of the Iraqi dictator. With the US already monitoring much of the Iraqi air space, Saddam knew that disrupting oil supplies or adopting a belligerent policy toward his neighbours would lead to swift retribution. If the invasion did happen in the interest of the US economy, as some claim, it was a colossal failure. Oil prices rose for several years after the war. Just before the start of hostilities on March 20, 2003, oil was trading at a little more than $ 30 a barrel. In the next three years the price doubled.
The real reason the US invaded Iraq was that Mr Bush's clients - the oil companies - wanted a piece of the Iraqi crude oil business. With Saddam in power and Iraqi oil nationalised, the US and British oil companies had little hope of becoming part of the lucrative Iraqi crude oil production business. British and US companies had been specifically shut out by Saddam Hussein from oil production contracts. Out of the 60 companies negotiating oil contracts with Iraq, none were British or US. Chinese, Russian and French companies were negotiating the largest contracts. However, the contracts could take effect only if the UN sanctions were removed. Had that happened, the French and others would have benefited enormously to the detriment of the British and the American.
Consequently, the decision to go after Iraq predated any terrorist attack on US soil. The attack simply provided a convenient pretext to push the oil companies' agenda forward with relative impunity. The post-war unsuccessful Production Sharing Agreements (PSAs), designed to give oil companies enormous control over Iraqi oil, made one journalist comment that the attempt was "the biggest rip off of resources since the British barged into Mesopotamia more than a century ago".
So it was in the interests of the big oil companies to go to war and it was sold to the various stakeholders with a marketing pitch suited to their needs and sensibilities. To the US public it was marketed as a national security issue. A non-existent link between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda was established.
One cannot but help marvel at the evil genius of the US war plotters at obfuscating the real issues driving the US policy towards Iraq. Iraq's vast oil resources and avarice of the US oil companies never took centre-stage in the public debates over the war with Iraq. The rage was all about Saddam's WMDs, his terrorist links and the phony threat to US cities. Reporters from the prestigious New York Times were either bought or duped into writing false stories in their influential newspaper and reluctant cabinet members such as Colin Powell were dragged into the administration's web of lies because their credibility was the currency needed to buy support for war at home and abroad. Time and skilful research by a host of investigative reporters have exposed the blatant lies, half-truths, exaggerations, and deceptions that led to the destruction of a Muslim country. The least the US can do is apologise to the Iraqi people for the wanton destruction it inflicted upon them in the interests of US and British oil companies.


Ralph Shaw is the pen name of a freelance writer. He can be reached at ralpshaw11@gmail.com

  Sour taste of armed insecurity

A nation whose army and arsenal are without rival in the Middle East becomes one facing daily existential threat.

Roger Cohen

For Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his people are not traumatized by some wild delusion. No, there are facts: the rise of Iran, the fierce projection of Iran's proxies, Hamas and Hezbollah, and the rockets that have been fired by them.
Netanyahu is firm in his core self-image as the guarantor of threatened Israeli security. Israeli withdrawals from southern Lebanon and Gaza, led only, in his view, to the insecurity of life beneath a rocket threat. The question he poses himself, contemplating the West Bank, is how to stop this happening a third time. To enter Israel is to pass through a hall of mirrors. A nation exerting complete military dominance in the West Bank becomes one that, under an almost unimaginable peace accord, might be menaced from there.
A nation whose army and arsenal are without rival in the Middle East becomes one facing daily existential threat. A nation whose power has grown steadily over decades relative to its scattered enemies becomes one whose future is somehow less ?secure than ever.
It's not easy to parse fact from fiction, justifiable anxiety from self-serving angst, in this pervasive Israeli narrative. I arrived on Independence Day, the nation's 62nd birthday. Blue and white flags fluttered from cars on the superhighways. A million festive picnickers were out. "If a war takes place, we will win," the chief of the Israel Defence Forces assured them. Did annihilation anguish really spice the barbecue?
I guess so. The threat has morphed since 1948 - from Arab armies to Palestinian militants to Islamic jihadists - but not the Israeli condition. The nation "wallows in a sense of existential threat that has only grown with time," the daily Haaretz commented. Netanyahu, in a 20-minute interview, told me of "the physical and psychological reality" of a nation whose experience is that "concessions lead to insecurity."
Part of the insecurity right now stems from the troubles with Israel's ultimate guarantor, the United States. President Obama, for all his assurances about unbending American commitment, has left Israelis with a feeling of alienation, a sense he does not understand or care enough. Has he not visited two nearby Muslim states - Turkey and Egypt - while snubbing Israel?
I think what is really bothering Israelis, the root of the troubles, is that Obama is not buying the discourse, the narrative. Instead of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with little Israel against the jihadists, he's talking of how a festering Middle East conflict ends up "costing us significantly in terms of both blood and treasure." Instead of Iran, Iran, Iran - the refrain here - he's saying Iran, yes, but not at the expense of Palestine. Instead of Israeli security alone, he's talking of "the vital national security interests of the United States" and their link to Israeli actions.
This amounts to a sea change. I don't know if it will box Israel into a defensive corner or open new avenues, but I do know an uncritical US embrace of Israel has led nowhere. For now, Israeli irritation is clear. Before meeting Netanyahu, I spoke with Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon. "We are the ones suffering most in terms of blood and treasure," he told me, reprising the Obama line. "This is the difference, we are the ones that have to live through an agreement and survive afterward. Of course we want peace but not at the price of our existence."
He dismissed as "totally false" the notion that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict feeds an environment inimical to US interests. On the contrary, he said, "We pay the price for defending US values in this area."
For Ayalon, the proximity talks with the Palestinians that the Obama administration is struggling to revive are a "waste of time" and should be replaced by direct talks without preconditions. As for Obama's demands, believed to include a complete Israeli building freeze in Jerusalem, Ayalon said, "Any demand without a quid pro quo is a mistake. Why should the Palestinians negotiate if others negotiate ?for them?"
So here we are, 62 years on, negotiating about negotiations whose prospects of leading anywhere seem fantastically remote. I think Ayalon's right about getting to the table, but peace involves embracing risk over fear, no getting around that, and with the Iranian nuclear program rumbling, Israelis look more risk-averse than I've ever seen them. Life's not bad in affluent, barrier-bordered Israel even if threats loom.
The prime minister insists that he is ready to move forward, that he will not use the Iran threat as a delaying tactic, and that he and Obama respect each other's intelligence. What is imperative for him right now is that the United States and Israel talk to each other. But about what exactly? The trauma of 9/11 bound the Israeli and American narratives. They have now begun to diverge with putative Palestine hanging in limbo between them.


Roger Cohen is Editor at Large of the International Herald Tribune

International

Bhutanese PM calls on Hasina at SAARC village
UNB, Thimphu

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Tuesday said this is the golden chance for all SAARC member countries to establish democracy on a strong base as democracy is prevailing in all SAARC member countries at present.
"We have to establish the democracy on a strong base, this is the golden chance and we have to utilize the opportunity," she said when Bhutan Prime Minister Lyonchhen Jigmi Y Thinley called on her at Bangladesh House in SAARC Village .
The Prime Minister said that it would be easy to solve the problems of the region as the SAARC member countries are in democratic atmosphere.
She said that it was not possible for any country in the world to develop without having democracy.
She underscored the need of continuous democratic process in all SAARC member countries and said that the democracy has to be built strongly.
She said that the democratic institutions have to be provided with strong base so they could function properly. In this connection, she mentioned the 16th SAARC summit is very much important for this.
She said since all SAARC countries are functioning democracies, we may adopt together a 'charter of democracy' to strengthen democratic practices and Rule of Law in South Asia .
Hasina also put emphasis on working together to eradicate poverty from this region and cooperating with each other for development in socio-economic areas.
She said that cooperation among each other is very much important to establish a peaceful situation in the region.
Both the Prime Ministers also discussed climate change issues and assured each other of help in this regard.
They also underscored the need of bilateral cooperation to increase business and trade between the two friendly countries.
"I strongly believe that without cooperating with each other it would not be easy to develop our countries in this region," she said.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina thanked her counterpart for warm hospitality and congratulated him on organizing the 16th SAARC summit. She also recalled her successful bilateral visit to Bhutan in November 2009.
She recalled the Bhutanese King's role during Bangladesh's liberation war and independence.

  Pak working on backdoor channels to resolve issues with India: Gilani

ANI, Islamabad

Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that Islamabad is making all efforts both through the diplomatic and backdoor channels to resolve all pending issues with New Delhi.
Interacting with media persons on board his special aircraft enroute to Thimpu, where he would be attending the 16th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) to be held on April 28 and 29, Gilani said all efforts are on resume the stalled deliberations with India to resolve various long pending issues, The Nation reports.
The two-day SAARC summit has attained much media attention, as it is being speculated that Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh may hold talks with his Pakistani counterpart on the sidelines of the conference. Ambiguity persists over the meeting between both leaders, as none of the sides are ready to reveal anything over whether Dr. Singh and Gilani would hold talks or not.
Earlier, talking to newsmen before leaving for Thimpu, Gilani had said that as of now no meeting was planned.
He, however, added that he might meet several world leaders during his Bhutan stay.
On Monday, External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna, who is currently in Thimpu for the the SAARC ministerial meeting, had said that a bilateral meeting between both Prime Ministers could not be ruled out, adding that all issues would be discussed if they met.

  Indian diplomat arrested for spying for Pakistan
ANI, New Delhi

An Indian woman diplomat has been arrested here after confirmation was received of her passing on sensitive information to Pakistan.
Madhuri Gupta, a second secretary with the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, was arrested here on Sunday after being called back by the Ministry of External Affairs for consultations related to the XVIth SAARC Summit.
Gupta was produced before a court on Monday and remanded to police custody for four days.
A private television channel quoted sources in the ministry as saying that Gupta, 45, had been leaking sensitive and strategic Indian Government information to Pakistan for the past two years.
They said they had been monitoring the activities of Gupta, an Indian Foreign Service (IFS)-B grade officer, for the past year, and added that over the past six months, the surveillance had been raised to a higher level.
The channel said the issue was not so much about the arrest of the diplomat, as it was about Pakistan being successful in planting a mole in the Indian diplomatic mission in Islamabad.
Gupta, who was a specialist interpreter in Urdu, was posted in the media and information wing of the high commission.

  First probe against a serving general begins
Dawn Online, Islamabad/Rawalpindi

In the first-ever probe of its kind into the possible role of a senior serving army officer in elimination of evidence of a serious crime, the three-member committee constituted to determine whether the then Director General of Military Intelligence (MI), Major General Nadeem Ijaz, gave orders for hosing down of Ms Benazir Bhutto's assassination site, has started preliminary work. "We have started preliminary work and will submit a report to the prime minister in the stipulated time," cabinet secretary Abdul Rauf Chaudhry, who heads the fact-finding committee, told Dawn on Monday.
He refused to make any comment when asked if the team would travel to Gujranwala to record the statement of the former MI Chief who is currently serving as Logistic Area Commander or the general himself will be coming to Islamabad. He even refused to reveal if a direct interview with Major Geneal Nadeem Ijaz would be sought.
Informed sources, however, said that a preliminary meeting of the committee was held on Monday and attended by all three members. The other two members of the committee are Vice Chief of General Staff Major General Sajjad Ghani and the Additional Chief Secretary (Home) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Fayyaz Tooru.
They said the meeting discussed terms of reference and decided how to move forward.
It summoned the then Rawalpindi CPO Saud Aziz and SSP Operation and the then SP Potohar Khuram Shahzad to appear before the committee on Tuesday.
The sources said that the committee would also call other police officers who had been deployed for Ms Bhutto's security and the then DCO of Rawalpindi, Irfan Elahi, and Director-General of Rescue 1122, Punjab, Dr Rizwan Nasir, for questioning within a couple of days. The committee is also likely to call some political leaders of the then government for questioning.
They said the committee would also finalise a date for a direct interview with Major General Nadeem Ijaz.

  India government wins confidence vote easily
Reuters, New Delhi

India's Congress-led government won a key confidence vote in parliament on Tuesday by a stronger-than-expected 84 votes despite the coalition suffering problems from high inflation to a cricket scandal.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government was backed by 246 lawmakers in the 545-strong lower house. The opposition managed 162 votes against.
The vote was the first of the many demanded on Tuesday demanded by parties against an unpopular hike in fuel and fertilizer prices which they said hurt the poor, but which the government deems necessary to cut its fiscal deficit from a 16-year high of 6.9 percent.
The strong government showing may boost efforts to pass key bills. Financial markets have largely ignored the parliamentary row, anticipating no threat to the government.
Outside parliament, the communists and their allies shut down shops, offices, trains and airports in several states as they tried to enforce a dawn-to-dusk strike protesting inflation that is running at a 17-month high of 9.9 percent.
The strong government showing may boost efforts to pass key bills. Financial markets have largely ignored the parliamentary row, anticipating no threat to the government. In the run-up to the vote, the government appeared shaky and deferred crucial legislation, with two allies withdrawing support over a bill to reserve legislative seats for women and others expressed disquiet over issues like high prices.

  Indonesia rounds up ‘beach boys’ over gigolo film
AFP, Denpasar, Indonesia

Indonesia has detained 28 "beach boys" accused of selling sex to female tourists on the island of Bali after a documentary on the resort's "gigolos" hit the Internet, an official said.
"We've rounded up 28 men we suspect might be gigolos. They're young, fit-looking and tanned, mostly surfer beach boys," I Gusti Ngurah Tresna, the chief of security on Bali's main Kuta beach, told AFP.
"We're still questioning them. If we have good reason to suspect they may be involved in shady activities we'll hand them over to the police," he said, adding that the raids were ongoing.
"We're always on the beach so we can guess which beach boy may be taking advantage of foreign women."
The arrests followed the release of a documentary, "Cowboys in Paradise", by Singapore-based writer and director Amit Virmani at a film festival in South Korea last Wednesday.
Segments of the film, which contains candid interviews with "beach boys" and the foreign women who fall for them, have gone viral on the Internet after becoming available on YouTube.
Tresna said the documentary ran counter to the authorities' preferred image of Bali as a world-class destination.
"All this while we've been selling our beautiful waves, sunsets, turtles, culture and nature conservation, and suddenly now we're seen to be selling gigolos? Such films are really harmful to our image," he said.
The official could not explain what charges the "beach boys" could face and admitted it would be hard to prove they were selling sex.
"We apprehended some suspects some time back but we let them off with a stern warning," he said.

  Maoists in Nepal intensify combat training
ANI, Kathmandu

Maoist groups in Nepal have intensified their combat training, as it begins to look increasingly possible that a political stalemate could see tension return if a May 28 deadline to draft a constitution is not met.
The rebels see no alternative to solve the political crisis aggravated by the death of fomer Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala in March.
Groups of men have been practising martial arts at a factory here. "The reactionaries can play a foul game to thwart the making of the constitution. To compensate for that, we felt the need to take part at training," said a young Nepalese on a break from their martial arts session.
Nepal held elections in 2008 for a special constituent assembly meant to prepare a new constitution.
It also abolished the 239-year-old monarchy, fulfilling two major demands of the Maoists during the conflict, which began in 1996.
But two other conditions seen as crucial for lasting peace are yet to be fulfilled.
More than 19,000 former Maoist guerrillas housed in U.N.-monitored camps need to be integrated and rehabilitated; and the assembly must prepare a new constitution before May 28.
It is quite possible that the assembly will miss the May 28 deadline, because it is yet to agree on whether to adopt a parliamentary or a presidential government, or how a central system will distribute resources.
Maoist chief Prachanda has said the group will not take up arms again but will capture power if the government failed to deliver on peace and the new constitution. Senior Maoist leader Babu Ram Bhattari on Monday said he still hopes the new constitution will be approved.
"There is no other alternative than to go to the people and mount pressure on the government to pave the way for the implementation of the peace process and complete the constitution making process by May 28," said Bhattari.

 A new style of politics in the West Bank
AP, Arura, West Bank

Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad is quietly changing the rules of the Arab-Israeli conflict with a simple credo: Palestinians have to build their state now and cannot wait for an elusive peace deal with Israel.
He is moving ahead with an ambitious plan to get the Palestinians ready for statehood by August 2011 by trying to build it from the ground up: paving roads, reforming the judiciary, planning new cities.
The U.S.-trained economist has been showered with praise, money and support by the U.S. and Europe. Official Israel has said little, though some in Israel express concern that Fayyad is spearheading a Palestinian strategy to bypass negotiations, declare a de facto state and seek international recognition for it. Fayyad believes success creates its own momentum, that presenting a compelling case for a Palestinian state will make it inevitable. But he stops short of saying the Palestinians would declare independence on their own.
"The thinking was, by around mid-2011, if the political process will not have produced an end to the occupation ... the reality of a Palestinian state would force itself on the political process, on the world," he said in a recent interview conducted in his motorcade driving through the West Bank. Fayyad has focused in recent months on trying to rekindle enthusiasm among Palestinians disillusioned by years of failed peacemaking. He is reaching out to them, bypassing the power structures of the Fatah movement of his boss, President Mahmoud Abbas. Fayyad, an independent, delivers a weekly radio address, meets regularly with Palestinian reporters and has hired a consultant to manage his Facebook and Twitter accounts.

  Palestinian girls get ticket to Intel science fair
AP, Nablus, West Bank

Watching her blind aunt and uncle struggle to navigate the steep slopes and scant sidewalks of this hilly city, one Palestinian girl decided to reinvent the stick.
Armed with spare parts that are hard to find in the West Bank, Asil Abu Lil and two classmates patched together an obstacle-detecting cane that has won them a trip to San Jose, California, for Intel Corp.'s international youth science fair.
The three girls are the first Palestinians to participate in the prestigious event.
"Of course, I want to go to America, but this project is important for the blind and we want it to help them," Asil said. Students from more than 50 countries will compete in next month's International Science and Engineering Fair, vying for the grand prize of $75,000. The 14-year-old girls built the beeping walking stick for a class project at their United Nations-funded girls' school. The cane uses two infrared sensors, one front-facing and one in the tip of the cane, to detect obstacles and drop-offs. They did so despite difficulties in getting parts because of travel restrictions in the West Bank.
The students produced two prototypes after making multiple trips to Ramallah, about 45 minutes away and past two Israeli checkpoints, to scour electronics stores for proper circuits and sensors.
Although various types of "laser canes" have existed since the early 1970s, the girls' design resolves a fundamental flaw in previous models by detecting holes in the ground, said Mark Uslan, director of the American Federation of the Blind's technology division.

  Ousted Kyrgyz president charged with mass killing
AP, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

The ousted president of Kyrgyzstan has been charged with organizing mass killings in the deadly uprising that forced him from office in this Central Asian country earlier this month, the leader of the interim authorities said Tuesday.
Kurmanbek Bakiyev, who is in exile in Belarus, will have his presidential immunity stripped to face the Kyrgyz charges, which also include abuse of power, said Azimbek Beknazarov, a vice-premier of the opposition forces that claimed provisional control of the country.
Bakiyev fled the capital on April 7 after security forces fired on protesters and the demonstrators stormed government buildings. At least 85 people died in the violence. He tried to rally support in his home region in Kyrgyzstan's south, but eventually fled the country and surfaced last week in Belarus.
Beknazarov said Belarus is obliged to extradite Bakiyev under an agreement among former Soviet countries. There was no immediate reaction from Belarus, whose authoritarian president, Alexander Lukashenko, has criticized the demonstrations that drove out Bakiyev. Bakiyev insists he is still Kyrgyzstan's legitimate president, but has vowed not to return to the country as its leader.
Stability in Kyrgyzstan is a significant concern for the United States and Russia, both of which have air bases in the country. The U.S. air base is a key piece of the NATO military campaign against the Taliban in Afghanistan; it provides refueling flights for warplanes over Afghanistan and is a troop transit point.

  Parliamentary chaos as Ukraine ratifies fleet deal
AP, Kiev, Ukraine

As protesters threw eggs and set off smoke bombs, Ukra-ine's parliament on Tuesday extended the Russian Black Sea Fleet's lease at a Crimean port for another 25 years. Russia's parliament ratified the deal in a more sedate session.
The agreement, reached last week by the two country's presidents in a clear sign of Russia's renewed influence in Ukraine, extends the fleet's lease by 25 years after the old lease expires in 2017.
Former President Viktor Yushchenko adamantly tried to move Ukraine out of Moscow's shadow and closer to Western Europe during his five years in office. But his successor, Viktor Yanu-kovych, who took office in February, is more favorably inclined toward the Kremlin.
The extension outraged Ukrainian nationalists who regard the fleet's presence as tantamount to Russian occupation. "This is a permanent threat to Ukraine's territorial integrity because the Black Sea Fleet is the outpost of the Russian state in Ukraine, which is conducting anti-Ukrainian policies and financing anti-Ukrainian projects. In general, this is the work of (Russian) special services on Ukrainian territory," said Igor Derevyanko, one of several thousand demonstrators who gathered outside the parliament. The voting session was unruly even by the Ukrainian parliament's notoriously freewheeling standards.
Opponents of the measure threw eggs at parliament speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn as he opened the session and he spent much of the rest of it shielded by an umbrella held by an aide. Two smoke bombs went off and deputies shouted defiantly over the squeal of a smoke alarm.
The extension passed with 236 votes in the 450-member parliament, but opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko vowed it wouldn't last.
"Parliament ratified this agreement on a treacherous path. We will change it as soon as we return to power," she said, according to the ITAR-Tass news agency.
That was the concern of some of the few Russian parliament members who abstained from voting when the measure passed in the State Duma 410-0.
"There's no certainty that the agreement will be fulfilled by the Ukrainian side," said Vladimir Zhirinovsky, leader of the nationalist Liberal Democratic party.

  Rome priest on trial for abuse
AP, Rome

The bishop responsible for a politically connected priest accused of molesting seven boys has admitted in court papers obtained by The Associated Press that he knew of the allegations for two years but didn't remove the priest from working with children.
The case of Rev. Ruggero Conti, who once advised Rome's mayor on family policy issues, resumes in court on Tuesday after a several-week break as attention increasingly turns to clerical sex abuse in the Vatican's backyard.
A week after Pope Benedict XVI wept with victims of clerical sex abuse in Malta and promised everything in the church's power to protect children and bring abusers to justice, Italian victims are now seeking a papal audience. And Benedict on Sunday indirectly acknowledged that Italy has had its fair share of cases by praising the work of an Italian anti-pedophilia group headed by a Sicilian priest, Don Fortunato di Noto.
The pope said he wanted to "encourage all those who are dedicated to prevention and education." But casting a harsher spotlight on abusive priests in Italy is the court date Tuesday for Conti, who is on trial in Rome for allegedly molesting seven young boys at the Nativita' di Santa Maria Santissima parish in a working class neighborhood of the capital.

  Israel commanders reprimanded for West Bank shootings
Reuters, Jerusalem

Israel's army chief has reprimanded two senior officers over the killing of four Palestinians in two separate shooting incidents in the West Bank last month, the military said on Tuesday.
Lieutenant-General Gabi Ashkenazi determined after military investigations of the incidents that commanders and soldiers could have behaved differently to avoid the killings. In the first incident, two teenagers were shot dead in the village of Iraq Burin on March 20 as troops moved in to protect Jewish settlers from Palestinians protesting against Israeli settlement policy.
A day later, soldiers near the village of Awarta fatally shot two Palestinian youngsters who they believed were trying to kill them, a military statement said.
Ashkenazi reprimanded a brigade commander, who is a colonel, and a battalion commander, who is a lieutenant-colonel, and ordered a squad leader, a first-sergeant, to be removed from operational duties, the statement said.
"The chief of staff determined that from a professional standpoint, the events could have ended differently," the statement said.
Ashkenazi, it said, "ord-ered the implementation of the lessons learned in the investigation so that incidents of this kind can be prevented in the future."

  Iran FM hopeful for nuke fuel deal, no sanctions
AP, Tehran, Iran

Iran's foreign minister on Tuesday expr-essed optimism Tehran would soon strike a deal with the international community to provide his country with nuclear fuel - the latest in a new Iranian diplomatic push to stave off fresh U.N. sanctions over its controversial nuclear program.
As part of the push, top Iranian officials have been courting some non-permanent Security Council members to pre-empt possible sanctions. Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki held talks with Bosnian leaders Monday after making little progress in Austria over the weekend. And last week, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visited Uganda, another non-permanent member of the 15-nation Council. On Tuesday, Mottaki held talks with visiting Brazilian counterpart Celso Amorim.
"We are hopeful to see a fuel exchange go into operation in the near future," Mottaki said, adding that Brazil, also a non-permanent member, could play a more effective decision-making role in the Council.
The U.S. and its allies fear Iran's nuclear program aims to produce nuclear weapons, and are pushing for tougher sanctions in the Security Council over Tehran's refusal to halt uranium enrichment - a process that can lead to nuclear weapon making.
The call for sanctions stepped up after Iran last year rejected a U.N.-backed plan that offered nuclear fuel rods to a Tehran reactor in exchange for Iran's stock of lower-level enriched uranium.

  Venezuela’s Chavez rebuffs Pentagon report
AP, Caracas, Venezuela

President Hugo Chavez rebuffed a Pentagon report that found that an elite unit from Iran's Revolutionary Guard has a presence in Venezuela, warning that the United States could be looking for an excuse to attack his country.
Chavez on Monday called the 12-page report that was delivered to the U.S. Congress last week "a disgrace," saying "these are the things they raise and repeat in reports to later justify anything."
In the report, the Pentagon concluded that Iran's Qods Force, an elite unit within its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, is well established and increasing its presence in Latin America, particularly Venezuela.
"It's totally false," Chavez said of the report's findings.
The unclassified Pentagon report did not include more details on what an increased presence by the Qods Force might entail. Pentagon officials have separately said that they do not believe Iranian terrorist proxies in Venezuela pose a threat to the United States.

Business/Economy

SAARC set to operationalise dev fund
PTI, Thimphu

Leaders of the 8-nation SAARC are set to operationalise a development fund for the region for extending financial support to various socially relevant programmes and are also expected to double the reserves in their food bank when they meet here on Tuesday.
"We have completed the legal requirements for the SAARC Development Fund. The member nations have sent in their ratifications. The SDF will be operationalised at the start of the Summit," Bhutan's Foreign Secretary Daw Penjo told reporters here.
Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh and leaders of other member countries-Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives and Nepal-will attend the two- day summit on April 28 and 29.
Penjo said the SAARC Development Fund (SDF), with a paid up capital of USD 300 million, will also provide financial assistance to projects on women empowerment, maternal and child health and teachers' training under the social window of the SDF.
India has contributed USD 189 million for the fund which would be used for social and some other sectors in the member countries. Other member countries also would be contributing for it in various amounts.
The Foreign Secretaries of the member states met in this picturesque Bhutanese capital amid a light drizzle to finalise the agenda for the ministerial meeting tomorrow.
Penjo said that the leaders of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) issue the Silver Jubilee Thimphu Declaration that will reflect on the past achievements and chart a course for the future to make SAARC a robust body.
Climate change will be the theme of the 16th SAARC Summit and the leaders will also issue a joint statement on the urgency to tackle climate change as the SAARC region is one of the areas most vulnerable to the effects of global warming, Penjo said.
Arriving here for the summit, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna pitched for introspection of the past by the eight- nation grouping and chart a course for the future. "The Summit will give Member States an opportunity to introspect on the past and chart a course for the future," he said.
He said an Agreement on Trade in Services would also be signed during the Summit, thereby opening up new vistas of economic cooperation among SAARC countries.
"As we head for the 16th SAARC Summit in Thimphu, we are imbued with a sense of confidence and optimism in SAARC as a vehicle for regional development," he said.
Krishna said over the years, SAARC has made visible strides and achieved many milestones and created the institutional and legal framework for regional cooperation through agreements and programmes covering almost every area of importance to the region, ranging from Poverty Alleviation and Food Security to Terrorism and Women's Empowerment.
Under the statement on environment, the eight member countries are expected to commit to exchanging their knowledge and best practices, undertake capacity building and transfer of eco-friendly technology to each other. The Bhutanese Foreign Secretary, who chaired the Standing Committee meeting, said there was also an agreement to double the quantum of reserves in the SAARC Food Bank from the current 4,86,000 tonnes.
SAARC Secretary-General Sheel Kant Sharma refused to draw any comparisons between regional groupings across the world and SAARC saying each represented a different set of interests.
He listed out instruments on fighting terrorism, mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, South Asian Free Trade Agreement and setting up of the South Asian University as among the key achievements of SAARC over the past 25 years. The meet is also expected to come out with the rules and regulations for the SAARC University. The first academic session of the varsity will begin in August this year. The University is proposed to have 5,000 students from all the eight SAARC member countries and a faculty of 500.

 Indian SC asks govt to conduct studies before allowing Lafarge to mine

BSS, New Delhi

The Indian Supreme Court on Monday refused to accede to the Centre's plea for lifting the ban on mining by French cement company Lafarge in Meghalaya's forest.
"Till the time necessary reports are submitted by the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF), we are not inclined to accept the government report and permit the mining," a special forest bench headed by Chief Justice of India K. G. Balakrishnan said.
A special bench comprising Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan and Justices SH Kapadia and Aftab Alam asked the ministry of MoEF to conduct a fresh environmental impact assessment and Lafarge to firm up plans for protection of biodiversity and the soil in addition to what was already promised by the multinational.
It refused to allow Lafarge mine limestone in 116 hectare in East Khasi Hill districts on the basis of a hurriedly procured environment clearance certificate by the government, a report said.
Earlier, the Supreme Court on February 5 had stopped Lafarge from carrying out limestone mining in Meghalaya for its cement plant in Bangladesh on the basis of an MoEF report, which said the company was extracting minerals from the land falling in the forest area.
The bench has now asked the government to conduct studies on four crucial aspects related to the flora and fauna and the biodiversity of the area in question where Lafarge is to mine.
Awaiting these reports, the bench posted the hearing to July 2010. The studies and other things now asked by the court included a periodic assessment of the flora and fauna, a time- bond plan for conservation device for it, a comprehensive biodiversity conservation plan with provisions of time bound implementation to be prepared by a state agency and detailing sources of funding for the same.
Earlier on April 23, the Ministry of Forest and Environment (MoEF) had given green signal to limestone mining in Meghalaya by French multinational Lafarge for its cement plant in Bangladesh putting a series of conditions.

  Oil price not hampering economic recovery
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 dipped on Monday, coming off 19-month highs as commodity prices were hit by a strengthening dollar and profit-taking.
London's Brent North Sea crude for June fell to 87.13 dollars per barrel, having earlier struck 87.75 dollars-a level last seen in October 2008. New York's main contract, light sweet crude for June, slid 16 cents to 84.96 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 2011 of 600 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.

  Food price protests add to Indian government’s woes
AFP, New Delhi

Nationwide strikes over food prices and a protest vote in parliament heaped more pressure on India's government on Tuesday, which is fighting scandals on several fronts.
The Congress-led government has endured a torrid few weeks after an IPL cricket controversy that forced the resignation of a minister and a magazine report about the alleged phone-tapping of senior opposition politicians.
On Tuesday, anger over food prices-up nearly 20 percent over 12 months-saw buses burnt in the northern city of Lucknow, protests in southern Hyderabad and a mass strike in the eastern communist-run city of Kolkata. In the capital New Delhi, members of the opposition parties behind the protests staged a sit-in on the steps of parliament with posters saying "Control Back-Breaking Price Rises."
"The agitation is a warning to the federal government. The government must take all necessary steps to bring down the price of essential commodities," All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) leader Gurudas Das Gupta told AFP.
A no-confidence vote in parliament on the issue of unpopular fuel price hikes, organised by the parties behind the protests, was expected to fail with the government seen as having sufficient support.
"Let us see what happens... people are protesting outside and inside the parliament," a senior leader from the opposition Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, Venkaiah Naidu, told reporters when asked about the vote.
"This is a good occasion for us to test the government's ability-there is a controversy surrounding the IPL, price rise, phone tapping. The government has to answer to all of this." In a move repeated regularly over the last weeks, the opposition forced the adjournment of parliament again on Tuesday as angry MPs leapt to their feet and shouted over speakers.
The cricket and phone-tapping scandals have distracted the government at a crucial time as it looks to pass important new legislation, including a national budget.
They have also sapped its momentum less than a year after Congress was returned to power in national elections that were seen as giving it a strong mandate to push through economic liberalisation and welfare reform. There was uproar on Monday over the phone-tapping allegations, carried in Outlook magazine last week, though Home Minister P. Chidamabaram has denied that the government eavesdropped on its rivals.
There were sporadic protests across India on Tuesday, from Kerala in the south to Arunachal Pradesh in the far northeast, in which demonstrators demanded action on high food prices. In Kolkata, thousands of airport, rail and bank workers went on a dawn-to- dusk strike, while schools and shops shut and attendance in government offices was extremely low.

  UN predicts modest increase in FDI for first quarter of 2010
Xinhua, Geneva

The United Nations predicted a modest increase in foreign direct investment (FDI) for the first quarter of 2010 in a report released on Monday.
"There was a slight increase, but another rebound? I wouldn't say so," Supachai Pantichpakdi, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) secretary-general, said in a briefing here.
The UNCTAD's Global Investment Trends Monitor showed that on average, quarterly FDI inflows remained stable throughout the last three quarters of 2009, but are expected to increase slightly in 2010.
This is partly due to a doubling of the value of cross- border mergers and acquisitions from less than 50 billion U.S. dollars in 2009's fourth quarter to almost 100 billion U.S. dollars in 2010's first quarter. The slight rise in FDI is expected to increase further throughout the year. "Generally speaking, FDI growth trails economic growth by at least two quarters. Thus, the continued growth of GDP-which turned positive in mid-2009 -- will provide additional impetus for FDI growth in the coming quarters," the report said.

  Jobless of 45-year-old passes million mark in Spain
Xinhua, Madrid

Spain has currently over 4 million people registered as unemployed and according to a study published on Monday, for the first time over 1 million of them are over 45 years old.
The study, published by The Association of Large Temporary Employment Agencies (AGETT) shows that 1,038,500 over 45-year-old are out of work. It is the first time unemployment among that group has passed the million mark.
AGETT's study shows that the current economic crisis has led to the destruction of 2,534,700 jobs in Spain, with 24.7 percent of those positions belonging to someone over 45.
A total of 13.5 percent of over 45 are now out of work, double the amount from before the crisis. Although that is below the national average of almost 20 percent, there exists the extra problem that over 45 find it a lot harder to find a new job once they have lost their current job. That is due to factors including a lack of technical ability.
"Now more than ever is the moment we need active policy to help adapt labor profiles to the needs of companies," commented AGETT President Francisco Aranda.

  Oil dips below $83 in Asian trade
AFP, Singapore

Oil dipped below 83 dollars in Asian trade Tuesday as investors took profits after a recent rally, analysts said.
Traders were also waiting for the results of a meeting Tuesday and Wednesday of the US Federal Reserve and the release of a weekly US report indicating energy demand in the world's biggest economy. New York's main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in June, was down 52 cents to 83.68 dollars a barrel in afternoon trade.
Brent North Sea crude for June was down 25 cents to 86.58 dollars.
"It could be due to profit-taking because (New York) crude oil prices rallied quite a bit last Friday touching about 85.50," said Serene Lim, a Singapore-based oil analyst with the ANZ bank.

National

Bumper mango production likely in N-dists
BSS, Rangpur

Farmers and officials concerned Tuesday predicted bumper mango production despite the recent droughts as tender mangoes, huge in numbers, are getting eye-catching shapes everywhere in northern Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, the local and indigenous varieties of mangoes are expected to appear in the local markets by the end of next month and the imported 'Sundari' and other varieties Indian mangoes have already flooded the local markets in the region.
The prevailing climatic conditions now are suitable for growth of tender mangoes and when thousands trees in the orchards and homesteads have worn eye-catching looks with huge number of tender mangoes and the branches are hanging with their weights. Scientists, experts and officials in the Horticulture Centres, Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute, Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), farmers and agronomists expressed the views Tuesday.
They said that formation of mango has already been completed amid some drought-like climatic conditions and their growth continues rapidly after the recent moderate rainfalls almost everywhere in the region.
This year, almost 95 per cent mango trees had bloomed and the extent of seasonal nor'westers so far did not cause mentionable damages to the growth of the most popular fruits, they said. The farmers have been taking extensive cares and measures to make mango farming successful this year and selling of the growing mangoes in the major orchards to the mango traders already got its peak now.
The experts said that the mango trees had massively bloomed this season due to favourable climatic conditions and the current season is the 'On Year' for mango productions. If the climate remains favourable during the next two months, mango production would increase to an excellent level to yield a record bumper production of the most delicious fruits this year, they said.
They said that the recent fluctuations in the maximum temperatures caused some temporary problems for mango growths but the subsequent rainfalls helped a lot and attacks by the pests and insects so far remained quite normal.
If the extents of seasonal nor'westers remain within the tolerable limits from now and onwards, there is a huge possibility of achieving a record bumper production of all varieties mango this season, they added.
The DAE sources said that there are about 4.5 million mango trees of different ages and varieties on some 35,000 hectares in the region with creation of many mango orchards and increased mango farming in the homesteads for the last one decade.

  BMDA to boost fine rice production in 5 NW-districts
BSS, Rajshahi

The Barind Multipurpose Development Authorities (BMDA) has been implementing a development program for boosting fine and aromatic rice production in five northwestern districts of the country.
According to the officials concerned, the three-year program titled "Fine Rice Production and Marketing" has been implementing in all upazilas of Rajshahi, Naogaon, Chapainawabganj, Joypurhat and Dinajpur districts at a cost of Taka 3.68 crore since July last. Main thrust of the program is to produce more fine and aromatic rice in the vast Barind tract along with increasing the farmers' income side by side with supplementing the earning process of foreign currency after exporting the produced rice.
Program Director ATM Rafiqul Islam told BSS that the area is conventionally familiar as rice growing and mainly high yielding varieties are produced for local consumption.
But, he said, it is also an excellent for fine/aromatic rice production that the demand of the rice in local as well as in international market is increasing day by day.
In this regard, he viewed that high price and demand of the rice are the major advantages of producing the grain. To attain the goal, Rafique said the project has been designed to procure and supply quality seed under the contract farming system.
Moreover, he cited that the BMDA has ensured irrigation facilities for producing paddy. Step has been taken to encourage some 20,000 farmers to raise 390 demonstration plots through need-oriented field level training for cultivating and producing aromatic rice like Chiniatop, Kalijira, Kataribhog, Jirashail, Basmati, BRRI-34 and BRRI-50.
Apart from providing training facilities to around 9,700 farmers, traders, exporters and millers to produce, procure and preserve exportable quality rice as per international standard, he stated that seminar and workshop will be arranged to grow linkage among them. Besides, the program, indirectly, will assist the farmers in producing rice, processing, bagging and marketing for uplifting the socio-economic development of the farmers' community. As a whole, he mentioned that the BMDA will act as negotiator between growers, traders and exporters to ensure the price of the produced rice.
He expected that the farmers would get their expected price under guidance of the project authority when the fine rice could be produced commercially. Upon successful implementation of the project, he added that the implementing authority would be able to build storage of 300 metric tons of quality seed for selling those to the farmers in every rice- farming season. In order to develop a good marketing infrastructure, he suggested the both public and private sector should come forward and work together to make a place in the international market.

  Eradication of gender discriminations stressed for women empowerment

BSS, Rangpur

Speakers at a press conference here Monday stressed for joint efforts of all stakeholders to bring an end to gender discriminations and domestic violence for attaining sustainable social development through women empowerment.
They underscored the need for showing a cooperative attitude to each other among the family members and in the working places and institutions and assist empowering the womenfolk to eradicate the social vice once for all.
They called upon all for achieving the desired success in ensuring advancement of society involving the womenfolk and leading to overall social and national development to build a happy, prosperous and peaceful society. Rangpur Unit-16 of Dinajpur-based NGO Palli Shree arranged the press conference at a local hotel in Rangpur city yesterday under its ongoing Social Intervention and Women Empowerment Project in 68 unions of 14 upazilas in 4 northern districts.
Programme Facilitator of the organisation Shafikul Islam elaborately presented the overall ongoing activities including huge steps for bringing a change in the mindsets of the people towards women empowerment by eradicating violence against them.
Executives, officials and employees of Polli Shree, NGO officials and workers, journalists, community leaders, members of the civil society and Change Makers were present.
The conference was told that Polli Shree has been working now in 68 unions under three upazilas of Rangpur, six upazilas of Naogaon, three upazilas of Dinajpur and three upazilas of Thakurgaon districts.

  UNICEF launches ‘The State of The World’s Children-2010’ in Rangpur

BSS, Rangpur

The UNICEF ceremonially launched 'The State of The World's Children-2010' here Monday on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the World Children Rights Charter.
UNICEF-Rangpur organised the launching ceremony in local RDRS conference room in the city with Rangpur divisional coordinator of UNICEF Madhuri Banerjee in the chair. Additional divisional commissioner of Rajshahi Swapan Kumar Roy attended the ceremony as the chief guest while deputy commissioner of Rangpur BM Enamul Haque and Civil Surgeon of Rangpur Dr Reazul Haque attended as the special guests. Programme officer of UNICEF Fahim Uddin Ahmed presented and moderated the launching ceremony.
The chief guest formally unveiled the cover of special edition of The State of The World's Children-2010 published by the UNICEF and the concerned officials presented the present global scenario of the Children Rights situation in the ceremony.
Government officials of different departments, NGO officials and activists, children journalists and local journalists, UNICEF officials and children took part.
The speakers on the occasion elaborately narrated the achievements in the fields of children rights during the past two decades since inception of the Children Rights Charter of the United Nations and the ways for overcoming the challenges being faced.

  Farmers urged to cultivate BRRI Dhan-45 to get high yield stressed

BSS, Gaibandha

The agri-experts at a function have urged the farmers to cultivate the early variety BRRI Dhan-45 on their land in large scale during the Boro season through using the latest agro technology to get high yield and economically benefited as well.
"A farmer can harvest three high valued crops including jute in a year easily if the farmer can cultivate short duration BRRI Dhan-45 on the land timely". They said this in a crop cutting function of the paddy organized by Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) at Rathbazar village under Kholahati union of Sadar upazila in the district on Monday.
Deputy Director of DAE M. Qurban Ali attended the function as the chief guest.
Presided over by farmer Mahmud Sarwar Mukta, the function was also addressed, among others, by crops production specialist Satya Brata Paul, upazila agriculture officer M. Mozaffar Rahman, agriculture extension officer Sasty Chandra Roy, sub assistant agriculture officers Morshedunnahar and Nazim Uddin.
The experts also stressed the need for preserving the seeds of all crops including the paddy in farmer level to cultivate those on their land in the following years to get desired production without facing any troubles on seed collection.
After crop cutting the agri-experts and the farmers expressed their satisfaction over the excellent yield as some 6.50 metric tonnes of paddy were produced on a hectare of land this time.
A large number of people including farmers, public representatives, local elite and journalists were present on the occasion.

  Youths driving forces of national economy, development: Speakers

BSS, Rangpur

Speakers at the concluding ceremony of year-long training courses on various trades for the unemployed youths at Chilmari in Kurigram have said that the youths are the driving forces of national economy and development.
They also asked the youths to properly utilize their acquired knowledge to build their own careers and professions in achieving economic self-reliance for themselves and their families in the process of building a poverty-free Bangladesh in near future.
Tere Des Homes Foundation (TDHF) organised the year-long training courses at its Chilmari Vocational Training Centre for 30 unemployed youths of the poorer families of Chilmari upazila on trades like carpentry, motor bike and motor car works.
In addition to providing trainings on these three trades, the participant trainees also underwent a special three-day knowledge acquiring training on Life Efficiency and four-day training on Reproductive Health during the period.

Sports

IPL prepares for life after Modi
AFP, New Delhi

The Indian Premier League has a long and profitable future ahead of it but the suspension of tournament chief Lalit Modi must lead to reform, experts say.
"There is no choice, the IPL is too valuable to be dumped," leading sports analyst Ayaz Memon told AFP. "But first, trust has to be restored and that is not going to be easy."
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Monday suspended Modi pending an internal probe into allegations of corruption, tax evasion and money-laundering that have sparked a tax investigation by the government.
Modi, 46, was also removed as a BCCI vice-president and as chairman of the T20 Champions League, a separate club tournament organised jointly by India, Australia and South Africa.
The IPL-based on the shortened, made-for-TV Twenty20 format and modelled partly on English football's Premier League-has attracted the sport's top international stars.
Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said the IPL was a very good event but conceded that allegations of match-fixing that have surfaced in the controversy were particularly damaging.
"The IPL is here to stay," Dhoni told NDTV ahead of the Indian team's departure later Tuesday for the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean, before adding that match-fixing was "one of the biggest and worst allegations against a cricketer".
"If there is a suspicion then it should be handled in a very careful way," he said. "If there is something happening, then the cricketer should be punished in the harshest way possible."
Modi ran the IPL like a one-man show from its inception three years ago, raising fears that without him the multi-billion-dollar tournament could suffer from lack of direction.
The BCCI, which owns the IPL and handed Modi his suspension order soon after the event's final in Mumbai on Sunday night, moved quickly to try to ensure continuity.
Businessman Chirayu Amin, one of five BCCI vice-presidents and a veteran cricket administrator, was appointed to head the tournament's governing council as interim chief.
Former national captains Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri-all members of the governing council-were put in charge of looking after future editions of the tournament.
The furore comes as two more franchises are to be added to the existing eight teams from next year, and a fresh auction of cricketers is due later this year.
With the fourth edition of the tournament 12 months away, the BCCI has time on its side to take control of the event's complex organisation. Memon said it would not be easy to replicate the hype of the past three years, in which a spectacular mix of sport and Bollywood glamour made the IPL a massive success.

  Bangladesh League
Abahani downs Rahmatganj 5-1

TBT report

Prolific striker Enamul Haque scored a brace to lead the defending champion Dhaka Abahani to an overwhelming 5-1 victory over Rahmatganj Muslim Friends Society in the Bangladesh Football League at Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka on Tuesday.
Abahani started to swoop on its city rivals from the word go and Enamul opened scoring for the Sky Blues just five minutes after the kick-off.
Sheriff Deen Mohamed scored on 26 minutes to give the holders a 2-0 advantage before the breather.
After the change of ends, Enamul again showed the way with scoring his second two minutes after the restart (3-0) before Rahmatganj found its only goal through Idris in the 54th minute.
Abahani's overseas import Ibrahim scored on 69 minutes before Meshu scored four minutes later to seal a 5-1 victory for the champions.
Today's match: Dhaka Mohammedan Sporting Club vs Farashganj Sporting Club (5:00 pm at Bangabandhu National Stadium, Dhaka).

   Australia names team for Davis Cup tie
BSS/AFP, Sydney

Australia's veteran performer and former world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt will lead Peter Luczak, Carsten Ball and Paul Hanley in the Davis Cup tie against Japan next month, officials said Tuesday.
"We think we have a good, strong team capable of winning our way back into the world group," Davis Cup captain John Fitzgerald said. Two-time Grand Slam champion Hewitt is on the comeback after undergoing surgery for a troublesome hip injury, having used the European clay court season as preparation for the May 7-9 tie in Brisbane.
Australia have elected to take on Japan on clay rather than on hardcourt for their Asia/Oceania zone second-round tie, which will suit claycourter and World No. 72 Luczak.
Big-serving left-hander Ball has been included in the team after combining with doubles specialist Paul Hanley to win the doubles rubber over Chinese Taipei in Melbourne in March.
Australia last met Japan in 1996, winning 4-1 and leads Japan 14-2 in Davis Cup, having won their last six encounters. The winner of the Brisbane tie advances to the World Group playoffs in September.
Rising teenager Bernard Tomic, with whom Hewitt has had a public spat, was not included in the team but Fitzgerald insisted there was no bad blood between the pair.
"Everything is fine. I hope one day that they can play in a Davis Cup team together," he said. "But we've only got four players to pick and have to decide who gives us our best chance on clay now."

  Birmingham defender faces police probe
AFP, London

Birmingham defender Stephen Carr is under police investigation after allegations he made gestures towards Aston Villa fans at the end of Sunday's 1-0 defeat at Villa Park.
Carr and his team-mates were incensed when referee Martin Atkinson awarded Villa a late penalty for Roger Johnson's challenge on Gabby Agbonlahor, even though the Birmingham defender appeared to make clean contact with the ball.
James Milner converted the spot-kick to clinch the derby win and Carr, who had led the protests to Atkinson, was seen to gesture towards Villa fans as he left the pitch.
Police have received a complaint about the hand gesture and the English Football Association have also confirmed they are aware of the incident and will study Atkinson's match report and other evidence before deciding whether to take action.
A police spokesman told the Birmingham Mail: "West Midlands Police have received a complaint regarding an offensive gesture allegedly made by a player at the end of the Aston Villa-Birmingham City match on Sunday.
"The matter is currently being investigated by detectives and inquiries are ongoing."
A Football Association spokesman added: "We are aware of the incident and will be looking at the referee's report and other available evidence before we decide what to do."
If the FA decide to take action, Carr, 33, could face a suspension or a fine but he insists he has no regrets over his actions.
"Do I regret it? No. Not at all. That's life. You make decisions," Carr said.
"It's hard not to react like we did. I'm absolutely gutted. It felt like we were robbed.
"I got booked for not moving away from the area but my head had gone, to be honest."

  Robbie Fowler signs with Perth
AFP, Sydney

Liverpool great Robbie Fowler signed Tuesday with Perth Glory for the 2010/11 Australian domestic season, ending speculation about the former England international's new playing home.
The 35-year-old marquee player's future was thrown open after his club, North Queensland Fury, underwent financial restructuring.
"This is vindication that everything we are doing at Perth Glory is on track," club chairman Tony Sage said.
"Robbie had a number of clubs chasing his signature, both in the Hyundai A-League and from the Middle East and we're delighted he's decided to join Perth Glory." Fowler, the highest profile overseas player to compete in the Australian competition, had reportedly been approached by Sydney FC and had made it clear he wanted to remain playing Down Under.
"I loved it there, it was brilliant," he told the Sydney Morning Herald of his time in tropical north Queensland. "It wasn't just Townsville, it was Australia."
Fowler will join the Perth team after one season with the Fury, for which he scored nine goals in 26 games.
"It's exciting for football fans in Western Australia that a legend has decided to play for us," Sage added.
Under Football Federation Australia rules, each club is allowed one international and one local marquee player whose salaries fall outside the salary cap. Mile Sterjovski is Perth's Australian marquee.

   World Twenty20 wide open: Dhoni
AFP, Mumbai

Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Tuesday predicted a keen contest during the upcoming World Twenty20, saying the race for the title was too close to call.
"Anything can happen in T20 cricket," Dhoni told reporters ahead of the team's departure for the Caribbean where the 12-nation tournament starts on April 30.
"The format of the game is such that you just can't afford to relax. There will be no easy matches. Anyone can win it."
India won the inaugural World Twenty20 in South Africa in 2007, but failed to qualify for the semi-finals in the second edition in England last year when Pakistan took the title.
Dhoni said fatigue would not be a factor for his team, despite enduring the rigours of the six-week Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament which ended on Sunday.
"We have to respect the schedule," said the Indian skipper, who led Chennai Super Kings to this year's IPL title.
"Playing for the country is more important that playing in the IPL and that is enough to energise the boys. The good thing is that everyone is fit and looking forward to the tournament.
"We have a good chance to win the title because there is a lot of talent in the team. But we have to play to our potential. Let's just hope for the best."
India will be handicapped by the absence of hard-hitting opener Virender Seh-wag, who suffered a shoulder injury during the IPL and was replaced by Tamil Nadu opener Murali Vijay.
With record-breaking batsman Sachin Tendulkar not part of the T20 side since 2007, the onus will be on Gautam Gambhir, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh and Dhoni to bolster the batting. India, drawn in group C, meet first-timers Afghanistan in St Lucia on May 1, before clashing with South Africa at the same venue the next day.
Two teams from the group will advance to the Super Eights round.
The final will be played in Barbados on May 16.
India's T20 squad:
Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt), Gautam Gambhir (vice-capt), Murali Vijay, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Yusuf Pathan, Dinesh Karthik, Rohit Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Piyush Chawla, Zaheer Khan, Praveen Kumar, Ashish Nehra, Vinay Kumar.
Coach: Gary Kirsten (RSA).

  Liverpool to make Chelsea fight for title
AFP, London

Steven Gerrard insists Liverpool have no intention of giving Chelsea an easy ride in Sunday's crucial showdown at Anfield.
Carlo Ancelotti's team are one point ahead of Manchester United with two games to play and a victory on Merseyside would move them within touching distance of the Premier League title.
Some Liverpool fans wouldn't be too upset about that as it would almost certainly deny arch rivals United a 19th English crown, which would surpass the Reds' own total of 18.
But Liverpool captain Gerrard knows his side still have an outside chance of snatching fourth place and qualification for the Champions League, so he expects Rafael Benitez's side to give everything to beat the Blues this weekend. "We have a couple of games left and the idea is to take maximum points and see if we can get into the Champions League through the back door," Gerrard told The Sun.
"If we take maximum points, who knows? The teams above us might slip up. All we have done is keep the pressure on.
"We won't give up but it would be stupid of me to say this or that is going to happen - it's important to be realistic. "We are underdogs for fourth position but our fans also know we've got Everton breathing down our necks and we certainly don't want them finishing above us."
Although Chelsea will fancy their chances against a Liverpool team missing star striker Fernando Torres, they know failure to win at Anfield would give United a chance to regain top spot with a win at Sunderland later on Sunday.
Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard, who scored twice in Sunday's 7-0 win over Stoke, is convinced Gerrard and company won't be surrender the three points without a fight.
"There is no chance that 11 Liverpool players can go out and consider United winning the championship on this game," Lampard said.
"They play only to win games and would not be unprofessional. They will give it everything, there's no doubt about that.
"But the message from us is that we can go to Anfield and get three points.
"If you want to be champions, you have to go to these kind of places and bring back the title."
United striker Wayne Rooney, currently sidelined with a groin injury, will be watching the Anfield clash in the hope that his friend and fellow Scouser Gerrard can do the champions a favour. Gerrard scored twice in Sunday's 4-0 win at Burnley and Rooney believes his England team-mate will always give 100 percent for the Liverpool cause. "I don't need to have a word with Stevie about making sure Liverpool win. You see what a good player and competitor he is even in friendly games," Rooney said.
"He wants to win and I'm sure he will want to win this one. Liverpool are fighting to get into Europe and with the history behind the club I'm sure they are all determined. "It is the last home game of the season and their fans will not really be too pleased if they don't turn up."

  Please reduce hype over our marriage: Shoaib
BSS/PTI, Karachi

Annoyed by the hype over his marriage with Indian tennis star Sania Mirza, Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik has appealed to the media to practice some restrain.
Malik said due to the continuous attention, he and Sania can not live like a normal couple.
"I am pleased to know that people are happy with our marriage but I think now it is time to stop this hype and let us live like a normal couple. I would request the media to leave alone both the families," Shoaib said when he and Sania appeared together for the first time on a Pakistani channel on Monday night.
"Two people from different countries got married and it should only be treated as a marriage nothing more," Malik told 'Ary News'. Malik said he was happy at the celebrations in Pakistan but he was now tired of playing bodyguard to his wife.
"I would ask the media to reduce the hype let our families enjoy this occasion as any family would celebrate a marriage. Because of all this hype I couldn't even meet with my friends and relatives properly at the reception in Sialkot, it was a mad rush," he said.
Malik, who is presently serving a 12-month ban by the Pakistan Cricket Board, was also disappointed by the negative stories about them.
"I can only laugh at stories in the media that invitation cards for our wedding reception were sold. This thing about our wedding cards being sold it is laughable. Please don't turn wedding cards into credit cards," Malik said. Sania Mirza said she was surprised by the hype in the media over their marriage.
"It is not like ours is a great big love story. Strangely we were introduced by a common friend from the media then I met him in Hobart and our families also met and we decided to get married," she said.
There are reports after unruly scenes at the reception in Sialkot on Sunday night, Sania's father Imran is personally supervising all security arrangements for the Valima reception in Lahore.

  Gulbis sets up Federer clash
BSS/AFP, Rome

Latvia's Ernests Gulbis took little more than an hour to dispose of Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis 6-2, 6-2 at the Rome Masters here Monday to set up a second round clash with world number one Roger Federer.
The Swiss master had a first round bye and the big serving Gulbis took only 69 minutes to secure his bid for what he hopes will be an early tournament upset.
Gulbis is ranked only 40th in the world but the 21-year-old has no qualms about his next challenge having taken a set off Federer in Doha earlier this year.
"It's really good that I played him in Doha because the first match against a player like that is the toughest mentally," he said.
"In Doha in the warm-up I was pretty scared but now I know I can play with him, I won a set, it's his first match on clay (this year) so I'm not going to think about it.
"I'll go on court, play my best and whatever happens is okay. If I lose 6-2, 6- 1 I'll just go on.
"There's no need to think about it, thinking about it won't help you. You have to throw away thoughts about it and you'll be okay." That sort of attitude is typical of the Latvian who admitted that he is no fan of training and has no intention of forging the type of long and dominant career of his next opponent.

  Solano arrested on suspicion of rape
AFP, London

Former Newcastle star Nolberto Solano has denied an allegation of rape after being arrested on Tuesday.
Peru midfielder Solano was arrested at a house in the Gosforth area of Newcastle following the rape claim made by a 22-year-old woman.
Solano has been released on bail and Northumbria Police said investigations into the allegation are ongoing.
Solano's solicitor Simon McKay said: "I can confirm that Mr Solano has been the subject of an allegation of rape but denies the allegation fully.
"I have been in contact with Northumbria Police on Nolberto's behalf and we are cooperating fully and assisting them with their inquiries."
Solano became the first Peruvian to play in the Premier League when he joined Newcastle in 1998 from Argentinian side Boca Juniors. The 35-year-old spent eight years at Newcastle in two spells and has also played for Aston Villa and West Ham before joining Championship club Leicester in January.
Leicester released a statement that read: "Leicester City Football Club can confirm that Nolberto Solano is assisting police with their enquires regarding an alleged incident that occured in Newcastle over the previous weekend."

  Japan FA stands by coach Okada
AFP, Tokyo

The Japan Football Association has vowed to stand by its national coach, Takeshi Okada, after supporters filed a petition calling for his resignation ahead of the World Cup, reports said Tuesday.
The petition with about 1,000 signatures was handed to the JFA Monday by four men representing the supporters, the Sports Nippon reported.
But a JFA spokesman told them, "It is our final decision to go to the World Cup under coach Okada," the daily added.
With the World Cup kicking off in South Africa in less than eight weeks' time Okada has came under fire after his Blue Samurai finished third behind China and South Korea in the East Asian championships at home in February.
Earlier this month, they were booed by supporters after losing 3-0 to a second-string Serbian side in a home friendly.
But JFA president Motoaki Inukai has stuck with Okada, who guided Japan in their winless World Cup debut in France 1998, in his first stint as national coach.
Okada, who has declared a goal of reaching a semi-final spot in South Africa 2010, returned home Tuesday from a tour of Europe, where he called on three key Japanese players based there.
The three midfielders-CSKA Moscow's Keisuke Honda, Makoto Hasebe of Wolfsburg and Grenoble's Daisuke Matsui-were "all in fine shape," Okada told reporters after returning to Tokyo's Narita airport.
"I felt secure about them," said Okada, who previously has said he will include the three in the World Cup squad he is due to announce on May 10.
Okada said he had also met Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger in London to ask about Wenger's fellow Frenchman Paul Le Guen, who manages African powerhouse Cameroon, Japan's first opponents in South Africa.
Okada said he wanted to know if Le Guen is an "idealist or realist" before Japan take on the physically stronger Cameroon in Bloemfontein on June 14.
"Wenger said he (Le Guen) is rather a realist," Okada added. "I reckon Cameroon may possibly come out attacking us with a series of long balls as we are not good at them."