SATURday, FEBRUARY 20, 2010 FALGUN 8, 1416, RABIUL AWAL 5, 1431 Hijri

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Leading News

PM defends changing names of different establishments
She says this is a lesson for BNP, its allies

UNB, Dhaka

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday defended her government's move to change names of different structures, including Zia International Airport, saying that this should be a good lesson for the opposition.
"This is a lesson for the BNP and its allies," she said addressing a discussion organized by Awami League at Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC) marking the International Mother Lan-guage Day. Deputy Leader of Parliament Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury presided over the programme.
Agriculture Minister Begum Matia Chowdhury, LGRD Minister and Awami League general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam, former Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor AK Azad Chowdhury, State Minister for Science and Information Technology Yeafesh Os-man, Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya and Mahbubul Alam Hanif, among others, spoke on the occasion.
The Prime Minister said that after coming to
power in 2001, the
BNP-led alliance government changed names of hundreds of government structures constructed and named during her tenure during 1996-2001.
"Did not they (BNP-led alliance government) think that their government is not the last government?"
She said her government's move was inevitable, as "those who have not learnt yet are to be taught." Hasina said that the previous BNP-led alliance government changed 200-250 names of government structures. "They are burning inside although we've only changed couple of names. What will they do if we change names of some 200-250 structures? Let them take the lesson."
She said that the language movement taught the people of the country how to realize their basic rights. "We will transmit the history of our great sacrifice during the Language Movement to all countries of the world."
The Prime Minister said that on February 21, she would formally inaugurate the International Mother Language Institute where all languages of the world will be preserved and research conducted on those. In this connection, she said that during her previous tenure she had taken the move to establish February 21 as the Day for the whole world.
In this regard, Hasina mentioned that despite huge stock in the country, the price of rice is going up. "We provided subsidies defying the pressure of the international donor agencies to have bumper production in agriculture," she said.
The Prime Minister urged her party men to remain alert against such manipulations and be united. "Vested quarters are trying to increase the rice price through various kinds of tricks," she said.

 TCB steps back from pulse import from Nepal
UNB, Dhaka

After striking an initial deal, the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh stepped back from their move to import pulses from Nepal as jacked-up prices in the Himalayan country stood in the way.
TCB chairman Khalilur Rahman alleged that Bangladeshi traders were manipulating the Nepalese pulse market increasing its price so that the government could not import the item at cheap rate. Nepal's lentils sell at Tk 114 per kg at the local market.
The Nepalese government offered the price of lentils at $1575 per metric tonne for the first consignment of 2500 mts out of total import of 15,000 tonnes agreed upon.
The TCB chairman, Khalilur Rahman, told UNB that they have already refused the high-rated offer from the Nepalese government as the price is much higher than that in Bangladesh. "So it would not be a wise decision to accept that import price."
Nepal was supposed to export about 15,000 metric tonnes following a Memo-randum of Understanding signed with the Nepalese government during a TCB team's recent visit. The Nepalese government floated a tender in mid-January following the government-to-government deal for pulse export to Bangladesh at the cheapest rate. Earlier, Nepal had banned pulse export due to bad harvest of the food crop. However, Commerce Minister Faruk Khan at the WTO ministerial meet had a fruitful discussion with his Nepalese counterpart.
The Nepalese commerce minister had agreed to supply a substantial amount of pulses only to the government's trading agency, TCB, which was now being reactivated from a dormant state in view of a wayward trend of the domestic market.
Khalilur Rahman said the government had decided to import pulses from Nepal through TCB to control the spiraling prices of pulses, as also of other essential items, on the domestic market. However, the TCB chairman said they would not consider importing the pulse for the time being as the pulse prices now remained stable at home.
He said the government would take steps to import the rest 12,500-metric-tonne consignment in the next March-April period when Nepalese farmers would harvest fresh pulses. "We are waiting for the last consignment as it will be cheap-rated," Khalilur Rahman added. At markets in the country the local lentil now sells at Tk 105 to Tk 110 per kg, which was Tk 112 to Tk 116 even a month back.

 Dhaka-Delhi agree to install power plants in joint venture
BSS, Dhaka

Bangladesh-India Friday reached an agreement to install a two-unit 1320 megawatt coal fired power plant in line with a deal signed during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's New Delhi visit last month.
"We have agreed to sign an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) to install the plant," power division secretary M Abul Kalam Azad told newsmen at a joint press briefing after talks with an Indian delegation led by his Indian counterpart HS Bharma.
Azad said the coal fired power plant would be installed 50:50 equity basis to be run on imported coal and operated by the India's National Thermal Power Cooperation (NTPC).
He added that the MoU drafted for the joint venture also suggested bilateral cooperation for human resources development and increased efficiency of power plants.
Bharma said India was keen to extend support for power sector development in Bangladesh as it was "promise-bound to do it as per the agreement" during the premier-level talks in New Delhi in January.
Both the secretaries were also co-chair of the joint steering committee on Bangladesh-India grid connectivity for power swapping, an issue which also largely dominated the today's talks, according to officials familiar with the meeting.
Bharma told newsmen that Bangladesh would get the power from India as per government rate which was determined by the Indian Energy Regulatory Commi-ssion. "At present, the cost of per unit electricity ranges between 2.50 to 3.50 rupees depending upon the fuel," he said while Azad said the cost of power to be imported from India would stand around Taka four to five for per unit.
Azad said the state-run Bangladesh Power Deve-lopment Board (BPDB) would float tender on February 28 to install a 48 kilometer 400 KV transmission line for the grid connectivity. The development came after two days of meeting, the second one, of the Joint Steering Committee for Cooperation in the Power Sector on grid inter-connection and cooperation between the BPDB and NTPC.
Bharma, who leads a 16-member delegation comprising experts, officials and private sector operators in power sector, said Bangladesh needed 5000-6000 mw more electricity to achieve its goal to become a middle income group country within next several years. Replying to a question about the scope and future of the proposed four-nation grid connectivity in South Asia, Bharma briefly said a committee under the SAARC umbrella was working on that.

  BNP may go for Hartal if necessary
Demonstration to be held on Monday

TBT Report

Opposition BNP might go for hartal programme if necessary against the government's unprovoked attacks on agitation rallies which are being held throughout the country in peaceful and democratic manner.
Protesting such police attacks including last Thursday's procession in the city, the party will stage a demonstration in front of party's central office next Monday. The demonstration programme and threat of hartal programme came from a press briefing addressed by BNP senior joint secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir held at party's Nayapaltan central office on Friday.
Alamgir said against the government decision deleting name of late president Ziaur Rahman from Zia International Airport and alleged conspiracy to kill BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia besides a pack of other issues, the nationalist forces are engaged in holding agitation rallies throughout the country in peaceful and democratic manner. But the government's police forces are engaged in charging baton to disperse the agitating people without any provocation. If the unprovoked attacks continue, BNP might go for hartal programme in the country.
"We believe in peaceful and democratic agitation programme but the government is forcing us to comedown on the streets at every moment. If the instigation is continued, we might initiate a tough agitation programme like hartal in the country," he said.
Miza Alamgir alleged at least 13 activists were picked up by police and more than one hundred people injured in police attacks on last Thursday's procession in the city. One Naser was killed during the police attack, he added chase and counter chase took place at different parts of the country.
Later, addressing at a rally organised by Jatiyatabadi Muktijodha Dal in front of the party's central office protesting the government's misdeeds including deleting Zia's name from Zia International Airport, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir vowed that the countrymen would protect country's independence and sovereignty spending their lifeblood as the government is mulling materialising BAKSAL in the country.
Alamgir said the government is conducting one party rule in the country. And thus, it is deleting name of Shaheed president Ziaur Rahman from different establishments.

   Ekushey Book Fair gains momentum
UNB, Dhaka

The Amar Ekushey Book Fair is gaining momentum ahead of the International Mother Language Day as it is drawing more and more booklovers every day. Hundreds of booklovers throng the fair from morning till evening.
The booklovers, mostly young people, from different parts of the country are pouring in the capital with a view to visiting the book fair as well observing the Amar Ekushey with a festive mood at the same time.
During the visit at the fair on Friday noon, it was seen that a large number of youngsters were moving from one book stall to another since morning as the fair remains open from 11 am on weekly holiday.
Visitors were seen standing in a long queue from the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission and Doyel Chattar to Bangla Academy gates at 3:00 pm. The security men were busy maintaining the row of the crowds. The fair venue started turning into a human sea just after the afternoon. There was hardly any room for the visitors to move around the fair ground.
Salesmen of the different stalls were found so busy in selling and displaying books from the morning to attract the booklovers.
"I don't have enough time to talk to you as you see that we are very busy in attending customers and displaying books," said a salesman of Drubo Lipi Publication.

   One more killed in ‘gunfight’
99 extra judicial killings in six and half months

TBT Report

One more alleged outlawed party leader was killed in 'gunfight' between his cohorts and Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) at Bangram village in Rajbari Sadar upazilla Thursday midnight taking the total of such extra judicial killings to 99 in six and half months from August 1, 2009 to February 19, 2010.
This is the seventh such extra judicial killings in the new year 2010. Earlier, an outlawed party leader, a ringleader of a robber gang, a criminal, an outlawed party leader and a terrorist were killed in shootouts on 9, 11, 12, 30 January and 10 and 16 February respectively. According to UNB News Agency, a leader of an outlawed party was killed in a violent gunfight between his accomplices and RAB personnel at Bangram village in Sadar upazila Thursday midnight.
The deceased was identified as Samad Molla alias Samad Member alias Aziz commander of the banned Purbo Banglar Communist Party (ML-Janajuddha).
A pistol, a revolver and six rounds of bullet and six bottles of Indian phensidyl syrup were recovered from the spot after the gunfight. Samad, a listed terrorist, was wanted in a number of cases, including murder. RAB claimed that constable Kamaluddin was wounded in the gunfight.
The unlawful killings are taking place despite mounting protests by human rights activists, civil society members and political parties and repeated assurances of the government that such killings would be stopped and actions would be taken against those found responsible.
RAB recently said as many as 577 people were killed in 'crossfire' in 472 incidents until Aug 31, 2009 since the formation of the elite force on March 26, 2004.

Back Page

‘Pakistan fears India could divert nuclear fuel’
Dawn Online, Geneva

Pakistan said on Thursday it feared India could make 100 nuclear warheads a year by diverting fissile material transferred from the United States and other powers.
Zamir Akram, Pakistan's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, said civilian nuclear agreements were providing its rival, whose arsenals are larger, with "the transfer of unlimited amounts of fissile material".
Safeguards arrangements contained in bilateral agreements, aimed at preventing diversion of highly enriched uranium and plutonium stocks to weapons production, were "not foolproof", he told the UN-backed Confe-rence on Disarmament.
"There is every danger that imported fissile material designated for civilian use will be secretly diverted for weapons-making purposes as was done in the past. In such a situation, the annual production of weapons can be as much as 100 nuclear warheads," Akram said in a speech. India's disarmament ambassador Hamid Ali Rao dismissed Akram's remarks as "gratuitous and unfounded". "We urge the Pakistani delegation to avoid bringing up extraneous issues designed to create obstacles in the path of the conference on disarmament getting down to serious and substantive work," Rao said in a speech. India's "impeccable non-proliferation record" was widely recognised, he said.
Pakistan has blocked the start of negotiations at the 65-member conference on banning production of fissile material, arguing that would put it at a permanent disadvantage to India. India and the United States signed a civilian nuclear deal in 2008, ending India's nuclear isolation since it tested a nuclear device in 1974. Last week Britain signed an agreement on nuclear energy cooperation with India.

   Int’l Mother Language Institute to help country stand in global arena: Nahid

BSS, Dhaka

Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid on Friday said International Mother Lan-guage Institute would help the nation and the country to stand before the international arena keeping head straight.
This institute would help practice mother languages of all countries and races across the globe, conduct researches on all mother tongue, and development, preservation and protect those from being erased, he said.
The minister said this while briefing journalists after visiting the nearly completed International Mother Lang-uage Institute at Segun Bagicha in the city. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to inaugurate the institute on Sunday on the occasion of the Amar Ekushey and International Mother Language Day on February 21.
Additional Secretary of Education Ministry SM Golam Faruk, Chief Planner Nurul Haque Majumder, Chief Engineer of Education Engineers Department Engineer Miza-nul Karim, Project Director Abdul Mannan, among others, were present.
The minister said with able leadership and initiatives of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during her first tenure, UNESCO on November 17, 1999 declared February 21 as the International Mother Language Day. Martyrs Day, the pride of the Bangalee nation, has placed Bang-ladesh in a glorious position as it crossed country's boundary by turning into a global shape, the minister said appreciating two Canada expatriate Bang-alees Rafiqul islam and Abdus Salam, the then education minister ASHK Sadek, representatives of UNESCO and many other who contributed to this efforts.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at a public rally at Paltan on December 7, 1999 declared establishment of an International Mother Language Institute and the then UN secretary general Kofi Anan on March 15, 2001 laid a foundation stone for construction of the institute on a land of 1.03 acres.

   Sahara for united efforts to curb terrorism, militancy
UNB, Manikganj

Home Minister Advocate Sahara Khatun on Friday called upon the people to play an active role alongside the police force in curbing militancy and terrorism in the country.
"The militants having stron-gholds in the country are trying to create anarchy in the name of holding meetings and gatherings. They must be wiped out from the soil of this country," she said.
The Home Minister was speaking as chief guest at the monthly meeting of the district law and order held at the Deputy Commissioner's conference room. Deputy Com-missioner GM Saleh Uddin presided over the meeting. Sahara said: "Ov-erall development of the country is not possible without improving law and order. Opposition party and the anti-liberation elements are still engaged in conspiracy to destabilize law and order.
She warned that anarchy and indiscipline by the opposition party in the name of meetings and processions would not be tolerated at all. The Home Minister asked the police force to discharge their duties impartially, rising above any party influence or of opinion. Criminals whatever their identity would have to be curbed with strong hand, she said.
She reiterated that the county's law and order situation is now better than at any time in the past.
Sahara said the trial of the Bangaba-ndhu's killers was a demand of the people and the people's aspiration was partly fulfilled by executing the five killers. "The process is underway to bring back the remaining six fugitive killers from abroad." Referring to the trial of war criminals, she said they would be tried on the soil of the land as it is now "a demand of time".
The Home Minister mentioned that the government has allocated Tk 476 crore to modernize the police force. The amount would be spent for providing them with logistic supports, including two pick-ups, two motorcycles and necessary river craft for each thana, she said.
Earlier, in the morning, the Home Minister exchanged views with the district police at the Police Lines auditorium here. She also attended a function marking the 10th founding anniversary of Sahera-Hasan Memorial Hospital. Food Minister Dr Abdur Razzaq, Industries Minister Dilip Barua, Chief Justice Fazlul Karim, political leaders and senior government officials were present at the function.

   ‘Union parishad law soon’
BSS, Faridpur

The government will enact a union parishad (UP) law soon defining power, function and status of UP chairmen and members.
Minister for Labour, Empl-oyment and Expatriate Welfare Engineer Khandaker Mosha-rraf Hossain said on Friday while addressing a view-exchange meeting organised by the district committee of Bangladesh Union Parishad Forum (BUPF) at the conference room of the deputy commissioner of Faridpur.
Mosharraf said the present government is determined to strengthening the local government institutions to ensure quality development and better services to people.
The minister disclosed that the union parishad law would be enacted soon which is now pending with the parliament standing committee on the local government for scrutiny.
Mosharraf announced that character certificates for foreign employment would be issued from union parishad chairmen so that no man with bad antecedents can go abroad that might tarnish the image of the country for their unlawful activities in the employer countries.
The minister further said union parishad chairmen and members live in very close to the masses so they are in a position to render most welfare-oriented services to them all the time. He called upon them to cooperate with the implementation of the government programmes for its success. Speaking on the occasion, some UP chairmen urged the government to enact the union parishad law as early as possible defining their power, function and their status in clear terms. They also demanded the abolition of alleged bureaucratic interference in discharging their duties and said they did not further want to be guided by the circulars of the government but want a permanent law as guidelines.
The meeting, organized with the assistances of USAID and PROGATI, an NGO, was presided over by Decreer Char union chairman and BUPF Faridpur unit president Md. Sadequzzaman Milon Pal.
It was addressed, among others, by deputy commissioner of Faridpur Helaluddin Ahmed, Faridpur unit secretary Sardar Saifuzzaman Bulbul, central BUPF leaders Shahajada Habibullah Masud, Abdur Razzak Ful, Shamimul Haque Babul, Shamsul Alam Khan, Kamal Ahmed, SM Saiful Hossain and Khondoker Jahangir Hossain Nilu.

    Latif calls all to unite for dev of Ctg
BSS, Chittagong

Jute & Textiles Minister Abdul Latif Siddique Friday called upon all to be united for overall development of Chittagong shunning the political division and confusion that hinder desired development.
"Chittagong is the economic lifeline of the country and such development of Chitta-gong means development of the nation," the minister said while inaugurating the 18th month long Chittagong International Trade Fair -2010 (CITF- 2010) as chief guest on the city's Railway Polo Ground Friday evening.
He laid special emphasis on shunning dependency on foreign assistance and reduction of import trend through increasing uninterrupted production and export of indigenous goods. Chittagong Chamber of Commerce & Industries President MA Latif, MP, presided over the inaugural function while chairman of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Jute and Textiles Aktururzzaman Chowdhury, chairman of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Commerce Ministry Lutful Hai Saccu, Nurul Islam Bsc, MP, Mainuddin Khan Badal, MP, Mohazabin Morshed, MP, private satellite television RTV Chairman Morshed Alam, senior vice president MA Salam, vice president SM Shafiul Hoq and SM Abu Tayab, chairman of Mela Committee, among others, spoke at the function.
The textiles minister said the spirit of Liberation War was established in the country with huge sacrifices.
"Unconstitutional administration run the country for 31 years out of 38 years after the Liberation War," he added. The spirit of the war, Bengali culture and secularism have been destroyed during the 31 years long unconstitutional activities, he said. He said declaration of the Liberation War by a major got wide publicity because of an orchestrated propaganda.
The minister said the then AL leader MA Hannan declared the independence on behalf of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and later the Awami League leaders in Chittagong brought Major Zia and forced to read out the declaration. The nation participated in the Liberation War at the call of Bangabandhu, but not hearing any whistle by a major. Referring to the shortage of power and gas, the minister said the present government committed to generating 7000-MW electricity in the next three years.
He said the infrastructure development of Chittagong port and transformation of Dhaka- Chittagong highway into a four-line route will be completed by incorporating transit facilities for India.
A total of 263 stalls including 36 pavilions, 171 mega booths, 78 premier booths will be set up at the fair stretching nearly four lakh square feet of Railway Playground.

    New body formed to free RU campus from Shibir
BSS, Rajshahi University

Four progressive student organisations of Rajshahi University (RU) Friday formed a new organization named 'Osampradaik Ganatantrik Chhatra Sangram Parishad (OGCSP)' to make the RU campus free of Jamaat and Islami Chhatra Shibir (ICS).
The organizations are RU units of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), Chhatra League (JSD), Chhatra Moitri and Chhatra Union. President of the RU unit of the BCL Awal Kabir Joy was selected as the coordinator of the OGCSP.
Joy told BSS that the OGCSP would lunch movement from Sunday to make the campus free of Jamaat and Shibir activists, who created instability on the campus. The new organisation will demand ban on Shibir as a 'militant organization' and religion-based politics in the country, he said, he said.
Joint secretary of the RU BCL Abu Hossain Bipu said, "The OGCSP will demand exemplary punishment to those who were involved in the Faruq killing on February 8 on the campus.
President of the RU unit of Chhatra League (JSD) Taimur Faruque Tusar said, "We do not want more that the general and progressive forces are being harassed and attacked by the liberation forces in the country."
He hoped that the new organisation would be formed in all universities in the country. President of the RU unit of Chhatra Moitri Mazharul Islam said, "We will not provide any scope for using religion for politics on the campus. He also seeks help and cooperation of progressive students and persons in this respect.
President of the RU unit of Chhatra Union Rafi Ahmed said, "We have established a platform to make the campus free of Jamaat-Shibir at any cost." Convener of Progressive Teachers Society Prof. Shah Newaz Ali said, "We don't want to hear any more inhuman story by Jamaat- Shibir, who killed and attacked several hundred students and teachers on the campus on several occasions."

Editorial

The homeless people

The parliament was told on Thursday that the number of homeless families in the country was about 1.5 million. 'As many as 1,491,855 families are homeless in the country,' Land Minister Rezaul Karim Hira said in the House referring to the Agriculture Census 2008. Besides, 4,006,137 families have home and less than five decimal land each on an average and 2,162,803 families have home only, he said.If the number of the members of a family is taken as five, in official estimate the number of homeless people stands at 7.5 million. But in fact the number is much more than that.
It is very unfortunate that the number of landless and homeless people in the country is rising rapidly. At the time of liberation of the country the number of landless people was around 32 lakh, but over the last 36 years it has increased alarmingly to about one crore. These people, rendered homeless mainly by river- erosion and extreme poverty, are leading unbearable life in slums of the cities or elsewhere in untold miseries.
There are government rules to distribute khas lands among the landless people to mitigate their sufferings. But those rules are not being followed properly and the woes and sufferings of the landless people continue unabated. According to informed sources, there are about two crore bighas of government khas lands in the country. Had these been distributed properly among the landless people, each of them would have got about two bighas of land on an average.
But in reality, only a small number of landless people got allotment of government khas lands, most of which are under the illegal occupation of influential land grabbers and political opportunists. These people are so powerful that in many cases in the past attempts to recover these lands from the illegal grabbers have failed. However, under the present government a drive is in progress to recover the lands occupied by land grabbers. This move is definitely encouraging and should be stepped up.
It is known to all that the landless and homeless people are suffering terribly and contributing to the problems gripping the social fabric and economy. The influx of these people goes on everyday and the number of these floating people in capital continues to rise alarmingly. According to a report, at present there are about 30 lakh such people in Dhaka city alone while many more are staying in other major cities and towns. These people, along with their families, are causing spurt in the number of slum dwellers and creating socio-economic imbalance there. A large number of these rootless people live in inhuman condition in slums, beside the rail line, near bus terminals and just on the footpaths. They are deprived of the basic human rights to food, clothing, shelter, education and medicare and the minimum civic necessities. As a result, many of the rootless people are forced to resort to begging, drug peddling, theft, unsocial activities, and other serious crimes.
The government should work out a comprehensive plan to rehabilitate these floating people by creating job opportunities, making provision for financial assistance and soft-term micro-credit for them. These people should be encouraged by the government to return to the villages, and restart life there afresh so that the pressure of growing floating population on the city is reduced and some of its socio-economic problems are eased to some extent. It should be stressed here that all government khas lands under illegal occupation should be recovered as early as possible and distributed among the landless and homeless people with a view to rehabilitating them socially and economically.

  Banning export of mineral resources

Workers' Party leader and ruling grand alliance MP Rashed Khan Menon placed a bill in the parliament Thursday seeking a ban on the export of mineral resources, including gas and coal, for at least 50 years. In his statement on the private member's bill, the lawmaker said that energy security was vital for a national economy. Optimum utilisation of mineral resources, including gas and coal, for energy security is also important. He said that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, being aware of the reality, had announced the state policy pledging not to export gas without ensuring a 50-year reserve.
Rashed Khan Menon further said, 'The country is facing an acute energy crisis; and there has been pressure from different quarters to export gas and coal in crude and refined form.' In this circumstance, the country now needs a law to prohibit export of its mineral resources, he added. The bill was sent to the parliamentary committee on private members' bills and resolutions. However, the parliamentary standing committee on the ministry of power, energy and mineral resources had earlier at a meeting on October 15, rejected a similar proposal made by leaders of the national committee to protect oil, gas, mineral resources, power and ports'.
Rashed Khan Menon's bill is based on a popular demand for banning the export of natural resources. In fact, there is a movement against export of natural resources. We are in dire need of exploring our natural resources and make proper use of those for national purpose. We are not in a position to export mineral resources only to earn money or satisfy foreigners. And, so we have to move cautiously and enact a law banning export of mineral resources.

Analysis

Dialogue with Afghan Taliban

The US seems to have learnt its lesson the hard way that war alone cannot solve the problem, after suffering heavy losses both in men and material.

Ayaz Wazir 

The war in Afghanistan started with President Clinton striking Khost with Cruise missiles in 1998 culminated with President Bush's invasion of that country in October 2001. The eight years of insurgency that followed speak more of death and destruction than of help to the Afghans or development of their country.
The US seems to have learnt its lesson the hard way that war alone cannot solve the problem, after suffering heavy losses both in men and material. That coupled with the colossal expenditure on conducting the war when even the US economy is faltering seem to be the reasons for President Obama's recent emphasis on the need for a political solution to stabilise Afghanistan. His Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, described the Taliban as part of the political fabric of Afghanistan who needed to be included in its political mainstream. General Stanely McChrystal, the US and NATO forces commander in Afghanistan also advocated a political solution to the problems, not ruling out the possibility of a Taliban presence in any future government.
President Obama's decision of sending additional thirty thousand troops to Afghanistan to force the Taliban to agree to a negotiated settlement is interpreted by many as a face-saving device in front of his own countrymen. The impression that he wants to convey to them is that the dialogue was started from a position of strength and not weakness. Whatever the reasons, the fact remains that negotiations are certainly a step in the right direction.
The London Conference has put a stamp of approval on the proposal of negotiations with the Taliban. President Karzai, whose credibility has already been dented by the widespread corruption in his government and the role that he played in the recently held presidential election, has been asked to deal with only those Taliban who are not with Al Qaeda or members of other terrorist organisation, and are willing to accept money and position for laying down their guns. The question that where on earth will he find such a group of Taliban to negotiate with makes the whole process unrealistic and unworkable.
Why would the Taliban lay down arms at this stage for money or petty, inconsequential positions in the government when they know that time is on their side and the US and NATO are almost on the run in Afghanistan. Were they willing to barter their struggle for such favours, they would have done so when they were in total disarray after their removal from power. They would not have fought the only super power on the globe tooth and nail for eight long years.
The Taliban recognise and accept only Mulla Omar as their leader. He is their respected Amir-ul-Momineen - the only person whose orders are obeyed by the Taliban inside Afghanistan as well across the border in Pakistan. The US has to talk to him. Only then will negotiations be meaningful and produce positive results. For that they must first have the UN sanctions against him and his close aides removed to enable them to openly conduct negotiations.
The power position in Afghanistan today is just in the reverse order of what it was before 9/11. The Taliban were in power then and the Northern Alliance was fighting for a comeback. Today, the Northern Alliance is in power and the Taliban are fighting for a comeback. Pakistan, during that period, tried to bring the two sides closer to each other. It engaged the warring sides in shuttle diplomacy in order to facilitate a peaceful solution to the problem. It was not an easy task. The two sides, like today, were not even prepared to sit and face each other across the table leave alone listen to each other and talk about peace. While meditating between them Pakistan kept Iran fully on board.
Although the task was difficult, the mission succeeded in bringing the enemies to the negotiating table. They not only met at the working level (Steering Committee Meeting of 1998 in Islamabad) but also agreed to have a dialogue at the top level. Arrangements were in hand for the meeting when the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who had initiated the process, was toppled by Gen Pervaiz Musharraf. With that the shuttle mission came to a grinding halt.
The reason for the foregoing narration is to emphasise the importance of a regional dimension of the conflict in Afghanistan. To ensure a smooth and successful beginning of the negotiations, the role of Pakistan and Iran cannot and should not be overlooked.
The two countries are actively pursuing their respective interests in Afghanistan for obvious reasons. Their historical, cultural, religious and ethnic links cannot be ignored. It is thus imperative that the two immediate neighbours of Afghanistan are taken into confidence before the process is initiated. The US may have reservations over Iran's involvement, but that is something that it has to live with if it really wants a negotiated and lasting settlement of the Afghanistan problem.
Another equally important factor is the involvement of right persons in this process. It should not be left to the officials dealing with the subject in their respective governments. Individuals having thorough knowledge of the area, speaking the same language and aware of the customs and traditions should be involved in bringing the two sides to the negotiating table. Once that objective is achieved, it should be left to the Afghans to arrive at whatever settlement they deem suitable for their country.
The US should not dictate terms nor should Pakistan and Iran try to impose their will on Kabul or else the problems will linger on and the fighting will continue in one form or another.


The writer is a former ambassador
of Pakistan.

  This is democracy?

People do not expect an elected civilian government to systematically destroy or undermine vital state organs on personal whims.

Ameer Bhutto

Will this freak show ever end? The present situation would be hard to believe if it was not being witnessed firsthand. This is what happens when unfit and unworthy persons are elevated to positions of high authority where they are out of their depth. Zardari's presidential order to elevate Chief Justice Khwaja Mohammad Sharif of the Lahore High Court to the Supreme Court and to appoint Justice Saqib Nisar as acting chief justice of the Lahore High Court, against the recommendations of the chief justice of Pakistan, amounts to a subversion of the due process of law.
No better could be expected from a military dictator, but people do not expect an elected civilian government to systematically destroy or undermine vital state organs on personal whims. The country is being pushed towards a political and constitutional crisis that is bound to take us down a path that we are all anxious to avoid.
It speaks volumes about the calibre of this government that it just cannot get through the day without shooting itself in the foot, even when it enjoys the unprecedented luxury of having no effective opposition. This fresh hell they have unleashed on themselves and the nation was entirely unnecessary and easily avoidable. Governments in the past have made it routine practice to appoint judges whom they might count upon to be sympathetic to them. It could be argued that the same impetus drove the government into this folly, particularly its desperation to escape the reopening of the Swiss cases.
But when Chief Justice Khwaja Mohammad Sharif and Justice Saqib Nisar had already both publicly declared that they were wholly at the disposal of the chief justice of Pakistan, then how could this government expect any quarter from either of them? That being the case, it made no sense whatsoever for the government to deliberately antagonise the judiciary further by not adopting the chief justice's recommendations, when it stood to gain nothing either way.
The government has suddenly remembered the Charter of Democracy which mandates the elevation of senior-most judges to higher posts and higher courts. Firstly, their devotion to the Charter of Democracy would have been far more believable had they done anything at all towards its implementation in the two years that they have been in power, which they have not done because they felt their commitment to do so was just a "political statement" and not an ayat of the Holy Quran, or Hadith. Secondly, if the principle of seniority is so precious to them, then why did this consideration not impede them from elevating Justice Khilji Arif Hussain and Justice Anwar Zahir Jamali of the Sindh High Court to the Supreme Court when Justice Sarmad Jalal Usmani was, in fact, the senior-most judge in Sindh?
This government has defiantly flown in the face of its constitutional and legal obligations, from its failure to implement the NRO verdict to its refusal to appoint Justice Khalil-ur-Rehman Ramday as ad hoc judge of the Supreme Court, along with its refusal to appoint judges against vacancies in the Punjab and Sindh High Courts in accordance with the respective chief justices' recommendations, that verges on subverting the Constitution, and the cumulative effect of which has landed it on the brink of contempt of court, if not worse.
Apart from its historic betrayal in the form of reneging on solemn pledges to restore the suspended judges, until being compelled to do so by the long march, implement the Charter of Democracy and repeal the 17th Amendment, its declaration of war against the judiciary demonstrates that this government is the greatest threat of all to democracy. Is this the face of democracy that the bleeding hearts who advocated tolerance of this government for the sake of preserving the system, want to save? Leading nations is the highest honour for citizens who have proven themselves to be beyond reproach on ethical, intellectual and ideological grounds. This lot has failed on all such counts.
They have even proved to be unfaithful to their assassinated leader, in whose name they rule and survive, not only letting her killers roam free but even creating obstacles in the way of the UN inquiry commission.
Not only that, but they have sacrificed national sovereignty to their foreign overlords in the name of expediency to earn foreign support and prolong their own corrosive rule. Do the bleeding hearts still believe this government deserves to be allowed to continue till they reduce the country to a pile of debris?
It is no longer an issue of incompetence or negligence but rather of malicious intent against state institutions and democracy which cannot be tolerated. If the dismissal of this government produces any political or constitutional storms, then these storms must be, and can be, faced. The continuation of this government, on the other hand, is likely to throw up far worse scenarios that might defy resolution, and destroy democracy. It was clear at the time that the long march that restored the judges only partially succeeded in obtaining its objectives. To borrow Shakespeare's phrase, it scotched the snake but did not kill it. How much longer can lunatics be allowed to run the asylum?
Every man, woman and child throughout Pakistan should be very proud of the stand our judiciary has taken against this unfit dispensation. At a time when civil society, by and large, remains in a stupor of complacency and parliamentarians continue to cater to their own selfish vested interests and have become part of the problem, the judiciary has stepped forward to enforce the writ of the Constitution. Our Supreme Court is making history. It is setting global precedents which will be a beacon to democratic forces all over the world who will expect no less from their own courts in the fight against tyranny. Instead of losing sight of the larger picture and accusing them of judicial activism, we owe their lordships a debt of gratitude.
US vice president Joe Biden recently stated that, due to Pakistan's nuclear capability and dysfunctional democracy, the situation here is a source of greater concern for the United States than Iraq or Afghanistan. This is most peculiar, since the present situation in Pakistan is a product of American hegemonic influence which it has exercised unabated more directly and forcefully than ever before in the aftermath of 9-11. Out-of-control events in their war on terror and the gathering steam against a highly unpopular government compelled the Americans to ditch Musharraf.
Similar circumstances have now surfaced once again. The present setup is by no means indispensable to its foreign masters.
In 2008, Zardari was ecstatic to oust Musharraf with the backing of his American benefactors. The time may have come for him to get a taste of the same medicine.
The critical question that now arises is: while the judiciary is doing its bit, what role will the political forces in the country play? How much longer can the largest opposition party, the PML-N, possibly remain passive and tolerant of this painful status quo? It makes no sense for them to label Zardari as the biggest threat to democracy against a backdrop of their repeated assurances of coming to his rescue should his hold on power be threatened. You cannot run with the hare and hunt with the hounds. The nation is in deep crisis and is desperate for a firm and honest alternative leadership. It is time to put aside expediency and fulfil obligations to the nation.


The writer is vice-chairman of Sindh National Front and a former MPA from Ratodero. He has degrees from the University of Buckingham and Cambridge University.

Viewpoints

Washington must grow up

Though China is America's banker, its relationship with the Obama administration is prickly as it seeks recognition as a world power.

John Hughes

America is one of the most stirring examples of democracy in action anywhere on the globe. But the way its legislators behave, it is no wonder some non-Americans find it totally perplexing.
Take the current political situation in Washington: Barack Obama ran his winning presidential election campaign on a platform of "change." His Democratic supporters roared back: "Yes, we can."
His Republican opponents ran their campaign on a sort of "We-too-can-change" platform. Their supporters murmured back: "Yes, we hope you can, but not too fast."
Centrist independents, who now hold the balance of power between the two traditional parties, and who after a year into the new presidential term had hoped for bipartisanship and unity in the face of crisis, must be mighty disappointed.
The Democrats, after trying to rush an improbably comprehensive liberal agenda into being in Year 1 of Obama's term, have found out that "No, they can't."
No, you won't
The Republicans, after losing the White House and both Houses of Congress, have determined that their attitude towards anything the spendthrift Democratic majority in Congress proposes will be "No, you won't." The strategy apparently is to block Democratic-initiated programmes with the hope that disillusioned voters will return a Republican majority to Congress later this year, and even hobble Obama's bid for re-election. The danger for Republicans is that disaffected voters might blame the Republicans more for disruption than the Democrats for lack of accomplishment.
Much of the electorate is left fuming over (a) millions of jobs lost, (b) a mind-boggling national debt their children and grandchildren will be left paying off, (c) big bank presidents awarded annual salaries in the multimillions for questionable performance, and (d) a political logjam in Washington.
The national mood is not helped by cable TV commentators of the more lurid character suggesting that the administration is leading the country to Armageddon, or senior White House officials terming those who disagree with them "retarded."
As has been traditional over the years, US political parties, both in and out of power, have tended to be more supportive of incumbent presidents on foreign policy than domestic policy. It is generally considered bad form to display disunity on foreign policy to foreign audiences, but acceptable to be in disarray on domestic challenges at home.
In sending more troops to Afghanistan, Obama is largely following former president George W. Bush's war policy. His tough talk on Al Qaida and terrorism meets with support from most Americans. He has escaped serious criticism on questionable handling of the closure of Guantánamo defence facility, on interrogation of the Christmas Day bomber, and the now-abandoned plan to try key Al Qaida terrorists in courts a stone's throw from the scene of the 9/11 disaster. Perhaps it is because his attorney-general, Eric Holder, is seen to have been the initiator of such moves.
Unsuccessful
While Obama's Cairo and Istanbul "outreach" speeches to the Muslim world were well crafted and well received, his outstretched hand has yet to be gripped by the Arab world, or by difficult clients like North Korea and Iran, to which he has also similarly offered engagement. North Korea has already developed nuclear-capable weaponry and Iran has proven rocket capability, with the ability to produce a nuclear warhead not far behind.
North Korea has proved adept at fending off US, European, and Chinese attempts to persuade it to abandon its nuclear weapons programme. Iran, a traditional wily negotiator, must surely have been impressed by North Korea.
Though China is America's banker, its relationship with the Obama administration is prickly as it seeks recognition as a world power.
In these and other international challenges, Obama counts on bilateral support at home. It would be helpful if Republicans and Democrats could achieve similar bilateral concord on the serious domestic challenges facing the nation.


John Hughes, a former editor of the Christian Science Monitor, writes
a biweekly column.

  Surviving Haiti Catastrophe: A Failed State Forever?    

Haiti, despite its devastating earthquake, despite its coups, riots, uprisings, assassinations and a farrago of tyrants, will probably continue to totter along.

Jonathan Power       

Graham Greene's great novel "the Comedians", set in the Haiti of the dictatorship of Papa Doc, gives some support to the artist's pious hope that "a writer is not so powerless as he usually feels and a pen, as well as a silver bullet, can draw blood." How else to explain how this half of a quite small Caribbean island gets more press than it deserves?
It is, indeed, in part the legacy of Graham Greene who-as I am too- was often drawn to the island because of its idiosyncratic but rich culture and, not least, its lurid shades of darkness and light that permeate the political spectrum. Greene, whilst capturing the ugliness and horror of the gangster Tonton Macoutes, also draws a careful portrait of the civilized and caring Dr Magiot. However, the outside world's fascination with the forces of darkness represented in most European and Asian cultures by men with black skins means that the first image is more remembered than the second. It is also in part because, like Central America, Haiti is in America's back yard and when the politics of this impoverished "wrinkled wasteland" go wrong the people might take to their boats, their rafts and their planks of wood and make for Florida.
Haiti, despite its devastating earthquake, despite its coups, riots, uprisings, assassinations and a farrago of tyrants, will probably continue to totter along. The international relief operation should be able to get it up and going again, but everyday life and politics will not change.
There will be the same whirlwind of activity on every sidewalk- vendors, carpenters, ironsmiths-a cacophony of bursting noise amid the conflicting smells of clean-burning charcoal and dank open sewers. Women, with an African swing, will walk the streets, portering great basins on their heads, stuffed with contraband merchandise. Scribes will sit under shade trees poised with their ancient clackety typewriters to await their illiterate customers.
Children will pour out of the school gates in their French-sailor uniforms and make for the homes of the rich in the cool hills above. Wagons, homemade buses, stuffed with passengers, painted like fancy wrapping paper each with its own message, "Dieu est Bon" and "L'Armee Celeste", will tout for trade. But forward momentum to a better standard of life there will not be. Haiti resists change.
Haiti remains the poorest country in the Western hemisphere. Its forests are laid bare, its soil depleted, its water table ever lower. After the 14 years of Francois Duvalier (Papa Doc) and the 15 years of his son, Jean-Claude (Baby Doc), leaders came and went and did so with astonishing frequency until in 1991 came the victory in a rare election of the "hollowed-cheeked, goggle-eyed, wide-mouthed" revolutionary, ex priest Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Since then politics has begun to stabilise and become more democratic, although from time to time upheavals continue to interrupt the progress. Politicians still seem unable to deliver the goods.
Aristide, who, whilst a priest, had nearly sacrificed his life a number of times as a non-violent warrior against oppression, seemed to promise much when he won the presidency after an amazing show of electoral strength by the poor and downtrodden. Tragically for Haiti, as with all his predecessors, power turned to dust in his hands. He achieved little and in a desperate effort to maintain his political power he too had his bands of armed thugs and too readily indulged in corruption and electoral shenanigans.
The United States has intervened twice. The first was in 1915 and the second in 1994. The circumstances were amazingly similar.
The American record of occupation was decidedly mixed. It provoked resentment by reintroducing the French system of forced labour.
At the same time there were roads, hospitals and the first automatic phone system in Latin America. It wasn't enough. It took 18 years for the Americans to conclude they were on a voyage to nowhere.
Eighty years later the US repeated the experience after an invasion eased yet another military man from power and the then deposed Aristide was reinstated. Yet America effectively gave up the ghost again, defeated by the corruption, the ever-present violence and the often bizarre, always self-interested, maneuverings of the political class. It also left behind a bad taste-the revelation that anti-democracy thugs had been at times during the early 1990s on the CIA payroll, contrary to White House policy.
One wonders if the present US/UN effort will do more than restore the status quo as it was before the earthquake? I doubt it. Haiti-dangerous yesterday, dangerous today-thanks to Graham Greene will always hold the world's attention. But whether it will ever advance out of its penury, poverty and sadistic violence seems impossible to foresee. Two hundred years on, darkness appears to have won over light.


Jonathan Power is a veteran commentator on foreign affairs.

  Banning the burka

A bus-driver, for example, could refuse to let a burka-clad woman board the bus to collect her children from school.

Gwynne Dyer   

Eight months ago, French president Nicolas Sarkozy raised a vital issue before the French parliament. Not the financial meltdown that was undermining the world's economies, nor the threat of climate change, or even the rash of bike thefts in Paris. He wanted to ban the burka.
"The problem of the burka is not a religious problem," he told French legislators in June. "This is an issue of a woman's freedom and dignity. This is not a religious symbol. It is a sign of subservience ... I want to say solemnly, the burka is not welcome in France." The next day parliament created a 32-member cross-party committee to investigate whether wearing the burka violates the principles of the French constitution.
The parliamentary committee discussed the issue of the burka for six months, and delivered its conclusions two weeks ago. It did not propose to ban the burka entirely, but recommended that women wearing burkas be forbidden to enter schools, hospitals, and government offices or to use public transportation.
Thus a bus-driver, for example, could refuse to let a burka-clad woman board the bus to collect her children from school.
What useful purpose could such a law
serve? Some of the women wearing burkas presumably do so of their own free will, while others are forced to do so by their male relatives.
An anti-burka law would violate the rights of the first group, and increase the likelihood that the second group will be entirely confined to their homes.
But the proposed law is not really designed to liberate some Muslim women from their burkas. It is meant to appeal to anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim voters, who are mainly on the right in France, by demonstrating the government's determination to force the country's Muslim minority to integrate with the rest of the population.
The French parliament cannot move fast enough to pass such a law before the regional elections are held in March, but the committee's report ensures that an ugly debate about immigrants will be raging during the election campaign.
It is part of the same disturbing trend in Europe that saw Swiss voters ban minarets in a referendum last year, and Dutch legislators vote in favour of banning the burka in 2005. (The Dutch government lost an election before a law was passed.)
It is estimated that between three and six million (5 to 10 per cent) of France's 64 million people are Muslims. It is also estimated that only 1,900 women in France wear burkas, mostly in the immigrant suburbs around Paris and other big French cities. That is less than one Muslim woman in 1,000.
This is not really about burkas (which almost half of the French population say that they never see). It is about mobilising rightwing voters - and to energise them even more, Sarkozy declared a "great debate" on French identity last November.
His motives are cynical and his methods are manipulative. If you have not been accustomed to it since childhood, there is unquestionably something disturbing about encountering veiled women in a public space.
The wearers' gender and your own common sense will tell you that they are not dangerous people, but they are and will remain apart, almost alien, rejecting the common society that everyone else shares.

  Human shields

Amnesty International said that the Nato-led force lacked the 'credible mechanism' needed to investigate incidents of loss of civilian life or ensure that such occurrences were not repeated.

Richard Norton-Taylor   

Taliban insurgents are increasingly using civilians as human shields against the US-led attack on Marjah, in southern Afghanistan, a senior Afghan commander claims.
Speaking on the fifth day of an offensive involving about 15,000 US, British, and Afghan troops, General Mohiudin Ghori said his soldiers had seen Taliban fighters place women and children on rooftops and fire from behind them. At the same time US marines called in air support as they came under heavy gunfire from insurgents hiding in bunkers, houses and mosques.
Ghori, the senior commander for Afghan troops in the area, accused the Taliban of placing civilian hostages in the line of fire. "Especially in the south of Marjah, the enemy is fighting from compounds where soldiers can very clearly see women or children on the roof or in a second-floor or third-floor window," he was quoted by Associated Press as saying. "They are trying to get us to fire on them and kill the civilians."
His forces were having to choose between not returning fire and advancing much more slowly in order to distinguish militants from civilians, Ghori said, echoing comments by British commanders in the area about Taliban tactics.
They said US forces had found a 'daisy chain'- a long bomb rigged up from mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and a motorbike.
And for the first time, British army engineers have deployed a new device against roadside bombs. Called a 'python', it is mounted on a trailer pulled behind a Trojan armoured vehicle, and shoots a length of high explosives high into the air and on to a minefield, where it detonates. It was deployed on Tuesday to clear a dry river bed of improvised explosive devices north of patrol base Wahid in Nad-i-Ali, northeast of Marjah, the UK Ministry of Defence said.
British forces there have discovered a cache of stolen Afghan army and police uniforms, suggesting that the Taliban had been planning disguised attacks.
Dawud Ahmadi, a spokesman for the governor of Helmand, Gulab Mangal, said on Tuesday that 1,240 families had been displaced and evacuated from Marjah to Lashkar Gah, capital of the province.
Amnesty International said that the Nato-led force lacked the 'credible mechanism' needed to investigate incidents of loss of civilian life or ensure that such occurrences were not repeated.
The human rights group also described as 'inexcusable' tactics employed by the Taliban, stating that knowingly endangering Afghan life could constitute a war crime. It urged both sides in the conflict to comply with legal obligations to protect thousands of displaced Afghans and those still trapped in areas of intense fighting.

International

Pak CJ orders implementation of NRO verdict
Dawn Online, Islamabad

Pakistan Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Chaudhry is deteremined to ensure that the Supreme Court's verdict on the NRO is implemented.
The Chief Justice on Friday ordered the NAB Chairman to take steps towards implementing the apex court's order, within 48 hours or face a pay freeze.
Legal experts said that the Chief Justice's actions are a significant step, taken just two days after the judges' appointment issue was resolved.
During a meeting with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Wednesday, the Chief Justice assured Gilani that he will not take any steps that will destabilise democracy in Pakistan.
In the same meeting, the Gilani vowed to abide by any decision taken by the Chief Justice and the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
Last year, the Supreme Court declared the highly contentious National Reconciliation Ordinance illegal and unconstitutional and ordered NAB to reopen all corruption cases. Some of the cases that had been quashed under the NRO were against a number of senior political figures and government officials.

  Resentment in PPP ranks
Dawn Online, Islamabad

There has been great resentment within the ranks of the ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP) over the handling of the latest judicial crisis and many members, including some stalwarts, held "the lawyers' troika" responsible for the fiasco.
Interviews with a number of PPP parliamentarians revealed that they wanted the party's top leadership to realise that it was being given wrong advice on matters relating to the judiciary since the formation of the government two years ago. The PPP members were unhappy over the importance being given to the advice of three lawyers - Law Minister Babar Awan, Senate Chairman Farooq Naek and former attorney general Latif Khosa - on the issue despite the fact that they had already embarrassed the government on the issue of the judges' reinstatement in the past.
According to inside sources, President Zardari issued the controversial notifications regarding elevation of Lahore High Court Chief Justice Khawaja Mohammad Sharif to the Supreme Court and appointment of Justice Saqib Nisar as the acting LHC chief justice last week after a series of consultations with Farooq Naek, the moment he returned home from Brussels, Babar Awan and Latif Khosa. These consultations took place on Wednesday and then on Friday. A PPP stalwart and senator from Sindh questioned the role of the Senate chairman in the consultative process. He was of the view that being chairman of the Senate, Mr Naek should have played an impartial role in the whole issue.
Mr Naek was law minister when the PPP government refused to restore the deposed judges against its promise it made in the historic Murree Declaration. Many senior and old party members were also unhappy over their co-chairman's decision to nominate Mr Naek as Senate chairman. Then leader of the house, Mian Raza Rabbani, even resigned in protest and also announced to quit the federal cabinet.
PPP members were surprised why the party leadership was not consulting senior lawyers like Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan and Raza Rabbani on important issues. During recent meetings of the Central Executive Committee (CEC) of the PPP, party members openly criticised the three lawyers for, what they called, giving wrong advices to the government and the president, thus creating an embarrassing situation for the party.

  Afghan offensive could take weeks: British commander
AFP, Outskirts of Marjah, Afghanistan

A British commander warned it could be weeks before a Taliban stronghold in southern Afghanistan is under control, as NATO said Friday six more soldiers were killed in the operation.
Combined forces of 15,000 US, NATO and Afghan troops are facing stiff resistance in pockets of Helmand province where they are battling to eradicate Taliban fighters who have controlled the area with drug lords for years.
As the commander of NATO forces in southern Afghanistan, Major General Nick Carter, cautioned against "triumphalism," a NATO report described the situation as "positive" though hidden bombs are a huge threat to soldiers.
The troops engaged in Operation Mushtarak (Together) focusing on the Marjah and Nad Ali areas of Helmand would need another 25 to 30 days just to secure the Taliban stronghold, said Carter.
"In three months' time or thereabouts we should have a pretty fair idea about whether we've been successful. But I would be very cautious about any triumphalism just yet," he said.
Afghan commanders and NATO described Taliban resistance as stiff though confined to pockets within the target area, an agricultural plain that is the source of most of the world's opium.
The BBC said NATO believed the militants were running low on ammunition and had called for back-up, citing intercepted Taliban communications.
The offensive is being keenly watched as a showcase of US President Barack Obama's strategy to end eight years of war by driving out the hardline militia and reasserting government control.
Obama has ordered more than 50,000 extra troops into Afghanistan since taking office. Fresh pledges from NATO allies will raise to 150,000 the overall number of foreign troops by August.
NATO said six of its soldiers were killed on Thursday in the deadliest day of the operation, three of them by mines and three by gunfire. It did not give their nationalities, but London said it had lost two of its soldiers during the day.
Since the offensive was launched on Saturday, 19 foreign soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan, more than half of them in Mushtarak.

  Myanmar denies UN envoy a meeting with Suu Kyi
AP, Yangon

A United Nations envoy ended his latest mission in Myanmar on Friday, expressing deep regret that the country's ruling military denied him a meeting with detained democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Envoy Tomas Ojea Quintana had said he would push the government to allow him to meet Nobel laureate Suu Kyi, whom he was also barred from seeing on two previous visits.
"I am disappointed that even this time I was unable to meet her, in this crucial year, the election year, the first national elections in 20 years," he told reporters. He said he was not given a reason for being turned down.
Quintana arrived Monday for a five-day visit to assess progress on human rights. On Friday he flew to the administrative capital, Naypyitaw, for a series of meetings with several Cabinet ministers and other key government officials. Speaking briefly to reporters after he returned to Yangon, the country's biggest city and commercial center, he indicated the officials did not seem responsive to his concerns.
Quintana said he was given no indication of exactly when a general election set for this year will be held, or when an election law guiding it would be passed. He also said the government refused to acknowledge holding "prisoners of conscience" - political prisoners. The U.N. and independent human rights groups estimate that there are more than 2,100 political prisoners in Myanmar.
On Thursday, the envoy met with other senior members of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party.
Tin Oo, the party's deputy leader recently released from seven years of detention, urged the envoy "to seek the earliest release of (Suu Kyi) and other political prisoners."
Suu Kyi - detained for 14 of the past 20 years - was sentenced last year to an additional 18 months of house arrest for briefly sheltering an uninvited American, in a trial that drew global condemnation.

  Thaksin protesters shut down Thailand’s largest bank
AFP, Bangkok

Thousands of protesters forced Thailand's biggest bank to close its headquarters Friday, raising tensions one week before a court ruling on the fortune of ousted former premier Thaksin Shinawatra.
Bangkok Bank shut its head office for the day and sent 3,000 staff home because of the rally by Thaksin's supporters, who say the bank has links to a royal aide whom they blame for the 2006 coup that toppled their idol.
Police said around 1,500 demonstrators had gathered in Bangkok's Silom business district. The protest movement, known as the "Red Shirts" because of their signature clothing, said 10,000 attended. "Bangkok Bank is a capitalist institution which has destroyed our democracy," Red Shirt speaker Worawuth Wichaidit told the crowd from a stage.
The Red Shirts said former prime minister Prem Tinsulanonda, who is now the chief adviser to Thailand's revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej, used to be Bangkok Bank's chief adviser and continues to have ties to it.
They accuse Prem of masterminding the September 2006 putsch. Telecoms tycoon Thaksin is now living abroad to avoid a two-year jail term imposed in absentia in 2008 for corruption relating to a land deal. "Prem is the one who has caused our country to collapse," Worawuth added.
More than three years after the coup Thailand remains deeply split between Thaksin's supporters in the country's rural heartland and his foes among the Bangkok-based elites of the palace, military and bureaucracy.
Protests by his supporters and the anti-Thaksin "Yellow Shirts" have hurt the kingdom's economy, shutting down Bangkok's airports in late 2008, and sometimes descended into violence.
"A turning point is about to be reached in Thai history. We are determined to see democracy, human rights and equal justice," said another key Red Shirt, Sean Boonpracong.

  NKorea vows to bolster nuclear force as deterrent
AP, Seoul, South Korea

North Korea vowed Friday to bolster its nuclear force unless the United States dropped its hostile policy and removed nuclear threats to the North, adding that its nuclear program could not be traded for economic aid.
The reclusive communist nation also designated eight new naval firing zones near its eastern and western sea borders with South Korea in a move that could raise tensions.
North Korea quit the disarmament-for-aid negotiations and conducted a second nuclear test last year, drawing tightened U.N. sanctions. North Korea has demanded a lifting of the sanctions and peace talks formally ending the 1950-53 Korean War before it returns to the negotiating table.
The North's "nuclear deterrent for self-defense will remain as ever and grow more powerful ... as long as the U.S. nuclear threat and hostile policy persist," the North's official Korean Central News Agency said in a dispatch from Pyongyang.
The North's "dismantlement of its nuclear weapons can never happen ... unless the hostile policy towards the (North) is rolled back and the nuclear threat to it removed."
The North claims it was compelled to develop atomic bombs to cope with U.S. nuclear threats. The U.S., which denies making any such threats against the North, has called on the North to return to the disarmament talks that also involve South Korea, Russia and Japan.
KCNA's comments came amid diplomatic efforts to jump-start stalled disarmament talks.

  S Lanka monks complain of government pressure
AFP, Colombo

Sri Lanka's top Buddhist monks called off a special gathering this week because of government pressure, a spokesman said Friday, while the opposition said bomb threats had been involved.
The Buddhist leaders had planned to meet on Thursday to discuss a strategy for pressing the government to release defeated presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka, who was arrested just weeks after contesting last month's elections.
But the gathering at the Temple of the Tooth in the central city of Kandy was called off a day before, with the monks citing concerns for their safety in the "current political climate".
Elaborating Friday, one of their spokesmen, Athangane Ratanapala, said the paramount Buddhist cleric, Thibbotuwawe Sumangala, had been subjected to "severe stress" ahead of the scheduled gathering. "Many individuals representing the government as well as some members of the clergy who are working for the government used tremendous pressure on us to stop our meeting," Ratanapala said.
Opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe went further, telling reporters in Colombo that specific threats had been made.
"They had been told that there could be bomb blasts at the Temple of the Tooth if they go ahead with the meeting," Wickremesinghe said. There was no immediate comment from the government, which has maintained that it was not influencing the clergy.
The monks had been sharply criticised in the state-run media for dabbling in politics after they sent a letter to President Mahinda Rajapakse condemning former army chief Fonseka's arrest and urging his immediate release.

 Iran’s supreme leader criticizes US military moves
AP, Tehran

From the deck of Iran's new guided-missile destroyer, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei criticized the United States' military presence in the Gulf Friday and said Washington was trying to frighten Iran's Arab neighbors so it could sell them weapons.
Khamenei made the comments after being given a tour of the destroyer Jamaran, which was launched at a Gulf port Friday. State television, which broadcast the event, said the warship was the country's first domestically built destroyer and a major technological leap for Iran's naval industries.
Using the backdrop of military might, Khamenei declared that America and Israel were trying to sow divisions between Iran and Arab nations.
"The U.S. and the Zionist regime are trying to spread divisions to distract the attention of Islamic nations from the main enemies of the Islamic world, which are the U.S. and Israel," Khamenei said in remarks broadcast on state TV.
Khamenei said the presence of foreign forces in the Persian Gulf "disturbs security" in the region but that Washington will fail to achieve its goals.
U.S. military officials said last month that Washington was deploying upgraded Patriot missiles in Arab nations in the region and more U.S. Navy ships in the Persian Gulf capable of destroying missiles in flight. The system, they said, is intended to counter a potential Iranian missile strike.
The U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet is also based in the Arab nation of Bahrain, just across the Gulf from Iran.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton visited Qatar and Saudi Arabia this week to discuss Iran, warning that Tehran could set off a nuclear arms race in the Middle East if it chooses to development atomic weapons.
The predominantly Sunni Arab Middle East - and Gulf nations in particular - have been wary of the growing influence of Shiite Iran, especially because of international suspicions that its nuclear program has a military dimension.
Khamenei said Iran is not seeking nuclear weapons and that, in any case, Islam forbids weapons of mass destruction. Iran maintains its nuclear work is only for peaceful purposes like energy generation. He said accusations by President Barack Obama and other American officials to the contrary were made out of anger.
"Repeating absurd words about the building of nuclear weapon in Iran shows that the enemies are resorting to repeating the propaganda out of ultimate failure," Khamenei said.
"We've said time and again that our religious principles and beliefs consider such weapons to be a symbol of destruction that is forbidden. Because of this reason, we don't have any belief in the atomic bomb and don't pursue it," he said.
Khamenei, wearing clerical robes and a turban and walking with a cane, inspected the ship on a tour led by senior naval officers. Khamenei, who has the final say on all state matters, is also the commander in chief of Iran's armed forces.
The warship is equipped with anti-ship and surface-to-air missiles as well as torpedoes and naval cannons, state television said. Kha-menei's attendance was a sign of the significance that Iran attached to the event.
Iran has declared many such advances in its military industries and sciences to demonstrate self-sufficiency despite sanctions and attempts by the U.S. and its allies to isolate the country over its nuclear program.
State TV said the destroyer was launched in Bandar Abbas, a port city in southern Iran just at the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic point in the Gulf through which much of the world's oil and other energy supplies pass.
The 94-meter (308-foot) destroyer weighs 1,500 tons and has a helipad and modern radar. The ship has a top speed of 30 knots and can carry 120 to 140 personnel, state TV said, adding that a second destroyer is now under construction.
Iran has also opened new air and naval bases on its eastern and southern borders in recent years. Most of the country's 12 air force bases are situated in the west near the border with Iraq and Turkey. The latest steps are part of Iran's plans to boost its defense capabilities in the Persian Gulf, believing that the biggest possible threat to Iran will come from the air and sea.
Iran launched an arms development program during its ruinous 1980-88 war with neighboring Iraq to compensate for a U.S. arms embargo. Since 1992, Iran says it has produced its own jet fighters, torpedoes, radar-avoiding missiles, tanks and armored carriers.

  China says Obama-Dalai talks ‘seriously harm’ US ties
AFP, Beijing

China on Friday angrily protested at US President Barack Obama's meeting with the Dalai Lama, saying it had "seriously harmed" relations and summoning the American ambassador in Beijing.
The denunciation came swiftly after Obama vowed support for Tibetan rights in his White House talks with the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader on Thursday, a meeting that China had repeatedly warned against.
"The US action seriously interfered in Chinese internal affairs, seriously hurt the feelings of China's people and seriously harmed China-US relations," said a statement released by foreign ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu. Timeline: Sino-US ties since 2001
Ma said the talks "grossly violated basic norms of international relations" and US pledges to respect Chinese sovereignty, but he gave no details on any specific reprisals.
The White House had meticulously planned the meeting in hopes of containing Chinese protests, inviting the Dalai Lama to a private area of the executive mansion rather than the Oval Office and not allowing cameras inside. But the 74-year-old Buddhist monk took the unusual step of mingling with reporters afterwards, telling them he was "very happy" with Obama's support and even engaging in a playful snowball fight. Related article: Dalai Lama likes 'energetic, tall' Obama.
The White House later put out a picture of the two Nobel Peace Prize laureates in the 45-minute meeting and issued a statement backing the Dalai Lama's goals.
"The president stated his strong support for the preservation of Tibet's unique religious, cultural and linguistic identity and the protection of human rights for Tibetans in the People's Republic of China," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said.
"The president commended the Dalai Lama's 'middle way' approach, his commitment to non-violence and his pursuit of dialogue with the Chinese government," Gibbs said. The Dalai Lama, who fled his homeland for India in 1959, advocates a "middle way" of seeking greater rights for Tibetans while accepting Chinese rule.

  Iraq war to be rebranded ‘Operation New Dawn’
AFP, Washington

President Barack Obama's administration plans to rebrand its military operation in Iraq "Operation New Dawn," beginning September 1, a Pentagon memorandum shows.
The memo, signed by US Defense Secretary Robert Gates, shows the Pentagon approving a request to switch the name of the US military effort in Iraq from its current designation-"Operation Iraqi Freedom." "The request... is approved to take effect 1 September 2010, coinciding with the change of mission for US forces in Iraq.
"Aligning the name change with the change of mission sends a strong signal that Operation Iraqi Freedom has ended and our forces are operating under a new mission," Gates wrote in the memo, first reported by ABC News.
The document, which is addressed to General David Petraeus, the head of US Central Command, adds the rebranding "presents opportunities to synchronize strategic communication initiatives... and recognize our evolving relationship with the government of Iraq."
The move quickly drew criticism from Military Families United, a national security pressure group.
"You cannot end a war simply by changing its name," Brian Wise, the group's executive director, said in a statement. "Despite the administration's efforts to spin realities on the ground, their efforts do not change the situation at hand in Iraq.

  Niger junta names squadron chief as its leader
AP, Niamey, Niger

A junta that seized power in a coup in the West African nation of Niger named a squadron chief as its leader Friday, hours after soldiers announced on state TV that their group was in charge of the uranium-rich country.
Former colonial ruler France and the African Union both condemned Thursday's coup, when armed soldiers stormed the presidential palace in a hail of gunfire during broad daylight and kidnapped the country's strongman leader. The whereabouts of President Mamadou Tandja remained unknown Friday.
In a statement Friday, the junta calling itself the Supreme Council for the Restoration of Democracy said it was being led by Salou Djibo. The junta has said it wants to turn Niger into "an example of democracy and of good governance." A diplomat in the region described the coup's leaders as being part of an army faction that is deeply disillusioned with Tandja for violating his constitutionally mandated term limit. The country has beco-me increasingly isolated since then, with the 15-nation regional bloc of West African states suspending Niger from its ranks and the U.S. government cutting off non-humanitarian aid and imposing travel restrictions on some government officials.
However, there are also fears that the military group could attempt to cling to power in Niger, as the junta in Guinea did following a December 2008 coup. The coup leader there first promised to hold elections in which he would not run, only to later suggest he may have changed his mind. Only a year later, he went into voluntarily exile after his aide-de-camp tried to assassinate him. The African Union's top executive, Jean Ping, condemned the coup in Niger and said Friday that the AU "demands a quick return to constitutional order."
In Paris, French Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said France "condemns any seizure of power by non-constitutional methods." U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said Tandja may have invited his own fate by "trying to extend his mandate in office."
Both the United States and ECOWAS have expressed our concerns about that, and obviously that may well have been an act on his behalf that precipitated this act today," Crowley said Thursday, while adding that the U.S. does not defend the violent takeover. ECOWAS is the regional bloc of 15 West African countries.

  Israel shrugs off calls for arrest of top spy
AFP, Jerusalem

Israel on Friday shrugged off calls for its top spy to be be arrested in the killing of a Hamas commander, as pressure mounted after Interpol issued arrest warrants for 11 suspects in the Dubai hit.
"The Dubai police have provided no incriminating proof," a senior official told AFP, asking not to be identified.
The Dubai police chief said on Thursday he wanted Mossad chief Meir Dagan to be arrested if the agency is behind last month's killing of Mahmud al-Mabhuh, a top commander of the Islamist Hamas movement that rules Gaza. "The threats against Meir Dagan are absurd," the Israeli official said. "The accusations are baseless. Police have not explained the circumstances of his death, or even any proof that he's been assassinated," he said.
Mahmud al-Mabhuh, one of the founders of Hamas's military wing, was found dead in his Dubai hotel room on January 20. Related article: Mossad chief keeps to the shadows after Dubai killing
Police said Mabhuh, who was reportedly on a trip to buy arms for Hamas, was transiting on his way to China, then Sudan.
No government has directly accused Israel, although Dubai police chief Lieutenant General Dahi Khalfan Tamim said he was near certain the hit was carried out by the Mossad, Israel's fabled foreign espionage agency which has used fake passports in similar operations in the past.
Interpol on Thursday issued arrest notices for 11 suspects-six listed with British passports, three Irish, one French and one German-wanted by Dubai for the killing. The killers' use of allegedly fake passports prompted Britain, Ireland, France and Germany on Thursday to call in Israeli envoys for talks at their foreign ministries. The Israeli official played down the issue. "Israel was only asked to help investigate the use of the fake passports."

  Ukraine court hears Tymoshenko poll challenge
AFP, Kiev

A top court in Ukraine on Friday started hearing a complaint by Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko alleging that presidential elections she lost to Viktor Yanukovych were marred by widespread fraud.
Addressing the hearing, Tymoshenko said she would accept any decision as long as it was fair.
"If everything is studied objectively, I will accept the decision (of the court), which is the will of the people, but I cannot accept double standards and I cannot give up."
Addressing reporters just before the hearing started, Tymoshenko, who wants to force Yanukovych into a third round, pledged to fight until the end.
"Today I have not come to defend the presidential elections, I have come to defend Ukraine," she said.
Known for her predilection for beige designer dresses, the glamorous politician wore a funereal black outfit to the court.
"I don't want the future of my state, my people to be built on lies, on deception as happened during the 2010 elections. Today I will fight."
Around 300 of her supporters gathered outside the court to support the defiant prime minister, but their numbers were dwarfed by a much larger pro-Yanukovych crowd.
Earlier this week Tymoshenko filed a complaint with the court demanding the results from the February 7 ballot be invalidated due to what she says were mass falsifications.
The court ruled that final election results be suspended while it hears the case of Tymoshenko.
Yanukovych defeated Tymoshenko by around 3.5 percent or just under 890,000 votes in the election, according to the final official results.
Tymoshenko contends that mass violations, which she says amount to one million votes, put the outcome in doubt.
Ukraine's parliament -- where Yanukovych's Regions Party is the largest faction -- has already set the inauguration for February 25 amid fears of a looming political crisis.
"Nothing threatens the inauguration," Vladyslav Lukyanov, a deputy with Yanukovych's Regions Party, promised reporters before the start of the hearing.

Business/Economy

BGMEA to install UD Software at all member organizations
BSS, Dhaka

Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has decided to install UD software at the offices of its all member organizations to bring dynamism and transparency side by side reduce costs.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the BGMEA member garment industry owners at BGMEA auditorium on Thursday.
BGMEA President Abdus Salam Murshedy chaired the meeting. Vice President Shafiul Islam (Mohiuddin), director Shahidullah Azim and Chairman of UD Automation Committee Minhajul Islam spoke at the meeting.
Other directors of BGMEA, co-chair of UD Automation Committee and a large number of garment makers were present.
Through installation of UD software, it would be possible to create an archive at BGMEA office for UD information.
If needed, the BGMEA will organize trainings for member organizations on using of the software.
It was also discussed that the BGMEA has introduced B2B Webportal for readymade garments industries. This would perform as virtual global market place for suppliers of garments goods, buyers and backward linkage companies.
Besides readymade garments entrepreneurs and buyers of garment products, banks, insurance companies, hotels, shipping agencies would be benefited from this portal.
UD, a high-performance computing (HPC) system management and data center automation software that simplifies the complex nature of deploying and operating HPC and data center environments, saving customers' time and resources while giving them confidence that their solution will perform as expected.
UD helps build and operate production infrastructures, from workgroup clusters to enterprise grids to dynamic data center provisioning with a focus on making business easier for customers.

 Seminar on Business opportunities in BD in S’pore on Feb 23

BSS, Dhaka

A seminar on "Investment Climate and Business Opportunities in Bangladesh will begin in Singapore on February 23 with an objective to showcase high value and high return projects and investments before the Singaporean entrepre-neurs. To be inaugurated at Little Red Dot Seminar Room, the seminar has jointly arranged by the Bangladesh High Commissioner, Singapore, Business Federation- South Asian Business Group and International Enterprise, Singapore.
While highlighting the objectives of the seminar, Ms. Iren Pervin Badhan, Counsellor of Bangladesh High Commission told BSS today over phone that special thrusts would be given in the seminar to focus on Real Estate Infrastructure, Health Service, Pharmaceuticals, Tourism, Agribusiness and Manufacturing sectors.
Special efforts would be made to highlight the investment potentialities and investment-friendly opportunities that exist in Bangladesh, especially in Dhaka and Chittagong, she added.
The trade counsellor said that the main purpose of this seminar would be to gain a better undertaking on the new regulatory requirements as well as financial tools available for investment in Bangladesh.
Singapore is a leading investor in Bangladesh with investment amounting to about half a billion US dollars where investment as of now mainly centralized on telecommunications and textiles.
Singapore is also a leading trade partner of Bangladesh and the volume of bilateral trade had increased from US Dollar 1.77 billion in 2008 to US Dollar 1.97 billion in 2009.
Dr SA Samad, Executive chairman of Bangladesh Investment Board (BOI) will present key-note speech in the seminar while Bangladesh High Commissioner to Singapore Kamrul Ahsam will give address of welcome.
The key-note papers would be presented in the seminar "Regulatory Framework Governing Investment in Bangladesh" by Syed Yusuf Hossain, Chairman Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission, "Key Sectors and Projects for Investment in Private-Public Partnership Basis" by M Anis Ud Dowla, President Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry and "Overview of Financial Incentives and Options available for Foreign Investors" by Dr Atiur Rahman, Governor of Bangladesh Bank.

  India growth on track for boom levels
AFP, New Delhi

India's economic growth is poised to return to boom levels but the government should move slowly in rolling back stimulus and cutting its hefty deficit, an influential official panel said Friday.
The economy is seen growing 8.2 percent next year and at least nine percent the year after-the rate at which it was expanding before the global financial crisis-the Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council forecast.
The estimate came in a report released a week ahead of the national budget in which the government is expected to lay out a roadmap for winding down the stimulus aimed at shielding India from the global slump that began in 2008.
Without reducing the fiscal deficit from a 16-year high of 6.8 percent, New Delhi cannot continue with "the kind of large revenue and fiscal deficits recorded in the last two years", the council said.
But "we need to strike a balance between the need for growth and (fiscal) consolidation" and maintain "adequate stimulus", council head C. Rangarajan, a former Reserve Bank of India governor, said.
His statement echoed calls by Indian business leaders for the government to go slow in rolling back stimulus measures, arguing that economic recovery needs to be entrenched.
The government also says it needs annual growth of 9.0 to 10.0 percent to make a meaningful impact on India's widespread poverty with a fast-expanding economy required to generate jobs.
The council said most of the forecast growth would be domestically driven-from billions of dollars in spending on India's dilapidated infrastructure and personal consumption reflecting rising incomes.
It said it expected global conditions "to be somewhat better" in coming years, helping lift India's exports after they were sideswiped by the downturn, but it cautioned the pace of recovery in advanced economies would be "subdued".
The council stuck by an estimate that the economy would grow 7.2 percent in the current fiscal year to March 2010, up from 6.7 percent last year, but said the actual number figure be higher due to strong industrial output.

  ‘Worrying slowdown’ in EU service sector
AFP, Brussels

Private sector business activity across the eurozone in February showed a "worrying slowdown" in the all-important services sector, despite manufacturing gains, a closely-watched survey said on Friday.
The purchasing managers' index (PMI) for the 16 countries that share the single currency, compiled by data and research group Markit, remained unchanged on 53.7 points, Markit said.
February, however, marked the seventh month the reading was above the boom-and-bust 50-point line indicating growth and job losses across both sectors was also at its slowest rate since late-2008, it added.
"A surge in growth of manufacturing, driven by rising exports and inventory rebuilding, offset a worrying slowdown in the already meagre rate of expansion seen in the service sector," said Markit chief economist Chris Williamson.
The researchers reported a seventh consecutive monthly rise in man-ufacturing output, at the fastest rate since April 2007. Firms reported "improved demand arising from the weak euro," which has fallen to nine-month lows against the dollar under pressure from the Greek debt crisis.

  Jobless has peaked, crisis over in Australia
AFP, Sydney

Australia's central bank chief Friday declared unemployment had peaked at a lower than expected six percent and told lawmakers his focus had turned from crisis management to renewed economic expansion.
Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) governor Glenn Stevens said Australia was emerging from a relatively mild downturn in a very strong position, a "quite different" situation to most other major economies.
"One measure of this is that the rate of unemploy-ment peaked at less than six percent, much lower than we or most others forecast," Stevens said, in the first of his twice-yearly addresses to parliament for 2010. "Only a few years ago, unemployment rates like this would have been seen as a good outcome in strong times, let alone in times of economic weakness."
Australian unemployment dropped to 5.3 percent this month, but Stevens is the first to declare the jobless rate has peaked, significantly below government forecasts of 6.75 percent. It had previously forecast unemployment of 8.5 percent.

  Obama unveils plan to help victims of housing bubble
AFP, Las Vegas, Nevada

President Barack Obama will today unveil a package of measures aimed at helping those worst affected by the US housing crisis as he visits Nevada, where the collapse hit particularly hard. In Las Vegas, Obama will announce "funding for innovative measures to help families in the states that have been hardest hit by the aftermath of the housing bubble," the White House said in a statement.
"In each of these states, the average price for all homeowners in the state has fallen more than 20 percent from the peak," the statement added. The White House noted that while home prices have begun to stabilize, many people still found themselves owing more on their mortgage than the value of their home-so-called "underwater" mortgages.
Obama will announce the allocation of 1.5 billion dollars to be disbursed in coordination with State Housing Agencies. The money will fund programs that will help unemployed homeowners, assist borrowers with underwater mortgages, address the problem of second mortgages or encourage "sustainable and affordable homeownership," the White House said.

  British PM hopes for G20 deal soon on world finance rules
AFP, London

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Friday he was hopeful of agreement on a "world constitution for the global financial system" at G20 meetings in Canada and South Korea later this year.
Speaking at a meeting of European centre-left parties in London, Brown again voiced his support for measures including common global rules on bankers' bonuses, plus bank capital reserves and liquidity.
"I hope that all these things can be agreed in the coming months in the meetings in Canada and Korea," Brown said.
"One thing is clear-either governments cooperate internationally, or the invisible hand of the unfettered market will fail us again."
The G20 is meeting on June 26 and 27 in Toronto and November 11 and 12 in Seoul this year.
Brown, whose country chaired the G20 last year, said unless the world learns lessons from the credit crunch, "we will relapse into the old ways of business as usual and bring crisis upon ourselves anew".
The premier, who backs a tax on financial transactions, also said there were now talks with the International Monetary Fund on "the prospect of a global levy that will embody the contribution global banks should make to the public interest".
He told the Financial Times earlier this month that opinion has shifted in favour of the idea after US President Barack Obama's proposal last month to raise 90 billion dollars from banks in 10 years.

  India retains top spot in gold consumption
PTI, Dubai

India has retained its position as world's largest gold consumer after a weak first quarter owing to around 49 per cent recovery in demand in peak wedding and festival season, the World Gold Council (WGC) has said.
China was the only gold jewellery market to grow 6 per cent in 2009, according to the figures compiled by the organisation formed and funded by world's leading gold mining companies.
"In 2009, dollar demand for gold remained above the USD 100 billion mark for the second year in succession against the backdrop of continued turbulence in financial and commodity markets," it said.
China was the only non-western country to record growth of 22 per cent in investment demand in 2009. In contrast, ETF demand in 2009, at 594.7 tonnes, was 85 per cent higher than in 2008, equivalent to an inflow of USD 17.7 billion, due primarily to an exceptional first quarter.
According to the WGC Gold Demand Trends published yesterday, the resilience in demand was achieved as average gold prices went 12 per cent higher than in 2008, at USD 972.35/oz. Total identifiable gold demand fell 11 per cent to 3385.8 tonnes during 2009 when compared to the levels in 2008, masking a progressive recovery in jewellery and industrial demand.
The final quarter of 2009 showed a decline in total identifiable demand of 24 per cent in terms of tonne, against the extraordinary fourth quarter demand in 2008, it said. During this period, the gold price averaged USD 1099.63, up 38 per cent on the final quarter of 2008.
Total identifiable demand during last three months was equivalent to 5 per cent rise in dollar value terms. Diversity in the gold market both on the supply and the demand side, as well as geographically, has provided significant price support for gold over the course of the year.
Aram Shishmanian, CEO of World Gold Council, said: "2009 was a year which provided a clear illustration of diversity inherent in the global gold market. Total demand for the year remained robust thanks to a rebound in jewellery and industrial demand. While total jewellery demand was 8 per cent lower in the final quarter of 2009 compared to the same period last year, it showed clear signs of a rebound in the last quarter of 2009 when compared to earlier quarters".
Demand recovered to 500.4 tonnes, up from 336.3 tonnes in the first three months of the year, suggesting increasing consumer confidence within the context of a higher gold price.

  Fed rate hike signals end to stimulus measures
AFP, London

The US Federal Reserve roiled financial markets Friday with an unexpected rate hike that sparked fears it might be moving faster than first thought to withdraw critical support measures for the US economy.
But the Fed insisted that raising the discount rate, charged to banks receiving emergency Fed loans, did not signal an imminent tightening in overall monetary policy at a time when the United States is limping out of recession.
Analysts instead described the move as a modest first step toward a "normalisation" in unprecedented Fed operations that have pumped hundreds of billions of dollars into a struggling economy over the past two years.
The far more important benchmark Fed Funds rate, charged to banks making overnight loans among themselves, is likely to remain at zero to 0.25 percent until later this year, they said.
The markets read the message more bluntly and fearing that the esay money era was offer, promptly began selling down shares and the euro.
The Tokyo stockmarket fell 2.05 percent, with Hong Kong down 2.59 percent, leading an Asia-wide equities slide that set the stage for later declines in Europe.
The dollar in contrast jumped higher on speculation that a hike in the Fed Funds rate, which determines the real cost of credit in the United States, might occur sooner than expected and thereby boost the appeal of US assets.
Analysts at DBS Group argued that "while the direct impact of the discount rate hike will indeed by minimal ... the move serves as a wake-up call to markets that economic and policy nornalisation proceeds apace."
They added that the Fed was "being disingenuous when it says its discount rate hike holds no implications for the broader policy outlook."
They pointed to recent signs of robust US economic momentum, with the Fed itself lifting its 2010 growth forecast to between 2.8 and 3.5 percent.

  Toyota chief to face US Congress over safety crisis
AFP, Tokyo

The head of embattled Toyota has bowed to calls to testify in US Congress as lawmakers demand a whistleblower lawyer hand over potentially damning internal company documents on alleged safety defects.
A key congressional committee has subpoenaed former Toyota lawyer Dimitrios Biller, who has accused the world's biggest car maker of hiding and destroying evidence of safety problems and of "a culture of hypocrisy and deception".
Toyota is recalling more than eight million cars worldwide for defects linked to more than 30 deaths in the United States that have sparked a host of US lawsuits which could cost the company billions of dollars in damages. Akio Toyoda, the usually publicity-shy grandson of the company's founder, was initially reluctant to appear before the US Congress but relented following an invitation by Representative Edolphus Towns to testify next Wednesday. "Since I received an official letter, I decided that I'm pleased to go. I want to speak there with all sincerity," Toyoda told reporters. "What I want to stress most is our cooperation in determining the causes (of the problems) and our firm stance on safety," he added.
In a statement, Towns and Representative Darrell Issa welcomed Toyoda's decision, saying: "We believe his testimony will be helpful in understanding the actions Toyota is taking to ensure the safety of American drivers."
They also asked Biller, a top US lawyer for Toyota from 2003 to 2007, to bring all documents he has "relating to Toyota motor vehicle safety and Toyota's handling of alleged motor vehicle defects and related litigation". Biller says the internal company documents show the beleaguered firm was hiding evidence of safety defects from consumers and regulators.
The lawyer, speaking with ABC News, has accused Toyota of hiding and destroying evidence and of "a culture of hypocrisy and deception". Toyota has denied Biller's claims, describing him as a disgruntled former employee, and both sides are locked in a legal battle.

  GM to invest $500m in fuel efficient engines
AFP, Chicago

General Motors announced plans to invest 494 million dollars in fuel efficient engines Thursday amid a broader expansion of its US operations following years of painful cuts.
The investment will create 550 new jobs at three US plants that are involved in the production of its four-cylinder Ecotec engine, the automaker said.
"GM is transforming its product portfolio to reduce fuel consumption and emissions, and the next generation Ecotec engine is an integral part of that transformation," said Denise Johnson, GM vice president of labor relations.
GM shuttered scores of plants and slashed its US workforce by more than half in the past five years, as it restructured its operations in the face of a steady market share loss to Asian rivals.
But the largest US automaker emerged from bankruptcy protection last year with a leaner operation and substantially improved product offerings.
It has been steadily ramping up production as overall demand improves following the industry's worst year in decades.
And the expansion comes at a time when Japanese rival Toyota-which dethroned GM as the world's biggest automaker in 2008 -- has been forced to halt production and sales of some of its most popular US models as it struggles to cope with a growing number of safety recalls.
GM's US production is forecast to reach 650,000 vehicles in the first quarter, a dramatic increase from the 371,000 vehicles built a year earlier.
Worldwide production is forecast to increase to two million vehicles in the first quarter from 1.33 million a year earlier, according to the company.
Its workforce, however, is not expected to expand significantly.
The firm currently employs 46,000 hourly and 24,000 salaried workers in the United States. Global employment totals 204,000 people.
In 2004 -- the year preceding the most recent round of major cuts-GM employed 111,000 hourly and 39,000 salaried US workers out of 324,000 people worldwide.
GM's employment levels peaked in 1986, with 379,000 hourly and 253,000 salaried US workers and global employment of 876,000 people.

National

Mosquito menace beyond control in city for lack of effective drive
DCC blames private wetlands for unbridled mosquito breeding

UNB, Dhaka

Vexed by the sudden spurt in mosquito menace in the capital, the city dwellers alleged that the menace has gone beyond control for lack of regular anti-mosquito drive by the Dhaka City Corporation (DCC).
"The situation has become so alarming that even during day time anti- mosquito spray needs to be used in business establishments, offices and also in houses," complained Enamul Haque, a senior officer of a private bank in the city.
He urged the authorities concerned to take special measures to contain the mosquito menace, saying that children, particularly the SSC candidates, are facing problems to study because of severe attack of mosquito. Describing mosquito menace as public health nuisance, Dr Prof Prabhat Chandra Barua, a public health specialist, told UNB that the city corporation should take immediate measures to reduce the sources of mosquito breeding places as it can emerge as a big public health concern. "Mosquito bites during the spring season can increase number of patients who will come with various skin diseases, particularly allergy complaints," he said.
Visiting some DCC areas like Shewrapara, Kazipara, Mirpur, Pallabi, Mohammadpur, Gandaria, Malibagh, Moghbazar, Rampura, Khilgaon, Basabo, Madartek, Uttara and the Dhaka University areas, the correspondent found that the city dwellers in these areas suffer equally from mosquito menace.
When contacted to find the reasons behind the spurt in mosquito menace, the DCC authorities concerned alleged that huge privately owned wetlands in the city corporation areas remain as breeding places for mosquito and creating the recent public nuisance.
Chief Health Officer of Dhaka City Corporation Brig Gen Dr Md. Shawkat Ali told UNB that the DCC, as per its rules, continue its regular activities to eradicate mosquito. "We are continuing our (anti-mosquito) measures but those may not be as massive as the people expect. It's also not possible for us to meet the people's expectation," he said.
Asked about the limitations, the DCC chief health officer mentioned three big problems for DCC-private wetlands, covered drains and stagnant empty pots-which increase mosquito breeding in the city.
He said there are huge numbers of privately-owned wetlands in the DCC areas, which have become dumping places for dirty wastes and consequently breeding places for mosquito. He alleged that the private owners of wetlands don't keep these places clean.
Asked about the steps taken against such private owners of wetlands, Brig Gen Dr Md Shawkat Ali mentioned that the DCC always issue notices to the owners urging them to keep the wetlands clean. "If they ignore the notice, cases can be filed against them," he said.
He also mentioned that there are many covered drains in the city corporation areas where mosquito-killing medicine could not be sprayed or reached properly and this way mosquito population increases.

  Preparations afoot to observe Amar Ekushey
BSS, Chittagong

Different political parties, socio cultural organizations and district administration here have chalked out elaborate programmes to observe Amar Ekushey and International Mother Language Day in a befitting manner.
Various organizations and individuals have been taking preparations to pay homage to the language martyrs, who made supreme sacrifices to establish the honour of the mother tongue in 1952 and inspired the nation to spearhead all out struggle for an independent Bangladesh. Different political parties including Awami League and its front organizations, BNP, Jatiya Party, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, CPB, NAP, Sammoybadi Dal have finalized programmes to observe the day.
The days programme will begin with placing of wreaths at Shaheed Minar at one minute past zero hours on Saturday, discussion meeting, silent procession in the morning with bare foot, cultural function and photo exhibition.
Chittagong district administration has drawn elaborate programmes in conformity with the national programme.
The programme was finalized at a meeting held on Monday at the conference room of DC with Deputy Commissioner Farid Uddin Ahmed Chowdhury in the chair.
Officials and representatives from district administration, different government, semi-government and private organizations and educational institutions attended the meeting.
A 32-member management sub-committee was formed in the meeting to organize the programme. Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) has been made convenor of the sub-committee.
The programmes includes hand writing, painting and singing of patriotic songs competitions for children at Shishu Academy on Saturday, discussion meeting, child gathering at Mukta Mancha, cultural function and prize distribution among children at same venue on Saturday afternoon, cultural competition at district Shilpakala Academy on Saturday evening, screening of language movement based films at open places at Jamburi and Laldighi Maidan on Saturday, decoration of important road islands with colorful festoons inscribed with Bangla alphabets, placing wreaths at zero hours of Sunday at Shahid Minar, special prayers at mosques, temples, pagodas and churches seeking divine blessings for the language movement heroes.
Muslim hall authority will organize a painting and cultural competition while artist Shawkat Jahan will organize an art exhibition at Patenga sea beach area on the occasion.
Commercial art firms are busy to write banners, festoons and other artwork to supply those to their clients before the stipulated time of February 21 while flower shop keepers in the city's DC hill, Momin Raod and Proborthak Intersections are busy with collection of different types of flowers to sell those on this occasions.

 Supply of quality seeds may boost production of pulse, oilseed & onion

UNB, Dhaka

Supply of quality seeds to the grassroots farmers could increase the production of pulse, edible oilseed and onion and reduce the country's dependence on importing these essential items.
"But, the main constraint in enhancing the production and supply of seeds of pulse, edible oilseed and onion are lack of foundation seeds," said an agriculturist.
AMM Mosharraf Hossain, who is also the project director of 'Production, Storage and Distribution of quality seed of Pulse, Oil and Onion,' said increasing the production of foundation seeds by the Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation (BADC) is necessary to meet the demand of quality seeds.
He said if supply of sufficient quantity of high-quality seeds are ensured to the farmers, the production of these vital crops would increase. In such an event, the farmers will be benefited and the national demand met to some extent.
"There should be initiatives from the government to enhance the production and stock of foundation seeds where the BADC could play a very important role."
Mosharraf was of the view that by using high quality seeds, production of these daily essential items could be increased by 15-18 percent cultivating the same amount of land and under the same management.
He said that the seeds of paddy, wheat and jute are produced by the farmers themselves. Besides, the BADC produces and distributes these while the NGOs also import hybrid and high-yielding seeds.
But, in the case of pulse, oilseed and onion, there is no such import of seeds while the BADC could only supply around 5-6 percent of the total national demand.
When contacted, Anwar Faruque, Director General of the Seed Wing under the Ministry of Agriculture, said it is not possible for BADC at the moment to increase the supply side. It takes time to produce Truthfully Level Seed (TLS) through the process of breeder seed and then foundation seed. According to sources in the Agriculture Ministry, some 6 lakh hectares of land are being brought under cultivation of different kinds of pulse in the 2009-10 season, with total demand of seeds estimated at 16,800 metric tons. Of the total demand of seeds, BADC is providing 668 metric tons, the DAE project providing 1,330 metric tons while the remaining 14,802 metric tons would be provided by the farmers.
The statistics also showed that some 6.4 lakh hectares of land are being brought under different kinds of oilseeds in the current season, with the total demand of seed estimated at 22,580 metric tons. Of the demand, BADC is providing 727 metric tons of seeds, the DAE project providing 474 metric tons while the bulk of the demand - 21,379 metric tons - would be met by the farmers themselves.
Despite the overwhelming use of onion, only some 1.65 lakh hectares of land are being brought under onion cultivation where some 990 metric tons of seeds will be required. The BADC is providing 15 metric tons of seeds, the DAE project providing 18 metric tons, some 0.22 metric ton provided by the private organizations while the rest of the demand of 957 metric tons would be met by the farmers themselves.
Under the five-year DAE project (July 2007-June 2012), some 150,000 farmers including 15,000 females, under 461 upazilas of 61 districts are being benefited.
On the selection criteria of the farmers, the mid-income farmers get preference rather than the marginal or landless people.
Apart from getting seeds free of cost, the farmers under the project are also provided with 40 percent of their required fertilizer. They are also given seed containers free of cost but the peasants have to bear the cost of pesticides.
The farmers in connection with the production of pulse, oilseeds and onion are also imparted training by the BADC, different research organizations and seed certification officials.

   Half of public hospital diet being wasted
Substandard food supplied

BSS, Dhaka

Half of the diet served free of cost in public and specialized hospitals is being wasted, reveals a study, saying almost an 80 percent budget increase for therapeutic food has yielded little results due to mismanagement and 'syndicated' corruption.
The Bangladesh Health Watch (BHW), an annual report on health sector performance, in its 2009 report, said the quality of the hospital diet has hardly improved even after per capita budget was raised at Taka 75 from Taka 42 by the government in 2008.
Based on a prospective cross-sectional study over 250 patients in six medical colleges, and six district and three specialized hospitals, the report said there was a big mismatch found between the quantity of food supplied to and the consumption of the food items.
"Food is not very palatable; does not taste good due to excessive use of water or lack of salt and oil; and menu is often monotonous," red the report quoting several patients as saying during their in-depth interviews.
It said some people, especially very poorer segment, has however, expressed satisfaction over quality and quantity of hospital food, but their statement overshadowed by the dissatisfaction of the majority, who claimed they lost their appetite in hospitals due to 'poor quality' food. And this leads to poor consumption and huge wastes of hospital food, the report said.
The study, which looked efficient dietary management over afflicted people of five diseases - diabetes, coronary heart disease, renal failure, liver diseases and severe protein energy malnutrition - found the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) was seldom followed in the hospitals. It found that the diabetic patients were supplied 25 percent less carbohydrate that the RDA, while the intake of the already compromised food by patients was even lower. And together of these two factors have contributed a total shortfall of 55 percent of food intake than the RDA. The supply of protein was 34 percent higher, while the status of fat content in the diet is frustrating, 22 grams average supply against RDA for 60 grams per day per patient.
"A diabetic patient on an average was given 1,114 kilo calorie for energy, but the consumption was only 633 Kcal, causing wastage of 481 Kcal for each person," read the BHW report, third of its kind in the country and it compiled a series of studies on health sector governance.
The study found the continued supply of food with excess content of protein, fat and carbohydrate for coronary heart patients and this high protein food has adversely contributed to the recovery of such patients. On the other hand, supply of nutrients was substantially lower than the recommended one.

 Hillary greets Bangladeshis on the eve of Ekushey

BSS, Dhaka
US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Friday greeted Bangladeshis on the eve of the International Mother Language Day, the Ekushey February, paying her rich tributes to the 1952 language martyrs and veterans.
"On behalf of President Obama and the American people, I offer warm wishes to all those celebrating International Mother Language Day in Bangladesh, where the day originated, and around the world on February 21," she said in a statement.
She called it an occasion to "honor the Bangladeshis who stood up for the right to speak and teach their own language".
"It is a time when we remember the power of language-to tell us where we came from, to share our story with others, to persuade, to educate, and to preserve our cultures," Clinton said.
The US secretary of state said many Bangladeshi-Americans would gather with family and friends to celebrate their vibrant linguistic and cultural heritage.
"Let us take this opportunity to reaffirm our respect for the great diversity of languages and cultures we see around the world and to working together to promote mutual understanding and cooperation," she said.

  Hamid for improving languages of ethnic groups
BSS, Dhaka

Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad Abdul Hamid Advocate Friday emphasised the need for improving languages of ethnic groups living in the country along with Bengali language.
"According to the article 33 of CHT Peace Treaty signed in 1997, the children of the ethnic minorities must be given primary education in their mother languages as it is a fundamental right of those people," the speaker said addressing a function in the auditorium of Supreme Bar Association in the capital.
SAARC Cultural Society organised the function titled 'Jatiya Matribhasa Utsab' marking the Shaheed Day and International Mother Language Day with its president former lawmaker Syed Abu Hossain Babla in the chair.
Language hero Abdul Matin inaugurated the function while lawmaker Advocate Mujibul Huq Chunnu, president of Indian of the society Haronath Jotis Shastri and member of CHT Regional Council Ushatan Talukder, among others, spoke on the occasion.
The speaker said the struggle for the Independence started from the language movement in 1952 and Bangla language got international recognition when Father of the Nation gave his speech in Bangla in the United Nations Assembly in 1974.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is also trying her best to make Bangla as official language of the United Nations, Hamid said adding that the previous Awami League government with the help of the expatriate Bangladeshis was able to make the Shaheed Day as the International Mother Language Day by the UN.

  Written tests held for recruitment of doctors under health ministry

BSS, Dhaka

Written tests were held Friday for recruitment of doctors on ad-hoc basis to 4,133 posts of assistant surgeons under the ministry of health and family welfare.
A total of 9,627 candidates sat for the hour-long examination in three centres in the city staring at 10 am, said an official release.
Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr AFM Rahul Haq visited the Tejgaon College examination centre. The two other centres were Dhaka Polytechnic Institute and Institute of Health Technology.
The health minister told journalists that the examinations were held in all the three centres fairly.
He said the public hospitals are suffering seriously due to shortage of doctors. Therefore, the government has decided to recruit doctors on an ad-hoc basis to ensure health services for the people quickly.
Health Secretary Sheikh Altaf Ali, Additional Secretary AKM Amir Hossain and Health Department Director Prof Dr Khandaker Shefayet Ullah accompanied the minister during the visit.

   2 young men slaughtered in Jhenidah
UNB, Jhenidah

Two young men were slaughtered by miscreants at Ramchandrapur Swashan ghat (cremation place) in Shoilakupa upazila Thursday night.
The victims were identified as Masud, 30, son of Nabi Sardar of Raghunathpur village in the upazila, and his relative Shariful Islam, 38, son of Mailmari village in Harinakunda upazila.
Victims' family sources said Shariful and Masud went out of their houses Thursday afternoon and since then they remained missing. Local people found their slaughtered bodies in the Swashan ghat area Friday morning and informed the police.
Later, police recovered the bodies and sent those to local hospital morgue for autopsy.
The motive behind the killings could not be known immediately.

   Couple burnt to death in Thakurgaon
UNB, Thakurgaon

A couple was burnt to death and seven other people were injured in a fire at Sindagarh village in Hazipur upazila Thursday night.
Twenty-five houses were also gutted in the fire that claimed lives of Hemonta Roy and his wife Sharmila.
Fire Brigade sources said the fire originated at about 7pm when Hemonta was keeping himself warm in a fire. Soon it caught him and raged through the dwelling houses, leaving him dead on the spot.
Sharmila sustained severe burn injuries while trying to save her husband. She succumbed to her injuries on the way to hospital.
Seven people were injured while extinguishing the blaze.
On information, three firefighting units rushed in and doused the blaze at about 10pm. The extent of loss caused by the fire was estimated at Tk 15 lakh.

Sports

NZ overcomes resurgent Bangladesh
Cricinfo Online

A captivating maiden century from Shakib Al Hasan was not enough to deny New Zealand victory on the fifth day at Seddon Park, as Bangladesh fell 121 runs of victory in the afternoon after a breathtaking morning's play. Shakib played beautifully for his 100, taking the attack to the New Zealand bowlers who were firmly on top as the final day of the Test match began.
Shakib battled valiantly in resistance, finding momentary support from his overnight partner, Mushfiqur Rahim, and the in-form Mahmudullah, but was ultimately left with just the company of the tail as he attempted to pull off an unlikely victory. It was not to be for Bangladesh.
Earlier, Shakib and Mushfiqur started patiently, negotiating the good deliveries safely but being sure to put away the bad balls; when they slashed they slashed hard at the wide ones to send them flying over the packed slip cordon. New Zealand tussled hard to keep the pressure on, sprightly, as usual, in the field with the bowers hitting their lengths consistently early on.
About 10 overs into the morning however, Shakib exploded. Having ended the previous day's play unbeaten on 0 from 25 balls, and then deadbatting his way through most of the opening spell, Shakib creamed his second half-century of the match in just 58 deliveries. Chris Martin was first dispatched for three fours in one over before Daniel Vettori brought himself on.
His first over of the session cost 18, Shakib punctuating three strapping sweep shots with a skillful paddle to the fine-leg fence. He then hit 10 off the first three balls of Vettori's next over to bring up his 50 and to complete a staggering 13 ball burst in which he plundered 40 runs from the New Zealand attack.
Daryl Tuffey bowled two consecutive maidens at the other end, escaping Shakib's onslaught to nick Mushfiqur out with a pearler outside the off stump. But the captain's counterattack proved effective, Vettori forced to defend the leg side boundary, especially with Shakib on strike.
Mahmudullah played well with Shakib, the pair adding an entertaining 68 together, but they were ultimately unable to repeat their heroics of the first innings as Mahmudullah was caught by a diving Tuffey at mid-on for a well made 42.
Shahadat Hossain did well to survive until Shakib reached his hundred in the first over after lunch, only for Tim Southee to clean up the centurion two balls later. With that, the tourists' hope of an upset slipped away.
The Bangladesh tail came out playing their shots, taking to Jeetan Patel's bowling in particular, but it was only a matter of time before the New Zealanders finished it off, Southee taking two more in successive deliveries to have the visitors all out for 282.

  Bangladesh seeks win against Sri Lanka
TBT report

Bangladesh faces off the host Sri Lanka in its last Group A match in the AFC Challenge Cup football championship at Sugathadasa Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka today.
Bangladesh started the tourney on a bright note defeating Tajikistan 2-1 in its first group match but it suffered an identical defeat against Myanmar in the second match.
Bangladesh's loss against Myanmar sent Bangladesh's participation into the last four stage into an uncertainty. Bangladesh needs to defeat Sri Lanka and hope Tajikistan to lose to Myanmar in the last Group A fixtures to feature into the semifinals.
Bangladesh coach Saiful Bari sounded optimistic to win over Sri Lanka. "Bangladesh has a better head-to-head record against Sri Lanka. Hopefully we'll be able to beat Sri Lanka in the last group match," Bari said on Friday.
Talking to the journalists, Bangladesh coach said they made a tactical mistake in the previous match against Myanmar. "We played well against Myanmar but our decision to play attacking football against the Myanmar team proved wrong. Though we got success playing attacking football against Tajikistan, Myanmar successfully beat off our challenge. Now we want to bring some changes in our strategy to play against the hosts," he added.
Though Sri Lanka lost its previous two group matches against Myanmar and Tajikistan, it would not be an easy task for Bangladesh to beat the hosts.
Sri Lanka wants to save some of its blushes showing some improved performance on its home soil.
"Sri Lanka is a youthful team. We wanted to give a chance to our young, promising players. We'll put our best efforts to show our prowess. We have nothing to lose but we'll try to win the tomorrow's match," Sri Lanka's coach Mohammad Amanullah said.

  Asia begins 2011 World Cup countdown
AFP, New Delhi

The International Cricket Council on Friday marked a year's countdown to the World Cup by promising a successful event in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
The 14-nation showpiece event, held every four years, opens on February 19, 2011 with India taking on Bangladesh at the Mirpur stadium near Dhaka.
"I believe it will be one of the great sporting occasions of our time," ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said in a statement.
"Given the passion the subcontinent has for cricket and the tremendous commitment shown so far by the hosts, everyone is even more thrilled and convinced that it will be another successful World Cup."
The 43-day tournament will be played across 13 venues in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh and ends with the final at the under-renovation Wankhede stadium in Mumbai on April 2.
Pakistan, the fourth Test-playing nation in Asia, were removed as co-hosts due to security concerns in the volatile nation.
Tournament director Ratnakat Shetty of India said preparations were in full swing in all three countries.
"All three co-hosts are fully geared to host the event," said Shetty. "A lot of energy, effort and investment is being pumped into improving the infrastructure in the various stadia."
Australia, looking for their fourth successive World Cup title, showed their prowess by winning the Champions Trophy in South Africa last year.
"Over the past six months, we've developed a versatile squad which has experienced success in all conditions," the ICC statement quoted Australian captain Ricky Ponting as saying.
"One of the strengths of the team during this time has been the depth and quality of players we've been able to call on.
"There's a lot of hard work to be done before the World Cup but I'm confident we'll arrive in the subcontinent well-prepared to win a fourth straight title."
The other teams in the fray will be England, South Africa, the West Indies, New Zealand, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, Ireland, Canada, the Netherlands and Kenya.

  Juventus takes Europa League edge
AFP, Paris

Two headed goals from Brazilian striker Amauri earned Juventus a precious 2-1 lead over Ajax following the first leg of their Europa League round of 32 first-leg match in Amsterdam on Thursday.
Juve have endured a season of negative headlines after crashing out of the Champions League at the group phase and struggling to stay in the Serie A title race.
The meeting with Ajax marked Alberto Zaccheroni's first European assignment with the club since he stepped in to replace the sacked Ciro Ferrara and he saw his side fall behind to a 16th-minute strike by Miralem Sulemanji, who capped a quick counter-attack with a low finish.
Amauri drew the visitors level in the 31st minute though, heading home emphatically after a cunning backheel by Alessandro Del Piero had given Paolo De Ceglie space to shape a cross from the left-hand side.
Del Piero was the creator of Juve's second as well, spiking a centre into the penalty area from the left wing that Amauri converted with his second header of the game.
"It's an important victory at an important time," said Zaccheroni.
"I said before the match that if we were going to be under pressure we would have to strike at the right moment. That's what happened."
Elsewhere on Thursday, last season's beaten UEFA Cup finalists Werder Bremen lost 1-0 in the away leg of their tie with former England coach Steve McClaren's FC Twente, who prevailed through Theo Janssen's 39th-minute goal.
Misfiring German champions Wolfsburg, 23 points off the pace in the defence of their Bundesliga title, drew 2-2 at Villarreal, while Belgian outfit Club Brugge secured a famous 1-0 victory against 10-man Valencia, who are currently third in the Spanish top flight.
Spain international midfielder David Silva saw red for the visitors after picking up a second yellow card shortly after half-time and Brugge took immediate advantage thanks to Dorge Kouemaha's 56th-minute winner.
Russian champions Rubin Kazan planted one foot in the last 16 after Aleksandr Bukharov scored a well-taken brace in a 3-0 win at home to Israel's Hapoel Tel-Aviv, with high-flying French side Lille edging Fenerbahce 2-1 in northern France.
Standard Liege of Belgium mounted a stirring comeback at home to Red Bull Salzburg, fighting back from 2-0 down at half-time to win 3-2 thanks to second-half strikes from Igor De Camargo and an Axel Witsel double.
Liverpool take on Romanian side Unirea Urziceni later on Thursday, after the English giants were knocked out of the Champions League at the group stage.
In the other 2005GMT kick-offs, reigning UEFA Cup holders Shakhtar Donetsk visit Premier League Fulham, while Roma will take a 20-game unbeaten run to Panathinaikos and Hamburg host Dutch heavyweights PSV Eindhoven.
Liverpool's Merseyside neighbours Everton were in action on Tuesday, when they edged Sporting Lisbon 2-1 in the first leg of their tie at Goodison Park.

   Australia romps to 125-run triumph
Cricinfo Online

In a summer of big one-day wins, Australia saved one of its heftiest victories for last. After Ricky Ponting, James Hopes and Shane Watson set up a daunting 5 for 324, Doug Bollinger continued his torment of Chris Gayle and the West Indies top order crumbled - again - to leave the crowd in no doubt about the approaching result less than five overs in to the chase.
The 125-run triumph maintained Australia's chances of going through the summer undefeated in all forms of the game, with two Twenty20s against West Indies all that remain.
Already they have equalled their effort of 2000-01, the only other home season when they did not lose a Test or ODI. Back then the team boasted Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Adam Gilchrist and Mark Waugh, and faced West Indies and Zimbabwe.
The developing Australia of this summer will be extra pleased with their record, although their opponents Pakistan and West Indies have been weak. Here West Indies dropped five catches and for the third time in the series they were three down by the end of the fifth over.
Little wonder that at the end of a string of such one-sided contests, only 15,538 fans turned up - the fewest ever for an ODI between the two teams at the MCG.
Those who did attend saw Bollinger snuff out West Indies' chances when he picked up Gayle's wicket for the sixth time in seven matches this summer. The only Test or ODI in which he failed to do so was the Sydney wash-out, when West Indies batted for six balls.
Two top-edged sixes from Gayle were followed by a leading edge to cover and Bollinger had two wickets having trapped Travis Dowlin lbw from the second ball of the chase.
Ryan Harris added Narsingh Deonarine, who played on for 4, and Wavell Hinds, who gave Steven Smith his first ODI catch. Kieron Pollard's 45 featured two sixes but when he holed out to Smith in the deep off Hopes, all that was left for the crowd to look forward to was Smith's maiden wicket, an lbw against Denesh Ramdin, and a fighting 47 not out from Darren Sammy. Still, they had been treated to some exciting strokeplay during the Australian innings.
Ponting and Watson built the platform with half-centuries before Hopes and Adam Voges blasted them past the 300-mark in the final stages. Their 82-run partnership in 7.1 overs featured superb placement from both men, especially Hopes, who struck ten fours and found the gaps with ease. He made his third ODI half-century and took only 24 balls to do it, giving him the fifth-quickest one-day fifty by an Australian.
Hopes finished unbeaten on 57 while Voges remained not out on 45. Hopes was put down at long-on by Hinds late in the innings and it continued a woeful fielding effort from West Indies.
The selectors also made the strange decision to make no changes to the side that lost in Brisbane, despite the strike bowler Kemar Roach being passed fit.
It meant that the openers Watson and Brad Haddin were confronted with medium-pace new-ball offerings and they enjoyed hitting through the line, down the ground and over the top. Dwayne Smith and Ravi Rampaul obliged by serving up half-volleys and both men watched sixes sail back over their heads.
Watson in particular butchered the bowling and he brought up his half-century from 49 balls with perhaps the best of his three sixes, a searing pull over wide midwicket off Sammy.
Two deliveries later Watson tried to work a Sammy full toss into the same region and was taken at deep midwicket for 51. Haddin was the quieter partner but still struck two sixes in his 42-ball 32 before he played on trying to pull Pollard.
Michael Clarke and Ponting calmly compiled a 104-run stand that included a couple of sixes but mostly consisted of push-and-run play with the field back. Ponting fell on 61 from 55 balls when he tried to glide Pollard through the vacant cordon and managed only to find the wicketkeeper's gloves. Clarke's 58-ball 47 ended when he miscued a pull off Rampaul and skied a catch to mid-on, where Deonarine barely clasped the chance.
Deonarine had already dropped Ponting on 47 at square leg when the batsman's sweep off Nikita Miller stayed a bit low. Ponting was given another life on 55 when Hinds' throw missed with Ponting a long way out of his ground.
Haddin also enjoyed two breaks. On 7, Dowlin dropped a sitter at second slip before two balls later the bowler Smith couldn't quite hold on to a flat-batted smash back at him. Watson was also grassed on 29 when he flicked Smith to short fine-leg, where Rampaul missed a chance he should have taken.
It all combined to mean another easy win for Australia. Gayle predicted at the start of the series that West Indies would beat Australia 4-1; they lost 4-0. But they did win the tosses 4-1.

  Golf writers snub Woods over media restrictions
AFP, Houston

The Golf Writers Association of America's board of directors voted Thursday not to take part as pool reporters Friday when Tiger Woods makes his first public remarks in nearly three months. "I cannot stress how strongly our board felt that this should be open to all media and also for the opportunity to question Woods," said Vartan Kupelian, president of the 950-member group.
"The position, simply put, is all or none. This is a major story of international scope. To limit the ability of journalists to attend, listen, see and question Woods goes against the grain of everything we believe."
Woods' agent Mark Steinberg announced Wednesday that Woods would make a statement to a select group of media at 11 a.m. (16:00 GMT) Friday at the clubhouse of the TPC Sawgrass, headquarters of the US PGA Tour.
But access was strictly limited for Woods' first public appearance since a November car crash that spiraled into a scandal over marital infidelity.
Steinberg stressed the event was not a press conference and that Woods would not take questions. Journalists who were not among the invited could watch on closed circuit television from a hotel conference center some distance away and material gathered by those in attendance was to be distributed to other media.
However, GWAA officials said they believe strongly that their presence, without the ability to ask questions, lends credibility to an event that isn't worthy of it.
Nineteen board members voted for the proposal to protest by boycotting the proceedings. There were four votes against the proposal and three abstentions.
Journalists from three agencies were invited to attend and the GWAA said Woods' camp originally made available three pool reporter positions to their members. After negotiations, Woods' camp agreed to increase the number of pool reporters to six, an offer that was rejected.

  Bangladesh to take part in Junior Davis Cup tennis
TBT report

Bangladesh will take part in the Junior Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Pre-Qualifying tennis competition, beginning in the Sri Lanka capital Colombo on February 22.
Apart from Bangladesh, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Syria and the host Sri Lanka are taking apart in the competition.
Bangladesh Tennis Federation announced a four-member Bangladesh team on Friday for taking part in the Junior Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Pre-Qualifying tennis competition.
Bangladesh team includes Mohammad Jmil Bhuyan, Sheikh Hasibul Haque, Sri Biplob Ram, while Abu Saleh Mohammad Fazle Rabbi Khan has been named as the non-playing captain. The competition will conclude on February 26.

   Pakistan happy with World Cup security
AFP, New Delhi

Pakistan field hockey officials said on Friday they were satisfied with the security arrangements for the World Cup, which opens in New Delhi later this month.
Two members of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF), Rana Mujahid and Shahid Bhindara, inspected the Dhyan Chand National Stadium where the 12-nation tournament will be played from February 28-March 13.
Mujahid said the delegation was satisfied with the security arrangements and had visited the hotel where the teams would be staying and would report back to the Pakistan Hockey Federation. Pakistan are due to meet arch-rivals India in a league match on the first day of the tournament.
Security fears surfaced after a bombing on Saturday at a restaurant in the western Indian city of Pune, which killed 11 people.
A previously unknown Islamist offshoot of a bigger Pakistan-based group claimed responsibility for the attack in a call to an Indian newspaper.
The group, calling itself Lashkar-e-Taiba al-Almi, linked the attack to upcoming peace talks between India and Pakistan, set for February 25. The Hong Kong-based Asia Times Online news website added to concerns when it said this week it had received a warning from an Al-Qaeda-linked militant group about attacking sports events in India.
Indian home minister P. Chidambaram had on Wednesday vowed to protect "every player" at the World Cup and other events in the wake of the Pune blast.
"We will provide full protection to every player, every coach, every official who participates in the forthcoming hockey World Cup and Commonwealth Games," Chidambaram said.
Any pull-out or disruption for India would be a major blow as it gears up to host the Commonwealth Games in October, the biggest sporting event on Indian soil since the Asian Games in 1982.
Hockey teams from Australia and England are preparing to fly out to India despite the security concerns, but New Zealand officials have delayed their team's departure until a security update has been received.
Other teams taking part are defending champions Germany, Argentina, the Netherlands, South Korea, South Africa, Spain and Canada.

   World Cup ticket prices scare away fans
AFP, Zurich

World football's governing body FIFA admitted on Thursday that ticket prices were scaring away fans for the 2010 World Cup and asked tour operators to cut costs to help fill stadiums in South Africa.
FIFA chief Sepp Blatter said the tournament was destined to be "a beautiful World Cup" but his general secretary Jerome Valcke warned that 800,000 tickets were still going begging.
High prices have put off ordinary fans from travelling to the country, Valcke said, and though some matches-England group games for example-have sold out, others have attracted little interest just 16 weeks before the tournament kick-off on June 11.
He said FIFA originally expected 500,000 visitors to South Africa during the tournament but was now revising that figure downward.
"We want ordinary fans to be able to come to South Africa," said Valcke. "We have been asking tour operators to cut prices."
High prices have also put off wealthy travellers who have shied away from expensive VIP packages.
But Valcke said he was not worried about the prospect of empty stadiums and that ticket touts could help solve the problem of an "over-rigid" ticket sales system.
"My job is to fill stadiums," he said. "I should not say this, but if the black market works, that tells you that the tournament works."
He said, however, that he did have some concern about building work on the main stadium that has yet to be completed.
Soccer City in Soweto is the centrepiece of the South African World Cup and will host the opening match and the final.
"It is the main stadium. It is a problem," he said.
"But we are on the point of completion. The date is fixed for March 15. Then we will need some time to carry out dry runs on such things as access, ticketing etc.
On security, a factor which is reportedly frightening away some potential fans, the FIFA chief said that fears were exaggerated.
"Nothing is going to happen at World Cup venues," he said. "But outside the venues, it is South Africa.
"In Paris you would not wander alone around the area around the Stade de France (the national stadium) on your own after midnight. If a supporter wants to test how safe South Africa is, he will find out."
Next month FIFA headquarters will host a security meeting of police and security officials responsible for the 32 teams who have qualified for the World Cup.

   Venus defeats Peer to end security agony
AFP, Dubai

Venus Williams put an end to the security agonies of the 2million dollar Dubai Open on Friday when she halted the remarkable run of the pioneering Israeli, Shahar Peer.
But the defending champion had to cope with the smallest arena she has played in for many years before winning 6-1, 6-4 against the first Israeli woman athlete ever to compete in the United Arab Emirates.
Even though Peer had done more than enough, after defeating three seeds and reaching the semi-finals, to deserve a match on the centre court, the security and police deemed it safer to keep her playing on one of the outside courts.
Peer described her experience in Dubai as "different but nice".
"I am sure I will remember this tournament for the rest of my life. I have made many friends in Dubai," she said.
"Unfortunately I couldn't manage to win it, which will be my dream. But there will be no complaints. I achieved a lot in this tournament, professionally and mentally and for myself."
"I am sure for Venus it was not ideal to come to court two and I told her afterwards that I really appreciated her support," Peer added, cognisant that her opponent had been honoured by the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish organisation, in New York in August.
"I think she has a really good heart and understands a lot of things, and I really appreciate her. It's not ideal to be on court two, but we have to do what we have to do."
Williams, the five times Wimbledon champion, made the better start, hurtling through the first set in only 23 minutes.
"In the first set Shahar was making a high ratio of errors, but in the second set she didn't and I had to dig deep." said Venus, "And in the end my serve came to my rescue." Peer then found her ground-stroking rhythm, allied it to her now-famous tenacity, and came up with three games in a row to reach 3-2.
Had Venus not slowed her preparation right down in the next game and come up with some heavy first deliveries, Peer might well have gone a break of serve ahead.
Peer should have reached 4-4 when, with the whole court open at game point, she unaccountably put a forehand inside-out drive into the net from close up.
But she fought tigerishly till the end, running down many of Venus's fiercest drives, throwing up teasing lobs, and forcing two deuces before the champion could close the match out and reach the final for the second successive year.
Tournament organisers will now breath a collective sigh of relief that the potential nightmare of harm to Peer appears to have been averted.
With allegations continuing to fly around about the identity of those who assassinated a Hamas founder member in a nearby hotel, tension had been palpable and rising with each unexpected Peer victory.

   Ngog gives Liverpool narrow lead
AFP, Liverpool

David Ngog's goal was good enough to give Liverpool a 1-0 win over Romanian side Unirea Urziceni in the first leg of their last 32 Europa League tie at Anfield here on Thursday.
Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez wanted the Reds to secure a significant first leg advantage and selected a strong side.
But Unirea kept Liverpool at bay until French forward Ngog breached their defence with nine minutes left thanks to a close-range header.
"They were very stubborn but we expected that," Steven Gerrard, the Liverpool captain, told Channel Five.
"You could say maybe we needed to be a bit more clinical but I think we'll get more joy away from home. They're going to have to come out and try and beat us in the second leg."
Unirea, like Liverpool, found themselves in this competition after finishing third in their Champions League group and so failing to qualify for the knockout stages of European football's premier club competition.
Gerrard while upbeat about Liverpool's chances of winning the Europa League, added: "The teams knocked out of the Champions League are fantastic teams and some of the top sides across Europe are in the competition so it's going to be tough to win it but we're confident we can go all the way."
Unirea gave the ball away straight from kick-off, allowing Liverpool the opportunity to attack and Gerrard had a shot pushed away by Giedruis Arlauskis after just 27 seconds.
Liverpool's one-touch passing created another opening when Jamie Carragher moved the ball quickly inside to Dirk Kuyt and the Dutchman's shot was deflected just wide of the Unirea goal.
Making his first start in more than a month, Fabio Aurelio curled wide with a free-kick as Liverpool maintained their early momentum. Alberto Aquilani's passing was starting to catch the eye and he created space for Albert Riera to clip in a cross from the left that was glanced wide by Gerrard.
Unirea finally posed a minimal threat after Javier Mascherano gave away a needless free-kick for shirt pulling.
But Sorin Frunza failed to test Pepe Reina with a weak effort that was easily held by the Spanish goalkeeper.
The visitors were getting all their outfield players behind the ball whenever they could and a 45-yard shot from Marius Onofras, easily held by Reina, was as ambitious as they got. Liverpool's frustration intensified when Gerrard again failed to hit the target with a header from a looping right-wing cross from Jamie Carragher.
And the England midfielder drove high into the stand from another Carragher pass as the anxiety increased at Anfield.
The Romanian champions were growing in confidence and a strong run down the left from Frunza ended with the winger crossing and Razvan Paduretu slicing wide of Reina's goal.
Just after the hour Arlauskis was forced into action again, pushing away Aurelio's low drive from distance and as Gerrard and Ngog tried to bustle through a crowd of Unirea bodies, Ngog had another effort deflected wide. From the corner that followed, Aurelio's cross picked out the advancing Martin Skrtel but the Slovakian defender headed over from 12 yards.
Lulian Apostal could even have snatched a dramatic late win but his bending shot flew wide of Reina's goal.
But with just under 10 minutes left, Liverpool finally scored. Ryan Babel crossed from the left and Ngog got on the end of a knock-down from Daniel Pacheco to nod in.

   Lysacek shocks Plushenko to claim gold
AFP, Vancouver

American Evan Lysacek shocked reigning champion Yevgeny Plushenko to end Russia's long dominance in the Olympic men's figure skating event on Thursday.
The reigning world champion gave a risk-free performance, opting against a quadruple jump and the gamble paid off as he edged Plushenko technically after the Russian struggled to hold some of his jumps. He becomes the first American to win the title since Brian Boitano in Calgary in 1988, breaking a stranglehold by men from Russia or the former Soviet Union going back five previous Games.
Skating last, Plushenko gave a dramatic performance to Tango Amore by Edvin Marton, making a number one sign with his fingers after finishing his routine. "I was positive that I won," he said. "But I suppose Evan needs the medal more than I do. Maybe it's because I already have one."
"Two silver and Olympic gold is not too bad," added the Russian who also won silver in Salt Lake City in 2002.
Lysacek, who finished just 1.31 points ahead of the three-time world champion, insisted he had just made it look easy. "I think my programme had a lot of difficulty," said the 24-year-old. "I tried hard to make it look as easy as possible. We're doing our job if it looks easy." He added: "I probably knew it was my best skate ever. It was not just one section of the programme that was strong, but it was strong from start to finish and I guess that was key tonight."
Daisuke Takahashi risked everything to give Japan their first ever Olympic men's podium finish taking bronze after the free skate final.
Plushenko, 27, had led the short programme but with less than 0.60 points separating him from Lysacek and Takahashi it was a virtual tie going into the free skate final. Lysacek threw down the challenge with a flawless performance to Sheherazade.
He nailed eight triples including an opening triple-triple combination and two axels to scored 167.37 for the free skate and 257.67 overall.
Plushenko opened with a quadruple-triple toeloop combination and nailed six triples although he was shaky on the landings of his triple axel and lutz, and got a level three for one spin.
He scored 165.51 points and slipped to second at 256.36 overall.
Takahashi fought back after falling on his opening quadruple jump to complete his routine to Nino Rota's La Strada cleanly, scoring 247.23 overall.
The four-time Japanese champion was delighted at his bronze after returning following injury last season.
"I am really happy right now," he said. "When I knew that I had won a bronze medal, I was so emotional. I was in tears. I'm usually not like this."
"There were parts of my programme that weren't perfect, including the quad. There were some other errors, too. But to finish where I am in the Olympic Games feels so good.
"I was injured a year ago and couldn't skate. I never thought that I would recover well enough to be back here on the Olympic stage." Olympic silver medallist Stephane Lambiel of Switzerland finished off the podium in fourth.
He had been in fifth after the short programme but struggled to hold the second of his quad jumps.
Japan's Nobunari Oda dropped to seventh from fourth after his laces came undone undone during his Charlie Chapin routine.
"I guess that's just my luck. What happens, happens," he said.

  Slovakia stuns Russia
AFP, Vancouver

Pavol Demitra scored the winning goal in the seventh round of a tension-packed shootout to give Slovakia an emotional 2-1 upset of gold medal co-favorite Russia on Thursday at the Winter Olympics.
It was the second Olympic stunner in a row for the Slovaks over Russia, having shocked their rivals 5-3 in group play at the 2006 Turin Olympics, and left both clubs at 1-1 in Group B preliminary round play.
"That was a huge win for us," Demitra said. "We showed the world we can play against anybody." The game came down to penalty shots and the drama built until Demitra, who plays home games on the Olympic rink for the National Hockey League's Vancouver Canucks, put the puck past Russian goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov for the victory.
After Russia's Evgeni Malkin missed to open the seventh round, Demitra took the puck and skated way to the left to set up his approach.
Demitra moved past Bryzgalov, then flicked a shot back to the area Bryzgalov had just vacated. The puck bounced off the left post and into the goal. "That move is a lot of patience," Demitra said. "It's a matter of who has got more."
Bryzgalov, also the loser to Slovakia in 2006, made 31 saves through over-time and five more in the shootout but surrendered the decider, choosing to react rather than try and outguess Demitra. "I don't think," Bryzgalov said. "When you think you are in trouble."
Slovakian goaltender Jaroslav Halak made 36 saves through over-time and six more in the shootout.